nathan chow:

This semester there were few glamorous events. Unlike previous semesters, I didn’t touch Barack Obama, nor did Kate Bosworth brush against me. But what I got in return was better. More than anything, this semester was more people-oriented than previous ones. I met some of the most amazing people and shared some of the best times with them.

As always, I am indebted to the wonderful people I am lucky enough to know. To make the following list of memories, sometimes I had to look through my journal. I’m aware that I don’t remember every little detail about what we did together, but I do remember how you all made me feel.

Here is the list of my precious memories. You can only imagine what my list of cherished feelings would be.

- Moving in early for jury duty.. and living off practically nothing until my family came up with my stuff (Lauren, thanks for the pillow lol). This year I’m living in Myles Standish Hall, which is a short walk from Fenway Park and used to be Babe Ruth’s favorite hotel.

- Considering no cases needed a jury that day even though we still had to be there for hours, jury duty sucked. But the hot girl who followed me from the court and all around Quincy Market didn’t. (No pun intended.)

- My suitemates Allen and Walker moving in.

- Meeting my floormates: Rebecca, Caroline, Sara J., Connie, Serra, Brittany, Stephanie, Leighanne, Siobhan, Han, Nicolae, Aiesha, Ashley, Sarah S., Jalpa (Jigish’s cousin.. lol), Joon, Hilah, Kathryn, Sara P. (yes, the one from high school), Monika, Julie, and Jodi.

- Dance party at Jordan’s place with Stephanie C., Maria, Titi, Walker, Alan, Alyshia, and Alex P. (not including the group of 10 girls who didn’t go.. haha).

- Lobster night in the dining halls with Lauren, Allen, and Walker (yes, that’s the food a $40,000 tuition pays for).

- Walking barefoot with our crotches sticking out while singing “All That Jazz” after giving and receiving massages in acting class (yes, that’s the education a $40,000 tuition pays for). David, thank you for teaching the class!

- The skate shop being closed when Monika, Julie M., Stephanie T., and I got there… and me not bringing my figure skates. But we got to see Aurora’s elegant skating and Monika’s ninja do-rag.

- The ThinkFast trivia game with Sara T., Julie S., and Laura P. on my team. Out of 41 teams, we were first place in round one and third place in round two, but we didn’t win the $1000 prize. Special thanks to our “cheerleaders” Monika, Julie M., and Stephanie T.. haha.

- Carolyn’s dorm for her little get-together, followed by Frank Santos, the R-rated hypnotist.

- Seeing John again, my favorite West Campus janitor from when I lived there.

- Employing weird techniques to get people to join the two clubs I was representing at the Fall Activities Expo.

- MIT frat party with Connie, Serra, and Serra’s friends. (Their dance floor had stripper cages for people to use!)

- Sara P. constantly asking me for my colored pencils or stapler (does that sound familiar from 6th grade math class?).

- The BU Leadership Conference with inspirational keynote speaker Robert Pruitt. Hearing everyone’s “vision,” untangling ourselves from the human knot, hugging each other at the silent thank-you session, and of course meeting Mike, Becca, and Lauren S., among many others.

- Because it was required for a class, I saw six movies in the theaters this semester. That’s more than I’ve seen in the six years prior to this semester.

- The mysterious bras, panties, and naughty nurse notes outside my door (on several occasions).

- Walker and Miguel talking about the English essays they had to write. My suggestions for their topics.. lol.

- BU’s Funniest Student competition with my floormates, then the basketball Midnight Madness, then back to my dorm. Then back to West with Connie and Allen for pancakes we didn’t get. Then the Asian fob party where we felt very uncomfortable. Then watching “28 Weeks Later.” Then back to Myles.

- Seeing “Man of La Mancha,” “Tartuffe,” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” (where I saw my teacher dragged across the floor. Are ya feelin it, David?)

- Helping Dave G. and Kelly G. with their film (well, it was Dave’s, but as a bystander, Kelly had an awful lot of input.) Playing with the handcuffs! Wink wink.

- Dinner in Chinatown with Chang, Mike C., and Katie. Squab, gorilla rape songs, and the angry waiter.

- Carolyn’s birthday party. (I gave her the gift of shelter. No, really, I gave her a new house.)

- Cathy and Aaren reading their sex quotes from their play at Late Nite.

- “The Party Doctor” and “Twilight Zone” videos. (Randy, thank you for acting!)

- A class trip to the Coolidge Corner Theater for the “Beyond Thumbs Up” film critics discussion featuring famous essayist Phillip Lopate, Boston Globe’s Ty Burr, and many others. Especially academically-rewarding.. errr entertaining.. was Lopate insulting David Sterritt.

- Finding Erin at her sorority’s date auction at Northeastern.

- Dim sum with the Chinese Student Association. Paul’s shui mei dropping in his glass of water.

- The Red Sox riots right outside my dorm when they won the World Series. The hundreds of cops in riot gear, the barking K9s.. and of course all the stupid stuff people did, including climbing street signs, flashing boobs, and lighting aerosol cans on fire. Will was my riot-seeking but danger-avoidance buddy. The riot near my dorm was on the breaking news on TV.. haha.

- Auditioning actors for our videos. The absurd requests some of my classmates gave to the actors.

- Monopoly with Connie, Kristin, and Vivian. Connie shuffling the cards I just sorted and all the other ways she seemed drunk lol.

- Some memories from the People-Watching Club: watching the Boston Common anti-war rally (I’ve never seen so many potential Santa Clauses), our group influence experiment in the GSU and my cell phone gig, meeting Andrea and Emily W., and finally meeting Amanda G.

- Halloween with Stephanie C., Maria, Dan L., Mike, and Stan on Ashford Street (notice I didn’t say at a party.) Being paid for people to read the note on my crotch. Maria as Juan! Watching “The Shining” afterwards.

- COM Prom with Sam U. (the sister of a camper this summer), Sandy O., Alexis, Mina, and Greg G. I also met Dana, Yue, and Lulu. Everyone looked gorgeous!

- Salsa dancing at La Fuerza’s Pachanga with Arjun, Josh M., Giselle, Jacqueline L., Andres, Matt N., and Emily D. Inventing random moves with Giselle and Jacqueline.. haha.

- Allen bringing back free Chinese food from his uncle’s restaurant. (He better do that more often next semester..)

- Some memories from the juggling club:
- Juggling battle with Andrew L. and Michi. Races with Chris H. Playing soccer while juggling with Michi.
- Kelley’s visits to our segment of the gym.
- Jessica K. writing an article about us.
- Learning a new move with balancing a dodgeball on my foot while doing an underleg trick.
- The poi and diablo group Spin Jam joining our meeting place and time.
- What I said to the group of karate girls waiting outside the gym.
- The little kids who were in the gym for something else but who were glued to our club. They were so adorable when I was teaching them how to juggle. (They even said that just because of our club, they’re gonna apply to BU when they grow up!)

- The Sensasian Asian culture show – organized by the Chinese Student Association.

- Taping Samuel and the BU men’s soccer game vs UNH.

- Eating at Shanghai Gate with Chang, Isabella, and Ping.

- Dinner with Titi, Liz, Dana, and Dana’s friends (although I would like to erase the peanut butter napkin from my memory).

- Sandy O.’s floor and her help when I was day-hosting someone who wanted to know about the pre-med program.

- Seeing Melody and Tetyana at the Museum of Fine Arts for the Iranian Film Festival’s “The Willow Tree.” Meeting their friends Ariana and Jennifer K. Dancing down the streets to get to J.P. Licks.

- Making Thanksgiving cards for a children’s hospital. The black card I made that Sarah W. wouldn’t allow me to use. (C’mon, it was creative!)

– Going back to New Jersey and celebrating Thanksgiving at my mom’s cousin’s house (which had its own disco dance floor, a bar, and a bridge and stream in its garden). Playing cards and pool with my siblings, cousins, and first-cousins-second-twice-third-removed-fourth-put-back, or whatever their relation was to me.

if you’re gonna take my wallet, please know that i can always cancel my credit cards, earn more cash, and find new lucky pennies.

but if you steal our only photo, it will hurt me to know that i won’t have the chance to take another picture of us ever again.

- Nathan