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Always read your UCI emails! 

Hello Anteaters! I would like to start off by saying that you, yes you, should always read your UCI emails or any student email on a daily basis. Why am I saying this? Well, if I had not read my emails, I would have missed the opportunity to go to the special event, Dinner with the Anteaters. 

Back in October, The UCI Student Alumni Association sent an email about spending a meal with UCI alumni and other UCI students. I thought this would be a great opportunity where I could meet new people and take a much needed break from homework to learn about UCI alumni and their personal journeys and stories. I also had never heard of an event like this before. I also believe college is always about taking advantage of new opportunities and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. I ended up signing up and about a month later, I got a response saying that I would be attending a dinner on November 5th. The dinner was with two alumni and UCI students at St. Pepperoni Pizza, Irvine Location. The sound of pizza really stood out to me and it was a no-brainer that I would be attending ( I am kidding, but jokes aside, I was really excited to attend this event!)  

I think what really stood out to me from this event was how welcoming the UCI alumni were to us guests. They were just as excited as us to spend an evening together and gladly shared their college and career journeys.  One of my favorite parts of the evening was listening to all of the alumni’s advice. One of my favorite pieces of advice was to always ask for help and take advantage of all the opportunities available at UCI. This piece of advice stood out to me because as a first year, the whole college journey is new and scary at times. After listening to the ladies, I learned that everyone, including those who already graduated, walk through life with the same fearful thoughts as a first year. If one asks for help in the beginning, one saves themselves hours of stress. There is nothing wrong with asking for assistance, even if one desires to be a perfectionist and figure things on their own. 

I am so glad I went to this event! 

And remember to always read your emails!

Until next time, ZOTZOTZOT!

Yummy pizza!! 

HUGE gumball machine! I mean huge!

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To new beginnings and the Importance of Self-Advocacy :)

Hello Anteaters! Although school has only been in session for about a month, my experience at UCI has consisted of meeting new people, adjusting to the college lifestyle, and balancing school work with outside activities. 

Because my STEM courses are taught in the “flipped classroom” style, I have been adjusting to learning material independently and creating a consistent routine when it comes to watching online lecture videos. I learned early on in my General Chemistry course that missing one lecture video will result in a difficult class session. Thankfully, this occurred during week two, so I had time to change my study habits and no longer had to “play the catch up game” (which was a sigh of relief). Trust me, you do not want to fall behind, especially in STEM courses!

Another new piece of information is that I had the opportunity to declare Math as my major! During week two, I worked alongside the supportive Undecided/Undeclared staff and the Physical Sciences Department to switch from an Undeclared major to a Mathematics major. Although this process included physically knocking on the Math Department’s office doors just to hear the same answer, “no, you have to wait until you meet the requirements,” my last attempt was successful! I was greeted by an academic counselor and given a strict deadline to switch into Math by the end of that week. I am grateful that I can continue to blog, even as a new Math major! 

Furthermore, a significant part of the college lifestyle is the food at UCI and around the city of Irvine. 

My ultimate study snack is from Brandywine, and it is their delicious vegan pumpkin bread. Every time I eat at this dining hall, I take two or three pieces because they are not only tasty, but are already saran wrapped, which makes for a quick snack after a long day of classes. I also have my friends try the bread, and believe me when I tell you that they all would give it a 10/10:)  

Yum!!

TIP!!!

You may be wondering why I included a photo of a doorstop. If you are living in the Mesa court classics I recommend buying or asking for one! By keeping the door open, I have met several students in my dorm building. This was great during week 0 when everyone was moving in and meeting each other. 

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“On Your Marks, Get Set, Bake”

Introduction:

The warmth emanating from the oven as you watch the dessert within rise and become a perfect golden brown. The heavy, nearly palpable smell of sugar lingering in the air. The anticipation of finally taking your first bite of the sweet treat. From cakes to cookies to bread, baking is a hobby that I have been involved in for years. Although I am far from professional, my simple desserts are often found at friends’ birthday parties, family gatherings, and class potlucks.

Overview:

You are likely already familiar with baking from watching your relatives or binging shows like Sugar Rush, Nailed it!, and The Great British Bake Off. Many consider baking an art due to the creative flair involved in assembling and decorating aesthetically pleasing desserts. It can simultaneously be viewed as a science because of the precision needed to calculate the correct amount of each ingredient. Add too much of an ingredient like baking powder, for instance, and the dessert’s taste and texture will be manipulated. Thus, baking requires a great amount of skill, especially on a professional level.

Personal Thoughts:

For my family and many others, baking has served as a means of coming together and creating something delicious that we can all enjoy after a meal. I inherited a love of baking from my mother, who would always make desserts for family gatherings before I adopted the responsibility. Furthermore, baking is an enjoyable and even therapeutic activity that allows me to unwind on the weekends after a stressful week of school.

How to Get Started:

There are countless recipes on websites and social media platforms such as Pinterest, Tiktok, and YouTube. One recipe that my family constantly requests is the Kentucky Butter Cake (recipe linked here), a moist pound cake that is both delicious and extremely easy to make.

Furthermore, I often use recipes from the website, Joy of Baking, which contains countless desserts ranging from cakes to muffins to pies to bread. I recently made a carrot cake from this website for my mother’s birthday, and it was a hit at her party. The sweetness of the carrots, spice of the cinnamon, and crunch of pecans all complemented the tangy cream cheese frosting. I would recommend this recipe and the many others found on the Joy of Baking website.

I understand that it may be difficult to bake when living in the dorms. However, there are alternatives that you may want to consider, such as mug cakes that can be made in the microwave. Although I have never made them myself, I’ve linked some from Tasty, a helpful website that features a variety of recipes and videos. Happy baking!

Your friendly neighborhood Undeclared major,

Sabrina

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Going With The Flow

It’s been a few weeks into college and just wow, I know I just started but it still feels so unreal how I’m almost half way into the quarter. Besides slowly transitioning to college and having assignments everyday, my grueling death match to stop my self from snacking on anything is still ongoing.

I’ve began to snack on anything my hands can get on when I’m studying and I refuse to become one of the victims of freshman 15. Although I don’t see any changes yet, my master plan to keep my munchies at bay is still pending, but I’ve been walking around more often and I think I take more than 10k steps a day. I’m almost sure I know about 80% of the campus don’t quote me I said almost, I’ve also been going to UTC a lot the lively atmosphere is great with the right people also. Definitely recommend going to try insomnia cookies triple chocolate chunk at least once or blaze pizza, If I’m being honest I never really tried either of those till I came to Irvine.

As the weeks go by, classes are getting busier and taking a break to ease the mind is now a necessity and a walk sounds like a lot but it’s become a great way for me to destress and socializing is just a bonus, if that still not convincing enough then I’ll have you know that there weddings at Aldrich park and if you’re lucky you’ll get to see them. Also just incase you see me, I sometimes wave or say hi just in case someone might need it and maybe sometime I get a response back or just an awkward stare. If you see me please wave back or come say hi whichever one you prefer, I promise I won’t bite.

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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!🤗