personally, i think it's unfair to bring something up and then leave it unexplained . . . it's like saying "you know what?" and then now that you have the other person's attention, saying "oh, uh, never mind." seriously!

the questions you're asking sound less like things you should THINK through, and more like things you should follow your heart on.
 

to reply to your comment...

i agree that i should follow my heart on these things, but because my heart can be wishy-washy at times i have to think about what my heart - at its trite core - really wants. i'll even give you my intuition...

1) where do my priorities stand?
here the dilemma is between living in the moment (in this case living for the semester) and planning for the future. obviously the only realistic answer to this question is to do a little of both. the reason its even a question is because the situation is more extreme than usual.... i have no idea at all what the future holds and i have a grim sense that this semester will be the most fun i ever have in my entire life, so the stakes are a little higher on both sides of the equation.

2) what am i looking to accomplish next semester?
all of the things i have always wanted to do in college, but haven't gotten to do enough of. I know i want to get good grades, but that means i need to take easy classes because i also know that i want to take more time to hang out with my friends. i want to cut down on extracurriculars too, but i know that won't happen (i'd feel terrible if i quit frisbee, BRYE is only three hours on monday afternoons, work is necessary) so, again, classes are going to have to fit into a smaller time window if i'm actually going to do what i want. i also want to do a better job of managing my time so that i have room for everything.
of course the other part of the equation is girls. and to be honest i have no clue. i'm kind of at a junction right now where things could in a couple of opposite directions. and there's the whole thing about me being a really emotional guy who tends to get attached to stuff vs. me going away after i graduate and not wanting to get attached. another interesting dilemma where i have no clue which aspect of my character will bend first.

3) and beyond?
i'll worry about that when it comes. i really want to go to indonesia, but i don't want to be poor when im there. or even be poor as a result of being there, so i have to work hard to find a good job. its going to be tough.

4) and what company am i going to enjoy along the way?
that was a reference to the second half of my answer to question 2.

manoah
 

random inklings . . .

1) isnt the dilemma true for all pple at all times? i think out of all semesters, spring term senior year is probably the one with the best argument for a carpe diem take on the issue...dont u? getting a lil together for indonesia will prob be a good call, but for long-term planning, would the extra squeeze these last few months add significantly to what u've been able to do in the last 4 years?

2) good grades & easy classes...maybe i'm naive but what happened to "classes you really enjoy and never had the chance to take because u were too busy doing important things"?

3) i have a friend from thailand who says that the money he makes just working a term-time job here at school makes him an unbelievably rich man at home. is that the case in indonesia?

4) really emotional guy who tends to get attached to stuff? you seem more like the love'em & leave'em type. the things you learn in blogs. =) dont worry about these battling aspects of yourself and just enjoy the people around you! when else are you going to have a chance like this?

do you normally drink a lot or did you just go out and party? and if so, why bizarro?
 

interesting comments...

1)true, it's a question for all people at all times - i was taking that as a given and commenting on how it comes to the forefront in this situation because the balance of my answer has to be reevaluated in the new circumstances.

2)I'm only saying that, amongst the classes that fit into the "classes you really enjoy and never had the chance to take because u were too busy doing important things" category, i need to find the easy ones. college is way too short to deliberately take boring classes. i'd much rather get bad grades and take interesting classes than get good grades and take stats.

3)thats also the case in indonesia, probably even to a greater extent. indonesia is much, much less developed than thailand - and recent turmoil has assured that it'll probably stay that way for a while.

4)so you're stalking me? how exactly do i leave this love'em and leave'em impression?

and no, i don't normally drink a lot. i'm not announcing why the night was bizarro, though, to blog commentors who choose to remain anonymous.
 

2) i now pronounce thee cool. hahaha. nah. good for you...seriously.

3) so u have less to worry about financially then when it comes to making sure you're not poor in or because of indonesia? i mean, as opposed to, say, six months in france?

4) oh yes manoah...ur so hot u've got stalkers. a lil big-headed, no? hahaha.

and hey. it's really not anyone's fault the commenting thing has you either go through the trouble of registering or simply "post anonymously". you'd choose the easy way too. then again, you're the one who spends hours on facebook sending sketchy messages...