Category: Recreation

Categories
Advice for Newcomers Involvement/Leadership Recreation Uncategorized Wellness

The Shaolin Shockers = Athletic Rockers.

Tip of the Post:

Intermurals are fun. Try signing up for a team.

I had my first futsal (indoor soccer) game last night. It was a complete gongshow and the score probably was – as Tyler described – very close to 27/0. Against, of course.

Personally, I think it was because the other team had a kickass name: “Multiple Score-gasms”. Really. Who could take that on? Coupled with the fact that they had intimidating black uniforms and were a seemingly cohesive group, their name gave them even more superpowers and allowed them to drive us into the ground.

So. Formerly a member of the tentatively dubbed “Team Sea Slug”, I brainstormed some slightly more inspiring team names like: “The Farting Ferrets” and “The E-lemon-ators” and “The Bad Intentions”. But there was only one team name that really felt right:

“The Shaolin Shockers”.

If you don’t understand that right away, it’s a play on the film entitled Shaolin Soccer. If you haven’t seen it, you should watch this clip. Then you’ll understand how outstanding my team is going to be.

It’s all in the name, people.

Love,

Lindsay

Categories
Academic Recreation Spirituality Uncategorized

“Ohm. Namaste”

Tip of the Post:

The Student Union Building (better known as the SUB) has a basement. Did you know this? I was not aware until I visited The Pendulum for breakfast today with a friend. A surprisingly large sit-down restaurant, it offers many unique dishes including a delicious eggs benedict (or so I am told). I enjoyed a scrambled egg dish with spinach, peppers, roasted garlic, and feta cheese. Completed with a side of perfectly fried potatoes and pre-buttered whole wheat toast, the meal was well worth the $6.00 and astonishingly short wait. Go.

Some of you may remember an earlier entry requesting your advice as to whether I should break up with Tae Kwon Do – for a time, at least. If not, those of you that did take the time to answer me dissented and advised me to “stick it out”. So, naturally, I did the exact opposite.

I’ve now signed up for Vinyasa Yoga at the SRC. I fully loved the two free shopping week classes and the feeling of relaxation after the class was done. Plus I’ve always wanted to try Yoga. Let’s say it was a resolution.

Oh! I have a class review too: Physics 101. If you’re a science student (like me!) this class is a must. It has already applied to Chemistry 121 and EOSC 112, making the lectures that confused everyone else in the seminar a breeze for me. Trust me: you want to learn about energy, waves, buoyancy, and pressure. I won’t lie to you and say that it was the most invigorating course I’ve taken, but it has been incredibly useful in the tiny period of time since its completion. And if you’re lucky enough to have Javed Iqbal as your prof, you may even become the slightest bit interested in the subject matter. His passion for his craft is really inspiring and is something which contrasts “good” teachers from “outstanding” ones.

Presently, I have some interesting entries in the making. Drafts. For some reason I’ve been suffering from writer’s block since coming back from holidays. Let’s hope it backs down soon.

But I’m back. Love,

Lindsay

Categories
Advice for Newcomers Recreation Spirituality Wellness

To TKD or not to TKD.

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

Categories
Academic Involvement/Leadership Recreation Residence Life Uncategorized

Socked.

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.

Categories
Academic Faculty International Involvement/Leadership Recreation Uncategorized

NCAA? No way!

Tip of the Post:

Voice your opinion about UBC’s potential join to NCAA (division II), an athletic association of the United States! Your voice will really make a difference – not many people know about this issue!

Submit an online response form by 11:59 pm TONIGHT by clicking this link: feedback.cfm?page=online

Obviously, I’m very against this whole thing. Feel free to side with whichever view you choose, but keep in mind YOUR OPINION IS CRUCIAL AS TO WHETHER THIS HAPPENS.

Here is what I wrote:

I came to UBC because of the strong focus on academics and the pursuit of knowledge. As a first year, I fear that the attempt of this athletic recognition will reduce the attention to academics at UBC. And as far as the “pros” of this situation, I think that increased school spirit is NOT a fair trade for the decrease in attention to scholarly pursuits at this university. I don’t want UBC to become a school where people come to be athletes. I would be very angry and disappointed with the school as well if less funding was given to academic-focused scholarships in order to boost the amount of money available to athletic scholarships. Finally, I think that by entering the NCAA (which has incredibly limited spots for Canadian teams) we would alienate ourselves from other schools in Canada – only to be able to play against second-rate schools in the States. This whole situation is a bad idea which only benefits the athletes and athletic components of UBC. I hope very much that it doesn’t end up happening.

If you have any thoughts/opinions/ideas, submit them! This is your school too! Just keep in mind I am incredibly biased and basing your response off mine might not be a great idea if you don’t know exactly what’s happening. However, if you agree with me (which I really hope you do), then I encourage you even more to complete the online response form by 11:59 TONIGHT.

Lindsay

PS. I swear it only takes 10 minutes. I know you have 10 minutes.

Categories
Academic Recreation Spirituality Uncategorized Wellness

This ____ is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s!

Tip of the Post:

Feeling blue (or, at least, not a sunny shade of yellow)? Did you know that bananas are the ultimate cure to your physical and mental ailments? I didn’t until today. Today, a couple of kind nursing students set up an informative booth on – take a guess – bananas in the Vanier commonsblock. Not only do bananas individually contain enough glucose to fuel a 90-minute workout, but they have also been scientifically proven to be the best post-drinking miracle food and to contain chemicals that combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Being a person who suffers from SAD in those long winter months, I’ll definitely be investing in some bananas in the near future. So. Feeling crappy?

Eat a banana.

Click here for more banana facts.

Anyways, after visiting with the wonderful banana ladies, I went for a run down to Wreck Beach. It’s not far from The top of the stairs isn’t far from Vanier. For those of you who have ventured down to the nudie beach, you’re familiar with the ridiculously numerous (and steep) stairs that lead you down there. It’s annoying if you just want to relax in the sun, but a great workout otherwise. It was my first time down there in the daytime and, consequently, my first time experiencing the incredible nudity of it all. Bananas abound.

I even saw naked volleyball while I was running around.

It’s funny though – I felt out of place feeling fully clothed. But no worries, mum, I was good. I just kept jogging on my merry way, enjoying the… scenery. And I managed to run all the way back up the stairs, even though I nearly collided with a 60 year-old man on his way down. Needless to say, he wasted no time stripping down after passing the “Clothing Is Optional Beyond This Point” sign. It was pretty amusing.

So I’m feeling alive again. Exercise > mochas when you’re trying to wake up your brain. Plus, if you take a jog before a 1.5 hour Chem lecture instead of chugging a sugary cup of coffee, chances are you won’t be plagued with trying to ignore Lake Superior filling up your bladder after only 20 minutes of discussing the importance of H-Bonds. I’m sure I missed out on a lot of the more riveting points of that lecture due to the discomfort caused by my caffeine fix.

Oh, I had my first Math 110 class today. Y’know, the 8:00 am one? Yeah. We counted apples.

No joke. My prof drew a diagram like this:

He tied it into the classification of the number systems, though. He’s a really nice guy, I can tell. Even though it’s early, I enjoy the class. And hey, if I go to the class everyday for the rest of the year, my friends say I might even start learning division by December.

Awesome. Sounds like my kind of calculus.

All those naked people have piqued my appetite. I’ma go eat now.

Lindsay

PS. I apologize for the pointless pictures. I got really excited when I figured out how to insert them.

Categories
Involvement/Leadership Recreation

I’m so sick of bad movies.

Tip of the Post:

Don’t watch The Hot Chick at 11:30 pm on a school night. In fact, don’t watch it at all. It’s a terrible movie, no matter how great your company is.

So lots has been going on for me. I took the plunge and dropped Math 180, picking up Math 110 instead. It’s the same differential calculus, but it meets everyday (all year long) and reviews stuff from Grade 12. My dad says university just isn’t university without an 8:00 am class. I guess I’ll be getting the full first year experience, getting up at 7:00. Everyday. For a year.

But it’s really important to make these decisions sometimes. I need to understand this stuff and build on it in years to come. I’m relieved now that it’s over and done with. No more crying in the library :).

I’m on two teams for Longboat this weekend: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Tigers (KU 3rd floor) and Blog Squad Rocks The Boat. My only hope is that when BOTH teams make it to the finals, they won’t be matched up against each other.

I’m also getting my feet wet in the lake of university leadership. I’m the SUS (Science Undergraduate Society) representative for the Killam Teaching Award Committee, which means I’ll be dropping in on random science lectures throughout the year to judge professors who have been nominated for being amazing. If you know any great science profs, nominate them! But don’t choose someone boring. That would be a mean joke that I would be the victim of.

As a side note, I have a gap between my front teeth for the first time in my life. It’s bizzare.

– Linds

Spam prevention powered by Akismet