The Southern Whales

While walking around campus, there are many pieces of artwork to survey. There is one particular sculpture that lies out in front of the Engleman that particularly intrigued me. I am not sure who the artist is or what the title of the piece is because the sculpture is outside with no information near it. Because I was so fascinated by this piece, I decided to find more information about it. The piece is titled “H2O: Liquid Zone” and it was designed by Mikyoung Kim. Kim is an award winning architect and also works at the Rhode Island School of Design. He has truly inspired me because I am amazed and actually kind of jealous of the amount of talent he possesses. The structure as a whole is 81 feet long, 15 feet tall, and 6 & ½ feet wide.

                I am not really an art critic, so I’m not sure what to like or not like about the piece, but one thing I do like is how different it is. I have never seen a sculpture like this, which is why it interested me so much. There is nothing really I dislike about this piece. My interpretation of it, from the information that I looked up, is of whales majestically swimming. The pieces of metal are shaped in a way so that they catch the rainfall so it trickles down different channels.

                Walking to and from class, I enjoy seeing this sculpture because it adds a piece of culture to my day. Before I researched this piece or art, I found it interesting to think about the different ideas this sculpture could represent. At first glance, I thought this piece represented leaves blowing in the wind. I’m glad I looked it up though, so I could become educated on what the meaning of the sculpture actually is. In this society not a lot of people appreciate the artwork that surrounds us so I’m grateful that I get to experience this piece every day. 

Safari 7

Number 19 on our campus safari list is about the Majors Expo that was on October 10^th in the Student Center. I attended this and found it extremely helpful. I am currently in a major I don’t plan on staying in, so this event informed me on how to change that. All the people involved were very helpful and inviting. The major I am interested in is Sociology so I went to that table and spoke to the woman there. She gave me the information I needed on changing my major and recommended what to do about transferring into that department. Fairs like these that Southern provides are helpful to me, and I plan on taking advantage of all the information they provide. 

Don't Blink

                As this semester begins to come to a close, I realize just how quickly everything goes by in college. Within the blink of an eye, your life speeds by. My advice to you, DON’T BLINK. Not literally of course, but really think about it. Stop and smell the roses, don’t take everything for granted, live your life.

                Looking back at my first semester here at Southern, I really did enjoy my time here.  I am happy with the choices and friends I made, and also the work I did. While trying to see if I met the goals I set for myself this semester, something occurred to me. I don’t care.  It may seem like an awful thing to say, but it’s the truth. I really don’t care about the goals I set for myself or the work I’ve done, which explains why maybe they didn’t get acted upon. From now on, the one goal that I will act on is to start caring. No one is here to push me to do my assignments. No one cares if I fail out. I need to start caring about my work so I can get somewhere in life. Other than my lack of concern for my academic grades, I feel as if this semester I have succeeded in other ways. I made new friends, put myself out there, and reevaluated some of my thought processes. Of course with these successes come setbacks as well. Procrastination, ADHD, bad choices, and laziness are all included. The important thing is to find a way to cope with all these diversions in order to stay on my path to success.

                For the semesters to come, it is important that I keep up with my work, but it is also equally important to me that I enjoy and live my life. Schoolwork will always be there, but you’re only young once, and tomorrow is promised to no one. You need to live it up. My advice to you? Be smart, make choices that will benefit your life, and in the words of Kenny Chesney, “Years go faster than you think, so don’t blink.”

Keep Calm and Lax On

Throughout these midterm weeks, things can get very hectic and stressful.  With all the studying and cramming going on, I have been very overworked.  In order to unwind and relax a little, I took some time after classes on Thursday to spend with my friends.  My good friend Lexi plays lacrosse and has wanted to play for quite some time now. She kept saying how she doesn’t know anyone around who knew how or wanted to play so I told her I had never played before, but I would try if she helped.  So I borrowed one of my guy friend Ben’s lacrosse stick and went to the west campus quad and went to the threw the ball around for a while. I picked it up fairly quickly and after about ten minutes, it was like I ahd been playing for years. After a little while, Lexi and I thought it would be fun to have more friends to play, so we invited a couple more friends to play.  Within a few minutes there were now seven people playing catch in the quad. Our little relaxation session escalated into a good reunion that I will possibly do again  if ever I need to unwind. Remember; Keep calm and LAX on!

                That much needed day helped me unwind a little and take my mind off the loads of work I had that week.  One simple thing like tossing the ball around, watching TV, or even just catching a friend for lunch can help you calm down so you have the ability to start studying again.  Sometimes before you can move forward, you have to allow yourself to take a step or two back.

Safari 6

         On September 22^nd, I attended Southern’s Day of Service. I decided to do my campus safari post for number seventeen on this. A friend and I decided that this would be a good way to give back, get involved, and meet new people. We showed up at the student center early that day to sign up and see where we were scheduled to go. Once we got there, we were given breakfast and a free t-shirt. After that, we were sent off to work. My friend that went with me, Lexi, and I were assigned to work in a garden for the day. Over the course of the day, I had fun, met some good new friends, got a good workout, and did something good for our school. I heard that there is another day like this in the spring, so I will definitely be participating in it, and encourage everyone else to do so as well.

You cannot Fail or Succeed unless you first TRY

The definition for failure is an act that does not accomplish its intended purpose. In the book Mindset, it teaches us that we need to get over these said failures and take from them things we need to grow and form ourselves as successful people. When you hear the words failure or fail, I can assume that you automatically think of the subject negatively, I know I do. It is a subconscious reaction, which is how we were brought up in society, our fixed mindset. After you fail at something, either you give up, or you keep trying to reach the goal that you set for yourself for that task.

                Growing up, I was always taught that failure was a bad thing. My mother always wanted me to succeed and be “the best that I could be”. She never said that failure was unacceptable per say, just that I should succeed in all that I do.  In school, I learned from the other children that if I didn’t win at something, I was automatically the loser. I can honestly say that those young years shaped how I go about things today. More so in my academic work, then other things, if something is harder to me, I seem to be more hesitant to start it. This sets me back from others because it takes me much longer to complete certain tasks. In athletics, I have always been able to keep up with my competitors. When trying a new sport I always had a gung-ho attitude, and jumped right into everything. If I “failed” at a sport, it just made me want to try harder to be better than everyone else out there. I try to use this mindset with my academic and social work as well, so that I can accomplish all I set my mind to in those fields. Win or lose, you only can achieve what you TRY at.

Motivate Me

The book mindset is all about how people go about doing things, and how they get themselves to do these things. Everyone in the world has different mindsets which get them to react differently to each problem they encounter. I enjoy this book so far because it tells us that we can shape and change our mindset as we go about life. In the opening pages of the book, the author gives an incredible example to show this. She tells us about children trying to put together puzzles, and while most get discouraged and give up on the puzzle, there are some who actually enjoy the challenge. I appreciate this example because from time to time, I also like a good challenge. Even as adults, we can learn from these small children. They can teach us not to get scared off by more difficult challenges, but to embrace them as learning experiences. I can connect with these kids, as college is my puzzle. It is a new difficult thing I need to figure out, but I know that if I put my mind to it, I can complete it. Sometimes when we face a more demanding task, our fixed mindset makes us want to hide from it; our growth mindset makes us want to accomplish this tough task and learn and grow from it.

                In order to get through life, we need to figure out for ourselves what motivates us to get through those hard times and want to better ourselves. We are the only ones who can push us farther to want to do something, therefore all the weight is on our backs. When something goes array, it is no one’s fault but our own; on the other hand, when something gets done exceptionally, all the glory is ours for the taking. If we want this glory, we need to be the ones lighting the fire under our bottoms and getting moving. We are our own motivation!

Breaking the Comfort Barrier

The other day I was with two of my friends, Hannah and Lexi. Hannah works for a club in downtown New Haven. She works every Thursday and Saturday as a shot girl at a club downtown. While we were hanging out, Hannah told us that her boss had said that they needed help finding girls to help with the shots and Lexi and I volunteered. I wasn’t sure what the job was going to be like because I had never done any kind of work like this. Hannah told us to look cute and be ready to get the bus at 7:50. As we were getting ready, I was getting nervous because this was going to force me out of my comfort zone and make me talk to people I didn’t know. I’m usually not the kind of person to start a conversation with random people but I knew that it would be something that was good for me.

When we got to the club, the bartender told us what we would have to do. Basically sell 20 shots for $2 and then pay them back $30 for the tray of what we made. I figured it wouldn’t be too hard of a job because all my friends would be there to help me out. When more and more people started showing up I realized that being a shot girl wasn’t as easy as it looked. People were not as nice as I had hoped they would be and were standoffish when I walked up to them and asked if they wanted to buy shots. At the end of the night I had made my money, paid the bartender, and met a few nice people. I had gotten over my “fear” of talking to new people and I was beginning to feel more comfortable introducing myself to people I had never met or talked to.

Safari 5

        The Campus Safari blog I chose to do for this week was #9. I went to the involvement fair on Wednesday September 9^th to see what types of clubs I could join. One club I was interested in was Habitat for Humanity. I was primarily interested in this club because one of my cousins was involved in it when he was in college. He always told me about the people he helped, and the places he traveled to, including Haiti. I want to help people like he did. A friend and I joined the War Veterans club as well. The reason I joined this club is because I have many friends and a few family members in the service. Since they are doing so much for me by serving our country, I feel that it is the least I can do to give back to them. The Involvement fair was extremely helpful to me so I can get more involved at school. Now I can meet new people at school while at the same time helping others.

Safari 4

This week for my campus safari, I did #1 on professors’ office hours. The times that some teachers have set up for their office hours, can be extremely conflicting with students’ schedules. If you talk to your teachers though, they can be very lenient and helpful to getting you the information that you need. This was very true with my History professor.  Since I have classes during the majority of her office hours, I had to figure out a way to get in touch with her. After class one day I stayed after to ask her some questions. I asked her what her midterm and final was like and since I have a different book, if that would work for this class. She explained how her exams are essay based, and that I could make do with the book I have, but to try and see if the bookstore has the correct one. She was very accommodating and eager to help me. Professor Maravel’s office hours are as follows in Engleman Hall room C 207B:

• Monday and Wednesday: 11:10-12:00
• Friday: 1:10-4:30

Blog: Eating Right

I am surveying people on how they eat on campus; if it is healthy or just junk food. I want to determine how many of my peers eat properly and healthy. Also I want help inform next year’s freshman class how to eat the right way and not eat all junk and fatty foods. Eating properly is very important piece to staying fit, healthy, and to live long as possible. If you’re an athlete, it tends to be much easier to stay healthy and in shape, but for those of us who are not, it can be extremely difficult to stay on a healthy diet.

The questions that I have prepared to ask my fellow students are as follow: Where do you usually go to get food on campus? What meal plan would you recommend an incoming student? Where do you go to get food off campus? Which delivery restaurant do you usually order from and what do you order?

These questions will positively affect first-year in numerous ways. First off they will not have to worry about the mythical freshman fifteen.  Yes, a lot of freshmen gain wait but that is because they choose to eat unhealthy. If they choose to eat right and exercise you will not gain weight; you might even loose a few pounds.  Being healthy is all about your mindset. The only way you’re going to be healthy is if you chose to be. The questions can also advise them where to eat and where not to.  They can see where most people eat and figure that those are the places with the good food. The places where the students say the food is not good or terrible will be the places the first-year students won’t go.  This video will inform those who have no idea how to eat right and hopefully be helpful to keep them healthy.

Making Your Schedule Fit You

While going over my schedule for last week, I realized the ratio of the time I spend doing homework to the time spent socializing is not at all what it should be. Keeping in mind this week I didn’t have nearly as much homework I have had in the past weeks. Thinking about it now, I should probably get more sleep seeing as I rarely get enough. Maybe this will give me more energy and motivation to do what I need to get done. The majority of my time not in class is spent either with my friends, eating or sleeping.

One of the problems I have to deal with is having ADHD. It makes it extremely difficult to sit down and concentrate on my homework.  I noticed throughout this week, every time I started my homework, I would find something else to do like watching TV, or going and hanging out with my friends. My mom saw this problem too and so she brought me to a doctor in order to help me. I was prescribed medicine that should help me concentrate more. I am working on getting past this though; because there is no way that I’m letting this affect my grades.

In order to make sure I get done all I have to do for the week, I keep a small notebook in my backpack to write down things I have to do and homework that was assigned in class and when that is due.  After every day I read the notebook and write the very important things on my white bored in my room so every time I look at it I will see what needs to be done and by when. I will set a side every day a certain time to do homework and study for exams. I will not go out with friends or go to any events on campus until my work for each night is completely finished to the best of my ability.