My apologies.

Somehow, I managed to neglect this blog for an entire semester. I'll quickly remedy that over the next few days. I hope.

Fall 2008 was a rather trying block of time, and I should have been recording my progress.

I was an SF State [X]Press producer, as well as a page designer for the newspaper. When I have a bit more time and no visitors, I will write a blog about the overall fall semester, as well as expound on the aspects of the multimedia pieces I produced.

Check back soon!

Revamp, much?

I've decided that this blog needs an overhaul.

Especially since it isn't being used for its intended purpose.

So, yes.

It needs an entirely new focus and a snazzy uplift. The makeover will come later, but I think I will use this little piece of the Blogosphere to focus on the comings and goings of my career.

Essentially I will be turning this into a virtual résumé, showcasing the work I have done for the Union, assignments I have completed for my journalism classes, multimedia pieces I will eventually produce for the online edition, and any work I end up doing on the side.

This is a bit of an experiment on my part. I want to properly express my abilities, and I don't feel simple text on paper does justice to my efforts.

We shall see.

Thanks for stopping by.

Topsy turvey.

Perhaps I exaggerate.

Going to a university isn't that daunting, especially if you delve into it with the right mindset and the desire to accomplish great things during your stay.

Today was the first day of classes at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Here are my first impressions:

Public transportation- Simply being in the Bay area requires more walking than I ever did in the Los Angeles area. From my apartment, it is about a 15-minute walk to the Daly City Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station. From there, I am able to hop onto a free SFSU shuttle to campus, which takes only 5 minutes. "Free" is the clincher here. I was spending $50 a week on gas back home. I'm excited by the prospect of driving as little as possible.

Students- Cold, and hurried. It was raining pretty profusely the entire time I was on campus, and the majority of students were just rushing to and from their classes to avoid standing in the rain for any substantial amount of time. The only viable window to strike up a conversation was while standing in the bookstore line to buy textbooks, or waiting outside of the classroom before class started. Basically, any situation in which you'd be forced to stand still for more than a couple of minutes.

The old saying "Like attracts like" kept popping into my mind today, chiefly because everyone I ended up talking to or hanging out with turned out to be a native Southern Californian. I've met people from Orange County, from Sherman Oaks, and even someone from Fullerton. It's fairly fascinating that I keep gravitating toward total strangers who are from the LA area.

Courses- I am currently enrolled in four classes, and waitlisted for one. This is how they hash out:

JOUR 666 - Ethical Issues In Journalism
JOUR 301 - History of Journalism
PLSI 200 - American Politics
PHIL 302 - Medieval Philosophy
(WL) JOUR 300 - Reporting

I attended JOUR 300 and JOUR 666 today.

JOUR 300 is a course I am required to pass in order to join the campus newspaper, the Golden Gate [X]Press. After listening to Prof. Yumi Wilson, I was under the impression that I'd be going backward in terms of learning reporting skills. Well, she actually said that I'd be going backward after I told her of my experiences at EC. The requirements of the class are interesting though. Students must choose a neighborhood beat, and spend a few hours a week in that neighborhood. They have to build relationships with potential sources, and come up with their own story ideas. That sounds fun, and it also seems like a great opportunity to learn about San Francisco. Unfortunately, I am No. 7 out of 20 people on a waitlist for this class, and though it looks slim, I'm still going to attend class on Tuesday to find out.

Prof. Wilson also teaches the ethics class. It is a large lecture class, which is something most students at EC wouldn't be accustomed to. The classroom has space available for about 200 students.

So far, the total experience of SFSU is very much unlike EC, but I am very glad of that. I was seeking something entirely different when I applied to 4-year universities. Although it is still very early on in the semester, I am looking forward to this new setting and discovering more of my abilities and interests. While that may sound like a fixed answer, I do mean it. I feel like I'm finally moving forward with my life. I wasn't exactly wasting away at EC, but I always knew I couldn't stay there for very long.