Joseph Natividad

The Hardest Part Is Over

I had quite an intense Spanish final last night. I had two and a half hours to write a two page essay, translate sentences, remember random vocabulary and other grammar rules, as well as jotting down all the countries and capitals of South America for a minuscule five points of extra credit . I’m glad I got this final over with first because it was the one I was most worried about. I don’t think I got an A in the class but I’ll be completely satisfied with a B grade or even a C something. I plan on taking LTSP2B next quarter, the next step up from this course. Hopefully my plan stays the way I’ve drawn it out but that depends on whether I end up passing this one first.

I had a Computer Science final this morning, which wasn’t too bad. It turned out that all I had to do was review the practice final on the course website and remember all the right answers because the ACTUAL final contained about 80% of those very same questions. I wouldn’t be satisfied with myself if I don’t end up receiving something in the B+ to A- range as my overall grade for the course. CSE3 is a joke and I really want the last laugh to belong to ME.

I have one final left on Thursday for CAT2B, my college’s core writing course. I still have to write a few essays to turn in during the test day, when I’ll have to write another in-class essay based on watching a scene from a film of the professor’s choosing. From that, I’m supposed to relate all the relevant material I can into an essay that spans five pages in a matter of three hours. It won’t be too bad as long as I’m allowed to use my notebook. My constant note-taking during every lecture will finally come in handy.

Tags: CAT, computer science, cse, finals, ltsp, peter john, spanish, ucsd

Ready for the Quarter to End

I’m more than ready for a respite from studying and working here at school. This quarter has turned out to be a lot better than my first one, as I continue to survive my classes and probably won’t end up failing a single one of them. I’ve found interest in attending my writing and intermediate Spanish classes. Too bad I can’t say the same about CSE3 (Computer Science). That’s the only trace of math I’ve experienced for the past 3 months and I can surely say that I still don’t enjoy it.

These past few days, I have begun to yearn for something I’m not too sure about. I don’t want to say that I’ve become drained by my college experience. Classes are hard, but they are bearable. Work isn’t too tiring; it’s tedious at its worst. Maybe a change of scenery for just a bit will do me good. I get back home next Friday to the Bay Area. I can already smell the food on my plate that doesn’t present an aroma reaking of the UCSD dining halls. Seeing old friends for a week and driving a car again — coming back home brings back people I never see or things I never do here at school.

I have a feeling that next quarter is going to be even much better than this current one. My schedule will be even better because I don’t have to wake up too early for my 11AM classes. I’m looking forward to becoming more involved and meeting even more people on campus than I already have. I have a lot of ideas in my head that I don’t want to give away just yet. I just know that everything will work out in the end. In some crazy way, it will. And before I know it, summer has arrived and my first year at the university has come to a close.

Tags: bay-area, CAT, classes, dining hall, ltsp, quarter, ucsd

That Was Quick…

I began registering at 9:00PM. My Spring Quarter schedule was all set by 9:01PM. That was quicker than I thought it would be. I got into all three classes I was aiming for and didn’t have to waitlist for anything. It was the perfect outcome to a stressful situation I had wanted to get over with for over a week now.

Tags: bild 22, cat 3, classes, ltsp, peter john, registration, schedule, ucsd, webreg

A lot has happened since last time

It’s been quite a while…

Ruminating/pondering/thinking/reflecting, taking a break, maybe being a bit lazy and all that.

I’ve had it with Calculus. I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to make my college experience a living hell for the sake of a major requirement for Economics. So I scrapped that plan and went in a totally different direction with my life. I switched over to something a bit more familiar and interesting to me. Something that dealt with languages, writing and increasing my awareness of foreign events. It was something that brought me back to my roots: journalism.

As the Winter quarter began this past January, I submitted my change of major form to the UCSD registrar to declare my official switch from Economics to International Studies - Linguistics. Instead of Calculus or Economics, I am now enrolled in an intermediate Spanish literature course. It still a challenging task, no doubt. But I feel better when I wake up in the morning and not have to think about numbers or formulas and failing the next midterm on my calendar. Siento bien conmigo mismo. (I feel good about myself.)

There will be a few changes to the focus of my blog. I may still report about economic developments in the news that I find important or interesting but won’t put an emphasis on it as I have in the past. I am, after all, a college student. I’m out and about with whatever’s going on around the San Diego/La Jolla area. I believe that there are a lot of crazy events going on at UCSD that not a lot of people know about so I want to spread the word. I’ve attended film screenings that haven’t gotten large turnouts as I thought there would have been because I have come to the conclusion that no one really knows about them. Last but not least — as I get deeper into my new major’s requirements and begin to flirt with the possibility of studying abroad in a few years — you’ll also be hearing quite a bit about that.

So please stay tuned and keep in touch by leaving comments if you wish!

Tags: international studies, ltsp, major, spanish, ucsd