A few weeks ago my mom asked me what I thought about getting a Wii. I thought it sounded awesome, but I was doubtful we’d be able to get one. Nevertheless, a couple days later a huge box was sitting on our front steps.

We got lucky.

History is not really my best subject (this is not because of the teachers, because I know that here at Uni the history teachers are the BEST). It's hard to pay attention when I can't see how what we're learning can apply to the modern world. I realize that is the whole point of history classes, but all the names, dates, and rebellions seem to go over my head.

Last night as I was studying for my Japanese I final, it dawned on me: Friday is the last day of school before break.

Procrastination is a way of life that many Uni students have come to know quite well. Some would argue that procrastination is almost an inevitability in respect to the amount of homework we receive.

We want someone to point our finger at, for racism, for poverty, for hunger, for unnecessary war, for every problem we face today in modern-day society.

Whenever I read about a problem that we're facing one of the first things the author does is try to find someone to blame. Whenever there is a discussion about a controversial problem one of the biggest topics addressed is who's to blame.

Nickelodeon star and late-'90s-pop-idol-relative Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant.

Last week, the game of baseball was changed forever. All it took was a 409-page report with 86 named players.

The Mitchell Report, released Thursday, identified some of the biggest names in the game. Then again, some of the names were … not so big.

How do you identify when you are mixed? This is a problem I have always dealt with. When people first meet me, they normally assume that I’m Caucasian and not mixed…this is because of my pale skin and brown hair. Occasionally people will remark that I have “very Indian features”, but I’ve also been more incorrectly mistaken for being Latina and also Greek.

It was 6:30 p.m. Saturday, and the chess team and I had just obtained our second-place trophy at the West Chicago Open Team Tournament. We were ready to leave and begin our three-hour drive from Chicago back to Champaign. However, the moment we exited the building, we were immediately struck by a huge gust of wind, and we saw that the landscape was covered in a layer of white.

With Christmas quickly approaching, I am happy to once again feel the holiday cheer. But one area where the holiday spirit is startlingly absent is my home.

Every January, Illinois high school students interested in theater gather at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival, affectionately known as Theatrefest. In January 2007 it was held on our own University of Illinois campus.

Recently opened in the Market Place Mall area, Crazy Buffet (708 W. Town Center Blvd., Champaign) is a mostly Chinese buffet. It is a pretty decent place, with waiters standing nearby to pick up dirty dishes and refill water. They even came around to offer Sprite and Coke to the diners.

I love Christmas music.

Being almost anti-religious, Christmas isn't one of my favorite holidays, what with the weather, the stress of buying presents, and the always looming temptation of eating WAY too much. But the music, I love.

“Subbie year doesn’t count!” is a phrase told to subbies at the beginning of their first days at Uni by many students. “It doesn’t go on your transcript, so don’t worry about it.”

When you think about the holidays, hopefully you can conjure up images of fireplaces, gifts, family, food, and whatever warm traditions your family holds for the holidays.