08-09 Archive
Elyssa
Zot Blog #10
4 June 2009
Hey Everyone! This may be my last Zot Blog, and so I just wanted to start off by thanking everyone for reading these Blogs. It has been a lot of fun and it will be weird to not write these every week. Anyway, thanks guys and gals for reading, and please feel free to continue to comment and ask questions if you have any!
Yesterday was our Hall Banquet, and this was the last time that all of us would be together as a hall. We got to eat, were presented with awards, and played the touch game, not to mention we took about a million pictures! It was a lot of fun and although I am really excited for summer, I will miss everyone in Ondas! It was a lot of fun, and I will never forget the people who were always so nice to me and who made my freshman year that much more spectacular. Thanks to everyone in Ondas! Ondas Love Forever!!!!
Today was also my last day of classes! I was really excited to finish, but it was kind of weird because that means that now I have to study all weekend for finals, and it also means that summer is only a week away! One week from today, I will be officially done with my freshman year of college! My room is about half packed up, and I’m getting ready to leave for the summer. It is a little stressful getting out of here just because there is so much stuff that I brought here, and so it’s hard packing it all up again. Luckily I have been slowly taking things back for the last month or so, so it’s not too bad. It’s also a little stressful because I finish my last final on Thursday and am leaving for Hawaii the following Tuesday. I am SUPER excited to go to Hawaii, but it’s kind of stressful right now because I am not only trying to pack up my room here, but I am also trying to pack for Hawaii. I am going to two months, and I am working over there, so it takes a lot of planning and packing. My parents will be coming down next week to help take things back home that I can’t fit in my car, but it’s just going to be a little crazy this next week. It’s still really exciting though, and so I can’t complain! Lol
Last night after the banquet we also had a small dance in our suite and all of us just got together and danced to some music after the banquet. It was super low key, but it was really fun to just forget about homework for a second and dance around with my friends.
That is about it for this week! Just going to start studying my brains out for my finals next week and continue to pack up my room! Again, thanks for reading my blogs! I have had tons of fun writing them!!!!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #9
28 May 2009
Hey Everyone! Well not much happened this week. I had an awesome weekend with my friends who all came back from their colleges. As much as it was fun to hang out with them, it was hard too because they are on their summer break and I had to come back to Irvine to finish out my three weeks. It was totally worth it though, because last night u-cubed hosted our fyep bonfire. I was really nervous about it because a lot of people said that they were coming and I wanted to make sure that we had enough food. Around 40-50 people showed up to the bonfire and it was sooooooo much fun! We had plenty of food and firewood and everyone seemed to have a really good time! We played tons of games, took a lot of pictures, and ate copious amounts of smores. I had to take a step back and look at what u-cubed was able to pull off. We had planned this bonfire for so long and it was really cool to see it finally happen. I was also kind of sad because this was the last bonding experience for our hall and for everyone in u-cubed. It was definitely hard at times to plan everything, but in the end it was really worth it. Seeing how much fun everyone had at the bonfire yesterday allowed me to take a step back to see what we were able to accomplish. I am so proud of u-cubed and so happy that we were able to accomplish everything that we wanted to accomplish.
Anyway, this week went by really fast and so not much has happened. Next week is our last week and then we have finals. I am really excited for summer but I am not too excited to start studying for finals. I hope that it all goes well and that it goes by quickly!
Next week my essay for humanities core is due and I am so excited to turn it in. I have loved reading about the person that I am researching, but I am not too excited to write the paper. It’s also worth 60% of my grade so I am crossing my fingers that I will do well on it. On Monday my window for classes opens up and although some of my classes are starting to get full, I am hoping to still get into the classes that I need to get into. I will tell you what I am taking next week!
On Monday we are also having our last u-cubed officer’s meeting. We will be taking pictures and turning in the u-cubed binder! This weekend I am going to get it all organized so it will be ready to turn in on Monday! After Monday, we will be officially done with u-cubed. I am kind of dad about it, but I know that it is time to move on.
Well that’s it for this week!!!
Have a great weekend!!!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #8
20 May 2009
Wow! Where do I begin with what happened today. Well let me first start with what I got on my psychology test. I got a 57/64, and I was really excited because I did a lot better on this test than the first midterm. Hopefully this will raise my grade and I am just really excited to hear what my teacher has to say about the midterm tomorrow.
Okay so onto the HUGE news today. This morning we all got this test ZotAlert (a text message when something is wrong at the school), just to see how many students had signed up for the ZotAlert and to see how many people received the text message. I got the test ZotAlert and thought nothing of it. Then at about 2:00 pm, I got this other ZotAlert saying that there was a possible gunman on campus. They told us where he was seen, what he looked like, and what he was wearing. They also told us to call 911 if we saw him. Luckily I was already in my dorm room and so I wasn’t too worried. I was only worried for my friends who were out on campus, and I was also nervous because I had a class in 30 minutes and was unsure whether to go to class. I then heard that the entire school when on lockdown and everyone needed to stay inside. That is when I got nervous. I emailed my teacher and told her that I was not coming to class because of what was going on. I quickly got three emails back from my teacher saying that class was cancelled and to email her to tell her that we were safe. I emailed my teacher to tell her that I was safe and waited for my roommates and friends to come back safe. Everyone quickly came back to the dorm and everyone was a little nervous but fine.
They caught the man around 3:30 and lifted the lockdown. They later discovered that he wasn’t really carrying a rifle, but just an air soft-gun that looked like a rifle. Everyone was really relieved when we heard that he didn’t really have a rifle, and we were able to go back outside. I am really impressed by UCI, because they were able to send us the ZotAlerts and put the entire school in lockdown really quickly. They also were able to keep us updated every few minutes with ZotAlerts. I am so impressed with the school and the police for being able to keep us all safe and for keeping us so updated. Luckily it was only a false alarm, but it is better to be safe than sorry. It was such an eventful day at UCI and I must say that although it was scary at first, it all ended up well. I am also happy because my class today got cancelled because of the alleged gunman. We didn’t have class today, and we won’t have class on Monday because of Memorial Day, so that means that we won’t have class again until next Wednesday! YAY!
This week we also had two earthquakes, but they were really small and not a big deal at all. Let’s just say that this week was super eventful and I must say that I am kind of glad that this week is coming to an end. It has been a long week and I am glad that I am going to be able to have a long weekend.
This weekend I am going to hang out with some of my friends who are already done with college and are on summer break. It should be a lot of fun and so I am just really excited to finish my classes tomorrow and to start my weekend. I am also excited for tomorrow because my Grandparents are coming over to see my school and dorm. They have never seen it so it should be a lot of fun tomorrow!!!
That’s it for this week! Next Wednesday is the bonfire and it should be a lot of fun!!!!
Have a great Memorial Weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog # 7
13 May 2009
It’s 9:05 on Wednesday May 13, 2009 and I officially have only 1 more month of school left. I seriously cannot believe that I am officially done with my freshman year in one month. I think the only hard part about this month is that a lot of my high school friends are done with school and are starting their summers. It’s hard to keep studying and doing homework, knowing that a lot of my friends are done with school and I only have one month left. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this year has been a blast and I have met amazing friends, but I am also definitely feeling the summer fever. It has been really warm down here in Irvine too, and this makes me wish for summer even more. I just really have to push myself in this last month so that I can finish the school year well and have a fun summer.
This summer I am officially enrolled to take an online astronomy class at a community college called Moorpark. I am really excited because that means that I will be able to get another science class out of the way, and it’s only a 4 week course. The grade does not transfer to UCI, but the units and the credit do so that is all that matters. I heard that it is a hard class, but I am up for the challenge, and I just really want to get a science class out of the way.
I am also super excited for summer because in one month and three days I will be in Hawaii. I will be there for two months and have been reemployed by Macy’s for the summer. I really love working there, especially in Hawaii, and I am just so excited to get there and start working.
On Monday, U-cubed had a meeting about our bonfire that we are hosting. I am getting a little nervous about it, because we may be hosting it for as many as 100 people, but I am excited because it should be a fun event. Hopefully it will go as smoothly as the Relay for Life Walk, and that everything will work out. Trader Joes is willing to donate some food to us, and so that will also help us out a lot. I am just glad that everything with u-cubed has ultimately worked out so well, and although it has been a lot of work, I will be a little sad to see it go. It has been a lot of fun!
Today I got up super early to go to the College of Social Ecology to talk to them about classes for next year. Once again, the college of Social Ecology pleasantly surprised me, and they could not have been nicer. So far, I am taking Criminology, Social Ecology 10, AIDS Fundamentals, and Stats 7. My schedule is very jam packed fall quarter, but I really just want to finish all of my GE’s as fast as possible so that I can start taking upper- division classes. I cannot declare my major yet, because I have to finish Psychology 11 A-B-C (I am taking C now which is the last class). Fall of 2009, I can declare Psychology. I am also taking Criminology to see if I like the class, because I am highly considering a double major in Criminology and Psychology.
Well that is pretty much it for this week! I am just gearing up for my fourth and last midterm, which is next Tuesday. I am really excited to take this midterm because I just want to be done with them!!! J
Have a great weekend!!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #6
6 May 2009
Hey Everyone! Okay so this past weekend was the Relay for Life Cancer Walk! It was seriously a blast and I am so glad that we were able to participate in it. Friday night, I barely got any sleep because I kept thinking of things that we needed to bring for the walk and I was nervous that we were not totally prepared. I felt very responsible for this walk and I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. At about 7:00am on Saturday, I woke up and was pumped for the walk. I checked to make sure that we had everything we needed, packed an overnight bag, and packed up my car with all of our supplies. At about 10:00am we all headed over to the park with our supplies and set up camp. The place was packed with people and tents, and I was so excited to finally have made it. We had been planning this walk for months, and as I looked out onto the park, all I could think of was, “Wow, we made it. Look where we are! U-Cubed pulled it off!!!”. The tents were set up without a hitch and within about an hour we had already set up camp and were ready to go.
My entire family and my grandparents came to support me and to have my Grandma walk in the survivors lap. The Cancer Society gave her a t-shirt, a sash that said “survivor”, and medal. She was very excited to do the lap and I was really happy to watch her walk around the park. After the survivors lap, I took my grandparents and family to lunch at Commons and to see my dorm room. Later we went to see VDC Norte, where I will be living next year, and to the ARC. By that point I needed to get back to start my walking shift, and they needed to get home. I was sad to see them leave, but so ecstatic that they were all able to come and that everything went so well.
I walked my first hour without a hitch, but I knew that I needed to walk another 5 hours throughout the walk, and so after my first hour I went back to the campsite to rest. We all had dinner and relaxed, each taking turns walking throughout the 24 hours. Some of us were up for the 24 hours and most only got about 2-3 hours of sleep. Walking was fun, but I must admit that waking up at 3:30 am to walk was a little hard. It sounds cheesy, but every time I got really tired, I just listened to “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton, and it gave me a little boost to keep going.
I think that one of the hardest parts about the whole walk was during the luminera ceremony. I had made a bag with my Grandy’s name on one side, and on the other side I put three names of the amazing women that I had watched lose their battle against breast cancer between June and December of 2008. They put glow sticks in the bag and put it on the sidewalk. Many bags lit up the sidewalk while we were walking, and it was a very solemn moment. They then read all of the names on the bags out loud while all of us walked a lap in silence in honor of the people who have won and lost their battles with cancer. That was a tough moment in the walk, and I had trouble keeping it together when I heard my Grandy’s and the three other names being read out loud over the speakers. At that moment, I was so glad that I was at the walk, and that I was no longer just sitting on the side lines watching people pass away from cancer. Nothing else mattered at that point; I had made it, my team had made it, and we were walking for an amazing cause.
By Sunday morning we were all exhausted but continued to walk. By about 10:00am, we had packed up all of our things, and waited for the closing ceremony. At the closing ceremony, we found out that everyone who had participated in the walk had raised over $35,000 for cancer research! Our team was so excited that we had helped to contribute and we were glad that we had done the walk. At the end of the ceremony, we all walked back and unpacked our things. Many of the team fell asleep (we had been up for around 27 hours), but Erika and I stayed up, because we didn’t want to sleep in the afternoon and then be up again in the evening. We made it to about 9:30 pm and then we crashed. We had been up for about 36 hours and couldn’t stay up for another minute!
Overall, it was one of the best experiences here at UCI. It was A LOT of work, but in the end, it was so worth it and I wouldn’t have changed anything about it. I am so unbelievably proud of U-Cubed for pulling this off, and I want to thank each and every one of them for having such a positive attitude throughout the entire thing. It was a really important walk, and I am so glad that they did it with me. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to do the walk with, and we all had so much fun! Ultimately it was an awesome experience and I would love to do it again next year!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #5
29 April 2009
Hey Everyone! Okay so let me start out with this swine flu virus that has been going around. I know it’s a weird thing to write about, but it is pretty much all everyone is talking about here at school. It seems to be getting more serious, but so far, no one has gotten here in Orange County or in our school. We all were sent an email from the Chancellor a few days ago, telling us not to worry and that UCI has a plan if this flu turns into a pandemic. It made me feel better knowing that UCI is prepared in case this flu starts spreading into Orange County. I hope that the swine flu does not turn into a pandemic, but it’s nice knowing that UCI is ready in case it does.
Anyway, moving on to something not so scary! The Relay for Life Walk is this weekend!!!! It has been a lot of work to put together, but now that it is only in a few days, I am starting to get really excited! I have seen too many people pass away from cancer and I’m just really glad that this weekend I am going to do something about it. Our team is pretty much all prepared and now we are just waiting to start the walk. We are all trying to get lots of sleep too, because the walk is for 24 hours, and therefore we are not going to really be able to sleep. I will definitely be writing about the walk in next week’s blog! Wish us luck and if your area come and cheer us on!!! LOL
This week we cancelled the U-Cubed meeting because we had an officer’s meeting on Monday to discuss the walk, and another meeting on Tuesday would have been redundant. Basically, u-cubed has just been focusing on the walk, and then after that, we are going to start focusing on the bonfire.
This week has not been that eventful! I am just studying like crazy for finals! I got my psychology midterm back yesterday and I got a B. I was glad that I got a B, but a little disappointed that I didn’t get an A. I had studied a lot for the test and so I wish that I had done a little better. I’m just trying to not be upset, and am just focusing on doing a little better on the next one. I have a Humanities Core midterm today (in about an hour and a half), so I have been studying that last couple of days for that. I am hoping that I do well on this midterm! Wish me luck!!!
Anyway, that’s about it for this week. I am basically just focusing on my midterms and this walk this weekend! I know that all of you will have to choose your college by the end of this week and I just wanted to wish you all luck! I hope to see all of you at UCI!!!! Feel free to comment or ask questions if you have any questions about UCI or just questions about college in general. I know that picking a college is a very big decision, so if you guys or gals have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to write to me!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #4
23 April 2009
Hey guys and gals. Okay well it’s already the end of week 4 and it’s gone by so fast! I also must say that it has not been the easiest week. I had a midterm and an essay due today, I have a midterm on Wednesday, the Relay for life walk next weekend, and another two midterms after that. Wow! I also have a research paper to work on, and our halls philanthropy project is on Saturday. As much as I am excited for the walk and the philanthropy project, I have to admit that trying to balance everything is a little hard. I love all of my classes and I’m excited about the philanthropy project and the walk, but I just think that right now it’s all a little bit overwhelming. I know that it’s going to be a difficult next few weeks, but I’m ready to face them and get through it.
Well I mentioned that I had a midterm today, and I had it in psychology. I am hoping that I did well because I think that I want to major in psychology. I need to do well in all of my psychology classes in order to declare the major. I did well in psych 11A and 11B, so I am hoping that I can keep my grades up with this class. The only hard part is that the tests are curved and so everyone in the class is basically competing against each other. I will find out the grades soon and I can’t wait to see how I did. I also turned in my essay today on Sophocles’ Antigone, and let’s just say that I am soooo glad that the essay is done and that I turned it in. I am also hoping that I did well on the essay because it is worth 30% of my grade.
I am sooooooo ready to start this walk!!! I am so excited to have my team together and walking for such a great cause. Today I got my t-shirt for the walk and I was able to raise my $100.00 so I am also going to be able to eat at the event! Yay!!! We also got to pick out where we are going to set up camp in the park. We got a great spot and I cannot wait to set up camp! Everyone is getting different food to bring and everyone has their times on when they are supposed to walk. I hope that everyone is starting to get excited about it too because it is for such a great cause, and it’s going to be fun to be able to all be together and camp out for 24 hours. Anyway, it is on May 2 and 3rd, so I will let you all know how it goes! If you’re in the area next Saturday or Sunday come cheer us on and how your U/U pride!!!
Well that’s about it for this week. I pretty much working on homework, midterms, and getting ready for the walk! Wow! It’s going to be a crazy next few weeks, but I’m ready for it!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #3
15 April 2009
Hey Everyone! I hope that you all had a great Easter weekend! Okay so this weekend I think that I had the best Easter EVER!!! My family and I came down to Irvine and we went to Balboa Island. I have never been to Balboa Island before and it was sooooo much fun! There were little stores everywhere and there was a lot of food. It was a perfect day outside to walk around, and we could not have picked a better day to go! After Balboa Island we went to the Spectrum. There we went to Dave and Buster’s before going to dinner at the Yard House. I had never been to a Dave and Buster’s, because you have to be 21 unless you go in with an adult that is 26 years old or older. It was so much fun and my brother, sister, and I had a blast racing each other in the virtual car races. After hanging out at Dave and Buster’s we all went to eat at the Yard House. The food was really good, but by this point I was really full! I had eaten so much at Balboa Island and at the Yard House that I was really full when we finished dinner.
After we all finished dinner, my family dropped me off at school and then they drove back home to LA. I was really sad for them to leave, because we had had so much fun that day, and I had been looking forward to it for a long time. I hope that my family and I and have another fun day like that soon, because I really enjoyed it. I can honestly say that that was probably one of the best Easter’s ever, and it was a really great day.
I am also excited for tomorrow evening because my suite is finally all going out together to have a suite outing. We are all going out to the Cheesecake Factory, and then we are all going to see the movie, I Love You Man. I am super excited to go out with everyone, and to not have to think about school for a few hours. Starting this weekend is midterm month, meaning that I am going to have one midterm for the next month!!! My first midterm is next week, and so I am glad that I will be able to go out with my friends tomorrow before I need to start studying. Hopefully the midterms will not be too hard and that this month goes by fast!
Yesterday we had another u-cubed meeting where we al discussed the Relay for Life Walk. We made a list of who has to walk at what time, and we made a list of who is going to walk with whom during those times. I felt a lot better about the walk after our meeting, because I feel that it is much more organized now that we know who is walking at what time during the Relay. Overall it was another successful u-cubed meeting!
Last but not least, we have our nachos fundraiser today in order to raise money for our cancer walk. We had the fundraiser yesterday too and we made $86.00!!! Everyone was really happy that we had raised that much money and I can’t wait to see how much money we are going to make today. A lot of prospective students are coming to visit the campus today too, so hopefully that will help our fundraiser.
Anyway, that is it for this week! Have a great weekend!!!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #2
7 April 2009
Week 2 is here!!! YAY!!! That means that there is only 9 weeks left until summer! I am also really excited because my family and I are going to Hawaii for two months and I am already starting to count down the days. I love Hawaii and it really helps me to relax before having starting another year of school. Anyway, I am really excited to start summer!!!
On Monday all of the u-cubed officers got together to talk about the Relay for Life walk and the Bonfire that we are planning. I have to admit that I was getting really stressed out about it because not only did we have these two very large events coming up, but we also had to do a fundraiser to raise money for the Relay for Life walk. Luckily, we were able to all sit down and really plan out everything that we needed to do in order to get everything done in time. We delegated officers to do different jobs, and I think that by the end of it, it was pretty organized. I know that I felt better by the end of the meeting and I think that everyone else felt better about the tasks that lie ahead too! I don’t think that we realize how big this Relay for Life walk is and although I am incredibly excited for it, it is also a little daunting. I know that we will be able to pull it all together in time, and I am excited to just start the walk!
We also had to choose a specific cancer that we wanted to support and walk for. Our team chose breast cancer. It is something that is affecting a lot of people and I think that it is so important to raise breast cancer awareness. My Grandma had breast cancer twice, and although she is healthy now, she was very sick for a long time. I have also gone to three funerals in the last year for women who passed away from this terrible cancer. I am just really glad that I am going to be able to participate in a walk that is really meaningful, and it is something that is really near and dear to my heart.
Today, I went to a book signing and got one of my books called, “ Still Alive” by Ruth Kluger, signed. She was a holocaust survivor and used to teach at UCI. We are going to be reading her book in my humanities core class in a few weeks, and I am really excited to read her story. I don’t think that some people are really able to grasp what happened to those people in concentration camps, and I think that reading a first hand account of what happened is important. I was honored that she signed my book, and I can’t wait to start reading it.
This coming Sunday, my family is coming down to Irvine for Easter! I am really excited because I think that we are going to Balboa Island, and I have never been there before. It looks like a really cute little town and I am excited to spend some time with my family. It is definitely a different way to spend Easter, but I think it will be a lot of fun, and as long as I am with my family, I know that I am going to have a blast!
Anyway, that is about all for this week! Not too much has happened this week, which I have to say I am happy about. Starting next week, things are going to start getting a little crazy, because midterms are going to start and I know that I am going to have a lot of work to do. I’m just trying to stay relaxed, so that when next week rolls around, I will be ready to take on any task!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #1 Spring!
2 April 2008
Hey everyone! Okay so this is the first week of the last quarter! YAY!!! I am very excited that we are in the last quarter of the year, because as much as I love school, I am definitely ready for summer!
My schedule is officially finalized for this quarter too! I only have two or three classes a day and no classes on Friday. I also arranged my schedule so that I would have my last final on Thursday June 11th, so that I can start my summer a day early. I am so glad that everything worked out so well for this quarter.
So this week was pretty low key for me. On Monday we had our officer meeting for u-cubed where we just discussed our relay for life walk. I am super excited for the walk, and we just need to get a little more organized so that we will be extra ready when the relay begins. On Tuesday we had our first u-cubed meeting of the quarter, and it went really smoothly. We all just talked more about the relay for life walk and discussed who would bring what to the walk, so that everyone is prepared. Oh! I forgot to tell you that on Monday I also had to sign up for the unit assignment, meaning that I have to go to a meeting to officially declare a college. I am going into the school of Social Ecology, and as much as I’ll miss being U/U, going into another college sounds really exciting! Yesterday I went to the gym early in the morning because my classes didn’t start until 11:00 am. It was really nice because it was empty and so I was able to get in a really good workout. The only problem is that after I realized I had really injured my back and so all day yesterday I had to lay down. UGH! It is still really sore today, but it’s better than yesterday, so I am hoping that it will heal soon.
Yesterday was also April Fools Day, and let me tell you that it was a day full of pranks! Everyone in my hall was trying to pull pranks on each other. Luckily, no one really tried to prank me (because I begged them not too!). I am not really good with pranks and although I can pull off some pranks, I myself do not like when people prank me back. Yesterday, I did not want anyone to prank me and so I didn’t prank anyone either. Although I didn’t pull any pranks, many others did, and I have to say that it was really funny. They were totally harmless, but really hilarious to watch. Let me just say that although yesterday’s pranks were funny, I am glad that April Fools Day is over!
Anyway, I only have two classes today from 11:00-2:00pm and then I have no more classes until Monday! All of the Zot bloggers are also getting their pictures taken again today so look out for some new pictures!
I know that most of you have now gotten all of your letters back from colleges, and I hope that it wasn’t too stressful for you! Let me know if you have any questions about college!!!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #12
24 March 2009
Hey Everyone! I just wanted to write a quick blog telling you about my last few days of winter quarter and my spring break thus far! I must say that the last few days of the quarter were really difficult. I took my Humanities Core final on Thursday from 1:30-3:30 and then raced back to my room to start studying for my 8:00 am Political Science the next day! Let’s just say that it was extremely stressful and I only got a few hours of sleep. I had to wake up at 5:30 Friday morning in order to finish packing, get ready for my day, and get a little study time in before I had to leave at 7:30 for the final. I am so glad that all of the finals are over, and that I can rest for a week before starting my last quarter of my freshman year of college. I am waiting on the final grades to come in and the transcripts are going to be available Friday at 8:00pm. I’m a little nervous only because I want to stay on the Dean’s Honor List, but whatever happens, I know that I tried my best.
I also wanted to tell you guys know that I got all of the classes that I wanted for next quarter! YAY!!!!! I was registered to take the Mind, Memory, and Brain class, but I was waitlisted for the Human Development class. On Wednesday I was informed that I got into the Human Development class! I was so excited that I jumped out of my seat and my chair fell over! Hahaha. I dropped the Mind, Memory, and Brain class (which still looks really interesting and I think I want to take it next year), and now I have all of the classes that I wanted! I am really excited to start next quarter now, and I am very much relieved that everything worked out as well as it did.
Anyway, my break has been going pretty well. My mom and sister went with my Grandparents to Ireland and England for two weeks and they are coming back tomorrow evening! I am really excited because I have not seen my mom or sister for three weeks and I miss them a lot. I usually talk to my mom about three times a day at school and because international calling is so expensive, I have been unable to talk to her a lot in the last few weeks. My dad, brother, and I cannot wait to see them tomorrow and to pick them up from the airport!
Overall, it’s just been really nice to spend some time at home and to just be able to relax a little bit before starting another quarter.
I hope that colleges are going well for all of you and have a great rest of the week!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #11
18 March 2009
This week is finals week, which is probably one of the most stressful weeks of the quarter. One thing that I do like about it is that we do not have school this week, so all you have to do is go to your finals and then you’re done. Sadly for me, my last final is not until Friday so I have to continue to study until then. Although finals week is definitely stressful it’s also nice to not have school and just be able to be with your friends and study. I’m just excited to be done with my finals so that I can go home and spend some time with my High School friends and my family. Spring break is about 10 day long, and so I’m excited to have a nice break with no homework or studying.
Starting next quarter I will also have to decide which college I want to go into, meaning that I will no longer be officially undecided/undeclared. Although I am excited to declare a college (I’m thinking Social Ecology), I am pretty sad to be leaving the U/U College. They have given me so much and I have learned a lot from them, that I am sad that soon, I will not be U/U. I am excited though, to start a new chapter at UCI, and to start figuring out what I want to major in.
Earlier last week, I was finally able to sign up for my classes for spring quarter. I only had to waitlist for one class, Human Development, and luckily I am currently waitlisted at the number 2 spot. I am also enrolled in Psychology, Humanities Core, and Mind, Memory, and the Brain. This biology class I am planning on dropping if I get into the human development class. Today is the start of the adjustment period where students can add, drop, or change their classes. I am hoping that some people drop the human development class today and then I can be officially enrolled in the class. Otherwise, I will have to talk to the professor and ask him to allow me to add the class. No matter what, I am excited that my classes worked out so well (considering I had one of the last enrollment days), and I cannot wait to get started with the next quarter.
Anyway, I know this is short, but not much is going on this week except for finals. I had my psychology final yesterday, I am taking my humanities core final tomorrow (which I went to a 5 hour study session for last night!), and my political science final on Friday.
Have a great weekend and good luck with colleges!!!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #10
9 March 2009
Okay so it’s Monday of the last week of winter quarter and I have to say that I am excited to be almost done. This quarter has been great, but I’m ready to start a new quarter with new classes. Finals are next week and I must admit that I am getting a little stressed about them, but I’m trying to stay relaxed so that I power through this week. Luckily, I have all of my other homework done for this week so that I can just start studying. Before getting too deep into this blog, I also want to wish my mom, sister, and grandparents and safe and fun trip to Ireland. They will be leaving this week and I just want to wish them a safe flight!
I also wanted to tell all of you about my trip to Fashion Island with my mom! It was seriously so much fun and I highly suggest that all of you go and check it out ASAP! My friend also took me to the Spectrum for lunch that same week and it was really fun! I had no idea that these great shopping areas were so close to the school, and now that I know where they are, I will definitely be trying to go to them more often. I highly recommend going to see them when you come here!
This is also the week that I get to sign up for my spring classes. My only problem right now is that I cannot sign up for classes until Wednesday and most of my classes are already pretty full. I am not sure if I will able to get into them. I am hoping that I can get on the waitlist and then after the professor to add me into the class. Keep your fingers crossed for me because right now, my classes are not looking too good! I am hoping that if I go and talk to the professors, it will all work out.
Today I also got news that I did not receive the scholarship that I applied for last week. Although I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that I did not get the scholarship, I understand that many applied for it and not everyone is able get one. I am still glad that I applied for the scholarship because I was able to get my name out there, and it taught me how to apply for scholarships I may want to apply for in the future. I highly suggest that all of you try and apply for a scholarship when you can. Even if you do not get the scholarship, you can always try for another one and you will be able to get you name out there to the school
Anyway, not much has happened in the last week. I had a really fun and relaxing weekend with my family and some friends that came over for dinner. It was nice to just hang out with my family and friends, and not have to worry about doing homework. Sometimes you just need to be able to take a break and be with your family. My family is super important to me and so I love being able to hang out with them as much as possible.
I want to wish everyone good luck with colleges. If you have any questions or comments don’t hesitate to ask!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #9
March 4, 2009
First off, I would like to wish my brother a very Happy 17th Birthday!!!! His birthday is tomorrow, and I will be unable to make it home in time, but I still want to wish him a very happy birthday. I wish that I could make it back for his birthday, but I have a class on Friday and I have to be there to turn in an essay. L I have to admit that I am a little disappointed that I can’t be there, but I am going to celebrate his birthday with him on Friday, so that is still good.
I seriously cannot believe that it is already week 9 and that Winter quarter is quickly coming to a close. I am excited to start a new quarter, but I am also sad because it means that I only have one quarter left with my hall. We have all become great friends and it will be very weird not living with them next year. This year has gone by SO FAST, and although I am excited to start a new quarter and to start summer, it will also be a little sad.
Yesterday we had our last U-Cubed meeting of the quarter! I was sad that it was the last meeting of the quarter, but the last meeting was awesome, and I was happy that it went so well. We had a speaker come from Sociology come and talk to us about his major and why he liked it. He was a really great speaker because not only is he a Sociology major, but he is also a U/U advisor. He also gave us some overall great tips and advice about being U/U. The meeting lasted for more than an hour, and it was really a lot of fun! We are all signed up to walk in the Relay for Life Cancer Walkathon, and everyone is getting really pumped up about it. I do have to admit though that I am a little bit worried about walking for 24 hours, but I think that it will be fun and it’s for a great cause.
In this blog, I really just wanted to wish all of you luck on colleges. I know that March is the time when colleges start sending out acceptance and reject letters, and I know that it must be a really stressful time. If you do not get into the college of your choice, don’t stress about it. I know that it is very upsetting (believe me), but you can always go to another school and transfer, or you can always try to appeal. I really just want to let you all know not to worry; it will all work out the way that it is supposed to. I’m sure that many people have told you this, but take it from someone who just went through what you all went through. Anyway, I think that the best advice that I can give you is to not stress. I can tell you with confidence that it will all work out just fine, and wherever you end up (hopefully UCI! J), you will do well. Please comment on my blogs if you have any questions, concerns, or comments about colleges. I promise to comment back and to give you the best advice that I can.
Good luck with colleges everyone! I know that it will all work out!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #8
24 February 2009
Hey Everyone! So a few things have happened since I last wrote. We had our u-cubed meeting last week where we inducted the new officers. It was a lot of fun and I think that all of them were very pleased to now officially be officers of the club. Over the weekend I got a phone call with news of how much money we made at our Gina’s Pizza fundraiser…we made $97.00!!!!! I was super shocked. I really thought that we only made about $20.00-$30.00, and I couldn’t believe that we actually made that much money! Let’s just say that I was screaming and running around my room because I was sooooo excited! We all worked so hard to make that fundraiser a success, and I was very pleased to find out that we had made that much money.
Now for some other news: We decided as a club to participate in the Relay for Life Cancer Walk here at UCI on May 3-4. We will be walking for two days straight to raise money for Cancer research. We officially signed up as a club and everyone is really excited. What’s cool about it too is that it’s right here at school in the park! We are going to put up tents in the park so that if people get tired they can rest and sleep. We will be walking all day and night, but what nice about it is that not all of us have the walk the full 2 days. As long as one person from our team is walking then it is fine. I’m very excited to be a part of this walk, because I think that it is soooo important to spread cancer awareness.
I also got back my psychology grade and I got a 34/40. I was a little disappointed because I thought that I would do better, but I’m hoping that the curve will boost my grade a little bit. I think that postponing the test for another two days did not help my grade any either. I had studied all weekend for the test and then when it got postponed, it was hard to study. By that point I had to start the homework that I hadn’t done over the weekend because I was studying. It made it a little difficult to study and catch up on other homework I had. Anyway, I’m sure that it will all work out because the teacher is pretty nice, so hopefully the curve will boost my grade. I am actually sitting and waiting for the psychology class to start now, so I will find out in a few minutes what my grade is. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Anyway, that is about it for this week. I have a cold so I’m just trying to get a lot of sleep so that I can get better ASAP! Tomorrow I am going to my cousins’ house for dinner, Friday I am going out to lunch with my friend, and Saturday my mom is coming down to go shopping with me. I usually go home on the weekend so I’m excited for my mom to come down here to visit me. We are going to go explore Irvine and just see what’s around here. It’s funny because half of the year is over already and I still don’t know too much of what is around here. I’ll tell you guys next week of any good places that I find around here. I am super excited!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot blog #7
17 February 2009
Okay so I just left the Faculty Coffee House at the U/U office. It was such a fun meeting. I got to meet faculty from Comparative Literature and from Public Planning, Policy, and Design. I loved being able to meet the faculty in a casual setting and just be able to talk to them about the majors. I also got to ask them about the colleges that they went to, their majors, and why they decided to be professors at this school. I especially talked to one professor who was the comparative literature professor. He was very nice and he was very interested in what I wanted to pursue as a major. He told me all abut the comparative literature major and the classes that I would have to take and they actually sounded pretty interesting. I do not think that I will be able to take any of the classes, but if any of you are interested in the major, definitely look into the lower division 60 series because they sound pretty interesting. It was a very fun coffee hour and I cannot wait to go to the next one!
Today I also got back my Humanities Core midterm and I got a 92%. I was pretty happy with the grade, but there was one question that my teacher graded that I did not agree with. I later talked to her about it, but she still did not change the grade. Even though she did not change the grade I am still glad that I went to talk to her about it. I highly recommend going to your teachers office hours if you are unsure of a specific grade or you have a question, because are always willing to explain and help you to better understand the question. I also talked to her about my upcoming essay that is due next week. It was a really great meeting with her because she helped to explain what she wanted to see I my essay and how to fix my topic paragraph. I am so glad that I went to her office hours, and everyone needs to take advantage of it.
Currently, I am waiting to start the U-Cubed meeting for this week. Tonight we are going to officially induct the new officers into the club. A few officers were unable to continue with being officers, but new ones came aboard the team…we just haven’t officially initiated them yet. It is going to be really fun to watch because they are going to have to say an oath aloud and sign some paperwork. I am going to take lots of pictures and record it for the u/u video that I am still working on. I will be turning in the video camera tomorrow and hopefully they like the footage that I took. I guess I will have to wait and see! I am excited for tonight’s meeting and I will let you all know how it went next week.
Today was especially interesting because my psychology midterm was postponed until Thursday. Our teacher’s assistant accidentally copied the wrong midterm so we were unable to take the test. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed because it is my last midterm and I hoped to be done with midterms today. I mean it’s not that big of deal because I am only taking the midterm two days later, but it just means that I have to study more and I am not yet done with midterms. Now I cannot wait until Thursday because then I will finally be done with all of my midterms! YAY!!!!
Well that is all for now, but until next time…Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #6
11 February 2009
Okay so not too much has happened since I have last blogged, but the things that did happen were pretty big. Let’s begin… 
Last Thursday I had a Humanities Core exam, (worth 40% of my grade! Yikes!) and I think that I did pretty well! I have to say that I was pretty nervous about it, but in the end, I came out feeling pretty good about it. My teacher is not going to be there for our next class so I don’t think that we will be able to get them for about another week, but I am actually excited to get it back! I know weird right? I am actually excited to get an exam back! I also got back my humanities core essay back and I got a B+! I am pretty excited about the grade because it was about Shakespeare and how Ethos, Logos, and Pathos are used in the play. It was a hard essay and so I am happy with the end result.
In other news I took my first political science midterm EVER!!! I thought that it went pretty well, but I also don’t the grade for that yet so I’m trying to stay optimistic. Hopefully I did well on it. I studied really hard for it, but some of the questions were still difficult so I am hoping for the best. I will definitely let you guys know how I did just as I always do!
Yesterday was our first U-Cubed fundraiser at Gina’s Pizza and I think that overall it went pretty well! I do not know how much money we made, but I am hoping that we made a good amount. We are trying to raise enough money to host an undecided/undeclared bonfire for all of the u/u students. No matter what happens with the fundraiser, I am very proud of our club for what we have accomplished. Even if we didn’t make a lot of money, I am still very proud and honored to be a part of the u-cubed club. No one in the club has ever been able to pull off a fundraiser in this club before, so no matter what happens, I am happy that we were at least able to have a fundraiser. Everyone worked so hard in the club too, and it totally would not have been possible without them. They probably wont be reading this but I still want to thank them on my blog, because their help and dedication to the club means the world to me. They really made the fundraiser possible. I love this club so much and I am so proud to be a part of it.
Tomorrow I am meeting my u/u adviser to pick my classes for next quarter. I think that I am going to take Psychology 11A, Humanities Core, and a Biology class called Human Development from Conception to Birth. It sounds really interesting and I am hoping that I get into the class. I am also trying really hard to not have any classes on Friday. I would really like to have Friday off, so cross your fingers for me! I will let you guys know what classes I get in to as soon as I find out.
Okay so that’s pretty much it for this week!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #5
February 4, 2009
Okay so today I just got a video camera from the u/u office. I get to video tape a day in the life of a u/u student and I get to interview kids that are u/u. They told me that I can basically do whatever I want creatively with the video project and I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do with the camera. I think I’m going to interview other u/u students in my hall and ask them why they are u/u and what its like to be a u/u student. I really want to be able to show other students what life as a u/u student is really like here at UCI. I’m excited to see where this project goes and I’m hoping that the video turns out well. The idea is also supposed to be about my life as a u/u student. I want to really show what I do on a daily basis, and to be able to show how I live my life at UCI. Hopefully I can think of something creative for this project and I can’t wait to get started on it.
This coming Tuesday is also u-cubes first fundraiser! I have to admit that I am both excited and nervous for the fundraiser, because I want it to go well. We made the flyers and the posters for the fundraiser and we will be passing out the flyers on Monday and Tuesday on Ring Road. We will also be putting up the flyers on Monday too. I can’t wait to see what happens with the fundraiser and I will definitely let you know how things go!I am so proud of how far the club has gone. We not only now have guest speakers coming to the meeting, but we also now have club t-shirts (which look AMAZING by the way), we went to a basketball game as a club, and now we are hosting a fundraiser! I am so proud and honored to be a part of such a fun and all around amazing club. When you come to UCI, definitely check out u-cubed!
I also got back my psychology midterm and like I got an A-. I was happy with the grade but I have to admit I was a little disappointed because I was only one point away from an A. Aww well! What can I say? I’m still happy with the grade that I got. Tomorrow is my first Humanities Core midterm and I have to say that I am a little nervous for this one. I’ve been studying for it but I still wish that I had more time to study. I think that’s the problem with studying; it never ends and when it does, you wish that you had more time. I’m just glad that it will be all over tomorrow and then I can start studying for my political science midterm that’s on Monday.
Anyway my life is just clicking along. I’m half way done with my freshman year, and everything is falling into place. I have a routine, and time is moving fast as always.
That’s all for now! Not much going on. Just studying for finals and getting ready for our big u-cubed fundraiser!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #4
28 January 2009
Okay so first of all I want to wish my friend and fellow zot blogger Joy a very Happy 19th Birthday!!!!
Okay so yesterday I had my first midterm of the Winter quarter. It was a psychology midterm and I’m happy to say that I think that I did pretty well. I don’t want to jinx my luck or anything, because I haven’t gotten the grade back yet, but I hope that I did well on it. Now I just have to wait and see. I have three midterms left, one a week for the next month, but I’m glad that they are spread out and not coming at me all at once. Hopefully all will go smoothly and they will be over before I know it. Yesterday was also the day that I had to turn in my first essay for Humanities Core. I had to write about rhetoric in Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. At first, I was worried that I wouldn’t know how to write an essay on Shakespeare, let alone rhetoric. But, once I read the play, the essay just flowed and I ended up really liking the finished product. It was also really great because my teacher took time out of her busy schedule to help me with my essay when I was struggling with certain sections of my paper. I am also waiting on this grade too and I hope that it turns out to be a good grade! J
I can’t believe that I’m almost half way through my first year of college. The time has really flown by. Although I am definitely excited to start summer, (don’t get me wrong about that I LOVE summer), but it’s also going to be sad because my friends and I won’t be living together next year. I hope that we all stay close and that we still are able to get together on a regular basis.
Today, I got a phone call saying that my leasing packet for next year is ready for pick up. I’m very excited to get the packet and see whom I’m living with and where I’ll be staying. Although I still wish that I could room with my suite mates, I’m glad that I still get to room with my roommate and that everything has worked out with our rooming situation.
I have also been thinking what classes I want to take next quarter! I can’t believe that this quarter is already almost half way over, and now I need to think about classes for spring quarter. I was thinking of taking Intro into Ecology (to fulfill one of my science GE’s), Psychology 11C (then I can officially declare Psychology as my major if I decide to major in it), and of course Humanities Core (because it’s a year long class). I was also thinking of taking a one-unit science class on diseases in the brain. I met the biology teacher that teaches the class and it sounds so interesting. It’s mainly just a GPA booster but it’s really cool because it’s a small class size and only Freshman can take the class. If I can fit it into my schedule I definitely want to take advantage of the class. Hopefully I will be able to take all of these classes! (Cross your fingers for me okay! J)
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot blog #3
January 20, 2009
I’m sitting in the student Center eating some amazing pasta and watching the inauguration; I can tell you right now, life is good. I don’t know about tomorrow the next week, but I can tell you that right here at this second, my life is good. I woke up this morning extra early so that I could sit and watch Obama being sworn in to office. It was the most amazing feeling to watch the man whom I voted for, being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. I do have to admit that I even got a little teary eyed as I listened to his speech, because it meant that much to me. Today, I am proud of our country and I’m proud to be an American. It seems as though everyone put their political issues aside, and came together to watch this man become our next president.
Some more good news came my way today, as I got an email about my housing for next year. I am living in vista del campo Norte in a 3 bedroom, 4 occupancy apartment. I get my own room, and what’s great is that my roommate this year will also be my roommate next year too! I still do not know who the other two roommates are going to be yet, and I cannot wait to find out! I’m so excited to have my own apartment. As much as living in a dorm is fun, I must admit that being able to have my own kitchen, living room, and bathroom is going to be nice too!!!! J It’s truly shocking to me how fast this year has gone by and that today I actually got my housing for next year! As much as I am looking forward to my sophomore year, I have to say that I know I’m going to look back on this year and miss it terribly. So with that, I will be trying to live out the rest of my freshman year to the fullest, because I know that in a blink of an eye, it will already be over.
We also had our u-cubed meeting today, and let me tell you it went AMAZING!!! We had two speakers who were political science majors come and speak to us about why they chose that major. Everyone in the club asked great questions and we even went over our time because everyone was asking so many questions. IT WAS GREAT!!! We also got our t-shirts ordered and paid for, and we cannot wait to see them. We got forest green (though they look a little more teal) t-shirts that say u-cubed on the back and then say at the bottom it says “united undecided/undeclared”. I cannot wait to get them and show them off around school! It seems as though everything in u-cubed is finally coming together! YAY!
And so, I can honestly say that today was a GREAT day! Between watching Obama become the 44th president, getting my apartment for next year, and our u-cubed meeting (not to mention the really great pasta J), today was one that I will never forget.
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #2
January 14, 2009
Hey Everyone! I hope that you all had a great week. Okay, so last Wednesday we had our first u-cubed meeting of the quarter! Even though it was a quick meeting, it was still A LOT of fun! I am also super excited about u-cubed because we finally were able to order t-shirts for the club. On January 30th, all of the people who bought shirts are going to go to the Men’s volleyball game against UCLA to cheer on out team (ZOT ZOT) and to get our t-shirts!!!! I am super excited that we so many people wanted the t-shirts and that they are currently being many made.
I am also really excited because our hall is also going to get hall sweatshirts! A lot of halls in mesa court either have hall t-shirts or sweatshirts and I am glad that Ondas is now getting a sweatshirt too! Also at the meeting our RA told us all of a game that we are going to play for the next couple of weeks. We are now going to be doing suite exchanges!!!! So basically once a week, a girl’s suite and a boy’s suite get paired up then those two suites go and so something fun together that week. Each week, we get a new suite until we have had an event with every suite in our hall! Next week we have suite 202 and we are hoping to plan either a movie night or a dinner with them! It should be a lot of fun.
Well I can’t really say that this week has been the easiest week in the world in terms of school. It seems as though this week I have gotten a lot more homework than usual, but maybe it’s just because I have more classes this quarter than last quarter. I’m thinking that it will get easier as time goes on, because I will learn how to manage my time around these classes. I am sure that by next week homework will be easier and more manageable. I just have to get used to all of my new classes!
Last week, Joy and I found this new restaurant on campus by HSLH called something like “Under the Green”. We were so glad that we had found a cool new place to eat at, and that looked both delicious and healthy. We have not tried eating there yet, but when we do I will definitely tell you how it is! I am so excited to eat there soon!
Also, today I went to my Political Science discussion class at 9:00am. I was a little worried about going to this class because there are so many upperclassman in my class, and they are all so knowledgeable about International Relations and Political Science. I am just taking this class to see if I like Political Science because I was thinking of majoring in it. It was a little daunting to walk into a class with 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even 5th year Political Science students. So today, when I walked in, we had a quiz and then we had to get into random groups to discuss our newspaper article we brought in to class. I was paired with all upperclassman students, except for one other freshman. Needless to say its was very intimidating, but the second I got into my group we all just started talking about my newspaper article and about movies that we liked. Everyone was super nice and none of them cared that I was just a first year undeclared major. They took what I had to say seriously and they even wanted me to present our ideas to the class. Now I love my Political Science discussion! It was nice to see how accepting everyone was, and it really reflects how UCI students are as a whole. Everyone here is so friendly and no one really cares what year you are in. That is what I love about UCI!!!
Have a great weekend!
<3
Elyssa
Winter Quarter Zot Blog #1
5 January 2009
“What is something you wish you knew about college before going to college?“
This is a question that one of my friends, who is a senior in high school, asked me a few days ago. Even now it is a question that I still am not totally sure what the correct answer is. Although I may not know the right answer to this really great and thought-provoking question, I am going to try and answer it in the best way that I can and hopefully it will help all of you.
One thing that I think that I wish I knew about college is how much studying it requires. At first I thought that because I only had three classes, I wasn’t going to get as much homework and studying. Boy was I wrong. Although I am not physically in class as much as high school, I definitely still have just as much homework and studying, if not more so, that high school. It’s actually not so much that I have actual homework or as I like to call it, busy work, but I still have a lot of studying that I have to do for each class. Before I came to college, I had heard that for each hour you are in class, you need to study 3 to 4 hours outside of class. Let me tell you something…this is completely and 100% true! I love the college schedule because I would much rather study at my own pace than sit and do busy work all day as homework.
Another really important thing that I wish I knew before coming to college is that you cannot procrastinate. UCI is on the quarter system and that means that there are only 10 weeks per quarter, leaving no time for procrastination. You have to do all of your homework on time otherwise, you will definitely fall behind very quickly. I personally love the quarter system because it doesn’t allow me to procrastinate. I also love the quarter system because I get to try many different classes in one year, and if I don’t like a class I know that it’s only 10 weeks long, and then I can try a new class again.
Lastly, I wish that I knew how important the term “office hours” would become in my life. Everyone needs to definitely go to your professor or TA’ office hours as much as possible. I starting going half way through my first quarter and it really helped. My TA for my humanities core class helped me not only with my essays, but she also gave me great advice on just the class in general. She really helped me do well in that class, and I now would feel confident enough to ask for a recommendation when I need one. Office hours are a great way to get to know your teachers, which in turn may come in handy when you need an internship or recommendation later on.
The last piece of advice is just to get involved in your school. I came from an all girls high school with a graduating class of 108. Coming to a school with over 26,000 students was very daunting at first, but the second that I became involved at this school, I become more confident and I found my awesome group of friends. I now know that I want to become known at this school. I do not want to just be a part of the crowd, I want to be able to make a name for myself here. That’s another great thing about UCI, it is SO easy to become involved with something here and I would definitely suggest doing so. It is such a great way to meet people and to become known at UCI!
Anyway, I hope that this helps everyone with college. I know that it must be a very stressful time for all of you with picking a college and I hope that this helps!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #7
11 December 2008
Looking back at the quarter
My winter break has officially started!!!!!!! I am so excited to have three weeks of being at home with my family, no school, and most importantly no studying. I am going home tomorrow morning and I cannot wait! As much as I love UCI, I am happy to be going home to be with my family and friends from high school.
Looking back on my first quarter at UCI, I cannot believe how fast this quarter has gone by. I still feel like I just moved in, and now my first quarter is already over. I know that second is going to be more difficult, but I still cannot wait to start. It’s barely the start of my winter break, and I already can’t wait to start winter quarter!
Finals week was a very interesting, slow moving, and stressful week. I had my Humanities Core final on Tuesday and my Psychology final on Thursday. It was a difficult and stressful week because I was studying all of the time. A lot of my friends had already finished their finals, so it was hard to study because I really wanted to go and hang out with them. It was really difficult to keep myself from going out with my friends, because I knew that I had to keep working hard to get good grades on my finals. College finals are much different from high school finals because they are worth so much of your grade. My humanities Core final was worth 50% of my grade and my Psychology is worth 30%. I had to make sure that I was going to well on these finals because they were worth so much. So far, I have gotten an A on my Psychology final but I am still waiting to see my Humanities Core grade, so I guess I will just have to keep waiting and hope for the best!
This quarter has definitely not been easy, but it sure has been life changing. Moving out of my home, making all new friends, and starting new classes was difficult at first, but in the end, I couldn’t have asked for anything better! My friends are amazing and my classes are fun! Being away from home is still difficult sometimes, but each day gets better. I know that my family is always going to be there for be no matter what; even if I do move away from home. This quarter has been the best, and I will never forget it. It is one for the history books, as they say, and it was truly amazing.
I cannot wait to see what UCI has in store for me next!
Have a GREAT winter break!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #6
December 3, 2008
Wow, the last week of classes. I can’t believe how far I’ve come already. I’ve moved out of my house, am living on my own, and have made amazing friendships that will last a lifetime. What a crazy ride, but I have to say that even though there’s been times of great stress, I wouldn’t change anything about my experience for the world. Now, my first quarter of my freshman year is over, and it’s sad to think that I only have 6 months left with my friends in our dorms, only 6 months left to live in Ondas, and only 6 months left to make my freshman year experience a great one. No matter what happens in future quarters and future years, I can truly say that my first quarter of my freshman year has been a great one, and I will never forget it.
Today was the last day of University Studies 2, and I must say that I was a little sad to walk out of the lecture hall. That class really helped me to see what major and career I may want to pursue in the future. It gave me great insight into this amazing school, and the teachers and advisers gave us helpful tips that will help us to graduate faster and easier. It was a great class, and I would highly recommend it to students who do not know which major to pursue.
Today was also the last u-cubed meeting for the quarter. Although this quarter has been successful, I cannot wait to get started next quarter. We are planning a fundraiser with Quiznos, a bonfire, and t-shirts made for our club. I cannot wait to see how next quarter turns out. Between our fundraiser and our t-shirts, our u-cubed club is definitely going to grow. I am so proud to not only be undecided/undeclared, but I am also proud to be a part of a club that helps u/u students pick majors. This club is really close to my heart, and I hope that our club can keep growing and expanding.
Today I also signed up for my classes for next quarter. Winter quarter I will be taking Political Science, Psychology and Social Behavior, and Humanities Core! I know I will definitely busy with these classes, but I am excited to take them at the same time. What I love about UCI is that we get to take new classes every 10 weeks. I like being able to try a bunch of different classes, and because there is only 10 weeks it keeps me from procrastinating on homework. I cannot WAIT to see what these next classes have in store for me! Wow! Today was a very busy day!
Oh yes, and because this is our last week of classes it means that next week are finals!!!! I am so nervous and anxious to get them over with, but I am also trying to stay as calm as possible. I know that if I start to stress about them, it will just make it worse. I just have to stay calm, cool, and collected so that I can concentrate on studying. I am just glad that I only had two to study for. The cool thing about college is that I don’t have to study for 6 or seven finals like I had to in high school. I guess the only down side is that my finals are worth 30 % and 50% of my grade. At least there’s only two! Hopefully I will do well!!! J
I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #5
November 26, 2008
It’s the last school day before Thanksgiving, but before everyone runs off to go home, I am writing this blog for week 9. Although not much has happened this week, because we have only had three days of school (not to mention some of our teachers just cancelled class for this whole week), there is still much to tell.
Our U-cubed meeting last week went really well. We had two bio majors and two business econ majors come and talk to us about why they chose their majors. It was really interesting and everyone enjoyed listening to them speak. They gave great insight as to how to become a bio or business econ major, and they also explained to us what they are planning on doing with their major in the future. Even though I am not planning to become a bio or business econ major, they still gave us tips that I could gear toward my planned majors.
After our meeting a bunch of us went to go and eat at Pippin. I’m not sure if I said this already or not, so if I didn’t, Pippin is one of the three commons to eat at here at UCI. Pippin is one of the commons at Middle Earth. The food is really great and I would really recommend it for dinner. They have a bunch of different stations to choose food from, and the food tastes really good! Everyone was really excited to eat there because they just put in a new ICEE machine, and everyone had an awesome time!
Next week we are planning to talk about getting club t-shirts for everyone in our club. I am really excited because we found a good, yet inexpensive way to get the t-shirts and I think that everyone is going to really enjoy them. We are also going to talk about a fundraiser that we are planning on doing at a restaurant, as well as a bonfire. I am super excited for next quarter, and I think that next quarter our club will grow even more than it already has. Between the bonfire, the fundraiser, and the t-shirts, I think everyone is going want to join our club! J
A couple of days ago, I got a notice that I got my housing for next year. I got into the housing community called VDC Norte. As much as I was excited that I got housing for next year, I was also a little disappointed because the people that I wanted to room with next year got into a different housing community than I did. As much as I am sad that I don’t get to room with them, I am glad that I at least got housing for next year. It is really hard to get housing and I am just glad that I still am getting the opportunity to live on campus in some really nice apartments. I know that even though I won’t be ale to room with my friends, we will still be friends next year. I am glad that I at least was able to get housing and I know that everything will work out for the best.
I hope that everyone has a GREAT Thanksgiving!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #4
November 19, 2008
Week 8
Okay so I’m half way through week 8 and I can pretty much say that I am adjusted to my life here at UCI. My first quarter midterms are over, and I have gotten an A on all of them! YAY! I am used to my schedule, and have made amazing friends. I have a routine here at school. I’m sure that as people read this they are probably thinking why it took me so long to adjust to life here. Well, all I can say is hat it wasn’t the easiest transition for me because I had to leave home, I know that it was totally worth it. Okay, so it took my 8 ½ weeks to adjust, but at least I can finally say that I have.
I mean, I turned by life totally upside down and inside out when I came here, and I knew that I was not going to be able to adjust to that right away. I knew it was going to take me some time to adjust, but now that I feel I have, it is a great feeling.
Okay so on to some other news. Over the weekend I had to get a bump on my leg removed that doctors said was like a benign form of skin cancer. YUCK! I was worried because I knew that I would have to get stitches and so I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to walk around campus. Well, it hasn’t been easy. I mean, they took it out and everything is fine, but now I have these stitches in my leg and I’m trying to walk to my classes. It hasn’t been the easiest thing in the world. The good part though, is that my friends have been really helpful along the way. They have offered to carry my bags and walk with me to class, no matter how slow I may have to walk. My teachers have been really great too! I emailed one to tell her that I may be a few minutes late to class, because I only had a 10 minute grace period in between my classes and I may not make it in time to hers. She was super sweet about the whole thing and just told me to get there when I could. Luckily, I still made it on time to her class, but it was still really nice to know that she understood and that she wouldn’t mark me late if I was a few minutes late to class. Everyone at UCI has been really helpful!
I’m so glad that my leg is feeling so much better today. My doctor still told me to walk carefully but it’s nice to know that it’s doing so much better! I cannot WAIT until it heals completely.
Tonight is another u-cubed meeting. It should be a really interesting meeting because we have four speakers coming to talk to us about their majors. Two of them are bio majors and two are business econ majors. I’m very excited to listen to them talk tonight! I will definitely be telling you about it next week!
After the meeting all of us are going to go to Pippin to eat dinner. I have not been to Pippin in so long! Their food there is really good and I can’t wait to eat there with everyone in the u-cubed club.
Anyway, my life is definitely clicking along, and I cannot wait to see what comes around the corner next!
Have a GREAT weekend!!!
<3
Elyssa
Zot Blog #3
November 13, 2008
What a ride!
It’s now the end of week 7!!! Where did the time go?! It is all moving so fast. So today I had my last midterm of the quarter and boy am I glad that it is over! I have studied for the last 10 days and now I’m just sitting here hoping that I did well on it. Today I also had to turn in my second essay for humanities core! On top of all that, my psychology professor usually gives us our grade the same day that we took the midterm, so I keep checking online to see if the grades have been posted. Let’s just say that today was an incredibly busy and stressful day and I’m just glad that it is coming to a close. It’s been another exciting and crazy week here at my UCI home and although some days are harder more stressful than others, there is definitely never a dull day here!
Speaking of never having a dull day here at UCI, today in humanities core we had an earthquake drill. Have you ever seen over 300 students try and duck under the little desk chairs?! Well, if you haven’t it is quite a sight to see. It was quite hilarious because none of us could even fit under the desks! Seriously, everyone has to experience an earthquake drill in a lecture hall with over 300 students!
Okay, so yesterday I had to pick my classes for next quarter! I love this quarter system because I get to take so many classes throughout the year. The quarter system is also really great because it keeps me from procrastinating. The classes move really fast, because there is only 10 weeks in a quarter, so I can never procrastinate. The quarter system really helps to keep me on track in my homework and studying. Anyway, next quarter I will be taking 17.3 units!!! I will be taking humanities core, political science, and psychology. I am thinking about double majoring in Psychology and Social Behavior, and Political Science, and a minor in Education. It sounds like A LOT but I know that if I work hard, I will be able to get it all done. Plus, being in U/U helps because they teach you how to get out and graduate faster. Hopefully I like all of my classes next quarter! They sound really interesting so I am excited to get my next quarter at UCI underway.
Last Wednesday, we had a U-cubed meeting. It was a really good meeting because we had two psychology and social behavior students and a psychology student come to talk to us. They really gave us insight as to what it entails to become a psych major. They also answered a lot of questions that members of u-cubed had, and everyone at the meeting found the speakers to be very helpful. Afterwards, those who were able to went to go to yogurtland. It was really nice to just be able to hang out with my friends and get away from the stresses of school and studying.
All in all I must say that this week has been very interesting but I must say that I am glad it is over.
Have a GREAT weekend!!!
<3 Elyssa
Blog #2:
I have no idea how to make a new page so this is my second blog!
November 5, 2008
A time for Change:
Yesterday, at about 7:45 pm, history was made. The first African American candidate became our 44thpresident of the United States, and what was even better about this election was that I got to vote. The best part of it was that all of my friends and I were huddled around my television in my dorm watching history being made. And although my homework still needed to be finished and the studying had not started, it was an experience that could only happen here at UCI and it was something that I hope to never forget. It was truly a spectacle to watch a president be elected and to also know that for the first time ever, I had a part in making that happen. I could let my voice and opinions be heard and that is also something I will cherish forever. I hope to look back on last night, and remember every detail of what happened. I want to remember who I was with, where I was, and what I was doing that exact moment in time, when history was made. Last night was amazing!!!
Today was the day that I also applied for housing for my sophomore year. I got up at 5:40 for the second time this week and hoped that the internet server wouldn’t crash for the second time.To be honest, I was tired and cranky from having to wake up so early just to apply for housing, but I know that in the end, it would be all worth it. Once I actually was able to apply for my housing, I thought about what I had just filled out and I couldn’t’ believe that I already was looking for a place to live for next year, when this year has barely even begun. I was barely into my freshman year, and I already needed to have roommates and a place to stay picked out for next year?! Everything was moving so fast. Sometimes I wish my life could just slow down, stop even, for just a moment. Everything around my world is changing, growing, and I’m just trying to keep up.
Although these changes are difficult to deal with sometimes, I don’t think I’d be the same if I didn’t live away from home or come to UCI. Moving at this fast pace is what the beginnings of college life are all about, but soon things will slow down, I’ll get into my groove, and everything will fall into place. I believe that UCI will help me to do that. They have people who can help to ease the stress, and there is always someone around to talk to. Being a U/U also helps because the academic advising is there for me 24/7, and I know that they will help me get through any problems that I may face down the road.
What a time of change, of growth, and of insight into my future. Here at UCI, I am growing, I am changing into a better person, and I am gaining insight into what lies ahead of me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
<3 Elyssa
P.S. Halloween was seriously so much fun! It was great just to have a low key night with my friends. We got to watch fear factor, eat candy, and just talk about anything and everything. It was so much fun! I hope everyone had a great Halloween!!!
Blog #1: the first 5 weeks
I can’t believe that it is the end of week 5 already and that I am already halfway through my first quarter of my freshman year. Looking back at these last five weeks I can’t believe how many things I have done and accomplished. I am now living on my own, taking really hard classes, becoming friends with the most awesome suite ever, and now co-head chair of the u/u club. Wow! My life has truly been flipped upside down and inside out this last month.
I think the hardest thing about living here is that I am away from my family. They are my support system, my rocks, and leaving them was the hardest part about this experience. Although I must say that it hasn’t been the easiest transition for me, I know that it is the best, because it is teaching me to become and adult, make my own choices, and go out into the world. I’m glad that they are not too far away, because still being able to see them on some weekends is great!
Okay so my first day of classes was crazy!!! I was so nervous that I could hardly walk there fast enough. My first class ever in the history of UCI was humanities core lecture, and sure enough when I got there there were about 300 other freshman waiting to get inside to start lecture too. I mean, my entire high school was only 500 students and my graduating class was 108, and now I had a lecture with 300 students! This was absolutely mind boggling to me. The best part about this was that we all went inside to sit down and the professor wasn’t there. Everyone waited and waited until this girl opened up her laptop where she found an email. The email was sent to everyone in the class and it said that class had been cancelled. I was super excited to hear this because that meant I had about 4 more hours of summer left. the rest of my classes that day were Psychology and Social behavior 11B, which I soon learned that I would love and would consider to be a major, but I also had Humanities Core discussion. Okay so my first day of classes went great and I soon fell into the routine of school.
Another class that I liked was my university studies 2 class which is required for all undecided/undeclared students. When I walked into the first lecture, there was music playing and most of my hall was there with me. What I liked about the class was that they get different professors from all the different majors offered on campus to come and talk about the different majors offered. It is a really relaxed class but at the same time, it is teaching me a lot about the different majors that they have to offer here. It is helping me to choose which major I want to pursue here at UCI. What’s also cool about this class is that they say they will help you to graduate as quickly as possible. I liked hearing this because as much as I already love UCI I am still hoping to graduate in 4 years.
The absolute BEST thing so far was the shocktoberfest. This was the absolute coolest part of being at UCI. Although three 6 mafia did say somethings that I thought was a little weird to say to an audience, their music was awesome and dance party was crazy! All of my friends were there, and we danced the night away like there was no tomorrow. It was honestly a night to remember and I cannot WAIT until shocktoberfest next year.
Anyway, I am so glad that today is friday and that week 5 is over! Between the humanities core mid term and the project due, this week was crazy. I am so excited for Halloween tonight where I can finally just relax with my friends. Today my friends and I are going to watch scary movies, eat unbelievable amounts of candy and popcorn, and just have fun!!! Happy Halloween!
Joy
6/5/2009
There are so many things I want to write about in this last blog but I don’t know where to start. All throughout the year I made sure that I kept in mind to treasure my time here in the dorm because I know how fast time goes by. In a way, I’ve almost been counting down the days and I knew that these last couples of weeks will be really sad for all of us. It is now officially the end of Week 10 and the thought of moving out still has not quite struck me yet. It is not until I see that everyone is slowly packing up and moving back their stuff that I realized that the end of the year is here. Of course it is not an end for us and we will all be starting something new next year. But throughout the year, all of us in the hall have become such great friends and we’ve basically became a family.
Looking back at the year I feel like all of us have accomplished and grown so much already. I still remember the first move in day when we all didn’t know exactly what to expect from this dorm. I still remember Welcome Week and how it was a really nice kick off to our first year in UCI. Then I joined U Cubed and became a blogger. I remember it was near the end of the first quarter, my friends in the dorm and I were talking about the end of the year and what we thought it was gonna be like. All of a sudden it is here and we’re just spending it like it was any other week but you can tell we are all trying to make as much memories as we could so that when we think back to this year, we can laugh and joke about those silly things we used to do.
This last Wednesday we had our end of the year hall banquet. Everyone dressed really nicely and it was a really nice hall get together. We cheered each other on with our completion of the first year. We then came back and danced for a while. It might sound random but it was a lot of fun! It is also nice to know that we have all become so comfortable with each other.
We had a mini banquet for U Cubed this week too. I just want to say I am really proud of everyone in U Cubed. Our amazing advisor, club members, and officers have made this year a very memorable year. Whether if it was the first fundraiser or the last bonfire we all made everything so successful. I am really glad I made the choice of joining everything I am involved in because it is so worth it to meet these amazing people.
As of now though I have to study really hard for my finals and I just hope that everyone do well on their finals. Study hard. It has been such a wonderful year and experience! I also want to thank everyone who reads our blogs. It is your support that make us want to write better blogs. Thank you!
-Joy Yue Ding
5/27/2009
It is crazy to know that there is only two more weeks left of school. While many of us cannot wait for summer to come, the rest of us are also kind of sad to think that we only have just a couple of weeks left to live in the dorm. Tonight the last U/U get together is officially over. Looking back at what we planned at the beginning of the year and now, I am just so proud of the U Cubers and the successful events they put on. We’ve met ALL of our goals. We made all the things we said we wanted to do at the beginning of the school year happen. I know there are still lots of rooms for improvement for the club, and even though many people came and went, some still chose to stay with us, and that just means a lot to all of us who worked so hard on everything.
Bonfire tonight was a lot of fun, I am sad I didn’t get to enjoy the whole thing because of another meeting. But, I am definitely happy I went at the end. People played lots of games and it was just a great U/U bonding experience for everyone. I want to thank everyone that came tonight.
Looking back at this year, U Cubed has really been a fun experience. Because of it, many of our hallmates got much closer. We worked toward the same goals and as a team we made things happen. Although we are a small club compared to many of the other organizations on campus, and although we had a little bit of a rough start. But at the end, we have some really dedicated members who showed up all the time and made things so much more fun! I am also in other organizations on campus and because of U Cubed I am able to quickly help solve some of the issues these organizations are facing. I gained the experience in u cubed when we had to solve some issues on a much smaller scale. It was all part of the learning experience.
Finals week is coming up and as everyone are struggling to find out what classes to take next year, I just hope that all of us do really well on our finals. Also I hope that we find the true majors we really want to be in and will be able to successfully pursue our own goals.
5/23/2009
Wow, let me start by saying, what an interesting week last week was. It was very interesting because a lot of things happened, and I am just glad the week is over…I totally spent my entire weekend last week to do my research paper and it was really stressful to know that I had a bunch of papers due around the same time. Then the next couples of days there were two earthquakes. The first one was pretty serious, although it wasn’t that big of an earthquake, but the sound of the doors shaking were pretty loud. But everyone’s reactions were just really interesting hehe. It’s part of the fun to live in the dorms and you get to experience these things with some pretty funny people.
Anyway, so on Wednesday there was another event that kind of just made everyone a little nervous, and we all got alerts saying that there was possible gunman on campus. There were police on campus that day too and my discussion teacher canceled the class right after he heard the news. A lot of people thought it was just a test alert like the one we got that same morning, but when they saw police and helicopters, they all realized it was pretty serious. But it turned out that the guy was carrying a mimic of a paintball gun or something that apparently looked a lot like a rifle. That was a good emergency exercise for everyone. I appreciate the quick alerts that the school sent out and how quickly the police reacted to the alerts.
Anyway, I am soooo glad I am finally done with my paper that I’ve been working for the past couple of days. It was a really stressful week for me, but I am just glad I get to enjoy a relaxing weekend now. Next week there will be lots of events going on too. All the banquets and events are going on and goshhh soon we will be freshmen no mo! Crazyyy. I just want to treasure these last couple of weeks with friends and then it’s summer vacationnnn! I try not to get too carried away in my thoughts about summer yet because there is still final before that but as of now I really look forward to the bonfire we have next week! It should be funnn! I am really bummed that I missed a really big event the other day, it was supposedly really fun! But then again I was working on my papersss. Sometimes you just have to make those choices and stay focused. Alright peacee and enjoy a great memorial weekend everyone!
5/16/2009
Another busy week passed by and I am already looking at another busy week ahead. Things never cease to happen and sometimes we find ourselves always overwhelmed by a million different tasks ahead. We could get a little bit frustrated at times but we somehow find the strength to carry on. It is through little things like filling out the plans for a week to find out that we have already come so far.
It does get a little hard these last months especially with summer vacation coming along soon. Everyone had a really busy year so far and are probably all ready to take a break from school to just relax and have some more fun. It’s one thing to have fun and another to really enjoy the fun. I think the enjoyment that comes along with some satisfaction of certain accomplishments is great. That’s probably why people commit themselves to do great things like hosting a bonfire for all the undecided community here at UCI cough cough* This will be a big event since we have been planning it throughout the year and everyone should come
Looking back at this whole event planning experience, whether in AS or in U Cubed, it’s amazing how the unity of people’s work could make so many great things happen. From setting up the details, to promoting the events, the process in between has many very important things to learn from. Whether it’s a big event like Shocktoberfest or a smaller fundraiser at a restaurant, an immense amount of time will be put in regardless, to simply promote these events and hope that enough people will show up to them.
That’s why when I see people that pass out fliers nowadays on Ring Road, I choose not to ignore them and walk away, I will simply take the flyer and actually look at what is on there. I understand that they are dedicating their time to promote something and they probably have spent weeks on trying to get on Ring Road to have fliers to pass out. I understand that it is a responsibility of theirs and necessary for them to do their job but it is also my advantage that I choose not to miss out on something that might turn out to be important for me. A short pause for just one moment may be a good thing after all.
5/08/2009
Hello world! Another week has passed and it is getting closer and closer to the end of my freshman year. It has been amazing so far and I hope that’s the case for everyone too. I just hope that the rest of the quarter will be just as amazing if not more because of everything that will happen in the near future!
Sooo I really want to congratulate U CUBED for doing a successful job at THE WALK that we’ve all planned, talked about, and worked on for the past month or so. It was truly a great experience and I loved camping out with some of the most amazing people in UCI! It was really a lot of fun like I had expected and it was also a healthy way to support some great causes, so thanks again to everyone who participated! Although all of us who did the walk were super sore and tired the next day, it was definitely worth it.
So moving on from the walk, this week was a busy week for me with all the midterms and papers due. This quarter I had to write a lot of papers and it is not as easy as I thought it would be. Nothing really comes that easy in life, I think most of us have already realized it by this stage. Before coming into college my teachers would always remind us that life in college will be very different and we will be treated like adults, which means we will have to have the courage to take in lots of responsibility, criticisms, and such. So far my transition to college has been a fairly smooth one thanks to U/U counseling. But things do get a little rough sometimes when I really think back to what had happened in these past months. It is then I realized that every one of us has already accomplished so much that we probably do not even realize it. In the end we have all learned to take our responsibilities and face the problems with maturity.
From time to time we may become discouraged by some harsh criticisms but when we think it through, it’s how we face those criticisms that make us different. College is definitely a great place to learn and teach yourself to take in those criticisms and make use of them to improve and grow.
4/30/2009
Hey people! I hope everyone is doing very well and for those of you who are in the middle of midterms and stuff, good luck with that too. This week has been really tiring just because a lot of things are happening all at once and it does get a little hard to handle sometimes with a full plate. But we find ways and things moves on. So I am totally excited about the RELAY FOR LIFE walk this weekend! It’s gonna be a ton of fun with all the booths and people out there supporting for good causes! It’s definitely worth it. To be honest I am really happy, just like many of us who are participating in this event, that I am actually doing something to help to raise awareness of the dangers of cancer and to commemorate those who have lost their lives to cancer. I know many people have lost their friends and family due to cancer and it is definitely something we cannot overlook and ignore. I am glad that this event is not only going to be meaningful but also very fun at the same time!
I just took a look at the events and activities that will be going on during the walk and they look like a lot of fun. There are lots of contests that my friends and I have already signed up for as a team. Woot for us and for U Cubed! I am so proud of everyone that’s contributing to this club and I am amazed at how far we’ve gone since the beginning. We’ve all learned a lot from it and we are all so mature in dealing with some very serious businesses. I want to thank all of you and I hope next year it will be just as big and successful too!
This weekend for me is going to be sooo packed because so many things besides the Relay walk is going to take place. I just had a blast in Big Bear last weekend with my fellow friends from AS and this weekend I have another retreat for my sorority. All of these exciting things happen because I am involved and I encourage all of you to get involved too and enjoy the fun!
4/23/2009
Part II
Speaking of events that are coming up, the Relay for Life Cancer Walk is coming up very sooonnnn. The leaders of U Cubed have been planning this walk a long time ago and I know it will be a huge success. I am sure we are also going to have a lot of fun with all the clubs and organizations out there fighting for the same causes. I hope that more people could come out and join us in this walk and there will be lots of cool games on Aldrich Park that day too!
Alsooo one of the First Year Excellence Program (FYEP) halls is having their philanthropy project this weekend! They are going to work in the senior houses and are going to do some really valuable community services. The leaders of the this philanthropy have been planning this for quite a while too so it should be great fun as well! Another thing about the FYEP hall is that the RA and the counselors work closely with the students that live in these halls to provide the best experience possible. There is great counseling program and any type of questions could be asked to the counselors.
There are just too many things going on this quarter. There are leadership opportunities everywhere. I highly encourage you to just get out and participate in something. No matter what it is, at the end of the day you will learn something really useful and valuable. I have so far experienced the same thing and the feeling of actually accomplishing a big project is truly an encouragement and should be looked forward to.
I still can’t believe that week 4 of my last quarter as a freshman is already almost over! Time passes by wayyyy to fasttt! Midterms are here already! Everyone’s schedule is super packed but we’re all keeping it together and are moving forward in positive directions, which is something I am really glad to see. Good job to all the U/U people out there!
4/23/2009
Part I
Heyyyy everyone! So a LOT has happened in these past two weeks! I am really glad that many of you were able to come out to Wayzgoose, our Celebrate UCI event, and attend the U/U forum. It was a huge success mainly because you all came out and participated in it. I am sure most of you don’t regret that decision too because the speakers gave out a lot of valuable information that I am sure are helpful to you now and in the near future! This is also why I waited for the Wayzgoose to end to write this blog because I wanted to basically recap what happened and tell you all about the more exciting events that are coming up as well!
I basically worked on the whole event that entire day on Saturday. Early in the morning I went and helped set up for the event for the student government group that I am in. In between I went and spoke at the forum and gave tours for those who wanted to visit the FYEP halls. Those were a huge success and I am really glad many of you were willing to tour those amazing halls because they are honestly the best halls ever! Many of you had some really good questions and I just wanted to make this point again to those who did not get a chance to come to the forum that choosing to be U/U was definitely a good choice that I do not regret.
Up until this point I even feel a little sad to know that I have to move on and actually leave U/U, but I am sure there are lots of great opportunities out there as well. Just this past day I had my counseling session again and got one step closer to declaring a major. I already have some ideas in mind and I am taking the right classes to fulfill those requirements too. As I am finishing up to the last quarter of my freshman year I really want to say that being U/U has led me to some of the best experiences I’ve had in UCI. I have also learned a lot from the counselors and the peers that I am working with and I really look forward to what next year has to offer too!
Lastly, I just want to encourage those of you who are reading this blog and who didn’t come out to Wayzgoose to come out to our future events. These events are truely for your benefit and you can learn a lot from them, not mention on top of that they are a lot of fun! I am really excited for all of you!
4/10/2009
It’s the end of another week and I feel like I am already really worn out from everything, homework, social, and extracurricular activities. It does get hard sometimes, and you would even have to accommodate your schedule for some other things that you are involved in. I am sure all of you know what it’s like to be obligated to do many tasks at the same time and it doesn’t come along with a relaxing feeling for sure. But things still move on and sometimes things might turn out surprisingly well even if you didn’t think so. Even if they don’t, the mental preparedness for any end result is necessary.
Sometimes I can’t help but ask myself why, why am I involved in this or that? I sometimes doubt some of the things that I am committed to; is it really worth it? But then again I realize those doubts are all part of normal growth and are all necessary too. Because we have doubts we start to evaluate the things we have and the things we want. We find out if they are truly what we want and what we need. Whether if it is because the decision was made at the spur of the moment or after long considerations, we’ll still have doubts at some point. I choose to stick to what I am involved with because I choose not to give up so easily.
I really believe that no matter what you are in, whether if it’s helpful or not, in the end the person that participates and the person that is willing to get him/her self out there is the person that benefits from it. It depends on whether if you spend time in it and if you find some value in the things you do.
So…I really recommend that when you are considering to join something or to be a part of some organization, ask yourself first why do you want to join it? Even if you don’t know why, it’s still worth trying because there might be other surprises that awaits around the corner.
04/03/2009
It actually feels really good to be back. Even though my life is filled with a bunch of things to do already, but in the end those are the things I enjoy so I really don’t mind doing them. It’s been a while since I first moved into UCI. I really like the environment still and is constantly finding out some new places on campus that I’ve never been to. Everything is happening so fast that it is already almost the end of my first year!
My goals for this quarter shouldn’t differ that much from those from the previous quarters. Do well in all my classes, enjoy my time with friends, and be really involved on campus. Speaking of being involved, just recently I was hired to become an intern for the student government organization here on campus! It should be a lot of fun and I am really excited to work with so many different people on the upcoming events. I am really grateful I am able to participate in these groups and organizations that I am in. They are definitely great ways to build and shape positive attitudes and characters.
I have already met some pretty interesting and fun people in the organization and I am looking forward to make other new discoveries as I help put on these various events.
It is a lot of work to put on events like Celebrate UCI and for those of you who are coming in and still does not know this yet, I strongly recommend you to come to these events and see what UCI is all about. There will be so many people here and it should be a lot of fun just to see what UCI has to offer!
03/28/2009
Spring break is coming to an end 
One week is just not enough…but it was definitely a great and relaxing break that I desperately needed after all the finals. I had such a great spring break and was able to enjoy this time with my family and friends. I love the warm spring weather and can already sense summer coming along soonnn.
Winter quarter ended really quickly and here comes spring quarter, my last quarter here at UCI as a first year! I cannot help but say times passes by really fast. This is definitely why I agree and suggest to those of you who are coming in next year, that it’s never too early or too late to start doing something you really enjoy.
I really look forward to all the wonderful things that are going to happen this spring quarter and all the celebrations too. My friends and I have already made some plans for the things that we’re going to do this quarter. We’re going to have so much fun and do great academically as well.
It’s really sad to think that in about three more months I will be leaving those amazing people that I live with. We’ve thought about this but did not want to picture that day coming. It’s sad but it’s because we know that day is coming we start to treasure more the time we have while we still live in the hall together. To those of you who are thinking of commuting, living on campus is definitely one of the college experiences you must go through, it is so much more fun living with people that are also in the same situation as you. Although we all miss home but living in the hall will be a part of the great memories that we will all remember years later. But no matter where you choose to live, I am sure college will provide many opportunities for you to make great friendships and meet amazing people.
03/21/2009
This week was finals week and everyone was pretty stressed out about it. People intensely studied for them hoping to get good grades on the exams. Now the stress is over and spring break has official began! Everyone must be pretty excited for spring break; just the thought of spring and break makes me feel happy. With that said, I can’t believe that 2/3 of my first year in college is already over! This means I will only have a 1/3 of it left until I no longer will live with those lovely people in my hall, such a sad thought.
Even though we know the clock is ticking but everything just happens so fast here that before realizing it we are already going to be sophomores in college! Anyway spring break is amazing so far I had already and it feels so good to relax and not have to worry about homework or tests. I also look forward to all the wonderful things that are going to happen next quarter too. There will lots of events and there will be lots of fun! I look forward to seeing more fresh faces on campus.
It should be very exciting for those who are attending all the fun events here at UCI. There will be much more opportunities to hang out and it also means summer is getting closer and closer by the second! Just the thought of all these wonderful things motivates me to really challenge myself to do more. The U Cubed is also having the bonfire that we had long planned. I hope it will be a big one and that everyone that’s U/U will come out and enjoy the nice weather and food with us! We’re also doing some other fundraisers and walk-a-thon and that should be fun because we will have our own tents too!
There will be so many amazing things happening next quarter so next quarter should be pretty much amazing too. As for now I hope everyone enjoys their break and get enough rest before all the fun starts again in school.
03/12/2009
The end? The beginning.
The end of Winter quarter approaches as I attend my last classes for this quarter this week. It has been a very busy quarter indeed. Everyone has been busy and it’s not hard to sense the tension in the dorm before every midterm and final. Everyone realizes the importance to do well in their classes. Everyone is mature enough to try to find that balance in life. Do they all succeed in doing that though is another question. But it is that realization of reality that is important and that in a way drives people to go farther.
Winter quarter passed us by really quickly, just like fall quarter. Spring quarter will come and pass just like the other quarters did in our lives. Maybe it is the quarter system, because for the longest time I thought each day passed by at a fairly normal rate. It’s funny I know the length of time never changed. It’s the way we feel about things that has changed.
Sometimes the daily routine could be quite numbing. You go to class and you come back to the dorm; you eat lunch with friends and you go on facebook; you sleep and you enjoy some fun times. Some of us complain occasionally that the food isn’t good enough. Others think the heavy loads of work is slowly drowning them and at times decide to quit doing what they’re supposed to do. But we tend to forget some very important things sometimes. While we complain over the things that we do not have or are forced upon to do, we tend to forget we’re still healthy enough to do those things in the first place. Why is it only when we see someone getting into the hospital that we unconsciously realize how great it is to be healthy? Why is it when we hear about the death of others that we unconsciously discover how wonderful it is to be still alive?
As this week is coming to a close. I realize there are new discoveries yet to be made next quarter. I realize that there are still many people that are yet to meet. I realize what I need to focus on right now and what I should be thinking about of the things ahead. I have long set goals for this quarter to do exceptionally well in all my classes. I believe to just believe.
03/06/2009
It Came, Swiftly
Today is already the last day of week 9. The last week of class is already here! I can not believe it but that’s how a lot of things happen. Without even noticing the time, I’ve already spent two quarters here at UCI and I am already more than half way done with my first year in college. Looking at those people who come to visit and dine in the commons, I still think that it was not too long ago that I was still one of those people. I guess a lot of times it depends on how you decide to spend your days, whether if you want to maintain the routines or create some excitement, the length is the same and the earth still rotates, no matter what.
The past week went by really fast and it was a really busy week considering all the meetings and office hours that I had to attend. Those obligations motivate me to finish my other tasks on time. This week I also attended a session where speakers from different Universities, like Brown, came to speak to the students about some international issues. It was for some extra credit for my class, but I am glad I went to the forum. Ever since I came to UCI I have never attended any forums really. It is interesting because you actually get to see and hear some famous people who very likely have published many books, to speak to you about their opinions on issues that might interest you. I think it’s a very great opportunity to also meet with those people, if you are really interested in the issues, and ask them about what they think personally.
This is one of the interesting things about college, and it is that there are always something going on and chances are, those things might very likely interest you. For example, last week was Homecoming week. It was really fun to go to the booths that were out there, get free stuff, hang out with friends, and attend the basketball game with friends. There were also after game dance parties with great DJs that played some really cool songs. I really enjoy going to these events and I think it’s really fun to show some school spirit too.
Back in my high school we always used to have school spirit days and it was really fun. Now in college I get to experience this type of spirit again but in a different environment. I think this has even helped me transition to the college life a bit too.
2/25/2009
Just Smile
I am finally doneeeee with all my midterms!! Words cannot describe how relieved I am, even though I know finals are coming up in like two weeks lol. I wonder why things either always happen together all at once or that nothing really happens. I always think those who can gather the strength to smile, even during some of the difficult times, and are able to figure out ways to make themselves happy, are some smart people.
Anyways, one more thing, hard work does pay off. The results of our U Cubed fundraiser indeed proves that. I am really glad we did so well this first time and that just means many more exciting events will happen in the near future
Anyways, let me tell you about my week. Today I was able to explore the health center here on campus a bit. Although it was my first time there, I was able to find places very easily. The way it’s designed and located it could be a little hard to find. The people that work there are very friendly and are all really willing to help you out with any questions you have. It’s pretty nice inside too and things are very well organized. I remember back in high school we only had a tiny little nurse’s office, and that was called the health office. So I was not expecting a place so well facilitated at first. But it’s really nice because inside it has a dental clinic, eye clinic, and some other clinics too. Basically if you need help with anything medically just go there and you can for sure find help there. I am sure lots of places here on campus are like it and the people in them are really helpful. I just really encourage people to explore a bit and take advantage of these facilities too.
This Friday there’s the formal in my sorority. I am really looking forward to that and it will be at a very nice and new venue. There will be great food and music! It should be lots of fun and it’s gonna be a nice way too to relax after all the midterms I had this past month or two. Sometimes I just wish this week is over though, because then so many things will be over along with it.
That’s about it from me for this week. Have a great week everyone!
2/21/2009
A Long Week 2
I am so glad we got Monday off and I was able to finally go home and visit my parents. I haven’t seen them in many weeks already and it was really nice to be able to go home and visit. One of the reasons why I am glad I chose to attend Irvine is that it is fairly close to home and it’s at a nice location with a nice airport not too far from the campus.
This past week felt really long even though we had Monday off. I had another midterm this week and spent most of my time studying. On Tuesday I went to our U Cubed Meeting and I am really glad that we finally have our new officers initiated. It was really interesting to watch them read off the things and duties that I had to read off to the club members earlier in the school year. Time passes by really quickly and that was already last year when I first got involved in the club. I look forward to all the amazing things our new officers will do and I am really excited for our upcoming events too.
This past week was Greek Week. It is a week dedicated to promote the Greek Life on campus. All of the Greek sororities and fraternities are supposed to participate in various competitions and events to earn points so that next week the association will announce who the winners are. It is really interesting to see the various booths set up on Ring Road during the week. There was the Mechanical Bull booth and many other interesting competitions that people had done.
When I first visited UCI, Ring Road was one of the first things I saw here on campus. I realized how lively the place is and it was really nice to see the campus in action. People were just so energetic, so enthusiastic, and so happy, it was that same energy that made me pick UCI. I am glad I made this choice and I am glad to see that this place wasn’t just like that for one day, it is like that everyday. I am thankful I am able to share those feelings and thoughts with other people now that I am here at UCI.
2/12/2009
A Long Week
This week so far feels really long because so many things have happened over just these couple of days. The U Cubed fundraiser is over, and I am really proud of all the people who worked really hard on this event. We did everything right, and thought of every possible way to promote this event. On Tuesday after my three early morning classes, I stood on Ring Road and passed out fliers. It was pretty interesting, and it was the first time I had ever passed out fliers here at UCI. It was an interesting experience because I used to always see other people walking around Ring Road trying to promote their events, but I was one of them that day. I was really pumped to pass out fliers even though some people refused to even take a look at the them, it was still a good experience. To promote the fundraiser, we also had posters up everywhere around the school and next to the dorms too.
At around five I arrived at the restaurant that sponsored our fundraiser. My friends and I we ordered some delicious food and hung out till our shift ended. The cashier asked us what U Cube stands for and we told them it stands for United Undecided/Undeclared. They thought it is a clever name. According to some people, U Cubed was never really that big in the past couple of years. So I am really glad to witness how far it has gone this year and I really appreciate all the support that my u/u friends have shown in these past months. They are so awesome!
On Wednesday I attended a dinner event at my sorority house and it was pretty fun. I talked with some interesting people that day and was able to take a break from studying for exams. It’s always nice to have somewhere to “escape” to when you are tired and just want to relax and socialize a little bit. Besides, meeting new people is fun because there are so many interesting people out there and they are all so unique and I am sure it’s not hard to find someone you can easily talk to and become friends with.
Things are getting done one by one and next week will still be another busy week because I still have another midterm that’s coming up soon. Haha sounds like this midterm thing will never end. But I am trying to find the balance in life so that I can keep up with everything and focus on multiple things. Thankfully there’s a three day weekend coming soon! I hope everyone will have a fantastic weekend and happy valentine’s day!
2/07/2009
Midtermsss
So this week I had another midterm but thankfully two of my earliest morning classes were canceled the next day so I was able to take a little bit more rest than usual. Each week here goes by so fast, and I haven’t gone home to visit these past weeks, so to me the last week wasn’t so different from this week. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I guess it’s probably due to all the studying and reviewing that made my days within the week seem so much similar and redundant. But this entire month will be a busy month since I have a midterm every week.
The good thing is that next week we’re finally going to have our fundraiser for U Cubed!! Yay!! We’ve worked so hard and have been planning this all this quarter, I truly hope this fundraiser will be a huge success. I hope the weather won’t be in our way when we pass out fliers one Monday. Walking around Ring Road I always see other people passing out fliers, I think it’s kind of exciting now that I get to pass out fliers too.
Week 6 seemed like some random week that we were never going to get to in a very long time, that was what it seemed like when we first planned the fundraiser. Now we’re already starting Week 6! This just proves how fast time flies here in Irvine.
Looking back at these past six weeks of second quarter, I feel like I have already accomplished somethings. Working with friends, planning events, and attending regular meetings. I never thought I was already going to commit myself into something so serious and enriching my first year in college. I used to always hear people say how much you get out of it really depends on how much time you put into it. It’s truly satisfying and fulfilling to actually see the things we’ve planned last quarter and at the beginning of this quarter are actually happening. We’ve already got our t-shirts designed and made. We’ve already have our fliers designed and printed out. We’re already made our posters and confirmed with the restaurant that is doing the fundraiser. We’ve done everything right and we’re already making some history for this club. I hope next year these same things will be passed on to whoever is willing to take on the challenge.
1/31/2009
Another Busy Week
This past week was a very busy week for me. By the time I am done with all the midterms and quizzes for this week, I was really relieved and was ready to take some good rests. This past week I also celebrated my birthday with my hallmates. They were really sweet and bought me my favorite deserts. I am glad I had an excuse to take a short break from studying for midterms. I think next year I will really miss living with my hallmates. I will for sure miss being able to walk next door and go the commons with them.
Last Thursday was really fun, I went to an exchange and was able to enjoy the break after finishing all my midterms. This weekend is one of the few weekends that both my roommate and I have stayed in the dorms and have not gone home. Last night we recorded a bunch of funny videos on people’s facebook walls. My roommate was being really hyper, I am glad we still live in the same area next year, and I hope we’ll still be roommates so that we can continue to do crazy little things to entertain ourselves. 
This week is not over yet and I am really excited for the basketball game and the tailgate today! It’s one of the games leading up to championship and I am glad that I get to go with people from my hall and from U Cubed. Tailgate before the basketball game should be really fun. I wasn’t able to attend the previous one becuase I had something else to do that day, so this one should be interesting. Anddd I will finally get to wear my U CUBED t-shirt too!! Everyone has been waiting for those shirts to come since last quarter, and now we finally have them with us.
It’s very exciting to see how far the club has gone since we first joined last year. We had so many amazing speakers that came and spoke to us about their own majors. A lot of them were truly passionate about their majors and gave some inspirational talks about why we should choose that major. Now we’re planning to have fundraiser for our amazing event that’s coming up maybe next quarter and I really hope this fundraiser event will be a success so we can make the club event a huge one like we had hoped it to be. Everyone come out and support us on Tuesday night Week 6!
1/24/2009
“All this we can do; All this we will do”
We are all witnessing and living history each and every single day. Like my world history teacher had once said, history is the way of life. Everyone agrees this past week was a historical week as all of us watched the inauguration of a new president for this country. It’s very exciting to think that I have just witnessed history been made right before my eyes. This was probably the first time in my life to be so engaged in a presidential election and to be able to truly understand the meaningfulness behind all of this.
Tuesday’s morning class was canceled due to the historical nature of the event. My other professor told the class that we were going to watch the speech in class. I remember walking to class thinking that I can still catch a glimpse of the speech and noticing that the campus was strangely quiet that day. I remember walking to class thinking that I can still catch a glimpse of the speech but by the time the entire class sat down and pulled up the telecast of the speech, it was already almost over.
I remember over hearing everyone asking others whether if they had watched the speech earlier that morning. It’s of no doubt that not everyone was as excited for this event as most people were and that not everyone had watched the speech. But I think it’s important to realize and take notice how many people are passionate about political issues and how many people are not so ignorant about things that greatly influence people’s everyday lives.
I look forward to the various changes that will be made to this country. It makes me wonder what positive changes I should make in my life now that I am on the verge of becoming another year older. With the many challenges that I am facing ahead, I can’t help but realize that this is a time in my life to grow and learn, to refine and define, and to search and discover.
1/17/2009
Thursdays
This week has been a very busy week for me. Recruitment took up a lot of time but it was really fun to meet new girls and get to know them better. From boothing on Ring Road to talking to the girls in the house and then to the final initiation, the entire process cannot be done without an organized plan and team.
I noticed everyone else has been really busy too this quarter. Although it’s only just the beginning of a new quarter, people are already very involved in various activities. Some of my friends are involved in church and clubs. Some are busy exercising and burning off those calories gained over break. Others chose to take classes in the ARC; Whether it’s dance classes or yoga classes everyone seems to already have numerous things to do on Thursday nights. These are just a few things among many that people are engaged in college. Of course you could choose to not do anything and just stay in the dorm but it’s definitely not hard to find things to do. Staying active and becoming involved is definitely a great way to learn from others and contribute to the community.
If all else does not interest you, there are even things within the hall that you can participate in. For example, in my hall we are doing a philanthropy project together as a hall. It is really nice to know that besides living with these people, you get to do something very meaningful with them too. It will definitely be an ongoing project and even if the project ends the contribution to the surrounding communities should not.
College is about constantly learning and finding new things to do. From new clubs to new food courts, from new organizations to new cafes, it’s an exciting thing to find something new each day! I enjoy starting fresh, I like constant discoveries of new places, and meeting new people.
During one of the recruitment nights I met a new transfer girl from Santa Barbara. We talked forever about the place and she told me that she loves the feeling of starting fresh. She told me that she likes it here and that she’s glad she made this decision. She sees things as not so isolated anymore here in Irvine, and is slowly getting to know this new environment.
January 09, 20089
A Brand New Beginning
Hellooo everyone! Happy 2009! First blog of the year! 2008 was a great year for me personally. I moved into UCI, met so many amazing people. I just can’t help but to look forward to all the amazing things that are going to happen this year! Winter Quarter had just started this past Monday, and I am glad to be back. I loved my winter break, it was so relaxing and I definitely had a lot of fun catching up with friends from back home. It was also really nice to spend time with family now that I don’t get to see them that much.
Now that I think about last quarter I think it definitely was very enriching. My involvement in U Cubed and various organizations really changed the way I look at UCI. I realize that I am actually part of it and is no longer an outsider looking at a strange school that I know nothing about. Being involved also taught me a lot about time management. Although it was a little bit overwhelming at first and I forgot to find that balance between school work and social activities for a bit, but I went back on track right away and was able to work everything out :]
I met some very inspiring people last quarter who just love what they are doing and are constantly and positively influencing me and many other people. I really appreciate having them around because they prove to me that it isn’t just about following something that you believe in it’s about really living what you believe in.
As the first week of winter quarter is coming to an end I really hope that I live up to my new years resolutions, to go to the ARC not to eat but to exercise for once lol, and continue to meet inspiring people. I look forward to all the exciting events that are going on this quarter! We’re having a fundraiser night soon for our bonfire for U Cube, and it is going to be big! Hopefully everyone from other U/U halls will come out and have fun with us! Winter recruitment is currently taking place for girls who want to possibly go Greek too! Lotssss of new events are ahead and it’s not hard to find things to do around here.
Blog #6
12/07/08
This past week was pretty stressful because lots of things were packed into one day. I turned in the application for housing for next year, picked out my schedule for next quarter, and gave a presentation for writing class for the end of the quarter assignment. This week was the last week of classes and most of the first year students are still in disbelief that our first quarter of college has already come to an end. This mark of the end of the quarter truly reminds me of how much everyone has accomplished. From moving into the dorms to getting to know each other this process and everything that came along with it happened really fast.
I had my last day of writing class, and I think I will miss getting up every other morning to attend a class that’s only 50 minutes long. I will miss walking to lecture with my friends to University Studies after lunch every Wednesday. We had our last U Cubed meeting for this quarter and I am excited for all that we are planning to do next quarter. I am proud of all of the girls that worked really hard for this club, and I hope everyone else will be just as committed to this club as we are. Now that the second quarter approaches, I plan to do better in everything that I am involved in. I look forward to all the fun events in U Cubed!
I am sure most people are now stressed about finals and are studying very hard for them. So instead of looking forward to next quarter, I have to concentrate on studying for my finals too. Good luck to everyone on their finals!
Blog #5
11/28/08
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I sure did I love getting together with family and friends, and just enjoy my time at home. Being at school is great, but spending time with family is something I also cherish very much. Nothing much really happened this week, because we only had three days of school. Although I do remember attending two Thanksgiving dinners, and both were super great. The food was delicioso and I had lots of fun talking about what I am thankful for for the past couple of days.
Basically everyone left for home the third day of school. The quietness reminded me of how it was at the beginning when we all first moved in. The other night my friends and I started to talk about next year and about how we will miss living in our hall. We could almost imagine ourselves miss being able to knock on each others doors when we get hungry and eating at the same time by the same table. We all knew even small things like those will make us miss living together in the dorms very much. Perhaps we are thinking way too ahead of ourselves, but that just further shows that to live in the dorms is an important part of college life. It is a part of college life that everyone will end up reminiscing at some points in their life after college.
That’s because that’s where all the fond memories are built. If you are want to, in the dorms you could meet lots of people and truly bond with your suite mates. They are the ones that you go eat with, talk with, go exercise with, and study with. Of course you’ll meet friends outside of your dorm, but in the dorm it’s another kind of closeness that you build with the people you live. You could learn so many different things from the people you live with and quickly you learn to adapt to this new environment.
It’s more than half way through the quarter, and finals are coming up soon. This four day break is shortly coming to an end too. Sometimes life goes by a little too fast. I feel like I’ve already learned so much in this short period of time. The professors and classmates have been really helpful and I truly appreciate it. At this point, I am really glad how well my high school Advanced Placement classes prepared me for college. Without those classes, transitions to some of my college courses will not be as smooth. That’s about it from me for this week.
Blog #4
11/23/2008
As I sit here in front of my computer trying to think of what to write for this blog, I took some time and thought about all that I have done since I have moved into UCI. Everything happened so spontaneously. There were times when I doubted about some of my decisions, but I did not give up because I wanted to discover what I could gain from those activities before making any other decisions that I might regret. I knew, on top of that, that I just haven’t given it enough time yet. I really do believe, that how much effort I put into something is related to how much I could get out of it. I am really glad I chose to attend UCI. I love its environment and its people. Everyone here is so enthusiastic in what they do. For example, every time I see the dance crews perform, I am so inspired by their moves and their energy. I could tell right then that effort is for sure put into this passion of theirs and it also inspired me to think about what I am passionate about. I think even though I already have an idea of what I am passionate about, I am still slowly discovering other things that I am interested in each day at UCI. This is also one great thing about college, because there are so many diverse cultures that are carried along with the people I meet, I could easily get inspired by any one of them.
The other day I drove pass my high school while visiting my parents. I turned my head and took a moment to look at the school I had stayed in for four years, and I suddenly remembered the words of the vice principle on the very first night I visited my high school. He told us, at the beginning of the meeting, that although four years might seem like a long time, they go by really quickly. I think all of us who are now in college have realized that fact. Four years did go by quickly, at least for me. I remember the days when my friends and I first walked in to high school, and the excitement we all shared to finally become a high school student. I remember becoming a Senior and still saying to my friends that I cannot believe we all were Seniors.
All those days in high school are now memories. I see the familiar paths that I have walked on, and I can’t help but think about the paths that are ahead of me. There are another four years ahead of me. Will they go by just as quickly as the four years in high school? What will I become at the end of this? What should I do to make the best of it? I can’t help but think of those questions. I come up with answers yet I know some of these answers are still unknown. One thing I know for sure is that the opportunities are limitless.
Blog #3
11/15/2008
Each week at UCI goes by so fast! I am so glad that I am finally done with all my midterms and I was able to do well this time on both exams. This past week was pretty exciting as I anxiously guessed who my big sis was. The reveal process was very cute, and it’s a little weird now I get to call my big sis my big instead of her actual name. I look forward to getting to know my entire family! We get to have a family dinners and I really look forward to those as well.
Tuesday classes were canceled because of Veteran’s Day! Discussion class for University Studies was canceled as well on Thursday. The thing about college classes is that they get canceled pretty randomly. On top of the fact that attendances are not taken in most of the classes, it really all depends on the students themselves to be responsible for their actions.
I was able to keep up with the news a little bit this weekend. It’s really sad to hear about all those people who are loosing their houses because of the fire. I can’t imagine seeing my own home being burnt down and losing all the things that I own. Sometimes we tend to oversee the little things that we own, and it is often when we lose them we start to realize their values. It is this way with many things in life. That’s why I constantly remind myself to learn to treasure those little things in life.
College is truly a very enriching environment. It doesn’t take too much careful observations to realize that we are constantly gaining new knowledge about everything. It’s different from high school, because we are constantly meeting new people and making new friends. It could get a little tiring at times, when I try to balance my social life with school work. I tend to be out of it at times too when I attend some events. I realize the need to balance my schedules. Balancing could be really difficult because a lot of the times we have no control over what happens in our lives. But it is still very important to keep a positive attitude.
Next week, there’s the U Cubed meeting! The club is still trying to get more people to come and join. There are already a lot of us that attend the meetings regularly but I wonder where the rest of the U/U people are? Everyone should come out to our meeting this Wednesday and learn to take advantage of all the resources that the school has to offer!
Blog #2
11/07/2008
Okay so yay the weekend is here! I am so glad this week is over. I barely had any good rest which is probably why I was a little hyper all through out the week. So the past weekend was crazy because I celebrated Halloween in Santa Barbara and of course I did not get a chance to sleep the night that I was there. Then on Monday, I had to wake up at 5:40 in the morning to do the housing application for next year. The system crashed. :[ So I had to go through the whole thing again on Wednesday. It was truly hectic.
Obviously this week was not one of those easy weeks in my life. I had to take a mid-term yesterday and attend a mixer for my sorority afterward. The mixer, by the way, was really fun! I recommend all of you to attend mixers if you can.
History was made this Tuesday and I think everyone was excited for that. I am glad to have witnessed that moment when an African American candidate was elected as the new president. It was nice to see that everyone was so eager to participate and vote in this election.
Enough about this week. So I am really excited for next week, because I get to find out who my big sister will be!! She will give me plenty of hints of who she is before the big reveal. I can't wait to find out who she is! Since I am an only child in the family, I've always wanted to know what it was like to have a big brother or sister. I just think that it will make life so much easier to have someone older than you to give you wise suggestions about everything.
Besides all the fun, school work is also very important of course. We are already expected to choose classes for next quarter soon. I am glad that I am undecided/undeclared, because I can choose which ever class I am interested in without having to worry about the requirements for a certain major. I am still undecided just like when I first came into the school and I am taking advantage of all the resources that are offered here at UCI for u/u students. The other day I was able to speak in lecture and promote the U Cubed club, and we even had student speakers come to speak to us about their majors during the meeting. Also, another great thing about u/u is that, we get to learn all about the different majors on campus so that we will be knowledgeable before we declare our majors. I look forward to that day :]
Blog #1
Five weeks of school went by in a blink of eyes; I can’t believe it’s already the beginning of week six. Occasionally I see visitors touring the campus and I see the faces of students and parents who are eager to learn about the university. That’s when I’d realize that I was one of them earlier this year, and that I am now officially in college. I can still remember week one, when I first moved into the dorm and met all my amazing suite mates whom I became friends with. The following week of move-in is Welcome Week. There were events going on every single day. It was a good time to walk around Ring Road and the Aldrich Park to see what the school has to offer besides academics.
When I first moved in, I had no idea what college classes were going to be like because I had no older siblings to give me wise suggestions about any of that. College classes are different from the ones in high school, the classes that I have now are either really big or really small. One of my lecture classes has about four hundred people in one hall; that’s even bigger than my high school graduating class. Another one of my discussion classes only has about sixteen people and that is where I really got to know all my classmates and my discussion leaders.
Besides classes, there are also numerous activities and events. Flyers about fun events are seen almost everywhere on campus. Shocktoberfest was one of the biggest concert events that was held on campus last month. It was super fun to dance through the night with friends while watching famous performers, like Three Six Mafia, perform live on stage. Then around Halloween there are also many fraternity Halloween events that people choose to go to. I celebrated my Halloween in Santa Barbara with a bunch of friends from UCI; it was pretty crazy up there, but it was fun!
Looking back at the past five weeks of college, I am amazed at what I am already committing myself to. I joined a sorority, became the co-vice chair of promotion for the u/u club, and am now writing blogs about all my experiences in college. On top of my school work, these activities are truly training me to become more mature and responsible. College is really fun, I am constantly meeting new people and making new friends everyday, and so far I am glad that I am making the best of it!
Nhat
5/18/09
This past week has been really relaxed in terms of VSA and school. Culture night has just ended so this week was just really relaxed because we need to recoup. Also I had no midterms this last week so I’ve been putting a lot of my time into my research paper for Hum Core. This week was really bitter sweet because its been really chill and not hectic as normal. But also I have been sleeping a lot and its been really hard for me to get anything done. I’ve really been beating myself up this week because my intent to work on my research paper is really high, but the work is definitely not been reflecting whatsoever. I really need to get going on this papter and get back on track because I also have a chem midterm that I’m realy behind on because I’ve been soo busy with everything else.
Because school has been just a lot of sleeping and relaxing, I’m going to jump right into what happened with VSA this week. This weeks meeting was just a laid back potluck/ karyoke/ games. I wore my funny hair that I wore for culture night as a thug. The food was super good because it was free!! I was also playing 13 (the card game) with some of the members and it was just the funnest becasue I was totally dominating and we had a rule that the person who got last place had to go get the first place person a piece of chicken. The rest of us were jsut chillin and conversing…until someone busted out the karyoke machine. Then it was over!! We began to randomly sing the cheesiest songs and it was just totally cool. It was just all fun and embarrasing. I feel like we should have one of those meetings every quarter.
On saturday UCI and UCR VSA held a beach day at Corona Del Mar. Even though people invited me to go, I declined because I had to work on my research paper. My goal for this week is to work on the research paper tonight, monday, and tuesday. Then study for the chem midter wednesday, thursday and friday morning. Maybe I could work on the paper a little extra on Wendesday also.
On another note, I would really really want to go home for this weekend because it is memorial day weekend but I have my midterm on Friday which totally sucks because that messes up everything!! I wont be able to leave on thursday night and now im going to have to beg my friend from long beach to take me. Lets cross our fingers =d
-Nhat
5/13/09
This past week had to be the craziest week I’ve had at UCI by far. Each and everyday ended with either TRANCE, props, or rehearsal. It was definately a VSA week because of our culture night on saturday. I also had a sociology midterm that thursday so yeah…i was in for a ride for sure. Studying for that midterm was pretty crazy because of all of the reading i had to do. I pulled an all nighter the night before and got, i feel at least, the most important studying the hour before the test. In the end I got an 83 which was an ok score…but you know im not striving for B’s at UCI, I want A’s so I need to start putting in some serious work. I also received a 78 on the Hum Core midterm which was such a bummer because I felt like that I did atleast some B quality work. Sigh….i’m totally going to make it up with my research paper though…i hope. I seriously just need to start putting in the work. Like with everything in life, if you want to get good at something, you need to start putting in the work. And I feel the same thing applies to college for sure. I mean even if you’re a genius, you’re going to struggle at one point of your life with something. There’s four week left in my freshman year, and I really want to end with a bang so I can go home happy with my spring quarter. During that all nighter I did for the Sociology midterm, there was a point between 330 and 530 where I just started singing to stay awake….that was like the highlight of my night.
Culture night was all out just crazzzy!! It took up half of my day on friday for rehearsal (430 to 10) and on saturday, the actual show day, I was there from 8am to 11pm. Throughout the whole day, I was trying to do wiley, practicing my lines for Thug #1, and cleaning up my routine for traditional dance. After a long day of just hanging out and bonding with other people, it finally hit 630 and the butterflies started to come out. Oh during the long day, Huong brought some fake hair and suggested that I wear it during my thug scene and I was just totally down. Well after all the practice and everything it came time for the show to start. I had soo many butterflies in my stomach at the time but we all came together and Thai gave us a speech about how hard we worked for this and that this is for us and 30 years!! Then we screamed UCI like 50 times to get out our frustrations. During the culture night, a lot of people loved the hair because i guess i look really ridiculous with the hair on. Trance went really well for me because there was no mistakes and I could tell that all of the extra practice that we did really paid off. After the culture night, I went out to say thanks to my friends who attended the culture night and they said that they really liked me as a gansta which made me really happy. But anyways after the culture night a few of my friends came down from visalia and i was just sooo happy to see them. We then headed over to the after party and just chilled for a lil bit. I got home really late and just slept all of Sunday. End of story. haha
-nhat
5/4/09
Yaaay!! We have just hit the merry month of may. The weather is getting hotter, school work is beginning to pile up, and stress is going through the roof!! Well….to start it off…CULTURE NIGHT IS THIS WEEKEND!! So yeah everyone is putting in super extra work to get this thing done/complete/as best as possible. I have the role of thug#1, a part of traditional dance, and helping out with props. Man im listing everything in tres….i think this could be like a triad month or something. Sorry i had to bring up something intellectual i put in an essay a long time ago. But yeah along with all of this stress is a Sociology midterm on thursday. I’ve set a goal to study atleast 2 hours a day and all night on wednesday. hmmm what else is on my agenda….o shoot im like super low on money now too….like $20 in my bank account!!
Enough about my financial problems. Now lets explore the past of last week!! On monday we had lab right…well like me and my partner are super sick-wit-it and we finish all quick, clean up after ourselves and skit skit. Mission accomplished right?? NO. I got an email saying that the other fools in the class left a mess in the lab causing the whole class to lose 5 points on our next lab automatically!! Totally lamesauce man!! Also on wednesday me and my two friends were stressing out because we thought we had a quiz for sociology…so like we were studying on the walk over (best students ever u know!) and we passed by one of salar’s friends from the previous class and she told us there was no quiz. So yeah all the weight was off of my shoulders and i could focus on the hum core midterm. I started studying for it i think a little each day and a lot on wednesday and thursday morning. haha. never underestimate the power of studying in the morning!! but anyways, one of my friends gave me her study guide that her teacher gave her and that helped a lot because half of the questions were on the midterm. I think that i did pretty well on the midterm because all of the answers i felt had thorough answers and I didn’t feel sketchy about the questions or anything. I’m just hoping for something in the B range….B or higher hopefully. But yeah my main focus right now is the sociology midterm and i feel that i need to work on my research project at the same time because right now i feel like i can only do one thing at a time because i have soo many other obligations. But yeah i really hope all of this works out in the end.
In VSA news, last thursday was VAC’s faces of war event. It was basically a commemoration of black friday and how it has basically affected every vietnamese person in america. If it wasn’t for the war, none of us would be here today in america. I personally thought that the event was great. The guest speakers were Dr. O’Connell, Ton’s father, and Ton. All of the speakers really hit well personally and historically on the subject, each with a different perspective that related to everyone in the auditorium whether vietnamese or not. I personally got to see different sides of the speakers that I never knew were there and for them to go give an interpretation that was difficult in a sense that they had to reach down and dig through many emotions….I now have a respect for all three of them. This event really hit me deep. It made me think about all the struggles that my mom and my oldest sister had gone through coming here to america. I used to look past all of this when I was younger and immature. But now that i’m a little older, i can see and appreciate my family for who they are. Of all the thing that i learned growing up, i feel blessed to grow up with strong family values. I love my family….they’re everything to me. I know some people in college who are like, “I don’t like my father” or “man I hate my parents or my siblings” or something like that. And when I hear things like that, it makes me sad because I wish they can just look past all that stuff and enjoy family love…idk. I mean like at least they have a father. Like growing up, i know i missed out a lot without a fatherly influence, but i was fortunate to have an older brother to mentor me, sisters to take care of me, and a strong mother that i dont know what i would do without. Man being here by myself away from the family….its hard u know because i miss them soo much. But it gives me a reason for wanting to go home. I want to spend time with them, chill with my mom and watch tv, skate with my brother, internet shop with my sister….its little things like that that keep me going here in Irvine. And if i miss them too much, i usually just give them a call and see whats up with them. Sorry about that huge spill of tangent emotions, but it just goes to show how much i miss my family and home.
After the VSA meeting, we headed to D&B’s for Thai’s birthday. We all had a good time, I got first again on the nascar game….i mean i am the champ. On friday, I was helping out with props at An’s place and my assignment was to work on a buggy (vehicle). The original plan was to put a box in front of it and make some sort of arch and….it was basically whack. Dann and I decided to redo the front of the buggy because it looked soo booboo. That was when me and dann constructed the most perfect front ever!! It was such an accomplishment that i rank it as one of my tops for the quarter….or even the whole year!! haha. On saturday I went bargain shopping with Huong and Cat, and omg they are the coolest people to hang out with!! Huong went on a quest to buy red and purple pumps so me and Cat went to wahoo’s fish taco and feasted. Cat is like the funniest because all of her jibber bout random stuff just made me laugh all day. Later Cat went to go get her nails done and ended up getting like a full blown treatment of some sort. So I went shopping with huong at ross….OMG! Huong is such a crazy bargain shopper!! and also shes like a comedian so i was laughing the whole time i was with huong too. Despues, we went to one of Thai’s friends place to celebrate his birthday and watch the paquio vs hatton fight….2 rounds paquio knock out. but yeah it was just a fun day followed with a great night. The next day was friendship games which was a vsa event with all the schools from so cal….kinda like an olympics but with games rather than sports such as tug a war and relays and things like that. Basically a good way to bond with other schools and also alumni. But yeah….in the end….i got 3 shades darker. haha. Time to study for my sociology midterm on thursday so i’ll end with this question, “How the whistle blow?”……The whistle be like wooo wooooooooo!!
-nhat
4/28/09
Dude last week was crazy! I spent all day and night on wednesday working on my essay. I got it back today and got a B-. I was hoping for something better but I guess thats what i deserve since i put it off til the last night like normal. Maybe if i put in like one extra day i couldve gotten a B+. But its all good i guess because i mean like…atleast it wasnt a C-….But i cant think like that!! I need to ace this research report so i can get atleast a B+ or something and end this busy quarter with a bang!! I think i will do okay too because the topic is something that I am completely into (skateboarding). But staying on topic of last week…basically i didnt get any sleep wednesday night so I was bum tired all of thursday. soo i took a nap after my classes and woke up late. I decided that i was gnna stay up really late and study for my chem midterm that i had at 2 on friday. so yeah right when i started studying, my friend calls me up and asks me if i wanna chill with him…being in the situation that i was in, i decided to agree and put off the studying. the whole time i was thinking like the decisions you make decide the outcome of your life and things like that. but i came up with an ultimatum that i was gonna study in the morning because i’ve done it before and thought it was very effective. so yeah, i got back at 4, took a 2 hour nap, and studied from 6 til 2. end result….16/17!!! man i seriously lucked out!! the average was about a 9.85 so i basically got top score out of about 350 people. this is like the first time this has happened and im gnna keep this story with me forever because of the way i prepared for the midterm and everything….its like i overcame all odds. haha.
I dont know whats been going on lately but i’ve just been burnt out not just vsa, but like school and everything in general. i think maybe ive taken too many units and its starting to take its toll on me. especially because i’m involved with vsa and this is culture night season and everything….o man i cant burn out now though because this is like when i need to step it up and everything. well…last thursday, i missed out on the meeting because i had a midterm review for hum core to attend, but i heard things went good and a couple of my close friends came out so im happy. also elections are coming up for vsa and idk if its been because of the fact that im burnt out on everything, but i dont really think im up for a position in cab next year. but like people are motivating me to do it and i mean if they truly feel that im up for it, then im going to do it. im still not sure on which position yet, but i’ll figure it out later. my worse fear about this though is that im going to do a bad job or that im going to mess up really bad at some point…either my vsa duties or school. so yeah i think ima just take it like super easy next year to prevent that. maybe like 14 units a quarter or something like that.
man…im not gonna lie, but i feel really really overwhelmed right now. i have a sociology quiz tomorrow, the hum core midterm is breathing down my neck, and thats on thursday. i also feel that i havent been up to par in helping out with vsa culture night. like i want to help out with props and everything, but with this midterm coming up, im getting scared because i messed up last quarter with the midterm. and also i want to ace this one so maybe i can actually pull an A- or B+ hopefully in the lecture grade. I also need to figure out like the classes and stuff that i want to take over the summer. I for sure want to take math classes so im caught up, but i dont know how im going to afford to pay for books and such. man ima have to get a summer job for sure now….freak man, maybe im thinkin too far in the future.
sigh…i need to keep my head up, stay strong, and enjoy the remainder of my freshman year!! hmmm…since i am in a present state of mind, i am currently watching fresh prince, just finished eating jack, im stretching my ears and im gonna catch up on ghandi. but yeah thats about it. ima hurry up and read so that i can wake up early tomorrow and study for my soc quiz….hey this morning study is really catching on now!! haha!!
-nhat
4/19/09
Week 4 is going to be the best week ever!! I have a humcore paper due thursday and a chem midterm on friday!! omg im soo excited. I get to be super busy, tired, and stressed this week!! next week is going to be just as fun because i have humcore and sociology midterms to worry about. but anyways im currently working on my chem lab which i feel is a class that requires more work than is actually reflected on the units given. but yeah since im going to be super busy for the next two weeks, i made myself a to do list and im hoping to get everything done. man everything is going to have to go perfect in order for this week to be successful. the best thing that i can do is just be optimistic and not waste time doing basically nothing.
Last week was a very full full week indeed. i didnt have a lab on monday so that was a plus!! but yeah we put it off so we’re suffering right now =/ but anyways, we had our rough draft due so it took me a long wednesday night to finish it. after attending humcore larc on thursday, i found out that i did my essay totally wrong and now i have to basically rewrite it. but i guess its also a good thing because now i have a better understanding about what to write and i am well prepared for this essay. i dont think the rest of my humcore discussion has that same understanding though, so i wish them luck.
VSA wise, this was our week!! it was the intern meeting and it was our job to run the meeting which includes the after event. Tam and I were in charge of the game that we were going to play during the meeting. We decided to have it be called “are you smarter than a cab member”. So we brought up members and cabinet and asked them questions that we made based off of the topics of: famous movie quotes, who is that character, random facts from tam, and slang. I thought that our game was a success and everyone had a fun time. Another cool part about our meeting was that it was nerd theme so everyone came dressed as nerds….except me. I decided that i was tfc and dressed up as a gangster with one of my homies. It was cool though because Liz made everyone fake classes out of pipe cleaners. The after event was rollerskating. It was hard for me at first because i didnt know convert from roller blades to skates. But like in 30 min i became like the best roller skater ever!! i was doing lame tricks and everything!! I had the best time ever and afterwards we went out to eat at Norms!! and it was mighty delicious. So im going to say that overall our meeting was a total success!!
Friday and Saturday was also pretty VSA oriented. On friday i went to el toritos for an alumni dinner/hangout type of thing. It was cool because it was happy hour and margaritas and appetizers were half off. I also met some alumni of the club and it was very interesting to see where they are now after school. On saturday was waysgooose so i took part in helping our booth sell snowcones and thai tea. I was there from 10 to 7 so i was like super duper exhausted afterwards. i took part in scooping the ice, putting the syrup on, and also advertising…i did basically everything at certain points. I really felt that we worked well as a team though and got orders out. but omg there were these dirty dogs that i bought to eat and they were sooo good. it was basically a hot dog wrapped in bacon with grilled onions on top….best thing ever!! I also got to see bboys anonymous and cadc perform so it was a good day. Man my weekends are soo consumed with vsa events. i think i need to back off these next few weekends just so i can use the weekends to catch up with my classes.
-nhat
4/12/09
Yaay it be week 3. I’m glad i have a big family!! tomorrow is my sister’s birthday. so happy birthday thuy!! but yeah this week is going to be really intense. first…i need to catch up with my sociology class, then i need to do all of my chem stuff which includes online homework and lab stuff, and then i have to write my ideas draft for my next essay and also catch up on the readings for hum core also. all this while balancing the workload of culture night which includes trance practice and props and everything else. but others have it worse than me so yeah…im just being a baby about it. haha.
Anyways…last week…hmm what happened last week…o well on monday we had chem lab which was pretty cool actually because i gots a new lab parter and shes really chill. but yeah when teachers write her name and stuff they write y. tsan. and that spelled backwords is nasty!! so its like lab is chill now with nasty and backwords nasty. haha. i’m actually working with her right now doing chem hw and stuff….not fun =( hum core on the other hand is getting more interesting but our paper is due next thurs which kind of adds on to the ever growing workload. sociology is actually really interesting but the readings are a lil overwhelming. but people keep telling me that i dont actually i dont have to read the whole thing but just to read over the main concepts of the reading. so yeah thats what im going to start to do since im really behind. but this week is catch up week and also kind of the make or break week for me so im really hoping to do well and be all caught up by next monday =)
Last week’s VSA meeting was CULTURE NIGHT KICKOFF!! haha. we split up into the different groups that cover our culture night (props, traditional dance, pr, etc.) and we just explained to our members what each group was all about and the many ways in which they can contribute to the culture night if they so pleased. I was in the traditional dance group with my buddy lyly and we explained what it was all about to the members which was good because a lot of them didnt know about us beforehand. we also got a lot of new members to sign up so with all the previous traditional dance stars with some new additions equals a great traditional dance team for UCI VCN CULTURE NIGHT 2009!! im actually really really excited now to go out to practices and everything. the after event was to go out and support CA and TOMO’s night market which was pretty chill because i seen some ppl that i didnt know were in CA and things like that. they actually had a jail cell where ppl could pay to have their friends in jail for a certain amount of time. i thought that it was a creative and good way to raise money. my friday and saturday were consumed with long beach’s and cal poly pomona’s culture night. i liked long beach’s because it was short and sweet and displayed a vast amount of vietnamese culture. cpp’s was just ridiculously funny and had a really good story line. next weekend is UCSB and UCSD’s culture night and idk which one to go to because they’re both on the same day!!
But yeah…I need to get back to work because it is officially catch up week. soo…byez
-nasty…haha backwords nasty is here too =)
4/5/09
Man its been more than a month since the last time I blogged and I would like to apologize for my misconduct. I was really consumed with finals…like 10 times more than the first quarter and yeah after that, spring break took me by storm and I had the best time back home in Visalia.
This quarter I am taking 19.3 units which is a lot because it is also culture night for VSA UCI and that is like another 10 units in its own. The classes I am taking are hum core 1c, chem 1b (which includes a lab), and also intro to sociology. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about dropping soc 1 and taking it easy because of culture night, but I’m really interested with the class and the teacher pretty exciting. This class is also a big change to the math/science classes that I’ve been taking. And I’ve also already bought my books for soc so yeah….I guess I’m going to stick with it.
Week one started out pretty quick. When I look back to the past week’s events, it seems like they happened a long time ago. But yeah I’ve been attending every class and I plan on keeping up rather than being in catch up mode like last quarter. And in order to keep up with the amount of units that I am taking, I want to be in the mode I was in during finals mode the end of last quarter. Study times are going to be Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays from 3-6. This means I’m going to get out of my room and go to a study center and read or do some kind of homework. So that means that this quarter I am going to be a seriously dedicated student (NERD). haha. Hopefully I get results from doing this.
VSA wise, the meeting for the first week was reeaallly goooood!! I saw a lot of new heads along with some old heads and I’m just really glad everyone was able to make it out. The after event was clubbing at shark club, but I didn’t attend because I got really sick before and had to be transported home. Yay me! But yeah on Saturday I attended UC Riverside’s Vietnamese Culture Night. I felt that it was really good and sent across a great message that: everyone in their lifetime, at one point or another, feels lost or gets the feeling that they are alone; but if one just looks around at all their friends and family and see how many people love them and truly care about them, than that feeling of solitaire goes away. And yeah there was great acting, dancing, and coordinating. The after party was also a lot of fun. This being my second culture night, I have a better sense of what culture night is. So yeah we just went over our script for UCI VCN (I rightfully played the thug #2) and it seems like our culture night is going to be great. It is also going to require a lot, and i mean A LOT of work. So I’m going to be stressed out for the next 5 weeks but I’m not going to let the stress take over and just live up the experience. Whoever is reading this, whether in high school or college, I really encourage you to attend a culture night!! I am saying this because not only VSA, but many other cultural clubs also have culture nights. This includes I believe Kababayan, Tomo, CA, PSA, and many others. And I’m sure these clubs put a lot of time and effort into their culture nights so it will probably never be a disappointment and you will also get to learn a lot about other cultures while supporting the club also. So yeah, thats my lil blurb about culture nights.
I have set some goals for the quarter. They are: to work out at least 3 times a week, GET BACK INTO SKATING, become a bigger part of VSA, and also get a higher gpa than I did last quarter which was a 3.2. I am sure that there are more, but I just cant think of it right now….UNTIL NEXT WEEK!!
-NHAT
3/4/09
Last week was Round 2 of midterms and I felt pretty good about both midterms. Results came in from the math midterm and I got a 36/45 which was very surprising for me because I felt that I really aced it. The average was 34 anyways so I’m ok. I also got my paper back and got a B- which was also a little surprising because I thought I did better than that also. Now I’m really behind in HumCore so I need to step it up the last two weeks and get this essay done.
Last week was also very VSA oriented in that I bonded a lot with orange ninja team. We went out as a team on thursday afternoon and saran wrapped Thai’s car. O man we all had such a good time doing it. I was very happy that a lot of people showed up. That night was Car Rally night and that by far was the best VSA meeting ever! It was basically like a scavenger hunt, but like in our cars. All the teams had a checklist of things to do and our team did a lot of them. Although we didn’t win, I just thought it was a great bonding experience with my orange team.
This past saturday was UVSA winter formal and I was just ecstatic all day because I love to rip up the dance floor. Before the dance, I went shopping with Lisa and Lyly and I had a great time. I had to look for a matching tie for Lyly’s dress which was really tough because her dress was oange and crimson. But yeah I just found a crimson one and things were ok. Afterwards we went to Costco and I had a hot dog (the gave me a hot dog instead of a polish dog but I wasn’t too butt hurt because I was really hungry) and a chicken bake. I would go there everyday if I could because I feel like that place gives you the most bang for your buck. O yeah, well my hot dog had onions on it, but freaking Lisa had an onion with a hot dog on it!!
Two words…Winter Formal was a BLAST!! From our amazing cab modern performance to everyone getting crazy on the dance floor, I swear it was a crazy night. I had such a good time and basically danced with every girl. I think this has to be the peak of winter quarter…It’s either going to plateau from here one, or just go downhill. I can’t wait until next week because of Sadies and Date Auction. I’m going to invite my friend J-Bar so we’ll see how that goes.
In the dancing world, ABDC in particular, QUEST freaking killed it!! Their last two performances ripped up the stage!! I’m pretty sure they stole the title from Beat Freakz, who i feel dropped the ball in the last episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp4Vc-o00PY
On sunday, Khanh set up a pool party at VDC and it was very very successful. I think it came at a good time too because everyone just wanted to relax on a perfect day and forget about the stress. I was also super cool because Chauan and Qua were out there from SB and Miguel was there too. O man it just turned out to be the perfect pool party so props to Khanh. Until next week!!
-Nhassty
2/25/09
School is finally beginning to catch up to me =/ I need to get into gears this week especially on thursday and friday and catch up like no other. But yeah I have just set myself a new goal, kind of like a new years resolution. I have always been a person that would say, “Man it would be hecka sick to do this!!” or something like that concerning an idea of some sort. But the thing is I usually never get to doing it. I dont know if its the laziness catching up or just my lack of motivation. This also applies to my…hanging out with friends?? Cause I’m always like,”Yeah we should totally hang out…blah blah blah,” but it never happens!! Man I just think its my lack of assertiveness or maybe selfishness. I gotta start thinking less about myself and more about my grades and how my lack of acting out is affecting all the people around me.
So anyways this week….hmmm what happened….I seem to have terrible memory. O yeah!! My week was basically consumed trying to come up with choreography to a song for VSA by night. But yeah things ended up not working out with the guy I was going to do the performance with so I ended up doing a solo that sucked really badly!! haha. I kind of regret it but Hai told me to look at it as a way of gaining experience. That night was seriously crazy and had some insane performances. ahah. But I guess thats how VSA do!! Afterwards we went to go eat at innout with everyone. After the after event (haha) we went to D and B’s to celebrate Oanh’s Birthday!! I played the insane nascar game with 4 good friends and I won one of the races…I dont wanna talk about the other one. Anyways when I got back to the dorms around 1 or 2 I just chilled with some of the guys down at the first floor and we just busted beats and flows for another hour or so. Man that night was really chill.
I dont really remember anything happening schoolwise….O crap!! Now I remember!! On Thursday I went to Disneyland all day with Oanh, Eddie, and Brian. OMG we just had the greatest time over there. I remember the best rides of the day came in the form of Space Mountain and….I dont remember the name of the other one so I’m just going to say the Hannah Montana ride. ahah!! I also bought a breadbowl of some legit clam chowder for like 10 bucks. But I think it was totally worth it. After 5 oclock I just got really tired and turned into shut down mode until the VSA meeting.
On Friday…or I think it was on Friday…we went ice skating at some place in Anaheim and it turned out pretty sick-wit-it. I’m not the best ice skater but I always try to learn something new at whatever I do so I spent about half of the time learning how to skate backwards…but yeah I eventually did it. It wasnt the best looking thing…but I’m pretty sure I looked really stupid doing it. haha. I had a really good time though. Then on saturday afternoon I went to an alumni lunch at dim sum. I met a lot of old cabinet legends that used to be big parts of VSA back in their day. I’ve been thinking a lot lately on if I should try out for a larger role on cabinet, but idk….I dont think I’m ready for that yet. And I think that my worst fear is having a position, and not doing a good job at it. So idk what really to do next year in terms of VSA. I need to work a lot on my character and maybe one day I could be like the legends I met at the luncheon and yeah.
I basically spent all day and night sunday working on my Humcore essay and studying for my calc midterm. I finished my essay like about an hour before it was due and aced my calc midterm. That day went really well because after class I just went home and slept for idk how long. haha.
This weekend is Winter Formal!! I cannot wait!! I havent gotten my grove on the dance floor since winterballer at CSULA. But yeah being a part of cab, we’re doing a performance so everyday this week we have cab modern practice. I think I’m doing pretty well picking up all the choreography and everything. I also have my chem midterm this thursday!! So this week is going to be, once again, jam packed with stuff to do. But I guess thats how all college students have their weeks right?? Well…we’ll see how this week goes.
nhat
P.S. I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! to Mayra and Kristull, my best friends back at home =)
2/18/09
Man has it been nine days since my last blog?? Haha. I guess so. I’m really wondering right now if anyone reads my blogs…except Heather…but yeah I’ve realized that being a u/u zot blogger is probably one of the smartest things I’ve done all year (haven’t done many smart things all year =/) because like…I have terrible memory. And one of these days in the future I’m just going read the whole thing. The coolest part will be reliving those moments during my freshman year that I would’ve forgotten. So yeah I’m really glad to have done this…so all you future zot bloggers out there…this is good. haha.
Well…It’s pretty early right now (4:30 a.m.) and I’m just sitting here chillin to my master mix of songs that I put together…should I name them?? hmmm…idk bout that because in the future I’m going to be like, “I was listening to THAT song?? LAME”. I do like the fact that I’m conversing to myself though…weird.
So this last week was pretty chill…didn’t really do much…because I was sick!! Man I have like the worst cold ever right now and it made me miss a lot of my classes last week. This week I’m still sick but I gotta fight it mentally so I could actually get work done. But yeah I’m really behind right now, but I’m catching up this week so I don’t have to suffer next week during midterms…blah. So yeah I have an essay due Monday, math midterm also on Monday, and a chem midterm on Thursday. So I have to jam pack this week and weekend so I don’t fail in life.
The VSA meeting on Thursday was Valentines theme. Yaaayyyy…not really. lol. I was facilitating the meeting with the beautiful An Le, and I found out that I’m a terrible facilitator. haha. But anyways people at the meeting wore colors that reflected their status. Red meant that you were taken, yellow meant that you were complicated, and green meant I’m all yours baby!! Well I kind of wore all three colors and was “whatever you like”. haha. We played a game called…I don’t remember what it was called but basically there was a big circle and people were in the middle trying to make the other people on the outside laugh. That was a really fun game because it made everyone laugh. Part two of the meeting came in the form of Battle of the Sexes. If it were a numbers game, the guys would’ve won because we outnumbered the girls 3 to 1. Pretty sad huh? lol. The game consisted of questions and challenges concerning the opposite sex. Man some of the were difficult too!! When I decided to volunteer, with Brian Vu, our question was: “What are smoky eyes?” Well…since I had no idea, and Brian didn’t know either, we just said Smokey the Bear. But yeah in the end there was a final challenge with bananas and we lost =( But after the meeting we went out to Red Robin and got robbed there. Literally…their menu was soo pricey. But I guess their burger was pretty good. But still!!
So yeah this past weekend was Valentines weekend and also a three day weekend. I wanted to go home really bad but couldn’t because my friend J-Bar, from CSULB, doesn’t have a three day weekend…so I was basically at the dorms by myself because everyone else left for home =/ On Saturday (Valentines day) I went to VSA’s VSA (Vietnamese singles awareness) Day. Pretty funny acronym. But yeah we went ice skating which was my first time by the way. I actually did alright in that I didn’t fall…but that doesn’t go for Liz though. haha she fell on her butt. My feet hurt after a little bit so that was kind of annoying. Good thing it was free though!! Afterwards we went to go eat at The Hat which was a brilliant idea because I got full off of 4 bucks. Then after that we went to Khanh’s place to watch a movie because I didn’t wanna pay 11 dollars for a movie ticket…sorry but I haven’t paid that much for a movie ticket since like…forever. haha. We watched the movie “Definitely Maybe” which was actually really good. But I felt like crap afterwards because I’m single right now.
Sunday was spent starting a conspiracy with one of my friends on AIM. MWHAHAHAHA!!
On Monday, we had a cab meeting and I had to facilitate that too which actually wasn’t too bad. The meeting went by really quick and we got things done. It was also Johnny’s birthday on Monday so after the meeting we went out to eat at The Yardhouse and I spent too much money on appetizers. lol. which were half off by the way because it was happy hour. But yeah it was a really fun night and Johnny had a lot of fun so that was good.
This week is crazzzy and it’s barely Wednesday!! It’s because this week’s meeting is VSA By Night I want to do two performances. A popping routine with Jawn, and a duet with An. But my voice is messed up, and the choreo isn’t going too well, so idk if its going to go down…but ima try though really hard because even if those things didn’t end up being well performed or whatever, I’m going to be glad that I did it have no regrets.
VSA WINTER FORMAL IS IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS!! SERIOUSLY CANNOT WAIT =)
-NHASSTY
2/9/09
Once again i am a day late in doing this blog….this is becoming a very bad habit. lol. but yeah i stayed up all night working on my ideas draft. nd when i took a nap today after lecture, i slept through half of my hum discussion class =( stupid snooze button!! haha. but yeah atleast i got the ideas draft done…even though now i have to pick a new picture and fix some of it. but whatever i have a clear vision on what to do for this essay nd it seems pretty easy.
Hmmm so what happened this last week?? Well i got sick last week nd didnt really go to school monday, tuesday, and wednesday. Thats when i realized i needed to overcome all the odds and start to study for my hum core midterm that was on friday….nd i was already super behind. but yea i guess i did most of my studying wednesday night and all of thursday. nd as a result of this, i didnt attend chem or calc all week. its ok though because i feel like i need to put more of my efforts into hum core. but yeah i studied really hard for this midterm nd felt like i knew everything there was to know. when i took the midterm on friday, i found myself a lil stuck because i felt that the questions our teacher gave us were a lil nit picky and yeah….it was ok though because my santa toy said i did outstanding on it.
idk if i should trust that thing anymore because it said that i did outstanding on my chem midterm and bad on my calc midterm. well i got the results back this week nd i got a 70 on my chem midterm which is only a little bit above average. i was very disappointed in myself because i felt that i really knew what i was doing nd i thought i did very well on the test. so yeah when i got the results back i wasnt too happy. but yeah i just got my calc test back yesterday and i got a 44.5 out of 50 but she curved it so the test ended up being out of 46 so my final score was an A+!!! thats right everyone!!! i freaking dominated!! now i know to refocus all of my studying into chem because calc is a lot easier than i thought. so yeah i guess thats going to be my new gameplan.
O our VSA meeting last thursday was pretty ill. the theme of the meeting was to do the dansing. we got into our ninja groups nd we came up with a one minute music video. it ended up being really sick because our group had a super kewl song nd we played it out really well. many ppl though it was pretty legit. then afterwords level five had a performance nd it was pretty gud. i liked the fact that they used the song gone by nsync….i havent heard of that song in a million years. after that was the best part of the show….TRANCE PERFORMANCE!!! being a part of traditional dance i knew it was seriously going to be the best part of the meeting nd it was!!! ummm but yeah this week i seriously need to step it up as a ninja leader and kill some of my targets!!!
Right now im listening to a master mix of: you found me, winter song, and entourage. but yeah i have to read like 40 pages out of the HCC for hum core so im not enjoying that too much. o nd theres also bowling tomorrow with my dorm so im pretty psyched about that. theres also an intern lunch tomorrow so i hope thats going to be real fun. but yeah for valentines day this wkend….we’ll leave that undisclosed. haha.
-nhat
2/3/09
I am officially two days late in doing this blog. totally not cool right? dont wrry i have an excuse. this past weekend i caught a horrible cold and yeah…ive been in shutdown mode for the past few days and havent gttn anything done. but things are finally turning around because the medication is beginning to work a little better and mentally i am more engaged in schoolwork.
This past week was a little stressful for me because i had two midterms (chem nd calc) on thursday and friday. so throughout the week i was going to all the office hours and study sessions because ive been so caught up in humcore that ive kinda looked over these classes. and in doing all of this i became a lil m.i.a. for vsa. i couldnt partake in the anteater bite that they held because my week was full all the way to the brim with things to do. but i was able to swing by a lil bit and i help promote my booth a lil bit so i was kind of happy. i studied kind of a lot for the midterms but it still felt like high school a bit because i did a lot of that studying the day before. but that was ok because all of these things are review for me. for both midterms i thought i did pretty well except for the last question. but its ok because im pretty sure i aced the rest. it is now time for the humcore midterm this coming friday so i need to get on the studying boat for sure!!
This past weekend was Tet festival!!! it was the first one that ive been to down here so i felt like a lil kid u know because everything was so new to me. but anyways i wasnt able to make it on friday because i had class nd stuff….i also had to relax a bit. on saturday i had to wake up at 8 to carry our uci flag during the parade. when we got there they didnt have any poles for the flags so we just gave out candy instead. it was so hard giving out candy because we had to pick and choose who to give the candy to….so that means that we had to reject some of the older kids and many many parents. ahah. well….they didnt feed us so i had to go find my own free food at the festival. and when i finally found sum…i ate everything. lol. o yeah the whole time i was whining on getting this one purple shirt that they were giving out to everyone. catherine hooked me up with one but then i had to volunteer for a couple of hours which wasnt bad….it was just really hot. but it was worth it since i got my shirt. afterwards i went to the vsa plinko booth and just chilled there until the day ended. the plinko board was actually really sick-wit-it and it was pretty shocking to see all of our prizes go away to people who kept getting the impossible shots. i really dont know how some of the people did it. anyways….stupid me was too lazy to go get my sweater from an’s car and i just wore a tshirt the whole night which i now regret because im really sick now. and supposedly im getting everyone else in the dorm sick also….which idk how that it is because ive stayed in my room a lot. speaking of an, she sang a song (chasing pavements) sooo beautifully and got second in the compitition so congrats to her.
On sunday was the traditional dance performance. i wasnt really that nervous compared to everyone else because i was really sick and couldnt really focus at all. but anyways we got there….i had to ride in amanda’s trunk…and practiced for about an hour. then lyly gave us some words of encouragement and we went out there and performed our butts off. afterwords the whole trance team went to go eat pho which was good because eating something hot when its cold feels good. but yeah it was just a great night overall and a good cap to a great weekend. these past couple of days ive just been in shut down mode….not really doing much….just missing class and rolling around in bed. that all sounds good but i seriously need to get going if i wanna do good on this midterm.
I would like to say thank u to all of my suite mates because during the days i was sick, ive mooched off of them soo much and they have all just been really cool about it. i would also like to thank shalini for taking me to albertsons so i could stock up on supplies nd wut not. big thanks to everyone in vsa because this past week has been a really hard one for me emotionally and everyone in cab has just basically brought me back to my feet. so i am really thankful to have them there. o and thank u lisa for the cookie =)
-nhat
1/26/09
I would like to apologize for writing this blog a day late. Last night i got carried away writing my hum core essay all night. like seriously….all night. haha. good times. but yeah im just really happy right now because now that the essay weight is off of my shoulders, i can relax a little bit. but i have a chem midterm on thursday and calc on friday. but its good placement i guess because now i have time to study. right now im just chilln watchin arthur. haha. its not that great of an episode though.
hmmm so what went down last week…….classes were ok. just the same old same old. its kinda weird though like for my chem and calc classes, since i already took them in high school i thought it would just be a breeze. but idk wuts up. like everything looks familiar….like i know ive done these types of problems before but just the way they teach it or sumthing. idk. i think they teach it the hardest way possible on purpose.
My traditional dance practices have been going good. all of us have gotten the routines down so now were just having fun at practice. i think were going to perform this sunday during the superbowl =( but its ok….its just the cards nd steelers. haha. my superbowl pick this year is based on which team i dont hate the most. so ima go with the cards because i like the 1,2 punch wide receiver combo they got going. But yeah last week at traditional dance practice i asked lyly to formal nd she said yes. so ima say thats the highlight of my week =) my popping class was pretty fun. mike song came on time this week nd he taught us how to perfect the wave with ur arm. the secret is to go really slow. the breaking class is going really good also. we learned some new freezes and different types of toprocks and getdowns. im perfecting my turtle freeze but my wrist have started to hurt. im also getting a lot better with my handstands also.
After the breaking class i went to an’s house nd we worked on the plinko board for tet festival this weekend. the plinko board actually turned out looking really bomb. i mean its seriously legit. but yeah for vsa this week we started a new game called ninjas. its basically like assasins but its called ninjas =) well im in charge of the orange team with an tam so i know were gnna be sick. we’re called the cam haterminators haha. but yea we filmed a lil short vid for that and it ended up being really good. i swear like all the low buget videos that we make for vsa turn out really sick wit it. on saturday i attended a male pageant called pho king at ucsb. i had a really good time and it felt really good to see all the vsa members come out and support me. but yeah for my talent i did a popping routine. if u guys wanna see it, go onto my facebook and u could see there. i dont think it was that good but people said that i killed it. and i basically worked on my essay all of sunday.
she she shir shir ha ha
-nhat
1/19/09
Well its the end of week 2 and yeah it has been a great 3 day weekend. Well i have an essay due next monday so im gnna have to work extra hard this week so that i can do really good on it. my popping class was ok. mike song was half an hour late….but i guess its ok cause its mike song. lol. idk we didnt do much. we just learned the basic tutting skills. traditional dance is also going really good. all the girls nd guys have gttn the routines down nd we also have the partner routine down also. in my bboying class we learned how to do leg sweeps and i finally learned how to do a turtle freeze so i might be able to learn how to do a windmill soon. lol. heres a link to a pretty sick vid. just watch the first 30 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJxY5r0T9AA&feature=related
This weekend was really chill!! it was full of VSA. on saturday i went to winterballer which was an event held by the VSA at CSULA. winterballer is basically gambling…then dancing. well i got sweeped at poker after a bad beat from a girl that was playing…..but anyways, i redeemed myself on the dancefloor. omg i had sooo much fun just dancing all crazy nd wut not with all of the ppl who showed up from uci. man after a night like that….dang i seriously cant wait until winter formal. im just gnna tear it up!!
Well on MLK day UCLA had their culture night which was the first of the culture nights to come from all the socal schools. Before we arrived, we went to go eat at…..i cant remember the name….but i got chicken nd waffles. it was pretty delish nd i just stuffed my face. I thought that UCLA’s culture night was really good nd appealed to all of my emotions. i also sat between lyly nd an so yea of course i was going to have a good time. on the way back we listened to nothing but john legend so now all of his music is stuck in my head thanks to an.
So yeah besides school, my life is consumed with VSA nd breakpopping. O nd by the way i think that the Cardinals are going to go all the way…..they are totally going to be my madden team next year. haha
-Nhat
1/11/09
It is a brand new year, so im gnna kick it off right.
Thats the reason why im blogging so late and i’ve still got tons of hw to do haha. Sorry for the late blog, I was hanging out with the vsa cab eating at some place….but hmmmm classes are a little bit harder this quarter but I think its gnna be a lil easier cause im a lot more focused and i am not going to let myself get behind on my work. but anyways the only thing bad about my classes is that a couple of them are really far away. but its ok….whatever. man im like sooo busy this quarter. I dont think ima have time to be lazy like last quarter….nd this includes the wkends!! Ayyy!!! But yeah i seen the new episode of scrubs last week so i was pretty hyped up on that.
Anyways…this quarter i am taking calc 2a, chem 1a, and hum core. Besides the classes im taking, I am also involved as a VSA intern, Im doing VSA traditional dance, and Im also taking a popping and breaking class at the arc. So im pretty stacked this quarter and see myself getting little sleep.
The first week of school wasnt too bad, just a lot of syllabus stuff and review. I just find myself having to snooze for a longer period of time =) This weekend i went to cab retreat and man was that grueling. We were talking about things (evaluating last quarter) hours apon hours and it was super hard for me to stay awake. I got a whole bunch of clothes that I ordered in the mail so im pretty stoked on that.
But yeah winter break got me in a habit of being too lazy. Its just been a week and i already need a break from school haha. O yeah the VSA meeting that we had last thursday was pretty chilll. It was a hot cocoa social and afterwords ppl went iceblocking in aldrich park. For those of you who dont know, iceblocking is sitting on a chunk of ice and sliding down the hill. I personally didnt do the iceblocking but everyone that did had a good time doing it. I met some new ppl in the VSA meeting so and had sum goood hot cocoa so it ended up being a great meeting. Also during the meeting be played mob or sumthing. But the funny thing was that in the game we ended up accusing the wrong ppl and yeah…..they ended up dying. haha. It was a lot funnier than it sounds.
Goals for this quarter is to become more involved in VSA and also to get a 4.0….i think i might be able to do that this quarter if i work hard enough. New years resolution is to become a better dancer, and become happier with myself and who i am as a person….man this is gnna sound soo lame when i read it over later.
-Nhat
11/30/08
Bloggers Beware!!! It is cold, it is foggy, and I’m writing my blog now in the car because I cannot read in this environment (in the whip with music bumping). I had a little bit of setbacks with some drama concerning the opposite sex, but besides that, everything was great. Eating the delicious Viet food was great, hangout out with my friends was great, and being with my family was awesome. I did have to dos some homework though =( but I had to in order to make this next week a little bit easier.
Man this next week is gonna be so darn crazy!! I need to make a slide show, work on a take home final, write an essay for Hum Core, read a book, and study for my Hum core final. On top of that I need to sign up for classes on Thursday…there won’t be any left open. I’ve been debating recently on whether I should take Hum core or not next quarter. My academic counselor advised me not to take it because I want to be an engineer major. I want to take the class because I know it is going to be really interesting. But I think by taking the class, it will make these next two quarters really hard for me and also set me behind on what I’m supposed to take in order to graduate. So I’m in a tough pickle, but I think I’ll figure things out by Thursday.
Bad things that happened this week: getting VDC Norte, missing my physics placement test, and not being able to attend the VSA potluck =(
Things to look forward to: Christmas Break, VSA Winter Retreat, and break dancing next quarter…yeah…thats right 
11/23/08
Man I thought last week was bad…this week was pretty rough also. I guess last week was more stressful in a non academic way than the week before that one. Well this week that has just passed was a little emotional for me. A lot of problems back home have been transcending to Irvine and have just put my brain on hold. I haven’t been able to read much I’m falling a little behind in my Hum Core class. But that is going to change beginning tomorrow…we’ll see how I really work under pressure.
On Thursday, during the VSA meeting, I dressed up as Lil Nguyen (Lil Wayne…yada??) and was a part of our Sausage pageant that we had. The other contestants were dressed up as a douche bag, the pick up artist, and some asian guy…srry thai. But yea everything turned out so funny and I almost won…I got 2nd. But it’s ok because I had a lot of fun.
But yeah besides the reading, I got a lot of things done off of my checklist for the week. I feel now that putting off the reading to this weekend was a bad idea because this week was Rose Pageant week for VSA. Friday was just crazy for me. VSA’s president and secretary picked me up from Mesa on Wednesday and we went shopping for our maroon shirts that we were going to wear for Rose Pageant. After that we went to Oanh’s house and did some work on the contestants numbers for a little bit. Then the real work began. Lisa made me help her paint for like I don’t know how many hours. But I stayed up until like 5 painting and shading roses (what a beezie i know!!). But yea throughout the whole time painting I had a lot of fun just laughing and bonding with other people. I also started getting a little delirious late r in the night and I started singing and saying weird things haha. Overall, it was a good night. I woke up around 10 (no time for sleep!!) and went to go take a shower and headed over to Crystal Cove where the pageant was going to be held. We started setting things up, there was so many things to do, but we got them all done. I was outside selling tickets and giving wristbands. But throughout the night I was able to go inside and see parts of the show. WOW it was a really great show!! BBoys Anonymous and Level 5 performed and the videos they had were just plain funny!! Victor Kim was also there and he sang and did a little breakdancing so that was cool. The whole time I was cheering for my fellow intern Oanh. But yeah in the end a girl named Anne from Fullerton won. The show overall was a success. After that we went to go eat at Pho Hoa.
On Sunday, I caught up on sleep and did a little project for someone’s birthday that is coming up.
I think that Rose Pageant taught me a lot because I’ve never been a part of such a big production like that before. And to see that all my hard work, along with everyone else’s of course, paid off in the end was a really good feeling. It also taught me that being apart of a club is going to take a lot of time and effort, so there is no time to be lazy anymore. I need to get on with my homework and try to do the best I can while still be an active member on this group. After some adjusting, I think that I’ll be okay. Everything usually works out in the end. But yeah nothing can bring me down because I am going home on Tuesday night and I’m just soo hyped. Until next week…
-Nhat
11/16/08
Man…this past week has been a little rough on me. I had a mid term on friday and my paper for hum core was also due on friday. I’ve been working all week on this paper and didn’t really get to study for the mid term until thursday night. The problem I encountered was that I was hecka tired that night and I couldn’t focus. So I woke up early the next morning and studied…and I think I did pretty well on it. But yea right when I got home I started finishing up my paper. Since I was restricted on time, I had to rush to turn it in and I know I didn’t do the footnotes and works cited right. But it’s ok…I turned it in already…whatever.
Also in news, the Jaguars gave up 21 unanswered points in the second half!! Ayyy!!! I can’t believe they lost again. That pretty much blows their chances for playoffs. But yeah also in the mma world, Randy Couture lost to Brock Lesnar =( I was really hoping for Couture to pull the upset once again. Kenflo also won against joe stevenson…but that wasn’t really a big surprise. I still don’t think he could beat BJ penn though.
One of the good things that happened this week was VSA!!! On Wednesday, we did orgfest which was pretty cool. I had a lot of fun selling chicken skewers and hanging out with the cabinet. Thursday night we had VSA by night and that was just the coolest and funniest thing ever! A lot of people sang and did their thing on stage. I helped out with an improv thing with a few other members. The highlight of the show was Khan and Tony’s “what what in the butt” performance. Man that thing was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time. If you guys are curious about the video, it is on my facebook so check it out. Then on saturday, I helped out VAC (Vietnamese American Coalition) a cleanup in Little Saigon. Stacy, Liz, Dennis, and I worked with highschoolers and picked up trash along the sidewalks. Afterwords Stacy and I hung out for a little bit and got some Lee’s. Then we went out to eat at a restaurant with the VAC cabinet. That was chill. I met some new people. I just got back from a VSA cabinet meeting that took kind of long but it was very very entertaining. After the meeting we went to Guppies and I had yummy shaved ice. But that was my week and I don’t think this week will be as stressful, but I’m just thinking about going home once again for THANKSGIVING…I can’t wait.
11/9/08
Sundays aren’t the same anymore. I used to be able to sit home all day, eat chips, and watch football all day. Nowadays I never get to watch football anymore or even the new episodes of the simpsons that come on. I’m watching highlights right now though on the nfl network. But yea this past week was really good. I found out that I got a B- on my Humanities essay and a B+ on my Humanities mid term. Also this past thursday, during the VSA meeting, I helped out with the hue section of the culture cornucopia. I was really hyped when I found out that some of my friends were heading up to Sacramento and that they would be able to drop me off in the jolly old town of Visalia (my hometown). I was excited because I would be able to see my family and Alyssa, the love of my life. Well on friday, after Walter and the bunch dropped me off at my house, I went inside to find that my mom had made me a nice home cooked meal. OMG it was so freakin good!! After I ate I went to Wal Mart to wait in line because there was a laptop sale. Since I didnt see any lines, I went to my brother’s house and he gave me some this thing called 5 hour energy. It’s supposed to keep you up, like an energy drink, but without the crash afterwards. After I drank a couple of gulps, it tasted like crap, I went to go wait in front of wal mart. The store opened up at six and I got my laptop. But when I got home, I was laying down watching tv and the next thing I know, I had been asleep for 2 hours!! About mid day on saturday, I went to go hang out with Alyssa and we just had the greatest time ever! Hanging out with her was definitely the highlight of my weekend. That night we went out for ice cream at fosters freeze and then she dropped me off at my best friend Brian’s house. There we played a little bit of fifa and a lot of gears of war 2!! We played this multiplayer game and got all the way to level 8. It was really hard though because there were these big mama jammas with flamethrowers and missile launchers. On sunday Walter and the bunch picked me up and now I am here in my dorm. It was a great weekend though…although I didnt get any homework done. Mwahahaha lol. But yeah this week ahead of me is going to be really tough and I need to get my A game on. I have a paper due wednesday along with a mid term that day, and my Humanities essay is also due on friday!! I think things will be good this week though as long as I work hard. I’m gonna be really mad at myself if I don’t get all the things I want done. UFC this weekend!! It’s going to be Randy Couture vs Brock Lesnar!! This could be the fight of the century guys. I’m definitely going to try to watch it this weekend live but if not, I’ll just watch it on the internet. One last important reminder!! ROSE PAGEANT TICKETS ARE ON SALE!! TICKETS ARE 7 DOLLARS AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT IF YOU WANT TO BUY ONE. ALL PROCEEDS GO TOWARDS VIETHOPE. CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION. Thanks for reading guys!!
-Nhat
11/2/08
Ever since I’ve gotten fifa…it’s taken over my life. Lol jm but im seriously playing it at an unhealthy rate. But anyways, this weekend was pretty chill. I was very happy coming into the weekend because i don’t have to worry about the humanities mid term no more!! Now we’re reading a new book and in the middle of writing another essay. I swear like this class never stops!! But yea for halloween, i was just kicking it with Kian playing pool and what not when ten people from my hall comes through and with a whole bunch of candy that they got from trick or treating. Everyone was bored so we decided to play a game called murder. Murder is a game where you wink at people and they die and stuff. Well it was a lot of fun and we ended up playing that game for four hours. So yeah im glad because halloween could have been boring for me but with the help of my fellow palonians, we made something out of nothing and had a lot of fun. Saturday was committed to waking up late, and playing fifa…no homework was involved. Oh and on Saturday night, I skated with the coolest RA ever, Walter. We had a good session and I taught Walter how to nollie shov. But yea whoever wants to skate with us just leave me a message and I’ll make sure to invite you. Well good news everybody! I found out that I am now an intern for VSA (Vietnamese Student Association). Today I had to wake up at 9 o’clock so that I could hit up a carpool to VSA picture taking. Man this is embarrassing but when I got there, I was waiting for about 20 minutes, when I looked at my phone and found out that it was 8:20 instead of 9:20. So yeah I went back home for like an hour and when I came back it started raining. When we got to Garden Grove, the sun came out so it wasn’t bad. We took soo many pictures though!! It was a fun experience and I met a lot of people. I just got back from the VSA meeting by the way and it was held at VDC. OMG!! VDC is sooo nice!! I totally wan to live there. After a three hour meeting, I’m finally home and I’m watching Harold and Kumar right now. So yeah the plans for tomorrow are to wake up at 4:30 in the morning and sign up for housing. Then go to class from 9:00 to 12:00 then work on posters for VSA. Things are pretty hectic tomorrow…you gotta do what u gotta do right??
-Nhat
P.S. Thank you Walter for the dinner…it was yummy
Melissa
Finals Week June 9, 2009
THE FINAL POST OF MY FRESHMAN YEAR:
I can’t believe I’m almost done! I have a choir concert tonite and then an Anthro final on Thursday, then I’m done with freshman year!!! Thursday night I’m going to Boston. (I will talk about this in a little bit.)
The first year went by so quickly. I’m undeclared …but heading towards a major. I’m officially undeclared under the school of Social Science. And by my second year, I will apply for the Business School, or apply for a Business Econ major under the Social Sciences. There is always something to do in college and time just goes by so fast!
I already met the girls I am sharing an apartment with next year. They are all pretty cool. And I’m really excited to live with them next year! We are buying furniture and kitchen stuff! It’s so crazy! Second year is going to be insaaaane! I am so excited! I’m declaring a major (that will ’somewhat’ determine my carreer!) and I am living in a apartment!!!! Omgosh! This is some serious business.
I look back on my first year…and there are somethings that I did so bravely (or blindly …very debatable). 1. I went to Mexico 2. I am International director of Rotaract 3. I went up to the San Bernardino National Forest (Big Bear mountains) 4. I’m going to Boston for Rotaract and 5. I’m making Rotarian “friends”
Okay???? WHO DOES THESE KINDS OF THINGS??!!! I look back on it now…and I get scared. I ask myself, “Why did I do that? How is this going to affect my life in the future? AM I NOT SCARED?!” Going to Mexico was crazy and fun…I probably would not have done that again so blindly. Going to Mexico was really spontaneous. And the ride to Big Bead, going and back, I was praying to God that we don’t get in a car accident! It was crazy!
Boston is going to be CRAZY! The biggest names in the Phillipines are going to be there! The VICE PRESIDENT of the Philippines is going to be there! There are TWO big balls! The workshops are at HARVARD and MIT!!!!! It never hit me before …but this conference is HUGEEEEEE!!!!!!! I am sooo Excited!!! I was too worried about seeing Boston and other places that I forgot to focus on what I am really there for..the CONFERENCE..which is HUUUGEEE! I am really exicted for this conference ..that will be the stepping stone to Rotaract’s trip to the Philippines next school year! And I’m planning it as the International Director!!! WOOO!
Things to look out for during college, VERY EASY TO MISS but VERY IMPORTANT:
1. Don’t eat so much ice cream …1 cone DOES COUNT!
2. Go to the CAREER CENTER JOB fair during WELCOME WEEK…that’s where I found my job
3. GO TO ALL THE EVENT DURING WELCOME WEEK!!!! (with your friends..or make friends!) – even commuters should go! It’s all worth it! ASUCI puts it on for freshmen!
4. GO TO ALL ASUCI events!!!!!! (Shocktober fest, Wayzgoose/Celebrate, Reggaefest, etc.) You pay for all those events ..they are fun..so take advantage! ..GO NO MATTER WHAT DATE (take a break from midterms/finals)
5. GET INVOLVED. I cannot stress this enough! Do ANYTHING! Join a club, join asuci, join UCubed, join a sorority/fraternity (if you have the money and time for it), join the housing (Mesa Court/Middle Earth) clubs…JUST DO SOMEThING!!!!
6. TAKE HUMANITIES CORE CLASS!!!!!!! (the reading is not that insane..they pick out passages for you to focus on…and essays are not that bad…the experience is TOTALLY WOTH IT!!!
Well …that’s all the wisdom I can pass on to you that I learned my freshman year. I have to pack my dorm room and leave by Thursday. That’s one more tip: PACK EARLY! hahaha. Start packing the first week of Spring Quarter..TRUST ME!!! :p
During the summer I am taking summer school and then I am going to Cambridge, England. (This is another one of those crazy yet fun ideas I have. Study abroad my freshman year?! WHO DOES THAT!) I know I am insane and crazy and hyperactive and antsy..I don’t know how else to describe it. But definitely..NO FREAKIN’ DOUBT ABOUT IT…my freshman year has been the BEST! Everything that I did and going to do…IS SOOO WORTH IT. I am happy I got involved with choir, asuci, Rotaract, Undecided/Undeclared Zotblog, the Cross Cultural center, the Center for Service in action, and Admin Intern!!! I know……EFF MY LIFE! 
lol. I really don’t have time to breath. But it was ALL worth it…especially zotblog hahaha. The experience is worth it and the meeting of other leaders on campus (not just regular people) is priceless. You don’t have to get involved with EVERYTHING like I did…but get involved in at least ONE club that you will really dedicate your time to. That will be just as heart-filling as doing a million clubs.
Have a great summer and I hope you are excited to come to UCI!
<3 Melissa
Week 10 June 7, 2009
I’m studying for finals! This is sooo crazy! I cant believe it’s my last week for my first year in college!! IT HAS GONE BY SOOOO BEYOND-BELIEF Fast!!!
This week was the craziest week ever. Im trying to study, do homeowrk, do extra credit, write a research paper, work ReggaeFest, spend time with friends, have a love life, and visit my family!!!!
It was my brother’s birthday this weekend, so I went home and took a friend with me from school to visit my house and meet my family. She had fun and so did I! But I know in the back of her head …she wanted to study for finals! hahaha.
I want to write in more details after my final tomorrow. So see you then. I’m gonna study now.
Love,
Melissa
Week 9 May 31, 2009
Hi everyone!
I met with my Cambridge session group! And I’m so excited to be studying abroad!!! It will be sooo much fun! We were making plans when and where to meet! OH MY GOSH! I jsut know it will be sooooo awesome!
I’ve also been trying to take care of some business before I go on summer break. I’m trying to lease my contract for my apartment on campus next year because I have to pay for it even if I wont be in it during the summer! UGH! I also have to start packing up everything in my room because I won’t have time during finals week!!!! AHHH!
I booked my trip to Boston with Rotaract!!!! YAY!!! I am sooo excited! We leave my last day of finals weeks! And this trip official begins my summer break!! WOoooooooo!!! After my conference in Boston, the group wants to go to New York. I am so excited about that too! WOOO! And I booked my flight to Cambridge! I was ripped off $25 because I didnt use the coupon! GRRR! Watever! it will still be awesome!
I’ve been studying all weekend ! So busy and tired! Talk to you later.
I cant believe the year is almost ending!!!
<3 Melissa
Week 8 May 25, 2009
I am somewhat confused. I don’t know what I want to do for the summer. Well I have an idea, but everything is so dependent on other events and I have no certain date for anything! It’s driving me crazy! I need some kind of organization. I need to buy the tickets for my trips. I need to schedule my classes for next year. And I need to schedule my classes for this summer. Everything is so hectic.
I thought I was taking summer classes at UCI…but then I’m not, so I’m taking them at a community college. I DIDNT KNOW that i had to pay a nonrefundable $170. So when I dropped my classes at UCI, I had to pay that! GRRR! I absolutely hate it when things like that happen because I feel like I waste my time and money for absolutely nothing!
Anyways, please learn from my mistakes and avoid paying a $170 fee! >:|
On a better note, I was chosen to be a recipient of the Mesa Court Leadership Award! I accept my award this Wednesday. However, it conflicts with my other meetings. Ironic. That’s what I get for being such a leader! hahaha. I was also chosen to be 1 of the 4 Rotaractor to go to the Gawad Kalinga Boston Forum! YAY! I am so excited! I think it will be soooo much fun! I was advised to visit the Cheers bar and Harvard! its going to be sooo fun! I can’t wait! But we have to buy the tickets soon! Oh gosh!
Friday night was Rotaract’s charter night! We got officially chartered and presented to the public! All our friends and family, and Rotarians were there! It was a successful event. I am so happy to be a part of this club. I believe we will be doing great things! I can’t wait to start planning international projects and doing community service.
Well I’m trying to set up my schedule for next year, so…ttyl!
Happy Memorial Day!
<3 Melissa “3 more weeks of school weeeeeeeeeee!” <3
Week 7 May 16, 2009
Hi everyone!
We ended up going to Palm Springs for Mothers’ Day! It was fun. We drove there, stayed at a hotel, rode the tram car, and went shopping at the Cabazzon! So Fun! I miss those family bonding times. I had a good time.
I went to a Rotaract event yestday, Friday night. It was so much fun! I was a dealer! I’ve never played poker before and it was so much fun! Pretty easy picking up the rules for dealing and it was soooo much fun!
I dealt the whole night. Had some interesting hands. The event was a fund raiser for the Rotary Club and a portion of the proceeds go to Rotaract UCI! WOOO!! I freakin love our group! We are so awesome! I was dealing the table with 5 of the final 9 players!!
Well that was basically the highlight of my week. I;ve been doing homework and getting ready for the summer. I still don’t know what I want to do. I am going to Cambridge, UK for sure in Aug – Sept. I might go to summer school at a community college, but I dont know yet. I was going to go to summer school here at UCI …but I was rejected to be an R.A. for the COSMOS program …so summer school at UCI would be to expensive. The COSMOS program was going to be my housing for the summer. O Well. It’s okay. Maybe I should just get away from UCI for a little bit and prepare for Cambridge. It will be a good summer.
Okay…I gained soo much weight my freshman year! And now I’m trying to loose it before the summer!! UGH!!! I regret having ICE CREAM after EVERY meal for like the whole FIRST QUARTER!!!!!! Just a TIP …..DONT HAVE ICE CREAM AFTER EVERY MEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will regret it!! ..I am!
Must FOCUS. I can do this! Loose the extra baggage. Have a good summer. Study abroad! One more month til school goes out! I CANT WAIT!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOO!!! I cant believe my first year in college is already done. It really goes by TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoO fast.
I love UCI.
-Melissa
Week 6 May 8, 2009
Hi !!! There isnt too much going on this week. It’s kind of calming down from Midterms last week. But it’s also that long silence before the storm (FINALS!!!!!!) lol.
I’m really interested in doing research. I might contact some of my “interesting” professors and ask them if there is anything I could get involved in. I don’t know too much about doing research but the work is really interested and providing new knowledge is just rewarding! Let’s see how this idea goes.
I’m also hoping to go to Boston during the summer with UCI Rotaract. I have to fill out my application for that. And I am preparing to go to Cambridge, England during the summer. That’s going to be really exciting! I never thought I would be doing anything like this in college. I thought college was just about scary professors, scary tests and partying. BUT IT IS SOOO NOT! College is about seeing the world, challenging your ideas, and finding yourself! (These things CAN be scary …but in the end, you grow so much as a person!)
I’m really happy to be where I am right now. I feel like life is working for me and everything I do is worthwhile! I know I’m busy. But I’m not occupying myself with useless activities, except maybe facebook! Hhaha but it’s not that useless coz that’s where I find out all the events and things thats going on with the people around me.
It’s Mother’s Day weekend and my family and I are going to either Santa Monica/Palm Springs/San Diego. Lol. I just need my indecisive mother to decide! hahaha. I love her! I’ve never appreciated my family so much until I got to college. AND I GO HOME EVERY OTHER WEEKEND!! I think a lot of students feel like this. <3
Well let me just share with u all a slideshow from my trip to Mexico. And the swine flu thing…OVERRATED! I’m just waiting for someone to make a shirt about it! People in America do panic too much. BUT OK!! Do you know where the swine flu started? MEXICO…right? But it was in an AMERICAN pig FACTORY based in MEXICO. And AMERICANS are demanding sooo much pork and these pigs are living in unhealthy pig styes and they develop diseases. The pigs’ feces is so FOUL that people in neighboring cities and employees get the SWINE FLU. AMERICANS are so worried about making money that they don’t give the employees of the pig factory enough benefits to care for themselves, and thus the disease spreads. SO ITS OUR OWN FAULT! WE DID THIS TO OURSELVES! And what is the AMERICAN solution to this problem??? ….NOT TO BETTER THE PIG FACTORIES AND CARE FOR EMPLOYEES but to SPEND MORE MONEY TO FIND “THE CURE.” We, as a society, need to start thinking about how we do things and how we judge things. We have to be smart consumers of products and INFORMATION.
Anyways, sorry about the rant….here’s the slideshow! Have a good Mother’s Day weekend!
Just click -> http://s624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/ensenadapic/?albumview=slideshow
<3 Melissa “I wub my mommy!” M.
Week 5 May 1, 2009
Ok wow. During the weekend, I was at Mexico. I came back and during the week MIDTERMS! …well midterm…I only had 1. haha. But I was busy nonetheless. It was my HumCore midterm! O GOSH! I took it today, friday, and I felt okay about it. I studied things that weren’t even on the midterm! GRRR. I don’t like those unpredictable midterms. I feel like I wasted my time studying things that werent useful! Lol. well, to be more optimistic…at least I filled my mind with knowledge.
On to other things other than academic, I wanted to apply for the Nestle Leadership Symposium. One of the requirements was to have a letter of recommendation from a faculty on campus. And guess what? I DIDN’T HAVE ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! And on top of that …IT WAS DUE THE NEXT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol. I know. I thought I was S.O.L. but nope! I didnt not quit. I knew that I really wanted to apply, despite that I might get rejected because only 30 will be chosen from all the universities around the world…………..
Guess who rescued me? HEATHER DIAZ!!!!!!!!! The woman who started this blog. I emailed her around 1am…..and she called me around 9:30am and said “Hey melissa. I have your letter!” I was shocked!! She is my life saver!
Lesson learned: If you really want something, DO NOT put it off to the last minute. And if you are going to put it off …..YOU BETTER HAVE A HEATHER DIAZ THAT WILL SAVE YOUR @$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
Behind the scenes of making this decision: I HONESTLY was thinking about plagiarizing an old letter of recommendation that was written for me recently. I had the electronic copy and all I had to do was change the name and date and sign the paper. But I thought about it really hard …. And I realized that this is not my only option! I could
1. plagiarize
2. Not turn in an application (but I really wanted to!!!)
and
3. Beg someone who knows me well enough to write a letter the day it was due.
I know that it was so inconsiderate of me to ask for a letter of recommendation the day it was due, these things are supposed to be asked for at least 2 weeks in advance. I definitely learned my lesson.
At least I didn’t give up the application and I turned it in on time! it would be miraculous if I was chosen to be 1 of the 30 to attend the symposium!
Just go for it,
Melissa
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Some pics from Mexico
I love how one turn can make ALL THE DIFFERENCE
The Border
Beautiful garden scenery at the winery
Gorgeous catered lunch & wine tasting in the garden
Ensenada, Mexico Rotary Club
Pool
Legal age to drink in Mexico = 18
Week 4 April 24, 2009
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. If you are reading this, please leave me a comment! I want to know I have an actual AUDIENCE! :p
Yesterday, I decided I am going to Ensenada, Mexico!!!!!!! WOOOO! I am going with Rotaract (an community service group that does international projects) to do community service over the weekend! I have put A LOT of thought into this and I have finally decided. I feel good about my decision. I know the risks, the facts and the safety precautions. I feel I am going prepared as a responsible adult.
HOWEVER………..my mother does not think so. I guess she’s just scared for me because that’s what moms do. She doesn’t want me to go! But I think she thought about it and realized that I AM ALMOST 20 YEARS OLD!!! I turn 20 this summer!!! I think she knows I am responsible and I won’t do anything stupid (especially at a different country)!
I’m learning to make my own decisions. And I think my mom is learning that I am capable of making my own decisions. I am happy that I am finally getting SOME of the freedom I deserve. I feel now I am able to break my boundaries and GO TO MEXICO FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!
It will be so much fun! We will be helping a school in Ensenada and then we are having dinner at a District Governor’s winery! I am soooo excited! Yeah I know…I think community service is fun. coz I’m cool like that!……….especially when it’s at a different country! ALL EXPENSES PAID! I know….very nice!
COLLEGE LESSON: Appreciate your parents and obey their wills to an extent. However, make decision for yourself and let your parents know that you need them in your life, but you need to be able to grow independently. They are not going to be there forever to take care of you and you have to be able to make good choices for yourself. PROVE THAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH to be trusted!
I know you’ve heard it a MIILLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOONNNN times, but you will never really understand it until college.
Life happens,
Melissa <3
Week 3
I don’t know why I keep thinking I;m caught up with my blogs…then I check the next week and I’m 2 weeks behind!
Lol anyways. Week 3. I’ve been preparing for what I am going to do this summer. I’ve also been interviewing for possible positions for the summer. Everything is interdependent and it gets sooo frustrating! Here are some of the things I am thinking about doing:
-Summer school at Irvine (june – July)
-COSMOS Resident Assistant (june – july) – assuming that i get the job
-have an oncampus job (june – july)
-study abroad (aug – sept)
-do nothing & maybe a part time job (whole summer)
I don’t want to over work myself and set super high goals because I will burn out, but I really want a Business Admin major. To transfer into this major is VERY competitive, only 15 students are admitted! I want my resume to look as GOOOOD as possible. The sacrifices and health precautions I have to take, I am aware of. The planning and scheduling and funding for all these activities, whole different story!
Is this what it feels like to be an adult? Hmmm.. I think adulthood would be easier. Less pressure. Less people to impress, probably on the BIG BOSS. As a college student, I’m trying to impress peers, teachers, councelors, directors, bosses, scholarship agencies, EVERYONE! in order to prove myself and my skills. But wateveeeeee. it will be ALL worth it when I am making BIIIG money $$ and people will be trying to IMPRESS ME!
I’m a very hard worker, I hope this shows thru the experiences I share with you. Keep in mind, that when I talk about events and activities, SCHOOL WORK does not stop! So that’s a juggle of EVERYTHING in my life. I’ve learned that to make things easier…INVOLVEMENT and CLUBS become my SOCIAL LIFE (make friends & hang out)…so that it is a win-win situation and I don’t have to allocate times for two groups of people. smart huh? Just a TIP!
<3 Melissa
Week 2 April 10, 2009
Today was sooo busy! Here’s the schedule
-Got up at 8:30am.
-did a bit of homework
-got ready for the interview
-went to discussion
-did 1 hour of publicizing
-tried to eat while I do my pub hr but got interrupted
-at the job interview
-went to the Admin intern program mentor showcase
-did 1 more hr of pub-ing
-posted up some posters for Wazgoose
-visit the k.oto tent and handed out fliers
-finally finished lunch at the tent
-went my to my room and CRASHED!
Ok like seriously, there was no break in between these event! so from 8:30 – 2:30pm. I am swamped! But I loved what I do and I know that I will be making the big bucks someday so it’s worth it! MWAAHAHAHA! lol jk.
I share my schedule with you because I want you to know that college is fun! And being involved is fun! You will never find yourself bored. Community, service and campus events becomes the “social life.” And there is really nothing wrong with that because you make you friends that are interested in the same things as you are! And it’s making friends with “the right crowd.” Its definitely so much fun!! And as a freshman, I become “associated” with the juniors and seniors that are already involved on campus…they know their way around college and they definitely know where the FUN is!!! So I really encourage joining a club, join a cause and get involved!
Oh speaking of getting involved, I went to the Hot Umbrella Nights (its a clubbing event) with the Cross Cultural Center. I went with some people from Student Services (ASUCI one of my involvements), they were juniors and seniors. So we went to this tiny club nearby. It was fun. The dancer floor was packed…mostly with students and a couple CREEEEEEPERS!!! (ewww!) It was my first time “clubbing.” And one of the creepers tried to grab my hand to dance and i was like GROSS! And i like hid behind one of the guys I was with. The creep went away but then he came back and he kept lurking around our little group. EWWW! Such a major creeper! Then he came behind me and tried to touch me and it made me really uncomfortable. So my reflexes reacted …and I flung his hand away from me! It caught me off-guard! I did not know what to do! He went away and when he tried to come back on the dance floor, the security guards grabbed him and kicked him out! THANK GOD! The rest of my night was fun.
Dancing is fun. College is fun. But there are dangers because not everyone can be trusted. So LADIES! Please have fun safely. Have a guy with you when you go to clubs. Don’t be scared to defend yourself and do NOT be scared to say NO. My first time I was caught off guard, but if that happens to me again… IT IS GOING DOWN!!! IT WILL BE SOOOO OVER! Some nights you will be just soo bored and you will want to go out! Just always remember to be safe!
This week, Ive been hanging out with the people I met from Alternative Spring Break. It’s really fun to know older people who have been in college for a couple years because they know how to have fun and they know where the “hang outs” are. Everyone, but me and my friend, were either juniors or seniors. It’s just nice to know familiar faces on campus and its fun to know what others are involved in and that just how you grow as a student and as a person.
Im really excited for Wazgoose next week! WOO! Its going to be soo much fun! Im gonna be there from 6 AM until 9 pm (im not sure when clean-up ends). It will be soooo fun! i will have a booth for UCI Rotaract. YAY! Im so excited!
Im such a “loser.” My idea of fun is community service. lol. HEY! It floats my boat! And Im having a blast in college!
<3 melissa
Some pics i promised:
My dorm room door with Easter decorations
My room. hahahaha
Me wearing my “MEGAN BRAUN FOR PREZ” shirt. (asuci elections)
My Alternative Spring Break group. Gave up my spring break to volunteer with these amazing people. SO WORTH IT! <3
The view where we volunteered. (San bernardino National Forest) It was amazing!!
snow in march! thats our cabin in the background! SOOO FUN!
amazing experience!
Spring Quarter Week 1 April 8, 2009
Hi amazing people!
My week has been utterly chaotic/cluttered/crazy! I’ve been soooo busy with everything that (I dont want to admit it, but I have to because it’s true) I havent have enough time to do homework. Not only that, some of my involvments overlap with class, so I have to choose (and it’s class usually looses). I’ve had to that only once! Thank goodness! I only missed ONE choir class! But I hate it because I LOVE MY CHOIR CLASS! It’s so much fun!
I’ve been realizing that I’m not the same person. I used to be able to juggle homework, social, and extra curriculars. But now I’ve been so caught up with extra curriculars (which is also becoming social) that I’ve been putting homework to the side. I’m really working on putting more time in for homework. So I will have to stop wasting my time checking emails and facebook, taking naps in between things and just FOCUS and do mywork! This quarter is really important. I have a research paper for HumCore and so many other things going on! THIS IS A HUUUGE QUARTER!
I’ve also been trying to figure out what I want to do with my summer. I have a couple choices 1. study abroad in Cambridge 2. stay at UCI and work 2 jobs (assuming I get the positions ) 3. work 1 job and take summer classes to get my GEs out of the way. Life is so complicated and crazy and there just isnt enough time to do everything!
Last night I attended my Admin Intern Orientation (when I missed choir class) and I am so excited! My message to all the incoming freshman reading is GET INVOVLED! It is so much fun. It is a great learning experience and you meet so many wonderful people! It makes college so worth it! And you will never find yourself bored!
Challenge you knowledge! Challenge abilities! Challenge youself!
<3 melissa
Spring Break Week
This is my first Spring Break in college….what do I do? PARTY! ……..NOT!!!! Im going to the San Bernardino National Forest near Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead. I am volunteering my time to help people plant trees and restore the evironment that was damaged by people and fires.
The trip was one of the best trips ever!!! I learned so much and met so many inspiring people! I will def post up pics!
C YA!
Finals Week
Finals week was crazy. I was in the study room from 12pm – 2am. Mostly dozing off and checking my email and wishing I was one of those students that didn’t care about their grade…… But you know…I still got some studying done.
The best part about finals is getting it over with! My humcore final was okay, I studied the questions that were asked. I felt confident about that. My econ final…it was ok. I still don’t know my grade tho. My business final was okay too. It was all multiple choice and the prof gave us “hints.” Overall, I feel good about myself. I did what I had to do and I felt I did pretty well.
I surpassed my GPA goal! yay me!
Week 10
This was a really bad week. I was putting off my essay for humcore until the last minute! I stayed up til 4am the day before it was due and then I was working on it 1 hr before class (…in another class) and then i was 30 mins late for the class it was due in!!!!!
I WAS SO EMBARRASED!!!! And I really liked my discussion leader too! I thought I was going to be a C (at the most) on my paper. It was a horrible experience. i will NEVER do that again!
Week 9 Mar 8, 2009
Week 9 weekend was definately the craziest funnest weekend I’ve had so far!!! Here was my schedule
- Thursday night: Scholarship dinner
- Friday night: Taco night with Alternative Spring Break / go to the gym
- Saturday: UCLA Conference 7am-7pm/ ASUCI Banquet 7pm – 1am
- Sunday: Boy&Girls Club Philantropy Project/ Bake brownies
- Monday night: sign up for classes/ 3 yr anniversary <3 (yes some college kids know how to make a commitment)
I really had sooo much fun doing all these things and I truly believe these activities contribute to my development as a college student and as an overall person. But, there were so many things going on, I forgot to incorporate in my schedule the time to do homework. I am so behind and homework load is PILLING up! Not only that, I’ve had this terrible headache since thursday! The headache has been really slowing me down AND!!!!! its 10th week and finals week is just around the corner!
I really can’t continue wasting my time. I have prioritize and get the important things done! I’m really just looking forward to spring break (going to San bernardino with Alternative Spring Break!!!) It will be soo much fun. I can’t wait just to leave homework and my computer screen for a week! I am so excited!
Here are some pictures from this weekend.
-Melissa <3
p.s: Its not a good idea to live off pizza, ice cream and cup noodles and not make time for the gym! =\ YIKES!
Knowing that I made a difference in one person’s life makes everything I do worthwhile. Cliche but so true.
Week 8 Feb 28, 2009
I finsihed that video I was working on for the Admissions Office. I am really happy with it. I think its fun and hopefully effective in showing how FREAKIN’ AWESOME uci is!!!!!! I will try to put a link on here, but I believe all the students admitted should have access to it.
Week 8 was HOMECOMING WEEK!!!!! WOoooooo!!!! LMFAO had a free concert here. I wasnt able to make it coz I had class but I heard it was awesome!!! I was told they were really good with the crowd….and the pictures are proof! SO AWESOME! We also had a Homecoming Steet Festival/ Homecoming Game / Homecoming Dance. It was so much fun! I believe everyone had a blast!
I had an interview for Admin. Intern Program. WOOOOOOOW That was nerve wrecking. I dont want to think pesimistically …but yeah….I’m not getting my hopes up for that one. Definately though, I will keep trying until I get into the program! Being a leader on campus is very important because these leadership skills will help you get ahead in life.
I am also freakin out because I think i filled out all my FAFSA wrong!!! And that might jeopardize my financial aid for next year!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! I really hope not. *fingers crossed*
And the highlight of the week – I GOT LOCKED OUT OF MY ROOM FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! ..and I had to be in heels! My feet were killing me after my interview and the walk back to my dorm ….I dropped dead when I found out I didnt have my keys with me! I cant believe my roommate locked the door knowing very well that I didnt have my keys (she admitted it) GRRRRRR!
Keep me energize for week 9!
-Melissa <3
Week 7
Week 7 was unbelievably busy. I thouhgt I was caught up with blogging, but I am so not! I missed this week. Well let me just give you the break down really quick.
I had a business management midterm. I went to the BLACK OUT basketball game againt UCRiverside (i believe). It was also my mom’s bday that weekend. The family was suppose to go to Vegas, but we got too busy moving. We are moving to another house and we just had to settle everything down. Had to turn down Planet Hollywood Hotel and Vegas…would’ve been soooo much fun! O well. Next time. I am also working on a video for the Admissions Office that I will complete next week…which I will tell you about week 8 blog entry!
Week 6 Feb 12, 2009
This week has been one of the best, yet one of the busiest, weeks I’ve ever had! Just to give you a glimpse of my schedule, I will take a picture of my planner! ( yeah, Ijust had this great idea right now :] )
I don’t know why I busy and tire myself like this, but it’s just so much fun! Everything I do, I don’t regret and I think my activities are all worthwhile; that’s why I dedicate so much into them! The only this is, I feel like I am always making a choice, it’s either “hang out with friends” or “bond with the hall” or “make a difference in the world” or “do homework” hahaha. It’s always hard to prioritize. But yeah, I try to make time for everything. I always have to remind myself that homework and academics are always #1, then everything else is secondary.
Oe of the fun things I did thing week is….GO BOWLING with the First Year Integrated Program (FYEP)!!! yay!!! I’ll post up some pics. Also, I am hoping to get involved with Rotaract. They are coming to UCI for the very first time and I am very excited about this club!!! Yeah, I know, I am soooo cool. Clubs, community service and helping out the world are exciting for me! You know me, I try.
My week so far has been great. I am ending it on friday with a meeting with the Alternative Spring Break committee then, making valentine goodies with the Humanities Core lectures. It’s going to be awesome!
Save the world,
-Melissa “You can do it!”
Week 5 Feb 5, 2009
Hiiiiiiiiiiiii. Week 5. Crazy. Well I got the results for 2 out of 3 of my midterms:
Management – 90% (A)
Econ 20B- 61% (B…it was majorly curved)
HumCore – i took the test today. idk yet.
Wow. Exam weeks are so insane. I study like I’ve never studied before. I always freak out during exams. Maybe its time for me to learn. I always say its always time for me to learn. I never do.
Let’s talk about my Econ midterm. That grade is unforgivable. I wish she didn’t curve it so I would have an insentive to strive higher for the next midterm. But I will let myself believe that I got the grade I deserved ..a D. I will work my butt of these next couple weeks and I will get an A (curved or not curved) on that next midterm! GRRRR!
Let’s step away from academics. Involvements. I’m going to apply for the Adminstrative Intern Program. It sounds really interesting. Let’s see where it goes. And I’m thinking about another program, the Student Regent. I think I’m kind of getting too ambitious with that one. I feel like I need more experience and qualifications. But I’m going for it anyways! I mean it’s not like I have anything to loose. And I can keep applying in the following years.
Umm to lighten it up a little bit. I’m going to start going to the ARC again since I’m done studying for midterms. Let go of some stress. Oh! and I’m participating in a Pictionary Tournament at the Cross Cultural Center. That should be fun! I’m also making a video for the Admissions Office! I can’t wait to edit!
Think positive and work hard!
-Melissa <3
Week 4 Jan 29, 2009
Um wow. Its the end of week 4! And its almost week 5! Im half way thru the quarter and half way thru the year! Everything is going by sooooo sooo soo quickly! Well this week was a very crazy week. It always is.
I had TWO midterms this week and studying for 1 midterm for next week. Management 6 …I feel ok about. I think I’m looking at an A or B… hopefully I don’t get disappointed. And my Econ20B… eeeh… it was kind of hard. I studied but half the content was unexpected. =/ maybe a hopeful C.
And today I committed myself to yet one more involvement. I am working with the Office of Admissions with their project! I AM MAKING A VIDEO!!! So happy little incoming feshmen will watch it and be excited to come to UCI IRVINE!!! YAY!!!
I literally LOOOVE IRVINE! I’m two minutes away from the beach. It’s a really good school, especially for it’s age (less than 50 yrs) and it’s already competing with schools that have been established for over a hundred years!!! Irvine is coming up baby!
For me, if this school is anything, IT’S POTENTIAL!
This is where it’s at. You leave your mark here forever. You can be who you want to be. And since Irvine is always in construction and always getting bigger, we, the students can shape into anything we want! I really hope that everyone shares this enthusiasm with me!
But I am going to tell you the real deal. Irvine is a great school. Its like that “brand named item” that a few people know abt. It’s a hidden jewel in the middle of the OC. And college is a really great experience. You will learn so many things about yourself, the world, other people and so much more. There are so many things going on. A million clubs. A million tests. But you’ll realize, its really not just about the grades anymore; its about making a difference, in academics, in people’s lives and in your own life.
College is fun and “deep” and everything (lol.) but not all the time. You will come across problems. And these are the problems that make you a stronger person. Cliche… I know. But its true.
Real life experience: My freshman year, I thought that dorming was going to be THE BEST thing ever!!! ….not! Its a one of a kind experience. And you learn how you can deal with living with others. I thought my roommates were going to be my BEST FRIENDS…. not! I’m in a triple, and the 3 aren’t getting along. My other roommate is moving out. But …thats life guys.
WE DONT LIKE IT. WE TAKE IT. WE DEAL WITH IT.
Anyways, everything is going good. OOO! I have BIG HUGE AWESOME news!!!!!!!
There is going to be a concert Feb 2009!
DJ AM, TRAVIS frm BLINK 182, TOO $HORT, SHWAYZE, LMFAO and BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH
are going to be performing here at UCI!!!!! These are big names. Its going to be a big event! Since the plane crash with Dj AM and Travis, they havent ever been on stage. AND THIS IS THEIR FIRST TIME COMING BACK!!!!! The media is going to be there! It is going to be HUUUUGGEEE!
YES OTHER SCHOOLS. BE VERY JEALOUS !!!
I really want to go! Im in the club that is going to help put this on!! YAY!!!! SOOOO AWESOME!!! Now I need the money!
Haha.
<3 Melissa
Week 3 Jan 25, 2009
Hi!!!
This week went by soooooo quick!!! I barely had time to breathe! School, work, student services, friends and everything else in betweeen. My first essay for this quarter is due for Humanities Core!!! AHHHHH!! Well I’m really nervous about my thesis but I’m hoping that my editings made up for it.
Here are some of my pics “doing my homework.”
Hehe. No worries, I finished all my homework before i had fun. I just hope that my grades justify the fun. If not, not more fun for me and doomed to homework forever!!!!!!!!!
And oh my gosh, I didn’t even notice it but I have midterms next week already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will do my best in these midterms! I promise! I have two midterms this week. One Econ, One Business Management. I will tell you how it goes next week.
Work hard & stay focused,
Melissa
Week 2 Jan 20, 2009
Just got back to school. Busy with homework again. This Tuesday is going to be a Tuesday like no other. The first African-American man is going to be inagurated. I wish I could be a part of the big celebration in DC, lots of the other student from UCI are there, but I have to be here in school. Times are truly changing. And it is amazing what we can do and accomplish throughout the years. Our country, our world, looks to Barack Obama for change.
Week 2 was insane. The second quarter is going by so quick! Days are always filled. Time always has to be used wisely. Just living day by day.
Okay, so…I just got back to UCI a week ago from Winter Break and already I want to be involved in so many things again! Like I am looking into Care-A-Thon, Alternative Spring Break, How You See UCI! and study abroad programs! I don’t know if I have a passion for doing things….or if I am just really restless. I hope that one day …even maybe today… I become a better person for my involvments. I hope this all pays off.
College is a time when I am learning so many thing about myself, my friends and people around. I feel like I need to support myself mentally and emotionally because there are so many things going on that I feel like some time I just can’t keep up. I am fortunate enough to have my mom and my best friend by my side with me giving as much support as they can possibly give. I am truly blessed.
Stay with me.
<3 MElissa
WEEK 1, Jan. 8, 2009
Welcome back & Happy 2009!!!!
So…I had an awesome break. It feels really nice to just be home and do nothing for 3 weeks after a super crazy Fall quarter! And now, I’m back for more!
Last quarter, I set a goal. To be on the Dean’s List. This means that my GPA for that quarter should be 3.5 or better. During the tenth week and finals week, I was kind of getting worried about not meeting this goal. So, I stressed during finals week and tried to do my best hoping that my finals would make up for my laziness during the quarter…NOT!!!! I learned that the way I start out my quarter and start my study habbits, thats the way I’m going to be for the last week of the quarter. What made me so naive to think that I would magically learn all the material for that quarter overnight????
This quarter, I WILL DO IT!!!!!!
- I will do my homework completely, neatly and I will give 100% every time!
- I will do all the assigned readings.
- I will study for quizes, midterms and finals because everything counts!
AND
-I WILL GET ON THAT DEAN’S LIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope to keep track of my progess in my blog week-by-week. Hopefully that will help. I’m worried that I’m biting off more than I can chew…I have 20 units and a job….Ohhhhhhh man! Think positive I WILL DO IT!!!!!
Keep in touch,
<3 Melissa
Dec. 10, 2008 10:43PM
Ok. Finals week is over and it is almost winter break! This quarter went by so fast! I’m thinking and looking back of me my first week here at UCI and me after 11 weeks and I see A LOT of change! In many ways I’ve learned so many things, both academically and socially.
As of right now I’m just relaxing and trying to make it up to myself for the stress and studying from finals. When I find time in the middle of my relaxation, I will start planning study abroad things (if I’m not too late) and start looking at some scholarships to apply for. LIfe never stops as usual. =) Yeah, you know me.
Despite the ugly things that have been going on in my dorm, life has been bareable. I’ve heard it before but I didn’t want to believe it right away, but it is true. Don’t expect your roommates to be your best friends in college; just because you live together does not mean you will be the best of friends. But it does happen, it is not impossible.
If you are wondering how I did on my finals, I think I did okay. I am hoping to get a B in both my final exams. Everything on the exam was fair and expected; nothing was out of the ordinary or random. Something that surprised me though, was my last final exam, and I was talking to my discussion professor, and I realized, I am going to miss him. He’s my first college professor that I actually talked to and I enjoyed being in his class. I learned a lot from him and I don’t think I will ever forget him. College is a truly wonderful experience.
Have a wonderful holiday break! See you in ‘09!
-Melissa
Dec. 5, 2008 11:13PM
Wow! Next week is finals week. I try not to stress over the exams because I know I’ve been keeping up with the material since week 1 but I can’t help it! I am going to hide into my niche and study really hard! I really need an A on all my final exams! If I get an A, I will have all As in my classes! Right now I am between As and Bs; and its frustrating because(according to my calculations) I have high Bs. It would be a real accomplishment if I get a 4.0 my first quarter in college. That would be WOW!
Anyways, I will be antisocial for the weekend and I will study as efficiently as I possibly can. I will do my best on all my exams. And I will get a lot of sleep! I am confident I will do well, however, my “well” is looking like a B/C. I want to do well at least at an A-. I can’t rely on just being “smart” anymore because this is <u>NOT</u> high school! I actually NEEEEED to study now.
Sorry if my blog writting has been below par. I just usually write when I have free time, or when I’m taking a 10 min break in between studying. Bare with me.
My advice to other students and incoming college students: You will feel dumb in college. And everyone will seem like they know what they are doing and you feel so lost. But no one knows you better than yourself and if you put in the effort to study, go to lectures, and go to office hours, it will be almost impossible to do bad. You have to remember you are in a UC because you have ability and potentiality for success.
Good luck,
-Melissa
Dec. 1, 2008 12:20PM
Hi!
I had an awesome Thanksgiving. But the shopping was even better!!! WOOO! It was really cool to hang out and be with my family again during the holidays. And I really enjoyed shopping with my mom again. It was a good 4-day weekend. But I really have to start hitting up the gym…ate too much turkey =/ lol.
As for school, I need to finish up an essay, buy my books for next quarter and prepare myself for finals!!! OMGosh! I need to register for classes and get ready for finals! This is insane! Its so different from high school because I never had to worry about what class I want or need to take (except maybe electives…but..thats just ONE class….this is MY WHOLE SCHEDULE!!!). I feel like registering for classes in college is a “make-you-or-break-you” kinda thing. I always think, “If I register for this class…will I be wasting my time and will I graduate in time?” Its crazy.
Hope I survive another week.
-Melissa <3
Nov. 24, 2008 12:24PM
I had an awesome weekend!!! I went to UCI’s TAILGATE PARTY!!!!!!!!!!! and then the basketball afterwards! It was so much fun! Except for the fact part where we lost…that was sort of a downer. But everything else was great!
I also went to Mesa Court’s casino night! It was more fun than I expected! There were our Resident Advisors (RA) working as dealers and professional hired workers! I had so much fun playing blackjack even if I did not know exactly how to play! We were playing for tickets and I got 5 tickets. And I supposedly won something from the raffle! So I distrubuted my tickets accordingly, 3 tix for ipod shuffle, 1 tix for picture frame and 1 ticket for chipotle gift card. I really want to know what I won! I’ve never won anything before!!!!
Last night was insane. I was reading Persuasion by Jane Austen for my humanities core class. I stayed up until 5am!!! It was a good book definately. I wish that I didn’t have to stay up that late finish reaading it and that I didnt put it off until the last minute. One day I will learn.
So… I woke up 8am so i can get to my 9am class. My roommate, M, was threatening to drag me off the top bunk if I didnt get up to go to class. (roomie love/support. lol.) Currently, I am running off of 3 hours worth of sleep. I think I feel fine.
I was sitting at lecture today. And I was thinking, “Wow! I remember writing my personal statement to get into a UC and stressing over college. And now…I’m here. I’m sitting at this lecture. And I’m really here. I know I’m in college (the time that I’ve been waiting for since …like the 3rd grade!).” It did not fully hit me that this is what I’ve always work so hard for until that moment. I’ve always wondered what college was like. And now…I know. And wow! I did change. I change tremendously in how I think and how I see myself in this society. And it’s only been a couple of weeks! (9 weeks)…I can’t wait to see what I will become in the next few years. WOO! exciting.
And oh, I didn’t make it into the Vagina Monologues. Oh well! I’m committed to so many other things right now anyways. There will be other plays. It was a wonderful experience auditioning though.
Have a great Thanksgiving break!
<3 Melissa
Nov. 19, 2008, 11:04PM
Today was one my busiest days so far this year!!! It was insane, awesome and fun! Ok so I have class from 9Am- 5:30PM, 1 or 2 hours break in betweeen. During the breaks, I had to meet with my advisor. I had to visit a club. Find time to have breakfast and lunch. And then, after my last class, I went to the ASUCI Holiday Dinner. Then stopped by for ANTSTOCK 2008. Then had dinner. Then auditioned to be in the Vagina Monologues from 9-10PM. On top of all this, I had an econ quiz (which I freakin ACED baby!!! …hopefully..), I have a project due this friday (which I have not started on…) and I have to finish Jane Austen’s Persuasion and write a two page draft (due Monday!).
Why do I live my life like this? I don’t know. I am just hoping that it is all worth it in the long-run. However, looking at it from the shor-run point of view…I can say that it makes my time in college both fun and worthwhile. I love being involved!
The Vagina Monologue: was no audition like I’ve ever auditioned for. I auditioned with my friend, M. It was definately an experience. I’ve never screamed “VAGINA!!!!” at the top of my lungs ever before. I’ve never acted freestyle before. I’ve never read freestyle before. I’ve never performed freestyle before. It was so much fun. I am really hoping to be a part of V-DAY 2009.
End note: PLEASE COMMENT ME! and I really hope to inspire my readers to get involved!
Much love,
Melissa <3
Nov. 13, 2008, 10:57PM
I want to share my Veterans’ Day with you guys. It was amazing.
I woke up early Tuesday morning to work on my rough draft due the next day. I finished around 4PM and then I started working on Journal 3 for Univ. Studies (the best class ever! ;-] …hehe). I finished around 5PM and headed for Corona Del Mar.
I was just in time for the sunset. It was so beautiful. The colors blended in the sky and the wave’s gentle ebb made me feel like my hard day’s work was worth it.
My bf and I decided to take an adventure. We decided to take a walk on the pile of rocks that extends out to the ocean and holds the light tower in place in the picture. It was both scary and exciting. As we went out further, the challenge of reaching the end became more exhausting. Keep in mind that we were also against time because we needed to reach the end and come back before it gets completely dark and going back would be dangerous.
But we did it! And throughout the exciting journey to the end and back, I thought about how the walk is just like school and life. There will be flat rocks making it easy to make the next step forward. But there will also be sharp rocks and gaps and holes and challenges that will make you stop to think, “What do I do next?” But in the end, after the journey, after the slips, falls and laughs, you realize everything was worthwhile.
I feel going through the challenge and making it back on time made our relationship stronger and made me feel like together we can accomplish a lot. Personally, I know that I would not go on the edge of those rocks by myself but doing it with someone I trust made all the difference. Just like in life and going to college, we cannot do it alone. We need our family and our friends.
Have a great rest of the week,
Melissa <3
Nov. 10, 2008, 7:50PM
Holy wow!!!!!!!!!! I was so freaked out about my midterm and my essay for my Humanities Core class. I got the results today. And I am glad to say that I did better than I was anticipating! I received a B on my midterm and a B- on my essay.
You know what, I am not used to seeing B’s, since I know that coming from high school, we were all straight A students. But college is more demanding. And I want to try really hard and prove to myself that I can be an A student in college.
Helpful tips:
1. Do the reading!
2. Do more than the reading. Understand (well) what you read.
3. Talk to your professors and discussion leaders, you will learn a lot from them and this hints that you are really putting effort into their class.
4. Do your best!
I really encourage everyone to take Humanities Core. Yeah… it’s challenging but it is so worth it! The hardwork and craziness is all worth it! And no, it is not the rumored ONE book PER WEEK! lol. It’s a lot of intense reading but it definately is plausible!
Have a good time.
<3 M
Nov. 9, 2008, 11:16PM
Ok. As I said I am going to write about my first experiences here at UCI.
Honestly, I was kind of hesitant about turning in my SIR (Statement of Intent to Register). But I visited the campus twice during my period of college search and I feel in deep love my second time. I visited during Celebrate UCI. There were car shows, barbeques, Earth Day booths, club booths, breakdancers, contemporary dances and so many wonderful people were here. As a cheerleader in high school, I wanted the big football team and insane rallies before the game; but, when I was at Celebrate UCI, I knew that this school had so much more to offer that even surpasses that stereotype/traditional “college life.” This school truly has all kinds of people and so much potential for growth and greateness. We have so many talented dancers like KabaModern! And so many involved people! It really is an exciting school!
Then I had to go to orientation also known as SPOP. IT WAS AWESOME!!!! I was shy when I got there because I didn’t know anyone else. I was looking around and girls were coming in and excited for SPOP, I just felt sort of lost. When we were all being situated into the conference room, for the first time since I got to SPOP, I spoke to someone! (lol.) She sat next to me, Lilly. The conversation began like a typical conversation name, major, where you from? …She said she lived in Sacramento. I said I lived around here, 30 minutes away. And I asked her if she had to drive here down here this yesterday or this morning… And she nonchalantly replied, “Oh, no. I flew down here in my dad’s plane.” I did not know what to say. I mean, coming from an impovorished city where I knew no one who had anything close to a plane and coming from a content family, I did not know what to say. So I said, “Oh wow. That’s cool!” (lol.) In the back of my head, I was thinking to myself, “Wow, I’ve heard it before that people were going to be richer than I am in college, but the first girl I talk to owned a plane!!!!!!! This is insane!!!!! I wonder what the second girl I talk to would say!” I never saw Lilly ever again. That was a pretty cool experience tho!
Now for the rest of SPOP. I have never pulled an all-nighter until that night. I had the most awesome staffers ever! And we went up to the Mesa Parking Structure at night and danced and literally went crazy! It was insane! We also had some very serious activities about diversity in college and acceptance. It was awesome! I have not heard anyone from UCI say that they did not enjoy SPOP! Except my roommate who prefers to be called T. (She didn’t like it because she never went out of her room. BOO!) lol. But yeah, SPOP is a unique experience at UCI. Some people I know from other schools *ahem*UC,Davis*ahem* did not have that much fun. They register for classes and slept. LAAAAAAME! UCI is the BEST!!!
I went home depressed. I wanted to stay forever!!! I had to wait a whole month before I move in. TORTURE!!!
Ok, so move-in day. I’ve already added my roommates on facebook! lol. Now, I finally get to meet them! I have two, we are going to call them T and S. They are both unbelievably awesome! We have so many things in common that we didn’t even know about yet we are all so different people! We also have the BEST R.A. (Resident Advisor) in the whole world, Walter!!!!!!!!!! I am not even going to “protect” his identity because he is so popular you probaly already know him! He is awesome. He is a “heart-breaker with dork springkles.” lol. (inside joke). Yeah, there are so many awesome people to meet and so many things to do.
But college is not all fun and games. Life happens while you’re here. This weekend, S’s boyfriend got into a car crash. That was horrible but fortunately he is okay. Also this weekend, my boyfriend’s newphew turned 6. Actually, we celebrated his 6th birthday because he is going to be in the hospital for three months because he has cancer and cannot leave the hospital or be visted unless behind glass. His family wanted to celebrate while he can still enjoy it because in three months, which overlaps his birthday, we will not be able to visit him.
So many things are happening in the world right now. How do we keep track? How do we stay sane? But in the midst of it all, somehow we survive. Thanks to those people who help make this world a little bit better. Like Walter and a fellow dormmate who helped rebuild schools this weekend. And other good people who find the time and heart to help out.
Keep your head up world,
M.
Nov. 7, 2008, 4:24PM
UCI is awesome!!!! I will talk about the experience later because I am at work right now. I am supposed to be off at 4:30PM lol.
Nov. 5, 2008, 10:19AM
Okay I’m not sure how to make a second blog…so I’m gonna connect it to this one.
As everyone knows, yesterday was the epic presidential election. I volunteered to work as a pollworker in Pomona, my hometown. I am happy with the turnout at the polls. We were busy ALL DAY! And we tallied about over 600 voters in that one precinct. That is groundbreaking! My other experiences at other elections, a tally of 200 voters was a lot! I’m glad people realized the importance of making a choice and making a difference. I saw more teens and adults who’ve never voted before! The main lesson I learned that day was that if we really wanted to constitute change, we can!
I am so exhausted going back and forth between school and home, not to mention hours of traffic! But it was all worth it! I love volunteering at elections. I meet so many new people. And I love the fact that I can serve our country without going to war makes me feel like I’m really doing my part. Anyone who is interested in meeting people, leadership, volunteering, politics, etc. I would really recommend working at the polls! (Plus they give you a thank you stipend – $105)… easy money! Lol. But that truly is just the bonus, it’s the experience that makes everything worth-while.
Well enough of extracurricular activities, now my academics! I am so behind my reading! All homework done but, I really need to catch up on my Econ and Hum Core reading. I’m gonna spend the weekend catching up. Also, on the weekend I will write about my first experiences in college.
Time for class!
Love,
Melissa <3
Nov. 2, 2008, 6:40PM
Wow! First blog. Awesome!
I’d start from the very beginning but, not for this first post. I’d like to talk about my most recent experince, while the memory is still fresh, MY FIRST MIDTERMS!!! Okay, so I survived. But getting there– whoa!
It was last week. I only have one midterm to study for– HUMANITIES CORE. I know that the topic was going to be on Aristotle’s philosophy. Honestly, I haven’t read the book yet. So I read it the week of. (Not a good idea). Too much craming.
First, I had to find my focus. I couldn’t study inside my room because there too many distractions like the computer, friends, my roommates’ friends, my roommates (lol)! So I decided to used the study rooms in the community center for the first time. Good decision. I really got some serious studying done. I read for a couple hours and I even used the white board to map out my thoughts and finally, I took notes. I felt so proud of myself! However, I was still not ready for the test. The next day, I went back to the community center. I did the rest of my reading. I felt a bit more confident. I should be. My test was in two hours!!!
I was sitting, waiting for the test to be handed to me. I opened it. WOW! It wasn’t as difficult as I was anticipating. Either that, or I studied efficiently and really prepared myself. I like to think both. Time went by so fast during the test. Fifty minutes, six of eight short answers and one essay! It was intense. The short answers were fair but the essay was totally unexpected. But I did it. And I survived. I can’t wait to see my grade. I’m not expecting to flunk the test. This time I did my best. But I know I could have done better.
Keep in mind that while all this is going on, life doesn’t stop. I still had classes, other homework, meetings, clubs and work!
All in all, I learned that I shouldn’t procrastinate (too much…haha). There is no such thing as “time magement” …I can’t manage time, there will always be 24 hours in one day. It was really a matter of managing myself. Think about it.
<3 Melissa
P.S: WOW! Just right now, I just learned about the most beautiful thing in the world– ctrl + z. Haha, I was about to wrap up the blog, then I pressed “select all” and continued typed, and everything was erased!!! I was about to freak out. My roomate told me to press crtl + z …and everything came back! OMGosh! Thank you ctrl + z !!! The blog would’ve had a very angry mood if I didn’t learn about ctrl + z. Have a good night!
Daisuke
Closing the Year By Daisuke 6.8.09
It’s strange how fast the year went. I remember the very moment I walked into this room not so long ago. I even remember SPOP. It’s strange how many friends I have made and how we will be living apart for summer. It’s even stranger how I’ll be back home for the summer, living with the family again. It’s hard to try to fit everything I’m feeling now into one blog.
Right now, I’m packing up all of my belongings in my dorm room and I’m trying to sort out all of the things I need and the things I can give away. I’m trying to fit all of my clothes into a box, and its weird how I have about three times as much clothing as I moved in with. It’s all ending a little too abruptly for me and I wish I had more time. I’m definitely going to miss this place. Dorm life is extraordinary. I know that some of you who have yet to start dorming or living on campus have this weird fear of how things will be. Trust me, let go of that fear, because the place you fear now, will be the place you will have a lot of trouble leaving as the year ends. I have trouble realizing that my closest friends now, wont be down the hall, or a flight of stairs away. I remember everything we’ve done here and all of the laughs we have shared.
Ondas, I will miss you. I will miss you forever. I will miss the first year here at UCI. There is nothing quite like the life I’ve lived here. I wish that I could just re-live this freshman year over and over again. Meeting new people, joining different groups, and soaking up college has been absolutely thrilling. I don’t know how things will be from now on. Maybe its just one of those “growing up” stages that everyone should take. All I know is that I am comfortable right now and it is really difficult to have to go away from it. I love my hallmates. I love the RA we have. I love this hall. Darn. Do I really have to move out?
Its funny how “real” things get when you approach the end of something. It’s kind of like how in highschool, when we graduated, when you realize you’re breaking out of it. Dorm life was just wayyy too fun. I hope that in the future, I will continue to write for you and share with you, my experiences. I hope that this year, so far, has given you a bit of insight as to how it is here at UCI.
I will miss you, Ondas.
About Zotblog By Daisuke 6.1.09
Funny how this random thought came to mind so late in the year, but I thought I would tell you a little about the U/U Zotblog. The Zotblog was initially pioneered by our counselor, Heather, in order to convey the undeclared/undecided lifestyle. Its this great, modern, way for students to be able to freely express their opinions about the undeclared and undecided lifestyle. To me, personally, it is not a burden at all to be assigned a blog, once a week. I think I speak for most of my peers when I say were already on the computer atleast an hour a day. Its a beautiful way for me to throw all of my math and physics assignments aside for a half hour and just relax. Often I listen to music or watch a movie (which i should have done all year but I didn’t. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to next year) and pour out thoughts.
I tried my best to express my opinions on a variety of topics. Everything from the social life, to the school work. Its really hard to tell all of you what its like, because college is so “big”. I use the vague term “big” because there really isn’t much else of a way to describe it. There are honestly so many things going on at once, that it is just too “big” to fit into a few paragraphs of a blog. I hope that when you get here, you will understand the parade that is college. I felt like I spent a lot of time and effort into this blog and I hope that you enjoyed it. I’m sorry that at times, (most of the time) I got to be a little depressed and stressed out. I do admit, college can be very stressful and it’s something you nor I can ever evade. But trust me, there really was never a time when the good did not outweigh the bad.
Zotblog is a great way for students to be involved in more than just class. Ive mentioned it many times before, and how involvement becomes key in order to have a great time at this school. Anyone can just crawl in a shell and live comfortably. However, it takes a few minutes to fill an application, or just an hour to attend a club meeting in order to have the experience of a lifetime. I feel like I had the honor of meeting some awesome people in the UUZotblog program. Also, it is a brand new program so if there are any people out there who are qualified and want to join, it is definitely something you should look into.
I really enjoyed ZotBlog this year and I wanted to give a specific shout out to Heather for accepting my application and letting me aboard this program. I look forward to being a part of it in the future and if the program persists, continue to blog for you guys!
Week Nine By Daisuke 5.26.09
Apologies for the late blog. I’ve been quite busy and studying basically dominates my daily agenda. We just had our memorial day 3-day weekend, which I think was just so necessary at this time in the quarter. A lot of my friends are back now from school, which is bittersweet because were still in school but they’re out for summer. Its okay though, because in due time, we’ll all be out for summer and things will be awesome. I opted to take summer session here at UCI. I think its a good option because it really helps to keep up with your major. It is a bit expensive, but you don’t have to deal with which classes need to be transfered from JC’s and which classes count for which at UCI.
Summer session is going to be arduous, but I think its gonna be best in the long run because my major is quite difficult to even get into. If I just give up half my summer, just so I dont have to chase my major throughout the year, so be it. I really don’t want to have to deal with going through trouble throughout the year. To be honest, being a undeclared/undecided has its perks and its faults. Its obvious perks being that you can spend a long time, unrestricted by a certain major or a specific school at UCI. I’m glad I went U/U because its so much more relaxed and free. But I guess a fault is that if you don’t quite know what you want to do for awhile, you get a little behind in classes, and it makes you think about catching up for your major. It’s a small fault, in my opinion. At this point, class and school shouldnt be something you dread. I think its something that you should look forward to doing. This isnt highschool, where you should feel like classes are mandatory. I think in college, thats whats changed in me. I look at class as something that is necessary for your major, your career, and your future. Its a bit more motivational than having to go through mandatory classes in high school.
Right now, I’m in a research-writing class. Although it is quite demanding and its very time consuming, I think it’ll help me in my future. Because I currently pursue an engineering major, it will definitely be a tool to use in my potential career. Its tough now, but when I’m done it will definitely walk out with a useful piece of knowledge.
On the other hand, today, prop 8 was upheld. Prop 8 will ban all gay-lesbian/same sex marriages, while allowing for the pre-existing 18,000 same sex marriages. Although I am not a part of the gay community, it still disappoints me that the citizens of this nation are slowly forgetting the foundations which this country was built on. My argument is a basic one. It is that the bill of rights, which states that all people may have the right to pursue happiness, is just completely ignored. It is crushed. Gay marriage is a choice that shouldnt belong to other people. I just don’t quite see the other point of view on it. To my understanding, the opposition is based on the OPINION of OTHERS on gay marriage, which shouldn’t matter in the first place, and their inability to accept the happiness of others. It just doesn’t register to me. They say that they are protecting the sanctity of marriage between man and wife, male and female. However, over half of the marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. Gay marriage is being wrongfully opposed. There’s not much I can really do other than vote and perhaps protest, but I guess it is the way of this country that everyone has to follow.
The Times They Are A-Changin’ By Daisuke 5.17.09
It’s really hard to believe that almost a whole year has passed. Our first year is 3 weeks shy of ending. Its strange how I remember walking into my own dorm for the first time. I remember meeting certain people for the first time. I remember packing in all of my things into the room and trying to settle down. I remember the first night I had to spend in the room. I remember so much about this place, and its now its almost time to move back out.
For the summer, I will be living back at home. I don’t think I will like living back at home anymore. I like being free and unrestricted at UCI. I like being able to walk down the hall to my friends room to hang out whenever. I like that I can just go out and fall asleep whenever. I like that the mess hall is only a short walk away and that food is readily available. I like that my friends are so close.
I’ll be taking summer courses here at UCI. I guess its the price to pay in order to catch up for my Engineering major. It’s tough to keep up in, but I think i can manage with a bit of focus and hard work. I really dont want to do it, but then again, school is driven by things you dont really want to do. But its ok. It will definitely keep me busy. A lot of my friends are taking summer session too, so it will be good to keep in touch with them during the summer.
It’s the Final Stretch By Daisuke 5.10.09
The first round of midterms has just passed by and were all trying to take as much advantage as we can from the break. However, all of us here understand how fast the pace is for the quarter system, and if you don’t keep your eyes on the schedule, midterm 2 comes around real quick, and then finals right after that. But after that, its summer time. Summer is the best in orange county. I hope that some of us stay here, just to experience the full effects of summer. The warmth of the sun, waves crashing and the comfort of the sand alone can convince you that youre in paradise.
But before I can really lose myself in the mere thought of summer, I have to study for chemistry, physics, calculus and then write a historical analysis of photovoltaic systems in the residential sectors of the United States. I still have a long ways to go, but its all do-able.
Mother’s day was really awesome. I went to dinner last night with my family and had a few laughs. It’s really evident that the only gift a mother would want from her college student is just to come back home and eat with her. Here at UCI, a lot of us do go back home for the weekend, but its really understandable. A lot of us come from Orange County or atleast Southern California, so driving back home on the weekend is definitely a possibility. To go home and eat a home cooked meal and in your own bed is worth it.
Tomo By Daisuke 5.4.09
I recently joined “Tomo No Kai,” which is a Japanese/Japanese American Students group. Tonight, I attended their cultural night. It was so awesome. Tomo does such an amazing job for their cultural night. Tonight, I got to see them perform all sorts of cultural traditions like taiko (drums), odori (japanese dancing) and old folk tales. It was so interesting to me because I am really into my own heritage. Not only did we get to see some cultural events, but we also got to see “tomo modern” perform.
I really regret not joining tomo until this quarter. I think my year couldve been different if i had joined earlier. The thing about cultural clubs is that you dont just meet all of these people with the same interests, but you also get involved in so much more than just school. It makes even your smallest interests happen. After going to their cultural night, I have this weird urge to maybe try taiko. It would be a lot of fun and it seems very interesting to me.
Tough By Daisuke 4.26.09
Lifes been getting pretty tough. I cant seem to sugar coat it. Things are getting a harder and harder to bear through and it seems work keeps piling up on itself.
Sorry for the delay. This whole weekend has been a time for me to just rest for a bit. I’ve had so much going on that I’ve felt like I needed a bit of peace to mind. Its really necessary to stay sane throughout the week. I’ve been studying like its my occupation. When I think about it, it sort of is. It’s the only thing we really should be doing with our lives right now. That’s what my parents pay an astronomical sum for. Its really important to never forget why were really here. I know that in the midst of partying, activities, friends, and freedom, its hard to realize that were really here to study. Its hard to put yourself to work and study when you have all of that to do.
On a better note, I only need to take another midterm, which should last me like a week I guess. I also suggest to always realize what your possibilities are. Here, at UCI, we have so many study abroad programs available. I don’t know how many countries there are to go to, but you can go to almost any of them. Its a chance for students to reach the full potential of the academic freedom they offer here. I don’t know if I can afford it, but I would definitely do it if I could.
Right around now, my out of state friends are starting to come home, so its much more exciting for me. All of the UC’s run on a different school schedule, so its difficult to meet up with friends during breaks. But summer is another story. During summer, I’ll be able to meet up with everyone. Awesome
Heat By Daisuke 4.19.09
Its been getting pretty warm here in Irvine. Its starting to remind me of what spring is really like here in Irvine. As of late, it has been kind of on and off, but it is projected that its gonna get real warm all of the time. One of the perks of UCI’s location is that its basically in Newport. It takes about 10-15 minutes to get to the beach by street roads. Its really that close. So whenever you feel like you need to take a day off or just take advantage of the sun, its definitely an option. Also, the shuttle service here at UCI offers rides monday through saturday to the beach and back.
Its already starting to get difficult in class though. Its Week Four now and midterms start to become an issue. You really have to be on top of midterms. The first couple weeks can be whatever you make of it, but when it comes down to this time of the quarter, it takes a lot of concentration and focus. I have two midterms this week and another the week after. This quarter system is quick and it takes a bit of getting used to.
It’s kind of strange how fast this year has gone for me. It seems like it was just yesterday when I moved in and I was getting to know everyone. Now I know almost everyone in this hall and I’m trying to figure out what I’m doing over the summer, how I’m gonna do in Summer sessions and how i’ll move into the apartments next year. It’s all a bit strange. I think the speed is ok though, because, honestly, I’m living my life the way I’ve been wanting to. And though it may scare me that the “best years of my life” are speeding by, atleast I’ll know at the end that I’ve lived them at my best.
The Good Fight By Daisuke 4.6.09
As with all things in life, nothing goes as planned, no matter how well prepared you feel. This concept applies especially to when registering for classes. Things just don’t always turn out the way you want it to. I’m filed under undeclared and undecided, but I’m headed off toward the Mechanical Engineering pathway. For me to keep following that interest, it is critical for me to get into math classes and physics classes. However, the math class that I had trouble getting into was one of the most popular classes here at UCI. I had to attend five classes the first week, just in case I would be accepted from the waiting-list. I’m not complaining or anything, but I definitely learned the lesson of grinding it out for my classes.
I’ve said this many times before, and I have the impulse to say it again: nothing comes free and automatically here at UCI. Everything is motivated by you. You have to go and make that change. It’s how it should be. I was so worried that I wasn’t going to get into my class, that I called my counselor and told her I may change my major interest. It takes that extra 10% to get what you want. I learned that UCI rewards those students who hold onto their hopes.
On another note, I joined the Japanese/Japanese American students group called “Tomo no Kai.” I heard about it during week 1 of fall quarter, and meant to join it, but I never got around to it. In addition, there are like 10 people from my hall who are a part of it. Its a really cool experience to meet people who share commonalities with you. It’s not like rushing for a fraternity. You just get to meet these awesome, chill students.
Week 1 was pretty long, but I just have this feeling that week 2 is going to be a lot better
My Birthday By Daisuke 3.17.09
Everyone always asks me, “you were born on st. pattys day?!” I was. One of the most righteous holidays in college happens to land on my birthday as well. I love it. However, this St. Patricks day also happens to be during finals week. Not cool at all. Instead of doing the usual traditions and carrying on, I have to sit in my room and study. Instead of celebrating the clovers, I remain perched in my room, reading out of a book and going over lecture notes.
I guess its one of those becoming-of-age things. Its just one of those things where even though birthdays remain special, it sometimes needs to be compromised. Its not a uncommon story around here to give up a birthday celebration in order to study. There are some of us who do care, some of us who don’t. I happen to both care and not care at the same time. I studied ahead of time and made sure that I reached my terminal capacity to take in my studies. Now, I guess I’m relaxing for my birthday.
Happy birthday, to me.
I Killed It By Daisuke 3.12.09
Before starting, this blog entry isn’t in any way a form of me gloating. It’s just a way for me to convey how finals make students feel. Today, I took a political science final, which I spent a lot of time and effort throughout the quarter to keep up in and actually understand. The thing is, at the beginning of the quarter, everyone sets that standard for themselves that they will do all of the reading and theyll understand everything and theyll attend every discussion + lecture. The problem is, whether you’re morally and ethically straight or not, this resolution doesnt always survive. It just doesnt. I’m sure any of you can understand why. Things just dont always turn out the way we hoped. It’s just how things are.
But for me, this class grasped my interest so hard, that I did everything I could to really make my resolve to keep up alive. I did all of the reading. I attended basically all of the lectures (except for the one I could not due to my illness). I understood every single concept in the class. I did exceptionally well on the midterm and I just got back to my dorm room from the final exam. Right now, im in the euphoric wave of a final well taken. I feel like i freakin killed that final. I knew every single question. There really isnt a feeling quite like that. I did everything in my power to know what would be on the final, and it all paid off.
Again, I don’t mean to gloat to those who haven’t been doin great on finals or to my classmates who are in teh same class. This is just a personal view, to which I feel like i triumphed here at UCI. This doesn’t happen as often everyone hopes it would. So pretty much, the moral of my story is, if you do the work and do pretty much everything to understand wats been going on, things are going to turn out one way or the other. I feel like i really made it happen.
Realistically, I don’t know if i aced it or failed. But I jsut want to live in the moment right now because I feel really really responsible, but in a good way. I feel responsible for the good feeling i just have right now and I need to take any “win” i can get during this hellacious finals time. I think everyone here at uci can pretty much agree with me when i say that you need to really find a way to keep morally strong and mentally positive. Finals is this burden of studying and optimism is hard to find. But when you see even a moment to grasp it, take it. It’ll help you get through weeks 10 and 11.
I would keep expressing my happiness right now, but I have to get back to studying for my 3 finals next week and my 12 page process paper about genocide and efficient means of mass murdering. Peace.
Sick By Daisuke 3.3.09
Sorry readers. I’ve been trying my best to stay as healthy as possible, but I’ve been sick since last tuesday, and I haven’t quite the energy to even get to my classes, much less write on this blog. I’m not sure what I have, but I can’t stop coughing, I get the chills everywhere and i feel intense nausea wherever I go. Not cool, considering the quarter is coming to an end and I need to get my act together.
I still feel terrible, and it’s really not the best time. I’ve got a final tomorrow already for my physics lab. Not cool. So I have to get my studying back on track. I also missed a lot of class last week and I need to get back on the ball. That’s a pretty interesting part of college I think. Class isn’t mandatory, (although it is very very heavily advised) and it’s really up to you to do whatever you wish. So when I became sick and had the slim decision of not showing up to class, I still have the ability to get back to where I need to be in classes. Sure, I’m going to have to beg some friends for notes and such things, but it’s not like in highschool where you need to call in and get a slip signed. That’s really cool i think.
On the brighter side, (quite literally) today is a freaking gorgeous day. Today is one of those socal days that i’ve been longing for. Today is one of those days where if it where only just a tad bit hotter, a bit brighter and I had woken up a little earlier, I would have dropped all things and gone to the beach. The weather today is honestly that pretty. It really really brought me up today. I’m not really sure how to explain it, but I feel really happy because of it.
I’m sorry guys. It seems I have to check out a little early, but my engineering class is about to start!!!
Alarm Clock By Daisuke 2.19.09
I wake up every day, to the same sound. This is the same sound that I am starting to hate. I wake up to always find my roommate sleeping and I do my best to make as little sound as possible. I throw on clothes, pack my books and close the door as silently as possible. Half awake, I either walk or ride my board to class, and then I attentively take notes. When I signed up for classes, I didnt consider how tired I would be. During the hours I have between classes, I nap. It works perfectly because my roommate does too.
I try to catch up on as much sleep as I can, but I can never escape the sound of my alarm clock. There are so many of us who dont just fail at showing up the class, but just choose to hit the snooze button instead of waking up. I hate to speak ill of my peers, but some of these people are the people arent doing their best in classes. Its honestly so understandable though. there is just so many things to do, that its understandable, yet not advised, that class is skipped in consequence.
Right now, I’m running on maybe five hours of sleep. I stayed up last night to read both Mill’s On Liberty and Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. I’m finally on track with class, but I will soon have to catch up again. I’ve discovered that it is borderline impossible to ever be on track with classes, but you can do the best you can with all of them. I’m so tired of reading that my eyes hurt every time i even think about reading. My brain is fried.
If there is really anything I learned from this general experience, its that you really shouldnt try to put yourself into a schedule that you cant handle. Im one of those people who get to bed late, and wake up late. A lot of my hallmates thought they can do the early riser schedule, and it turns out only a handful can really do it. You’ll end up wasting your money and time because you just wont attend those classes.
I leave you at this thought because I know need to read another 150 some odd pages about the Trobriander tribe. Then I need to read two chapters of Engineering. Then study for a physics quiz. I can do this.
Prepare for the Unexpected By Daisuke 2.8.09
That phrase never wears out. Prepare for the unexpected. In college, its just the same, and even more applicable. For me, it hasnt been so hard. The random, unexpected things that we have to deal with pop up out of nowhere. However, as a local kid, I get to run to my parents with some of these issues like leasing bills and meeting deadlines. Everyone else has to act fast on their feet and make a judgement call.
Do yourself a favor and make sure youre in an assertive state of mind when you get here. It really does help. If you sit around listening to your ipod and drift in and out, youre going to miss out on important things. As I was saying, were in the middle of signing our leases for next year. The problem is, they send us the agreements and expect it back signed by guardians in less than a week. Most of the people here live hours away. Its little things like this that you really have to be attentive to.
Another thing is dropping classes. Its midterms time right now for us, and some of us are getting back our scores. Its up to us to really decide whether we should try to stay in the course or to drop it. It sounds bad to drop a class, but sometimes its the best thing for you. Counselors can tell you whats advised, but you have to make that decision for yourself and act quickly, because there is even a deadline for dropping classes.
I know im being vague, but thats really the only way i can put it. You think that if youre all set in your dorm, there is so much more to consider. Everyday, it seems like i keep making decisions left and right that end up shaping my day or even my lifestyle. You have to prepare for the unexpected.
Real Meaning of Tired By Daisuke 2.4.09
its funny how your definition of “tired” progresses as your years go by. I always thought the fatigue i felt in high school could never really get any worse. I take it back now. On average, I read from somewhere from two to four hours a night, and study for an hour or two. For the last four weeks, I’ve been studying using every minute I can for midterms. I hope i did well. So far I’ve taken three midterms and I feel pretty confident about them.
The problem is, learning anything here is totally self controlled. Even if you attend every class, and every lecture, it still doesnt mean that youll pass the midterm with flying colors. It takes so much more than that. The learning curb is totally unpredictable and everything within your ability needs to be done to fully be successful.
It gets hard to prioritize. Ive told you this many times before and it comes up again, specifically during midterm time. Its so easy just to throw away the book and go do something else. But those small decisions add up. Sooner or later you wait till the last second and study. I feel like its one of those scenarios where one small action leads to a bigger whole like in the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In that movie, many small decisions and events lead to the tragic accident of the assisting character. Had any of those decisions turned out differently, it would not have been tragic at all.
By not studying just one time, you could have missed out on one problem, which ends up being a 20 point problem on the test. I know its just 20 points, but in the grand scheme of things, youre paying a grand amount of money for each unit, and so its already a responsibility to try your best. Every point matters. Every small thing matters in midterms.
I have to go back to Rousseau’s Discourses of Inequality regarding Politics
Big Time Stuff By Daisuke 1.27.09
Sorry. Ive been lagging. Midterms have been sneaking up on me and its really really important to prioritize midterms in order to do well. I think most students at uci will agree with me when they say midterms just pop up out of nowhere. Put it this way, we’ve only been in school this quarter for 3 weeks, and were already taking midterms that decide somewhere around 30,40, 50 percent of our grades. Its big stuff.
Also, something phenomenal has occurred in the world of politics, not just for the United States. Something inexplicably beautiful and breathtaking has taken place. The least likeliest candidate in the history of the United States was inaugurated and has taken his position in office. Its time for change
What really brings me down though is how people openly express their disgust. Theres no one out there that accepts the fact that everyone has rights to free speech than me. But the immaturity and ridiculous comments are just hard to ignore. I understand that in a bipartisan nation, people will always be unhappy. I understand that presidents dont always align in interests as some others. But those people need to accept the basic fact that he is your president now. Those people have to realize that the unlikeliest candidate won unanimously. Doesn’t that tell you something? Im not sayin that you should believe what other people are, or to go out there and wave your Obama flag. I’m just saying that where celebrating the long desired change that ready to happen.
I hate for my blog to become a ‘this is wat grinds my gears’ post, but it astounds me what some people say about Obama. It’s just ludicrous. Some people I know personally come out and say some of the most outrageous things and I know they arent politically assertive or attuned at all. People who havent the slightest clue of what these candidates are proposing are making judgements and claims about them. Politics is not a sport. The election is not the superbowl. You can’t just choose who you want to win during the election like you do in the superbowl. You can’t just want someone to win cuz of their jersey color or their appearance. You have to dig deeper in politics and really feel it. You would know if you felt politics. Trust me, everyone has that counterpoint in their political assertiveness when they really agree with something or really dont agree with something, for example abortion. I include myself when I say a lot of people had no idea what politics was, but once you learn how the system works, and your key opinions solidify, then i promise you will feel it. Only then, in my opinion, should you make extreme claims about things going on in politics, instead of blindly aiding the fate of the country during election day.
a quick aside for those of you who have no problem with the way things are today: WE ARE IN THE BIGGEST DEFICIT AND SOCIOECONOMIC SUFFERING THIS COUNTRY HAS SEEN IN DECADES
Think about the last couple terms. We, as democrats, have been the most unhappiest campers of all time. While republicans have reveled in their own military strength, international dominance, and social elitism, we have abided by this nation. We watched, as the last president slowly tortured the economy and the nation fell on its back. This is why we are celebrating. It is our turn. It is our time to make this country what it was. Some of you doubt how Obama will really change any of this. My response is: Youre right. We dont know. But we do know that any change from what its been is the best thing for this country. We do know that McCain was ready to follow the Bush doctrine and make this torture an everlasting suffering. We know that every day and every night, our president will be kept in power by the support of those who want change. He will be the one to START the change and he will never forget how he got there. This country doesnt need war. It needs peace. This country does not need elitism. It needs aid to the poor. This country needs to be represented. This country needs an educated man and his people to follow.
I like to think of this moment in history in relation to Christopher Nolan’s late masterpiece, Batman: The Dark Knight. In this movie, a headstrong,unfaltering politician is loved and revered by the people because of his resolve to clean the streets and oust the corruption. I like to think of Obama in the same way. Who knew if Harvey Dent would single handedly change everything? Obama is also that change. He may not get everything done in his term, but hes that symbol for change everyone wants. Sure, Harvey Dent eventually lost half of his face and sadistically mass murdered a series of people. However, Obama does not have to be that villain. He needs everyones help right now.
Politics is a ridiculously interesting if you really absorb yourself into it. But i urge you to do so before openly expressing hate. I don’t claim to be a know-all of politics, but I think I’m politically assertive enough to formulate a rational opinion on it. So get out there. Read the new. Read some articles. Be a part of a system that decides the nation’s future.
imagination By Daisuke 1.14.09
I just thought I’d share something that was really really interesting to me today. I was in a lecture, where a student asked how racism was developed by scientists. One question led to an answer, which lead to a concept, which lead to this gigantic question about human psyche and the attachment to the real world. The initial question lead to a ultimate question: Is everything real to you, because you are imagining things? It may sound really stupid and vague and maybe its something you had to be there for, but it was just so damn interesting to me.
Our professor basically explained the thought process of a human being, and said that there is really no way to prove something is real. My computer, my desk, and the people around me can all be a figment of my own imagination. I can only really know that I am real, as theorized by Descartes’ famous line states “I think, therefore I am.” I just wrapped my head around this concept all day today. Its like those schizo movies where everything and everyone just ends up being a figment of their own imagination. Or even like the matrix, where, at a more subconscious level, everything is not real at all, but it all just exists in our heads.
I wanted to share this with you, not to show that some professors get off topic and discuss seemingly pointless concepts, but just because you attend a certain kind of class, doesn’t mean youll strictly learn about that subject. These professors bring so much more to the table than some powerpoint slides and endless notes to take. As long as you engage yourself, theres so much knowledge to soak up.
Week Two, Winter Quarter by Daisuke 1.12.09
Week two and I am already waist deep in studies. I spend probably four hours a night reading textbooks in order to catch up, and then some more studying so that I may get ahead of class. It’s really difficult right now to focus when you have so little time and so much to do. I’ve noticed that lately, my homework doesnt really call for me to do any real work when i get back to the dorm. What it does call for is a massive amount of reading. These professors are only given so little time to discuss topics and concepts that you are expected to know things before you attend class. That is why it is so important not to procrastinate and actually do the work.
Theres a quote I’d like to share about a boxer, from the great movie Million Dollar Baby. Morgan Freeman explains
“If there’s magic in boxing, it’s the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.”
I like to believe the same thing in college students. I think it pertains to students even more than it does boxing. Despite all the hatred in reading and cursing neverending projects, we still do them. We do them and no one else has to understand why. My peers and myself are up all night reading books and studying for our dream to be successful one day. It is our dream to get the beest education one can get. If you dont really realize that it is a priviledge, it really hard to get past the first day of school, much less the second day.
And so I must leave you guys in order to get back to more reading I have to do by tomorrow. I thought it was really vital for you to know that reading consumes your life. If you dont like it, you had better find a way to figure out a way to study otherwise.
No Expectations by Daisuke 1.9.09
The start of a new quarter. I didnt really know what to expect. I want to say that I know this school inside and out, but I’d be lying to you. I want to say that I always know where to go and what to do, but I honestly don’t. Most people are terrified, but I think thats kind of the beauty of my freshmen year here. I anxiously walk to class with a schedule in my hand, not knowing what the class will be like at all, or how the professors are. I spend a half fortune on my books. I’m going to make sure I get my money’s worth in reading from those books.
Anyway, I wanted to share with you an experience I had the other day approaching one of my classes. I walk to this gigantic lecture hall in the social studies area with some of my close hallmates. Now I’m excited with the class because political science is really interesting to me and it’s already a big part of my life. As I enter, I am swarmed with so many other students, and we all try to find a spot together. An old man walks up to the front, and straps on one of those remote microphones and here I’m thinking, wow another old professor whos probably going to babble for an hour and twenty minutes. Boy was I wrong. The moment everyone stops speaking, he starts telling jokes and entertaining the class while explaining what the course will be like.
He explains how well be reading such interesting literature by people like Machiavelli, or Marx. He intrigued me with just the books alone, but then he continues to share a little about him, and sooner or later, he’s got the whole class laughing repeatedly with him. He’s walking up the aisle and even through them. One second hes in the front of the room, the next second hes speaking sitting next to someone in the back rows. He just totally surprised me and shocked any of my prior expectation. This is not to say that his ostentatious lecturing methods are no good and he is a bad professor. He is a great professor and his way of teaching really works.
I’m really really glad I chose to take that class. it really make me want to learn and if thats just one class at uci, im really excited to see what it has in store for me in the future.
New Year by Daisuke 1.1.2009
Happy new years everybody.
My New Desire by Daisuke 12.30.2008
Recently, I’ve developed a new aspiration. I want to write a story. Maybe a short story. I haven’t quite decided. Either way I want to write. It’s always been a hobby of mine. While I am proficient in math based fields such as calculus or science, I do have a rather artistic side of me, which loves to let loose from time to time.
So I was going to write this story, which takes place in Japan during their feudal history. Combined with my Japanese heritage and my interest in human behavior, I want to write a story using both aspects of my life. However, I have come to the realization that the idea is only the beginning. I need the resources to really make this thing happen. That is where UCI can play such a big part. I only know so much about Japanese history and its culture during those times.
I could contact and approach my fall quarter writing teacher for help. Anything from ideas in the plotline to just grammar help would be completely helpful. Also, there must be some Japanese majors or Japanese history majors that could be of use. Anything really is useful.
Right now, it may seem like writing a story or a book sounds very “nerdy” or “useless.” However, I assure you that you will have to use these resources. Atleast i wont be graded or restricted with time on my project because it is out of leisure. I hope you do find something you really want to do outside of the research papers and reports. It gives me a new hobby and some direction.
Happy Holidays by Daisuke 12.23.2008
Hey guys. I just thought I’d check in and give wish everyone Happy Holidays. I did my Christmas shopping a little while ago, and it was a gigantic hassle. South Coast Plaza, which really isn’t very far from UCI, was packed. One of the best things about Irvine is that there are a myriad of shopping centers. It’s great, no matter what you’re looking for.
But South Coast as exceptionally terrible. Traffic was horrible. Cars were lining up the streets to the point where you really couldn’t see the ground for a mile. Everyone goes there for holiday shopping. I love the holidays. My family doesn’t go all out for it, but everyone is so warm to each other.
You know, up until now, I’ve been blogging in and out, but that’s going to change. Lately, I’ve been discussing a lot about the personal changes that I’ve been going through since I attended college. The thing is, I’ve lost that desire or that flame, to want to go out and party and drink and all of that fun stuff. I think I’ve grown out of that phase now. But before you judge my change, I’d like to say that it feels like a step of maturity for me.
I used to be the kind of guy that would love to go to parties and kickbacks. I would be the kind of guy that would disregard reality and do irresponsible things on the weekends. But now, all of that has changed, and I am fully conscious of it. I thought that when I get back from school from break, I would party and do all of that I’d done before with my old friends. But now, there’s nothing more pleasing than just talking with my friends while enjoying hot coffee. There’s nothing more fulfilling to me than kickin back and conversing. I know I sound like a “non-social” person. But I’ve just grown out of that phase. I look back at all my friends who still do live that wild lifestyle, and I just can’t help to think it’s so immature. You have to figure out what is most important right now and all that is being sacrificed for your priviledge to attend a college. I know I’m killing that expectation that college is this wild ride and you party all of the time. It’s just not true… to some extent. You obviously can if you want to. But how that expectation came to be is that you have that choice to become who you want and mature at will. You can choose to just enjoy the small things. Letting a little stress out every once in awhile is great. I strongly agree with it. But theres nothing like enjoying the little things.
So back to where I started with all of this, I’ll be blogging more often. Not cause I don’t have anything to do, but It’s because I’ll be sharing more. Sharing my experiences and writing blogs are really healthy for me, and ultimately for you.
Candy canes, icicle lights, and christmas music everywhere.
I love this time of year.
Again, Happy Holidays to all of you. And I really mean it when I say it. Love your friends, Love your family, and Love your neighbors. It’s what it’s all about.
Peace.
Your New Friends by Daisuke 12.21.2008
Happy Holidays to all of you out there. I love the holidays. Don’t you? You can’t help but to feel warmed with all of the holiday decorations and cheer. The best thing about the holidays for me now is that it gets to be a sort of reunion time for all my friends. Tonight, we just sat. My best friends and I basically sat at a donut shop, ate, sipped coffee, and spoke to each other for a few hours.
Sounds dull right? That’s where you’re wrong. You would think that when your best friends are back after however many weeks and months of distance, you would go do something crazy or fulfilling. However for us, nothing pleased us more than just catching up. We talked about all of the things that are happening to our lives. We just can’t stop sharing with each other. A slow night, but a necessary night. It’s great that we have new events in our lives. Maybe some of you high school students can understand how friends are always good, but its also healthy just to get away from them from time to time. College is that experience. Sure you miss the people you’ve matured over the years with, however, don’t you ever want to take time from that a little bit? I love my friends. We were really really tight in high school, but I love college because it gives a bit of separation from that and it helps you, personally, to develop. Every high school student wishes they can meet new people. High school institutes the people you hang out with. It institutes the new people you see every day. Socially and just physically, it limits the number of students you become friends with. College is the opposite. You can meet anyone you want. During the first few weeks, remembering names is impossible. You literally meet hundreds of people that become familiar faces, and some become your tight group of friends. Though more years and experiences need be endured between your new friends, but thats the exciting part isnt it?
I think you’ve had enough of my explanation of friendship at UCI. But that is something I always wanted to know about before going to college, whether at UCI or any other college. I’m sure it is the same anywhere you go or life in general. I don’t want to tell you who to be or how to act. But college is that place, where if you wear the brightest smile you can, and live with an outgoing attitude, you’ll have no problem making new friends. I absolutely love that aspect about college. Call it a general maturity in everyone, but it’s not like in high school or middle school. There are no set clicks, so drop that assumption. Drop the attitude that you are better than some people, or socially “cooler” than anyone. Because when you’re in the moshpit that we call college, it won’t matter. Meet anyone you can, while you can. Take faith that whoever you are offering your hand and name to, will accept it and gladly exchange their name as well. Everyone else is in your position. There was a point where we wondered why we didn’t really meet each other earlier. Now, I can’t wait to go back to my hall and see my hallmates, but I also can’t wait to catch up with my best friends.
damn… I love college.
Give Me A Break by Daisuke 12.13.2008
My apologies for not being able to write anything for a long time. These past couple weeks have been ridiculously stressful and I’ve had little time to put together any thoughts outside of studying. Finals was _____. I cant even find the rights words to describe it. I spent nearly two weeks putting my face into a book, attending review sessions and covering topics. I am a machine. So if you can understand please try to understand and excuse my absence.
I’m home now. I slept in until 3 in the afternoon today. I still feel like I have hours of sleep to catch up on. That’s one good thing about going home. I like to go straight to my old room, and find my comfortable bed waiting for me. Not that I don’t enjoy living with a roommate or suitemates or hallmates for that matter, but I think I speak for everyone when I say time spent alone is always appreciated. My family knows to just let me be until I wake up.
Winter break is going to be bittersweet I think. Its going to be sweet because for the last three months, I never really had the time to just sit around and do nothing. There was always something to be done, whether hanging out with friends or studying materials. It’ll be sweet because I will have time to hang out with my family. I get to see everyone come back home and do the old things we used to. I get to hang out with my dog. I get to watch tv and grow as a couch potato. But the thing is, the sweet things about break are also the bitter parts. At UCI, most of the people in the hall are really tight. So even though we may see each other in two weeks, I don’t emotionally miss them, but I feel ridiculously bored without them. You see, living in the halls, we could just walk ten feet from our rooms and hang out during the small hours we had nothing to do. Sure my family could keep me company, but you can imagine how one could get over that. The boredom reminds me of summer, where you do nothing and it kills you. My old friends all come back at different times, so I must wait patiently until they arrive. Not to mention, my couch potato skills will definitely take a toll on my body unless I get myself to work out. The funny thing is, I just got out of school, but I’m dying to go back. It’s funny how that works isn’t it? School work is whatever, but I love the lifestyle there so much that I want to go back already and hang out with my hallmates.
Cold December by Daisuke 12.1.2008
It has been getting quite cold here in Irvine. Everyone finally gets the notion that summer has fully past and the tanktop and flipflop wearing days are past us. I am thankful for the socal winters though. My friend, who attends the University of Michigan, absolutely missed the relatively mild winters we experience here. In Michigan, he has to wear layers of jackets, mits and a warm headwear to keep from losing feeling in his extremities. I love winter here in Irvine. You can make it with just a jacket.
The other night it rained and almost everyone loved the atmosphere. I, personally, don’t mind rain, but it does become a drag the next morning when you have to walk through puddles to get to class. Not so fun. The cold breeze and the dark clouds only encourage me to enjoy the indoors. Usually, I put on a hot cup of cocoa and watch a christmas movie. I think this year it’s gonna have to be replaced with a cup of bold coffee and a textbook.
My next quarter is going to be relatively difficult but I honestly think I can rise to the challenge. There will be times where I will function on no sleep and caffeine, but I will mentally push myself in the belief that the road is only getting tougher in the future.
More Than Meets The Eye by Daisuke 11.24.2008
What a corny title.
In writing class, were currently learning to write rhetorical analysis papers, in which we analyze the use of certain devices that an author uses in a persuasive piece of literature. At first, we started with an advertisement, which we had to observe very carefully to detect the certain symbols, allusions, slight implications, etc., that the ad was conveying to its viewers. That was very interesting to me because it not only polished my rhetorical analysis skills, but it opened my eyes to how advertising works and the simple undetected methods commercial advertising companies use. There is nothing here at UCI that is completely one dimensional. At times, the things we learn may seem irrelevant and pointless, but with a different attitude, that assignment really caught my attention. That is what I hated about high school. There were so many times where you learned completely intangible concepts to real life.
Last week, we turned in a paper that analyzed Martin Luther King’s Mountain Top speech. While reading the prompt, the only thought was of how random it is to do paper on such a random speech in history. However, as I read the speech over, and over, and over again. I finally realized that this is, perhaps, one of those most inspiring speeches I have ever heard. I realized that if this man, as remembered as he is, can inspire a whole minority of the United States to rise above insurmountable odds, he must be doing something right. I must have read this speech seven or eight times, and viewed it on youtube three times. I started to rewatch and reread it, not because of the assignment, but purely because I was intrigued. Every word and every sentence were perfectly for its purpose. What added to my current passion for inspiring literature, was finding out that this would lead to Barack Obama’s late victory speech.
Right now, we are in the process of editing our rhetorical analysis on Barack Obama’s victory speech. I find that there are so many similarities between MLK and Obama’s presentations, however, with the given circumstances and different eras of history, I feel that this assignment just grasps my attention with both hands, and just won’t let go. If I read MLK’s speech seven or eight times, I dare say I have read and viewed it twice as much. All of the allusions that Obama uses are worded so perfectly, and so devicely. If I had not done this assignment, I would probably not have understood the speech completely and missed out on the detailed purpose of his words.
At UCI, the various assignments may seem to have only a one dimensional purpose. However, I strongly oppose that opinion. These assignments are much more than meets the eye. Personally, if that is just the start of what is to come, I am excited to see what else UCI has in store.
Different Roads by Daisuke 11.17.2008
When meeting new people here, it is hard to remember that there are so many different people. Beyond UCI’s most popular stereotype that it is crowded with Asian races, it makes it even more evident, that we come from very different places. In high school, a set class of students would know each other for a full four years. Most of them probably grew up together in the same neighborhoods or at least the same city. It makes me realize that those years were quite naive and close minded. Everybody you know, pretty much walks the same path as you do. College is different. UCI attracts students from all over California, and some from other states and countries. People from different neighborhoods and cities come to study and some live with each other.
The other night, a hallmate was giving me a ride to the gym. To my amazement, he pulled out an attachable radio, hidden from the center compartment. He clipped it on and blasted his music. As we arrived, he took it off and hid it again. He explained to me that where he used to live, it was necessary. He told me that where he lived, people would break into cars, just to steal something like that.
Another night, another hallmate and I rode to the local grocery store. There, he got off his bike and looked around as though on guard. He told me that also where he lives, people have had the experience of being jumped when locking their bikes. Tightly securing the bike and making sure there was no way of stealing it, we finally entered the grocery store.
A girl from my hall comes from a prominent all-girls school from the bay area. That amazes me. As someone who grew up studying in all public schools, it astonished me that someone from an all-girls school could easily make the adjustment. Not only is she studying alongside boys, but she lives with them in the dorms.
Another hallmate of mine wrote a journal for a writing class. He allowed me to read his entry. He wrote about the struggles of growing up as an African American kid in an unwelcoming neighborhood. This smart, down to earth, well-mannered student, fully expressed his anguish and his admiration of Kanye West through his writing. Despite his difficult childhood, it took me by surprise how kind and friendly this hallmate turned out to be.
As I mentioned, UCI attracts students from all over California. I enjoy how students take sides, representing “Norcal” or “Socal”. This battle or debate to prove which is “better” still continues, but it only stresses how collaborative we can truly be through our differences. That’s what I love about this place. Growing up in neighborhoods of Irvine only lets you see through one eye. But UCI has let me open both, and let me try to understand where people come from.
Responsibility by Daisuke 11.10.2008
In college life, I have discovered that there is more to learn than what the textbooks and professors have to offer. Behind the lectures and various assignments, I started to realize that my lifestyle and study habits have changed. I now realize the new meaning of “responsibility” in my life. I don’t just refer to how I need to do my own laundry, attend class and do my homework. It is our responsibility, as students, to fully receive the education we are entitled to. UCI is so willing to fulfill that promise of education, as long as students are willing to accept the responsibility to get out there and figure their lives out.
For example, if a lecture was unclear or vague to a student, it is their responsibility to understand what was covered. It just takes some effort to make sure the lesson is understood. Professors are willing to e-mail or meet during office hours. There are plenty of tutorial classes or tutoring sessions for every department. Peers are always willing to help. All of these resources are there for students, as long as the student takes the time and effort to use them.
Self-motivation is something my peers and I have learned to develop. Lecturers and professors do not plan out when you should be studying, or if certain chapters need be studied. So it is up to you, as a responsible student, to look at the lecture times and exam schedules. I have learned that it is almost as important to study when you don’t have a test, than when you actually do. When people tell you not to procrastinate, they’re really not lying.
Everyone uses some form of the saying: “This is college: nothing comes to you, you have to go get it.” Something I am really proud of is this ZotBlog and I congratulate all my fellow ZotBloggers on this blog. On the first week of school, my academic counselor announced that there would be a blog for undecided/undeclared students. This did not interest some people, but it definitely caught my attention. I spent a fair amount of my own freetime to applying and interviewing for this position and now I’m blogging for all of you today. I took the responsibility of It turns out that there were many more applicants than I had expected. This experience taught me that even something as simple as blogging for ZotBlog can be competitive. In college, if you really want something, fight for it.
We Are Here by Daisuke 11.2.2008
I am here.
Roughly twelve months ago, I was suffering through the endless agony of applying for college. I sat in my room for hours, surfing through the packets of applications, writing essays with vague prompts and filling out lines of information. Trust me when I say I understand how much I wanted that phase of hard work to be over. At this point, I would’ve just been happy to be accepted at all. After the deadline is met and applications are turned in, I promise that a feeling of relief will take over, and you will take comfort in the idea that whatever happens, is now out of your reach.
Roughly seven months ago, I recieved a letter in the mail. By now, I’ve been rejected, but also accepted by prominent colleges. This letter was a bit different. The University of California, Irvine, had accepted my application to study there. As a local Irvine kid, I had to choose between going to a distant college, or one no more than 5 minutes drive from home. I chose UCI, and I am so glad I did.
Roughly three months ago, I was counting down the days until I could live alone. At the same time, I was sensing a wave of emotions, as the friends of my childhood and four years in high school were departing early for college. Growing up is never easy because only you can put your past behind and move forward. The only comfort that you can really take is that everyone else is doing just the same.
Roughly six weeks ago, I walked into my dorm room for the first time, not knowing what to expect at all. Will my roommate be really chill? Or will he and I not get along? Will I get homesick or hate this school? If you find yourself asking these questions, remind yourself that none of that matters. There is a saying that everyone uses here when facing the experiences of college: Everything is what you make out of it. Don’t narrow your mind, and try to find the negative to everything. As long as you keep an open mind, and just let yourself be you in a crowd of peers, you will not ask yourself those questions again. Just allow yourself to enjoy this place and have fun. Time will fly by, and before you know it, you will realize that
you are here.
