By the End of My Life:

• I want to have made every decision I ever wanted to make and have no regrets about the past.

• I want to have left something behind that outlives my life and that continues to make a difference in the world (mainly my teachings, films, writings, and future children).

• I want to have left the world a much more loving, compassionate, understanding, and forgiving place.

• I want to have found laughter and beauty everywhere possible.

• I want to have given everything I could’ve given in all my years on earth.

Promises to an Older Self:

• To always fill my room and office with mementos of loved ones (whether photos of them or cards and letters from them)–NOT diplomas, degrees, and awards. My greatest pride is in the love I have given and the love that has been given to me, not in my achievements and titles. Framed plaques don’t fully symbolize the ways I grew or capture my fondest memories. That credit always belongs to the people I’ve met along the way.

• To continue being curious about the world, life, and the people around me. To continue to read and write. To continue to teach and learn.

• To know that when I come home from work really tired and my kids rush towards me and nearly pull me down to the floor with their excitement, that these moments won’t last for long and that I should cherish the few years they’ll be doing that.

• To romance my wife in old age. To be content and appreciative of our changed type of love but still pursue her as if we were dating. Every day, to make her feel as loved as ever and desirable beyond measure.

• For my wife and I to be that set of grandparents whose gentleness, wisdom, and stories make kids wonder where we get our sense of caregiving from.

• For my wife and I to be that couple whose laughter, adventure, and joy of life make people wonder where we get our energy from.

• To continue to tell everyone what they’ve meant to my life and to continue to hear what I’ve meant to their lives.

• To continue to remind myself every day that the greatest gift the world gives me is the awareness that I will have to die someday. With that, I make my life as full of peace, love, and happiness as possible and I make my existence as full of purpose as possible and as much of a legacy as possible.

This is it. My last memories note at BU and the final farewell.

After four years of writing these and after thinking that college couldn’t possibly get any better, all of you managed to prove me wrong. The last four years have been more amazing than I ever asked for, but you’ve really outdone it this time by making my last semester the most memorable.

Just like my traditional end-of-the-semester note, I’ll start off with a list of memories I was fortunate enough to share with you in the Spring of 2009. Most of you were tagged in this note because I spent enough time with you this semester to live, laugh, learn, and have fun together through these moments.

After listing the memories, I’ll also have a special thanks and superlatives section for my whole four years at BU.

And last, but certainly not least, I’ll end with some final farewell words. All of you were tagged in this note because you were an important part of my BU experience at some point and I would like to thank you for it in the final farewell section. These four years would not have been the same without you.

Buuut.. that comes last. Here are the Spring 2009 memories first:

— Spring 2009 Memories —

(roughly in chronological order)

- Living on the 6th floor of Myles. The floormates I’ve met so far: Teddy, Angus, Connie L., Kristin N., Brittany W., Meagan L., Laura A., Jill O., Bridget, Shara, Ryan S., Justin, Ken C., Monika T., Tiffany H., Kerry, Gabrielle J., Davide N., Bianey, Ljubica, Stephanie R., Victor M., Sang-Hyup, Greg H., Rohan J., and of course our RAs Adanta and Johnny F.

- The New York City trip with Sarah W. and Marisa during Winter Break. The Ukrainian Restaurant. Our free admission to the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Strand Bookstore. Riding the L Train back and forth half a dozen times!!

- All the board game nights.. with too many people to name.
- Cranium friendship drama between Sarah and Mariana lol.
- Big Taboo and harassing Bendy Bob.
- How Chandler and I should never be partners in any game.
- Meeting Sumita randomly in LateNite with Brian B.
- The Mafia game in which Sarah W. was on a killing spree.
- All my predictable responses in Poser.
- Weird guessing games with Karen W., Ashley M., and others.

- All the salsa dancing nights at MIT Salsa Dance Socials, Mambos, or BU.
- Mostly with Gretchen, Elissa, Giselle, Katie C., Kimrey, Mike C., Diego, Jackie A., Stephanie R., Stephanie S., Ankita, Nishita, Conrad, Sabrina G., Cristina, Maria M., Francesca, Sandy O., Jose E., Trevor P., and many others.
- The scarf adventure I had with Gretchen walking back from the MIT Winter Salsa Gala.
- The move I invented with Elissa at Mambos.
- Trying to dance while being tickled by Katie C.. lol

- After a year of not seeing her.. Reunion with Hyesung!!!
- Catching up on everything that happened in the past year.

- Irma’s wild birthday party with Maria C., Stephanie C., Camilo, Liz K., Fernando R., and many others.

- Chinese New Year Party at the Howard Thurman Center. My juggling performance while Sarah A. and Kathleen H. played music.

- Tricking Shakeela into thinking I have a Chinese accent.. hahaha!!

- The Back Bay Ball with Nichole F., Gabrielle J., Christine G., Gretchen, and Kimrey. (Even though I swear the guy-girl ratio at BU isn’t 1:5.)

- My birthday!!
- Allie and Laura Anne’s surprise penis cupcake for me in the dining hall. Their humping bunny and “How to Talk Dirty in Every Language” gifts for me.. hahaha.
- Sunset Cantina with Giselle, Matt R., Pat U., Yue, Mike C., Maria C., Sean P., and Carolyn the Dancing Robot Garcia.
- Hanging out in the Spanish House afterwards. Tucking Jacqueline L. into bed.. lol.
- The nearly 200 birthday wishes that flooded my Facebook wall!! Thank you!

- The Redstone Film Festival with Giselle, as Chang and Isabella sat nearby.

- Stephanie S.’s Valentine’s Day Party. Kate M. on the floor.. lol.

- The BU Pub with Maria C., Stephanie C., Betsy, Irma, Sean P., and Becca.

- The January-February birthday party at the Spanish House!!
- Our change in location.. to a more crowded dance floor?
- All my funny gifts and cards. The photos I took with Mike’s gift lol.

- The cute girl who kept following me at Shaw’s and who I finally talked to in the gum aisle.. hehe.

- Hakim and Francis’ Pajama Party with Giselle, Katie C., Gretchen, Elissa, Cristina, Bethany, Jamesy, Barbra, Vaughn, and others.
- Connect 4. Dance Partyyy.

- Having my sexuality being debated on JuicyCampus.com!! hahahaha (Although I have a feeling I wasn’t supposed to have found it entertaining.)

- SPRING BREAK IN MAINE AND QUEBEC!!!!!!!!
- With Sima, Mike, Conrad, Kimrey, Gretchen, Navin, and Brian B.
- Lighthouses, coastline, and sightseeing.
- Our super nice and cheap apartment in Quebec City.
- Croissant jokes in a French accent.
- Ferry ride. Titanic scene re-enactment with Gretchen! lol
- Truth or dare game. The most memorable dares: pants, peanut butter, upside-down, hair gel.
- The prank that Gretchen and I pulled on Kimrey!! Most amazing thing ever looool
- Menage-a-trois!!!
- The Frontenac
- Snow fights, chocolate wars, tickle wars, wrestling wars in bed, soccer in mud and ice, fights for the shower (not to be confused with shower fights).
- Montreal: Gay Village, the Olympic Stadium, the Biodome, clubbing at St. Winston Churchill’s.
- Philosophical talk with Mike and Kimrey until 7 am.
- Pickle surprise!!!
- My competition with Mike in getting hit by Kimrey and Gretchen.
- Mmmm Maine lobster.
- Shortbus.. lol
- All my blonde moments.

- Chris H.’s surprise birthday dinner at Papa Razzi with Brea, Mark C., Michelle G., Raja, and others. Everyone using their camera to take candid paparazzi photos of each other.

- Oh Henry…

- Juggling Association memories:
- With Andrew L., Michi, Victor C., Tim D., David B., Alex W., Peter Panic, and others
- My solo performance at the Alice in FitRec Land special exhibit.
- Teaching Diego to juggle in an hour!
- BU Juggling’s hot date with Habitat for Humanity during their Sleepout. We helped them promote their cause, while they helped us get some publicity too!
- BU Beach juggling.
- Juggling for the Shelton BBQ Dinner.

- Ice skating with Nichole, who tried teaching me figure skating moves. Learning the two-feet spin.

- Kill/Marry/Screw game with Sarah W., Mariana, and Brian B. It was revealed that I’d rather do a meat grinder than a certain girl who likes me…

- Hakim’s 21st birthday party at the Dugout with Francis P., Andrew J., Barbra, Abbey, and others.

- Rossella’s BU visit!
- Our subsequent late-night Facebook chat conversations.

- Plays/musicals I saw:
- “The Year of Magical Thinking” at the Lyric Stage Theater
- “Hamlet” featuring Laura Anne and Sarah G.!
- “Hair” by BU On Broadway

- The Myles oil spill and our evacuation. Seeking refuge in Katie’s room in the Spanish House lol.

- All my Tuesday man dates with Mike C. in Towers.

- My family’s visit to Boston and my sister Jasmine’s stay at BU.
- Arnold Arboretum to take pictures of flowers.
- Poser board game with Jasmine and others. How everyone thought my answers and Jasmine’s were so similar in their inappropriateness.
- Maluken Japanese restaurant with Jasmine, Kimrey, Mike C., and Gretchen.
- North End and Mike’s Pastry with Jasmine, Giselle, Sarah W., and Marisa.

- The Irish step-dancing event by BU’s Step About Boston! Ceili dance with Kelley, Liz K., Maddie, Kerry M., and others. Advance, retreat, spin. Advance, retreat, spin. Repeat, repeat, repeat.. until dizzy.

- Agganis Arena to watch the televised ice hockey championship game between BU and Miami University of Ohio!
- With Elissa, Mohamed, Abdullah, Stephanie R., Stephanie S., Ankita, Nishita, and others.
- Free ice skating while the game was on the Jumbotron.
- BU scored TWO goals in the very last minute to tie a 3-1 deficit… then scored the game-winning goal in overtime to be the national champions!!
- The celebration parade with Yue. The day was officially declared by Boston’s Mayor Menino as Terrier Day.

- Multicultural Weekend!!
- My super outgoing and enthusiastic guest Xavier N. All his salsa skillzz.
- Jokes with Xavier, Veronica B., Nichole L., and Lisette at the reception and at Shelton Late Nite when Abdullah joined us.
- Jamba Juice, Mafia, and squirrels.
- The big dinner table at Myles with hosts, guests, and some of my Spanish House friends. Brian’s ways of getting back at me while he had to be silent. Bruk’s 3 questions for me about anything.
- Jammin Thursday. Then the Friday dance party with hosts, guests, and Gretchen and Andrew B.

- The lunch with Kimrey in Warren when we put a “Reserved for Cute Girls” sign on the table next to us lol.

- Apartment hunting with Paul T., with the help of Ulrich, our real estate agent. (Let me know if you would like his services! For real estate, that is.)

- Watching the Boston Marathon with Gretchen!
- Walking to Copley to see the finish line.
- Rooting for Oscar and Dr. Bob.. haha. The two guys dressed up as red beer cups.
- Seeing my friend Eve running!

- The BU Pub with Pat and his six awesome lady friends. Senior talk. The blinking version of Mafia.

- Spontaneous midnight soccer with Marisa, Sarah W., Stephanie S., Ankita, and Nishita!!
- Bike-riding with Giselle and Abdullah. “Showering” at the sprinklers.

- Trying to keep in touch with Kayla Celeste, Erin M., Amy S., Titi, and Katie K. while they were abroad! (And I’m still looking forward to the next time I’ll see them!)

— Nom Nom Nom —

- Chinese New Year’s Eve at Shanghai Gate with Yue, Will F., Lily, Hyesung, Giselle, and Matt R.

- Homemade pasta, pizza, and mozzarella sticks at Matt R.’s place with Giselle, Afra, Paul T., and Liz K.

- Shabu Shabu hotpot restaurant with Yue, Giselle, Nayeli, Tucker, and Patrick

- Fin’s Japanese Restaurant with Chang.

- Ghetto dinners with Vaughn, Janella, Karen Z., Eliza, Mia, and others.

- Myles dinners and lunches with Laura Anne, Magie, Francis, Wei, Christian A., Maria P., Sophia, Anthia, and others.

- Unplanned dinners and chats with Lamies!

— My Courses this Semester —

COM FT 554 E1: Films of Yasujiro Ozu, with Prof. Ray Carney

- All of Prof. Carney’s inspirational tidbits for artists, based on all his famous books, essays, and articles.

CAS PS 367 A1: Industrial-Organizational Psychology, with Prof. Perlitsh

- Being the supervisor of the most awesome work team in the “organization.” Our group drawing!

- The marshmallow and snack jokes Steve and I had with the professor on the first day of organizational socialization.

CAS HI 102 A1: Emerging Modern Europe, with Prof. Backman

- My office hour chat with the TA Kathryn about the challenges and rewards of teaching.

CAS LC 112 E1: Second Semester Chinese, with Chen Laoshi and Tadd Laoshi

- Sarah A.’s hilarious comments throughout the semester! Our xiao gou jokes.

- The “Your mama” jokes that our teacher Tadd Laoshi encouraged in the oral drill session.

- Trying to memorize a 4-page freshly written script in an hour with Sarah A. lol.

SED SE 534 A1: Classroom Management for Special Education, with Kevin Koziol

- Kevin’s cheesy jokes!

- My group project with Shara and Noah.

CAS PS 572 A1: Psychology of Women, with Prof. Costos

- Giving the guy perspective on topics related to gender socialization, relationships, and media images of women.

- My encore role-play performance of Bruce the misogynist.

— Special Thanks Throughout the Four Years —

- All my professors and teachers for all the things they’ve taught me not only about academics but about life, growth, and meaning.

- My RAs: Chris, Nicolae, Aisha, Adanta, and Johnny.

- The coordinators of the Admissions Day and Overnight Program from my sophomore year until this year. This year’s: Seth, Eve, and Freddy. Thanks for recognizing all my contributions throughout the past 3 years at the closing party!

- The Chinese Students Association E-board (including Erika L. and Angela C.) for all the Chinese cultural events.

- The Alianza Latina E-board (including Francesca and Sandy O.) for all the Latino events and dance parties.

- My fellow E-board members of BU Juggling for helping to run such a smooth club the past 2 years.

- Everyone at The English High School during my media arts teaching internship this year.
- Mr. Rozas for being a great role model of a media teacher.
- All my students (including Anis, Gerardo, Philip, Natalie, Giselle S., and Kev) for indirectly teaching me about what works and what doesn’t work in guiding and building their interests in self-expression, their competency in media arts, and their confidence in their strengths.

— Superlatives Throughout the Four Years: Faculty —

Favorite professors:
- Prof. Burak (COM201)
- Ms. McHugh (Creative Writing)
- Prof. Cavalieri (Video Production)
- Prof. Donley (Writing)
- Prof. Hall (Film Criticism)
- Jan Egleson (Film Directing)
- Frank Capria (Video Post-Production)
- Prof. Costos (Social Psych Experimental; Psych of Women)
- Prof. Bernstein (Scandinavian Cinema; Porn Studies.. yes, really)
– Prof. Perlitsh (Industrial-Organizational Psych)
- Prof. Carney (Art and the Films of Ozu)

Smartest and most inspirational professor:
- Prof. Carney

Funniest professor (and possibly funniest person):
- Frank Capria

Favorite professors to keep in touch with:
- Prof. Donley
- Prof. Hall
- Prof. Costos

Favorite security guard:
- Terry (Myles on Sunday afternoons)

Favorite dining hall worker:
- Enoch (Warren Towers omelette guy)

Favorite janitor:
- John (Sleeper Hall a few years ago)

— Superlatives Throughout the Four Years: Other —

Favorite places to relax:
- bookstores: BU’s Barnes & Noble and the Borders on Boylston St.
- my bed

Favorite places to study:
- the dining hall
- my bed

Favorite places to hang out:
- just the typical dinner in a dining hall (I think the amount of fun you can have during a meal interaction is underestimated)
- the Spanish House (especially Katie, Gretchen, and Kimrey’s room.. and ESPECIALLY when they try to kick me out at 2 am.. lol)
- the FitRec for soccer (that was only when I lived at West)
- Myles Bradford Lounge for board games
- the BU Beach for juggling
- my bed

Favorite places to dance:
- Mambos for salsa/merengue
- MIT salsa socials
- Ned Devine’s Irish Pub and Club (Carolyn’s birthday!)
- Alianza Latina’s dance parties
- on the street!!

Favorite walking routes:
- the Esplanade
- Newbury Street
- the Harvard Bridge aka the Mass Ave Bridge

Favorite famous people I met:
- Barack Obama!! (I was 2 inches away from him)
- Phillip Lopate (writer, essayist, and critic).. he was hilarious in a film critic panel discussion
- Elie Wiesel (Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize winner, author of “Night”)
- Jason Alexander (Seinfeld)
- Frank McCourt (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Angela’s Ashes”)

Procrastination at its best:
- 10-page paper written in 3.5 hours about a book I skimmed (and I got an A-)
- 3-page paper written in 1.5 hours for a 500-level class with some grad students (and the professor made me read it to the whole class after giving me an A)
- 42-page partner paper written in 17 hours from 8 pm one day to 3 pm the next with one bathroom break and one 2.5 hour class to attend during that time (about 27 pages were newly written; 15 were heavily revised from old drafts) (we got an A-/B+)

Favorite film projects:
- “Ms. Boston University” BUTV series with Al, James Phillips, Amanda D., other crew, and the 12 personable, charismatic, gorgeous, and fun contestants
- “Forgive Us Our Trespasses” – short film with Garytt, Johnna, Jon H., and all our amazing actors
- “Juggling 1 2 3″ – my editing project for a 500-level post-production class.. just because the prof gave me an A- without knowing I shot it on a 3.2 MP digital camera’s video mode and edited it on Windows MovieMaker
- “Pierced” – my two-actor film about sexual tensions; starring Kelley and Jim R. (thanks again for all your help!)

Favorite writing projects:
- “My High School Through Lemons”: my memoir about my underprivileged high school. I was one of 4 out of 400 students to be chosen to read a memoir at the Coffeehouse Reading for the next semester’s COM201 students.
- How to Spell College (http://howtospellcollege.com): my blog for practical college advice presented in a hip and humorous style; it’s semi-famous on college discussion boards.
- Once We Live (http://oncewelive.com): my newly launched blog for inspirations in peace, love, and happiness. Thank you sooo much for all your words of encouragement whenever I cross-post entries on Facebook notes!

— Superlatives Throughout the Four Years: Friends —

Favorite people to bump into:
- Pat U. (especially nowadays when I rarely see him!)
- Bianey R. (the friendliest person in Myles!!)
- Brandon P. (because it’s always when he’s headed to the gym or when he’s in Myles visiting anyone but me)

Most social and outgoing / Knows everyone:
- Andrew J.
- Pat U.
- Justin W.
- Titi
- Francesca
- Jacqueline L.
- Sid E.
- Brandon P.

Has done the most for BU:
- Sid and Bruna for promoting understanding and tolerance through Hug Don’t Hate
- Lauren S. for leading BU’s chapter of UNICEF
- Hakim for pushing for a more diverse campus through the Admissions Student Diversity Board
- Noah W. for all his community service work
- Pat U. just for being super-friendly to everyone, getting people to interact, and all the small but meaningful things that resumes can’t capture

Best senses of humor:
- Carolyn G.
- Mike C.
- Brian B.
- Abdullah
- Aziz Alawadhi
- Teja

Best cooks:
- Matt R. (pasta, pizza, and mozzarella sticks)
- Conrad (baked goods!)

Best athletes:
- My friends on the men’s soccer team: Sammy A., Jin, Petur, Jon J., Jason L., Temi
- Basketball: Ibrahim K.

Most artistic:
- Kristin W. (visual arts)
- Laura P. (visual arts)
- Ariana A. (photography)
- Josh M. (photography)
- Giselle (photography)
- Jude (music)
- David G. (theater)
- Sandy S. (writing/poetry)

Best dancers:
- Paul T. (standard ballroom. have you seen the awards he’s won?)
- Gretchen (salsa, swing)
- Diego (salsa)
- Xavier N. (salsa)
- Dana S. (ballet)
- Kelley (Irish step dancing)
- Connie (hip hop)

Favorite people to discuss academics with:
- Becca (anything)
- Marisa (women’s studies)
- Afra (anything)
- Alex G. (film and art)
- Chang (film)
- Kelly G. (theater)
- Francisco S. (philosophy)

Most entertaining classmates:
- Sarah A. in Chinese class!! (”An Shanran”.. hahaha)
- Jon H.

Favorite people to eat with:
- Giselle!! (because she takes her time even more than I do)
- Miguel (oh how I miss weekend “breakfasts” with you at 4 pm)
- Hyesung (especially because of our talks during meals)

Favorite people to hug:
- Laura Anne and Allie!!
- Sid (of course.. he’s the founder and President of Hug Don’t Hate)
- Carolyn G.

Weirdest ways I met friends:
- She killed me in a game of Assassins organized by the Myles RHA. (Sarah W.)
- She slammed a door in my face. (Kaitlin C.)
- I found her wallet. (Kerry E.)
- I offered to help open her mailbox.. and then I ran away with her care package. (Laura Anne)

— The Final Farewell —

All of you were tagged in this note because regardless of how often I saw you this semester, you were still a very special part of my whole BU experience at one point or another—whether I met you at orientation or in the past few weeks. It’s not about how many times you can find your name in any of my memories notes, how many times we hung out, or how many times I even bumped into you. It’s about how big of an impression you’ve left on me.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
I know I just got done listing a million concrete memorable moments from this semester and that I did that for eight semesters, but I don’t want you to think that my four years at BU could so easily be summarized by a laundry list of events and activities.

No, they are summarized by these—as vague and general as they are:

the times we simply shared laughter,
the times we were spontaneous,
the times we broke bread together,
the times we contemplated in silence,
the times we thought through each other’s ideas,
the times we philosophized about life,
the times we taught each other,
the times we complimented each other in ways we never heard,
the times we had private conversations,
the times we dared to be vulnerable enough to reveal secrets,
the times we validated each other’s troubles,
the times we understood each other better than ourselves,
the times we inspired each other,
the times we sat together when we didn’t know anyone else,
the times we hugged when we both really needed it,
the times we danced even when there wasn’t any music,
the times we had more fun talking in our dorms than going to a party,
the times we had more fun walking than arriving at a destination,
the times we said something and knew our smiles would be simultaneous,

the first time our eyes locked,

and the one time it clicked that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

These are the real memories. These are what I could’ve posted semester after semester. And these are what will always remain more precious to me than any diploma, degree, or sheet of paper ever will.

I’m serious when I brag that I never forget anyone even remotely important in my life. I promise you that you’ve been added to that list and that you’ll remain on it forever.

You have no idea how blessed I am to have found you, to have happened upon you, to have decided to talk to you when you were but a stranger, to have been approached by you, to have been introduced to you, to have continued saying hello to you, to have invited you to places, to have been invited to places with you, and to have continued the friendship together.

Many of you will still be in Boston next year, but several of you are moving halfway around the world. But whether I’ll have the pleasure to see you again next year or whether this really is good-bye, I want you to know that physical distance will never keep us apart.

Please don’t go, many of you tell me.
I’m not, I assure you.

I may be “graduating” and moving onto the next stage of my life, but trust me when I say that everything you’ve had the good heart to give me in the past four years—whether purposely or accidentally, whether directly or indirectly, whether knowingly or unknowingly—will stay with me forever. Feeding off your compliments, your constructive criticism, your words of encouragement, your understanding, your acceptance, your laughter, and even just your simple enjoyment of my company, it was at BU that I became everything and everyone I’ve ever wanted to be.

The past four years at BU have been and always will be the most important years of my life. I’ve never been so sure of anything.

And as much as you might not believe it, it was all because of you.

The Billy Medley and Jennifer Warnes song couldn’t have said it any better:

“I’ve had the time of my life
No I’ve never felt this way before
Yes I swear it’s the truth
And I owe it all to you.”*

You’ve meant so much more to my life than you’ll ever know, and I can’t say it in any simpler way, but Thank you.

Thank you for giving me so much more than I ever asked for.
Thank you for joining me in this amazing four-year journey.
And thank you for being a part of my life and allowing me to be a part of yours.

All good things come to an end, and as much as I don’t want to say it, this is it:

Love Always—And Farewell for the Very Last Time,

Nathan

P.S. You’re invited to my graduation on Sunday, May 17th!! Details can be found at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=82060287992&ref=ts. If you need to, sign a free housing extension sheet at your RA office to stay in your room until the 18th.

P.P.S. (Hehe I said pee-pee.) Especially to my senior friends moving back home far away from here and who I will probably never see again, keep in touch!! Facebook, email, and AIM always work. Also, you can always find updates on my life at http://nathanchow.net.

P.P.P.S (Last one, I swear.) I always say this at the end of each semester, but don’t wait until the last minute to say good-bye to your friends for the summer/winter or for good. Don’t avoid the emotions because you’re too scared and want to say “I’m sure I’ll see you again sometime soon..” Just do it. It’s better to hug and say your parting words now than not at all. So what if you do it three times?

*”(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” Lyrics written by Franke Previte, Donald Markowitz, and John DeNicola.

tagged:
1. arthur cast + spanish house + others
2. seniors + high school + others
3. seniors + alumni + professors + my EHS students
4. spanish house + its honorees
5. activities: juggling + admissions hosting + BUTV + hug dont hate + leadership conference 2007 + chinese students association + alianza latina + multicultural weekends 08+09
6. myles + used to be in myles + floormates
7. myles, continued
8. uncategorized
9. uncategorized, continued

1. My ethnicity is Chinese, my country is America. I was born in California, raised in New Jersey. My high school was mostly Black and underprivileged, my college is mostly White and well-off. My favorite films and music are Scandinavian, my way of life is Latino. But I am first and foremost a human.

2. Because I was used to my high school’s demographics, I’ve always felt that at BU I’ve related better to the poor and underprivileged minority students than to the well-off kids.

3. I’m immune to fads and pop culture. I never watch TV, I don’t pretend I read the news, and I don’t care what the talk of the town is. I don’t live under a rock. I live in my own world.

4. Sometimes I have hearing problems in my left ear. Other than to two friends, this is the first time I’ve told that to anyone outside my family. It’s because asking “What?” more than three times is the only way I ever feel like a failure, especially when I pride myself on being a listener. Now that you all know, just pretend you didn’t. The last thing I need is everyone speaking too loudly.

5. I hate impromptu speaking and still need improvement on it, but I love writing speeches, practicing them, and delivering them.

6. When it comes to one-on-one interactions, I’m more of an asker and gentle listener, but when it comes to big groups and parties, I’m guilty of being an attention whore who does anything for entertainment’s sake. People who have seen me in only one type of social setting get surprised how different I can be in another.

7. I share way too many qualities of both extraverts and introverts. I’m still not sure what I am. I’m undoubtedly a people-person and a spontaneous instigator of social events, but I also cherish time going places on my own, as well as spending some Friday nights alone in a bookstore.

8. In elementary school, I was placed in Speech Therapy and ESL (English as a Second Language) classes for half a decade. Then in high school, I won nearly every English award, but I almost failed the state standardized writing test. In college, the paper I was most doubtful about eventually won the COM Memoir Contest, where I was one of 4 out of 400 to read it to the next semester’s COM201 students. To this day, 3 strangers have stopped me on the street to thank me for writing it. But the paper I loved the most had “rather poor writing style” as the very first comment scribbled on the back. Writing is the most subjective thing ever.. but it’s part of why I love it.

9. In high school, I had a perfect 800 score on the highest level SAT II Math test and on the AP Calculus BC test even when I drew a smiley face for one of the 3 word problems. Everyone thought I would pursue a career in math, but I never said that. I just let them babble about me if they didn’t really want to learn about me. I like college because no one has any assumptions about me built on years of “knowing” me.

10. I don’t get offended, disgusted, or embarrassed by anything. I think they’re signs of weakness. I also think there are no taboo topics for conversation. I love open people.

11. I read too many academic books on my own, as well as too many of the interesting and “recommended” paperback books my teachers mention briefly in lecture—but I only skim the required textbooks on the syllabus.

12. Just because I’m a film major doesn’t mean I know film history, have seen all those classics, and know what’s out in the theater (I’ve actually been to the theater only about 25 times my entire life). I watch whatever I think will enlighten me, inspire me, and relate to me. It could be a Hollywood film, a foreign film, or an independent film… although chances are that it’s one of the latter two.

13. I’ve kissed a girl of every race… except Asian.

14. I’ve never understood the girl world’s obsession with makeup and runway models. The most desirable girls I know are natural but beautiful, confident but down-to-earth. I hate it when an otherwise gorgeous girl puts shit on her face and I hate it when an otherwise gorgeous girl has that serious and “sexy” model look. Laugh or smile. It makes everyone look more attractive.

15. Ever since middle school, I don’t think I’ve ever even *thought* of hurting someone, slamming a book down, or cursing without a smile. I’ve never been able to relate to anger and frustration in real life, in movies, and in books, even though they always seem to be the norm for feelings. Am I just the odd one? When someone is angry, for some reason I just can’t get myself to believe it’s real—that someone could actually choose a path other than love and compassion.

16. I’m the least picky eater in the world. I love friends who are the same.

17. My sexual preference might be the only thing that keeps me from being gay: I like writing, keeping a journal, and being super clean and organized. I like ballroom dancing, figure skating, theater, acting, musicals, cooking, interior design, fashion, and artsy things much better than football. I listen to Celine Dion and the Backstreet Boys. I hate action movies. Other than soccer and the Olympics, I don’t follow sports. I like wearing pink. I order strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas and never beer. I give as warm of a hug to a guy as I do to a girl. I’m fine with judging men and complimenting them. I look forward to being a homemaker. I have a growing interest in a lot of studies about women, gender, and feminism. Most of my friends are female, and most of my male friends are gay.

18. I laugh at far too many things in real life and I enjoy the everyday absurdities that everyone else thinks are negativities, but surprisingly I don’t find a lot of movies, TV shows, and YouTube videos funny.

19. I think there’s more to college than academic learning: there’s social learning, interpersonal learning, leadership learning, cross-cultural learning. Boston University and the city have made me an incredibly different person than I was just a few years ago. I’m so glad I chose to come here instead of all the “brand name” universities.

20. I think there’s A LOT more to life than work. I swear by this Barbara Bush quote:
“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.”

21. I always try to inject my sense of fun and adventure into everything, especially things that are conventionally boring. Just for kicks, I’m very random.

22. My favorite compliment is that I’m weird. Who the hell would wanna be normal?

23. Everyone I meet means the world to me, although my friendliness with people I just met often makes them suspicious of my motives. I get along best with other people who love meeting people, as well as those fascinated by—not scared of—the kindness of strangers.

24. I always take notes on random, sidetracked “life lesson” tidbits in class. I still remember and live by some things my elementary school teachers told me. Next to my family and books, I think these have been the biggest influence on my personal development. The power of teaching has always amazed me. It’s why I am a teacher. I also hope my own students and campers remember my own “life lessons.”

25. Some things I’ve wanted to be that I no longer want: a police officer, a forensic scientist, an architect. Some things I still want to be: a teacher, a counselor, a professional trainer for human resources, a consultant, an author, a film director, an actor, a mayor of a small town, a psychologist, a clown doctor, a social worker, a homemaker, and always a bunny (want the story?).

26. I don’t like talking about myself, but I love writing about myself (wasn’t that obvious from this note?). In my writing, films, and other modes of expression, I seek to be so honest, naked, vulnerable, and specific that I’m universally relatable. I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my life.

the most awkward meal:

after the funeral, my family and relatives had lunch together. we had two tables in the restaurant, one for adults, the other for the kids.. and the undertakers decided to join the kids table.

i swear.. it was like a scene straight from a comedy movie. one undertaker was a chinese man who had a really dorky smile the whole time.. and the other two were big and serious american guys who seemed like his sidekick goons. during the first 10 minutes of the lunch, absolutely no one said anything at the table. meanwhile, all of us kids kept exchanging glances with each other, as if we were all thinking the same thing and at any time were about to crack up at how ridiculous the situation was.

my brother and i finally broke the silence by asking the chinese guy questions about chinese customs at funerals. when we ran out of questions, i asked the undertakers about their jobs and why they chose it.

tuesday 4/8/08

the most random thing:

at dinner with titi, miguel, alex o., chang, and ashley n., i was sitting at a table facing the swipe-in desk. one table separated mine from the swipe-in.. and two girls i didn’t know were sitting there. when i saw one of my friends swiping in, i waved at her.. and i guess the two girls i didn’t know thought i was flirting with them. they started giggling and whispering to each other. but i didn’t know it had anything to do with me until..

when they were leaving the dining hall, one of the girls came up to me and put a little raffle ticket on my table and said “call me.” i flipped the ticket over and saw “call me, babe! =)” with a phone number and “3rd floor!” written on it.

the friends i was sitting with were like.. wtf? minutes after the girls left, i used my friend’s cell phone to call the number. i was ready to play a joke back at the girls by pretending i was gay, but the person on the other line was a guy! i “flirted” with him and found out he also goes to BU.. so at least it wasn’t a random number. he was friends with the girls, but i couldn’t get him to tell me his name or the names of his friends.. haha.

thursday 4/10/08

the weather today was finally beautiful!

dinner with titi, giselle, giselle’s friend alex, and titi’s admissions guest sarah. i just met alex, but he remembers me from last year’s COM201 Coffeehouse Reading, where i was chosen with 3 other students out of 400 to read our memoirs as examples for students taking COM201 that semester. alex said he was able to identify with mine.

i’m so glad someone remembered my piece. one of my goals in life is to have my art – mainly my films and writing – inspire people and make a difference in the world. it doesn’t necessarily have to be featured in papers and be famous and whatnot, but as long as one person identified with it or was changed by it, i’m proud to have made it.

in the evening, we went to the GSU to watch the documentary “the price of sugar,” which is about sugar cane cutters in the dominican republic. we had a nice talk with the producer after the show.

afterwards, we went to “jamnesty” in the basement of the GSU, where i saw stephanie s., ankita, nishita, and lauren m.

later when the live band “spiritual rez” was performing, titi, sarah, lauren s., sid, and i danced together.

friday 4/11/08

i went to BU’s Campus Movie Fest finale. i was supposed to go with giselle, alex, and maria, but i wound up sitting with maria, erika, and clarissa.

we were sitting near my friend javier and his production group. they won “best drama”! congratulations, javi!

also congratulations to all my other friends who made a film, whether it made it to tonight’s top 16 or not. that would be too many to mention, but i’d like to say i really liked watching melody get chopped up in iris’s film! lol