2015

2015 is here and it’s taken me almost a month to wite something! Ahh! There are various reasons for this that nicely epitomize some of my flaws: 1.) I planned at the beginning of the day to do it later on that day, and then just forgot about it. Happens a lot where I file a thought away  that gets lost in the big, scary storage room that is my short term memory and it gets lost in there, which is sometimes why when you read this blog there are sentences that just abruptly end; that’s because I had stopped a thought and planned on coming back to it, only NOT to do so. 2.) I achieved a record 100 posts in 2014, something I was really proud of, and then I……got complacent and didn’t write for a solid 3 weeks. Could happen to anybody, but not particularly proud of myself.

Some nice things to report already in 2015:

1.)    I’ve participated in 2 excellent dodgeball tournaments, both ironically in Vegas (apparently my favorite place to go) and got 2^nd place in BOTH. I realize as I grow older that I thrive on competition; that’s just how I’m programmed, and all the better if that competition is QUANTIFIED competition, like there are results and standings and playoffs and whatnot that I can play a role in. I knew from a very young age I liked this sort of “trying to be the best” edge, which is part of the reason why I like sports, but I’ve come to realize that watching sports is a bit empty because sure you can root for your favorite team, but you’re not contributing anything yourself, you’re just adopting a franchise that only cares whether you attend their games and can contribute to their bottom line. I’ve always been much more excited and motivated by competitions I’m involved in, like chess, tennis, and dodgeball. If only I was really good in any of those activities. It probably could be anything, like Rock paper scissors tournaments or fantasy spelling bee games, as long as I have a stake in it and can influence my own result, I get excited (probably why I like the control and everyday management of fantasy baseball). This past weekend, I got to participate in a 28-team dodgeball tournament (teams of 8) that worked a lot like college basketball- had a regular season round robin schedule the first day that determined seeds (we achieved the Number 2 seed) and then a playoff format to determine the winner of the tournament (We finished in 2^nd place in hearbreaking fashion). Really exciting stuff, looking at the “bracket.” It’s somewhat easy to understand why teams could possibly “look ahead”- it’s such an easy step to think in your mind, “O ok if we win this game we’ll play the winner of this game….o and I actually prefer to play that team instead of this one…..”

2.)    Passed a Japanese language test that allowed me to be placed on a Japanese project in Los Angeles! A big accomplishment for me because it justified all the work I put in over the last 2 years or so, more than even the bar or graduating law school (the bar was a product of just 3 months of work, law school was a product of sitting through 3 years). Japanese was all on my own, self-study, and I did it! A big step in my life and a great skill to have for the rest of my life. The great thing about accomplishments – nobody can take it away from you  (Well, unless you’re Roger Clemmens, Sammy Sosa, USC football, and other accused cheaters) .

3.)    In 2014 I prophesized that it would be A BIG YEAR for me, and I was pretty correct: my year was full of learning Japanese, working, playing dodgeball, and going on dates. I think I made enough development on each of those departments that I can declare 2015 to be: THE YEAR I PUT IT ALL TOGETHER. All that time I’ve spent in the minor leagues honing my craft and biding my time should all pay off this year. A certain friend/fantasy frenemy of mine loved the Year of the Horse. For me, I think I’m gonna enjoy this upcoming Year of the Ram/Goat/Sheep/Whatever you want to call it Chinese-English translations aren’t perfect.

4.)    PLUS there’s a new Jurassic Park movie coming out this year. O glory be.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan