hi, i'm back

in the time i've been away from this space on the internet that i've carved out for myself, i've:

1. completed my final 28mc semester
2. received my first ever full-time job offer 
3. accepted this job offer after considering what remains most important to me at this stage in my life
4. concurrently completed my capstone thesis that i could never have envisaged as ever being completed 
5. said my goodbyes to ten college avenue west 
6. hit my personal best semester cap despite eight additional mcs 
7. walked the stage and made my parents beam with pride 
8. gone on all three of my planned "grad" trips, my favourite being frolicking in osaka/kyoto with bae
9. watched all the korean dramas i'd staved off for my year-long 28mc semesters 
10. started work for good (screams internally: i'm no longer an intern!!!!) 
11. achieved two industry-recognised company certifications in under a month, with three more to go! and may i never tire of onward learning~

reviving this space bc today's retrospective meeting reminded me of the importance of reflection and introspection. growth has always been my guiding principle - i followed my heart and ended up here: am slowly building up my own community, but most days i've been exiting work with a light heart and tummy hurting from laughing so hard throughout the day. it is no doubt still our honeymoon phase until post-san francisco come mid-august, but i just want to take this moment to savour the now. at the end of the day, what i remember and treasure are still the small wins and little moments of boundless laughter; of being shown kindness and human warmth; of being treated as both valued and valuable. i am so lucky to be here, to be chasing after what makes me feel alive. 

a reminder to self that growth can only follow a concerted effort on my part to insert myself into uncomfortable and inconvenient places/situations. i tend to forget that, especially once i get cosy with a community that has grown on me. i also tend to shun away from difficult situations, particularly if they take a toll on my psyche. but i also know i've never regretted the eventual fruits of exposing myself to discomfort bearing growth. those have been the truest gems of my life.

another reminder to self to carve out time for people i want to keep around for a long time.