PAW Column - December 9 - From Philadelphia to the UAE

MELISSA DEUTSCH is in her second year of law school at Penn after transferring from Washington U. In true Fresh Prince of Bel-Air form, she wrote the following song about her experience so far…

In North Jersey I was born and raised

In the Ivy-covered halls of Princeton I spent most of my days

Studyin', learnin', hangin' out with my crew

Gettin' ready to go to law school.

Spent a year in St. Lou', (with MADELINE TAYLOR, TOM HAINE, Jason Thompson '06, and Rafi Moreen '05!)

Made friends in my new 'hood,

Decided to head closer to Princeton if I could.

Hit the hornbooks and nutshells to prepare

And headed back east to get some Philadelphia air.

KELSEY JOHNSON is also living and working in Philadelphia. Her art was chosen for the juried exhibit, "NEXT: Philadelphia Emerging Photographers" at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center. She also has displayed artwork in various other venues including the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Green Line Cafe. KELSEY says she spends the majority of her free time watching Phillies games, putting together a new website of her artwork (kelseyhalliday.com), and applying to MFA programs for 2010.

SAED SHONNAR is working as a consultant for Booz & Company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He primarily has worked on strategy projects related to energy and renewable energy, involving the world's major providers. He has joined client meetings in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, South Africa and the UK over the last year and a half. Beyond work and travel, he has enjoyed hanging out with Booz colleague Daniel Zook ’01 and ALEKSANDRA WRONECKA, who is working for SAS as an IT consultant. He’s also attended one of Matthew Cooper's ’05 wild tiger parties in Dubai!

Homecoming 2009 under Martial Law

The Class of 2008 showed up to party at tailgates on Nov 14. I never had doubts, even when I heard the news that the Class of 2007 had abandoned the idea of a tailgate this year because of worries that not enough people would show up. Our class officers teamed up with 09 to rent a tent and create a wonderful spread of hoagies (starring the beloved Fat Lady), beer and warm apple cider with spiced rum.

But something was different about Homecoming this year. It was like the campus was under Martial Law. The first thing that welcomed me as I walked onto the muddy tailgate field was a University-endorsed sign, including curfew hours and a notice to “observe local and state ordinances for public conduct.” What they really mean is no fraternity pledge showdowns and no walking around with open containers. Public Safety flexed its muscles by hauling off a few mud-covered pledges after catching them in the midst of the annual wrestling match in that disgusting ‘pond’ next to the tailgating area. I can’t say I’m sad about that one.

What I didn’t understand was Public Safety’s defacto war on kegs. Our unofficial class alcohol chair, Tim Boardman, called Public Safety a week early to ensure that he could buy kegs for our tailgate. We weren’t buying kegs to look cool or be fratty, we were buying them to get the most liquid for our class dollars, simple optimization. But Public Safety changed their minds when Tim showed up to the event with the kegs, meaning that he had to request that Varsity Liquors do us a favor and switch them for cans of Beast. Good thing the local alcohol store has reasonable owners.

When the clock struck 1 p.m., everybody turned to see a public safety car with its lights flashing red and blue and its siren blaring. Had there been a disaster? No, it was just time to go to the game. Didn’t you read the rules board that said that “all patrons should proceed to the game at start time”? Grant Gittlin made a noble attempt to talk some sense into one officer, but the rules could not be broken.

So off to the game we went. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a supporter of the Princeton Football team, but this is a new low that they have to mandate that people go to the game. A fan base cannot be forced; it must be inspired by a team’s record/general school spirit and loyalty. I will say that I was happy to make it to the game before half time when members of the 1964 Football team marched onto the field. The big screen showed black and white clips of the old stadium brimming with fans as the 1960s team crushed adversaries like Yale. It was a reminder of the school spirit that used to exist without the need for rules about attendance.

Remembering Peter Curtin, an accomplished chemist and caring friend

Our classmate Peter Norman Curtin passed away on October 10^th while running the Baltimore marathon. He was a Chemistry PhD candidate at MIT, where he was awarded the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. In a collaborative effort with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, he was researching the use of chemical sensors to assess how well chemotherapy drugs treat tumors. Peter’s professors remember him as one the smartest, most thoughtful and humble students they ever taught. Among his awards, Peter received the Robert T. McCay Prize, Malcolm H. Chisholm Inorganic Prize, and the GPEC Solar Energy Innovation Award and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. While at Princeton, Peter co-authored a paper published in Chemistry-A European Journal. He also was the first undergraduate Chemistry student to be the lead author of a paper based on his thesis that is soon to be published in Inorganic Chemistry.

Peter’s friends remember him as the always loyal, upbeat and caring ‘Dapper’. He played goalie for the men's club lacrosse team and was a member of the Tiger Inn. Colin Emerson remembers Peter as “the first to sit and listen when one of his friends had a problem. His ability to take joy in the simplest of things never failed to serve as a model for those of us worrying about trivial matters in our own lives.” Peter’s friends knew him not just as an exceptional student, but more so for his goofy smile and friendly demeanor. Nick Adam, Peter’s roommate of four years, said that “for many of us, Dapper was our best friend, partly because we found ourselves turning to him first. It didn’t matter if we were having a rough day or a great one. When nothing was supposed to make me feel better, Dapper did. If life was good, you certainly wanted Dapper around.”

Peter is survived by his parents Michael and Anne, his brother Matthew and his sister Alison. Beyond his many outstanding achievements, what they will remember most of all is what a wonderful, funny, thoughtful and caring person Peter was every day of his life; something they will all treasure forever—a person who touched and benefited everyone who knew him.

Peter’s family has established a memorial fund in his name to support other students in the Chemistry department. Donations can be made out to “Princeton University” with the note “Peter N. Curtin, Class of 2008, Memorial Fund” and mailed to Helen Hardy, Princeton University, Alumni and Donor Relations, PO Box 5357, Princeton, NJ 08543.

PAW Column - November 18 - Learning medicine in NYC, Doing Finance in London, and Teaching in PA

TED WOLFSON spent the year after graduation studying the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a number of psychotropic medicines used for psychological disorders and diseases, ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to Stuttering. He started at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in late August and moved to the Upper East Side of New York City. TED is leaning towards orthopedic surgery right now, so he will probably begin research in Mount Sinai’s Ortho Lab. Beyond school, he is doing volunteer work and honing his Spanish skills at the East Harlem Health Outreach Program – a free clinic that services disenfranchised patients in East Harlem.
YUNMI KONG is in London on a half-year international assignment with JP Morgan. She spends her weekdays learning Briticisms from her colleagues and her weekends making the rounds at tourist sites. Among her favorite expressions is “chuffed”, meaning happy or pleased. She also recommends the Tower of London (where she is pictured here) for historical sightseeing and the Borough Market for food sampling if you happen to be in London.
ALEX HAYNIE joined the Pennington faculty as a teaching fellow in religion this fall, where he will be able to make great use of his Religion major. Prior to working at Pennington, he spent some time as a consultant in Aachen, Germany, and also was a substitute teacher at Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pa.

PAW Column - October 21 - Partying in Reno, Fencing in Budapest, and Coaching in the Bulldog den

MAURICE HABIF decided he just couldn't get enough of the classroom, so he went back to school for his MBA. He is currently living in Philadelphia as a 1st year student in the Wharton MBA program, along with many other Princeton alums. He was recently part of an epic gathering in Reno, NV to celebrate the bachelor party of Cyrus
Whitney '04. Pictured in this photo are classmates STEPHEN TAVARES, MAURICE, JACOB STRAUSS and ROBERT GATI.

TOMMI HURME is living in an apartment in downtown Budapest, Hungary in an up and coming but still industrial neighborhood. He plans on staying in Budapest until reunions and his brother’s graduation from Princeton this spring! He is taking Hungarian lessons three times a week, working as an intern at the UN High Commission for Refugees, and training fencing daily. His first tournament is in Oslo, Norway in November, and he will be fencing in Pittsburgh, PA in early December if anyone wants to check it out.
BRYANT BLOUNT said he couldn't stand the prospect of being a washed-up athlete in the real world, so he stayed in the field of sports. He is now entering his second year in Yale's Athletic Department in New Haven, CT, where he tries to provide the same great experience for student Athletes he was fortunate to enjoy as part of Princeton’s Men’s Track and Field team. He said he would appreciate any suggestions for avoiding the question, “so who are you rooting for?” as he’s begun to run out of clever non-answers. Bryant – good luck at Homecoming this weekend in the Bulldog’s den.

PAW Column - October 7 - Wedding Bells started to ring over the summer

The wedding bells have started to ring for the Class of 2008. (Don’t freak out!)
TAMARA LEWIS married high-school sweetheart Cliffy Flekser (University of the Witwatersrand ’05) on June 25th in Johannesburg, South Africa. The traditional Jewish ceremony took place at the Sandton Shul followed by dinner and dancing at the Sandton Convention Centre. Tigers in attendance were HILLARY WEBB, STUART CAMPO, ISABEL WILKINSON, SELENA KALVARIA, MONIKA KRACH and NINA CRONAN. These classmates were also able to enjoy many of South Africa’s treasures during their trip. The newlyweds will move to Boston in October, and TAMARA will continue working at Bain & Company as a second-year associate.
JESSICA LUCAS and DEREK YECIES also tied the knot over the summer. They celebrated their marriage with family and friends in the Hudson Valley in New York in July. DEREK says that their “relationship was catalyzed in Organic Chemistry class. Lock and key or induced fit? You decide.”
They currently live in Boston, where DEREK recently began his first year of medical school at Boston University School of Medicine and JESSICA is in her second year of a Ph.D program in biology at Harvard.
Yay for the happy couples and their beautiful pictures! Keep sending me your updates.

PAW Column - Sept 23 - Fighting fraud in NYC and being "Discipline Master" in Singapore

Another year out of Princeton! It seems like the summer just flew by. Here are stories from two classmates who have been living it up around the world for the rest of us all to hear about.
STEPHEN HSIA recently completed a one-year Princeton Project 55 fellowship at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, where he helped senior attorneys successfully investigate one of the city's largest mortgage fraud cases. Stephen then traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, over the summer to work in the missions field and get in touch with his mother's homeland. Come fall, he will be back in his native British Columbia, where he plans to apply to law schools and watch hockey with fellow Tigers at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.
COLIN EMERSON is in his second year of a Princeton in Asia Fellowship. He left the United States five days after graduation last June and began work for the Singaporean Ministry of Education teaching 20th century World History. He also happens to be the ”Discipline Master” at a Singaporean all-boys secondary school. When asked what the job’s like, Colin said, “I used to break all the rules, so it is easy to understand what my kids are up to, and I give them a firm nudge in the right direction.”
In his spare time, COLIN gets to travel around Southeast Asia and get together with other Princeton alums living in the area, including those pictured below: (l. to r.) Cindy Chou ’07, KURT KUEHNE, Karthik Venkataraman ’95, COLIN and Vidya Venkataraman ’03.
Keep sending me your blurbs. A new year a PAW has begun...

Top 5 Moments of the P-Rade

The P-rade lived up to standards this year: loud costumes, members of the Old Guard sipping on Natty Lights handed to them by younger alums, dogs wearing tiger tails, and the troupe of large Scottsmen in kilts playing the bagpipes. It's hard to rank the priceless moments out of this 4-hour parade, but here is my attempt:

1)Class of 1954 Asian theme --There's nothing like a class of mostly white men dressed up in kimonos and straw triangle hats, walking down Elm Drive and bowing to cheering alumni. Definitely my favorite un-PC moment of the afternoon.

2)The Class of 1947's theme – "War Torn... but Peaced Together." The classes of the 1940s brought history, pride and humor to the P-Rade. It is hard to imagine what the Princetonians who came of age during World War II went through, with classmates leaving the University early to enlist in the Army. And yet, the class of 1947 has certainly been pieced together and returns to campus each year to remind us of that brotherhood and school spirit that continues to define our experience.

3)The King of the P-Rade is certainly Malcom Warnock ’25, the oldest living Princetonian. He rightly leads the Old Guard (which includes all classes who are celebrating their 65th Reunion or greater – Incredible, right?) Malcolm holds the Class of 1923 Cane, which President Tilghman awards to the oldest returning Princetonian.

4)The 15th Reunion’s “Smells like 15 Spirit” theme included a band rocking out on the back of a flatbed truck. Nice touch to bring live, homespun music into the parade, and I’m sure the alums felt like celebrities up there. But I don’t really understand the flannel shirts – is that really grunge?

5)The Unicyler! Who is this guy, and where did he learn to unicyle? I did a little research into the subject. His name is Jay Lehr and he's the class of 1957. It seems like he's been unicyling down Elm Drive for the last 9 Reunions. What's amazing is that he is at least 70 years old and has better balance than anyone I know. Go Jay!

Lastly, though I don't have a picture to go along with my "unofficial" 6th favorite moment -- the Class of 1959's convertible with a guy dressed in drag as Barbie was absolutely amazing. I had no idea that it was Barbie's 50th birthday this year. After seeing that beautiful alum, I will never forget it.

Party at the 5th: the second night

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that last night was crazy. I mean, Thursday night was great, but Friday '08 was whipped into a party frenzy. Did it matter that the DJ played the exact same play list as the night before? No. Was everyone just as excited to sing along to Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls? Yes. Did everyone hit up other reunions for their better beer before heading back.

Oh yeah. At least - that's what I did.

The band was great, the DJ was great (no I don't know the names - that's not my thing, but I'm sure you can look that info up elsewhere). The best party though? The way no one wants the party to end. Reunions shut down? Well, let's go out to the street!

Oh, the street. I don't have enough words to describe the shenanigans that go down on Prospect.

I will say this though - where the heck did the food truck come from? Don't get me wrong - it was awesome - but so ridiculously random. Is it normal to have a food truck parked outside of Quad selling french fries, hot dogs, and soft pretzels?

Into the belly of the beast: a nostalgic return to Firestone

I told myself that I wouldn't go. I mean, reunions is time to have fun and be merry. Why ruin that by remembering the difficult parts? I didn't want to return to that place. You know that place - the one that sucked most of your life away during senior year. The place where you wrote your thesis.

For me, that place was Firestone Library, B Floor. It was my hell and my salvation, and the second I was done with my thesis I promised myself that I would never return there.

But I did.

I walked through the halls of the B floor, feeling the disturbingly consistent dry, dusty breeze from the vents. My flip flops clapped conspicuously on the tile floors as I passed by row after row of empty carrels. Finally, I found my old one. B-13-H. I took a breath and peaked inside.

It was much the same as I'd left it. My name is no longer on the door, but I'd recognize this little hole anywhere. The chairs were slightly askew, as if the current tenants had left it without any thoughts to return. There were a few push pins in the wall, and a left-over piece of paper.

Visiting this place made me feel more nostalgic then anything else on campus. So many memories, all crammed into less than 10 square feet. It was strange to look back and remember the days and nights I slaved away inside that airless little chamber.

It was so nice to know that it was over, as well.

I left it with a smile. Sure - it was my prison for many months, but I survived it. We all survived it, and moved on to one year later where we could finally say -

It's over. But it was good while it lasted.

Thai-rade

In about an hour, 25,000 Tigers, friends, and family will convene on the slopes of Elm Drive, waiting to march in the P-rade, show off their orange and black, and hold generationally inappropriate signs. In the coming days and weeks, the ridiculousness of the occasion will be showcased and commemorated countless times in innumerable forms - from the well-produced videos on the Annual Giving website to grandpa's impromptu "Gee, wasn't that swell!" speech over reheated mashed potatoes.

Slightly less famous, then, are the goings-on of all of the other Tigers who are suffering the grave misfortune of not being in Princeton today. And slightly less appreciated, then, is the fact that we all managed to do stuff that wasn't marching in the P-rade.

Some Tigers' absence from the P-rade can be explained by a lack of enthusiasm or desire. I'm not talking about those weirdos. I don't really care what they did today. Rather, I would like to champion all of the Tigers scattered across the globe who had to improvise on this Saturday and find other excuses for flagrant public day drinking.

My excuse was conveniently furnished by my boss, Josh Morris '99, who announced last week that today everybody at Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures would take the day off and go on a field trip. The destination? The mighty Mae Wang river, 90 minutes outside of Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand. The activity? Bamboo rafting, also known as sitting-on-some-half-submerged-logs-with-a-beer-in-your-hand-and-drifting-slowly-down-a-muddy-river.

We had a pretty good group of about 25 Thais and expats on 6 different rafts, so it was just like a P-rade, only less color-coordinated. We even had a constant stream of spectators on either bank, who were mostly young Thai men who apparently needed no excuse to drink at noon. They were fittingly enthusiastic and supportive, and while they failed to give us a Locomotive, we weren't exactly rah-rah'ing either, so I can't blame them.

So as all of the more conventional P-raders are about to kick off their slow walk down Elm Drive and into day drunk bliss, I would like to wish all of my classmates, friends, and my Dad, George Conbeer '69, their best P-rade ever. My own Thai-rade was quite a lot of fun (and this one is, too! ha. ha.), but I'll be damned if I miss the real thing next year.

Until then,
'08! '08! '08!
-Ted Conbeer

Shut up - there are daytime events??

Call me clueless, but until yesterday morning, I had no idea that people had seminars and faculty forums during reunions. I kind of thought the entire point was to boogie the night away on sea of booze and nostalgia.

Being enterprising, and naturally curious, I printed out a schedule of events so that I could scope out the cool ones and report back.

But I didn't go to a single one of them.

And how could I? There were too many people to greet, too much music to listen to, too much Frisbee to play (ok - I didn't actually play Frisbee myself, but it made me feel happy to see other people stretch out on grass behind Little as if it were a beach, playing Frisbee and lounging).

The only daytime event I'm really geeked for at this point, is the P-rade. Which is later today.

get excited....

First night at the 5th: Beast is just as yummy as I remember it

It is wonderful and strange to be back. It's been a year, which feels like a long time, but some memories - like the taste of Beast - are so strong that they pull you right back to what it was like to be in college. At moments, it's almost like we never left.

I saw you at the 5th last night. Did you see me? No? That's probably because I was terrified that it was going to rain at any second, so I was buried under a pile of gaudy Princeton paraphernalia (read: Beer Jacket and Princeton cap) that caused me to blend into the crowd of other 08s so excited to be back that they couldn't wait until Saturday get down with the Orange and Black. Still though - I saw you, 2008.

You were breaking it down on the dance floor last night.

DJ Bob was in fine form last night, playing a classic mix of almost up-to-date hits that everyone loves (I'm always willing to party to a little Kayne, I don't know about you), and awesome throwbacks from the 5th and 6th grade. You are my fire? You bet your name tag buttons, I am. We were all so hyper enthused that when 2:00am rolled around and the DJ called it quits, we all chanted "ONE MORE SONG!" until he caved.

Alright - I'm sure some other classes were out there chanting right along with us, but this post is totally not about them.

It was fun running into you again after nearly a year apart. You were all freshly minted with real world experiences, minor career anxieties and quarter life crises.

I can totally relate.

Still though, it's nice to be back together again. Despite the fact that we are now all playing various versions of "Sure, I know you - but since we didn't really speak to each other college, do I have to say hello?", it's fun to talk, catch up, chat a bit.

The collective IQ under the 5th tent was so high I was getting buzzed just hanging around it. What an amazing relief to once again be surrounded by smart people! I don't know about you, but I didn't realize how nice that was until we all dispersed out in the world...

Anyways, it was nice to see those of you who were out there. If you haven't seen me yet, I'm sure you will. We still have plenty of days to play the "So, what are you up to?" game, if you're into it. Or, we could just drink Beast and be merry.

I mean - that's what we came to do, right?

By plane, train, or carpool

It's time to go back.

It's been nearly a year since we raced through FitzRandolph gate, only too happy to say sayonara forever to thesis writing, finals, and Frist chicken fingers.

But even as I walked through that gate, I knew that there would be one thing I would happy to relive again and again.

REUNIONS.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm so excited. From Boston to San Diego, people are packing bags, booze and party shoes. Time to leave behind whatever adult life you've fashioned for yourself, and come on back. That case? It won’t fall through without you. Meetings? Post-pone them, you’re not available. Grad research? On hold until Tuesday.

Peace out punks, we’re going back!

Personally, I'm carpooling it down. Boston's not that far away (thank goodness) and nothing says 'going back' like a 3+ hour car ride cramped in a back seat to make the experience authentic. New Jersey rain storms, negative cell phone reception and grouchy 2.5’s flexing their feeble power by standing guard at the gates? Awesome. Booze up, party up, schmooze up? I’m there. Milwaukee’s Best and Beer Jackets? More please!

I’ll see you there (as soon as I stop off at Hoagie Haven and get some cheese fries, that is).

Who turned off all the lights?

Today (Saturday night) up to a billion people worldwide are expected to participate in the global voluntary blackout called Earth Hour, sponsored by World Wildlife Federation. To join in, switch off your lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time. Here's the official "About" from their website:

VOTE EARTH - YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.

We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

Counting down to Reunions 2009!

If graduation wasn't enough of a shocker, we're starting to prepare for our 1st year reunion. I have already spoken to friends who have put in for a vacation day on Friday, May 29th to ensure they can travel to Princeton Thursday night and start the weekend off with a bang on Friday. The expected turn-out for our 1st year reunion is about 600 people, or 55% of our class (based on the turn-out from the Class of 2007). Such high turn-out is not incredibly surprising considering that about a quarter of us probably live within a 100-mile radius of Princeton -- either in NYC or NJ somewhere. Another quarter live somewhere between Boston and Washington D.C. These are ball-park stats, so don't hold me to them.

To start getting some excitement going for Reunions, I've created a short survey. Half of the questions are for planning purposes to figure out expected attendance and what people want to eat and drink for our class brunch. The other questions are just for fun (e.g., Are you hoping to run into an old crush, and Do you wish you were still in college?) If you haven't taken the survey already, please click on the link below. It should take approximately 2 mins to do.

Reunions Survey

New Year's Eve in Kyōto: Ringing in the New Year... 108 Times

I spent New Year’s Eve at the headquarters of the Pure Land school of Buddhism, watching 17 monks cast away their sins by ringing the largest bell in Japan 108 times. It was different from my previous New Year’s experience, which involved getting trashed at a Princeton party in TriBeCa.

The tradition, known as joya-no-kane, takes place at temples across the country, where monks ring bells and sound gongs at midnight. Each sounding is meant to cleanse listeners of one of the 108 Buddhist temptations. This particular bell weighed 84 tons and was sounded by a large battering ram, from which hung 17 ropes. An old monk, in purple and gold kaftan-like robes, presided solemnly over the whole affair. The Jōdo shū temple, founded over 500 years before the United States, would have been impressive even without the massive bell. Approaching Chion-in, the first thing I saw was the temple’s colossal gate, which, I learned, is also the largest in Japan. Illuminated at night, the sight of the gate was pretty awe-inspiring.



From the temple, my friend and I walked downhill through the hundreds of colorful festival fast food rotensho stalls lining Maruyama Park. We passed Yasaka Shrine and saw thousands of people lined up behind police barricades, waiting for hatsumōde, their first shrine visit of the year. We decided to skip partaking in Japan’s version of Times Square and managed to catch a cab back to the hotel.

As I stood at Chion-in, one of Kyoto’s coolest temples in my opinion, in the cold at midnight, I really couldn’t stop thinking about how much has happened over the past year and—at risk of sounding old—how quickly the year flew by. As I mentioned, I spent the previous New Year’s surrounded by a lot of Cap friends in New York. I remember talking to a guy who was in Cap and graduated ’07; he was spending the year in China through PiA and was back just for his winter break; I remember him telling me about his experience in China, and I distinctly remember thinking that it sounded really cool but that there was no way I’d ever move to Asia after graduation. Life is funny that way, I guess.

--Rob Bernstein

The bell is 11 feet in height and 9 feet in diameter. Intense.

It took 17 monks to ring the 84-ton bell.

A huge crowd waits to enter Kyoto's Yasaka Shrine for hatsumode on New Year's. Thousands and thousands more people were lined up as far as I could see down the street.

Two Beats in Bogotá

VS

My New Year’s eve was supposed to be long and unconventional, eccentric even. It was supposed to start with a mellow, late dinner with my parents, listening to typical Colombian music in downtown Bogotá. I would celebrate with them until 12:30 or so, have some champagne, then head to a “Drum & Bass” party – whatever that means – that was described to me as “very underground”.

This would have been perfect. My planned evening would have allowed me to ruminate about the greatness of our (North and South) American music, to philosophize about the merits of the old and the new, the local and the imported, music in Spanish and music in English – and how great it is to enjoy both within one Latin American metropolis. I would have made a clichéd extended metaphor: these genres somehow symbolize our shared (northern and southern) heritage. Or destiny, or something like that.

Whatever the merits of my analysis, my evening did not turn out as planned. So I get to skip the cliché and hope you’re entertained by my evening nonetheless.

At around 11:00 PM on the night of the 31st, my mom, dad, and I arrived at “Salomé Pagano Social Club”, a “traditional” (meaning old) venue in the Zona Rosa of northern Bogotá. According to my dad, this area used to be the city’s red light district when he was my age, but it has been restored and turned into an upscale place for bars, restaurants, and clubs. I know the area well, and I was surprised to see it so desolate; most venues were closed, and the streets were dark and empty. The masses of young people were notoriously absent. This Venezuelan did not know that Colombians who can afford it leave the big cities and head to the beach, specifically Cartagena, a beautiful old port city, for the holidays. My brother and sister defected our usual family New Year’s celebration and stayed in Cartagena with their friends, while I headed to Bogotá in order to spend more time with my parents.

Salomé is famous for playing traditional Colombian music – salsa and cumbia in particular – and this night was no exception. “Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto”, a well-known Colombian band that has been around for decades, was on as we walked in. I realized that Gaita means something totally different to Colombians than to Venezuelans, and decided I like it. I also realized I’d heard this music just the previous week, while at the beach in Santa Marta; it sounds like a very primitive, raw form of cumbia. The men, in white robes and traditional hats, played exotic instruments: leather-bound drums, maracas, and a long, wooden, flute-like thing that sounded like an alto sax but looked like a stuffed serpent. The crowd was older and subdued, and I’m not usually into dancing (especially not in front of my parents), so I settled in to enjoy my meal, my rum, and the music.

As midnight drew near, the waitresses distributed champagne and the drunken owner of the place got on stage to try his hand at MC-ing. He sucked. As the crowd kissed, yelled, hugged, and blew their party horns to celebrate the new year, a mock prayer rang out of the enormous speakers that lined the walls. It was meant to sound like a solemn appeal from a preacher to God, but instead of a religious message it had a political one: the Cuban revolution (which turned 50 on January 1st, 2009) was a farce, its leaders were tyrants and it had plunged the country into misery and backwardness. I’m sure the writer must have thought it was very clever, but it was out of place in a New Year’s party, and the crowd dispersed. After 10 minutes the tedious voice finally stopped, and the music and party continued.

This is where my evening took an unexpected twist. As already mentioned, I am Venezuelan; my parents only moved to Bogotá the year I went to college. Among other things, this means I never studied in Colombia and know very few people there. Most of the people I do know were away, vacationing with their parents or partying in Cartagena. The one exception was Daniel, a DJ I met a few months back, who had proposed a few days earlier a “very underground Drum & Bass party” after midnight.

As things turned out, Daniel was nowhere to be reached in the early hours of January 1st. In fact, I have still not been able to contact him, 2 days later, and have no idea what happened to him. I decided not to go to the “underground” party (where I knew no one) alone, so I called it a night around 2:30 AM.

So my planned philosophical ruminations have had to be cancelled, because of a disappointing evening. American music is still excellent in both its northern and southern variations, but I will leave the extended clichéd metaphors for someone else. At least I learned something this New Years Eve: when in Colombia, head to the coast for the holidays.

New Year's Eve in NYC... in style

I flew into New York as the snow was falling. Though Charleston’s weather was a balmier 55 when I left home (I went to the beach on Christmas day!), there was nothing better than the big, beautiful snow flakes that greeted me. It was my first New Year’s Eve in the city, after all those years of watching the ball drop from my basement TV in grade school.

I had a few hours to waste before getting ready for the evening, so I decided to venture out to see the holiday decorations one last time. I glimpsed Times Square in the distance as I was crossing 7th Ave and spotted the New Year’s Eve Ball. What seemed like a small shining orb from a distance was an 11,875 pound mass covered in 2,668 Waterford Crystals and powered by 32,256 LEDS. Beginning this year, the Ball will sit atop One Times Square year-round and add to the brightly lit skyline on 42nd Street and Broadway. Seeing it in person, I couldn’t understand all the fuss.


I spent the next hour walking around Rockefeller Center and 5th Avenue, gawking at the tourists taking pictures. I entered the Saks Fifth Avenue wonderland. Not only did they have snowflakes projected on the façade of the buildings, they had a small light show inside. My favorite store front was probably the Cartier building with the 50+ ft bright red light-up ribbon across the front of the building.

I headed back to my boyfriend’s apartment (Colin Fechter ’08) at 5 p.m., thinking that I would beat the rush and street closings. But no, they had already begun. I was forced to wander uptown until finding a street that let pedestrians cross west. I had never seen so many cops in one place in my entire lifetime. One large Police van was even blasting The Rocky theme song on loudspeaker!

I got off the street and into my little black dress. We headed down to our $150-a-head party at Capitale, a swanky club on the Lower West side that was built in 1893 and used to be a bank (I copied the picture on the left from their website...full disclosure). Though I thought the night was pricey, the scene was amazing. It was like the high school prom I never had, and with hundreds of beautiful people between the ages of 20 and 30 years old. For the lovers of the Princeton social scene, it was like Cottage House parties on steroids, but without the terribly repetitive 80s music. There was an open bar and buffet, an enormous dance floor (my favorite), and ceiling lights that changed from red to purple to green. Other studly Princetonians spotted included Colin, Kane Hochster, Amara Suebsang, Chris White, Mark Gober, and Phil Farinacci.

As I write this post a day later, I’m left wondering what other classmates were doing in New York last night. Were you in Times Square? Did you overpay for a mediocre experience? Did you crash a friend’s party and drink for free? If nothing else, I hope you basked in the energy and the common joy of the night.