Specters and Phantoms and Ghouls, Oh My!

In the spirit (tee hee, see what I did there?) of Student Life’s fifteen-minute leaf walks on campus—and also in the spirit of Halloween—I have decided to create a walking route of my own. Autumn leaves may be a tad more picturesque in terms of dead things you can observe on a walk, but ghosts are cool too. Without further ado, I present to you my campus ghost walk!

Pictured: a map of UofT displaying a route from Queen's Park to the MacDonald-Mowat Building

Put title of blog post here (or: the perils of writing)

Words. Words that form a thesis statement. More words, separated into paragraphs. Further words. In conclusion, words. When I start a new paper, the first thing I type looks something like the above, or, more often, a string of frustrated nothing. Something like: askljaldjsadieruhejbrjnfgmkngfkgkfkgslmsdgkmdskmf. Starting to write is tough. Identifying the right moment to turn your zillions of tabs of research, piles of books, and pages of notes into your paper is always a challenge - and despite your preparedness to go, you’ll always be flipping through some book mid-essay trying desperately to find that one line you wish you had saved the page of.
A paper with the words "writing an essay" written on it with fruit loops spread out over the text to do the "i"s and make round letter shapes.
Very critical to my writing process: snacks. Photo via areta ekarafi/Flickr.

Are You Going Global?

Bonjour! 

Hola! 

Namaste! 

Guten Tag! 

Ni Hah! 

No, I don’t actually speak all these languages (gosh, I wish I did) but get this-  U of T has sent students to all the places these languages are spoken and many, many more besides. All the international programs through which students can study abroad will be having an informative fair this week at Sid Smith from Tuesday through till Thursday!

Building Community

A common phrase in the pharmacy profession is that "pharmacy is a close-knit community". It didn't take too long for me to realize that this phrase was even applicable to pharmacy school! Despite the class sizes being 240 students, it felt very reminiscent to middle school days when you would have classes with the same people everyday. You begin to say "hello" to your classmates because you recognize them, and they recognize you. From there, it's easy to strike up a conversation, even if it's just small-talk about the mutual feeling of stress towards the midterm-season.

Nathan Phillips Aglow

This past week saw a couple of events hit Nathan Phillips Square that provided me with perfect opportunities to better immerse myself in Toronto culture. Wednesday, October 21st, was the Light the Night walk. It was a poignant occasion to honour both survivors and those who had lost their fights to blood cancer, and yet was full of enthusiasm and energy as people from all over the city gathered to raise money for blood cancer research. It allowed me to represent friends who had overcome blood cancer, and be there to show support for all those who had lost loved ones to the disease.

You Never Know What You’ll Discover – A Testament to Fitness and Athletics on Campus

Anyone who knows even a little bit about me probably knows that I do Jiu Jitsu. I started practising Shorinji Kan Japanese Jiu Jitsu in September of 2013, when I began my undergraduate degree. I joined the Jiu Jitsu Club at UofT and I've now been the president of for about two years. That decision was the best I've made over the course of my undergraduate career. Let me tell you why.

Three Cheers for Careers!

I always look forward to Thanksgiving. This time around, I had a very productive time; I cleared out my closet of all the old clothes that I never wear anymore, I baked several pies, I caught up with friends from high school, I enjoyed the lovely wilderness that I REALLY miss when I’m living downtown, and I caught up with my little sister and my little canine sister.