So…just finished my first full week of the semester, and I have to admit, I’m not out of summer mode yet. I’m grasping at the last few strands of summer, trying to enjoy my days as much as I can before the onslaught of school, clubs, and recruiting.
I wanted to take this moment to recap my summer and really look back. Without a doubt, this has been one of the best summers I’ve ever had, and I feel truly blessed for the opportunities to learn and to have fun. Hopefully this post will help me realize just how great a time I’ve had.
Let’s see…how about internships? I had two awesome internships (at ArcSource and Macy’s.com), where I got to travel (all-expense paid) to Washington, D.C., work on impactful projects, and meet really cool people. I feel I’ve learned so much more through my summer internships, and I got a perfect balance of working at a small business and a large corporation.
How about trips? I went on three day trips with IV peeps to swimming holes north and east of Berkeley. From Middle Rock Creek to Clarks Pool to God’s Bath, these places were absolutely breathtaking in beauty, and I got to enjoy nature in its entirety while having tons of fun (and risking life and limb).
Also had a blast at Lake Tahoe with the ABA peeps – stand up paddle boarding and Shakespeare by the lake? Unforgettable. Oh, and ABAC retreat. BBQ by Half Moon Bay, plus a coastal hike and kayaking? What an adventure. It’s been a year since I’ve been actively involved in ABA Cabinet, and I’m glad that I’m still connected to the great people with the organization.
I also went to a couple of concerts, one with Relient K, and another with Of Monsters and Men. These were amazing performances that elicited some warm nostalgic feelings (especially with Relient K) and made me glad that I love music. I have a few more performances lined up to attend this coming semester (Monsters Calling Home, 3LAU, [maybe] Treasure Island), so I’ll keep you all updated on that!
Other random activities: dragon boating and shooting range. I learned how to row a dragon boat (it’s harder than you think), and our group even got to race another group for fun. That was intense stuff. It was also my second time at the shooting range this summer. First time firing rifles – the Ruger 10/22 Carbine was fun and spot-on accurate, and the Russian Mosin Nagant (think WWII, or Call of Duty 2 for the gamers) – that thing kicked and hurt my shoulder quite a bit. Definitely put a grin on my face.
Church retreat at beautiful Pepperdine University, next to Malibu Beach, plus a couple additional visits to SoCal to spend time with family and friends. Universal Studios, Half & Half, legit Chinese food. Even more awesome was that the family came up to visit, and we basically toured the Asian Bay Area cities (Fremont, SJ, Milpitas, etc.) to eat food and shop. My brother Alan stayed for another weekend, and we went on food adventures of our own in Berkeley and in the city.
Exercise. I got plenty of it. Basketball 2-3 times a week, playing pick up with ABA ballers and other gym rats. Biking everyday from my apartment to the bus stop, then again from the bus station in SF to my workplace. Repeat on the commute back home.
And did I mention food? I got to enjoy so much good food this summer, I seriously don’t have space in my phone to store any more pictures. Which reminds me. One of my summer goals was to start posting in my food blog again, which was recently redesigned thanks to Kent! I will try my best to set up some consistent posts this semester, because I have way too many food pics.
But all in all, summer 2012 was a summer to remember. I feel that I did all that I could to experience my time to the fullest, and that satisfaction of doing versus sitting back really set this summer apart from the rest.
Whew. Apologies for the stream of consciousness overload – the nice thing is that I think this post gives me a good closure to the summer and allows me to look toward fall semester. I’ll continue to try to experience life to the fullest, and I know it’ll be quite tough, but you just gotta do it, right?
—
Summer 2012 at randomtidbitsofthought.wordpress.com.
