GRATUITOUS VIOLETS

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2011-04-23T22:43:00.007-04:00

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Hi

2010-06-06T17:45:00.000-04:00

Freshman year was great, but I don't identify with the person who wrote the entries before this anymore. Not sure if I'll be keeping this blog, but I like the way it looks so I'll let it live. For now...

Things I Will Miss from California

2009-08-14T17:19:00.000-04:00

Am I seriously leaving in twelve days?

What's strange is that I haven't really grieved over the end of high school. I've always felt so ready to move on that graduation and saying goodbye to friends never had the greatest impact on me.

I'm starting to realize what I'm going to be losing come August 26th. During college apps, I always raged against my parents; I was SO determined to leave the west coast. My thoughts were kind of like this: "Snow! Snow! Snow!!! I am so tired of this stagnant climate; it feels like nothing ever changes! Californians are so laid back and casual; all Californian schools are sporty."

I was a little biased, but I do have to say that leaving is making me appreciate the culture I've grown up in.

So, I've made a list of things that I am going to miss once I leave the golden state.

1. Palm Trees: Palm trees are everywhere in California. Whether you're from NorCal and are used to the shorter, wider versions of our favorite frond-topped tree or you're from the South where the trees are miles high and stick thin, you appreciate palm trees if you are a true Californian. In fact, growing up next to Stanford meant that one of my first words was in fact "palm" (or really "pom"). I've driven down Palm Drive too many times to count. I even have some palm trees in my backyard.

2. Really Blue Skies. And Real Sunshine: I've been doing summer camps on the east coast since I was in 8th grade. One thing that has never escaped my attention is the fact that the sky on the east coast is really not blue. It's more of this hazy white-gray film that maybe, possibly has a tinge of light blue. And there are always clouds. You never have a day where there is a cloudless sky (though I have to admit, several weeks of cloudless skies do get a bit monotonous...). Also, there is no dry heat on the EC. I'm guessing that's why nobody is tan. I find it strange that walking outside is like walking through a mister.

3. Our Garden, or more specifically, Privacy: This one isn't so California based. I'm just lamenting the loss of privacy that is certain in college. I love sitting in the garden on nice days or eating lunch outside in the shade.

4. Roses: I like our rose garden.

5. I really like our rose garden.

6. Palo Alto: I will miss my sleepy "college town," though, nothing you will ever say could convince me that this place is an interesting city to put a college in (there's nothing to do). I will miss my house...

Other things I will miss:

7. Being able to wear dresses 365 days a year.

8. Fusion culture and all the good ethnic food.

9. Hippies, foodies, yuppies, ___ies.

10. Liberalness.

11. The shopping on Haight.

12. My family and friends :(

13. My OWN ROOM and comfy bed.

14. Clean bathrooms.

15. Being able to make toast in the middle of the night (is it illegal to have a toaster in dorm rooms?).

16. Floors that are safe to sprawl out on.

17. MY CAR. Oooh, my poor little black Nissan Sentra; I hope my mother and brother take care of you...Just as a note, I've always lived at great distances from my other friends. California is really spaced out. It's going to be strange to have the ability to see anyone, anytime.

18. The bell on my balcony. When we were in Thailand eight years ago, we bought a large bell from one of the temples. On windy or rainy nights, it rings.

19. Golden hills and the California sun at dusk. There's something special about twilight sun here; it's a peculiar light quality that isn't to be found anywhere else.

That's all for now. I might add more in the future.

On Monday, we're going to ship my boxes. I've also made good progress in packing. It's hard to tell if I'm bringing too much. I have five suitcases, only two of which are actual clothes. One has all of my fat winter coats that take up so much room, and the other two have shoes, linens, towels, etc. I'm also shipping five smallish boxes that have a bunch of random stuff like organic cleaning supplies, desk things, books, ballet clothes...And FINALLY, I have five carry-on items (laptop, backpack, comforter, random crate, and other random stuff).

So I'm triple fives. 555.

Time to enjoy the last few days of my final high school summer.

Childhood is Over?

2009-08-07T18:46:00.001-04:00

Thanks a lot YDN. Now my parents are definitely going to cry when they drop me off.

Bloglovin

2009-08-05T18:43:00.001-04:00

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Residential College Madness (and classes)

2009-07-17T15:21:00.000-04:00

The unspoken law of residential college assignments demands an almost primal birth of loyalty to whichever college one is randomly assigned to. A pre-frosh might rant for hours on her deep-embedded fears of being assigned to one of the ugly colleges (*cough* Morse and Stiles), but, upon opening the late June envelop that dictates her fate, all previously tarnished opinions are washed clean by no more than five minutes of (well-entitled) tears.

Unless, of course, she is assigned to Pierson!!! Woohoo, I have a home (that happens to be gorgeous AND in a convenient location). Yes, I will live in L-dub freshman year, but the university tries its hardest to make living arrangements equal; would it be fair if Piersonites had good freshman housing as well as three years in the best residential college? I think not. But I am not worried; I have full confidence in my ability to suffer elegantly through one year of a bunkbed.

I've somehow managed to skip over graduation, disneyland, and my trip to Hong Kong/Vietnam, but that's not really college related.

There are more interesting things to discuss! Like our recent (more like month ago) entry into the Yale Facebook. Harharhar, look at all these terrible pictures; they practically turned mine grey.

Haha. Part of having an ID picture is having it look either inhuman or psycho-esque. Mine is actually growing on me, given my tendency to take poor yearbook photos, etc. If I am stuck with this photo for the next four years, then so be it.

The Yale Facebook gives me a good way to kill time. I've probably looked through at least half the college by this point. I blame my empty summer. I haven't had a free summer since I was five months old, and I don't know what to do with myself. I was slightly interested in getting a menial job, like a cosmetic sales assistant at Macy's, because I'll never have a chance to do work like that ever again. It's a bit too late for that now. I spend my days doing errands and (very occasionally) going to the gym. I'm also supposed to be studying for chem placement in the event that I need to take it.

Speaking of classes, I've essentially decided what I am going to take (but haven't read reviews on professors or anything):

ENGL 129 European Literary Tradition
MATH 120 Calculus of Several Variables
FREN 160 Advanced Culture & Conversation (or maybe 150)
CHEM 114 or 118, hopefully 118, but we'll see where they place me

I had been considering a fifth class for a seminar, but I'm not sure if I want to take five classes my first semester. I always took five academics during HS + finearts/other stuff, but we'll see as far as this goes. I feel sort of strange in that all of the classes I'm considering taking are basically extensions of what I took in high school; a lot of my other friends are breaking off and taking classes in architecture, international relations, art...I hope I have space in my college career to do that as well. The fact that I can't let go of either literature or science (or French) makes things sort of cramped.

And now I'm off to box some of my stuff.

Senior Luncheon and Blackberry Bold!

2009-06-06T18:01:00.000-04:00

Ridiculous. I graduate in three days.

The end of the year seems to come with a never-ending chain of events: Senior Project presentations (YEAH last bit of work I'll ever have to do for CSU), Alumni Induction Ceremony (I will never give these people my phone number...), and, yes, the fabled Senior Luncheon (which actually came before the two former).

On the latter, I actually remember being a sixth-grader wondering "hmm, what are those upperclassmen doing having lunch in the ballroom? STRANGE." I've since sung at three of them with Vick's Chicks. BUT this was the only time the singing was meant for us.

That was basically the last time I ever got to sing with my school a cappella group. I am practically praying to be able to continue singing at school next year.

My dad didn't take very many pictures, but Kelly is to the left of me in the pink in the first pic. I don't know if my eyes are opened or closed...

Very fortunately, my Hong Kong-ese aunts own the factories that sew dresses for Alexander Wang. I haven't had to buy a single dress for the last three events I've gone to!

Had to include this second picture (despite awkward facial expression and slightly bent knees) because of my MISS SIXTY heels. Woohoo. Love them.

Anyway, the time has come for college-stuff hoarding! I've been having fun making lists of things I need/need to do before August. Most recently, I've gotten the first thing off my list: A Blackberry!

Ahaha, I love my Bold. I always relish walking into AT&T stores to have the sales representatives attempt to coerce me into buying an iPhone...

...because then I can wax eloquent on why I will never, ever buy one.

I've had good experiences with the iPhone; I play with Kelly's all the time. But, when it comes down to it, I don't think I ever see any iPhone user doing anything but playing silly games and texting during class.

The Bold is awesome. The email capabilities are seriously to die for, and the keyboard is fantastic. I'm one of those overly fastidious people who can't stand fingerprints, so I've gotten some nice protective coverings, and I am very happy.

My next project is a laptop. I'm 95% set on a Lenovo Thinkpad (T series). I got to play with one at the Stanford Book Store, and they are remarkably well-made. I have a 2006 Dell that is currently dying (I am proud it has lived as long as it has), and my bro has an HP Pavilion that I've looked at as well. Neither really impresses me. I've also had the unfortunate experience of working with Macs all year (because of yearbook). They were all brilliantly new, but, even after eight months of working with them, I still couldn't stand the OS (or the keyboards or the lack of a double button on the mouse, forcing you to press control when you want to "right click").

In more exciting news, Bay Area Yale meet-up tomorrow at twelve! I think about eight or ten of us are going to convene at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Hooray Bart. I'll definitely bring the camera and snap some (stalker) shots.

In other news...I keep on having awkward experiences telling people I am going to Yale. It's only awkward because, after I tell them, I can immediately sense this palpable shift in perspective. I don't like it. It's not like going to an Ivy League means the world should bow down to you, but things end up playing out like this:

Bank Rep: Ok, I'm setting up your college account. Which college do you plan to matriculate at? And which city/state is it in?
Me: Um, Yale, it's in-
Bank Rep: Wow! Yale. That's impressive. You must be absolutely thrilled.
Me: Yeah, I'm very excited.
Bank Rep: But California to New Haven? How will you handle the weather!
Me: Well, I'm looking forward to living in a city where you actually have to change your wardrobe for the season...etc, etc.

Blah blah blah. Their intentions are sincere. I might be the only pre-frosh who is irked by it.

...

OH AND FINALLY. I was thoroughly displeased to discover that I will not be home on June 20th to receive the package containing the names of my roommates as well as my residential college assignment! WOE, ANGST, DESPAIR. I feel the urge to launch into one of Hamlet's soliloquies! How all occasions do inform against me...

Hopefully, my suitemates will contact me via our favorite social network and enlighten me as to our college placement.

Why I (begin to) love Yale:

2009-05-05T15:43:00.000-04:00

1. My email address is a********.***@yale.edu. Sexy.

2. Using said email address, I contacted and received a reply from Diana Peterfreund aka Yale alum class of 2001 aka author of the chick lit 'Secret Society Girl' series that (yes) I read because it is set at Yale (and induces rampant college fantasies). She is pretty much awesome. And I am pretty much in awe. As a result, I am now anticipating my junior year when I can take the 'Wilderness in the North American Imagination' seminar that she highly suggested.

*gasp*

I am beginning to understand the manifold connections that come with being a Yalie.

(And, yes, I am aware she probably is so nice that she responds to every email she gets, BUT how often can she suggest an actual seminar? Hmmm?!)

Ahahahaha!

(Now I really do need to go study for BC calc...)

College Visit Fun

2009-05-01T16:55:00.000-04:00

So, where am I going to college? It's May 1st, so I've obviously clicked the button somewhere. Let's talk about my two college visits before we get to the final verdict!

Days 1-3: Yale

Aha! We arrived in New Haven by questionable propeller plane and took a taxi (driven by a very cool Nigerian preacher) to the hotel. The next day, as predicted, it was pouring (my thoughts: this is what I'm missing 90 degree weather for?!). We braved gusts of bone-chilling wind and horizontal affronts of raindrops to make our way over to the campus. I actually thought the gloomy atmosphere lent a nice aura to the place. It seemed very much like England!

Anyway, as you can see in the picture, the rain did stop every once and awhile, allowing hoards of prefrosh to take out their maps and figure out which way they were supposed to be walking. I must have seemed very at ease because I was asked several times for directions (definitely considered making some up, until I realized these people could be my future classmates). Spent the days going to various welcome addresses and student performances and had a great time, except for an extremely sketchy frat party at SAE(?). I've since concluded that none of the interesting guys ever attend those sorts of things (and I never will again).

Met lots of very different people, like recruited football players (my school does not have a football team so it was a world-changing encounter). Also met 211312 generation Yale family kids, locals, Alaskans, Europeans, etc.

Overall, I had a pretty good time. I didn't really get to talk to my freshman hosts, and I did have to wander the streets of New Haven at slightly odd hours of the night (alone, because I so very kindly dropped my friend off at Silliman College which is not exactly next to Old Campus), but I survived. The a cappella groups were AMAZING, and I think the dance companies have some potential. We ended the visit on a positive note, and took of for the Garden State.

Days 4-7: Princeton

Well, we get to Princeton, and my first impression literally was "wow, it smells like grass" (which, it did). The weather was still pretty chilly, but that was only for the first day. We woke up the next morning to 80 degree sunshine! It was fantastic. I'm saying "we" now because I actually went to the event with Gray, whom you can see at the right. We're standing in front of Old Nassau (which we've since learned is pronounced "NAH-saw").

So, I don't know where to start! It was very different than Yale. People try not to stick to age-old stereotypes, but there are a reason certain ideas exist about certain schools. The welcome address was quite a bit more formal, and the whole host-pickup event was a lot more organized. I had an EXTREMELY cool junior host who actually started Princeton University Ballet and who got Gray and me tickets to see the diSIAC performance (which was hilarious and quite good). It was also quite nice to stay in upperclassmen housing (though I'm pretty sure I was the only prefrosh in the entryway, weird).

The second day, Gray and I went to some fun classes, got frozen yogurt at a really cute place, met up with some of the friends I knew from MIT, had a waited meal (??? That was probably the most "Princeton" thing that I noticed, besides the croquet), and saw a two and a half hour a cappella performance (in the freezing cold).

So, overall, I had a great time. I knew lots of people, the campus was extremely safe (like wow, I was a little scared of getting back to the dorms at 2am, but then I saw a police officer walking around! Totally made me feel ok), we got to explore the eating clubs a bit, and the kids I met were all quite nice.

Ultimately, I had a way better time at Princeton. But wait, hold up, don't go making any assumptions. In fact,

I am going to Yale.

What! What? Haven't I just spent the last few paragraphs making it seem like I really preferred Princeton after all?

I preferred the event, the exterior presentation, if you will. But seething under the sugary facade of a happy education was a darker presence. I said it before; there were kids playing croquet and eating in sunhats on the lawns. The Ivy Club held one of its exclusive, members-only parties. It was Newsom's Day (where you are supposed to drink a beer every hour). The welcome address told us we were chosen for three qualities: Leadership, Integrity, and Academic Success (seriously, how boring is that? Where did creativity and strength of character go?). A lot of the kids were disgustingly happy about how "safe" Princeton is (you DO NOT go to college to be "safe," we're in the real world now, deal). Guys were wearing polo shirts, tassled loafers (without socks), and those strange moose-speckled shorts.

The thing is, I know that if I went to Princeton there is a part of me that would buy into this world, and I don't really think the me now would like the person I would become after four years of needing to be in exclusive eating clubs, etc.

I am going to Yale. I don't know anyone else going, and I know this means that for the first few months, I will probably have to be socially awkward and sad from time to time. But, in the long run, I am going to turn into someone that I can be really proud of. There is something truly unique to Yale, I don't know what it is quite yet. It has to do with the culture, the people, the location (, the FASHION, wow people dress better at Yale), all of the little things that were just sort of missing at Princeton.

Seeing Yale for the first time was kind of like meeting a complex person. You don't really understand him or her at all in the first stages of communication, but he/she eventually becomes one of your best friends. That's actually very much how I am.

So now, as I (attempt to) study for my last AP exams ever, impatiently waiting for my college assignment, I anticipate all the new things I will come to understand beginning next September. And I'm sorry, blue and white always looked better than black and orange. Now I'm off to take my ID picture!

For God, For Country, and For Yale!

T-shirt Mutilation

2009-04-12T02:06:00.000-04:00

Whenever I start a new blog, I'm reminded of how much fun it actually is to (procrastinate) write about random stuff. But since this blog is supposed to be about my life in relation to college, I'll try to preserve relevance.

What better way is there to start cultivating college pride than mutilating school t-shirts! Perhaps you've misunderstood me; I am not Frankenstein-ing the garments of the schools I will not be attending, I'm Frankenstein-ing the shirts of the schools that I like! Harharhar, this little tendency of mine can be traced to ballet culture. No dancer is complete without a few cut up shirts!
As it turns out, this is one of my more plain creations. I have a nifty little book that tells you 99 very complex methods for turning your old t-shirt into a skirt or a dress or a flower-shaped pillow case (etc.).

Now that I think about it, it's rather ridiculous that I have a college t-shirt for nearly every school that I applied to. What am I supposed to do with them come fall? I don't need to ask to know that it's a taboo to bring your other college shirts to school with you. I'm still not even comfortable wearing college shirts to my high school. It's very unfortunate because some of those shirts are extremely comfortable.

It's the same story with all the little party gifts that come with the admit folders. Seriously, they really try to guilt trip you into coming to their school. "Hey look at all these cool bumper stickers I gave you, don't you want to use them?" I will admit the technique has its charm. So far Yale has been the only one to give me a cool class t-shirt (one that I will not mutilate). I wonder what this says about me...

The end of high school is coming blindingly fast. I have one week of school, one week of college visits, and then one week of school. That's the official end of school for seniors. Then I have two weeks of APs, and then nothing. No school. Just my wonderful (a;owiefj;aoif) senior project to tend to.

The thing with graduation is that I'm not really graduating from high school; I'm graduating from Crystal. I don't know where middle school ended and freshman year began. Seven years in one place has let me feel comfortable for way too long a time. Hopefully, I haven't lost all my social skills...

The Minute Before

2009-04-11T19:36:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Alex. To give a brief biography of myself: I live in Palo Alto, California (right in the middle of Stanford Land), I'm eighteen (as of February 17th, 2009), and I am starting this blog in preparation for my entry into COLLEGE in the fall of 2009!

Though I am still choosing between a few schools, I believe I have narrowed my choices down to Yale and Princeton (leaning Yale because it could come straight out of a Gothic faerie tale *drool*).

So, in my entire life, I've probably started at least six or seven blogs (all of which met untimely ends), but this time I am determined not to fail!

In one week, I'll be flying on over to that strange other side of the country to visit both schools during their admit events (Bulldog Days and Princeton Preview, respectively). Very conveniently, they (as in, the administration, you know?) scheduled them right next to each other so that no one has to buy sixteen extra plane tickets.

I suppose that will be the first legit thing I can blog about. After that, I'll (be submerged in AP hell) probably write about all the stuff I'm going to do over summer to get myself ready for my first step into the realm of (semi-)reality. Hooray! So far my summer doesn't look too busy. A lot of my friends are getting jobs to make money (what!), but my parents are generally against me working until sophomore year.

Anyway, though I am very excited for the preview days, I am also (sick with nervousness) slightly flustered at the prospect of meeting my future classmates in just one week. I have already begun planning my wardrobe for the trip along with choosing all the specific bags and things I'll take along with me. This organization is a good indicator of my anxiety; I do not and will never have a Type A personality.

Luckily, my best guy friend, Gray, is also going to the same Princeton event as I am, so I will have at least one familiar (arm to hang on) smiling face to keep me from expelling the contents of my stomach (at least in New Jersey). Hopefully, the weather will be very nice as it is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit in California right now, and I do not really want to start wearing my winter clothes again.

There's not much to say about the (current) title of this blog (Gratuitous Violets). I think getting gratuitous violets would be very nice (as oppose to gratuitous violence, see). I also happen to think that the color violet is a pretty color and that the word violet would be a good name for a cute, small animal, like a kitten. So as you can see, there is deep profundity in the naming of my blogs.

Other than liking shades of purple (and the colors blue and silver and black and white), I also dance rather often. In fact, said guy friend and I have an important performance this Friday as the culmination of all the work we've done over the year in our class at school. I used to do exclusively ballet, but recently I've been exploring other forms as well. But to continue; as a consequence of our dance performance, we have 2343984 hours of rehearsal after school this week. Unfortunately, our school does not care. In fact, my teachers seem to enjoy delivering test after test.

No more on that. I would talk about my favorite subjects and my fantastic dreams for the future, but I'm one of those perfect examples of a student who's going to college without having any idea of what she will be studying or majoring in. I quite like French culture, and I would like to take some philosophy classes. I'm generally good at science, so I'll be taking some of those classes as well (also, if I really can't decide what I want to do, I can always go premed!). If I could do anything in the world with the knowledge that I would be successful in it, I would be a novelist. If my dreams of creative writing are not crushed within the next few years, maybe I'll give that a try.

I'll show one of my recent purikura images. I've always believed in the power of visuals, and the snapshot that will follow is a perfect illustration of ("ridiculous" Asian pop culture) my NorCal-ness.

Since people often wonder what race I am (I'm on the left with my friend Chloe on the right), I'll just say it now. I'm half Chinese (dad side) and half European mutt (mom side...mutt because it's like French, German, Swedish, Irish, Croatian, etc.).

I could wax dramatic for hours on all the complicated facets of being Eurasian, but it boils down to many random moments of cultural confusion. I can't speak Cantonese (dad from Hong Kong) or any Asian language for that matter, but I am most certainly not white. The very nice thing about being Eurasian is that nice sense of individuality you feel whenever you are...well, anywhere. Connecting with other Eurasians is also very easy; just bring up all the times someone has asked "what ARE you?"

Despite not really minding not having a culture to belong to, I still dream that someday, someone will conquer a land and dedicate it to the Eurasian race! Perhaps I shall live to see the day...It will be a veritable Shangri-La of amazing fusion food, unparalleled horror cinema (I just love Scandinavian films...Japanese horror is great too), and very attractive people.

Well, that's all I have for now. Here's one more purikura for your enjoyment:

This one is also with my friend Kelly, down left.

If you're wondering, purikura machines are (amazing) Japanese photobooths that let you take and decorate pictures with your friends. They can be found in Asia and on the west coast. And they are crazy fun.