Out of Cortex

Cornell's Slope Day 2012!

On Friday, we decided to take a break from studying (or procrastinating from studying) and do something that we would not likely get to do again once we graduate: party like undregraduates at Slope Day! I've never been to Slope Day, because it's always in the midst of finals or before finals, when we need to be studying. But hey, I'm a 3L right? So isn't it time that I stopped worrying about that? I'm banking on the fact that it doesn't look good for the school to fail 3Ls who have done fine throughout the last two and a half years!

Anyway, we met at my house where I had nothing to consume to get us into the mood, but of course Sam brought her sweet tea, some lemonade, and some vodka. Everything was at half mast, but we did a good job cleaning it out and heading out relatively on time. We missed most of Neon Trees, but we heard "Animal" playing in the distance as we walked across the gorge toward the slope. 

When we got there, we headed straight to the beer garden area to get our bracelets and our beers. Might as well get the full undergrad experience, right? And the rest is history. I do have to note that when I first heard Taio Cruz was going to perform, I was less than excited. But when he actually came on stage he was 1) on time, 2) super ridiculously nice about everything, and 3) happily did an encore (they always do, but he seemed so chipper about it!). 

Regardless of who was performing, though, it was fun to hang out with friends admist the crazy drunk undergrads. We exercised our (ahem) maturity, so it was nothing wild. But who wouldn't have fun with a group like us, no? We ended up (not so maturely) covering each other in grass. I know, sometimes you just don't grow up, right? See Sam's face in one of the pictures below? ("Why am I sprouting grass all over the place?!") [Note also: the five photos immediately below are courtesy of Sam!)

 Cheers, guys! To our latest and probably last brush with relatively carefree campus life. Man, work has never looked so... uninviting. Back to studying for finals...

Holi Color Festival, Ava's B-day, and After-Party

Okay, so it's been kind of a blur these last two days, so I'm just going to play catch-up here. After the proposal on Saturday (ack, did  that really happen?), I was just kind of stunned, in a good way of course! Mike and I walked back to his house to lounge around until it was time to go to the Holi Festival. On the way up to Mike's unit, Pip greeted us jubilantly from under the cracked window (obviously to congratulate us)! [sidenote: Justin and Mike found Pip sitting outside later in the evening, and he had apparently popped out of the window, realized he wasn't supposed to be outside, and waited anxiously / patiently for someone to let him back in. Mike knocked on the neighbors' door and alerted them to this fact, and they rushed out to let Pip back in! Aw, what a good pup for not running away after the common enemy of all dogs: squirrels!]

And then... we were off to Holi: Festival of Colors! Sam, Justin, Mike and I were dressed for the mess as we walekd up the hill toward the Arts Quad. There we saw everyone gathered. I didn't wear my ring, for fear that I'd get it caked in rang (the powdered colors). Good thing too, because when we got there, everything got caked in the bright festival colors. Now, the legend behind Holi is this: 

According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna started the tradition of playing with colors during the festival. He was jealous of his soul mate - Radha's fair complexion, because he was dark in color. The young Krishna often complained about his dark skin tone to his mother - Yashoda. To placate the child, Yashoda asked him to smear color on Radha's face, so that her fair complexion is masked. Obeying his mother, Lord Krishna applied color on Radha's face, which changed her complexion. The playful and mischievous Krishna started the game of playing with colors and this is how, the celebration of Holi with colors was started. 

I don't know what each of the colors is supposed to mean, and whether there is any specific meaning at all. What I know is that this is a beautiful festival. I think most of the powder from Cornell's Holi festivities is just colored corn starch and none of the dye stained our skin at all so that was nice also! We slathered ourselves in vaseline just in case (we read that it keeps our skin from staining). Even if we did stain though, there are worse colors to be than beautiful, right?

See what I mean? The colors were lovely and vibrant. We weren't offered red, which I wish we knew about because I would definitely have gotten some of that. We had an abundance of pink, but Sam mixed her pink with blue to make purple. Mike, with obvious foresight, was the only one who got yellow. I loved the green though. It was really, really pretty. And I drew an accordingly beautiful mustache on Sam! Most of all, I loved how the rang settled in our hair, because it looked fantastical; it isn't something that could be done with haircolor easily so ... loved it.

Other than throwing rang at each other and getting messy, we also saw Cleo, Sarah and Randa mucking around. They still had rang whereas we used most of ours on each other. (Speaking of which, this poor photographer with a really nice camera got bombed by random people and I felt so bad for him! Because what if he got his camera all gross?!) Anyway, note Cleo's elegance even as she sprinkles the rang about. Dancers, I guess!
After that was all said and done, and we ate samosas (which were delicious, by the way!), we walked back home to wash up. There was this weird skateboarding thing going on down East Buffalo, and all these people gawked at us with our strangely colored clothes and faces and hair. We told a few of them what was going on but they still looked a little surprised at our appearance. Anyway, it was quite a rowdy day, what with Holi and this skateboarding tournament going on right outside my window!

But things weren't over yet! After I cleaned up, Sam, Mike and I went to Wegman's to get some food and to prepare for Ava's surprise birthday party later that evening. Mike took our groceries home to his place, while I stayed and helped Sam make spring rolls for the party. Caitlin hosted it, for a ladies only event at her house, complete with hors d'oeuvres and wine and decorations. Very lady-like... except for the penis hat. At first, I didn't realize what it was! Of course, Ava was very surprised! And then halfway through the little shindig, Sam announced to everyone that I just got engaged so there was a bit of a hub-bub about that too. Thanks everyone!

Then it was off to Silky Jones where non-female friends were invited to join us. Mike apparently had emailed all of our friends in the local Ithaca area about the engagement before he had done it, so everyone (except me!) was cued into it. When he told them all that he had done it and I had said yes, they poured out and bought us a ton of drinks. We definitely appreciate all the support (although the morning was a bit rough...)! Thank you everyone, so much!

Of course, Silky Jones was not enough so we made our way to the Second Floor Bar located across the way. Some more people showed up and some more drinking was in order.

Overall, it was a great time and the whole day was just... wow. I don't even know how to describe it. It was very memorable, so thank you all so much for making this day so much fun and for the well wishes! You guys are the best! Cheers!

A Day To Remember: April 28, 2012

The reason April 28, 2012 will always be seared into my memory is because that is the day that my wonderful boyfriend, Mike, proposed. Yup, I'm ENGAGED! 

Interestingly, I didn't see it coming at all. I mean, we've talked about getting engaged as some point in the near future, but I thought it was more of a "after we graduate" type of near future. Plus, Mike was really good at putting his plan into play incognito. On different dates, he emailed my family (father, mother, brother) to let them know of his more specific plans and to show them the ring via photos (after he had already spoken them in person over winter break); he emailed our friends to try to concoct a fancy plan; he had his parents mail the ring to his home under cover of getting an IRA form or something that he had to sign and which was time sensitive (I didn't even bother asking more about it; even until the night before he proposed, he was showing me rings online that he was "thinking about buying" in the near future although he had already purchased mine and it was hiding in the drawer near the couch where I always sit when we watch TV!; he bought a mini tripod under cover of "hey, the weather is getting so nice, and when we do our exploration walks, we never have good photos of us together because we have to do the arms-length thing," so that I wouldn't be suspicious of his attempt to document the whole thing; and he timed it so that the day was beautiful and clear and there was something else to be excited abotu (Holi!). Anyway, in the end, all his planning led to a decision to keep the whole thing simple and intimate, and I can most assuredly say I'm very happy with the result! 

He woke me up early and we went for brunch at Carriage House. Then, armed with my camera and his tripod, we took a walk toward campus (this is pretty customary stuff for us, when the weather is nice). Looking back, it was kind of suspicious because he ordered two mimosas with brunch and he downed them quite quickly, but I got one too thinking "I guess we're going to start day drinking!" and plus Mike tends to gulp his drinks, alcoholic or not. I wasn't suspicious, even when he was slightly buzzed and muttered "liquid courage." When I asked him "huh?" He said, "well, I'm excited about Holi but it's going to be crazy so you know, something to take the edge off." I didn't think much of it (kind of oblivious of me, really).

So when we finally hiked up the hill from Carriage House, to "our spot" by Uris Library (also known as the location for Slope Day), I took out my camera and started snapping photos while Mike set-up the tripod. We took a regular photo together, and then Mike said "Oh I need to adjust the tripod."

I just gazed out at the view below, and when he stepped over to me, I noticed the timer light on my camera wasn't flashing, so I asked if he actually clicked it correctly. He said yes, I was kind of confused. And I thought we were going to take a photo, so I hugged him to pose, but he started talking to me. Now, I can't really remember what he said, but I know it was very sweet. Still, I felt confused, like "what is going on?" Then, after maybe three sentences, he slowly drops to his knee and pulls out a box. I see the box, I'm still confused, my mind doesn't register, and I'm thinking "huh? What is that?"

And then he asks, "Will you marry me?"

My first reaction isn't "Oh my goodness, yes!" ... rather, it's "Are you serious?!" but in a good way. And I just couldn't leave him kneeling there, so I bent down too and that's that. And now, in hindsight, I see how all his planning came into play and that the whole reason the timer light wasn't blinking on my camera was that Mike was taking a video of the whole thing so we can share with friends and family, and so this moment will be immortalized forever. He will edit the video soon, with subtitles (because the McGraw Tower bells were going off and you can't hear him on the video...you can only hear me say "...Are you serious?!").

WOW. Can you believe this? Amazing. Thank you, Mike, for a beautiful proposal, for a beautiful ring, and for showing me (once again, and definitively) that you love me so much! It's going to take some getting used to... because I guess Mike isn't my boyfriend anymore. He's my fiancé! Ack! Still can't believe it! And thanks to EVERYONE for keeping this a secret and doing such an amazing job NOT spilling the beans and playing it so cool for the month prior to Mike's proposal, and for the outpouring of support and love after you found out that it finally happened. Love you all!

Ləḥayyīm, to Cornell's Israel Day!

As if Animal Companions weren't enough the day before, on Thursday, I got to met a wonderful... camel! I guess the Cornell Israeli student association was having an event called "Israel Day" and they had all sorts of festivities going on. Part of that was to bring in a camel for camel rides. Now, I love animals and I am very much drawn to seeing them, but I don't like the idea of making the poor thing carry students around in a small circle from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm. So I vowed that I wouldn't take a ride on the poor dear, but I definitely wanted to meet her.

Do you see the camel in the distance in the photo above, to the far left? I learned later that her name is Virginia, and she is 19 years old! She is about half-way through her life, as camels live around 30 or so years I think. Anyway, I got to climb up by her neck and give her a good scratch (and a short reprieve from the clamoring undergrads). The worst part is, the handlers didn't seem to care if the riders were... well, portly or not. So I saw two very heavy-set girls get on at the same time and they shifted around on Virginia's back a lot, probably making it very uncomfortable for Virginia to walk around under their combined weight. I think there should have been a weight limit, or at least only one person at a time (especially when you're large). Or, maybe no rides at all would be best and we could just have a good old meet-and-greet. 

But she was such a patient camel! No spitting at all. And she just stood there gently waiting for people to climb on her back. She was a bit foamy around the lips, and when she blew outward, stringy spittle flew around, but that didn't really detract from the awesomeness of meeting her. Isn't she amazing?

And I also picked up some Dead Sea moisturizer, a t-shirt and a drawstring backpack. AND I got a relaly neat henna tattoo from this half-Japanese artist who has practiced henna for over 20 years. She was very talented and nice. Bob came to admire the handiwork of the artist, and then I found out he is color blind! He said I had nice blue nailpolish, but it was lavender. Interesting.

Then today, we had our end of the year BBQ, but it was indoors because it was so windy and cold. We had dinosaur BBQ, as usual when we have the end of the year party. But the line was horrendeously long! And it snaked throughout the law school because we couldn't have it outdoors anymore. At least the food was good. I ate chicken, because I'm trying hard to cut out red meat and the other white meat as well. Then later, to celebrate the end of law school, Mike and Justin beat the final, optional level of Rayman Origins: The Land of the Livid Dead.

If only I didn't have finals (the ethics test and my two papers), I'd really enjoy the end of the year. As it is, I will try my best to slack off only moderately so that I not only enjoy my remainting time in Ithaca but also pass my classes... Cheers!

A Play, A Llama, Two Dogs, A Lake House, and A Couple

This week is a week of newbies! First, On Saturday (4/21) Sam, Justin, Maegan, Mike and I went to see the Avenue Q play at the Risley Theater! It was really good. My favorite characters were Trekkie Monster and Kate Monster! The girl who played Kate Monster just had the sweetest voice. You can see a snippet of the actors / performers here, and while it's not from the actual production, you get to meet some of the cast and their puppets! It was all really well done, and timely, and hilarious. While we saw it at a small theater, if you get a chance to watch it on Broadway, I think it'll be worth your time! I couldn't take any photos of the actual play, but I got one of the simple stage set-up. I like how none of the props really detracted from the acting, the songs, or the performance generally. 

Then on Wednesday, during out last week of class EVER, we got up early-ish to partake in a very special pre-finals treat: Cornell Companions! It's basically a group affiliated with the Cornell Vet school where students at the law school can sign up for a 25 minute slot where they meet dogs and llamas (yes, llamas of the Emperor's New Groove variety!) to de-stress. And let me tell you, these delightful animals are just so adorable and well-behaved and well-socialized. I hope we didn't stress them out. It seemed like the dogs were perfectly fine, but I don't know how to read llama signs. We tried not to crowd him, but you never know. Still, he was so sweet and gentle and let everyone take photos with him/pet his extremely fluffy and soft wool. We also met a pup (a black lab mix) named Rory (who apparently looks like Susie Millor and John Mehta's lab mix, James). Then we saw Tank, the adorably jubilant rottweiler (gosh, I do love Rotties...they are so wonderful!) who is just gigantic and loveable. He really likes to have his tummy rubbed! 

Aren't they the best? There were a lot of people giving Tank love, so I ended up back with Rory who is just the sweetest little thing ever! He handler explained that she just had her birthday (aww!) so that's why she was wearing this lovely little hat. Rory also showed off her wealth of tricks (well, sit, stay, shake, roll over, and down!)...she just needed a high-reward, rarely given treat: potato chips! I don't usually condone that, but the vet school people know what they're doing, and the very special treat of a potato chip or two once in awhile isn't too bad.

It was just such a special experience getting to meet these guys and it was a bit surreal seeing them on campus (who would have expected a llama, next to McGraw Tower and in the law school Saperson Lounge?). I wish there were fewer people in the Lounge, though, because I know I would be stressed out if I had all these hands coming at me. Like I said, the dogs seems more pumped up because of it and thrived on the attention while giving lots of slobbery kisses (Tank, especially), but I just don't know about the llama. I ended up giving him a giant hug, though, and he gave me a snuffle kiss (where he sniffs you and makes a soft wooshing sound in through his lips). Sigh... I didn't know how awesome llamas are until meeting such a gentle one in person. 

Later in the afternoon, after Mike and I ran some errands (like getting fingerprinted for the CA Bar exam), we went to Professor Glenn Galbreath's lakehouse where Glenn has his anual get-together. We went last year as well, after Trial Advocacy was over. For Mike's trial (last Saturday), I served as one of Mike's witness in the same case (State v. Jackson, an arson case) but where I was the State, Mike and Liz were the defense. I played the hurt, jaded, but credible wife (separated, but not yet divorced) of the defendant. I let my eyes well up (without crying) at the trial, and my voice wavered. And I ad libbed a bunch to add some realism to it (saying things like "I answered the phone, I believe, because... well, Arthur never answers the phone" on direct and "well, counselor, I'm trying to answer your question as best as I can, so I can't answer with just a simple yes or no" on cross). At the end of the trial, even the jurors who voted against the defense said I was the most credible! Perhaps I should have done acting instead of law school... Either way, one of the jurors actually came up to me and gave me a giant hug ("I was with you the whole time while you were up there!"), looking daggers at Gabby (who played one of the "other women" in the case and said "You know, you might get the opportunity, but never break up a family!" Gabby and I looked at each other, thinking "wow, you know this is a mock trial right?" It was pretty interesting. Anyway, the opponents (Priscilla Fasaro and Drew Levine) were both very good so it was a tough battle indeed. Plus, to ask jurors to digest the facts in only one day, with something like 8 witnesses is a little too much to ask. Either way, out of the eigh jurors, Mike and Liz got 5 solidly on their side, with three on the other side. Woohoo, 8-3 is not bad! Plus, the ones who entered a "guilty" verdict had good reason ("There simply isn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt!" or "The State just didn't win me over on the idea that Mr. Jackson didn't have any other avenues, and why he would destroy a company he loved so much.") while the people who thought the defendant was guilty just didn't really have a solid basis (i.e. a juror whose husband cheated on her shot her hand up immediately after sitting down and said "Guilty! You just can't trust the defendant."). Anyway, we celebrated then end of this all at the cabin, with delicious food, good company, and a wonderful view. 

We discovered that one of the adjuncts, Steve Flash, who is a city attorney in Ithaca, has a secret power: he is ridiculously good at skipping rocks! He showed off his rock skipping prowess by having the most skips the furthest with some of the largest rocks, and we were all impressed accordingly! Anyway, it was great getting to talk to Glenn and to kind of close out that chapter of classes. I think Mike and I would like to invite Glenn out to dinner sometime to thank him, as one of our very favorite professors. The best part? Watching the sun set over the peaceful lake while eating smores.  

Once everyone started drifting away back home, Mike and I hitched a ride with Susie and John to Stella's where we had a few drinks. Mike owed them for driving him back from Syracuse after our Florida trip, and after Mike fell in love with a photo of James (their pup). And while we're really different individually, we're a surprisingly similar couple in terms of the things we love to do and eat and see. And we are all getting into this animal rights thing as well as healthy eating, so we had a lot to talk about. And Mike and John connected about clothes (quality!) as well. Anyway, we're probably going to have dinner with them at their house so we can meet James next time. James sent us a message, via Susie, the next morning. He is pretty much super adorable.

(His note says, in case you can't read it, "Hi Jing + Mike, I'm excited to meet you! Sincerely, kisses, James"... tell me that is not SUPER cute? Ahhhh I love pups!) Overall, at the end of 3L year, it really is interesting how a number of people have grown on me in the last few weeks. Maybe it's because everyone is calm now that no one is competing against each other, so there isn't that kind of rivalry you might feel during 1L year. While it's great meeting and connecting with all these people now that law school is pretty much over, I'm glad I met my core group of friends, and Mike, because I actually never felt that kind of dynamic between us. While law school isn't the best place to be, hanging with friends has been amazing. So, I guess what I'm saying is, whether we've missed out on other folks in law school or not, cheers to the lifelong friends I think I've made, with our bonds cemented together through mutual suffering among other things!