Blog #18 | Being too involved #firstworldproblems #keenerstudentproblems

Ever since grade 7 I’ve added more and more student organizations, causes and clubs to my plate. It’s only recently that I’ve realized

Being an exec on a gazillion clubs does not really get you anywhere, especially when you’re forced to summarize your entire student life experience in 250 words
You may not even like or get along with the people in that organization
You’re forced to spread yourself too thin. You’re putting in 30% effort at each job rather than 100%

My excuse is that I’m a lifelong learner; striving to try new things, learn from new experiences and meeting new and different kinds of people. I guess with UBC Dance Club, it was kind of 3 birds and 1 stone experience. Not only have I tried something different that made me more of an individual, I have also stumbled upon this great inviting, passionate, and decent group of people that form the ballroom community. In a way, it was “welcome to the island of misfit toys” (props for understanding that reference) as everyone seems to be happy being themselves, showcasing their quirks and idiosyncrasies. Perhaps it’s because learning to dance, learning to overcome awkward limbedness, and, through practice, becoming good at dance and holding your partner with confidence and finesse that prompts us to be more comfortable with our own skins. All the deep takeaways and Dance Club plugs aside, here are some of my favourite ways to escape from your very involved lives or just to indulge in escapism:

Awesome TV

In descending level of seriousness:

House of Cards

[blockquote style=”quote” align=””]Power is a lot like Real Estate. It’s all about location, location, location.[/blockquote]Kevin Spacey at his best. A politician manipulating other politicians. There’s murder, prostitution, and his wife lets him have a mistress. Your kinda show if you like intense plots and witty monologues.

Sherlock

If you haven’t seen this, go borrow it. Totally serious. Either me or other execs like Joshua Cheng. Be a Cumbercookie with me 🙂

Suits

I’m glad to say I watched this before it became pretty much part of the curriulum as a Sauderite. No I’m not a hipster. It’s great if you like witty comebacks and classic movies references like A Few Good Men and The Godfather.

MasterChef (guilty pleasure)

A blind Asian chef won last season. My basic cable substitute for Food Network shows. So much b*tchiness and drama this season.

Awesome Reading

Honestly, no matter how nerdy you think Fanfiction is, there is a small handful of extremely talented writers out there (some even published!) who have extremely imaginative stories. I only ship Hermione and Draco, and these are some of my favourites:

Fanfiction aside, I get the rare chance to actually sit down with a good novel. I highly highly recommend these ones to YA fiction readers:

The Fault in Our Stars (and upcoming movie!!)
The Book Thief (it’s narrated by Death!)

Awesome Songs

If you don’t know about it yet, 8tracks is a GODSEND during study time. I personally like instrumentals but you can find almost anything on there: dubstep for parties, coffee shop indie, throwback Thursday jazz, EDM, lots and lots and lots of One Direction. Goodness. My Favourite 8tracks playlists:

Where Them Happy People At