school days: how we amuse ourselves
“I have a life at school, right?”
I had to assure myself of this as I settled in for another year. Only a year ago, I was still in Florida, dancing in parades and playing with kids and living in the world of imagination. Since then, I had finished my sophomore year, worked in a neurobio lab, and taken summer physics so that I could take the 8-hour MCAT, the medical school entrance exam. I guess I thought that I had to make up for taking an extended 15-month vacation in Disney World after freshman year. Junior year, in my mind, was key in establishing my credentials as a prospective future med student. But there are lots of things to do besides work.
In this section:
play time |
This picture is actually from HounFest during soph year (spring 2003), while the rest are from junior year. I get dizzy on swings if they go too high. If people tell you they get dizzy on swings, don't push them too high! I felt better after making judicious use of a water gun to avenge myself. |  |
 | A Kenyan safari guide, Indiana Jones, and your eccentric Aunt Millie. Well, 2 out of 3: Ingrid really did brave the African wild, and Heather and the 2nd violins helped guide Indy through this year's YSO show, but I'm really your Aunt Mame. |
back to top^ birthdays |
 Black and white shots of my birthday dinner, courtesy of ITChen Photography: my mom helped me prepare a massive food fest. Above, L to R: Naz, Wei, and Ingrid. Right, clockwise from top L: Lindsey, Kohta, and Naz. My beautiful friend Lindsey is also a VERY patient, VERY sweet physics lab partner! Below: Amsal and me. Chopsticks are my cooking utensils of choice, and sometimes hair accessory of choice too.  |  |
 Heather's birthday came soon after. Unfortunately she had an exam that day, so I went to p-chem early and took over the chalkboard. Professor Cross was quite amused; I offered to erase it but he said, "No no no, we'll make do as long as we can." He started writing lecture notes on the more empty right side, and by the end he covered all the surrounding available space. |
 | Ingrid has a foot fetish. Not really. Here she is on her birthday, flushed yet again (2/3, baby!) and being a footrest of the most jovial kind. L to R: Zheni, Jeff, me, Heather, Ingrid. |
back to top^ all hallows eve |
 Left to Right: a leopard (me), Averil Lavigne (Tiffany), the Queen of Hearts (Heather), a Muslim gone astray (Ingrid, who refuses to cover her Asian flush), and a TKD blackbelt (Bonnie). good times, for sure. |
back to top^ casino night |
 | Supposedly, Rolling Stone ranked Casino Night as one of the top ten (college?) parties in the country. A little crapshooting, a little poker-playing, a whole lotta chips and some salsa (dance!) — relishes of Great Gatsby glamour. Or is it more like the 1940's? What do I know, I'm a science major. L to R, David, Ingrid, me, Jeff. |
Pretty kitty! Rita (short for Margarita) is the undisclosed tenant of a certain dorm room…on special occasions, she'll deign to let you hold her.  |  A beautiful feline always gets what she wants — in this case, a balloon kleptoed from Casino Night. |
back to top^ harvard-yale |
Halftime show at the Harvard-Yale game: we lost, but Harvard will never surpass Yale's halftime gimmicks. I wonder if JE had a hand in this year's theme… |  |
