Derrick Rose: will never be the way he was pre-torn-ACL; makes me really sad because he truly is a well-rounded player (his three-pointers became much better!)

Omer Asik: should work on his free-throws (seriously? this should be a given for a professional basketball player) and on being more aggressive

Carlos Boozer: is either really good when he’s good and really bad when he’s bad - never truly consistent; should work on taking smart shots

Joakim Noah: should work on being able to take shots after pausing to dribble (he usually only takes shots right after someone passes to him)

Kyle Korver: should work on being more aggressive defensively

Taj Gibson: should work on screening

Ronnie Brewer: should work on defense and consistent shooting

Luol Deng: hopefully he gets surgery on his wrist and makes a full recovery; he was our go-to guy for everything, but he’s been pretty inconsistent with the injury

John Lucas III: should work on getting taller. haha just kidding! he should work on defense and passing

Jimmy Butler: I have no idea. just keep him practicing.

C.J. Watson: should work on passing and making consistent shots

_____________________________________________________________

Honestly, I think last year should’ve been our year to win the championship.

This year was a stretch, what with the injuries because of the rushed season due to the lockout.

Hopefully, we’ll make it next year!

We always have next year.

The unofficial motto for the Chicago sports teams.

While studying for finals and listening to “Finding Nemo”, I realized for the umpteenth time that I will be a senior this fall.

A senior in college.

Three years of college are coming to an end, and I am facing the fourth and final year.

It’s truly incredible.

My friend said that she feels cheated because just as she’s settling into college life, she’s going into her senior year.

I laughed, and then I realized that I feel the same way.

I felt so lost and small when I came here as a freshman, even though there were many kids from my high school who were here with me.

Six semesters later, and I feel like this is my second home.

Although I don’t know the bus routes well, and I don’t know the quickest routes to certain places, and I still haven’t been to a majority of the popular, campus-town restaurants, I feel like a regular.

I’m learning more about myself and how I want to live my life with each semester that goes by.

It’s very stressing but blessing (that rhymes!) when thinking about the GRE and grad school and everything else that’s waiting for me down the road.

I’m so nervous because I’m at a crossroads in my life where I have many choices but the roads are foggy, so I can’t see where they lead.

Will this one choice waste 2-3 years of my life? Is it the best choice?

Every choice comes with heavy consequences and a significant amount of time.

It’s scary to think about growing up.

But at the same time, I feel so blessed and proud for making it this far.

I’m kind of glad (no, really glad) that I am going to be in school for a couple more years.

Granted, I’ll incur more loans, but I get to delay growing up for a little bit. And I need more schooling anyway, for my future profession.

Although this is basically what I’ll be doing:

Hahahahaha

But seriously, I’m ready to take on the world’s challenges.

And the first of those challenges is studying hard for my upcoming finals and finishing my sixth semester with no regrets.

On to listening to “WALL-E” and studying for my French final!

:)

• [x] You are loud.

• [x] You like going to school to see your friends.

• [ ] You’ve had more than a couple detentions.

• [ ] You always have something to do on the weekends.

• [ ] You like to be the center of attention.

• [ ] You get above average grades in school.

• [ ] You’ve been called bossy before.

• [x] You’re a bit of a daredevil / you like an adrenaline rush.

• [ ] You are athletic.

• [ ] You are one of the best players on your team.

• [x] You would do anything for your loved ones.

• [ ] You like the color red.

• [x] Your favourite class is Transfiguration or DADA.

• [x] You would never break a promise.

TOTAL: 6

Hufflepuff:

• [x] You have many acquaintances, but only a handful of good friends.

• [x] You get average grades in school.

• [ ] You’ve been called boring before.

• [x] You don’t like to brag about your achievements.

• [x] You value honesty.

• [x] You don’t mind working hard to get what you want.

• [ ] You like the color yellow.

• [ ] You have a job.

• [ ] You are athletic.

• [x] You are a team player.

• [ ] You are in the middle of the social totem pole.

• [x] You are easily amused.

• [x] You like helping others.

• [ ] Your favourite class is Herbology or Divination.

• [ ] You like the music played on the radio best.

TOTAL: 8

Ravenclaw:

• [ ] You get good grades in school.

• [x] You like to read.

• [x] Dumb people annoy you.

• [x] You are creative.

• [ ] You’ve been called a know-it-all before.

• [ ] You hate cheating.

• [ ] People often want you to help them with homework or projects.

• [x] You are more into the creative arts: theatre, dancing, drawing, etc.

• [ ] You are extremely logical in your way of thinking.

• [x] You are considered shy or quiet by people you don’t know.

• [x] You like the color blue.

• [ ] Your favourite class is A History of Magic, Charms, or Care of Magical Creatures.

• [x] You tend to over analyze things.

• [ ] You can focus and pay attention well.

TOTAL: 7

Slytherin:

• [ ] You are very competitive.

• [ ] You like the finer things in life.

• [ ] You think welfare is a waste.

• [x] You’ve made fun of someone in the past week.

• [ ] You’ve been called a snob before.

• [ ] You think the end justifies the means.

• [x] You’re not afraid to say something to someone else’s face.

• [ ] You tend to think people are a bit jealous of you.

• [x] You’ve made someone cry by just saying something to them.

• [ ] You tend to root for the villains in movies, books, etc.

• [ ] You are very good with words.

• [ ] Above all, you want to be successful in life.

• [x] You like the color green.

• [ ] You love to win.

• [x] Your favourite class is Potions or DADA.

TOTAL : 5

I almost always just (barely - I have a short attention span) listen to the sermon on Sundays. Regardless of the length, I tend to zone out within the first 5 minutes.

At retreats, I listen for a bit longer, but usually not by much.

I zone in and out, catching random phrases and uplifting words.

This past Sunday, I caught myself yet again zoning out and not really taking in the message. It was a good message - how to keep your spirit refreshed and about Lent, that the thing you gave up should mean that you made more time for God, not for a new distraction - but it was stuff that I had heard many times, in many ways.

After the sermon, we had a short discussion about how we could remember God throughout the day and remember to pray and/or read the Bible more often.

One suggestion was to read the Bible before you know you have to do something. For example, before you start your homework (which one does eventually get to after hours of sifting meaninglessly through the far corners of the internet), read a couple chapters of the Bible, reflect for a bit, pray, and then start your homework.

My mom always tells me that right after she wakes up in the morning, she takes some time to pray, thank God, and prepare for the day ahead.

I tried both things yesterday and today, and I must say, it’s going great so far! I know it’s only the very beginning, but I think it really does help.

If I think about everything that I have and take for granted, I realize that I am ridiculously blessed. And yes, that does tend to make me feel guilty - what separates me and my fate from those in North Korea or Uganda? But at the same time, I feel hugely grateful that God is present in my life and is always with me.

Even though this is the most stressful and busiest semester I’ve had in college thus far, I realized that this is probably going to be one of the happiest and simplest times of my life.

It only gets harder from here. But I think that if I keep God in my heart and think about all that I am blessed with, and remember to be thankful throughout the day, taking just a few minutes each day to thank God, I’ll be pretty happy and not too stressed out.

Just some food for thought :)

Sometimes, I want to live somewhere like this

with very few material goods.

And then sometimes, I want to live somewhere like this

with an indoor swimming pool, a library and a walk in closet.