Author Archives: ericacommons

Changes

There’s a few things you should know about me.

I can’t cook for myself. I enjoy putting my hair into a side braid. All I eat is Lipton chicken noodle soup. I think a barista at my local Starbucks is pretty cute. I make paper cranes for people that matter to me. I’m really not looking forward to fulfilling my two science requirements for my Arts degree. I like to sleep in as much as possible in the mornings. And I’ve made some big decisions for my future.

Change is not easy. I’m set in who I am. It isn’t much easier to be proactive and create change for myself instead of waiting for change to happen. The scariest thing is that you are making a risk. Last week, I took a risk.

I’ve got a number one priority in my life. It’s school. Even if I don’t want to make my school work my top priority, it is a commitment I made to myself and others a long time ago that I’d rock my academics. Last year, I continued the same trend that I’ve had going since high school. It’s that I say “yes” to everything and I put my service and leadership commitments first. My mother (the legendary momma bakes) says that I need to learn how to say “no.” It’s true, especially if I want to keep my commitment to my grades, somethings gotta give.

So, last week, I finally said “no” to something. I’m 18 and it’s taken me this long. I realized that I cannot have everything that I want and if school comes first for me then I actually need to free up some time to study. With that in mind, I turned down a leadership opportunity for the first time in my life. How does it feel? Sometimes I remember that I’m doing the right thing, and other days I try to convince myself that I can do it all and still get the grades I want. Saying “no” is not easy, I really don’t like it, whoever made up the word should take it back, but I hope this risk pays off. I’ve got a goal for second year and it’s hitting a certain average that I have in my head. As second year approaches, and I’ve made those hard choices that I’m going to stick to, I know that now it’s game time.

Music Monday + Gifts

I know, I disappeared for more than a week and we missed out on a good Music Monday last week. Not only that, but I didn’t have a chance to blog about all the good things that happened last week like the Old Spice Guy‘s viral campaign, the new article about my experiences with G20 on the Faculty of Arts Website, and this.

I’m here to make up for it. This week, our Music Monday is themed American Eagle. Tomorrow is my last shift of the summer and after 3 glorious years of jean selling it is time for me to take some serious time off with other opportunities on the horizon. Here are three songs from our recent soundtracks that are worth a listen, even if two of them are very “poppy.”

First we have One Republic’s All The Right Moves (real mainstream video)
Followed by The Black Eyed Pea’s One Tribe (crazy fan video)
And Finished with The Black Keys and their song, Tighten Up, which features their hilarious music video that you probably should take the time to watch.

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rockin’, I know.

Want some more gifts? Here are other worthy music sites to note. Click here, click here or click here for new music. What’s that you say, you want more? Okay, click here, click here, or click here.

Love you lots, UBC blog world.

Only Two More Months Until Residence Move In!

For some reason, I like taking supa tough photos at work on Photobooth

We’ve hit July. Only two months until we begin a new academic year at UBC. It’s crazy to think I’ve already finished more than half my summer. Will I be ready to give up summer and go back to term papers and textbooks?

I don’t think I’m ready for writing and studying, but I am ready to be back in Totem Park. Lately, I’ve been missing Totem like it’s home and Niagara Falls never existed (sorry Mom). I miss my little cube of a room. I actually LIKE having a small cube. I made it my own space.

Every morning I woke up to the view of the Dene court yard and Kwak/Salish from my bed

Here’s how I rocked a little cube, which is something almost all first year students are presented with. It doesn’t matter if you are in Totem or Vanier next year, you’ll be presented with your dorm room when you move in and it’s your mission to make it feel like your own.

First off, I made friends with two girls on my floor who helped me take apart my bed frame only to put it back together so it was as high off the ground as possible. UBC leaves you instructions when you move in so you know how to adjust the height of your bed frame. This proved for ample room under the bed for things like the dresser that comes with your room, a fridge if you get one, and other things like big pieces of luggage from moving around the world to UBC Campus.

Next, I rotated my bed. Instead of having my bed against one wall that was facing my desk and dresser on the other, I moved my bed against the wall where my window was. I got this suggestion from an upper year student when I moved into residence. I put my desk next to my bed to make a ‘L’ shape in my room. My dresser was tucked under my bed along with all those big items. I still had room to access my closet and mirror. It made my room feel less like a dorm room and more like a bedroom with a ‘home’ vibe. It also proved for more space for things like visual art parties.

Meet Mychal, the guy wearing the Nootka shirt on my floor. He’s the Nootka House President next year. We had a visual arts party during first semester when I took this photo. You can see where I put my bed and to the right where the chair is peeking out is where I put my desk.

In addition to your cube, you are given a dorm chair that most likely is wooden with black seats that has been used many times over the years. I dressed it up and made it comfy. I kept a big green pillow from Ikea against the back rest and I folded up a plaid blanket from home on the seat. It made those long nights of studying feel a lot better.

I recently went to Ikea and bought my new bed sheets and pillows for next year. Meet the newest pillow (below) to take home on my chair next year. Is it weird that I get really excited with picking out bed sheet colours, pillows and lamps for my room? I’ve got two months until move in and I’ve already bought almost everything I need including Volcom posters from ebay.ca.

Start dreaming of what you want your dorm room to look like next year. I was in love with my first year dorm room and I want you to feel the same way. Just don’t make the same mistakes I did with being messy which included accidently smashing a glass lamp. Broken glass is not a good thing.

Join the MOB

Summer.

Where were you on Canada Day? I was on Toronto Island with the Toronto MOB for their end of the year social. A group of us came together for the day for a walk on the beach, lunch on the island, a bon fire and a great time with a guy named Craig who started our fire for us. Craig also eventually climbed a tree, jumped up and down like a monkey making monkey noises, and fell out of that tree. He’s also a pretty cool 20-something who makes nuclear reactors for the government.

I mention the MOB a lot in this blog. It is my life. I was the West-Coast MOB-Lead last year and current intern at the office. It’s definitely the coolest thing ever, no over exaggerating.

So what is the MOB? This Prezi explains it well, so does our annual report, but besides us being the coolest thing since the invention of the Easy-Bake Oven, we are a grassroots movement across Canada of upper high school to university aged youth determined to make a mark on the social issues of our generation. We support Free The Children, participate in all their campaigns, and directly sponsor villages in Ecuador, India and Haiti. At the end of each MOB year, we travel to those villages to participate in the community development work ourselves. Right now, (Mob)ilizers are in Ecuador and India doing that very thing.

We also support the philosophy of Me to We through socially conscious living. We have our own campaigns as a MOB, our own events and flash mobs and we volunteer at WE Day. We mobilize the masses to become a part of the movement with us. We reach out and bring in.

If you want to be a part of the MOB, please apply to join before July 26th. There are 26 MOB-Cities across Canada, including one in Vancouver which is lead by UBC students (woot woot). You can find the link here, or you can visit the website and have a look around and see if it’s for you. It’s a great way to get involved if you are a first year going to UBC and are looking for something to be engaged in. It brings together youth who are in upper high school or university from across the city. Check it out!

The Toronto MOB on Toronto Island!

JP and Gaby, one of our two Toronto MOB-Leads, eating some toasted marshmallows

Shane, one of the Toronto (Mob)ilizers

Toronto MOB gathered around the bonfire

Vicotria and Gaby, Toronto MOB-Lead, hugging it out

Guess where I’m blogging now

CTV.ca
UBC Blog Squad
Me to We

Click here to follow the socially conscious blog posts that will now be appearing by the wicked-awesome intern who looks dangerous at summits.

While you are at it, you have to visit this. It’s called couldyou.ca and it’s whatever is higher than wicked on the impressive adjective vocabulary scale.

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By the way, this was totally filmed in my house and I had no idea.

This is more important than Music Monday

This is what I lived through this weekend. Please watch.

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Saturday afternoon. Toronto Eaton Centre. American Eagle Outfitters. I show up for work and am told to stand by for notice that we need to evacuate. A protest was moving towards us on Queen street without ANY police present. My manager held the store phone in his hand, waiting for instruction to leave before the protest got to the Eaton Centre and put us in danger.

On their way towards us, Queen Street was destroyed. Store front windows were smashed, The Bay was looted, and cop cars were set on fire. I got these updates periodically over my headset. We knew they were coming.

Shortly after, they arrived at the south end of the mall. Mall security blocked the doors. We were told that the protesters had arrived. Most shoppers in our store had no idea what was happening just a few store fronts away and what had taken place on Queen Street moments ago. They had no idea that there was a cop car on fire in the middle of street or that outside looked like a war zone.

Alerts went out over the mall emergency alert system, broadcasting over the speakers that there was an emergency situation in close proximity to the Eaton Centre. It advised all customers to leave. We had to quickly wrap up all sales and ask all customers to exit the store. Customers didn’t know why they had to leave, we had to inform them of what was taking place.

As soon as the last customer left, we were advised that the protest was moving up Yonge Street towards Dundas Square. We were under lockdown and couldn’t leave until they left, and that’s if they decided to move on from Dundas Square. Yonge and Dundas is like the Times Square of Toronto. It’s at the north corner of our mall where H&M, Adidas, Forever 21 and the plaza sits. CityTV looks into the plaza, the Toronto Google office, and an AMC theatre.

We had to stay in the store. We folded clothes until we got the news that it was safe to leave. From our cell phones, our friends that worked at stores on Yonge street and people who were following the news told us what was happening.

Urban Outfitters. Windows smashed.

One of the Starbucks in the mall. Windows smashed.

Slowly they were making their way along the east side of the mall to get to the square.

The Bank of Montreal. Windows smashed.

Once they got to Yonge and Dundas, they headed north past the mall and onto all the street stores.

Adidas. Guess. Levi’s. Pizza Pizza. HMV. Rogers. Future Shop. All windows smashed. Street signs through their windows.

Once the protest moved north, it reached Yonge and College where the main protest of the day was taking place and why no police were watching this crowd that came and ripped apart the city. Another Starbucks was targeted. Violence and arrests broke out. Yonge and College which is a place I commonly wait for the street car or visit the College Park Metro was now a war zone.

We were soon allowed to leave the mall through a door guarded by security and blocked off with police tape. I walked out onto Yonge Street. Usually filled with cars, it was empty. No police in a city that has been covered with riot police in full gear on every corner. Just citizens walking around in shock, looking at what must of been a bomb that went off in the downtown core. In the distance, smoke from cop cars that were set a blaze was creating a dark haze and camera flashes filled the streets.

I walked up Yonge. The biggest crowd was formed around American Apparel. It was hit the worst. Doors and windows smashed through with signs, bust forms broken and dragged down the street, glass everywhere, and human feces thrown onto their window front. Here are some of the photos I took from the scene on my BlackBerry.

I just have to say that this is not my Toronto. This would never happen day to day. Riot police do not hang out on a street corner. 900 people are not arrested in one weekend. I don’t know what these riots achieved but I do know that we need to direct the energy that we put into these ordeals into something that has real results. We need to teach each other how to take action. We need to find another way that is not violence to express ourselves. I fell asleep Saturday to the constant sounds of helicopters outside of my window, so loud, that I could hardly fall asleep. I do not want to see another weekend like this ever again. It disturbed me that people down the street had no idea what was going on, but they knew the score of the World Cup game. Let’s show some more compassion, let’s take action, and let’s stick to peace.

One funny thing out of this weekend- Our toilet broke inside our American Eagle on Sunday. Marty posted this sign.

For more images and tweets from my weekend of unexpected havoc, and what it was like Friday when I was in the middle of a protest and 100 riot police marched towards me, please read all my tweets at twitter.com/ericafromcanada

You might find some stuff on there like this:

How to get involved at UBC

This was me in high school.
Take note on the mandatory white graduation dress and the school uniform.

This is me now, after one year at UBC. Yes there is a grounded flying saucer in the background.

In high school, I was student council President. I held leadership positions in my community. I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. I was an editor of my school’s yearbook and newspaper. I enjoyed listening to Taking Back Sunday and mostly anything from the “punk
or “emo” genre of music, but that phase eventually ended some point around grade 10. So to sum it up, I was a highly involved student who had an interesting music taste.

When the end of grade 12 came, I chose a university to attend that was on the other side of the country (UBC!). Moving forward, I no longer had any of my leadership positions. I no longer belonged to any clubs. I no longer had my mother’s car to drive. I had to start fresh.

I knew what I liked. I liked to be the voice for youth and for students. I liked to speak in front of large crowds. I likde to mentor others. I liked to plan events. I liked supporting charities. I liked being involved with student politics. I liked being filled with school spirit.

With that, I went on my search for opportunities that fit the things I liked. These are some of the things I joined, what I participated in and what I suggest new students to UBC look into as well.

VP Students Emerging Leaders Program
Through the program, I was connected with an upper year student and a small group of students who are in my faculty and new to UBC as well. I was able to volunteer for the Reading Week Learning Exchange in an elementary school for three days during this past reading week, attend the Student Leadership Conference that happens every January, and have meet and greets with Brian Sullivan and our faculty’s Dean. It gives students the chance to find new ways to be involved at UBC, connect with other students who are new as well, and to grow as a leader. Next year I’ll be a POD Leader (that lovely upper year student I talked about, who for me was Tarini!) and I’m stoked to be able to help more new to UBC students find their place in such an amazing community.

UBC Blog Squad
Keep checking back to find out how to apply this summer to become a blogger just like I am now! It’s been “the bomb” being able to share with the world my experiences as a UBC student. The best part is the comments I receive where people from places far far away tell me that I influenced their decision to come to UBC and I have made their world all the brighter.

Art History Student Association & Arts Undergraduate Society
It all started when I got an email blast from the Art History Visual Arts dept inviting me to the AHSA movie night in one of the lecture halls in the Lasserre building. I met the club, decided to join, which lead me to the position of being the AHSA rep to the AUS! Through the AUS, I sat on the Killam Teaching Prize Committee for the Faculty of Arts as the Undergraduate rep which gave me a chance to read profiles on amazing professors in my faculty and to get to know the school better. Being on the AHSA also lead me to meet the Art + Architecture + Planning  Librarian, Vanessa Kam, who gave me advice on how to research for my art history paper. In addition, I helped plan and attend career fairs for AHVA students, learn about my future professors, and network with upper year students in my program. All of these doors were open because of one little movie night I decided to attend.

UBC Rec’s Soccer League
I joined with a team from Totem Park and we might of never won a game but it was a lot of fun to wake up early every Sunday morning, walk over to the soccer fields, and play a game of soccer with mountains in the background. The best part about Vancouver is that the season started in January and it was warm enough to play in just a t-shirt.

AMS Mini School- Pole Dancing 101
My friends and I from my floor in Totem Park signed up for this six week course on how to pole dance for beginners! It was for an hour every Thursday night in the Student Union Building for six weeks. The AMS Mini School offers discounts (with already low prices) if you join with friends and they offer many other courses like bar-tending, different forms of dance, photography and more.