Down time – Page 50 – Life @ U of T

Winter To-Do List: The Procrastination Edition

giphy-1 — source: http://giphy.com/gifs/reaction-benedict-cumberbatch-raising-hand-DtMNbBu2KT1kY

Guilty citizen of the ProcrastiNation right here, everybody.

I’ve got an exam tomorrow, lecture notes and several hundred pages of readings to re-revise, and definitions to repeat over and over to myself until I sound like a broken record.

And yet, at this moment, I am doing none of those things. Instead, I’m sitting here making a list.

As I’ve mentioned before, I do love my lists. I’m already anticipating the end of my last exam this week and daydreaming about all the wonderful glorious things I could do in the time I’m spending buried nose-deep in readings.

So, out of this particular procrastination episode (or ‘study break’ as I like to call them), came a very detailed to-do list about what I plan to do after my last exam is over, which, for your amusement, I'll be sharing here.

THINGS TO DO AFTER LAST EXAM:

Staying Active When You Really, Truly Don’t Have Time

You know what really grinds my gears? It’s the frequent mentioning in the media, on the Internet, social networks, etc. of the importance of making time to work out. They say there's no such thing as not having enough time to do something active, get out and get moving. While I'm all for cute, inspirational, motivating messages, to me that isn't one. On the contrary, I think it could be a detrimental message.

b287f9011121b6e69d1bdaf3134c84fa — Source: x3sports.com

photo of a black horse and a light brown horse

A Trip to the Farm

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've no doubt heard that Toronto opened up it's first cat cafe last week. Sadly, the long lines have kept me apart from Toronto's hottest felines, so I decided to hit visit the next best place, The Riverdale Farm. Sure, I didn't get to have coffee with a cat, but I did get to pet a horse which was pretty darn cool.

The Perks of Being a Winterlover

Perhaps some of you have felt that shift in winds over the past week or so. Perhaps the chill running down your spine was due not just to the physical cold but also to an ominous feeling of wintery dread. That’s right - it’s officially getting colder in Toronto.

As someone who’s born and raised in Canada, I am no stranger to the blistering winters of the Great North. I would go so far as to say that I’m a cold-weather person. So call me biased, but I would argue that Canadian winters aren’t so bad (I have a feeling Emaan would beg to differ). Scratch that - I would argue that Toronto winters aren’t so bad. There’s those ridiculous ice pellet storms but then there’s also the fluffy good stuff that makes for excellent photos and really beautiful scenery. I love seeing the UC building during that perfect snowfall.

While we do get our fair share of snow and the occasional day (or week) where we are blessed with -30ºC + wind chill, winters in the city are pretty tame compared to what our friends at, say, McMaster would experience:

Three students paddling a canoe across a flooded over part of McMaster campus. — Queen's Park can get pretty swampy but this scene of McMaster is a whole other monster. (Photo source: Huffington Post)

Feature: UC Yoga Club & Upcoming MoveU Events

For this week’s post I interviewed David London, the founder of the University College (UC) Yoga Club. David is a 3^rd year undergraduate student studying computer science. He says he founded the club because he had a lot of friends who were interested in doing yoga but couldn’t afford to take a class. Knowing it was something David practised, it was his friends who brought up the idea of starting a club. David says he loved the idea because he wanted to teach but couldn’t do it full time.

Have No Fear: Peers are Here!

Hello, UofT St. George has some pretty fantastic student programming on campus, and opportunities to connect with resources. I think its particularly great that students who are seeking help are given autonomy and choice, and flexibility in health care options. This week, I had the chance to chat with Peers are Here program coordinator, Adam, about the peer groups he helps to run, what you can expect from a session, and why he is passionate about this project.

First Years – Unplugging on Campus

The start of the ’gap’ between midterms and finals is definitely a good time to find more opportunities to de-stress where possible. As I’ve been emphasizing the importance I’ve placed on striking a balance between work and play, I’ve decided to find out where my fellow first-years have been going to relax on campus. Specifically, I’ve been looking for places to ‘unplug’ and unwind without keeping a constant eye on my phone.

Getting Paper: A UTFOLD Origami Experience

A large origami structure of Hello Kitty, with more colourful folded pieces in the shelves in the background. The Hello Kitty structure is made up of many many smaller folded pieces of paper stuck together to create the larger model. — An origami modular of Hello Kitty made by last year's UTFOLD team. Look how cute it is!! (please also note the Totoro model in the back). Photo source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/utfold/

As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I’ve been meaning to check out UTFOLD for some time. I thought that it’d be cool to advance my paper-folding skills beyond paper airplanes (is that even considered origami???).

Life Unplugged

The beginning of November marks the start of “Unplugged” month at U of T, which is an initiative that encourages students to escape the tight grasp of their social media accounts. Who hasn’t felt that nagging feeling to check your phone at least twice during your one hour lecture or the all-consuming fear that your insta-hashtag is “too literal”?. Inspired by Madelin’s leap of faith into a notification-less world. I decided to embark on a challenge of my own: to delete all my social media apps off my phone for an entire week. Here is my story: "UNMISTAKEABLE LAW & ORDER ‘DUN DUN’ SOUND EFFECT"

Category: Down time (page 50)