Good Morning!

At 2 in the afternoon... tehe! I had my first final of the semester today. Here's what I did...

• Got out of bed yesterday around noon and "worked" on my take-home half of the final until 2 AM.
• Went to sleep a little past 2.
• Woke up at 6:30 AM. Stupid iPod alarm didn't work...
• Showered, got ready, etc. Done by 7 AM.
• Ate two granola bars. 
• Left apartment at 7:10 AM.
• Reached classroom around 7:25.
• Waited for the final exam at 8 AM.
• Finished and left at 8:25. I swear, people were finished after 10 minutes!
• Went to the student bookstore and bought me and my roommate orange juice :)
• Home. Nap. 

And here I am, waking up at 2 PM! And I had planned to do an all-nighter... bad idea! The truth is, I wasn't really tired or sleepy yet. I was in the kitchen by myself, in the dark and it was quiet. I do not like that combination. At all. So, I started to freak out and right after I finished my work, I went straight to bed. It's stupid, I know. But I couldn't help it! 

Well anyways, the final exam was fine. Only 25 multiple choice questions. The take-home part was a four-part essay. Now that one took forever. I can't say I'm too confident because it's American history... there is just too much that happened. 

What am I doing right now? Munching on Bugles and drinking orange juice! Bugles aren't really popular anymore. I found these by chance. Have you ever had any?

Change of Plans

As I was sitting in my first class of the day this morning at 9AM, I realized my professor (for my 12PM class) requested two copies of the assignment I threw together last night. Silently screamed inside, but it's okay. The great thing about college is the ability to choose your schedule. I just so happen to have a lovely gap after my 9AM class and I am now back at my apartment, typing this up AFTER I printed my second copy :) Normally I hang out at the library for the 1 hour and 45 minutes of spare time that I have on Mondays and Wednesdays. I happen to really like SJSU's library. It's shared with the public (meaning non-students residing in San Jose) and it's gorgeous! I volunteered at a library for 5 years prior to college and SJSU's library just looks amazing compared to the ones I've worked at.

Anyways, check out my basil and forget-me-nots! It's only been one week!

The pots are only about two inches tall. So cute!

Chef Emmy: Asian Quesadillas and Side Salad

Hmm, what to do with left over rice and stir-fry chicken + broccoli? Grab some shredded cheese and tortillas and sandwich the leftovers! 

I took about 1/2 a cup of prepared rice and stir-fry, enough cheese for my liking, and added some more stir-fry sauce (any sauce works fine). Then I plopped the loaded quesadilla onto my stove! Super easy and a great way to get rid of leftovers that are still fresh. On the side, I rinsed some baby carrots and added a pasta salad. Yes, I did buy the salad from Safeway (hehe), but you can make your own too :) 

This meal is really versatile; you can substitute the meat with beef or pork (no meat works too!), the broccoli with spinach, carrots with fruit, or the pasta salad with your favorite! Even better, this meal probably costed me about $3.00 :) 

Perfect for putting leftovers to use, saving money, and eating healthy! Man, being a broke college student sucks...

The End of Week One

Well, half a week actually. I only had 3 days of classes. But I feel so drained! Wednesday was my first day as a sophomore; I had psychology and creative writing. I'm still waiting to see if I'm in or not for creative writing :( I'm against another girl trying to get in the class. She's a graduating senior... so hopefully that doesn't give her an advantage. It's tough getting classes. Especially since there's a new 15 unit cap, meaning the maximum we can take is about 5 classes a semester. Of course, I could petition for more units but I think I'm fine now. Once you get into a class, specifically a class that you NEED, try your best to cling on to it! In special cases, you can get dropped and you won't be able to keep those credits :(

Anyways, I'm excited to learn about dreams in psychology because the topic is so mysterious and intriguing. I'm not particularly pumped for creative writing, for it is a tough course. But I need to fulfill requirements...

Yesterday (Thursday), I had communications and English 1B. I'm naturally a shy person, so I hope to work on that in communications. English 1B was packed. There was probably over double the people. 20 people had to stand! English 1B is one of the hardest classes to get into. I'm so glad I have a spot. Otherwise, I would be running around campus, sitting in classes and hoping someone drops. We actually took a walk around campus for English 1B; our professor made a big deal about the art, statues, buildings, and even the sidewalks. Of course the walk was important... he already assigned us a project!

This semester is the first in which I have a Friday class. Oh, how I loved starting my weekends early on Thursday nights... but this year is different. I'm taking 5 classes now (assuming I will get into creative writing). I have Asian American Studies on Fridays. For 2 hours and 45 minutes. Oh joy. However, Asian American Studies satisfy a whole bunch of requirements, all in one class! And maybe the fact that I am Asian has something to do with why I chose this course. But let's just think about all the requirements I would get credit for. Jackpot! The class is huge, probably close to 100 students. Which doesn't bug me at all because that means I probably won't get called on (hehehe). I did try to sit near the front, like I do in most classes, so I can see better.

Overall, the start of the school year went well. I've been productive and reading every night, which is probably why I won't get to post as much... but also because I won't have much interesting things to say.

But exciting news! My cousin had her first child 2 days ago! :) His name is Lantz and he was born early but he's doing fine. I will be sure to post up pictures when I visit him!

Til next time!

The Night Before

I'm ready to be assigned readings and to listen to long, boring lectures. Doesn't sound very fun, huh. But I actually look forward to school! Besides the fact that I still look like I'm 15 years old... It's going to be different, since I live off-campus this time. So far, I've been cooking and cleaning non-stop! It also takes 15 minutes to just reach the edge of campus, meaning I have to wake up and be prepared super early. One of my earliest class this semester starts at 7:30 am... I hope I can wake up!

It's tough living with a broken fridge. The freezer works fine; in fact, it's probably colder than it should be. But no fridge means no leftover food or fresh fruits and veggies :( No mayo, no butter, no orange juice or milk... the point is that a refrigerator is both a luxury and a must. Kudos to the inventors.

Since we can't refrigerate anything, I've been taking advantage of the freezer! Frozen veggies actually have the same nutrients as fresh ones :) You can keep them in the freezer for a while and they're easy to reheat. I also stuffed my freezer shelf with pizza rolls and some other junk... but they're delicious! Those pizza rolls, man are they worth it! I purchased one bag of 40 rolls for just under $2 at Wal-mart and I eat about 10 a time, so that's kinda like four servings! I love good deals :) I also bought frozen corn (about 2 or 3 servings a bag) for $1.25 from Wal-mart.

I can't wait to get a new fridge :)

All Packed Up and Ready to Go

The last of my belongings are ready to be loaded into our Toyota van. We're leaving first thing in the morning. I'm so excited to go back to school and live with my friends! :) This is going to be such an unforgettable experience. Will update tomorrow!

Textbooks: College Students' Nightmares

I spent (prepare yourself) $591.86. On textbooks. For one semester only. Not for one school year, one semester. I've never spent so much money on books before. I even bought most of them on Amazon.com and Half.com to save money! I did have to buy a few from my campus bookstore (way too overpriced), but hopefully I can sell them back online for more. I've been selling books, and sometimes my brother's video games, online for a few years now. I use Amazon.com and it's pretty simple to use. Money gets disbursed into your bank account about once a month. They do charge you a small fee for selling on their site though. The reason I don't sell on Half.com or eBay.com is because I'm just so used to buying things off Amazon.com! Now, time to sink in those numbers and hold my tears back :(

Textbooks for Sale!

After my first year of college, I accumulated a bunch of textbooks that I no longer need!

- Quick Access Compact, good condition ($20 US)
- Great Writing, acceptable condition ($7 US)
- Culture Sketches, like new condition ($40 US)
- The Gift of a Bride, very good condition ($18 US)
- Critical Thinking, good condition ($75 US)
- La Voz Latina Contemporary Plays and Performance Pieces by Latinas, like new condition ($40 US)

If you're interested, shoot me an email and we'll make a deal!

Two New Loves!

I spoke too soon when I thought there was no laptop for me last week; for some reason shipping became available just hours after I created that post. I decided to keep my new purchase a secret until it actually arrived in the mail though ;) My new HP laptop is perfect! The keypad and interface is gorgeous and it doesn't get too hot, given the vents on the side (not on the bottom! Great for keeping my lap cool!). What a great way to start out the school year :)

Besides a new laptop, I have... a new kitten!

Isn't she adorable?! I fell in love when I first held her :) I haven't found a name yet, but I'm working on it! In two days, I will be moving back for the school year, this time to live in an apartment! My dorm experience was alright, but it is way too expensive to live on campus. Three other girls and I found an apartment a couple blocks away from school and I'm bringing my kitty with me! 

Cousin's Baby Shower

Yesterday was my cousin's (Maggie) baby shower, which is super exciting because it's the first baby in our family! Out of all my cousins, I mean. I have no experience with babies though because my brother and I are the youngest in the family :( I guess I have to learn sooner or later! Her shower was great; we played games and ate delicious food (I wish I could cook like that!). She got a baby monitor, lots of clothes, books, and much more. Maggie lives in the Bay Area (west coast, woot!) and came home for her shower, which was hosted by her two best friends. Soon, when I start my second year of  college, I will join her in the Bay Area. From campus, I live only about 30 minutes away from Maggie :) My weekends will be busy... I'll be babysitting! Oh, by the way, it's a boy and she's due mid-September :) Well, I gotta get back to work... procrastinating again, hehe :P