Firstly, I won NaNo! Reached over 50,000 words on the 29th! I will finish the novel, but only after finals are finished and I’m back in Lake Charles. I’ve got too much to do to write at the moment.

For starters, last night, the 3rd, I auditioned for Pitt’s theater for the spring semester. I’ll be honest: I have no idea what the hell I’m doing. I don’t think I can act. I’ve recorded myself and watched them. I can’t act worth crap. And yet, for some reason, I auditioned. I don’t really even want to get involved in theater, and I certainly didn’t expect to do anything past the Introduction to Performance class, yet I still threw myself out there. That means that deep down, I really do want something to do with acting, and the thought terrifies me. I’m a scientist, not an artist!

In other news, my flight back to LA is scheduled for the 16th. I’ll get to see everyone again~

Registered for my spring semester classes today! Thankfully, I got the schedule I wanted. Woo!

MONDAY
10:00 - 11:15 - Intro to Programming
12:00 - 12:50 - Chinese Speaking 2
13:00 - 13:50 - Chinese Reading 1
15:00 - 15:50 - The Planets

TUESDAY
12:00 - 12:50 - Chinese Speaking 2
13:00 - 13:50 - Physics and Science Fiction

WEDNESDAY
10:00 - 11:15 - Intro to Programming
12:00 - 12:50 - Chinese Speaking 2
13:00 - 13:50 - Chinese Reading 1
15:00 - 15:50 - The Planets

THURSDAY
12:00 - 12:50 - Chinese Speaking 2
13:00 - 13:50 - Physics and Science Fiction
18:00 - 20:30 - Intro to Creative Writing

FRIDAY
10:00 - 10:50 - Intro to Programming Recitation
12:00 - 12:50 - The Planets Recitation
13:00 - 13:50 - Chinese Reading 1

Have any of you ever gotten the impulse to e-mail your old teachers? And by old, I mean middle school or even elementary school teachers?

I found a few of my old teacher’s e-mails, but I’m somewhat wary about e-mailing them. I don’t want to be a bother, and it would be embarassing if they forgot who I was.

Also, why the hell am I getting “preteen lolita sex” spam?!

Argh, I’m tired. It’s the kind of tired one gets from doing things all day and knowing that he or she is leading a productive life, though, so I’m not complaining. ♥

Water balloon fights are awesome. As are shiskabobs. I love picnics, especially ones with fourty Asian people.

Mommy is coming tomorrow! I shall have to take the bus to the airport to meet her. Sounds fun!

I am here to talk about food. Yes, food. Num nums. Sustenance. Consumables.

I’m certain all of you here know about university dining plans and such, where students have to buy a plan to eat their school’s meals rather than going to a restaurant! I’m not sure about the quality of your university, but I do know the quality of mine! I’ll just go in order of the places I’ve been.

First, Market Central. Located down from the main lobby of Lothrop Towers, where most of the freshman live, it contains an Italian restaurant, a 360 degree Asian grill, a vegan restaurant with the most amazing salads, a bread/sandwich/sub place, a comfort food/homestyle restaurant, and two more I haven’t visited yet. It’s all you can eat, too, and I’ve been controlling myself as to not turn into a beached whale from all the choices.

The second place I visited was the Cathedral Cafe, on the ground floor of the Cathedral of Learning. They’ve got your typical lunch fare, such as sub and sandwiches, a Chick-fil-a, etc., but what really makes it stand out is the sushi bar.

There is a sushi bar. Need I explain myself further? ♥

Finally, this evening, I visited the Schenley Cafe, on the ground floor of the William Pitt Union. I came for the smoothies. They have nice smoothies. And a burger place and Pizza Hut, but I don’t care about that. Mmm, mango smoothie.

Of course, there are still places I haven’t visited, and a ton of little coffee/snack/quick meal carts all over the place. Pitt has some really nice places to eat.

…And I’m out of mango smoothie. Darn it.

Today was the Student Activities Fair, in which the 255+ clubs and organizations in Pitt gathered around and gave away free stuff in an attempt to get people to join! I joined the following:

• Pittsburgh Japanese Animation Club (They had kickass Zelda and Faye cosplayers handing out flyers. ♥)
• Chinese American Students Association
• Rainbow Alliance
• Model UN
• Badminton Team
• Pittsburgh Geeks
• Asian Student Alliance
• The Obscure Movie Group (AKA OMG)
• Students Global AIDS Project

Am trying out for:

• Sounds of Pleasure - the all female a cappella group
• The Pitt Theater Group

I’m probably not going to be able to remain in all of them, but! I shall try!

Note to self:

While keeping the window open at night may be cooler, it is also a lot noiser, especially when the helicopter decides to make a late night landing.

I love, love, love Pitt. All the people and walking and buses remind me of Guangzhou. ♥ I love being in a city. There’s so much to do and see here. Carnegie Mellon is just a few blocks away, and they have an awesome science museum that I get to go see for free! Also, free buses = win.

I have a wonderful single in Lothrop, right next to the hospital (Because if anyone needs to live next to a hospital, it’s me). I, being my reclusive self, am quite enjoying having no roommates. I’m also right next to the showers, which is a plus, and my floor is all female, which is another plus.

Funny thing! The emergency helicopter lands on the roof next door. XD I was surprised when it landed last night and I had no clue as to what the hell was making that noise.

God, I love this place. Still can’t get over the fact that I’m in college now. ♥

And now about me! You know, I still can’t get over the fact that I got into Pitt. I mean, it’s one of the top universities in the US, has some of the best programs in the world, and I applied here on a whim. On a whim. Just. How the hell did I get in?

I’m majoring in Chinese, as planned, but starting with a concentrated area of study in Astronomy. Sadly, Chinese and Astrophysics are two of the biggest and most difficult majors in the University. Chinese is the “odd” language major. Instead of needing just the language, it is mandatory to take courses on Chinese art, history, literature, and modern culture. With the way Pitt’s program is set up, Astrophysics is almost a double major by itself. In short, I chose one of the most intense courses that’s possible to take. Good going, me.

That’s way I’m not declaring a major in Astrophysics yet. I’m going to stay in college beyond the four years, and declare the major in Astrophysics after I’ve finished some of the Chinese courses. Luckily for me, Pitt’s General Education Requirements have a large chunk of it relating to non-western international studies. Taking Chinese takes care of pretty much all of those needs.

In addition, the currently AoS in Astronomy, later major in Astrophysics, takes care of half of the natural science and quantitative thinking. In short, I’m going for the major without…actually going for the major. Instead of having to take the required courses for Astrophysics in the required order, I’m taking them out of order so I don’t die from the workload. Later, when it’s more stable, I’ll declare my second major and spend the fifth year finishing that before graduation.

Honestly, if I had the money, I would stay in college forever. I mean, in languages alone, I thought about four different majors before going with Chinese. Add to that my interests in computers, theater, music, geology, biology, psychology, creative writing, and just about everything else, I would be happy forever just learning things. Sadly, I am not rich, so that option’s out. (Unless someone would like to donate a large sum of money to me. Didn’t think so.)

And now, my schedule.
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I just came back from PittStart, a two day event from Pitt in which incoming freshman students get to explore the campus, speak with Freshman Peer Counselors, register for classes, and have fun mingling with other people who have no idea as to what college is like.

It’s a learning experience. A good one. In these two days, I’ve learned more about college– and what comes after college– than I have in my four years of high school. Of course, what I learned is a little bit special. Pitt has one of the best student counseling services in the world. They are refreshingly honest; everything is covered, including the things that no one wants to hear.

Also, each student received a book titled 10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College. It’s mandatory reading, as New Student Orientation has a two hour session on it. I’ve been reading it, I highly recommend it to anyone going to college or in college. I’ll talk more about the book later.

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