New Years Resolutions + Staff Get Together

Hey guys!

New years is fast approaching, and with that comes new years resolutions... that never seem to be kept for more than a few weeks :P I'm hoping this year will be different. This year i have a few new years resolutions and I'm hoping I'll keep at least one of them.

So here are my new years resolutions:

1. Get into shape: yes, this is partially me wanting to loose weight, but I also want to climb McGill's hill everyday without dying trying to get between classes. I with this resolution, I want to go to to gym twice a week, hopefully I'll be able to keep that schedule during midterms and finals too, but even if I can't I would want to go at least once a week. Part of this resolution was also to join a dance of a zumba class, and ST made me commit to that (at least for 5 classes) cause that is what she got me for Christmas! I am so excited cause hopefully, this will make me really want to commit to it for more than a few classes. We'll see how that works out for me.
2. Do better in my classes: I didn't have the best study habit in CEGEP, and I kind of kept that going for my first semester in Uni, but I'm hoping I can kick that habit and get myself to focus in my classes and come home and take extra notes and listen to lecture recordings, cause I have to admit,. no matter how much I can't focus on them when I'm listening to them at home, they help in the long run! I also want to get studying done before midterms and finals hit, cause that would be a load off my back and might allow me to get some gym time as well.
3. Get a lab job:  Now this one is because I am an undecided science student that is not looking at medical school in her future. I'm not looking into med school for a lot of personal reasons, one of them being that not being able to help some patients no matter how much I want to will kill me every time because I feel guilty really easily. So my only other option (not my only, but a big option) is a lab job. I would like to know what it's like to work in a lab to see if that is the life I would like to set myself up for. I don't care if this is a paid internship or even just a volunteer opportunity, I think it would be really cool to see what my future can hold for me. And this is also a resolution I want to keep for the next 2 years, or at least till before I get my undergraduate degree.
4. Be more confident: I'm a pessimistic person and I would like to try to change that, even my a little. I know I've said I've been better at it, but it's still hard. And I understand that it's not always easy, but when my friends say something like "you look good today," I would like to believe that it's true. And maybe this will be easier when I get into shape, and maybe it won't make a difference. But I will try my best regardless.
5. Be more careful with my money: I'll admit I'm already very good with my money, I'm not going to spend every penny I have once I get it, and I have money set aside in a savings account and I also have money that is not in the savings, but that I refuse to touch no matter how much I want to spend the money. And I admit, I made quite a bit of money this summer (mostly cause I worked my ass off and my boss milked every last hour he could get out of me), but I still somehow end up spending most of it... I have about 1/3 of it left. I guess granted that I haven't been working for 2 months that is very impressive, but I don't plan on getting a job until next summer, so I have to start being a little more money smart and start only getting what I really need, or items that I know I will use all the time. I will have to start asking myself "How often am I going to use/wear this?" and obviously, like I always do, look for good deals.
6. Keep my close friends: This one I find may be the most important and maybe the hardest to keep for the year. Don't get me wrong, I want to make new friends as well cause there us nothing wrong with making your circle bigger, but I'm hoping that by this time next year I'll still be friends with ST, W, BB and Y (although we've been kind of getting distant lately). It will be hard cause I won't have classes with any of them next semester and out schedules aren't exactly hang out friendly (along with the insane work load our programs give us). But I hope that by this time next year we are all still as close as we are not (give or take a little on the closer or the not as close side). But I really wouldn't want to lose them anytime soon. They are the ones that keep me grounded and make sure I have a good time and make sure I don't over stress myself.

I think that's about it for my new years resolutions this year. Hopefully I will be able to keep at least one of them, well I'm hoping all, but we all know how long new years resolutions last :P

And I'm just going to add this here cause not much happened at the staff get together. We needed up being five people going out for a sushi supper. It was T, WL, LT, CL and myself. I thought it was going to be awkward since both T and WL don't talk much, but boy was I wrong, they talked and laugh the most I have ever seen them do either. I think LT might have felt the most awkward at the sinner, but he was always a little awkward :P But we all had a blast and we all laughed a lot and we ate so much sushi it was insane, the waiter even came back a few times to make sure that we were sure we wanted to order so much. But it was a blast and after a stressful time planning it, the supper itself definitely makes me want to plan something again. But remind me again why I am the one that plans staff parties?

P.s. The horse back riding was postponed and I couldn't make it on the new day, so no news there.

What are your resolutions?
-J

It's Snowmagedon!

Yes! I live in Montreal and we broke a record today, 45cm in less than 24hours! That is a lot a lot of snow! And yes, we had to dig ourselves out, at least I didn't have to drive on a day like today :P For those of you who did, you guys are brave souls! Anyone on the East coast that was hit with this storm and went out today. I decided today was a lazy day cause the snow just kept coming down! My mom, brothers and I shoveled twice today, and OMG, it is a workout! Both times we spent about an hour shoveling, and we didn't even shovel out a car! We just did stairs and driveway and it was a workout, I can feel my arms starting to get soar from the hard work! When the snow was all piled up, it was almost as high as I was! And I'm 5'5". But it was fun shoveling and seeing other people suffer through the same thing we were. It was a pretty insane day and I think my cousins from out of town are wishing that they were back in Toronto where the snow isn't as bad, I mean come one, they flip over 15cm, 15 is almost nothing to us Montrealers. Hopefully the city starts to clear the snow soon, cause this is crazy road conditions. The sidewalks around my house hasn't even been shoveled once by the city, everyone on my street is walking on the street and cars are driving in the opposite way.

I don't even want to go out the next few days cause I have had enough of snow, I kind of wish I took my friends offer and when to Florida with her and her family :( They have sun and nice weather (temperature wise). I miss the sun and the winter!

My next few days will be fun though :) So the snow will hopefully not be a bummer. I'll be bumming around tomorrow again and then I will be spending the day with ST on Saturday, then going out for sushi with my co-workers. Although a few of the people I wanted to see won't be making it :( MD just said he won't be able to make it and that kind of bummed be out cause I haven't seen him for such a long time. I don't know if his sister will make it since he isn't coming and I miss her too! But L, WL, LT and newly introduced CL will be able to make it :D BD  won't becoming since she was making a big deal out of everything and everyone took my side, which means that she's mad at me. So it she doesn't come G won't come, but I don't even care cause I like everyone that is coming :P

Then Sunday, H asked a bunch of us to go horseback riding. Yes in the middle of winter :p Among the invitees are ST and Y, so even thought it's going to be freezing, I'm sure we're going to have an awesome time :) And I have never gone horseback riding, well I have when I was 5 or 6, but it was on a school field trip, so there was a guy guiding the horse and it was only for about 5 minutes. I don't know if I should be scared or excited about this trip... maybe both?

I will tell you how these events go, if they turn out to be eventful :P

-J

What is Beauty?

We have so many different definitions for beauty. But what we all put our beauty reputation next to are the people we see on ads and billboards. We as a society have evolved to believe that what is beautiful is a size zero waist and long flowing hair, long lashes, and an ample bosom, long legs and the hour glass figure. But is that real beauty? Or is it the fake Photoshopped, starved model we see? There is more to beauty than what we see on the outside, we are all beautiful in different ways.

Yes, a lot of our outside counts for first impressions and of course we all try to look our best to impress the people we like. But think about it, the people who really matter to you, do they care if you have makeup on or not? Do they care if you're wearing sweatpants or a pair or designer jeans? For those of you who thought about your closest friends, then no, they don't care what you look like cause they'll love you no matter what you look like.

We have this perception on beauty being that we have to look like a model on a billboard to be beautiful, but do we? That model is Photoshopped, and it is a standard of beauty that a lot of us probably won't ever be able to achieve. I know that was harsh, but think about it, a lot of what we see on billboards is photoshop, insane dieting, and most importantly there is a lot of genetics involved. The people who are born super thin into the ideal size that we hold up to standard is genetics, and even then, the person is touched up before being put up on the ad. All of us are made up of different genes, yes we all have 23 pairs of chromosomes and yes we are all the same species, but does it matter? Does that make us all the same? No it doesn't we are all unique in our own ways and yes, that makes us all genetic mutants (without the super powers) but we are all special and we should all love ourselves the way we look. And you know what? We can't all look like the current It Girl, but we are all unique in our own ways and that is what makes us beautiful. And honesty if someone really loves you, they will love you for what's on the inside and out. Cause what's on the outside is just a shell for the amazing person we have on the inside.

And even if someone is insanely pretty on the outside, they can be a total bitch on the inside. You know those girls who walk around in  designer clothes and pretend to like everyone? Ya, they aren't so perfect, they are just like me and you, they have flaws too. We are all different inside and out, you can't judge a person based on their outside and not their personality. Now, I have to admit, I've judged people based on first impressions, and that is not always fair of me. And sometimes I am right, but sometimes I am totally wrong. And that has happened to many times with some people that I feel bad thinking that way about them at the beginning. But what I wanted to say with this post is that we should give everyone a chance, just because they aren't a ten on your scale doesn't mean that they don't have the ability to really surprise you.


Remember that you are all beautiful ♥

And yes, for those of you wondering, I am not pretty. I'm not one of those people who walk around in designer things and have makeup on all the time. But I am also a hypocrite cause even though I am writing this post telling you all to think of yourselves as beautiful, I don't find myself pretty and I have self esteem problems and wish I looked more like girls on the billboards. But I'm working on it, and I have good and bad days, but I try. And I think everyone of you should try to see yourselves as beautiful too.

-J

Studying Tips

So EXAMS are finished! Yes they finally are! Celebrate!! Yes, I am aware that this would make a lot more sense it it were a vlog, but it isn't so use your imagination!

So yes, exams are over and like I promised, I'll mention some studying techniques I've developed. Remember thought that this is from my experience and not everyone studies the same way.

TIP #1
So what I found helpful was to study on your own first. So review everything on your own then review it all with a friend or in a group. This helps because you know your stuff, but discussing it either helps you know for sure that you understand something cause you can explain it or it help you understand things that you didn't before. and let's all admit, friends generally explain stuff a lot simpler than your teacher. I don't know why teachers like to over complicate everything for nothing! They spend half and hour on one topic, but it takes you five minutes to re-explain it! Why do you have to make everything so complicated?!

TIP #2
Take a few breaks when you study, plan the breaks out. So tell yourself. I'm going to study for an hour then I can check my FB or Twitter or text so and so. This gives you some motivations and taking a break is always a nice way to relax and decompress even if it's only for fifteen minutes. But don't just sit in your room all day! Change the environment up a little! Changing your environment can give you a little extra motivation.

TIP #3
Listen to music, well this one I find it depends on what you're studying. So for understanding concepts I like to have upbeat songs. Ones that get you pumped up and moving around. Hopefully not dancing around cause then no dancing get's done. But if you're memorizing something, I find it better to study in silence cause you can hear yourself repeating the facts over and over again. Earplugs may help, but I don't have any :P

TIP #4
Keep a stash of food with you when you study, we all get hungry and having the food there saves the times it would have taken you to go to the kitchen and find the food and at the same time get distracted. I also find it helpful to have food cause I get hungry when I study.

TIP #5
Start studying in advance! If you have a bunch of finals all mushed up, make a schedule and plan out when to study for what. I didn't break it down to the minutes, but I was like "Okay, this in the morning and hopefully I'll get through half the material, then this at night and get to this lecture." And obviously I didn't always stick to the plan, but it helped to have a general guideline.

TIP #6
Don't get discouraged when you don't understand something. Try to move on to something else then come back to it. and if it still doesn't work, ask a friend, Google, ask a TA or even the prof.

Those are my tips for now. And remember! We all have different studying styles. Some of  us study best in silence, while others need background noise. Some people study best in a comfortable position and others in a chair with their back straight. I know mine have changed over the years.

So what are some of your studying tricks?
-J

It's That Time of Year Again

So yup, it's that time of year again... You got it FINALS! (yay -.-)

So I've been super busy catching up in all my courses, that I somehow let myself fall behind in. Yes all of them... I have no idea how that happened, well yes I do, I blame work (when I was employed), friends (so distracting), laziness, having a social life, work friends...Well you get it the list goes on. But ya, I am somehow lucky enough to have six finals my first semester of Uni. I am just that bright to take a more than average course load for my program first semester.

So was broken down to:
-Finished school on the 5th
-Exam 1 on the 6th
-Exam 2 on the 7th
-Exam 3 & 4 on the 11th
-Exam 5 on the 14th
-Exam 6 on the 19th

So yes, I am more than half way through and I am slowly turning to a zombie. So yes, I am aware that it is almost one in the morning and no, I am not studying. I needed a break from my finals today. So I haven't done anything since I got home. Well, except eat and sleep and now blogging :)

I've noticed that I haven't really posted anything in a while, so I decided, since I am doing nothing why not update you guys? But there isn't much to tells since all I'm doing is studying, sipping tea and going crazy. After my last final though, I will post about the do's and don't's of studying that work for me, well I'm hoping I will, but from the sounds of it, it might be boring.

So for all of you out there who are in school: STUDY YOUR ASS OFF! Unless you're done school, then I kind of hate you right now :P

Until next time,
-J