we were so close!

sontag has never really gotten very far in terms of the intramural sports here. we did beat some people at innertube waterpolo once. but this year, things have definitely changed!

tonight was the volleyball championship tournament for all the 5C dorms (or the teams that made it to the tournament), and after a couple of hours of nonstop playing, we landed in the finals. all the other teams we played against held up very well. they kept everyone on their feet. anyways, the team we were competing against for the title was the scripps team, and they were amazing! we beat them for the first game, and we were pretty far ahead during the second. then, i got hit. HARD. in the face, with a volleyball, going however fast, i do not know. the sad thing is, my glasses broke in half! and i bought these glasses for a reason, so that incidents like these don't happen when my glasses are flexible. these flexon glasses served me well, but now, i have to replace them.

anyway, enough about the glasses. we didn't win. but we came in second, which is still pretty awesome. it gets the sontag name out there (because, up until now, other dorms assume that we're athletically challenged). pssh! we are anything but!

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars

I just came back from a really awesome concert with Prof. Martonosi (a Math professor) and three other students. I didn't know anything about the musical group before I went, but I trusted Martonosi's good taste in music, especially since she did spend a good chunk of her time in Africa volunteering for the Peace Corps. Anyway, the five of us drove to UCLA for a very nice surprise.

The evening began with a documentary about the group and the situations that they (and other Sierra Leone refugees) faced. Needless to say, there were heaps of tears. The documentary was very graphic during some scenes, which I was not prepared for. I don't want to tell you the whole story, but I highly suggest you go check the documentary out. These people are amazing! Not only do they not let anything tear them down and apart, but they use their music to spread joyous peaceful messages, starting first with the refugees living in their refugee camp.

What follows was a live performance by the group. We were in UCLA's Royce Hall, which was way too formal for a live music performance. It was fine during the documentary showing, with people situated in their assigned seats, but it didn't allow any room for people who want to get up and move to the beat. But that didn't stop anyone. The SLRAS's music was so contagious that so many people flocked to the front to dance their hearts out. The people sitting in the few front rows were pissed, though. Haha.

Anyway, you should totally check them out, and if you have a chance, go see them live.

hello!

hello there, world! or, more actually, hello there, prospective students! let me give you a little bit of an introduction. i'm trang, a senior at harvey mudd college, off-campus majoring in media studies and on-campus minoring in mathematics. right now, i am a proctor at sontag dorm (best dorm ever!), and i'm part of the activities planning team for the dean of students office. we plan at least one study break each week for the entire campus. yes, it's an incredibly fun job. i'm really glad to be writing this blog to let you all see a little more on what it's like to be a mudder. so hope to catch you soon! if you have any questions, please ask away! :)