Thursday, September 25, 2008

Going with the Flow

No, it's not a new trend here at Bowdoin.

I'm talkin' about finding my rhythm here in college. So far, things are piling up. Events here, activities there, homework here, and work there. It's getting more hectic every week.

But I trust that I will eventually catch a rhythm. A routine that I can stick by.

Speaking of rhythms, I joined a swing dance club! It's wicked fun and exciting. We get to learn how to swing dance and this week was my first time. It's really easy and the basic step is also easy. So far, I've learned the leading role, how to lead the follower into different basic turns, and how to switch hands. I wish I took pictures...maybe next time~

~Dan

Friday, September 19, 2008

Time Travel Back a Few Weeks...

Back to Orientation!

So to sum up what happened during orientation in four words: WAY TOO MANY SPEECHES. Although some of them were different and unique.

Of course, there's the president's welcome. Semi-formal dress, semi-formal dinner.

Then there's the group photo for the incoming class. Semi-formal dress, followed by the official semi-formal welcoming dinner.

Next is the Convocation (in other words, President's welcome #2). You guessed it, semi-formal dress.

Despite all the semi-formal speeches, there were fun ones too! Including the Do-Not-Take-Drugs Talk and Sex Signals Talk. I know what you're thinking, "Dan, what's wrong with you? Aren't those talks usually long and boring. And they convey the same message: Don't do it."

NO YOU'RE WRONG, well...half wrong. :)

Yes, there's still the don't do it in the first place reasoning, but also the speaker shared helpful info that IF you are doing it, here are some safe ways to reduce the chances of being drunk/high/trashed/whatever else there is to describe a crazy person. Plus, the speaker was funny, which is nice.
Sex signals was done in the form of improv, which is also nice. And hilarious.

Don't worry guys, I'm not going to do drugs or drink or rape people. That's just not nice.

Alright now to the really fun parts of Orientation: The Lobster Bake and Inter-House Olympics.
Lobster Bake is when all of us come together, bake lobsters, and then feast on it! It was so much fun bonding with the dorm and officially enjoying lobster for the first time.

The previous two sentences were lies.
A lobster bake is just everyone coming together to eat dinner (with lobster, already cooked, of course). Though it WAS my first time eating lobster. Bowdoin was thoughtful and placed instructions on how to take apart lobsters. It was really juicy. And by really juicy, I mean my tray was flooded with lobster juice. It was good though. :)

The Inter-House Olympics was just first-year dorms, along with their affliate upper-classmen house team up together against other teams and play fun camp games to compete for the number one spot (winner gets a trophy!). Sadly, my dorm didn't win and trophy...but we had fun being Mutant Teenage Ninja Turtles! Yes, our house color is green. We even had our own chant and theme song!

Fun times.

That's all for now!

~Dan

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Previously, On Dan's Life...

So I haven't been able to post more stuff about me these days. Busy busy busy! My calendar is already filled up with pencil and pen marks! Plus the homework assigned, I have virtually no time to waste.

BUT let's get a quick glimpse into Dan's Weekly Routine:

~Monday: Wake up at 8am ish, eat breakfast, go to Chem class at 9:30am. Done.
~Tuesday: Wake up at 8:30am ish, eat breakfast, go to Math class at 10am, eat Lunch, go to Psych class, go straight to First-Year Seminar, (now exhausted).
~Wednesday: Wake up at 8am ish, eat breakfast, go to Chem class at 9:30am, chill for an hour, eat lunch, go to 4 hour lab, (exhausted).
~Thursday: See tuesday.
~Friday: Wake up at 8am ish, eat breakfast, go to Chem class, chill, lunch, chill some more, go to Math lab at 1:30pm, blah,..., go to Super Snack at 11pm ish, sleep late.
~Saturday: Wake up at 11am or noon, eat brunch, HW, chill, work at dining at 5:30pm until 8:30pm, more HW?
~Sunday: Do whatever I want day. Plus HW.

*Rinse and Repeat*

Yup, that's my basic week. Don't forget to add on occasional events such as clubs and dorm meetings, HW, review sessions for classes, and other stuff.

I did get another interesting job though. I get to work with Professor Hadley Horch and her honor students on researching neuron regeneration using ganglia from crickets! For now, I have to help dissect crickets and cut out their ganglia. It's really cool trying to dissect under a microscope (hard too, because if you move too much you pretty much cut the cricket up. Thank God there's mini scissors.). I don't completely know what is going on, but I do know that they are staining and attaching florescent stuff to the ganglia. I'll post you guys on it when I find out.

Yay undergrad research!

P.S. I typed up this entry with a brain that's really tired and probably is probably complaining of not getting enough sleep. So I'm going to go and try to finish HW so I can sleep. :)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Stranded on an Island

Day 1: Stranded, lost, confused, and desperate for lunch! Boy was my Pre-Orientation group hungry. We arrived at an island a bit north of Bowdoin called North Haven through a ferry. For the next 4 or so days, our group was to face the most difficult challenge of all: community service. (Please note the exaggeration)

(The lunch was delicious, btw)

Yup, my Pre-O group was one of the community immersion groups. In short, we cleaned up a community center, had coffee with senior citizens, cleared weeds around a church, trimmed the thorny "devil plant," prepared dinner for middle schoolers, toured a new school under construction, de-weeded and cleared a pathway for a trail in a park, played too many card games, went lobstering, showered in a gym nearby, slept on almost hard floor, endured many mosquito bites, danced the lobster dance, almost got killed by a plane (not lying), encountered deadly snakes (lie), made awesome new friends, and bonded.

It was a fantastic four days.

What was more fantastic was that on the ride back, we went to a diner called, "Moody's." As we were about to pay the bills, an old lady from the table behind us came up and said, "I will pay the bills for you--tax and all." WOW. (the bill was about $72) Random acts of kindness is awesome. Time to pay it forward!

Speaking of which, I signed up for the Random Acts of Kindness Club today during the Student Activities Fair.

(Pre-O was about a week before Orientation started at Bowdoin)

Monday, September 1, 2008

BSE: Best Sushi Ever? I Think Not.

Hey!

Long time no see. So BSE (the Bowdoin Science Experience) was great! I've met so many new and fun people, as well as great and helpful mentors, during the program. Basically, we got a hands-on experience of what Bowdoin is like and how it is awesome! There was one day where we were assigned groups to do a scavenger hunt. What we had to do is to run around campus and find certain offices and locations with people that has special numbers. Our job is to collect those numbers and at then end figure out the combinations that will open a treasure chest. My group was attracted to tour guides. "HEYYYY there's a tour group! Where's Adam's Hall?...Thanks!" *Runs off*

Great times. We also got to meet our first-year pre-major advisor, which taught us things about he or she is researching. Of course, with this program focusing on science, the advisor is researching in the science field. My advisor is in the Computer Science department. I'm not a big programmer, but I will be taking Computer Science 101 to see if I like it or not. I might minor in Computer Science, but you never know what will happen!

Another activity we did was called Puzzles and Problems. The instructors divided us into groups (with different group members) and a sheet of paper with 8 little problems on them. The problems were not really science oriented problems--for example, one problem is to make a name for the group, while another is to figure out how many M&M's were in a jar. At the end of the week, we were awarded with prizes for coming up with the best, clear, thoroughly explained, creative answer. My group, AKA the Polarized Bears, won two prizes: A year supply of M&M and a mini white board for the dorm room! Yay M&M's! (Yes, my group got that problem right by using calculus :D).

I think I will tell you guys about Pre-Orientation next time...I'm feeling a bit sleepy. Time for a nap!

~Dan

P.S. Please leave comments! I love comments! :)