Motivation Means Nothing Without Will Power

Working while attending college has become more difficult than I planned. Although I cut my hours back working at me oh so entertaining job at Best Buy *sarcasm*, I am still faced with the challenge of balancing my time between my job and school. For example, next week I work every week day except for Tuesday. When do I get my homework done?!  I need to make money, because there is no way I'm going to be asking my mom for money all the time. But at the same time, I need time for my school work. I need to manage my time much more wisely. Those idle hours that I have in between classes where I sit in the Student Center NEED to be taken advantage of. I've come to realize that there really is no more time to just do nothing. I can't afford it anymore. I can't put studying off until I get home from work-and am too tired to even stay awake- anymore. I definitely need to focus and see where all my time is going to besides my job and time at school. It's time that I take control of my schedule. In the end, I will have way less stress on my shoulders. Plus, the days when I have lots of free time I can actually spend them doing what I want to do, instead of catching up on all the homework I neglected to do the week prior. I have the motivation, now the only question is will I have the will power to make it happen?

Kawaii Kupcakes

Cupcakes Take The Cake

This blog is full of creative, cute, and colorful cupcake ideas that is sure to please any sugarholic. From cute sushi inspired designs to elegant flowery icing, this blog has hundreds of ideas for every cupcake imaginable. Browsing through the entries is enough to make me want to stop what I'm doing and run to the kitchen to bake my own delicious, mini cakes. One thing I love to do is bake, which is why this blog appeals to me so much. The ideas are a perfect balance between cute and tasty. With every post is a picture of the cupcake, and a link for the shop that you can buy them at, or a link for the recipe so you can bake it yourself! This blog is very pleasing to look at, and I find that the lack of text is a good thing and leaves more focus for the centerpiece: the cupcakes! If you're looking for a blog to tempt your taste buds, this is it.

Kawaii Not

Kawaii is the Japanese word for cute, and this blog site definitely lives up to it's name. Putting a spin on typical cute images, these sarcastic little pictures are sure to entertain anyone with their wit and adorable puns. Compared to the last blog, this one is less informational. This is a blog that you visit quickly when you're bored and in the need of amusement. It is simple, but popular. The cupcake blog has a lot more information, but they both succeed in making a statement and providing interesting and view-worthy topics, which is the goal of any blogger! They also are blogs that are both pleasing to the senses and full of CUTE.

An epiphany

Quinnipiac was my first choice for colleges my senior year. The campus is beautiful, it was small, and it had what I wanted to major in: Chemistry. I was excited to apply and anxious to see if I was excepted or not. But I suddenly had a change of heart. I realized that I didn't want to be doing chemistry my whole life. I wouldn't be happy with that. So I decided I wanted to major in what I loved most: Art. Unfortunately, Quinnipiac doesn't offer Art History as a major. I was dissapointed, to say the least. So as a second choice I chose Southern. It offers art history, is closer to my home, and is dramatically cheaper than QU. But i've still had that feeling deep in my gut that I made the wrong choice. That is, until today when I visited my best friend Anna at her dorm at Quinnipiac. It was somewhat of a closure, it made me realize that I made the right decision. I don't really have much to complain about with Quinnipiac and I still think it is a good school. But it's just not me. I didn't realize how much I like Southern until I  experienced a different school. I think what I like most about Southern is the fact that there are so many different people. I like being around so many people on a pretty big campus. It made me realize that a private college isn't my cup of tea. I've finally come to terms with my decision with attending Southern, and I couldn't be happier.

Disciplined Outcasts

In Outcasts United, Luma is a very strict soccer coach. She believes in discipline, hard work, respect and determination. She strives to make her soccer teams as good as they can be, in all aspects. Not only is she an exceptional soccer coach, she is also in a way, a life coach. She is instilling in these boys values that they would not have learned about if they were not under the influence of Luma. She wants her teams to do their best on the field, but before that, she wants them to be disciplined, educated, hard working and respectful off of the field. These ideas that she is teaching the boys is very much the same ideas that we read about in the various articles this past week. The marshmallow video taught us about delayed gratification. It was learning about having to stick something out and have discipline in order to gain something from it. That is just like what Luma is teaching the boys. At first they boys are losing the games, and Luma expects this. but over time the boys become determined and strive to keep on going, despite their loses, in order to win and impress their coach. The boys are also working and practicing all the time in order to get better, and because of this they show vast improvement. This is just like the article that talked about how lots and lots of practice at something will eventually make you a master at it.

vision board

Time Flies

One of the most challenging things I have faced during the first 2 weeks of college is learning how to manage my time. I never needed to know how to balance time between classes, homework, family, friends and work while I was in high school. But coming into college has made me realize how difficult it can be. I don't think I was prepared for how busy some of my days would be. It's difficult learning to completely manage your own time when you're so used to having things done for you. It is up to me to get myself up in the morning, get to classes on time, do my homework, get my own meals and make time for work and the people I love at the same time. College has really opened my eyes to just how organized I need to be. I realize now that I pretty much lacked any type of organizational skills during my high school years. In high school I did all my homework in study hall or during free time in other classes, so I pretty much never had much work to do when I got home. I also didn’t have a job, so I had a lot of free time after school. But it is so different now in college. It is all up to me now to manage everything that goes on. I've gotten the hang of it so far, but I definitely need more work. I think that organization is one of the most important skills a college student can have. Time management is the key to getting anything done on time and to your best effort.

Patience is a virtue

In a world where everything is instant, the idea of delayed gratification seems foreign.
The life of a college student in the year 2010 is anything BUT slow paced. We have the whole world at our fingertips, delivered to us via smart phones and iPads.
Have a question? Google it on your iPhone and within seconds you'll have the answer.
We are growing up in an age where we aren't expected to wait for things. Socializing, researching, communicating; it is all made easy with 4G services and highspeed internet.
So if this is the case, how are college students supposed to get used to the idea of delayed gratification?
The marshmallow experiment is easy for us to understand. Wait 15 minutes and avoid the temptation of instant gratification, and receive a better award. Easy enough.
But as a college student, we are faced with these situations everyday without truly realizing it.
Do I study for an extra hour and get a better grade on my exam? Or do I compromise my grade in order to hang out and have some fun with my friends?
This type of situation occurs all the time, which is why it is so important for college students to grasp the idea of delayed gratification.
In a sense we must undo what society and technology has been teaching us. Instant and easy is not always better. We do not need everything right now. We can be patient. We can work towards something important. We have complete control over ourselves.
For college students surrounded by the ideas of instant and "NOW!", delayed gratification is probably the most important concept that can be learned.

College

College is a place where you take notes, do homework, study and take exams in order to earn a degree that will help you obtain a good career. But it is also so much more than that. College is a place that opens your eyes to new experiences and helps you mold yourself into the type of person you want to be for the rest of your life. The things you learn through college, whether it is academically or socially, you will hold with you for the rest of your life. College also has a way of showing you that there are so many types of people in the world. No longer are we stuck with the same sort of kids that we've been with throughout our school career. We are with a whole new group of people with totally different views and opinions on everything. Being around so many different people makes you realize that your view on life is NOT the only one. This helps you form new and probably more mature views on life.
The goals I have for myself are to maintain good grades, and meet and make friends with  a lot of different people. I'm kind of nervous about all the work I will have. I don't quite know how i'll be able to handle all of it, but time will tell, and I can only try my best!
In general I am excited for the years to come and I'm very glad that I made the choice to go to college.

5 Things

5 things to describe myself:

1. ARTISTIC

One of my favorite qualities about myself is that I am artistic. Art has always been something that I've been very passionate about. In ways, art has been a sort of escape for me. Whether I am creating something myself, or simply looking at a painting or picture I feel as though everything makes sense. I often will translate confused emotions or thoughts into a painting, and everything suddenly makes sense to me. Passion for art is something that has always been with me.  I feel as though I am naturally a person drawn to the aesthetic nature of things. Visualizing or creating something that I feel is beautiful is one of the most satisfying feelings ever.

2. KID AT HEART

I'd say that I am a kid at heart because I like to explore, discover, imagine and wonder about things. Sometimes I just like to pretend and play. I love to imagine and just enjoy the simple things in life. This mentality helps me keep a positive outlook on my life. I am in no rush to grow up, although I definitely do not consider myself to have some sort of "Peter Pan" complex. I just like to enjoy the little things, and it is something I admire in myself.

3. LOYAL

I am always loyal to the people I love. My family and friends are the most important things in my life and I am someone who can always be trusted. I try to be honest all the time and to not take the people I love for granted. I am a good listener, and will try my best to help someone with their problems, so I think I am someone who can be trusted.

4. ANIMAL LOVER

 I love animals. Especially my Boston Terrier Baron and my two Rat Terriers; Pixie and Link. Animals can be so loving and loyal. I would love to volunteer at some sort of animal shelter if I could. I would really like to help other people realize what sort of joy an animal can bring into their life.

5. NOSTALGIC

I'm a really nostalgic person. I like to keep pictures and keepsakes with important memories attached to them. I hold a lot of sentimental value in things that seem ordinary to others. This is important to me because I like being able to think back and remember really good times I've had with the people I love. It helps me to always appreciate the things I have and it also puts me in a happy mood.