Staying Healthy in the Cold

The weather is changing and soon it will become less convenient for me to go outside for a bike ride, which is one of my favorite forms of exercise. I have already begun to spend more time indoors, and soon, all I will desire is to be warm, cozy, and full ; hibernating in my free time. That is what I usually do during the winter, but this season has to be different for me. I am not interested in gaining any of the weight back that I lost by being a sweaty busy summer bee. So here are Practical & Simple things I will be doing for the remainder of fall and duration of winter in order to stay healthy and continue my weight loss project.

Avoid getting sick by staying warm – Wear hats to protect your head, wear a scarf to cover your neck and nose, and avoid the freeze by covering your ears.
Join a Gym – I was told that working out in the winter is better than working out in the summer, because it warms you up when your body really appreciates it. If you live at College Village, go to the Fitness Center!
Drink Tea! – Drinking green tea is great for loosing weight. But avoid sugary products and brew your own. Try drinking it without any sweeteners, but if it’s just too bland add a little bit of honey.
Sleep – Sleep is essential to keep you immune system functioning properly.
Drink Water – Most people think you only need to worry about your water intake during the summer but you need to worry about it during the winter too. We tend not to be as thirsty in the winter, and dehydrate much easier. So drink up! Buy bottled water or keep a water bottle with you at all times.
Last but certainly not least, Don’t over eat – This can be hard during the winter because some people associate being cozy with being full and that’s an association that needs to break. Over eating sometimes makes you fall asleep because your body need to use most of it’s energy to digest that big portion of food. Eating is smaller portions is healthier and
snacking on healthy foods is better for you. I will be drinking green tea and sometimes hot coco, and snacking on dried fruits and nuts. I treat myself by eating ice cream for dessert, but I limit myself to 1/2 a cup per serving, and I try to buy a low calorie or sugar-free Ice cream.

Keep up the good work everyone and I hope you are all blessed with good health this season!!! Until next time!

Working the Wine Walk, at Charles Men’s Shop

On Saturday, October 3rd, I was fortunate enough to be invited to help Charles Men’s Shop work the annual Batavia Wine Walk. It was a marvelous event, and I could not believe the turn out!

For those of you who may not know, Charles Men’s Shop, family owned and operated since 1947, is Batavia’s number one choice for fine men’s clothing. Located at 200 E Main St., Charles Men’s Shop is your store when you are searching for personal and professional service, and the finest in menswear brands. In addition, they have long been known for their expertise in big and tall and hard to fit gentlemen.

I was not able to leave my post, but my family was kind enough to provide me with some pictures of all the hustle and bustle.

Just look at this huge line waiting to get in Charles Men’s Shop! It was amazing! Maggie (my co-greeter) and myself had all we could do to keep up with everyone!

Don Brown, the VP of the store posing with the most popular man of the night. This scarecrow was Selfie Central.The adorable Maggie, whom I just met that night, and am greatly looking forward to working with in the future.

And a very sly picture taken of me through the store window.

Even this Batavia Downs Gaming promotional vehicle was spotted on the scene.

Local staff at Oakfield-Alabama Central School thoroughly enjoying the event.

Nearly 700 tickets were sold for the Wine Walk this year, and the turnout was incredible despite the rain! Perhaps the weather just added to the cozy Fall atmosphere. Thank you very much for having me Charles Men’s Shop, and thanks for arranging the whole fantastic opportunity Mrs. Ehrhart! I would be overjoyed to help out next year, and in any way I can until then.

Things to do Tonight!

Hello everyone! Now that this busy week is over, are you looking for something to do tonight? We have three big events happening at G.C.C.

Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet

Tonight at 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM in the Stuart Steiner Theatre, the Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet will be performing! Jazz band members include Bill Chattin on drums, Don Messina on bass, Charley Krachy as vocalist, and Kazzrie Jaxen playing piano!

Tickets are just $3 for G.C.C. students! If you’re a G.C.C. Alumni, then you get a $2 discount off of the prices below

$8 for Adult

$5 for staff/seniors/any student over 16

Seniors (55+), Students (16+), & GCC Faculty/Staff $5,

GCC Alum with ID $2 Discount

C.S.U. Club’s – First Friday Nights Event!

Every first Friday the Christian Students United club host a social night in the Student Union at 7p.m. It’s open to anyone, but it’s geared toward G.C.C. students. Students play games, eat pizza, and listen to guest speakers and live musicians. Tonight Alex Crossett will be on acoustics and Jason McGuire will be speaking.

7 to 7:30 – Coffee and Music
7:30 to 8 – A Guest Speaker
8 to 10 – Pizza and Games

I will be there enjoying the fireplace and music with friends before heading down to College Village to prepare for the next event of the night, Late Night Breakfast!

Late Night Breakfast @ College Village

Tonight at College, we R.A.s, will be “whippin’ up” some pancakes, eggs, and sausage for our residents! The food will be served at 10 P.M., if you’re a resident, come to the Village Hall Basement with room in your tummy!

GCC in NYC is only a week away!

I cannot believe that in just a few short days, the GCC fashion students will embark on our annual NYC trip! I have been counting down the days for months! Our fabulous instructors have secured some truly amazing educational field trips for us, but don’t worry, there’s also plenty of time built in for shopping and taking in the sights.Let me just give you a quick rundown of the wonderful opportunities that we are fortunate enough to have been provided access to:

Tommy Hilfiger: I’m sure that everyone has heard of Tommy Hilfiger, but just in case, let me jot down a few words. This immensely popular designer does Preppy with an attitude! His looks have been swept up since the early 1990’s, and he’s a personal favorite of my mom.

Buffalo Jeans: First launched in Canada in 1985 as a womenswear and menswear label and now sells to prestigious stores such as Macy’s, and Bloomingdales, and has been worn by A–list celebs like Christina Aguilera, Halle Berry, and Brad Pitt just to name a few.

Collegefashionista.com: This technological marvel provides information on current trends, fashion editorials, features guest bloggers, and even snapshots of what national fashion students are wearing. It’s incredible, and I highly recommend checking them out!

LIM: Located in midtown Manhattan, the fashion capital of the world, LIM College prepares students for exciting careers in every aspect of the business of fashion.Whichever program you choose, you’ll be immersed in the real-world business of fashion starting on day one. Internships, guest speakers and field trips in the heart of Manhattan are all integral parts of your LIM College education. In the process, you’ll make industry connections that lay the groundwork for a successful career.

BradLink Communications: BrandLink Communications is a full-service media relations, marketing and special events agency that focuses on the luxury, consumer goods, fashion, beauty, hospitality, and entertainment industries.

National Arts Club: The mission of The National Arts Club is to stimulate, foster and promote public interest in the arts and educate the American people in the fine arts.We will be attending a Fashion Speak Friday event on the topic of Steampunk fashion!! Now, as someone who has been absolutely obsessed with Steampunk since I was eleven years old, I am beyond thrilled!

I can’t wait to keep you updated on all the fun and excitement!! Be checking your social media for our hashtag: #GCCINNYC

Well Kids…It’s about that Time: First Exams

At G.C.C., this is about the time when teachers start evaluating how well students understand the material by giving them their first exam. I took my math exam last week, and I’ve got biology, and history exams this week. (Psst…I think they’re watching us…and talking to each other.)

What does it feel like? Well, my math exam went excellent and I think my history exam will go the same. As far as biology is concerned, I know I need to devote a lot of study time to that subject in order to feel confident and ready for the exam. That’s often how it goes for me with BIO, and we’re all different. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. You may achieve an A on one exam with 1-2 hours’ worth of studying, and get the same grade on a different subject’s exam with 5-7 hours of review. It’s crazy! Why do our brains work that way? It can feel downright unfair to get a grade lower that what was striven for when a lot of effort is put into studying. But on the other hand, remembering answers easily simply because you sat in lecture feels amazing. It’s different for each subject, and for each of us. What information you retain may not be the same type I do. That’s what makes studying with other people so beneficial and us, as a student body, so beautiful.

Lately I’ve been feeling like the old myth is really true. It’s impossible to study well, sleep well, and keep a healthy social life. Sacrifices do need to be made. Since I’ve come to G.C.C., I’ve always been the type of person to give my studies the first priority, then sleep, then socializing. But this semester I’ve noticed that I’ve throw sleep on the chopping block more times than social activities. It’s happens because I put a social activity above homework, and then stay up all night trying to finish the assignment. I end up being social, academically successful, but sleepy and drained.

This isn’t good for me because I feel more optimistic and alert when I’ve had 7-8 hours of sleep. But there is hope and it’s good to notice bad habits early in the semester. If I adjust now, the rest of the semester should go much smoother. I know I talked a lot about myself in this blog, but I hope that I talked about you as well. We are all college students and sometimes we go through similar things. Its first exams time but don’t fret, study well, study according to your needs, study with friends, and don’t forget to sleep. Catch you guys next time and I hope you all enjoyed the homecoming weekend!

Alpha Epsilon Gamma!

Guess what everybody, I am so pleased and excited to announce that I am now a proud member of GCC’s Alpha Epsilon Gamma!! What’s extra awesome, is that my sister got in too! Now we’re double sisters! It was a crazy couple of weeks of attending potential new member meetings, and I’m sure the six week orientation will be crazier still, but I am thoroughly loving every second of it! All of the girls seem so sweet and supportive, and I’m really looking forward to lots of laughs and love. Check out some pictures from the Induction night!

We all had to wear white, so my sister and I took a special (last minute) trip to the Galleria mall. Aren’t these shoes I found gorgeous??

My sister, me, and our new sister, Fuka! We’ve known her for a while, and are so glad she’s in the sorority too!After Induction pic to remember the moment!And a giant selfie with the Dean! 🙂

The induction ceremony itself was so sweet, but I can’t go into details. I can say that we were given Alpha Epsilon Gamma T-shirts (long sleeve, which will be SO nice in the coming months) and GCC Think Purple shirts to bring awareness to domestic violence. We were also given these cute AEG bracelets to wear during the orientation period.

Adorable, right?I can’t wait to see what’s in store with my new AEG sisters, and to blog all about it!! We will be participating in lots of upcoming events, as well as doing volunteer work, I’ll let you know how orientation goes! 😉

G.C.C. 2015 Homecoming: Just 2 Days Away!

G.C.C’s Fall Fest Homecoming is this weekend! Friday, Saturday and Sunday are filled with fun activities for college students, and alumni. The first Homecoming event is the Cougar Crawl, which is happening this Friday at 5:00 p.m.

The Cougar Crawl is a tour of eight of the shops on Main St. It begins 5 p.m. at City Slickers, where shop owners will be serving food and giving away free t-shirts. Cougar Crawlers will continue down Main St. to Yngodess, Sweat Peas, Valle Jewlers, Burbon and Burger, Mane Attraction, Blue Pearl Yoga, and finally arrive at T.F. Browns for a party, where there will be food, a DJ and prizes. Tickets for the Cougar Crawl are just $5, and they can be purchased the Alumni Office, which is on the first floor of the technology building.

All day Saturday there will be a huge Volleyball Tournament in the gym. Students from Erie, Jamestown, Monroe, Niagara, Fingerlakes and GCC will be participating. Come and watch! There will be an Arts and Crafts Vendor Fair in the Forum from from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and our campus bookstore will selling Alumni Mugs 20% off !

If you live at College Village you will probably hear the “Rods and Rock” Car and Bike cruise happening in the G.C.C. parking lot. It begins at 9 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m. There will be
donuts and coffee and the first 100 cars & bikes will receive a gift bag. Come by even if you don’t have a car because at 11 a.m. the 2nd Annual Baseball Game will begin! Later on in the
afternoon GCC’s and ECC’s Men and Woman’s Soccer teams will be competing. Go Cougars!

DSC_0002 copy Sunday at 4 p.m. the Genesee Symphony Orchestra will be performing in the Steiner Theatre to close out our Homecoming! There is plenty to do this weekend, and I hope to see you at the festivities!

The Mid-Autumn Festival from China

Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the Chinese traditional festivals, which is also popular among the countries influenced by Sinosphere. The festival is every August 15^th in the Chinese Traditional Calendar, which is September 27^th this year.

Origins and Development

According to historians, the Chinese have celebrated the Mid-Autumn since Chun & Qiu Period (770 B.C. – 476 B.C.). It was for emperors to offer sacrifices to gods and ancestors. People celebrated this because of their happiness from bumper harvest. Since Northern Song of The Song Dynasty (960 -1127), Mid-Autumn has been a festival for every family to celebrate. From The Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644), Mid-Autumn became the second most important festival after the Chinese New Year. Since 2008, Mid-Autumn has been an official holiday for everyone not to go to study and work.

Customs and Celebrations

In ancient China, people prayed to the moon with their families and sacrificed their mooncakes, watermelons, apples and some other fruits. They also guessed the riddles written on lanterns, ate different mooncakes, watched Sweet Olive flowers, and drank cassia wine. Nowadays, people get a break from their studies and work, and go home to meet their families. Every family buys mooncakes and cooks a lot of food for the dinner. People like to gather together because Mid-Autumn is a symbol of both love and family.

Myths and Legends

There were a lot of myths and legends about gods in ancient China. They were either the imaginations for science from the people in ancient times, or stories to encourage people to be a better person and work harder. About Mid-Autumn, there was a famous myth or story about Yi and his beautiful wife Chang’e. Yi is a strong hero who saved the world; Chang’e is a beautiful and kind woman. It was a myth to encourage people in Eastern Han of The Han Dynasty (25 – 220) to be nice and work hard, and also praise true love.

Until next time!

Bella

GCC Film Club!

So just last Thursday I joined the film club! There’s only been one meeting thus far, but I can already tell you that I am very excited to make some movie magic with such a diverse group of students. Everybody seems so friendly and eager to create, and I just can’t wait to see what we all come up with together! Since we’re on the subject, I might as well take this time to share my “top films”/ films I am most influenced by. This list is by no means definitive, and I’ll probably remember about twenty more after I publish it, but here’s my best shot for early in the morning!

**Oh, and I am NOT numbering these, because they are in no particular order.**

The Princess Bride

Leon the Professional

Kamikaze Girls

Heathers

Lolita (1962 Kubrick)

Edward Scissorhands

Labyrinth

The Warriors

Interview With the Vampire

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Alright, that’s about all I can think of at the moment. I am immensely influenced by the aesthetics of these films in all I do creatively. I’m sure that they will work there way very heavily into my fashion design. If you haven’t seen any of these films, I cannot recommend them enough! And hey, invite me and we’ll have a movie night! 🙂

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is an international non-profit organization that builds homes for and with people in need. So far the organization has built homes for more than 1 millions families around the world. This past rainy Saturday, College Village residents volunteered with the Habitat for Humanity crew in Batavia! We worked on a home that was being built for Sheila Rolle and her daughter Jada. Sheila was right there at the construction site getting muddy with us! We arrived on site at 9:30 a.m., had lunch around noon, and continued to work until 3:30 p.m. Some of us flattened soil, helped to build stairs, used machinery to cut wooden planks, hammered, cleaned out the basement and did a bunch of other cool things too!