Hi!
I really should have posted this earlier seeing as P4A started on the 17th and you guys would have prior warning, but finals. Anyways, Project for Awesome was this thing started by the Vlogbrothers, Hank and John, on YouTube where people post, comment, like, favorite P4A videos. What are P4A videos? They are YouTube videos created to promote a charity of that creator's choosing. Then on December 17 these videos are posted to YouTube and www.projectforawesome.com where other people can watch and vote for their favorite videos. The five videos with the highest votes will get a portion of the money raised. Project for Awesome continues onto the 18 where final votes and donations are tabulated to determine which charities get the money.
This year I wanted to more actively participate in P4A by making a video about the club I joined GlobeMed and it's partner with MAP Foundation. Watch it on YouTube here. If you really want to help out MAP Foundation, you can donate money here.
Have a great Project for Awesome! And good luck to those of you finishing up with exams. I just finished mine today and I understand your pain.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Zombie Run!
Hi!
So, I have a problem with starting sentences of emails or blog posts, or even the vlogs I have to do for one of my classes. I'm going to try and start breaking this habit now!
Anyways, as per usual I have been up to my eyeballs in work for school. My profs have the bad habit of assigning things all in the same week, especially exams, rather than spreading them out nicely over several weeks. Thus, I have weeks where I'm crazy stressed and others where I have no motivation to do any work whatsoever because of the previous stressful week. This is one of those no motivation weeks. The problem with this vicious cycle is that I put off doing work I can do when I'm not crazy busy until I actually am crazy busy, only adding to my busy-ness.
Since last week was a crazy week for me, I wasn't really able to do anything for the weekend prior to Halloween or that Wednesday night. But, to make up for it, a club I'm in called GlobeMed put on a Zombie 5K to raise money for our partner! Since I couldn't dress up for Halloween, I made up for it by being a zombie for the run. Now because I'm the overly ambitious college student, I ended up putting more on my plate with this run than I needed to and made it a hall program in my residence hall. Therefore, I ended up having to hunt people down in my res-hall and get them to sign up/sign a waiver. NOT FUN! But it all went to a good cause and our club ended up raising over $1,000!! Pretty awesome if I do say so myself.
Being a zombie was a lot of fun. Some of the runners took some casualties in their attempts to avoid getting "infected," but I think everyone had a great time. I will say though, it was kinda awkward waiting for the runners to come by while people who are trying to enjoy the park notice us and have no idea why we have zombie make up on and ripped up shirts.
Anyways, as per usual I have been up to my eyeballs in work for school. My profs have the bad habit of assigning things all in the same week, especially exams, rather than spreading them out nicely over several weeks. Thus, I have weeks where I'm crazy stressed and others where I have no motivation to do any work whatsoever because of the previous stressful week. This is one of those no motivation weeks. The problem with this vicious cycle is that I put off doing work I can do when I'm not crazy busy until I actually am crazy busy, only adding to my busy-ness.
Since last week was a crazy week for me, I wasn't really able to do anything for the weekend prior to Halloween or that Wednesday night. But, to make up for it, a club I'm in called GlobeMed put on a Zombie 5K to raise money for our partner! Since I couldn't dress up for Halloween, I made up for it by being a zombie for the run. Now because I'm the overly ambitious college student, I ended up putting more on my plate with this run than I needed to and made it a hall program in my residence hall. Therefore, I ended up having to hunt people down in my res-hall and get them to sign up/sign a waiver. NOT FUN! But it all went to a good cause and our club ended up raising over $1,000!! Pretty awesome if I do say so myself.
Being a zombie was a lot of fun. Some of the runners took some casualties in their attempts to avoid getting "infected," but I think everyone had a great time. I will say though, it was kinda awkward waiting for the runners to come by while people who are trying to enjoy the park notice us and have no idea why we have zombie make up on and ripped up shirts.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Just Another Day in College
Hey!
So this week I've been slammed with homework and tests all during Homecoming week. Curse you professors for not letting me have a social life!
Anyways, the rivals of my old university always said that students there only learned how to be a farmer. They would make jokes about tipping cows and drinking beer. What's strange to me is that in my two semesters at this "red-neck" university, as people like to call it, I never dealt with or saw anything related to a farm. Interestingly enough, I had to change universities to finally see farm animals.
Confused? This week is Homecoming for my university and the theme is a county fair. One of the events planned was a petting zoo. And what better to have at a county fair petting zoo then goats, chickens, a pig, and BUNNIES! Below are some pics for your enjoyment!
All I have to say is that while I resent the criticisms of my old university about its agricultural program even though people go there for its awesome engineering program, I did find the animals to be a great way to relax a little before the three exams I have to take this week.
So this week I've been slammed with homework and tests all during Homecoming week. Curse you professors for not letting me have a social life!
Anyways, the rivals of my old university always said that students there only learned how to be a farmer. They would make jokes about tipping cows and drinking beer. What's strange to me is that in my two semesters at this "red-neck" university, as people like to call it, I never dealt with or saw anything related to a farm. Interestingly enough, I had to change universities to finally see farm animals.
Confused? This week is Homecoming for my university and the theme is a county fair. One of the events planned was a petting zoo. And what better to have at a county fair petting zoo then goats, chickens, a pig, and BUNNIES! Below are some pics for your enjoyment!
All I have to say is that while I resent the criticisms of my old university about its agricultural program even though people go there for its awesome engineering program, I did find the animals to be a great way to relax a little before the three exams I have to take this week.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Automatic Toilets
Hello!
Just as a mini update on my life, I've been busy with schoolwork and clubs for a little under a month now and everything seems to be going smoothly.
Now on to the point of this post. Have you ever walked into the bathroom and noticed that the person who was in the stall before you didn't flush the toilet? That's happened to me on multiple occasions in classroom buildings, the library, random grocery stores, and even here in my suite. The thing that always crosses my mind when I see something like that is, "How do you forget to flush"? I mean if you're of college age or going grocery shopping, then you have probably been going to the bathroom by yourself for a long time and have had a LOT of practice flushing the toilet. So why am I bringing up this unsavory topic on my somewhat normal blog? I think I have come up with at least one reason for why people forget to flush. That reason? It's because of automatic toilets. You know the one's that have a sensor and flushes automatically when it senses motion? I think that we as Americans have been lulled into the belief that practically every public toilet is now automatic and thus after finishing our business, we just up and leave without checking to see if the toilet has flushed. Now I'm all for automatic toilets, they supposedly conserve water and apparently make our lives easier. But in my opinion it complicates our lives more. Sometimes the toilet flushes when you're not ready for it to flush. Sometimes it doesn't flush at all and you have to push the little button to manually get it to flush. And sometimes the amount of pressure it has isn't enough to properly flush. Plus if people continually think that manual toilets are in fact automatic, than it just makes the lives of other people who need to use the bathroom harder. People, at least women, tend to avoid toilets that haven't been flushed just leaving all that waste sitting in a toilet for every single person looking for an empty stall to see. And if no kind soul has flushed the toilet by the end of the day, then it's the custodian's job to see that the toilet has been flushed. I mean a custodian's job is hard enough, and having to see waste sitting in a toilet bowl for a whole day and having to flush it themselves cannot make a hard day's work any better.
I guess my point is, is that we Americans take certain things for granted. We become even lazier just expecting things to happen for us without us having to lift a finger. Now I know what I have just typed doesn't apply to everyone and some people may get offended, but I'm just stating an idea that I had.
Just as a mini update on my life, I've been busy with schoolwork and clubs for a little under a month now and everything seems to be going smoothly.
Now on to the point of this post. Have you ever walked into the bathroom and noticed that the person who was in the stall before you didn't flush the toilet? That's happened to me on multiple occasions in classroom buildings, the library, random grocery stores, and even here in my suite. The thing that always crosses my mind when I see something like that is, "How do you forget to flush"? I mean if you're of college age or going grocery shopping, then you have probably been going to the bathroom by yourself for a long time and have had a LOT of practice flushing the toilet. So why am I bringing up this unsavory topic on my somewhat normal blog? I think I have come up with at least one reason for why people forget to flush. That reason? It's because of automatic toilets. You know the one's that have a sensor and flushes automatically when it senses motion? I think that we as Americans have been lulled into the belief that practically every public toilet is now automatic and thus after finishing our business, we just up and leave without checking to see if the toilet has flushed. Now I'm all for automatic toilets, they supposedly conserve water and apparently make our lives easier. But in my opinion it complicates our lives more. Sometimes the toilet flushes when you're not ready for it to flush. Sometimes it doesn't flush at all and you have to push the little button to manually get it to flush. And sometimes the amount of pressure it has isn't enough to properly flush. Plus if people continually think that manual toilets are in fact automatic, than it just makes the lives of other people who need to use the bathroom harder. People, at least women, tend to avoid toilets that haven't been flushed just leaving all that waste sitting in a toilet for every single person looking for an empty stall to see. And if no kind soul has flushed the toilet by the end of the day, then it's the custodian's job to see that the toilet has been flushed. I mean a custodian's job is hard enough, and having to see waste sitting in a toilet bowl for a whole day and having to flush it themselves cannot make a hard day's work any better.
I guess my point is, is that we Americans take certain things for granted. We become even lazier just expecting things to happen for us without us having to lift a finger. Now I know what I have just typed doesn't apply to everyone and some people may get offended, but I'm just stating an idea that I had.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
College Kid Problems
Hey guys!
So once again, long time no blog. Basically just as a quick recap before I get on to the point of this post, I'm back at college, transferring was successful and I like it here so far, I've been so much busier here with all the things I'm doing and trying to do, hence the lack of posts. I'm so busy that basically the only time I'm in my room is to sleep.
Anyways, here I have work study money and so I've been basically selling myself going to job fairs and posting my resume on the school's online job database. Initially I was feeling discouraged because a lot of the people I know who have work study money got interviews for jobs pretty early on, or had already found a job, meanwhile I'm getting emails saying that positions had been filled or were no longer accepting applications. Then all of a sudden these past two weeks I get emails asking me to come in for an interview. At first it was just one, which is really all you need when looking for a job, and during the interview the people made it sound like I was a shoo-in. The catch? Well I had to talk to their boss first and she's a pretty big stickler for the rules and likes things a certain way. Now I follow the rules pretty closely myself, but something about the way the people interviewing me described her made her seem a little daunting. So after the first interview, I got another email from them the next day asking to meet their boss. This morning at 10 I met her and she seemed nice but never really let me get in a word. It was essentially a lecture about how she's not paying me to sit on Facebook. Flashback to the day of the first interview with, let's call them Lab 1, I get another email from another lab, Lab 2, asking me to come in the next morning at 10 for an interview with them. Now if you're paying close enough attention and I'm explaining this clearly enough, you'll notice that I'm supposed to have two different interviews at the same time. How did I manage that? I didn't. I emailed Lab 2 back saying that something had come up just after I responded back to him and asked to reschedule. He never got back to me until well past the initial 10 o'clock interview time. Returning to present day, I had just talked to the boss of Lab 1. I receive a third interview email from an after school program asking me to come in this afternoon at 4. Now after the interview with Lab 1, I was told that I would hear back tomorrow morning about what's going on with the job. So naturally because nothing was set in stone yet I agree to the interview at 4 with the after school program. So I attend the interview, after a horrifying 20 minute trek around campus and the surrounding streets to try to find the school, and discover that I'm only up against another person who if doesn't get back to the boss this afternoon, the job will be mine. She has already given me all the paperwork and essentially made it sound like I have no choice but to take the job if it is offered to me. I will hear from her this evening about what's going on.
So let's recap. I have three possible job offers and no idea what to do if I get all three. I haven't even interviewed with Lab 2 yet and don't really want to tell him I'll meet with him if it ends up that I get a job offer elsewhere. Deep down I really want the job in Lab 1 because it will give me research experience, but I would hate to deny the after school program job if I get it especially since it seemed like I couldn't say no. And seeing as I'm supposed to hear back from the after school job before I hear back from Lab 1, I'm afraid to say no to the after school job just to hear from Lab 1 that I didn't get the job. Now throw in Lab 2 and I feel bad for not getting back to him in a more timely manner because if he is my last resort, then that just looks bad on me.
I know I don't really have any right to complain because I'm sure there are plenty of kids who would love just one interview offer, but I really don't know what to do. I think this all stems back to my inability to say no to people and also makes me think of Rory Gilmore from the show Gilmore Girls where she rejects a job for her first choice job only to not get offered her dream job. I like the options but I'm afraid to say no to one and end up with no prospects in the end. I guess you could also say that this goes into my inability to make a decision also.
Well that's the major thing that's been going on in my life today, besides homework, classes, and club meetings. I guess that's college for you.
So once again, long time no blog. Basically just as a quick recap before I get on to the point of this post, I'm back at college, transferring was successful and I like it here so far, I've been so much busier here with all the things I'm doing and trying to do, hence the lack of posts. I'm so busy that basically the only time I'm in my room is to sleep.
Anyways, here I have work study money and so I've been basically selling myself going to job fairs and posting my resume on the school's online job database. Initially I was feeling discouraged because a lot of the people I know who have work study money got interviews for jobs pretty early on, or had already found a job, meanwhile I'm getting emails saying that positions had been filled or were no longer accepting applications. Then all of a sudden these past two weeks I get emails asking me to come in for an interview. At first it was just one, which is really all you need when looking for a job, and during the interview the people made it sound like I was a shoo-in. The catch? Well I had to talk to their boss first and she's a pretty big stickler for the rules and likes things a certain way. Now I follow the rules pretty closely myself, but something about the way the people interviewing me described her made her seem a little daunting. So after the first interview, I got another email from them the next day asking to meet their boss. This morning at 10 I met her and she seemed nice but never really let me get in a word. It was essentially a lecture about how she's not paying me to sit on Facebook. Flashback to the day of the first interview with, let's call them Lab 1, I get another email from another lab, Lab 2, asking me to come in the next morning at 10 for an interview with them. Now if you're paying close enough attention and I'm explaining this clearly enough, you'll notice that I'm supposed to have two different interviews at the same time. How did I manage that? I didn't. I emailed Lab 2 back saying that something had come up just after I responded back to him and asked to reschedule. He never got back to me until well past the initial 10 o'clock interview time. Returning to present day, I had just talked to the boss of Lab 1. I receive a third interview email from an after school program asking me to come in this afternoon at 4. Now after the interview with Lab 1, I was told that I would hear back tomorrow morning about what's going on with the job. So naturally because nothing was set in stone yet I agree to the interview at 4 with the after school program. So I attend the interview, after a horrifying 20 minute trek around campus and the surrounding streets to try to find the school, and discover that I'm only up against another person who if doesn't get back to the boss this afternoon, the job will be mine. She has already given me all the paperwork and essentially made it sound like I have no choice but to take the job if it is offered to me. I will hear from her this evening about what's going on.
So let's recap. I have three possible job offers and no idea what to do if I get all three. I haven't even interviewed with Lab 2 yet and don't really want to tell him I'll meet with him if it ends up that I get a job offer elsewhere. Deep down I really want the job in Lab 1 because it will give me research experience, but I would hate to deny the after school program job if I get it especially since it seemed like I couldn't say no. And seeing as I'm supposed to hear back from the after school job before I hear back from Lab 1, I'm afraid to say no to the after school job just to hear from Lab 1 that I didn't get the job. Now throw in Lab 2 and I feel bad for not getting back to him in a more timely manner because if he is my last resort, then that just looks bad on me.
I know I don't really have any right to complain because I'm sure there are plenty of kids who would love just one interview offer, but I really don't know what to do. I think this all stems back to my inability to say no to people and also makes me think of Rory Gilmore from the show Gilmore Girls where she rejects a job for her first choice job only to not get offered her dream job. I like the options but I'm afraid to say no to one and end up with no prospects in the end. I guess you could also say that this goes into my inability to make a decision also.
Well that's the major thing that's been going on in my life today, besides homework, classes, and club meetings. I guess that's college for you.
Monday, August 13, 2012
A Rewarding Day of Volunteering
So as you guys may know, I've been volunteering at a local hospital this summer. Now I've done this before and I've never dreaded going to volunteer, but have you guys ever felt like the work you do isn't getting you anywhere? Or you're actually getting in the way and making people's jobs harder rather than easier? Well for the first couple times I had gone to volunteer that's exactly how I felt. But as the weeks went on I started to feel more comfortable and the other nurses would come and talk to me about topics other than what I did or did not want to do to help them. I don't know if I'm just too sensitive or self-conscious, but at least those feelings and thoughts started to go away. I guess the biggest difference for me was understanding that people show their appreciation and gratitude towards others in different ways.
So now that I'm finally comfortable with what I'm doing and have fallen into a routine, I have to leave and go back to college. It's funny how life works like that right? Now I do have one more week of volunteering but I do have to say that the end of my shift today was definitely the cherry on top of my work. As you guys can tell by my bio and major, I want to become a doctor. And today while I was helping out a patient that I have a pretty great relationship with, he told me that I would be a great doctor. Now all I had been doing with him is getting him a coffee with one sweet and low and two creams and the occasional blanket or TV remote, so it's not like I was actually doing anything doctorly. But really for him to say that really made my day and put a smile on my face that didn't go away for a while.
Anyways it's always great to work with people who can give you encouragement. Especially when the patients that you help are fighting cancer and can still come in with a great attitude and joke around with the nurses and doctors.
So now that I'm finally comfortable with what I'm doing and have fallen into a routine, I have to leave and go back to college. It's funny how life works like that right? Now I do have one more week of volunteering but I do have to say that the end of my shift today was definitely the cherry on top of my work. As you guys can tell by my bio and major, I want to become a doctor. And today while I was helping out a patient that I have a pretty great relationship with, he told me that I would be a great doctor. Now all I had been doing with him is getting him a coffee with one sweet and low and two creams and the occasional blanket or TV remote, so it's not like I was actually doing anything doctorly. But really for him to say that really made my day and put a smile on my face that didn't go away for a while.
Anyways it's always great to work with people who can give you encouragement. Especially when the patients that you help are fighting cancer and can still come in with a great attitude and joke around with the nurses and doctors.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Book Wish List
Hi!
So as my summer is slowly winding down, I'm starting to really feel the pressure of time. I've done a lot of the important things, get a job and do something related to medicine, I wanted to get done this summer, but I've discovered that some of the leisurely things I wanted to do haven't been completed. One of those big things is shorten my book list. If anything I've extended it. Anyways, here the books that I've been thinking about reading for the longest time.
1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth
3. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
4. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
6. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
7. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
8. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
9. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
10. Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson
11. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle
12. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
13. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
14. Out of Sight Out of Time by Ally Carter
15. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
16. An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell
17. Happy Ever After by Adele Geras
18. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
19.One Day by David Nicholls
I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting, but yeah this is what I can think of for now. If there are any book suggestions you have for me let me know!
Also, expect a post about all the little crafty things I've made this summer coming soon. Now that I think back on it now, I wish I had taken pictures of some of the things I've made and given away but that's ok.
Bye!
So as my summer is slowly winding down, I'm starting to really feel the pressure of time. I've done a lot of the important things, get a job and do something related to medicine, I wanted to get done this summer, but I've discovered that some of the leisurely things I wanted to do haven't been completed. One of those big things is shorten my book list. If anything I've extended it. Anyways, here the books that I've been thinking about reading for the longest time.
1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth
3. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
4. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
6. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
7. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
8. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
9. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
10. Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson
11. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle
12. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
13. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
14. Out of Sight Out of Time by Ally Carter
15. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
16. An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell
17. Happy Ever After by Adele Geras
18. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
19.One Day by David Nicholls
I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting, but yeah this is what I can think of for now. If there are any book suggestions you have for me let me know!
Also, expect a post about all the little crafty things I've made this summer coming soon. Now that I think back on it now, I wish I had taken pictures of some of the things I've made and given away but that's ok.
Bye!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Boys Can Like Pink Too
Hello!
I'm getting better at posting more often! Or maybe it's just cause I have a lot on my mind that I want to get out in some form or another.
Anyways, so as you all know from my last post, my mom and I were shopping at Academy Sports and Outdoors this past weekend. After looking at running shoes and getting creeped on, we were just walking around the store to see the different things they were offering for sale. Now ever since watching archery at the Olympics, my mom has wanted to try archery. So naturally we stopped at the bows and arrows to take a look. I don't know if the store was just wiped out because of tax free weekend, but there were only three bows left on the rack. One was an average black bow in the front of the aisle and the rest were little pink bows marked as youth size. This family of what I assume to be a mother and her son and I guess the mother's sister was also looking for a bow for the son. The sister sees the pink bow and says, "Hey here's one for youth. It looks like it'll work." Then the mother comes up beside her and says in a disgusted tone that he is a teenage boy and isn't going to want to use a pink bow. Now I glance over at the boy and he seems to be about in the 8th or 9th grade and he says with a smile on his face he can still use the bow. The mother doesn't listen to him at all and continues to admonish her sister about how he's a boy and can't use that pink bow.
Now I understand that little boys typically hate pink and want blue just like little girls hate blue and love pink. But if this teenage boy is willing to use a pink bow and can say this with a smile on his face, what exactly is the problem. It seems that the color designations of pink for a baby girl and blue for a baby boy have permanently altered gender associations with color for even after we grow out of the crib.
I've also noticed that girls are able to do and like all the things that boys are supposed to exclusively like without any societal issues, but boys can not. For example, a lot of teenage girls can say they love the color blue, cars, shooting movies, and football without any problems, but if a teenage boy wants to buy something pink, or go shopping, or watch a "chick flick" his parents freak out and force him back into his correct gender role.
Maybe it's because I live in the "Bible Belt" and parents here are so afraid to raise a gay son, but I don't really see why they have to be so pushy about these things. If anything, preventing a boy to do or like what he wants to do or like might only lead him farther towards things that are "socially inappropriate" for him. This past week has been especially touchy about the subject of LGBT equality with the Chick-fil-a issue, but I personally don't have an opinion about it. Gay equality or not I don't care. I'm not going to vocally stand up for either side and some may see that as wrong but people just need to relax.
Sorry for the ranty post, but I just felt the need to say something. What is your opinion about this? And I know I've been great about the daily posts, but don't think I'm doing BEDA just in case I end up not posting for a while.
I'm getting better at posting more often! Or maybe it's just cause I have a lot on my mind that I want to get out in some form or another.
Anyways, so as you all know from my last post, my mom and I were shopping at Academy Sports and Outdoors this past weekend. After looking at running shoes and getting creeped on, we were just walking around the store to see the different things they were offering for sale. Now ever since watching archery at the Olympics, my mom has wanted to try archery. So naturally we stopped at the bows and arrows to take a look. I don't know if the store was just wiped out because of tax free weekend, but there were only three bows left on the rack. One was an average black bow in the front of the aisle and the rest were little pink bows marked as youth size. This family of what I assume to be a mother and her son and I guess the mother's sister was also looking for a bow for the son. The sister sees the pink bow and says, "Hey here's one for youth. It looks like it'll work." Then the mother comes up beside her and says in a disgusted tone that he is a teenage boy and isn't going to want to use a pink bow. Now I glance over at the boy and he seems to be about in the 8th or 9th grade and he says with a smile on his face he can still use the bow. The mother doesn't listen to him at all and continues to admonish her sister about how he's a boy and can't use that pink bow.
Now I understand that little boys typically hate pink and want blue just like little girls hate blue and love pink. But if this teenage boy is willing to use a pink bow and can say this with a smile on his face, what exactly is the problem. It seems that the color designations of pink for a baby girl and blue for a baby boy have permanently altered gender associations with color for even after we grow out of the crib.
I've also noticed that girls are able to do and like all the things that boys are supposed to exclusively like without any societal issues, but boys can not. For example, a lot of teenage girls can say they love the color blue, cars, shooting movies, and football without any problems, but if a teenage boy wants to buy something pink, or go shopping, or watch a "chick flick" his parents freak out and force him back into his correct gender role.
Maybe it's because I live in the "Bible Belt" and parents here are so afraid to raise a gay son, but I don't really see why they have to be so pushy about these things. If anything, preventing a boy to do or like what he wants to do or like might only lead him farther towards things that are "socially inappropriate" for him. This past week has been especially touchy about the subject of LGBT equality with the Chick-fil-a issue, but I personally don't have an opinion about it. Gay equality or not I don't care. I'm not going to vocally stand up for either side and some may see that as wrong but people just need to relax.
Sorry for the ranty post, but I just felt the need to say something. What is your opinion about this? And I know I've been great about the daily posts, but don't think I'm doing BEDA just in case I end up not posting for a while.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Just Another Awkward Moment
Hey guys!
So since this weekend was tax-free weekend, my family took the opportunity to go shopping and get some things for college. My mom and I decided to go to Academy because she wanted new running shoes and to look at the weights. Now I'm not an expert at exercise by any means, but my mom knew she wanted a 20 lb weight because that's what she had used with a trainer just last week. Now I don't know what prompted this kinda chubby (no offense) guy to come up and discourage us but that's basically what he did. I'm minding my own business looking at the pretty colored weights that are clearly designed for the female demographic trying to find one that is 20 lbs when suddenly he comes up and asks me what we're going to use the free weights for. I just simply say, "Oh we're just looking" to try and let him know that we're okay and to go away and walk over to another rack of more serious looking weights. There I find the 20 lb weights and tell my mom. He follows me and says that we should start with a lighter set. Now my mom and I were clearly not interested in listening to him and yet he continues to say that he had started with 10 lbs and worked his way up to 20. Then he gives us a biology lesson and says that starting with too heavy of a weight will cause the muscle to tear and heal slower. My mom once again tries to get him to go away by saying she understands and thanks and yet he still stands there. Finally I just turn around cause that sounded like a good and polite dismissal to me, yet he continues to stand there and look at us.
Now I understand that he probably meant well, but he just couldn't take a hint. I mean honestly, if neither of us are making eye contact or appear to take an interest into what is being said, why continue to talk and bother us.
Anyways maybe I'm being a little harsh, but neither my mom or I felt comfortable with him there. I guess I can just mark this down as a little less of an awkward moment and more of an uncomfortable experience. Nevertheless, it was definitely not a good time.
So since this weekend was tax-free weekend, my family took the opportunity to go shopping and get some things for college. My mom and I decided to go to Academy because she wanted new running shoes and to look at the weights. Now I'm not an expert at exercise by any means, but my mom knew she wanted a 20 lb weight because that's what she had used with a trainer just last week. Now I don't know what prompted this kinda chubby (no offense) guy to come up and discourage us but that's basically what he did. I'm minding my own business looking at the pretty colored weights that are clearly designed for the female demographic trying to find one that is 20 lbs when suddenly he comes up and asks me what we're going to use the free weights for. I just simply say, "Oh we're just looking" to try and let him know that we're okay and to go away and walk over to another rack of more serious looking weights. There I find the 20 lb weights and tell my mom. He follows me and says that we should start with a lighter set. Now my mom and I were clearly not interested in listening to him and yet he continues to say that he had started with 10 lbs and worked his way up to 20. Then he gives us a biology lesson and says that starting with too heavy of a weight will cause the muscle to tear and heal slower. My mom once again tries to get him to go away by saying she understands and thanks and yet he still stands there. Finally I just turn around cause that sounded like a good and polite dismissal to me, yet he continues to stand there and look at us.
Now I understand that he probably meant well, but he just couldn't take a hint. I mean honestly, if neither of us are making eye contact or appear to take an interest into what is being said, why continue to talk and bother us.
Anyways maybe I'm being a little harsh, but neither my mom or I felt comfortable with him there. I guess I can just mark this down as a little less of an awkward moment and more of an uncomfortable experience. Nevertheless, it was definitely not a good time.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Reasons Why I Can't be a Teacher
Hello!
So as you might know from my last post, I am currently tutoring a rising 9th grader in English this summer. Now just to give you a little background on the boy before I delve into my thoughts; he has had a good education in the past and he is a jock. So of course my life becomes a stereotypical nerd helps the jock situation especially since I'm Asian. Now I have no problems tutoring him; in fact he's a really smart kid. He has a great memory and is good at picking up on what I'm trying to get across to him. What I think his major problem is, is he is embarrassed about these tutoring sessions, feels he doesn't need them to some extent, and just wants to forget about school and enjoy his summer soccer season. And I can totally relate because I felt very similarly when I was just a little rising freshman in high school seeing my mom come home with very large and what seemed scary books about the SAT. Now while these problems can be very easily overcome, I just don't think he has the motivation to really work hard. Anyways, school wise he is okay at reading comprehension depending on how hard the semantics are and if he is interested in the story and his writing kinda sucks.
Anyways, his mom asked me to pick a book and read it with him so naturally as the good Nerdfighter that I am, I picked The Great Gatsby. I had remembered the book as being a pretty easy read and interesting once you get passed all the character introduction and truly get into the plot of the story. Plus the book has some relatively obvious themes about social classes and love. Finally, I thought Gatsby would be good because it's a short book and if we read about two chapters a week we would be able to finish it before the summer is over. To my surprise (and fear) reading it over again, the sentences were a little more drawn out and contained larger words than I had remembered from when I was a freshman in high school. But he had already purchased the book and I assigned him the first two chapters. Since the start of reading this book we have gone through three chapters because he didn't have time (or forgot) to read the book while he was on a trip to California even though he had about a three hour flight one way. On top of the fact that we are behind what I realize now is a lofty reading schedule, I don't think he is reading the book to comprehend. I don't know about you guys, but sometimes when I'm reading a boring textbook or article, I find myself just moving my eyes across the words without really taking into account what those words put together in sentences actually mean. The reason I believe he's not really reading is because he can't answer my simplest questions about characters even after I point out where in the book the answer is. I mean honestly, if the book explicitly says a character is harsh and mean and disliked then obviously you shouldn't say that character is nice and well-loved. To try and rectify this problem, my mom suggested I write out questions for him to answer about the chapters he's reading so that he knows what to pay attention to. I believe that this is a great idea for him especially because he will probably end up doing something similar while in school.
I realize that this post reads as me complaining about my tutoring troubles, but this experience has made me realize that I was correct all along in not wanting to be a teacher. I'm the kind of person who likes to see results from my actions. I don't have a lot of faith in my abilities to just assume that what I'm doing is actually having an effect when I can't see that they're having an effect. With this boy, I don't really know if I'm helping him improve his reading comprehension and writing skills. He doesn't really seem to understand the book any more from one week to the next and his writing is still kinda bad. On the plus side I finally got him to understand that he needs to read over his essays and actually separate what he's writing into paragraphs. His biggest writing problem from the beginning was run-ons and the number of run-ons in his latest essay dramatically decreased. So he can actually write to some extent; he's just too lazy to take the time and read over what he wrote. I don't want to be harsh and I probably won't say this to his face, but he's not a good enough reader to write the essay and have it be good with minimal grammar issues right off the bat.
If things improve or other extraordinary events happen I'll update in another post.
Bye!
So as you might know from my last post, I am currently tutoring a rising 9th grader in English this summer. Now just to give you a little background on the boy before I delve into my thoughts; he has had a good education in the past and he is a jock. So of course my life becomes a stereotypical nerd helps the jock situation especially since I'm Asian. Now I have no problems tutoring him; in fact he's a really smart kid. He has a great memory and is good at picking up on what I'm trying to get across to him. What I think his major problem is, is he is embarrassed about these tutoring sessions, feels he doesn't need them to some extent, and just wants to forget about school and enjoy his summer soccer season. And I can totally relate because I felt very similarly when I was just a little rising freshman in high school seeing my mom come home with very large and what seemed scary books about the SAT. Now while these problems can be very easily overcome, I just don't think he has the motivation to really work hard. Anyways, school wise he is okay at reading comprehension depending on how hard the semantics are and if he is interested in the story and his writing kinda sucks.
Anyways, his mom asked me to pick a book and read it with him so naturally as the good Nerdfighter that I am, I picked The Great Gatsby. I had remembered the book as being a pretty easy read and interesting once you get passed all the character introduction and truly get into the plot of the story. Plus the book has some relatively obvious themes about social classes and love. Finally, I thought Gatsby would be good because it's a short book and if we read about two chapters a week we would be able to finish it before the summer is over. To my surprise (and fear) reading it over again, the sentences were a little more drawn out and contained larger words than I had remembered from when I was a freshman in high school. But he had already purchased the book and I assigned him the first two chapters. Since the start of reading this book we have gone through three chapters because he didn't have time (or forgot) to read the book while he was on a trip to California even though he had about a three hour flight one way. On top of the fact that we are behind what I realize now is a lofty reading schedule, I don't think he is reading the book to comprehend. I don't know about you guys, but sometimes when I'm reading a boring textbook or article, I find myself just moving my eyes across the words without really taking into account what those words put together in sentences actually mean. The reason I believe he's not really reading is because he can't answer my simplest questions about characters even after I point out where in the book the answer is. I mean honestly, if the book explicitly says a character is harsh and mean and disliked then obviously you shouldn't say that character is nice and well-loved. To try and rectify this problem, my mom suggested I write out questions for him to answer about the chapters he's reading so that he knows what to pay attention to. I believe that this is a great idea for him especially because he will probably end up doing something similar while in school.
I realize that this post reads as me complaining about my tutoring troubles, but this experience has made me realize that I was correct all along in not wanting to be a teacher. I'm the kind of person who likes to see results from my actions. I don't have a lot of faith in my abilities to just assume that what I'm doing is actually having an effect when I can't see that they're having an effect. With this boy, I don't really know if I'm helping him improve his reading comprehension and writing skills. He doesn't really seem to understand the book any more from one week to the next and his writing is still kinda bad. On the plus side I finally got him to understand that he needs to read over his essays and actually separate what he's writing into paragraphs. His biggest writing problem from the beginning was run-ons and the number of run-ons in his latest essay dramatically decreased. So he can actually write to some extent; he's just too lazy to take the time and read over what he wrote. I don't want to be harsh and I probably won't say this to his face, but he's not a good enough reader to write the essay and have it be good with minimal grammar issues right off the bat.
If things improve or other extraordinary events happen I'll update in another post.
Bye!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Seattle and Vancouver
Hey!
You would think that I would have more time to blog during the summer, and yet I still have so much to catch you guys up on. Just as a brief summary I would describe my summer so far as relaxing. When my summer first started I was simply spending time with my friends and doing a little studying for the MCAT. My time became slightly less free as I now have a job tutoring! The tutoring gig actually started about the end of June and has been pretty successful so far...I hope. I might go into more detail in a later post, but basically I am tutoring a rising high school freshman boy in English. Then with the start of July, I have started volunteering at a local hospital. Depending on my experiences at the hospital, I might recap my volunteering later as well, but I love the feeling of helping other people feel better. I know that I'm not actually curing any ailment that these patients have and in no way do I expect to, but seeing these patients and the hope they have really encourages me about my career choice.
Now onto the reason for this post. Recently my family and I went on vacation to Seattle and Vancouver. Now you might be wondering why we would go there for vacation during the summer as that's the reaction I received from a lot of my friends, but I'm really glad we went. We started our trip in Vancouver, and boy was I in for a surprise. One of my close friends is Canadian and my group of friends and I love to make fun of her about how Canada doesn't exist. We actually refer to Canada as Canadialand because it's fictional! When I got to Canada I was so ready to have my jokes proven wrong. And to my surprise those jokes actually seemed correct. Canada appeared to be no different than any other part of the US. I mean sure there were Canadian flags everywhere and they call the bathroom the washroom, but really the stores, cars, and customs were the same. What was even more surprising was that Canada appeared to be a mix of Hong Kong and the US. Our hotel was just outside of the city of Vancouver, and yet it was like we were in the middle of China. Of course we might have just been in the Chinatown of that city, but even in downtown Vancouver there were a lot of Asians. Now I've been to China before and I can handle the Chinese atmosphere, but it was still a shock. I have nothing against Canadians and they have a lot of great things going for them, especially their Canadian pride, but Vancouver just wasn't really for me.
Seattle on the other hand...now that's an amazing city. Ever since college, I've truly realized how much of a suburban person I am. But Seattle made me reconsider my thoughts about not wanting to live in a big city. Seattle was the first city I've been in that was really clean and had any type of landscape that you could ever want. Seattle is a port city and so there's the ocean on one side with beaches, snow-topped mountains only two hours away, open farmland, and a lake. Seattle gets a lot of tourism business and I believe that tourists supply a large part of the revenue that helps Seattle businesses run, but that doesn't seem to hurt the city in any way. A lot of my friends couldn't understand why I love Seattle so much mainly because they believe the city to be covered in rain for a large part of the year. And I don't doubt that, because our first day in Seattle it was raining on and off all day. But even with the constant rain, the city never felt humid, which is one of the worst things about living in the south. Sure the city may not be filled with as much sunshine as I would like, but I will trade the better part of a sun filled summer here in the south for 80 degree highs instead of the 105 degree weathers we've been having lately. In fact, the biggest shocker for me from the whole trip was the fact that in Mount Rainier I was in shorts and a t-shirt with a light jacket and standing on a mountain side covered with snow. I loved Seattle so much, that I am seriously considering University of Washington Medical School as my medical school of choice.
I hope to be writing to you guys soon about the other parts of my life here during the summer, but if I don't, and that's a big possibility given my track record, know that I'll be back soon!
You would think that I would have more time to blog during the summer, and yet I still have so much to catch you guys up on. Just as a brief summary I would describe my summer so far as relaxing. When my summer first started I was simply spending time with my friends and doing a little studying for the MCAT. My time became slightly less free as I now have a job tutoring! The tutoring gig actually started about the end of June and has been pretty successful so far...I hope. I might go into more detail in a later post, but basically I am tutoring a rising high school freshman boy in English. Then with the start of July, I have started volunteering at a local hospital. Depending on my experiences at the hospital, I might recap my volunteering later as well, but I love the feeling of helping other people feel better. I know that I'm not actually curing any ailment that these patients have and in no way do I expect to, but seeing these patients and the hope they have really encourages me about my career choice.
Now onto the reason for this post. Recently my family and I went on vacation to Seattle and Vancouver. Now you might be wondering why we would go there for vacation during the summer as that's the reaction I received from a lot of my friends, but I'm really glad we went. We started our trip in Vancouver, and boy was I in for a surprise. One of my close friends is Canadian and my group of friends and I love to make fun of her about how Canada doesn't exist. We actually refer to Canada as Canadialand because it's fictional! When I got to Canada I was so ready to have my jokes proven wrong. And to my surprise those jokes actually seemed correct. Canada appeared to be no different than any other part of the US. I mean sure there were Canadian flags everywhere and they call the bathroom the washroom, but really the stores, cars, and customs were the same. What was even more surprising was that Canada appeared to be a mix of Hong Kong and the US. Our hotel was just outside of the city of Vancouver, and yet it was like we were in the middle of China. Of course we might have just been in the Chinatown of that city, but even in downtown Vancouver there were a lot of Asians. Now I've been to China before and I can handle the Chinese atmosphere, but it was still a shock. I have nothing against Canadians and they have a lot of great things going for them, especially their Canadian pride, but Vancouver just wasn't really for me.
Seattle on the other hand...now that's an amazing city. Ever since college, I've truly realized how much of a suburban person I am. But Seattle made me reconsider my thoughts about not wanting to live in a big city. Seattle was the first city I've been in that was really clean and had any type of landscape that you could ever want. Seattle is a port city and so there's the ocean on one side with beaches, snow-topped mountains only two hours away, open farmland, and a lake. Seattle gets a lot of tourism business and I believe that tourists supply a large part of the revenue that helps Seattle businesses run, but that doesn't seem to hurt the city in any way. A lot of my friends couldn't understand why I love Seattle so much mainly because they believe the city to be covered in rain for a large part of the year. And I don't doubt that, because our first day in Seattle it was raining on and off all day. But even with the constant rain, the city never felt humid, which is one of the worst things about living in the south. Sure the city may not be filled with as much sunshine as I would like, but I will trade the better part of a sun filled summer here in the south for 80 degree highs instead of the 105 degree weathers we've been having lately. In fact, the biggest shocker for me from the whole trip was the fact that in Mount Rainier I was in shorts and a t-shirt with a light jacket and standing on a mountain side covered with snow. I loved Seattle so much, that I am seriously considering University of Washington Medical School as my medical school of choice.
I hope to be writing to you guys soon about the other parts of my life here during the summer, but if I don't, and that's a big possibility given my track record, know that I'll be back soon!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Baking Extravaganza
Long time no see blog! So here's a quick update. I have finished my first year of college rather successfully and am now enjoying the luxuries of not having to go to class or take tests. One of the things my friends and I have done since being reunited for at least some part of the summer is have a baking extravaganza. Many of my friends have Pinterest and thus pinned lots of yummy looking baked goods. So of course we took it upon ourselves to try and BAKE ALL THE THINGS!!
Below are the results of our extravaganza. If you want to try and make some yourselves, the recipes are linked. :)
Nutella puppy chow
Cake batter balls
Nutella cupcakes with funfetti icing
Just a note: the icing is not included in the recipe but you basically bye funfetti icing and then ice the cupcakes.
Not quite finished Twix brownies...when we melted the chocolate that was supposed to be the final layer, the pot we used wasn't cleaned properly and the resulting chocolate tasted a bit like soap...oops :/
Below are the results of our extravaganza. If you want to try and make some yourselves, the recipes are linked. :)
Nutella puppy chow
Cake batter balls
Nutella cupcakes with funfetti icing
Just a note: the icing is not included in the recipe but you basically bye funfetti icing and then ice the cupcakes.
Not quite finished Twix brownies...when we melted the chocolate that was supposed to be the final layer, the pot we used wasn't cleaned properly and the resulting chocolate tasted a bit like soap...oops :/
Friday, April 13, 2012
Thoughts on Growing Up
Hi guys!
I know I've disappeared from this blog for about two months, but this second semester has been crazy busy for me. I guess that's what I get for taking 20 hours of coursework. Anyways, I have two weeks before my final exams and then after that my freshman year of college is over. I know people always say, "Woah, time just flew by!" but for me it really did happen. My parents kept telling me that life will "speed up" now and I always thought, "Pshhh, no it hasn't this past week felt like a month long" but in actuality they were right (I guess that's kinda their right being my parents and all). But what I had initially thought wasn't wrong. Some of the weeks where it seemed like there just wasn't enough time in a day to get everything done, passed in what felt like the duration of a month. I remember distinctly my first week back after fall break was the longest week of my life. I was sitting with some of my friends in the dining hall on a Wednesday, and saying, "Can you believe fall break was just last week"? I mean honestly, it was just so crazy. But those are college kid problems.
You know thinking about how this school year is almost over, and trying to figure out what to do this summer and next year as well, I couldn't help but think about my future. My friends are all finding crazy things to do independently during the summer; they are acting like true adults. And I know that I am an adult, or at least my age reflects it, but I still love to go home and see my parents, have my mom do my laundry, and eat the food that they buy and cook for me. At this moment it freaks me out to think that I won't be able to relish in these luxuries in the next (at max) 3 years. My roommate got an internship for the better part of her summer, and she's trying to find a room to rent to live in because the internship isn't exactly in driving distance from her house. She literally has to live independently as an adult going to work for about two months, and we're just freshmen in college. It literally blows my mind and kinda scares me.
This week has been crazy for me, but now that I've finished everything for this week I had a lot of time to just chill and watch some shows online. One of which was Gilmore Girls, a show that never fails to make me happy. I have just finished the series finale, where Rory after thinking that she has not job prospects for the summer or future gets a job offer and has to leave in three days. She has almost no time to get everything prepared and say goodbye to her family, friends, and town. Just all the talk on the show about having no time and not being sure when she will see everyone again no doubt freaked me out and made me reflect on my life and my next steps. I know I want to be a doctor, I feel like that's what I have been called to do and I love all the science and just awesome things that can result from being a doctor, medical and otherwise, but all the work and things I'd have to go through to get me there scares me. It doesn't make me second guess my job choice in any way but just thinking about classes for next year, the MCAT, going to medical school, finding a residency and then eventually being an established doctor is a little daunting. I'm getting close to the age where I have to pay my own bills, buy and cook my own food, do everything for myself by myself because I can't live at home for the rest of my life. It's just a lot to take in and I'm ready for the challenge and change, but you can't just help to stop, reflect, and go "Woah!"
Sorry guys, I didn't mean for this post to be so heavy and a little freaked out, but this was something I've been thinking about a lot this past week. Are/were you guys scared about your future or are/were you ready to just take the next step? I hope to be writing another post within the near future because I have a lot of things that I want to reflect on, but we'll see how my schedule pans out within the next few weeks.
Bye!
I know I've disappeared from this blog for about two months, but this second semester has been crazy busy for me. I guess that's what I get for taking 20 hours of coursework. Anyways, I have two weeks before my final exams and then after that my freshman year of college is over. I know people always say, "Woah, time just flew by!" but for me it really did happen. My parents kept telling me that life will "speed up" now and I always thought, "Pshhh, no it hasn't this past week felt like a month long" but in actuality they were right (I guess that's kinda their right being my parents and all). But what I had initially thought wasn't wrong. Some of the weeks where it seemed like there just wasn't enough time in a day to get everything done, passed in what felt like the duration of a month. I remember distinctly my first week back after fall break was the longest week of my life. I was sitting with some of my friends in the dining hall on a Wednesday, and saying, "Can you believe fall break was just last week"? I mean honestly, it was just so crazy. But those are college kid problems.
You know thinking about how this school year is almost over, and trying to figure out what to do this summer and next year as well, I couldn't help but think about my future. My friends are all finding crazy things to do independently during the summer; they are acting like true adults. And I know that I am an adult, or at least my age reflects it, but I still love to go home and see my parents, have my mom do my laundry, and eat the food that they buy and cook for me. At this moment it freaks me out to think that I won't be able to relish in these luxuries in the next (at max) 3 years. My roommate got an internship for the better part of her summer, and she's trying to find a room to rent to live in because the internship isn't exactly in driving distance from her house. She literally has to live independently as an adult going to work for about two months, and we're just freshmen in college. It literally blows my mind and kinda scares me.
This week has been crazy for me, but now that I've finished everything for this week I had a lot of time to just chill and watch some shows online. One of which was Gilmore Girls, a show that never fails to make me happy. I have just finished the series finale, where Rory after thinking that she has not job prospects for the summer or future gets a job offer and has to leave in three days. She has almost no time to get everything prepared and say goodbye to her family, friends, and town. Just all the talk on the show about having no time and not being sure when she will see everyone again no doubt freaked me out and made me reflect on my life and my next steps. I know I want to be a doctor, I feel like that's what I have been called to do and I love all the science and just awesome things that can result from being a doctor, medical and otherwise, but all the work and things I'd have to go through to get me there scares me. It doesn't make me second guess my job choice in any way but just thinking about classes for next year, the MCAT, going to medical school, finding a residency and then eventually being an established doctor is a little daunting. I'm getting close to the age where I have to pay my own bills, buy and cook my own food, do everything for myself by myself because I can't live at home for the rest of my life. It's just a lot to take in and I'm ready for the challenge and change, but you can't just help to stop, reflect, and go "Woah!"
Sorry guys, I didn't mean for this post to be so heavy and a little freaked out, but this was something I've been thinking about a lot this past week. Are/were you guys scared about your future or are/were you ready to just take the next step? I hope to be writing another post within the near future because I have a lot of things that I want to reflect on, but we'll see how my schedule pans out within the next few weeks.
Bye!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Awkward Moment #1
Hello!
So you are walking across campus to meet some of your friends for dinner. You leave a little late from your dorm because you get distracted by your phone. So you fast walk your way thinking that at this rate you will make it just in time. There aren't a lot of people walking around so it's pretty easy to weave around those that are going slower than you would like. However, just as you are heading up some stairs that you can't avoid, you see two girls casually walking along in the middle of their conversation. You see a little path next to them that will allow you to pass them without having to slow down. Then for some random reason the two girls decide to take up as much room on the stairs as possible, leaving some space around them, but not nearly enough you need to get around them without hitting one of them. You notice this just at the last moment leaving you immediately behind one of the girls, causing them to notice. Of course you're thinking, "great now I have to wait for them to get up this set of stairs before I can get around them." They of course must be thinking, "what is this girl doing creeping on our conversation"? You realize that this is a really awkward moment for them because they stop their conversation mid-sentence causing you to feel awkward. Finally, they get past that set of stairs allowing you to get on the other side of the stairs and get around them. Of course this puts you further behind schedule, and so you hope to make up some time by running up the rest of the stairs. Now that you think back on this, you realize that it must have looked like you were running away from them. Even more awkward, but nonetheless a moment in your life that you no doubt have to back on and think, "oh well, it really wasn't that bad actually. If anything I got some good exercise out of it." A good time, indeed.
Now why did I just describe all of this? Well because this of course happened to me earlier this evening, and as the title of this blog entails, I wanted to occasionally dictate the awkward moments in my life that turned out to be pretty good. This is the first one, not because it's the first awkward moment I've had in a while, but because it's the first one I've remembered in a while. I mean when awkward moments are as frequent as they are in my life, you kinda just learn to brush them off.
See you guys later!
So you are walking across campus to meet some of your friends for dinner. You leave a little late from your dorm because you get distracted by your phone. So you fast walk your way thinking that at this rate you will make it just in time. There aren't a lot of people walking around so it's pretty easy to weave around those that are going slower than you would like. However, just as you are heading up some stairs that you can't avoid, you see two girls casually walking along in the middle of their conversation. You see a little path next to them that will allow you to pass them without having to slow down. Then for some random reason the two girls decide to take up as much room on the stairs as possible, leaving some space around them, but not nearly enough you need to get around them without hitting one of them. You notice this just at the last moment leaving you immediately behind one of the girls, causing them to notice. Of course you're thinking, "great now I have to wait for them to get up this set of stairs before I can get around them." They of course must be thinking, "what is this girl doing creeping on our conversation"? You realize that this is a really awkward moment for them because they stop their conversation mid-sentence causing you to feel awkward. Finally, they get past that set of stairs allowing you to get on the other side of the stairs and get around them. Of course this puts you further behind schedule, and so you hope to make up some time by running up the rest of the stairs. Now that you think back on this, you realize that it must have looked like you were running away from them. Even more awkward, but nonetheless a moment in your life that you no doubt have to back on and think, "oh well, it really wasn't that bad actually. If anything I got some good exercise out of it." A good time, indeed.
Now why did I just describe all of this? Well because this of course happened to me earlier this evening, and as the title of this blog entails, I wanted to occasionally dictate the awkward moments in my life that turned out to be pretty good. This is the first one, not because it's the first awkward moment I've had in a while, but because it's the first one I've remembered in a while. I mean when awkward moments are as frequent as they are in my life, you kinda just learn to brush them off.
See you guys later!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
An 8 Year Old's Life
Hey guys!
I hope all has been well and I apologize for the lack of posts for a while. So recently I started volunteering at an after school program in an elementary school close to my college and at first I was really anxious about the kids and if they would respond well to me. Not to mention, I was doing all of this by myself even though there are other people from my school doing this, I'm just not able to go with them because of my schedule. Anyways, so as I'm driving to the elementary school, I get stuck in the car pick-up line and begin to stress about being late for my first day. Anyways, once I walked in, I realized that the school is really small, population wise, and that everything is shorter to accommodate the height of the students. After finally meeting the person in charge of the after school program, she's really nice and awesome, I discover that I'm going to be helping a junior in high school with a rowdy group of second graders. These second graders are also the largest group of kids in the after school program. It took them a while to quiet down and let her introduce me, but I was really shocked and relieved to discover that they took to me really quickly. They were supposed to be reading when I met them but they all kept calling my name and wanted to show me things in the magazines and books that they were looking at. After like 10 minutes of talking to me and showing me things, some of the kids instantly took to me and didn't leave me alone. When it came time for them to work on their homework, one boy kept trying to hug me because he loved the fuzziness of my jacket. Those kids were so smart and cute that I just couldn't believe that I was initially afraid of whether I would be accepted and liked. They were soon let out to play on the playground and the kids astonished me even more with just how creative and energetic they were. I really had to get going so that I could work on homework back in my dorm, but I just didn't want to leave the kids until they began to leave for home. One girl had found an old scrap piece of paper on the ground and pretended like it was a treasure map and was taking me around the playground in pursuit of a hidden treasure near a bush. I mean I probably had the same type of imagination when I was little, but right now I couldn't fathom just how she truly loved what she was playing. Even the little kids in K-5 took to me even though I wasn't really their "teacher." One cute little boy kept taking me around on the slides and climbing random things because he wanted to show me what he could do.
All in all, I found all of these kids just so entertaining, energetic, happy, and innocent. They weren't mean or deliberately hurtful to any of their fellow classmates and that just amazed me. I love how these kids are able to trust and view everyone as their friend and it really saddens me that these things are going to change once they get to middle school. This is going to sound very Peter Pan-esque but the world would just be so much better if we could view our fellow human beings as our friends even though we look different and come from different backgrounds. Sure things will happen and people will do things that will cause us to dislike people and things but just the way they viewed life was amazing.
I'm so excited to go back to these kids again this coming week even though I have a load of homework and tests to study for. But I feel like working with these kids and easing the workload of the after school workers will be such a better break then watching YouTube and going on Facebook or Tumblr. (Not that I don't find any of these sites bad or a waste of time in anyway.)
What are some things that have made you change the way you look at the world? I hope you all have a great week and enjoy some of the little things that happen to you during your day!
I hope all has been well and I apologize for the lack of posts for a while. So recently I started volunteering at an after school program in an elementary school close to my college and at first I was really anxious about the kids and if they would respond well to me. Not to mention, I was doing all of this by myself even though there are other people from my school doing this, I'm just not able to go with them because of my schedule. Anyways, so as I'm driving to the elementary school, I get stuck in the car pick-up line and begin to stress about being late for my first day. Anyways, once I walked in, I realized that the school is really small, population wise, and that everything is shorter to accommodate the height of the students. After finally meeting the person in charge of the after school program, she's really nice and awesome, I discover that I'm going to be helping a junior in high school with a rowdy group of second graders. These second graders are also the largest group of kids in the after school program. It took them a while to quiet down and let her introduce me, but I was really shocked and relieved to discover that they took to me really quickly. They were supposed to be reading when I met them but they all kept calling my name and wanted to show me things in the magazines and books that they were looking at. After like 10 minutes of talking to me and showing me things, some of the kids instantly took to me and didn't leave me alone. When it came time for them to work on their homework, one boy kept trying to hug me because he loved the fuzziness of my jacket. Those kids were so smart and cute that I just couldn't believe that I was initially afraid of whether I would be accepted and liked. They were soon let out to play on the playground and the kids astonished me even more with just how creative and energetic they were. I really had to get going so that I could work on homework back in my dorm, but I just didn't want to leave the kids until they began to leave for home. One girl had found an old scrap piece of paper on the ground and pretended like it was a treasure map and was taking me around the playground in pursuit of a hidden treasure near a bush. I mean I probably had the same type of imagination when I was little, but right now I couldn't fathom just how she truly loved what she was playing. Even the little kids in K-5 took to me even though I wasn't really their "teacher." One cute little boy kept taking me around on the slides and climbing random things because he wanted to show me what he could do.
All in all, I found all of these kids just so entertaining, energetic, happy, and innocent. They weren't mean or deliberately hurtful to any of their fellow classmates and that just amazed me. I love how these kids are able to trust and view everyone as their friend and it really saddens me that these things are going to change once they get to middle school. This is going to sound very Peter Pan-esque but the world would just be so much better if we could view our fellow human beings as our friends even though we look different and come from different backgrounds. Sure things will happen and people will do things that will cause us to dislike people and things but just the way they viewed life was amazing.
I'm so excited to go back to these kids again this coming week even though I have a load of homework and tests to study for. But I feel like working with these kids and easing the workload of the after school workers will be such a better break then watching YouTube and going on Facebook or Tumblr. (Not that I don't find any of these sites bad or a waste of time in anyway.)
What are some things that have made you change the way you look at the world? I hope you all have a great week and enjoy some of the little things that happen to you during your day!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Review: The Fault in Our Stars
Hello internet!
So John Green's book The Fault in Our Stars came out on January 10. And like the good nerdfighter that I am, I had pre-ordered the book from Barnes and Noble and immediately went to pick it up. Even though I knew that they had held a copy for me to come and get, I kinda wanted to go to the shelf and find the big stack of TFIOS books and flip through them to see if any of them had a Hanklerfish. Alas, my local B&N had added a GIGANTIC Nook section in the middle of the store completely moving the shelves around as well as the customer service desk. So no longer could I find the teen fiction section, the new releases table, or even the customer service desk where I could ask someone to help me. After finally finding the help desk and the man who helped me found my reserved copy, I turned around to check out. On my way out I noticed that they had put a temporary shelf of TFIOS books right beside the door and out of my immediate line of sight. Of course half the shelves of books had a "signed copy" sticker and half did not. However, I thought it would have been weird for me to stand there looking through all the books a copy of which I held in my hand. Anyways I walked outside totally excited and saw that I had a green J-scribble and completely walked past my car.
Now of course since I had the book I wanted to read it immediately, but sadly I had to go back to college that day and of course classes began the next day completely limiting my time to read for pleasure. But luckily, college wasn't that busy and I finished the book in two days. And all I have to say is SO MANY FEELINGS!!!! It's been about a week since I started the book and also a week since the book has come out, and I still cannot get over the awesomeness that is this book. You get really witty and funny characters, romance, and sadness. Basically, John takes you on an emotional rollercoaster as you follow the main characters Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters through their adventures while living a life with cancer. There are so many themes, motifs, and symbols in this book that really makes me want to sit down and have an in-depth, analytical discussion about this book. I would also love to pick John Green's brain in the process. There are so many good quotes in this book that I would also love to mark-up and highlight but I really don't want to mess up the prettyness that is The Fault in Our Stars.
If you guys are in the mood for a good book to read, on top of The Mortal Instruments series that I recommended last time, this is definitely a good pick. In fact, I would probably put this in front of any other books on that list. Or, if you aren't quite convinced, here are links to John reading from chapters one and two via YouTube. Finally, if you just fall in love with TFIOS and really want to read more books by John, check out Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines, and Will Grayson Will Grayson. The last book, Will Grayson Will Grayson, was co-authored by David Levithan in which John wrote the odd numbered chapters and David wrote the even numbered chapters.
So John Green's book The Fault in Our Stars came out on January 10. And like the good nerdfighter that I am, I had pre-ordered the book from Barnes and Noble and immediately went to pick it up. Even though I knew that they had held a copy for me to come and get, I kinda wanted to go to the shelf and find the big stack of TFIOS books and flip through them to see if any of them had a Hanklerfish. Alas, my local B&N had added a GIGANTIC Nook section in the middle of the store completely moving the shelves around as well as the customer service desk. So no longer could I find the teen fiction section, the new releases table, or even the customer service desk where I could ask someone to help me. After finally finding the help desk and the man who helped me found my reserved copy, I turned around to check out. On my way out I noticed that they had put a temporary shelf of TFIOS books right beside the door and out of my immediate line of sight. Of course half the shelves of books had a "signed copy" sticker and half did not. However, I thought it would have been weird for me to stand there looking through all the books a copy of which I held in my hand. Anyways I walked outside totally excited and saw that I had a green J-scribble and completely walked past my car.
Now of course since I had the book I wanted to read it immediately, but sadly I had to go back to college that day and of course classes began the next day completely limiting my time to read for pleasure. But luckily, college wasn't that busy and I finished the book in two days. And all I have to say is SO MANY FEELINGS!!!! It's been about a week since I started the book and also a week since the book has come out, and I still cannot get over the awesomeness that is this book. You get really witty and funny characters, romance, and sadness. Basically, John takes you on an emotional rollercoaster as you follow the main characters Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters through their adventures while living a life with cancer. There are so many themes, motifs, and symbols in this book that really makes me want to sit down and have an in-depth, analytical discussion about this book. I would also love to pick John Green's brain in the process. There are so many good quotes in this book that I would also love to mark-up and highlight but I really don't want to mess up the prettyness that is The Fault in Our Stars.
If you guys are in the mood for a good book to read, on top of The Mortal Instruments series that I recommended last time, this is definitely a good pick. In fact, I would probably put this in front of any other books on that list. Or, if you aren't quite convinced, here are links to John reading from chapters one and two via YouTube. Finally, if you just fall in love with TFIOS and really want to read more books by John, check out Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines, and Will Grayson Will Grayson. The last book, Will Grayson Will Grayson, was co-authored by David Levithan in which John wrote the odd numbered chapters and David wrote the even numbered chapters.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Review: The Mortal Instruments Books 1-4
Hello!
So you're on your 3 week long winter break. There is no stress from college because, well frankly, you haven't started any of your new classes yet. You've caught up with your marvelous high school friends and finally have free time on your hands. What do you do if you're me and a total nerd? You read. Read what exactly? The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Okay, so yeah I know I'm behind on the hype of this series. But, cut me some slack. I've wanted to read the books for a while now, I just haven't had the time. But that doesn't matter to me because the wait was totally worth it. I'm completely obsessed. And how do I know I'm obsessed? I read all four books in about four days. Now I'm a fast reader, but these books aren't that short and it kinda shocked me how much I just didn't want to put the books down. I think the last time I was like this was when I finished the Harry Potter series and read John Green's books. (I can't wait for The Fault in Our Stars to come out!!!)
Anyways, on to my thoughts of the series as a whole. (WARNING SPOILERS) The plot line is pretty engaging, however it's your classic supernatural, young adult, romance-ish series. There are many aspects that remind me of the Harry Potter series and, as you get to books 3 and 4, the Twilight series. However as my AP Literature class taught me, all books and movies are related to each other in a way called intertextuality. Basically, everything with a plot line has the same themes and obviously the same plots. The Mortal Instruments are similar to Harry Potter in that you have an evil guy named Valentine who is trying to purify the Shadowhunter race believing that this is the best thing for the human world. Not to mention he is a bit egotistical. Now who does that sound like? Lord Voldemort. The Mortal Instruments series is reminiscent of the Twilight books because of the crazy and whirl-wind forbidden love of the series' two main characters, Jace and Clary. Okay so one isn't human and the other a vampire that is completely in love with the scent of the other's blood but forbidden love is forbidden love. Why are Jace and Clary forced to fight their passionate love for each other? Well even though they are both Shadowhunters, they learn that they are brother and sister. And not only that but their father is Valentine. Now when I read books I am a big sucker for the romance. Jace and Clary's relationship was no different except the incest aspect practically killed me. I desperately wanted them to be together. Luckily for me, my wish came true in book three. However, introducing the character of Jonathan, Clary's true evil and half-demon brother only to have him killed at the end of the book seemed a little pointless except to save the relationship of Jace and Clary. But of course, Cassandra Clare had a purpose for him as shown in book four. Now I personally hate cliff hangers. Authors use them to keep readers interested in the series but this last book ended the most abruptly out all the books published so far. If she wanted to work on her cliff hanger skills then she definitely improved but I just hate how this book ended mainly because I just wanted the whole Jace angst to end.
All in all I really love this series and I can't wait for Clare's last two books to come out. If you guys are looking for a new series to read and are like me and haven't read these books I would highly recommend them especially if you love anything regarding the supernatural and fantasy.
So you're on your 3 week long winter break. There is no stress from college because, well frankly, you haven't started any of your new classes yet. You've caught up with your marvelous high school friends and finally have free time on your hands. What do you do if you're me and a total nerd? You read. Read what exactly? The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Okay, so yeah I know I'm behind on the hype of this series. But, cut me some slack. I've wanted to read the books for a while now, I just haven't had the time. But that doesn't matter to me because the wait was totally worth it. I'm completely obsessed. And how do I know I'm obsessed? I read all four books in about four days. Now I'm a fast reader, but these books aren't that short and it kinda shocked me how much I just didn't want to put the books down. I think the last time I was like this was when I finished the Harry Potter series and read John Green's books. (I can't wait for The Fault in Our Stars to come out!!!)
Anyways, on to my thoughts of the series as a whole. (WARNING SPOILERS) The plot line is pretty engaging, however it's your classic supernatural, young adult, romance-ish series. There are many aspects that remind me of the Harry Potter series and, as you get to books 3 and 4, the Twilight series. However as my AP Literature class taught me, all books and movies are related to each other in a way called intertextuality. Basically, everything with a plot line has the same themes and obviously the same plots. The Mortal Instruments are similar to Harry Potter in that you have an evil guy named Valentine who is trying to purify the Shadowhunter race believing that this is the best thing for the human world. Not to mention he is a bit egotistical. Now who does that sound like? Lord Voldemort. The Mortal Instruments series is reminiscent of the Twilight books because of the crazy and whirl-wind forbidden love of the series' two main characters, Jace and Clary. Okay so one isn't human and the other a vampire that is completely in love with the scent of the other's blood but forbidden love is forbidden love. Why are Jace and Clary forced to fight their passionate love for each other? Well even though they are both Shadowhunters, they learn that they are brother and sister. And not only that but their father is Valentine. Now when I read books I am a big sucker for the romance. Jace and Clary's relationship was no different except the incest aspect practically killed me. I desperately wanted them to be together. Luckily for me, my wish came true in book three. However, introducing the character of Jonathan, Clary's true evil and half-demon brother only to have him killed at the end of the book seemed a little pointless except to save the relationship of Jace and Clary. But of course, Cassandra Clare had a purpose for him as shown in book four. Now I personally hate cliff hangers. Authors use them to keep readers interested in the series but this last book ended the most abruptly out all the books published so far. If she wanted to work on her cliff hanger skills then she definitely improved but I just hate how this book ended mainly because I just wanted the whole Jace angst to end.
All in all I really love this series and I can't wait for Clare's last two books to come out. If you guys are looking for a new series to read and are like me and haven't read these books I would highly recommend them especially if you love anything regarding the supernatural and fantasy.
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