Make-up wearers, have you ever noticed that there are some things you just have to do? Like put on lip gloss, or have nice nails at all times?

For me, it’s eye makeup.

No matter what state of mind or out-of-mind I’m in at any given moment, I must absolutely have eye makeup. I don’t care how the rest of me looks: if I have eyes that look nice, I feel okay, even if I’m wearing huge sweatpants, dirty sneakers, and several shirts with my hair all over the place.

As long as my eye makeup’s good, I’m good.

Now, it sounds foolish, but it reassures me and makes me feel better. Some people have security blankets: I have my eye makeup.

In fact, others have noticed it, too. One day, to test my theory out, I decided to show up to school, looking like a train wreck. My hair was all over, being a messy little pain in the butt. My skin was flaky, acne-laden, and freckled. My nails weren’t in the best shape. My lips were on the verge of being chapped. Everything looked like crap, save for my eyes. I wore contacts, concealer for my raccoon-eyes, mascara, brown eyeshadow, a deep brown eye pencil, and a thin line of eyeliner over the fullest part of my lash.

Sure enough, it seemed to do the trick. People were distracted by my eyes. However, I failed to get people to sell me their soul. Now, poets and authors of all walks of life claim that eyes are the windows to one’s soul. I doubt that. However, glamorous eyes are useful things, especially for those of us who are too lazy to spend too much time looking good.

In short, I was terrified.

However, a few years ago, I tried to get them anyway. Then, they didn’t fit. Not only did they itch and burn, but they were rather unwieldy—those little plastic disks kept falling out. It seemed as if every time I would bother to look up, at least one lens would fall out.

That turned me off of contacts for a while. With my unique combination of astigmatism and myopia—football-shaped eyes that distort anything and severe nearsightedness—I felt that no contact would ever work for me. Glasses were the way to go.

Recently, however, I decided to give it one more shot. With graduation, traveling, and a new school in my future, I decided that contacts might be worth another try.

So, late one Friday night, I made an appointment at a local eye store, Site for Sore Eyes. Yes, I know it’s a chain, however, I’ve been going there for years, each time getting my vision corrected and seeing the world once again. Invariably, my grades seem to improve dramatically after each appointment. Perhaps seeing the board helps one learn. But I digress…

The people who work there are, of course, wonderful. After trying repeatedly to get my eyes examined at Kaiser Permanente, where I have insurance, I became more and more frustrated. Finally, I dragged my dad back to that wonderful place on West Portal, and successfully got an exam at a fair price.

They had the glasses ready the same day, and the contacts came a week later.

Now, these contacts are toric lenses, which means that, like me, they’re bottom heavy. One of the staff showed me how to use them. After putting them on and removing them approximately 3 times, I had the hang of it. No itching, burning or blow-outs.

Getting contacts was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Now, I can see better. Additionally, I have received more compliments on my eyes in the past week than I have in the past few years. Seeing life in a new way is very, very good.

One day

One week

Ten months

Three years

It doesn’t take long for your life to change.

One moment, the bottle of Orange juice is full.

The next, it’s in a landfill.

You wake up, worried about a test.

you sleep, worried about arthritis.

Head throbbing,

heart aching,

Hopeful as ever.

Life is what you make of it. Make it while you can.

But, when one mentions the word ‘economics,’ several different words come to mind. However, economics is a term relating to far more than mere monetary issues.

A textbook definition of ‘economics’ is "the study of efficient allocations of scarce resources."

Everything relates to economics. How and where you spend your time, money, and energy can be graphed and thought of rationally.

Take, for example, a simple t-shirt.

You can choose to purchase the shirt, exchange some sort of good or service for the shirt or you can make it yourself. Generally, you would not want to make a t-shirt yourself, as you would spending far too much time and energy on one measly item of clothing.

Then, you consider your options carefully, looking at where you can obtain t-shirts. Taste and preference come into play, as well as product differentiation and price. Many producers sell t-shirts on this planet. However, you may not want to travel around the globe to find a t-shirt. So, you are far more likely to purchase a shirt available locally than one you have never seen before in a far off land.

Once you decide that you want to make a t-shirt purchase in a certain area, you figure out how much money you are willing to spend on it. If you are on the frugal end of the spectrum, discount retailers and thrift stores may appeal to you. However, if name brands rock your world, high-end retailers may seem more intriguing.

Let’s assume that you don’t want to spend too much money on a shirt. Then, you look at likely retailers, examining their selections, sizes, colors, materials, etc., finally stumbling upon several decent possibilities.

In our hypothetical situation, let’s go a step further, imagining that, after you purchase a cotton t-shirt, you see a news story about the plight of cotton pickers in Egypt. A wave of guilt washes over you. Suddenly, you re-think your purchase. Your next t-shirt is less likely to be made of cotton.

Now that you’ve made your decision, let’s understand the underlying mechanics. Your total demand for a t-shirt decreases as the availability of t-shirts increases. You can only wear so many t-shirts at once. The price would decrease with the amount of t-shirt available in the market. As you become more willing to pay more for a t-shirt, the choice of t-shirts you have at your disposal increases.

Economics combines life with reason, encompassing areas that are not directly money-related.

So of course, what better food to binge on? Recently, much of my family came to San Francisco, which of course meant one thing: Time to go to Costco!

Although I didn’t go on the shopping trip, I benefited from their purchases. They brought back many things, such as Emergen-C and—you guessed it—Costco muffins!

These gigantic, fragrant, delicious packages delight me.

Late at night, what’s a stressed-out girl to do? Down a muffin or two with her drink, of course! I’m not alone in my Costco muffins obsession, either. Check out Youtube.com, a website filled with user-generated videos, and search for Costco Muffins. There, you will find a spoof of the infamous Cunningham Muffins video, which will tickle your funny bone and help burn off some of those muffin calories.

Refusing to accept this
Chasing other guys around
in her head
She opts to focus on all else–music, school, books–instead.

Talking to Him,
Her heart breaks.
She knows how He
And she
Were never fated to be.

Hurting herself more than He,
She helps Him try to become a "we"
With another…

Trying as best as she could,
It all falls apart
Holding everything together
In what she once thought was a non-existent heart.

Beating faster and faster
Responding to the call
Of hormones in her brain, her blood
Saying that He is all.

As soon as He sees His One, He turns around.
Her heart plummets to the ground
As she realizes that she
Is no longer needed
Wanted
Thought of
In the mass of gray matter exchanging electrical signals
That euphoria
Is gone.

To the side,
There is Another
Looking, waiting, expecting
His One to turn around
And get away from Him.

His One lights up when Another is in sight
Basking in the glow
Of Him and Another
Paying attention to Her
While She revels in attention.

She sits there, watching her book,
Afraid to move
Think
Talk
Laugh
Notice

Acting as if she jus’ don’t care
She smiles, teasing Him and His One ’bout each other,
Discounting denials as both perk up when around each other.

Talking to Him later, He slips references in
To how he may even fall for her
After all, she is a friend,
And He always falls for Girl Friends

Her heart stops.
Dizzy as can be
She keeps the conversation going
Until
She realizes
That He may be her One after all
And that His One may not be His One.

Full of hope, her heart begins to swell,
As she cheerfully goes through her weekend,
Awaiting the return of Monday,
A day now holding a delicious spell.

Day one, day two He did not return
Day three he came, albeit a bit sick
Refusing to talk to her
He leaves her, quite miffed.

At night, she messages Him,
Exchanging little pleasantries
Laughing
Whining about mutual friends
Realizing how little they have in common
Except everything…

She’s been waiting
For months and months now
For something to come of His torrid little affair.

Finally speaking up,
she tells him
Weaving how she feels into the conversation and then bringing the point home

Circumlocution was her tool:
Her knew her to be a fool
Treating her coolly,
He backed off
Scared
Angry
Disgusted
Hurt
At her manipulation of Him.

Word went unspoken,
Still hanging in air
Her love for Him grew,
Angering herself
Whilst His coolness froze
Anything once discerned as warm.

Love, once tepid, is best left alone.
The fires of life
Will soon fizzle
And
Freeze.

Part of staying healthy involves exercise. Now, exercise isn’t just an outside sport: it can be indoor recreations as well. Take, for example, yoga, with such advantages as dryness, de-stressifying properties, and increased flexibility.

Exercise isn’t all of it, though. Eating right is also crucial to staying cold-free. Be sure to include lots of tasty fruits, veggies and whole grains, in addition to some sort of protein source, in your diet. Eating healthy can be fun. Recently, I’ve been baking applesauce mini-muffins without butter, refined sugar or flour, substituting flax seed for the solid oil source and loading oats and oat bran in to replace the refined flour. I don’t follow recipes: I add whatever appeals to me as I go along.

Recipes can be found online. Here’s one that looks somewhat intriguing:

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
1/4 C. sugar
3 T. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 C. applesauce
2 C. all-purpose flour
2 T. unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 C. finely shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
1/2 C. semisweet chocolate chips
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.

3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, then remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Yield: 16 servings (serving is one slice)

Nutrition info (per slice): Calories: 161; Fat 5.1 grams; Protein: 2.9 grams; Carb: 27.3 grams; Fiber: 1.4 g; Chol: 27 mg; Sodium: 145 mg

Source: http://pinchmysalt.wordpress.com/2006/08/16/zucchini-chocolate-chip-mini-muffins/

Try experimenting with fruit juices and fruits for sweetness instead of loading up on refined carbohydrates. Not only are the muffins quite cute, but they also make everything smell much better. Here’s one website with a really good mini muffin recipe. I switched a few ingredients around, but it still tastes wonderful. Try adding cinnamon, oat bran, or whatever you think would taste good to the mix. Enjoy! This month, enjoy life, even if the weather’s all gray and dreary.

Sitting right outside are the type of the people this thrift store helps.

Started by Magic Johnson, a famous basketball player who found that he had HIV, Out of the Closet sells second hand bric-a-brac, shoes, clothes, and bags. If you can think of it, chances are you will find it here at some time.

I found my prom dress here. It was exactly what I wanted: long, black backless halter, reminiscent of Meredith Grey’s on the hit TV Show, Grey’s Anatomy. After twirling a bit, I decided that it was worth all of $6. On my way out, I picked up a few $1 designer shirts that fit as if they were made for me.

Thoroughly pleased with myself, I left, hauling a hefty pink bag full of my loot, feeling good for being thrifty and altruistic while indulging my shopping addiction.

Shopping, for me, is a form of therapy. I take out my tension while mulling over my issues, picking and choosing clothes that I can give to others or keep for myself.

So, if you too feel the need to buy clothes, check out this Out of the Closet or whatever secondhand store is nearest you. Sometimes, you are surprised at what you find.

All proceeds from sales go towards keeping the store open and helping less fortunate AIDS/HIV patients.

Little did I suspect that yet another college alumnus would contact me and that UC Berkeley wanted more information, as my father and uncle were alums, and I was considered a disadvantaged youth.

Although I was happy that I was given an opportunity to interview for the University of Pennsylvania, I really didn’t enjoy having to do more work. I had just begun to make plans again, and had just begun getting more involved in academia. The interviews and additional essays detracted from my experience, forcing me to reorganize my recently glued together life.

College is about change, and going with the flow. I didn’t expect the admissions process to be the same.

For those of you still not in the know, Facebook is an online networking site in which students organize themselves by schools, interests, and mutual friends. Users post multiple pictures of themselves and their friends on their own profiles, and can comment on their friends’ "walls," a sort of message board/chatterbox center. Myspace is more of an individual-oriented site, more like the Xanga and other web logs of years past.

One fine day, all of that changed. I had some time with a computer, not too much stuff left to accomplish, and an adequate supply of caffeine.

It started so quickly. All I needed was a school, an email, a password, and I was on. Within a matter of hours, I had thirty-five friends, and had joined twenty groups. I was hooked.

Facebook is more than a blog: it’s a way to connect with people. Friends that had graduated last year suddenly reintroduced themselves into my life.