Quotes -Malcolm Forbes

Men who never get carried away should be.

Rediscovering Joy

 Isn't Fall the most wonderful season? I'd forgotten how wonderful it was until coming back; Fall in China is about a week of nice weather and the disappearance of all the leaves. In Canada, it's so very different. It gets cold, but not cold enough to merit the full winter kit. The leaves turn, the air grows crisp . . . there's possibility and anticipation in the air. How can you not be in love will all of this?

But apart from a rediscovered love of fall (there's no way I didn't love it when I was little . . .er), I've also remembered how much I love RAKs.
If you don't know what RAKs are, you're either the modern grinch or you're knowledge of acronyms is lacking. In the second case,  RAKs are Random Acts of Kindness, things that reflect back on you, give you very, very good Karma. This list isn't nessecarily all random, but they did make me feel pretty awesome:

1. Allowing H to write all over my hands for a photo shoot he's doing
2. Running L's passport down to her when she forgot it at the bus station an hour before her it was supposed to leave
3. Buying local produce at the best farmer's market ever
4. Making cookies and letting everyone else eat them
5. Mediating a debate between L and E that lasted until 3 AM 
6. Smiling at random little kids, thereby making them smile
7. Asking my TA about his exam last week
8. (I'm determined to make it to number 10) volunteering in a drinking game to make enough people
9. Telling H that no, he doesn't have AIDS, and therefore won't die
10. Free hugs to anyone who reaches!

Have you done any Acts of Kindness recently?

(All the pictures are my own, and so just looking at them makes me happy)

Rumis

One day your heart

Will take you to your lover.

One day your soul

Will carry you to the Beloved.

Don't get lost in your pain,
Know that one day 
Your pain will become your cure.

The Difference Between Guys and Girls (Uni Style)

So I live in a co-ed house. On one side I have a Chinese guy and on the other I have a French Canadian girl. In a conversation with two of my favourite people in the house ( American guy, but practically Swedish and Jersey girl from Russia), the question came up, what why is it that a girl who sleeps around is a slut (negative), and guy doing the same is a playa' (positive)? 

Here is the answer my Swedish friend gave. Being in university, it's quite naturally a metaphor: 

Think about it this way: If a lock can be opened by many keys, it's a bad lock. But if a key can open many locks, it's a master key.

Any thoughts on this? Anyone? 

Nats 

TIMBIT!

Today I bring you . . . a quote that is very important. . . for myself and to lots of other people.

Sometimes one can't do what one thinks is right without making someone else unhappy.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Punctuality

Courtesy is often taken for granted. Especially by those of us who grew up with Canadian parents, courtesy comes naturally (or at least it seems that way). It's gotten to the point where if someone doesn't say thank you when I hold the door open I'm quite shocked.

But no where am I more anal (as has often been said) as when it comes to punctuality. I am very rarely late for anything, and so I expect the same of my friends or others. My friend A is always late... for everything. Church, school, work, a shopping trip. . . it drives me up the wall.

So today I had to take a placement test to take French this year, and the test was supposed to start at 10 AM, with a second one in the afternoon. In the interests of being on time, I get there at 9:30, to find a rather long line ( I was number 135, and there were at least 200 after). That was expected, and I start talking to my neighbours. 10 o'clock rolls around, and there's no movement. 10:15, nothing. 10:30, nothing. At 10:45, the line finally begins to move, and twenty people before me we're told to simply come back for the afternoon test. This test was due to end at 11:15, and they couldn't start on time? I had plans! I was going to go to work right after and get a head start on the whole day! Instead I had to go to work, do a bit, come back, take the test, and then go back to work. I can get that it's stressfull, but it's not like having that many people was unexpected! It just annoys me that because they couldn't organise themselves, I had to waste most of my day, when I was on time! Like Charles Dickens said;

I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.

And who doesn't want to be like good old Charles?

Anyways, I didn't do as badly as I expected, so that's a plus.


Nats

Cheers

So yesterday was our 'Rez Fest,' that time when all the residences get together and try to form bonds through friendly competition. But why then, do almost all cheers one is forced to learn the lyrics and moves to have some reference to drugs/drinking and/or a hip thrust? Seriously, is that all we got?
Needless to say, we won despite being the smallest, but was that the reason for so brazenly showing our fellow clasmates our sexual prowess? To appear bigger? Because one of the residences did keep saying size does matter . . .
But I also have to admit that our house was one of the most conservative. I swear most of the incoming engineering students live with us, as well as all the nerds and those with interesting stories. References to alcohol could very well be lost on us, and certainly me.
Anyways, a little bit of school sprit for you.

Nats