Stumped. I need a musical pick me up!

Hey Guys,
It's E.A.P and right now I'm in a weird blank state of mind where everything comes but nothing stays.  I didn't think it was possible but my mind literally feels empty!
Is it that end-of-semester worn out feeling?

I thought I'd make this post about happy songs.
These are the songs I like to listen to when I'm down:











And finally...


What do you listen to when you're down? Comment below and let me know :)

Personal training at UTSC

Whether you need improvement in blood pressure levels, flexibility, agility, nutrition, or need a post-rehab specialist - UTSC athletics department has what you need to avoid gaining those freshman fifteen. Offered to students, faculty, and alumni - our gym offers individual assessments from certified personal trainers.

UTSC fitness coordinator, Catarina Freire, explains how students can get involved, the most popular fitness program, and crucial advice on how and why you should stay active during exam time.

Consultations are free! Click here for more information on personal fitness at UTSC!

Also, big congratulations to the women's UTSC "A" soccer team who beat UTM in the finals on Sunday! The nail biter of a game went into two overtimes and shoot-outs before UTSC claimed victory. A win well deserved ladies. Great season!

Speaking up for spoken word

Recently, being stuck in the doldrums of academia, I went looking for a bit of inspiration. My go to source? The Internet of course! Specifically, I wanted to find some spoken word artists I could follow because I'm really attracted to that form of poetic expression. I found too many to share with you all, but I think I've successfully gone through every video on YouTube of Suheir Hammad and so today I want to share her work with you.

Suheir Hammad according to her Wikipedia entry (such a trusted source, right?) is "a Palestinian-American poet, author and political activist." But that barely captures the essence of what she is as an artist and as a woman. I was introduced to her work through a class I was taking and fell in love with her sharp, poignant poetry. On my recent internet crawl, I stumbled upon a mass of YouTube videos of her def poetry jam stuff ...and let's just say I won't be finishing that essay any time soon. 

Suheir deals with issues of nationhood, identity, gender roles, self-expression, love, and basically anything anyone can ever want to hear about. As someone who isn't much of a creative writer ( I try now and again), I'm really amazed by her ability to take these heavy topics and condense them into these short effective pieces that a variety of people can find accessible. She performs her poetry anywhere she can and it's a mark of how amazing she is that people can connect with her so easily. Aside from being involved in Def Poetry, Suheir also starred in Salt of This Sea, a film about a woman's travels to the West Bank and her experiences both in America and back in her country of birth. 

And though you might not see me anytime soon on the spoken word stage, UTSC sure isn't lacking in talent - from any avenue! Every year, Scarborough Fair is released and it contains writing and artwork from students. It's a great display of artistic engagement and students can submit their original work (not to mention how great it looks on your portfolio). There are also many opportunities throughout the year to submit creative writing pieces for reviews in various competitions and conferences. The spoken word scene at UTSC is pretty vibrant as well. And having gone to many of the shows presented by Spoetic, I would encourage everyone to make it out. You can check them out on their Facebook, and find some cool student artists (think of them like Suheir's-in-the-making - they sure have the talent to get there!)

I guess the lesson in all of this is to let those creative juices flow! Whether, like me, it's a way to release tension during exam time or more inspiration to start writing yourself. I've always heard that the best thing to do when you're trying to write is to put pen to paper, or more aptly nowadays, fingers to keyboard. And since there are so many opportunities to showcase the results of your flow writing, it can't hurt to try your hand out at some!

So as all of you inspired people are writing away, take a break and check out more of Suheir Hammad's work!

Let me know if there are any other artists/shows you want me to check out. Tweet me about it @rantothezebra or let me know in the comments below. Until next week, later days!

Doodling during class

Hey Pulse Readers! It’s Raphael back for Friday’s blog. I realize that I am the only blogger that hasn’t really opened up yet to what my personality is like through my blogs. It’s my fault really, I wanted to cover what our school has to offer in terms of student life, but in doing so, I really have put my personality at the back. I have been covering study space, the campus buildings, the Attic, and recently the movies that were shot in campus. The only blog from which I had a little of my personality was the Attic, because I truly do love the Attic. (And for anyone who still wants to play me in a match, just comment below the date and time and I’ll be there!) I also realize that the history on the buildings is not really the most exciting topic either, so time to CHANGE IT UP!

Now I am going to share one of my very personal secrets that I do almost everyday in school. Before I reveal it, let me create some suspense first. Let me ask you, what makes a good university? The teacher’s right? Well that is what I am going to reveal today – for almost every class I’ve taken, I have DOODLED on my notes. Ok before all of you start going crazy with the questions, let me explain. 

Picture this: you are in a class, you see that all the seats are filled, and you are stuck looking at the clock waiting for class to end. You are bored out of your mind, tired and a little sleepy (maybe because of the commute or the early 9am class). You look up at front and see your lecturer talking, pacing and asking questions.

Now in this EXACT situation, I like to doodle in my notes. I have always liked to draw and sketch random things (and I am thinking of taking a drawing class maybe in the campus or just for fun), but I don’t just draw anything I want. I usually look around the room for something to sketch, (it can be anything from a water bottle to the podium) and my eyes usually fall on the person in front of me, THE TEACHER. It’s unavoidable, and sometimes I do it subconsciously, but I start to draw the teacher’s face. Most of my drawings are crappy (due to the lack of proper training) but I feel that it my drawings capture the essence of what the person looks like. I only draw the face, as I am not skilled enough to draw the entire body, but below are some of the doodles I do on my notes.

Okay so I am going to stop talking and just enjoy my notes.

Now this doodling just comes so naturally to me now, whenever I feel bored, or am feeling creative I just want to draw. As you can see with these pages of my notes, I just draw them on the side, and when my friend comes to ask me, "What are you doing?" I just respond, "I'm doodling." And I would show them what I would be drawing and they would either smile or laugh. Sometimes class just gets too dull, and a little drawing can really change your attitude for the whole day.

And for those of you, who do the same thing as me, please share it! I want to know if I am the only one who does this, and message me at rsanti@rogers.com if you want to share your sketch to the world!

I wish somebody told me...

I've been reflecting on what's its like to be in university, the whole transition thing, and I talked to my friends because as we all know there is strength in solidarity (I also learned the meaning of that word!).

We came to the conclusion that:  HIGH SCHOOL DOES NOT PREPARE YOU FOR UNIVERSITY.

In high school there is a sense of community because you see the same people everyday and the teachers hunt you down for late assignments whereas here it is YOUR responsibility to keep up to date with everything. Talking to my friends I realized we are ALL struggling with and around almost the same/similar stuff. The first thing you have to do is "adjust" and "adapt" to the new learning style. You're not in school for a solid schedule of 9am -3pm. You are in your lectures, tutorials and gaps of time to yourself OR sometimes your whole day and night is taken up by classes. Not to say that you don't have that community here, it's just bigger and more diverse.

This was my reaction to my first essay in university. For me the hardest thing are the essays.

I found myself struggling to write essays because of this whole "critical thinking" jazz. In high school you could slide with an "all-nighter" essay and get a decent grade like mid 70's. Whereas HERE the best you can do is anywhere from a 50-58 (the TAs likes to tease). I remember getting my first essay back and it was filled with suggestions and critiques etc.

This is my definition of critical thinking; it is way more than just making a comment on something, it is about seeing what you are seeing and then seeing around it, inside it, really inspecting it AND THEN making a claim about it and then applying it to...
YOU>YOUR ENVIRONMENT>YOUR SOCIETY (it can also be vice-versa). You have to not only dig for some deeper meaning but then go above and beyond with your explanation. The easiest and hardest thing to do is, "make a claim and then justify it". You can say ANYTHING you want as long as there is logic and analysis to back it up.

TIME is also a big factor, and in that sense high school does not teach you practical time management skills. They don't teach you how to plan and manage your time. These skills don't magically appear. It's through the mistakes I've made that I learned NOT to hand in my assignments late. I ain't even gonna lie about it, I still procrastinate. If it means going to Dollarama (they ALWAYS hook me up) and buying a planner, a monthly schedule and organizing your time...THEN DO IT.

I also realized that because its first year most of my courses are 1) Required and 2) Really Broad. These introductory courses are meant for you to take up an interest in a particular field and then develop these interest. As you might have noticed as the years progress the classes become more smaller and intimate. Yes you have to lower your standards and then work them up again but in this process you discover your likes and dislikes

The best advice I can give is...stress is inevitable, you WILL make mistakes, but it's OK. Don't beat yourself up over it. You need to have some form of outlet because this stress can get overwhelming (TRUST ME). This outlet is like your "break" from university when you can't really get one.

I'd like to dedicate this song to my high school grades...may they REST IN PEACE.



Epic quote of the week: "If I read your essay and I learn something, it means you have done a good job...It's called 'pedagogy' the art of teaching"-Hannah Dyer

Interhouse soccer - and why I was a huge chicken

Two years ago I received a Facebook message from a guy who goes to UTSC asking if I wanted to play interhouse soccer. He explained it was a co-ed league that played every Tuesday at the school gym.

I was reluctant to agree, but he pleaded because his team needed to recruit more girls.

[For those of you who don't know, interhouse are co-ed leagues that include sports such as soccer, cricket, volleyball, ball hockey, and basketball. The best part is, they're free and happen right here at our school. 

You have to be a U of T student or 2011 - 2012 Athletics and Recreation Centre member. To play, you can sign up as an individual or gather an all-star team of your friends. Registration begins the beginning of each semester. Visit the UTSC athletics centre for more information.]

Back to my story!

Of course, I didn't know anything about interhouse nor did I know anyone on the team very well. After much deliberation, I pulled out my indoor soccer shoes cluttered beneath my closet and told the Facebook guy i'd meet him at the gym on Tuesday.

Game day rolled around.

Even at the beginning of my second year at UTSC, I was still getting used to the campus. I wasn't fully comfortable with entering a place I didn't know much about - this included the UTSC gym.

I walked to the gym, pulled out my T-card, and past the turnstiles. I immediately heard yelling and cheering. I looked to my right, through the tiny windows of the gym doors, and saw a bunch of soccer players and fans watching intense five on five action. 

The ball was bouncing every which way, players aggressively fighting to score a goal, and fans cheering from the benches. 

I was intimidated. 

My next initial move was to enter the gym and start warming up with my team. But - I didn't.

I turned around and left.

Yes, I was a huge loser. I chickened out. 

Like many of you, I wasn't comfortable with the space or the players I didn't know.

The next day I got a message from a girl on my outdoor soccer team saying, she was on that interhouse team I was supposed to play for. I told her I was hesitant on going, but she said to come with her to the next game. 

Fast forward to next Tuesday. Going with her made me a lot more comfortable. I saw the guy who messaged me on Facebook and briefly introduced myself before he threw a pinny at me, saying it's time to warm up.

I only knew a few names on my team, but I did my best to remember.

The game was fast pace and I did my best to keep up. The majority of the league consisted of male dominated players. For this reason, any girl who scores, their goal counts as two.  So, the last couple minutes of the game my team kept passing to me - saying to go for the net and score. For my first game, I believe I held my own pretty well.

I can't remember if we won or lost, but I do recall my relief when it was over. 

I continued going to interhouse each week and got to know more soccer players at the school. I quickly learned the small community I was becoming a part of.

Becoming well-known in the UTSC soccer community, I was asked to play in indoor soccer tournaments at UTM and Humber College. It's a wonderful thing when you get involved with the school, different opportunities present themselves to you.

If you'd like to join interhouse - message me and let me know. I'd be more than happy to introduce you to players and make you part of a team.  No one wants to be the chicken who leaves before giving the game a go.

Something wicked this way comes! ...Macbeth fever hits Hart House Theatre

Double double, toil and trouble/ Fire burn and cauldron bubble...

Who doesn't know these famous lines from William Shakespeare's dark tragedy Macbeth? Well, this past weekend I, along with the audience at the Hart House Theatre, got to see it performed by a professional cast of actors.
 

After a scenic drive downtown, some sightseeing (you can be a tourist in your own city, try it, it's fun!) and some good ol' fashioned McDonald's we arrived at the theatre a half hour before the show (not going to lie, we got lost... Scarborough kids). My friends and I were pleasantly surprised to see that we got discounts on top of our $15 discounted student tickets because of a special code I had from my Shakespeare class (shout out to ENGB32, more of Macbeth in gang!)

Three witches and Macbeth walked into a bar...

The set of this production was amaaaazing! It changed from forest to chamber to village square to battlefield, and all of it was thoroughly convincing! The actors were superb and the classic soliloquys were performed with an inspired twist. My honest reaction was: dude, that was awesome. It definitely beat our grade 11 in-class production of Macbeth by lightyears!

We broke the "no photography" rule. shh! But seriously! Look how cool the set is!

I won't give away the more interesting parts of the production, but I will say, seeing the performance in person was much better than reading it in class! Also, hint: strobe lights, sound effects and lots of horror! It was actually pretty scary - albeit awesome and totally cool.

Also, this is still crunch time for everyone, but taking just one night off (tickets are only $10 on Wednesdays) was a much needed break! I went with girlfriends and it made for a great night out on the town. The night was classy, with just a dash of arts and culture sophistication, and of course we topped it off with the typical Toronto TTC adventures. 

I'd encourage everyone to have their own theatre experience, especially when our own university is hosting it! And while you're booking your tickets,check out the trailer. This is definitely not an event to be missed!

So what have you all been up to in good ol' Tdot (do people still say that?)... Are there any other theatre experiences I should check out? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me at @rantothezebra. Until next week, later days! :)