After a hiatus from the Blog I am back, and I am pumped to start sharing my experiences with all of you again! Between spring quarter, winter quarter, and fall quarter, winter quarter always goes by faster than all the others, and this year is no exception. Somehow, it is already third week and I feel like I just returned from the holiday break! There is no zero week before winter quarter and you are thrown right back into the school year. It has been two weeks, and I am just now feeling as if I’m back in the groove.

With winter quarter speeding around me, I took the long weekend as a chance to slow down a bit. It’s always warm in Los Angeles but the weekend had perfect weather, so I decided to take advantage of sun and warmth and head to Malibu on two different days. On Sunday I headed up to Escondido falls in the Santa Monica Mountains. It was supposed to be an easy hike without too much effort needed. However, when we got to the falls we did not feel tired enough so we decided to hike up to the top of the falls. It did not turn out to be as easy as we thought. I felt as if I was clinging to the side of the mountain for dear life and hoping not to fall down the crumbling rocks under my feet. However, when we reached the top the view was well worth it!

On Monday, I took a much more relaxing trip to Malibu and went to the beach instead. It was my first time on the beach in Malibu and I loved it. I will never be tired of going to the beach in the middle of winter. The water was cold, but the sand and sun were warm and the day at the beach was relaxing and fun time with friends. I love going to school in so-cal, and I love UCLA! Go Bruins!

Steve Simons