Things Are Looking Up

Yesterday and today were good days. I was able to get money from the bank, which enabled me to get a new student ID, which enabled me to get a replacement student Octopus card, which I used today to go to the mall in town to purchase a nice new wallet and cell phone. Classes also went well, and yesterday I ran 7 miles or so.

I just finished a meeting for a group project for Organizational Behavior and it went much better than I thought it could. We all communicated well (which is saying something since they are all local students), we came up with some good ideas, and we didn't take all night.

Before I went to my group meeting, I went to the library and picked up a few CD's and a couple movies. One is actually the movie adaptation of a book I read a few weeks ago, Barbarians at the Gates (the other one is McCabe and Mrs. Miller, an old Robert Altman movie). I'm not sure if it's gonna be any good, but we'll see.

I also read a great article in The New Yorker called "Rational Irrationality" - it was very interesting. I'm also almost through my third book since I've gotten here. I'm gonna have to reload after the next one...

We have a holiday on Thursday, which is for National Day. This year, there will be extra celebrations, as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC). There are many things happening; today at the mall, there was an exhibit on the stamps of the last 60 years of the PRC. There is also a star-studded movie premiering on Thursday. It is called The Founding of a Republic, and it is a very big deal. It has an Oscar-nominated Chinese director, and it has some of the biggest names in Chinese cinema, including Jet Li and Jackie Chan. I think it also is a source of pride for the people, because when my teacher mentioned it the other day in class, almost simultaneously the entire class cheered. I think I might try to see it, at least if there is a showing with English subtitles, that is. It looks to be quite the epic (trailer here).

Also, in the spirit of the USA, there is a (supposedly) unbelievable fireworks display scheduled for Thursday night. I was originally disappointed that I'm not going away for the long weekend, but now I am rather excited to see the celebrations. There are all sorts of decorations and parties around the campus; I can only imagine how great the city will look. I will be sure to take as many pictures as possible.

That's all for now. I'm glad to see the Bears and BC continue their winning streaks. ESPN GameDay is in Chestnut Hill this weekend for the Florida State game (very disappointed I'm missing that), so keep an eye out for that. Other than that, enjoy the rest of the week.