Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Resolution update! Oh yeah, contain your excitement!

Well, I did a post about my New Years Resolutions earlier this month (duh… since that was the beginning of the new year…), and I thought I would give you an update on how I'm doing!

Number 1 - Lose 5 pounds this month

Well, I have to be honest and say that this one has not gone so well. I started strong! I was serious, and determined. I cut out sugar and cut down on pop (which is actually still going pretty well), however…

I haven't lost 5 pounds. I haven't really lost any pounds. BUT, I also didn't gain any either. I consider this month a draw and I will try to do better in February and make up for my slow start this time around!


Number 2 - Save more money

This one is actually going pretty well. I still not to watch my shopping (it is my favourite form of stress relief), but it has been going really, really well, and I am ahead of my goal when it comes to saving spending money for my trip! OH YEAH! 


Number 3 - Focus on school 

Well, this one has been going good. I still haven't been as organized and on the ball as I was hoping, but I'm still in good shape and settling into a nice routine and managing to get things done! 

Still could use some work though… But I have plans in place!




So that is my New Years Resolutions update. I have some great stuff planned for the next few weeks for both my blog and YouTube channel (which I swear, I haven't forgotten!) SO STAY TUNED!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Life is like my favourite meal

"Life is like a box of chocolates." Life is nothing like a box of chocolates. Chocolate is delicious, and makes you happy every time you eat it! Life is more like getting your favourite meal at a chain restaurant. You sit down at your usual neighbour location and order your favourite meal (for me, this is steak - well done, and fries). So you order it, and it arrives and it's perfect. It is exactly what you expected, what you wanted, what you have been craving! Now then lets say that you go to the same restaurant, but this time you are in a different part of the city. You order the same meal, and when it arrives… it's awful. They burned it, and under seasoned it. It is still your favourite, but it isn't at the same time. 

That is life. Life is your favourite meal, it will always be your favourite meal, even if it wasn't made the same way. 

At least that is the way I feel about my life. Sometimes it's amazing and perfect and just the way I want it. And other times, it's burnt and gross, and I'm just disappointed. I think that's true of anybody's life. Nothing ever goes perfectly, and there will be a few bumps in the road. But that doesn't mean that you give up, you just deal with what you can, and choose a better restaurant next time! (And yes, I am aware that in a restaurant, if your food comes out wrong you can send it back and have it remade - But work within the analogy!) 

So what if life is a little inconsistent?! I'm starting to think that it's worth it, putting up with the crap to get to the good stuff. People always say that you learn from your mistakes. And I always thought that was kind of stupid. I'm the kind of person who hates making mistakes. I get frustrated, not because I think I'm perfect, but I just expect perfection from myself. But with my 30th birthday fast approaching, I'm finally getting the hang of this mistake thing. Not only am I LESS hard on myself (still working on not being hard on myself at all), but I am actually learning from my mistakes and what I can change to avoid making the mistake again! It feels like growing up. 

But I can't say the same thing about relationships. I seem to keep making the same relationship mistakes over and over again. But I think I'll leave relationships for another time!

Adios! xoxo

Monday, January 13, 2014

The History of Studying Math

This isn't really about the history of studying math. This is about MY history studying math.

It all began growing up in a household where my mom worked at a major University, and my dad was an elementary school teacher. That's right! My dad was a professional educator of small, bratty children! Frankly, raising me should have been a piece of cake! (But you would have to ask my parents) Anyway… I should have had a very solid grasp on the basic mathematical concepts from a very early age, but it didn't seem to matter how my parents would try to help, drill, test, or tutor me, all math related concepts were far beyond my grasp.

This frustrated both my parents and I to no end! I discovered that I really resent not being good at something that I feel like I should be good at. And I still feel like I should be good at math. My parents and I decided that I should try Kumon Math, a program where you basically get homework, and have to hand it in. You could also go during specific times and get extra help from tutors there. For a little while, I really did put in effort and tried, but the less I understood, the more frustrated I would get. And the more frustrated I got, the more devious I became. I would get really sneaky about hiding my Kumon books, my parents would drive me to drop it off and I would spend 5 or 10 mins in the bathroom, and then go back out, pretending I had picked up my new books. I have to say, as ticked off as my parents must be reading this know, I gave a VERY convincing performance. I should really consider acting, or at least being a professional sociopath. But anyway… My parents eventually caught on, and gave up on spending money trying to get my brain to absorb equations, calculations and the times tables.

Jr High came along and I spent a great deal of time trying to prefect my math avoidance techniques. I had one teacher who would truly try to help me through my mental math blocks, and few teachers who just seemed to get frustrated when I didn't understand what they believed was simple and straightforward. Thankfully, part of my grand plan was to make friends with a math wizard, Renee. Even at my tender age, I learned that life is all about who you know!

I was very happy that Renee and I ended up at the same high school. And even though she went into the smart kid math classes, and I was in the less smart kid math classes, she continued to be a big help in getting me through class alive. I also made a few other friends, one of them being a sweetest goth you'd ever meet, Kevin. Kevin was also a math wiz and he spent time tutoring me. As did Dorian, who I think was dating one of my friends at the time… But anyhow, with all of this help, I managed to get through my high school diploma exams, and graduate! (*APPLAUSE*) And I thought I would never need to know how to solve for 'x' ever again!

*SIGH* Fast forward 12 years, and here I am, back in the math game. Back to my living nightmare. In order to stay in my Stats class, and therefore graduate when I would like to graduate, I have to take and pass an exam to show that I have the required skills. Here is the thing… I am confident that I have the skills to pass statistics, I am less certain that I have the skills to pass the exam to show that I have skills. This test has algebra and calculus, and I have not done, nor have I needed to use those "skills" since high school. So I'm pooched.

Thankfully, I am still friends with people who have basically been able to remind me of how I do these things, a group that still includes Renee, and my friend Hilary. Hilary even went so far as to make me a video to try to show me how to solve one question on the practice exam, which bless her, was really confusing. (Not her actual video, but just the steps, and remember equations and all that brew haha.) I am just really hoping that they don't ask that question on the actual exam. If they do, I'll be ok until about step 5, and then I'm lost!

But I really only need to get 12 out of the 20 questions right, and I think I can manage that much at least! But never, EVER can I see the need for me personally to need to figure out how long someones shadow is, or what the slope of a line on a graph might be. I haven't needed these "skills" in the last 12 years, and I doubt that I will need them in the next 12 either. Now I know that there are people who do these kind of things, day and a day out, and in there case this is all practical and useful knowledge that serves them well, and pays their bills. But this is not my cup of tea! I have never had any desire to launch rockets in space, or build tall buildings. I will leave that up to the people that this nonsense makes sense for!! This is why I'm a history major. I just want to read and critically think about what they did versus what they could have done…

THAT MAKES SENSE! (*rant over*)

Friday, January 10, 2014

First week done!!

Well, my first week of classes for my last semester of school is over! And I just feel exhausted and overwhelmed already. I knew that it would be a lot of reading, and work, but it is way more then I imagined!! But that is ok, because I know that all I have to do is stay on top of all my dates and getting readings done and homework done as soon as possible! That is truly the key to success this semester. I am also going to talk to some of the advisors at my school to help gain some new insights and strategies, so that this semester is my best semester ever, because this is the one that counts the most!

That being said, so far the new years resolutions are coming alone. I have started to cut back on the sugar and soda and junk food and my body is detoxing hard from that, and I feel a little bit gross. But it will be worth it when I reach my goal, and can maintain that goal. But right now, all I want is a big pizza with extra cheese and a chocolate bar (or six).

But that is my update for now!
XO

Sunday, January 5, 2014

*WOOT* Back to class tomorrow!!

So tomorrow I head back to classes… I am both excited and nervous. But I am confident that this semester will be better then the last one and I will get my stuff together!!

But aside from that, I am focused on planning my trip with my mom and planning my post post secondary life!! I am looking forward to having a nice 9 to 5 job, or at least a job that pays me enough to get out of debt, out of my dads and out of this country!

Sorry it's short and sweet… I'm sure by the end of the week, I'll have more to say!

Toodles xo

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

New Years Resolutions!!


HAPPY 2014!! *fist pump!*

In previous years, I've never really stuck to my New Years resolutions. In fact, even when I make them, I never actually start them… It's pretty ineffective, but delightfully guilt-free!

This year, I thought I would actually make a few AND follow through on them! *SHOCK… AWE*

RESOLUTIONS:

1) Lose 5 pounds a month over the next 4 months.
I know that it seems strange to be so specific, but I read somewhere that if you give yourself smaller, easily measurable goals, you are more likely to stick with them. So if your resolution is to lose weight, don't think about the total amount but think about a reasonable length of time and then divide your goal by that! Losing 20 pounds seems really big and daunting, so 5 pounds seems pretty easy in comparison!

2) Save more money!
I have a trip to the U.K. coming up and after I graduate, I'll have loans to pay back, so 2014 is a good time to get my finances in order.

3) Focus on my studies
This is my last semester at school, and I really want to go out with a BANG! instead of a whimper. Last semester did not go as well as I would have liked, so this is my chance to prove to myself that I am smart and capable. Book smarts haven't come as easily to me as practical, street smarts, so the book learning takes more of an effort, and I really need to put in 100% this semester.

So, those are my resolutions for 2014! Let me know what your resolutions are in the comment below!

Best for the New Year!