Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Happy New Year!



I'm so glad to be leaving 2013 behind! For the most part, this year didn't start off great, especially for my family. On Jan. 1, my mother's other sister passed away after suffering a stroke shortly after Christmas 2012. Then in July of this year, my mom's oldest niece died. That makes four deaths within the span of two years. :-(

I tried conquering my main nemesis, which was a particular college math course; however, it didn't quite happen in the spring, but I finally passed it two weeks ago! I'm happy to say that I'll never have to take this subject ever again!

I worked with two organizations and did some volunteer work for them this year. The first one resulted into a part-time job and the second one began this summer, but ended two weeks ago. The latter volunteer position was one I had been waiting for since I was 13-years-old. I'm so grateful for having been given these opportunities in which I was able to learn a few things from. 

Lastly, this year (once again) didn't bring me love--aka The One--but it gave me time to reflect on the good things that happened to me, as well as the bad things that happened. With the start of 2014, it will be a time for new goals, new opportunities and hopefully much more.

Have a Happy New Year...one that's filled with good health, joy and prosperity!  :-)

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Christmas





Here's wishing you a great and MERRY CHRISTMAS!   :)

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Good News Just in Time for the Holidays



Today I received some good news, which I had been anticipating for the last week.

I took my last final exam last Tuesday afternoon. This semester, I was enrolled in two courses: a work experience-internship one and a math/Statistics one. I had been struggling with Stats for some time now. Let's just say that the subject of math has been a pain in my side for as long as I can remember.

Anyway, so I already knew that I was going to receive an "A" for my work experience course since not much was required from it. But I was waiting to find out when my math instructor would submit grades for this course. Well, this afternoon I checked my email and then suddenly I felt like my heart was going to come out of my chest. I then logged into my student account and went to view my grades. As the next screen appeared, I looked at the grade and was so relieved of the outcome. I passed...finally!

With this good news, I can finally relax for the next three weeks until I start my new school. I'm also looking forward to taking the next step towards my future. :)

Happy Holidays

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Paul Walker: A Beautiful Soul...inside and out


Paul W. Walker 
Sept. 12, 1973 - Nov. 30, 2013


“You know, all that really matters is that the people you love are happy and healthy. Everything else is just sprinkles on the sundae.”  Rest In Peace, Paul Walker

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Happy Birthday to Me!



So blessed and grateful for everything that has happened to me during this last birthday year.  :)


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Giving Up...and the Silver Lining That Came Soon After



I'm so disappointed in the educational system. No wonder students get discouraged and often give up on fulfilling their dreams or goals. It’s because schools (i.e. in this case, colleges) make it difficult for them to finish...especially if it takes them a bit longer to complete their education.

I remember watching the film Admission with Paul Rudd and Tina Fey, and after the film, my friend and I discussed it and the reality of the college/university system. As my friend said, “It’s a business. You’re just a number to them.” What she meant was that they don’t care about you. Unfortunately, this message has resonated with me all too well, especially this year.

Several weeks ago, I received another letter from my school in which they--once again--rejected me. Rejection seems to be following me everywhere lately. :(

Within a few days and after I received my millionth rejection, I received some good news. I received a call that I wasn't expecting. Since last December, I've volunteered at this business where I live. Usually I'm only there on Sundays. Well, one of the employees I worked with, who recently left her permanent position there, recommended me for a permanent part-time job there. The new admin. assistant called me saying that "L" referred me and thought I'd be interested in the position, which would now include Saturdays. I told her YES and accepted the position!

I wasn't anticipating being busy every single day of the week! I'm at my internship three days a week, I attend class twice a week and now I work on the weekends. Because I didn't have a real vacation this summer, I'm already asking, "Is it December yet?!  ;-)

Just when I thought everything was going in the wrong direction, a silver lining appeared. I'm blessed and grateful to have been given another (new) opportunity. I just hope I can keep up with everything!

Friday, June 7, 2013

Good News...finally








This morning when I checked my email, I noticed a new one from the director of an organization I had a meeting with last week. The meeting was to discuss a Marketing and Communications Intern with this specific organization. Well today he offered me the internship and I accepted the offer! My first day is June 24 and it will be a six month commitment.

A little fact: About 10 years ago, I tried to get a job with this organization twice, but wasn't successful. The fact that I'll be interning at this organization will be a good thing to add to my resume. I'm hoping that if the department (i.e. a three person team) I intern for likes what I'm doing that hopefully they'll offer me a permanent position in the future. We shall see.  :)

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Disappointments and Other News



Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut or no matter how hard you try to accomplish a goal of yours, you fail at doing so? For the last two-plus months, I have felt like Cher Horowitz from the film Clueless, specifically when she tried to pass her drivers license test, but wasn't successful. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, I found out in mid-March that the university I applied to rejected me from fall 2013 admission. Well, about a month ago, I received a letter from the school stating that I didn't receive the scholarship I applied for, which was back in January.

I'm going to backtrack a little and explain what happened, which led to me applying for the scholarship. In late November/early December 2012 and per the request of the university I was applying to, I needed to ask two current or former instructors if they could fill out a recommendation form and answer a few questions on my behalf. I asked two of my former instructors, who I was in close contact with, to see if they'd recommend me. I asked my journalism adviser, who I’ve known for six years, and another former instructor, who has been my guidance counselor for the last 20 years and who I saw as a mentor.

The scholarship application was due Jan. 15 and I had contacted both people about a month in advance. Within two weeks, my journalism adviser had her letter/form typed up and ready for me to submit with my applicaiton. On Dec. 5, I had contacted my guidance counselor and then the following evening, I saw her at an event where she was the guest speaker. I spoke to her at the event and asked if she had received my message. She answered yes and said that we would discuss it further. Weeks went by and I still hadn’t heard from my guidance counselor/mentor. I reached out to her several ways, six times: via several emails and calls to her home, and to her cell phone...before and after the semester ended (i.e. a week before Christmas). Nonetheless, I still hadn’t heard from her and I was beginning to worry. In the meantime, I had to act fast and chose to contact someone else I knew and asked if she would recommend me for the scholarship. Without hesitation, she did.

About six days before I needed to submit/turn in my scholarship application and recommendation forms (I chose to turn it in one day before it was due because the due date fell on my 1st day of classes...meaning that there was no way I could leave campus), I drove to my school to purchase my books for spring semester. I thought my guidance counselor would be in her office a few days before school started (which was Jan. 15) to prepare for the new semester. I walked in to her office and spoke to a student assistant. He said she wouldn't be back in her office until the following Monday...which was the first day of classes and it was the SAME day I had planned to drop off my scholarship forms at the university. As I left my mentor's office, I became upset.

The third person I asked, who was my back-up reference, had her recommendation form filled out and signed about five days before I needed to submit it. I was eternally grateful she could do it for me on such short notice! However, about two days before I turned in my scholarship forms at the university, I received a private Facebook message from my guidance counselor/mentor who told me to call her on her cell phone. I waited a few hours and called her. She didn't pick up her phone, so I left her a voicemail. I told her that since I hadn't heard back from her and time was running out, I had to find someone else to write the recommendation and that maybe next time she could write one for me. Yeah, like the latter will ever happen! I will never ask for her help ever again!

I was so disappointed in my mentor/guidance counselor. I haven't seen or spoken to her since that incident and she has never once apologized to me for not making herself available. I guess our friendship didn't mean as much to her as it meant to me.

In other news, the last day of the semester was two weeks ago. I'm so happy to be on summer vacation! However, my mood quickly changed from happy to sad shortly thereafter when I received an email from my school. The email stated that my math instructor had submitted all of her students' grades for the semester. I didn't hesitate to log in to my account, although I already had an idea of what grade I was going to receive. In the last few weeks, part of me thought there was some hope in that my instructor could possibly have a change of heart and would pass all of her students. Despite submitting all of my online homework assignments in on time, submitting all lab assignments and a group project in on time, I thought I would be receiving at least some credit...although three out of four of my exam scores were horrible. When I finally saw my grade, I was not jumping up and down for joy.  :-(

With the grade I received, it now means that I have one more chance to take the class over again at my current school. However, if I do not pass the course this time around, I either have to find another school to take it at or I can petition to retake it at my current school--with a valid reason. I know some people out there are probably thinking, "How can she not pass the course?" Honestly, math has NEVER come easy to me. Since junior high, I've always had difficulty with the subject. Since the first day I began taking advanced math courses at my current school, I've sought the help of a tutor once a week (courtesy of my school). I've also sought the help of other tutors whenever I needed help with my homework. My main problem is with taking exams. I sometimes get anxiety and other times I just can't retain certain concepts when it comes to taking tests.

I register for fall classes in about three weeks and plan to only retake math. I figure that if I just take this course by itself then I can focus all my time on completing my homework and preparing for my exams ahead of time. I'm very adamant in passing this class in December!

On a side note: Last Friday, I received some positive news in the form of a letter from my school. It said something along the lines of "Congratulations! You've been awarded the [insert scholarship name here] journalism scholarship for the 2013-2014 school year." I was elated to have received this letter, but then I became a little disappointed because I won't be able to use it toward the fall semester since I didn't get accepted into the university. I'm praying that I pass my math course because I'm only able to defer the scholarship until the spring semester.

In other news, I've heard from a few family members that my oldest cousin (on my mother's side), T, is very ill. About three weeks ago, she was visiting one of her children and woke up with a pain in her stomach. She was taken to the hospital and was told that she had gall stones. Apparently soon after, the doctors weren't doing much for her, so a male cousin of mine, who's a doctor and works at another hospital, intervened and advised my cousin to seek better health care by going to see her doctor in the states. My cousin has now been in a So Cal hospital for the last 3 or 4 days and is currently in intensive care. My family and I have gotten word that my cousin now has pneumonia and other ailments, and things aren't looking good for her. :-( We're just praying for a miracle to happen now.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Quote of the Day



"For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour."  ~Mary Kay Ash

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Hottie of the Month: Chris Pine



This month's Hottie of the Month is none other than Chris Pine, who stars in the second installment of the Star Trek film franchise, Into Darkness, which will be released in theaters May 17. I'll probably have to see the movie about a week later because I have two final exams to study for, on May 21!

Now that Chris is newly single, if he needs someone to lean on, I'll be the FIRST to volunteer my services! I mean, who wouldn't want a great, gorgeous guy like him? :-)

Sunday, March 31, 2013

18 Years Ago Today...

Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla was murdered. I still can't believe it has been 18 years since that tragic day. She was at the height of her stardom when she died.

Here's a song she made with the Barrio Boyz:



And here's a song that Selena recorded on her crossover CD, "Dreaming of You," which was released in July 1995, just four months after she died:


Happy Easter



Hope everyone has a blessed and Happy Easter!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Bad News: Rejection...Party of One




The theme of my life lately seems to be a word that I'm all too familiar with: rejection. I’ve been through all forms of it within the last three-plus years: (potential) relationships, jobs I applied for and was qualified for--but didn't get--and NOW academics.

In the last two or three weeks while working on my homework in the math lab, I overheard some fellow students chatting with their friends about how they just got accepted at such-and-such university or at some prestigious school, like UC Berkeley. After hearing all this, I was anxious to find out when I was going to receive notice regarding my acceptance in to my local university. Every day for the last several weeks, I've logged in to my account at the university's self-service page hoping to find out if I got accepted into their school for the Fall of 2013.

On Wednesday, I checked the online status of my college application, which I had submitted last November to the only university I applied to, which is about a 25 minute drive from where I live. I chose the school because 1) it's a good school and 2) it would be less expensive to attend as opposed to if I were to move away and attend school elsewhere, then I'd probably have to delay my education again. Anyway, the following comment, which was written by the transfer admissions specialist assigned to my application, is what I read regarding my university application status:

You were not selected for Communication Studies. Competition for the Communication Studies program is very competitive and the COMS department has had to make difficult decisions in the selection process.” So today, I went to check the status again--knowing that I'd be reading the same thing--only to find out that they updated my file with the following sentence at the top: "You have not met the requirements and have been denied admission to..."

REJECTED...yet again! :-( Of course, the first thing I did when I found out that I didn't get accepted was to cry. In fact, I did that for the next two hours and I also cried myself to sleep that night. I felt a tad better yesterday--except for in the morning--and today I'm feeling better.

Throughout this whole university application process, I've bee trying to remain positive. In fact, I've tried projecting positivity with everything that has been happening in my life: applying for jobs I know I'm absolutely qualified for, but then don't end up getting; a relationship that never flourishes with the opposite sex because there's no mutual attraction on his part; and now with not getting accepted into the university after I've worked so hard for many years to get to this point.

Although I feel the reason I was initially given regarding why I didn't get accepted is pretty lame (I even contacted the transfer admissions specialist to find out the real reason why I didn't get accepted and she too didn't give me a valid reason), I know 100% why I probably didn't get accepted for the 2013 fall semester: this (spring) semester I'm enrolled in one class I have left to take, which is math, which is holding me back from transferring. This course has been a thorn and a BIG pain in my side for the last few years I've been attending the community college. Actually, math has been a pain in my side since junior high!

I had every intention of completing my last math course last semester, until I met with my math instructor last November. Just a month shy of completing this course, he recommended I drop it because although my homework and quiz scores, and work ethic were great, my exam scores were not. :-( My goal now is to pass this course in May so that I won't have to take it again!

This semester, I tried enrolling into a statistics course that was taught by an instructor I was recommended to by three people. I had also read positive reviews of her and her class. After showing up to this instructor's class twice during the first week of school, in January, I was unable to get into her class because there were 11 other students competing to get in. I ended up staying with the instructor I was stuck with, who I hadn't heard anything positive about.

My current situation: I'm dealing with an instructor who's fairly new, scattered and goes off-topic numerous times during her lecture (note: last week, she went off for about 15 minutes or so, which was a total waste of our valuable time). The con: the instructor doesn't give us enough lecture notes, which I feel would help us with our homework; she does not go over any of the homework problems in class since all the homework is done and submitted online; and 65% of the time the book doesn't give us enough information to help solve the homework problems. The ONLY pro: the tests are shorter. Also, I do meet one-on-one with a tutor once a week and go over some of the problems I need help with. I'm also in the math lab getting help with the problems I don't understand; however, it's unfortunate that not every tutor or lab assistant knows statistics, so I'm often there when there's an actual statistics tutor available.

I did alright on my last math test, but the most recent test I took, which was a week ago, well, let's just say that my anxiety got the best of me this time and I'm certain that I didn't do well. Go figure that when I submitted the last two assignments last Friday, which were associated with last Thursday's test, I received a 99% and 100%! I wish the 100% would've been my score for the actual test! I know I have to try harder for the next test because it's the last one I take BEFORE the (cumulative) final, in May.

With the recent news, along with everything else that's happened to me within the last 3 years, it frustrates and discourages me, and I often wonder if I should continue pursuing my education. I mean, I already have some journalism experience; however, many companies would prefer applicants possess a bachelor's degree in communications or journalism when applying for a position. I don't have my communications degree yet, because this math course I'm trying to pass is the obstruction in letting me move on so that I can finally start working on my bachelor's!

There's so much I need to think about between now and the end of this semester, as well as what I'm going to be doing for the coming fall semester. I intend that I will find the answers soon regarding my future.

I'll leave you with this song, which pretty much sums up the last two days, the rest of my week and year, and probably most of 2014:


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

My Hiatus



I've been on a little hiatus from blogging because of school and everything affiliated with my academics. Not to worry my fans (*all four of you*) because I'm still here and I just haven't had much to report...until today. Since I'm on spring break this week, I will try posting an update in the next few days.

So in the meantime, please stay tuned...


Saturday, January 19, 2013

Hottie of the Month


This is Chris Jacobs. How can anyone resist a guy with dimples, who also knows a little something about cars and history?

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!



May 2013 bring you happiness, good health, joy and prosperity! :-)