Thank you for the memories!

I'm not sure that this is an entirely appropriate place to put this, since it's all my own thoughts, but I guess it's a good a place as any ^^

Today, I left Austin for the last time that can be included in the four years of college. It's sort of a difficult concept, and I didn't really feel much at first, so caught up was I in the packing and moving and cleaning and costuming and... so on. But as I drove back, I realized some things. First, I reaffirmed the notion that 18-wheelers have some kind of special law applied to them with regard to speed limits, because in the city they go 10 mph over and in the boonies they go about 10 mph under the limit -- no, it doesn't make any more sense when you're actually driving. Second, I realized that this phase of my life ended today, with my departure from Austin. I almost started crying -- a good cry, or at least, not a bad cry, just an emotional cry, the kind that happens when a movie has a really happy ending or something meaningful happens or friends have to part.

The usually long drive back was actually not so long and not so bad, because I spent most of the time reminiscing and remembering. There were a lot of difficult things that happened to me these past four years, and I think I have changed a lot -- hopefully, for the better, but I'm still working to strike a balance between "healthy" and "understanding." (I know that won't make sense to most people, but it makes sense to me.) And, I am really happy to say that, despite the seemingly crash and burn of this semester compared to last semester and all the drama that ensued, I have some wonderful memories and wonderful people around me, and I hope we can stay together in heart.

So, I wanted to do what I typically thought of as something cliche and long-winded, but is in fact quite endearing and meaningful: personally thank everyone who has been a part of my life these four years. I don't mean to leave anyone out, but those who I am addressing are those I think had a major and positive influence on my life in some way (and, of course, my memory tends to fail me at important times, so please excuse me on that account also).

I'll be doing this in roughly chronological order, so if you can guess, go ahead and scroll down to where you think you are. Or, feel free to read about everyone who's touched my life. If you get bored, just CTRL+F and type your name (which may or may not work, but it's worth a try).

And here goes...

Kit-san It only makes sense that you would be first on here, right? Although I didn't technically meet you in college, you have always been there for me. Thank you for giving me something so precious that it is still my single most important possession now, and it's something no one can ever take away from me. Thank you for showing me so many new things, for changing my life, for helping me keep it, and for everything. I'm sorry I couldn't say it before. You have always been the person guiding me, even now.

Hachiko Thank you for being my first friend in college, for bringing me into your group of Whitis friends, for letting me call you about stupid things, and for being surprisingly mature and incredibly adorable. Thank you for your energy and innocence. I wish you the best of luck with your fiance! I'm sad that we didn't keep up very well, but I hope in the future we can still meet and talk :)

Mon-chan Thank you for being my second friend in college. Thank you for being open, for being willing to come along with me, for trying to find me when I disappeared, for letting me visit your dorm room, and for just being by my side during freshman year and in classes in the later years. I know we drifted apart, but I will always be grateful. Best of luck in grad school!

'nii-chan I really don't know where to begin. Thank you for these four years. Thank you for taking care of me, even when it was too much for you to take. Thank you for driving me places, understanding when I didn't feel like speaking, knowing what I mean when no one else does, listening to me complain about every silly thing, for saving me from kitty withdrawal, for bringing me food and taking me to places at godforsaken hours of the morning for stupid tests, for letting me call you when I have nightmares, for introducing me to dancing, and for being my personal go-to health consultant :3 Thank you for teaching me Korean, and for introducing me to Chinese music I actually like. Thank you for movie marathons and showing me so many new things and feeding me both new kinds of food and your yummy cooking. And thank you most especially for, despite our many ups and downs and difficulties, always being the person that I know I can call on for support, no matter what. Ganbatte, 'nii-chan~

TapHouse people I know none of you will ever read this, probably, but I just wanted to thank you all for being there and working so hard. Thank you for special upgrades, for taking time to get to know me a little, for letting me say hi, and for making us really good drinks :)

CA members Thank you all for giving me a home for one and a half years. Thank you for being friends I could hang out with and talk to, for giving me a place to be on Friday and Saturday evenings, for being so weird but so fun and amazingly unique, for giving me my first experience cosplaying (crossplaying, technically) and my first time at an anime convention, for being AWESOME at art and everything else, and just for being the crazy people you are. In the end, I found a home that fit me better with the people I saw regularly in classes, but you guys were definitely my first home in college. Best of luck to all of you, wherever you go! CA or die~ ^^

Iris Thank you for being in love with 2PM and making me fall in love with Nichkhun =___= (Yes, it's all your fault, and I know you're delighted to hear it.) Thank you for being unwaveringly you, for being so unique, for your independence, and for your caring. Thank you for your energy and maturity. Thank you for being someone that, although it probably didn't seem like it most of the time, I really respected (and still do). I'm excited for your films next semester! Don't forget about me, I want to join in ^^

George Thank you for your sincerity. I guess, it's hard for me to really explain why I feel like you were an important piece of my life, but I just know that somehow you affected me. Thank you for your amazing art and your gamer skills, for being good company in our Asian Studies class, for being the reason I started making tiramisu (I made a good one, finally, by the way), for your thoughts, for deep conversations about everything, and for your deep sense of justice and the way of things. I hope you find your place and don't forget about us while you're living it up in Taiwan~

Wei Thank you for being... such a girl. No, I don't mean it in a bad way! Thank you for being so open to trying things, for not being afraid of trying on girl clothes, for being so incredibly easy-going (because I am so incredibly not), and for being remarkably mature. Thank you for your kindness when I was difficult, for your calm and respectful words when I was angry, for always being a driver even when you were annoyed by it, for randomly talking to me, for getting my hopes up about Nichkhun (grr at you), and for just being there and standing up for me (in whatever way you did it). Lunch? And yes, we still owe you canoeing~

Chris I know you probably won't read this, either, but despite our falling out/not talking much this semester, you really helped me a lot. Thank you for being my lab partner and redoing the lab I couldn't do right, for not killing me for killing your laptop touchpad, for being so smart and awesome at hardware, for doing so much for senior design, and for all the times you made me laugh with your weird cow noises and piggies. Thank you for the "Hi" in my pencil, which I still have. I wish you the best at NI, and hopefully we can see each other again sometime :)

Saru-chan Thank you for always being able to make me smile or laugh. Thank you for pats on the head, hugs, pokes, and generally for bothering me so much. Thank you for always making me feel wanted or cared for, for your gentleness, for your warmth, and for trying so much harder than you need to. Thank you for the kindness that can't be replaced, the silliness I don't want to miss, and even the difficulties and challenges you are trying to deal with. Even if I seem impatient, I will keep trying to be there, even if I can't always be there the way you need or want. Thank you for always having the courage to say "hi," for standing next to me when no one else would, for never giving up on me, and for not listening to anyone about anything. Thank you for never blowing up at me even when I frustrate you, for Taco Bell, for free bagels, for picking me up/walking me to class, for making dance class fun and being a really good lead (despite what TAs say), and for being someone I can be really comfortable around. There's a lot more I could say, but I think I've already said too much XD; Let's work hard together, ne?

Michelle & Rebecca Thank you both, foremost, for being awesome roommies. Thank you for still being awesome roommies despite my drama, for listening, and for my first exposure in a long time to the world of girl talk. Thank you for inviting me along to dinners, shopping, and everything else, even though I usually turned you down because of school. Michelle, thank you for being an apartment mommy and taking care of us and being so mature. Rebecca, thank you for your quiet support and friendship these past two years, even though we never really got very close. You two are wonderful girls, and I hope we can still see each other next year :)

Chenyang You probably didn't expect to be on here, did you? Thank you for putting up with my drama and difficulty, for your caring and gentleness at unexpected times, for your phone calls, for Taylor Swift, for long conversations, and for opening up to me. Even though we aren't close anymore, you know you can still talk to me (well, you already do) for no reason, and of course if there is a reason. Thank you for showing me how immature I can be at times. I hope you enjoy your grad school life and do well :) Hopefully we'll meet again in the future.

Faruk Thank you for your brilliance and for being a super genius. Thank you for pulling it through in senior design, for the long nights of mass writing/editing, for always spending time with us, for being patient with me when I didn't understand things, and for not getting mad at me for getting mad at you (sometimes for things that I ended up doing, too). Thank you for your awkwardness and sincerity. Thank you for all the effort you made. I'm sorry about how things turned out, but maybe I can explain it to you some day. I wish you luck with Dr. Patt, and maybe we can start things over next semester.

Ezzy Thank you for dinners this semester and letting me in on some company secrets :3 Haha, not really, but it was a fun time talking with you. Thank you for your hard work and being an awesome co-worker the past summer. It was definitely a lot more enjoyable with you there. I'll see you soon!

Huai Although I don't feel like I've really gotten to know you well, I'm really glad we had Korean together the past semester. Thank you for your company in class, for filling me in on the weird class dynamics, for talks as we walked to our next classes, and for being a wonderful partner for the skit :) Thank you for being so adorable, for your baking, and for your gentle caring. I hope you can stay in Austin~~

Tiffy Thank you for Nobody, Sorry Sorry, and Chocolate Love :3 (Haha, Sorry Sorry just started playing.) Thank you for cosplaying, for late nights costuming, for girl talks, for listening to me complain about... well, you know what XD... and everything else, and for talking to me about your own stuff. Thank you for being willing to do things, for being such a wonderful and independent person, for being someone I look up to and who inspires me to grow, for being patient, for 11 hours of shopping, for Japan, for this blog, for fashion advice, for the first time I wore a bikini, for help with boys and creepers, and for all the fun times this semester. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being an awesome girl friend and... yes, just for being wonderful and lovely :3 (Am I getting too creepy with this? Ah, but I'm a girl, so it's okay~) I'm excited about our trip and cosplaying!!

Jimmy Thank you for a fun semester in dance class. Thank you for slosh, for thinking of me, for being a fun and easy-going person, for your beautiful violin playing, for being excitable and interested in doing stuff with us, and for all the fun times we had dancing together :) And thank you for a most memorable failed dip XD Good luck in medical school, and don't forget to come back to visit us!

Senpai It's sort of weird to think I just met you last month... but there's already a lot that you've done for me. Thank you for your infinite patience. Thank you for never being upset at me, even though there have been so many times you should have been mad at me. Thank you for your otaku-ness, for your awesome skills with the Rubix cube, and yes, even for your "hentai-ness." Thank you for always trying to understand me, for knowing what I'm trying to say even though I can't say it, and for just trying so much in general. Thank you for being there, for your gentleness, for treating me so well, for long and deep conversations, and for all the "what if" or other opinion questions. Thank you for your politeness, for being reserved, for being open, for your maturity, for helping me move, and for grammar skirmishes. I guess I'll be paying it back by helping you write your papers next semester? :3

Parents Technically, you should be at the beginning because I knew you first -- but I guess that's just it. After everyone else, I know that you, no matter what, will always be there for me. Thank you for putting up with this many years of me, for taking care of me, for worrying about me but never holding on to me too tightly, for trying to make me independent even though I didn't understand or appreciate it until now, for giving me so many opportunities, and for not disowning me even though I was a pretty bad child at times. Thank you for teaching me and for learning with me. Thank you for not being selfish, for paying for things, for teaching me how to shoot a bow and arrow, for teaching me the difficulties of being a girl, for going shopping with me (both of you, with different roles), for driving me around, for taking care of my friends, and for giving me so much. Thank you for giving me life, more than once. I have hard time showing it, but I will always love and appreciate you :)

Okay so that was really long (x_x) Thank you again to everyone, even those not explicitly mentioned here. Best of luck to everyone, and please keep in touch!

Awww Christine :) so nice! hehe well you've inspired me to do my own, except I have waaaay too many people lol so i'll make it short and sweet...

To my awesome family--my parents, Ba Ngoai, my crazy sis Michelle, Nheo, Bi, Biem, Michael, Cuong, Andrew, Lan, Cici, Matthew, Samuel, Megan, Justin and all my aunts and uncles--I love you all so much!

To all my friends, old and new, lost or found again--Angela, Natasha, Sweta, Aimee, Thao, Van, Jazmin, Alisha, Stephanie, Chris, Dan, Jeffrey, Jerry, Thu, Charissa, Kirtan, Edward, Christine, Huai, Wei, Jordan, Jake, Daniel, Jimmy and my grad student Eileen--thank you for everything! my life would not be as lovely or wonderful without each and every one of you!

To everyone else that I would take forever to include--you're just awesome :) and i wish you the very best!