Nonage

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Another Decade of Greatness

While most of my Winter Break has been spent lounging in my humble yet comfortable bed, I have been out and about a few times when I found a commitment luring enough to change out of pajamas/sweats.

One such occasion occurred yesterday, Tuesday, January 8, 2008. I woke up thinking it would be another day of Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency followed by Food Network Challenges and movies on HBO. (Hey, I'm not complaining.) However, a text received while I was sleeping informed me that despite the repeated message of a "sold out game," my friend found three tickets floating around San Francisco.

By some miracle, I would be attending the most intensely emotional basketball game, professional, college-level, or otherwise: The Bruce-Mahoney Basketball Tournament between St. Ignatius College Preparatory and Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory.

Three years out of high school, my best friend and I have been looking for tickets since December, and I had given up hope of attending until I finally walked through the USF gym doors (after 35 minutes of searching for parking..). The girls had just lost a major defeat, but I knew in my heart that tonight was still our night. As we three alumni climbed the familiar stairs to the upper level of the gym, I felt myself being transported back to high school. No matter how many years have passed since my time at SI, everything is just about the same. The students still show their spirit in the same way: red and blue layered shirts, bright socks, Varsity jackets, jerseys, Senior t-shirts, facepaint. Brother Draper and Ms. Cota still stand in front of the immense crowd of cheering Wildcats, making sure that we keep our cheers classy. Everyone wearing Red and Blue looks relaxed and happy, almost certain of the victory that is coming our way.

A victory it was, as the Cats led the crowd in a magnificent display of every heart-wrenching emotion of a true athletic event. We won 55-52 after starting the game with a disappointing first quarter (23-9 in the second) and never leading the game with more than 6 points. The most important thing was, we won the trophy for a tenth consecutive year. (Basically, the trophy has been in our possession since my oldest sister graduated in 1999.) I kept taking pictures of the scoreboard, knowing that somehow our team would catch up and defeat the "big green." I found myself joining in on as many cheers as I could, yelling and stomping my feet like it was my last year to celebrate.

A part of me wishes I showed as much school spirit in the past, not shying away from the extra facial decorations. But the beauty of SI is that you can always go back. Of course, it is no longer our time. We won't always find friends in the crowd. We won't always have the stamina to stand for a full hour and a half to scream at the top of our lungs. I did feel older than all these Cats; the oldest were freshmen when I graduated. But there is something that pulls you right back in. I am no longer afraid for the future of our school, because now I see us in them. The more years that pass by, the more alumni will join the Ignatian family. When you make that decision afterward to put on red and blue, you can be sure that no one will call you out once you stand on your seat and go crazy with that simple phrase, "We are SI."

So what is it that makes you blend in? The passion for the school, the support for the team, the spirit of our tradition, and the love between all Wildcats that transcends time and generation.

Oooh.. Ahhh.. You wish you were a wildcat.

P.S. I Love You

Dear Friend,

Every time I see you, I remember how much I missed you. The older we get, the faster time seems to fly by. It is not always about having fun. Now it's about getting the job done, living life as a way to get from one happy moment to the next. I can't imagine it changing much after graduation, but I think it's a good sign that we realize it now.

We don't always take the time to savor moments of greatness. We don't always take the time to love the people we love.

Yet, amazingly, when we were together today, time seemed to stop for a little bit and make room for our past in the present. I took it as a sign of fate and true friendship. No matter how much time passed since our last visit, we picked up right where we left off.

Before today I convinced myself that it is possible for friends to change to the point of becoming strangers, unable to remain close. Perhaps I convinced myself that that is what we've become.
Thank you for proving me wrong. No matter how much I thought I changed or grew, we still fit together perfectly.

Within five minutes, I felt the comfort that I've known with you for years. I believe that when it comes to true friendship, you leave a part of yourself with that person and take a part of them with you. This is how we affect change in others and how we grow and become different versions of ourselves. Although I thought I knew my present self, today I found a piece of me that I didn't realize I was missing.

At one point in my life, you taught me something new, showed me something I didn't know, shared with me something that changed me, helped me discover a "me" unknown to anyone else but us.

Because of this, days, weeks, months that came between our visits, but you were with me all along.

You will always be a part of me. And if I ever stray, if you ever worry that time will erase what was special to us, just remember that you still have a part of me too.

Yours,
Catherine

P.S. I love you.

Finding Inspiration Right Back Where I Started From

Photo Credit: Tracy K. Lee

NOTE: This entry is an edited version of a previous post I made this summer, based on a few more chance encounters with fellow SI alumni.




In terms of crazy adventures and late nights out, this summer was mediocre at best. By way of learning and discovering, this summer tops the charts.

If I could do it again, I would make no hesitation to start from Day 1. My four years at SI were the best four years of my life. Unfortunately, like most great things, I only recognized the fact in hindsight.

If I could... I would be involved in the campus community from the beginning. I would talk to people in my classes and form actual friendships. I would go to class each day and bask in learning from some of the most inspirational teachers in the world. I would go to FML every week from the start. I would allow myself to face social justice issues. I would put my talent to good use in the community. I would cheer on our Wildcats at as many sporting events as possible. If I could...

I read the blog of a friend's friend who recently walked the halls of SI as a visitor. She said that she finally understood the reason why two alumni she knew were so passionate about their high school. "It's beautiful. You can see the ocean. I want to send my kids here." And I realize that no visitor will ever understand. The beauty of our campus is a distant second to the lasting experience each graduate endures through their time at SI.

Today I visited our campus once more and found myself drawn in yet again. Every time I go back, I know for sure that it is where I want to be.

This summer I've run into so many '05 alumni. Some best friends. Some I had short-term bonds with. Some I hardly even talked to while at SI. Yet every time it happens, we stop and have a conversation that goes beyond the "so... college" awkwardness. They have long-term goals. They are going abroad for significant periods of time. They casually mention grad school. They are doing something with their lives.

It really comes as no surprise as so many SI alumni before us have become successful in all factions of life: from Broadway to Wall Street, television to fashion, teachers to lawyers. I'm sure several high schools can say that about their alumni. Yet SI still has something more.

Students, teachers, administration, and alumni search for more. They are successful because they actively listen to their calling and work passionately toward something greater than themselves. They act in order to fulfill their purpose. Purpose comes first. Recognition last.

Then it hit me..

"We are SI." We've said it thousands of times. It was the theme of one of our yearbooks (2001-02). But it finally makes sense to me. When you get SI, you find it in you and in others who get it too.

We are SI. And I thank you for showing me that my time has not yet run out. :)

Learning to Live For Something Greater

If I could do it again, I would make no hesitation to start from Day 1. My four years at SI were the best four years of my life. Unfortunately, like most great things, you only recognize the fact in hindsight.

If I could... I would be involved in the campus community from the beginning. I would talk to people in my classes and form actual friendships. I would go to class each day and bask in learning from some of the most inspirational teachers in the world. I would go to FML every week from the start. I would participate in the facing of social justice issues. I would put my talent to good use in the community. I would cheer on our Wildcats at as many sporting events as possible. If I could...

This summer I've run into so many '05 alumni. Some best friends. Some I had short-term bonds with. Some I hardly even talked to while at SI. Yet every time it happens, we stop and have a conversation that goes beyond the "so... college" awkwardness. They have long-term goals. They are going abroad for significant periods of time. They casually mention grad school. They are doing something with their lives.

It really comes as no surprise as so many SI alumni before us have become successful in all factions of life: from Broadway to Wall Street, television to fashion, teachers to lawyers. I'm sure several high schools can say that about their alumni. Yet SI still has something more.

Students, teachers, administration, and alumni search for more. They are successful because they actively listen to their calling and work passionately toward something greater than themselves. They act in order to fulfill their purpose. Purpose comes first. Recognition last.

If I could offer advice for any current SI student, it would be this: Go to Friday Morning Liturgy. Immerse yourself on retreat. Attend school dances, no matter how lame the theme or the fact that visitors aren't welcome. Listen to the announcements. Participate in events. Listen to your teachers. Learn. Attend theatre productions and games. Don't ever miss the Bruce Mahoney. Be friends with as many people as possible. Get to know the strangers that walk down the hall. Educate yourself on the ideals of the Jesuit philosophy. Go on immersion. Go on Thursday Morning Comfort Runs. Stay on campus until the buildings close. Wear red and blue. Make every day count. LOVE SI, because before you know it you're out of there.

Nearly every alum will gladly switch places with you. Live up to the greats before you. Don't leave the halls empty when you're gone.

Who Exactly Is Corrupting Our World?

On the way home this afternoon, I saw a car with a sticker that said "707" and had an image of a gun.

First of all, is that necessary? And, secondly, why would I not try to avoid contact with you if your car comes with a warning sign?

This past week, a couple of friends mentioned their dissatisfaction with our country. They mentioned the inessential existence of guns and weapons in America and the corruption of the government that rules us. One wanted to move to Australia. One wanted to move to the Philippines.

The gun problem is quite clear. It made me wonder when humans started acquiring weapons to use against each other. Before humans became a sophisticated and technological people, their sole use of weapons was to kill animals for their own survival. In a world where we have enough nuclear weapons to blow ourselves up seven times (or whatever), sometimes I think we would've been better off as cave men and women.

As for corruption, this problem spreads out across every continent. Yes, America is hardly a land for the free, what with its discrimination and illegal immigration and a self-centered and arrogant disregard for anyone not in America, etc. However, any country where there is a vast difference between the filthy rich and the starving poor is corrupt, in my opinion. You can't move to escape corruption; you need to figure out a way to fix it from where you are.

I've thought about Bill Gates a lot this past year. He has been the richest man in the world for some years now, but the reports and literature on starving people from every third world country continues to grow with his wealth. At some point, do we have a responsibility to give up on capitalism and change the world for the better? Should he feel a responsibility to help dying children or cure AIDS? Yes, he does good things with his money. People keep reminding me that he is giving a larger percentage of the money in his will to his own charity foundation rather than his own children. But each of his children still receive more than enough money to be filthy rich in the future, while millions of children will share whatever goes to charity.

Oprah is a prime example of the American system. She is a black woman, successful in a white man's world. How many people fail to realize that she lived through the Civil Rights movement when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks were speaking out against oppression in their own country? Instead of marching with the movement and working towards equal rights, she was working her way up corporate America. Instead of fighting for her own rights as a woman of color, she chose to prove that she could crack her way into the dominant culture. With her millions of dollars, she's done a lot of good in many people's eyes. While she may live on as another face in Hollywood, maybe as a woman who gave away a lot of free stuff, MLK and Rosa Parks are already a part of our nation's history.

I know. I don't have much of a right to put down Bill Gates for not looking to do good for the children in Africa, India, or the Philippines. Or Oprah for choosing to become capitally successful instead of getting arrested. I myself am a product of capitalism. I buy clothes. I wear designer purses. I spend more money than I should. So who am I to judge?

I am no one. No One with an opinion. And a voice. And I'm using it to question what I learn and share my ideas.

Here's one: I believe in the education of the whole self and the ability to critically think. I believe in the use of each person's education to push them further to see the problems the world and the ways to fix them. I believe in power. I believe in life purpose. Not every person is called to work in the Peace Corps. Not every person is called to be a teacher. Not every person is called to give up their dreams to be parents. But we are all called to do something that will make our world better.

We need money to find a cure for cancer. We need money to produce food to feed the world. We need money to fix the growing problems in our environment.

So, in this sense, some people need to make more money than others. Some people need to go to school for twenty years to become doctors or professors. Some people need to give up everything they have for a life of service. I've accepted the fact that where we are today, we have produced a wide range of needs and the talented people to serve those needs.

So do not tell me that this world is corrupt and then smoke, drink, and do drugs on the weekends. Don't say "what is the point of school, my time is better spent partying," and then be left struggling to support yourself instead of doing the good you could be doing. Education can be wasted. Money can be wasted. But why are you wasting these precious valuables when you could be using them to evoke the change you so desperately seek? Figure out how you want to be remembered, and start paving the way.

Pink Cupcakes

I woke up at four in the afternoon today, a reminder of one of my first weeks of summer. I'd missed two calls.. and the will to do anything productive. The rest of the day made sure that I would continue to feel like shit. Despite the fact that most of my friends are home, I didn't really have anyone to hang out with because everyone else had plans. And I had a headache.

The truth is, no matter what I say I would rather be out than taking a nap. However, I am a strong advocate of finding ways to make yourself feel better without relying on other people for happiness. When you rely on others, you open the door for disappointment. When you rely on other people, you may never discover the way to be happy with yourself. Yet I suppose you can disappoint yourself as well.

So for the rest of the day, I found ways to keep myself busy.. I went out to buy dinner. I started a new scrapbook. I watched a disc of Friends. I took a nap. And, once again, I missed two calls.
Waking up at eleven thirty at night does not provide much opportunity to do anything at all. Everyone else is out and about, looking for parties. I lay in bed, fully made-up in my new LMU sweatshirt and my favorite comfortable pair of jeans with no one to hang out with. When I learned that there was no chance of me going out, I got my ass out of bed before any pathetic tears could form. I looked in the mirror, and my attention went immediately to the letters on my sweatshirt.

I miss LMU. I miss school. And the weird thing is, what I'm looking forward to is fall semester when ninety percent of my time will be devoted to my education.

I don't know if that feeling is normal. But I realize that it is almost the end of June, and August will come just as fast as May passed. I try to occupy myself with the carefree happiness of summer.. and the joys of seeing old friends. And I try to ignore the fact that I look forward to going to class more than I look forward to the weekends.

In the mean time, I took an Advil and baked pink cupcakes. My original plan was to ice them with people's initials.. a little mid-summer night snack. But the pink icing failed me, so until it becomes gell instead of watery pink liquid the cupcakes are blank. Well, at least the headache is gone.