‘Great Places’ Archive

Making it easy at UBC

When energy is able to flow without resistance, we feel more fully alive. When challenges, confusion, and wrong information block our energy, we tend to feel restricted or frustrated. That breath of fresh air that comes after overcoming a challenge in life is that awesome feeling of letting the energy flow again!
I strive to keep [...]

The Highlights of 2009

This post is an annual tradition it seems. The highlights of 2008 were great, but the highlights of 2009 sure do shine! <insert groans of how corny that was here>
Why was this a great year? Let me share with you some of the incredible memories I have of the year gone by:
January

Presenting an award-winning presentation [...]

Remembrance Day – Uncovering Stories

For the 6th year in a row, I headed to War Memorial Gym at UBC yesterday for the Remembrance Day ceremony. It was encouraging to see the 350+ people there, as I remember my first two ceremonies had probably between 100-125. It’s nice to know that our generation still cares about those who came before [...]

Making Your Workspace A Productive Space

According to the Work Environments Research Group (GRET) at the Universite du Montreal, comfort-inducing workspaces provide:

Physical comfort – “safe space” – proper lighting, air ventilation/circulation, and temperature (all up to health standards of course)
Functional comfort – “workable space” – privacy, space to work, reduced noise levels, technology
Psychological comfort – “my space” – personalization, sense of [...]

A new UBC (in video format)

As a new school year starts tomorrow, UBC Vancouver is getting ready to welcome over 7,400 new students and even more returning students on the new and improved Imagine Day. I wish I had something like this when I was a student to compliment the greatness that was Sauder’s Frosh. The value of a good [...]

Friendships for Life

This past weekend I travelled to Burlington, Vermont with Ange Cullen to visit my best friend Andrew Haas. He recently got back from almost 3 years in Asia (not consecutively, but it sure felt that way). Together, we had some of the best laughs I’ve had all summer! There is just something about a mountain [...]

What can love do now?

Before I left for my familiarization trip, Rob asked me why I like to travel. My response: I love experiencing the different “hubs of love.”
A hub of love: a location in which people congregate to be refilled with feelings of goodwill, high hopes, and love. My favourite examples are:

Airports: anxious arrivals, heart-string pulling departures, reconnecting [...]

I won’t be on here…

…because I’ll be here:
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I am leaving tomorrow to evaluate a service provider who may potentially offer a travel program for new grads at UBC. I am hopping on the first leg of UCSB’s grad trip to see if we could do something like this at UBC. (Tough job, but someone’s gotta bite the [...]

15 Summer Selections: The Best Adventures for 2009

The sun is out – and so is my list of great summer adventures for 2009! Be them complicated or easy, free or a little pricey, these are the things I’m looking forward to doing from now until Sept 1st.
Disclaimer: the drinks on the patios, ice creams on the beach, bike rides, good hikes, and [...]

Getting by with the help of your friends

After a not-so-stellar week, I was reminded tonight that in order to get over a hump, sometimes you need a little push. And let me tell you, I’m glad that I surround myself with people that keep pushing me. When you’re running through life, it’s important to ensure you have some good “race support” to [...]