Safety in Numbers and at School!

With Halloween coming up fast I apologize for my tardiness of inefficient posting! But I promise a Halloween post and some new videos will be coming soon! Possibly even a new musical addition to the creative.DUNNING production!

In the mean time, a few months ago I started my local starlet debut by helping a fellow IMC alumni with a bit of video work. One of their clients needed a video on health & safety during a school evacuation/threat situation so my friend and I offered a helping hand.. literally our hands.. man do I miss those green nails! Anyways we spent the day pretending to hide from attackers, pushing desks in front of doors, calling the security office (they got tired of it after the 10th time,) taping up windows and tying down doorknobs.

The video isn't flashy or funny (well I think it is in a classic healthy & safety video kind of way) but hey it gives you something to read while I'm busy working away on new stuff for your viewing pleasure. I hope you all have been having a great start to October & the Fall season!

Get this School year in Shape!

After a tedious amount of contemplation, creation, animation & patience... the latest creative.DUNNING video is finished! It's been a while since I sat myself down to do a little stop-motion footage, but I hope you all enjoy it - I enjoyed making it.

This video pokes fun at all the health & fitness nuts that we go to school with, or that get that epiphany once they start school. It's like a pair of yoga pants & dumb bells come as a package deal when you get your books and tuition paid.

Many of my fellow students and friends have heard me complain (and have been victim of complaining themselves) about most of the problems in this video. So why not make fun and laugh at ourselves about them?

I'd like to give a BIG thank you to DJ LuvSik, who I personally think outdid himself with my music this time. (Check out the post here!) I hope everyone keeps their ears peeled this week, he's been hard at work making some awesome videos for me to produce. So his Youtube Channel is going to be busy & buzzing.

Winter is Coming... creative.DUNNING is ready!

I warned you all that Winter was Coming and I think it's here...
I've previously stated how you can be a Radical Roommate versus a Rotten one. But that is just brushing on the everyday actions you can take. I've never talked about the specific kinds of roommates you may encounter on your journey through life, learning & laughter.

So to celebrate the marvel that is Game of Thrones and knock out another video.. here it is.. a creative.DUNNING parody... A Game of Homes!

Click here to go to the Video!

I would like to thank:
my best friend for helping me match characters to roommate personalities,
POP! Television Vinyl Figurines for the imagery
Ramin Djawadi for the marvelous Theme of Game of Thrones
and the audacity of a house (and roommates) I've had to survive through, as of late which inspired this video in the first place!

I'm sure some of you have had to deal with some of these... I'm sure some of you have been a few of these (myself included, see if you can guess which!) But most importantly I hope that you find this newest video funny if not relatable.

See if you can figure out all of the character I used. I'll give you a hint, there is a trick in the video with two of the characters (frankly because I ran out of pictures.. but still funny!) I'll be commenting the list in about a week's time so the first people to subscribe to my channel AND get the entire list correct will be entered for a chance to get a shout out in my next video.
 

Is CBC's Canada Writes Contest for me?

CBC's Canada Writes Poetry Contest is in full swing again this year. For those who haven't yet heard of it, the contest is open for all writers to submit their unpublished original work in hopes of a grand prize of  $6,000, courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and will have his/her story published in Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and on the Canada Writes website. He or she will also be awarded a two-week residency at The Banff Centre's Leighton Artists' Colony, and will be interviewed on CBC Radio. Your submissions must be between 400-600 words (mine is 407, haha) and you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent Canadian resident to enter.
As my dedicated fans, friends & family I thought I would give you a preview of my work (plus as a broke College student I haven't decided if my work is worth the $25 entry fee as that could pay my phone bill for the month.) Feel free to comment your thoughts - but keep in mind I am a few years rusty with my poetic writing! I hope you all enjoy it.

 

Roommate Remedies

Have you ever wondered some of the best (or worst) ways to live with roommates? Whether in or out of school, frat-house or apartment - all of us have dealt with roommates in one form or another.


Click to go to the video!

I have compiled a little video of rules, tips and tricks from my experiences in Canada and abroad. Some of these have to do with great experiences, bad experiences or just weird & funny experiences. But just remember what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.. (right?)

Feel free to comment on your roommate experiences or any 'rules' I've missed..

A Year of Survival and Serentiy

Christmas is a wonderful time to reflect upon the entire year; your short-comings, your accomplishments, your memories and your loved ones. I’ve recently been thinking about my first year of college; the friends I’ve made and the teachers I’ve connected with. And I realize that future first year students might like to hear some insight straight from first years before them.


Our RA John decorated my door
for my birthday while I was sleeping



First of all if you have the finances to house in residence (even if it’s only for one year out of however many your course runs) you SHOULD GO. You will meet so many different students and although you may not come to know all your neighbours by name you will certainly know the faces of at least the 2-3 to your left and right. Our floor RA (Residence Advisor) was one of the first friends I made and I’ve learned so much from him already. Plus you get surprises on your door every now and then. And who doesn’t love decorating their door?

Second to all students living in residence… YOU DO NOT HAVE TO STARVE! Some colleges may have different meal plans but for us it is only recommended you use $7.50 a day to make it last the entire semester. To those of you wondering HOW WILL WE SURVIVE? The answer is simple… INVEST IN A RICE COOKER!!! Anything you can cook in a pan or pot you can make in a rice cooker in half the time (whether you are actually cooking rice or not) and I mean ANYTHING. Also if you have classes in the afternoon or evening and only have spare time in the morning the answer is also very simple… INVEST IN A CROCKPOT!!! It’s the same as a rice cooker only with a much slower cook time. You can throw everything into a crockpot and forget about it for hours while you clean or study or go out into town.



Our Writing for Communicators
teacher Frank Armstrong



Next GET TO KNOW YOUR TEACHERS! But this isn’t as hard as everyone says. Every one of your teachers has something to offer to your learning and growth even though some professors you may connect with faster than others. You may learn how to adapt to lectures, you may learn how to become a better writer, you may learn how to be a proper business professional, or you may learn how to be a well-rounded creative thinker when facing corporate stress.



Lindsey Fair
Business Consultant and Artist

It’s always important to get to know your town/city. I volunteered at an art show within Kingston’s Fort Henry and had the time of my life helping to keep the vendors happy. I made some friends, learned about some of the cultural businesses around Kingston and I gained a new connection with one of our future teachers who organizes the event every year. I’ve found a lot of unique stores and restaurants and seen some beautiful scenery around our campus.

And finally, REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE. This may sound cheesy but we all from time to time change little aspects of our behaviour or personality to gain acceptance with our classmates or to just make friends in general. Be PROUD of who you are and stand by it. If you’re wiser than your years don’t “dumb down” just to get your peers approval, or if you fight passionately for what you believe in don’t back down just because people argue with you or don’t understand. “Drinking to get drunk” is the most overrated “popularity tactic” ever. But if you do go out PLEASE bring a group of reliable friends to stop you from doing anything you or your family will regret later I BEG YOU.


But above all the stress, studying, sacrifice and silliness don’t forget to just have fun.  They say that college is one of the best times of your life and the friends you make stay with you for years. I’ve been blessed to have already created two international friendships in my first months in school. Always make the best of any and all situations with a smile and life will take you anywhere.



Ivy (Xiao Xuan Zhang)

 

Mustapha Makri