UBC campus life in blog form.

One of my proudest moments at UBC is making the “OurCampus” in the Ubyssey. For those of you who don’t know, every edition of the school paper features a new person who contributes to what UBC is today.

This year’s Faces of Today: http://slc.ubc.ca/recognition/faces-of-today/
Videos to be released at the UBC Student Leadership Conference on January 14th, 2012 (see you then!).

Article: http://ubyssey.ca/features/343our-campus-erica-baker%E2%80%94the-face-of-faces-of-today/

At the beginning of this month, one of my wonderful Assistant Managers, Anna, and her team from lululemon put on the first ever lululemon Yoga Rave. Over 400 people, all in white, glow sticks, in Gastown, participating in a kundalini class together. There was even a girl with a hula hoop.

Here is the video that lululemon made from footage of the event. Look for me somewhere around the 1:53 mark, and thanks to Brianna and Amanda (both past Totem Park residents of mine) for coming out with me!

I just have to post this video in case some people on UBC campus have not seen it yet. As Productions Coordinator for the 2012 UBC Student Leadership Conference, I was put in charge of filming a promotional campaign for conference registration. So, here’s the final product of that! You just need to see what that turned out to be, it’s a pretty good laugh and a really fun way to spend one minute and ten seconds of your day.

Stay tuned for more video content and an extended footage version of the shoot!

My goal setting sheet, updated November 23rd, 2011. Click the image to see it in a larger size.

Have you ever thought about what you want your life to be like in 5 years, or even 10 years? lululemon athletica provides these awesome goal setting worksheets and education materials on their website. Recently, I’ve started working at their Kitsilano store and tonight at our staff meeting I’ve been asked to hand in my goals for the next ten years (don’t worry, we get to update them every month). At lululemon athletica, the people they employ in their stores have their goals posted in store for guests to see. Why would they do this? It’s simple, it keeps you accountable to your goals when you share your goals with other people who are committed to achieving their own goals and helping you achieve yours.

So, here are my goals. It’s not easy putting things like this out there because of fears for criticism, but I’m willing to take the risk and hopefully inspire someone to explore writing out their goals by doing so.

Note: goals have been updated since blog post.

A postcard momma bakes mailed me that was cut from a Cheerios box. I didn’t know my family started eating Cherrios since I left for university.

I probably couldn’t get through university without my mom (momma bakes). Since first year, she has sent me several pieces of mail per week (I’m not kidding). Everything from stamps, to candy, to family photos, to cards, to gifts cards and more. Whatever can fit in a regular sized envelope, she sends. She’s never been to university, she’s hardly goes past our town’s boundaries, but she knows that it’s not easy.

This Cheerios post card she mailed me is one of the greatest pieces of mail I’ve ever received from her. The clipping from our address book that had a drawing I made when I was really little was also great. So was that time she mailed me Halloween candy and I opened it up in a lecture, with looks from fellow classmates, and began explaining what my mom does as I offered them treats in a forestry lecture.

Academics have been my biggest struggle at university. I’ve often felt like I couldn’t get the grades I needed in my classes, do well on assignments, or dig myself out of the constant low grades I was receiving in some courses. These cards let me know that even though I’m far from my mom and she knows nothing about university, I’m not alone and I’ve got a mom cheering me on from our small town in Ontario.

Lately, I’ve tried to remember the things my mom tells me. I’ve been passing it onto residents as their Residence Advisor and I’ve been keeping them post it notes in my room to remind me that things will work out in the end. Today, I put one of her phrases on my hand to put things into perspective. “This too shall pass.” When you are so far in, it’s hard to see that the present is so insignificant to the greater scheme of things, and that this is not the end of the world if things aren’t going your way. Everything will work out the way it is supposed to and whatever is the low of your day will not carry on forever. That’s exactly what I need today. Also a little, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Because I can’t change my bad grades, or the bad choices I’ve made, but I can focus on improving the future. That’s what I’m going to do. Thank you, momma bakes.

A photo of momma bakes and I at the ROM in Toronto, the summer after first year. She left our town’s boundaries that day, I had to be the one who drove to Toronto for us.

Arcade Fire- Sprawl II

I wonder if midterms could be classified as more difficult than finals.. because you need to attend to co-curricular  activities, readings, and attending classes all at the same time. Where as in exams, everything seems to stop for you. I’m in the height of my midterms right now, although it seems as if they have been happening for 4 weeks now (they probably have been). I have to know everything about volcanoes for my ESOC 114 course by the end of today and I have the hardest midterm I’ve ever encountered for my FNSP theory class going down this Thursday at 11am.

That’s a snap shot of my academic life right meow for you.

Whenever I hear this song on the Peak, I get excited. This is Snow Patrol’s Called Out In The Dark. Although the music video is strange, and takes away from the vibe I get when I listen to the song by itself, I still enjoy it. I’m also eating caramel apple kettle corn from the UBC apple festival for breakfast right now, so you can be the judge of what is more strange.

Where is your home, Mr. Keys?

Lost your keys or prescription glasses? UBC Security has been running a blog that posts photos of your lost items for the world to be able to identify! Who knew this existed. Credit to UBC Insiders for tweeting the news. Click here to identify those car keys you lost a while ago.

What’s your breakthrough? Present a workshop or a highlighted project at UBC SLC 2012 this January 14th, 2012. Or, do you know someone who is awesome and deserves to be recognized at the SLC? Nominate them for the Faces of Today award and if they win, I get to film a profile on them to be shown at the conference. I want to meet you and your cool friends. Visit slc.ubc.ca for more. Deadline to apply or nominate is Wednesday, October 12th, 2011.

Last weekend was UBC REC’s Day of the Longboat, which celebrated its 25th birthday. Students have an opportunity to form teams of ten and race in canoes around Jericho beach for a weekend in (optional) funny costumes or team spirited clothing. This year my floor in Totem competed in the race. We may have rowed away with a team mate hanging off the edge of the boat for a while, and we may have had another team mate swim to the beach to get a baton for us, but we made it to the finish line without capsizing. Big win. Click here to find out more about Longboat and UBC REC.

UBC REC Day of the Longboat Wrap Up Video 2011

Nootka 2nd at Day of the Longboat 2011

PS. If you haven’t noticed, I’m the RA on the same floor I lived on in first year. Whuddup!