I hope every enjoyed my presentation. I would really appreciate any/all thorough feed back (good/bad). And thank you Melanie and Harini for your lovely comments it made my day!

Joey- I loved the professional look of your project. I also love the diea of a magazine with really goes with your project. I only wish that maybe it would be more than one article. But I think with your background, you can pull your one article together. I also appreciated your poise in the face of some rude comments.

We're supposed to comment on the project presented over the week; so, here's just some comments. Overall, I really like the presentations. I love the topics you three covered. It's incredibly interesting.

Melanie: You're subject matter is incredibly interesting. I like that it goes outside of the box. The format of your project is great as well. I think that any other format would not do the subject justice and that showing the life of these people through a first-person narrative is the best way to achieve an authentic, insightful product.

I don't know about you guys, and I think a lot of you are 19.... but its amazing to me that this year is when all the 88 babies cross into the realm of adulthood. The big 2-0. 20. I've been thinking about it and it make be one of the most depressing birthdays ever- like 30 or 40 or 50 or 60... It's not like we'll get to do anything new or fun it just starts the depressing countdown to 30. Or.. the 365 days until 21. I'm not even a big drinker but at least I can go into a club and get my groove on or have new places to hang out.

I fear failure. Failure in anything. Anything that isn't done perfectly, I feel horribly about it. I have been a perfectionist since I can remember. The constant overachiever in school regardless of being made fun of but my fear of not being the best at all times.
This fear of failure and being the best at what I do has constantly been a facet of my life. It's led me to not hurting some people around me but to myself. You may not be able to see it now, but I was once 89 pounds after losing 41 pounds in the pursuit of being the best, the thinnest, the prettiest.

It is the end of the year and the end is always a great time for reflection. Write a blog of reflection on your first year of Purdue. What have you learned? What were your favorite and least favorite moment? What are somethings you wish you would have done more or less of?

I feel that my life is really going to start improving as soon as classes let out in April. I’m so excited for the new ventures I’ll explore. I just found out last week that I was awarded a Howard Hughes Internship. For all of you who may have not heard of it, it is a compilation of 25 awards handed out to students each year. Five are especially designated for freshman. The award provides the funds for research supplies and living expenses so that a summer of research is capable. I started my undergraduate research this semester and was very excited to apply for the H.H. internship.

After 20+ hours in a car total and 3 days in our nations capital, I learned many things.
1. Ohio does not believe in snow removal.
== while driving to D.C., lanes would randomly disappear which was incredibly not safe. I feel it made me a better driver. The stark contrast between Indiana's eastern part of 70 East to Ohio's was incredible.

Some of the blog topics of last week got me thinking about my future. Call me awful, and it probably is, but I live for the future. Every assignment I turn in, decision I make is for the betterment of my future.
I am a genetic biology/ pre-medical major while minoring in German. I've always been fascinated by genetics. I was born with a cleft palate which is a genetic disorder that my dad, my cousin, my grandmother and so on has. I think that's what really got me thinking about genetic biology as my specialization.

I have an addiction. A problem. An obsession.... with Facebook. It's amazing to me how Facebook can instantly pull me away from anything thats actually important for me to do. I can't really log onto the net with out checking it... whether its my chem lab or... right now... when I should be studying for my Biology exam tonight. Guess what! I'm not. I know I've studied for like 6 hours for it but I still like to cram crap into my head up until the last second.

I don't know how many of you read the Exponent, but I'm an avid reader of the opinion section. Lately, there's been a series of "letters to the editor" regarding chivalry and the City Bus system.
I don't think I've read a letter that I've liked yet. I dont even think I've seen a letter which isn't in the black or the white but somewhere in the gray.
Usually, I tend to have a polarized opinion. However, on the issue of feminism and chivalry, I'm in the middle.