It's been two weeks since my graduation, yet I still feel like a student waiting for summer school to begin. College has taught me a lot (academics is a total joke as an undergrad :P) and has changed me as a person through the 4 years of sleepless nights and unbearable mornings.
By unbearable, I mean like today, when I woke up at 6:42 A.M. thinking it was 11:00 A.M. because it was UNBEARABLY BRIGHT in my room. Seriously, I know it's summer time and all but it's ridiculously bright in my room. I try to go back to sleep but I just end up laying there for hours until eventually, I get tired of sitting on my bed knowing I won't be able to go back to sleep and go about my day. Tori, my hamster doesn't care and crawls back into her burrow of toilet paper and bedding and goes back to catch some Z's. I envy all deep sleepers !
These past 4 years have been awesome, for better or for worse. I look back and think of all the people I've met, the ones that have disappeared, and the true friends that have stayed with me for the journey. I've met awesome people from the beginning of college till the last quarter of my senior year. As I was sitting through my graduation ceremony 2 weeks ago, I was bored out of my mind, constantly texting numerous people to help pass the time, then, I had a flashback of my time through college. I was sad, yet indifferent at times about leaving college. I knew college would be hard to let go of, kind of like your first blanket as a baby. My dongsengs in high school always ask me, "How's college hyung?". I always told them that it was great, and it really is the beginning of ones life. When asked to describe college in one word, I couldn't, until now. Ultimately, college can be described as "emotion". I could never describe college with one word because college was more than just a word. College is like emotion. There are infinite ways to describe ones emotion, and there are infinite words to describe how grueling or how entertaining college can be. College is emotion.
It was hard to let go of college, but now I'm stuck in a blur between two dimensions: college and career. I don't feel like a college graduate, yet I still don't feel like a working man. I start my career as a chemist this coming monday. I have applied to over one hundred jobs on multiple job sites, got an interview for 3 companies, got a 2nd interview for 2 companies, and got offered 1 position. For the next year or so, I will be working at Inova Diagnostics as a chemist, creating new and improved antibody kits for numerous antigens other companies are interested in producing. 4 years ago, I would not have pictured myself working in a research facility after college. Then, I was too preoccupied with the moment. I still am, just not as much. I have more responsibilities now leaving less room for spontenaity and error ---> My car didn't start yesterday. Totally sucks.
This weekend was awesome. I have to EDC for both days . . . need I say more? :D This past weekend alone, I traveled to various cities and tried awesome dishes. Friday I went to garden grove and had good jja jjang myung from a korean owned chinese restaurant called "chinese restaurant". They didn't have a name! I don't know how to explain the location of a restaurant with such a generic name! Instead of the usual jja jjang myung, I tried a variation of it called GAN JJA JJANG. It was de~lish. I also ordered a tang soo yook which is sweet and sour pork which was mediocore, but then again this place was recommended by two Garden Grove residents for their gan jja jjang. After I headed for dessert at Genki Living. They are famous for their crepes. Mine has nutella with real strawberries, bananas, and green tea ice cream. I was quite full from the gan jja jjang, but it was scrumptious to the point where I could munch on it with a VERY full stomach. THANK GOD for little stores with street fighter arcades. I played a few games of street fighter until the crepe came out :D Then I tried Tokikuya in Little Tokyo which had the best wild mountain cold noodles and their specialty dorae ramen was perfect. Later that day, I went to westwood and tried PALOMINO's for happy hour. A medium size thin crust pizza was $5 for happy hour and 1/2 off most appetizers. I want to open a branch in La Jolla, it's just that tasty. Sunday morning, I traveled to Diamond Bar and had pho at Little Saigon. The soup tasted so fresh and so clear compared to the thick broth you can smell from a mile away in San Diego. The meat was definitely a par above that in San Diego. Later that night, I traveled to Convoy to try Tsurahashi. It was a little japanese restaurant with a grill on each table. The kobe steak and prime rib was so tender, it just melted in my mouth. Each piece was thinly sliced and grilled to perfection. The egg seaweed soup was just like korean mi yuk gook except it had eggs in it (picture on top). First time I had mi yuk gook with eggs, but it was tasty. My weekend was filled with delicious food and I feel so spoiled. Now I'm back in San Diego and most of the food does not compare to what I had this weekend. Tajima will never be the same after my first bite at Tokikuya :DIT'S INTENSELY HOT IN MY ROOM. FEELS LIKE I'M LIVING ON THE SUN. SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE IN SAN DIEGO.
Even though a very enormous chapter of life has happily ended, I know my adventure is just beginning. Who knows what's out there for me in the future, but I'll be ready to tackle it and beat it's ass down back to china town :D I have less than a week to enjoy my summer before I officially become a "working man".
