Hitting The Wall

It's 1AM, which is by no means an appallingly late time to be up on a school night, but I have been sitting at my desk starting at this essay for, oh, about six hours now. Truthfully, I should have realized that I wasn't going to get anything done by around 9PM, by when I had done everything I could to avoid working on this essay: showering, eating dinner, cleaning the kitchen, clearing off my desk, facetiming my friend, eating twenty chicken nuggets, buying six sports bras (yes, six), browsing Buzzfeed endlessly, etc, etc, etc. It would have been much more effective if I had gone to bed early and woken up early to work on this, yet somehow I insisted on getting this done tonight and couldn't see that it was a bad idea to do so.

It's been a wildly successful week by any measure, as was intended. I went to the gym, caught up on all my readings, stayed on top of my reading responses, attended all my classes, worked at my internship, and forced myself not to procrastinate so I could go to sleep by 10PM. I figured that if I hopped on the work grind for a week, it would be enough to catch up from the confused mess left by the beginning of the semester, and reset myself to a sustainable schedule for the rest of the year. For a while, it worked. I got all of my work done, exercised, ate healthy, and slept enough. But suddenly, today, confronted by a single Classics essay of which I had three pages left, everything stopped. I did everything I could to avoid working on that essay. I ended up binge eating and stress shopping because I was so distressed that I wasn't doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. I wrote in my journal. I wrote this blog post. Nothing could pull me out of the academic writing rut, which seemed to come out of nowhere.

I keep reminding myself that everything is okay. Even though I spent a lot of money on my stress shopping, it was arguably for things I needed that were on sale. It might be a bit financially irresponsible, but as soon as I check off things on my list like selling the extra iPad I received this summer, those finances will be in ship-shape. The binge eating was a small blip in an otherwise healthy routine. Yet still, even though I know it isn't, everything feels like it is out of my control.

Moving forward, I think it's important for me to be aware of my limits. As much as I try, there is only so much I can do until I hit a mental wall. What should have been an easy essay was the straw that broke the camel's back after a grueling week. I am only capable of being on a productive grind for so long until I get worn down. When that happens, I need to stop and let myself recover, because I can't do my best work if I am not my best self. For now, this means going to sleep and getting up in the morning to try again. If that doesn't work, then there are always other options, like asking for an extension. Even if that's not possible, there's nothing I can do right now except make taking care of myself my only priority. ◊

A Girl Has Needs

There's a boy and he was everything I wanted. Six foot one, built like a demigod, dark hair, hazel eyes, smart, and kind. He liked archery and the color purple and cats and he laughed at my puns and held my hand and took me out to dinner, and he liked me too, until it all crumbled before me like a sandcastle at high tide, for seemingly no reason at all. I watched what could have been slip away like sand between my fingers. It felt like a big, "Fuck you," from the universe, to be shown something so beautiful and magnificent, and to have it all washed away like it never existed.

I keep trying to figure out what went wrong. Part of it was my fault — I rushed into it, I couldn't help myself, I couldn't stay chill. But I tried, I tried, I tried, I tried everything I knew, and nothing was getting a response. He'd talk to me some times, and then he wouldn't. I grew frustrated with every interaction, the on and off conversations where nothing was being said and it felt like he didn't care. It wasn't out of any malicious intent; it was just who he was, somewhat oblivious and too much in his own head to consider how other people felt. I struggled to accept this, and part of me still hasn't, but it's past time for me to let go. But the worst part is I know I'd throw myself back at him in a heartbeat if he made any effort at all.

The fact of the matter is I'm alone again, and I need to be not alone, just not in the way you think. I thought I'd be growing my circle of friends in college, but instead I find myself losing people. One friend temporarily for some business travel, another off to study abroad and no longer speaking English, one former friend to the complicated matter of a possibly non-consensual encounter between us, one friend to his own anxiety, one friend to her numerous other obligations, and countless others to distance and time and no reason to talk. I fill my time as much as I can with classes and notes and work and exercise and digital distractions but still I am faced with empty weekends. Nobody blowing up my phone. The people I make plans with don't invite me back. All the discipline in what I eat, when I exercise, how I study, how I live my life, has no impact whatsoever on how other people live theirs and whether they choose for me to be a part of it. Maybe it's a bad case of FOMO but I think there's something more there: I need that connection, I need communication, I need a sense of security that people care. Regardless of my self worth, I am only human, and humans are social creatures. I have no idea what to do about this but to continue to reach out, and hope that someone reaches back. ◊

Settled In

It's been a full two weeks into the school year and I already feel comfortably in the swing of things. I just got in to my last waitlisted class, my internship has started, I've finished my shopping, my finances are in order, and I'm ready to try new things. For the first time, I don't feel apprehensive about how things are going to go, and I don't have that lingering feeling of not doing enough or being caught up enough, even though it is true that I'm still behind on my reading. I believe part of this has to do with my experience in DC; I was constantly challenged and pushed beyond what I felt capable of, but now I feel a lot more comfortable with who I am. I am a changed person: I don't take things so personally anymore, I made a whole lot of mistakes, and I did a lot of growing up. These are all new feelings and it's nice to feel so settled in for once. Perhaps it's odd to do a blog post like this, but I don't have much to share except that I'm happy right now and looking forward to things to come. ◊

#obsessed: Good Nights — Whethan & Passenger Seat — Clueless Kit

If my rate of blogging and my general mood are correlated, then evidently I've been in a great mood lately. I suppose this is true: my schedule is settling in with the exception of one last waitlisted class, my room is set up exactly to my expectations, and I'm starting to see my friends again. I feel like I'm already in the swing of things, unlike past semesters or summers where the time is halfway gone before I feel ready to begin.

Good music is also extremely effective at mood boosting. These two are from the Spotify Pop Chillout and Discover Weekly playlists, respectively. I really couldn't choose which one I liked better, so I'm #obsessed with both of them. "Good Nights" has lyrics about a good thing with an old friend ending, but the tune is carefree, evoking a feeling of savoring happier memories of past times. "Passenger Seat" is about reconnecting with an old friend on a drive by the ocean, filled with hopeful and uplifting vibes. I find that both of them are fairly relevant to my life right now, as I try to become comfortable with letting old parts of my life go and welcome new things in at the same time. We'll see where this new year takes me, but I'm excited for good things to happen. ◊

Types of Guys You Date in Your Twenties

I was really obsessed by how alone I was over the summer — in retrospect, pathetically so. This led to a lot of bad decisions in my quest for a fun summer fling. But, as I quickly found out, the vast majority of guys are not worth the time. I'm glad that I at least made all of my mistakes early on and all at once in one summer, so moving forward, I won't be having the same awful experiences over the course of several years. Starting off this semester, I am still single, but happily so. The following caricatures are sadly based on real life experiences.

1) the Liberal
-fights for higher taxes on the wealthy and $15 minimum wage
-only talks about himself
-interrupts you in the middle of a sentence
-doesn't pay for your food in the name of equality
-never asks any questions
-expects you to walk around to meet him
-casually low key racist

2) the Hookup
-decent first date and conversation
-invites himself over without really asking
-thinks he's a really good singer
-doesn't want to use a condom "because it doesn't feel good"
-thinks the best thing a guy can give a girl is sex
-kicks you out at 8am because it's "inconvenient"
-messages you two weeks later about how he's over you

3) the Boring Corporate Guy
-has a great job, his own apartment, and car
-takes you out to brunch without a reservation
-is incredibly stingy with money
-can't hold a conversation
-not as tall as you think he is
-doesn't take a hint
-a dead fish has more personality

4) the Philosophical One
-first question he asks is, "what is your definition of happiness?"
-shows you cool libraries
-can't be bothered to comb his hair
-is happy to just cuddle
-a Buddhist, even though he is white
-always saying how beautiful you look
-really chill, like maybe too chill

5) the Techie
-slightly awkward and nerdy, but cute
-lives for his work
-is really smart, going places
-not aggressively sexual
-takes you out for lots of food!
-actually fairly interesting in terms of life experiences
-doesn't text you back
-lasts six seconds

6) the Fuckboi
-seems perfect, almost too perfect, at first
-most likely a gym rat trying to get swole
-room is messy af, almost a biohazard zone
-says he likes you but doesn't make an effort
-having a conversation is too much of an emotional commitment
-ghosts you for three months two weeks after you start talking
-messages you to hook up at 1pm on a Wednesday
-is emotionally unavailable, probably because he misses his ex

◊

Nausea

There wasn't enough time. Back from DC, unpack, set up, help people, sleep alone at night, go to meetings, sleep alone during the day, shop around aimlessly, rinse and repeat. Start classes, figure it out, go through the motions, have an emotional talk with an ex-friend (minus the emotions), have a talk with a friend (again, minus the emotions), feel confused, feel ignored, feel confused, feel hurt and upset and say nothing.

Girl, it takes guts just to survive.

I'm feeling like a computer and there's a setting in my control panel that's wrong. I don't know how to process emotions, don't know how to make conversation, don't know who I am. Everyone is going out and hanging out and having fun, and it feels like I don't know how to do that myself and no one cares enough about me to show me how. I know this is something I can work on myself but goddammit it's difficult and I'm so tired and scared. People in their twenties are awful and selfish and oblivious. So am I. Don't take your friends for granted. Don't stop showing your friends you care. Things get bad but that doesn't mean you stop caring.

Finished the first week, really just half a week, and I'm already out of it. Nausea, headache, fatigue, whatever this is that's keeping me down, I'm sick of it, but I don't know what to do about it. Actually, I know what to do. Do better, do better, do better. Goddammit it's difficult and I'm tired and scared.

There's always that part of me that tells me to accept this emotionally stunted aspect of myself. I can't change the way I was raised. I could forego the entire struggle of feeling like I don't know how to fit in. I don't know if that's possible in this kind of society. I could move to a small farm with some cats and paint in my spare time. I'm already familiar enough with being alone, and this way, at least I won't have to struggle with being lonely if I have no one to miss. It's probably not going to happen, but I can always wonder. ◊

Summer in Review

As you may have guessed from my previous posts, I've spent ten weeks of this summer in Washington, DC. Going to DC came at a good point in my life because I'm stepping into my twenties and learning how to be really independent, without the structure of college to hold me in place. At the same time, doing the Cal-in-the-Capital program gave me the support I needed when I needed it.

As much as I enjoyed it, this summer was also incredibly difficult. However, the challenges also made me learn and grow tremendously. I found myself more confident in my ability to take initiative to make things happen. I've always been fairly independent and capable of managing my own affairs, but this summer really forced me to put those skills into practice. I found myself confronted with many new questions: how do I network? what do you do with your free time? I realized that it is perfectly fine to enjoy doing nothing for a bit, but ultimately it is up to you to take the lead with opportunities. Nobody is going to give you anything until you ask for it.

Speaking of networking, I experienced firsthand the power and necessity of it. My first two weeks at my first internship just didn't feel right, and I'm certain I'd have been miserable all summer if I had stayed. Instead, I took a risk during week three, when that internship was on a break, and started looking for new places through networking. It was simple enough once I got the hang of it: talk to a person, who introduces you to another person, who introduces you to another person...

Somehow, in week four, I started at my dream internship at the National Education Association. The networking had paid off, and had landed me at the perfect opportunity to explore American education policy. Things were still kind of slow and I had no real work for two weeks, but this was an organization that had the potential and connections to introduce me to new things. At this point, it was over halfway through the summer, yet somehow I was still just moving in. I received a new placement in the Center of Communications after I took it upon myself to march down to HR for more assignments and finally receiving some work instead of waiting around for events.

In week six, a wave of loneliness suddenly hit. I was familiar with feeling alone but not lonely, but now I was definitely lonely as well as alone. Now that I was all settled down, with no one to hang out with, I took it upon me to explore the city on my own. Looking at the list of all the places I intended to visit, I was shocked me how few items I had checked off. My first destination: the Library of Congress. Initially, I was almost deterred by the amount of effort required to get a library card, navigate my way around, and figure out what I was going to do there. Though I was physically shaking from social anxiety, I trekked around and (after getting lost a gazillion times) made it to the main reading room. The view was breathtaking, and even though I was still shaking, it was worth it. I felt so privileged to be sitting underneath that resplendent domed ceiling. I meant to do some work in there, but all I wanted to do was to soak in every detail so I'd never forget the feeling of being in that space (what can I say, I'm a sucker for high ceilings). Emboldened, I made it my mission to do all the things I wanted to do that summer, regardless of if anyone else would be doing it with me.

The rest of the summer flew by. I made new friends, explored more of the city being comfortable on my own, and learned so much with the most amazing people at the NEA. I cried on my last day, but at the same time, I was struck by a disgusting sort of homesickness and terror. The unknowns of the upcoming semester loomed in front of me, but I missed California desperately as well. But there was no time to dwell on that as I scurried to pack, and then was whisked across the country at a five hundred miles an hour. There was no time to reflect amidst the frenzy of unpacking.

Tomorrow, the first classes of Fall 2017 semester start. I have some baggage in the form of essays I have left from incomplete classes for Spring, but overall, I'm looking forward to the incredible potential to do good things with good people around me. I feel confident to start on the right foot, mostly because my packages finally came in the mail and I have my shelves and lamp up. My roommate made me realize that this is my last first day of the school year for a very long time (technically, I have another first day next semester, but that doesn't really count), and I'm determined to savor every bit of it. Here's to adventure and friendship and love and joy and identity and everything that could possibly happen in this upcoming year. ◊

Present Anxieties

Wow it's been a while since I've last blogged. While many exciting things have happened since the last post, I've been so busy with work and moving around that I haven't easily had the time or willpower to sit down and write. Hopefully this informal little update will kick me back into the habit of writing frequently. I'll definitely go back and schedule a bunch of retroactive posts to keep things up to date.

1) Flying back to California

Finally, finally, I am back. While I had a lovely time in DC, my heart still belongs to California. Everything went well with the flight, including having an empty seat between me and the next person in a three-person row. I never thought that would make such a difference, but having the legroom to stretch out and sleep was a blessing. The views going through the clouds was incredible, as well as passing over the canyons in Nevada.

2) Shipping
I'm in a new room with twice as much space as my room last year, and I hardly know what to do with it all. As such, I've had to get a bunch of new furniture, and so far I'm incredibly pleased with how my set-up is turning out. My only issues are that only half of the string lights are still working, my shelves are not up yet, and I don't have a desk lamp. I ordered these things last week and the estimated delivery was Friday, but keeping in mind that the standard shipping is 3-5 business days, it's not too late. Nevertheless, late packages give me so much anxiety, and in terms of instant relief, receiving these packages is top on my list.

3) Essays
The semester is not officially begun yet, but readings and such have already been assigned. I also have a three page essay to write about my summer internship, due date TBD, as well as five essays from incomplete classes that I had meant to do over the summer. Unfortunately, I have not written a single page, and I have to finish them all before the start of the spring semester. I don't know why it's been so difficult for me to focus on these assignments, but hopefully, being in an academic mindset will help instead of being in a work and fun mindset from DC over the summer.

That's it for now. I know this semester will come with its own set of adventures and challenges, and I'm eager to see what will happen. Though I'm anxious that things aren't completely settled in yet, I'm hopeful that this will be an excellent new experience. ◊

Do's and Don'ts of Going to a Music Festival: Outside Lands 2017

Despite the quick turnaround in flying in from DC on Saturday to going to a music festival on Sunday, Outside Lands was incredibly enjoyable. This would be my first time going to a festival (though I still haven't gone to a concert yet!) and I learned a lot from the experience. There isn't a lot to say about my experience there, personally — the music was amazing live and the food was overpriced — so instead I'm going to use this post to impart a bit of wisdom on anyone else going to a music festival for the first time.

The DO'S

• Get there early. The lines to get in are really long, and you don't want to be stuck in line knowing you're missing one of your favorite artists.
• Try to carry as few belongings as possible. It can get exhausting walking around all day and pushing through crowds. It was easier just to have my phone, keys, cards, and a light jacket.
• Wear a layer that can easily be carried around. Even though it was a cold day, I'm incredibly glad I wore something light, because being in the crowd gets very hot, very quickly.
• Move with the crowd. I've always wondered how audiences seem to be able to jump in sync to the music, but really, it's only because if you don't jump with the crowd, you will be trampled underfoot.
• Wear sturdy shoes. I was debating between running shoes and combat boots, and am I ever thankful that I went with the combat boots. I'm pretty sure I'd have a few broken bones in my foot otherwise, from all the times my feet were stepped on.

The DON'TS

• Don't try to squeeze all the way to the front. You won't get there, especially if you're a five-foot-three tiny human being like myself. You will have a miserable time trying to avoid being squished. Being a bit further back in the crowd is just as fun, and you have room to dance.
• On a similar note, don't fall down in a mosh pit. You will be smushed.
• Forget to bring a water bottle. This might vary from event to event, but Outside Lands had free refill stations for people who brought their own reusable water bottle. It's very easy to get dehydrated walking around all day and sweating.
• Don't be afraid to go by yourself! I went with a friend, and it was very fun, but I saw a ton of people by themselves and it looked just as fun. There are so many people there that no one's going to notice if you don't have a buddy. That said, having a buddy is good just for safety purposes.

Those are the most important things I can think of for now, but if you have more suggestions, feel free to comment below (I say, despite knowing that no one really comments on blog posts). Hopefully I'll be back next year for Outside Lands as well, but I have to say, I couldn't have asked for a better lineup: k.flay, Sofi Tukker, Louis the Child, Lorde. Here's to many more music festivals in the future! ◊

#obsessed: Learn To Let Go — Kesha

Kesha's comeback is incredibly meaningful to me as a beacon of hope that one can survive and thrive after being subjected to a relationship that's abusive and controlling. I've been a fan of her music ever since middle school; while her songs were criticized for being empty of meaning, I found them to be fun and catchy anthems about doing what you want. Almost a decade later, I'm once again swept away by her adamance to not let other people define who she is. "Learn To Let Go" is especially poignant in that it is very much in line with my own life experiences, and I'm currently at that stage where I can soon break away and let go of the pain from my past in my relationship with my parents. I'm so inspired by this song and I wish Kesha all the success she deserves with her new music. ◊