YORK Internation for Students

York International is another important office which provides the vast internationally opportunities to all students. Despite to the fact that I am an international students, YORK International office is also helpful for all York Students gaining the internationally experiences and going globally.

York International for International Students
(1) Orientation (Orientaion is required for international and exchange students starting studies at York U. Register for more insight info about challenges/opportunities/services that YorkU has offer you.)
(2) York University English Language Institute (YUELI provides the highest quality English language instruction, serving over 2,000 students from more than 50 different countries every year.)
(3) Immigration
(4) Health Insurance (All International Students will have the Health Plan covered throughout school year. Do remember to pick your health card up during September at 200 YorkLanes)
(5) Working in Canada
(6) Challenges (If you find yourself in chaos adapting a new life in Canada, please feel free to contact the office)

First year international students will have a chance to visit CN Tower after Orientation

York International for all York Students
(1) Exchange
(2) International Internships
(3) Emerging Global Leaders Program
(4) Buddy Program

P.S. If you are am international student, and you are coming to Orientation for International Students, then you will probably see me. I'll help you as a role of a Student Ambassador :)

HAPPY PRIDE @ YORKU

Happy Pride to all YorkU students,

It is that time again, the Pride Parade is here. York is a large supporter of trans students and has many services to help trans students.

Here are some services that YorkU has to offer:

The Centre for Human Rights
SexGen York Commitee
Trans Bi Lesbian Gay Allies at YorkU (TBLGAY)
Health Education and Promotion (SCLD)
LGBT Schulich
OUTlaws (at Osgoode)
Positive Space Commitee at Glendon
The Sexual Assault Survivors' Support Line and Leadership (SASSL)
The Centre for Women and Trans People 
Undergraduate Sexuality Studies Association (USSA)

Please check it out, and enjoy your day!

P.S. I enjoyed and supported the Pride Parade at Downtown Toronto in the hot day of summer 2010 with my family too :) 

Me and my family showed our support to Pride Parade.

My little brother was excited for his first attendance to Pride Parade in 2010

F♥♥D around the campus!!

Hi, my name is Ariel and I am a foodaholic. I just love food, and everyone who knows me will agree. Just looking and smelling the food makes me hungry (Who doesn't by the way?) Although I always tell myself that I need to lose weights, I cannot resist food when it comes to lunch time, snack time or dinner time.

Let me be honest with you, fast food isn't great. After a while eating the same repetitive fast food from Student Centre gets boring, and at times disgusting. If you want good food and not just fast food or take out, there are several location on campus you can go

Below I've complied a list of my top 6 favorite restaurants on campus:

(1) The Orange Snail is located in Stong College: makes the best burger on campus.
(2) Michelangelo's Italian taste in New College: makes the best and only Italian food on campus.
(3) Sakura Japanese cuisine in York Lanes: makes great Japanese food.
(4) Underground Restaurant in the Student Centre: while a but expensive makes delicious food. Did you know they also have an executive chef, making sure the food is always top notch? 
(5) Executive Dining Room in Schulich: if you want to eat in style, check this place out, a bit expensive but the food is delicious, of course.
(6) Starbuck Coffee at ACW Building: yes, we do have that fancy beverage on campus. A cup of green tea frappuccino is the greatest way to close up lunch time :)

There is definitely more options available for everyone! Check out the Yorku Website for more option.

P.S. Did you know that every Thursday during the summer, there is a Barbeque at Schulich for lunch with delicious food for a reasonable price? Make sure to check it out.


P.P.S. Who doesn't love food???

My burger lunch at The Orange Snail Restaurant, Stong College with friend :) 

Preparing for The First Day of Classes

First day of class is always nerve racking but I promise you everything will go fine and be ok. The first day of class this year falls on September 5th. You just need to be prepared to study and keep calm. I know this will be tough, especially since Frosh Week started the week before.

Sleepless the night before your first class at university? Butterflies in your stomach?

When you come to York University on your first day of class, there are several things you must remember to do.
(1) Come to the campus early to find your classes.
(2) Bring a Re-usable water bottle.
(3) Bring your Timetable. Your Time Table has the lectures room number.
(4) Bring your highlighters, binder/laptop, pens
(5) Excellent attitude and attention. During your first day of class your professors will tell you his expectation for the coming semester/year, i.e. essay format, attendance sheet (if at all), presentation structure, etc. As well as hand out the course outline. On the course outline all of the deadline will be listed as well as your teachers contact info and the course grading scheme.
(6)And lastly a great smile!

I would like to wish you all good luck. See you all here on the campus!

P.S. Don't be late 

Work and sChoOL bAlaNcE ???!!

This is always a hot-stove topic for every student. How to find a balance between work, study and social life? Once, my friend had been telling me a conversation between his advisor and him. 

His professor said, "Kids, you asked me how I balanced my life in University? Let's me get this straight, there is NO balance at all. You need to work on it, you need to work hard in order to find a balance later on in your life." 

I think that statement above, somehow, speaks the truth. It is hard to balance your life, yet possible. Let's read this story. 

There once was a professor of philosophy, who in front of his Class, took a large empty pot of jam and without saying a word, began to fill it with golf balls.

Then he asked his students if the jar was full. The Students replied: YES.

The professor then took a box full of marbles and poured the marbles into the pot of jam. The marbles filled the gaps in between the Golf balls. The Professor asked the students again if the jar was full. Again, they replied: YES .

At that point, the professor took a bag of sand and poured it into the pot of jam. Of course, the sand filled all the remaining gaps and the professor asked again if the jar was full. The Students unanimously answered: YES.

The professor then added two cups of coffee to the contents of the jar thus filling the small gaps between the grains of sand. The students started laughing. After they stopped, the professor said: "I want you to realize that the pot of jam represents Life.

The golf balls are the very important things in Life such as family, children, health, everything you are passionate about. Our lives would still be full even if we'd lost everything else and these were the only things that remained.

The marbles are the other things that count in our lives such as work, house, car, etc ...

The sand represents everything else, all the small things in life.

If we had first poured sand into the pot of jam, there wouldn't have been any room left for anything else such as the marbles or the golf balls.

It's the same thing in Life. If we put all our energy and all our time into the small things, we will never have any time/space left for the things that really matter.

Pay attention to the things that are really important to your happiness. Play with your children, take time to go to the doctor, have dinner with your spouse/partner, exercise or take time to enjoy your favorite pass-times.

There will always be time to do the cleaning and fix the taps on the kitchen sink ...

Take care of the golf balls first, of the things that really matter. Choose your priorities, the rest is just sand."

One of the students then raised a hand and asked what the coffee meant.

The professor smiled and said: "It's good that you ask. I only added coffee to show that although your lives may seem full and busy, there is always room for a cup of coffee with a friend. Good day to all ..."

~ Author Unknown ~

After reading the story, you tell me how you will balance your YorkU life? It is entirely up to you, how to maintain your time effectively. My tip is something as simple as: 

(1) Planning - get yourself a calendar, and write it down.

(2) Setting goal – meaning that every task has its time limitation.

(3) Get started - "If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somehwere else." ~Lawrence J. Peter (great way to get bumped and avoid procrastination) 

(4) Multi-tasking - just another way to help you rearch your goals early (if you can).  

(5) Sleep - do appreciate the hard work of your body, give it a break.

(6) Chill time - and don't forget your hard working mind. Time to relax your mind and your body is always a nice refreshment. 

To be honest, I have no real balance format because I think You Only Live One, so I give everything a best shoot. And that is my balance in YorkU life. 

                                                     

If you do seriously need help, Academic Workshop at Scott Library and Career Centre are one of the greatest tools/advices that you can lean on. 

Good luck on finding your balance!     :)

My First Year's Reflection

So I just finished my first year ever at York U. Wooooootttt wooooooot! So many things had happened, but I could summarized it in one word: AWESOME! First year was tough, yet memorable. I had learnt so much that I realized that things always happened unexpectedly. Road trips are not measured by miles markers, but by moments.

So my tips for everyone who enrolls into their first year:
1/ Don't take full 30 credits as once, although you need to. Give yourself sometime to fill up the huge gaps between your previous normal life (I mean your high-school sweet time lol) and your new life at university now.
2/ Make York University your second home. How to do it? It is as simply as get involve. Today your life begins. A whole new world is waiting, so show them what you've got. Why are you  trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?

I think first year is critical, because it could change one's life dramatically. I am so proud of myself. At the end of my first year, I've been friends with the coolest people across York U and my resume was expanded. On top of that, I've found my interests and things are fascinating me. If you were lonewolf, it is time for you to being someone at University. Keep it in mind: Don't chase your dream, catch them.

Somethings as my second year's revolutions:
1/ Party hard, study harder!
2/ Be a role mode at York is U and RED Zone.
3/ Get involve to my college: New College.
4/ Learn how to play piano
5/ Buy my mom a gift (by my own my money)

Have you came up with your own York U's Revolution list yet?

Day 6 Training at the RED Zone

Raymond Chen helped me to create my gmail account and my first blog. He is awesome.