Category: Recreation

Crunch time

It’s been so long since I last blogged! In my defense, it’s crunch time for all of my classes so I scarcely make time to feed myself! For example: I have a philosophy paper due Friday, an English draft due the following Monday, an anthropology portfolio due the next day, a history paper and the revised English paper due 4 days later, and an archaeology paper due that next day. Not to mention finals in a couple of weeks! I HATE MY LIFE.

Although I must say I’m doing WAY better in classes this semester than I was doing last semester. Or maybe it’s just because I have more confidence? Either way, I’m doing far better. Last week I almost cried when I found out I got an A- on my philosophy midterm (SCOOORE!), but of course then I got mad at myself a bit because after looking at the questions I got marked down on, I realized I HAD known the rest of the answers, but I had either blanked a bit or rushed myself because we only had 50 minutes. I don’t care who you are, 50 minutes is not enough time to write 7 decent short answers and an essay!

My non-academic life has also been spiffy! (Did I just use the word spiffy?) my sorority won Greek Week (booya!) a couple of weeks ago! VICTORY! I have very fond memories of the 7-legged race..lol. We also had our Formal this past weekend, where I realized a new dream of mine: TO BECOME A DJ. I have about a million dreams though, so I don’t know how soon I’ll be able to accomplish this one. Oh and I’m not particularly proud of this, but in the space of two weeks I have not only watched the entire Ouran High School Host Club anime series, but I’ve also READ all 69 published chapters of the manga. TWO WEEKS. I don’t even know what to think of myself! Forget what I said earlier about academics ruling my life; apparently my mind has been at Ouran High. The main characters are all at the top of their classes though, so I have actually been inspired a few times to stop reading and get back to work. So loophole: it’s been good for me! baha

Lately I’ve also been stressing about my future, mainly my major and what I’m doing after graduation. I have this nagging idea that I should switch into the faculty of science and pursue astronomy (which I love), but I really want to graduate after four years, and switching and getting all the classes would be a major pain in the ass. But I’m also seriously considering applying for the school of Creative Writing, since another dream of mine (see previous paragraph) is to become a novelist. This one is the scarier option, because there’s only a very small chance I’d ever be able to support myself as a writer and I don’t want to wind up working as a toothbrush restocker at a dentist’s office.

Although that wouldn’t be that bad. I imagine I’d get free toothbrushes and toothpaste and stuff.

Anyway. So I’d like to go for the Creative Writing program, but then (dream alert) I’d also like to be a lawyer, so I don’t know how that could work out? Plus if I went with CR I don’t know if I could double major..not that I’d know what to double major in since right now my mind is floating around anthropology, English, and philosophy. I wish I could like quadruple major in four years, while simultaneously learning languages (I want to learn Italian and Japanese), and still have time for random fun classes (like the wine tasting class or an art class!), all of which would get me into a top law school!! And of course having a killer fashion sense and fabulous parties the whole time. Oh yeah and I’d have time to read/watch manga/anime, study abroad, and work as a skydiving instructor during the summer. A girl can dream.

Oh and the rest of the Blog Squad got together on Friday but I wasn’t theeere! 🙁 Although I was at Formal, so it’s not like I was sitting at home reading Ouran (ha!), but still. I should propose another get together just after classes end but before finals begin. STUDY DATE! We could rent out a room in Irving and put a sign on the door with a witty, catchy slogan that entices people to visit our websites and peek in the window, amazed at how scholarly we look with piles of books, crumpled papers, towers of coffee cups, wearing our glasses (we’ll all mysteriously require corrective lenses that day), and periodically having passionate discussions about the effects of GMOs on the suffering economies of the world (complete with pie graphs and utilization of white boards)!!!

^^My imagination astounds me. I need a vacation.

Randomosity Recreation Residence Life

Spur Of The Moment

Post author By Jennifer Ayala
Post date November 18, 2008

Last night I was sitting here in my room chillaxin when my friend Amber walked in carrying scissors.

“Jen!” she said. “Wanna cut your hair? Let’s get bangs!”

So of course I said yes, then got up, grabbed my scissors and hairbrush, and headed into the bathroom.

About 10 minutes later we both had bangs! They’re not side-bangs, but the actual straight-down in the front kind, which I’m told very few people can actually pull off. 🙂

We even got another girl from our floor in on it; she hated her split ends and ended up taking an inch or so off from the bottom. I think we have the makings of beauty salon owners.

This incident made me realize that most of my life’s adventures happen at the spur of the moment.

Take Saturday night, for example. We were supposed to have a party on our floor for Amber’s birthday (this story also has to do with Amber..hm), but it got lame and so around midnight we decided to head downtown and walk around. We were in front of the SRC on the side that faces the bus loop, and I decided to lay down on that metal-grate-looking-thing next to the stairs leading up to the SRC entrance.

Here’s a picture of the SRC I found online..it was the best they had on Google.

Next time you’re by the bus loop/SRC, go to where the red circle is, and to the right of the stairs there is this large metal filter-thing that goes up at maybe a 60 degree angle. Got it? Okay let me continue.

I decided that I wanted to lay down on top of it, so I stepped on it and turned around, intending to lower myself slowly backwards. Somehow I managed to slip and land flat on my back (ha!), and then we ended up taking pictures there. I’d post some, but my friend has them and I don’t feel like tracking her down.

Anyway somehow we came up with the idea of sliding down the giant metal grate, so a couple of us went up and slid down, weee!, etc etc. Around the third time we did it Amber decided to take my spot (I was always on the left side, closest to the wall), and once we got to the ground she jumped up and was like “OMG I THINK I RIPPED MY PANTS!” Sure enough, upon inspection we found a hole on the seat of her pants, and she had to walk around the rest of the night with her shirt pulled way down. Funniest thing ever! We’re still laughing about it. Gotta love these spur of the moment ideas!

Come to think of it, I decided to write this blog spur of the moment. Epic.

Moral of the story: sometimes the best things in life happen unexpectedly. So if you’re walking by a bus about to depart, don’t be afraid to hop on and see where it takes you! If a friend walks into your room with hair bleach and green hair dye, just go for it! We’re in college people, let’s make some good stories to tell our grandkids someday.

Academic Randomosity Recreation Residence Life

“THERE HE IS!” (Unrelated to this post, don’t worry)

Post author By Jennifer Ayala
Post date November 2, 2008
1 Comment on “THERE HE IS!” (Unrelated to this post, don’t worry)

AWKWARD. I came here with a specific writing topic in mind, and as soon as the Write Post page came up I lost it. Dorkus maximus.

Anyway so now that I lost my original train of thought, I feel like talking about books.

I don’t know if you know this, but I read ALOT. University life has not stopped my addiction (I’m trying to quit!), so since I’ve been here I’ve read a couple of books that are totally not on my reading lists. Mind you they’re totally mindless and talk about fashion, boys, secrets, “magical” powers, etc etc, but they’re addictive I swear! I’m not gonna lie though, a big chunk of my addiction for one of these series is because the Twilight series is over (don’t even get me started on what I think of Breaking Dawn..).

First things first: The Private series by Kate Brian. ADDICTIVE SERIES AT ITS BEST. You literally pick up a book and hours later you are A) wondering where the time went and B) angry that the next book doesn’t come out for months. I finished reading the latest book in the series (chronologically at least), Revelation, a few days ago, and the cliffhanger was OUTRAGEOUS. I keep trying not to think about it actually. The next book (titled Paradise Lost. Epic much? Yeah) doesn’t come out until February (February!!)!!! I won’t tell you exactly how Revelation ended, so I’ll write an ending comparable in intensity.

I watched in horror as she pulled a long, gleaming knife out of her coat. Instantly all the air seemed to leave the room. I couldn’t believe my eyes. How could I have ever trusted this girl?

“Karen, put the knife down!” Trey shouted as Beau held him back. “You don’t really want to kill Chloe!”

“Yes I do!” she screamed. She slowly walked around the room, shortening the distance between us.

“My life was perfect before I met you,” she said, meeting my gaze, “and then you came here and made me this. You’re the reason we’re here. You’re the reason you’re about to die.”

Karen stopped walking a few feet in front of me. She raised her knife just as a gust of wind blew through the room, and then my world went black.

It was kinda like that, only more intense and with better writing. You get my point though, HOW could Kate Brian leave us hanging like that for four months!! grrr. She does have a new book out though, titled Last Christmas, set before the first book in the Private series. I’ll get it the next time I make a trip to Chapters. Why am I specifically going to Chapters, you may ask?

Because Revelations will (eventually) be there! No it’s not the same book I was just talking about. This title is plural, duh. Revelations in the third book in the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz. While not quite as addictive as the Private books, this series nonetheless has had me waiting anxiously for MONTHS. And when I say months, I mean forever. The last book was published May 2007. MAY 2007. WHAT THE HECK. Not as bad as the wait for the final book of Libba Bray’s series though; there was literally like a 3+ year gap between the second and final book of the trilogy.

Anyway so the Blue Bloods series is about vampires, only they’re fully involved in society and are basically the richest and most beautiful people in New York City. Quite a bit of page-space is spent talking about what the characters are wearing and how much Mimi spends at Barneys, but those are totally some of my favorite parts. Come on, when am I going to be able to head to Barneys after school and rack up a 5-figure charge on daddy’s credit card?

Revelations was actually supposed to come out on October 28th (Melissa de la Cruz’s blog SWEARS that the Canadian Hyperion rep SWEARS that they were supposed to be out that day), but here I am a few days later, totally NOT having read it! I went to Chapters on the 28th, nothing. Waited a couple of days, called in, nope they don’t have it. Called in Friday afternoon, THE LADY SAID THEY HAD IT. I went, all excited, only to find out that the fool had been misinformed (LIAR, I SAY!). I haven’t given up yet though. I’m going to call tomorrow morning, and if they don’t have it then, then I guess I’ll give in to the dark side.

I’ll order it online.

Not that I haven’t done that before, but some of the magic is lost when it shows up in a box, as opposed to talking into the Young Adult/Teen section of the bookstore and finding the newest book facing out amidst the other books of the series.

I’ve taken over one of the private study rooms in the Commons Block, and I feel kinda bad not doing any work AT ALL in here, so that’s it for now. On to French exercises..gr. 😉

Involvement / Leadership Recreation

Day of the Longboat 2008!

If you ever get a chance to jump into a boat with seven friends and paddle into the Pacific Ocean, DO IT! Some of us Blog Squad-ers signed up for Longboat, and on Saturday, we BROUGHT IT. Okay sure we brought it last, but it was brought nonetheless.

The day was a blur of sand, leg warmers, beautiful water, and life jackets, but it was completely unforgettable!

Oh!! And some media guy followed us around the whole time, documenting our experience. Apparently it’s going to show up on the LEAP website? Anyway I felt a sudden sympathy for real celebrities, because even though it was just one guy with a camera following us around, it still was odd to know that I was being shadowed. Any of the other bloggers feel the same way? Mind you it was pretty cool, though! I was sooo tempted to be like “Dahhhhling no pictures!”

I was able to take a few pictures of us before we got all sandy and wet, though. Yay!

Tamryn and Lindsay (or was it Lizzy? You guys confused me that first day at the tomato place!)

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Diggin’ the Strawberry Shortcake leg warmers.

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My leg with the amazing technicolor leg warmer

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I really wish I had taken more pictures, but alas..I didn’t. I took one with Synne but she asked me not to post it, and by golly I will honor my promise!

I went to bed at like 4:30 last night (I was reading) so I’m gonna go catch up on my lost slumber right now. YAY!!