Dining Commons

The food at the dining commons is made of grease, oil, and fat. Oh, don't forget the SALT. Today's brunch menu included made-to-order crepes and omlettes, bacon, scrambled eggs, tofu and eggs, sausages, and chilaquiles. So looking at the nutrition facts (since the food is known to be poisonous), many of the foods seemed not too bad. Until the chilaquiles...

NOTE: This photo has NOT been photoshopped.

Are you kidding me? From a one serving (three ounces), 1052 calories, 78% of my daily value of fat, 91% of my daily value of saturated fat, 64% of my daily value of cholestrol, 92% of my daily value of salt, 26% of my daily value of carbs...

I thought it was just a typo; the person might have just mistyped a number or added too much of a particular ingredient. So I brilliantly decided to try some. Bad idea. It tasted like it was made from salt. Notice how it is CHICKEN chilaquiles de Monterey? And how the second ingredient in the ingredients list is CHICKEN? There was no CHICKEN. It was just tortilla chips and this brown sauce that tasted like it was made of salt.

Also what in the world is YEGETABLE oil? And I'm pretty sure it's not a typo because later on, it lists VEGETABLE oil as one of the ingredients...what are they trying to feed us? I really hope that it is just a typo, but keep in mind that I did try some and it was incredibly salty.

In response, I have written a comment card to the Cal Dining staff. Below is what I wrote:

"Looking at the nutrition facts for one of the items from today's brunch menu - chicken chilquiles de Monterey, it is shocking. from one serving (3oz), there are 1052 calories and 92%DV of sodium among other things. I really hope this is only a typo, but I did try some of it and it was extremely salty."

"Fine."

When you ask how I am doing, I will tell you "fine." Things may or may not be "fine", but that is what I will tell you. There is no reason to explain the details because you will only be quick to judge. I will only bother to tell you if things aren't "fine" if I feel like you'll even remotely understand my situation.

Every time everyone asks how I am doing, there is nothing I can tell them except for "fine". Do they expect me to tell them that I hate myself for what I have done? Or do they expect me to tell them that nothing could be better? Either way it's a waste of time to explain myself. There will be people that talk. It's frustrating to hear from one person that another person was talking about me. Why don't you just tell me directly? I'd be much happier if you told me directly how you thought about me instead of hearing from someone else.

So the next time you ask me, "How are things going?", I may answer "fine", "alright", "not bad" or some variation. Just know that my situation could be just swell or my life could be crashing down in front of my eyes. But I will tell you "fine".

I know that this post may not make any sense and I have so much more to say, but this post is for the one person out there. You may be in a difficult time. Things aren't "fine" but just know that you will get through it. If you need anything, please call me.

Not Gone...

Yesterday was closing day for Spring Awakening tour here in San Francisco.  More than one month ago on opening night, I bought my ticket for the final performance. I never expected this day to arrive so soon. Before the show, numerous boxes were piled in front of the theater in preparation for the move to Seattle. Never have I been so attached to the show, to the cast, to the story line, to the music, and to everything else. All in all, I have seen the show eleven times. People have called me crazy for seeing the show so many times, but I would never do it for another show. Each time watching the show has been quite an adventure, meeting new people in the rush line, talking with the cast, hanging out at Starbucks, and just plain goofing off.

The show has brought so many unexpected opportunities. Without the street team, I wouldn't have been able to meet so many new people: Frances, Azuah, Christina, Juliana, Javier, Andrew, Kelsey, Rose, and so many more. I am going to miss the fun times that we had just hanging out before and after shows, those random conversations, and our stupid Starbucks moments. These past six weeks are ones that I will not forget for a very long time. I have made many friendships and created memories to remember.

Now that the show is gone, there are two ways to look at the situation. For the past six weeks, there hasn't been a weekend that I haven't spent in San Francisco. Each weekend, I was in the city either to watch the show or to attend a street team event. It's been such a big time commitment, especially because of the street team. On the other hand, with all this extra time, I can finally devote more time to schoolwork and pray that I will make it alive out of this school. It is time to step up my game and ace my midterms and final (hopefully).

Sleep Deprivation

After what has happened in the past week or two, maybe Engineering isn't right for me. Is spending three-and-a-half hours on my weekly online chem assignment really worth my time? Each week, while laboring to complete it, I bitch and complain at the same time. Homework shouldn't be this painful.I find no enjoyment in taking chem or multivarialbe calculus. What will happen when I take physics? There are times when I stare at the textbook and the page stares back at me. I feel like I retain none of the information I read. So in the near future, I need to meet with my academic advisor to discuss the options before I start choosing classes in the beginning of Novemeber.

For the past five weeks or so, Spring Awakening has taken over my life. There has not been a weekend when I was not in San Francisco. Each time I'm in the city, it's to watch Spring Awakening or to attend a Spring Awakening-related event. People think I am crazy for seeing the show 9.5 times since it's been here. But I really don't mind. So much has happened that it's worth the time and effort to haul myself there. I enjoy every minute. But these numerous trips to SF have also impacted other things directly and indirectly.

Time management has never been one of my stronger skills and still isn't one of my strengths. So I don't use my time very well and assignemtns tend to pile up, including the numerous readings for various classes. It has finally caught up to me. My absence in math lectures and missed chem readings impacted my performance on the midterm. I scored poorly, much worse than I hoped, but relative to the time I've been spending for each class. Thus, from now on, I need to work harder to do better all around. It will be difficult when Spring Awakening leaves San Francisco. Even though I won't be able to see the show each week, at least I'll have "extra" time to spend working on homework.