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1) Scoop out the avocado flesh into a bowl.

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I wasn't. I was going to a community college.

My counselor was mortified when I told her. She couldn't help but look at me in confusion. She knew I had good grades, top 20 in the class, member of a decathlon, etc. etc. etc. She didn't hesitate to show me other schools, other community colleges better than the one I was going to (my college has an exaggerated tale). She showed me a school that was near the ocean, which would probably take 2 hours by bus. I simply told her, "Are you going to drive me there every morning?" Case closed.

Here is what I have taken away from my year of community college:

What's the point of going to college? To get an education, a bachelor's degree, and experience... right? My some-what "boss" told me that I'll be missing the university social life if I went to a community college. Yeah, like I'd like to get wasted, have my hair shaved off, have dumb frat guys running like idiots, roommates who steal my ice-cream, parties that never end...etc. Nope, I'd rather not experience the ever-so-popular "university social life" thank you.

And if you're asking about meeting new people, making friends and all that jazz, I've met many interesting people in my school. The majority of students are from different countries who have stories and different perspectives. As an International Business major, I love this kind of diversity!

This entry isn't a means to sway you off of going to a UC, CSU or private university. This is just to prove that you don't need to pay $28,000 a year for your education when you can get it for less.

Quality Does Not Have To Be Expensive and Counselors Aren't Always Right.

When picking a college: weigh the pros and cons, investigate on your own rather than relying on hearsay, and have the future as a base for your decision (i.e, do you want to pay off loans until you're 30?).

Overall, you're success depends on you, not where you come from.

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Everything was so negative and I felt that I was obligated to call her and ask her how she was. Fortunately for me and all mankind, she ended the friendship. Thank you! :)

I'm not going to dive into the health details since you've probably heard all about it. In a nutshell: running is healthy for the body. For me, I run not just for my health, but for my peace of mind and confidence. First of all, I'm not much of a sporty type, let alone did I ever want to think about running "for fun" around a 2-mile lake! But after every run, I always felt good, felt alive, and feel like I can do anything. Here's what I usually do:

• Set time goals - My first run was around 40 minutes. I pushed and trained myself to keep running and after a couple runs, I brought that 40 down to 30 minutes. My lowest ever was 20 minutes--8 minutes running and walking/jogging the rest of the 2 miles (yeah, I know, the time should be lower than 20 minutes, but hey--it's a working progress!)

• Do not push yourself too hard - Just recently, when I ended my run, I had a minor loss of hearing in my right ear, my eyes were dilated (everything was so damned bright!), the right part of my chest was having a sharp pain every time I breathed in, and I was losing my balance. After 10 minutes of Google search, I still didn't find what the hell happened to me--I can only guess that I was dehydrated. Please, do not let this happen to you, especially if you're a woman, alone running. Stay hydrated!
  
• Always have a buddy - Women, please don't run alone. Men, stay on the safe side too--use that incredible judgment!
• Wear comfortable clothes - I prefer basketball shorts, if I can say so myself!
• Parrrrtttaaaaay! - Sometimes I listen to my mp3 player and have Willie Revillame's Buksan Mo playing. Yep, I get in the zone.
  
• Have fun running - If you like running like a child as much as Phoebe does, then hell, do it! Flap your arms, run like a champ, sing while you do it! Note: Just make sure no one sees you do it. :)

The key to running is to enjoy it--may it be the actual act itself or the effects. When you don't feel like running and run up every excuse, just push yourself to your local lake/park/street/treadmill and start pumping those legs!

Remember, you're not only toning your body and keeping healthy when you run, you're also training your mind to understand that you can make goals and finish them. Then you'll realize that you're one of those people who are making a positive change for themselves--don't you feel all that confidence radiating?!

Get Rid of That Negativity!

If it means ending friendships without letting them know (aka not calling them back), then do it. You don't need negative friends. If you can't get rid of negative people, since, let's say, they're a family member, then try to set things into a lighter, positive mood--aka changing the subject. Just don't let yourself keep suffering from all this negativity! You've got one life to live, so I say, go live it!

You Know What, You're Pretty, Fine, & Sexy

As a graphics and web site designer, I can manipulate people's images into looking like they're runway models (or at least without blemishes and extra fat hehe). What you see in magazines is not true--everything is Photoshopped nowadays and that can lead to some problems. People start to hold this image of "perfection" in their mind, pushing and hurting themselves in order to look just like those people in the magazines. Let me tell you: you are only holding onto a fake, manipulated image. I know you've heard it before, but now is the time to actually listen.

I ask you to look at yourself in the mirror and find all the characteristics you like about your body. Would those characteristics include your finely shaped eyebrows? Your deep eyes? How about your thighs? Yep, it's pretty lame at first, but keep doing it every day, and you might just see that you are: pretty, fine, & sexy.

Some ego boosters:

• hold a private concert in your room (yep, you read correctly!)
• try on your clothes and have a fashion show
• did anyone say, photo shoot?

The point is, you're the star! As my high school AP English Literature professor once told me after he shouted in my face and had his nostrils and eyes flair,

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If you procrastinate like I do, then this entry is for you to read. Let me just give you some background information on how I "study". First of all, people tend to think I'm some nerd that studies her ass off every day and night--in fact, I don't sleep. I'm just a walking zombie that gets off of studying. YEAH RIGHT. What most of my classmates and friends do not know, is that I study at the last minute. Yes, I am ashamed, but it's time for me to come out with it!

• Make acronyms of lists - If you have to memorize, let's say, four things, then make an acronym out of them.
• Make a "short-movie" - Memorize this list: cherries, pig, tea cup, cell phone, camera. Then make a "movie" of some sort out of those five things. "Sara went to give cherries to a fat pig stuck inside a tea cup. She thought it looked funny, so she took a picture of the scene with her cell phone's camera." Crappy example, but you get the idea.
• Don't read everything because you're just wasting time. Read the important stuff--the words in bold, italics. Read the headlines--if it's about Hamburgers and Their Effects, then you better freaking read the effects of hamburgers. Headlines are like questions--answer them.
• Don't memorize definitions. Put them in your own words--into words you understand!
• *** Connect, Connect, CONNECT! - Connect everything you've learned into your daily life. If you're studying for Law, then connect law terms and theories with stuff you see on the news (OJ Simpson case, Britney Spears' case).
• Outline It! - If you know you'll be writing an essay, then get an outline ready. Nothing fancy, just make sure you have your introduction, your body (high school - 3 paragraphs, college - 4 to 5 paragraphs with a lot of ideas), and your tight ass conclusion. By doing this, you'll be prepared for your essay exam. You won't waste time on constructing the essay during the exam and you'll remember the things you've written.

• Read the question and make sure you know what it's asking you. Circle the importance bits if you have to. If it's an essay question, make sure you deliver what's it's asking you to do.
• Before answering multiple-choice questions, read the question and see if you already know the answer. By looking at the choices, you might end up second-guessing yourself.
• Think logically for multiple-choice questions. Cross out the ones that don't fit together. If you have two choices left, then pick the best one (or you can always pick C--haha j/k) according to your own reasoning.
• Go over your answers. Not many people do this, but I do. There have been times when I've accidentally bubbled in a different answer when I meant to bubble something else.
• Sometimes, the answers are in the questions. Read the other questions, there might be a chance that the answer for another question is there (or it may be the professor's way of swaying you off).
• When writing an essay, don't freak out and sit in dismay. In fact, USE THE ADRENALINE! Because you wrote that nifty outline, rewrite it again on another piece of paper (that is, if your professor let's you have scratch paper). I always suggest writing your introductory onto another paper for 2-5 minutes until it suites the topic.
• Writing an essay is like having a conversation (better be a damned intelligent one!) about one topic. You have to connect every sub-topic with the main topic (that is, you have to connect every sub-body paragraph with your thesis!).
• Writing your conclusion. When you end a conversation, you derive ending thoughts. Make sure to include the sub-topic of every sub-body paragraph you had. This is your time to connect everything together! Oh, and make your last line powerful, intriguing, or catching to your reader/professor.
• Always check the time! Obviously.

A little psychology: Before you take your test, say to yourself, "Women have a higher rate of passing than do men," or "Men have been trained to surpass any obstacle unlike women." (haha) I quite agree with the first statement, but that's not the point to this. Having the mindset of having the "upper hand" than your classmates trains your mind into being confident. You can also say, "I've passed so many hardships, I can do this exam in my sleep!" You get the idea.

I don't recommend cramming all the time, people. You lose sleep, you get groggy, and end up drinking coffee to stay awake and "high". Health-wise, it's bad for the bod and if you're a poor college student, all those coffee-runs are bad for the budget. heh Just remember my tips on "studying" and do it from time to time, a long time before exam day. In fact, use it in every day of your life--connect everything while in class and always think logically. I'm in the same boat as you procrastinators, and I hope to get out of it. I hope you will too. Happy Midterms! (Have you tried these tips? Leave a comment!)

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