& a page is turned

Before I embark on the biggest adventure of my life yet in just a few hours from now, I’d like to share a few goals that I have for this move:

1. Learn how to surf

2. Obtain my Professional Engineering License

3. Learn something new about myself

Definitely sad to be leaving my family and friends here on the east coast, but excited to see what the west has to offer. SF, we’re on our way.

As fast as she can

“Young lady, I’ve been waiting for you all day…”

“I’m sorry officer… I got here as fast as I could.”

Get here faster, darnit!

3/? months in

Fall is here! Colder mornings and nights, pumpkin spice and apple cider at starbucks, sweater weather, gaining an hour of time- I’ve always been a big fan of this season. Of course this time around it feels a bit different, serving as yet another reminder that my 9 to 5 (or more like 7 to 7 on some days) is here to stay- no classes, no books, no college, just work. 

Welcome, once again, to the real world.

3 months of this full-time job and I’m happy to say I’ve learned a tremendous amount about environmental engineering. Though I ask myself almost everyday still: is this it?

I like to plan. Some would even say that they find this trait of mine annoying at times. I have a plan for myself- a 5 year, maybe even 10. It’s just in my nature to try and map out my journey; this way, I always have something to look forward to. I’m finding though that no matter how much planning I do, one thing seems to be getting in the way: time. 

I can’t change it. I can’t speed it up. All my big dreams and goals are bound to it, and dang, it kinda sucks. Here I am, freshly graduated, and I’m back at the starting line. That’s just how it is huh? But no worries, I’m not rushing. Let’s just roll with it. 

So as for my original intent for this post, just wanted to share a few things I’ve learned so far about post-college life: 

1. Sleep is golden. Running on under 6 or 7 hours of sleep while doing field work is a recipe for disaster. So sleep friends, sleep.

2. Weekends are gifts. Short, very short gifts. Coupled with dance practices that take up friday nights and early afternoons on Saturdays, my weekends are much too short. I’m learning to use them wisely.

3. Vacations? What vacation? Earning 3.6 hours of paid-time-off every 2 weeks as an engineering consultant means saying goodbye to spontaneous trips and getaways. Sad, very sad.

4. I’m on my own. And no, I’m not lonely, don’t get me wrong. But here I am living at home, friends are scattered everywhere along the east coast, it’s just not the same anymore. But I anticipated this, most definitely. It’s just not the easiest transition going from a time when you’re constantly surrounded by friends, roommates, people in general, to a time when… well, you’re not. 

5. Having to set up your own insurances, paying your own bills, paying back your student loans, etc… sucks.

6. Coffee is still a necessity. That will never change. 

7. Having kept in touch with high school friends during college was a great idea. Do it! Living back at home will be much more bearable that way.

And that’s it, I think. So yes, get out your cardigans and light jackets folks, happy fall =).

A page is turned

New job. New dance group. New life?

Just hit me tonight- real hard- that I’m merely a small fish in this enormous sea that is my post-grad life. 

My plan? Be humble & ready to learn. Take those baby steps and learn how to walk before even thinking about running.

I have a long way to go.

Moving on

One of my favorite things about facebook is its capability of holding countless memories through the storage of pictures. The quickest way to take a stroll down memory lane? Go to the page with the tagged photos of yourself and hit the “last” button. If you’re as much of a photo junkie as I am, it should take you back to the days when facebook finally had this photo album capability. For me, end of senior year of high school, where I find photos such as these:

Prom & Graduation, circa 2005. And 5 years later… 

Too many photos I can’t even pick any right now. In fact, over 3000 to choose from- borderline OD. 

I remember the feeling when I first moved into stetson west back in the fall of freshman year. After the craze of move-in day, I hugged my family and said goodbye. I was nervous, scared, anxious. How could a quiet suburban boy tackle this university, this huge city of Boston? At the same time, however, I was determined. Determined to make the the best out of the next chapter of my life, to make new friends, to get involved and to ultimately make my mark. Here I am, one day before commencement, and these past 5 years? Better than anything I could have ever imagined. So in the spirit of reflection, I’d just like to speak of the groups that have made my college experience what it was.

Barkada:

My rock, strength, and inspiration. I have met the smartest, most fun, craziest, and most dependable people through this group. Most importantly, I found my second family through it. My best friends, people to be silly with, people to study with, to trust, to lean on, to be made fun by, to make fun of (hah), and to just be myself with. In the slight chance that an NU student who isn’t in Barkada and/or doesn’t know much about the group is reading this, my advice to you: get to know the group. Get to know the most passionate e-board you’ll ever see, leaders that push for the best. Get to know the members- all of them- from the most active to those who are only involved from time to time. Each and every person has something so great about them- a story to be unraveled to someone who is willing to listen. What’s best about Barkada is that it’s not just a student group. Out of the context of the student organization scene, Barkada is one big family- if you’ll let it be. And I definitely have. Thank you for all the memories and for giving me the best friends I could ever ask for. 

Kinematix: 

Ever since I stepped down from an e-board position from this group it’s been hard to let go of it. A creation spurred from the creativity and determination of myself and several other Barkada kids. By 2006, Kinematix was officially NU’s first hip-hop dance team. They say if you want something to happen, make it happen. That we did. Thank you KDT for teaching me the elements of teamwork. Thank you for giving me that artistic outlet I needed throughout these 5 years. I’ve seen KDT grow from just a fun idea all the way to a dance team known throughout the Boston and east coast areas. I’m going to miss the amazing people I’ve met through it, being silly during practices, getting our asses kicked at 1am in Marino the night before a show. KDT has allowed me to take what was just an interest of mine to greater heights. I’ve grown immensely from the group in more ways other than just dance, and I’m forever grateful for the amazing opportunity to have helped start and be a part of such a great team.

PAAC:

The best part about getting involved is that doors open for even more opportunities for you to take a chance on. The Pan Asian American Council (PAAC) is definitely something I took a chance on and one that has contributed to further developing myself in multiple dimensions. Aside from the opportunity to enhance my abilities as a student leader, it has given me a chance to explore and learn more about the Asian American community here on campus and as a whole and I’m forever thankful for being given the chance to become this year’s co-chair. I can honestly say that no matter how many times I am thanked and congratulated for helping to make PAAC what it is today, I myself can’t thank PAAC (and the AAC!) enough for helping me to learn more about myself and what it means to be Asian American. There’s still much to learn, but thank you PAAC for being the stepping stone for this growing passion of mine. 

Beta Theta Pi:

I’ve learned to take chances- to take opportunities as they come. Though exemplified with PAAC, it’s even more exemplified with Beta. Who joins a fraternity his senior year?! Seriously. But then again, how many times do you get a chance to help start a new fraternity on campus? Once in a lifetime probably, and when the opportunity fell on my lap, I took it. Don’t get me wrong, I had numerous moments of hesitation and doubt, but I can honestly say that joining Beta has been an unforgettable experience. An experience to learn from other leaders, to meet some great people whom I probably would have never met otherwise, to give back and leave my mark on, and to gain a network of people who I can rely and depend on. Joining Beta has given me a chance to get involved with a community that I’ve shied away from, helping me to step away from my comfort zone. Again, no matter how many times I’m thanked for the job I’ve done with Beta, I can’t thank Beta enough for everything it has taught me about myself. My only regret is that I only got to spend one year as an undergraduate Beta. But I guess I’m in luck, since this commitment was a lifelong one. Proud to be a Beta.

Study Group:

For lack of a better name to call it. Not an organization, obviously, but it would be crazy for me to think that I could have survived these past 5 years without this group. I’ve done homework, studied for tests, spent countless hours during the week with these guys ever since freshman year. It all culminated to our amazing senior capstone project that I never thought I would ever get through. No matter how unorganized or crazy some of them may be, and no matter how many times they joke around with me (calling the AAC “Asia” or posting onto the civil studio bulletin board a page from the NU news with a picture of me in a crazy costume performing singkil), these guys have had my back throughout these years and I’m so grateful to have had a solid group to suffer with me through 5 years of engineering school. Though it took us some time to finally get to know each other on more personal levels, it’s been a great time with these guys and I can’t thank them enough.

And that’s that. A summary of everything I’ve been involved with. Everything about me today can be linked to any one of the above. They’ve seen me through it all- from being happy, sad, annoyed, annoying, silly, loud, shy, nervous, stupid, drunk, stupid drunk?!, etc etc. They’ve seen me both at my best and at my very worst. Thank you guys for everything. 

I keep getting asked how I feel about moving back to Jersey on May 10, and how I feel to be done. Quite honestly, I’m terrified of moving on. It’s this same feeling I had at the end of high school, scared to start a new chapter of my life. It’s going to be different when this is all over. No more waking up and calling people to go to the dining hall. No more craziness with the roomies. No more of those random moments that only happen in this college setting. If I had it my way, college would be forever. These past 5 years have been the best years of my life, hands down. To say I’m sad to be leaving is an understatement. But as I leave Boston ready to tackle my new life as an “adult” in the “real world”, I know that I at least have a solid foundation to depend on should I need help in the future: my family and best friends here at NU, Beta, certain professors and faculty, and a very expensive civil engineering degree. Keeping that in mind eases my nerves; I know everything will turn out for the better. It’s been an amazing ride NU, thank you for a great 5 years. See you at commencement.