Social Context

My Social Context class has come to an end after about a month and a half. The class had many features that I really enjoyed about it: the material revolved a lot around the environment, the class size was small compared to others I have been in, I knew a little about almost everyone, and the students felt comfortable around the professor. It was a little reading-heavy, and a little more feedback on our blogs would have been appreciated, but the content and the projects were interesting anyways.

There are two particular moments in class that have meant a lot for me. The first is when a girl in our class made a comment that insulted me so much so that I think about it almost every day. I don't remember how it came up, but the class was talking about education, and she raised her hand and said that she was from Mauritius, and that she had to take a whole bunch of difficult school tests there, and that "you in Canada with your education system, you have it easy," or something like that. The reaction of the class was just some laughing, but I actually got really mad at that!! And it isn't the first time this has happened.

There are always exchange students that I meet, from Asia for example, who tell me the Canadian education system is a joke. And that really pisses me off. We're sitting in the same classroom, aren't we? We both applied to McGill University. We both got accepted. We got accepted because we are accomplished students and are obviously worth something to the institution and vice versa, right? So why would somebody say that? "You guys have nothing to worry about," please. Our population is much smaller than elsewhere, and a lot more people have access to education. If we compared the population of Canadian students to that of Asia, the competition is much greater in Asia than it is here. Nevertheless, if a Canadian student and a Mauritian student both apply to McGill, and both are accepted, then both deserve and are qualified to be there. I think about her comment every day, and every time I do I get frustrated that she said that.

The second concept that I will keep with me is the importance of being educated about helping the environment in order for action to take place. I feel as though you can't just tell people to recycle and expect them to comply. I think people need to understand why it's important to recycle if we want it to occur. They have to grasp the weight of the current situation they're in and see how recycling can help change that. I also think people need to have a sense of reciprocity; we like doing things only if they benefit us, which isn't always bad but isn't always good. Things like money incentives, or tax reductions, which are already available, might be interesting if there was more advertising about it. For instance I was in the bus the other day and I was reading the ads near the top of the bus, and apparently you can get something like $30 back from the government if you bought a composter or a rain barrel. That's not bad, right? You'd be helping sustain your own environment while simultaneously saving water consumption, or creating your own soil in a fun way. I used to have a composter at my other house, and it's not a big deal but I loved pouring this eclectic melting pot of orange peels, egg shells, and even cat hair, and then by the end of the year you're left with this rich, black soil that could help produce beautiful plants. I think people just really need an initiative, a starting point, and we could really get the ball rolling on changing the environment.

Writing a blog allowed me to try things I wouldn't have bothered trying, or to research things I didn't know much about. I tried a lot of health changes, and looked up green products that were of interest to me. I experienced foods I didn't like and pulled myself away from unhealthy habits. Even though I didn't enjoy all of my experiences, it allowed me to see different sides, or to learn about different processes. I learnt how to better myself as an individual within a collective. Social context allowed me to think before I act, to identify what I want out of my life, and to always question and explore things for myself before making a final decision.

Indian Food

On Tuesday of this week, I met up with two people from my Social Context class, Alex and Manar. I've known both of them for a while now, but aside from hanging out with Alex, I had never hung out with Manar. One day in class I and Alex were talking, and I said that for one of my social-living projects I would like to try Indian food. Manar overheard me say this and a look swept across his face that can only be described as a mix of disappointment, shock, disgust, and intrigue. "You have never tried Indian food? What's wrong with you?" were his kind words. We had a laugh about it, and the three of us made plans to meet some time around 6 for supper.

I wanted to try Indian food for no particular reason aside from that I had never tried it before. I'm a big fan of cultural foods but I never actually had a big yearning for Indian food...so why not try it before I judge it?

We met at Guy-Concordia metro and walked to the corner of Rene-Levesque and Guy, turned left and went to Buffet Maharaja. We were given a table and some water right away, which I thought was funny. Next, our waiter brought by some garlic bread, but the Indian version. It looks like a really thick pita, which was covered in butter, garlic and I'm guessing parsley. It was really good, but yet again I'm a big fan of any kind of bread.

I made Alex and Manar come with me to the buffet because I had no idea what I was getting into. They walked me around its parameters and gave me a brief explanation of what everything was, what I should try, and what I might like. I settled on getting a somosa, rice, butter chicken, and this spicy cauliflower thing.

I really liked everything I ate except for the cauliflower; it was a bit soggy. Over dinner, we were talking about how the food wasn't as spicy as we thought it would be, and Manar explained to me and Alex that the food was adapted to fit the "white man's taste." That spun off into another conversation about how man are such a destructive species. I agreed with that, but I also said that we're the only species to want to survive, and the only ones who know how to make that happen. We exploit our environment to help sustain our growing population. I also gave the example that lions don't not eat because there is a shortage of zebra, for example. I said this to illustrate that we are not the only animals that exhibit selfish behaviour; we all want to survive. I hadn't had a conversation like that for a while, and I really appreciated their inputs.

We finished our meals then moved on to desert. I tried a little chocolate thing about the size of half a cigar, got some pineapple, this thing pronounced "goolamjam" (according to Manar), this mush looking stuff in pink sauce, and these tiny egg-shaped white ovals in the same pink sauce. The chocolate part was standard desert stuff, the pineapple was awesome and I hadn't had any in a while, and then it kind of went down hill from there.

The "goolamjam" was a warm dough in a syrupy sauce. As I bit into it and tasted it, it reminded me of Kraft Dinner Mac and Cheese. I told Manar and Alex and they started laughing, but once they tried theirs they both ended up agreeing with me. It was so odd to bite into something sweet and have it remind us of a dinner. Then the white ovals in the pink sauce ended up being sweet cheese, and so was the pink mush, and I'm not going to lie, I got really grossed out. I ended up just eating pineapple, and I was actually really satisfied with it.

We finished our night by having chai, which is an Indian tea. I've had that before though; I love the taste. and it's a really comforting beverage. We paid about $25 each including tips, which was kind of pricey for just a buffet, but the experience was nice and spending time with people I don't usually see was really fun. I'll be honest: although I liked trying the foods, I don't think I will ever have a craving for Indian food. I kind of compared it to a poor man's food...lots of carbs, kind of simple ingredients aside from the lush variety of spices of course. I'm glad I went nonetheless, at least I can say that I tried it. It also allowed me to be social, which is important to me since I keep to my usual group of friends and am rather shy.

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All images are from Google.

Grand Prix Weekend and Thousands of Tonnes of Greenhouse Gases Later...

I thought I would write about th past weekend in Montreal, which was all about Grand Prix. I don't know much about cars (nor could I care less about them, really), but the only thing that particularly bugs me is that they're all gas guzzlers. I'm rather certain the Lamborghini Gallardo (seen left) is not available as a Hybrid. As I walked through mobs of people taking pictures of gaudy, immobile cars, I wondered why a city such as Montreal, which is trying to become greener, wouldn't impose some kind of way to respect the environment. Reading the paper on the metro the other day, I fell upon an article dealing with just that, written by Stéphanie Saucier.

Saucier writes, "Even if it's impossible, for now, to calculate the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by transportation by plane or by car for the thousands of tourists, the participants and their crew members to Montreal, it is evident that thousands of tonnes have been emitted." Why are we letting this happen every year? Would it help if we made this event take place once every two years? In order to actually accurately calculate the effect of greenhouse gases emitted during F1, we would need the number of of people who have taken the time to get themselves to the event, the mode of transportation used, and their hometown (to calculate distance).

Saucier finally adds (and I was wondering why this reason hadn't come up earlier in her article), "We could also calculate the racecars' energy consumption." I'm glad she brought this up; it was my main argument against F1. What is the point of this weekend? Sure, there are gorgeous cars in different colours, fast speeds, and doors that open all weird, but what is so incredible about watching people drive fast for a couple of hours? Is it the speed? Understandable; I appreciate the speed of a car as much as the next person. Is it the anticipation of crashes? People are fascinated by that stuff. Is it a social event during which during which women hope to meet men? More importantly, why does the city of Montreal invest such efforts in trying to rid our streets of cars to alleviate our roads, while it hosts events such as these that counter any previous intentions?

Alas, there is some hope on the horizon. It turns out that the sole outcome of F1 is not environmental degradation! Apparently, the Grand Prix increased efforts to better deal with any residual matter that may accumulate after the races. "Le Consortium Echo-Logique" (The Eco-Logical Consortium) was on site for the duration of the festival, and actually assured that all recyclable matter be in fact collected and recycled. This certainly looks like it could be a step in the right direction.

To end, I have to say that I was really pleasantly surprised that I found Stéphanie Saucier's article since it essentially addressed the same questions I had been asking myself. I'm glad events such as these, though still socially acceptable, are starting to be questioned. It's kind of like how bull fighting is being questioned in Spain: is it ethical to anger an animal, then kill it progressively in front of thousands of people just for their entertainment? Is it ethical for Montreal to attract people for Grand Prix to the demise of our environment? I think the Grand Prix has its charms, and it's certainly economically beneficial to the city, but maybe reducing the frequency at which it occurs could help decrease unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions.

Want to know more?
The Image is from Google.
The article L'écologie ne remporte pas la pole position was in the Montreal metro newspaper 24 H, on June 14th, written by Stéphanie Saucier.

Pulling myself away from television.

I don't know about you, but one of my favourite things to do, whether it be to relax or not, is to watch TV. I love that it's completely mindless and it's something that finally doesn't call for my attention. I also really like that it doesn't demand concentration, but keeps me occupied enough to not think about other things on my mind. It's completely undemanding and yet provides all the entertainment and information I need and want.

But how much is too much? I don't watch too much TV during school since I have virtually no time, but now that the course loads have lightened, I'm able to sneak a couple more hours in that I couldn't before. I've also found that I've expanded the repertoire of shows I watch; I've added Hell's Kitchen, Wipe Out, How I Met Your Mother, Glee, and Big Bang Theory to the list of shows I used to watch carelessly and without too much commitment.

I think part of the charm of TV, for me, is that is has this story-telling effect. I'm the kind of person who prefers to listen to someone speak than talk herself. The TV technically does all the talking; I can sit there with my feet up and just listen as it rambles on about these intriguing and unrelated stories. I can also listen to these stories half-assed, or switch back and forth to listen to the ones I prefer over others.

And don't a lot more people use watching TV as an excuse to relax these days, too? People come in from work, raid the fridge or grab a beer, toss off their shoes, sit down, and watch the news or something. We have no more energy to come home and crack open a book, or go for a walk. But why TV? We look at little glowing screens every day and all day. We text. We stare at our computers for 8 hours a day at work. We check our emails and Facebook for the remaining 16 hours of the day. We watch TV.

So this weekend, I put myself to the test. I told myself I would not watch TV all of Saturday and Sunday, which ended up being easier said than done, but anyways. On Saturday, I worked on some material for my other class for a couple of hours, then read a book. It was getting later on in the day, but I left my blinds open to get in enough natural sunlight, lit some bamboo candles, sat in this big comfy chair I have, and found a light blanket. I have to admit, I felt really relaxed just reading my story at my own pace, in an environment that made me feel at ease and relaxed. I made a mental note of the way the atmosphere I created for myself made me feel, and I think I'm going to try to do the same thing with my homework. At night, I went to a Tim Hortons with a friend and we just hung out there for a while while she told me about work, school, where she was going this summer, and how her boyfriend, which is also one of my friends, is doing. I got home around 11:30 at night, and even though it wasn't very late for a Saturday, I went to bed, satisfied for the way my day panned out.

Sunday was more challenging only because America's Funniest Videos plays at 7 pm and it's hard to pass up watching dogs drag children around on their leash, or people falling down stairs. But according to my dad, after I had asked him, it wasn't playing so I wasn't really missing out. Despite this though, I spent my day working on a project, and then I went down town to meet up with some team members to discuss where we were in our progression. It also took me a while to mosey on through the crowd accumulated from F1, which bought some time also. When I got home, I had some supper with my family, then me and my mom sat outside with some sangria and just spoke. When we came back in though, I got kind of bored and wanted to just sit down and watch something, but instead I just cracked open my book and finished it a couple hours later.

So really, though TV could be entertaining, there are so many better things you could be doing than watching it. You can be strengthening your relationship with someone you haven't spoken to in a while, or read a book you've been dying to, or go for a nice walk, or paint, or whatever. It might sound silly but I really think TV can create its own relationship with its viewers. I've already been warned by a friend that she can't go out on the nights Glee plays on, which is fine, but that's just an example to illustrate my point. I wouldn't give up TV, but I think it would be healthier for me to give up a couple hours for something with more subsistence.

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The image is from Google.

Having Control Over Changing Your Life

One of the underlying themes in my blogs, I think, is self-improvement. As my summer classes are coming to an end, and I still haven't found a job, I've been really thinking about joining a gym or something. The gym I used to go to called me up the other day offering $19 a month with no inscription fee, but I don't even know if that's particularly good. I had left that gym because a lot of their machines were usually broken; it was hard to get a spot to work out in especially around rush hour with limited spots.

After experimenting with jogging, yoga, the cookie diet, and even deciding whether to wear makeup or not, I've gotten to the point where I feel like I need to do something. I've started to think about joining a cycling class, or try out pilates, something different. I've never done either so maybe what I could really use is change, and maybe my body will respond positively to it. Maybe I need something different from just jogging, or eating 106-calorie cookies meal replacements, and find something new and innovative. Really, I think the core reason for my laziness and lack of motivation is that I haven't been excited about sports for a while.


Some of the advantages I see in being active are things like clearing one's mind, getting that sense of accomplishment, getting the sense that that you're contributing to something better for yourself. There's something about saying, "I went to the gym today" that makes you seem like you take care of yourself, you're somewhat of an athlete, and you seem to make smart choices. I don't know why it makes me think of this, but it's definitely something I'd want to exhibit. It also got me curious, so I asked a couple people about their opinions about working out.


I spotted one of my friends sitting with some buddies at a table at school. I went to go say hi and introduced myself to his friends. My friend Kyle was sitting down with Isabel and Mark. I asked them if I could ask them a quick question, explaining that it was for my Social Context class, and they understood. We just had a quick dialogue as a group about the idea of going to the gym.


Kyle began by saying that for guys, going to the gym was an appearance thing. "It's all about the arms," he claimed, and I didn't disagree with him. He did however, agree with me that it helps him clear his mind. He said sometimes he goes in to the gym in a terrible mood, and after about half an hour of doing weights he could already feel better.


Isabel was enrolled in a gym last year but didn't like the experience. She didn't like the idea of just running in place for 20 minutes, or lifting stuff repeatedly until she saw results. She said she much preferred sports, or some kind of strategy game to work out. I have to agree with her, but once women hit 18, a lot of girls stop sports. Teams because more mixed, people can't make some games, there's a lot less commitment. I don't have a problem playing against 35-year-olds, for example, but I would prefer playing with people my own age. She countered by saying that at school there are some teams that consist of women much closer to her age, which is true, but again the levels of competition could vary.


Finally, Mark told me about how he likes going to the gym for mostly the same reasons as Kyle, but simultaneously because he and his friends go there together. It's kind of like a guy hang-out thing. He said, however, that his girlfriend has never been to a gym. She thinks that the enclosed space is smothering, and so she much prefers outdoor sports like hiking and skiing, stuff like that. As he was telling me that, I couldn't help but feel like outdoor sports are kind of boring... I feel like I would get bored just walking around by myself, not seeing other people working out around me. Maybe the only outdoors sports I would consider would be biking and snowboarding.
Anyways, after I took mental notes about our conversation, I thanked them and headed home. Isabel and Mark both kind of brought up the monotony of going to the gym, and Kyle and Mark both mentioned how going to the gym is good for appearance and clearing one's head. Sometimes going to the gym can be a social thing too. But I'm just looking for physical exhaustion and mental willingness. I'm looking into a pilates school, a YMCA that just opened up, and a Femme Fitness. I think initiating research is already half the battle.

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The image is from Google.

Green Marketing 3 - The Body Shop

I've always had an appreciation for the Body Shop. The company sells mainly things like creams and body washed. The part I respect most about the organization is that it uses mostly natural products and is environmentally-conscious. As a side note, I've only ever purchased two items from the store, but when they were finished the containers were recyclable as well. Furthermore, the bag they came in was paper (which I also recycled), advertising on its side:

100 %

Recycled Paper

Water-based Inks

AND REUSABLE

It's in the Bag.

The bag was actually the thing that gave me the idea to write about Body Shop. My respect for the company grew as I realized that not only to they sell amazing coconut-smelling cream that reminds me of summer, but the remains, whether the containers or the bag, are recyclable or reusable.

Here are some excellent points from the site:

• Activism isn't listed on The Body Shop labels as an ingredient, but it is there as surely as the bergamot and hemp oil.


• It is the first cosmetics company to source sustainably harvested palm oil and introduce the ingredient into the beauty industry. They also work with an organic company to maintain ethical production.


• The company introduced100% post consumer recycled bottles. They were hoping to create all their bottles in the same way by 2009.


• Body Shop committed to becoming Carbon Neutral by 2010, ensuring that carbon dioxide emissions from the company's core retail business worldwide are reduced.

They also hope to reduce their number of bottles by 9 million every year. They can do this in part by integrating other recycled materials into the packaging. They also came out with cloth bags which state, "Green is not a colour. It's a state of mind." Also, synthetic chemicals are still used in their products, but only when they're to provide better quality or safety. I appreciate the fact that this way included in their facts. I think it is reasonable as well as a logical explanation for using synthetic chemicals. Sometimes they can't just compromise safety or quality in some of the features, which is understandable from a corporate standpoint. They'd want to make money off their products, right?

When I think about it, their smart environmental efforts must go a long way. If you rationalize that the bulk of consumption stems from women, and Body Shop is geared towards this particular customer segment, then that could potentially result in high sales. Consequently, there would be more jars of cream out there. Imagine if everything was synthetic, or if the containers were non-recyclable (like Plastic 6). That would result in a huge amount of waste and environmental degradation that could have easily been avoided by the methods the company is using now.

I know it personally makes me feel better to buy products that are good for me (providing services like protecting my skin for example), and in using natural products I know my skin isn't absorbing pesticides or dangerous stuff like that. I also like that I can recycle the container the product comes in, which reduces my own guilt as a consumer. I actually noticed that I veer away from containers that are not recyclable, especially for things like shampoo bottles, or even some plastic packaging (like the bags my Ikea stuff came in; Plastic #4 is recyclable), so the concept of recycling is a factor is my purchase decision-making process. I feel good about buying from the Body Shop because of it's environmental ethics, and makes me appreciate their efforts, making buying a $20 bottle of cream worth it for me.

Want to know more?

Body Shop info: http://www.thebodyshop.ca/about-us.html

http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/global/content.jsp?page=earthday

http://www.eco-asia.info/content/b-the-body-shop

Images from Google.

A rant on Montreal public transportation

Perhaps it's just the rage talking, but when did the Montreal public transportation system go sour? Did it coincide with construction season, i.e. Summer? In any case, my disappointment is becoming more and more of a burden for me. It's not really something I would imagine to be a source of stress.


I take public transportation every day. I live in Laval, which is a ways away from downtown to begin with. First, I walk about 7 minutes to my bus stop. Next, I wait for it to arrive (which is usually longer than I should). Next is the bus ride to Cote-Vertu metro. It takes about 30 minutes on a good day to get there in the first place. I'll also note that's it's faster getting downtown going from Laval to the city of Saint-Laurent, than to Montmorency metro because the bus comes more often in that direction. Laval buses come maybe twice an hour, maximum. So my options are already severely constrained.


Then when I get to Cote-Vertu, I go on a twenty-minute ride to Lionel-Groulx, followed by a ten-minute ride to Peel, where I then walk 5 minutes to Bronfman. There goes at least an hour and 20 minutes including waiting in my day, in one go. I spend almost three hours a day on public transportation! Doesn't this seem a bit much?

And today, what a disaster. The orange line went down right when I got to Lionel-Groulx to go to Cote-Vertu. It was right after my OP exam and I couldn't wait to go home. But because of an "incident" on the orange line, I was stranded there for half an hour. I can get to Cote-Vertu in 30 minutes! I missed my bus!!!



Finally, I decided to take the green line back to Guy-Concordia. I took a bus to TMR, near where my boyfriend lives. From that terminus, I took another bus to Cegep Saint-Laurent, which was near Cote-Vertu metro. I walked 10 minutes to the metro and finally got to my bus stop towards Laval. The bus was only going to come in 15 minutes. I was going to strangle something.


SO. One metro ride, three different buses, and three goddamn hours later, I finally got home. I was fuming. I sat down on a couch and just stayed there for a while. At almost 3 o'clock in the afternoon, I was starving, so I ate a late lunch. Nothing was able to make the disappointment go away though.

Even talking about it now gets me so mad. Lately I haven't been able to rely on public transportation. Just yesterday, I had to go into school to get a book, and I waited for my bus for 20 minutes. It never came at the time advertised. The bus across the street, which went to Montmorency, never came either. TWO buses did not come at their advertised times. In addition to this mess, the times posted online do not coincide with those posted on the plaques at the bus stops. How do they figure people can get their buses on time? How many people have been late for work or school or whatever in the last little while? Why can't they respect their clients?

There should be some kind of guarantee, like if the bus is more than 10 minutes late, clients get a ride for free. I don't pay $89 a month to get access to Laval and Montreal public transit to be left with no way to get around. I really think this would get bus drivers and the companies to better respect the times...people need to get places, and it's bad enough the time to get to these places is amplified through transit in the first place.

Let's look at the advantages of public transit though. According to the Montreal Transit Society, taking the metro cuts polluting agents by half. The Montreal metro is 100% electric, and there is technically no traffic. Taking the bus is like carpooling; the gas is seperated among some 30 people when the bus is packed; carbon footprints thus are reduced.

But then my time spent in buses or metros is ridiculous, isn't it? I pay $90 a month for my pass. Let's say, $90/ 4 weeks = approximately $24 a week. You fill up a car what, once every week and a half? Let's say, $40 every fill-up. That's $40 twice (making up 3 weeks in the month), then let's say half a tank to finish a month, so about $110. It would cost $20 more to get from point A to point B in probably half the time. It's a far more attractive option, is it not? It doesn't offer the same benefits as public transit does. For example, I like taking the bus and metro sometimes because I'm doing something good for the environment, I feel like a city girl, etc. But if I drove to school every day (if I had a car, which is also a problem), I could sleep in! I wouldn't have to budget 2 hours to get somewhere...I wouldn't be dependent on lazy bus companies. I wouldn't have to sit next to the drunk dude on the metro at 4 pm. I think it's something to mull over, because I really am getting sick of the back and forth. It's stressing me out because I never know if sometihng will be on time or not. I really hope this trend mulls over soon...

Want to know more?
http://www.wisebread.com/7-reasons-to-take-the-bus
http://www.metrodemontreal.com/faq/index.html
http://www.stm.info/english/info/a-offensiveverte.htm
All images are from Google.