Word on the 'Fridge.

"Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you!" -Christian D. Larson

Let me start by telling you the short story of how I managed to come across this particular quote. On my first trip to New York city upon moving to northern New Jersey, I was with my parents. Just the three of us. In one of the tourist shops we stopped at in Times Square, there was a rack filled with magnets, cards, and postcards with quotes written on them. Some of the quotes were famous verses by Shakespeare or Robert Frost while others were by anonymous authors. Now being a person who loves reading quotes, writing them down, memorizing them, I just had to take a look. I decided I would grab a few cards to send back home to friends and possibly a magnet for the new mini fridge that would soon be in my dorm room. All of the quotes were so amazing and I could not for the life of me decide on the one I really wanted. Finally, I landed on a simple, white square and on it was written the above quote. It was perfect. I love anything motivational and inspiring so this would fit right in my new living space. Because I knew I'd need a lot of motivation to get me through the coming months of being on my own.

So yes, that's right. This blog entry is about a quote on a magnet that hangs on the mini fridge in my dorm.

And I absolutely love it. Anytime I'm feeling down I just read this quote and it never fails to make me feel better. There are times when having this magnet has come in handy. For example, when my roommate was going through a hard time with the ending of a relationship, I gave her this quote to read. And as corny as it sounds, it made her feel much better. It even hung on the metal posts of our bunk beds for a period of time. So any time I'm looking for a little pick me up when life's got me down, I just look to the words on the 'fridge.



Quotes are somethings I use for motivation. Is there anything in particular that motivates you and uplifts your spirits?

Future Tense

"I never think of the future- it will come soon enough." -Albert Einstein (U.S, German-born physicist)

“We are so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” -Calvin & Hobbes (Comic Strip)

Well, here I am. Four months in and wrapping up the end of my first semester of college. I guess it's true what they say about time flying by when you're having fun. Who would have thought fun could be found in the town of Caldwell, New Jersey? It is so easy to get caught up in the new, fresh college surroundings, especially when you're over 2,500 miles away from home. New found freedom takes over and it hits you, you're grown-up. Everything you dreamed of as a kid is sitting on your doorstep. The most valuable thing I have learned about myself during this life altering experience is I spent too much time waiting for the future. I mean, to an extent everything we do should be in accordance to our hopes and dreams of the future we desire, but at what point are we merely sacrificing our present? I remember entering my freshman year of high school. My parents telling me to enjoy it because it was going to fly by if I did not pay close enough attention. But I was an angst-filled teenager, what the heck did my parents know? Well, I just want to say thanks, Mom and Dad. It really did fly by and oh, how I wish I did pay attention and realize that those would be the times of my life. Even though, every single day of high school all I did was complain how much it sucked and how much I wanted to be in college already. It is like looking back on my childhood and realizing how easy it was to be carefree and all I needed was a good Disney movie to make me believe in the magic of finding my prince charming. Oh, to be that young again. Now look at me, a college freshman living away from home thirty minutes from the "Big Apple". It is my dream come true. And this time I am going to make it all worth it. Because as I sit here in my "wiser (yeah, right) old age", I vow to make this time count. Of course its a give-in I'll worry about my future, but I've only got one shot at The Now. So here's to making My Life count because at the end I want to be able to say I did all I could...

...how about you?

What is Love?

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear."
-Bible, 1 John iv. 18.

"But love is blind and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit;
For if they could, Cupid himself would blush
To see me thus transformed to a boy."
-William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), The Merchant of Venice, Act II Scene 6

"Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."
-Robert Frost (U.S. Poet)




Love is...
a smile on a bad day.
a fireplace warming a family room on Christmas Eve.
more than our wants.
simple when it is right.
a helping hand when it is needed most.
a place to stay when things are at their worst.
answering a best friend's call anytime of the night.
letting others see your flaws.
the simple act of a kiss.
a prayer said for others.



What is love to you?

All for Laughs

“There’s no half-singing in the shower, you’re either a rock star or opera diva.” -Josh Groban

I came across this quote and couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the truth behind it. I am almost certain we are all guilty of rocking out in the shower. Shampoo bottle in hand, pretending you are on stage rocking out in front of a sold-out audience in Madison Square Gardens. I mean, you guys do it too, right? Now even if we can't all be Rock stars there is endless fun in screaming your favorite song at the top of you lungs, heck I know I do it in the car too. Numerous times I have been Rihanna just "livin' my life" or Gwen Stefani talking about how "I'm just a girl". In the end its all for laughs. No harm no foul. Just a good "let loose" session that let's admit: more people could use.


What is your favorite song to COMPLETELY rock out to?

Is it in you?

"Sweat is the cologne of accomplishment."

The above quote can be found in the receptionist's desk of the Caldwell College Fitness Center. Now, as a frequent, 4-6 times a week visitor of my school's gym I was particularly intrigued to find this simple quote written on a piece of lined notebook paper pasted to the edge of the desk for any keen eye to notice. But what does it mean exactly? Is it meant to motivate the visitors or just some sort of inside joke? Is it the sweatier you are the more you feel you have accomplished? I'm not really sure what to take it for, but I do know hard work is definitely not measured in liters of sweats. It is all about desire.

Desire is something uncontrollable. It is a passion that takes over and engulfs one in a tunnel of motivation. The above video is something that consistently guides me into this tunnel. For example, one night after returning from the gym and taking my usual hot shower, I sat at my computer bored and went to my favorite YouTube videos and came across this Nike commercial. My roommate and I, both life-long softball players, screamed and remembered this exact video as the commercial that aired throughout the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But as it began, silence fell. Chills overcame and we remembered our one true love. It is the game that never lets you down, almost like a warm friend. It is an escape from realities. It is why we are here, and what we are today. We play and we become "the happiest girls in the whole USA." The video closed out and we were left breathless. Next thing I know, we both grabbed our gloves, bundled up in coats, boots, and beanies to go play play catch on the lawn in front of Rosary Hall at 11 o'clock at night. Everything else went away. Nothing mattered because I was doing what I was meant to do, and doing it solely because of MY desire to play. No other intentions than to do what made me happy. Play because I love it, something I had recently forgotten. I'd never felt so gloriously happy in my life. Its my one true love.

The Alternative to Reality

"Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else."
-Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)

"My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter."
-Thomas Helm

We've all been there: pounding out those last chapters of a book and you are completely wrapped up in the characters, setting, and your flaring emotions. Whether it be best-sellers such as Twilight or Harry Potter (both personal favorites) or the good old, beat up edition of your favorite classic that gets you every time, ending a book is always a relief as well as a loss. Books are escapes from everyday life. They are chances to jump into an alternate reality. I mean, every once and a while, who doesn't want to just be someone else for a day? Leave your real worries behind and find yourself mixed up in a love story or adventure for a bit.

What is your favorite book to turn to when you want to escape reality?

No regrets here, thanks. I think...

“Just remember, the same as a spectacular Vogue magazine, remember that no matter how close you follow the jumps: continued on page whatever. No matter how careful you are, there’s going to be a sense that you missed something, the collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn’t experience it all. There’s that fallen heart feeling that you rushed right through the moments where you should’ve been paying attention. Well, get used to that feeling. That’s how your whole life will feel some day. This is all practice. None of this matters. We’re just warming up.”

-Chuck Palahniuk (American freelance Journalist, Satirist, and Novelist)

People say it often, but is it really true that everyone has regrets? Do we really forget to live in the moments and let to many things pass by that we later regret not paying attention to? Is it really just a regret of seeing things happen and not acting upon them or the actions we actually take that are regretful?

Well, I am probably the most regretful person you will ever meet. Everything I do, or rather don't do, turns into a regret. Something that runs through my head for hours on end like the constant ticking of a clock. I don't know exactly why this is but its like no matter what I do, I cannot win. It is an everlasting personal battle. If I do something I felt was right, I consistently second-guess myself on whether that was actually the right choice. Should I not have done that? Was there something else I could have done instead? Or, on the other hand, and actually this one is the much more frequent battle: the regret of not doing what I want. Is this really going to be what my whole life is like? NO. It will not. Because you see, it does not matter whether the timing is right or whether others will judge you for your decisions. More often than not, things are not always going to turn out the way we planned. That's life. There is a distinct possibility that I, and anyone else who feels the way I do, will always have that "collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn't experience it all". But personally, I plan to make myself unstoppable. if this is all "just practice" then nothing will stop me from living in the moment. Nothing will compromise my happiness or get in the way of my wants. If I go out and try to live everyday on my own terms then at the end of the day, I will be able to say "Hey, I don't regret anything. I did all I could."



But then again, some things are easier said than done...




What is your interpretation of this quote? How does it make you feel?

Writing for Individuality

"Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals."

-Don Delillo (American novelist of New York City)

Being our first twelve blogs are an assignment for a writing class, I figured the first quote I will reflect on should be about writing. Not everyone considers themselves writers, whether it be because it just doesn't come easily or because you think your products just aren't considered good enough in your eyes, but I think everyone has a little writer in them. It is a desire to express yourself through unique written word. It can be your own little secret or a proclamation that you wish all the world could read. It is a supreme form of self-expression. In a society as modernized as ours it is easy for us to become one of the many, to get lost in the crowd, to follow standards set by the general population, but writing is a way in which we can rise above the rest and show them who we really are. We can dig deep into our souls and let our feelings and thoughts be painted across the paper.

Personally, I strive for individuality through writing, through speaking my opinion and not letting others break down my likes. I try to do what I like in every aspect of life and try to not let the outside opinions of others affect the happiness I want and deserve.

In what ways do you express your individuality?