HAPPY FATHERS' DAY, POPSICLE!

 

"THE GREATEST GIFT I EVER HAD 
CAME FROM GOD, AND I CALL HIM DAD."

JUST WANTED TO GREET ALL THE FATHERS OUT THERE A "HAPPY FATHERS' DAY", ESPECIALLY TO THE GREATEST FATHER IN THIS WHOLE WIDE WORLD, MY DAD.
HE'S BEEN THROUGH A LOT, AND SACRIFICED A LOT IN THIS FAMILY. HE'S THE NUMBER 1 JOKER IN THE HOUSE, AND HOPEFULLY HE DOESN'T AND WILL NEVER CHANGE. HE'S AN INSPIRATION, AND MY ROLE MODEL. AND I'M SURE A LOT OF THE KIDS OUT THERE FEEL THE SAME ABOUT THEIR FATHER. IF OUR MOTHERS ARE THE GUIDING LIGHT AT HOME, THEY ARE THE PILLARS/POST OF OUR HOUSE. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD!

AND THE LOVE KICK STARTS AGAIN.

MY SINCERE APOLOGIES, READERS. I've been crazy busy lately this past month of May that I never really got the time to make A FEW BLOG posts. I wouldn't want to bore you with a quick post, instead of a long blog post that contains good stuff, so I waited until I finally got a free time. THIS SUMMER, I'M CURRENTLY ATTENDING ONE SUMMER SCHOOL COURSE WHICH IS INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY AS A CONTINUATION FROM THE PREVIOUS SEMESTER. AND I PLAN ON TAKING A COUPLE MORE COURSES AROUND JULY, HOPEFULLY. OTHER THAN THAT, THERE'S ALSO EIGHT RAYS STUDIO THAT KEEPS ME BUSY EVERY WEEK SINCE THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY WITH PHOTOSHOOTS, VIDEO SHOOTS, AND MORE. THIS WHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY THING IS REALLY MAKING ME BECOME AN ACTIVE PERSON! IMAGINE, I HAVE TO PROMOTE EACH OF OUR VIDEOS, MAKE BLOG POSTS ABOUT IT, ETC. BUT I'M NOT COMPLAINING. THIS IS STILL A HOBBY GROWING INTO A PASSION, BUT HOPEFULLY SOON IT WILL TURN INTO SOMETHING BIG.

ON THE LAST WEEK OF APRIL, WE DID A VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH OUR FRIEND PETER TAKIS AND ALSO TO PROMOTE HIS NEW LINE THAT DROPPED ON THAT VERY SAME WEEK (PEEK A COUPLE OF PREVIOUS POST BELOW. WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE). 

ON MAY 4TH, THE WEEK AFTER WE DID THE INTERVIEW, WE DID A PHOTOSHOOT FOR PST (PINOY STREET TEAM) GEAR. A CLOTHING LINE BASED IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA WHICH NOW GREW BIGGER HERE IN WINNIPEG WITH THE EXPANDING SIZE OF FILIPINO IMMIGRANTS COMING HERE IN OUR CITY. WE ALSO POSTED A SHORT BEHIND THE SCENES AND TRAILER FROM THIS PHOTOSHOOT ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AS A SNEAK PEEK TO SOME OF THE PICTURES WE JUST RELEASED ON OUR FACEBOOK FAN PAGE HERE. RIGHT NOW I POSTED THREE PHOTOS ON MY FLICKR PAGE SO MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IT OUT HERE AS WELL. I'LL BE RELEASING MORE PHOTOS IN THE NEAR FUTURE VERY SOON.  PLEASE BARE WITH ME THOUGH, THERE ARE AT LEAST 200 PICTURES TO POST-PROCESS AND I JUST CAN'T EDIT THEM ALL AT ONCE. =)

ON MAY 16TH, PETER TAKIS ASKED US TO DO A VIDEO OF HIM AGAIN TO PROMOTE HIS EBOOK CALLED "AMBITIOUS YOUTH:  4 KEYS TO DOING BIG THINGS AT A YOUNG AGE". IF YOU WANT TO READ THE EBOOK, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR ORDER HERE. IT'S ONLY FOR $1.99! YOU CAN GET IT ON YOUR IPAD, IPHONE, IPOD TOUCH, AND MANY MORE. OR YOU CAN ALSO BUY IT AND PUT IT ON YOUR DESKTOP OR MACBOOK. I WANT YOU ALL TO SUPPORT HIM! CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW.

A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER WE DID THE VIDEO WITH PETER TAKIS, WE FILMED A DANCE MUSIC VIDEO OF EIGHT RAYS STUDIO'S OWN KEVIN DEL ROSARIO. WE FILMED THE MUSIC VIDEO ON TOP OF THE BAY AT PORTAGE AVENUE. IT WASN'T EASY GETTING THAT GIG, WE HAD TO COME BACK TO THAT SAME PLACE TO ASK FOR PERMISSION AGAIN. WE TRIED ALMOST EVERY TALL BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN TO ASK FOR PERMISSION THE WEEK BEFORE WE SHOT THIS MUSIC VIDEO. WE GOT LUCKY ON THE SAME DAY OF THE SHOOT WHEN WE CAME A LOT EARLIER AND THE MAIN STAFF AT THE BAY ACTUALLY GAVE US THE THUMBS UP TO DO THE VIDEO SHOOT ON TOP OF THEIR BUILDING. THE TITLE OF THE SONG IS KICKSTARTS BY EXAMPLE. AND OF COURSE, A VIDEO SHOOT IS MEANINGLESS WITHOUT SOME BEHIND THE SCENES AND BLOOPERS SO WE COMBINED OUR FOOTAGE IN ONE VIDEO AND PUT ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL. WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO AND THE BEHIND THE SCENES AND BLOOPERS BELOW.

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME READING THIS AND WATCHING THE VIDEOS! SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND DON'T FORGET TO SHARE IT TO YOUR FRIENDS! AND STAY TUNED FOR MORE PROJECTS IN THE FUTURE!

NEVER STOP THINKING.

In order for your dreams and visions to become a reality, you must continue to think that you’re going to become successful, that you’re going to surpass all of your expectations in life, and that nothing is going to come in your path to prevent you from achieving your goals. Without the right amount of positive thinking, you may never attain success.

You have to imagine where you want to be in life. Think of your imagination as the mental canvas where you can dream, wonder, think of possibilities, and just let your mind wonder and wonder into new worlds. HAVING AN IMAGINATION IS THE KEY TO CREATIVITY.

You need to be thinking about your plan and if you don’t have a plan you better make one right now. The thing about a plan is that it keeps you focused on your goals. Having a weak plan is better than not having a plan at all. So get some paper and a pen, and write down your plans. I’m not talking about a formal business plan, I am talking about sentences, words, ideas, drawings, shapes, images, anything on a piece of paper — something to post on your wall to observer, think about, and revise.

Your desire to succeed must be strong. Students have been taught to go to school, get good grades, find a job, work for someone for 40 years then retire living off of social security checks for the rest of your life. Well you know what I say to that? MAN, HAIL NAWW!

The student entrepreneur doesn’t settle for that — He or she builds, creates, expands, and changes the world. In order not to end up just like every other dude, you need to persist above all the bullsh*t that is going to try to stop you (i.e. friends, family, bosses, teachers, and acquaintances that tell you to “play it safe”). I’m sure you’ve heard that before, right?

Never stop thinking about the future. We are living in a world where things are constantly changing from day to day. Ideas that you once had may need to be revised or adjusted for future changes in the world. The way you think about your business should never be concrete, it should be fluid: ready to change at any given moment. We don’t live in a static world, so your business shouldn’t be static. Be flexible and ready for anything. There’s only one thing that is perfect in this world and it’s definitely not going to be your business.

There are going to be setbacks on your road to success, there will be days filled with headaches and stress, days that you’ll just want to give up and never look back — this is all part of starting a business and the strong-minded always prevail.

NEVER STOP THINKING.

ALWAYS ADVANCE, NEVER DIGRESS.

HEY GUYS, I COME TO YOU AGAIN WITH A BLOG POST ABOUT A CLOTHING LINE HERE IN WINNIPEG, CREATED BY A 16-YEAR OLD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT NAMED PETER TAKIS. YOU GUYS MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW THIS, BUT ME AND 3 OTHER FRIENDS RECENTLY MADE A GROUP THAT'S THE MAIN FOCUS IS PHOTOGRAPHY AND A VIDEOGRAPHY. AND FOR OUR FIRST MOVE, WE DID AN INTERVIEW WITH PETER TAKIS LAST THURSDAY TO PROMOTE HIS NEW LINE THAT JUST DROPPED LAST SATURDAY IN HIS WEBSITE (CHECK OUT LOCAL ADVANCERS). ALSO CHECK OUT HIS BLOG AMBITIOUS YOUTH FOR UPDATES, AND ADVICES ABOUT LIFE IN GENERAL. OTHER THAN THAT, YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT HIM BY FOLLOWING HIM IN TWITTER (@LOCALADVANCERS).

ALL I'M ASKING YOU IS TO CHECK OUT THESE SITES I POSTED. IF YOU LIKE THE VIDEO WE MADE, GIVE IT A THUMBS UP, FAVORITE  IT, AND GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL AS WELL FOR FUTURE PROJECTS. WE PLAN TO RELEASE A BUNCH OF VIDEO PROJECTS THAT WE'LL BE DOING EVERY WEEK, SO STAY IN TOUCH. WE ALSO ACCEPT IDEAS FOR SHORT VIDEOS IN THE FUTURE, SO IF YOU HAVE WRITTEN A SHORT SCRIPT AND YOU THINK IT IS GOOD, SEND IT TO US AND WHO KNOWS, MAYBE ONE DAY WE CAN TURN IT INTO A SHORT VIDEO. IF YOU LIVE IN WINNIPEG AND YOU'RE LOOKING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS AND/OR VIDEOGRAPHERS TO COVER AN EVENT, SEND US AN EMAIL AT EIGHTRAYSSTUDIO@GMAIL.COM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME READING THIS. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT LOCAL ADVANCERS AND OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL. TAKE IT EASY, WORLD. :)

HAPPY 12TH BIRTHDAY, TUB!

I DON'T SMOKE WEED AND/OR CIGARETTE, AND I MOST DEFINITELY DON'T TAKE OR CONSUME ILLEGAL DRUGS. BUT HERE'S A REASON WHY I CELEBRATE FOUR TWENTY (420).

APRIL 20TH IS THE 12TH BIRTHDAY OF MY FAVORITE STREETWEAR STORE IN WINNIPEG, THE URBAN BAKERY. IT'S BEEN YEARS THAT I'VE KNOW THIS STORE, THE OWNER, AND THE ENTIRE STAFF. THIS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE PLACES THAT I LIKE TO HANG OUT AFTER SCHOOL, DURING SUMMER BREAK, ETC. THE STAFFS ARE OBVIOUSLY FRIENDLY, WE'VE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER IN A REALLY LONG TIME NOW. IT'S NO SURPRISE WHY THIS PLACE IS GETTING RECOGNIZED MORE AND MORE AS THE YEAR GOES BY. IT WAS THE FIRST STORE TO EVER INTRODUCE ME TO THE STREETWEAR CLOTHING BRANDS SUCH AS CROOKS AND CASTLES, STUSSY, OBEY CLOTHING, ALIFE, LIFTED RESEARCH GROUP (LRG), 10 DEEP, BOBBY HUNDRED'S "THE HUNDREDS", AND MORE. BECAUSE OF THEM, I PRETTY MUCH CHANGED MY ENTIRE CLOSET, AND MOST OF MY CLOTHING CAME FROM THE BAKERY. BUT NOT ONLY THAT, WHEN IT COMES TO SNEAKERS THEY ARE DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST SNEAKER SPOTS IN TOWN TO EVER GET QUICK-STRIKE RELEASES OF AIR JORDAN SNEAKERS. OTHER THAN THAT, THE URBAN BAKERY ALSO BRINGS OUT THE BEST TALENTS TO THE CITY. RAPPERS/GROUPS SUCH AS LMFAO, CLIPSE, BUN B, YELAWOLF AND RICK ROSS ARE ONLY A FEW WHO MADE IT HERE. LET'S HOPE THAT THEY COME BACK AGAIN SOON.

I MADE THIS POST TO REMIND THE LOCAL FOLLOWERS OF WINNIPEG OR ANYONE CLOSE THAT THE URBAN BAKERY IS HAVING A SALE STARTING TODAY UNTIL TOMORROW (THIS GOES ON EVERY YEAR, AND SALES OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR), SO HEAD DOWN TO THE BAKERY AND GRAB SOME GOODIES. ARE YOU TIRED OF SEEING THE SAME CLOTHES ON YOUR CLOSET EVERYTIME YOU CHANGE? OR WHENEVER YOU SEE SOMEONE ROCKIN' THE SAME SHIRT AS YOU? TUB OFFERS A VARIETY OF CLOTHING BRANDS TO CHOOSE FROM. I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT ROCKIN' THEIR STUFF CAN  GET YOU NOTICED. WHETHER IS ANY TYPE OF CLOTHING, PANTS, WATCH, ANYTHING, THE URBAN BAKERY IS THE PLACE TO GO. THE BEST WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF NEW RELEASES OR EVENTS IS TO SUBSCRIBE TO THEIR WEBSITE - TUB204. EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANYTHING, IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO GO THERE, SAY HI TO THE STAFF, TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. PEACE!

JAPAN, OUR PRAYERS GOES TO YOU.

WHAT SUCKS EVEN MORE THAN WAKING UP AND HEARING BAD NEWS ABOUT THE 8.9 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE HITTING JAPAN AND A TSUNAMI WARNING? I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD TELL ME. THE WORLD JUST ENTERED A NEW LEVEL OF CRAZYNESS WHEN WE ALL FOUND OUT ABOUT THE DISASTER THAT HAPPENED IN JAPAN RECENTLY. AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, THERE'S ALSO THE LEAKING RADIATION IN JAPAN. I FEEL SORRY FOR THEIR COUNTRY, ALL THAT DISASTER IN ONE MONTH! I CAN'T EVEN STAND TALKING ABOUT IT HERE. ALL THOSE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO DIED DURING THESE INCIDENTS. NOW, THAILAND IS AFFECTED BY THE TSUNAMI TOO. I JUST HOPE THAT MY HOMELAND PHILIPPINES DOESN'T GET AFFECTED. OUR PRAYER GOES TO THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES DURING THESE UNEXPECTED EVENTS. AND MOST OF ALL, I PRAY TO THE COUNTRIES THAT WERE AND COULD BE AFFECTED BY THE TSUNAMI. DID YOU GUYS MAKE YOUR DONATIONS YET? REMEMBER, IT'S NOT TOO LATE. AS FOR ME, I'M TRYING EVERYTHING I CAN TO HELP OUT. AND THANKS TO THIS "PRAY FOR JAPAN" QR T-SHIRT MADE HERE IN WINNIPEG, DONATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE EASIER! GET ONE NOW WHILE THEY'RE STILL AROUND! I REMEMBER THESE BEING SOLD OUT ON THE FIRST DAY THEY CAME OUT. THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST ONE IN HISTORY WHERE A QR CODE WAS PUT ON A T-SHIRT. I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER WHEN ACE SAID "IF YOU'RE WEARING THE T-SHIRT, YOU'RE A WALKING DONATION OUTLET". AND THE GOOD NEWS IS, THEY'RE ONLY $20. PLEASE GO HERE FOR MORE INFO -- #PRAYFORJAPAN.

HELLO EVERYONE, SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING THIS BLOG. IT'S BEEN A WHIRLWIND LATELY, AND I CAN SEE THAT THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING UP HERE IN MY BLOG (I'VE BEEN GETTING HIGH AMOUNT OF VIEWS LATELY AND IT'S PRETTY SHOCKING!). I'VE BEEN VERY BUSY WITH SCHOOL NOW THAT IT'S ALMOST OVER, DEALING WITH FINAL EXAMS, RESEARCH PAPERS, AND ALL THAT. I WAS GOING TO POST THIS A MONTH AGO BUT YOU KNOW IT SUCKS WHEN WRITER'S BLOCK STRIKES. I WANTED TO MAKE THIS QUICK SO I DON'T BORE YOU TO MUCH. I WILL TRY TO GIVE YOU GUYS AN UPDATE EACH WEEK. BUT EXPECT THEM TO COME AROUND LATE APRIL. IT'S EXAM MONTH, AND YOU GUYS KNOW HOW ITS GOES DOWN AT TIMES LIKE THESE. AS FOR THE MONTH OF MAY, WE JUST MADE A PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY GROUP RECENTLY. SO I'M EXPECTING AND PLANNING A BUNCH OF PHOTOSHOOTS, MUSIC VIDEOS, AND SHORT FILM PROJECTS COMING OUT EACH WEEK. WATCH OUT FOR US ON YOUTUBE! WE CALL THE GROUP "EIGHT RAYS STUDIO". ANYWAYS, THANK YOU GUYS FOR STICKING UP THERE WITH ME. I DON'T MEAN TO LEAVE THIS BLOG HANGIN' BUT DO EXPECT A LOT OF UPDATES ONCE SUMMER OFFICIALLY STARTS!

- PEACE.

FIGHT PROCRASTINATION.

HERE'S A STORY THAT SERVES A PURPOSE TO BE IN THIS BLOG. YOU ALL KNOW THIS BLOG ISN'T FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY, BUT IT'S FOR LEARNING AS WELL. SO I'M GOING TO TELL YOU WHY PROCRASTINATION IS BAD IN GENERAL, AND GIVE YOU SEVERAL TIPS AND WAYS ON HOW YOU CAN STOP IT. WE ALL KNOW THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES FROM A BAD EXPERIENCE. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE'S MY SIDE OF THE STORY, AND I'M GOING TO TELL YOU WHY YOU SHOULDN'T DO IT.

AS WE GO THROUGH LIFE, THERE ARE MANY THINGS WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ON THE WAY. ONE OF THOSE BIGGEST THINGS IS PROCRASTINATION, AND WHY IT NEVER WORKS OUT. YEARS AFTER YEARS, I'VE BEEN TELLING MYSELF THAT WAITING UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO FINISH UP AN ASSIGNMENT, AN ESSAY, OR JUST STUDYING FOR AN EXAM IS WRONG.

BEFORE READING WEEK STARTED, A 2500 WORDS ESSAY ON MY FILM STUDIES (EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA) WAS DUE THURSDAY MORNING. OUR PROFESSOR ONLY GAVE US THE DETAILS ON WHAT WE SHOULD WORK ON OUR PAPER A WEEK BEFORE THE DUE DATE. SINCE THEN, I'VE BEEN SPENDING MY EXTRA TIME LOOKING FOR A FILM TO WORK WITH AND GET HIS PERMISSION, BUT IT WAS ONLY UNTIL TUESDAY AT THE SAME WEEK I HAD TO SUBMIT THE PAPER THAT HE REPLIED TO GIVE ME THE THUMBS UP. I DECIDED TO DO MY PAPER ON GUY MADDIN'S "MY WINNIPEG". SO I WATCHED THE FILM ON THAT SAME NIGHT, PULLED OUT A LOOSE LEAF AND STARTED JOTTING DOWN SOME MEMORABLE SCENES FROM THE FILM, SOME DETAILS, AND WORKED ON THE REFERENCES. AT THIS STAGE I THOUGHT I WAS ON THE RIGHT TRACK. IT WAS ON THE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THAT I WAS UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE AND I HAD TO WRITE THE ENTIRE ESSAY WITH NO TIME TO GET IT PROOFREAD. SO I SPENT THE ENTIRE NIGHT ONLY TO COME UP WITH A LITTLE OVER 1000 WORDS AROUND 2AM. GOOD? MAN, HAIL NAWW! I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING TO PUT IN THERE, SO I DID WHAT EVERYONE ELSE DO WHEN THEY'RE RUNNING OUT OF WORDS: LOOKING FOR QUOTATIONS FROM A BOOK OR A JOURNAL ARTICLE FROM A DATABASE ABOUT THE SUBJECT AND PASTE IT ON THEIR PAPER SO IT ADDS UP. I STILL CAME UP A LITTLE SHORT, SO I DECIDED TO SLEEP ON IT AND WOKE UP FOUR HOURS LATER TO FINISH IT UP BEFORE HANDING IT IN. AT LEAST THAT'S HOW I IMAGINED IT. AND LET'S NOT FORGET THE DISTRACTIONS -- FACEBOOK, TWITTER, TEXT MESSAGES, PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING THAT'S DISTRACTING. WHEN I CAN'T THINK OF SOMETHING MY MIND GOES SOME PLACE ELSE WHERE I CAN THINK OF WORDS TO PUT ON MY ESSAY, AND SOMEHOW IT WORKS, BUT NOT A BIG FAN. HALF OF THE TIME I KEEP REMINDING MYSELF WHAT I'M WRITING ABOUT SO I'M ALWAYS ON TRACK.

WITH OVER 1000 MORE WORDS TO GO, I DECIDED NOT TO GO ON MY EARLY MORNING CLASS TO FINISH IT. AS IT TURNS OUT, I NEEDED MORE THAN AN HOUR. I COULDN'T EVEN MAKE IT TO MY 10 AM CLASS WHICH IS THE FILM STUDIES. AT 2000 WORDS, I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY. SO I TRIED HARDER TO PROOFREAD IT MYSELF AND ENDED UP WITH A LITTLE OVER 2400 WORDS. AT THIS PHASE, I TOLD MYSELF "I'M DONE". I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO TRY AND GET 2500 WORDS. I'VE ALREADY SQUEEZED MY BRAIN FOR THE PAST 24 HOURS, IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT I HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. I FIND IT FUNNY WHEN MY ESSAY WORD COUNT GOES UP BY AT LEAST A HUNDRED EACH HOUR, WHICH IS PROGRESS -- A SLOW PROGRESS, BUT IT STILL COUNTS. WITH MY PAPER DONE AT 2:30 PM, AND THE CLASS BEING DONE BEFORE 1PM, I LOOKED UP MY PROFESSOR'S OFFICE HOURS SO I CAN HAND IN MY PAPER THERE. SO I GOT TO HIS OFFICE, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT HE LEFT EARLY TO ATTEND A PRESENTATION. AFTER I GOT HOME, I TRIED TO EMAIL IT TO HIM THROUGH JUMP WEBMAIL, BUT THE SITE WAS MESSED UP THE WHOLE NIGHT. I CHECKED BACK IF THE SITE WORKS EVERY AFTER 30 MINUTES UNTIL THE CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT AND I TOLD MYSELF I'D TRY AGAIN TOMORROW. BUT IT WAS NOT UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING WHEN I WAS ABLE TO EMAIL HIM MY PAPER WITH MY EXPLANATIONS, AND THAT'S WHEN HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD TO CUT HIS OFFICE HOURS INTO HALF TO ATTEND A PRESENTATION. I NEVER KNEW JUMP WEBMAIL WAS UNDER A MAINTENANCE THAT TIME, NO WONDER THE SYSTEM WAS FAILING.

RIGHT NOW, WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR THE PROFESSOR TO GIVE US BACK OUR PAPERS. FOR SOMETHING THAT I WROTE FOR ONLY LESS THAN 24 HOURS, I MUST SAY THAT'S A PRETTY SOLID ESSAY. LESSONS LEARNED: LOOKING UP PICTURES OF THE FILM YOU'RE WRITING ON IN THE INTERNET DOES NOT COUNT AS RESEARCH. RESEARCH INVOLVES READING THE MATERIAL WITH AN OPEN MIND, NOT ONLY FOR PLEASURE. IMDB IS A NOT BAD SOURCE FOR A FILM BUT NOT GREAT FOR REFERENCES, SAME WITH WIKIPEDIA. IF I WERE YOU, I'D STAY AWAY FROM THOSE WEBSITES WHEN YOU'RE WRITING AN ESSAY AND LOOKING FOR VALID QUOTATIONS OR REFERENCES. I'D SAY DATABASES SUCH AS EBSOHOST AND WILEY STILL HAVE THE BEST RESOURCES. ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED: COZINESS IS THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT TO WRITING AN ESSAY, BUT IN THIS CASE, IT'S FOR EVERYTHING ELSE (STUDYING, ETC.). ANYTHING THAT LOOKS COMFORTABLE IN SIGHT IS A NOT GOOD. DON'T STAY IN YOUR BEDROOM WHEN YOU'RE WRITING AN ESSAY OR STUDYING FOR AN EXAM -- YOU'LL ONLY FALL ASLEEP. AND THIS NEXT ONE, I KIND OF ALREADY MENTIONED EARLIER: WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GETTING NOWHERE ON YOUR PAPER, WRITE DOWN THE QUOTES FROM THE SUBJECT THAT YOU WANT TO USE AND CAREFULLY EXPLAIN IT. THEN TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR WORD COUNT, IT WENT UP, RIGHT? THIS ENCOURAGEMENT MAY GET YOU TO KEEP GOING FOR A FEW MORE HOURS UNTIL YOU'RE DONE. AND LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, MAKE SURE YOU BREW A POT OF COFFEE TO KEEP COMPANY AND TO KEEP YOU AWAKE FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT. YOUR BODY WILL HATE THE COFFEE AS YOU'LL FEEL EXHAUSTED IN THE MORNING, BUT YOU'LL THANK IT FOR STAYING AWAKE WHILE DOING YOUR PAPER.

BY READING THIS BLOG POST, YOU'RE PROBABLY SAYING TO YOURSELF THAT PROCRASTINATION, ALTHOUGH TEMPTING, IS NOT WORTH IT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT. SO HERE'S SOME SOLUTIONS I CAME UP WITH TO  HELP YOU ALL STOP THE NEVER ENDING CYCLE OF PROCRASTINATION.

* GOT YOUR OWN CALENDAR ON YOUR ROOM? WELL THEN, WRITE DOWN IN YOUR CALENDAR THAT YOUR ESSAY IS DUE A FEW DAYS BEFORE IT ACTUALLY IS. IT'S MUCH BETTER IF YOU MARK IT A WEEK BEFORE. WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT YOU'RE FINISHED EARLY AND NO ONE ELSE IS HANDING IT IN, THAT WILL GIVE YOU A LOT OF TIME TO EDIT AND GET IT PROOFREAD.

* REWARD YOURSELF WHEN YOU'RE DONE YOUR ESSAY OR WHEN YOU FINISHED AN EXAM. DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO THAT YOU CAN'T DO WHEN YOU'RE STUDYING -- PLAY SOME VIDEO GAMES, STALK SOME PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK, TALK TO CELEBRITIES ON TWITTER, WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT.

* FOR EACH PARAGRAPH YOU FINISH, REWARD YOURSELF AS YOU WRITE. MAYBE A 10-15 MINUTES STUDY BREAK, GET SOME FRESH AIR. YOU MIGHT PICK UP SOME WORDS THAT MAY HELP YOU INCREASE YOUR PAPER'S POTENTIAL.

* THINK OF IT AS A ONE TIME QUEST/ADVENTURE AND HAVE SOME FUN! I MEAN, WHAT DOES EVERY STUDENTS DO ON SPRING BREAK WHEN EXAMS ARE DONE? PARTYING. BECAUSE THEY FINISHED THEIR EXAMS, ETC.

WHETHER YOU'RE A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, A COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY STUDENT, OR ALREADY PURSUING YOUR CAREER, ANYTHING: DON'T PROCRASTINATE, IT WILL ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE. THINK OF THE WORST CASE SCENARIOS THAT COULD HAPPEN IF YOU DO. YEAH, IT'S NOT A PRETTY THOUGHT, ISN'T IT? I HOPE THESE TIPS WILL HELP YOU TO BE ON THE RIGHT TRACK. AND ONE LAST THING KIDS, DO YOURSELVES A FAVOUR AND STAY IN SCHOOL UNTIL YOU GRADUATE WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE. IT SUCKS NOW, WE ALL KNOW THAT, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE WORTH IT IN THE END, I PROMISE. IF NOT, THEN YOU CAN HUNT ME DOWN IF YOU WANT AND PROVE ME WRONG, HAHA! LIKE D-PRYDE (CHECK OUT HIS MUSIC ON HIS YOUTUBE PAGE) SAID ON HIS VERSE ON NICKI MINAJ'S SONG MOMENT 4 LIFE, "YOU GOTTA FIND A JOB THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE, AND WHEN YOU FIND IT YOU'LL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE". LET THIS BE AN INSPIRATION TO KEEP YOU ALL INTO GETTING UP EACH DAY AND GOING TO SCHOOL OR TO YOUR EVERYDAY JOB.

- PEACE.