dreaming over the ocean

Being back in Vancouver has been great... since I have arrived, things have pretty much been perfect.   TIme to do school work, catch up on sleep, spend time with my beloved, relax, and workout.  some of the highlights: Date nights:  On friday night, the boy and I went to a movie, and then out for a nice dessert on the water.  it was nice to be able to, after having spent the whole day inside writing my paper, and getting over tiredness, just to spend quality time together.  To communicate, to laugh, and to just enjoy the company.  Last night, we did our "make up for a lost valentines day" date.  We dressed up all fancy, and went to eat at an expensiveish resaturant, Nuba ; we then walked around gastown (and, when i say walked around, we walked all of two blocks) to find a place to grab a dessert and cocktail.  we were successful, and Pourhouse even had live music which included men with fedora's, playing a stand-up base.  shoppi...

Every once and a while, something that you read really catches you.  And, for me, that rarely happens in academic literature.  I am currently reading a lot about "participatory research"for my new research manuscript to sum-up my time here in Malawi.  and, I came across this quote.  quite fantastic, i think... " As people engage in dialogue with each other about their communities and the larger social context, their own internal though patterns and beliefs about their social world change;  their relationships to each other become strengthened; and ultimately, they enhance their capacities to reflect on their own values and to make new choices." 

so, today, I had a conversation with Jodi Tuck, who is one of the members on the committee for the Global Health stream, for my school. it was short. but. it ended up being a harder conversation than predicted. global health. international health care. marginalized people. social justice. africa. these are the things that make my heart beat. they are my passions. the things that I cannot imagine my life without. the things that I feel like I was created for. the things I want to dedicate my life to. the areas in which I want to serve. and, yet, today I was told no. i was told no, because apparently, in my application, I took serious issues, and approached them too "lighthearted." (for example, where asked about the need to learn a language, they read my response as me saying 'you don't need to learn another language to work in a cross-cultural setting.') the following was the question, and my response: How do you plan to acquire the necessary language skil...

so, it is almost tomorrow, and I am still awake. I have a lecture in the morn, at 8:30, and I am still working on the slides. ooooops. Apparently, I still have been tired. but, at least I have a wide open afternoon, that can allow me to workout in the afternoon, and evening, instead of the morning and afternoon. I had a great meeting tonight with my coach, after the team "webinar." kinda crazy to think that there was 20 other people "in attendance." Anyway, we talked about testing, and bike commuting, and swimming, and run form, and race schedule and nursing and nutrition. right. and race schedule. so, here is what we have come up with :) kinda exciting to have this a bit more solidly planned!!!! woohoo! 18 April: Montreal scotiabank ½ marathon May 10 th : chambly duathlon June 6 th : Mooseman70.3 June 19 th : mayor’s 1/2 marathon. July 11 th : graham Beasley olympic Tri (Carleton place, ottawa) August 8 th : Ste-Agathe Olympic Tri September...

so, sometimes I like to think that I am not a morning person. sometimes i tell myself, and many other people, that I am a night owl. it is 5:24, and I have clinical today. But, I woke up early to do some school work. and, normally I wake up early to go coach a rowing team. Or, I wake up early to go exercise. I just can't seem to do things with as much focus in the evenings. maybe it is serotonin levels. maybe, it is because I like the mornings. I like that only a certain end of the population bell curve is awake. there is something calming about it. I am feeling a bit behind with work right now. So, a weekend of school work is planned. also time to start studying for finals. Every day, I get a quote in my email from outward bound. Today's was an aristotle quote. ANd, it is one that was graffiti'd on the bridge in Morgantown, and so we would row by it every day. I *love* it~ words to go by: we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, bu...

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could, some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely. " -Ralph Waldo Emerson

outward bound quote of the day: "Change is inevitable, enjoy it. " - Dr Brian Smith and, another video for you all... I am progressively uploading onto youtube, so you can look me up "roweramo" Many of them will be linked here, but not all of them. so have fun! i have had fun with them...

so, in the last week and a half, I have had quite a few individuals congratulate me on handing my my thesis. To them, I say thanks. but it is so funny... it took me all of a day and a half to realize that the work is not quite done yet. with references, and appendices, my thesis is about 120 pages long. Try to fit 120 pages, into a 1/2 hour power point presentation, on which you may have up to 3 rounds of questions afterwards. it is hard work too. couple that with a medical anthropology paper that is going to examine health seeking behaviour and spirituality among HIV/AIDS patients in rural haiti, sprinkle in at least 10 hours of different types of transition training this week (oh my gosh!!! can i say 3 weeks!?!?) and finally top it off with organizing fund raising events for my TMI trip... i still feel busy busy busy. and, i can't wait for it to end. i am tired. but, I want to tell you about what i did on sunday. it was a miserable day here in Vancouver... sleety snow, rain,...

first off.  not sure if i like the new way the blog title is set up with the photo... what do you think?  so, i got this off of a prodigal's musings . great quote from CS Lewis. “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.” i have thought that it was quite applicable to everyone's life.  and, it hit my life, today.  love that ...

So, tomorrow night, there are 3 things that are occuring, simultaneously, that will have my attention drawn towards... 1) Canadian Party Leader debate 9pm, EST 2) Vice presidential debate, 8pm CDT 3) Grey's anatomy, episode2.  9pm PST. #1 is entertaining because it deals with my future.  #2 is entertaining because it will be about foreign policy, and that might be laughable.  i am curious about how Palin will perform.  #3 is entertaining, because it is entertaining.  and, patrick dempsey is a hot man. ;) today's outward bound quote of the day.  Not 100% sure that i agree with the first part, because we need to learn to believe in ourselves outside of other people's valuing us, but i still kinda like it.  especially the second bit... "We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is something valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight o...

"The only thing that makes life possible is the permanent, intolerable uncertainty, the joy of not knowing what comes next " - Ursula K Le Guin there are a couple of things that i love about commuting by bicycle.  some of them depends on the ride; such as watching the sun rise, or set.  or if you want to get a workout, or if you want to take a leisurely ride. or, if you listen to music, or choose to listen to what is going on around you.  but, at least one thing that happens every single time you go on a commute.  You have the time to feel the wind in you hair, and rushing past your body, as you take the time to prepare for the day, or take time to decompress from the day.  it is a time to think about your day (ahead, or behind), while your blood is flowing rich with oxygen and endorphins.  :) and, today, as always, i had a good think on my way home (which i rode leisurely, with great music in my ears)... this week has been a bit of a trip.  and, so often, i find it interesti...

"You shall take pleasure in the time while you are seeking, even though you obtain not immediately that which you seek, for the purpose of a journey is not only to arrive at the goal but also to find enjoyment by the way. "- Henry van Dykes

Outward bound quote of the day: "Find out what you want, imagine things as you want them , build new ideas of life, stop believing that some people are lucky and some must be poor, change your ideas and find that life is a beautiful adventure , that each day brings new opportunities to those who will lift their eyes above the everyday grind. " - Venice Bloodworth okay, people. MCAT date: t-7days. im telling myself "you will get a score of 30." even though, most moments, i don't believe it. I am scared. nervous. stressed out of my mind. unable to turn my mind off. anxious. wanting to have a good cry. wishing that i could just be brilliant, and that this knowledge would be a natural talent. that is all for now. with all of this going on, and more, i ate a 1/3 of a two litre container of icecream last night. first as a rootbeer float, then as a strawberry milkshake. soooo much for the fight for losing weight ;) LOL. kidding.... just means that i have t...

that title is a quote... can you name it? outward bound quote of the day...suitable to happenings this week... "Eventually all the pieces fall into place...until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment, and know that everything happens for a reason. " - Anon when i ride my bike, i feel like i am flying.   that is what i thought today, many times...  I rode out to gibsons (on the sunshine coast) today, with Erika, my roommate. the map, plus the 15 km on the sunshine coast side of the ferry, is my route today, approximently.  First off, I would like to say kudos to erika, who has become a much better cyclist since she has included commuting to work into her daily schedule.  previously, some of those hills may have been too much for her, but she was able to stick it today!!!!   the reason that we did this ride was 2 fold.  #1, though, was to go to look at a house i am going to be sitting for 10 days in august... it is beautiful, sea views, hiking/running trails, etc. ...

So, i recently watched this documentary .  it was beautiful, and sad, and amazing.  it reminded me that as we get older, we do get wiser, and we get more stubborn, and in many ways, we stay the same, and desire the same things.   and, this song was sung.  i already knew it, being a fan of coldplay, but it brought a whole new aspect... here are the lyrics: When you try your best, but you don't succeed when you get what you want, but not what you need when you feel so tired, but you can't sleep Stuck in reverse And the tears come streaming down your face When you lose something you can't replace When you love someone but it goes to wast Could it be worse? Lights will guide you home, And ignite your bones, And I will try to fix you, High up above or down below. When you're too in love to let it go But if you never try you'll never know Just what you're worth Lights will guide you home And ignite your bones And i will try to fix you Tears stream down your face, I p...

"Look to this day, for it is life, the very life of life.  In its brief course lie all the varieties and realities of your existence, the bliss of growth, the glory of action, the splendour of beauty.  For yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.  Look well, therefore, to this day, such is the salutation of the dawn." ~the Sufi

The meaning of dreams. the other night, i had a dream that i woke up from, feeling rather like "oh man, where did that come from?" it made me think about dreams, and how much significance we are supposed to place on them. I mean, they obviously come from the uttermost parts of our mind and emotions. they occur, even when we dont want them to happen. I've had dreams about people who I really care about, getting hurt. I've had dreams about people that i haven't seen or talked to in years. I've had dreams about flying. The last dream I dreamt, I was kissing a boy (nope, you don't know who it is, I can almost guarantee, so stop trying to analyze who it is), and it just seemed right. what does this mean? that something awful has happened to someone? that i miss people that don't effect my daily life? that i have a secret crush that i dont know about? Any dream analyzers out there? Yesterday, when i was running, i saw a bumper sticker. it said: ...