The Social Media Kindness Project

The Social Media Kindness Project
by: Talin Orfali Ghazarian

Social media has become a big part in today’s society and some people use it for goodness, positive and inspiration, but others not so much. Some people tend to use social media in a negative and toxic way to spread hate, bullying, rudeness, and sending terrible comments to anyone. As previous generations have taught “If you have nothing nice to say or do, do not say or do anything at all”. That is the golden rule.

So, with that I have come up with the social media kindness project. You have no idea what someone is going through in their lives. It is always a good idea to be kind and use social media in empowering and positive ways. This is going to take a village to do. Social media needs a big makeover and we need to start somewhere.

I cannot believe that we have to teach people proper behavior and how to act these days, but we have to. It has become too much and has gone way out of hand. We are not perfect and we do mistakes, but being rude and unkind is not a mistake. It is a bad habit and we need to eliminate it as much as we can.

Social media should be a place where we can be free to post pictures, updates, videos, status updates, stories, ideas, opinions and suggestions. It should be used to get us out of our daily life and to unwind, have fun and share a bit of our lives, but not to the point where it can be misused.

Now, here are instructions of what we can do together to build a safer and happier community online:

• If you see unkind, rude and horrible comments made by somebody in any group, pages, or to an individual person, report it to the social media outlet that it is found on, and then if you are able to, send that person a private message to teach them kindness and to point out what they did wrong in a civil way. Remember, we are trying to make a difference and be kind to unkind people, so that they can hopefully learn from their mistakes.
• Vulgar language, inappropriate posts, swearing, threats and other profanity should have no place on social media, especially when shared with people of all ages from children to elderly. Respect each other and create a safe and enjoyable place for everyone.
• If you see bullying happen, someone being made fun of, being humiliated and ridiculed, step up, report it, take screenshots, record everything, time, date and names involved in the bullying and then find out who you can send the information to. If the situation becomes to the point where authorities need to be contacted, please do. Silence is not the answer. It could save lives, it could prevent from further escalation of the situation.
• We are all entitled to our opinions and how we feel, but there are all kinds of personalities and people in all walks of life online and we need to be general as can be, and we cannot discriminate. There needs to be 0 tolerance in racism, making fun of someone’s color, orientation, religion, beliefs and how they live their lives. We are all human and deserve love, respect and being treated equal, and fairly.
• Everybody needs a friend, we all need to feel included, to feel welcome, and be amongst people who care, who needs good advice, love, and being in diversity with all kinds of people. We need to give people positive empowerment.
• Some people have lived in a toxic lifestyle with nothing but negativity and bad days in their lives, and we need to make sure that these people can be in a place in their lives where they can count on us and it is important to mean it to make them feel better, to take them out of that negativity to be there for them in great ways, to mentor them and to let them know they are not alone and they can come to us at anytime.
• Social media is open 24/7 365 days a year and there are people in every time zone, It will be amazing and so incredibly beautiful to see social media blossom like flowers to see a fun place for us all to enjoy, be safe and to use it wisely.

This is not some kind of chain letter or those copy and paste posts. This is authentic and very real. This project is very important. I have seen so much as a person who has used social media, since it began before the MySpace days, Asian Avenue and all that. It has been a long time. I have seen a lot of rude and unkind people online and it is very disturbing. We need to combat and make a difference in people’s lives. So important.

What do you think should be done? What are your opinions or suggestions or other measures we can take to get this project underway? Would love to hear from you in the comments below.

This Kindness project will help billions of lives online, and it will make this world a better and safer place. Let’s do this, and let’s start to get things back on track. Now, are you with me on this?

I cannot do this without you. I would appreciate it. Thank you.

The Comfort of Disrespect and Ignorance on Social Media

In the many years of social media existence, we come across many strangers in all walks of life and different kinds of personalities and how people react to things seen. Now more than ever people are engaged into social media in some shape or form.

Not everybody agrees with certain things, and there are just some really nasty, disgusting and horrible posts with a lot of disrespect, rudeness and sheer ignorance. Some people do not think about what they post online for others to see.

Be kind and if you do not like a certain post or if there are things you do not adhere to, there is the magic of a scroll button on your computer or use your thumb to scroll down on your phone. It’s honestly ridiculous. Enough is enough with people’s criticism and rude comments. Like this world isn’t going through enough, people just add fuel to the fire.

I’m appalled at today’s society and comfort to hide behind screens to act in a horrible manner. Morals and respect is very rare. It’s getting too much! It is disgusting. People have certainly lost their way. As a social media blogger and writer, I have seen a lot in the many years I’ve been online and it’s getting worse. People just don’t care about others feelings. It’s very wrong.

People think that they are the only ones on social media and they think they can do whatever they please, but you are not alone. There are over a billion people in the world that use some sort of social media platform and all can be seen from all parts of the world. Use discretion. Everything has its limits. Just because the internet is a place that is open 24/7 365 days a year, it doesn’t mean that you are entitled to be ignorant and rude to others who you do not even know!

You know, comments and reactions that are negative in nature can do serious damage to another persons self-esteem, confidence, mental health, emotions and it can have consequences that can lead people to do physical harm to themselves and even worse. Yes, you maybe a stranger to another person, but when people actually get affected by it, its horrible. What you do online affects others too.

Ahhh if you think its not a big deal to insult others online because you don’t know them, then you are sadly mistaken.

Now, with the pandemic of COVID19 of more than a year now, a lot more people are spending more time online to pass time. It is always a good idea to reach out to people who are going through a lot. We all are going through our problems, issues, and all kinds of things and we want to get on social media to escape those troubles.

Social media is supposed to be a fun environment where people share photos, ideas, advice, videos, tips, sharing memories, a joyous place to laugh and to pass time without seeing so many negative, insulting, offensive posts by others.

Being kind to others is very important. There are ways to approach certain situations and to react in a civil, good-hearted manner. So many groups and so many posts on certain pages have so much disrespect and its just so disturbing by the amount of people that have become so cold. All of us go through things, but it doesn’t mean that you can use that as an excuse to be mean to others. To me, I have 0 tolerance with rudeness.

Just think about it. You wouldn’t want people to be disgusting and ignorant to you, would you? Can you imagine how that would make you feel? Life is too short everyone. Tomorrow is never promised. Love each other, appreciate one another. We are all human. Respect, appreciation and goodness go a long way in life. Practice good behavior on social media and in your daily life as well.

All the best and hopefully you make a wise decision about your actions. Think before you post anything. It is that simple. It will save a lot of problems and consequences in the long run. I am just looking out for everyone’s interest. Be careful, have fun and spread positive joy to others lives.

Just trust me on this. Social media needs a huge overhaul and makeover to kindness, respect and love. Spread this and just think about it and do it!

B Positive – Television Sitcom – A Quality Show

B Positive
Network: CBS
Created by: Marco Pennette
Executive Producers: Chuck Lorre, Marco Pennette and Jim Patterson
Producers: Peter Chakos, Kristy Cecil and Robinson Green
Production Company: Warner Bros. Television
Genre: Comedy, True Story.

Cast:

Thomas Middleditch ( as Drew)
Annaleigh Ashford (as Gina)
Kether Donohue ( as Gabby)
Sara Rue (as Julia)
Izzy G ( as Maddie)
Terrence Terrell (as Eli)

B Positive is a sitcom based on a true story about Marco Pennette who created the show. He needed to undergo a kidney transplant in 2013. The Sitcome is about a therapist who is a newly divorced father who has B Positive blood who needs a kidney donor. When he is unsuccessful of finding a kidney donor, he comes across a woman from his past and she offers him her kidney.

They firm a strong friendship to go through this journey together and creating a bond that will last a lifetime.

The show first aired in November, 2020.

B Positive is a must-see show that we all need to see. It is very important to donate an organ. It is a huge decision, a sacrifice and ultimately a heroic and thoughtful act to save another persons life that is deeply and greatly appreciated. This is a great show that is refreshing to see. We need more shows like this, especially nowadays with all the chaos and unpredictability in this world, this awesome show came at the right time.

It is great to see a quality show back on our television screens and devices. Thank you to Marco Pennette and the whole cast and crew. I am definitely hooked on this show. I always look forward to Thursday nights knowing this awesome show is on.

Find B Positive on social media

Twitter @Bpositive
Instagram @BpositiveCBS
Website: https://www.cbs.com/shows/b-positive/

The Bildbord App – Social Media In An All New Level

In our lives, social media plays a big role and how we connect with others on the internet. It consists of everything to make communication easy for people all around the world. Recently, I discovered The Bildbord app that has changed how social media operates. The digital world is growing every passing day and the Bildbord app lets you add photos, websites, your business, e-commerce, music playlists, shops and a lot more. This is not like an ordinary social media site. Bildbord is a lot more.

You can add hashtags of ethnicity, religion, your location, your common interests with others and it narrows it down to whom you have similar interests with. Bildbord has allowed us to be who we are, how we can be located, and to match ourselves with others.

There are sites out there that restrain you from chatting and communicating with others, Bildbord allows you to chat with others with no limitations and you can interact 24/7/365. Whenever it is convenient for you.

On the Bildbord website, there is a quote that is incredible and it says,

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
– C.S. Lewis

That there says it all. Creating friendships based on interests and personality traits is a whole new approach to social media and how we can make friends instantly. Easily send messages to each other and enjoy making new friends. Besides we all want to connect with others and that is what social media is ultimately about, so Bildbord takes that to an all new level. Discover and represent.

Create your very own face verified profile photo and never be bombarded or tricked by fake online profiles ever again. Add your photos, gifs, and add links of your business and personal websites to gain more exposure. Get creative, and enjoy yourself. Life is about enjoying and being ourselves.

The Creators of the app are Daniel Goddard and Bryton James. Daniel is a former actor of the Soap The Young and the Restless who played Cane Ashby and Bryton is currently on the soap as Devon Hamilton. They came together to create this new project and its such a great thought and idea. It is such an awesome site that offers so much for us. Daniel and Bryton are such awesome people. I wish them success and all the best in this project.

You can get the app on Android Google Playstore or The Apple Appstore.

Bildbord is 100% free, no in app purchases, no hidden costs. Ever! Sign up today. You can use your phone number or e-mail address. Enjoy the Bildbord app and have fun!

Check out Bildbord on Instagram and Twitter.

To find out more, go to the website at

https://www.bildbord.com

 

Celebrities Complaining About Being Isolated & Quarantined During COVID19

RANT from me:
Warning.
I am so pissed off right now!

Some celebrities are complaining that they are stuck in their homes during the COVID19 pandemic and some say that they are bored in their villas/mansions. Sorry but you are complaining about being stuck in your 6,000 to 20,000 sq feet or more mansions when you have swimming pools, hot tubs, ample space to move around to do things, movie theatres, workout rooms, game rooms, massive walk-in closets, pool tables, super expensive cars, super expensive clothing and so much more. I don’t feel for any of you at all. Try and be in people’s shoes right now and your complaining!

There are alone people in this world who are isolated, there are people who are suffering, there are homeless people out there, there are people who live paycheck to paycheck and some who are struggling to make ends meet, some people who have lost their jobs and got laid off due to this pandemic, there are people who can’t pay their bills, there are people who can’t be with their family and friends who are in hospital and YET celebrities have the audacity to complain while they are in the millions of dollars worth of mansions?

While front line workers, nurses, doctors that are pouring in their sweat, tears, exhaustion to help patients with COVID19 who are trying to save their lives, security guards, grocery workers, parents, fast food places, restaurant staff, delivery people, transit workers, pharmacists, truck drivers, post/mail servers, teachers and other essential workers out there who are busting their asses off working so hard to help YOU, who are working so hard to make sure you have food at home.

Kids who can’t go to school now, who were looking forward to seeing their friends, who were supposed to graduate, teens who are supposed to have their proms, graduation valedictorian speeches, and all these special pivotal moments, people who are supposed to have weddings, engagement parties, birthday parties, baby and bridal showers, milestone birthdays, holiday gatherings, travel plans, business trips, cruises, and all kinds of events that are canceled, and

yet Celebrities are complaining that they are bored and feel so isolated and cooped up in their HUGE ASS MANSIONS, GET OVER YOURSELVES!

Appreciate what you have, be grateful and be thankful. There are people who are dying every day from this pandemic and who are deeply suffering, there are other people who are dying from various diseases and illnesses around the world too. While you’re in your MANSIONS, there are people taking in their last breath. SO UNBELIEVABLE!

Rant Over.

How to Keep Busy at Home During The COVID19 Pandemic – Self-Isolation Quarantine

I know it is a difficult time for us right now where our lives were filled with our busy lifestyle, going and coming, going out, but now with COVID19 CoronaVirus pandemic going on, we need to really focus on being isolated and quarantined just for a while until things clear up. Our Governments want to keep us healthy and safe as much as possible keeping us at home so that we won’t become a statistic too.

We need to entertain ourselves while we are quarantined and isolated at home and social media, the internet, and communication with others are so important right now as it always has been. Some people underestimate social media, but at times like this, we need to connect more than ever right now.

I know it is serious what is going on in the world and I am thinking about the lives lost and families ripped apart and those who are currently in the COVID-19 condition and those heroes in the front lines Nurses, Doctors, Pharmacists, Grocery workers, Teachers, public transportation workers, and others. I love you all, I respect you and I thank you. I appreciate all of you.

Some Tips from me to keep busy at home during this difficult time we are all facing during this pandemic of COVID19:

1. Play board, card, and other games do crafts, puzzles, and color, do things without screen time for a bit.

2. Have a baking or cooking challenge. Search for a recipe online or do something on your own, and then share your progress on social media. Hashtag it to #QuarantineRecipeChallenge

3. A good time to do spring cleaning around the house, organize closets, pantry, and drawers. look at your medicine cabinets, bathroom and organize and discard any expired medicine, shampoo, creams, and other things that have been laying around for a while.

4. Watch movies, TV Shows, and anything to steer your mind away from COVID19 related issues.

5. Read books or look up a subject online, do some research and write about it. Like a book report or something.

6. take out a pen and paper and start writing or do some doodling.

7. Communicate more on social media and phone and just keep connected with your friends, family and the world. Share funny memes, inspirational quotes with each other, and have fun with others virtually while being physically distant.

8. If you sometimes don’t want to cook, order some take out and have it delivered to you. Also if you need to stock up on food, go out once a week safely to the grocery store, pick up whatever you need and then come home, restock everything.

9. Take this time off from the fast-paced busy lives as an opportunity to catch up on sleep, rest and things that you wanted to do for a while around the house to accomplish it.

10. Work from home if you can.

11. Get some fresh air outside your home, balcony, look out the window.

12. Walk around your neighborhood being physically distant from others at least 6 feet for half an hour or less.

What other tips do you have? Share in the comments below.

Most importantly Stay Healthy, Wash your hands often, wash your clothes or put them in the hamper right away when you go grocery shopping for essentials and focus well on hygiene and keep safe.

 

My condolences to those lives who were lost during this terrible illness.

The Celebrity Feel – Toronto Pearson International Airport

In life, we are given this incredible privilege to travel and see the world and how aviation, technology, engineering, and aircraft make this world a smaller place by getting to places quickly. Toronto Pearson Airport is an airport that is so near and dear to me with all the great memories created whether it is traveling, dropping off, picking up and just spotting aircraft nearby. Very special to me.

Every single time that I land in Toronto Pearson Airport, as soon as we taxi, gate, get our belongings from the aircraft and walk our way out to the terminal, to get through customs, to claim our baggage, the adrenaline, and that feel of seeing flight attendants, captains/pilots and amongst CATSA and CBSA officers, plus other passengers sharing the same atmosphere. It makes me feel so incredibly appreciative and thankful to the travel industry and our beautiful Airport of Toronto Pearson.

As we are about to claim our baggage, that moment comes along where we begin to exit to reunite with loved ones, meet colleagues, or go get a shuttle, bus, taxi, uber, lyft or other transportation to take us home or where ever else.

As you are walking out, you see all the eyes on you as you are carrying your baggage, that automatic celebrity feels where you glance at everyone and people are smiling and making eye contact with you. It feels like you are a celebrity coming home. So at this point, I walk a bit slower and I do the same looking at everyone else and I smile too. I just absolutely love that moment. I appreciate every moment and cherish it and this is one of them.

That part whether it’s at Terminal 1 or 3, is one of my favorite parts of the airport and of course when I am at the gate waiting for my flight and watching beautiful aircraft go by. Toronto Pearson Airport is a sentimental place for me and I always feel like a celebrity there. I am thankful to all the workers and volunteers at the airport. Appreciation, kindness, and patience go a long way when traveling and expressing that is very important. It makes life and people’s day go by a lot better.

Toronto Pearson Airport, Thank you – I love you. Safe, well wishes and happy travels to all of us.

YYZ ALL THE WAY!

The Hard Truth & Sad Reality of Social Media – Devices That Consume Us

The sad reality of how smartphones and other devices are consuming us and face-to-face human interaction and communicating is diminishing and at a rapid rate. We need to set limits within ourselves to go offline, explore our world around us, connect with humans at a personal level, show emotions, and develop our personalities.

This is the fact and the hard truth and it has become a huge problem in our society, when we prioritize what’s on our screens, and play with apps. We no longer need to do any critical thinking anymore, we no longer need to learn the basics, even mathematics, spelling, counting. Everything is done for us and there are apps for everything.

We are putting smartphones and devices first in our lives, and physical communication with people second. Even paying attention to our families and friends have diminished. I see it happen far too often where people get together at restaurants and coffee shops and they sit around not talking, but they are on their phones and showing no emotion, and no personality. It is so sad. Why have we come this far? Why do we have to do this 24/7?

Here I am talking about this on a social media blogging platform.

We have become so dependent on these devices that we even ask Siri and Alexa to do basic chores around the house like taking down decorations for example, but we know that it won’t happen that way, but maybe one day. I wouldn’t put anything past it. Screen time is consuming our time at a very alarming rate.

So much of our lives are going by and we don’t realize it. Spend time with your loved ones and create memories without these screens. want to take pictures? Buy a digital camera and take pictures and then look at them later. Smartphones have made it easy to take pictures and to share instantly too

Our brains are no longer functioning without these devices that we stare at for hours and hours a day. People cannot even put these devices down when driving, walking, and even shopping. This has become a big disease and it is running people’s lives.

It’s very serious. I am very concerned about the coming generations.

These images are so powerful and the description exactly and spot on of what these devices are doing to us. Hopefully, it will make people think about their actions and take these matters seriously. What can we do to combat this? How can we take a break from this all?

I am definitely making changes in my life. Life is too short. 

Mandalorian – Baby Yoda – Takes over the Galaxy and our hearts – Star Wars

It is so exciting to report that a new character has been added to the Star Wars Mandalorian franchise. It’s so incredibly cute, cuddly, and absolutely adorable. Baby Yoda is his name. This beautiful green icon has taken over the galaxy. It eats Frogs and has choccy milk, soup and its a protector from evil. He protects the people he loves and enjoys touching things he is not supposed to.

I was never into Star Wars until I saw one of the films a few years ago. I got hooked. I love the series and it gets me excited and now more especially when Baby Yoda came into the picture.

I just learned about Baby Yoda this past week and I am already hooked and obsessed over the little guy. I just joined the group on Facebook where you can see videos, memes, photos, and all sorts of things relative to Baby Yoda and here it is. Enjoy the group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/Yodababy/ –

You can also check out another group called baby Yoda memes gallery  https://www.facebook.com/groups/399739984242246/ filled with memes and fun stuff too!

So many cool postings from so many people who enjoy, love, obsess and adore this cutie patootie. I am warning you though, You will experience cuteness overload that you cannot handle it. I am sure that this cutie Baby Yoda will bring us all together in this world to enjoy and love him and he will spread out joy to people of all ages.

To learn more about Baby Yoda, you can check out the group link I posted and you can check on Google too for more information on him. Enjoy the cuteness!

The Magic of the Internet on Imgur

In this day in age in technology and social media, it is very easy to transmit information, messages, articles, pictures, videos, gifs, interesting things and more. Just about a year ago or so, I discovered this website called Imgur. Imgur is a site where people become members and begin posting all kinds of images, gifs, visual stories, inspiring and uplifting content, and so much more.

Let me tell you a little bit about Imgur and to relax, kick back and have a joyful time discovering the magic of the internet. People from all over the world have joined the site. The website works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and people are up all hours of the night and day to add a little fun in their lives to come and enjoy themselves on Imgur.

Imgur has millions of members, so many billions of post views, and it is ranked as top site #15 in the U.S by Alexa. Imgur was launched in 2009. Alan Schaaf launched and created the site in his Ohio University dorm room as a simple, no-limits platform to shares images online.

Imgur has received many awards of best-bootstrapped startup, TechCrunch, crunchies, social media awards, best community website, Adweek’s readers choice for the hottest social platform.

There are options whether you would like to upvote, downvote, and favourite something you see. Once, you get enough views and upvotes, the content that you post goes viral and you get points. It is pretty fun. It teaches you what people these days look for in content. People love it when original content gets posted and when it is especially yours. People automatically know and feel that it is. You also get trophies too for many reasons all around for posting the cutest image, for getting the most favourites on a post, going mobile, beta testing, for multiple posts on the most viral page and more.

When you visit the most viral page, rising, highest scoring, and you will see the type of content that Imgurians love to upvote. There are certain posts that Imgurians do not enjoy politics, controversial images, and amongst other issues. When you check out imgur.com you will see what it is all about.

with the constant changes in social media, the kind of content people want to see, this website gives an idea of what kind of content is most popular these days and months. Imgur definitely keeps you engaged and it is such a fun and positive website.

They have a forum as well, where you can join and interact with other members if you have questions on how the site works and operates if you have things to share too as long as you follow the rules.

Once people really start to enjoy your content, your upvotes and points increase. Your notoriety increases. It begins from 0 points and you work your way up.

Bonus Medallions

Imgurite 80,000
Gold 70,000
Silver 60,000
Iron 50,000
Bronze 40,000
Copper 30,000
Glorious 20,000
Renowned 8,000 to 19,999
Idolized 4,000 to 7,999
Trusted 2,000 to 3,999
Liked 1,000 to 1,999
Accepted 400 to 999
Neutral under 400

After 80,000 points, your points increase more and more and it becomes unlimited. some people have over 1 Million points and even more.

Also, there is content you must steer away from. Imgur has all the terms and conditions written on the site which you do not want to receive suspensions, bans and shadow ban for whatever reason that the staff doesn’t like to see on the site.

If a post is doing well and goes viral and you get a few thousand points, and if you post it again, people always remember the content that does get posted, so you might get downvotes and go into minuses which will affect your points. You can also get upvote points when you comment on another person’s image, video or gif, but you can also get downvoted. If you get into minus, it is a good idea to delete it.

Imgur is also a website where people post clever, catchy and interesting memes which can also be funny. There are cake days where you can post the more bizarre cake or the most beautiful cake or however you wish. There are other days where they have for cat days, and so on and so forth. You will see once you get on Imgur.

Enjoy it and if you are not a member, become one today and you will enter into a really interesting world of the internet, have fun and enjoy the ride.

imgur.com
@Imgur on Twitter
Imgur on Facebook

Social Media Entitlement

Social Media has great benefits to it, but it also carries a negative approach as well. Has social media gone out of context in terms of finding comfort in disrespecting others and ridiculing them?

It gives some people leverage to write terrible comments and status messages. Some people are too comfortable now, and I am sure that they wouldn’t say half the things they would write online to people in person. Some people find that hiding behind a screen is something that makes them feel at ease.

Cyberbullying is one of the worst things that someone can combat. what you say and do online has a big impact and you really do not know who is watching, reading and observing. You really do not know your audience. When someone is in a vulnerable position in real life, the people who are bullying the person has leverage to humiliate them on the internet for so many people to see.

Although social media is a great tool to keep in touch, to make new friends, to communicate and transmit information instantly, however it can also be dangerous too. You need to be very careful to make sure things aren’t used against you and what you post online stays here forever even if you delete it. There is always a way to retrieve deleted posts.

People have this mentality now that they feel entitled, that they can disrespect people, they can post what they want without consequences. Some people have by now, but majority of the people out there who do and post terrible things online get away with it. Especially hurting others with insulting and terrible comments.

If you have nothing nice to say to others, and if you do not have anything productive, inspiring, nice, kind and good things to produce online, then you should not be posting. What you do and say does affect others.

With this digital age now when everything is out in the open on the internet, and privacy is minimal, you have to be careful. You have no idea what people go through in their personal lives, you have no idea the path people are on, so its a good idea to stay away from disrespecting others, and ridiculing others, and actually try to help them.

Spread positivity in ones life, and always lift people up when they are down. There will always be those people who will never learn and who will always continue to be rude and mean to others and it is terrible. Hopefully someday they will wake up and realize that what they are doing is wrong.

Help others, be kind, and be nice because you never know what another person goes through.

Francis Libermann Catholic High School 40th Anniversary

By: Talin Orfali – Student Alumni – Fall 1999 to 2003.

40 Years ago in 1977, Francis Libermann Catholic High School opened its doors to teachers, students and administrative staff, and this year in 2018, on June 3rd, we had the anniversary and reunion. Many past and present teachers, and alumni students were present.

A couple of months ago, I had opened up my Facebook, and on my news feed, I see an event from Francis Libermann of which a fellow classmate of mine from my time, invited me to it, I definitely said, I am going. At first, I had mixed feelings about it, and I was hesitant at first because my high school life wasn’t what I had expected it to be, but I toughed it out for 4 years. It wasn’t perfect and there were good times and bad times, but nothing really is perfect.

We envision high school to be perfect where everyone gets along, but that is not the case, however, I forgive those who have bullied me and belittled me throughout those times. I realize now that when you are a teenager going to school, all these emotions run high, going through the puberty stages where sometimes teens just don’t know what they are doing, plus getting through school with studies and everything else with making friends whereas some others don’t get so lucky about that. It’s a huge phase that kids go through before venturing out to college/university and maybe not and just going right to work or whatever the case may be.

Anyway, when I saw about 90% of the teachers at the reunion and anniversary, they all automatically remembered me even though 15 years have passed since I took my last walk out of those doors. I never visited back since then, but I feel like I really never left yesterday. I was so sad to hear about my favourite principal back in the day had passed away a few years ago from cancer. I was so devastated and cried. I truly know how to appreciate teachers and administrative staff for all the hard work and sacrifices they make and made to make sure we are educated and well looked after.

Some of the teacher’s names I had forgotten about and some that are still fresh in my mind, but they remembered me and some of the teachers said that they think about me from time to time. One of them said to me yesterday, Talin, you were my favourite student and I think about you all the time. I am so happy to be seeing you here today and in return, she was really one of my favourite teachers at the school. One of them always knew I was going to get into some sort of writing and when I spoke to her and told her what I do now, she got so excited to hear that I am doing what she thought I would do.

Anyway, I did a walk-through the school and I familiarized myself with the lockers I used to have, the classes I went to, the hallways that I walked around, familiar smells of the halls and classes, the gym, the library, and the staircases that was used to go up to the 2nd, and 3rd floors. The memories just came to me and some have faded and some have stayed with me. The washrooms and everything are also the same as I remembered where the washroom stalls are smaller.

I remember being part of teen voices, and other outreach programs. I was never really a sports person and I had joined into more interactive committees and creative writing.

I remember when I used to seldom take public transit home from school. I used to hate taking public transit up to now. That hasn’t changed. I remember getting a sign of relief when I saw I was being picked up by my dad or my brother and one of the teachers pointed that out to me yesterday, saying she remembers that I used to hate taking the bus and she remembers me being picked up. I said to her, nothing has changed on that front. LOL, and the only difference is that I drive now.

The 40th anniversary of Francis Libermann Catholic High School was definitely an eye-opener for me, which has overwhelmed me because time is flying and these are the moments of our lives that we will never get back and it teaches us to be grateful for each moment, even though they weren’t perfect and our expectations weren’t what we wanted, but we are getting older now and it truly makes you appreciate that little time you have in high school. Time never waits for you. You truly have to cherish life and the phases.

I was in tears while walking through the halls and I am in tears now as I write this now. I really miss high school a lot and I miss being a teenager. My advice to teenagers going to high school now, is to never waste a second of it, don’t take this time for granted. Even though it may not be a positive and good time for you, but also I want you to realize that high school is temporary and things do eventually get better and they will. It has for me. 4 years go by so quickly that you don’t even realize once you graduate and have your prom and then life changes right away. Well, it did for me.

2003 for me seems like yesterday, but in other ways, it does feel like its a long time. It really hit me hard yesterday and I just want to say how truly grateful I am for having a school to go to and getting to know many people of whom I am still in touch with. We didn’t really get along in high school, but we do now and that is what counts. Life and our personalities change and it’s absolutely amazing. You never truly learn to appreciate something until after the fact.

Thank you and congratulations to Francis Libermann and here is to another 40 years and beyond. I am super glad to be part of 4 years of it. All the best and may what happens between those walls be educational, fruitful filled with knowledge, respect, and getting closer with God in his teachings while learning valuable life lessons to take with you when you take your last walk out those doors. God bless Francis Libermann Catholic High School and all those in it.

Parties and Wedding RSVP Frustration and Annoyance

In life, we have special moments that come up with friends and family and planning parties, weddings and everything else is absolutely so difficult with inviting people and it becomes so stressful. When you want people to be part of your special day and when you enjoy the process of setting up the cards, mailing them out, and happily do it until stress strikes.

It is not everything that is the most difficult, frustrating and annoying; it is sending the invites to people with a due date that is never honoured and respected and some take their sweet time and others respect it and send the invite on time, whereas others respond after the due date. Some you have to remind. It is absolutely crazy.

You also have those people who don’t respond at all and then just show up. It doesn’t work like that. In most cases RSVP Cards come in, people need to fill those out and return them. The people inviting put postage stamps and have those cards out for a reason. To get organized. You can’t just tell the person they are coming by mouth. Chances are the people planning the wedding or event will forget, so it’s important to fill out the cards and mail it back in a time-sensitive and timely manner.

When you get an invite to any party, it is either a yes or a no. It is not that difficult. You look at your schedule, and boom, you answer and send back the RSVPs. It is not cool to wait for people to respond back while you have a million things to do and plan with the tables, how many favours or gifts you need to get for the guests arriving to your party as well as financially too with how many people you need to pay for.

It really isn’t easy to plan things when some people do not co-operate and respect you enough to send the RSVP’s back. It is common courtesy. It isn’t nice at all having someone wait and then hunting people down with calling, messaging, emailing, texting them until the last weeks of the wedding to see if it is a yes or a no.

Then there are those people who respond with attending, and then you write them down on a table card or chart and then they never show up or give an explanation as to why they did not bother to show up where you spent money for their meal. It is absolutely unfair and disgusting behaviour which needs to really stop. Some do not even respond back and you know you sent it to them and it did get sent to them or else it will be returned back to the person who mailed them with the return address.

Weddings and parties all go smoothly with planning until it comes time to the people attending them. You expect people to respond right away, but that never happens and it probably never will even with a strict time limit and being time sensitive.

The guests don’t think about how much work it takes to plan tables and everything. If you have ever been in these shoes where you plan an event and you wait for responses, it’s absolutely so frustrating and annoying and so absolutely ridiculous.

Yes, I realize some people cannot financially to maybe afford to go to parties, weddings and everything, but there is no excuse not to answer on due dates. It is not right at all. There is no excuse unless something very very important comes up or some other things arise, but it doesn’t give someone the right to delay an RSVP.

Have you ever been through this situation? Have you been frustrated and annoyed with this? Would love to hear all about it.

All the best with planning. It is not easy.

Victoria Park & Highway 401 Tim Horton’s in Toronto

Victoria Park & Highway 401 Tim Horton’s in Toronto

Many years ago, I discovered a coffee shop nearby our Armenian Community Centre and St. Mary’s Armenian Church which is situated across the street where you can see it and right of the Highway 401 in Toronto. This particular Tim Horton’s in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. Reason being is that, I made a lot of new friends over the years and most of them are Armenian and I have met people from other cultures and walks of life.

In the past 2-3 years, I have met a lot of Armenian people who have come from Syria, Lebanon and other places and plus people who have been here in Canada for many years. These beautiful people have shared stories about how their lives were in Syria, about the walks of life and the experiences they have been through, the hardships they had to face day in and day out. I am very happy that they are here and got to meet these sweet people.

These people I have met are absolutely lovely people and we have become a close family and our Tim Hortons at 2501 Victoria Park Ave. is our home away from home. We have shared laughs, good times, also spoke about serious issues, and most importantly, the bonds we have created is and will forever be in my heart. We God Willingly will continue to share these moments together for many years to come.

Whenever I go to Victoria Park 401 Tim Horton’s, I automatically feel at home, and we spend hours there on certain nights, and our cold winters nights make it a warm, safe and happy environment. During spring and summer months, we take our coffees or beverages of choice and we go outside to talk, go to the park beside Tim Horton’s, hanging out in our cars, to enjoy the weather, the increased daylight days, and nights and we just talk and talk like we all have known each other for so many years.

Now whenever we go, the workers know us, the late night baker, Everybody knows everybody, the cars we drive and come with, and there is always somebody new that is welcome with all of us. It is very hard to leave each other and go home. Sometimes we would be there until 2-3 AM in the morning without even feeling the time go by. Time flies when you are having a good time.

This Tim Horton’s, we call it the Armenian Tim Horton’s or some people call it Tim Hortonian’s, because most of our last names end with IAN or YAN. lol. Not mine, but majority of Armenians. We call it that way is because Armenians come from the nearby Armenian Community Centre and a lot of Armenians live around the areas and some people drive from around the city to come by and enjoy. It is definitely a special place for us.

It is so important to find and feeling that sense of belonging, our place, and somewhere where everyone can relate to each other in some shape or form. Victoria Park and 401 Tim Horton’s is definitely a place where you feel welcome. Some of my friends there offer to pay for my coffee or whatever I want to get and I say no, no, but they insist and they offer me anyway, and me vise versa.

I am so happy and glad to be part of this family and I thank everyone for their welcome, respect, and their smiling faces toward me. It means so much.

I love you all and I love my VP Tim’s — The Short way to say Victoria Park Tim Hortons.

 

Tips For Social Media Writers and Bloggers

Here are some tips to keep in mind for Social Media, Writing and Bloggers:

– When writing articles, try not to post many per day as that can create an information and reading overload. Try to space out timing between posts with 1-2 posts per day, so as it gives your readers, subscribers and viewers space and time to read each post. Trust me. Too much is no good. If you have a Twitter account then it is ok. Post as many times as you wish, but with Blog posts, its important to limit yourself per day

– If you have many articles written, save them on your computer and then copy and paste the articles you have written about and post them automatically on your website. If you are in the social media hussle and bussle to stay on top and If you are someone writing about the latest news, trends and all that, then that is perfectly okay too.

– Social Media is a very huge market now. A lot of information gets transmitted per day in an instant. With So many hundreds of millions of people on social media outlets per day with updating statuses, posting photos, announcements and so much more, as a person is social media marketing and blogging, I am sure you wonder about if people will see your content. Yes. They definitely will.

[Everyone is always searching for something and eventually will stumble upon your website. People are always looking for something specific, people are in the hunt for information they want to obtain. Sometimes people find your site within minutes, sometimes it takes a couple of days, but don’t worry people are looking. Even people who lurk and read your content without responding to it and they just read and leave. There are people like that too.]

– Social Media is an interesting way to transmit information and now mostly are communicating that way to family, friends, and fans worldwide. People figure its the most easy and practical way these days to communicate. Times have certainly changed with technology, communication and the way we send out information.

– You must always give credit where credit is deserved. If you are stuck on a topic sometimes and get a writers block, You never copy and paste another person’s hard work and writing style and send it out as your own. That is plagiarism, and a copyright infringement and you can be held liable for that where legal action can take place, and where problems may arise. Always credit sources and where you researched information from. It is very important to include the person’s website, the person’s name and the best bet is to ask written permission from them. It will save trouble and hassle in the long run. Crediting others for their work is a very important thing.