On The Move…

Ok, here I am taking an unscheduled (and undeserved) break from studying for Wednesday’s Ec midterm while I eat dinner at my desk. Unfortunately, the last couple of hours were characterized not by high productivity, but mostly by low-grade studying of the type highly alloyed with drowsing.

BUT, it bears recording that I had a wonderfully satisfying period of high productivity yesterday afternoon and evening. And this after having very frustratingly been forced to spend the bulk of the long holiday weekend on all kinds of social and extracurricular obligations. most of which were entirely pleasant in and of themselves. With a precious eight hours left to salvage the weekend as a chance to do work, I put in about four solid hours of thesis research work and about four hours of Ec midterm studying. It was particularly gratifying that yesterday marked the first time I had spent a block of more than 90 minutes doing anything for my thesis. That was such a good feeling, especially because it was demonstrably productive too.

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Ok, enough time-wasting! I have made myself a giant pot of strong tea to accompany me through the next three chapters of Ec. Away we go!

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PS: For those wondering, SIAMA stands for the Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia students Association.

So many things on my mind right now.

– Ec1018 midterm tomorrow. I will do the remaining half of my studying tomorrow
– GREs… very frightening graduate school standardised test. Casey and Matt’s recent experiences haven’t given me much hope one way or the other.
– Thesis research. It looks like I will be writing something to do with opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. Which reminds me, I *must* get some work together and meet with Prof M, Prof McC and Prof C shortly.
– PhD program applications. Expensive, scary, time-consuming, risky endeavor. Eep.

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The Halloween weekend parties are already a distant memory.

I wore my chinchilla to my film class screening of Nanook of the North (1919) this afternoon and felt pleased with how apropos this was.

Thank God I wasn’t born an Inuit in Alaska in the early 20th century. Ugh.

I intensely disliked the second film we had to see. I had half a mind to boo (or cheer in relief) when it finally ended.

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Just attended a very useful thesis-time-management workshop that left me with warm and fuzzy feelings. Yay.

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The urge to sketch is becoming stronger. I really do want it to go away pesky thing.

This has felt like a really long week thanks to its general eventfulness. There were the thesis issues, the iPod affair, the midterm, the papers…

I already want a vacation.

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And earlier, while browsing the fantastic festive menu offerings at the dining hall*, a stitch on my alligator hide cardcase somehow got hooked on my Missoni sweater vest and pulled a thread. Aggravating.

*It’s “Diwali” ie Deepavali, so everything being served is Indian food tonight. I had the basmati rice, chicken korma, bengali tomato soup, shrimp in coconut gravy, vegetable pakoras with tamarind sauce and a bit of the mango chutney. I’m actually glad that I went so early that most of the food wasn’t ready yet 🙂

What’s there to say?

I could talk about the tragicomic performance the Dins gave for the Harvard reunion Class of 1961 at the Harvard Club of Boston, but it was really such an awful/hilarious affair that I don’t think I can do it justice here.

Yesterday’s walk about Oktoberfest street fair in Harvard Yard, last weekend’s relaxing day trip to The Big E (the annual New England state’s exposition) and Andrew’s 21st birthday “Cake-stravaganza” all warrant at least a passing mention.

I might want to record the mock consulting “case” interview I had on Friday (which was pleasant and enjoyable), and the amusing experience I had in the waiting room surrounded by wannabe-I-bankers.

Perhaps I should talk about the momentous new step I took today in the direction of academia by emailing off my first journal submission. Very exciting. I can only pray that it will be accepted.

And in other news, I’ve dropped the Medical Sociology class, which leaves me with a courseload of five. That’s still a little on the heavy side for a thesis-attempting senior.

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Till next time…

I’ve had a great day today. For some reason I felt absurdly upbeat and happy all day. Even though the ESPP thesis-writers’ and e-recruiting intro sessions should have been quite a downer. Maybe it’s because I got quite a lot of sleep last night.

So I’m currently enrolled in the following classes:

VES 71: Silent Cinema – this would satisfy my last Core requirement (Literature & Arts B, non-literary arts). Today was the first actual lecture with actual content about silent cinema, and I was really startled and surprised by how strangely riveting and compelling the films were. I’d been suspecting that as a 21st century viewer weaned on music videos, TV-thrillers and CGI-packed action films, these pre-1930 films would be unbearably primitive, jerky, badly acted and relatively contentless. But in fact they were nothing of the sort. Maybe I’ll talk about why some other time.

Ec 1010a: Microeconomics – Taught by my favorite Ec professor. It’s a huge class… I quite like it so far. Ask me again when the problem sets and exams start up.

Ec 1018: Cultural Economics – really cool class taught by a great visiting professor (from the IMF) with a lovely Italian accent. What’s not to love? Other than the econometrics with which I have no prior exposure…

ESPP 99r: Thesis Research Seminar – I still currently have neither a fixed research topic (or even area), nor a confirmed thesis advisor/sponsor… I should work on that.

Soc 162: Medical Sociology – excellent professor, interesting material. A bit heavy on the reading, and also a little bit of a stretch outside my field. I’m not entirely sure if I’m going to take this for a letter-grade, or at all.

Lit-Arts A-64: American Literature and the Environment – supposedly one of the best professors at the college, with a remarkable and profound new field scholarship. It does meet at 9am though, which is a timeslot I’ve successfully avoided since freshman year.

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Speaking of 9am classes, I have to get to bed. Now.

I’m almost done unpacking. I’m hurrying against the immovable deadline of the social I’m hosting in the suite tomorrow for the Singapore-Malaysia-Indonesia community (and friends). I’m excited.

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Classes started two days ago, and already I’m feeling a touch overtired. Today I managed to fall asleep in a cultural economics class while holding a grande soy green tea latte, leading to the tipping of the cup and having starbucks spill on the upholstered seat and carpet. And then later I dozed off again and drooled on my Barneys COOP shirt. Embarrasing. I really liked that class though, and I shall strongly consider taking it.

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The experience of being a senior is really different. I no longer feel like I have to take any classes, given that I’m essentially done with almost all requirements and electives suddenly seem like a pointless distraction from the central focii of senior year – honors thesis, grad school/job applications, consolidating relationships with friends and faculty. We’ll see what I decide to take in a little bit.

Time to finish a little more unpacking and call it a night.