San Guivi

Years ago I read a book from a news reporter I respect a lot, Jorge Ramos. The book, The Other Face of America, has immigrant accounts on their assimilation to American life. The one account that has always stood out to me was how one woman was getting ready to celebrate the day of San Guivi (San is Spanish for Saint) on a November Thursday. Without knowing she had heard wrong, it turned out in the end that she had confused the English word for Thanksgiving (sound it out) with the patron saint she was really to celebrate.

On that note, I want to say that I have a lot to be thankful for. I have an awesome family that always sticks together in the good and tough times. My family is happy and healthy and we're all growing together as a unit all the time. My dad always states that his favorite days are those when his whole family can get together and during grace this Thanksgiving, he mentioned that his birthday a week ago and this Thanksgiving were happy moments for him.

I also have awesome friends. They are people who are constantly growing and that I have had the privilege to watch growing for many years now. I also appreciate what I have learned from each one of them, and what I continue to learn from them.

Given that Father Chase, a Los Angeles holiday icon, recently passed away, and given the fact that he also used to teach at my current workplace, I feel especially appreciative about the freedoms and things I have.

Appreciate what you have, what you have had, and what you will have. Enjoy your long weekend America!

Writer's Time Block & All Hallow's Eve

So that last post I just published was actually something started, as the blogspot time stamp indicates, over a month ago. It's not that I haven't had anything to write about, because I have, it's just that time has not allowed me to be as dedicated to my writing as I tend to be. A lot of things have been changing and going on, all the while I'm still trying to maintain my constants constant. It's funny how something as relaxing and that allows me to vent, writing, has been pushed to the back burner. I'll do better.

I must say everything I have been able to control has been going well. Work is great, my family is doing well, and it's been nice reconnecting with my friends as if I had never left. I guess what's been keeping me the most busy has been making some adjustments to these changes. Three month bug I suppose? Now it's back to normality as I have created it.

I've been lucky in seeing a fellow teacher from Korea in the US when my friend Lexi had a layover in LA for a day on her way to Fiji. Exchanging stories from the land of the morning calm was a lot of fun. I'm also waiting to reconnect with Mel from http://melinsouthkorea.blogspot.com/ again. Having someone who lived in the same town as I did in Korea who now lives permanently in LA again will be interesting.

I'm also planning on traveling, currently working on some of those plans, so I'll keep you posted. Aside from a couple of fender benders this week (no joke), most of my time in the recent present has been really fun. I've celebrated Halloween (my second most favorite holiday of the year) with the students and teachers and my workplace, by spending time with my niece, spending time with friends at a party, and going to Halloween movie night with other friends. They've been good times. Actual Halloween is just a few hours away from now, so we'll see how that goes. Time to get a vibe for the candy consumption in my new neighborhood.

Okay, so I'm off. Have pleasant screams and sweet nightmares. Happy Halloween!


(my niece and I as our favorite storybook characters for Halloween 2011)

Trixie Koontz

Genio was my dog, and he was an awesome dog. He was a pit bull that was mixed with something else. We originally got him from someone my dad knew who could not keep pets anymore in her apartment. She had three, and luckily for us, our neighbors behind us took in Genio's mom and sister while we took him. I think there was piece of mind for everyone, including the dogs because they had to adjust to new homes yet they didn't have to feel separated.

He was a strong puppy too, ripping through his leash on the first day at our home. That was an omen for the playfulness in him. And although playful, it was all done in a timely manner, which is something I could strongly relate to. As the years went by, he became a respected member of the family. A guard, who we knew would strike if he sense danger. A caretaker, as he was always as playful as a teddy bear when he was near children. A baby, and like any baby enjoyed having playtime with the belly and made "happy eyes" whenever that special area on his neck was rubbed. A gentleman, who always had to have his paw shaken by whoever was giving him his plate of food during that time, otherwise it would just be rude to not do so.
I saw these elements in him come alive for me during the reading of Dean Koontz's book, A Big Little Life. Koontz had a dog named Trixie who had such amazing qualities, that he could not help but write a book about her. Granted, I've been reading Koontz's works since high school (it all started with Sole Survivor) and if you know anything about the man, you know autobiographical tales are not his push. He's more into the second-supernatural-nature-door-portal-opening-while-someone-has-a-hidden-talent-the-world-is-trying-to-suppress type of author. I love his writing and I immediately rose to the challenge of giving this different genre of his a spin.

Although Genio is no longer with us, as Trixie is no longer with Dean, I always wonder how of how awesome it is to look at an animal and want to hear its story. Because animals have an innocence and because they are our closest link to true nature, there's a reason so many stories involve them.

I just wonder what kind of story my parents' current dog, Patches, will leave behind as her legacy.

X

I did something today as a continuation of something I did this past Friday. It's something that gives me sinking feeling all over, especially my heart. In a few weeks it will be the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2011 attacks on the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Let's forget that this is the day of my birthday, this has nothing to do with that. What I've been doing is watching YouTube videos, one after the other, of the second plane hitting the WTC.

Why? Because it's been ten years, and it needs to be acknowledged. If YouTube was around during the Pearl Harbor attacks and that had happened during my lifetime, I'm sure I'd be doing the same thing for that event. The fact that we live in the post-modern era has allowed us to be bombarded with information about one topic. What that means for this is that I've been seeing a multitude of videos of the second plane hitting that tower because they're available to me. One video stuck out the most amongst the many I watched. The first plane had hit the tower and this woman was recording the wreckage because of it. Then her video, showed the second plane hitting the WTC. In that instant, after the yell of shock from her stunned feelings, she yelled out, "this is planned." And that's just it, it was then and there that this event was no longer and accident, it was an attack.

I always find it important to reflect. Some time ago, and I discussed on a previous blog post what I went through a decade ago the day of these attacks. Someone that was there with me on that day ten years ago, my friend Lizzy, recently referred me to a Washington DC radio station that is doing a special on individuals who have their birthdays on that day and what they went through. Regardless of it having been my birthday, I want to contribute as a young American who was on the opposite coast in order to provide a diverse perspective for the special.

I want to remember because I think people should not take that day or any day for granted. Those attacks could've easily happened to any of us within the American borders. But because they did not, we should not let those who lost their lives to have lost them in vain.

Rest in Peace those of you who lost your lives because of these attacks. My best wishes to their family and friends and anyone who has ever been heartbroken because of this day's aftermath.