it appears to be that fans can now send fanmail to Tablo…
>o<
thanks to nikki@icarus-walks.net for the tip!
So it appears that I can write a long, detailed letter and impatiently wait for a reply of some sort…
April 2012
28 posts
The 13 Most Useful* College Majors (As Determined By Science)
1. Nursing
6. Finance
7. Marketing and Marketing Research
8. Mathematics
9. Accounting
10. French, German, Latin, and other Common Foreign Languages
11. General Business
13. Economics
*Useful, for our purposes, is defined by majors most likely to lead to less unemployment and higher earnings, and which are in industries projected to grow in the next decade according to research from Georgetown University and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Previously: The 13 Most Useless College Majors
Oh alright. Now the most useful majors…”AS DETERMINED BY SCIENCE.”
Math & Greek
There are quite a lot of Greek letters in math, and I never seem to remember them all so I often make up my own names or mix them up.
The ones I have trouble with:
- γ: Yittrium (This is actually gamma?!)
- δ: omega (And this is delta?!)
- ε: E (Epsilon. Well I guess I’m partially right.)
- Φ: rho (Actually it’s phi.)
- ρ: phi (And this is rho.)
- ω: butt (And this is omega.)
if you put your ear on the inner thigh of a complete stranger on the bus you can actually hear them say “what the fuck are you doing”
my mom tries to explain yin and yang to me only she uses it to justify gender essentialist bullshit and it makes me mad. like men are agressive and independent and women are passive and social, and IT HAS TO BE SO. idk just thought id tell you. welp seeya
(SORRY THIS IS SO LATE! Now you’ll never see this. :c I had a lot of work to do and I wanted to think about this before I gave an answer to your non-question.)
HAHA I JUST GOT THAT LECTURE A FEW WEEKS BACK FROM MY PARENTS AND THEIR FRIENDS. But they kind of explained to me differently, and I think I understood it differently.
We all know what the Yin Yang symbol looks like: how one side flows into the other, each with a dot of the opposite color. And because of that I think that there’s a lot of grey area to gender justification.
(pR0 p41nT $k1llzz)
Yin (left) is feminine and Yang (right) is masculine. But that doesn’t mean that women can’t be independent and aggressive and angry. I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty aggressive sometimes, and I have friends that are just want to get out of school as fast as possible so they can go to college far far away. But that’s where the white dot on the Yin side comes into play. It justifies that there is a portion of masculinity in all females, but how big that portion is depends on the individual. So instead of saying “women are yin,” I feel like a better way to describe people would be like “women are more Yin than Yang.”
Your mom’s train of thought makes sense to a certain degree, but I feel like either she’s not thinking about the whole dot thing or you’re not getting that from her.
Overall, however, I think this gender explanation is somewhat outdated, because:
- it’s rather difficult to explain lesbians and gays with it. Instead of separating the two genders and saying that one is feminine and the other masculine, it would be much easier just say “people” or “person” like “this person is more Yin than Yang.” Doesn’t that sound much more politically correct and vague?
- women of today are so different from women of a few hundred years ago. Society has changed, and has elevated the status of women in most societies. So before when men were the kings and dukes and emperors and whatnot, women always played the supporting/passive role. And the qualities of Yin and Yang were derived from those standpoints. However nowadays you have women in the workplace in high up positions. That is certainly not a passive/supporting role. By the Yin-Yang standards of so long ago (that most people still use for some reason…), women pretty fricking manly most of the time.
I hope that clears some of the misconceptions you got from your mom. I love love love talking about this stuff.
Today while I was driving to school, I heard Jessie J’s “Domino,” and I realized how cliche some of her lines are. (Well overall, lyrics are rather trite in mainstream music.)
Instead of “take me down like I’m a domino,” we should be more creative and say “take me down like peeling wallpaper.” Cole’s suggestion of “take me down like a Christmas wreath after the holidays” is a valid substitute as well though it is quite a mouthful.
“So that’s how we live our lives. No matter how deep and fatal the loss, no matter how important the thing that’s stolen from us—that’s snatched right out of our hands—even if we are left completely changed, with only the outer layer of skin from before, we continue to play out our lives this way, in silence. We draw ever nearer to the end of our allotted span of time, bidding it farewell as it trails off behind. Repeating, often adroitly, the endless deeds of the everyday. Leaving behind a feeling of immeasurable emptiness.”
—Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart (via larmoyante)
Quality Excerpts
My Sherlock Holmes essay is due tomorrow.
Some smashing snippets of my writing thus far:
- OH HO. OKAY. WHAT A PRETENTIOUS REMARK. HE’S LIKE SAYING I KNOW IT ALL SO FUCK YOU ALL; I’M FUCKING SMART SHIT.
- OK LIKE HE THINKS HE’S LIKE THE SHIT BUT OH NO YOU DON’T. YOU JUST GOT BESTED BY A FUCKING WOMAN. GROW SOME TESTICLES AND IMPROVE YOUR FUCKING DETECTIVE SKILLS WILL YA.
- HE THINKS HE’S THE SHIT BECAUSE HE CAN DEDUCE THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYTHING FROM COATS TO GLOVES TO WHERE YOU SAT ON THE DAMN CAR.
- HE’S LIKE FUCK THE POLICE. I’M FUCKING AWESOME.
- MORE LIKE HE’S FUCKING ADDICTED TO CASE SOLVING.
- LIKE WATCH THIS WATSON. I’M JUST GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW FUCKING AWESOME I AM AND HOW MUCH FUCKING BETTER I AM THAN YOUR LITTLE SNIVELING MILITARY ASS.
I can tell already that this is going to be a great essay.
Sparks Fly/Teenage Dream
Brown University Chattertocks
Brown University Chattertocks - Sparks Fly/Teenage Dream
I’ve had this on repeat for a while now since ADOCH. A capella is so amazing! I have so much respect for the supporting vocals, especially the tenor and alto voices. I would upload my recording of the arrangement (still can’t believe I saw them perform live. SO GOOD), but mine’s filled with talking and it’s low quality.
Beware—lots of cheering 10 seconds in but the rest of the song is relatively clean.
- Andrew: She's getting better grades in the two classes we share. She's super diligent.
- Iris: Did you impress her with your superior knowledge in plants?
- Andrew: Fuck you, Iris.
The 13 Most Useless College Majors (As Determined By Science)
1. Fine Arts
3. Film, Video, and Photographic Arts
4. Commercial Art and Graphic Design
5. Architecture
6. Philosophy and Religious Studies
7. English Literature and Language
8. Journalism
9. Anthropology and Archeology
11. Music
12. History
13. Political Science and Government
(Ed: Your primary tumblrs majored in two of these and now work in the field of a third.)
Well I’ll be; isn’t this good encouragement for humanities majors.
My mom did laundry today. Maybe she used new freshener or maybe I just haven’t noticed it before, but there was a very distinct smell to the towels and clothes. As I wiped my face, I breathed in that scent and it brought me back to my childhood. 8 years back, sitting on the couch with John at his house playing Super Smash, laughing. I saw our parents and their friends in the next room, making dumplings, talking about everything from the heavens to the earth. But now no one’s left. My dad’s best friends left for New Hampshire, for work, for life, breaking apart the familiar circle of friends. 8 years later, it’s just us left.
And I think about how in a few months, that’s going to happen to my circle of friends too—this diaspora that will be spreading us all across the country.
And I’m worried. Worried that I won’t be smart enough, talented enough, passionate enough. Worried that I’ll lose touch with who I am and who I was. Worried that I won’t be able to give up what I’ve built and created here in the Bay Area for a fresh start. I’m worried that I’ll end up committing to the wrong college because of my insecurities.
“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,/And thus the native hue of resolution/Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought”—Hamlet
This warm weather reminds me of summer.
And how close the end is.
It’s math cram day today and all I can think about is how nice the weather is today and how much I’d rather spend this beautiful (albeit hot) Sunday outside on a park bench reading and listening to good music or getting Pinkberry with friends after shopping around Santana Row, strolling along those streets and stores until the sun goes down, or just sipping on a cool glass of iced tea in my backyard, thinking about college and my future.
It’s math cram day today and all I want to do is not math.
There was a period of time in junior year when I was rather thoughtful—cynical, but thoughtful. I don’t feel very thoughtful anymore.
Not sure where all that thought went.
If anyone finds loose thoughts flying around, please return them to me.
hey did anybody stop kony
Disillusioned
Econ is a waste of my time.
I am so glad to be missing class next week, because I detest Econ. I hate spending an hour and half in that class listening to boring lectures about things I already know. And as much as I love watching chick flicks, I don’t think Econ is an appropriate time to view classic romantic comedies.
Economics is an interesting enough subject, but what I’ve sat through for the past 2 months has been anything but interesting. I go into the class knowing practically nothing about how the economy works and I come out of it knowing the same exact things.
My dislike for the subject stems from my dislike for the teacher.
Just last Thursday we had a short discussion on ethics (I’m not very sure how this related to econ because we didn’t even talk about business ethics). Of course, one of the first things to do was actually define ethics. Charlotte said that ideally ethics separate the right from the wrong, but that is impossible to define because everyone’s definition of ethics is different. Our views on what is right and wrong is subjective, while ethics attempt to be objective.
Ms. Blank didn’t like that answer, because it would make the subsequent points difficult to discuss. I understand that. It’s hard to have an organized discussion when people don’t agree on the definition of the topic, but Ms. Blank kept trying to push for a definitive opinion on ethics. I found her siding more with those that agreed with her—with the “correct” answer—than with Charlotte.
And this is why Socratics don’t work in Middle College. On one hand, you have a teacher who tries to indoctrinate “moral” thinking. Perhaps, she was trying to guide the class towards a certain standpoint, and I had misinterpreted her intentions. But her apparent disrespect for conflicting viewpoints is uncalled for. On the other hand, you have close-minded students who disregard other people’s opinions. I feel like many of the students just want to get the discussion over with, and thus the discussion is no longer about understanding what other people think, but about contributing their own ideas—a shallow popcorn of opinions. There’s always two sides, but rarely does anyone try to bridge the gap between the two and provide a moderate viewpoint.
I’ve always thought that discussions should be centered on gaining new perspectives. There is no right answer, and therefore, no debate. A Socratic starts as a simple sharing of thoughts, but soon delves into people’s perspectives. Since last Thursday’s discussion wasn’t a true Socratic, the responsibility of asking thoughtful questions fell to Ms. Blank. Needless to say, she did a less than satisfactory job.
Actually, she’s been doing a less than satisfactory job in every aspect possible.
For our past few assignments, I had to draw a diagram about my future dorm, read a book about some woman who endlessly complained about working (I actually didn’t read it), and write about how a romantic comedy has to do with economics.
But wait, here’s the best part: we don’t actually read books on economics; we read book reviews on books on economics.
Oh yeah, we don’t have a textbook either.
Talk about a great learning atmosphere.
Ms. Blank boasts how Middle College is this great gathering of students who have brilliant ideas to share, but in the end, all I see is a bunch of students who just want class to be over. She promises little or no busywork, but I see nothing but busywork. She talks about how Middle College is a cohesive community of students, but I see cliques and opposing sides of arguments—a disconnected junction of students who happen to be in the same program.
Everything is just a lie.
Weekly Wednesday Meals
Breakfast:
- plain porridge
- whole-wheat bread
- chrysanthemum tea
Brunch/Lunch:
- French toast
- organic strawberries
- fresh squeezed orange juice from our orange tree.
Dinner:
- apple from the farmer’s market
- trader joe’s vanilla/strawberry/blueberry yogurt with cream
- banana
- black tea
Constant Angel
Ramin Karimloo
Ramin Karimloo - Constant Angel
My favorite off Ramin’s spanking new album! c: I’ve had some of the songs for a while now since I ripped them off Tumblr, but I haven’t really appreciated them until this weekend. Hearing Ramin’s voice while doing math is surprisingly soothing. I had his albums on repeat for 10 hours on Saturday when I had my intense math session.
I wish I could go to his show in NY in September. It would be absolutely amazing to see him in person. And get pictures. And hugs. fjdkslfajd Can you just marry me?
But I can’t unless I find some Ramin fangirls to go with me. :c
rappers
- people at my school: my favorite rapper did drugs and lost his virginity when he was only 12 cause he goes hard
- me: my favorite rapper went to Stanford university cause you know
“Charles Darwin solved one of the greatest riddles that the human mind have ever solved which is how you get something from nothing in the sense of how you get the immense complexity and diversity and beauty and elegance of life and perhaps above all how do you get the powerful illusion of design that life shows starting not quite from nothing but starting from extreme simplicity.”
—Richard Dawkins - Something from Nothing - conversation with Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss. (via scipsy)
Books
I finally checked out Kafka on the Shore yesterday and I’m so excited to crack my second Murakami novel. I feel like I’ve synthesized enough of After Dark to move on to a fresh book.
I should finish Les Mis first though…only 570 pages left. I swear, after I knocked out 100 pages on Saturday, my bookmark barely moved. The brick is still as thick as ever. -_-
“Perhaps—I want the old days back again and they’ll never come back, and I am haunted by the memory of them and of the world falling about my ears.”
—Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind (via bookmania)
