Tip of the Post:
Don’t let the glory of fame go to your head.
I have had two surprise revelations of people reading my blog this past week. Not only do they read it, they enjoy it!
That makes me very, very happy. And I believe it brings my current audience (excluding the friends who I force to read it on occasion as well as my fellow bloggers) up to 4.
Woo! I’m movin’ on up!
xo.
For everyone who hasn’t seen my room yet, here’s an attempt to show you where I live. And me, too! You’re such lucky bums. It’s not the whole thing, obviously, but it gives you an idea. I decorated like a madwoman to lose the impersonal, “hospital room” feel.
I love my room. And I feel like it’s home now, too.
Can you find yourself in my photo collage?
Love,
Lindsay
ps. I swear I’m not some sadsack who sits around taking pictures of themself all day. Believe me!
Tip of the Post:
If you live in residence, keep your door open! Here are the top 7 reasons why:
1) You’ll make more friends. When people walk by my room (which is semi-rare, I live near the end of my hallway) and see that my door is open, 9 times out of 10 they will make eye contact, nod, and say “hey”. And sometimes they stop by for a quick chat. Or a long chat.
2) It will affirm your exsistence. The vast majority of students who are living in residence (and I’m estimating this majority to be along the lines of 99.99%) are used to living in a family unit. You don’t need to feel isolated in the residence community! When I have my door open, I feel comforted by the fact that I’m surrounded by so many people. Your floor is your new family – treat it as such, or at least make an effort to.
3) It makes your room look bigger. The whole 8 x 10 thing not working for you? OPEN THAT DOOR! Living in KU, the doors are indented about two feet from the hallway. With an open door, you get the illusion that your room is two feet longer (which, incidentally, is a 20% increase. That’s quite a lot).
4) It makes your room brighter. I have three light sources in my room: my desk lamp, my window, and my overhead light. With the dark winter months descending upon Vancouver, my window is a useful source until about 3:00 in the afternoon. And my overhead? What a joke. I think one of the bulbs is out. Either that, or all the dead moths in the bowl are blocking the light *shudder*. That leaves my desk lamp, which isn’t enough alone. Thankfully (and ironically) enough, I have an incredibly bright, double-bulbed fluorescent light outside my door. It makes a huge difference.
5) It gives you a reason to keep your room tidy. I am by no means a tidy person. If I can do it, so can you. You just need incentive.
6) You get to add personality to your floor. Got a wickedly decorated room? Show it off! Residence can be pretty bland – any decoration visible from the hallways adds a homey feel to the entire floor.
7) Maybe, just maybe, other people will follow your lead. Can you imagine how fun residence would be if everyone had their doors open? Of course, it’s not necessary all the time (like if you’re nakie – save us that aspect). But the sense of community and comradery would definitely improve. Think about it.
Most of us will only live in residence for one year. What sort of community do you want to remember?
Love,
Lindsay
Tip of the Post:
Take part in Shopping Week for UBC Rec. You get a week to visit as many conveniently slotted instructional classes as you want throughout the week in order to decide if you want to pay up and participate for the rest of the term/school year. Check out the Rec programs by clicking here.
Anyhow, I’m having a lot of trouble deciding what I want to do next term. Tae Kwon Do has been a huge part of my life since grade six (that would be… almost seven years now) and is my one spiritual outlet. Plus it keeps me in good shape. However, the class I’m taking on campus just doesn’t cut it:
1) It’s a recreational class. That means that uniforms aren’t required and most of the people participating are beginners.
2) Two out of the three instructors are at the same level as me and I often don’t feel comfortable accepting their criticisms on techniques that I learned to do a slightly different (but effective) way in my old school. Especially stretches. At times, I feel like they just want to prove that I’m the student and they’re the instructor even if it’s over a stupid, trivial thing (like how I grab my ankle when doing a forward-stretch).
3) It’s a late class that runs from 8:00 – 9:30 at night.
On the other hand, the head instructor has his fifth degree and is quite friendly and explains things in ways much different from my old teacher. Not to say that either way is better, but it definitely helps to hear things in two unique ways. And I really love the sport. I feel like I belong to Tae Kwon Do. I know the little nuances of foot placement and hip rotation. I know nine forms and am working on the tenth. The Rec class is cheap too (just $50 per month) and is my only real option in a city full of studios that charge upwards of $150 per month, not including the special studio uniforms and gear one is often required to buy. Plus it’s on campus, which makes for a convenient commute.
I’ve been considering trying a Yoga class to improve my flexibility and core strength, and to start from square one with a new activity where I’m at the appropriate level for the class.
I just don’t know if I can give up TKD… Any thoughts?
Lindsay
Tip of the Post:
Participate in as many residence games and events as possible. They’re a blast, though sometimes short-lived.
After much anticipation, I was stoked to find out that Korea house was going to have our own game of “Sock Wars”. Basically, it’s a version of tag.
Actually, it’s a bit more like dodgeball. With socks. And instead of a border that separates the opponents, the gameplay territory is virtually endless (although you are safe in bathrooms, the dining hall, your room, and your RA’s room).
Knowing that my red hair would be an issue of quick identification, I considered my options:
1) Wear a headscarf.
2) Scratch the headscarf. Go for a burka.
3) Make my facebook profile only visible to current friends and change my profile picture to “SOCK WARS IS ON, BITCHES!”
I thought about it and went with the third option, knowing that I couldn’t pull off wearing the headscarf for 30 days in a row and that I would probably stand out even more wearing a burka. I also took down my nametag from my door. The perfect disguise. Better yet, I knew who my target was and had stalked her earlier this morning and found her room (your little “switching signs” trick didn’t work, muahaha). And then I saw her in the dining hall this evening with the assistance of a friend who lives on her floor. I had all my bases covered. Nothing could touch me.
Except Google.
And, more specifically, this blog. My assassin Google’d me and found this journal! DAMNATION!
If I had made it back to my room when I returned from dinner, I would have been surprised to see a rather creepy sign taped to my door with the picture of me tossing leaves and the caption: Hi Lindsay. See you soon written underneath it. That wasn’t, however, the case.
I had just reached my floor and began walking down the hallway when I heard thundering steps coming from the stairwell which I had just exited. Normally, I would have panicked, but I was so confident with my cover that I didn’t think it had anything to do with Sock Wars. But then I heard the door slam open and something large sprinting down the hallway in my direction.
By this point I was three or four feet from the bathroom doorway and attempted to jump inside, spinning around as I did so. I did manage to land in the bathroom, but not before I saw the image of a large, white ball streaking towards my body with some guy’s arm attached to it. And not before that ball hit me.
My Olympic jump was celebrated by the guy on the floor who was screaming, “I got you! Oh my GOD I got you!” quickly followed by the voice of two girls explaining how they had seen my red hair as I went up the stairs and told him.
So I died on the first day. I don’t regret it (much). I think it was one of the most epic deaths I have heard of yet, and I congratulate my assassin. You got me :).
And now I can return to blogging in peace.
Or can I? *cue X-Files music…*
Love!
Lindsay
ps. I got 90% on my second physics midterm. A 27% increase from last time. Feel free to rain praise on me, if you want.
Tip of the Post:
In times of stress (such as a week concluding in two midterms and a chemistry lab), be sure to avoid the following:
I’m talking from experience, here.
Love,
Lindsay