At some point everyone needs to start over. You reach a point where what you're doing just isn't going the direction you wanted so you take the paper you're writing on, crumple it up, toss it to the side, and start writing on a fresh sheet. Metaphorically speaking that is, we can't exactly crumple the internet. But we can try to take a step back and try to figure out what's working and what isn't and hopefully move forward with a renewed sense of direction and a fresh serving of perspective. (Is anyone else thinking of Ratatouille right now? No? Just me? Alright.)
A step backwards:
As I've grown up I've had the opportunity to travel a fair bit. I love travelling, seeing new places and experiencing new cultures. Often I've wondered what it would be like to have grown up somewhere else, what things would be similar, what would be different, what views and opinions are held by people my age that have grown up with a different society/culture/government/etc. So I started writing on a blog, with others of my age but all of us from different places. The blog was an opportunity for us to meet each other, learn about each other, and form friendships with each other. It started out really well but somewhere along the way life came in with exams, homework, jobs, school, etc. and the blog got set to the side. Life, however, is always going to be busy so it's up to us to make room in it for the blog and that's what I'm going to try to do.
Moving forwards:
I promise to make room in my life, not only for writing on the blog but for all of you and for your friendship. I will try not to miss another Thursday this year (though Aug. 30th may not happen because of planes and jet lag and crossing too many time zones for my brain to understand dates and times). I'll put more thought and consideration into what I write. Rather than listing facts about me and things that I've done I'll try to show more of who I am, the things that matter to me, and the things that make me who I am. Moving forwards I can't promise perfection but I do promise I will try.
Don't Forget To Be Awesome,
-Kim
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Rekindling the flame?
Hey guys.
Remember when the blog was new? Remember that exciting honeymoon period when we each couldn't wait to write our next post? When we spent time thinking about the theme we'd chosen for the week, or the questions we were going to ask each other?
The truth is, I know I've been busy and I haven't been good about writing, and so have you, but I miss those days. Could we maybe try to bring them back?
I think Sim said something really important in her recent email when she said that the blog was about getting to know each other. Maybe we should be trying to do that again. The past year I've been doing a lot of growing and changing– I'm not really the same person I was when I first started writing to you guys. I suspect each of you can understand something of what I mean. Even though we may know a few facts about each other, that doesn't really mean we know each other, especially when we, as humans, are so changeable. Getting to know, and continuing to know, one another takes active participation on everyone's part.
The point? I want to share a little more of who I am with you guys, and I want to see each of you do the same. The fact that we are all friends is a pretty amazing thing, and not to use this opportunity --this blog-- to connect with each other is a huge waste.
Don't feel like I'm trying to lecture anyone-- I'm talking to myself just as much as to you. I just... I don't know. I feel sort of convicted about it, for some reason. I want to know you guys. I really do.
I'm going to take the first step. Here are my rules for the summer (these are for me personally, but you can choose to follow them as well):
1. I will not miss another Saturday for the rest of the summer.
2. I will not write any short and impersonal "this is what happened to me recently" posts– I'll actually have something to say.
3. You can ask me any question (within reason, obviously) in a post or a comment, and I will do my best to answer it honestly in my next post.
So there ya go.
DFTBA,
Emily
P.S. We really do need to make that "Life in a Day" thing a reality.
Remember when the blog was new? Remember that exciting honeymoon period when we each couldn't wait to write our next post? When we spent time thinking about the theme we'd chosen for the week, or the questions we were going to ask each other?
The truth is, I know I've been busy and I haven't been good about writing, and so have you, but I miss those days. Could we maybe try to bring them back?
I think Sim said something really important in her recent email when she said that the blog was about getting to know each other. Maybe we should be trying to do that again. The past year I've been doing a lot of growing and changing– I'm not really the same person I was when I first started writing to you guys. I suspect each of you can understand something of what I mean. Even though we may know a few facts about each other, that doesn't really mean we know each other, especially when we, as humans, are so changeable. Getting to know, and continuing to know, one another takes active participation on everyone's part.
The point? I want to share a little more of who I am with you guys, and I want to see each of you do the same. The fact that we are all friends is a pretty amazing thing, and not to use this opportunity --this blog-- to connect with each other is a huge waste.
Don't feel like I'm trying to lecture anyone-- I'm talking to myself just as much as to you. I just... I don't know. I feel sort of convicted about it, for some reason. I want to know you guys. I really do.
I'm going to take the first step. Here are my rules for the summer (these are for me personally, but you can choose to follow them as well):
1. I will not miss another Saturday for the rest of the summer.
2. I will not write any short and impersonal "this is what happened to me recently" posts– I'll actually have something to say.
3. You can ask me any question (within reason, obviously) in a post or a comment, and I will do my best to answer it honestly in my next post.
So there ya go.
DFTBA,
Emily
P.S. We really do need to make that "Life in a Day" thing a reality.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Eurocup 2012!
My life is currently boring and unchanging. I hardly leave the house (I swear I'm getting cabin fever), I keep looking for jobs and applying for jobs and not hearing back on any of them, it's very frustrating.
So let's talk about news elsewhere!
In national news Toronto has banned plastic bags. The mayor wanted to get rid of the 5cent fees on plastic bags and then a council member went "Hey, why don't we just get rid of them altogether?" and the rest of council thought "That's a great idea!" So they banned plastic bags while the mayor facepalmed and started contemplating the effects of this hasty decision.
In local news plans for the new downtown arena continue and seem to be slowly gaining more support than when it was initially proposed. The city is also gearing up for the Edmonton Indy which takes place this weekend! I think, I don't really pay attention to racing that much.
In weather we are expecting rain throughout central and southern Alberta for the rest of the week. Generally appreciated throughout the prairies but a bit concerning in towards the mountains where a couple of rivers are already spilling over their banks just from the seasonal run-off and snow melt.
In sports news (other than the Indy) UEFA Euro 2012 starts tomorrow and I'm super excited!!! I'd love to see Netherlands win it all but I'm thinking it'll be a Spanish win, Germany in 2nd, Netherlands in 3rd, and England 4th. We'll see how it goes though, it'll be an exciting few weeks!
Well I think that's all I have for news.
DFTBA,
-Kim
So let's talk about news elsewhere!
In national news Toronto has banned plastic bags. The mayor wanted to get rid of the 5cent fees on plastic bags and then a council member went "Hey, why don't we just get rid of them altogether?" and the rest of council thought "That's a great idea!" So they banned plastic bags while the mayor facepalmed and started contemplating the effects of this hasty decision.
In local news plans for the new downtown arena continue and seem to be slowly gaining more support than when it was initially proposed. The city is also gearing up for the Edmonton Indy which takes place this weekend! I think, I don't really pay attention to racing that much.
In weather we are expecting rain throughout central and southern Alberta for the rest of the week. Generally appreciated throughout the prairies but a bit concerning in towards the mountains where a couple of rivers are already spilling over their banks just from the seasonal run-off and snow melt.
In sports news (other than the Indy) UEFA Euro 2012 starts tomorrow and I'm super excited!!! I'd love to see Netherlands win it all but I'm thinking it'll be a Spanish win, Germany in 2nd, Netherlands in 3rd, and England 4th. We'll see how it goes though, it'll be an exciting few weeks!
Well I think that's all I have for news.
DFTBA,
-Kim
Friday, June 1, 2012
A Triumphant Return...of sorts...
Hello All,
It seems like months since I last posted, and it probably has been. Sorry about that.
The main reason I've been away is because I've been really busy preparing for university and for my final exams which are going to take place in a few weeks.
So I'm going to keep this short and sweet. As I haven't really been doing much expect studying, its the only thing I can really talk about. Currently I study Psychology, Biology and English Literature.
- For Psychology, I have to learn three topics. It starts with an essay section on Schizophrenia; the different theoretical causes, treatments and issues with treatment and diagnosing patients. Then I have a section on Anomalous Psychology, otherwise known as Parapsychology. This is basically looking into claims about ESP, Psychokinesis, Spirits/Mediums etc. I despise this topic with a passion. I find it to be the most difficult topic as there is not definitive proof, its 'too wishy-washy' for a scientific brain as my teacher says. The last topic is Research Methods; this is just a section about how to conduct and analyse experiments.
- In Biology, we study a range of topics, this exam in particular focuses on nerve impulses, synapses, feedback, protein synthesis and gene technology.
- In English Lit. I've already completed my coursework which was about gender stereotypes in a range on works including Charles Bukowski and Angela Carter. My exam is split into two sections; one essay about Othello and one essay is a comparison between Doctor Faustus and The Pardoner's Tale, taken from The Canterbury Tales.
I wish I had something more interesting to talk about, but those are the only few things floating around my head at the moment.
In my brief spare moments I watched Crazy, Stupid, Love. I really did not think I was going to enjoy it, but I found it exceeded my expectations. If any of you haven't watched it I highly recommend it. Its about a middle-aged man named Cal (Steve Carell) who ends up separating from his wife and how he tries to rediscover himself after meeting Jacob (Ryan Gosling) in a bar one evening. It's a good laugh and quite sweet too, also Emma Stone is in it and I'd watch anything with her in it!
Soon my exams will be over and I'll be able to talk about more exciting things.
Hope everyone is doing well and hopefully talk to you all soon!
As always, DFTBA
Sim
It seems like months since I last posted, and it probably has been. Sorry about that.
The main reason I've been away is because I've been really busy preparing for university and for my final exams which are going to take place in a few weeks.
So I'm going to keep this short and sweet. As I haven't really been doing much expect studying, its the only thing I can really talk about. Currently I study Psychology, Biology and English Literature.
- For Psychology, I have to learn three topics. It starts with an essay section on Schizophrenia; the different theoretical causes, treatments and issues with treatment and diagnosing patients. Then I have a section on Anomalous Psychology, otherwise known as Parapsychology. This is basically looking into claims about ESP, Psychokinesis, Spirits/Mediums etc. I despise this topic with a passion. I find it to be the most difficult topic as there is not definitive proof, its 'too wishy-washy' for a scientific brain as my teacher says. The last topic is Research Methods; this is just a section about how to conduct and analyse experiments.
- In Biology, we study a range of topics, this exam in particular focuses on nerve impulses, synapses, feedback, protein synthesis and gene technology.
- In English Lit. I've already completed my coursework which was about gender stereotypes in a range on works including Charles Bukowski and Angela Carter. My exam is split into two sections; one essay about Othello and one essay is a comparison between Doctor Faustus and The Pardoner's Tale, taken from The Canterbury Tales.
I wish I had something more interesting to talk about, but those are the only few things floating around my head at the moment.
In my brief spare moments I watched Crazy, Stupid, Love. I really did not think I was going to enjoy it, but I found it exceeded my expectations. If any of you haven't watched it I highly recommend it. Its about a middle-aged man named Cal (Steve Carell) who ends up separating from his wife and how he tries to rediscover himself after meeting Jacob (Ryan Gosling) in a bar one evening. It's a good laugh and quite sweet too, also Emma Stone is in it and I'd watch anything with her in it!
Soon my exams will be over and I'll be able to talk about more exciting things.
Hope everyone is doing well and hopefully talk to you all soon!
As always, DFTBA
Sim
Friday, May 25, 2012
School is too darn expensive
I'm sorry I haven't been posting! My life is in chaos right now, which really isn't a good excuse but yeah, chaos.
I have tonnes to do to get ready for school in the fall, which I'm freaking out about and stressing about, but hardly any of it can even be done yet. It's too early to pay my deposit (which I found out after phoning student finance like five times), I can't make my visa application until I've met all the conditions of the school's offer to me, one of which is paying my deposit (which is the only one I have left to meet), student loan applications aren't available until June so at least that's coming up soon, and I won't be sent any materials lists until July or something silly like that.
Pretty much the only thing I'm able to do right now (other than stress) is work and save up money. The problem is my current job is giving me less than ten hours a week so I have to get a second job to help supplement. So pretty much I just keep looking for jobs and applying for jobs and not hearing back on any of them and so looking for more and applying for more and still not hearing anything and getting frustrated and more stressed and I'm already going to have so much student loan debt and I just need a full time job to help lessen the amount of debt I'm going to be in since I'm going into the arts and won't exactly end up with a fantastic paying job after school to cover all the debt for school but I don't really care because I want to do what I love not what will make me rich but money sucks and I'm stressed!!!! :S
Sorry, just needed to rant there. But actually, that made me think of something somewhat interesting to talk about.
I don't know if this has been on the news outside of Canada at all but for the past few months there's been a lot going on in Quebec. Basically the Quebec government decided that they needed to raise tuition fees at post secondary institutions. The proposed increase would be (if I remember correctly) $200 per year over three years.
Well, the students in Montreal (Quebec's largest city) were very upset with this news and decided to protest the increase. Students went on strike and have been swarming the streets holding protests and demonstrations every day, nothing too violent but it's all been closely monitored by the police, student leaders have been in meetings and negotiations with the government, and classes have been suspended until some kind of agreement is reached.
I have mixed opinions on the whole affair. On the one hand I think that the Quebec students are being spoiled little babies, even after the increases their tuition fees would still be the lowest in the whole country, the majority of them probably don't even have to consider the burden of student loans to afford their education. On the other hand though, having to deal with ridiculously expensive tuition fees, I appreciate what they're trying to do and hope that the notion of post secondary education being affordable will spread elsewhere. And if that's the case I hope they keep fighting the good fight.
Many of you are already in, or starting, university/post secondary so what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think that governments should be doing more to make post secondary education affordable for all or should it be an individual's responsibility? And do you agree with the extreme protests of the Montreal students?
DFTBA,
-Kim
I have tonnes to do to get ready for school in the fall, which I'm freaking out about and stressing about, but hardly any of it can even be done yet. It's too early to pay my deposit (which I found out after phoning student finance like five times), I can't make my visa application until I've met all the conditions of the school's offer to me, one of which is paying my deposit (which is the only one I have left to meet), student loan applications aren't available until June so at least that's coming up soon, and I won't be sent any materials lists until July or something silly like that.
Pretty much the only thing I'm able to do right now (other than stress) is work and save up money. The problem is my current job is giving me less than ten hours a week so I have to get a second job to help supplement. So pretty much I just keep looking for jobs and applying for jobs and not hearing back on any of them and so looking for more and applying for more and still not hearing anything and getting frustrated and more stressed and I'm already going to have so much student loan debt and I just need a full time job to help lessen the amount of debt I'm going to be in since I'm going into the arts and won't exactly end up with a fantastic paying job after school to cover all the debt for school but I don't really care because I want to do what I love not what will make me rich but money sucks and I'm stressed!!!! :S
Sorry, just needed to rant there. But actually, that made me think of something somewhat interesting to talk about.
I don't know if this has been on the news outside of Canada at all but for the past few months there's been a lot going on in Quebec. Basically the Quebec government decided that they needed to raise tuition fees at post secondary institutions. The proposed increase would be (if I remember correctly) $200 per year over three years.
Well, the students in Montreal (Quebec's largest city) were very upset with this news and decided to protest the increase. Students went on strike and have been swarming the streets holding protests and demonstrations every day, nothing too violent but it's all been closely monitored by the police, student leaders have been in meetings and negotiations with the government, and classes have been suspended until some kind of agreement is reached.
I have mixed opinions on the whole affair. On the one hand I think that the Quebec students are being spoiled little babies, even after the increases their tuition fees would still be the lowest in the whole country, the majority of them probably don't even have to consider the burden of student loans to afford their education. On the other hand though, having to deal with ridiculously expensive tuition fees, I appreciate what they're trying to do and hope that the notion of post secondary education being affordable will spread elsewhere. And if that's the case I hope they keep fighting the good fight.
Many of you are already in, or starting, university/post secondary so what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think that governments should be doing more to make post secondary education affordable for all or should it be an individual's responsibility? And do you agree with the extreme protests of the Montreal students?
DFTBA,
-Kim
Sunday, May 20, 2012
China! (and the end of my first year in college)
Ten days, three cities, five concerts, one amazing trip.
I just got back from touring China with my college orchestra. It was really, really incredible. Certainly a trip I'll remember for my entire life. Some memorable moments include climbing the Great Wall, walking through the Forbidden City, and singing karaoke with Chinese college students.
While I was there, I learned a few things. I learned how to better imagine others complexly. I learned that cultural differences can be intimidating, but they're worth overcoming. I learned that first impressions can sometimes be really wrong. And I learned that the most valuable part of any experience like this is the friendships you make along the way.
The trip was really the best way to end the school year. I'm back in Denver with my family now, the first time I've seen them since Christmas. It's good to be back, and it's really great to see how much I've grown in the past year (and even the past ten days!).
In other words: good times, my friends. Good times.
I just got back from touring China with my college orchestra. It was really, really incredible. Certainly a trip I'll remember for my entire life. Some memorable moments include climbing the Great Wall, walking through the Forbidden City, and singing karaoke with Chinese college students.
While I was there, I learned a few things. I learned how to better imagine others complexly. I learned that cultural differences can be intimidating, but they're worth overcoming. I learned that first impressions can sometimes be really wrong. And I learned that the most valuable part of any experience like this is the friendships you make along the way.
The trip was really the best way to end the school year. I'm back in Denver with my family now, the first time I've seen them since Christmas. It's good to be back, and it's really great to see how much I've grown in the past year (and even the past ten days!).
In other words: good times, my friends. Good times.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Hi, Hope you're Well
Firstly I'd just like to say that Emily, your piece was beautiful and thank you for sharing it with us! As for Pottermore I think it's an interesting concept, and a new way of using technology to enhance the reading experience. That being said, I do think there's maybe some bugs to work out, and improvements still to make but I think it's a nice compliment to the books and a way to help keep them going strong even years after the initial publications. There are certain aspects of it I'm not a huge fan of, I feel like a lot of the descriptions are repetitive and oversimplified if you know the books well but I love that we're also getting new information so I'm kind of torn as to what my overall opinion is, I'm interested to see how it goes as it grows and changes are made.
Secondly I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted, life's been a bit hectic lately. I've started getting things organized for school in the fall and I'm looking into all my applications for student loans and a student visa and all that. I've also been looking for a second job for the summer so I can save up a bit more and hopefully not need as much in loans. Pretty much I've been busy but not with anything overly exciting, mostly paper work :S Oh well, once it's all done and fall comes around I'll be back in school and having a grand old time!
DFTBA,
-Kim
Secondly I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted, life's been a bit hectic lately. I've started getting things organized for school in the fall and I'm looking into all my applications for student loans and a student visa and all that. I've also been looking for a second job for the summer so I can save up a bit more and hopefully not need as much in loans. Pretty much I've been busy but not with anything overly exciting, mostly paper work :S Oh well, once it's all done and fall comes around I'll be back in school and having a grand old time!
DFTBA,
-Kim
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