Around this time of year I often reflect on what has happened to me over the past 6 months but something even more incredible happened to me on Sunday night, Jan 6th, 2013.

Having lived in NYC for the majority of my life sometimes I felt a little invincible to its crimes and dangers. Not that I haven’t gotten my fair share of it, just that I thought I knew better. So on this quiet Sunday night at 7pm I sat in the G train at its first stop: Court Sq, Queens, getting ready for a quiet night of winding down when I became the target of a thief. The train was stationary and there was only one door opened (which silly me sat by), phone in hand when suddenly an arm appeared out of nowhere and snatched my phone. Before I could blink I knew exactly what had just happened and before I could think my body took off after him.

As I ran up the stairs and down the train station I was screaming at people to stop him before he could get away, but I was received by blank stares. However, I could hear pitter patter of running feet behind me. The thief jumped out of the turnstiles and that’s when my heart dropped. I thought this was it, no one was going to follow me out of the train station. To my amazement, three figures shot past me, over the turnstiles and up the stairs. I had fallen behind and thought we lost the guy. When I made it out of the train station I saw three figures standing at the corner. They had caught the thief and had him pinned down to the ground.

Even when I was standing over him he was still trying to throw them off to escape. It took them a few minutes of yelling at him to make him surrender the phone. They stayed with me until the cops arrived, even patiently giving away all their information to the police. I couldn’t stop thanking them and they just smiled back as they tried to catch their breath and before the cops could even drive away, they were gone.

In hindsight, yes, it was probably a stupid thing to chase after a thief for a phone. What if he had a weapon on him? What if any of those people who helped me had gotten hurt? Is a phone really worth all that trouble? Regardless of all that, what completely blew my mind was how these strangers were so willing to help me out! I’ve tried to ask the cops for their information but it doesn’t seem to be on file. It’s really touched me and I wish them the best. I hope karma is real and that they get what they deserve.

What a crazy start to the new year.

Wow is all I can possibly say about what has happened in 2012. To start from the beginning I was fortunate to join the SinglePlatform team back in January, all thanks to the brilliant Scott Britton, as their first and only in-house designer. It’s been a whirlwind since then. The people I’ve met here have inspired me to be more than I thought I could be. To our fearless leaders Wiley Cerilli, Kenny Herman, and Pete Chen. I have never met a more perfect group of human beings brought together for a brilliant idea.

Then came the fateful day June 13th; the day it was announced that Constant Contact had acquired SinglePlatform. Let me start off by saying I never thought I would work for a publicly traded company again. That being said, this has been nothing but an absolutely positive experience. Constant Contact welcomed us in with open arms and our cultures just mesh so well. I still wake up pinching myself and wonder if I’m still dreaming.

So wow, to a whirlwind that has been 2012. I certainly got on the right rocket. Here’s to the rest of 2012 and the adventures it will take me on.

Being 6 months out of college I think I’ve spent enough time being lost and neglecting things that are truly important to me. So I’m using the New Year as an excuse to start over. Not that the past 6 months haven’t been incredibly eye opening, I’ve just managed to over-occupy myself with learning new things that I’ve forgotten to keep doing what I love. So as a 2012 resolution, I am reopening the artistic exploration door. I’m also revamping my blog and will be writing more frequently. So let’s start with a recap of 2011:

1. I graduated college!!! It still feels incredibly surreal. Where did the last 4 years go?

2. I became a fulltime designer at kikin!! It still amazes me that people are paying me to do something I love. I am beyond thankful for the opportunity that I’ve been given and the leap of faith they took in me. Never in a million years did I think taking that marketing internship in January would lead to where I am now! An opportunity opened up in design and I went for it. Scared out of my mind and highly under-qualified but I jumped because chances like those don’t come very often.

3. I discovered my potentials in becoming a professional artist. The elective classes I took turned out to be way more influential on my life than I thought. The faith and guidance my professors have put in me have pushed me beyond the limitations I’ve set for myself. It’s something that we all must stop doing. As to not disappoint them and pursue my dreams, I plan on producing more work and trying to get into shows.

4. Though they were not big trips I’ve added two more countries to my list of places I’ve visited: Dominican Republic and Canada. Next stop I’d like to do something more adventurous.

5. I fell head over heels in love with the startup scene. I’ve met some truly wonderful and inspirational people. They motivate me to be a better person, to believe in myself and to help change the world. I don’t plan on leaving this scene anytime soon. 

If you had asked me a year ago if this is where I saw myself at the end of 2011, I wouldn’t have known but I would certainly not have imagined this. The biggest lesson I’ve learned this year is to go for it. Your heart knows what’s best for you way before your mind does. If you keep an open mind you never know who you’ll meet and where you’ll end up.

Sometimes I make up to 6 mistakes before breakfast…

Sometimes I get tired of apologizing for who I am, but I’m trying to be better.

Sometimes trying to be the bigger person is very hard.

Sometimes late at night my thoughts come back to haunt me and all those “what ifs” start flying around. That is perhaps one of my worst qualities. I can’t dwell in the past because it’s already happened. It’s a wonderful thing to learn from my mistakes but to keep going back to them absolutely kills me. I wouldn’t be who I am if I didn’t do all those stupid things I did and all the stupid things I will do.

And sometimes… I just have to accept my losses, move on and keep improving myself. Maybe one day I’ll look back on these moments and realize they simply served as a reminder of how much I will grow.

I’m sorry I’ve been MIA lately. Went off to Vegas for Spring Break. It was epic. Back in NY now and working on a bunch of new projects (it’s all for my final projects really….) Regardless, I’m super excited and hopefully they’ll turn out awesome. I’ll try to get back to my posting schedule but everything is a bit hectic right now. So just hang on there with me.

There’s something dangerously calming about a boat ride into the ending of a dusk - the sky barely lit with tints of red and blue, as the stars begin to rise from the pitch darkness. Staring at nothing but water and what seems to be an vast amount of it, and the infinite possibilities it offers. Nothing feels real as the waves crash and rhythmatically rock your body back and forth. But what is real anyways?

-Lunar

“Instow boat sunset” by Rob Kendall