Cold Cold Cold

It's getting cold. And behold, it's cold season.

For every kid at school, parents are pulling out every strand of hair for them. With the H1N1 virus on its way start a pandemic, this will be a season that's going to be cold in more than one way.

But first, there is no harm in stocking up on Vitamin C and whatever medicinal herbs people can get their hands on. Other than that, there are two very common tasks that many people, especially college attendees, overlook. Sleep and washing hands.

Of course, there's no need to be obsessive and wash hands every ten minutes, but people should at least thoroughly wash their hands whenever they go to the bathroom and before they sit down to eat. It's merely a habit and a good routine to keep.

On the other hand, sleeping may be a more difficult habit to keep up. It sounds a little silly, I mean, who doesn't like to sleep? But it's not really the amount of sleep that everyone gets, but it's between when a person sleeps that matters. Just because a person sleeps throughout the day in four phases of two hours at a time for a total of eight hours does not make it healthy. It is vastly different than sleeping for eight consecutive hours at a proper time.

Sleep prevents colds. It has been proven in the past that sleep contributes to boosting the body's immune system. So if you don't want piggy flu... get those six to ten hours of daily sleep and wash those hands.

As for me, I'll keep those habits... while I drink my orange juice and slurp my chicken noodle soup.

Three Italian Cities - Rome, Florence, and Venice: Part IV

Oh, geez, I completely forgot that I was in the middle of recalling my trip through Italy. Sadly - from my point of view - I actually had to double check what I had covered in the last few posts regarding the trip...

Pisa. What's there to see in the city of Pisa? Standard Italian shops, some churches, and simple restaurants and snack bars are givens. But when "Pisa" is mentioned, it usually has some relation to The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Honestly, there isn't too much to see in Pisa except for the famous tower. However, the tower itself is quite entertaining. I don't mean within, on top of, or next to the tower either.

Pretending we're pushing over the tower was as fun as Pisa can get. Honest to God. Beneath the cloudless sky and unrelenting sun, this was entertainment. Usually, when you see people standing two-hundred feet away from a building, attempting to topple it by screwing with perspective, you'd think they may a little strange.

Looks like we weren't the only strange ones...

That just about wraps up the city of Pisa. It was a mere detour in the three-city trip around Italy. This was just because of the infamous Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is pretty much a must see in any Italian trip.

The Joys of Insomnia

Everyone, I guarantee, everyone experiences insomnia at some point. It does not matter how healthy you are (or how healthy you think you are), it does not matter how wonderful and consistent your sleeping schedule is, and it does not matter if your willpower is so strong that you can force yourself to sleep on cue... or a reverse narcoleptic response.

Anyway, it's not like I make a habit out of insomnia, as it only happens every few days. If I'm lucky, maybe once a week. Of course, the main culprit is obviously screwing up my sleep schedule, i.e. waking up between 2 to 5 p.m. and very few people do that. But when it does happen, as many insomniacs know, the journey to restful sleep is a daunting one, as you feel like you're wasting more energy by trying to sleep than actually forcing yourself to stay awake. That said, instead of lying idly in my bed, eyes wide open and brain cells hyperactively leaping all over my mind, I chose to do some work. Smart? Maybe, maybe not. The only risk in doing so is that I may not remember everything that I did/read... or I may get hungry from thinking too much.

But here's what I got out of tonight. I chose to do two things: read William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Virgil's The Aeneid. Both can be considered really, really, old literature (Shakespeare's dating back to the 17th century and Virgil's to pre-Christ years) that, not surprisingly, I am forced to read in my English classes. Regardless of the fact that my degree-required classes include a Shakespeare class and whatever, I actually held some interest in the subject matter before I registered for these classes. I've read several Shakespeare plays, including the all-too-well-known The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and regrettably, only a portion of Macbeth (which I swear to God, I absolutely will finish one of these days). I purchased a copy of The Aeneid quite a few years prior to attending this class... but I never fully read the piece.

So hurray to insomnia, as it led me to covering some ground on my readings. No way could I finish The Merchant of Venice, let alone the 400-page The Aeneid, in one night, but at least I got to the point where the plots have become clear and I don't need to fry my brain every three paragraphs in order to figure out what on earth the stories' respective characters are talking about. Not to be hasty, but right after The Merchant of Venice is over with, King Lear, Henry VI, The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter's Tale, and a second go-around for both Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream are due up... oh, boy.

Recall that I mentioned a possible risk for working into the late hours include hunger. I'll admit... I do feel like devouring something right now. Peace.

And So We're Juniors - Initiate Fall '09

Junior year means you're officially labeled as one of the "upper classmen," and oh, what an odd feeling that is. It honestly felt like yesterday (excuse the overused expression) when my fellow friends and classmates - here at Binghamton University and those I've met from many other origins - first set foot into the higher education stage of life.

It probably hasn't fully bore into me yet. When my Shakespeare professor innocently asked who were freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, I had the nerve to raise my hand on the word, "sophomore." Oops. That was so last year.

Of course, every opening school year meant I would have issues with the financial aid system. Originally, my parents and I came to an agreement that they will take care of my first two years of college education while I take responsibility for the final two years. Well... the unspoken, verbal fine print basically said: Parents will take care of the "Federal Parent Plus Loan" only. This meant all the subsidized and/or unsubsidized loans from the government pretty much falls under my responsibility. Well, not that I take my parents' assistance for granted at all, no way, but come on. I make pocket change, and that pretty much goes into books, food, and other basic living and schooling necessities not provided by any financial aid. After a short adventure with the university's financial aid office - and just a little decision (or rather, indecision) - my parents decided to take up the Federal Parent Plus Loan once again, due to the fact that I'd have insufficient funds if I reject the aid.

Alternative measures include paying out of our own pockets (nah...) or applying for private loans (i.e. CitiAssist, Chase Bank loans, etc.). But the thing about private loans is that they tend to build up higher interest rates and other high charge fees. Oh, thank you, Mom and Dad. You don't want me to fall into a never-ending pit of darkness... a.k.a. monster debt. Federal Parent Plus Loan it is.

Since it's only been a day (the real meat of the semester is yet to come), not much else has happened. I've yet to purchase all my much-needed books for class and have yet to set up a meal plan. That brings us to another issue. Food. Known by many, and yet unknown by many, I tend to eat a lot. A lot. Starting from freshman year, I started eating at least three huge meals a day, with large snacks stuffed in between the idle hours. This came out to be somewhere around $600 to $1,000 per semester. That is disgusting. So instead of doing that, I decided to spend less money to buy more food. How? Groceries and home cooking. Sure, it's a bigger hassle and takes much more time, but at least I can't complain to anyone else if it tastes horrible and I save money.

Rice with beef and green peppers. Turned out quite nicely.

As any student would say... and probably not accomplish, I vow to improve my grades this semester! Let's bring about an end to procrastination, study hard, and do our best in all fields of academia! Yeah right...