Mark’s bio page

23 Nov 2002

I was goofing around on the Internet tonight and I came across a pretty funny biography done by Kappa Kappa Psi of my roommate, Mark. Here’s the text in case their site deletes the page:

Mark Chen

Ah, Mark. Who is he? A man of mystery, a man of intrigue? Yeah, right…he wishes. Mark hails from the tiny little town of Devon, PA (for those of you who are unaware of where PA is located…it’s on the East coast, west of New Jersey, south of New York, east of Ohio, and north of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware (in case you were wondering about the elaborate explanation, it has come to Mark’s attention that California high schools only have California on national maps – if you still do not know where any of the previous states are located, PA is about a two-hour drive north from Washington, D.C.), which is known mainly for the annual horse show. No, Mark does not ride horses, and in fact has never even been to one of these shows. The first (or second, depending on your point of view, as the second, or first, person is from his graduating class) to attend UCLA from his school, The Big C, or ‘Stoga, or Conestoga High School, he has found a wonderful niche within the UCLA Marching Band’s Drum Line, within D2, his current residence, and as a pledge in the Beta Epsilon Class of the Psi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.

Drumline, you say? A member of the drumline is actually in KKY? Yes, believe it or not. The traditional boycott has been broken! As is usual for someone like Mark, to break tradition. Coming from a school with a rather lousy band, where he refused to join, Mark entered the drumline ranks as a lowly cymbal player (CYMBALS ARE PEOPLE TOO!). Future aspirations within the line: Career Cymbal Player.

Now how would people describe Mark? Those who have known him for just a short while, like many Bruins, find him to be quiet, introspective, polite, and all those wonderful qualities every mother looks for. Now fellow 2001 Pioneers who have known him for several years see a different Mark…which will not be elaborated here. In order to find this other person, you must get to know him. Let’s just say he is known for spontaneously breaking into song and dance in public areas, such as the King of Prussia Aeropostale on a recent shopping trip with an old classmate. For those of you who do not know King of Prussia, it is the largest mall in the United States in terms of retail space (Mall of America, while larger in sheer square footage, also has many large public areas, which are not calculated in retail space).

Born on September 23, 1983 (send gifts!) in Walnut Creek, CA, Mark moved with his parents 18 short months later to the Philippines, where he spent the following six years of his life. No, he does not speak Tagalog. This was followed yet again by another move to Hong Kong, where another four years were spent, including becoming very accustomed to public transportation systems. And no, he does not speak Cantonese. After that stint, he returned to US soil in the great commonwealth of Pennsylvania (it’s a COMMONWEALTH, NOT a STATE!), where he has spent the last seven years of his life, working his little butt off to get into a great institution such as UCLA.

Instead of drumming throughout high school, Mark sang instead, becoming one of the school’s leading singers, working his way though PMEA festivals, finally finishing at the MENC All-Eastern Choral Festival. The high point of his choral career: performing Veniki, a Russian tongue-twister alongside over 400 of the best voices in the northeast under the direction of Dr. Galvan of Cornell University at Heinz Hall (yes, the ketchup maker) in Pittsburgh.

Ever since arriving in the Hills of Westwood, Mark has grown to love the Italian architecture of the original four buildings, and keeps music alive in his life by joining not only the Solid Gold Sound of the Bruin Marching Band, but UCLA Chorale as well, performing alongside Drum Major and Psi-brother Jay Dillon. He would also like to continue his piano playing, but the constant occupation of Schoenberg practice rooms by music majors has made it difficult, and the pianos in the residence halls are so incredibly out of tune that trying to play the dissonance of Debussy is impossible. Heavy involvement in the Student Alumni Association has also bred his contempt of anything Trojan. He also remains active in the tennis rounds by playing 1AM tennis with his floormates on random nights, followed by games of Monopoly until 4AM. If you find this amusing, please send all inquiries to the e-mail address above. Otherwise, kindly place your head in a vat of pickle juice. Thank you.

Mark Chen

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