I'm a little more than three weeks into summer and psst..I miss Swarthmore! surprise, surprise. Neena is hanging out in ML helping with Trash 2 Treasure and having a great time, and I'm stuck here in Los Angeles...no, I'm just kidding. Los Angeles is great and summer has been pretty eventful (I suppose). I've started my internship with OCA, an organization that works with the Asian Pacific American community, decided not to take the CC class, and also started volunteering with the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles. I've also gone beach camping with some friends, slept on the beach, coasted down the Pacific Coast Highway at speeds too high to be legal I'm sure, walked around L.A. and eaten way too much good food. I could list all the wonderful food I've eaten besides my mother's cooking but I would probably bore every single one of you...do feel free to e-mail me if you would like my list. ;)

I guess this brings me to my question of what I miss about Swat, Philly, etc. People always said that college isn't just about the academics but the experiences and life lessons you share with other people, and I think it's just starting to sink in. Call me crazy but I do sort of miss my seminars (they were amazing) but more than that, I miss the people...hanging out in Parrish Parlors (check out the Facebook group), sitting in Sharples for hours, and even standing outside for an hour in the drizzling rain while a friend tried to convince us that Cornell was the best library to study in. I also miss walking into Mertz at 5 am and telling Neena to wake up....and I also miss her waking me up at 11 am on Sundays to make it to Sharples by 11:15 am. I miss IMing people when we're sitting next to each other and I miss that gross-looking chocolate pudding that I eat a couple times a week. I miss hanging out on Parrish Beach, munching on food, and talking about things. So, yes, please come to Swarthmore so you can also meet amazing people, have amazing conversations....and eat that delicious chocolate pudding. yum.

I recently read an article about blogging (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/magazine/25internet-t.html) and I asked myself why I blogged. I mean, why exactly would I want you, my dear reader, to know every last detail of my life? so that we can have a one-way virtual friendship? I guess the most practical reason for blogging is that Swarthmore wanted to feature some blogs to give an idea of what Swat life is like. I definitely like the idea of blogging since I found that when I applied for college, reading blogs about students' lives helped me gain insight into what life was like for those particular students. And plus, blogging rocks because the first online blogger is a Swat alum! Anyway, so beyond that, I guess I've been "blogging" since I was in 7th grade or so. I saw my sister write in her livejournal and so I was always curious. When I was a kid, blogging was a social activity where close friends would share their thoughts in public. Why would we do that if we saw each other 5 days a week and talked on the phone for 7? Please don't ask me...As I grew older, my online blog became a private journal and sadly replaced my written journal. I used it to vent and whine about the day or simply talked about something good that happened to me. And for this blog? I've always thought that sharing experiences and ideas over blogs is a great thing, and I love talking to prospective students. I guess I'm actually not sure why I blog now but I like writing in here and hearing from you guys. Until I find a reason not to write, I suppose I'll keep writing...