Okay I’m like super biased but I dislike Portugal and this is my editorial so HA. Thanks Cavani <3. Also thanks to the impeccable Uruguay defense team. Both Ronaldo and Messi are going home now, and I could not handle seeing Ronaldo advance over Messi. But thankfully, this 2-1 victory will set up Uruguay in the next round. France has advanced over Argentina too, so another one of the teams I like is going further in the round of 16, Unfortunately, I’m also a big fan of Argentina, and it sucks to see them out of the tournament after such an impressive goal by Rojo to keep them in the tournament. I’m biased right now but I’ll try not to be in my next World Cup update. I promise. By the way, I’m not calling them World Cupdates. That’s too cheesy.
Okay it’s editorial 4 and I’m getting tired. Why? Because for some reason, I get a bunch of work piled on me RIGHT before production weekend, which means balancing the paper and schoolwork. It is bittersweet though, since this is my second-last issue (third last if you count O-Week), and only feels like it’s been a week or so. I don’t have anything planned to celebrate the last issue, but keep an eye out for the Tin Soldier. For those who don’t know, the Tin Soldier is our “Onion” of the Iron Warrior, where we post real fake news in our last edition of the paper each term. I’m hoping for some funny content and comics, and we are always taking satire and articles from everyone. So if you want to be funny and published, let me know!
Alright thanks for this issue extends to Samridhi for doing the crossword. It’s not Cameron’s, which is surprising since he’s been doing it for as long as I can remember. Also thanks to Aaron for again being on time with his articles as usual. Check out his Prof. Personality of Dr. Aiping Yu, a professor in the Chemical Engineering department. Pride happened last weekend, and Samridhi also covered that. I’m also glad to announce that the front page is in COLOUR WHICH MEANS RAINBOWS HECK YEAH! We also have a guest article from Farzeen Titina, who reviewed the Incredibles 2. As a non-movie watcher myself, this is something I really want to view in theaters since it follows up with my childhood, as it probably did with 90% of the readers of this paper. I heard fantastic things about this movie, and this spoiler-free review enticed me to try and check it out, maybe for my birthday.
I’ve been trying to self-teach myself piano for just over a year, but school keeps getting in the way. However, it is the most fun I’ve ever had with an instrument, especially since I didn’t really grow up with music. I like using my fingers and hands a lot and piano has felt the most natural to me. I used to play flute, saxophone, and trumpet throughout my middle/high school years, and they’ve been fun, but maybe I prefer not having to breathe a lot. Piano music has always felt more serene to me as well. I have a playlist on YouTube with my favourite piano music, ranging from classical music, to video game OSTs, and even random artists I find on the website. Every time I mention I’m playing piano, people in the conversation are always like, “OMG I’ll teach you!” Well, sorry guys but I keep getting too caught up in stuff to be taught. I really want to be good at this instrument and follow through without having school get in the way.
Back to the video game music (of which I have a separate, larger playlist for that is awesome for studying). Gerudo Valley, Time’s Scar, most of the Paper Mario series, etc. are my jams. Most of you know I’m a big Nintendo fan, but I’ve always enjoyed the other consoles’ series. The original Halo theme song slaps, and is great to listen to since it feels monumental and is fun to…sing in bathrooms? What’s this whole trend of boys in the bathroom to sing the Halo theme song? And why is it wholesome? I saw a tweet on Twitter explaining it pretty simply, how “boys will be boys” shouldn’t refer to dismissing bad behaviour, but only to the Halo theme being sung in bathrooms. Good job boys! Let’s not push the idea of toxic behaviours being rooted in our upbringing and thus have it excused. Instead let’s continue singing theme songs in bathrooms to change that school of thought! Most of us already sing in the shower, so I’m sure this will be no different. So tonight, if you’re reading this (and not just boys, this is open to everyone), start singing the Halo theme song. The acoustics of the shower will make your voice sound not terrible.
Oh yeah, I got a co-op job. First time ever I’ve had interviews in first round, and I had 12! I was extremely happy to land an offer in my hometown, which means eight months of living at home, saving for tuition, helping my parents around the house, and sleeping in a nice air-conditioned room. Which is nice because as I’m writing this it is 32 degrees Celsius. My little brother is also starting University downtown at UofT, which is awesome for him. My parents like how I’m coming in for the next eight months because they were almost in a scenario where no kids were in the house; something they’re not used to. They have sacrificed more than enough for us to be comfortable, and with my sister married, older brother unsure of where he will be, and younger brother starting university, me coming back home will allow them to have that connection to their children face to face.
Back in editorial one, I mentioned at the end how I was looking for book suggestions. I started with some fairly popular books to scratch the surface of what I wanted to learn about, and will mention them here. The Art of Learning by Joshua Waitzkin explores the idea of the mental game behind performing well. A chess and Tai Chi Chuan champion, Waitzkin explains how we require more than physical and tactical strength to defeat our opponents at higher levels. I’ve always enjoyed this sort of performance psychology genre, especially since my athletic background comes from long distance running, goalie positions, and baseball pitching; all high pressure roles and very mental. It provided an interesting insight to how I approach competition, and I still use some of the tips today. Influence, by Robert Cialdini, was suggested by a friend of mine. It explores the reasons why people say yes to you, and how the market knows how to get you to make a decision. More importantly, if required, this book gives you tips if you need to do the persuasion. Factfulness by Hans Rosling is the last book I want to mention. This was advertised by Bill Gates as one of his favourite books and offers it as a “gift” to college graduates of 2018. Factulness goes through reasons why the world is getting better, and steps we can take as individuals to be more critical of the world. One tip that stuck with me was to stop thinking in a “us vs. them” mentality. Don’t think of the world as right-wing vs. left-wing, developing vs. developed, immigrants vs. non-immigrants, etc. It makes it easy to shift the blame and point fingers and drift away from tackling the root causes of issues. Applying that to everyday life is something I definitely plan to do, and I also plan to revisit this book again and again because of its great arguments. Bill Gates has some good suggestions in general if you have time to check them out. As usual, feel free to suggest anything to me that would be a good read. I’ve already come close to my monthly budget spending it on books to read over this coming coop term.
I think I’ve changed quite a bit. I started reading a lot more over the last co-op, deleted Snapchat and Instagram from my phone, and I feel more productive in general. My opinions, although not expert, are informed, and I’ve gained a curiosity outside the sciences, which is nice since eight hours of work a day focusing on polymers can be draining. I think I mentioned this before, but part of me joining the Iron Warrior in 1A was because I was not informed at all and now I am. So yay! Read books, kids. But also play video games. The key is balance.
Your issue-ly word is defeat. Because Portugal was defeated. Okay just kidding. The word is ostensible, and it comes again from Merriam-Webster’s word of the day. The definitions is “intended for display : open to view.” While I was looking this up, I noticed the definition for socialism was trending, probably due to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s victory over Joe Crowley in New York’s 14th Congressional District. Which was pretty cool. I’m always for upsets, as you can tell by my World Cup updates.
Now that it’s the end of the editorial, I should re-mention it is my birthday soon. I’m glad to statistically be done just about 25% of my life. I am not asking for presents, but if you find pictures of puppies graduating puppy school please send them my way.
Leave a Reply