tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307595842024-03-12T18:36:01.171-06:00ALICIAAlicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-69790437999981484052010-07-12T22:00:00.004-06:002010-07-12T22:00:42.717-06:00I've decided that it is time for a new blog.<br />
Blogspot has failed me and won't let me create any new posts and so therefore I've decided to make a new one instead of fight with it.<br />
I'm also heading out on a new adventure and into a new portion of my life and so it's time for something new.<br />
So here it is...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://aslywka.wordpress.com/">aslywka.wordpress.com</a>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-73989746318713838692010-06-18T18:20:00.003-06:002010-06-18T18:22:33.740-06:00<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">1Goal</span><br />
Go <a href="http://www.join1goal.org/?utm_source=1Goal.org">here</a> and sign your name for 1goal! </div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><object height="295" style="background-image: url(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/vcJMgNpAcBk/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vcJMgNpAcBk&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vcJMgNpAcBk&hl=en_US&fs=1" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-43460332707287391022010-06-10T22:31:00.000-06:002010-06-10T22:31:07.589-06:00Another thing crossed off my list..<br />
It was filled with good food, good entertainment and good friends! <br />
<strike>Mosaic </strike><br />
<br />
World Cup starts tomorrow! I can pretty much be rendered useless for the entire month.<br />
Spain is going to take it...you heard it here first..Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-25659793745580262392010-05-30T22:33:00.000-06:002010-05-30T22:33:51.351-06:00 Joni and I accomplished the first thing on my list of awesome things to do this summer, and we even accomplished it in a downpour of rain...<br />
<strike><br />
</strike><br />
<strike>Cathedral Village Arts Festival</strike><br />
<br />
Here are some more goals for summer 2010<br />
Goal #4-Go Camping<br />
Camping is one of my favourite parts of summer but it has been a good solid couple of years since I've been. I'm pretty sure the last time I went was with Pastor Hub and it featured fish marinated with dr. pepper; so it's about time to get the tent out again..<br />
<br />
Goal #5- Go to the Kenosee Superslides<br />
I hit up these waterslides every summer for about 12 years and even though they aren't the greatest I still love going to them. So hitting them up is a must this summer...hopefully it quits raining..<br />
<br />
<br />
Goal #6- Roadtrip to visit Sandra/Hangout at the cabin<br />
One of my favourite people and one of my favourite places to spend the summer...Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-90691478179274216092010-05-26T22:39:00.007-06:002010-05-26T23:04:57.181-06:00Life is full of questions: questions about what life is about, what we're living for, and who we need to be. We are all searching for something more, something deepeer, something that can redefine our lives and revolutionize this world. <br />
<br />
We live in a society that is plagued by alarming rates of depression and suicide. We are seeking happiness and instead are being burdened by the complete opposite. We try to find meaning in money but only end up more depressed, we try to find worth from popularity but it only leads to more emptiness, we try to find something deeper from material possessions but it only pushes us even further over the edge. How did we ever let it get to this point? To the point where we are a people that are so depressed and a people that feel as if we have nothing left to live for. We are all longing to be heard, to be seen, to be loved and to belong. Far too often people fall through the cracks; go unseen, go unheard, go unloved and never belong. Through the chaos and busyness we don't see far beyond our lives; we don't see the lives of those around us, those that are desperately calling out for help and to be seen and heard; so they go unnoticed, unheard in a loud world, unseen in a crowded world. <br />
<br />
Life is full of choices-big choices that will change the course of our life but also little choices that seem so insignificant. Our choices tell what we are about, what we are living for, who we are; our choices define us and give us purpose. We have a choice of how we live our life. We can live a selfish life, only caring about ourselves and what we do. We can be the person who never actually sees, who chooses to close our eyes to things we want to leave unseen; we can be the person who doesn't actually hear, who drowns out the sounds we want to leave unheard; and we can be the person who walks away, who turns our back on things that make us uncomfortable. Or we could be the person who cares, the person who actually sees, the person who actually hears and the person who walks closer instead of walking away. The person who takes the time to stand still in a crazy world and actually see and hear those who are so desperately calling out. <br />
<br />
Life is about what you do, it is about who you are. It is about the little choices that seem so insignificant but truly mean the world. They are the choices that will change people, that will save people from getting to the point where they have nothing to live for. People are always looking for something to blame, for a person or something else to be the suspect, something to point the finger at. Why not point the finger at ourselves? What did we do? Most people say nothing, but that's the point. If we had the chance to do something but chose to close our eyes or drown out the sound or turn our backs, that makes us just as much the suspect. Far too often we have the chance to do something, to change someones life, but instead we do nothing and walk away and far too often it ends with the same result.<br />
<br />
So what is life about? What are we living for? Who are we supposed to be?<br />
What is life about? Life isn't about how much money we have, how many cars we have, what kind of clothes we wear; life is about finding something you believe in and standing up for it; life is about fighting for the little guy; for fighting for those without voices; life is about saving lives, about not letting it get to the point where people only see one way out. What are we living for? We are living for something deeper, something greater, something more meaningful then we will ever find anywhere else. We are living for love, and life and choices. Who are we supposed to be? We are supposed to be people that care, people that truly see, people that truly hear and people that won't turn our backs. We are supposed to be love and hope and joy.<br />
<br />
<i>What's the point of all this, if you're not going to let it change you?</i><br />
Let something change you, let something strike a chord and truthfully change you. Don't be a person who does nothing, be a person who does something.Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-41617757147268080502010-05-24T20:15:00.002-06:002010-05-24T20:16:05.197-06:00I've decided to boycott the Stanley Cup Final...<br />
Chicago vs. Philadelphia..can't get much worse of a final than that...<br />
<br />
Instead of watching two of my most disliked teams play, I am going to be getting myself pumped up for World Cup 2010<br />
18 days..<br />
<br />
<br />
<object height="295" style="background-image: url(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/tMophHw6iX4/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tMophHw6iX4&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tMophHw6iX4&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="295" width="480"></embed></object>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-4168933603320998892010-05-18T09:48:00.000-06:002010-05-18T09:48:58.335-06:00Who doesn't love good food and a good meal, I know I love it, so it was a given that some of my goals of summer 2010 had to include some food.<br />
<br />
Goal # 1 part b - Eat everything awesome there is to eat in Regina<br />
My list of awesome things to do in the summer didn't include food, so part b is to eat the awesome food that there is to eat in this city. That will most likely will be a whole lot of sushi and indian food and maybe a few other things, but I'm fine by that..<br />
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Goal # 2 - Learn how to cook<br />
If you've ever spent a considerable amount of time with me, you know that I am far from being domestic; I've never really liked to cook, or clean or doing anything related to housework-It's not my forte. I've always kindof been the type of girl that wants to defy the traditional role of women and be independent (I'm not a feminist but I just don't like being defined by "typical roles" and if you be expect me to be that way I try even harder not to be). For some reason, as of late, I've kindof been wanting to cook. I've realized that I can still cook and be independent and it doesn't have to fit into traditional roles.<br />
A couple days ago, my mom came home with a new cookbook including everything from goodlooking soups to chocolate cake, and I thought what the heck, let's cook something. So I did....and it would have been great, but who knew 2 cups of vegetable stock isn't actually 2 cups of powdered vegetable stock, not this girl. My soup would have supplied my family with their entire salt intake for their whole lives-that salty. Well I am no Julie Child, and accidents happen but I know that I will never mess up vegetable stock ever again. Right after it happened and my soup went into the garbage I vowed that I would never cook again, but Julie Child says "Never apologize" and so here goes round 2 and an effort to learn how to cook...<br />
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Goal # 3 - Breakfast dates with good friends<br />
In my opinion, there is nothing quite like breakfast and good conversations with old or new friends. The hardest part about leaving this place is going to be leaving the people I care about most, and that is why summer needs to be filled with countless breakfast dates-enough to give me a good fill me until I come back to this place.Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-84697253414066434182010-05-14T11:39:00.001-06:002010-05-14T11:39:32.339-06:00Time to hop on the bandwagon...<br />
Go Habs!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sbFod45kHwc/S-2KkWSdasI/AAAAAAAAAMM/E5VCwSIQG0k/s1600/mikecam3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sbFod45kHwc/S-2KkWSdasI/AAAAAAAAAMM/E5VCwSIQG0k/s320/mikecam3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-42931657544692572362010-05-10T15:45:00.003-06:002010-05-11T22:11:25.121-06:00A couple days ago it clicked in my head that this could me last summer in Regina for awhile; with finishing up my degree and looking into grad schools, it is most likely that life will take me to new places and new cities. I am kind of like Seth Cohen when it comes to Regina (yes I really did just make a reference to the OC-I miss that show)-I have been dreaming of the day when I will live somewhere else, somewhere cooler, but as it slowly comes near it's going to become harder and harder to leave. Over the last few months I have really learnt to appreciate this city and what it has to offer me. I love the size, the friends and family that I have here and the memories that this place has given me. It's home and will always be home, but I know that sooner or later it's time to move on.<br />
Because I realized that this could be my last summer here for awhile, I've decided that I'm going to make the best of it and have the best summer ever..<br />
<br />
Goal # 1 of summer 2010- Do everything awesome that this city has to offer (which includes but is not limited to..)<br />
-Mosaic<br />
-frequent walks around Wascana lake<br />
-ride the bike paths in Regina<br />
-Cathedral Village Arts Festival<br />
-attend my first ever Regina Folk Festival<br />
-Saturday night dance parties<br />
-Farmer's market<br />
-explore places that I've never seen<br />
-bridge jumping into WascanaAlicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-84421732550985791072010-04-30T18:08:00.000-06:002010-04-30T18:08:01.151-06:00I love summer and everything about summer! I love the nice weather and the rain and the sun and being able to wear shorts! Even though I don't actually get summer holidays this year, the nice weather and sweet hangouts might actually make school bearable! I have a feeling this summer is going to be great! Awesome! <br />
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I love being done another semester of school! Even though I only have 5 days until I start again, it's nice knowing that I have successfully completed another semester and only have two more to go! Awesome!<br />
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I love hanging out with my sister in BC! It's been the greatest to come hangout in her small little town and be a part of her world for a couple days! I have loved just lazing around in her nice house not having to worry about anything! I really like this place and my sister of course! Awesome!<br />
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I love looking out my window and seeing mountains every morning! I will always be a prairie girl at heart but there is something in me that loves the mountains! I have decided that my next move will probably be to a place with mountains! Awesome!<br />
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I love playoff time! In my opinion it's one of the best times of the year; it helps that Vancouver made the second round! I love that now I can watch hockey without having to study for finals! Awesome!Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-57578932437116967362010-04-20T16:23:00.000-06:002010-04-20T16:23:03.107-06:00Knowledge has become a key commodity of the 21st century. We are taught that in order to be something in this society you need knowledge, you need an education, a degree to your name. Knowledge is power. Those that have the most knowledge climb the ladder of power. They are the ones running this society, telling us that in order to be successful we need knowledge. In a society where knowledge is power, knowledge has also become wealth. We are a society driven by consumerism and capitalism; we are ever longing for more materials to purchase and more money to purchase them with. In a materialistic consumer driven society, knowledge has been materialized, it has been commodified, making it one of the most sought after commodities of the wealthy and those that can afford it. <i>Knowledge is now something that is being produced under capitalist labor market conditions: it can be bought and sold, and it is private rather than public property</i>. Knowledge is becoming less about what it actually is, and more about who can afford it. <i>The knowledge economy is about creating and processing knowledge, trading and using knowledge for competitive advantage- it is not about knowing or knowledge for its own sake, it is not about the pursuit of knowledge but about "creating" knowledge by turning knowledge into a commodity or product (On Tricky Ground, L.T. Smith, 2005)</i>. Knowledge is no longer about what it is meant to be about; it isn't about knowing for the sake of knowing, or about gaining more knowledge, it is now about gaining wealth. Knowledge, something that I believe was never meant to be a material or a commodity, has now been made into a product, a commodity of a materialistic society, available to the wealthy and those that have power. This leaves those that can't afford in the margins, leaving them to the ascendancy of the wealthy, ever increasing the gap between the rich and the poor.Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-39899453762138213752010-04-14T23:03:00.000-06:002010-04-14T23:03:25.684-06:00It's that time of year, so pick your playoff team!!! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sbFod45kHwc/S8acOOEhNLI/AAAAAAAAAL0/bfY31ygk0-M/s1600/Hockey+playoffs+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sbFod45kHwc/S8acOOEhNLI/AAAAAAAAAL0/bfY31ygk0-M/s320/Hockey+playoffs+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sbFod45kHwc/S8acTki-RwI/AAAAAAAAAL8/pIw52I9--CA/s1600/Hockey+playoffs+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sbFod45kHwc/S8acTki-RwI/AAAAAAAAAL8/pIw52I9--CA/s320/Hockey+playoffs+002.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Go Nucks!Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-4926213059986534352010-04-11T22:57:00.000-06:002010-04-11T22:57:22.767-06:00The countdown is on...<br />
4 more days of classes<br />
4 finals-3 written, 1 take home <br />
1 philosophy paper<br />
1 correspondence class.....<br />
and then it's the end. <br />
<br />
The end of this semester only means the beginning of my final 4 classes of my undergraduate degree. 4 months, 4 classes, followed by 3 months in a foreign land and then I'll have an official piece of paper meaning that I actually need to know something after my 4+ years in University. But let's not get ahead of ourselves; before I can think about the end I need to figure out how a philosopher's mind works and try to fit some studying in around watching playoffs, then I'll be in the clear.Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-18262534605775338302010-03-22T16:09:00.001-06:002010-03-22T16:11:22.886-06:00I'm tryng not to get my hopes up too high just in case it falls through but I am 95% sure that Tanzania is where I will be come September.<br />
Even though it is still 5 months away, I can't even describe how stoked I am. This is the ultimate goal I have knowingly been working towards for the last 2 years, and unknowingly for the last 5 years. The next 5 months are going to be exhausting, challenging and I know there will be more than a few moments where I wish I could fast forward to September, but it will all be worth it when I board a plane back to a continent I love. <br />
Only one month left in this semester, then my final four classes in the summer, then Tanzania here I come!Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-11866015822206484962010-03-08T19:21:00.004-06:002010-03-09T11:31:35.398-06:00April 8th<br />
One day without shoes....<br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vlz3QKHJBac&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vlz3QKHJBac&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-40045279536069784652010-03-04T23:08:00.000-06:002010-03-04T23:08:55.976-06:00We live in a world where we are said to have freedom; freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of choice, countless freedoms that let us decide who we are, who we can become. Everyday I have freedom of choice; freedom to choose what I wear- to choose between the thirty t-shirts or sweatshirts I have; freedom to choose what I drink-a small coffee or a large caramel macchiato; freedom to choose what I do, where I go, what I read; I face a million little choices everyday, choices that I take for granted.<br />
Somewhere someone doesn't have those choices. They face a reality far off than mine and are faced with choices far different than mine. Faced with the choice of drinking dirty pond water, infested with bacteria, or drinking nothing at all; the choice of whether to go to bed hungry or sell themselves for food; the choice of blue dress or blue dress; the choice of walking once for 3 hours to get water, or walking twice for 6 hours to get more water.<br />
Clearly this is not freedom and these choices are not choices at all. <br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;">Choice has always been a privilege of those who could afford to pay for it. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;">-Ellen Frankfort</span></i>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-26274192425035855642010-02-12T00:35:00.000-06:002010-02-12T00:35:42.895-06:00I constantly forget why I love this city. I always get mad at it for never being what I want it to be. It's not foreign, it doesn't have the greatest transportation, it doesn't have great shopping, it's pretty average and nothing special. I've spent half my time here wishing it was something else, wishing it could be like the places I travel; new, fresh, unknown, cool-but it will never be those things. But I've realized that that's what makes me love this place. It's comfortable, known and pretty steady, and it has the one thing that none of those other places has; it has friends, family, relationships, and community. It isn't the things in this city that make it what it is, it's the people that I have here that makes it what it is. It's the old friends that will always be friends no matter what happens in life; it's the new friends that are helping me to redefine this city; it's the family that I have here; it's the people I see on a daily basis that constantly brighten my day. <br />
This city is about the people, not about the place.<br />
I love this city.Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-692352033118918572010-02-07T23:27:00.003-06:002010-02-07T23:28:45.379-06:00I found this commercial on <a href="http://cmh10.blogspot.com/">Chelsa's</a> blog. It's a great one and explains a little of why Canadians including myself love hockey the way we do...<br />
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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sqHP3PbVIFM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sqHP3PbVIFM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
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The countdown is on until the Olympics...Can't wait!Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-63420000191328988042010-01-31T16:39:00.001-06:002010-01-31T16:40:56.891-06:00My mind is constantly thinking and dreaming about this place. My heart is itching for it; I want to smell the smells, to hear the songs and sounds, to see the children smile, to walk its roads. I am constantly daydreaming about when I will get back there and how great it will feel.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sbFod45kHwc/S2YGRPSpzaI/AAAAAAAAALs/jNGQAqNYWOY/s1600-h/17164_394695015183_679455183_10397979_8180937_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sbFod45kHwc/S2YGRPSpzaI/AAAAAAAAALs/jNGQAqNYWOY/s400/17164_394695015183_679455183_10397979_8180937_n.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-63658459075080917952010-01-22T22:34:00.000-06:002010-01-22T22:34:57.882-06:00Every thursday I hangout with the greatest kids on the planet. Sometimes they drive me a little nuts but who doesn't. I could go on and on about them for hours and how great they are; half the time I feel like a proud parent with 40 teenagers. <br />
This week they made me prouder than I've ever been of them. We challeneged them to raise money for Haiti and they went above and beyond what we asked of them. Kids who don't have that much to begin with, opening their hearts to people who are in greater need than they are. Realizing that even though they may not be the most well off, they can do something little that will go a long way. They are great!<br />
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</div>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-63882949458207685452010-01-18T23:29:00.001-06:002010-01-18T23:30:29.757-06:00<span style="font-family: georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;">Day after day I find myself shaking my head; shaking my head at this society, at everything absurb that surrounds me; seeing it for what it truly is, what we truly have become, and where we will go if we keep on this path. We have become like robots, each the same, supressed by this society, by formalities, pretenses and social conventions and we have lost who we are; lost all real personality, real joy, real love<i>, </i>real everything.</span><span style="font-family: georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;"><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;">You're obliged to pretend respect for people and institutions you think absurd. You live attached in a cowardly fashion to moral and social conventions you despise, condemn, and know lack all foundation. It is that permanent contradiction between your ideas and desires and all the dead formalities and vain pretenses of your civilization which makes you sad, troubled and unbalanced. In that intolerable conflict you lose all joy of life and all feeling of personality, because at every moment they suppress and restrain and check the free play of your powers. That's the poisoned and mortal wound of the civilized world. -Octave Mirbeau</span></i>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-8137222111833197072010-01-10T19:57:00.001-06:002010-01-10T19:58:00.072-06:00My heart is itching for an adventure more than ever right now; To leave everything I know behind, to go into the unknown, a place I don't know, with new people, a new culture, new sights and sounds. I wish I could just hop on a plane and see something different. Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-10212751798341260522010-01-04T16:45:00.004-06:002010-01-04T20:36:54.425-06:00<span style="font-size: small;">2010 has not started off the best for me. It started off by being stressed while trying to dance it off to I've got a feeling by the Black Eyed Peas-that could quite possibly be the problem right there, if you asked <a href="http://ballsofrice.wordpress.com/">Nic</a>, he would probably say it is- this was all accompanied by sickness and very little sleep and then followed by a car accident, which equals no car for me. Not a very fun start to 2010 at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I've been thinking about it though and have come to some conclusions/made some decisions. I've always wanted to be the person that walked everywhere or rode the bus but I admit I'm a sucker for convenience. If there was a car sitting on my driveway that was in some way considered mine, I would drive it instead of walking/taking the bus. I admit I never had the power or self-restraint to say "Today I'm going to walk instead of driving" or "Today I'm riding the bus". But now I have been forced into it and have no option; and even though this choice has been forced onto me, I'm happy about it; I'm happy I don't have a car, I'm happy I don't have that convenience anymore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Having no car got me thinking even further though. In the summer I read a book called <a href="http://greenasathistle.com/sleeping-naked-is-green/">Sleeping Naked is Green</a>. A journalist from Toronto took on the challenge of making a green change in her life for every day of the year. She <a href="http://greenasathistle.com/">blogged</a> about it and then eventually wrote a book about it. When I read this book, I wished I had the power to do what she did and make changes in my own life but I was pretty lazy and selfish and didn't really do anything. After the anger and tears emptied out of me about getting into an accident and not having a car anymore, I came up with a brilliant idea, at least I hope its brilliant. No, I'm not going to make 365 green changes in my life, I admit that might be a little extreme for now, but Yes I am going to try and make whatever changes I can; keyword being try; I may fail but I may as well try. I am going to gradually make changes starting out with walking/riding the bus when I can. No better time then now, the start of a new year to make new changes to live a new life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here are some other things that got me thinking. Last night I went to see the movie <a href="http://h2oildoc.com/home/">H2Oil</a> with a friend. It's about the Alberta oilsands and the impact that they have on the environment and on health. After we talked about capitalism and being ethically aware of businesses and what's going on in society. I came to the conclusion that I just want to escape it all by moving to a hut and live there for the rest of my life. I know that's not really a reality, at least for now, and so maybe I should just become more aware. More aware of my environment, more aware of the damage I cause, more aware of everything I do, more aware of everything going on around me, just become more aware of absolutely everything. So that kindof goes hand in hand with my green changes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Even though I am sucker for shopping and buying things, I am not a fan of consumerism and this society. I would way rather go live in Africa in a hut with nothing, then live in Canada in a big house with 2 cars and a boat and all the extra necessities we tell ourselves we need. While I was in Hungary, I found and read a book called <a href="http://www.gogreeneraustralia.com/blog/index.php/2009/04/01/review-enough-by-john-naish/">Enough</a>. It is about consumerism in every sense-of material things, entertainment, food, work- and how we have an excess of all these things in western society. The author challenges you to simplify; to take a step back and simplifly your life and to learn how to say enough. Ever since I read this book it has been on mind. When you are free from the conveniences of western society it is easy to say you'll make changes but when you are right in the middle of them it is far to easy to fall victim to them. This book came to mind when I started thinking about green changes. I mean changes like this may not be green in the sense that they impact the environment but they are just good changes to make and changes that I want to make in life and learn to keep. A friend put it well, humans just need to learn how to be humans again, we have become too much like robots. That's exactly what I want to do, I don't want to be a robot, I want to learn how to be human again. I want to quit falling victim to consumerism and the ways of this society. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">One last thing that got me thinking was another book that I got last year for Christmas. I put it on my bookshelf and didn't really think about it all year except for the couple times I pulled it out, looked at it and then put it back. It is called <a href="http://changetheworldfortenbucks.com/">Change the World for ten bucks: 50 ways to make a difference</a>. I am all about changing the world and doing whatever I can to make a difference. This book slipped out of my mind though but I was reminded of it when I was going through my bookshelf today. It's not about doing huge things but small things that will ultimately make a difference. So I am going to work on doing small things that will hopefully have a bigger impact on this world and the people around me. Something that is definitely connected to green changes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">So there you have it; my brilliant idea and the inspirations behind it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So here's to 2010, trying to make green changes, making a difference and changing the world, and hoping that my luck turns around. <br />
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</span>Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-73333450655765732552009-12-20T23:07:00.000-06:002009-12-20T23:07:51.554-06:00 This world needs more people who are less satisfied. Less satisfied with fitting into boxes and fitting molds. Less satisfied with being defined by what we have instead of who we are. Less satisfied by material gain and consumerism. Less satisfied with conforming and settling. Less satisfied with more and more satisfied with less. This world needs more people who are less satisfied.<br />
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This world needs more people who are alive. People who love what they do, who have passion, purpose, drive. People who aren't in it for fame and fortune; genuine people with genuine hearts that have been broken by things of this world and are on fire for what they stand for and what they believe in. There are far too many people who settle; settle for comfort and luxury and worldly things; settle for something they don't love, something they don't have a desire to do just because it's far easier and far more comfortable. This world needs more people who are alive. <br />
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This world needs less me and more we. We have become a society that is all about ourselves. All about getting ourselves to the top and we don't care who we step on in the process. It is about OUR time, OUR money, OUR families, OUR lives; what about the rest of the billions of people in the world; what about their time, their money, their families, their lives. We say we want to decrease the gap between the rich and the poor but that gap is still growing; growing as we take everything-everything that we already have- for ourselves and leave the rest with nothing. This world needs less me and more we. <br />
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This world needs more hope. Everywhere you look there is death, poverty, despair, depression, a pure emptiness that plagues people. It is enough to get you down, to dig a dark hole and bury you in it; it sits heavy on your shoulders, wears emotions thin. It sucks the love, life and hope out of the light that tries to shine. It is easy to get burnt out, to get bogged down and fall into that despair, to only see negative, to hate this world and what it brings. Amongst all that dark, there is hope though. Light that is shining through despair and depression, something deeper that is filling emptiness, something revolutionary that is changing poverty. There is hope. Hope in small deeds, hope in making a difference, hope in small acts that may change this world. This world needs more hope. <br />
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Alicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30759584.post-34753868826552832402009-12-07T20:45:00.001-06:002009-12-07T20:46:19.931-06:00The countdown is on...<br />
2 days of classes<br />
4 finals-3 written, 1 take home<br />
1 major paper and presentation<br />
1 minor paper <br />
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The end is so near. I can't wait to be free but first I have to make it through this, lets hope I do.<br />
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24 days until Joni's wedding<br />
19 days until the World Junior's <br />
18 days until Christmas<br />
17 days until I see my sister and SandraAlicia Slywkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06676070660052386051noreply@blogger.com2