Oberlin Blogs
Zoe McLaughlin ’11
Entries from this blogger
So we beat on, boats against the current
June 1, 2011
That, I suppose, is as fitting a metaphor as any for the end of my college time. We, in some small way, touch a place, it touches us, and then we move on.
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Chinese Students Association
May 23, 2011
I learned that storing freshly spray painted lanterns in your room is usually a bad idea and I learned how to eat chicken feet.
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My Weekend, In Summary
May 16, 2011
A highlight: the dessert contest, with categories such as hottest dessert, coldest dessert, and most fractal (largest surface area to volume ratio) dessert.
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An update on my Bioanalytical Chemistry class
May 12, 2011
I picked it in part because I'm interested in the intersection between chemistry and archaeology and in part because mummies are very cool.
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Flora the Red Menace
April 18, 2011
It strikes me that I'm probably growing up if I worry about bowings even when I'm the only person playing the part.
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Things I Miss About High School
April 10, 2011
But, really, looking at the stars at 1:30 AM is always going to be more fun than writing a paper, even if said paper is about mummies.
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And After Graduation...
March 31, 2011
Grad school was an obvious possibility, as was finding a job and working for a year, getting more lab experience. But I wasn't sure if I wanted to remain so heavily married to the sciences, at least in the immediate future.
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An open letter about College Orchestra
March 27, 2011
Dear Anna and Jeffrey 1 , First of all, sorry that I haven't kept in better touch. As you probably understand all too well, when something only has a due date of 'at some point,' it's easy to keep...
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An update on my dancing
March 13, 2011
Once dressed, we put on our coats and boots and headed over to Warner--where the Dance Department is housed--looking very classy indeed. My coat looks really good on top of silk with gold accents; that's all I'm saying.
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Some comments on the Creative Writing Major
March 6, 2011
That's probably the single biggest reason that I decided to major in creative writing as well as biochemistry. I wanted to have the chance to write and not feel guilty because I was supposed to be doing "real work."
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Lunar New Year!
February 27, 2011
Excitingly enough, this year we purchased a second lion, so this year we were able to do really cool things like have the lions jump over one another. Plus, if you have more lions, everything just looks cooler.
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Thursday
February 20, 2011
Sometimes there's so much going on in a twenty-four hour period that it seems like I should just talk about my day because it gives a hint as to what's happening every day at Oberlin.
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My Final Schedule
February 11, 2011
It suddenly hit me that this is my last chance to take classes at Oberlin, ever, and there are so many classes that I haven't had the chance to take yet. This is a sobering thought, especially since I've also suddenly been hit by an overwhelming desire to understand everything .
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My Winter Term in Lists (part 2)
February 4, 2011
It's possible to teach English, completely in English, to people who speak no English.
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Teaching English
January 31, 2011
There was also a bonus piece to the puzzle that they could collect if they found Bigfoot and told him some facts about himself.
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You've Got Mail
January 22, 2011
Since it's Winter Term right now, I've slacked off a little bit on my mail checking routine because the inflow of mail is even less than normal.
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Being Christian at Oberlin
January 16, 2011
As is the case in many liberal circles, Christianity tends to conjure up images of repression, Jesus camp, and conservatives.
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A Women's Hall Anecdote
January 4, 2011
Upon entering the hallway, I was greeted by the site of an overflowing water pitcher.
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Further Winter Term Plans
December 23, 2010
"I want to do it!" I said. "I love pit orchestras!"
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I've almost survived finals
December 20, 2010
So that's what I did for all of reading period, in between taking naps on the couch or the ground and briefly going to Stevenson or DeCafe to procure food.
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Snow, Prop 8, and Chemistry
December 9, 2010
It's a little-reported fact, but organic chemistry in general is actually composed mainly of working up your product. Doing the actual reactions takes very little time. It's all in the purification.
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Thursday
December 4, 2010
Sometimes there's so much going on in a twenty-four hour period that it seems like I should just talk about my day because it gives a hint as to what's happening every day at Oberlin.
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Three unrelated vignette blog posts
November 28, 2010
All you need to know is that it's legit real-world stuff, and she hasn't even graduated yet. Some people just really have their lives together.
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Fourth Meal: Dascomb Dining Hall, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM
November 19, 2010
It's a nice break from calculators and the viral YouTube videos we watch when the math gets to be too much.
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In which Zoë abuses the privileges that her status as a senior provides her
November 12, 2010
At the end of this semester I'll be done with my biochemistry major, and I'll have only one class left in my creative writing major. That leaves a lot of extra credits to take whatever I want.
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Diwali
November 8, 2010
I was also prone to saying things like, "No, you have to tell me exactly where my feet and hands go in the turn, I can't just turn ."
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Ms. McLaughlin goes to Washington
November 1, 2010
And while we walked, we were treated to sights such as this: Simón Bolívar.
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Work
October 24, 2010
So I read and I wrote and I did my problem set and I got nothing else accomplished, meaning that a lot of things from my to-do list have now been pushed onto my "to-do over Fall Break" list.
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Welcome to my laboratory
October 17, 2010
This is where I sit and frantically work on thermo while I'm waiting for my reaction to proceed on its own.
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In which I discuss the moon instead of thermo
October 10, 2010
Last year, I got to play the role of a whiny, ignorant child. This year, I got to play the role of an angsty, apathetic teen. It's like I'm growing older and everything.
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Thermo, thermo, thermo, thermo, Mahler, thermo...
October 1, 2010
As soon as we sat down, I was struck by the overwhelming need to pull out my thermo textbook and continue working.
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Festival of Culture (so as not to reproduce a similar title exactly)
September 26, 2010
When we ambled around Tappan Square, I was the head of the lion, hearkening back to the first time I did the lion dance. My lovely friend who was the tail was also the person who danced with me that first time.
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Where I Live Now
September 18, 2010
Please note the lovely framed Animorphs poster and the lovely Penang flag.
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Add/Drop Fun, As Usual
September 12, 2010
At the start of last week, I was registered for International Politics, Archaeology, and Sociology. By yesterday, I'd dropped all but one of them, leaving me with my schedule for this semester.
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Week one: no classes and already behind?
September 5, 2010
I thought I would have a pretty relaxing week, during which I could do things like unpack, hang up posters, and read all the YA novels that are still on my 'to read' list. That's not what's happened.
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Intro/Retrospective
August 26, 2010
The shirt didn't really serve its purpose... Nevertheless, the day got me thinking about my own Freshman Orientation.
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Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world
August 12, 2010
That was all right, though, because as I walked down the street trying not to look like I was lost while simultaneously trying to look like I spoke Chinese, I saw a statue of Kuan Yin across the street.
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Packing List
August 10, 2010
Including, but not limited to: ramen, canned soup, graham crackers, apple sauce, bread making materials, peanut butter and honey, cereal, rice, and assorted pastas.
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Getting a House
July 31, 2010
By the time we signed the lease, the one thing that I really remembered about the house we were going to rent was that it had a huge bathroom.
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Shall we dance?
July 14, 2010
The fairy godmothers are actually hillbillies, the prince is something of a dud, and the mice are a lot more concerned about where they're going to get their next meal than about anything that's going on with Cinderella.
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An Oberlin in the real world sighting
July 8, 2010
I've always liked "This Land is Your Land," mainly because in first grade we were allowed to use the pointer to point out things like the redwood forests and the gulf stream waters.
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Oberlin in the outside world?
June 21, 2010
There's the thumbs, but there's also a crude representation of a llama (apparently) to make a proposal and knocking in the air to signal agreement with a statement.
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Dear women's hall, you're the best
June 3, 2010
Then, abruptly, the year ended. Everyone went home.
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On the size of the campus
May 29, 2010
The thing is, I know there are more people out there than the ones I see around all the time.
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My semester in quotations
May 18, 2010
In high school, I did this thing called The Quote Book.
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CSA Hot Pot
May 14, 2010
Maybe this bit of sentimentality was brought on by the fact that I was standing in a normal kitchen, not a tiny dorm kitchen or an industrial-sized co-op kitchen.
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Something about the chem/biochem department
May 1, 2010
Now, I even dream about research. And I mean that quite literally.
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The classes for which I registered
April 24, 2010
In case anyone missed it, I'll say the point of this post again, in plain English: I'm going to be a senior.
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5 Questions Every Prospie Should Ask
April 16, 2010
First, a PSA. CSA is hosting Asian Pop Night this Friday at the 'Sco.
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Asian Pop Night, etc.
April 10, 2010
I pointed out that no one in CSA is going to go out there and start any sort of dance-off, but that bit of sanity seemed to fall on deaf ears.
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More about prospective students
April 7, 2010
I am a big fan of free pizza. I am, however, not as big a fan of prospies.
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Research
March 28, 2010
To do this, I siphon off a few milimoles of the mixture, using a lot of liquid nitrogen and a pretty intimidating vacuum system, bring it over to the GC, and shoot it through. Basically.
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College Orchestra! (not our official name)
March 21, 2010
Here's some exciting news: the Oberlin College Arts and Sciences Orchestra got chartered this week!
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Thinking about summer
March 15, 2010
(To avoid thinking about more pressing matters. Like the work I have due tomorrow.)
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Lots of Thinking
March 6, 2010
Really, though, all I want to do is read young adult novels. I can't, though, because I have more important work to do.
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Chinese New Year Banquet!
February 28, 2010
How exactly were we supposed to tape a tea light in a lantern? Did that even matter, since they wouldn't be able to see the tea light anyway?
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And by Chinese New Year, I mean three weeks in a row
February 21, 2010
Some of my friends cure this problem by volunteering in the local school district. I solved this problem by attending the East Asian Studies Department's Chinese New Year celebration.
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I've finally figured out my schedule
February 15, 2010
Here's what I'm taking this semester, not including the various extracurricular activities (Orchestra! Violin lessons! Dance!)
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My Winter Term in Lists (part 3)
February 6, 2010
It's possible to teach English, completely in English, to people who speak no English.
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Trial by Fire
January 31, 2010
I did my best deer in the headlights impression, at which point the guy I was assisting said not to worry, he'd help me with some of the talking.
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What language barrier?
January 22, 2010
Usually our conversations involved me trying to express myself with improperly conjugated verbs and him good naturedly pretending that he understood what I was saying.
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And for the rest of January...
December 26, 2009
It's not the traditional research position that biochem majors normally pursue, but then again, I'm not a typical biochem major.
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Winter Term Plans
December 22, 2009
I've been listening to a lot of Jesus Christ Superstar in Spanish.
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Things to do besides studying
December 14, 2009
We had what I think was our biggest audience ever, and then we had cake.
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More about my tortured path to CSA
November 17, 2009
I arrived early, because I still went early to things back then, and loitered around outside the door of the room in Wilder until I felt it was a proper time to enter.
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Religion
November 13, 2009
Right before I left for summer vacation, my Facebook status read, 'Zoë goes to the coolest church ever.'
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A field trip
November 4, 2009
After a brief walk in the crisp night air during which I considered making pirate jokes, we arrived at the hospital.
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A rather belated post about a very important mission
October 31, 2009
Mission: Get Zoë home for fall break
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Culture Festival
October 18, 2009
Various student organizations and groups had tables set up around Tappan Square, with food and activities available from their respective cultures.
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The end of the world as we know it
October 17, 2009
I turned back to my computer to further my electronic communication, and found everyone offline. So I refreshed the page. And it never came back.
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Lions, Vicodin, and Audience Participation
October 6, 2009
If you've been following along with us, you'll know that this past weekend we celebrated the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. I was mainly in charge of directing the skit. I took this very seriously.
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Cleveland, or And then I ate food
September 29, 2009
Did you know there's more than one type of bok choy? There's Taiwanese bok choy and baby bok choy and all these other leafy green vegetables that look like bok choy but aren't called bok choy.
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And then I got sick
September 17, 2009
It wasn't fun trying to get all my work done and sleep more and walk around with a sore throat, but I managed it pretty well, with the help of cough drops and perseverance. Until Sunday night.
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Another post about dancing
September 14, 2009
By the conclusion of the meeting, we'd decided that the guy who did the lion dance last year would pass on his knowledge to those who were interested.
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My schedule: no longer in flux
September 4, 2009
Every day so far, I've had something to do during every hour until ten o'clock at night.
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Pertinent details about me
September 2, 2009
I do math on a calculator faster in Reverse Polish Notation.
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My packing list
August 15, 2009
Funny story: One time, I forgot to bring my concert pants and didn't realize until I was trying to get dressed for a concert.
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Employment?
August 10, 2009
Showing a little foresight for once, I started investigating jobs that would allow me to arrive early on campus, with somewhat minimal success.
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More things that still hold true
August 2, 2009
It can't rain ALL the time, you're thinking, and that's quite true. It snows or hails by way of variety.
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Dining hall conversations
July 21, 2009
Once we'd finished eating, we parted ways, and I expected not to see her again, unless we wound up in a class together somewhere down the road.
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Ballet
July 11, 2009
Remember when I was talking about opportunities? Allow me to expound upon another opportunity that I encountered late last semester, involving dance. Just to shake things up a bit, I'm not going to write about Indian dance again.
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Information through the ages
July 6, 2009
There are two main types of social life in Oberlin: (1) the inexpensive, and (2) the not-so-inexpensive.
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Music Opportunities for Non-Music Majors
June 28, 2009
Want to make your own banjo out of a gourd? You can do it. Want to be part of a gamelan ensemble? You can do that, too.
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Why Oberlin?
June 21, 2009
"You know," one of them said, "Chewbacca is the only one in his family with a normal name."
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A vignette from finals week
June 5, 2009
Luck, however, was with us, in the form of a front loader.
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What's that about the bathrooms?
May 31, 2009
You may or may not have heard that the bathrooms are gender-neutral at Oberlin. This may or may not concern you, your parents, or someone else whom you hold dear.
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My schedule: in flux
May 24, 2009
I'm currently signed up for four classes, only two of which are ones that I'm actually going to take.
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Done.
May 18, 2009
Really, the only solution was to stay up until around 3:00 AM, listening to hit songs from the nineties, reading picture books, and learning the proper way to put on bangles.
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It's the end of the year. No, really.
May 9, 2009
"Zoë," one girl said, "You're halfway done with college." It didn't seem possible. It still doesn't. And, of course, it's true.
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How I picked my major
May 4, 2009
This change in interests confused me for a while and made me seriously consider a chem major instead of a biochem major. Practicality and time eventually intervened.
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Committee meetings are better over lunch
April 27, 2009
I got a little overzealous and started quizzing people on their "action items," which I think only confused the issue.
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How to put together a successful CSA film festival
April 18, 2009
Watch some of the movie. Become rather confused because you've missed the first fifteen minutes. Snicker at inappropriate moments.
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How to combine Ralph Nader, bad poetry, Bleak House, music, and chemistry into a single blog entry
April 9, 2009
For some reason, that computer program for writing Western musical scores didn't want to comply to my demands that it blend with Indian ways of notating music. I'm not really sure why it was so stubborn.
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And now, a love letter to pit orchestras
April 4, 2009
That extra dash of terror because I don't really know what will happen next in my part is always exciting.
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In support of my public library
March 29, 2009
I could spend the rest of this post muttering to myself about the eight books I read over break. However, I don't think that's what you're here for.
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"Translation is not a matter of words only..."
March 19, 2009
I went into the first lesson armed with ten years of violin lessons, one year of music theory, and a textbook.
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"Get your feathers out of my nose"
March 14, 2009
Papageno, essentially a humanized bird and bird catcher, sang about how he wanted to catch chicks. And when he said "chicks," he didn't mean those little yellow baby chickens.
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"And at first you're not so worried. It's just Geneva."
March 5, 2009
He did say that there is a small chance that it will create a micro black hole that will gobble up Geneva and then the rest of the world.
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Lunar New Year Banquet
February 28, 2009
From what I saw of it from my place serving "beef in spicy sauce," the performance was great.
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Housing (or, new methods of procrastination)
February 21, 2009
It must have looked pretty odd--all those mini lanterns hanging from tree limbs and about five of us with cans of spray paint looking like members of a graffiti ExCo, but you get my point.
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I'm cool, too!
February 12, 2009
And one more interesting thing. This is my thirteenth post here. I figured publishing it tomorrow would be a little much.
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My Winter Term in Lists
February 2, 2009
It's possible to teach English, completely in English, to people who speak no English.
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On picking my Winter Term
January 26, 2009
He proceeded to talk about a hotel that once existed, the spirit that haunted it, and the bomoh they hired to appease it.
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Winter Term: Last Year, continued
January 22, 2009
This mix of people leads me to a very important topic: food. Malaysia, and particularly Penang, where my grandparents live, is well-known on those travel cooking shows for having amazing food. Those shows aren't lying.
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Winter Term: A Retrospective
January 15, 2009
Though they all speak English, I've come to realize that what my uncle once said is very true: the conversation will start out in English, move on to a mixture of Chinese and English, and finally settle completely into Chinese.
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Or, I mean to write about Winter Term and write about winter instead
January 7, 2009
I am not spending my Winter Term in Oberlin. Instead, I decided that the best thing to do was to actually experience winter.
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In which I relocate to the Asia House lounge
December 12, 2008
I've gained a certain amount of respect - if not understanding - for mass spectrometry and I've begun to understand how the microwave in the kitchen works, at least for making Ramen noodles.
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Chemistry Scene Investigation, part two (CSI)
December 7, 2008
The trial began with the judge (who looked suspiciously like our professor, just decked out in a green choir robe) banging with his mortar and pestle to call the court to order.
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Lists
December 1, 2008
You can tell how stressed I am by how many lists I've made, and right now I'm making a lot.
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Food!
November 25, 2008
As I write this (but not as I type this, because I'll be doing that later), I'm drinking egg nog left over from my dinner at Lord/Saunders. That's right, I ventured to south campus to eat dinner tonight.
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A bit of my weekend...
November 19, 2008
I spent most of my time last week trying to memorize a dance for the International Festival, which was held on Saturday.
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How to solve a crime
November 13, 2008
The sign above the door to my analytical chem lab now says "Oberlin Crime Lab." For the rest of the semester, we're solving a crime that occurred at the Olympics involving arson, secret notes, drugs, and missing silver medals.
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Notes on dancing
November 9, 2008
This weekend, being parents' weekend, saw many, many events. The one I attended today was FELL, the 2008 student dance concert, which consisted of pieces choreographed and performed solely by students.