Best way to procrastinate? CLEANING.
You think I'm kidding, I'm sure...but seriously...it's relaxing, grants instant gratification, and you still feel productive even though you haven't gotten any reading done! Yay!

I cannot wait for this weekend...my best friend is coming up from LA, it's the Cal vs USC game (GO BEARS), and it's my 20th birthday! So very excited :)

surprise!

So, I survived last week, but just barely! Four papers in one week...crazy. Definitely learned some lessons about time management...less time researching, more time actually writing. And note to self, just because I *feel* like I know what I want to say, I don't necessarily! Ugh. But anyways, I turned in my last paper on Friday and then began to get ready...to GO HOME FOR THE WEEKEND! That's right...I lucky enough to be able to get tickets to fly home and surprise my Daddy for his birthday! Best idea ever. Usually my Friday's are laid back, but for some reason I was ridiculously busy...it was so hard to get through the day, haha.

I flew in Saturday at noon, and in summary, this weekend was awesome. Surprising my dad was definitely hilarious (he had NO idea!) and just being home was good for me...even though it feels weird to go back after living up here? I don't know, but it was weird going home...for vacation? An odd concept. Saturday I saw my parents and the boy, and Sunday I was with my family all morning, and then I saw Marie :) And, since it was the weekend before my birthday, I got spoiled by my wonderful parents! My mom definitely reads this blog (hi momma!) and got me some AMAZING boots (that weren't $400 haha) and the perfect white shirt, as well as a bunch of other stuff. I'll take pictures soon to post, but trust me, I am the luckiest girl in the world. :) I was able to see some friends as well, so it was great. My only complaint (and honestly, it's my own fault) was that I didn't really have a chance to just sleep...but whatever, sleep is overrated! Though I had the worst caffeine crash of my life, it was awful. Awful...oh god. Even just thinking about it makes me feel sick. But other than that, my weekend was amazing and I'm ecstatic about my life right now.

Well, except for the fact that tomorrow is Tuesday, and Tuesdays are ridiculously long...but whatever, I'm happy.

xo

First all-nighter? CHECK.
Best part? I'm STILL not done with my paper. No worries, it'll be ready by 11:00am, when it's due...whether I'll be capable of getting it to class, that's a whole other story.
Also? I have another paper due Friday, that I've worked on but isn't done yet. AWESOME.


Yay college!!

ruby tuesday

My Tuesday Schedule

• 11:00AM-12:30PM--Media Studies 10, aka Mass Communications 101
  
• 12:30-3:30PM--Break (aka time to catch up on reading/finish writing papers)
• 3:30-5:00PM--American Studies 110, aka Advertising in America
• 5:00-6:00PM--DINNERTIME
• 6:00-7:00PM--Media Studies 10 Discussion Section
• 7:00-8:00PM--CalTV Cinematography Meeting
• 8:00-9:00PM--CalTV General Meeting
• 9:00-10:00PM--Apartment Association

You can see why I'm worried, right? Thursdays are the same, but I'm done at 7:00PM. And today, I also have actual papers I have due, two "mini" 1-2 page analytical responses tomorrow and two actual 4-5 page research papers due Thursday. I'm not fully done with anything yet. Can you say FML? I've been working all weekend and I'm still not done, there's just too much! Thank god I dropped that history class, otherwise I'd be ready to kill myself. Ugh.

I am counting down like no other for this weekend...can't say too much here (yet), but it is bound to be amazing...especially since I'll be paper-free!

product placement at its finest

yay for caffeine addictions! yay for four papers! yay for avoiding procrastination (staying up tonight instead of tuesday/wednesday)! yay! my momma told me sleep is overrated, i'm starting to agree.

also, i was accepted as a member of the cinematography team of CalTV; so excited!

a juxtaposition of thoughts

Do you ever get that feeling that things are going too well, that everything is too good to be true? I've been feeling that way a lot lately, just waiting for everything to fall apart...not a good feeling, to be dreading everything going wrong! I hate that I think like that. I have everything I have ever wanted: my dream school, living on my own, amazing friends back home and up here, someone waiting for me back home, finally getting closure on something I had always wondered about, eating healthy, walking everywhere, taking care of myself, etc etc etc. I have everything I could ever want and I'm ecstatic; at the same time, I find myself waiting for that plot twist, the "dun dun dun!" moment of doom that everyone goes through, because perfection is unreal, inhuman. I mean, I wouldn't say life is perfect...I have two papers to write, an additional two response papers, and a ton of reading, for starters, all of which is majorly stressing me out. Or there's the fact that the one person I've actually developed feelings for in the past two years is back home, or the underlying pressure of knowing that I cannot fail, that I have to succeed up here. Yet all of those problems sort of fade away when I see how ridiculously happy I am, happy to be at Berkeley, happy to have someone at all, happy (even ecstatic) to actually go somewhere that challenges me. I'm sure you can see the weird sort of balance going on in my brain, trying to create a sort of ultimate pro-con list of good vs evil~ in my life, and obviously the good is winning, but I just have the feeling the evil is getting ready to plan a secret attack that the good isn't expecting...but I'll be ready, I am ready, and I will make sure the good prevails, because it simply has to.

"There was no point in worrying yet.... what would come, would come... and he would have to meet it when it did." ~J.K. Rowling, "The Beginning," Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000

Taken after the first football game against Maryland by my roommate. Just a quick post to note that Cal is currently undefeated after beating Minnesota today, 35-21! Go Bears!

i love la

and they carried me to a place without words; and there was nothing but there was everything ♥

~flashback

Happy New Year to all of my fellow Jewish people! The time to re-analyze the past year is upon us once again, and as I sit at my desk at work I've got to wonder...where has the time gone? I cannot believe it's been a year, because although so much has changed, it's all happened so fast. Due to my two papers, I decided not to go to services this year (sorry Mom, priorities) but I still want to look back...I suppose a flashback (a la LOST) is in order...where was I a year ago?

I was starting my second year at Glendale, after officially switching my major to Mass Comm/Media Studies (I had been a political science major before; can you imagine?), and I was taking Speech, Astronomy, US History and Sociology. I surprisingly hated Speech (due to a biased ass of a professor), but ended up loving the rest of my classes. My history professor was a guy who protested Vietnam, and he was just so cool, not to mention ridiculously knowledgeable. Astronomy was difficult but really interesting, and Sociology was, well, Sociology. I was a member of the Scholars Cabinet, as VP of Communications along with Naira, and we, along with the rest of the Executive Cabinet and a new Director, were ready to make that year the best year ever !!!!! Unfortunately, that's not quite the way things panned out...not to rehash anything, but although I ended up gaining some great friends from Cabinet by the end of the year, I also ended up losing many, and there was a lot of unnecessary drama and tension that had me questioning why I ever joined (the Cabinet) in the first place. I began to bond with the First Years, and many a game of Egyptian War was played in the Garret. Meanwhile! I was working on my UC and USC applications, and debating whether or not to apply to NYU (decided not to). It was intense, but I got through it alive, though I've got say, that moment when I submitted my applications was absolutely terrifying. I had done everything I could, and at that moment, it was completely out of my hands. The holidays came and went, and then it was Spring.

Spring semester brought me Art History, Observational Astronomy, Russian History and Spanish 2. It was a hard semester, but I loved every minute of it. Russian History is definitely my passion, and I don't care what anyone says, it's absolutely fascinating. Art History was also an incredible class. Continued to bond with the First Years, many a party was held at my house :) Avoided people in Cabinet, it was bad news bears all around. Luckily, second semester flew by and before I knew it the time to receive admissions decisions from schools had arrived. Much to my surprise, I had been accepted to every single school I applied to. Though for a second I debated going to UCLA, I knew that wasn't where I was supposed to be, and within a couple of days I decided to go to Cal. The Scholars Banquet came and went, and I left Glendale with my head held high, my dignity intact, new friends and great (or at the very least, enlightening) life lessons learned.

With friends, it was a good year. Many parties, many adventures, many movie nights, many late night trips to Coral and Bourgeois Pig, rediscovering LACMA, discovering Alcove (ahhh I want an Apple-Brie Panini now!), and many of our infamous late night talks were held. We all stayed close, visiting each other at our respective schools, including a couple of trips to USC for me. As far as relationships go, I didn't really have any, and this was intentional. I knew that at the end of the year I would be leaving, so what would be the point of starting something? Besides, I'm really picky, and no one really caught my interest.

Summer came and went, and was filled with movies, friends, swimming, cameras, iced tea, 80s metal, driving around, live music, and good memories. My friends and I grew closer than ever, and luckily, we're still that close now. I spent a lot of time at home, reading and writing and just taking a mental break before the "big move." It was a Potter summer, so I re-read all the books and re-watched all the movies before Half-Blood Prince was released...we went at midnight, of course. (And yes, I realize how nerdy this is, haha.) Right before I left for Cal, I went with my family to Puerto Vallarta for a week, and it remains one of the most amazing, relaxing experiences I've ever had. I read Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End in 4 days, and it was the first time I had truly read for fun in years. They also happened to be two of the best novels I have ever read in my life, so if you haven't already, go pick up a copy, I promise you won't regret it. Summer also meant reconnecting with an old friend, and that has been one of the best and most rewarding things to have happened this year.

Then, I moved. Moved away from everyone I loved, everyone I cared for, everything that was familiar and safe, and I moved by myself. Two suitcases was all I had to pack up my entire life. I know that coming to Cal is the best decision I've ever made, but that doesn't make it any easier to start over. It was hard, at first, but I'm okay now. I would actually probably say that I'm better than I've ever been, because I'm happy and focused and healthy.

I can't believe I've already been in school for almost a month. I can't believe that I have friends and a small community up here; I can't believe I haven't been in a car since August 17; I can't believe I stopped eating meat; I can't believe I'm almost twenty; I can't believe I actually have papers due! I can't believe I just summarized an entire year into a few short paragraphs. It's ridiculous how quickly time passes.

It's weird, not only knowing I'm not going to services, but that I'm not back home going to services. I always loved the church where we held services, I remember as a kid before they used to have kid's services we would just run around and explore and it was just fun. I know, not what the holiday is about, but hey, can't blame a kid for having a good time!

L'shanah tovah, everyone, have a good one.

overwhemled (1)

I'm overwhelmed. Talking to a good friend, they suggested I go to bed, rest, and wake up refreshed and ready to take on my workload one piece at a time. Good advice...given to me two (unproductive) hours ago. Whoops.

Honestly, why is it so hard to be productive? I'm smart, so why is this so hard? I'd like to blame the media for creating our short attention spans...but really, I hate that I can't just sit down and focus. I'm trying so hard not to put everything off, but at the same time, I can't just sit down and get it all done. I have two papers due a week from tomorrow, and though I have outlines for both (one on the iPhone campaign and one on Studio 60) I haven't actually started writing either...and let's not even get into the reading I haven't done. It's not like I'm going out and partying, though, I just sit at home and get distracted! Whether it be writing in my journal, updating my blog, or emailing my best friend, there's always something else that I'm doing. I know, I know, discipline, and when that doesn't work, there's always Self-Control. Goddamn. And the thing was, even though I didn't get what I needed to done, I did a lot: went to work, talked to GSI's for two different classes, made a new friend to study with, sat in the grass under a tree (which consequently reminded me of that Gilmore Girls episode, when Rory is exploring Yale to find the "perfect tree" to study under), did some reading for GWS, wrote two letters, wrote a four page journal entry, went to class (and paid attention...intersectionality is so intense!), studied with friends, went to dinner...it's just when I got home that all of the sudden I just...stopped. I don't know, I guess this is something I'm going to have to learn to deal with, and overcome. It's just hard.

I should go to bed, I've got a long day tomorrow.

wishlist!

Per the request of my mother, I'm posting my birthday wishlist here...it's less than a month away, and I'm going to be twenty! Yay.

I'd like the first season of True Blood on DVD...not only because I need a new series to watch, especially living without a television (*melodramatic tear here*), but it is my Media Studies professor's favorite television show...which is a great reason to watch it. Research! Right? Right.

I really love these Frye Shirley Riding Boots...but they're way out of my measly college budget. However, this is the kind of boots I'm looking for, so if you spot cheaper alternatives, let me know!

I love these Latin Rings that Marc by Marc Jacobs came out with...not only are they affordable at $3 a piece, but they're classy and interesting. AND, they make them big enough to fit people that don't have miniature hands...exciting! I had bought one but it already looks totally beat up :( Only downfall? They're only available at the MBMJ stores (but there is one on Melrose!) Actually, most anything from the MBMJ store, accessory wise, anyways, is cute, stylish, and affordable, so if you have a chance to drop by...I'm just saying, don't forget about me!

I've been looking for the perfect white button down for awhile, and this Boyfriend Oxford Shirt from the Gap seems to be what I'm looking for. I'd have to try it on, of course, but it looks sharp and professional, while at the same time it'd look cute with a pair of jeans and my converse. Speaking of which, I'm also on the hunt for the perfect blazer (ideally, thrifted)...hmm.

A nice new purse would be great too (oh, I'm sure you saw this coming, you all know me too well) but I'm pretty picky so we'll see where my hunt goes.



Overall though, the best gift you could give me would be cash. I'm a broke college student, I need to pay for everything, so why not do a mitzvah and lend a helping hand? :)

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Andrea

(P.S.-this is not to say that I expect anything from the above list; they're just ideas. And besides, the very best thing you could do is just give me a call on my birthday!)

y control

Here are some miscellaneous pictures from my first few weeks...I'm aware there aren't very many, I surpringly don't bring my camera everywhere...yet. :)


First football game of the year, Cal vs Maryland. We won 52-13!
I missed the second game today, Cal vs Eastern Washington, because I have so much work to do. However, I've been checking the score updates and it's currently in the 4th quarter, 52-7 Bears. FINAL SCORE 59-7. AWESOME.


So last Wednesday I went to my first Bay Area Concert to go see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. AMAZING.


Karen O, the lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is amazing; she came out as a ZEBRA. Such an amazing stage presence, I'm so happy I got to see her! She can do no wrong in my eyes.

yeah yeah yeahs; maps from Andrea Zevallos on Vimeo.

yeah yeah yeahs; y control from Andrea Zevallos on Vimeo.

Please excuse the horrible shakiness of the camera, it's hard to film when you don't have a tripod, are dancing, and everyone around you is dancing too!

Now, back to my essay...which I'm pretty sure I'm writing on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip :)

busy bee!

I really shouldn't be posting right now, but hey, isn't that what us college students are known best for? You know, getting online and putting off our reading and papers, then reading the news, checking out our favorite blogs, texting our friends, calling our mothers...basically, procrastinating.

I'm not going to even try to say that I've never procrastinated; in fact, I became pretty efficient at procrastinating my first couple of years of college. I mean, it got to the point where I wrote a ten page paper on stem cell research the night before it was due...and was then able to convince the professor to give me an extension, edited it, and got an A. I was really lucky, but not the best strategy, right?

Right. Especially since at Cal, you really can't do that. You can do a lot of things (and get away with a lot of things, just ask the people smoking weed on the corner of Channing & Telegraph), but you simply cannot get away with putting stuff off, not anymore. At least, not with any of my professors! I have so much to do it's ridiculous. Here's the basic summary of the stuff I need to do/start this weekend, for those of you who care:

• Media Studies Discussion: Response Paper on different news sources' covering the health care debate (due Sept 15)
  
• Media Studies Lecture: 4-5 page paper analyzing any one piece of media (due Sept 24)
  
• Advertising: 4-5 page paper analyzing one individual piece of advertising (due Sept 24)
  
• Gender in America: Newsmedia Journal (collect one article/week and analyze it using our reading) (due Nov 18, but need one entry/week)
  
• Reading for Advertising (Total Package ch 3, 4, 7; Land of Desire ch 1-3; Advertising the American Dream ch 5-8)
  
• Reading for Media Studies (MediaMaking pg 65-132, 135-160, 219-232; Convergence Culture: "Origami Unicorn"; "The Problem of Knowing"; "Predicting the Unpredictables")
  
• Reading for Gender Studies ("Removal"; "Cherokee Women"; "Crafting Feminist"; "Katrina & Social Justice"; "Natural & Social Meet"; "Crossing the Line"; "Ethnic Scarring")
  

So, I'm going to get started tonight and GET.IT.DONE. I don't really have any other options...I want to do well, so I'm going to invest all of my time into getting everything done to the best of my ability...which happens with time, and therefore no more procrastinating (I hope). Wish me luck!

Oh, I guess I never mentioned that I dropped my History of Latin America class? I didn't really need it (unless I decide to double major in History), and the Professor was awful (honestly, I never thought it was possible to fall asleep in a history class, especially at Berkeley...I was wrong), and there was SO MUCH READING. So, why invest time in a class I don't really need or like when I can focus more on the classes that actually apply to my major? To make up for my lack of units, I'm taking a class on Digital Photography, which starts on Monday. I'm so excited!

Also, I decided to take my own advice (for once) and get involved~. I'm running (unopposed) to become the secretary of the Apartment Tenant Association, and applying to get involved in CalTV (applying for the Cinematography department & the Marketing team...we'll see where/if I get in!)

Basically...I need to get off the internet. Bye!

homesick (I)

i love it up here, i really do. i love the school and my classes and my professors and my apartment and my roommates and my new friends and the weather and everything, but i can't help but miss my family, my best friends, a certain gentleman caller, going to the movies (which is a totally different experience up here, not as comfortable but a hell of a lot cheaper), bourgeois pig, the observatory, walking around burbank at night, my library at home, all of my movies, having a big television, hugs from people who love me, the ability to call and have someone be over within ten minutes, driving (!), all my glendale friends (the ones i had left at the end of the year, haha), porto's, in n out within driving distance, someone to geek out about movie trailers with, my mom waking me up, not having to buy my own groceries, my mom's cooking (i do miss it! though i'm enjoying my new accidental vegetarian diet), my little brother poking me, my dad nagging me about having a clean room, living somewhere that was never (ever) messy, talking in marie's car until two in the morning in front of my house, making bracelets + biscuits with sarah, someone to sing along to my 90s playlist with, etc etc etc.

tomorrow i'll have to make a post about everything i love about cal, there's a lot! but tonight i'm feeling homesick, as is natural, so yeah, this is what you get.

80 days until I fly home to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving!

It's funny how I already refer to my apartment as "home," and how I cannot imagine living anywhere else (or with anyone else, hmm), but at the same time, there are so many important people in my life who aren't here, and as they say, home is where the heart is, so as much as I dread leaving Cal for any amount of time, I cannot wait to fly back. You see where this gets complicated? It is. Sort of.

this is BEAR territory

52-13, go bears!