Boston truly is my favorite place to be. I turn 22 tomorrow... WEIRD. And I'm still loving being in Boston. My family and I did so much these last two days. In no particular order, we visited Harvard, toured Fenway Park, walked around The Garden, visited the Museum of Fine Arts, hung out with Matt, played candle pin bowling, and SO much more. We've walked around so much and have done so much that I couldn't possibly put them all into words here on one blog. My post would go on FOREVER. Although, I do have to confess that thanks to Bessey I'm officially a hockey watcher and now thanks to Boston, I have a team to cheer for. The Bruins are where my energy is now going toward. Red Sox will always be my first favorite Boston team. Celtics came second, and now I have the Bruins to love. My parents are trying to get me to love the Patriots but to be honest, I don't like watching football in the slightest. So that may not happen... But it's nice to have a focus ;) I have a deal with Bessey and for all you reading this, you may serve as my witness: He is going to try his hardest to make it onto the Bruins. When he makes the team, I will buy EVERYTHING with his name and number on it (I mean, he IS #1) and he will get me free tickets. Hopefully he won't forget the girl who took him home after Jr Ring and went to every home game to support him playing in the '10-'11 school year at Skidmore, because I know I will never forget my English class with him where he first told me that he was branded as a hockey player. Ever since that class, he has been my hockey boy.
Haha, anyway, I'm exhausted from another exciting day in Boston. I think we're going to the aquarium tomorrow... not quite sure, we kinda just play it by ear day-to-day. Regardless, I know with my family I will have a lot of fun. We laugh so much when we're together. I will be sure to update you every day when I hit the road again. Until then... Laters.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
School's Out!!
Hey everyone!! So it has been a while since I’ve updated this (AGAIN >_<), so here’s the abridged version.
Classes ended and I made a new friend :) His name is Matt and he's awesomely weird lol. We get along because of our weirdnesses. We had one class each semester together each semester and we only started talking when classes were done. He has SAD so I was very interested in talking with him about it (since that's what I wanna study and work with professionally). We became a lot closer than I ever thought possible in just a week. Then again that's how I felt about Chris when I met him in November. I just meet my best friends late in life... case in point fab 5 arose senior year of high school :/ What is wrong with me?? Don't answer that. Anyway, I didn't have finals so I got drunk a lot with other people who didn't have finals because we were just SO unbelievably bored. Finally it was senior week!!!
Senior week… Aiyayai that went by way too fast. Although I didn’t go to many events, I still had a lot of fun.
Friday was the kick off and because I was exhausted, I decided to ditch that after getting my wristband.
Saturday was senior fun day and I didn’t go to that either. Raisa and I decided to play just dance 2 on the wii instead. I did wanna go check it out but we were tired after playing and it was raining so Raisa said she didn’t wanna walk in the rain. I refuse to go to it by myself since I had too many enemies on campus.
Sunday my housemates didn’t wanna go bowling so we ditched that too, although we did get absolutely TRASHED. Matt also stopped by with Chris and we played doubles ruit. It was so much fun because we all won one and lost one. Matt and I made a pretty good team but then we got raped by Raisa and Chris.
Monday was the Booze Cruise and oh man was that fun!! There was a dance floor on the second level and I had the time of my life. I didn’t drink anything because of the rough night the night before but I still had a lot of fun ;) Monday was also Freshman dorm night. That was absolute crap because half the places were non-existent or not open, or unaware that we had something going on. Most people hit up Tavern after 1 or DA’s before that but Putnam Den was where it was really at. Again, Matt neglected to buy me my drink for losing his bet, but whatever.
Tuesday was supposed to be a movie night but it got canceled due to the rain. To be honest, I really can't remember what we did on this day/night.
Wednesday was the commencement rehearsal and Senior Formal. The senior formal was AMAZING!! I couldn’t believe that regardless of having to leave early I had the best time of my life.
My CBEST test was Thursday morning at 8am and I got back to campus around 11. I slept until 3 and then had to get up to pack. Raisa, Maria, and I ate at Ravenous (HIGHLY recommended) for dinner and then took the rest of the night to pack up since my family was just getting in to NY. I went to a late dinner with them at Hattie’s. Then I brought them back to my house to play just dance wii (HILARIOUS!!). Then I went off to my friends’ birthday parties. Natalie and Alex Costa had their birthday parties on Thursday with a rubix theme. It was a very entertaining party. Matt was supposed to meet me at the party but FELL ASLEEP!!!!! So I was mad at him…. Well actually that’s a lie. I wasn’t mad, just drunk haha.
Friday morning I woke up and got ready for the Senior athletic luncheon at 12, then the brick ceremony at 3:30 and the meet and greet for my department at 4. Then I had my last dinner in Nwoods with my favorite people. We cleaned and packed and pretty much got a massive headache from it. Matt came over and hung out with me for the last time :’( and then it was time for bed.
I had to wake up early so that I could pack up my car. My family met me for the last breakfast in Dhall. And finally it was the hour of graduation. I went early to catch people who were getting their diplomas. Took lots of pictures, walked, took more pictures, celebrated, you know the usual. My family loved it, I loved it, I’m sure my friends loved it. I said my good byes, packed up the last of my things, and headed out.
In the next post I'll tell you about what I'm up to now. Until then... Laters.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
What FightClub Has Taught Me
Tonight was an intense meeting (yes, I'm writing this at 1am while it's still fresh in my head). People yelled at each other. People cried or were on the verge of crying. People talked. People argued. People defended themselves. People heard what was being said. But no one was listening. From this meeting I learned a few things being the silent secretary for the mediators, who reluctantly stepped in with high hopes that the group would be able to work things out for themselves. Unfortunately, things rarely work out as you plan, nor do they ever go as you would hope. My stomach twisted more and more as peoples' voices raised to the point where I thought we needed to physically break up the fight. I thought I was going to pass out or throw up. Conflicts scare me, but I learn from them. Here is what I learned tonight:
1. If you're here to make it easier, you're here for the wrong reason.
2. Learning starts where discomfort begins.
3. Too much of a good thing, can be bad.
There is a lot more that I learned tonight. I will continue to learn with each mediation and yes, I will admit that I am afraid of leaving the club the way it is, but sometimes you have to trust that everything will be OK. As I've often said, FightClub is my new born baby. At this point right now, I'm leaving my baby at day care for the first time. It's hard for every new mother to do but she has to trust that her baby is in good hands. I trust that this club will thrive because so many people are so passionate about making it the best club that it can be. Some day I will hear about the club on the news because they will be saving the world one conflict at a time. Some day I will be sitting in a mediation thinking to myself, "Compared to FightClub, this is not a problem." But right now, I'm sitting in my room on edge because I'm terrified that something bad will happen. So... because I've learned so much from you all, I would like to pass on some words of wisdom that hopefully you'll remember the next time you're in need of a mediator:
1. A title means nothing. People will recognize you (no matter how much you try to make it anonymous). No one will go unnoticed. Even when no one else recognizes what you did, you know what you did and that's one more person that that event had noticing it than it did before you did it.
2. An e-board has to be a team, not just a group. Work together and encourage each other but most importantly, keep each other in check. Don't take things your teammate says personally. He or she is just looking out for the chemistry of the team.
3. Listen to each other. Everyone has things to say. Think about how it feels not to be heard. Don't make anyone else feel that way. When in doubt, STFU. Physically take one step back from each other, take a deep breath, and then start again when all the noise has quieted down.
I want to see this club bloom. This is but a seed in a pot just beginning to root. We have a small stem but no leaves yet. I'm a girl, I want flowers. Keep it alive long enough for a flower to bud and bloom. Then send me a picture so that I can cherish it for all eternity. Please don't let your passion die, because I might go with it. Keep learning from each other and don't forget, I'm always here to keep you updated. Until then... Laters.
1. If you're here to make it easier, you're here for the wrong reason.
2. Learning starts where discomfort begins.
3. Too much of a good thing, can be bad.
There is a lot more that I learned tonight. I will continue to learn with each mediation and yes, I will admit that I am afraid of leaving the club the way it is, but sometimes you have to trust that everything will be OK. As I've often said, FightClub is my new born baby. At this point right now, I'm leaving my baby at day care for the first time. It's hard for every new mother to do but she has to trust that her baby is in good hands. I trust that this club will thrive because so many people are so passionate about making it the best club that it can be. Some day I will hear about the club on the news because they will be saving the world one conflict at a time. Some day I will be sitting in a mediation thinking to myself, "Compared to FightClub, this is not a problem." But right now, I'm sitting in my room on edge because I'm terrified that something bad will happen. So... because I've learned so much from you all, I would like to pass on some words of wisdom that hopefully you'll remember the next time you're in need of a mediator:
1. A title means nothing. People will recognize you (no matter how much you try to make it anonymous). No one will go unnoticed. Even when no one else recognizes what you did, you know what you did and that's one more person that that event had noticing it than it did before you did it.
2. An e-board has to be a team, not just a group. Work together and encourage each other but most importantly, keep each other in check. Don't take things your teammate says personally. He or she is just looking out for the chemistry of the team.
3. Listen to each other. Everyone has things to say. Think about how it feels not to be heard. Don't make anyone else feel that way. When in doubt, STFU. Physically take one step back from each other, take a deep breath, and then start again when all the noise has quieted down.
I want to see this club bloom. This is but a seed in a pot just beginning to root. We have a small stem but no leaves yet. I'm a girl, I want flowers. Keep it alive long enough for a flower to bud and bloom. Then send me a picture so that I can cherish it for all eternity. Please don't let your passion die, because I might go with it. Keep learning from each other and don't forget, I'm always here to keep you updated. Until then... Laters.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
I am an inspiration
Most of you know that I am, among other things, a chameleon and a mirror. I try to blend in as much as possible while still being unique. I mirror everyone else's energy and personalities so that I get along with them as much as I can. Last night at our last FightClub meeting we had a compliment car wash for the seniors. Everyone said that they loved my energy, dedication, and commitment to the club and in everything I did. I found that to be touching but also kinda funny. I don't think of myself as a particularly energetic, dedicated, or committed person. I do what I'm told because it's what I was told. Sometimes I add my own flare with it (OK, most times) but for the most part, I'm just doing what I feels right. I matched the level of energy that I felt in the meetings and carried it out from day to day making sure I was never without the support of my conflict coaches, my mediators, my friends. I never in a million years would have called myself an inspiration but almost everyone wrote that on my shirt.
Parents in my old dance team used to tell me I was a role model for their daughters or I was someone they wanted their children to grow up to be. At the time they were telling me that, I would always think to myself, "yea if you knew me outside of the dance setting, you would NOT want your daughter to be like me." I'm exceptionally uptight, neurotic, and I worry about the little things too much. After attending a college 6,000 miles away from home and going through about 4 different personalities before settling on one I could live with for the rest of my life, I finally realize what people are talking about when they compliment me. I've managed to turn my views of who I am from negative to positive using the same personality traits. While I am still uptight, neurotic, and worrisome about the little things, that is what some people would call dedication. In my senior year, I learned how to have fun, how to live, how to love. I would not have been able to do that without my club supporting me.
Now back to that mirror image I gave you in the beginning of this blog. I mirror what other people are. You know that saying, "treat others as you would like to be treated"?? Yea, well, I live by a similar motto: Live the lives you see and like, then do it better (I'm a VERY competitive person). I see who others are and I mimic the ones I like. Then I take it to the next level and make it noticeable to you. We learn this in mediation, sometimes it takes another voice to tell you what you said before you realize what you said. If you all are calling me an inspiration, it's only because I am projecting what you are in a way you can see it. I am only as happy as the person I am with. You see me as happy-go-lucky?? You're probably the reason I'm like that.
So, with all that said, I would like to dedicate this blog to my beloved FightClub. Seniors, you already got my compliments last night so I'll leave with this last message, "Go shine, Go mediate, Go fight for what you believe in."
Everyone else, good luck with this amazing club. Keep me proud. I look forward to talking with you and hearing how everything is going. Keep me posted. Until then... Laters.
Parents in my old dance team used to tell me I was a role model for their daughters or I was someone they wanted their children to grow up to be. At the time they were telling me that, I would always think to myself, "yea if you knew me outside of the dance setting, you would NOT want your daughter to be like me." I'm exceptionally uptight, neurotic, and I worry about the little things too much. After attending a college 6,000 miles away from home and going through about 4 different personalities before settling on one I could live with for the rest of my life, I finally realize what people are talking about when they compliment me. I've managed to turn my views of who I am from negative to positive using the same personality traits. While I am still uptight, neurotic, and worrisome about the little things, that is what some people would call dedication. In my senior year, I learned how to have fun, how to live, how to love. I would not have been able to do that without my club supporting me.
Now back to that mirror image I gave you in the beginning of this blog. I mirror what other people are. You know that saying, "treat others as you would like to be treated"?? Yea, well, I live by a similar motto: Live the lives you see and like, then do it better (I'm a VERY competitive person). I see who others are and I mimic the ones I like. Then I take it to the next level and make it noticeable to you. We learn this in mediation, sometimes it takes another voice to tell you what you said before you realize what you said. If you all are calling me an inspiration, it's only because I am projecting what you are in a way you can see it. I am only as happy as the person I am with. You see me as happy-go-lucky?? You're probably the reason I'm like that.
So, with all that said, I would like to dedicate this blog to my beloved FightClub. Seniors, you already got my compliments last night so I'll leave with this last message, "Go shine, Go mediate, Go fight for what you believe in."
Everyone else, good luck with this amazing club. Keep me proud. I look forward to talking with you and hearing how everything is going. Keep me posted. Until then... Laters.
Monday, April 18, 2011
This. Is. Fight Week!!! Day 1
The morning started off with an eager girl waking up and screaming "HAPPY FIGHT WEEK!!!!!!!!!" No matter where you were on campus, I can guarantee that you heard someone yelling it somewhere. I know this because that girl was me. All our hard work is finally being displayed. The Compliment and Conflict Booth was set up and a number of people seemed to be submitting a lot of cards. The booth ran from 11am to 3pm. Then at 5pm Capture the Flag was supposed to take place.
Despite the rainy Monday afternoon, 13 students engaged in many games of Capture the Flag on Case Green. It started with two students setting up. It slowly grew to three, four, and five. Before we knew it, there was enough people for a five on five game. "That was our goal!!" exclaimed Chris, one of the day leaders. Extremely excited to get the game going again, everyone split into random teams, not caring who was on what team since everyone seemed to only know about a third of the group. Shortly after they began to play three more students joined in, not entirely sure why we were playing. "Who cares, it's fun." With an odd number of people and me nearly dying from running too much, I chose to sit out for the remainder of the games to come. I instead stepped into my natural habitat of picture taking. I documented every slip, slide, steal, and prisoner throughout the rest of the evening. The teams switched sides after every win and no one kept track of how many times each team won. Since there were not real boundaries, we weren't entirely sure who won most of the time.
But that's the beauty of mediation. In the end, the goal is to meet the needs of both parties. No compromises. Just collaboration. We started this game with a goal to win Capture the Flag. We left realizing our underlying need of just having fun on a rainy afternoon. The success of this event certainly raised the bar for the rest of Fight Week to come. But with Fight Club strongly working together, the week will be nothing but successful in the eyes of their beloved members.
Up next:
Tuesday-- Drinking Dialogue on the second floor of dhall at 7pm and then Fight Club screening at 9pm in Gannett.
Wednesday--Stomach Knots/Bitter Rage in the ICC at 7:30pm
Thursday--Top O' the Tang SCREAMFest at 8pm on top of the Tang
Friday--Collaborative Concert for Conflict Resolution at 4pm on Case Green.
Be sure to keep an eye out for each event's write up. Until then... Laters!
Despite the rainy Monday afternoon, 13 students engaged in many games of Capture the Flag on Case Green. It started with two students setting up. It slowly grew to three, four, and five. Before we knew it, there was enough people for a five on five game. "That was our goal!!" exclaimed Chris, one of the day leaders. Extremely excited to get the game going again, everyone split into random teams, not caring who was on what team since everyone seemed to only know about a third of the group. Shortly after they began to play three more students joined in, not entirely sure why we were playing. "Who cares, it's fun." With an odd number of people and me nearly dying from running too much, I chose to sit out for the remainder of the games to come. I instead stepped into my natural habitat of picture taking. I documented every slip, slide, steal, and prisoner throughout the rest of the evening. The teams switched sides after every win and no one kept track of how many times each team won. Since there were not real boundaries, we weren't entirely sure who won most of the time.
But that's the beauty of mediation. In the end, the goal is to meet the needs of both parties. No compromises. Just collaboration. We started this game with a goal to win Capture the Flag. We left realizing our underlying need of just having fun on a rainy afternoon. The success of this event certainly raised the bar for the rest of Fight Week to come. But with Fight Club strongly working together, the week will be nothing but successful in the eyes of their beloved members.
Up next:
Tuesday-- Drinking Dialogue on the second floor of dhall at 7pm and then Fight Club screening at 9pm in Gannett.
Wednesday--Stomach Knots/Bitter Rage in the ICC at 7:30pm
Thursday--Top O' the Tang SCREAMFest at 8pm on top of the Tang
Friday--Collaborative Concert for Conflict Resolution at 4pm on Case Green.
Be sure to keep an eye out for each event's write up. Until then... Laters!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Breathing Deep
So we're finally in the last month of school and it's finally starting to hit me.... I'm never coming back to Skidmore for classes after this. How weird is that to think about?? I never really thought about it at Mid Pac because I knew I'd at least come back for a visit. Plus I spent a good 7 years of my life there.... I've been here half the amount of time and for the most part, don't have as strong of a relationship with my professors here. It's like, what was I doing here for four years??
Sigh. I've been slowly accepting that my life is changing and that I'm not the same girl who came here in the Fall of 2007. Stressful things are no longer stressful and things that weren't stressful are now stressing me out. Friends that I met freshman year are no more than acquaintances now and friends that I met this year or even this semester are the ones I fear losing more than anything. The biggest thing that I can't imagine losing in my life are my new found loves: Fight Club, Breakbeats, and Equestrian. I have been so involved in the life of all these teams that going throughout my day without having to go to practice or attend a meeting for them, well it just seems incomplete. I'm not really sure how to cope with all this just yet. So far all I've been doing is breathing deep.
Yes, I'm thrilled that my life is headed in a direction that I want it to be heading in but at the same time I can't help but focus on the negative. What am I losing?? What am I leaving?? What can I do to maintain the life that I have here?? I know that I have so much more to look forward to... Meeting new people, living in a new place, exploring new possibilities... It's all great to think about. It's scary but a good scary. Nothing like the scary I feel when I think about all the things I could be living without in a month and a half. Was I this scared when I left Hawaii??
I'm sure everyone else has these feelings and no one wants to leave undergrads because (let's face it) these are the best years of our lives. I don't deny that and I don't doubt that it'll hold true thirty years from now when I'm going through my mid-life crisis and get some stupid tattoo to make me feel young again. All I'm saying is that it'd be nice if someone held the same excitement for moving on as I do. Everyone I talk to is scared to move on, or they don't want to because they don't know what they want to do. It's all just too much for me to deal with.
I'll try to update more when I figure my emotions out a little better. Until then... Laters.
Sigh. I've been slowly accepting that my life is changing and that I'm not the same girl who came here in the Fall of 2007. Stressful things are no longer stressful and things that weren't stressful are now stressing me out. Friends that I met freshman year are no more than acquaintances now and friends that I met this year or even this semester are the ones I fear losing more than anything. The biggest thing that I can't imagine losing in my life are my new found loves: Fight Club, Breakbeats, and Equestrian. I have been so involved in the life of all these teams that going throughout my day without having to go to practice or attend a meeting for them, well it just seems incomplete. I'm not really sure how to cope with all this just yet. So far all I've been doing is breathing deep.
Yes, I'm thrilled that my life is headed in a direction that I want it to be heading in but at the same time I can't help but focus on the negative. What am I losing?? What am I leaving?? What can I do to maintain the life that I have here?? I know that I have so much more to look forward to... Meeting new people, living in a new place, exploring new possibilities... It's all great to think about. It's scary but a good scary. Nothing like the scary I feel when I think about all the things I could be living without in a month and a half. Was I this scared when I left Hawaii??
I'm sure everyone else has these feelings and no one wants to leave undergrads because (let's face it) these are the best years of our lives. I don't deny that and I don't doubt that it'll hold true thirty years from now when I'm going through my mid-life crisis and get some stupid tattoo to make me feel young again. All I'm saying is that it'd be nice if someone held the same excitement for moving on as I do. Everyone I talk to is scared to move on, or they don't want to because they don't know what they want to do. It's all just too much for me to deal with.
I'll try to update more when I figure my emotions out a little better. Until then... Laters.
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