Stevens Admissions: Natalia's Blog

Greek Life - Why I love being a Mu

Greetings all...before I get started, I am going to give myself a shout out...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Unfortunately, I have spent that last couple of days sick in bed, including right now. Watching TV, being on my computer, reading and sleeping is all I have done besides complain about feeling terrible. But don't be alarmed, I don't have the swine flu!

Anyway, this post is meant to touch upon some older roots dating back to my college days (so old right- haha?!?!) I don't think I haveever mentioned the fact that I am in a sorority, besides the link being posted on the left. Here is a little background info on how it all started.

Back in the spring of 2004, my second semester ever at Stevens, a few friends got together to talk about Greek Life. We came to the conclusion that we wanted to seek more than what was offered at Stevens to make sure we had covered all our bases. That is when we came upon Mu Sigma Upsilon (MSU). The more we heard about MSU, the more we fell in love with it. What jumped at me were the three goals and the fact that it was a multiculural sorority. What better organization to represent what I was proud of?! 

Finally, five of us gathered and did everything we had to in order to ensure that MSU became a part of Stevens. In the Spring of 2005, everything was in place for us to start pledging and after a highly educational process, we crossed as the Quinquatria Line, the 25th chapter of Mu Sigma Upsilon and a new Sorority at Stevens. This meant I was a found sister...YAY!!!

What I didn't believe is what my new sisters from other chapters would tell me...actually starting the chapter would be much more difficult that pledging. And you know what, they were right. It is very hard to get new students interested in becoming a part of a sorority that has five sisters. Despite our small size, we always made a presence on campus and in the community. We would constantly volunteer on and off campus, throw different information session, fundraisers for various charities and on and on. One of my favorite volunteering project we took a part in was sending baked goods to the troops in iraq. Fortunately for us, at the time I was already and experienced baker since this we about 3 months ago!!! The interesting point was that since the brownies were traveling, there could be no butter in them because it would spoil. I got a chance to try my recipe with an apple sauce and shortening substitute. Although they tasted quite a bit like apple sauce, they were quite delicious =)

What I am most proud of, is how all the sisters have stayed close besides the distance that has come with graduation. We all lead different lives, but I still get calls from my Stevens sisters, facebook messages from other sisters, and calls introducing the newest sisters. Talk about networking!!!

As time has gone on, we have become a bigger presence on the Stevens campus and I am so proud to say that The Classy Quinquatria Chapter of Mu Sigma Upsilon at Stevens will be presenting our first annual, R.A.C.E. which stands for Recognizing and Celebrating Ethnicities. This is a huuuuge event where a bunch of different groups join together to share a bit of their culture whether it be with food, music, dance, art etc. 

Please feel free to stop by if you are on campus or in the Hoboken area =)

For more info on MSU, please contact our webpag. It's a bit outdated but the general info is worth a peek. MUS is currenty updating our national page which will soon be www.msu1981.org

And look us up on facebook =)

That's all for now, I need to get some rest to get rid of this nasty illness =/

Oh - before I leave, I will share one of the most exciting things of MSU sisters. We all know how to Step!! Anf if you are not sure what I mean by stepping, here is a video that shows the MSU step team winning this years step competition =)

Primero en Ecuador <3

Well, this post reminds me of older posts from a couple of years ago. At the moment, I am sitting in the airport, sadly awaiting for the flight that will bring me back to reality. The past 10 days have been a dream of things I never imagined I would have done.

The story begins about 2 weeks ago when I spontaneously bought a flight ticket to Ecuador. I knew it was meant to be when he ticket price dropped the second I was about to purchase it. From that moment, I knew it was the right decision. And well, on October 10th, I boarded my flight for what has been the most wonderful 10 days since the last time I was here about 6 months ago =P The goal this time was to visit more beaches rather than the mountainous ranges like last time. This time I stayed completely on the coast and boy am I TAN!!!

To be brief, I spent some time on what is called, La Ruta del Sol, The Route of the Sun. This is a group of cities along the shoreline that all boast beautiful beaches, incredible forests and an unbelievable range of animals. This blog will mainly consists of a photo narration as I find that to be a better description that one I can write up. But, just to summarize, here is a list of some of the things I got a chance to do:

-Ride on the presidential Yacht in Puerto Lopez to Isla Salango
-Snorkle with the fish and damn jelly fish!!!
-Swim from the yacht to the beach off Isla del Salango
-Ride horses on the beach in Las Tunas and through the forset in Ayampe
-Fly over the beautiful beach of Crucita
-Ride on an old Ferrocarril
-Spend some time with the ramiains of the best President Ecuador has had
-Eat Spondylus and seafood almost every single day

This is before my mom fley. I patiently waited and then was told wind conditions were not favorale and would have to delay my flight a few days...

practicing for when I buy my own yacht and spend all my time on the water

I could definitely live in this Yacht

Ready to take off swimming to the beach seen in the distance

At the tip of the yacht trying not to fall off

Fishing, but no luck =/

Almost falling after since the yacht was speed racing back to the port

Pelicans taking over!!!

Riding horses on the beach!!

Riding in the forset!

Eloy Alfaro!!!

With Eloy's Remains

Riding the Ferrocarril =)

Again with the Ferrocarril

Eating spondylus...well, not really but at a seperate occasion I did eat some...YUM!!

Riding in a Taxi and notice the starfruit!!!

Finally Flying!!!!

Over the beach!

Picture with another 'chuter in the distance

Trying to pack my Tequila to come home with me.

Well there it is, a brief synopsis of the past 10 days. I do have some videos that I will post in the near future. For now, I am going to fix my things up and get ready to board. In six hours I will be back the the cold, and from what I hear, rainy new england.

To my beautiful country - It is only now that I realize the wonders that are here. I miss you so much and long for the days where I can spend more than a week bouncing around. I have so many treasures left to discover here, and little by little I will see them and experience them all.

Con amor, hoy yo quiero cantar
si señor, a mi lindo Ecuador
Con amor siempre debes decir
por donde quiera que tu estés ecuatoriano soy.

Y mañana y mañana recordarás, todo ese inmenso
cielo azul que un día cobijó
ese amor, ese amor que tienes aquí
y te hará regresar al fin
A tu lindo Ecuador.

-Pablo Nuevo

...soon enough

SUCCESS!!

Greetings readers! Hope you are doing wonderfully. Allow me to start off with saying, this weekend was a fantastic success!! I don't think I have been as occupied with a variety of different activities such as this weekend.

After a few week stay in CT, I came back to the NY/NJ area for the weekend to celebrate my brothers birthday =) Yay!!!! After a HORRIBLE commute back to NJ, my brother and I promptly headed off into Brooklyn for an underground music show along with a couple of his friends. The bands were really good and the place was everything you would expect for an underground music venue. The entrance was a random door on a side street leading to stairs into a space right next to the subway tracks. It was awesome to see trains pass by through the window while swaying to he beat of the music. Inside it was an unfinished floor plan with a nice sized space for a stage. The best part of all was the size allowed for lots of interaction with the artists. I got to meet a few of the band members which was awesomeeee!! Following is a video of my favorite song of the night by Future Islands. The video is not of that night but I could not find anything else =/

Saturday I went to Queens in the morning then spent the rest of the afternoon NYC. That would make three boroughs and 2 states in less than 24 hours!! After a wonderful afternoon in my lovely city, I helped my brother get ready for an art show he has at Montclair. Apparently some of his professors really liked his work and asked him to set up an exhibit of some of his artwork for a couple of weeks in a gallery space at Montclair...YAY, MY BROTHER IS GOING TO BE FAMOUS!!!

And Saturday night , I met up with some old friends in the lovely town of Hoboken. The awesome part of nightlife in Hoboken is that is up to par with NYC without the hassle of trains!! Needless to say, spending time with old friends in another city I love was a fabulous time.

And that brings us to Sunday!! Sunday was pretty much dedicated to hanging out with my bro getting that art gallery set up. After it was all done, the hard work was worth it.

The first picture is of one entire wall. It a series of 11x18 prints put together very meticulously

Now my favorite!!!

And lastly - my pie adventures have not ceased!!! Last week I baked a Key Lime Pie, which was SCRUMPTIOUS.

Right now I have what smells like a delicious pumpkin pie finishing in the oven. Not sure what's next on the list but I was thinking blue berry for some reason...

My HW is still not done, but after this weekend, I know it wasn't meant to get done and that's what time after work is for!

Keepin' with it!

My mom sent me an email recently and I thought it would be worth sharing because there are a few very true points in the following list written By Regina Brett

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'dgrab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Life is Good :)

And on that note, a song from Tom Gabel who I looooove!!! This video is great because it's Tomx2!!
and a little taste of Against Me! I can't stop listening to this song, it's definitely worth a listen =) 

Against Me! - Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart video

I <3 π

Ha, its funny because the mathematical term above is very true. But translated out of geek speak it's simply I LOVE PIE!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE baking....I think mostly because everything I have made thus far has been scrump-dilly-umptious. I guess I have been lucky an a good instuction follower. Unfortunately, I do not consider myself a free lancer in the kitchen. At least not yet. I think that's why baking is my kitchen forte It's pretty easy to follow a recipe list and some instructions.

So this weekend, after working Saturday a couple of hours and unsuccessfully attempting to get my HW done, I decided to get a pumpkin and make a pie in preparation for the upcoming holidays. I didn't think to document the journey, but I did take a picture of the delicious final product!

Yum, I want a piece right now. It was quite easy to make after the whole de-skinning of the pumpkin. I made the crust myself also. I am becoming a pretty good crust maker =)

So that is not the end of my baking for the weekend. I also made some pumpkin bread which was DELICIOUS and also quite easy. I do not have pictures for that yet but I can assure you it was fantastic!!!

and I want to share a wonderful song I just recently stumbled upon after acquiring Agasint Me!'s latest album. The following song is not new but it's really good and I just love how its just a one man show. The harmonica makes its awesome

Empire State of Mind <3

I know, I know....I am way over due for a post. I don't know what has gotten into me, I should put aside more time to share my adventures as a Stevens Alumni.

Before I get to the main topic of this post, I must share how happy I am to be a Stevens alumni. The extensive work experience that Stevens facilitated me, has given me the upper hand in the corporate world and I am happy to say I am gainfully employed during these tough times. The hard work does pay off!!

Now, more about my CT life. The summer came and went here in New England. The few weeks of summer we did get were gorgeous, but now I can feel the cold air starting to take over the mornings and night. It has officially been over a year since I started working at Hamilton. It's incredible how quickly time flies.

So if I were to pick one summer moment to share in this post that can summarize the last few months, it would be Electric Zoo. For a brief explanation, EZOO this year was the first ever electric music festival held in NYC. A lot of th big names in the DJ industry were there and well, it was a blast. I will have videos soon to share so everyone can see how awesome it was =)

As for the title of this blog....The intro is a big long so feel free to fast forward to the 1:03 min mark

Every time I hear this song I get goosebumps all over and very nostalgic. I am not going to lie, I miss my city. And as the song says....

"These streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you...Lets here it for New York, New York, New York!!!!"

And, as mentioned in my last post, I did take on the challenge of Pecan Pie and oh boy was it DELICIOUS!!! I made 2 pies at different times and they were both yummy!!

Lemon Meringue!!!

So I am still attempting my baking skills and it was successful this past weekend. My mom and I got to baking because I wanted to practice before bringing in a pie for "Bring your baked goods to work" day.

So my choice was a lemon meringue pie which I loooove!!! So I am a pretty amateur baker and lucky for me I found a youtube video that broke it down step by step - even the crust!!!

So after whipping the egg whites for what felt like forever, the pie was completed and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!
 

So yesterday I got home from work and made the meringue for the second time since my trial run went very well!! It was a total hit at work! The cake flew and everyone loved it!!!

So besides that, I have been very busy at work hence the not updating so frequently. I am hoping to keep more consistent than recently. Lets hope I can.

Next baking adventure - Pecan Pie!!!

Fun in the Sun <3

I am guilty as charged of being a slacker and not updating this more frequently. I have plenty of stories to tell (at least at the moment) so there are no excuses.

Well, when I last wrote I was counting down the days left until my vacation to Ecuador and well, that countdown has come and gone. It's been exactly a week since I got back and there is not one second I don't wish I was still there. I had the time of my life, it was spectacular. It was so incredible, words cannot even express how incredible...so here are some pictures which are easily worth 1000 words

Mitad del Mundo - Center of the World with my handmade Panama Hat =)

Celebrating my uncles bday...woot woot

Going back to my Incan Roots!

Ingapirca -Cañari Ruins

Cajas National Park

Drinking the milk of the coconut straight from a coconut...YUM!

Chordelg with my Poncho!!!

I definitely have the cutest dog in the whole world. My Tequila is ADORABLE

And did I mention Tequila has a beautiful daughter named Tipper? Gorgeous.

I miss the both so much, I wanted to take them with me

So good times, I had fun in the sun, on the mountains, in the ruins and in the center of the earth. Even though I spent time in four cities I can probably say I saw 15% of what the country has to offer. It's incredible that such a small country has so much to offer. My next 2 goals are the Amazon Rainforest and Galapagos. I cannot wait!

But, before I get started on my travel goals, here are some upcoming goals:
Get a bike and commute to work on it. I know nothing about bikes so anyone out there have any pointers, I am all ears!!!

Numbers

10,000 miles on my car

22 Days till my 10 day vacation

7 months working at hamilton sundstrand

38mpg from my Fit

120 miles away from "my NJ home"

60lb (and rising) cleans, puss press, jerk and split jerk

1 more day till a new episode of LOST!

1 quarter before I begin taking classes again

3 weeks until we find out if Node 3 will be named "Colbert"

4 days till the Mu Sigma Upsilon - QUinqutria Chapter - Reunion Dinner =D

$43 million is apparently not ENOUGH money?!

7 ingredients in key lime pie (which is my next feat)

89 days till summer (officially) begins!

10 months as a Stevens Alumni...

45 min till tomorrow - That's my cue to go!

BUT, before I do, I need to share the following song. I can't stop listening to it (Thanks Maia) !!!

So this has to be a short post since it is waaaay past my bed time (it is currently 11:32pm) and I need to get out of bed at 6am in order to make it to the gym and then to work by 8am. So the last few weeks have been a roller coaster of weather forecasts. This past weekend I think it was up to 60 degrees and the week before that we got 8 inches of snow. All I want to say about that is...REALLY?!

All my coworkers constantly talk about how this is the coldest winter that has hit Connecticut in about 15 years. All I have to say to that is, Thanks CT for the warm welcome. Being a tropical creature myself - I was born right on the Equator - I am so done with this winter. I just want it to be warm and sunny already, who's with me?! So not only do I not appreciate the cold and snow...take a look at this

My poor car definitely does not enjoy the snow nor do I enjoy digging in out.

It's true, snow is very pretty. But anything above 3 inches is waaaay to much! I am very disappointed with the ground hog this year...I am hoping he was wrong and that this winter is almost over.

I am happy to say I am about 99% done with my first grad class, I only have one lecture left and I have handed in all my assignments including a 10pg paper about the applications of nanotechnology in life support systems in space...wohooo!! I am crossing my fingers for an A. Wish me luck =)

My song for right now....