Ahh, New Year’s Eve. A celebration of endings and new beginnings. The last party night of the year, which means it’s also the biggest party night of the year. And that’s exactly why I always get the urge to lock myself in my room and hide under my bed until January 1st arrives.

The anticipation and build-up for the evening mean it’s never as good as you expect it to be. And no matter how much planning you do and how much money you spend, New Year’s Eve always fails to be an extraordinary night. Just because it’s the last night of the calendar year, doesn’t mean it’s going to be any more fun than any of the others. Trust me.

Reason #1 I Hate New Year’s Eve: First of all, it’s essential that you plan ahead. If you don’t make your plans well in advance, you’re risking having nothing to do. Parties get booked up, your friends make other plans, and you’re stuck watching the ball drop with your parents. I don’t like planning ahead. What if I’m forced into deciding to attend a party and then something better comes along? What if, in November, I don’t know what I’m going to be in the mood to do in December?

Reason #2 I Hate New Year’s Eve: Then there’s the expense. If you want to go out, you’re going to have to spend money, and probably a lot of it. Take last year, for example. A group of my friends made plans to go to a bar. We dished out the $75 that would allow us access to an open bar, bought fancy dresses, and got all decked out for the night of our lives. When we arrived, the bar was absolutely disgusting, the food nasty, and the people incredibly sketchy. It turned out we were only allowed to drink well liquor (when we could get near the bar). It also turned out that we could have paid $10 at the door and been allowed to attend the same party and order our own drinks. As if I would drink $65 in Grey Goose. The bottom line is that bars can charge whatever they please on New Year’s Eve and people will pay it. People like me. Read More »

You’ve already got a semester of partying under your belt by the time New Years Eve rolls around. How are you going to throw the bash that everyone’s still talking about in 2010? Here are some ways to make the 2008 send-off the most memorable.

If you can travel…

Hey, if you’ve got the funds, lucky you. Hit up another country and see how they do New Years. You don’t regret it. If you’re still underage, Canadian cities can be quite the hotspot (take it from someone who spent her last <21 New Years in Montreal, after a 10-hour road strip). If you’re loaded despite being in college during the recession, head on over to Europe. Hate the cold? Sing Auld Lang Syne in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic.

Okay, those are nice ideas in a fantasy world… but let’s move onto options for those of us who can’t cough up the money for airfare.

If you want to travel but can’t afford it… Read More »

With less than three weeks before we welcome 2009, now is the time to do everything you said you would do in 2008. And if any of those plans go awry? You can start off with a clean slate in under 30 days. Now is the time to carpe diem, my friends, so see 2008 out with a bang.

1) Get a jump start on your New Year’s resolution. It’ll make January 1 so much less painful. Dead set on losing weight? Start out each day with a mere 20 minutes of cardio. You’ll lose a couple of pounds before the big par-tay and be motivated to keep toning up throughout January (and beyond). Want to quit smoking? Cut down now. Cold Turkey will be easier when you’ve already cut a pack-a-day habit down to 2 or 3 nicotine sticks.

2) Ask out that hottie from lab. What do you have to lose? The semester’s almost over anyway. And if he’s interested, you might have your New Year’s kiss all lined up. Read More »

I’m going to level with you, here—I go to Stanford. It’s not snowing out here. I get pretty cold at night and in the morning, but that’s because I’m from SoCal, which makes me a big baby in the weather department, I know that.

So although it’s relatively warm here during the winter, there are definitely some changes that occur with the change of the “seasons,” and, as with everything in life, they come with their pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Cute scarves.

2. Better tea (Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride from Celestial Seasonings, anyone?)

3. Pumpkin and cinnamon flavored everything. Yesss.

4. I have an excuse for my Scandinavian chronic paleness.

5. Christmas lights in the palm trees.

6. Christina Aguilera’s “My Kind of Christmas” from 2001. I bust this out every year and it NEVER gets old.

Read More »

I can’t believe 2008 is only a week away. It feels like just yesterday that I was sitting in my brother’s garage shot-gunning beers and watching the ball drop with his good looking friends (when, in fact, yesterday did look like that minus the ball-drop). I am amazed by how quickly this year flew by. Yet, at the same time, looking back at the many experiences that I had in ’07 it couldn’t have been that fast, after all.

2007 was chock full of so many things: dates, life changes, moves, trips, career changes and the arduous task of staying in touch with my friends across the country and around the world. It was also filled with celebrations, good food, reuniting with old friends, some truly hilarious experiences and tons of fun new things.

Through my experiences, my writing and the endless internet surfing I do at work, I discovered some incredible things this year. Everything from new foods (thank you, HungryGirl!) to new music (who knew a girl with a beehive and a serious drug addiction could create such great music?). And I will share my Five Most Awesome Discoveries of 2007 with you:

1. Holey Donuts: I have a love/hate relationships with donuts. I love, love, love, them, but they do not feel the same way about me or my thighs. Until the Holey Donut came along. Not only are these things maaaaad tasty, but they contain 1/3 of the fat and calories of their full fat brethren. You can get ‘em hot if you live in the NYC, or you can order them (tons of flavors or a delicious low fat cinnamon bun!) online. I am not kidding; these thing will change your life.

2. The iPhone: I am sure everyone is sick of hearing about this super-hyped mega-phone, but I can’t help but thank the lord of technology (Steve Jobs) for bringing this wondrous invention to me. I recently acquired an iPhone and in the 7 days I have had it, my life has changed. This phone really does everything. I can even download new music from iTunes whenver I want. People can hate all they want, but the minute they play with one of these they too will realize how amazing it is. Read More »