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| I hope ya'll are having a jim-dandy summer.
Well, I've known for a while that I look rather young for my age. For
the record, I am 21 (just in case you were fooled too). People have
been telling me that I
look like I'm 14 since I was, well, 18. (Before that, they thought I
was 12.) After these past few weeks though, I'm not so sure I even
look old enough to pass for 14. When I was applying for my passport,
the lady thought I needed to follow the under-14 requirements. Today, a
doctor thought I was 13; and a couple of weeks ago, I celebrated my
12th birthday. Really. A group of us went out to eat after church, and
I was kidding about how I can get away with ordering off of the kid's
menu. Then, Nathan joked to the waitress about how I was celebrating my
12th birthday. All in good fun...until she brought out a cheesecake
with a candle in it. Obliging her, everyone sang Happy Birthday to me.
I don't even like cheesecake.
Still, maybe I could pass for 14. Today, I rented a PG-13 movie, and
they didn't even check my ID. Oh, wait...I had lost my movie card, so I
did give the clerk my driver's license. I guess he must have verified
my over-12 status after all. On the bright side, since I look a little over 1/2 my
age now, when I'm 50, I'll be able to pass for 29! | | |
| I thought it was time to bring back the ninja picture. I would rock as a ninja. Well...I would if it didn't require having ninja skills. Although, I do belong to a facebook group called "People with Ninja Skills," so maybe that qualifies me.
I finished saving the galaxy in Knights of the Old Republic 1. Now KotOR2 (I already saved the galaxy in that game) makes more sense, especially since I finally found out you're a different character in the second one. The only problem is: now what am I supposed to do with myself when I don't feel like studying for finals? Saving the galaxy was a welcome, completely mindless distraction. I guess I could just write more inane (which is really a word I should use more often, like "'tis," Dave) posts like this instead.
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| The tulips bloomed today! I had eagerly anticipated their arrival since the time of their planting last week. I was on my way to the library for some studying, but I didn't make it there--the elegant landscaping captured my attention, and I couldn't advance past the foot-bridge. The scenery looked flawless--blooming flowers and trees were complemented by lush green grass and the backdrop of a clear blue sky, all warmed by the glittering sun.
SLU's gardeners are very industrious. They zealously plant, uproot, and replant to maintain the campus's pristine flower beds and well-manicured greenery. If I had my own estate and crew of gardeners at my disposal, I think I would design my grounds to be very much like the rolling hills and fish ponds in front of the business school, or perhaps like the hill in front of the art museum in Forest Park.
Sitting by the pond, I was very productive in my studies. The placid sounds of the water fountain and singing birds helped me keep my concentration. A mallard duck amused me with his exploits--flying back and forth from the upper pond to the lower pond. This idyllic setting was as perfect a spring day as I can imagine. It seems that days like today should make the claim that the earth reached this marvelous state by evolution an impossible thought. I am awed at the remarkableness of God's creation and delighted that he would grant me the pleasure of enjoying its beauty.
O LORD, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
-Psalm 104:24 | | |
| I suppose now would be a good time for an update, especially
considering I didn't post anything for February. It is a short month
after all... This spring semester has really flown by. My midterms are
next week, and my spring break is the week after that. As for my
classes, they are as good as, if not better, than I had thought they would be;
and I think very highly of several of my professors (I definitely
recommend ratemyprofessors.com).
I will almost certainly (I only need to fill out the paperwork to make it
official) change majors for the third time, although it is not much of
a switch--from Finance to Economics. Oftentimes, those two majors are
grouped together anyway, and my degree will still be a Bachelor
of Science in Business Administration. Now, I will have all of the
opportunities I
would want to have with a Finance major (since I most definitely have
never dreamed of being a stockbroker) while getting to take intriguing
senior
classes in the subject I've wanted to major in for four classes since
sophomore year--Economics.
At last, for the most excellent news: I moved to my very own apartment
in the fabulous east tower. Although I'm leaving the details
unmentioned here, be assured that a most unfortunate situation has
turned into one of the very best kind. Now, I can sharpen my domestic
skills and practice being a first-class hostess in the most pleasant
sort of residence, with its amenities and complementing display of
vanilla ice cream colored walls and whipped cream trim. I am quite
optimistic about the remaining part of the semester and my senior year
as well. I have only until May 12, at which point I will say, "Just call
me a senior, baby!"
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| I think I ate a Turkish Delight today. Or, let me explain, as my friend
Inigo says. Today, my marketing professor walked into class wearing
blue jeans and carrying some grocery bags, looking even more cheery
than usual. He is a very nice professor, and he's a graduate student
from China working on his doctorate. He explained to the class that
today was his "Thursday casual," and that he had some special treats
for us. He went on to explain that today is the Chinese New Year, the
biggest holiday in China, and that since he couldn't be home to
celebrate with his family, he would celebrate with us, to which the
class responded, "Awww." He then assured the class that it is a holiday
"without any religious meaning," so we could feel free to participate.
Our professor began unpacking the bags, and when he took out a bag of
fortune cookies, he said, "You do all know about the fortune cookies, I
guess." Apparently, we did not because we were shocked to find out that
they are not Chinese. Our professor discovered their origin after
dining at a Chinese restaurant upon his arrival in America. Since he
had never heard of fortune cookies before, he decided to research them;
and he discovered they were invented in California, although by
now you can also find them in China.
After this story, my classmates and I eagerly went to pick up our
treats. I selected what I thought was a white, sugary cookie. Upon
picking it up, I realized it was actually a surprisingly mushy and
powdery...dough. I bit into the almost flavorless, gelatin-like,
stretchy substance, and it was filled with something resembling
chocolate. I didn't know it was possible for sugar to taste that bad.
As I was reaching the decision that it would be poor etiquette to not
finish the treat which my marketing professor had so kindly shared with
us for his favorite holiday, I notice that my classmates were quietly
murmuring to one another. They too did not know quite what to make of
these foreign delicacies.
The students in my management class last semester reacted the same way
when a foreign student shared banana-ish chocolate covered treats. They
really were not that good. In both cases, sugar was the only ingredient
that made them eatable (yes, eatable, because even bugs are edible).
So, I think what I ate today was a Turkish delight. It looked just like
what Edmund ate in Narnia, and it sounds like what was described in an
article I read about them. I'd eaten a Turkish delight before, but not
one like this. My friend from Turkey brought his absolute favorite
treat, Turkish delights, to my friends and me at Lindenwood. Those
Turkish delights looked like, well, owl pellets (and we never let him
forget that, either). They tasted faintly of sugar, and they had a
texture like cotton candy. However, none of us thought they were
something that anyone would ever eat for fun. Maybe Americans are just
so used to everything having sugar in
it, that just having sugar in something doesn't make it a delight, even
in the case of the misnamed (in my opinion) Turkish delight.
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