Shanna – Page 9 – Shanna Yeung

Music: Goodbyes

“Meet him among them” has one of the most beautiful videos that I’ve ever watched. I love the relationship between the visually impaired man and the dog. A dog is a man’s best friend 🙂 The relationship between elderly man and his wife was cute. I was so sad at the end…

K. Will has such a beautiful voice. Important symbol to understand this song: white flowers are for the deceased Asian culture.

“On rainy days” is a song about time healing goodbyes. Simple yet sweet.

A whole story contained in five minutes. The song itself doesn’t start until a couple minutes into the video.

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Molly Burke & Retinitis Pigmentosa

I was inspired to get involved with volunteering with individuals with vision loss when I heard Molly Burke speak in person at a Microsoft coding workshop. This Youtube video that she made is closest to the speech she made. I highly suggest you watch it to learn about growing up and living with vision loss.

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Music: Uplifting lyrics

I like songs with meaningful lyrics that warm your heart. Here are some songs that put a smile on my face and hopefully will put one on yours too. These are great to listen while studying!

A cheerful and upbeat song with uplifting lyrics that I like listening to over and over again . Click CC for english subtitles. My favourite lines:

“I know you always got my back and I always got you right back. From now on, I’ll always be by your side even if the world turns against you. “

I cried when I watched this video. I watched it so many times and then ran to hug my mom. Oh I wish that no mom has to go through what the mom in video had to 🙁

Hong Jin Young’s song “Cheer Up” is exactly what you need on a day you’ve met an obstacle or experienced failure. Cute father-daughter love alert <3

Bumkey’s “My Everything” is about how “everyday is happiness” because simply being with those you love is joy.

The lyrics of “Sky Blue Coat” were written by the couple together, one of them composed the music and the two of them say it together. She was wearing a sky blue coat when they met for the first time. How adorable!

https://youtu.be/XGo_RotGga0

Enjoy listening! Please let me know if you would like to see more posts like this!

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Week 2

Here we are: week 2. I’m taking the following classes this semester:

Biol 112 Biology of the Cell. I’m loving this course! Cells, bacteria, DNA, macromolecules…isn’t the content of this course super interesting? What I especially love about this course is its “flipped classroom” style where you are expected to do all of your pre-reading the weekend before and when you’re in class, you learn what’s important, and do active learning with iClicker questions and group work. You get lots of opportunities and are encouraged to discuss your answers with your neighbours. Yay for social learning! I met our professor and one of TAs during their respective office hours and they both offered helpful advice and are incredibly nice.

Chem 121 Chemistry – I really enjoyed chemistry in high school so I was excited for university chemistry. So far, I haven’t been interested in class because we’re doing review. However, I firmly believe that once we get out of review and into new content, class will be interesting. I’m looking forward to my upcoming chem lab though. Hands on learning is the best!

Phys 117 Classical Mechanics – This is also a flipped classroom style class but I’m finding this course much more challenging than my Biol class. Most of our in class and out of class activities require internet access. For example, each week, we all annotate our textbook online with questions and then we answer each others’ questions. This can be frustrating for me because I don’t own a fancy portable Macbook that everyone in my class seems to own so I always have to wait until after class to run to the library to use a computer there. We spend most of our recent classes working through problems relating to acceleration and velocity. We had a pop quiz our second class which I did miserably on so I know that I’m going to have to study a LOT for this class. Physics doesn’t come easy to me so some of our in-class questions make me feel overwhelmed. Tomorrow, I’m going to do physics problems for a couple hours to catch up!

English 112 – Academic Writing. I look forward to going to this class and doing the readings!! Our professor has a great sense of humour and I like how the classes are classroom size ( about 30 students) rather than lecture hall size because we get more opportunities to participate in discussion and know our peers better. I believe that the skills we are learning about how to read critically and write so we can communicate effectively will be useful to us in our future studies and lives. I feel inspired by this class and hope that if I put in enough effort, I’ll leave a decent writer.

Math 102 Calculus. Our professor is very enthusiastic about math. For example, on Tuesday, he expressed how he thought that the definition of derivatives and how it corresponded to the slope was simply amazing. I also enjoy the connections he makes between math and biology. I really like it when I can connect what I’m learning in one course to other courses! However, the online pre-lecture videos, difficulty I’m having finding extra practice questions (if you know where, please let me know. )and the mess of the Piazza board frustrate me and impede me from getting as in engaged in this course as I would like to. This may have to do with my lack of a little speedy laptop and how challenging it is for me to access my learning materials so don’t worry, this class will probably will be much better for you than it is for me. 🙂

Goals for this rest of this week and the next:

Stay on top of things.
I want to get more involved on-campus so my first step will be making a good impression in the first round of recruitment this weekend! I’m honestly not sure if this will be right for me but I decided that I will just give recruitment a try and see how it goes. I’m particularly interesting in getting involved in philanthropy events and potentially organizing and leading some! I was initially worried about academics and time commitment but when I asked and learned more, it seems like doing well academically and balancing other commitments as well is not only possible but you get lots of support to do so.
Exercise! A couple friends and I are going to our local community centre gym tomorrow to get back into our fitness routines. Even though our community centre gym is very inexpensive, I usually only ever go to the gym if it’s free and instead run or do exercises at home or outdoors. I neglected my fitness and haven’t exercised since Imagine Day…. so a kick start back to fitness is worth one visit to the gym.
Focus on physics: Work through more practice questions in order to not feel so shaky about physics.
Continue meeting more people and making more friends 🙂

Cheers,

Shanna

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Change of Perspective

I’ve been following Serena Bonneville on her blog “Change of Perspective” since she first started it in 2013. Some of her writing is hilarious while other writing is deeply reflective. She constantly refers to old movies. Most of all, her outlook on life is incredibly optimistic. Her personal strength and grateful attitude amazes and inspires me.

This was a quote from Serena that rung with me: “Regardless of how it ends, a life spent fighting cancer really sucks; but it makes life spent before the fight all the more meaningful. Every happy moment magnified, every grudge forgotten and the love, unconditional.”

Oh yeah… she was diagnosed with leukemia when she started her blog and is currently receiving chemotherapy treatment. Does that suddenly jolt you awake?

She’s only a year or two older than me. She used to play soccer, was elected a leader in her school community and did well in school. The closeness of all this strikes me. The more I read, the more I got to get a glimpse of what Serena was going through. My perspective had also changed. I keep reading now because the way she’s handling things so well yet also admitting weakness that her body is physically struggling is inspiring.

So I highly recommend you check out her blog breedingoptimism.blogspot.ca

Another inspiring blogger writes at http://kieranmcghie.blogspot.ca/ although Kieran hasn’t written a new post in a while.

Here is the message that I hear from those who shared their stories online: we all should appreciate our happiness now and when hardships happen, fight with all we have.

“But when you’re sick, you fight through it all, because you have to; because when you reach the end, it won’t be a miracle, it will be a triumph.” Serena

Cute and funny video set to one of my favourite running songs: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

Do you know of any other inspiring young fighters, not limited to cancer? Comment below.

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10 Things you should know about people with vision loss

According to CNIB, half a million Canadians are estimated to be living with significant vision loss that impacts their quality of life. More than 50,000 of us will lose our sight each YEAR.
Most of the legally blind in Canada are NOT totally blind.
Not all legally blind individuals will carry a white cane. Some individuals will carry a white cane just as an identification marker, not for navigation.
If you see an individual with a white cane waiting at an intersection, do not grab him or her by the arm and drag them across the street. How would you feel if a stranger did that to you? For all he or she knows, you could be kidnapping them. If someone looks lost, ask first. But generally, people are very capable of getting around themselves.
It is totally okay to use expressions such as look, see or watch out when talking to someone with a visual impairment. It’s awkward when it’s obvious that you’re avoiding visual verbs.
Children who are congenitally blind are not born with more acute senses of hearing, smell and touch.
Sight is the primary sense involved in learning about the environment. That is why it’s sometimes difficult for a child with visual impairment to understand some concepts such as riding a skateboard until he or she touches a skateboard and tries riding one first.
A person whose vision deteriorates as a result of certain eye condition does not necessarily need to limit reading or watching TV to prevent further damage to his/her sight.
Most children who have been visually impaired all their lives do not mourn the loss of their sight.
There are different versions of Braille. Books, signs, menus and other materials are often written in a version of Braille that includes contractions. There are dot patterns that represent common letter groupings such as “ing” to save space.

If you’re interested in learning more, I highly suggest you look on CNIB‘s website.

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Back to school adulting

Is adulting boring? It’s actually okay because I feel productive when I get a lot done.

Is adulting exhausting though? Yes. Yes. Yes.

The Labour Day weekend included:

Lots of adulting but I feel very far from being an adult. I wonder if I’ll grow up….

Going to the bank
Completing and mailing paperwork
Laundry
Making an enormous pile of clothes and other things I plan to donate -hopefully so that someone else in need can use them 🙂
Collecting all my stuffed animals at home to donate. I found that Splash toy store in Dunbar collect toys for distribution to children in the Downtown Eastside so when I get a chance, I’ll bring mine there.
Reorganizing my stationary drawers
Returning library books
Prepared outfits for the next few weeks so that I’m less tempted to go to school in my running shorts everyday

Fun

An friend from Winnipeg visited Vancouver this weekend so a bunch of friends met up for dinner. We took her around Gastown and Downtown and had a great time.
Facetime with one of my favourite people on this planet
Learned a lot and had fun while volunteering (See my upcoming post on 10 things you should know about the visually impaired)
Pasta at Anton’s in Burnaby. The dinner portion is so huge that I couldn’t even finish one plate over lunch and dinner. Anton’s pasta also tastes amazing and is not too expensive.
Talked to my Imagine Day Orientation Leader, Emily, through email. She’s nice and gave me advice.
I’m addicted to the song “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” sung by Meghan Trainor and John Legend. I’ve been playing the 1 hour loop on repeat while I’m cleaning.
Other foolishness that I can’t remember at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVZV8InFxps

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Fun around UBCO: Vernon & Shuswap Lake

Wake up early and drive all the way to Shuswap Lake.

1. Roderick Haig Provincial Park

Hike in morning
Have a picnic in the forest
Follow the Beach Trail to a soft, sandy beach.

2. R.J. Haney House and Village

Historical Schoolhouse

3. Davison Orchard Country Village in Vernon

Best apple juice ever
Try out apple varieties that you’ve never tried before. Arlet is called a “dessert apple” because it’s so sweet.
Apple pies and peach pies

4. Planet Bee

See how honey is made.

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Fun around UBCO: West Kelowna & Wine

Formerly known as Westbank, West Kelowna is home to a number of you-pick farms and orchards, and award-winning wineries. Any other must visit places in West Kelowna to recommend? Comment below!

Paynter’s Fruit Market
Besides purchasing a variety of fruits in the market, you can pick peaches, pears and other fruit in the orchard behind the market for a reasonable price.

There’s awesome Vietnamese Pho in West Kelowna 🙂

If you appreciate fine wine, check out:
Mission Hill Family Estate
The architecture and vineyards are worth seeing. Our group was served a free glass of wine. If you don’t drink, request your complimentary glass of wine to be replaced with their sparkling pear juice. It’s so sweet that it’s heavenly.

Quail’s Gate
The view from here is spectacular. US President Obama visited here.

Volcanic Hills
Mt. Boucherie

Those listed above were all along the same road but there are many more wineries located around. Although I don’t drink , I admire how wine-making is a science and wine enjoyment an art. The acidity, sugar levels and other fine details are closely monitored to produce the finest wine. Did you know that it’s common for grapes used to make ice wine to be picked in the middle of the night, e.g. 2 am? That is when the grapes’ sugar levels are highest. I was also impressed by the wine connoisseurs who could tell you which types of wine are best paired with slightly spicy food and what type of food you should cook to pair with a particular wine. Their seriousness towards wine is admirable.

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Fun around UBCO: Downtown Kelowna

You can take the public double-decker bus from UBCO campus to Downtown Kelowna but if you plan to buy fruits, you might want to drive.

Early morning: Stop by BC Fruits Co-Op to buy some affordable fresh fruit and support local farmers.
Get organic Bubble Tea at Formosa Cafe.

Mid-late morning: Head Downtown to explore Kelowna’s galleries, theatres, restaurants, and trendy retail.
BC Orchard Industry museum (Check out the Apple Dolls) and BC Wine Museum are right beside each other and are great places to start. A few steps away is the Rotary Centre for Performing Arts where you can view some art, listen to free live music and catch a theatre performance. Pulp Fiction Coffee House is an interesting book store to check out. Relax and wander around Downtown.

Lunch: Bulgogi Japchae and Bulgogi Stew at Gueng is pretty good, albeit a tad pricey. By the way, Gueng means “palace” in Korean.

Afternoon: Change into your swimsuits and head to the lakeshore. The lake is quite calm and perfect for a relaxed hour paddleboarding or kayaking. Spend the rest of the afternoon playing volleyball or with an ultimate disc and taking in the beautiful view on the beach.

Dinner: When you’re hungry, head to Da Tandoor Fusion Indian Cuisine for their delicious chicken mahkni. Spicy level 5 is already extremely hot. I don’t know what happens if you choose spicy level 6.

Night: Downtown Kelowna Marina. By the boardwalk, sometimes there are outdoor family-friendly movie screenings. There are also two pianos right by the water that any one is allowed to play. Channel your inner Mozart or Oscar Peterson.

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