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? :)