I find myself confused every so often these days because sometimes I feel like I can't really remember who I am — I mean, God's daughter and co-heirs with Christ aside (not that that doesn't essentially encompass everything that I am and aspire to be), who am I?
Roles and titles aside too: granddaughter, daughter, sister, student at X university, leader of Y, member of Z and A and B, best friend of C, mentor to D, mentee of E and F... and (hopefully) later on, employee at G, wife, mother, etc. etc. etc.
Who am I apart from the expectations and responsibilities given to me by others?
Here it is, my last "Stuff GCC Loves"! It's been a good four years, and though I am (super duper duper duper) sad to see my time at GCC to come to an end, more than anything, I am (super duper duper duper) thankful to have been a part of this amazing community of believers during my college career.
"Stuff GCC Loves" lists and commentates on 10 things/activities/people that have prominently featured in the undergraduate GCC culture in the past academic year - the list, of course, is not comprehensive and I'm sure biases and availability heuristics come into play, so as always, feel free to correct any errors or point out other things I might have missed in the comments section!
STUFF GCC LOVES (11/12 VERSION)
1. Trolling
I'm not really sure when "trolling" entered the GCC lexicon, but both the word and the action sure became prevalent in this past year. But how to explain exactly what trolling is?
Urbandictionary.com defines "trolling" as the following:
Though trolling has its origins on the Internet, it was not limited to online interactions - it was very much done in person as well. One infamous trolling incident involved distributing someone's number to various people in Meyerson while singing "Call Me Maybe"...unbeknownst to the person whose number was being distributed. The person eventually found out, of course, once people started calling the number to find that it was not the distributor's number...but that of the trolled.
2. #whatshouldwecallme Tumblrs
Honestly, Blogspot is becoming a platform for Internet dinosaurs like me. Who wants to read text when you can look at pretty pictures and funny gifs on Tumblr? And that reblog button - so handy! You don't need to come up with original material at all - you can just repost something that someone else reposted from someone else who reposted from someone else who reposted from someone else because we're all about borrowing and collaborating these days anyway.
But even among those who don't use any kind of blogging tool, one Tumblr site stood out among the rest: #whatshouldwecallme.
With a plethora of snarky title+gif combinations that made people go "omgsh, that is SO TRUE," people found that #whatshouldwecallme and similar sites frequently expressed exactly how they felt about certain situations or people. So, why say in words what you could say in a moving image + a caption? Hence:
from penn students
from disney aficionados like j.k.
and of course, from 2013 for the class of 2012
Interesting how well we reappropriate mainstream culture for edification purposes! But seriously, if you feel like killing time, these sites have been quite amusing (and rather reassuring during finals season). Just make sure you don't DTR with someone using a gif.
3. Acronyms
Acronyms have always been popular since the dawn of time (ie. when "LOL" was first invented and the ozone layer was still intact) but this year included quite a few new ones, starting with family group names: JAM: Jesus And Me EPIC: Every Prayer In Christ CIA: Christians In Action PB&J: Praise Beto Jesus
and seemingly shady phrases like "HTHT" (Heart To Heart Talk): Yeah, (insert brother here) and (insert sister here) are having HTHT before family group. How was HTHT yesterday with X? I love HTHT with Y!!
and this very awful phrase, "YOLO" (You Only Live Once):
4. Meyerson Culture
What would be a GCC-related post without talking about Meyerson? Not too many changes from previous years, but here are some highlights from Meyerson culture:
- ordering takeout from New Deck/Sangkee
Something about their proximity to Meyerson and New Deck's willingness to stay open until the late hours of the night (or early hours, depending on whether or not you just started studying...) makes these two popular locations for getting take-out to eat in the strangely geometric/white&orange lobby of Meyerson basement as passerby design students wonder what so many Asians are doing in their building (hide yo kids, hide yo wives) and fellow study-ers who haven't gotten dinner hope to steal a fry or two (or ten).
- Sunday class prayer meetings
Almost every class had some form of class prayer (brothers' prayer, sisters' prayer, class prayer) on Sunday evenings. They made for some blessing times, not only for the classes partaking in such gatherings, but for other classes who were able to see them congregate in various rooms (or non-rooms like the aforementioned geometric/white&orange lobby). Cue: awwwwwww
- punishment game
A certain dissenter said I could not include this one because I personally came up with this game, but my hope and dream (!) is that it is a tradition that is passed down along the generations so that productive studying can get done in Meyerson. Basically, the rules of the game are very simple. You list what you must get done by a particular time and then someone else determines the punishment that you will receive if you do not complete your assignments by the agreed-upon time. If the punishment is mortifying or undesirable enough, you'd be surprised by how efficiently you can work out of desperation. But for some people, you could end up enjoying the punishment a little too much...won't name who (coughTLcough)...which reminds me...
5. "CallMeMaybe"
This song (by a certain Carly Rae Jepsen who is 26 years old but looks 16) became a runaway hit this spring thanks to JBiebs and friends. Click each word in the title to watch a different rendition from various classes (2013, where your version at?)
But my personal favorite homage would be this photo:
(Some things just never change, huh?)
from gcc college retreat 2011
6. The Poconos
Spring break trips on a budget...sounds like it's time to go to the Poconos! In some ways, going to the Poconos has become somewhat of a rite of passage for many classes - once you go there...you can go anywhere...because hey, there's nothing that says bonding like cooking and playing board games and napping as a class for a few days in a crowded rental home in the middle of frigid Pennsylvania while the senior class is tanning and swimming and eating prepared meals somewhere tropical...
But in all seriousness, as far as I know, 2010-2014 (five classes!) have all gone to the Poconos so I'd say it's time to look for a new spring break destination 2015 can look forward to a good time as well!
clockwise from upper left: 2011+2012 paintballing, 2014 jam sesh, 2010 chillin', 2013 walk in the woods
7. Sabrina's After Band Crew
Thank you Lord for opening a Sabrina's on Drexel campus (34th&Powelton) because GCC would have nowhere to go to eat brunch...especially after Band Crew (a new thing this year where each family group would help band set up for Sunday service). From their famous stuffed French toast to all breakfast favorites in between (omelettes, huevos rancheros, eggs benedict, pancakes, etc.), Sabrina's is the place to be!
other popular foodie destinations this year:
Yogorino, 20th&Locust/12th&Walnut (One of the best froyo places in Philadelphia)
Vic Sushi, Between 20th&21st on Sansom (Get your sushi fix - 3 rolls for $11)
Tea Talk, 10th&Race (Rising Tide? Please. Who can resist cute star lamps and their no-sleeves-necessary hot tea cups?)
8. Scramble With Friends/Draw Something
I personally am not an early adopter when it comes to iPhone games (actually, I just don't...adopt games at all...) but as C.P. pointed out, Scramble With Friends replaced Words With Friends and just as the frenzy was kicking in, Draw Something appeared and took all the SWF players. What's the next craze going to be? Hum Something? Dance With Friends? Wait...that's just clubbing...
yeah...
9. Jeremy Lin
Yup, GCC went a little bit LIN-sane this year. For those of you who have been living underneath a rock (or you just hate Asians D:), Jeremy Lin is the Harvard grad New York Knicks point guard that caused a sensation in February 2012 for unexpectedly leading a winning streak for the Knicks and expectedly capturing the hearts of Asian-American males who wanted to be like him and Asian-American females who wanted to date/marry him. I can't say too much about his technical awesomeness, you might want to consider the 89374893743 articles on his skillz or watch clips on Youtube. But for now, let me leave you with this nugget of a meme from (you guessed it) a Tumblr site called jeremylinheygirl.tumblr.com:
No offense to JLin or anything, but this year's GCC MVP (or, as known on this blog, the PotY) is not him. Not him at all. Rather, there are two Persons of the Year and these two are two very awesome people that GCC will be sad to see leave later this summer because they have been such blessings to us over the years...
10. P.Shan & P.Dave
Our beloved Pastors Shan and Dave have been around for like...ever. And now they're leaving— one to Boston to start married life and to serve in one of our newest sister churches, the other to New York to serve in another one of our sister churches and to keep any GCC2012 alumni from having any fun in NYC...
We will definitely miss both of you, and we pray that God continue to use you in powerful ways that will bear much fruit and produce a ton of solid kingdom workers like you! Thank you for everything :)
d-day is coming up soon...cue: awwwwwwwwwwwwww
if you haven't seen this video yet...go watch it! check out p.dave's fb to meet gcc's newest internet celebrities (watch out jyl) and cue: awwwwwwww
And this concludes this year's STUFF GCC LOVES (11/12)! Dang mang, I was kind of at a loss over what to put up this year because I feel like I haven't been as social/observant as in past years, but hopefully this was an entertaining list at the very least.
I do want to leave y'all with one of my favorite videos from this past year, inspired by the hit sensation "S*!# Girls Say" and its gazillion+1 remakes/renditions on Youtube - it's at 675 views at the time of this post, so I'm sure the creator will appreciate hitting a thousand views if possible :)
ALSO, one last plug for AMI Revolution 2012, which will be held in Philadelphia again this summer from June 28 to July 1. Sign up to have an awesome time connecting with the Lord and connecting with people!
Happy Summer, everyone! Miss you all ♥
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Photo creds to friends on FB (W.F., J.L., J.W., S.C., K.H., A.S.) as well as Google Images.
That is the title I put on my last undergraduate English paper of my life to talk about the York Resurrection play/Jesus' resurrection in general but honestly, it's pretty apt for how I feel right now.
I've just graduated from Penn...and after frantically tossing the rest of my belongings into random plastic bags/a hujungous suitcase within 20 min and rushing over to lunch at 3 PM...I am now back home and I don't really know what to do with myself. I feel like I've been in denial this past week, knowing that I'd see a good amount of people in June and perhaps July, and even today, as we wrapped up taking pictures, I just kind of walked away without sharing too many farewells, partly because I felt bad for my tired&hungry family, partly because I didn't feel like saying goodbye would be enough to express exactly how much I'm going to miss everyone and how much they all mean to me.
I'm sitting in my room, with all these suitcases and plastic bins waiting to be unpacked, and it's overwhelming to know that I have enough stuff to fill two bedrooms (and yeah, last time I checked, I only have one.) But, what's even more overwhelming to know is that I will never, ever live in the same 6x6-block space as all the people that I have come to absolutely love in the last four years. I don't have a roommate bouncing around to "Call Me Maybe" right outside my door right now. I don't have a BFFL a few blocks away right now, ready to receive any and all of my immaturity with grace and patience and love the night before graduation. I don't have brothers to troll me with ridiculous questions and comments while munching on mesquite BBQ chips or making a Starbucks run with me right now. I don't have all these cute underclassmen studying/"studying" in one of my most favorite buildings on campus an 8-min walk away right now. In my very full room, it just seems so...empty.
And yet, this emptiness gestures to a fullness that is so tangible in my heart - a fullness of life and love from my college career that will be irreplaceable. Yes, I'm moving on to (hopefully) bigger and perhaps even better things, so it's not like I will never be happy or feel fulfilled ever again. But the people that I've met and gotten to know and the experiences that we've shared and grown through will forever be imprinted on my heart, so that even in the physical absence, there will be a distinct presence that will remind me of God's faithfulness and care.
I am so blessed to have been able to sit with some of my closest friends throughout college during my various ceremonies - side by side, just like we've been running this race side by side. I looked to my left and I looked to my right and I saw brothers and sisters who not only have shown me love but also shown how much they love the Lord. And though we will continue on different paths from here on out, I know that they will continue to show that to others and that we will spur one another toward love and good deeds.
BAH, I know that hardly anyone will read this...but for those 2012ers who do...know that I love you all so very much. I suck at expressing it sometimes, and I'm pretty forgetful, AND I will most likely be absolutely terri-bad-awful at keeping in touch, but yeah. I love you all ♥
Thank you, Lord, for an amazing four years. Truly, truly, (forsothe, forsothe) every good and perfect gift comes from You alone.
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