Exams.

Hello. Since I last posted, I handed in my last assignment, classes ended, Mark came and went, we hosted our Wine and Cheese extravaganza, and Edd arrived.

I have a final exam in a few hours, but I can't be bothered to study. I've done pretty well on the assignments in the class, and I looked at old copies of the final exam which are so easy... Basic common sense, really. So therefore, motivation is nil. But since Edd shipped himself off to London, Ontario to simultaneously visit relatives and allow me time to study, I should probably use that to my advantage.

BC People: I'll be back on Saturday afternoon, and raring to see you and do fun things.

T.O. People: I'll be back January 5th

Happy end of term, everyone!

World Aids Day.

First off, a reminder that today is World Aids Day. Though we're only reminded to do so once a year, it's important to remember those who are forced to deal with the reality of HIV/Aids every single day of their lives. So do it, punk.

My wonderful friend Mark, or 'Muck' as he is affectionately referred to, flew into Toronto last night from the Old Country of England. We haven't seen him in over 2 years, so it's been fantastic for him to be incapsulated in our borders once again! He is working busily on his Ph.D. at Nottingham University, so he deserves this break. Hopefully we're able to show him a decent time, what with all the studying I have to do in betweem socializing.

On an academic note, I got some marks back for my Global Warming and Waste Management classes today. I am happy to annouce that some of my hard work this term has paid off, which is comforting, seeing as I spend most of my non-lecture time holed up in this room, studying. I can't believe exams are just a couple weeks away!

And I am still trying to decide whether I should try to change my major in Environment and Resource Management to a Specialist, or if that will only further complicate a complicated 5-year degree. If changing to a Specialist means extra time is need here, then I say forget it, but if not, it would mean I would have an Honours Bachelor with a Specialist and a Double Minor, which is pretty ambitious. We'll see what's on offer for summer school first. I keep 'flip-flopping' on my summer plans. Everytime I think I've made a decision, I change my mind. I have three options:

a) go back to BC for the summer and work full-time
b) stay here and take summer school while working part-time
c) go to Europe and mooch all over again (ok, I can dream)

I guess it's asinine to try to figure this out now, what with it being only December. I just felt like putting it out there though, thereby relieving my stress temporarily. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Ok, ok. Time to hit the books.

Goodbye, Lenin.

My lack of posting lately is directly correlated to my academic obligations. I had round two of my Global Warming mid-term yesterday, and I was determined to do far better on this one than the last, though I acknowledge half the class failed the first midterm (possibly including myself) as a result of the professor's ludicrously high expectations. And I think I achieved reasonable succes, since I knew the answers to all the essay-style questions and only 2 or 3 out of the 30-odd short answers. It's good to know that 2 weeks of solid studying for this midterm may have actually paid off.

My focus on this course, however, has left me miserably behind in my readings for my other classes. I also have to write an essay for my Major British Writer's class by Friday, though I think I'd rather stick forks into my eyes. I am sorry, but I can not *stand* English as an academic subject anymore. I enjoyed it to a reasonable degree in high school but by the time I hit 3rd year university, I couldn't care less about writing pointless essays that I personally don't feel enhance the English literature experience for either myself or for my professors. Though some people would certainly argue otherwise, and I am a big supporter of art appreciation in its many forms, I do not see how studying Milton will solve the political crisis in the Middle East nor provide access to food or medical attention for those starving masses displaced by civil war in Sudan. I just find that for myself, studying English literature is incredibly irrelevant to anything I care about in my life, i.e. social justice issues. Pah.

Sara and I watched Goodbye Lenin tonight. It was an interesting film which focused on a DDR family trying to adjust to a Re-unified Germany, and though most films portray life in Eastern Germany as horrid and ideologically backwards, this film portrayed it in a much more empathetic manner than I was expecting. Of course the film doesn't deny that there were loads of negative things that came with living in a (let's face it) totalitarian state but it showed how those who people had never known any other kind of life loved it for what it was - familiar, and thereby comforting. Good film.

And I can officially say, Edd arrives from the hinterland in 3 weeks!! Just in time to watch me have a nervous breakdown as final exams begin!

Global Warming and Bubble Tea.

The end of another school week is upon us. However, rather than spend Friday night in an inebriated state, I spent it reading articles about the effects of increased CO2 emissions on the world's forests, followed by some more articles on the effects of increased GHGs (greenhouse gases) on agriculture. And unsurprisingly, these articles conveyed plenty of bad news. I think one of the most depressing things I read last night was that:

"There is a mismatch between beneficial projected climatic effects and low population growth and conversely, negative climatic effects and high population growth. A major concern is rice production in low latitudes, especially Southeast Asia, where yields are likely to reduce by 5% for each degree of C rise." - Taubes, G

As if people in the developing world don't have it bad enough, even global warming is biased against them. Not to mention that most of the GHG emissions originate from the western world in the first place. Why, oh why did I pick such a depressing field of study? (Probably because I can't help caring about it.)

Yesterday's highlight was going for bubble tea with Billie-Ann and Heather. I am trying so very hard to ween myself off bubble tea, or at the very least, get my addiction under control. Everyone who knows me well, knows that I am slightly obsessed with bubble tea. In my defense, my b.t. supply in New Zealand was very limited, so I nobely went a year without the stuff. Now, I'm trying not to fall into a daily habit with the stuff, which is not easy, seeing that there are no less than 5 shops within 100 metres of my front door. (Christ, I sound like I'm talking about a crystal meth addiction.)

The rest of weekend will also be relatively mundane as well, as I have a paper due and a hardcore mid-term to write at the end of next week, and I *cannot* get anything less than good grades on them...

My new ridiculous hat. And no, of course it's not real fur. What kind of vegetarian would I be if it were? 

Before going out for Hallowe'en celebratin'! 

First Snowflakes of the Season

At 3:30 pm this afternoon, while we were watching Kids, we witnessed the first snowflakes of the season falling. Heather got very excited, and I got slightly depressed. Though I know this means great things for snowboarding, I really despise snow in the city as someone who walks everywhere. Who wants to have sopping wet pant legs throughout their 4-hour streak of lectures in chilly theatres? Not me. However, despite my resentment toward those little white f**kers, I took a photo standing our 'yard' embracing the snowflakes. Nothing like cursing out snow.

I' m also trying to figure out how to host photos in my blog. So let's see if this works. (And if it does, it's me in my new ridiculous hat!).

Desperate Times.

I was doing my daily surfing around of various news sites, and I came across this:

Ground Zero Suicide Inspired by Election. You can read the story here.

Heather and I were discussing it, and we agreed that though he did make his point quite explicit, after the news hype has passed, he is ultimately dead, and for what? How will his death improve the political situation? He was a young guy, and Bush's reign is only another 4 years, so it seems pretty drastic to end his life over the election results. I better call my American friends and make sure they're not having such a hard time with the election outcome.

Presidential Election.

In light of the recent events with the US election, I wanted to post an email I received from my wonderful American friend, Dan. Sadly, Dan lives in Austin, Texas - a liberal city surrounded by an ultra-conversvative and fundamentalist state. Feel sorry for Dan....

Dear everyone I know,

This is mostly for my friends who live outside the United States. I'm
sorry. I'm sorry that my country just said in a clear voice that we
hate homosexuals, that we don't care about global peace, that we want
women to get abortions in back allies with wire hangers, and that global
economic stability is not of real concern. The US is now under
"Christan" control. Soon Justice Jesus will be appointed to the Supreme
Court. I guess that is of less importance to non-Americans than the
further "preemptive" wars we will soon be waging. Just so you know, it
may become harder to communicate with me once Patriot Act 3 forces the
censorship of all communication in to and out of the country. I want
you to know that I have valued our friendship.

Good by for now,
- Dan


I wish Bush luck uniting such a divided country.

Roll the Dice.

With Hallowe'en fast approaching, the time has come to get creative and make our costumes. Heather and I have decided to be a pair of dice (we may have 'borrowed' the idea from my amazing friend Colleen) , so if you came to our house this evening, you would've found us in the backyard spray painting cardboard boxes white. And if you didn't know why we were doing that, you'd probably think we were insane, which is partly true regardless. However, we're about halfway through painting our costumes, and we're now out of spray paint. And don't even mention the black dots we're supposed to have... We haven't sorted that part out yet.

This is all in preparation for tomorrow night which is, as far as I'm concerned, the real Hallowe'en night. Like many adults (sigh), I can't go out on Sunday night as I have class Monday morning so we are all celebrating it tomorrow night. Promises to be well hectic. Raise the roof, yo.

In other news, my professor said that some of the midterms he was marking for Global Warming were as low as 20%. Jesus Christ. If several students got such horrid grades and did study, perhaps this should be an indication that the midterm was set far too hard. Results come out on Monday. Pray for me.

Season's Passes.

Despite my strong opinions on the quality (or lack) of Ontario's skiing and snowboarding spots, I bought a season's pass for Blue Mountain. After being away from the mountains in Vancouver for so long, I welcome the opportunity to snowboard on any mountain of considerable size. I am eagerly anticipating snowfall (you better not ruin this season for me, Global Warming). I think I may get a new snowboard to celebrate, as mine is pretty old now (after those bastards stole my beautiful Canadian made Jackson board, I bought a used one off my sister's friend, but it's embarassingly old). I am not a pretentious snowboarder but I prefer not to be laughed off the slopes either.

In other news, I am working from 7 pm - 4 am tonight. Nothing like folding clothes at 4 in the morning.

Mid-October Hecticity

Busy times, people. Busy times. Ask any University of Toronto student (and likely any student at a North American university) how they're doing come mid-October, their response will probably be something very self-pitying/exasperated/hopeless. For you see, within the university community, mid-October is synonymous with midterms! Or, if a student doesn't have any midterms, they surely have essays. Or projects. Or presentations. And so forth. My poor flatmate had 4 (!!) midterms within a 72 hour period. He has my utmost respect forever.

While I may not have reason to complain as much as he does, my plate is also quite full at the moment. Come 8 pm next Wednesday evening, I will be free of any pressing academic commitments for a substantial three weeks. I am still pretty sick, am working 9-hour shifts at work and trying to do reasonably well on all my assigments at the same time. It's not easy, kids. I think students don't get nearly as much respect as they deserve.

Today I studied for 6 hours in the Engineering Commons area (I like to study in environments that have absolutely no relation to the topic I am reading) and I decided there is something more annoying that a first-year university student. That is a first-year Engineering student. These kids I overheard while studying were really obnoxious. And while I support women in Engineering as much as the next feminist, I was unimpressed with the way these girls handled themselves, using their sexualities and gender to gain attention. "Like, oh my god, I actually kissed my best friend when I was drunk", I (over)heard this particularly annoying girl say in a loud voice, clearly to attract the interest of nearby boys. Pah.

On to a much better topic, I saw Jamie Cullum last night at the Phoenix. If you don't know who he is, and you enjoy contemporary jazz (or even if you don't think you do), make a point to listen to his album 'twentysomething'. He's only 24, but he is such a taleneted pianist and singer that he has been dubbed the 'Elton John of 2000' and had the second largest grossing album in his native UK last year. This being said, his cd doesn't do justice to him; this kid is electric live. You wouldn't guess it from the cd, but he gets so hectic during his performance (he is pretty damn young, in his favour). My favourite "Jamie-is-crazy" moment was when he climbed atop an 8-foot high speaker while taking a swig of beer before leaping off the speaker, running full-steam across the stage and JUMPING up onto the piano. Literally. And this is his normal performance behaviour. He said that he now has a hard time renting a piano in Toronto, after his last performance here which was broadcast on the arts channel, and showed him getting slightly 'animated' with his piano. Jamie rules. To give due credit, where credit is deserved: thank you Billie-Ann for sharing him.

Anyway, it's time to return to my marathon study session... There are carbon cycles to learn about! And it's only 9:1o pm.

Wilkommen.

Hello! I decided that perhaps part of the reason I never updated my old blog was because I was bored of the format (not to mention the fact that I *am* lazy), so I introduce to you needsmoredogs.com. One of the great aspects of this site is that I can actually post photos into my text, which is exciting.I make no claims that I will update a particular amount of times per week, but I will try to be a bit more 'on top of things' than I am at the moment.

So, my last entry on my other blog left us at the end of Week 1. A month has since passed, with nothing particularly groundbreaking having occurred. However, I will employ the use of hyperbole to make things seem more excitant. Or on second thought, perhaps I won't.


My house continues to be a pleasant place to live. My room is finally starting to look like a normal person's bedroom, now that I've purchased some bedroom essentials, like bed sheets and rubbish bins (intriguing read, surely.) I will continue to decorate my room until I am satisfied with it. One my favourite aspects of the rooms is also the most challenging... the high, high ceiling and consequently, all the white wall space I have to endeavour to dress. I considered painting, but just the hassle of commiting myself to a colour was overwhelming, so I decided to adopt the typical university student approach to home decor: posters, posters, posters!

As for the academic aspect of my life, things are going well enough. I have only handed in one piece of assesment thus far, so it's hard to say what my grades will look like come spring time, but I hope that they won't be horrid. I really enjoy my classes this semester, as two of them are actually relevant to both my program and personal interests: Urban Waste Management and Global Warming. The former is suprisingly fun for a class that focuses on, well, waste, and the latter is filled with computer models which predict the ensuing environmental devestation of our current behaviour. The class is a very sobering experience, and is taught by an internationally renowned scientist in the field, Professor Danny Harvey. Me being the nerd I am, I couldn't help but compliment him after a particularly complext yet interesting lecture, so now we have this routine that whenever we see one another outside of the classroom, he waves at me (no small feat for a big, impersonal institution like U of T). I, in return, shout some sort of congraulatory message about his lecturing skills, and I walk away feeling nerdy, yet comforted, knowing that my compliments can't be harming my grades.

My mother came out last week for a visit, which was wonderful. I hadn't seen her since before I left for New Zealand, so it had been 16 months! I can't even find the necessary words to express how happy I was to be in her presence after so long. When I was younger, I used to be fiercely proud of my so-called 'independence' which had led me to Toronto alone, away from my much-loved family, for university. I remember how I was both scared and excited to be moving across the country, but far more thrilled than scared, since I viewed it as a great opportunity for me to once again prove my 'self-sufficiency'. However, four years on, I am beginning to realize just how important being somewhat near to my family is.... I know it's incredibly cliche, but life is too short not to spend it near those who you love dearly, and these days I crave being near my family. Especially surrounded by my flatmates and friends who, for the most part, are from the Toronto area and see their families frequently, and thus cannot really understand where I'm coming from first-hand. But everyone is very supportive.

Anyway, her visit was by all accounts, a success. We walked more than I can recall ever walking with her, as the weather was sunny and accomodating, and the distances never too far. I'd rather not list everything we did, as that would be tedious, however, I will pick out the highlights: going to Niagara Falls, Toronto's Centre Island (which doesn't hold a candle to Stanley Park back home), and the Picasso Cermaics Exhibit which is being held at U of T and is the second place in North America to get it. I also finally visited my godfamily, after 3 years. It was wonderful to see 'family' again, and I vow to go visit them at least once every couple months. There really is no excuse not to (and the free food don't hurt either!).

So I'll end this here, because I have an essay due shortly, and I have yet to start. I will update more shortly though (I promise this one!)