home
“residents only” reads a large sign blocking the road into my neighborhood, and coming in requires showing my id as proof of residency to the policeman on duty. giant flashing road signs on yorba linda blvd. tell families who have lost their homes of the nearest disaster relief center, and driving through the neighborhoods, there are rows of homes burnt to the ground. the strangest sight is the juxtaposition of empty lots of ashes, burnt palm trees and rusting cars next to perfectly standing homes. what luck!

the residuals of an uncontrolled wildfire that burned many homes in yorba linda still remain two weeks later. it’s still smells like smoke, and many neighborhoods were evacuated a few days ago in fear of landslides during the rainstorm. my heart goes out to all the families who lost their homes.

this thanksgiving, i am thankful to have two wonderful homes. i feel so lucky that my house was not affected by the recent fires and most importantly that my mom and sister were safe.

i’m thankful for my family, kelvin, my roommates at PDX, and my friends.

i’m thankful to be a student at usc, to have had the privilage to grow up in yorba linda, and the leisure to explore the world with my family on vacations. i feel so fortunate to be living how i am, and i am so thankful for everything in my life.

i can’t help but be nervous about my decisions after i graduate. it freaks me out a little that there is no longer one seemingly “right” path to take, but instead many different ones. i’m trying to find what i want to do, not what others think i should do… but sometimes the line between those two opinions are fuzzy.

i hope to eventually go to graduate school, but i’m a lot burnt out from school right now. it’s completely my fault for taking way too many classes and pushing myself over the top. i’m hoping next semester will be better for me. i’m hoping after that, i’ll have a brighter outlook on school.

i want to get out of my southern california bubble and move somewhere different for awhile. i think i’m starting to become too obsessed with this place. the weather is too fantastic, and the people are too comfortable. i guess if there’s any time to explore.. it’s now.