Well, it certainly feels like an eternity since my last “real” blog post. It’s funny how much more productive one becomes once one is no longer in school, although the definition of “productive” is highly debatable in my case. The last six months or so of my life have been a crazy roller coaster ride, matched only by the excitement and (financial) dismay of moving away from home after graduation and starting a job in the real world. To simply recount all of my experiences would be, as my Dad always said of my essays when I was a kid, 流水涨 (lit. a deluge), so I’ll stick with bullets to try to capture the essentials, in no particular order.

• Traveled more in the last 6 months than my entire college career. LA, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy. Seeing new places and experiencing different cultures is always exciting, but it’s the people we meet and travel with who truly define our traveling experiences. Ireland was perhaps one of the most cathartic experiences of my life, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you Gavin, Declan, and my long-lost (I kid) relatives for making my trip so memorable.
• It’s never too late to make new friends. Although the first few months of my last semester in college were some of the darkest in my life, I managed to look on the bright side eventually, coming out of my comfort zone to try new things, making new friends in the process and strengthening old ties.
• Read some great books from some of the best thinkers of our time. One I enjoyed immensely was Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow. Although reading the book didn’t necessarily make me feel “smarter,” I was thrilled to discover I shared many of the same ideas and world views as Kahneman himself.
• Relaxed, bummed, chilled, vegetated–completely. Watched Prison Break (great show, felt dragged out towards the end), re-watched some childhood animes. I realized that when you’re conditioned to hearing a dubbed version of a show, you cannot re-watch the show in its original format, regardless of how terrible the dub is.
• Took a risk by doing something I’ve always wanted to do but never thought I would be able to do. And I’m so happy that I decided to do so, because it’s helped me more than I initially imagined.
• Developed some sartorial sense. Of course, this has been a double-edged sword. Like all things, the more you know, the more you want to improve yourself. As a short, small-framed man my journey to find the right fit took me far and wide, but luckily, my efforts have not been in vain.
• Medical benefits, insurance, 401(k)…you learn the hard way that there’s no such thing as easy money. I’m grateful for my parents for teaching me from a very young age the importance of being financially responsible. Although I always thought it was cruel that you guys were kicking me off your insurance as soon as I graduated, I also realized that this was a lesson for me to learn how to make a living for myself. Thank you guys for everything, and I hope I can be the one taking care of you in the not too distant future.
• I’m an uncle…to my cousin’s first-born daughter! I can’t wait until the next time I go to Beijing 🙂
• Dating, love, relationships…there are still so many things that I don’t understand. Oftentimes the worst experiences carry the most enlightening lessons. My experience has dramatically changed my outlook on life, and hopefully for the better. Sure, I may have become slightly more cynical, and sometimes, in the words of my friend JC, a “real hater,” those who know me best know that I’m still a romantic at heart. More importantly, I’m glad that my experience has enabled me to help others who find themselves in similar circumstances as I once found myself.

Moving forward, there are few things I want to accomplish in the following six months and beyond:

• Develop an App using the Google Maps API. The project I currently have in mind is conceptually very simple, but the prospect of developing my very first App excites me.
• Work hard, play hard, and keep healthy. So far, so good, but the hardest part will be keeping it up once work starts for real.
• Read and write more. There are still so many books, both fiction and non-fiction, that I want to read. Perhaps making a list will help motivate me to complete the task. In the same vein, I want to write more regularly in this blog. My getting into to the habit of expressing my opinion, I hope to become a better thinker and more persuasive speaker.