Throwback Thursday: My Favorite Moments of 2017


Since it's Thursday, the start of the new year, and I'm not done blogging about 2017, I'm sharing my favorite moments/memories from 2017 in my first Throwback Thursday post.

I haven't done a reflection post about 2017 yet and am not sure if I will, but I'll say this. 2017 was definitely an interesting year for me. It had its ups and downs, and by ups and downs, I mean extreme ups and downs. Lots of exciting moments like graduating and traveling to new places and more difficult and upsetting moments than I would like, including two hospitalizations and being away from my sister for the first time in our lives. And while every year has its less-than-ideal moments, it's important to think past those, think about how you got through them, and cherish the best moments. Because how would I know how great these following moments would be without those low ones?

Meeting Olympic rhythmic gymnasts Jenny and Monica Rokhman

My sister, Ashley, Jenny, myself, and Monica


Last spring, my twin sister and I got to meet and interview a pair of fellow identical twins! What was even more exciting about the opportunity was that the twins we met and interviewed are U.S. Olympic rhythmic gymnasts Jenny and Monica Rokhman. (If you don't know by now, I'm a gymnastics fanatic and would love to meet any elite or high level gymnast.)

We were interviewing them for a feature we were including in the official yearbook of the University of Illinois. As it was the school year after an Olympic year, it was relevant to include, and when would I ever have the chance to put rhythmic gymnastics in the yearbook?



Also included in the interview was my best friend Carly, who was helping write the story for the book. So it was cool that we, who are all twins (Carly has a twin brother) and gymnastics fans, got to meet Olympic gymnasts. The interview went really well, and it was such a pleasure to speak with Jenny and Monica. I enjoyed learning more about their story and sport, as rhythmic gymnastics is an underappreciated sport that many don't know much about, even to a gymnastics fan like myself. In addition, we all shared some laughs, and I value laughter very much.

After the interview, we also did a little photoshoot to get some photos to publish with the story. The photoshoot was fun as Jenny and Monica impressed us with their insane rhythmic gymnast flexibility, and we got to see some dogs outside, which we all enjoyed.

Although they're Olympians, which is a pretty big deal, they are just like any other college students, reminding me that all the gymnasts, athletes, and celebrities I admire and am a fan of are normal people just like anyone else. And I think that's always important to remember, as a fan and as a journalist, as it allows you to connect more easily.

NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regional Championships weekend

The weekend of April 1 was definitely my favorite weekend of 2017. It was packed with awesome gymnastics and memories I'll never forget.

On that Friday, March 31, there was open practice for the regional competition. Anyone who wanted to go to the arena and watch the teams practice on the equipment in the arena was welcome. Luckily for me, I had no class on Fridays that semester, and my sister was also free to go, so of course we went! I was in no position to pass up free gymnastics. Plus, some big name gymnasts were there, including 2012 Olympian Kyla Ross and 2016 Olympian Madison Kocian, who both compete for UCLA.

After the first practice session, which UCLA was in, my sister, Ashley, got to interview Kyla, and I was (and still am) so jealous of her. During their interview, the topic of twins somehow came up, and suddenly I saw Ashley and Kyla walking over in front of where I was sitting (they were doing the interview down on the competition floor). Ashley knew I'd be upset if I didn't at least get to say hi to Kyla, and here she was making it happen, showing Kyla she indeed has a twin. Kyla said hello to me, and I smiled so big and said hi back. I was so happy!



Near the end of the interview, I saw fellow gym fans who were watching practice wait by the stairs down to the competition floor to get a picture with Kyla. Kyla was super nice and gracious and took photos with a few fans, and then I made my move to also get a picture with Kyla. I was not going to throw away my shot! (Brownie points to you if you got that reference.) So I went down to take a picture with Kyla, and she pointed out my shirt, saying she had the same one and how it's so comfy. I agreed because it is indeed a very comfy shirt. Then my sister joined us for a picture, and then we went our separate ways. I was so ecstatic to have met Kyla, who's one of my top three favorite gymnasts ever. And she's so sweet like everyone has said. It couldn't have been a better moment!

On to competition day, April 1. The competition itself was nothing special. Yes, the competition got pretty close, but what I cherish most about that day was what happened before and after.

Before the meet began, I got to meet 1972 Olympic gymnast and Illinois alumna Nancy Thies Marshall. There was an Illini women's gymnastics alumni event before the meet, and Nancy invited me to come because we wanted to meet. I interviewed Nancy about a year before for a story for my sports journalism class. Now that we were both in town at the same time (she had returned to the area over the summer when I wasn't there), it was the perfect opportunity.

I do admit it was definitely awkward being at an Illini women's gymnastics alumni event when I am not and will never be an Illini gymnastics alum, so I spent a good amount of time awkwardly sitting near the top of the stairs that led down to the event, looking for Nancy. As an introvert, it was definitely nerve-wracking, but luckily I finally spotted her and found a good opportunity to go down and talk to her. I only got to speak with her for a few minutes, but it was still nice to finally meet the person I had spent over an hour talking to about gymnastics a year before. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo with her. Maybe I'll get to meet her again, and then I'll get a photo.



Last, but definitely not least, is what happened after the meet. After the meet ended and results were officially announced in the arena, I went down to the media room for the press conferences with the top two teams. UCLA was first, and I was very surprised to see that no one in the media room was really there for the press conference. It seemed most were there already going through, editing, and uploading photos.

In fact, only two people actually interviewed UCLA head coach Miss Val, Kyla Ross, and Madison Kocian. The sports information director for UCLA's team asked them a few questions, and then it was open to all, AKA me and the writer from The Daily Bruin (UCLA's newspaper, but she didn't ask any questions, so it was just me). Anyway, before and after I asked all my questions, Miss Val said I looked "beautiful and lovely," which was so sweet and unexpected. I'd always heard such nice things about Miss Val, and I was able to add to them. She's seriously so nice! I understand why so many gymnasts want to be coached by her!

Later that night, I tweeted about how nice Miss Val was to me, and then she complimented my interviewing skills. As a journalist, that's got to be one of the best compliments you could get.



Graduation

Shoutout to my mom for getting me and my sister graduation cupcakes!

Being done with school forever feels so nice. Being able to celebrate that was great.

The commencement ceremonies themselves weren't super special. It was actually really, really hot the day of the big campuswide ceremony, and sitting in the sun for hours that day was no fun. Although Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman AKA Ron Swanson was the commencement speaker for University of Illinois' campuswide commencement, which was awesome and hilarious.

Nick Offerman delivers the commencement address at the 2017 University of Illinois campuswide commencement ceremony.

But just recognizing and celebrating an achievement like graduating from college is a fantastic memory. Plus, I got to take lots of cool graduation photos and see some family members I hadn't seen in a while.



Meeting Nastia Liukin

Unlike most people I know who go/went to the University of Illinois, I couldn't go home right away after finals or graduation. I had a yearbook to finish. Luckily, I was able to move back home just in time to meet my all-time favorite gymnast, 2088 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin!


Nastia was going to visit a gym about half an hour from my house to promote a USA Gymnastics meet, and there was going to be a meet and greet after the little promotional talk and Q & A. Considering I didn't have much else to do that day, I was not going to miss the chance to meet Nastia.




So it turns out more people showed up to the event than the gym expected, so fans wouldn't be getting an individual picture with Nastia, but they could still get their own autographs. I don't know if Nastia really talked to anyone else she signed something for, but when it was my turn to (sort of) meet her, she signed my pink Nastia shirt (we love pink) and said she liked my dress. So while I didn't get to take a picture with her, I did get her autograph, and she did compliment me. 


Finally going to New York City

I've wanted to go to New York City for as long as I can remember. Last summer, I finally got to go! In fact, I went twice!




In addition to the touristy things like going to see the Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, and Central Park, I also got to see two Broadway shows and took a Gossip Girl "sitting on the Met steps" picture. I rode the subway for the first time, shopped in Soho, toured the city on top of a double decker bus, and took tons of photos.

Madison Square Garden

Although I'd never been to NYC before last summer, I didn't think it would be a place I liked enough to live there. I'd only lived in a big city for the first three years of my life and never minded living in a suburb, but after being there for several days, I liked it more than I thought.

There's so much to do, see, and explore in NYC, I think it'd be really hard to get bored there. Even if you just decided to walk around, you'd probably find something that piques your interest. 

Reuniting with my best friend for the first time in four years

Last October, I got to see my longest friend in person for the first time since July 2013! I've been friends with my friend, Phoebe, since we were little sixth graders in 2006. We remained close friends throughout middle school and high school and even stayed in touch in college, even though she was over 2,000 miles away in San Diego and I was in the middle of Illinois. We Skyped every once in a while after she moved to San Diego but neither had been able to visit the other until last October.

I remember the last time we Skyped, she told me and my sister, Ashley, about how she and her friends wanted to come visit Chicago. It was still a few months away at the time, so we didn't know if it was going to happen, but it did! Phoebe flew to Chicago for a few days, and we were the first people she knew to see her.



We were literally so happy and excited to see each other that she ran to us when she found us waiting for her outside. It was morning when we met up, so we went to a nearby restaurant to have some brunch and then we walked to a little shopping district not too far away and then enjoyed even more food by having some doughnuts. Afterwards, we walked with her to find her Airbnb and hung out there for a little while before it was time for us to leave. So even though we only spent a few hours together, it was so nice to finally see each other again and catch up.

We may not talk everyday like we did in sixth grade when I would call her after volleyball practice and my homework was done, but she's my longest friend, and I know we'll be those friends who stay friends even if they haven't talked or seen each other in a while. This reunion proved that, and as someone who has often felt left out and never had that close group of friends, that means the world to me.

Plus, this was just a few days before my birthday, so seeing Phoebe was the best early birthday present ever.

Going to Main Event Entertainment for my birthday

A day after my birthday, I got to spend time with my other best friend, Carly. She, Ashley, and I met up at a bowling/arcade and restaurant place called Main Event (if it sounds familiar, if was in my October favorites) to catch up and celebrate my and Ashley's birthday.



We had lunch, exchanged presents, and then had fun feeling like kids again while playing arcade games. It was a pretty simple day, but that's the thing about our friendship. We've never needed to go anywhere special or even do anything at all. We're all introverts and enjoy staying at home, so we could just be sitting on the couch enjoying each other's company and have fun. But we definitely all enjoyed the activities of the day as it made us recent grads feel like kids again, and sometimes we all need to be reminded of what that feels like.

San Francisco in December

I feel like I just blogged about San Francisco, so I don't want to be too repetitive even though my San Francisco post was mainly photos and not many words.

My trip to San Francisco last year showed me that there's always more to see and that it's possible to enjoy places you've already been to, even if it's not Disney World or something super exciting like that. It was nice to get away from home for a few days this past December and go to the Bay Area. I got to try new food, see new places, and meet relatives I didn't even know existed. (If you're Filipino, you know.) In addition, the weather was great, allowing me to enjoy the trip even more.



I got to see more of San Francisco this time than in 2013, and I really liked the vibes the city gave me. It's like how I went to NYC and ended up liking it more than I thought. I still have a lot of the city left to explore, but I think that's why I liked the trip so much. It made me want to come back. And any trip that leaves you wanting more is a good one.

Seeing Newsies at the Marriott Theatre

My last favorite memory from 2017 would have to be going to see the Disney musical Newsies with Ashley and Carly.

Ever since Ashley came back from New York, she's been pretty into Broadway, and Newsies was on Broadway a few years ago. She watched the recorded version of the Broadway musical at a movie theater while she was in New York, and we watched it on Amazon when she got back. She instantly loved it after watching it at the movies, and I instantly loved it after I saw it, too.

Ashley and I listened to the soundtrack a lot for months and even watched it a few times more. Then we found out a theater not terribly far from us was doing it, and I guess Ashley told Carly about it and the musical in general because Carly got us all tickets for Christmas!



So we watched the show the day before New Year's Eve, and it was a packed house. Granted it was a relatively small theater, but there were only a few ― if any ― empty seats. The stage was in the center of the theater, so it was a 360° show, which I had never seen or heard of before, but it was really cool.

Overall, the show was great. I don't think it was better than the original Broadway show or the recording (honestly, that's a lot to live up to), but it was good, especially for a smaller theater with a much smaller stage and cast. The songs still sounded like the songs, and the acting was good. It was a great first show for us all to share, and now we all love Newsies.



After the show, we were hungry of course, so we went to Cheesecake Factory, caught up after a few months, and exchanged more Christmas presents. It was a nice, eventful way to finish up the year. I hope there are many more show days like that to come for us.


What were some of your favorite memories and moments from 2017?

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