Posted on 1 Comment on Ravioli Ravioli Whats in the Ant Eatery

Ravioli Ravioli Whats in the Ant Eatery

If you live in Mesa Court, you most likely would have heard about the Ant Eatery. It is the designated eating spot in Mesa Court and it looks good being the first floor of the Mesa Court towers. Its got a modern feel to it, with big windows and outside patios. If you got a 7-day meal plan, chances are that most of your meals would be eaten there. It has a wide selection of food, ranging from burgers to pasta. It alternates from day to day, so most of the time there would be different food choices available, unless you are a burger person then by all means, eat burgers all day since that is never off the menu. It even comes with a ton of desert options as well, from ice cream to brownies if you have a sweets craving. It is a fine dining experience if you can afford it and everything is all you can eat, making that freshman 15 a reality within a few weeks.

Sometimes there are really good days at the Ant Eatery, where they have special promotions or food for the season. For Halloween, they offered a special pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin spice hot chocolate, which in my opinion was really good. Some of you folks might not enjoy pumpkin which is ok, as they offer spiced apple cider as well during those times. And just recently they had a night where they collaborated with the food trucks around campus to bring you food truck food such as Vietnamese sandwiches and mac and cheese balls. I highly recommend nugget night and wings Wednesday for their late night courses since their nuggets are great and the buffalo sauce is top tier.

Sometimes you might just get sick and tired of the same type of food at the Ant Eatery and need to diversify. However, other food places actually require cash and money is tight since you spent it on something you didn’t really need but was cool so you wanted it. Theres where creativity comes in. Tired of all the normal sauces on your burger and just can not perfect that one burger place’s taste? Try using the salad bar’s sauces on your burger. Oriental and honey mustard might just be the taste you are looking for in a burger. Tired of the same burger all the time? Try adding hash browns to it which is usually served during breakfast or brunch, A nice crunchy burger tastes good and fills you up too. Not too hungry and just want a light dinner? Try a crispy chicken patty with a side of plain rice. Works for me every time. Sometimes all the pieces are there, but just spread out. It is up to you to build the perfect meal in the Ant Eatery.

Posted on 1 Comment on Midterm Time!

Midterm Time!

As we enter the third and fourth week of college, midterm exams come into play. While I haven’t officially taken any of my midterms yet, many of my friends and roommates have. Midterms are indeed stressful, since it is one test that determines a large chunk of your grades, but it is still another test. Studying is the key to passing a test, and since midterms are just a test, studying is the key to passing the midterms. That being said, studying is hard and I have not done any of it yet. Everyone who is actually studying right now are saints and I really hope that you pass your midterms, though my blessings might not matter since you have great study habits. And for those who don’t study or need help, I have some helpful hints and tips.

Starting the studying process is the hardest part of studying. The easiest way to combat that is to study as a group. That way everyone in your study party can encourage each other along and get things kicked into gear. If everyone works to a goal, in this case studying for a midterm, it makes the process more bearable and fun. No one is suffering by themselves. A quiet place is also a good thing to have when studying. Finding one is difficult however, because most people tend to study in the day when they are more awake. But studying at night can be fun too. There are more quiet places open at night because people who were studying in the day are getting a good night’s rest for the midterm. It also gives off a sense of urgency, since usually the test is on the next day, and that sense of urgency keeps you focused. However, at that point it becomes last minute cramming. During these late night study sessions I highly recommend someone to bring a pitcher of ice water and if possible, a spray bottle. The chill that you get from drinking the water can keep you up and if someone does fall asleep, you can spray bottle them. While that does sound mean to do, it keeps people up in fear of being sprayed. If someone is actually hungry, I recommend munching on some chips. It isn’t the most healthiest choice but it is the cheapest, and cheap is good for college students.

Studying can cause things that usually wont happen. One of my roommate’s friend came over to study at our dorm since they had a big project coming up and they wanted a quiet place to get most of that done. He came in at ten at night, and got to work. We all had our own things to do so we didn’t really mind him being there. I went to be the at around midnight since I was done with studying for the day and turned in. What I didn’t know was that the friend was still in the room, because at that point it was lights out. When I woke up at around ten in the morning, I realized he was still there, working. He never slept or even went back to his own dorm. He got so caught up in his work that he totally forgot where he was. We were all ok with it, but it was a kick to see them still at it for so long with no breaks.

Posted on 1 Comment on Introductions!

Introductions!

Hey everyone, I am Tommy Ieong! I am one of the writers for ZotBlog this year. I came from further up north, around the Sacramento region, so staying at UCI would be the first time I would have stayed in Southern California for an extended period of time. My hobbies include playing video games and watching anime and even sometimes going for long walks at dark. My favorite video game to play in my spare time is  Guild Wars 2. If anyone is interested in playing it (its free) message me and I can help you get started. If you already play this game, shoot me a message too! My all-time favorite anime is Hayate the Combat Butler and would highly suggest watching it if you are interested in anime. Right now I am a Undecided/ Undeclared trying to get into Computer Game Science.

The first few weeks here were fun. It was the first time I got to see my roommates in person and they turned out to be really cool people. We all decided to bring one thing to help out the room so I decided bring a fan to keep it cool. My roommates brought a mini fridge and a vacuum so now we have chilled snacks whenever we want. Most of my roommates had early morning classes so we went to sleep quite early. However, my earliest class starts at one in the afternoon. That’s why I usually have the room to myself in the morning which feels great.

The classes here at UCI are challenging but not impossible to pass. I expected this to be true and it was. All I had to do was turn in assignments on time and do the work when it needs to be done. It can get challenging at times, especially when your roommates invite you to hangout events when something is about to be due, but you can always say no. Most of the time they will understand the struggle.

Getting to class from Mesa Court has been tough for me. Most of my physical lectures have been at either the social sciences hall or at the engineering hall, which could take a good ten to fifteen minute walk. It would not be such a big problem if there wasn’t any slopes to climb up, but there are. The slopes make walking difficult and thus makes me feel like biking would be the solution to my problems here. Overall my college experience for the first two weeks was great. I’ve met new people and experienced many things that are unique to this environment.