Category: Spirituality

Categories
Academic Recreation Spirituality Uncategorized

“Ohm. Namaste”

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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.

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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 Recreation Spirituality Uncategorized Wellness

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

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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.

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