Unwinding is something we all do differently, and those with a busy schedule will agree that time off is something golden and to be cherished. ISCI’s all about making connections in science, so I connected my knowledge of well studied psychological benefits and applied it to…. slacking. Just kidding – but you can use knowledge to cognitively re-frame (or think of) taking time off as being productive, which it is! Yes, “you do you”! What did you do over the weekend? Stress release! And so... Short bursts of stress = healthy. Prolonged stress = detrimental Bottom line: use preventative measures on stress, like (1) being prepared for challenges and (2) feeling socially connected, and remember to break up prolonged stressful times with (3) exercise and (4) relaxation. PREPARATION (1): SCI Team’s ‘Get Into Volunteering' Event Volunteering can be doubly beneficial; a feel-good event for both the receiving individual(s) and for the volunteer. Furthermore, I want to become a physiotherapist, and like many other programs, it requires involvement in the community. This event last week featured multiple booths offering volunteering opportunities, some of which that include “Right to Play” and “Learning Buddies Network”. In addition, they also had a guest speaker give advice on what to do to get involved. Events like this might not seem like direct stress relief, but feeling prepared to meet future goals (applications, being well-studied for finals, etc, can definitely minimize stress). SCI Team hosts numerous events throughout the year, so to get involved/attend events check out: SOCIAL ASPECT (2) + EXERCISE (3): (Not to be confused with avoidance coping, for all of you out there in psychology) The Calendar’s “Digital Zoo” Dance Party If I had one word for my music taste, it would be eclectic. My iPod is the jack-of-all-trades, good for a bit of everything. So the insistent techno/electronic beats were a bit redundant for me, but it did mesh with the “digital” theme. However, I loved seeing so many fellow students I knew, and it was definitely a way to connect, celebrate and let out some energy. But how do I know about these events? UBC Calendar of course! Check them out if you want to "shake it off, shake it off". EXERCISE (3) + RELAXATION (4): Hot Yoga Time to get a little (a lot) sweaty. In the Vancouver, the city that brought you lululemon, you’ll find yoga studios are almost as easy to spot as sushi vendors. Recently, I’ve tried one nearby UBC in Wesbook village, called ‘Hot Box Yoga’. They’re newly started and offering a promotion; like them on Facebook and they’ll give you a free session, so of course I had to go stretch it out. The session I attended was called ‘Detox’, run by Alyx Kottmeier. Armed with towel, mat, and gigantic water bottle, my first thought was ‘unusual’ – mirrorless, upbeat music infused studio. Turns out, unusual was the definitely the theme; the instructor balanced maintained poses with quick transitions, creating a session that had an interval-training feel. We balanced in poses that should be reserved for figure skaters... I felt like Julia Lipnitskaya, I felt like I deserved a medal after surviving that one! (kidding, don't worry, what we did was fun.) Alyx instructed us to help hold our neighbour’s leg in the air while doing this pose: I came precariously close to tumbling everyone (domino effect!) while my friend struggled not to be grin at my less-than-stellar bending skills) but even with that said, I enjoyed my sweat session and left feeling spectacularly refreshed. In summary: never feel guilty about finding time for yourself. For whatever amidst work or school aspirations you’re putting copious amounts of time and dedication into, remember that a touch of time off will keep you laughing.
On that rather cheesy note, good luck with your finals, you can ace ‘em!
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'THE HAIRSTYLE, I SWEAR I MEAN THE HAIRSTYLE!' (said Nicki Minaj, never) Anonymous UBC Confessions contributor, I commend you. I've been seeing this everywhere, and the first couple of times I thought, 'well, unique is interesting, I guess.' Then I saw it again... and again a week later, until now I've been seeing it almost every day during my wanders on campus. So I figured, what are the opinions on this one? Is this going to be as big as the parade of Hunter boots around campus for the sheer functionality of it? I mean, if you can avoid getting your hair cut for months on end, as you commit to a hip new look, that's a win-win situation, right? (Haircut costs made up in elastics lost all over the place, don't say I didn't warn you.) I was walking with a wonderfully sassy friend of mine and spotted one of these fabulous looks, and interrupted the flow of conversation to ask, with perfect subtlety and absolute discretion, with a nod in his direction, "So, what do you think of man buns?" WELL, I got about a million and a half sidelong glances from everyone in earshot for that one (GUYS I SWEAR IT WAS IN CONTEXT, PLEASE BELIEVE ME, I CAN'T HELP MY LOUD VOICE). Gold star for me, my life is actually a game of how many times I can be on My friend never did answer me on that one, she was too busy laughing. Really though, these man buns are all over the place, even Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is rejecting that fantastical flow.. for something much more fun (hair in the eyes, please, he's above that). Another gem: The man bun, or the mun, or whatever you feel like calling it, may have shown up a while ago (and been somewhat pioneered by Hollywood in general) but I'm thanking all of you lovely UBC students who rock this one everywhere. I'm not taking credit for the compliment, but I'm definitely a fan.
Let's face it, in the midst of the study insanity called midterms, we all take a second to dream. Maybe we go for a quick daydream in the midst of a lecture, or a bit of musing about plans for the weekends ahead (hello Halloween), or go for an adventure through Atlantis while deep in REM sleep. But controlling our dreams? Yes. We've all heard the pep talks, with hard work and determination you can achieve anything you dream of! Except... what if you want to be a shape-shifter for a day? What if your dream is to be Beyoncé? What do you do when you want to live in a world entirely made out of candy? Simple. You lucid dream. I take it back. It's not that simple. But wow, it seems like the ultimate technique for relaxing, for adventure, or for anything your brain could possibly conjure up. Cloud 9 = lucid dreaming in my life So what did I do? I decided to try to accomplish it. Various tips for learning to lucid dream (amongst others) recommend writing your dreams down immediately upon waking, checking for wakefulness in everyday life, and planning out what you'd do in your first lucid dream. Writing down dreams (check: turns out my subconscious really wanted UBC to be a gigantic playground, go figure) Checking for wakefulness (check: hey you, behind me in the Starbucks line, don't you roll your eyes at me for pinching my arm after picking up my chai tea latte, I'm not hinting that this latte is too good to be true, this is an EXPERIMENT) Planning it out (check: Candyland. Obviously. Sweet tooth central here. Did it work? Not for me, yet. But I've come close. I unfortunately woke myself up a few moments after realizing I was dreaming, but we'll see what the future has in store.. Knowing that it can happen definitely helps my determination; research at Frankfurt University, conducted and articulated by Ursula Voss et al. in 'Lucid Dreaming; A State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming' (you can find this through the UBC library) has shown that through 'pre-sleep autosuggestion', which simplified is reminding yourself to think about lucid dreaming, initiated lucid dreaming in 3 of the participating subjects. The lucid state was indicated by a predetermined and subsequently measured eye signal from the subject asleep, and during lucid dreaming it was found that brain electrical activity resembled frequencies seen in both awake and non-lucid dreaming states. So basically, lucid dreaming is real, and a unique mental state! If you've read this and have had a lucid dream (quite the low probability, I know), I'd absolutely love to hear from you! Write about your dream, or any tips you happen to have for me here in the comments for this blog and I'll definitely write you right back! If you still want to know more, check out http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/ Rather worth a Saturday morning, this conference is run by SCI Team and SPAC (science peer academic coaches) who, along with some professors too, run workshops giving study tips tailored to individual subjects, including math, chemistry, physics, and bio. Here's a rundown on what you missed: Intro: Even before the keynote speech began, the coaches were surprisingly approachable - in that they went around approaching you and asking about hey how are you, who are you, what are you doing here (all in friendly, non-aggressively interrogative tones - it was a conference, not a kidnapping). The point may have been to present a welcome environment so that our shells of quiet habit could be pried open easier but I think I ended up knowing one of the coaches more than they knew me (in retrospect, when somebody asks "what made you come here today?", asking "why are you a coach?" is a little cheeky- sorry!). Chemistry: The professor presenting seemed very intent upon helping us study successfully and to avoid the mistakes she made; at some point, she emphasized, she was a student too, and it was very comforting to know somebody could empathize with what we were going through and it was possible to survive without undergoing grotesque evolutionary adaptations. I attended Biology, Active Learning, and Exam Preparation so The major tips discussed and emphasized were: 1. Don't read, reread, re-re-read through everything. That doesn't suffice as studying anymore. Not recommended, unnecessary, ineffective in terms of the enormous amounts of time required and the little retention acquired that can actually be translated into points on the midterm/final exam/in case of the apocalypse. 2. Instead, the practice questions are where it's at. Online, in your ChIRP, the practice midterms. Practice and repeat. Even if your answer is correct when you check, pause for a moment and be honest: was that leprechaun luck or do you actually know what you’re doing? Also, try extrapolating as to what other similar questions could be asked, and visit your professor during office hours to check if they would really be tested. 3. Most importantly, LEARNING OBJECTIVES. Probably be the mantra chanted during their hallowed meetings in the halls of a musty, underground, wall-to-wall carpeted study sanctuary if SPAC were to be some sort of cult (which disclaimer: they aren't), this was the recurring theme of the subject workshops. Required by UBC mandate to be created for every course, professors did outline these with much thought and this is why these concepts you must understand are often the central ideas being tested. Designed to be not too vague to be confusing and not too definite to limit the teaching or the students from exploring the topic, being aware of them could help save time in prioritizing what you really need to know, which always boils down to what are the exam questions fishing for, what will earn you the most points, etc. This is starting to sound like a gameplan, which is probably the basic reasoning behind the study plan they explained we should make. 4. During the exam itself? Be Calm. Probably one of my favourite songs by fun. Aim and Ignite is the ultimate pop album and their 5th anniversary recently passed- was going to link you guys to where they were offering their digital album for free download but their deal ended so here's a listening link instead. If Kelly's okay with it, I'd write a post raving about what I listen to, but my taste is so blatantly mainstream early 2000s it's embarrassing that I have zero shame. 5. In true buzzfeed quiz style, experiment to find and #haveityourway. Group vs independent, note styles to summarize and to review vs to connect and reinforce, this conference was excellent in that you could take away many techniques, supported by examples and personal advice and experience, to try out.
Sometimes, when things get abstract, you think "I know, I know, I need to manage my time effectively, that's so obvious, of course I need to stay focused and eat healthy and not procrastinate and excel and succeed, ain't nobody got time to listen to these fancy words for 'be a nerd', let's get STARTED already." And I'm sure you're the ultimate sassmaster and nobody can compare and you got this, but the most important part of knowing things you have to do is the follow through. And the follow through is the most difficult until you understand where to start for it to work. As midterms approach, or have already hit for some of us, nerves can be running high. What better to control those pre-exam butterflies with a little (or a lot) of sweet deliciousness? Whether you like just a taste of chocolate every now and then, or if it's a staple food in your diet, UBC can accommodate. Elf's four main food groups might be candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup; but with this guide, I'm recommending a fifth: chocolate.
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, CHOCOLATE WILL BE THERE. Seriously, there are a million (or so) Starbucks on campus, and you're a rare person if you say no to their double chocolate chip frappuccino. Alright, I might be biased, but you're walking on main mall, or headed to the SUB? Chocolate. University village/marketplace? Even more chocolate. Headed home through Wesbrook? You get the idea. MAIN MALL Tim Horton's. Definitely a Canadian classic. A mocha, (or for a little extra sweetness, ask for a half hot chocolate half french vanilla), is always wonderful on a rainy day. Tim Horton's also takes UBCcard. THE SUB Blue Chip Cookies. Hello heaven. Almost anything on this menu is wonderful, but hazelnut hot chocolate? YES. Pair that with the Marbelous cookie, a delightful mix of white and dark chocolate, and you'll have enough cocoa for days. For all of you with food money on your UBCcard, Blue Chip'll definitely accept it. UNIVERSITY VILLAGE/MARKETPLACE Pearl Fever Tea House. This one's honestly my favourite, if you've never had an Oreo bubble tea (make sure you get pearls with it) you definitely need to get yourself there. Another fairly unusual, scrumptious creation is their Ferrero Rocher bubble tea. The only downside here is that they don't take UBCcard. WESBROOK VILLAGE Menchies. Besides their usual array of chocolate goodness, they also occasionally have nutella frozen yogurt! In addition, don't forget about the upcoming events with ISSA, Meet Your Mentor on Tuesday Oct. 7th, from 4:00 - 6:30pm, and another event that those of us with a sweet tooth will love, a pie eating contest on Friday, Oct. 10th, from 12:00 - 2:30pm (see Events page for details). Alright chocoholics, I hope I've mentioned at least one new concoction to try! See also: Tears, drowning in the seas of Overwhelm, dental appointments.
Antonyms: Summer. - Kathleen. Hello! I hope you all are having a great summer! We know it's been a little quiet around here lately since it's summer, but that will change very soon - especially since school is starting back up in a few weeks! Our executives were elected in March and have since been working hard all summer planning a great year for you all! Now, you're probably wondering, "Man, I wish I could be a part of ISSA somehow, they're just soooo cool. I also really want to get involved more around campus... What can I do?" Well, now here is your chance to join our awesome team! While our executives are planning events, who's going to hear about them? Through the grapevine? That'd be kind of difficult with over 50,000 people attending UBC... Through flyers? While that would help, ISSA is a very environmentally-friendly student organization and killing some trees is not always in our agenda. Maybe if we had an awesome communications/media crew, they could help spread the word about ISSA faster than a BC wildfire (by the way, hope all of you are having a safe summer). We will be looking for 6 to 8 friendly, media-savvy students to make up our ISSA Media team! We are hoping to recruit a couple Videographers/Photographers to attend and capture moments at our events, three to four Writers to help out with our biweekly newsletter columns and blog (which you are reading right now!), and last but definitely not least, two graphic designers to assist in creating aesthetically-appealing graphics for our online platforms and event promo. It's a great opportunity to practice your creativity and be one of the first people to know and share the great events we're planning. You'll also have invites to some of our ISSA meetings and events throughout the year in addition to being a part of an awesome student association! Interested? Please CLICK HERE to fill out a form, enter in all the required fields as listed. Remember to answer as best as you can and be fun with it! More details about the positions HERE. The deadline is 11:59PM, Friday, Sept. 6th, 2014! Selected candidates will be scheduled in for an interview with a few ISSA executives in early September (the 2nd week of classes, the 8th to the 12th). *Writers, don't worry, you won't be writing massive essays. But we would like to see some pieces of your writing (blog, twitter, website, maybe an old assignment, etc.). *Photographers/videographers must have their own equipment, and please provide us with some of your sample work (photography/videos through YouTube, etc.), and a rough idea of your availability throughout first and second term (more details in the link!). *Graphic designers should be familiar with photo-editing programs (Photoshop, InDesign, etc.), please provide us with some of your sample work (graphics, logos, etc.) Thanks and good luck! We hope to meet the media team candidates soon! Sincerely, The Communications Coordinator (on behalf of the ISSA exec team) |
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