Almost done!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!?

Only a couple of weeks left before we are done classes!
Then, the most dreaded part of the year: Finals. Not something I am looking forward to.
What I AM looking forward to however, is summer! The pools, the beaches and all the exotic places my wallet allows me to go to!
I can see my self on a beach, just roasting under the sun. Enjoying a cold drink while cute guys my age are running into the water for a swim. Ahhhh, heaven.
Snap back to reality.. I heard they are annoncing rain tomorrow. Oh Montreal, when will you ever get your weather under control?
Anyways, back to the topic of summer. Its so near! I can feel it and it is the only thing that is keeping me going right now.
To those of you that have internships over the summer, good for you! Make sure not to spend all the money you earn at once, though! Saving is the way to go. On the other hand, those of you who are not going to be working, but who plan on soaking up every minute of summer that they can, I envy you. Go out and enjoy yourself; you're not going to get the chance to do it later!
I've got to admit though.. With the end of the first year of university, it is now time to pick a major and register for next year! I feel so lost. I appreciate the fact that McGill wants its students to be fully responsible for their education, especially when it comes to picking classes. However, SOME help is needed! I don't know what classes I need! I don't know if I have to start taking classes for my minor or not! And going on exchanges? Don't get me started on that. My schedule is the worst thing in life. But, you know what?
SCREW IT. My summer will be the best one I've ever had that I will NEED a whole year worth of bad classes and no life to make up for it.
That is the mentality that I encourage.

I hope you all have a great last two weeks and that none of you stress out too much about finals.
You'll do great! I believe in you:)

Loveeee,
Princess Lea

McMUN 2013

Calling out all Model-UNers!

McMUN is an annual student-run initiative that has been held in Montreal, Quebec since 1989. This year, McMUN will be held from January 26th to January 29th, 2012 at Le Centre Sheraton, Montreal. McMUN is the largest and most prestigious conference in Canada and second largest in North America. The Assembly consists of 400 in-house student staff from McGill University and more than 1,400 visiting delegates from all over the world. Of 1,400 delegates, 50% is from Canada, 40% from the United States and 10% are international students.

Over the years, it has established a legacy of professionalism and a reputation for innovation. With consistently hard-working staff and the vibrant city of Montreal as its backdrop, McMUN has grown into one of the most competitive, and enjoyable conferences around the world.

McMUN 2013 will be the most interesting conference yet! It thrives to be more innovative, more informative and geared towards its delegates! For the first time ever, it is giving the general public and the delegates the chance to VOTE for one of the committees that they want to see simulates at the conference!
That's right, YOU get to pick the 26th committee!

To vote, just head on to https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dF8xZzBfVE8wcGtHcHFFWU5pTVdKM3c6MQ  !!

Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
 Hope to see you all there;)

Princess Lea

Ecomuseum Zoo!

Time for some sharing!

I'll let you in on a little secret.. I work at a zoo!
Yes, an actual zoo with animals.
By animals, I mean bears, wolves, lynx, caribou, eagles, foxes and many more!
We have over 120 species all from the Quebec and St-Lawrence Valley.
All our animals are special. They have all come to us because they were either raised by humans so they cannot fend for themselves, or they were injured and cannot live in the wild anymore, or because they were orphans and never learned to hunt!
We open every day except Christmas and we have tons of activities throughout all the seasons!
For example,  this Easter weekend, we are having an egg hunt!

So, for those of you that live in Montreal, come on by to the Ecomuseum Zoo and say to the animals!
Its a great cause (all the money made goes back to getting food and medicine for our furry friends).
Hope to see you all there!


http://www.ecomuseum.ca/

Hunger Games

Finally! After having read all the books and waited impatiently for the movie to come out, it finally did!
Yours truly went to see it this week. And I've got to say, I am pretty impressed.
This is coming from the person who makes sure to read all the books before she sees the movies and, once she gets to the theatre, loudly comments on any thing that doesnt comply with the books.
When I read the first book of the trilogy, I didn't know what to think. At first, I loved the moral conflicts and all it represented, but then the love story came in. I litteraly face palmed. All I could think of is: Pleasee don't turn all Twilighty on me, please! But then I read the second and the third book. Although I don't want to ruin the books for any of you, the twist at the end of the third book was excellent. It was starting to get cheesy, but the author twisted everything around at the perfect point, with the best situations.
All in all, it was a good movie. Not what I expected, but in a good way.
With all the hype about it, I was afraid the directors where going to get ahead of themselves and make the story all Hollywood-y. But they didnt! They stuck to the story line very well. It was quite obvious that they tried their best to keep a balance between keeping those who read the books happy and those who only watched the movie.

This was definitely a great movie to see. Worth every penny!
I advise you all to go watch it! 

Leap Day!

Hello everyone!

I hope you are doing well on this technically, non-existant, day of the year:)
You guessed it (or the title ruins it), if you look at your calender, you can see that we are the 29th of February.. LEAP DAY!
So, since this is somewhat of a special occasion, here are some fun facts for you:

1. Leap day is a once every four year occurance. Why? Its simple!  It takes the Earth about 365 days and six hours to complete a revolution around the sun – meaning that every four years, there's a buildup of 24 hours. Therefore, every four years, we have an extra day in our year!

2. Babies born on the 29th of February almost always have their birthdays set on a different day (usually the 28th or the 1st of March). If not, they wont be legal until they are in their 70s! Which would suck. Imagine not being able to set foot in a bar until you are technically a senior (but I guess thats what fake IDs are for..).

3. The chances of having a leap year birthday are 1 in 1,461. And those who are lucky (or unlucky) enough to be born on this special day are called Leaplings. So to all you Leaplings out there, happy birthday!!

4. There is a tradition that dates all the way back to fifth century Ireland, which allows women to propose to men on leap day only! So if there are any women that are independent and are tired of waiting around for their boyfriends to propose, today is your day! Get up, go to a jewelry store, chose a ring that you like (remember, it must cost you three-months' salary - did you really think that only implies to men?) then head on to the one that you love, get down on one knee and pop the question!


Anyways, hope you all have a great once-every-four-years day!
Lea

For all those living in Montreal

You. Yes, you!
The hardworking, tax-paying citizens and students of the city of Montreal.
WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THE STM?
For an entreprise that keeps claiming that it is tailoring its services to please its customers, something is going very wrong.
I am pretty sure their thoughts go something like this: 'We just added a new bus line that goes through out the night! Let's hope no one notices that the metro will stop for 20 minutes at every station!' or 'There is this huge event that we are a sponsor off! Hmmm, there will probably be alot of people taking the metro or the buses at that time.. Let's make sure there are less of them passing than usual!'.
The public transit has been around for about 150 years, and they still can't figure out a schedule or a system that is efficient.
For me, the cherry on top of the cake is that they constantly increase their prices! They claim it is to help pay for all the extra services they will be providing. But to whom? I don't know. I have not met one person to date that said to me: 'Did you know? The STM bus came on time today because they increased the amount passing on that line!'.
I acknowledge the (failed) effort that the STM is making, but shouldn't they atleast ASK the people what they want? Cause I am pretty sure that I would ask for more metros passing after 9 pm, not for them to add a new 'express' line that goes to John Abbott which coincidentally has the same stops and times as the, already established, 210 line. Or I would ask them to add more buses to the 124 line that leaves from Vendome, so that students aren't constantly late to their classes.
Finally, if the STM decides to do one thing, and one thing only for me, PICK BETTER BUS DRIVERS. I would love not to almost be hit by a bus every day. Or to not almost get in an accident when on the bus because the bus drivers decide to brake the milli-second before rear-ending the car infront of them.

Although I know that this little post probably won't do much to convince the STM about issues they should be tackling, I needed to let out some steam and hope they hire someone smart at one point, who may clean up their mess.

Lea

Midterm Time!

Hello everyone!

As most of you know, it is that time during the year that all students hate; Midterms.
I don't know about you, but I am the type of student that stresses out alot (and I mean ALOT) during exams.
I tend to procrastinate and then face the fact that I have no more than a couple of days before the dreaded midterm. Then, I freak out, try to pull a bunch of all-nighters so that I can cover all the material as much as I can and it all ends with me falling asleep during the exam (true story).
So, I decided to dedicate this post to those going through the same thing by posting something about dealing with the anxiety and being prepared for your exams!

From Oxford Brookes University:

Managing Exam Anxiety and Panic
- A Guide for Students

Anna Hinton, Health Visitor, The Medical Centre
Marion Casey, Counsellor, Student Services

Almost everyone feels nervous before an exam. Butterflies in the stomach and worrying thoughts - 'Will I be able to answer the questions?' 'Have I done enough revision?' - are indications of exam nerves that are probably familiar to all students. In fact, a certain amount of nervous tension probably helps us perform to the best of our ability, producing a rush of adrenaline that helps us to feel alert and focused. But too much anxiety can BLOCK thoughts, create a negative frame of mind, and lead to panic and potentially poor exam performance.
There are a number of things you can do to help manage exam anxiety and turn uncomfortable, panicky thoughts into more creative tension.
Before the exam

It's hard to panic if you are feeling relaxed. Try to establish a pattern of revision that gives you time to relax, especially last thing at night. Experiment until you find the best way of relaxing to suit you - a long bath, exercise, listening to music, a relaxation tape (available from the Medical Centre)

Relaxation and positive stress management techniques can be learned and acquired with practice (see Stress Management: A Guide for Students). Knowing how to relax is invaluable in the lead-up to exams, and on the day itself. If you think you are under-performing in exams due to exam anxiety or panic, do think ahead and seek help.

It helps to feel as well-prepared as possible. As well as thinking about the subjects you are revising, it can be useful to pay attention to practical aspects of the exam. Find out where it is scheduled to take place and how long it will take you to get there. It's a good idea to go and look at the room/building so that it feels more familiar. Make sure you know the rules and regulations about what you can take into the exam room etc.

Put yourself into a positive frame of mind by imagining how you would LIKE things to go. Imagine yourself turning up for the exam feeling confident and relaxed - try to picture it in as much detail as possible. Rather like rehearsing for a part in a play, this can replace negative, anxious thoughts with more positive ones.

Don't work to the last minute on the night or morning before the exam. Last-minute revision may leave you feeling muddled and anxious.

In the exam
Here are some tried and tested remedies to the 'I can't answer anything' feeling and other worrying thoughts about exams.

When you get into the exam room and sit down, the following approach can help settle your nerves:

Take a deep breath in and a long breath out

Breathe in again and straighten your back - as if someone were pulling a lever between your shoulder blades

Look straight ahead at something inanimate (the wall, a picture, the clock...) and focus your mind on the positive thought 'I CAN DO this exam' as you breathe out.

Take another deep breath in and a long breath out. Then breathe normally.

You have 15 minutes to read the paper, so do so thoroughly. If you begin to feel panicky again, repeat the focusing exercise. Panicking will stop you reading carefully, so it is important to keep yourself focused and positive. Read the whole paper once, then read it again and mark the questions you think you can answer. Then read those questions carefully - make sure you understand what is required - and select the ones you are going to answer.

Decide on the order in which you'll answer the questions. It is usually best to begin with the one you feel most confident about. Think about how you will plan your time, and stick to your plan.

Plan out your answer for each question as you go. If you find that thoughts or ideas about other questions come into your head, jot them down on a separate piece of paper - don't spend time thinking about them now.

If your concentration wanders or you begin to feel panicky, you could try the focusing exercise again, or use one of the following techniques to help you overcome anxious thoughts. If you are worried that you haven't got time to spare on this, remember that taking 5 or 10 minutes NOW may save you spending the rest of the exam in a state of panic.

Anxiety management techniques

Thought-stopping technique When we become anxious we begin to have negative thoughts ('I can't answer anything', 'I'm going to panic' etc). If this is happening, halt the spiralling thoughts by mentally shouting 'STOP!'. Or picture a road STOP sign, or traffic lights on red. Once you have literally stopped the thoughts, you can continue planning, or practise a relaxation technique.

Creating mild pain Pain effectively overrides all other thoughts and impulses. Even very mild pain - such as lightly pressing your fingernails into your palm - can block feelings of anxiety. Some people find it helpful to place an elastic band around one wrist, and lightly twang it when they are becoming anxious.

Use a mantra Derived from meditation, a mantra is a word or phrase which you repeat to yourself. Saying something like 'calm' or 'relax' under your breath or in your head, over and over again, can help defuse anxiety.

Focusing Looking out of the window, noticing the number of people with red hair, counting the number of desks in each row... all help to distract your attention from anxious thoughts and keep your mind busy. Mental games such as making words out of another word or title, using alphabetical lists etc are all good forms of distraction.

Bridging objects It can help to carry or wear something with positive associations with another person or place. Touching this bridging object can be comforting in its own right, then allow yourself a few minutes to think about the person or situation which makes you feel good. This can have a really calming effect.

Self-talk In exam anxiety or panic we often give ourselves negative messages, 'I can't do this' 'I'm going to fail' 'I'm useless'. Try to consciously replace these with positive, encouraging thoughts: 'This is just anxiety, it can't harm me', 'Relax, concentrate, it's going to be OK', 'I'm getting there, nearly over'.

Whichever of the distraction techniques has worked for you, finish by going through the refocusing exercise (it only takes 30 seconds or so, but may have a profound effect on your ability to believe in yourself and the task in hand).
Different techniques work for different people, so it's worth experimenting to find the ones that are right for you. Developing techniques for managing panic can take time, so it pays to keep practising.

I hope this was helpful and that you all do great on your exams!

GOOD LUCK!

El Housemaid (aka Princess Lea)