Blog posts about student life, at UTM and elsewhere.
I can’t wait until I’m in fourth year and ready to graduate. All those all-nighters and spending my days in the UTM library will soon pay off. Oh, that lovely HBSc! Then I’ll be set for grad school. I’ll buy my parents a nice house pay for my sister’s education and travel the world…
Wait a moment!
We’ve all experienced that moment when you realize that the decision you just made could change the entire course of your life. And while that thought can be anxiety-inducing, more often than not things have a way of working themselves out. Here are two stories of decisions or events that at first I completely regretted, but have now shaped my life in a positive way.
In 2015, I made an important decision. I decided that, no matter what, I was going to do the things I wanted to do, for me, and I think it’s a decision you should make too. From committing to working out more often to taking courses in a field that interests you, make sure these are decisions that aren’t forced upon you! You’ll be happier, and you’re more likely to excel.
In 2015, I made a promise to myself that I would focus on activities that I preferred and not what others persuaded me to do. I took classes that I liked, spent time with positive-minded people, and did more volunteer work. I found that a well-balanced life really pushed me to learn new things and be a more positive and energetic person.
The posters are plastered all over Davis, the Facebook pages have infiltrated our social media feeds, and the halls are swarming with campaigners. What time of year is it? It must be election season!
This is my fourth time seeing elections happen at UTM. It’s taken me four years to figure out what all of these unions, directors, councils, and committees “lobby”, “fight”, and “advocate” for, and even now I am not entirely sure. I wrote a post last year with a breakdown of the different kinds of elections that happen at UTM, but this time, I want to point out a few tips and tricks I have picked up over the years about surviving UTM elections when you’re not running for anything.
February: long days, dark days, cold days. It must be midterm season.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of tests and assignments we all have during this time of year. Especially during my first and second years at UTM, I found it difficult to stay positive and focus on the light at the end of the never-ending midterm tunnel.
Until I found The Book of Awesome and 1000awesomethings.com.
The Book of Awesome is the product of successful blog “1000 Awesome Things”, which was created by Neil Pasricha. Pasricha has been making readers smile by writing about the little joys in life since 2008. Simple things like sweatpants and the sun get shout-outs, as do hilarious ones like hearing a stranger fart in public and the Five-second Rule. Whether online or in print, Pasricha’s voice is relatable and moving. He has the ability to capture usual (and sometimes unexciting) things and turn them into the hidden gems of daily life.
When it’s cold out, dressing up sometimes seems like a large feat, especially when the fireplace is more inviting. But with a few key pieces, dressing up for the cold weather is not only stylish, but comfortable too. Most of these items can be mixed to create several great date night outfits, like the ones I give below. So get shopping with these timeless pieces and wow your next date!
University can be kind of stressful, boring, and long. Luckily, some people have found ways to relax, energize, and streamline the whole thing, all from your smartphone! From those people to you, here’s a list of the top apps to help you get through university.
Alarm Clock Plus
Waking up: it’s a necessary evil. And if that’s the case, then waking up for 9 a.m. classes is satanic. Blessed be the alarm clock app—knower of all that is loud and annoying. Alarm Clock Plus specifically has a math setting that won’t let you stop your alarm unless you solve a math problem. Especially useful for those mornings when you want to study and feel like garbage at the same time.
My friend who graduated last semester would say, “This is the last time that I’m going to [blank]” every time she did something for the last time. The last time she wrote an essay, took a certain bus, or did a presentation, a smile would spread across her face and she would say in a fake sad voice that it was the last time she was doing that thing as an undergrad.
Last month, the world watched in horror as an ISIS militant attacked Turkey’s historic center of Istanbul. A suicide bomber who had entered Turkey as a Syrian refugee blew himself up among a group of tourists at Sultanahmet Square, killing 10 German citizens. This horrific tragedy has received worldwide attention and sympathy, justifiably.
And while ISIS assaults on Westerners are often heavily covered by the media, what is regularly ignored are the attacks on Middle Eastern people that occur on a near daily basis. Unfortunately, the Western world turns a blind eye to the lives of many Muslims, Yazidis, and Kurds affected by ISIS militants.
Coldplay recently released the music video of their new single “Hymn for the Weekend”, featuring Beyoncé. The video was shot in Mumbai, India, during the sacred Hindu festival of Holi. The video mixes cultural and religious practices, capitalizing on existing stereotypes of India. Unsurprisingly, it has received immediate backlash, reigniting the debate on cultural appreciation vs. appropriation.
It’s fitting to begin this discussion by first defining what cultural appropriation is: a privileged group exploiting the symbols, traditions, and practices of a marginalized group for profit, often with little understanding of the latter group’s significance and history of it.