Scares of Technology

Hey!!

How is everyone? Anyone try out Gravity yet? If so, share your experience with me! I have way too much on my plate at the moment, and portions for Gravity are being pushed to the side! Lets live through you guys! LOL!

So are you wondering why I came up with this title? It is because I almost died because of it!! Haha! I was typing away, happy that I will be finally done one more report. Yes, I get extremely happy with the little things in life! However, who would have known that my happiness would come crumbling down faster than a crepe!!!

All of a sudden out of nowhere, the document shut on me. I did not panic and die just then. Come on, a little faith please? LOL! I was calm and thought it must have just stopped responding; happens to the best of us. I just went into my folder and tried opening it, but it would not open. Now the dread was seeping into me, but I reasoned that the computer must just be slow.

So I wait. Two minutes go by.Five minutes and panic is settling itself in its' new home - my composure. But wait, what if I restart the laptop? Aahh, Simmi you are a genius! Right? I restart it, and you know when you want something to happen quickly but it takes its' time? It seems like time is mocking you, and you cannot do anything but wait.

I wait.

After what seemed like forever, my beautiful desktop picture flashed before me. However, even my beautiful desktop picture would not push the dread trying to explode inside me. My folder would now not open. Can the day have started any nicer? Finally, it did open and I could breathe. No, wait, I could not breathe! The document would not open! No!!!!! Oh wait, it opened. But all of my work has vanished!

I had been working on it since last Thursday, 30 odd pages! Ready to cry right when I realize that I have two documents opened. I click on the second one, and what do I see? The most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life - my report. The feeling of relief could not be as delicious as I tasted at this moment. I can live another day.

What did I learn from all of this? Always make sure you don't have two documents open! Oh and in these situations, remember to breathe. Thanks to the Yoga classes that I did for helping me breathe! Remember to go to the diaphragm!

Other than this excitement, life is pretty uneventful. I come to work around 7ish so I can go home an hour early. Why? Well I have an exam coming up, so need to study for that. For the past couple of weeks, and the weeks to come, my day looks like this:

a. Work by 7ish
b. Home by 3ish
c. Relax for about an hour
d. Start studying for a few hours (in between have dinner)
e. Bed by 11pm

Actually, I prefer this mundane life to the excitement of today anyday! Haha!

Hope everyone has a technological friendly day ahead of them!
Simmi

May

Hi!

How are you all today? Last time I glanced at the window it was raining. Well better than snow; at least spring is slowly heading our way!

So it's May, 23 days left of my intern-ship. Just going down memory lane and I have two conflicting thoughts. When I look back at this experience, it feels like I have been here for ages and then it feels like I have just gotten here. I started in February - remember way back when I had felt lost? And look at me now, I don't feel that lost anymore. LOL!

I think it feels like ages only because I have been involved with with various things in the Y - going to NAYDO, participating in fitness classes, working with various departments, and going to different schools for Healthy Kids Day Marathon. In this sense, it does seem like that I have been around for a while now. However, then it feels like I have just started, well because it hasn't been 3 months yet! Haha!

So my plan is that next week I'll squeeze in time for some of the classes that I have left to try out, and blog about them! I miss doing that! Other than that, I will be doing the research project. It's coming along; giving me a really nice learning experience along the way. There are so many communities out there, and all of them have their own unique perspective to community living.


See you around!
Simmi

Y Citizen!

Hello!

So for the past couple of weeks, all I have been doing is researching on communities and school visits. I was pretty sad that I had nothing to blog about. How many times can I discuss how my research is going, or that age groups are making me go crazy? So on Friday I decided to take a break from all of that and go to Y Citizens!

I took a shortcut, and decided to visit the After School Care at Westwood before heading over to the Westwood Church. I was just curious how After School Care was at Westwood; I had only visited the one at Highland. I wonder why? LOL! Well at Westwood, the only difference was that they had a book on Sailor Moon! Do kids nowadays even know about her? Yes, yes, one of my childhood favourites.

So at Y Citizen, I got a pleasant surprise of meeting Hong there; I did not know she would be there. It was nice seeing a familiar face! When I got there, there was only one child there and it was spring cleaning day. If we finished cleaning, we would be able to finish watching The Hobbit (reminder: need to read this).

What better way of sharing my experience than through pictures?

Y Citizens through colour

Jamie picking up Mira!

Jamie picked up by Mira; you pick me up, I'll pick you up

Tyanan getting ready to watch The Hobbit

The schedule!!!!!

Martin getting comfy!

The talented Jason!

Destiny - she is an amazing artist!!

Holly finishing up her snack

Hong getting ready to play The Hobbit

Everyone getting ready to watch The Hobbit; well Destiny decided not to and do some crafts

There's my experience experience through pictures!

A little about Y Citizens:

It's After School Care for children ages 10-13; a place where the children can develop leadership and planning skills. 

That's all for now!

Simmi

An Experience

So here's a look at NAYDO through pictures. It totally slipped out of my mind to take a camera, so all of these are from a phone!

My arrival to Vancouver City - greeted by rain (not surprised!)

Taken from Stephanie and my hotel room

Took it as we were just about to leave - Philanthropy Live! This was a 3 hour volunteering thing I did (with others!)

Turner, from Virginia coming out the YMCA of Greater Vancouver after volunteering for CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind)

Two lovely ladies waiting for the Sky Train - Cheryl and Corrine

Some more volunteering!

And then some more!!

Tara volunteering!

I want to visit this, it looks pretty!

Took this in a moving Sky Train - I amaze myself!

Exhibits at NAYDO - sadly I could not visit them and just took pics as I was rushing off to a session

A party just for 250 Canadians at NAYDO!

 Chris and Mark waiting for Rick Hanson!

Well lets eat while we wait for him

He's here!!!!

Rick Hanson - an amazing and truly inspiring guy!

An Educational Session I attended

Approximately 1500 attended NAYDO! 

Chris and Lynette arrive for dinner at Fairmount Hotel

Entertainment for the night - Cole Armour 

The Mystery of What's in My Salad?

Our table won free copies of this book! Out of 100 or so tables, we won!

Dessert!!!!!!!!

Technology 

Night time!

Karen, Chris and Lynette on the last day of NAYDO

Corrine getting a certificate for Young Professionals!!

Bye bye Vancouver and NAYDO!

That's it....4 days in pictures.

Thanks to Chris, Colleen, Corrine, and Cheryl for sharing many of the pictures!

Living

Hi!

Starting Monday morning with this:

Courtesy of Glenview Elementary School, Prince George

A "Titleless" Entry

Hello,

How are you today?

This afternoon I went to a school to do a Healthy Kids Marathon Presentation, and it was held in the library. I had 10 minutes before groups started coming in, so I went around the library to check out all the books.

I FEEL OLD!!!!!!

Seriously, I do. As I was going around, I saw a lot of kids books that I have never heard of. The books I used to read are nowhere to be seen, or at least I could not find them. For example, when I was in elementary, my favourite series to read was the Boxcar Children. No one probably even knows that this series exists today. Now all you find is fantasy related books. In my time (sigh, did I just say that?!), fantasy books that were popular were the Goosebumps series and Lord of the Rings. Harry Potter came into the picture when I was in grade 6.

Where did Franklin, The Bernstein Bears, Curious George et al go? LOL! All the books I saw were new for me. I need to start reading again. Reading in the sense, novels and not research papers or reports. Haha! However, even new, there were a couple of books that looked interesting. When I am relatively freer I'll check them out.

Anyways, I'll be done going to schools in a couple of days, and I'm coming along with this research paper too. Life isn't that stressing at the moment, which surprises me. LOL!

Oh wait, I need to study too. Scratch that!

Take care,
Simmi

Did You Know?

Hey there!

I would like to ramble today. Actually, don't I always ramble? Haha! Anyways, read on to find out more on today's ramblings.

So did you know that chronic diseases are the most common, costly and preventable health concerns out there? Not long ago, acute diseases were the leading causes of mortality, but now the top leading causes of mortality have shifted to chronic diseases; cancer being the number one cause right now.

Many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and hypertension, are preventable. Preventing such conditions is in our hands, and a lot of us just let that opportunity slip away. So many of these chronic diseases are linked to the lifestyle choices we make - a sedentary lifestyle vs. an active lifestyle. Such a small change when you look at the bigger picture, no?

And such changes are sometimes the hardest ones we can make.

So why did I decide to talk about chronic diseases today? For a couple of reasons actually. My background is in Health Sciences so for four years of my life I have been well acquainted with chronic diseases. Now as I am doing some research on various programs offered by the YMCA of Northern BC, I see a link between them and chronic diseases. Leading diseases in various communities are chronic diseases - the ones we can actually prevent. No matter how well informed I am about this, stats still tend to surprise.

For many of us, or at least me, it comes down to priorities and time management. We are so busy with everything that time just seems to slip away; 24 hours is just not enough anymore. However, I think even if we had 48 hours in a day, they would not seem enough either. So perhaps rather than time management, it comes down to the priorities we set.

A due date for an assignment, finishing up a project, meeting a friend after ages, seems to outweigh the hour for a workout. It just seems that you just cannot spare that one hour, but then do you spend that precious hour watching your favourite TV show? LOL! After a long time, we just want to relax, and a workout may not be relaxation for many.

However, adapting an active lifestyle will prove to be beneficial for the later years. So lets try to become a little more active in our lives; rather than that TV show, go for a walk/run. Perhaps head over to the Family Y and do a fitness class. Small changes can become big pay offs.

Exercise and a healthy diet, looks awesome to read, but actually implementing it is another story. I shall quote the CEO of Y Canada..."Change is good - you first".

Well these chronic diseases scare me, so I do try to go the healthy road, but I could become so much better at this. We'll get there - eventually.

Well off to research on more chronic diseases.

Have a nice evening!
Simmi

I'm Back!

Hey!

Just wanted everyone to know that I am back!

So I came back to school visits and no internet connection! I came home around noon because I was of no productive value sitting there with no internet connection. So I have been working from home and just realized the time. I just got excited today.

I am working on 4 communities at the same time, and started on my 5th community today. So my excitement stems from the fact that I think I am finally working on a community that has all the information I need. I may actually finish one report completely by Friday; so exciting. Am I a nerd? Proud of it! LOL!

So I do have some pictures to share from NAYDO, so keep checking back here this week! For now, I'll show you what I had for lunch on our second day there.

Take care,

Simmi

Strong Kids Challenge Part 2

Hello,

Yesterday I left you with a a glimpse of my time at Simon Fraser Lodge. Here's the rest of it.

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There is this one man at SFL that I have formed a personal relationship with. What started off as being just volunteering for bingo has evolved into an attachment that I am grateful for. This man may have some problems communicating, but even in this little window of communication, he was able to convey to me everything he wanted me to know.

It all started with bingo, but then I went back and played checkers with him; being late for supper once because we played for four hours! He would always be thankful for anything I did for him, even if it was something really small – a very humbling experience for me. The Strong Kids Challenge may be over now, but I will be going back to play bingo and checkers with my new found friend!

There was another resident at SFL who was an inspiration. She had fallen very ill and her family had packed most of her belongings; a manner that said she would not be coming back. She was so angry at them and became very determined to get well and leave SFL to go home. Two weeks ago, she left SFL. I bought her a gift, and again she was so thankful for it; the small gestures, my friend, make the difference.

Finally, I would like to talk about YAP and Misty. Not many people know about this initiative and Misty. Even Misty does not realize how important she is to all of the children and the community at times. As I said, I feel that the outreach and exposure efforts are not at optimal levels for me, so I preached what I practiced! There were two sessions for YAP, and I went to both; bringing a few of my employees each time. And in both sessions, they were all very affected by this initiative.

At the end, they came up to me and discussed various ideas on how they would help YAP. One of them has taken it upon herself to take stuff that is not needed over to YAP. This is how strong an affect YAP has; not only on those kids, but everyone in the community. Even when it comes to myself, the impact is pretty great. Although, as much as I like to, I cannot volunteer my time at YAP. So I try to help out as much as I can financially.

In this challenge, I was able to expose about 27 people to the various initiatives the Y is part of. I took employees not only to YAP, but SFL too where they enjoyed it thoroughly. Again, the volunteer, in my opinion, experiences the greater impact.

All in all, I had a wonderful time taking part in the Strong Kids Challenge. It helped raise money, but it also provided me a great learning experience that helps me better define myself. I do not know if I will do the challenge next year, but I do know that the relationships that I have built will stay with me for a very long time.

Take care,

Selen   

Strong Kids Challenge Part 1

Hello,

I am Selen, and I took part in the Strong Kids Challenge – and won! Ha!

However, I am here to talk about the experience I had doing this challenge – an experience that overshadows any winnings. A two week challenge has brought about long lasting experiences, and I have also formed some very meaningful relationships along the way.

I have been with the YMCA for six years; being on the Board as well. So you can say that I am reasonably aware of what the YMCA of Northern BC offers to the community. However, even when I know what the Y does in the community, it still can surprise me. Also, I have always maintained that the Y plays an important role in the community, but in my opinion, the optimal efforts for exposure and outreach are yet to be reached. So many people still think that the Y is just a gym, when it is so much more. It does not just provide a healthy lifestyle to the various people in the community – it also helps in providing a well-rounded quality of life to many as well.

Can you tell that I am passionate in my endeavors regarding the Y? I do enjoy talking, and when there is a topic that is part of my life, I can go on for hours!

I am a very competitive person. I compete to win. I came into this competition to win as well. However, as I went about volunteering at the various places to gain points it became much more than just winning. Winning the competition was still on my mind, but now I was not doing this just for a win. It suddenly became more about the relationships that I was forming during this road to victory.

I volunteered at three places: Neighborhood Scholars, the Simon Fraser Lodge, and Housekeeping at the Family Y. Let me briefly tell you about my time at the Neighborhood Scholars and the Simon Fraser Lodge (SFL) so you can better understand what I mean by the relationships.

One of the volunteering activities I did was to read to the children at Neighborhood Scholars. I do not have children of my own, but reading to these children was wonderful. The children were such a talkative bunch; engaging me in their conversations as if I was always a friend. They were all over me and just being so welcoming. They were also so excited and thankful when I brought in goodies in one of my reading sessions. Seeing their innocence reminds me of how life can take away our innocence – it reminds you that such small gestures can be as meaningful as the bigger ones.

I also volunteered at SFL by going to help out with their bingo sessions. Spending time at SFL has been some emotional journey for me. You cannot but be respectful of all these people. They have so much experience concerning life and you just learn from them; putting a new perspective towards life. I think it was here where my A personality took a bit of a back seat, and cherishing the lasting experience kicked in. Yes, I did volunteer my time, but let me tell you, the volunteer gets more out of this than anyone else.

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I am diving my entry into two parts! So if you want to find out more about my experience, you know where to find me tomorrow!

Take care

New Aiyansh Part 2

I'm back!

If you're wondering....it's Colleen here with part two of my travel diary. So without detracting further, here's the rest of my diary!

Wednesday, March 20th

We drove to Greenville and set up at the top of the stands where again we had a bird's eye view of the games. In Greenville we had 10-15 children who played basketball, activity hopscotch, dribbling challenges and taught us various skipping games.  The bandanas, eye black and tattoos were a big hit today day! Then mid-day Chris met us in Greenville and together we toured the museum where we learned about the Oolichan camps that were going on all down the river. All in all, today was a very eventful day!

Thursday, March 21st

We spent today in New Aiyansh hosting activities in the lobby.  Everyone had a chance to meet Ali and hear about how the tournament was going.  We had music and other activities going and had a good following of 10-15 kids.  The boys got right into the basketball challenge we had; doing trick shots, mini games and games of bump.  The girls loved skipping and activity hopscotch once again.  We even had a few teens jump in.  Ali also gave us a tour of their youth room and gym.  That evening Chris took the group out for a celebratory dinner at Don Diego's. It was a great end to the day!

Friday, March 22nd

We drove back out to New Aiyansh for the final day today and were able to set up in their new youth room.  Ring toss was the biggest hit with some youth playing for 30-45 minutes straight – determined to make all three shots.  Once again activity hopscotch was also a big hit.  At the end of the day we watched the boys division final as a group before heading home.  Haida Gwai took the tournament for the boys and the Kitimat for the girls.  We also stayed to watch the medal ceremonies – the trophies were amazing!  Five foot hand carved totem poles, done by a local carver, were encased within both first place trophies and were made for the teams to keep. Again, they were beautiful!

On a side note – Chris was supposed to fly out tonight, but we had to rescue him from the airport due to his flight being cancelled! We became The Rescuers! Haha! Tomorrow we will drive back home as a group!

Here's a glimpse in a couple of pictures:

So this was a glimpse at the week we had! It was an awesome experience, and I enjoyed it thoroughly the second time around as well! 

Take care!

New Aiyansh Part 1

Hey,

I am Colleen Bush, the Coordinator of Recreation Service, and I had the pleasure of going to New Aiyansh again this year with a few of my colleagues – Chris Kinch, Hong Trieu, Shane Williamson, and Aaron James.

I am here to share my travel diary with all of you today. However, before I get into my experience, let’s look into the background of New Aiyansh and the connection the YMCA of Northern BC has with it.

For those of you who do not know what New Aiyansh is, it is the capital of Nisga’a Nation; being one of the four Nisga’a communities. It is located approximately 100km northwest of Terrace, British Columbia. The natural beauty, the ideal location for exploring the Nisga’a lands, and the rich cultural history are the main attractions of New Aiyansh.

A Map:

How is the Y connected to New Aiyansh? It has been connected to the Nisga’a community since 1889 sharing the same principals; trust, transparency, respect for fellow man, respect for elders, honesty, healthy spirit, healthy mind and healthy body. The 2013 Junior All Native Basketball Tournament was hosted by the Nisga’a Nation, and we were one of the proud sponsors of the tournament.

Below is my travel diary for this trip.

Sunday, March 17:

Our trip started off well; having brunch at the Aspen in Smithers. After this, we continued onto Terrace for the rest of the evening. Sadly, we didn’t sing any travelling songs!

Monday, March 18:

Our first day heading out to New Aiyansh, and we were welcomed by a snowstorm. I could not see anything at all; it was all white. So in trying to drive my way through this snowstorm, I missed the turn for the Nisga'a Highway; ending up halfway to Rupert.  Once we turned around we made it successfully out to King Colith – hey, at least we didn’t end up in Prince Rupert before realizing that we missed the turn! At King Colith we were able to set our booth up on the upper floor and had a bird's eye view of the games.  We had only a few kids that day, but they stayed with us for the duration of our time there and together we invented a hopscotch slam dunk contest with 360's, under the leg dunks and alley-loops!

We were also able to take in the beautiful sunshine, which was greatly missed in Prince George, while eating our lunch by the ocean and attended the Grand Entrance Opening Ceremonies that evening. The Opening Ceremonies included traditional songs, dances and the marching in of all 46 teams who each represented their tribes through dance.

Tuesday, March 19:

Today we headed out to Canyon City where we explored the suspension bridge and walked a trail through the lava beds.  The sun was shining and all of the mountains were visible today.  It was beautiful!  You know, I think there is some rule that says we can’t have perfect days; there has to be some glitch that comes in the way of perfection. Why am I saying this? Well, we ran into a bit of a hiccup with doing our booth. But we were able to take in a few games of basketball from the boys division. Close to perfection – I’ll take it!

Here's the first part of my travel diary! Come back tomorrow to find out what happened for the rest of the week!

Bye!

NAYDO Week

Hey!

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was nice - completed some work, and started packing. Well, packing in the sense that I have everything I want to take picked out, and I will pack it all tonight. But I hate packing; it seems to never fit the way I want to. I should write a Chronicles of Packing: Simmi vs The Suitcase!

So what's happening with me? Well, I am going for NAYDO tomorrow and still doing my research project. I am excited for NAYDO - I have my schedule all planned out. I shall blog about my experience, so stay tuned!

Research wise....it feels as if I will never be done! LOL! There is so much information, which is a good thing, but then sifting through it all...sigh. But worry not! I shall be done more than one community soon! By the end of my intern-ship, I'll have a layout all done. Yaay!

Oh one more thing. For the next two days, because I will be busy with NAYDO, there will be two guest bloggers! So even if you are all sad about me not being around, you'll have great entries to read nonetheless!

Enjoy,
Simmi

The List of Simmi!

Hi!

How is everyone on this very lovely, well mostly lovely, Thursday afternoon? So did you hear? It's supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow! No!!!! Spring is supposed to be settled in by now. Sigh, my weather woes.

So I still have not gotten around to do a few things, like visit YAP again for instance. I still have to do the Gravity Demo too, and I still need to venture over to Y Citizens. Right now I am busy with visiting various schools around town and talking about the Healthy Kids Day Marathon. So if you have a child, or know of a child, in elementary school then get them involved! Run, walk or bike the 40km by June 2nd, and then walk or run (not bike!) the last 1.2km at Masich Stadium with the family!

Also, I have this research paper of sorts that I am doing. It gets overwhelming at times - with all the information that is there and then trying to filter through it. There is only one way in going about filtering this much information - reading every single thing. LOL! I have read at least 50 papers, and stilling going strong! I think I have finally decided on the final layout of this report. Well, for now I happy with all my categories, but you never know. A couple of days ago, I redid half of a section that was already completed. I am having trouble pleasing myself. LOL!

Oh and next week is NAYDO! I'm taking the laptop with me so hopefully I can keep  you all updated on a regular basis! I am excited for this new learning experience!

So many things to do...

Lastly, I need to Google Map schools for tomorrow. Or I'll be calling Karen and saying "Help me, I'm Lost"!!!

Enjoy the rest of your day!
Simmi

After Thoughts for a Long Weekend

Hello,

How is everyone doing? How was the four day weekend, or the three day? Long weekends are nice, no? You can snuggle with the blanket of sleep as long as you want; become selectively deaf towards the menacing sounds of your alarm clock; and be welcomed into a part of life that you may have forgotten you had.The shadows of laziness seep into you, and you breathe that sigh of relief; surprising yourself at how good you are at this - what's the word - ahh yes, relaxing.

Long weekends give you that extra day where you can let yourself relax. You don't need to worry about doing the laundry, getting grocery, or the likes because you can push all this to tomorrow, because there is an extra day after that tomorrow. However, sometimes even if you have a week off you may come short on time. It's all about time management!

Actually, more than time management, it is about acknowledging the fact that you need to breathe. It's like how I am with doing the various programs. I sometimes tend to forget the most natural thing a human being possesses - the act of breathing. I need to be reminded by the instructor to inhale and then exhale. We can take this concept of forgetfulness and apply it to our everyday lives.

In this age of technology, the need to be productive to our very last minute leaves us with very little room to "breathe". Sometimes, we just need to stop and remind ourselves to breathe. There will always be one thing or the other to do; we can probably rationalize using every second of our time. However, we just need to take a few hours or a day out of our lives and just have a "me time". I call mine Simmi's Mental Hour/Day.

There will always be work to do, but today will vanish into that yesterday that is lost as fast as the tomorrow that will become the today that you thought you had time to prepare for. We need to make the time and more so remember to make that time! Therefore, once a week, take an hour or so out and truly relax!

The downside of a four day long weekend is that when it is over you have forgotten everything that you learned in life! LOL! It is like you are being born again; becoming part of that life that doesn't slow down and let you smell those roses on the curb. Aahhh life, how complicated are thee?!

Oh well, that's life. Too philosophical, right? I think so too!

Anyways, my day has been productive enough. I promoted the Healthy Kids Day Marathon, and after that my day has involved research and writing up a research paper. So when is the next long weekend? LOL!

Oh and stay tuned this week for a guest blogger! Who is it you ask? Well, that's a secret!

Take care,
Simmi

EDIT: A song is being played here - Call Me Maybe - I feel like getting up and singing to it! Ssshhh

P.S. Random Thought: Spring is finally here!

The Glitch

Hi hi,

This is going to be short. I am beginning to get occupied with this research project. The process of researching material is not the hard part. University life has taught me all the tricks of researching. Haha! The hard part comes when you have "brain glitches".

Today I had so many "brain glitches" on one topic that it got right down annoying. Seriously, if anyone ever mentions the word "age" again, I'll just cry. It is my new found enemy. The problem this word and concept have caused me today is amazing. Then if this problem was not enough, I also added to it.

I do rationalize, I really do. 

However, even when I do, I go back to the losing battle. So I had this problem of categorizing the ages of a population. The information I decided to use as a standard just would not do. Rather than panicking and thinking OMG I chose the wrong data to standardize, I decided to move to a different topic; coming back to this when I had cooled down. But you know me, after 10 minutes I'd go back to bang my head against the "wall".

Anyhow, I eventually (I think!) found my answer. I will be very happy when I have the words typed up in this section. LOL! I plan to complete 40% of this by next week. Wish me luck!

Have fun,
Simmi

Presentations!

Hey!

Today I did a Healthy Kids Day Marathon presentation for some of the children in our After School Care program for Spring Break. I went in during snack time, and the minute I entered the room, a lot of the kids started asking questions. They were curious about what I was presenting, and I just breathed a sigh of relief. You have no idea how difficult it can be presenting to children. And I am someone who enjoys doing presentations because I think I am pretty good at them. Very modest no? LOL!

The presentations I am talking about are the ones that you present in front of adults. Presenting to children is a whole new story. For one thing, trying to get their attention can be the hardest thing you ever do. Then you need to worry about making the information both informative and fun. However, I underestimate myself. I kept their attention, I got them to interact with me, and made it informative. I am just amazing with kids. Haha!

So I guess after presenting to the children here, I am ready to go out to the various schools. Well, I'll keep you posted - I am starting next week. It's next week! I need to Google Map how to get to these schools. My sense of direction is, well, non-existent! LOL! I have the great talent of getting lost in Prince George; I'd vanish in a place like Vancouver.

I tend to forget street names, so you should not call me to get directions. Although I am getting better at remembering the various street names. However, we should not take that chance and call me if lost!

Other than my my 5-10 minute presentation, I have spent most of the day on my research. My eyes would like to me. I have read so many papers, and my eyes are tired. Another thing relating to the topic of research is that for about 15 minutes I had a block. I just couldn't think of anything. I had the information, but I just could not think of how to incorporate it in my report.

You know how people say it was "on the tip of my tongue"? Well, here the thought was on the tip of my brain. It was driving me crazy because I knew the thought would make everything click, but it was just not forming. Does that make sense? It does in my head! Haha!

Anyways, lets see where this takes me.

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I still need to find a restaurant to go to for my brother's birthday dinner which is this weekend. Help! Lol!

Monday

Hello bello!

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was nice; just relaxed and caught up on life.

So do I dare say it? Do I really dare? Yes, I dare. LOL! Spring seems to be actually coming! The roads are clear, and even the side walks are clear! The snow is actually melting, and the weather is warm too.

Now I feel hot; it's pretty warm in here. When you come out of the room you actually feel a cool breeze welcoming you. LOL! It is pretty interesting!

Oh and it seems like I am losing my voice. I hope I don't fully lose my voice, I like to talk too much.

Anyways, I just stayed at the Highland location today and worked on my research. I am thinking that this may take up my time completely for the rest of the month. This means I may not be able to go out much. I have all the schools to visit in April, NAYDO in April, and this assignment is due in April. So yes, I don't think I will be doing any Bosu soon. Haha!

Maybe all of you can go to the various programs on my behalf and tell me how they went. I think this is an awesome idea. No? Think about it!

Well I'm off to do some more research.

Have fun,
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: Long weekend coming up!

The Gift of Friday

Hi,

Did you miss me? I wasn't here yesterday; did you even notice? LOL!

So today is Friday - sweet, beautiful, wonderful Friday. I am finished the major things that I was assigned to do, and I am happy. My set date for this project was March 25, but I finished today! It is so much more fun when you are actually ahead of schedule than behind schedule. I am beginning to perfect my planning and organizing skills! 

Next week my schedule seems much more relaxed compared to these past few weeks. I will be doing Healthy Kids Presentations on Monday, which will just take 20 minutes in total. Rest of the week, and most of April, I will be doing the research project that I actually began doing my first week here. I finally get to my first baby "grow up". LOL! 

Oh I am going to the NAYDO Conference in April too. *runs to go find the full form of this* It stands for The North American YMCA Development Organization. It'll be a 4 day thing, so you might not hear from me for four full days. I know, it's quite disheartening! Miss me!

Anyways, getting back to next week's tentative schedule. Hopefully, I'l get to try out the Gravity Demo and some other fitness programs. I am excited and at the same time thinking if there is a faster way than this of killing myself! Haha! I have Gravity Demo and Super Circuit in mind, and this means being sore to the max; especially for someone who is not used to such workouts. I'll just remember to pace myself! 

I hope I can visit YAP within the next two weeks. YAP will see Simmi - the goal of my life for now!

Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend, everyone!

Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: For being able to finish ahead of schedule, I shall treat myself to a smarties blizzard!! 

The End of the Day

Hi!!

The middle of the week is almost over already! How the time flies. Or you know it may be because I have been so busy that the time seems to have flown by in a blink of an eye. Either way, we are almost at the end of March (with no signs of Spring!).

So today was an office day; working away diligently. LOL! I am actually 5 days ahead of schedule, which I am very happy about! My weekend won`t have "homework" on the to do list. Haha! It was nice that it was just an office day today because there was so much snow in the morning, and I hear it was raining in the afternoon. If I had gone out, you would have only read about me complaining how my pants got wet, how cold I am, etc. So yay!

Hopefully next week I can go around, and try out the activities that are on my to do list. I still need to do things such as visit YAP properly, try Dance Fit, Super Circuit, and the Gravity Demo - to name a few. So yes, maybe next week I can wander out and try them.

Well, hope all of you are enjoying your day!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I had all these sticky notes around my desk; my area was covered. Slowly but steadily, they are coming down one by one. I only have 2 sticky notes left that need my immediate attention - progress!

The Notion of Familiarity

Hi,

How is Tuesday treating you so far? It is Tuesday, right? *checks calendar* It is!

Join us tonight for the Zumba and Fitness-a-thon from 5:30pm to 7:00pm and help us send a child to camp this summer! 

So I was just thinking about a few things while working on some stuff, and it got me thinking. Familiarity brings about many positive associations. When you are familiar with something or someone you are more willingly to interact with it or them respectively. This may correlate to why many people dislike doing cold calls, starting something new, building relationships with new people, etc. Even though there is not a sense of familiarity here, we still try to look for something familiar in the newness. It may be a communication technique most comfortable to use, relating back to an activity you preferred in the past, or finding common interests amongst each other.

Why am I discussing familiarity? Well, because I have just noticed my transition here; from being in new a environment to becoming part of this environment. When I first started, it felt like an overload of information and that I would never understand any of it. I could not even remember names of people, let alone what position they held. Then when I was given an assignment to complete where I had to interact with people, I had thought I would just die - figuratively speaking. LOL!

I knew of what the YMCA of Northern British Columbia was because of the research I had done on it. However, I did not really know what it was till now, and even now I am still learning. There was so much information to take in, and it was unfamiliar ground. I did not enjoy the feeling that comes with the feeling of the unknown.

Now look at me. I understand the structure of the organization to a comfortable extent, and actually know the names of almost everyone! I transitioned from the unknown to the known in a span of almost two months. The feeling that I am walking on unfamiliar ground has become a walking ground that seems a natural part of life now. Familiarity has set in, and this makes me realize (yet again) that when you start something new it eventually does become familiar to you over time.

In psychology, the idea of familiarity is called the familiarity principle and the repeated exposure to a stimulus is called the perceptual fluency. This perceptual fluency in turn makes way for positive associations. My perceptual fluency at the Y has been the people, the various programs, and in general the atmosphere that has given way to my positive association.

I am a person who does not like a sudden change in life. But the thing is that even sudden changes become a part of your life. It is not a bad thing to try something new; you never know what you have been missing out on till you try it!

So go out and try a new fitness program, a new food, a new activity! Haven't tried Zumba, TRX, Step, etc? Go and try them out and become familiar with them. Haha!

I am a great example of this idea of familiarity. I applied for this position after the 4th or 5th time of coming across it; thinking I do not have the skill sets for something digitally related. But here I am, and actually qualified for this position!

Go become familiar!
Simmi

Strong Kids Zumba and Fitness-a-thon

Helllo hello!

Hope everyone had a nice and relaxing weekend; despite the 50 feet of snow. It did feel like the snow was going to engulf the city with its' wrath. As always, please Spring, come soon!

Tomorrow is the Strong Kids Zumba and Fitness-a-thon from 5:30 to 7:00pm; a mix of Zumba, Aerobics and Dance Fit! It is the last event in relation to the Strong Kids Campaign for this year, and it is to help a child attend a YMCA camp.  So come on out tomorrow and get those dancing shoes on for a fun and dance filled evening! $10 donations will get you in and you will have a chance at winning some great prizes!

Tonight I'll be going to my second registered Zumba class, so I am excited for that. Oh and later this afternoon, I'll be heading out to St. Giles too. Last Thursday, I had gone on a school bus that took children to a couple of other YMCA after school care facilities than the Highland one, so now I know where they are located. This means I will not get lost! I am very good at getting lost in Prince George; it's a talent I possess. LOL!

Well, back to work!
Have a nice Monday afternoon and night!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I need to start studying and stop procrastinating on that front. Stay tuned to find out if Procrastination wins or Simmi!

Weekend!!!!!

Yaay!!

The weekend is here. I am tired. I have been proofing and thinking of questions almost all day. I may even start talking to everyone in the form of a question from now. LOL!

Oh in the morning I worked on Healthy Kids Marathon too. Well, that also involved some questions. So no, I didn't escape the question mode. Now that we are on this topic, lets talk some more about the Healthy Kids Day Marathon.

The goal is to walk or run 41km by June 2nd; completing the last 2.2km on June 2nd. You just keep a log where you note down the date and distance you complete each day. It's an awesome way to incorporate a healthy living style, and an awesome way to have the family involved. Even if this event is for the children, their family members can join in - going out for walks together after dinner etc. So lets all register! Sadly, I don't have a child. Oh wait, I could borrow kids from family and friends. Problem solved!

Anyways, it is the weekend. I have 3 things to do this weekend. I think I will survive; I am still on top of things.

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Till we meet Monday,
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: It's the weekend

A Thursday Morning

Hi!

It's snowing like crazy today. It is supposed to be spring!!

I woke up to find everything knee deep in snow. The first thing that came to mind was please not today - I have to go to both Highland and Massey today. I should just move to Hawaii.

So I came to the office at 8:15am, a total keener right? I shall totally agree with you. LOL! I had my first meeting at 9am, and it went pretty well. It's nice when everyone is on the same page. Afterwards I tried catching Lynette. And let me tell you, trying to catch her is a workout in itself. Haha!

I went into her office and she was in meeting. I was waiting for my things to be printed; someone was already printing something. So I decided to head down to the gym while I waited for the printer to finish printing. A group from Group Care was in the gym. One of the boys decided that he was a dog/lion and I was his prey. I was chased all over the gym! You are all lucky that I am here to blog and not gone forever! Haha!

Then I got an email asking me to help out with something, and I needed Lynette for this too. I went to her office, and she wasn't there. So I came back to my room, and I could hear Lynette's voice. I decided to quickly finish what I was doing and catch her. I went into the various rooms to check and see where she was, but she could not be found. I had just heard her 2 minutes ago, and now poof, vanished! I finally found her coming out of the gym, and that made me very happy. Haha!

Anyways, I gave her some homework, and she gave me some more stuff to think over. My internship ends on May 24, and every day in my calender, up to this date, is full of things I need to do. My goal is to complete everything assigned to me before 4:30pm May 24! It shall be done!!!!!!!

Well, I am off to my next meeting in a bit.

Enjoy the snow!!!!!!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: My parents are hosting a dinner party this weekend, and I just realized that I have not told my mom what I want. My mom is like the greatest cook ever, and it's an added bonus that she loves cooking so much. LOL!

Meetings!!!!

Hello,

How are you on this Wednesday afternoon that I had made into Thursday for some very odd reason. For most of the day I kept thinking it was Thursday. I am so thankful for my phone. It has a calender with my schedule in it. My phone keeps me informed as to what the day is today. It may not seem a big deal to confuse days on most days, but when I've made myself a deadline it does matter.

So for the rest of this week and all of next week, I'm meeting with someone. Lets now look at my schedule. Why? Well because other than attend meetings today, I did nothing else. And as the intern, it is my intern duty to blog about my day! LOL!

Okay, lets see what I have done, and what needs to be done. So today I had a meeting in the morning that lasted a couple of hours. After lunch, I had another meeting that lasted an hour. Right after this meeting, I had another meeting which lasted a little over an hour. I am "meetinged" out for the day. Basically, I was in meetings today from 9am to 3pm. I did not come to the Highland office till 3:20pmish!

Now tomorrow I have three to four meetings too! By the end of the week, I shall have burned out all of my "meeting energy". Haha! My first meeting tomorrow is at 9am, and I think that will run for about an hour. My next meeting will be in the afternoon around 1:30pm. This one will be split into two portions and will go on till 3pm. After this one, I'll be heading out to my last meeting of the day which will be at 4pm. Am I trying my hardest to make myself feel overwhelmed? Very much so. At least on Friday, I only have one meeting in the afternoon.

Then Monday I have zero meetings, but I still have to finalize a few more meetings next week. So you never know! Tuesday through Wednesday my mornings are booked, and I think my afternoons will be too. Friday morning of next week is booked! Yes, I will be very happy when the long weekend is here, and I have nothing to worry about for 1 whole day!

I do enjoy what I have been doing, and it is not very hard. The thing that burns me out is what I do to myself. LOL! I am anal about being organized with my schedule and I need to stay up to date with everything I do. I procrastinate like no tomorrow when my brain has no idea what to do; nothing can make me concentrate on anything then. I will think about everything else in my life, but what I need to do. I have a lot of philosophical moments when I procrastinate, or so I think!

However, when I know what I will be doing or what I need to do, no can make me stop. I will work non-stop at times to get it done if I am in "the zone". It is like the reports/essays I would have to do in university. I would always panic when we were assigned 5000 word essays; putting them off till a month away from the due date. At the beginning, I would die of panic attacks. However, I would get them done and do pretty well. By the end of it, I had these essays down; a 5000 word limit seemed like a 200 word limit. Haha!

Good times.

Anyways, I brought homemade food today because someone had commented that I should bring some for staff. Now if you are staff and posted this comment, and did not get some - you know where to find me!

Oh and I need to start to try Gravity!

Have a great afternoon!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: Contingency plans. For some reason, this is what popped into my mind.  

Zumba On!

Heyy!

So last night I went to my first registered Zumba class. Registered means that you need to be registered in the class to take it; well in advance and not just 30 minutes before the class starts. I think Zumba may be one of the most popular classes that are offered. There are 31 registered, and then we have some who just come in to get a feel for what Zumba entails. Needless to say, it was one very full room last night.Then we also had two special appearances by Mark and Rob - doing Zumba as part of their Strong Kids Challenge.

I think I can safely say that Zumba is my best class. I am not lost in the class, I can pick up the steps pretty fast, and I actually let myself have fun and not concentrate on getting the steps right as if I'm joining the army! So now every Monday for the next 6 weeks, you'll find me at Zumba at 6:30pm.

Only for Zumba does the studio room seem tiny; other days it's a pretty huge space. And I am glad that I took a corner by the door. That gave me a bit more room and save myself from getting hit, and saving others from my punches. LOL! Also because I tended to add a little Bollywood flavour to my moves; adding an extra bounce to my steps.

All in all, it was a fun class and a great workout!!

And next Tuesday we will be having a Zumba Aerobothon from 5:30-7:00pm  in the Gym as a fundraiser event for Strong Kids. When I get more information I shall expand on the details. For now I would just like everyone to know that this exists and you all should attend!

Back to work,
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: Why is it snowing again?! Yesterday I wanted spring to come asap, but a cruel joke was played on me - it's snowing!

Daylight Savings....Bosu too!

Howwza!

So yesterday we all turned our clocks one hour ahead. I loathe Daylight Savings Begins (DLSB); I loathe it with a seething passion. Why must it begin? Why can we not just go about our lives without DLSB?

As far back as I can remember, I have hated DLSB. As a child I would always think "if it was yesterday, I'd still be in bed" or "if it was yesterday, I'd be allowed to still be up". It just took away my life!!!!! I still think about this today. LOL! The only thing I could tell myself back then to feel remotely better was at least I could get out of school an hour early. But now that I think about it, starting an hour earlier cancelled out getting off an hour earlier! Such depressing times.

Okay. I am done being melodramatic. For now. Haha!

This morning I had Bosu again, and today I totally failed. How is it possible that last week, my first time, I was better than this week?!?! Perhaps I didn't totally fail, but it did feel that last week seemed much easier. Balls are my enemy. It is the only plausible reason for such failure. LOL!

Angelica had some awesome steps for us to try out, but with my balancing skills, I couldn't really jump on the ball. I paced myself and just did basic steps. However, even utilizing my balancing skills for the basics was difficult. I need to buy a Bosu ball and let it know who's boss around here. Haha!

Anyways, I had to get out of class a few minutes early because I felt a bit under the weather. It needs to be Spring. Now. We are almost on the other side of the halfway point in March. Well, later on I am going for Zumba; maybe it'll feel like spring afterwards. I can wish, can't I?

Oh and this afternoon I went into Group Care again. I must say, the children's ability to problem solve and use their words is amazing. They are such a smart bunch! I just love observing their behaviours from the outside.

Well, hope all of you had a nice Monday!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I seem to have the weirdest dreams.

Hula Hooping!

Hola!

So who would have thought that you could become so sore after some Hula Hooping?! Well, yours truly has a found a way! LOL!

I have a bruised left leg, and a bruised right side of my hip. It is completely my fault for all these bruises though. I think I was a bit too overenthusiastic when I swung the hoop. In my enthusiasm, I ended up swinging the hoop in a diagonal motion which in turn ended up hitting me. Haha! You have to swing the hoop in a straight motion. I knew this, but didn't realize that I don't have the ability to swing straight till much later!

Marnie was very encouraging, and told me that I'll do fine. I swear, as a kid, I could Hula Hoop! However, yesterday it became one of the hardest things I have ever done. After a few swings that were not very linear, I realized that I needed to pay more attention to my arms or I will end up with a lot more bruising, and I bruise easily to begin with. LOL!

At least at the end I could swing relatively straight! I think the main problem was that I was not doing this just for fun, but trying to concentrate way too hard on how to move my body. It's good to know how to move your body, but sometimes it may be a good thing to let it flow and not be so stiff. When I let myself just relax, I could do about 5-6 Hulas before messing up. I was very proud! I could have done more, but I would always look down to see what the hoop was doing. It would just mess up my rhythm, and I kept on repeating this over and over again! Arrghh!

Anyways, I did enjoy it when I finally got the hang of it. So go out and try it out. It's a pretty nice workout for beginners. I want to be able to flow like a dream, like Marnie!

It's Friday!!!!!! Simmi is very happy!

Have a fun one -)
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I love cooking, and I just realized I am pretty good at it too! This rice was just divine to say the least. Haha!

Children!

Hey heya!

How are you guys on this Thursday afternoon?

Today I decided to go about the Highland location; drifting from Toddler Care to Group Care to Neighbourhood Scholars to Group Care again. I had just wanted to observe everything, and just be able to absorb it all in.

It was a pretty nice experience; both in being around the children and just observing the philosophy that is utilized here. Some of the children knew me, and I did know most of them too. The ones I didn't know by name knew my name thanks to their friends. One of them came up to me and said hi Simmi. I was surprised because I hadn't met with her. I felt special. Lol!

After that I went over to Trisha again and they were all headed towards the gym. I decided to tag along because a group in Group Care had gone to the band room above the gym. I still cannot help but get terrified when the kids play. They have control over what they are doing, but merely observing them can be scary. LOL!

I tagged along back with them to the Neighbourhood Scholars room, and stayed with Samantha and her group while Trisha took her group to the bus ride home. It was hard trying to talk to Samantha about her job because I had two of the children sitting with me eating lunch, and they wanted my attention. However, I am awesome at multitasking, so I eventually got both done. Ha!

The kids love me. Really they do; I'm not just making it up. Haha! They wanted me to sit with them, read them a story, be their patient, and just hang out. I really should do my ECE. LOL!

And just now I had gone to the washroom, and the group that does not take a nap were in the gym. One of the girls saw me and asked my why I was still here. Hahaha! That was a priceless moment. She said why are you still here Simmi? My reply was because I work here. They probably think I just come here to play with them. If only.....

Anyways, I'm going to go Hula Hooping later this afternoon. I'm excited. It shall be fun. Next week I feel I will be super busy with everything, so I won't be able to go try out the various programs. But then again, you never know. One day I will feel that OMG I need to do nothing but this assignment. Then the next day I will go I'm on top of things so I can take a break. Repeat cycle till the due date. I do make my life rather complicated, no? LOL!

Well, enjoy your day!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: There are none at this moment.....

Neighbourhood Scholars

Hello hello!

Today I went to Neighbourhood Scholars, and I had a blast! These kind of experiences make me wish again to get into child care of some sort. I just love the environment!

So Neighbourhood Scholars is a preschool that runs Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 12:00pm. Transportation is provided to the children who live in the North Ospika neighbourhood, and even if you live outside this range, transportation can be arranged.

At first I got some resistance from the children as I was a new face. I decided to let them get used to me, and just asked Trisha various questions about the program. However, I have forgotten everything I asked. Sigh, you guys have put me on the spot, it's hard to recall! LOL! Okay, I lie. I do remember what I was told, but I really can't remember my questions very well.

Trisha has been working for the Y since the age of 15, and now has 2 children! A daily routine is tentatively set, but circumstances do change how the day progresses as well. As the children come in, and they have a snack that they have brought from home. A couple of tables are set up as well for the children to go play. Today there was a table for arts and crafts, and another table for flubber. I have heard of flubber, but never really wondered what it exactly was. Well today I found out. I have termed it Playdoh's cousin, once removed. I had fun trying to squeeze the "life" out of it.

Anyways, Trisha told me that they have circle time where she talks about a program that discusses the concept of touch. It allows the children to learn what appropriate touching is, and helps them differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate touching.

The program is getting full now, and it's great seeing such an awesome program racing ahead. If there are some seats available in the day, children from childcare head on over. Now these kids know who I am and were happy to find me there. I became the patient for them, while they were all my doctors; one of them progressed to become my hair stylist.

Eventually everyone accepted me and I was very happy. We went outside to play too. However, getting outside takes a lot of effort! We need to dress up in our snow suits, and nowadays snow suits are so high tech. I am telling you, in my day, it wasn't this complicated! LOL! I let Trisha handle the more complicated part, while I helped with the gloves; occasionally helping with zippers if asked.

I was terrified for the most part of our outside play time. Oh no they will crash into each other, oh no they will fall, oh nooooooo. However, none of this happened. Children are more than capable of playing safe, but as a cautious adult it can be a high blood pressure experience. Haha!

Trisha went on to explain how playtime worked.

Sometimes they go into the gym, and sometimes go outside. If they decide to go outside, it takes approximately 30 minutes to get everyone ready. First the children need to go to the washroom, and then get into their snow suits. Today it took 15 minutes because I was there to help, but 30 minutes is the normal. If outside, she tries to get the children to slide on their bums, but sometimes even after a lot of telling they may prefer to not listen. If this is the case, she lets them self-regulate - making sure that in this self-regulating the children stay safe. If they must slide down on knees or whatever, they need to make sure no one is in their way etc.

After coming in we had our circle time and we sang some songs - "My Body is Nobody's Body", "Pizza Song", "Name Song", and "Humpty Dumpty". Lunchtime came rather quickly. LOL! I helped Trisha get the children who were going back on the bus get ready, and came back here. I have been invited to come back any time, and I shall take them up on their offer very soon!

Oh I just went out to get something from the printer, and the children who do not nap in Group Care met me along the way. They said oh yaay Simmi is coming too, but I had to burst their bubble and say no. Then one of them asked, why do you have to work. Now Karen should go explain to them as to why Simmi has to work! LOL!

We are already mid-week....
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: It just clicked. The face, I know who it is. It should have clicked earlier, but I'm slow. Embarrassing moment? Perhaps. I haven't decided yet. However, I made the connection and I'm sure this connection is right. Want to know? Ask me in person! Haha! Oh wait, if you work here, you just might....Sigh, it might as well be an embarrassing moment!