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.