a hot xmas

it's humid and hot
and i'm not so badly jetlagged

tomorrow i'm going to eat at one of my favorite restaurants and spend the day shopping

ps ravi i watched batman begins on the plane ride over here

my trip came in 3 segments
3hr50min to San Fran
14hr10min to Hong Kong
3hr25mins to Singapore

I love the Vicar of Dibley
especially when alice thinks she's the living embodiment of Jesus

sinapore is so green
it makes me smile

singapore has its own celebrities...who knew?
it was on a commercial on tv that these famous peeeps were hosting new years at vivo city
and they were all asians and i had never heard of them

i'm working on a book of crossword puzzles.....and missing the aid of ravi, rachel, law, and davey very badly

and i'm reading the golden compass


woah christmas is almost over for me and it's just about to begin for you guys
hope you all get an awesome haul of presents
merry christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

OMG

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/12/13/rowling.book.ap/index.html

Who wants to go on a heist with me and steal of one these seven 'chests of treasure '?

....on a side note
I am finished with exams!!!!

musings

well so what has made my week:

1.) looking out of the window on the right in Philosophy and seeing greek/roman columns on a random building reminds me so much of the Erechtheum of the Acropolis. (For those of who you don't know educate yourself: Wikipedia it) Because of the scenery it makes me feel as if I were learning philosophy from an Asian Socrates. How cool?

2.) Steven Weinberg is teaching an SS301 in Fall 2008!!!! History of Science. Open to Plan II Students...eeek! OMG Imagine knowing a Nobel Prize winner on a first name basis!
3.) I was thinking about senior thesis ideas....I was toying around with the idea of noise pollution
it's just something different to think about now
4.) Finals are all that's left....

A funny thing happened in shyam's room...

so Ishanee came down to visit us because we were about to watch an episode of alias

so she was really excited, why? she had pepper spray on her keychain

and who else was in the room, but the genius who is ravi antani

what did he say?

"oh can i try it?"

so he sprayed it into our trashcan

it was fine until drunk kevin came into our room

and he started dying...gagging....choking....

and we didn't realize it until he walked out of the room towards the water fountain

within minutes the rest of the occupants in the room (the ishanee, rp, james magown, ravi, davey, and chris)  started coughing as well

we had to evacuate our room

it was depressing

but after letting our room air out it's much better

mmmmhmmmm

Priotritizing

It feels great to just forget the world and stare at the sky while laying on the grass at the Capitol.

If you haven't already done so--do it.

It's such good relaxation.

To imagine that you are but a small part of the entire cosmos

It really puts your problems in perspective. Imagine if you were to fall off the face of the earth tomorrow--the world would still spin and everyone would, yes grieve for your loss, but they would go on with their normal lives.

Lesson: Don't let the stresses of your problems get to you.

The Problem: Living life with that motto.

I went with the Ishanee and we talked about everything.

Like how sitting on the capitol lawn was like a perfect art piece in my opinion.

Above you is the vast night sky. To your left is your escape from the world (for me it's art and architecture so the Capitol Building was right there :) To your right is the real world filled with school, stress, friends, and everything in between (and to our right was campus). 

le sigh

We talked and realized the most important part of our life was the people we care most about. Which is why/where the topic of this post is.

Prioritize. Who have you not seen in a while? If they've made an impact on  your life make it a point to keep in touch with them. Send them an email, give them a ring, go out and grab lunch with them. 

I've been trying to work on this myself.

Progress thus far:

Thursday-Lunch with Kali

Weekend HIMYM marathon-Holly R.

Message sent to Bethann for Lunch

I'm psyched.

We also talked about this:

So some people think I have a flaw. I'm not so sure what to think. They  say I spread myself out to thin. So thin that I can't get really close to anyone. Everyone is a best friend. They say there should be a limit. Have friends but have an even closer circle of bffs. I understand their perspective but I like having many close friends. It may mean I may not get to know their inner demons and hushed up secrets but you know I'll be close enough to be invited to their weddings--that's all that counts, right? JK.

I feel it may be my only child tendencies kicking in. But honestly, I'm not sure. 

Am I attached to all of them? YES beyond a doubt. This goes back to the another point. How can I keep in touch with all of them? Urgh.  A matter for another day.

New Perspectives

So I've been reading a book that changed my perspective.

One Day, All Children by Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America.

Woah. I cannot even imagine starting from scratch a teaching corps that is be essential in the educational reform aims of this country. From scratch. No money, which means no people to help you because you can't pay them, and no one to understand your ideals because it's a new idea that hasn't even been tested--a pure hypothesis. 

One year a senior thesis, the next an actual corps comprised of 500 live bodies. Sheer genius.

This program is now so competitive that it's harder to make it to the corps than it is to get into Harvard. The good thing: you're not competing with anyone. If every applicant is qualified, everyone will get in.

Anyways what I got from this book:

1.) Do something extraordinary. So I've changed my concentration to Pre-Vet. I realized the stresses that surround the medical world. I'll work with people and with animals. My mother was very apprehensive about this decision. But when I asked my Mom when I am happiest the most she knew the answer. When I am with my dog. 

2.) I was volunteering at Johnston High the other day when a girl was reading through her government notes. She came across the section "Devolution in Oregon." She called me over and

 asked, "What is Oregon (which she pronounced origin)? I googled it and it told me something about the Pacific." I was baffled! A senior not knowing one of the 50 states of the United States! This is what the book was talking about--the rift between  education of the higher income sector and the lower income side. It made me realize the impact the work of TFA is doing for this country. It makes me want to join the corps. 

Audrey Hooks an alumni from TFA came in and talked to us about her experience at a school in Houston. She told us about her class and how it was hard for her to "come up with an incentive to make John do his homework or to get Greta to multiply," and I really really want my own class now.

Ok done with the book talk and onto a fun thing!

Art of the Day....corny I know

but I love art

The Pieta by Michelangelo

mmmm....

I stood in front of this piece of art and tears literally streaked down my face. So beautiful. The contours. The limp body of Jesus spread across the lap of his devoted and loving mother. Her face is etched with grief over the loss of her beloved son. Imagine carving that out of a single block of marble with nothing but a chisel and an idea of what the finished product is going to look like in your mind. He was a genius. Socially awkward and condescending but a genius nonetheless. The creases in her gown are in the right places, the weight of his body is weighing down on her in all the right places--such natural and elegant drapery. It all seems so tangible. This is the piece that first alerted me of my attraction and affinity to art and architecture. It probably would have had a greater effect if it wasn't behind a sheet of bullet-proof glass. Some madman came into the cathedral many years ago and started chipping away at it with a chisel...weirdo

the end.

+/- frustration

To whom it may concern--

The plus minus grading system will be detrimental to the success of students. There is no positive aspect to this ridiculous system. 

1.) Unnecessary stress. Students are stressed out as it is--classes, academic and cultural organizations, recreational activities, part time jobs, and numerous other pursuits. The University of Texas is competitive as it is why add even more competition and stress to the college experience? Students already have a hard enough time to even get into UT, this +/- grading system will definitely not be an incentive. UT does not need to live up to these so -called Ivy League Standards. If people wanted a bare minimum school, they would not have chosen UT. It is respected: If this establishment is implemented it will change the world, however, not for the better.

2.) Learning. This system will sharpen the division between having to learn and wanting to learn. Wanting to learn is what is encouraged and fostered throughout one's life. By making the distinction between grades finer, learning and studying is going to inevitably become a chore to get the desired grade. 

3.) A Reward? An argument for this grading policy is that it will better reward students within the classroom. This logic is flawed. With the current proposed system an A is not equated with the levels of a B. There is a B-, B, and B+ whereas there is only A and A-. This is innately unfair.

4.) Hurts the brightest. Competition is seems to drive the world. Sadly, competition gets so intense it leads to academic dishonesty (cheating and plagiarism). Hence this will obviously lead to these. Also this system will hurt those who make A's. Ace-ing a test is next to impossible in college--it is done, but not always. This system penalizes the brightest because those that make A's in college can usually make anywhere between a 90-100, now those that could have made a 4.0 may be making a 3.67. Furthermore, this grading system may impinge of the accessibility of scholarships for students of all caliber.

5.) Aggravated Professors. Because every letter grade is now tiered, the professors are going to have a lot more frustrated students trying to bump up their grades to satisfy them. However, with this system a simple curve will not be able to satisfy the entire class. Instead, each student will be trying to make it within their goal based on the letter grade divisions. 

6.) Graduate Schools. As mentioned before, this system necessitates learning as a chore, this leads to stress and a much more one pointed focus on schoolwork. With this, there is less time for extra activities, nor is there time allotted for fun and relaxation. With our university taking into account this grading system competition to get into post-professional schools are going to be even more strenuous. Students who make an A in Organic Chemistry at another university with a 91 will be viewed with a much better light than someone at UT who has made a 91, which equates to an A-. Getting into Medical and Law school is hard enough as it is, why make those students chances even less.

Lucky

I am lucky/blessed/fortunate.

....is that how I am defined?

Today in KIPP class we brought up a subject that has been and will always be on my mind. Education. We prepare and prepare for 'real world' throughout our entire childhoods and adolescence. But what do we actually take away from it? My favorite story: 1st grade in Singapore. We had to write a composition (or essay) about any topic we wanted to write about. I wrote about a purple snail. What did that get me? An F, with the reasoning that nothing like this could ever happen. In contrast, a friend of mine was recently going through his old elementary school belongings. Being raised in this country (the US) he was naturally given the assignment, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" He answered "I want to be a dinosaur." no joke. The teacher gave him a smiley face.

Our world is seeing a drastic chasm between discipline and creativity. Both are needed in an ideal society. 

With a lack of discipline in the United States, the education system has witnessed somewhat of a degeneration, at least from my understanding of the situation. A speaker came into our class today. She made me realize where our society stands. In her day she knew every person on her street. How many of us can say that today? All the neighbors would stop and talk to her. She said her mom knew about the trouble she had gotten into at school that day even before she came home just by word of mouth. Now what do we see in our communities? Isolation. Fences separate our properties. Lawsuits are so common nowadays people are scared to do what used to be everyday things. Fear is undermining our society. It is a flaw that the legal system has abused to such a great extent and the sad part is that our generation is going to pay for it.

Even more than the lack of community in our neighborhoods, this lack of community still separates the same cities. St. Louis is a segregated city, check out Savage Inequalities to learn more. 

Poorer schools get the shaft. Their funding is cut to the bare minimum. They can provide reduced lunch prices and no more. Their music and art programs are cut. The potential for Mozarts and Renoirs is there, but the lack of opportunity is frightening. 

Again. Do I attribute my success in my academic career to luck or to my perseverance?

I'm not sure. 

Hyperconjugation

The last weekend at home just flew by. Food was good, the comfort of my bed and bathroom were much needed. Last week was very meh. But this weekend was totally relaxing and worth it. 

I always ask myself, as do my friends, "Remind me why again you live in Texas?" This is an issue I have been dealing with for the past 2 years and it's not that I regret my decision to stay in Texas, it's that question what if....I had decided on Berkeley or UCLA?

What would my life be like? Would I have that Californian mindset? Miss home? Eat such reeeediculously fresh food all the time! Be right next to my religious organization's centers and have friends that are on the same spiritual path as myself by my side. How different would my life be? Life would be much more expensive, that's for sure. But I would have no chance to dive into the Liberal Arts side of myself if I had gone to California. There would be no Plan II. There would be math, science, and more science. EW. 

The one thing that has assured me that I have made the right choice is without a doubt my friends. People to talk to, people to keep me company, people to love and who love me back. Granted I could have made the same kind of friends in Cali, how can I know that to an absolute certainty? I can't. I know I have the best friends right now--that is a fact and the reason I have no regrets. 

Plus I have made a promise to myself. I will graduate in 3 and a half years and what would have been the second semester of my senior year (at least from February till April) will be spent at Hidden Valley in Escondido CA. I cannot wait! It's a working retreat so I'll be a resident there but I'll pay my housing and food by working--I'm not sure what they'll want me to do....but we'll see. 

Sigh but back into the swing of school. OMG Heroes was so good tonight. This season is really moving at a good pace. HIMYM was the best of the 3 of the season so far.

ps Magown said he has 2 X chromosomes

......awk.

pps who missed me more this weekend? ravi or ishanee?

shyam, the newbie blogger

how exciting!

my first blog post

hmm what to ramble on about today....

this week was incredibly stressful:

• physucks test--which i wasn't confident on when I took it
  
• waiting for news on Blazers 2nd interviews-I made it!!
  
• possible contamination of my $300 cells (this guy from another lab came in to tell monitor our procedure and he kept on telling me that I was using incorrect procedure and that I contaminated everything that I passed over)-but they looked okay on Thursday, so we'll see
  
• Philosophy test on friday--fair but tough

I'm actually home right now...such a break from the stress of school.

I'm am vegging on the couch this entire weekend while the TV is blaring and while I'm reading O-Chem and doing 3 chapters worth of problems

Next week should be much more relaxing than this one...we'll see

Lab is going to get more intense that's for sure-if the cells survive

I get land in A-town on Sunday at 4:15 and from there one of my brother blazers is picking me up for campout!!! I'm super excited about it..but it makes me feel kinda frat-ish to be calling them my brother blazers though.

Ooh! I'm going to see a Nobel Prize winner on Tuesday Steve Weinberg!!!!! He's giving a lecture on "The Worth of Science"

AND Grey's became semi-watchable again. My pirate friend (whom I cannot live without) got it for me this morning at 2am and put it on my USB so I could watch it at the airport. 

Let me digress and give a quote that sums up friendship for me: "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. C.S. Lewis

I've been rather obsessed with that quote ever since I found it this summer (I also used it in my blazer's app essay)

Back to the TV Shows:

Heroes-satisfying

HIMYM-funny....and a funny story that goes with the show so during the last ten minutes of it there was a fire drill in my dorm and my room did not evacuate...shhhh don't tell anyone please and thank you

Boston Legal-who the eff starts a show at 8:30 and goes till 10? Well Pirate Friend got it for me and Ishanee, Ravi, and myself watched it on Wednesday night with no commercials and because there is no good show on a Wednesday until LOST comes back...in February, sigh. But the episode was goood. The new girl has an awk. nose and the new guy is gross

The Office-best intro EVER. rabid. the end.

I gave my room key to one of my best friends this weekend. I am hoping he doesn't permanently move in. That would mean I have to relocate to the third floor. 

The futon has been an enormous success on the other hand. We haven't played much cards this year, it's kind of weird but I guess we'd gotten used to not playing cards for the entire summer. Our new thing is scrabble--facebook style and the real deal.

It gets quite intense.

I'm going over to Julia's tomorrow.