Meanwhile at UCLA...

I'm procrastinating during finals week. Only three more weeks until Christmas! That is crazy. I've procrastinated a lot this quarter with schoolwork but I've also done a lot of things I wanted to do and kept up other commitments.

Good luck, wherever you are, with whatever you have to get done before the holidays. It will all be fine.

Revival !

Hello. A new study playlist I enjoy:

1. In Seams/ Backseat Goodbye
2. Sleeping Lessons/ The Shins
3. Bookends/ Simon & Garfunkel
4. 1901/ Phoenix
5. See the Sun/ The Kooks
6. One More Time With Feeling/ Regina Spektor
7. City Calm Down/ Architecture in Helsinki
8. Heart It Races/ Dr. Dog
9. Where Does The Good Go/ Tegan and Sara
10. Let Your Love Grow Tall/ Passion Pit
11. Sunday Bloody Sunday/ U2
12. Ce Jeu/ Yelle
13. The Con/ Tegan and Sara
14. Eet/ Regina Spektor

I included some repeat artists on this playlist, but they're worth it.

Friday's Quotable Post

I did something differently this time, and took a few quotes from randomly selected Facebook friends' "Favorite Quotations." I like them!

"I would much rather have regrets about not doing what people said, than regretting not doing what my heart led me to and wondering what life would have been like if I'd just been myself." 
- Jacqueline Kennedy

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." -Bertrand Russell

"If you've no sympathy for human pain,
The name of human you cannot retain." -Saadi

Quotable Friday's Post

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou

Beautiful quote. Please listen to the new song I've posted. It's sung in Portuguese, but I really like it.

Congratulations to everyone who is graduating this week and next. It seems impossible that a year has elapsed since my high school graduation. Only four days left of school, six days until Disneyland, and nine days until I'm home in Spreckels.

Apology

For the lack of posting. I have a busy schedule! Last night was Spring Sing at UCLA, a really wonderful annual concert that was so much fun. I'm going to a bonfire tonight, and hopefully to the Getty Museum tomorrow. 

I recently saw Best Coast perform live, and they were really great.

 Listen:

"Boyfriend" by Best Coast

"When I'm With You" by Best Coast

Only three more weeks until I'm home again for the summer. Of course, I'm anxiously anticipating the end of homework and finals and seeing all my friends (especially since the semester has ended for many already), but it's bittersweet. This is the last time I'll live in this building and it will mean that my freshman year is over. Wow.

Some Friday Quotable Posts

"A photograph is usually looked at- seldom looked into." -Ansel Adams

"History has proven that no one looks at history." -Claude Cuervo

Sorry about the quote!

I am forgetting lately. Yet, that can actually be a good sign, that I'm keeping busy. When I'm busy (and not overwhelmed), I'm happy.

And I'm getting better at choosing what I want and making stronger decisions. I'm becoming more assertive about what I want and don't want, and I'm beginning to stop apologizing for it. It only took only little costly mistake for me to change, but it's okay. I'm realizing that it's okay to make a bad decision and learn from it. School's going well, working is good for me, and I'm more involved on campus. 

Strangely, the pressure to tolerate things and not do what I really want comes mostly from me. I've always obligated myself into doing things, even instead of other things I found interesting. I'm starting to ask myself why I am choosing something before I do, and realizing that I can change my mind. I don't have to choose what someone else wants me to choose, though I do keep an open mind. I am learning how to express my opinions in a gentle, non-threatening way. And, you see, this isn't a huge change. I probably seem, on the outside, like the same person. These are small changes but I think they are important ones. Maybe I'm starting to care less about what other people think of me- always a good thing to stop over-analyzing. 

I had a great weekend. As I type this, I know I am not completely free yet, because I still write to fit within the confines and what is appropriate. But I can still say I had a good weekend and know I want to write more and hold back just a little.

Life's good.

Friday's Quotable Post

"Be of love more careful than of anything."

-e.e. cummings

Quotable Friday's Post

Not exactly a quote, but I liked it. Happy weekend.

Sanity

I just named my room card "Sanity" so that when I'm looking for it in my room (which I often do!), I can ask, "Where's my Sanity?"

April Fool's

I almost forget to mention this! My April's Fool joke on Jennifer, one of my roommates, took place this morning. I set all of the clocks and her cell phone one hour ahead. She had class at ten this morning, so instead of her alarm going off at nine, it went off at eight. She proceeded to get ready and go on with her routine, which was really funny to watch, and wasn't suspicious at all. I told her before she left to class, and she wasn't angry. She had time to get breakfast! Alexa and I were amused.

Okay, Happy April Fool's Day!

Quotable Friday's Post

A lot has happened since last Friday. Spring break ended, I am back in LA with new classes and a new job (!) which I start next week. The weather's been warm and sunny.

For this post, I thought I'd share a video of a performance from Sarah Kay, a poet. She's amazing. I know it's not a quote, but it's definitely quotable.

"Point B" Performed by Sarah Kay

:)

I'm eating one of my grandma's tortillas, because I saw her yesterday and she sent some home with us. I warmed it on the open flame of my stovetop, put butter on it, and folded it in half twice like she used to all the time for me.  

Quotable Friday's Post (Yeah, I know I missed one.)

A apology to myself, mostly, for missing last week. I've been on spring break, and now it's almost over. I've been spending time with Hedieh, writing a parody to Complicated by Avril Lavigne, seeing my family, and watching TV. Yes, I know, that inspires envy. So I missed last week's quote.

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, then to write for the public and have no self."
-Cyril Connolly

"I always say, keep a diary and someday it'll keep you."
-Mae West

Quotable Friday's Post

“Look at you. You’re young. And you’re scared. Why are you so scared? Stop being paralyzed. Stop swallowing your words. Stop caring what other people think. Wear what you want. Say what you want. Listen to the music you want to listen to. Play it loud as fuck and dance to it. Go out for a drive at midnight and forget that you have school the next day. Stop waiting for Friday. Live now. Do it now. Take risks. Tell secrets. This life is yours. When are you going to realize that you can do whatever you want?”

 (Taken from

http://www.goodmorningandgoodnight.com/?p=3351)

I found this by setting "quotes" as my search on StumbleUpon and stumbling. This was the first page. Hope your Friday is going well. I've decided that it's better to let other people disappoint you than to disappoint yourself. Those wounds from others can be healed for healthily. Optimism! Okay, bye. :)

Friday's Quotable Post

"It gets late early out there."

-Yogi Berra

(Notice the time posted!)

Write one leaf about something you wear on your wrist.

Write one leaf about something you wear on your wrist.

I wear various bracelets at times, but my spirit cord is the only thing that's constant. It cannot be removed like a bracelet, because it is a piece of nylon rope or cord that has had its ends melted and molded to each other. The only way it can come off now would by falling off or cutting it off. 

It's been on my wrist since July of 2009. That was the summer, the only summer, that I was a member of Phase Three staff at Camp Artemis. The rest of staff and I burned this spirit cords around our wrists, which we later did for our campers, to serve as a memory of the spirit of camp. It's green and white and blue, somewhat faded since it goes everywhere with me and has become very worn. It still seems securely together though. I don't know when it will fall off (since I never want to cut it off) but I know I'll be a little sad when it does. For me, it's my connection to other people who shared those ten days with me in July of 2009. 

 

What is it about the topic of sex?

The older I've gotten, the more sex has seemed to dominate the humor, stories, and jokes articulated by my peers. You would think this would be the inverse, but no. What is it about sex? College humor and college social life seems centered around the idea of sex, if not actual sex itself. It's embedded in the humor I hear on a daily basis, and in the jokes even I make.

And it's not just here. It's not like there's something in the water here in LA. I find this to be true for my friends at different colleges and elsewhere. I suppose I can't complain about this observation, because I am a part of the trend. I catch myself following along with the innocent, if you will, dirty jokes. They're innocent because they really don't mean anything or say much about our personal views. It's just simple humor.

Why is everyone so obsessed with sexualized college life? It's a rhetorical question, no need to give me an obvious "duh." I'm aware of the weird psychology behind the sex obsession. It's normal at this stage, especially with new freedom.  And if it's funny, I should just accept it for that. I guess it doesn't have to be that hard. No pun intended.

Quotable Post

"I never saw a discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do." -John Muir

Sorry about the lack of posting! I enjoy this quote a lot. I hope you had a great weekend. I went to the California Science Center for the first time, this past Saturday. I was a volunteer chaperone for the elementary school kids that Amigos de UCLA tutors- the school at which I hope to tutor next quarter. It was so cool- please go if you get a chance. The other UCLA chaperones were really cool too, so it was a fun day. Now, I am working on the last paper I have to write for this quarter (not counting written final exams). It's Sean's birthday in a week... (thought I'd just mention him somewhere in this post). The End!

What happened to those days of optimism?

When you challenged yourself?

When I believed in people more fully?

And no one was broken?

I'm fine, great, and doing well. I wish I could say I knew that for all my friends.

Dance Marathon was...

....great! But of course that's a huge understatement.

It was challenging, wild, fun, painful, new, exciting, powerful, and the best experience of college so far. I raised $310! Thank you for all who donated, thank you notes will be coming soon. We raised over $410, 000 for pediatric AIDS research, as well as treatment and camp scholarships for the kids. I have so much admiration and respect for everyone who helped plan it and make it such a positive and fun experience.

Have you ever tried not sitting for 26 hours? I guess I hadn't imagined it being so painful, but it was definitely worth it. I've never danced so much in my entire life. It was great. (Don't worry, guys, I'm already thinking about next year's.) Check out more photos on Facebook! 

The photo below was taken at the end of the 26 hours when we finally got to sit down! We collapsed right on the dance floor.

Quotable Friday's Post

DANCE MARATHON BEGINS TOMORROW!

The 26 hour challenge starts at 11 am, but I have to wake up at 7...so I'm getting ready for bed now. There will be so many updates once I get some rest.

Sometimes Taylor Swift songs make me cry.

I don't think I will be able to handle being old.

I'm too sentimental and nostalgic.

Friday's Quotable Post

Good morning!

My quote for today can be applied to lots of aspects in  life. So, reflect on it.

Have a good day/weekend!

Similarities

For some reason, I have an inexplicable tendency to think that people with a similar taste in music to mine must be people I can relate to and befriend. 

You might say that's a normal tendency or a logical thought process. But it is inexplicable. I don't have the same tendency for any other quality...for example, race or religious views. I don't automatically assume that people with the same religious views as me are naturally more suitable candidates for friendship than if any random person was selected from the population.

But, yes, I'll admit that holds true with music.

So conversely, you  may suppose that I try to adjust my musical tastes to be more like my friends' or that I trust their opinions on music more than other people. And you'd probably be right. I'm biased, but it's not my fault.

Quotable Friday's Post

"I'm a modern man, digital and smoke-free; a man for the millennium.

 A diversified, multi-cultural, post-modern deconstructionist; politically, anatomically and ecologically incorrect. 

I've been uplinked and downloaded, I've been inputted and outsourced. I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. 

I'm a high-tech low-life. A cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, bi-coastal multi-tasker, and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond. 

I'm new-wave, but I'm old-school; and my inner child is outward-bound. I'm a hot-wired, heat-seeking, warm-hearted cool customer; voice-activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database; my database is in cyberspace; so I'm interactive, I'm hyperactive, and from time to time I'm radioactive..."

-George Carlin, from "Modern Man"

Frustration with the System.

This is what I want...

I want to explain why learning is important...

I want to explain the value of building upon what you already know...

I want to understand the way she thinks...

I want to go back and explain multiplication tables...

I want to ask her to explain to me what something means in words...

I want to stress the importance of reading comprehension...

I want to elaborate on the lesson that all things are connected...

I want to make her excited and not discouraged by learning...

I want to figure out a way to explain things that I think are so basic...

I can't do all these things. There are equations listed down the front and back of the page. So instead I say in my most gentle voice, "Oh, actually, can you think of what goes into 21? Besides 3?" And I work from there.

Things I Do When I'm Procrastinating.

I call it "productive procrastination."

1. Do Sudoku puzzles.
2. Stretch.
3. Read the newspaper.
4. Check my email.
5. Organize my drawers.
6. Call someone.
7. Wash dishes.
8. Stumble.
   
9. Look at my planner.
10. Text.
    
11. Go to Failbook
12. Make lists.
    

Give people a chance! (Quotable Friday's Post)

"If there is anything that a man (or woman, or person) can do well, I say let him (or her) do it. Give him (or her) a chance."

-Abraham Lincoln

This quote relates to my personal experiences today. In one of my weekly discussions, we were scheduled to have a substitute T.A. from another section to teach our section. Most people (including me) seemed to dread this because we classified the other T.A. as intimidating (and besides, I like my regular T.A.). So I went to class today, not looking forward to it as I usually do. Surprisingly though, it was really helpful. She was not "scary" as her reputation stood, and it was a productive experience. I was again reminded not only about the dangers of judging others, but more specifically, of prejudging or presuming that something will be negative. If you must "prejudge," presume that it will be good! Optimism! Yeah! I guess I need this reminder sometimes. I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing this at anyone; the purpose of this post was to just share an enlightening moment I had today.

Reflect on the quote. 

I'm going to go get ready for 7th grade tutoring. Have a nice afternoon.

Update:

I finished my stats lab, all of this week's art reading and weekly response paper, and have almost completed one of my papers. Today was productive. The end.

Oh, by the way. Here's a picture of my dorm room at night:

Alexa brought some lights which we have strung around the lofted bed/desk area in the middle of the room. No occasion or holiday or purpose, really, but I like it.

Study Break

Week 4 during the quarter system is a time when paper assignments accumulate, due dates approach, and tests and quizzes begin being administered. This blog post is being written during my short break. I just finished my stats lab that's due tomorrow, and I'm supposed to be working on two papers. I need to work harder and study more in my statistics class, but that's just another lesson learned. 

I have about 140 pages of reading for art history to do today, along with a corresponding reading response, and in addition to those two papers I mentioned. But I will look at the bright side.

This is interesting, too. In case you have free time, which I clearly shouldn't have today.

What BP Could Have Bought With All the Money They Lost

Endless

I distinctly remember that time, because of the unique feeling I had. It was a weird blend of guilt, happiness, concern, sadness, and closeness that I have yet to encounter again. I remember walking through the door with a flushed face, sweeping the hair away from my eyes, and trying to keep my voice steady. My mind was a mess, yet I was rational. I wouldn't say it was a sign of maturity, but a sign of my inner strength. As I said, I can't exactly say I was purely happy, but that didn't stop me from smiling until the next day when I recovered a sense of normalcy. It was ordinary but my emotions were far from that.

"Endless"  

www.oneword.com

Quotable Friday's Post

"At least be confused about right and wrong, Plan to settle down, Over the moon under the sun."

-"Do The Whirlwind" lyrics, Architecture in Helsinki

Dance Marathon

I can't believe I haven't blogged about Dance Marathon yet. Dance Marathon at UCLA is this event that requires the dancers (which includes me this year) to remain on their feet for 26 continuous hours to raise money for charity, specifically pediatric AIDS. It's a huge fundraiser. This is taking place on February 19-20 and recently, I've gotten pretty excited about it. I have to go shopping this weekend, because there are several different themes which each require a different costume and you must take that seriously. (Read: TEN costume changes.) So, I'm excited about this. It's just 30 days away now...so I'll be blogging more for costume help. (Favourite decade? How should I choose, and what should I wear? Cartoon character?) Anyway, I'll be getting off to sleep soon. Quote tomorrow.

This is the link to my page, where there's much more information.

Nail Polish Art

I painted my nails with Alexa this afternoon after class. She had 18 different colours, so I used that to my advantage. I don't think I used all 18 colours, but I used I least ten. I lost count. It was fun!
This idea was inspired by and stolen from this girl (Rachel).

Just for your personal entertainment...

This cracked me up. Hopefully you'll be amused, too.

Quotable (Friday's) Post

I'm counting right now as still belonging to Friday, since I haven't gone to bed yet. I've had a wonderful day too. I got to all my classes on time (not that it's unusual for me), had lunch with my new discussion group for one of my classes (fun girls!), began tutoring at Pio Pico Middle again, saw Hedieh, watched "It's Kind of A Funny Story" for free, and did other exciting things.

Happy day. 

 

Thing I Like, Part Two

1. My blog (usually)

2. Plain yogurt

3. My cat, Kit-Kat! 

4. Quotes (there'll be one tomorrow!)

5. Receiving letters/cards

6. My roommates
7. Harry Potter series (is absolutely amazing)

Have a good Friday!

Peer Pressure

I'm thinking about switching to tumblr, because so many people have. Hmm. I want to be loyal to Blogger too, and this blog! I'm conflicted. I don't really want both, because that's just excessive. If you'd like to sway my opinion, leave comments below. (Now, come to think of it, no comments would definitely bolster my argument that most of my blogging friends have moved to tumblr.)

Things I Like, Part One

1. Chamomile tea 
2. Lunar eclipses and meteor showers
3. Harry Potter references
4. Black tights
5. Kashi cereal
6. Other people's music
7. Purple eye shadow or eyeliner
8. My new plant I'm growing in the pot Alexa gave me for Christmas (See picture!)

What do you like? :)

I'm going to get better at this.

I swear. I've been late now for two weeks in a row. Oh well. I guess I could take the "Friday" out of "Quotable Friday's Post" but I'm really going to try. There's always next time!

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." 

-Mark Twain

I feel like Mark Twain is one of those historical figures I'd really like to have lunch with if I could have the opportunity. This isn't even nearly the most interesting quote of his (for further research!) but this one is nice.

Really interesting story about Mark Twain and something I'm really interested in reading:

Mark Twain's Autobiography

Already Forgetting (Quotable)

It's just the start of 2011, and I've already neglected to post a quote.

Oh well. I found this appropriate. Reflect.

"The day you decide to do it is a lucky day."

-Japanese proverb