2nd semester, week 1

My first week back was amazing. It was nice to be back in the company of people who I have known for a short few months but who make me laugh and like me as I am. On Monday I flew from SD to SJ and was picked up by Abby and Krista. I unpacked and took a visit to the DC where I saw the most awesome new addition to the dining commons...a full on Jamba Juice store/counter inside...I'll take pics...too bad I don't drink Jamba. I helped Lauren move back in to her and Alison's room and then we met up with Reyna when she came back from Downey. We all hung out in their room til midnight. On Tuesday, I had Philosophy (my first actual lecture class w/ 100 people in theatre-like seating) and then English. We met up for American Idol at night (same as we did w/ Glee last sem). On Wednesday, I had Geology w/ my buddy Lauren and then we were supposed to meet for lunch but I never found them but it was ok because I ate w/ my friend who I hadn't seen yet back from break. After lunch I had my Creating a Meaningful Life class (its a mouthful so I shorten it to Creating Life around my friends). The teacher is hilarious and the first thing we did was an ice-breaker where we all got a name tag on our back of a celebrity or character which we had to ask questions to figure out. Mine was Adam Sandler. It was a fun way to start getting to know people. Next I had Sociology where I saw a familiar face, Jonathan (one of Abby's friends from high school who I have met a few times before over a meal in the dc). The teacher was funny and it was interesting stuff. When I got back to my room, my roommate asked if I wanted to go to the DC with her. Thats the first time we have ever hung out outside of our room. We didnt stay long since her boyfriend got outta class only 15 mins later but it was a nice stepping stone and she mentioned that we should do it again. It was a nice gesture and this semester we have been talking more here and there. On Weds night my friends and I watched American Idol but it ended at 9 and I wasn't ready to go back to my room so I went to karaoke which my friend mentioned earlier when I had lunch w/ him. I definitly wasnt going to sing but it was just as fun watching people and singing alone from my comfy chair. Thursday was the same sched as Tuesday class-wise but at night, the on-campus housing org gave out free tix to see The Book of Eli. I went with Alison and Lauren and it was a great movie. When it ended at midnight, Krista came to my room and we chowed down some Cup O Noodles and looked at some funny sites. On Friday, Abby and I took a trip to the Dollar Tree and Walmart via public transportation. I bought a ton of groceries and stuff so one of the straps of my reusable bags came lose so it was hard to carry all the stuff back to campus. We were all bored on campus on a Friday night so we decided to have game night. We played quelf and all got nicknames: Abby=honey buns, me= lulu, reyna=iPhone, emily=bubblebee, alison=sexy llama, krista=snookie and grace= suga mama....we kept the nicknames the rest of the night. I taught them all how to play killer uno which I was taught by Jessica. On Saturday, I went to gym, showered, laundry (which was free! cuz the new systems they put in to scan our cards just automatically started the machines w/o money), and then I went to Phil Collins Birthday Bash (Campus Crusade dance party in honor of Phil Collins bday complete w/ Costco cake "Happy Bday Phil Collins!")...There's nothin like dancing in a room smaller than the average living room w/ 20+ people, colorful disco and strobe lighting, a fog machine, and an awesome DJ wearing ugs and mad dancin skillz. Now I am back in my room watchin Mythbusters and writing this just for my mommy :) The end.

Great Semester

My first semester at SJSU has been a memorable one...I couldn't ask for any better. I met so many new people and had so many new experiences. I learned in class and outside of class everyday. I definitly like college wayyyy better than high school. I am so glad I chose to attend a college far from home because it forced me to become independent in many ways. I am so grateful for the chance I have been given and I can't wait til next semester!

Christmas in the Park

I had an awesome pre-finals week, especially knowing that none of my finals involved too much studying so I just chilled all week. Starting Tuesday night, my friends and I all went to Christmas in the Park. Downtown San Jose is like a mini-carnival. The park is sprawling with decorated Christmas trees from all different local organizations. There's food and rides too. And every 2 minutes, the light posts drop "snow" (after catching one on my tongue, I confirmed that it was not in fact snow, but soap bubbles). We went around taking pictures and laughing, just having a good time. Then we went on the rides. After the Ferris wheel, I dropped my only remaining ticket so the nice operators gave me 5 free tickets which I shared with all my friends who didnt get the unlimited ride wristband. We passed by the game booths where the workers shouted at us "You are guaranteed to win!" and stuff like that. After going on a weird swing ride and rollercoaster, we headed back past the same game booth guy who shouted "You guys back again? Come play!" I said "Only if its completely free!". He didn't hear me initailly so we kept walking but Abby, who was just a few paces behind heard him say "Sure! If you take me home with you!".  She ran up to me and the rest and told us what he said. We all laughed our heads off and when I turned around, he was waving at us...CREEEEPYYY! I didn't go back to that side of the carnival for the rest of the night. It did provide for some good laughs later on though. After Christmas in the Park, we went back to the campus and to the DC for some hot food since it was freeeezing cold. Then six of us went back to my room where we played Catch Phrase til 3am. It was a fun night!

Things are getting better

My roommate Elaine and I haven't really gotten very close this semester. Its not that we have disagreements or fight, we are just different people who probably wouldn't be friends in any other situation. Things have been getting better recently. She and her boyfriend watch Ellen with me sometimes in the afternoons. She liked the decorations we put up in our room...I texted her making sure it was Ok before I did it but she didn't know what to expect before getting to our room. I saw that the lights we put in the window had fallen down because the tape became loose so she helped me put them up. The night I got back from Thanksgiving break, she came in around 1am when I wasn't expecting her and I was laying in bed watching Jerry Springer cuz nothing else was on. We talked for a bit about our weekends, her ventures in Black Friday shopping and other stuff...and get this! she slept in her bed overnight for the second time this semester. It was nice having her there although I do enjoy my privacy when she's away. I feel like our small conversations have become more frequent even if its just "hey hows your day going?" or offering eachother snacks we are eating. I know we will never be best friends but its nice to know that we're getting more friendly and open with eachother.

My non-academic week was even better

   On Monday, I had lunch with Abby and then we watched Steve Wilkos(basically Dr. Phil meets Jerry Springer) in my room until class, complete with the chants "Steve, Steve, Steve!" as the audience does similar to the Jerry Springer show. I went to dinner with Alli and grabbed a delicious Tully's peppermint hot chocolate before heading to CVC and joining Grace to watch 2 1/2 Men and The Big Bang Theory. Reyna finally got back to campus after flying back from LA so we had a late dinner and then we went to my room and spent a good hour putting up Christmas decor. We put on my Holiday playlist, hung up lights and tinsel in my Window and on my door. We decorated my mini Christmas tree with lights, ornaments, and bells. Now everytime someone walks in my room, they get in the Christmas spirit. And my roommate Elaine was amazed with all the decor and wanted me to turn on the lights in broad daylight so she could see...eventhough it didn't give the whole effect.
   On Tuesday night, in the place of girl's bible study, we all went to Lily and Dave's house and decorated holiday cookies. It was funny because they had just arrived back from San Diego on Monday night so while they were gone, a few Crusaders decorated their small condo in Christmas decor, including a real tree with lights, ornaments, candy canes, and topped with an upside down red plastic party cup with a wite-out star on it. The whole house smelled Christmassy and got us, close to 20 freshmen girls, in the mood to decorate cookies. After decorating the cookies and drinking hot chocolate, we all watched Elf and the kitty Chase came up and layed on my lap and purred the whole time. I would have never left but Reyna, Alison, and Krista were anxious to get to Target before it closed at11pm.
   On Wednesday, Reyna and I had an early dinner at 5pm and went to my room to chill out until 2nd dinner with Alli at 8 and finally, Glee at 9pm. Altogether, it was me, Alli, Grace, Emily, Reyna, Krista, and Jezeca. I didn't have any homework so I went with Reyna to Lauren and Alisons room where we hung out until midnight.
  On Thursday, me, Reyna, Alison, and Lauren chilled in their room while watching som shows, taking pictures, and goofing around, as usual.
  On Friday, I got my swine-flu shot at the student health center on campus. That night, Reyna, Alli, Grace, Emily, and I had dinner and then went to join some other Crusade peeps to watch A Goofy Movie in CVB.
  On Saturday, after I woke up from my nap in the afternoon, my friends and I went to the Subway in CV and then we watched the RHA's Wild N Out show outside Hoover. It was semi-funny and unorganized and freakin cold so it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been. A nice warm shower changed that. We all headed to the Crusade house at 8pm for A Charlie Brown Christmas CDP (Crusade Dance Party). They hired a DJ from within the Crusade family so we all danced for hours. I learned the Cupid Shuffle and some other dances, we all did the Macarena, and at one point, we were all dancing in a circle, arm-in-arm, doing some sort of can-can to folk/square-dancy music...oh fun times :)  After I got back, Abby, Krista, and I all drove to Denny's for some breakfast at 3am.
 And now its Sunday, 3pm and I'm still in my PJ's...Waitin for our last Nightlife of the semester and then Pizza My Heart...Reyna's buying me pizza cuz I won a bet :)

My school week was a good one

I had a really fun week so I decided to write about it. On Monday, I was still tired from our car ride back to San Jose. In my English class we were assigned to do an in-class essay based on a prompt from last fall's final which, according to my prof, was really difficult. It was something about how government shouldn't place regulations on businessmen and companies because then we'd turn into a communist nation. My first reaction was Holy Crap, what am I supposed to talk about? My prof then discussed how he would respond and I took notes...and when it came time to write it out, I just took his arguments and added my own thoughts. Apparently he liked it because he said he vividly remembered mine out of the 40 other ones and I got the best grade in the class. On Tuesday, I gave my persuasive speech about child labor and my prof commented saying it was my best one yet. On Thursday, my Linguistics prof decided to make our lesson fun by looking at the differences between men and women in conversations so we got seperated in groups of girls and guys and discussed our views and then integrated to see what the other sex had come up with. It was really interesting. On Saturday morning, I had to wake up at 7am for an 8am English final (deadly for me since I don't wake up before 9am, if that). I think the prompt was easy to respond to so hopefully my grade reflects that. As soon as I got done, I went back to my dorm and slept til the afternoon.

Thanksgiving

Last Tuesday, I went home, back to San Diego, after being away for 3 months straight...It was nice to see my family, friends, and my pets. I had a lot of fun with my friends on Wednesday. We went to Nickel City and Olive Garden then went back to my friends house and watched Up! On Thanksgiving, I spent time with my family, including my grandma and grandpa. On Friday, I got my hair cut by my mom and then we went ice skating with family friends. On Saturday, it was raining all day so we stayed inside, watched a few shows, and I packed up my stuff to leave on Sunday.

The DC

The place I spend all my meals, where I chat with friends, where I watch awesome movies, and where I attend fun events....It's the DC (Dining Commons).
The food here is good...although usually heavy with grease or sugar. My favorites: the pizza, cheeseburgers, and the infamous DC Orange Chicken (the only food item that people are willing to stand in line for for upwards of 10 mins because they only have it on Mondays). I also like Tully's which is included in the meal plan. The atmosphere is very nice, usually clean, and the staff is friendly (I have about 5 friends who work there). I usually have a certain area I sit in to based on what time of day it is and who I'm sitting with. For breakfast, I watch the TV usually playing the View or cartoons (Tom& Jerry, Pink Panther). For lunch and dinner, I like to watch the movies and depending on how good of a movie it is, I often stay and watch it through if I dont have class, like when they played Slumdog Millionaire the other day. On the other sides they play sports and the travel channel.  The DC food may be getting old but I try and get new choices each day and the people I am with make every visit fun.

Dorm fun

I have loved living on campus this year with people from all over the U.S. and world, from different backgrounds...yet all of us are similar in many ways. Almost everyday, they make me smile. A lot of time, it comes from the group of 6 or 7 guys who live nextdoor and a few doors over towards the end of the hallway. Just the other day, they were singing A Whole New World from Aladdin, complete with male and female harmonies. Other popular song choices: Single Ladies, Numa Numa, techno, and Lion King. They also get together to watch Jerry Springer in the early afternoon between classes and chant "Jerry! Jerry!" with the audience. In the dorms, there are quiet hours that start at 10pm on weekdays and 12am on weekends but my RA doesnt enforce it. Friends and I have sat in the hallway into the wee hours of the morning. My RA, Roy, is really chill and even goes to play Halo or watch sports with the guys in the hallway. The other day, my friends and I were laughing and talking loud while playing Catch Phrase and he came to the door. We expected him to tell us to be quiet but instead he just came to say hi and see what was up.  The only not so fun part: The girls bathroom is soooo far away!

My dad came to visit :)

On Nov 5th, my dad flew up from San Diego to spend the day with me at SJSU and downtown. I picked him up at the light rail station downtown at 9 am. We walked all over campus and I showed him the coolest places: the library, the student union & bookstore, and my dorm. He got to meet my roommate Elaine, too. We went out for lunch at Johhny Rocket's downtown and then headed back to campus. He gave me some advice on what classes to take and what will get me where I want to go, as soon as I figure that out. I had a midterm in my linguistics classs so he stayed in my room and rested from all the walking he wasn't used to. Turns out my midterm only took 15 minutes so I was back with him in no time and we decided to go bowling at the student union. We both weren't too great at it but it was still fun. We went back to my room and watched some TV...the only stuff on: Korean soap operas, Steve Wilkos, and Judge Judy so we watched Ellen when she came on. My friend stopped by my room and I introduced her to my dad. For dinner, we went to Pizza My Heart and stayed there talking for like an hour before he had to catch the lightrail and his plane around 9pm. It was a great day and I was so happy to see my dad who I hadn't seen since August. I can't wait to see everyone else when I go back for Thanksgiving.