Stuff to say before the first day of classes and first day of classes

Thought I would list some stuff without really describing them.

College is obviously new to everybody, so it is really cool how everybody is open to see if friendships will work or not.  I don't know how constricted that will get in the next few weeks, but for now you can walk up to anybody and they will not brush you aside.  Still, the majority of people still are hanging out with the friends they have.  When classes and clubs start, everything will change.

This openness means you feel a certain connection.  Like for example, the people on my floor have a connection so feel more obligated to be friendly to each other.  Same is probably true with all the asians I've been hanging out with.  Probably will change later, but the sense of obligation is prevalent the first 3 days.


So this is stuff from the first day of classes.  Wow, I didn't realize how much work I'll be doing.  Only the first day and I have so much homework.  Japanese was a small class and we just went over basic greetings.  Econ was huge with 500 people and the professor just introduced stuff.  The same is true with the 250 person commerce class.  It is college, I should have expected this.  More classes tomorrow, so even more homework.  What fun...

First Day

Only time I will completely describe my day, so be happy.

So got to UVA at 11.  Was crowded but didn't hinder me at all.  Moved my stuff all upstairs.  My roommate Ryan had a ton more stuff and I don't know how it is all in this dorm.  My table is a complete mess with all my random crap on it.  I'll organize it tomorrow.  Our power plugs were not working.  Other Anh (I need a better name for her) was a greeter and I met her as she just came in to check to see if I was doing ok.

Then I went to O'Hill for lunch with my parents around 12.  After eating random breakfast food, I said goodbye to my parents (wasn't that tearful at all) then went to my dorm to get my bag.  Started to lightly rain.  There I met my RA Mark.  He showed me his room and it is big compared to ours.  Drums sets everywhere.  He showed me how to sent up internet and send a work order for the power.

After that, I hit the streets to see what was happening.  It was getting close to 1 and the president was addressing the student body, but I saw Abhinav and Patrick walking the street.  I joined up with them to go to Thatcher's dorm.  Small but livable. We chilled there until 2.

From there I went to the Engineering food activity (cookies and lemonade).  Took 5 min then walked to another address.  Got bored during the address in 5 min so I explored the music building.  I saw the pianos downstairs and messed with one for a while.

I went back on the street and met up with Abhinav and Patrick again.  We walked all the way to Patrick's dorm and sat around there until 3:30.  He has a suite so a single room, which is nice I guess.  From there I had to walk all the way from that distant building to an ice cream social for international students in a downpour.  (You may be noticing I invade socials I shouldn't go to).  Other Anh, Arden, and I ate ice cream while listening to a cello and harp duet.

From there we went to other Anh's dorm.  Being a second year and living in Brown, her dorm was nice.  At 5:30, Brown was having a cookout so we went to that and ate good food (compared to O'Hill).  I had to be back at my dorm at 6:15 so I ran back in the rain.

We had icebreakers and talk about drugs; typical RA stuff.  At 9 there was a concert so our dorm went.  I'm not a big fan of concerts so after about 20 min I left.  I joined up with some Warrenton campus students to go to the blockparty.  Just to observe what a real UVA party is like.

Literally the whole block was just filled with drunk people.  All the building were full and people were in the streets even in the rain.  I thought it was pretty funny and scary at the same time.

At 12 I got back to my dorm and went into my senior resident's room.  Her room is huge.  A whole kitchen in there!  She had food so I ate some and talked to the RA that were in there.  She decided to go to sleep so I came back to my dorm.  End of an eventful day.

Books Read

List of books I read this summer.  I know I know, very small list.  I didn't volunteer this year so I didn't have time to read on the job.  The (# books) lists the number of books of the series I have read so far, not the number of book out or will be out.  Ones without numbers implies 1 book.  At the end I put what I got out of the novel. 

Kara no Kyoukai series by Kinoko Nasu (4 books).  Earliest work of Nasu.  Being his first, plot is iffy, but the characters are amazing and just what you expect from him.  Anybody can be redeemed. 

Fate/Zero by Gen Urobuchi (4 books).  If Kara no Kyoukai is the earliest work of Nasu, Fate/Zero is the culmination of everything he and his company have created.  A compelling story line filled with so many multi-faceted characters.  Sometimes virtue comes in many forms. 

The Trial by Franz Kafka.  Had to get some Existentialist reading in, so Kafka was the right choice.  Weird book, but in a good way.  Reminded me of the good old Camus novels.  The world isn’t kind or in black or white.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare.  Part of a series.  I felt the series was going downhill, but the characters are actually doing something in this book.  Guess that means something good for the next book.  Know your friends, know what you stand for. 

Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard (2 books).  Wanted to know what all the buzz was about so I started reading it.  I guess it was mildly interesting but slightly annoying sometimes.  Be careful who you trust.  

Sword Art Online series by Reki Kawahara (8 books).  Story that is grandiose, but doesn’t act that way at all.  It still understand that with a big setting must also come character development (albeit slightly confusing) and insight.  I was very impressed by how the characters grew to become what they are so far in the series.  No matter what the world is like, make the best out of it. 

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai by Yomi Hirasaka (6 books).  A funny series I wanted to read.  Comedy is the game and the characters know how to play it.  Sometimes being kind and supportive is the best way to make friends. 

Gekkou by Natsuki Mamiya.  The wit in this novel is just awesome.  Not a typical detective story at all.  Girl power all the way. 

Tabi ni Deyou, Horobiyuku Sekai no Hate Made by Tadahito Yorozuya.  Not a book I would usually read, but it was sweet.  Two kids journeying to the end of the earth, meeting friends along the way.  Just a nice, relaxing read.  The past doesn’t define you. 

The First Confessor by Terry Goodkind.  Another chapter in my favorite series.  Randian philosophy everywhere wrapping a nicely woven story.  You are who you are, no more no less.  Seek truth no matter what.  

Kanji, Vocab, and Grammar

It has begun!  The most hated part of Japanese is what I shall now delve into.  Yes, I decided to start looking at some kanji.  I have to say, it isn't that fun.  Random lines formed from radicals with meaning, but can be said different ways.  If the kanji is alone it is said one way, but when it is with other stuff it is said another way.  I'll need to memorize all these random name changes.

This leads to vocab.  Kanji needs to be used to create words.  The only reason I'm not that good at vocab is the different ways to say the kanji.  The meanings are pretty straight forward if you take the time to think about them.

Vocab actually makes me realize that this is a language.  What do I mean by that?  Well the only things I have studied are hiragana and katakana.  It is like just looking at the english alphabet.  One has no idea how to take those and create a language.  Seeing those symbols put together to express thought is what I need right now.

Vocab also makes me realize that I need to brush up on some grammar.  Not only Japanese grammar, which is its own beast, but common grammar as well.  Right now I've been looking at intransitive and transitive Japanese verbs, which isn't fun at all.  Have to understand how to use them in Japanese sentences so people can understand what I say.

Well plan for this week.  Really hammer this katakana in because I haven't.  Slowly look at some vocab over and over again.  Then on Thursday start looking at a huge about of stuff in my final push towards college.  

Morals in Novels

Books that we read as a child have morals right?  Not to do this or act this way.  Since most of us, hopefully, have progressed beyond that basic stage, novels have to spread something different.

I don't know if every book I've read has a message, but most of the good ones want the reader to take something out of the story other than the straight plotline.  Sometimes people get messages out of a story that wasn't even intended.  One cannot forget Hemingway's quote about the Old Man and the Sea "There isn't any symbolism. The sea is the sea. The old man is the old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. The sharks are sharks, no better, no worse. All the symbolism people say is shit. What goes beyond is what you see beyond when you know"

Maybe a reader can get something out of a novel that wasn’t intended by the author.  So why did I write this post?  Well since Sword Art Online has become an anime, I’ve be looking at forums to see how people are taking in the show. For those of you who don’t know, premise of the show are 10,000 people stuck in a virtual reality world where the only way to get out is beat the 100 levels of the world.  If the person dies in the game, that person dies in real life. 

 Some see the show as an action show, only living for the crazy fight scenes.  Some see the show as a romance show, waiting for the boy and girl love to blossom though a series of expected tropes. 

I can agree that those are important themes of the story, but I got an entirely different message.  When the people in the game realized they were stuck, a general panic ensued.  Away from their normal lives with almost no hope of going back, the gamers went in various mental directions, some staying in town all the time, some grouping together and fighting in groups, and some choosing to go solo. 

The message of the novels in my opinion is people should make the best of what they have.  The main character doesn’t hate on his fate or imagine the world as a fake world he needs to break out of.  He sees the world as the reality he lives in now.  He doesn’t see the time trapped in the game as time lost.  There is a chance of death in the real world as there is in the virtual world, so he doesn’t see the worlds as different. He finds a way to succeed through risk while others choose to play it safe.  On the other hand, he still lives his life and isn’t solely dedicated to escaping the world.  Taking the situation he is faced in and making the best of it is the lesson I got from the novels, and I hope other readers see beyond the fighting and romance to see that too. 

I Need to Work Harder!

I would blog about my progress in Japanese...but I'm not gonna.  I have to say, it is hard to progress.  I didn't expect it to be easy, but I don't understand how I can retain this info when I'm never actually using it.

This is a point that happens for everybody.  A time where talent can only be progressed by work ethic.  My work ethic is so low it is pitiful.  This is why I can't move on.  Basic skills can be a helpful tool, but only dedication can actually advance me.

I've learned to not focus on others.  I shouldn't care if my pace is slow compared to other learners.  I shouldn't care that others already know the language and will sail past this class at UVA.  My only competitor should be myself.  Seeking to be better than I was before.  Being bogged down isn't an option.

I have to say that being great doesn't come from people telling you "you can do it" or "you can't do it." Nor does being great come from complaining about the bad hand you were dealt with in life.  The only way to become great is by challenging the only rival I have: myself.  The difference between moving forward and being stagnant rests on this.

Never realized how important the mental aspect is in everything one does.  Maybe if I knew that I would have done better in Academic Team.  I'll try to be more light-hearted in the next post.

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

What to read: fiction or non-fiction.  It is a controversy that spans…my brain.  When I was little, the only section you would find me in the library was the non-fiction section.  Everything was there: science, history, mythology, health, all this knowledge.  Hence why I’m good at Academic Team, I started early.  The best part was it was easily written for little kids, so the knowledge could be passed without getting too complicated. 

But now look at adult non-fiction books.  Not the ones written like a narrative, the adult analog of the books I read.  The answer is pretty much textbooks.  Even if not textbooks, say if they were written in an interesting format, it requires work.  I can’t read an actual book about physics without encountering math and science at advanced levels.  Now that is great, but it is not light reading.  Not something I reach for when I want to relax and read. 

And that is why I mostly read fiction now.  One can say non-fiction is intricacy that is unattainable while fiction is intricacy that is attainable.  Novels can have complicated plots, but they are tailored to be read by most people.  Fiction is accessible to all, while non-fiction is only accessible to people who understand background info.  So for fun I read fiction nowadays, but it wasn’t how I always did things.  

Avatars

No not the blue monsters, and not the sweet benders, but those little pics beside names.  I’m weird, but those avatars are how I picture people.  Not people I know, but people I’ve never met.  Like if I’m on a forum, the appearance of their avatar can dictate their attitudes.  In my mind since I don’t have a real life voice for them, the avatar replaces that.

 

So it always confuses me when I see an avatar changed.  Not only have I associated a person with the picture, but also their attitude.  Now after I read their posts and stuff, that connection fades a bit, but it still exists. 

For forums, I usually pick a funny picture that deals with the topic at hand.  Subtle commentary on what is happening through my pic just in case anybody is paying attention. 

Nothing else to say about this so I’m done.  

Online Friends

So I was thinking, is it possible to have a real friendship completely online or without any person to person interaction?  You know the movies always show it.  Penpals and such messaging each other.  But is that even a reality?  Our society does not consider online conversation to be on par with in person conversations. 

Face it, when have we heard long distant relationships actually working?  I guess there is something about talking and meeting with people in real life.  Even in those movies with people constantly writing each other, the dramatic moment is when they met in real life. 

There are many people who I only talk to online.  But those relationships are people I talked to in real life first.  The world makes it so easy to drift away from people if you don’t meet them in real life.  What is it about online conversations that don’t hold the same value.  Is “hanging out” that much of a friendship bonding experience?  Maybe the phrase, “out of sight, out of mind” is really true.  Humans, how weird you are.  

Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame

Here it is, the long stretch until college.  Relaxing before I will have to work super hard in college.  Right now my life has been pretty much Olympics.  There are so many random sports going on and I want to witness them all.  I’m doing a pretty good job at that.  I try to watch the medal battles because they have the best of the best, but I end up watching some American teams as well.  China is kicking our butt in medal in this first half of the Olympics, let’s see how the U.S. does in the track and field area.  America may pick up medals here and there, but what we excel at is swimming and gymnastics.  Let the Chinese have the rest. 

I’ll blog more about my Japanese when I actually do something.  I have slowed down my pace because of the Olympics.  Hard to focus on a different language.  I should start looking at some grammar next week so something will happen then. 

My ear has been bothering me again.  My eustachian tube doesn’t like to be open.  Well at least it is better than when I was a kid, but it still isn’t fun.  Doesn’t let me sleep.  My last night sleep was the best sleep I’ve had in a while, maybe I was so tired from staying up until 2. 

I got my tentative class schedule down for now.  Subject to change.  My core classes are First Year Japanese (obviously), Microeconomics, and Making Business Work.  Japanese will be killer; the workload is legendary.  Micro is a basic lecture class so average work.  Making Business Work is supposedly a fairly easy course so I’ll learn excel and how to fix Target like a boss.  I took two random course to fill in my other spots.  One is The Long and Short Poem.  Poetry is awesome so this class looked cool.  

My great grandfather is coming on Friday.  I believe this is his first time in America.  So it is time again to head over to D.C. and show off all those museums.  I wonder how bored people in New York feel to keep showing off the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls.  

Well I guess I'll go with my schedule of anime, olympics, japanese, guitar, and reading until the 25th.