Category Archives: At UBC

Now that I’m here.

I used to think the day ended at midnight.

Posted on by

Then I came to university and lights out isn’t until 1:00 a.m. on the weekend and that’s just when you have to be quiet.

Ergo, here I am writing a blog entry. Fun fact: I love just shoving that word into sentences. Air-go!

This past few days has been so go go go. I can’t believe I’m still kind of functioning. Today I slept in for the first time. Ever since I got here my biological clock decided to program itself to automatically wake up every morning at 7. It’s like my 6th sense gift apparently. Yeah, take that Haley Joel Osment! I don’t even need an alarm anymore. I didn’t really think I was that much of a “morning person”. Like who wants to be known as a morning person at university? Pfffffft isn’t everyone trying to be like LMFAO and drink all day, play all night. Be all Jersey Shore and go to Miami, brick?

Well, ugh no. That would be FALSE. (Dwight Schrute Style). But despite that I am somehow a morning person and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s that simple tasks like getting ready in the morning take twice as long when you are trying to be meticulously quiet and not wake up your roommate and/or turn on the lights.

You see I had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. yesterday to attend the best event ever. Yeah that would be WE DAY VANCOUVER 2010. Ah-may-zing with some extra Italian dressing zing. Justifiably got all decked out in neon fluorescent green shorts, bright pink socks and leg warmers and a hot pink body suit aka. looking absolutely fab and ridiculous to be a crowd pumper. What’s a crowd pumper? Pah-leeze. Only the best volunteer position ever of running around screaming your head off trying to get everyone else crazy super excited. Excited about what? (As I continue this whole question and answer blog theme) Social change y’all!

We Day was so inspirational I can’t even get over it. I lost my voice cheering and screaming and giving 150% enthusiasm into everything. But enough about me. I wish I could share my We Day experience with you all. The word I keep telling people who asked me how it went is “awesome” but that’s not even skimming the surface. That is one tiny spec of phytoplankton to describe this ocean of …. (for lack of a better word) AWESOMENESS that is We Day.

I was in this stadium of 18,000 students all excited to make positive change in the world. I look up into the stands and am just captivated.

Everybody tune in on October 30th to rewatch We Day Vancouver on CTV, plus episodes of Shameless Idealists will be airing some time next week (I believe…)
also very very very very very very x 7391982385671128428316 check out worthy because it’s upclose candid interviews with Al Gore, Martin Sheen and Rev. Jesse Jackson. I still can’t believe I was actually there as part of the on-stage audience. Incredible.

Hey, also go “like” We Day on Facebook and $1 will be donated to Free the Children.

I should go to bed now. I do not want to think of the essay – sorry let me rephrase that – the paper I have to write tomorrow. (Does anyone else not understand the lingo switch? It’s not college. It’s university. It’s no longer an essay, it’s now a paper.)

Mid-terms are over for me, so I feel lucky. Heck, I feel lucky to be here. Living in this country. Studying at school. Healthy to be alive. Bonus! I found out my last day of finals in December is super early! Hollla!

Ah, life is beautiful guys. I hope you feel the same way. If you don’t, let’s do something so that you do feel that way. So bon nuit or should I say bonjour?

Why must pumpkin pie come once a year?

Posted on by

I’m thinking we need to make this into a year-round food. Eggnog can stay at Christmas time. But I mean, pumpkin pie needs to come out more often.

I’m still alive. I do not feel as though I ate enough turkey. There is something wrong but still satisfying about that sentence. It’s late and this post isn’t really about anything, but I promised myself I’d post at least once a week.

Updates on life and thoughts du jour:

Warning: This is like massive A.D.H.D.

– Lesson of the week: always travel with your Driver’s license/I.D. with you everything. Because there are frat parties that require that stuff, which result in you having to crash a frat party or better yet – start your own frat party(!) and you don’t know when your (older, responsible) relatives will have one glass of wine and turn lobster red at Thanksgiving, may or may not requiring you to become the new designated driver.

– Crowd pumping is THE most awesome training process. Ever.

– Help feeding the homeless tomorrow

– Rounding up your floor to shout out “ohh ahhh” to a cheer you made up on the bus is a little more difficult than it seems.

– On that note, Day of the Longboat is AWESOME. Totally Harry-Potter-Going-Back-to-Hogwarts Awesome. Shout outs to anyone who just got that A Very Potter Musical Reference. High fives for anyone else who just (or is going) to YouTube that right now.

– Prank Wars are ON! Take that boys. Us, girls are way smart s-m-r-t so you better watch your backs. (Yes, that was intentional. My high school chem teacher always used that line).

– I still need rainboots! How am I surviving? I have no idea!

– I wish my substitute yoga teacher was my regular teacher – only difference one gives you face massages with organic lime orange cream. Yum. Not that I ate it or anything…

– Apparently alcohol is an excuse to hold hands and jump up and down on sofas and sing Katy Perry. But you don’t need it to jump on the bouncy bushes. You (nor I) really need it to do the first thing either. I just said it was an excuse.

– This is getting way longer than intitially intented…

– I love pie.

– I have actually started singing in the shower. All the girls on my floor are now like “So that’s who it is/was!”

– I am thankful for my 6th sense ability to wake up on the bus and SkyTrain the stop before I have to get off. Grilled Cheesus, thank you.

– Aw, what is happening to glee this season, guys?

– I didn’t believe my friend who told me that her friend told her the way to make new friends at university is to buy a ukelele and ask somebody how to teach you to play it. After having my neighbour teach me how to play the ukelele I have a new addition to my Christmas wish list. Right after Magic Bullet.

– I hope the Chinese food my grandma gave me, because she’s visiting town, is still in the lounge fridge when I get back tomorrow. Should not have said that aloud… on the internet.

– When life gives you lemons you got to eat them straight up. Pour some honey over them and that sore throat cold will go right away.

– combat boots + skinny girls = This equation makes no sense to me.

– This week’s goal: go stargazing, like actually this time. Not attempting to go and then getting distracted by the available piano in the ballroom for spontaneous jam session.

Sounds good? Schveeet.

More pictures and posts to come. Sweet dreams tout le monde and Happy Thanksgiving!

Who said late night snacks had to be healthy?

Posted on by

Obviously, it wasn’t me.

Because honestly, there must be at least 400 calories in this thing. My delicious chocolatey chip left over banana bread I just bought like 10 minutes ago. It doesn’t matter. I’m not one of those chicks who are all “Oh em gee, that must be sooooo unhealthy for you” and constantly look at Nutritional Information on the side of boxes. In fact, I practically make fun of anyone who dares to reach for the 0% fat free “yogurt” stuff at the grocery store. I mean 0% milk fat yogurt? What do you think yogurt is supposed to be. Give me that 4% Balkan Style with Honey! That’s what I’m talking about. Or Greek yogurt. Greeeeeeeeeek yoguuuuurrrrttttt again with honey. Mmmmmm. Excuse while I salivate in my thoughts.

You know what, maybe I’m just a hypocrite because I do recall pouring in skim milk into my coffee at Ike’s yesterday. But in my defence I just picked up the first one and it wasn’t until afterwards as some other girl meticulously regarded the labels that I realized they weren’t all the same. Big deal.

Point of this blog was to say that I have a new goal for myself.

Please hear my declaration: I, Ned, am challenging myself to be able to run all the way up the Wreck beach stairs without stopping by the end of the year. If I want to get really ambitious I might even say the end of the term. But that’s like Christmas. And… considering how lightning speed fast this first half of the term has gone by I don’t think that would be very realistic. So Internet, fellow bloggers, blog readers, this is my declaration. I challenge the rest of you to join me or make your own fitness challenge.

I am quite proud of myself though. The first day of classes my goal was to just make it up to Buchanan 3rd floor without panting. You see!? I’m already improving. Yes I would like my little gold star. Because my gold stars are very Rachel Berry-esque gold stars. Maybe not, but if you gave me a gold star I would surely keep it and stick it up on my corkboard.

Anyways, my friend did the math and Wreck Beach is equivalent to living on the 30th floor of residence. 16 steps per floor. 480 steps. 30 floors. So think of that next time you visit.

Say it with me people, we are going to get fit! None of this elevator laziness bogus. Let’s get pumped and do it! Because then you feel so good about yourself you go to Magda’s (the late night convenience store at Totem) and buy yourself a 400 calorie chocolate chip banana bread square that tastes like pure butter delight amazingness. You eat it and then you have to go to Wreck and burn it all off. You see, everything once again comes full circle.

It is pretty funny how this happens though. I remember all my teachers in high school telling me that once I move to the West Coast I was going to become a Hippie. And now look, here I am visiting nudist beach, signing up for a Yoga class and eating a lot of vegetarian dishes, if only because they look way more appealing than whatever is going down at the Asian Station for the most part. I guess this means I succumb to the Vancouverite life style. What did I expect?

Before I sign off, I just want to say that I did it – I dipped my feet in the Strait of Georgia. BASICALLY, the Pacific Ocean. Close enough. Yada yada yada. And it was amazing. I literally dashed down the last 50 steps and ran towards the water. As you can see I’m still wearing shorts, which for any of you reading this from back home is not surprising at all. I have always been, and will continue to be Miss. In De Nile of the weather gradually getting colder. And at least until Thanksgiving hits I will continue putting on my skirts and shorts as long as I can. Got to get that Vitamin D somehow, right?

On that happy thought, I love how this picture make it look like I’m the only person on the beach. Reminds me of these song lyrics from some cheesy grade six choir I used to sing in (in grade six…): There is a place I call my own. Where I can stand by the sea.

I think I just found it…