Where’s My Study Mojo?

Currently: WITHOUT my study mojo and adding more things to my ever-growing to-do list

The winter break is a blessing to my sleep debt, but pretty much a big disaster to any hopes of getting back my study mojo*.

*study mojo /stə-dē-mō-(ˌ)jō/ n. — 1. an immaterial object that allows an individual to enter the study mode, or a state in which one is able to concentrate on their studies and homework without going online to watch How I Met Your Mother or other non-academic activities 2. study libido 3. not Mojo Jojo’s cousin 4. nor related to Austin Powers’ catchphrase

I know that trying to find the fabled study mojo that bestows it’s great presence on to those destined few isn’t going to help. From what I learned last year, you usually find your study mojo after the break occurs when you realize how far behind you are on your classes and you begin to panic. Before the appropriate time that you find your study mojo, it’s precede by a period of ”I have to make my priorities in the new term (which doesn’t include your school work apparently” or “I am going to the gym more” or “I am going to hang out with the friends I haven’t seen all break”.

But this year, I’ve done none of those things and perhaps that’s why I haven’t found my study mojo yet. With the Student Leadership Conference being last Saturday (more on this later), I was busy the entire week cooped up at the Centre for Student Involvement, the home base for SLC, preparing for the day-of that I haven’t concentrated on my studies beyond buying 2 textbooks and finishing 2 easy home assignments that took 5 minutes. With the conference being over, I’m looking at the readings I haven’t done and thinking “Oh shyt.” Not a lot, just a few chapters, and I usually (and yes, 1 time counts as usually in my books) use the second weekend to catch up. Problem is, I’m going to the BOOt Camp Retreat with UBC Orientations, 2 of my SLC advisors, and all the awesome Squad Leaders I haven’t really gotten a chance to meet yet. So I’m resorting to the time between packing for the weekend tonight to do my readings and searching on Google Maps for my study mojo.

And to add to my procrastination, I’m sort of addicted to Twitter now. I fully point my finger to my 8 (and on-going) months of tweeting and facebooking for the SLC and also a tinier finger like my pinky to my iPhone 4 (more on this later as well).

I have no regrets though. I’ve had an awesome first week and although my term looks very volunteer-opportunities-deprived from here on out, I think it’s going to be a good term overall. The epitome of my week? THIS:

“Just taking a group photo with the Buried Life. No big deal.”
- SLC 2011 Team Awesome Planning Committee

Question from me: did you go to SLC 2011? If so, which part was your favourite?

UBC 101 – Irving All Nighters 109

UBC 101 - Irving All Nighters 109 is the result of a personal experience and several attempted experiences. I hope that you never have to pull an all nighter, a.k.a not sleeping all night, at Irivng K. Barber Learning Center (Irving as I call it). It’s not fun, but it’s bearable and doable, especially in such a nice place like Irving.

1. What’s this “Irving” that we’re pulling an all nighter at?

Lots of new students to UBC might not know where or what Irving is, so it’s appropriate to start here.

Irving is the main library of UBC. It is across from the Hennings building and diagonally across the SUB (the red rectangle in the map below):

Irving is arguably second most beautiful building at UBC, with the Chan Centre taking the title.

Someone on Overheard at UBC says a visitor mistook it for a church. I don’t blame them.

Some basic specs: 4 floors including the basement; a small deli called Ike’s Cafe that sells sandwiches, salads, fruit and other things; the Chapman Learning Commons which has many computers, a printer/scanner, some Mac computers’ and big comfy couches; and many tables and rooms close to plugs, which are in constant need among students.

I’ve studied at Irving all the time, perhaps only a few times in Walter C. Koerner Library, the second largest library at UBC.

In comparison with Koerner Library, Irving is closer to the SUB and bus loop which is great for getting food and when going home at night. It’s also brighter and has more open space, but therefore having less quiet areas to study which is the main benefit of Koerner. Irving has 3 rooms that are “silent rooms”: on the fourth floor, there is one at the end of the hallway (Nass Reading Room 459) and one half-way in the hall-way (Musqueam Room 455), and one in the third floor, at the back of the book stacks that lots of people call the “Harry Potter Room” (Ridington Room 321). It really does look like something out of Harry Potter. If you prefer a quiet area to study, these places are for you. However, the first 2 rooms tend to become warm and stuffed up because of the lack of air flow, and all of them are in frequent demand during exam times.

The largest appeal of Irving is that it’s the only building at UBC open 24/7, albeit only during finals season. During the rest of the year, it’s open until 1 am. People sleep there….for days…I’ve seen them. It gets nasty.