F- 2016!
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JANUARY 2017 I VOL. 6 No. 4
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CONTRIBUTORS
Editor-in-Chief
Mayeesha Chowdhury
Assistant Editor
Safa Gangat
Writers
Michael Petruzzelli Ori William Black Mackenzie Taylor Emma Ferreira Charles Manzo ChantaĂŠ Candize Kabeer Garba Christina Zisko Sana Ahmed Cole Kennedy Gerrod Harris
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Daniel Dohyun Kim
Designers
Mary Anne Cruz Emily Mcdonald Holden Kao Sarah Wong Justin Veneracion Madison Pflance Sarah Nwabuike Judy Gu Patrick Descartin Heena Chudasama Gurleen Hansi Elisabeth Yoon Larissa Ettlin Bri Coggans Samantha Hansel Cherry Law Nicole Hall Samneet Mann
Win ters CONTENTS
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New Beginnings
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Uncontrollable Infatuation
Lifestyle
Christina Zisko
Kabeer Garba
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What To Do This Term
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Ruby
Lifestyle
Angelica Grospe
Katherine Collier
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2016: You Caught the L
ChantaĂŠ Candize
Creative
Creative
Lifestyle
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B E G I N N I N G S
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By Christina Zisko
L if estyle A NEW YEAR ALWAYS GOES hand-in-hand with new beginnings. After the clock strikes midnight, and the champagne is finished, resolutions are on a lot of people’s’ minds. Whether it is to exercise more, save money, lose weight, or spend more time studying; everyone has something about their lives that they want to improve. While a new year is a great time to turn over a new leaf, I think it’s important for all of us to understand that it is not the only time to make a positive change, and that we may be putting too much pressure on ourselves. This meme may be familiar to you: “Me: k I’ll start studying at 7 Me to me at 7:01: you missed your chance ... start at 8” It’s hilarious and I can attest that I’ve done exactly that in the past, but the ridiculousness of it is exactly the same when we wait until a new year to make changes in our lives. If your resolution is to stop smoking, why not start towards that goal right away, instead of waiting weeks or months until 12:00am on January 1st? This is not to say that New Year’s resolutions are a bad thing. Anything that motivates people to better their lives is great. There are
people who vow to lose weight, or do all of their readings, in the new year... and actually do it. I love that. It’s just not realistic for every single person who is making a resolution. Myself included. According to forbes.com, only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s resolutions. An example of this is the running joke that gyms are packed with people in January, only to empty out in February. Clearly, the big, intimidating resolutions we make once a year are actually a lot harder to live up to then we realize. Maybe a better way of achieving these daunting goals is to take baby steps right away. Instead of planning an entire life overhaul each January and promising to transform from a couch potato to a gym rat overnight, we can make little changes here and now to get ourselves closer to where we want to be. We need to be realistic. This way, when we skip one day at the gym we’re not saying to ourselves “Oh well, I’ll try again in 2018...”. Every day, hell, even every minute is a chance to start fresh. I’m writing this for myself as much as for anyone else. After starting yoga classes in the first week of
December, my goal is to practice three times a week. I’ll admit that it’s easy to get discouraged when I don’t live up to that expectation. But I’m not going to beat myself up if school and work obligations keep me from meeting that goal every week. It’s not me failing at my New Year’s resolution. It’s me working every day towards becoming healthier, one step at a time, and I should be proud of that. And if I realize in March or April that I’ve been slacking off, I’ll try to hop back into it right away, instead of waiting until next January. After all, it is just a date on a calendar.I hope the same for you too. Whether you break your budget, pick up a cigarette, or have a cheat day (or five...), know that you can pick up right where you left off, January 1st or not.
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A Note from the President
What To Do This Term By Angelica Grospe
HELLO FRIENDS! To keep it simple: I love lists! I think writing down lists are one of the true keys to success in university. SO here is a list of what Winters students should do this oh so fast pace Winter Term:
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1. APPLY TO GRADUATE (I decided to write this down because you should have applied already, but if you have not, breathe, don’t panic, you have time) 2. Make an appointment to take your grad photos at McLaughlin College. 3. Buy tickets for the Winters vs. Montreal 2017 trip happening February 23th-26th 4. Go see Playground 2017! A festival of performances hosted by, built by, organized by your fellow Winters constituents, happening February 7th-10th. You can purchase tickets at the Theatre@york box office. 5. I love vaginas so this is a must on this list: The Vagina Monologues! This performance is happening from February 16th-18th at the Foster Studio in Accolade East Building
6. Follow Winters College Council on Facebook and @winterscouncil on Instagram to keep an update on all the monthly and semester events that are happening this term! 7. Go to the Absinthe Pub & Coffee Shop and try our famous “Sleazy Treat” and Suffering Bastard” cocktails if you want a taste of Winters Traditional drinks. 8. The Department of Music will be hosted the “World Music Festival” happening from March 16th-17th. This is also in cooperation with the Music Student’s Association. 9. The York Dance Ensemble (YDE) will be putting on their show called: “Space/Time/Line” happening from February 15th-17th at the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre located in Accolade East Building. 10. The Dance Students’ Association (DSA) presents BLOOM: a showcase from selected undergraduate dance majors demonstrating their choreographic works from March 11th-12th at Dancemakers downtown.
11. 3rd Year Dance Choreographic Showcase called: “Space Continuum” will be happening from March 30th-31st in the McLean Performance Studio in Accolade East Building. Series A is called, “Infinite” and Series B is called, “Endless” 12. PLAY SPORTS. Arts folks! Get out of that studio and participate in some fun, non-competitive intramurals! You don’t need to have any experience. The main goal is to connect with other students and interact in physical activity! 13. Theatre @ York is hosting, “The Devised Theatre Festival” happening from March 20th-26th at the Foster Studio in Accolade East Building. #downtofesitval! 14. 4th year Design student Evelyn Quinn is arranging an interactive exhibit which explores the notions of identity happening from February 6th-10th in Eleanor Winters Art Gallery (EWAG) in Winters College. 15. 5th year Visual Arts student Gabriella Caterina is arranging a solo art exhibition called, “Calluses” happening from January 28thFebruary 9th in the Gales Galley in Accolade West Building.
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16. Practice self-care by doing something good for you body and mind. Team Unbreakable at York which is a club run by 4th year Design Major Lindsay Keenan has weekly runs that can make you feel good and teach you the benefits of going on runs!
22. Text your friends and parents and let them know how much you love them. I forget to do this sometimes. Simple gesture that goes a long way. Love, Your president, Angelica Grospe
17. This is a fun one: 4th year Visual Arts student Jessie Young is hosting an art exhibit called, “Process” which explores learning a new medium in which her case is: TATTOOING. The photo attached to this piece is a tattoo I got from her! Her exhibit is happening from February 11th-18th in the Eleanor Winters Art Gallery. 18. Start looking for a formal attire to wear for my favourite event of the year: WINTERS FORMAL 2016. Happening April 2nd. THEME WILL BE RELEASED SOON.
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19. Write down weekly goals and monthly goals for yourself! Different types of goals help keep us motivated! 20. Write all this down or rip this page and put it on your wall in your bedroom or carry it with you in your backpack or SOMETHING. 21. Schedule times to have alone time per week. I’m stressed, you’re stressed. We need time to lie down, cry, listen to Adele and just take moments out of our busy schedules to give our bodies a break.
Any questions or inquiries about specific details of this list, email me at president@ winterscouncil.com or message me on facebook: Angelica Lyn Grospe.
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2016: You caught the
L. By Chantaé Candize
DEAR 2016, You were a sh*t show.
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I say that from my heart. I have never experienced such an extreme level of exhaustion and deprivation of mental, emotional, physical health and energy. I lost it all; From my home to my sanity, 2016 took the foundation beneath my feet and I fell hard. Nine days in the 2016 new year, my home completely flooded while also carrying over into several other homes creating a disastrous and an extremely expensive mess; It was one of the biggest floods my condo has ever experienced. That was the first of my 2016: Year of the Mess and a clear foreshadow of how my year would continue to be. Long story short, I fell very ill, missed a few exams, did terrible (either I failed or marginally passed) some of my SEVEN classes (yes, seven per semester, please don’t ask why). I had the most challenging job physically and man oh man, I can’t emphasize mentally enough how I was running into debt, started gaining weight because of the medications from when I got sick. All with a long, conflicting
and toxic relationship that started to consume all my emotions and everything I stood for all weighing down on me. It’s as if daily, I always had something, whether it may have been a situation, person, or life just throwing some extra salt to my open wound. All of that for a 19-year-old at the time is a lot. Sh*t, it’s a lot for anyone. I would miss a full day of classes simply because I couldn’t force myself out of bed as my eyes were so swollen and heavy as I viciously cried myself to sleep almost every night. My head always hurt with intense a strike and powerful thump for what it seemed like every 30 seconds and my eyes were sunken so deep you could almost read all stories of pain, defeat and exhaustion that I tried to conceal and bury with a smile and few friendly chuckles. I’m okay. I’m fine. I’m great. The summer came with much relief, laughter, my 20th birthday, and some progressive changes for me. I got a new job, I had time to sleep a bit, I left that relationship and I did one of the most liberating things I have done to date: I chopped off all my hair.
It was a start; a fresh start. 2016 left me looking for more answers, making myself my number one fan and my own best friend. I had to be there for myself because I knew that as much as I could articulate my life to someone I confide in with the most complex matter with detail, some things people will never understand unless they’ve literally and figuratively have been in your shoes. 2016 was honestly my year of realizing things as Kylie Jenner said and that all of us mocked her for, but little to our surprise would actually be too true. I’ve learned to love more and love genuinely and conditionally: This was huge for me as I felt my heart was broken into millions of different pieces with the break up, I gained this “F*ck YEAH!” attitude that reassures who I am as a woman and knowing that I am my own person and I have to respect and love myself. You have to. I learned how strong I am and how ambitious I am. I felt as if I fell through the cracks a few times, but I never stayed below the surface. Currently, we’re 19 days into the new year and my life is popping. I signed up for a 5k race, I’ve been working out everyday, I’ve got
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my finances in check, my skin is clearing up, I’m doing well at my job, I’m handling school as best as I can, I’m more creative, I push myself to wake up early everyday so I can have a more productive day, I like to take trips with myself, by myself, for myself, I genuinely live for the moment, I don’t let stuff easily stress me and I ain’t got a single distraction in my life (let’s retire the relationships with boys, and grow with healthy, loving and intelligent relationships with men).
This year will be great for all of us. Optimistic minds, positive energies, distancing ourselves from social media from time to time, eating great good, discovering some new tunes, getting some sleep and being real to one and other really helps to heal. Life gets better. It’s always said, but you have to go through all the mud, sticks and stones before you’re able to create a solid foundation for yourself and your success. These past several weeks in the New Year of 2017 has
already been better than all of my 2016. I made it this far and I’m only doing and growing to be better. You’ve got this
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Un con Infa trolla ble tua tion
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C reative By Kabeer Garba
WHAT A WONDERFUL THING it is to discover. To discover the world around you and soak in all its splendour. Every gasp of wonder and lightened sight, it all fills you up and makes you feel whole for a second. Have you ever had that feeling, where you doubt the world around you because it’s just too gorgeous to be true? Well, I felt the same way about you. You were surrounded by beauty and beauty is surrounded by you. The slight twinkle that hit your eye every morn to remind me that the stars were still there. The little dimple on your left cheek that would exaggerate when you laugh. You changed me, you made me better. 2016 was a year of change for me. I went into it, knowing what I wanted to do with my life, knowing where I wanted to go. I had a plan and I was going to stick to it. I had always been a good student, A’s through all of high school. I had gotten every job I had applied for, into every university as well. I knew that inevitably I would fail once in my life, but I didn’t know when it would come or how it would affect me. It was a Thursday when I first saw you. I had made many jokes about love at first sight, but this was real. I needed you, more than
water, more that light more than air. The only element on my mind was fire, because of the way you made my heart burn. I had a new goal, a new challenge I was going to make you fall in love with me. Thursday mornings were my only chance, it was the only day of the week in which I got to see you. I planned out my route to school accordingly and where I would sit in class. I started recording your conversations so I knew what to talk to you about when I worked up that courage. I started skipping my other classes so I could better work out my strategies. You drank so I drank. You smoked you blazed and you tripped. So I started too. Each day I was one step closer to having a lover. I’m much younger than you, this scared me. My social media told me that flipping water bottles and dabbing were cool but you never fell into those trends. You were so confident and I was so scared. My fifth year of university and I was about to make a very bold move. I wrote you an essay titled “Confessions from Jessie” It outlined all the reasons I loved you and all the reasons you should love me. You were my first love, and the first Professor to fail me.
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Ruby By Katherine Collier
C reative IT WAS A DARK YEAR, JUST like those in the past. One that would be spoken about for years to come. Down and down and down the spiral goes, only further spinning out of control. The centre no longer relevant, for where is the centre? What is the norm? What do we strive for? A president of a neighbouring country to actually work toward bettering our neighbours? The love of our life appearing on our doorstep and knowing instantly they are the one? Not sitting at home reading report after report of discrimination and hate crimes?
Impossible. Perfection is impossible to achieve. Death, destruction, it’s the new norm for our world. Prepare for year after year locked up in the confines of your mind where everything is calm and chaos is naught. Sleep in the darkness that comforts you as that is the only way you can avoid the harsh light of the waking world. But maybe this year wasn’t so terrible. Maybe it was simply year end syndrome, where the year that is ending feels like hell and optimism gets the better of us for the year to come. The year will be what you make of it. Seek fulfilment, not a good year, for there is no such thing, simply good times with good people who make every day worthwhile.
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Winters Free Press EST. 1967