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A collection of links related to Valve's educational take on the physics-puzzler "Portal 2".

In this stack you can find different links, stories and articles related to our last experience: Funny Foods Tour in Kuala Lumpur!

Before we begin: when you are about to depart for college, you must remember that you're their baby! So, assure the parents that you will be home, they'll visit, you'll miss them, but that you are very much so mature enough to tackle this one on your own. Make sure they know that you got this, especially now that you have this survival guide to get you through it!   1) Here it goes. Well, let me start by saying your first step will be to mentally prepare yourself for hearing the nonstop "Ah, these are the best four years of your life" from basically any adult that the topic "college" comes up with...especially the parents. We get it, life only goes downhill from the glamerous days of college. But, nonetheless, does sound promising. So here's to not letting it go by too quickly.   2) Now that that's out of the way, welcome to the first day. You may feel a little overwhelmed. First and foremost comes the realization that your parents were right, you really cannot bring everything you own to college. But remember, just a year of living in a 10 by 14 foot room...comforting right?! Anyway, time to send home half of your packed items back with your parent helping you move in. You'll only have less and less room as the year goes on. I know, it's hard to separate. Remind yourself that you'll rotate during breaks.    3) DON'T. FORGET. SHOWER. SHOES. It's not really an "optional" type thing. You've probably never shared a bathroom with 30 other people before. Well, new experiences every day!   4) I promise, even if you marked 'neat' on your roommate preference sheet, the room will only get messier, so start off neat.  Organize the shoes, hang the clothes, put the posters up--it's worth it.  Spice the room up a little.  The only thing worse than a cramped, hot room is a dull, cramped, hot room.   5) Well, here you are, all moved in.  Juuuuuuust hanging on your freshly constructed bed.  What now?  As awkward as it may be, begin with befriending the roomie(s).  I know, sometimes the connection isn't quite there, but no matter how "involved with other things" you plan to be, you will have a LOT of time with your roomates.  You're going to need them; they'll likely see you at your hardest times.  Trust me, you'll want them by your side.  Just a warm hello here and there to get it going.  And hey, sometimes, your roommate and you were "meant to be," and will stay friends afterwards.  Lucky for me, I'm best friends with my randomly selected roommate.    6) Food is your friend, for now at least.  Stock up the room with snacks.  You're going to be lazier than you think, reluctant to walk all of the way downstairs just for a quick bite to eat.  Side note:  Yes, investing in the "microfridge," or whatever microwave and refrigerator your school offers is worth it.  Going off that, a useful addition to that golden collection of snacks you have started would be a box of easy macs.   7) Now that you won't go starving, as tiring as this will get, time to branch out and make some friends. I don't think I have ever gotten so exhausted from my own voice. "Hi, I'm Julia." Over, and over, and over, and over again. How do I even know who is going to be my friend in the end? "Ugh, I miss high school. So effortless." Perservere, you got this, be the frendliest little outgoing you that you can be. It sucks not having an established friend group at the beginning, but it comes. Those who are meant to be friends find each other. So, make the initial ones on your own to keep you busy, but don't stress about who you'll be friends with in the long run. And yes, you will miss your friends from home, but it'll be okay. You'll see them soon, they're still your friends...you'll just have two realms of friends now! That means, keep in touch with your friends at home! They're still your best friends.    8) After the exhausting days before classes start where your only task is to make friends (sounds easy, right?) the initial homesickness may start to kick in. My first piece of advice: ignore anyone who responds with "REALLY?! This has been the best week of my life :) I just love college!" College hasn't even started yet! You're somewhere new, on your own, in a land of new people. You WILL love college, but let yourself get adjusted...don't force it. My second piece of advice: make sure you have come prepared with endless pictures of your fuzzy little animals from home (That's right, I had at least 50 pictures of my cat. Uh oh, not a great first step to making normal friends you say?) You're getting settled in still, let it happen, don't rush it, don't think about it, just let things fall into place, as cliché as that sounds. The point is, you WILL adjust.   9) Look into the Greek system at your school.  Whether you've already classified yourself as a "sorority girl" or "frat bro," there's a huge variety of houses.  No matter how sure you are that it's not your thing, go through rush.  It doesn't hurt, and even that process alone makes you friends you may keep your whole college career.   Plus chances are, there's a house for you.   10) If you have the option of a TV, take it.  Of course you don't want to be the antisocial, alone watching TV in your room type person, so don't rely on it, but in the end, it's a nice outlet to have.  Plus, it's one more taste of home that you're giving yourself.  Take a break sometimes...classes and college life gets hectic!  Everybody knows that!  And, even better, it can be used for group tv and pizza parties.  Get a huge group together!  It's one of the best ways to have a relaxing, yet still social night, without having to put in the energy to "go out."   11) You deserve breaks!  Go out at night when you're done with work, and your friends are going.  True, it's an effort, and it's not as fun as it eventually will be, but you'll want to have gone.  I know it doesn't sound ideal: having to, once again, introduce yourself to everyone, not really knowing exactly what to do with yourself, being tired the next day.  But, do it.  Eventually, you're going to make amazing friends, and love nothing more than going out and getting to see all of them.  So, yes, work hard, but give yourself a break.  Someone once said to me "Sleep, good grades, social life...you get to pick two."  Oh stop.  You can balance all three, I pinky promise.     12) As much as you may think of college as a "time to reinvent yourself"...don't.  Sure, get rid of those annoying traits you've always wanted to, but don't be a different person.  The fresh slate in itself should be all you need.  You should but an additional effort in to "change yourself." People see through it.  Be yourself.  I promise, people like the real you.   13) Try your hardest go to make it to all of your classes. I know it's tempting to skip them without having parents on your back, learning that no attendance will be taken, being behind on sleep, being able to copy the notes from a friend...but, go to as many of your classes as you possibly can. College tests will be challenging, even if you went to all of your classes, but the least you can do for yourself is take away the "What if I had gone to class" guilt during those tests. That way, with that and studying all you can, you've done the best you can, and that's all you can do. You may have gotten a 4.3 GPA in high school, but college is hard. Everybody knows college is hard. Everyone there cares about school, just as much as you do. There are no longer "weighted classes," and the "curve" is your new best friend. But, you got in to the school you are at, and, that being said, you're just as capable as the rest of your classmates to do well. Everyone will get some great grades, everyone will get some not so great grades. That's life, but go to classes, and study the material the best you can so that you know, for yourself, that you did the best you could do.    14) Don't take 8 am classes.  Just don't do it (if at all possible).  Even if you're a "morning person," at least aim for 9.  It's really easier said than done when not everyone's going through it together, like in high school.  When your friends don't have class until 12 the next day, and want to know if you can go see the midnight showing of "The Hunger Games," you're going to want to go.   15) You're adjusting to an entirely new world, don't overload on classes. Everyone gets it, you can "handle it," but don't kill yourself! It's the first quarter, and you'll have plenty of time later on to "prove how much you can handle." Trust me, plenty of other things will be keeping you busy those first few months. At a quarter system, usually three classes and around 15 units or less is appropriate for your first quarter.    16) The Freshman 15:  I know, I had to say it.  While yes, it is likely that you'll put on a few pounds at school, don't go crazy about it.  It'll happen to everyone.  Every once and a while, have a salad for dinner.  Personally, I'm not really a "gym" person, but I do love sports. Another way to get great exercise is going to play the sports you liked in high school--either grab a few friends, or go out for the intermural or club teams!  Another thing I found fun were  classes offered at the gym...find a cool spinning or hip hop one and get a group of your friends to go together!   17) It's great to get involved on campus, but don't make yourself go crazy your first quarter. There's plenty of time for you to look into the different groups and find what interests you, but you'll have a lot on your plate at the beginning.  Add things into your schedule gradually.   18) There's a great chance you will love your school.  But, as much effort as it takes, venture around sometimes!  It's likely that you left your hometown, and it's time to explore!  Be a tourist!  Do fun things with your friends off campus sometimes...it's good for you to get out into the real world.  As great as college is, don't get too sucked into the bubble.  Go on a hike!  See a movie!  Go shopping!  On an even bigger scale, think about whether or not going abroad is something for you.  This is your time to explore and experience.  But, that doesn't mean not to appreciate every minute you have on that beautiful campus of yours.  You do only have four years, after all.  But, with that said, do whatever it takes to enjoy yourself.  Be yourself, and welcome to the best four years of your life.

Today in history we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Title IX, a portion of the Education Amendments of 1972 that stated that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity. The effects of Title IX are still present today, for the women to men ratio in high school sports is closing, providing more opportunities for women to become professionals and achieve greater goals. 

Texas Medical Associations curated collection of coverage, analysis, and background on the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)

Here are some of the most interesting and fascinating stories so far from 2012. These are my personal picks. Everything from Austim, swans, and moms eating placentas; these stories will make you think. Some of these stories even made headline news. 

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