Monthly Archives: April 2012

The end of an era

Posted on April 26, 2012 | 4 comments

Missing this place with all of my being

Warning: the following will be incredibly sappy and emotional, and I might have to stop a couple times to prevent myself from openly crying in the airport.

It’s over. This morning I emptied my room, turned in my keys, and had my last breakfast in the dining hall (during which, funnily enough, “The Freshmen” by the Verve Pipe was playing on the radio. Weird.) My two Ontario boys and I piled our ridiculous amounts of luggage into the back of a cab and, after being attacked with bear hugs from our friends, headed off to YVR, where I’m now waiting to board my flight home.

There’s a Vanier-sized hole in my heart, and I’m this-close to bursting into tears thinking about all the things I’m going to miss over the summer. No more body slamming my friends’ doors when I want a study break. No more impromptu trips to the beach on sunny days. No more meeting for dinner at 6 o’clock sharp every night (plus ten minutes of waiting for Alison). No more sitting out on the field, showering with flip flops on, ham and swiss sandwiches from Stackables, or living just a few steps away from the most amazing people in the world. It’s ridiculous how much I’m going to miss that place.

Of course, there’s still so much to look forward to. This summer is going to be amazing, with concerts, beach-going, and not taking the bus everywhere for a change. I’m also super stoked to be an advisor in Totem Park next year (my friends are already plotting elaborate ways to prank my floor), although I have a feeling I’m always going to be a Vanier girl at heart. And I now have friends all over Ontario and the rest of the country to visit. It’s just, as Emilie kept saying, “the end of an era”. And what an awesome era it was.

So I guess this is goodbye for now, UBC. Thanks for an incredible, hilarious and unforgettable year. You stay beautiful for me, and I’ll see you in four months.

Edit: Shoutout to Logan for making my move out possible. Thanks for driving me around Kits in the Jetta to find boxes. I’ll think of you every time I find residual sand in my TOMS from Jericho.

4 Comments

Posted in Residence Life, Vancouver

First year: the end is near

Posted on April 23, 2012 | 2 comments

SCISYHP: the bane of our existence.

Less than 6 hours until I’m officially done first year. Craaaaay-zee.

Currently sitting in the Law Library, looking out at the mist-shrouded mountains and trying to get as much last-minute cramming in as possible before heading over to my PHYS 101 exam. (At the Rec Centre. At UBC we write our finals in massive gyms, because lecture halls just aren’t intimidating enough.)

I’m sure I’ll end up writing a long-winded, sappy blog post about this year, but for now, suffice it to say that in spite of the long nights of studying, bouts of homesickness and tons of rain, I’ve loved every minute of it. Wish me luck on my exam. Next time I post, it’ll be summertime.

2 Comments

Posted in Academics

How to Procrastinate in University

Posted on April 14, 2012 | 5 comments

The coffee is flowing, the highlighters are highlighting, and I haven’t worn jeans in over a week. This can only mean one thing: finals. Studying for finals can get intense, with long library cram sessions and very little sunlight. Every once in a while, you need to give yourself a little break. So here’s a list of ways to successfully procrastinate your studious butt off:

  1. Clean your room. How are you supposed to study in a cluttered workspace, after all? If possible, wash every item of clothing you own, organize your shoes according to fanciness and heel height, and go on a hunt for the vacuum around your building.
  2. Run around in your underwear. But only if it’s as a part of the 3rd Annual Undie Run. Otherwise you’ll attract some weird looks, and probably be escorted out of Irving by security.
  3. Watch cute videos. Cat videos, baby videos, whatever. I recommend this, this, and this.
  4. Make up a parody song. This one’s my favourite. Just yesterday I made up one about eclipsed conformers to the tune of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (if you can come up with anything that rhymes with carbon, let me know). This one can kind of have educational value too. Emphasis on the “kind of”.
  5. Go on 9gag. Try to make yourself look like the memes. I’m really, really good at making myself look like this guy.
  6. Learn about something, anything, other than what you need to be studying. This can be accomplished by reading a book, watching a documentary, (I’m a fan of watching Planet Earth, myself), or learning world history the fun way by watching Crash Course on Youtube.
  7. Go to the beach. First-year residences at UBC are right next to the beach. I assume they designed this so we could have awesome study breaks, complete with tanning and ocean spray. Going back up the stairs can even count as your exercise for the day. Double win.
  8. Read this.
  9. Distract your friends. Because if you’re not getting any studying done, why should they? I recommend bringing treats so they are less inclined to kick you out. That could also mean making a Hubbard’s/Magda’s run, which is even better. Fuzzy Peaches seem to do the trick quite nicely.
  10. Start a new TV show. I watch way too many TV shows for my own good, so if you’re in need of a recommendation, I’ll be more than happy to oblige. Happy Endings is my most recent addiction.
  11. Write a blog post about procrastination. Yup, seems to be getting the job done for me.

Very important side note: Procrastination is a dangerous game, kids. Please remember that this blog post is mainly for entertainment purposes, and I in no way recommend avoiding studying for finals by doing everything on this list in a day. Although if you did and still managed to pass, you’d be kind of awesome.

Other side note: I get real studying done, I swear. Just ask the guy at the Education Library front desk, who’s seen me every day for the past week. He comes to work to see me sitting outside Scarfe waiting for the building to open, and then clangs a bell in my face to force me to leave at the end of the day. That’s dedication.

5 Comments

Posted in Academics, Around Campus, Residence Life

How epic was Block Party?

Posted on April 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

This epic:

If you’re looking for me, I’m a brownish dot at the top left. I think they really got my good side. Full photo set on The Ubyssey’s Facebook page.

Leave a comment

Posted in Around Campus

Essays, science student woes and LDOC

Posted on April 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

Sitting in the window of David’s Tea on 4th Ave after a yoga class, sipping on some Jolly Jellybean and listening to Mother Mother on repeat. This is the setting in which I finished off my first real research paper of university (I don’t count the lab report I wrote on snails). This is a pretty bold statement, but I think writing this paper has been my best academic experience of second term. Which is ironic, since it’s for my English class, which is the only non-science course I’m currently taking.

So why is this paper so awesome? Well, my topic is pretty sweet. I watched this series of videos a while ago called “Everything is a Remix”. Basically, it explains that everything, from movies to songs to electronics, is a “remix”—a reinterpretation of an existing idea. Inspired by this, I decided to look at what effect this idea has on the definition of authorship (i.e. who is the true creator of the remix—the remixer or the original artist?) and whether copyright laws should be adjusted to account for this new definition. Nerdy fun times.

But although my topic is awesome, I think the main reason why I haven’t been enjoying my academics very much has to do with the rest of my courses. Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Academics, Around Campus