Yonder Ponders

Humdiddle~

2011-04-05T19:55:00.001-04:00

There's no real point to this post, other than the fact that I'm bored and procrastinating. xD So~ Feel free to float away should you wish. :P

What am I procrastinating? Taking notes for the hardest class I've ever had in my life. MY LIE-FUH. Psychological Testing is... brutal, for lack of a better and more gritty word. I don't even wanna get into it. Why am I a psych major again? O:<

It's because brains are awesome. I've been thinking about switching from Industrial-Organizational Psychology to Clinical Neuropsychology for grad school, but I still need to find definite colleges for both of them. There's one I'm looking at that's in Tampa that seems to have a very flexible schedule as far as classes go, which is nice because I'd like to work fulltime as well (seeing as I'll have a bachelor's and will be able to do so in a place that's not Burger King. :P) There was another in DC, but I don't know if I wanna be in the nation's capital for two years. Sunny Florida sounds a lot nicer, haha. (Not to mention that Jem'll be down there about an hour away for Film school, but that's another story. :P)

Tomorrow is April 6th! Two month anniversary for Jem and I, yay. :D Two months is nothing I know, but I'm still happy. xD He's just so goofy, it's wonderful. :D Even when I'm pissed off and stressed out, he'll show up randomly and give me a grin and I feel better almost instantly. xD Ahaha~ So yeah, happy about that.

Uhmm~ I'm going to Washington DC on Friday for the Cherry Blossom Festival on Saturday! :D Going with Japan club (which I was made treasurer of as of today, which is nice because I'll get to see the numbers myself and won't need to be paranoid about things, hawhaw). I'm gonna take loads of pictures - it shall be awesome. O:< There are 19 of us going, piling into two or three huge vans and driving across the state. I'm gonna buy Mom, Dad, Anna, Candy, Shannon and Jeremiah souvenirs . :D It's gonna be awesome; I'm excited. I've never been to DC before. :D

Today is April 5th! The day Tron: Legacy comes out on DVD. Why do I have this date drilled into my head? Because Jeremiah is the ultimate movie buff and wouldn't let me forget it. xD Ahahaa~ <3 And yesterday was Nathan's, Joey's and Amanda's sister Emily's birthday. April 4th is a popular day for baby popping!

Hm... My first class is cancelled tomorrow, meaning I can stay up until 1am tonight and still get eight hours of sleep. Awesome stuff, yo. <3

Hm, hm. Oh yes. About a month ago, my DVD player broke. I brought another out from home - it broke. THEN, my television exploded. Literally exploded. All within three days of each other. I had only ever seen it happen in the movies, haha. Really, smoke came out (smelling weirdly like cookies), screen went fuzzy, it was great. So I was without a tv in my room. Then, my computer charger broke too, meaning I couldn't charge my laptop. Now picture this: a modern college student with no access to either a computer or a television for three weeks. Sucks, right? Needless to say, I lived in the school computer lab during that time.

Finally got my computer fixed two weeks ago and then got Anna's old tv put in yesterday (still DVD player-less, but I'll manage.:P). She got this new, big, beautiful HD TV for her room - I got the hand me down (since I'm older, I usually get the new stuff, but it was her turn this time. It was fine with me - a tv is a tv.) BUT she's decided she doesn't like it. Why? It makes her video games lag by a quarter of a second. HAH. I told her I call it if she wants to trade back at any point. :P

That's all! I'm not gonna see Jeremiah for two weeks because of the DC trip this weekend. It'll be weird, since I've fallen into a routine of spending every Friday through Sunday with him. xD I'll probably end up sending him messed up texts saying things like "THIS IS MY NEW BOYFRIEND" with a picture of the Lincoln Memorial attached. XD Ahahaha~ <3

Book 3: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

2011-02-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

By Stieg Larsson! :D

Alright, so my friend lent this book to me. I had originally read the back of it in a bookstore and I gotta tell ya... it didn't sound appealing at all. Corporate Espionage.. or whatever you'd call it isn't high on my 'Ooh, this is awesome to read about' list. Same goes with murder mysteries generally speaking - they're fun to watch on tv (I love CSI Vegas) but to read about them, the author has to be really really good at drawing a picture in your head.

So needless to say, I approached this book with a lot of skepticism. I started reading - the prologue chapter gives a bit of interest. The next couple chapters held that interest, but didn't really hook me in, persay. But it wasn't to the point where I was bored reading it, so I continued.

My mother discovered I was reading this book and she told me that her cousin (I think it was her cousin) had told her about the book not a few days beforehand - said she ended up reading the whole thing in one night. Now that caught my attention because thus far, I hadn't really come across any material that screamed 'masterpiece'. I was still in the set up chapters mind you, before the main plot was even referenced. So that got me curious and I kept reading.

Something that really kept me going was the author's writing style - I love it. No matter the context - whether the characters were being shot at or they were simply looking up files on their computers, Stieg Larsson made it interesting. A couple more chapters in, and I found out why my mom's cousin read it all in one night. It's like all of a sudden the story just picks up and stays there all the way to the end. I honestly read the last three-fourths of the book (about 400 or so pages) in two days (yesterday and today) because I simply couldn't put the book down. xD The execution was perfect. I have no doubt that the author probably intended this to happen - to smack the reader with "HaHA, you can't escape my LURE YOU IN-NESS!"

Overall, I give this novel a 9 out of 10 (missing a point just because I wasn't immediately hooked... but that was definitely made up for later). As soon as I finished it, I texted the friend the lent it to me and told her - I was all hyped up. xD It was fun.

So yes. Good book. DEFINITELY recommended. O:<

Next on the list: either Mary: Mrs A Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger or The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller

And Again. xD

2011-02-20T22:09:00.001-05:00

I have been reassured of my stubbornness.

Yesterday, Jeremiah and I ventured out to McConnell's Mill with the intention of going back to Hell's Hollow to jump around in the waterfall and try to climb the ice cliffs. McConnell's Mill is a national park in Pennsylvania famed for its waterfalls and rock formations. So we pack a picnic lunch (consisting of blueberry bread, Sweet and Sour chicken and a candy bar each :P) and drive out there. We get into the entrance of McConnell's Mill pretty easily, but then to get to Hell's Hollow, which is on the other end of the park, you have to drive through this weaving road through the woods, overhanging rock formations and... fields, surprisingly. Once you get in there though, after the first two large signs that say 'Hell's Hollow this way :D' they turn into sticks. Like.. literal sticks. xD Imagine... a stick about the width of a hockey stick poking out of the ground - dark brown against the green and brown background of the woods with yellow lettering. Those are yard to find, those little 'You're still going the right away' sticks of hope.. so we follow those... and then they stop showing up too.

So we're out in the middle of McConnell's Mill driving around on windy, unmarked roads looking for the spot where the waterfall path starts... and we can't find it. xD We end up leaving the park through the other side of the place and end up in residential stuff.. and then somehow get completely turned around, circumnavigating the park limits and end up at the main entrance again. I still have no idea how that happened. xD But did we turn around? NO.

We took EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE TURN we could have in that maze of roads, looking for the entrance to this path. We backtracked, measured how many miles we traveled... and then we ran out of roads to take and STILL couldn't find this stupid park entrance. I got frustrated and got grumpy for about... five minutes until Jem started cracking jokes and making me laugh even though I didn't want to. Go figure. :P We must've used a quarter tank of gas exploring all these roads. We were in the car for nearly two hours. XD

SO what was did was park near the main entrance of McConnell's Mill and just walk around.... which actually turned out to be really awesome. <3 I had never explored the front bit before, and Jem hadn't been in the park at all before, so we climbed over rocks and slipped on ice and took stupid pictures. :D It was so much fun. <3 And it was cold, so we ate lunch in the car and listened to the bad pop songs on the radio. xD So overall, the trip turned out to be a success... but honestly. I have no idea where this waterfall entrance is. I WANT TO FIND IT. It's still bugging me.

It's just so frustrating. xD But Jem was being silly the whole time, so I couldn't get properly angry over the situation. xD Which is good I guess, hahaha.

SO ANYWAYS, PICTURES :D

Remember how I said the rock formations overhang the roads? I wasn't kidding. xD

Jem being a goof. xD

Me attempting 'poised' and failing. :D But the cool part is that the photo hasn't been edited - the sun was really coming down in beams. It was gorgeous.

The river we almost fell in climbing rocks. :D

Jeremiah and one of the rock formations... just to show in comparison to a person how large they got. That wasn't the biggest one either. xD

I wanna go back again when it's warmer. xD Though I'll miss the sight of the ice covering the sides of the cliffs. Really beautiful.

Stubborn? Me? Noooo

2011-02-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

I've made a semi-revelation today. I'm far too stubborn for my own good. (Please, try to reign in your 'I told you so's and endless laughter, Mai. :P)

Yesterday, I saw that a comedian is coming to my school tonight to give a performance, so I call up Jeremiah to see if he wants to go. At first, he had ride in and out, but then told me he wouldn't have a ride home again come Wednesday and that he couldn't come because of it. Most people would be like, 'Yeah, I'll just see you this weekend then', right? Not me, oh no. I called up my mother and got her to agree to take him home Wednesday (due to circumstances, neither me or him have a car atm :P)
Mom agreed rather easily, which I was surprised. Then I called him back to tell him and then he said due to things his family had to do today, he wouldn't have a ride up here either and that he still couldn't go. So what do I do? :D I call my mother back and plead with her to bring him up here this afternoon as well. After promising her gas money and not to ask for anything like this again, she agrees. xD

Why I just didn't let it go, I don't know. I'm spending more money on gas money to give her than I did on the ticket for the comedy performance. I guess when I get it into my head that something is going to happen, I want it to happen, regardless of the complications that come up. I don't understand why. Now thinking back on it (I'm sitting at home now, waiting for mom to get done grocery shopping so she can pick him up and bring him here)... it's a lot of hassle, just for a last minute 'Oh hey, by the way are you free tomorrow?' kind of thing. At the time though (last night around 10 or 11pm) I was completely adamant to get this to work out.

This isn't the only time something like this has happened. Recall my rant about the weather with people coming over a couple weeks ago? I wouldn't let it go, and I made it happen. (And Nichelle... I have gas money for you Madam. xD) Things would be so much easier if I had a car I guess. xD I have a license, just no car to go with it. Not one of my own, anyways. I drive Mom's wagon, but that's back at my parents' place while I'm up here at school. Not much help for when I want to go somewhere. Having a job would help too, I guess. :P

I just have the feeling of not letting things go is gonna get me into trouble at some point. Perhaps I should make it a late addition New Year's Resolution to take things more in stride in the future. :P

That comedian better be funny.

I think I'm going nuts. xD

2011-02-03T12:43:00.000-05:00

No really. It's the strangest feeling ever. @@
I got home from the library after sitting there, waiting for two group mates who never showed up. I came home, stomach growling and decided to cook some lunch (Macaroni and cheese! :D)

So anyways, I got home, cleaned a pot and put on some water to boil. The weird stuff started happening right after I added the noodles. I started daydreaming about random stuff, right? Like, hopping from here to there, I think I remember speaking to myself out loud about something too - something about being frustrated about the dirty dishes or something, I don't know. I remember sending text messages too, or thinking about sending them, I can't remember.

But anyways, I was brought out of my reverie by my phone buzzing - Jeremiah had sent me a text right after I finished daydreaming about sending a text out. It was really weird. I can't even remember why I had wanted to send a text out. Like.. just how quickly that text came made me think 'Wait, maybe I really did send a text'. So I checked my phone, but there was nothing there, and Jeremiah also said he hadn't received anything weird from me (well, weirder than normal. xD) so that was out... I don't know. xD It's a really weird feeling - kinda like I went into autopilot while I was cooking and couldn't for the life of me remember what happened that was just daydream and what had happened in real life.

Even now, I keep checking my phone to see what I sent and didn't send. It's like.. really unsettling. I don't know why it happened. I think I fell into a legit dream while I was cooking and didn't really realize when it turned into awake-ness again.

It's weeeeeird. :P Hehee.

It decided to humor me.

2011-01-30T19:23:00.001-05:00

I guess the weather must've been listening when I was ranting about it the other day. :P Because it did snow, but not as bad as it was supposed to. We ended up having a few people over (not as many as we had intended, but enough to make it fun. :D)

So my friend Nichelle actually ended up coming over on Friday night and staying over until Saturday. A few other people cancelled just before the thing was supposed to start but through some maneuvering and a lot of help from Nichelle driving, we managed to get a total of six of us - Me, Shannon, Nathan, Rebekah, Nichelle and Jeremiah - to the apartment to watch movies. The plan was to watch five movies... we watched two and then broke off and kinda just... hung out, for lack of a better word. XD Worked out well as we were all up until 5am. I ended up sleeping on the floor, having given my bed up to my cousin... lemme tell ya, the floor is not the most comfortable thing. XD Woke up, made pancakes for everyone, la de da.

Overall, it went well, I'm glad. :D I like spending time with friends. XD Going to Jeremiah's next weekend to watch the super bowl (supposedly xD). The Steelers got in! :D Versus the Green Bay Packers. *huffhuff* At least it's not the Patriots. :P Hehe~ I'm so wearing my Polomalu jersey. O:< I'm excited, hawww. <3

Weather Vendetta

2011-01-28T09:05:00.000-05:00

IT'S SNOWING AGAIN.

I really wish it would stop. Throughout this whole week, it pretty much didn't snow. But NO, now that it's Friday and the weekend's coming up, we're scheduled to get snow all three days. O:< GO FIGURE.

If it snows,, the roads will be bad. If the roads are bad, no one will come over. ;; Shannon and I are supposed to have a movie marathon this weekend. D: I don't want to cancel it. The same thing happened last weekend - I was supposed to go see my friend Jeremiah, but the weather decided to puke on my city. (Still got to see him after some maneuvering of rides, but that's not the point). It just seems to be snowing on days I have things planned, and when I have nothing but classes, the weather is clear.

I'm frustrated.

It better not snow as much as it's supposed to.

People better still come over tomorrow.

GRR.

Happy Birthday Mom. :D

2011-01-26T19:16:00.000-05:00

Today is my mom's birthday! I'm not gonna say how old she is because she'll blow raspberries at me. O:<

So mommy, I wrote you something. :3

Mom, you're my hero. Ever since I can remember, you've been the person I'll go latch onto when I want a hug. I know I give you a hard time and can be (really) annoying, but you love me anyways. :D And for that, I love you bunches.

(You were expecting a poem, yeah? HAHAHAHA, I hate poetry.)

I love how well we get along with each other. We can laugh about stupid things and rant about other things and then say something stupid and laugh at that too. I miss you a lot, living up here. Just thinking about it right now makes me wanna call you up and say, "Come get me".
You've always taken care of me the best you could, and I say you've done a pretty good job. I don't know what I'd do without you.

You're the best mom. I wouldn't trade you for anything. I love you mommy.

Happy Birthday. <3

Love, Emily

Hypothesis Machines

2011-01-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

My research psychology professor said something today that got me thinking. He said that he's pegged the brain as a machine where it's main job is to create hypotheses. The only problem is we rarely test these hypotheses out. Every second of every day, the brain is trying to explain things, making guesses, making assumptions.

When you see/hear/whatever something, your brain automatically tries to make sense of it - it creates a guess as to why whatever is happening is happening. Sometimes there will be more support for some hypotheses than others, but that's besides the point.

He pointed out one example in particular - he was sitting in his car in a parking lot behind another car that was waiting for a third car to pull out of a parking spot.

Okay, so my professor is the green car, the car pulling out of the spot is the red car, the car waiting to pull into the spot is blue, and the car waiting to pull into the empty spot blocked by my professor is purple.
What he said was this: His wife was outside the car, waiting or walking or.. can't remember. xD And she heard the purple car calling my professor... names... because he was blocking the empty space. See though, he clearly couldn't go anywhere - he wasn't being a jerk, he was waiting behind another car.

What the purple car did was see that my professor was blocking the spot and automatically explained it to himself that the driver in the green car was a jerk... that was his hypothesis. He didn't consider the alternate options - he didn't go test out this hypothesis either. He didn't go up to my professor and say, 'I think you're a jerk, mind if I find out for sure?'

See, formed an explanation, but didn't bother to test it or consider alternatives.

It makes me wonder how often this happens. xD See someone doing something and automatically explain it to yourself without giving the person the benefit of the doubt or maybe even going up to them and asking why they're doing what they're doing. I've done it, you've done it, we've all done it - we make a guess and don't bother trying to find out the real answer. And it also makes me wonder about the range of situations this happens it - it probably occurs without us realizing it's happening. @@

Cool to think about, eh? :D

Addictions of the Emily Pt 4

2011-01-19T21:47:00.001-05:00

Okay! Next up is Television/Movies/Platform games. Heeeeere we go. :D

Television

Cash Cab

With Ben Bailey! :D This show is on the Discovery Channel every so often (it used to be on a lot more, but recently doesn't seem to be. Maybe I'm just hallucinating though. Anyways, this show is really cool. It's a game show, though the contests at first don't know that. It takes place in a New York City taxi cab, and the host is the driver. When the people first get in the cab, he acts just like any other cab driver, but once they're in and the door is closed, Ben hits a button and the ceiling of the car lights up. He tells them they're on television, a game show, and asks them if they want to play. If they say yes, he takes off - he asks them trivia questions on the way to their destination and for each they get right, they win cash. They're only able to get three wrong though - on the third one, he pulls over and kicks them out wherever they are. xD

It's really cool. Best part is I know most of the questions. :P My mother went to New York a couple years ago, and I was hoping so bad that she would have caught the cashcab. o:< But ALAS. She was not that lucky. :P

Football Games

American football. :P And more namely, Steelers games. I just watched the one earlier today. Lemme tell ya, that game was PAINFUL to watch. (And offtopic, but my upstairs neighbors just got back from vacation - I can hear them stomping up and down the stairs. :P) Nothing's better than the two minute warning of the fourth quarter when we're down by a field goal and we're thiiiiiiiis close to getting a touch down. O:< It's amazing and awful at the same time. xD I've been a fan since Roethlisberger's rookie year, I think. Though Polamalu is my favorite player (I have his jersey. :D I wanna high-five him, haha.)

So yeah. :3 Today, I watched the game by myself. Might sound weird, but I got to yell at the screen as loud as I wanted without repercussion. Other times, I'll watch it with my dad or sometimes even my uncle. If the Steelers are in the Super Bowl this year, I'ma have to prepare my voice to be dead the next day. O:<

Lost

I know, I know. Lost. You loser, obsessed with Lost. O:< Guilty! :D I love this show (except the ending, but that's a different story.) My favorite season was the first one, followed by the second, so on and so forth. xD I guess the more we found out, the less I liked it (even though we didn't know a lot of stuff even when the series ended. O:< )

But yes. I love this show. Each character has a very in-depth development. Some of them I like, some of them I hate... some of them I didn't like the first time I watched it but like the second time around because I already know more about their motives and desires and can see why they're acting the way they are. XD (ie Kate. HATED her character the first time through, but honestly, the second time, she's one of my favorites. I find Jack really annoying now though. :P)

I got Lost with thousands of others for six years. xD It was fun, and there were a lot of awesome surprises. Not gonna say - I'm not a spoiler. O:< If you get the chance though, definitely watch this one. Here's a trailer, though I warn you - while I didn't tell you anything that happens, the trailer has minor spoilers. Just minor ones. xD IT'S SO AWESOME. O:<

Family Guy

From one extreme to the other right? Most likely, you've seen Family Guy. It's one of those shows where you either love it or you hate it. There is no in between. This show takes everything that anyone could possibly hold sacred in this word and rips it apart.... but it's just so funny. xD
They poke at politics, stereotypes, religions, gender, everything you could ever think of, Family Guy probably has stepped on at some point. ._. It's extremely crude, but if you have a sense of humor and can take a joke, it's also funny. xD (Mai, you're probably gonna find this video ridiculously stupid. xD)

Lie To Me

This show. Is AWESOME. Because of this show, I wanna be a profession deception expert. (Y'know, if the psychology thing and the restaurant thing don't work out... and if Shannon can't tame the bears). Basically, it centers around this guy Cal Lightman, who runs the Lightman Group, which is an agency that specializes in lie detection. The show goes through different cases he has (along with gradual plot development) and it's really cool what they point out to look for - half the stuff I would have never thought of. It's worth checking out.

Wife Swap

It's my guilty pleasure. :P MOVING ON.

Undercover Boss

This is one of the few shows that isn't scripted that I find really cool. Basically, they follow the CEO of a huge company as he goes 'under cover'. He/she disguises themselves so they're unrecognizable then go and perform all the bottom jobs of the company so they can see first hand all the crap these people have to put up with at work. I have yet to see an episode where the boss didn't try to turn his whole company around to improve these jobs. It. Is. Awesome.

House

Huge Laurie. <3 Hopefully you know house. xD Medical show with a cranky doctor... which turns out to be pretty funny most of the time. And it's NEVER lupus.

Leverage

This show's kinda hard to explain. I really like it though. Basically, it centers around this group of con artists and thieves who...well, con other thieves. It's like a twisted form of justice (and it's nowhere as cheesy as I'm making it sound, I promise). The characters are pretty believable, which is a plus. xD

Supernatural

When I first heard of this show, the intro was 'Two brothers looking for their father', and I stopped reading right there. Cheesy right? Cliche? Yeah, well... I didn't touch it for months until Shannon forced me to watch the first season. And... it's actually really good. @@ It has none of the 'Two brothers go on a heartwarming journey' feel, which is what I was dreading. xD There are a bunch of neat creatures too, which is a plus. And the soundtrack is awesome. O:< It's really cool, this show. Cas. <3 Castiel is my favorite. xD Ahahaha~ And and Jensen Ackles ain't bad lookin~ ;P And and and... xD and and. And. This show is funny. I howl. (I know.. I'm a wonderful person to choose when it comes to promoting something, ne?)

Aaaand movies and platform games are gonna be in a different post. I didn't realize this was gonna be so long. :P

Struck!

2011-01-18T18:48:00.001-05:00

By inspiration. :D

Back in November, I started up the NaNo challenge. I got 7000 words in then puttered off to my own little world. :P The point is though is that I've kept what progress I've made, and have written more since then (though not much, to be honest).

The SUPER point is though that I've been struck farther by inspiration. xD The writing contest I'm in right now (the one where you create a world from scratch) has gotten me thinking. First, it gave me a setting for my half-assed NaNo novel, which is good. And I have two other stories that were started but never really worked on either that now have homes in this world.
Last night, I said goodnight around ten to my friends and laid down to go to sleep, but my mind wouldn't stop thinking about random stuff. It eventually stopped on something Shannon had said earlier, combining the names of two different things to get a new thing and I thought, "Huh, that'd be a good name for a book"...
Then I tried to think of a plot that could follow that title and lightning smacked my BRAIN. My three separate stories... could be entertwined... and I also thought of a fourth one that would mix in just as well. The title of this now SERIES will be an altered version of what Shannon came up with. :D

So I've been thinking about this series I want to write all day. xD It was hard to concentrate in my first two classes of the semester because I kept drifting off to, 'So if so and so does this, then it'll cause this to happen' focusing on my storyline. xD
So much so that it completely renewed my vigor for the writing contest, which when that's done, I'll have a world so detailed it'd be like writing from a POV on Earth. I'm so pumped. O:<
I just want it to be written though. xD Like, already. I dun wanna write it, haha. BUT I WILL. O:< If I don't royally screw it up, it should turn out half way decent. :D

Wish me luck!

Book 2: Shanghai Girls

2011-01-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

This is the second book I read in my 25 book challenge. Written by Lisa See, it takes place in China and the US during the Japanese attacks in China and the beginnings of Communist China.
This is one thing I need to say about this book:

IT CAN'T END THERE. NO WAY.

There has to be a second one coming out! I'm not even talking about a terrible cliff hanger or anything (which there is) but it's like... you left the plot WIDE STINKING OPEN. I got to the end of it and was rolling around on the couch in aggravation (ask Shannon, she'll vouch for me).

But anyways, I really enjoyed this book while it lasted. xD It begins in Shanghai in 1937, focusing on two girls named Pearl and May. These two girls are 'beautiful girls', or pose for portraits, so on and so forth. The story follows them through their lives at the beginning of the story through the bombing of Shanghai to their trek to the united states and their lives there. The book focuses a lot on sisterhood. All the difficulties the characters had to go through to stay alive was tied to how close they stayed with each other.

It was really a good book - when I first started picking up the theme, I wanted to go hug Anna (but she pushed me off her, the twit. :P)

So yes, if you're looking for a book that will make you want to be closer to your siblings (but at the same time, might depress you from all the things these girls go through @@) I definitely recommend this book. It's well written and very submersive.
o:

Next book: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Addictions of the Emily Pt 3

2011-01-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

Here's another one. O:< Food stuffs this time, yay.

Food and/or Beveragey Things

Chocolate

Duh.

Frank's Red Hot

This is God's gift to man. O:< It makes EVERYTHING better. Macaroni and cheese, meat, soup, mashed potatoes, vegetables, you name it, I probably put this on it. I LOVE IT. Shannon and I have an industrial sized bottle at the apartment that we go through every couple of weeks and have to buy a new one. xD There was no life before Frank's.

Dr. Pepper

This is literally the only pop I can take for long periods of time. I'm not much of a pop drinker and most of them hurt my throat and sinuses with the carbonation and pure suckiness (ie Coke, Pepsi, so on). But Dr Pepper I can drink without getting ill. No idea why. So I'll drink this on occasion (and even more rarely, root beer). But it's actually pretty good. :3 Goes well to make floats, haha.

Bourbon Chicken

This stuff is absolutely amazing. I get it every time I go to the mills. o: I'm drooling just thinking about it, hawhaw. :P I need to find the recipe. I have no idea what goes into it. xD

Experimental Dinners

Now THESE are fun. At the apartment, I'm basically the cook. I like it, because it's fun - I cook for my roommate and myself (almost) every night. During some of these nights, I discover 'Hey, I'm missing ingredients' so I combine other things to try and make a meal. The best part is calling Shannon into the room when it's finished.

"Eat this"

"What is it?"
"EAT IT"

And she can't say anything. xD Because it's a free meal on her part, HAHAHAHA. O:< Usually they turn out pretty good (except the meat blob. I'm never making that again).

Iced Tea

This is God's OTHER gift to man. This is the best drink in the universe - I could drink it day and night and never get tired of it (which I have been for the past... twenty years. :P)

It has to be either fresh-brewed or if made in the microwave, made with Red Rose teabags. <3 They're the best. And NO SUGAR. EW.

If you add sugar, it tastes like SUGAR and not tea! You need it plain. O:< No sugar and NO LEMON. ALSO EW.

It's my all-nighter drink. :D Works way better than energy drinks.

It's my with-dinner drink. It's my wake up in the morning drink, it's my everything drink. I looooooove it. <3

Well that be it! :3 Next section is uhm...Tv, Movie and Platform games thingies.

Addictions of the Emily Pt 2

2011-01-13T10:03:00.001-05:00

I couldn't fit all my dorkiness into one post, so I present now part 2 of 'Addictions of the Emily'. This one will focus on music.

Music

Nightwish

Nightwish is a Finnish symphonice metal band that's become my absolute favorite. They mesh heavy guitar and bass with melodic keyboard and orchestra sounds. Their original singer had a classically trained voice, so combining it with the powerful music made a wonderful combination. Tarja Turunen (old singer) was involved in Nightwish for... six albums, I think? Plus a handful of singles and concert DVDs here and there. I recommend looking up 'End of an Era' as far as concert DVDs go - it was the last live performance the group did before Tarja split from the band.

The newer singer, Anette Olzen has a very different sound than Tarja did. Her voice isn't classically trained, giving Nightwish a more mainstream-ish sound (though they're far from pop or anything, don't get me wrong). There have been fan wars over which singer is best. Personally, I like'em both - each have their strong points, but I think Tarja is my preferred singer. xD With Anette, there has been one official album released, a live album and a few singles. As far as I know, Nightwish is in the middle of producing a second album at the moment, which will probably be preceded by a single or two.

As for the other members of the group, the drummer's name is Jukka Nevalainen, who is awesome. Honestly, that guy has to have biceps and back and shoulder muscles of steel from how intense he gets when playing the drums. It's really cool to watch. I wanna high-five him. o:<

The guitarist's name is Emppu Vuorinen. From what I've seen of him on stage, he's really skilled. ...And a bit of a goofball, apparently. xD When he's up there playing, you can tell he's having a good time, haha. It's amusing to watch and I can't help but smile at the guy flying around on stage, haha.

The keyboardist's name is Tuomas Holopainen. He's actually responsible for writing most of the music that Nightwish plays. To say this guy is talented is a vast understatement. He reminds me of Captain Jack Sparrow too. :P I found a stray kitten one time and named him Tuomas after the keyboardist. xD Little Tuomas probably isn't so little anymore, and he has a nice home now. :3

And finally, the bassist's name is Marco Hietala. The first time I saw him, it was in Nightwish's music video 'Wish I Had an Angel' that played at the end of the movie 'Alone in the Dark'. My first thought: "This guy braid's his beard... Dude" Along with playing the bass, Marco sings as well, and harmonizes very well with both Tarja and Anette. He's also in a number of other bands too. That guy must not sleep, honestly. xD

So yeah. I started listening to this band in probably around 2005 (the year Tarja left, but I didn't know that at the time. xD) And since then, I've managed to grab myself all the albums. :D I even got my dad into them too, haha. It's funny to hear the car pull up outside the house when he gets home from work and hear 'Dark Chest of Wonders' through the closed window. He blasts it louder than I do, yeesh. xD

This is their video for 'Over the Hills and Far Away', a remake originally by Gary Moore. It's really good and features Tarja on the vocals. (And Jukka at the beginning going nuts on the drums. O:<)

"Battlefield"

Not a band, but a single song. This is the song playing in the background of 'Robot Unicorn Attack Heavy Metal' which is where I first heard it. (You bandwagon jumper, Emily!) Guilty. :P

Anyways, it's by Blind Guardian, who's been around for a while apparently. I had a few of their albums already when I heard this song, but I had never gotten around to actually going through them. But anyways, this song... is so awesome. xD This is my 'Driving down the highway probably faster than I should be' song. It gets me so pumped. O:< It's awesome. <3

"Propane Nightmares"

This is actually an electronica, borderline techno song. xD I know, surprised me too. It's by the band Pendulum, who have a few different albums out, but this is the song I like most.

This is my Happy Song. I play this whenever I'm stressed or pissed or sad and it gets me bouncing around the room within moments. xD I don't know why it has such an effect on me, but I love it. <3

This is the song I play every. single. morning. on the bus on my way to my 8am class. It gets me out of that "SCHOOL AUGH" mood. xD I don't think I'll ever get sick of this song, haha.

Right so. My music 'addictions'. xD Only three of them compared to the billion and a half of the computer things addictions in my previous post, haha. Next up is Food/Beveragey things. Iced tea, here I come. O:<

Addictions of the Emily

2011-01-12T19:01:00.001-05:00

Second post today, but I can't shake the 'I WANNA WRITE STUFFS' feeling.
SO, everyone has things that they call their 'addictions'. I'm not talking drug or alcohol addictions, but I guess faux addictions (Like stuff you like to do all the time, stuff you're hooked to, etc.) If you read this (MAISARAH *COUGHCOUGH*) I vote you make a post of your own 'addictions' and let me know so I can read them. ;D Also, this is gonna be super amazingly bananas long, so if you don't wanna hear me ramble, dun read it.

SO, the following are the addictions of the Emily. Keep in mind when you read these that I'm a 20 year old female, so some of them should make sense right away. xD I've also subdivided them into catagories because there are a lot and I plan on adding pictures. xD

Subcatagories are:
Computer Things/PC Games
Music
Food/Beverage
Television/Movies/Platform Games
People
Other

Computer Things/PC Games

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Netflix

I need to declare my undying love to Netflix. This little website has been a lifesaver when it comes to living near campus. (I know this qualifies as a movie thing, but I stream movies through my computer more often than I have them sent to me). If you don't know what Netflix is (then I'm sorry) it's a movie rental company where you pay a flat rate per month, and then you can have unlimited movies streamed to you and sent to your house to watch. I use it for television shows more than actual movies, believe it or not. Through it, I've started watching a bunch of cool shows like Lie to Me and Leverage. Actually, Lie to Me made me want to become a professional deception expert. xD I guess that'll go on my bucketlist, haha. But yeah, Netflix is a life saver if you don't have a movie rental place around your area. Totally worth the ten bucks a month (and your first month is free! O: )

Facebook

This one is self-explanatory. It's hard not to get addicted to this little bugger once you get one. I've wasted away many an hour refreshing my home page and looking for the PERFECT flair to send to people. Oh, and the photos. Seeing other people showing off how ridiculous they act is always wonderful to see (myself included at times xD). Where else are you going to see someone doing a keg stand and then going, "LOOK WHAT I DID :B." I don't really know what else to say about Facebook. xD If you have one, you know what I'm talking about and further description isn't necessary.

Gaiaonline

Gaia is another one of those 'if you have one, you know what I'm talking about' things. Basically, it's a website aimed at... well, everything, I guess. There are forums there covering every topic imaginable. There are games, there are guilds, roleplays, writing contests, art arenas, avatars to dress up, all sorts of stuff. I started on that website in 2007 and I'm still there three years later. It's just so much fun. :3 All the writing contests I enter originate there. I've met some really cool friends there too. This is my current avatar:

You can make your avatar look like anything, really. The only drawback to the website is being new (which is.. really good to hear, I know). When you're a new member, you're given starter items, but if you want anything else, you need to gold to buy them. To get gold, you can post in the forums, participate in contests, play the marketplace where items are bought and sold... but for someone new it can be pretty hard. I was set on buying one item for nearly two years, but everytime I'd get close, the price would shoot up again thanks to inflation. So I gave up, and now use my gold to give away as prizes for writing contests that I host. xD So yeah, gaia's a neat place to mess around if you're ever bored. Who knows, you might make a friend or two.

Texts From Last Night, FMyLife and Failbook

www.textsfromlastnight.com
www.fmylife.com
www.failbook.failblog.org

These three websites have given me hours of entertainment. I mean honestly, some of the stuff on there, I laugh so hard I cry. They are the perfect time killer if you're bored or in need of a laugh. And honestly, the stuff makes you think, 'Well, I don't have it so bad after all' which is always a plus, haha. No pictures for this one, just go and read them.

Zero Punctuation

I recommend this guy to anyone who plays video games and has a sense of humor. Basically this guy, Ben Yahtzee, plays video games and reviews them using hilarious animation and dry humor. He's a bit crude at times, but he's absolutely hilarious throughout.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation

He puts out a new video every Wednesday. Since I've been off school, it's one of the few ways I know what day of the week it is anymore, haha. I'd post up pictures, but I'd probably get yelled at. :P

Tetris and Bejeweled

Both casual player games, but both are so utterly addicting. These, and spider solitaire, but I haven't really played that one lately. Tetris needs no explanation, haha. Everyone knows how ridiculously addicting that game is. Speaking of which, look-it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alw5hs0chj0 I'd just stick the whole video in, but it doesn't come up when I search. :P

Robot Unicorn Attack Heavy Metal

The original sucks - the Heavy Metal version is where it's at. xD
http://games.adultswim.com/robot-unicorn-attack-heavy-metal-twitchy-online-game.html

Basically, it's a game of pure awesomness - you have to steer a robotic unicorn through three 'Nightmares', which are basically platforming levels, and avoid hurling it off a cliff or smashing its head into bones. The theme music for it is 'Battlefield' by Blind Guardian and honestly, they couldn't have selected a better song for it. Try it. O:<

StarCraft II

This one I got hooked on really recently - last month. I just beat the campaign earlier today actually - I'm gonna go through it again now on a higher difficulty before actually versing other players. xD
This game I gotta say.. I thought it was going to be so stupid when I first saw it, but then I learned a bit about the plot and it struck my interest. I'm not gonna go into the plot more than you're the leader of a rebellion trying to overthrow a dictator. (The plot is WAY more complex than that, so don't take my definition as the real deal). There are three base species you can play as - Terran (humans, basically), Zerg (think bugs that infest everything) and Protoss (your more typical technologically advanced possibly anal probing aliens). Anyways, you go through the campaign as Terran, but then you can battle online with other people as whatever race you want. I've had no experience handling the Zerg, so I don't know how I'd be, but I'm half-way decent at Terran and Protoss, I hope. xD

But anyways, this game has pretty much been the only one I've played since Christmas. I'm hopelessly addicted. (Battlenet username is Tyuid, in case anyone's interested. xD)

Terran vs Protoss

Jim Raynor, leader of the rebel group (right)

Zerg base

So as far as Computer Things and PC Games go, these are my addictions. It just occurred to me that if I'd post them all in one, the page would stretch for miles, so I'm going to do one subsection per post instead of all of them in a row. xD Hahaha.

SCHTUFF TU DEW

2011-01-12T08:36:00.000-05:00

8D I'm excited. Classes start on Tuesday. I'm excited, I'm excited!
I loved spending a month home with my family, but I honestly miss the routine of going to class. I haven't really done anything structured since finals week last month. The break was nice, but I was ready to start up again after two weeks. xD

Monday is going to be my longest day - I've got class starting at 10am, and I got until 7:30pm (with a couple breaks, mind you). Tuesday, I've got one class at eight in the morning, following by a lab at 11. Wednesdays are the same as Mondays, minus the 5-7:30 class. Thursdays are going to be my favorite: a class at eight am and nothing else! Fridays will be the same as Wednesdays. xD
On top of that, I'm in three clubs (Japan Club, Psychology Club, and PAWS) The first two I'm looking forward to. The third one is nice, but I don't feel as... uh... relaxed there, I guess. xD The atmosphere is a bit awkward at times.

And I want to get a job (probably working Thursdays and some evenings, I hope).

So before I go back up to the apartment this Saturday, Shannon and I need to go grocery shopping. We're gonna go Saturday in the morning or early afternoon, come back, load our stuff up, then go up there hopefully in time to watch the Steeler's playoff game at 4:30. And I realized I need to buy new notebooks. xD

I'm the type to use a notebook until it's dead (I've been using the same ones for the past three semesters, just starting a new subject where the old one ended). But they're all full now so I need new ones. :P I'll get those Saturday too.

Other than that, I'm in two roleplays at the moment (one playing Sango from Inuyasha, other playing a narcissistic prince that's going to get his butt whooped) and writing things for two writing contests on gaia plus a novel of my own. It's so much fun. x3 The Inuyasha RP though is nuts. @@ Noooot getting into that though, haha.

Also! I'm hungry. I woke up at 3am this morning after four hours of sleep. I needed to reverse my sleep schedule before this weekend (I've been waking up at 1pm. @@) so I fell asleep at 11pm in hopes of sleeping all night, but no, woke up at 3am instead after having a weirdy dream about I can't remember what. So I've been reading Shanghai Girls, posting in the Inuyasha RP and talking to Mai-y. <3

I can't wait until classes start, really. @@ I ordered books for four of my five classes online - two of them have arrived so far (I love international editions, honestly. 'No good' my teachers say. Pahaha. Fifty bucks less for the same content is always good.) Waiting on two more! When I go back up to campus, I'm going to have to buy the books for my last class (I figured I'd just buy them there because they're actually cheap - it shocked me. xD)

I.. can't wait for class. I can't wait, I can't wait. xD I complain all the time about going to class... but I'm not gonna lie, I love it. xD I love learning the stuff (I think what I complain about most is the effort involved in actually getting there. xD)

*titter titter*

Also, random, but I found a doodle Dad drew of me when I was a little girl. xD

Book 1: Switching Time

2011-01-11T15:01:00.002-05:00

Well, I said I was gonna try to read 25 books this year, so I figured I'd put my progress up here so I can keep track of them all.

The first one I finished was called Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating A Woman With 17 Personalities and was written by Dr. Richard Baer.

I'm pretty sure I got the mass paperback edition, haha. But doesn't matter, still the same book. Anyways, this book was published in 2007, so it's pretty recent, but Karen, the woman in the book, began treatment in early 1989 and remained there until 2006. So essentially, she began treatment before I was born and finished up just two years before I graduating high school. It's kinda overwhelming to think about.

The book itself goes through Baer's treatment of this woman from beginning to end and throughout, he meets and talks to each of the seventeen personalities. It was a very interesting thing to read, being a psych major, but honestly, even if you're not, I'd recommend it. (That was probably a run-on sentence). The only thing I must warn about though is to keep this book away from younger children and anyone who doesn't think they'd be able to handle reading about the abuse Karen went through. Torture, more like. Half the time I was reading, I was shaking my head, finding it hard to believe that anyone could do that to another person, let alone a child.

Each personality as it turns out, was born to deal with a certain aspect of Karen's life - it was interesting to learn how fast they could switch in and out to complete daily tasks along with dealing with the abuse. Each personality was distinct - each had a different posture, way of speaking, and general... personality, I guess. XD It was really fascinating to see how they intermingled with each other.

This book was very interesting to read from a psych dork's point of view, but it also saddened me. I would definitely recommend it, as it gives excellent coverage of multiple personality disorder, but if you do read it, prepare yourself for what you will read.
---

Books completed: 1/25
Next on list: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Long Time Update

2011-01-10T13:21:00.001-05:00

xD So... it's been what, three or four months since I wrote in this thingy? Time once again to spread my weirdiness to the world.
Right well, catching up, I suppose. :P Major happenings, uhm uhm uhm~ I don't know what to write, thank you Mai. xD

On Halloween, I dressed up as a banana and Shannon dressed up as Dr. Facilier. o: (Two on the far left xD)

The other three in the picture are Brittany (in red and awesome mask), Anna(in all the emo make-up) and Shannon (Pointy head). It was fun, but I gotta tell ya - Anna and her Shannon are reeeeaaallllly slow when it came to trick or treating. xD Yes, we went trick or treating. O:< We're in college - 1. Little kid things are cool again. 2. We're poor, so we can use all the free food we can get. xD

Right, so~ November. Haha, November was an interesting month. I got a boyfriend (who.. didn't last long, a month maybe, so let's not really go into that. :P) and that's when I had a billion assignments due on the same week - the one before Thanksgiving break. So I was all stressy about that. Shannon and I had many experimental dinners (one of which was the meat blob. Shannon, NEVER let me make that ever again. Bad. Stinking. Idea.). Saw my baby cousin Isabella. :D (Well, cousin once removed, but whatever). She's such a sweety. <3

Yes, saw her (this picture was from the first time I saw her, not over Thanksgiving. xD). I gotta say, she has quite the impressive collection of hats.

Then comes December, which was a month both me and Shannon stayed up venting and watching bad movies because of various... problems with the male gender. >w> This was also finals month, which was.... fun, lemme tell ya. I ended up getting decent grades though. :D Three As and two Bs, making my GPA a 3.6. I scheduled for classes for this coming semester (which starts on the 18th! :D) and went home for Christmas vacation! (I GOT STARCRAFT II O:< YESSS)

This game.. I gotta tell ya, is SO much fun. <3 My last ex actually got me into it - I got addicted right away. xD I actually went and bought the original one and its expansion the other day too! :D It's run by the same people who run World of Warcraft (which I tried.. it's fun, but it's not for me. xD I like StarCraft much better). So I've been playing that a lot recently (which strangely reminds me of Pikmin, even though the violence level pulls a complete 180 between the two).

Right, so January. xD Time for school to start back up again, time for New Year's Resolutions. I figured I'd post them up because of others can see them, there'll be more pressure to commit. :P

1. Get in shape
I'm not horridly out of shape - I'm physically active enough to keep up with the average person, but I'd like to really trim my stomach and hips down. Will be done through eating better and dancing around like a ding dong playing Dance Dance Revolution.

2. Improve my QPA
Last semester, I got three As and two Bs, making my QPA 3.6. The one B I thought for certain was going to be a C (I think the teacher cut me a break, which I really appreciate, but I wish I could've earned it myself). My goal for this semester is to get at least four As and one B. My student advisor (who is a jerk, but knows what he's talking about) said for the profession I want, I need a QPA as close to 4.0 as I can manage, or I won't make the cut against the other competition. *puts brain hat on in preparation for this semester O:<*

3. Finish rough draft of novel
It started out as my NaNo project from this past November... I flopped out at about 7k words instead of the 50k I was supposed to do. xD I really like the plot though, and want to continue. My goal is to gather enough motivation to do so.

4. Get a job
Self expanatory. I've been living off school loans this past semester. It's nice to have the help definitely, but the extra work would both improve my resume and giving me something to do other than refresh my facebook page a billion times every evening (along with... y'know, giving me a bit of extra pocket money. xD)

5. Read 25 books
This one's more of a personal challenge than an actual 'I need to do this' kinda thing. 25 books in a year will give me about two weeks per book, give or take. (This doesn't include text books or readings done for class). I want to branch from classics to newer books as well... and psychology books, because they're awesome. O:<

6. Decide on a graduate school and apply to it
For my degree, grad school is a must, so I need to pick a couple and actually send in applications, resumes, so on and so forth. I'm thinking about going to the UK, but I don't know if a psych degree in the UK will be valid in the US. If anyone knows, lemme know. xD I've heard you need to get re-certified, but shouldn't have to go through all the classes over again.

So right, those are those. Other than that, I've got a renewed love for writing. o: I found this contest where it has you build a world from scratch. It asks you 474 detailed questions about this world so by the time you're done with them, this fabricated place feels as real as Earth. It's amazing. I've stuck the plot of my novel into it. xD When I first joined, Dad saw what I was doing and the two of us came up with names for places together - it was fun. :D

Currenty stuff: I finished ordering my textbooks (bought the majority online, but honestly.. I still spent over 200 bucks. Pashaw. My classes for next semester are Introduction to Psychological Testing, Theories of Personality, Interpreting Literature, Experimental Psychology and Social Inequality. I'm actually really looking forward to all of them (except.. the part in the lit class where poetry is involved. I don't like poetry all that much to be honest. :P)

Shannon and I need to go grocery shopping this week. xD We have no food up at the apartment. I forsee a Walmart trip in the near future.

Aaaand yesterday, I went to Amanda's house for the first time in... months. :P We (finally) exchanged Christmas presents (she got me socks! :D) and we watched Angelina Jolie movies (both of which I ended up liking, which surprised me. xD) Hm. Now I'm sitting here watching King Kong and writing this because Maisarah popped into my head and I remember her asking me to update this thingy, so... HERE YA GO. O:<

(Also, 'O:<' has become my new favorite smiley).

Peace and Love! *is Vash the Stampede*

The Inspirational Bathroom Stall

2010-09-23T12:58:00.000-04:00

Last week at Behavioral Statistics class, I stopped in the second floor girl’s room. I got in there and took the only stall that was open and when I got inside, I noticed all this graffiti all over the walls. Without really looking at it, I figured it would be those ‘If you want a good time, call 555-5555’ kind of things, but then one caught my attention.

‘This stall saved my life.’

I didn’t have time to read anymore because I had another class, but today I went back there, intentionally to the same stall, just to read what was on the walls. Instead of all the ‘So and so is a bleep’ and ‘Call 555-5555 for the squishy’ stuff, it was all really, well… inspirational. For instance, there was a message on the wall of someone saying they were useless and there was no point in living, but another responded to it, saying ‘Don’t worry. Someone always loves you.’

That wasn’t the only one. There were a couple religious postings scattered about, there were famous quotes saying things like ‘It’s about learning to dance in the rain’, and there were actual conversations between two or more people who had left messages for each other. It was all really cool. I remember one really clearly, it said, “I wanted to write something inspirational in here, but who am I to judge what that is?’ and someone replied, “Who AREN’T you to judge?”

There were several posts along the lines of ‘I’m going to miss this stall when I leave’ and so on. And there was another saying that the writer was a senior, that she was going to graduate the very next day and she wanted to write on the wall first. She went on to say that she was from a poor family and everyone had expected her to fail… but she hadn’t. She was graduating the next day. Someone wrote a supply congratulating her, and saying she was an inspiration. Now, I don’t know if the girl ever saw the response or not, but the effect was the same.

Originally, you could tell that the stall was a typical one – under all the inspirational graffiti was a list of all the sororities with insults written about them. But someone had scratched out the insults and replaced them with things like ‘kind, unique and friendly’ instead. There was also someone who had written ‘Stop painting’ on the door and underneath was a quote, “If a voice in your mind says ‘you cannot paint’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”

With all these things plastered all over the wall, I stood in that stall and read(goodness knows what everyone else who came and went must’ve thought I was doing. xD) for a good fifteen minutes. I’ve never seen anything like it. And from college students no less. It really made my day if not my entire semester. I can understand how someone could have come in there and saw all that stuff that was there and added “This stall saved my life”.

On Psychology

2010-09-15T13:43:00.000-04:00

(Very similar to Mai's rant on Engreeesh. But on psychology and without the cool pictures.)

What do you think of when I say the word 'psychology'? Most likely you picture someone staring at the ceiling and lying on a couch while talking to a person in a clipboard who only responds 'And how do you feel about that?'.

Wrong. Wrongee wrong wrong.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, psychology is defined as 'The science of mind and behavior'. One of the main arguments I hear though is, "Psychology is not a science! There aren't formulas to follow! There's nothing definite to depend on!"
Yes there is. Theories are developed and implemented every day. Just because there's no strict formula that makes a personality or a mental disorder doesn't mean the process isn't scientific. Just like any science, an experiment is organized by first observing and forming a hypothesis. Then, the experiment itself is designed - the method of testing is decided upon, there's a control and experimental group, yada yada. After the test, the data is examined and re-tested and re-tested and re-tested until there is enough of it to form a comprehensive theory as to why someone does something/thinks a certain way.

Same as science, right? You go though all the experiments to conclude or disregard a hypthesis. The only different between physics and chemistry, 'hard science' as it's known, and psychology is the lack of definitive answers. With physics, you'll get the same answer every time. In psychology, you won't. That's the magic of it - each person will react in a slightly different way. Psychologists used these variants to expand their theories, make new ones, and develop new branches to better understand why they're acting differently than the norm. It's science - you work to discover.
Psychologists have to be able to adapt to people. They have to realize that the same routine won't work with everyone and be willing to improvise (I love improvising. :D) That's why I like psychology. It's a question of why one does what they do... any I'll only be able to find bits and pieces of the answer at a time, and the magic is that there will always be new information to learn.

That is why I am a psychology major.

---
When I get asked, "What's your major?" and I say "Psychology", everyone automatically assumes I'm gonna be that person with the clipboard.

"So you're gonna be like Freud, right?"
"No, I don't want to do clinicial."
"Why not?"
"I don't think I could deal with it. I'd rather study under another branch."
"...So you're gonna be like Freud, right?"

It's like that's what a psychologist does, no matter their strict profession. I don't want to do clinical psychology. Nothing against those who do, but it's not for me. I'd rather do something a little more hands-on, if you know what I mean. As for branches of psychology, there are over ten different kinds ranging from clinical to business to neuropsychology.
My interest actually falls in the last two: Business psych (Industrial-Organizational Psychology) and Neuropsychology.

I/O psychologist practice in the workplace. They train new employees, analyze jobs and help with selection of employees. They work in advertising, homing in on what draws a person to a product. They work in employee satisfaction - making sure the work environment is one that was increase efficiency (ie: They test what kinds of lighting affects motivation, what the good personality traits are for an employee in management, so on and so forth.) I/O psychology is one of the fastest growing fields. It's the most lucrative too. With all the businesses straining for employees that won't quit or be fired, they hire I/O psychologist to devise tests to determine who the best candidates are and how to improve the workplace to ensure their loyalty.

I'm generally okay with getting along with other people, which is a must when it comes to collaborating with the workplace to devise a list of skills required for a particular job, listing how these jobs need to be done and what conditions these jobs would be best accomplished in. It'd be a lot more interesting than sitting with a clipboard staring at the back of someone's head.

The other field I'm interested in is Neuropsychology. According to O*net, one of the largest online job listings in the world, one of the main tasks of a neuropsychologist is as follows: Conduct neuropsychological evaluations such as assessments of intelligence, academic ability, attention, concentration, sensory-motor function, language, learning, and memory. That means doing tests on the brain itself, seeing how it reacts, what it stores, what it forgets, so on and so forth. I think that would be awesome - I've seen psychological documentaries where they've done experiments while the person was hooked up to a brain scanner, and I could actually see which part of the brain was responding to the stimulus. It. was. so. awesome. O: The only problem with this one though is once I would get an Neuropsych degree, I would require another five years minimum of medical training to land a job. That means I wouldn't get out of school until I was about thirty. The idea of it all sounds awesome, but it would just take sooo long. xD

So I've been leaning more towards an I/O psych degree, which will only be another...four years or so of school instead of ten. With it, I shall rule the world. >D (Or the workplace. Whichever.)

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So please, don't assume just because I'm a psychology major that I'm wishy-washy. Or that the subject is wishy-washy. Many psychologists pour their lives into determining what makes the human mind tick.

(Un)magical Metabolism, Clubs, Musics, Writings and General Ramblings

2010-09-13T21:41:00.004-04:00

I've put myself on a diet. It's going to work this time. Darn it, it will. D<

Originally, I weighed 250lbs(when I was 16), and since then I've dropped a lot of weight in the past three or four years... problem is though, I've reached a plateau. I think it's college life, really. I live in an apartment with my room mate, and neither of us are too big on those 'only salad' diets, so... I have to admit I've probably had more oreos than I should have since I moved in.

I'm five foot seven, so my goal weight is... about 140lbs. I'd be happy with that, and if I do this right, I should be able to get there in six months or so, I'd hope. About a pound or two a week. My plan is to get some of those neato shoes that work your legs while you walk. (My room mate has them - she's visibly dropped a lot of weight around her stomach since we moved in - it's really cool) so I'll combine those with the (annoying) bikes rides I have to take to get to class. ...And I'll cut down on the oreos. XD I like vegetables, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Right, so metabolism(hence the title). Mine is slow. Reeeeeaaallllly slow. Like.. I went to France for three weeks, and ate a bit more than I usually would. (Like.. I'd eat in five days what I'd normally have in seven.) I gained five pounds. Five! In three weeks! So, now it's hanging off my sides with the rest of it. xD I'm gonna burn it away though, darn it. D< It's gonna feeeeeelll the burn. :D

So what I'm gonna do is post up my poundage loss every two weeks. That's a decent amount of space in between measurings, I'd say. My goal for every two weeks is two to three pounds.

I actually put myself on a diet a week or two ago - I've lost a pound already. :3 Now, I'm not obese like I used to be, but I'm chubbier than what's probably considered healthy (about... fifteen pounds overweight for my height and age, but I'd like to get down to the middle of the healthy range, not just the very top end).

I just really hate jogging. It can go die. Dance Dance Revolution FTW!

So wish me luck - there will be a post up on the... 27th with any progress. I hope there is some. ^^ I'm gonna really watch myself these coming weeks. I know what works, since I've done it - I just really need to stick to it! :D

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So right, clubs. First off, I'm kinda pissed off at the moment. There's really not a reason for it other than I've been reminded yet again that I'm a poor college student that doesn't get enough sleep. xD Shannon(room mate) and I went to a club meeting tonight for the Equestrian Club to see if we wanted to join. The membership fees alone are a lot, and I can't afford them. Then there's equipment and lessons (starting from the beginning, since I've never ridden a horse) so there's no way I'm joining. xD Can't afford it. CAN'T AFFORD IT.

Other clubs I've joined though are 'Paws' which is an animal club - deals with caring for abandoned/mistreated animals, their welfare, doing fundraisers, etc. It's pretty fun. :3 This weekend, I'm going to be volunteering at the local Village Fest giving out water to doggies. (Speaking of which, my sister is coming to visit me this weekend for Village Fest! :D I'm so excited. <3)

And tomorrow is my first psychology club meeting, which should be interesting. :3 I can't wait to go - I'm a total psych dork. Other than that, there's a rumored gaming club Wednesday nights, so Shannon and I are gonna go down and check it out to see if it's actually there. It supposedly does videogames to tabletop games and everything in between. I wanna play DDR while figuring out a Space Hulk mission at the same time. :D

But speaking of clubs - this is only semi-related - but I was in music class the other day, and my teacher was going over all the bands and stuff my college offers... and I realized... I really, really miss playing an instrument. When I was younger, I played the flute, trombone, and cello.. but I gave them all up because I didn't have a ride to school in the mornings for practice. I really miss it. I'm tempted to get an instrument and just take lessons (But again, Money! $$$)

On the plus side though, I've started writing again. :D On gaiaonline, I found this writing contest where the prompt is some sort of steampunk set in India, which is reallly cool. I've already got the prologue finished and once it's been looked over, I'll post it to fictionpress (after I decide on a title). It will be the first time anything's been posted on there since 2008 or so - I'm really excited. :D
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In the general ramblings section though... Shannon almost drank sour milk yesterday. XD Hahahah~ We went home for the weekend, and the milk we had at the apartment went bad while we were gone. It was a waste throwing it all away, but better than being sick. So now we're without milk until Friday when Mom brings Anna up. xD

I'm really tired - running on four hours of sleep. No idea why I stayed up so late last night. I secretly think my brain is slowly leaking out of my ears, zapping my intelligence as it goes. But who knows.

Okay, done rambling now. Thanks for reading my nonsense (if you did. If you didn't... thanks for uh... pbtbtbtbt.)

Concerning College Students

2010-09-08T11:28:00.002-04:00

Today, I have three classes (two of which I've already completed). All I have left is Women in Asia at 1pm, which isn't too bad of a class. It delves into the roles of asian women throughout history. We'll be studying China, Japan, the Koreas, Malaysia, India, so on and so forth. (Mai, when we get on Malaysia, I bet you and I will have an interesting conversation. xD "WHAT? WE DID? NO, WE DID THIS. I'M GONNA COME OVER THERE AND TEACH YOUR TEACHER A THING OR TWO!")
The text book is really cool - I've been reading it straight like a novel. Essentially, it's written by this Chinese woman who in the 70s hosted this radio program where woman were able to call up anonymously and tell their stories on the air. This was still during the time where Chinese women weren't really supposed to speak out about such things, so it was a real eye-opener to the public, hearing these stories that were never before spoken of. The book is a collection of the stories that were told. Some of them had me crying, and a couple had me laughing. It's just... a really cool book. xD Definitely one I'm going to keep after the semester's over.

The thing I don't get is why I'm taking a Women in Asia class. It's interesting, but what does it have to do with psychology? That's my major, but I'm also in Intro to Music and Taxes in America as well. I'm told it's so we develop 'well-rounded personalities and job skills,' but really, I just wanna do psychology. xD I've had to take other off topic classes in the past too. Drawing, painting, Phys Ed, history, so on and so forth. I enjoyed the majority of the classes, but I don't see why they're necessary.

As far as I know, it doesn't work the same way in Europe? They just do the core courses, I think. Electives are, well... elective, instead of mandatory. But enough on silly subject rants. :D

This morning, I woke up late and rushed to school - it's nice bikeride up a hill to get to my first class, and I ended up giving myself a stomach ache from pushing myself so hard. So I got into class and was dead in my seat. The teacher even noticed and asked if I was okay. xD I don't know if my stomach didn't like the exercise, or was just mad at me for making the abdominal muscles work so hard at 7:30 in the morning.
The class itself is interesting - Industrial/Organizational Psychology. O: Business Psychology. <3 My favorite class this semester - definitely worth getting up really early in the morning for. (5:45!)

I'm already falling into a slump - "Read this chapter for next class" "Okay, got it... kinda... sorta... never mind." I skim, I take notes in class. I seem to be doing okay, but if it gets any worse, I'ma need someone to slap me across the face. "You're after a 4.0 this year! Quit slacking! D<"

I should really throw in funny pictures like Mai does... but that'd be copying. :P

On the upside, I now know how to file a tax return. xD And do behavioral statistics (Speaking of which - that class is basically a repeat of the elementary stat class I took last year. ._. Waste of money. At least it should be an easy grade. >> )

Right well. Off to Women in Asia. This post was kind of pointless aside from when I was in music today, learning how to read music that I already knew how to read from back when I played an instrument, I thought, "Why am I here again?" Haven't been able to find an answer for that one yet.

Has funs.

Why the Internet is Better.

2010-04-24T20:29:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time, there was a girl who thought about things.

Hello, welcome to the world of my mind (Version Two).
Keep your arms, legs and various other appendages inside the ride at all times. I will not be held responsible for any lost or stolen limbs.

This is version two of the blog, the first being my own personal diary of fluff and cotton, which didn't turn out to be very interesting reading material. This one here is going to cover actual subject matter instead of 'Oh, I did this, this and this today. I had fun'.
Needless to say, the original posts have been removed (Sorry Mai, I knew you liked poking fun at my woes). So out comes the new blog, which will be full of fluff and cotton with common themes.

So as far as having a blog goes, I suppose I could just write everything out in a diary, but in the narcissistic generation I've been brought up in, that would just be no fun. I figure why not pick my brain where people can see it and offer me feedback? That's why the internet is better.

This blog will cover whatever I happen to want to talk about, which might include psychology, history, philosophy, writing, friends, video games, books, so on and so forth. I may also have a few rantings dotted about here and there as well when I feel the need to vent and no one's around to talk the bulk of it. (Mai, this is where I expect you to poke fun.)

So like I said, welcome to my mind. I hope you're not too weirded out by your stay.