EvansTon o' Fun

Seasonal greetings, peeps!

It's been a whirlwind President's Day weekend and now that I am felled by the flu, I can finally take sometime and share the haps on the past few days.

But first, a few announcements are in order!

• Congratulations to my buds Darrell and Vivian Wong on the birth of Kayla, their one-day old little girl! I still can't believe DarDarBinx is a dad ... Kayla is going to be logging some MASSIVE tv/dvd hours :).
• Happy bday to Jen Gu! hope you and lhm rock ny tonite :)

So, I apologize for going AWOL on y'all. Last Thursday, I headed out to Evanston as part of Kellogg's Day At Kellogg orientation/sell-day weekend. About 200 bschool admits flew out to partake in team events, mixers, dinners, mini-lectures, and presentations about the fun world o' Kellogg. It was an amazing time - there were people from various regions, professions, cultures, and family backgrounds. I felt like I was plunged into a dunk tank full of intense life experiences.

A few highlights:

• Among the peeps I met were a minor league baseball player, black belt automotive engineer, FDA food tester, Emergency Response Team volunteer, biochemist, an infantryman who was in Iraq, a gal from the NBA, and a screenwriter.
• Dean Jain's speech moved me to near tears (I swear I was scratching my nose...). He shared with us the story of how he fortuitously avoided getting swept away by the tides in Phuket simply because he decided to walk back to the hotel and get some water for his kids. When he returned to the beach, he and his family were about 1.5 minutes from the lagoon into which people and ships were being tossed. Sometimes the smallest things can result in so much...
  
• SNOW. This is less of a highlight as it is a notable occurrence. I believe the aforementioned flu can be directly attributed to the FREAKING COLDNESS of Evanston. Alas, I shall suffer for my education much like Van Gogh suffered for his art. Vincent cut his ear off, I shall freeze off mine.
• Totters. As always it's great to see Totters, my Gatorade-nacho-lemon pepper popcorn of a gf. She was a DAK leader this past weekend, a kindred spirit of an RA, if you will. OH, and she got me the Canon SD 330 of my dreams. I'll be posting some pics from it soon.
  
• Freshman year all over again. As you guys know, I'm RA through and through. DAK was a great chance to meet people that wanted to meet others. After spending forevers in the Berkeley residence halls, I've noticed a phenomenon I shall call The Window. (see sidebar)

[sidebar]
The Window is the brief period of time when people are truly receptive to incorporating new people into their lives. This most commonly occurs when someone is new to an area (e.g. freshman year in the dorms or new job), experiences a traumatic/life changing experiences (e.g. September 11th), or suddenly changes his/her friends base (e.g. post-breakup social shift). The Window can last just a few days or sometimes up to a few months. At some point, however, the inner circle of the social network is filled (you can only rehash your deepest darkest secrets/ life story so many times to so many people) and the window is closed. Once closed, those people met during The Window are processed and sorted into the following categories: lifers (friends for life - you can actually call these people to chat), event buddies (friends for specific activities/needs), and acquaintances. Depending on opportunities for new Windows and the availability of lifer/event buddy/acquaintance slots, people may open The Window periodically throughout their life.

Having returned from the party that was DAK, I've gathered my senses and look forward to starting this exciting chapter in my life. I now know what I want to study (business, tata engineering!), I know what type of people I enjoy being with (exciting communicators- carpediemers), and I know what type of stuff I want to pursue (mgmt consulting, growing Recess, starting some company). Bschool couldn't be coming at a better time in my life - I can't wait to getting the heck outta Dodge.

BUT (there's always a but)...

• Stanford suddenly wants to interview me. (um...urk!). While choices are nice, this really throws a curveball into my future plans. I still think I am Kellogg-bound, but suddenly this goes into extra innings. GSB is a world-renowned program and the endless opportunities of giving Stanford apparel to my Chinese parents and relatives is almost too sweet to pass up. I guess I will keep my options open for now, but I just think it's sort of funny how there's always some sort of wrench (albeit a wonderful wrench) that gets thrown in to keep my life interesting (or at least dramatic).
• The Fam and the Peeps. When I say I want to get the heck outdo dodge, I am referring more to the need for me to open my eyes and stretch my life experiences a bit more broadly. Life in the Bay Area has been one giant nacho (dodgertalk for "couldn't ask for anything better"). Being so close to home has been one of those perks you can too easily take for granted... Mom, Dad, Jerry, Danny, Grandma and Max (yes, even Max), you have always been there for me and wherever I end up, I will be thinking of you guys. My hometown peeps have been the bedrock for all the fun I've experienced. Nabster, Yangstar, e.Dub, CMUG, Kroosts, Danvillians - you guys are my boys (and, um, girls) and distance will never fade our bonds. Both Totters and I will be back before you know it :).

And there you have it, the past few days in a nutshell.

It was a wild merry-go-round of faces, places, and experiences. As the memories from the taste of my new life dry, I am reminded of the wonderful life I lead here and vow to live the next four months as though they were my last.