The Masochist's Institute of Technologyanecdotes of an ambitious MIT student

Friday the 16th, I woke up bright and early (this means 9am) to a terribly gloomy, overcast morning. I refused to let my mood be ruined by the bipolar Boston weather, however, because my father was in town and we had planned to meet up for breakfast!

I arrived at the student center around 10am and grabbed some scones and water from the parents’ breakfast on the third floor. My father and I chatted for a while about everything from Thevinin circuits to marketing to outsourcing of IT jobs. Before long, though, it was time for me to head across campus to E51 for my first class, so I mapped out the day’s schedule for my father (thanks to my amazing Moleskine planner) and took off.

11am – 15.301 (Managerial Psych Lab) recitation section
12pm – 21F.107 (Chinese I streamlined) lecture
13pm – 14.02 (Principles of Macroeconomics) recitation
14pm – 8.022 (Physics II E&M) recitation
15pm – 18.03 (Differential Equations) lecture

My father ended up joining me for a very uneventful 14.02 recitation, along with a very long-winded 18.03 (Differential Equations) lecture on the resonant response formula. By the end, my father likewise agreed that math at MIT was definitely taught in a very extraneous fashion. Some of us, as engineers or applied mathemeticians (i.e. economists) don’t particularly care for the theory behind the concepts – we just want to know how to apply them!

After class, I had to run a three-hour-long MIT Asian Dance Team rehearsal in preparation for our upcoming performance. Unfortunately, we ran over time and my father was left sitting in the student center for a while. Thankfully my friend Jason stopped by and the two engaged in some interesting conversation on various EECS topics (Jason’s an EECS major; my father is an EE at IBM – naturally, they clicked). Before long, we were joined by Chao, Minh, Veronica, and Yuri to head over to Harvard Square’s IHOP for a late-night meal.

The following day, I woke at 10am to a gorgeously sunny morning, just in time to grab some brunch at Next Dining before running to Walker Memorial for an MITADT dress rehearsal before our performance at the Family Weekend Dance Luncheon at 1pm…

Amber group rehearsing FIRE, a Korean hiphop piece

The setup of the venue was terrible; we were supposed to perform in an open area between the two halves of the room, so that there were audience members on either side. It was well-suited to the MIT Ballroom Dance Team, which was performing after us, but terrible for our dances, which were arranged for a stage. After much frustration and exasperation, we finally worked things out and returned to our “dressing room” (Prichett Dining on the second floor)…

… where they decided to rehearse some more, complete with singing. Thankfully, the situation wasn’t too terrible – the Family Weekend coordinators provided all of us with water bottles and granola bars, and afterwards we got lunchboxes with some yummy food inside. Before all that, though, there was quite a bit of pre-performance picture-taking!

Some of the girls on the team aren’t even current MIT students – Wan Jing, Cindy, and Kass (left to right above) are actually seniors at Boston University! We also have a few alumnae (Cathy) and even some graduate students (Wui Siew and Jia). It’s amazing that all of them are willing to devote the time to come participate in the team!

At Activities Midway, a lot of people asked if they had to be Asian to join the dance team, and the answer is: “Absolutely not!” Bayo and Cristen (both seniors) are some of the most dedicated members of the dance team, and every bit as talented in dancing as all the Asians. I’m likewise super-proud that they are getting to share our culture!

Before long, we were called to come downstairs. We all wished each other good luck and giggled in excitement (we were the opening act); I flashed one last very-Asian smile at the camera…

The performance itself didn’t go too badly, although I definitely believe it could have been better if we had a proper stage. Here is the setlist that we performed:

1. So Hot (Jade) vs. FIRE (Amber) - Korean hiphop medley
2. Naluwa Love Song (Opal+Pearl) - Taiwanese aboriginal dance
3. Ribbon dance (solo by Vivian) - traditional dance of silk ribbons

For the most part, no major mishaps happened. I was dancing as a substitute for Wui Siew in So Hot, so right after our part, I hopped off the stage and ran to the restroom, where I completed the fastest dress change I have ever attempted from chic modern dress to traditional outfit (with time left over to watch the last bit of Naluwa Love Song!) Although this wasn’t a super-amazing performance, it was definitely very successful for our first one. I’m really hoping that we can make our grand showcase in April ten times better! =)

There was post-performance picture-taking as well!
Left to right: JY (Amber), Nhu (Pearl), Angela (Amber)

The rest of the afternoon was fairly uneventful – I returned to Next House to study some 18.03 in my room, but unfortunately fell asleep in bed as I was watching Professor Mattuck’s lectures on OpenCourseWare. My father woke me up in time to meet Jason at 77 Mass Ave, where we boarded a bus to Harvard Square for dinner.

We went to 9Tastes, a delicious Thai restaurant where my friend (and Harvard Law School student) Gail took me last year. I ordered the Rad Na noodles while my father had a delicious blend of meat and veggies (shown above). I had an amazing time discussing everything from careers to entertainment to student life to cooking, and we left the restaurant happy and full.

The following day, my father and I braved the rain and took the subway to Chinatown for some dim-sum! I hadn’t eaten any for about half a year, and was definitely craving some good food. In addition to the usual picks (dumplings, rice noodle rolls), I also tried a new kind of cake (shown in the first picture – it’s yellowish). It tasted delicious, but was unfortunately rather dry, so I ended up dipping it into my chrysanthemum tea, haha.

Afterwards, I went back to Next House for more studying, and that’s when the unthinkable happened – it began snowing! Yes, dear hearts; snow in October. I remember staring out the window for a full five minutes before I finally snapped out of denial. My Facebook news feed was flooded with statuses all stating the same thing – “OMFG SNOW!” I sincerely didn’t understand; it had been overcast on Friday, nice and sunny on Saturday, and then.. freezing and snowing on Sunday?!

Around 7pm, my father and I met up for our last outing at Pu Pu Hot Pot, which was the same location where we had our last dinner during Family Weekend 2008 as well. After an interesting meal of wonton soup, ma po tofu, and fried noodles, we walked back to 77 Mass Ave, where we said our goodbyes and parted ways – my father back to his hotel to prepare for his early flight next morning, and I back to Next House to (what else?) study for 18.03.

Yeah, my father is awesome.

Naturally, it was hard to say goodbye. I hadn’t seen my family since June of this year, when I went back to Texas for a mere two weeks before returning to Cambridge to work. My father is one of the most amazing people I know, and I wasn’t happy at all this semester until I saw him. Hopefully I can still keep up my morale until the very end. In fact, I felt bad over the weekend that I couldn’t hang out with my father more (due to ADT’s performance and the upcoming 18.03 test). Due to this, I eventually skipped out on the SEBC yacht retreat (I’m sorry, but my father > a club), but it was still slightly lame that the only time I had to hang out with my father was at meals. Maybe next year scheduling will be better…

At times it’s hard to believe that we’re already nearly halfway through the semester! I’ve experienced some drastic changes to my academic schedule, along with getting more active in various organizations on campus (including but not limited to: AXO, SEBC, NSUW, UEA, and a variety of other lovely acronyms). I’ve rearranged my four-year plan (something I like doing on a weekly basis it seems – there’s just too many good classes to take here); I’ve run numerous succesful practices with MITADT, I’ve taken time to reflect on why I’m here and where I’m going…

And you know, despite some major troubled times the past month or so, I think I’ve finally got things under control. To celebrate, let me share with you a few pictures I took the past few weeks (there haven’t been many chances to do so…)

A few weeks ago, when I was feeling absolutely miserable, my AXO mystagogue Yuri sneakily dropped by my room when I was taking a nap and dropped off a bag of goodies for me! In addition to an adorable get-well card, the care package also included tea, fruit, cough drops, soup, crackers, chocolate, and more. And this isn’t just exclusive to me and Yuri either – many of the AXO girls are super nice and always support each other through thick and thin. I feel a little bad since I’ve been way too busy (and sick) to attend a lot of the events, but as initiation approaches, I feel like I will definitely try to devote more time to getting to know this amazing group of girls. We get our Big Sisters sometime in the coming week or two, which is something to which I’m really looking forward =)

Ever since I’ve gotten sick, I’ve been trying my best to eat healthier. Yesterday, after dance rehearsal, I decided that I would go down to Next Dining and make use of that Preferred Dining plan in which we’re forced to participate. Instead of getting a cheeseburger or a quesadilla or stir-fry, I made my way over to the salad bar and load up on some veggies! My salad consisted of some crunchy greens, lots of cucumbers (there were no tomatoes, unfortunately), carrots, a pinch of cheese, lots of fresh eggs, and just enough lowfat vinaigrette dressing to give it a deliciously sweet-yet-sour taste. Needless to say, I love salads and I was very glad to devour one yesterday; I’ll have to make trips down to Next Dining more often! But now, to finish up my entry, here’s a…

Summary of my fall semester:

• 14.02 – Principles of Macroeconomics
• 15.301 – Managerial Psychology Laboratory
• 18.03 – Differential Equations
• 21F.107 – Chinese I streamlined
• AXO – Alpha Chi Omega
• MITADT – MIT Asian Dance Team (captain)
• MIT Concert Choir (soprano II)
• HKSS – Hong Kong Student Society
• NSUW – Network of Sloan Undergraduate Women
• SEBC – Science and Engineering Business Club, Marketing focus group
• UPOP – Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program
• IM Badminton B League (for Next House)
• RAship at Harvard Business School

This also means that on an average day, my calender is extremely full. I extend my fullest apologies to anyone who’s been trying to reach me for a quick lunch/dinner – I end up eating at really strange hours due to my busy schedule!

The past week has been hectic as ever. In addition to finishing my move-in process (I finally have a raised bed!), helping out with some REX (Residence Exploration) events, representing MIT Asian Dance Team at the Activities Midway, going through sorority recruitment, attending a few Rush events, and finishing a last-minute batch of data for my job at Harvard Business School, I’ve barely gotten any time to rest!

What my room looked like before I tidied it up…

Thankfully, I did manage to take some time out of my busy schedule yesterday to play some Mafia and Apples to Apples. Seeing all of our old White Rabbit Lounge bunch together again made me rather nostalgic for last year, when we could just sit in the elevator lounge doing nothing at all – a time when p-sets were more a social function and grades didn’t matter that much; a time when we were still learning everyone’s quirks and personalities; a time when secrets were shared and friendships forged. There will never be anything quite like fall of freshman year, and I look back on it with extreme fondness every single time.

Alas, I am a sophomore now, and I suppose I should really be sitting tight and prepping for my upcoming semester. It’s hard to imagine that tomorrow is actually registration day! Here is my proposed schedule:

As you may see, I definitely have a conflict with my Japanese I class (21F.501). I have decided that I will be taking it during IAP instead of the fall, in order to make sure my schedule works. I also plan to add a 6-unit seminar (15.821) which counts towards the Marketing concentration in my Management major. It only lasts for half of the semester, so it shouldn’t be too bad!

In other news, I’m starting on Regina Leeds’s One Year to an Organized Work Life program:

This super handy-dandy book basically leads you through a 52-week program to improve your work life. Even though I’m not actually a working girl (yet!), I find that the tips and activities presented are applicable to student life as well, especially at a university level. Since I’m starting in September, though, I’m shifting the entire program nine months, so that I start out on the first “lesson” – January 1st. This, combined with my list of resolutions for the new semester, should help me work better overall. I will make progressive posts each week detailing my progress =)

Coming up soon on a blog near you:

• Sorority recruitment – how it works, and how MIT sororities defy the stereotypes
• First-hand look at some of my sophomore classes (complete with photos!)
• Backdated post about my fabulous 19th birthday! (see above comment!)
• Equally backdated post about the Britney Spears concert I attended!
• Ranting and raving about East Asian dramas – I’ve slipped back into a phase..