Procrastinator Four [1 May 2005]
I feel rebellious today; let's forget about six degrees for a moment. I'm going to introduce my boys from 949. If you're old school, it was 714.
From left to right: Steve, Amir, Phil, me
We took this picture during the winter of 2003. Look at Phil with his pretty scarf lol, so GQ. The four of us met at University High School in Irvine, CA. We did a bunch of stuff together, ranging from Magic the Gathering, to debate club, to Risk. Hey, we were young back then! :p We were the proud, the few, the self-named Procrastinator Four.
Steve was my roommate in Berkeley for most of my four years there. He majored in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS), and is currently embracing the real world in Irvine, CA. The thing I like most about Steve is his analytical thought process. His logic is so flawless, and it shows in his gaming abilities (he's the Stephen I mentioned in About Me). lol, give me a chance here to explain.
One time, we were playing 3DO's Heroes of Might and Magic 3 against each other. After much build-up, we agreed to settle the game with one epic battle. I was so primed: I had dungeon town, and he had inferno. I was so certain I could use brute force and let attrition work its magic. First round: with a single spell, Steve annihilates half my army, an army that took freaking 100 turns to build! I was owned by a spell called Berserk lol. I knew that spell existed, but it completely took me by surprise. Steve's analytical, micromanaging strategy overcame my brute-force, macromanaging strategy. I guess you can say we're opposites in this respect, because the same thing happened in a 1v1 game of Starcraft lol (but this time I came out on top, baby!). I consider Steve my second brother, he's a really cool dude.
Phil, Steve, and I affectionately call Amir, Fid, because of his GQ, commie look. Amir went to the University of California at Irvine to study the biological sciences, and is now in the process of applying to med school. Amir and Phil were policy debate partners for all four years at Uni, and they freaking owned. I always got a kick out of listening them work their opponents on topicality. By far, Amir is the most laid-back, inherently intelligent person I know. I'm very much like Amir in this respect, minus the latter part. Once someone lights a fire under our asses, we become freaking ubermensche, and nothing can stop us. VVV, baby.
That brings us to my brother Phil. In about 20 days, Phil will be a graduate... of the LAW, an alumnus from UC Hastings. It's almost uncanny how opposite we are. He's a cross country runner; I'm a shot putter. He's into the humanities; I'm into the physical sciences. He's into the Christian fellowship scene; I'm a loner in search of solidifying my faith my own way. He's a law-abiding citizen; I'm one peg leg away from becoming Blackbeard... yarrr. Despite these differences, we also possess tons of similarities.
We both wear glasses, got black hair, have the same last name. lol just playing. You learn a lot about a person living with him 21 years. Phil is a saint, who is more happy giving than taking. Let me give you an example. When we were 8, Phil loved to point to restaurant signs while we drove. He would ask for a meal deal, take one bite, and give me the rest. There you have it, now you know why I'm a behemoth. lol nothing but love for my bro, can't wait to see him the end of this month.
Boyz of LA [4 May 2005]
Today, my buddies from the Robinson group hosted a potluck. As my friend Adam would say, "It was delish!" Please allow me to introduce my boys from 608.
From left to right: Adam, Yogeeta, Hak
Ladies first! I promised not to blab too much about her, so I just want to hit on the really salient points. Yogeeta, from the Robinson group, is the most wonderful cook in the whole wide world. :p...... (that's a drool smiley) She is the best.
The three of us boys met at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, with raquetball as the primary catalyst for our friendship. Since we all have LA history, we are the self-named Boyz of LA.
I first met Hak-man during the interview weekend in the spring of 2002. Hak, in the Mellon group, just recently ascended to disserator status, which is, in my opinion, the most important leg in the PhD program. He's a brilliant pharmacologist with a passion for Badger ball and beer, a true Wisconsinite. His signature raquetball maneuver is the so-called "Hak-attack," where he feigns a power hit, but lightly taps the ball into a corner or edge, which is usually followed by some giggles all around. I'm really lucky to have met Hak here.
That brings us to Adam of the Robinson group. Adam is my best friend--my all-knowing second big brother. He's my primary source of information about women, science, and politics--I used to be such an innocent guy, but I'm way more mature/corrupted now thanks to Adam! Check this out, now I drink coffee, and now I don't hide when I see someone I like. He and I shared a love for the LA Lakers, and in the 2004 playoff run, we experienced an uncanny correlation: the Lakers seemed to win only when we watched them together--if we didn't, they'd lose. I'm not joking! This correlation held up for 13 straight playoff games. We were at the State Street BW3 when Derek Fisher's 0.4 went down. That was insane--we had tons of fun "interacting" with the anti-Laker folks there.
Meeting friends like Adam, Hak, and Yogeeta reminds me that the big Man upstairs is really watching over me.
