summer: new life!
thanks to everyone for coming out to downtown fullerton on friday! although it was partially for a last hoorah before i moved up north for the summer, it's just always great to spend quality time w/ quality friends, over quality drinks (i love large snakebites muahaha)!! anyway, thank you to all my friends for being such great friends, i love you guys! :D
if anyone decides to visit the Bay area June - Aug 10, holla! it hasn't really hit me that i've temporarily relocated, but when Monday comes around, and i have to wake up, put on a suit, and commute to work, i think i will realize how "permanent" my visit up north will be. and then, you can expect another post about how much i miss home.
recapping my trek up north for the sake of reminiscing in the future:
my summer job after my first year in law school is a judicial clerkship (basically, an internship with a judge) at the santa clara superior court in San Jose. Of all summer jobs a 1L can get, a clerkship is the most rewarding and respected position given the insight and experience an intern will get working "behind-the-scenes" in court. I will be workin with Honorable Socrates Manoukian (what a loaded name, huh?) in Civil Court on Discovery Motions. It won't be the most exciting courtroom (no murders or drug busts), but watching one of the most conservative judges on the bench bark at hot-shot attorneys will be entertaining enough hehe. I have no idea what I will be doing, how many hours I will be working, or who I will be working with besides the Judge. But by tomorrow morning, I should have a much better idea as to what my job entails. I'm a little bit nervous because this will be the first real opportunity for me to apply what I've learned from law school so far...and to be honest, I have no idea what I really know. If they ask me to do research, I'm definitely going to have to bullshit my way through because I bullshitted my way through LexisNexis and Westlaw training. The only salvation I'm counting on is Mike Cheng & Kristina-- one an attorney, and the latter a rising 3L-- who will surely be receiving quiet phone calls or text msgs from me, asking procedural & jurisdiction questions o__O The one thing I'm really excited about is that the courthouse is in downtown San Jose, and I will be minutes from so many people I know, including Rocky! :) Rocky, Mike, Kristina, and Di will all be working within a few blocks from me, so I'm definitely looking forward to fun lunches & happy hours with the bunch. I also look forward to starting my mornings off with my boyfriend since we both plan on commuting on the LiteRail (commuter train) that'll take us straight from the condo into downtown within 15 minutes.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, I've moved in with Rocky for the summer (eek)! I am normally opposed to cohabitation, especially before getting engaged, but this move-in is well justified (and not just an excuse) to live with my boyfriend-- First, we've never been close distance, so I have no idea if I really like the guy beyond a span of 5 days, so it's pretty important to see whether we actually like each other on a normal, day-to-day, close-distance basis. Second, the main reason I dislike couple-cohabitation is because a couple is pressured with an addition commitment, beyond romance, that is contractual and binding. It also guarantees that personal space becomes nil, and that there is no escape away from the other person when needed (ie, fights, arguments, girls nights, etc.). Pragmatically, it makes no sense for a premature couple (premature = no marriage proposal in sight) to live together. Third, moving in with Rocky is only for 3 months-- no more, no less. So by the end of that period, I will know whether I want to kill him and never see him again, or that another 2 years of long distance (with law school) is worth it since a relationship for the long haul is foreseeable. All in all, I'm a little excited to see how our relationship adapts to close-distance-- i will get to see if we become more domestic, if we get to know each other better, and if he's really annoying haha.
Anyway, I basically had one week to relax and enjoy my time in SoCal before I moved up north. After I turned my write-on paper in on Tuesday, I used every free moment/meal I had to see as many important friends as I could:
Tue Eve: Dinner w/ Doug & Downtown Fullerton w/ Owen, Mike, & BoBo
Wed Aft: Watched TV for over 3 hours for the first time in a year...
Wed Eve: Dinner w/ Ines & TGIF's w/ MeccA
Thurs Aft: Lunch w/ Daniel
Thurs Eve: Dinner w/ Emily & Justin
Fri Aft: Packed
Fri Eve: Downtown Fullerton w/ David, MeccA (Eric, Jessie, Mike, Carol, Paul), Emily, Justin, and Josh.
Sat Morn: Chinese breakfast (yo tiao, phan twan, do jiang) w/ my Daddy
(and YES, i DID wake up at 7am to eat with my Dad!)
Side Story (for David): So I ran into your parents at Yi Mei when I went to eat breakfast with my Dad. Of course I went to say hi to your mom and dad and riht after I gave your mom a hug, the conversation went something like this:
David's Mom: "Ahh, David got home so late yesterday! 2AM!!"
Me (sheepishly): "Ohhh! Hehe.. I know.. I asked him to call me when he got home. He said he got home okay, right?"
David's Mom: "Yeah he did.... BUT HE SMELLED LIKE ALCOHOL!"
Me (stunned): "David?! Smelled like alcohol?? Noo.. really?? He only had one drink, and it was in the very beginning of the evening! He had water the rest of the time. David's very responsible."
(I forget what else she said. At this point, I was sure that she thought that I was the devil)
Me (trying to escape): "Okay, well it was good seeing you! Take care! Tell David I said hi!"
(I proceed to scurry back to my Dad and finish breakfast)
** thanks David for driving 2 hours from Lancaster to hang out on Friday!! you're the best :)
** extra kudos to Mike for making it out every time I asked people to come out!! *hug*
Anyhow, Saturday morning, after getting to see my Dad, I headed back to Irvine to pack up my car, pick up my mom, and hit the road for our drive up to the Bay. I decided to drive (for the first time) instead of fly (like I normally do) because I wouldn't be able to live without my car for an entire summer, and because I would be forced to be an "accessory" to Rocky's life without a car. After living so independently for so long, I couldn't bear the idea of being dependent on Rocky for 3 months-- 3 days I can do, but definitely not 3 months. Anyway, my mom was the best for offering to ride with me. Not only did I have company to chat with the whole way up, but she drove for about 2 hours when I started getting sleeping after lunch. We got on the road around 10:30am and I drove for about 2 1/2 hours until we got hungry; we stopped by McDonald's for a quick bite (mm, ice cream!) and to fill up gas, my mom took the wheel from there for about 2 hours so I could sleep a little bit (I was so tired from the night before since I got home around 2:30am and had to wake up at 7am), and I drove the last leg up to Rocky's where we arrived around 5:00pm. The entire trek up was absolutely painless thanks to my Mom. We totally bonded and did our usual heart-to-heart chat the entire way up. I learned a few new thing about her, and she shed a lot of insight on some things I've been thinking about :) I love my Mommy so much and I'm so grateful that my Mom is also one of my best friends!
After we arrived, my mom got to see Rocky's place for the first time and I unloaded half of my stuff. Rocky then drove us to Rosie's house (my Mom's best friend from college). It just so happened that Rocky & Rosie live really close to each other, so coming up north was a treat for my mom too-- she got to stay with Rosie for the weekend and do their girly-best-friend thing, especially because Rosie's husband was out of town. Originally, Rocky and I were only going to stop by and say hi, but we ended up staying longer and eating some good chinese home-cooked dinner (mmmm, vermicelli!) After, Rocky & I left and went to Jerry's to celebrate Renee's birthday with bbQ and cake.
The next morning, Rocky arranged lunch so our families could finally meet! Muzzie wanted to meet my mom, so Muz, Steve, Rocky's mom, my mom, Rosie, Rocky, and I all went to Dynasty for dim sum!
All in all, my days since the last day of life as a first-year-law-student has been spectacular. Thanks to all my great friends, family, and boyfriend! I'm excited for the next 3 months, and I plan on updating my journal a little more since I have free time now. Freedom never felt so good!!
<3
if anyone decides to visit the Bay area June - Aug 10, holla! it hasn't really hit me that i've temporarily relocated, but when Monday comes around, and i have to wake up, put on a suit, and commute to work, i think i will realize how "permanent" my visit up north will be. and then, you can expect another post about how much i miss home.
recapping my trek up north for the sake of reminiscing in the future:
my summer job after my first year in law school is a judicial clerkship (basically, an internship with a judge) at the santa clara superior court in San Jose. Of all summer jobs a 1L can get, a clerkship is the most rewarding and respected position given the insight and experience an intern will get working "behind-the-scenes" in court. I will be workin with Honorable Socrates Manoukian (what a loaded name, huh?) in Civil Court on Discovery Motions. It won't be the most exciting courtroom (no murders or drug busts), but watching one of the most conservative judges on the bench bark at hot-shot attorneys will be entertaining enough hehe. I have no idea what I will be doing, how many hours I will be working, or who I will be working with besides the Judge. But by tomorrow morning, I should have a much better idea as to what my job entails. I'm a little bit nervous because this will be the first real opportunity for me to apply what I've learned from law school so far...and to be honest, I have no idea what I really know. If they ask me to do research, I'm definitely going to have to bullshit my way through because I bullshitted my way through LexisNexis and Westlaw training. The only salvation I'm counting on is Mike Cheng & Kristina-- one an attorney, and the latter a rising 3L-- who will surely be receiving quiet phone calls or text msgs from me, asking procedural & jurisdiction questions o__O The one thing I'm really excited about is that the courthouse is in downtown San Jose, and I will be minutes from so many people I know, including Rocky! :) Rocky, Mike, Kristina, and Di will all be working within a few blocks from me, so I'm definitely looking forward to fun lunches & happy hours with the bunch. I also look forward to starting my mornings off with my boyfriend since we both plan on commuting on the LiteRail (commuter train) that'll take us straight from the condo into downtown within 15 minutes.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, I've moved in with Rocky for the summer (eek)! I am normally opposed to cohabitation, especially before getting engaged, but this move-in is well justified (and not just an excuse) to live with my boyfriend-- First, we've never been close distance, so I have no idea if I really like the guy beyond a span of 5 days, so it's pretty important to see whether we actually like each other on a normal, day-to-day, close-distance basis. Second, the main reason I dislike couple-cohabitation is because a couple is pressured with an addition commitment, beyond romance, that is contractual and binding. It also guarantees that personal space becomes nil, and that there is no escape away from the other person when needed (ie, fights, arguments, girls nights, etc.). Pragmatically, it makes no sense for a premature couple (premature = no marriage proposal in sight) to live together. Third, moving in with Rocky is only for 3 months-- no more, no less. So by the end of that period, I will know whether I want to kill him and never see him again, or that another 2 years of long distance (with law school) is worth it since a relationship for the long haul is foreseeable. All in all, I'm a little excited to see how our relationship adapts to close-distance-- i will get to see if we become more domestic, if we get to know each other better, and if he's really annoying haha.
Anyway, I basically had one week to relax and enjoy my time in SoCal before I moved up north. After I turned my write-on paper in on Tuesday, I used every free moment/meal I had to see as many important friends as I could:
Tue Eve: Dinner w/ Doug & Downtown Fullerton w/ Owen, Mike, & BoBo
Wed Aft: Watched TV for over 3 hours for the first time in a year...
Wed Eve: Dinner w/ Ines & TGIF's w/ MeccA
Thurs Aft: Lunch w/ Daniel
Thurs Eve: Dinner w/ Emily & Justin
Fri Aft: Packed
Fri Eve: Downtown Fullerton w/ David, MeccA (Eric, Jessie, Mike, Carol, Paul), Emily, Justin, and Josh.
Sat Morn: Chinese breakfast (yo tiao, phan twan, do jiang) w/ my Daddy
(and YES, i DID wake up at 7am to eat with my Dad!)
Side Story (for David): So I ran into your parents at Yi Mei when I went to eat breakfast with my Dad. Of course I went to say hi to your mom and dad and riht after I gave your mom a hug, the conversation went something like this:
David's Mom: "Ahh, David got home so late yesterday! 2AM!!"
Me (sheepishly): "Ohhh! Hehe.. I know.. I asked him to call me when he got home. He said he got home okay, right?"
David's Mom: "Yeah he did.... BUT HE SMELLED LIKE ALCOHOL!"
Me (stunned): "David?! Smelled like alcohol?? Noo.. really?? He only had one drink, and it was in the very beginning of the evening! He had water the rest of the time. David's very responsible."
(I forget what else she said. At this point, I was sure that she thought that I was the devil)
Me (trying to escape): "Okay, well it was good seeing you! Take care! Tell David I said hi!"
(I proceed to scurry back to my Dad and finish breakfast)
** thanks David for driving 2 hours from Lancaster to hang out on Friday!! you're the best :)
** extra kudos to Mike for making it out every time I asked people to come out!! *hug*
Anyhow, Saturday morning, after getting to see my Dad, I headed back to Irvine to pack up my car, pick up my mom, and hit the road for our drive up to the Bay. I decided to drive (for the first time) instead of fly (like I normally do) because I wouldn't be able to live without my car for an entire summer, and because I would be forced to be an "accessory" to Rocky's life without a car. After living so independently for so long, I couldn't bear the idea of being dependent on Rocky for 3 months-- 3 days I can do, but definitely not 3 months. Anyway, my mom was the best for offering to ride with me. Not only did I have company to chat with the whole way up, but she drove for about 2 hours when I started getting sleeping after lunch. We got on the road around 10:30am and I drove for about 2 1/2 hours until we got hungry; we stopped by McDonald's for a quick bite (mm, ice cream!) and to fill up gas, my mom took the wheel from there for about 2 hours so I could sleep a little bit (I was so tired from the night before since I got home around 2:30am and had to wake up at 7am), and I drove the last leg up to Rocky's where we arrived around 5:00pm. The entire trek up was absolutely painless thanks to my Mom. We totally bonded and did our usual heart-to-heart chat the entire way up. I learned a few new thing about her, and she shed a lot of insight on some things I've been thinking about :) I love my Mommy so much and I'm so grateful that my Mom is also one of my best friends!
After we arrived, my mom got to see Rocky's place for the first time and I unloaded half of my stuff. Rocky then drove us to Rosie's house (my Mom's best friend from college). It just so happened that Rocky & Rosie live really close to each other, so coming up north was a treat for my mom too-- she got to stay with Rosie for the weekend and do their girly-best-friend thing, especially because Rosie's husband was out of town. Originally, Rocky and I were only going to stop by and say hi, but we ended up staying longer and eating some good chinese home-cooked dinner (mmmm, vermicelli!) After, Rocky & I left and went to Jerry's to celebrate Renee's birthday with bbQ and cake.
The next morning, Rocky arranged lunch so our families could finally meet! Muzzie wanted to meet my mom, so Muz, Steve, Rocky's mom, my mom, Rosie, Rocky, and I all went to Dynasty for dim sum!
All in all, my days since the last day of life as a first-year-law-student has been spectacular. Thanks to all my great friends, family, and boyfriend! I'm excited for the next 3 months, and I plan on updating my journal a little more since I have free time now. Freedom never felt so good!!
<3