Category: Academic

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Academic Miscellaneous Student Life

#007: Of classes, clubs and Canada

Currently listening to: “Schadenfraude” – Avenue Q

I really ought to write a coherent entry once in a while; here’s my requisite sane entry of the week.
(Translation: This is not just random crack. OR IS IT?!?)

Courses:
Classes are going splendidly; I have just realized that I haven’t actually mentioned the courses I’m taking on this blog. So I shall. Arts One is a real lark; finishing the Iliad gave me a real rush of satisfaction. I’ve never been one much for epic poetry (as any of my friends will attest to my violent protestations against Paradise Lost, but that is A Story For Another Time). The first lecture has proven to be a mind-boggling madhouse; following the prof’s train of thought is absolutely ridiculous and dare I say, brilliant. It’s like watching the cogs in a watch turn, but in Every Imaginable Direction while shooting fireworks and water and – well, it’s just all over the place, but so insanely fascinating to listen to. Oh, and the note-taking bit goes well too- if your definition of “well” includes large, loopy scrawls diagonally across lined paper. Psychology 100 goes equally marvellously; I shall soon be better equipped to mess with your minds even more. I’m certain you await that with great enthusiasm; I do too. Finally, French 122 is absolutely nothing like I expected it to be. I was not expecting to be conjugating verbs in the Present Tense, or the Infinitif. I’m certain there are people who are enjoying it more than I do; I shall not destroy their little beam of sunlight – I’ll merely hide in a box in the corner and mutter to myself in a schizophrenic manner. No, I jest: I’m looking forward to Fr 123. How’s that?

Clubs and Other Such:
I’m really excited to join clubs and societies. The prospect of meeting people equally enthused about the French language thrills me, ergo, Le Club Français! I attended the first meeting today, and it was absolutely brilliant: I’ve missed hearing French on a constant basis SO MUCH, and I’m sure I could ramble on about this for ages…so I won’t. (But you all ought to come and check it out, because it is so wicked. BuchanantowerseventhflooronWednesday!!) I’ve also been to a Ubyssey meeting: more excitement on that front! I look forward to more mad writing; I’ll keep you all updated on that.

Other things I’ve been considering include: STAND, Journalists for Human Rights, Engineers Without Borders (and yes, you don’t have to be an engineer), and other random things I’m certain my friends have signed me up for during Imagine Day without my explicit consent…cough…random high school alumni groups…cough.

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In other news, vis-a-vis Canadian politics, here‘s a newspaper clipping from Monday’s edition of The Province which I scanned; it’s actually really funny.

Anyhow, I shall prance off now; I am terribly tempted to sing along to the Avenue Q cast recording. OKAY, I’M DONE. Over and out.

Categories
Academic Student Life

#005: Le weekend doth arriveth!

Currently listening to: “Dégénération” – Mes Aïeux

I apologise for the (utterly rubbish) Franglais title (and my tendency to lapse into such phrases); there’s a rather pleasant Facebook group for habitual offenders and I assure I’m seeking help and support for my problem.

That aside, I think we can all take a deep breath – there you go, inhale, and exhale – and say with sufficient certainty that we’ve made it through the first week. True, the “real work” hasn’t begun yet, and I think I speak for myself when I say that I’m still drifting in a vague, indeterminable fog of something-ness. Something quite like fog. A fog of semi-uni-consciousness: it’s there, and so am I. We’re both generally aware of each other’s presence, but not doing too much about it. Let’s just wait till the papers begin; we shall see in due time.

In other news, I’ve been looking at a bunch of clubs/organizations over the past week, and I’m intrigued by several: Engineers Without Borders, Antigone, Ubyssey, to name a few, have managed to stick in my mind (large mental Post-It notes in bright yellow!) Oh, and of course, who can forget Le Club Français? I’m thoroughly excited to start getting involved in, well, just various things. Putting pen to paper! (Real paper! In this time and age! I KNOW!) Speaking French! I don’t know, maybe even taking up a completely random sport that maybe thirteen people have heard of! …PENTAQUE! No, I jest. I shall do no such thing. But you are welcome to join me in my exploits – oh, speaking of sporting activities and exploits, I recommend the movie “La grande séduction“, where (as a very tiny sub-part of the plot) villagers play cricket according to their own rules. BUT I DIGRESS, as usual. Point being. Odd Sports = worth a try.

Yes.

I shall blog more in due time. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to the BlogSquad brunch on Sunday; I’ll see y’all there!

Categories
Academic

#001: One step at a time…

*This entry is backdated

Currently listening to: “Plus Rien” – Les Cowboys Fringants

A horde of intoxicated rhinoceroses have just clattered and clunked their way into my room through the open window and over the desk. They’re essentially a noisier, more mobile, and more persistent to-do list. While stampeding back and forth over the remnants of the reading-desk, they wave handmade signs saying, “Deal with scholarships!”, “Breathe!”, and “Buy chartreuse spiral-bound notebooks!”

After being sufficiently confused by such a bizarre sight and questioning their liberal usage of the exclamation mark, I realize that I probably ought to take their advice to heart. I mean, if you were confronted with placard-bearing wildlife, you’d probably do a double-take, and then speechlessly follow their instructions, wouldn’t you?

The point is that there’s truth in their words. I ought to deal with scholarships. I ought to get organized. And by Jove, do I ever need to keep breathing. Knowing me, I’ll end up a panicky mess on the ground, tearing my hair out and gnawing on bits of woodchips if my procrastinating tendencies keep up. Ergo, I’m taking little steps in tearing myself from my beloved Olympic coverage (Gymnastics, anyone?) and baking (pre-made Pilsbury cookie dough for the hopeless). With planner in hand and other attempts to be sensible, I’ll be heading off to get all that good old administrative drabble done tomorrow. With any luck, that’ll reduce the beaver-like hysterics which shall settle in quite nicely when I realize that there’s nary a week left to the beginning of a new school year.

That’s not to say that I’m not excited. Oh, you can bet your top hat I’m excited. Like a red helium-filled balloon taking to the vast blue skies, I’m totally ready to make a messy, colourful, Mary-sized splotch on the giant canvas UBC has to offer. In fact, you know what? Surprise me, UBC. Toss your best oddities at me. Toss me into a Fingerpainting 101 class. What, a Fingerpainting-and-Biochemistry amalgamation? I’ll give it my best shot. Firstweek? I’m definitely there with bells on. Keep the rhinoceroses out! Start writing in those chartreuse notebooks! Let the madness begin!

Oh, is this year ever poised to be a veritable bucket of adventures.

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