A Reintroduction

It’s officially a new year, and for many of us that means a fresh start. I want to take this opportunity to reintroduce myself. Lots has changed since the last time I did one of these reintroductions but now is probably one of the better times to do so. In the five or so months I’ve reached the 50 follower mark, started school and embarked on a journey into new, uncharted waters, namely leaving home and going to college. I’ve matured, met many new people and have done things I never had previously ever imagined I would be doing. So please, come get to know this enigma of a teenager through his eyes and then hopefully you shall form your own views of him on your own as well.

Hi, my name’s JP. I’m a 20 year old student currently attending university in the Washington DC area. A little about myself, I was born in DC way back in the early 90s and lived there for the first 4 or so years of my life before moving into the suburbs. I attended school in some of the top public schools in the US where I made friendships and memories that will hopefully last a lifetime. High School saw the biggest change for me developmentally and emotionally; it was during these years that I came to recognize and more importantly accept myself.

I did a lot of things during my high school years; I joined crew and rowed for two years, something I miss doing today though hopefully will change come spring. I had my first crush; I took challenging courses that pushed me to the limits of my sanity, and I graduated near the top of my class and as a scholar athlete for the 09-10 season. Most importantly though, it was during high school that I came out to myself, a select group of friends, and my mom. My coming out to my mom probably wasn’t the best in the world, but you can dig around the archives if you want to learn more about that. She deserved to know sooner to later, it probably should have been later in retrospect.

As for my family, I’m an only child in an Asian household apart from our adopted Jack Russell Terrier “Max”. He is a lazy bum most of the time but that just makes him even more adorable. I have a good relationship with my mom; we do many things together and like to talk about a lot of things with each other. Sure, we argue from time to time as is mandated in all teenager-parent relationship contracts but in the end we’re still very good friends. My relationship with my dad has always been more distant. For the most part I only saw him 3-4 days a week and now that I’m in college that has shrunk to maybe once or twice a month. We’re close, but more of a silently recognized close rather than one expressed through throwing a football on the lawn (never happened) or building things in the garage (also never happened).

So, who am I, the boy whose scribbling on life you’re reading about? I’m admittedly hard to describe. Something that hasn’t changed in the past 5 months since I last did a reintroduction post is how I view myself and I think I best summed it up last August – “Personality wise I’m a bit of a mish mosh of southern hospitality, northern wit and attitude with a dash of courtesy seemingly pulled from a time of yore. Some would say this hospitality is anachronistic in this day and age, but hey, it’ll never go out of fashion as far as I’m concerned. I respect all as long as you respect me. I’m a generally quiet person, in fact, you might even go as far as call me shy if you were just meeting me but get past this stage and you’ll find me to be actually pretty engaging. While hardly a party animal, I can, will, and do let loose when the time is right. "Work hard, play harder" is my motto. I love to laugh and make other people laugh, anything to brighten the day of someone who needs some brightening.” Brilliant use of copy-paste, eh? Haha

An edit I would make to that though is that I feel that I have become more open and social since entering college. I’ve been exposed to so many new people and views that being more direct and holding back less on my opinions is pretty much mandatory now.

As for who I am physically, well that shall remain a mystery apart from a few details I’m willing to share. I’m around 5’9”-5’10” (I still don’t know which to be honest) and am slim to a moderately athletic build. I’m hoping to be more towards the second by spring. Considering my mom is only 5’1”, I’m quite glad I turned out as tall as I did haha. I have short to medium black hair and am rather tan than due to many years of being outdoors and for the last two years, crew. I’m a bit of a night owl (lies, I’m a total night owl, it’s 2:32 AM right now) and I do my best work after 10PM at night. Sure, it isn’t very healthy but whatever.

I don’t know what I would classify myself as in the social groupings of teenage or collegiate society. Am I a nerd? Am I a prep? Am I a jock? Well, none of the above. I’m a mix of many things I guess, despite how clichéd that sounds. I don’t limit myself by classifying myself into a group since I’m not exclusively anything. I’m friends with people from multiple clusters of society since I befriend people for who they are rather than what they represent. In the days of yore (aka elementary, middle, and early high school) I was more heavily a nerd than anything, and I think, or rather I know that I still am at heart.

So what are some of my interests? The two main things that get me the most excited would have to be cars and cooking. I still don’t know when my love for these two began but whether I like it or not they both play a large role in my life. I find cooking to be especially important to me as not only does it allow me to de-stress, but it’s also something I can continually cultivate and grow. There’s an entire globe with billions of people whose cultures can be seen through their food and that’s something I’m really in to. I like cooking as much as I do because not only does it provide a window into the lives of those who prepare it, but also because I get such a sense of accomplishment from seeing piles of raw ingredients almost magically transform through meticulous cutting, mixing, sprinkling and cooking into some finished product that I can look at and say, “wow, I made that”. It’s those moments of accomplishment found in cooking, school or whatever that get me through life and make it worth living.

As for my love of cars and all things automotive, the connection between man and machine that driving provides is exhilarating to me. I’m not sure why but I just love it. Some of my other interests include music, reading, going to the gym, and business, which is also what I’m studying in school.

One thing that hasn’t changed in the past five months is that I still haven’t been in a relationship. I’m still not out to everyone though I have become more open about my sexuality since going to college. I’ve met a few guys, had my crushes, and had my heartaches, but in the end, you just have to push through them no matter how much it hurts or how badly you want to cling to the past. I still would love to be in a relationship though; it’s something I’ve always wanted and still do. I like guys who are slightly taller than me (5’10” to about 6’1” give or take a few inches) and are slim or athletic in body type (again, flexible to a point). I like someone who has a sense of humour, is smart, can carry on a conversation, and most importantly has a sense of being their own person and not feel that they have to conform to the demands of society that tell him who he has to be. I also have a thing for slightly dorky guys, someone who is in touch with their nerdy intellectual side. Glasses are also hot if they suit the him well. Someone who shares some of my interests also would be nice but I think that someone who has a good amount of differing interests is good since that can open up many new things and ideas for both of us.

Wow, this is getting to be quite a lengthy post. Well, whether you’re a long term follower or a brand new reader, I hope that reading this has helped you get a better idea as to who I am. I started this blog back in 2009 as a way of expressing in writing things that I wouldn’t tell to anyone in real life. It was an outlet for me and it remains so to this day. I don’t want this post to be how you see me exclusively though. It’s best for you to create your own view as to who I am through my writings and things I share over time. I’m like a kaleidoscope that way in a sense. I’m a different person to different people, and with each slight movement or rotation the beads of who I am rearrange themselves into a new intriguing pattern. In the end however, I’m still those beads no matter which way they fall and how they are reflected. View me from whatever angle you would like, the multiple facets to my personality and who I am as a person are what makes me unique, and hopefully in your mind makes my blog worth reading.

So once again, welcome to my blog, or if you’re a returning reader, welcome back. I hope you will enjoy going on this voyage with me into uncharted waters as we discover whatever surprises lie waiting up ahead. I look forward to sharing with you my life experiences and views on this extraordinary world as I hope you will with me as well.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you hear more from you in the future.

All the best,

JP