Why I Love SPOP

Oh how I love spring break. It is just a wonderful time; great weather, no school related stress, and time to see old faces. It really is one of the best seasons of the year. That said, this spring break has also had it's share of being somewhat mentally tiring.

One thing that sparked one of my many trains of thoughts was something that I read in one of my friend's blog. His dad was undergoing surgery for the same exact thing my grandpa had. From what I read so far, it seems like his father is doing fine and I'm glad to hear that.

I think my grandpa plays a large role why I hold SPOP so close to my heart. The year I went to SPOP was the same year that my grandpa passed away. SPOP was one of the greatest experiences of my life. My staffers were the best staffers in the world and have impacted me in so many ways that I cannot express in words. The biggest reason why I wanted to be a staffer was to emulate them and impact so many others the way they impacted me. Now looking back at SPOP after this previous year and after reading my friend's blog, I really believe the reason why I love SPOP so much is because it created an alternate reality for me to escape to.

My folks planned for me to attend SPOP the weekend before my grandpa's funeral. The way they set it up was, I attend SPOP for three days and right after it ends I go to the airport and was flown out Sacramento for the funeral. I can still remember my parents dropping me off at Mesa court, telling me to make sure I leave as soon as possible so I won't miss my flight. It was hard going to some orientation for a college that I didn't want to go to and knowing that right after I had to say goodbye to someone I love. Yet, my staffers have accomplished the impossible and lifted my spirits in a way that many others couldn't. They helped me escape the harshness of reality long enough for me to finally accept the fact that he is gone, but I will someday be reunited with him. For the first time I cried not because I was mad or sad, but because I was happy. It was then and there I fully understood what tears of joy were. I never had the chance to tell them how grateful I was for them being there and just providing a friendly atmosphere. Even when I staffed with one of my own staffer, I was still never able to tell her how thankful I was. So I want to thank my staffers now (Larry, Lilly, Chris, Donald, J-Chou, and Erin) for helping me smile during a period of my life where it was hard to.

Success and Failures (Part 2)

In continuation with my earlier post, I stumbled upon a great clip from Rocky (I think it's from the sixth movie.I lost track after Rocky 3). Rocky pretty much sums up what I wanted to say, so enjoy the clip.

Success and Failure

The future is a scary thing. In fact, every time I'm asked the question "What are you planning to do post-college?" I can only say that I'm planning on going to grad school but the key word there is "planning." I think that word scares me, it is synonymous with "never guaranteed." You can control certain things leading up to something you want in the future but after that it's all up to fate to see where you will end up. However, all those countless hours of preparation and careful planning can be unraveled by a single, cruel twist of fate. It's like watching a model airplane that you just finished accidentally get stepped on by your little brother. You dedicate so much time to every little details, perfecting each and every part. It was perfect in every aspect. A symbol of your hard work and patience. Yet, you could not avoid the tragedy of it being destroyed. Moments like these often lead us to question why things like this happens. It's too unfair. It only leads to sadness, confusion, and anger.

Despite the fact that fate can be cruel, I think it is very important that we realize that when one door closes, several others swing wide open. The problem is that our gaze too fixed upon that single closed door that we fail to notice the other doors that are open. One of the biggest inspiration stories of my life is the life story of my dad. He went to UCI (like me!) for undergraduate school where he excelled in most of his classes. He was an aspiring pre-med student who is the son of a renowned heart surgeon from a small town in Sacramento. His parents pushed him to become a doctor and he openly accepted the challenges, preparing his entire life to become a doctor and only a doctor. Fourth year of college swings by and he scored decently on his MCAT, had an impressive GPA, an equally impressive resume, and an abundance of volunteer and research hours. He applied to 30-something medical schools. He received 30-something rejection letters. He was confused at first as to why he didn't receive a single acceptance letter, but then he decided move forward and see what other options he had available. He was accepted to UCLA's public health graduate program and he then went to work for the FDA until he resigned from the FDA and started his own pharmaceutical consulting business. Now he just as successful, if not more, as a doctor and he still is working in the medical field doing the things that he loves.

Stories like those are inspirational to me. It provides me a beacon of light in a room full of darkness. Those stories are solid proof that you can find success in failures. Sometimes those twist of fate and failures can be a blessing in disguise. I guess a analogy that works for me is failures can be like cough medicine, hard to swallow but in the end it will only help you.

A little bit of inspiration for those who follow my blog...