Man, two weeks ago was brutal! I'm glad to say that things have slowed down a bit, but it's just the start of another exciting momentum leading up to the end of the semester. Biggest relief is probably wading through all that Chinese homework and finally finishing the GREs!
I am drawing towards the end of a series of WiiPaint studies. I've had 17 subjects and I only need to informally test it with some friends in Boston. I'm meeting up with my thesis committee tomorrow to discuss findings and where I'm going from there.
Chinese class has slowed down. Our wonderful professor is extending Lessons 18 and 19 so that we have more time to study the words. I did well on the 2nd midterm, and aside from regular assignments there's only the cumulative final to study for.
Religion class. I'm getting the last (2nd) paper back today, and there is one more that's due the Monday after Thanksgiving. Then I'm done for that class.
Grad school essays. I've started on those and the process is still a bit slow right now as I try to formulate a theme and structure everything around it and the essay requirements. I'm hoping to get a draft done by this weekend, except I have to change it about 7 more times for the other schools that I'm applying to.
I was able to switch planning for the Thanksgiving Potluck dinner with a friend, so I'm point person for this week's large group instead. RT was in the city last night so she got me some dumplings that I can make for next week's potluck :D The Praise Night next Sunday is going along well, too.
Origami Club so far is planning on a dim sum run next Saturday, and a workshop the weekend after Thanksgiving break.
All in all, going well. The most important and time-consuming thing now is grad school essays. After that, it will be my thesis wrap-up for this semester.
It's not often that I will spend the time to endorse a non-profit organization on my blog; in fact, this is my first.
Wellesley WASA and WIVCF co-sponsored a screening of Invisible Children's second documentary, "Go," about a group of American students traveling to Uganda to experience first-hand the reality of the war-torn country. The first documentary, "The Rough Cut," was filmed in 2003 when 3 guys in their 20s decided to go to Africa to "find a story" and returned with one that would raise the youth of this generation into action for the children of northern Uganda.
There are children in Uganda that are being abducted and brainwashed to become merciless child soldiers who kill in order not to be killed. Not only that, but millions of people have been displaced from their homes due to the war in northern Uganda, moving to camps so that the government can ensure their safety from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). What was supposed to be a temporary solution has gone on for more than a decade, with sanitary conditions deteriorating and access to food and medical care becoming scarce.
Invisible Children's mission is to "improve the quality of life for war-affected children by providing access to quality education, enhanced learning environments, and innovative economic opportunities for the community." They are non-profit and about 87% of their funds go to Uganda, a very large percentage compared to about 70-30 for other non-profit organizations. How are their low costs maintained? The volunteer Roadies touring the country for 6 months lived in a van with little else and depended on hosts for meals and a place to stay for the night. These people are clearly extremely dedicated and passionate about what they are doing, and it's hard not to get caught up in it as well.
So, here you have it. My abridged endorsement of Invisible Children. To find out more, visit www.invisiblechildren.com. You can also see "The Rough Cut" on Google Video.
After a long day conducting studies for WiiPaint, I just need a chance to sit back and reflect on what I've done and what I've been doing. But it's probably not a good idea to do this while in the middle of an email and doing work for graduate school at the same time. Huh. I multi-task and don't even realize it sometimes.
I'm currently working on compiling a list of grad school faculty members, their research interests, and why I want to work with them for my three awesome recommenders (Thank you!). I'm down to the last couple of schools and should be able to finish those tomorrow morning. After the list is sent, I will be starting my grad school essays.
I also need to study for a Chinese quiz on Monday and work on a presentation for the same class due Wednesday. Then, we will be having an exam the following Monday, which I should start to study for early next week because Lessons 15-17 have about 70 new vocab word each, 20 more than the previous lessons. Eek. Luckily, I have Skritter ;)
I finished my 2nd religion paper today, to be handed in next Thursday. I will have one more paper for that class due right after Thanksgiving. Then I'll be done with that class, no finals or anything :)
Next Saturday, I'm *finally* taking the GREs, after the hiccup that happened last week. I borrowed a 2008 Peterson's GRE prep book from a friend and hope to complete 2-3 more practice tests.
And last but not least, in terms of my thesis, I'll be running studies for at least another week, then putting together the results in some sort of coherent order. First day results were pretty interesting even though mostly predictable, but that just serves to strengthen some of my earlier convictions about WiiPaint 1. Sometime during all the hubbub of the next 3 weeks before Thanksgiving, I'll need to figure out what I want to put together for my final presentation at the end of the semester. Another website? Powerpoint? Demo?
Oh, and somehow I got myself into organizing WIVCF's Potluck dinner AND co-leading Worship Night during the same week before Thanksgiving. I think most of the other big stuff isn't due then, so I'm safe.
Wait, not done yet! I'm also planning an Origami Club dim sum run AND workshop with B-Chan on 2 different weekends in the next few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, too! Maybe one of these will have to be the week after. Hmm...
All of this is pretty overwhelming, but makes me feel productive in a good way. It's a good kind of exhaustion that I'm feeling today, one reminiscent of productivity with a hint of promise of more productive and rewarding days to come. I will end by an...awesome...wallpaper:
PS. I just subscribed to Netflix yesterday. Wicked excited about it.
I joke with my friends that even though I'm only taking 3 classes (including thesis) this semester, my 4th class is Future 101, where I'm applying to fellowships, grants, grad school, studying for the GREs, and figuring out what I can/want to do next summer.
So far I've worked on a Daniels and a Schiff Fellowship application for my thesis project which will give me up to $3000 to spend on research materials and to reduce work obligations this semester and during Wintersession. Don't think I got the Daniels - the interviews are supposed to be today and I didn't hear back from them, but I'm really hoping to get the Schiff as it would greatly help with this semester. Should find out in early November.
Some exciting progress on grad schools - I've finally picked 7 schools to apply to in HCI: CMU, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and University of Michigan! I'm really excited about applying for these schools and hope that I can find a right fit next March. Next step is to research faculty members that I want to work with and start emailing them.
Taking the GREs next Saturday. Will be working on practice tests this weekend. Hope I do better than I did on the SATs...
As for next summer. I have no clue. Still looking.
哎呀, so busy recently. I had a great fall break with Nick, who came to visit me at Wellesley. We went to the MIT Nightmarket, met like 50 of my friends, and watched some movies:
- Wanted
- Lucky Number Slevin
- My Blueberry Nights
- Beijing Bicycle
I would recommend all of them but didn't quite like Beijing Bicycle because it hit me pretty hard emotionally. I suppose that's what would make it such a good movie, except I was frustrated through most of it from some of the Chinese cultural tendencies that they pointed out through the characters. I completely resonate with them but the fact that they are negative cultural values made it slightly depressing and really frustrating to be confronted with something you can't change.
My Blueberry Nights was a nice way to negate all that negative energy - mellow, your typical American romance movie. It was quirky at times and has a great soundtrack. Norah Jones isn't a bad actress, either.
The other two I would recommend if you're looking for a bit of action. Wanted can get ridiculous at times ("Curve the bullet!" "Shoot the wings off the flies!") but it's almost so ridiculous that it's actually good. Lucky Number Slevin gets pretty funny and I love how the plot unfolds and ends. If you've seen any of these 4 movies, I'd be interested in what you think.
My good friends Nick, Scott, and George have released beta testing for Skritter, an online web app that helps you learn Chinese characters by prompting you to write the characters and tones and giving you stroke-level feedback. The program spaces out the characters based on whether you get them right or wrong, so you can learn harder words more often than easier words.
It is free during beta testing, and I've been using it for several hours with my Integrated Chinese 2 textbook. It's really simple to get started - register for an account, then choose the vocab list you're studying, whether it's from Chinese Primer, a New China, Integrated Chinese, or Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK). Note that Skritter is not a Chinese dictionary. You can find really good dictionaries elsewhere online, but no other site helps you with learning how to write Chinese characters.
I highly recommend it not only because I know the dudes (and they are awesome people) and know that they have put tons of work into it, but as a sort-of native speaker who is learning Chinese, I can say that it really helps me memorize the characters and prepare myself for vocab quizzes and such. Enough with reading this blog post - go experience it for yourself!
My panoramas and new macros have been moved to Flickr for better storage/viewing, but you can see a slideshow on the Photography page. All the panoramas should be there, and macros will be added soon, as long as my monthly upload limit hasn't been reached... Enjoy!
Back to school again, this time as a senior! First few weeks have been busy figuring out schedules and finding a balance between academics and post-college business namely grad school search/applications and GREs. I can only say that I'm really grateful for my wonderful thesis advisors who keep me sane and for having started my thesis this past summer.
In terms of grad school, I am looking at MAS at the MIT Media Lab, and HCI Masters program in CMU, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Michigan, and Indiana. I am only sure about applying to the first 3 or 4 right now, and may add on more as I do more research.
I'm taking 3 classes this semester, which is both a blessing and perhaps will come back to haunt me next semester. Or not. I am taking Chinese 203, Christianity in Asia, and Thesis Research. None of my 4 psych classes opened up a spot, so I guess I will have to brave either 2 seminars or a seminar and independent study in psych next semester, which will prevent me from taking Introduction to HCI. The extra time this semester allows me to read more, focus on post-college preparations, and more time to work on my thesis, which is most important to me academically right now. (New updates re:thesis can be found in my Thesis Blog).
I'm still part of the same organizations as last year - WIVCF, Origami Club, and WAC, except senioritis is kicking in just for Origami Club. Planning a dim sum run sometime and definitely a workshop in November, but biweekly meetings just seem like too much for some reason. I signed up for Ultimate Frisbee, then either chickened out or decided I was too busy to practice for 3 days a week.
Some events in the next months:
Nick is visiting for Fall Break
Taking the GREs in late October
Grad school deadlines in December and January
CHI 2009 Boston in April, which I am super-excited about.
Haven't updated in a while. I've been meaning to post some more feet blogging pictures and a blog post about vector art. Ever since the poster session for my summer research program, I've been spending time in Ohio with Nick. While he works on Skritter during the day, I've
created a WIVCF brochure,
brainstormed about potential thesis topics,
advised the dudes on some web design,
done a lot of random things on the computer, like trying to find a decent Internet Security suite (which failed and ended up with me uninstalling AVG because it conflicted with VirusScan which my school requires. I guess I'm not paranoid enough to have 2 anti-virus programs),
baked bread and cookies,
ate a lot of sweets.
We've taken some sweet macro pictures on my new Nikon Coolpix S600 that I'm itching to post. Not now though, must cuddle with Nick some more. After eating.
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