THIS IS SO EXCITING

I'm going home tomorrow!!!!!

(that pretty much sums it up)

VERY IMPORTANT NEWS BULLETIN

I'm going to be number 29 on my ball hockey and ultimate teams!!

No seriously, that was the very important news. #29 like Aaron Rome! WOOO!!

Also, the captain was all, "we might even win more, since we've got a lot of people like you on the team, who play hockey."
Yeah, that's right - I'm gonna be a super allstar on this team!!

Also, I made these:

And I hate flashcards. But I figured that, well, in ten years of French, I've never given 'em a go, so why not?
I know why not now. IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE SUPER LAME.

On a sidenote, there is no snow and I am disappointed. I know I grew up without snow, and blah blah blah, but I had it last year and NOW I AM DISAPPOINTED!
(This may be passive aggressive anger diverted from being so very pale now. Well, whatevs)

I think I make too many lists

You may be wondering what on Earth I've been doing with all my time lately. Classes ended on the 2nd, and even then, I only had one class that day. That gives me exactly 18 days to take 4 finals. To reiterate: I have about 6 hours worth of exams to write. AND I HAVE 18 DAYS.
(Also, of course two of those would be on the same exact day. Do you know what the chances of that are? POINT THREE PERCENT.)
(Ironically, I learned that math from one of the classes I have a final for)


Anyways. Besides studying (which takes up roughly 80jillion percent of my time), this is what I do with my 18 DAYS OF UTTER BOREDOM AND EMPTY-CAMPUS-NESS
1. I've cleaned my room like 6 times. Unfortunately, it gets messy again a day later.
2. I just did laundry. (Ignore the fact that this is the first time in like, 3 weeks. I have a lot of clothes, it takes a while to actually have to do laundry out of necessity)
3. I made cake pops with my friend!
4. Hmm... I've also watched a ton of South Park
5. And Nip/Tuck, once. Won't be making that mistake again for a while. (Because - EEEWWWW!!!)
6. Hm. Hm. Hm. I've read a ton of blogs and stuff.
7. Did I mention I've seen every single episode of South Park ever made? Every. Single. One. And they're only twenty minutes each, so that didn't exactly take up much time.
8. I got my term paper for English back today - I got a CANADIAN A-. I am SO SO HAPPY WITH THAT!! Like, I told my friend, and she was all "...WOW..."
9. I went Christmas shopping..? Got like. One thing.
10. Tried to get skates... and the sales guy talked me out of it. I'm still kinda confused about that one.
11. I got an extra point on a test, and half point on the scientific reasoning midterm. He's really not a very good grader.
11. If you haven't noticed by now, this isn't a very long list.
12. And a lot of things on it are pretty boring.
13. And only took up about 30 minutes each, tops.

I'm basically bored out of my mind at this point.  SIX MORE DAYS!!

PS - I have a new mission in life: GETTING AUTOGRAPHED PICTURES FROM NHL PLAYERS!! Apparently you can send something and 3 months later, it gets signed! Possibly.

PPS- Reason # 875 that French grammar is super hard: They have an "adverb". It modifies a verb. For example, the word "vite" is an adverb. (I guess that means... quickly? Know what's super weird? I've started to forget the translations of words, and just know them like... if you see a car going fast, you just think, vite. WEIRD RIGHT?) Anyhow, know what else is an adverb? Let us not forget that it's adVERB. "Very" is an adverb. THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.
"That car is fast" has an adverb. "That car is very" doesn't make sense. SO DON'T CALL "VERY" AN ADVERB. It's modifying an ADJECTIVE. It's an... adadjective. Or whatever. AUIOEFSWEUXPCU FRENCH MAKES NO SENSE SOMETIMES 

Things That Are Super Lame About Finals

1. That they exist
2.That I can have two on the same day! Who even does that?!?!
3. Also, they give you two and a half hours for each one. TWO AND A HALF HOURS. It takes an HOUR to write. What are they allowing time for, people who want to read it backwards?!


I have a French exam on Friday, and then English on Monday. SO SUPER EXCITING*






*not really.


Also, here's a slightly more interesting/less whiney list!
1. Canadian retail is funny! I went to buy new skates, and the salesguy talked me out of new skates and into coming back to get my skates fixed. Cool dude, but how do they stay in business? "Oh, that? You don't want that. Seriously. Here's a way to spend like, twenty bucks. Go throw a party with the two hundred you just saved! We'll just not make money today. It's cool."
2. There's a new Taylor Swift song! Or video. Or whatever. It's supposedly on that Speak Now album, but we have it, and it so wasn't on that album. Also, today's her birthday, I think?
3. My birthday is in 62 days. I felt you all should know that. I'm going to be TWENTY! NOT A TEENAGER TWENTY!
4. Also, there's a lot of ink on my fingers from that whiteboard thingy I have on my closet door.

I am quite displeased

LOOK! LOOKLOOKLOOK!
Do you see how PALE I am?!?!?!

The injustice of it all.

(I mean, the amount of 'Cullen-pale' jokes I get!)

LOOK!!

We MADE those!! Most amazing cake-pops ever. Of all time.

Things are EXCITING. Like ALL THE TIME.

I can't help it if my life is 100% exciting 200% of the time.

First up, in sports news: I am so excited for next season!! (Or semester. As most people call it. The loserfaces). So, I've got my hockey team (We're the Werewolves. Because I thought, what's an animal that could eat anything? I want something FEAR INSPIRING). and the early-morning hockey, and now the Ultimate team (Team Rocket! haha) AND YESTERDAY I JOINED A BALL HOCKEY TEAM. I'm excited for that, it should really help my stickwork! AND THIS IS SO EXCITING SO I'M SCREAMING IT, MY NEW JERSEY ok not jersey more like t-shirt because not every sport is as cool as hockey NUMBER IS 80. It's ok, beacuse it still has an 8 in it. And 8 is MY NUMBER.

School stuff: Only a few more days of classes! More like one, because I only have one class on Friday. YESYESYES.

Crazy technology stuff: Mom got a Blackberry! AND SO I CAN BBM HER ALL THE TIME CONSTANTLY NONSTOP. I am so excited. (But really sad I'm not rightright there to help her learn how to use it :(that's sad.)

We had a presentation for linguistics, and we bribed people who came by our poster with candycanes.

 This presentation took place in THE LITERALLY MIDDLE OF NOWHERE OMIGOD:

Seriously, if you ignore the pavement and ceramic pot, it's like a scene out of the barren tundra wastelands of northern Canada.

This is our SUPER SMART SOUNDING poster on neurolinguistics. NEUROLINGUISTICS! Yes, I am that smart.

SEE?! That! Is on campus! A WASTELAND, I TELL YOU. (Again, ignore the houses, the nicely cut grass, and the fact that there's a soccer field approximately half a meter to the right and left of the frame).

Also, here is a list of super awesome things:
1. My English prof's office hours! I've seen her twice in the last week for help on my term paper
2. My term paper! It's genius. About twelfth night being Carnival on a grand scale, and role reversals proving that traditional roles are non-effective. (I sound so smart)

Sorry, I got bored of the list.
Also, Christmas is coming up! But I'm kinda not looking forward to that, because of the stupid kidney procedure thing. Except I'll get to see my favourite nurse EVER IN THE UNIVERSE, so that's better.

I'm going to go to the gym! HOW SUPER EXCITING.
(It's been a caps-lock-palooza for my last few blog posts).

Didn't end up going to the gym - went for a run. For ten minutes. Because after about 5, I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. (Or legs).SO COLD

Also, I have a popsicle.

Outrageous news!

I SAW THIS AND I AM SO MAD.


http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/readers-poll-the-10-worst-songs-of-the-1980s-20111006
That is an article by the Rolling Stone people. About the 10 worst songs of the 80's. There are so many things wrong with this.

1. WORST SONGS OF THE 80S DOES NOT EXIST. EVERY SINGLE ONE IS AMAZING.
2. Yes, admittedly, it was picked by readers, and the editors say they don't agree with most of it- BUT THAT MEANS THE READERS ARE STUPID
3. You know what's on there? "The Safety Dance." WHY?!?!? THAT IS THE BEST SONG EVER.
4. And you thought that was wrong? The number two song is THE FINAL COUNTDOWN. What is WRONG with these readers?!?!? How can you hate that song. 

And the very worst part about this stupid list? GUESS WHAT THE NUMBER ONE SONG IS. GUESS. If you guessed ONE OF THE BEST SONGS EVER MADE EVER, and that it was voted the worst by a LOT, then you would be correct. And deeply saddened.


WE BUILT THIS CITY. 

Can you BELIEVE that?!?!?! THAT IS THE GREATEST SONG EVER OF ALL TIME!!
And people hate it! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I was gonna make a list of the best ever 80's songs, but it'd take way too long. SEEING AS THEY ARE ALMOST ALL AMAZING.  

(Also, I don't like versions of this song without the radio announcer part. That's like my favourite part).
Anyways, I know that news must have just ruined your whole entire day, so here is a bunch of good news to make it better.

1. It's sunny outside! I know that only applies to Vancouver specifically, but whatever, be happy for me!
2. This is a very funny video. (Click on the "this").
3. And this is stuck in my head.
4. I keep hearing that Ultimate is THE university sport to play. (It's that one with the frisbees). So I'm joining a team next semester! I have a hard time getting how some people I meet just don't do sports, or anything like exercise. I can understand one or the other - like hating gyms, or not having the time for scheduled games. But both?
On that note, I don't get people that refuse to join teams. It's so fun! I'm on two! And now three! Because it's so awesome! And that's three days I don't have to go to the gym. #BOOM.

 I've got my presentation soon! It's on neurolinguistics, and it's a group project. Fun, right?!

In case you hadn't heard, I'm a genius

NO SERIOUSLY. I'm a GENIUS.
So everyone's been asking for more pictures/ complaining that this blog is made of text, which, although words are my forte (AKA, the thing I am seriously brilliant at!) that just isn't good enough for some people. You want brilliance in literally every aspect of everything! And, well, I applaud your insistence on brilliance! Demand the best! Only accept the best! Exercise your freedom to demand the best! Revel in your freedom! AMERICA! (hahahaha I'm sorry, I couldn't resist). (But I should be a writer of speeches for politicians or something).

Also, I hate getting into political arguments with people! They're pointless! I mean, what does it matter what conclusion we reach sitting in my kitchen? We're not politicians, so it really doesn't matter, and all it does is make people angry! Also, the whole health care debate gets kind of heated. Seeing as it's American vs Canadian system, so it's just such a loaded subject! (I'm not getting into it; my point is that the arguments suck).

Anyways! That wasn't the point! Seriously, I don't know how that even came up. MY POINT WAS THAT I'M BRILLIANT.
Observe:

This is the seriously adorable gelato they had at Whole Foods! YES THAT IS MOVEMBER THEMED GELATO! YESSS! Also, I do love Movember and all, but I'm a little happy it's over. Guys take Movember too literally - I do not dig mustaches. Not at all. I'm totally cool with no-shave-part-of-the-month, but all-out Movember is a liiitle much. Or Novembeard, as I used to hear it called at home. But I'm kinda off the point here.

The point is that this lovely picture is from my Blackberry. And I got it onto Alex (my computer) without the use of a single cable! I am a genius. I uploaded it to my twitter and then downloaded it. AND SERIOUSLY AMN'T I SO SMART FOR HAVING THOUGHT OF THAT.

Also this is the new decorations:

We used to have a super cute tapestry hanging up. And now we have a picture of NYC downtown. I've been there. To that exact spot. I did not particularly like it.
Now it feels like we live in a Macy's catalog.  Whatever; at least my room has TONS of character. Have you seen it?

Yeah. It's awesome. We all need to accept that, and envy it accordingly. :D


Gonna go back to writing my term paper and watching my roommate film her project thing in the kitchen! It's funny :)

updaaate

Sadly, there were no cookies. No ingredients.

BUT I GOT HOT CHOCOLATE AT GROUNDS FOR COFFEE SO EVERYTHING IS GOOD AGAIN!
I am in SUCH a hyper mood, I guess.

What I did last night!!

It was so exciting, it calls for a second blog post in as many days.

So! Last yall heard, I was at a coffee shop, just because. I got some work done on my term paper, but mostly I just did blog stuff. And then! Then K and I went to a SOUTHERN BBQ RESTAURANT. It's basically my favourite place in the whole entire city. A number of exciting things happened here!
1- I had pulled pork and it was amazing
2- it was discovered that their bbq sauce isn't as super amazing as the one I have from home.
3- they had cane cola! that super awesome coke! It was sooooo amaaazingggg
4- K had never had/even heard of hush puppies, and has since discovered that they're this side of amazing
5- Did I mention it was a SOUTHERN restaurant?! South Carolina!

Anyways, this morning I woke up early (well. like ten. Or eleven.) And now I'm going to bake chocolate and pomegranete cookies. I KNOW RIGHT!!

WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW

IF I'M YELLING IT WILL SEEM EXCITING!
(It's okay, I'll stop now)
(I've been yelling all day! And by that, I mean I've been texting J the lyrics to that old song in Top Gun in caps, because I've been scream-singing it in my head all day: You've lost that LOOOOVIIINNNN FEEELIIINNNN!!!)

Anyhow, I'm actually being quiet right now. (I know, right! Hard to believe!)

I'm working on my term paper! And it's not due for a week! I AM SO AHEAD.

See that? That's DARK CHOCOLATE HOT CHOCOLATE!! (I know I said I'd stop screaming. I'm sorry)

Anyhow, I've got a sentence of my first paragraph and an outline, so far.
Also the dude at the counter was all "were you here last time? :) " and I felt bad saying that no, I wasn't. Not that he seemed disappointed. (However, nothing better happen! Last time a guy at a shop liked me, I ended up having to figure out what hours he wasn't working. It's so inconvenient!)

Also, want to know what is SO EXTREMELY EXCITING?!?! (more shouting. Sorry)
The mountains were all white today!!!


The mountains are pretty much my favourite part of Vancouver. And I know you can baaarely make them out in that picture, but trust me, there're there. And they're snowy.

 AND LOOK HOW MANY LEAVES THERE ARE!! I wanted to jump in it... except it was gross. So I didn't.

 Also (This is an old picture) I was at Fright Nights! Did I mention that? It was supposed to be a fun Halloween carnival except that there was some purely terrifying stuff in the haunted houses. HOUSES. AS IN MORE THAN ONE. AS IN I SURVIVED LIKE SEVEN OF THEM IN ONE NIGHT. It was scary. That warrants screaming.

 Also! It snowed! It's gone now (actually it was gone later that same day) but! Yay!

 And I'd gone up to Grouse with K with the sole intention of eating nachos. Which are basically my favourite food ever. (Also? I'm a super awesome girl to hang out with, because I like nachos and mountains and scary movies. I don't make people eat healthy food, go to lame places, or watch stupid stuff like Glee or whatever) (Sorry, Gleeks! But ALL THAT SINGING! And sorry, but high school themed stuff is so over.)

That is a traffic cone. In a tree. It's been there for days.

I went to see Breaking Dawn a week ago! (Seriously!)
It was the funniest thing ever! Although I'm sure the other people didn't appreciate my constant snickering. Seeing as they weren't funny parts.
Like when Edward brings *Spoiler! Just kidding, because really, who even cares!* Jacob to the wedding as a wedding present. Like! WHO DOES THAT? "Hey, new wife, he's that guy that is soooo in love with you! Zing, Jacob!" Maybe Edward is just super mean
And then later, Bella was all *Spoiler! HAHAHA* "I'm naming this baby EJ if it's a boy - Edward Jacob" at least she had the decency to give it her HUSBAND'S name first, before her OLD BOYFRIEND'S. Seriously, Bella, do you THINK before you speak? "Oh, hey husband, I love you and all, but like, let's name OUR BABY after MY EX BOYFRIEND." I think I'll try that in ten years and see if that flies with Mr. Future Husband. I can probably talk him into naming babies after hockey greats, but if I throw a "oh hey, my ex's name was xxxx and that would be a great middle name" at him, I'm preeeeetttyyy sure he wouldn't dig it. Like, way to rub it in Edward's face that not only were you with another guy before (guys seem to dislike that. Seriously! My boyfriends have always had MAJOR problems with my ex's, be them ex-boyfriends, ex-flings, ex-flirts, whatever! Even though they don't live in the same country, even! (I seem to have a American/Canadian/American/Canadian/American habit going))
Anyways. I will not be naming my future son Ryan Ex'sName, or Alex ThatGuyWhoMyHusbandWishesHarmUpon.
Seriously, Bella. How did you miss THAT lesson? (Oh, right, when you got married at 18 after some heavy-duty stalking. Zing!)

And speaking of baby names, she names the baby *Spoiler! Oh, haha, no one CARES* Renesmee. Which is (get ready to applaud Bella's creativity, folks) her mother's name smushed against Edward's mum's name! Renee-Esmee. Two names I dislike put together! Dude. Did she ever think a little girl might not like the name Reeeneeessmmeee? How about something PRETTY for a little girl, Bella?! I mean, imagine if *I* did that.
Let's assume Mr. Future Husband's mom's name is... hm... Suzanne. So we'd get Rozanne. (acutally, that's kinda pretty. Let me try again). Suzala! See! It sounds like... a dance! Or salsa!
I'd much rather go with my first choice for a girl - Ana. (Or, hey, Rozanne was pretty sweet. I better go marry someone who's mom's name is Suzanne!)

Aaaaaanyyywaaayyyssss. I'm reading Twilight to J right now, (Not seriously. It's more of a laugh-hysterically-at-every-page event) so expect some line-by-line critique.
(And you know that when I say "critique" I mean "even more mocking." Yay!)

One more week of classes! Check out my finals:
1) Linguistics: THERE IS NONE HAHAHAHAHA. But we do have a presentation on a research article we read. On Neurolinguistics. Soooo did not sign up to study the brain. I HATE studying the brain- it's so complex!
2) English : there's an essay and another suuuper fun 'what author/piece/importance' of passages section. Wooo.
3) Scientific Reasoning. THIS WILL BE A NIGHTMARE. BECAUSE IT IS A MATH CLASS. I STILL can't believe I did that to myself!
4) German : Soooo not worried. It's German! I get 80's when I don't study. Also, my pronunciation is the bomb.
5) French : Grammar! Suuuuch a nightmare!


Doesn't that all sound like fun.

Good morning! It's noon!

I am having such an exciting day, it's a wonder I can even stand it.

I woke up at noon; was out late last night watching the hysterically funny Breaking Dawn. (It's not supposed to be funny, but I definitely spent most of the time snickering. That is, when I wasn't asking questions like "the werewolves have a LAW that says 'don't kill anyone's wife', because that was such a problem they needed a law about it? Huh?")

I've got a lot of work to do, including a term paper on Twelfth Night - yet another genius thesis to prove: "Twelfth Night is Carnival on its grandest scale; the widespread reversal of roles drives the action, as the reversals of Viola, Olivia and Feste are the vehicles of the plot, something their original, traditional roles could not accomplish." Seriously so smart. Anyhow, so I'm in bed with the J blanket, writing and stuff.

And yeah, to answer the things I'm sure you're wondering:
1) Def a kirk/spock poster on my wall
2) It is kinda sunny!
3) That's my awesome prelaw water bottle. WHICH IS EMPTY BECAUSE I DRANK WATER.

(I tried to find this pic from first year but couldn't. It was me with the J blanket)


Some other things to note:

I saw my first Christmas tree of the season! At the bookstore! LIKE A WEEK AGO. Its NOVEMBER.
There was snow yesterday! It's gone now though.
That's all I can think of for now..

Gonna go work on my genius paper that will change the literary world forever.


Oh, and one more thing! I'M SO PALE NOW OMIGOD.
I keep getting called Snow-white-y/vampire-y. THIS IS SO UNFAIR.

Eventually i'll get this picture my roomie took yesterday. I LOOK SO PALE IT'S INSANE.

My week (or something) in pictures!

Dude, I have over a thousand pageviews! So proud of myself for that.

Anyhow, here's what I've been up to:

Got my name on my jersey!! Doesn't it look SO PRO! Also, there's a C on the front!

Playing lots of hockey! This is the rink where we play a lot. Olympic rink! Also, the stands are always that empty. We haven't exactly got tons of people coming to see us play at like, 11:30 PM. Surprisingly.

Joined the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity! So far, there was just the first meeting, and afterwards, we all went out drinking together. Jaegerbombs. Not too awful, really.

Missin these guys :) The shortbus squad! On a bus! Hahaha

I put the wrong kind of soap into the dishwasher. That whole thing is filled with bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles.

I saw this sign :D "Change furnace filters eh" Only Canada!

Check out the C!!!! (It's crooked cos I took this picture before I had it actually attached)

I went out for dinner with my friends, and saw PAYPHONES. I think there's one in all the town at home.

Super cool Canucks bus.

Someone put bubbles into the fountain in front of Marine Drive!

This is the fountain at 6AM.

Anyhow, that was my week-or-something in pictures! See what an exciting life I lead!

Sadly, no cool acronym

I was trying to think of a cool acronym for this kinda update, since I only ever talk about 1)school 2) friends and 3)hockey, but there's no good combination of those...
-SFH sounds like you're breathing really hard
-SHF sounds like you're choking
-HSF sounds like you're reading some foreign word out loud and sounding like a moron
-HFS sounds like hissing
and anyways, they're all terrible.
likewise, any word combinations are also pretty bad-
schockends/shrienkey/frienoolkey/etc

but all lame acronyms aside:

School is just like always; I had a midterm in French, got good grades on Linguistics assignments, and, oh, yeah, GOT MY FIRST 100% ON A TEST. Yeah. That happened. Scientific reasoning, and probablities! The one with Bayes' formula I think I already talked about.
Friends are epic; got "teambuilding" this weekend! That's just fancy talk for "chilling in a sports bar together to watch the Canucks game."
Hockey is a losing streak as usual - one to nine last night. Our game started at 11:30, and within the first 5 minutes, they'd scored 4 goals. Also, the LITERALLY BIGGEST GUY ON THEIR TEAM HIT ME. Which was so not cool. But, seeing as a) this is canada and b) I'm a girl, he apologized.

I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures easier. Until then, I'm lazy, and won't do it now. Love y'all anyways, though!

Happy thanksgiving!

Guess where I am- the gym!! Like, literally. On an exercise bike, currently.

Spent last night watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Elena. The new one is very, very creepy. Also, was playing with Grace- she found the way the numbers swoosh up on the itouch lock screen so hilarious. (I have a video of her laughing hysterically at that- so cute!)

Found out that my last exam is Dec. 19. Because clearly UBC hates me sometimes.

Done 300 calories so far!

Some really cool things

1. My German teacher knows our names! And it only took him like, two classes! We're starter level German, too, so he must have a bunch of 30-person sections, and somehow, he knows our names!!!
2. I got a C for my jersey! The jersey has yet to come, but I've got that C aaaallll ready for it. Also, I can't WAIT for our jerseys to come - we seriously have such a cool logo.
3. My new favourite singer ever, of all time, is this dude named Alexander Rybak. He's a violinist and sings, and his songs are amazing. So I've been listening to all that on loop. Here are the two I bought on itunes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daqfr6DJsGc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtj3k_thBE4&ob=av2n
4. It's Thanksgiving this weekend!! Still feels weird to have it in October, but whatevs. Monday's a holiday!
5. My hockey team got a registration slot for next semester! I actually forgot to log on at the actual time, and there was ONLY ONE SPOT LEFT, and we GOT IT!! I am thrilled to bits about this. So much.
6. Went to the Law Insider event the pre-law club hosted. It was cool, if terrifying. Law schools are very difficult to get into in Canada - a lot of them had 2,000+ applicants, and accepted UNDER 200 OF THEM. It's stressful.
7. I realized that being Captain of a hockey team will be really cool on an application and stuff - life skills! I didn't even realize that!
8. Turns out I'm a total genius in my Scientific Reasoning class. No, seriously! We had a test, and the formula we usually use looks like this:
P(H) P(E|H)
------------
P(H) P(E|H) + P(~H) P(E|~H)

And in the test, it was totally different, and looked like this:

P(A) P(RG|A)
------------
P(A) P(RG|A) + P(B) P(RG|B) + P(C) P(RG|B)


totally different! It was one problem, and it's about if you have 3 cups filled with different amounts of green and red marbles, and you choose two marbles out of a cup, what's the probability that it was cup A, B or C. That kinda super fun stuff. And it even had a super confusingish part where they didn't replace the marble after drawn, which changed the percentages - ANYWAYS, the point is, we went over it after the text, and I got it right!! I'm so excited to get this test back.
9. Alsoooo I got an in-class essayish thing back, and I got a 4.3 out of 5!

Anyways, more later :)

Pictures!!

 

This is so typical of UBC :D That leads down to the library, by the way, no matter what the chalk says.

 This is where I play hockey!! My intramural team, The Werewolves, play here! That's OLYMPIC ice, y'all. SO COOL.
Also, my shot on goal got up on that scoreboard! Not a goal, but still a shot.

This is the sailing club place at Jerico beach - where we did Day of the Longboat! I didn't take many pictures, because I didn't have my phone on the boat or anything, but hopefully the school will have some put up soon. It's SO COOL, being part of school events like this!

Anyhow, our heat was at 8:30, so we had to leave here at 7 to catch the bus and stuff. We came in dead last, but it was so fun! Also, there was a hottub on the deck area, so me and my teammate hung out there for a while, which was really awesome. And it was so cold this morning, so the hot tub was a genius idea!

Check ittt

I'm a psych major!!! HAHAHHAHAHAA

(It's only there as a temporary placeholder thing. But how hilarious is that!)

SUPER AWESOME NEWS OF EPICNESS

Check this out:

YES THAT SAYS YEAR THREE BECAUSE I JUST BECAME A THIRD YEAR!!!

Just to make sure that was super clear:


THIRD YEAR!!!!!!!

I just skipped a year! BECAUSE I AM THAT AWESOME!

:)

My grocery list

First off, my grocery list is in FRENCH, because how cool is that! (The only problem that occurs is when I don't remember what 'persil' is and have to stand there and rethink everything I need and do process of elimination) (doesn't happen often, thankfully).
Also, my to-do list is in French as well, because that's even more cool.

Anyhow, it's super weird how my kitchen is a LOT like my mom's (and unlike normal dorm kitchens) and still a lot like usual dorm kitchens are.
So, the first thing people notice when they come in is that we have a set of over 20 knives in a block on the counter. This tends to alarm them, a little. They're my roommate's, and they've scared quite a few people.
Anyways, it's like my mom's in that I HAD to have a grill pan, and my measuring cups are different shades of purple. I always always always have parsley, garlic, olive oil, American barbeque sauce, Montreal steak spice and allspice. They're my staples. I've also got a ton of water bottles, and an icetray that makes fish-shaped ice cubes. (debating whether naming them would be cool, or just traumatizing, seeing as you melt them to death every time. And then eat them).
Moving on.
I've also got the really mature stuff like frosted chocolate cereal (bad for you on like, eight different levels!) and chocolate poptarts.
Also, a ton of pasta, which is funny.

It's just really weird to have my own grocery list and see that it's super 'me' with the poptarts and stuff, but still has stuff that's on my mom's list. Also, I'm a super awesome chef, and my go-to recipes are super advanced, like that parsley/garlic/olive oil pasta, because you know what? Everyone else's go-to's come out of a box, and that's just beneath me.
(Total food snob).


Funny story:
I was writing an email to my hockey teammates, just to update them on what's going on, and the first sentence says "to let yall know the status" etc. One of my roommates saw that and was all "you're so American!!" because of the "yall" :D it was funny.
Also, the second sentence contained the word "whereupon."

And!
I was listening to Bachelor Pad (WHAT a screwed up show! It was so mean! This one guy was engaged to a chick, and they broke it off. Then they're both on the show, blahblahblah, and on the final episode, in front of the studio and people and AMERICA, they tell him she's engaged to another guy. That poor dude!) anyhow, there's this one part where they're discussing a guy everyone hates for some reason. One of the guys says "I wanted to punch him across the face - for America!" Soooo funny!


I still can't figure out how to send pictures to here straight from my blackberry, so I'm working on that.

Classes, part 2, or something

So, this is slightly late, but still.
Classes part 2!!
1. English! It's a 200-level, and it's Medieval Literature (that's an irritating word to spell. Medieval, not literature). Anyhow, it's unexciting. And an hour and a half long.
2. German, which is SO SO EASY it's annoying. We're learning how to say the same simple things over and over.
3. French lecture. This class is set up in the system France uses - you have one lecture a week, by the professor - the magistrale class, I think it means like.... superior in English, or something - anyways, the prof's very good, too. Except the class is like, legit French grammar.
See!

I don't have names for this stuff in English. That's where studying another language gets really weird- when you can't describe this stuff in your own language, but totally can in the second one. We're at the point where we don't use English, and when you learn a new word, you don't get its translation, you get its French definition.

I think that's it for classes. I've got friends in a bunch of them, which is cool.

Classes, part 1

I started school today!! Here's what I had:

1. French Tutorial
This was at 9AM, which is an absolutely ungodly hour, by the way. The teacher was really funny, though. And it's taught by a professor, NOT a TA!

2. Linguistics
This was at 2. So I've a huge gap in between classes. But! My friend's in this one with me, and we had a short lesson on how you innately know how to use "eh." Also, this is in forestry, for some reason.

3. Philosophy
Scientific reasoning! I took this because it sounds like a Spock class. And I have a friend in this one too!

Also, I have HOCKEY tomorrow!!! I'm so excited :) Also, I did the Grouse Grind on Monday!! I'll have pictures and stuff eventually - maybe even UPLOADED FROM MY BLACKBERRY. (Super excited to have one, if you couldn't tell).

Anyways, tomorrow I've got English and German! I'm sooo excited! AND I ALSO HAVE HOCKEY, IN CASE YOU FORGOT ALREADY. :) yayyy!

Sequoiiiaaa

I thought of a motto for the Sequoia nurse staff!

"Where the nurses make the difference between being just treated, and being care for" 

BOOM. How AWESOME is that?!

I wrote to the hospital, and suggested they use it. (A tad presumptuous, but they need my good ideas).

want to know something really funny, that's also kinda sad? Like, really sad.

So, this has to do with Almond Joy and Mounds. (I don't know what you were expecting, but that sounds standard for things I'm concerned about).

Anyways, when I was little, my mom always got the red package - Mounds- and I always picked the blue- Almond Joy. I seriously loved them, except for the almond. I did not like the almond. I ate it first to get it out of the way, so that I could have it without the stupid almond. I never did try my mom's, because I had my super awesome blue package that was blue. Which was apparently very important to little me.

To me, a perfect Almond Joy would have been one without almonds. As I found out- years later - that does exist. It's called a Mounds. And I'd been ignoring it for years because the package was red, and not blue, and therefore inferior.

It still makes me kind of sad that I missed out on so many years' worth of Mounds because I didn't realize that there was a difference other than package colouring.

But now, there's Bounty, too, and choosing between Mounds and that is very difficult. On a sidenote, I haven't had Almond Joy except at Halloween and stuff since.



Other important stuff -
1. I started packing for Canada! Except I did that thing again, where I pack what I need and have to keep unpacking it again and again.
2. I saw one of my nurses today! She was the nurse that was there during the day when I was there in July, and she was the best ever, of all time; she was my favourite, and she was so, so awesome. I like seeing my nurses when I'm not in the hospital! It should always be like that. Seeing people without getting stuck with needles and stuff, y'know?
3. Turns out 2,500 words are a lot more than I thought. Fun essay-writing times! So fun!
4. I'm concerned that they don't have classic American candy in Canada. I'll have to find out, and prepare myself for the letdown.

Outpatient is so the way to go

I had an outpatient thingy on Wednesday, and it's so much easier than real, actual surgery! You go in, you get it done, and you get out! None of the normal agony of hospitals. Don't have to deal with the midnight BP checks (I loved my night nurse, though, if not her schedule), no stupid beeping machines that go on alllllll night, no stupid sleeping on your back only, no 30* or higher bed, no awful food, none of it!

Although, there's still the other stuff. Like the IV's, the chilling and doing nothing, saying your name and birthday a bazillion times, there's a stupider hospital gown, stuff like that.

Also, my nurse stabbed me twice. She put in the first IV, and was all 'I don't like the way this turned out' and did it AGAIN.
Then a nurse asked my age, and was all "oh, you shouldn't be here, you should be out enjoying the beach!" I just gave her this look that probably said something super friendly like "just stop stabbing me, okay?" Also, somehow, the shock wave thing does leave a mark. I have no idea how that's possible, but it looks like a red burn or something. Doesn't hurt, though, which is a first.

 I have a final tomorrow, and two final papers due on the 15th. Super awesome fun, really.

I considered getting a tattoo over my scar(s) but man, if they had to do this again, they'd ruin it, and it would look awful. So I'm thinking no.

On a way lighter note - that candy, Charlston? SUPER AWESOME. But not frozen. I don't know why the package begs you to freeze it- it kind of sucks when frozen.

Let's chat surgery and such

Just a couple things:

1. It should be a cosmic law of the universe that you shouldn't have to return to the hospital for any procedures - the kind where you need an IV - until the marks from the last IV's have gone away. If you can still see the scabs, it's too soon.
2. Turns out this isn't a thing in most people's lives. If someone asks me what I've been up to/why haven't I seen them/etc, I tell them "oh, surgery and stuff," and they freak out. But, really, it's not a big thing to me. It's just kind of a fact, surgery and hospital and IV's and stuff. But explaining that freaks people out more, so...

I'd explain more, but I'm sure I'll be on the topic of hospitals again.

Optimism! Or else!

Well, it's no secret that my summer sorta kinda sucked. But I'm an optimist!
(Oh, man, that is such a lie. But we're gonna pretend it's true).

So here's what's happened, and why it didn't suck!

1. I've had classes all summer. Which is good, because now I'm technically a third year. And bad, because I have two paper and three finals this week, and I so don't need that. 

2. After I got home, I had my foot injury looked at. And the way to fix it was super painful and involved a thing waaaay too much like leeches. I swear. There was bug venom involved in the fixing. Anyways, that's good, because it's fixed now!

3. And in July, I had surgery, for the second time this year, on the same thing, the kidney thing. But! Now I have two scars, and they make an 8, and so I'm changing my hockey number to 8. And that's a super cool story for my jersey!

So, technically that all wasn't so bad. If you're gonna be a stubborn optimist about it. 

:)

Replying to comments about UBC

I need to check comments more often. so IF YOU COMMENTED ON THE '50 things about UBC' entry- THIS IS TO YOU!

1. Back to back courses:
Depends on where your classes are, and how busy the areas are. Buchannan A to Buchannan D, takes two minutes. Forestry to Buchannan, like half an hour on foot. (You can ask teachers for permission to leave early/inform them you'll be late to the beginning). But if you want, lemme know what buildings you're looking at, and I can give you an estimate.
If I had to guess- the math building is close to the chemistry building, and if physics is in Hebb, that's right there too. Ten minutes would be enough.
2. Deciding on a major:
Isn't it the hardest thing? I actually switched from creative writing to English for a bunch of reasons, but seriously, it's hard to decide. So good luck with that!

Anyhow, glad you guys liked the post, and I'm always open for questions. Because I'm awesome like that.




(PS- this was posted on the same day as that post below it. But that one's got some important info if you're wondering whether I've dropped off the face of the earth or not)

Sign I'm almost 20: I can't sleep in very late anymore

Pretty much everyone's heard by now, but I'm getting surgery tomorrow. Again, because last-minute-surgery is apparently becoming a summer tradition. Not quite an annual one, though, because it hasn't actually been a whole year since last time.
(On the upside, though this is my second surgery this year, it means I've had the most surgeries of anyone in my family! My mom was winning, but this puts me at four, and that means I win! (Win is extremely relative, here))
Also, I really want to order food while in the hospital. Just to get delivery. Because that'd be cool.

I have three papers to write this week! (Seriously, it all had to be this week). So that sucks. But, I signed up for hockey in September, and it's at 7AM instead of 6, which is nice. Also, I've got really exciting plans for when I go back! I'm really excited about that.

The doctor that puts the tube in remembered me, also. I went to see him, and while he was asking for my info - age, what's going on, etc - he was all "oh... I remember you." Which is probably not an awesome thing, but it was funny. That's like last time, when I was the youngest person in the whole entire ward. (The nurses called me the surgeon's princess, and having a stuffed animal probably didn't help them think I was older).

So, that's what's up. (Seriously, though. What's up with me and late summer lately?)

Post 101!!

Probably should have done a thing for post 100, but whatever. POST 101!!!!! HOW EXCITING!!

I have a funny hospital story! It's a year old, though. But it's funny.
Anyways, when I was in for surgery last year, I stayed for a few nights in the hospital. Which was just so super fun and awesome. So, they stuck a tube through my back in the evening on Tuesday, and I stayed overnight. At six AM the next morning, a dude walks into my room, for ANOTHER blood test thing.
(They probably have a vampire on staff who needs all this blood. Just a guess)
So, he gets on the phone to some guy in the lab to ask a question. And he goes,
"Jose? Es Jose! HAHAHAHHAHA"
Let me explain.
Blood taking dude is named Jose. The guy in the lab is named Jose. They've both probably worked at the hospital for like TWENTY YEARS.
And they both STILL find it hilarious that they're both named Jose. Even at six AM!
In retrospect, it's hilarious, but at the time, I sort of wanted to choke Jose and Jose.

That was my funny hospital story!

Summer's nearly half over!

Actually, that isn't agony in that title. Summer's fun, but so's Vancouver, so it's all good. I DID get year round housing at school, so I'M GOING TO HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE EVERY YEAR! Super exciting! (Admittedly, it did take some very un-Canadian bullying of the housing dept. but it's ok. It was totally called for).
Also! I got a job!!

(Yes, I did say I didn't want one and did classes instead. But this one's SO COOL!!!)

Anyhow, I'll describe it more later, because that would take work. I DO want people to download their/our app, because I wrote stuff that's on it, and that is so extremely exciting.

Pretty sure there was important stuff to mention, but I can't think of it.

I did, however, make very exciting popsicles. They're strawberry, peach, and vodka! Very awesome.

THE LIST OF REALLY AWESOME THINGS

I've had basically the best week ever. Well, I could say summer in general, but it's not actually over yet, and that would be like, jinxing it?
Well, not really. Jinxing is like fortune telling. (The connection there is that they're both lies, btw)
I mean, really, I'm like 99.9% sure things will continue in their usual awesome manner. But, like mom kept saying to me during college applications- well, lemme explain this one more. When I was choosing colleges, I had 2 choices, UBC and then, if not, UCSD. (Sorry, UCSD, for the second-best spot. You don't have hockey. You may as well have told me that English isn't a major and, by the way, every class is at 6AM. Seriously). And my mom said I needed to have more options, because, as she said "sure, you'll get into UBC, but what if tomorrow, it's hit by a meteor and wiped off the face of the earth? Then you'll need a backup!"
Story over. (The point was, that could happen. And that would be not-awesome).

Anyways, that had a more depressing moral than I thought it would. So to move on to the list of really awesome things (followed by the list of real-life things that also happen, so no one hates me for being too cheery)
1. I got an internship! It's at a really, really cool company called Mozaik, and they have this app they do for shows and movies and stuff. Anyways, it's super cool, and they've been using me as their poster story for a few years now.
2. My classes! I'm getting good grades! There's basically nothing in the universe better than that.
3. That author signing I went to was so cool. He signed my book! (Wow, that seemed like a very Captain Obvious thing to say).
4. That INTERNSHIP! I am so, so excited for it! Originally, I decided that classes>working for me this summer, and didn't look for a job. But then my neighbour came to me and asked if I wanted to interview, and even though I have classes, still. Super awesome jobs are worth having less free time for. Because it's SO EXCITING!!
5. Also, I get to dress for work! With cute shoes and nice clothes and everything. I'm so excited for that part too!
6. It's super hot outsideeeee! Nice after the snow all winter.

and now, the realistic list, so as to keep people from going "ooh, good for you! It's all sunshine and butterflies in your life! I HATE YOU"
1. I can only now walk properly again. Since the end of March I couldn't, then I went to the doctor and he made it SO MUCH WORSE for a good month or so before making it better. (Well, this is sort of a good-list thing).
2. I can't play hockey until September! Because of the first thing.
3. THE CANUCKS LOSING. This would be #1, but I didn't want to start out on a miserable point.
4. Well, at least it was the Bruins they lost to. I do love the Bruins. Not quite as much, but still. (Obviously I'm not good at thinking negatively).

Yeah, I'm giving up on the bad list. It was basically an extension of the good list. Which is good!

I'd just like to talk about what I've been doing

(Because I know everyone totally cares, obviously)

1. I went to a book signing today! Also, he read from his book, and it was funny. (2 Kisses for Maddy, if you're interested. Which you should be- it's awesome)
2. Tons of reading. Tons. Not all if it even remotely interesting, either.

Wow, I thought I've been doing more. Guess not.

I just thought of a philosophathingey

Check it out! This is the #4 Best Way To Feel Awesome About Yourself! (Giving it a random number and capital letters makes it sound like it's part of an official list or something).

So, way #4 is to make a list of everything you're awesome at.
Here's mine! (No, this isn't an excuse to brag about myself. What are you, trying to make me seem self-obsessed?)
1. I can do a running commentary of any movie. Seriously. If you need someone to talk you through literally every scene of a movie, no matter how long it is, I can do that.
2. I'm a super awesome interior designer. If you didn't see my freshman dorm decor, it had great posters. Hockey, Star Trek (Original series, duh), the new James Bond, and plus, I just ordered two new Big Bang Theory posters.
3. I tan really, really well. I take credit for that, regardless of the fact that I don't really have much to do with that happening.
4. I'm great at naming things. Like Alex and Sid, my laptop and netbook. The xbox will be named soon, as will the controller. I'm thinking Sheldon and Leonard.
5. I can take Tylenol/Advil like a champ. I don't make faces or anything! That takes some serious skill, because while Tylenol has a candyish coating, Advil doesn't.
6. I think of awesome stuff like this list.


Yeah, I'm avoiding doing homework.

Movie review time!

The title makes it seem like I've done this before. Except I haven't, so.

Movie Review #475 (Everyone's favourite weekly update!):
(Yeah, that was a lie).
I just watched Flicka 2! Jamie made me do it. And here are all the reasons I hated it!

1. The chick. Oh, man, I hated the chick. She kept sassing everyone! She sassed her dad, even!
2. The fact that they keep on saying "Flicka means 'beautiful girl'. IT DOESN'T. It means GIRL. Just girl. No "beautiful". JUST. GIRL. It's Swedish. I know that word in Swedish. THIS MOVIE IS BUILT ON A LIE.
3. Also, why didn't they name the baby horse Pojke? That means boy. We could lie some more and say it means "handsome boy" BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THIS MOVIE DOES. IT LIES.
4. The chick! Again! She drives me crazy! She was SO MEAN to that poor guy! He kissed her, and then she goes "You're a hick!" ooooh, country burn.
5. The guy! He's like TWENTY FOUR and the chick is like FIFTEEN. No. No. No.
6. The guy takes her back! She insults him to his face, and he ignores her for about twenty minutes, then he wants to be besties again! HAVE YOU NO SELF RESPECT?
7. The chick breaking the rules! Breaking the law! Someone ought to send her to military school so she'll learn rule following.
8. The fact that she learns to horseback ride in like, two days.
9. And hello, she called him a hick to his face! (This did, however, inspire The Hick Rule. If I ever date someone from the midwest, my sister is not allowed to refer to him as a hick. That's the rule).

Anyways. Here's all the things I liked about Flicka 2!





I couldn't think of anything. Well, the dude was pretty cool. So there's that.

The perfect roommate ad

Ta-dah! This is the perfect flyer to post when I need a roommate (whenever that happens).




So perfect.

weird comments by people that read

I think it's weird when people say "I wish I wrote that" when they like something they've read.

Because, really. I wrote it. It's mine. And they can't have it.

Weird.

Retracting a statement on poetry

It has come to my attention that I have to retract a statement I made before. Actually, more accurately, a statement I have said at least eight thousand, four hundred, and sixty-seven times in the past nine years.

Many, many times, (8, 467), I have said that I hate poetry. While I still hate writing it- passionately!- I have to admit that I do not hate analyzing it. Analyzing poetry can actually be really interesting.

So, I take back my hatred of reading and analyzing poetry, and offer my super awesome poetry project as a public apology.

https://sites.google.com/site/saragoldieeng222

(I'm also offering it to my professor in exchange for a good grade, but that's beside the point).

Educational Goals!

That title sounds like I really know what I'm doing! I like that. Because I don't plan what I write, and sounding like I have a plan in mind sounds very professional.

Anyways, the point of that title was to say that I think I'd like to get a doctorate. Not exactly sure what subject yet, but it'll be something useful. But yeah. That was the decision this week.

I was watching Big Bang Theory all this week! (Also, I'm using crutches. Irrelevant, yet still interesting. I hurt my foot slightly). And there was this really, really geeky part. One of the guys was playing one of those text-based games. If you've never seen those, it's like a video game. But it's only text on a black screen. And you input your movements. So it's like this:

You are in a forest. There is forest to the west. There is a path to the east.
Input:
Go east

There is a forest to the west. There is a field to the east. In the field, there is a tree.
Input:
Go to the tree.

And it goes on just like that, for quite a while. It's kind of boring, and very geeky. Anyways, I thought it was sad that I've actually played stuff like that. It's like, ultimate geekness when you identify with stuff like that show. (Equally geeky is when relationships don't work "because we're not the same kind of geek". It's actually very funny).

Also, I think I've officially decided. I'm a dog person, not a cat person. It's because I don't think I'd like having to wonder whether my pet likes me or not.

5 Really Great Things

Yet another list written with only 1 of the 10 things in mind. Just like the last one, of the 50 things you need (yes, need. NEED!) to know about UBC.
(Speaking of that- I read a blog at the UBC BLOG TEAM about how they were ultimately disappointed by UBC. Hey, traitor, stop insulting our school!)

Anyways. The 5 Really Great Things, in no particular order, or with any particular relation to each other. (Are you surprised? Shouldn't be. It's like the weather forecast for my mind is always tornado. Did that make sense?)

1. Netflix. Which we just got. And since I'm a movie addict- but only from 12-3AM or in the afternoon when the house is boringly empty- I like the instant streaming thing. I mostly watch creepy horror, which is a bad choice when I'm awake by myself late at night.

2. Big Bang Theory! TV shows with originality are back! It's not a doctor show or a detective-y show! YAY!

3. Xbox 360! I just got one (yeah, I know. Took me long enough to get around to it). But it's cool playing without that PC lag. Also, my sibs and I have had a grand time screaming at the guy in Assassin's Creed!

4. The fact that it rained today- but it won't necessarily rain every day for the next month! Appreciate that!

5. Really unhealthy cereal.

This used to be a list of 10 things, but I think a little suspense never hurt anyone. (Also, some of my other ideas of things for the list were a little controversial. Such as 'copious drug use,' because I'm on painkillers because my foot hurts a lot, and it's a long story, but, ew. And 'breaking up with jerks,' but that just sounds mean. And 'the end of the movie I'm watching,' but that would be a spoiler. And 'my plan for tomorrow,' but then it wouldn't be a super awesome secret anymore. And so the list has been shortened).

Anyways. Here's today's lesson: (didn't you notice there's always a lesson?)

Go watch Big Bang on netflix while eating cereal and being thankful it isn't raining.

Come to think of it, you should also be glad I don't state the moral of the story more often, because when you put it like that, it just sounds too easy. And makes me feel like I should be teaching something deeper. So... go contemplate... stuff? And eat cereal!

Should I be using tags on these entries? Hmm...

Also, know what's super weird? I realized that people sometimes speak French in my dreams. Very random.

Here's how to survive UBC. 50 great tips!

Ages ago (seriously, AGES) I asked people to take my survey. And I finally read the results!
Thank you to the TWO PEOPLE that replied! I love you both. So, so much. (One was my mom).

(The other was someone who's going to UBC next year and reads other stuff I've written. And so this is a message to that person- tell me who you are, because you didn't log in! And I would love love love to drag you all around UBC and tell you all the cool places and everything. Tell me tell me tell me!)

Anyways, as requested, here is a list of How To Survive UBC.
(Not that it needs surviving. It's a cool place).

HOW TO HAVE AN AWESOME TIME AT UBC
1. It rains. Be prepared for this. Rainboots, a sturdy umbrella, an umbrella that fits in your backpack for days when it doesn't SEEM like it'll rain but later will, a backpack or something that is waterproof, a laptop with a good battery because outlets are scarce in lecture, sports gear (hockey, ski, etc)
2. Sign up for stuff! Lots of it! But not so much that you can't do classwork. But I was on two hockey teams each semester, and it was awesome. Planning on maybe joining the Ski and Board club, too, which is like, the biggest club there.
3. Wear flipflops in the dorm. Everywhere. No bare feet. NO. (I had this cut or something on my foot get infected, so I couldn't walk so well for a few months. Last week, went to a doctor to have it treated, he put this liquid on it, and IT IS SO PAINFUL NOW. Like, agonizing-can't-walk-maybe-I-need-crutches painful. So wear shoes!)
4. A mini fridge is useful- but not mandatory. However, the fridge everyone shares in the common room does get stolen from.
5. Down comforters are awesomely useful, because it gets cold, and you cannot control the heat in your room.
6. Bring decoration for your room- and tape. The poster stuff at the front desk does not work.
7. Speaking of the front desk- they rock! They know everything!
8. Get the smallest meal plan possible. You can upgrade, but you CAN'T downgrade, and any leftover money is put on a stupid cafeteria giftcard of uselessness.
9. Move in as early as possible. It's a hectic day.
10. Campus is dead on the weekends- dead dead dead. So make friends that live on campus so you don't get bored. (OR VISIT ME. Because I love you).
11. If possible, make friends that aren't in the freshman dorms. You will get sick of that place, trust me. It's not like, bad or anything, but you do get tired of the one room arrangement.
12. Do stuff with your floor! DO IT. And do it in the beginning. Because they get close-knit, and if you miss that initial bonding... stuff's awkward.
13. Go into the city! We live in such a cool city. And there is loads to do.
14. There is no wifi in the dorm. Bring a LONG ethernet cable, because you'll want to study on your bed, and you want that cable to reach.
15. The bed is very high up. If you want it lower- do it BEFORE moving your stuff in. Because lowering it requires EVERYTHING to be moved out of the way.
16. Filing taxes- random, but there's a tax clinic the international house does. Extremely useful. A random guy helped me with mine! He was nice. And liked hockey.
17. Make friends. Lots. From lots of different places.
18. Make friends with someone with a kitchen. There are none in freshman rez.
19. Every floor of rez has its own microwave, FYI. No toaster, though.
20. Those electric kettles are useful.
21. Summer storage- very, very little offered on campus, and from what I hear, theirs is small. Just something to think about.
22. The Canucks backup guys practice at the rink in the summer, I believe. Mornings. COOL TO WATCH!
23. School hockey games are awesome! Also, I always want to go to one.
24. AMS offers free tutoring. And at the math annex, there is great math tutoring. I hear we also have a writing centre. And a job centre, to help write resumes and stuff.
25. The buses stop at 2AM, I'm mostly certain.
26. Bus 99 is your best friend. It'll take you just about everywhere. The village (fast food and staples), Safeway (one's on Sasmat and a bigger one's on Broadway), the skytrain station (Cambie is the Canada line- takes you to the airport. Grandview highway is the stop for the commercial station- takes you out to Burnaby and stuff. NOT, I believe, to the airport).
27. Leave lots of time to get to each class. Construction is always going on- and they looove to block the route that is not only fast, but oftentimes THE ONLY GOOD WAY TO GET TO CLASS.
28. Tim Horton's takes your mealcard, and they have awesome hot chocolate, don't they?
29. Late morning classes rock.
30. No, they don't always take attendance, but for heaven's sake, you didn't come here to be mediocre, so go to class! Every day! And workshop! All of those too!
31. Use the prof's office hours if you need help. They're nice.
32. The beach is clothing optional, FYI. Also, there are 500 stairs of death to get down to it. No lighting at night.
33. It does snow. Plan accordingly. Jacket, gloves, scarf.
34. Dorm life is like living in public, basically. Doors are always open. Do with that what you will.
35. There's a No Frills far down Alma street (I heard there's a smarter way to get there than I use) and they are cheaper than Safeway. Also- Safeway is only a good deal if you have a card, and the card is free!
36. Granville stop on the 99- you'll find a Chapters bookstore here. Great store!!
37. Go to Grouse mountain! It's pretty.
38. Get your textbooks EARLY. Because they don't stock enough of them, and the bookstore is closed Sundays. (I know, right? It's so stupid).
39. Having your own printer is extremely useful! However, if you opt not to (I advise against this, but whatever) there is one at the library across from the SUB. You will need a printing card. There is one printer for everyone in the computer room (AKA the Harry Potter room- looks like Hogwarts in there!)
40. Buchannan buildings are like those moving staircases in Harry Potter. Extremely confusing. Leave extra time to get to classes there- you may get lost
41. Arts advising is in the Buchannan D building, I believe. Bug them with schedule stuff. They also schedule counselor drop-in.
42. Microwave locations: Buch D AMS "lounge" (you can sleep here), Geography building (can sometimes sleep here. Nice couches- but limited supply).
43. Your RA will be so super nice. Seriously, I can basically promise that. I had two, and both were so sweet!
44. Do things with your floor. Join the random group of people in the house lounge. They're friendly! Also, signs are posted on your floor with things to do.
45. The gym at the rez does not have an elleptical. It has a treadmill. If you workout a lot- the bird coop, next to the SUB, is $25 per semester. They have a lot of machines, but peak times (most times), it's very busy. There are lockers, or cubbies. Still a cool gym though.
46. You won't need much food-related stuff, but you will need: microwavable coffee mug (or two), paper plates if you plan to reheat stuff, plastic spoons/forks, popcorn, reusable water bottle, if you get tea remember to get sugar too, tuperware. Sounds like a complete list.
47. When doing laundry, set a timer in your room! The laundry room is in the basement. If you don't get down there as your clothes are finished in the washer or dryer, someone WILL most times just dump them on top of the dryer/washer.. or on the floor. It happens. Frequently. Also, washers and dryers suck, particularly the dryer, doesn't dry at all! Leave time for double cycles. And laundry takes like, 2 hours, FYI. Also, people HATE it when you do it past like, 10PM. So don't.
48. The Pendullum has good quesadillas, but they don't take the mealcard. The Chinese food place across from them is good, no mealcard. The burger place, where you order through the window in the wall, is good. Blue Chip Mountain Co or whatever, is good (but don't steal someone's travel mug like I did. Oops. Sorry, person!). I hear the bagel place is great. (none of those places take the mealcard). Across from the outpost, where you can buy stamps and get a PO box and there's a mini post office.
49. Movie theatre in the SUB- so awesome! Shows new movies after they're released, super cheap, popcorn, nice people work there, usually few people show up!
50. Talk to me! I already love you. And, as you can probably already tell, I love talking to people.

So, there's 50 tips for how to make UBC awesome for you.

Also, it's now 1:04 AM. College has made me a vampire. (PS- you won't get tan at UBC).

nothing particularly interesting

I keep spelling "particularly" wrong today. And for some reason, I've had to use it a lot. But I forget that first L every. single. time. It's sorta weird.

Speaking of weird, I realized I have a thing for really, really unhealthy cereal. Like, chocolate, frosted, sugary, anything.

Also, I hurt my foot so I can't walk, and not being able to go to the gym is driving me crazy. Cos I usually go every single day. And 7 days a week to 0 is a big drop.

Someone brought us this guacamole/hummus thing, and it's really good. I have no idea where they got it, but if you see it, get it. (For you, I mean. Not for me.)
(But I won't stop you if you want to give it to me).

And, here's a really funny picture:

That was in our apartment in Munich.

And I just realized it's in German, so... everyone might not get it? But I still think it's funny.

Summer and skiing and stuff!

I've been doing stuff!
(um, obviously).

1. Lots of reading for my classes. There is no photo of this; that's because all it would show is a very frustrated me reading a really heavy textbook that I have more than once given myself a bruise with on accident. (Maybe because I was trying to hit my brother with it. Who knows what causes these things).

2. We went skiing!
More pics at that album over there ---->
also, my sister was there. She just wasn't in any pictures. So, no, we didn't lock her in the lodge or anything. (I swear! Don't listen to her!)

3. We also went to my cousin's wedding! It was lovely :) Also, my dress was gorgeous. Just saying.

Lots (okay, like 3?) more pictures at my picasa album! SO LOOK AT IT! IT'S SUPER AWESOME. (please please please?). You'll get the bonus awesomeness of a hilarious picture of my brother blowing bubbles.

Santa Cruz!

I'm in Santra Cruz for the next few days, visiting my best friend :) UCSC is really awesome, from what I saw of it. There's a prarie out before the school, where they have cows that are, apparently, "seasonal." :D And then it's just a lot of forest. Lots and lots of forest.
It's super weird to see my friend's room, too- I skype her allllllll the time while I'm at school, and I imagined her room to be one way, so when I walked in, it was basically a mirror image and totally different. Very surreal.
Also, it's SO WARM AND SUNNY!
On a sidenote, I'm told it was 41 in Vancouver today.

Airport. Yeah. Again.

Got delayed as usual. Only 15 minutes this time (so far).
It's raining a lot in Seattle, juuust like Vancouver. So that's very, very, very familiar. It's also really foggy here, but they're still flying; they should teach that skill to all the airlines that deal with SFO. I'm sooo tired of hearing "delayed because of fog in San Francisco." That's like saying "delayed because there's air. And we just can't deal with that." There's ALWAYS fog in San Francisco! That's what San Francisco does! It fogs! Or fogifies. Or whatever.

What they should do is say something interesting. I mean, we all know it'll be fog, right? (for the record, I have no idea why we're delayed right now. I'm just thinking about the fog thing). But they should say something interesting. Like, "delayed due to the giant lizard monster sitting on the runway."
Yeah. That'd be cool.



Here's a video featuring a giant lizard monster, coincidentally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVl8vfev4L8

Happy lizard-fearing.

we're gonna party like it's the end of the semester

If you couldn't tell, I've got 2012 (It Ain't The End) on a loop. That song's funny, says "we're gonna party like it's the end of the world, like it's 2012"

Aaaanyways.
Had my very last final today! It was geobio and it was okay. Not awesome or anything. Some surprise stuff like, "which line on the graph is which?" and I'd thought all we had to do was understand how to read it, not memorize the mirror-image lines and which was on which side. Because I think they're interchangeable.

Moved out of my dorm yesterday, watched the Canucks game (Not one word, Sharks fans. I swear, if we'd lost, I'd have stayed in Van to sulk with the rest of the nucks fans), got my skates sharpened for the last time (free, because I'm his favourite- I kid you not. I get a lot of special treatment in the hockey world, being a girl and all. It's awesome). Got a storage locker thing- it's called a "skylocker," which is a fancy word for "storage thing that's closer to the ceiling than the floor, have fun with that ladder and your heavy suitcases."
Ended up coming home with only four bags, but only two count. One's got a comforter and the other's a hockey bag, so there's only two bags with actual clothes and stuff. I'm impressed with myself (as usual).

So now we're hanging out at the airport. And the gate is waaaay out, too. Even farther than I usually have to go.
Oh, and I hate horizon/alaska air. Because apparently, hockey sticks aren't included with a hockey bag. What do they want me to do, play without a stick..?

Also, it's raining. Last lovely weather send-off.

"If he'd just pay me what he's paying them to stop me from robbing him, I'd stop robbing him!"

There's a real western vibe around here, given the fact that the campus is like a ghost town.
Ghost campus?
By the way, you can get married in a ghost town. And it's actually super cool. Or, on a cruise ship. Maybe then the Captain can do the marrying stuff. That'd be cool too.

Anyways. This here's a ghost town, y'all.
Actually, that was more southern than western.

This here campus, it's a ghost town. Ain't nothing 'round but these here stragglers.
There we go. Western-y.

Anyhow, it's super empty. There were a lot of cars around this weekend, people packing up and stuff. Real quiet in the dorms especially. Ain't no one in this here ghost town.
(I'll stop now. Really).

The internet's been down in my room since Friday. I thought I was bored before- and now the internet's gone. I've already read all the non-textbook books in my room (two) and boxed up everything for storage, and unpacked it because I kept boxing up stuff I needed and then repacking it again.
(I've used up lots of packing tape).

Also, everything on campus was closed, as it's the Easter long weekend. Which is Friday. and Sunday. And Monday. So it's sort of inconvenient.

I get to go home Wednesday :)

Did you notice the page revamp? and a quick test

(Seriously, you'd better have noticed the page revamp)

just want to take a second to point out all the new and super exciting features:

1. The background. That's a picture I took on Cypress, and I'm super proud of myself for getting it to work on the template. I had to compress it and resize it and everything. All by myself. (Maybe I did inherit some of my dad's engineering genius after all). Title's redone too- but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to get that tagline out of Arial. Well, consider it a stylistic choice.

2. You can now get RSS feed updates by email! So enter your email into that white bar on the right, and you'll get updates sent straight to your email.

3. Flickr photostream. Surprisingly difficult to set up. Anyways, that's all my pictures.

4. My favourite online places- yeah, they're still the same. But look how cool they are!

That's about it for the updates, really. Awesome, though, isn't it?

Also- here are ten random things. Prize for the person who already knew all of them. (Honour system, and also, I can read your mind, so I know if you're lying).
1. I tan really easily
2. I'm super picky when it comes to clothes
3. I cannot cut peaches well. Seriously, I'm incapable of it.
4. Speaking of peaches, at one point, I was in love with white peaches.
5. I'm bad at painting my nails, and always ruin them within five seconds because I can't wait for them to dry
6. I like swingsets
7. I think my elbows are double-jointed
8. I wear a lot of blue, and my room at home has a lot of blue, and I'm not quite sure how that happened, but it's cool.
9. I'm a total trekkie.
10. I love reading anything medical.

Anyone know all of those things?



(if you couldn't tell already, i'm bored out of my mind, still a week and a half until i go home, and all my exciting plans for this week don't start until tuesday night).

Pics from today

New pictures are up on flikr :) I took a bunch when I went to get that book.

Easily reached through
http://flavors.me/sunshine0024

the plan for today

Still studying econ for the final next week (on part one of chapter eight, twelve chapters total).
Woke up at noon (again), and studied for a bit.
Then decided I'm sick of studying and that I want to go get the book I'm dying to read that came out two days ago. (Two kisses for maddy- kind of a memoir. Super adorable and sad. Story of the blog writer at mattlogelin.com)
Also, I'm wearing these killer awesome heels today, because I want to see if I'll be able to wear them for a whole night next week. (Nightclub on the 19th, Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange on the 21st !!!)

They're pretty:




Weather's doing that thing where it's bright, but not sunny and definitely not warm. This still, after all this time, confuses me.

And look how cute this is! Found it online somewhere or other:
Solves for i <3 u! (The <3 is a heart, btw)

Anyways. Off to get my book and break in my pretty shoes!