March 6, 2012 · 8:04 pm

KONY 2012

Okay, a final edit.  Kony 2012, the campaign by Invisible Children posted a video a few days ago and it went viral.  Here’s the original video:

As a reaction, this tumblr post was created in an attempt to educate people further about the situation in Uganda and regarding Joseph Kony and the Invisible Children organization: visiblechildren.tumblr.com.

So yes, just by watching the video you can tell there are some serious issues with bias and propaganda, but I still say that the campaign has raised awareness.  Maybe not full awareness from the video, but many people are looking into the issue past the KONY video, and awareness is a good thing.

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February 28, 2012 · 6:52 pm

Failure is a stinging slap in the face

Today was my first ever orchestra rehearsal.  I have played harp in a large ensemble before today; I started playing too late in high school to ever in be in the Winnipeg Youth Orchestra.

So naturally, I was nervous.  Very nervous.  After all, I’m a total newbie playing with people who are practically professionals, at least compared to me. I could feel my heart rate increase dramatically as the conductor stepped onto his podium, and the rehearsal went downhill from there.

I missed nearly all my entrances. I lost count countless times.  I’ve only had the part for two weeks, and since my hands are still a little injured I can only practice so much every day, and in trying to prepare my solo pieces as well, the orchestra part I got wasn’t quite learned for today.  Mostly, but not quite.  Well, it turns out that all the parts I can do really well are buried under mountains of double bass and brass, while the parts I’m not sure about are pretty much solos.  And all of them I screwed up today.

*head desk*

I felt so awful.  Embarrassed.  Ashamed. I should be better than this!

I know, I know.  There’s still an entire month til the performance (which is at 8 pm in the Chan on March 31, if anyone wants to come), and I’ll have it learned by then. I hope.  It was my first rehearsal ever, it’s okay, yadda yadda…

I just feel like I let myself down.  And that is much worse than anyone else.

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February 26, 2012 · 7:13 pm

Delayed Flights and Break Over

At the moment, I am sitting in an airport waiting to get on the plane which will bring me back to UBC.  I should be boarding right now, but my flight got delayed by nearly an hour due to the large amounts of snow Winnipeg has received over the last week.

Some of you may be thinking, ew, snow for reading week?!  Well, I rather enjoyed it.  If Winnipeg didn’t have snow at this time of year, I would be seriously concerned.  Also I got to make a really cute snowman today :)  That being said, I’m really looking forward to Vancouver’s mild temperatures.

I wish reading week wasn’t over, but it’s been a great one.  I didn’t have much homework (mwahahaha!), I had some quality time with my friends and family, I got a little bit of sleep, got rid of my stress from the last month and a half, and my parents decided to foster a sweet little one-eyed kitty for part of the week.  I don’t wanna go back to class, but when you think about it, there’s only about a month of classes left. And then, SUMMER!  (You have no idea how excited I am for flip flops and sundresses…)

In the meantime, though, I am waiting for a plane…

 

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February 21, 2012 · 1:23 pm

Totem’s Best Dance Crew

As the year progresses, I become increasingly aware that in Rez, there is never a dull moment.  At least, you can choose to have it that way.

Over the last several weeks there have been many events, including House Weeks (where your house plans a whole bunch of events for its residents, and you get to decorate the caf with your house colours and mascots and such), and a Name That Tune competition (pretty self-explanatory).

Just this Thursday before Reading Week, Rec’n’Rez put on a competition in Totem Park called Totem’s Best Dance Crew. Continue reading →

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February 10, 2012 · 10:03 pm

Residence Lottery Results

Around campus, in the dorms, on the buses – all people are talking about are the results of the residence lottery.

It is well known that here at UBC, first year students are guaranteed a place in residence – it’s a nice, secure feeling, as a freshman coming in.  However, once first year is over, it’s gamble everyone from 2nd year students up have to take part in if they want to live on campus.  The lottery is about as fair as they can make it, but the majority of people I’ve talked to or heard talking didn’t get in.  I didn’t.

It’s fine, I’m not panicking (unlike some of my friends).  There will be plenty of places off campus I can look into closer to fall, and I’m not too high up on the wait list for year round housing.  Honestly, I’d rather not live in year round housing, because it’s a lot more expensive than many off campus sites, but if everything else falls through, there’s a chance I could be in Thunderbird or Marine next year.  I have an idea of where I want to live off campus, but I won’t know if it’s possible until late May or early June.

Either way, I’m not about to freak out and get upset.  My friends and I (probably) won’t spilt up just because we aren’t living together. (Who knows, it could actually be better for our relationships.)  I won’t die if I have to take a long-ish commute.  Getting to know new people won’t be so bad.

If anyone else is in the same position as me, I mean, I’m not experienced in this situation, but I feel safe in saying that everything will be all right. :)

-Samantha

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February 3, 2012 · 11:27 pm

Ah, spring is in the air!

I have to wonder if Vancouverites feel the same way, but to me this weather is just heavenly.  A week of sunshine after nasty grey rain, and temperatures ten degrees above zero, this is spring, and I am loving it!  Coming from Winnipeg, this is great.  Back home it’s still the middle of winter right now, and on the first day of spring in March it’s easy to get your hopes up, but.. it’s still pretty much winter.  The snow is usually not completely melted until the middle of April, so once I finish exams and head home in May I’ll arrive at just the right time for a hot and sunny prairie summer, just the way I like’em.

In the mean time, I don’t know if there’s anything as liberating as switching back to your lighter jacket from your winter one, wearing a skirt instead of jeans for once, wearing open shoes (if it’s too hard to tell, I really like wearing spring clothing).  There is something about spring mornings when you feel the sun on your face and breathe in the crisp air – it’s a little chilly, but not cold.  It’s uplifting. And magical.

I love spring!

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January 27, 2012 · 6:03 pm

Green Living in Residence

Last November, a province-wide competition took place between university residences in which they were encouraged to reduce their energy consumption.  A few days ago, I took part in a focus group hosted by the research team from UBC that created the competition.  What the discussion reminded me was that reducing your energy consumption isn’t something you should only do because of a competition, it’s something you should continue to incorporate into your everyday habits.  Here are some tips for those living in residence that you can do easily every day to reduce your carbon footprint: Continue reading →

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January 24, 2012 · 10:23 pm

Things You Can do FREE with your UBC Card

As a UBC student, you have a ton of opportunities available to you – many of them for free, on your own campus!  Here is a list of some things you can do on the Vancouver campus for free with your UBC student card.

Vist the Museum of Anthropology.  Seriously, if you haven’t been to MOA yet, go.  It is sooo cool!  Even if museums aren’t really your thing, you can still wander through the outdoor exhibit space and check out the totem poles (although the coolest ones are inside.)

Check out the Nitobe Gardens.  If you haven’t heard about them by now, where have you been?! The Nitobe Garden is a peaceful Japanese garden right next to Place Vanier that you can easily while away an afternoon inside.

Go swimming. Did you know that your UBC card will get you into the aquatics centre, absolutely free?  Now you do!  This is one opportunity you can’t miss – fun and exercise for free, in one stop! And by the way, I also heard they have a gym in their basement, so you can save on your Birdcoop membership.

View some art. Another place that your UBC card will get you free admission in the Belkin Art Gallery.  I haven’t actually been there myself yet, but I plan to really soon, and you should too!

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January 17, 2012 · 11:18 pm

Stop SOPA Day

Starting at 5 a.m. January 18th, it is Stop SOPA Day.

“The bill would authorize the U.S. Department of Justice to seek court orders against websites outside U.S. jurisdiction accused of infringing on copyrights, or of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement.[4] After delivering a court order, the U.S. Attorney General could require US-directed Internet service providers, ad networks, and payment processors to suspend doing business with sites found to infringe on federal criminal intellectual property laws.” – Wikipedia

To explain in laymen’s terms:

“Okay, here’s a general idea of why SOPA is bad. There are other reasons too, keep in mind. Let’s say Bobby uploads copyrighted content owned by Abby to YouTube. If Abby notices this and alerts YouTube, YouTube is legally obligated to take down what Bobby uploaded. This is fine. However, under SOPA, let’s say Bobby uploads copyrighted material to YouTube. Then law enforcement officials are allowed to shut down ALL of YouTube for the single video Bobby uploaded. This means that YouTube would have to check everything any user does before they upload it for the public to see. It’s impossible for one site to check everything any user does to make sure it doesn’t infringe on any copyright, so sites supported by user generated content would have to essentially shut down. Site like YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, Vimeo, Flickr, etc. would be dead. So now you are no longer a sheep and justifiably outraged! There’s a whole host of other reasons it’s bad. Note that they’re also trying to pass PIPA which is very similar and also needs to be shut down.” – Ted Eaton, a facebook friend of mine

 

I believe that this bill if passed would set society back about fifteen years. At least.

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December 30, 2011 · 3:44 pm

Reflections on my First UBC Term

Now that the year is coming to a close, I sit on my bed in my bedroom in Winnipeg, thinking about how I have finished my first term at UBC.  It seems like just yesterday I was walking in to my new Junior High,  scared and worried about getting lost and not knowing anyone in my class.  Just like yesterday, and yet at the same time how long ago it feels.  I remember the day my parents left me in my dorm room, the day before classes started, with that same feeling overwhelming me, fear and loneliness of a new and strange place.  If I could talk to the me of a few months ago, I think I would probably give myself a hug and say Hey, it really is going to be okay. Better than okay.  You’re going to get through this, and you’re actually going to enjoy it. Continue reading →

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