Wow, it surely has been a long time since I have last posted. I really need to keep up with WordPress–it always has been a cathartic experience to write here.
Anyway… So much has happened since February. Bear with me, because I’m going to go into some detail regarding each event.
First and foremost, I became an Eagle Scout. My Eagle Board of Review was on July 5, 2016 at 19:00. It was intimidating, especially considering I had forgotten to take my dose of Lexapro for my social anxiety. It was significantly harder for me to maintain eye contact, so I compromised by staring at their chests and hands instead. The Board was quite respectful towards my anxieties. Considering that I am from a nondenominational Christian troop (Troop 577, based in San Jose, CA), my Troop Chairman and Eagle Project Mentor were quite surprised when I mentioned that I prefer not to attend churches where others are speaking their interpretations of The Holy Bible, but I do practice and meditate on sacred texts on my own. I have been doing this ever since I left my old elementary school, which was a private Christian school (I attended Los Gatos Christian School from kindergarten to fifth grade). I never really enjoyed being “fed” other people’s opinions, regardless of the subject at hand–whether it be English, Arts, or even interpretations of lyrics to songs. The Eagle Board, however, was very pleased with what I had said after I mentioned that I self-practice religion: I mentioned that I take my grandfather’s beliefs to heart–that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and religion. I also proceeded to explain a pattern I found in religion–at its core, each religion has rules to make individuals respectful towards one another (such as “Do unto others as thou would want others to do unto you” from Christianity, and “That nature alone is good which refrains from doing to another whatsoever is not good for itself” from Zoroastrianism), as well as other religious rules to keep its followers safe (banning consumption of pork and shellfish was a primitive form of preventing foodborne diseases). One of the people from my Eagle Board told me that they never really saw religion that way, and that my interpretation really opened their eyes.
Secondly, I got my driver’s license. It took me two tries, but the first try failed because of a really stupid reason: I was at a blind corner, and lifted trucks lined up along the curb were blocking my view. I let go of the brake to creep forward and see around the corner, but I was not moving because I was on a slight incline (that and my car does not produce enough torque at ~500 rpm to climb said incline). I gently pressed on the accelerator, which is when my instructor freaked out and told me to stop, thinking that I was going to jump in front of the oncoming traffic that I could not see past the trucks. She told me that had I stayed behind the limit line the entire time, I would have more visibility–I gave her a look that read “are you f**king stupid” because I could not see for the life of me through those trucks. The second time I took my test was much easier (but I also took it at a different DMV branch). Now I drive the car that I grew up with–a 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK430 (W208). It’s silver with a black interior, and fully stock–something that I’m quite proud of, really. It’s ironic, too, considering that I’ve become a complete petrolhead in the past few months.
Thirdly, my summer was extremely eventful. I had a summer internship at my mother’s work, Infinera Corporation, where I worked in their OSG Lab. I can’t really provide details on this, considering the non-disclosure agreement I signed was pretty strict. What I will say, though, is that my former boss was an absolute jerk. He seldom gave me work, but would be upset when I wasn’t doing anything. Eventually, to get me fired, he blatantly lied to the H.R. department by saying that I was “drinking on the job.” Ironically, there’s not supposed to be any drinks in the Lab, yet he had a mini-fridge full of drinks ranging from Pepsi to Stella Artois beer. I’m at least grateful I was getting paid $15 per hour; I know that’s more than most kids my age earn in their jobs. Aside from work for an eventful summer, I also got to hang out with an old friend of mine from High School. My mom was out of town on a business trip for two weeks, so I was able to do whatever I wanted in that time. I drove my friend around, made new friends because of him, and even stayed at another friend’s house every night for a week. I’d go there, we’d get lit, play Overwatch… It was fun. I’m apparently a good Reinhardt player, too.
Lastly, college is right around the corner for me. I will be attending De Anza College, studying biological sciences for pre-medical studies. I intend on transferring to either UC San Diego or UC Irvine, hoping to go to UC Davis or UC San Francisco for medical school. I aim to become an anesthesiologist.
I hope everyone who reads this finds themselves in good health, and that they had as great a summer as I did. Life is too short to not make it exciting: grab it by the horns, and take control! Even the fight to succeed is exciting in and of itself.
Long Road to Nowhere 