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First Time Voter
The excitement in the air was apparent from the amount of time it took just to get through to the polls near where where I live at UCSD. It took over half an hour in line to be able to bubble in my say for my first presidential election. I have to say that I think it was worth it. It was a good experience and I did my part as a US citizen.
I’ve been really busy with midterms these past two weeks but the buildup to the election was everywhere. There were Obama signs on almost everyone’s windows, hundreds of givewaway stickers and a cardboard cutout of Obama himself (which was quite creepy to walk by every morning) outside the apartment below me.
I didn’t want to miss my chance to be able to participate in this historic event but I should be honest in saying that I had no clue what most of the propositions were until I got my ballot and I said “No” to pretty much all of them except #2, which (I think) touched on animal cruelty.
Waiting in line for over half an hour caused me to be late for work but it turned out to be the best excuse anyone could ever give their boss. I had my “I voted ” sticker to prove for it too.
Lazy Saturday Afternoon
It’s already 5PM and I haven’t gotten any work done. So much for my plan to manage time wisely this weekend and get all my homework over with for Monday. It looks as if procrastination is once again catching up to me and biting me in the butt.
In a few hours I know I’ll be finding myself out of my room and without any kind of textbook in hand. All I’ve pretty much done so far today was do my laundry, attend an meeting, eat a buritto and now I’m back here in front of my laptop delaying the three page Spanish essay for some other time.
I don’t even really believe myself anymore when it comes to thinking I can manage to get some work done while I still can. It’s not too late…is it? Okay — one quick Facebook check and I’m hitting the books.
Adios.
Why so much homework?
I don’t have much work to do YET, but it seems as if a lot of people around me seem to have already begun to stress out about school in general.
I understand that students may like to achieve a mindset of managing their time wisely to escape the inevitability of procrastination. But it’s only the first week! Ahh! Professors go over their syllabus, course expectations and at the most start on chapter 1 of whatever lesson they’re teaching.
I’ve had my first dose of actual work to do for most of my classes. As usual, Calculus gives me brain farts. It didn’t bring back good memories at all. I just ended up with a headache.
It’s the beginning of the year and everyone wants to get off to a good start. I respect those students who are motivated to do their work, but it’s not worth stressing over when we haven’t even had a week’s worth of classes under our belts.
Coachella, A Bleeding Chin and Lots of Homework
I’ve been quite the busy bee. Spring quarter is turning out to be as good as I was hoping for. It’s been awhile since I’ve updated this thing (yet again), but lots of crazy stuff has been happening in my life as of late.
For starters, I injured myself badly in a skating rink accident while broomballing with my friends. Here’s a closeup of the aftermath (click on the image for the full effect!):
I got it glued back together and now I’m as good as new.
There has been a lot of schoolwork in between that mess and then some giant music festival called Coachella made my brain explode to pieces (a good thing!). I got in for free for all three days simply because of a connection I made through my friend’s employer, who happened to own a company on the side selling beverages at concerts and such. And so I was hired on the spot and I tagged along for the weekend earning tip money and watching a bunch of Indie rock shows. I ended up seeing Santogold, Scroobius Pip vs Dan Le Sac, The Bird & the Bee, The Teenagers, M.I.A., The Shout Out Louds, The Cool Kids, Chromeo and Justice. I was never disappointed…
not even for a second.
That weekend of insanity followed by a barrage of essays and midterms brought me back to earth. So here I am now, trying to revive what’s been missing from this blog for over a month: something new to look at.
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.
An Uneasy ‘Ending’ to My Day
I just got back from watching the film screening on campus of the award winning film “No Country for Old Men,” which told the story of a dope deal gone totally wrong and an innocent man who gets caught up in the aftermath. It was a heart-stoppingly morbid tale of the depths that someone or some group of people would go to in order get their hands on a suitcase filled with $2 million worth of $100 bills. Javier Bardem gave a bone-chilling performance as the homicidal freak named Anton and absolutely deserved his nod for Best Supporting Actor in this year’s Academy Awards. I can’t stop thinking about what an evil, sadistic psychopath that guy he played was.
I walked out of Price Center a bit uneasy about the ending of the film, which I think has been debated by many critics and moviegoers before me. *SPOILER* When the sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) recounts his dream to his wife at the dining table, he talks about his father in the past who goes ahead of him to build a fire in the darkness. The sheriff says that if he followed him later, he knew he would still be there waiting by the fire for him. As I watched this scene unfold, I don’t know if I was imagining things but I swear that I heard footsteps coming slowly and steadily before all things faded to black and the credits ran. In my mind, I was thinking that Anton had come back to finish off the sheriff and maybe his wife as well. It was an abrupt and completely open-ended conclusion that supposedly compares faithfully with Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same title.
Everyone has their own interpretation of what must have happened next after the final scene, much like what the response was to the series finale of “The Sopranos.” In this case, I’m actually not bent on believing what I’m thinking. I know that whatever the author or directors meant by that scene turning out the way it did might not be how I think I see it. There was nothing definite about the ending; that’s for sure. The thought has crossed my mind that I may be rambling a bit right now, so in the spirit of Mr. McCarthy and film directors Ethan and Joel Coen i will let this entry stop on a dime (or Anton’s quarter) and fade to black…
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.
‘No Country for Old Men’ Screening @ Price Center Theater
No Country for Old Men, the dramatic film that captured the most Academy Awards this year, is showing at the Price Center Theater this week. To be more precise, tonight (Thursday the 13th) and this following Saturday at 6PM and 9PM. Tickets are only $3, as usual.
If you haven’t checked it out before at another cinema or bought the DVD that arrived in stores this past Tuesday, I suggest it’s worth a big look. I have yet to see it myself and will probably check it out this weekend instead of tonight. The Golden State Warriors are going to be on national TV against the Phoenix Suns at 7:30PM PST and that’s a higher priority on my list at the moment.
- What: Film Screening: “No Country for Old Men”
- Where: Price Center Theater — UCSD Campus
- When: Thursday, March 13 or Saturday, March 16
- Cost: $3
I thought I lost my iPod
It was a near death experience for me (or the closest one to it). I just got back from work and emptied out my pockets. Out came my cellphone, my keys and my wallet. Where the #$%& was my iPod?!?! Panicked and sweating like crazy, I checked my pockets again and scrounged through all the clothes on my bed and the random stuff on my desk. It was nowhere to be found.
I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I’d rather lose my cellphone than my iPod, one of my most treasured possessions. At least if i lost my cellphone, it was more likely that whoever found it would call one of my contacts and I’d get it back sooner or later. So I ran back to the dining hall where i work and searched the hamper with all the dirty aprons and towels. I looked at all the pockets of every apron I could find. I still didn’t know where it was. It was at this moment that I actually began to consider the possibility that Lynn Carey had stolen it from me.
I jogged back to my dorm (I was getting tired from all the unexpected running) and searched once again through most of the possible places it could have ended up. If it wasn’t in my jeans pockets then it couldn’t be anywhere else in my room. I took my dormmate’s bike and sped back to the dining hall. I left the bike in front of one of my friend’s apartments and jogged the rest of the way. I searched through the hamper full of aprons one more time. This time I dug deeper into the pile past the towels…and there it was — grimy but unmistakeably my iPod.
Hallelujah.
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.
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