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
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
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
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
Monday, October 18, 2010
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
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
Saturday, October 9, 2010
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
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
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Rainy Days and Sundays :)
Just finished watching a 3-hour opera called Don Giovanni by Mozart for my midterm on Thursday. That's right, THIS Thursday. And then, I have an exam this Wednesday in Spanish. Talk about a full week. Anyway, this is my little break from studying and watching operas.
As you can see from the title, it is currently raining outside my apartment. I'm not complaining, though. It means that my car gets a free wash (yay!) and it will be cooler later today and hopefully tomorrow.
I had a great time this weekend, despite the fact that I have a cold. I had a friend who I've known for years spend the night this Friday, so we had a great time making chicken soup, studying, and just catching up in general.
We also went shopping at the mall yesterday, and I picked up a few things that will hopefully spruce up my limited wardrobe here (I worked in a uniform all summer, so this was a special treat for me to get some new clothes!). My little sister (who is the trendier and best bargain hunter in my family) would be very proud, because I bought my first pair of skinny jeans, a nice little blue skirt, a few cute tops, and some stuff from Victoria's Secret. I had to go back to VS later last night, though. It turns out that they accidentally rang up one pricier item twice, and I had to return another item that was mislabeled and therefore didn't fit properly.
Oh, and my poor bird and I had quite a scare yesterday morning. You see, one of my pet birds, Roberto (Robbie) the cockatiel, is an extremely dusty bird. Seriously, he ruffles his feathers and a decent-sized cloud of dust just suddenly appears! Anyway, I bought this bird bath solution called Bath Time from the local PetsMart, and I hoped that it would help with the dust. It did help with the dust, but it also started to make him choke! He literally couldn't breathe! So I grabbed him (quite literally) and put him in the bathtub and started to splash some warm water on him. About 15 minutes later, he could breathe and was thoroughly soaked. Needless to say, he's still a little miffed with me.
Well, it's back to the ol' grindstone for me. I've still got Spanish and Hebrew homework to do, as well as studying for that confounded LSAT. Why must they make those logic problems so difficult and long?
Until next time!
Maria
Friday, September 24, 2010
First Day of Blogging
Hello all!
As you can tell from the title, this is the blog of an eclectic student (really, my life is that eclectic that I can label myself as eclectic). For example, just some of my current hobbies are:
Taking care of my pet birds (Roberto, Sunny, and Gemini) and pet bonsai (Kenshin-san)
Bellydancing
Volunteering at the local animal shelter
Speaking Spanish and volunteering with the Latino Community (when I can get to the Latino Center)
Studying for the LSAT (if you can call that a hobby)
Playing guitar, and (attempting) to learn violin and djembe drums
Secretary to a pre-law student club
Reading (anything from Agatha Christie to Chaucer to various Manga series)
Blogging (obviously)
Etc.
So, besides my hobbies, I guess I should tell you all about myself. I love almost every kind of music (minus rap and hard-country). Seriously, my iPod is an eclectic mix of Pop, Classical, World, Blue Grass, Classic/Goth Rock, Folk, Latin, Alternative, etc. Like I said, I've got every type of music on my iPod except for Rap and Country. However, I'm not into the really generic types of pop (like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Ke$ha, etc.) so maybe one day I'll actually take the time to post a list of my iPod library (when I have nothing to do, which is far in the future).
I'm a college student at UNC-Chapel Hill, and I am a senior graduating this coming May! I'm an English Literature major, so reading and writing are a big part of my homework routine. In fact, I should probably be getting back to my current list, which is Utopia by Thomas More and Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas. So NNGB (Night Night God Bless) to everyone of all denominations, and I'll see you next time.
NNGB!
Maria
As you can tell from the title, this is the blog of an eclectic student (really, my life is that eclectic that I can label myself as eclectic). For example, just some of my current hobbies are:
Taking care of my pet birds (Roberto, Sunny, and Gemini) and pet bonsai (Kenshin-san)
Bellydancing
Volunteering at the local animal shelter
Speaking Spanish and volunteering with the Latino Community (when I can get to the Latino Center)
Studying for the LSAT (if you can call that a hobby)
Playing guitar, and (attempting) to learn violin and djembe drums
Secretary to a pre-law student club
Reading (anything from Agatha Christie to Chaucer to various Manga series)
Blogging (obviously)
Etc.
So, besides my hobbies, I guess I should tell you all about myself. I love almost every kind of music (minus rap and hard-country). Seriously, my iPod is an eclectic mix of Pop, Classical, World, Blue Grass, Classic/Goth Rock, Folk, Latin, Alternative, etc. Like I said, I've got every type of music on my iPod except for Rap and Country. However, I'm not into the really generic types of pop (like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Ke$ha, etc.) so maybe one day I'll actually take the time to post a list of my iPod library (when I have nothing to do, which is far in the future).
I'm a college student at UNC-Chapel Hill, and I am a senior graduating this coming May! I'm an English Literature major, so reading and writing are a big part of my homework routine. In fact, I should probably be getting back to my current list, which is Utopia by Thomas More and Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas. So NNGB (Night Night God Bless) to everyone of all denominations, and I'll see you next time.
NNGB!
Maria
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