being home is kinda hard

I feel like my family brings out all my insecurities. Everything that I once worried about comes and haunts me when I’m at home. At Berkeley, I’m somewhat carefree, I have fun with my friends, and I’m content knowing that God loves me no matter what happens and He has a great and perfect plan for my life. At home, I have no freedom, I’m constantly reminded of how fat I am, and I feel like my parents don’t understand how difficult Berkeley is and see me as some sort of failure. I don’t like this. I need to get back on track with God.

if you want to make God laugh, tell Him you have a plan

Things I thought before college:

• Get into Haas (Berkeley’s business school) or life is over.
• I’m going to work for Cal Women’s Basketball all 4 years and work my way to the top so I can get a similar job after graduating
• I want to minor in Industrial Engineering
• I’ll join a business club and it’ll be fun
• Sororities are dumb
• Berkeley is a very liberal place and I’m going to have to work really hard to keep my faith.
• I’ll keep in touch and be besties with all my high school friends
• I’m a hopeless cause and I am #foreveralone

Things that are now true:

• I didn’t get into Haas (meaning I can’t major in Business anymore) and I’m super content with the fact that God has a plan for my life
• Possible major(s): Media Studies, Statistics
• Possible minor(s): Statistics, Disability Studies
• I quit my job and I don’t think I’ll be going back
• I didn’t even attempt to join a business club
• I’m in a sorority and I hope to have more leadership positions in it
• Berkeley is a pretty liberal place, but God has surrounded me with a community that encourages me to grow everyday. 
• I rarely talk to people from high school
• I have an amazing, caring boyfriend who I wouldn’t trade for the world.

you know you go to UC Berkeley when

the only way you and your significant other can hang out is if you study together. 

Except he’s playing video games while I’m stressing out for my Econ final worth 45% of my grade that’s in 8 hours.

I should get off of Tumblr…

pokiito:

(ahah i made a meme…)

good job cory!

Swing Dancing

So I haven’t really tumbled about this yet, but I have picked up swing dancing as a hobby. It gives me so much joy and it’s not a bad form of exercise.

Since school started, I’ve been going swing dancing every Saturday morning. I also applied to the swing dancing decal and I got in! :D I’m so excited! and the best part is that my best friend got accepted too! I feel so honored because there were about 100 people trying out for 30 Beginner 1 spots (15 leads, 15 follows) and 20 Beginner 2 spots (10 leads, 10 follows), so as a follow, my chances weren’t that great.

Seriously, this is going to be a great semester! even if I have 18.5 units…

brittanycheng:

ADOBE CS5 FOR FREE??? I LOVE BERKELEY.

As a part of Operational Excellence, UC Berkeley and Adobe are excited to announce a pilot agreement that provides Adobe Creative Suite software to all campus faculty, staff, and students at no cost to individuals or departments in 2011–2012.

(via Campuswide Technology Service Providers)

I LOVE BERKELEY <3

day 11: Something you are happy you did while at UC Berkeley

3 words:

Alpha. Delta. Chi.

<3 <3 <3

day 10: Something you have realized about yourself since coming to Cal

This is my Berkeley challenge that I haven’t finished yet. I didn’t do this one because I thought I had a lot to say about it, but I think I’m just going to keep it simple.

I think something I realized about myself is how fortunate and average I am. First of all, I realized that I am so lucky to have a family that loves me and provides for me financially. I guess at Maranatha I didn’t think it was a big deal, but when I talk to people in Berkeley, I feel so spoiled, and I don’t like feeling that way. I’m trying my best to think more of others and to think before a speak so I don’t say something that sounds arrogant.

Secondly, I’ve realized that I’m so average. Throughout my life (that has pretty much been in a bubble), I’ve been pretty good at things. I guess I felt somewhat superior, but Berkeley has shown me how insignificant I am. I’m kind of pathetic actually. I just have to remember that just because I’m only going to be average doesn’t mean that I can’t shoot for the stars.

day 9- Do you have favorite Berkeley character? (specific homeless person, the “Happy Happy man”, the guy who holds “You’re perfect” sign, etc.) If so, what is it about him/her that you like?

In all honesty, I haven’t been in Berkeley long enough to have a favorite one of those characters, and I’ve been too scared to ever talk to any of them. With that being said, my answer to this question might be “cheating”.

I really like the male barista that is at The Den every morning. He’s always really friendly and asks how my day is or how my weekend was, even if it’s 7:30 am. He always has a smile on his face. I think the funniest thing is when he greets me “An-yeong-ha-se-yo” thinking that I’m Korean. There was even an article about him that they posted on the wall saying that he works and sends his paycheck home to his children, who do not live in America. I forget what country they’re from.. but he’s working hard for them. I hope that his children can come to America someday, but for now, I am grateful for the joy he showed this year to me.

day 8- One memory you would like to relive

GAH. I cannot pick just 1. How about my top 3 memories I’d relive?

1. Pledge Ditch- I love my pledge sisters so much and we did such an amazing job with capturing our president and pledge mom… only 2 weeks after pledging began. Most people reading this probably won’t understand how big of an accomplishment that is, but just believe me when I say it really caught everyone off guard :P

2. AGO Date Night Spring Semester 2011- I was really nervous when I heard we’d be swingdancing because I had only had one prior experience with it and it was super awkward. That night was a lot of fun just being able to hang out with my AGO brothers. It also made me realize that I really enjoy swingdancing and that it would be something I want to learn and get better at in college.

3. Relay for Life 2011- oh my gosh. First, I rapped Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass in front of hundreds of people while 3 of my sorority sisters danced (quite scandalously) in the background. That was ridiculous. Then we planned to leave at 11, but instead played telephone pictionary in the tent until about 12:30. Then, we played energy drink pong til 3:30. We were so hyper it was ridiculous. Love my ADX sisters so much <3

day 7- 3 pieces of advice you would give to an incoming student

1. Get involved in a club- Okay, seriously. One of the reasons I wanted to go to Berkeley was the community. Literally, anything you’re interested in, there’s a club for it. I mean, it’s a great way to meet people and to do something productive in something you’re passionate about. To me, that meant getting involved in greek life through my Christian sorority, joining a Christian fellowship, and managing the Cal Women’s Basketball team. To go to a school with so many extracurricular activities is a blessing and you should definitely take advantage of it.

2. Make friends with your floormates/suitemates- I know most people have had different experiences with this, but I highly suggest making friends with them. These are the people you’re going to be living with for the next 9 months, so you better get used to them. Besides, they might actually turn out to be really cool people. I know I couldn’t have survived my freshman year without the people I met on my floor. There have been times when I was sick, or sad, or bored, or failing, or couldn’t go into my room and my floormates would be there for me. I’m so thankful for them.

3. Party hard, but study harder- When I say party, I just mean have fun, whatever that means to you. Take advantage of the time you have of freedom in college. I mean, go to frat parties, or stay up talking to your friends til 5 in the morning. Just do whatever it means so that you’re not sitting in your room alone at night. Live it up, but be warned that Berkeley has much more rigorous academics than you’re used to in high school. I definitely learned that the hard way. Go out and have fun, but don’t forget to study. You don’t want to be that one kid that’s spending all of dead week cramming because you didn’t keep up with the material all semester (that was me T_T).

day 6- 2 gripes you have about Cal

I’ll make this short and simple.

1. Extremely competitive academic environment- meh. Isn’t that everyone’s complaint? I guess sometimes it just gets really difficult. I mean, that was a given, but sometimes it’s to the point where you have to question yourself on whether or not to help others. I almost fell into that trap, but my floormates were kind enough to help me when I really needed it, which made me realize there is no need to be competitive to the point that it would question my integrity. Still, I don’t like the feeling that I have to compete with my friends.. I guess that’s life and that’s how it is at other schools too.

2. Dining hall food- I’m not sure how I made it through the year eating that food. 

nbaoffseason:

“No layups!” is a constant refrain in the NBA playoffs, but rarely does it so directly determine the outcome of a game. Jason Kidd may be 38 years old, but he still lives that shit, delivering a double-armed takedown of Wade on a breakaway. Wade couldn’t get the easy two, and then, still shaken by the J-Kidd collision, missed one of his two subsequent free throws. Maybe he thought Kidd was going to throw a cookie at him?

Kidd reached deep for the strength to foul this hard. He thought of his jealousy, when Jim Jackson stole Toni Braxton. He remembered the white-hot rage of Alonzo Mourning when he attacked Kenyon Martin for making fun of his bad kidney. He thought of the stupid face Keith Van Horn made every time he thought he was fouled, and how infuriating that was. But mainly, he remembered growing up on the mean streets boulevards of the Oakland Hills, going to prep school on the hardscrabble island of Alameda, and how it felt during college, when his favorite Berkeley cafe ran out of the organic tabouleh, and he had to eat his falafel with the regular kind. And all that resentment turned into pure aggression that denied Dwyane Wade’s dunk attempt.

THE EAST BAY SAYS “NO LAYUPS!” AND START COMPOSTING ALREADY!

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

(Sean Keane)

My favorite is the last line. Berkeley, represent!

day 4: Favorite place to study

I dislike libraries. Occasionally, I can study in cafes. So, for a long time I was bent on studying in my room. There would always be “study” groups and people telling me other good places to study, but I just liked the comfort of my room. Finally it came to be the last week of classes and I just couldn’t be in my room to study anymore, so I decided to go to my sorority house, and magically, the studying wasn’t too hard!

My favorite place to study is at Alpha Delta Chi. 

day 3: Your favorite class your first semester

Bleh. I don’t like this one. I felt like I wasn’t as engaged in my classes first semester as I was second semester. I guess you could say that none of it was really groundbreaking. I mean, I took an R1A and Math 16B just to fulfill some requirements, so that’s boring. I took Chinese 1Y because I wanted to learn Mandarin but it ended up being so difficult that even after I pass/no passed the class, I was still working my butt off just to pass.

That leaves my Intro to Industrial Engineering Operations Research seminar. It was once a week for an hour but I actually really enjoyed it. That class made me consider majoring in Operations Research Management Science and ultimately, I’ve decided to minor in Industrial Engineering Operations Research. I guess if I have to pick a favorite, this would be it, but in all honesty I think I enjoyed the subjects of my second semester classes more.