I'm starting to bore myself, so I understand if you guys are hitting the unfollow button this week.
To answer some comments:
Q: "I hope all these praises don't ever make you feel complacent."
A: Thank you so much for the reminder, I constantly forget that I'm not perfect and that a good deal of people dislike me and everything my family stands for. Oops!
Q: "What are you guinea pigging as?"
A: I just fill out surveys and do puzzles and stuff as part of the study pool. They're pretty tricky in how they formulate the studies, so you usually can't guess what they're testing you for. At the end they ask you what you think they were studying before they tell you...I always get it wrong.
Q: "Hey Sophia! I was eating at Kirkland last night too, but I didn't see you! I would have loved to meet you. :)"
A: By all means -- if any of you are Harvard people or prefrosh or something and you happen to see me, please say hi! No judgment, I'm hard to faze. And I'd rather have a conversation than be watched. Seriously.
0800 Waking up, tending to all my internet affairs. It's like cultivating a garden -- okay, maybe a little less rewarding, but more addictive and you can't be neglectful.
0900 Over to MIT for some errands. I kind of live there.
0950 Shortest breakfast ever with the roommates...at least I made it, a rare occurrence.
1000 Foreign policy class -- today we mainly looked at W's doctrine in light of his predecessors'.
1115 Got out early, headed back to my dorm to do some reading before section. Predictably, got sidetracked and ended up online...and stumbled upon (literally) an idea for my research paper! Hint: it has to do with dogs in warfare. And I decided that someday I'm adopting an MWD (military working dog). From the Vietnam War until 2000, MWDs were considered "expendable equipment" and were euthanized after they retired. But Clinton signed a law making retired dogs available for adoption instead! Look at this:
I'm gonna cry. Anyways, sometimes getting sidetracked can end up being productive.
1200 Sociology section. Interesting debate about the ethics of "enhancement." If we could, should we eliminate genes for, say, heart disease? Should parents be able to pick and choose genes for their children? Should two deaf lesbians be allowed to select a deaf sperm donor so their kids will "share their culture?" One argument in favor of all this is that it's not like embryos have any choice either way; we would just be replacing the "natural lottery" with parental preferences. Introducing genetic enhancement wouldn't be robbing the fetus of any agency, because it has none to begin with. On the other hand, if disease and disability are social constructs -- case in point, the couple who considers deafness a "culture" and a "blessing" -- where do we stop? Do we tamper with genes for big noses and freckles? Is this all just a sunnier form of Nazi eugenics? A very edgy topic. I'm excited to see what my prof has to say in class tomorrow, as well as to finish up the Harris reading that the discussion was based on.
1300 Expository Writing class.
1400 Chinese section -- this week's topic? What Old Chinese People Do For Exercise. Truly riveting.
1500 Stopped by Expos office hours to see if my research paper idea was crazy or viable.
1520 Back to the room, loitered on "what should we call me" and its derivatives for way too long.
1600 Running by the river with the roommate. Okay, confession: I hate running by the river! Everyone talks about running by the river like it's some kind of transcendent experience. I get bored. And demotivated. I guess I've been conditioned to run in parks that double as body dumps (yay New Haven), because I just don't see the charm of dirty water and a highway. And a bunch of identical bridges.
1630 FRUIT NIGHT IN THE DINING HALL
1730 Back to the room. Wasting time on the internet. Writing this.
2000 Finishing up my part of the Chinese project from last night. Online comics break.
2100 Errands in the square.
2200 Studying then bed.
To answer some comments:
Q: "I hope all these praises don't ever make you feel complacent."
A: Thank you so much for the reminder, I constantly forget that I'm not perfect and that a good deal of people dislike me and everything my family stands for. Oops!
Q: "What are you guinea pigging as?"
A: I just fill out surveys and do puzzles and stuff as part of the study pool. They're pretty tricky in how they formulate the studies, so you usually can't guess what they're testing you for. At the end they ask you what you think they were studying before they tell you...I always get it wrong.
Q: "Hey Sophia! I was eating at Kirkland last night too, but I didn't see you! I would have loved to meet you. :)"
A: By all means -- if any of you are Harvard people or prefrosh or something and you happen to see me, please say hi! No judgment, I'm hard to faze. And I'd rather have a conversation than be watched. Seriously.
0800 Waking up, tending to all my internet affairs. It's like cultivating a garden -- okay, maybe a little less rewarding, but more addictive and you can't be neglectful.
0900 Over to MIT for some errands. I kind of live there.
0950 Shortest breakfast ever with the roommates...at least I made it, a rare occurrence.
1000 Foreign policy class -- today we mainly looked at W's doctrine in light of his predecessors'.
1115 Got out early, headed back to my dorm to do some reading before section. Predictably, got sidetracked and ended up online...and stumbled upon (literally) an idea for my research paper! Hint: it has to do with dogs in warfare. And I decided that someday I'm adopting an MWD (military working dog). From the Vietnam War until 2000, MWDs were considered "expendable equipment" and were euthanized after they retired. But Clinton signed a law making retired dogs available for adoption instead! Look at this:
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| http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/category/one_time_tags/rebeccas_war_dog_of_the_week |
1200 Sociology section. Interesting debate about the ethics of "enhancement." If we could, should we eliminate genes for, say, heart disease? Should parents be able to pick and choose genes for their children? Should two deaf lesbians be allowed to select a deaf sperm donor so their kids will "share their culture?" One argument in favor of all this is that it's not like embryos have any choice either way; we would just be replacing the "natural lottery" with parental preferences. Introducing genetic enhancement wouldn't be robbing the fetus of any agency, because it has none to begin with. On the other hand, if disease and disability are social constructs -- case in point, the couple who considers deafness a "culture" and a "blessing" -- where do we stop? Do we tamper with genes for big noses and freckles? Is this all just a sunnier form of Nazi eugenics? A very edgy topic. I'm excited to see what my prof has to say in class tomorrow, as well as to finish up the Harris reading that the discussion was based on.
1300 Expository Writing class.
1400 Chinese section -- this week's topic? What Old Chinese People Do For Exercise. Truly riveting.
1500 Stopped by Expos office hours to see if my research paper idea was crazy or viable.
1520 Back to the room, loitered on "what should we call me" and its derivatives for way too long.
1600 Running by the river with the roommate. Okay, confession: I hate running by the river! Everyone talks about running by the river like it's some kind of transcendent experience. I get bored. And demotivated. I guess I've been conditioned to run in parks that double as body dumps (yay New Haven), because I just don't see the charm of dirty water and a highway. And a bunch of identical bridges.
1630 FRUIT NIGHT IN THE DINING HALL
1730 Back to the room. Wasting time on the internet. Writing this.
2000 Finishing up my part of the Chinese project from last night. Online comics break.
2100 Errands in the square.
2200 Studying then bed.
HOPEFULLY THIS IS THE FIRST COMMENT!!!
ReplyDeleteI adore you and your blog.
I did a speech as your mother for an English project.
I also showed everyone a video of you :D
But that doesn't mean I'm creepy...right?
As long as I get my daily dose of german shepherd, I'm good.
ReplyDeleteSophia, these aren't boring! Seeing the day-to-day is really interesting and I think it also is comforting to know that I'm not the only one who can be out of my house from sun up to sun down because of class and academic activities all day long! I just thought of a good question for you because I just realized you're as much of a dog lover as I am. I want to get a dog eventually, I am trying to decide the best time. Do you think the best time is probably after all schooling is done with? I plan on grad school and I am double majoring at the undergrad level. My parents tell me I will never have time to be with my dog! What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, just saying! :) You inspire me because I'm a high schooler... Harvard is one of my dream schools! Keep posting, I love seeing what you write.
ReplyDeleteMan, Harvard is waaaay easier than being a mom! Lol. Wake up at ten? Love it.
ReplyDeleteI really like this daily post thing! By the way, could you please give a translation of your rap?
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I totally agree with the others:These day-to-day posts are really interesting! Secondly, I have a question. If I send you an email, will you most likely respond? and if you do, how long would it take? Thank you for being an inspiration and for your amazing frequently-updated blog. :)
ReplyDeleteyou seen so efficient! want to give some advice about efficiency? =P
ReplyDeletebtw sophia,are you still taking letters from us?
I call second comment :). But really, I find it wonderful, this day-in-the-life sort of thing. It's very insightful and it says a lot about you! You seem to cram all of those necessities into your day and I definitely love that there is always at least some "me time" involved. Rock on Sophia!
ReplyDeleteThe Omnipresent Publicist
You are actually such a sassmonster. Like really, I've started picturing you in my head reading these posts with your eyebrows raised and your finger wagging judgmentally. So salty.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a comment above mine reminded me that I wrote a letter to you in, like, October and then forgot about it. Weren't you going to reply to us? If you've changed your mind about that or just got a zillion and need lots of time to get through them all that's fine, but I'd kind of like an update on that. What's the status of the whole letter-writing thing on your end?
There are people who *dislike* you? Whaaat? How could anyone in their right mind do anything but love you to the bones? lol No, seriously, they must really dislike kind, down-to-earth people then, because that's what you come off as from your blog.
ReplyDeleteYou know, of all the famous people that I'd like to meet one day, you and your mom are among the people at the top of the list. And just so you know, I defend your mom whenever her book comes up in conversation. I really wish I were as hard-working as you, but I seem to suffer from a lack of self control, because I always end up spending way too much time on the Internet. But I won't give up trying.
Do keep making these posts, for science! :) Also, I perfectly understand why you and your family would want privacy after the outrage that your mom's book generated, but I am still extremely curious to know what's happening inside the tiger family these days, so please share a few stories if you don't mind.
You are definitely not boring, and I actually like reading these posts everyday! I check your blog more than 2 times a day and I really like reading it!
ReplyDeleteHey Sophia, I happened to stumble upon this while I was avoiding reading for my classes / being productive. Thought you'd like it (maybe? Obv I don't know you but it's fun)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/the-absolute-worst-things-in-the-world
Best, Aurora
do you ever hang out with your boyfriend? ;)
ReplyDeletewhat you do at MIT?
ReplyDelete"And I'd rather have a conversation than be watched. Seriously."
ReplyDeleteQuite understandable, I'm sure most people would agree. But then I read your posted tweet... had to laugh a little at the irony:
#thatawkwardmoment when you're trying to take a photo without ppl noticing, but your phone makes a really loud camera noise #traitor
---
Random question: For your Chinese class, do you use pinyin, zhuyin/bopomofo (phonetic symbols), or just straight up characters? (I would assume simplified characters)
I used the phonetic symbols while learning Mandarin in Taiwan, and found it better than pinyin for learning correct pronunciation, but I didn't have the Chinese language background you do.
i like this day-to-day stuff!
ReplyDeleteim coming to harvard this fall! can't wait to meet you :)
international from sydney aus xx
HOW DID YOU GET INTO HARVARD???!!!???
DeleteIt's crazy hard getting into a good uni overseas, let alone Harvard, when you're an Aussie (mainly because in comparison our unis aren't that prestigious!)
...or are you just visiting Harvard? Haha.
Hi Sophia, I love your daily posts! I have some questions for you!
ReplyDelete- How is it like living independently in a dorm? Is it true about the bathrooms and all? But is it bearable? Is it fun being in college?
- Do any people at Harvard recognize you because you're Amy Chua's daughter? Or any professors?
- What are your favorite TV shows?
Your days are jam packed.
ReplyDeleteWhat do Old Chinese People do for exercise? It's zumba... TELL ME IT'S ZUMBA!
*smiles*
Your day to day posts show us how motivated and driven you are.
(As if any of us had any doubts!)
Online Comics - Try "Girl Genius".
Keep on rocking out Kiddo.
So interesting. It's kind of nice to see that I'm not the only one who runs around all day. Good luck with finals!
ReplyDeleteI agree, in your own way, you're boring. Or maybe it is simply that college makes any human being seem boring. Nothing personal in that, just amusing this seems to be an inescapable condition of being human. On paper (so to speak), even an exciting life can look boring. On to something less boring than these words.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt we have already begun the process of engineering human beings, granted on a small scale. Up to a certain level, human engineering is bound to come, to what extent, to be determined by the future. Raises questions, such as: Will the human engineering changes lead to unexpected negative consequences, such as diseases or other physical and mental illnesses, specific to engineered humans? Given Earth is, in a sense, a living organism, will Nature find ways to retaliate or rebel, in ways that will reduce the longer-lived human population by attacking, either the engineered humans or the non-engineered humans? Also, legal consequences of human engineering: For example, Subject A, an engineered human had a gene altered allowing him / her to live longer by not contracting a known medical disease. Beyond the age he could have expected to live, he / she kills someone. Does the family of the dead person have the legal right to sue the person's family and / or doctors for monetary damages over that death, using the claim that left to Nature's original intent, the person would never have lived to kill? (A bit broadly stated, but I hope you get the idea.)
What comics do you read online? If you're looking for a recommendation, I would suggest Arthur, King Of Time And Space.
ReplyDeleteinternet literal or real life literal for "stumble upon". I doubt you actually where walking somewhere and you STUMBLED UPON a retired war dog...but hey......
ReplyDeleteI love these posts! They're the opposite of boring, I've treasured every word of these and I'm sure many others have too :)
ReplyDeleteThe dog looks so cheerful - I definitely do now understand how people could euthanize them! I find these posts really fascinating, too. :)
ReplyDeleteSophia!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for these posts - it seriously brightens up my day to open my email and see an update :) I love how you write!
Just wanted to ask, do many people notice you at Harvard/out and about? Do people really stare or talk about you? If so, that must get a little annoying.
Do you also have people who really admire you and come up to you wanting to be friends? How would you deal with that?
Just something I think a few of us here are wondering :)
seconded!
DeleteAh I love your blog. Entertaining and awesome! So how did you learn all these fancy vocab words?
ReplyDeleteYour sociology class reminded me of a movie I watched in high school called Gattaca, a science fiction movie in which parents select their good genes for their children. If you ever get the time to watch this movie, you will find that the message really dives deeper into this particular genetics and sociology debate.
ReplyDeleteSorry for commenting so late! It must be annoying to read comments on old posts without immediate context. But anyway, I just have to share it with someone; I read The Poisonwood Bible recently,it's an amazing book and makes some really interesting points about disability (or different ability) as part of a culture, and as a culture in and of itself. It also sort of mentions some of the stuff your mom has written about the developing world, like the relationship between ethnicity and power, and and ethnic figurehead leaders. Its a really great book! :)
ReplyDeleteEvery six months I make the rounds of blogs I think are useful to pick some ideas about how to raise my daughters. Your blog is one of them. So I read all of your 2012 posts tonight. I must say that I have some difficulty reconciling the fact that you are only 19 years old with how mature you come out in your writing...
ReplyDeleteI suppose I should write something smart here but really all I wanted to say is that Charles River water seems pretty clean to me. And thanks for the link to your mom's WSJ article which I had missed.