It's been a long while since I've written about my material acquisitions, though anyone I'm friends with on pupe has already seen these.
Last week,
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
pandi told me she had a coupon for YesStyle.com that was going to expire soon so I went on and started browsing through to see if I wanted to order anything. I soon came across this adorable high-waisted black and white dress.
I really like the flounce trim around the neck, along with the bow, it's just so soft and feminine. I'm such sucker for high-waistlines too, especially in something like this in black and white. I just love the silhouette ♥
I also ordered this little white quilted handbag. I have such a great weakness for quilted items, especially handbags, and the little heart buckles just killed me. I especially like that it's also adjustable, the sides can either fan out or be tucked in, I think it looks super cute either way~
Anyway, both of them came in on Thursday, I've been much pleased ♥ I was a little worried about the dress since it's by a Korean brand, but it fit (it's even a little loose) so I'm going to be a bit more comfortable buying from YesStyle now.
Oh! I also went to ALDO on Thursday with my cousin Aim after class, it was the super cheap one on Yonge and I found these awesome open-toe red wedge heels! ♥ The best part is that they ended up being $10! I knew they were onsale so I thought they were around $20-30 but they were actually even further reduced! I've wanted a pair of red shoes for a while and so I'm really happy I finally have a pair (!) I'm still looking for a pair of red peep-toe pumps though...
I also bought a polkadot dress at Forever21 with mommy today, I have yet to take a picture of it though, maybe next time? XD
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Mood:
pleased - Musique:SPITZ - Masayume
I just saw some garbage eyecatch for A-Channel News @ 11 that was talking about Bob Rae being in Barrie and it referred to him as "the next possible leader of the Liberal Party."
What the fuck, when was this established? I didn't know that the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada was up for grabs, when's the leadership convention? When had Mr. Rae announced his candidacy of this fictitious leadership race? Who writes this garbage? I was so annoyed I wrote them a complaint and sent it promptly.
I was put off by your eyecatch for the evening news on Thursday, when you referred to Bob Rae as the next possible leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
As a former premier and high-profile Member of Parliament, it puzzles me why you would refer to him as such. Last that I recall, there is no leadership race, Stephane Dion is the leader of the Liberal Party and has been for nearly two years.
To say that Mr. Rae is the next leader of the Liberal Party is not only presumptuous and ignorant but also completely uncalled for.
Once again I was reminded why I don't watch A-Channel News.
I just got my period today and I am in no mood for this nonsense.
Seriously.
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Mood:
irate
I am currently recovering from a nasty stomach virus I got this past weekend. There is little doubt in my mind that I got it after I indulged in the stall foods at the Toronto Night Market, something I had must not have agreed with my stomach, which is strange considering I was perfectly fine when I went two years ago, and when I was in Hong Kong, go figure.
It was so incredibly crowded at Night Market, everyone was getting rather irritable, especially those of us in lines. We had actually stood in a line waiting for grilled squid for over an hour and were getting rather irritable. While we were waiting,
pandi even had a lively shouting match with one man who thought it appropriate to use himself as a human battering ram to shove his way through, illustrating true douchebaggery for all to see. At one point of the night I had lost
pandi in the swarms and was very distraught, though I was in the company of her friends. It was so crowded there that we couldn't use our cellphones to contact anyone, it was too congested and there was too much traffic. We did eventually find them though ♥Anyway, my stomach all its unpleasantness has caused me to lose 10 pounds in the past five days, which in any other situation would be lovely but I'm sure once my appetite is back and I'm not so cautious about what I can eat that I'll gain most of it back... instead of expelling everything out of me.
There's a Liberal event with Gerard Kennedy tonight over at Ryerson. I'm actually pretty indifferent towards M. Kennedy, but seeing as he is the critic of Intergovernmental Affairs, and I la~la~love Federalism, it's only natural that I should go. Plus, I haven't seen my Liberals since Pride ♥
I miss eating fruit ;O;
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Mood:
crappy - Musique:浜崎あゆみ - It was
What a fucking joke.
I just registered for my courses for fall, half the courses I had planned were cancelled. What the hell is up with this school? All the courses I want to take are either not being offered or have been cancelled. The only course I'm happy about is POL337: The Canadian Constitution
One thing I always looked forward to in first year was the fact that in my later years that I would be able to take more specialized courses in areas that I was interested in (read: Canadian politics and government), but that doesn't mean shit when they don't offer the courses.
I wanted to take POL336: Ontario Politics and POL334: Quebec Politics and Social Change but both were cancelled recently so I'm really irritated and somewhat disoriented, as my schedule now looks like shit with a bunch of courses I don't especially want to take but will have to do for now. I was already really disappointed that POL352: Inside Canadian Governments: Understanding the Policy Process and POL356: Canadian Political Parties weren't being offered, this is all just very frustrating.
and although I can't enroll in it now, I hope that I get into POL490: Environmental Politics in Canada as that's pretty much the only thing that will salvage the coming school year. This year's registration process has totally killed my usual post-course registration excitement.
Seriously, fuck you U of T
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Mood:
frustrated
Here's something that has nothing to do with politics!
So I have a perfectly functional 60GB iPod photo but it's a rather massive brick of an iPod. For everyday use I pretty much used my 1GB shuffle that I got for free when I signed up for my cellphone plan back in first year.
Anyway, I went to go charge my shuffle last week in preparation for my GO Train ride to Barrie, but much to my horror this happened:
I appeared to have pulled the USB off instead of just pulling off the cap, ripping the strip that connected the USB to the shuffle... it can still play but I won't be able to charge it again, so it's essentially useless and broken. I was pretty horrified when this happened and messaged
pandi right away, who promptly called me to inquire what happened and then proceeded to laugh at my misfortune. Oh to be me...I really liked my shuffle, it was convenient but I had thought about buying one of the new ones. One problem I had, especially since I pretty much always wear skirts/dresses that don't have pockets, is that I often have to put my shuffle in my purse or hold it in my hand when I'm walking about. The clip on the smaller, new shuffles is really convenient for me. So I discussed it with
pandi and decided to go out and buy a new one (the Eaton Centre is essentially next door to me anyway...)
I'm not especially fond of the brushed-metal look, but I had pretty much decided on getting the red one for a while ♥ plus, it's more Liberal... Also, though not really intentional on my part, it's part of PROJECT (RED) so part of my purchase went towards the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.
I'm still getting used to it, but I rather like it ♥
Oh, and I really liked taking the train, it was calming...
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Mood:
exhausted - Musique:CBC News: The National
This summer is essentially my first real summer in Toronto since "moving back" and starting university. I spent most of my summer first year in Barrie with the parental units and spent my summer second year in Hong Kong, staying in Barrie when I got back. Since I have summer school this year I'm in the city during this lovely time, and I must say I adore it ♥
The weather has been shit lately, but it's been relatively nice today. I just had class not too long ago and was going to go home but decided to stick around campus for a while longer. I haven't really hung around campus during the summer but I must say it's lovely ♥ I adore the atmosphere. All the trees are beautiful and green, the buildings are clean and there's not too many people. It's very serene, at times like these I really love this school, I just feel so content and relaxed.
I'll be going into my fourth year in September and my parents have been pushing me to have it be my final year, and though I could graduate next year, to be honest I don't really want to. It's not really a matter of not wanting to go to the "outside world" yet, it's moreso that I feel like I still have lots to learn here, I'm not ready to leave this institution, there's still courses I want to take and I'm not in any rush.
I wrote an e-mail to my Canadian Federalism prof a while ago. I know this probably sounds ridiculous to some people but I don't really contact my profs. I mean it's a big school and the learning environment can be rather impersonal if you don't take the initiative and I never really did as it's not really in my nature to do so... but I did it and he was really receptive, even though the topic I e-mailed him about (environmental federalism and carbon price policies) was one he wasn't particularly well-versed in.
He encouraged me to take his course on "Redeeming Politics through Civic Engagement" and while it's not a subject I'm particularly interested in, I kind of want to take it just because he's the prof and it would be nice to establish some stronger relationships with professors that I've enjoyed here. I'm still undecided and it's 400 level so it's kind of intimidating...
There's actually another 400 course I want to take too, it's about Environmental Politics in Canada. Ugh, so many options, plus I still want to take the Canadian Constitution too ;O;
Probably going to head home now, I feel like walking through Chinatown...
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Location:University of Toronto (Sid Smith)
- Mood:
peaceful - Musique:BUMP OF CHICKEN - Tentai Kansoku
I did like an hour of WiiFit today, I'm kind of sore, which demonstrates very well how out of shape I am... I like the balance and aerobics games best, they're fun. The yoga and strength training are the ones that feel more like effort to me so I don't do them as much as I do the other two categories
Anyway, most of my posts have been about politics lately so I wanted to write a bit about what else I've been doing... but it's related to politics too :3
I went to Ottawa last last weekend for the Ontario Liberal Party Annual General Meeting. It was my first OLP AGM so it was an interesting experience. Moreover, I've never been especially interested in provincial politics or felt any particular great affinity for the Ontario Liberals and Dalton McGuinty, it's mostly been indifference, though to be honest I had been warming up to him. Nevertheless, any premier that makes things difficult for Stephen Harper makes me happy ♥ also I've been glad to see him stand up for Ontarians when we have so clearly been overlooked by this government on numerous occasions.
After that weekend I can say that I do think better of Dalton and like him more, he has an easy, confidence about him that is appealing. I was also kind of surprised to see how close the provincial and federal Liberal parties are, as I've always separated them in my mind. Sure, having David McGuinty there wasn't particularly strange considering he is Dalton's brother (and to be honest, I've always liked him more) but M. Dion was a guest there for the Premier's lunch (!) and all weekend there were warm exchanges (lip service?) about working together, etc. etc.
It shouldn't surprise me that the two parties would work well together, or that the two leaders would think highly of one another, indeed do posses some similarities and in many ways they need each other. I guess I just never really saw the federal and provincial parties as particularly connected and now I do see how close they are/can be...
Seeing Stéphane Dion was probably one of the high lights for me, not that I haven't seen him before but it's always nice to see him, he makes me happy ♥ I guess my affection is obvious as I tend to cheer more ardently when it comes to him and it was duly noted by my colleagues. I wish I had been in Ottawa for The Green Shift press conference, I would have gone nuts.
Watching M. Dion at that press conference last Thursday morning filled me with a great sense of happiness, I hadn't felt that way about the party in a long time. I was energized, I was engaged, I was excited.
The timing for this carbon tax policy announcement has been perfect for me. I spent this past school year learning about the different carbon price policies in place around the world, how they work, why they're needed and what Canada has (not) been doing about it. I had written my environment paper and exam on carbon price policies and the Canadian government's failings, even incorporated what I learned in that environment course into my Canadian federalism paper and wrote about how well federalism can adapt to the challenges of global climate change.
Essentially, putting forward a carbon price policy had quickly become something I wanted to see happen in Canada. I had by no means become an expert on the subject, my understanding is probably rudimentary at best, but my research had convinced me well enough, so when the Premiers spoke about a possible interprovincial cap-and-trade system earlier this year I was excited. When British Columbia put forward their revenue-neutral carbon tax, I was excited. You could see the gears were turning, and soon after there were murmurs about the federal Liberals advocating a carbon tax, followed by a historical joint cabinet meeting between Québec and Ontario governments announcing plans for a cap-and-trade system. Musings about provincial initiative and cap-and-trade were quickly becoming real policy and action, for the Liberals to come out with solid plan for a carbon tax, I was more than just excited, I was proud.
What's been clear to me, especially this year, is that there is an obvious current in this country. It's taken us a long time to get there, but it's clear that (some) political leaders in this country are ready to start catching up with the rest of the world in regards to climate change and carbon pricing policy. The provinces have been amazing and have lived up to their reputation as being "laboratories of innovation" in terms of the federation. I have rarely been previously engaged in the matters of provincial politics but now they were speaking to an issue that had not only become an area of interest of mine, it was also something that had become important to me.
With a federal government not going anywhere, provincial politics had captured my imagination, but now M. Dion has boldly put forward a viable policy, one that I hope Canadians will embrace, and has revitalized my passion for this party. As a former intergovernmental affairs minister under Chrétien, he has shown himself perfectly capable of working together with provinces, and should he become Prime Minister, I think he could work towards truly functional, harmonized environmental policies in Canada.
Oops, I really didn't mean to write so much or even get into this that much...
I just ended up talking about politics again XD
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Mood:
sleepy
We're up for the challenge, are you?
www.thegreenshift.ca
My answer? A resounding yes
and I just wanted to say that I ADORE THIS MAN and HE IS SO CUTE! ♥ Come on, how adorable is he at the end?
However, I must admit that I do miss his old glasses... so cute ♥
Anyway, there's no real content here, just me fangirling.
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Mood:
high
Liberal carbon plan to offer $15.5B in tax cuts
Between $12B and $15B could be collected in carbon taxes by 4th year
The media coverage for the Liberal's Carbon
I know some people say it's the "wrong" time to be talking about putting a price on carbon, what with these record-breaking gas prices but we need to start an open dialogue about what Canada wants to do about the environment and climate change, a dialogue about setting an economy-wide carbon price signal.
Honestly, the world is changing and Canada has been lagging behind for far too long now, if now is not the time, then when is the "right" time? The issue of the environment is one that has captured public consciousness, the sheer amount of media exposure around this Liberal proposal should illustrate how well this carbon plan fits into this global dialogue towards a "green shift." Moreover, this isn't simply green-washing, this is a legitimate, concrete proposal that would have real effects and demonstrates real leadership on the federal level.
The press conference has started, more thoughts later?
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Mood:
excited
Layton unveils NDP carbon price plan after slamming Liberal carbon tax
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/A
I'm often more scathing towards the Conservatives and Canada's New Government, but Jack Layton's NDP deserves a good mouthing-off as well, particularly in regards to their response to M. Dion's not-yet-released carbon tax policy. While I too support the development of a cap-and-trade system, there's no reason why Jack Layton should reject and criticize the Liberals for wanting to put forward a carbon tax, the NDP should be on the same page here: let's put a price on carbon.
Both price policies have their own advantages and disadvantages: a carbon tax lacks a set limit on emissions but it does effectively change consumer and industry behaviour. As for cap-and-trade, it can be complicated and vulnerable to political/corporate manipulation but it sets a hard, collective cap on industrial emitters or energy producers/importers, depending on whether it's a downstream or upstream system.
The NDP's argument is that a carbon tax affects both consumers and industry polluters while a cap-and-trade system only affects the large industrial emitters but that kind of spin is deceptive as any carbon price that targets industry would trickle down and pass over to the consumers anyway. Furthermore, it's naïve to think that consumers should be left out of the equation: along with changing industry, we also need consumers to take responsibility and change their behaviour as well.
Yes, people are going to be affected by these kind of pricing policies, that's the entire point, to change the behaviour of business, industry and everyday citizens. Working towards reducing GHG emissions means changing the way we live and the way our society is structured. Canadians have consistently shown that they too are concerned about the future, that they are willing to make changes but what they need most right now is direction, a putting a price on carbon is an excellent way to help set Canada towards reducing our emissions.
What M. Dion is putting forward is something that countries around the world have already done and what many countries will have to do in the future. Moreover, M. Dion has stated in the past that a carbon tax alone is not enough to reduce our emissions, and that it is a policy that can compliment a future cap-and-trade system. Indeed, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy's report on "Canada's Transition to a Low-Emission Future" advocated just that: a combination between both a carbon tax and cap-and-trade, along with complimentary, regulatory policies that affect sectors that fall outside the reach of a carbon price policy.
Ultimately, what I like most about the Liberal position is that M. Dion understands that a carbon tax shift is not the ultimate solution but rather a step forward in the right direction, something a part of a larger plan. The NDP's position that Canada has to put forward cap-and-trade and that a carbon tax is poor policy that only harms consumers is both misleading and uncooperative. It shows that the NDP rather play partisan politics and spread disinformation than try to encourage an immediate economy-wide carbon price signal.
Throughout this past school year, I have become increasingly engaged with this topic and it pleases me greatly to see M. Dion and the Liberal Party of Canada take real leadership in this area. This issue has rejuvenated my love for this party and my support for this man, I feel that I can comfortably say that I think the Liberals are moving in the right direction, at least when it comes to the environment, and I'll probably continue my thoughts on this matter in another post addressing the recent announcement of Ontario and Québec's cap-and-trade plan.
It's an exciting time in Canadian politics.
Shorty; ShuiMei
- Mood:
predatory - Musique:ELLEGARDEN - Mr. Feather
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