Asian/Chinese New Year

Today is Asian/Chinese New Year for many people in the world, including myself!  It's always a festive time around the house because of all the red, the food, the money, but while all those things are nice, I think the best part about it is spending time with family, even when times aren't that good.  Take for instance, my family.  It's hectic around my house because my mom is getting everything redone, but I still get to see my dad and spend time with all my siblings.  Even though we don't get along all the time, that's pretty rare now that we're older, so times like that are special to me.  Truthfully, I don't have much else to say about the holiday, but for everyone that celebrates it, I hope you have a good day and prosperous year!

Gung/Kung Hey Fat Choi!

70-79

I'm pretty fickle when it comes to picking what my favorite things are.  If you ask me to name my favorite sports athlete or film, you'll get an answer, but you'll also get lots of other answers along with it.  One thing I'm not fickle about though are my favorite numbers.  I love the number 6 because of Bill Russell, who won his whole life, and was really the first athlete I looked up to because of everything he had to deal with.  Numbers I hate are numbers between 70-79.  No, it's not because I hate NFL offensive and defensive lineman; it's because whenever I take quizzes or tests in school, no matter how much I study and try, that always seems to be the grade range I get.  I should be used to it by now, especially being in school for as long as I have, but seeing any grade with a 7 makes me angry.

I question all the time why it's like this for me.  I study more than most people, know I try harder in certain classes (especially gen eds), and think I'm a decently knowledgeable person, yet no matter what, I always fall short.  It stinks, especially when there are people out there who don't try as hard, and yet, somehow they get better grades.  We all know those type of people; I just wish it didn't have to happen during my last full semester, when so much rides on me passing and every grade is make or break. 

In my earlier years of school, a grade in the 70-79 or C range devastated me because I was always so close to proficient, but now I try to look on the bright side of things.  I got between a 70-79, but I didn't fail.  And being this close means that I'm one step closer to getting to the 80-89 range.  I just have to work a little harder, which I know I am capable of doing. 

This Song

Since I've been in a K-Pop mode for the past few months, I've been exposed to many different types of artists and songs.  2PM, the "Beastly Idols" from South Korea are still my favorite group, but not far behind are 2AM, who specialize in ballads, my favorite type of music.  They have lots of powerful and soft ballads I enjoy, but recently, no song of theirs has affected me as much as "This Song", which was their debut song.  It's very simple, and is sort of like "You Song" by Elton John, but in Korean.  A guy wants to buy his girl something pretty and wonderful, but doesn't have much, so he hopes his love and the song he has made for her is enough.  It's very beautiful, sweet, and is definitely on my mind as I think about all the people in my life!  Hope you all enjoy!

Richard Sherman

The rant seen around the world

It's almost been a week since Richard Sherman, the CB for the Seattle Seahawks, made his now famous rant insulting and taunting WR Michael Crabtree.  When it happened, media and news outlets went crazy reporting the story, and it became a hot topic for discussion the whole week.  At first, Sherman didn't regret anything he said, but after a day or two taking a beating from the media, as well as other players, he changed his mind and apologized.  And while I wish I could believe he meant it, deep down, I know he didn't since that emotion he showed is the type of person he really is.  I know this story is old now, and he's moved on, but I can't let it pass without giving my two cents.

From what I heard and read from people, it seems like a majority of people feel two ways.  They either love Richard Sherman for being emotional and truthful (not giving cliche interviews), or they hate him for disrespecting his opponents and putting himself first.  I understand both sides of the argument, but I like Sherman more than I dislike him.  Yes, he can be disrespectful and pompous at times, but that seems related to football mostly, where many players do the same.  Plus, he's one of the few players at his position who can back up his talk.  Also, he was interviewed right after making one of the best plays of his life.  Obviously, he's going to be emotional, especially with the amount of trash talk he and Crabtree had.  Everyone is mad because of what he said, and while I understand why, at least he said something.  It might not be great sportsmanship, but at least he said something compared to players who don't shake hands or walk off the court/field like Isiah Thomas did many times.  I think something like this is all based on perspective.  It's bad, but when you compare it to others postgame rants, it's not that bad and basically a non-story.

One thing that bothers me though, is what Richard Sherman said about the word "thug".  No one likes getting called it, just like any other negative word, but I don't agree with him when he says it's a substitute for the N-word.  As I learned from ESPN and other reports, the N-word is still quite alive in everyday culture, especially in locker rooms.  It's sad, but it isn't my place to judge; I don't know all the facts.  He things being called a "thug" is a race issue, but it isn't.  If any player did what he did, they'd be called a thug just as much, if not more.  Sherman was called a "thug" because he is a bully and doesn't respect a lot of people besides those on his team.  It has nothing to do with race; it has everything to do with attitude and how you treat others.  I might like him, but I wish he wasn't so egotistical all the time.

So that's my two cents on the issue that wasn't really an issue.  To think, all of this could have been avoided if Richard Sherman was a little more quiet, but you can't change what happens.  You can only accept it and move on, which everyone is going to do.  I have no idea who will win the Super Bowl, but if I can, I'll be watching to see what happens next.

Nail Biting Pain

I have a confession to make...I bite my nails.  Nothing too shocking, considering how many people I know do it, but it's a bad habit I've had my whole life.  In the past, I never thought of it as anything negative since biting my nails was what I always did (and as disgusting as it sounds, it was like a free manicure), but as I got older, my fingers started to hurt, so I did it less and less.  I do it now every so often, but definitely not as much as before.  The problem is, with the harsh weather outside, my fingers are feeling a bulk of the pain, especially my finger nails.  I've tried to heal my fingers and nails by using lotion or leaving it alone, but it doesn't seem to be doing much.  I wish they'd hurry up and heal, but I wish this frigid New England weather would just disappear.

Time To Breathe And Heal

A whole week of school hasn't technically gone by, but my first week of classes is over, so I'm counting that as a whole week of school done with.  Only 13 weeks of school to go.  I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I can't help it; this first week of school has been so long and rough.  It felt like it would never end, but now that it's Friday, I finally have some time to reflect back on the past few days.

Tuesday was difficult since it was the first day and everything that could've went wrong happened.  I had to get a book from the bookstore, but while I was walking there, I slipped on ice, and scabbed both my hands trying to break my fall.  They weren't bad, but they were definitely bleeding, so I had to clean them up.  After that, I rented the book I needed, but missed the bus in the process.  I only had 40 minutes until class, so I walked over to the other campus in the single digit degree weather, which stunk.  I got to my classes, which weren't so bad, but they definitely seemed like they'd be a lot of work.  Luckily, all the professors seemed cool/nice.  Then later on in the day, I tried going to my Spanish class in a new building, but my ID didn't work, so I was locked in the cold, until someone came and let me in.  It was a terrible first day, accentuated by the cold and the concern I had about my classes.

Day 2 was better since I only had one class, which gave me time to relax and get ahead on reading, which I found very interesting.  My Intimate Partner Violence class I'm taking has some subject matter that make me uncomfortable, and some very long assignments, but the class seems interesting, and is definitely doable if I do the work, which I know it can do.  I didn't feel amazing day 2, but after switching my schedule around, I felt better, which carried over into Day 3 yesterday, where I had the best day of class so far.  I took notes, passed a quiz, participated in class, and didn't freeze to death.  I'm already tired of school after only a few days, but it's times like this that I'm glad I have some time to stop, breathe, and heal.  I need it.