What is your biggest fear?VC: When people stand on the yellow line and lean over the edge of the metro/subway. Also, feet--I hate feet.NJ: I struggled with this one for a long time. But, really, aren't we all afraid of the same thing? Loss.
What’s your drink?VC: Dark and Stormy.NJ: Chai, obviously. And by this I mean the chai my grandmother makes me when I'm home: black tea, brewed in milk and stirred with sugar.
What makes you laugh?VC: Really lame New Jersey transit-themed jokes ("I Metuchen You"). NJ: Life.
What makes you cry?VC: Quentin Tarantino movies (see: feet).NJ: Again, life.
When’s bedtime? VC: For me, more like "where's bed-space?"NJ: I don't have a bedtime. I just allow myself to fall asleep when I get sleepy.
What’s been playing on repeat recently? VC: Awkwafina's "Yellow Ranger."NJ: Billy Joel!
Where do you do your best thinking? VC: Coffee shops with a good outlet-to-table ratio.NJ: On moving vehicles.
What hangs over your bed? VC: My best friend's artwork. NJ: 120 pictures of different cities, but they aren't titled and I don't know which ones are which. So, often when I'm falling asleep, I look at them and try to guess.
How did you celebrate your last birthday? VC: Bitter my 21st birthday fell right after Reunions and I was still wearing a "minor" bracelet.NJ: I threw a party and the theme was "Bellinis and Bright Star". As one might assume, we watched Bright Star (the film about Keats, my favourite poet) and drank bellinis (possibly my favourite drink after chai).
Quick! Top three things on your Princeton bucket list – go! VC: I have seriously never been to Hoagie Haven, an eating club semi/formal, or a college sports game. Do I even go here?NJ: Have a picnic on the Princeton Battlefield, get lost in Firestone Library, and swim in the Woodrow Wilson fountain at night. But, the condition for doing all of the aforementioned is that I must do it with friends that I love, because these things would not be as much fun to do alone.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? VC: I actually really enjoy the "because-noun."NJ: Fabulous.
Who is your mortal enemy? VC: People who think the humanities aren't worth investing in because the arts don't conform to the corporatization of American education.NJ: Raisins, tomato seeds, and lizards.
What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve done in the past year? VC: Journalism assignment in which I turned up at a federal corrections institute hoping to interview an inmate-- without an appointment. (It was a nice try.)NJ: When I went home for the winter holidays, my parents and I drove around some of Karachi's most dangerous neighborhoods (the ones that appear in the papers almost everyday because of bomb blasts or target killings or the like). We did this so that I could have some context for my thesis (which is a collection of short stories set in contemporary Karachi) and so I could develop ideas for stories and characters that I may not have written about otherwise. The sweet thing is that we turned it into a real family day--we stopped the car and took pictures, we talked about my writing and my parents' memories of our city, and then we all went out to lunch after.
In 25 years, you will be… VC: At best, seeking political asylum. At worst, still working on this novel.NJ: I bet I'll still be trying desperately hard to be on time.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned at Princeton? VC: A series of diplomatic non-apologies that resolve conflicts without actually conceding your point: ("I believe that you believe that," "I'm sorry you feel that way," "I can conceive of a world in which that would be true..." etc.)NJ:
How to write fiction.
What makes someone a Princetonian? VC: The ability to lose your peacoat/North Face jacket at a rate of time inversely proportional to its cost.NJ:
It's almost impossible to say--I've met a wild range of people here. But, everyone is deeply passionate about something or several things. I think that's probably it. Passion.
Name: Vivienne Chen / Natasha JapanwalaAge: 21 / 22 (as of today!)Major: English / EnglishHometown: Pleasanton, CA / Karachi, PakistanEating Club/Residential College/Affiliation: Whitman College exile (aka Spelman Independent) / Edwards Collective, Mathey CollegeWho's your favorite Princetonian, living or dead, real or fictional? VC: I have a huge crush on Jimmy Stewart '32 circa A Philadelphia Story.NJ: Now is as good a time as any to give Martin Dale '53 a shout-out!What's the beat meal you've eaten in Princeton? VC: Tie between Whitman breakfast and Rocky/Mathey's grilled cheese.NJ: Last Friday, I had dinner at Forbes and the pizza there just blew me away. I had three slices and then I took one to go.In one sentence, what do you actually do all day?VC: Werk! (That's an imperative sentence.)NJ: I think and I think and I think about writing; maybe write one sentence that I am actually proud of; reread that sentence and say out loud to myself, oh no that was a false alarm.What is your greatest guilty pleasure?VC: Watching my friends play video games, because I'm abysmal and can't play them myself.NJ: Tiramisu.