The Versatile Blogger Award

I got tagged for the Versatile Blogger Award by Kasia at Koju Bofu! Woot! This blog hasn't been tagged in anything yet, so this is kind of exciting. Thanks so much, Kasia, I really appreciate it.

• Thank the blogger who awarded you and add a link to their blog in your post: Kasia at http://kojubofu.blogspot.com/. Check out her blog! She showcases her collection of postcards and stamps from other countries. They're really neat to look at.

• Share the award with 15 other recently discovered blogs that you love and inform them! Ok, I don't know if I can come up with fifteen bloggers (I haven't been blogging that long!) but I'll try. This is in no specific order:

1. Prep International

2. The Life and Times of Belle

3. Love It

4.Reasons to Procrastinate

5. Pre-Med Princess

6. Borrowed Heaven

7. Prep in Your Step

8. My Dear Chopsticks

9. Pretty.Random.Things

10. Shorelines and Sunshine

11. The Muses Circle

12. Capernaum Home
13. Walking on Bookshelves
14. Jane Austen Prepster
15. Stylish Obsessions

Congrats everybody! I really love all your blogs. I read every post! If you've been nominated, please pass the award on...I'd love to see how you all answer the questions!

• 7 random things about myself. Now this is going to be a little tricky. Please don't laugh at me after reading these, I'm really not that crazy.

1. I have an Elmo collection. It started out as a joke. You know how they come out every year with new Elmo dolls? Every Christmas my dad has bought me and my sister the latest Elmo doll. These things are like little robots. The one from this year could sing, play the drums, the tambourine and the guitar. This is Elmo we're talking about! I think we have six or seven dolls now. My sister hides them in her closet so none of her friends see them, but me? I'm not ashamed! (Should I be?)

2. I love the countryside. I've wanted to live in a huge city since I visited New York as a ten-year-old. However, now that I live here? I'm not a huge fan. It's loud, it's dirty. Sure, there's something always going on, but I'm more of homebody anyway. When I get older I would love to live in the country somewhere, have a huge backyard, maybe own some horses. I know, it sounds crazy, but it just sounds like such a peaceful life to me right now.

3. I've changed a lot in past few years. Ever since graduating from high school and having to live on my own, I've matured so much. In middle school and high school, I never used to be a girly-girl. I was quiet, I relied on my parents for everything. Basically, I willed myself to change upon entering college. I really put myself out there. Inside I'm definitely still an introvert, but I now do something I never used to do: talk to other people! Sometimes I wonder if I've changed too much, but I try to stick by a rule that change is always a good thing.

4. I've named my electronic devices. My Macbook is my "baby", my Nook Color is my "precious", and my cell phone? Well, it kind of hates me and always stops working at the worse times, so I have rotating swear words for it.

5. I've seen both President Bush and President Obama in person. A few weeks after September 11th, President Bush gave a speech in Chicago to all pilots and their family members, assuring us the safety measures that were being taken to prevent more terrorism. My parents took my sister and I out of school just so we could attend. I remember being lifted on my dad's shoulders in order to see the President. No one believed me in school, but trust me, I really did see him!

I saw President Obama at a campaign fundraiser taking place at Navy Pier last April. Since my friends and I were students, we were lucky enough to get tickets for free, whereas everyone else paid hundreds of dollars for them. It took about two hours to get through security, but it was worth it: we were so close to President Obama that, after his speech was done, he came down to the crowd and shook one of my friend's hands.

6. I'm ambidextrous. I learned to write with my left hand, but I can write pretty well with my right (as in, you can make out my letters). When I'm eating, I always switch the hand my fork is in without even thinking about it. Other people have tom mention it to me, because I don't even realize I! It's not just eating, either--I switch hands doing everything, from throwing a baseball to writing on a chalk board (yeah, I've accidentally written on the chalkboard with my right hand. It took me a while to figure out why I was writing so slow).

7. I had braces twice. I've never heard of anybody having braces twice, so if you're out there, please say something. I first had braces in the 3rd grade because the dentist thought it would be better to put them on before my wisdom teeth grew in. Needless to say, something went astray, because I got the braces put back on and had to wear them all through middle school. You don't know how much I dreaded them going on again. It hurt enough the first time that I knew I didn't want to go through it again.

Thanks again for reading everyone, and please post the Versatile Blogger Award on your blogs as well! Here are the official rules from the Versatile Blogger Award blog:

"If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.

•  Thank the person who gave you this award. That’s common courtesy.
•  Include a link to their blog. That’s also common courtesy — if you can figure out how to do it.
•  Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. ( I would add, pick blogs or bloggers that are excellent!)
•  Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award — you might include a link to this site.
•  Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself."

--Becky

Charm Bracelets

There's something I love about charm bracelets. They just have so much sentimental value to their wearers. Every charm in a charm bracelet has a specific meaning. A charm bracelet isn't just another piece of jewelry--it's a picture of a person's life.

Via

When I was in Girl Scouts in middle school, the Girl Scouts of America was trying to replace badges for older girls with charms. Every time you completed a project, you earned a charm for your charm bracelet. I thought my charm bracelet was the coolest thing in the world, and I still have the braclet to this day. Every charm symbolizes an accomplishment: there's a suitcase for when my troop traveled to Savannah, Georgia, the birthplace of the founder of Girl Scouts. An emblem, symbolic of when I earned my Gold Award, the highest honor a scout can earn. And, my favorite, a little mirror that I can actually see my reflection in. I forgot what I earned it for, but I do know it's cute.

Via

My sister Katie is graduating high school soon. For her graduation present, my mom and dad are putting together a charm bracelet for her (to, of course, replace the one she lost...). Since my sister is big into theater and has been in almost every school play for the last four years, each charm represents a play that she was in.

Here are some of the charms she's getting:

Ruby Slippers Charm: she was Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" one summer

Rabbit Charm: I don't remember what play it was, but for some reason she was playing a singing rabbit

Hairspray Can Charm: for playing the crazy Bible-thumping mom in "Hairspray"

Anchor Charm: My favorite! (gotta love the nautical flair). She was Hope in "Anything Goes"

House Charm: She played the lead in "Our Town" last fall

Puerto Rico Charm: Most recently, she's playing Maria in "West Side Story" next week! Wish her luck, it's her final high school production.

Do any of you have a charm bracelet? I really should start wearing my Studio 2B one more often, I forgot how cool it was.

--Becky

Great Expectations: The Book, the Miniseries, and the Movie

Here's where the science-y side of me goes away. I'm a double major, so besides going for a BS in biology, I'm also trying for a BA in English. People ask me all the time how I can study both the physical sciences and the social sciences. They're polar opposites. Really, I don't know, and sometimes I wish I wasn't in love with both biology and English. You don't know how strange it is to go from a class teaching cell biology to one teaching about Victorian Literature in the 19th century.

Anyway, over break my assignment for the above literature class was to finish Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. It's not like we want to relax or anything over the break, right?

I "read" the book for an English Honors class my sophomore year of high school. "Read" as in I got to about page fifty, didn't understand a thing, and did a combination of skimming/Sparknoting to get through the rest. I didn't remember any of it. So, honestly, I didn't have high expectations for this book (see what I did there?) Even the cover looks dull.

I don't know how after four measly years, I can suddenly understand this book and actually enjoy it. Is this what college did to me? Did it turn me into one of those prudes who yearns for the classics and says that Pride and Prejudice is the best book ever written? (LIES...everyone knows its Harry Potter). Did I sell my soul to this major?

But no, something must've changed because I raced through this book. It's hard to describe: mostly its a coming-of-age story of a boy named Pip who inherits a vast amount of fortune. I imagine that this is one of the first books that showcases the problems that material wealth can bring with it, as Pip starts longing for the times when he was a poor blacksmith's apprentice. Therefore, the theme seemed a little overdone, but I'm sure that at the time it was fresh. We learned in my Victorian Literature class that material wealth was first talked about in books in the 19th century. Before then, people were too proud to brag to others about how much they owned. Just think of such a different society we live in today!

Like I said, I enjoyed the book but it wasn't as good as other books we've read in the class. What I find interesting is how this book is adapted over and over again into TV series and movies. There's two, two versions of the book hitting the US screens this year. That's too much Pip for anyone to handle.

Here's the trailer for the first adaption, the miniseries, which is on PBS April 1st and 8th. I don't care if you have no interest at all in Great Expectations, but you have to watch the trailer. It was just weird. There's no talking at all in the whole thing, just some weird hipster/new age/indie song wailing in the back. Now, I like indie songs, but they weren't around in the 1800s, people. I just want to hear these characters talk. Which makes me think they might not have the greatest acting abilities, and the good folk at PBS are just trying to hide it...

Watch Great Expectations Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Now the second adaption seems a little more legit. It's coming out at the end of the year, so there's almost no information on it but the cast list at IMDB. It's got some heavy-hitter names. Ralph Fiennes (i.e. Voldemort), Helena Bonham Carter (i.e. scary lady in every British/Tim Burton movie), Jeremy Irvine (i.e. the boy crying over his horse in "War Horse). Strangely of all, even Robbie Coltrane, HAGRID, is in it. HAGRID. So we got Voldemort, Bellatrix, and Hagrid. What is this, the Potter family reunion?

Even though we know nothing else than the cast list, I can tell by the caliber of these actors that the movie will be something special. I'll probably watch it just because I love to watch movie adaptations of books and then complain about everything they cut out. The miniseries on PBS? I'm giving that a maybe.

I'm glad that the classic book is getting exposure to a new generation, but why two adaptations in one year? Perhaps it's just bad timing. But I almost wish that instead of doing the 18th adaptation of Great Expectations (seriously, it's the 18th according to Wikipedia), they'd reinvent a different old classic. Like Villette. Or Mary Barton.

Or just let these books sleep peacefully--perhaps they were never meant for the big screen at all.

Thursday Tip: Taking Science Classes over the Summer

Every Thursday I write a tip for premed students, talking about my experiences being a traditional premed. If you like my advice, please leave me a comment or follow me!

Via

To all my premed cohorts out there,

We all know the usual premed track: take general biology and chemistry freshman year. Take organic chemistry and upper level bio classes sophomore year. Take physics junior year, just in time for the MCAT. It's been ingrained in our brains by our advisors. What happens when you step off the track? Will med school never accept you, will you never be able to become a doctor? Is your life just going to be horrible from here on out?

This is my experience of "veering from the track", ever so slightly. And how I got back on: via summer school. Was it the best decision? You'll see.

Freshman Year

Frankly, I messed up choosing classes. I didn't test into a high enough math class to take general chemistry, which is embarrassing but true. Math is not my strong suit. I was upset at first, but in the end I decided just to take general biology and other classes that I needed to graduate during my freshman year. I would take two math classes that would get me up to speed, and then I would take chemistry over the summer.

It was a good choice to take the two extra semesters of math. General chemistry uses a lot of equations and unit conversions, so the practice was good for me. As far as my other classes went freshman year, they were a breeze. I watched my other premed friends struggle with their two science classes while I studied for my intro level  French class and pre-calc. I earned a great GPA both semesters, and I figured that, since I had come from a rigorous private high school, college was just naturally less of a challenge for me than my peers.

Summer between Freshman/Sophomore Year

Chemistry over the summer was fairly straightforward. The professor went fast and I had to sit through daily three-hour lectures, but the tests seemed easy enough. Once again, I slid by. The only problem is, due to the fast pace of the class, I felt that I didn't learn anything by the end of the summer. Everything was muddled inside of my head. I memorized the material for the weekly tests we had every Friday. I did not have enough time to read the book and actually learn it, like I would in a normal twelve-week long class.

Sophomore Year

I'm a sophomore now, and school has been extremely challenging. For the first time, I doubled up on science courses, taking an upper level genetics course as well as organic chemistry. The first semester of organic chemistry was brutal because I simply didn't have the understanding of general chemistry as well as I should've. I felt like I had a crash course in it, but it wasn't enough. I didn't fully grasp the concepts of acids and bases and buffers, so predicting organic reactions was a challenge. I felt like I had to work twice as hard to keep up. Though I'm good in biology, the extra course as well as my other classes gave me less time to study organic chemistry, and I couldn't manage my time like my friends who took two science courses the previous year. 

I made it through and gradually accumulated to the workload. Organic chemistry II and my upper level cell biology course aren't quite as challenging, but I'm still spending many late weekday nights and some Friday nights studying. My friends and I reserve Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday studying. I received good grades from all my classes last semester, but I was completely burnt out.

So, what's the verdict? I say if you can, if you think you're ready, take general chemistry with general biology freshman year. You may learn different than me, but for my situation it would've been better to get a full year of it rather than a condensed course. I would say try to stay away from summer science classes, at least if it is a prerequisite course and you will need the knowledge later for a different class. Like I said, over the summer you're memorizing the information, not learning it, just because there's not enough time. 

If you don't think you can handle general chemistry and general biology freshman year, take only general biology the first year and then double up general chemistry and physics your sophomore year. I have a few friends doing this and they are handling the workload very well. Though it varies from person to person, many think that physics generally requires less studying time than organic chemistry does, so you can handle taking it along with general chemistry.

This summer, I am taking a religious class and a philosophy class in Rome, then coming back to the United States to take an upper level English course for my major and another religious course. I think that summer school is important (especially if you need it to graduate on time, such as in my school!), so take classes like these over the summer: non-science classes required for graduation. 

Please let me know if this information has helped you. I will gladly answer any questions on my experience. Thanks for reading!

--Becky

Lenten Resolutions

It's been 4 weeks since I gave up all soda products and chocolate. 28 days. I sound like a recovering alcoholic or druggie. Don't worry, I'm not: I just decided to do the dumbest thing ever and give up the two food items I enjoy most in the world for Lent.

Via

No, I know it's not dumb. I don't want to preach, but part of the meaning of Lent is sacrificing something you enjoy in order to feel closer to Jesus and the sacrifices he made during his forty days in the desert (at least, this is the Catholic teaching. I can't speak for any other branches of Christianity, they may have different takes on the liturgical season). This has been the first year I've held out as long with my Lenten promise. Worst of all, I'm doing two of them.

The decision not to drink soda was after reading many articles such as this one about the potential health issues of drinking diet cola. I'm a Coke girl all the way (Pepsi is just not the same), but in college I ended up drinking it after every meal. My stomach started hurting after I drank it...yeah, that's not a good sign. Even when Lent is over, I really hope to cut it down to one can a day, if even that. The problem is, I need caffeine to make it through my classes, so four cups of coffee a day has just taken the place of four sodas. And that isn't good either, is it?

Via

For night, these little guys have been taking the place of soda. Ten calories, three grams of sugar, all juice. They're expensive, but they're a healthy soda substitute at least.

The chocolate is a different story. I'm a big sweet tooth, but for the first two weeks I was able to manage without it by simply substituting chocolate for vanilla or peanut-butter flavored cookies and cakes. Now it's getting more difficult, because I'm getting so sick of those flavors. I think I'm going to try cinnamon rice cakes...they sound disgusting, but they're actually pretty yummy. And healthy. And something different.

Via

The hardest trial I'm facing is when I go get a coffee at our library's cafe and I see individual Lindor chocolates for sale. The cafe has every flavor: chocolate filled with chocolate, chocolate filled with white chocolate, chocolate filled with caramel. And I can't eat any of them. I feel like raising my hands up in the middle of the cafe line and going "God, why do you tempt me so?"

I can do this, though. Halfway done, halfway to go. Easter will be here before I know it! Anyone else giving anything up for Lent?

Rome Outfits #2: Colorblocking Orange w/ Neutrals

Orange is the color this spring/summer season. I went to the mall last weekend and saw the color everywhere. I love the look of color blocking orange with a neutral, so that's the look I went for when I went shopping for summer clothes. Because I don't know how much clothes I'll be able to bring abroad, I bought a nice orange skirt that I can pair with several beige and white blouses that I already own, just for fancier occasions like going out for dinner. Yes, I know...it's really orange.

Via

For more casual occurrences like walking around the city, I bought colored orange pants that I can pair with the shirts mentioned above as well as a striped black and white shirt.

Via

I found a similar pair of shoes (yet a little lighter) at Payless for about $10, so it was my lucky day! They'll be easy to pack and I think comfortable enough for walking--they have elastic on the back, so they'll stretch. They also go with the neutral color blocking trend.

Via

It was a challenge to find a good bag that I can use abroad. I don't want to bring my backpack because it'll be easy for people to unzip it from the back and mug me (my dad travels for a living, and he's only been mugged twice in his life...both in Rome, so I'm a bit paranoid). I wanted it to be large enough to carry my textbooks, not only in the summer but in the early part of the fall semester as well. It also had to go over my shoulder.


So I decided to invest in this Gap tote bag that I first saw on The College Prepster's blog. It's trendy, it's a good quality and it fits all my criteria from above. I got the last one left in the store, and it was 30% off. I hate to sound like Charlie Sheen, but duh, winning. 

Picture Via "The College Prepster": no longer available for purchase online

Polyvore

There ends my lovely spring break shopping adventure. After what I spent this week, I think I'm done shopping until around November. Anybody else buying summer clothes already, or am I the only one?

--Becky

This is the end of spring break?

Via

So this is the end of my spring break. I have to say, I feel like this is almost unfair. The Weather Channel says it's gong to be 78 degrees in Chicago on Wednesday. I went home to Wisconsin for winter break in the middle of a snow storm. What. Is. This?

If the warm weather signals the start of spring, I'm happy with it. But if it's just a little tease and we'll still get snow all the way into April...I don't know how I'll handle it.

To me, there are several annoying things about spring break ending:

1. Homesickness: I may be a sophomore in college but, believe or not, I get so used to being home that it's hard for me to leave and go back to "the jungle", as my dad calls Chicago. It's definitely gotten better since I was a freshman, but there's still the pang of missing my parents, my sister and my puppy after the first few days of returning to college from a long break.

2. Homework/tests: Self-explanatory. I'm so sick of studying and really burnt out. However, I know I just have to push through and do the best I can.

3. 8 more weeks: We have seven weeks left of the semester, plus a week of finals. I think we have a day off for the Easter weekend, but that's the only break until May.

4. No more freetime: I relaxed so much over the break! Maybe too much. I read The Hunger Games series (my reactions will be in a different post) as well as Great Expectations for school. I caught up on all my TV shows. I browsed the Internet. Basically, I didn't do anything productive. And it was so much fun.

At least this year I DO have something to look forward to after spring break. Now that the break has ended, I'm just that much closer to Rome. I just have to keep going and make it through. I can do this! It's pretty fitting that I have this tapped onto my desk:

Via

Have a good week everyone!

--Becky