“Woke up this morning I was laid out flat on the dark side
With the moon and the room on the wrong side
I took a needle, sewed myself right back at the seams
I saw my universal gleam” - 'Flick of the Finger', by Beady Eye
Liam Gallagher might not have the same vocals he did back in Oasis’ heyday, but his last effort to bring back the glory days with his (now disbanded) Beady Eye did bring back some of the open lyrical interpretation the band was known for instigating - but I digress. Nevertheless, it makes for a great quote that can relate to the idea of starting the new year with resolutions. It’s a time of year when - for whatever reason - you can see your errors more clearly, and when you decide to pick up the metaphorical needle and attempt to sew yourself back together again. I’m not typically one to fall into the societal norm of setting resolutions specifically to ring in the new year - but given that this will be my first full year as a university student, I decided to give it a shot.
In my very first post, I gave a pep talk for when you’re on your way to office hours. Did you read it? Did you go? Are you and your profs best friends now? Do you give each other wardrobe advice and go ice-skating? Well, that’s wonderful!Just in case you wanted some more concrete advice, however, I have been compiling a list of potential icebreakers that will start you off on the right foot with your winter term profs. What better time could there be to share this list than right now, when you have to break literal ice on your trek to your prof's office and break figurative ice upon arrival?The way I see it, there are five main icebreaker categories:
Welcome back! I hope everyone’s well on their way to settling into a new semester. I can’t say I started it particularly enthusiastically; however, I feel I’m very much back in the groove. I start a circus silks class at…
With the new semester, I've found myself with a schedule that leaves me with a lot of time to kill on campus between classes. Though school may have only just started, I've already grown tired of frequenting the same Starbucks every day, and my wallet is really feeling the pinch. This week I decided to kill two birds with one stone: explore as many student run cafés and restaurants as I could in order to find a place that I wouldn't mind spending time in, and that wouldn't hurt my wallet.
Diabolos Coffee Bar
After a hiatus last year, UC's 50 year old student run cafe is back and better than ever. Diabolos' space in UC's Junior Common Room was recently renovated into a bright and airy one, dotted with ivy and tiny succulents. Diabolos specializes in espresso based drinks (all of which can be found under $3!), but also offers delicious locally baked cookies, kombucha, as well as vegetarian wraps and sandwiches.
Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Winterfest 2016: Battle of the Bands, which took place at the Annex venue, Lee’s Palace. The Battle of the Bands event is a competition for U of T bands to win a prize of five hundred dollars and a set at Fireball 2016! If you haven’t heard about this totally epic musical battle sesh you should...
Consider creating a Facebook account, if only to keep up with the never ending stream of FB invites to UofT affiliated events (that are actually fun to go to).
Continue reading, because I am about to give you a recap.
Upon entering Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor St. West / a popular venue for musicians and people alike whose music preferences would 100% offend your grandmother) I was reminded the battle of the bands scene in the movie Scott Pilgram vs. the World. The atmosphere of the venue was awesome in a grungy underground teenage angsty way, even if the smell distinctly reminded me of Queen Street’s “Black Market” vintage store. Various smells aside, I was in for a night of great music, dancing and a general good time. Competing BandsSpaceship Thoughts— Founded in October 2015, by Sky Casket, Spoon Johnson and Lump the Potato (who is unsurprisingly, truly a root vegetable) the sounds of Spaceship Thoughts are unlike anything I had ever heard before. They go for an “acoustic rap” vibe which was as interesting as it sounds. Despite being the youngest band at the battle, they rocked their first live performance! The lead singer was dressed up as a traditional 90’s “bro” complete with a popped collar, pink polo shirt, exceptionally spiky hair and two ties to really finish off the look.This interview-style video done by The Varsity will give you a glimpse at the personalities of the bands who competed in the Battle!
It's a New Year!
A fun fact about me: I am a fitness instructor on campus.
No, but seriously. I love being a fitness instructor:
I find group fitness motivating. It keeps me active, because I know that at least once a week I have to smile while I'm working out. That takes training. In our industry, we are often reminded that when we are instructing, our focus is on the participants getting a great workout. So I try to attend multiple group fitness classes a week to get a good workout myself.
Hey U of T!
Recently, I had the phenomenal opportunity to interview Nathan Chan, one of the founders of a group based in Trinity College called PoC@Trin.
Meet Nathan Chan, a third-year physiology specialist and pharmacology major!
If you remember last semester, I shared the story of a recent nursing grad. This semester I hope to showcase students from other professional faculties! My next Q&A session is with a first year physiotherapy (PT) student, Amanda. Amanda completed her undergrad at McMaster where she earned her Honours Bachelor of Science with a major in biology and minor in psychology. Check out all the insight and advice about the PT program!
In my first few years at U of T, I found myself frequently really nervous about any kind of public speaking - raising my hand in class, doing presentations, or even participating actively in group work. I would listen carefully…
They say you can’t go home again. I say that’s 100% false. After four months on exchange and six months away from home, I flew back to Toronto in mid-December. And it was WONDERFUL.
After a hiatus last year, UC's 50 year old student run cafe is back and better than ever. Diabolos' space in UC's Junior Common Room was recently renovated into a bright and airy one, dotted with ivy and tiny succulents. Diabolos specializes in espresso based drinks (all of which can be found under $3!), but also offers delicious locally baked cookies, kombucha, as well as vegetarian wraps and sandwiches.
No, but seriously. I love being a fitness instructor:
No, but seriously. I love being a fitness instructor:
