New Year Resolutions

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Posted by Phoebe Yu on January 16, 2010 – 7:46 pm
Filed under Academics, Involvement, Personal, Travel

I have made enough New Year Resolutions to know that they should be called “List of Things Phoebe is Not Going to Do” instead. Looking back at my 2009 resolutions, I completed one (1. Get into Cornell), was half way on my way to another one before my tuition bill came along (5. Have $20,000 in my bank account by the end of the year), and failed at others completely (8. Finish a novel and 4. Be unselfish in love).

This year, I waited after the New Year and New Decade euphoria to settle down a bit, hoping the overly-optimistic and wishful thinking would be out of my system before I sit down and make resolutions that are actually feasible. So here they are, somewhat anticlimatically presented.

Write New Year Resolutions – YES! DONE! (Kidding…)

Think before I speak – to avoid embarrassment, regret, hysteria, and perceived stupidity on my part.

Do something terrifying – gorge-jumping or dancing in front a large crowd of people maybe?

Hit the big FOUR-OH, not agewise mind you, but grade-wise.

Learn to cook beyond boiling water.

Get my driver’s license, because my friends currently view my inability to drive as practically a disability.

Blog more often! And write for a publication.

When it comes to extra-curriculars, DEPTH, not BREADTH.

Take every opportunity to travel.

Sleep before 12:30 and get up early to preview lectures – I have a feeling this will be the toughest one.

Of course, there’s the “internship/career/graduate school/fitness plan/eat healthier” staple that come with every resolution list which I will bypass here.

QOTW: What are your New Year Resolutions? And how many have you broken already?

Decade in Review

1
Posted by Phoebe Yu on January 5, 2010 – 5:36 am
Filed under Job, Personal, Travel

Happy (belated) New Year everyone! And happy back to school for some of you. I decided to do a review of my life in the last decade to see how much (or how little) things have changed over ten years.

In 2000, I attended my last semester of elementary school in China (scarring Grade 3), got glasses, flew across the world, immigrated to Canada, started a new school not knowing any English, and got bullied in school for said lack of English skills.
In 2001, I made a five-minute speech in front of 500 people (take that, ESL), changed elementary schools, went on a camping retreat without parents for the first time, realized school was a piece of cake, watched Sailor Moon every single day at lunch, and used the self-check out aisle at a supermarket for the first time.
In 2002, I created a MSN account which I still use today, used Netzero dialup to get online, made my first website, changed two more schools, learned to ski (and was laughed at by the ski instructor for lack of ability), went to my first middle school dance and danced awkwardly with a boy with sufficient space between us, and hosted too many sleepover slumber parties to count.
In 2003, I prided myself on having the same bologna sandwich every day at lunch for three years running, got addicted to a gameboy for the first time, DISCOVERED HARRY POTTER, played in the park after school, went to church regularly, and visited Quebec.
In 2004, I moved across the country to the West Coast, lamented my school placements, took public transit for the first time by myself, went back to China, was addicted to Runescape, and shared a one bedroom flat with my parents.
In 2005, I started PreIB (changed schools, again), memorized half of Homer’s Odyssey, found out that hot overhead projectors had negative impacts on teachers, and may have moved to Richmond.
In 2006, PreIB merged into IB and life was taking its toll. I remember nothing from this period other than starting a job at McDonald’s at another at a Call Center, simultaneously.
In 2007, I discovered the wonders of fashion, toiled away for my extended essay, had a few more jobs, studied for SATs, applied for universities, became disillusioned with IB, and started a relationship.
In 2008, I passed IB, went back to China but came back before the Olympics, worked two jobs during the summer, cried too much, almost went to Berkeley, got contacts, had a crazy time at Frosh, blogged joyfully, and over-involved myself in extra-curriculars.
In 2009, I juggled jobs, academics, and extra-curriculars; my bank account hit $10 000 for the first time, but a few days later it was cut in half due to tuition, started a relationship, transferred to Cornell, embarked on whirlwind trips to NYC, Boston, Kingston, Toronto, and Syracuse, lived in dorms for the first time, did laundry for the first time (ha!), and came back to Vancouver and had the best winter holiday EVER … for the most part.

Hello new decade. I wonder what surprises you bring.

The World of Labor is a Small One

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Posted by Phoebe Yu on November 29, 2009 – 12:25 am
Filed under Academics

Being the excellent student I am, I started my term paper for ILRCB1100 labor history a full four days before it’s due.  I have generally mixed feelings about this history class because, well, it rivals my previous chemistry higher level studies of s.p.d.f. electron quantum levels in terms of real-life applicability. However, that’s not to say that the class is as dull as dishwater. General strikes! Armed conflicts! Impassioned speeches! Most of early-mid twentieth century the labor world was embroiled in an everlasting struggle for equity and recognition (oh yikes, this is starting to sound like the paper that I’m SUPPOSED to be writing).

There is a point to this, I promise. My professor, Dr. Cletus “D-Minus” Daniel, is the epitome of an old-school, grey-haired, tweed-jacket wearing, all-knowing academic. His dress sense – full suit and tie every lecture – is impeccable. There is in fact an entire Facebook group called “We Love Clete” dedicated to him, in which one student wrote,

“Clete is, by far, the best dressed professer [sic] in all of Cornell, if not the world. I was talking to him about a credit internship and all the while I was thinking, “Damn dude! Your tie compliments your suit compliments your jacket so well! How do you do it?”

He is also a known hard grader – hence the “D-minus Daniel” nickname – and assigns thousands of pages of readings (a portion of which I’ve done to date). Another student so poignantly wrote

“Don’t let the Winnie-the-Pooh-like voice lull you into a false sense of security; do the reading or your ****ed.”

One thing I find incredibly amusing about this labor history class is the random, unexpected connections to ILR/Cornell. Once, Prof. Daniel started talking about Myron Taylor, an influential labor figure, and sensing all the raise eyebrows in the class, added on as a footnote, “yes the same guy our Myron Taylor Hall down the street is named after. He donated a lot of money”. Or in another class, an overview of a feisty union organizer ended with, “and after her organizational work with the Teamster Local, she came to the ILR school and taught for x years”. The class usually goes, “whoa”, and then revel at just how close history hits home.

Just now, I was taking notes for my term paper from an assigned book*. Out of the blue, the author QUOTES MY PROFESSOR IN THE BOOK. *facepalm* the world of labor is a small and inter-connected one. At least now I know I’m using the right book. If only I had more time to do the paper that was assigned at the beginning of the term.

* American Workers, American Unions by Robert Zieger & Gilbert Gall. READ IT if you’re in this class, it’s going to help you on your final.