East Conference 2009

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Interested in studying or teaching in Asia?

The East Conference is held once a year to introduce students to the great possibilities in studying and teaching abroad. Guest speakers include fellow students who have studied and taught abroad in Japan, Korea and China. Join the East Asian Student Union‘s event and listen to their first-hand experience on their overseas journey. Explore the possible challenges, benefits, application process, and how to finance the trip and more!

When: Wednesday November 4, 2009 @ 1PM – 4PM
Where: International Student Centre (ISC) Room 102

Get Candy and Do Something Awesome for the Community!

C'est l'Halloween!

So, here we are, university students with a limited budget. As a result, buying bags of candy from the supermarket might not even be plausible if you have your yearly craving for Halloween candy and are low on cash. Not to mention the fact that you can’t trick or treat without people asking awkward questions. Well, there is a way where you can still dress up, possibly (even probably) get some free candy and do something to help the less fortunate in your local community. So here is what you do:

1. Find a wagon, a lot of big cardboard boxes and get your Halloween costumes out of the closet.

2. Prepare little flyers saying that you will be coming around the neighbourhood to collect non-perishable food items for the Daily Bread Food Bank. Distribute them to your neighbours. (Live in residence? Make a non-residence friend!)

3. Go trick-or-treating for non-perishables on Halloween. A lot of the time, or at least in my experience, neighbours will reward your kind act with candy. Or at least, they offer you candy while you wait for them awkwardly to get you canned foods.

4. Once you’ve trick-or-treated to your heart’s content, drive your donations to the Daily Bread Food Bank!

Have fun trick-or-treating!

Picture from here.

A film has been “Unlocked!”

Lead character "B" (Bobby Del Rio)
Lead character "B" (Bobby Del Rio). Image from tiff.net

Written & Directed by: Mio Adilman
Starring: Bobby Del Rio, Jean Yoon, Paul Hyung Sun Lee

“Unlocked” is a dramatic comedy about an average, but nice guy named “B” who is trying to get his life back together after some not-so-happy experiences. However, he has to overcome many obstacles throughout his journey into living and rebuilding a normal life.

This film highlights the difficulties downtown Toronto cyclists face with other fellow cyclists, as opposed to the cars versus bikes dilemma we’re all aware of. It just shows how much integrity and tenacity it takes to be a long-term cyclist. It’s not just about riding a bike in your neighbourhood or park just for fun; neither is cycling simply just a mode of transportation. It is, rather, a type of lifestyle for many in Toronto and especially around the U of T campus.

This film is fun, funny, witty, and even a little bit spiritual, although some may disagree. Continue reading “A film has been “Unlocked!””

Class Warfare: Or, how I learned to stop fearing midterms and start loving H1N1

Do you have a cohort of midterm exams staring you in the face? Are you feeling stressed out? Are you alternatively feeling not stressed out enough? What better way to deal with the myriad of horrible, crippling problems that you must have than to fake your way out of school? Sure, it sounds easy in principle, but without the grim specter of the cross-country running unit in Grade 7 gym class to spurn us all onto greater heights of Munchausen’s Syndrome, how are we university students ever to get out of class? Never fear, for here is a list of the three ways to fake your way out of school!*

The War Resistor Classic

This is one of the more simple of our Get out of Class Schemes©. It involves going to a pawnshop, buying a pistol, and shooting yourself in the foot.

  • Pros: No professor is going to hold you to the syllabus when you present him or her with your mangled appendage. Plus, this worked for my dad’s friend when he needed to dodge the draft to Vietnam in the 1970s.
  • Cons: The Sisyphean task that is finding ironic, rare Nikes will be further complicated by the missing toe.

The Spanish InFAKEluenza 2.0

This entails logging onto ROSI and clicking the “Declare Flu Absences” button. If you are asking yourself questions like, “Do I need to have the flu to use this?” or “Will I need a doctor’s note to verify my absences?” the answer is “almost certainly not.”

  • Pros: It is, as the system currently exists, impossible to verify whether or not you have swine flu. This could allow you to, say, take a strategic break right at midterms and resume classes when you are feeling more refreshed. And when we say, “Refreshed”, we really mean “Back from Burning Man 2010.”
  • Cons: We strongly council against using “Swine Flu” as an excuse for non-consecutive absences. You can also be sure that, as soon as you put your name on that list, the RCMP is going to be encasing your house in an enormous plastic bubble, ET style.

The Heene-dinburg

This is a somewhat more elaborate operation than simply blowing off extremities until your professors relent. The Heene-dinburg involves multiple steps.

  1. Make an enormous hot air balloon that looks like it has been wrapped in tin foil; also find fake glasses and beard. Continue reading “Class Warfare: Or, how I learned to stop fearing midterms and start loving H1N1”

YSEC wants you to know that finance is sexy

The Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada (a U of T student group) has an upcoming workshop series called “Finance Is Sexy.” It is designed for activists, organizers, student leaders and ethical entrepreneurs who need to learn about sound financial management to make their projects more effective but don’t know how to get started. It will touch on managing budgets, projecting revenues, and making strategic financial decisions. The series is led by John Baker, a professor at Schulich School of Business, and CEO of Aperio non-profit consultants.

When: Monday, October 26 from 6pm-9pm
Where: Bahen Center (40 st George st), Room 3000
Cost: $25
Website: Eventbrite

Leaf Watching

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I went to Algonquin provincial park last weekend.  Although most of the trees are bare, it’s worth the 3 hour drive, because the wilderness there is truly fantastic.

No Exit

No Exit

This week, come see Jean-Paul Sartre’s existential play, No Exit (Huis Clos in French), directed by the wonderful and talented Emily Hofstetter! It’s a performance you definitely don’t want to miss.

Where: The George Ignatieff Theatre, 15 Devonshire Place

When:
Thursday, October 22nd – 8pm
Friday, October 23rd – 8pm
Saturday, October 24th – 8pm

How much are the tickets?
$5 – Trinity College Students
$8 – Students
$15 – Adults