Goodbye 2012!

I always forget how busy the days after Christmas are! I love all the fun stuff during the holiday season, and now I'm totally burnt out, and somewhat waiting for school to begin again. I'm eager to go back and start my classes, but I'll still make the most out of my break. Catch up with some friends, and do some home projects, catch up on some reading... :) 

Anyway, happy new year everyone! And let's make 2013 fantastic, yeah? :)

 

Currently...

Listening to: A Very She and Him Christmas. I'm not the biggest She and Him fan, but I do love their Christmas album. It's very nice background music for crafting and making Christmas goodies for people. :)

Watching: Season 4 of Breaking Bad. My hope is I'll catch up before this year ends. I've just finished the fourth season, and will be starting the fifth as soon as possible! 

Obsessing over: These candies! I've been waiting for them year round, and I finally got two boxes. I'm trying not to eat them all in one go, but it's hard since they're quite possibly my favorite candy! (On this note, I'm starting to think if something has the word "peppermint," I'm going to be obsessed with it...)

Merry Christmas everyone! -- Sheilly

Three Things: Glitter Edition

I haven't been back in my house for a whole week, and I've already started crafting like a crazy person. I found my beloved bottle of glitter and decided to finish some projects that I've been meaning to get around to... by glittzing them up! This was the first project: two mini trays where I keep rings and small things. :)

And since glitter goes everywhere, I decided to find a clever way to put away that glitter!
I'm calling this shade Goldfinger, since OPI don't have it in their line. (And why not name it after the BEST James Bond movie ever?) While I'm not sure if this was the most brilliant plan, I have a fun glitter polish to play around with!

--Sheilly

Favorite Pictures of 2012 Part 2

I know my last post about my favorite pictures seemed very final, but as I was gazing through my pictures, I found a couple more that I really wanted to share. So without further adieu...

     

I hope you enjoyed round two of my favorite pictures! :) -- Sheilly

Thoughts on Fall 2012

This semester is finally over! If I ever sign up for more than five classes, someone please... punch me right in the face. This semester felt like a good slap in the face, with the amount of work I was  doing! While I've expressed some concerns before, I can't help but feel happy about this semester. It was stressful, so incredibly stressful, but the payoff was so nice.
Getting those good grades almost feels like Christmas came early, and Santa knew exactly what I wanted. But it's not like someone just handed me the grades, but rather I worked hard for it, and that feeling makes it that much better.
Am I gushing? I feel like I'm gushing!

At the end of every semester I always reflect, thinking back on what I could have done better or what I really wish I spent more time on while also considering what I did that was fantastic. I think it's a good balance, finding something to achieve while also acknowledging what I did so well always motivates me more for each semester.
Some of my favorite things from this semester// things I've learned:

Learning about Radical formations in Organic Chemistry. Are you ready for a nerd-gasm? Good. 

Radical reactions are thought to be the basis for many forms of cancer, because these reactions are spontaneous and can not be controlled. Like cancer cells dividing uncontrollably, once a radical reaction begins, it will not terminate easily. To explain the process, atoms have electrons in a space around an atom. When these electrons are stimulated with energy like heat or light, they will start to move around more, and will leave the atom. Atoms do not like to have an incomplete shell of electrons, so they share their electrons with other atoms to keep their shells full. In a radical reaction, two atoms share electrons that get excited, and  break apart, causing each atom to seek more atoms. Since atoms don't like having incomplete shells, they will look for other electrons to share, and will attack and bond with other atoms. This is what is being shown in the picture above! Okay, I'll stop now. 

Die Blaue Blume-- German for the blue flower. Way before the modern meaning of this colored flower, the blue flower represented "what people look for, but could never be found." It symbolized love and desire, and the quest to find it. While I can't say that the Romantik period was my favorite, I do love this symbol that they chose. I think I've never seen a blue flower yet, and the way it's worded... well why don't you read it? 

"Nicht die Schätze sind es, die ein so unaussprechliches Verlangen in mir geweckt haben, sagte er zu sich selbst; fern ab liegt mir alle Habsucht: aber die blaue Blume sehn’ ich mich zu erblicken. Sie liegt mir unaufhörlich im Sinn, und ich kann nichts andres dichten und denken."

In English: "It was not the treasures that drew me in so unspeakably, he said to himself. The blue flower was what lead me away from greed, and was what I seek. She is stuck in my head, and I can not think nor write of anything else."
Isn't it pretty? 
There were so many wonderful things in German literature, and while we did get through so much of it, there is always so much more to be explored. I'll definitely be checking out some more German poetry in the near future, even if I'll be reading it with the world's biggest German dictionary next to me...

More Orgo! Who's really surprised? I guess this is not necessarily something I learned but rather became more confident in. At the beginning of this semester, doing a synthesis problem scared me SO much. I was terrified at the thought of needing to know endless amounts of reactions, and knowing exactly where something would attack. I can't say I'm a master at it, but right now I'm not as afraid of these problems as I was at the beginning of the semester. The lesson learned here was to keep working through it. There's more than one solution to every problem, and some are easier than others, but it's not terrifying at all. It shouldn't be. So going into the second part of orgo, I know I can conquer it. I'll study this break, and I'll keep plowing ahead. Which leads me to the last lesson/photo...

If there's one thing I'm guilty of, it's finding life lessons in the show Scrubs. I take it to an extreme, that is probably not what the writers or creators of the show intended. (Sorry!) That being said, this was the first semester where I didn't do my usual ritual of rewatching all eight seasons of the show in a semester. It's weird, because I've done that since the very first semester I've been here, and I've missed it. There have been so many instances where my life has coincided with something happening in that show, and all of a sudden I know exactly what I need to do. So I guess I learned that I need to rewatch Scrubs every semester of college now. (Is anyone else saying weirdo right now? Because I know in my head, I am!) 

Anyway, that brings me to the end of this semester. I'll be heading home for the holidays tomorrow, with my car packed with multiple bottles of nail polish and an organic chemistry textbook. To anyone still charging through finals, good luck! To everyone else, thanks for reading! -- Sheilly

December 2012

December from shellahhhh on 8tracks Radio.

Fresh Guacamole

This is by far the tastiest guacamole I've ever had.
And the best part? I made it myself!
I'm not sure why I never thought to make my own guacamole ever because it's really so simple. An avocado, two jalapenos, some chili powder... seriously why I have I never tried to make my own guacamole before?
Next stop, salsa? I do have a big bag of chips to devour... -- Sheilly

No Friday List

Usually I do Friday Lists, you know, on Fridays... but today it doesn't seem right.
I was going to post some Christmas gifts that I hoped I would get this year, but in light of recent events, I just don't think it's right. Especially since those kids deserved to get all of their Christmas gifts more so than I do.

A group is doing a fundraiser for the Newtown, CT community. If you want to help out in any way, please donate and spread the word.

I really don't have anything else to say today. My thoughts go out to anyone who lost a loved one today, and every child who lost a bit of their innocence today.-- Sheilly

Favorite Pictures of 2012

Really not much to say here. I'm not someone who likes to do posed pictures, but I love catching sunsets and random things that I deem pretty. So this is a collection of small moments that were too beautiful to see once, and have been immortalized. Enjoy! 

And last but not least: My favorite selfie shot this year...

This actually had the funniest story. My brother and I were moving into college again this year, and we had SO MUCH STUFF. We had so many tiny things at the top of everything that every turn my brother took, I was literally ducking my head in fear of getting decapitated. So naturally, I had to post this picture on Facebook, with the words: 

I'm in PERIL.

Although I think this one is a close second:

There's really no way to describe this picture. My roommate and I are the best roommates ever. 

Thanks for looking! -- Sheilly

Ramen Noodles with Eggs and Veggies

I have found that I am really bad at eating well if I'm fending for myself. If you look around my room at any given moment, you will most likely see candy, potato chips, and cookies. While the last two years, I've gotten away with the excuse of "Oh, well I have a pre-paid meal plan, there's really no reason for me to make my own *healthier* food," but that's not the case anymore!

I love eating Shin Ramyun noodles. They are my go to whenever I need a quick meal, that is fast and easy. But I've found that you can't really eat soup year round. So what do you do? Well, usually I have eggs and some form of veggies around, so I make fried noodles. Today I'll show you how to make them, as well! 

Here's what you'll need.

• A pack of Ramen noodles. I personally love Shin Ramyun, but any will do just fine! 
• Some veggies! I really love getting a stir fry kit from Stop'n'Shop, because everything comes pre-cut, and all you have to do is wash it! 
• An egg, or two. 
• Olive oil
• Siracha (optional) 

Follow the instructions on the sleeve for how long to cook boil the noodles. If it has a vegetable pack, you can add it in with the noodles so it plumps up. Save the soup pack for later. You'll need it to season the eggs and noodles. ;)

As you're waiting for the water to boil and noodles to boil, you can chop up your vegetables a bit more. I like having bite size pieces of broccoli, rather than huge chunks, but it's really up to you! 

Get the eggs going, and season them with a little bit of the soup base. Make sure to de-clump the soup base! I accidentally added too much of it there, and it turned the eggs a little orange, but it was still delicious. Mix the egg around. Then add the vegetables and noodles. 

At this point you can put a little bit of Siracha in or you can serve it as is. Put on a plate, and serve! Delicious. :) 

--Sheilly

Loves of My Life: James Bond

It might be the fact that I've been studying for Orgo nonstop since this Wednesday, or just the general stress stemming from finals this week, but I am on a James Bond kick. I mentioned how I finally got to see Skyfall this month and since then I've been a huge James Bond bender. I've been watching the opening title sequences, rewatching favorite scenes from my favorite ones, listening to the title songs, and wandering around campus with some spy swagger.

Credit

James Bond recently celebrated his 50th anniversary. Twenty three movies, six actors portraying James Bond, over thirty Bond girls, and the story still goes on! I grew up watching James Bond movies with my family, but most notably my mom and my brother. I've probably seen every movie at least twice, and my favorites over 10 times. I always wait for the weekend marathons on USA network or Encore, and will spend the day watching my favorite spy. 

Credit

And I realize that James Bond movies are really a guy thing. The cars, the women, the gadgets, the espionage... but I still love it. I geek over the Bond cars with my brother. (My favorite being the Astin Martin DB5. A classic!) Q is probably my favorite character in the series because his weapons never cease to amaze me, and his blatant annoyance of Bond always cracks me up. Skyfall's reintroduction of Q was perfect and it fits with the modernization of Bond. 

I truly believe I'll never outgrow watching James Bond films. Even when I was a little kid, I always wanted to become a spy just like Mr. Bond. I want to go see the world, save people, and introduce myself with my last name first. But I'll live with watching the movies and ordering a shaken not stirred martini when the time comes. -- Sheilly

Friday List... on Saturday?

Finals are next week.... AHHH! I lucked out, and only have to go to two of my finals, and the rest are either online tests or projects. Unfortunately, my two finals that I'm worried about are scary ones: Organic Chemistry and Computer Programming. Here's how I've kept myself sane:

1. Christmas Lights are currently strung all around my room. I assure you working on coding is 100 times better when it's done in Christmas lighting. 
2. Popcorn is the best crunching snack during orgo problems. For every correct answer, I reward myself with a handful of freshly popped popcorn. :)
3. Frasier breaks! After every hour of studying I've rewarded myself to an episode of Frasier. Specifically the Christmas episodes because they're both seasonal and hysterical. 
4. Apple Pie room freshner.. not a candle. It's a very soothing smell. 
5. I painted my nails so I don't nervously bite my nails. 
6. Dry erase markers to both create lists of what I need to do, and save paper when working on problems. 

As you may have noticed, this is under Friday lists, but I posted on a Saturday. I'm currently taking a mini hiatus this week, because it's a stressful time. I have two posts lined up for you though! So this blog will continue to be updated. :)

On a final note-- I've finished my writing course, for which this blog was created. While I can't say what I'll be receiving in that class, I can say that this blog has really helped me out. I will continue to blog because it's quite fun. I'd like to thank everyone who read this blog recently. You really have no idea how much you've helped with my project and my ideas for this writing course! If anyone is interested in reading my essay about lifestyle blogging and the creation of this blog let me know by e-mail or comment or whatever! 

I will see you in a week and a half! Good luck to anyone else suffering through finals. :)-- Sheilly