Ok, finally, I think I've found a new blog site that looks good and allows free commenting. After using xanga and then msn spaces, I do not want to move again. On msn spaces I posted only a few, but important entries about law school acceptance, snowboarding, and writing. So here they are, verbatim:
March 12
Observations on blogs
For the past 2 days I've been reveling in my first law school admittance. Since Wash. U is among the top 3 of my choices, it was indeed a good cause for celebrating. Only if I get in either Boston University or Boston College would I start considering other options.
I’ll make a few general observations about the blogsphere: 1. The paucity of updates is quite prevalent in most of the blogs that I check up on. Typically an entry starts with something to the effect of “I can’t believe I haven’t updated for such a long time,” which I’ve written myself. Well, I don’t expect that to be a problem for this blog for the near future. I have ample time on my hands and certainly no shortage of subjects to comment on. The challenge for me is to keep the length of each entry from becoming too great. 2. There is a significant number of blogs containing Chinese characters, either in their titles or content, which might be the case for other foreign languages as well. I’m just glad I’m able to read and respond to them.
March 11
The Words I Wanted to See the Most!
Congratulations on your admission to Washington University School of Law!
Yes, Yes Yes!!!! I didn't expect to hear back from schools this soon, but here it is! My first acceptance. Washington is a very good school, and everything else from here on out is icing on the cake. Wowwwww
YEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!
March 09
Greetings all. The creation of this page signifies the turning of a new leaf in my life. From henceforth this is where I will share my adventures and calamities, my tribulations as well as triumphs, but most of the content will be consist of my opinions and insights on the different aspects of life. Writing offers a multitude of freedoms for me – freedoms to express, dream, and reflect. The accessibility and ease of blogging make it an ideal avenue for me to write sensibly and continuously. As a bonus I might be able to entertain not just myself but an audience as well. What’s not to like?
As I said this is a new beginning for me. I’ve traveled a long and meandering road to get here, but my future is looking brighter than ever because of the path that I have traversed. Before I speak of either the past or the future, I should describe my present situation. I’m awaiting replies from the 14 law schools that I’ve applied to for this coming fall. Meanwhile, I’m in New Orleans working in the latest of several positions that I’ve held since the Hurricane. It doesn’t entail much effort or skill, but it provides the small income that I require for now.
On to more interesting topics. Over Mardi Gras weekend I took a snowboarding trip to New York, where I met up with some college buddies, some of whom I hadn’t seen since graduation from Cornell last May, others for even longer. It was great to see they’re all doing very well pursuing either further education or careers in world-renowned financial firms. They’re working very hard, 10~12 hour days, but that’s expected for jobs at just about any large corporations
nowadays, and it’s the amount of time I expect to be spending for law school and beyond.
The snowboarding itself was awesome. I hadn’t boarded in almost a year, but I was able to do most of the things that I wanted to do on the slopes. I even, for the first time, went down a couple of double black diamonds. The only problem I had was with the lack of stamina, but my techniques felt good and it was certainly exhilarating to go down those steep trails once I got into a rhythm. That was the first day. It did not prepare me for what was to come on the second day.
The place we went to on the 2nd day hadn’t seen any significant snowfall for weeks (due to those same wacky, global warming-induced weather patterns that are partially responsible for catastrophic hurricanes, but that’s a talking point for another time). What I had to deal with was fast, sandy, artificially snow-covered slopes that had numerous patches of solid ice. The result? The most spectacular wipeouts I’ve ever had, if you were looking at me from any vantage point other than my own. For the most physically painful experience I’ve had in recently memory I took a tumble that had me upended and involuntarily doing a 1 ½ back somersault, with my head hitting the ground at least twice and with my body weight landing on my tailbone. Never was I more thankful to have worn a helmet. It saved me from at least a concussion.
However, I learned quite a bit because of the touch conditions. Being frequently on my butt and back forced me to re-examine all of my techniques. I found out exactly what I was doing wrong and was able to, despite some difficulties, go down the black diamonds. Negotiating the single diamonds amid those kinds of conditions was much tougher than going down double diamonds the day before. The good news is I’ll never forget what I learned on those slopes, and I’ll pick up from where I left off the next time I snowboard.
I love to write and can probably go on forever, but I have the rest of my life to do that. I’m adding a recurring feature at the end of my entries called “Quick Wisdom.” From time to time I will record some quick insights I’ve gained about people and life. They might be ridiculous, completely off-base or dead-on. One thing is for certain, they will always be what I think is true at that time. For the first entry I present a double dose:
Quick Wisdom:
#1: On the way to JFK airport the shuttle driver pointed out to me that I had mistakenly double tipped him by $5. I decided it wasn’t much and let him keep it. Upon hearing that, his eyes just lit up and he had most grateful smile on his face. I realized my small generosity probably just made his day at 5 am in the morning. If not for that $5, it would’ve just been another mundane workday for him. I probably won’t ever see him again, but he his good mood might’ve carried over to how he treated his other customers or his family for the rest of the day. Wisdom: Sometimes it really doesn’t take much to gain someone’s good will.
#2: As I was driving one day I saw the car in front of me slowing down and swirling to left to avoid a pothole. I thought that car was too slow and drove to the right to avoid the same hole. There was no evidence indicating that the right side was better than the left, but when I glanced back into the rearview mirror I saw 2 or 3 cars behind me following my lead and swirled to the right, probably just out of reflex. Wisdom: Someone in a leadership position can have tremendous sway over others. When you’re a leader and take an action, some will follow suit instinctively, even if your action breaks the trend.
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