Christmas! That means decorating Christmas trees, cookies, lot's of presents, and of course, hope Krampus doesn't attack you with branches! That's right! You might not have heard of Krampus, but children in Austria are absolutely terrified of him. He is said to be a Christmas Devil who does, in fact, beat naughty children with branches. Christmas can be weird in some parts of the world. Let's see what's happening this Christmas...
On the Dinner Table In South Africa, the table's loaded with Emperor Moth caterpillars. Deep fried, of course. And in Japan, KFC is what they dig in to. And in Slovakia, the loksa pudding isn't for eating. The oldest man of the family throws a spoonful of it at the ceiling. Santa Claus is here There's no Santa Claus in Italy, instead Italian children wait for Befana. She's a friendly witch who delivers presents on the fifth of January. Netherlands's Santa Claus is like ours, except for the fact that he has a side kick called Zwarte Piet who kidnaps bad children and takes them to Spain. That's way worse then coal. The Christmas Tree Germans hide a pickle in their Christmas tree. The first child to find it gets a small present. According to Ukrainians, using tinsel and bells to decorate the Christmas tree is getting old. Artificial spiders and spider webs are what they use. Hope you liked the third Christmas post this month! There's one every day till the 25th!
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Hello! Today's post will be a holiday-themed tutorial where I will show you how to draw a Christmas tree. This is a quick tutorial and goes great on Christmas cards, charts and posters. Anyone can draw this, since it's really simple yet beautiful, but don't give up hope if it doesn't come out the way you want it the first time. Get out your pencil and some paper, let's start drawing! So that's how you draw a Christmas Tree! Hope it put you in the festive mood! You could colour the tree too to make it more appealing.
(Sorry if the images are a bit blurry.) The first day of Blog-Mas! Today's post idea was: Other Celebrations during Christmas Season. Near December, these festivities are not as popular as Christmas. Whenever you think of December, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably Christmas. But let's take a look at some other celebrations. 1. Hanukkah This is a Jewish Holiday, and takes place between the 6th of December and the 14th of December. It's known as the festival of lights and the festival of dedication. Since there are nine days, a nine-branched candelabrum called a hanukiah or a menorah is lit; one for each day. The menorah is usually a candelabrum with four branches on each side, and the ninth given special importance, usually higher or below the rest. During Hanukkah, Jews usually play dreidel and eating foods like doughnuts and latkes. 2. Kwanzaa It is a week long holiday usually observed in the United States by people of African-American origin. Starting on the 26th of December and ending on the first of January, the celebration is named after the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning "first fruits of the harvest." During Kwanzaa a special candle holder called a Kinara is used. A Kinara consists of seven candles, three red ones on the left, three green ones on the right with a black candle in the center. Each night during Kwanzaa a candle is lit. The black, center candle is lit first. This is similar to the lighting of the menorah in the Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. 3. Saturnalia A very little known Ancient Roman tradition, Saturnalia is held in honour of the deity Saturn. It's held from 17th December to the 23rd, as a predecessor to Christmas. It follows the Julian Calendar, which is similar to the Gregorian Calendar we use except for slight differences. They usually celebrate this with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, a banquet, gift giving, and of course, partying continuously.
So this was a quick, short, very informational post! So you see, there's so many more celebrations than just Christmas. Ever think of celebrating some of these? There are even more, so you can do a little bit of research and find out if you want.
Merry Christmas! With only twelve days until Christmas, I just got this idea! I have 12 blog post prompts for the days leading up to Christmas. I will post everyday from the 14th of December to the 25th of December. Hope you're excited. :) Sorry for the really short post. Everyone wants luck, but not everyone believes that so called 'luck' is real. Is is just a figment of people's imaginations, or could there really be something behind the theory of luck?
Have you ever crossed your fingers and hoped that something good would happen? Or ever decide to turn around when you spot a black cat? You don't know if these are true, or where they came from, but you still do it, right? Well, a study shows that people who were told that they were using a lucky 'golf' ball tend to do better than people who were told it was just an ordinary golf ball. People who were allowed to hold on their 'lucky charm' also did significantly better. The conclusion is that people believe that they can do better and persist to keep trying when they have a lucky charm, since they think it holds 'great power' or something. People definitely to better at tasks when they think that someone else is helping them. Now if you think about, luck is just a word used to define good things happening to people. "Oh, I won the lottery, what good luck!" You might say. But really, it's not luck. If something good happens, you have no proof that 'luck' caused it. Now about Friday the 13th. How unlucky is it really? There's a reason why it's considered unlucky, since a lot of horrible things have happened on that day. But my theory is that people are so afraid of horrible things happening, that sometimes they make it happen themselves. But that can only be true for small things. What about the Paris bomb attacks on November 13, a Friday? .... So what do you think about luck? Does it exist according to you? We all hate those horrid mean characters that create problems for our favourite characters. They have dark hearts, evil intentions, and one can't simply help but despise their actions. But think of a story... without a villain. If there's no bad guy, wouldn't the story just be a merry fairy tale with no problems at all? Imagine the classic story Snow White without the Evil Queen. (She has no name.) It would be all about her great life, how she lives happily in the castle, marries the prince and continues living a happy life. After all, it's only a happy ending after there has been a problem. But there's more. A true villain is someone who acts in such a way that you shudder when you think of them. Someone who can act that good, to make their audience hate their character, is truly gifted. Think about the actor that played Voldemort in Harry Potter. His acting was great, and he really brought the character to life, from the way he talks to the way he deviously plots to kill Harry. Now let's be honest. Who really likes a goody-two-shoes? Who will always do the right thing, never hurt someone's feelings, always follow the rules. I'm not saying that all this is a bad thing. But don't you like characters who are unpredictable, crazy and scary? Maybe not everyone agrees, but the Joker, from Batman? He is the most exciting person. "One minute he's standing right next to you laughing at what you're writing and the next he could stab you in the face." And you know that villains are so much smarter and trickier and craftier than the heroes. Jafar from Aladdin was a great sorcerer, had the most amazing plans, and tricked Aladdin like it was taking candy from a baby. Now Aladdin couldn't even steal an apple. With his monkey. So that's my opinion on villains. I'm not saying I admire them, because villains aren't called that for no reason. But you don't always have to hate them. Look at their good side. You know, there always is a little bit of good in everyone. :) Note: Sorry, if I used examples that you haven't watched or heard about. Joke of the Day Quote of the Day Link of the Day: http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2013/10/31/52-reasons-bad-guys-are-cooler-than-good-guys
I know what you're thinking: "I'm to lazy to click on this. I'll read it later." "It takes so long to open this post! Maybe another time." "Ugh, I'm to tired to read this right now. I'll read it tomorrow. STOP! That is procrastination, in case you didn't realise yet. Putting something off to do later. Take out the trash. You: Yeah, I'll do it in five minutes. Make your bed. You: Let me just finish this. *watches television for an hour* Write a blog post. Me: Can I do it tomorrow? That's right, you know you are guilty of procrastinating. I understand, but you know that you won't be productive if you keep on procrastinating. Here are some tips. (Once, I was assigned a lot of homework. And even worse, it was math. What I did was try to have fun, try to get it done as fast I can and every I wanted to get up and leave, I looked at a list of reasons why I have to complete my homework and I found funny motivational pictures on the internet, but didn't get too carried away with it.) Tip 1: Two Minute Tasks Maybe things like homework and washing dishes needs a little more motivation. But simple tasks that barely take two minutes is not going to hurt you. Can't you pause the video to wipe crumbs off the table? Or tear your eyes away from your screen just to take something and put it back where it belongs? Every time someone asks you to do something like this, don't complain, just take a deep breath, remember this rule, and do it. Tip 2: Prioritize Alright, maybe some work you have to do is lying on the table right now, and it's due tomorrow, but you just really want to watch your favourite show. And don't forget the essay that's due next week. Or the project that has to be submitted in a month. This is probably what's going on your mind. "I have to do my homework. It's due tomorrow. But my show! How could I miss it? But then there's that essay! Oh, it's too much work. I'd rather do it right before I go to bed, or tomorrow morning." But think about it. Wouldn't it be better to maybe finish your homework, start a bit of work on the essay and then watch your show? You need to do things according to which is most important right now. Tip 3: Rewards and Consequences Have a project due but you are hesitant to do it? Reward yourself with a snack or five minutes to do whatever you want when you finish a bit of the work. Finally, when you finish the whole thing, pat yourself on the back and help yourself to watching a movie or some leisure time. But that might not work on everyone. So you could try and think about the consequences. What happens if you don't finish it? If it's school work, you could get punished, scolded or something else. If it helps, write down a list, and every time you don't feel like continuing, look at the list, sigh sadly and continue. Tip 4: Stop, Drop and Work Follow these instructions. Set an alarm for five minutes. (You might be tempted to set it longer.)Then do whatever you'd like, eat, play, read, chat. When it rings, stop, drop and start working. (I mean drop whatever you're doing) You've had your relaxation time, now it's time to put on your boots and get working. Tip 5: Multitask Want to watch the latest episode of a show but need to write an essay? Do both at the same time. Although this not the best advice, and lots of people find it hard to multitask, some people benefit from this. The main rule is: You have to get your homework done. No. Matter. What. Although, don't use this tip if you are studying. Only for things that don't require too much attention and aren't too important. So, I have to admit that I do procrastinate, and sometimes don't follow the first rule. But I guess I will try now. I can't stand being a hypocrite. Note: I wrote half of this post, then my laptop glitched and all my work was gone. I was planning on just rewriting it later, but then I said- "How ironic." Quote of the Day Joke of the day Link of the Day: http://smallnotebook.org/2010/03/08/31-things-you-can-do-in-1-minute-or-less/
Troubled? Stressed? Worried? A new study suggests people are happier when they take time to appreciate the good things in life. “Stop and smell the roses” may be a cliché, but new research suggests it's sound advice for finding satisfaction in life. Instead of rambling on about your horrible day, think about the small, pleasant things that made you smile. Was it that cupcake your friend gave you? Or the appreciative nod from a co-worker? Whenever you feel down in the dumps or stressed out, stop for a minute and think about anything that made you happy. Example: I had a horrible day! I have so much homework, a test coming up, and I almost failed an exam! On the other hand, my teacher praised me today for good work. Stopping and smelling the roses could also mean to not get so caught up in the worries and problems of life and take time to admire the simple beauty of nature and the simple everyday pleasures. Example: My boss wants me to drive a 5 hour trip to the city! On the other hand, the view sure is beautiful, and I've heard there are some pretty rose gardens along the way. Or if you are annoyed at doing something, think about the positive things that come with doing it. Example: Ugh! I am so tired and I would just like to watch some TV, but I have to take my dog for a walk. On the other hand, I do need some fresh air, and it's good exercise. Do it right now. Close your eyes and think about it! It can be anything from a smile to a special gift. It doesn't matter that the saying is cliche and hackneyed, it might just have a little truth. Sometimes a compliment, a praise, a smile or a hug makes your day. It does feel good when someone takes the time to tell you how much they appreciate you and care about you. So wouldn't make your day if you made someone else's day? I sure would feel great if I put a smile on someone's face when they're feeling upset. So next time someone seems annoyed, frustrated, hurt or bothered, try and cheer them up. Compliment a friend who's having a bad day. Hug a sibling who is dismayed. Share a piece of cake with someone who looks like they need some. Joke of the day Quote of the Day
Readers, today I have a mission. A mission to reveal to humankind that the myths that they believed to be genuine... are actually fake! I have scrounged the internet, destroyed search engines, explored websites and now I present to you the greatest myths debunked! CARBOHYDRATES MAKE YOU FAT. Turns out that all those years of avoiding carbohydrates were useless. To be honest, there's nothing really fattening about carbohydrates. While I have to admit that foods like white bread, pasta, rice and doughnuts are sugary and increase chances of diabetes, you should stock up on carbohydrates like whole wheat bread, beans, fruits and veggies. Why? Because these foods are your body's staple source of energy and contain lots of fiber and nutrients. Extra Fact: The two major forms of carbs: Simple carbohydrates: this includes cake, cookies and chocolate. Complex carbohydrates: found in foods such as starchy vegetables, grains, bread and pasta. Still not convinced? http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/diet_blog/6_convincing_reasons_you_should_keep_carbs_in_your_diet HUMANS HAVE FIVE SENSES Your first grade science teacher was wrong. Humans are complex beings, and 5 senses are just not enough. If you really think about it, there's more you can do than just tasting, seeing, smelling, feeling and hearing. Now, of course these five are the primary ones and traditionally recognized, but ask any college student and they will respond with: equillibrioception, nociception, thermoception, proprioception and interoception. Or, in English, balance, pain, temperature, and sensing position, location and orientation. Extra fact: Your eyes are capable of processing 36,000 pieces of information per hour. That's way better than a smartphone. Don't believe it? http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20141118-how-many-senses-do-you-have BATS ARE BLIND Ever been told that you're as blind as a bat? Take it as a compliment. Bats are not blind, even though it's been commonly misunderstood. Bats are not capable of seeing colour, but you can guarantee they have better night vision than us. But lots of animals use hearing (echolocation) to help them get around... But in a nutshell, these guys know where they are going, and don't you dare oppose it. Extra Fact: Some animals make noises and wait for the sound waves to bounce back off objects (an echo), if it doesn’t bounce back then they can safely move forward. They can tell the distance of various objects by how quickly the sound waves bounce back to them. This is echolocation. You don't think it's true? http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141031-bats-myths-vampires-animals-science-halloween/ So that's pretty much it.
There are so many more myths to be busted. So go on and explore! As the weather turns nippy and frosty, as the wind starts to become colder, evergreen wreaths hang on doors, Christmas trees are decorated and start to sparkle, you know that can only mean one thing! It's finally December! December, the last month of the year, red and green decorations and bells are draped over walls to remind you that Christmas is around the corner! Just twenty-five days until a visit from Santa. And a new year is just a month away. This year has been so quick! 2015 is just 30 days away from ending. Time to get out my New Year's Resolution List. Here are some festive jokes to get you into the spirit of Christmas: Check out the Christmas page for christmasy things that I will update frequently.
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