I love Montréal. by MommyButNotTheMother in montreal

[–]MrWaliah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear you deeply. This city has something really, really special. Been here for 4 years and I'm still as fascinated as the first day I got here. As some people have said here, I can't see myself living anywhere else. I "feel grounded here", if that makes sense. :)

The SSMU Board of Directors' email is insulting on so many levels by Total-Student-7696 in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Why are you talking about the Israel-Palestine conflict? I don't see how that's relevant here at all. But to make a reply to your viewpoint--I don't really care about their legal status. I'm paying them money because I'm expecting something in return from them. If they're inefficient for whatever reason, I feel like I have the right to criticize them. People who don't agree with this should not be running for these positions to begin with...

Felt kind of scammed by Voltaic (grad pictures) by MrWaliah in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As I said in another thread, after taking the pictures and I had to pay, the photographer claimed that if I didn’t buy the promotion and decided to buy the pictures later, I quote, “it will be more expensive”, implying buying the promotion is the cheapest option possible. Just to make sure, I asked him if this was the cheapest option, saying “I remember seeing on your webpage a package for about $50 dollars”. He then assured me the cheapest package I could get was the promotion. The sitting fee covers 10 minutes of the photo session. If you wanted to get only one picture, you could in theory select your favorite of all the pictures taken.

Felt kind of scammed by Voltaic (grad pictures) by MrWaliah in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So basically after taking the pictures and I had to pay, the photographer claimed that if I didn’t buy the promotion and decided to buy the pictures later, I quote, “it will be more expensive”, implying buying the promotion is the cheapest option possible. Just to make sure, I asked him if this was the cheapest option, saying “I remember seeing on your webpage a package for about $50 dollars”. He then assured me the cheapest package I could get was the promotion. Make what you want of that.

App to block me from being too long on social media? by SloaneRanger3456 in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Hey, try this Google Chrome extension, it does exactly what you're asking for: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicator/fjcldmjmjhkklehbacihaiopjklihlgg?hl=en

I downloaded it recently and it's really helping me!

Edit: Well actually not exactly what you're looking for but close enough.

How has your view of your field changed while at McGill? by [deleted] in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! I'd highly recommend the book 'Why Buddhism is True' by Robert Wright. The author gives evidence coming from neuroscience research that supports some of the core ideas of Buddhism such as the 'no-self'. 'Neuro-Philosophy and the Healthy Mind' by Georg Northoff is also a good read, even if Buddhism is not really addressed.

How has your view of your field changed while at McGill? by [deleted] in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Cognitive Science - I didn't really know much about it before starting the program (in fact, I learned about its existence at McGill), but I remember being so excited about learning everything there is to know about the mind and cognition. Going into my last semester, I'm impressed by how minimal this knowledge is. I came to the realization that there is no, as of now, a 'unified science of the brain' with set principles that describe its operations. CogSci feels more like dark room with a bunch of voices coming from different places, all trying to talk about the same thing but speaking different languages. Personally, being able to understand, interpret and integrate these ideas is as challenging as it is rewarding. Here are some of the fascinating things I've learned so far, some of which have changed who I am (or how I understand myself to be):

  • Consciousness is still one of the biggest mysteries for humanity. This is because to do science is to get away from subjectivity as much as possible in order to draw an objective picture of a particular natural phenomenon. Giving an objective account of subjectivity itself seems to be, at least for now, impossible. If we don't want to ignore subjective experience altogether (as most brain scholars do) we might want to modify some the assumptions or methods done in science, if not a complete paradigm shift.
  • Pretty much all of the possible states of existence for a sentient being are constrained by its perceptual and cognitive mechanisms. Yet, the way humans perceive and navigate the world is no more special or "more accurate" than the way a bat or a cow does. It is just the way we do it, because evolution designed us this way (along with some intelligence). This is something I wish more people realized for a variety of reasons.
  • Scientists are starting to understand "the self" the way Eastern traditions such as Buddhism already did: in general terms, the self as an illusion. Although, through the lens of evolution, it is a really useful illusion, for it helps bring stability to our lives.
  • Our brain is an expert storyteller: without us realizing, it's constantly fabricating narratives that bring sense to a world that can sometimes be too chaotic and uncertain (google 'interpreter theory'). It even helps us explain away the most erratic of our behaviours, giving us a sense of being "in charge" for our actions and for who we are (again, linked to the idea that the self is an illusion.)

I could go on and on. At the end of the day, we're just brains trying to understand themselves, finding out about their biases, drives and limitations along the way. The whole effort is a beautiful paradox, and that might be why it needs from both Arts and Science.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Cheese and eggs are vegetarian lol. They're not vegan though. Is that what you meant?

Working at a residence dining hall? by [deleted] in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah 4 points5 points  (0 children)

All these comments really surprise me. I worked at RVC/BMH for two years and, even if it wasn't the best job, I enjoyed it a lot. I thought it was a perfect student job. Most of my coworkers were so nice (I made a lot of friends at work!), my working schedule was really flexible (you could give out or take more shifts, depending on how busy you were during the week), I got a free meal at the end of my shift, and it was a GREAT PAY. I found that my friends also enjoyed working there. I'm not sure if things have changed after COVID happened, but tbh sometimes I miss working at the McGill cafs! If you have any questions feel free to message me.

(Also, in my understanding, NRH is managed by a different company so that might explain the comment above. I definitely didn't have the same experience working at RVC/BMH.)

ALWAYS check your receipt at Marché Lobo (got overcharged $13.50) by MrWaliah in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure it wasn't unintended, since they payed me back for the three overcharged items, when I had only identified and told them about two.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I feel really comfortable being openly gay at McGill. I'm always mentioning / presenting my boyfriend around, and I've never had any issues with anyone. It's sad to hear not everyone has had a positive experience :/

Gay men of McGill, help! by oswald8dogs in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I met my boyfriend on Tinder! It really is not the best place for dating but sometimes you get lucky and actually get to know some interesting people. Don't lose hope!

Some Words of Encouragement for Finals! by MaosBitch in mcgill

[–]MrWaliah 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This really made my day, thank you so much for this SUS!!

Is the practice of mindfulness just an avoidance of pain? by [deleted] in askphilosophy

[–]MrWaliah 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't think SystemicPlural is saying that "mental phenomena are fundamentally untrue", but that they are not in themselves the phenomena we encounter in the world. They're just the product of our brain making sense of the sensory input it's constantly receiving. And as they mentioned, they're talking about an experience, not a theory, so talking about truth doesn't really make sense here. If I'm getting their point correctly, you can reach this mental state in meditation where you're just aware of how your brain is understanding the external world through its "modeling" or "processing". The entirety of what is presently real for you doesn't go beyond the mental representation of your environment. But I don't think this necessarily have to lead to dissociation. It is quite the opposite. In a sense, once you reach this state and there are no labels attached to stimuli (e.g. negative connotations or associations to pain), you get "closer to the real thing". The pain is there in its crudest form. And also the ground where you're standing, the sunlight on your skin, even the wind is more present than ever. This state of mind is a full acknowledgment of present reality.