Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling

I just came across this through one of the trending topics on twitter currently and i found that it lay out the differences quite clearly in phrases that are most often used incorrectly, whether it is a word spelled incorrectly or used in the wrong context.

Where i'm editing essays or papers for my little cousins or friends, i noticed some of the mistakes listed below many times over.

The ten that the website lists are:
  1. Lose (opposite of win) vs. loose (not tight).
  2. Weird (e before i), not wierd. 
  3. Their (implies a possession, owning something) vs. they're (a contraction for 'they are') vs. there (refers to a place or an idea; or something abstract).
  4. Your (possessive, the idea that you own something) vs. you're (a contraction for 'you are').
  5. It's (a contraction for 'it is' or 'it has') vs. its (indicates possession).
  6. Definitely (without an 'a').
  7. Effect (a noun; to cause) vs. affect (a verb; have an influence on).
  8. Weather vs. whether.
  9. A lot, not alot (no such word). The site i linked to above humorously (and correctly) notes that 'you don't write alittle, abunch, acantaloupe... so don't write alot'.
  10. Then (used for time) vs. than (used for comparison).

Monday, December 28, 2009

Games - the Old Fashioned Way

I don't know about you, but i LOVE playing old board games with family and friends. Tonight, my little cousin Imran stayed over after a really long time and we (my brothers, Imran, and I) played a game of monopoly (that took over four hours!) the old fashioned way (after a few years) - and it got me thinking.

We used to play so many board games (like chess, checkers, chinese checkers, mastermind just to name a few) when we were little... and it reminded me of that time today. I wish we still played as much as we used to, but honestly no one does anymore. Like i was telling some of my family members some time ago, no one takes the time to play board games or actively play games outside and things like that anymore. Now, 'playing' a game means playing something on the computer or a gaming system like the Wii or X-box. By the way, i can pretty much guarantee my brothers will argue me on this.

Even the newest edition of monopoly now is computerized with a 'credit card' like system to take away the mathematical portion of the game. Don't get me wrong - it's a neat aspect, but part of the fun of the game was the old fashioned way to play it. Sure, the game runs much faster now... but that was half the fun.

I am still relatively young, but i can remember clearly that we used to go outside and play regularly after school and whatnot when we were younger. Nowadays, you don't see that too much. Of course there are changes with each generation, but don't you think some things should always remain the same?

Not only is playing actively outside or a board game with others healthy, but it is great for your social skills. People nowadays, especially little kids, lack basic social skills that are necessary to be able to communicate with others. I can't count the number of times I've noticed people (of all ages) not being to communicate with other people face to face.

Technology is great, by all means - I'm not arguing that. But sometimes, it inhibits people. Nowadays, people 'communicate' primarily though email, texting, or instant messaging (or just Facebook). While all of these have made communicating with people much easier, it should not mean that you are no longer able to talk to people face to face at all.

The next few times you are talking to people from various age groups, take note of it - you'll be surprised at how many people can't even make eye contact when they are speaking to people!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Trending Tweets in Review: 2009

As the year 2009 quickly comes to an end, in ten short days, there have been articles everywhere online about "2009 in review" - just like there are every year. This year, however, i came across a new list - one that hasn't been so widely available in the past, and which i found quite interesting. I feel like it captures all the other sources and information all into one.

It's called "Top Twitter Trends of 2009".




In essence it's everything everyone was talking about and discussing throughout the year. It's what we, as a collective groups of people from across the world, found most important and worthy of attention.

Do you agree with this assessment? What would you rate to be the the 'top three' in each category? The ones you found most important. Did any one of the aforementioned surprise you? Or, are there any other you would have included?

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Snow Storm '09

I just started taking pictures from my phone to show you guys how rapidly the weather changed:

this picture was from around 1:50 PM  (my brother took this first picture to comment on the lack of snow, and it started snowing continuously as soon as he took this picture):

this picture is from 1:59 P.M:

this picture is from 2:02 PM

2:20 P.M:

i'll update as the day progresses if there is a significant difference.

4:05 PM:

4:53 PM:

6:43 PM (the following pictures are all from my camera, unless otherwise noted, since it is now too dark to take pictures from my phone):

the next two pictures are from 9:03 PM:


the next two pictures are from 11:08 PM (tires half way covered = decent amount of snow!):


1:03 AM (sunday):

and one last picture from around 11 AM this (sunday) morning (from my phone)... unless it snows more:

Better than nothing, I suppose?

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