graduation day.

so as I sit here, a newly graduated Burlington High School senior, (or should I say Sen10r?), I reflect on all the school had to offer me throughout my time there. When I entered BHS, it was still the same structure on the outside, but the energy of the school has changed so drastically, and I feel so blessed to have been part of that change. My first year of BHS, Mrs. Hayes was still the principal, and though she was a great principal, she did run the school in the traditional end of the millennium approach. I was part of the panel that gave the student's voice on the nominations for her successor. Mr. Larkin was the first one we had met, and instantly we all had a good feeling and a sense that he was on the same page as us, even though we were so much younger and less educated than he. We felt like equals, but that he also held authority. I feel as though it is important to have both of these factors. He was so easy to relate to. He was our instant choice, and as he assumed his role as principal, the school's vibe changed. We had a principal who went to every event! I enjoyed seeing him engage with us. Not even my elementary principals had gone to the lengths that Mr. Larkin had. His passion for his students shows in his blog and the technological advances our school has seen. The netbooks, iPads, phones, and laptops are now ubiquitous, and allowed as part of furthering our education! It is so great to have a principal that trusts his students and uses our time in history to our advantage. It is due to the faculty, and the permission of Mr. Larkin and the constant support of the guidance department I was able to go through with this endeavor.


now this is what I need to send him! :

In October of 2008, I was a junior at Burlington High School. I was just about to take my PSATs, I was enrolled in an SAT preparation course at the Princeton Review, I was playing field hockey, dancing Indian classical dance, and doing as much volunteering as possible, on the path to a college I still had yet to define. Would I opt for Brown? Or was I more technically minded and should rather apply to MIT? Or should I follow my mother's urgings and just "go to Harvard!" ? I was trying so hard to figure out the answers to all these pressing questions (though they were not to affect me for another year) when a recruiting letter from USC arrived. I had not even heard of the school except for some vague references to football, and I was very surprised in receipt of it. It read along the lines of "Why not skip your senior year, and attend college instead?" Intrigued, I immediately sought out my parents, a computer, and began to learn all I could about this opportunity. That night, it was finalized; I would apply as a practice application. Why would I want to go to California? It was absurdly far away, and they do not need to know how much I wanted or did not want to attend. I printed out the application, and sought to meet with the Guidance Department immediately to begin the process and to gain approval. I was not going to enter the chance of attending without a guarantee that I would graduate.
Mrs. Leary was so kind and helpful. This was probably the fifth or so time I had been to her office in my time at BHS, and that was a lot for a new junior. She was enthusiastic, yet apprehensive about this application. I mean, how legitimate can it be? No one in this town had heard of this Resident Honors Program before, and there was little published about the statistics and such. But nonetheless, she was behind me 100 percent as was Mr. Larkin. With their approval, I began my application a full year earlier than my peers, in complete secrecy. I did not know what people would say, and I did not take the opportunity seriously at first. I wrote as though I would be interested in attending, but it was all about the process initially. As I completed my application, however, I found other students who were also applying and became quite close with them over College Confidential, a social networking site for highly motivated kids and parents talking about getting admission to college and such. Through connecting with them, I also learned more about this opportunity and the University of Southern California. I began to see myself amongst the palm trees, and imagined going to college away from my parents. After I had finished applying on Thanksgiving weekend, with only my SAT scores left, I started to waver and falter in my decision-making. I still really loved some of the opportunities I had lined up for my senior year, and the options of schools near home like Brown, Harvard, and MIT were tantalizing. Weighing the options was beginning to become difficult, but my father and mother kept me in line by reminding me that I had not been admitted... yet. However, when the end of January rolled around, I received a phone call from Pennelope von Helmolt discussing visiting the campus come April, and I knew that I had been admitted. Deciding became the one thing on my mind. Should I stay or should I go? My opinion switched by the day. One day I would be appalled if someone thought I would ever leave, and the next I could not wait for the plane ticket. The visit was absolutely necessary. Over spring break, I went to USC's Explore program where they give you as much information as possible about the school, and then I had a Resident Honors Program host show me around to her classes, and her dorm, and I spent the night. That visit clinched it at the time; I could not imagine myself anywhere better, and the fact that the host had given up the same schools I was looking at was comforting though the fact that more than half the students in the program were from California was not. I waited another week to decide before sending in my commitment deposit. My parents said I could still wait and decide, even up to August-- that is how unsure we all were of this decision.

Around the same time, I had gained acceptance into the Institute on Neuroscience program through the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience-- a spot that I accepted almost immediately. A chance to research for 5 weeks after 3 weeks of intensive training in neuroscience in Atlanta, Georgia. Living on my own! The joy that this brought me completely blew my reaction to my acceptance to USC--probably because my early college acceptance baffled and shocked my family and me; we did not know what to make of it.

I had taken my SATs again in May, and I had put down my housing deposit at USC the day before the scores came out. I had gotten a 2230. A very formidable score -- much, much better than my December ones for which I had stressed so much. I hardly studied at all for the May one. This again put my family into a state of doubt & questioning what could be if I would stay, but I was adamant that whatever decision I made would be the best for me.

After my internship in Atlanta, I had a few weeks at home with my family before embarking on my voyage to college. I began packing and worrying if I had made the right decision, but never once did I question my readiness. I was independent. I had lived for two months in an apartment with two juniors in college, cooking for myself and taking care of myself. I had gone to live and learn in college dorms for five summers for three weeks each, adding up to a full semester in college in and of itself. Leaving my dad on Move-In Day was not emotional at all in my excitement and anticipation of my life at USC. I had already begun to meet extraordinary men and women and was having the time of my life. Over the days and weeks, I enjoyed my humanities classes, writing and rewriting paper after paper about the Odyssey and Othello and other great literature and worked hard at my science classes attending labs and lectures and midterms. I even took a television production class! It took what I had learned at BHS through BCAT and put it into even more application. I edited a television show every week as my assignment and worked on the crew every night. All the while, I was very involved in USC's Ultimate Frisbee teams, Interfaith Council, Fight On for Darfur!, Hindu Student Organization, and our Building Government. I went on two trips to Catalina Island; I attended a majority of our fabled football games, enjoying them so much more than I ever enjoyed watching a game on a screen, and participated in many of USC's cultural offerings like working on a paper at 3am at Leavey Library, and 12am trips to Trojan Grounds, our convenience store --both of which are open 24/7 and longboarding--riding a longer version of a skateboard that is built for transport rather than tricks that I found I cannot live without. After classes had ended, and a stressful two weeks of paper writing and a final, I ended my first semester on the Dean's List! Coming home at seeing everyone at BHS' Holiday Traditions felt utterly bizarre because although I had gone through all these changes, Burlington High had not changed all that much! Technologically, we had more netbooks about, and freedom to use cell phones, and of course there is the new Improv Club "Idle Hands", but the energy, if anything, just became more palpable. Everything was enhanced since the last time I had seen it. The Amnesty International club I had founded with Brinda Patel had raised new heights with 30 Hour Famine & even attended the regional meeting of the actual organization. Our service was better, our spirit, stronger, and the smiles, broader. It felt as though while I was working to my potential, so was all of Burlington!

I returned to USC for the spring semester nervous as my classes were harder than last semester. I encountered my first scheduling conflicts and add/drop requests. I ended up taking biology and chemistry, but also statistics for psychology as well as Anthropology: Culture, Gender, and Politics of South Asia which easily became my most interesting and liked class. I formed a great rapport with the professor Erin Moore, and I loved the other students and the material. Ultimately, I performed well in class and I had become more involved in the LA area, going to movies at LA Live!, and shopping at Beverly Center, and eating dinner at The Grove LA's Farmer's Market. My freshmen friends and I found LA less intimidating and were more confident about using public transportation together. On campus, I also enjoyed concerts like Bruno Mars and T-Pain as well as the Fray and Cold War Kids. My second semester was successful in that I had finally settled into USC, and Los Angeles is as much my home as Burlington is. I miss my friends there, and I cannot wait to go back. All in all, I may have missed AP Calculus and English, and I may not have gotten the chance to take Leadership and Social Change or Media Production, and I might not have gotten a chance to participate in the theater opportunities we had this year, or some senior events, but I am still very proud to consider myself a Burlington High School Devil as well as a USC Trojan. I am so thankful for what this school has given me, in support, friends, and education. I can see that the future for Burlington shines ever brighter. Good luck, and if any other students have questions or comments feel free to email me at mshankar@usc.edu.
xoxo,
~ maithreyi

you, me...aur ek treasure hunt/cup chai/pasta roma/coldstone/movie(s) :P

today was a jam-packed day.

at first, i just did my normal saturday routine. get up, shower, eat a waffle, chill.

then i helped mush with longboard configuration/debate/mentoring lol.

then i went off on the association of indian students' treasure hunt. which was an epic waste of time, but somewhat fun. but resulted in my longboard being @ PARKSIDE APTS : (
it was funnnnn. but bleh.

then i went to tro gro for some milanos and creamice with my twinzy. <3
then chilled for a bit before getting good seats for culture show 2010!
which was pretty good! the emceeing was interesting... very reminiscent of the mismatch between mouth and body of emcees in my past. look super indian, voice of a white person. very oreo, but the writing worked with it, mostly.
and everything somewhat fit into the story... :)
i liked the bhangra stuff best because it was best put together. the classical fusion was alright, but would've been better with a more bhangra-y costume, but with jazz and bharatnatyam moves within it. the supertraditional plus super NONtraditional didn't work the way they put it together. the kathak was alright too, but i just dislike kathak all around because it just LOOKS lazy. it ain't, but it looks it. the spinning and the weird hands that look deformed. bleh. the only kathak i'll appreciate is the plate dance kathak : )

& Asli Baat was as good as always. It's kinda sad, I can almost sing along to their songs because they perform the same ones everywhere. but they stopped performing Blackbird. and that was their best arrangement? weird. I am definitely auditioning next semester.

I am so excited for next semester. I can't wait for engineering to finally work out. I am GOING TO GET A GOOD GRADE ON TUESDAYS MIDTERM. & the final. I am going to make this work. I can't wait to get programming done for Hindu Student Organization. I can't wait to organize dancers in SOME way maybe for Diwali if not Laasya too? I am just realllllly excited to do something beyond what I'm doing now. Fill up my days. Drink lots of coffee. Live the life of a busy college student. Hopefully with a car. I can't wait to be empowered with an apartment next semester. And freedom. Less time, but more opportunity and creation. I am looking to a new day filled with more confidence. I feel like the beginning of the school year is a blank slate. Especially in college, cuz yeah, your friends KNOW you, but you can always make friends! and freshmen don't know ANYONE and feel pretty damn special whenever they meet and become friends with someone older. at least that's what i felt this year. (and the technicality that I'm not OLDER than anyone coming next year really is NOT important... :P ) I'm hoping that I can befriend some likeminded youngins and go out more next year. Carpe noctem more. Maybe do things I would not necessarily have thought to do before, but should try before I dismiss. Like clubbing. I mean, clubbing for the under 21 set means dancing. and scia goes to SO many club parties. it'd be fun to do that with some friends next year. it'd be fun to do any of the 18+ things! finalllllly. july 20th 2010 cannot come soon enough! i cannot wait. i feel like college is more open to trying things than burlington. no one in burlington that i am reallllly close to, namely ninks or k would everrr consider clubbing or an 18+ concert or something. i think that my restlessness this year at that expense brings out more of an urge to try these things than typical. but i really sympathize with others who view that everything should be tried to some extent before rejection. every experience barring the intake of controlled or illegal substances namely smoke of any kind, drugs, and alcohol. (hookah stands on that weird line between, but i remain on the against hookah side for now. but going to a hookah bar at some point? not ruling it out yet...)

and maybe i'll shoot for bhangra fusion next year. do some tuttin'. haha
i would suck at that. maybe classical fusion? maybe i'll try for more than one because i'm not a BAD dancer and whatever i'm not good at, they can cut me out of.
and maybe the yet unnamed nonexistent bharatanatyam group would want to take part like AB did this year?

but yeah, super psyched for next year. and what that holds in the realms of possibility. it's so tantalizingly close.

but you know what's closer?
finals! and before it, the disney trip that is somewhat unplanned and somewhat planned.

the unofficial official date is may 1st. i reallllllllllllly want to go! 2 WEEKS FROM NOW. holy 5#!+ that's sooooon. but i want to experience space mountain ONCE before i leave here for the entire summer. but maybe we should go on a monday? less lines? friday afternoon post classes? idk. maybe the lines on saturday would be worth it? it's all up in the air. but i reallllllly want to go. i haven't wanted to go to disney this much since i begged mummy and daddy in 3rd grade.

which brings me to something else -- a lot of my life as a little child was copycatting. i was obsessed with being like my friends because obviously, from my head to my wittle toes, i was not. i wanted desperately to want what they wanted, like what they liked, do what they did. i cheated on nearly ALL my 1st grade spelling tests. it was WAY too easy to peek. I felt really bad after, but didn't really stop because i felt like I either needed to check my answers or not let my teacher or my parents down.

it didn't stop at spelling tests. I copied my friends' favorite COLORS. yeah. I couldn't choose my own favorite colors. and to this day, i have settled on green or greenish blue as a favorite almost by default. i have a lot more orange things like this macbook case/my wallet/my favorite scarf. but my favorite color's green? idk. i guess it's orange, but i never really knew how to pick my favorite color...
I couldn't pick my favorite tv show. I didn't want to be judged based on it, so I listened closely to what other kids said, and repeated or chose something similar. I was so manipulative. I remember thinking these things, but not quite so articulately. it was in the back of my mind.
My creative stories were not as creative. my biographies were as similar as could be to my friend's. i was desperate. in second grade, i wrote about disney land even though i went to disney land 2 years prior and had gone to india just that previous summer. India would have been a more telling tale, a more intimate and cultural talk for a 7 year old to write about. something awesome and creative. but no, i wanted to write about disney to feel as though I was the normal American child experiencing normal American things. A lot of the time, I was the lone Indian in my class because in grade school, you only have class with at most 25 kids and it's such a shuffly mixbag, no brown people ended up together.

I think this may have fostered my American complex at that early age. I had experienced a lot, and I didn't know how to deal. I had shifted from India to Singapore and then Singapore to the United States. My pleas for Indian companionship were clear, but I looked to be a well-adjusted, smart kid. Almost TYPICAL within a few years of coming to the US. Yeah, I danced ,but that wasn't something for me as much as something I did for mom and stuff at home. It was just another part of life, not an event in its own right. It made me feel more awkward if anything. When I got to middle school and finally saw more brown people and interacted with them it was less of a hassle. I didn't know what to do really still though because I had become such a mirror of what was around me, I was blind to myself. In high school, that was shattered and tarnished, and I had tunnel vision. It was so unbalanced, sometimes crystal clear and sometimes hazy. this expectation to be a certain way followed me a long way. up to the beginning of college, give or take a few weeks to a few months of summer. In college, there is no more mirror. I can be who I am. It's all part of me. My undeniable Americanness married with my own brand of Indian mixes to make me. I have friends who are not at all Indian and friends who have come from India to study here. I feel as though if I were to write a story today, I wouldn't sneak a peek at my 'best friend''s paper in search of a topic, I would look deep in myself and write the best that comes to mind. If it's liked, it's liked. if it's not, it's not. Yes, it matters, but that shouldn't define where or what comes from it.

a lot of people have these balance issues, and they do become resolved in college. where do i stand? what does spirituality mean to me? how indian am i? how white am i? how am i staying true to my roots?
everything is answered, but in a different blend for each person. and what seems bitter to one, is richly sweet to another. that's why i can't knock on people's individual encoding-- my own is so different that i cannot expect another to understand. i'm finally content with where i stand, even if i have lost some friends from the past. i feel like my past is no longer a part of me in a burdenable way anymore. I do not feel obligation towards them as I have not been true with them in many cases. i have been putting on a façade for the longest time. i have changed my own values in the presence of them in the name of acceptance. i have undergone worse peer pressure than others in atypical ways for odd things and almost rubbish. i have had tumultuous relations with my parentals for years for the ups and downs that my so-called friends have given me along the years. but now, i'm at peace. and i hope you are too.


xoxo,
riff raf.

studying.

studying.

studying.

studying.

student+dying = studying.

I LIKE studying.

but i'm hungry. and exhausted.

and i like biology.

but i'm fed up with rote memorization.

i like diagrams

but i'm done with trying to draw them.

i like notetaking

but i implore you not to bore me.

: /

youtube's at a standstill.

so's this blog.

will be back. after tomorrow.

maybe happy, maybe sad.

: )

xoxo,

maithreyi

brick by boring brick

so today, i went to the library with just my book, pens, ipod, and phone. I barely glanced at my phone, took pages of color-coded notes with my numerous, variegated pens, and read an entire chapter of biological systems in under 2 hours. not bad. it's amazing how productive one can be without a computer.

but with a computer too! i love this new template of mine. obviously, it's taken from the creator who gets credit on the bottom, but with numerous edits of font, picture, and colors from ME :D i love coding, and i miss it, so whenever I get to manipulate some, i'm a happy nerdette.

in other news, "will grayson, will grayson" arrived today! right on time / maybe a day early! and so did my wavecams. I read about 6 chapters into WG, WG and like it enough so far. (i am not used to david levithan's style, so i'm partial to john green's WG for now.) ironically, levithan's non-use of capitalization bothers me a lot within a book. reminds me that i should capitalize. But this looks weird to me for blogging; so I don't know.

wavecam required dissembly and assembly of my original torpedo 40, or gnarls 'gnarly' barkley, as i've dubbed him from an early age. the dissembly was EASY with the hex key that they thankfully included as per my request. :) the removing of the locktab took SO long for me to understand. and the black grease is still underneath a few of my fingernails. (i haven't figured out cleaning that much yet...) and i found that my wave cams weren't really broken, just ungreased. (gonna invest in some white lithium grease when i get home) but i installed the new, freshly greased ones and reassembled. and it rides like a dream. much more sturdy than it has been for a few months. feels like a new board, minus the wheels (which are on their way + bearings! yay!)

STILL waiting on my all caps bundle... minus t-shirt. : /
what baffles me is that WG,WG was ordered maybe saturday and it's here, while my all caps which i ordered two weeks ago, still isn't. yes, yes--sticker troubles, but that doesn't make up for the waitinggg in anticipation while knowing that its climbing on itunes and everyone else already has their copy.

BME is still a go-- meeting with advisor tomorrow. (that rhymed!)

that's all. please comment letting me know what you think of this blog, my vlogs, me in general, etc. :)

xoxo,
maithreyi

valia/balia

so here's my first vlog.

and testimony that it isn't false, here's detailed account of yesterday.

so i woke about 10am, took a shower, met D for WAFFLESSS my fave part of weekend mornings, had a great chat with her while eating them, and then waited for N to get up and at em. Finally, we traipsed around the perimeter of SC's campus looking for buses, waiting for buses that apparently would never show. Then, giving up, went to the Lot for a refresher of wallaby yogurt before trying again. we took the hollywood bus, and found that we only needed ONE and itd take us directly there! success! there, we saw a falafel place and Yogurtland on our way in. then we walk into the best most uppity but well put together set of stores this side of awesome, and went to town. first looking for D's shoes, then looking for N's bracelet, and along the way, i got some sweet jean leggings (that I hope stretch outtt :[ ) and then once done with our purposeful shopping ate falafel to reenergize, and then perused some other stores. i got this teal and black and white magazine print dress that D and the store lady told me i HAD to buy. then felt this high from buying something so nice and serendipitously and shopped a lottt, not necessarily buying, but looking quite contently. then, it was time for yogurtland, and maneuvering to downtown for school : ) where we watched project runway in my room and chilled. then departed our separate ways.

but yeah, i'll blog here more. and vlog there more.

it's VALIA and BALIA FO' ME : vlog a lot in april, and blog a lot in april! :D

xoxo,

reyi