Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley
A quick overview of the few past couple of days, the last days of Sophomore year...
And; I realize this is boring for most of you, but this is more for me to remember these few past days...
Wednesday (of last week, obviously): Ah, D-Day. I had two finals nor did I sleep. I suppose it would be a bit facetious for me to say that I thought I was going to die, but I certainly felt like I was. We got my Spanish professor a gift and we went out for drinks that night, and I got to know some of my random Spanish classmates more. Afterwards, I went and saw Madhav's floor for the last time.
Thursday: I saw and helped Madhav out. I was entirely less sentimental and sad then Wednesday night, when I made Madhav walk me out into the night air and say goodbye. I then bought: Siddartha, The Known World by Edward P. Jones, then the Essential Neruda... Thank you Madhav, it was a very sweet gift. That night, I went out to Nolan's graduation party with Ashley and I gotta say, it was the first good party I went to in a loooong time.
Friday: Moved into the Chaos Room. Chaos Room, for those of you at home, is the living room housing my shit and my roommate's shit with some leftover living room shit lying around. I went to Cost-Co, Safeway and Trader Joe's with Jennifer to prepare for the BBQ. We then picked up Stephanie to do some major political baking ... we made some very tasty Communist Cupcakes and Bolshevik Brownies.
Saturday: BBQ! It was fun, people enjoyed the Sangria I made, and I enjoyed many many cups of Chanty (Champagne + Bubbling Pink Lemonade, yum). We then (or the remainder of us) went to the La Raza graduation (the Chicano/Latino graduation for those of you who are apolitical/apathetic. Fools.) It was awesome and quite motivating... they had excellent speakers. Professor Munoz certainly stirred up my heart; the crowd's heart. I think I might want to do the La Raza graduation (if it's permitted, since I'm, ASIAN and all...) but at the La Raza graduation you can walk across the stage with your parents. I don't know a better gift of gratitude that I can give to my mother than that. That night, Claudia, Jennifer and I had a Big Girls Slumber Party. I slept in a Bunk Bed!
Sunday: Slept over at Jennifer's, saw Claudia out. It was good. I then spent the rest of the day with Patricia and concluded with a very nice sermon at Newman.
Thursday (this week): Lake Anza with Oakland students (I was their chaperone, hah).
Friday: Sunbathing.
Saturday: Sunbathing and Syriana (finally).
Sunday: Tilden with Anna, maybe. It should be a mind-altering experience. Then, hopefully at night, Brazilian Jazz. I fucking love Berkeley and all that is has to offer.
~~~
I was...going to write about the bittersweet feelings of those days, the bizarre wonderment of the end of school year and its effects. But, really, the more I think and mull over it, I realize that I really can't.
I can only say that the joy I felt pure, deep, unadulterated and simple. It is an elation so intrinsic and innate that I know that I know it must solely reside that private sliver of space in between me and myself. It is as subtle as the afternoon sun that still persists to shine here in Berkeley and certainly, just as stable.
The bitterness of the bittersweet word is much more difficult to describe. It is not that I am sad that the year is ending. I suppose that illustrates the growth that has taken foot this past academic year. My schema of relationships and of my relational self has grown to accept the flexibility of the times and I no longer fear the inevitable change that is to come to my friends and myself. I suppose the sadness, if you can call it that, stems from the fact that there have been so many people I have met this year too late and they leave my life too soon. Perhaps sadness is too strong a word. Regret perhaps. Not of what has past, but of what could have been.
This is the segue way, then, towards the prerequisite shout-outs that must be recognized at the end of all academic school years. There is something to be said about old friends who have kept by me, and a more sincere thank you filled with gratitude cannot be given. For those whose efforts have waned since the beginning of our relationship, sadness is not present here, only the stale sense of frustration and disappointment. Ah, but to those whose faces are new and love that is constant, I thank you even more for your endeavors.
And; I realize this is boring for most of you, but this is more for me to remember these few past days...
Wednesday (of last week, obviously): Ah, D-Day. I had two finals nor did I sleep. I suppose it would be a bit facetious for me to say that I thought I was going to die, but I certainly felt like I was. We got my Spanish professor a gift and we went out for drinks that night, and I got to know some of my random Spanish classmates more. Afterwards, I went and saw Madhav's floor for the last time.
Thursday: I saw and helped Madhav out. I was entirely less sentimental and sad then Wednesday night, when I made Madhav walk me out into the night air and say goodbye. I then bought: Siddartha, The Known World by Edward P. Jones, then the Essential Neruda... Thank you Madhav, it was a very sweet gift. That night, I went out to Nolan's graduation party with Ashley and I gotta say, it was the first good party I went to in a loooong time.
Friday: Moved into the Chaos Room. Chaos Room, for those of you at home, is the living room housing my shit and my roommate's shit with some leftover living room shit lying around. I went to Cost-Co, Safeway and Trader Joe's with Jennifer to prepare for the BBQ. We then picked up Stephanie to do some major political baking ... we made some very tasty Communist Cupcakes and Bolshevik Brownies.
Saturday: BBQ! It was fun, people enjoyed the Sangria I made, and I enjoyed many many cups of Chanty (Champagne + Bubbling Pink Lemonade, yum). We then (or the remainder of us) went to the La Raza graduation (the Chicano/Latino graduation for those of you who are apolitical/apathetic. Fools.) It was awesome and quite motivating... they had excellent speakers. Professor Munoz certainly stirred up my heart; the crowd's heart. I think I might want to do the La Raza graduation (if it's permitted, since I'm, ASIAN and all...) but at the La Raza graduation you can walk across the stage with your parents. I don't know a better gift of gratitude that I can give to my mother than that. That night, Claudia, Jennifer and I had a Big Girls Slumber Party. I slept in a Bunk Bed!
Sunday: Slept over at Jennifer's, saw Claudia out. It was good. I then spent the rest of the day with Patricia and concluded with a very nice sermon at Newman.
Thursday (this week): Lake Anza with Oakland students (I was their chaperone, hah).
Friday: Sunbathing.
Saturday: Sunbathing and Syriana (finally).
Sunday: Tilden with Anna, maybe. It should be a mind-altering experience. Then, hopefully at night, Brazilian Jazz. I fucking love Berkeley and all that is has to offer.
~~~
I was...going to write about the bittersweet feelings of those days, the bizarre wonderment of the end of school year and its effects. But, really, the more I think and mull over it, I realize that I really can't.
I can only say that the joy I felt pure, deep, unadulterated and simple. It is an elation so intrinsic and innate that I know that I know it must solely reside that private sliver of space in between me and myself. It is as subtle as the afternoon sun that still persists to shine here in Berkeley and certainly, just as stable.
The bitterness of the bittersweet word is much more difficult to describe. It is not that I am sad that the year is ending. I suppose that illustrates the growth that has taken foot this past academic year. My schema of relationships and of my relational self has grown to accept the flexibility of the times and I no longer fear the inevitable change that is to come to my friends and myself. I suppose the sadness, if you can call it that, stems from the fact that there have been so many people I have met this year too late and they leave my life too soon. Perhaps sadness is too strong a word. Regret perhaps. Not of what has past, but of what could have been.
This is the segue way, then, towards the prerequisite shout-outs that must be recognized at the end of all academic school years. There is something to be said about old friends who have kept by me, and a more sincere thank you filled with gratitude cannot be given. For those whose efforts have waned since the beginning of our relationship, sadness is not present here, only the stale sense of frustration and disappointment. Ah, but to those whose faces are new and love that is constant, I thank you even more for your endeavors.