Veronica Mars

During the bar I watched (another) great TV show, this one from a few years ago: Veronica Mars, seasons 1 and 2. Very unheralded, relatively-unknown shown that was very smart, very well done. Too bad it was on UPN. Great for mystery-lovers: Coincidentally, during 2004-2005 when the show was at its peak, I was big on Agatha Christie novels for some reason. Might have been better served using my time on this show. Veronica's this high school student in a rich Southern California neighborhood who works for her private detective dad and often proves to be equal if not better then her dad at sleuthing, solving cases and seeing through lies. Very strong, very capable, a little vindictive, very independent. Probably had better skills at age 17-18 than I'll ever have.

Which makes me wonder: Am I much improved than I was when I was 17-18? At that age I was also finishing up high school, top of my class, worked really hard, seemed pretty smart, very active in the community....am I a better person than I was in 17-18.

I considered "No," cuz I was actually at the top of my class during high school, was active in a lot of competitive teams (math, tennis, chess, orchestra) and had so much potential (great PSAT scores, SAT scores). Lots of, lots of potential: But that's just it: Potential doesn't always transfer into actual success. Prime example is sports: How many first-rounders in the NBA, MLB, or NFL drafts flame out each year after getting to the pros? Past accomplishments do not guarantee future success. Fortunately for me, life is a longer process than sports, and you're not just done after a year or two of failures. Life gives you more chances along the way to prove yourself.

Also, over 6 years since high school I've learned that success in life is not necessarily determined by the car you drive, or the job that you do, or the college that you went to: I used to think getting into Yale or some Ivy League school was the be-all and end-all: I know now that it's just a more extensive (and expensive) path to possible success: you still have to earn it. Getting to a great school (or a great job, etc.) doesn't just guarantee success, it's a great avenue for you to be on while on that road, but it's not a definite admissions ticket.

So I still got time left in the road of life to achieve successes. But I think I gotta start doing that pretty soon: Life gives you plenty of chances, but at some point they run out and you actually do become that "first-round bust." Hopefully the plan that I assures that I won't be.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan