Architecture is one of the many things in the world that has changed significantly. It has changed from simple brick and stone buildings to complex, glass sky scrapers and other structures. 

Architecture has enhanced over the years due to the accessibility of technology. Now, it is much easier to construct buildings quicker, then it used to be a few decades ago. Also, there is a lot of development in rural areas. Clearly, the world is becoming very urbanized, hence the elimination of rural area is increasing rapidly. Moreover, a lot of buildings are reconstructing in order to look more modernized and astonishing. 

Architecture brings a great economical boost, as well as appealing sights, however there are a lot of negative impacts too. Firstly, natural habitats are destroyed in order to build structures. This kills countless plants and habitats of many animals and insects. Also, various forms of pollution are evident through the process of constructing, including air and sound pollution. 

Architecture is something that amuses a lot of people. In my opinion, it is very fascinating because it represents individuality of someone's perspective. In other words, architecture is a form to express emotion because it clearly shows the thought and meaning behind a structure. 

Here are examples of excellent architecture (click the image for the location of the structure):

In our futures forum class, we were introduced to a project, called the "passion project." This is a very broad project in which we are able to determine our passion and a possible career.

Marwa, Maleeha and I believe in raising awareness of poverty, which is why we have chosen this topic for our passion project. We believe that this is a global issue that needs to be heard and acted upon by everyone of this world. 

First of all, what is poverty? Poverty is defined as the state of being very poor and lacking in basic human needs. It is common for someone to say that most people take things for granted. This is a fact and our good fortune, however we must realize that there are less fortunate people in this world who do not possess some of the wonderful things we are gifted with. These things include a house, food, clothing, clean water, education, health care and money.

Our focal point is to raise awareness of poverty, hence the three of us have chosen a country to do more research on. Marwa is focusing on Chad, Maleeha is focusing on Kenya and I am focusing on Haiti. 

We plan to gather and present information on each of these countries. In addition, we are planning to volunteer our time in organizations that also help people in poverty. Furthermore, we are creating a website in order to show and present our research. Also, this website is a way for us to voice this issue to the public. Through this website, we will achieve our goal of spreading awareness, as the website will contain facts about poverty. By doing this, we will be doing our part in helping and we will be able to gain more knowledge about poverty.

At this point in my life, I am not sure if I want to pursue this as a career, however I know that I want to see poverty diminish. So, this project gave me the opportunity to do my part in helping, as well, it allowed me to raise my opinion about this global issue.

Listening to music is something that everyone does whenever they can. Whether it's while jogging, doing homework, cooking or just about anything, people are engaged with their music. But, why do we listen to music? Are the any benefits? Is it harmful? These are just a few topics I will explore related to listening to music. 

As I've previously mentioned, everyone listens to music, which I believe is a fact. I have observed many people with earphones in their ears in the hall, on buses, while walking, working and even during class lessons. People listen to music for many reasons. Firstly, people often relax themselves by listening to music. Listening to slower and softer music relaxes and calms the body, therefore it makes people feel fresh and relaxed. Another reason why people listen to music is because they prefer a certain genre or artist. Usually people like to listen to specific genres of music such as RB, rock, metal, pop and etc. or they prefer a certain artist or group such as One Direction, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Beyonce and many others. Moreover, sometimes people listen to music because it can relate to their own life and set different moods. For example, if someone is very jolly or happy, they many listen to upbeat music. Where as if someone is upset, they may listen to slower music. Finally, there are many people who listen to music just for fun or \because they really like music. Hence, there are many reasons for someone to listen to music.

Music has many benefits, physically and medically. First of all, listening to upbeat music has been proven to help you run faster. This is why many people listen to music while exercising and jogging. In addition, music has many health benefits. For instance, listening to music improves the immune system, reduces anxiety, helps you through stress and melts away bad moods. Furthermore, music has a positive effect for people dealing with mental health problems, it has positive impacts on patients with cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems. Finally, listening to music helps patients lower heart rate and blood pressure. These benefits have been proven by scientists and doctors, therefore listening to music can be very beneficial. 

Similarly to anything in the world, listening to music has the negative side. It can potentially be harmful to the human body for various reasons. Consistently listening to hard rock music causes all body muscles to weaken. Additionally, listening to loud music for long periods of time damages hearing. As a final point, listening to music while studying prevents the ability to memorize information and concentrate on a certain subject of study. Scientists and doctors have conducted many experiments which have proven that music has a negative side to it, hence it can be damaging.

To wrap it up, I love listening to music! I cannot imagine my life without music, but I do not listen to music all day. Instead, I have a certain time limit where I spend my time listening to music, at a moderate volume. So, I suggest that everyone does the same in order to prevent loss of hearing and other damaging factors.

We are living in a technological society, where there is always something to keep us occupied. Whether it's cell phones, video games, internet, television or other resources, they are always available. So, the question here is that do these things promote laziness? Does our society/generation rely on these things to be there all the time? In my opinion, the answer is yes.

I love technology, but I think people use it more often than it is necessary. For instance, some people text each other despite being in the same room. Do they not like their voices to be heard or are they hooked up with their cell phones? Whatever the answer is, I think that it is a bad habit because it shows that cell phones have taken over people's minds. In other words, it is their only form of communication. This has a negative impact because it is harmful to our eyes, overtime. Doctors suggest that staring at a small screen for long periods of time has the potential to weaken eyesight. Therefore, it is vital to decrease the amount of time we spend using cell phones.

Furthermore, a lot of people spend their free time playing video games. I think that videogames are a great way of challenging yourself and enforcing imagination, but again, it should be used to the right point. From my perspective, spending your entire day playing video games is not the best things to do because it keeps you away from other important things, such as your family, friends, school, work, nutrition and other things. Additionally, video games also have the potential to weaken eyesight overtime. Hence, there should be a certain time limit spent playing video games.

Moreover, the internet is something that can be accessed almost anywhere to everyone. Thus, it is used the most for various purposes such as socializing, gaming and researching. The internet welcomes users to socialize through the internet via Facebook, Twitter, MSN, and  many others. So, it nearly defeats the purpose of telephones and letters. In addition, along with videogames, the internet provides gamers with a variety of games to choose from. As a result, board games have been over counted by online games. Furthermore, the internet is a great source of research. I have observed that most people, including myself, like to use the internet as their initial source of research. The positive points are that it is fast, easy and often reliable. However, certain information found on the internet is not always accurate and precise. Therefore, books and other form of written work should be considered to gain factual information, as authors and editors spend lots of time gathering accurate information.

In addition, television is another form of technology influencing laziness. Often people find themselves sitting on the couch and watching television, while munching down junk food. This is a nice way to relax the body, but making this a daily routine is harmful to ourselves. As previously mentioned, staring at a screen with sharp colours is damaging teyes, causing poor eyesight. Also, sitting eating junk foods is bad for our health because it may cause obesity over time and a unhealthy diet. Therefore, doctors advise everyone for daily exercise and decrease in sugary and fatty foods. 

As a final statement, technology is best way to describe the future. Hence, the world is going to continue to build on what we have now. So, the point of this blog was not to discourage technology, but rather to discourage laziness.

A quote is a selected phrase written by a famous philosopher or any eminent personality.

I believe that quotes are far more than just words put together. They are an inspiration, a belief, a motive and an ambition. They persuade us to build strong opinions in things we believe in such as dreams, love, family, friends, success and a lot more.

I think that quotes put forth a strong message that can help individuals to see life in a different perspective. In other words, quotes make us laugh and they make us cry and they make us feel positive about many aspects of life. Additionally, quotes also teach us that we should always see the good side of things and ignore the bad side. Again, this goes into the direction of being positive, but it extends on its point of seeing life through a new way.

Furthermore, there are many ways to interpret quotes. That is why they are more than just words. Sometimes you just have to look in a little closer and go in depth of the meaning of words to understand the message given by a certain quote. Here are a few quotes and their meaning from my point of view:

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."-Abraham Lincoln
I think that this is a great quote because it tells us to cherish each moment of our lives and to love each moment. Also, it explains that the number of years is less important than the way you live those years. So, go forward and make your life fun, joyful and special!

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important things is to not stop questioning."
-Albert Einstein
I think that this quote is truly inspirational because it tells us to learn from our mistakes, use what you have learned today and to put that towards a great future. It also informs us to not stop questioning, hence we should be curious to learn more and more each day. As they say, there is no age limit to learn something new.

"Nothing is impossible, the word itself is says 'I'm possible!'- Audrey Hepburn
I find this quote very convincing because it explains that nothing in the world is impossible. You just need to have confidence and the strength to achieve something that is difficult to gain. It even says that when you break the word impossible, it says I'm possible, thus it convinces us to try harder to achieve what we want.

"We build too many walls and not enough bridges."-Isaac Newton
I like this motivating quote because it shows that we like to lose hope more than we like to find a way to overcome tough situations. So, this quote suggests that we must find ways to help us through rough times (building a bridge), instead of completely losing hope (building a wall).

"When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream."
-Paulo Coelho
I really admire this quote because it relates to the fact of believing in your dreams and standing strong on your dreams, wishes and desires. In simpler words, this quote by Paulo Coelho informs dreamers that when you really want your thoughts and dreams to come true, the entire universe will help you accomplish it in one way or another. So, continue to believe in your dreams!

To wrap it up, I think that going into the depth of quotes allows us to recognize the importance of their existance. Also, words used in quotes plays a different meaning within different people, so you just have to find a way to relate them to yourslef.

How many times have you said, "that was the best day of my life?" Personally, I have said it many times and I hear people around me saying it repetitively as well. This proves that we enjoy most of the days we experience, hence some people find themselves saying this almost everyday. 

Furthermore, this ties into the prospect of living each day like it's your last day. This is a common phrase that is heard by many people. But, I think that it is a very effective and inspiring phrase. I believe in this phrase because it encourages us to change our bad days into good days, it encourages us to forgive and forget and it encourages us to be thankful for people and things around us.  

Firstly, we know that good days and bad days are natural for human beings. Thus, this may be a factor that can cause us to not enjoy the day. But, overcoming that bad day and being positive about it is a way that can get you to appreciate people and things around you and it can get you to think positive about everything. Moreover, it helps us excel in things that are important to life, such as education, friends and family. Being positive is great for health and it is also a factor that helps improve your grades in school. When we are positive and happy, we like everything around us and we tend to be interested in most things going on around us. Additionally, we become thankful for things and people we have in our life. A great example is our family and friends. As we are cheerful through out the day, we start to really care and love the presence of our family and friends. So, I think that changing our bad days into good days is a way to keeps us happy and healthy. 

Furthermore, I think that it is significant for us to forgive people and forget the bad times we have experienced. I believe that maintaining a good relationship with people in our society is a way to become a social and caring person. I think that people who forgive people have a big heart and are able to welcome different personalities in their life. Also, it influences others to do the same, thus it reduces the population of "enemies" in this world. In addition, forgetting your bad times is another way to build good relationships. It results in an individual's better personality, that others appreciate a respect. Hence, forgiving and forgetting allows you to be a friendly and caring person. 

Lastly, I think that it is very important to be thankful because we are gifted with things the less fortunate are not gifted with. A few things we should be thankful for are family, friends, education, food, shelter, clothes, and much more. Not everyone in the world has a family for various reasons. So, if we say that we don't like our parents and/or siblings, we should consider the fact that there are people in the world who are desperate for a family. We don't chose where we born but, we should learn to accept and love our family. As well, some people are not accepted in groups, thus have no friends. So, we should imagine ourselves in their shoes and we should not exclude anyone from anything. In addition, we should be grateful for education, good food, proper shelter and nice clothes we wear. I think that we should always keep in mind that we are fortunate to have these things and we should remember not to brag about anything because if we have the privilege to have these things, we can also get them taken away. 

I am going to leave you off with a quote and an opportunity to think about why you think it is important to live each day like your last day. 

''Chasing home'' is a phrase that revolves around numerous aspects of life. A few of these aspects include, fulfilling your dreams, finding the career that is right for you and finding the perfect place where you belong.

I believe that fulfilling your dreams is important to life, especially if those dreams are related to your life and how you want your future to be. In addition, believing in your dreams is one of the many ways of accomplishing them. This relates to "chasing home" because it shows how much some dreams mean to people and how they are encouraged to fulfill their dreams.

Furthermore, I think that it is vital to find the right career for you. I have changed my thoughts for the career I see myself in several times. Now, I have decided to go in the medical field, but that might change. I think that it is important to chose a career that you are interested, in order to enjoy working and loving what you do. Also, I believe that it is important to research about the countless careers out there, so you can select the one you are the most confident with. But, this does not eliminate the option of changing the career you have chosen. Many people change the courses they have taken in college or university because they seem to lose the interest. So, they find other careers that interest them, until they find the perfect one. 

Moreover, in my opinion, it is significant to find the place you belong in. In most cases, this includes where you want to live, who you want to live with and if you want to travel a lot or not. People often move a lot because they don't like where they live. They may change houses within the same city, go to a different city, go to a different province, or even move to a different country. Additionally, some people prefer living alone, while others prefer living with their family. As well, some people like to travel a lot, so they do not have a "permanent" house. Instead, they live in a house for a certain time period, then move out to another house. 

As a final point, fulfilling dreams, finding your perfect career and finding where you belong are just a few ways to interprete "chasing home," but for me, they stand out the most. 

Superstitions are irrational beliefs than an object, action or circumstance that isn't logically related to a course of events, influences its outcome. Usually, superstitions are things people make up, but there are some superstitions that originate from certain countries and/or cultures.

I am not a superstitious person, but I know many people who are. These individuals always whine about things that can happen to everyone such as dropping their book on the ground, their pen running out of ink, dropping their spoon at the dinner table, and much more. When these things happen to me, I ignore it and move on. However, some superstitious people take these events to an entirely different level of concern. 


Here is a list of common superstitions:

1. If you dream of the same thing 3 times, it will come true

2. If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck throughout the year

3. If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good luck, but if it walks away, it take the good luck with it

4. If a mirror falls and shatters, a house member will die

5. If you step on a crack, you will break your mother's back

6. If your palm itches, you're going to receive money

7. A bird in the house is a sign of death

8. If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck

9. When you spill salt, toss some over your left shoulder to avoid bad luck

10. If you catch a leaf on the first day of autumn, you will not get sick all winter

These were just a few superstitions, but there are a lot more! ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS???



                                                                    PLEASE NOTE:
    I HAD NO INTENSIONS TO OFFEND ANYONE OR ANY RELIGION WITH THIS BLOG