Who I''m Sumi

[sumi]

Hi all, well I guess I've been posting here enough that I should properly introduce myself.....


I'm biracial: Asian and Caucasian. As you can imagine, I don't exactly look Asian but I don't exactly look white either. I have brown hair and green eyes and fairly light skin with a few freckles. I was born in Tokyo and moved back and forth between Japan and the United States for a while. My family settled in California when I was in the first grade. We moved around quite a bit even within California, we were in San Francisco for a while and then Los Angeles. I moved back to Tokyo for a few years in my early twenties, but now I'm back in Southern California for good.

Growing up biracial was no big deal for me. I do have a few pet peeves though. I would get a lot of people asking me "what are you?". I always thought that was a silly question....I'm a human! ha ha ha. There weren't many Asian/Caucasian kids when I was little, so I would always get a little excited to meet someone like me. Nowadays, at least in Los Angeles, there are a LOT of asian/caucasian kids so I don't think that will be a problem for the next generation of biracial kids. Many Asians think it's cool to be mixed race, and subsequently thought I was cool too just for be mixed. That is a huge pet peeve for me. I have absolutely no control over my genetic composition. I would much rather people be impressed by something that I actually have control over, like being a considerate and caring person or my academic accomplishments.

I went to a major law school in Los Angeles, and I recently passed the bar (on my first try! it was pretty brutal, only 49% of examinees passed). I am a lawyer, but I still need to grow in to those shoes. As my law school professors would always say, I know just enough to get myself in trouble.

I didn't grow up knowing that I wanted to be a lawyer. In fact, I stumbled in to it. I took the LSAT my second year of college just for the heck of it and scored way higher than I thought I would. I never really thought about law school though until a year after I graduated undergrad. I was in a job that I really didn't like, so I though I might as well go to law school. I got in to my first choice school. Once I was there, I knew I was in the right place and that this was something that I really enjoyed.

My husband is Chinese American. I have always had a thing for Asian men. It's really exciting to marry outside of your culture. I've learned so much about Chinese culture from my husband and his family. Don't forget the YUMMY Chinese food too! He is an architect and he's taught me so much about the world of art and architecture. It's funny because he always knew he could never marry another architect and I always knew I could never marry another lawyer. What could be more different that architecture and law? We don't have any children yet, our cats are our kids for now.

 

[Jaded Gem]

Hello Sumi!

Nice to hear about your history/background. Your story was a very interesting read. Did you go to Lowell High School in SF? I have a friend not too far from you studying at Caltech in Pasadena. My husband has a lot of family in the San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego areas. I miss the weather out there since it's been freezing cold where I am. My husband also has a childhood friend who is a lawyer out in L.A. It would be funny if both of you worked at the same firm...small world to say the least. His friend went to UC-Berkeley's Boalt Law School. Anyway, I agree with you about interesting husbands. My husband is a second generation ABC and he has a chemical engineering degree, but does computer analyst type work right now. We don't talk much about his work unless I want to do something fancy with certain computer software or learn more about computers. Oh and like you, we don't have any kids either since we just recently got married. Anyway, nice to see your postings. They are always very interesting and enlightening.

 

[Kamuelamom]

Hi Sumi, great to hear all about you. Hope you stick around for the fun.

 

[mike04456]

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On 1/20/2004 2:35:07 PM sumi wrote:





I went to a major law school in Los Angeles

----------------

I'd say there's a better-than-50% chance we went to the same school.

Do you have a practice area yet or are you still looking?

 

[sumi]

LawGem: no practice area yet. I know that I don't want to get in to criminal or family law, but that's about it. My law clerking experience is in mostly in corporate transactions and some intellectual property (trademarks). I hear it's a little rough for transactional att'ys these days. I did work at a family law firm for a tiny bit, but it was very difficult emotionally. I think I got too involved with the clients' situations. I'm still looking, talking with a few firms. It's scary to get your first "real" job because I heard that's basically the area that you'll stay in. What did you specialize in when you were practicing law?

 

[mike04456]

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On 1/20/2004 5:47:48 PM sumi wrote:





It's scary to get your first 'real' job because I heard that's basically the area that you'll stay in. What did you specialize in when you were practicing law?

----------------

Not really true--I know plenty of lawyers who have moved around, although if you want to go the traditional big-firm route, it's harder. I worked for a special ed lawyer in law school, clerked for a criminal lawyer while waiting for my bar results, worked at an insurance defense litigation firm my first year or so, then moved into publishing and IP/copyright, which is basically where I've stayed. So there's no reason you have to settle for one area forever.

 

[Mara]

Funny about the 'what are you' questions...I get that too sometimes due to my mixed heritage of Mexican & Persian.




My instinctual response is 'I'm American!'

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Sumi,

Thanks for sharing and congratulations on passing the bar. Hope you find happiness and success in your career as a lawyer and in life as well!

Michelle

 

[sumi]

Thanks MC! The worst part about taking the bar is that in California it's a three day exam, and then it takes FOUR MONTHS to get results. That was the longest four months of my life. You get the results over the internet these days. The bar examiners publish a pass list. If you didn't pass, all you get is a message that says your name did not appear on the pass list. I think that's pretty cold!

 

[derekinla]

Hi Sumi,

Thanks for sharing. I can kind of relate to your bar exam experience. I took my medicine boards back in July and it was a 2 day ordeal that carried a $1000 price tag. The results didn't reach my mailbox until 3 months later.

 

[sumi]

Yes! That's another thing that sucks about the exam. I think the exam itself was a couple of hundred dollars, but you also have to pay for a background check which is another couple hundred. You basically HAVE to take a crash course the for exam which is a couple of thousand dollars. Luckily, my grandmother offered to pay for all bar related expenses. It just doesn't seem fair for people who come from a financially disadvantaged position. Some people have to take out bar loans just for the exam and prep materials!

 

[fire&ice]

Hi Sumi - I've been married to an Architect for 20 years. It can be quite challanging at times.

- that whole right side of the brain thing. Get to know the term "Architortural". Cracks me up when *they* (other Architects)have to discuss ad nauseum what grout color to use. Go figure - they make major decisions about spending millions - yet angsts about grout color. And, sometimes design above all - the heck w/ practicality.

 

[sumi]

Ahhhh! F&I I know too well what you are talking about! Also, I have just given up all together on picking out any furniture, color scheme, layout scheme for my own home. I guess it's all for the best because I am the most artistically challenged person I know.

 

[hoorray]

Just to defend the architects who are absent from this board....I agree that grout color is critical! get it wrong, and it will bug me forever...

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/21/2004 12:52:09 PM lop wrote:

Just to defend the architects who are absent from this board....I agree that grout color is critical! get it wrong, and it will bug me forever...----------------

So, you are into Architorture!

 

[hoorray]

Yes -- you obsess over earthquakes and numbers, and I obsess over grout color, perfect corners, and furniture scale.

btw...I just thought about the fact that my birthday is 4/4. That will never change! maybe I should rethink this numbers thing!

 

[sumi]

Being married to an architect means:

*listening to hours long conversations about a door hinge

*stopping almost every other step so s/he can check out a building detail (last time it was a clever rain gutter that stopped us)

*checking out every construction site that we pass

*having a million pens and pencils around the house

*mechanical erasers (I'm serious! a MECHANICAL ERASER!)

*tons of design magazines/books

*the wonderful world of designer chairs (but I actually really enjoy looking at cool chairs now too)



F&I anything to add to this list?

 

[hoorray]

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On 1/21/2004 9:22:53 PM sumi wrote:

Being married to an architect means:

*listening to hours long conversations about a door hinge

*stopping almost every other step so s/he can check out a building detail (last time it was a clever storm drain that stopped us)

*checking out every construction site that we pass

*having a million pens and pencils around the house

*mechanical erasers (I'm serious! a MECHANICAL ERASER!)

*tons of design magazines/books

*the wonderful world of designer chairs (but I actually really enjoy looking at cool chairs now too)



F&I anything to add to this list?

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LOL! I guess living and breathing it can get pretty odd, but at least you get cool chairs out of it.

 

[fire&ice]

...you're only in the photo for scale.

..you *never* throw out little drawings on napkins.

..you bow in reverance every once in a while to FLW & know the names of the important commissions.

..you can never have enough scales

..you actually know the good ones to buy at yard sales

..not only must you admire cool chairs - you know the names, must own a few & have on reference the Vitri Design museum chair poster.

..not only do you walk construction sites, you know the Osha rules.

I could go on - it's interesting. Somewhat of an acquired taste. And, plan reading a necessity

And, Lop, you learn to *not* obsess about grout. It can keep you up at night.

 

[Jaded Gem]

Hey correct me if I'm wrong, (I'm not an architect but thinking from an engineering viewpoint), don't most architects AutoCad? From engineering work and developing plans, I noticed that you can draw, redraw, draw to scale, and do a lot with AutoCad. Do architects still use graph paper and pencil? I had an engineer colleague who I used to sit across from, and he only used the paper and pencil method. Of course with that method, he also utilized an electric eraser which is like a long pen eraser. All the younger people like myself always encouraged him to Cad, but either his lack of willingness to learn AutoCad or love of pencil, paper, and electric eraser kept him staying with the traditional ways of drafting. Sorry to ask, but just curious about what architects utilize now. Do most architects use a combination of AutoCad and also physically draw on paper? What is the pros and cons of each. Sorry, my curious mind wants to know. Thanks.

 

[fire&ice]

Mine doesn't use cad to draw. Most construction documents are drawn on cad; but, details, especially in the field, are done on paper.

And, the scales, etc are sort of an Architect's macho. Kinda like diamonds are a women's macho.

 

[sumi]

My husband seems to use both. He uses autocad for most of the work, but it seems like he uses paper/pencil method to work out design problems or something. Man, he is REALLY fast with autocad. It seems like he would draw a LOT in college, but not so much anymore. There's another thing I have to add to the list: the ubiquitous sketch book. He's always doodling!

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/22/2004 12:21:12 PM sumi wrote:

There's another thing I have to add to the list: the ubiquitous sketch book. He's always doodling!----------------

At least yours does in a book - mine does it everywhere. I never know what to throw away.

Re: cad - Hubby doesn't do much designing anymore unless it's to work out problems. He's mostly on the development/construction end. And, cad wasn't around large scale early in his career. I'll have to ask him - but I don't think cad helps much w/ the programming/creative phase of working out the design schem.. Could be wrong though. He may just have come accustomed to drawing.