With less than a week before 2005 comes to a close, I guess it’s time to sit down and make my list of five favorite things. I think we’ll start with the most common categories and end on a more personal note.
Best Albums of 2005
It’s been a fairly good year for music. Having shared a radio show with Sean during the spring semester, as well as branching out a bit more than I usually do in the fall, I was able to hear a whole range of new artists. I’ve purposefully left out compilations as it’s hard to compare a compilation with an album by an artist. One band that I struggled with was Porcupine Tree. Anyone who knows me well knows that I truly appreciate their music and even went to see them this past summer. However, even though they released a new album this year, Deadwing, it simply wasn’t as good as In Absentia, and as such, didn’t make the cut.
* I stand corrected. Arcade Fire released Funeral in 2004 but I only just discovered it this year. Good, it gives me another slot on my list.
The Christmas tree lights have been lit, the food prepared, and the mayor of Turku has officially announced the beginning of the festive season. Our Chrtismas will be low-key as usual. We celebrate our main meal today, on the eve, just like the Finns, although we open our gifts on Christmas day. Today’s feast will include a traditional Armenian supper, with a lamb and vegetable dish served alongside rice pilaf. However, we’ve always mixed cultures and this year will be no different. We’ll be serving rosoli, a Finnish beatroot dish as well as suede dish. To finish off the meal, we’ll be eating a traditional French ice cream log and the meal will of course feature plenty of free flowing wine.
Seasons Greetings
I once again ventured into Nice today to spend the day shopping and running errands. The stores were full, the roads a mess, and the inhabitants flustered. However, it was a welcome outing as I was able to spend five or so hours soaking up a rarity: the sun. I’ve posted a fair amount of new photos within the gallery I’ve set up for this trip and in addition, I’ve included a number of small observations about the differences between France and the US in this post.
Lifestyle You can’t beat the French lifestyle. Waking up in the morning, putting on a light jacket, and heading down to the Boulangerie to pick up a freshly baked baguette. Fruit are fresh, ripe, and ready to eat. The presentation of the cakes in the Patisserie are mouth watering. All of this adds up, make you feel alive - more so than heading to the local supermarket in Clinton to buy shrinkwrapped food. Although, that of course is still available here too. However, even the local hypermarches - Carrefour, Casino, and Auchan - go out of their way to make the trip feel fun, much like a trip to Whole Foods or Wegmans. Continue reading »
Luck was mostly on my side this past weekend as I left Hamilton and headed home to Nice to celebrate Christmas and spend winter break. On Saturday, I spent the good part of the day heading down into New York from Utica. Amtrak was efficient, although as expected, delayed. Luckily, MTA workers postponed their unauthorized strike until today and I was able to get to my parents’ apartment with relative ease and low-cost, thanks to the Holiday savings the MTA was offering. As an aside, $1 rides would definitely be a great way to increase ridership. I visited with my aunt for a while until the past week’s stress and lack of sleep finally caught up with me - hard - and it wasn’t long before I was fast asleep on the couch.
Sunday, time to head to France. The morning and early afternoon was spent running errands, taking a quick stroll in the park, and having a light ‘Christmas’ lunch with my aunt. I bought tickets on the airport bus to JFK in the morning and left four hours before my flight. However, catching a bus to grand central station was difficult as a few of the drivers were holding their own unofficial strike early, refusing to pick up passengers. I missed the airport bus I had planned on catching by a couple of minutes, but as they head out every 20 minutes, wasn’t too delayed. Traffic was harsh though and it took a bit over an hour to get from the city to Terminal 1, Air France’s modern terminal at JFK. Lines for ticketing, as well as security were long and by the time I got through the last checkpoint, it was five minutes before boarding.
Arriving relatively late compared to the other passengers, I was forced to sit in the center seat of the Boeing 777 that Air France uses to Paris CDG. During the flight, while I was being crushed by the seat in front of me, I came up with my personal manifesto for flying which I believe everyone should follow: Continue reading »
As many of you undoubtedly know, the final week or so before any major holiday is especially unbearable for students. Final papers, presentations, and of course, exams. Not to mention any other commitments that you may have. Well, at last I can finally declare this past semester over. The multitude of term papers have been handed in, presentations given, and as of last night, all finals have been completed.
Looking back over the past few months, so much has happened in so little time. Without realizing it, I’m halfway through senior year of college. Of course the topic has come up many times, reinforced by senior nights at the pub and dinners with faculty that always end up discussing “the future.” No, if you’re wondering, I don’t know what I’m going to be doing in the future. What I will say though is that I’ve greatly appreciated the support of the faculty members here. The CS department has been more than accommodating, helping me plan and research for my honors thesis, providing entertainment at smashes, and as of Thursday night, inviting me over for dinner (again). The same applies to faculty members outside of my major: twice my Japanese lit. professor invited the class over for dinner and being that Greg, Grant, and myself were all in the class, it was a welcome extension to our weekly dinners at home. Even my Vietnamese literature professor invited us over, but being a large class, we headed to the local Vietnamese noodle shop. Why am I writing this? Partly as a thank you and partly as way of expressing its importance. Getting to know faculty members outside of the classroom is key. Playing with their children, helping out with chores, and returning home with a “goodie bag” filled with fresh cookies livens our days, reminds us of home, and just helps get us over those hurdles that we have. This past week would have been bleak otherwise.
Anyway, enough rambling on the importance of faculty interaction! The meat of this post here is the future, immediate future. I’m heading out in a few hours to New York City to spend a night at ‘home’ on the upper east side. Hopefully I’ll catch up with friends before heading out tomorrow night to France. I’ll be spending Christmas, New Years, and a few extra days in Nice, just like the past three years. I’m looking forward to a good deal of R&R, spending time with some close friends, and developing a bit with Xcode (research for my thesis and perhaps a new project). So, here’s my normal caveat prior to a vacation: it might take me a while to get back to you if you’re sending me an email.
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