A Little More On New Year's Eve

I told you all a little about my New Year's Eve plans in a previous post - just hanging out with friends and being silly together. I realize that not everyone has the same attitude towards the New Year as I do. Some people view it as a chance to go out with a bang, and party like no other night.

If you grew up in the city, you already know what New Years Eve's are like there. For those of us who come from suburbia like I do, think about what you see on that night back home. You always see the hungover individuals in the diners on New Year's Day, nursing a plate of cheesy fries as they recount what they think happened the night before. You also see a evidence of a few individuals who drove home a little too early - shattered glass on the pavement, garbage pails knocked about, and occasionally a tragic news story.

All these things are real risks, both in suburbia and in the City. However, in the City, you've got a few million more people to worry about.

I recently read a duet of articles by a writer named John Skylar. Normally, I stick to his fiction pieces, but he writes some choice pieces on life in New York City. One is intended for the tourists who visit, "Welcome to NYC During the Hellidays", and the other is "Leave Me Behind! Save Yourselves: A Native New Yorker's Guide To Surviving The Holiday Crowds". Both of these are pretty relevant to myself and my fellow transplants. As New New Yorkers, the tourist attractions still have an undeniable allure, and it sometimes feels as though you are a tourist.The article intended for tourist's has a great crash course in NYC etiquette in it, as well as a post entitled "New Yorker's Aren't Rude. You Are." I wish I had taken the time to read the newer articles before the debacle with my parents a week ago, but they likely wouldn't have listened to me anyways. Ah well, there's always next year.

I've paraphrased some of his advice, but don't think this means you shouldn't read his articles. He's considerably funnier than I am.

1. Don't do the Time Square spectacle. Find a nice party to go to, hang out with friends, and enjoy a New Year's celebration. (He gives a couple resources in the New Yorker's post if you want to check them out!)

1.5 If you don't listen to 1, do it once and be done with it. Its a grueling experience, according to him. I have never had a desire to go, so I will simply follow his first bit of advice.

2. Be prepared to deal with drunk people. Cabs seem like a good idea, until you get into the wee hours when you need to worry about the drunken drivers. At that point, a subway is likely a better bet. And of course, having friends to have your back never hurts.

3. Add a little time and double check your commute route, if you have to get anywhere. Tourist-inspired traffic snarls occur, and your life doesn't stop because of them. I've waxed poetic on HopStop and NextStop before, but really - they're amazing tools.

4. If you're going to be doing "tourist" activities, remember you are now a NYC resident. Act like it.

5. You know where the tourists go, so avoid them. Don't walk into the middle of Macy's Santa-land and complain that there are too many tourists. You're just being silly. There are 4 other boroughs - go explore them.

Skylar closes with what is possibly the most common-sense ideas. "All my advice for dealing with NYC this time of year can be summarized as “plan ahead.”  It never hurts the rest of the year, either.  Be prepared and alert, and you’ll have a much easier time of things.  Easier means more fun, and if you manage to have fun this time of year, I’d say you’re doing it right."

City with the Parents, and Christmas Break

My family has a tradition of going into the City together at Christmas time and looking at all the wonderful attractions. The past two years, this trip does duty as family bonding and as a way to pick me up from the City.

My parents came to get me around one, and we decided we were going to head up to Grand Central to see the Holiday Fair there, see the tree at Rockefeller, walk through Time Square, and end the night at Bryant Park. I had tried to talk them into going to Chinatown and Little Italy for the East Meets West Christmas Parade, but they came too late to see it.

We had parked on 45th and Lexington, and my mother kept asking "How far is it? How far is Grand Central? How far to the Tree? How far to Bryant Park?" We then got into the issue that "a few blocks over" is an acceptable answer when you know the neighborhood - but not when you don't know which way is north. I think I'm going to buy her a map one of these years.

My adorable little brother making faces at me on our way into Grand Central

After Geand Central, we hopped back in the car to go over to Rockefeller plaza. Having to drive there felt so wrong - it was only 8 blocks and a couple of avenues- but I guess that's what happens when you bring suburbanites to the city. (Yes, I realize I was a suburbanite - but I have since been cured of my wicked ways.)

One of my favourite aspects of Rockefeller Plaza, the Atlas Statue.

The tree was lovely, but since it was the weekend before Christmas you couldn't push your way through for love or money. We stood and stared, then started walking south to Time Square. By this point, it was getting near dinner time. We stopped at each place in Time Square and asked for their wait times - all over an hour. It was a half hour wait to get your name on the list for the wait for Hard Rock Cafe!  We wound up at a burger joint called "The Counter" on the south end of the square. It was a great build-your-own- burger menu - and it was reasonably priced, for the area. We all crafted our own burgers and got shakes and fries; it was phenomenal. I need to remember that this place exists, so when I'm craving a good burger and some bright lights, I can head up.

Halfway through dinner, we realized that the parking ticket on the car was going to expire. We also realized that the car was still up by 51st street. Luckily, we were only a few blocks from the Bryant Park stop on the F and the car was only a block from the 51st street stop. I volunteered to take the train up to the car and get us a new ticket - and my mother blanched. She started peppering me with questions about where I would be going, how familiar I was with the train, how safe the areas I would be in were. My dad and I simply stared - why was she so worried?  I guess it's different to imagine me wandering about the city with my friends than it is to see me walk off on my own, with just my word that I'd navigate the crowded city on my own.

As predicted, I headed back to the car and got a new ticket without a hitch. I took a little longer than expected since I stopped to use a bathroom in Rockefeller plaza. If you do wind up there, they have some of the nicest public restrooms in the city. I met my parents back in Bryant Park, and we did our usual rounds. Looking at all the shops, watching the ice skaters, trying all the free chocolate samples.

And this was when I had my minor religious experience, ladies and gentlemen. Max Brenner's chocolate has a stall at the Bryant Park shops, and they have many goodies available for purchase. One is a delight called "Italian Thick Hot Chocolate".  The only way I can describe this is to imagine heaven, and put it in a cup. I do believe they simply melt the richest chocolate bar to ever exist, add a drop of cream, and pour it in your mug. If it wasn't so rich, I would drink these ever day. But since the calorie count is likely somewhere in the low thousands, I don't think my pants would appreciate that.

The Crowds, Shops. and Empire State Building from Bryant Park

We got home really late Saturday night from all our adventures, and Sunday we swung straight into Christmas preparation. Cleaning, decorating, and setting up as much as possible. We did a little last minute shopping, and visited with some family. By Christmas Eve, we were ready to decorate the tree, as is tradition.

Our decorations are almost as nice as the ones in the City!

An artsy photo of my brother on Christmas Eve

Christmas was wonderful, but quiet. We stayed home and some relatives bounced in and out all day long. My brother got a Lamborghini - the car he's been talking about non-stop. My mom slipped the HotWheels into his stocking - I don't think I've seen him laugh so hard in weeks. Even my dog got a present! The toy next to her was brand new - but it's already been destroyed. Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you give a big dog a little toy.

James' First Car! (He's not thrilled about being teased)

My dog was really confused by our excitement, so she just took her toy and went to bed.

The rest of this break is devoted to friends! My friends and I are planning to have our traditional New Year's Eve Party again. We'll al head over to Kaarina's, play games, sing karaoke, eat snacks, and ring in the New Year together. We'll also do a round of White Elephant, which is a gift giving game where everyone chooses a gift, and you can either pull from a bag or "steal"one that has already been picked by someone. It's basically the Hunger Games of Christmas.

Fair Warning: This is where I get emotional over the New Year!

 We've been doing New Years parties for a few years now. I love ringing in the New Year with the friends I've had for so long - I've known most of them since I was in elementary school. There's been a group of six of us that have stuck through thick and thin together. They're the kids who made high school bearable. The history and love I have with them is so important. I cannot imagine a New Year starting without them. It wouldn't feel like anything to celebrate.

Now, the parties are changing. My friends are bringing their significant others, and we're inviting college friends as well. It's not just the little nerdy high school family anymore. We're all still there, but the dynamic is different. A friend once told me that when you leave a situation, you can't ever return to they way things were. Now that we're not in high school, that we're having these life changing developments at college, we're different. He said that if you try and force the dynamic to be the way it was, you'll fail, and destroy everything. But, if you look for a new dynamic, you might find something that grows organically from the way you used to be, to the way you are now.  And we're doing just that, and I am so grateful. 

The sad fact is that we're growing up - and that means developing our own lives. We're branching out, and the plans we made are changing. Our lives are starting to pull us in different directions. And that is heartbreaking. But we're not the sort of friends who would ever discourage each other from taking every opportunity that we've been offered. So we understand that there will be times that we won't see each other much, or that we' won't be able to call or video chat or remember things. It doesn't mean that we're not thinking about each other, it just means that we have 6 papers, three hundred pages of reading, two tests, a project for work, and that we kind of want to sleep. 

Oh, my friends and I. We have been through so many changes of plans, so many endings, so many beginnings. And I guess it's a  beautiful thing, to me, to spend the end of every year with these people, and begin my new one with them as well. 

Late December Adventures

Hi, everyone.

It's the last Friday of 2013, and the semester has been over since Monday.

Monday morning was practically rainy and generally yucky outside. My stats final (my last final) was scheduled to begin at 11:30 AM. Since I was coming from outside Manhattan, I decided to leave the house at 9:45 AM just to make sure I would get to school on time in case any train problems came up. Before I left, something told me to check the MTA website to see if there were any problems with my train. My heart nearly stopped when I saw that there were delays due to signal problems at a particular station. I automatically went into panic mode and told my parents that I was going to take another train line to avoid the delay. The problem is that the other train line has a greater number of stops so it would  take a longer time to get to Hunter. As I rushed to the station, my mind imagined all sorts of scenarios that all involved me walking into the final late and begging my professor to give me more time. Once I got on the train, I still couldn't calm myself down and silently prayed for the train to go faster. As we passed more and more stations, I gained back my rational mind back and realized I wasn't going to be late. I ended up arriving at Hunter 30 minutes before my final. I was so relieved but also mentally exhausted because of my dramatic morning. But I gave my all on the final. I had not come all that way just to do poorly.

After it was over, I walked out feeling free. That's really the best way to describe it. Once your last final is over, it's like somebody has lifted the chains off of your body. I know it's quite a dramatic way to describe it, but that's exactly what it feels like to me.

(Also, my cold from the previous week had largely subsided so I was finally feeling ok with things.)

Shortly after the final, I found myself at Barnes & Noble asking for a copy of Corduroy. My mother had encountered the book recently while teaching elementary school and fell in love with it. I remembered it from when I was a child, and when she brought a copy of it home, we "awwwed" over the cute protagonist. However, my mom never got around to buying her own copy. So there I was on a rainy Monday afternoon asking for this little book with the B&N employee smiling at me as she pointed to where it was. Great way to end the day.

Oh. I forgot to mention something else. Before I went to B&N, my friend asked me to meet up with him after my final. When he saw me, he opened up this Ziploc bag and asked me to smell. I couldn't figure out what I was smelling until he said it was chocolate from a market in Mexico! I couldn't believe it. This chocolate has been made in the same way for hundreds of years. He told me to go home and make myself a cup of hot chocolate with it. It was some of the best hot chocolate I've tasted. A unique aroma and flavor. Friends are awesome. :)

On Tuesday, my mom and I went to Kings Plaza Mall, and indulged in some good old-fashioned consumerism.

On Wednesday, I took the day off to just be at home and catch up on things that I didn't have time to do while school was in session.

Yesterday, we went shopping again. haha. Then, I went to my local library to return some things and pick up some books to read. (I finally get to read for pleasure!) I loved seeing that there were a lot of people at the library. Seniors playing chess, kids playing cards, adults reading the paper, and me browsing through my beloved "Young Adult" section. (I still can't get myself to check anything out from the "Adult" section).

Today, I was back in the city to run some errands. I stopped by at a place called "A Matter of Health" (on 1st Ave. b/w 72nd and 73rd). It's a health store that sells all kinds of organic food, beauty products, and medicines. It's a great place for someone who is into living a "clean" life. I wish all grocery stores and drugstores carried this kind of stuff so that everyone could have access to it. People hesitate to go into these stores because they're a bit pricier and people get intimidated by all the "health" terminology. If it became more widely available, people would definitely be interested in finding out more and living better. If you're interested in reading my mini-rant about this in one of my blog posts from this past summer, here it is:
http://macaulayhunterblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/gravity.html

We have four days left till 2014 comes and then…who knows what? Hopefully, it will be a good year in which all of us are more kind to each other on this planet of ours. That's all I've ever wanted.

S.

Below is a great song by an up-and-coming artist.

Song of the Week

I like being independent
Not so much of an investment
No one to tell me what to do
I like being by myself
Don’t gotta entertain anybody else
No one to answer to

But sometimes, I just want somebody to hold
Someone to give me their jacket when its cold
Got that young love even when we’re old
Yeah sometimes, I want someone to grab my hand
Pick me up, pull me close, be my man
I will love you till the end

So if you’re out there I swear to be good to you
But I’m done lookin’, for my future someone
Cause when the time is right
You’ll be here, but for now
Dear no one, this is your love song

~ "Dear No One" by Tori Kelly

Picmas Part Five: Happy Christmas!

Just checking in from Canada to put up the last five pictures of Picmas and to wish a very happy Christmas to everyone who celebrates!

Locked up the dorm room until the new year.

Drove for ten hours, to arrive in a very snowy Canada!

Went cross country skiing, even though the whole family is rubbish.

Beautiful morning picture on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas everybody!! If you don't celebrate, make sure to take advantage of the free day off ;)

Cute Christmasy Things

So my week from hell is finally over. I have taken all three of my exams and handed in my two papers. On Thursday, after I had fought the good fight against finals week (and successfully avoided getting a cold with Emergen-C and lozenges), my boyfriend and I went to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza, then walked up and down 5th Avenue to see the fancy Christmas window displays. This is a ritual I've undergone since I was little. My parents and I would trek into the city from Long Island and brave the crowd for all the touristy things (the tree, window displays, 5th avenue stores, etc.) This year, there were some beautiful displays at Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, and Tiffany and Co. We didn't get all the way through the displays, so I'll be going back for Saks and Macy's. Here's a walking guide to all the best window displays, and some pictures.

The tree at Rockefeller Plaza!

My boyfriend and I at the tree!

The Christmas display at Tiffany.

The Plaza Hotel (they finished remodeling)

So after spending all day looking at the Christmas windows and being cute with my boyfriend and drinking Starbucks, I caught my flight the next morning to Florida for a two-week vacation. This will be a good time to relax, shop, and get a tan (I'm unbelievably white). Unfortunately, going to a hot climate means wearing shorts, and that means actual shaving, which I hadn't done since August since it's winter and I basically do not care at all. 

Anyway, I'm here for Christmas and New Years, then returning to New York for January break to spend time with my friends and family. This winter break is much-needed, since I haven't taken a break from school since last winter (I took summer classes). I'll be back to blog in the spring (and might keep you updated a bit over winter) because I have a semi-obsession with telling you guys about my life/posting instagrammed photos of food and things, so I'll see you guys after the break. Have a great one!

Picmas Part Four! FOUR DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!

Hello all! If you're reading this, I have finished my finals for my third semester of university! That means that I can breathe. If you still have a final on Monday, or multiple ones, then just take some deep breaths, drink warm drinks, and keep your head down until then. This week was stressful and not stressful. I had my birthday on Tuesday, and it was awful and snowy, but I got to see my family and went to the Chobani store in Soho, and got presents. Despite having two finals on my birthday, I still managed to enjoy myself and am very glad about that. I think that's my take away from this semester. Even when things are super stressful and there seems like there is no end in sight, there will be something - anything - that you can take away and be like, yeah, that was good. One of the things from this semester as a whole that was great, despite how stressful and not too fun a lot of it was, was that I made new friends! Some of whom I was able to become very close with, and I am definitely thankful for that. Now that the sappy is all out, let's get to Picmas Part Four:

Breakfast for dinner is a tradition here at Brookdale that must be upheld. 

Birthday! Even though it was gross and snowy, and I had two finals, I still managed to enjoy myself.

Had a take home final that took me all day, but finished the night off with some ice cream to make it all better!

Had to go uptown, and walked very briefly into Central Park.

Cabbage patches stay hardy even with the snow!

On that list flow...

Hi, everyone!!

This will be my last post of the semester, but I will definitely blog over winter break. I know you guys will just be dying to hear about my amazing adventures over our month long break (jk, what adventures?? haha). I honestly just want to spend some time reading for fun, shopping, seeing some old friends, and doing a bit of studying for the MCAT. 

I've had kind of a miserable week since last Friday. I've been nursing this bad cold all week, and I think I'm finally feeling better. Studying when you're sick is the worst thing. I kept having to stop midway to blow my nose, and my head was all funky feeling. It was just not fun. Besides producing a lot of mucus, I also managed to do some work. I wrote a paper and a lab report, and I've studied for two exams. My first final was this morning (I have finals really late this semester), and my second will be on Monday. And then…sweet freedom. 

This week's post is not going to be too exciting because I spent most of the week indoors studying, but hmmm….what to write about??

How about I make some lists?

5 Motivations for Studying

- Get an A in the class. (Gotta lift that GPA.)

- Impress your professor so you can get a recommendation. (Becomes more necessary as you progress through college.)

- Sound smart during those random deeply intellectual conversations you have with your friends. (We all secretly have this motivation.)

- Because learning is fun!!! (Well, it can be. If you're doing it right. If not, then it's hell)

- Impress yourself and boost that self-confidence! (Because none of the other stuff matters if you don't have that desire to better yourself.)

5 Reasons Why People Succeed in Life

- Persistance

- Discipline

- Focus

- A desire to be better

- External support

Below is my FB status from last night. (It also happens to be a list.)

Things I Learned in Physics This Semester

- Why ice skaters spin faster when they pull their arms in (because they decrease their moment of inertia)
- Why seat belts and airbags save lives (they allow a smaller force to be applied over a longer period of time)
- Why we don't fall off of roller coasters (we travel at a minimum speed for that particular radius)
- why friction both prevents motion (why that box just won't move) and produces motion (why bowling balls roll)
- why satellites don't just fall to earth (they move at a particular speed for a particular size orbit)
- why every object attracts every other object in the universe (because newton said so)

…and finally why even though i studied a lot this semester, i really did very little work (Work = Fcosθd)

A few weeks ago, I featured Avicii's "Hey Brother" as the "Song of the Week". The music video came out a couple of weeks ago, and it's such a tearjerker. 

S. 

Quote of the Week

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

~ Søren Kierkegaard

Now That Finals Are OVER... I can do all the other nonsense I need to do.

Recently I've been posting an obnoxious amount about finals and how stressful my life is but I think I should take a look back on the past 2 weeks ( finals period) and talk about everything really phenomenal that happened to me.

I was accepted to the Petraeus class! Next semester, I'll be taking a course titled "The Upcoming (North) American Decade(s)?" That's right, the course title includes two sets of parenthesis and a question mark. That's how you know it is going to be a rough class. I had applied last semester and was rejected, but I decided to throw my pride out the window and try again. I did do one thing rather differently in my application. Rather than talking about what I hoped to learn from the course, I talked up my strengths. I'm not often one to brag about my abilities, but I've had it beat in to my head over the past year that I need to do that when I apply for things. Shameless self-promotion is the key, ladies and gentlemen. Humility is cute, but not when you want to be better than everyone else. And in Macaulay, that's a challenge. 

I got the syllabus about two days ago, and it is intense. 142+ pages of reading for "Class Zero" which is the first time we meet. Two major projects, approximately 150 pages of reading a week, three group discussions, and a few smaller presentations. 

So now I need to present all these things in front of Retired Four-Star General David Petraeus. I have to do it in front of the man my father spent most of my childhood raving about. His books line the shelves in my house. My dad wrote a paper on him once, for some sort of command school. (I was young and didn't care so I don't remember.) He's a hero in my house. Both of my parents are in the military. My dad is a Lieutenant Colonel and my mom is a Sergeant Major, so Petraeus coming to teach at their daughter's school was a very big deal. My dad is a very stoic man, but when I called him to tell him I got in, he was shouting he was so proud. I think he was more proud of that than of anything I've ever done before - and that includes getting myself into Macaulay. Learning from him is going to be amazing - as will the discussion with my fellow students. I plan to keep you all updated on that class, since this is a big deal for Macaulay.

Additionally, I got an internship! I'm an intern for the City of New York Law Department, working with the Juvenile Delinquency portion of the Family Court system. I'll start on January 6th, working after my winter classes finish for the day, but before my night Moot Court Sessions. I'll be doing case research, contacting police officers, talking with lawyers about case strategy, helping to file motions, sitting in on witness interviews, and basically getting to be a fly on the wall in the juvenile justice system. I've got my own ID card and everything! I've got to pass through Security checks! I walk past courtrooms! The building is swarming with Cops! If that doesn't scream "You've made it", I don't know what does.

Two interesting points:

1. Study your interview etiquette. Halfway through my second interview for this position, I forgot the name of the gentleman interviewing me. And since we were just in any empty office, there was nowhere for me to look. I'd like to think I saved it nicely by simply calling him "sir" at the end of the interview. I have never felt so embarrassed however, to realize that I couldn't even be trusted to remember someones name for longer than a half an hour. 

2. Don't overlook opportunities that don't come from administration. Some kids forget that there are places other than the Macaulay officials to find connections for internships. For example, my friend Michael is a large reason why I landed the internship I have now. He applied last year, and has been working there all semester. Since he was a wonderful intern, they asked him for a recommendation for a new intern. Being the sweetheart he is, he remembered that I was interested in law and a decently competent individual, so he gave my resume to the appropriate individuals... and here I am!

Secret Santa! My friends and I organized a really cute event where we did a little gift exchange. I got my friend Dan, and he is one of the easiest people to shop for. All I had to get him was Sriracha sauce and Cosmic Brownies- his two favorite foods. He was thrilled to death, especially since I drew a very bad giraffe on the card. He applauded my efforts. My friend Sam had to purchase for me, so I got really good gifts. He got me the Sleeping Beauty VHS ( yes I still have a VHS player), painted 3 beautiful cards for me, got me mad fuzzy socks, and wrapped it all in bubble wrap and a bandana. The bubble wrap was because I had mentioned how much I love it, and the bandana because I constantly complain about how hard it is to tie my hair up since I cut it. He also included a lesson on how to use it, since I have absolutely no ability to do anything with my hair, even as simple as tying it up.

They Take Good Care of Us

One of the best things I've heard about little universities is that they do a lot for their students. I didn't have a final today, so when I finally crawled out of bed (around 12), I decided to head over to the Macaulay building with friends. They're having a day devoted to de-stressing all the wound-up overachievers in Macaulay. We've got puppies to play with, food to eat, massages to get, and wifi that works really well!

I have written too much lately so this post will be mostly pictures.

This is what happens when finals start costing you your mind.

My friends Lena and Sam, who are STILL doing work - even though we're here to relax

People working, enjoying Starbucks, and chatting in the lounge

Cynthia poses in front of the tea and food provided by the
Macaulay Administration and the Macaulay Psychology Club

So much food. So much tea. So nice to be taken care of.

This puppy was named Lucky - he was so friendly and does tricks!!

THERE WAS A PUG. I LOVE PUGS.

This is not me getting a massage, but this massage was the best thing to ever happen to me.

You're Only Human: A Post On Self-Care In Which I Become Your Mother

It's now officially finals season for college students, and it's also time for midterms for high schoolers and the beginning of Early Decision/Early Action results, as well as the holiday season. Regardless if you're reading this blog as a fellow Macaulay student, a prospective freshman, or a parent curious as to what your child's life could be like at Macaulay, I want to remind you - you are only human. 
I used to run myself to the ground every December, trying to do too much. Since then I've learned that you can't do anything if you don't take care of yourself, since your body will eventually just give out on you. I spent over 2 weeks at home because I got so sick from not taking proper care of myself in high school. It was a real wake-up call. I don't think I'm doing any less than I did back then, I think I'm just being smarter about it. Below is a big chunk of love and advice that I've compiled over the years. If you're like me and have a tendency to over-stretch yourself, or you're just under a lot right now, please read on.

For Those Facing Exams:

You have spent months studying. You know most, if not all of the information. I am one of those people who panics over not knowing everything - I understand that you feel like you're going to fail if you don't remember everything. Many people waste time studying things they basically understand. If you've got time, do review things you have a solid knowledge of. But devote all last minute time to things you have a harder time remembering. Our brains do a cool thing called "instant recall", which is when you read your notes 15 minutes before the exam and can basically regurgitate everything you just read onto your test paper. Do that for hopeless causes. 

Some people work well in study groups, some don't. Figure out which one you are and don't be afraid to do what works for you. I am a solo-studier, so I sometimes have to turn down group invitations. If that's your problem too, don't feel bad about it. If you study well in groups, make sure it's a group of your intellectual peers. Don't be the only one who understands the material in a group, because then people expect you to explain everything, and then your problems don't get addressed. When it comes to your exams, you should be selfish.

In college, many professors give 4 prompts and say "Pick 3". Even if there are things you don't understand on an exam, you can be okay. If you really haven't got a clue, make stuff up. Put facts about things that are almost relevant. Try and connect it to anything you understand and focus on explaining that. Draw a really beautiful whale. Be purposefully vague. Partial credit is better than no credit.

For Those Facing Papers:

You have spent months studying, You understand the concepts. You're reading this, so clearly you can read and likely write.You can crank this out. Don't be scared to ask your professor for clarification - sometimes talking to a professor makes your own thoughts on your essay clearer. They can also help steer you in the right direction.

If you're writing a research paper, check the sources of your sources. Sometimes, you can use additional information from them, and it's a bonus because they'll already be in alignment with your essay! The are only two pieces of useful information on Wikipedia are the reliable sources on the bottom, and the "Read More" section. They won't be all the sources you need, but its a place to start. 

Talk your essay out. Sometimes hearing yourself talk about it helps move an essay along. Friends can be forced to listen for input and advice. That's why they're friends.

Install one of those website-blocker/parental-control things the internet has and block Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, this website... everything that can't be used to write a paper. Better to take temptation away. 

You need to have at least one person edit your work before you submit it. (Here's Why) Find a friend or a parent or a stranger in a coffee shop and tell them you need them to look at spelling, at grammar, and at content. It doesn't matter if the person has no knowledge of the subject you're writing on - your essay should be clear even without an extensive knowledge of the field.

For Those Facing College Decisions:

Whatever happens: don't let it distract you from what you must do now. Not studying because you got a full ride to Harvard isn't going to fly.

Acceptance: Congratulations. You're the lucky soul who has cute bedding in your dorm because you got it cheap in the after-Christmas sale. If it's binding, yay! You know where you're going. If it's not, even better, because that means you can still come to Macaulay. Remember that most colleges still look at your last semester grades and can rescind your acceptance. 

Rejection: Ouch. I'm sorry. You've still got other colleges that will accept you. Macaulay hasn't sent out our decisions yet, so you can still go to an amazing school. I know it hurts though, and my humour isn't helping. But remember that they're not looking at you alone - they're trying to "build the perfect class" which means that sometimes, they'll reject people for silly reasons.

Wait Listed/Rolled over: Sometimes colleges will postpone making a decision on you until the regular application season. Its awful because it means more waiting, but at least you know that you're at the top of the pile. Keep your grades up, and if you've done anything cool since you submitted, ask the college about supplementing your application with more recent materials. Good luck!

For Those Facing the Holidays:

Family is weird. That's why Great-Aunt Myrtle keeps asking you the same questions and Grandpa Joe still tries to get you to "Pull my finger!" If you're having trouble standing them, remember that the holidays are brief and in the car home you can decompress. My mom and I used to have marathon complaining sessions complete with impressions in the car. It made holiday get together worthwhile. If you're family isn't the get-together type, or doesn't get along, or you don't see them, remember that you have friends as well that love you. Reach out to them. People always say you have to love your family because "blood is thicker than water". The problem with that is the quote is actually "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb". Sometimes, your friends are better than your family.

If you don't know what to get a person, ask. Its better to admit you want guidance than to get them something they'll hate. And if you can't get the perfect present because of time or money or availability, remember its the thought that counts. People should be flattered  that you'd even want to get them a present.

If you just hate holidays - grow a heart, Scrooge. No, I realize that the hype around Christmas is obnoxious to those who don't celebrate it, or those who celebrate other holidays at the same time. I can't imagine it being fun to be bombarded with a commercialized version of a religious holiday that holds absolutely no significance to you. January is just around the corner and eventually the streets will be lined with dead Christmas trees and the season will finally be over.

TO ALL:

You need to take care of yourself. People think that during finals they can run on caffeine and willpower alone. That's not true.

Stretch more. Remember that you have muscles that you don't always use. Get reacquainted with them.

Eat. Buy yourself a nice lunch. Alone. Don't take anyone with you. Go sit in a diner, or a coffee shop, or at a bar counter and get your favourite thing. Eat a good dinner that you've cooked yourself. Put some time into it. Use spices. Eat breakfast before tests. You'll be less distracted, since you won't be hungry. So you can think "Oh! The answer is B!" not "Oh god I'm so hungry did people just hear my stomach growl it's so loud I want a BLT crap that was my stomach again... Wait what is this test about?"

Drink water. Most people are chronically dehydrated. It makes you more susceptible to disease, it makes you sleepier, and it makes you think you're hungry when you're not. 8 Cups a day folks. And since most American glasses are actually 1 1/2 or 2 cups, it's not that hard. A bottle of water is 2. Refill it 3 more times, and you're good.

Remember that you need to sleep. When you stay up to long, you can be considered as impaired as someone who is legally drunk. You wouldn't write your papers or take your tests drunk, so don't take them sleep deprived either. Don't think you have to sleep 8 hours straight, either. I tend to sleep 4-5 hours at night then take 2 little naps in the afternoon and early evening. College is one of the only times you'll get that sort of freedom with your sleep cycles, so try it out. It can work in High School too, it's just more difficult since you don't have gaps in classes or time between school and work.

Take your medication. If you have something you're supposed to take, take it. Take your vitamins while you're at it.

Laugh. Find funny cat videos on the internet. Watch your dog. Play a prank on your younger sibling. Play a prank on your mom. Dance with your friends. Sometimes you need to take 15 minutes and laugh about something to feel like a human.

Get your flu shot. You don't need to get the flu, you don't have time for the flu. You can get it at every drugstore, and most of the time, it's free. You also need to get it for "community immunity". Not only does that sound cool, it means that people who can't get immunizations (typically because their immune system is compromised) are protected from the flu. By eradicating the disease in the majority of the population, we protect that minority.

Repeat after me:

I am a human being. I am not a machine. I am a biological creature that has needs. If you ignore the needs of a dog, or a cat, or a child, it is called neglect. If I ignore my own needs, it is still neglect. I will pay attention to the signals my body gives me. If I am hungry, I will eat. If I am tired, I will sleep. If I am sick, I will seek attention for it. If I need a hug, I will ask someone for one. I will not neglect myself.

Picmas Part Three!

Maybe it's just the Christmas do-gooder feel that has already settled in the air here in New York, what with all the twinkly Christmas lights and trees that are impossible to miss on the streets, but apparently there are actually good people in this world! Yesterday, I had to attend a Macaulay event with other sophomores to present our seminar projects. My group and I headed out bright and early, grabbed some Dunkin Donuts, and at some point before getting onto the 1 train, I dropped my wallet. I had quite a bit of a panic about it - understandably - and called my parents to have them cancel my debit card. However, once they did get in touch with the bank, it was only to get the notice that someone had found my wallet and had called to cancel the card already. Wow. That meant that somebody had picked it up. That meant that somebody hadn't just taken it and tried to get my money out. I had to stay at the event for almost three hours, antsy as I waited to be able to head back to 23rd street and scope out who had my wallet! Luckily, I got in touch with the man who had picked it up and was able to meet to get my wallet. Everything in it. Nothing taken. Solid. There are good people in this world, apparently; and, with that, let's get on with Picmas!

Painted my nails with this gorgeous mint colour! I'll paint them one more time, more festively, before Christmas.

Did my laundry. What does the fox say?

This picture is another that I took days before, but I was gross sick on Friday.

SNOW! (Ew) Also Santa Con and Secret Santa!

The Macaulay building was done up all nice and festive, and I just took a picture of the stairs.

Picmas Part Two!

Hello everybody! This is WAY late (as in part three should/will hopefully go up tomorrow), but I wanted to get it up now. As you're probably well aware, it is cold and finals-ey around here right now, which means that I have been sick and busy this past week. I didn't have the time or energy to put into editing picmas pictures, but I was quite quite ill yesterday and am now feeling a lot better today (I think it was that final get everything out of your system kind of sick) after lots of sleep and water. I even ventured out in the snow, which I don't really tend to do. So, better late than never, right? Here's Picmas Part Two!

Went with Danielle to this museum out in the middle of sketchy town for her class.

Although I didn't go see this band (don't even know who they are), walked past and look my name!

This actually happened on the 6th, but since I was sick on the 8th... Dumpling skin crisps with Danielle! 

I really love my rain boots! 

It was snowy! (Not as much as today though).

Baby, it's cold outside...

Hi, everyone.

Today was the last day of classes, and also the end of a very cold school week. The semester went by quickly as it always does. Somehow the time just passes while we all stress about exams and papers and infatuations and drama with friends and all of that other stuff. I'm trying to be as mindful as I can of what's happening in the present moment so that I actually am active in my own life. That's tough to do. Especially at times like this when finals seem ready to consume us all. But I'm doing my best. =)

In my last post, I forgot to mention a couple of things so I'll do that now:

• The Monday before Thanksgiving break, we watched part of the South Korean film, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" in my religion class. The short excerpt that we saw was packed with so much meaning. It was truly amazing to discuss all of the symbolism that was embedded in each scene. A couple of weeks later I watched the rest of the film at home. The whole time I was mesmerized by the many connections the film had to the discussions we had in class. There are so few spoken words in the film and yet it says so much about being human. I felt like I was in a meditation the entire time I was watching it. 

• Over Thanksgiving break, I visited the Noguchi Museum for my Asian Religions class. I dragged my dad all the way to Long Island City with me, and we had a great time. It's hard to find time to spend with my parents during the semester so I always jump at the opportunity to do so whenever I can. The museum displays the abstract art of the sculptor, Isamu Noguchi. I loved my dad's reaction to the sculptures: "What is this? This is not art!" haha. I grew up in the U.S. so I'm not too surprised to see this kind of art, but to him, this kind of art is a bit strange. But eventually, as we made our way around the museum, I think my dad began to like some of the stuff. There was one particular thing that he liked the most. It was a piece called the Slide Mantra, which he interpreted as being symbolic of the triumphs and failures that we have during our lifetimes. It's really hard to get to the top (using the stairs), and it's really easy to fall from the top (the slide). After the museum, we went to Socrates Sculpture Park (and froze our butts off because it was really cold that day). There was some really weird art exhibited there, but it was cool. This was actually the first time that I got to explore Queens, and I was happy to see that it wasn't entirely different from Brooklyn, but at the same time, had its own distinct character. 

One of Noguchi's Stone Sculptures

The Slide Mantra
 (along with my dad's hand
as he's explaining it to me)

You've probably noticed that I mention my religion class on this blog quite a bit, and that's because I REALLY REALLY LOVE this class. It's my best class this semester. This is Professor Nacht's first semester at Hunter, and she's already proving herself to be a fantastic professor. I never thought  I would get the chance to take a religion class and I am so glad that GER's exist so that I got a chance to take one. I've always been interested in Hinduism and this class taught me a lot about the religion. But what's been most surprising is how much I've learned about Buddhism. I came into this class knowing virtually nothing about Buddhism, and now I feel like I have a good grasp on a whole variety of concepts. Of course, it takes a lifetime to understand these complex philosophies, but I'm glad that I got some exposure to some great ideas about life in general.

A few things from this week:

• On Tuesday, the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show aired on TV so that was fun. haha. They showed this holiday commercial. The commercial featured this awesome song which I end up doing a quick Google search and getting the name of it. It's "Waiting Game" by Banks. A haunting/thought-provoking song:

• Yesterday, a Tibetan Buddhist monk visited my religion class. As soon as we were in his presence, I think we all had a sense of peace. I love how there is always some inherent "lightness" to monks. He had a lot of good things to say, and we all sat there enraptured by his soft voice and presence. I love how he is so loyal to his Buddhist beliefs, but he also is able to live in a modern world. He talked about things like compassion and suffering and obsession. And then he would mention YouTube or pull out a cellphone. He also had a great sense of humor. 

• I gave two presentations in the last two days: one for Stats 213 and one for Bio 203 Lab. Presentations always make me a bit nervous, but I think both went well. One required me to learn Mathematica, and the other required me to read an immunology paper. 

Good luck with finals, everyone!! =)

   

S.

Quote of the Week

“I'm not in search of sanctity, sacredness, purity; these things are found after this life, not in this life; but in this life I search to be completely human: to feel, to give, to take, to laugh, to get lost, to be found, to dance, to love and to lust, to be so human.”

~ C. JoyBell C.

Finals Fun Time

Yesterday the wifi at the brookdale dorm was less than stellar, and as basically everything ever requires the internet now, I ventured out to a nearby starbucks with a friend to load up on caffience and free internet. I hate coffee with a burning passion, so I drink lots of tea to get my caffeine fix. My current addiction are chai tea lattes, as they warm the soul, taste buds and give me a sufficient amount of energy.

Unfortunately, a massive mouth ulcer decided to make itself comfortable right on the inside of my bottom lip, so every time I drink or eat, especially hot or citrus-y things, the pain is absolutely excruciating. Finals week diet is basically caffeinated drinks and sugary snacks, so I’m hoping this stupid sore with heal up soon.

But there is no time for hoping as my first final is tomorrow.  I plan on studying now, making tons of tea to push my sleep deprived self though and head to bed early, as I need a good night’s sleep more than anything.

But amidst the non stop studying and papers, this Saturday some friends and I are doing a secret what ever holiday you want gift exchange, so that's something to look forward to.

Another thing to look forward to is a package I’m expecting. I ordered some running shorts I’m obsessed with online during all the black Friday sales, so I got two pairs of bright flamboyant track shorts and I can’t wait for them to arrive.