Thankful Thursday

This week has been busy, but next week is so much busier. I'm both excited and sad for the end of the year, because I love the summer, but it also means that a bunch of my friends are graduating and I'll be a senior. It will be weird to come back next year and have all those people I've relied on the past three years not around.

This week, I'm thankful for:

- having something to look forward to. Be it a class, or a meeting, a concert or summertime, anticipation is almost as enjoyable as the actual thing.

- humor. Not only do I love to laugh, I love making people laugh, even if it's at my own expense.

- "being involved". I'm so glad I have the opportunity to do a lot of things, from Soundbytes to Senate. I feel like I'm making a difference, even at the smallest level and I can't wait until I take that to the next step after college.

- being accepted into the Heinz School. Next year I'll be starting my Master's in the accelerated program, which is amazing. I'm one of only five who got in, and it's a pretty prestigious school of public affairs (ranked 8th overall in the country). Not only do I get the opportunity to learn more about my chosen craft, I get to do it at a great school in only one extra year. How cool is that?

- good advice. I tend to ask for advice from friends a lot, and I'm thankful that they give it to me freely, and don't get sick of me asking for it. :)

Carnival Madness

While I don't feel comfortable writing about most of what went on at Carnival in such a public forum as a blog, I still think the long weekend merits at least a comment, if not more.

I spent Wednesday night building booth for Fringe, and by night I mean all night; I didn't sleep until midnight Thursday night. However crappy sleep deprivation is, I think this was a memorable and still fun way to do it. Our booth was themed after the Mousetrap game, and it turned out pretty well. Thursday we had a bomb scare, which was not so fun, but luckily it was nothing. In the wake of the Virginia Tech disaster, the police weren't taking any chances. And lucky for us Carnival folk, they didn't close anything down. That evening I went to see Demetri Martin, who is well-known through The Daily Show. He was hilarious, and I was really glad to have been able to go, since seating was limited.

On Friday, Soundbytes had our annual Carnival concert, and though it wasn't as well attended as I would have liked, a lot of alumni came back to visit, like Dwight and Dave. It was so great to see them both. We sounded good, and sang my first arrangement for the first time. Yay Han Joo, for sounding so good on his first solo! That evening was spent with Fringe people, having a grand olde time.

Saturday I woke up early (after staying up late) to watch buggy for the first time. It was cold but so much fun. It's nice to watch and cheer for the fruits of a year's hard labor. That night was awards, and Fringe did really well. We came in third for our booth, the first time we've placed for booth in several years. Fringe A-team came in second for buggy behind Pika, which we were pretty happy about, and we also won several awards for our buggy design. SigEp won first again for their booth (a Nintendo theme) and Theta won for the sororities (a beehive).

Saturday is the night for parties, since all the buggy folk are done and can stay up late. I spent that night in the way you might imagine (to some extent) a college student to spend it. I watched the fireworks for the first time, with Dwight who finally came by, and it was really fun.

Sunday was reserved for tear down, a depressing show of the wastefulness of Carnival festivities. However, Fringe saved most of the materials used, so it wasn't all bad. I'm sad that Carnival is over, since this was probably the best one I've ever had. I felt very liberated, and I did almost everything I wanted. I have but one regret: I didn't go to Holi on Saturday like I wanted to. It's a paint festival put on by several Indian organizations, and I've wanted to go for a while, but forgot about it at the last minute. C'est la vie. Maybe next year I'll get the chance.

The next week is going to be really crazy-busy, since I didn't do any work over the weekend, and there are only two weeks until the end of the semester. It's shaping up to be very interesting, and hopefully a lot of the things I am hoping for will pan out. Wish me luck!

Thankful Thursday

First of all, I'd like to mark this day as a milestone in my life (sort of). Yesterday I pulled my first all-nighter, granted non-academic, building booth for Fringe. I've only had a short nap in 38 hours, but it was worth it to have accomplished so much, and had so much "fun" in doing it!


There's a lot I'm thankful for this week:

- Being close to extended family. This year has been a tumultuous one for both sides of my family, and I am so thankful to be close to them, both physically and emotionally. Being in Pittsburgh, I'm able to do things with them I never could have anywhere else and be a part of their lives in a way I hadn't been since I'd moved away from the area. They are also so supportive, even more than I had expected.

- New beginnings. Even when things are looking down, there seems to be something, be it a person, an activity, or a object, that helps me cope and find hope for the future.

- Safety precautions and services at my school. In the aftermath of the tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech (which I was particularly stunned by given that I had lived a half an hour away from there for 7 years) I really appreciate the mechanisms in place to keep my campus safe. While there seems to be very little one can do to prevent these kinds of extreme events from occurring, there is so much at Carnegie Mellon that helps students stay safe in this urban environment. We have recently had our own small scare, which really made me aware of how easily something like what happened at Virginia Tech could happen here ,and how glad I am that there are methods of protection in place for all types of emergencies.

-Fun distractions like booth, Carnival, and parties. I only wish they happened more frequently.

- Welcoming friends. I am so happy to have people around me who accept me into their lives, and actively want me a part of it. And I love returning the gesture.

- Being 20. As much as I might moan about being underage and being locked out of a big part of the social scene of my 21+ friends, I really like being 20. It's a good age, albeit made more of a transitional age, but rather than impatiently wait for my entrance into the realm of full adulthood, I'm going to enjoy these last three months of underage-dom as much as I can. You're only 20 once.

And this is the kind of ignorance I hope to remedy...

It is sad that in these times, people could believe things like this are true. No matter how comic, it reveals an appalling lack of sheer common sense. It did give me a chuckle though. ^_^

Thankful Thursday

I decided to steal this from Ashleigh, who stole it from someone else, who probably stole it from someone else.... but that doesn't mean it's not a great idea. So this week, here's what I'm thankful for.

- free food. I get it a lot, and it makes me happy all the time.
- existentialism
- packages, both the expected and unexpected ^_^
- friend-on-friend therapy sessions
- BOOTH
- music. I'm rediscovering my love for it.
- Korean soap opera
- arts and crafts projects. They are sooooo relaxing.
- springtime. Even though it's cold outside, plants are determined to sprout and get leafy.

Thought-Provoking

At least I think it is. It gave me some perspective.

If tomorrow was the last day of your life, who would you want to spend it with, and what would you do?

Thank You

A lot of you who read this blog know how hard these past few weeks have been for me. I feel like I've started a new phase in my life, and the transition has not been easy. But you have been there for me, from patiently listening and giving innumerable hugs, to expressing words of comfort and support. You got me out of my room (and made me eat) and you told me that everything would be all right. And you know what, you were right. Even though I still have a ways to go, I know I will be okay, because you helped me find the strength I didn't think I had. You have all lent your shoulders for me to cry on, and have been more supportive than I had ever imagined friends could be. For all of this, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Think SPRING!

I went for a run today, and despite the fact that it made me even more aware of how incredibly out of shape I am, I really enjoyed it. I never used to like running, but ever since this summer I've missed being able to take an hour and just jog around the city. The weather is finally getting nice enough to be outside. Which brings me to my next point:

SPRING! It's the beginning of Spring here in the lovely 'burgh. The leaves and flowers are starting to come out and people are springing up seemingly out of nowhere (no pun intended). The entire city is vibrant with people walking down the sidewalks, playing frisbee in the parks or just lounging in the sun.

Living in New York, I never got the full springtime experience; we just went straight from winter to summer. This year it's been almost unseasonably warm, in the 70s with clear sky. The only way you can tell it's not summer (or California) are the bare trees. This kind of weather is so valuable in Pittsburgh. Most of the year is spent cold, dark, and snowy. As much as people complain about cold and snowy winters (which I happen to like), they really make you appreciate the good weather when it comes. And you can tell in people's looks; they're happier and more energized because of it. However, this will all change at the end of the week, when we're supposed to be getting snow. :(

Until then, I will be taking advantage of the sun and warmth by spending a lot of time outside. Maybe I'll see you there!

I Think I'm in Love

With Korean soap opera!!! Every time I say that people groan and smile, but so what? It's amazing on its own, although it's better if you have a real live Korean translating for you because the subtitles are completely inadequate. The actors are adorable and hot, the plots are hilarious, and above all, it's just addicting.

I've started watching Goong, translated as Princess Hours, but literally Palace, it's a story about a girl who marries into the crown prince of Korea while still in high school (assuming a lot, since there is no longer a monarchy in Korea). I think it's based on a comic book by the same name, and apparently follows it pretty well. There are a few pretty famous Korean actors and singers in the show, but I'm not knowledgeable about that at all. It's really fun, and I highly recommend it.

In total, I think the show has 24 episodes (each an hour long). We've finished 4. I can't wait to watch more!!