Week #43: DISNEY ESCAPADE (02.17.14 - 02.23.14)

I had a rough night Sunday night, I woke up when the sky was still dark and when I grid to go go to sleep Kaitlyn started snoring and that happened about three times throughout the night, and to top it off on Monday morning she made the loudest noises when getting ready accompanied by my other roommate's noises. I finished the physics homework all on my own, and I feel so proud. I skipped physics to go to an advisor meeting for the calculus II paper and since I told him I liked roller coasters he assigned me a roller coaster calculus based problem. I had Pollo Tropical for lunch and then headed for a run on the trail. This is week #3 of my "from couch to 5k" and I'm really feeling the difference you know. Every time I run a little further and I'm also using the CharityMiles app to donate for every mile I walk/run, and I donated 7 meals in this run which is 4.5 km. I Penny boarded to calculus class and let me tell you, I'm so fucking proud of myself! I skated the whole time, not only on downhills and didn't fall at all, I also understood today's calculus section which is a plus squared! Today was a good Monday, they are rare, so it's important to write that down.

On Tuesday I had an appointment with my advisor and I asked him about the possibility of a leadership minor to which he said to decided that upon if I felt too packed the next semester since I'm taking a whole bunch of science classes. Today's leadership class was a little boring because the Ethics in Leadership professor came to cover up for Stacy at the middle of the class, it was a bit interesting because we had to move around the room but it felt endless. I went for a run and halfway through I felt a piercing pain in on right, I finished the run but I feel like I could have done ten times better if I wasn't in pain. I also got done all of my physics homework in one sitting which is a miracle, and a blessing because that means I don't have to work on it this weekend. And I'm not ashamed at all that I used Google to finish 80% of this homework haha that stuff was hard!

On Wednesday I had a fun time with Ricardo on Engineering Economics class, we started drawing silly things and making up stories about it, Ricardo kept firing missiles on my stuff :( We also had a competition about who could draw the best Harry Potter stuff XD I'm so ready for Orlando! I just finished packing and I also skipped calculus class because jeez, that class kills me to death. Just bought some headphones that are meant for running and don't fall off your ears because the ones I use keep falling, these are called Yurbuds and it had awesome reviews, I also fell into the monogram trend and bought myself a 20 oz. mason jar with my monogram, I've been looking for mason jars just to put my green smoothie on but the ones I have are kind of small, so this 20 oz. should make a big difference. Since I bought the Harry Potter book series I decided to start reading it, so I began with the Chamber of Secrets.

Finally Thursday! My fun weekend finally begins, I woke up at 9 am and got ready, went to Fresh Foods to eat some breakfast and used my camera lens cup for the first time for this morning's tea. Tio Ricky pulled over exactly where I was waiting for him and we went to Busch Gardens! I finally got to experience how was it like to skip line with Rafa's handicap, yet the park was kind of vacant so we didn't do any lines at all. It was super fun! It was so awkward though when it was lunch time because I don't want him to pay for my food, yet he did. For dinner we went to Red Lobster and I had a Shrimp Linguini Alfredo, we had fun and talked lots over dinner time. At almost midnight we got home and their home was really cozy and simple, I had my own room next to Rafa and I had a TV. 

On Friday morning Tia Betty made me biscuits with ham for breakfast, using the biscuits we took out from Red Lobster the night before which were to die for. We went to Hollywood Studios! We went to the Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, Muppets, Beauty and the Beast, and I finally got to go to the new Toy Story ride which is similar to the Buzz Lightyear one in Magic Kingdom; we rode Toy Story three times! Using Rafa's handicap and it was amazing! I love that attraction! The first two round Tio Ricky beat me 127,000 - 133,000 and 136,000 - 161,600 but the third round I beat him 161,600 - 132,000!! I got overly excited about that haha and we had fun with it. I also had my much needed Frozen Banana covered in Chocolate and we had Turkey Legs for lunch. I got to see Fantasmic which was the main reason I wanted to come here and it was amazing, I obviously knew what was going to happen but every time I'm mesmerized by Mickey's awesomeness. Before coming on this trip I was really nervous with Rafa because I didn't know how to be with him you know, but I got to know him and felt really comfortable with him, he's awesome. He kept saying 'mardigras' haha, Tia Betty said he got that stuck in his head when they went to Universal Studios. For dinner we went to a Chinese buffet, I wasn't surprised by the food but oh well, it was a buffet. As long as it's all-you-can-eat I eat it. 

Saturday was my last full day with the Kam's and we went to Animal Kingdom. It as been so long since I have come here and there was not much to see plus it was raining on and off so the day was not as enjoyable. We went to Everest twice and I sat next to Rafa. I was kind of happy my aunt and uncle trusted me to sit next him because we have to remind him to put his head back and to assure he's buckled up. Everest was far off better than I remembered. We also went to Dinosaur, the safari in which we saw plenty of animals! I kid you not when I say the lion was 20 meters from us looking directly at us. We also went to the Nemo Musical and the Bugs show. We left early because of the rain and I accompanied my aunt and uncle to Costco so they could run some errands. I went to mass with them and I was amazed by the church; the seats where soft, we each had a booklet with the year's lectures, and it was all so pretty and big. For dinner we went to IHOP and I had a strawberry and banana pancake which was delicious. 

And the last day of my vacation arrived, we woke up extra early so my uncle could drop me off at the Bus Station. I slept most of the ride back to Tampa and then I hopped onto a HART bus to get to USF.  It was a super awesome weekend, and Tio Ricky and Tia Betty are the greatest host. Cheers to my first trip with them. I only wish Richie and Raul could've come. 

Week #4 - Summer Term Begins.. (05/13/2013 - 05/19/2013)

Monday I had my first class of summer term: Public Speaking, at 10:30 A.M. That's the only class I have on Mondays and Wednesdays thank God, because it felt soooo loooongggg D: I could have died and resurrected on that frame of time twice. I volunteered third to say my speech. It was a speech about me. And I began: "Who am I? You don't know me and I may not even know myself. But what I do know is that.. I'm Gay! - no ha ha just kidding - What I really do know, besides that I'm straight, is that I like everything blue, I'm into photography, and I'm very adventurous" Then comes some nonsense about questions and opinions and then I had to tell an anecdote: "As I told you, I'm very adventurous, and one time I was in my beach house with my cousins and we decided to go explore in the woods (BTW. It as Holy Week). Usually we went with our bikes, but this time we went walking. Suddenly three pairs of red eyes stood out of the dark, and we hear barking and growling. So we ran towards our house, we could hear them behind us, but when we arrive home and turned around they were gone! It was the scariest night of my life". And then more nonsense and that was it.

Tuesday was a very exhausting day! Panama's been saving electric energy because our lakes are getting empty; therefore, malls, universities and schools, super markets, everywhere.. is air-conditioner-shortaged. So I arrived to Florida State University at 8:30 A.M. for my Pre Calculus class; oh God, I know it's bad to mock people or judge them or anything, but my precalc professor speaks so so so weird! He pronounces words with a very unusual accent. Maybe Hindu? The case is everybody was struggling just with understanding what he was saying, let alone how to do the math problem. At 10 A.M. I went to ENC 1102, I liked this professor. He's funny and easy to follow. Easy-to-follow professors are very hard to find these days. And finally after a long day I came to my last class, surpriseee! Everybody signed up because it was taught by a very cool professor... Turns he changed place with another guy, and this one's totally the opposite. What to do when you finally have something you want and it's taken away from you just like that?

On Wednesday I had again a Public Speaking class... not to be premature but I'm starting to dislike it. I know I'll need it in my professional life, but somehow when I get a professor I do not like I tend to dislike the subject because I relate everything that has to do with the subject with him or her. Besides college, I also read "The Rise of the Elgen" (Michael Vey #2) by Richard Paul Evans. I still have about 40 pages to go or so, and so far it's been amazing! Oh my God, Evans has such a creativity in what has to do with torture systems, or maybe not creativity but also knowledge of the mind power. I rate this book so far 5 stars, seriously. Finally at the end of the day I went to MMA. My previous professor had to leave due to his other work schedule problems, and he left HIS sensei in charge of us. I don't like this new professor's technique so much.. I miss my old sensei. The new one doesn't pay as much attention to details as the previous one, and always leaves me behind because I'm the only girl.

Thursday started of by a sleepy Pre Calculus class, off to a boring English class and ending off in a dull Trigonometry class. I decided to drop Public Speaking, because I feel like I got too much load on my back. And I also finished reading "The Rise of the Elgen" (Michael Vey #2) by Richard Paul Evans, the ending was so cliff hanger. Some recommendations: if you don't like cliff hangers don't read these books until the series are complete, "Red Ruby" by Kerstin Gier (worst cliff hanger of all time), "Avoiding Resposibility" by K. A. Linde was not much of a cliff hanger but it left me curios, and "The Rise of the Elgen" by Richard Paul Evans. At night I finished my English homework, which took me 4 hours! Not of effort I mean ha ha, it's very hard for me to concentrate.

Week #2 (04/29/2013 - 05/05/2013)

Monday was free because of Labor Day (here in Panama), so I decided to wake up at 7:00 AM (didn't happen) to spend the whole day studying for my math test. It all began with my finger touching the snooze button, one, two, three and plus more times until is was 9:30 AM. I can't believe I spent from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM studying, that's a new record for me! Of course I had my little breaks (including random dance breaks).

I did my exam on Tuesday, I don't wanna jinx it so I won't tell you how it went. Later in the late afternoon I went for a jog. I love running, because there's nothing else to think about than to keep up. I love the soreness in my muscles, and the pain it brings afterwards. I feel great with myself, inside and out. There's just one thing.. Every time I run I feel like I'm getting bigger rather than smaller, unlike MMA that does make me smaller. Today I ran 4 km. I also finished "It't Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini, totally recommend the book. I read Little Women when I was in 11th grade, and lately I've been craving to finish it. So I bought the Little Women series (Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys).

On Wednesday I spent the WHOLE day studying for my Biology Final. Thank God "Little Women" only cost $1 because I got pretty bored, so I decided to leave it alone until I crave it again and leave it again. So, new book: "Ruby Red" by Kerstin Gier. My boyfriend gave it to me as a gift for our 3rd anniversary this May 7th :).

I did my one to last Final Exam on Thursday, it was Biology. 5 chapters in one exam, studied in one day: INSANE. I think I did pretty well, plus there were like 20 points of extra credits and extra credit assignments. I mean.. with that much extra credit who wouldn't go well? The rest of the day I just battled with falling asleep while studying for my Psychology Final.

And finally Friday! I did great on my Psychology Final! The rest of the day I slept, saw "New Year's Eve", and doodled. I did a Pikachu, I'm not that good at drawing but it makes me relax and have fun. About the movie, I can't believe I haven't seen it until today. I already saw the one of Valentine's Day, and I like these movies. It's funny how you can tell many stories in one movie and connect them someway at the end. What we need now is a funny Thanksgiving's movie.

Enjoy everyday as if it's your last. 

The Best Friend Argument

What is a best friend? What's its role? Is a best friend suppose to be talking, or texting with you 24/7 or is it someone that casually texts you but you know is always there for you when you need him/her.

How do you know he or she is your best friend? Is it reciprocal? Can I be your best friend while you have another one who's not me?

I have three best friends, one is my boyfriend so he doesn't count, so the point is: one is always texting with me and we spend hours and hours talking non sense (I like that), and the other one is the total opposite, the other one just talks to me when she/he needs something. 
How do I know if it's reciprocal? With girls it's pretty easy, they just tell you "you are my best friend and you'll always be", the tricky thing is that how am I sure? I don't know why but with boys you just know you are close, but how close?

What's my role? With either one, is to be there for them. There to just listen and not judge. But sometimes it's hard for me... Because how can you be so good if in your mind you think the friendship it's not reciprocal. 

Something that bothers me a lot, that shouldn't bother me, is that just because you are the "best friend", they can treat you as they wish because they know you'll never leave. And they treat a less close friend better than they treat you. I did that once and I'm terribly ashamed. I'm not judging because I have done it too, but if they already know how I feel: why keep doing it? I'm kind of jealous, you know? I just want to be heard and to be trusted.

A best friend for me is something very VERY delicate. Trust is something very valuable as well as honesty. Without those two factors there's no friendship. 

With the reciprocal issue, I just risk myself, because I've lost too many friends, and even if it's not reciprocal I want to give all I've got, to never feel regret. I know it is not fair to me, but I just want to sent outward what I feel inside. Pure love.

Week #1 (04/22/2013 - 04/28/2013)

So, this week began with the culmination of my video. I made a music video for my English Final Project. You can see the lyrics here: http://pitstoptowonderland.blogspot.com/2013/04/im-freshman-and-my-enc-1101-final.html

The week started off good, I got a 95 in my Psychology quiz and an 80 in my Math quiz. In between my free time I saw the Kardashian Special with Ryan Seacrest and Married to Jonas (I'm a fan of reality shows). I also like series like Glee, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl.. and more. But I hate when they just decide to skip the week.. I also started reading another book since I finished "Jesus is _____." by Judah Smith. I'm reading "The Prisoner of Cell 25" by Richard Paul Evans. So long, very very VERY interesting. It's similar to the series of "I Am Number Four", the Lorien Legacies.

On Monday I went to my second class of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). This time wasn't as awful as the first time. My first time I almost fainted, and my muscles hurt all week long; however, this week we weren't put through the same as last week. We did more technical stuff than physical. Now I know two Jiu Jitsu locks and a little bit of Muay Thai and Kickboxing. I LOVE IT! And beware, because I'm all about getting better.

On Tuesday I went for a run on my rooftop. I love running around 5 or 6 o'clock when the sun is setting and the wind blowing. When there's still light but it's also a little dark. Today was the first day I ran after 17 days of procrastination, and as I suspected I was going to be in awful conditions. Today I ran 3.4 km, when I normally run 4.25 km.

Wednesday was my last day of Psychology 2012 and ENC 1101 this Spring Term. I feel so not ready for the exams next week, any tip to ace them without stress? I also wento to class #3 of MMA! Gosh! Today we did a lot of locks. Let me tell you: it's so disgusting to do this when your partner is all sweaty. Yuck! And when the day was coming to an end, I finished the book I was reading: "The Prisoner of Cell 25" I liked the drama and the characters; however, the final battle seemed a little too boring for me. Next book: "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini. I love to read at midnight just before falling asleep. (Add me on goodreads! Stacy Kam) 

Finally Saturday! Bought 8 tickets for Iron Man 3, for me and my friends. Sat on the back row, my seat was on the corner. The lights came off and Tony Stark's voice came through the speakers. It was AWESOME. I'm an Iron Man fan since day one. The battle was so surreal, and Robert Downey Jr's performance was off the hook. I love his awesomeness on screen, his cockiness; but I could also feel his love for Pepper Potts. I give this movie 5 STARS. Now I'm waiting for Thor 2 and The Avengers 2. 

This looks so funny. Wish I had a Mark, sigh.

And this, was my week. Week #1 on my blog. I love making these posts, because not only I write what I've done this week; I also relive it.

Get yourselves ready because next week are the Final Exams. Woohoo..