Squirrel!

I have just emerged from an episode of depression caused by weather the past three days. I would be biking or climbing trees but my brother stole my bike. And the tree bark is still a little wet from yesterday. So it's a good time to blog.

Well...still doing nothing these days, though I did start studying for MCATs along with the usual flute playing and soccer ball juggling. Recently, I found out that Season 5 of The Office just ended and this is a great opportunity to watch every single Office episode. I torrented the first three seasons and am currently in the middle of watching the second season. I can't believe I hadn't been watching this from the beginning. I've also been watching 30 Rock, which is really funny.

I did start my philosophy class on Wednesday. Some interesting questions were posed, but not answered. Yesterday, we began reading the Euthyphro dialogue, which is this conversation between Euthyphro and Socrates as written by the philosopher Plato a really long time ago. It discusses the nature of piety and impiety, attempting to go beyond the dogma of the age (this is ancient Greece, where they followed to gods of greek mythology). Euthyphro is a priest who believes he knows the exact nature of piety and is therefore justified in prosecuting his father against a particular crime. Socrates, however, attempts to force Euthyphro to question his beliefs about piety by refuting every definition and investigating it with logic.

Socrates is often described as a gadfly, since he is generally annoying and always posing upsetting questions. I like him, however, because he was the voice of reason in a world where there was nothing else but blind faith. He would be pretty useful today too. I'm sure more interesting problems like these will come up in the future and I will share them with you.

But! I almost forgot to mention that we went to watch the movie Up yesterday on opening day. It was, of course, good (made by Pixar) so you should also watch it.

Empty and Blissful

An ideal summer vacation is empty and blissful. I haven't actually had one of these in three years, seeing as last summer consisted of many hours of dance practice and the beginning of college. The summer before that, I started working at MIT the day after school let out. Then, I went to India for 5 weeks. Then, I worked at MIT again until school started. Naturally, I am thrilled to have all of this free time. I even decided to avoid doing the first dance camp + production so that I may continue to frolic and enjoy.

Lately, I've been working on juggling the soccer ball, flute playing, and cooking. I have also beeing playing online games, watching television, and considering setting up the DDR.

Yesterday was Relay for Life, so some pals and I biked up to the track between the middle and high schools and did some laps while meeting old teachers and high school kids. However, the grade school atmosphere soon became extremely irritating and we had to leave. Kim, Staci, Nipunn, Jeff, and I biked up to Lexington Center where we played some poker in the grass (yes, poker), indulged in some warm drinks at Starbucks, and had dinner at Not Your Average Joe's. I had Calamari. Piscitarianism is great!

We biked back to Bedford in record time and I prided myself in doing so without even touching my handlebars. We then went to Page Field and started kicking around a soccer ball and tossing around a frisbee AT THE SAME TIME. Epicness. My dad brought us some badminton equipment and we proceeded to have the greatest game of netless, courtless badminton on the grass for the next 2 hours. My forearm even aches now. Soon, it got pretty dark and the mosquitoes were moving in on us so we went into my house and ate grapes and ice cream while watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

And that's how things have been. Unplanned, spontaneous, and carefree. Life should be like this always.

THIS is how you expend calories

One would expect the end of the semester to be stress free, but with the getting back of grades and the packing and the visiting people before they leave for good and grocery shopping (due to lack of meal points), it is NOT stress free. Thursday was the day of my last final, so I kicked back after that was done: had lunch with 2nd years, played soccer with a volleyball on the hub lawn, stole Chen's bike, and lost at Poker again.

Arguably the best part of the entire year occurred on Thursday night as Ramya, Anita, and I walked from McLanahan's while drinking free Chai all the way down to the golf courses on the west side of campus in an attempt at midnight stargzing. The moon was excessively bright, so we weren't able to see the stars very clearly, but we were, however, able to see what was on the golf course. We kicked around some sand, stuck our feet in the golf holes, and wondered if building a fire on the golf course would draw too much attention. We also found this quaint little flowery

tree that we decided to climb and act monkeyish on. It was great fun...especially since the darkness made it difficult to judge the height of the branch you were perched on. We have claimed that tree as our own. It has even given me a large scrape on my ankle which I am sporting proudly. I wish I took a picture of it (the tree, not the scrape).

Friday was actually much less fun than Thursday, especially since I realized how much packing I still had to do. I burned about 4000 calories as I lugged this huge box of stuff up and down a hill to my friend's office on the very edge of campus. In attempt to reduce my luggage weight, I sold as many textbooks as I could. I tried to convert my spare change to cash (how come all banks close at 4:30? Is that some rule?). I donated my lovely shampoos. I threw away a ton of clothes. I sent my rug off with someone. And finally managed to fit the rest of my belongings into two suitcases and backpack. Note to self: PACK LIGHTLY FOR COLLEGE NEXT TIME.

And so Saturday morning, I flew back to Boston via Philadelphia and reached Bedford by afternoon. I was then unpleasantly surprised to hear that I had been signed up for two dance performances at Pfizer Corporation, on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was then pleasantly surprised to hear that I would receive $100 for it, which is great because I am completely broke.
So here I am in Connecticut, blogging when I should be resting up. But what can one do? It takes some time to reset the sleep schedule of a college student.

So amazingly, the end of the semester has actually resulted in me being overworked and underfed. I better be losing some weight otherwise I will be angry.

Anyone want to go climb some trees?

Release

There was Physics, and then there was Physio, and then it was already 2/3 over. And here we are, the day before the last day of the first year. With assistance, I have already made a list of excellent things to indulge in after OChem tomorrow morning including:

1. Tree climbing
2. Capture the Flag at night
3. Bonfire made of organic chemistry notes. One big combustion reaction...oh the irony.
4. Go to taco bell at 2 AM
5. Barefoot volleyball in the sand
6. Screaming

and, I guess, packing.

So on Saturday I was down in the lounge, studying and my friends serenaded me with "Happy fake birthday" and took me to the Waffle Shop. It was great.

I am going to study. Bye

I don't think I can last until the end

Here are some photos from last Wednesday's photoshoot of the arangetram girls.

I do not exaggerate when I say that hair and makeup takes over an hour.

Weirdness at the photostudio, after everyone's pictures had finally been taken.

Fear me.


In the home stretch here, the Friday a week before the Friday the day before I leave (I leave next Saturday).

I just finished teaching myself Pericyclic reactions, which are mildly interesting, though I would much prefer NOT having to know them at all. My Ochem final is less than a week away and is the last exam of my freshman year at the Pennsylvania State University. Once I'm done with that, I'll be a senior. And "halfway there".

I haven't posted since I got back from my self-imposed vacation, so I'll tell you how the week has been since then. I had a pretty amazing journey back, and by amazing, I mean: no thunderstorms, no rain, no delays, no long waits, no 110 pound suitcases, and no lost luggage. I left the gorgeous 80 degree Boston weather and touched down 4 hours later into 85 degree State College weather. It was perfect. I wish all plane journeys can be like that. However, there are some unfortunate and unfair rules about life at Penn State and this is one of them:

The amount of work needing to be done is directly proportional to the awesomeness of the weather.

It's true; don't bother denying it. Every single time it's been nice outside, we've had to study for a test or do a lab report or write an essay. And since I had to start studying for final exams last weekend, the climate gods made it a point to create exceptionally superb weather, thus ruining my life.

And that's how the week has progressed: wistfully looking out the window, cursing the climate gods, and wildly fantasizing about moving time forward. On the bright side, I am completely finished with Biology labs (last one was yesterday!) and will never again have to step inside the sick, abominable place of death and evilness that is Mueller Building. I also had my Ballroom Dance final exam before the judges yesterday, which I think went pretty well. Tonight, we have to attend the semiformal dance and showoff our moves. I now know Rumba, Cha-Cha, Quickstep, Waltz, Jive, Tango, and a teensy bit of Samba. It's going to be a blast because for a change, everyone there will know how to dance!

Bye for now
and expect a change in the layout some time soon. I'm getting bored of this.