Green light
Coming back home from Kara's going away bbq.
37 mph. 40 mph.
I drove down Huntington Drive and Gainsborough Drive...Mmm a green light, what a treat. Passing the intersection, I think about going to college.
A much anticipated moment isn't it? The everlasting freedom that all of us have only dreamt about since our parents bestowed our first punishment...mah-jong stick to the ass.. Finally, we can do whatever we want. Sleeping at 5am without our parent's peeping their head into our rooms telling us we are ruining our cycles. Playing video games until our eyes turn bloodshot and hygiene dribbles down the drain. Dating whomever our heart desires, whether it be a punk rocker with metal ten inch spikes for hair or a nerd who cannot breath properly without his asthma medicine. The list is endless. In college, there are no such things as restrictions or rules. You live your life the way you want it, because college is your key to the city of self-indulgence.
40 mph. 43mph.
Now cruising past Tony's pizza...Another green light!!
Opportunity!
"Hey, so where are you from?"
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"Do you like...?"
"Did it hurt.........................when you fell from heaven?"
A million and one ways to meet your new peers and potential friends. Imagine how many individuals out there have similar if not almost exactly the same personality, lifestyle, outlooks on life as you. Imagine the chance to meet people and experience new things with them. Maybe you get well acquainted with an avid skier. The next thing you know, you'll be finding ways to tackle the most grueling slope you've ever seen while just a winter ago, you've never even witnessed snow.
50 mph. Now speeding past S. Oak knoll Ave. Yet another green light!
Time to make your own decisions! I know what you're thinking...
"YES! Dad is not going to tell me which ap classes to take this year. FUCK THAT!"
At least thats what my situation is. I get to chose the classes this year. ME ME ME! I want to take sociology of sexuality, I want to take criminology! I want to take a class on volcanoes damn it. Everybody... college is time to do what you want, experience things for yourself and nobody else.
45mph....35mph.....25....15....10...5..0 mph. Red light
I'm not ready to leave what I have known for 18 years. I'm not ready to leave my peers...my family.. my friends. When has anything ever prepared us for such a quick physical and emotional detachment? San Marino High School? Fuck no. Nothing has ever strengthened us to handle that final good bye with our best friends..
Going into the unknown. What if nobody wants to make friends with me? What if my roommate is an asshole and smells like garbage 24/7? What if I fail my classes and get kicked out of my university? What if.. What if... What if...
These questions are the ones that scare us, the ones that are unanswered. We don't know whats coming, so we worry and we become anxious.
Green light, finally.
We need to drop these anxieties and begin realizing that we are entering a new situation as are thousands of other students. You are not alone.. Believe me when I say, everyone wants to be your friend, because we are all thrown into the same barrel . Freshman is a category all in itself meaning frightened, naive and newbie. All that you have to do is be open minded and put yourself out there. Give the ones who run up to you and excitedly stammer
"HEY HEY HEY!! WHATS YOUR NAME?!?!? WHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING?!?!"
a chance. Because if you retain your high school thoughts of
"dude.. this guy is such a goober..."
you'll never make a friend, and it signals that your mind is still trapped in a state of immaturity. Also, don't always expect people to come up to you, you're also going to have to put in the work to put yourself out there. Switch roles and sometimes go up to a random person in attempts to make friends with him or her. No harm. If they reject your act of kindness, fuck it, there are 50,000 (at least in my situation) other students who will appreciate your friendship. Grow up people, this is a time to evolve, not regress.
Homesick? It is okay, that just means you aren't experiencing college life to the fullest. But even if you aren't there are those holidays and those get togethers, where everyone will be exchanging their new experiences.
Don't be pessimistic, think of this as a new high school. We were all scared, transitioning into highschool, but we made it something we've come to know and love. College will be exactly the same.
Don't even trip.
Because there will always be a green light for you to speed through.
So.. anyway that was my little tidbit about THAT.
But what i'd really like to do is wish Kara Wong the best in luck to New York. You're not alone Kara, there will be plenty of us in the same situation. And also even though we haven't gotten to know each other well at all, theres always time to change that.
And to all of those who have already gone or are about to leave for college, good luck, keep in touch, have fun, consider my words of semi-wisdom, and take care.
As for me. I'm leaving Sept 19. So anyone who wants to catch up on old times, give me a call.
37 mph. 40 mph.
I drove down Huntington Drive and Gainsborough Drive...Mmm a green light, what a treat. Passing the intersection, I think about going to college.
A much anticipated moment isn't it? The everlasting freedom that all of us have only dreamt about since our parents bestowed our first punishment...mah-jong stick to the ass.. Finally, we can do whatever we want. Sleeping at 5am without our parent's peeping their head into our rooms telling us we are ruining our cycles. Playing video games until our eyes turn bloodshot and hygiene dribbles down the drain. Dating whomever our heart desires, whether it be a punk rocker with metal ten inch spikes for hair or a nerd who cannot breath properly without his asthma medicine. The list is endless. In college, there are no such things as restrictions or rules. You live your life the way you want it, because college is your key to the city of self-indulgence.
40 mph. 43mph.
Now cruising past Tony's pizza...Another green light!!
Opportunity!
"Hey, so where are you from?"
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"Do you like...?"
"Did it hurt.........................when you fell from heaven?"
A million and one ways to meet your new peers and potential friends. Imagine how many individuals out there have similar if not almost exactly the same personality, lifestyle, outlooks on life as you. Imagine the chance to meet people and experience new things with them. Maybe you get well acquainted with an avid skier. The next thing you know, you'll be finding ways to tackle the most grueling slope you've ever seen while just a winter ago, you've never even witnessed snow.
50 mph. Now speeding past S. Oak knoll Ave. Yet another green light!
Time to make your own decisions! I know what you're thinking...
"YES! Dad is not going to tell me which ap classes to take this year. FUCK THAT!"
At least thats what my situation is. I get to chose the classes this year. ME ME ME! I want to take sociology of sexuality, I want to take criminology! I want to take a class on volcanoes damn it. Everybody... college is time to do what you want, experience things for yourself and nobody else.
45mph....35mph.....25....15....10...5..0 mph. Red light
I'm not ready to leave what I have known for 18 years. I'm not ready to leave my peers...my family.. my friends. When has anything ever prepared us for such a quick physical and emotional detachment? San Marino High School? Fuck no. Nothing has ever strengthened us to handle that final good bye with our best friends..
Going into the unknown. What if nobody wants to make friends with me? What if my roommate is an asshole and smells like garbage 24/7? What if I fail my classes and get kicked out of my university? What if.. What if... What if...
These questions are the ones that scare us, the ones that are unanswered. We don't know whats coming, so we worry and we become anxious.
Green light, finally.
We need to drop these anxieties and begin realizing that we are entering a new situation as are thousands of other students. You are not alone.. Believe me when I say, everyone wants to be your friend, because we are all thrown into the same barrel . Freshman is a category all in itself meaning frightened, naive and newbie. All that you have to do is be open minded and put yourself out there. Give the ones who run up to you and excitedly stammer
"HEY HEY HEY!! WHATS YOUR NAME?!?!? WHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING?!?!"
a chance. Because if you retain your high school thoughts of
"dude.. this guy is such a goober..."
you'll never make a friend, and it signals that your mind is still trapped in a state of immaturity. Also, don't always expect people to come up to you, you're also going to have to put in the work to put yourself out there. Switch roles and sometimes go up to a random person in attempts to make friends with him or her. No harm. If they reject your act of kindness, fuck it, there are 50,000 (at least in my situation) other students who will appreciate your friendship. Grow up people, this is a time to evolve, not regress.
Homesick? It is okay, that just means you aren't experiencing college life to the fullest. But even if you aren't there are those holidays and those get togethers, where everyone will be exchanging their new experiences.
Don't be pessimistic, think of this as a new high school. We were all scared, transitioning into highschool, but we made it something we've come to know and love. College will be exactly the same.
Don't even trip.
Because there will always be a green light for you to speed through.
So.. anyway that was my little tidbit about THAT.
But what i'd really like to do is wish Kara Wong the best in luck to New York. You're not alone Kara, there will be plenty of us in the same situation. And also even though we haven't gotten to know each other well at all, theres always time to change that.
And to all of those who have already gone or are about to leave for college, good luck, keep in touch, have fun, consider my words of semi-wisdom, and take care.
As for me. I'm leaving Sept 19. So anyone who wants to catch up on old times, give me a call.
This entry was posted by Max tells you to enjoi., on
Wednesday, August 22, 2007.
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