Sunday, April 26, 2009
limmy-log
I've started a tumblr blog, at http://limmy-log.tumblr.com/ in preparation for the summer and the year away at Oxford. It takes up much less time, to publish posts here, and I'd like to include friends outside of Singapore in the viewership, so I'm eventually going to link it to my facebook account and twitter it out. You get first peek! (not much up there yet though)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Down to the last 3 weeks.
We're down to our last 3 weeks of school here at Tufts for this Spring 2009 semester. One of my classes, Digital Democracy in the 21st Century, which I took with the ExCollege, just ended this evening, and I'm feeling sufficiently nostalgic over it to be temporarily (or not so temporarily) inhibited in my capacity to get on with actual school work. So here I am, engaging in what I like to term constructive procrastination.
My Digital Democracy class is of course only one piece of a larger puzzle as to why I'm feeling particularly nostalgic (read: emo) at this time. Let me attempt to give you an exhaustive list of the pieces as I find them in this moment:
(1) Digital Democracy: As I wrote to our instructors, Josh and Patrick, in Thank You notes to them, one really just can't ask to meet and be taught by people so passionate and knowledgeable, so personally involved and positioned on the cutting edge of their field. The past 13 weeks of learning about digital tools and how they've been used to affect societal realities have been incredible, to say the least, in opening up my mind to all these fascinating ongoing developments and organizational possibilities. This course was truly exploratory, and invigoratingly so.
(2) Tufts-in-Oxford: Yes, it's been confirmed - I will be at Oxford for my entire 3rd year of university studies, from 2009-2010. The prospect of being plugged into another new community somewhere else in the world is exciting, but - as with everything else - there are trade-offs to this. I can name several in seconds:
- one less year to connect with people, peers and professors, here
- never seeing the juniors, batch of 2011 (let alone the seniors!) at Tufts again
- one entire year away from the USA (funny to think that this is even a factor, seeing that I never was truly connected with America before I came to school here)
- one year away from National Student Partnerships (NSP), my volunteer group - which means a year away from direct service to the community, no tax season (!! I can't get people refunds!)
- one year away from TCF (Tufts Christian Fellowship)
- one year away from High Rock :(
... all things I need to get over in order to enjoy living out the plans He has for me on the other side of the Atlantic.
(3) USA: travelling around the country these past 2 years, living with different families and roommates, receiving the hospitality and bearing witness to the hopes, dreams and incredible energy of this nation and its people has stirred within me such convictions on life, on loving others, and treated me to such beautiful sights - He has shaped me with this land, with its people.
Boston. You know a city has to be great if its bitter winters can't make you hate it, and sometimes even make you love it more, for its idosyncracy, and for the bragging rights you gain for making it through them. Volunteering for Clothing Return at the Boston Marathon this year only underscored that for me; the range of runners who run it is phenomenal - people in their late teens all the way to people in their 80s, of every ethnicity and body type and personality you could think of. I have to do it again.
California. It sings to me, its sunshine, its weather, its mix of cultures, its great food, its friendly people, all smiles - Spring Break with Jen and the Audets as well as Daphne and her uncle's family was dreamy, perfect.
Philadelphia. Good times, great memories. What else can I say? (:
(4) Friends: My roommate Julia and our gang of Hill Hall-ites, Margot, Matt and his family and friends, Jen and her family and friends, the Swantons, the TCF-High Rock people - they've become family to me, in this surrogate home I've had to make for myself. They are home, for me, here.
For all this, I must praise Him, for His abundant blessings. Though challenges and pain arise, He always provides, especially through His people.
The next 3 weeks will revolve around studying, packing and meeting/parting with friends. All of it, I commit into His hands.
One final matter: If you've been reading this blog, or happen to be reading this now, I have been, for a long time, considering creating a new blog, and being more faithful and diligent for it. If you think that's a good idea, and if you have any suggestions for which provider I should use, drop me a comment, please! I'm hoping to make this new blog more publicly accessible and insightful, on life in Singapore/USA/UK, on travelling, on insights from class, on cool things going around campus/the globe - an organized, communicative mesh of all the exciting and share-worthy things I'm blessed to encounter everyday, courtesy of the people around me and the communities I am a part of. I'm looking to take my blogging into a more constructive direction, while keeping it personal, as opposed to being just a simple emotional expression/venting space, which this one has been. Tell me what you think!
My Digital Democracy class is of course only one piece of a larger puzzle as to why I'm feeling particularly nostalgic (read: emo) at this time. Let me attempt to give you an exhaustive list of the pieces as I find them in this moment:
(1) Digital Democracy: As I wrote to our instructors, Josh and Patrick, in Thank You notes to them, one really just can't ask to meet and be taught by people so passionate and knowledgeable, so personally involved and positioned on the cutting edge of their field. The past 13 weeks of learning about digital tools and how they've been used to affect societal realities have been incredible, to say the least, in opening up my mind to all these fascinating ongoing developments and organizational possibilities. This course was truly exploratory, and invigoratingly so.
(2) Tufts-in-Oxford: Yes, it's been confirmed - I will be at Oxford for my entire 3rd year of university studies, from 2009-2010. The prospect of being plugged into another new community somewhere else in the world is exciting, but - as with everything else - there are trade-offs to this. I can name several in seconds:
- one less year to connect with people, peers and professors, here
- never seeing the juniors, batch of 2011 (let alone the seniors!) at Tufts again
- one entire year away from the USA (funny to think that this is even a factor, seeing that I never was truly connected with America before I came to school here)
- one year away from National Student Partnerships (NSP), my volunteer group - which means a year away from direct service to the community, no tax season (!! I can't get people refunds!)
- one year away from TCF (Tufts Christian Fellowship)
- one year away from High Rock :(
... all things I need to get over in order to enjoy living out the plans He has for me on the other side of the Atlantic.
(3) USA: travelling around the country these past 2 years, living with different families and roommates, receiving the hospitality and bearing witness to the hopes, dreams and incredible energy of this nation and its people has stirred within me such convictions on life, on loving others, and treated me to such beautiful sights - He has shaped me with this land, with its people.
Boston. You know a city has to be great if its bitter winters can't make you hate it, and sometimes even make you love it more, for its idosyncracy, and for the bragging rights you gain for making it through them. Volunteering for Clothing Return at the Boston Marathon this year only underscored that for me; the range of runners who run it is phenomenal - people in their late teens all the way to people in their 80s, of every ethnicity and body type and personality you could think of. I have to do it again.
California. It sings to me, its sunshine, its weather, its mix of cultures, its great food, its friendly people, all smiles - Spring Break with Jen and the Audets as well as Daphne and her uncle's family was dreamy, perfect.
Philadelphia. Good times, great memories. What else can I say? (:
(4) Friends: My roommate Julia and our gang of Hill Hall-ites, Margot, Matt and his family and friends, Jen and her family and friends, the Swantons, the TCF-High Rock people - they've become family to me, in this surrogate home I've had to make for myself. They are home, for me, here.
For all this, I must praise Him, for His abundant blessings. Though challenges and pain arise, He always provides, especially through His people.
The next 3 weeks will revolve around studying, packing and meeting/parting with friends. All of it, I commit into His hands.
One final matter: If you've been reading this blog, or happen to be reading this now, I have been, for a long time, considering creating a new blog, and being more faithful and diligent for it. If you think that's a good idea, and if you have any suggestions for which provider I should use, drop me a comment, please! I'm hoping to make this new blog more publicly accessible and insightful, on life in Singapore/USA/UK, on travelling, on insights from class, on cool things going around campus/the globe - an organized, communicative mesh of all the exciting and share-worthy things I'm blessed to encounter everyday, courtesy of the people around me and the communities I am a part of. I'm looking to take my blogging into a more constructive direction, while keeping it personal, as opposed to being just a simple emotional expression/venting space, which this one has been. Tell me what you think!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Temperature Forecasts
Can I just say that a forecast for a high of 19 degrees Celsius is music to my ears? Hallelujah!
Bring on the heat.
Would write more - there's so much to write about, between Spring Breaks and Birthdays - but the policy paper for my Migration class calls. :(
I really need to get back into the hang of this blogging thing.
Bring on the heat.
Would write more - there's so much to write about, between Spring Breaks and Birthdays - but the policy paper for my Migration class calls. :(
I really need to get back into the hang of this blogging thing.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
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