F YEAH!

Excuse my Francais.. but I got news today that I got my dream job!  WHAT. UP!

After getting laid off in the summer, the last couple months have been confusing and stressful to say the least.  A couple highs but many more lows left me as depressed as I can say I've ever been in my life.  I consider myself a very positive, care-free kinda guy but being laid off was an abrupt and, looking back, perhaps much needed slap to the face.  While my first time being laid off counts as a fairly pivotal event in my life thus far, it should only have gone so far as to make me question my worth as a young professional in an increasingly demanding job market.  But, long story short, I ended up questioning a lot of other fundamentals.  It was a rough process but through it, I gained enough of an understanding of who I am and what I want from life to be able to interview at one of the most competitive companies in the world and bring the confidence I needed to complement the talents I already had and ultimately come away with a sweet ass job I never thought I'd be able to get.  Hello run-on.

Away from how boss I feel right now.. I wanted to publish here a moment of completeness I felt today.  Through all the madness of the past few months, my family and my mom in particular have been unbelievably supportive.  Hearing that my uncle had been researching the company and telling my family how hard the interview process at this company is.. Knowing that my mom and Aunty had been providing up to the minute updates to our family friends from round 1 to the final round a month later.. made me remember how much they all have invested in me.  My success means more to them than perhaps it does to even myself.  I realized this when my mom congratulated me.  I've been congratulated many times in my life.  The large majority of the time, it's been someone merely going through the motions.  "Oh wow.. you got into that school? Congratulations!"  "Hey, congratulations on winning that medal!"  Bull shit.  Of course, I always go through the motions myself by thanking them but all these half assed congratulations really make you appreciate it when someone who genuinely cares about you gives you the thumbs up.  Hearing the emotion behind her "congratulations," really cemented a feeling I had throughout the past month - that I was going after this position not only to fulfill a personal dream but to validate the self-sacrifice and support so many people have blessed me with over my 23 years.  Imagine if I hadn't gotten the job hahaha. PEACE

There are beaches on the east coast???

So I went to the beach for pretty much the first time in New England about a week ago.  Coming from Hawaii, I realized I've been a beach snob and avoiding the east coast beaches as to avoid "inevitable disappointment."  Surprisingly though, I really enjoyed myself!  We ventured out to the beaches of Newburyport - a barrier island in eastern Mass.  The day started off with a scenic hike through marshlands and beach dunes - things you'd be hard pressed to find around a beach on Oahu.  A couple cute ducks, a shit load of tiny birds, trying to infect myself with poison ivy, and some weird looking berries later, we headed to the main event - THE BEACH!  Woot.  Long story short, I was pleasantly surprised.  The sand was really nice, the water was frigid as hell but nice nonetheless, and the weather was awesome.  Now if only I could find some waves to chase...  oh wells.  Till next time... brah.

"This one's for you and me, living out our dreams, we're all right where we should be"

Oh hi.  This is my first blog post so.. no making fun of me.

There are certain friends I have who despite not seeing or talking to for months or even years at a time, I can instantly feel comfortable with.  I told this to one of these individuals once and they were all like "wtf??"  I'm pretty sure she doesn't remember me saying this.

Thinking about it now, I guess this does seem somewhat counterintuitive..  If I've let these friends get so close to me, why wouldn't I care enough to keep in touch with them?  That's a damn good question..

Anyhow, I recently visited home in Hawaii and got the chance to hang out with a lot of these people.  23 is an awkward age.  Ambitious, brilliant, quirky, humble, sleep-deprived - are all words you could use to describe my friends.  I wonder how sleep deprivation correlates with these other traits..

It amazes me every time I'm home how little some of my friends have changed and how drastically others have.  I find myself enamored by the new dreams of these kids I grew up with and the bold decisions we're all beginning to make.   But as we each set our own path and begin to take root, the common denominator among us is our genuine wish, our desire to see each other find happiness.  Call it commonplace, but these bonds really are a source of inspiration and strength for me as I write my own story here in Boston and who knows where else after this.

So seriously.. "This one's for you and me, living out our dreams, we're all right where we should be."