Hooked

Model United Nations (MUN) started last night. We've been preparing for this for a whole year and now we're finally here in NY and competing. BYU is representing Germany and Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF or Doctors Without Borders) this year and there is a lot of pressure to win because BYU has won top honors in the past five years. However, many people say that this is the year that it just might not happen for us. One of our head delegate had to pull out because of sickness at the last minute and we have a NGO to work with this time, instead of two countries.

I was majorly stressing out about it the night before. I was busy writing speeches and cramming in little tidbits of info. But yesterday, the moment we stepped into the room, it all clicked. Working the room became natural, almost second nature. We were all smiling too much and talking too loud. But it wasn't all tea party conversation. There was a raw power struggle there. And I absolutely loved it.

In half an hour, we'll be meeting with 20 countries that we hope will join our block. This will be the pivotal moment to establish our leadership. The trick is to let them feel like they're in charge and have a stake in our coalition.

Let the games begin.

Gearing up for an all-nighter

The next time I wake up (assuming that I'm pulling an all-nighter tonight) I'll be in New York!

But before then, I still have one more paper to write, one more Econ homework to do, two more lectures to go to, laundry to fold, a student to help, a writing fellow to meet, luggage to pack, grading to finish, a binder full of research to add to, next week's readings to complete, outfits to figure out, and a date to go on.

And apparently a blog to update as well.

New York, New York, you're stressing me out!

Wanderlust

It's somewhat official. I just bought my ticket flying from Chiang Mai to Kuala Lumpur. All for the glorious price of $64 USD. That's less than what I spend on groceries a week.

I've been to both these places before. But I was really little and don't remember much about Chiang Mai except for getting my hair braided.

I do remember KL though. I went to a math competition there and hung out with the boys most of the time. I knew my math - my odds were good: three girls to a hundred boys. We did a scavenger hunt in the twin towers (above) and that's where I developed my first bona fide "long-distance relationship". We wrote letters for a whole year.

Phuket + Bangkok are also in the plans. Micah wants to rent motorcycles and ride around Thailand like hoodlums. I should up my insurance right before I go - I can't even bike very well.

But where I really want to go is New Delhi. The parentals are somewhat against it. My dad thinks I've hit a crisis point in my life and that I'm trying to be a nomad to "find myself in India". My mom just thinks that I'm going to be swiped away by human traffickers and never make it back to school. She thinks I should only go with my husband. Too bad I can't rent one of those just for August.

An hour full of faux pas

Note to self:

Next time when you're invited to a luncheon at the "Presidential Room", don't forget. Also, just assume that it's business formal and do not wear a yellow shirt with rolled up sleeves, rolled up jeans, and a giant ring that you had thrown on that morning for a more casual look.

On top of that, if you're not dressed right, then don't make a dramatic entrance and exit by coming in late and slinking out early.

Don't choke on your vanilla fruit custard (set in a chocolate cup!) when everybody in the room is waiting for you to introduce yourself.

Even if all the above happens, keep your cool. Don't make it worse by dropping forks and napkins all over the place.

And did I mention DON'T FORGET next time ?!?

Exasperation

Right now, I really wish I were a boy.

Stalking myself

I read an article on NYT yesterday about how some MIT professors devised a computer program, compiling all your information they get from your social networking websites (i.e. facebook), and successfully predicted all nine digits of the social security number of 8.5% of Americans born between 1989and 2003.

Scary.

Then I read a blog post today about how employers are starting to google job applicants to see what kind of online reputations they have. So just out of curiosity, I googled myself.

Here's what I found out through my stalking:

*My address
*My phone number (from facebook!)
*That I was the only Sisi Messick in the US
*That one of my ancestor was a French Huguenot who came to MD in 1664
* A map pointing to Provo UT where I live
* That service apparently givees me a warm feeling

A background check company even offered to give "premium" information about me if I pay their rate.

Ugh. Makes me want to get off all online stuff. But the ironic thing is that the first thing I do is write about all of this on my blog.

I guess I just saved you time. You don't have to stalk me anymore.

Spelling out the summer plans

Yeah. That's how excited I am about it. A friend just called me today to make plans about August. Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, India, and Tibet. Who wants to come along?

Pandora box of questions

I've been thrown into a moral conundrum regarding a job. Coincidently, I sat through an hour long lecture today, talking about ethics in competition for our MUN team. Here are some questions swirling around my little head. Any answers?

Is something unethical simply because you don't feel comfortable doing it?

What if a figure in AUTHORITY says it's ok?

Is legality the only standard of professional conduct?

My professor talked about being ethical to build credibility.
Does such a utilitarian view of ethical behavior somehow take away from the ideals of ethics?

Does your motivation matter, as long as you're ethical?

分手是需要练习的

谈起关于你的话题 终于可以不用缺席
甚至还 表现得不再关心
从前你是伤的痕迹 现在不过是场回忆
忽远 忽近

我怕的是低潮来袭 这城市哪里够隐密
藏住我 突然想哭的情绪
宁愿失去斗志勇气 好过和你冷战推挤
这样 谁输得起

原来分手是需要练习的
等时间久了会变勇敢的
你慢慢出走 我渐渐放手
这不就是我们要的自由

原来分手是需要练习的
等伤口好了会变轻松的
海阔天空 不残留一点痛
回头看 怕懦弱 往前走 怕坠落
但我一定能学会
在想你的时候 不难过

Mother knows best

I talked to my mom for a long time tonight about some of my frustrations. I felt that a lot of people are advising or expecting me to do some things that I wasn't sure were right for me. After listening to me go on, she cut me off suddenly.

Mom: Sisi, do you think I have outstanding children?

Me: . . .

Mom: Well the answer is yes. And how do you think they became that way? It's because they didn't do what everybody else did. They are unique because they did what was best for them, even if it went against expectations. Why would you want to be anything less than outstanding?

------------------

I love mothers. They make everything make sense.

Sisi in LSAT-land

I fell down a rabbit hole of law school prep. And found myself at a mad tea party of students who are trying to make sense of the LSAT.

Everything is topsy-turvey in LSAT-land. The logic questions will have you believe that some shy people are extroverts and that in order to prove that you're not a communist, you'll have to advocate totalitarian states. Common sense has no place here; the faster you are at accepting crazy ideas, the better.

The questions just seem like riddles that the mad hatter makes up for fun. And like Alice, sometimes I just don't want to play anymore.

All the while, the March Hare is telling me that time is running out and the law school Queen of hearts is pointing at me and yelling, "Off with her head!"

But I must admit, LSAT-land is growing on me. Like the grinning Chesire cat, formal logic is at once strange and fascinating. We're holding a March LSAT Madness where we fill in the brackets with hard LSAT logic games and vote for them. The hardest game wins the season.

And I'll be honest - I'm really excited for it.

Karma

What goes around really comes back around.

And it sucks.