Dogs aren't Just Pets

I love Dogs. My whole family does, and I've grown up with a couple of them over the years. We currently have 3 dogs, a chocolate lab named Sonny who we've had since he was 4 months old, got him almost 5 years ago. And this past Febuary we adopted two old timers, Ceasar and Cleo (patra), two 9 year old Basset Hounds. I love each one to pieces, but if I were 100% honest, I think I just might love Caesar a tinsy winsy tiny bit more. Why?

I'll tell ya, it isn't because he's the cutest, or the smartest, in fact, out of all three he's the 'ugliest' and by far the smelliest with a killer dog breath. Not to mention his front legs are bent crooked (a bone problem overweight basset hounds tend to suffer from) like two brakets sticking out --> )( . But he's my baby.

Now, lately their health is become fragile, both Cleo and Caesar. And since the foster girls are in charge of walking them and feeding them afterschool, unfortunately, they don't give them water when they do and the dogs have became dehydrated very fast, and sick. Up until the point where neither of them would eat (now if you had seen these guys a few months back, they fought with each other sometimes to get more food) until we realized that they haven't been drinking in a few days. That along with some digestive problems, Caesar went very bone thin (when we first got them they were both very overwieght and could have died already, but with us they becaue very fit and healthy) and for reasons we don't know, his nose was stuffy and he had trouble breathing. Last night Caesar and Cleo wouldn't touch their food so my dad gave them water again, Cleo felt better, but Ceasar didn't. We let them sleep in the mudroom rather than in their 'bunkbed shelter' in the garage. This morning we thought we were going to loose him.

He was having horrible shakings, he couldn't control his body and peed, pooped and puked all around himself and on Cleo. It was like he was having seizures, he was crying and in pain. I went to church not expecting him to be alive or better when I got back. My dad stayed with him all morning, while I just cried and sobbed at church, thinking about how much I was going to miss his rough, scratchy nose, his stinky breath, and his sad brown, blood-shot droopy eyes. I had a dog who got sick from rat poison and suffered from seizures, his mental health declined, and he was miserable so we put him down. I wasn't expecting much else for this time. But, my dad came to pick us up with good news, Caesar was alive and is doing better. I nearly started craying from joy. When I came home he was no longer shaking and he could focus his eyes and be attentive. He still had trouble walking and perferred to lay down. My Maverik will live to see another day, and hopefully a Christmas with us, and the New Year. He's now stable and in a slow recovery, he needs to gain strength to eat and gain some meat on his bones before he can be my old baby Caesar again.

Today, when he was alone in the mudroom (because he still couldn't control his bladder and we already had to bathe poor Cleo) I petted and stroke his head, and scratched behind his ear (his sweet spot, he's the only dog I've had who makes a sound of absolute pleasure when you scratch just in the right spot, almost like a cat purring) and I told him that we loved him. That no matter what we might have said or done in the past, we loved him very much. I know he's just a dog, just a pet, and wouldn't understand what I'm saying. But Ceasar is not just a dog, not just a pet, he's family.

"You give and take away, but my heart will choose to say; Lord Blessed be Your name"

Two major events have taken place over the last 24 hours in my family. Firstly, my aunty Yolanda died from Pancreatic cancer. I only met her one time while I was in Peru two years ago, but I remember I sang for her and other members my favorite opera song at the time. I was very sad to hear she was dying, and my fear was where she would go after she left this world, but I have been reconfirmed knowing she's in heaven along with my Grandma.

Secondly, at 5 am this morning my cousin Christell gave birth to her first baby! A baby boy named Joseph (Joey). I think in the north american culture he would be considered my second cousin, but in spanish and russian cultures he is my nephew and I am his aunt :) One life gone, a new one born. I was a bit shocked when I started crying a bit in class when I got the email, I don't know if it was out of sadness or out of joy. Probably a mix of both.

I hope to see my nephew soon, although that would mean a trip down to Orlando :D We'll see....
~Elizabeth

PS: I greatly debated whether or not to put a picture of my cousin in labour....yeah, we'll wait for the new born pics instead ;)

Mid Terms. Need I say More?

Yep. It's that time.

Even though in all my classes we have 2 tests per term, they're called mid-terms. Which in my mind doesn't make sense, because that would suggest that there would be ONE test half way through the term...right? Anyways, I've done my Microeconomic test, Intro Business test and History & Art test. I have Calculus coming up this teusday (EEK!) and Ancient Greeks the monday after. So far I got my Micro test back, and got 18/20, which I'm pretty happy with. Apparently 90% means an A+, so I can't complain!
I felt that my Intro Bus test was really intense! I ran out of time but got most of it done, however I'm a bit concerned about my mark. Hopefully it won't be too low to drag me down, and that now, knowing what to expect, I will do better on the second test, and lastly the exam. I felt really strong about my History & Art test :D It was easier than I thought it would be, and apart from not being able to remember how to spell Telolilualalalalan (or w/e...) a city in Mexico, I think I aced it!
I'm mostly worried about the Calculus test, mainly because the last two lessons I haven't been able to understand at all from my teacher, but Youtube instructors have helped IMENSELY! I just hope I can learn everything I was supposed to learn in class and get through my assignments and review with little problem, but most importantly, that I will RETAIN what I learn and NOT forget. It happens a bit frequently in math...it's simply not my forte. It's much easier for me to see a picture of an art work and remember who made it, when, what medium, the subject, the title, and symbolic meanings behind the art work and what its trying to convey, as opposed to remembering how to find out the continuity of a limit.
But at least by challenging my mathematically-challenged brain, I (hope) am developing some weak areas of my brain. But, unless I REALLY need to take Intro Cal 2 for third year Economics, and IF I even take 3rd year Economics, this will be my VERY LAST math class EVER AGAIN!!!

So, wish me luck!!!
~Elizabeth

Smells like Freedom!....And sometimes it smells like B.O.

I'd be one of the first people to admit about their fear of public transportation. I don't know why, but I never liked taking the bus, it would be my absolute last resort, one I rarely had to use (thank god! lol) but now I use it everyday except tuesdays! And you know what? Apart from the 11 bus from Main & James to the UoW being jammed pack like a can of sardines, and the occasional 'smelly' person that sits near or NEXT to you, I rather enjoy the liberty I have at been able to take the bus and get anywhere! I figured out my bus schedule and bus stops and transfers all by me self :D I haven't gotten lost once, or took the wrong bus (I have, however, missed one bus thus far). Although with the way my mom's work and school schedule is going, I may be taking the bus less, which is alright with me, because as much as I'm starting to enjoy it, going to Michael's Art store after classes and whatnot, it takes at least 50 minutes to get home, and with my mom it will only take 35 minutes max.

I LOVE UNIVERSITY!!!!

I remember feeling a little scared andd stressed out during my second week because of the heavy amount of questions my Calculus teacher assigned us, but since we've finished with the Review and have gone into Calculus, it has lightened up a lot, and I find I can manage my time quite well, although I probably still get too side-trackted by facebook....I need to work on that :P But another thing that has gotten better, is that I'm starting to make friends, YAY! These two girls in my microeconomics class,  a Jew named Sophie and a Chinese homestay student named Liang (or Jane), I find making friends and connecting with foreigners much easier than with Canadians sometimes, sorry guys :P Sophie is the sweetest and funniest girl you'll meet, and Liang is still uneasy with her english, she's only been in Canada for close to a year, Sophie came three years ago so her english is much more confident. I feel compassionate for Liang because having had 3 Korean homestay students live with my family in the past, I know how hard it is for them to be away from their family for so long. What I love about Liang is how different the culture she comes from is compared to North American culture. She tells me how when she mentions the name of an artist really famous in Asia and no one here knows who she is talking about, she is shocked! That to me is quite amusing, because I'm sure its the same vice versa, but North America does have alot of influence in terms of the media andd music industry across the world, so it would be more likely for people across seas to know someone famous over here, than us knowing someone famous over there. That is something that bugs me, because I LOVE different cultures and have been fortunate enough to live in a different one and experience two others through my parents' homelands. And it is SO rich and the experience just fills you, and I wish North America exposed it more, I think it would help demolish ignorance and give way to an openess and appreciation for people of different cultures. Sometimes I get the feeling that Canadians will look at a foreigner and think "oh look, here's another one," and just walk away, without any interest in the person's background and life story.

I personally have felt more like a foreigner coming back to Canada in 2002 than I ever did while living in Mexico, because the people are so kind, so open and are interested and accepting of people who are different then them. They introduce you into their culture so you feel at home, and I miss that ambiance. But I pity those who have not, and might never, experienced that. It is very different to travel across the globe and experience the food, sights and music, than it is to live a day in the shoes of a person in that country, which is why I exult the Explore Programme so much because you really become immersed in the culture of Quebec, you live with Quebecois, you eat quebecois food, you speak french, you hear french music, you watch TV in french, etc.

Anyways...this turned more into a rant than an update, but watevs, this is my blog, and I can do what ever the bloody hell I want! (as my Ancients Greek teacher would say). Speaking of Ancient Greeks, I did my first quiz. I thought I have 100% but turns out I made a mistake on one of the days...oh bullocks. Just for the record, I shall now NEVER forget that the Peloponnesian League was formed between 510-500 BC. Not 550 BC....okay so I got 97%, yay! Not bad, I just hope I do as well on my essay, and future quizes and tests in other courses. I still don't know how I did on my first Cal quiz...although it was only a review quiz, and we have like 8 quizzes altogether in one term that makes up 10% of my mark, so I won't stress too much about those. And YAY for being able to understand limits!!! I've actually discovered that you can search on YouTube for math help! It's BRILLIANT! For once, YouTube is not JUST to waste your life away on it :P hahaha.

Well I need to finish reading chapter 3 of Intro to Bus, finish the reading for Family, Gender & Sexuality unit in Ancient Greeks (ooh boy...:P) aaaaaaaaand, work on my commission (YAY! Commission! getting paid for doing artwork! Now my dad can't say I WASTE my time drawing!)

~Cheers!

Elizabeth

PS: Did I mention how much I love my Ancient Greeks class?...

Double Calculus, the Cause of my Quarter Pounder- Pitiful

Crikey, I've had a bloody hell of a day! Today was my first Tuesday, which meant I had Calculus, Business 1 and History & Art, but on top of that I have a Lab for Cal at 2:30-3:45. Lab, I now realize, is an excuse to have ANOTHER class. So by the time my mom picked me up at 4, I was so brain dead, stressed, tired and hungry (actually it was more nerves mixed with cravings, with a tad of hunger) that I expressed how badly I wanted greesy food; a cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's in particular. So my good mother, also tired from school and work, said we could take a treat for today and we went to McD's and each had a quarter pounder (which i haven't had before), medium fry and medium drink. We consumed about 550 calories. By the time we were done it was 5, so we figured, we won't be hungry for dinner :P. Which is a shame, because my dad is cooking now that both my mom and I are at university.

Honestly, this will be, forever, the last math course I ever take in my LIFE! I don't particularily enjoy it, because my teacher goes too fast and doesn't write out or explain all the steps. I'm hoping this is simply because we're doing a review (of all the algebra and calculus we've learned in the past 3 years in 4 classes) and that she won't be like that when we start the actual course, or I may have to drop it. Because I can't keep up at a fast pace,  my brain just doesn't work like that. I like taking math slow and at a pace where I understand all the steps, and I get faster with practice, but not as fast as some people. I still take my time with all the little steps because otherwise I will mess up and get confused.
Other than that, I really enjoy my Intro to Business 1 class, the teacher really gets us to voice our opinions and thoughts and talk about things not necessarily related to the class topic of the day. My History & Art teacher is great, although we haven't gone into our course yet, she did a sweet thing today by taking us through the UoW Library page and showing us all the different databases we can use and how and where to search for resources for our papers, such as journals, books, videos, peer-reviewed journals, etc. That's helpful because we can use it for all our research assignments and essays. I'm still anticipating the day she'll bring our student access cards for the Winnipeg Art Gallery!!! I'll go the very next day or that very day! I really, really, really want to see if their art supply store has A3 sized sketchbooks, or close to that size, because I really want one. :)

Anyways, I shall try keep you all posted of anything significant or otherwise that happens.

~Elizabeth

PS: realized my blood donation day is next monday...not yesterday's monday.

And...SHE'S OFF!---First Day!

(this is just the 'castle' part, as I like to call it, the rest of the university is not like this. and i have no classes inside this building *sniff* I think its just offices...)

WOW! I had a pretty great first day of class :D
So I took the 18 bus, all went well, got off across the Concert hall and waited for the 11 bus, and when it got there, oh boy...It was packed! We were squished in there like sardines, I barely was able to get on! I saw Kiven Voth (very much squished) sitting infront of the yellow-strip doors, couldn't talk to him until people started filing out and the bus emptied slowly.
I found my Economics class very easily (it's actually not really confusing to get around the UoW) and waited outside for about 15 minuntes. I met a girl who was waiting for her french class, we chatted a bit, found out she's from Ontrario, though I realized after the fact: I never got her name :P
Students started going inside the classroom early, I got a central-third row seat. The class quickly filled up, desks were the first to run out, then the last girl came and had no chair, but found a stool to sit on. We were a little over 60 kids I think. Then our teacher walks in, this little chinese lady, whose name escapes me at the moment,  she's pretty cute, after you get over her strong accent and the fact that she might have a cold or something, because she regularly made some throat-clearning sound that was distasteful until you got used to it.

Then I had close to two hours of spare, so I went to get my student ID, the line took about an hour (when I was third in line, they ran out of cards and took forever to get more packages) and then I went around looking for familiar faces, almost right away I found Cam, Colin, and Devon who were standing in Centenial Hall looking for Shane. Typical :P. After Shane was found the guys went outside, probably to eat out or something, I don't know because I didn't go with them. I decided to go for one more shot at finding someone to eat lunch with, turned out unsuccessful, but I ate my lunch out on the grass in peace, typed up my Economics Micro notes on my lap top and mozied down to Ancient Greeks (though I was quite early). But I got stopped by a lady who asked "Do you know you blood type?" And it's something I've been wanting to know so I went over to a station they had set up and got my blood tested. Turns out I'm an O+, I'm almost the universal donor, I can give to all positive blood types! So I booked my appointment to donate on Monday :)

ANYWAYS!...I've been dying to get to this part! My Intro Ancient Greeks Class! When I saw this part summer that my teacher's name for this course was Mr. Gibbs, I thought 'heh, sounds like a british bloke, he must be of British decent' then low and behold, when he walks into the room, 5"7-ish, blond curly hair, somewhat red-faced, and he opens his mouth, and turns out he IS full out British! [actually WELSH as I discovered later, not British! ] Loves to drink and watch soccer. Oh Jolly! But no, really, he's great and I fell in love with him! Not romantically of course, ew, but he is in the top three of my favorite teachers :) He cracks jokes either about himself, students or 'stupid' people. And I love how he says it too, 'such stuupid peiple!' He got his doctrate in Oxford, which I think is sweet. What is he doing here in Canada's middle of nowhere (well, actually that would be Regina, harhar), not sure, but I know he married a Canadian woman, so he probably won't be going back any time soon. Not to mention he doesn't get along well with his parents...Lovely guy, really wonderful :) He really knows how to crack the ice and get us out of our 'awkwardness' and just relax.

This post took me three days to write, sad I know, but it really took that time to let everything sink in, because it's been happening so fast I could hardly keep my mind going straight. What I can say now, is that I love university and my professors. I love how they may lecture, but they really enourage classroom discussion and ask students questions. Unlike two of my highchool teachers (who I shall not mention) who thought that by lecturing us would prove how much THEY knew. Granted, one would get a little class discussion or answers, but was an a**. Really, there's no nice way of putting it and I will not sugar coat it. The other teacher was so distant he would get offended when a student asked anything about his personal life, and he never asked for our own interpretations, nor asked us questions to see how well we understood and followed along. And you won't believe how worried I was that University would be like that, that my teachers would just be lecturers and I would sit in class all day just jotting down notes, pretending I shared the same opinions as them. So in that sense I'm overly relieved!

I shall post about my second day...later.

Orientation- At the Starting Line!

Well today I woke up earlier than I have in a long while...and I didn't even really feel any fatigue (until a few hours later, I was craving redbull or some caffine!) So I was dropped off at the UoW, went into Duckworth Center, I didn't bother with the "Continental Breakfast" since I ate half a bagel with cream cheese at home :P. I quickly saw some people from River East that I knew, Shawna and Shilanda. Then Michelle, Geoff and Kristen showed up and I spent most of the orientation with them.
I'm really pumped about getting involved with student groups, and get involved, I might even take a shot at the University radio station for a political news update or something :P Who knows? But first I'll focus on getting settled in and finding out as much information as I can about things.
Tomorrow I officially start classes, and I only  have two! YAY! Economics and Intro to Ancient Greeks, btw, the texts book that came along with those courses were NOT cheap! And I couldn't find any used books either! It's a conspiracy I tell you! A scam! And the Calculus textbook???? Twice as expensive as th the average textbook! Ridiculous, I know!
Well, my feet are covered with blisters from walking all around the University, first I went down 3 floors to get a student ID when my mom and I saw the line and realized it wasn't going to move very fast, and she had to be somewhere by 1:20, so we left and decided we would go back in line around 3, because we had a Ready-Set-Go session at 4. We come back, I get in line, 10-15 mins later I pass a sign that said:
"To recieve student ID you must have photo ID such as: A Passport, driver's licence, etc" I didn't have my wallet on me, and we were a few minutes late for the Read set go session (which is for student email registration, learning how to use online articles and peer evalued articles and blah) and we go to the Library, we don't see any large group (who know they would be in the second floor? There was no sign!!! plus it was full...) And we ended up in the Adult/Mature Students Tour session, thinking it was teh Ready-set go (we figured it out 5 mins into the tour...) and just stuck with that instead. I'll just have to figure out when they have more ready-set-go sessions, and register before it fills up again.
Then I had to carry my textbooks two blocks down in the drizzling rain, not fun. Not when you have 3 blisters already! Never, wear, sandals!!!
So I'm exausted, I feel like its 11 o'clock when its only 9:26. Dead tired, but ready and excited for tomorrow. I gots my bus tickets, bus schedule, class schedule. I wish I had a map of the Uni...I  used to have one. Might borrow it from my mom. Oh well, its just two classes, won't be too bad. :)


Nighty night!
~Elizabeth

Thus it Approaches!

Why does Time fly when having a good time? Does it get jealous by how we pay no notice to it? Does it mean to seize our attention by ringing us back to reality when, in shock, we see the numbers on a clock?

Time is a double sided coin, and no one can control when it flips but we can predict on what it will land. There's no 'good' side, for on one hand Time will take its revenge of our flighty happy moments by dragging on and on those aweful periods of slugging through trials, boredom, impatience, and trips towards a longed-for destination.

And on the other side, Time quickly slips through our fingers when trying to meet a deadline, or when trying to find personal time for oneself, Time shrinks itself down as we try to compact the most we can accomplish in whatever certain amount of time Time will allow us. But as if through dark magic and illusions, Time always runs shorter than we expect.

Time is not a friend, nor an alley, but nor is it an enemy. It is the companion of Life, and together they can create what neither can alone, such as Happiness. And like Life, Time is meant to challenge us, to not only to remind us of Itself but to remind us of its friend Life, lest we forget. But Time is not to rule over Life, they go side-by-side, interwoven and intermingled with eachother. We cannot fight them, together nor apart, rather we must appreciate them, and live what ever Life has given to us in the amount of Time we have left...

PS: I have no idea why I wrote this.

Recalling Summer...

It's August 31st today, and in less than a week and a half I will be going to University. In a way the summer seemed to have passed by quickly, but I also felt that it was very eventful. Maybe not quite as much as last summer when I went to Quebec, but memorable just the same.

In July most days were spent swimming in our new pool that we aquired near the end of June. On Canada Day the family went to Assiniboine Zoo, my mom, myself and the kids went to the Goose Park (which is a park by a duck pond in our neighborhood). Next thing I knew it was my birthday! The big 1-8. It was over all a good birthday, though a friend of mine got sick and couldn't come and I really missed her. The day was supposed to be mostly rainy but for a short period of sunshine my friends and I were able to go into the pool for a swim :)

Then Folklorama began! I don't know how well known it is across Canada, but people from all provinces and the states come to see it. We started off with the Indian Pavillion, which was excellent & the food? To DIE for! We got Abby and Amber (for those who don't know, my foster sisters) their own Indian outfits, and we HAD to have a photoshoot :D!

Next was the GREEK Pavillion! Also very good, (and one of the male dancers was really cute) :P But what made it really special was that it was done in a building adjointed with a Greek Orthodox Church that you can tour. And it was BEAUTIFUL! I love how the Catholics & Orthodox go fullout on their churches!

My pictures don't even come CLOSE to depicting just how gorgeous and omnimous and holy that church was like. No joke though, it looks identical to the church in Big Fat Greek Wedding! Except the big chandelier isn't the same and the order of the pictures of the saints. Oh, and we met the Mayor of Winnipeg there too :P

Then to finish it off, normally we go to the Russian Pavillion, but we heard from some friends that it was bad this year, which was a real downer because we always look forward to the exquisit food that you don't find just anywhere! Blinchiki, pilmeni, pirasky, I could go on and on...So instead we went to the Ukrainian Pavillion, and it was, in a word: Delightful!

I really liked the fact that the show had some variation, while the past two pavillions had only dancing for entertainment. This one had an orchestra, a small play by the children, and dancing. Unfortunately, I was sitting in the balcony, and though I had a good view of the show, the distance and lighting proved for some dissapointing shots by my camera. But we were able to had some food we were familiar with, but nothing is like my Babushka's cooking. Nothing.

The next big event I guess was Camp Nutimik day when our church has a service and lunch out at the lake. But it was a dismal, cloudy day, couldn't do a picnic or swim. Well, Abby and Amber were crazy enough to, and by the time it was time to leave, the sun was coming out and some kids started to swim.

My mom's garden has had a really good first summer. I even got to eat one of the raspberries that were ripe enough, and it was quite yummy! We've also got golden raspberries and blueberries! Our trees were treated badly by nasty bugs that ate up many of the leaves, we'll be doing something to prevent that next year. And our sunflowers (the ones NOT squished and trampled over by Sonny) are doing well, but are rather short but we do expect to see a handful of them bloom in the fall, hopefully.

Apart from outdoor activities like our trip Kildonan park and the Palliser Zoo day, I've been doing a fair bit of reading. In July I would read to Artiom, Abby & Amber the Narnia Chronicles. I read the Magician's Nephew (my favorite), The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and we only got 4 chapters into Horse and His Boy before it was Abby's turn to go out for camp for a week and when she came back, we just never got round to reading before bed again.

But on my own I started readign some books from the library and some I got at a really good bookstore called Aqua Books that was having a sale. I read Sense and Sensibility (gotta love Jane Austen!) Half of Journey to the Center of the Earth (I took it out twice and its a really long book! I decided I'd finish it later :P) I've read 10 chapters of Emma and am on page 108 of Lord of the Rings (which I've finally got to reading for the first time!). I also read a while back Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity of Bill O'Reily who owns his own show The O'Reily Factor on Fox news. And on the side I've been re-capping some Ancient Greek facts and information, and self-teaching myself a wee bit of Calculus before university starts.

All in all, if there's one thing to complain about, or two, would be the inconsistant weather of this summer and the fact that I only got inspiration enough for a great idea for a book I plan on entering into a publishing contest in New York, but not enough inspiration to actually start writing the bloody thing! At least most of it is in my head and in notes...

I really hope next summer will be another summer of travel like last year. This year was more of a family summer, and it was great. I spent a lot of time with my brother (considering he bunks with me for the night for the summer!) and my mom, whom I've realized is my one true best friend and I am very much like her and I keep discovering this in new ways and areas of life. And though I haven't made much progress with my foster sister Amber, I've grown more attached to Abby and we can get along really well.

As for baby Justin, I love him even more than the first month we had him, and I will continue to grow more in love with him each day! He's a bundle of joy, and hard work and sometimes stresses me out, but he's a blessing and I can't imagine our family without him.