Mood: Driving Back to Austin (don’t worry, I’m in the passenger seat)
This week was definitely relaxing. I’m quite sad that I didn’t end up going to New York ro Seattle or anywhere for that matter. On Sunday, I found some cheap tickets to NYC for like $230 but ended up not going because I was kind of sketched out about living in an NYC Hostel, though I feel it would have been cool to check out some broadway shows and go shopping. I was also looking for last minute tickets to Seattle to visit my brother, but apparently it’s hard to find cheap last minute tickets to the west cost (east coast flights are cheaper.)
Nontheless, this break was much needed, though. It was good to get away from Austin and all the stress related to obligations and things like that. Over break, I slept a lot, relaxed, watched TV, saw some movies, and shopped a bit. I actually got to read for fun for a change. I read Born On a Blue Day, an autobiography by an autistic guy who is able to express how he sees numbers as shapes and colors. I also read a book called Aloft which was about a older guy who has a mid-life crisis. This book was interesting because the main character, Jerry, went through a divorce, his dad is in a retirement home, his son took over the family business which was about to go bankrupt, and his daughter is pregnant but also has cancer. The plot really was engaging and his writing was fun to read. I started this third book, Water for Elephants, I’m hoping to be able to lay out at Gregory pool for some time this week and finish up the book. There’s something about pleasure reading. I don’t know what it is, but it’s just relaxing. Something that a movie can’t come close to emulating. This week, reading to my heart’s desire, in some weird way reminding me of this past summer, where I was able to work 8 to 5 and then curl up to a nice book. Maybe I’m just a big old nerd.
Anyways, I was writing emails and updating my outlook calendar, and I already started filing up the calendar with dates and obligations. It was quite sad. I felt as if I was starting to sell my life away again.
There’s only about two months of school left, and then that’s the end of my sophomore year—that means I’ll be an upperclassman. And I’m not ready for it yet! College has gone by so quickly, and in reflection of what I’ve done so far, I’ve realized that it’s not much at all. I mean, I’m not trying to sell myself short or anything, because granted, I’ve sure done a lot. I just feel that I haven’t made an impact yet—an impact that’s meaningfully helped others. I know through BHP recruiting and hopefully this blog, I’ve touched others by helping them, but what I really want to do is volunteer. I think I’ve talked about this before, but I really want to do something that changes UT or the Austin community. I mean, I spend countless hours working as a researcher, involved in business council, and studying, but I’d love to devote some time to help those who are disadvantaged. I think I first realized this volunteering at Explore UT. I was volunteering with my English professor helping attract people to his “U-Tea Alice In Wonderland Party.” While helping out, I meat a father and son from Dallas. The kid wasn’t more than 10 years old, but his dad was already talking about how he’d already saved up enough money to send his kid to UT, and was encouraging his son to study hard so that he’d get into UT. Then I met some other students who were maybe in middle or high school. They came from an underprivileged high school , and from talking with them, they would be the first to go to college—in fact, they were wearing t-shirts that said something like future college student 2012.” Something about those shirts inspired me. Maybe it’s because going to UT, we’re all pretty fortunate to either have gotten in and somehow managed to finance our educations (either through our parents, student loans, or scholarships). I think it would nice to be able to mentor a high schooler and help him or her through the college application process. I think I realized that I often take college for granted, as if it’s expected of everyone. And the sad thing is, it’s not. Some people only dream to go to college. I want to do something in these next two years of my college career that help those who are disadvantaged from going to college. I don’t know how, but I want to do something that impacts others.
Well, I didn’t mean to get on some tangent, but oh well. Oh, and lastly, I’m still hoping to get into the Hong Kong Study Abroad Program (HKUST). I had a “nightmare” over break that I didn’t get into HKUST and instead had to go to the only last program open… Cancun.. and freaked out! Haha. What a bizarre dream that was! I find out about HKUST hopefully this week or next week, and I’m kind of banking on the fact that I’ll get in. I have to get in, because I don’t have a back-up and I don’t have housing for this fall either! Hehe.
OK, well, my laptop battery is dying (I wish I got a bitter battery when I bought my laptop). I’ll post this post when I get back to Austin. I hope everyone had a great week. One of my friends, Margaret, went snowboarding over break and had a blast. I’ve gone skiing and loved it, but after hearing stories from her, I really want to try out snowboarding now.. I guess there’s always next spring break! Hope everyone has safe travels and welcome back!
I’ll end with something to think about. Here’s an excerpt from Aloft by Chang-rae Lee:
And it occurred to me that in this new millennial life of instant and ubiquitous connection, you don’t in fact communicate so much as leave messages for one another, these odd improvisational performances, often sorry bits and samplings of ourselves that can’t help but seem out of context. And then when you do finally reach someone, everyone’s so out of practice or too hopeful or else embittered that you wonder if it would be better not to attempt contact at all. (pg. 8)For me, I’m so engrained in my email, cell phone, and Facebook, but I’m not sure how much face-to-face contact I have with others. What about you? Is this true? What do you think?
2 comments:
I lovelovelove pleasure reading. Love. it. You're right that there's just something about it. I love just vegging out to a chick-lit book of the Bridget Jones's Diary variety. Yum!
Glad your break was good; too bad it's over now, but eh, not too long till sophomore year is over. = (
And that's some good writing in that excerpt you had. Interesting that what we do is leave messages for each other, but I think that those messages often allow realer things to come out than, perhaps, face-to-face contact do. How often have you said stuff on AIM that you probably wouldn't have said had you been talking in person? It's happened to me, and people have done it with me, before.
More than anything else, I despise leaving things just half-said. I'm more of the "I'll write you a really long email when I know I have the time and effort to put everything into it" or the "I don't care what else needs to be done; I need to have this conversation with you" kind of person. I definitely stopped going on AIM once I got into college though, and it's helped me define what type of communicator I am.
Most of all, I really like just sitting down with someone, over a meal, and talking about everything. I don't like 'catching up' with people in big groups either-- I love one-on-one outings because I feel like they give you a chance to really know someone, and have a worthwhile conversation.
I'm still mad at the weather for canceling our beach trip too, because that would've been a great 'catching up' kind of trip that I like.
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