yellow brick road

I hope everyone was able to wrap up this semester well. I am barely vocal in my classes because I'm more of an observer. However, it was truly nice being around everyone and getting to know your personalities through Saturday classes, as well as each and every blog post I've had the honor to read through every week. I wish everyone the absolute best on their individual journeys.

As for me, I'm on my way to transferring to UNLV by Fall 2023 to venture into obtaining a bachelor's degree in International Business. I have plans to spend a semester studying abroad in either South Korea, Japan, or even Spain since my cousin lives there—working and expanding my knowledge with different cultures is something I am gravitational towards. I don't have a specific path yet and I don't expect to miraculously find some kind of muse while studying abroad, but taking the first step out of my home country by myself is what I feel is best to get out there and experience different culture for real. In addition, I have some interest in acting and having an active social media presence, so I'm just riding the wave for now. Nothing is set in stone so I want to be able to do as much as I can. Maybe someday I can be friends with Kim Kardashian instead of doing presentations on her!

Again, I wish everyone the best on their individual journeys. Stay healthy and take care of yourself!

6.8.3 Media Formatting Facts

Years ago, during my junior year in high school, I had to do a presentation in my Spanish class speaking fully Spanish. We had complete control over the topic, and I chose R&B artist, Sabrina Claudio, because she has Cuban roots. A struggle I had with my presentation was that I wanted to showcase her video because I didn't know how to input a YouTube video, so come presentation day, I sadly had to skip over that slide. 

Today, I now know how to properly insert pictures, videos, and even audios! Learning this has helped me greatly because I like to include visual and audible details for appropriate topics. On PowerPoint, I have yet to use the "Screen Recording" feature, but I feel confident about learning in the future.

5.3.1 Deleting and Clearing Cells

After struggling with some checkpoints during skills labs, I quickly learned that there was a clear difference between deleting and clearing cells because it wouldn't even let me pass. I got so frustrated and just gave up for a hint, and after being lost on the hint still, I just wanted the guy in the video to show me before I got more aggravated. Now I know that deleting truly clears the cell's contents and formatting, while clearing keeps the cell blank with the formatting intact.

so much to look forward to

2 weeks ago, I published a blog post about having so much to do. Well, I got my grades back and for my math exam, I got an 81%! I expected a lower grade because I barely remembered the material. For my accounting exam, I received a 96% and I was so surprised with the result. Thank God we were allowed to use outside resources.

On Thursday evening, I finally took my MO-200 certification exam and passed it! Yes, one week before school ends. Surprisingly, I enjoyed Excel more than Word.

As of now, I'm on 6.5 for PowerPoint and I'm doing my best to breeze through and catch up since I have a lot of math assignments to complete before my final exam on Wednesday. 

I feel on top of the world right now knowing I'm most likely going to end the semester with only one C. Good luck wrapping up this week, everyone!

tomorrow

Kudos to those who can balance school, work, and their personal life. I honestly don't know what type of job I want and my physical disability adds a huge restriction. I'm also very scared of not being able to find a balance between school, work, and my personal life if I happen to find a job. For now, I made the personal choice to play it safe by focusing on my education solely. In the next year, I'm actually going to look into my interests and start from there. Right now, I have no clue. I do have a monthly income stream which is more than enough, thanks to my military education benefits, so in my household, I do pay bills for what I'm responsible for because I don't believe in freeloading. This also sets me up to manage my finances meticulously because I tend to have shopaholic tendencies.

...Every week. 

I lied. 

Every day.

I feel a bit insecure being unemployed at my age. I'm only 21 but some of my friends have made it big fast, and I'm talking about being a real estate agent in San Diego/Los Angeles with professional headshots for their portfolio and everything! Like, wow. I deleted all my personal social media to lay low and make my own moves without comparing my journey to anyone else's. 

It's okay because I'm still young and have complete control of navigating my life. I am eternally blessed for what I have now, so I won't add pressure when I still have a long way to go. Word to GloRilla, "ain't ****** up bout no credit score, I might be rich as **** tomorrow; every day the sun won't shine, but that's why I love tomorrow"! 

my 13th reason

As the semester is coming to an end, assignments are flying left and right even faster than ever before final exam week, for which I luckily only have 2 final exams to take. 

In my math class, I have an exam on November 29. In preparation, my professor released 5 assignments that are due on November 28. In total, there are 143 problems and I've only gone through 45. 

In my accounting class, I have an exam on November 30 with a 3-day timeframe and a 3-hour time limit. Along with an assignment due on November 28, I have 2 other late assignments to catch up on.

In my introduction to acting class, I have to continuously practice memorizing a 1-minute long monologue. I don't wanna mess up. 

In IS-101, I currently have to catch up on A6, A7, Chapter 5.11 Excel Live Projects, and the Practice Exams to be able to take my MO-200. 

At this moment, I very much have the urge to smash my head on my keyboard as I'm typing this because I have lots to do. Most of my personal time will have to be sacrificed, but the hustle is worth it in the end. I remember in a magazine interview, Marilyn Monroe said she always slept in on Sundays. This week, I can't. Maybe next week. 

my idol in music

I find it fascinating how legends today such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Selena, and more were so embraced by the population in their time. Looking up to celebrities is looked down upon because many times, who they are in public vs. who they really are behind the scenes doesn't match up, like a facade. However, I believe we all have that one person whose music, philosophies, or work leaves a lasting impact on us. For me, there are so many people in mind but when I truly think about it deep down, Saweetie changed my life. 

Saweetie is a female rapper who debuted in 2017 after one of her short raps, "ICY GRL," went viral on the Internet with 130,000,000 views on YouTube today. Since then, she released more viral songs such as "My Type", "Tap In", and "Best Friend" with Doja Cat. She also collaborated with McDonald's by releasing "The Saweetie Meal" because she's notoriously known for having the most outrageous food combinations on social media. Her music is apparently not for everyone, however. She is widely criticized for her writing skills which many claim that her style has changed since going mainstream. 

Music is big to me and over so many artists whom I've connected to over the years, listening to Saweetie initiated the much-needed change of course in my life at the beginning of my senior year of high school. Back then, I had the lowest-of-low self-esteem, and I honestly did not have any friends when moving to Vegas back in 2017. Every day in school was a never-ending episode of embarrassment because I was alone, but I'm now coming to accept the fact that it's okay to be a loner. I did not fit in with any of these people at all, so I don't regret being by myself. 

When I first encountered "ICY GRL," I was amazed at how Saweetie uniquely and confidently carried herself. After listening to more of her music, I noticed that she always picks herself up and treats herself like royalty, and I thought to myself: "that's definitely what I want to be like." I learned that she has a bachelor's degree in Communications with a concentration in Business, which heavily inspired me to take the route of switching my major from Nursing to Business. A big plus is that she has Filipino in her heritage like me, and she proudly mentions it in interviews and songs. 

On Friday, November 18, she released new music after being gone for 9 months due to mental recovery. The timing could not be more perfect because I was also recovering from a mental health break when she dropped her music! On Twitter, I tweeted my love and appreciation for her work, and she unexpectedly replied back and liked my tweet. The moment felt so surreal, and it uplifted me so much which motivated me to post about her as my topic. The Universe always finds ways to get you back in the game. Thank you, Saweetie, for encouraging others and myself to believe in ourselves!!! <3 

i hate it here

I've had my fair share of being sick due to weather changes, but this is probably the worst cold season I've endured in my whole 21 years of living on this planet. A few years back, I spent 6 months in Chicago and I easily adapted to the humid and freezing temperatures––it even snowed and I was perfectly healthy. Fast forward to 2022, and I'm now getting slapped left and right by Mother Nature. The possibility of it being COVID-19 has been ruled out since I've never tested positive (knock on wood), but it's still evident that my system is less resistant in fighting off illnesses. I just recovered from a cold that lasted 2 weeks, and this week another one hit me. I will never ever ever ever ever catch a break. For now, I'll take this as a blessing in disguise because being sick makes me lose water weight. In the long run, I now know to be up-to-date on my immunization shots. Stay healthy, everyone! Cheers to more catching up on schoolwork. At least all my grades are still excellent! :)

cosmetic procedures

It is very impressive how there are so many surgical and non-surgical procedures someone can do to enhance or modify their appearance. Rhinoplasty, forehead lifts, and breast reductions are among many surgical procedures that are performed around the world in countries such as Brazil and South Korea due to their affordable prices and reputation. Today, the most common surgical procedure is the BBL, Brazilian Butt Lift. While it is becoming more common, it's actually very dangerous with a death rate of 1 in 2,351, according to Steven Williams, MD. 

For this week's blog post, I chose this topic because my professor in HHP123 (Introduction to the Human Body) reflected on the medical field's progress within cosmetic procedures. I also just finished watching a Korean drama where a girl undergoes plastic surgery before her first year of college in a new city because she was bullied for being "ugly" in her hometown. However, her plan to escape her old life with all the bullying backfires as she ends up being discriminated for being a "plastic surgery monster". Long story short, she gets a well-deserved happy ending and gains confidence and self-esteem. 

Whether someone decides to be upfront or not about getting work done, I believe it's no one's place to judge them. It's also no one's place to force or pressure them into addressing the topic. If someone were to egotistically flaunt an enhanced appearance to come off as natural, it would obviously be a whole different story because it contributes to unattainable toxic beauty standards. Cosmetic work doesn't define someone's character; why try hard to knock someone down when they've been working to build their confidence/self-esteem up? My heart goes out to those who have gone through so many hardships, such as botched procedures or knowing someone who died because of complications during surgery. 

still beautiful

What song has held a special place in your heart lately? I'm curious to know and listen to them all!

The astrological transits must be heavily influencing my emotions because lately, I've been listening to a lot of songs that make me cry. A very special song that's been on repeat every week on my playlist is 'still beautiful' by SOLE, a Korean R&B artist (R&B is my favorite genre of all time). Singing behind a piano melody, SOLE cherishes self-love by embracing her spirit through tough times. 

In the music video, the animation starts as her going on a journey to reach the goal to success with a group of friends and at each checkpoint, someone eventually gives up. In the end, she reaches success alone but finds that there are still more challenges ahead, which leads to her sadly giving up. In the midst of crying, she notices that all her friends are at the bottom waiting for her, and with even more tears in her eyes, she joins them. 

The message I got from the story is that everyone has a breaking point and what truly matters is to look after yourself when life knocks you down and enjoy the small things. It's okay to not be okay. After reading the translated lyrics in English, I bawled. Music is truly the universal language of mankind! 

Songs like this help me through moments of anxiety and stress. To serve as a daily reminder, I have "standing still can also be a beautiful thing" as a text widget on my profile. I look forward to having children one day so I could sing this song as a lullaby. They'll have to excuse my horrible singing voice 😜

standing still can also be a beautiful thing

Now that my presentation is done and out of the way, I'm able to reflect on my performance. It's actually been a long time since I had to do a presentation of any kind and I was looking forward to see if I've improved with public speaking because I used to be so awkward. 

I wasn't nervous but as soon as I walked to the front of the class, I became so self-conscious over everything. On the way to school, I made sure to sing my heart out in the car because I tend to have stubborn vocal cords and I wanted to sound as clear as possible. I even practiced my speech in the parking lot before heading to the classroom and my voice was still so hoarse. I wasn't confident with how I sounded so I definitely noticed that my voice was shaky during my presentation. However, that wasn't even the worst part. My brain was yelling at me to move my hands around and make eye contact, and my body responded by doing the stiffest hand movements ever. No one probably noticed but I took mental note of everything.

I really appreciate Tiffany telling me good job as I walked back to my seat because it helped me recover quickly from my nervousness. In the end, this experience was fun and it guided me in stepping up my communication skills because I want a career someday where I can be in the public eye. It sucks I wasn't able to make it to class to be able to watch the presentations of Rui, Saul, Kevin, Mayra, and Tiffany because I would have been intrigued to learn about their topics. I'll do my best to show up to class to see the remaining presentations! :) 

I won't beat myself up over the small imperfections and I think it's healthy to laugh at yourself time to time! At least I share similar experiences with my favorite R&B artist, Summer Walker, of standing/being awkward.

3.1.5 Beyond the Ribbon

Some features that had me navigate beyond the ribbon stressed me out when it came to skills & challenge labs. A big feature was the dialogue box launcher in the bottom right, which was a completely new concept to me. I have never used Word in the past since I own a MacBook. Even so, I tend to only utilize Align, Text Size, and Font. My eyes couldn't believe all the things I had to click! I'm surprised I managed to pass MO-100 with a higher score than I expected because I suddenly forgot the skills I learned.

2.1.7 Peripheral Devices

LabSim provides examples of peripheral devices including keyboards, mice, scanners, digital cameras, speakers and microphones, printers, and external storage devices. Many of these devices can either be connected to a computer through a wired or wireless connection. My first experience with wireless devices regarding computers was Apple's Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse for the iMac. It was a dream come true because I hated tugging on the wires with USB keyboards and mice. A wired peripheral device I'm required to use is a digital camera. Last semester, my biology professor wanted everyone to buy an external webcam for exam recording purposes to make sure no one cheats. A built-in webcam on my MacBook Air wouldn't suffice since the camera cannot fully capture the view around you. Since my Windows laptop doesn't have a built-in webcam, I found another way to put my external webcam to use! I now use it for WebEx meetings along with wireless earbuds for microphone connection. 

1.5.1 Online Searching

1.5.1 shares tips on how to navigate your browser to find and evaluate online information. Even as a child, I've always had the instinct of shortening my words when using the search bar. For example, "my copy and paste is broken, how do I fix it?" can easily be turned into "copy and paste broken" because there are most likely tons of websites that tag specific keywords in their publishings. Plus, it would be tedious typing in every single word. The most useful advice I've received from my English teacher in high school was to always look at the date of publishing for the most recent information. When going through search results, I always make sure to find recently updated and popular links depending on the circumstances to obtain the most accurate information. For instance, if I wanna learn how to hook my iPhone to my MacBook Air, I wouldn't want to watch a video made in 2015 because system updates can completely change the locations of different programs and such. 

Setbacks

Finally, 25% of the 16-week semester is already completed! However, I don’t feel proud about the way I’m ending the 25% mark. 

This week (Sep. 19-24), I missed 4 out of 5 school days mainly due to a big lack of sleep. On Monday, I only got around 2 hours of sleep because it was a big day and I was very anxious. I sat at the DMV all morning for a standby drive test but it was worth the wait because I passed! After I got home around noon, I slept through the entire day like a baby. When I woke up late evening, I realized taking that nap was the worst decision in my life because I missed out on an entire day. I couldn’t go back to sleep and I didn’t wanna pull an all-nighter because that would put me at risk of falling asleep on the wheel. With regret, I decided to skip my Tuesday class and recharge. 

Although I was pretty energized to drive myself to school for the first time ever on Wednesday, the energy quickly died down. After missing Monday and Tuesday classes, I had to catch up with a lot of math and science, a.k.a. the world's most hated subjects (at least in my world). And accounting. Numbers on top of numbers. My Friday class was canceled so that gave me a lot more time to catch up, but I still have a lot to do. Of course, I did my best to stay on top of my work for this class no matter what! Yet, I couldn't bring myself to get up early and go to class in person today because there was just too much on my plate and I had to sort everything out. 

I know there will be much more stressful events in the future and I will have to learn to deal with obligations at a manageable pace when unexpected things happen, but I feel content moving forward with knowing I did something than absolutely nothing. 

One Day at a Time

Hi, everyone! If you don't mind sharing, what is something you do your best to keep at? Even if it's small as trying to show up to class on time, it matters just as much because of your effort! 

For me, it's fitness. I don't exercise every single day, but I have been diligently tackling personal wellness goals since this semester started, and a major goal includes being in shape. Recalling from my first post, I underwent immediate surgery in 2019 due to sustaining a hip fracture during military training that affects me to this day because I still walk with a limp. Even though I have done workouts to try and loosen the hip pain, I was simply too scared to continue the routine out of fear that I would sustain another injury, so I simply gave up. The nagging thought of having metal pins and screws to keep my hip together gave me the heebie-jeebies and contributed a big part to why I steered away from working out, but that ended up making the situation worse. 

During the Spring semester this year, I found myself being out of breath so easily when walking up just 1-2 flights of stairs—that's how bad being out of shape was. It hurt to walk on my bad hip because my body had never experienced this change. 2 weeks before the Fall semester started, I had an epiphany out of the blue and decided that enough was enough. After studying moderation in eating, protein intake, and different workout regimens through social media, I was able to build a solid foundation and go from there.

Fast forward to today, this week actually marks 1 month since I started being active again! Rome wasn't built in a day, so I don't expect to obtain drastic results overnight. However, I am very proud of the fact that I can now run for almost 2 miles nonstop.

Morning Rush

When I zone out in my classes, I often think to myself: "how does everyone prepare for the day at such an early time?" 

For me, my school mornings usually start by waking up around 6:30 to 7:30 A.M. to my favorite morning-time song which I use for my alarm tone, "Morning Call" by Hyolyn. 

While it is a favorite song, I don't wake up all sunshine and rainbows because I hate being forced to wake up, but I figured it would do since it's calming as opposed to the default Apple alarm tones. I like to give myself a motivation boost by putting on "makeup", which is just tinted moisturizer with SPF to protect my skin from harmful sun rays and slow down the aging process as much as I can. I only take 1 class on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays but I still make the effort to put myself together on most of those class days because I feel it prepares me for inevitable real-life situations that require me to get ready for quick gatherings. I think keeping a steady morning routine is what keeps me active and I hate the idea of just waking up and dragging myself from home to my destination without being productive.

How I Ended Up Here

Prior to enrolling in CSN, I had no direction where to take myself so I made the decision to aspire to be a nurse like my mother. (Being a nurse/Navy corpsman was my obligation in the military as well but I injured myself during training and got discharged, so I thought it was only right to keep the same goal in the civilian world). After failing Biology and almost other pre-requisite courses, I came to the conclusion that nursing is not the path I am destined to take. As of the Summer 2022 semester, I am now a Business major and I plan on advancing to International Business for my Bachelor's degree. 

I honestly have butterflies in my stomach thinking about my workload this semester, but in the best way. For once in my entire education, I am really willing to dive into IS101, HHP123, MATH124, THTR105, and ACC201. No offense to my past instructors and professors, but English, history, and biology are subjects I cannot get into at all. Especially biology. During lectures, I always zoned out because I don't want to learn about cells.