S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Today in my Health class we were suppose to make a S.M.A.R.T. Goal for ourselves. I made 2 for myself.

S - Specific

M - Measurable

A - Attainable

R - Realistic

T - Time

(Incase you were wondering)

First Goal: Read my Bible 3 times a week for at least 10 minutes for the next month. (1/26 - 2/26)

Second Goal: Go to the gym for an hour or more 3 times a week for the next 6 weeks. (1/30 - 3/13)

The reason why I have end dates is so that once I have reached that time limit I can go back and reevaluate how I've done in accomplishing these goals and alter for improvements. We are also suppose to put the exact time of the day we are going to do this but as of right now I don't have an exact time because each day is different. So we shall see how these goals progress over the next few days. I hoping all goes well and I am able to follow through.

Also, recently, I have felt God is calling me to take some action serving wise. I enjoy doing community service usually but I have a hard time actually taking the time to do it. I've been trying to scope out and see what there is for me to do while I am here at APU and what I find the best connection with. That has been the hardest part for me is what I am passionate about towards helping out. As of right now, I am leaning towards going on the Mexico Outreach they have here at APU. I haven't made any commitment yet but I have been praying about it and so far that has been the most concrete answer I have received so far.

Lastly, for all the Art Majors we have to go through this process called a R.A.C. (Review of Artistic Competencies) Review. This is a portfolio of all the artwork we have done thus far after completing our Core Art classes (Drawing, 2D Design, 3D design, and Intro to Computer Graphics). Basically what this RAC Review does is help see if our artwork indicates the right concentration we are currently focused on. If our major and artwork don't necessarily complement each other then the professors reviewing the portfolio will help guide that student to the right area of art they should be focussed on. You also need to pass this in order to take upper division class and graduate. I am not too worried about it just putting all this together is a little stressful and nerve racking. This is due March 1st so hopefully all will go well!

Alright that is all that is currently going on in my life at the moment. Until next time!

I got Skype.

Hey Kids,

I got Skype! Ya so add me. My screen name is RaddicalRyy.

DO IT!!!

Let me know what yours is!

The Ships Have Sailed.

Well the last of my friends have left. Josh is off to South Africa for 3 1/2 months. It was nice to have him come and visit for a few days here at APU before he left. He's a funny kid. Now that a majority of my friends are gone for the time being I need to find something to help occupy my time. Focusing more on school work sounds like a logical answer but that is a lot harder for me to do then it sounds. I want to get involved with something on campus but I just don't know what yet. Besides all that, it has still be raining like crazy here in SoCal. We have basically had ever type of storm from thunder and lighting to hail today. I can't believe how intense it gets outside. The puddles just keep getting bigger and bigger outside making them much harder to avoid. The only time I enjoy the rain is when I have nothing to do but going back and forth between classes this week is not enjoyable but I am lucky I have my truck to help me get from East to West Campus. Then only other good thing about rain is that some classes get cancelled because of it. My weekend has started as of tonight so it can keep raining for now. Hopefully it will be done before next week starts. Well to all my friends who are abroad, I hope everything is going great for you and hopefully the weather is much more enjoyable and to those friends that still are local, let's hang out soon!

A whole lot of rain.

For the past few days it has been raining like crazy. Sunday is when it all started, but then Monday came the wind combined with the rain, and today the thunder and lightning arrived. I don't remember the last time it has ever been so non-stop especially with more rain on the way. I can't wait for the rain to be gone by Saturday! The one good thing about the rain is it actually made me rediscover my love for The Fray today. It is perfect easy listening for rainy days. I love APU but this also made me realize the one thing I miss about going to a commuter college, which is the drives. That may sound weird but that was the one time I could listen and sing out loud any music of my choice without worrying about bothering people around me. It was a great stress reliever... not that I am stressed or anything, it's just fun to do. I find it interesting how powerful music can be sometimes with changing a mood or helping reflex on past memories with older songs. As dumb as this may sound I kind of compare music to being a type of time machine warping us to the memories of something important that stood out to us when we were listening to a song. Just like when I hear certain songs remind me of a certain friend or experience. Pretty interesting what music can do. Well that is all I have to share for now. Hope things are going well where ever you might be.

First Week.

I've made it through my first week of school! Now I am on a 4 day weekend, which is nice since this first week felt so long. Here is a run down of the classes I am taking.

• Graphic Design 1: deals with text or typography as it is called. This should be an interesting class since you never really think of the structure of fonts. My professor seems quirky. She has been in the graphic design program since before computers were used. It will be cool to see what I get out of this class.
• Spanish 2/Lab: For those of you who don't know, Spanish 1 was a struggle for me. I am hoping I can improve this semester. I have a didn't professor this time around so I am hoping that will be a good change. We shall see how it goes!
• Health: This class is at 8am and I am not a morning person. The professor is the coach for the baseball team so he seems slightly intense but he also seems pretty cool. I think this class could be good for me since I am not a very healthy eater so I am hoping I can pick up some good habits from this class.
• Photography 1: I took photography back at CSUN but it dealt with slide film. This class we will actually get to develop our own pictures. I am looking forward to that! The rest of it seems like it might be pretty much a review for me. The professor for the class is very chill and laid back so it should be a good class.
• Christian Life, Faith, and Ministry: For this class, so far all I understand is that we are suppose to learn how to use our Christian understanding throughout different circumstances in life. I am not sure how I feel about this class. The professor seems a little out there. haha I don't really know how to describe it. All I've heard from friends that have taken the class is that it's boring. I guess we shall see how it goes.
• Swimming: For the first day of swimming, we had to do 100 meter freestyle. I was not expecting it to be as hard as it actually was but I've also never swam before. I have only leisurely done swimming during the enjoyments of summer. There are about 10 of us in the class 3 guys and the rest girls. All the girls have swam before back in high school or what not while it seems like the guys have no idea what they are doing. Hopefully, I'll be able to strengthen my aquatic abilities without killing myself.

Well, there is a breakdown of my class schedule for this semester. If all goes well I'll be more rounded with my major, foreign language, faith, and healthier/fit. Also, I have started the process of joining a gym. I got a 7 day access pass at 24 hour fitness which will most likely lead to getting a membership. If I decide to put out the money for it. Alright time to enjoy my weekend! Peace.

It's Starting Again.

School starts back up tomorrow. It's weird to be back at APU without some familiar faces. I am anxious for classes to start. I just wish it was possible to fast forward a few weeks when I'm all settled in to the school routine. When I was at home I just wanted to get school started but now that I am here I just want to be back home. What a conundrum! Hopefully I like my classes. I wish I didn't have to keep taking GE classes but by the end of this semester I should be all done with them. I feel like I have taken a lot of classes already yet I still have a lot more to take... I guess at this moment in college I am directly at the halfway point. Well I am happy that I am at least making progress. It is crazy to think that in less then 2 years I will be all done with school. With school getting close to its end and having friends studying abroad this semester has made me realize that I want to travel more. Yahoo! had this list of the world's greatest views. How awesome would it be to go to all these places? I would like try and make it to all of them or even to see half would be pretty amazing. Well I guess I shouldn't fantasize too much about traveling when I have school coming tomorrow. I need to just take it one day at a time. I am getting in too deep over my head. Some sleep will help prepare me for a new day.

12 Things I did over Winter Break.

1. Hiking Escondido Falls (& running into Jason from True Blood).

2. Good bye Party for Jared & Jen (even though they did not leave till 2 weeks after).

3. Walking through the Light Festival in Griffith Park.

4. Medieval Times

5. Christmas time at Disneyland.

6. New Year's Eve Dinner with JR & Jared.

7. Camping out for the Rose Parade.

8. Paint War!

9. Nicole comes to visit.

10. Huzzah at Disneyland.

11. Final Good bye for Jen & Molly.

12. Free 21 Choices in Pasadena.

Perspective

It's is a new year and already things are going to be completely different this year. Especially this next semester at school. I have 3 friends studying abroad in Australia for 4 months and 1 moving to Tennessee. My emotions have been bouncing back and fourth about this. How long is 4 months going to be? Is the time going to go by fast or feel like forever? To me it seems like all my friends are having fun and exciting lives while I am here at home, but I am so proud of them for pursuing their dreams. They make me want to do something important with my life and time. I can't wait for them to come back and share all their fun adventures with me. But while they are gone who is going to hang out with me? Parts of my comfort zone are leaving me... is this a good or bad thing? I am going to try and look at it like a good thing. God is testing me to be productive with my time and not fall back on my current comforts. I am hoping I will be able to make positive changes in my life and grow as a person as well as in my faith. I am hoping I can be more outgoing and meet new people while doing well with school and using my time wisely. I am thinking about looking for a job on campus and joining a gym. The possibilities seem endless. Only time will tell with what will come during the next 4 months. I know there are going to be ups and down but I am interested to see what God has in store for me. No doubt about it, it's going to be an interesting semester.

My Mind is Running.

Well, Well, Well... I felt like I needed to create one of these blogs to keep in check with what all my friends are doing while they are studying abroad. Plus I can update this to keep all my friends posted on how things are going on the home front.

Just gonna keep it short and simple for this first post.

Peace Out.