Guelph has a new garbage disposal system. We used to leave our garbage bags out by the curb and garbage people would come and pick them up. However, now the city is issuing bins. We're supposed to put the garbage in the bins and have the garbage people empty the bins into their truck. It's an alright system, but it's not so great for us. We live in a house that is divided into two apartments and at least three other rented rooms. That means that our household comprises at least seven people, eight when I'm around. Problem is, the City of Guelph treats us like a standard household, comprising one family. That means that we are only given bins fit to the size of one family, and they will not take any additional garbage.
These blogs have a new function, which allow me to see my highest-viewed posts of all time. It's kind of funny, and kind of random. None of my highest viewed posts are ones that I thought were terribly interesting. A lot of them back from during my depressed post-high school unemployed phase. It's interesting, looking at this blog over the past three years. You get a lot of different flavours. There's depressed unemployed flavour, there's Karate-obsession flavour, Katimavik flavour, Linimar flavour, Mali-obsession flavour, and now college-flavour.
That reminds me, I was going to visit Ways2Work and my old dojo before I go back.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Christmas
This year, there wasn't very much Christmas hype, and I'm not sure why. The stores weren't any more busy than they usually are, and this seems to be a nation-wide phenomenon. This is probably what the Mayans predicted.
I got sick on Christmas, too. I actually vomited for the first time in 12 years. I was shocked. While it was happening, I thought to myself "There goes my 12 years record...". Upside is, this proves that my body is still capable of this basic self-defense mechanism. I was kind of worried that it wasn't. In Katimavik, one time everyone in the house was sick and going about this action, except for me. There were actually three people in the house who didn't get sick, but I did, and I was the only sick person not to throw up.
I was surprised at how natural it was. After not having done it for so long, I'd built it up in my mind as some really awful thing, but in the end, it wasn't too bad at all.
My brother got sick, too, although perhaps not quite so much as me, and my mother didn't really get sick. Mom's wondering if me and my bro ate anything she didn't, since the symptoms seem a bit like food poisoning.
Anyway, I managed to keep my spirits up. This year, I got a camera, which is great, because my old one is ancient. I've probably talked about it in the past, how it has an "attitude" and how it's so old that when people see it, they think it's new. This new one's got million settings, including ones as cryptic as one for babies, one for flowers, one for fireworks, and one for parties.
I also got a printer. Nice, portable little thing that can still print in colour, scan, and do photocopies. I'm gonna bring it back to my dorm. I used to have to write up my papers in my room and go to school to print them out.
I got sick on Christmas, too. I actually vomited for the first time in 12 years. I was shocked. While it was happening, I thought to myself "There goes my 12 years record...". Upside is, this proves that my body is still capable of this basic self-defense mechanism. I was kind of worried that it wasn't. In Katimavik, one time everyone in the house was sick and going about this action, except for me. There were actually three people in the house who didn't get sick, but I did, and I was the only sick person not to throw up.
I was surprised at how natural it was. After not having done it for so long, I'd built it up in my mind as some really awful thing, but in the end, it wasn't too bad at all.
My brother got sick, too, although perhaps not quite so much as me, and my mother didn't really get sick. Mom's wondering if me and my bro ate anything she didn't, since the symptoms seem a bit like food poisoning.
Anyway, I managed to keep my spirits up. This year, I got a camera, which is great, because my old one is ancient. I've probably talked about it in the past, how it has an "attitude" and how it's so old that when people see it, they think it's new. This new one's got million settings, including ones as cryptic as one for babies, one for flowers, one for fireworks, and one for parties.
I also got a printer. Nice, portable little thing that can still print in colour, scan, and do photocopies. I'm gonna bring it back to my dorm. I used to have to write up my papers in my room and go to school to print them out.
Friday, December 21, 2012
End of the World
Well, it's the end of the world today. It's the end of the Mayan calendar and all that. I wish people would stop making these end of the world prophecies. There's one every couple of years, and it never happens, and I never believe it will happen, but I still get nervous.
Well, I got an 86% on the final Psyche assignment. That leaves me at an 89% average total. That's really annoying. Makes me go over my past and think "If I would have done more Guided Writing Exercise revisions, or did the Human Services midterm partial redo, this could have been avoided." Oh well. Like I said, Presidential Honours is gauged over a year, not a semester, and I don't have Math next semester.
The alphabet-style grades are coming in. Got a B in Math, and an A in English and Psyche. That means I should have straight As in everything except Math. That's no terrible. I always thought the grading system would be like 90-100=A, 80-90=B, 70-80=C, 50-70=D, 0-50=F.
But no, apparently a 72 is a B and an 86 is an A.
Apparently my program gives a $500 cheque for a randomly selected student with an average over 80% every month. I've never gotten this, and none of the people I know with averages over 80% have ever gotten it. Who's getting this money, and why don't they tell anyone?!
Well, I got an 86% on the final Psyche assignment. That leaves me at an 89% average total. That's really annoying. Makes me go over my past and think "If I would have done more Guided Writing Exercise revisions, or did the Human Services midterm partial redo, this could have been avoided." Oh well. Like I said, Presidential Honours is gauged over a year, not a semester, and I don't have Math next semester.
The alphabet-style grades are coming in. Got a B in Math, and an A in English and Psyche. That means I should have straight As in everything except Math. That's no terrible. I always thought the grading system would be like 90-100=A, 80-90=B, 70-80=C, 50-70=D, 0-50=F.
But no, apparently a 72 is a B and an 86 is an A.
Apparently my program gives a $500 cheque for a randomly selected student with an average over 80% every month. I've never gotten this, and none of the people I know with averages over 80% have ever gotten it. Who's getting this money, and why don't they tell anyone?!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Current Grades
Well, the semester's over. I'm done my math tests, and I've completed one of my Psych assignments. There is still one left to submit by 5:00 PM today. It's finished, but it's a group project, so I'm waiting on one of my group members to look it over. If she doesn't respond by 4:30, I'll just submit it.
I'm waiting on my grades to roll in. I've got 5 out of 6 so far. Here they are:
English: 86%
College Prep: 98%
Social Services: 95%
Human Services: 94%
Math: 72%
And my Psych grade, as of now, is 88%, but I'm waiting on two more assignments to be processed.
Right now, I'm at 89% average between the six. That's what I was at before, remember? Since then, I improved in every class except for Math, which dropped in a heavy way. If my Psych grade moves up, that will put me over my goal of 90%. If not, the Presidential Honours thing is evaluated over the course of a year, not semester, so I can probably pick it up. Next semester, there is no Math or English, which are my lowest grades.
I still improved my English grade from high school. I had the educational requirements to get into Social Services, and I was worried that, if I got a grade worse than 80%, I would lose the credential I already had before taking this program. Our final assignment was worth 40% of our grade, and it contained another assignment which was an additional 5%. Basically have the course in one package, and it was placed right after our worst rush for assignments, so I was feeling burned out when I really got down to work on it. I worried that this burn out would hurt the quality of my project.
In high school. I had a 72% average for English, but it was University stream, so it added up to 82% for College. There's an 82% minimum to get into my desired program. Since the minimum is 70% for Universities, it actually means you need to have a University-level comprehension of this specific subject to get in.
In the end, I improved by 4%. That's neat. Still my second-lowest grade.
I'm waiting on my grades to roll in. I've got 5 out of 6 so far. Here they are:
English: 86%
College Prep: 98%
Social Services: 95%
Human Services: 94%
Math: 72%
And my Psych grade, as of now, is 88%, but I'm waiting on two more assignments to be processed.
Right now, I'm at 89% average between the six. That's what I was at before, remember? Since then, I improved in every class except for Math, which dropped in a heavy way. If my Psych grade moves up, that will put me over my goal of 90%. If not, the Presidential Honours thing is evaluated over the course of a year, not semester, so I can probably pick it up. Next semester, there is no Math or English, which are my lowest grades.
I still improved my English grade from high school. I had the educational requirements to get into Social Services, and I was worried that, if I got a grade worse than 80%, I would lose the credential I already had before taking this program. Our final assignment was worth 40% of our grade, and it contained another assignment which was an additional 5%. Basically have the course in one package, and it was placed right after our worst rush for assignments, so I was feeling burned out when I really got down to work on it. I worried that this burn out would hurt the quality of my project.
In high school. I had a 72% average for English, but it was University stream, so it added up to 82% for College. There's an 82% minimum to get into my desired program. Since the minimum is 70% for Universities, it actually means you need to have a University-level comprehension of this specific subject to get in.
In the end, I improved by 4%. That's neat. Still my second-lowest grade.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Future Planning
Oooooohhhh.... I got to take a look at next semester's timetable, and it's not pretty. I have three 8:00 AM classes, and one class that runs until 5:00 PM... I had the option of putting an elective in another 8:00 AM slot. NO WAY!
My grades are good enough to get me into university. My program has two "streams", the College Stream, and the University Stream, which you get to decide on for next semester. But the University Stream only helps you get into Conestoga's Community and Criminal Justice program, so there's not really any reason for me to take it. Still, there's another University-College that has in the past taken Human Services Foundation into consideration. One of my professors has some weight there, and he said that he'd be willing to give me a letter of recommendation. This place also gives credits for Social Service Worker, which is what I'm applying for primarily. Degrees you can get from there using Social Service Worker, and which you might be able to influence your way into with Human Services Foundation, are their Bachelor of Social Work program, and their Cultural and Social Development program. This college is a branch off the University of Waterloo, and you get a U of W degree if you graduate.
Other colleges with university programs you can apply to through the Ontario Colleges website. However, I don't see this college on here. Maybe it's because this is a university-college instead of a college-university? Meaning, it's a university with college programs, unlike Conestoga, which is a college with university programs. I don't know.
I don't even know if I'd want to go to university. Double the price of college, and twice as long. I'd probably burn down my current resources and have to take out a loan. At the same time, I don't like the idea of living beneath my potential. When I graduated high school, I tried to get into university and failed, so that was my goal at one point in time. And I am good enough, for some reason, to get into university at this point in my life.
However, when I first applied to university, I only did it because I thought that university was a better option for people without a clear goal as to what they wanted to do. I didn't look at it like university was an "upgrade". Now, I have a clear enough goal, but I'm looking at university like an upgrade.
I was thinking I'd apply anyway, just to see if I could get in, but I'm not seeing it as an available option on this selection sheet.. Might have to go through the university website, and then I'd have to apply to two other universities and pay an additional fee. Yeah, I remember this process... Don't know if it's worth the hassle, if I'm just going to reject any offers that come my way.
My grades are good enough to get me into university. My program has two "streams", the College Stream, and the University Stream, which you get to decide on for next semester. But the University Stream only helps you get into Conestoga's Community and Criminal Justice program, so there's not really any reason for me to take it. Still, there's another University-College that has in the past taken Human Services Foundation into consideration. One of my professors has some weight there, and he said that he'd be willing to give me a letter of recommendation. This place also gives credits for Social Service Worker, which is what I'm applying for primarily. Degrees you can get from there using Social Service Worker, and which you might be able to influence your way into with Human Services Foundation, are their Bachelor of Social Work program, and their Cultural and Social Development program. This college is a branch off the University of Waterloo, and you get a U of W degree if you graduate.
Other colleges with university programs you can apply to through the Ontario Colleges website. However, I don't see this college on here. Maybe it's because this is a university-college instead of a college-university? Meaning, it's a university with college programs, unlike Conestoga, which is a college with university programs. I don't know.
I don't even know if I'd want to go to university. Double the price of college, and twice as long. I'd probably burn down my current resources and have to take out a loan. At the same time, I don't like the idea of living beneath my potential. When I graduated high school, I tried to get into university and failed, so that was my goal at one point in time. And I am good enough, for some reason, to get into university at this point in my life.
However, when I first applied to university, I only did it because I thought that university was a better option for people without a clear goal as to what they wanted to do. I didn't look at it like university was an "upgrade". Now, I have a clear enough goal, but I'm looking at university like an upgrade.
I was thinking I'd apply anyway, just to see if I could get in, but I'm not seeing it as an available option on this selection sheet.. Might have to go through the university website, and then I'd have to apply to two other universities and pay an additional fee. Yeah, I remember this process... Don't know if it's worth the hassle, if I'm just going to reject any offers that come my way.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Social Service Group Project & Family Genogram
Got my grades for my Social Services group project and my Family Genogram project. My Social Services project was a combination paper/presentation. We worked really hard on that one. We were supposed to write a 5-7 page paper, but we wrote 20. I brought it to the prof ahead of time, and he said "If you are willing to do the work, I'm ready to read it." Of course, he also said that some professors would just say "Didn't listen to instructions" and give a 0. We were willing to trim it, but he was cool with what we had.
We barely made the 45 minute presentation length prerequisite. We had no idea what amount of information would be needed to fill 45 minutes. Of course, the standard group is five people, and ours was three. He said that smaller groups wouldn't be expected to fill the same length.
Yeah, we got 100% on the project!
Family genogram, I got a humble 92%. Can;t really complain, when you're disappointed by a 92.
Final grade for Human Services is 94% It's the only final grade that I have so far.
We barely made the 45 minute presentation length prerequisite. We had no idea what amount of information would be needed to fill 45 minutes. Of course, the standard group is five people, and ours was three. He said that smaller groups wouldn't be expected to fill the same length.
Yeah, we got 100% on the project!
Family genogram, I got a humble 92%. Can;t really complain, when you're disappointed by a 92.
Final grade for Human Services is 94% It's the only final grade that I have so far.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Aftermath of the Semester's End
I woke up in my standard state of anxiety. My first reaction was to go through my memories and figure out what the obligations of the day were. I realized that I had no obligations, and I was actually kind of depressed. My only two classes left are Psych and Math.
Wellll.... I should clean my room, do my laundry, and take out the garbage. I fell behind on those obligations during the hardest time of the semester. I gotta eat all my perishable food before I leave for Chistmas vacation, too.
Lot of areas in my life took a hit when I was so focused on school. I was doing really well at healthy living for awhile. When I came back from Mali, I'd lost thirty pounds. Came back to Canada and gained back about fifteen. Maintained that weight well into my time in college. In the past two months, I gained them back. Couldn't find time to exercise, stopped prioritizing my diet etc. I'll probably do better at the beginning of next semester. I'd say I'd fix things over Christmas break, but that's not how Christmas break usually goes.
Slept until 3 PM today, and that set the tone for the rest of the day. I'll clean things up tomorrow.
Wellll.... I should clean my room, do my laundry, and take out the garbage. I fell behind on those obligations during the hardest time of the semester. I gotta eat all my perishable food before I leave for Chistmas vacation, too.
Lot of areas in my life took a hit when I was so focused on school. I was doing really well at healthy living for awhile. When I came back from Mali, I'd lost thirty pounds. Came back to Canada and gained back about fifteen. Maintained that weight well into my time in college. In the past two months, I gained them back. Couldn't find time to exercise, stopped prioritizing my diet etc. I'll probably do better at the beginning of next semester. I'd say I'd fix things over Christmas break, but that's not how Christmas break usually goes.
Slept until 3 PM today, and that set the tone for the rest of the day. I'll clean things up tomorrow.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Finished the English Paper
Well, I finished my paper at 6:40 AM. It doesn't look pretty, but I managed it. I kind of had to sacrifice an algebra test for it. It's too bad, for the longest time, I had scores across the nineties for four of my classes, and had grades in the mid-eighties for Psych and Math. Now I've worked my Psych up over ninety, but my Math has dipped below eighty, pretty sure. That's going to drag my entire average down! If only I hadn't been put in the year where they introduced Math!
Oh well, got two more math tests coming up, which I have confidence in. Maybe I'll be able to fix things up a bit. Other than Psych and Math, I'm all done for this semester.
Gotta clear out of Residence, though. If you don't, they charge you $30/day. Pretty uncool, if you ask me. They're already charging the same as the average for alternative housing, and that's for eight months, compared to other places, which will give you the full twelve for the same price or lower. So I'd think they could spring for Christmas vacation, as I'd assume it would be included in their eight months
I managed to identify an identical twin from her sister, when I had no prior knowledge that said person had a twin. A classmate of mine, who I have a "Smile and nod" level relationship appeared to be walking down the hall. I said to my friend:
Me: See that girl walking down the hall?
Friend: You mean _____?
Me: No, not _____. She must have a twin sister, because that's not her.
Friend: Shut the front door! How do you know that?
Me: It's not the right light behind her eyes. This is an ability I developed in Africa.
Friend: Should we ask her?
Me: No, that's too awkward.
Friend: HEY YOU! Are you_____?
Girl: No, that's my twin sister.
Oh well, got two more math tests coming up, which I have confidence in. Maybe I'll be able to fix things up a bit. Other than Psych and Math, I'm all done for this semester.
Gotta clear out of Residence, though. If you don't, they charge you $30/day. Pretty uncool, if you ask me. They're already charging the same as the average for alternative housing, and that's for eight months, compared to other places, which will give you the full twelve for the same price or lower. So I'd think they could spring for Christmas vacation, as I'd assume it would be included in their eight months
I managed to identify an identical twin from her sister, when I had no prior knowledge that said person had a twin. A classmate of mine, who I have a "Smile and nod" level relationship appeared to be walking down the hall. I said to my friend:
Me: See that girl walking down the hall?
Friend: You mean _____?
Me: No, not _____. She must have a twin sister, because that's not her.
Friend: Shut the front door! How do you know that?
Me: It's not the right light behind her eyes. This is an ability I developed in Africa.
Friend: Should we ask her?
Me: No, that's too awkward.
Friend: HEY YOU! Are you_____?
Girl: No, that's my twin sister.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
English Essay
Gotta stay strong, gotta stay strong! One final major assignment, due tomorrow, for my most influential class! After that, I've got a week to prep for my Psych and Math finals. Did a paper three times as big as this one last night. If I burn out now, I won't forgive myself! Not off to a good start, though. I printed out all my research articles, which will have to go into a binder. Hole puncher there only does two out of three holes! Brought them back home to my single hole punch. It broke! Now what am I going to do?! Such a stupid thing to get hung up on. Oh well, I'll just get the work done, and hopefully she can't flunk someone for having only two out of three holes punched on each paper.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Cumulative Family Assignment & Social Issues Exam
Well, I finished my Human Services Cumulative Assignment. It was based on my own family dynamics. I made a graph of three generations, looked at five themes throughout those generations, and then did a discussion paper on them I also did an in-depth review of my dynamics in my family at home, looked at the strengths and areas for improvement that I developed as a result of these dynamics and intergenerational themes, and then I wrote a piece on something that has inspired me.
The piece I chose was my spirit stones that my Aunt gave me as a Christmas present when I was young. I have three stones, each with a painting of an animal on them. I was meant to adapt the character of each respective animal as I grew. The animals I received were, Bear, to give me strength, Coyote, to give me cunning, and Whale, to give me wisdom.
I have them in a Malian satchel that I got with some wooden animal carvings on the market, so I wroteabout the symbolism behind that, too.
I had to go home for the weekend to get my inspirational piece. I was in luck, as my grandparents were swinging by. I hadn't thought that I would be able to visit home, as my schoolwork is keeping me too busy, even if my grandparents were coming over. But, just so happens, it was school that brought me home, and since it was an assignment on family history, my grandma was even able to help me out.
I had a Social Issues exam today, too. It wasn't so bad. I got back my Student Success paper. 92%. If my goal is to beat 90%, then I guess that's a success.
This week I have a Self and Career paper for College Prep and then an argumentative essay for English due the day following. If I can survive this, then it's smooth sailing for a couple of weeks, with only a few Math quizzes, a Psych quiz, and a pretty reasonable Psych assignment. Then Christmas vacation.
I got a 95% on the last Psych quiz, and 100% on a group discussion question. Only thing that's in danger of dragging me down is math. Since I don't have it next semester, I'm hoping I can build my average to over 90% even if I don't quite manage it this semester.
The piece I chose was my spirit stones that my Aunt gave me as a Christmas present when I was young. I have three stones, each with a painting of an animal on them. I was meant to adapt the character of each respective animal as I grew. The animals I received were, Bear, to give me strength, Coyote, to give me cunning, and Whale, to give me wisdom.
I have them in a Malian satchel that I got with some wooden animal carvings on the market, so I wroteabout the symbolism behind that, too.
I had to go home for the weekend to get my inspirational piece. I was in luck, as my grandparents were swinging by. I hadn't thought that I would be able to visit home, as my schoolwork is keeping me too busy, even if my grandparents were coming over. But, just so happens, it was school that brought me home, and since it was an assignment on family history, my grandma was even able to help me out.
I had a Social Issues exam today, too. It wasn't so bad. I got back my Student Success paper. 92%. If my goal is to beat 90%, then I guess that's a success.
This week I have a Self and Career paper for College Prep and then an argumentative essay for English due the day following. If I can survive this, then it's smooth sailing for a couple of weeks, with only a few Math quizzes, a Psych quiz, and a pretty reasonable Psych assignment. Then Christmas vacation.
I got a 95% on the last Psych quiz, and 100% on a group discussion question. Only thing that's in danger of dragging me down is math. Since I don't have it next semester, I'm hoping I can build my average to over 90% even if I don't quite manage it this semester.
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