Ratna writes

My dear blog subscribers, I want to take a moment to bring your attention to the musical adventures I've been having during this winter break and before. Few experiences fill me with more joy and contentment than performing, onstage or otherwise. As you all know, I've been singing with the Harvard Opportunes, the College's oldest co-ed a cappella group. We had our fall jam shortly before the end of the semester, and our spring jam is scheduled for March 8th -- it's coming right up! Videos of the entire fall performance are available on YouTube , but, solipsistic as I am, I want to bring your attention to the two numbers on which I had solos: The first is called "Up the Ladder to the Roof" -- it's our alumni song, meaning that all past members of the group come onstage when we sing this, and each new member is given a short solo. Mine is toward the end of the recording, which you can see by clicking here . The second song, and my "main" sol...

I can’t get over how good my first semester at college has been. Not a thing is missing from the way I had pictured the experience, or from what the experience could be. It is everything. From where I live to what I learn, I have loved it all. First of all, my balance of classes couldn’t have been better. Deciding to take only one humanities class this semester was a really interesting examination of what is important to me -- I found that I really enjoy exploring disciplines that tickle my brain with challenge, while still being able to run to the Latin classroom for reminders of my intellectual ability.  I fell in love with evolutionary biology. I’ve written essays on my love for nature but this semester’s bio class has given me a renewed awe and appreciation for the natural world and its magical life forms. The class also heightened my appreciation for the support system I have in place at school -- an almost-failed first exam made me reach out to every academic advisor...

I kicked off the holiday season with two of my favorite boys last night, enjoying the opportunity to hear Naturally Sharp, Nizar's VTech a cappella group, sing Christmas carols in different parts of Reston Town Center. Patrick and I shivered in the cold as the Ho-Ho-Hokies sang by the big ol' tree in Fountain Square, warmed up during their performance at Clyde's, and grinned as they serenaded skaters at the ice rink. The group sang a set of Christmas songs and then exploded into some Natty classics -- spanning from Backstreet Boys to Disney. It was so great to see in person this group I've heard so much about from Niz! And wonderful, of course, to kick off winter break with my varlets.

Videos from my a cappella group's fall concert are now out! Click here to watch!

This weekend has been amazingly enjoyable and serene and I want to fight off the drowsiness effected by endless cold meds for a few minutes to write about it. The end of the week started in grand style, with the fall "jam" of my a cappella group,  The Harvard Opportunes -- this is our biggest performance of the semester. I had been feeling under the weather earlier in the day, but am proud to report that this was the most high-energy (and energizing) performance I've ever been a part of. (Videos will be up soon!) What made the night extra special was the plethora of people who came to see me! Almost all of my friends and advisors here on campus were able to come, and there's nothing like performing for an audience you love. Papa even flew up from Virginia to watch my show! After our awesome gig, we retreated to one Opportune's room to celebrate our success and spend time with former members of the group. It was great to see everyone so excited after our...

I had a moment today when I couldn't believe that around this time last year, I was roaming the streets of southeast DC alone daily, looking for inspiration and education and adventure. I was so unafraid of being alone and became so good at it. Well, where I am now, one doesn't have to go looking for education and inspiration. Now that it is literally at every corner, I'm already feeling like I won't have enough time to learn "it all." I don't want to concentrate in anything -- if it were possible, my education would consist of an infinite number of lectures on an infinite number of topics. But until I've designed that "Everything" major, I'll continue to vary my course selection salad as much as I possibly can. This morning, my math and bio professors breezed so quickly through the material that it was literally risible (though perhaps I shouldn't have been the one laughing). My seminar on climate change makes me think about m...

I'm running a little low on sleep but I really want to write about my day to "memorialize" what has been the best birthday I can remember. It started last night with dinner with my wonderful peer advisor Allie Pace and a phone serenade from Nizar's a cappella group, Naturally Sharp . I returned to my dorm around 10 to an explosion of my twin Kirin, accosting me with chai and donuts and Nic and love, which lasted the rest of the night. The wonder that is Reylon came over shortly before midnight, along with a trickling in of awesome Greenough hallmates, who made too much noise for a good while as we awaited the countdown to midnight. Javier, my Colombian brother, made an artful entrance with "It's a girl!" balloons and candy imported all the way from South America for me. Ayyy! Our gang complete, we enjoyed Kirin's delirious spoken word recitations with raucous laughter until a perfectly in-tune serenade at midnight, before Sophie went ...