the life of chao(s)

It’s been great, 2012.

2012 was the year I hit my new stride.

Now let me explain what I mean. If I look back at 2011, that was the year I was constantly swept along in a whirlwind of change. I graduated from high school, was forced to say goodbye to my friends, and found myself 3,000 miles away from home. I had a remarkable time, but it’s clear that my comfort zones were pushed, and I had to adapt to change whether I was ready or not.

In 2012, I grew, I learned, and I experienced (as everybody does in every year). But 2012 was different because 2012 was the year when I truly became comfortable with the changes of 2011- I hit my new stride. Instead of sitting back, adapting, and adjusting, I took the driver’s seat and took ownership of my experiences.

For one, I made Princeton my home. I gained control of my academic experience, and fully embraced professors, precepts, and papers as a way of life. I began to understand my interests both inside and outside of the classroom, and took full advantage of the resources at my disposal and opportunities at my feet. My life in New Jersey went from novel to normal, and I can now confidently call Princeton my home.

In 2012, I also worked as an intern for the first time, lived on my own for the first time, and explored the east coast for the first time. Living and working by myself in a new city made me realize that sitting back and being a spectator to my own life would be the easiest way to lose valuable opportunities. As a result, I tried my best to take ownership of my experiences. Along the way, I realized that the world is bigger and greater than I had ever imagined, and it’s up to me to discover as much as I can.

2012 was also packed with memories. I traveled 50,000 miles around the world, grew addicted to caffeine, and embraced east coast prep. I became a student leader, met inspirational professors, and (hopefully) became more cultured. As I began reflecting on the aspects of my life that truly matter, good friends became best friends, lolling turned into an important pastime, and I fell in love.

On the heels of constant change, settling into a comfortable rhythm was no simple task. But with immense luck, stubborn optimism, and relentless curiosity, I hit my new stride. 2012 was a phenomenal year, and I’m excited to see the surprises that 2013 has in store :)

Home for the holidays

I’ve been home for two weeks now, and it has been nice to be back in LA. Though having finals in January is, of course, a bit inconvenient, winter break has provided a nice change of pace, and I think I’ve found a good balance between fun and working on papers in Starbucks. 

The holiday season has been quite exciting. It’s amazing how much preparation goes into this time of year; lights, Christmas trees, and red Starbucks cups are just the beginning. Earlier last week, I heard a story on NPR about St. Nicholas, the original Santa Claus. What really stuck with me is the lesson we can learn from St. Nicholas about holiday season generosity:

St. Nicholas gave to those whom he did not know, and did not love, those in the most need, and that is really something that can be added into family celebrations of Christmas, giving gifts not only to their family members whom they know and love, but to those who are in need whom they do not know.

In other news, I got my wisdom teeth pulled last Friday, so my life has been quite the struggle. After the Novacaine wore off, I was kept alive by mango smoothies, chicken soup, and Vicodin. As you can tell by the picture, my girlfriend Laura got her wisdom teeth out too, so we kept each other company via Skype as we both lay incapacitated on a couch, icing our swollen cheeks. 

A good end to a better beginning

Ten weeks ago, I boarded my plane from Los Angeles to New York not knowing what to expect from my summer in New York. I had been to the city over a dozen times, but I knew that living and working would be a completely different experience. I was both excited and anxious to spend an entire summer away from home. I speculated that I would start to miss home around week five or six because ten weeks is a good length of time.

Yet here I am ten weeks later, amazed but confused at how quickly the summer has passed by. Despite having a structured, daily 9-5 job, it seems as though no two days have been the same. This city has definitely kept me busy with its wealth of opportunities from meeting new people, to fine dining, to spontaneous adventures (Long Island, anyone?). 

But beyond the flashy lights and constant energy, New York’s defining characteristic is how unpredictable it is. Not a moment has gone by when I’m bored. There is just so much to do and see, and the city forces you to grow into the lifestyle. And that’s the biggest challenge- constantly adapting to the city. 

I’m not complaining, though. I think it’s exciting :)

Living and working in New York this summer has truly been a blessing, and there were so many pieces of the puzzle that aligned just perfectly. Leaving this fast-paced environment for both home and Princeton will be a bit of a large change, but I look forward to going back to school. Plus, I’m excited to sleep without hearing constant sirens…

Thank you to New York City and all my friends and coworkers who made my summer memorable. This may be nearing the end of an awesome summer, but it’s just the beginning to a longer journey of growth and experience.

the little moments

It was just nine months ago when I sat in my bedroom at home in Arcadia to pack my life into a few suitcases to fly east and move into my dorm at Princeton. And last week leading up to my flight back to LA, I, once again, packed my life into suitcases and boxes- this time to move to a downtown Manhattan apartment.

These last nine months have gone by so quickly, and my experience here on the east coast in has been truly transformative. If you told me last August that I would start calling Princeton my home, I wouldn’t believe you. But as I packed, watched my friends leave campus, and left Princeton myself on a cloudy Thursday afternoon for Newark Airport, I realized that Princeton has truly become my home away from home.

Somewhere between surviving Hurricane Katia on a week-long backpacking trip and spending late nights/early mornings writing papers in the Rocky-Mathey library, Princeton has managed to lead me on an unbelievable adventure of intellectual growth and personal development.

But what I’ve realized is that, though my classes and extracurriculars have been a huge part of my experience at Princeton, the defining aspects are really the simple, small, everyday moments. They seem insignificant at the time, but in retrospect, trigger powerful memories and smiles.

So let’s talk about those moments.

I still remember the restless butterflies in my stomach when my mom drove onto campus on move-in day. I smile thinking about the laughter and deep bond that followed the discovery of a misplaced item of clothing the night before we left for OA. I still can’t believe a morning jog down to Lake Carnegie was the catalyst for a lifelong friendship.

It’s about those lazy afternoons spent lounging on Alexander Beach just because it was a beautiful day. It’s about those late-night talks that happen when you should be doing homework. It’s about running outside at 3am because it started snowing (you don’t understand how exciting snowfall is for Californians).

Thank you to the friends who brought me Starbucks before my all-nighters in the Buyers basement. Mock trial prep on Friday nights/Saturday mornings in various hotel lobbies was painful at the time, but hilarious now (New Haven La Quinta, anyone?). And who can forget lolling through finals period with caffeine and unjustified study breaks? Lolling is now my favorite pastime.

It’s fascinating that such small, seemingly insignificant moments can come to define an entire year. Looking back, these moments, both good and bad, come together to breathe life, energy, and depth into my journey to find a home away from home.

And I have found that home. 

late night musings

It’s reading period, and I have been sitting in the same chair in Rocky-Mathey Library for the last four days losing a staring contest with Microsoft Word. Unfortunately, my papers aren’t going to write themselves, which means I have to make a serious commitment to sit and write for the ten days we have for reading period.

As aggravating as it is to write papers and study for exams, something I really enjoy about midterms and finals is this silently supportive camaraderie we share as we all live through the stresses and struggles of Dean’s Date papers and final exams. We each have this mutual understanding of the challenges ahead, and share congratulations and high fives for every finished draft or computer program. And who can forget the countless caffeine runs to Starbucks? Good thing it is frappy hour this week… (PS. thank you Jamie for the Starbucks sitting next to me right now.)

And as I sit here largely motionless for days on end, I’ve lost track of how quickly the rest of the world is moving. Getting texts from friends back home who have already finished their freshman year and moved out is so strange because it’s hard to believe that we are already done with an entire year of college. Before I know it, I’ll be flying back home too (it’s just under two weeks away!), and I couldn’t be more excited to be back in Arcadia to see family and friends.

I just have to survive the next two weeks. Okay, this was a really disjointed post. Back to writing my term papers I go…