Goodbye, 2011.
2011 brought the most changes ever experienced within one year. And i’ll agree to someone’s statement that I’ve changed. I’m not that same girl from freshman year in ‘09 anymore. No, i’m not any better— nor, any worse. Just different. I’m different— I’m growing up, and I’m learning that things never come easily. I’m not settling for whatever comes as most convenient, or easy. I’m not settling at all. I’m aiming high and even if I fall I’ll land among the stars.
Scientist, researcher, etc. etc., I’m sticking to my gut and doing what I’ve always loved. Somewhere mixed up in all this college life I forgot what drove my passion. What did I love? And in a spur of an instant— in one photograph from senior year of high school I remembered it again. When people ask me, why environmental studies? Why the environment? I’m honestly going to reply that it’s not because I have some genuine drive to save the future… no, not at all. It’s a feeling I get when I’m in the lab researching, that same feeling I get when I’m laying in the grass on campus or counting the clouds while I bike. It’s the same feeling I got when grandpa would take walks with me, or when daddy would plant flowers with me. It’s that love that I feel. Passionate, undying, infinite love for that feeling of being complete, of melting that love from my grandpa, dad, grass, clouds,.. everything coming together to remind me—ah Vicki, this is you.
Heart ache, heart break are essential. I obviously haven’t had the greatest track record, but nonetheless 2011 has taught me to always just remember what I’ve learned from these relationships. Despite many of their endings, I’ll never forget how much I’ve learned, how much I’ve loved, and how much I’ll appreciate being loved in return. 2011 was difficult. It pushed me to my limits of heart ache but also strengthened me. He’ll always have a most special place in my heart. So 2011, cheers to all the happy memories and laughs. To all the love that will never be forgotten.
2011 was the year of friendships. No doubt. 2011 was forgetting all the people that were unhealthy for me to make room for the most amazing, supportive, and life long friends I could ever be blessed to have:
Summer Seminars: 4 weeks of summer bliss. From running around on campus with buckets of water, to busting students on the row. It was such a wild run, a wild ride, most of which I don’t remember. Disneyland, Knottsberry Farm, Santa Monica, USC. What more could I ask for? 4 weeks of short friendships with 30 of the most hilariously entertaining people who made being a residential advisor the best job I’ve ever had
VSA: 2011 was my year of PR Director to EVP/ICC. One word: family. VSA has always been that sense of belonging that I’ve been longing for in college. That niche that complete my personality, and the group of people I always knew I could fall back on. VSA has been my bridge to the culture I never knew, to a relationship with my parents I could have never had, and to a sense of self and identity that I’ve always wanted. My self-confidence, my strength, my rock is VSA. VSA has shaped me to be the leader that I am now, to be the team player, to be the do-er and the listener, and to just be me. The really ridiculously squeaky voiced, spacey, clumsy, biiieeetch that I am. We bicker and we bitch, we whine and we screw around. But at the end of the day, all we do is win ;)
ICCs: Sometimes, I don’t think even words can describe how much I love these people. The quirkiest, most random, spontaneous, supportive, loving, weird group of people that have ever gathered together [whose idea this was, should’ve thought twice]. Only 4 months and they’ve already become my best of friends. When i’m down, when i’m happy, when i’m random, when i’m bitchy, when i’m ever essence of who I am, they are there. When I need tastea 32 miles away, they are there. When I just off a 40 foot cliff and freeze, they’re there. They’re there to plan get together’s, to drink together, to throw on high school conferences together, to just sit back and chill. I’m amazed and blessed that I’ve ever had the chance to be in the same room as these people. I miss them when i’m not with them, and I miss them the second I leave them. We have the best memories together and there’s never a moment when I don’t want to be with them. Sometimes I fear for 2012 because that will be the end of ICC 2011-2012…. But I remember that even when we’re no longer ICC’s we’ll still be best of friends.
And of course, those individuals old and new who earn MVP awards for being everything I need:
Kaysee Tom: For reminding me of how much better we are than everyone else..
Michelle Huynh: To remind me never to lose myself when the road gets tough
To Charlie: For always reminding me to Fight on
Margaret Liu: To remind me that you can work hard and play hard
Bestestest best friend: To blow away the gloomy clouds and bring out the sunshine
Triple Threat: Dorothy Le, Karen Dang: To remind me of how gosh darn hot we are
My sisters, Janet and Stacey: to always love me and support me even when i’m a brat
My Loving Parents: To love me and remind me to be strong
At the end of 2011, after the heart ache and the heart break; the difficult classes and the even more difficult roomates— I remember this, my friends, my best friends, my sisters, my parents — They made 2011 special. And they will make 2012 and the rest of the years to come, the best I’ve ever had.
<3 Fight On.
