While I watched celebrity chef Paula Deen blithely place an entire stick of butter onto a heated pan, my roommate wailed for the hundredth time, “I’m getting fat!” A lull followed while she waited expectantly, I sighed in exasperation, and Paula smiled at the melting butter. With Thanksgiving almost a week behind us, awkward moments […]
Author Archives: Annie Tao
Modern pain relievers truly are a miracle
Studying for midterms is painful. Working out at Wooden is painful. Waking up for an 8 a.m. lecture is definitely painful. But we do not suffer in vain ““ we put up with these things for good reasons. We study and go to class for good grades. We work out to stay healthy. The ends […]
Love is about similarities, not soulmates
How nice it must be to live in Michael Buble’s lyrical world of moondances, soulmates, and flying honeymoons. In “Come Fly with Me,” he croons, “You may hear all the angels cheer because we’re together.” I imagine also that pink bunnies and dewy-eyed puppies must be waltzing while cherubs and lambs are exchanging Valentines. This […]
Academic race leaves learning in the dust
Our university’s new tagline states, “There is no typical UCLA student or faculty member. The only common denominator is an appetite for excellence.” I beg to differ. What the phrase could say instead is this: “The only common denominator among students is a penchant for procrastination and an attitude for apathy.” Consider third-year mathematics student […]
Hill dining may be deceiving
Nothing gives me more joy in the world than two scoops of Ben & Jerry’s “Marsha Marsha Marshmallow” ice cream topped with hot fudge and caramel, mixed with a handful of crumbled Double Stuf Oreos. OK, maybe three scoops. On the other hand, nothing is more horrific than looking into the mirror and discovering that […]
Course evaluations flawed, unreliable
Ever since we were wee little schoolchildren with lunch pails and Velcro buckle shoes, we students have been rated on our academic performance. In truth, it’s an arduous path, wrought with constant critiques and sometimes harsh judgments. In the fourth grade, I misspelled “guard” (I still don’t think the u should come before the a), […]
Keep your head intact by seeking help
If someone skateboarded down Bruin Walk, lost control, and crashed into the bear, that person would then go to the hospital immediately. Alternately, if someone got drunk to escape feelings of anxiety and sadness on a nightly basis, a mess of psychological problems might ensue. However, that person would probably wait several years before seeking […]