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francisj
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Name: Francis
Birthday: 6/11/1984
Gender: Male
Interests: Tennis, guitar, basketball, leadership, swimming, taking walks, watching sunrises, hanging out, improv comedy, band, sleeping, jumping into fountains, and all that jazz. :)
To those leaving comments, if you want to be anonymous, use the name "puyallupboy" and the password "puyallupboy"
Just to put this out there, I also have a livejournal. I'm sure either this journal or the livejournal will be updated more regularly than the other, mostly because of who reads and comments on them. Feel free to cross-reference, and sometimes I may post on both.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/francisj/
Expertise: I'm majoring in psych, drama and going pre-med. Also, I was an RA in wonderful Mercer Hall for the 2003-2004 year, and am NCC for my second term for RHSA (2004-2006).
Occupation: Student
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  FrancisJQSnobear
Member Since:
6/8/2003
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| I originally posted
this in my LiveJournal only, then I realized some people may not read
that one and only read the Xanga. So here it is for you all,
since I've not updated in a while. =)
Obviously No Frills is different than PACURH. There's not as much
rampant cheering, people don't stay up to ridiculous hours, and
everyone there's more mature. That's not to say it's not fun. Going to
PACURH is like going to a house party, but going to No Frills is like
hanging out with a handful of your best friends. Despite the fact that
I didn't get to talk to everyone I wanted to nearly as much as I
would've liked, I still feel immensely closer to them. Everyone there
shared in a major part of my life coming to a close. I couldn't have
asked for a better conference. =)
A few highlights:
-Adopting
Amanda from CSUSM into our delegation. It's nice talking to her because
she's got the experience I have, and it's like when I'm at UW and I
reminisce about Terry Cafe - only so many people were actually there.
-I
took a nap during the first day, as I hadn't slept for about 36 hours.
The next thing I remember is hearing this "click! whirr..." sound, so I
screamed out "Qui Esta!" That's when Amy Higdon came around the corner
and was like, "Hi Francis!" They let me know it wasn't morning when I
told them good morning. =)
-Just seeing all my friends that I made
at the previous conferences. Specifically, the ones who left a mark on
me before: Amy, Heather, Amanda Bates, Jennifer Dossett, Cecilia, Marky
Mark, Katie B, E-Man, Macur, Sheraya, Amanda Leenhouts, Melinda and
Brandi, and everyone that I'm sure I would've put your name in if I
didn't forget for some reason. You all are amazing. Seriously. =)
-Hanging out with my UW Crew. Man those women are incredible, and just chillin in the Downtown of Reno was beautiful with them!
-Getting to spend some time with Melinda and Brandi. I don't get to see either of them nearly enough!
-Breakfast with Danielle and Heather. I don't get enough of these two girls either!
-Making new friends while cherishing the old - I had no clue I was going to enjoy sitting next to Lauren from Chico so much!
-Freaking SNOW!!!!! I walked to ODG today, and I was honestly disappointed that snow wasn't falling. :( I miss it!
-The
conference staff. I was so amazed at how organized, professional and
fun the staff was. My goodness they made an amazing conference for me
to go out on.
-Standing up there in front, with the rest of the
silver pin winners. That's when you know you've touched someone's heart
and done something incredible with your life. I honestly felt like I
had just won a gold medal, even though this award was received at
PACURH.
I'm sure there's a ton of other things I loved about
this conference... but I don't want to be here all day writing about
it. I loved it, I love the people I saw, and I really will miss this
job. It's time to move on from being an NCC, but that doesn't mean
moving on from the friends I've made over the two years. You're all
beautiful, whether I knew you back at PACURH - UCSB, or I just met you
in Reno. =)
Edit: I spent a significant amount of time today
just looking at pictures from No Frills, leaving facebook messages and
wall scrawls, and just thinking about the experience. There are some
things in life that you go into knowing they will change your life, and
some things will just be part of your everyday experience. Then there
are things like this conference and being an NCC, which I took as part
of my everyday but ended up changing my life completely. I feel like
with my NCC experience, I'm old enough to truly appreciate something
that just happened. When I went to Australia in my Junior year summer,
I was too caught up in romancing my girlfriend and spending money on
food instead of taking in the scenery, immersing myself in culture,
getting photos, buying souvenirs and making memories. I have a lot, but
I look back and think how I could've done it better and how it's taken
me so long to have the ability to truly appreciate the experience. With
this last conference, I didn't even realize it until I came home how
much I'm going to miss this job. Yeah it's a job, but it's a job of
love. I truly loved going to conferences, and I love the people who
were a part of it. There are a lot of people on the peripheral, and I
think they are special. If I have a memory of someone at a conference,
they contributed in a way and helped make part of the picture. Without
them my conference experience wouldn't be the same.
But what I
think I'll miss most are the core group of people. The ones who really
touched my heart, and somehow, despite the fact that I've seen them in
person anywhere from one time to 8 times, that they are so near and
dear to me. How? We shared something amazing. We understand what this
job is about, and what kind of fun can come with it. The people who are
NCCs are like none other - they love to reach out and communicate, and
a grand majority of them love recognizing people for outstanding work
and just doing something good for their school. These are people who
give with all their hearts and never expect anything in return, who
love to smile at each other during meetings and speak highly of each
other outside. NCCs cross barriers and encourage a positive
relationship, even between rival schools. (Would I ever root for Oregon
when they're playing in our conference? Hell no. Do I think Todd and
Amy are incredible people? You bet your ass I do).
It's taken me
a long time to realize this - nearly two years. (Better than how long
it took for me to realize how great Australia was). But I'm glad I'm
realizing it now. So if any of you think I'm getting overly emotional
or whatnot, that's fine. You can feel how you want to. I just want to
let everyone know that these people in PACURH, they really do mean a
lot to me. I'm going to fight to stay in touch with them, because you
don't just lose contact with people you care that much about. I promise
to all my really close PACURH friends that I will try and stay in
touch, and all I ask of you is to do the same.
I'm glad I got that out. =)
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| MCAT Scores
So I finally got my MCAT Scores back! For those who don't know, there
are three sections: Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and Biological
Sciences that are graded from 1-15. In addition, there is a Writing
section that goes from like N to T. Either way, here they go!
Physical Science:
Avg - 8.1
St. Dev - 2.4
My Score: 10
Verbal Reasoning:
Avg. - 8.1
St. Dev - 2.4
My Score: 11
Biological Sciences:
Avg. - 8.5
St. Dev. - 2.5
My Score - 10
Writing:
A grade of "O" is the 50th percentile.
I got a "P," which is between the 58th percentile and 71st percentile.
Total Score:
Avg. - 24.7
My Total: 31
Pretty good I think, especially for not spending $1000+ on prep classes!
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| Hey I'm still alive, just so you all know and don't get worried.
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| So this journal entry is written in the hopes that some of the people I added to my Facebook actually read it one day. Just to warn you it's getting long when I'm looking at it, so get a drink, maybe grab a bag of chips, and take some time and sit down to read this one. Some of the people I added because I vaguely remember them, I remember sitting with them in a class, talking with some mutual friends to them, things like that. They helped add to my memories at Rogers, and so naturally I felt it would be proper to add them.
Others, I didn't personally know too well. I remember talking to my friends about them, thinking about what life would be like in their shoes, things like that. I don't know if you all remember, but my claim to fame in high school was being a drum major. Seriously. I know that's kind of cool to us band kids, but I mean, who outside of band really cared? Rightfully so too, in a way. Not to get down on myself, but I didn't do anything to get noticed. I didn't try out for sports, I didn't get involved in leadership, I didn't go out and try and talk to the "cool kids," I didn't do many after-school activities, and I didn't have a network of friends that would bring me into the realm of getting heavily noticed. I was one of those kids that helps add volume to memories, but never really is the central focus of them, except to my close group of friends. My friends and I embodied that - I am the Bobbys, the Nicks, the Brians, the Anthonys, the Steves, the Shawns... the people that you know you know, but don't have a collage of shared pictures hanging above your window. That's cool, we didn't either, and honestly it wouldn't have floated my boat to do so. I am perfectly content with the way I lived high school and I'm glad I did it that way - knowledgeable enough to know the people I did, but not so far in that I got caught up in my social status and had to actually put much effort in it. I needed to focus on school, so I could get my ass to the schools I wanted to. So I could prove to myself that I was something, and I defined that something by academics in high school.
Now it's different. Now I have a 3.33ish average in college. It's not bad, it's not stellar. It's not guaranteed-Johns Hopkins. But I don't regret doing what I did. I don't regret hanging out with my friends instead of pulling all-nighters every weekend at the library. I'm glad I did something else with my life in college and defined myself by something other than academics. God knows I couldn't compete with those kids who do that very thing, mostly because I don't have the focus and dedication inherent to me. I feel like through all that I've done in college, I've developed a gigantic network of people I know and understand, people I've affected, and people who have impacted me severely. I feel freaking blessed to have done everything that I have, because only so many people could have traversed the exact path that I did, and I got to be one of them. I also feel that what I've done in college has weathered me to see things from many other sides. I feel most of all that I have something to offer.
I remember talking with my friends in high school, talking about girls that we never really conversed with. A lot of it could be chalked up to shyness, but a lot of it could be chalked up to personal reasons I didn't believe in myself. I added one person recently, Iris, and my memories of her are seeing her at Rogers as one of the finest cheerleaders I saw. Not just attractive-wise, but as a person it seemed she genuinely enjoyed what she was doing. She seemed so full of energy and yet so approachable that I wanted to just sit down with her, have a slice of dessert (maybe creme brulee or coffee), and just get to know her. I didn't though, when I was in high school. I didn't feel I had anything to offer her - no reason why she'd come back and talk to me. She was just one of many people I felt this way about - the desire to get to know them and be a part of their memories at Rogers, yet never felt I had anything to offer them. I feel like now I've got something - myself. I've lived stories, I've experienced a lot of life and I somehow learned how to hold a conversation (albeit still flashing back to the "I don't know what to say" parts of my inner self at times). I feel I've watched from the sidelines and observed how it's done long enough, and now I'm ready to go back and actually do it. I'm ready to actually contribute to life, and take part in the shaping of mine.
To everyone in Puyallup - I'll be back home for the summer. If you're on my facebook as a friend, my cell should be listed. We'll get together sometime - call me up and I'll make time. To those who aren't on facebook, just leave me a message and I'll do all I can. Thank you all, for helping me make my life - even if you didn't actively do anything, you still did something. Thank you.
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