Did you have a good Thanksgiving?

Hi People,

I hope you are all doing well and that you had an awesome Thanksgiving break. The state of being completely stuffed and relaxed from the good food around Thanksgiving time is often referred to as "FOOD COMMA." You may not find this word in the dictionary since it's slang for being in a daze because of overeating. Most people suffer from "food comma" on the day after Thanksgiving. However, since the official Christmas shopping sets in right after, people often burn their calories rushing to malls, standing in lines for their deals, and carrying bags loaded with steals from their favorite brand stores. Black Friday is more a fad, I think, than really a day for steals. Depending on how smart a shopper you are, you can decided whether you really did get a good deal on your purchase.

So, what did you do this Thanksgiving? :)

Happy November!

Hi all,
It's time for Thanksgiving soon and most of you will be heading out on your trips and visits. I hope classes are going well and that all of you are now used to life in Riverside and California. The beach pictures surely seem to say that you guys are doing well! :)

I was on a personal leave last week and visited Northern California with my parents. If you are not familiar with Norther California and the Wine Country, be sure to check it out on http://www.winecountry.com/. I visited three lovely towns - Healdsburg, Hopland, and Ukiah. They are truly charming and symbolize California country at its best. We also stopped by the Armstrong Redwood State Park, which seemed to put us way back in time as we were mesmerized by the majestic redwood trees.

The fall colors looks beautiful in the golden and red vineyards as we drove through the Russian River Valley and the Dry Creek Valley to check out private wineries, see how wine is made, and get a taste of some really well crafted wine sorts. If you ever have a chance to go up North, I would really recommend checking out this area. Even if you do not drink there is a lot to see here.

Take care and enjoy fall.
Tarana

Climbing Wall

Thursday, November 8, 2007
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Additional Dates (10)

Location: Student Recreation Center Challenge Course, CA
Parking Information

Category: Recreation

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Description: The UCR climbing is open twice a week during Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. The wall is located outside the Student Recreation Center on the UCR Campus. We provide the safetygear and staff. No experience necessary; closed-toed shoes and a signed release form are required. Closed holidays, school breaks, finals week, summer and during inclement weather.

Be sure to join us on December 4th for our end of the quarter pizza party.

Additional Information: >> more info on this event and other great adventures

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Open to: Public
Admission: Entry Charge: UCR Students and UCR Recreation Members FREE / General Public $5 day or $20 per quarter
Sponsor: Student Recreation Center

Contact Information:
Mark Oswood
(951) 827-7040
mark .Oswood@ucr.edu

Pacific!!!

Yuki gets his feet wet.

Koji strikes a pose.

Look out OC...here comes Sho.

Sayaka and Uiko take a break from shopping to enjoy the waves.

Hello from Rika

Hey this is Rika. I just wanted to say hi to you all.

An Interesting Link: Why do we celebrate Halloween?

Click here to find out more about Halloween!
Booo Hoooooo!

Let's schedule some workshops!

Hi all,
It was good to see all of you at lunch last week. Thanks for all the feedback you have provided me about the sessions so far. I am trying my best to give you the best possible options for your workshops in the coming weeks.

I was informed by Rika that you would not mind having some sessions in the week of Dec. 3 to 7. I would like to take advantage of that time and get you involved with university students through panel discussions with students and possibly professors. That would be a great way to end the quarter by sharing your adventures of the first quarter here in Riverside.

I would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to answer the following questions below to help me to schedule new workshops and reschedule the previously canceled ones for you. Please copy the list below in to your response window and write your response next to it.

1. Are the following hours during the week ok for all of you?

2. Is the time between Dec. 3 and Dec. 7 good for all of you for panel discussions?

3. If you answered YES for question 2, would it be ok to schedule these between 9 am and 3 pm since you will not have any IEP classes or GBM classes?

Thanks a lot for your time. I will keep you informed.

Best,
Tarana

Question of the Day for Monday

What Did You Do This Weekend?

Koji: "I went to 2 parties on Friday night but Saturday I studied all day. Sunday I went to the Rec Center and cooked some Nikujaga. Next weekend: VEGAS!"

Uiko: "Stayed out Friday until 6am, went to bed at 7am, and slept until 7pm. Sunday I went shopping, missed the bus back, and called some friends to pick up me and Sayaka."

Wonderful Workshops!!!

Discover Science Library (First Year Success Series)

Monday, October 22, 11 am

Science Library, Room 122 - Instructor: Ying Shen

Join us for a student-to-student inside scoop on the Science Library including great places to study and relax. Learn why the Science Library is the best kept secret on campus.

Sign up for this workshop here.

Web of Science
Wednesday, October 24, 10:10 am
Science Library, Room 122 - Instructor: Lizbeth Langston
In this class Web of Knowledge databases will be introduced along with Web of Science. WoK contains Journal Citation Reports, Zoological Record Biosis. Test how these databases work together, create alerts, and download citations into EndNote.
Sign up for this workshop here.

Beam Me Up Scotty! Searching the Universe of Books (First Year Success Series)
Wednesday, October 24, 3 pm
Rivera Library, Room 140 - Instructor: Lulu Wang
Would you like to be able to find materials in the library more efficiently? This workshop will teach you how to search Scotty as well as how to find books on the shelf.
Sign up for this workshop here.

Using the Library without Leaving your Dorms (First Year Success Series)

Wednesday, October 24, 6 pm
Pentland Hills, Computer Lab E112 - Instructor: Marie Bronoel
Learn how to find information for your assignments without ever leaving your dorms.
Sign up for this workshop here.

Yuki's Statement of the Day

"I missed the morning classes, but don't be mad. It's because my roommate set the alarm at 6:40 and it kept going off and waking me up. He was snoring too loud to hear it. I was so tired that I was not able to wake up when actually needed to at 8:00."

Birthday....s!!!

On Friday, October 5th Waseda Students and UC Riveride staff got together to celebrate the birthdays of Sayaka and Yuki. Among the highlights were the talking cards and the punch (that had ice cream inside of it)...!!!

A Few Questions

We decided to ask Waseda TSA students a few questions about their experience so far. Here is what they had to say:

1) What do you miss the most from home?
Family, friends, and my boyfriend. -Sayaka


2) What is the most fun thing you've done so far?
Playing sports with UCR students on Sunday and in club. -Sho
Nothing Special -Sayaka
I put my face on the birthday cake in my friend's birthday party. -Yuki
To communicate with foreign people -Koji

3) What is the best food you've had since your arrival?
The Waseda lunch....and the burgers at Ruby's -Sho
Hamburgers -Sayaka and Uiko
Pho and Spring roll....Vietnamese food from University Village -Yuki

4) What is your favorite course this term?
Public Speaking. -Uiko
English through Films -Koji

UC Riverside IEP

This is a sample of what the blog entries will look like. Students and staff will be able to submit articles and comment on articles others have posted.