The reading assignments for school are beginning to pick up a little bit. I guess they were just giving us some time to adjust, but now that the first week is over ... it's starting to turn into the real deal. I've also been called on a few more times. It's getting better. I've made quite a few new friends in my section, which eases the anxiety from being called. We can laugh it off together now if we have no clue what's going on. It also helps when we read together in the library and can put our heads together to try and figure out what is happening in a particular case. I'm not sure how other law schools around the nation are but so far, my school doesn't seem very cut throat at all. It's competitive obviously, but we still help each other out. Upper year law students have also been really helpful in showing us how to brief cases and what to focus on in our readings. I've also been hearing a lot of terms that I'm already familiar with (I was a Criminal Justice major and my high school also offered International law classes). So far, so good. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can keep this all under control.

P.S. It also doesn't hurt to have the pacific ocean as the backdrop when you're reading about boring statutes. 

Take Me Out To (ANOTHER) Ball Game : LA Dodgers

Today is Sunday and I have quite a bit of reading to catch up on because I got very little done this weekend. Friday night we had the "I Survived the First Week of Law School" party in Hollywood and then yesterday, I went out with some girls from my section to see a Dodgers game. It was a lot of fun. We decided that we didn't want to be typical, boring law students. We want to take time to enjoy our lives (which was highly encouraged by one of our professors). The Dodgers were playing the Red Sox and it was a great game. One of the girls is actually a huge Red Sox fan and another girl is actually from LA, so although this was her first baseball game, she really wanted a Dodgers foam finger. It made for an interesting dynamic but it was all really chill and fun. I look forward to more group outings like this one. In case you were wondering, Boston won 4-2. Also, I did say that I would possibly do a post on the party from Friday night .. but I won't. The only photos I have are grainy IPhone photos (as most going out/club photos tend to be). It was a pretty good night though and there are a few pics just on my Instagram if you care about that. I'm really loving law school so far. I know I'll eat my words at some point ... but for right now, I'm so happy. I feel like I made the right choice both in my school and the career path I've chosen. Let's hope this optimistic outlook sticks around for a long time. I hope everyone has been enjoying life and what's left of the summer. For a lot of people .. that really means these last few hours before school tomorrow!

Orientation and First Day

I've officially completed orientation and the first day of law school. School started yesterday and I'll admit that I was a little bit nervous because I didn't want to be called on the first day. If you've ever watched Legally Blonde or know anything about law schools, then you would know that most schools use the Socratic method and that students randomly get called on in class and basically put on the spot. It's pretty nerve wracking. Well, I didn't get called on the first day ... but honestly, I totally could have answered the questions they asked. The professors aren't nearly as belittling as they make them out to be on television (at least not at my school) and it was just more of a kind and gentler approach to scaring the crap out of you. I'm actually a little disappointed that I didn't get called on in my torts class yesterday, because I would have loved the opportunity to answer a question that I actually knew the answer to. Basically though, if I do all my readings and prepare for each class .. I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm hoping. Day 1 down ... just the rest of these three years to go!

Update: Home Sweet Home Away From Home

I realize I haven't updated in a little while. Everything with the move has been so crazy and I don't even have internet at my house yet. I thought I would share the progress on my home decor though. It's still not done yet ... but it's looking a little more homey thanks to my amazing family!

Bedside table: obviously I still need to print photos .. but how cute are these frames? I think I'll put a cute quote in one of them

 This is my little office space! I actually really love it. My friend Natasha pretty much built this entire Ikea desk for me. Thank God for her. Oh .. and those are only some of the books for TWO classes .. I still have several more to buy .. lucky me!

My family also gave me this notebook with messages from them as long as this beautiful gold elephant necklace. It's called the "good luck elephant" and I will include the message below that comes with the necklace. It's so sweet.

The owl on my desk also doubles as my jewelry box. It's just a convenient way of having all my necklaces and bracelets right there when I need them.

Then I have my little perfume corner with my four favorite that I brought to California with me. I'm thinking of getting a decorative plate to have them on soon.

The view from my balcony is also pretty amazing as well. It was a slightly foggy day, so it's hard to make out the difference between sky and ocean ... but on sunny days it's incredible, i swear.

 And then this is just the strainer that I found at Ikea and fell in love with so I had to have it !

This is the gist of my studio apt so far. I obviously have a little more to do ... but I'm happy with it. As far as updates on life, I finished two days of law school orientation. They were long and there was so much information to process, but it's finally over with. Classes start Monday and it's a little bit nerve wracking to say the least. I do plan on starting my readings tomorrow. Let's just say that orientation did an amazing job of scaring the life out of me. I'm determined though and ready as I'll ever be (or ready as one can be without having all books purchased). Law school, here I come.

The Good Luck Elephant

 "Good luck, make a wish and put on your necklace. Elephants are one of the oldest symbols of good luck. Wear your necklace as a reminder that whenever you need a little extra luck, just point your trunk up towards the sky and believe!"

First post from California

I arrived in Malibu on Thursday and I have been spending the past couple of days just trying to get situated. It is absolutely gorgeous up here and waking up to this every morning has been unreal. My backyard is literally an ocean now, it's incredible. Also, one of my best friends from undergrad drove down here from Vegas the day after I arrived, so I already have my first visitor. We've just been catching up and of course trying to get my life here together before school starts. I've started the decor on my apartment .. But it's not done quite yet. I have a furniture delivery coming in this morning that will hopefully help me get everything straight. Once I do, I will be sure to do a post. Thank God for my mom, sister and cousin who have been my little decor crew so far. I'm so excited for the completed apartment. I will try and do another update again soon.

4th Annual OVOfest : TORONTO

(These photos are mostly from a friend of mine's camera. As much as I like to document every aspect of my life, there are some moments that I'd rather just live and experience)

Last night was hands down the highlight of my summer. I attended Drake's annual OVOfest in Toronto and it was the absolute greatest concert that I've ever been to. If you follow me on twitter, then you may already know that being able to attend OVO was more than a struggle for me. When tickets initially went on sale over a month ago, they sold out in seconds and I was forced to purchase tickets from a friend of a friend. Then the day of the concert, I find out that Ticketmaster was out to ruin my life, when I realized that they'd accidentally refunded and resold my ticket .. it was just a mess. I was left with a void ticket, hours before the show and I was highly upset. Thank God for the scalpers outside that saved my OVO experience. They really came through for me.

The lineup was incredible. If you somehow didn't already know, Drake is from Toronto so whenever he comes home, it's a party. Everyone was in such good spirits and the crowd was so live. Seeing him perform at home, in the city just made me (and everyone else in the venue) that much more proud to be from Toronto. You could seriously feel the energy and I can't compare it to anything else. I'm not even sure if other cities would understand ... because most big cities have so many popular artists, but Toronto really only has Drake. I don't even know if I would want to see him perform anywhere else, because I know the vibe will never be the same. There was so much Toronto love in the air last night, it was unreal. He surprised us with the craziest line up of people:

The Weeknd, Wale, Big Sean, Miguel, J Cole, P Diddy, Mase, French Montana, ASAP Rocky, Kanye, Lil Wayne 

I seriously didn't even know that Mase could still be brought out in 2013 .. but there he was. Greatest night ever. Can't wait for next years OVO.

A Night at the Drive-In

Disclaimer: I did not take this photo. It was a little difficult for me to take a proper photo in the dark. Not to mention, I was nervous that someone would think I was attempting to record the movie and I didn't want to get fined. This just happens to be the image that most closely resembles the theater I went to and it can be found here.

Last night, I went to my first drive-in movie with my sisters, bro-in-law and cousin. It's something that we've always wanted to do, but never got around to. If you haven't been to one, then I highly recommend it. It's a completely different experience and well worth the drive out to barren country road (like we had to do last night). We went to the drive-in in Sharon, Ontario, which is about 45 minutes outside of Toronto. The movie we saw was The Conjuring. I'm sure you've heard of it ... it's apparently the scariest movie of the summer. To be honest, I wasn't that scared and I feel like the movie was a little bit over hyped. The scariest parts of the movie for me were 1. the creepy guy that drove by us super slow in an old creaky station wagon 2. since you have to listen to the movie through the car radio, after it finished we were driving home but the creepy music was still playing in the car and there was the most amount of creepy static. Not to mention a random person walking towards us in the dark on this long country road, with the music still playing. PRETTY SCARY. But I loved it. So like I said, the drive-in is what made it such a great experience. I also recommend going to see a scary movie, because even if the movie isn't scary ... something around you is bound to frighten you in that moment. So, if you're still looking for something to do during your last weeks of summer, definitely see if you have any drive-ins around you. A lot of them seem to be shutting down (for obvious reasons) technology is a gift and a curse. While you still have a chance, don't miss out on this experience!