Calm before the storm

This is my last free weekend before I start my internship on Tuesday. As such, it seems appropriate to make a list of the goals that I have for this summer. I've found that I have much more success at meeting objectives that I plan in advance rather than create as I go along, though it's unclear whether that's because I'm just feeling more motivated in general when I prepare ahead of time or whether there's something inherently magical about planning ahead .

In any case, here goes:

Learn how to cook

I do know how to cook a few random dishes (largely the result of years of Boy Scout camping, as well as experimenting whenever I was home alone in high school). But I'd like to expand my repertoire, particularly into the domain of Italian, French, and Korean food. This probably won't be easy, especially considering my next goal and my leaky kitchen sink; but then again, learning a new skill never is.

Live a healthy lifestyle

There are actually two sub-goals here: eat healthy and exercise regularly. Both are difficult, for different but mutually reinforcing reasons: cooking healthy food tends to be more expensive and time-consuming, while exercising regularly requires that I motivate myself during my (predicted) 60+ hour work week to go to the gym, which is at least 20 minutes away by subway. I can pull it off though. I think. No, I must, for the sake of my abs.

Read a lot of books

The school year is always sad in one respect: I never have enough time to read for pleasure, much less for class. Thus breaks are always my opportunity to catch up on all the books that friends have recommended or that have caught my eye during my bookstore browsing sessions. So far, I've finished The Language of God, Freakonomics, Committed, and Eat, Pray, Love; I'm currently reading My Life As A Quant and Mere Christianity; and I still need to start Everything Is Illuminated, Blue Like Jazz, and Invisible Man. Fortunately, I don't have many commitments during the upcoming three day weekend, and I don't plan to go out too often during my internship, so this should be a pretty feasible reading list.

Get plugged into a church

Some of you will know that when I lived in the city for a week over spring break, I visited a house church called Big Apple Chapel (I know, funny name) whose principles both strongly resonated with my own and were firmly based in the Bible, specifically in Acts. Of course, one Sunday was not enough for me to really get to know the people there or understand how the church functions, but I have a strong feeling that I'll end up attending BAC regularly and getting involved in its ministries.

Work hard

I know, this is practically a given. But to be honest, because I only took 3.5 credits last semester, I feel like I haven't dedicated significant time and energy to any particular endeavor since the KASCON bid in early March. Hopefully, spending most of my days in an environment where everyone else is productive will force me to be productive as well, though it'll definitely be easier if I find the work fun and meaningful (which I should, from what I gathered over spring break).

Explore New York City

When I said I wouldn't go out often, I meant go partying and clubbing as most interns are wont to do. I still plan to make my way around the city, which is one of the most bustling and diverse places in the world. Being a native Angeleno (refer to first post), I will always stay true to my roots. But that doesn't mean I can't get to know this city and all the lovely sights and attractions it has to offer. Nor does it mean I refuse to see some of its relative merits, like the convenience of the 24-hour subway system, which I have unfortunately yet to use since getting here on Tuesday. Alas.

That's it for now, but check back regularly since I'll be amending and adding goals as the summer progresses. And now for some pretty pictures.

Artsy photo of my laptop, taken in a nearby Starbucks.

Ah yes, the ubiquity of New York graffiti.

Chicken with red wine and paprika sauce, chicken fried rice, and assorted vegetables with pepper and tomato paste. My first real homemade dinner, yum.

I know I promised to write my thoughts on Greenwich Village, but those thoughts are still in the process of being formulated, so you'll have to wait until my next entry. See you on the other side of the weekend!