On homecoming

I had originally wished to update on coming home for Thanksgiving but for some reason simply couldn't summon the words to begin. There's just something about home and it's so indescribable. It gives the sort of warmth that would swell up your heart despite the coldness of the season.

Being back definitely allowed me to see things in a different light. To be honest I didn't really miss home the first few months I was in college. Perhaps it was partly due to the fact that it's so easy to be preoccupied - even when there isn't anything to do. On top of that, T-mobile's terrible network had given me excuses for unanswered and unreturned calls. I got to experience the renowned collegiate freedom (almost without consequences), and it was as if the world halted to my pleasure. Coming back though, I realized much has happened in my absence: the shift and addition of furnitures, the sudden passings of Mr Wong and Mr. Law, etc. But amidst all of that and regardless of my neglect, I was happy to find that I still have a place here that will always welcome me. Getting off from the airport by myself and seeing my parents looking for me outside the concourse, sitting inside the car with someone handing you a nice warm jacket, and going into my room to see it all tidy and clean - those are the things that I had taken for granted for way too long.

College is nice and I do enjoy it. But for those of you who are fidgeting to get out of your house for it, appreciate what you have now, too. Before your mother's nagging disappears from your ears, embrace the time that you still have with her. And before you hold another bitter grudge against your father for not letting you going out for the night, savor the fact that someone is doing his best to look out for you. Because once you are on your own, you will have none of that. And after all, home will always be where the heart is.

On stamina

Much to my dismay I've noted an overall decrease in my stamina throughout the years. While sleepy mornings have always plagued me, my status as the night owl has also been rusting in cyberspace the past few months. Each day consists of a string of sleepiness; I wake up sleepy, go to class sleepy (this would be eliminated on the days where I choose to skip instead), and come back to the room sleepy. Although this may be excusable for an excessively hardworking college student, it is definitely not good for a small fish within the collegiate pond where Darwin's "survival of the fittest" theory is most cruel and evident.

But fortunately my research ability has not fled and fear not, I think my new finding (this hit the jackpot) might actually provide the proper cure for me and perhaps many others with similar symptoms:

Woohoo! +160 HP!

That's right, THE Health Energy Potions. Currently a featured product from Harcos Laboratories. As un-"legit" as it may appear, there are actually 160 mL of caffeine (imagine gulping down 4 cups of strong coffee!) contained in these 1.69 oz bottles - along with doses of elderberry, ginseng, and various vitamins of the B complex.

As an ex-ex-ex-RPG gamer, I can fully appreciate the encounter and usefulness of such an elixir in the computer graphics dimension. As for everyone else, forget that Red Bull crap unless you've gotten your promised wings. Instead, take your investment and capitalize it in these magical little things. Each of them offers an energy boost of 5-8 hours with just one chug and without an unpleasant energy crash later (no sugar added, but it comes with a sweet apple cinnamon twist!). A package of 12 is available for as low as $39.33.

That's all for now.

*proceeds to add items onto Wishlist*

On church

I suppose this post is mostly for my church family, as more or less an update on the continuation of my spiritual journey.

Prior to my departure for and even my acceptance to college, I was advised that my first task upon arrival was locating a church that I can attend every Sunday. I'm sure some were cynical about this actually happening given the obvious freedom in college. Well, contrary to popular skepticism I have been going to church since the first weekend of college - even during Orientation Week. Hard to believe, eh? Admittedly, I was surprised as well.

But I can't credit myself entirely as attending church off-campus would have been much harder without good company. Luckily, I had convinced my atheist friend into coming along the first month of college, and the number of company has alternated and grown since then.

The hurch rests about 5 - 10 minutes away from the dormitory building. Every Sunday (or almost) my friends and I have to wake up extra early (around 10:30) and wear our formal attires in accordance with church courtesy (the last part is somehow particularly difficult for my male attendees...).

In contrast to church back home, this one is a lot smaller in size and houses a much more elderly congregation. On a side note, my friends and I are probably the only Asians that attend regularly. But above all, the people are extremely welcoming and the pastor has yet to failed to deliver a meaningful and engaging sermon. They don't offer lunch like our church does @.@ (they did have homemade meals on a rare occasion, though) but no big deal.

Of course, the trip is not perfectly smooth and I mean that in both the physical sense and the spiritual. For instance, it gets hectic walking in Georgia heat in which a minute's worth of journey feels as long as that of an hour. And of course, it is almost impossible to search for that inner drive that's capable of waking and motivating the tiredest college students on a sleepy Sunday morning. Juggling the worldly goods against the intangible gifts is difficult especially at times when you can only taste the richness in the former. But I suppose everyone has those struggles, and sometimes all we need to do is - in light of Mitch Albom - have a little faith.

On B.o.B

Here's the update as promised.

Some of you may have already known that Emory held its annual Fall Band Party aka the B.o.B Concert two weeks ago, and if not, now you do! Being an Emory student, I only had to exercise my student rights (no cost & free food! By the way, this defines the prerequisites for 90% of all college events.) to seize this opportunity. News of the event spread like wildfire within the greater Atlanta community and beyond, especially since Bobby Ray himself actually hails from the ATL.

My friends and I were wise enough to arrive early and were therefore able to get an optimal location in front of the center stage. Those who weren't as wise piled behind us, and although they may justify their decision by talking about the physical discomfort of having no personal bubble, one must take into account the visual gratification rendered by standing just 10 feet in front of B.o.B, among other performers. Amidst the hype of everything, I managed to snap some poor quality (but nonetheless candid) pictures from the concert:

B.o.B and his crew :D

Trippy picture of the massive crowd

Of course, we were unaware of the fact that B.o.B himself wouldn't be appearing until around 10 (concert started a little past 7 with @.@). But such was no turn-off because not only was B.o.B awesome, there was also a surprise guest appearance that made the wait completely worthwhile. Now drumroll for the announcement...

*Drumroll*

T.I.!!!!!!!!!!

Normally I wouldn't be so excited about any celeb but this was an exception. Let me say emphasize that he was supposed to be in jail and didn't plan any concerts, and thus we were one the last people to see him perform before he returned to jail for his 11-month probation sentence. Double win. HECK YEAH!

So there you have it, not only an update on one of the highlighted collegial events here but also an incentive to come to Emory ;) Talk about two birds one stone.

On food

Some of you seem particularly concerned about the dining in college. I don't blame you. The importance of the the quality of cafeteria food has been way understated. Think about it guys, this determines your meals for 3 times a day, 7 days a week - including late-night snacks - you don't want to be chewing in disgust each time.

That's actually how I felt towards food at Emory during Orientation - it was so bad for some reason. But the synthesis of my degenerating taste buds and slightly improving food variations made me reach the conclusion that it's just okay. Lunch and dinner are really unpredictable in taste, but one thing I've noticed is how they often have various replicas of Asian cuisines (albeit their authenticity is definitely questionable). Most freshmen get unlimited meal plans but you might want to reconsider if you'll be eating this for the next years:

Dining hours aren't all that flexible though, so if you missed the hours you may resort to the other dining locations, which would require cash money. Three dollars for 5 pieces of cheese sticks? Rip offffff. Regardless, the traffic is still heavy past midnight. But if you truly are a cheap college student, you can resort to this:

To compensate, my friends and I always dine out on the weekends and/or order deliveries. Quality of student life -> +1. Money -> -???. Trust me though, you cannot possible eat only cafeteria food @.@ or else Sanity -> nonexistent. On a side note, sushi for the win:

So there you have it, college dining experiences in a nutshell. And other than the options mentioned above, you can always mooch off of your friends and their roommates. After all, we live by the principle that what's mine is mine and what's not mine can also be mine. Just kidding. But for reals guys, let's go get some real, good food when I get back. Tell me if you're up for it :)

On sleepovers

In relevance to the all-nighters in college, sometimes we college students also enjoy the comfort of sleeping in a room (albeit it's that of someone else's). Needless to say, for those who don't pay attention to titles, this post will be dedicated to sleepovers in college.

Personally, I've never been a big fan of sleepovers. The last one I had was probably at Carey's house with the girls...when I was a freshman? But in college, things are slightly different. Each dorm room is subjected to a maximum capacity of 6 people, although no one really abides those rules. Anyway, my first one occurred a few weeks ago out of laziness and procrastination. It was a Saturday night and I had an English paper to submit before Sunday midnight. Everyone else there, of course, did not suffer from the same fate. However, we all decided to crash in our friends' room since it was too late to go back to our own (which required a walk across the campus).

So it was about 3 a.m., and the guys are busy lugging blankets and mattress across the hall. As for the rest, I'll let pictures speak. Credits to Dwight for capturing the moments.

Setting up actually took some work...

Tom the pimp (in pink) slept next to two girls ;). Just kidding; he's quite the purest of us all.

LOL enough said.

As for myself, I was fortunate enough to have bunked a bed with my friend. And before you start judging, while everyone else was sleeping with each other...I was actually up and awake trying to finish my paper. But honestly, we were just a bunch of innocent sleepy college kids - and not under the influence.

Of course, no one got enough sleep and I never finished my paper 'til late Sunday night - but this would be what you call a night to remember. ...;)

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On all-nighters

I left my previous post with regards to ping-pong, so allow me to elaborate.

As you may have heard, college students pull all-nighters like this - *snaps fingers*. Within the month and a half, I've managed to have my shares too. But contrary to popular belief, not all all-nighters are academic-oriented. In fact, my first one was far from it as (many of you should have figured it out by now) I was actually engaged in an intense, none-stop ping-pong showdown from midnight 'til 7 a.m. Surprisingly it was one of the more enjoyable activities that took place during Orientation Week. Nerd status right there.

Of course, not to mislead anyone, the academic all-nighters are indeed still gruesome. My second all-nighter (and the ones that ensued...however many there were @.@) was not as fun. While a picture is worth a thousand words, it cannot possibly convey the mixed feelings of a sleepless night for college student. But for visual aid, here's a snippet of what it typically looks like for us:

Featured here is my friend James (he was fine when pulling an all-nighter for ping-pong), whose stamina was obviously inferior to that of mine and my other friend, Tom's (to the left). Luckily the couches in the study rooms are quite comfortable - especially when you're operating like a zombie. Also note our "battle field" and the various caffeinated drinks (which were eventually replaced by Monster, Full Throttle, etc. as our energy demands increased). On the bright side, we did finish our work on time before class.

Oh, obviously there would also be parties taking place elsewhere simultaneously. Drunk people can be spotted on campus at odd hours as well. But rest assured, I've been staying clear of alcohol. Underage drinking is no joke especially if you're caught by the RA (Resident's Assistant).

So there you have it, a brief glimpse at all-nighters in college. Those of you who are currently Seniors, look forward to them next year. Cheers!

P.S. It is not necessary to inform my mom (or dad) about this.

Greetings

Although it's only been a month into the semester, I've realized that the college experience will truly be an unforgettable one. Like most wonderful (wonderfully tragic) things that happen to us, we want to remember them. S0 located here, will be various glimpses of my college experiences. However, the purpose for having this blog is mixed. But whether it's for me to document things, keep in touch with you guys, or amuse a passing browser, it holds only the meaning that one bestows.

Going back to the topic of college, while my actual journey from home to school took about 14 hours, transitioning from high school to college took much longer. The truth is, I never felt the pressing readiness that my fellow classmates apparently seemed to have felt since “forever ago.” Leaving somewhere so familiar to me and bidding good-bye to my peers was more than just “difficult” as we embarked on our separate paths. As Uncle Joe's family may testify, I was still packing on the night before my departure. I've always been a light traveler, but this time was different. A part of me felt like packing my life into those cubic cases, but physical space was so limited that I can only carry everything in my heart.

Unlike high school, being in college blurs the timeline as it becomes easy - and frequent - to lose one's chronological sense of things. In other words, weeks here can transmute into blissfully fleeting moments or tortuously painful years (for those who are currently trying to endure school/schoolwork, I'm sure you know how the latter feels). Rest assured, for me this occurs without the prerequisite of any usage of illegal substances. On the other hand, one thing that remains constant regardless of where you are is it's always easy to lose track of time.

Speaking of time, I have class in a few minutes so I'll end the post with this: In high school, I didn’t sleep because of projects. In college, it was because of ping-pong.

Stay tuned. And feedbacks on how you are doing? :)