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Selfie Intermission

Hey y’all, glad to be back! Nothing special planned this week, but the next post will be good (I promise). In the meantime, here are some selfies I took around campus, just to give y’all a peek into life at UCI.

Here is my first selfie: right outside my dorm, Middle Earth Towers. If there was anything standout about UCI’s freshman experience, I’d say the dorms are much nicer to live in compared to dorms at other colleges and universities.

Here is my second selfie, taken inside Brandywine, the dining hall for the Middle Earth community. The guy with the red hair is Julian, one of many friends I made this year. We both live in Middle Earth Towers and love how convenient Brandywine is—all we have to do is walk downstairs.

This selfie was taken at the ARC (Anteater Recreation Center) just after my team and I won a close IM game. This team was for co-rec soccer, but I also am in a men’s soccer and open volleyball team. I started getting into IM sports this quarter, and I’ve come to love the community of people who play and run IM sports.

That’s all for this time! As always, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next post—it’s gonna be big… 

Zot Zot Zot,

Ian

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Spring Quarter Update

howdy friends,

so it’s been awhile. i have um missed the last post(s?) but i am here and were gonna make it a better habit to complete these deadlines.

anyways so i guess this post will be a bit of an update since i haven’t written since winter quarter.

so winter quarter is over and idk everything feels um weird. now that i am reflecting over winter quarter, i am realizing how much i didn’t like it. i was taking a lot of my ge’s since i couldnt get a lot of the classes i wanted and i hadn’t declared yet. but now were in spring quarter and a lot has happened.

firstly, i declared! i am officially an english major! that said, i still didn’t get any of the classes i wanted el oh el but its fine. this quarter’s classes are WAY better. school work doesnt feel like work if you enjoy what youre learning so the classes i have now are a bit more fun.

last quarter i had to do TWO ge ii (science and tech) classes and as a humanities major, it was absolutely horrible. i took ess21? the one with the glaciers. the professor was cool but the class was suepr annoying even though i didnt go to lectures. i mean i got a B, (it wouldve been an A if i joined the discord apparently but yk me, didnt make friends or go to lecture). and i took bme3 which was fine and pretty easy. but yk what, now that i am taking classes that i actually like, i think i prefer to do work and enjoy it vs not enjoy work and not do it.

this quarter i am taking fun humanities courses. one of the classes i am taking fms101b, a film class based on the studio era (1990s) so a lot of black and white film. but what is really interesting is the courses’ alignment with actual socio-political problems of the time. a lot of what were talking about in class right now is how the studio era is relevant to black civil rights issues. so in all, its not exactly what i signed up for but regardless, i still think its interesting.

ill be quick with the others because they all lie in the same areas. other than film, i am taking society and law (english 11) which is basically ap gov but its cool because i liked ap gov but idk it wasnt what i was looking for. i thought i would be like analyzing like actual literature. eng 11 is literally just a government class and no literature at all ;(.

my third class is asianamerican studies 53. the class is alright. the professor is very smart but shes also very scary. i think her name is claire wong or something? the topic is really interesting though. we are going through asian american presence in us history and how it aligns with black civil rights; because, as i have learned, they are very interconnected. the class is also super socio political so its cool. who knew that by taking all of these humanities courses, i was actually going to learn be taking a social science classes?

and then lastly philo 4 which is chill. everything is basically online except for discussion but i mean i find the topic of ethics really interesting so i am applying to my life. so all in all, classes are really fun.

other than classes, i got a job! i am actually “working” right now but we did everything were supposed to do so i am just kind of sitting here. but for legal purposes i am working right now but uh yeah i am just hanging out until 12:30 so i can go back to the dorm. i will actually probably go grab some food. tonight is the first night that i dont have dance practice since winter quarter.

ever since i have gone back to school from winter break, i haven’t had a single night to myself. which i know by how i am describing it, sounds pretty bad but…yk what no yeah it has been horrible (maybe thats an exaggeration) but it hasnt been fun.

my dance team has had “hell week” ever since we have gotten back to school. i literally flew back from sacramento and ubered straight to practice so i could get placed in a piece i wanted to be in. oh hell week btw is just when you have practice everyday. our hell week was for eleven days so practice everynight for eleven days.

and okay maybe you’ll say that thats not horrible but let me tell you, our practices dont go from like eight to ten. im talking eight to like three if we’re lucky. in the last few days of hell week, we had a: 3 pm to 3 am (saturday) and the worst? 8 pm to 6 am. its less than saturdays but the thing is, it was a monday night to a tuesday morning.

AND i had work at 6:30. so i literally ended practice at 6 am, hustled my ass back to my dorm, took a shower, got dressed for work and ran to student center. WITH NO SLEEP. and the night before we had practice late as well so i was on like seven hours for two days. AND THEN i had class. okay i am complaining forgive but i am enjoying dancing a lot. i am learning a lot and improving a lot so thats whats great.

i am having a good time usually so it isnt that bad. most of the time im not actually dancing, i just have to be there in case they need me or something. usually i just do homework or listen to music or practice. its just hard because i wanted to be more consistent with my sleep schedule this quarter sooooo, so far not so great.

also i miss my family. to be frank with you guys, i am so thinking about transferring back to a school at home just because i think socal isnt really for me. maybe ill explain more indepth later. but i mean im keeping my hopes up for uci. so hopefully this quarter and next year will change my mind. i really miss my family. and my house. and my dog. and my mom. and my dad. and my car. ;(. but i mean this quarter has been more fun than fall and winter so yeah im keeping my hopes up.

anwyays thats some of my update. i think that was really long but whatevs.

also ima take this chance to promote some albums i have been listening to. eveyrthing is so random el oh el but here we goooo:

portals by melanie martinez (i think its a phase but idc i like it the album is creepy and weird and pretty good). some songs:

  • tunnel vision
  • void
  • death
  • light shower
  • the contortionist

never enough by daniel caesar (okay i have barely listened to it but i like some songs so yeah i am listening to it now just so i dont feel like a fraud or a fake). here are some songs i like:

  • always
  • toronto 2014
  • dissillusionment
  • ocho rios
  • homiesexual

okay that is it. good byeeeeeeeeeeeee

– jaden

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Looking to the Future

I can’t believe that my first year in college is almost over! If I had to sum it all up in a phrase, I think “so far so good” would be a good description. This last finals week hit me pretty hard, but I think (and hope) that I pulled through. I would like to say that it has been a great first year, but there is still the entirety of last quarter waiting, and I don’t want to falter now. 

This next quarter, I will be 18 units, the most I’ve taken since arriving in Irvine. Additionally, I have 8ams on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, which I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to manage. During Winter quarter, my earliest class started at 1pm, so the switch will be a little bit of a lifestyle shock. I shouldn’t be complaining too much, though, since the class responsible for my 8ams is my ICS31 class, which was really hard to get as an undeclared major.

Some more news: I’ve decided on the major I’m going to pursue! I think I want to try for the Business Administration route, and next quarter I’m taking my first management class. One thing about the Business Administration major though—people who switch in need a very high gpa. Some of my friends have told me switching into BA is much harder than other majors, but I still want to do it. If anything, it just gives me more motivation to succeed in my classes, since there’ll be more of an incentive to maintain a high GPA. 

Because of my major choice, my number one goal for the immediate future is to keep my GPA as high as possible. That means every homework assignment, every lecture, and yes, every 8am ICS lab. As long as my GPA stays high, I have a shot at going down the business route that I want to pursue. So as of now, I’m going into next quarter with academics being my first priority—I am a student, after all.

That’s all for me this time! As always, thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a great spring break!

Zot Zot Zot,

Ian

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My Brain Map

Shown above is my brain, or more accurately, the components of what I think about on a daily basis. The different sizes represent how much I value each aspect of my “brain.” As you can see, There are certain things that are much smaller than others, but we’ll get to that in a bit. 

Soccer

Starting from the top, we have soccer. As you all know now, soccer is something I think about all the time. I’m always up to date with soccer news, and I love talking about soccer with people. In fact, if someone were to take my phone and scroll through my social media, they would be incredibly disappointed since I basically only consume soccer content.

Video Games

If I had to describe my personality coming out of high school, it would be video games and soccer. Every day after school, my day would consist of soccer practice, video games, and then anything else I had to do. The games I primarily play are Overwatch and League of Legends, but sometimes I play other games when playing with friends. I’ve had less time to play video games since coming to college, but on some days you can still catch me at the Esports Arena grinding Overwatch ranked.

Schoolwork

Schoolwork is important! However, my mind has other priorities, for better or for worse. I still do my assignments, of course, but I need to constantly remind myself to do my work or it will magically stay undone.

Music

I love music! I can’t go anywhere by myself without taking my Airpods with me, as music is a necessity in my daily schedule. When asked what type of music I listen to, I usually say I listen to everything. In reality, though, I mostly listen to indie music. My favorite artist of all time is Fun (they sang Some Nights and We Are Young) but recently I’ve been listening to an artist called Maude Latour. I would categorize her songs as “indie pop,” and I would highly recommend her to anyone who likes listening to indie. Her most popular song is “One More Weekend,” but I really like “Block Your Number.”

Friends

Lastly, we have friends. The best part of the “college experience” has been spending time with the new friends I’ve made. Now that we’re nearing the end of the second quarter, friend groups have been more solidified, and I’m really happy with my group of friends. I’m still open to meeting new people, but having a set group to rely upon is something that I really value. I do things with my friends a lot, so thinking about them is something I do every day.

Well, that was it! Of course, there were parts of my brain that I missed, but as they say, if you forgot, then it probably wasn’t important! (Nobody says that) Anyways, thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time!

Zot Zot Zot!

Ian

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Tottenham Hotspur Primer

And back by popular demand… me! (Hopefully) This time, I’m here to talk all about my favorite sports team, Tottenham Hotspur. Following this team has been something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed over the last few years, and I would love to share this passion of mine with y’all.

Watching Soccer

Tottenham Hotspur (also called Spurs) is a soccer/football club based in North London, England. I don’t think I have to explain soccer, but I do think I need to explain why I love watching it so much. When people say they think soccer is boring to watch, I kinda empathize with them. When viewed very shallowly, only a few goals are scored per game, making the rest of the game boring to watch. But when you really, really, throw yourself at a game, you feel highs and lows that can be found in few other situations. All of this becomes amplified when you choose a team to support: every touch, pass, and tackle become their own events in the game. And when that goal finally comes—

So anyways, back to Tottenham Hotspur. Every year they compete in the Premier League, which is the best league in England. This league lasts for 38 weeks, and every team plays once a week to accumulate points. Three points are earned for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. The goal every year is to place as high as we can in the Premier League table, and while first place is the dream, doing so is pretty improbable this season. (Maybe one day) However, placing in the top four of the table is the next best thing. This is because placing top four qualifies you for the Champions League, which is the most prestigious competition in Europe. Currently, we are in fourth place, which is barely good enough for us to qualify.

This is the top half of the Premier League table. Tottenham are currently in fourth place, but that is subject to change depending on how the rest of the season goes.

Who makes up this wonderful team, you ask? Once you start watching you’ll eventually learn all the players’ names, but I’ll introduce some of our star players. 

Hugo Lloris

Hugo is our captain and goalkeeper who usually leads the team in every game. The Frenchman is a defensive wall in front of the goal and makes these amazing acrobatic saves. Unfortunately, he got injured mid-Janurary and cannot play for the rest of the season. While this is a big blow, I have full faith in our backup goalkeeper, Fraser Forster.

Harry Kane

With Lloris injured, Harry Kane is filling in for captain. Indisputably our best player, Kane plays as our striker and has scored a whopping 267 goals for the club. He has the third most goals in the history of the Premier League, and even our rivals admit that he is world-class. 

Heung-Min Son

Recognize this man? This is Heung-Min Son, our South Korean star boy. He always plays with a smile on his face—scoring goals only makes the smile even brighter. As the global face of the club, he brings fans from all across the globe, but especially from South Korea. In fact, he was considered the third most influential Korean celebrity by Forbes in 2022, placing him just behind the girl group BLACKPINK.

I try to watch every game that Tottenham play, but with timezones, sometimes games at 5 or 6 am become a bit of a stretch. However, if you’re looking to get into watching, I’d recommend watching highlights on youtube as they are easier to consume in the form of 20-minute Youtube videos. And when you’re ready for the next step, try watching a live game—it really is a different experience when you’ve got someone to root for.

My dream is to one day watch a live game in person, but until then, I’ll happily write or talk about the team. And if there are any other Spurs fans out there, please reach out to me! I’d love someone who I can talk Spurs to. Well, thanks for making it this far—I feel like I’ve just been rambling on and on. I really do love the team though, and hopefully, I’ve conveyed this feeling.

Until next time,

Ian