Magical.  That’s the adjective my girlfriend chose to describe how she felt about me traveling and befriending so many people I’ve initially met through an online site.  Although I made fun of her for picking such a hyperbole, I could see why she saw my experiences that way.  It is rather unusual, and I probably wouldn’t have believed it myself just 4 years ago.

Back then, I didn’t really have a strong desire to see the world.  I felt content staying in Maryland and truly thought I would stay there all my life.  I was comfortable where I was, and perhaps a little afraid to leave my comfort zone.

In January 2009, I decided to take a trip to California to meet up with a few Xangans.  I left satisfied, and couldn’t wait until the next time I got the chance to see my friends from out of town.  I was worried it wouldn’t happen again for some time.  How would I have known that it was just the start of many more trips and gatherings to come?

3 years later, it’s all of a sudden 2012.  In that span of time I’ve met up with at least 150 people from here, many of them I’ve hung out with multiple times and some even becoming my most trusted friends.  It’s amazing how things worked out, and I find myself lucky to receive this experience.

In a few hours, I will turn 26 years old.  I don’t know how much longer we all will continue doing this unbelievable thing.  I hope it goes on for many more years, but I have a feeling that over time many of us will start to get tied down by our work, our family, or whatever else life throws our way.

I will no doubt be sad if or when this ride stops, but do know I will forever cherish the fact that my mid-20s were filled with all these vivid, happy memories with you all.

Sorry, I’m about a week late on writing about my trip to LA over President’s Day weekend.  I caught an annoying cold or something after my red eye flight back (didn’t help there was a scumbag crying baby on board -___-), so I’ve been pretty much sleeping and recovering whenever I had free time.  I’m finally feeling better now though, so here we go!

@Timmmmmmy and I flew to LA to celebrate a friend’s birthday, as well as hang out with some Xangans around town.  @Junbelievable08 and @FlipGuy31O did a fantastic time hosting us, so we were well taken care of during our 4 days there.

So, what did we do?

There were a few more things we did, but there aren’t any photographic evidence (for good reasons ).

All and all, it was a nice time chilling with new and old friends in the LA area.  I felt sad leaving, as I don’t know when will be my next chance to visit SoCal.  When I think about it, it’s pretty crazy how long and often I’ve been able to hang out with all of my far away Xanga friends over the past 3 years.  I wonder how much longer this will last, where we can all still find the time to spend together?  I think I will have to write more about this topic next time.

Tuesdays are really bad for us, so we decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day this past weekend.  Since I knew I wasn’t going to see her this coming week because @Timmmmmmy and I will be in Los Angeles, I wanted to make sure we had a good time and that she was well taken care of.  One of the things I did was cook her a full course meal, which was actually the first time I’ve done so.  I’ve made food for her before of course, but never to this extent. 

After doing some research and picking foods that I knew she would enjoy, I came up with the following simple, yet effective menu:

Appetizer:  Tuna and Tobiko Salad with Japanese Mayo
Main Course:  Asian Flavored Pork Chops with Baked Asparagus and Rice
Dessert:  Chocolate Dipped Strawberries (Thanks to @Cakalusa and @amuse_bouche for the idea!)
Drinks:  Kahlua and Ginger Ale (Crazy delicious!)

I was definitely nervous I would somehow mess everything up, being that it was my first time making all of these recipes.  All and all though, everything turned out tasty and the girlfriend was pleased.  Woohoo!

In addition to our Valentine weekend, we also celebrated her birthday the weekend before.  As a gift, I got her a butterfly in a jar.  You know how hard it is to find a butterfly in the winter??  Took forever to finally catch one!

In addition, we spent a comfortable night at a spa & resort hotel in Maryland.  I booked the king suite, which was one of the best hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed at.  Take a look:

It has been a great couple of weekends…but now, my wallet’s hurting .  Oh well, worth it!

You know, I think I’ve had it too easy for some time. Since high school, I’ve always felt confident that I can do well on whatever I am responsible for. I still get challenged of course, but I know that if I focus and work hard, I will make it on top and please the people that count on me.

At some point over the past couple of years, I either got too comfortable or I stopped trying as much. Maybe I’m still doing well to the casual observer, but doing well isn’t enough for my peers if we’re in an environment where excellence is expected. That’s where I am currently. I won’t go into specific details, but I’ll let my geek side show you what I’m dealing with. I’m going to use Hawkeye from The Avengers (the guy with the bow and arrow in the awesome gif below) to explain my situation.

In case you don’t know much about Hawkeye, he is a regular (although highly trained and fit) human being that has exceptional aim with his bow and arrow. By himself, most people would probably be impressed by his abilities. Perhaps he has taken for granted how easy it is for him to do what he does, so he doesn’t feel the need to train hard anymore. Why not right, if he’s already getting the job done?

Hawkeye later joins a team where each member is not only as strong as him, but more powerful in many ways. When he looks over at who he’s working with, he sees a technological genius inside a flying weapon, a demi-god, a respected super-human leader, and an unstoppable green monster. Sure, there’s another member that’s also human like him with comparable abilities, but that doesn’t stop the fact that Hawkeye is still in the company of pure excellence.

Suddenly, Hawkeye’s abilities really pale in comparison. His other teammates may even start wondering if he belongs with them. For instance, they see that he’s limited by how many arrows he can hold and he’s more vulnerable than the others when facing the bigger enemies. They understand he’s pretty good at what he does, but they also can’t help but notice his weaknesses. Maybe even Hawkeye starts questioning himself. “Am I good enough? Can I be better?”, he asks. Assuming these thoughts motivate him, he starts pushing himself to be greater than he ever was before to show how truly valuable he is to The Avengers.

So yes, right now I am feeling like Hawkeye in the situation I described here. I’m in a position where I must step up and work extra hard to show I am indeed worthy of my place. I may have made some careless mistakes before, and perhaps I didn’t give enough effort as I should have in the past, but not anymore. I hate letting people down, so that pattern is going to end. I KNOW I am capable to be a strong asset, and it’s time I show my peers who exactly they’re working with.

I AM going to prove my worth. I guarantee it.