1.5L

Finals month has come and gone, leaving us all tired and more than ready to go home for winter break.

I cannot really believe that the dreaded first semester of 1L is over. Thankfully, the law continues to fascinate me and I am excited to learn more facets of it.

It finally started snowing in Boston (in a snowstorm!) last week, which was the only reminder that Christmas season had arrived. Since a good part of everyone's daily lives consisted of studying, the notion of what day it was or what time of year it was ceased to exist.

Now, all I can think about is going home for a few weeks, setting aside my books, and spending quality time with my loved ones. Happy holidays. :)

Cornucopia

Thanksgiving weekend acts as a light at the end of the tunnel (of finals madness) for law students, though it is kind of just a tease at the same time.

This year I spent my first Thanksgiving away from home. It ended up still turning out well because I was able to spend it with my cousin's family and we had a great feast that led me to nap heaven.

Black Friday, of course, brought me out of the apartment and to the mall. I definitely had fun buying professor gifts and getting some winter appropriate clothing. Best of all, I got my first red coat, which was extemely exciting.

I've been planning my Christmas surprise, which is surprisingly taking longer than I expected. In any case, I'm so blessed and so happy to be where I am right now. I can't believe that the semester really is almost over and winter break is almost here.

I'm so thankful for everything, I can't even begin to explicate...

Día de los Muertos

November has come upon us and as any law student knows, this means we have reached the point of the semester fondly known as "crunch time." It's a little disheartening to go from having AMAZING Halloween festivities to buckling down for the rest of the term, but I guess we all have to go out with a bang.

We had an extra hour of sleep last night (or possibly an extra hour of work) and officially have made it to the Day of the Dead. Outlines will start being made, study groups will be formed, and incessant chatter about one's preparations for finals will be the norm in the hallways.

I have to say that I've had a great semester thus far, have had some nice a-ha moments, and am coping with the fact that social lives will revolve around curriculum-related conversation for a while.

In happier news though, I think I have finally reached the point of having a sufficient amount of cold weather clothing to keep me warm for the winter.

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ca⋅pri⋅cious

1.	subject to, led by, or indicative of caprice or whim; erratic: He's such a capricious person, I never know how he'll react.

2.	Obsolete. fanciful or witty.

One month update

Now it's been a month since law school madness commenced (and coincidentally, since I became a palindrome: 22). So much has happened, from finally relenting and buying a backpack (I guess fashion does have to give way to functionality once in a while), getting acquainted with classes and with beautiful Boston, to becoming my involved self with extracurricular activities and learning how to do things like apportion how much groceries to buy so I can humanly carry it all.

BU Law has been amazing through and through. My professors are all pretty cool even though 8:40 AM class on Friday is not exciting. I love the people that I'm around despite the fact that being around them has gotten me dreadfully sick this weekend. On top of all this, I've decided to branch out and become active in some pretty cool things. The highlight of my involvement, I think, will be Legal Follies, which is BU Law's annual comedy sketch revue. I didn't have the time luxury to perform in college and realized that being on stage was something I wanted to have again in law school. I'm super excited to be a part of this through the creative writing process, acting, dancing, and of course, singing.

I'm so blessed to have my pink room with my turtles, Mosey and Dumpling, in my beautiful apartment with two great roommates, and be living and learning in this amazing city.

You can call me Miss Shannon.

Today, I had the infamously nerve wracking experience of being called on (a la Socratic Method) in my Civil Procedure class. The funny thing was that it wasn't actually me being called on.

Professor Farnsworth was going over lawsuits and how they would proceed if the case included co-defendants. He looked pensive and as though he was going to call on a victim to answer his questions. Immediately, I felt a strong inclination that my name would be the one he uttered.

"Miss Liu," Farnsworth calmly stated as he looked back into the audience. "Assume we have a car crash between A, B, and C. A is suing B and C. If B wants to bring claims against C, would B have to do this in this case?"

"No, B could bring this in another case."

"Oh, I'm sorry. There are two Miss Liu's in this class. I was actually referring to the Miss Liu in the back. I will get back to you another day." Of course, being the girly girl that I am, I started blushing nervously to my little foible.

Unfortunately, the other Miss Liu got a little confused between FRCP Rule 13(g) and 14, leading her to fumble on the answer. Farnsworth then said, "Miss Liu in the front. Since you have already been embarrassed, directing this question to you will only be of marginal embarrassment."

Thankfully, I was able to gracefully answer the question with appropriate reasoning and realize that maybe my dreams of being called Miss Shannon will finally be a necessary action.

Big girl move

After an exciting month in Taiwan, followed by an ultra relaxing month in the Bay Area, I have made my big move to Boston. My last week back in California was amazing, going to Six Flags and the Winchester Mystery House for the first times, spending time with friends in San Francisco, visiting my grandparents in Sacramento, and having a fun goodbye get together. This made it all the more difficult to hop on a one way flight to BOS, just days from starting my legal education.

Arriving in Boston, I was greeted by the prospect of having to lug more luggage than someone of my small figure could handle. This was a challenge with the utter lack of assistance any Bostonians offered to give me. Now, I've gotten a chance to visit my second home for the next few years, explore Boston a little bit, and meet some people that I would love to befriend.

I still am a little overwhelmed by the fact that next week, I will embark upon one of the toughest academic journeys. However, I'm pretty excited for the prospect of living in an amazing town full of culture and history with hopefully just as intriguing people. So far, I am happy to say I haven't been let down. :)

Isla Formosa, Taiwan will touch your heart

Having a one month escape from reality and everyday life in one of the most fascinating countries can only mean one thing: a life changing and mind opening experience. Coming to Taiwan, I had no idea what to expect; my only exposure to the country came fourteen years prior so I didn't have a concept of the beauty and immense culture my homeland possessed. Stepping out of the airport, I was left breathless. Unsurprisingly, this was because of the hot and humid air. Throughout the month, however, I had my breath taken away myriad times because of Taiwan's hold on me.

Taipei acted as my home base, our group's home for the bulk of the trip: where we stayed, went sightseeing, studied, and explored the nightlife. It also was home to one of my close friends and family friends. This city is a hub of activity from the bustling night markets to the efficient MRT system to the nightclubs that put Los Angeles to shame to Karaoke clubs galore. Most of all though, Taipei is a city surrounded by cultural havens and serene scenic beauty.

Our latter portion of the trip had our study tour travel around the island, visiting everything from an amusement park, outdoor adventure site, mountains, rocky points, and more. We experienced sights, both tropical and mountainous, that I wasn't aware even existed in Taiwan. To be quite frank, I wasn't even really too aware of my culture to begin with. Even living in Taiwan for a month, I realize that there is so much I still need to see. Consequently, I hope to come home again as soon as it is feasible for me and fall back in love over and over again.

My brief time living in Taiwan allowed me to meet some wonderful people, rejuvenate my Mandarin speaking skills, and get a taste of what my homeland is all about. I have loved my summer of breaking out of my bubble, laughing and smiling the whole way through.

Future Me

Yesterday, I received a surprise in my e-mail inbox. On December 18, 2005, I used a website called futureme.org, through which you can write yourself an e-mail to be sent to you on a designated date. I chose June 14, 2008 as the date of receipt because that was the day I was scheduled to graduate (this, of course, was before I decided to graduate a year early).

I had completely forgotten that I wrote the letter to myself and trust me when I say that it was a verbose novel, how typical of me! Reading it was pretty surreal; I mean, I keep a diary and update it extremely consistently, but having all of my thoughts at that point come back to me was a different experience. It summed up a lot for me, showing me how so much of my life has changed, yet so much has stayed the same. I'm still the same super ambitious person who is a little unsure of herself at times, but I've also become so much more independent and headstrong.

Sometimes when I'm with my friends and we're happily giggling about some trivial event or something else, I forget how far we've come. With this weekend (and last month for those on semester system!) marking the eve of many of my friends' departures into the real world, it's nice to remember that we really have grown, even though our inner silliness can still shine through. I can still remain a generally happy and positive person, who is supplemented by an understanding that the world can be cruel and inconsiderate, while not letting that take away my spirit.

I thought that I would feel left out not being a part of the same commencement cycle as my friends, and I am a little, but I also feel like I have a new commencement for myself: a revitalized view of myself, who I want to be, and through encounters with people I view with the utmost negativity, what attributes I definitely do not want to acquire. I can only hope that my friends and past classmates have the same epiphanies as I have had in this last year and can look back at the past fondly, in addition to humorously at the realization of how the petty people and frustratingly dramatic situations haven't fazed us for the long run in the slightest.

I think I'm going to Boston...

I think I've gotten to the point where I'm completely unabashed about telling people and fielding the endless questions regarding where I'm going to be spending the next three years of my life: Boston University School of Law.

At first, I was really set on just heading back to Los Angeles because I knew that was the easy thing to do since I am familiar with the area and I wouldn't have to get out of the bubble I created for myself in college. However, I realized that Boston is this amazing city that I've gotten the chance to fall in love with through visiting last summer and I should be ready to test my comfort zones and move somewhere faraway. I can't imagine living in a city where so much history has taken place and I won't need a car (!!!), but I am beyond elated and excited.

I cannot wait to start my legal education at a school that is so well-known for its great educational experience, which I guess is also a perk of being a small private school, and its accessibility to amazing opportunities in the future. I also am ready to explore Boston for its history, shopping, night-life, and of course, its dive bars. I guess I'm going to have to start investing in some good winter clothes and cute pink rain boots soon.

There are going to be a ton of challenges like even figuring out how to move all my stuff to Boston, but I somehow think I'll be able to tackle them come August. After all, I was able to find the perfect pair of jeans yesterday (7 for all mankind) and every girl knows that's quite a feat to be accomplished.

La vie en rose

I find that with the cycle of work, sleep, and trying to fit in some fun, I don't have much time to think about adding to a blog. I am pretty good about keeping my actual journal up to date though. In any case, it's been almost a month (!) since I returned from my European adventure with my brother and two of our friends, who also happen to be siblings.

Going to Europe (especially countries that use the Euro) is pretty excruciating for one's dollar-lined wallet these days. I found that it was not difficult to spend close to $100 on food each day to get a decent meal. However, I tried not to let this dissuade me from enjoying my time in a continent I used to regularly spend my summers in.

Taking a vacation to Europe as an adult is entirely different from the trips I had as a child. I especially find salient differences in the places we visited and excursions we set to go on. Going this time definitely required a lot more walking rather than being driven everywhere. In my eyes though, this makes the trip more invigorating as you can take in all the scenery and have strong realization that you are in a different world.

Italia was amazing; from seeing the rustic qualities to Cinque Terra to viewing sculptures, paintings, and artistic beauty in myriad galleries, I was amazed. I couldn't even pinpoint a highlight of this leg of the trip because I enjoyed everything. There were only two low-points in Italia: being extremely scared being on the top of Duomo (and climbing the 463 steps to the top, which amplified my fear with each step) and then being pick-pocketed at the Palatine in Roma. It wasn't exciting to lose any cash I had and my driver's license and credit cards. Thankfully, all of those are replaceable and I still had my passport.

Praha brought back so many memories and sentimentality as my family lived there when I was eight years old. Walking down the Karluv Most (Charles Bridge) and through Mala Strana made me feel like a kid again. The entire city is beautiful although it has gotten a bit too touristy in the past decade. Having the Czech food all over again was a pretty nice treat since it's impossibly hard to find authentic Czech cuisine in the U.S.

Lastly, Paris was spectacular, but I don't think anyone would expect anything less. The weather during our stay was on the wet and gloomy side, but that didn't deter us from having a good time. The Louvre was wonderful, but Musee D'orsay was even better. The view from the top of Tour Eiffel was pretty awesome even though my fear of heights was intensely evoked again. Parisian food was delicious and my favorite dish, interestingly enough, was steak frites.

The trip was a quite nice respite from work and was a great time for me to spend time with my brother and kind of rediscover my love of travel all over again. Next trip: Taiwan in July.

Twenty One and a Half

Today is my half birthday, which officially means that I cannot say, "I just turned 21," and actually mean it. It's a little strange to realize how quickly my year off from school has gone by, but I think that I have found some good ways to find fulfillment.

I guess as an update of the past events, June of 2007 to now has been a flurry in my mind.

During the second week of June, I had my "Graduation Week," which consisted of Phi Beta Kappa graduation, College Honors graduation, College of Letters and Science graduation, and the Psychology Department graduation. It all was just kind of a formality for me to realize that the last three years of my life had actually come to a close.

Right after graduation, I came home for a day and then flew to Boston for a little less than a week for my first solo vacation. I immediately fell in love with the city, taking advantage of the T system's convenience and walking everywhere. I felt a sense of freedom and independence seeing everything that interested me at my own pace.

I spent the majority of summer living in Los Angeles, tying up loose ends with internships, school activities, and taking LSAT classes (which surprisingly were really fun). It was nice to get a little last taste of Los Angeles and the carefree collegiate lifestyle while I had the chance.

Finally, during August I moved back home to the Bay Area to spend my final tenure as a resident of my parents' house while saving up some money for Law School. Since then, I've been working as a litigation assistant, which pretty much translates into doing tedious work. In addition to that, I've been finding time to reconnect with friends from my past and get the chance to meet a few really great people.

I've had the opportunity to get out of my Cupertino bubble a bit, visiting San Francisco, dabbling in skiing in South Lake Tahoe, exploring little things in the Bay Area, and making my way to Chicago for a second solo trip.

Now, I'm kind of at a stand-still because I have no idea where life will be taking me next. It's a little daunting to not even be sure where I'll be living in six months, but I think I'm ready for the challenge.