My Life, Post-Graduation

Well, I've been a high school graduate for exactly 10 days now. Very exciting, eh? And what would I be spending my days doing, now that I am not restricted by the miserable confines that are high school? Kidding, I'm kidding.

Anyways, here's a brief summary and recap of my recent activities for your enjoyment:

1. Graduation parties

I've never been super close to a lot of upperclassmen in the past, so this year was the first time I started getting to understand the whole phenomenon that is grad parties. It's fun, to go grad hopping and whatnot, but also rather exhausting. Mainly fun, though; it's given me a lot of eye-opening insight and appreciation for how much is put into such an event...it's crazy.

I think I was invited to 20-something parties, all around three weekends. Unfortunately (but not unfortunately), I'll be leaving for China on Friday morning, so I won't be able to go to a bunch this Saturday and Sunday.

They are really fun to go to, though. The amount of fun, entertainment, but mainly food present at these get-togethers is insane. I can't even begin to describe how much good food there was...cupcake spreads, ice slush, graduation cakes, catered Italian food, bagels, and so so so much more. I think the highlights have also been the decorations that I've seen at these parties, as well as the baby animal petting zoo at a friend's party and some moon bounces. What a whirlwind of fun. It's truly been nice going to some of these things.

Baby bunn-ayyy

2. Movies on movies on movies on movies on movies

I went to my local library and checked out a big pile of DVDs. I really wanted to watch a bunch of movies, so I went through some like Salt, This Means War, Saving Private Ryan, Fruitvale Station, Maria Full of Grace, West Side Story, Flight, etc.

My main recommendations for anyone looking for a flick to watch? Cloud Atlas and the Usual Suspects. Cloud Atlas is very well done, in my opinion, and has stunning visuals and just a great message overall to ponder once you're done watching it. The Usual Suspects is also written really well and has some great humor and twists as well...I obviously don't want to spoil anything for you potential viewers, so go watch it and we can obsess over the ridiculous ending!!

3. Reading for fun again!

I seriously have to say that it's been so great to start reading again...I was an absolute bookworm when I was in elementary and middle school. I would stay up really late at night, hiding under the covers with a book, poring over my latest book. My mom would yell at me all the time for not going to bed. Yeah, I was that dork.

Anyways, I've gone through Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero series after my brother recommended them to me. We'd both read all of the Percy Jackson series and I'd read the Lost Hero and the Son of Neptune a long time ago. Now, I went through the Mark of Athena and the House of Hades. They were quick reads, but they were really good. It's kind of a guilty pleasure for me, I guess. It seems a little on the childish end, but I love the Greek and Roman mythology; it's fascinating, and the way Riordan adds in the adventures, humor, and everything else is captivating to me.

I also loved reading The Fault in Our Stars after long last. I know, I know, I'm very late to the party, but I just was a bit skeptical, I guess. I whipped through it in about 5 hours, but I really liked it. John Greene's narrative voice is sarcastic, witty, and really entertaining to read.

In addition, I highly, highly recommend Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. It's a pretty awesome title, right? I was actually drawn to the title at the Quito airport in Ecuador, because it was flashy and looked intriguing. I know, you're not supposed to judge, but it definitely left an important mark in my mind. Great job, marketers. It all worked. Seriously though, the plot is really interesting and it's super entertaining and fun to go through. I read it while we were on a long road trip to pick my brother up in Ohio and could not put it down on my breaks. Read it. Especially if you're Asian. I found it extremely amusing. In a good way.







4. Getting ready for my trip!!

It's absolutely surreal that we leave in two days to go visit my family members who I haven't seen in four years now. I'm so so excited and although there's a lot to get done before we leave (for example, taking college diagnostic tests, buying and packing contraband to bring to our relatives, etc.), I know it's all going to be worth it.

I'm a bit worried about the intense heat, smog, mosquitoes, lack of social media, and culture shock that always hits us hard, but it's totally fine. I'll be able to blog, no doubt, and there are always ways around censored sites.

We're going back to the motherland, and that's all that matters :)