To Those Who Struggle
You know who you are.
Five Things I Wish I Had Known Before Starting to Play Music
Ever since I started playing piano as a child, music has become an integral part of my life. Throughout the years, I’ve picked up guitar, violin, clarinet, and saxophone. To this day, music remains one of my passions, and as horribly cringe-worthy and cliché as it sounds, I honestly don’t know what I would do…
Your 90 second pitch to the World
You’ve been challenged to present what you’ve done to make the world better place in front of the entire human population. Sure, you could prepare a marvelous speech but the catch is, you only have 90 seconds. “What an ordeal!” you may think. But wait, there’s more. Who is your competition? Only the world’s elite-…
The Troubles of Being a Short Girl
Ladies and gentlemen, I am a short girl. In a society where the average Canadian female is 5 feet 4 inches, I fall below average at a whopping 5 feet 1 inch. Personally, I have no problem with my height. It’s a part of who I am, and I’ve learned to embrace it! With that being…
A Letter To My Younger Self
Dear Younger Me, It’s almost 2017, can you believe it? We’ve made it through a whopping 15 years; and in those 15 years, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned things I wish I knew when I was younger. Things that would’ve made everything so much more different, but I suppose you’ve got to make the…
Dear 2017…
Dear 2017, Please be kind. I’m sure you’ve heard by now, 2016 has been rough. It’s been a year of hatred, of ignorance, intolerance, inequality and of senseless acts of tragedy. Yet we’ve all survived, clinging to the hope of the rebirth of the new year, of new beginnings, and a fresh start. I pray…
For Times When Nothing Seems To Be Going Your Way
We all have those days when it seems that the whole universe is making sure that not a single thing goes our ways. It can start from the very moment you open your eyes in the morning. Your alarm doesn’t go off and you have fifteen minutes to get ready and run to the bus…
Studying for Diploma Exams: Where To Start?
With diploma exams around a month away, myself and many others have just been hit with the realization, “Holy cow, I have to get studying!” As someone who hates studying with a burning passion (read: doesn’t know how to study without getting bored or distracted within minutes) and can’t find a way to take notes that…
An Open Letter To A Radical Atheist
Dear Friend, I would first like to apologize for being quite long-winded, but I have a lot to say and this letter does not even scratch the surface of what would like to express. I do not pretend to operate under any pretence that religion plays an active role in my life any more than…
Photo of the Week: Mindful Meditation?
Captured during my adventures at Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Often times body language speaks louder than words and when life gets busy we rarely take a minute to reflect and breathe. Every creature needs moments of stillness, where we can find our calm and ground ourselves amidst the chaos. Even the “monk-eys” are meditating to…
The Value of A Growth Mindset
At the beginning of high school, I was prepared for a wild ride filled with stress, frustration, and even anger. I was told that in grade 10, school was going to become a struggling time filled with 4 a.m. homework sessions, several cups of coffee per day, and taking solace from my friends saying “I…
3 Free Ways to Get Fit in YYC
Keeping up a structured fitness schedule is hard enough as it is, finding to pull yourself out of bed and haul your butt to the gym or the treadmill is a huge feat in itself, and on top of that, maintaining the motivation to push yourself to really make that workout effective is also challenging. I…
It’s ok, I’ll do it tomorrow
The “I’ll do it tomorrow” mentality is something that all of us are familiar with, but why? We’ve all heard it multiple times that we should always always always focus on the now. Yet we all know, it’s not that easy. The thing about tomorrow is that it makes the perfect excuse for everything and,…
Is Your Halloween Costume Offensive?
Ah, Halloween, a time of frights and fun, candy and costumes, ghosts and ghouls, and – cultural appropriation and racism? Halloween is the one day a year you can decide to be something you’re not, to get creative, and try something new without consequence, making it one of my favourite holidays! However, when people take…
EVENT LISTING: The Mayor’s Youth Council Volunteer Fair
Now that I’m in Grade 12, I have been reflecting a lot on my experiences so far and how they have made me the person I am today. One of the biggest influences has definitely got to be volunteering. I began volunteering with Youth Central in the summer after Grade 9 through Youth Are Awesome…