Enamored and Intoxicated

Hello, friends! It’s Friday May 11, 2018, and I’m wide awake at the ungodly hour of 2:55am. I have a really, really bad cough that’s keeping me from finding sleep, so here I am instead, writing away.

Tonight, I watched a video of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, two-time Olympic champion ice dancers from Canada, skate their gold medal free dance to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack at PyeongChang. I kid you not— every time I watch them perform— EVERY SINGLE FREAKING TIME— I end up bursting into tears. It’s truly special, what these artists and athletes are able to impart to others… Passion, emotion, inspiration. And so, so much more.

When I watch them skate, I think of all the hard work it took for them to get to the unrivaled level they reached at the pinnacle of their competitive career. My heart is filled with great respect and tremendous inspiration at the very thought of little Tessa and Scott, who first started skating together at the ripe ages of 6 and 8. 20 years, they’ve been together— the greatest of partners, and the best of friends.

I wasn’t destined to become an Olympic champion. It just wasn’t in my cards… wasn’t in God’s plan. But looking at these two-time Olympic champions from afar inspires me to try my hardest in all I do, with hopes of reaching my own greatest potential, just as these skaters did in their craft.

And so I write to you guys, completely enamored and utterly intoxicated with inspiration… ready to take on all challenges thrown my way!

How’s school going, you may ask? Well, the workload is definitely ramping up. I have a research paper due next week, and I NEED to do well on it to ensure a decent grade in the class. Whew. Pressure is on. Being sick has caused me to miss a whole week’s worth of lecture for my adolescent development class. And don’t even get me started on my philosophy GE— I’m so behind in the readings! No matter. I will get all my work done, eventually. The priority right now is to recover from my sickness.

My parents and brother, Chris, are coming down this weekend for Mother’s Day! They’ll arrive Saturday evening and leave Sunday afternoon. I’m so excited to see them— especially Chris, whom I haven’t seen since winter break, back in January!

Well anyway, seeing as sleep isn’t coming easy tonight (it hasn’t for the past few days), I’m just gonna work on my research paper while listening to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. Wish me luck!

 

 

 

Belicia

Waitlisted at Columbia University

Hey guys! I hope you all have been doing well.

My first round of midterms are finally over, and I couldn’t be more relieved. The relief is slightly soured, however, by the subpar grades I received on my three exams. The grades weren’t terrible– I scored average on my research methods course, and an 86% on my adolescent development class. It’s just that I expected I’d perform better. The saddest thing is when you walk out of the exam room confident and assured, only to realize you didn’t do as well as you expected. I only worry that there is a fundamental conceptual misunderstanding on my part that caused this poor test performance. I’m looking forward to Monday, when I can look over my exam and see what I did wrong.

In other news, I found out on Friday that I got on the waitlist for Columbia University as a transfer applicant! Last December, when I was still convinced I wanted to pursue a dance career, I had planned on transferring to a university in NYC– the mecca of ballroom dance. So, I applied to Columbia, without any expectation of getting in. It’s especially difficult to get in as a transfer applicant, with only a limited number of spots available.

I was surprised, then, when I actually got on the waitlist, instead of being outright rejected! In any case, even if I miraculously get off the waitlist, I most likely won’t be attending, as my path has once again changed. It just doesn’t make sense from a practical and tactical standpoint for me to transfer to a private, out-of-state university as as pre-med student. I gotta save my father’s resources for med school! Moreover, pre-med at universities as competitive as Columbia is INSANE. I’ll actually have a better chance at getting into med school at UCLA than an Ivy League.

So, as flattered as I am at getting on the waitlist at a top university, I don’t think I’ll be leaving UCLA anytime soon.

Alright guys! It’s 11:48pm– bedtime for me. I’ll talk to you guys soon!

 

 

 

Belicia