Ducks and Finals

Hi, everyone!!

It's a rainy Friday night just like last week, and I'm sitting here typing away my last post of the semester. And what a semester it has been. So full of challenges and difficult moments but also filled with a bunch of happy moments. So now I'm officially a rising senior. Ahh! And the summer is ahead of me, and hopefully, it will be a good one. Btw, I plan to post every two weeks over the summer just to keep you guys up-to-date on what's happening with me. I still can't believe I have three school years worth of blog posts on here. I'm going to enjoy reading all of my old blog posts when I graduate.

Last Sunday were the Billboard Music Awards, which I welcomed with open arms because I had been studying for my physics final that day and just needed a break.

Some of my fav performers were:

• Shakira (Her song, "Empire", is just plain awesome, and she was such a powerhouse when she sang it live that night.
• J. Lo (I loved her acceptance speech when she received the icon award, and her performance of "First Love". This woman can do it all and makes it look so easy.)
• Ariana Grande ("Problem" is a great song, and Ariana is the cutest. She's a Disney star who hasn't lost her way, which is super refreshing to see.)
• Lorde (She's just so different from any other artist right now. I love her haunting songs.)
• Miley Cyrus (I thought her performance of a Beatles' song was just awesome. I know she does some wacky things, but she actually has real talent.)

The next couple of days, I continued to study for my physics final. Fun times. Right after I took the final, I headed over to Central Park to enjoy the beautiful day. I saw Belvedere Castle for the first time. I've been wanting to go see it for the last two years but never got around to it. My friend and I had talked about visiting it some day so we decided to just see it that day. It's beautiful and feels every bit like a castle. Then, we took a walk through some parts of Central Park that have less people around, and it felt like we were in the middle of the woods. It's the funniest thing. We were in the middle of Manhattan and yet there we were surrounded by trees and the sounds of birds. The best part was when two ducks walked by us when we were sitting on a bench. I think the male was chasing the female. They were the cutest thing. We also saw this cute little robin who was hopping around getting some food. What a great day.

Yesterday, I handed in my final biochem lab report, and today, I handed in the final paper for my other bio class. So now I'm free so to speak. But we all know that students are never free in college. There's always something to be done. But for now, I'm just going to enjoy myself for a bit.

I wish all of you the best summer!!

S.

College Tip of the Week: Enjoy the little things.

College can at times become overwhelming with all of the things that are happening to you (seemingly all at once), but take the time to enjoy those small moments in your life. Like the ducks that I mentioned in this post. With all of the craziness of this semester, I'm never going to forget those ducks, which may sound silly, but those are the kinds of moments that you remember. Or maybe it's the time that you and your friends were laughing so hard in the library that you got stares from everyone around you. Or that time your professor told you that he admires your work ethic. Or that time you got an awesome grade on a paper that you worked really hard on. Or that time your parents came to visit you in your college dorm, and put you in a good mood. Enjoy those moments.

Finals Week Shouldn't Exist....

....but it does.

I'm crying because it's finals week. There it is. I am currently a very grumpy, sleep-deprived, stressed student with way too much work and way too little time to do it.

For English majors, there is no such thing as finals "week". In our world, there is only finals month, which is spent writing endless papers and crying into your ice cream. Now, this is usually worth it in the long run, as there are no final exams. However, this year I have both final exams and final papers in every single one of my English classes and in my one philosophy class, a supreme injustice to English majors who just wanna write a paper and be done with it. Final exams don't even make sense for these types of subjects. But here I am writing so many papers while also studying for finals.

So even though we all wish this week would just not exist, here's a couple of tips to help you through it all:

1. First of all, reference my essay writing post.
2. All of your papers are due at the same time? No problem. Do some in advance, then edit and add to them later. You'll feel better if you have even the roughest of drafts to start from.
3. The library is open continuously throughout finals week. Take advantage of this. Camp out with your friends, pile up the books and get to work.
4. Eat good food. Don't forget that when your body is craving something, it's for a reason. Just give in and go get that bag of popcorn or ice cream sandwich. However, also know that eating healthy will make you feel better and more attentive (not just during finals week). Eat snacks throughout working and stay hydrated so you don't lose focus. Take breaks for the same reason: you don't want to get tired or inattentive or fidgety.
5. Get some sleep. It'll keep you from feeling run down or getting sick. Your brain will actually work better too. Because science. Here's how to figure out when to go to sleep.
6. Figure out what method of working is best for you. Love working in a study group? Gather up some friends from a class and study for your final together! Wanna work on your essay alone in your room with noise-cancelling headphones? Go for it! This time is all about getting it done, and you need to prioritize yourself above all else.
7. Get comfortable. Change into sweats and keep your favorite snacks readily available.
8. Download Self Control. This will stop you from checking certain websites for an allotted period of time when you're supposed to be writing that paper.
9. Here are some studying mixes, rain noise, coffee shop noise, white noise, nature sounds, a fireplace, and assorted noises. 
10. Here's how to google stuff like a pro. This website will explain anything that you're confused about.

Good luck on all of your finals, and god-willing we will all get through this alive!

Rain and Writing

Hey, everyone!

It's Friday night, and I'm listening to the rain fall as I type out this blog post. I just finished watching the season finale of Grimm so I have a lot of emotions right now. haha. Ugh. So many cliffhangers. I love this show. I love a show that makes you fall in love with the characters. That's what makes you want to keep watching.

Speaking of great characters, I finally got a chance to finish watching season 6 of Mad Men. This is another show that makes you care about the characters. Since I don't have AMC, I can't watch season 7 (it's airing now) yet, but absence makes the heart grow fonder. Season 7 is actually the last season, and I can't wait to find out how it all ends for these awesome characters.

Wow. The rain is coming down hard.

On Wednesday, I ran into a few people from my high school while at Hunter. It's always fun to see old friends after awhile. We've all changed and grown quite a bit, and I'm glad that they are still a part of my life.

Yesterday was the last day of classes so it was a bit bittersweet. I had my last biochem exam yesterday so I spent the majority of the day going over my notes. Then, I met with my study group, and we went over anything that any of us had trouble with. We took some pictures right before the exam. I've spent 2 semesters with these amazing people, and I'm going to miss them. We are proof that study groups do work if done in the right way.

I had some writer's block this week, which was frustrating because I had to write a paper for my Filipino Lit class, and I just couldn't get the words out. Ugh. It's the worst feeling. There are two strategies that usually help me with writer's block. I either just sit down and force myself to write or I step away and do something else for awhile. Sitting down and just writing is effective because I'm not letting myself think about the writer's block. I'm just writing and letting the ideas come out. The second strategy also works because I'm letting my brain relax and not stress about the writing. Usually, when I come back from the break, I can write so much more easily.

I didn't get to watch the season finale of The Big Bang Theory last night so I'm going to go watch it now. I heard a lot of interesting things happened so I'm excited to see it.

Good luck on all of your finals (if you're a college student)!! And if you're a high school student, congrats on finishing your AP exams!!

S.

College Tip of the Week: Learn to write well. 

Writing is a skill that must be mastered in college. There's no way that you can get through these four years with poor writing skills. Virtually every class that you take will require you to write an essay, a report, etc. But fear not. You'll have many chances to perfect your writing. The key is to learn from each writing assignment and make the next one that much better. Seek advice from your professors, the writing center, your friends, the Internet, and read other people's work to learn what it takes to produce a good piece of writing. Words are powerful things, and if you learn how to master them, you'll be successful not only in college but also in your future career.

Sunny Days and Good Friends

Hi, everyone!!

I'm finding it hard to believe that next week is the last week of classes. I'm about to finish my third year of college. Like what? Too insane. I feel like I graduated high school last week.

I'm looking forwards to getting final exams and papers out of the way. In exactly 2 weeks, I will be a free woman and officially a rising senior. Woo!

Nothing too exciting happened this week. Everyone is just running around and trying to get things done for their classes. The library is crowded with people studying powerpoints and writing papers. Everyone's talking about how they're going to salvage their final grades (and kicking themselves for not putting in more work the last 3 months). But this will all soon be over, and I will have completed my 6th (!) finals week.

Then, summertime fun. It won't be all fun of course. I will hopefully get that opp I was telling you guys about, and I'll also study for the MCAT. But I'll make sure to squeeze in time with family and friends just having fun and feeling young. Too often, we millennials feel older than we actually are. I'm planning to go to some restaurants, art exhibits, take long walks on the beach (Btw, during the summers, there are fireworks every Friday on Coney Island), read some books, and just generally enjoy myself.

Tuesday and Wednesday were both good days for me because the weather was gorgeous, and I got to spend some time outside just hanging out with a friend. On Tuesday, we walked all the way down to the NYPL's main building on 42nd Street. This is one of my favorite places in the city because of the beautiful architecture. We just hung around in front of the building and then headed over to Bryant Park. It was so sunny that day that I actually managed to tan my arms. haha. On Wednesday, the same friend and I headed over to the west side to hang around the fountain in front of the opera house (I feel like I'm mentioning this fountain in every post. :p). This time, the sun managed to burn my shoulders. Sigh. But that's ok because my friend and I saw a rainbow go through the water in the fountain. It was beautiful.

Speaking of the NYPL, last year, I wrote a paper about it for my Seminar 4 class, and I got incredibly interested in the history of this library system and the plan to remove the stacks in the main building. I mentioned my semester-long project in a few posts last year like this one. In my paper I argued that the project would ultimately not benefit the library's patrons. Yesterday, I read that the NYPL had decided to stop the project. I teared up a bit because I know how hard organizations have worked to get the NYPL to halt the project, and I'm glad it worked out at the end.

I meet with a study group once a week to study for Bio 300. I met with the same group last semester for Bio 203 so we all know each other fairly well and work well together. This is the last semester that we're all going to be in the same bio class so we're all feeling a bit sad. We ended up taking a bunch of selfies before lecture yesterday just so that we have pictures to look back on. I love when I find a great group of people to hang out with. It's priceless.

I've been watching a bunch of Michelle Phan videos lately. She does makeup tutorials and is a lot of fun to watch. Check her out here. She's a good finals week distraction for when you need a break.

S.

College Tip of the Week: Let life happen. 

Between the ages of 18 and 22, you will go through quite a bit of stuff. You're out of high school and you're trying to figure your life out. There will be academic successes and failures. You will make bad friends. People will betray you. You will make a group of amazing friends. You will fall madly in love. The person will break your heart, cheat on you, treat you poorly, etc. The person will be amazing. You will find your passion. You will find many passions. You will question your intelligence. You will waver in your trust of people. You will want to quit and travel around Europe for a year. You will complain about papers and exams and long grad school applications. You will laugh a lot. You will cry a lot. You will be inspired. You will be cynical.

Just let it happen, and respond the best way you can.
Most of all, learn from it all, and please enjoy yourself.

:/ It's Been A While...

Hey guys. I'm doing my best at a sheepish expression over here, even though you can't see it. I'd like to say that I've been really busy, running around doing this and that - simply not having a single second to just sit down and write about what I'm doing. That would be a lie. I've simply been having large bouts of writer's block. I do quite a lot of creative writing, on a normal basis, but since I had run into a block there, I was just uninspired over here. Not a great excuse, but the best I have. Since I'm up early this morning (registration day!!), I thought I would finally come here and update you guys on what exactly I've been doing with my life.

As you all know, I'm taking five classes. I think they're going pretty well, it's hard to tell though really. This will be my last semester taking a Macaulay Seminar course, and I'm really enjoying the group project that I'm doing. It's not something I would have ever come up with on my own, and on Sunday we managed to go outside and actually do things for the project. Of course, that wasn't too great because yesterday I woke up to my feet killing me after a lot of walking over the weekend. I blistered both of my feet last week, because I'm silly and wore just the completely wrong heels to see a play, and although they're quite a bit better, the walking was not fun for my feet.

But I saw this play, "The Cripple of Inishmaan," on Tuesday and it was just absolutely amazing. It was hilarious, and well-written, and the acting was great. Daniel Radcliffe was the lead role, and although his accent wavered sometimes, overall he was amazing. That's the second live show that I have seen Daniel Radcliffe in, as I saw him in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" back when he was in that.

As I said, registration is today and so I've got to go head to school. Normally I wouldn't just aim to be in school for registration (although you're recommended to, in case you run into any issues), but I've got class less than a half an hour after my time and wouldn't be able to make it in. So, good luck to everyone who has registration today and later this week!!

In the Underground

Hey, everyone!

I'm writing this week's post on a Saturday evening instead of the usual Friday night because I got home late last night, ate, knocked out for an hour and a half nap, and then had no energy to write anything decent at 11 PM at night. haha.

It's a beautiful day (as have been a good amount of the days in the last month), and I just came back from doing some grocery shopping with my mom. I'm the kind of person who loves shopping of any kind (as regular readers probably already know considering that I always post about my shopping trips with my mom :)). Any time shopping of any kind is mentioned, I'm the first to volunteer to go. It's not that I like to spend money or anything. I just like the whole process of looking through a store and seeing all of the cool things on display and then finding things to buy. I like the element of discovery.

Last Saturday night, I headed to the Upper West Side to attend Macaulay's annual Arts Night. The theme was "In the Underground". This was my first time going, and I'm glad that I made the time to go. I submitted a piece this year so I was excited to see that on display as well as all of the other artwork. I got to the Macaulay building early so there weren't too many people around. I got to see all of the curators running around to put last-minute finishing touches on everything. I took my time looking through all of the visual art on the different floors, and then headed over to the Cabaret (This is the coolest part of the Macaulay building. It's right below the first floor and has a bar area with a small stage). All of the performances were being held down there, and I stayed to listen to a few of them. There was some awesome singing and music-playing. It never ceases to amaze me how talented Macaulay students are.

Here are just some of the pics that I took during the night.

The entrance to the Macaulay building

Graffiti Wall

Decorations

There were a bunch of signs like this one
hanging around the building. 

Bar area down in the Cabaret

A door in the Cabaret looked like this:

When I walked in, I saw that it led to a small room that was decked out with strobe lights and had Dubstep playing. Definitely, one of the coolest parts of the exhibition.

Tunnel Dance Party

I should also mention that I took my laptop over to the Apple store right before I headed to the Macaulay building. I didn't get it back for 2 days, and I was going through severe Internet withdrawal the entire time. haha. I kept telling my mom that I felt like my baby was missing. :p It just shows how dependent we become on our technology. It's almost impossible to imagine life without it.

Right after I left the Macaulay building, I took a walk over to the Metropolitan Opera House and hung out at the fountain for awhile. I've been going there a lot lately (as I've mentioned previously on the blog.) It's one of my favorite places in the city.

This past Monday, I also set up the new wireless printer/scanner/copier/fax machine that my family just bought. I'm excited that I can now just print straight from my laptop without having to email the document to myself first.

On Wednesday, I had an interview for a summer opportunity. The person interviewing me was informative and thankfully, not intimidating at all. Hopefully, I'll get the opportunity to volunteer/intern there. I'll definitely blog about it over the summer if I do.

Finals week is coming….It feels like the semester flew by even faster than it usually does.

Enjoy the sun!

S.

College Tip of the Week: Keep your composure.

I'm one of those people who has a really short-temper, and sometimes it's hard to control. Particularly in those situations when somebody is frustrating me or insulting me or just upsetting me. But as I've grown older, I've realized that losing my temper just shows a lack of control, and I never feel good afterwards.

In the college environment, there will be many times when you will be angry with someone or something. It's important to keep your cool and to not do something that you'll regret. There might be a time when you're frustrated with your professor or TA, but please don't send them a scathing email or go to office hours and argue with them. It will just become an embarrassing and uncomfortable situation that is just not worth the headache. Calm yourself down, and go talk to them when you can think rationally. Same thing with your friends. There have been more than a few times when something my friends have said or done has frustrated me, but I always try to tell them how I feel and not just attack them. People are people and sometimes, we don't treat each other as well as we should. The earlier you learn how to control your temper and be the better person, the easier it will be for you later in life.