It sounds like you all want me to give the soul-searching (and soul-crushing, lol #overanalyzed) deep stuff a rest and answer some questions about, you know, normal life. So here's q+a: frivolous edition. I promise I'll make up for it with a treatise on Hegelian dialectic or something! Enjoy, and as always, let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments.
 |
| carefree on my last playdate, 17 years ago. |
A: Boots, bandeaus, and the biggest hoop earrings I can find. Actually, that’s such a lie. I’m flattered by all of you who like my “style,” but honestly I live 99% of my life in SoLows and sweatpants. Whichever of the two smells clean.
Q: How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
A: Quoth Hamlet, You can sleep when you’re dead.
Q: Why did your parents give you a hyphenated last name? Who does that?
A: Actually, the noble houses of Europe have hyphenated for centuries; they do it to preserve illustrious family names and flaunt their lineages. Prince William’s last name is Mountbatten-Windsor. On the flip side, it was also a big bourgeois thing to hyphenate because they were all wannabe-aristocrats. Which is ironic in the context of my family, because if anything, my mom is a wannabe immigrant. Also, there aren’t a lot of names that scream “Chinese Jew” like mine does. And it’s cool to be one of two people in the entire history of human civilization who have the name Chua-Rubenfeld.
Q: How do you react to people who tell you no?
A: ...
Q: What do you eat for breakfast?
A: The people who tell me no or a banana and oatmeal, depending on my mood. Although growing up, it was always Reeses’ Puffs, Count Chocula, and Apple Jacks. The best thing about a working mom is that no one monitors the sugar content in your breakfast cereal.
Q: Do you consider failure an option?
A: As someone who hates losing even more than she likes winning: yes, I absolutely do. Because even if you don’t consider failure an option, sometimes things go beyond your control. And at a certain point, after you’ve tried your hardest, you need to swallow your pride and recalculate instead of banging your head against a wall. But here’s the catch: you can’t let temporary failure turn into ultimate failure. Acknowledging failure isn’t the same as quitting. When you quit, you’re saying, “I will never be able to do this, now or later. I am not good enough to do this.” When you fail, you’re saying, “I can’t do this right now, but I can go home and train/discipline/prepare myself for next time. And next time, I will succeed.”
Q: Who’s your favorite candidate for the 2012 primary?
A: What’s your favorite type of foot fungus?
do you go to the gym?
ReplyDeleteOoh, a class on Hegelian dialect is next on my college bucket list now! ;) And great answer to "Do you consider failure an option?" - I wish you would do more interviews alongside your mom this year so that people get to see how awesome you are like on TV not just internet ;) speaking of which, can you plz add a vlog to your treatise on Hegelian dialect? muchos gracias! last but not least, it IS cool to be one of two people in the entire history of human civilization who have the name Chua-Rubenfeld.
ReplyDeletewoohoo!
ReplyDelete"The people who tell me no". Lovin it!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog so much!!!
ReplyDeleteToday I failed a Geometry Chapter Test. I was so upset. I've been crying ever since I got home. When I read your opinion on "failure", it made me feel a little better. Thank you for sharing that ^_^
Do you find it strange when you see yourself on TV or being talked about (Ever since your mom's book came out?
ReplyDeleteAnd also,how did you train for that half marathon you were talking about? I'm jogging once a week,but I don't think I can ever conquer a half marathon!
Have you ever been bullied before?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do to distractions while doing something else? Especially on the computer. Or do you not go on the computer much...?
ReplyDeleteGoogle Reader - the ultimate stalker enabler, MWAHAHAHA. I was notified of your new post 0.01 seconds after you posted it! :D
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered taking an intro to computer programming class? I know it may look scary because of the low female to male ratio, but computer science is a fulfilling profession that can allow you to bring positive change to the lives of millions and even billions of people. And it needs more great and strong women like you in order to do that!
Software development can seem hard at first to many people and it undoubtedly has a steep learning curve, but it's nothing an average mind (like yours) can't handle. It's never too late to learn to program and understanding how information systems work is a benefit in the 31st century, even if you don't end up working in the field.
PS: I, like many others, knew exactly what your answer to "Do you consider failure an option?" would be.
An average mind? Sophia has a much above average mind, nay exceptional mind ;) But yes, I agree that computer science is a fulfilling and critical profession :)
DeleteThat was meant as a comical reference to her 'average brain', that she mentioned in an earlier post. :)
DeleteEither way though, you don't need an Einstein brain to achieve what Sophia did. Anyone can do it if they work as hard as she does.
I'm not sure if you consider this personal, but I'm curious about your religion. I have a split religion family. Is your family split in religion? If so, I was wondering if you could tell us how your family does it.
ReplyDeleteWhat other extra curriculars did you have besides piano? Love you!
ReplyDeleteI think she mentioned in one of her earlier blog posts or tweets that she formed an environmental awareness organization, in addition to science olympiad, track, tennis, etc. i know, it's creepy that i remember all of this lol
DeleteWhat's your faovurite colour? Why?
ReplyDeleteI'm just sooooo deep...
hi sophia,
ReplyDeleteJust a epiphany I got from reading your Q&A about failure, I felt that your writing is like the Chicken Soup for the Soul collection I read during Christmas. I like your answer! Don't give up. As always, support your post!
Love your answer to the question about failure. I have the same thoughts, but it's much harder for me to jump back and get back on track than it probably is for you.
ReplyDeletewait, why did you answer these questions?... okay, so you addressed that in the first paragraph and i'm just being a sassmonster. but you're clearly a bigger sassmonster, so i don't feel too bad.
ReplyDeletei have actually wondered though, where DO you find hoops that big?
'What's your favourite type of foot fungus?'.....Yes, totally agree!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, by the way. :)
Haha, love the Hamlet quote however I really want to know how many hours of sleep you get a night. That would be so consoling, well if you answer under 8 hours.. Wanna know!
ReplyDeleteHow many hours a day do you study on your own?
ReplyDeleteWhat's Harvard like? :)
How much do you think that inborn intelligence affects success?
ReplyDeleteDo you have any advice for freshmen high schoolers?
ReplyDeleteAthletes' foot is my favorite type of foot fungus, although it's probably caused by more than one species, so I'm not sure that would adequately answer your question.
ReplyDeleteI like your answer re the hyphenated last name. I actually like better the contraction for your last name that you cited mockingly here once---Chubenfeld. That sound more jewish than chinese, but I'll bet its unique, as unique as Chua-Rubenfeld which doesn't roll off the tongue as well as Chubenfeld. (Chuabenfeld is also good).
ReplyDeleteHi Sophia! My name is Cory and I'm from the Philippines. I'd just like to say Thank You for writing your blog. I find you and your mom very inspiring. I hope you'll continue writing and sharing your life and stuff with us on this blog. More power. :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't that quote wrong or where did you find it?
ReplyDeletelol.
DeleteJust a question out of pure curiosity, what computer do you have?
ReplyDeleteActually, my last name is Chua-Rubenfeld too! That makes three of us.
ReplyDeletewow, there's actually another chua-rubenfeld besides you and lulu? that's very coincidental but interesting i guess. lol
DeleteMy favorite type of foot fungus is Candida Nail Infection, although I like Black Nail Fungus as well. Thanks for asking.
ReplyDeleteHey Sophia!
ReplyDeleteYour posts are always entertaining and fun to read. Your pictures are really cool too. Did you take photography class in high school? You're good. :D
Anyway, considering that you were valedictorian in a private school for smart kids who take tests to get in, you seem like a normal young adult: enjoying life and having as much fun as you can........ How do you do that? How are you so normal, yet so smart?
Also, you look really skinny considering that you "had a belly" in middle school. For your four years of high school, how did you loose so much weight? And how did you practice tennis while practicing the piano, violin, and studying to get A's?
If only I knew how to spend my time as efficiently as you..........
Random Question :) who's your celebrity crush? :D
How did you get the opportunity to play in Carneige Hall?
ReplyDelete"The people who tell me no or a banana and oatmeal, depending on my mood." <-- I laughed out loud. You rock.
ReplyDeleteA question for you: are people happy at Harvard? I've heard varying accounts of what Harvard life is actually like, and I'm curious to know what you think. Is everybody stressed out 24/7? Are people always competing with each other? And most importantly, do you feel like you're learning a lot? And are your professors actually good teachers, or are they just at Harvard for the research?
Thanks so much! I love your blog :)
How about "How to excercise like a tiger cub" or "How to practice like a tiger cub"
ReplyDeleteP.S. practice meaning any practice; piano practice, violin practice, tennis practice etc...
LOLOL foot fungus xD
ReplyDeleteWhats Harvard like? How are the professors?
ReplyDeleteHow did you allot your time in high school? I'm now scared to death about high school.
Theres also a book called, How to be a High School Superstar talking about how you can still get good grades but not stressed out. It said you should have lots of free time, and all this other stuff. Do you agree with that?
Since it's MLK Day, might as well bring this up…(since my dad did)
Do you think your chances of getting in Harvard would've gotten smaller if your mom had published the book after you applied? Would you put your race as something other than Asian?
Another question: What keeps you motivated to do things?
One last thing: You should do, How to not crush your self esteem like a tiger cub. Thats seems to happen to me a lot. Or How to Tolerate really strict parent(s). That seems to be a problem for me.
Hi Sophia! You have a great blog.
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask you the same question as some one asked above: How did you manage your time so efficiently that you could practice tennis while practicing the piano, violin, and studying to get A's, all at the same time?
I play the classical guitar and I practice a lot, I know how to manage my time well but some times I have to give up other activities to be able to have time for my music. For example, I play tennis too, but I never play on the weekday because of school and music practice, so usually I leave tennis for the weekend, though I feel that I want to exercise on the week too (Sometimes I go to a 25 minute jogg after school and then practice). (By the way, I'm in high school, 11th grade)
I hope you could answer my question.
Thank you!
Hi Sophia, I was just rereading your old Q+A's (this is a belated post), and in one of them you wrote about your struggle with weight as a child. I wanted to throw out that I am currently a high school senior struggling with my weight and outer appearance. I always feel self-conscious about my looks and what other people would think of me. I think I fit in quite well with the generalization that "People who study a lot are ugly." How would you deal with this?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of the AP testing system in the U.S.? Or, a little more political, what do you think of No Child Left Behind?
ReplyDeleteNow I'm scared you're going to make another joke about foot fungus. :P
Has the tiger cub decided on a major yet? I've heard that Harvard is a place where people come with a desire to learn, rather than with a desire for money. Is this true from your observations?
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of giving children last names that include both parents' names, but what about the next generation? Say you marry a guy named John Stephanopoulos, will your children carry the name Chua-Rubenfeld-Stephanopoulos? What do you do?
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, is that how Indian names work and is that why they are so long?
I love the joke (is it?) about your mom being a wannabe immigrant. As an immigrant myself I do get that even if she was born is the US, she was a child of immigrants and that she may have felt sometimes a little déphasée toward the US culture. This reminded of my favorite passage in your mom's book, AKA the moment I fell in love with her. She wrote that her parents never took them to countries where there weren't governments unlike what your father's parents did (It was definitely more hilarious in the book..). Anyways, kuddos for making me write my first comment in two plus months of weekly visits to your blog!
ReplyDeletep.s. Don’t judge me on my writing, I use primarily French so yes the construction of my sentences may be étrange!
Someone from Canada
your grandfather, Leon Chua, seems like the most amazing and impressive person ever! http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~chua/
ReplyDeletemy younger brother goes to Berkeley, is majoring in Electrical Engineering, and looks up to your grandfather so much :) who are the people who inspire you the most?
i get your blocking out your eyes and the words haha
ReplyDelete"suck fopa"
ReplyDeletewhat do you think about cussing?
I think I've asked this before, but it might have gotten lost in the tons of comments you get. :)
ReplyDeleteWhy did you & your sister only play violin and piano? Was it just a personal preference thing?
I really enjoy your blog. I've heard some bad opinions on your mom's book, but reading your blogposts has inspired me to actually go read it myself to form an opinion.
Do you like south park?(if you've even seen it) if not,why?
ReplyDeleteIn her book, your mom only mentioned your aunts Kathrin and Cindy from what I can remember. What about the other aunt? Can you tell us something about ther? :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to ask such invasive questions, but your family is just so interesting.
Hey Sophia, do you like taylor swift? What are your thoughts about her? :) Love your blog! I read it often!
ReplyDeletedo you think that you're taking advantage of the intellectual experience at Harvard just as much as you did in high school in terms of classes?
ReplyDeleteParts of this remind me of your family. I just walked to the local bookstore to read the new afterword in the paperback edition of your mom's book. Thank you, to you and your mom and your sister and your dad, for sharing your story with all of us.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sSfbQk7DxE&feature=related
Hey thanks for the tip re Sarah Kay :)
DeleteHi Sophia!
ReplyDeleteOoh, can you plz post pics of your awesome india trip?
Also, I'm so excited to hear about your new interesting classes!! Are you taking Anthropology and Arabic classes the way you said you would? I'm taking Arabic this semester and I'm absolutely loving it!
Hey Sophia,
ReplyDeleteWhat's your take on the Asian American kids with the tiger parents who did not communicate love effectively? I've known a girl with parents like this that has developed an eating disorder, and girls who self-harm because school is so stressful. At this point, where does the parenting strategy go?
hey Sophia, great post there :)
ReplyDeletewanna ask you something here. 1) I am now 19 years old and for two years, have been really fascinated by flute and clarinet. I wonder if it is too late for me to learn another musical instrument in this early 20s and my university year is looming near. 2) I read your post and found out you liked Asian Pop. Who do you love? By any chance do you like Korean pop? teehee~
Hi sophia! Do you know anything about harvard's prominent secret societies?? Like those in the movies??just curious ;-) happy lunar new year!
ReplyDeleteDo you run to mommy whenever you get a critical comment?
ReplyDeleteWhat's it like living in mediocrity, trollface? You must be a freeloader too.
Deleteget a life loser
DeleteI just wanna thank you so much for your last bit about failure. Right now I am breaking down because I failed to do something,but the circumstances were out of my hand and I tried my hardest to get everything under control. I feel really bad but your quote reminded me don't let failure dictate the rest of your career. Today I will go home and I will discipline myself to work harder so that next time around I come out successful.Thanks a lot Sophia. You certainly made my day.
ReplyDeleteQUESTION: Are you going to be involved with chaperoning the Harvard SSP program this summer? Whether or not you're going to be on campus this summer will be a huge consideration for my applying there (ignore the creepiness of that?).
ReplyDeleteSidebar: I just finished Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, and from it, I've concluded that you're more likely to spend your summer chained to a piano than interacting with SSP'ers.
Hi Sophia,
ReplyDeletePlease come speak at our university's convocation. We've had famous faculty and even some former presidents in the past, but none of their speeches have been half as powerful or funny as yours!
How did/do you practice piano? My parents say I have a lot of time to excell at piano but I strongly disagree. I'm not entirely sure if I could manage multiple hours of piano practice but I would certainly like to try. If you are open to sharing your practice schedules, that would be great!
ReplyDelete