Posted on

ヽ(´ー｀)ﾉ Peace of Mind

ヽ(´ー｀)ﾉ

According to wikipedia, that emoticon means “peace of mind” which is fitting considering the topic today is ~meditation~

Today I attended Monday Meditation hosted by the UCI Student Wellness Center. It was around 20 minutes of grounding and centering the self and I honestly quite enjoyed it. 

I have had experiences with meditation in the past but calling those experiences “meditation” feels kind of silly in comparison. My senior year of high school, I had a teacher who hosted meditation for four minutes every morning before class. I appreciated the effort and sentiment of the action greatly, which is why at the beginning of the year I took meditation very seriously. But I could never shake the uncomfortable fear of being stared at by the person sitting directly across from me, as my eyes were closed and by nature I was vulnerable to an attack (lol). 

As the year progressed, the wear and tear of my final days of high school overruled my appreciation for the effects of morning meditation. Meditation time? I began to know it as Power Nap Time. As soon as I sat down in class, my eyes were closed and my body was working overtime to generate as much energy as it possibly could in the next 4 minutes to prepare me for the day ahead.

For the guided meditation hosted by the Wellness Center, I felt no such fear of being stared at in the comfort of my own home and the 20 minutes flew by. I was uncomfortably aware of how heavy my head was just sitting on my neck. The guide made a comment on how it was normal for minds to wander during meditation so I let my mind roam free for a bit. Most of the thoughts my mind decided were meaningful and peaceful were about the weight of my head: how strong my neck was for holding up my lunk of a skull— or, alternatively, how weak my neck was for having so much difficulty doing the one task it was designed to do. Either way, opening my eyes after the meditation was over, I felt refreshed in a way.

As I have grown older, wiser, more complex, I have come to the realization that Mondays suck (Garfield said it first). It’s easy to get overwhelmed with to-do lists and objectives for the coming week and I am looking forward to attending more live meditation sessions in the remaining few weeks, and arguably most stressful weeks, of the fall quarter.

ヽ(´ー｀)ﾉ

Posted on

Holy Book Club?

Before the pandemic hit, one thing I looked forward to most during the week was seeing my friends at church. Okay hold on, I’m not talking about the dreadful, fall-asleep-during-sermon church. Rather, it’s vibrant and full of young people sharing a passion and helping each other do life. In-person interactions are a huge part of fellowshipping for everyone– hugs, handshakes, lunches together– it’s a way for people to bond and maintain relationships. So it was a bummer to abruptly stop all in-person gatherings and shift to virtual meetings. 

Since starting college, I found a bible study group of other UCI students and alumni. If you don’t know what a bible study meeting is, think of it as a… book club? Except there’s only one book and it’s packed with some really really cool stuff. Every Friday night, around 80 people hop onto Zoom for the virtual meeting. I saw this as an opportunity to make new friends and find crucial support from people that have already faced the struggles of college life. Everyone is so welcoming and genuine that after a couple of meetings it just felt like a friend group having a great time (besides the occasional Zoom bombers). Usually, we break the ice first by playing some games. Then we dive into the study led by the pastor, and have time to hang out at the end. Last week on Zoom we filmed some scenes for an upcoming music video! 

Even though it’s just faces on the screen, I can really feel the lively energy as if we were socializing in the same room! It’s amazing how many walls technology and virtual meetings can break down. Attending a virtual event is such a refreshing getaway from the heavy lectures. Luckily, UCI has hundreds of clubs, organizations, and events (virtual and in-person). 

Here’s a glimpse of what we did this fall!

And check out this video to see what this fellowship group is all about!

Posted on 1 Comment on Meditation Mondays

Meditation Mondays

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

– Lao Tzu

Every Monday at 2 PM on Instagram Live, UCI’s Center of Student Wellness and Health Promotion hosts a guided meditation session called Meditation Monday for just 20 minutes! I recommend this event so much because it really helps to rest your mind and just appreciate the time you’re taking to care of yourself especially when you’re stressed. The instructor does the meditation with you, pairing your concentration and breathing allowing you to relax more. Even if you can’t make it exactly at 2, the instructor will upload the session later on their Instagram: @ucistudentwellness! There are many other resources available on their Instagram so you should check that out as well!

I also made an infographic that lists some of the reasons meditation is beneficial for everyone!

If you want more guided meditations, I recommend looking on Youtube or Spotify for playlists! I’ve listed my favorites below!

  • “Guided Meditation for Positive Energy, Relaxation, Peace 🌤” by Lavendaire
    • If you’ve been reading my blog posts, I think this will be no surprise to you that I am in love with her channel. She preaches personal growth and creates content about building your dream life. This year, she decided to make a challenge for her subscribers or anyone who wanted to join: 10 Day Meditation Challenge! It’s not restrictive at all; you just need to meditate for however long for 10 days consecutively. I’ve linked her guided meditation below and I really hope you try it!
  • “10 Minute Guided Meditation for Becoming More Mindful” by Great Meditation
    • A meditation channel I love and have been using for at least half a year is Great Meditation! They create short, but relaxing guided meditation videos for those who need to fit in a quick meditation within their busy schedules. I highly recommend this channel if you need a variety of guided meditations; they have guided meditations for positive affirmations, clearing your mind, sleep and more!

If you are not into guided meditations, fear not! I also found playlists with calming, meditation music as well!

  • “Tibetan Bowls” by Spotify
    • I personally really like the relaxing effect Tibetan Bowls create and I appreciate Spotify for putting a playlist together just for Tibetan Bowls. If you have not listened or meditated to Tibetan Bowls, please give it a try! I know it sounds a little weird, but trust me, it is really relaxing!
  • “Musical Therapy” by Spotify
    • There is something so soothing about just hearing instruments and I think this playlist is perfect for meditating (especially if the Tibetan Bowls were not it for you haha).

It is also okay if meditating is not for you; it happens! If you would like to try something else that is equally as relaxing, I recommend yoga! On Youtube, there is a channel called Yoga with Adriene! She has so many videos for anything: waking up, going to sleep, feeling your best and the list goes on! I’ve linked my favorite video below! I hope you enjoy it!

As for my music recommendations, I made a motivational playlist containing all of the music that encourages me to do my best every day! I hope it inspires you to make the most of each day as well!

Like always, I hope you remember to take care of yourselves and I’ll see you next time!

Posted on

Zoom-ing with a Merry Wanderer of the Night

I’m sure most of you have read Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s such a staple of academic “required reading” that I’d be surprised if a student hasn’t come across this book at least once in their academic career. Me, I’ve read it twice. Once in freshman year of high school–I definitely did not comprehend anything going on in the play as my youthful brain was not at all prepared to face Shakespearean text (Sparknotes was my best friend)–and again four years later in my freshman year of college for my humanities class. To get us acquainted with the play, the humanities core program invites Thomas Varga, an actor who has played Puck, the mischievous jester-fairy, in an actual production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to speak with the students every year at one of our weekly Zoom Friday Forums. 

Now, I’ve only once dipped my toe in the thespian world during my senior year of high school when I was cast as an ensemble member for my school’s production of Macbeth (somehow my dreadful audition did not get me cut from the play). I would definitely consider myself a stranger to acting, but I am a huge admirer of those who can pull off such a difficult task. Listening to Mr. Varga speak about how he portrayed arguably one of the most complex and intriguing characters of the play was so eye-opening to me. Not only did this experience teach me more about the work we were studying in humanities core, but it also deepened my respect for actors.  One thing that caught my attention was how actors need to brainstorm backgrounds for their characters to fill in the gaps of what is not explained in the play. Before, I had never realized how little actors had to work with in their scripts. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is merely a two-hour play with a cast of multiple characters, whose backgrounds are not completely explained. Even the main characters don’t have fully fleshed out backstories! Mr. Varga explained that developing a story for his character, Puck, helped him to connect with the character and deliver a more believable performance–because a magical sprite is pretty hard to relate with as a human being!

This Zoom forum was such a great experience and I definitely recommend humanities core students to attend sessions like this to complement coursework and readings! If you’re not in humanities core, I still encourage you to attend Zoom meetings that feature guest speakers. I always find it so interesting to learn about someone else’s passions!

Your friend,

Vivian

Posted on 1 Comment on Late-Night Snacks

Late-Night Snacks

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

My midterms are not in sync so it seems like I have a midterm almost every other week😣 I had my first midterms for Bio Sci 93 and Psych 7A two weeks ago, and last week, I had my Math 2D midterm. Next week, I will have my second midterms for Bio Sci 93 and Psych 7A. It can get pretty stressful, but it’s important to remember to take breaks and to never give up!

My first midterm week was actually quite scary for me because it was my first college midterm and I had no idea what to expect! Luckily, I had brought some snacks to munch on to calm my nerves! Below are two lists: one covers my old favorites and the other has new discoveries!

  • Black Coffee
    • While I usually do not drink black coffee, I found it quite enjoyable when I was studying because it kept me focused!
  • Yogi’s tea
    • Every single day, I drink at least 4-6 cups of tea! Right now, I am LOVING Yogi’s selection of teas such as their Mango Ginger tea and their Stress Relief tea. I usually drink their Sweet Tangerine tea in the morning to give me a boost of energy and their Green Tea Blueberry tea at night to get me ready to go to sleep. 
  • Trader Joe’s Dried Fruits, Vegetable Chips and Infusion’s Tuna
    • Anyone who was close to me in high school knew that I always had one of the following: dried fruits, vegetable chips and/or tuna. I wasn’t trying to be particularly healthy (though that is an added bonus); I just really enjoyed how they tasted so it’s not exactly a surprise that I brought them with me when I started dorming!
  • Ritz crackers
    • This snack is a staple in my household because it goes so well with everything! I eat it with salsa, guacamole, or just by itself! If I can’t decide what to eat, I reach for these!
  • Nilla wafers
    • For some reason, I just get a craving for Nilla wafers every once in a while, and therefore, it made it onto my list for old favorites! The crispness of the wafer gives me nostalgia whenever I eat it and I like the way it melts in my mouth. 
  • Black chocolate 
    • To be honest, I never really liked black chocolate until my sister kept giving me some whenever I studied. Now, it is just natural for me to eat some here and there😂 I actually enjoy the bitterness of the chocolate and it does help me focus better on whatever I am working on. 
  • Potato chips
    • Now…I know…it’s the least healthy snack here, BUT it is important to remind yourself that it is okay to treat yourself to some cravings especially if you haven’t eaten them in a while…that’s what I tell myself so I don’t feel too guilty😅
  • Lady M’s crepe cakes and Mother’s Market Kitchen’s fruits
    • The trip to these places will be worth it because they’re right next to each other! Lady M, first established in New York, is well-known for its crepe cakes! I’ve only ever tried their original crepe cake so I was so excited to see so many flavors at their Irvine location. I ended up choosing their Matcha crepe cake and their Earl Grey crepe cake. I ate both so fast that I forgot to take a picture to show you all😅, but please know that it was delicious!
    • Mother’s Market Kitchen was such an unexpected surprise, but it was worth the visit. Their produce was fresh and they have a variety of fruits that come from different areas of the world. I will definitely go again in the future😊
  • Sidecar Doughnuts and Coffee
    • At first, I didn’t expect myself to get doughnuts because I’m personally not a doughnut person, but I was pleasantly amazed by their selection of doughnuts. They had the typical doughnut flavors like vanilla and chocolate, but they also had flavors like huckleberry, pumpkin spice, and sweet potato. With such bold flavors, even someone like me who doesn’t like doughnuts will be intrigued to try at least one! 

I also tried something different and made some phone calendar wallpapers so I hope you like them🤗

I put together a playlist of all the songs I’ve been listening to this month so here are my music recommendations!

I hope you all have an amazing day and like always, take care!🤗