Final Exams

A few things i've learned about surviving the last week of the semester which are full of final exams!
Start studying early for the exams. Reviewing your notes a few nights before the test can reduce the stress of cramming it all in the nght before.
Take breaks between studying. Taking your mind off of what you are studying by talking to a friend or working out.
Vary the subjects you study. Don't study all night for one test. Take turns with each of the subjects you need to study for so you don't get bored with the information you keep going over.
Eating right can drastically help during exam week. Eating the right food, not junk food, gives you energy to focus on the test. Eating breakfast the day of the exam is best since it gives you a boost of nergy for the rest of the day. Eating foods with high sugar and fats make you sluggish so avoiding them is best.
Get enough sleep. Seven or eight hours is necessary to rejuvinate the body. Without sleeping you are more irritable and more prone to making mistakes.
Reduce the stress around you. Don't put yourself in situations that cause more stress than necessary.
Take care of your body. Excercising has been proven to help retain information. Staying away from caffiene stimulants is best because they only give a short boost of energy and then you return to feeling tired and drained.
Just a few ways to stay positive during final week!

Rent!

The Broadway musical Rent is one of the best musicals I have seen by far. Having now seen it twice I have fallen in love with it even more. The upbeat music tells a story of unfortunate city dwellers, some of which have AIDS, living their lives day to day with little money in their pockets. Roger Davis, Mimi Marquez, Mark Cohen, Maureen Johnson, Joanne Jefferson, Tom Collins and Angel Schunard are the seven main characters who have become a family through all the difficulties that life has thrown at them. Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel have all contracted AIDS so life has become even more difficult for them. Living in a world where homosexuality has not become the norm Maureen, Joann, Tom and Angel deal with the ridicule that most out upon them. Maureen, who used to date Mark, is dating Joann but hasn’t become serious enough about their relationship. Joann is looking for a commitment but isn’t sure she can find this in Maureen after speaking with Mark about Maureen’s blatant flirting with the same and opposite sex. Tom met Angel in an alley where Tom was beaten and stripped of his jacket. Angel cleaned him up and brought him to a Life Support meeting for people with AIDS. Angel is a spunky cross dresser, who has a very bad case of AIDS. Tom soon falls in love with Angel knowing all the “baggage” he’s attached to. Roger has just lost his girlfriend April who committed suicide soon after finding out they both have AIDS. Mimi works her way in to Rogers’s heart and they go through the trials of a relationship with some extra hardships along the way. Mark, a filmmaker, was the narrator of the play and a helpful friend to all. He signs a contract with a local TV station to earn money and broadcast the underprivileged and homeless in the city so maybe one day help will be provided. Another main character Benjamin Coffin, Mimi’s ex-boyfriend and ex-friend of all of the other main characters, is the landlord of their building and has demanded the rent or receive the consequence of being evicted. The movie is surrounded around the fact that these characters can’t pay the rent. Maureen hosts a protest against people like Benny who want to turn the apartments in a Cyber Arts Studio. Maureen and Joanne eventually realize they need and love each other after the death of Angel which takes its toll on Tom. Roger and Mimi also recognize that even though they both have “baggage” they can get through it if they have each other. Mark realizes he loves film but doesn’t want to “sell his soul” to a TV station and quits that job to do independent films about his friends. They all eventually find themselves back at the apartment where they were meant to be. I love everything about Rent. It shows true life in a way other producers couldn’t portray. It showed the darker side of the city where AIDS and homosexuality is what is happening. The producers didn’t hide behind the perfect life where boy meets girl and they fall in love. Rent was reality that hasn’t been seen by most. Rent is a must see!

Jobs and Internships

Getting a college education is all about the big prize at the end, the dream job. Finding out what you enjoy doing is one of the key points in being a success in a job. Internships can help in getting to this dream job. Starting small is the only way to get to the top. High school was a set curriculum and all students were forced to take the same classes. In college there are, of course, core classes that are required of every student but the main focus is on the students major. Picking the right major for you is the key to success. Choosing a major that you don’t enjoy but happens to have a high salary won’t help in the long run. Hating the job you have makes life harder. Getting up everyday hating what you do will cause a ripple of negative events in life. Choosing a major that you have interest in is the way to go. Loving what you do makes life more enjoyable and will allow you to work your way up in that specific job. This will cause an increase in salary and position and will eventually surpass that of a person who hated their job that they only took because of the high starting salary. Internships are a great way to find out what you are interested in doing. The Monster website can help students find internships that best suit them and their interests. Getting a feel for what you enjoy before making a commitment is a smart move. Working for a company that has a job you are interested in can enable you to work closely with employees of this company. Gaining knowledge from the experience can only help you in the long run. Usually, but not all the time, if the company likes the intern they will offer them a job after they finish their degree. Sometimes these companies will offer to pay for graduate school while working for them part time. Choosing the right job for you will help form the most enjoyable life possible. Internships help in the process of finding this perfect job. Two or more internships are needed to truly find out what you are interested in doing. Taking the time to do this now is better then settling for a job you are unsure of and you find out later you are unhappy with.

Christmas Tree NOT Holiday Tree

Religion has become one of the biggest controversies when the holidays come around. This year it has become even larger. In magazines and newspaper advertisements, Christmas Trees are now being called Holiday Trees. I think this is disrespectful to people who celebrate Christmas. For years trees have been the symbol of Christmas and now all of a sudden, people from all over the world come to America and now we have to change our ways? I believe they should conform to our customs instead of Americans who have been fine with the idea of Christmas Trees for decades. Do we call menorah's for Chanukah, holiday candelabra's? Each religion has their own way of celebrating and Christmas trees are what Catholics use to celebrate Christmas. People actually refuse to buy trees from stores that sell them as holiday trees. These stores are losing business from the only religion that buys trees. The Lincoln Center Tree lighting that occured Tuesday night was called the Holiday Tree Lighting. The Rockefellar Center Tree Lighting was called the Christmas Tree Lighting. Alot of people haven't and refuse to conform to the changes that society is making and I agree. It is getting ridiculous that we have to change the ways we've been living.

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards on November 18, 2007 were held at the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Jimmy Kimmel, comedian, writer and talk show host returned for the fourth time to hose the 35th anniversary of the awards show. For the first time the winners will be determined by voters online. There were many performers from Alicia Keys to the Jonas Brothers. Celine Dion sang her new hit Taking Chances, and Lenny Kravitz sang Ill Be Waiting which he played on the piano which was a surprising change from his usual fast paced rock songs. The performances were upbeat and kept the show alive. Daughtry, who was founded on American Idol and was voted off at 8th place, left the show with music awards in three different categories; Favorite Breakthroug Artist, Favortie Rock Album, and Favorite Artist in the Adult Contemporary category. Other winners included Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood and Linkin Park. Beyoncé became the first female artist ever to win the International Artist Award at the 2007 American Music Awards. She performed Irreplaceable with the band Sugarland who added their own twist to the pop song. The American Music Awards is a wonderful event to show America's love for music and to support those who make this music.

Today's Energy

Today’s world is constantly using hydrocarbons to fuel our homes, cars and businesses. Researchers are trying to find a new and improved way of using our earth’s resources to do this without harming the environment. Renewable, nonpolluting sources of energy could help stop future damage that this world will eventually cause. Some experts say that we are slowly running out of hydrocarbons, but this isn’t the main reason we should start looking for new resources to use. It is because we won’t be able to live much longer with the consequences of using oil, coal and natural gas. Changes can be made, but lifestyles would have to be altered and many wouldn’t be in favor of this. Global warming could be slowed down, maybe even cease to exist if cars, homes, and factories are made more energy efficient and an aggressive investment in renewable energy is sought out. Even though plans sound feasible, this world is far from off the hook. There has yet to be found a renewable source that could replace the tasks that hydrocarbons can fulfill. Changes all over the world would have to be made for renewable sources. Car engines would have to be rebuilt to allow corn, sugar cane or hydrogen as their source of gas that would let the engine run, power plants would be built to collect energy from the sun and wind, and networks of pipelines would have to be laid out across the nation to transport hydrogen rather than fossil fuels. Some sources that could in the future be used are, solar power, which would collect energy from the sun, wind power, which would harvest energy by using windmill farms, geothermal power, which would gather heat from the earth’s core, gasification, which cleans coal so it wouldn’t emit harmful substances out into the atmosphere when being used, ethanol power, which would turn corn and sugarcane into forms of energy, nuclear power, and hydrogen power, which would use the earth’s most abundant source, water, to supply this world with clean energy.
(Time Magazine)

Alochol In College

College is a big transition from highschool and alcohol is a big part of the change. There is a chance alcohol will be present when going to parties or just hanging out with friends, so it is important to remember to be safe about the amount of alcohol consumed. One shot, one beer and one glass of wine all have the same amount of alcohol in it so remembering which kinds of drinks you consume is an excellent idea. Watching out for your drink at all times and keeping tabs on how many drinks you have had are some precautions to take. Drinking games make it harder to keep track of how many drinks you’ve had since the enjoyment of the game will distract a person from remembering their own limit. Going anywhere alone after drinking is never a good idea since judgment is impaired after only a few drinks. Also never leave a friend alone if they have been drinking to assure their safety as well. It is inevitable that all teenagers have a drink before the legal drinking age, so it is a great idea to have these labs for first year college students. Learning the ways to stay safe while drinking alcohol could help save many from becoming victims of DWI related accidents or even abuse due to intoxication. It is good that people aren’t naive to the fact that alcohol has become a large part of the college transition and instead of brushing it off they are addressing the situation in a rational and effective way.

The ups and downs of living at college...

In high school I thought it was the greatest thing to live in a dorm. I was jealous of my friends that would get that chance. I’ve been to most of my friend’s dorms and living at a college definitely has its pros and cons. The dorms themselves aren’t that big and sharing them with either two or three people makes it even worse. Having my own room all of my life, I couldn’t even imagine having to share such a small living space. School is hard enough already and having someone else to cope with is ever harder. Roommates don’t tend to have identical schedules so while one has to study the other one might want to have friends over. Dealing with roommate’s habits and the habits of their friends can be the worst part of living in a dorm. On the other hand, roommates can become a person’s best friend and they could have the best four years together.

Besides living with the people in your room you have to deal with the other people sharing the floor. Loud music and parties can be very distracting when someone has to study or do homework. The smells of the food that each person cooks in their room could be nauseating. Every person on that floor has to share a bathroom. Granted there is usually more than one stall in that bathroom, they could become pretty disgusting. The showers also have to be shared and trying to clean oneself in something that has everyone else’s filth in it can be disgusting also. There are some positive sides to this though. Having so many people on a floor, a person is bound to find a friend to hang with or a party to go to on a weekend. The other aspect of living away from home is the food at a college. It is almost all of the time much different than home cooking. Only having a few choices of food that you might not like is hard with all the other changed that college brings. Some people like being able to choose what they eat instead of having someone telling them to eat healthy foods or to eat more or to eat less.

Freedom is the ultimate positive point in living at college. Parents aren’t there telling you what to do every second. There aren’t any curfews and school work can get done whenever you feel up to doing it. Siblings aren’t there to annoy you and chores like cleaning are optional. Living away from home has its positives and negatives so each individual has to evaluate which situation has more ups than downs.

Halloween in the Village

Some people think its crazy to go into the city on Halloween. I, on the other hand, pictured it to be spontaneous and fun. With three of my best friends, we set out on the journey to go the Halloween Parade in the Village. Gettin on the ferry we got a sneak peek at what the parade might look like. Crowds of people all dressed in different costumes ready for the parade. Getting into the city was the easy part, finding a place to stand was not. Stepping on to the train was a tight squeeze. Barely room to move around people were all over the place in strange, yet amusing attire. Some dressed like superheros or other homemade costumes like Willy Wonka from the newer version of the movie. People were already drunk or maybe just drunk with excitement. Getting off of the train at Christopher St. was an adventure in itself. Not getting trampled was my goal as I stepped onto the platform, making sure my friends got off safely as well. Walking down the street was almost an impossible task. Adults with strollers and young children oblivious to their surroundings were at the parade. Thankfully it was a beautiful night to walk around because it was hard to get into any of the restaurants and stores. The parade was hard to see with the massive amounts of people standing as close as they could to the street. Some people resorted to standing on newspaper dispensers or bike racks to see what was happening. There were alot of floats in the parade so those were easy to see since they were above eye level. Wings was the theme of the parade this year so oversized shoes, skeletons and people had wings attached to them. Other people barely had a costume on at all. It wasn't unusal to see most of a persons body exposed on the streets that night. Leaving the city wasn't as hard as getting there. The trains weren't as crowded and the ferry had barely any people at all. The parade was fun but just seeing the strange people that come out in the city was the best part of being in the Village on Halloween.

A little something I learned...

These are a few things I learned in the first half of this semester. It's amazing how much freedom college gives you to do either well or completely bomb. I've decided the easiest way to keep up with the class is one simple step, show up to class. By showing up demonstrates to the teacher that you are interested in learning and want to be there. Since in college no one is forcing you to be there it is up to each individual student to evaluate whether or not they want to get an education. Each class we miss is costing us or our parents a lot of money and is like throwing money right out the window. Another way to do well for the rest of the semester is to pay attention, take notes and be an active participant in class. Showing the teacher you are engrossed in the topic makes the teacher think twice before giving a student an A or a B. Even by just saying hello and goodbye to the teacher shows respect and can also help with class participation grades. Standing out to a teacher in a good way can only improve your grade, not hurt it. Studying of course will improve anyone’s grade. Whether you study every night what was taught in class or studying when there is going to be a test can make the difference between passing and failing. Procrastination is a “disease” that spreads quickly. Starting assignments when they are given can help reduce stress the day before they are due. School is hard enough as it is with work and a social life. Making it harder by not paying attention or studying when you have the time is foolish. Setting goals and having good time management can help a student be very successful in college.

Pollution

Promises have been made and broken in relation to pollution. Our world is slowly but surely deteriorating every second we live on it. Cars are the main source of the pollution that is depleting our ozone layer. Some car companies have tried to reduce the amount of pollution each car produces by creating the Hybrid class of cars which allow more gas per gallon and emit less waste into the atmosphere. Other sources are the trash we throw out everyday. After we bag the trash, put it in the can outside, and the garbage trucks come and take it away, we don't stop to think where this trash goes. On Staten Island it used to be stored behind fences by the mall but the mound of trash became so big they couldn't store anymore garbage there. It is now put on barges and shipped out to New Jersey. Many people don't give thought to the gum wrappers, plastic bags, or other trash they throw out their car windows, or drop on the gound. All of this trash eventually emits waste into the atmosphere causing the ozone layer to thin out even more. Recycling cans, bottles, and paper has become mandatory so we can reuse our trash and make it into something useful. This has reduced pollution somewhat but its still bad. Animals are dying because of all the trash in our oceans that they eat, or get stuck to. People don't seem to react unless it happens to them personally, but when that happens it will be too late. Something needs to be done now to stop our world from deteriorating. What that something is no one has been able to discover yet, but the little things that can be done help tremendously.

Britney Spears

It doesn't shock me that every magazine I pick up has Britney Spears on the cover. Since she is a celebrity and people love to read about the mistakes they make, she has been in every magazine since her performance of "Give Me More" at MTV's Video Music Awards. Spears' performance wasn't one of her best but how could it be with all the stress shes been through. Getting married, having two kids and getting a divorce could put quite a strain on a person, especially a celebrity who has to watch every move they make, assuring that it won't be used as gossip in the next magazine. Granted, she shouldn't have taken the offer to be the opening act in the VMA's since she knew the pressure it would put on her, but she took her chance and has ended up in a sticky situation. Now trying to come off a drug and alcohol addiction, she has lost custody of her two children until she cleans her act up. Many are trying to help Britney in any way they can. Even Justing Timberlake and his mother have tried to lend a helping hand to her, but she doesn't seem to want the help. You Tube videos by Chris Crocker still show that their are die hard Britney Spears fans out their. I am not a fan of Britney myself, but don't support the stories that have made this tough time for Britney even harder. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance.

Breast Cancer Walk

The Breast Cancer Walk on October 21, 2007 in Clove Lakes Park was sponsored by Making Strides. It was a noncompetitive walk to help fight breast cancer and provide hope to people facing the disease. These walks take place all over the United States to try and help find a cure and make both women and men aware of breast cancer. I have been to the Breast Cancer Walk many times before and each year is better than the last. It is inspirational to see women, men and children walking for a cause. Survivors, family members of people who hadn’t survived, relatives and friends supported each other. It was surprising to me that so many people suffer with this cancer, some of which I know but didn’t know had the disease. The walk was about three miles but the shortened version was only a half a mile or a mile. Tents were set up, cheerleaders from schools all over the island, and sororities and fraternities came to help raise money for the event. That day over five thousand walkers raised over five hundred and thirty thousand dollars.

A Few Facts:

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts from cells in the breast. The disease occurs mostly in women, but men can get it as well. Worldwide, breast cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death. Among women breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death. Yearly mammograms for women age forty and older are solutions to detecting breast cancer early, when the disease is more treatable.

Music

Music is a big part of everything I do. Every word, sound and taste is music to me. Music is words in motion coming from every angle of life. A line in a song can define me or the situation I am going through. The lyrics are life with a catchy tune. I have fell in love with music. It is impossible to define music in just a word or even a sentence. Music can be used for communication, perception, social status ( rocker, punk, rapper, country, etc.), a form of language, and as simple as a sound. I would define music as a way to express what I am feeling when I just can't seem to find the words. It is very easy to relate to music of all different types. I do have specific types of music I like to listen to but it is better to listen to all different types of music to be able to see how other people express themselves. Music is life!

Money

I absoltuely hate that everything in this world has become all about money. We can't even turn on the faucet without spending money. Water that comes from our earth, that doesn't cost anyone a dime to make, all over the nation we are paying top dollar to have running water in our homes, and not at a cheap cost. Leaving your home and taking a drive in the car costs money and alot of it since the cost of gas is so high. Surviving life is at a high expense these days. No matter how much minimum wage or any wage goes up it will never be enough because the cost of living is so high. I can now understand why getting a college education and getting a very well paying job has become top priority.

Across The Universe!

For all you musical lovers out there, GO SEE THIS MOVIE! It was inspiring and uplifting. I was skeptical about it at first, thinking it was going to be boring since it takes place in an earlier time period when the Vietnam War took place. This movie brings this time period to life. It shows the ups and downs, the heartache and laughter, stuggle and triumph of people trying to make something of themselves. The music itself is all Beetles music. Even if you aren't a Beetles lover, it is hard not to get into it after this. The spirit of this music explains these peoples lives and the times of trouble they went through. Since love and drugs was a big part of the sixties, much of the movie depicts how a group of people use these as ways to release themselves. It seems like a crazy movie because of all the psychadelic references but after seeing the whole movie it is easy to see the meaning of every aspect of the movie. I encourage all to see this movie!

Memory

By definition a memory is the power of retaining and recalling a past experience. Memories are what link the present to the past. Since the past can never be relived, a memory allows us to relive a short period of the past in our minds, wether good or bad. The smell of a certain perfume or a candle can trigger a person to recall something that had happened to them in the past. Tasting a delicious food can bring someone back to as far as their childhood, and the way something feels can also trigger the mind to recall an earlier time period. Listening to a song or seeing an old friend also generates a memory. A memory can be so vivid somtimes that it prompts an emotion, either joyful or depressing. It is amazing to see how our five senses can awaken our minds to relive a time period.

Snickers

Some people would never believe a pet would have such an impact on a family. My dog "snickers" has become one of the family in one and a half short years. The day my sister brought him home all hell broke loose in my house. My mom was against having any animals in the house and threatened to move out if the dog stayed, but in one short month she became very attached to the dog. She is probably one of the most protective of him. He is more like a person than an animal. He's like a little baby who needs loads of attention and recieves it from all of us because he's a big ball of cuteness. The way he sleeps, eats and plays is adorable and we all melt and would do anything for him. It amazes me how one little dog can make someones day brighter with just a lick on your hand, or how excited he gets to see you.

Rushing

Ever since I started school I've been rushing every moment. Either because I didn't wake up in time or I only have a short amount of time to get somewhere. On Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's I have work at 3:00 right after my last class which ends at 2:20, so that only gives me forty minutes to get from one side of the island to the other and get changed into my work clothes in the process of doing this. On Tuesday's and Thursday's I go to work from 9:00 to 12:45 and then rush to get to school for my 1:25 class. I sometimes don't even have time to eat during this time. I thought college was a time when there was time for everything, boy was I wrong! When I get to choose my schedule I will be sure to leave time so there won't have to be any rushing.

Procrastination

Procrastination: The disease of laziness. I've always seemed to work better under pressure, knowing I only have a day to do my work before it is due. The past week has definately been a week of procrastination. I try and tell myself I am going to make an effort and do my work before the night before it's due. That never works! I've even been putting off writing these blogs because nothing ever comes to my mind, so I tell myself I'll have better ideas another day, but I never do. I've always procrastinated, even in middle school. It has been so hard for me to do work a while before it is actually due. I always find other things to do with my time and reassure myself that I have alot of time to do my work. I hope I grow out of this eventually so I don't have to rush to get everything done!

College

College...where to start. I had pictured college to be this whole different world, where the people were more mature and had everything planned out. I was terribly wrong. It's almost as if I'm back in high school with different faces surrounding me. Coming from an all girls high school I imagined the transition to be hard. I've realized there isn't much of a difference. Classes aren't as demanding and attendance isn't necessary like in high school so that is a positive. Overall I haven't really experienced a big change like everyone was telling me about. It's not that im dissappointed, but just intrigued at how college hasn't been the biggest change when I was expecting a complete turn around. I'll just have to wait and see what college has in store for me!