The Era of Friends in Low Places

If my bookmarks folder were a garden, it'd be that scary one belonging to those neighbours who've long since moved out, and that's now overrun with menacing weeds, and aggressive foliage. So every now and then I go in with a weed wacker, Tomb Raider style, and hack read through them.

This is Robert Krulwich's commencement speech at Berkeley’s School of Journalism from 2011. Please watch and/or read and/or memorize. It might not change your life, but you'll probably find yourself somehow cured of your ailments.




Our Generation...

When you talk or write or film, you work with the music inside you, the music that formed you. Different generations have different musics in them, so whatever they do, it’s going to come out differently and it will speak in beats of their own generation.

On Loyalty...

Instead, think about getting together with friends that you admire, or envy... Think about not giving your heart to a bunch of adults you don’t know. Think about horizontal loyalty. Think about turning to people you already know, who are your friends, or friends of their friends and making something that makes sense to you together, that is as beautiful or as true as you can make it.

You will build a body of work, but you will also build a body of affection, with the people you’ve helped who’ve helped you back.

A way into Troy...

And maybe, for your generation, the Trojan Horse is what you’ve got, your talent, backed by a legion of friends. Not friends in high places. This is the era of Friends in Low Places. The ones you meet now, who will notice you, challenge you, work with you, and watch your back. Maybe they will be your strength.

Staying Power...

If you can… fall in love, with the work, with people you work with, with your dreams and their dreams. Whatever it was that got you to this school, don’t let it go. Whatever kept you here, don’t let that go. Believe in your friends. Believe that what you and your friends have to say… that the way you’re saying it – is something new in the world.

And don’t stop. Just hold on and keep loving what you love and you’ll see. In the end, they’ll let you stay.

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Transcript can be found here

The Last of Summer

What is it about the dying days of summer? They are so warm, and cozy, and carefree. I feel nostalgic, like I'm missing the days gone by.

But when the evening darkness starts to creep back in, and those 10pm walks become 8:30pm walks, I'm suddenly frantic, and uneasy. I try to relax and soak in the vestiges of the lazy sun, but I know that September is coming, like a bullet train through a darkened tunnel. Is it the looming threat of summer being taken away that makes me love it more so?

The sun is brighter somehow. The sky bluer, the sunset redder. Oh, these dying days.

Blue

Blue sky, blue water. A beauty day.

You are

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Grouse Grind: A Wheezing Parade

On a rainy, and foggy summer's day, we laced up our hiking shoes, put on our waterproof jackets, and did the Grouse Grind. 

The North Shore is like the mecca of REI/MEC wearing, collapsable water bottle wielding, scarily athletic folk (be prepared for children and seniors to beat you to the top). Everyone seriously looks like they stepped out of an outdoor magazine. 

The Grind is such a miserable and awesome time - a never-ending, sweaty, wheezing parade of people marching up 1200m of a mountain.

On (under)graduating

For a while, I put off writing this post because, for the life of me, I couldn’t even remember what I felt about undergrad. Which is a ridiculous statement 2 months after final exams, but no less true.

When I think back on my undergrad I have a hazy recollection of the good times, and a vague dissatisfaction with the whole ordeal. The first is easy to understand. Undergrad, as in life, is often boiled down to a few events, a small number of moments that punctuate through the days, weeks, years of school. Like that time I got published in a Neuroscience journal, or that time I (almost) face-planted in the Magic Forest, or that time I ate poutine for a whole school year.

During my undergrad, I fostered an appreciation for neuroscience and interdisciplinary work, especially within the realm of science/technology/art. I liked being a student whose responsibilities, let’s face it, included occasionally doing class readings, but always showing up for final exams. I loved the friendships I made. I loved being part of a team, a part of a system that helped me think bigger and smaller. I loved living in Europe and biking in the rain. I loved speaking in French with people who couldn’t speak English. I loved going to sittnings and living in a university town. I loved when laughter was our only shared language. I loved all of it and more.

It wasn’t until recently that I figured out the root of my dissatisfaction. I couldn’t understand this before because I was happy during my undergrad. It wasn’t until I talked to a friend that I realized that my entire undergrad as I remember it was being clouded by a semester-long reverse culture shock. My last semester was in direct contrast with one of my best periods of undergrad: my exchange semesters. Had I graduated last year, with most of my classmates and before that European jaunt, this post would be drastically different. It would be waxing poetic on (some) of my biopsych classes, detailing the virtues of working in student development and even touching on that little thing called Greek Life. Instead, I enjoyed my victory lap in some of the most beautiful places in Europe.

Exchange was an experience that’s difficult for me to articulate. I’ve described the sights (“I see France from my room!”), the classes (“I toured Copenhagen to study urban architecture!”), and the parties (“They threw a TV out of our 2^nd floor window!”). But I came back with a different outlook – on life, on friendships, on school. And the shift didn’t necessarily come from my education abroad, but from being removed from a situation I thought was normal and then abruptly being put back. I came back to my last semester wholly unsatisfied with my classes and my classmates. It became blatantly clear that so many people had the same mentality. I felt isolated and confused - why was I feeling this way? Couldn’t they understand that sitting in a lecture hall idly taking notes isn’t enough? Why were they so eager to work at some prestigious company - only to continue blindly following other people? 

That’s not to say no one felt like I felt, and definitely not to say that I am now somehow enlightened and worldly. No, definitely not. In fact, the more I see of this world, the less worldly and more ignorant I feel. But it was enough of a paradigm shift to startle me into realizing that this education, that the student that I was, wasn’t good enough anymore. Undergrad is supposed to teach you that learning is critical, that learning is knowledge, and that learning is fun. I’ve been telling people that I didn’t like being a student – but that’s not really true. I just couldn’t be my ideal student in this environment.

And so, this summer I’m creating and finding learning opportunities for myself. I’m creating the curriculum I never realized I wanted. I don’t ever want to feel like I’m settling or letting life happen to me.

I want to learn, and live, and love with intent.

Lavendar Latte Love

Cafe Medina, oh yum.

Whistler Weekend

1. Leisurely biking, soaking in the sun and the sights

2. Free wine chilling in our room c/o Good Guy Doug

3. Dreadlockian taxi driver

Home is Not a Place

Over the years, I've been very blessed to call Vancouver my home, but I've also been fortunate to have lived in a few different places during my young life. This article so perfectly encapsulates what I feel: the constant craving for both stability and change, the niggling thoughts of displacement in the middle of the night and the extreme joy of sharing the world, one city at a time.

The chasm of distance between me and the place I left shouldn’t be remedied by a single plane ride or a simple phone call. It shouldn’t be that easy. For the pain that expanse has caused me, that trip should take a lifetime. 

Because making a home out of all the places I’ve lived has been simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting. Some days I delight in the fact that my soul is deposited in several pockets of the world. Other days it makes me feel empty. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to retrieve those parts of myself, or if they were meant to stay there, unbeknownst to all those who come after me.

Power Outage

Skåne

No electricity means no charging my laptop or my phone, no watching TV, no surfing the internet. But that's fine, I'm not really dependent on technology anyways. My phone is not permanently attached to my hand*, in fact, I can go the whole day without bothering to look at it. I don't watch TV much anymore, and I can survive without the internet. Most likely. Probably. Maybe? You know what, I even like to read! And cook! And other non-tech things like be sociable!

But I had just finished my last midterm (maybe of all time!) and was exhausted and had numbers crammed into my head and I just wanted to zone out. No power?

#FirstWorldProblems #WhatWouldTheAmishDo

I ended up tethering my phone to get internet on my computer. But when my laptop died, I made the final nerd leap and drove to the library before it closed so I could charge my laptop for the night and use their internet. The stark realization was that I couldn't handle not having something tech-ish at my disposal. And that was lowering. Definitely something to think about.

*How funny that just a few years ago this sentence would have been "My phone is not permanently attached to my ear"!

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II

Sayonara, midterms. And as a friend put it, I wrote my last midterm of my undergraduate degree.
Whoa.

Snowshoe romance

I was snowshoeing in Mt Seymour's backcountry a few weeks ago and there were flower petals along the entire trail! It looked so sweet - a few bursts of pinks and purples and reds scattered around, leading to the viewpoint where there were remnants of a bonfire and petals surrounding the entire area. Pretty darn romantic! I wonder if someone just proposed? Or was it just a really adorable date? And not much can beat the view of downtown Vancouver when the sun hits the water just so. Lucky girl.

Seawall

What was a questionable weather day turned out to be a spectacularly sunny afternoon (typical). I spent some time along the seawall and it was actually the first time I've gone around the entire thing. I feel invigorated! I've always just visited parts of Stanley Park and all too often, I am too lazy to deal with the traffic to North Van. I should definitely make it a point to come more often.

This reminds me of seeing The National play at the Malkin Bowl awhile back. They are my favourite band (I would say of all time, but I'm too indecisive to proclaim that!) and they were absolutely, undeniably, heart wrenchingly amazing. Gosh, I need to see them play again. Soon.

the blues

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Vancouver Convention Center

This week I had an informational interview at the Vancouver Convention Center (exploring my options in Marketing - pretty exciting/scary!) The first time I was here was during the 2010 Olympics and the second was for the EPiC Sustainable Living Convention. It's really a beautiful space, with great architectural details and it's also LEED certified. 

It's kind of odd seeing the cauldron again, somehow it fits right into the urban landscape as if it was always there, and somehow it feels misplaced because the Olympics are over. I do love the Digital Orca though, which was created by Douglas Coupland, who is the bomb. 

Roald Dahl Stamps

The Royal Mail came out with a Roald Dahl stamp tribute, illustrated by Quentin Blake. Awesome! I still love these books and I remember always fumbling the author's name. I have vivid memories of stealthily reading on my bed by lamplight, well past my bedtime, and immersing myself into an exciting, imaginary world.

Where love is

 

"Sometimes you can tell how much people love each other without even seeing their faces." 
How true. Aren't these images just beautiful?
 via one of my favourite blogs, Color Me Katie.

Europe's Deep Freeze

The Atlantic just published these amazing photos of Europe's deep freeze. And just 2 months ago, Lapland barely had any snow and they were telling me it was the warmest winter in 100 years! Fast forward a few months and sly Mother Nature decides to get a little cold. The pictures from Lake Geneva (last one) are crazy! I love how the snow froze that way, like the ice is living and moving. My friend actually posted similar looking photos from Montreux - made it seem all the more real. Kooky weather...oh, hey there Global Warming - how's it going?

On the plus side, I'm glad I left Sweden before the snow and ice set in. I wonder if I would have toughed it out on the bike or taken the bus. Considering my biking accident record, the bus is probably the better bet.

Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks

'Cause though the truth may vary

This ship will carry

Our bodies safe to shore

I'm of the mind that the music video is a lost art so I'm happy to see Of Monsters and Men come out with this gem, especially since I tend to like the absurd and this bizarro video hits the spot. And not to be reiterate that hipster shit, but I totally knew about this song before anyone else. ;)

In other news, I'm currently nursing a sore post-snowboarding body. This weekend is turning into one of those reminders of why it's so great to live in this city. A sunny day in Vancouver? Drop dead gorgeous. Unfortunately, the best I can do now is look at the mountains through the window as I make friends with managerial accounting.

The Staves - Mexico

To take a trip to Mexico
I heard it's the place to go
I want to see the colors of another sky

The lyrics that led me to title this photo project. I'm really loving this band and it made me realize how few female-only bands I listen to. Harmonizing, yo!

The Colours of Another Sky

“There are a few moments in your life when you are truly and completely happy, and you remember to give thanks. Even as it happens you are nostalgic for the moment, you are tucking it away in your scrapbook.”

- David Benioff, When the Nines Roll Over: And Other Stories

I've fallen in love with sunrises - they signal the beginning of a new day with the colours of a new sky. But sunsets are great too, with colours so vivid and intense that they seem to bleed. 

Sometimes their beauty just hits you in the gut, and leaves you breathless. 

This is a photo project I've been working on - to capture the colours of other skies.

Starting from the top, left hand corner (L-R)

1. Sunset in downtown Lund, Sweden

2. Sunset at Delphi, Lund, Sweden

3. Sunset in Krakow, Poland

4. Sunrise at the Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy

5. Sunset/Moonrise in Narvik, Norway

6. Sunrise in La Défense, Paris, France

7. Sunrise at Lund Centralen, Sweden

8. Sunset in Kiruna, Sweden

9. Sunset at the Sacre Coeur, Paris, France

Stories from the Arctic: The Moonrise

Impossibly beautiful.

We could already see the sun beginning to set as we drove into Narvik, Norway; the sky was awash with purples and pinks and blues. I don't think anyone really expected the view we got when we reached the coastline though. The colours got more saturated, more pink, more purple, and the ebbing arctic waters reflected the dying day. We were so lucky to see the moon peek out behind the mountains and we waited and just watched it rise in the sky. The photos don't do it justice, it felt a bit like an out of body experience - the scene was just unreal. Look at the mountains, those beauts.

Narvik was also the place I dropped my DSLR. Ouch. Luckily, I just dented the exterior and the lens is a-ok. thank you, thank you, thank you. Scariest moment of the trip, for sure! hahah.

More on Narvik here

Art Of Flight

"The brave don't live forever but the cautious don't live at all."
- Timothy Luce

Currently watching Art of Flight. It's a beauty, such a feast for the eyes.

The sequence filmed in Patagonia is so sick! These people are crazy.

Stories from the Arctic: Narvik, Norway

Meeting a local wearing just a t-shirt. Also, look at the view from their backyard! No big deal.

We really lucked out in the cozy town of Narvik. Perfect weather conditions, perfect timing - just as the sun set behind the mountains. It's 220 km inside the Arctic circle and one of the most northerly cities in the world. It's actually connected to Kiruna and Abisko by train, but we took the bus. Amazing views either way. And thus continues my love affair with Norway, still going strong. 

Also where I saw this. Still blows my mind.

Stories from the Arctic: Sparklers and bonfires

On our last night, we went to the lake and lit some sparklers

"Lights of the North, come forth!"
"Okay, they're not here."

One of our many, many bonfires.

Stories from the Arctic: The Northern Lights

Overlooking Abisko and Torneträsk lake with no tripod, and numb & trembling fingers
For reference, the black figure in the middle is a person.

They say the best place to see the Northern Lights is at the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko, between 8pm and midnight. So, we bundled up like crazy and took the 20 minute, uncovered (!) wooden chair lift up the mountain to see them.

Unfortunately, the promisingly clear day turned into a foggy night, and our best bet was to climb up the mountain, past the sky station. Feeling like pioneers, we were guided by sheer will and the glow of the moon, making fresh tracks as our feet sunk well into the snow. No one had decided to hike up yet, so we were alone and it was amazing.

But as the Rolling Stones liked to say "You can't get what you want, but you get what you need."

We never did get to see the Northern lights this night, or any other night, but I like to think luck was still on our side.

Because on the peak of a snow covered mountain, we laid down and watched the moon and stars pierce through the darkness of the night. And in the stillness, we had only cookies, rum, and our thoughts for company. We ate, we drank, we dreamed.

Stories from the Arctic: Kiruna Ice Hotel & Reindeer Farm

Ice Hotel and Ice Bar. Nifty to see but I'd never stay there. One room did have a slide though, which was awesome! And you go soo fast!

Kiruna, Sweden. Walked around at night. Small town, with babies stuffed into snowsuits walking around like penguins. They also have lots of sweet all-terrain prams (strollers).

Reindeer! Only the Sami people are allowed to own reindeer in Lapland. We got to pet them and give them food. Antlers are kind of terrifying, especially when they start to jog around.

This last picture is from inside one of the churches.