2015 was an eventful year. So eventful, in fact, that it may never be topped. There were many great things, some not so great things, and some other general milestones that will go down in the history books. This blog is getting old, and desperately needs some fresh air, so instead of rolling out one of my typical TLDR year-end recaps, I'll try to summarize things into a few main points.
1. Wedding/Married Life
It's still surreal to say "my wife" or see the name "Traci Gao" on paper, perhaps because the entire turnaround between proposal and marriage happened within the year. Regardless, the wedding was just about everything we could have hoped for, and those moments were some of the happiest of my lifetime. It's something special to have all of your closest people in the world, all in one space, and all present for your sake. It was like if someone combined all of your birthday parties throughout your life and hosted one giant party with all of those people, only on top of that you got to celebrate being with your for-real-best-friend-for-life on top of that.
Married life is a lot of fun because it means never having to say good bye for long. That being said, I'm quickly realizing that being a good husband requires additional effort and thoughtfulness, and I hope to improve in certain areas of my new role in life moving forward.
2. Wanderlust
In terms of travel, I would be astounded if 2015 was ever topped. I was lucky enough to go to China, the DRC, Burundi, the Netherlands, Fiji, and New Zealand. In each country, my worldview was broadened, and perspective on life widened. And by that, I don't mean boasting about how "worldly" I now am, but instead realizing how narrow my worldview was before, and trying to quench my thirst for learning more outside the limited scope of our daily lives. The same applies in the U.S as well, on a smaller scale. Shout out to weekend trips to SF, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Portland!
There's not much I'd rather do in the world than travel with good friends and loved ones. Thank you to those who made my 2015 travels full of laughs, interesting conversation, and all-around good times. I can't wait to explore again when the opportunity presents itself.
3. Law Stuff
2015 marked my graduation from law school, which was cool. It also marked less savory experiences, such as studying for and taking the bar.
I suppose life is a sequence of events where you over-stress and make a bigger deal of each hurdle you have immediately ahead of you, only to look back and realize that the hurdle wasn't really such a big deal after all. Too bad you can't realize that the hurdle isn't so bad until you have the wisdom in retrospect!
4. Back Home in Sunny San Diego
After four years in Irvine, a transition year, and three more in Los Angeles, it's nice to be back in San Diego for the long haul. I do miss all of my friends now scattered up the coast and in other parts of the country, but all things considered, living in the downtown area of San Diego isn't too shabby.
Looking forward to diving into home improvement, exploring the city, and hosting more friend visits in 2016.
Showing posts with label life's analogies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life's analogies. Show all posts
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Old Habits Die Hard
The proverbial putts has emerged from the abyss.
Today's post is inspired by my recent encounter with Jeremy Lin, of whom I am a fan.
After seeing his tweet announcing an appearance at the nearby Foot Locker, I rounded up a few willing-if-slightly-less-enthusiastic compadres and stood in line for about an hour and half to meet my favorite basketball player in the NBA.
All the while in line, I knew it would be a brief encounter. A few words, hopefully a picture, and then on to the next. With so much time to prepare, I assured myself and my friends that I wasn't even nervous. I had three different things I could say to him, and I would calmly deliver one of them while taking a picture.
No sweat. No pressure. Isn't this even a bit silly that we're waiting for so long?
And then of course, we actually enter the store. And the power-tripping Foot Locker ex-refs are unnecessarily shouting and telling everyone to be ready, no pictures, move quickly blah blah blah.
And all of a sudden, I'm up next and I feel all rushed. I trip over my words, avoiding eye contact while simultaneously and sheepishly handing over my/his jersey to get signed.
I get a response, to which I don't even reply to. By this time, I'm feeling that time limit ticking, and I realize I haven't gotten a picture yet. So I whip out my phone and take a picture... of Jeremy Lin. By himself. No selfie game at all. He smiles, trying not to make the moment too awkward.
And then it's over. Fail, David, fail.
Despite all my self assurances that I'd be fine, and that this wasn't a big deal, I reverted back to my nervous-starstruck teenage self. Sigh.
Just goes to show you. No matter how much you think you've gotten over old habits and tendencies, they'll rear their ugly head when you least expect it.
More than anything, I just wanted to have a normal conversation with JLin. In just about every aspect, he grew up just like me and many of my friends. And six years after I started following him during his sophomore year at Harvard, this is the epic failure that I muster up.
Ugh.
Today's post is inspired by my recent encounter with Jeremy Lin, of whom I am a fan.
After seeing his tweet announcing an appearance at the nearby Foot Locker, I rounded up a few willing-if-slightly-less-enthusiastic compadres and stood in line for about an hour and half to meet my favorite basketball player in the NBA.
All the while in line, I knew it would be a brief encounter. A few words, hopefully a picture, and then on to the next. With so much time to prepare, I assured myself and my friends that I wasn't even nervous. I had three different things I could say to him, and I would calmly deliver one of them while taking a picture.
No sweat. No pressure. Isn't this even a bit silly that we're waiting for so long?
And then of course, we actually enter the store. And the power-tripping Foot Locker ex-refs are unnecessarily shouting and telling everyone to be ready, no pictures, move quickly blah blah blah.
And all of a sudden, I'm up next and I feel all rushed. I trip over my words, avoiding eye contact while simultaneously and sheepishly handing over my/his jersey to get signed.
I get a response, to which I don't even reply to. By this time, I'm feeling that time limit ticking, and I realize I haven't gotten a picture yet. So I whip out my phone and take a picture... of Jeremy Lin. By himself. No selfie game at all. He smiles, trying not to make the moment too awkward.
 |
| Sorry Jeremy. |
And then it's over. Fail, David, fail.
Despite all my self assurances that I'd be fine, and that this wasn't a big deal, I reverted back to my nervous-starstruck teenage self. Sigh.
Just goes to show you. No matter how much you think you've gotten over old habits and tendencies, they'll rear their ugly head when you least expect it.
More than anything, I just wanted to have a normal conversation with JLin. In just about every aspect, he grew up just like me and many of my friends. And six years after I started following him during his sophomore year at Harvard, this is the epic failure that I muster up.
Ugh.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
miners
Two miners stumble about in a dark cave, wandering about haphazardly until they, by chance, happen to meet where a tiny but vivid glimmer has caught their eye.
It's a gem, a beauty, but mostly submerged in the hard rock floor.
"This will take some effort to work out, but I think the reward could be momentous," says one miner.
To his great joy, the other miner agrees.
The two miners set to work digging and refining the jewel. Unlike other miners who have found a less submerged rock, this one has no clear end date in sight. Still, the time goes by quickly because the miners enjoy working together and spending time together. One can shine the light while another uses his pick-ax, and the two can trade-off when one gets tired.
As time goes on, the miners start to discover a few imperfections within the rock. Few, if any, rocks are completely perfect, but some of these imperfections make it especially difficult to work quickly, as the angle and the fragility of the rock are somewhat more difficult to maneuver than others.
Over time, the other miner grows discouraged at the sight of these imperfections, doubt creeping in her mind.
"These unforeseen difficulties are indeed not ideal, but I think this makes our jewel unique. The imperfections could even turn out to be marks of salience, making our jewel more valuable because of how much effort we put into getting it out of this cave," says the first miner, perhaps overly optimistic about such matters.
As time passes, the jewel has taken on a certain brilliance uniquely chiseled from the distinctive style of the miners. It's clear that either the miners finish the job, or the rock will be abandoned.
Sadly, more than halfway through their excavation, the first miner is left alone with the pick, and no one to hold the light. The jewel, still partly submerged but now representing a fuller picture of its unique characteristics and potential, is left in the dust.
Perhaps there is a perfect diamond out there somewhere, ripe for plucking without imperfection and without difficulty. Or perhaps that was never the point of mining in the first place.
It's a gem, a beauty, but mostly submerged in the hard rock floor.
"This will take some effort to work out, but I think the reward could be momentous," says one miner.
To his great joy, the other miner agrees.
The two miners set to work digging and refining the jewel. Unlike other miners who have found a less submerged rock, this one has no clear end date in sight. Still, the time goes by quickly because the miners enjoy working together and spending time together. One can shine the light while another uses his pick-ax, and the two can trade-off when one gets tired.
As time goes on, the miners start to discover a few imperfections within the rock. Few, if any, rocks are completely perfect, but some of these imperfections make it especially difficult to work quickly, as the angle and the fragility of the rock are somewhat more difficult to maneuver than others.
Over time, the other miner grows discouraged at the sight of these imperfections, doubt creeping in her mind.
"These unforeseen difficulties are indeed not ideal, but I think this makes our jewel unique. The imperfections could even turn out to be marks of salience, making our jewel more valuable because of how much effort we put into getting it out of this cave," says the first miner, perhaps overly optimistic about such matters.
As time passes, the jewel has taken on a certain brilliance uniquely chiseled from the distinctive style of the miners. It's clear that either the miners finish the job, or the rock will be abandoned.
Sadly, more than halfway through their excavation, the first miner is left alone with the pick, and no one to hold the light. The jewel, still partly submerged but now representing a fuller picture of its unique characteristics and potential, is left in the dust.
Perhaps there is a perfect diamond out there somewhere, ripe for plucking without imperfection and without difficulty. Or perhaps that was never the point of mining in the first place.
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