January 18, 2005
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…a new day…
No matter how much I talk or think about it, it still hasn’t sunk in that I’m in my last semester of college and that I’ll be graduating when I get back home to the States. I’m not quite sure what I’ll be doing with my three degrees, but in reflecting back on my time in college, I can’t say that I have too many regrets or disappointments with what I’ve accomplished. I feel that I have gotten the most I can possibly get out of an institution, and from here, it’s up to me to put the skills I’ve acquired into practice. I think I’m ready to take on the real world. This entry is still premature, and I should probably wait until I actually walk in May before posting this up, but I feel that it’s finally starting to hit me now, and I did want to comment on this feeling…
So Berkeley’s been a rollercoaster ride for me. I can remember back to high school when we were all scrambling to fill out our college applications. I had no intention whatsoever of going to Berkeley, but it’s strange how fate steps in to guide you. I was totally planning on going to the east coast for the Ivies, and Berkeley was merely another box that I was checking on the UC application. I checked it because of its reputation as being the best UC and all that jazz, but it never crossed my mind that that checked box would be the first step in my long journey at Berkeley. Four and a half years later, I’m sitting here in my dorm room in Hong Kong reflecting on it all, my how time has flown!
I’ve learned a lot at Cal, both in and outside of the classroom. From Cold War politics to Black/White paradigms, from voting patterns to the Model Minority Myth, the theories and concepts that I’ve learned are now part of my intellectual repository that will hopefully prove useful later on in my academic endeavors. That aside though, these theories and concepts are but a fraction of the most important lessons learned in my time at Cal. The friendships I’ve found, the organizations that I’ve been a part of, and the struggles I’ve encountered are what mean the most to me now. APC, CalPerfs, CalSO, IGS, Cal Q&A, X20s, LYRIC, BCSA, BIYUTI, KDR: these are the people who’ve shaped me to be the person that I am today. These people have taught me about who I am, who I want to be, and what I need to do to get to that point. There are few times in our life when we actually take the opportunity to thank those who’ve had a hand in molding our futures, so I figure now is as good a time as any. I don’t want to say that only the people affiliated with these organizations have been influential in my life, but I do want to acknowledge the importance of these groups in building my internal infrastructure. As for individuals, there have been many, most of them know who they are, but I’ll mention them anyway:
- My family: thanks for everything!
- Ericson: so much patience, so much fun, so much tolerance, it’s amazing to see how our friendship has grown. Here’s to many more years!
- John Maze: through thick and thin girl, you’ve been there. There are few that I can count as a life-long friend, and I’m very fortunate to consider you one of them.
- Fred and Kim: my roots…I’ve known you guys the longest, and you’ve stood by me through it all. I could never picture my life without you guys and I’m so grateful we’re still friends!
- Thery: you know I love ya girl!
- Evo: my other from a different mother, I know that no matter where life takes us, you’ll be right there fighting the good fight with me!
- Ritchie, Josh, Justin, Herb: who could ask for a better set of partners in crime?!
- Christopher: there were good times, there were bad times, but through it all, the memories remain and I’m forever grateful for them. I’ve grown in ways I never thought possible, so thank you: for Apple, for film, for teaching me how to love myself, others, and how to be loved…
I’m headed for Macao next week, then it’s off to Bangkok for Chinese New Year. The sun’s rising here in the East, and a new journey is just beginning. Who’ll the new characters be in this new chapter of my life? Only time will tell…
