MacKenzie mentioned one of these in her latest post and while I’ve linked it there, I always like to promote it a bit more.
Firstly, though, another speech that I read before:
Steve Jobs’s Commencement Address at Stanford: Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish (text)
Video of this on Youtube
And finally, the best one of all:
(If that link doesn’t work, try this one.)
It’s 100 minutes long but well worth watching.
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Posted in Academic, Careers / Work, Involvement / Leadership, Recreation, Spirituality, Wellness
I’m just spamming my blog today, but I have to say, I’m pretty stoked (new word!).
My summer plans are beginning to shape up nicely. I’m moving out of rez the Saturday before we get kicked out as I want to take advantage of my dear brother’s very useful car when he’s not at work. I’ll return for my last exam on the 29th.
Then I’m off on either April 30th or May 1st to the UK for summer school! I submitted my partner application yesterday; there’s a workshop on the 2nd to tell me more about this. I’ve decided not to stay longer in the UK, and to come straight back here to sort out some stuff for a week. Then I’m off to Hong Kong for two weeks — I just got my return ticket changed to go back in late June.
Then I’m going to book a one-way ticket back here. That’s right, I’m changing home base! Which is pretty exciting since the last time I did this was when I was a year old and can’t even remember it. My round-trip tickets are currently going back to Hong Kong, which doesn’t make sense since I no longer know when my next trip back there will be. Changing home base to Vancouver is simply the most pragmatic thing to do.
Moving my entire CD collection and all my favourite books over here are not for pragmatic reasons at all, though. They’re just going to consolidate the idea that I’m living here and that I’d better find a job here after I graduate, otherwise that will be a lot of pointless moving.
Six weeks of summer school at UBC, a short break before Gala International Orientations, another wee break and then school commences!
Wow, how is it that the second term is flying by so quickly? My first term literally crawled its way out. Three more years really isn’t that long of a time — I think I’m going to start being needy and clinging to my UBC days soon.
What is everyone else planning for the summer (and aren’t you looking forward to it)?
Posted in Recreation
Vanier’s bugs are apparently very needy little creatures. One of them flew right into my hoodie on my way back from the Village. Quite a feat, given that there was very little space left with my headphones taking up most of the space between the hood and my head. I had to pull my hood off to free the massive black fly or whatever insect it was.
I have now made my first drug purchase at a pharmacy and will be experimenting to see how Tylenol works on me. There should be guidelines for international students on when you visit the doctor and when you visit the pharmacy. At home I never went to a pharmacy when I was sick; clinics dispensed all sorts of drugs and pharmacies were where I got my lozenges.
The fruit/specialty store in the Village also turns out to be manned by Mandarin speakers. When I’m less groggy, I should go for a closer look. I believe there are some Chinese foods there, but today all I wanted were lemons. I have honey and two kettles. I will be happy with hot honey-and-lemon water, yes yes. But I’m not going to share that with the bugs.
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Posted in Wellness
Movements to boycott the 2008 Olympics are leaving me miserable and torn.
I don’t condone China’s position on Darfur. I wish that the Tibetan situation didn’t have to happen in the first place (though I’m pretty sure that they picked the year on purpose). It grieves me that China does have such a poor human rights record.
Ironically, if it hadn’t been for the Olympics, I might never have grieved about this in the first place. Criticise, perhaps, but not hurt. When China won the right to host the 2008 Olympics, “We Won!” was pasted across all the TV screens and newspapers. There were massive celebrations and people were genuinely so happy and proud. Their country is finally on par enough with the rest of the western world that they can host a worldwide event. Their country is no longer the backwards, incredibly messed up, poverty-stricken place it once was. The Olympics are meant to be China’s proof of its advancement and continuing opening up. It was the first time I felt anything close to patriotism — I rather hated the place before that.
When I think of how much effort has been put into organising the event and how much people are looking forward to it, I hope with all my heart that it will go well. I don’t want 1.3 billion people to feel ashamed of how it went, 1.3 billion people who don’t have the political power to change the system and will only feel humiliated otherwise.
But then thousands of people are dying in Darfur. Humiliation is really nothing compared to death. So I do not honestly know if not boycotting the Olympics is the right thing to do; I can only say that I’m not going to and that I’m not yet convinced boycotting will help. You must decide for yourself.
At the same time, when I read that protesters turn up at the Olympic torch relay, I want to know if this happens when the US hosts the Olympics. The US doesn’t have a good human rights record either. I hope it does happen with the US too — people should protest for what they believe in, but it had better be something they believe in no matter what country is involved, otherwise this just becomes hypocritical.
Posted in International
Remember to register for your summer school courses (if you’re planning to do them)! Many are already full. I’m not sure if there is a way of getting into these courses anyway — are there add/drop forms? Do people drop out for summer term? I’m not sure since you’d think people would have to plan their summer a bit, but I always have hope for the fickleness of university students…
Fortunately for me, the course I do want to be in had some openings left, but if it hadn’t been for one particularly thoughtful friend who reminded me, I wouldn’t have remembered. My turtleness is getting the better of me. Most likely, it would’ve been full by the time I remembered — so thank you, thoughtful friend!
And everyone, remember to vote yes for the U-Pass on the SSC, WebVote link. Voting yes hurts no one as you can opt out and it makes a lot of commuting students happy!
P.S. To my voice: Please do not leave me like you are threatening to do. I love you quite a lot, really.
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