Game Day

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to experience my first ever game day at USC. After going to a high school that wasn't exactly known for sports (we actually had an 18 year homecoming losing streak), I was really excited to experience a USC football game. The game was scheduled for 8 PM, so imagine my surprise when I walked out of my dorm at 8 AM to a slew of tailgaters all over the quad.

I had planned to get my work done during the day, but the game day energy was palpable and incredibly distracting. Even when I sat down to read for my gender studies class, I found myself reading the same text over and over, so I gave up and let myself get sucked into the fun and spirit.

After a quick bookstore run to buy fancy knee socks and a hair bow, I donned my cutest USC gear (believe me, there is endless cute USC gear), and headed out with my floor. Game day was hot, and the endless crowds and grills made it even hotter, but we found a really dedicated fan braving the heat en route to the dining hall, so of course we needed a picture with him. 

Throughout the afternoon, we walked around campus getting hyped for the game and playing carnival games like the bean bag toss. It was so fun to meet people just as excited as I was. Also, flash tattoos are the coolest thing ever, but don't put them on your face because they HURT to scrub off. 

The game itself was super fun. We all walked over to the Coliseum together, led by the USC marching band, and it felt amazing to be a part of something so much bigger than me. The cheering, the chants, the jumping off my chair to catch a t-shirt (I was unsuccessful, but my roommate got one!), and screaming myself hoarse. Pretty sure the fight song is now ingrained in my memory (Shoutout to Noelle for screaming it with me every time!)

Post-game, I was ridiculously tired. By the time we walked back to our dorms, it was past midnight, but I was glad to have experienced my first game. Oh, and it definitely helped that we CRUSHED Arkansas State 55-6 (Cue a "Go beat the Redwolves!"). Can't wait to do it all over again this Saturday!

xo, Hima

Begin Again

Surprise! I still exist! For a long time though, this little corner of the Internet didn't. I've decided to bring it back though, for a few reasons.

1. I'm taking a seminar called "All Who Wander Are Not Lost" about building a portfolio for a career in medicine. It's a two unit class, and I thought it would be a fun way to take a smaller class (it's only 15 of us!) my freshman year. Part of the class includes starting a blog to chronicle our first semester in college and reflect on some of the reading we'll be doing. (Hi Dr. Quinn!)
2. When I blogged regularly in high school, I always thought college bloggers were really cool. Now I can be cool too!? 
3. I miss documenting my life and reflecting on it regularly. I've tried journalling so many times this year, but nothing beats adding photos and being able to interact with everyone reading on Facebook 

I know it's been a while since blogging has been a part of my life, but I'm ready if you are. I'm ready to watch this begin again. (let me know if you got the reference in the comments!)

So hi! If you're new to this, I'm Hima. I'm 17 years old, and I'm a freshman at the University of Southern California in LA. I blogged a lot in high school, but I stopped during my first semester of senior year to focus on writing my college essays. Then life happened and I got lazy, but I'm back and better than ever (I can only hope). 

It's been a little over two weeks since I arrived on campus for move in day, and oh, what a two weeks it has been. 

August 17th, 2015. 6 AM. My closest friends from high school (including my little brother on my left) came to see me off in the morning. It meant so much to have them all there, and I was definitely emotional as my dad and I pulled away from our curb, waving at my family and closest friends: the people I love most in this world. 

350 miles later, we unstuck ourselves from our seats and began the long and arduous process of unpacking my life. It always amazes me how just when I think I have everything, my mom thinks of something that I actually desperately need. These lovely ladies above are my floormates at USC's very own rose garden! We're the only all girls floor in the building (by chance), and it's honestly been amazing. We call ourselves Beta Kappa Di, so we're a sorority, no big deal. 

My bed! I live in a triple, which is actually two doubles put together, so we have a TON of space. I'm hoping to make a bunting banner to go across the top of the room too. Because our room is so big, is tends to be the social center of our floor - there are always five or six people in here. It's fun to socialize, but I know that if I need to study, I have to go to the library or head outside. 

Every year, President Nikias takes a photo with my residence hall, which is the scholarship dorm. We all know that selfies have replaced autographs in the last decade or so, so I had to snap at least one with the head honcho 

On one of the nights, we had a spirit rally, and it was so much fun! One of the reasons I was so excited to come here was that USC has SO much school spirit, which is definitely my jam. Our first football game is this Saturday, and I know it's going to be amazing standing with so many other people who love USC just as much as I do. 

I'm allergic to cats, so I tell myself I'm not a cat person. But seriously, look at these little kittens and try not to melt into a puddle of joy and happiness. During Welcome Week, I volunteered at a local cat adoption shelter, and it was amazing, as expected. One of my favorite things about volunteering is that there is no loser- everyone wins, and everyone is happy. I've been looking for some service organizations to join on campus, but there are so many it's a little overwhelming. 

(yes, this is off of Snapchat, but hey- check out that filter!)

In my freshman seminar, we did this activity to see who could build the tallest and most aesthetically pleasing tower out of paper and tape, and this is my group's tower. At this point, we had just put third paper prism on top, and we waited with bated breath of see if it would hold. In this activity,  our team leads showcased different kinds of leadership, from uninvolved to friendly and encouraging, and it was easy to see which one worked best. 

This is from ground level, so I'm sure it would have been even more stunning from the 8th floor of a building, but when I walked outside after dinner the other day, the sky was awash with color, and our beautiful tower stood like a beacon of knowledge - it was just so beautiful and surreal. 

I instagrammed this photo last week after the farmers' market (!!), and I think my caption sums up a lot of what I'm still feeling. 

"Today has me realizing what an amazing decision I made by choosing to come to USC. In a little over a week, I've been inspired by the incredible people I've met, bonded with the best floor ever, relearned how to study (lol hi bio) tried a Nike bootcamp that was so hard I thought I was going to die, been to our on-campus farmers' market, and had more fun than I ever imagined possible. Looking forward to this semester and the next four years more than ever. #fighton"

Over the last couple of weeks, I've talked to so many people who blow me away with how nice they are. All the upperclassmen are incredibly kind and always willing to offer advice and tips on how to get involved, manage classes, or make friends. Whenever I talk to someone, I walk away with this warm and fuzzy feeling of belonging. I wasn't so sure about the so called "Trojan Family" when I heard about it, but everything I've experienced here tells me that the Trojan Family is what defines USC, and I feel beyond blessed to be a part of it. 

Until next time, 

xo, Hima

P.S. Congratulations on getting through all of that! I love you a lot for sticking with me :)

Currently

During the #100HappyDays challenge (okay, even I'm tired of talking about it. Last time, I promise), I always used the photo posts to write a little bit about what was going on in my life, but I haven't really done that in a while, so let's talk about what I'm currently doing. Oh yeah, and I'll just casually slip in some Instagram pictures from the last two weeks.

I'm currently...

Hello, Golden Gate Bridge. I love you too. 

L I S T E N I N G to Something I Need by OneRepublic! This song is on the playlist for BodyPump, which my workout buddy and I love, and we've fallen in love with this song. It's so cute and perfectly OneRepublic. It'll definitely show up on next week's Monday Melodies.

E A T I N G all the fruits! My favorite thing about summer is the abundance of fruits- peaches, nectarines, berries, and most recently,  gorgeously tart apples from our tree in the backyard. Also I tried sushi for the first time (see below!) and I really liked it!

D R I N K I N G water, as always. I'm just not a drinks person and I actually think water tastes really good.

I don't look like this on a daily basis. Or like ever. Senior portraits were a couple of weeks ago and I'm waiting for my prints!

W E A R I N G workout clothes. Pretty much all the time. I colored in the UnderArmour sign with black sharpie so now my black leggings look like fancy pants and I can wear them to work! #dontjudgeme. I'm actually the worst. My aspirations for the next year include developing the world's coolest workout clothes collection. 

F E E L I N G perfectly content. Nothing like summer for a recharge and reset between junior and senior year!

R E A D I N G Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian, by Avi Steinberg. Okay, how cool does that sound! I'm almost done, and white it was difficult for me to read at first, I'm glad I continued, because I actually really love it!

W A N T I N G Cellucor protein powder, new workout clothes. Muscle milk is gross, you guys. Especially when you have 4 pounds your mom bought on sale at Costco a year ago. (almost done though!)

N E E D I N G a new phone because I randomly lose service about 13 times a day. I want an iPhone for sure- I'm so over 0 case options. (Oh god, I sound so horrible. I promise I'm not actually a brat)

L O V I N G my new shoes from the Nike Outlet. I've had my old ones for 2.5 years now and they were starting to break down. Obsessed with these babies!

That's all for me today! :) What are you currently doing/loving/obsessed with/drinking/eating/whatever you can think of?

xo, Hima

That Time I Was Famous

Last Friday night (cue Katy Perry), I could NOT sleep at all. I set a 6:30 AM alarm and woke up four times throughout the night because I was just so excited. So when my alarm finally went off, I straight up jumped out of my bed (stubbing my toe in the process), and was ready in less than 15 minutes. An hour and a half later, I was still waiting for my mom to be ready. This weekend, I went to the Summer Shape Up, hosted by Jillian Michaels and Shape magazine, to take a POP Pilates Class with Cassey Ho, creator of POP Pilates and owner of Blogilates, the biggest fitness channel on Youtube.

I found out about Cassey around March of last year and did her videos on and off in addition to other workouts for a while, which was all fine, but what I really love about her is her unfailing dedication and positivity. Watching her videos or seeing her Instagram posts just make me really happy in general, and it was so cool to get to meet my fitness idol.

I found out about it on Wednesday from Emma, and I knew I was going as soon as I saw it! We got there around 9:15, even though our class wasn't until 10:45, since we thought it would be a really big event, but we walked through all the stalls in 20 minutes. Since we had time to kill, we decided to take a cardio class with Kendall Hogan. Anyone know who that is? I didn't, but the class was fun!

The blogilates class was only 30 minutes, but it was 30 minutes of the best torture ever. Everyone of the worst, most painful (i.e. her favorite) moves from her videos were in the workout: Earthquakes, leg circlethons- you name it, we did it. By the end of class, I was shaking, but so happy. For those of you who were wondering, she's exactly the same in real life as she is in the videos. Super happy, bubbly, and very motivating. 

Afterwards, there was a meet and greet, which was really fun, because we all personally got to talk to her. Now, to explain the title of this post, I felt famous because she posted a photo on Instagram, and I'm in it! It was kinda cool because some of my friends tagged me and I was just really starstruck. 

Have you ever met a celebrity? Who, and how? Let me know in the comments below!

xo, Hima

100 Happy Days | Days 60 - 69

Hey y'all! Besides the fact that today was the last Friday of the school year, it was just a really great day all around, and I'm definitely ready for a weekend studying for the one final I have and relaxing with friends and family. Before that, here are the next 10 days of my 100 Happy Days challenge. As always, don't forget to follow me on Instagram for daily updates. 

Day 60: This was a Staff Appreciation Week promo for school, and the idea was that we took a picture with our favorite teacher and write a caption letting them know how much we appreciate them. Here's what I wrote about my Spanish teacher: 

"Lynbrook Staff Appreciation Week 2014! I've been lucky to have had Señora as my Spanish teacher for two years, and while los actividades can get SUPER repetitive, and speaking English en clase always means a "menos cinco!" I've loved getting to know her as a person, and I definitely appreciate her!"

Day 61: Clothes make me happy sometimes (all the time), and I just really liked the simplicity of this outfit! Better than the last time I wore this skirt.

Day 62: Friday was our school's annual fashion show, and I made posters for two or my favorite models, Divya and Juila :) They were so fierce on stage!

Day 63: Let's be real, bio puns probably make me a little happier than they should, but I still love 'em! :)

Day 64: Throwback to fashion show and looking cute with my fave. And yes, I've been wearing the same flip-flops every single day! They're just so comfortable. 

Day 65: My family and I spent Memorial Day at the beautiful Vasona Lake and Park, and it was just a perfect day. 

Day 66: It was my queen's birthday. Rani has been a great support system this year, and I'm so happy to have her!

Day 67: It's the little things :) 

Day 68: I know I've posted a picture of this one before, but from being my dress-up day buddy, to my best friend on Snapchat (at times), to listening to me talk about everything, to talking to me about everything, I've gone through it all with Tulika, and I love her x 10000000. 

Day 69: I won this Behind the Scenes award in my AP Bio class at school, and although it's just some silly class award, it really means a lot to me that my classmates nominated me for this, since it was one of my hardest classes, and I worked so hard to do well. Notice the fact that our class mascot, Quincy the Iguana signed it ;)

Over and out, y'all. Happy Weekend!

xo, Hima

100 Happy Days | Day 53 - 59

Hey y'all! I know I said I'd be blogging more regularly post AP-testing, but I'm just really lazy and am just now getting around to getting my act together. To be honest, I get REALLY distracted when I sit down to write a blog post, so sometimes I'll sit down and write half and post and end up just quitting. 

I'm working on my focus, and I'll try to pre-write some posts this weekend for next week! Until then, enjoy the next bit of 100 Happy Days, and don't forget to follow my Instagram to see my daily updates!

Day 53: Flowers are always pretty, and these were just so cheery when I got home from school!

Day 54: La familia is always the best! So great that they can't even look in the same direction to take a picture ;)

Day 55: It was really hot on this day, and my mom brought home the cutest mason jars. THe next logical step was making fruit smoothies right? The pink is raspberry and the blue is blueberry!

Day 56: Of all the 100 Happy Days posts I've done, this is definitely my favorite. I went to my younger brother's open house, and saw a project that they did at the beginning of the year where they had to name their hero and draw a picture. While a lot of the kids chose a superhero or their parents, my brother chose me! My only hope is that I can live up to this, and continue to be his hero. 

Day 57: We had a girls’ night with junk food and movies, and these cookies were adorable! We watched The Dictator, and Pitch Perfect, which made for a night of side-splitting laughter.

Day 58: Our family went up to this gorgeous place called Villa Montalvo for a picnic, and they had this amazing interactive art exhibit there. I thought it was beautiful that so many people could contribute to it, but it always looked beautiful.

Day 59: Succulents are pretty. That is all.

I'll have another post up tomorrow, so see you then!

OH, and my post about 15 of the worst first problems was featured through the Her Campus Blogger Network so we sure to check that out if you haven't already. 

xo, Hima

In Which I Sit in Mud While Wearing White Pants

 Not the smartest move- I know. Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. And my crew kids were calling.

Quick Note about my job: It’s basically a cross between a teacher and a camp counselor. In addition to teaching three classes of biology and journalism, I have a “crew” of 8 kids for whom I’m a mentor, leader, big sister, and all that jazz.

Basically, it’s the best job in the world.

Alright, so yesterday was fun. I guess the boring part was the classroom rules, the syllabus, and you know, the same thing you do every single year of your grade school career?
Just so you know, not a good life decision to wear white pants and sit in mud.
Please pray for my pants tonight.
just kidding- you have much more important things to pray about. 

The fun parts: 

Sorry for the messy room- It's never really clean. 

Enter white jeans. 

1. Nervous selfie-ing in the morning. 

2. Greeting the kids. Every morning, we form a soccer-mom tunnel with high fives that the kids run through. It's a great way to energize the kids in the morning and pull some of the quieter kids out of their shells!

Our tunnel looked a lot better than that one though: 

We're so cute!

3. One of my kids, when asked by another teacher, said that my class had been her favorite of the day.

cue heart melting. 

#breakthroughlove

Oh shoot. Did I just hashtag on Blogger?

I don't know whether to feel like I'm venturing into unknown territory or disappointing a whole lot of potential blog readers. 

4. Crew partner, Michael. He’s basically my best friend ever. We have yet to take a picture together, but it will happen soon.

5. Cooooookies. Made these for a staff meeting tomorrow.

Just call me Suzy Homemaker.

Just kidding- don’t. All I had to do was break the precut dough apart and throw it in the oven without burning myself.

And I succeeded. But hey, you win some, you lose some. Remember Birthday Cake Pancakes?

Things I learned: 

1 Minnesotans are the nicest people. ever. 

Here's proof.

They're also great because they invented bundt cakes. 

2. Actually teaching validates all the tedious hours spent lesson planning. 

3. Skipping is dangerous. One kid almost got a concussion today. 

And before I wrap up this super long post, BLOGLOVIN!
I'm sure you've been loving getting Hima Hearts delivered to your Google Reader every day, but as of yesterday, poor Google Reader is a thing of the past.
SO please please pretty please follow Hima Hearts on Bloglovin'
Just click that beautiful button below.

yeah, so pretty much the best Monday ever. How was yours? 

xo, Hima

Really? I Missed That?

As I was reflecting on life and trying very desperately to think of a topic to blog about (also known as spending way too much time on Facebook and blog-reading), inspiration struck. Although I'm not trying to be negative or anything here, everyone of us has regrets. Decisions you didn't make, things you didn't go to, you name it. 

So without further ado, 

7 Things I Shouldawouldacoulda done

1. Go to Alice's Summerthing in San Francisco on Sunday. 

I love any excuse to go to my favorite city. Throw in my favorite singers for free, and we've got a deal. 

2. Not quit swimming as a kid. 

I could have been really good! Man, I was the fastest swimmer in the pool in elementary/middle school. What if I had become an Olympian?

3. Not put off watching The Hunger Games until a couple of months ago. A movie is suddenly much less dramatic when you're watching it on the iPad screen and sweating on the elliptical. 

4. Gone to Hawaii a few weeks ago. 

Let's face it. Last minute cancelled vacations suck. 

Hopefully we can go to the beach sometime this summer (there's a reason I live in California!) to make up for it!

5.  Not stayed up this late trying to write a post. I'm tired ya'll. 

Aww, what an adorable baby. 

But then again I probably look more like this. 

Peace out, girl scout. 

xo, Hima