On The Move…

That’s right, it’s summertime.  Kind of.  This past summer, like I’ve said before, was really a unique experience for me – a truly restful stretch of many weeks spent in lovely, restful, exotic settings.

This semester feels really different for me too.  All of last year I constantly felt as if I wasn’t doing enough and I kept wishing that I did more, like the other crazywonderfulaccomplished that surround me.  This year, in contrast, I feel far more prepared to be happy and satisfied with the things I’m doing, and similarly far more relaxed about being happy for other people’s accomplishments.  So now my days stretch out ahead of me, with time to do reading for classes, to socialise randomly with friends and to eat leisurely sit-down meals.  Quite unlike my freshman self, I must say.  Like I said, it all feels really different. Leaving crew behind is still a sad thing, but the difference it’s made to my schedule is worth it. 

Plus of course the Dins more than make up for any self-actualisation losses 🙂

PS: I’ve decided on a fifth class – French 170: The City.  It’s about the representation and theory of urban spaces in French literature from the 18th century to the present.  It’s all in French, but we’re allowed to turn in papers in English.  Sounds good so far.

All right, so I’ve been back in the US for over a week now, and I just wrapped up my first day of classes.

Oh, new contact details:

Jason Yeo
307 Quincy Mail Center
58 Plympton Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
USA

Dorm phone: 617-493-3220
Cell phone: 617-319-5963

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Being on retreat on Nantucket with the Dins was great fun, and the island is so very pretty and idyllic.  Not to mention the beautiful historic house we stayed at.  Altogether it was a good start to my year with the Dins.  By popular report the Freshman Jam went well, so I’m happy.

My first Sander’s performance with the Harvard Din & Tonics!  How very exciting.  This is the finale to "McDonald’s Girl", always a crowd favorite.

Dins at Freshman Jam (17 Sep 2004)

This whole year I’ll be taking concentration/pre-med requirements (anything extra will have to be an additional class over and above the regular four courses per semester).  So this Fall I’m taking introductory economics, introductory earth and planetary science, organic chemistry (eek!) and integrative biology of organisms.  I may or may not take either a French class or a Chinese class, depending on how things work out.  I’m also hoping to find some other classes to audit or consider taking, a search which (amazingly) has been futile so far.  Right now my schedule is back-to-back classes on MWF from 10am till 2.30pm (which means no lunch all semester, again), which is kind of nice since it leaves Tuesday and Thursday more open.  Plus I only have lab for my biology class, rather than also for chemistry.

I’m quite contented so far, let’s hope it only gets better from here 🙂

I’m not exactly raring to go back, given how I’m convinced that my memory and writing skills have both evaporated or corroded during the past summer.  Woah, what a summer.

Hong Kong was uber fun, comme toujours: great views, shopping, food and nightlife.  So these days I’m just packing up and showing Emily that Singapore really does have the best nightlife in the region (go Mambo Night!), and quite possibly the world.

So many little little things left to settle before I leave for another year.  Like decide how I’m going to get to Boston, and what I’m going to do when I get there. 

This has quite possibly been the best break I’ve ever had, may it not be the last!

Landed in Senai (dinkiest airport ever!) at about 9pm, got back home in Singapore at about 10.30pm, and I have to leave the house at 6.30am for my 8.30am flight to Hong Kong.  This has to be a new record.

Bangkok was just as amazing as I remembered.  I love MBK, I love Mr Pinky (my family tailor), I love Chatuchak, I love the Royal Palace (Em: I wonder what made them keep going after the first jewel-encrusted palace??), I loove Patpong (shopping and clubbing – what more could you want?), I love the Pathumwun Princess Hotel (awesome view, excellent gym).

Kuala Lumpur was far nicer than I remembered it, though our under 24hour stay in an excellent hotel with a picture perfect view of the Petronas Towers (I was kept awake by the view) may have skewed it somewhat.