Mariners at Blue Jays

Ichiro Suzuki's Plate Appearance. 

I used to mimic his batting stance in high school game and everyone would find it amusing. 

Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays (April 27th)

Blake Beavan (1-2, 3.60 ERA) vs. Ricky Romero (3-0, 3.18 ERA)

SEA HR: Montero (7th), Saunders 2 (9th; 10th, 3 on)

TOR HR: Encarnacion (2nd), Thames (8th)

Game Score: F/10 9-5

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Top of the 9th. Scoreboard indicated 5 runs for the Jays and 3 runs for the Mariners.

2 Outs and 2 Strikes. Everyone in the crowd stood up and started clapping when the closer was about to throw the last ball of the game. Kyle Seager hit a easy ground ball but Brett Lawrie screwed the chance to end the game by causing a throwing error. The pinch hitter reaches the first base. 

The pinch hitter gets replaced by pinch runner, Munenori Kawasaki. One first, still 2 Outs. While Dustin Ackley was at bat, the Blue Jays catcher, J.P. Arenciba attempted pickoff and caused a throwing error. The runner reached to the third base. With an intentional walk of Dustin Ackley, the base was again loaded up with runners on first and third. Another pinch hitter, John Jaso singles on a soft line drive to the centre field- allowing the two runners to reach home. The game became tied to 5-5; another ninth-inning collapse of the Jays, another blown save, and another disappointing loss at home.

Top of the 10th, Michael Saunders hits a grand slams (3 runners on) to right field.

Justine Smoak scored. Jesus Montero scored. Alex Liddi scored. 

Beside the tragedy, the game was overall enjoyable. Although, Ichiro Suzuki and Jose Bautista, did not make a single hit through out the game, there were other fine plays done by underrated players. It was good to see the new centre fielder, Colby Rasmus, doing well and Edwin Encarnacion, keeps rolling as usual. I've also tried to keep the scorecard for the first time. Moreover, I found out that 500 levels seats are not bad for its price (15$)- I might as well watch more games in the atmosphere that I love. 

The Suburbs.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (2010)

In the suburbs I, I learned to drive

And you told me we'd never survive

Grab your mother's keys we're leavin'

You always seemed so sure

That one day we'd be fighting

In a suburban war

Your part of town against mine

I saw you standing on the opposite shore

But by the time the first bombs fell

We were already bored

We were already, already bored

Sometimes I can't believe it

I'm movin' past the feeling

Sometimes I can't believe it

I'm movin' past the feeling again

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One night back in grade 12, I hung out at my friend's house in Barrhaven- a rapidly grown suburban neighbourhood, just located Southwest of the city. It was late on a friday or saturday night and on my way back home, I got on a lousy bus full of people around my age- so called young adults. Based on the direction of the bus and their drunkenness, I assumed that they lived in the suburbs and were heading downtown for clubbing.

One thing I noticed was that the crowd was all dressed up in a similar way. Almost all the boys were all wearing plaid shirts, only in different colours, and the girls were all wearing thick makeups and dressed up in white t-shirt black skirt style. It's an absurd thing to judge people based on the look, but these teenagers seemed to have a lot in common beyond their clothings: identical background, neighbourhood, family income, and lifestyle. I'm sure each one of them would have different stories, but on that night I could only see people who all dressed up in the same way and who were on their way to express their 'You Only Live Once' attitude. The bus ride got me thinking about how different perspective they and I might have on life and values- one surrounded by homogeneity and other one exposed to heterogenity.

The first time I heard this song was back in 2011, when the indie band won the Juno Award for the best album of the year. I wasn't so sure about the music at first, but I did find the album concept pretty interesting. The visuals, lyrical contents, and track titles were inspired by band members Win and William Butler's childhood in a suburb of Huston, Texas (According to Win butler, the album "is neither a love letter to, nor an indictment of, the suburbs - it's a letter from the suburb."). Along the album, there is a 30-minute short film called 'Scenes from the Suburbs', produced in collaboration of the Director Spike Jonze and the Arcade Fire. It features the song with the scenes of care-free teens living in a suburban community- distant from the reality. 

Everyone would have a different interpretation of the lyrics, but I particular like this one: "The dreams you had as a kid in the suburbs with your friends are so quickly forced through the meat grinder of life that that they began to fade, even back then you were "already bored". And today while only a remnant of those feelings exist you find yourself "moving past" them again, and you only realize it when you look introspectively and it baffles you cause you know before long those feelings and dreams will be gone. Hopefully I can have a daughter too while I'm young, before I'm lost to the mediocrity of the real world." It matches with what I somehow felt in the bus while looking at the others; who were so similar to me, but yet so different.

MLB All Star Game 2012 Ballot

First Base:                                                          Second Base:

Adam Lind, TOR (.238 AVG, 1HR, 6RBI)               Dustin Pedroia, BOS (.269 AVG, 3HR, 5RBI)

Freddie Freeman, ATL (.296, 3HR, 13RBI)                   Chase Utley, PHI (--- AVG, 0HR, 0RBI)

Shortstop:                                                                Third Base:

Jamey Carroll, MIN (.245 AVG, 0HR, 6RBI)                 Brett Lawrie, TOR (.264 AVG, 2HR, 9RBI)

Jimmy Rollins, PHI (.250 AVG, 0HR, 3RBI)             Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.224 AG, 1HR, 7RBI)

Catcher:                                                          Designated Hitter:

Joe Mauer, MIN (.302 AVG, 1HR, 9RBI)                Travis Hafner, CLE (.333 AVG, 2HR, 6RBI)

Buster Posey, SF (.375 AVG, 1HR, 4RBI)                                                                              

Outfielders:

Jose Bautista, TOR (.222 AVG, 2HR, 6RBI)                    Ryan Braun, MIL (.245 AVG, 1HR, 5RBI)

Shin-Soo Choo, CLE (.234 AVG, 0HR, 9RBI)                  Matt Kemp, LAD (.481 AVG, 8HR, 20RBI)

Ichiro Suzui, SEA (.279 AVG, 1HR, 9 RBI)                  Shane Victorino, PHI (.315 AVG, 2HR, 4RBI)

Snow Patrol Live.

How can I possibly describe this concert. I'll just say that, for the first time ever in my life, I felt my hairs standing up like a stunned cat. It was a level beyond having goose bumps.

Surprising thing was- I knew every song by heart and was able to recalled the lyrics unconsciously. I never knew listening an actual gig, and singing along the song you've loved, could be this much of fun. 

The opening was done by Ed Sheeran, a sing-a-song writer whose been recently on trend in European chart. I've found about him through several friends across the Atlantic mentioning his name. Regardless, I didn't like his music and he only reminded me how great the band Snow Patrol is.

I also bought a band t-shirt for the very first time; image of the band logo and the album jacket of 'Fallen Empires', with the list of cities of North American tour on the back. Snow Patrol is undoubtedly the band I would want to wear and feel proud of. 

Now I got first exam on the day after tomorrow.

But this guilty pleasure was totally worth it (:

My Dorm Room.

Now that the second semester is over and the only thing left before the summer is the final exams, 

I thought I should take some visual records of where I have lived for the past year. 

This is the general view of the room- Unit:K2G

I knew I was going to upload these photos but I didn't really bother to clean up the room- because this is truly the average day look. A bed is such a great place to sleep on during night and put things on during day; often before going to sleep, I organize everything back to where they belong.

The 'No parking sign' on the back is one that I got from Ottawa. One night back in grade 10, I just decided to take the paper sign out of the snowbank to put it on the wall- now it's hanging on the wall in Toronto, taking me back to Ottawa time to time. If you look closely, there is also a picture of Ford Fiesta of the Ford World Rally Team.

Before the last Christmas break, I rearranged the direction of the furniture to optimize the usable space and create a small room that is somewhat like a private office; you know, visually enclosed- a chair facing the door. At first, I thought it was a revolutionary idea but then I had to put the blind occasionally in order to look at my glossy laptop screen.

I framed the leftover OC Transpo bus tickets as a souvenir- pretty good idea isn't it?

Although they are useless in Toronto, the tickets mean a lot to me and it is worth keeping them displayed. Looking at them always makes me think about all the bus ride I had and the the related memories: shopping mall at St.Laurent, night walking at Tunney's Pasture, running home from Metcalfe, saturday school at Merivale, playing baseball at Bayshore, library at Centrepointe, beach barbecue at Mooney's Bay, fairwell at the Airport, friend's home in Orleans, buying an iPhone at Vanier, watching movies at Gloucester. There are just so much memories condensed into this one symbolic piece of paper- the bus tickets.

Collection of my photos and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom.

This whole wall decorating thing- I didn't really understand why the others did it . But then I realized it when I woke up in the morning and felt like I was in a plastic box. In my opinion, putting pictures or posters is a process of creating a distinctive space of self, around new and unfamiliar surrounding environment; just like a seed trying to put down its root.

Trust me, I've been to other rooms and my room is pretty descent compared to them. 

One of my housemates still hasn't opened his printer box yet.

April 5, 2012. Season Opener.

It feels like the spring training opener was not that long ago, but it has already reached to that time of the year: the opening day of the Major League. This season is slightly different for me because, first, I now have a descent laptop to watch the game, second, I found good friends who I can both watch a game and play a catch ball with, and third, I live in the city of Toronto, where Rogers Centre is waiting for me.

Yesterday's game against the Indian's went up to the 16th inning, making it the longest opening day game in the Major League history. I was fortunate enough not to sit in front of a TV and waiting for the game to be ended. Being on a busy day made me follow the game with video highlights of each inning; of course the major highlight of the game was Arencibia's triple run homer in the 16th inning. Fouling a ball by bunting at the first pitch, then hitting a clean homer. That is definitely something.

There are number of players that I would like to follow for the season: Brett Lawrie of the Jays. This young- fresh off from AAA league- third baseman debuted only last year but had descent plate appearance so far. RBI single at his first career at-bat to a grand slam as his first hit at the Rogers Centre, as long as he doesn't get injured, he is going to lead the team to possibly post-season. Yu Darvish of the Rangers. Known as one of the best pitcher in the Japanese league, Yu is finally coming to the MLB. I still remember the speed and accuracy of the pitching he has shown during the 2009 World Baseball Classic Championship match against South Korea. Jose Bautista of the Jays. He is already a star player of the team, but he seems to have more things to show. Stats from the last season shows that he has .302 AVG, .608 SLG, with 1.056 OBP over the 513 at-bats; showing that he is consistent- and able to be both a contact hitter and a slugger. On the last night's game, he hit 3-4 with a solo homerun.

During the spring training, Toronto led the American league with impressive 24-7 W/L and .774 Winning PCT. I know it was just part of training and doesn't really reflect the regular season score (based on the previous years standings), but it shows that there is some hope for the Blue Jays. I know that post-season is too much to ask for at the moment, but I hope they can finally break the AL East paradigm of New York - Tampa - Boston - Toronto - Baltimore at last.

The team has recently adopted a new logo, a modernized version of the franchise' first logo that was used from 1977-97. I can't wait to wear these on a street again and possibly at the rogers centre this September. 

Niagara Falls.

The fall was originally located at the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, along the lake Ontario. As the ice from Wisconsin glaciation melted, the upper Great lake emptied its water into the lower Great lake, through the Niagara river. In the past 12,000 years, the fall has been receding towards the Lake Erie to reach where it is now; eroding the cuesta inch by inch. In the far future it is expected that the Niagara fall will reach the edge of lake Erie and cause an immediate drainage that can over flow the lake Ontario.

learning geology can make one understand and survey the natural landscape, 

and give knowledge to say more than just "it's beautiful" or "it's huge"

Niagara Glen Nature Area.

The bedrock of Niagara river basin is consist of hard dolomitic limestone, which is a sedimentary carbonate rock rich in calcium carbonate. Due to its nature of being easily eroded, a bedrock could be easily collapsed and create a massive landslide. Niagara Glen Nature Area is an example of bedrock broken into numerous pieces of boulders, which often have pugs vugs that indicates the chemical erosion.

Professor Nick Eyles.

He started his career in Great Britain at the universities of Leicester, Newcastle upon Tyne and East and moved to Canada to work at Memorial University in Newfoundland. He’s been in Toronto since 1981 when he was awarded a prestigious NSERC University Research Fellowship. 

He’s conducted geological fieldwork from the Arctic to the Antarctic, including work with the Ocean Drilling Program onboard the drillship Resolution.  Recent sabbaticals have taken him to Brazil and Australia. 

Source: CBC Geological Journey - About the Series

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Dr. Eyles is a good professor. At the beginning of the semester, I found it pretty hard to follow his teaching style but as soon as I thought of the lectures simply as a 'geological journey', each of them became quiet interesting and making sense. 

He has an exceptional and so-called British humor. He often leaves punch lines (mix of sarcasm and satire) during a lecture, with his evident English accent, and they always cracks me up; the jokes often remind me of Jeremy Clarkson from my favourite BBC series, Top Gear.

He is always interested in listening to an individual student and passionate of what he teaches. He is also as passionate on motocycles and often put the photos on lecture slides. There are somethings about him that I definitely want to learn. 

Niagara Escarpment.

The escarpment is the cliff face of a ridge that is as the edge of a much larger formation called the Michigan Basin. The Michigan basin is a roughly circular depression in the earth's crust, centered under the state of Michigan. It is formed of layers of sedimentary rock (Silurian and Ordovician rock) that were created over 420 million years. The majority contents of the cap rock is dolomitic limestone, which could be easily eroded into shales as it can be observed on the photo.

Hamilton, ON

Scarborough Bluff.

Approximately 13,000 years ago, the edge of the cliff I was standing could have been the shoreline of the glacial lake Iroquois. The exposure of the terrain and the difference in colour provide clue for the source of deposit and the variety of the soil contents. The bracket of exposed grey sand on the edge, was once the bottom part of the glacial. Through paleoenvironmental reconstruction, its rich contents of underwater fossils provide vital clues of what the ecosystem might have looked like in the past.

March 29, 2012

Jukka-Pekka Saraste as conductor
Pekka Kuusisto as violin solo
accompanied with Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Siebelius. Tapiola, Op. 112
Prokofiev. Violin Concerto No.1 in D Major, Op. 19
Brahms. Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90

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Johannes Brahms's 3rd symphony is consisted of the basic thematic structure of the notes F-A(flat)-F, the first letters of "frei aber froh", in English "Free, but Happy".  It was in response to the personal motto of Joseph Joachim, a close friend of Brahms, "Frei aber einsam"- "Free, but Lonely".

To be free but happy- the concert was thoroughly electrifying

Brutalistic Architectures.

Béton brut: Architectural concrete left unfinished or roughly-finished after pouring and left exposed visually. It flourished as a part of the brutalist architecture of the 60s and 70s and influenced to create structural expressionism as steel structures became more advanced and practical. 

Boston City Hall, Massachusetts

(December 2011)

Typified by pure geometrical forms clad with sleek curtain- an articulated structure that expressed the internal functions of the buildings in rugged, cantilevered concrete forms. Hovering over the broad brick plaza, the City Hall was designed to create an open and accessible place for the city's government. The architects sought to create a bold statement of modern civic democracy- which was, at that time, in desperate need of reinvention, investment, and vision. (Wikipedia)

J. Edgar Hoover Building, Washington D.C.

(December 2011)

University of Toronto - Robarts Library, Ontario

(March 2012)

Its towering main structure rests on an equilateral triangular footprint and features extensive use of triangular geometric patterns throughout. The elevation is mostly concrete, albeit differing in textures and directionality: smooth concrete lines the facade in a horizontal manner, the rough concrete lining vertically. The steel-framed windows are situated onto the bays protruding from the facade, which remind one of the towers overhanging in medieval castle architecture. (Wikipedia)

Some of the Ottawa's well known brutalistic architectures include: the National Defence Building (November, 2010), uOttawa - Morrisset Library, Ottawa Public Library Main Branch (Metcalfe Street), Lester B. Pearson Building (Sussex Drive), the National Art Centre, and Ottawa Courthouse (December, 2010).

          

March 25, 2012

    

Sunday afternoon. Baseball. People. Girls. Boys. Music. Warm Breeze. Running. Laughter.

I can't describe the feeling in words but can only recall the mental pictures. 

March 24, 2012.

Thesis Statement) The York-Spadina Subway Extension is anticipated to increase public transit accessibility in the Northern Toronto, also known as York region. The transportational nexus between the downtown core and the emerging region will simultaneously promote all three branches of urban sustainability: reducing environmental impacts by minimizing automobile dependency and fuel consumption, enriching social- energy benefits of creating a ‘mobility hub’ of intensive concentration of employment, living, shopping, and enjoyment around a major station, which will ultimately leads to less energy consumption per capita, and increasing ridership leading to further economic investment in the mass-transit system to create a ‘Transit City’.

I've literally spent the whole Saturday working on this GGRA03 (Cities and Environments) paper, regarding the major urban projects in Toronto of my choice. I've perhaps read more than 10 academic journals in the morning (trust me, they are not easy!) and spent hours on making connection between the researched materials and my thesis. Good thing is that I have quiet amount of interest on urban issues and I don't really feel repulsive by the social science way of approaching a subject. 

Retrospective.

Finding an image from archive is one thing and Finding the exact same spot is another thing.

It takes quiet amount of time to create this particular kind of image, but the process itself is exciting enough.

Being able to identify surrounding objects and recognize visual perspective- 

these are some of the unique skills that I have and I take great pleasure practicing them.

So, I am thinking of doing a personal project to create such kind of images

of Seoul, during my stay there this summer, and Toronto, for the upcoming fall.

It's going to be a good excuse to visit archives and explore around the cities (:

By the way, I've been working as an associate photo editor for 

the bi-weekly student campus publication called 'the Underground'

I hardly believe that any student spends good efforts to read it through,

but seeing my photos in published paper is quiet worth it.

Clair de Lune.

Comfortably Numb.

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (1979)

There is no pain you are receding

A distant ship's smoke on the horizon

You are only coming through in waves

Your lips move

But I can't hear what you're saying

When I was a child

I caught a fleeting glimpse

Out of the corner of my eye

I turned to look but it was gone

I cannot put my finger on it now

The child is grown

The dream is gone

I... Have become comfortably numb

-

Around the end of 2011, my dad sent me some albums of Pink Floyd. I had previously heard about the band but did not know much about it, other than a couple of reviews that I've read that talked about how the band became the symbol of progressive rock and sold one of the best selling album of the history, 'The Dark Side of the Moon'.

Songs from the Pink Floyd, in my opinion, are quiet hard to listen for the first time; Some of them are sophisticated instrumentals and some of them are quiet psychedelic, neither of which are common experiment in the main stream music anymore. But as I listened to their songs over times, I've started to understand the ideas beneath the poetic lyrics, in harmony with the sound of the music.

For aside, this specific song was featured on the movie called 'The Departed', directed by Martin Scorsese. It's a crime thriller from 2006 but it's something that I would highly recommend people to watch. It features great actors such as Matt Damon (Main reason I watched the movie!), Leo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg. Beyond the amazing actings from the cast, the screenplay is also well laid out and interesting enough to be soaked in (If you are also into films based on Boston, Massachusetts and Irish culture of the New England region, this is a must-see). This song fits quiet well on the scene of the movie and creates the right ambience on the context, emotional vulnerability.

Like I already mentioned the song in the previous post called Sunset in the Capital,

This is a good song- I love the atmosphere, figurative language, and the repeating guitar chords.

"Why you will fail to have a great career."

TEDx University of Waterloo
Larry Smith, Professor of economics

This speech touched on a similar topic that I've been questioning for several months: "What happened to all the possible careers that I was interested in since childhood?" "Why is there only a few career choices left because of my major?"

Ever since I began my studies in the university, I've came to a realization that the range of possible career options, after the graduation, are quiet smaller than I previously thought. At the same time, I have also lost the confidence that I'll be able to become whoever I want to be- as long as I want to be. Not only this sudden realization made me desperate to search for the right interest, but also made me question whether I am studying the things that I am passionate of.

I don't know. I've been stressing myself with these questions for so long I cannot recall. However, the exploration for the answer hasn't always been so great- and according to this video, it's not going to be easy in the future either. But one thing is clear that- I want to have a great career, regardless of what/where it is. I want to have a life with a work that drives me to get up in the morning.

------------

My mom always told me that her career ended early because of my birth- and this fact always made me irritated. However, this video gave a good, possible explanation for my mom's state of mind behind that particular statement.

After my graduation last summer, she returned to South Korea. Then earlier this year, she texted me so that she could tell me about a good news: her new job with a consumer rights NGO; a job that I believe fits her character, interest, and B.A. in Sociology.

There was certainly a big gap in her career because of me, at least according to her. During the blank period between her old job and new job, I have come from a kindergartener to a university student. I can't thank her enough for all the care and protection she has given me. But her return to the work force -taking an initiative after the long absence- is something I would salute her for.

Toronto Marlies.

Hamilton Bulldogs (1) - AT - Toronto Marlies (2)

Marlies is the AHL affilate of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, 

as Bulldogs is affilate of the Montreal Canadians.

(In terms of Baseball, AHL is equivalent of Triple-A Minor league)

Scoring Summary:

1st Period: 1. HAM - Frederic St-Denis (4) - 12:13 (PP)

2nd Period: No Scoring

3rd period: 2. TOR - Kelsey Wilson (5) - 9:04

Overtime: 3. TOR - Mike Zigomanis (19) - 2:39

There is nothing sweeter than winning the loosing game- during the over time!

Leafs TV On Demand: Highlights of the Game.

Zamboni Crossing.

Ricoh Coliseum Arena, Exhibition Place

Get Cracking.

Nutrition Facts

 Per 1 large omega-3 egg (53g)

Calories 70

Saturated Fat 1.5g 3%

Omega-6 0.7g

Omega-3 0.4g

Cholestrol 195mg

Sodium 85 mg 3%

Protein 6g

Vitamin A  10%

Calcium  2%

Iron  6%

Vitamin E  50%

Thiamine  2%

Riboflavin  15%

Niacin  8%

Vitamin B6  2%

Folate  15%

Vitamin B12  50%

Pantothenate  20%

Phosphorus  6%

Magnesium  2%

Zinc  6%

All these nutrients in that one small egg! This is almost good as a multivitamin.

(I find this pretty amazing- I've never paid much attention to foods before I started to cook for myself)

Dr. David Suzuki

the 36th Annual Watts Lecture, University of Toronto Scarborough

When I was taking a course called the 'Civics and Career' back in grade 10, I had to pick a Canadian role model and do a short powerpoint presentation. From the list of names of great Canadians, I choose Dr. David Suzuki over the others. It's hard to recall why I came to that decision; but perhaps because he and I share same ethnic background, or because he was one of the only few public figures who was not an athlete nor politician. One thing I can definitely still remember about him, is that his public perception, both as a scientist and environmentalist, left me a strong image on my head. 

Luckily, Dr. David Suzuki came to visit my campus and I had an opportunity to go sit on his special lecture last night. The lecture did not have a specific topic, but the two main focuses were on the issues of lack of public interests on environmental issues and the unsustainable development of the current generation. He began talking in a quiet casual manner- about what he does these days and left this unforgettable punch line: "Now that I don't think about sex all the time, I am now smarter and more focused than I was ever before". As the lecture went deep into the session, despite the weight of the issues, he explained various concepts and his ideas in quiet thoroughly manner; Some of the ideas were on the Shift from the 'ecology' based agricultural society to 'economy' based industrial society, New geological period of 'anthropocene'- where humans became the major influence on the geology of earth, difference between unavoidable forces of nature such as gravity and fabricated forces such currency, boders, and markets. 

One of the important ideas of the lecture came out when he talked about 'why the young generation must take a great amount of interest on the environmental issue and the related initiatives'. He believes that the current society lacks the idea of 'sustainability' and doesn't consider the environment issue as a high priority which it suppose to be. This is partially due to the flaw of democracy that encourages political leaders to take short term development initiatives, that benefit themselves within their political term, and prevents them from taking a long-term sustainable growth initiative. Therefore it's important for the current, young generation to realize that the political leaders of today don't have the best interest on the benefit for the future, the time period beyond their elected term. The same idea also applies to the private industries that are driven by quarterly profits.  That's why Dr. Suzuki urges that It's up to the young people, including myself, to take the initiative to change the paradigm of exploiting the future's prosperity. 

I see David Suzuki in the same manner as I see Carl Sagan, who was a science communicator with great interests on astrophysics and produced the award winning television series in the 1980s. One can agree or disagree with his ideas, but he is certainly a great science broadcaster with much passion on the nature- that's what got me interested in his CBC documentary series, the Nature of Things. To the public, He will be remembered as an environmental icon and a figure once voted as the 5th greatest Canadian. For me, he would be remembered as a great speaker with inspirational mind and will-do attitude.

p.s.) His daughter, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, who also became an environmental activist attended the Rio De Geniro Earth Summit in the 1992 and gave a speech to the assembly at the age of 12. The viral video is called 'The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes'. In recent years, it's been easier for young people to taking initiatives through all the social media and social networks, but it wouldn't be the same back in 1992.  

Weekend in Guelph.

Every single time I go to the Toronto Bus Terminal near Dundas square, I eat a subway sandwich in the Atrium on Bay. Every single time!

Spending a weekend with my aunt's family in Guelph is always relaxing break away from the campus. Having a home-cooked meal, getting on a family van, playing with cousins, sitting beside the fireplace; these small aspects of home and family remind me of what my life used to be only about a year ago. Although I'm not really used to some of the sub-urban lifestyle, such as large home and close-knit neighbourhoods, I'm learning them as well from time to time.

Over the weekend, I was able to taste some imported brews (which doesn't happen often!) such as Żywiec and Martens Pilsener and skate on the ice-rink built within a shopping mall in Cambridge, ON.

Income Tax and Benefit.

I guess I am really an independent individual now; I've filed the Income Tax and Benefit for the first time!

(...with a little help from the campus student union tax services)

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Luckily for a student, the federal and provincial governments add up the tuitions, education and textbook amounts and give us back as the federal/provincial tax credit that can be used after the graduation. Although I cannot apply for the GST/HST credit program because I am not 19 year old yet.

p.s.) It's quiet horrifying to see again how much I am spending on the tutitions- with $0 income

Thanks mom and dad (: Nothing would've been possible without you guys.