Diving in...

I would like to start by congratulating Berkeley for achieving the great task of stressing me, Jenn D., out. This is no easy task! I would also expect nothing less from such a prestigious institution. I admit, I would have been disappointed if it was any other way. I decided to ask myself today why I was stressed. After all, I took the kind advice of counselors and other students and only registered for 13 units of classes. However, even 13 units of Berkeley classes blows the 18 units I used to take at the college I transferred from, out of the water. I've loved my classes, that is for sure. I also can't wait to register for more units next semester.

Yes, MORE units. Although 13 units has been a challenge, I feel that it gave me much more free time. I am not the most organized person, which makes it even more of a miracle I've made it this far, so when I have so much free time I tend to procrastinate. From my previous experience and the experience of others, I can safely assume a few more units can give my schedule an extra kick in the bum to get me going.

I have come to appreciate that 13-unit piece of advice deeply, however. Getting oriented to a completely new situation tends to come with many challenges. I've also gone completely out of my comfort zone, and tried getting involved on campus. I used to think that every person who got accepted to Cal must have put in at least as much volunteer or extracurricular work as they had study time. Now, I know there are a few others like me who don't normally do this "campus involvement" sort of thing. I am certainly trying! I've tried to get my feet wet with Berkeley's Habitat for Humanity club (a great club without a doubt!) but ran into the issue of Saturday work days. I'd actually love to spend 8 hours building a home for a deserving family on a Saturday... unfortunately so far I've found out I usually have to write a paper during that time! I've also dabbled in the Student Ambassadors, which is how I landed this rad position on the blog. I can openly admit however, I just don't know how to do this campus-involvement sort of thing. I've tried to get involved, but it still alludes me! It can be difficult to reconcile good grades and extra curricular work, so I'm okay with where I'm at. My grades are still in GREAT shape! I'm sure I'll be a pro by the time next semester comes around!

With that said, I think being involved on campus is great. Berkeley is the kind of campus that really encourages it. My parents have tried to tell me just to focus on my grades. I appreciate their advice, but part of the Berkeley experience is the extracurricular activities. The clubs. The honors societies. The random cultural events that pop up in Sproul Plaza. I came here to experience it all. I don't just want to get my feet wet while I'm here, I want to dive right in. So while I only got my feet wet this time around, Spring semester will be here sooner than I know it and I have my bathing suit on.

It is blue and gold of course.

GO BEARS!
Jenn D.

Sleep = Sanity

Hi All!

Greetings from one of many sleep deprived college sophomores!

Here's a list of mishaps that have happened to me in the past few weeks...

1) I burned my finger while attempting to microwave a cup of water, by forgetting to put water in the cup...
2) While boiling an egg I accidentally cracked the shell so that the egg at once boiled and self destructed
3) I stubbed my toe while walking on concrete
4)I forgot my wallet and had to walk all the way back to my apartment in the rain to eat ramen for lunch
5) I spent half an hour on a 112 problem set question only to realize my algebra woes were due to a slight extension of my division bar which turned 1-num/denom to (1-num)/denom

Who says that growing up means always getting it right?

MIDTERMS ARE FINALLY OVER!

My apologies that I haven't blogged recently. I will be posting a lot more now that midterms are finally over. Yay!

I hope you had the chance to read my revolutionary discovery of yoga and its wondrous effects on my life! Yoga definitely did much more for me than grant me the ability to touch my toes (finally), it is the best way for me to release stress during those times of chaos. While, I personally love yoga, others might not have such passion for it as I do. Therefore, I decided to blog this week on another form of excercise: running. These past few weeks i've picked up on running again, though I'm definitely out of shape compared to my old cross-country days. Nevertheless, here are my top 3 favorite running routes in Berkeley. I encourage you all to try them and find the best routes for you! I've found that finding routes you like to run, helps to inspire the mood to exercise! Yay for endorphins and a reduced stress life!

1) Euclid St. to the Rose Gardens (on the north side of the Berkeley campus).

-Though the north side of campus provides more "uphill" running, north side is much more scenic and quiet. I would recommend this route for a picturesque but hard run!

2) Clark Kerr to Foothill (two dorms on the Berkeley campus).

-I've found that this route provides a relatively flat terrain, but a good long run. Also, the main street connecting these two dorms, Piedmont, is usually strewn with people. More people around means provides more secutiry and it definitely provides more motivation to run instead of walk!

3) The run around the Berkeley Campus.

-Running around campus provides uphill, downhill, and areas of flat terrain. It's a good run, if it's meant to be a short, but fulfilling. Just like in the case of Piedmont St., many people are usually strewn around the outskirts of campus which offers the same benefits as I mentioned above.

Though running outside is much harder than running on a treadmill, it's always best to "play it safe". If it's dark outside, it would be better to go to a gym than to run outside, safety first. Also, make sure your ipod isn't playing too loudly, so you can still hear oncoming traffic and be aware of your surroundings. Note: Beware, the Prius is very silent! Finally, make sure you're running on the side of the road of oncoming traffic, just a standard running tip I was taught in cross-country.

Go Bears!

Post-It War and More!: Life at the Dorms

Hey everyone!

Man, it has been such a busy week for me since I was studying like crazy for my chemistry midterm (and it looks like the hard work is gonna pay off!!!), but now that it's over, I'm glad to be back blogging! =)

In a previous post, I mentioned talking about my life in the dorms, so here it is! Hopefully this will give you a better idea of what living at Berkeley is like!




1. The dorm buildings are divided into units, and each unit consists of a couple residential buildings. I live in Unit 1, which has 6 buildings--4 high rises (8 stories high) and 2 suite-style buildings. Throughout the semester, the buildings in my unit have been having a "post-it war" in which each building creates messages/pictures out of post-it notes! It's not really a contest or war though--we just like to have conversations across buildings and amuse each other with our post-it note artwork! My building has the Super Mario theme going on (3rd photo down), and I know that my photo doesn't really show it that well, but there's Mario on the top right of the building and a goomba at the bottom left...Today I was walking with my friend back to the dorm and we saw that someone had added a Yoshi!






2. When I filled out my housing application, I opted to live on the all-girls floor, and I absolutely love it! My floormates and I bonded so much during the first week of the school year that by the end of the week, we all felt like we had known each other for years! Also, living on the all-girls floor does not mean that we're anti-social!!! We have people from other floors visit us all the time to chill, play games and just hang out--the only difference about the all-girls floor is that our bathroom is not co-ed. Other than that, everything's the same!



3. 7th floor lounge is the place to be!!! Even numbered floors have a laundry room, and odd numbered floors have a lounge and balcony, and
since the all girls floor is the 7th floor, we tend to be a very social floor since people like to come to our lounge to relax. We also have the best view of the sunset over the San Francisco Bay (see my previous post for absolutely gorgeous photos)!

Lounges are also a great way to de-stress and do super random stuff with friends! The other day, my friends and I were studying for our chemistry midterm in the lounge, and when it was around 1am, we decided to play the song "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum and perfectly time the chorus so that it would play at exactly 1:15am since the lyrics were "It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now~". It was so funny and random since we were so tired and didn't care if anyone heard us singing at the top of our lungs...It was such a hilarious sight that I wish I had my camera to record the moment!

Well, there you have it folks--my experience so far in the dorms. =)

Hope you all had a wonderful Veteran's Day! Have a good weekend!

~Jackie

Cal-Stanford Soccer Game

Happy Veterans Day to you all! While I like Veteran's Day because it is a day to honor those who have served our country, it is also great because I get to take a break from the everyday stresses of school.

A group of some friends and I went to the Cal-Stanford soccer game today at Edwards Stadium. My love for both Cal and soccer made this the perfect event for me to go to. It was a close game, which made it exciting, but Cal did end up winning 3 - 2. This was the last regular season game, so it was a good way to end. Good job Bears! Now we just have to win the Big Game...

And I have to study for a test I have tomorrow...

Good luck with all of your upcoming tests and midterms everyone.

Carmen

Midterms = done

Hello all!

Now that the specter of midterm season has lifted itself from my shoulders, I would like to take a moment to catch my breath. Whew! For those of my fellow Golden Bear bloggers I wish you all the best of luck with your midterms be they over or in the midst.

Here's my rants and raves for Fall 2010 thus far...

1) Mainstacks oh mainstacks thou art a haven for late night studying!
2) Granola bars = breakfast = life
3) Bigfoot how I loathe thee
4) Procrastination....enough said
5) == is not =

Eh, not so much a list rather than a compilation of things that have occupied my life for the past few months...

Sara

Berkeley Nights

As I am sitting here inside Wurster Hall at a window overlooking the Bay, I am reminded of what makes the Berkeley campus so great at night. On a regular Friday night, I am always given the option of either staying in and catching up on work or go out with my friends and enjoy the start of the weekend. I know when given the option, it seems much more enticing to go out and enjoy myself but sometimes it is very calming to stay in and just have the night to yourself. You are able to reflect and enjoy some of the small things that get lost in the shuffle of a fast-paced college life. I wish everyone a happy weekend, whether that entails going out and having a good time with friends or staying in and enjoying some alone time.

Cheers,

Alex

Golden Bears eat their veggies

There is something about Berkeley that just encourages you to eat healthy,
live healthy, and just BE healthy. Since I've moved this past Summer, I've
become a vegetarian, I only eat organic, and I've also learned one key
lesson: if you eat healthy, you will be healthy, and you will likely do
better in your studies. Missing a class can leave you feeling lost, or
cause you to miss out on some very important information. It is best to
use preventive medicine to keep yourself from getting sick and missing a
day in school. Berkeley is the big leagues, and missing a single day of
class can be very disorienting. So be healthy, avoid getting sick, and you
will be able to give your all in your classes.

The hard part of eating healthy, in my humble opinion, is the restriction
of a student budget! Although I enjoy being a vegetarian for mainly
environmental reasons, I consider myself more of a budget-tarian. Meat is
just too expensive! So my recommendation is the wonderful weekly Berkeley
Farmer's Market. This expansive gathering of local growers, farmers,
butchers, bakers, musicians, and even masseuses certainly has a lot to
offer! I've shopped around a few other grocery stores, and the prices on
fresh produce at the Farmer's Market range from being about the same to
slightly more expensive. It is definitely worth it! The produce is much
fresher and locally sourced, so you can feel good about your purchase.
Besides produce, you can purchase meat, eggs, cheese, fresh yogurt,
coffee, and baked goods. There are also vendors offering incense, soaps,
flowers, and local wines. I venture out to Center Street, where it is held
every Saturday, as soon as I wake up. Right now, autumn is in full swing
and the selection offers the best of the season right now. But enough
talk, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Well, if those pictures didn't convince you to meander over to Center
Street early one Saturday morning, I don't know what will! My absolute
favorite things to buy at the market are fresh greens. One vendor offers
them in a 1 pound bag with edible flower petals in it for salads.

Once fall is over, I'm going to miss the plethora of beautiful
pears I've been buying for a few weekends now. One vendor, whom I
endearingly call "The Date Guy", sells fresh California dates; there
are some kinds available right now that are better than candy. Cooking is
my passion and I enjoyed some culinary school before my journey led me to
Berkeley, so this market is the best place for me to get fresh ingredients
and save money. This past weekend, I was inspired by Halloween to make a
pumpkin chili with all ingredients from the market. My roommate says it's
the best chili they've ever had. I credit it to the fresh ingredients
available at the market. Once again, I'll let a picture speak for me...

So, in a nutshell, coming to Berkeley and facing the egregious amount of
studying, late nights, and stress, a student can still manage to eat and
be healthy. Getting sick can be the downfall of many students, and I have
seen some less than satisfactory eating habits on campus but fret not! Go
to the Berkeley Farmer's Market! And keep in mind these handy Farmer's
Market tips:

• Bring your own bags. Some vendors charge for bags, or do not have bags available.
• Think about what you'll need ahead of time. The selection can be quite overwhelming at times.
• Don't rush! The market continues into the afternoon.
• Bring a blanket. The market is right by the park and there are sometimes events with live music. You can also buy freshly made food at the market and sit and eat it in the park.
• Go to the ATM ahead of time! The vendors only take cash. There are three banks further up center street towards the school.
• Be season savvy. Farmer's markets tend to offer only the produce that grows best in the current season. So don't expect fresh tomatoes in the winter, or succulent pears in the spring.
  
• Go see the Date Guy. Try the Barhi dates and forget about candy.... at least for a little while.
  

Breathtaking...

Today I saw the most beautiful sunset EVER! It was so gorgeous that I'm not sure if I can fully express how amazing it was. There were a lot of people standing outside on the lounge balconies taking pictures, and we were all just in awe because of how breathtaking it was.

I feel so lucky to be living in a high rise dorm building because I get to see the sun set over the San Francisco Bay every day. If it weren't for the high rise dorm building Deutsch across the courtyard, I'd say that my building (Freeborn) has the best view! =)

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I feel that the photos I took do not even compare to how awesome the sunset looked today.

Midterm Attack!

Hey guys!

So if you're like me and are a naive little freshman, tentatively taking steps forward in college life, then you'll know that midterms in your mind mean exactly that: mid - terms. Unfortunately, I learned a slightly unpleasant lesson here rather quickly: midterms come around every month or so... not every term. Of course, I had a giant panic attack, I'm not used to being under such stressful conditions for extended periods of time but honestly, you look back and realize that it's not as bad as you think.

Ok, I lie. It's exactly as bad as you think it is at the time. But at the same time I learnt this incredible thing: I am not alone. Everyone has midterm stress! So if what it takes to "chillax" is having a study party in a friend's dorm for hours on end, go for it! Believe it or not, working in that kind of environment really helps me since we all just motivate each other to work. And every once in a while, when the mood gets super tense and serious, we'll do something stupid. Chuck a pillow at each other. Watch a funny video. Even go down to the Cub Market just for a break, and maybe some late night! I can honestly say, after two rounds of midterms, I would not have been able to get through without my friends.

This brings me to my second point for today. I didn't realize exactly how terrifying being here by myself, miles away from home, was going to be. Sure, the beginning was awesome and super exciting, but every so often I miss my friends and family! And this is to be expected! But thankfully, I have some amazing suitemates and friends around the campus who get me through my period of homesickness. It was incredible how quickly I bonded with these people, be it over dryers that didn't work or over how horrible yesterday's lab was. So don't be scared of what's ahead, friends. The support system here is astounding, and the time you build it in is unbelievable. I got so incredibly lucky to have such reliable and wonderful friends, and you will be as lucky as me too!

I can't believe how close it already is to the end of the semester! Just over a month and I'll be boarding a plane for a 14 hour plane ride home. I almost don't want to think about it, I absolutely adore walkingthrough campus and staring at the gorgeous Campanile and I'll miss that, even for a month! My friend mentioned how it was impossible to take a bad picture of the Campanile and it is SO TRUE. Here's the most recent one I've taken for your viewing pleasure.

I apologize for the awful quality, it was taken off my phone. Isn't she a beaut?

But yes, I cannot believe semester's almost over. Where did the time go?!

That's all from me today, enjoy the lovely weather (despite it's moodiness) and don't let midterms stress you out too much!

GO BEARS!

Surmayee

PS: I have a ridiculous number of pictures of squirrels on my phone too. They're adorable!

PPS: Also went to my first football game this semester. In-cre-di-ble. Cannot wait for the Big Game!