nathan chow:

i love love love people who…

- love themselves enough to always be interested in improving themselves and being in control of themselves

- accept themselves enough to forgive their own weaknesses, failures, and regrets

- appreciate any type of humor anytime and anywhere

- are social and open enough to see the world as a great big community

- are easy-going and rarely get upset or angry

- are principled and would always do the “right” thing, as subjective as it is

- are incredibly real, honest, open, and vulnerable about their feelings, thoughts, and desires

- don’t think it’s cheesy or melodramatic to be constantly up-front about their love, support, gratefulness, thankfulness, and forgiveness for their family, friends, and even workers at places they visit

i love people who…

- are passionate about their work, beliefs, and hobbies

- are willing to meet and talk to people anywhere

- are willing to let go of their assumptions about strangers and find out who they really are, what emotional baggage they carry from the past, and what they dream of in the future

- are proud of their culture

- are strong enough to laugh in the face of adversity

- are fun, spontaneous, and adventurous

- are smart, academic, and dorky

- love food and the communal experience of dining together

- are artists of any sort

- hate violence, war, and pointless heated arguments (intellectual debates don’t count)

- are girls who are (in order of importance) easy-going, social, open, fun, funny, smart, friendly to everyone, beautiful (which, to me, is 75% confidence, 25% looks), spontaneous, and optimistic.. and who love artsy and creative hobbies, dancing, food, kids, and cuddling

i like people who…

- hug at hello and good-bye

- are guys comfortable with man hugs

- are secure enough about their sexuality not to get caught up in this whole silly traditional gender differences thing

- use Facebook really often

- are rarely self-conscious or embarrassed

- like having their photo taken

- like reading, writing, and learning

- wear glasses every now and then

- like dancing

- play soccer

- like theater, musicals, and acting

- like independent films

- love kids

i don’t like people who…

- are workaholics

- waste food

- don’t recycle

- can’t clean up after themselves

- complain or whine often

- don’t take the initiative to learn academic subjects and hobbies on their own if they’ve always wanted to learn them

- must depend on alcohol or drugs to be wild, crazy, and spontaneous

i hate people who…

- are too serious about everything

- believe they can’t change themselves or the world

i hate hate hate people who…

- conform

- would throw out their beautiful individuality, their dreams, and their ideas with the sole reason to impress or please others

- would follow this list JUST to please me (it’s a different story if you actually believe what i like are worthy qualities)

(not from peer pressure, but from teacher pressure, since all my teachers and profs on facebook did it..)

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.

Dear Friends,

If you’ve known me since Fall 2005, then you’re already fully aware what this note is. At the end of every semester, I write a list of memories and tag all my best friends as a way to thank them for everything they’ve done for me, as well for all the good times we’ve been through.

I still remember and would never trade my memories from freshman year, but I really could honestly say that every semester has simply gotten better at BU. This semester I was able to manage a balance between going out with “old” friends (in every sense of the word) and getting to know the dozens of new people I always seem to meet.

You’re all equally amazing, and I’d just like to remind you that as much as I would have loved to, I really can’t fit and tag every person I’ve shared memories with this semester or who I was close with in the past but could not make the time to hang out with this semester.

There’s always next (and my last) semester. But for now, here is what I was blessed with in Fall 2008:

Memories (roughly in chronological order):

- Rooming with Teddy and Angus. Teddy’s typewriter and his “podcasting.” Angus and his friend David’s sexual jokes.

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

- Kate L.’s 21st birthday with Carolyn G. and her other friends. First Sunset Cantina, then abandoning the underrage people to go bar-hopping at Joshua Tree, Our House, and Kell’s.

- Funny LateNite at Towers with Mike C., Titi, and Diego. Then drive-in movie with Mike C., Diego, Elissa, Cristina, and Maria M. Totally screwing around with people about my identity.

- Juggling Association memories
- Thank you to my co-leaders Andrew L., Michi B., and Victor C., and to our most committed members Tim K., Jan, and David B.
- Splash. Teaching people how to juggle in 10 minutes, then rewarding them with BU Juggling t-shirts.
- Juggling at the BU Beach; being visited by Northeastern’s Juggling club; soccer with Mike F. and Paul M.
- The photo of me juggling in the Daily Free Press article about the Fall Activities Expo.
- Having my juggling routine taped for the BU Today talent contest promo video.
- Brian C., one of our members, winning the BU Today talent contest with his diabolo routine! Congrats, Brian!

- Discussing the films and topics with Sandy S. at the end of our porn class every Friday.

- Discussing the films and our current film projects with Chang over lunch at the end of our Scandinavian Cinema classes.

- Party-hopping with Titi and Abdullah at 1066 and 1056 Comm Ave.

- Mafia with Mike C., Jamesy, Jennie, Gauri, Natasia, and Fernando R. (even though it was supposed to be in the dark during a power outage).

- Picnic at the Esplanade with Paul T., Brandon P., Harry K., Jan, Vanessa G., and others. The dog who dipped her tail in blue paint. Realizing Jan is a juggler when he pulled out dozens of beanbags.

- Playing truth or dare during the Myles power outage with Connie, Ken, Jimmy, Mazy, and random people.

- Instead of giving change to Melvin the Kenmore homeless guy, giving a smile, a conversation, and hope to him every day.

- Dan L.’s StuVi room for pasta-cooking with Stephanie C., Maria C., Betsy, Mike, and others. (Well, I suppose Maria did all the cooking and cleaning.)

- The Asian party with Connie, Iris, Esther, Kilo, and others at the Atrium for the Kendo club kickoff.

- The Salsa Cruise with Mike C. and Margaret. Meeting Liz T. and Sofia P.

- Serra’s 21st birthday party at the News Restaurant & Lounge with Stephanie Stachow, Brandon S., Sadaf, Kristen B., Melissa, Ece, Irem, and others. Talking to all the Turkish people about the Euro 2008 soccer tournament. Having to restrain ourselves from dancing because the restaurant didn’t have a dancing license?!

- My sister Jasmine’s visit to BU. Julie L. pretending to be her at our dinner with Kayla H., Marisa P., Erin M., Barrett, Jamesy, and others.
- Introducing her to Prunella (Sarah W.).
- Jasmine’s comments about how BU and Boston are so much friendlier than New York.

- The BU Pub with Maria C. and Jordan. Their attempt at the Quest.

- Carolyn G.’s 21st birthday party at Ned Devine’s in Quincy Marketplace with Charlotte, Loren, Rachael, Rob, and others. All the great live music.

- Chats with Terry the security guard on Sundays.

- Games Nights, first at the Honors House with Conrad and others for Jenga and the weird story game, then at the Spanish House for Cranium with Conrad, Mike C., Gretchen, Brian B., Kimrey, Lyle, and others. Lyle’s human puppeting for “lifeguard.” Going to get slurpees at 7/11 in 40 degree weather at 5 am.

- Watching my acting teacher David Gram’s production of “Bug” with Kelly G. That play was amazingly intense! As expected, great work, David!

- The Walk for Autism at Suffolk Downs (where Seabiscuit once ran) with Sarah W., Kayla H., Erin M., Amy S., Mariana B., Ileana, Abby B., Dana P., and Carl. The scarf team (I’m still so jealous of them).

- Brian B., Mike C., and Anastasia bumping into me at 7/11. Playing volleyball on Comm Ave at midnight with them.

- The “Power Grid” board game with Abdullah, Trang, Matt M., Owen, and others.

- Trying to get inappropriate dialogue on Overheard at BU with Becca M. (No matter how loud or explicit we were, we failed.)

- Francis P. and Hakim’s party with Jamesy, Andrew J., Desa, James E., and others. Being the Asian at a mostly Black party. Dancing. Meeting Vaughn W., Janella, Morgan S., Vanessa M., Sacha P., and Nina S. (Sacha, don’t open your presents early!)

- The Halloween party at the Spanish House (organized by Kimrey, Gretchen, and Katie C.) with Mike C., Jamesy, Elissa, Sima, Jackie A., Conrad, Brian B., Matthew P., Engin, Andrea Z., Anastasia, Casey, Bethany, Jennifer V., Cristina, Chandler, Navin, Stephanie M., and others. (I went by who was included in my album’s photos. Sorry if I forgot you!) Dressing up as Arthur and using Mike C.’s whip. Playing Mafia, Twister, truth or dare, and “never have I ever.”

- The Halloween Charity Ball run by Lauren S. and UNICEF. Dancing with Aziz Alawadhi and his friend. Meeting Veronica and Sara. All the UNICEF E-board members winning the raffle drawings.

- Halloween party-hopping with Sarah W., Kayla H., Marisa P., and Ileana. First to a rave party with Erin M., Andew R., and others. Then to David Lee’s party. Then to Mike C.’s friend’s place, where I coincidentally saw Brian B. and Myles 3rd floor annex residents.

- Pachanga with Elissa, Gretchen, Bethany, Conrad, Katie C., Cristina, Stephanie R., Jamesy, Abdullah, Stephanie Santana, Ankita, and others. The dance I owed to Jackie A. The train Jacqueline L. and I *tried* starting. Sandy O.’s dance moves.

- Visiting and distracting Marisa P. in the Women’s Resource Center.

- Celebrating Obama’s victory in Kenmore Square. Think of it as a civilized and political Red Sox riot.

- Meeting the twins Gabrielle and Jessica R. Late-night conversations with Gabrielle on Facebook Chat.

- Jasmine’s revisit to BU. Brazilian restaurant for dinner.
- Playing Poser with Jasmine, Jamesy, Connie, Kristin N., and Zhenia.
- Jasmine’s planting of eye stickers all around Myles. I’m sure you’ve seen them staring at you…
- Poser again with Jasmine, Jamesy, Giselle, Stef, Fernando O., Marisa P., Janella, and Allison S. All my answers about Stef and Fernando. Marisa as the Lawnmower. Giselle thinking time is sexy (and my pun comment about it). Trying to cheer up Allison =).

- COM Prom at the Boston Hyatt with Mike C., Elissa, Yue, Yue’s friends, Marianna B., Charlie, Ashlie, Stephanie Santana, Ankita, and Nishita. The super crowded T we rode back. My comments and games to make the whole squished ride more entertaining for everyone.

- Surprise birthday party for Francis P. at Hakim’s place. The candid photo I took of Francis..

- Noah’s 21st birthday party at Wonder Bar. Pretending to be Carolyn G.’s boyfriend for a night. Everyone dancing with champagne.

- Jammin Thursday’s Latino Fuego dance with Kristin W., her friends, Gretchen, Katie C., Stephanie R., Vaughn, Mariana B., and others.

- Origins dance show starring Erin M., Dana S., Sarah S., and Langston F. Finally seeing Dana dance!

- Kirby’s “Sinners and Saints” party with Langston F., Sweta V. (who I hadn’t seen in 3 years), and her friends Alex T. and Mariel. I dressed up as an angel out to protect the world from sinners.

- Abdullah (no, it really wasn’t my idea) waking up Brian B. from his nap. Our long conversation about signs of gayness lol.

- Watching the Ballet Variations show “Giselle” with Dana S. (And yes, that would be gay.)

- Thanksgiving at Aunt Connie’s house. Our cute but violent cousins Trevor and Tyler. Scattergories with my sister, cousins, and cousins’ current boy/girlfriends Tansal and Mandy.

- Pig and whale jokes with Laura Anne and Allison S.!

- Board games with Brian B. and Weronika.

- The Holiday Party at the Spanish House. Our white elephant gift exchange. I got a big penis water bottle, along with boob and butt lollipops. Dance party. Never Have I Ever. Truth or dare.

- Jon Jonsson’s concert for Darfur in BU Central. Seeing Jin, Petur, and other soccer players there. You’re so talented, Jon. Keep inviting us to your concerts!

- Watching “Lizzie Stranton” the modern-day Lysistrata with Kelly G. and seeing Kirby star in it.

— Nom nom nom yumminess: —

- Asian restaurants with Connie and Iris: China Pearl for dim sum, Le’s for Vietnamese, and Nud Pob for Thai.

- The Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant Asmara with Titi, Giselle, Paul T., Jan, and Matt R. Bumping into a gazillion people we knew.

- Brazilian restaurant Muqueca (or Muquec-shark) with Jasmine, Giselle, Paul T., Matt R., and Trevor P.

- Matt R.’s homemade pasta and appetizers with Giselle, Titi, and Abdullah.

- The Turkish restaurant Brookline Family Restaurant with Mike C., Katie K., and Kimrey. My request for the waitress to belly dance for us.

- Nud Pob with Yue, Giselle, and Chang when it was supposed to be Shanghai Gate!

- Baking cookies at the Spanish House with Brian B., Conrad, Katie C., Elissa, Abdullah, Sima, and others. Being trapped in Jackie A.’s creepy basement with Mike C.

- The $80 vanilla and coffee cakes my cousins bought from the Upper West Side for our Thanksgiving party.

- The Multicultural Dessert night with Vaughn, Janella, Giselle, Conrad, and Rossella.

- Late dinners with Stef, Fernando O., Magie, Francis R., and Wei

- Random lunches or dinners with Alex O., Alex G., Matt M., Francisco S., Josh M., Mohamed T., Laura Anne, Allison S., Anthia, or Maria P.

— Famous people I met: —

- Dan Rather at his special lecture about the presidential election.

- Seamus Heaney, Nobel Laureate for Literature/Poetry, at his reading.

- Daryl Davis, a Black musician who befriended KKK members by using music, conversation, and a willingness to listen. He even inspired dozens of them to quit the group.

— Special thanks: —

- Erika Lam and the rest of the Chinese Students Association E-board for organizing all the Chinese culture events

- Francesca, Sandy O., and the rest of the Alianza Latina E-board for organizing all the Latino dance events and parties

- Evelyn, Seth, and Freddy for running a smooth Day/Overnite program at the Office of Admissions

- Sid, Lauren S., Bruna for all their BU events promoting love, kindness, and understanding

- Adanta and Johnny F. for being cool RAs (even though they never know the answers to my super odd questions)

- My students at The English High School for teaching *me* more than I could ever imagine teaching *them*

- Mr. Rozas at EHS for being a great role model of a teacher

- My 5 friends who volunteered to be guinea pigs in my social psych experiment. You know who you are.

- The prospective students I hosted or met this semester: Clara W., Brooke L., Lauren W., Cornell J. Good luck with the college admissions process! I hope you get into and are happy at your first choice!

— My courses this semester: —

COM FT553 C1 The Profane with Prof. Bernstein

- Watching pornographic and sexual films for their academic merits in women’s studies, gender theory, feminist theory, and sex studies.

- The only class in my life where “2 Girls, 1 Cup” was discussed by the teacher.

- Highly recommended.

COM FT553 E1 New Scandinavian Cinema with Prof. Bernstein

- Learning about films made with my favorite production style (raw, realistic documentary-like fiction).

CAS HI307 A1 History of War with Prof. Nolan

- All the sex jokes at our erotic History of War study group with Javi, Seth, Amy M., and others.

CAS PS326 A1 Experimental Social Psychology with Prof. Costos

- Acting in our funny role-playing skit with Tedi, Matt, Ellen, and Ryan.

- Giving gum to Claire almost every day lol.

- Writing our frickin 42-page research paper about the correlation between ethnic identity and self-esteem with Lisa D. Working on the paper from Tuesday 8 pm to Wednesday 3 pm in Cummington with just two short breaks. Hitting “Print”!!!

- Recommended as the required experimental psych course.

SED ED211 A1 Emerging Technologies in Education with Amy

- My teacher and classmates loving my blog for current college freshmen: http://howtospellcollege.com

SED ED250 A1 Community Service in an Urban Setting with Prof. Shane

- Volunteering in Mr. Rozas’ media classes at The English High School (an underprivileged inner-city school with the distinction of being America’s first public high school).

- All the ways the school reminded me of mine.

- All the awesome students I had!! (Anis and his inspirational college essays about life in Somalia. “Lil” Kev and his matching shirt colors with me. Gerardo and his independent projects. Giselle S. and her talented writing. Philip and his discount card. Natalie and the funny horoscopes she wrote for the school paper. All the students who took a BU writing course.)

— Superlatives: —

Favorite alumni still in touch with the BU community: Brandon P. and Jan

Favorite place to relax: the Borders bookstore on Boylston

Favorite place to hang out: the Spanish House

Hosted the best parties/events:
- Hakim and Francis P.
- Katie C., Gretchen, Kimrey, Sima
- Kirby
- Alianza Latina

Favorite people to bump into (even though we don’t hang out–even though that must change!): Shira, Patrick U., Samuel A.

Funniest moment: My conversation with Jamesy about the sexual undertones in “Walden” as Teddy and Hoon were cracking up.

Funniest quote:
Ambar’s quote about women riding mechanical bulls

Favorite things said to me:

- From Sacha P. in October (wall post):
So on a scale from one to ten, how drunk were you that night?? You were HILARIOUS. lol
(The answer is zero, by the way. I responded and told Sacha that I don’t need alcohol to be fun or crazy.)

- From Carolyn G. in November (in person):
Oh my God, will you stop talking to every other person on the street? We’re late already!

- From Vaughn W. in December (in person):
Nathan Chow, what’s BU gonna do without you next year?

- From Laura Anne in October (wall post):
Why do your facebook msgs always make me smile? Reading it seriously brightened a really shitty day I’ve been having… :)

— My goals for next semester: —

- Figure out what I want to do in my two or three years between graduation and grad school. Yeah, that would be a good idea.

- Deliver the undergraduate commencement speech at either the COM graduation or the all-university graduation, or at least publish a “goodbye to BU” letter in the Daily Free Press.

- Win one of the top three prizes for the Fleder-Rosenberg Screenplay Contest at the 2009 Redstone Film Festival.

- Keep in touch with Mr. Rozas and my students at The English High School.

- Learn to salsa dance even better. (Anyone wanna practice with me? Preferably in Myles?)

- Be a regular but unofficial visitor to Professor Costos’ Psych of Women class.. on top of the 20 credits I’m taking again.

- Write, produce, direct, and act in three of my own short films.

- Write more entries in my personal blog, my blog for college freshmen, and my blog about inspiration and life improvement.

- Get my roommates Teddy and Angus to be on Facebook.

- See Trang grow up.

- Get Brian B. to dance to one song in public. (Who’s with me on this one?)

— Closing Statements —

I’m looking forward to Spring 2009, my very last semester at BU. But I’m also always looking backward at everything I’ve had the good fortune to experience with those close to me.

One more semester to go…

For those of you who will be here in the spring, I don’t have a bit of doubt that my last semester with you will be as memorable and precious as those in the past.

And for those of you who will be studying abroad (and sadly there are many), other than your return in May, this is pretty much goodbye and farewell. I remember every important person in my life, and you’re no exception. While you’re having the time of your life in another country and then back at home, shoot me a line and I’ll always be glad to keep in touch with you to see how you’re doing.

You can find updates on me and my life at my personal site: http://nathansc.com.

For everyone:
Have a happy, relaxing, and joyous holiday season and a prosperous new year. Be warm. Be safe. And be grateful.

Love Always,
Nathan

P.S. I wanted to write this little bit as a separate note, but since I’ve tagged so many of you in these memories already, here’s the last thing I want to say:

It sounds really cheesy, but don’t wait until the last minute to say goodbye to your friends for college winter break. And especially don’t tell them, “Oh, you’re leaving in a few days? We’ll definitely see each other again..” It just doesn’t work that way–not for winter break goodbyes, not for real life. You might as well say goodbye two or three times than not at all.

Dear Friends,

This is the list of memories you helped me make this semester:

- My floormates on the 6th floor of Myles: Allen C., Walker, Connie, Serra, Britney (_?), Rebecca L., Caroline E., Bianca, Stephanie S., Nikita, Anshita (I did that on purpose, I swear!), Ahalya, Leighann, Michael K., Nick C., Valentina, Nicolae (most corruptive RA ever.. lol), Brian, Bakr, Monika, Julie M., Jodi, Sara P., Ashley N., Christina G., Jalpa, Aiesha, Sarah S., Joon, Francine, Hilah, Kathryn, and Patrick U.

- The “Fall 07″ Admissions party that was postponed from last semester. Talks with Samantha B. and Shari. The really good chicken strips.

- Intermediate Salsa class with Conrad, Kristen H., Kristin W., Maya, Andrea Z., and Lauren N. There were actually more guys than girls in a dance class!

- Ice skating class with Katie D., Diana S., and Josh S. Figure skating talks with the teacher Barbara (the sweetest lady ever). Trying to make a juggling routine while skating.

- Film Directing class with just five other students. In addition to directing some episodes of “Law and Order,” our teacher Jan Egleson was an instrumental part of the beginning of Boston’s independent filmmaking.
- Jim and Kelley acting in my film “Pierced,” which is based on a short play about a girl who pierces her belly button months after a break-up. For my actors: Again, thank you so much for all your time and effort!
- Acting in Jessica L.’s film with Kelley. Our entertaining rehearsal, which took me quite a while to get serious.

- Video Post-Production class with Professor Capria, who will be one of the few Avid product designers next year. All his hilarious quotes. Craig H. and I even collected a whole list of them.

- Waiting for the BU Bus in SED with Sarah W. and her friends, who I wasn’t introduced to yet–aside from Erin, my stalker. Eating dinner at West Campus with Stephanie C., Maria, Camilo, Jordan, and Dan L. while Sarah’s table was right next to ours.

- The Agganis Arena Free Skate with Jacqueline L. and her friends Kendall, Christine, and Shu-Lin. Teaching Michael (_?) how to skate. And of course seeing Melody, Tetyana, Ariana, and Jenn K. there.

- Dinner at West with Sarah W. and her friends. Finally “officially” meeting Kayla H. and Marisa P.

- Free skate hours being cancelled (again) when I tried going with Stephanie C., Maria, and Jordan.
- Plan B: Hanging out in Stephanie and Maria’s suite, then T Anthony’s.

- Lunch at the Jamaican restaurant Ortanique with Mike C., Katie K., and Sabrina. Our neverending but adventurous walk. Later in the semester we also went to Bombay Cafe.

- Salsa Gala at the Cambridge Hyatt with Jacqueline L., Josh M., Arjun, Giselle, Andres, Clarissa, Nayeli, Shu-Lin, Kendall, Meg, Peter L. and many others. Meeting Jen and Erika and walking back with them. Seeing Vanessa G. and her friends there. Meeting Lauren M., Shira, and Rachel F.

- Giving Jen and Erika a tour of Myles, and them giving me a tour of the Spanish House.. lol.

- Lunches with some homeless robot named Carolyn Garcia. Our conversation on how to stop people from having sex. During one of our lunches in the GSU, we even saw Kal Penn, the Indian guy from “Harold and Kumar.”

- Going to the Korean Culture Show but not its afterparty. Skipping the Latino Culture Show but going to its afterparty.
- The Korean Culture Show.. starring Connie, Dan L., and Jin. Watching it with Stephanie C., Maria, Betsy, and several others. Meeting Stephanie’s boyfriend Laith. The rice cakes that were a waste of Laith’s time.. lol.
- Climax, the Latino Culture Show’s afterparty. Dancing with basically the same crowd as the one that watched the Korean show.. plus the crowd from the Salsa Gala.. plus Miguel.. plus Natasha B.. plus people I just met. The shady guys I had to stop from dancing with my female friends lol.

- The big Superbowl party at Agganis Arena with ice skating and free food. Skating with Stephanie C., Maria, and Jordan. Finally being able to skate backwards. Becca M., Mike M., Aziz Alawadhi (I can’t just say Aziz A. because I know three of them!!), Alex O., and Natasha B. coming later.

- Chinese New Year’s Eve! The New Year dinner in the dining halls (even though they served it on the wrong day).

- The Choral Society’s performance by Kayla H., Amy S., and Kelly G. Accidentally going in early and being the only one in the audience lol. Later Sarah W., Marisa P., Erin, Scott M., and Sandy S. came in at the right time to join me.

- My autobiographical video of me juggling. I used the video function on my 3.2 MP digital camera to tape it, then Windows Moviemaker to edit it.. and this was for a 500-level post-production class (and I got an A-). Miguel, thank you for helping!

- Going to the FitRec with Connie, Kristin N., and Vivian. Connie’s attempt to teach me how to dance hip-hop. Super88 and Lollicup afterwards.

- Sunset Cantina with Will A. and Titi for my 21st birthday. Mario Kart 64 with Miguel, Christian A., Allen, Stephanie S., and.. Nishita?

- Redstone Film Festival with Chang and Isabella. Andrea N., Emily W., and Sandy S. and her friend Rachel sat nearby too. Congrats to my TA Jenny for winning second place!

- Being invited to play Mafia in the GSU with some random people and my prospective student Jon. I met Gabrielle, Kayla R., Chengwen, Sherry, Nick(?), and a few others.

- Staring contest with Andrew R.!! It went on for over 30 minutes while everyone else at the dinner table was cracking up at our jokes. Eventually we called it a tie, but I think I was closest to losing–especially when he was about to take his pants off.

- Watching “The Wind in the Willows” with Giselle after we found out the “Magic Flute” opera was sold out.

- Watching “Waiting for Godot” with Kelly G. It was directed by our acting teacher David G.

- Guess who talked to me on AIM? KEITH!!!

- Failing miserably at predicting this year’s Oscars (13 out of 24 correct). Three years ago I was tied for 3rd on oscar.com. Was that luck, or was this bad luck?

- Monday lunches with Connie, Iris, Esther, and others–but not with a certain someone I didn’t meet.. (inside joke)

- Dinners in the corner of the dining hall with Laura S., Andrew B., Ann M., Brian, and others.

- Dinners with Aziz Alawadhi, Alex O., Alex G., Michael T., Davide, Igor, and the rest of the international kids in Myles, along with Owen and Trang (who needs to grow up..).

- Random lunches with Teja, Paul P., and others.

- Random dinners with Lily, Sena, and Tiffany.

- Playing the board game “Poser” with Walker, David Y., Stephanie S., and the prospective students JC and Marcus (Swedish pride!!). All the sexual answers.

- Spring Break back home in New Jersey. Scattergories with my brother Jordon and sister Jasmine. SNACKAGE and obscure foreign films with my sister.

- Hosting Eve and Blessing when we saw the Jonas Brothers van getting ready for their concert.

- Asian Student Union’s Free Malaysian Food Night with Yue, Maria, Camilo, and Titi. Camilo’s comments when he got seconds and thirds.

- Titi’s house party with Stephanie C., Maria, Camilo, Jordan, Liz, Hakim, Francis, Katie B., and the Berklee kids I met. How I ruined the movie association game that went on for hours.. hahaha.

- Hanging out in the Performing Arts House with Giselle, all those silly actors and music majors, and the prospective students Danny P. and Chris D. Later going to Charlie and Nick G.’s room in Myles with Brandon P. Danny and Ashlie taught me enough inappropriate sign language.

- Watching the inappropriately dubbed fake “Arthur” episode with Sarah W., Marisa P., Kayla H., Erin, and Andrew R.

- The Dance Marathon with Stephanie S., Ahalya, and several others.

- My grandpa’s funeral =(
- Rest in peace, Yeah-Yeah (Cantonese for the grandpa on the father’s side of the family)
- The most awkward meal EVER. It was with my brother, my cousins, and three of the.. undertakers.

- Step About Boston’s Irish step-dancing event with Pedro, Liz, and Kelley.

- The random “Call me, babe!” raffle ticket and phone number I got from the two girls who thought I was waving at them.

- Jamnesty with Titi, Lauren S., Sid, Stephanie S., Nishita, Ankita, and Titi’s admissions guest Sarah A. Dancing to the live band “Spiritual Rez.”

- “G-0-7″ with Aziz Al-Harbi, Kavyon, and Jay, even though I still don’t know what it means lol.

- The Campus Movie Fest screening for BU films. Congrats to all my friends whose film made it to the screening, especially to Javier, who won “Best Drama.”

- Allen’s lazy (but nice) ass driving me and Walker to Super88. And no, I’m not complimenting your butt.

- Fleeting conversations with Study Lounge Girl lol.

- Multicultural Day:
- Meeting other hosts. Cassie and Yolanda trying to guess my major.
- The No-Laughing Contest. Hakim and Francis urged me to participate, and eventually I won (and got a free BU shirt). About 8 different people tried making me laugh. (I’m actually always laughing at everything, but if I want, I can keep a reeeally straight face.)

- Juggling at the BU Beach with Andrew L., Michi, Pedro, Sid, and many others. Teaching people how to juggle (and for the most part, failing).

- My recycling buddies Anthia and Bianca! lol

- Playing Mafia–oh wait, no, it was Taboo–with Stephanie S., Titi, Dave S., Ankita, Nishita, Nicolae, and Geetika(?).

- Watching Paul T., Vanessa G., Hawke, and Sarah Wong kick ass at the MIT Ballroom Dance Competition with Brandon P. Paul and Vanessa won first place overall in their division!

- Taking pictures of the Boston Marathon with Josh M. I saw the winners, Lance Armstrong, and plenty of.. unique.. people.

- *Finally* a game of Mafia with Stephanie S., Serra, Miguel, Stef, Fernando, Ashley N., Aziz Alawadhi, Shruti, Jennie, Randy, and the prospective student Vandy. Later two random people, Alan and Natalie, joined us in the blinking version of the game.

- Juggling for peace at Marsh Plaza with Andrew L., Sid, and Emilio when the Juggling Association was helping to promote the Peace Concert. Lauren S. and Jenna were playing with the diabolos.. haha.

- The Asian Beauty Pageant. Connie, Jon L., Joon, Hawke, Sarah Wong, and a few others I knew were in it.

- The West Campus Carnival with Stephanie C., Maria, and Betsy. The sumo wrestling outfits, the mechanical bull, our Cosmopolitan photo, and the balloons we made.

- “Wholesome goodness” dinners with Patrick U. and Ashley M.

- Peace Concert with Titi, Stephanie S., Nishita, Ankita, Becca M., and Mike M. Braddigan and some other bands played there.

- Hanging out at the Dugout with Professor Capria and my classmates.

- Watching our teacher’s “Billy in the Lowlands” film at the famous Brattle Theater with Patty and her friend. The mysterious grumbling noises we kept hearing.

- The Admissions End-of-the-Year Party. For the second semester in a row, winning most active host overall in the Day and Overnight Program.

- Going to our friend Jon Jonsson’s musical performance at T’s Pub with Samuel.

- Connie and Iris’s plans to come to my room to bother me… during finals week. (Why am I making this a memory? This will only encourage them more next year..)

- More Mafia.. this time with Titi, Billy, Ted, Andrea (_?), Maria, Miguel, Christian A., and James (_?). The weird card game Ted proposed.

- The Vampire Party, hosted by Rayan, Marisa P., and others. We had to dress in “clans.” Mine was hobos for guys and Catholic schoolgirls for girls.
- Some people I knew there: Erin and Andrew R. (even though they left super early lol), Joon, and Emeri.
- Some people I met there: Heather, Kat (I think she and I were the only ones to follow our clan’s dress code), Karna, and Juan and his girlfriend.
- The ribbons we had to wear. If we took someone else’s off, we were able to make them do whatever we wanted. Uhhh, yeah.. that was intense.
- The girl who remembered me from freshman year salsa class.. and what she said about me from back then lol.

- Francis and Hakim’s Game Night. Uno Stacko (basically Jenga) with Dave S. Scattergories with Francis, Josh M., and Francisco.

- My plans with Marisa P. to hijack a cart lol.

- Watching the university and COM graduation ceremonies. Congrats to all my senior friends! I’ll miss you guys!

Special thanks to:
- Nicolae, for being one of the top 2 RAs out of the 2 I’ve ever had
- Angela C., for leading all the events run by the Chinese Students Association this year
- The committee that put the Peace Concert together, including Sid, Lauren S., Bruna, Jenna, Melissa K., Sarah S., and Aisha. (Sid, I still remember when you confidently and enthusiastically pitched the idea to the SAO Consortia meetings. I’m so glad it turned out to be such a huge success!)
- All the Admissions Day and Overnight coordinators, for pairing me up with awesome guests
- All my admissions guests this semester: Jon P., JC, Marcus R., Blessing, Eve, Chris D., Danny P., Nina S., Bill R., Vandy, KC (Multicultural Day #2), Justin B. (Multicultural Day #3), and Andrea B. (unofficially lol). It was a pleasure getting to know all of you. For those coming here next year, welcome to BU! And for everyone, good luck with all your future goals!

Classes this Semester:
COM FT526 Directing the Theatrical and TV Film, with Jan Egleson (highly recommended)
COM FT504 Video Post-Production I, with Prof. Frank Capria (highly recommended)
CAS EN175 Literature and the Art of Film, with Prof. Leland Monk
CAS PS251 Psychology of Personality, with Prof. Richard Ely
PDP SK101 Basic Skating, with Barbara Pinch
PDP DA214 Intermediate Salsa, with Anne Marie Paul

Things I Learned:
- The difference between Ankita and Nishita. Wait.. nevermind.
- Aziz Alawadhi’s REAL birthday.. haha.
- That if I read the assigned books before writing a paper about them, I get stuck with a B+. If I don’t, I always get an A-. I’m keeping that in mind for next year..
- That BU has a lot of random Camp Lohikan connections. One camper’s sister was a COM freshman here this year. Someone in my salsa class went to high school in Egypt with a counselor. One of my admissions guests used to be a camper at Lohikan’s sister camp, Camp Cayuga. One Multicultural Day host’s roommate’s sister was a camper last year.. and she helped me cross-dress for the Ms. Lohikan pageant…
- And last, but not least: that I look like Arthur the cartoon character (apparently).

The Numbers:
Number of times I was featured in the Daily Free Press: 1
Number of times I was featured in “Overheard at BU”: 2
Number of times I saw the Comm Ave Jogger Guy: about 5, all of them past midnight
Number of all-nighters: 3 (for studying, not for something else, you perverts)

The Superlatives:
- Best sense of humor: Mike C., Aziz Alawadhi
- Least lame: Miguel, Giselle
- Most awkward moment: Eating lunch with the undertakers.
- Funniest moment: Watching the inappropriately dubbed fake Arthur episode with Kayla H., Erin, Marisa P., Andrew R., and Sarah W.
- Favorite person to have meaningful conversations with: Ari
- Funniest quotes:
- 1) Carolyn G.: “At 10am tomorrow, i will attempt to reattach a severed cerebellum i removed on my own volition before my professor finds out.”
- 2)
mom: nathan, how did you meet him?
dad: why are you asking him so many questions?
mom: it’s good to ask questions to your children. it shows you care.
nathan: (sarcastically) he’s my drug dealer.
mom: see? at least now i know they have a good friendship going on.

Again, thank you for all the memories (and your time if you actually read this whole thing lol). Sorry I couldn’t include everyone in this note, nor could I tag everyone in it. But as always, I enjoyed your company, whether it was at a planned event or at an impromptu meal.

I’ll miss you guys over the summer, but I’ll also be looking forward to an even better year in my last at BU.

Keep in touch. I’m still making plans, but as for now, I’ll be in the NJ and New York City area. Let me know if you’d like to meet up.

Have a great summer. Be cool. Be safe. Be grateful. And all the other things your mother would tell you.

Love Always,
Nathan

thursday 4/3/08

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

i usually get through everything in life fine. you can throw anything at me, and either i’ll have the strength and endurance to fight it or i’ll have the attitude to not care about it. but even if i got through this week, i’ll have to admit that it was one of the roughest i’ve ever had – rough enough to leave me scarred.

i had a test monday; a paper due wednesday; a quiz wednesday; a project to prepare, film, and edit; lots of reading to catch up on; a bunch of meetings and gatherings; and my grandpa’s funeral to go to on thursday. i barely slept each night, and i had to squeeze in short naps in my little free time just to prevent my eyes from burning. having teary eyes at the funeral and standing near a pot of burning incense didn’t help much either (at chinese funerals, we burn things like play money so the dead can spend it in heaven).

to top it all off, when i was getting back into the car at the cemetery, the corner of the swinging door left a bloody scratch under my right eye. after i bowed three times to grandpa in his coffin, traditionally i wasn’t supposed to look back at the coffin. so i was opening the door while staring at the ground, and the funeral car doors were heavier and longer than i expected. the top corner scratched my face and left me an apt reminder of the battle i survived this week.

at the end of the week on friday, i fell back on my own “religions”: Kindness, Hope, and Trust. (under religious views on my facebook profile, i have “Kindness, Hope, and Trust are the world’s greatest religions.” one of my friends, a writer for the daily free press, mentioned it in her article about faith last year.)

anyway, on friday, i pointed out a dropped ipod to its owner, i helped a random prospective student and his family find directions, and i helped out a (new?) resident with her mailbox in the mailroom. i usually do stuff like that, but more than ever, this time they were nice reminders that under all the hardships and adversity, there is still meaning in this hustle and bustle we call life.

i Hope things will get better. no, i Trust they will.

my yeah-yeah (cantonese for grandfather on my father’s side) passed away last week on friday, march 28th. he lived a long and happy life (1914-2008) as an artist, painter, restaurant owner, father, husband, and grandfather.

(the photo: my grandparents with their grandkids. i’m the little rascal who wouldn’t stay in place. my brother is in checkers. the other two kids are my cousins. my sister jasmine and cousin tiffany weren’t born yet.)

yeah-yeah and i never had a long conversation with each other because of a slight language barrier (my limited chinese and his limited english), but we were still able to express ourselves with bits and pieces of chinese and english, with body language, and with touch. despite our not being close in the conventional sense, he was still one of my favorite relatives. i’ll always look up to his artistic ability, his calmness, and how he would never hurt a thing.

my mom and my sister were at his bedside in the hospital when he left this world. when he was approaching his death, my mom told him to wait for me.. and he started breathing again. i was supposed to visit him the next day, but he still left that evening =/

a few days after his death, a photo of him fell down from my desk shelf (the same picture i posted here). none of the other 50 pictures of family and friends ever fell.

yeah-yeah, thank you for everything you’ve done for the family, for your inspirational art that will continue to be passed around the world, and for just being you. we’ll miss you dearly.

- nathan

tuesday 3/25/08

i hosted danny and chris overnight. i showed them the fitrec (guests are always impressed with it), then we played pool in the GSU basement. we each had our own table and raced to see who could get all the balls in first. we.. all.. sucked..

later on we met up with giselle again so she could show them the performing arts house in south campus. both my guests were interested in BU’s theater program, but other than one acting class i took, i didn’t know enough about it, so the people at the house really helped out a lot by talking about their experiences in CFA.

late at night, we hung out in another overnight host’s room with a bunch of other people. danny and ashlie, who i just met, taught me enough sign language to say inappropriate things.

thursday 3/27/08

every month or so, BU dining halls have a special theme night or a visiting chef. some reeeally delicious theme nights in the past were lobster night (yes, every student got a lobster), western bbq night, and chinese new year night (last year’s was a lot better than this year’s).

tonight was a visiting chef night, where they served food from a famous boston restaurant – this time, toro, a spanish restaurant in the south end. i had: (most of these descriptions are from their menu)

- juicy smoked beef
- a mini kobe hamburger with smoked tomato, alioli, and pickled red onion
- a grilled and buttered cob of corn
- toasted bread rubbed with tomato and garlic, finished with spanish olive oil – a totilla espanola (egg, potato, onion omelet)
- churros con chocolate (spanish fried dough with chili infused chocolate sauce)

i’ll be willing to say that the churros con chocolate was one of the top 10 things i’ve ever had in my life. i’m kinda desperate to go to the restaurant and order just that.

it’s nights like these that make BU’s dining halls some of the best in the country. mmmm.. i go to college to eat.

saturday 3/29/08

i went to bombay cafe for dinner with mike c., katie, sabrina, sabrina’s boyfriend will, and katie’s friend danika. i had the chicken saagwala, which was spinach mixed with chicken. the “nan” bread was good to dip into the bowl of chicken covered heavily in sauce. we actually had to pay for the nan, but the waiter gave us seconds for free. the food was better than average, but the serving sizes were relatively small, especially for their prices.

at night i went to the BU dance marathon, which is an 18-hour dance to raise money for camp heartland (camp for kids with AIDS) and the elizabeth glaser pediatric AIDS foundation. i was there as a visitor for only 2 hours, but some of my friends – stephanie s., vanessa s., gabby, brooke – were official “dancers” there for the whole 18 hours. i was originally registered as a dancer, but i couldn’t make it for personal reasons. anyway, when i showed up, a bunch of my friends told me that i was called up to the stage before. i asked one of the volunteers why, and she said someone had a make-a-wish for me to irish step dance??!!