Total Confuzzlement

Wonder of Winterland

2012-02-12T22:20:00.000-05:00

February decided to be February and winter-y. The snow started softly falling last night and I was being asked to a birthday dinner by my boy. And then, of course, afterwards we get into a fight over me being too cold and uncomfortable and not feeling like he's attaining to my needs. But we did snuggle in the snow, while waiting for the bus. And then again in the morning. Everything around us seemed like something from one of those Christmas songs, yet we weren't as happy and lovey dove-y as those songs portray. But it's work and we're trucking along in our relationship. And through the snow.

How College Changes Your Views on Nights In (Aka, No Plans for Superbowl Sunday)

2012-02-05T17:11:00.000-05:00

Taken from myheartishoney

When I was in high school, Super Bowl Sunday didn't really exist for me until Junior or Senior year. Some families had get-togethers, some people threw parties. My family, being perfectly foreign, didn't really care. Until I, one Super Bowl Sunday with no homework, flipped it on to maybe watch the ads. I've loved ads since I was little and so I would watch those. So I was watching the American tradition by myself and whatnot. I had a television in my room, so it was no big deal. Plus, it was as school night and I had parental supervision, so curfew, aka no going anywhere after 8 PM on a Sunday, was still a thing that existed in my life.

Let's move to college. I don't remember even remember what I did that Sunday. Probably homework of sorts. It was the Sunday after the Thursday where I sprained my finger and hung out in the snow with my friends, just being silly and like children. Oh, maybe I watched the game with my dorm. We were a pretty tight-knit group. But this year, I live in a dorm where no one seems to even know each other. And everyone I know is already having plans. And I feel so left out. And given my experience in high school, it is so hard to convince myself that I am "left out" because everyone else legitimately has plans. Their own plans. Not plans they're purposefully leaving me out of. And my boy is doing stuff with his frat for it where I think they can have girls over. But we've already spent the passed 24 hours together and need some space and other people to see. So I totally understand that. So, I think tonight I'm going to stay in, read a book, and listen to some more Kosher Food class lectures. And find out the results and watch the best ads tomorrow morning as part of my morning watching videos ritual.

Sharing a Bed with Someone

2012-01-31T09:55:00.002-05:00

Taken from hopingfortheshore

There's nothing like it, not even a snuggle on a coach can be comparable to the warmth and belonging you feel while in the same bed with a person. But it also makes you extremely spoiled and needy. The first night might be all rainbows and roses because, hell, you have an extremely cute person hanging out in a bed with you. But later you realize that you all of a sudden can't sleep without their arms around you. You just want them to always be there in bed with you, even if it meas walking about an hour to get to your room. But then they get uncomfortable because hugging someone all night is not exactly the most comfortable position. And so you argue and then, oh no, they want to sleep in their own bed. And that's when you have the awkward revelation that you need to retrain yourself to sleep on your own.

Semester, Take 4

2012-01-23T18:03:00.001-05:00

Taken from dudasaback

I will prove everyone who is a professor or a teacher or any sort of academic like that, that I am smart. That I can do as well as all those other kids. I'm going to prove that from academic lows, I can reach unbelievable heights. I will do better than everyone. And that's a promise.

Walking In a Winter Slush-Land

2012-01-22T00:46:00.002-05:00

Taken from 3vilkid

Your hands are freezing; their hands are freezing. You can barely move you're so cold, but moving is the only way to keep warm. The laughter and talking definitely help in the warmth department. So does the huddling like penguins in a pond of puff jackets, wool scarves, and knit hats. It was a nice way to spend a snowy day just meeting people and then packing. Packing and packing and packing. For tomorrow, I return to the great winter wonderland of upstate New York.

On Getting Hit

2012-01-19T16:11:00.001-05:00

Taken from mandilush

Getting hit by a car is truly one of the scariest experiences ever. I did not come out with any major injuries, my left arm is just sore from smacking the pavement with it and my leg hurts, but it is truly terrifying. I never want to see a car moving that close to my face ever again. I never want to have the wind hit out of my lungs. I never want to cry in front of total strangers again. I just don't want to be that scared ever again. I know I should kind of be over it, but everyone I've told has been really worried. I'm really worried too because that's something I never want to happen to me again.

The Hunger Games

2012-01-15T17:01:00.000-05:00

My new year's resolution of reading 5 to 10 books has just completed round 1 of rounds 5 or 10. I started with the The Hunger Games.

The book was very sad yet exciting, filling the post-apocalyptic setting that I tend to enjoy. Though very fast-paced, the book has slower moments where we wait with our main character, Katniss Everdeen, and learn of her life at home and the moments that make her herself. There was action, adventure, and a bit of romance. I'm learning that I am enjoying books about girls in tough situations that they somehow overcome, with skill and/ or luck. They aren't Mary Sues who have everything handed to them. And that's the kind of strength that needs to be shown to little girls. This book, though for young adults, has a strong dark side, a side of war that not many people have to witness or endure, where teenagers kill other teenagers for survival. This story makes the horror a lot more structured, but spares us no details of the horrific sights Katniss endured while participating in the games and surviving. I cannot wait to read the aftermath.

My Externship

2012-01-13T20:13:00.001-05:00

Taken from makemestfu

Waking up every morning before the sun was up definitely did not motivate me to do anything, but I knew I had to be as alert as possible to get the most out of my externship. Spending even the three days at the hospital, I soon learned, was not for me. Just paying attention to the types of details and the specifics of the details the doctors paid attention to...I would not be able to handle. Not to say I'm dumb and cannot remember things, but I cannot handle the kinds of problems those children had. So much sadness and so much pain, some of it I had not heard of before. And then I realized, life at a hospital might be for me. And that's okay. Experiences and shadowings are to determine if I want to do something. And knowing what you don't want is about as important as knowing what you do want.

BroNYCon

2012-01-09T18:18:00.002-05:00

Taken from f**kyeahrarity

I have never seen so many men and so much happiness in one place. Everyone dressed up from head to toe in their pony gear and carried pony things. Everyone was in such unison and very nice and open to each other. And all the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cuteness, with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Apple Jack and Spike and all our very best pony friends; I don't think I've ever experienced anything like it. I enjoyed the day with some of my new closest friends and we sang along and absorbed all the happiness. One of the best times of my life this year so far.

Letter to Creepers at the Club

2012-01-07T22:17:00.001-05:00

Taken from fakescenesandplasticmadedreams

Dear Creepers at the Club,

I really don't understand what goes through your heads sometimes. Ok, most of the times. Mostly because you seek out your prey, usually just standing there, looking for girls to eventually grind up. The reason most girls find you generally unwelcome is because you come at us like sharks at a carcass. You don't approach in a "fun" way, like dancing up to us or using your hands to point us out and shouting "yeah!" You're not even dancing half the time! You just sneak up behind us and BAM! Suddenly our hips are in the rather firm grasp of your hands. Please stop, especially if we tell you to. What middle school or person never taught you that "no" means "no." I get that most of us lady-folk like an aggressive man, but there's aggressive as in assertive and aggressive as in being pushy. We like our space sometimes, or sometimes we just want to dance on our own. If you respect this, maybe girls will dance with you. But since your aggressive tactics push us away from you (literally), you might think we're bitches. Well, some of us are. But mostly, we just want our space.

Sincerely,
Creeped-on Girl at the Club

Fruitless

2012-01-05T10:21:00.004-05:00

Taken from lesbiancupcake

It infinitely manages to completely frustrate me when my mother acts as if she knows everything about weight loss and exercise. If she did, why is she not the size two she seems to constantly nag me to be? If she did, why is there no R.D. after her name? If she did, why isn't she a professional fitness trainer? Has she not considered that the reason for my constant bloating right now is caused by other things, one of which is rude to discuss with other people? Is she aware of the fact that sitting there on the ground, doing crunches for hours, will NOT get me the results she so desires me to have? And part of me wants it. But it's the unhealthy part of me. The part of me that wants to heavily restrict calories, not eat, work out without eating, consume nothing but celery and spinach, and other sick behaviors. But the greater part likes me as I am. I have achieved more in fitness than some of my skinny friends. So I honestly do not see her deal, except for the fact that she might be projecting her insecure feelings onto me.

Starting On a Resolution

2012-01-02T23:17:00.000-05:00

Taken from myheartishoney

I went outside of my house by myself while I didn't make plans to pick up some books I want to read. I made a list beforehand. And today, I sat down and started reading one of them. And I think I'll continue reading it because it is that good so far. Also, the movie looks incredible. So there is added motivation to the goal of completing between 5 and 10 books in one year. I can do it! I just need to sit down, relax, and do it.

New Year's Resolution 2012 (N.a.P.)

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

So, as usual, I make resolutions every year mostly based on the mistakes I make the year before. Though 2011 was fairly difficult, I achieved most of my goals and so now, naturally, it's time to make new ones. Here they are!

Weigh 135 pounds by December 31st, 2012
Maintain my closes friendships
Bring my protein intake down to 25% (I was going to shoot for 10%-15%, but baby steps)
Increase my intake of fruits and vegetables
Bake everything in Babycakes by the end of 2012 (and blog about it)
Post 3 looks a week on lookbook.nu
Actually maintain my music tumblr
Read 5 to 10 books

What are your resolutions?

Well, That Ended Better Than I Expected (Reflection)

2011-12-31T12:59:00.000-05:00

Taken from frannylovesyou

So the year is drawing to a close as it tends to at the end of December and once again I am sitting down to think about things. And quite honestly, this might be one of the most somber entries I have ever written. Just even going through briefly the moments that stuck out in my head, a lot of them are either a testament to my character or something really crappy that randomly happened to me. But here is a run-down of everything: the good, the neutral, the weird, the bad, and the in-between.

I rang in 2011 with friends for the first time in my life. January started majestically with sparklers and good friends and random company, but everything was shiny and wonderful. And I thought that that would set the tone for the rest of the year. But we shall see. My friend stayed over and she left for home a few days later. I took time to spend with my friends. Oh, and family too. I saw a musical with my aunt. In addition, I went to see a Daily Show live taping with two friends and I had a huge fit of fandom. I also felt so cultured that month. But sooner or later, the return to school had to be done, so I went back early for Rush Week to do some work and earn some money. I have never seen or returned so many packages in one week. I also have not seen so many people exert themselves for temporary validation by a group. But I also realized that me and the nice boy I met the prior October were not meant to be doing anything other than being best friends. So we sat in a broom closet for hours discussing everything about our friendship and concluded that we shall always be best friends. And then school actually started on the coldest day of my LIFE so far. I resolved to make a few changes for studying, such as actually doing my readings before class and such to catch up with materials. And due to the cold and recruitment things for fraternities and sororities, my friends spent a lot of fun indoors just talking and having fun. I signed up for a ton of bio classes, a Shakespeare class, a math, ballroom dancing for physical education and the auto-tutorial computer science class for Matlab that apparently bio-engineers need to complete by the end of sophomore year. I went to ballroom dancing and, honestly, I was surprised how comfortable I felt there. With computer science, I was in the for the not-so-awesome time of my life.

During February, I wanted to set a schedule with my school life. And my set a schedule, I guess that meant waking up at 5 AM every day to work out and get my bio readings out of the way. Or doing my bio lab class homework because I had a Wednesday night lab. I spent less time going out on weekends and more time staying in with my friends because the frats all had pledging things to do for the boys that they wanted to be part of their brotherhood. The hardest thing I had to do in the whole month was that computer science science. Me and the best friend would get together most days of the week and work on it. And boy, was it taking a toll on my self-esteem. I could not seem to crack it at all. He would spend 30 minutes on a program and be done. I, on the hand, would spend the same about of time and come up with one working line. One night of working on this program, a Thursday of course, my computer had stopped working and "blue screen of death"'d me so my friend and I decided to go out. We went out for a bit and then proceeded to go sledding with two of my guy friends. Sledding was relatively uneventful...until I realized the next morning I could have broken or sprained my finger. I got my first x-ray done and wore a splint to the first day of biomedical engineering lab session. At the lab session, I had been assigned to a group, and soon I learned that have the worst luck when it comes to being put into a communal working environment. And yet, at the same time, I was applying for co-op housing, which involved spending time with the people who lived there and cooking with them and other such activities that would have been part of living in the house. Everyone seemed nice, but alas, I did not make it into the cooperative living system and thus had to experience the terrors of the Cornell housing lottery.

Which, actually, happened in March. The snow began melting and spring was slowly returning to us sun-deprived children in Ithaca. But the pressure was rising. The Matlab course was coming to an end, with the deadline approaching as quickly as Spring break was. I spent most of my work shifts either recovering from the day or working on programming. And never in my life have I been so frustrated. I can usually accept when I am bad at something...but not when I'm getting graded on it. With March also came the arrival of a new crush. I met a boy who was really tall, quirky, and just a very sweet boy. We went to a SWE gathering together and then I started going to his shows like a groupie/ fan girl. And then St. Patrick's Day was on the eve of spring break, where I got to meet my friend's new girlfriend, who I became very close friends with, and just had a very strange but fun night, as nights at Thumpty tend to go. But spring break came at a good moment. But, I still had not finished my Matlab final project to complete so I could not entirely relax, as the word "break" seems to suggest. Yet I did have good times. I saw a taping of the Colbert Report and saw a rather forgettable but fun movie with a close friend of mine. Lent also began so I decided to give up wearing pants to allow more creativity and to make the most use of my clothing and to build self-confidence. Probably not the healthiest decision, but it was other things that made me sick most of the time as the semester was drawing to a close.

And my self-health further deteriorated right into April. My stomach and it's acid reflux was awful. I saw the movie Sucker Punch with a friend and I had not been that inspired to work out and make my body perfect in my life. So waking up at 5 AM no longer was for reading or doing homework. Or reading and learning calculus for the class I stopped going to. It was for working out, which I think took a toll on my grades, my body, and my self-esteem. I spent more time hanging out with my new crush a lot, even spending an all nighter with him to study for math on the eve of course enroll. Course enroll worked out but when it came to the test, I did not do as well as all the work I had been suggested, which was a feeling that seemed to pervade in other classes as well, especially biomedical engineering intro class where most of my grade was contingent on 3 other people. It was taking an objective look at my performance in Cornell engineering that I realized, I might not be able to make it to affiliation as a bio engineer. And I was crushed. Because the GPA requirement was just out of my reach and looking at the classes I would have to take, I would not have made it to the 2.50 limit. And that feeling made me rather aloof. To this day, I feel awful that I didn't give my best friend enough praise for his final performance in the one class he was working hard that he was actually seeing results that he could be proud of. We even went to a party together afterwards and the feelings of having completely let myself down were so strong that I got a bit sick and dizzy and subsequently wandered campus aimlessly for hours. Many other social interactions died as well. When I'd go places with my friends and boys would approach, I legitimately was not having it. I have not felt so genuinely miserable since sophomore year of high school. And then I went to a few meetings with professors and towards the end of the month, I realized what I must do: I needed to transfer out of engineering.

So the beginning of May was spent filling out forms and scrambling to finish my homework because it was the last week of classes. Slope Day marked the end of classes, as it tended to go with my group friends, it was one of the more bizarre days of my life. It involved lots of weird music and going to the gorges and everyone being dramatic and not quite in the right state of mind. And then study week officially kicked off after a Lord of the Rings extended edition marathon and then sleeping and then finally buckling down to study. I was so stressed out but heck, I had tests to pass. Just pass, not even particularly do well on. And then at the end of it all, I watched Doctor Who with a friend, packed, had brunch with my best friend and parents, and then left for home for New York City. And that was freshman year. I think I can safely say that I learned a ton about myself and what my capabilities are, even if I was an ungrateful cow in the process of it all. But when I got home, I realized, I had no grades, no boyfriend, and I absolutely hated my body. I had gained the freshman 15 and then some. So I basically came home and started working out like crazy. I got a gym membership and was there for two hours or so a day. I tried a bunch of different work outs, my favorites being spinning, Pilates, and this rope thing. And I also started driving lessons again, which sucked.

My birthday kind of happened in June. I spent time with friends, but aside from that, it wasn't particularly crazy or special. But the next weekend was super fun. I went out to a club for the first time because it is 19 and over, and that worked out with my age. The music was fun and I was dressed to a T. But I hated everything at the same time because I wasn't small or dainty and felt like a whale. But, see, I don't let people in on that insecure side of me because no one needs to hear it. Towards mid-June, my friend came to visit and we just went out and partied and other things normal young adults are supposed to do during the summer. She was transferring to Northeastern shortly after Cornell summer ended, so spending time was nice. And then soon I packed my bags and went to Poland to see family and take classes in Krakow. It was nice seeing my friends again, now that we're older and can do European young-adult things. But it was still so strange because I hadn't been in Poland in 4 or 5 years. And even though I was born there, it did not exactly feel like home. But I guess it was something I'd just have to get used to. But what was nice, I had a working cell phone which I didn't have previously, so that made me feel more like I lived there. Even if for a little while.

So, July was not spent in the US and instead I was abroad in Poland. And for the first time in a class-related setting, I had roommates. And just as most stereotypical first roommate situations, you might not get along with all your roommates. I had some strife with two of them, but the third was chill. The clubs and bars in Poland were really nice and the 4-weekers, as we called ourselves, formed a pretty tight-knit group. We also did touristy things and became very close with a few members of my class. One of them, actually, I started dating about a week into the program. He was very attractive, quirky, painfully shy, but treated me fairly well when we were in Poland. Having a summer romance was something I had never experienced. You're in a foreign country together so exploring things made it that much more special. And enjoying nightlife together was something else as well. Most goings-out felt like a date. And, as relationships tend to go, we did fight. Not a lot, but more than I'm used to. We both had the same group of friends so we hung out with them too. I stuck around boys more because they weren't fussy about where we went, though I did have a few girls that were very low-key so they accompanied us too. It's not like the summer program had its own fair share of drama. Stuff tends to brew when you spend so much time around the same group of people. But the weekend "school" trips tends to diffuse tension, or brings people together. About 45-50 people in the program got food poisoning and nothing brings people together like caring for each other. Those four weeks were some of the fastest in my life. The classes were fun and didn't feel like I was technically in school for 6 hours a day. My biggest challenge during the whole trip was writing a 5 page essay on Polish literature in Polish. It took me a week but I conquered it and felt awesome. I got A's in both my courses, which I happily brought home with me. I also brought with me my summer romance, thinking that we could make it in the U.S.

August was a quiet month. I would have gone right back to my exercise regimen, but after working out, everything ached and honestly, I got a cold from the difference in temperature between NYC and Poland (it was early-spring, late-fall weather the whole month of July). I reconnected with a few friends, one of which I thought I lost forever because of an awkward situation towards the end of senior year of high school. I also saw my boyfriend a lot towards the end of the month before I went back to school. We went clubbing and he joined me and my friends for a farewell "Cupcake Day" party. And then I moved into my new dorm the last weekend of the month. My room was/is huge. I'm pretty sure it was meant for two people at one point. But somehow, all my clothing fit. I had to reset my schedule a bit from when I set it up last semester due to the internal transfer situation I got myself in. I prepped myself for a very difficult semester at school. Not because my classes were particularly difficult but because of the pressure on the classes I was taking. I signed up intro psych, intro physiology, physics, differential equations, and intro nutrition. But the first week before classes started was filled with setting my room up and hanging out with college friends that I hadn't had the chance to see all summer. And then one of the most turbulent semester of my life began.

September was still relatively relaxed, but I went into with an academic vigor. I was going to do all the readings for every class before they are due. I was going to start my homework the lesson we learned it. I was going to do a good job on everything. But carving in all that work was difficult. I signed up for my building's soccer team, so that ate up my Wednesdays. On September 11th, I decided to watch the tapes from that day for the first time in 10 years. She was scared and sad because no one had asked her about it. So I did and we bonded about our own views and perspectives about the day. The hardest part about semester was balancing friends and work, especially when the first round of prelims showed up without warning. I spent many weekend studying instead of interacting with people and I was reverting to the same habits in terms of thinking of people that I had earlier. But then my boyfriend would come and everything would be happy, because, hey, someone wanted to spend time with me. But I still crawled into a work flow that might have actually started to demolish me a bit. I mean, it's hard when you feel like you're one of the few people in your immediate circle doing loads of work and having no results come from it. Oh, sounds like most areas of my life this year.

In October, I spent a lot of time waiting. I spent a lot of time with just wanting to see my boyfriend and with all the work I was doing and all the time I've spent being with friends, that seemed like a lot too much to ask for. We hit our first major fight, to the point that I had to write a blog entry reminding me why I was with him. And I guess all this frustration about not seeing him when I was supposed to and being so stressed over school at the same time was what led up to a new low in partying on Halloween. For the sake of discretion, I won't go into it, but it was bad. The next day, I spent a lot of time looking at my ceiling and wondering what the hell am I doing with myself. Besides, you know, staring at my ceiling and trying to read my psych textbook so that I don't miss five or six questions like I did on the last test just from not reading that part of the book. I also managed to get my math homework done on time and heavily debated dropping the class after getting a progress report. And me, being stubborn and having a little too much pride sometimes, didn't. And it was just because I was doing well on the homework. At the end of the month, I also picked my courses and had a pretty poopy day. I managed to break some of my dishware by accident and got so excited to see my boyfriend that weekend and then he said he wasn't coming...

And the second hardest month of the year award goes to November. The first hardest was April, if you couldn't gather. So I was just really upset that he wasn't seeing me the first weekend, so we rescheduled for the next weekend. I took the last round of prelims for 2011 between Halloween and when I was going to see him. I decided to do something really nice and bake him a peppermint chocolate cake that doubled as girly time with my friend. And then I went out for a bit because I was done with tests and met and caught up with a few people I hadn't seen in a while. The next day, Friday 11/11/11, I was on top of the world. I did so much better on all my tests because, yay, I finally kind of got myself together in terms of studying and doing so much better, I was elated. I hadn't gotten above a 90 in anything since high school, so you could imagine my excitement. But as I'm getting tea in the library, I get a text that kind of shut down my mood for the rest of the day. He said he wanted to break up. Like, why do you tell me this the hour you're supposed to be leaving see me and after I've been having one of the best days ever? And he also mentioned to me he lied to me a bunch of times because he liked me that much, which didn't make any sense. I was totally heartbroken for many reasons. People generally don't lie to me and if they do, it's something really stupid, like "I was at the library" instead of "I was chilling with so-and-so." So that shattered my trust a bit. But it also turned out he wasn't into the relationship for the passed two months slash eight weeks, and that hurt a lot. I guess what I was most angry about was that I couldn't see it coming. And so, I resolved to just be selfish until I felt better. I realized I bend myself over backwards for people, like baking them a freaking cake, but people barely do the same for me. So I went out and met some wonderful people. Thanksgiving was little morose because I wasn't feeling like myself and my uncle just had a blood clot, but I was grateful for all my friends then more than ever.

And finally, we arrive at December. Unlike most people I knew, all my work was done with the first two days of the last week of classes. So I sat at home trying to take care of myself and still recover. But it was also rather stressful because I was hosting a Polish club Christmas dinner that weekend and my power went out so I had to relocated all my stuff to a different fridge that was probably miles away. And then that weekend was the most eventful weekend in a while, as in I had a lot of events to go to. A boy I met during my selfish weekend in November asked me to a formal as a date-date. And another friend asked me to his frat's formal. And it was a lot of fun. The boy from the date-date and I connected really well and then all of a sudden started spending a lot of time together, which somehow did not interfere with me studying for five finals. I also met with an epidemiology professor and somehow got offered a research position. And then five finals later and lots of crying, the school year was over. I want to say that I felt like crap afterwards, but I really can't. Even though my GPA did not reach the guideline for transfer, a week after the semester ended, I got an email saying that I had successfully transferred out of engineering. And that was the greatest gift I had ever received for Christmas. And then Christmas came and went and I've been spending lots of time with my friends, going out, having fun, and Skype-dating. And tonight, I am enjoying the company of my friends.

I ended this year a lot happier than I expected to. Honestly, I was expecting to still be angry and single and not having accomplished my major academic goal, but that lame expectation was turned around. So I'll be ringing in 2012 a lot happier than before and hopefully any other goal I want will be fulfilled too. Happy New Year everyone!

Skype Dates are Actually Kind of Fun

2011-12-29T17:45:00.001-05:00

Taken from justgirlythings

I haven't had the best of luck with webcam. I always felt awkward and stuff. Mostly because I usually didn't have a working microphone function on a computer. Or they didn't. Or it'd be with someone I'm not too comfortable with. Or, looking back, talking to them in person was awkward enough and then that awkwardness was exponentially increased via Skype. But that was probably one of the Skype sessions which wasn't all too awkward. It was pretty enjoyable, actually. It's nice to see and talk to people you haven't seen or actually spoken to in a while. And it almost felt like a real date. Just without the cute hand-holding and walking around places or general being able to touch each other. Oh, and a good night kiss would have been nice too. But regardless, it was the closest to seeing someone as you can get without travelling 3,000 miles.

Newcomers

2011-12-27T13:59:00.001-05:00

Taken from deciso

Christmas Eve, I went to Church as was tradition in my family. There weren't too many people, which wasn't surprising but what was surprising, was the fact of the myriad of new people in Church. Granted, I don't go to my family parish anymore since I'm about 200 miles and 4 hours away by bus, but usually a lot of the old Italian families and Filipino clans attend Christmas Vigil. But there were a lot of younger people of not-so-conservative backgrounds. Behind me there sat hippies, in front of me sat a family of dreadlocks, and next to me was a group a hipsters. If that isn't a testament that religion is for everyone, I don't know what is.

Christmas Recap (N.a.P.)

2011-12-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

Taken from 3vilkid

So after eating lots of food and enjoying time with my friends and family, I received additional gifts. And they are:

Letter of accepted transfer to Cornell CALS
Rarity toy
Rainbow Dash painting
Pink puffball hat
Nail polish
Money
Gingerdead cookie cutter
Earrings
Candy canes
iPod Classic
Clothes
Bracelets
Makeup carrying pouch (so useful!)
Purse
What to Cook and How to Cook It by Jane Hornby
Bras
Scarf

Hope you all had a lovely holiday. Merry Christmas!

Supper Preparations

2011-12-24T15:35:00.001-05:00

Taken from 3vilkid

The beast has been calmed.
I say beast because my mother
Tends to evolve into a Cthulu being
When it comes to preparation
And pre-supper set-up.

But my mother has been relatively calm.
Maybe she's feeling the Christmas season.
Or maybe she realized I'm not here for a long time.

Either way, I've been more
Willing to help out.
So this is the first relaxing
Christmas Eve in a while.

Happy holidays!

Christmas Trimmings and Tidings

2011-12-23T15:08:00.000-05:00

Taken from 3vilkid

It was the day before Christmas Eve
And all in my house,
I was running around,
Making brownies, trimming the tree, and vacuuming.
My mother isn't home,
So I can kind of relax,
Without her barkings of orders
Or guilt-trips galore.

The lights have been hung,
The garland's been strewn,
And ornaments and ornaments are all over the living room.
And so are pine needles.

But it's all in preparation of tomorrow.
And soon the feasting will begin.

Girl Power

2011-12-21T20:07:00.001-05:00

Taken from agiantlobster

I think Lisbeth Salander is a prime example of female strength in modern cinema and literature. She does not have super powers. No super strength, no psychic powers, no connections to people who can bail her out. No, in fact, she's just as vulnerable as the next girl. But she takes care of herself. She doesn't need Mikael Blomkvist to take care of her. She didn't want her guardianship because (mostly because Bjurman was abusive) she wanted freedom and independence. She might not be the best role model, because she does perform fairly violent acts. But honestly, I'd much rather my future daughter look up to her than say, Bella Swan. Because if you can't take care of yourself, who will?

A Little Theory

2011-12-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

Taken from lezitup

Sometimes I feel like film adaptations of books are only released to get people to read more. And I guess that's why film makers usually make them mediocre. I have not been so goal-oriented to finish a book since the final Harry Potter because everyone I knew finished it three week before I did because I had to wait that long after the release date.

But there's something nice about reading an actual book. Feeling the pages between your fingers, lights and pixels not burning your eyes, being able to dog-ear the pages to keep your spot...I forgot how wonderful it was. And especially with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, there's something authentic about actually flipping the pages quickly to find out what happens next, unlike on a Kindle or a computer screen. There's just something really genuine about the whole "having an actual book reading" experience.

On Weight Gain

2011-12-14T21:30:00.000-05:00

Taken from h-i-p-s-t-3-r-b-a-r-b-i-3-s

So, numbers in general tend to mess with my head. A lot. Numbers for GPA, numbers for how much things cost, numbers about weight, numbers about ounces and grams related to food. And it's the first and the last two that are seriously messing with me right now. I've been through a lot. And with all the experience I have being strong and telling people not to give up or whatever advice seems appropriate, I can barely be there for myself right now. And it's hardest now that the number issues are coming up when it comes to my weight. I tend to see myself as that number and then I worry that people see it too and judge me. It's as if I'm projecting all my negativity onto how others view me. And I feel like they can also see all over me how poorly I'm doing when it comes to academics. And I am collapsing under my own pressure. Or my own weight, if you will.

On Stress and Coffee

2011-12-13T11:04:00.005-05:00

Taken from faerie-floss

The thing about me is that I like food. It's yummy and flavorful and (sometimes) nutritious and just all this goodness. And another thing about me is that I stress out and eat more food than I generally need to.

I used to counteract that stress by drinking coffee to feel chipper and more awake and all the other beautiful benefits of caffeine.

Stress makes me worry about everything. Such as noticing the correlation between food consumption and lessened coffee intake. Apparently, it keeps me thinner. I'm definitely going to go back to regular drinking it for enjoyment, not necessity.

Open Letter to the Girl With the Alarm

2011-12-07T10:21:00.001-05:00

Taken from hopingfortheshore

Dear Girl with the Alarm,

You know who you are. The girl with the alarm which has that amazingly annoying jingle. Just please, please, please, turn it down a bit. Some of our hallway is suffering. Perhaps you like to be up at 8 AM, but apparently not because it keeps ringing and ringing and ringing. And some of us like to get our "study rest." It's like beauty sleep but to optimize studying. Being awoken that early in the morning fuels my caffeine addiction. Plus, I have this awful slash sometimes magical ability to not be able to go back to sleep until it is night time and time to go back to bed to greet the next day.

Now, maybe it's some kind of revenge for me watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report first thing in the morning. Or maybe for me being loud when closing my door because otherwise it stays open. So clearly I am guilty in the morning noise department too. But please turn down your alarm. It'll make everything more peaceful and people like me won't have to vent frustration on my blog.

I am fairly certain I know who you are judging but human faulty directional hearing, and if it is not who I think, who I keep accusing of the alarm, I am deeply sorry for misjudging. But whoever owns that alarm, for the love of God, please turn it down or shut it off since you don't even get up to shut it off in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Irate Floormate

P.S.: It is quiet hours.

Studying, Studying Yeah

2011-12-06T23:04:00.001-05:00

Taken from impio

Every day, waking up, eating breakfast, messing around, then getting dressed, packing my backpack and off to the library I go. Not much really happens during the day, except for new material crammed in my brain and hoping enough sleep spindles and enough REM happened for me to permanently recall things. And hoping that this epic three-day romance between differential equations and my brain will actually happen. Maybe it will click tomorrow like it did just days before the final last semester. Or maybe I'll be floundering around on the test. Wait, no, maybe I won't. I won't. If psych class taught me one thing, it's to envision success to be successful. Oh and a bunch of things about schizophrenic art and sleep that I don't actually care about.