3 down, 5 to go... yikes!

I am officially done with my third semester of college. To me, that is quite unfathomable. They say time goes by fast in college but this is just ridiculous. Where the hell did this semester go? Although I had a miserable beginning (which I completely regret ever allowing myself to feel that way), the rest of the semester was so wonderful and there’s nothing more than I would want then to go back and relive all the best memories that I’ve had this semester.

And the fact that I only have five more semesters to go before I graduate? UNREAL. Someone NEEDS to make that stop, or at least make slow down a bit. Especially within the next semester, because I swear, I am not ready to say goodbye to any of my friends who are either graduating or leaving. Nope, no way. Not happening.

Oh, and what's up with Christmas being a week away? Maybe I should actually start shopping for others than myself... maybe.

Goodbye October.

October has been so so good to me and I am sad to see it come to an end! October has always been my second favorite month (April being the first) and this year was exceptionally wonderful.

I kicked off the month with the trip to D.C. with some of my favorite people in the world. I toured the West Wing of the White House, visited two of my best friends at George Mason and Georgetown, and devoured some delicious cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake.

I celebrated my 20th birthday (with a test in my Juvenile Justice class... which didn't go so well) with a nice long Columbus Day weekend. I got to see some friends and spent quality time with my family, which I always love.

I went zip-lining and conquered the high ropes course once again on my student government retreat, which was so ridiculously fun.

I got to celebrate my childhood friend's homecoming from the Air Force while he was on a two-week leave. It was the first time I had seen him since January and it was great being with everyone.

I dressed up as a cute birthday present for Halloween and received an abundance of compliments from everyone :)

All I have to say is that October will be a tough month to beat, so BRING IT, November. Let's see what you've got in store for me!

Stressed Out.

My Juvenile Justice midterm is making me feel like this boy right now...

Overwhelmed with Joy

Well that's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one...

But anyway, today has been a great day. The president of my school attended our SGA meeting tonight and we got to hear her concerns and visions for the new year. She really is a wonderful lady who wants nothing more than to make the students at my school happy. She is so open to new ideas and I especially love how approachable she is. She definitely makes Salve a better place to be at.

Tonight, I learned that our vice president, who has become like an older brother to me, came in first place at some sort of competition at UConn over the weekend, winning over students from Harvard University and Yale University. He presented his research project on the effect of pesticides on human beings and became the first undergraduate student to come in first place. Once I find out the proper name of the event, I will post it. Regardless, this is such a wonderful achievement, especially for him, and I am just beaming about how lucky I am to know such an intelligent person! I definitely admire him in so many ways and this just adds to it.

To add on to that, the other older brother that I never had (and our president) has his final interview for Teach For America tomorrow morning. Teach for America is a non-profit organization that allows recent college graduates to teach in low-income areas of America for two years (if I was an education major, this would be right up my alley. Luckily, I'm still able to experience this kind of work in my own major). He made it through the first interview round with no problems and had a phone interview for his second round. Tomorrow, he will be meeting with the people from Teach for America and will present to them a five-minute lesson plan, among other things. If there are two interviewers, then it means that twelve people made it to the final round. However, if there is only one interviewer, then it means that only six people made it. To be one out of twelve, never mind six, is a great accomplishment, and I am also so so proud of him. Please cross your fingers for my friend and pray that gets the job! It definitely is his calling in life and I can't think of anyone else who would be perfect for this position.

I just feel like such a proud little sister right now and I'm so happy for them. These two are exactly the type of person that I aim to be. They are such an inspiration to me as I see how their hard work and dedication has helped them reach one step closer to achieving their dreams. I hope that one day, I will be able to do the same. :)

Boy, it certainly is a good day for the Salve community.

'Cause I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for.

I swear that after my trip, it is like I became a completely new person. To be honest, I am slightly shocked to see what a different person I have transformed into. When I look back and see how unbelievably homesick I was, it makes me sad, yet slightly optimistic as I tell myself that I should never become that girl again.

I am certainly much more positive about everything that is currently going on in my life. I no longer feel the need to cry after talking to my parents on the phone every night. I choose something to look forward to every single day to make the day much more enjoyable. I am more confident and more outgoing. To justify this, I went on a zip-line yesterday morning at a high ropes course. Yes, you read that right. I. Went. Zip-lining. I even volunteered to go first, but had to wait to go after two other people. This is coming from the girl who is so terrified of heights, but I reminded myself that it was not an opportunity that comes every day so I decided to toss that fear aside and just go with it. It was exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time, but I obviously do not regret it one bit.

At the end of the day, I smiled as I congratulated myself for being brave and more importantly, for allowing myself to actually have fun. That, I believe, is one of the best feelings ever.

So take a good look around... I'm gonna miss this.

I apologize for the lack of blog posts and for not finishing the 30-Day Challenge! Maybe one of these days, I will finally get around to it.

Since my last post, I have done two major things. The first was my summer program, in which I had the best time of my life (I know I said that last summer, but I mean it this time). I just can't describe the sense of happiness that I feel whenever I think about the summer and all the good memories and bonds that I created. This may be a future post, we'll see.

The second thing was returning to school as a sophomore. It is safe to say that for the entire month of September, I was living in mis-town. I didn't want to be here and I cried every time I talked to my mom on the phone. It has been a rough month as I dealt with this internal conflict of mine. There were days when I didn't think I was going to last another day here; however, there were also days where I realized that I had to make some changes in my attitude. I never really got around to it, until last Thursday (yup, the last day of the month).

I recently came home from a weekend trip to Washington D.C. with the executive board of our student government. We were there from Thursday to Sunday morning for the National Student Government Summit. I am almost certain that this trip could not have occurred at a better time for me. It was exactly what I needed to get over that homesickness/miserable phase of mine. To get away from school and to bond with a small group of people -- ironic, I know, but I definitely think it worked!

This trip to Washington D.C. was one of the best, if not the best, trips I have ever gone on. I had an unbelievable amount of fun, saw some amazing sights that I will never get to see again -- Oval Office, anyone? -- and grew close with some of the most wonderful people ever. I am still in denial that I won't be back there with the e-board this weekend, or ever, but I will certainly keep the memories close to my heart.

(A real detailed description with pictures of the trip will soon follow this post.)

I am overjoyed with the fact that I am part of such a wonderful executive board. To be an underclassman and hold a prestigious title such as mine is a great privilege, and to hold that title with amazing upperclassmen is an even greater privilege. Although I still have some doubts as to whether I like it here enough to stay for the next two years, I am now more comfortable with the idea of staying to keep our president's legacy going. A few weeks ago, he introduced me to someone as his "protegee" and later told me that he would love for me to run for president my senior year. I consider that in itself such a honor already, because the president is exactly the type of person that I strive to be. One who is dedicated, ambitious, and involved in everything. I don't think there is enough time in the day or enough space in a blog to fully describe this person and how I aspire to become half the person that he is.

It completely breaks my heart to know that our president, vice president, and public relations coordinator will all be graduating in a few months, but I now know that I must cherish every second that I have with them, whether it's our weekly senate meetings on Tuesdays, a quick meal together, or just a simple hug with one of them. I realize that I cannot dwell on being homesick anymore, but rather appreciate the time that I have here at school with the people that I have gotten to know.

To quote Trace Adkins, I know I am going to miss this and I am going to want this back. So I know that I just need to put a smile on my face and believe that everything will soon fall into place for me, because this year is going to go by before I know it and I am never going to get these seconds back.

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back." -- Harvey MacKay

Day Twenty: A Hobby of Mine

What is one of my hobbies?

Scrapbooking

I loooooove to scrapbook! I find it so relaxing and stress-relieving. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I complete a page. I love going to scrapbooking stores and searching through the variety of colors. Paper, stickers, ribbons, pens, embellishments -- you name it, I'll love it and buy it.

My dream would be to have the perfect craft room. If I had all the money and time in the world, I would spend every minute concocting ideas to build the perfect craft room. I'm basically drooling over all these pictures. Talk about AMAZING.

If only, if only...

Day Nineteen: A Talent Of Mine

What is my talent?

Playing the piano

I took lessons for ten years and had to quit last year because I went to school. However, I'm going to try to get back into it in the fall. Although I loathe practicing, I realize that there are so many people who wish they too could play the piano, so I am grateful to my parents for pushing/forcing me (and paying for my weekly lessons) after all these years.

Day Eighteen: A Time I Felt Passionate and Alive

When was a time that I felt passionate and alive?

Division IV MSTCA State Relays 2009

As you may know, I used to be a track athlete, and although I wasn't very good at what I ran, I had a lot of determination and love for the sport. I loved the team bonding and constant encouragement from my teammates. Throughout my track career, I always asked myself why I decided to put myself through the pain -- i.e. running in a hailstorm, stairs workout on the bleachers at the football field, hill workouts, SIX 400ms circuits, ladders (2x500m, 2x100m, 200m, 300m, 400m and back down again -- the absolute worst!), etc. -- but on this day, I knew exactly why I ran track and why I kept coming back year after year.

Last year, my high school had the honor of hosting the Div. IV State Relays at our beautiful track. This was always my favorite meet, as over 45 schools in Massachusetts came to compete. This was my first (and unfortunately last) year running the open 400m and the 4x400m, and my coach had put together a 4x400m relay to run at this specific meet. I think there were over 1,000 people present at the meet and my parents even decided to show up (they never liked going to meets because they were always three to four hours long) to cheer me on. I was the first leg of the race and was first place for half of the race (which is only 200m -- not a big distance at all). That day, my 4x400m team ran a 4:38:84, which was only ONE second off of qualifying for the Div.IV States meet. I was so jacked up after hearing this and felt as though I could run another 400m.

We never actually qualified for States, but the fact that we were so close to qualifying was enough for me. It
was such a memorable day for me and I celebrated by going out for ice cream with my closest teammates afterwards... perfect end to the perfect day!

Day Seventeen: An Art Piece

What is an art piece that I like?

This was drawn by my friend L for her Drawing II final at MassArt. I love the blues and purples, the strokes, and the white lines crossing back and forth throughout the drawing.

"Mapping Eyes"

Day Sixteen: A Song That Makes Me Cry

What is a song that makes me cry?

John Mayer's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room"

I would marry this song if I could, that's how serious I am about it. This is my favorite version of this song of all-time. I have about four versions on my iTunes, but this one trumps all. The first three chords that John plays at 0:53 are enough to tug at my heartstrings. The guitar riffs, the rawness in his voice, and the meaning behind the lyrics... *sigh*. "Slow Dancing" has gotten me through the toughest of tough times and I'm able to listen to this on repeat for hours upon hours.


Seeing John perform this very song is definitely on my bucket list. Once this happens, I will cry like a baby until my tear ducts are all dried up... and then die a happy camper.

It's not a silly little moment,
It's not the storm before the calm.
This is the deep and dying breath of
This love that we've been working on.

Can't seem to hold you like I want to
So I can feel you in my arms.
Nobody's gonna come and save you,
We pulled too many false alarms.

We're going down, and you can see it too.
We're going down, and you know that we're doomed.
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room.

I was the one you always dreamed of,
You were the one I tried to draw.
How dare you say it's nothing to me?
Baby, you're the only light I ever saw.

I'll make the most of all the sadness,
You'll be a bitch because you can.
You try to hit me just to hurt me
So you leave me feeling dirty
Because you can't understand.

We're going down, and you can see it too.
We're going down, and you know that we're doomed.
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room.

Go cry about it - why don't you?

My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room,

Don't you think we oughta know by now?
Don't you think we shoulda learned somehow?

Wordless Wednesday

Day Fifteen: A Person I Admire

Who is someone that I admire?

My auntie Tima.

I met my auntie Tima when she married my uncle (really my mom's uncle) Dean in 1999-2000. She is one of the most caring and friendliest people I have ever met. Whenever I visit her in D.C., she treats me as though I was her own daughter and always makes sure that my family and I are comfortable in her home. Her Korean nationality in our Vietnamese family only makes our annual visits more interesting as she teaches us different traditions and introduces us to different dishes. She owns two smoothie/bakery shops in Tysons Corner (the sixth biggest shopping center in the country) and raises two busy children, and yet, always maintaining poise and class. Auntie Tima is humble, classy, genuine, and fierce all at the same time. I admire her for her strength, her ability to put others before herself, and her high spirits. She's my favorite relative and although we only get to see each other once a year, I enjoy every moment spent with her.

We Interrupt This Program...

...for a Bachelorette update!

1) I LOVE ALI FEDETOWSKY. Obviously she was my favorite other than Tenley Molzahn -- I still believe, to this day, that Jake should've picked her. (I clearly need a reality check)

2) I'm so happy that I'll be home for at least a month so I can catch some episodes during this season because it looks like it's filled with lots of drama... I love it.

3) Here are the guys that I am rooting for. Hopefully Ali won't let me down!

Jesse - 24 - general contractor from Missouri

Kasey - 27 - advertising account executive from Cali

Roberto - 26 - insurance agent from Florida

I'm excited to see what this season will bring!

Day Fourteen: A Vacation

What is a vacation that I would like to take?

My gut instinct is saying DISNEY! DISNEY! However, I'm giving myself a chance to actually be creative for and expand my horizons for once -- although I do admit that Disney would be first on the list.

I would love to just take a trip around
Western Europe
(last year, my fellow SGA members and I actually planned out our ideal trip there at a meeting).

 First, I would visit
Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia)

...then make my way to
Paris, France

I'd hit up the Eiffel Tower

the Louvre

the Chateau de Versailles

and even Disneyland Paris!

...then I'd travel east to

Italy

I would visit Sicily

Rome

Vatican City

Venice

Florence

Milan

...make my way over to
Germany (Berlin, Munich)

...fly all the way to
Ireland (Dublin, Cork, Galway)

... and come full circle to
London, England

To be completely honest,  I basically would want to be Mandy Moore's character in Chasing Liberty, who runs away from her father (the President of the United States) by backpacking across Europe.

Yup, that's exactly what I would want to do.

Day Thirteen: A Guilty Pleasure

What is my guilty pleasure?

reading Perez Hilton

Hands down, without a doubt. A lot of people don't agree with his views, his behavior, or his work, but I absolutely adore him. I overlook his additional "touch-ups" on celebs' pictures (which are extremely crude) and I religiously read his blog every day. I even wrote an essay in my AP Language class about him and received an A. It's a very bad habit and I sometimes ask myself why I do it, but I liiiiiive for celebrity gossip and not a day goes by when I don't stop by perezhilton.com to see the latest news on my "Zacquisha" <3

Day Twelve: A Song I Want Played At My Wedding

What is a song that I want played at my wedding?
Correction: What are THREE songs that I want played at my wedding?

I don't have the one song that I want for the first dance at my wedding, but here are some songs that I would want played, regardless.

1) Matt Nathanson's "All We Are"
This song was actually my prom song and we had chosen it right before Matt Nathanson was entering the mainstream. I love this song though and I think it would be perfect for a wedding.

"Cause all we are, we are, all we are, we are
Every day's the start of something beautiful, something that's real"

2) Chris Brown's "Forever"

This is one of my favorite songs in the entire world. Every time it comes on, I drop everything and just start belting out the lyrics and dance. In no way, shape, or form do I condone Chris Brown and his behavior, but I can't overlook the fact that this is an amazing song and it would be the best song to get everyone on the dance floor! (and I completely, totally LOVED this song way before the JK wedding dance video popped up on YouTube -- although you have to admit Jim & Pam's wedding scene is just as wonderful!)

"It's like I waited my whole life for this one night
It's gonna be me, you, and the dance floor
'Cause we've only got one night
Double your pleasure, double your fun
And dance forever... forever on the dance floor"

3) Michael Buble's "Some Kind of Wonderful"
I have always been a big fan of Michael Buble since his first album. This song on his latest album is so fun. It reminds me of the '50s/'60s. It's very upbeat and always puts a smile on my face when it comes on my iTunes shuffle. I think this would be a great song for all the couples at my wedding to dance to.

"I only know when I'm in your embrace
Then this world seems a better place
And something happens to me
You know it's some kind of wonderful"

Day Eleven: A Photo Taken of Me Recently

One of my future roomies & me at the bottom of the Forty Steps on the Cliff Walk!

(taken in April 2010 after a beach day)

Day Ten: A Photo Taken Over Ten Years Ago

I only had baby pictures on my computer, so here you go :)

Day Nine: A Photo I Took

What is a photo that I have taken?

I took this photo on my music trip to New York City in April 2008. I know it's not a high-quality photo by any means and it's not even anything special, but I just enjoy all the colors in the photo and the memories behind it.

Day Eight: A Thank You Letter

To my high school vice-principal,

At the beginning of my sophomore year in high school, we introduced ourselves to each other since I was the liaison between the students and administrators. At that moment, I knew we were going to be working closely together on school issues, but I never knew how much I would learn from you. Over the past three years that I have known you, you have been nothing less than a personal motivator and mentor to me. After realizing that I was an extreme pushover and too timid to face confrontations, you always encouraged me to be a "shark" or a "tiger", challenging me to find that inner "fierceness". You taught me that it was okay to say no to people every once in a while. You taught me that it was okay to accept outside help whenever needed, instead of trying to take on every task that was handed to me. You taught me that it was okay to be my own person, without worrying what others would think. I realize that you were only trying to help me whenever you stole my note cards during lunch when my classmates and I were frantically studying before another big anatomy test. You encouraged me to be brave and to have confidence in myself. Without any of that, I wouldn't be the student that I am today.

With gratitude and growls,
Short, Sweet, and Petite :)

Day Seven: Five Things I Couldn't Live Without

What are five things I could not possibly live without?

1. Burt's Bees Lip Balm
I only started using Burt's Bees after this past year because it was the only lip balm in my school bookstore. Boy was I missing out on a little slice of heaven!

2. Family/Friends

3. Memories

4. Music

5. Sunshine

Day Six: A Moment to Relive

What is one moment I wish I could relive?

Disney World 2007

During my sophomore year, the music department went on a four-day trip to Disney World, where the concert band and chorus got to perform in the Epcot showcase. This was a special moment for me since I had a flute solo in one of our songs.

However, the entire trip was the one moment that I wish I could relive over and over and over again. I got to go with a lot of my friends and it was the first time I got to travel without my family. I loved every second of it, since I probably won't ever get the opportunity to travel with my best friend again. The rides, the inside jokes, and of course, being absent from school for two days (something that I rarely do) were all things that I enjoyed and the trip is a memory that I will always cherish.

Day Five: Favorite Quote

What is my favorite quote?

(I am a big fan of quotes. I collect quotes like no other. Since the beginning of sophomore year, I have been collecting quotes and I currently have 110 pages of quotes in a Word document. Ridiculous, I know.)

"The grand essentials to happiness are:

something to do,

 something to love,

and something to hope for."

-- Allan K. Chalmers