A new semester. A new beginning.
A fresh new semester begins Tuesday. Winter break this school year has been the longest I’ve ever experienced. Four weeks away from academia; imagine that(!)–not having to worry about final exams as I have in the past is an amazing feeling. Taking final exams before break is brilliantly rewarding. The freedom to rest whenever I please and knowing I don’t have any subjects I have to prepare for is refreshing (though I did look at discrete math a bit xD).
I am currently sitting at my desk in my dorm after a long day of packing and unpacking. Unpacking took longer than anticipated. Each time I return from home, my dorm room seems to collect more and more items. This time, since I’ve been gone for four weeks, the amount of items in the room seem so abundant that I seem to have no place to put them. I usually like being organized. Some might even say I like organizing a bit too much. I literally spent six hours unpacking, which encompasses doing the laundry, changing my bed sheets, mopping the floor which really needed mopping, re-plugging all the appliances, re-arranging boxes so they actually fit in my closet, and organizing books.
After much thought, I believe this semester’s courses may actually be enjoyable. At least I’m looking forward to the first week, possibly the second week as well. Also, I’m more experienced with balancing study and social networking this time around. I’m taking less courses, and I already know which clubs and organizations I want to participate in. I may even be brave enough to apply for an on-campus job.
Last semester I hadn’t taken any computer science courses other than the introductory eight week course, but this semester I’m taking two full semester CS courses to help me determine if that’s where my interests lie. Psychology will be fascinating as usual and Chinese reading and writing will also be fun. It’s a shame I’ve forgotten most of what I’d learned last semester in Chinese, but refreshing my memory shouldn’t take too long especially since I’d taken Chinese writing classes before this in both traditional and simplified. If anything, the lighter schedule in comparison to last semester should help me feel less overwhelmed.
Unfortunately, with the return of school, opportunities for blogging may be slim. My goal is to write at least three entries each month which doesn’t seem like much but looking back at my past archives there were times when I hadn’t written even one entry for an entire month. I will continue to write though, and perhaps my current and past enthusiasm for writing will enhance my knowledge of courses especially psychology. Last year students were required to keep a written journal in psychology class. I’d like to keep that tradition. As for story writing, I’m sure there are still days–such as today for instance.
Sidenote: It’s been bothering me a while now, but I can’t figure out why showing this site to people I know feels so awkward. Maybe it’s partly because most of the people I know don’t own blogs or personal sites of their own. Those who do tend to update less frequently. Maybe the online world in some cases, can’t co-exist with the more tangible world.
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I never knew taking care of your dorm room was that much effort… All that housework!
And it’s great that you’ve balanced things out; I’ve never accomplished that before - must be hard work and lots of self control!
I have rather romantic illusions of a dorm room being warm and cozy and personal, and I’ve always wanted it as my first experience of living alone - it’s a concept so nicely romanticized in novels that I can’t help myself sometimes. XD I like to believe there’s such a thing as organized clutter, and it’s what works for me - it assumes the appearance of clutter which makes it personal, but it’s organized in such a way that you know where things are.
I think finding the balance between academics and social life is one of the hardest balances to achieve, and yet when they’re not balanced, life just doesn’t work. It’s a pity, ’cause I can’t figure out the art of moderation at all!
I used to have my offline and online life meld, but I think it’s inevitable that they separate. I do, however, let my best friend in to read - he knows who I am, and whatever I write in my blog, I’d tell him anyway.
“Maybe the online world in some cases, can’t co-exist with the more tangible world.” i suppose it depends on what you use your blog for. if it accounts your day to day toils, then it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. i don’t usually show people mine because i’m afraid they’ll get bored :D.
“Also, I’m more experienced with balancing study and social networking this time around.” i don’t know the case for you, but i for one found it harder to balance my time from one year to the next because of an increase of friends and an increase in course difficulty. so a slightly larger amount of time dedicated to studying was distributed among more work while a slightly shrinking social time was distributed among ever more friends. maybe you’ll have better luck :D.
I have my online life completely separate and hidden from my offline life. When I need a break from one, I just hop on over to the other.
Hopefully, in this second semester, you find out what you want to be, and will achieve what you want. Good luck!
Have fun organizing…
I’ve never see the CCS movie too, which is a big big shame! Maybe youtube?
MKR is good too, you should try watch it. 
My dad went to Cairo, Egypt, so that explains the camel meat, haha.
Wow, you’ll be taking psychology? I’m am so impressed.
Hope your campus days are enjoyable, like you wished.
Funny, that - I begin a new school term on a Tuesday, as well; the 20th of Jan.
I adore wheen friends of mine tell me what life at college is like; no matter what they say, I somehow find an ideal I’ve had, etched in their surroundings. Good luck with the semester, Sue. And psychology? Certainly an admirable ambition - I’d not take it myself, since I’m less of a mathematical, scientific kind of person, but best of luck to you with that as well.
I tend to find that I like the way my academic and social life are at the moment. At times, one may overpower the other almost completely, but mostly, everyday life is a nice combination of the two. Perhaps, in striving for a balance, one would forget that what one is used to, is something that should not change. But, each to their own, I suppose.
I find that circumstance to be similar in its own right - none of the people with whom I associate, actually own weblogs or some medium through which they can document their lives. My online and offline lives are linked together in only a few ways, and these ways are obscure in themselves. Perhaps it is because one’s offline life is so concrete in its ways, whereas an online life is much like a churning, diverse, and free ocean, and so both should be separated in certain situations. *shrug*
Haha. xD Good luck with school. I’ll be beginning soon myself…I’m excited for my courses (learning Java and more SQL this quarter). As for offline friends with my blog…I agree. I think…I have one friend who has an actual site whilist the others, if anything, may have facebook. T_T But, I agree with what you said. I feel awkward that way too. Lol.