Monthly Archives: November 2012

Honey, Don’t Stress!

First off, I apologize for slackin’ on my posts lately it has a been a busy last couple of weeks around here. I must say I am definitely feeling the wrath of these final projects!

However, in the midst of all this chaos I have still managed to find some time to fulfill my procrastinating duties, but not the kind I had hoped for. Last Thursday I landed myself a WICKED migraine. If you have ever personally been victimized by one of these god awful experiences, I feel for you. And if you haven’t….consider yourself lucky. Long story short after paying the UBC hospital a visit and receiving some medication, I was practically bedridden for 2 full days. This may sound like a really fun time you know pop a movie in, get some snacks, hangout. Unfortunately that was not the case and I had to lie there in the dark, alone, in attempts to calm down some of the symptoms. If you’re anything like myself; impatient, restless, talkative etc. this task was extremely difficult!

This week I finished my term research paper, a presentation for my Swedish class and am on the road to completing my life size self-portrait for art. 5 gold stars for me! Now I’m feelin’ good, I’m feeling like I’m on top of things. I plan on gearin’ up for finals season stress FREE. I know UBC has many resources available to students to help deal with stress and especially around exam time. I mean let’s get real, would you pass up a 30 minute session to play with an adorable puppy? Or perhaps may I suggest the lovely annual Undie Run, where students get together to run around campus in their underwear in 5 degree weather. Now obviously I have never personally experienced such events, this being my first year and all, but they have certainly gained quite the reputation. Someone want to try it out with me?

For my own sake, if that doesn’t work out, I know I can rely on my trusty companion You-Tube, for when one is having a mini brain lapse or mini meltdown, whichever happens first.

When you “read” the same 3 sentences over more than 5 times and you still don’t know what is going on, you have probably encountered a brain lapse.

A mini meltdown may look a little more like this:

“That’s it. I’m done. I quit.”

followed by…

“Hmm, maybe I could just skip it?! Its what, only 30%?….” [insert an elaborate plan to induce over-sleeping your alarm on exam day]

And when both happen together, we turn to You-Tube

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV-wTyltX7Q

and finally

 

Alright, hope you enjoy everybody, and good luck with exams! 🙂

25 Things.

  1. The cold side of the pillow
  2. When a stranger smiles at you
  3. Going to sleep when everyone else is awake
  4. When your ipod shuffle is good to you (aka. Nelly Furtado followed by Bon Iver followed by Jay-Z, followed by Theophilus London, followed by M83 and so on…)
  5. Craving a certain type of food and satisfying it
  6. Eternal love manifested in a 90-year old couple, holding hands (saw that yesterday)
  7. When you get a whole row of seats to yourself on the plane
  8. Positive vibes
  9. The anticipation before a big vacation
  10. That feeling when you wake up before your alarm is set, and realize there’s nowhere else you need to be but in bed
  11. Goosebumps from good music
  12. A productive work day
  13. Laughing fits (rolling on the ground included)
  14. Surprises
  15. When you finish an exam
  16. Coffeehouses
  17. When you’re handwriting is really neat
  18. Receiving a compliment
  19. Home-cooked meals
  20. Finding money on the ground
  21. When you automatically “click” with someone else
  22. Giving gifts
  23. When it rains for a week and you get a day of sun
  24. Reuniting with someone you love
  25. Beyonce.

 

 

 

 

Wake Up The RIGHT Way

Good mornin’ ya’ll, nothin’ like some fun music to get you going on those dreaded mornings before an 8am lecture… or in my case 10am (that’s plenty early)

Join me….

 

A Human Phenom.

It is literally 2:30 am right now and my mind is racing!! I am just having one of those nostalgic nights. Every once in a while, in the midst of all the chaos, I stop to reminisce on the past…. And every time, I am captivated by my childhood memories. When I was younger I lived in Sweden for 3 years, and for some reason have a very emotional attachment to my time spent there. So, often enough certain smells and visions will trigger memories. What I find particularly odd is HOW much I remember.  I moved when I was four, yet I have very vivid recollections of scenes, smells, places, interactions, friends and sometimes entire episodes.

I think these memories also have something to do with how I visualize things. Everybody has a different style of learning, and I think most get a true understanding of what works best for them at a young age. I am most definitely a visual learner which I think in part, attributes to my ability to recall such specific details. I always tell people “I remember it so well I could draw you a picture!” and today in astonishment of all the things I was recalling, I dragged my roommate in to see. I drew a birds eye view of the primary school I attended noting the interior layout, as if I was just there yesterday. I told her about the time I was playing hopscotch outside and explicitly the scar I got from scratching my finger that day. I recalled upon the time I was putting on my shoes for recess and everyone came in begging me to be in the school play because I would fit the main character from the Jungle Book perfectly….Haha yes the main character is a boy and yes he wears red underwear, and yes I did have to re-enact that…. I remember walking down the street one morning and asking my teacher if she had named her red Volvo. I remember my street, my house, all of my friends, my teachers, our class field-trips, my play dates, the movies, the city….
I could literally go on forever. All this thinking makes me question psychology and the human ability to generate, encode, store, and retrieve information in the form of memories (shout out to Nirel 😉 you psych major). What dictates what we remember and what we forget? What factors play in? Age, timing, moods, senses?  How is it that some people cannot remember things from their childhood at all?

The brain really does work in mysterious ways. You’re probably reading this right now, using that “voice inside your head” and in most cases we don’t really think twice about it. But now, that it was pointed out, you might take a second to realize…. How is it that we can call upon a memory when we’re asked? It’s like speaking a language. It’s so instinctive, it is our nature, it just happens.