Perfect Combination

this is the ideal amalgamation of one of my favorite shows on tv ever with reality...

First Dance

i remember my first dance...way back when in junior high. when it was still awkward and you could fit a whole other person between us. when it was all so new and exciting, as if for a few moments you were doing grown up things. and when i see those young kids feeling their first burst of butterflies in their stomach, it is still a warm and fuzzy moment.

and i know i'm still wrapped up in the events of the day and the measure of the moment...but is this not one of the sweetest things to see:

An Inaugural Experience

the way things have been going with my ticket hopes, inaugural excitement, and historic involvement, i sadly left the inauguration disappointed and dejected...

no, it was not because transportation was gridlocked...or that the speech was not perfect for the times...or that the weight of history was too much to bear. but because even with a ticket to the blue section of the inauguration of a lifetime, i was unable to get past the broken power generators, unreliable metal detectors, thousands of people, and an unorganized debacle of a line.

yes folks...after all the hype that i made for myself, for all the energy i had exerted to make this moment one of those "i remember where i was" moments, i couldn't even get past the gate.

for me, this inauguration was an experience limited to standing in line for hours and watching as my entrance was disorganized, people pushed and created a logjam as they showed up late, lines converging where they shouldn't have, and innumerable issues with lack of coordination. and sadly, this was an experience shared by thousands of others standing beside me.

so after realizing that i probably wouldn't make it beyond the gates in time, my fellow hopeful in line and i dashed to a local bar to just catch the ceremony on tv. it may not have been the viewing experience that i had wanted or dreamed of, but as i was watching the President get sworn in, i was still awash with history and emotion. though i didn't make it onto the mall to share this moment with the 2 million others, i was part of the billions around the world who had their eyes and hearts fixated on this one man who defied prejudice, odds, and history to become this country's 44th president...and i realized, i will still remember exactly where i was when it happened.

REAL!!!

after a seesaw of confusion about my previous "commemorative" inaugural ticket, i was luckily rewarded with an actual ticket!

i owe my luck to the fact that they are not allowing strollers into the ceremony, my coworker was unable to use her tickets lest her baby be stranded at home alone (seeing as it is nearly impossible to find a babysitter willing to skip the biggest moment in presidential inaugural history).

it turns out my decision to come to dc with the faint hope that i'd be around for the swearing in of a democratic president was a good one. so come january 20th, i'll be right there...soaking it all in.

Retraction

so apparently...i will have to take a step down from my pedestal and join the mere mortals on january 20th. it seems that my previous elation over obtaining what seemed to be an inaugural ticket was all fluff and no substance.

now it's back to the hopes that i can work whatever minor connections i have into stealing a ticket and slip out of the cheap seats for my slice of history.

Real?

so i come home after finally ending the work week from hell...or at least the work week from hell up to this point. i was ready to just collapse and not think about the sunday that i'll probably have to spend in the office when i decide to check my mail.

and to my surprise and disbelief, this is what i receive:

can this be real?? am i really going to the inauguration?? i'm in total shock if this is real...and i can't make myself believe it is until i get confirmation from someone else. i'm hoping that i don't find out this is fake and get completely disappointed. but it is from the presidential inaugural committee...so maybe?

Quick Trip to the Motherland

in my first two-a-day posting in quite some time, i felt it necessary to enlighten you all about my brief vacation back to shanghai. it was a quick trip with three ultimate goals...eating, drinking, and shopping...all of which were accomplished with a gusto.

keeping to promises made in a previous post, i will divulge some of the happenings and revelations my most recent visitation.

the eating is always a delight when visiting shanghai. for those unfamiliar to the demanding taste buds of my mouth, i can say with great delight that i was able to gorge myself on a plethora of delicacies...from hot pot to spanish tapas. it was wonderful to enjoy chinese food as it was meant to be...and not the knockoff fusion or americanized-asian foods found here in dc. it may be quite some time before i am able to fill my stomach with the goodness that i most crave, but that is just the way the stomach grumbles.

to compound of consumption of solid food is the unavoidable curse of partying and drinking in shanghai. it was without a doubt that i found head buried in a toilet...not once, but twice, while having sunday lunch with my family. thats right, i was able to survive my worst hangover ever in full view of my parents who laughingly offered me more beer to ease my troubles. but what can i say, i was simply a casualty to 5 bottles of grey goose. (some photos of that night can be seen here)

and to satisfy my professional need of wearing suits everyday, i went to shanghai intent on coming home with some tailored clothes...and what i ended up with was an entire new wardrobe. having come off a shopping/tailoring spree to have made any girl jealous, i now have 5 new coats, 5 new suits, 7 dress shirts, 4 extra pairs of pants, and 3 scarves in my collection.

so that's that...shanghai in a nutshell. due to my new work schedule, my trip was limited to a quick 7 days...forcing me to indulge all my desires into a week, leaving me exhausted and in need of another vacation.

Remembrance of 2008

during a conversation with a friend of mine, she spoke of how 2008 was her best year ever. this concept got to me wonder which of my 24 would be considered my best years (of those i can remember at least)...would it be 1990, trotting along in first grade when the backpacks were larger than my body and my lunch box emblazoned with ren & stimpy cartoons, before the politics of second grade kicked in?...or 2002, having survived the high school experience full of first-loves, ditching classes, and the inescapable competition of college acceptances...or 2006, finally traversing the college landscape dotted with previously inexperienced freedoms, real loves, and leaving with actual college degrees...or 2008, where a roller coaster of events rocketed me up to meaningful employment down to the dirges of lost loves shaped this previous year.

with fears of too much thought leading to a growth of my love handles, i decided that 2008 had been like all the others...unpredictable, memorable, heartbreaking...and most importantly, over. perhaps it would be too quixotic of me to say 2009 will only consist of highs, or even too naive of me to even want that...as it is the magnitude of events and emotions that help define us.

seeing as how my first post of last year was a recap, it felt fitting that the first post of year 2009 also contain a brief rendition of last years exploits. and following previous formats, the countdown will begin in reverse order:

December
the prospects of finishing up my masters is drawing closer at the conclusion of my third semester, which coupled with my full-time work schedule led to a much needed vacation with the family in shanghai.
November
wonderful november, a young politico's wish and democratic staffer's hopes have come true with a historic election...also, with the aid of another chef in the kitchen, we were able to host one of the most successful thanksgiving/holiday feasts ever with a table overflowing with food...it was an epicurean's dream.
October
this seemed to be a rather tiring month as i experienced my first month with a combination of full-time school and full-time work...this dual led to develop my drinking habits and expensive weekends out.
September
with a well-timed arrival of an old friend, i celebrated my 24th birthday with new friends at Marvin's near U-st. what can only be described as a 'growing' experience, it was nice to compound that with my acceptance as the new health research assistant for the senate finance committee, ending my unemployment while padding my resumé.
August
though the success and excitement of the olympics was in full bloom, this was not a very good month for my emotional humanity...having lost a part of me, august seemed to be bleak, though i somehow managed to restrain from entering depths i have vowed to avoid.
July
with frequent trips around town searching for jobs and networking old sources for help, i found july to be a humbling experience that unfortunately too many are dealing with.
June
i'll remember june with the ending of my congressional fellowship, my most recent trip to vegas, and what unfortunately became my last vacation out to san diego.
May
besides the end to my first year in grad school, may seemed to be unusually quite for 2008. either that or age has caught up to me and has plagued my memory with blind spots.
April
with ting and matt further solidifying their relationship, i found myself without a roommate for the first time in a long time...though i did come to enjoy the freedoms of living alone.
March
another seemingly forgetful month that i probably spent procrastinating from school, feigning dilligence at work, and entralled in a primary contest that would never end.
February
if august was the larger drop on the roller coaster, then february had to have been the quick loop and dip used to gain momentum in order for the cart to make it to the heights.
January
ahh...the beginning of it all...the prelapsarian month of this all too exhaustive year. the question would have to be, "if i knew this year would've been like this, shouldn't i have stayed in 2007?"

and with that, my reader(s), i relinquish my grasp on the previous year which will now be archived into memory...with little bits and pieces of it found right here in my little niché of the blogosphere.