Penn Drug Culture
December 7, 2012
From my time at Penn, one darker side of it’s character that I have observed is the abuse of a certain kind of drug. Amphetamine misuse is rampant, and in this case the source is dodgy prescriptions. Some students take ‘aderall’ (ritalin) by the bottle-load and ofttimes even in the open, discussed amongst general peers. It’s a sad phenomenon which is chronicled from a different perspective in this opinion piece from the DP (Daily Pennsylvanian), Penn’s student run newspaper.
Thirty minutes later, I was standing outside CVS, washing down 40 milligrams of Vyvanse — an ADHD treatment — with chocolate milk. I was eager to do something — anything — to get my life together.
I found the article most insightful, especially as I try to avoid involving myself with that sort of culture and so am mostly oblivious as to the internal struggles that people on such drugs face.
Hannukah – The Story
December 6, 2012
I found this article today that I thought gave a clear and lucid account of the history behind the channukah story. It’s something that many people overlook and especially for those of you out there less familiar with Judaism, it’s definitely a fascinating read.
The lesson of Hanukkah is that even the struggles that saved a people are dappled with tragic irony, complexity and unattractive choices.
Reflecting on the meaning behind the festival brings a rather different set of issues to light than when examining Christmas and its origins. At least from my perspective a much more down to earth, gritty and almost painful reflection of sacrifices we make.
Sunday/Monday – Day 129/130
Before I proceed with today’s post, I have to make a little advertisement for the campaign to save The Butterfly Club, the dearest performance venue to me in Melbourne. It’s a small cabaret outfit with retro style that supports upcoming actors and has kickstarted the careers of the likes of Sammy J and Tim Minchin. Take a look here and here to see what I’m on about, and, if you’re reading this from Melbourne, check out the place and if you like it, please help save it!
Sunday I woke up sick. No surprises there. With finals coming up though, there was no time to dawdle, it was straight to work! The majority of the day was spent split between my various subjects as they all had bits and pieces that needed doing. Probably the one I most enjoyed was starting my final project for my algorithms class.
Monday began another ramp up in load, as my various exams and homeworks drew closer. Nothing special here, just another day packed with work. However, in the evening PGC began the process for trialling directors for the upcoming spring show, with the club. Rehearsal was thus more lively than normal and we engaged in theatre sports and dance alongside our staple singing.
Following that was a usual choral society rehearsal, that ran, as usual, too late and as usual, left me a little drained. However I didn’t let it get to me as I had been graciously allotted by a Miss Stephanie Li, one half hour of her time, in which we were to play and sing through some of my sheet music. Half an hour quickly turned into an hour and a half and, were it not for work and sheer exhaustion, it likely would’ve turned into much longer.