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This afternoon, the Stanford New Student Send-Off Party finally took place at South Lounge, Taipei International Convention Center(台北國際會議中心三樓南軒).
The reason I'm using the word "finally," is because this event has been delayed at least two times!
I met Ashly(薰文) at the MRT station and we walked there together.(Okay, basically, she led me there...)
As we entered the hall, we immediately saw this guy in a suit holding a sign: "Stanford New Student Send-off Party <--".
Okay, kind of cool, but was this really necessary....I mean, the suit and everything....XD

Anyway, we took the elevator up to floor 3, South Lounge.
Every student and alumnus signs up at the entrance and writes his/her own name on a sticker so that people can now one another's name.
When we arrived, there was one table of graduate students which was full, so we sat at another table. At the same table sat a freshman and a senior.
Freshmen are quite rare. In this party, we only had three or four freshmen going to Stanford this year. And I know that one of them lives in Michigan, so he doesn't count as "going there from TAIWAN." One guy is graduating from 建中 this year.
So, most of us were graduates. Undergrads have many wierd stories about us graduates.
For example,if you see a cyclist wearing a helmet on campus,then it must be a graduate student.
Because undergraduates haven't invested enough in their brains yet, so they're not "qualified" enough to put on a helmet to protect thier head.
On the other hand, a graduate student has a very valuable brain(he/she has spent a lot of money on that brain!), so the safety of his/her head really matters; thus, graduate students always wear helmets.
The senior student told us that we're welcome to join parties at his place, "just don't tell people you're a grad"
OK, so grads are that scarey....

After a while, the lounge was full, and we started to take turns giving self-introductions, in English....
I know that this is a routine procedure, but I must say that this didn't help me remember any names....
Following was free time for everyone to chat with each other and exchange experiences.
Their was a really cool foreigner who was once a plastic surgery doctor.
After some years, he was extremely rich, but he found himself unhappy and unsatisfied.
That was when he wrote down a list of 100 things he wants to accomplish in his life.
"Now I'm on number 87: Go to Taiwan and learn Chinese, so here I am."
He really has accomplished some quite incredible things.
For example, taking a trip in the space on a Russian rocket.
The coolest thing is, he achieved these dreams for free!
"Set a destination, that's when you can start finding the way there"
He says that the greatest happiness comes from helpping others, and that is exactly what he has been doing during the last few decades.
He was a really cool guy to meet!

Other Stanford alumni also shared their precious experiences with us.
"Don't work too hard. Don't spend all of your time studying"
Because after ten years, you don't talk to people about which courses and prefessional skills you learned; what really follows you as life long memories, is the fun you had in Stanford!
What sports you learned, what places you travelled to, etc.
And Stanford truly has a lot to offer!
Horse back riding, wind surfing, golf, skiing, etc.
Okay, NOW I'm looking forward to the following year :p
Moreover, don't be stuck in your own major.
Take courses in management and business, it may not seem so useful at the moment, but may be handy ten years later. (Everything happens after ten years :p)

Another important thing to remember is: Don't be shy to approach people.
In Stanford, you can stand face to face with people you never dreamed you could meet.
Perhaps your professor is a guy who won two Nobel prizes, or the inventor of laser surgery...
When you meet someone you're interested in, don't be afraid to approach them, and ask for opportunities from them.
The US likes people who are active, and people who dare!
Anyway, Stanford is more than Stanford, make the most of it.


After the party, I went home and had lunch with 小英阿姨, who is a Stanford EE alumnus. When she was in Stanford, she decided not to complete her PhD studies and started working with an EE MS degree.
After working for a few years, she returned to school and studied an MBA degree.
She thinks that this was a good decision, and thus daddy wanted me to meet her and discuss about my future decisions. (PhD or not.)
小英阿姨's husband is also a Stanford EE alumnus, and they are now a cute family of four persons.
They've got two kids that are sooo cute! Well, that is, when they're tame and under control....
Actually, this dinner didn't give me too much of an idea about my PhD decision; but as we were having dinner together with their family, it occured to me that this is probably the reason why mommy lossed weight when she had children....
I seriously wonder if 小英阿姨 had any food tonight.....

Anyway, soon I'll be in Stanford, and, uh, whatever will be will be...