#24: I Do Confess...

February 21, 2013:

Congratulations Sealions, this is the end of the 7th week of Spring semester! Only 8 more to go!

So a few things have happened since I last wrote...

One being ASB elections!
Congratulations to the newly elected ASB staff :) And shout out to Claire Schalin whom I may or may not be assisting next year...for which I may or may not be super stoked for...it's not like it's going to be the greatest thing to get paid to work with one of your friends or anything. I'm not officially saying anything like that. Officially.

Oh, and AJ Wolf for president? This should be fun... :)

And another thing, this whole PLNU Confessions page? Lemme rant about that one real quick.

PLNU confessions is like what, a week old? And at first this page on Facebook was super hilarious. I think it was inspired by the bigger universities' "hookup" pages, but I could be wrong. Anyways, it literally went Loma viral in a matter of days.

And then the creepy posts started coming in. You know, the ones where you're like, "okay, this stuff just got fake." Yeah well that's how it ended up looking like. And not to mention it became a perfect place to bash people. Hello people, cyber bullying? No? Personally, I was getting tired of not being able to see anything on my Facebook news feed but other peoples confessions so I hid it from my feed. One good thing, and probably my favorite post on there was the "bring Tony back" on and "Tony 2013". I miss him too guys, I miss him too.

But wait! It doesn't end there! Wouldn't you know that just recently a PLNU Encouragements page has been made. Now this seems reasonable right? Nice Christian kids using it as the ray of sunshine to combat the bullying? No. I think there are more haters toward the encouragements than there were to the confessions.

Now here's the deal. I don't think that either page is all that harmful. I also get that the confessions page is a great outlet for many students here. I mean come on, it's been an outlet for kids who aren't perfect, who don't want to pretend to be perfect here 24/7. Kudos. On the flip side, a little praise (be it anonymous or not) never hurt anyone. I still honestly believe that this campus has the nicest, best, and brightest students of any other California university, and maybe any other university period. So let the good kids have their fun too. Maybe they are those super grouchy, quiet kids who aren't perfect and don't want to pretend to be mean here 24/7.

See what I did there? ;) Kidding.

But seriously, this thing has really become a common topic of conversation. Even Jeff Bolster knows( to the person who posted on his good looks, you're grateful this page is anonymous now, huh?). If you want to read/research/find out more about this whole confessions thing just pick up the latest edition of  the Point Weekly. I told you. It's everywhere.

Well, I guess I should get back to my reading. I call it punishment for not being prepared for a psych reading pop quiz that I was not ready for today. The ONE DAY I don't do the reading! Sheesh...

One last thought. Zombies have returned. Not as big as last year, but I think it's because this new batch are strictly those hard core zombie game players. Makes for more ridiculously hilarious and awkward moments around campus.

Good luck with midterms next week guys!

Until next time,

Keep it classy (and confidential) Loma

-Em
#MyLife@Loma

It's Lent!~No more soda, caf cookies, or ice cream. :(

Because I don't have a cool Loma landscape shot, I only have a Loma lanyard shot...

#19: FINAL Countdown

December 6, 2012:

Mood: excitement.

That's right folks. In just 7 short days, we will all be officially done with FALL SEMESTER! That feeling of sitting in a class for the last time is pretty awesome. Okay well we will have to go back one last time to take a test, but that is just technicalities....

You may realize that I haven't posted in a while. I actually went back home again this past weekend to surprise my mommy for her birthday. If I had to throw out just a few words to describe my entire weekend it would be these: love, family, relaxing, stressful, productive, and vacation. But with that great extra time at home comes these words: sadness, laziness, and, if there was a word for it, so over school. Maybe it wasn't a good idea because I seem to have had so many last minute assignments thrown at me this past week. It wasn't all that bad because it gave me the opportunity to go out with some old and new friends to a 24 hour coffee shop named Lestat's. Besides the CRAPPY wifi connection, it was a very productive place to work. The first time experience was worth it in and of itself.

And now, it's time to enjoy all of the festivities that Loma has to offer. Dorm Christmas parties, karaoke night, and Christmas swing dancing are just some of what has been offered here this week, although I haven't attend many myself. I just spent the last 5 hours cooking probably the most ghetto birthday dinner with some of my greatest friends here at school. And by ghetto I mean that it was college adaptability at it's finest. We are talking steak lemon pepper pasta, buttermilk mashed potatoes, salad, and "garlic bread" made with cookie sheets as pot lids, container tops as cutting boards, and cutting boards as plates. And at the end we all held a lit candle so the birthday boy could blow them out. Oh and shared some ice cream. Yes, you could say that if they gave a final on "life", we would do very well.

Speaking of finals, WHY MUST ALL OF THE FACULTY AT POINT LOMA TRY TO SCARE US WITH FINALS!? I mean sure they are a longer test, but all of this talk about stress relief dogs, extended library hours, massive amounts of studying, and late nights is all a bit scary. WE WILL BE FINE! I mean heck! There aren't even classes, so we have 12 hours tops of test taking time in our entire week. We can do this!

Also a quick thing that I learned in my FCS 101 class this week...
Treat Yourself Right
Set Goals
Eat Healthy
Be Active
Sleep
Get Involved
Prepare
Peaceful Place
Manage Time
Make Right Choices!

Just remember that in this upcoming crazy week.

Well, I should get to sleep now. Or at least do something productive...

I'll probably post one more time before the actual end of the semester. Oh freshman first semester...

Until next time Loma,
Peace and good luck!
-Em

#MyLife@Loma

#18: It's The Most Stressful Time of The Year

November 28, 2012:

Long time, no post. Who could blame me though! It's been a week full of breaks, relaxation, and homework catching up. Just kidding on that last one. On a serious note, the Thanksgiving break was awesome. I don't know about you, but the first long break of Freshman year has been the hardest for me. Being home for more than a weekend is awesome; therefore, going back to school after not being there for more than a weekend is the complete opposite of awesome.

Word.

Since there hasn't been much class activity, it has just been a lot of getting back into the swing of "college life". You know, like DECORATING FOR FREAKING CHRISTMAS! I don't know about the other dorms, but Nease has gone above and beyond my expectations. We are talking wreaths, decorated trees in all of the lounges, Christmas lights EVERYWHERE, and there is even a "days until break" countdown at the front door. Plus, all of the halls have done what they can to make their hallways festive. My hall just put up our decorations yesterday. Can you say tree scented hallway? (thank you Bath and Body wallflower!)

All in all, I think I speak for everyone when I say that, although it's been three months, these next three weeks can't go quickly enough. These finals are going to be great...

Yeah right!!

Anyway, at least there are a lot of festive activities to choose from from now until that dreaded week. (Uhm free food? Enough said.) Like :

-Holly Jolly Jive

-Roots of Giving

-Cider Celebration

-Handel’s Messiah

-Christmas Karaoke Musoffee

-Balboa Park’s December Nights

Go to them. Just go.

Well, I had better get to my interview. Campus tour guide. School spirit. Lots of talking. School pride. Oh. Yes. Plus, I need to get out of here. Here being my new favorite study spot. Where might you ask? Not telling, but here's a hint.

It starts with "R" and end with "room"... Well it used to anyway.

That's all for now Loma,

-Emily

#MyLife@Loma

#17: Tide to Our Pride

November 19, 2012:

Well it's here! THANKSGIVING BREAK IS TOMORROW! Who's excited? EVERYONE.

Bags are being packed, driving arrangements are being finalized, and laundry bags are growing. Now, not everyone is going home for the holiday (thank you stingy Point Loma for the 3 days. Really.). Those not going home are getting creative and making their makeshift plans for Thanksgiving. Thanks to all of the wonderful professors here at Loma who are all opening up their homes for the holidays; they're great. I'm almost tempted to try that out sometime. Who knows, maybe I'll go to my lovely writing professors house, just to say that I survived. All you Evarcuties out there will understand the joke.

Speaking of writing, RESEARCH PAPER DONE BEEZIES! Most of you guys in Writing 110 understand this relief. Congratulations guys; it's all downhill from here! :)

Now I'll just recap the weekend for all of you who were or weren't there for our "Tide to Our Pride" homecoming extravaganza 2012.

Wednesday- Powderpuff. Hah. Haha. Cue nervous laughter for this one much? First off, I'm so grateful to have been a part of such a cool and fearless Fr/So team! Putting in all of those hours of practice and prep for it all to come down to a short 40 minute game is ridiculous. I hope that we can continue playing throughout the year! If you haven't gotten the message by now, my team was slaughtered. On the bright side we got tacos churros, and a WHOLE bunch of junk in the caf after! Yeah Point Loma, reward us with food. Oh and I could never forget the halftime performance. Definitely freaking HILARIOUS! Well done guys, well done. And I really dig the highlighter shorts. Shout-out to my good friend Drew, you were the best male-cheerleader out there ;)

Thursday- Concert band. Okay I heard so many good things about this! But alas I was not there. I was off gallivanting around the Mission Mall area waiting to see BREAKING DAWN PART 2! Thanks to the great line watching employees who wouldn't let us line up when we got there. Whatever. Experiences and whatnot. All in all it was worth it and my hall mates and I had a great time. Personally, I slept like a baby when I got back. So much so that I slept right through chapel. Whoa wait, did I say that? I mean.. duh I went to chapel. Yay, homecoming chapel...?

Friday- CORONATION and variety show! Two words. Revolving. Stage. Yes, be jelly. All the the homecoming court looked AMAZING in their formal wear, and the stage setting was super pretty too! The variety show itself didn't disappoint either. Point Loma has mucho talent (who really thinks that I know how to say talent in Spanish, I mean come on.) Chip and his brother's Emceeing was really funny and pretty cooligan. You don't get the reference? Shame on you for not catching on. Shout out to my lovely Hawaiian hall mate Kaili Kinoshita and my fellow fashion merch major Marissa Hernandez for performing! They were both AMAZING! It was a great school pride kind of night. And the night didn't end there for me. After all of that I went with a few friends ....downtown. To this place. With music. And dancing... Yeah it had dancing, sorry Point Loma. Late night take two much?

Saturday- WAS THE BIG HOMECOMING GAME! Green and gold for days on Saturday. The caf was decorated with school pride to the T. It was my first really school pride type of experience so I was a little shocked and how into it people got. Alumni and current students alike enjoyed all of the pregame festivities that the caf had to offer. It was actually really cool to see the wide array of ages represented. Once a sealion always a sea lion I guess. And a question to all of the people who thought it was cool to paint their whole faces, was it a fun time when you had to get all of that off? Thought so. First the women's team played and then the men. Let me just say that Point Loma isn't exactly a athletic based school. Good thing we are smart AND talented. Nice try guys, solid effort. Oh, and we can't forget halftime! Oh Loma cheerleaders... Quite possibly one of the coolest stunts that I've seen from them was lifting up the mascot Roary so that he could "swim" across the court. Very clever girls. I can say that it was all pretty entertaining. And being immersed in the green sea of students on the bleachers, yelling (sometimes unnecessarily...), booing with news papers (kudos to the older people who thought that they were for reading during the game), and pointing in unison was a pretty awesome experience. Even though they won in points, we definitely won in spirit (haha double meaning right there!).

So that was homecoming week(end) in a nutshell! Now, the posters/banners/decorations are gone, and everyone has put away their ridiculous green and gold. All is normal again.

And with that I am off to correct my final draft of this gosh darn paper.

A fond farewell to all of my pride (get it? Sea LIONS? Pride?). Okay I'm done now,

-Emily
#MyLife@Loma

 (Photo creds to WIll McNeill Photography. Will is awesome by the way.)

#04 In The Beginning

August 29, 2012:

So I'm quickly realizing that posting every day is going to be almost impossible....

Remember that college trifecta that I was talking about? Here it is.

Here's how it works.

You can't have more than two things connect at one time. And currently I'm not getting practically any of the sleep corner. This will change.

I guess that's a pretty big part of college anyways. Learning to balance and adjust to everything WITHOUT being told what to do. Great.

Yesterday was every one's first day of classes!Wooooo! Congratulations everyone. It's wasn't worth all of the stress. And if I don't say this enough, I love me school! After all of the classes and assignments and dorm meetings we all got to experience our first "Movie in the Greek" as freshman at Loma.

IT WAS AVENGERS! Such an awesome movie and great for comedic references. (Eat the Shawarma!)

Don't get me wrong though, a lot of people couldn't go because WE ALREADY FREAKING HAVE HOMEWORK!!! Way to strive for academic excellence guys ;)

We also had our first Chapel time. Which wasn't very long at all....and they gave us free doughnuts. FREE FRESHMAN 15! Yeah, no.

All in all it was a great first day, and I can only hope that it sets the tone for the rest of this year!

-Emily

#MyLife@Loma

(Kind of like Shawarma! ;) )

(Insta photo creds to my friends Brittany C. and Kelly B. :D )

#03 Reunited

August 27, 2012:

Today was officially the last day of our Summer break.

It was also the most free time that we've had the past 3 days.

The only thing required was for each freshman to take a survey in the morning. And if you were one of the lucky few, like myself, you sat out in the sun and pretty much re-took your SAT. Not really, but I sure did fill in a lot of those stupid bubble answers. The funny thing is, take a group of kids, bribe them with free food, and bake them outside together and you have a great recipe for random friendships. I guess those who complain together feel a common bond of some sort. I see there what you did there Point Loma...

After that, we were all pretty much on our own. I spent my day doing random stuff around campus, going to a meeting for student-athletes,visiting a friend whose an RD on campus, taking my XC team photo, and getting loaded with free food at "Roary's Reunion", a welcome back event for all of Loma's students.

I feel like I'll be loading up on a lot of free food this week. No complaining here!

That was pretty much the day. Tomorrow is THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS! (Kinda my first one ever. Oh crud.) So I should probably finish printing out my syllabuses, getting my books together, and go watch a movie with some friends in their dorm room. Yeah, I have priorities. I guess I'm really going to have to work on that "college trifecta. (I'll give a detailed description of that later!)

Well good luck everyone!

-Emily
#MyLife@Loma

#02 This Is Home

August 26, 2012:

The final day of NSO.

Today is the final day of NSO as we know it. Let me say that I feel so blessed to be a part of a school that has such amazing, and well thought out traditions. Today we freshman participated in a pretty big one. The "sand ceremony".

So a little description about this not so conventional tradition.

Every student gets a handful of sand and drops it into this big aquarium resulting in this pretty cool layered effect. Then that aquarium gets put on display in the caf until four years from now, when we will graduate, and take a vial of that same sand with us while we head on to the next chapter in our life.

Pretty sweet huh?

With speeches from our ASB president (we have been seeing alot of him lately no?), Spiritual Life director, pastors, and others, we were told some pretty profound things.

Here are a few:
-"No matter what you are doing, whether it be a burrito run, target run, or a trip to the Caf, take people with you. Just go trough the halls and collect them. "

-" Each class sets the attitude for the the entire class. If everyone is friendly, serious, or fun it will show to all of the professors and adults who come in contact with you."

-" I don't know when the trasition will happen for all of you, but I can rememeber when I first started referring to Loma as 'my home'. I couldn't wait to get back."

In addition to an amazing sand ceremony, everyone got their first taste of the campus church service. Which, in my opinion, was amazing. The various forms of worship, great message, and great atmosphere made me feel very welcome.

All in all it's been a pretty relaxed day full of final goodbyes, campus deiscoveries, and promises of a great next four years.

I guess all there is left to say is,
Welcome home everyone!

#MyLife@Loma