Week #53: FINALLY SUMMER! (04.28.14 - 05.02.14)

Finally Monday! The last Monday of the semester! The last day I'll be in Tampa and the last day of my freshman year! It's been a journey all right, I've done so many things I never would have expected like skydiving, going to the beach, meeting people I can trust, and getting along with my suite mates. I had my last and only two finals and I know I did good on the economics final, I'm not so sure about physics though. It's been the hottest day this year! I was sweating from just walking around campus. I finished packing and cleaned up my room, went to the storage container for a second time and finally stored all my stuff. I stopped by Target to drop some clothes at the Goodwill bin and also to buy some food for dinner because I wasn't craving anything junky so I bought a bag of cut apples, three bananas and a Naked juice :) And now the waiting begins... Until 4 am when the shuttle comes for me, actually 4:15 am. What I'm most excited about Panama besides seeing my friends and family, is to finally be able to go to the grocery store and buy everything I want! Because I have a full size fridge and freezer, a blender, a toaster, everything :D It's so sad that that is what's making me excited.

I had a rough morning, Tuesday morning. Didn't sleep at all because the room was so cold and I had absolutely zero blankets. Sam inspected my room and I didn't get charged for the chipped paint! Or maybe she didn't see it because she was inspecting with a flashlight because Kaitlyn was asleep. I got to the airport, and the guy in the counter that checked me in last time checked me in today too and he recognized me! I had a flatbread pocket for breakfast along with an OJ. I was asked if I wanted to move up to row five because it was available and I said yes because the guy said there was no one sitting in the middle of that row. When I was about to enter the plane the crew members thought I was underage... What's new? And they were treating me like a baby, and asking for my passport, and I was like "I'm 19..." before they could ask anything else. I slept the whole flight and didn't even bother to breakfast. When I got here I had some KFC and did some grocery shopping :) At 6:30 I went on a date night with Rod to our usual, T.G.I. Friday's, and something funny happened. Rod ordered a salad and I ordered some Jack Daniel's ribs, and when the waitress set the food on the table she gave me the salad and Rod the ribs hahaha.

I woke up early on Wednesday, that is at 9 am, and had the green juice I prepared last night for breakfast. I drove to Parque Omar to run, and I hated it. I just hate the amount of hills that trail has... and to worsen it, the blazing sun on my face. I felt pretty tired and ran less than 5k! Next time I'll go run somewhere else, somewhere with no hills. After my run I went to my grandpa's house to visit them since they are flying to Dallas on Friday and I had a nice little chat with Apo until Acun came back, we hung out for like an hour and then I left because I was starving. I had mac and cheese with chicken tenders for lunch, what's new, right? I went to Rod's and we played some video games and ping pong :) Then I came back and finally finished my globalization essay! That means I'm officially over with college for now :) I also got my final grade for physics, and I got a B-!

Happy Labor Day! Isn't it weird that I get to have two labor days a year? Haha, because USA's is on September and PTY's is today. Anyway, I woke up early and went for swim to do some cross training today, I intended to swim for an hour straight but that is actually really hard and unrealistic so I only did half an hour. Jose David came to pick me up for lunch and we went to a place called Mama Rosa, a pizzeria around Condado, and it was really good! I ate a whole pizza by myself, something I'm not really proud of but I had a light dinner to balance it all. After lunch Jose came to my house and we watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince :) It's always nice to have a Potter Head as a friend. I was planning on hanging out with Brandon but he has finals to study for, then I got a call from Patty (the Debutants and the grown ups are practicing for the Friendship Festival) to go down to show her and Izabel the video of her Quinceaños so I went down and had to say hi to every uncle and aunt down there. It was nice because I hung out with Austin and Enrique :)

I woke up at 9 am on Friday and went to Ciudad del Saber for a run, I'm not very fond of the many hills at El Parque Omar, so I wanted to try something new. The trail at the park in Ciudad del Saber is pretty neat, the only thing though, is that there's no shade at all. I ran 8k! And I finally made a training plan, I was going to go with no plan at all but with enough research I came to the conclusion that a plan is much needed. For dinner me and my mom went to Ruby Tuesday's and they had the yummiest pretzel burger I've ever tasted, and I'm not a fan of burgers so that's something. When we got out there was like a commotion going on and a part of the mall was closed, we didn't know what was going on and when we were driving home we saw an ambulance; Vivianne then texted in the group that there was a shooting at the mall :O and I was meters away! Ooh and I also bought a Garmin Forerunner 10 watch :3

Week #52: ONE YEAR BLOGGING + AWESOME MONDAY

Wow, how can I start describing this week's Monday? It all started with a good pee in the morning when I checked in the grade I got for my second economics exam, and I say good pee because I got 23/20! That more than an A and my GPA for that class went from 70something to 90! Class was boring... yeah, but I'm feeling so good. For physics, we got to get out early because we finished all the material for the final. Then I went to the library to study for my calculus final test, and stopped by Starbucks first. I was wearing my Superman shirt, and the cashier wrote in my cup 'super girl'; that seriously made my day even brighter. I study calculus for a few hours, and this is the readiest I've felt for a calculus II exam. I didn't do horrible but I do think I could have done better, I'm almost sure I got more than half right. When I came back Kaitlyn reminded me we had a Hall meeting for check out next week, and afterwards some of the suite mates came to our room to hang out. I finished my leadership paper and then chill out. It was a really good Monday despite how I did in calculus, and it for sure is the best Monday of the term, since it's the second to last and in the next one I have two finals. And I finally got to experience one of those girl nights with my suite mates talking about sex... Of course I didn't have much to contribute to the discussion but this is what I imagined college to be like, it was pretty entertaining.


On Tuesday I went to my last leadership class! It was bittersweet, I'll miss my classmates. This class was one of the best classes I've had (if not the best). I returned my Leadership book to the library and bought a new USF hoodie to retire the old one :) I also went for a run but it wasn't that good of a run... I wasn't just feeling it, I had been in the cold of my bedroom and came from an intense 5k. I just hope I pick it up on Thursday. Today is homework and paper night, yay! Since I finally solved my calculus project I can now write about it. I also registered for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon! Taking place January 10th, 2015 :)

On Wednesday I finished my last physics homework with Courtney at the library! And I also got my calculus II test back, I got higher than the average which was 58, I got a 60 LOL! Anyways, I'm actually happy with that 60 haha. I've written half of my calculus paper, which is what's going to save me this semester if I do well. 

On Thursday I got up early and headed to International Plaza, I took the HART bus and got there in an hour and 10 minutes which is really not that bad. I got my feet fitted, and it turns out that I overpronate, and have a medium arch so I got fixed to a running show that will help me balance my weigh evenly. And after trying out that shoe I could really feel the empty gap in my old Asics. I bought the Asics Gel Kayano 20. And since I was in the mall I went to Forever 21 and bought a couple more leggins and a really cute headband :) I also bought my mom some leggins because she asked for. I had Burger King for lunch and it was totally disgusting... It tasted so bad, and I don't think it was because something went wrong, but because it's been so long since I've had Burger King. I finally ran a decent distance, 8.25 km, and with my new running shoes. They felt pretty comfortable but I could feel the heaviness in my legs. Also I felt some impact in the front part of the bottom of my feet. Nevertheless, I feel happy I ran that far :)

On Friday I woke up early because I was planning on going to the last optional session for physics but I decided not to go, I was also gonna meet with Ricardo to study economics but we didn't have enough time before his next class so I did the majority of the take home exam that morning. I was also going to meet up with Courtney but she stayed at home to finish her calculus paper. This is going to be an all nighted night at the library. I have to finish my economics take home exam, study economics, study physics, finish my calculus paper and write my economics globalization paper. And I kinda want to finish all that tonight, kill me right?

Week #51: CERTIFIED LEADER (04.14.14 - 04.18.14)

I had a bit of a late start on Monday, I thought I would have a head start in the morning because I woke up half an hour earlier to finish my economics homework, but halfway to the dining hall I realized I forgot my keys so I had to go back... So I really had a 'butt start' if you can call that something. I didn't finish the economics homework but I did copied for Victoria the one nobody got. I got my Forever 21 package and also the three pairs of running socks I ordered. The socks feel fine, I'll be testing them tomorrow though. At 5:15 pm I headed to the MSC because it was the "Celebration of Leadership" i.e. my Certified Leadership ceremony, sadly I had to leave early because I had class at 7 pm and I feel so bad! At least I understood what we were doing in calculus II. I had Pollo Tropical for dinner, and I feel so bad eating outside food. I wanted to go to the grocery store today but had no time at all, I just want to eat my fruit now (and I feel great just wanting to eat fruit). I also got a letter from Alex! I swear to you that just before picking up the letter I was thinking on writing to her wishing her luck in her finals, I haven't told her I received the letter, I'm gonna send her a response through mail. She basically wrote to me that she supported me in every decision I made and not to stress and she absolutely calmed me down. Although that was a week ago, that letter made me feel so much better. I'm so lucky to have a friend like her.

I had my last physics lab class on Tuesday, and it was our physics lab final. I think I did good, the bonus question was really hard but everything else felt easy. Since I got out early I went to the STEM lab to get some help in my calculus II project, and there were no tutors when I got there; but this nice guy helped me out. He looked like a junior or a senior and helped me a lot, and he was nice too :) I had to stop by the computer store to buy another charger for my laptop because I forgot mine in Panama -.-' It cost $80! I'm so sad :( I got a package from Amazon with my LifeProof case, the LifeProof armband, the GoPro Hero 3+ Silver and two mounts. I got a lot of stuff, lol. Plus I got some of it at discount because of my free six months of Amazon Prime. I went for a run with all my new gadgets. The LifeProof case is amazing compared to the one I had for the 4S, it's so light and not bulky at all. I carried the GoPro in my hand, I uploaded a video here. I ran 8 km! 

On Wednesday I was attended by the rudest cashier ever at Subway... She left the cash register with me standing in front of her, a co worker had to call her back telling her she had costumers; she came mad and did what she was supposed to do. I asked for a plastic bag to put my food in and she literally threw everything in it... I just hate the attitude some people radiate, you don't have to let everybody know how mad you are, specially at work. I did half the physics homework with Courtney since it's due next week and we haven't seen the other half of the material. Then I went to my calculus class and it wasn't boring at all, I understood most of it and I actually feel prepared for the test; but of course I need to study and kill myself practicing this weekend.

On Thursday, Kaitlyn woke me up... at around 9 am -.-' I went to the International Services today to get my visa signed in because it's that time of the year, although I'm not sure if I was supposed to get it signed because I'm still not sure if I'm staying over the summer. Then I went to Dr. Campbell (advisor who assigned my calculus II project) to show him my work to see if I was on the right path, and he helped a lot. Apparently I was not on the right path, but the questions he asked me I was able to answer. So when I got back I did this insane table on Excel and I think I found the answer. I went for a run, and felt super tired, also the impact of my feet was too harsh' that's a sign I need new running shoes. I ran 8.06 km though, and then I went to Starbucks to buy myself a reward. I ordered a Shaken Passion Iced Tea Lemonade blended, and it was AMAZE-BALLS! The cashier asked me three times if I was sure I wanted it blended haha. 

On Friday I went to an orientation for my study abroad program in Florence, I didn't learn anything out of the ordinary but it wasn't that boring because Jim is so funny. I was stuck in there for three hours! There was even a Tornado Warning while in there, but by the time we got out it was all clear. I went to the library then to study calculus with Courtney, we were supposed to go see Captain America today after studying but Courtney said she wouldn't be able to because she had to wake up early for work the next day. It was a really uneventful day, but I'm so excited because tomorrow is my first 5k! And I'm also done with this shit (freshman year) in a week! 

FALL 2014 SCHEDULE

I finally got to register for Fall 2014! And it had me worried because last time I was in the first lot of students to register, while this time they backed me up a couple of weeks. I'm guessing it's because of my number of credit hours and my GPA that went down from 3.75 to 3.67 :( Anyway, I got the schedule I wanted! I was worrying because minutes before being able to register I saw that the Calculus III class I wanted was already full, but somehow I was able to join that class. 

I'm also worried, because if I fail Calculus II what will happen to my Calculus III class? Will it drop itself automatically? I'm worried about that but at the same time so grateful that I have my desired schedule for now. 

Here it is: 

I decided to take classes in the morning rather than the evenings, and I learned my lesson about 7:00 pm classes. However, there was one class I had to take at 5:00 pm because I had no where else to put it. I'm so ready to wake up early in the mornings and get on with my day. What really worries me though, is that fact that I have four classes on Mondays! And blimey, it had to be Monday didn't it? Nevertheless I really like my schedule. I won't have Thursdays and Fridays free anymore but at least I only have one class each day :)

Week #49: RENAISSANCE FAIR! (03.31.14 - 04.04.14)

On Monday I woke up very tiredly. I've been having problems when going to sleep, and I think it's due to stress. Remember the guy I told you about? Sam? Yeah, we are still talking as friends and I think he's pretty cool :) It would be really nice to have a close friend that lives on campus. I had an economics test today and I think I did pretty good, I just hope to raise my GPA on that class to a B or something. Physics was really boring, and after class I bought myself some Subway and went to the library to study some calculus before Courtney came over to study physics. We had a practice test and we solved it, so I'm hoping we are well prepared. I decided to skip calculus II because I'm so done with that guy, the simple thought of him just makes me wanna destroy little ponies and the happiness around me... Yeah, that's how that #@%!^ guy makes me feel.

Tuesday was a good day because I had my last physics lab of the semester! Although physics lab wasn't much of a struggle it helps me conceptualize the few weeks left of this semester. Leadership class was fun, today's topic was change and they totally mixed up the groups and I had so much fun. Leadership class feels more like a 3 hour recess where you have fun and learn about yourself at the same time. There after I went on a run, I was feeling very tired because the night before I only got to sleep roughly 4 hours. I just couldn't sleep, I didn't feel tired at all. Despite the tiredness, I ran what I had planned; 6.50 km. I then changed and went to the library and practice tons of calculus while eating the pizza delivered here. William came to me and asked if I could do him a favor and since he was here I gave him the remanning of my pizza so it wouldn't go to waste. I worked as hard as my mind went, and I'm pretty proud of myself. 

On Wednesday I had totally forgotten that I had a physics exam, I had studied with Courtney earlier but I was not mentally prepared for it. When I got in I saw the scantron in the big screen and people with it on their desks and I thought it was from the previous class but I noticed that they were all blank. Then I saw the people that usually sit on my row with scantrons and I was like 'oh shit'. I feel like a did good, I got the numbers right, so let's hope they are actually right. I went to calculus for the first time in like a week or so and actually understood what that old man was talking about, later I went to his office hours to talk about the second exam for another shot at the extra points, at the end he told me how to solve it because I had no idea, and now I don't know if he gave me or not the 3.5 points I needed to get a 50%. Then I asked him a question about my project, and he told me it was a good question which made me feel great because nobody had ever told me that I had asked a good question. I then left to the library a little confused as to if I had gotten the 3.5 points and couldn't focus so I went back to my dorm and just read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

I was excited for Thursday because of my advisor appointment. I had to ask some important questions, including changing majors which I did. I'm officially a computer engineering major! I asked him about the calculus II class, if I fail it I can replace it with a better grade if I take it over the summer but that doesn't secure my spot on a calculus III class over fall. I talked to my mom and she says just to try to get to a C, if I fail well there's nothing we could do and I would come for the summer term. At 2 pm I had a meeting with Justin Fitzgerald from the Leadership program because he's my coach and I learned a lot of valuable things. He helped me with my leadership philosophy which he loved, and also with my resume. Then I biked to Walgreen's and Target to buy my aunt's medicine and a pair of earbuds because I lost the ones I had :'( I also bought Patty some easter candy to put in her birthday basket :) Her gift is going to be epic. I also noticed I was getting weird stuff on my feet because I've been running. They are not blisters but more like empty blisters? Or circles where my skin is peeling off? Well, I bought some band-aids for that as well. So I just ran 7 km! I'm so freaking happy, but when I got here I noticed I got a blister in my second to last toe :( It doesn't really bother me but that means that now I need to get running socks... Which are kind of expensive. 

On Friday I woke up early to go to a Renaissance Fair with Courtney and one of her friends! It was really fun and it had a lot of stuff to do! I did archery with an arrow and a bow and it's harder than it looks like, I also did the throwing knife thing and I actually got the knife stuck in the wood! I got a champion sticker because of that :) I had chicken and chips for lunch while Courtney had a turkey leg. We saw several shows that were actually really good, I was surprised by that. The bad thing is that it was hot as hell! Gosh, why am I in Florida... Then I went to Publix to buy some groceries and when I got back I decided to register in a run for this month since I can run 7k :) So I registered for the 22nd Annual Hare Racing Experience which will be here in USF in the Track and Field stadium and it's 5k, what worries me is that I can't run 5k straight, I need a little walking break in between but when registering there were two options: runner or walker. So I guess it'd be okay to walk :)

CHANGING MAJORS

I'm a very undecided person, and when it comes to choosing my major I think that was the most important thing I had to choose. However, I was biased. Biased by the amount of people studying engineering, by the expectations people had about me (specially because I had a silver medal from physics olympics), pressure from both my mom and dad wanting me to pursue a career in a strong field. Now that I've finally cracked under the pressure and my mom has finally left me off the hook I have the freedom to choose whatever I want, and I had around a week and a half to choose due to my registration date. I looked into the college of architecture but it looks as they only offer a Master's program in USF. USF also doesn't have a graphic design major in tampa or industrial design, and I feel trapped because I have to stay here because of the good price. So I had to find the major I liked within the list USF has. I thought about Industrial Engineering, a little doubtful because it's kind of similar to Mechanical Engineering. But I really don't see myself doing the stuff an Industrial Engineering does. I know they have such a broad field of work at their disposal but I really don't like any of it. I started eyeing all the other engineerings; I liked the curriculum for Civil Engineering a lot, but I really don't see myself inspecting blue prints and stuff... So, I stumbled upon Computer Engineering. I never thought about being a computer engineering because I didn't consider myself a wiz at tech stuff, but a computer engineer doesn't only have to do with the hardware of a computer but also with the software. And I remember being good at programing in computer class at high school and I really liked it. So I decided to give it a try with computer engineering. Plus, computer engineering is the engineering with the highest rate of available jobs; yup, not industrial but computer engineering. And I would love to work at Apple, or Google, or work on a fun app or something. 

So that's all for now, wish me luck in my new major. Although I still need to declare it. 

And another note: It's okay to change majors if you don't feel comfortable doing what you do now, because what you study will be your area of expertise in the future and basically what you'll do your whole life from the minute you graduate. Just know that you need not worry about people's thoughts and opinions about you. You need not worry about people doubting you will make it in the field you choose. You need only worry about your happiness, and stability because that's what's really important. 

And here's a duck in the rain because it's raining right now ;)

Week #48: University Meltdown (03.24.14 - 03.28.14)

This whole weekend I've been excited to finally put my hands on my new iPad Mini, the moment I saw that the package was finally delivered on Monday morning I went nuts. What bothers me is that the Mailing Office has not sent me an email telling me to pick it up so my patience is running low. Also last night was a tough night, I had to literally count sheep to fall asleep (I counted over 200). I finally got my iPad, a 128 GB iPad Mini and uploaded my stuff that only left 31 GB left from the 128 GB! The rest of the day was A REALLY CRAPPY DAY! I went to the office hours of my calculus II professor, to get extra points on my second test and I wasn't really ready and he got really mad and started to frustrate with me. In one of the questions he asked what method to use for a certain integral but I didn't know what he meant with method, and he screamed at me writing the word method in capital letters while yelling it slowly... If I had to award the worst professor in the history of universities I would grant him the honor... I left his office crying and got a call from my mom, I finally told her that I couldn't keep up with engineering any more and I was streaming water currents down my cheeks. I don't see why my mom makes me get an engineering degree if I don't like the career itself and the subjects to make it. I tried looking up for other majors in USF (Architecture and Graphic Design), but it was useless. Architecture was only a master's program, and for graphic design I need to apply with a portfolio. I tried to focus in the library after my meltdown but I couldn't... I texted Jose David later for support and he is such a great friend, I love him with all my heart. I offered to help me with calc and was so sweet about it! He might be one of the best, if not, friend I've ever had. So selfless and loving he is. I wanted to Skype with Rod... I told him I needed him, but he told me no because he had to go to sleep... That really hurt my feelings. 

It's Tuesday and I still feel crappy from what happen Monday, maybe things will get better. It's not the end of the world right? If I fail I can take the class again over the summer... I just feel stupid, that's all. Every minute I'm alone, watching Netflix or doing nothing I feel guilty because that might be the reason of my failures, but I try to remind myself that this me-time is extremely important. However, doesn't matter how many times I tell myself... I keep beating myself up and my eyes keep watering. This is definitely the worst week of this whole term... I feel so stupid, useless, and good for nothing. Everyone around me is getting good grades, and is easy for them to focus; they want to be engineers in the future because that's what they love. When I grow up, I'll let my children decide to study whatever they want; because this right here is not worth it. My mom after offering yesterday to fly over here because of my sadness, gave me the chance to change majors, but from the list of majors in USF I couldn't find a single thing I'd like. If I wanted to really pursue my dreams I would have to change schools, and that would be a shame because of the great pricing due to my scholarship here. This topic just keeps going on and on in my head, beating the guilt out of me. I wish I hadn't rejected the offer my mom made to come visit me. I rejected it because in a couple of week I'll be in Panama for Patty's 15th birthday party and my dad would kill my mom if she just came to visit because I was sad. I had never cried like that in front of my mom, I must have triggered her motherly instinct. My eyes are watering right now just thinking about all of this, I really want my mommy here. 


On Wednesday I had a quiz on economics, and the professor never told us like he usually does. I did well, but I missed one question because I skipped it unintentionally! I have everything else right and that infuriates me! I could've gotten a 100 on that week. I just feel that it seems as if I can't catch a break this week. I just want really to take the next semester off and just relax you know... So now I'm intrigued in the whole computer engineer thingy, it got me thinking and I research a little bit about it and I really liked it. I remember in high school programming HTML and it was really fun, I even like it more than industrial engineering because this means that I could work for big companies like Apple or Google or even create apps! So after more than a week and a half without doing laundry I finally succumbed. The load was huge and well... you know: the struggle. 

On Thursday I had planned a calculus date with Courtney to learn everything we haven't but at last minute she had to go pick up her brother... So I took in the extra hours of sleep and relaxed a little. Then I went for a run and ran over 6 km! :3 That really brightens my day. Then I showered and headed out to the library to work on math. I got some Pollo Tropical for dinner and then returned to the library. I feel quite proud of myself for practicing so much and having long term focus sessions. I'm also loving my iPad mini :D I've been playing Hay Day and watching my YouTube videos here while studying. 

On Friday I woke up at 8:30 am to meet up with Ricardo to help him with economics, we met in a room at the MSC. It's the first time I've ever been in one of those rooms. I explained as much as I could because he only had until 10:50, I really hope he does well on the midterm on Monday. I also biked to Target to buy an iPad cover, a stylus and since I was there I bought makeup for Patty's birthday and for some YouTube videos I'm planning to do when I get back :3 What also surprised me about the makeup I bought was that the Elf brand, everthying was under $3! And I got a pretty cool lip color which is the red in the picture below. I also forgot to go out on a run! :'( I really wanted to... The rest of the day I finished Pokemon on Netflix and skyped with Rod :)

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT UNITL... YOU ARE IN COLLEGE

I miss the sunny days where the sun rays came through my window and woke me up, then my mom knocking on the door thinking I overslept and me telling her that I'm almost done. Pulling my purse from my BFF and LOL rack I've got hanging on my closes and grabbing my keys with the donkey keychain my mom got me from Greece. 
I come out running in the dark hallway, and meet my mom at the door. She's all ready waiting for me and asks me if I have my keys, wallet, and license. I say yes without even checking and my mom hugs me and waits until the elevator doors open to close our main door. 

That was morning routine with my mother, and although I sometimes thought it was awkward and too-much-mommy-like, I miss that. The thing I miss the most about studying abroad is my family. We are very close, we have lunch at least twice a week and never run out of topics in conversation. My grandpa always has this new project he's working on and my mom and aunt help him giving him opinions. My grandma listens quietly while keeping an eye on my great-grandmother since she's a little lost. Me and my cousins talk about what's trending right now, either be music, movies, or a new app or gadget. 

I miss those little lunch dates I had with my family, the impromptu family dinners when we all are craving something fancy. But I mostly miss my mom. She knows when I'm sad, she senses it and it breaks my heart that I break her heart. She's willing to swim every ocean to get to me if I'm feeling down (and I'm not kidding, she offered to fly out to Tampa when I told her how sad and miserable I was). 

I miss my comfy food, my bed, MY BATHROOM, the smell of my house, my friends, my TV, even my desk. The change of desks makes a huge difference in my studying routine. 

Anyway, I miss loads of things; but what I miss the most is my mom. She's my rock and although I never saw her that way when I was younger I do now. And I never miss the chance to tell her that I love her too and to text her or send her a silly picture because she keeps me ground and sane. 

You never know what you have until you go away to college, just be smart and don't let it go while abroad. Keep a tight hold on things and love ones and don't let go, ever. 

FLATTERED!

Sunday I was walking towards the library to get some shit done, and right when I was near Castor Beach a cute guy approached to me and said: "Hi, my friend here is very shy and he thinks you are cute". Totally blushing I said thank you, and his friend introduced himself. Sam's friend left and said that a cute girl like me shouldn't be walking by herself to the library (blushing 110%). Sam then offered to walk me to the library and we got to talk a bit. I totally knew what he had in mind but I couldn't build the courage to tell him that I had a boyfriend. We talked about our majors and stuff and he seemed pretty nice, he even told me I seemed like a very good person. When we got to the library he asked for my number and afraid to turn him down I gave it to him. Sam was really cute, with brown hair and gray/greenish eyes; he seemed like a gentleman and was very sweet. This is the first time a guy came to me like that, and I liked that feeling. However, I feel bad because someday I'll have to tell him that I'm already taken, but I really want him to be my friend because I seemed pretty cool. Things like these boost my self-assurance and this was obviously the highlight of my Sunday :)

Week #47: MILEY CYRUS CONCERT! (03.17.14 - 03.21.14)

Monday was said to be rainy all day and it was the moment I got out of my economics class. So far so good with my eating habits, I had fruit and whole grain crackers for lunch. I'm stressed though, because I have a calculus II test and I tried to study yesterday but couldn't. I understand the new concepts, what's hard is the integration itself :S thumbs up for all you college of engineering students struggling as I am. Honestly, I don't imagine myself studying anything else; business bores the crap out of me, I'm not that good at designing (I have the ideas but not the skills), and everything else I just don't like it. When I got done with the test all my hopes were down, I feel so depressed and sad :( 

On Tuesday I had my usual. I can't stress enough how much I love my leadership class, it's not the class, it's the group of people seating at my table. I just love them, they are so funny and good sports. I kind of feel bad because after class I ate ramen, not one but two! I went for a run and ran a little over 5 km, which was good. I felt the run wasn't that good but compared to my last run I ran further and faster! While running I saw a cute little grandpa riding his bike with a orange flag and a fluorescent vest so as to warn drivers he's riding a bike. And to top it off he was carrying things to recycle which I saw him pour into the recycling bins! So cute :3 I just have a weird love for old people.

Wednesday, was boring while at economics class because Ricardo didn't go. Armando is as usual guessing the answers as if he knew what was going on... And Victoria was playing Minesweeper on her phone. The funny thing is that Victoria knew what to exactly do for the class activity. I really need someone to talk to in that class... Otherwise I equal the quality of human characteristics as somebody who is dead. So after the first five minutes at economics class my day was practically dull. I went for a run at the track in the gym, and went for dinner afterwards at Champion's Choice. I kinda feel bad because I ate past and two slices of pizza (and a cookie too but shh), but hey... I'm getting into my period so I have an excuse. I got an email from INTO USF, the place I applied for a job and had a group interview the week before spring break, and they want to have a second interview! Then it came calculus and I got my test back :( I got 32.5... But I can better it up to a 50 so that kind of makes me feel better. I know I can pass this class but I'm seriously thinking about changing majors :( I'm at the library right now, studying the material we saw today, I want to get an A on the next and last test! I was also texting with Jose David while at the library because he was helping me with math and congratulated him at midnight because it was his birthday! I stayed at the library until 12:30 am, which is the latest I've stayed ever. I also Facetimed with my mom, because I was down because of my test grade and she always encourages me not to change majors.

I woke up early on Thursday, tired as hell because I stayed up last night watching Pokemon on Netflix. I went to the Study Abroad Orientation session, which was kind of informative but pretty obvious stuff. Then I went to my second job interview at INTO USF *crossing fingers. After that I had an advisor appointment to release the holds I had for registration. Finally I went to the Health Insurance office to release that hold as well. It's been a very busy day so far dare I say. And at last! It was time for THE MILEY CYRUS CONCERT! I met up with Sam and her best friend Juan, who turned out to be super awesome at Fresh Food to have a bite before heeding out. We then met with Grace and drove downtown to Tampa Bay Times Forum. When we got there we took some pictures and Grace and I bought Miley Cyrus concert shirts (the less obscene they had of course). The concert was amazing, the props where perfect, her entrance is the best entrance I've ever seen, and the concert was not just a concert; IT WAS A PARTY. I danced, sang, and had fun like ever before. The closing was spectacular, ending with We Can't Stop, Wrecking Ball and Party in the USA. And after a long day I had a late bite at Fresh Foods with Sam and Grace and then headed to bed. 

On Friday I woke up to go do some physics homework with Courtney and we nailed it! I got over a 100% on the homework and randomly decided to go see Divergent since it came out that same day. We went to see Divergent and were almost late to the theater! The movie was awesome, and OMG, the thought of Tobias just melts me <3 I had an awesome time with Courtney as always :3 She's a really good friend. 

Week #46: SPRING BREAK 2014! (03.10.14 - 03.14.14)

Monday we (Alex, mom, dad and I) went to Busch Gardens, and we rode every single roller coaster except Guazi because it was closed. It wasn't cold or hot or rainy so it was an awesome day; however, it was kind of full. It's been the fullest I've seen the park since August, and it most be because it's spring break. We had an awesome time and after a long day we headed to Olive Gardens for dinner :) Before going to Busch Gardens we ran a few errands (USF credit union stuff) and I gave my dad and Alex a mini tour of the university.

On Tuesday, Alex and I went to Adventure Island! I bought the Fun Card which is good for a whole year! I'll definitely go there later on to relax in the sand or something. It was a lot of fun, we were alone because my parents decided to take the day off. We went on every single slide and they were so cool! Adventure Island was also kind of packed but there was no line longer than 10 minutes. After a tiring day at the water park we went to an all-you-can-eat-hibachi-and-sushi restaurant called Koizi, just outside my parent's hotel. It was good and worth it, I would love to go again to that place. 

On Wednesday we all went to downtown and I redeemed the vouchers for the Miley Cyrus concert I was given by the USF Housing Office! I got 4 tickets for the concert for free! We also went to the mall and had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, it was hummers :) I had a Reese's Cheesecake. Then it was shopping time and I had a blast, I bought a lot of stuff and I love it all. I even got my denim jacket I've been wanting. At 8 pm we headed to Bern's Steakhouse, a place my dad has been longing to go since forever. And he being there was just like watching a kid in a candy store, it was rather cute. The food was delicious, and I really loved the baked potato. 

On Thursday we went to my first New York Yankees game at the George Steinbrenner Field and it was so awesome! We all went navy blue and white (except for my mom) and we sat on the first base side, row N seats 11 - 14 (almost at the end of the stadium). The seat were pretty cheap, $29 each. I had a pizza for lunch and it was better than expected; I even like it better than the pizza I had for dinner at a fancy restaurant, Maracroni Grill. The game was against Baltimore Orioles and we won 6 - 0, I still am a Boston Red Sox, but in this game I was rooting for the Yankees. Before the game we stopped by Barnes and Nobles and I bought a couple of things, including a Calculus II for Dummies, LOL. After the game we went to Whole Foods because I wanted to see what was the big deal; it had a lot of cool stuff but I felt it was over prized. We then went to Target in search of some rain boot and I found everything but rain boots, *sigh. 

On Friday we had lunch at On Top of the Palms, a buffet on the third floor at the MSC. The food was not that great but the soup was pretty good, it was corn bisque. Afterwards we went to Busch Gardens for the second time, we got there a little late, around 2:30 and we saw the Iceploration show and rode a few roller coasters. We then had dinner at Chili's and I tried their chicken enchiladas for the first time and it was amazingly good :) Then we went to Publix to do some grocery shopping and I bought quite a lot, I even bought 12 packets of ramen... haha. But I'm happy with our trip to Publix because I got to buy tons of stuff all at once, and I got a lot of fruits! It's gonna be a healthy start next week to detox all the junk I ate this week :)

Week #45: ALL ABOUT BEING HEALTHIER (03.03.14 - 03.07.14)

Uff Monday! Three more days until I'm free for spring break! Lately, Armando hasn't being showing up to the economics class... I just hope he doesn't fail because of that. I got my economics test back today, I got a 70 and I have mixed feeling in whether feel bad that I'm average or be happy that I didn't fail haha. After physics I went to the library and studied for my leadership midterm and finished my physics homework! Also on the way to the library I encountered the cutest ducklings ever haha. For dinner I went to Champion's Choice and had two small dishes of greens and tofu, it's been a while since I've had salad. Bored at night I decided to log into my Pottermore account, to see what's up; turns out it's a really cool site. The first time I tried it I got put in Slytherin, and now I'm in Ravenclaw. Honestly, I'd have preferred Slytherin haha. 

I had a rough night Monday night, I ended up falling asleep at around 3 am. And it wasn't easy because Kaitlyn got back around 2 am and she was making noises and hitting her head against the pillow to "fall asleep". I had to shushed her because it was stressing me out all the noise. I had my physics lab midterm and it was kind of a consensus test to know the status of our university or something. I really like these kind of tests because it reminds me of the physics olympics back in high school, those are some of me proudest memories back in the day. I got out of the leadership class because we had a midterm today, and I decided to go on a run. I feel so bad! I ran less than 3.5 km, and I felt so tired all the time. I think I felt tired because I haven't been eating as much, and because I went for a run when the sun was shining rather than going when it's sunset. Then I went to Publix because maybe the reason I didn't perform well was because I haven't had any bananas or green smoothies lately because I finished all my groceries from last week. Every time I go shop my wish for having a car increases more and more, and can't keep up with the struggle anymore. Since I felt bad from my run and because I ate Reese's (oopsie) I did a bunch of sets in my room, and also decided to yet again, start the raw diet. 

On Wednesday I decided to start eating healthier, and I had a raw lunch (bunch of bananas). Physics class was so boring! We watched a documentary about how to use a pocket watch to determine longitude while at sea... it was one hour long. I went for a run since I couldn't complete the whole set on Tuesday and thank God I completed it today :)


When I woke up on Thursday it was raining cats and dogs, I also got a text message warning about tornadoes! But at the end the warning was cleared and we all went back to normal. I had the brilliant idea of going out for a run in the poring rain... bad, bad, BAD idea. I didn't run as much because of the rain so that means another failed workout :( I came back soaking wet and showered to get ready for a job interview I had at INTO USF and it went well, I really hope I stood out since it was a group interview. I had Pollo Tropical for dinner, and I'm still doing my one raw meal a day and today's was a green smoothie for breakfast. I really want to look nice for spring break but I feel that I've lost all my motivation :( and I don't know what to do to regain it, I was in such a good track. I JUST FEEL SO FAT! :'( last week I felt slim and very confident, I don't know what to do with my life anymore :( I feel like Momo haha. 


One thing I will not miss this spring break week is waking up to the sound of Kaitlyn getting ready, or Carmen changing the trash bins, or Olivia and Abby talking like there was nobody here sleeping; how inconsiderate. Friday morning I woke up to all three of them... First to Kaitlyn and I went back to sleep, then to Carmen and I went back to sleep again, but Olivia and Abby were the cherry on top that woke me up... I'm so pissed. I went for a run after hours of nothing to do and ran more than 4.5 km! I decided to take a run in the sidewalk instead of the trail because I was getting sick of the trail. After the run I decided to stop by Fresh Foods to get ingredients for my smoothie and ended up eating two slices of pizza LOL, guess I deserved them haha. 


I also received my certificate for being part of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars :)

HALFWAY THROUGH SPRING TERM - MARCH 2014

It's finally March! I cannot believe we are already halfway through spring term. In two more months I will be officially done with my freshman year at college! That's like a huge step. So for this month I don't have tons of exciting things planned but I'm certainly excited for spring break! Mom, Dad and Alex are coming over and we are going to have so much fun. We are gonna go to Busch Gardens, Adventure Island and go shopping, maybe some other unplanned things along the way too but I really can't wait. 

Also, I'm so happy because I really can't wait for summer. I've been working hard, non-stop from January 2013 with no vacation longer than three weeks. Finally I will have an entire summer (if you don't count the study abroad) to relax and do whatever I want. 

Week #44: Movies with Courtney Part II (02.24.14 - 02.28.14)

On Monday I was so tired because of the sleep deprivation I had from the weekend. I searched for a couple of online jobs because I want to earn some extra money, I hope I get the job; they are translator and transcribing jobs. I made myself go to math class since I missed the last one, and damn this shit is hard. I also received two packages today, some clothes from Forever 21 (got myself a unicorn onesie!) and the last gift from Patty's surprise birthday present :)

On Tuesday I had no physics lab so I went for a run. I ran 3.22 km (my farthest run) and I was giving up halfway through, I finished though. I was texting with Ale about being fit and stuff, I'm glad I have a friend on the same boat as me :) After leadership class I headed to the library with a couple of bananas, a Ziploc with popcorn and a water bottle to do some school work. I finished my economics homework, and studied for the quiz, but I had a hard time focusing in physics. Instead, I used my time to google future Disney Marathons which is definitely a must for me in the future. I'm gonna ask Courtney if she'd like to join me, if not, I guess I'll go by myself. And to wrap up the evening I saw Frozen for the first time, it was an okay movie. I liked it but it felt like it needed more material, more loops or whatever.

On Wednesday I had the "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman" song from Frozen stuck in my head, I was driving Ricardo mad haha. I also did awesome on the quiz! I got the practical question right! A good way to start the day. I also got a call from Alex, which was nice since I kind of miss her and it makes me feel needed :) I feel confident that I didn't get an F in my physics exam if that helps XD I was struggling at first but after a couple of tries I got the answers in the multiple choice. I also officially registered in the Disney's 10 Miler run this October 4th! I also book the hotel and everything :3 I'm gonna stay at the Disney's All-Star Movie Resort, so far I'm going by myself though. I also got a reply on a job application I sent to work at INTO USF, I'm not really sure what the job was about because I applied to several all at once but I think I know which is it. I have a group interview next week :)

On Thursday I woke up early, 9 am, to go for a run. Gosh, this run beat me up man, I was so tired. I have this pain on my right side whenever I run and I don't know what it is but it's a sharp pain. After my run I went to Publix to grab some groceries. I was planning on going to Busch Gardens but the day is so gloomy today, it's 13 degrees outside. I spent the rest of my day watching Harry Potter and being a silly cat :3 I checked the tracking on the headphones I bought from Target because a couple of days ago it went from Orlando to Jacksonville which was very odd; today it says it's in Atlanta! I got so mad and call every available costumer service, at the end I got my rerun back... But I really wanted those headphones for this weekend. Guess I'll have to go to Target to see if they have them. And at around 10 pm my mom and dad called me to talk about our trips this summer, thank God I'm still going to Italy this summer (I'm so happy in the inside!). Instead of traveling Europe we are going to travel through Asia since my dad really wants to travel to China. 

I woke up early on Friday to go see the Lego Movie with Courtney! We had fun, and the movie was bleh/ok. After that we went to Pollo Tropical since Courtney has never been there! And then we went to Target because I had to buy the earbuds that don't fall off your ears when running, she bought an auxiliary cable so we listened to disney classics on our way back; we also each bought a packet of Jelly Beans, and at first I was like mmm I don't know why I didn't like them as a kid, but then the strange flavors came over and ugfwkjkduw :S.