Some singing talents from SP. Courtesy of SP Photofile Chair.

Delicious Food provided by the Thirsty Ear's kitchen, as well as several contributions from SP hall councilors. Courtesy of SP Photofile Chair.

The SP Karaoke night is a new event that we tried for the first time this year, and it was a big hit! The inspiration came from watching SP’s very own rock star, Yu-Pu Wang, sing at a regular Thursday Thirsty Ear karaoke night. The goal was to build community by showcasing the talent within SP, and by having fun watching people go wild on the stage. There was a raffle from among all singers and a peoples’ choice sing-off at the end of the night. Chen Lu’s performance of O-Zone’s “Dragostea din tei” took first place in the sing-off, with David Rosen’s performance of Queen’s “Fat Bottom Girls” taking second place. Yu-Pu was a constant fixture on the stage throughout the night, bringing his characteristic energy and choice of pop songs to the stage. There were a couple of humorous performances of songs written by Weird Al and Lonely Island, along with diverse selections from more conventional tunes such as “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down and “Tutti Frutti” by Lil Richard. Isaac, Chen and Ramesh’s performance of “Still Alive” (from Portal) was a fun choice out of left field. There was cake. (Well, actually, there was yummy food provided by the Thirsty Ear’s kitchen, as well as several contributions from SP hall councilors.) The night concluded with a group singing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”

By Mark Chilenski, SP Music Chair

A night of fun! Courtesy of SP Photofile Chair.

Drawing in the SP courtyard.

Grad students relax in the courtyard after drawing in the sun.

SP residents eager to try their hands at art have been celebrating the summer weather by breaking out sketchbooks and meeting weekly to draw outdoors – or, when defeated by heat or thunderstorms, in the SP library. Subject matter has ranged from portraits of fellow residents to sketches of trees, which means getting familiar with both human and vegetal inhabitants of SP.

Lately, SP resident Bomy Lee has volunteered as a model, transforming the gatherings into informal figure-drawing lessons. Residents start with quick “gesture drawings” – 15 seconds to as “long” as one minute – as warm-ups, then work on capturing long poses of up to 20 minutes. Accolades go out to Bomy for her impressive skill set of sitting still, standing still, and holding various contorted poses, occasionally while reading or discussing Russian novels with the artists, while said artists are staring at her continually and intently. Thanks, Bomy!

Model and the drawing.

Art gatherings will be continuing throughout the summer, so anyone interested in doodling, chatting, and snacking with fellow SP-dwellers is welcome to join! No supplies required, and absolutely no experience or expertise necessary, as we provide both extra supplies and some informal instruction. Invitations go out weekly through the SP arts interest group, or drop a line to sp-outing-chair@mit.edu to be added to a mailing list.

By Diana Chien, SP Outing Chair
Photos are courtesy of Zhandos Orazalin and David Ly

Artists at work try not to laugh (and fail) while drawing each other.

Model for the gesture drawings.

An artist plus his drawings of the model.