Lowell Summer Music Series 2014

Alright, so I know this summer (for most of you anyway) is going to involve going back to your hometown. HOWEVER, if you’re in the Lowell area at all, I highly recommend hitting up the Lowell Summer Music Series. Throughout the course of the summer, Lowell has different artists perform at Boarding House Park on French Street. You can buy tickets online at lowellsummermusic.org!

                                       

A few artists for this year’s series include the Barenaked Ladies, Howie Day, and Ziggy Marley! You can also check out the 28th Annual Lowell Folk Festival from Friday, July 25th to Sunday, July 27th. Admission is completely free and it’s a great chance to hear some new and aspiring folks artists. 

Summer is right around the corner, so take the time to spend it with great music and good company. 
-Rach

Exercise and Good Grades

Hi folks!

Sorry we’ve been M.I.A. on here for a bit. But we’re back! We’ve been working on another newsletter, the last one of the year actually. Can you believe how time flew? You’re first year is less than two weeks away from being over. Insane.

So in lieu of finals being next week, I thought it would be beneficial to show you guys how you can improve your brain function with a little physical activity. I know time is of the essence and finals mean you’re time is already dedicated to studying, but you have to make some room for things other than books! And no, I don’t mean make room for video games and naps…okay naps are pretty awesome so scratch that.. Anyway, what I’m trying to get at is the importance of exercise. Yes, you probably should have been exercising throughout the semester, but now is the time to really push yourself to get out when you get stressed. Even if it’s just for a walk, getting your heart rate up has actually been proven to relieve stress and boost grades.


Last year, Purdue University did an experiment on this theory. Their students also have I.D. numbers just like we do. This allowed them to track each time a student went to their on-campus gym. From that, they could compare GPA’s from students that regularly went to the gym and students that rarely or did not attend at all. And they did, in fact, find that students who regularly attended the gym did have a higher average GPA than other students. You can read more about their findings by clicking here!

It’s just some food for thought. And speaking of food, a healthy diet benefits both your grades and your exercise routine. So skip the fries for a change and eat a piece of fruit, got it? Good.

Best of luck on your finals! 🙂 
-Rach 

Color It Up!

Hello friends!

A very good friend of mine is the president of an on-campus club called SASA (South Asian Student Association). She has organized her very first event that is next Friday, April 18th. It is the Holi Festival of Colors and it is open to everyone! Along with learning a bit about SASA and their purpose here at UML, you get to have an immense amount of fun as well! Here’s the deal, you wear white = you get color thrown at you. It’s that simple. Check out the picture below for more information!

-Rach

No Better Strength to Have, BOSTON STRONG

Hi there 🙂

So since today is the Redsox home opener, I thought I would make a blog about good ol’ Beantown. This city man, NOTHING can bring it down.

As we all know, the next Boston Marathon is fast approaching. It’s important to take a moment and remember what our city went through last April. The 2013 Boston Marathon bombings shocked the nation, even other parts of the world were in awe. It’s an international event, a time when people from all over the world can come together to do one simple thing, run. Everyone has a different story as to why they do it, but what matters most is that it brings people together. It’s safe to say this incident brought Boston together more than ever.

I live ten minutes north of Boston in a little town called Saugus. I can see the incredible skyline from my back porch. In high school, my friends and I would always take trips to Boston to walk down Boylston Street, window shop, etc. We always used to stop at this little candy store called Sugar Heaven. It’s a hole-in-the-wall candy store with just about every candy a little kid could ask for. They even have a downstairs section, filled with more candy of course. My point to this little personal insight? I met someone here at UML this past summer. Got to know her pretty well, and soon learned about her love for Boston. The city, the sports teams, everything. We went to Boston one day last fall, and she told me she wanted to visit the bombing site. She was at the marathon, luckily far enough away from the devastation that she wasn’t injured at all. But as soon as we came up on one of the sites (what then was just a giant construction area), I saw it. Sugar Heaven was literally right next to one of the bombing sites. Now I’m not very good with directions and addresses when it comes to the big city, so the shock literally almost brought me to tears. I had no idea a place I used to go to so many times was right next to where tragedy struck. I never put two and two together. A really bad feeling came over me that day. I was mad that it happened even though months had already passed. I didn’t know anyone involved, but it still hurt to know it all happened in a city that has brought so much life to where I grew up.

This April, the city of Boston will come back with avengance. The next Boston Marathon will happen, and the city will be stronger than ever. If you’re from the Boston area, you obviously know what I’m talking about. We are people you do not want to mess with, especially when it comes to big events in Beantown. I know this is Lowell, and you might be thinking “but we’re not even near Boston..”. It does not matter where you are from, the bombings affected everyone in some way. If you’re not a Boston native, I suggest you go check it out. The city has so much to offer! It only takes a day of being in Boston to realize just what a tight-knit city it is. There’s a place for everyone. My place (other than Sugar Heaven) happens to be the North End. My grandparents grew up there, and hands down, there is NO better place to get pizza and cannolis. So my little blog moral for today is to go to Boston. I don’t care when you go, or what you do when you get there. Just go. It’s an experience nonetheless. And remember to show your support at this year’s Boston Marathon.

Have a great weekend everyone. You deserve it.
-Rach

                                          
     

“Who run the world?!” “GIRLS!” ..Wrong, it’s Beyonce.

So after an extensive talk in the office about Beyonce, I felt the need to make a blog about her. Because, you know, Beyonce deserves her own blog post.

Some fun facts pertaining to the amount of cash this woman has:

  • Her emerald earrings at Obama’s January 2013 inauguration cost $1.8 million
  • Jay-Z and Beyonce spent a whopping $600K on Blue Ivy’s gold-dipped rocking horse
  • Here are some of her monthly fees:

Jet fuel/rental- $75,000 a month

Tribeca NYC apt- $30,000 a month
Publicist Yvette-$10,000 a month

Bodyguard Julius-$8,000 a month (more overseas)

Makeup Artist oncall $2500 a month

Live in Chef $ 7500 a month

Live in maid $ 4000 a month

Personal Accountant 4000 month

Dereon Accountant 3000 a month

Manager (matthew) $!!!100,000 a month!!!

Personal asst Angela $5000 a month

Personal Trainer: $7000 a month

Dietician: Max $4000/month upon diet change

Car detailing and driver: $7000 a month

Pocket cash on hand about $50,000 a month
beyonce animated GIF
Here are some random fun facts that make me feel a little less hopeless: 
  • Her full name is Beyonce Giselle Carter-Knowles
  • She has a sister named Solange who is also a singer/songwriter
  • She married Jay-Z on April 4th, 2008 and had Blue Ivy on January 7th of 2012
  • She is allergic to perfume
  • She has a weird obsession to curry
  • A a child, she used to charge her parents’ houseguests $5 to watch her perform
Just like the rest of us though, Beyonce has had her moments..


That is the end of my Queen B spiel. Hope you enjoyed it!
-Rach 😀