Lauren Nepomuceno '14

I know that was a random title but that’s the general break down of how my break has been so far. Basically this break has been filled with a whole lot of Chuck Season 1 (I’ve just started watching it), sleeping, relaxing, hanging out with friends (nothing special in particular), and cooking.  LOTS AND LOTS Of cooking.

1. Chuck- I must say, I really like the show “Chuck”. I’m quite the scared-y cat and my boyfriend is normally there to comfort me during the shooting scenes and all that. The show is about an average guy who got kicked out of Stanford and is now working at a Buy More (Electronics store much similar to the big chain: Best Buy). He gets and email from his ex-roommate(the guy who got hims kicked out) from Stanford and the email contains many encrypted images that contain all the government secrets. Basically what happens is that he will be living his average life, see someone who was in the government secrets, and know all about their affiliations, pictures of crime scenes, etc. It’s a pretty neat show but at the same time I’m scared of the shooting and feel guilty for the average guy being dragged into secret agent life.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E5LrJW2pm7M/SRaACnrPP7I/AAAAAAAAAJE/iZxL8eTWbAw/s400/Chuck,+Season+1.jpg

2. Sleeping, relaxing- I might confess that I have not woken up before noon for about a good week. I am proud and sort of embarrass to admit that, but hey! IT. IS. BREAK.

3. Hanging out with friends- my friends normally just chill around or hit the gym. Sometimes we all (a group of 10 of us) cram in one bed and watch a movie. It’s quite fun and it’s sad thinking about the twin size bed with more than enough space. Not to worry though, my friends and I have plenty of time to squish together and watch a movie.

4. Cooking- Well John and I have invested a lot of time with cooking really healthy meals and of course baking. Earlier this break we made a red velvet cake for the ugly sweater party. Today we tried making something else, which was a triple chocolate fudge cake with fondant. Fondant is a sort of edible “play dough” like substance that can be rolled out and cover the cake. This is the same thing used on cooking shows like “cake boss” where they create real fancy looking cakes. John and I tried and it worked out pretty well.

Fondant Cake with Rubber Duckies!

Posted in My life | Comments Off on Sleepy Chuck Cooks with Friends.

I really never believe in New Year’s Resolutions. I know that it’s a good way to set goals and look at the new year as a clean slate, but I will never forget the past that formed the part of me that I am today. I’ve tried the whole, “make a resolution” game, but it never lasted. Hopefully this year will be a lot different because I feel like this goal is actually do-able. The general theme of my 2011 New Year’s Resolution is to be healthier. That’s a very generic resolution, but more specifically I want to start sleeping early, I want to start eating healthier, I want to continue a routine visit to the gym.

1. By sleeping earlier, I think I will manage my time better and set my priorities right. This mean by 11:30- midnight, no matter how much work load I have, no matter what if I have a sleep in day the next day, I will be going to bed. It’s a strict policy but I want to be energized without the dependency on coffee. Maybe I’ll break the resolution once or twice with the weekend if my friends are going out or if there’s a big test. Even then, it’s not excuse. I should be the night before an exam where I should be getting the most sleep.

2. By eating healthier, I feel like I should eat a salad at least every lunch/ dinner. I think I should have a more balanced diet and eat proportional meals. Lastly, I feel like I will eat healthy everyday a week except for the one and only, fat Friday. I should really be careful of what I eat because I think about my actions today and I think that whatever I put into my body will be apart of me forever. I should be more selective when it comes to food and really think about what I will be consuming.

3. Lastly, I want a routine visit to the gym. I want to visit the gym at least 3 times per week. At the gym I plan on doing at least 30-40 minutes of some cardio exercise, my normal abdominal routine with timed sets, and eventually I want to start working my upper body strength. I will confess that as a soccer player for majority of my life, I never really worked out my arms. I should change that… just to feel healthier and well rounded everywhere.

Now Besides my resolution, let me talk about my New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. New Year’s Eve I hung out with my friends which was pretty relaxing… nothing real special. We ate food, watched the ball drop, but nothing too insane.

New Year’s Day though was where the party began. I got 2 tickets for my boyfriend, John, and I to see the Rock/Alternative Band “The Black Keys” at the Aragon Theater in Chicago. It was so exciting. John and I had seen The Black Keys at Lollapalooza 2010, and we got within the first 10 rows of the stage . This time though, we were literally within the first 6 rows of the general admission and the crowd wasn’t nearly as crazy which was really nice! We decided to drive just in case the metra train station from the south suburbs wouldn’t run that late. We arrived an hour early which was really good because there already was a long line to entrance. We got in the line, the line moved quickly, and as soon as we were inside we checked our coats and head straight to the stage and got withing the first 6 rows of the people.

We waited for awhile still and finally the lights lowered and the entrance band got on stage. The Greenhornes got on stage. I personally was not a fan of their music. They were okay, they sort of reminded me of The Black Keys, and their lead singer/ guitarist had NO stage presence which really bored me. Then when that group was FINALLY done, we waited again for the stage set up for The Black Keys. I didn’t notice before I entered the arena, but Aragon Theater is beautiful. It has beautiful architecture so I took pictures inside of the building as well. At last, the band I’ve been waiting to see AGAIN was ready and the crowd went crazy!

Greenhornes

Really cool looking balconies for VIP section.

More balconies

THE BLACK KEYS!!!!

Patrick Carney killing on percussion.

Dan Auerbach's solo

Dan playing maracas on the ax.

Such a sick set up!

Such a sickkk picture!!!

John and I at the Aragon!

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Posted in My life | Comments Off on New Years and Aragon

Hands down, I am so glad to get that family stuff OUT OF THE WAY. There was just wayyy too much family and to be honest, it was very overwhelming. Today and yesterday, John and I decided to bake a cake for the very important attendance of an “Ugly Sweater Party” that my friend, Christine, is holding. John and I decided to make a red velvet cake with butter cream frosting MMMMm. 😀 For some reason though, the cake kept on crumbling more than usual so while applying the frosting the crumbs got everywhere.

Our cake wearing an ugly sweater and yellow underpants.

John and I in our hideous sweaters- brought to you by SALVATION ARMY on Halsted.

This is an unbelievably awkward picture.

My group of friends playing PICTIONARY.

Yessssss.

This, my friends, be Jeremy. He is also a friend of mine and he is FANTASTIC at Pictionary. His pictures are drawn with precision, speed, and proportions. 😀

Jeremy's "cupcake". We never got it.

Jeremy's "Black belt". We also didn't get it.

Overall, this was such a fun night. We had so much food and so much fun catching up with our friends. We also played catch phrase which was unbelievably fun and it was great to just hang out with friends and not family for a change.

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Posted in My life | Comments Off on Ugly Sweater Partay

I want to make this clear to all readers that I am not an advocate for violence. However, I love Hockey games and I love how the players themselves have an almost “unwritten law” that allows them to fight. The fight settles their own problems without the interference of referential calls in an almost traditional and accepted way of play. I LOVE IT.

Besides Christmas with the big Nepomuceno family, on the 27th, the “older” cousins and my boyfriend went to a Black Hawks game. I am huge Black Hawks fan. I was a fan even BEFORE the big Stanley Cup win and I will proudly say that I wear my home game Toews Jersey at Holy Cross despite the many Flyers jerseys I see. I love my hawks. Although I too will admit that they are not the same after last year. They lost Bufyglien (football player on skates), Anti-Niemi (awesome goalie), and a few other awesome players. It just won’t ever be the same.

Sorry about the rant … I just feel pretty passionate towards my Black Hawks opinions, but here are a few pictures and videos from the game. It was so much fun! Hawks were playing the Ohio Blue Jackets and the Hawks won. I also rubbed it into my roommate’s , Ali, face because she is from Ohio. 😛

United Center

United Center

Dramatic picture of my cousins- Johnny, Jonathon, Matthew, and my brother, Edward.

This my boyfriend, John, and I. IT'S JOHN'S FIRST TIME TO A HAWKS GAME!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODbJyQPFy28

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Posted in My life | Comments Off on Gloves off!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

My past two days have been extremely hectic considering the amount of family time I had yesterday and today. Christmas eve was filled with cooking and family and today it starts ALL over again but with more family. I woke up at 7 in the morning after falling asleep around 2 am, and then I drove over to my boyfriend’s house to open gifts with his family. Here are some pictures of my boyfriend and his family and we’re all in our PJ’s opening gifts!

This is my boyfriend's mom! She is by far the best baker I personally know.

This is their REAL Christmas tree. I haven't had a real Christmas tree since I was in pre-school!

Tommy- my boyfriend's little brother- and his new shirt.

John and his new kindle!

John's new Beatles t-shirt.

John's new sweater and him pouting over the excessive pictures.

Tommy's new tux shirt

Tommy's reaction to his new PS3.

After opening gifts, we ate breakfast and got ready for church. After mass, I took a nap and then John’s mom prepared an early afternoon Christmas dinner for everyone. After dinner, John and I rushed back to my place and then my brother, my dad, John, and I drove to the city to meet up my dad’s side of the family- The big Nepomuceno Family. We ate dessert and John got to meet more of my extensive family. Of course, my family decided to embarrass me A LOT with a detailed “how to kill a chicken” speech, snarky comments from my father like, “I don’t know why Lauren like Loyola Boys” (John goes to Loyola University in Chicago and my dad along with most of his siblings are alumni), and the wonderful baby stories… OH JOY! Enough of the self-inflicting torment of publicly announcing my embarrassments. HERE ARE THE PICS!

All the cousins with my grandma, Lola Nene, minus my older cousin Lavender.

All of my uncles, dad, aunt, and grandma minus my uncle Alvin who couldn't make it.

My grandma, after receiving this beautiful necklace, raises her eyebrow to MY boyfriend and asks, "Now which guy over here is going to take me out on a date?"

John and I at the piano singing and playing Christmas music.

This me giving my grandma the Kodak Gallery Book I custom made for her.

All the "old people" as they would call and gather for a photo.

I am sadly just as short...or just as TALL as my little cousins.

Lastly, this is my adorable little cousin playing the violin to make a dollar or 4 from his family.

As everyone may already tell, I have had an INCREDIBLE yet busy Holidays. I will say though that this is only the beginning, for just like the majority if not all my previous posts have stated, there will be plenty more to come!

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on On The 12th Day Of Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! My Christmas was crazy to say the least. Christmas eve, I went to the gym and then I had to run errands picking up last minute ingredients at the grocery store. My mom and grandma prepared the main food- beef, turkey, and some filipino dishes. My brother and I were taking care of desserts. My brother was preparing fruit caviar, fancy taffy apple, and 4 different flavors of ice cream- chocolate, lemon lime, cucumber lime, and lactose free pear flavor. I prepared these AWESOME red velvet cupcakes with home made cream cheese frosting topped with pecans and strawberries. It was delicious.

Turkey, beef, cranberry sauce, gravy, and pansit (filipino noodle dish).

My boyfriend, John, devouring the food.

Red Velvelt cupcakes with cream cheese frosting topped with pecans and strawberries. MmmMM!

Filipino dessert called "puto". It's a rice cake dessert.

My dad's famous fruit punch. Gingerale, sprite, hawaiian punch, and sorbert ice cream!

Fancy taffy apples in the process.

Cucumber lime ice cream.

Lactose free pear ice cream

taffy apples!

glazed nut mix/ cracker.

Now after the food is made and everyone has eaten. The worst part about having the Christmas festivities on Christmas eve is waiting for the Christmas presents. That is by far THE worst part. Normally, I just want to fall asleep after having the turkey dinner, but I know I have to entertain my little cousins- Addie and Ian. Here are a few things we thought up.

1. Photo shoot in front of the Christmas tree.

My boyfriend, John, and I in front of my christmas tree.

2. 3-D snow flakes

Me in the process of making 3-D snowflakes to kill time and entertain my little cousins.

3. Play “let’s kill the duck” … which failed miserably because that’s my duck and I didn’t want his head torn off.

My cousin Ian trying to rip the duck's head off.

4. Eventually this is the point where the pictures stop because I am being chased around by Ian AND by my boyfriend who decide that the best time kill is throwing paper airplanes, pillows, paper balls at me. My cousin, Addie, and I have to defend ourselves (of course) and this giant pillow fight occurs in my living room. Then, we decided to play Mario Kart on my brother’s new Wii. I will openly admit that I am horrible at video games so that even my little cousins can beat me, but that’s okay because at least I know how to drive in real life. 😀

Again, I have no pictures because my camera died, but we eventually opened presents. John loved the 2 sweaters I got him. My mom loved her North face (she never owned a north face prior than that gift) and the herbal tea/ tea timer I gave her. My dad liked his sweaters. My brother liked his Clint Eastwood dvd’s, and I got a new watch and socks from my parents. My boyfriend also got me this photo album with all of our pictures together. It’s really sweet and there are a few empty pages that we intend on filling up. 😀 My grandmas loved their Holy Cross mugs. My cousin Addie loved her 98 eye shadow shades that I got her. My little cousin Ian liked his 2 scooby doo dvds which he used all Christmas morning.

Christmas eve at my place was a complete success. I can not say that it wasn’t exhausting, but I will confess that there’s nothing more enjoyable than giving gifts and seeing the reactions from my family’s faces. Merry Christmas, everyone and best wishes to your family in hopes of having just that merry Christmas.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Merry Little Christmas

  • 708.
  • December 24th, 2010

I am back in the 708!!! The area code isn’t popular in the East Coast and I’m pretty sure most Chicago residents don’t even know the 708 area code, but I’m still representing. Last night, we got about 3-4 inches of snow on top of the already 2-3 inches on the ground. At my house we have a bunch of trees and since I’m the “baby” of the family, no one really plays in the snow. Each morning for me, I look outside of my sliding door in my bedroom and I see a winter wonderland. My yard has a few hills, trees, and most importantly, we have beautiful, touch-free, pure snow. This sight each morning is what always makes me happy to know that I’m finally home for Christmas. Here’s a little taste of a Midwestern Christmas and I hope you all enjoy.

View from my window

There’s snow like no other and this door makes my room cold like no other, but I do not mind.

View from my front door, icicles!

There’s cold dripping water every step in and out of my house, but I do not mind.

View from my front yard facing the street.

The grass is no longer green, but I do not mind.

View from my driveway facing my house.

The roads are slippery, but I do not mind.

View from my driveway facing my baby.

I have to drive slow, but I do not mind.

trees.

My back yard...

is covered

in SNOOWWW!!

, but i do not mind.

My patio

is currently not available, but I do not mind.

The garden

is pretty much dead, but I do not mind.

My patio set outside of my room

is currently drenched, but I do not mind.

My bird feeders

are pretty lonely, but I do not mind.

The bench

is occupied, but I do not mind.

The vines

are at a dead end literally, but I do not mind.

The candle buckets

are put out, but I do not mind.

The black ice

is treacherous, but I do not mind.

I do not mind because

Santa Claus is coming to town

, It’s the celebration of

Jesus Christ's Birth

, and

Christmas in Chicago

IS FINALLY HERE!!!

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I apologize greatly for having not written in here for awhile. I had a lovely Thanksgiving with- count it- FOUR Thanksgiving dinners and I got a lot of Christmas shopping done on Black Friday. Now that I am back at school, I have been busier than ever. I really feel like Thanksgiving Break has teased me. I got to go home, see my family, relax for a bit, and now I have to go back to the numerous amount of work, studying, and test taking? YUCK! On the bright side-count it- TWENTY DAYS until Christmas and for me (since I leave on the 19th versus the 18th like everyone else) FOURTEEN DAYS until Christmas break! I AM SO EXCITED. I am will be done with first semester work, finals, and I can go home for a relaxing month filled with Christmas spirit, Mad Men Season 4 with the boyfriend, and actual snow.

This sounds like a crazy, but  I miss snow. This will sound even more crazy, but there is NO snow at Holy Cross right now (?!?!?). Really? It’s thirty degree weather and not a single snow flurry- utter disappointment. At least I’ll be going to sweet home Chicago where there has already been a good snowstorm rounded up and packing snow for the perfect snowman.

Now Holy Cross isn’t that gloomy. My roommate and I have sufficiently fulfilled the deprived Christmas spirit since there hasn’t been any snow.

Our Mini christmas tree with ornaments present and our stuffed animals.

Gift wrapped bulleting board with the usual pictures, wreath, and stockings

Close up of our stockings

Jelly decorations for our windows and lights around the room

A gift wrapped door

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

LIGHTS!

AND MORE LIGHTS! (plus roomie)

The #1 time kill- 3D snowflakes

A smaller snowflake

I would show more of our embarrassing love for Christmas and spirit but it’s a little too much for my own deal camera to handle. For the time being I will describe it. We have gift wrap on our bulletin, garland on our lamp, tv, mirror, and parts of our wall…. evergreen pine reed diffusers…. it gets pretty ridiculous from here.

Now I’m sort of busy because the post Thanksgiving rush is starting so my posts will be less frequent, but I promise that will be a COMPLETELY different story for Christmas break. 😀

Sincerely,

Too Busy

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Christmas on The Hill

I would confidently say that this week was the most challenging week so far. It was senseless. I had two tests, an essay, a quiz, and a 40 questioned math assignment due. This is not including reading and I don’t know how I got it done. Here I am Sunday night and I know that when I wake up tomorrow, this game starts all over again.

How do I know when I reach the next level? How do I know that it’s game over? Will the red capitalized letters proclaim that this “game”, this life, is over?   I don’t know, but I keep on playing and doing what I do best: I try my hardest. After awhile, I realize something. I normally run into people from my classes and I ask them, “Have you started that paper?”

“-NO!” It is a relieving feeling to know that I am not the only one. I am not alone. I feel like everyone should realize that. It makes stress more manageable. I feel like I can handle whatever comes at me. Bring it, life. 😀 I know we experience life as a test, but is that at all? Shouldn’t we take full advantage of it? Of course! This is why my weekend was LUDICROUS.

Friday 11/12/10

After my last class, I worked out at the Hart Center. I went for a run, did some ab workouts, biked, and lifted a few weights. Then, I ran to crossroads, got some food from cross roads, met up with my chemistry teacher (awesome teacher!), and then my roommate and I decided to head over to Black Stone Valley to eat out for dinner and do some shopping.

We ate at Chicago UNO’s pizza. It really made me miss home… I can’t wait to go back and catch up on sleep! After stuffing our faces, we decided to stop at the guitar center where I got my boyfriend’s little brother a Christmas present already! I know know… it’s pretty early, but I couldn’t resist. Before John left for school after fall break, he bought his brother (Tommy) an electric guitar for five dollars. FIVE DOLLARS! Tommy couldn’t believe it and the guitar was in great condition. I decided to stop at the guitar center thinking maybe they sold trumpet music. I was wrong, there was no trumpet music and I thought, “Oh, Tommy also plays the trumpet, let’s find music”  As soon as I walked in the store, I saw this guitar accessory kit! I thought, “this would be perfect for a beginner guitar player which included a stand, strap, cables, tuner, picks, winder, cleaner, cloth, and etc.” There was no need for questions, but just in case, I called John to confirm and  got the gift. I can’t wait for Christmas and Tommy is going to love it!

Besides finding a gift, we also stopped by the guitar center so that Ali could play her ukulele. She misses her ukulele so much. I would have a video but I did not have my camera at the time but a phone with new high tech camera applications will do just fine!

After that, we headed back to school where we watched our good friend, Joel, compete in the rap competition. He was the same guy who also rapped on the street the second time we went to Boston as a group. Upon his request, he does not want videos, however I do have a picture of him rapping on stage.

Joel rapping on stage

I do have a video of one my favorite contestants at the rap off- Peter Boyle. I sound creepy because I don’t know him personally, but I respected his down to earth, clean, diverse, and smart free styling. He did not have a stage name, which I found awesome that he stayed true to himself while not exerting that much effort into the competition (at least it didn’t seem like it) and he got 3rd place. Congrats, Peter Boyle. Here’s his first free style.

Peter Boyle\’s First Free Style

The second freestyle had to be a rap on the top of party life.

Peter Boyle\’s Second Free Style

Saturday 11/13/10

I went to the basketball game! Here’s some pictures of the game!!!

That's Sader Nation on the other side of the court

Our boys playing some tough defense

Crusader mascot!

After the game, I went back to the room, chilled out for a bit, watched my now favorite show to catch up on (MADMEN!), and I got ready for the Edge. I went to the Edge for a bit with my girl friends and went back to the room. I ended up falling asleep around 1 in the morning which is quite early for me. That may seem late for a weekday, but on a weekend that’s pretty reasonable. It sounds like a boring Saturday evening, but after taking note on the amount of homework I had that week and the minimal amount of sleep I had to fight that work load, my early bed time is expected. Don’t worry kids, you won’t be considered a lame for early a bed time. It’s okay!

Sunday 11/21/10:

Homework homework homework. I’m back at square one but at which level? I guess I won’t ever know, will I?

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Posted in HAVE FUN. Have fun? YES, HAVING FUN is possible while in pre-med! | Comments Off on A Senseless Week to a Ludicrous Weekend

Today, I’ve decided to write about the popular show called “The Office”.

Although I am a recent fan, thanks to my boyfriend who had me watch all 6 previous seasons this past summer alone, I am caught up! 😀

I am not sure whether or not you have seen any of the new episodes of Season 7, but this episode was especially great. I would talk about the plot, but I won’t ruin it for those who missed it. In honor of the memories I’ve had the pleasure to experience this show (with my boyfriend, my friends, and now my roommate), here’s a video of Ali (best roommate ever) playing the theme song in the basement of Mulledy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRMb7Y_gLv0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRMb7Y_gLv0

I don’t know the arrangements of other residential halls, but I love the fact that there is a piano, a pool table, study rooms, a kitchen, and a lot of tables for big dinners in the basement. The piano, particularly, is my favorite aspect of the basement. As you might have read from my previous post, I’ve been learning “Landed” by Ben Folds.

I am beyond grateful for having kept up with playing the piano. Growing up, my grandma had a grand concert Steinway & Sons. I grew up with both her and the piano. She has always been such an inspiration to me. Her improvisation, her determination to play the piano despite her limitations (her hand can barely reach an octave), and her accompaniments always taught me the art of appreciation for music. Although I haven’t perfected the song I wanted to post a video of, I have something here that I wrote that I feel is relevant to both the art of music, the love for my grandma, and the constant reminder to never let go what you love.

Genuine

She holds her ground with thin, short, but strong legs. What was once black is now white. Actually, it is now her wire-like hair that stays gray and as usual it is always neatly in place. Parts of the black shine is faded and the gold logo defaced. Scratches and chips from previous damage and tampering exposes her legs and body. She is beautiful even with her scars. The scars remain as evidence of the life lived- legendary. The majestic sounds once created by her beauty are unrepeatable. Despite her monumental presence, she is fragile, temporary, and depends on her purpose- music. For when the legend is without music, she becomes forgetful and forgotten. The majesty of her beauty exhibit wrong form, wrong key, too slow of tempo, too fast, frantic, or worse: silence. She has  many needs beside her purpose. She depends on what gives her life- soul. With the dependency for soul, her needs grow.

She depends on the passions for her soul- faith and love.

She depends on the justice for her soul- talent.

Most importantly, she depends on the artisans for her soul-

those who are brave enough and have not forgotten.

The strike of the high E is flat.

She has not being taken care of for she has been forgotten.

sheisadyinglegend

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Posted in Reflections | Comments Off on “The Office” and Steinway & Sons

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