An inspiring, yet daunting question to answer I had to recently answer:
“Where do you most want to relocate to?”
In order of preference:
-San Francisco
-Sacramento
-Los Angeles
-Hawaii
-Philadelphia
-New York
-Newark
-Boston
-Chicago
-Dallas
-New Orleans
-Colorado
-Baltimore
-Washington
Internationally, at this moment I would probably say:
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
- Tokyo
- London
Wow, Super Bowl Destiny’s Child!!! Feels like the late 90s all over again. To celebrate, my Beyonce power rankings. if you tag facebook photos with a beyonce lyric, you know it’s a hit:
1) IRREPLACABLE
2) SINGLE LADIES PUT A RING ON IT
3) IF I WERE A BOY
4) HALO
5) 03 BONNIE AND CLYDE
6) LOVE ON TOP
7) BEST THING I NEVER HAD
8) BABY BOY FT SEAN PAUL
9) SWEET DREAMS
10)CRAZY IN LOVE
11) CHECK ON IT
[video]
Short and Simple:
- Maganimity
- Conviction
- Community
And finally learn how to start cooking!
Lessons learned from running useful for other parts of life:
Preparation: Given how strenuous a long run can be, it’s absolutely critical to always be well prepared. I always need to bring water, calories, sleep early, avoid alcohol, and eat immediately after.
The Mind is the weakest part of my body: okay it’s not a muscle. But wow, I used to think 3 miles was impossible with my flat feet. But after breaking 10K, then 13.1, then a full, it really wasn’t a big deal. Clearly my mind is the biggest roadblock.
Setting a course is the hardest part: Figuring out a 13 mile route and getting off the couch and on the track is the hardest part. There are days I feel lost at work, and I’ve learned to remind myself that I’ve accomplished a lot in my life. The issue is setting a path, not my own ability, effort, or intelligence.
Run your Own Race: I am not Mo Farah, or 110 pounds, or from Kenya. I’ve learned to go at my own speed, regardless of surroundings. Understanding my own physical limitations has helped me become more aware of how to push myself as hard as possible withing causing injury or running out of steam. The same can be said about my life too.
Best in a Pack: With that being said, it’s easiest to run when you are in a crowd. Even Olympians need training partners and run faster when chasing a pacer. Watch any Olympic 10K when the leader suddenly gets mowed down by a challenger.
Things you love are never repetitive. Running is such a joy. I am so thankful I discovered the Montgomery County Road Runners group. Our 10 mile runs never felt repetitive or that I ran too much. The same can be said of spending time with my family, or Japanese food, or Grantland. I wish I could say the same about my career and profession, but I am not there yet. Hopefully one day, other parts of my life will be as seamless and innately enjoyable and satisfying as running.
Dear Tumblr and my 2 readers,
I’m sorry I’ve neglected you. Usually, things are too straightforward for there to be much to write about. Surprisingly, in the last few months, I’ve been overburdened by things going on and haven’t found the heart to sit down and write.
For today, a list of people that have left my day to day life, and what I most deeply miss about them. This will help drive future posts and provide us a framework about future posts about time, change, home, and belonging:
Friends:
- Kevin. Kevin has moved to baltimore to attend dental school. I will miss our conversations about the journey of life, tennis, and friendships, and fooling him to board a plane to orlando which was actually France
- Jen. Jen has moved to the great European wilderness. I will miss eating. lots and lots of eating. frozen yogurt, taiwanese food, cupcakes, just cake. Clearly, I’ve had a personal and caloric void without her on this side of the pond
- Ji. Ji is an excellent weekday eating partner and shooting partner. He has an amazing metabolism, it makes sense, his sister is a olympic level swimmer. Since he moved to Chicago, I’ve played a lot less basketball, and eaten a lot less mexican.
- Richard. Richard has moved to the middle east to promote peace and fuel efficiency. It is hard to realize he has moved that far away, we’ve been best buds since the first day we met in 1997.
- Freddy. I didn’t see freddy much, but he’s one of the more insightful, genuine guys I know. I tried to tell him there are tsunamis in san francisco, to no avail.
- Grace. Grace went to college with me and just moved after her wedding to manhattan. We’ve been close friends since freshman year, and I admire grace’s consistency and steadfastedness. It will be difficult in Washington now that she is so far away.
- Jenny. Now, Jenny is part II of the greatest korean friends from college list. She is getting married this saturday and I am also excited to be part of that ceremony. Though she’s staying in the DC area, she’s moving to the far southern post of Alexandria. Given that i’ve been to alexandria 1 time in my entire 13 years of living in MD, it will be tough to see her on a consistent basis.
Work:
- Swathi. Swathi was my colleague at the office, and since the day we met last november we’ve had nonstop conversations for 8 hours a day, twice a week. Topics range from hyperdriven college memories, wild, emotionally unstable younger sisters, successful friends, friends breaking up, friends having babies, crazy asian parents, weird nutritional facts that aren’t really true, weird eating habits, how Washington DC is the best city on earth, how new york city is slighter better at everything, and meatless diets. We are incredibly alike in some ways, like work and attitudes about city life, but also incredibly different, as she is an expert chef and i couldn’t cook a poptart. Since the day Swathi left my feelings at work have dropped off a cliff. At work now I eat my feelings, and talk to myself, instead of Swathi. She has sailed off to conquer big holes in the ground in West Philadelphia and I expect her to construct a building by 2016.
- Nick. Nick was the head of my team. He was very sharp, trusting, and supportive overall. hands off, but accessible. though i spoke to him rarely, having the figurehead of my team depart was difficult to swallow.
- jonathan. Jon was a fellow colleague at the firm. He was a east coast boy like myself. Jon was quite the math geek, which I secretly am as well. We’ve had many talks about rockville, and how town square was the center of the universe. Bright, driven, Jonathan has moved to Baltimore as well and i am sure he will make it rain in fells point.
Church:
- Sam. Sam is the head of my small group at church. He is getting married in february and headed off to a new church I think. Sam is an extremely likeable, peaceful, aimiable guy. He has a great laugh, and a very tranquil, enjoyable personality. I’m a bit attached and upset that he is leaving me, but I am wishing him the best.
Community:
- Matt: Matt was the head of Ward 8, the center I volunteered at for two years. I decided to not return as I heard he was leaving for graduate school. I loved my two years of Thursdays with him, as he had a tremendous voice and ability to handle 60 crazy middle school kids at once. I’ve felt a tremendous lack on Thursdays and think I need to get back involved with Higher Achievement.
Home:
- Why, Georgia, Why!! My sister is getting married. The change in family structure has definitely impacted my outlook. She will be in a new household, a new last name, a new home address. While I’m incredibly excited, it’s a lot to take in for such a short turnaround after college. at least, she’ll have cute half asian kids. If they aren’t cute, then we are hopeless.
==============================================================
So Tumblr, it has been a year of change and transition. And while I’m happy that my friends are moving on to great places, weddings, jobs, and schools, I’ve been lost in the tailwind of these tremendous departures and trying to keep things together.
I think it’s natural to feel a void in my day to day life, to treasure the many memories I’ve had in Washington, considering how important these people are to me. at the same time, I am praying hard to be willing to let them go and embrace the present. That there are times God will place blessings in your life, and times when he will take them away, hopefully to remind us of who put them there in the first place.
So, to end, a short, beautiful verse:
Ecclesiastes 6:12
“For who knows what is good for a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen under the sun after he is gone?”
The NBA has never seen so many brilliant young point guards in the league as today. A list of the Top 15:
1) Chris Paul
Undisputed?
2) Derrick Rose
Bulls Top Team in the East with him, can’t beat the 8th seed without him :(
3) Rajon Rondo
Seeing him play in person was poetry in motion!
4) Russell Westbrook
He came to play, he came to play. Grantland.
5) Deron Williams
Has been quiet the last few years, but will he put Brooklyn back on the NBA map?
6) Steve Nash
11 assists a game, 50%/40%/90%!
7) Tony Parker
3 Rings, still under 30. Superbly unique finisher, despite size and infidelity
8) Jason Kidd
One of the greatest. Balling since 1995!
9) Kyrie Irving
Even dressed as a 55 year old uncle, still ballin
10) Ricky Rubio
Stats don’t tell the story behind the spanish wunderkind
11) Tyreke Evans
Tremendous talent, not really a PG, Wade-lite?
12) Stephen Curry
Incredible shooter, will flourish without Monta
13) John Wall
One man fast break! Dougie me!
14) Brandon Jennings
55 points as a rookie will earn you a spot on this list!
15) Jeremy Lin
Linsane!
Honorable Mention:
Mike Conley
Ty Lason
Kyle Lowry
Lou Williams
My commitment-phobia has gotten progressively worse since college.
In defense of young, indecisive adults like myself, a list of reasons why I am not to blame:
#1) Having started my first job in Finance during the credit crisis, part of me has been emotionally scarred by the terror of being laid off and unemployed. With the threat of a government takeover, daily horror stories on DealBreaker and general panic, I’ve become much more paranoid and insecure about the working world. As a result, I am much less inclined to commit to anything financially, even a gym membership
#2) After seeing first-hand the 2008 Housing Crash on a mortgage-securities desk and hearing horror stories of homeowners losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, I have not lived in an apartment in almost 3 years and have resorted to couch-surfing or living with the family. While it was cool and trendy to flip houses in the early 2000’s, homeownership, a mortgage, and the risk of being dragged down by foreclosed neighborhoods now is the last thing I dream of these days
#3) Student Debt - Back when I applied to undergrad, tuition was an intangible idea and $45,000 per year didn’t really mean anything. now with college costs rising rapidly above the rate of inflation and reading weekly un-employed Law Student articles on NYTimes, I’m extremely skeptical of taking on any long term school commitments
A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College
#4) The Value of Optionality - I don’t have any intention of ever moving to a farm in Iowa, but knowing that I have the option to brings a great deal of relief in planning for the future. Having options mentally equates to having backup plans in case something goes wrong, and having as many choices as possible never sounds like a bad thing.
#5) Boredom - I’m sure there are plenty of fulfilling, fascinating jobs out there. I’m just not sure that same fascinating position would be interesting at all after being there day in and day out for 2-3 years. Having jumped across a variety of school subjects and industries, everything seems to get repetitive after a while.
How will I ever break out of this mentality? Are Alan Greenspan and Dick Fuld to blame for my developmental troubles? Only time will tell!
With a bevy of nostalgic movies releasing this summer including Titanic 3-D, Men in Black III and American Reunion, clearly the 90’s are back!
Top 10 Reasons why the 1990s were the peak of Human Civilization:
1) Let’s start at the top with sports. Michael Jordan, 6 rings, the G.O.A.T.
2) Toys: POGS - Bottlecaps, slammers, these were the thing.
3) OJ SIMPSON TRIAL - “If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit”
4) Yoshi - Super Mario World. We had Mario I, Mario Kart, Mario 64, but how could Mario be complete without Yoshi?
5) Princess Diana - Her car accident in Paris in 1997 was the tragedy of the decade
6) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Saved by the Bell! Seinfield! Friends! Full House! Rugrats! Doug! Melissa Joan Hart!
7) Wide Legged Baggy Jeans - Oh man, I was guilty of this:
8) Y2K - The day the earth ended, but really didn’t.
9) Discman - Yo, Check out my 30 ESP Skip Protection Super Bass.
AOL Discs - Sign up now for 50 Hours free! You’ve Got Mail!
Instant Messaging - You’ve Been Warned!
Beeper - LOL beepers.
10) Jurassic Park
11) Monica Lewinsky
12) And most fittingly to close out the list, Spice Girls, and the Notorious BIG/Tupac.
When I lived in New York, I despised and often questioned why I was paying exorbitant rent to live in the city.
Now, a few years separated from the metropolis and experiencing the sterile suburban life, I’ve come to appreciate several reasons why:
1) Walkability - Being able to walk everywhere is an incredibly relieving, fun and spiritual experience. More importantly, being in your feet and upright is one of the most fundamental forms of exercise and promoters of good health: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/you-like-walking-in-the-city-so-do-plenty-of-others/
2) Fluidity - By this I mean the constant upheaval of restaurants, bars, stores, food trucks, etcs. While your neighborhood Target and Safeway have been around for decades, the constant shifting and flux of trends in the city provide constant revival and edginess to the city
3) Diversity - It is extremely challenging to live an engaging, diverse life in suburbia. House prices, highway traffic, school zoning often price out and segregate neighborhoods into racial and class lines. While large cities might have an even larger gap between the rich and the poor, at least the geographic vicinity and availability of public transportation provide an equal opportunity for people to live and work in the same area regardless of class and reap the benefits of the city life. Factor in things like public parks, free concerts and the like, I do believe the city serves a more utilitarian purpose than the rural, and suburban environment
4) In-Betweeness - Working in the suburbs involves waking up, driving to work, driving to the gym, and driving home. There is no pub to swing by after work, or coffee shop, or fountain, just highways and roads. This can be incredibly isolating, not to mention wasteful - read NY Times article about Suburban Office: “To Rethink Sprawl, Start with Offices”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/opinion/to-rethink-sprawl-start-with-offices.html
5) Late Night - Things actually do close at 9pm. The main reason I get a lot of shit for living as home is “doesn’t everything close at 9pm?!?” In fact, this is true. Sitting at home on a dark, wintry night after work is an awful feeling, as I tend to just start shutting down from evening until bedtime with nothing out there
6) Energy/Spontaneity: The process of getting into a car, driving, parking, and going to a grocery store takings planning and just like inertia, it’s much easier to get chores and tasks done when you are already out and about and moving. Also, it’s extremely hard to get together on a last minutes notice, as schedules are just more rigid and less daring when driving is involved.
As for me, I’m really exciting to moving to DC finally, and looking forward to better control the temptations and distractions of urban life, to live a service, community-oriented lifestyle and better deal with the city this go-around
It’s been a month since I came back to America and I’ve been much more aware of the sheer volume of distractions in my everyday life, despite having no children, wives, angel investors, shareholders, or baby-mommas of note. The impulse of both digital and physical distractions have been much more acute after experiencing 3 weeks of disconnected, bare living. OK, I had a kindle and wifi, but it was bare enough.
Clearly distractions often derail us from our professional, social, and spiritual goals and aspirations. My friend’s brother spent a year in the Phillipines on a Fullbright and said it really forces you to get in touch with your spiritual side and leave the worldly distractions when you lose Internet.
Two fantastic stories from the Bible also help to illustrate our need to combat distractions in our daily lives:
Luke 10:38-42 - Martha
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
—————————————————————
Matthew 13:1 - The Parable of the Sower
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed:
- some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
- Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.
- Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
- Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear.”
22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
Clearly we were afflicted with the same weakness to distractions 2,000 years ago as today. This is a hard list to compile so feel free to suggest additions
9) Housework - I absolutely go insane when I am at home. There’s always the feeling you need to clean, or re-arrange, upgrade, repair or fix something.
8) Career - VW supposedly banned email/blackberry use after business hours as this was causing such a serious emotional strain on employees. Having a overly demanding work atmosphere can undoubtedly cause enough anxiety that doesn’t go away over the weekend. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/technology-16314901
7) Advertising - A recent post by Gizmodo illustrates how rediculous Apple marketing is in telling me that I need to upgrade to the Ipad 3 just because I NEED IT. They gave iPad 2’s to employees and told them it was the real thing, lol: http://gizmodo.com/5894094/we-people-an-ipad-2-told-them-it-was-the-new-ipad-and-they-loved-it
6) Societal Beliefs - I’m sure we all have heard plenty of things that plenty of people told us to do that really don’t matter. Or maybe I should go to graduate school and find a wife after all, mom.
5) Tabbed Browsing - Rebecca gave me a lotttt of shit about this, how “all guys are the same and open like 15 tabs”. It’s so true, I average like 12-15 tabs, on two browsers, and at work I often use two laptops. Sigh.
4) Social Media/Instant Messaging - Instant messaging is a tough one especially because we rely on it to keep in touch, but it also takes sooo long and there are so many gaps that render it a waste of time. Facebook is also helpful, but the sheer volume of useless posts these days really makes it big on the distraction list.
2) People - Keeping in touch, scheduling events, going out to bars and shuffling around to see faces can be emotionally and physically exhausting, and I’m hoping to be more selective and purposeful and not a distraction
1) ESPN/Grantland.com/US Weekly aka “NEWS THAT IS NOT REALLY NEWS”
FACT: Jeremy Lin scores 38 points on 13-15 shooting on the Lakers.
STUFF THAT IS NOT A FACT:
- “Dr. Ruth Westheimer: What Jeremy Lin, Basketball Teach Us About Sex”
- “Jeremy Lin row reveals deep-seated racism against Asian Americans”
- “Jeremy Lin and U.S.-China Relations”
- “Just Lin, Baby! 10 Lessons Jeremy Lin Can Teach Us Before We Go To Work Monday Morning”
- “From the Pulpit and in the Pew, the Knicks’ Lin Is a Welcome Inspiration to Asian American Christians”
- “What Jeremy Lin Can Teach us about Dating” http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/03/04/what-jeremy-lin-can-teach-us-about-dating
Dear Fox News, THIS IS NOT NEWS!!!! Jeremy Lin is a Ballplayer, not a marriage counselor! I don’t want to learn about dating from Jeremy Lin’s dating life! He’s 6’4, in the NBA, went to Harvard, from SF, a Christian, he’s the most dateable Oriental man in the history of the world! But if he needs a girlfriend, my sister can be available.
Share!
So it seems as though I have a few readers! By few, I mean two.
I’m not sure when or why i caught the travel bug, and I like to think that i don’t travel nearly as much as my other friends do. But after going on a handful of weekend Europe trips and Jetblue All-You-Can-Flying, I guess i’m stuck with being considered a nomad.
Most Underrated Places I’ve been to:
5) Swiss Alps - Absolutely breathtaking, puts Alaska/Maine/Rockies to SHAME. Felt like I was staring at a wallpaper
4) Edinburgh, Scotland - The entire city felt straight out of the 15th century, incredible Castle on top of a mountain overlooking the city, gothic architecture and amazing Scottish culture - warm, hospital, goofy people, everything that London is not
3) Santorini, Greece - Known more for honeymoons, beaches, cute houses and greek teenage boys out of sisterhood of the traveling pants, I found Santorini more fascinating for the incredible feeling of being able to drive and roam around a volcanic island in the middle of the Aegean Sea. a volcano!!!!
2) Tokyo - Within an hour of arriving I knew I’d have to one day come back and live in Japan at some point in my life. Felt like I was living in a comic book. I love nikons, sushi, hondas, nintendo, Uniqlo, ramen and bright neon lights, and definitely love Tokyo
1) New York - I spent an hour trying to find a photo to capture all of New York in one photograph and realized that wasn’t possible. The Big Apple is undoubtedly is one of the most hyped, yet still underrated places to experience period
Most Overrated Places I’ve been to:
5) Beijing - Oh man, I hate Beijing and all of Mainland China in general. Kids peeing, adults spitting, a new wave of ultra-materialism and luxury-good obsession, completely lack of chivalry and withering moral concious, Beijing is completely polluted, sprawling, vulgar and just plain awful.
4) The Beach - It’s just water…. and sand. I’m bored
3) Bangkok, Thailand - Sprawling, traffic jammed, not well walkable, I was only here for 24 hours and not very impressed.
2) London - All the londoners on the tube look so unhappy all the time. If I had to pay $9 for a subway footlong, I would be depressed too.
1) Athens - First place this reminded me of was Baltimore, not a good sign.
I just returned from India for 2.5 weeks for a wedding and got to see a wide spectrum of cities and geographies including Delhi/Mumbai and more rural Southern India. A list of western comforts I took for granted:
9) Highway - an Indian “Highway” really is just a 2-3 lane street. I don’t think we drove faster than 40mph due to potholes, cows on the road, traffic lights, or just general lackluster infrastructure
8) Cell Phone - It is absolutely impossible trying to figure out how to properly buy and dial a pre-paid cell phone abroad. Between local/city/state SIMs, wild fees, different prefixes for different states, I’ve always hated having to deal with dialing anyone in asia/europe
7) Street Signs/GPS/Seatbelts - It appalled me to not be able to find a street sign in many parts of cities. Also, Why asian countries refuse to wear seat belts and invest $100 for a GPS, I will never know. Also, despite there being a method to the madness, China and India average 445.9 and 315.0 deaths per 100,000 cars respectively, compared to 15.0 in the USA. BUCKLE UP, ITS THE LAW!
6) Metro - The Delhi Metro was as good as any western system, but surprisingly Mumbai and Chennai did not have a Subway as of 2012. It’s 2012! We should have subways! The 19.5 million people of Bombay deserve better
5) Whole Foods - Undoubtedly the hardest food item to find was a fresh, clean salad. I will stop complaining next time Whole Foods charges me $5.99 for a pound of organic Spinach
4) Fixed, Transparent Prices - I don’t mind paying $15 to see the Taj Mahal, but when local citizens pay 25 cents, it just ain’t right. We don’t discriminate at the Smithsonian! Taxi drivers don’t charge 5 times as much just because your English is bad. Blatant exploitation of foreigners gets tiring after a while.
3) Desk Job - Say what you want about the Corporate Desk Job, but after seeing how service oriented and laborious most jobs were in India at every Hotel, Restaurant, Farm or Taxi-Stand, I felt extremely humbled to have the priviledged life of sitting my fat derrier in a chair all day to make a good living. There has been a lot of writing in the media these last few years about how financiers and the wealthy elite should pay higher taxes due to the sacrifices that previous generations of laborers and militarymen have made to create such a prosperous, capitalist country, and I wholeheartedly agree that’s what makes our country great
2) Hot Shower - Learned to appreciate that feeling clean might be just as important as actually being clean. Nothing worse to start a day than a cold, awful shower.
1) Clean Air - India is not nearly as bad as China in regards to air quality, but still much, much worse than any US City. The dust was bad enough that going for a run, or even a walk in the park, was unbearable.
I sound incredibly spoiled and privileged, which funny enough is quite an accurate assessment of life in America, particularly the District of Columbia
Why Washington Really Likes Itself:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/sunday-review/why-washington-really-likes-itself.html
I’ve undoubtedly had nightmares about the following:
9) Asking a stranger for help: Something about asking strangers for help terrifies me, especially at clothing stores, restaurants or abroad. “i’ll just buy it, i don’t want to ask for a changing room” “I ordered a beet salad, but this hawaiian pizza will do” “i have no idea where i am, but i’m not going to ask you for directions because you might rob me”
8) Left alone at the singles table: Your friend tells you he/she is dating a charming, cute biochemistry lab partner. You front a superficial smile, but really are just flipping the shit and get that sharp, sinking feeling of being left behind. Multiple that feeling by 100 if this is your younger sister.
7) Female Authoritative Figure: Your managing director gives you a death stare for missing a comma that would put Medusa and Beatrix Lastrange to tears. Nothing like a deranged woman to scare you back to those terrifying 7th grade days where your female math teacher scarred you for life and for getting a 5.5/10 on a polynomial quiz.
6) Failing The One Class I Need to Graduate: This one happens with extreme regularity. You’ve slept through the entire semester of 12th Grade English, comfortably with my college acceptance letter in hand, only to oversleep and miss the Final Exam, don’t graduate, and GAME OVER.
5) The Working Adult Routine: A poem I wrote about the working life:
I can’t open my email because I can’t change my password
I can’t change my password because I can’t reach the help desk
I can’t reach the help desk because I can’t find my Work Badge
I can’t get a new Work Badge because I can’t find $10
I can’t pay the $10 because I’m almost out of gas
I’m almost out of gas because I can’t access an ATM machine
I can’t access an ATM machine because i need my PIN
I don’t know my PIN because I can’t open my email
4) Getting Old and Running out of Options: Giving yourself choices in high school was as simple as a bulleted list of Common App colleges to apply to. Giving yourself choices after college was as simple as a resume drop on the Career Center website.
Entering the labor market in the Great Recession of 2008 has both:
1) made me aware of the many opportunities and privileged career choices my community, and family have bestowed upon me
2) realization that choices have been made, and many doors will inevitably be closed as time goes along
3) Losing my Parents: There are incredibly few things that are constant in our transient modern-day life, and our parents are the most reliable out of all of them. Particularly coming from an immigrant Asian family, my parents are the only source of birthday gifts, the only ones who tricked me into believing that the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus were real, the only relatives on this continent I have to call family.
It’s not too drastic to say the summation of my life derived from their efforts, and there is literally no way I could repay them.
This past year a few friend lost their fathers and attending services was a very difficult experience, but also a great source of inspiration to value my own parents and the constancy they provide to my daily life each day they are still here.
2) Online Dating: The internet, while transforming everyday life for the better, has also in many ways corrupted our modern society and cheapened personal connections to 140-character tweets.
Not going to lie, I’m unquestionably the most awkward person I know when it comes to dating, so the idea of introducing myself to a complete stranger who I met through a website in REAL LIFE would be unbearably awkward.
Georgia: “Tim, You should sign up for ChristianMingle.com”
Me: “I’d rather shoot myself in the face”
1) Divorce: What I can’t imagine, and terrifies me, about divorce and how rampant it occurs in America is the idea of spending 4-5 hours per day, 7 days a week, for years and years scraping together, sculpting, and crafting a life’s masterpiece.
Then, waking up one day having seeing it all come crumbling down and having nothing to show for it. I have to imagine that spending that much time on any project I’d see a reflection of myself in every minor detail, and without doubt it would be pretty terrible to see a life’s work end on a tragic note.
PRIMARY:
- Start writing more often, hopefully here!
- Learn Spanish. I studied French and it is pretty useless outside of Paris. Surely this will be helpful as 20% of America is now Hispanic
- Live an involved city life. This probably means I’ll have to finally move out of suburbia
HOBBIES:
- Cook. This is not going to happen but sounds great on paper
- Swim Butterfly. Looks a lot hard than on TV
- Learn how to Drive Manual Transmission. Inspired by Citroens and other tiny fuel-efficient European automobiles