La La Life of Laura - A College Student

Sophomore Year at College

2011-09-01T10:50:00.003-04:00

About two weeks ago, college started up for me. It is actually sort of weird to be a sophomore right now. I'm not a freshman but I am not experienced like the juniors and seniors. Its even weirder that some of my classes for my major, I'm the one of the very few sophomores taking it. Then again, I am taking classes within my major as well as general education instead of waiting to get all my general education courses done first before diving into my major. From the looks of it, I may finish all my general education courses after next fall.

Anyway, I also moved into my new dorm/apartment before classes started. When we were moving in, my grandparents thought the new place is like 10x nicer than last year's. It looked even cleaner at move-in than last year. Also, I am so excited about my shelves. I never had shelves last year and now this year I do. I love them so much. It makes storing my stuff so much easier. I feel like the new dorm/apartments allow us to store more items than the cheaper version of it.

Overall, this year definitely looks like it will be a better year and I am so excited for it. :)

<3 Laura

Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves

2011-07-19T12:40:00.002-04:00

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story continues from where Mary's adventure to Gabry, Mary's daughter. The world is still full of Mudo/Unconsecrated/Zombies and her encounter with them changes her world.

After reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I was not sure how I was going to like the series. I can't review as much as I'd like about this story because I have not read the first one in such a long time. Its been about a year but I have to say I really like the second installment. Therefore, the third installment will definitely be on my list to read next.

View all my reviews

Doodle Thursday

2011-07-07T13:56:00.000-04:00

Stuff I've Always Wanted To Do

2011-06-25T11:59:00.001-04:00

Wanted To Try

Figure Skating
Cake Decorating
Book Review Blog
Make t-shirt designs (probably never going to happen lol)
Start taking dance again

Stuff I've Started But On Indefinite Hiatus

Blogging
Sewing
Cross-Stitching
Make an awesome website
Drawing
Photoshopping
Painting
Reading Books
Make crafty stuff
Recycling by making them into crafty stuff
Pixeling

Stuff I've Done Finally or Still Pursue

Dance
Take modern dance class
Perform in with a independent winterguard
Catch up with Mary and Ash with Reborn

Ooops

2011-03-29T15:59:00.000-04:00

Apparently, I never remembered to update my first semester at all in college. I had a slight suspicion that would happen but its not a big deal. I hopefully will start blogging once again when everything settles down. Too much stress and lack of motivation pretty much sums up most of my Spring semester. Its always the spring semester that I struggle the most in. In the Fall, I get so excited and I'm all motivated (half of the time anyway).

Anyway, now I have to update everything on here.

Til another day (hopefully tomorrow),

<3 Laura

O Resourceful Me...

2010-08-29T08:46:00.000-04:00

Staying organized in a college dorm is very hard for someone who likes to be messy. I am one for sure but when it gets messy I have the random urge to clean it up or find a new way to organize it. I have used boxes from my move in to make a unstable bookshelf. I ended up putting food cans in one to make sure it wouldn't collapse on me yet. I would continue using the boxes but I really think I need something more stable and more room so I can put my food in it as well. My uncle mentioned milkcrates and therefore I shall be getting some to help with this issue. Although, I have to say I did a pretty good job using boxes. I was quite satisfied with my result.

Though, it wasn't the only thing put together with items I already owned. After testing out my painter's tape and so far it hasn't damaged the wall at all, I made myself a hook to put light stuff on it. So far, I am still working on it so it will stay on the wall.

The next project I did was taken from a magazine. They used a trifold board though and I am just using painter's tape and a wall. I took a folder and taped it on the wall and cut one in half and turned it sideways. I needed a convenient way to access important papers I may need.

Well I am being wisked away to do stuff,

til another day...
<3 Laura

Rolling into Week 2

2010-08-22T21:25:00.000-04:00

So, I have finally survived week one of college. It was not very pretty and I ended up losing some weight on accident which is a big no-no. I can not afford to get put back into that center again. I am getting myself to eat at snack time again since I kinda stopped during the summer. I know, BAD LAURA! I would like to work on my social skills but I have to continuously put my health first which means getting rest, eating to gain (which my meal plan from my dietitian was for), and being clean. Smelliness doesn't help the mood anyway.

I had a family party today and was brought back by my aunt and uncle. I almost started bawling out crying when I was leaving them. I really do miss them, but I have to move on and I can always visit them so I shall keep that in mind.

Anyway, I was kind of inspired by a reading I had to do for English 1101 for class tomorrow. It was an article by Stephen King in a book called The Conscious Reader about how to be a good writer. The one thing I got out of it was reading was essential to becoming a great writer. I love to read and I know from experience it can help a ton.

When I started high school, my nights of reading were totally over. I was extremely busy with dance and heavier homework load than back in middle school. I think I suffered through classes til about junior year spring semester. I got myself back into reading and it made me feel so much different than before. I enjoy the readings in class more and saw my writing grades improve. Of course, timed writing will and always be my worst enemy. Fortunately, my reading skills, when I read over my writing, helped me edit it.

My perfectionist mind's editor will always hinder my writing but editing it can truly be a savior. I love and hate my perfectionist mind. I love it when helps my art but keeps me from starting anything.

I really should consider doing NaNoWriMo one year, it is the great way to start a book and push back the editor mind of yours til the month is over. First though, I need put my college work first. The state isn't helping me pay for it for nothing.

Til another day,

<3 Laura

Welcome to the College of Homesickness!

2010-08-13T14:27:00.000-04:00

I have just moved into my dorm/apartment yesterday and I was really excited though I ended up not having much to do. I kinda regret not going with the other girls to go eat and shop but I am not allowed to leave my guests alone. My brother and grandpa were setting up wireless so my roomies and me could use it without having to hook up. By the way, there are some strange wireless network names. Haha

This is making me feel better already actually. I felt kind of abandoned last night though I didn't really want to go out with a bunch of strangers on my first night. Since, I a just finished paxil and it is my second week with prozac (which I will be dropping in a few weeks to get off the antidepressants). I had a slight anxiety attack last night and was bawling out crying. I manage to calm myself down though I was hungry I couldn't eat anything because anxiety makes it harder. At least, it got to a point where it wasn't too bad and managed to sleep on and off from 1am til 7am waking up multiple times. Breakfast was difficult as well though I forced it down and kept trash bag in case I had another upchuck incident like the one at home. After that, I went outside and by the big green and walked around and back to my dorm (which is farrrr away from it). I felt even more despressed so I left again to the big green and sat on a bench bawling my eyes out. This nice guy who was a graduate asked if I was okay and wanted to know if I wanted him to pray with him. He was very nice black person :)

We chatted for a while and then he left and I felt better. Once again, I go back to the dorm and then left again to the same darn bench. Finally, I gave in to call my RA so at least he knew what was going on. It was pretty nice to have a chat with him and my roomies. Of course, it still doesn't solve my problem. I ended up going to the cafeteria for a familar food to eat for lunch. It was tough to eat 2 slices of pizza but I ate one and half which satisfied me. I was glad and I hope to be able to eat normal after a few days. It is always difficult when I have anxiety. It makes me lose my appetite.

I came back and bawled my eyes out again. I really did miss my family and I talked to McKenzie and my bro on skype for a little bit. Hopefully when more activities are revved up around here my sickness will go away. It is a tough moment in my life with meds that no longer control my anxiety, leaving my family to live with strangers, and starting a new chapter in my life.

This is what my blog is all about anyway. I plan on updating all about my college life and to help relieve me when there is no one there at 12am. Haha.

Hearts on Fire, Minds of Ice...

<3 Laura

Hummingbirds and Bambi

2010-07-20T14:17:00.006-04:00

My grandparents recently put up the hummingbird feeder in hopes of attracting some to come near the house. Guess what? Success! So far, I think I've seen at least 7 times a hummingbird at the feeder today. My grandpa tried to take pictures of them and is failing miserably. It was hilarious the first time he tried to and it look like it saw him and avoided it. We saw one that was green, brown, and red. Except it is really hard to tell which one is green or brown. Unfortunately, ants love the feeder too. They crawl into it and the float up to the top and then we have a giant black blob of ants stuck in there. Not very clever. Well, at least the wasps haven't been able to succeed yet in killing themselves too.

Today, I also saw a deer running off as I was watering my grandparent's plants. We have seen a lot of deer this year compared to the previous years. I remember a couple of weeks ago two female deer and a baby deer were in the yard. The baby deer was running around and around while the others were eating. It was really funny. My grandparents were like, look its Laura! It is only because I get a bit crazy sometimes, especially when I am bored.

Well, I need to update some other stuff so logging off for now...
<3 Laura

Updating from iPod

2010-06-26T22:40:00.001-04:00

> So, I have to say my summer is not so exciting. I am so bored I decided to start doing this random updating from my iPod. Maybe this will be useful in the future.
> <3 Laura

Continuing Along...

2010-06-20T18:14:00.000-04:00

So, nothing much has been going on recently though I have updated my reading list. I also add a page for 100 To Do list. I first intended it to be in 2010 but I changed my mind. Its kinda based off of 101 in 1001 days.

Other than that, nothing else that I can think of worthy enough to make a new paragraph. I am basically posting this so I can test out some new changes.

The Dreaded Dreams

2010-06-17T13:20:00.001-04:00

I have to say only one pet peeve I have on my dreams, it has to be me being slow. Usually it consists of running after something or running away. I tend to be very slow like I was trying to run through waist-high water. It is so frustrating and then the next few days if I think about it, I get really confused. Last night, I had a dream that I was doing a flag toss and I swear the dream made me do poorly. I was very weak and I obviously know I am not that weak that I can't at least do something right on it. Ughhhh.

I had to get that rant out because it was starting the annoy me to death. Now that is over with, I got a lot of mail on Tuesday. My laptop cooler, required reading, and some other book came in finally. I don't plan on starting those books til I finish my library books.

Here is my current to read list in order (library books always end up at the top):

~~Garden Spells by Sarah Addison~~
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
The Scar by China Mieville
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Outcasts United (required reading... I'll deal with that in July)
.... I can't remember the name....

I have a longer list but this is what order they will be in because the first 4 has to be finished by July 7th.

Day always feel short

2010-06-10T11:49:00.000-04:00

It feels like there isn't enough time in the day. I really should schedule what I do because I tend to just not do anything and feel like it is impossible to get anything done. I get up at 9am and go to bed around 10:30 but I don't actually fall asleep til like 11:30 or 12am. I hate it, I just want to go to sleep not get screwed over.

Well, I just decided to read books before bed. It didn't help that much. Although, I did finally get finished with the book Hush Hush. It wasn't that bad, I really want to read the second one now Crescendo. Though, it is about this girl and this mysterious guy who came out of nowhere and into her life. I think it would go under the supernatural category maybe. It has nothing to do with vampires and werewolves (so back off Twilight fans).

Next book is Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, the write of Uglies series. I have to say I think the Uglies series went downhill from the sequels. It wasn't as interesting as the first book and I couldn't even get through Extras. I hope this one turns out okay.

Til another day,

<3 Laura

Orientation this Friday

2010-06-02T14:40:00.000-04:00

I am soooo excited! This Friday is my college orientation and I can't wait. I was freaking out about being on registration hold for like a week then I looked up some information on it. Apparently, they don't put you on hold for first semester but will future semesters if I don't get that paperwork sent in. I feel very relieved now.

Anyway, you should check out my quilt. I originally had it on my old site and then it went down (forever). RIP TechNewb 2005-2010.
I love that community though, its so cute and I used to be so into pixeling. Unfortunately, they phase kind of failed after a while. I do like doing it occasionally as a hobby and I guess that is alright for now. It also made me realize art will never be a career for me. I do not like that stress and I am such a perfectionist. Although check out my friend Michael's blog. He is amazing at art and it would be awesome if he could get some more followers.

Well I guess its time to check out for today. I still have to finish some website stuff.
Til another day,
<3 Laura

Sewing Away #1 - Checkbook Cover

2010-05-28T15:04:00.001-04:00

So...
I order these 2 fabrics for under $1 (not including shipping) and since they were small pieces it was hard to decide what to make with them. Til I found a tutorial on making checkbook covers (though the hole, I'm not sure how to fix it yet without making the fabric look bad). Here is the tutorial: Checkbook Tutorial

For now, here is my result (click below to view the images):

Going back to Happy Land

2010-05-28T10:21:00.000-04:00

So apparently I will be getting back on the meds that I started to get off of. My psychologist thinks it is bad timing and we should wait until I am settled into being a college student. Besides, I am getting a new psychologist anyway and its a guy. She says I'll probably connected really well cause I do with her and they are kind of similar in their own kooky way. I'm actually nervous. I haven't had good experiences with guy psychologists and you can't really talk about girl issues to a man. I guess it just depends.

I've been trying to eat, I think I am making some progress except breakfast will always be the hard one. Or was it lunch. I have no idea but something isn't working out. There is only so much I can handle right now and this isn't helping me one bit.

In other news...
I need to find something more fun to do besides sitting around here. Though, I don't feel comfortable leaving the house when I am trying to get off the meds. I have issues trusting people and lets just say middle school made it harder to gain my trust. Now I just realized how often I keep blaming my meds for all my issues, or so I think. Then again, I am typing pretty much what I am thinking at the moment so... this shall be always random.

Til later,
<3 Laura

Awful

2010-05-26T22:14:00.001-04:00

So apparently my anxiety has reappeared but it is because I am getting off my meds, and I have to say.... IT SUCKS! My doctor told me it was normal but it doesn't feel like it. I really hope I can sleep tonight and eat tomorrow. I hate not eating but I did better today than I did during last summer and fall. I am trying to not let it take over me and push through this. I have support of my family and few other people whom I shared similar experiences with and become close with in the fall.

S U M M E R

2010-05-25T11:59:00.003-04:00

At last, summer has begun and hopefully soon I start my new path... college.

:P

2010-04-02T18:01:00.000-04:00

My first post ever! And I have no idea what to put but I "painted" this sphere.

Hover mouse over the image to see the video