Sleep is Good. Really!

The past two weeks went by like a blur so sorry for the lack of updates. Works piled up like crazy and my job slammed me with some crazy hours. Can't say its been boring though!

Today marks day 17 of the Omega 3 Challenge and I have to admit, except for the fishy burps, not much have changed. Then again, these pills are more for a preventative purpose than healing or rejuvenating purposes. Its an investment in my future health. B12 vitamins, on the other hand, are the nifty little pink gelcaps that give me a little pep in my step in the morning. 5am wakeups are less and less difficult and I'm not passing out by 10am.

Also, I've given myself a curfew.
That's right. 21 with a sleep curfew. Sleep is so important for us college students. Sure, all-nighters are a common thing but man, a night without sleep stinks! Check out WEBMD.com's list of effects.

• Decreased Performance and Alertness: Sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%.
• Memory and Cognitive Impairment: Decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your cognitive ability -- your ability to think and process information.
• Stress Relationships: Disruption of a bed partner's sleep due to a sleep disorder may cause significant problems for the relationship (for example, separate bedrooms, conflicts, moodiness, etc.).
• Poor Quality of Life: You might, for example, be unable to participate in certain activities that require sustained attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play, or watching a favorite TV show.
• Occupational Injury: Excessive sleepiness also contributes to a greater than twofold higher risk of sustaining an occupational injury.
• Automobile Injury: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.

There' s a reason why the new couches in the student center as so comfy. That's right. ~ naps ~

The Omega-3 Challenge!

According to good ol' WebMD.com, "...the benefits of omega-3s include reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke while helping to reduce symptoms of hypertension, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), joint pain and other rheumatoid problems, as well as certain skin ailments. Some research has even shown that omega-3s can boost the immune system and help protect us from an array of illnesses including Alzheimer's disease."

So I'm, participating in the Health and Fitness class challenge. A couple of people are doing in from the 8am class and the 9:30am class. It's the "Omega-3 Challenge!" All we have to do is take a supplement of Omega-3 once a day and jot down any positive or negative changes in mood or energy. This is my day one.


Day One: I burped and it tasted like nori (seaweed used on onigiri and sushi). That's it so far.

Tax Time

If you know what's good for ya, and you receive Financial Aid to go to school, you're going to get up and do your taxes right now.

I did my taxes this past Wednesday. It was pretty quick and painless. (And I'm not getting paid to say this or anything but Jackson-Hewitt has a pretty good student discount on filing taxes.)

All you have to do is make sure you have all your W-2's and school documents if you pay anything out of pocket. According to my tax guy, that's a big mistake a lot of students make. If you pay any part of your tuition out-of-pocket, bring it up during your tax filing! It's probably a good idea to google "college student tax filing" to see if you get any special deductables. C'mon. A little prep work can go a long way (especially if it means a bigger return.) Remember, this is your own money you're getting back. Why not try to get as much as you deserve?

Right now, I'm updating parts of my FAFSA online. That's another helpful hint, FAFSA online saves the info you put in last year to make filling it out this year a lot faster. All you have to do is update your income info, update scholarship info and anything else that's changed financial between this year and last year. All you need is your PIN and your 1040 (and maybe your parents' tax info if you're still living at home.)

Don't wait for your Advisor and Financial Aid Counselor hunt you down to file this stuff out. It's fast, it's simple, and it's a great way to get rid of that giant "finance for school" weight off your shoulders.

Thank You, Mr. Castro, For the Wake-Up Call

On Tuesday, the career counselor in my placement seminar, Mr. Castro, said something that picked my hopes up with the whole "oh man, am I gonna have a job after graduation?" freakout. He said "Okay. 7% of the country is unemployed. You know what that means? That means that 93% have jobs!" He pointed out that there are jobs out there. You just have to find them.

After that, I did a little search on job placement. Apparently, only about 3% of available positions are posted online. A huge reason why people hear about jobs are either physically search the field or word-of-mouth. Newtorking, people! It' s more important than you think!

It was Obama - Rama!

This is a picture of the Inauguration poster 10 minutes after the MSNBC broadcast. The student center was packed! By 11:30, all the seats were filled and students were squeezing into the room so we could watch history happen. I sat with my friends and we were all excited to hear that our brand-new President had to say. There were a few giggles when Aretha Franklin's hat popped up on the screen but the room roared once the president's pledge was over. During the speech, you can see eyes glaze over and faces look up in hope that everything's going to be alright. Having everyone in the college that close to each made me realize that the change is real. If everyone in that room, and the rest of the country, puts a little effort towards change, there's nothing this country can't do. We can get outta this slump. We can get back to being the land of the free and the home of the brave. You know what I mean? His speech made me so hopeful and optimistic! I wrote that on the poster. :D
Afterwards, there was buffet that included pizza, cake, cookies, chips and tons of bubbly soda. There were glittery red white and blue hats, and Obama '09 bracelets.
Besides being part of one of the biggest days in American history, it was nice to feel like you were part of something bigger than yourself. Everyone in the school was cheerful and smiling. It was great.

Recession 2009: Will My Degree Really Mean Anything?

Every morning, America wakes up to the news that Asian markets are plummeting, and their status acts as a forecast as to how our markets will do once they open up. There's no denying that the recession is here and its all over.

This national crisis has been hitting everyone's lives. Some of my family and friends have been laid off from their jobs in companies that we said to be "recession proof". Sure, there are some great sales going on, but what difference does it make if there's no money to be spending?

From the looks of things, I would have to say that my careerpath might be put into a halt for now. Business magazines and newspapers are reporting that the job market is progressively getting worse in all sectors.

What does that mean for the graduation class of 2009? Are you guys as worried as I am?
Send an email or leave a comment with your thoughts.

I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer or anything, but this is serious business, people!

New Year, New Quarter, New Everything!

Hello and Happy New Year Everyone! Hope 2009 has been smashing for you. Mine has been pretty fun. My winter break mainly consisted of lots of sleep, work and family funtime. This year, we were lucky enough to have a long winter break. High five all around!

Yesterday was my first day for Winter quarter. I woke up early, prepared my backpack and headed out the door with a fresh motivation to take on this quarter. As soon as I stepped off the train in downtown Paterson, I saw the Berkeley shuttle...and it was surprisingly packed. You don't expect the 7:30am bus to be so full! Poor Mr.Pete (the morning shuttle driver) had to leave a couple of students behind. He did call for a backup van to come pick us up, but either way, we were going to be late for our 8:00am classes. :-\ I texted a friend of mine to save me a seat if the class started filling up. At around 8:15, Mr. Willie showed up and gave us a few laughs on our mad dash to the campus. I ran into my Business Strategy and Policy classroom and luckily, my friend saved me a seat in a full class. I spoke to my professor and he was pretty cool about my lateness. Hopefully, the shuttle will start either getting a little less packed or they'll start sending down BOTH vans rather than making some students miss classes, buses and trains because we have to wait for the second trip from one van. (Hint hint.)

The rest of the day went as scheduled. My second class, Health and Fitness with Dr. Williams, already blew my mind. We get to make weekly presentations on anything related to health. As soon as he mentioned the assignment, I came up with a bunch of topics! Most of my Christmas presents were vegan cookbooks so I have a few things in mind to present.

My third class is Global Social Change. Unfortunately, the computer was down so the first day was only a general overview of the quarter. The lessons are gonna be based on current events so we will be relying on new articles and weekly journals for resources.

My last class is probably the one I'm most nervous about. Placement seminar is the class you must take before internship. This is where we learn how to survive in the business world. Everything from attire, resumes and speech will be taught, reviewed and polished. Placement seminar, for me, marks the beginning of my career path. At least, thats what Dr. Belowich and Mr. Castro made it feel like.

It was a great first day back. Winter Quarter '09 is gonna be nuts!






P.S.
Did anyone see that new TV in the student center?! WHOA.