I think it’s fair to say that, as kids, we all have the same fears: creepy noises, scary faces, the dark, et cetera. Fortunately, we (read: some of us) get over those fears when we grow through our teenage years and into adulthood. As adults, our fears are rooted deeper in reality. So here are a few of my scary adult Halloween stories.
Month: October 2015
A Note on Horror
Sometimes I think that the only people who can honestly say they enjoy horror movies must be serial killers. My relationship with the entire genre of horror has always been a bit strained. Even though I know the movies are make-believe, (or mostly, seeing as how those 5 little words “based on a true story” seem to be worming their way onto the big screen more often these days), I just can’t bring myself to watch them. I want to watch Anne Hathaway find out that she’s a princess, or Batman saving Gotham, not people getting chopped up, or hunted, or haunted. The way I see it, there’s enough terrifying stuff on the news to put me into a permanently paranoid state of mind. Why feed the fear with horror movies?
Do You Even Lift?
Happy crunch time at UTM, everybody!
Midterms, tests, assignments, shifts at work, the December exam schedule coming out—the struggle is real at this time of year. The leaves may be turning pretty colours and pumpkin spice lattes are all the rage (shout-out to Starbucks!), but that does not change the fact that we each have roughly ten billion things that need our attention.
How I Do a Whole Lot of Nothing
What Better Way to Chill Than Being a Wizard?
Where does one try to relax after a hard day’s worth of school?
When I need a break, I prefer the virtual world to the physical one. I, for one, enjoy playing a game called Guild Wars 2 for an hour or two. Guild Wars 2 is a multiplayer role-playing game. I’ve been playing it since its release back in 2012. The game is essentially a world with five continents, each with its own cultures, areas of interest, and activities. I play a plant-like being, a Sylvari, who controls the elements—like in Avatar or Legend of Korra!
As the game’s name implies, players have the option to join “guilds”, which are essentially separate communities where we can socialize, talk, and play as a team while in game. Recently, I even got together with a few players who live in the GTA. One of them goes to school at the St. George campus.
I think it’s a great game to play in moderation, and it’s a unique way to let off some steam after a hard day at work. It recently became free-to-play, so everyone can enjoy this game and perhaps it can become a new place for you to chill if you haven’t explored it already.
Dear First-year Student…
Get to know your program.
My advice for you is to wait until the dust settles and get involved. More specifically, learn more about your program. First year is the best time to start learning as much as you can about what your program has to offer. Expand your research to potential employment opportunities and events you can attend that’ll help you learn more about what you can do with your degree.
Personally speaking, the CCIT program added several new classes over the years and the topics are always fascinating—surveillance, media archaeology, capstone (a class where you work with a real-life client to help them improve their business), to name a few.
For extracurricular activities, pursue ones that interest you or something that you’ve already dabbled in but want to learn more about. This includes exercising, eating free food, meeting new people, and just taking a break from class to have fun or help with volunteering for different campus initiatives.
First year is a time to get introduced into your program. It is also the time to learn as much as you can so you can properly prepare for your upcoming years.
Sincerely,
Samina S.
In Defence of an Education: Learning for Interest
In my first year, I quickly discovered that as a university student, everyone I knew would ask the same question: What are you studying?
My answer is, “I’m an English major double minoring in professional writing and sociology.” I smile. I am proud.
In Defence of an Education: Learning for a Career
I’d love to go to school just for the sake of interest.
I’d take anything that sparked my curiosity—sample a science course, take history courses that were related to my literature readings, learn all the languages taught at the university, take the Italian cuisine course, or take a bunch of courses I didn’t know anything about because I wouldn’t worry about choosing a subject Post that counted towards a future job.
My Midterm Mantra: Sleep
One word: sleep. Say it with me now—sleep. S-L-E-E-P.
For me this is the first activity I cut down on when it comes to studying. Instead of the typical eight to nine hours a night, I start sleeping for four to five hours. This is a terrible idea. When you cut down the hours of sleep you should be getting, your body doesn’t feel rested.
Twenty-two things that have happened since the Toronto Blue Jays were last in the playoffs
It’s been 22 years since the Toronto Blue Jays have appeared in the MLB playoffs. The long-awaited return has prompted many fans to take last-minute vacations and sick days and pay as much as $14,000 to attend sold-out games. With the long drought finally over, we take a look back at what has happened in the 22 years since the Blue Jays last graced the World Series back in 1993.
- In 1993, the Rogers Centre was known as the SkyDome. The stadium was renamed in 2005 after Rogers purchased the facility.
- The Blue Jays logo is no longer framed by a baseball.
- Mariah Carey held the top spot on the Billboards Top Music Charts during the Jays’ last playoff run in 1993.
- The Weeknd now holds the top spot on the Billboard Top Music Charts during the Jays’ current playoff run.
- Pagers were slowly paving the way in the mobile phone industry, while the iPhone was 14 years away from launch.
- Seinfeld and Full House were dominating the TV screens.
- There was no such thing as apps to keep up-to-date on the latest game scores; viewers had to tune into radio stations for all the action.
- Sportsnet—the current broadcaster of the Jays—was five years away from its launch in 1998.
- Seats in the 100 level of the SkyDome for a World Series game went for $78 dollars in 1993, compared to a minimum of $300 in 2015.
- Since the Jays were last in a playoff game, 658 MLB playoff games have been played.
- The Toronto Raptors, Toronto Rock, and Toronto FC did not exist.
- The euro was being introduced.
- Friends was not on air yet and is now considered a retro show.
- Alex Rodriguez was the first overall draft pick in the year the Jays last made the playoffs.
- Drake, the famed Toronto rapper, had just turned seven, and it would be another eight years before he starred on Degrassi: The Next Generation.
- Justin Bieber wasn’t born yet…
- Canada witnessed their first female Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, in 1993 for a short period.
- The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.
- Roberto Osuna, currently the Jays star closer, wasn’t even born.
- The average price of gas was 43 cents per litre, compared to the average today of 128 cents per litre.
- The World Wide Web was introduced in December of 1993.
- Wild cards were not yet introduced to the league.