10/6/14

Wanderlust
By Anthea Low
Residence Advisor

Favourite city to shop in…
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
I visited Melbourne for the third time this past summer, and 50% of my time there was spent shopping (or window shopping). One of my biggest frustrations from living in Vancouver is the taxes that get added to the price tags. When I decide to buy a top for $12, that decision was based on $12 and not $12 + GST + PST. Not that Melbourne shopping is tax free, but they have already built those amounts into the prices of items. Plus, they had amazing sales when I was there!

Somewhere I wish I went when I was older…
EGYPT
I visited Egypt when I was 13. Even though I feel very privileged to have traveled there, I was unable to appreciate the historical and cultural value of this amazing country at that age. Given the chance to visit again, I think I’d be even more impressed by the grandeur of what Egypt has to offer.

Somewhere I wish I could visit again…
SEOUL, KOREA
My trip to Korea was one of the rare ones where we had joined a tour group. I’ve heard so many great things about Seoul (in relation to shopping especially) that don’t exactly match up to my personal experience. Our tour went to the key “attractions” like Lotte World and Namdaemun market, but the natural rush of all tour groups did not give us the time to fully enjoy the place. Definitely want to give it a second shot!

#1 on my wish list…
SANTORINI, GREECE
I don’t really know why…I just want to go 🙂

10/6/14

Coping With Hangovers

By Kurtis Formosa
Residence Advisor

Did you have a big night out at the Pit last night? Feeling a little sick and not sure how to deal with it? No worries! Here are some ways to make your hangover day manageable:

Good Breakfast:
Go ahead and make yourself a delicious fruit smoothie. Getting some fructose in is a great way to burn alcohol faster. Throwing bananas, frozen strawberries, vanilla protein powder, milk and ice all in my magic bullet makes my personal favourite hangover shake. Also make sure to stay hydrated and eat something to help with dehydration and help slow the absorption.

Coffee: …Enough said.

Don’t be Mopey:
Just because you are hungover doesn’t mean everyone else is! Continue your day as you normally would, interact with others and you will have energy back in no time. If you have class, go! Don’t let your hangover interfere with your regular daily routines.

Don’t Get One!:
Probably the best way to cope with a hangover is to simply avoid one in the first place. Watch your alcohol intake accordingly and try to keep yourself in control. If you’re about to crack a cold one, ask yourself: “Is this beer worth the hangover?”

I hope that after reading this you find yourself well equipped so you’re ready for the next night out!

10/1/14

What’s in my backpack?

By Ju Young Park
Residence Advisor

If you are always on campus like me running from one class to another, it’s really important that you have everything you need in your backpack! These are the things I carry with me everywhere.

Laptop and its charger
Phone and its charger
Agenda
Binders and some paper
Pencil case
Calculator
Wallet with my IDs, room key, bus pass and some money
Thermos& tea bags
Healthy snacks
A pack of gum

Now, what do you carry in your backpack?

10/1/14

6 ways to be more efficient while studying

By Karimah Naguib
Residence Advisor

Turn that iphone onto “Do not disturb mode”

It is amazing how easily our phones can distract us. When you
schedule out a time to study make sure that time is solely dedicated to studying.

Download “Self control” app on computers

This is an amazing app that allows you to choose websites (such as facebook, youtube, instagram) to block for a certain period of time. So if you set aside 2 hours to finish that econ assignment you procrastinated… make sure to set you self control on for two hours so you cant be distracted by your favorite websites. Check it out here.

Make a study schedule

Planning out what and when you are going to be studying is a great way to keep you accountable and organized with your studying.

Plan study breaks

Your brain can’t continuously study for 4 hours straight! Be sure to give yourself short 5 or 10 minute breaks to keep you sane.

Do more active studying

Reading notes can be tiresome and the majority of the time your mind just wanders while you read. Active studying uses techniques like speaking, discussing, and drawing to help keep your mind active and is really useful when you have lots of material to memorize. A great example of active studying is testing yourself with flash cards.

Don’t compromise your sleep

Pulling an all nighter to study for your midterms isn’t the best or most efficient use of your time. If you’ve crammed all your studying to the last minute just go over your keys concepts and go to bed at a reasonable hour.

09/26/14

Coffee, Tunes, and Relaxation

By Soyoung Kim
Walter Gage Resident

The very first coffee house was a success! It was a truly relaxing time and I was so impressed by these 11 talented gage residents. They grabbed the attention of the crowd by their fine voices, talents for the piano, guitar, and with their passion. If you missed the coffee house this time, I hope you can join the next one and experience the power of art! Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies. That’s true. That is what I experienced tonight!

09/23/14

OUR IDEAL WORLD IN 50 YEARS
6 PM Tuesday 09.30.2014 | Isabel MacInnes Ballroom

sunaina-2

Dr. Assanand is a faculty member of the department of psychology, and inspires her students to think critically about issues around gender, culture, and personality. Dr. Assanand is passionate about the application of psychology to international development, and has created community service learning opportunities both in Vancouver and in Africa. She was awarded the 2014 UBC Killam Teaching Prize for her contributions inside and outside the classroom.

Dr. Douglas is a lecturer for UBC’s Vancouver School of Economics, and imparts a life-long interest in questions about human behaviour, social structures, disparities in economic outcomes, and the course of history. Dr. Douglas is passionate about teaching students relevant economic principles of the real world.

09/14/14

Welcome to the BLOG

Walter Gage East Tower Walter Gage is your new physical home, and now the Walter Gage Residence BLOG is your new virtual home. The BLOG is your one-stop shop for residence information, interesting articles, life-hacks (better than buzzfeed), and an awesome online community.

Visit the BLOG often for all the latest updates and articles.

Concrete Lasts Forever.

03/7/14

The Clothesline Project

02/6/14

Amaranthine

By Skyler Wang

We’re all mortals living with a due date

Every single day, we deal with our own evils

Some days we make it through, some days we surrender to temptations

We all have heartaches

We all cry sometimes

And no matter how many times we tell ourselves to be strong

The haunting will return

And the great torment will repeat

Sometimes we tell ourselves to isolate ourselves

And kiss the concept of solitariness

A beautiful manifestation

That brings about no cool grandeur

We are made to propagate in another’s soul

With victory materializing only with the presence of evil

Sometimes we do things without thinking about the repercussions

And end up with ramifications we have no intent to clean up

We then strip ourselves defenceless

Permitting the world to judge In the end, we will hold hands

And find ourselves lying motionlessly in the crater of all creations

Amongst piles and piles of decayed memories

And in the midst of this timeless disintegration

We will fight to hold on to that one important memory

Of how this unwavering beauty began

02/3/14

Ways to brighten up your Dorm Room

By Marta Biernacki

Is your space your favourite place? The Gage Dorms tend to all look the same, but with a little effort you can add some flair to your bedroom and living room. Here are some cheap and easy ideas.

Holiday lights

This isn’t a novel idea, and hanging holiday lights is a pretty common in residence, but this doesn’t make it any less effective in making your living space more welcoming. Lights add brightness and warmth to a room, and considering that it’s January, they’re probably on sale.

Candles

Like holiday lights, candles are not a novel idea, but they’re still a good one. They also add light, and have the added bonus of smelling nice.

Cool Posters, Wrapping Paper, or Wall Stencils

You can decorate your walls with cool posters, but if you don’t have the money to buy one from the SUB or a fancy poster store, you can always get some pretty wallpaper and use it to line the top of your walls (like crown molding, but much cheaper). Alternatives to this are getting some cheap old records which can be put on the wall, photographs of loved ones, or your own original artwork. Just make sure to hang your decorations with some poster mounts!

Flowers or Plants (fake is okay)

Adding life to a room – literally – is one of the best ways to make it more welcoming. Cacti often have cool colours, and are hard to kill. You can also get plastic plants, for which that task is even more difficult.

Add Colour

Adding a brightly coloured rug, throw pillow(s) or duvet is an easy way to dramatically transform a room, and to make it look more comfy and welcoming. Getting a big blanket with a cool pattern on it (for example, I have a tiger on my blanket) or an interestingly patterned pillow is a good way of adding some personal flair without too much monetary commitment.

Organize and be Clean

Having a clean living space often is what makes a space look most welcoming. The way that you place your books on a shelf can have a big impact, and even something as simple as making your bed in the morning can add a sort of calm to a room. Taking a couple minutes every night just to tidy up, or putting away one thing before you leave the room, can help jump start neat habits.