It's funny... I actually feel that I've somehow gotten out of an implicit slump.... Was it a slump? I think it was a long ass slump... One that lasted almost 4 years... Amidst all the loneliness and headaches, I didn't even realize that it was a slump... but it definitely was one. I was completely immersed in it and didn't even realize it. Even funnier is that I had talked about these things before and was aware of the issues at hand... It's just that it never hit me as hard as it did today, so I was basically in denial... You know what? Scrap that entry about me not having any advice to give to those graduating from college.... Here's a mouthful for all you people with open ears. When you graduate from college and start working, if you're an ambitious and passionate individual, 9 times out of 10 you're going to become workaholic. You're going to think spending the next few years working your ass off and maybe making lots of money so you can retire early is the way to go. Even if you don't think exactly so, you're going to put a lot of things that, in the end matter very little, ahead of so many things that matter a shit load. When I look back at me at the good ol' age of 23 or so, it was all about securing financial freedom, telling my parents that they will not have to spend another dime on me, gaining an intimate knowledge of all the innerworkings of various complex software systems, confronting a vendor and being able call on their BS and showing them how I could realize with ease all those things they said was impossible, becoming a good communicator and a leader who knows how to empathize with others... It also mattered that I had my own investment strategy, time management skills and all that good stuff that supposedly lets you "take control of your life" and make you feel as if you "know what you want".... But out of all the "skills" I have been able to aquire in the past 6 or so years, the ones that really made a differnce were learning to take control of my health, admitting to my own vulnerabilities, realizing how important it is to spend time with my beloved family, learning to truly empathize with someone you love, and knowing when to say 'No'. All other things really seem secondary right now.... You have no idea how good it feels to finally get out of the slump! I owe a lot to an anonymous person for snapping me out of my own misery... Thank you so much, and you have absolutely no idea that you had this effect on me... It's ironic that right after I publish this entry, I'm going to attend to those secondary things I just mentioned. But, the difference is that it is now very clear in my head that I'm tending to the secondaries. 2006 is sooooo going to kick ass!!!!!

Oh, and dear friends, if at this point you're blaming yourself for not having been the person to snap me out of my own misery, please stop being an idiot. =) I love you guys no matter what. It really matters very little what you do for me. ;) Miss you all!

Ooh, ooh! And to all those who've been working for a year or so out in the industry. I say you should still go through the workaholic phase and decide for yourself how you feel about it. ;) Best wishes to you all!