Monthly Archives: January 2009

Such a Drama Queen!

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If you are anything like me, the impending February is giving you panic attacks. The sight of all the tests, assignments, exams (ARG, who gives exams in FEB?!) is making you cringe with fear…

Sometimes, you just need a break – and our campus provides many wonderful opportunities to chill-lax on a chilly night during a stressful week. Wednesday night, I went to the UniversityCollegeDramaProgram’s main stage production of the year, called Attempts on Her Life, by Martin Crimp, and directed by Michelle Newman.

poster

The play, despite the fact that it was mandatory for me to attend (as a I am student in DRM100), resulted in what turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining experience. The play is a result of combined talent from students at the 200, 300 and 400 levels, with input in set design, lighting, props, production and of course, acting.

When I first entered through the south-side entrance at 79 St.George Street, I was greeted by a friendly young man who provided me with a ticket to the show. Generally, you can purchase tickets in advance, at UofTtix located at Hart House. Ticket reservations can be made there, and picked up till about 4:30pm. If you miss that time, tickets are generally available at the door of the play about 1 hour before it starts.

I, after resentfully forking up $10 for my student ticket, proceeded to the upper lobby of the “Playhouse” (officially known as the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse). Around 7:45pm, the doors to the stage entered, and a young lady ripped off a piece of my ticket at the door.

Upon entrance of the seating, your mind feels bombarded with technology. A large amount of technical equipment has been placed on the stage, including three TVs, video cameras, stage lights (which are all visible) and many, many, many wires. Behind the AUDIENCE (yes, the audience, not the actors), there is a large white screen that contains a pixel image like what you see on TV when the channel isn’t working (I call them the snow-flakes). You’re greeting with music by Radiohead, and the play starts promptly at 8:00pm, after you receive a program.

While I wont give away the show, I will tell you this – the play was well done. Attempts on Her Life is actually a very abstract, broad play that leaves the director many opportunities to experiment. The actual text of the play does not detail characters (so you don’t know who or how many people are saying what), and the choice languages throughout the play are not specified, except that there are foreign languages to be used. What this means is, as a viewer, its highly unlikely you will see this specific play performed in a similar way, because the directors have a lot of room to impose their personal visions for the play.

Many students in my DRM100 class said that they were confused – they didn’t understand what the play was about by the way it was acted in the show. This should not deter you from going to see the play, because what I think you need to know is: first, that the play is about exploring the many lives/personalities/options/things that one character can be – in this particular case, Anny – who is a car, a porn star, a murderer, a war suvivor etc. and the experimentation of how we can define a person, or many persons (at least, thats my layman’s interpretation). The second thing you need to know, is that drama isn’t really about “getting it” all the time…its not like a fable where you always need to take a moral or message from it. Drama, and in specfic, theatre, is really about tantalizing the senses – about sitting back and allowing yourself to get carried away in the wonder.

Because this play is naturally a little “kooky” as I like to put it, the theatre performance is, as well. We see everything from robots to guns, music videos to academic arguments. Special in this play is the video effects – the use of lighting, and videography as a real addition (if not enhancement) to the play and the way in which the characters choose to address each other.

The actors did a wonderful job – there was no holding back, which is really good. They seemed comfortable with their own bodies (and if I may say, sexuality) and this made the scenes work better, because the scenes of tension (especially sexual tension) were well manifested. The play was funny at times, and other times, a little heart-wrenching…some times you felt like you were peering into the keyhole of the door and seeing into someone else’s life, and other times, you wanted to just climb up on stage with them.

Haha, I was the only one in the front row of this performance, and there is one scene where the actors face the audience. Three actors stood right in front of me, looked at me, and used me as their scene. They appeared to be some sort of advertising agents, and they were looking at me and saying things like

“Ah ha! She’s someone who would open such advertisment” “yes and read it alone at the table and treasure it like a letter from her brother” “hmm, she’s not a smoker” “no, but I think she’ll grab a cigarette from someone else… like at a party” “she’d be the one to send back the form for the prize” “or better yet, she’d check the box for which one she’d like the best”

It was so funny, these three women staring right down at me, looming over me and I was trying so hard not to laugh, because I was afraid I’d distract the actors. Even in another scene, an actor was making faces at me during the music video…haha, sitting in the front row for this play was getting the full “in-yer-face” experience that the playwright, Martin Crimp, is quite famous for…

Ah, look at all the technical components I’ve gotten into! Sounds like I’m writing an academic paper! :( Haha, thats not my intention. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you are open-minded, and you’re willing to take a risk, the UCDP’s production may be just the thing for your salvation-from-school needs.

Check it out – they’re playing at 8pm till Feb 7th (excluding Sunday, I think – check out the website) and post a comment about what you thought. It was worth the $10, and trust me, I don’t do stuff like that often.

Until Next Week….

Fariya

You can talk in class if you give me $30.00

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Our learned professor was trying to hold forth about

1.)    Parody of novelistic conventions

2.)    Demonstration on the limits of language and

3.)    The medieval tradition of ‘learned wit’

 

The two girls beside me were discussing

1.) some fellow

2.) one of their friends

3.) some cherry flavored vodka and…do you really want me to retell it all?  Because I can… I heard all three hours of the story.

 My three-hour night class went like this:

 

 Prof:     Alright then, let’s just look at some of good ol’ Rabelais, that’s right, the best of 1653, How there was a Great Strife and Debate Raised Betwixt the Cake-Bakers of Lerne and those of Gargantua’s Country, Whereupon Were Waged Great Wars

 

Girl: Heh heh heh, omg, that was just too too funny, I, like, seriously see what you mean though about…

 

Prof: The great thing about this is just the pure violence in it!

 

Girls: That stuff just tastes like S— though. I mean, eww, I can’t believe that…

 

Prof: I mean, there really is a great amount of sheer dirt and filth and blood in comedy from back then, and I mean, bone breaking back then was no fun time! Your odds of death were huge! You might get it set right, but if you didn’t let me tell you, the odds of gangrene were phenomenal! But they just really don’t care in plays and stories like these! Haha, he broke his arm, he’ll probably die in 6 months…oh well! There’s a real blood thirst and bawdiness in these comedies…I think we’ve lost that…

 

Girls: So then we needed to find someone who could drive a car and we were all like, crap, who didn’t drink? Wow…it was so funny.

 

Prof: So…here’s a bit about a bunch of cake bakers. These shepherds would like some cakes to go with their grapes, but these high and mighty cake-bakers! They just insult them! And look at this long passage of insults…really good stuff…and then everything just breaks loose! The cake-baker throws a rock at this poor fellow, and then all the shepherds and shepherdesses just go at the cake bakers!

 

Girls: The thing is, I just have these moments when, I don’t know…I think I really like him…but do I like the attention I get from him? Or him? It’s really difficult to tell…so, where was I?

 

Prof: So they kill the cake bakers…*slaps thigh and laughs* and just make off with the cakes! And then the tone just sort of bizarrely shifts…it’s almost pastoral here…these shepherds all now just sitting in a field, eating cake, singing and laughing…it’s really just a bit crazy!

 

Girls: I think it’s totally ok to feel that way, you know…

 

Now, don’t get me wrong, if you want to talk about how you nearly got arrested for streaking or the time you locked a squirl in the bathroom, be my guest, however….they weren’t even talking about anything interesting!When the Prof. is more amusing than you are, that should be a sign to either step it up or shut up.

 

This class cost me some $800.00. There are 7 full months of class, one class a week. Let’s assume that each month has exactly 4 days of class in itdays in it, a total of about 26 days of class. With this reasoning, these two girls were cheating me out of $30.00. This might not sound like much, but if someone came up and outright grabbed $30.00 from your pocket, I bet you’d beat them down.

 

My friend and I looked at each other, and remembered the wisdom of Rabelais’ shepherds.

We didn’t act on our urges though.

The Prof. was right. We have lost a lot since the comedies of the 17th century. 

You Pay for the Chance to Take a Test

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A friend of mine was chastised by another in conversation, as he had admitted to skipping class now and again. “You pay for your classes, you know.” His wise response:

“You pay for the chance to take a test.”

Do not skip class, do not only take the tests. But, in theory, he has a point.

So there should be no harm in attending a few lectures in which you are not enrolled, whether to judge your need to take it in the future, to judge its difficulty, or ease (I’m glad I didn’t take CSC104), for interest, personal research, or for inspiration for that ‘Greek Gods in College’* sitcom you’re trying to write.

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Check the class size beforehand; usually in the Calendar, sometimes on ROSI.

Uhh, prior to that, check if the class is actually running this year/semester.

A small class means you’re noticed. You may want to introduce yourself to the prof before the class begins, after, or during a break, especially if it’s well into the semester. During the first weeks, you may be on the waitlist for all they know. A giant class in a lecture hall means you’re NOT noticed, clearly. Other students may recognize you’re not in the class, but they look at people funny all the time, regardless. Giant classes also allow you to stealthily sit-in on their lectures more often. Technically, you could go to every lecture… you just won’t get the credit.

The spy class has to fit your schedule, a no-brainer. Conversely, a true nerd can keep note of the classes that don’t; if your enrolled torture time-slot is cancelled, or the fire alarm goes off, you can attend that Beatles course you’ve been coveting. Or sleep. It’s up to you. The smaller the class, the better it is for you to arrive early. You can also ask a student in the class if the prof gives them a break, thus allowing you to leave/enter at that point.

When you sit-in, make sure you minimize your disturbance level, especially in a tiny class. You can never know if crinkly wrappers and/or whispering are tolerated. This also goes back to time; if it’s your first time sneaking in, and you are ten minutes late, the professor might be the type to barbecue you.

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NEW150Y1: Introduction to African Studies

SIZE: Big room, non-intimidating amount of students.

NOTABLE-NESS: “Now, I know, I cannot compete with… Barack Obama…”

Eurocentric ideas propelled me to want to attend ‘African Systems of Thought’, but it’s half-over by the time I can go. :( Anyway, this is a course I am considering, but general mistrust of first-year courses (because of the six-course limit, or something) led me to see what it was like first.

In addition to asking friends, taking their words with a grain of salt, and consulting the Anti-Calendar, try to attend classes you are unsure about. You can get an idea of what you will learn, can ask the professor questions, and clear up any doubts you have. It may turn out the course is completely different from what you expected. In mentioning the class and the professor’s last name to Mom, she deduced he may be from my Dad’s hometown, which itself is kinda small, in addition to being in a small country. 8O
I left halfway for the Inauguration, of course.

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WGS262Y1: Texts, Theories, Histories

SIZE: Large, unpopulated room.

NOTABLE-NESS: Two of my high-school friends just so happened to be in it, so I had ‘justified’ company. Note: If you attend a friend’s class, be polite and do not make a plethora of noise with them.

Be sure to check if your desired course is cancelled. The list of courses for Women & Gender Studies is heartbreaking. But, this one was not!

Many courses have vague, poetic, rhetorical and potentially misleading names and descriptions.  Just because it sounds interesting, doesn’t mean it will be completely riveting for your soul. An example; first-year calculus has an exclamation mark at the end. Because everyone hates it.

“Texts, Theories, Histories” is… vague. But the course seems to be just that, from a feminist/gender-aware perspective. I got a better idea of how these texts were read, analyzed, applied to (or derived into) theories, and related to history! Added Bonus: I felt very at home, ideologically, with the material. After Petrarchan sonnets, Milton’s Eve and other English class/Old World disparities I have to appreciate, it was beyond comforting to hear the professor’s personal and feminist take on the apparently existing X-Files movie, and all the things that were clearly wrong with it. I haven’t seen it, thus, I forget her details, but if you’re looking for an angry Quantum of Solace analysis and rant on the portrayal of the sexual freedom of abuse victims in the media, get at me!

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FAH262H1: Art and Visual Experience in Modern and Contemporary East Asia

SIZE: Full lecture, completely obscured…

NOTABLE-NESS: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjAXJaFydwM

We all want to be artists. We all want our parents to not-kill us. So, we do not become artists.**  Attending this course allowed me to take in the art, and learn of all its historical, ideological, political, national, psychological and other-i-al implications, without the memorization of dates upon dates upon dates! That, and it seems any U of T student can create an account at FADIS, the ‘Fine Art Digital Imaging System’. The usage policy on images is probably restricted, but at least you can enjoy the paintings of Kano Hogai as much as I did.

I still do not know if their syllabus covers manga.

(shifty eyes)

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RLG337H1: Witchcraft and Magic in Christian Tradition

SIZE: Very small! Very awkward!

NOTABLE-NESS: The prof’s Doc Martens and the possibly transgender Elagabalus

One figures U of T has courses on everything. But, when one actually sees that this notion is true…(weeps with joy). Because the class was not in a concealing lecture hall, I actually spoke to the professor at the five-minute break. It had turned out they were not covering magic that day, and I had already missed the lectures on non-Western influences! When this happens, the prof may be kind enough to email you the information you desire. So, ask!

I then left because I was starving.

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You won’t receive a credit, so lecture-bumming is not ‘stealing’. Take advantage of U of T’s vast, random, and often scarily specific pool of academic knowledge.

[/end bad poetry]

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*UNOFFICIAL COPYRIGHT

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**Right away.

Une petite fromagerie

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When I moved to Toronto about five years ago, one of the first things I noticed about the city was its self-contained neighbourhoods. In Ottawa, where I grew up, there is a central downtown complete with food markets and boutiques; and a few other areas, like the Glebe, where you can find almost anything you need among a medley of shops located within a ten block radius. Unless you live in one of these centralized pockets, however, every time you need to get groceries or go shopping for any item, you’re forced to get into your car and drive through the expansive greyness of urban sprawl known as the Nation’s Capital, only to arrive at a low-lying super store where some normally-vibrant sixteen year old making six bucks an hour listlessly shovels your food into plastic bags. No wonder my mother hates grocery shopping.

Central Toronto, on the other hand, is a student’s Shangri-La. Spread throughout the city are a medley of independent neighbourhoods, filled with both residential and commercial properties. Here, most neighbourhoods offer most of the amenities you need, so that you can walk to local stores, get what you need, and walk home again- all in the space of half an hour. What’s more, many of the shops in central Toronto are owned by actual individuals and their families, who frequently specialize in the commodity that they’re selling. Such is the case with the butcher shop, the health food store, the fish market, and, my personal favourite, the fromagerie.

Hence my delight when walking home along Harbord two weeks ago: as I trudged along in biting wind and salted boots, I looked up to notice a queer little sign reading the word “Chabichou.” Peering through the reflections of the shop’s windows I saw inside rosemary drying on wooden shelves, an assortment of small white-wrapped packages behinda wide glass counter, and a a fridge filled glass bottles of organic milk. Having very little self-constraint when it comes to food, I went immediately inside.

Chabichou: a soft unpasteurized French goat cheese aged between 10 and 20 days.

Oh no. I love goat cheese. On pizza, in sandwiches, rolled into the bellies of sweet or savory crepes, or crumbled onto my salads along with roasted almonds: I can’t eat enough goat cheese. And so I knew I was doomed, Chabichou being a cheese store.

That first time I entered Chabichou, I bought was 100 grams of Riopelle, my all-time favourite triple cream cheese, made in small Quebec farms and named after the famous Quebecois painter. 

The second time I entered Chabichou (the very next day, my cheese having being devoured the night before) I bought small lamb sausages prepared in Berber style. For $7 I bought six sausages, grilled them at home for dinner and spent the rest of the evening fantasizing about Chabichou’s grilled cheese sandwiches.

Chabichou is just down the street from U of T, at Harbord and Borden St, between Bathurst and Spadina on the south side. They’ve not only got an assortment of Quebecois, Canadian, and European cheeses; but also a motley of crackers, baguettes, freshly baked loaves, French pastries, chocolates, jams, preserves, mustards, chutneys, organic milk, and specialty meats. 

For me, the big challenge now lies in not spending my rent cheques on brie.

The Quarter-Life Crisis of a First Generation Immigrant Part I: Between Forks and Chopsticks

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When I was in my senior year of high school, I remember applying to one of the more prestigious admission scholarships offered by U of T. Amongst the many, many written responses I had to submit, I remember one that was the most obscure – I was asked to pick out one word from a list of words, and write a short essay based on it. I chose “grit” (trust me the other words weren’t much better) and ended up writing this crazy analysis on the state of multiculturalism in Canada, mostly focusing on its negative side and unleashing my disappointment in what I called an “empty idealism”. Needless to say, I didn’t get the scholarship.

After the epic failure that was my application, I sort of dropped my viewpoint on multiculturalism entirely. I had arrived at U of T, an innocent med school hopeful, and suddenly most of my thoughts were devoted to making sure that I was keeping up with school, and not accidentally forgetting to write a midterm or something.

During this time, I realized that people kept on asking me if I was CBC (Canadian-Born Chinese). I am not, though I used to often experience a sense of pride in my unique “white-washed” identity. Ironically, in first year while other Asian kids might have been trying to adapt to the Canadian culture, I was having a tough time re-assimilating into this heavily Asian-populated environment, which mostly involved seeing the benefit of sporting the “fobby” look, and understanding why people hold up their fingers in a “peace” sign when being photographed, despite the fact that the hippie movement is long gone.

Over the years, however, it became increasingly clear to me that “going back” to my Chinese ways was all too easy. I realized that, much to my own surprise:

1. My body does not fare well if I go for a week or more without Chinese food.

2. I like Chinese songs and the poetic nature of the lyrics. Also, if I try hard enough, I can still read in Chinese!

3. Despite my efforts to meet people from all types of backgrounds, over 60% of my friends on Facebook are Chinese. I feel that often it’s easy to hang out with them because we come from similar backgrounds and have a lot in common.

It was in this way that I found myself again starting to wonder about what “multiculturalism” truly means: does it give Canadians a unique sense of identity, and thus bring us together? Or does it actually take away the strength of individual cultures that unites its people? It’s like putting oil and water and pepper in one cup: it might look pretty and well-mixed when you temporarily shake it up, but what if that essential driving force is missing? What if one force – the need for oil particles to be with oil particles – dominates over another? The mixture would never be truly homogeneous. Similarly, is there actually such a thing as a “mixed-culture” culture? Or are we, as a nation and more specifically, as the largest university in Canada, simply under an illusion of “multiculturalism” when in reality we still see our identity as being, for example, specifically Chinese, or Korean, or French, or Iranian?

More importantly, what do I see myself being? Am I Canadian? Chinese? Or somewhere in between the fork and chopstick culture? This past summer, I sat in front the TV watching the summer Olympics in Beijing, and I didn’t know which country to cheer for.

My best friend, who’s half British and half Canadian, used to always complain to me about how it seems that “minorities” in this school – although I can hardly call the Chinese population here a “minority” – seem to “have it easy” simply because the cultural similarity creates a special bond that eludes most Caucasian students who were born here. Apparently, people of a similar ethnic background have their own “niche” to belong to, with all the hype around student organizations such as the Chinese Undergraduate Association at University of Toronto (CUAUT). Apparently, it’s unfair because unfortunately the white kids can’t establish a “WUAUT” because then they’d be called racist. Apparently, in this sense and in so many other ways, life for first generation immigrants is perceived as being easy.

For the next few posts, I’ll be delving into some of the deeper issues underlying this whole “first generation immigrant” status that I will forever hold, despite that I’ve come to see Canada as my second home, and myself as a Canadian and nothing else. By addressing the various life challenges that my generation faces, I’d like to rebuke the belief amongst those who don’t know the whole story, that for whatever reason students like me “have it easy”. Whether you are a first generation immigrant like myself, or an international student, moving to a new country is tough, and the process of trying to “get” the new culture and fit in, is even tougher. Since we’ve all come this far, I’d like to share with you my experiences, and let you know that for whatever difficulty you are experiencing in your life as a result of this drastic transition, you are not alone.

–Lucy

p.s. This is just in:

CALSS Workshop: First Generation, Second Families

Are you torn between university and the culture(s) you grew up in?

Are you among the first in your family to go to university?

To be in this country or this atmosphere?

To be “here”?

Join us in talking about these experiences, and about ways to find and
strengthen relationships, both old and new

Tuesdays, February 24, March 3 and March 10, 2-4pm

with Olivera Bojic (Ph.D., C. Psych.) and Michel’e Bertrand (Graduate
intern) at
Counselling and Learning Skills Service, University of Toronto

Register or inquire at

Counselling and Learning Skills Service
University of Toronto
214 College Street (corner St. George)
416.978.7970; www.calss.utoronto.ca
mail to: mail@calss.utronto.ca

Ripped, Revised, Résumé-d

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You need a summer job.

Can’t you feel it? The impending sinking feeling when you log on to your ROSI account and a horrendous number in bold, bright red appears, reminding you that you are broke, and need to pay for school?

You need a summer job, so when $5297 appears on your account, you don’t lock yourself in your room, curl up in a fetal position and cry.

Last week, the Résumé Clinic at our beloved Career Centre held a drop-in day, where you could come in anywhere from 10am-3pm without an appointment, and have your résumé reviewed. I figured that since I was on the way to landing a fantastic summer job, I’d need a competitive résumé.

When I entered the Career Centre (located at the Koffler Student Centre), I could see that quite a few students had taken advantage of this opportunity – there was a waiting queue. Despite this, I was seen in a very short time…and here, I met Claire.

Now Claire is one of those people who knows exactly how to use time efficiently, while being sweet. She was simply charming, and somehow managed to rip apart my three-page resume and provide me with an incredible amount of advice for improvement, without hurting my feelings or even getting me riled a bit. As a tribute to her excellent advice, I’d like to share with you what she taught me, and give you a bit of a teaser, so you’ll be willing you go in there and meet her yourself! :)

Purpose

First, I learnt to identify what purpose my résumé was serving for me. Using standard résumé for a job application, scholarship application and graduate school is really not a good idea, because it doesn’t emphasize the skills that you have which cater to what you are applying to.

I was hoping to have a résumé to apply to a job – in specifics, in the legal and/or administrative areas.

Layout

Claire provided me with an enlightening blue book called ‘Keys to Your Future: a powerful résumé and cover letter’ that has been created by the U of T Career Centre. In this package, there are sample résumés and cover letters which are catered for you to recognize your own skills and display them accordingly. The layout of your résumé is important – and factors such as chronology or importance of content can dictate which layout you choose. Some résumés highlight education, research experience and field work, while others will present technical skills and work experience. The key is to find the résumé layout best for you.

Content

One of the most interesting tips I learnt from Claire is to make more than one résumé, where each resume caters to a specific job type. In my case, for example, I would like to work in a law office. I have plenty of academic experience through my criminology courses, practical experience through Moot Competitions such as Osgoode Cup, and administrative experience from working as the Secretary of the Pre-Law Society, as well as in an optometry office. While I’ve had plenty of other experiences during volunteer work, etc., the above activities really cater to law. Claire suggested that I make two separate résumés, one detailing my law experience prominently.

The Résumé Clinic can provide you with many other helpful hints, including how to write a proper cover letter, how to effectively change your résumé for grad school, and how to, overall, make your resume standout among applicants. You can visit the Résumé Clinic by scheduling an appointment….Check it out! They are really good :)

Until next week!

Fariya

Cough and U of T Coughs With You

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There is one thing to say about U of T—cough and the university coughs with you. If one person is sick, you know it has spread to at least 600 other undergrads in no time flat.

This can be hard for me because frankly, I hate sick people.

I hate listening to the slow exhale through the nose of a person whose nasal passages are clogged up with watery phlegm. I hate the sound that comes out when air slowly struggles through the rare openings in a mucous-y passage way.

It makes me angry. “Stay home!” I always scream in my head. “Don’t come here and get me sick! I have jobs to work! Books to read! Stuff to memorize! Writing to complete!”

So, anyways, now that I’m dadsardly ill, you can imagine how conflicted I am.

It’s not my fault. I did everything I could. I stepped off that plane from Saskatoon in a sickly way, I’ll give you that…but I slept for 12 hours immediately afterwards.

But then again, there was no stopping after that one awesome rest…as a university student, my wages are by the hour and classified by the government as “minimum”. If I take this week off, how am I going to pay off my student loan next week? Afford transit? Snack?

So…that is how I became the type of person who I hate: the student with a nasty cold. 

By the time Friday came,  I tried stifling my coughs and pulling myself together at my night job as I phoned alumni at the U of T telefund asking if they were: “ …interested in joining with other alumni this evening and contributing this year to the Victoria College Divisional Annual Fund.”

I was pathetic, exhausted and sore in the sinus. My nose bled from all the blowing. I wished for nothing more but to die.

However, that being said…there’s a kind of community feeling at U of T when you’re sick. One of my classmates happened to have an entire box of Kleenex in her bag, which she lent me out of pity when she saw me using rough toilet roll on my delicate nose. Many did not recoil from me; instead they shared experiences…

“Yeah…I had that thing last week…not a good time.”

“I hate it when I’m sick and have to work…but you know how it is…if I take time off and can’t afford, like, vegetables or utilities in my place, then getting better ain’t happening.”

“You sound pretty bad…but I think everyone has it right now.”

True…there are some undergrads at U of T who you never see with a cold. They usually have parents paying for their books, transit, clothes, rent and/or tuition—they can afford to take time off. They don’t work through the year; they wait for the summer to do unpaid internships that look marvelous on resumes. They look amazing. They recover when they are sick. And they get stellar grades.

But as for the others…

They are much more sensitive, and probably currently lending me tissues.

Rise Over Run: Testing Slopes in Real Time

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Being a student taking primarily history classes, I had forgotten all about rise over run equations until just recently, when in a biology lab I had to graph and calculate the extinction coefficient of chlorophyll. I’m still not really sure what an extinction coefficient of chlorophyll is, but luckily I’ve been able to put my lab skills to practice somewhere else: with all this snow, I’ve exported my [diminutive] mathematics outside the classroom and have applied them to some of the city’s more invigorating and intoxicating topological features: tobogganing hills.

“In Toronto?” you might guffaw. It’s flat here, yes; but there are still a number of relatively steep (and central) hills down which you can slide (or, if you’re anything like my little twenty-year old brother, roll). Just because the term has started up doesn’t mean we should stop enjoying the great outdoors.

Five Central[ish] Toronto Tobogganing Destinations:

1) High Park:

The hills here are a bit busy, but still fun. You have to go up to the Howard Park Ave. and Parkside Drive corner of the park in order to hit the slopes, where there are open hills that are free of trees. As High Park is so close to Roncesvalles, it’s nice to afterwards sit in one of the neighbourhood’s small cafes drinking hot chocolate and eating Polish pastries.

2) Christie Pits:

The hill is surprisingly steep! I admit it: I felt pretty cautious the first time I peered down the hill’s slick side, from up on top. There are lots of built-in bumps, too, for those hearty sledders who like to fly. From here you can also easily make your way into Little Korea, and get some piping dinner (yay kimchi!) for a couple of bucks. Slope: yikes/yay!

3) Trinity Bellwoods:

Here there is a ring of hills that all lead down into the one large, deep ravine. You do, however, have to watch for people walking their dogs, and might occasionally get chased by a good-willed pup who wants to join in the fun. Bordering on Queen St West, after sledding you can get a hot drink and real French croissant, made on the spot, at Clafouti.

4) Don Valley Ravine:

There are lots of busy roads surrounding the ravine, but as these hills border on the Don Valley Park System, they aren’t too hard to access. You do, however, need to find an area free of trees.

5) Riverdale Park:

Big sweeping hills! Close to the Danforth, too, where you can get an assortment of treats afterwards. Slope: gradual/long.

Toronto has a number of outdoor skating rinks too, which are a little less abrasive on the rear end (provided you can stay standing on those two thin blades). My all-time favourite is the Natrel Rink on the Harbourfront, where it’s possible to rent skates and glide around the ice right next to Lake Ontario, removed from the noisiness of Toronto traffic.

- Mary

Child Prodigies! Study Habits! And, of course, You

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I must have meant to go from channel 3 to 5, the scrolling thing, to see if Futurama was on. Instead I accidentally pressed the down arrow, serendipitously finding TVO’s ‘Mysteries of the Mind Week’; various programs, documentaries and interviews on all the brilliant, scary, regulatory and/or strange things the brain can do. True salvation from Comedy Network and its’ frequent ‘I-Hate-My-Wife’ Stand-Up Extravaganzas.

Most fascinating were the documentary on child prodigies, and the arising issue of brilliance; something I simultaneously used to be*, believe every human can be, and desperately miss being. My initial reaction to the cherubim toddler with the I.Q. of 170, the spunky 4-year-old mathematician, the 8-year-old published authors and 13-year-olds learning Anglo-Saxon, was jealousy. Following that was appreciation, then a happy sense of wonder, then… suspicion.

All of the parents in the program were adamant to nurture their child’s intellect, what with letting them join Mensa and give lectures, among other things. Thus, a query was raised in my sleepy, should-not-be-up-at-2-A.M brain; how often do a child’s gifts go unnoticed, or un-nurtured, and wind up lost? What could they have become? Perhaps more interestingly (narcissistically)… what could I have become, had my parents drilled me MORE THAN THEY ALREADY DID**. (cough)

Now, hold on, you say! Was I a child genius? Of course not! Preposterous. But, I mean… who’s… to say… I couldn’t have been one…? Who’s to say YOU couldn’t have been one?

It suffices to say we all have things we are prominently good at; when those skills are drilled and perfected constantly from an early stage, as that of a child prodigy with a clearly unchild-like work schedule… abnormal results are possible, regardless of the level of intellect one is born with (AndyesminewasmostlikelyquitehighnotthatIhavecheckedthankyou). Does anyone else wish they hadn’t complained about Kumon classes as much when a four year old on television is doing calculus?

I enjoy putting ideas into your head. That being said, refrain from exhausting yourself and nearby children in the name of profound brainination.

“So, what are you attempting to propose? The self-nurturing of natural genius, at a stage as late as poor, broke, sleepy college student?!”

Yeah?

(looks at post) omg.

Okay! So, in order to do so, we start with the basics! Your own personal way of learning! Whee! You have most likely heard of the Counselling and Learning Skills Services our school offers; perhaps you have yet to make full use of them, and are scraping through your undergraduate years like a… hungry chicken without a beak. You can start here. Their online publications give a substantial amount of information, both in the realm of learning skills (e.g., reading, time management) and personal concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression, bereavement). To do more reading on your own, we apparently have an Academic Success Centre, with a resource library, and drop-in times for those wishing to speak to a counsellor and address their study habits directly.

Lastly, CALSS holds workshops, lectures and discussion groups, for both personal counselling and learning strategies, during both semesters. Some require pre-registration, so sign-up as soon as possible if you are interested! It is easy to become stuck in one’s ways if you have been using the same approaches to studying since the eighth grade. Well, those years were free; now is the time to do things efficiently.

In the last five minutes of the interview I was watching while writing this, the interviewees were asked to give some small things people could do everyday to positively activate/mediate their brains.

First Guy: Find the ’tetrises‘ in life.  Observing how the things around you can be fit together (physically, geometrically, I think) apparently is positive, active thinking. I would not recommend this for those suffering from OCD, though…

Second and Third Guys: Active awareness of breathing. When you wake up, take five deep breaths before you move on to your next action, and see how you feel. Hmm.

First Lady, no pun intended: Walk. Also, well-wishing towards yourself, as some people do not allow themselves to be happy. Examples, “May I be safe, may I be… etc.”

Also, check out this. ‘E-Zine Articles.com!’ The self-improvement section is interesting and can be helpful, but keep your wits about you. Randoms submit the articles, but, as a U of T student you should be able to ‘think critically’, ‘analyze what you read’ and ‘pick out the unethical quacks‘.

Finally, I promise; “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration!” Let clichés be your guide.

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Someday I will end my tirade of beginning posts with unrelated banter.-

And this!

AND THIS!

- Liesl

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* from Mom’s stories, I was pretty cool at 3. O_O

** and I suppose I am glad they DIDN’T.

It’s a Jungle In Here: The Barebones of the UofT Governance

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I used to say to people that I really couldn’t care less about politics. Somehow, unlike my best friend, history major and pre-law, arguing and taking sides just never turned me on (intellectually). So I never bothered, because I figured, hey, an interest in politics is like an interest in video games or Lord of the Rings (or, for the slightly more naïve population, Twilight): an extrinsic sort that ends up consuming your life only when you decide to jump into it with both feet. Thus if you decide to be one of those people who identify themselves as a member of the “Anti” group (Anti-TNA bags, Anti-Twilight, Anti-DotA), when you meet your groupies you’d probably be too busy concurring about how awful the subject of avoidance is to actually feel any sense of loss.

This belief has conveniently blindfolded me through my first two years at UofT, during which time I didn’t make room for a real life anyway. Until, one day, I experienced an epiphany: ignorance is not bliss if the consequences hold personal significance. That, my friends, was the fateful day that I lost 4% from my final grade in PSL302 due to (in my humblest opinion) an outrageous linear downward bell curve.

Since then, I’ve been paying more attention to how the school is run. I mean, this place is huge. In addition to the 12,000 faculty and staff, there are about 70,000 students, 50,000 of which belong to the St. George campus. It would be natural for any of us to feel that indeed, we are all nothing more than 9-digit student numbers. But who are we kidding? This is our place, our education, our choice. Our experience. Sometimes there’s so much going on in the world out there that we lose sight of ourselves amidst all this chaos. Fact is, if we don’t regard ourselves as being important, nobody else will. In that sense, how do we speak up and voice our opinions? Who do we speak to? Who makes all the decisions around here anyway? And where can we even find them in this big scary monster of an infrastructure?

My investigations as an amateur journalist and self-righteous undergrad led me to the front steps of Simcoe Hall, glorious home of the UofT Senior Administration and Governing Council since 1924. After a lovely chat with Louis Charpentier, Secretary of the Governing Council, and Laurie Stephens, Director Media Relations and Stakeholder Communications, I’ve come to have a much clearer understanding of the organization of senior administration at UofT. To make a long story short, here is a “condensed” list of knowledge I’ve obtained (honestly, I tried), presented to you here in point-form.

“I’VE GOT THE POWER”

Where does the Governing Council fall under the University’s hierarchy for decision-making? Who are the members of the Council and how are they chosen?

  • Governing Council = Senior decision-making body at UofT
  • 50 members within the Council, making up three boards (Academic, Business, University Affairs). Each board has several committees that handle delegated tasks
  • Council consists of body representatives of all five constituencies (Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, Representatives of the Government)
  • With the exception of government officials, who are appointed, everybody else elected, including eight students of the 50 Council members. UofT is different from other schools because students are elected by the student body, not appointed
  • Council values transparency: majority of Council meetings are open to public, the decisions they make are published

IT’S A HIERARCHICAL WORLD

The UofT Who’s Who.

CHANCELLOR: The Honorable David R. Peterson

“Symbolic head of the university”. The Chancellor’s legal responsibility is to grant degrees to students during Convocation (his signature appears on our diplomas!). The role is voluntary, and he is elected from alumni. Mostly, he acts as the “ambassador” of UofT, by representing it in a larger community (i.e. government, corporate sector), advocating for it.

CHAIR of the Governing Council: John F. (Jack) Petch

Head of Governing Council. Voluntary role, he is a government appointee. Basically, he’s in charge of the leadership of Governing Council, and the “boss” of the President.

PRESIDENT: David Naylor

Reports to Governing Council. He’s the chief executive officer of the university.

VICE-PRESIDENTS:

There are eight VPs, whose responsibilities are divided into 2 major groups of academic and operations. In particular, there’s one VP for UTM, one for UTSC, one for human resources, business affairs, and so on.

INTERIM PROVOST: Cheryl Misak

The most senior of the VPs, has 28 principals and deans reporting to her.

DEANS:

-Chief Executive Officers of their Faculties, responsible for academic programs, budgets, etc.
-Appointed by the Academic Board (a body within the Governing Council)
-Represents their own constituency (i.e. Dean of Arts and Science is responsible for this particular Faculty)
-Within a college of Arts and Science, there are also Deans, but they have smaller responsibilities (e.g. Innis Dean of Residence)
-DEPARTMENT CHAIRS report to the Dean of their Faculty

PRINCIPALS:

-Similar role as Deans, but are not in charge of academic programs. Responsible for welfare of students, finance, etc.
-Deans within a college: report to Principals of the college

DEMOCRACY AT WORK

What kind of decisions does the Council make? What is the process for making some kind of change in the school?

  • Brief list of their influences: grading policies, academic standards, structure of academic programs, tuition fees, financial aid, Code of Behaviour and Academic Matters
  • Example of Process: Faculty of Arts and Science wants to establish a new academic program –> detailed planning by Faculty (faculty members, students, Councils) –>Issue brought to Vice-Presidents and Provost–>Issue handed over to Governing Council: travels from Committee to Board to final approval by the Governance. While the final approval may take only a few weeks, the entire process from initiation to end result may take much, much longer (for example, one to two years). Alas, it’s the one setback of democracy that we cannot avoid.
  • When something reaches level of the Governing Council, often the only thing left to do is for the Council to decide whether or not decision is appropriate (e.g. appeal is approved/denied). It’s more involved in the conceptual level of decision-making, and less in the actual implementation.
  • Council decisions are done by voting, during public meetings.
  • Students are actually fairly involved in the decision-making process: we have representatives in all levels of boards and committees.

UofT WANTS YOU!

Now that you know so much about the Governing Council already, why not be a part of it? Each year the Governing Council hosts elections for 4 full-time undergraduate, 2 part-time undergraduate, and 2 graduate student seats on Council. If you think that being a “Student Governor” sounds awesome, and are willing to take on the many challenges that come with it, click here! Nominations will be accepted from Friday, January 9, 2009 at 12:00 noon until Friday, January 23, 2009 at 12:00 noon.

While it does seem like a fairly complicated process, remember: “You miss 100% of the shots you never take” (Wayne Gretzky). Each year, the number of students running for each seat varies. In some years in the past, students have even won by default! The average number of nominees running for each seat is about 4. If you’ve ever bought a lottery ticket before, I can reassure you that the odds of winning this is so much higher. Of course, the position will be a demanding one. But it’s also a chance for you to learn, to grow, and perhaps to write history.

–Lucy