2016 Resolutions Update - August 31

It's finally here. It's been four and a half months, but, at last, I'm back in Waterloo. I left Orangeville yesterday, and I start my training for Laurier's Orientation Week tomorrow. Classes don't start for another week, but I'm looking forward to volunteering during O-week, and finally getting back into a routine.

Here's the August update for my 2016 resolutions.

1. Start learning Italian - (300 day streak on DuoLingo)
I keep telling myself that slow and steady is the name of the game here. For some reason I don't seem to be making as much progress as I was able to with German. I don't know if it's because I'm not using as many additional resources, because I'm not as passionate, or simply because Italian is less related to English than German was. I'm at a 180 day streak on DuoLingo, so that's good - but I have been finding that I typically do my Italian right at the end of the day. For this next month, my goal is going to be to start DuoLingo earlier in the day... that way I'm less rushed and have more time to work through things.

2. Keep at least a 10.5 GPA across all courses
Now that August is finished, I can start thinking about what I want this to look like. I'm going to be taking 5 courses this semester (3 at Laurier and 2 at Waterloo), and also applying for coop jobs. I'm still interested in keeping at least a 10.5 across all of my courses, which means it will be important for me to start this semester right. As Harvey Specter once said in Suits, "If you start behind the 8 ball, you'll never get in front".

3. Write an ebook
I've finally picked a topic to write about, "Learning Computer Science". I'm hoping to cover topics such as why an individual should learn computer science, how the learned skills can also be related to other areas, and also how an individual would or should go about learning computer science. Now that I'm back in Waterloo, I can also ask my past CS professors for advice in this area. I'm hoping to spend September laying the groundwork for this, and hopefully I'm at a position in mid-to-late October where I can start writing.

4. Spend semesters 2 & 3 at university getting more involved with everything Laurier offers
Just as in Goal #2, now that school is a week away I can start thinking about this. I'm already volunteering with the Emergency Response Team (a time commitment of 40-50 hours during Orientation week and then approximately 2 shifts per week during the academic year), and hopefully I can find an additional club or two to get involved with. Last year I was a general member on both the Golden Speakers Club and the German Language Club, so potentially I could apply for an executive position this semester. Of course, I'm sure there are other clubs I don't even know about, and those could be beneficial avenues to consider.

I expect to have a more comprehensive update next month, once school is in full swing. While last year I spent the first few months learning how everything worked and getting into a routine, I'm really hoping to, as I say, "grab the bull by the horns" this year.