Appreciating Boston

You know how people say "you don't know what you've got until it's gone"? They were right, you really don't. I'll be outta here in a few weeks and I'm kinda upset that I didn't get to spend very much time exploring Boston. That was actually my New Years Resolution, to explore Boston more, looks like I dropped the ball on that one.

But in all seriousness, this is a great city, probably one of the best in the country. I wish I could say that I've been to the Commons and all the other hot spots in the city, but sadly I haven't. Maybe next year I'll make the effort to spend my free time in the city instead of in a dorm room.

Either way, to anyone reading this, explore Boston. It's a once in a lifetime chance to see a city as a college student and really get to know the city inside and out. The T makes the city so accessible it's ridiculous and you can have a really good time for little or no money.

When you come to BC you're not going to school in a college town, your going to school in a city, and one full of colleges at that. Really take advantage of all the city has to offer, you won't regret it I promise.

Jake

Finals

It's that time of year again - time for finals. Spring semester could possibly be the worst time ever to have finals, and the reasons are endless.

• 1) Its beautiful outside. 75 degree weather screams "don't do work and play wiffle ball" and it's hard not to listen.
• 2) You're so hyped up about being done with school, the last thing you want to do is study more.
• 3) You're wiped out. By the time finals week rolls around the mountain of papers and presentations you just climbed has left you tired and drained of all energy.

But you can't just give up, finals are make or break grades so sometimes you just have to gut-check and stick with it. If you plan out your studying you'll be fine. So here's a few pointers I've found helpful when finals roll around.

• 1) Start early. The earlier you start the more comfortable you'll be with the material by the time you actually take the test. Also, this takes a lot of the weight off your shoulders in case something pops up you didn't plan for (mostly parties but that's not the point)
• 2) Find a way that works for you. I know everyone's different but I think the one thing we can all agree on is that blankly staring at your book is not going to cause your body to absorb knowledge. It'd be sweet if it did though. So find something that works for you. Some people like flashcards, come people like to just write down everything they know and work from there. Whatever it may be, find it and do it.
• 3) Relax. People get so tense around this time of year. I mean I know how serious finals are but relax bro, your not going to die. Don't hesitate to reward yourself with a movie or some video games after you've been studying for hours. If your not careful you'll burn yourself out before the finals even start.

Anyway, that's just my advice. Hopefully it helps you too.
Jake

Procrastination

I think the title of this blog is a little ironic considering that I have procrastinated posting this for far too long. Everyone loves to procrastinate because it's easy and a lot more fun than whatever else you would be doing. But a word of advice to all new students, avoid procrastination at all costs.

If you stay on top of your work you'll thank yourself when you're in bed sleeping and not caged in at the library all night writing a paper. Believe me, I know how hard it is to avoid procrastinating. Why do my paper now when its due in a week and I could be playing NFL Blitz? I've asked myself this way too much. So from me to you, don't procrastinate. It's that simple.

Jake

Adventure through Boston!

Hey all,

Today, I went for a bit of an adventure through the streets of Boston. I think it's a pretty good (if tourist-y) route, so I figured I'd share some highlights:


View Walking Tour! in a larger map

We took the BC Shuttle down the road to hop on the D Line of the T:

Blue - Got off train 20 minutes later at Copley Plaza, left the stop and immediately found something interesting. I've never been in the Boston Public Library, and, oh my, was it enormous. And free!

Red - Walking past all the ritzy boutiques and art stores and cafes along the famous Newbury Street.

Green - Walked through the lovely spring-time Boston Gardens, and by the also famous Swan Boats (they were not running today, sadly). We then continued through Boston's version of Central Park, the Boston Commons. Lots of frisbee, dog walking, and Merry-Go-Rounding on a nice day here.

Teal - Hit up historic Tremont Street, one of the first routes of the Freedom Trail through downtown Boston. Strange that some of the people responsible for the creation of this country walked along that exact road.

Yellow - The circus was in town... literally! The Big Apple Circus tent was set up in the middle of the expansive Government Center plaza, outside the *gorgeous* (sarcasm) City Hall. We continued our walk past that irrational excitement that surrounds circuses, to

Purple - Quincy Market and Fanueil Hall, one of the main tourist centers and a very handy marketplace, entertainment center and shopping plaza for everyone. We watched one of the many street performers balance on the top rung of a 10-foot ladder while juggling three daisies, spinning a pillow on a pole off his mouth and doing comedic stand-up. Needless to say, he earned a tip from us.

Red - Finally, we made it to our destination! Annddd... way past it, accidentally. But after a bit of backtracking, we sat down and tasted the glorious Mike's Pastries (though personally, I'm partial to Modern Pastries across the street). Located in the heart of the Italian-influenced North End, and in the middle of downtown Hanover Street, you really can't go wrong with a trip to Mike's, Modern, Cafe Vittoria, the Gelateria, Pizzeria Regina, or really anywhere else in that neighborhood. Mmmm...

So there's your introductory walking guide to Boston. I'm two years in, 20 years native of the suburbs, and still love walking around to see all the things I've seen before, while finding all the new things I've never noticed. More to come soon, of course!

Meantime, email me!
~Joe
mahonjc@bc.edu

The Asian American Scholarship Has Been Named!

Hey guys!

I'm proud to say that the Asian American Scholarship has been named!! HOORAY! Why is this important you might ask?

For a few years now, the scholarship has been left nameless; there has been no one for Asians to look up to, unlike other mentors such as Martin Luther King (a scholarship in his name goes to an African American student every year). So the BC community believed that the Asian American Scholarship should be named after someone also.

However, BC has been denying our candidates that we believe the scholarship should be named after, for reasons such as having no connection to Boston College or not living within the Catholic faith, but all that changed this past week!


With the scholarship now named, the Asian community here at BC can feel a bit more at peace. To celebrate, everyone was invited to participate in a few events, one of them being a small "flash flood" in the Quad with lots of music and dancing. Such a great accomplishment!

That's it for now! Peace!

David - A&S 2013
nguyenec@bc.edu

Boston

Hey y’all,

My name is Katherine McKenna, and I’m an economics major from Houston, TX. One of my favorite things about BC is the city of Boston. One of the cool things about BC is that we’re out in the suburbs, and we have awesome football games and tailgates just like other big schools, but you can also hop on the T (the subway) and go into downtown Boston or Cambridge. The trip usually takes about 20 minutes, and it is definitely worth it.

There are a ton of fun things to explore in Boston. My friends and I love to go to Newbury Street when the weather’s nice on Saturday or Sunday to go shopping and eat lunch. There are also lots of really cool museums and historical sites around Boston. Being in a city full of colleges is a blast. You can go check out parties at other schools like MIT or Harvard (who actually have fun parties, shocking huh?) or go see a concert at the House of Blues or other venues.

There are a ton of schools in Boston, and therefore there’s always something cool to check out. However, BC is nice because it is not directly in the hustle of the city.

Thanks,
Katherine

Play that Funky Music...

Wow! There's always so much to talk about here, especially in the spring; when the weather goes nuts, people emerge from their winter-sleepwalking, every group on campus seems to have events going on, professors basking in all this forget to give as much work as usual, and on and on! But, it's Easter break, I'm relaxing at home, and I'll keep this one quick.

So, there always seems to be something going on through the music department, and I usually completely overlook many of the smaller, solo-performance artists they bring into the Irish Room (a beautiful performance hall used for performances in Gasson Hall).

Thankfully, my music professor told us not to miss Mana Tokuno's performances this week. A professional pianist, she came in to do a recital performing a piece one of my old professors composed just for her, Tokuno Toccata, but while she was here, she also played Beethoven, Schumann, and another entire recital dedicated to Chopin.

I'm not usually one to gush over small ensemble or solo pieces, but I have to say her Chopin recital was probably one of the most beautiful musical performances I've ever seen or heard. I'm definitely going to pay more attention to the Arts Calendar from now on, especially since all these concerts are completely free!

Also, did I mention that this performance was a rehearsal for her main recital coming up at Carnegie Hall? I feel very special now.

That's all I wanted to share for now, but happy Spring! The rain's finally stopped here in the Northeast, and it's gorgeous outside!

As always, feel free to comment or email: mahonjc@bc.edu

~Joe M