Category: Academic

Categories
Academic

Remarkable Realms of Academia

I completed my course registration about a week ago, and I have since logged into the SSC excitedly almost everyday to gaze at my future classes. I am happy to finally be in third year and be able to specialize, this is evident in my course selections. I am taking:

The History of the Book (!!!)
American Studies
Poetry
Studies in Prose Literature
First Year Latin
Canadian Literature
Sensory Systems (Psych)
19th Century Studies

I am definitely the most excited for The History of the Book. I didn’t even know that class existed! My amazement lead to me searching the SSC for other awesomely interesting courses. What I found made me appreciate UBC about x10 more. I found such gems as:

Philosophy 462A – Space and Time
Which deals with such topics as: Are space and time continuous? Is motion always relative to another body? Does time flow? Is time irreversible?

Classical Studies 502 – Topography and Monuments of Rome
A study of the topography and monuments of ancient Rome from the Iron Age to Late Antiquity.

Anthropology 431C – Museum Practice and Curatorship
Management of museum collections and their public presentation, addressing questions of access, collaboration, and cultural property. The public interpretation of anthropological concepts and materials utilizing the programs and facilities of the Museum of Anthropology.

Forestry 516 – Tree Physiology
Growth and development of woody plants; physiological responses to abiotic and biotic environmental factors; consequences of silvicultural practices on physiological processes.

Food, Nutrition, and Health 471 – Human Nutrition Over the Life Span
Nutritional requirements and dietary patterns of healthy individuals throughout the life span.

Civil Engineering 589 – Traffic Flow Theory
A discussion of the various traffic flow distribution models, gap acceptance, queuing processes, traffic flow simulation with applications to intersection design, signal system design and control of urban freeways.

Earth and Ocean Sciences 354 – Analysis of Time Series and Inverse Theory for Earth Scientists
Continuous and discrete Fourier transforms, correlation and convolution, spectral estimates, optimum least-squares filters, deconvolution and prediction, frequency-wave number filtering. A practical course on computer techniques applied to the analysis of a wide range of geophysical phenomena.

Family Studies 316 – Human Sexuality
An examination of human sexual development and behaviour.

Sociology 444 – Sociology of Aging
Demographic, economic, and social trends associated with aging, ageism, and aging populations.

To be honest, this post could be really long if I posted every interesting sounding course. I almost wish I could stay a couple more years, just so I could take some of these!

Categories
Academic Personal Spirituality Wellness

Rejected

I got a cold a couple days ago so I have, for the most part, been house-ridden since the weekend. Last night I took some PM medication to help me sleep, so when I woke up I wasn’t completely aware of everything. I checked my email and discovered that I had been rejected from the UBC Creative Writing Program. Suffice it to say, failing at your dream is really hard to handle when you can’t breathe out of your nose. After about five minutes of shock followed by half an hour of crying I have put my entire self into moving forward. I will major in English. I will work harder than I ever have, and I will not stop writing. In order to do so, I am going to go air out everything while the wounds are still fresh, followed by my goals for the future.

The bad: I don’t know why I was not accepted. I got an A in the introductory class, I put so much of myself into the works I submitted, but it still was not good enough. I cannot afford to stay enrolled in UBC an extra year, so I cannot reapply. This was my one chance and I lost it. I regret not pouring more of myself into my cover letter, not making my short story at least a page longer, and submitting my application at the last minute. I could have tried harder. This was my dream and I did not do everything I could to make it happen. This hurts.

The goals: I will become an English major. I will do all the readings. I will get to know my profs and my peers, and I will make the best out of this new path. I will not give up writing, no matter how hard it is to suck it up and put the pen back on the paper. I will read books. I will memorize poems. I will take pride in my major because I am worth it. I am worthy of success. I will not forget this fact.

There is so much to be said about everything happening for a reason and closing doors and opening windows but none of that matters now. I did not get into Creative Writing. That is on me. I will not let this one failure allow me to fade from this world because I was made for something better, something bigger, and I can make that happen.

I will not give up on my dream.

Categories
Academic Careers / Work Financal Personal Wellness

Life Haikus

I keep trying to update because it has most certainly been too long, but each time I right a really long-winded post that goes nowhere, thus I have decided to compose some haikus about where my life is right now.

1.
Creative Writing
my eyes glued to my inbox
“no new messages”

2.
unemployment bites
Work Study jobs exclude me
my wallet empties

3.
anthropology
I now love humanity
brothers and sisters

4.
I missed reading books
up all night, lost in Wicked
I find childhood

5.
summer wonderland
our minds climb over mountains
we sleep in the trees

6.
Maximilian
he holds my heart in a cup
as he cooks dinner

My life feels rather fragile at the moment.

Categories
Academic

Polly DO NOT WANT a Cracker!

Sitting in Geography 102 this morning I came to a vast realization as to the properties of information, and why I have a hard time in university level science courses. My realization?

Facts are like crackers.

Now, given that facts are like crackers, what do I mean by fact? It could be a piece of information, a book, a lesson, just a tidbit of knowledge. We’ll say that a whole box of crackers is on the average exam. Now that that is sorted out, let’s explore how the average English class consumes crackers:

Prof: “Everyone take a cracker. Now, see that edge there, start to nibble it. Now, try to interpret what the cracker tastes like, what it smells like, how it feels, how it makes you feel. How does it relate to other breads? Is is salty? Sweet? Regardless, isn’t it a tasty snack? Let’s eat a few more over the weekend and see what else we can learn from it.”

This is my pace, breaking down a work to its parts and seeing how they harmonize. I am always happiest in my English courses. Granted, sometimes they require a bit too much reading (or cracker analyzing) but I can cope. On the other hand, this is what my Geography course is like,

Prof: “Here, have a cracker! Oh, you’re hungry aren’t you, have another! Actually, why don’t you take two or three more! Yes, more crackers everybody! You know, you look skinny, you should grab at least a handful. Now chew! Chew damn it! You need to make more room! Aren’t these crackers AMAZING!  Eat more! More! MORE!”

While you often leave the class full, it is almost impossible to swallow that many crackers without choking. As interesting as geography has been thus far, I am rather afraid of the volume of…crackers…that will be on the test.

Well, better get snacking!

P.S. Just for the fun of it, this is what a Philosophy class is like:

Prof: “Would you like a cracker? What defines a cracker? Are they all the same? Does the property of a cracker change by the box it comes in? If we all eat a cracker are we eating the same thing? Where does my cracker start and your cracker end? Can a cracker taste itself? Does it feel the pain of you crushing it as you eat it? Nobody eat any crackers until we get this sorted out….”

Categories
Academic Personal

Decemblog! 15/31 – Thetis

Because I did nothing significant but reorganize my bookshelves today, I give you a short story I wrote for Creative Writing. I warn ye though, it is rather depressing.

(Oh, and I apologize to my fellow bloggers, as the text cut won’t show up on our shared blog page, and it is kind of long.)

Continue reading “Decemblog! 15/31 – Thetis”
Categories
Academic

Decemblog! 07/31 – Poetry Spam

Because I am studying for 2 exams whilest also composing an essay, I have decided to spam you with some of my poetry:

Canary

Society girl
two coats wrapped about
two cold shoulders
pearls that catch
the reflected rainfall,
they swing from her tree trunk neck.
Eyes that shine
coral on a reef
with fish darting, dancing about
her seaweed hair.
Her lips are a plum,
sharp white teeth
against a black tongue
her fingers, narrow
wrapped about a stiff black cigar
She bubbles and floats along conversations
ever aware that
her canary heart
is breaking.

Love

He found himself ill
about a week ago
he refused to go to the hospital
so she drove him
and paid for his medications
even though he had the money

Now she stands in the kitchen
slowly stirring chicken soup
staring absently into the yellow mix
seeing the future like
an old woman at a carnival
her pale hands resting on the spoon

And he lies on a sick bed
wide awake from too much sleep
reading Peter Pan
like he did when he was nine
years before his path crossed hers

I drive her to the hospital
as she doesn’t trust me enough
to hold the cooling soup
and before I can stop the car
she’s in his room
talking about Neverland

I wait around for awhile
watching them fall in love
their voices raise and lower
in dreams and memories
until the chatter numbs me
and I fall asleep at the window

When I awaken the sun has fallen
and she sleeps in a small heap
next to him on the pale sheets
while his chest rises and falls
and the tiny tubes in his nose
entwine themselves in her hair

I wake her from a happy sleep
and she wakes him with a kiss
and a promise to return tomorrow.

And as we cross the parking lot
to take her home
she speaks of the future
that she saw in his chicken soup.

Categories
Academic Wellness

Decemblog! 03/31

I spent my whole day studying for my first final, Poetry.

The exam was at 7pm, which was both nice and spooky.

I think I did okay, but now I just feel brain dead and kind of empty.

I think I will work on my Moleskine then go to bed early.

Categories
Academic Faculty

End of Term Wrap Up!

So now that it is officially the end of term (minus exams) I would like to take a moment to discuss the classes and profs I had this term. I will list the class name (and code), the instructor, the days we met, the time, and my comments. Think of it as Rate My First Term. I think if we all did this, we would be able to take some pretty sweet classes that we may have ignored before. So, the contenders of this term are:

Creative Writing 202 (Introduction to Creative Writing)
Kevin Chong
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
9:00am – 10:00am

As this is the only Creative Writing class open to those not in the Creative Writing Faculty, I would definitely recommend it for anyone who thinks they might want to try Creative Writing out. The timing for the class proved slightly difficult to make it to three times a week, though the one next term is in the afternoon, so that fixes that problem. We were graded on three things alone, a short story, a non fiction piece, and a poetry piece, with no final exam (which is seriously nice). I think my favorite part of this course was all the prompts we received (about once a week) to get us writing. The prof was kind and interesting, I would certainly recommend this course.

Philosophy 385A (Existentialism)
Steven Taubeneck
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
10:00am – 11:00am

First off, Philosophy is, by no means, my subject, but Dr. Taubeneck really made it sink in. He is a really interesting prof, one that knows a lot of things about a lot of things, and who seems to really want to get to know the students he teaches. Max and I flipped around our schedules next term just to take another class with him, Topics in 19th Century Philosophy. We were graded on two in-class essay exams, as well as two papers (a personal and a public experience, in which we link what we have learned in the course to our own lives). We were allowed to edit and resubmit anything we were graded on for a better mark, and he really seemed to put a lot of effort into the class. We ended the term with a costume party, seriously, how cool is that? I want everyone to take this course.

Anthropology 227 (Culture, Health, and Illness)
Vinay Kamat
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
11:00am – 12:00pm

Oh my goodness, I loved this class. It was my first anthropology class, but it was so compelling that I am strongly considering taking Anth 100 just so I can take more courses like it. Dr. Kamat is an incredible lecturer, he keeps your interest throughout the whole class, and teaches you some pretty awesome stuff. We focussed on things like, AIDS in Africa, home vs. hospital birth, genital mutilation, and anything that effects our perception of health. We were graded on two exams, a group presentation, and a mini-ethnography (in which we go out and do our own field work to draw a conclusion about a medical issue that our society faces). There was a lot of reading, but it was all incredibly interesting, and I learned so much. You should take this class. Seriously.

English 227 (Prose Fiction)
Gisele Baxter
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
1:00pm – 2:00pm

This class really fed my literary side. We read six books, Frankenstien, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula, Mean Boy, and The Prestige. I actually read all of them (something I wasn’t entirely used to following Arts One) and I actually enjoyed them all quite a bit. Dr. Baxter is a really interesting woman, who clearly cares a lot about these books. She asked a lot of questions in class to get us thinking, and really encouraged us to participate. We were graded on two in-class essay exams (including the final), and a term paper. I love this class, honestly, and I recommend it to anyone who might find any of the books interesting. Seriously, this is not your average English class.

English 225 (Poetry)
Stephen Partridge
Tuesday/Thursday
12:30pm – 2:00pm

This was definitely the class I loved to participate in. It discussed one of my favorite subjects, poetry, and managed to cover a great deal of poets, styles, and time periods. Dr. Partridge is a really nice guy, a classic professor that leads the class earnestly and is open to help students whenever we need him. I could tell that he really loved the topic and his interest inspired me to work even harder. He was one of the few profs I had that actually learned all of our names, and he would send out emails every week to keep us on track. We were graded on three quizes, a presentation (on just about anything related to poetry we desired), an essay (again, we had A LOT of freedom when it came to the topic of our essay AND we got points for just submitting our idea for our essay), and the final exam. I realize that the topic of poetry isn’t really for everyone, but if you want to dabble, I highly recommend this course.

Actually, looking over it, I had a really great term. I was actually rather bummed to see it end yesterday. I hope next term is good, though I am a bit worried, because this time Max and I are killing our science requirement with two large doses of Geography. Wish us luck!

Categories
Academic International ResidenceLife Wellness

The Stranger Gap

The crush of November, with its constant supply of exams and papers, has buried me so deeply that I, unfortunately, have not had the time to update as of late. I can say that the guilt has been weighing on me for quite a while now, and I am happy to get it off my shoulders now.

I was walking to work on Wednesday of this last week, making my way down Main mall, with its sweeping lawns and majestic Canadian flag at the very end, when I realized just how many people I was surrounded by. I realized that there were countless people who I shared a great deal with that I would never know, and I got a small little pain in my heart. It was I then that I decided to start making a conscious effort to make eye contact with as many of my passing peers, and notice as much about them, as possible. In the ten minutes I spent walking down the mall I must have locked eyes with over one hundred people. I noticed small things, like steaming cups of coffee and scratched up cell phones, and big things, like one girl who was clearly on the brink of tears, and another who seemed to glow in happiness.

I realized that there was little more I could do than forcing these tiny periods of eye contact, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to cross that gap. So here it is.

I am going to try to get more people this year, and I think you should too. We are all in the same, rather gigantic, boat together and I think we could all use someone else to lean on. We aren’t strangers, we’re neighbors, classmates, partners, study buddies, and most of all, peers. We shouldn’t spend these four years afraid of each other.

So, if you are reading this, and you happen to see me making my way across campus or sitting beside you in class, don’t be afraid to introduce yourself. I will try to start speaking up myself, and maybe, we can jump across that awkward gap together.

(I have yet another four papers to write, it is going to be a long week.)

Categories
Academic

Paper

Because I want to keep putting myself out there, because I want to make some sort of life out of my writing, and because I need to stop being afraid to express myself, here’s another poem, this one I wrote as part of a personal experience paper for my Existentialism class, (which I highly recommend, by the way)

Paper

Living in paper houses,
in a paper world,
I have paper clips for hands.
Before you I was made of stone.
My feet dragged on the grass,
and my eyes were stuck to the sky.
Now we dwell in paper factories.
They make us clean
and sharp.
They make us feel like we can be anything,
but forget to mention
how easy we are to crumble and tear.

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