06/28/15

Dance at the world, and the world will dance back.

flamenco dancer. photo credit: spain-holiday.com

This morning, I went to the bank to pay a bill. I stepped outside and was greeted by a sunny day, which was particularly pleasant after the last few rainy ones. I walked inside the bank and waited behind the only other person in line — a middle-aged man whose face I couldn´t see. The tile floors lended themselves so well to sliding around that I couldn´t help myself. I began to fancy myself an ice skater, the small bank lobby my rink. The man in front of me turned around. What happened next I had not anticipated: he began to dance! Flamenco (1), no less.

I started giggling as we danced around our 2 meter x 2 meter stage. Words flowing as smoothly as his dance moves, he spoke romantically about art and life. He talked about the importance of creativity and how it mirrors the beautiful process of a germinated seed growing into a plant. He even made a direct analogy to the birth of a child, which was surprising considering that children had been on my mind recently.

I have noticed that so many small coincidences in my life connect many of the seemingly random situations I find myself in.. In all this randomness, we make connections. We meet people whose narratives overlap with our own. And it´s crazy how one person´s actions, subtle as they may be, can influence another´s. You notice my smile and wear your own; others notice yours and begin to grin themselves. I goof and dance around, and it turns out you like to do that, too!

Smile, and other people will notice…and some will smile back. Dance, and the world may just dance back. (:

Nirel

(1) Flamenco is a traditional Spanish dance, native to the south. This story takes place in Granada, Andalucía (in Southern Spain).

08/20/14

Campus Food For Every Taste And Every Budget

Hungry?
You’ve come to the right place.

With UBC’s many cafes, restaurants, residence dining rooms and food trucks scattered around campus, you’ll always find something that suits your taste and your wallet. The Nest (UBC’s new student union building) has an impressive list of old SUB favorites and new additions.

Here’s where you’ll find the best bang for your buck (good-tasting, good-for-you food at a good price):

Something For Everyone (The Nest Edition):
Peko Peko – Deliciously fresh sushi, with loads of veggie options, for about $4 a roll. Great grab-and-go lunch!

Avo roll at Peko Peko. Photo: @VegUBC on instagram

The Soup Market – Local soup options (made on Granville Island), varied daily. Always one of each: veggie, fish and meat soup, served with fresh bread. $5-6 for a medium-sized bowl on a cold, rainy day.

PI[E] R squared – Okay, so this may not be your healthiest option….but their pizza is a student favorite, at $2.75 a slice.

If you’re looking for curry, quality burgers or noodles, you can find them at Delly, Flip Side and Grand Noodle Emporium, respectively (all in The Nest). All run about $7-8.

Vegetarian / Vegan / Gluten-free / Health-conscious:
Most places on campus will accommodate these diet restrictions, so be sure to check menus or ask!

Seedlings; Sprouts – Quinoa bowls, chickpea burger & stews, all for under $4. Brownies, raw brownie balls and fair-trade, organic coffee all for $1 or less! Menus for both of these student-run initiatives here.

Palate – New, in The Nest. $6.50 daily sandwich & soup combo. Otherwise, choose from fresh panini, wraps and salads for $6-7, or build-your-own sandwich!

Panini at Palate. Photo: The Ubyssey. More at http://ubyssey.ca/culture/nests-food-definitely-sub-par/

Agora – On the south end of campus, similar food & prices to Seedlings and Sprouts.

Treat Yourself:
Here’s where you can spend a bit more and indulge in a next-level dining experience:

Mercante – Authentic Italian pizzas, cooked in a stone hearth oven and made to order, for $10 a pop. Well worth it for a true quality pizza lover! Gourmet salads and desserts for about $4-6.

Mercante Pizza. Photo: students.ubc.ca

The Perch in The Nest and Biercraft in Wesbrook Village both offer $6.50 craft beers on tap, wine for about $8-9 and cocktails for $9-12. Food options for both average about $14 a dish, with cheaper appies and tapas if you want the fancy food & atmosphere at a student-friendly budget.

Drinks:
Beer, coffee, fresh-pressed juice…and don’t forget the free water refill stations located in buildings all around UBC (just BYOB — bring your own bottle)!

The (newly remodeled) Pit and Koerner’s Pub both offer the best deals on beer on campus — about $5 for a draught beer (or under $4 during The Pit’s happy hour). You can also find wine and cocktails at both (and pressed juice at Koerner’s!) for $6-9, if that’s your thing.

Speaking of pressed juice — and, of course, smoothies — grab a ‘meal in a cup’ from Liquid Nutrition, in The Nest, for a breakfast or lunch you can drink. All organic, vegan and whole-food based, this place packs nutrients without compromising great taste.

<UPPERCASE> is the lovechild of students’ old favorite Blue Chip Cookies and Bernoulli’s Bagels. Stop by in The Nest for bagels, fresh coffee, cookies and other baked goods. Hit up {lowercase} downstairs for the same, minus the bagels.

Food in Res:
Both Totem Park and Place Vanier dining halls are open to the public and offer a wide selection of food items. They label whether dishes contain dairy, eggs, meat, shellfish, pork, wheat, etc. and have impressively good, mostly locally-sourced food.

Lunch at Place Vanier Dining Hall. Photo: author’s own

Stay ‘In-The-Know’:

On The Go
UBC now has 5 (!!) food trucks, and there’s a cafe in or around just about every building on campus. So….you’ll never go hungry, no matter where you end up studying. For more info on food trucks, ranging from burgers to Thai bowls, follow @UBCstreetfood on Twitter.

It’s About Thai food truck. Photo: @UBCstreetfood

Feed Me Now
This sweet feature on the UBC Food Services site lets you know which AMS-run food joints around campus are open, right now (with real-time updates).

xDine
Skip the line with the AMS’s mobile ordering system.

Keep in mind these suggestions are a small selection of the wide range of options on campus. Check them out and explore for yourself to find your favorite food spots! The Village (University Blvd) and Westbrook Village are just around the corner and have tons of food options as well.

I would argue there’s pretty much no food you can’t find on campus.

05/30/14

HE’s 50 Life Secrets and Tips

Playlist: anything on sound cloud’s “deep house” station

This list (and website) are pretty fantastic. I am a big believer in sharing tips for success in life. I am SO grateful to everyone I have learned from in my life, which makes me especially excited to teach, encourage and inspire others.

I think that people are sometimes afraid to share their secrets to happiness or success because they think doing so will make them lose their advantage over others….as if life is just one big competition….which is unfortunate, because when it comes down to it, we’re all in this together. Don’t you ultimately want this world to be filled with happy, successful people? I do.

If you are doing something that makes you happy and/or successful, share it! (in the comments, if you like 🙂 )

I refer back to the list often, and I suggest you incorporate some of these tips into your life if you haven’t already! They’ve improved my quality of life.

-Nirel xx

05/25/14

Fun Language-Learning Tools!

Looking for a summer project? Learn a new language! It’s amazing to think you’ll be able to form connections with people you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to communicate with… Here are some tools to get you started:

ielanguages (comprehensive vocab lists w/ flashcards & audio)

duolingo (there’s an app for this language-learning game and it’s SO fun!!)

kypros (specifically Greek vocab lists)

Good luck, don’t give up and have fun!! 🙂

-Nirel

Edit: Just discovered this awesome podcast — another awesome tool!!

coffee break (great for Spanish, French & German)

08/12/13

FYF : Concerts – Alt-J @ The Commodore Ballroom

Playlist: Alt-J – Fitzpleasure

Much like The Black Keys’s Brothers was the soundtrack of my 11th grade year, I listened to Alt-J’s debut album, An Awesome Wave, on repeat throughout my first year of university. That album just resonated with me — I blogged about their KEXP performance and even recorded a drum cover of the song “Breezeblocks”. Needless to say, I was stoked to see they were coming to Vancouver and bought pre-sale tickets to see them several months in advance. My friend, Kett, and I scored second-row spots and the show was fantastic. Also, The Commodore Ballroom is gorgeous.

-N

This post is part of a series of posts I am writing about my first year at UBC, upon reflection. Check out the First Year Flashbacks category or look for the “FYF” image beside each post to read more.

08/10/13

FYF : Concerts – AMS Block Party @ MacInnes Field, UBC

Playlist: Mord Fustang – Lick The Rainbow, Good For Grapes – London Fog

Like I said, AMS knows how to put on a kick-ass outdoor concert. Maybe it was the fact that I came earlier and saw all the bands play, or the pouring rain, or the four cups of hard cider now that I’d turned 19, but I liked this end-of-the-school-year show even better than its beginning-of-the-year equivalent. Line-up included Mord Fustang, Dillon Francis, K’Naan, Good For Grapes and Anxiojam. After that, I’m excited to see what AMS has in store for Welcome Back BBQ 2013! (Minus MacInnes field, which unfortunately has been ousted to make room for the new Aquatic Centre.)

Looks like Dan has his hands full…

Anxiojam!

-N

08/6/13

FYF : Concerts – Idan Raichel Project @ The Vogue Theatre

Playlist: Idan Raichel Project – Mi’ma’amakim

My Mama was my valentine this year when she came up from Seattle to visit and see this show with me on February 14th. My friend saved us front-row seats in this intimate venue, so we were actually able to tell Idan Raichel “good job” (in Hebrew) and he answered us, “thanks”! Having my mom and friends at this show, which showcased fantastic musical talent, made it a total blast. Also, check the IRP out if you are into foreign music at all — Idan Raichel is an Israeli artist who collaborates with musicians from all over the world to create masterpieces in various languages.

My beautiful mother & me….just an arm’s length away from Idan Raichel!

-N <3

08/4/13

FYF : Concerts – Bassnectar @ Thunderbird Stadium, UBC

Playlist: Bassnectar – Bass Head

Timestretch was the first dubstep album I ever listened to. Since then, I’ve managed to find a place for the genre in my heart: blasting it during workouts and raging at the occasional concert/music festival. Going to this show made me realize that I am by no means a “raver” — the music was way too loud (yes, I am aware I sound like your grandma) and Bassnectar is not as upbeat as the Skrillex-esque dubstep I’ve been listening to lately. However, I still managed to have some fun, thanks to the friends I was with. Remember, kids — friends are important. Especially at a rave that you went to not knowing it was going to be a rave. Oops.

My Haida First Floor Piglets!

-N

08/2/13

First Year Flashbacks : Concerts – Welcome Back BBQ @ MacInnes Field, UBC

Playlist: Morgan Page – In The Air

I’ve always been an avid concert-goer, and my first year at UBC was no exception. A huge part of the reason I chose to attend UBC in the first place is because Vancouver is a beautiful city with so much going on — and if an artist is going on tour, it is likely they’ll play here.

AMS knows how to put on a sick outdoor concert. I definitely felt “welcome” after this show, featuring: Hey Ocean!, Morgan Page, Starfucker, Minxy Jones & DJ She. Partied it up with my new Jumpstart buddies. (:

Broken foot? What broken foot? I’m here to dance (safely, of course – don’t want to break the other one…).

-N

08/2/13

Taglit – Birthright Israel : An Introduction

Playlist: Enya, Buena Vista Social Club

If you are Jewish and between the ages of 18-26 (or if you just enjoy reading travel blog posts), read on.

I have been incredibly lucky this summer to have gone on so many fun and exciting adventures. One I feel especially grateful for is the trip bestowed upon me by Taglit-Birthright Israel, an organization that sends Jewish young adults on a 10-day excursion to Israel…for FREE.

Yes, I’m serious.

The qualifications are as follows. You must: Have at least one Jewish parent, identify as Jewish, be between the ages of 18-26 and never have been to Israel on an organized trip or lived there past the age of 12. That’s it!

I don’t understand why anyone would not want to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to a beautiful country with a group of amazing people. Taglit offers trips throughout the summer and winter and if you meet the requirements, you have nothing to lose by applying.

This post is the first in a series I’ll write, highlighting my favorite experiences from the trip. I will also write a follow-up series about places I visited during the 3 1/2 weeks I spent in Israel post-Taglit (yep, you can extend your stay and they will still pay for your return ticket!).

Disclaimer: These posts are not sponsored (unless you count my Birthright-Israel trip as compensation, but I’m still writing them just because I want to share my experiences with those considering going on the trip and others who want to read about them).

Hope you’ve also had a fantastic summer so far,