My mom says this to me all the time, but it deserves to be repeated: "I don't know what you did in your past life that justifies you being rewarded so well in this one." And it's true. I really don't know why I'm so fortunate. (To be fair, I realize I'm well-blessed and I try to not take things for granted, although I admit I fail at that very often.) Every once in a while, something happens in my life that just drives that point home. This past weekend was one of those moments.
This is an entry about my friends and why I love them like family. I have known many of my closest friends from as long as kindergarten. Most people are lucky to have friends stick by them for 5 years. I've had mine for as long as 15. We grew up together and are very close. People often tell me they can't understand what it must feel to have such close friends for so long. I don't mean to sound condescending, but the fact is I can't imagine how it must feel to not have such close friends for so long. I imagine I would have fallen apart a long time ago without them.
On April 10, one of my best friends held - what I refer to as his "senior project dinner" for his major. It was his big thing and he wanted everyone to be there. One of my friends even flew in from China to be here for it. It was almost a year since "all of us" were together. I took a day off and drove down to Urbana for the weekend. Even though it was only for 3 days, it felt like time slowed and that a week passed. But now that it's all over, I feel like time went by too fast.
I think the most telling evidence during the weekend was that for the first time in a long time, work was an afterthought to me. It did not have any sort of priority. Responsibility number 1 was my friends.
During this time, I saw how important each and every single one of us are to each other. Each of us bring something different to the table and we have the best times together and we are at our best when we're together. And when I think about how when we can't all be together, for whatever reason, there's just this one big pitiful feeling that sits in my gut. Like there will always be something missing. (And it's not gay or whatever. It just works like a wolfpack.)
And as the whole experience is coming to a close, I am doing my reflection. I'm glad to have been a part of it all. The joy and happiness is irreplaceable. I'm grateful to God for my blessing of good friends and good company.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Run-in with the Law
So on Sunday, March 15, 2009 - I got my first traffic violation. Scratch that - my first TWO violations.
I was going back to my apartment for the first time in 2 weeks, and I was speeding down this road (I was about 5 minutes away from actually getting to my apartment too). I passed the cop car, who was hiding at an intersection on my left side. As soon as I saw the cop, I knew that I was going to get caught.
One of my favorite "bragging points" is that I have never gotten a speeding ticket before, so it wasn't just $50 and a blemish on my driving record that was at stake - I was about to lose a bragging right. With so much on the line, my first thought was to get away!
The cop could not immediately turn onto the main road to pull me over, so I thought I had some time to hide. At the next intersection, I turned into a parking lot of a 7-11. I had 2 options: 1) park the car and go into the store or 2) turn out onto a different road and drive off. I'm not sure if #1 would have gotten me out of the ticket or not, but I chose #2. But the cop was just too fast. By the time I got onto the road, the cop pulled me over.
But due to my stunt of attempting a getaway, I got my 2nd ticket for "avoiding a traffic device" since it's illegal to cut into a lot to avoid stopping at a red light. As a result, I had my license taken away and have to show up to court in a couple of weeks. It sucks. A lot.
The thing that's really keeping things together for me is that I reason it into being okay. I've been speeding for as long as I have been driving. I have no problems admitting it. I disagree with speeding being a crime, but I also understand the risks*. After 5 years of speeding, it's really "about time" I get caught for it. Plus I get a new story to tell and bragging points of a different nature.
*Speeding is NOT about safety. We get ticketed for speeding because our state and local governments want our money. They can't keep their hands out of our wallets. It's a fact. And no amount of data will convince me otherwise.
I was going back to my apartment for the first time in 2 weeks, and I was speeding down this road (I was about 5 minutes away from actually getting to my apartment too). I passed the cop car, who was hiding at an intersection on my left side. As soon as I saw the cop, I knew that I was going to get caught.
One of my favorite "bragging points" is that I have never gotten a speeding ticket before, so it wasn't just $50 and a blemish on my driving record that was at stake - I was about to lose a bragging right. With so much on the line, my first thought was to get away!
The cop could not immediately turn onto the main road to pull me over, so I thought I had some time to hide. At the next intersection, I turned into a parking lot of a 7-11. I had 2 options: 1) park the car and go into the store or 2) turn out onto a different road and drive off. I'm not sure if #1 would have gotten me out of the ticket or not, but I chose #2. But the cop was just too fast. By the time I got onto the road, the cop pulled me over.
But due to my stunt of attempting a getaway, I got my 2nd ticket for "avoiding a traffic device" since it's illegal to cut into a lot to avoid stopping at a red light. As a result, I had my license taken away and have to show up to court in a couple of weeks. It sucks. A lot.
The thing that's really keeping things together for me is that I reason it into being okay. I've been speeding for as long as I have been driving. I have no problems admitting it. I disagree with speeding being a crime, but I also understand the risks*. After 5 years of speeding, it's really "about time" I get caught for it. Plus I get a new story to tell and bragging points of a different nature.
*Speeding is NOT about safety. We get ticketed for speeding because our state and local governments want our money. They can't keep their hands out of our wallets. It's a fact. And no amount of data will convince me otherwise.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Jon Stewart vs. CNBC
Like many others, I have been following the Jon Stewart/Jim Cramer "war of words" all of last week. I'm just going to sum it up because chances are that anyone who crosses this has no idea what it's about. Last week, Jon Stewart trashed CNBC and put them on the spot for not being tougher on the big Wall Street CEOs who either had a hand in bringing about the financial collapse and subsequent economic downturn...or just plain stole from other people (aka Ponzi schemers). Included in his condemnation were some videos of CNBC's Mad Money host, Jim Cramer. Even though Stewart's tirade was not directed at Cramer per se, Cramer responded on several of NBC's sister network shows.
The culmination was Thursday, when Cramer went on Stewart's show and they went head-on. All the writers out there say Stewart just steamrolled Cramer, who was on the defensive the entire time. But I think they don't put enough emphasis on the fact that Cramer is not "the issue" - just the face of it - and only because he took it upon himself to be.
Jon Stewart is undoubtedly one of the greatest political/social thinkers of this generation, and this is exemplified in his surprisingly hard-hitting interview with Cramer. Stewart showed that while he doesn't hold any sort of reputable degree or certification on Wall Street, he is still able to hold his ground against the financial pundits, who really have no defense against his criticisms.
I have a lot of respect for Jon Stewart and I love his show for his cut-through-the-bullshit, call-it-like-it-is political satire. As noted by some other writers, this is THE opportunity for the financial reporting sector to reform themselves and to really gain some integrity. They surely have taken a blow to the nutsack and the best way for them to recover is to change the way they do things. I hope historians save a paragraph in the history books for this one.
The culmination was Thursday, when Cramer went on Stewart's show and they went head-on. All the writers out there say Stewart just steamrolled Cramer, who was on the defensive the entire time. But I think they don't put enough emphasis on the fact that Cramer is not "the issue" - just the face of it - and only because he took it upon himself to be.
Jon Stewart is undoubtedly one of the greatest political/social thinkers of this generation, and this is exemplified in his surprisingly hard-hitting interview with Cramer. Stewart showed that while he doesn't hold any sort of reputable degree or certification on Wall Street, he is still able to hold his ground against the financial pundits, who really have no defense against his criticisms.
I have a lot of respect for Jon Stewart and I love his show for his cut-through-the-bullshit, call-it-like-it-is political satire. As noted by some other writers, this is THE opportunity for the financial reporting sector to reform themselves and to really gain some integrity. They surely have taken a blow to the nutsack and the best way for them to recover is to change the way they do things. I hope historians save a paragraph in the history books for this one.
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