Tennis!

Tennis, tennis, tennis! Hands down, my favorite sport EVER! And no doubt, one of my top hobbies. If  I could play it everyday, I would. Unfortunately, I don't have a tennis court in my backyard, but I plan to some day.

Playing tennis is extremely thrilling! There's so much that goes into a tennis match: physical strength, skills, tenacity (which has won games for me against very skilled but impatient players), and a quick but firm mindset. Tennis is specially exciting for its unique characteristics. For one, you are by yourself (when in a singles match). You are in total control of your own game and your own strategy. Two, there is no set time limit. A match can go anywhere from half an hour (which has happened even at a professional level) or eleven hours (a record set this year in one of the Wimbledon men's matches)! No doubt, you better be in good shape! Contrary to what some may believe, your legs have just as much to do with your game as your arms. And, the most thrilling part for me, is that you  must always win the next point in order to win a match. Unlike many of the popular sports like soccer, basketball, or football where you can score 50 points (an exaggeration for soccer) in the first half and score nothing the second half and still win the match, in tennis, it doesn't matter how much you scored the first hour. All that matters is that you win the game to win the set to win the match.

But most of America isn't as passionate about tennis as I am. Tennis is often thought of as "easy" and "boring."  And I have to say, it gets me very angry when people say that tennis is easy, though I'll admit I was once one of them. I've heard "anyone can hit a ball over a net" numerous times by numerous people. Yes, anyone can hit a ball over a net. Now, can you consistently hit it over the net, in the court, down the line or cross court while simultaneously thinking about your follow through, your contact point, your stance, and figuring out where the ball will go next? And that's just PART of the basic. There's the even more basic forehand, backhand, and serves. And then there's the really cool stuff like slices, dropshots, and serves that go at over 100mph!

Tennis is not just about hitting the ball over the net, specially when over the net doesn't necessarily mean in the court. I was able to get the ball over the net from the very beginning,....of course, it was over the net and over the thirty foot fence!

Like any sport, tennis is not easy; it takes a lot of hard work, time, willingness to maybe look ridiculous, and patience (it is said that it takes at least four years to make a tennis player). And as for boring...well, that's a matter of opinion. I, for one, find baseball to be one of the most boring sports ever to watch and find tennis the most exciting sport ever invented...and I plan to keep playing this amazing sport until my body allows me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So Thanksgiving is today! And as tradition calls for, I will say the things I am grateful for.

I am extremely grateful for my family. We fight, we argue, we can never get a moment of peace. If we're falling, we'll kick each other down and will not help each other up until we are already on the floor. Sad, yes.  But I love my family, nonetheless. I have a dad that puts his children's needs before his own, I have the most loving mommy anyone could ever ask for, I have the most disobedient little sister that tries harder than any of us to get us acting like a family, I have a brother that that cares so deeply for his sisters, and I have a baby nephew that I absolutely love to death and would give my life for in an instant if need be. Many people around the world can't say they have what I have. I have been blessed with a malfunctioning, loving family that I would give anything for.

I am so thankful for my boyfriend. In him, I have found the best partner any girl can ask for and I have found a best friend. I have someone to complain to when life sucks and I have someone who I can jump for joy with and not be embarrassed to do so when life is going great. I am so lucky to have someone to go to who understands me, who can stand my little drama fits  and insecurities and not get overtly angry at me, who can make my day better with just a hug, and someone who loves me and is in love. I am blessed to have his presence in my life.

And then there are the materialistic things that I wish everyone would have: a roof over their heads, a bed, a space to think their private thoughts, clothing and food. And other stuff like health and an education. God has been kind to me, even during the toughest times. I often question why the not so great stuff in my life is so, but when I realize that it is only God's plan for me and realize the numerous great things he has blessed my and my family's life with, I know there is nothing else for me to feel but gratitude for the safe life I've lived.

How do girls do it? How do they get all dolled up and pretty before 7:30am and STAY dolled up and pretty for the rest of the day?

I am a simple a gal in many aspects of my life- my manner of speaking, my desires, and the way I dress and look. My routine wardrobe consists of jeans, a plain t-shirt, and my converse. No make up. A ponytail and a small accessory. A special occasion will usually (though by no means, always!) get me to break this routine. And when I see girls regularly dressed up and pretty at 8am, I can't help but to wonder, "how do girls do it?"

Is it that they are confident enough to know they can "rock" and awesome outfit and I'm not? Or is it that they are insecure and feel they must dress up to feel confident and I don't need that?

Perhaps it is that I lack confidence. After all, people who don't have confidence often feel they are not worth beautiful things. This can very well be the case for me. I am insecure (though by no means hate) my puffy hair, my big eyes, my oval face, and my flawed skin. I say, "I would rather sleep" as, perhaps, only an excuse to not deal with the pretty clothes and the make up that, to me, are like handling chemicals with no labels: I have no idea what they are called, what to do with them, or how to use them.

Or is it that these girls I'm talking about are insecure about themselves and dress up (to cover up) to impress others while I'm perfectly fine with showing people my simplicity? I know girls who freak out if a hair is out of place or if they forget to put on their daily make up. I rarely worry about such matters. I'll let my ponytail down and let it fly in the wind without caring if it'll be messed up. I can also wear eyeliner one day and feel absolutely beautiful and wear absolutely no make up the following day (which is my typical routine) and go about my day with no problem.

So how do girls get all dressed up on a regular basis? Well, I can't answer for them, but I know that I am not one of those girls. I would rather show my simplicity 364 days a year and look amazingly stunning one day to do just that: stun. Maybe, just maybe, it's not a matter of confidence, but a matter of how I feel that day.

So for our English class, we have to do a research paper on a movie based on historical event/people. For my paper, I chose Schindler's List. Reflecting upon it, I can only think of the amazing capability of human cruelty and courage.

Thanks to God, I have never experienced such cruelty as what the Jewish people and others experienced during the Holocaust. I have never seen, in person, such brutal cruelty. And I have never come even close to the physical pain that these people had to endure to survive.

I am completely incapable of wrapping my mind around the idea that humans have the capability of being so terribly abominable. I personally hold the belief that humans are naturally good and naturally evil. But when I try to comprehend how someone could be so evil that they would beat up, whip, torture, and kill their fellow human beings with no guilt or remorse, it makes me wonder just HOW MUCH we are capable of.

Is it hatred that drives our cruelty? Is it the quest and thirst for vengeance? Or is it that being the savage creatures we are we feel we can run wild and commit cold-blooded killings for no other reason than simply because we can?

But we can also be good, kind, generous and giving. While Schindler's List focuses on the "righteousness" of Oskar Schindler, there are many, many others that put THEIR own lives in jeopardy to extend a hand to a fellow human being.  There are people kind enough to save the lives of others at the cost of their own life.

I can sadly and disappointingly admit that if I were a non-Jew during the time of the Holocaust, I would not have helped any Jew (of course, this I cannot know for certain since I did not go through this experience). This is not for any other reason than that I am a coward. I care and fear for my life too much to put it in danger for the lives of strangers. So for this, my most highest respects for those courageous enough to put their own lives on the line for the lives of others.

The courage and kindness of the human heart are indescribable, priceless traits.

It is extraordinary circumstances that bring out the true nature of people.

Will you kill simply because you can? Will you coward in fear? Or will you have the courage to risk your life?

Halloween

Halloween. One of my favorite holidays of the year. Not because of the bitter coldness. And definitely not because of the way girls have turned it into an excuse to dress sexy/slutty. I really enjoy Halloween because I love to see the Halloween decoration, because little kids look extra cute wearing their costumes, and because of the free candy!

This year, my family, my sister-in-law's family and my boyfriend went trick-or-treating at Seal Beach, as my family has done for several years. It is amazing to see how enthusiastic some people get about decorating their homes. It ranges from a simple jack-o-lantern on the porch to a full blast haunted house. This particular haunted house I am speaking of was rather creative. I'm sure I cannot even begin to guess how much money the owners used to create that labyrinth. The house featured a lot of electronically operated characters such as the girl from The Exorcist, the girl from The Ring, a giant wolf that launched its way toward people passing by, a shaking door from which a character that I didn't see sprang out, and the occasional person that jumped out at you. But even more amazing than these expensive decorations was the extreme generosity of the homeowners that let complete strangers around and about their house for the spirit of the thrill of Halloween.

The super cuteness of the little kids during this strange holiday is also a favorite part of mine. It is particularly cute when children who are just learning to master to the art of walking  are waddling about and truly celebrating their first Halloween. And of course, there is the occasional baby that can't even crawl that has parents that take them out trick or treating (as if the baby can eat all that candy!). My baby nephew, for instance, is always cute, but I just wanted to eat him up because of how adorable he looked in his little lion costume!

And finally, the free candy! I am OBSESSED with chocolate, but a lot of the time I don't have money for my obsession, so it's awesome that strangers are willing to feed my addiction. And I find it so incredible that to all the houses my 19 year old boyfriend and I (18 years of age) went to, nobody turned us away. In fact, when we stood behind because we felt embarrassed to ask, several of the home owners asked us if we wanted some candy.

Who said Christmas was the only time of the year when people were extra nice?!

Earlier this week I came across a movie I recorded titled The 19th Wife on Lifetime that premiered 9/13/10.
This movie takes place in a secluded contemporary polygamist community ran by "The Prophet." After hearing about his mom's imprisonment for shooting his husband, the protagonist, Jordan, returns to this community despite his banishment several years back. He visits his old friend, a female named Queenie; their friendship was the reason for his banishment.

Jordan visits his mother in jail, where she swears she did not kill her husband. Though hesitant, Jordan,- with the help of Queenie- hunts for the identity of his father's murderer. At the same time, Queenie is dealing with her marriage as the first and ONLY wife thus far to her husband, Hiram. Hiram and Queenie insist to the Prophet that she remain the only wife. Meanwhile, she is secretly reading a book "from the outside" that chronicles the life of a wife who escaped the polygamist community. As she reads this, she realizes she doesn't want this life for her daughter or for herself.

At the end, we discover it was Hiram that shot Jordan's father. He did this as a result of the Prophet ordering him to take Queenie to Jordan's father's to be made into his woman. Hiram's love for Queenie was so deep that he chose to shoot Jordan's father than to see his wife as the wife of another man.

I have never believed in polygamy. To be honest, it was mostly because of the sexual aspect of such a life. There are few more disgusting things I can think of than my husband having sex with another woman right next to my room, then coming into my room to ask me for the same thing and then continuing with the following girl. The fluid transfer and the sloppy seconds for the rest of my life would be something I would not be able to bear; simply put, I find it gross.


But seeing this movie, I realized there is so much more wrong with polygamy than bad sanitation.


The psychological and emotional strains that women in this type of lifestyle suffer is incredible. Wives support each other and each help with the daily chores, but they are all rivals. They must all fight for their husband's time and their husband's money. Not only can they not have peace at home ( for there is no way of getting privacy in a house of over 19 wives and each with at least one child) but they also cannot get peace of mind.

In addition to this, wives suffer emotional pain as they see their husband bring home more wives, they see how they are being replace by younger, more attractive and fruitful women. This can be specially difficult for the first wife. Living as only one man and one woman, the arrival of another wife, of another person for the husband to spend time with, to have sex with, and to have other children with is a fact that can break down even the strongest woman in this type of community.

Personally, I would NEVER be able to accept this type of life. If I am giving myself completely to ONE man, my husband, then I expect my husband to do likewise. In my mom's point of view, why would any man want more than one wife to nag at him?

When we are little, the thought of a monster under our bed can keep us up at night. For some people, that fear never goes away.

Personally, I find an amazing thrill in being scared or, better said, startled. Ghost stories and monsters are old folk tales that have been popularized by Hollywood. But if at the age of forty people still get frightened by such tales, is there a part of us that think these thing really DO exist?

I, for instance, can easily sit thought a ghost, monster, or witch film, but when you add children and toys to the mix, I will honestly admit that I want my mommy to watch over me while I sleep.

My brother took us to a quinceañera about three weeks ago. On the way to my boyfriend's house, they were talking about spirits, evil animals, and oddly realistic witch stories (and Egypt!). Though this was somewhat spooky, I did not feel scared at all. And on the way from David's house, my brother kept talking to me about these things, but this time it included toys.

When we were little, our grandma and cousins told us that toys would wake up in the night and dance about. And the stories that they would tell us about porcelain and smurf dolls seem so plausible that, to this day, toys featured in scary stories is just absolutely terrifying to me. Just hearing my brother talk about it was enough to ask my mom if I could leave my graduation teddy bear in her room.

And seeing children in movies is equally frightening. Though I did not find The Ring to be a scary movie (or a good one, at that!) the fact that it featured a child as the evil character was enough to make me look away at times. Of course, no matter how scary a child is in a scary movie, nothing can keep me away from playing with my little sister and my darling baby nephew.

We all have (physical, tangible) phobias. For some, it's snakes, for others it is clowns, for me it is toys that can choke you and kill you at night.

But WE are the ones who choose to let these things scare us; I believe this is so because no matter how often people tell us that ghosts don't exist, a part of your childish imaginations still believes they do.

It's really funny when you exist in your own tiny community where you think you live at the top of the world. You're the best looking girl in school, the smartest student in class, the most talented performer in church or the funniest person in your group of friends. But when you step out of your school, classroom, house, or imagination and realize you're NOT the best,  it can be devastating. And it could be equally heart breaking when someone better than you steps inot what you thought was YOUR world.

My junior year in high school I audition for SCVA Honor Choir. This is a choir for which hundreds of students throughtout all of Southern California audition for. It is a rather demanding audition that requires various musical skills. By some chance of luck, I was accepted into this choir.

Back at Valley High School, I was one of the most knowledgeable musicians: intervals, chords, arpeggiated  chords, transposing music into a different key. But being with these new Southern California faces and musicians, I quickly realized that, though I may be the most knowledgeable in my music theory class of 30 or 20 something students, there was an entirely different world outside of building 16-1...a world where there are millions of musician better than me. Realizing this was refreshing but somewhat of a blow.

And having someone else, someone better, step into your perfect little world can be just as hard to deal with. After a year of being at the top with art song, SCVA Honor Choir, private voice lessons, and the lead of the musical, it was hard to see a better singer step into this world of mine. I discovered that all the talent I thought I had was nothing more than herd work, experience, and seniority, traits that will just not cut it in music. A new student came into our choir/ musical theater class. What took me three years of work took her less than a semester to accomplish. Everything I once had was then all hers.

In the world there is always someone better than you and that's a fact of life we all have to face.

I'm not perfect, not even in a single area of life. I'm only 18 and I have a lot of growing to do. There is a world outside MY world; when I finally explore this world and I know how to deal when I discover someone who is better than me, I know I will be the best inspiration for a student I have yet to teach, the perfect wife for the love I have yet to marry, and the best mother I can be for a child that has yet to be created.

For centuries, humans have attempted to achieve perfection. But perfection is not only impossible; it does not exist.

What is individual perfection: eternal beauty? Unfortunately, we all decay. The fountain of youth is yet to be discovered. Extreme intelligence? Like the rest of our bodies, our brains will be the food of worms. A charming, likable personality? We must remember that the reason why somebody loves us is the exact same reason for which somebody hates us.

Or is it that when we strive for perfection we are seeking universal or communitarian perfection? A utopia: no starvation, social equality, protection. But when we think about what we have to give up to reach this utopia, this perfection is no longer perfection.

To reach a state of no starvation, perhaps, that may mean smaller ratios. Nobody would die of starvation, but maybe we'd always be hungry.

To reach social equality, that would mean giving up our individuality. What makes us unique would seize to exist: our intelligence, our looks, our talents, our personality, our spirit. All this would have to be lost. And when all this is lost, are we still humans or are we mere machines?

To reach protection, past giving up our luxuries of cell phones and computers for communication and sharing of knowledge, we'd have to give up our ability to think and question. Is this a price worth paying for life longevity? In Orwell's words, "Ignorance is strength."

To create a utopia, we must seize our control in our own lives. Our minds must belong to a small group of people trusted to tell us what to think. But what about those people? If they are above the utopia, that means THEY are not perfect, so why would we trust our lives in their hands?

Perfection is not only impossible, it does not exist. But if this is so....what awaits for us in heaven? 

Marriage

Marriage has always being a very strange, interesting thought for me. Since I was little until about the time that I was in high school, I, my parents, and my parent's friends told me not to get married. I was always persistent to the idea that I wouldn't.

For as long as I can remember, I've been very independent and focused on the goals of my future, I used to think marriage was an unnecessary distraction from the dreams I had. My parents have been together for about 23 years but they are not legally (or happily, at that!) married. In fact, as far as I know, most of my parent's friends are not legally married. Most have been with their partners for a good number of years but the only thing that seems to bind any of them are their children.

I used to think this was the norm. That even if you're not legally married, that fact that were living with your partner AND had children (after living together for a while) gave you the total right to call your partner your "spouse." Well, actually, I still think the above; the difference is that now, I don't want that to be MY norm.

While at my parent's friend's wedding this weekend, as I watched the couple of 8 years about to become (officially) husband and wife, I realized with more certainty than ever that I some day wish to be married.

At the tender age of 18, I realize it may sound like I don't know what I'm talking about when I say that. Truth of the matter is that I probably DON'T fully understand what it means to be married...but I think I have a (or some) good idea(s):

----Being in love does not guarantee a happy marriage. It guarantees a flame, a passion, but not the eventual lack of common ground. People are constantly changing, even when they're "grown ups." It is important to be able to distinguish mutual love from mutual interests [does that make any sense??? It does to me =)].
 ----As my dad says, marriage is not just about sleeping warm at night. What I take from this, is that there are problems a marriage has to face, some problems will deal with the couple against the world, others will deal with the marriage's survival, and others will deal with spouse vs spouse. And taking my dad's comment somewhat out of context, I believe it is important for a couple to ALWAYS sleep together. No matter what has gone on in the day (of course, with the exception of extreme conditions such as adultery or domestic abuse), I believe the bed of a married couple is one of the most vital pieces of furniture in the house.
 ----Sex is important in a marriage. It should definitely not be the focus of a marriage, but the mutual love and the covenant of marriage makes sex the most (or at least one of the most) intimate, soul touching experience that a marriage needs to survive.
----There are other things, but this is it for this time!

        A couple days ago I was going through some of my old stuff that I stubbornly refuse to throw away. (I'm an organized pack rat who loves to hang on to the most minuscule memories.) And I ran across a list I made sometime when I was in jr high. This list was a ridiculous list of a tween (me!) with all the traits she looked for in "the perfect guy." I finally got rid of it because it was just so embarrassing to read these unbelievable thoughts that were so innocent, but I remember some of the traits listed: athletic but not an all about sports guy, smart but not a nerd, sensitive but manly, color eyes, taller than me but not too tall, friendly, and other traits I can no longer recall.
        I like to think I've grown up a lot since then. Unlike the girl then who was yearning to have a boyfriend, I actually have a boyfriend now, and I have to say, he is rather far from the "dream guy" I described to myself over 5 years ago. He is not very athletic. The only sport he plays is tennis and that's mostly (though not only) b/c I dragged him with me one day and he ended up having fun. But I can beat him in a match any day. He is very intelligent but he is very nerdy! (Something that I actually like a lot now.) He is sensitive as well, but he does not fit my jr high idea of "manly." Color eyes? Brown. Taller but not too tall? Well, depends on what  "too tall" is. What do you call a half a foot difference in height?
        It's really funny to think that even at that age I was already thinking of my dream guy, that I created these expectations that guys had to meet, expectations that had almost nothing to do with personality. I think a lot of the reason why this was so was because my best friend at the time was really into magazines, and I had a really fun time taking those obnoxious magazine tests that give you such superficial answers to the superficial questions of love, answers that made me create such a shallow list.
        At such a tender age I was already longing for a boyfriend. I often wonder if it was the same for guys. I mean, at that age, were they looking for a girlfriend or did they still want to play toy cars? Did they have a list of what a perfect girl was? If so, was it also a superficial list when we were still going through puberty and the girls around them didn't have hips or bust yet? What was a "perfect girl" to a jr high student just coming out of elementary school?
        As I said earlier, I'd like to think I've grown up a lot since then. Though I believe all humans are afraid of being alone, having a boyfriend isn't that big of a worry to me anymore. One, because I actually have one now; two, because I realize that my career comes before I am ready to find a boyfriend that will be a potential spouse; and three, personality comes before superficial answers given in magazines. 

From about the time we hit puberty and peer acceptance becomes even more important than before, we are often told to not care about what others say or think about us. And many of us live by that motto: I don't care what anyone thinks about me. But is that really true?

Should we not care what our neighbors think? Should we not care what our parents, siblings, family, or teachers think of us? After all, a lot of the previously mentioned hold, to an extent, part of our future in their hands. I, personally, think that it is an exaggeration when someone says, "I don't care what anyone thinks of me." If that is so, why are people so concerned with behaving properly in the particular situations at hand? "I don't want my boss to think I'm irresponsible", "I don't want my teacher to think I'm dumb", "I don't want my boyfriend to think I'm am 'easy.'" Whether we realize it or not, we all care about what AT LEAST one person thinks. So the question, to me, really becomes, how much influence do we let people have upon us?

Does authority, say a boss or a teacher, have more or less influence than a friend or sibling? How much do their opinions affect us and/or change our way of thinking?

From personal experience this weekend, I found that my mom has more influence on me than anybody else, including my boyfriend. How much does her opinion change my way of thinking? It changes it a lot. More than I wish it did. I think I care a little TOO much about what she has to say. And all this came from a shirt.

On Saturday, my boyfriend and I went to the store and I bought a shirt. I thought it was very pretty and my boyfriend seemed to like it, too. I was really excited and I was planning what I could wear with this particular shirt. When I got home and showed it to my mom, she said that it was nice..but wasn't a little tight? That simple question was enough to immediately dampen my enthusiasm for the shirt. The next day I went back to the store and asked for a refund. When I got home, my mom asked me what I ended up doing with it. I told her I asked for a refund and she said she was sorry she had made that comment. She said she would be more careful with what she said to me...I really hope she follows through on that. She also said not to take everything she says to me to heart, that she will make mistakes, too.

Point of the matter is, why did I let her opinion impact my point of view so much? Well, to be honest, I'm not exactly sure. I can, however, say that perhaps I care a little too much about what people think about me. And I LET others influence me more that they should. My mom won't ever purposely steer me wrong, but she will be wrong. She knows me well..but a lot of our values and views differ. Is it that I'm so open minded that I'll be willing to take everything people say into consideration, or is it that I don't trust my own judgment...?

One time in my junior English class, our teacher asked us what some of the traits our friends had to have in order to be our friends. She asked me directly what one of those traits had to be. My answer- which didn't go over very well with my peers-was that my "friends" had to have a certain level of intelligence.

One of the girls in my class-immediately after my response- said that she didn't have any criteria for her friends, that all they had to be was honest, trustworthy, have mutual interests and be a good friend, that she didn't care how intelligent her friends were.

After class, when I thought about what she had said, I found her comment to be somewhat hypocritical. OF COURSE we all have "criteria" for our friends! I mean, I may be taking it to extremes, but I'm sure one of her criteria was that her friends not be constant drunks or a drug dealers. And knowing her in the superficial way I did, I'm sure part of her "criteria" was that her friends not be lazy and be involved in school, whether in ASB or in sports or simply in school activities. I don't mean to sound snobby, but let's face it, we all have our list of qualities we look for in the people we interact with.

So this weekend I was trying to figure out exactly why I place so much importance on intelligence. Truth of the matter was that I simply could not come up with an answer. The more "answers" I came up with, the more confused I was. I was, however, able to put some thoughts together.

I think I look for a certain level of intelligence because it gives me and my friends topics to talk about that we find equally interesting and that, possible, we are equally knowledgeable in. Sure, I talk about television-though only of three shows- and sure I may know a thing or two about the life of celebrities, but at the end of the day the must fulfilling conversation I’ll have will deal with the proof of a theorem, the physics of the universe, or an interpretation of a story...and it can sometimes be difficult to find someone who is able to carry on a conversation about the above. And, of course, about the other person’s goals and ambitions are. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that, while some people may find it more interesting to talk about sports (big tennis fanatic, by the way) or the happenings around school or the latest break up, I’m more interested in stuff that other people would just find dull or unappealing (like the proof of a theorem).

Ending with this thought, maybe my peer is right, it’s mainly a matter of mutual interests...

So the first week of school is over. So long and yet so short!

This was such a hectic week. Getting to school at 8am everyday just to see if you'll get lucky enough to be given an add code is a lot of hard work, specially when you live in Santa Ana and it takes you AT LEAST an hour an twenty minutes to get to Fullerton (on the bus). My sleeping cycle definitely took a hit. And even during the weekend, I just can't stay asleep, my body is now too used to waking up early.  Wonder when I'll adjust to this new experience called college.

Community college is so different and yet so similar to high school.

So far, I've maintained the same group of friends, a SMALL group of friends at that. Bryan Galvan, who I've known since jr. high, and Anthony Lee, who I met just three years ago and yet it seems I've known him for a long time. Like in high school, people pass by that you don't know and you don't talk to. Cliques still exist.

However, there are also many differences. For one, I don't have to take lunch at a specific time, no one tells me when to do that. And while others might find that good, I find it hard to pick a regular time to sit down and eat. I honestly prefer to be told when to eat...and have free lunch =) The other difference, which really bothers me, is that students are allowed to smoke on campus. My dad smokes, so it's not that I'm not used to seeing such a habit. The thing that really bothers me about it is that I would think COLLEGE students would know better than to be doing such a thing. But I suppose that to each its own...whatever that means! The thing that I absolutely love about the college campus is that there is, thus far, no public displays of affection. I can walk down the hallway without having to worry about seeing a couple "make out." It's wonderful to see that college students are mature enough to keep their intimacies to themselves.

Wish a new college student good luck on this new journey! Which reminds me....

For a new student, I've actually had a lot of luck! I went to two different trigonometry classes, one at 8am and one at 12pm. By some chance of luck, both professors gave me an add code. In the end, I've decided to take the 8am class. Makes me feel bad knowing that I took the add code from another student for the 12pm class. Also, I was third on the waiting list for my English class. First class meeting came along and I was added right away! In addition to this, I auditioned for and made it into Concert Choir. A rather big honor, in my opinion. So, I've had pretty good luck, the only unlucky thing about this is that theses classes only make up 8 units, obviously not enough to be a full time student, something that I'm really bummed about. But I'm being grateful for what I have gotten. Unfortunately I won't have enough units to be a full time student this semester, but I suppose that's part of the experience of being a new student!