5 Days To Go

There is so much I could say about my experience at Nipissing, however there is one regret I have.

I regret not enjoying the beautiful campus trails earlier into the year. I didn't go any farther than the Lookout, which is a fantastic spot for campfires. This past week, in between packing and studying and saying my goodbyes I went up to the Duchesne Falls, and was absolutely amazed at how beautiful they are!

We hiked all up and down the falls, and dipped our feet in the cold water. This is a must for anybody coming to Nipissing, it is really really amazing and beautiful.

I cannot wait to return to Nipissing next year and first thing I will do after unpacking and working on a wicked hangover is hike right up to the falls and go swimming.

So fingers crossed for nice weather on September 5th, 2010...and hope to see you there!

Another place to discover, right on campus, is the Monastery pond. I had a picnic there a few weeks ago with my boyfriend.

The food was delicious, and it was beautiful place to enjoy a peaceful lunch.

I cannot express how fun these little expeditions have been, and they are the essence of the experience at Nipissing. I came to this university because of where it is, and its small size.

Good luck on the rest of your exams!!!

Corala

What The ---- !!!! SNOW???!?!

I hope every bodies studying is going amazingly, and if you are not in university yet...enjoy the lack of exams while you can :P

Okay Okay I am joking, I enjoy this time of year. I can study when I want, and enjoy the time I have left here while I can.

Leaving University is the most terrifying idea, I have loved every minute of it here. The large amount of work we do is worth every minute. I do not regret coming here in the least.

So on my break from studying and preparation for Toga Night at The Wall, I am here to introduce you to this newly found show I have really been enjoying.

Their facts are usually pretty solid, sometimes can be generalized, and it really gets me thinking.

So here is the link to the first part of Penn and Teller Bullshit: Walmart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-o1fj1rX7A

Such a good show!

-Cora

P.S. Why oh why is it snowing, I was really hoping to take a hike to the falls, lets just hope for some sun soon!!!

Its the End of the...Year!

Combining a record breaking amount of Facebook updates concerning term papers, and the imminent feeling of exams and fairly good weather, we have the ideal situation for a university student.

Every few minutes I also hear one of my roomies groan about some term paper, some assignment, and some prof that can go stick it where the sun don't shine. We all get that case of assignment/exam anxiety. Usually expressed through some wild nights and all-nighters fueled by energy drinks.

So how do we get through this???

1) EASTER, for most students they look forward to going home for Easter weekend. Some of us do not go, but Easter weekend symbolizes the end of classes, and going home to family, free laundry and a really good meal.

2) Chocolate/Coffee/Energy Drinks- Combine a lot of comfort foods and pure caffeine and we create the all-nighter. All-nighter is the classic university experience. I know personally an all-nighter is not that late, but I just lack the ability to stay up really late. I know many people who will write an essay till 7 am, get up at 8 and go to class to hand in that essay at 8:30. This is the result of poor time management...

3) Time-management: The MOST important tactic for a university student. How do we mange to do an average of 15 hours of class with the accompanying homework/studying and with the mandatory social activities. I know we all are way too serious of students to put off a night of studying for a night at The Wall. I would hope. Put aside study time! Make a study schedule! Do not forget to take breaks for healthy food and getting some down time.

This is how we survive. Also now that my assignments for the year are done I will be touching in more frequently, sorry to all for the two-week long delay!

Corala

St. Patrick's Day: Not For the Faint of Heart!

So the famous St. Patty's day has finally arrived, and as a first year university student I finally learned what that meant.

St. Patty's+Amazing Weather+Nipissing Open House = A Very Interesting Day

Nipissing is holding an Open House for prospective university students, so of course there are residence tours. Residence tours...which are touring the residence in which hundreds of university students are currently coming out of hibernation. So an interesting combination of circumstances...which lead to some shocked looking parents and many ongoing games of football in front of my house.

So some things I learned through my first St. Patty's residence experience:

1. It is never too early for green beer.
2. It is also never too early for a wild round of Celtic drinking songs...before noon is acceptable. Of course it is 5 pm somewhere.
3. The rules about not bringing furniture outside does not apply, nor does the rule about not leaving our doors open.

All in all I find it a relief! I have spent the past few months only seeing fellow residence dwellers when The Wall holds a fairly wild night. So seeing people out and about is great, and the TRC feels as alive as it did in the first week of school.

So enjoy this beautiful St. Patrick's Day! Find some green beer, or throw on a green shirt!

...And The Groundhog Was Wrong!

Glorious glorious Spring, early Spring at that. However it still is the biggest relief to able to walk outside without putting on layers and layers of clothing, and a great time to bust out those cute spring boots, becuase obviously those heels were not conducive to a lot of snow anyways. I have been finding excuses to just go outside and do random things, and for once am going to check the mail....much to my roommates relief. How is it that Spring can just make me relax so much. Ignoring the impending doom of term papers and exams...I feel so carefree!!!

Now on to more important things, remember my advice on how to take part in any competition that may result in prize-money or prizes in general??? Well, I stand by it, considering I came first in the most recent Cake Boss competition at the TRC. Resulting in me feeling pretty great, everybody enjoying some delicious cake and a 50 dollar gift card to Boston Pizza. Very sucessful indeed. All the cakes there were absolutely amazing!!! So congrats to everybody who competed, although my personal favorite was the Finding Nemo Cake, so intricate and detailed! So pictured above would be myself and my winning cake, 2012 Cake.

Another good opportunity around the school right now is the Road Trip Challenge, which is of particular interest to all of us Con-Ed students. This would be because the prize (by draw) is a macbook. So obviously I have entered the contest a few times, and really do hope to win. Would take a lot of weight off of my shoulders as far as having to buy a macbook before my 4th year as a student here at Nipissing.

Well there is just a general update for you all, and a reinforcement of being involved. I am off to go to an art gallery in North Bay (yes I am excited about this) and to go out to a fabulous dinner at Boston Pizza!

Enjoy the sun!

Corala

When Life Gives You Term Papers...

It's that time of the semester again, the time when we do not see our roomies, when people seemed stressed to the extreme. It is time for the term paper/midterm rush. There is no way to avoid this, because no matter how good your time management skills, you will still feel it.

I lucked out this semester and thus far only seem to have two essays due next week, one the week after, and one presentation due this week. On top of that though there are a few social obligations as well, such as Cake Boss II. Which I will win this time, none of this second place stuff.

So how do university students do it all!?!?! It is very different from high school, and that is the truth. In university we balance the courses, the essays, the assignments, midterms and exams. On top of it all many of us try and keep up the active social life, being involved in clubs and going out with friends at night. I think I may have figured out the formula as to how we can do this.

Early morning homework+late night studying+coffee+energy drinks= success

Not the most scientific analysis, but the most truthful.

So now for another blog of helpful tips, on how to get it all done. And to have leftover time for a power nap.

• Get a full nights sleep the best you can. Being able to get up the next morning and get your day started without being exhausted is very important. Nobody wants to get called out on sleeping in lecture, and filling your body full of energy drinks first thing in the morning just to get through it is more like the recipe for heart disease than the recipe for success.
• When your Prof tells you about the essay that will be due in a month, do not tell yourself that you will think about it later. I am not saying that 4 weeks from the due date you should be scrambling through the library trying to get it done. But WRITE IT DOWN. Make yourself a to do list and put it on your wall. It will be there to remind you, and you will be less likely to have a wild weekend that conveniently made you forget about that paper. Which just happened to be worth 30% of your mark.
• Study groups or study buddies. We all get to the lectures we can. Howevr sometimes you might not be able to go. It is good to have a friend who will provide reliable notes and who you can get together with before your midterm or exam. Bouncing ideas off of each other and working out problems together will help you study and you will have less of an excuse to go on Facebook instead. Yeah you know you do that. Sometimes Facebook creeping is much more interesting than Biology.
• This is an especially important tip, because I know a lot of people that faced this issue coming into first year courses. In high school we were asked to cite sources, but they could be any sources. Except our beloved Wikipedia of course. In university we are expected to do research in the library. We should look up peer-reviewed articles, and use the school library to our full advantage. Other than having a more credible paper, you will also learn how to research properly and use the library.

So there are a few helpful hints from a first year to first years coming in. Next blog you can look forward to something more witty I am sure. But I wish somebody had told me these things coming in, because it isn't always common sense and it can be overwhelming.

A Nomination

I nominate the Pita Pit in the NUSU entrance to the school, for being the best food for the best price for a University or College student. I do not care what people say about it being overpriced. Pita Pit is cheaper, healthier than many other food options and absolutely delicious.

So. I nominate you PITA PIT. Thank you for being open at 2 am for an after-party snack. Thank you for being full of fresh veggies. Thank you for accepting convenience cards. You rock.

Lets talk about smart ways to save some money and be successful in university. In previous blogs i have just spoken about what is going on in my life...well as interesting as the day in the life of a Nipissing student can be, how about some helpful hints.

1) Shop at NO FRILLS. Not SOBEYS. If you are on a restricted income, you will save money theres like no tomorrow. Also the bus ride down is worth it instead of buying your groceries at Pals. Pals is handy for a snack between classes if you are leaning towards a candy bar. But it has a monopoly on campus as far as groceries. Therefore its prices can be very high, and people will just buy things there anyways.

2) This is something that took me a while to figure out, but hopefully students coming in will see this first. Do not use a debit card in the Cafeteria, Pals, Euphoria, Pita Pit etc. There is a surcharge. Use cash or invest in a convenience card. It will pay off in the end. Those little surcharges will add up faster than you can say "begging Mom and Dad for money". And the ATM in the NUSU entrance has a surcharge too. Save yourself the trouble and go to the bank, withdraw what you need and use that for your on-campus snacking urges.

3) Free Money. FREE FREE FREE money. I don't know if there is really such a thing as free money. But there are lots of opportunities to get some things that are really close too it. Enter into contests (such as this lovely blogging contest) fill out surveys that can have your name drawn for prizes. Do whatever it takes, but as a Uni or College student, you will probably need the money at some point. Even if it is a gift card to Best Buy, you WILL need printer paper, you WILL loose your ruler, and you WILL run out of ink at some point.

4) Go to your classes. I know, I know. We are all guilty of skipping a lecture or two. But in the end the fact is you will want to track down the notes for the lecture you missed. If it is a small lecture or seminar your Prof will also notice. We look down at those Profs all the time, and amazingly they look back at us and notice we are there. Imagine that. They notice, and especially in a school where the classroom sizes are so small, they do know your name. I have noticed most profs make an effort to know your name actually. You will also see them at the grocery store, on the bus or just around town. So make the effort. (Editors Note: This has absolutely nothing to do with saving money, more to do with getting the most out of the money you spent on tuition)

and my last tip of the day...

5) Going Out. Lets talk about the type of going out everybody enjoys. Not all students will want to go to the bar, and not all students will want to go ice fishing or something. However I am pretty sure we all like movies. Cheap Tuesday movies to be precise. Go to the cheap Tuesday movies and enjoy a movie for 5 dollars. I usually bring a bottle of water in with me and maybe some sort of snack in my purse (breaking the rules can be a healthy choice.) Oh and there is a No Frills attached to the movie theater if you didn't plan ahead. Just putting that out there. That means if you ride the bus, bring a bottle of water, you are paying 5 dollars for a few hours of careless fun. Compared to a night at the bar...that is about one and a half drinks (depending on your drink of choice) and compared to ice fishing that is way less frostbite. Get a Scene Card and save up points and then get free movies too.

Let's Review...

I have been back on campus for a few days, and it has been phenomenally relaxing to be back! Ignoring term papers and midterms that are stressful, it is so great. I really did enjot reading week though, I had a very successful placement and learned a lot about my own style of teaching. A word going out to any people considering going into Con-Ed, DO IT! It is so amazing and I really enjoyed a weeks worth of teaching that verified that it would be something I truly enjoyed. Although I am undecided as to what grade I would prefer.

Other than that I got to spend time with my family and they are planning on getting another dog. As of now the debate is a Doberman vs. Borzoi. We havent voted yet but I am assuming Doberman will loose because my little brother is somewhat afriad of big dogs...and the Doberman is menacing looking.

vs.

... and my vote is Borzoi. It is like a long haired greyhound, and would probably have no problem keeping up with our Italian Greyhound.

On another note, OLYMPICS. Anybody who has read this already know I am an avid Olympics nut. However we lost to the USA. I am so torn. I am American, so gooooo USA. However I love Canada and definitely never leave. Lucky for me I have dual citizenship, thanks Mama! So come on Canada, tighten it up.

I am just getting ready to go to my English Seminar, and I am actually totally excited. We are discussing my most favorite short story of all time, The Yellow Wallpaper. If you have not read this story, read it! It is a perfect example of feminist literature and is a definite thinker.

This Friday my house is hosting another one of our infamous potlucks, and I am very very excited. Sadly I gave up all sweets/junk food etc for Lent...soooo that is a real bummer. Oh well, most of the fun of baking is knowing that other people enjoy it. It is 5 (and one half birthday) peoples birthdays within the next couple weeks! Soooo we are just having a huge birthday bash! It will be quite the event.

I'll keep you up to date!

Corala

Coming Home Part 1

Is it normal to not be homesick? or to not be really desperate to go home? I haven't felt tht way...and I barely felt it in the beginning of the school year. I guess I may have just gotten lucky and thus far had an amazing first year experience. Except the strep throat during frosh week thing...that was the epitome of lame. I guess I just wanted to reflect on it all.

As I am sitting in my bedroom back at home, hemming pants for my siblings, preparing to go for tea at the neighbors and thinking about what to make for dinner tonight...seems far too domestic!

Yes I love my fair share of cooking, and I can be quite handy with a needle and thread...but this is not how i want to spend my time.

My best friend recently decided she was going to hold off on going to university for a couple more years...and I am actually afraid for her. Is it not true that people who take a couple years off are more likely to not go at all? I think it is such an important experience!!! I wouldn't change anything I have done so far with this. I love all of my classes, and even the labs on Friday mornings aren't that bad.

I talk to some different people about their university experience, they seem to miss home all the time...maybe they just weren't ready for it. I know I certainly was. Of course being about 6 hours away from home is a bummer because travelling to get back home takes SO LONG.

Although the day before I went back home I did something pretty fun, gave my neighbour two doors down a haircut. He was looking rather mullet-y and it was a disgrace. We also groomed his eyebrows so he would stop looking like a bushman. Poor Nick. Anyways in the photo above would be his new haircut. I have to say I am pretty proud...and maybe should start a business in the big closet upstairs. Need to pay for tuition somehow!

On another note, starting tomorrow I have my first placement for practice teaching. I am so excited! The school is relatively close to where I live...and having full access to a car when I am home is a definite bonus! Time to get back to my rural and rather dull day, and um...happy family day?

Yeah its family day, and my little brother is playing some sort of online fantasy thing. Becuase he has such an exciting life.

and my little sister is having a sleepover withher friends, and they are running around like the little heathens they are. Last time i checked on them they were discussing how long her fish: "Jackknife" can survive out of water.

....my 9 year old sister has a fish name Jackknife...and along with him we have Tiger Tail and Pokko. (what an imagination)

Such A Beautiful Thing

The Olympic Opening Ceremony is on, and as I pack to go home for reading week I have it streaming on ctv.ca. And what a beautiful way to start off such an important occasion. I am so proud to be Canadian right now, and am proud to see this happening.

My cousin had the honor of holding the olympic torch, and I am so happy for him! He won't completely understand yet, but give him a few years. He might have just taken it down a ski hill but he was part of a huge event. So good job Brendan! (photo above)

The Olympics have always been something I have loved, I can't explain why. Even watching the Chinese Opening Ceremony, I may not agree with Chinese policies on most things, but it was masterfully done.

I like to think my younger brother and sister are watching the Olympics right now back at home, ill have to interrogate them about it tomorrow. My best friend Naomi is babysitting them tonight, so I'm sure she will put it on for them.

On another Olympic note, my condolences go out to the athletes of Georgia. They suffered a great loss today. I can only imagine training together and travelling all this way. It would be like loosing somebody from your family. They were very brave to walk with all the other countries.

Now back to my packing! I am going back home tomorrow and I need to get ready for my placement!!! So I hope everybody is watching the Olympics where ever you are!!!

Corala

So Tired Of...

People that complain about their hometowns. As if you think your hometown is different than the others. Give me a break, and do not blame your hometown for your problems.
That doesn't even make sense.
That is all,
Corala

Joyous? At 9 am? Who knew.

Wow! What a busy, fantastic and exhausting weekend. Did I get any homework done...not really no. That is okay! So remember the cake baking competition? Yeah I came second, woooo. The first place cake was a good cake for sure. But in spite of my incredibly competitive nature I won't mouth it. It was a delicious and very cute cake. Gives me reason to try harder next time, and I have a wicked idea.
Other than that I also went on some sort of nostalgia roll and watched disney movies, like all weekend. Nothing is better than Mulan and The Lion King. Oh I also celebrated a couple friends birthday, which came with even more cake. It has just been a weekend of cake.
So now I am starting to work on an essay that is due in a month. Ridiculous? You would think so. I tend to get caught up, and I have never handed anything in late. Not planning to start when I finally get to university.
Better news! Two of my best friends are coming to Canadore next year, and planning to stay in the townhouses. When you live so far away from home that is an amazing thing to find out. I have missed people so much. I came here knowing...well nobody. Atleast when Danielle and Carley come up they will know somebody and have me to show them around North Bay.
So I am obviously in a very good mood, almost silly really. I dont even mind going to a geography lecture today.
Now all I need is for the sun to shine, and somebody to make me some breakfast.
The cake in the photo is my cake: Nipissing Fantasy Vs. Reality. Note the fondant surfboard, later which some random half ate then put back on the cake. Ew.

Because Cake Baking is the ONLY Road to Glory

So after a fairly busy past few days I have successfully finished an essay and a midterm...oh and a grammar test (but i prefer not to speak of those.) Who knew physical geography would pose such a problem for me. Well somehow I managed to defeat the monotony. Its a bummer really, I have been enjoying the labs, they are really interesting.
The essay wasn't bad either, but if I hated essays I wouldnt be much of an English major would I.
Now for the most important thing. Ever. This is also known as cake baking. Practically my calling in life. Well it would be if I had the kind of training I wish I did. In any case I am competing in some sort of residence competition tomorrow that is a "Cake Boss" styled event. How sad is it this is probably the best thing that has happened to me since my birthday. They GIVE me the baking materials, and if i win i win a gift card (and house section points.) Okay well not the best thing since my birthday, but I live on competition, so I better win.
The other best things to happen to me since my birthday really should have been the Tight and Brite thing at the Wall this weekend, I really like MSTRCRFT. The fire alarms going off and being out in the extreme cold really put a topper on that night. Nothing says "dance party" like a solid case of frostbite.
So tommorow will bring a very busy day full of cake baking and classes. Also I am getting up early and making my boyfriend pancakes before he goes to class. How great am I? Yeahhhhh I know. Well I just pity the poor guy...8 hours of class straight. Who knew being a fine arts major was so demnading, but he always has a lot of assignments. Ill post some of his artwork on here sometime. We all need something beautiful to look at during the day.
In other news we are now having the idea of rommates next year being shoved into our faces. Who knew this would be such a stressful subject. I have 5 girls who agree that we want to live together...but it is never that simple is it. I;m sure we will figure it out in time. As for the potential house-mates next year, I couldnt be more excited. It is a really nice thought knowing the people you will be living with instead of how it went this year. I guess its all part of hte first- year experience. It seems to have worked out fine. Nobody did weird things, illegal things or annoying things. Seems the system paid off for me.
When I am done with the cake baking I will post a picture of it, but until then I think we will have to have a picture of me going off to do some saking on the pond. Which was very fun if you don't mind a bit of choppy ice.

Sniffles and Neocitron

While waiting to go to Physical Geography (I didnt know 2.5 hours of my life could feel that long!) I realized its about time I did another post, considering some things have happened since the last.
Lets see...it seems a few of my roomies, and I have all contracted a nasty cold. So in between blowing my nose, sleeping a lot and dousing myself with Neocitron I have been actually getting things done! It's a huge surprise to me. Residence proves over and over again to be the biggest distraction, ever.
So it is a monday morning, on a rather dreary day. I nearly fell on my butt no matter where I walked this morning and last night because everything is ice! Because of this melting I also had to uncover the pizzas I had buried in the snowdrift in front of my house (what!? 6 girls and one freezer is a tight squeeze sometimes.) On another note, I went to superhero night at The Wall this weekend, and what a great night!!! of course to get free cover I did dress up as a superhero, Obedient Woman (spatula tool-belt and all.) Needless to say it got a few laughs.
Then my house section decided to have a potluck to welcome our new house to Section 4. Soooo..the new house didnt even show up to the potluck. Way to go house 3, if you are reading this, you missed some yummy food, and a viewing of the 5th element. I doubt your sunday night could have been much better! Also our section rep didnt show, he will get an earful later. Whatever, thankyou to the best don ever, Brittany, for organizing the potluck.
After the potluck I went home, sniffled a lot and slept even more.
Time for me to grab a bagel, probably an apple, and whatever else I can scavenge in between drying my hair and talking to whoever else is awake.

Corala

a first post for my first blog

January 20th, 2010.
Apparently creating a blog is a good outlet for event in ones life etc etc...so what happend today.
Today my window defrosted finally and I could open it... just kidding my life is more exciting than that.
I went to see Avatar last night, pretty great movie, I would have to say. I nearly broke out in singing colors of the wind, and the moment they brought in the wise glowing willow tree I might have stormed out of the theater. However, graphics were amazing and the characters were pretty easy to connect with (the human ones at least)
So...blogging. Ive read before that you should have something that you write every single time. But I dont have time for that, I have a religions quiz in 2 hours, and still dinner to cook. I could write about what I see out my window, but since winter came it is now a snowy hill with some cars parked outside. Also a construction site where the new library is being built. Have I been the only one hearing rumors that the foundation is already faulty? Let's hope not, based off the drawings it looks like a solid library.
Somethings about myself:

• 18 years old, female.
• Really really really enjoy cooking, my roomates enjoy it when I cook too.
• Came to North Bay in September, and the months have flown by.
• Best part of this decision: Living in the townhouses, and being in the teaching programme.
• Worst: I miss my sister(as seen in photo. That is Anya, the coolest kid ever.) and my dogs. Sooo if somebody wants to pass a rule that we can have pets that would be great. Or else I'll continue talking to my tree and referring to the water I give it as "treats".

Enough for now, I have a quiz to study for, dinner to cook, and a papier mache globe to work on. Maybe clean this room as well, It is always a bad sign when the floor is almost hidden by failed outfits of the week.

Corala