Category Archives: Wellness

Stars and Sunshine!

Posted on 7 March 2008 | 2 comments

After straining my little head (actually it’s out of proportion, I think, and I just can’t decide if it’s bigger or smaller than usual) for a week, I have managed to complete the major parts of my homework due in this week. I can breathe now! For a few hours, anyway.

And yes, I like stars and sunshine very much. I am madly happy whenever it’s sunny. One of my disappointments is that I don’t know how to recognise any constellations. There were never enough stars in HK — or more like the lights were always too bright to see many — for me to know them. I was more excited about the stars during the lunar eclipse than seeing a red moon, the skies were so clear. I don’t even know where the North Star is, which is (according to literature) The Star Everyone Should Know. I’m plotting to amend that some day.

Right now I am more taken up by food and gardening. I’ve been madly obsessed with the 100-Mile Diet ever since I heard the talk and went off on a research-binge for ways to live this, so now I have many more resources under my bookmarks page. On the gardening side, herbs are my new interest. I’m cautious about how successful I’ll be when I get around to planting them — speaking of which, must find somewhere to plant them, and also find the seeds or whatever to actually plant with — because I tend to forget to water my plants. My current pot plant, whose name is Celestia, was made up of bright orange blossoms, but she’s currently withering away. Maybe the ability to eat my plants will motivate me to water them… Or I could always leave them to the Vancouver rains.

I will have a chat with my mother about this. I’m going over to stay with my mother for the weekend, so this may be toodles. Of course, with the Great Internet being what it is, I might be online anyway, in which case —

Pseudo-toodles!

2 Comments

Posted in Recreation, Sustainability, Wellness

Oh ho ho

Posted on 6 March 2008 | 3 comments

So apparently I am a bad judge about myself.

I got an email on Monday offering me both the Gala group leader and the Imagine MUG leader positions. This was a pleasant surprise, doubly so given that I didn’t apply to be a MUG leader. After further consideration, I stuck to my original plan and asked to just be a Gala leader. I have grand plans about keeping in touch with my Gala group, and doing fun things if any of them are willing. Kind of like an informal International Peer Program thing.

Speaking of which, as soon as I have time to breathe, I have got to start thinking about what kind of leadership positions and activities I want to be doing next term. Applications for all sorts of things are going underway now and I must decide what role I want for myself, and just as importantly, how much time I have to spare.

Unfortunately I had to quit Trek, partly because it was eating up my time (four hours a week including travelling time) and I was severely behind on my schoolwork ever since it began. Trek in itself is manageable; Trek coupled with my previous volunteering commitment is impossible, so I had to pick and choose. Of course, I’m now also guilt-stricken because I never used to be so non-committal. Some elegant planning is required to alleviate myself from negative feelings next year!

Because cooking will also take a lot of time, considering how little I know about the art. It’ll be quite the learning experience. I’m taking applications for guinea pigs, by the by!

And before I forget, my current most pressing problem regarding moving out of rez is that I have no idea where I can practise the piano anymore. Does anyone know if the Music Building offers a public piano room of sorts?

(I think I should make an Off-Campus Life category. For now, I will classify this under Wellness and Sustainability as it is a most important matter of sustaining my own well-being. Very clever, not really.)

3 Comments

Posted in Involvement / Leadership, Wellness

I CAVED IN

Posted on 4 March 2008 | 2 comments

I ate the Indonesian shrimp crackers I brought from HK that I can’t find here. The ones that were only to be eaten when nothing else would cheer me up.

On the bright side, they are like my sacred food so I am feeling otherworldly now.

2 Comments

Posted in Wellness

Bill Payments

Posted on 1 March 2008 | 6 comments

Aiyaiyai, I only just got my bill for my MSP premium and it was due on January 24th. I direct my bills elsewhere, you see, since Vanier is such a temporary address, but the downside of this is I don’t manage to get my bills regularly. Hopefully, my last use of the Care Card will go through; if not, I’ll suggest trying again now that I have paid, and if that also doesn’t work, there’s always the AMS/GSS plan to cover me. (You can get the little yellow card from the office in the SUB Basement.)

Of course, it’s entirely my fault. This is the only bill that I need to pay (no electricity, rent, or what-not yet!). I’ll need to get better at it because I’m planning on using more services that will require prompt payments.

So, memo to self: $54/month for MSP!

6 Comments

Posted in Wellness

My wonderful sense of timing

Posted on 28 February 2008 | 4 comments

A couple of interesting things happened today.

The first is that I went to an optometrist and have happily filled in one of the gaps in my life. That is not interesting, you say. But wait! The really interesting part is when the assistant commented on what a good idea it is for me to have my eye exam now. Next month, I turn 19 and can no longer rely on the Care Card to provide relief for my eyes. I had no idea about this, but I highly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity while you are still 18. As we have to pay a mighty high premium for health insurance by law, we might as well use it!

As for my other item of import, there is quite a lovely display going on in the SUB right now. If you’ve been there recently, you may know what I’m talking about: There is a Clothesline Project displaying t-shirts designed by and/or related to victims of sexual harassment and abuse. I’d passed it several times before but hadn’t actually looked closely until today. While all of them carry messages, some were absolutely heart-churning.

One that I remember says something like:

“If rape doesn’t happen to you, or you, or you, then it will happen to me.
1 in 4 women in Canada and the US are raped.  Stop this madness.”

And there are many more, but I think you should check them out for yourself. You can even make a t-shirt of your own if you like. The display closes at 4 pm tomorrow, so hurry up and go!

4 Comments

Posted in Wellness