My first day back to college!

Yesterday, being my first day at college, was a little iffy. When I first woke up this morning I was in a panic thinking I overslept, only to find I was ahead of my alarm by 30 minutes.
Go figure.
I went back to sleep and woke up again when the alarm went off. Got up, ate breakfast and made a cup of a much needed warm caffeinated beverage which will soon be my morning friend.

Driving to school felt like getting back on a bike after a really long time. I knew the way, it just seemed slightly foreign to me.
I felt slightly resistant to going back to school. The work, the lectures, the commitment to finishing the classes.
After a certain point in my drive to school, those feelings just seemed to ebb away, school seemed to be what I was meant to do. I was going to get through this A-okay!

Finding a parking space was really fun, the lots were almost full. The one particular lot I wanted to park in was already full, so I went to the next closest one. I made a mental note to come to school early on Tuesdays.

First class was uneventful, going over the materials and syllabus, but I enjoyed the professor. He seems like an okay guy, pretty funny, and very efficient, intellectual, my kind of professor.

One thing I forgot about these classrooms were that I tend to get sweat, my hands tend to puff up and retain water, and after a while of sitting with sweat makes my butt itch and other parts start chaffing. It might be the air-conditioning, or maybe it was my choice of clothing, I just hope that it will quickly pass.

After class ended, everywhere was so overcrowded. So, so overcrowded! Too many people for my liking! With all the time I had to waste I went to my favorite spot, the library!


It seemed like time was passing slowly when I sat down in a cubicle. Thank you Lappy! I don't know how I would've survived after 3 hours of nothing! (I probably would have read a book, which I ended up doing...)
In those three hours; I read the first few chapters in my textbook for next class, found another book, read a few chapters and took notes, and emailed my professor a quick question about Stock Market and how to get started.

About a half hour before my next class I decided to lighten up my backpack and grab some food. Now the cafe food is good, but free food is awesome! There were people from nearby places, like Applebee's, giving away samples. Since I was going to get food anyway, why not have free food! I still went to the cafe to grab a water and some snacks for break, if I got a break.

Like the first class, the second class was also seemed uneventful: going over the syllabus, learning every fellow students names, talked about the textbook, took a break. The professor rambled a lot and isn't quite as methodical, he's pretty fun! He's definitely had a lot of experience. He only skimmed the first chapter of the text book and didn't really 'go by the book' and I had a hard time keeping up with him. I may have a harder time with this course.

One thing in this class, that I haven't had in previous classes, is group work. If there is one thing I dislike, it's group-work. I prefer to work alone, or at least if in a group everyone needs to pull their weight.

Our group assignment was based on investing, what a coincidence! I have 2 out of 4 people in my group, chosen by me, who know about and trade stock. Lucky me! I love my intuition!!!

Upon returning home I received another coincidence, my first class's professor replied to me about the stock market. A few books, a TV show and we'll be talking about stocks later in the course. Some information which I most likely will use for my next class!
I love when things work together...

Overall, I am now excited for school and can't wait to learn!
Til next post! (which will most likely be on Wednesdays)

Let's do the time-warp!: Things I would tell my younger self

Time warp instructions

Sometimes there's just something you wish you had told yourself back then, that would've saved you weeks, months, or even years of frustration, anger, grief and all those other nasty emotions we all dislike.
Here are a few things I would fix:

"Find an active activity you like, eat less to no breads and sugars, go paleo if needed":
Currently, I am a good... 80 pounds overweight. Losing weight is an obstacle and I when can't get the scale to budge, it feels like I'm wrong for trying to lose weight. 'If I'd only just been better to my body when I was younger, it wouldn't be this bad'.
I have been overweight pretty much all my life. Even if I had been more active, like in high-school, I would still be slightly overweight. It would have been so great to have found an activity I would have liked, like Larping or parkour when I was younger.

"Stop wearing black, read up on fashion, get a hair straightener and get some bangs":
Because I am so pasty white and have red hair, I prefer darker colors. It would have done me a great service to have added more color and had more 'style'. I just really needed some sort of style that wasn't just jeans and a T-shirt.
Also, my hair is thick and coarse, so straightening is a godsend. I always wore it in a ponytail. It would have looked so much better loose, and with bangs, like I wear it now.

"Find a few people you can become close friends with, and hang-out often":
Like in my previous post about friendship, I made the mistake in school to have a lot of acquaintances. If I gave myself this advice I hopefully would have had a close knit group of friends in high school that would hopefully last for a long time.

"Don't go looking for a relationship, please wait, become yourself, and love will come.":
I have a confession to make. My first serious relationship was secretly planned by me.
When I graduated high school, still being a single virgin, I decided to force my way to have a relationship. I found a guy, semi-stalked, found out his name, and PM'ed him on Facebook. We then proceeded to date, become a couple, lost virginity, etc...
He wasn't the type of guy I should have been with to begin with, he was messy, a know-it-all, and somewhat of a jerk. When I finally ended up letting my walls come down and start to fall in love, he dumped me because he fell out of love with me. Leaving me with a broken heart, it hurt like hell, but it was going to happen eventually.
It would have been better to have become more "me", let guys come after me, and court me the natural way. I would've been happier, had more options, and less heartbreak.

"Just because you're intimate with a guy, doesn't mean he's looking for a relationship":
This would have given me back about a year of heartache. There was this other guy, (there's always this one guy, right?). I immediately liked him from first sight, he seemed to have this magnetic pull about him. However, he wasn't into a relationship. Somehow, I became intimate with him, and things just continued that way.
He wouldn't call me, I'd have to call him or message him on AIM. When we did hang out, we'd always become intimate, but it frustrated me to no end why we weren't in a relationship.
In my head my head I had this equation [Sex = Relationship] (or I really, really like you enough to want to mush bodies together and share my life with you...).
I kept breaking my own heart, over-thinking about possibilities and under-thinking when I was with him.
Had I been smarter, that whole incident would've been avoided from the start.

"You're more beautiful when you smile":
One day when walking by a mirror, smiling about something I was thinking about, when I noticed my reflection while passing. I stopped, looked back at my face and thought "You really are more beautiful when you smile". I immediately posted that quote on Facebook and Twitter to remind myself of that day.
When I was younger I was moody, fat-ish, and didn't smile or felt pretty. I really felt like I didn't deserve to be happy, because I never was.
It would have been a great help had I smiled more and took better care of my body.

"Find a way to go back in time!":
No, not really. Of course, if those things were to have been erased, newer events similar to these would have happened anyway. It's good to know that we're all continuously learning, because I don't want to make the same mistakes over and over again. I have my experiences that I learned from and give the same advice to others.

What would you tell yourself in the past if you had the chance?

How a purple unicorn taught me lessons about friendship

Now that I'm in college, I expected myself to have made a ton of friends by now. Isn't college supposed to be a place where you find your BFFs? Perhaps I didn't go to the right building.

Connecting with others seems to be a skill I haven't quite mastered. On my days off I prefer to be a hermit and bury myself in studying, playing video-games, and browsing the internet. That was, until I found the Magic of Friendship.

Okay, I lied, I still do all of those things, but I have made more friends after watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic...

To quote from Wikipedia to help me explain this show better than I ever could:

"The show follows a studious unicorn pony named Twilight Sparkle. Her mentor, Princess Celestia, guides her to learn about friendship in the town of Ponyville. Twilight becomes close friends with five other ponies: [...] Each representing a different facet of friendship, [...], The ponies share adventures and help out other residents of Ponyville, while working out the troublesome moments in their own friendships."

I love how there are characters that you just watch and go "Oh my god this is so totally me!". Twilight is considered highly-logical, rational and even-tempered. In the first episode this studious, purple unicorn was reluctant to make friends, even after her mentor told her to do so. I immediately resonated with her characteristics and fell in love with the show ever since.

Throughout High school I was a loner. Often, I'd jump from group to group never really sticking around long enough to make any true friends. If I had done so, I didn't realize it, and didn't use much effort to keep them close. I felt awkward in social situations, not knowing the proper protocols, so I never made any effort to socialize.

After watching all 3 seasons, I've learned a few lessons from the show. Like with Twilight, having that close knit group is important. In High school, I made the mistake of spreading myself too thinly across multiple groups. Trying to please everyone by blending in whenever needed, I never was 100% myself at any time. Now I know it's best to have a few very close friends where you can always be yourself.

Rarity: find your passion

Sometimes you find your best friends when you have a mutual hobby. For me, it's a lot of geeky, nerdy things. Rarity has a passion for her work that I slightly envy. She has found her niche that she works well in, even going so far as creating a successful business in the small town of Ponyville. I hope to become as successful and as happy in a career I enjoy as her.

Apple Jack: Ask for help

In one particular episode, Applejack became stubborn and worked herself into an extreme fatigue before she finally gave in and asked her friends for help. This lesson can be hard one for me to follow through with. Often, I am there to help someone else without giving it a second thought. However, I tend to go at it alone when it comes to my own problems. I know that no one should ever have to do everything by themselves, that's why you should always have a good handful of friends to help you through your hard times as well as share your good ones as well.

Fluttershy: Keep calm and be kind

Fluttershy at her best is generous and sweet. She's sometimes a little too trusting but always eager to help. It's always best to be kind towards your friends and always give them the benefit of the doubt. However, never be a pushover. I tended to give in to others, especially when it came to conflict. Now I know that it's okay to stand up for yourself, even when you might disagree with others, stay kind and understanding and there won't be any real problem.

Pinkie Pie: Have fun!

Having friends around should be a fun experience. In her own eccentric way, Pinkie Pie will go out of her way to make any of her friends smile. If you have friends that you don't have fun with and don't enjoy being around, it's okay to break ties with negative people.

Rainbow Dash: Stay 20% cooler

I'm not much of a girly-girl and neither is Rainbow Dash. She's all spunk, coolness, loyalty, and all about being awesome. Just don't let it get to your head. Although she may come off as lazy, Rainbow Dash has confidence in her abilities to take care of her job, as well as her friends, whenever needed. I believe being loyal to your friends is one of the greatest characteristics anyone can have. I've had times where I felt betrayed by my friends, and it's not a nice feeling. So keep your head up, stick with your friends, and never let anyone else steal your thunder!

The best thing I've learned is that opening up and sharing your experiences with others may teach, help, and inspire others, but also it can show yourself just how far you've come.

So what do you think? Have you learned about friendship, or something else, through a movie or series? Do you enjoy watching My Little Pony? Let me know.