An Homage to University

It's hard to believe I'll be done with my lifetime's worth of schooling in (almost exactly) six months time. Walking around UCLA, I'm from time to time struck by not just the beauty of the campus, but also the unique privilege and environment that makes up my higher education experience.

Clearly, these benefits are not unique to my own experience at UCI and UCLA. A few of the more universal qualities that I will miss about college (and its professional school variations)...

1. A sense of community. This is probably the most missed aspect of school for new grads moving home or to a new setting. There's something comforting about simply seeing a group of people on a near-daily basis, walking the halls, in class, and at class events.
2. The ability to purely learn. Of course there are those who are simply trying to do the bare minimum to graduate, and can't wait to leave school, but for the most part people are paying excessive amounts of money because they have some genuine interest in learning. The freedom to choose your area of interest, and the ability to pursue goals unattached from a direct monetary-sum reward (as in work settings) are equal parts precious and invaluable.
3. A sense of pride in your school. This unifying quality is partly what keeps people so attached to their alma mater, I think. People like to belong to a larger entity, and while there are some elements of this at work, there's nothing quite like showing off your schools' best eats and sights, or cheering for your basketball team or football team.
4. Freedom. Sure there are your occasional enslaughts of exams and papers, but on a day-to-day basis, school affords you unparalleled daily freedom in your schedule. The lack of consequences for missing a day of class and convenience of planning a short trip unhindered are seriously taken for granted.

Okay, enough brown nosing to the higher education system for today. Down with tuition increases, down with the student loan system, down with ugly bureaucratic waste!

RIP Oscar Taveras

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die.

                             - Mary Elizabeth Frye

Following a baseball team is a weird thing. For a good six months of the year, your team is like 25 friends who you keep up with on a daily basis. You bask in their triumphs, and you share in their sorrows. In the end, the game is just a game, but it brightens an otherwise gloomy day, it brings excitement to what would be a lackluster weekend, and above all it distracts from life's harsh realities.

Unfortunately, today the game of baseball and the harshness of life collided in a most unexpected way. Oscar Taveras, the wonder kid uber-prospect, just 22 years of age, has passed away. Just two weeks ago, he was hitting home runs in the playoffs. And now, we are abruptly and shockingly left with the tragic emotions of "what-if" and "too young, too soon."

I distinctively remember feeling a similar emotion when Darryl Kile and then Josh Hancock passed away while members of the St. Louis Cardinals ball club. I was younger then, and struggled mightily with putting my thoughts into words. I still struggle today, some 10+ years later, but reading all of his teammate's thoughts makes me realize that this news goes beyond anything related to the game of baseball. Taveras was a friend, a son, a future husband and father. He was taken away too early. Baseball means very little in comparison. But as a fan, I mourn the loss of one of my 25 guys. Rest in peace, Oscar Taveras.

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.

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.

reliving the past

Recently some have suggested that my friends and I talk about the past too much.

I thought about the allegation some during my work commute, and ultimately decided that while I did like to relive the good old days more than the ordinary person, that that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If you dwell in current happenings 100% of the time, life will end up just flying by and the entire journey that got you to where you are today will simply be hazy and forgotten.

With that being said, it has been rewarding to focus on the present this summer in order to set-up a more certain future. Now that one critical step has been accomplished, I will take my time and appreciate the journey that got me here over the last three years, post-college graduation.

Cheers to one more checkpoint in this crazy rat race that is adult life.

Although not the original inspiration for this post, an honorary shout out goes to Allen Craig and Joe Kelly today. Thanks for the memories, fellas. You will be missed with the Birds on the Bat.

Concert Review: Billy Joel at the Hollywood Bowl

Billy. Freaking. Joel. 

It's nigh impossible to capture the feels of finally seeing the one and only Piano Man in concert. After first discovering his music in 6th grade science class, I had gone out and bought his greatest hits CD, secured a copy of his sheet music book, and both played and listened to his ballads, doo wop ditties and rock jams non-stop. I even went and watched his "Movin' Out" musical with my fellow Billy Joel fan and oldest friend Mark. Some dozen years later, that sheet music book now has a bunch of pages falling out, and I've moved on to listening to his original albums on vinyl, but my fandom of Billy Joel has not waned one bit.

Having just finished finals and my second year of law school, I was on cloud nine. One of those nights you look back and remember fondly for the rest of your life.

Venue

The Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, CA.

- Saturday, May 17, 2014.

- My first time at the iconic Hollywood venue, and more importantly Joel's first ever performance there as well. I thought it interesting that Joel several times made comments about his time living in Los Angeles (in the Hollywood Hills), often with hints of not caring for it so much, and yet the crowd automatically loved any reference anyway.

- One such example: he prefaced "Piano Man" by telling us that the gig he sings about in the song was at a bar on the corner of Wilshire and Western. A location we had passed on our way to the bowl.

Recap

- I knew I had to get tickets once a tour was announced for 2014, Joel's first national tour in some two or three years at least. At first it was Madison Square Garden that was announced, and I legitimately thought about seeing him in NYC, but then luckily a slate of what wound up to be three shows was announced for Hollywood.

- I considered myself very lucky to have a girlfriend who also appreciated Billy Joel's music with me at the show. I looked around and noticed a few diehard fans there by themselves.

- Opener Gavin DeGraw was decent, but the crowd seemed to not really care. Such is the case when you have a crowd of mostly middle-aged and older fans.

- Joel came out just after 9 o'clock, on a Saturday. Pretty good crowd, indeed.

- Joel made a point of playing some of his lesser hits, which was pretty neat, but it also meant the omission of a few really good songs that I was hoping to see (Uptown Girl, Just The Way You Are, The Longest Time, My Life, We Didn't Start the Fire). I could see a long-time fan really loving the opportunity to hear some seldom-played in concert songs though.

- Joel had no bones about criticizing his own stuff. When one fan called for "Honesty," Joel responded by saying, "Honesty? Nah, that's another one of those bulls*** songs."

- Joel and his band played "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" (for obvious reasons) for the first time in some 20 years. Prefaced the song by saying that they might mess up, which would at least prove that everything is live and not just a recording.

- The entire Hollywood Bowl crowd taking over the vocals on "Piano Man" was every bit as magical as one could imagine.

- Joel's range is not quite as high as it once was, but I didn't mind the key being tuned down a few notches. His showmanship and piano playing skills more than made up for it.

- Loved the sax solos and the overall immaculate performance of the backing band.

- Joel covered "Surfin' USA" by the Beach Boys, which makes for the second straight (legendary) act I've seen that has paid homage to them. I later found out that he covered "Your Song" by Elton John in another one of his later shows at the Bowl.

- During the encore, an unannounced Adam Levine came out on stage to help sing "Big Shot." I didn't recognize him at first with his bleached blond hair, but Traci did have a minor heart attack when she realized it was him up there.

- Favorites of the night: Miami 90210, Pressure, Vienna, New York State of Mind, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, Piano Man

Wedding Fever

This semester has been so busy with various events and activities that I've barely been able to stay afloat in my classes, let alone find some time to blog. But recently I was able to experience some of the happiest moments with cherished friends from different seasons in my life, and I wanted to capture some of those thoughts before too much time passed.

Mark and Emily, March 15, 2014. St. Louis, MO

Mark and I go back to kindergarten. He and I did everything together growing up, during which we engaged in countless silly elementary and middle school conversations about girls and the like. So, it was surreal to say the least, standing up there as he was exchanging his vows. On top of all that, it was my first time back in St. Louis in about seven years, so the nostalgia was being poured on thick as I saw old friends and parents of friends for the first time since I was 18 years old.

It was nice to know that while everyone has matured and moved on to adulthood successfully, some mannerisms and tendencies never change. Despite having been away for so long, I felt like I was laughing the entire weekend. Being a groomsman with old friends Ross, Logan and Pownall was a ton of fun. Getting to go on-field at Busch Stadium as well as the Arch was the perfect icing on the cake -- I was on cloud nine. Finally, I'd be amiss if I did not mention the warm hospitality from Mark's parents, who were like a second set of parents to me growing up in St. Louis.

The wedding itself was traditional and beautiful in a classic-with-a-modern-twist way. The ceremony took place in Mark's childhood church, where I had visited several times as a kid. The reception was held in historic Soulard at the Ben Franklin room which was built back in 1905.

Wedding flair: glassware galore, homemade honey, college pride

Anthony and Emma, April 5, 2014. Sierra Madre, CA.

Coming off of a memorable bachelor party weekend in Lake Arrowhead, I knew this wedding weekend would be a hilarious college reunion, and once again the weekend did not disappoint. Anthony and Emma were one of the first couples I knew that had formed at UC Irvine, and thus a future marriage that I had been waiting on for a long time. Going back to our impromptu sleepovers and discussions about Anthony's perseverance and patience, it was awesome to see everything finally come to fruition.

It was an honor to serve as a groomsman. It's that much more special when you are present for the entire weekend, going through the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, preparation and setup time, leading up to the real deal. Although Yi and I were embarrassingly tardy to the rehearsal portion, I'm thankful that Ant + Em were able to forgive us (eventually). One thing that will definitely stand out to me from the wedding were the heartfelt speeches from both the bride and groom to their parents, as well as the toasts from the fathers to their children. Equal parts comical and touching.

The wedding was very Anthony and Emma, with telling hints of both hipster and cuteness. The ceremony and reception were both at the rustically beautiful Villa del Sol d'Oro, with superb live music from the out-of-town Isaac Gill and his wife.

Wedding flair: thai tea, selfie craze, hair cuts from Gabe

Concert Review: History of the Eagles

Seeing the Eagles live in concert has been on my bucket list since I became a fan back in 10th grade, so it was pretty surreal to finally hear those perfect harmonies and legendary ballads in person some 10 years later. I actually own one of their Live in Concert DVDs from one of their fake farewell tours, so I had some idea of what to expect. Still, the night met all expectations and will be remembered for its outstanding musicality and its impressive length of show. Not just legendary American musicians, but worldwide rock stars.

Venue
The Forum in Inglewood, CA.
- Friday, January 17, 2014.
- It was pretty cool to see the former home of the Lakers and newly renovated music venue in its colorful glory. It was also a packed house, the fifth of six sold-out shows in the span of two weeks.

Recap
- This one came together at the last minute, complete with my brother driving up from SD on the day-of and scrounging for StubHub tickets all afternoon. We were stuck with "obstructed view" seats in the end, but we made do by moving over to a relatively empty section right in front of the big screen.
- There was no opener, but instead an intermission as the Eagles played a total of approximately 2.5 hours.
- The format was neat, as the show started with just Frey and Henley playing on a couple of amplifiers with acoustic guitars. They began to tell the story of how the Eagles evolved, with each new band member coming on stage in rough correlation to when they joined the band.
- Special appearance from one of their older guitarists, Bernie Leadon.
- In addition to Frey and Henley doing their thing, I thoroughly enjoyed the songs led by Timothy B. Schmit, who "plays way down low and sings way up high" and Joe Walsh, who really went above and beyond in terms of energy and goofiness.

2013: The Year That Was

With apologies for being a bit tardy, a look back at 2013, a year that was filled with great stress but also great learning.

A few benchmark notes first:

• Proverbial Putts has crossed the five year mark! Yes, posts are down, but I am still chugging along. There's always something to be said for longevity and commitment, if I do say so myself.
• A new year brings a new layout. The postcard-photo-flip design was cool in idea, but I think it was a bit burdensome to have to click each tab just right. With this new design, I'm hoping to strike a balance of "modern interactive" with old-school functionality.

Highlights, Low lights, and some things in between

- The main thing that comes to mind about 2013 is how far I've come. At this time last year, I was wondering about my first semester grades, with not a clue on how I did. Now, I've got half of law school -- an exceedingly difficult second semester, my first real legal work experience, the stressful and tiring experience of OCI, and my first semester of upper division classes -- over and done with. It's hard not to look back and blink a few times at how quick this whole journey is coming along.

- I would be amiss not to mention how blessed I have been during that whole aforementioned process. I truly think I got lucky with some grades. Then, I really had to trust God when I went through the roller coaster of getting several callbacks but no offers for a process that spanned nearly two months. To come out of it with a situation that I am very happy with is an example of God's provision and grace.

- The summer was also a whole lot of fun in terms of the small trips I got to take. Visiting Portland, Chicago and San Francisco (twice) were made ten times more enjoyable because of my awesome friends in those cities who were kind hosts and more.

- The first part of Fall semester was an interesting thing. To have what I was comfortable with and dear to my heart stripped away forced me to lean on God only. His almost instantaneous deliverance of a great community at UCLA was an answer to my prayer, and a huge blessing.

- This increased time of introspection was also good for the soul. Sometimes you really need to do some deep thinking to reassure yourself as to what you value in life and what you're doing about that in your daily routine. God provides clarity and conviction when you put worldly things on hold and simply listen.

- Switching gears a little bit, the tail end of 2013 saw my first real immersion in the world of investments and the stock market. My dad has been telling me to become more knowledgeable about such affairs for some time, but it wasn't until now that I finally jumped in and kept up with developments on a daily basis. It's exciting to build toward a future and think about more "adult" plans.

- I got to be a part of a wedding party for the first time this year. I value my friendships a great deal, and so it was a life event that I had been looking forward to for some time. Everything involved was a fun time and the celebration that weddings ought to be. Congrats to Matt and Becca, and here's to many more joyous occasions in the near future.

- RK in concert for the 8th time (but really only 6th). It had been a good 4.5 year break since the last concer though. Also: Beach Boys and Postal Service. Superb shows, both of them.

- The year was capped quite nicely by a trip to Costa Rica with family. I really liked the country and the people, with everyone being generally chill and relaxed. I think it's pretty great that they don't have an armed forces and instead spend more money on sanitation and environmental preservation. Rafting and snorkeling were cool experiences, but nothing will top zip-lining high above the rain forest canopy in Monteverde. 

Best Music Added/Discovered

- The Lumineers (Self-titled)

- My Head is an Animal, Of Monsters and Men

- The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary

- Madness, Muse

- Moondance, Van Morrison

- Babel, Mumford & Sons

- Collapsible Lung, Relient K

- A Tattered Line of String, The Postal Service

- The Very Best of Daryl Hall and John Oates

- Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend

- Daft Punk, Pentatonix

The Sports Year in Review

- First season following UCLA basketball comes to a bitter conclusion, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with Howland fired as a result.

- UCI coming within one game of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in my Anteater fandom, only to come up short at the Honda Center against Pacific.

- Cardinals going to their sixth NLCS appearance and FOURTH world series appearance in the last 10 years. Unfortunately they came up short against the stupid Red Sox again, but it was still a good run in taking out the Pirates and (especially) the Dodgers. Got to go to my first two NLCS games ever, which is not something to take lightly.

- Rams with another uneven season. Sometimes surprisingly good, sometimes all-too-familiarly bad. It seems every year we get excited for next season, but I think there's genuinely some things to get excited about.
- Two new softball teams joined. One, a dismal undermanned group that got killed by UCLA Rec's stupid softball rules. The other, a half decent vavi summer league where I realized that a big part of softball's fun comes from playing with friends.