2005: what a year that was. lots happened so i'll just get to it and recap what happened during the year.
january: start of the lasts
- i had to come back early to c-ville because of work. my last winter break was cut short but i didn't mind. being in c-ville when everyone else wasn't was pretty good.
- i cut my hair...i got tired of my really long hair. plus it was taking longer for it to dry and jing wouldn't approve if i leave the apartment with wet hair...especially in the middle of winter.
- i also went back to being a full-time volunteer at madison house.
february: valentine's come and gone
- enrolled in a bartending class: awesome. we were drunk every monday night for eight straight weeks. i was always second to last or last to go when we were mixing drinks. and by that time i'm already drunk from the eight or so drinks we made that night, so i usually pour in too much or too little of the alcohol in the drinks. yeah....my drinks were a little strong but hey, no one complained because we were all happily buzzed by that time. everyone was a little louder and more open as the 60-minute session came to a close. and our bartending guru is really helpful and laid-back. i now know that cuervo isn't the best tequila in the market. I also learned never to mix drinks in soapy glasses; let the glasses cool down after they get washed; never EVER leave ice in anyone's drink (unless it's something on the rocks or is meant to be a frozen drink) .
- i got my 300-hr t-shirt from madison house. but in reality i volunteered over 400 hours through them. 400+ hours well spent, i might say.
- started my countdown to our vegas trip.
march: spring break birthday
- definitely one of the best birthdays i've had. what's a better way to celebrate turning a year older than being in the most awesome club with your roommates in las vegas? well...technically we were still in line when midnight struck.
- i also got another celebration when we got back to c-ville after springbreak. freni and i have b-days two days apart and we never say no to a party.
april: b + b
- my first time to fully participate in barrio fiesta. i did not just sing the national anthem or helped make props/set/costumes but i was in two dances and had a minor part in the skit. i was in the 4th year dance. I knew then the "men in black" dance with the footwork and all. (But don't ask me to teach you because I probably won't remember anything past the first 16 counts.) I was also a clapper in the tinikliing. Tinikling (both traditional and the modern interpretation - courtesy of first years) is by far the most entertaining acts in barrio. Of course the free food made everything much much better.
- I also went to beaux-arts ball. Finally! after three years of not going. My excuses: first year - yeaah....awkward. hardly any first years go anyway. second year - i think the theme was stupid...i can't even remember what it was. third year - maybe i was tired and frustrated that week. i was probably form-z'ing something. but beaux-arts was fun. i had an excuse to buy a dress from the 1970s (i think....looks very retro) from a thrift shop.
may: the most eventful month of the year
- 05.22.05 - GRADUATION...who can forget walking down the Lawn? taking part in a long-standing tradition that does not involve taking one's clothes off. it was a gorgeous day too eventhough it was raining the past two days. the ground was a little mushy. my heels definitely aerated the dirt that day. Then after the 2 hour ceremony at the Lawn, it was off to Lambeth Field (yeah, not the most glamorous place in the whole University) for the Diploma Ceremony. It didn't really hit me that I graduated even when my name got called. I think it was because there were still too many little and mundane things to consider, too many emotions felt. it was hot. i was tired. my feet hurt. the apartment's a mess. do my grades matter at this point? i shouldn't trip. where's the photographer? should i applaud everytime someone gets called? where's my family? what about pictures afterwards? in other words, it was chaotic...at least in my head it was. I think the fact that I graduated didn't really sink in until sometime in June when I wasn't doing anything and realized that I won't be going back to school that fall. Graduation is such a big part of my life that it is true what they say, "you can't see the forest from the trees." You never really grasp it's importance at that exact moment; you see it when it's been a while since it's come and gone.
- last charrette: most laid-back charrette ever. but still i pulled an all-nighter. almost missed my bus stop when i was trying extremely hard to keep awake but failed. got frustrated with inanimate objects on my desk - draft dots, pens and lead pointer. got really intimate with the one computer in the mac lab (which by the way has "seductive" lighting that made it hard for people not to fall asleep). spent hours babysitting a computer while it was rendering. listened to funny beef and van rental commercials on top of the music from virginradio uk. i was done hours before deadline; but i stayed until then to work on the book and presentation and push my studiomates to finish. we had to print the studio book by deadline. but since our final "review" was at a town meeting in gordonsville, a couple didn't feel the pressure to finish the book by deadline. but it was ok; i guess we weaseled our way out of that strict cut-off point. since we didn't have an official/traditional final review...it was kind of anti-climatic but getting real feedback from the gordonsville residents was a good experience. (little side story: someone assumed i wasn't christian so they gave me a bible - one of those tiny freebie ones - after they talked to me about my design.) my model is now sitting somewhere in gordonsville, probably in a storage room.
- week after finals, before graduation = beach week for most = chill-out week for me: hung out with freni for part of it. slowly started packing my stuff...emphasis on SLOWLY. went to a bar near the downtown mall (sooo chic and mature; we've learned to get away from the Corner...hahaha) on a monday night. played frisbee golf - tee time at 10PM. there were streakers at the Lawn at the exact time we were waiting for everyone to arrive. of course i wasn't expecting it (so dumb...i should always expect that) so we didn't look. so the streakers told us, "it's ok. you can look." obviously, someone was drunk. obviously, it wasn't me since i did not want to see any of THAT.
- moving out: it was probably the slowest move-out in college history. first in studio: i felt very nostalgic going through my flatfiles and sifting through stuff from second and third year. the boxes that usually left my desk a day after review stayed there for about two weeks. i officially didn't finish until the last day of May when we had to turn in our keys. it was kinda sad.
- quitting time: when i turned in my two-weeks notice, i was so happy. though i will miss the great discount (since i haven't bought that huge-ass plasma tv) and the people i work with, i won't exactly miss the work and the cranky customers.
june: summer in limbo
-i definitely needed a break, so i spent this summer doing nothing. no travelling, no summer projects, no pressure. i didn't even unpack my stuff for the first two weeks. but after a while that got...well...boring. i felt like i needed something to do so i started my job search - this was after i got rejected for the summer program at SOM and got accepted for the HEWV Scholars Program (but I didn't take it).
july: extended break
-nothing really - just anxious to do something...anything so i tried to study for the GRE's. i think got through the introductory chapter of the princeton review book and a chapter of the other book i thought was full of typos and wrong answers.
august: chapter started
-new phase in my life: entering the workforce. i officially started on the first. at first it was mainly me changing fonts in all the drawings, making copies, learning how to use a fax machine, but slowly the put me to work on site plans and stair details (scary!).
september: fitting in
- company golf outing: the first of many "things you need to attend to fit in with the people at work" events. i have to admit it was fun. our team won and i discovered that i might have the knack for golf. but the chances of me actually taking it up are slim to none.
- company picnic: met co-workers' kids, wives, husbands, and the rest of their family including the other dogs that don't go to the office.
october:
- started giving my brother driving lessons. so far we finished three.
- entered arch competition. i had to keep the creative juices coming. i had to design something because i hardly do that at work. so i did it, entered my first competition. crazy!
november:
- visited shraddha in her new pad at nyc with greg. it's totally awesome to know someone who lives in the city. i can go there and not have to worry about lodging. the trip was short (only a weekend) but was fun. i was there for a site visit, but i also got to see central park, empire state, rockefeller center and other touristy places. even if i've been there before, it seems like everything's new when you go back. i guess i'm not as jaded as i thought i was.
- thanksgiving: start of the holidays. the season of eating. actually went to two family gatherings. one not so traditional and the other very traditional with turkey and gravy and cranberry sauce.
december:
- the holidays: aaah the family, the food, the presents, the endless picture taking. best moment was when all my little cousins went crazy opening up their presents. gift wrapping was everywhere but their expressions were priceless so it made up for the fact that we had to clean up afterwards.
- my first official office christmas party. it was held at one of the principal's place. i didn't exactly know of the dress code. (semi-formal with a casual touch) i'm glad i turned up in a decent get-up...i was still wearing jeans but they were dark wash and very new. (i read somewhere that it was better to be undressed in something awesome than be overdressed for an event.)
MMV was a great year. hopefully 2006 is much better.