On Tuesday afternoon, I finished my last exam of undergrad. It has taken some time for that fact to sink in. I'd imagined walking out of the exam centre skipping with joy in the sunlight. Instead, I spent a half hour calculating the…
I Wrote a Novel (Literally)
On Monday, I finished my first novel draft. It was 192 pages in total and just over 58000 words long. It'd taken me seven months to complete, and I wrote it for a fourth year seminar course (VIC479Y1) called The…
Social Media and Mental Health
I once read online that my generation spends an average of seven hours on social media per day. This at first sounded ridiculous to me. Most students don't even sleep for that long. However, the stat -- regardless of whether…
My (Somewhat Balanced) Life Moves Pretty Fast
"Goodbye." That's always a difficult thing to say, but sadly, this is my last post for Life @ U of T. Being the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI) blogger this year has been the opportunity of a lifetime…
My Mindfulness Journey
Three years ago, I was going through a rough semester and my boyfriend's mother gave me a book called Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a stress reduction and mindfulness expert. Prior to this point, I'd thought of…
On Missing Class
One of the things I love most about university is the independence. Unlike in high school, you don't need to ask anyone's permission when you want to go to the washroom or get a drink. You also typically don't get…
Oh no, Class Presentations
Sweaty palms. Shaking hands. S-s-stuttering voice. Look up and speak. But nothing comes out of my mouth. That is my worst fear when it comes to class presentations. I dreaddd public speaking. Seriously. I dread it and have spent the…
The Luxury of Sleep
Last night I slept for 8 hours… …and I didn’t feel guilty! Sleep has not been an easy thing to for me to do these past couple of weeks. Not because I can’t sleep, but because I have to stay…
Getting Creative Around U of T
I like to think I'm a creative person, but not in the traditional sense. I can't draw or sing (although, I wish I could), but I do enjoy photography and creative writing. In high school, I took a course called…
To Tea Or Not To Tea? That’s Never A Question.
A couple years ago, I was at Delirium, the famous bar in Brussels known for having literally thousands of beers. I was never a fan of beer, but the guy there said to me, "people who say they don't like beer…