The Waiting Game

So it has been quite a while since I last posted.  Apparently I am not one for making regular posts on my blog (or my Facebook status for that matter).  It would be too much to catch up with everything that has happened recently, so as usual I'll give a summary of what happened in the last month and two weeks.

Well, everyone has heard about the Japan earthquake, tsunami, and the unstable conditions of the nuclear plants so I won't bother going over them here.  I would prefer to talk about the relief efforts, which are taking place everywhere.  Even my university's Japan club and Anime club are taking donations to send to the International Red Cross.  And of course, there's the mess in the Middle East, what with Gadhafi refusing to leave Libya.  I have to commend the protesters in both Libya and in Egypt (which occurred much earlier) for their immense courage in challenging the oppressive dictators.

Sometimes these events make you wonder whether the 2012 thing is true...

But moving on to more positive things, I have heard back from three law schools.  I have been accepted to all three, but two of them are a bit pricey for me unless I can get a scholarship to help me.  It will be hard, but I'm determined to minimize the law school debt that I'll be straddled with after passing my bar exams.  I've heard nothing but horror stories about kids dealing with $30,000 debt after school, and I really don't want to have to deal with that.

I also found out recently that you can develop allergies if you move to a new area with a lot of pollen (aka my university town).  It is fascinating because you don't develop allergies immediately, but over the course of 1-3 years.  Unfortunately, my university town is notorious for pollen which led me to finally cave and buy some generic allergy medicine.  You know you've developed allergies when you wake up in the morning and you can't breathe.  You'll have to excuse this rant, I've never had to deal with allergies before and I'm afraid that I'm a bad patient.

Okay, moving on from the random allergy note, I've also decided to change things up with my appearance.  Yes, I have cut my hair.  A lot.  As in it went from being mid-back length to chin length.  I felt sorry for the stylist in a way, since she had to deal with my thick hair.  She seriously swept the floor twice just so she wouldn't slip.  But in the end, she was able to trim my hair into a neat inverted bob.  Of course, this also means that almost all of my hair scrunchies, ties, and everything else will be retired for a few months.  But despite all of that, this new haircut should liven things up a little.  It's been years since I've had this sort of a style.

Oh, and another important note, my birthday is coming up.  It happens to land on a Thursday this year, and of course that is my longest day of the week with classes from 11-5.  Hopefully I can wiggle something special in this year, since I will be turning 21.  Of course, I probably won't be able to do anything due to the massive amounts of homework I get (and currently ignoring).  Writing two 14-15 page papers (the Asian American Lit paper I'm going to limit to 15 pages) within a month is going to be rough, which is why I'm hoping to get an outline finished for one by this weekend and start researching for the other.  Thankfully, I'm getting a head start for once in my life and I am not procrastinating (that badly).

Well, it's time for me to put the pet birds to bed.  My cockatiel, Robbie, has been much friendlier as of late, even after I so rudely ruined his Spring Break paradise by taking him back to the apartment with me.

Here's hoping that I can post another chapter of my life before graduation.  I'm not making any promises now, but that's one of the goals.

Sincerely,

Maria

Impending Graduation, Decisions about the Future, and World Politics

I can't believe it is February already.  That means time to apply for May graduation (which the English Department is still reviewing, eep!) and time to make decisions about life after UNC-CH.  I've already been accepted to one law school, but it's the other four that worry me.  I haven't heard back from them yet, which means that I'm in that "grad school limbo" that many seniors have to endure.

Also, I have made the decision to write a 15-20 page term paper for my Asian-American Literature class.  I had the option of writing a 9-10 page paper if I wrote a character analysis due Feb. 15th, but I decided to get a taste of the grad school experience and go ahead with the long research paper instead.  Let's face it, I need the practice, and it will give me a little taste of all the writing and researching I will need to do for whichever law school I end up attending.  It will also give me some nerd enjoyment, since I get to choose my topic within Asian-American Literature and research to my heart's content.

Moving on to things outside of school (because it's really not that interesting), the only thing I can discuss is the conflict in Egypt.  Apparently, President Mubarak has decided to stay as president since it would require a "new constitution" to give the protesters what they really want; a government free from his dictatorship.  I can't believe that is anything more than an excuse to stay on as president, since the people seem to want that change.  Since I have no say in the matter, all I will hope is that the people do get what they want without anymore violence from the military and/or the Mubarak supporters.

In other news, the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo who won the Nobel Peace prize has still not been released or allowed to accept his prize.  Anyone who is a known supporter have been barred from accepting his prize for him (including his wife and his attorney) and it is currently being held by the Nobel committee until he has been released.  Again, it's one of those no-win situations that really makes me wish that we could do more for the brave souls who advocate for social justice and human rights despite the risks and threats they receive.

Well, I need to get to class, so I'll end my little rant here.  Maybe I'll be able to post another update a bit quicker next time.

Until then!

Maria Minis

New Year, New Goals, New Surprises!

Well, so it's 2011.  This is the year that I find out which law school I'm going to.  I've already sent in one application, and I'm about to send in the other four as well.  It seems like it was just yesterday when I took the LSAT for the first time.  I guess time flies when you are busy (or in my case, busy procrastinating).

For me, 2010 has been a pretty good year, in spite of the stress of law school applications and worry over acceptance (which will probably be the case for the next couple months).  I met a lot of great friends, had good times, and had new experiences.  I can only hope that 2011 will be just as exciting for me as 2010.

So now, I'm back to finishing up law school essays and looking into my school books.  After all, it's only one more week before the new semester starts at the university.  I'll be taking a lot of "fun" classes this year, since almost all of my requirements have been fulfilled for my degree.  I literally only have one more class that I have to take, so the rest of my classes are for academic enjoyment or preparation for law school.

I'm also taking more belly-dancing classes this year.  I really enjoy dancing, and my teacher is great.  I also plan on doing some more volunteer work, which shouldn't be hard because of my service-learning class (aka, the last requirement).

It's hard to believe that I'll be graduating in May.  My time at the university seems way to short, and it probably doesn't help that I transferred from a community college first.  At first, it seemed like I hated my university.  I didn't like the ghetto dorm that I wound up with, I had no means of getting off campus that easily (I didn't have my car with me), and I met a couple of teachers that just got under my skin.  That was the 2009-2010 academic year.

Since then, I've had better professors, have my own apartment, and have my pet birds with me to keep me company.  Of course, I still have my problems with the university (such as Admissions screwing up my transcripts twice), but this year the good seems to outweigh the bad.  Maybe it's because the transition was easier for me this time, or maybe it's because this academic year was better.  Either way, 2011 is definitely looking up, and I'm looking forward to a great year!

Happy New Year,

Maria

End of Semester!

Hey Everyone,

It is finally the end of semester (yay!) and I'm finally home for the holidays.  I can't believe that an entire semester has gone.  It seems like only yesterday I was just moving into my first apartment!

Well, as a review of all that occurred since my last post, the DREAM Act is a point that I would like to address. Congress is voting on the DREAM Act tomorrow, and hopefully this time the act will pass the House and the Senate.  This legislation would allow kids without proper documentation who have lived at least 5 consecutive years in the USA to attend college.  This legislation is vital; it would allow many talented children who are barred from attending college to do so.  I've met several children who are currently in that situation.  These children are extremely intelligent, but unless the DREAM Act passes they will never be able to go to college.  We as a country believe in "no child left behind," so why hasn't the DREAM Act passed?

Moving onto a different topic before I start to rant (I tend to rant when I'm exhausted), the end of semester means the end of studying for a few weeks!  However, for me it also means finishing up law school applications and getting everything in order.  And dealing with certain crazy relatives during the holidays.  Well, more like a certain crazy relative, but hey, it's only for one day.

On another note, today (er...yesterday) was my father's birthday!  I got back to my family's house just in time for the birthday cake.  We didn't put candles on the cake (how are you supposed to put 53 candles on a cake?) but nonetheless it was one of those small, special moments you look back on later in life (that is, I will if I'm lucky enough to remember it, being a scatterbrain and all).

Oh, by the way, my post seems very disjointed, small and, well, the prose is just ugly because I'm currently running on only 6 hours of sleep for the past two days.  How I made the 4.5 hour journey back to my parent's place is still a mystery (partly thanks to caffeine).

Hopefully I will get another chance to post an update (one that is probably more thorough and detailed), but in case I don't, Happy Holidays to everyone, and travel safely to wherever you are going!

¡Feliz Navidad!

Maria

Catching Up

Hey Everyone,

Well, I don't know how many people actually read this blog, so should I leave off the "everyone?"  Oh well, maybe I'll do it next time.

Anyway, it's been a while since my last post, and a lot of things have happened since then.  I've had several midterms, a Fall Break that was depressing, a couple of belly dance classes that were great, started attending Buddhist lectures, and made plans to go shopping for a Fedora tomorrow.  So yeah, things have been a mix of good and bad and everything in between (as is usual for everyone, I think).

So I've finally finished with midterms, but I've got language classes that have tests next week so I'm not out of the woods just yet.  I mentioned that Fall Break was depressing, and it was because we had to put down the family dog, Herbie.  It turns out that after my weekend home, he had a stroke or something and when my family took him to the vet they found a massive tumor on his spleen.  That, and he lost his ability to get up on his own, so it took me and my mom to lift him up on his feet when he needed to go outside.  So we made the hardest decision: to end his suffering before he started to really feel it.  It was a rough week after that Thursday, and it took its toll on the entire family since he was a sweet dog with a lot of personality.  I can't express how much I miss my black-and-furry little brother in words, so I won't even try.  Though I did dedicate a candle in his memory, and hopefully he is happy wherever he is.

It was sort of ironic that the first Buddhist lesson I took in Carrboro was a meditation on death (a full week before Herbie's death).  This Buddhist center I found (the Kosala Center) follows the New Kadampa Tradition promoted and spread around the world by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso from Tibet, which is a branch off of the Mahayana tradition.  I've got the "Introduction to Buddhism" book from the center, and so far I like the lessons they offer.  They also include a meditation session in the lesson, and so far I come back a little more relaxed from that place because of the peaceful energy there.  The teacher's name is Gen Kelsang Tilopa, or Gen Tilopa as some call him, and he's originally from Scotland before becoming a monk and moving to the US.  This Wed. he wasn't there since he was at the international Buddhist Festival and Retreat in Brazil, but the fill-in teacher, David, was very good, too.  So far I like this class, and I might just stick with Buddhism for a while (since I've currently been having issues with the Catholic Church).

Anyway, about plans for this weekend, it's homecoming!  I'm not going to the game this year, even though I'm a senior.  It's going to be a pain to park anywhere near the campus for more than 3 hours without a permit, so instead me and a friend of mine are going to hit a tailgate party on South Campus for some free food and then head to Southpoint Mall to shop for decent Fedoras!  I would really like to own just one Fedora for the Celtic Thunder concert coming up, since it's a must for any proper Thunderhead (even though I'm not really a Thunderhead, I don't attend nearly enough shows due to financial constraints).

Also, Halloween is this Sunday.  Normally, people go to Franklin Street in costume and celebrate, but since it's on a Sunday the town is closing the street down at 11:30pm, a half-an-hour earlier than last year.  To be quite honest, the town's citing safety issues doesn't really justify the early hour, since last year there was a kid stabbed at a frat party after they closed down the street (by a man who wasn't a student, btw).  At least on Franklin, the police are there to stop or prevent any violence, but they're not always there at all the frat houses for their parties.  Since most of the kids would be heading to these parties, why the devil do they want to kick them off of a safely-guarded street to not-so-safely guarded frat house or house/apartment off campus?  Really?  They need to reevaluate their argument if they want to justify their curfew.

Well, I should probably stop ranting about all of the piddly stuff that happens around here and get back to work.  Like I said, I've got two language tests next week, and my Hebrew and Spanish subjunctive tenses are not in the greatest shape (aka, I don't understand them yet).  So yeah, back to the languages and I'll put another post up tomorrow.

Happy Halloween!

Maria

One of the greatest weekends ever!

Hey Everyone,

Well, I just got back to Carrboro last night, and all I can say is what a hectic weekend!  Definitely worth it, though.  I went back home to the beach last Friday so I could take a Reiki workshop hosted by a friend of mine who co-owns an aromatherapy shop.  Talk about a great experience!  I learned so much about Reiki, and I definitely want to take the 2nd workshop in January.

For all who don't know what Reiki is, it is the universal life energy that practitioners channel to help heal people on a physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual level.  The great thing about Reiki is that it is an intelligent life energy, so it knows exactly what the person who is receiving it needs.  Which also brings up the hardest trick to Reiki, letting it do whatever it needs to and not try to force it to your agenda (which I find the most difficult part of the practice).  It was (officially) discovered by Usui Mikao in Japan in the 1860's, and then carried on through his students up until the modern day.

I was originally interested in taking this class last year, but because I was on-campus without a car, I couldn't make it to the workshops.  This year, however, I'm definitely going to both workshops so I can be a certified Reiki 1 and 2 practitioner.  I absolutely love this practice, and I hope that I can help others that I know and care about with it.

Besides the workshop that my friend hosted, I got to see my family for the weekend.  Unfortunately, the dog is still as deaf as ever (maybe some Reiki will help him?).  My little birdies are back home currently, since my mom was so nice to take care of them so they wouldn't have to endure the 4-hour car ride three times in the same week.  Fall Break starts this Wednesday (yay!), so it wouldn't really be fair to them to traumatize them that much.  I'm sure Roberto (the little gray cockatiel who is such a perch potato) is happy since he is absolutely infatuated with my mom.

Well, that's the oven beeper, which means that my sweet potatoes are done!  So it's off to eating dinner and then belly dancing classes in Durham.  See you all next time (and hopefully it might be a little more varied in content).

Hasta luego,

Maria

Liu Xiaobo and life in general

Hey Everyone!

I've finished taking my LSAT for the second time, and now the waiting game has begun.  I get to research law schools in NC (there are only 7!) and figure out which ones to apply to.  I've been looking around the Triangle area for potential law schools, and there are three that are public.

Okay, enough about me.  Since I've said that this blog would have a focus on human rights issues because of my interest in the topic, I've decided that I need to actually write something about it.  Well, just yesterday, Friday, October 8th, Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  For those who don't know, Liu was a fervent supporter of human rights in China, and was constantly in and out of jail because of his opposition to the Chinese government.  He was a staunch supporter of the students in the Tiananmen Square protest and participated in their hunger strike.  He was arrested for that and then released, became a college professor, and then arrested again within the last 10 years and sentenced to serve 11 years in prison for undermining governmental authority through his vocal opposition of the current (and very oppressive) Chinese government's policies.  What is also important to note is that all of his efforts were non-violent.  That is, he never participated in a violent protest, nor did he ever advocate violence.  He always advocated for peaceful protest.  He is also the first Chinese citizen to be awarded the prize (note: first Chinese citizen, not the first ethnically Chinese person).

In my opinion, he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for all of his efforts to support human rights in China.  Having taken a sociology class about China taught by a professor from China, I have a little understanding about the issues that go on there.  Granted, I'll never be able to fully understand the issues because I'm not from China, but I do hope that I can help others to understand something about the human rights abuse that goes on in the country that is supposed to "ensure the public's safety" and "keep the peace."

I know that I'll never be able to do Liu justice in retelling his life and achievements, so I've included several links below for those who want to learn more about his life and such.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jy5n5CDcoNHrqOk6ZihXwoOSuHxgD9IOA96O0?docId=D9IOA96O0

http://mobile.latimes.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=294&nid=24321709&cid=16692&scid=-1&ith=1&title=World

http://www.euronews.net/2010/10/08/liu-xiaobo-s-lifetime-struggle-for-democracy/

Enjoy, everyone!

Si quieres paz, lucha por la justica.  (If you want peace, work for justice) (Pope John Paul II)

Maria