So far...

So it has been too long since I've written. But time has not been my friend. Between work, school, work, work, some school, and work, time has not allowed me to write as often as I wish I could. You have no idea how many countless times I sit back and think, "this would make an excellent blog post!" But alas, it doesn't work out that way. So things that have been happening, aside from the business stated earlier, that have been development in some of my own goals. Some growth opportunities have been presented to me recently, and as I keep hearing them from more and more people, they seem to be more and more of a possibility. Should make for an interesting later half of the year. I know I'm being über vague, but I don't want to jump ahead and have things turn out differently. It's been unfortunate that three of my friends lost grandparents in a one week timespan, for supporting them has also been part of what I've been doing. For me alone, this has been a recent issue. I will say that there was a sense of what I can only describe as strangeness when attending the wake for a friend's grandparent when I could not attend those of my own grandparents last year (other that the rosary services my mother held here for our local family and friends). But the important thing is to be there for those I care for. Lent is here, and with it the same thing I gave up last year. I ended up learning a lot last year, so I hope it continues into this lental season. So here I am just keeping busy, and with the ongoing commitment to try and write more often. Stay tuned. In good music news, I LOVE this song by Josh Groban and completely recommend it:

Status Update

My most recent Facebook status update? "Enjoy what's left of 12/12/12, it's the last repetitive day in our lifetime"With that said, I've decided to write a blog post summarizing some things I have been absolutely grateful for the past 12 months.


January 2012:

Started off the year right with awesome friends at the Long Beach New Year Celebration

February 2012:

Got my new baby, my car

March 2012:

Good times celebrating St. Pati's Day

April 2012:
One of my biggest dreams for the past couple of years came true, I went to Italy to visit amazing people and sites

Unfortunately, upon my return, I lost my grandfather Fernando

However, in trying to make as much of a mark as I can, I did my first walk for Autism Speaks

May 2012:
Got to see my buddy Phoebe (http://phoebejanesblog.blogspot.com) graduate, Go Toros!

June 2012:

Got to celebrate a year away from Korea by having a mini reunion with friends

I also got to see my first class of eighth graders graduate from my current job, having marked a year at NDA then

July 2012:

End of July, got to have good times in Hawaii (celebrating a year since I had been there, hehehe)

August 2012:

More Hawaiian good times with friends

And got to visit Hawaii with family

And it was upon my return that I lost my grandmother exactly three months after having loss my grandfather, it was not a good time for my mother.  Glad to know she is better.

Got to try zip-lining, FUN!

September 2012:

It is my birthday when I feel truly blessed for the people who have come into my life.

October 2012:

Though I wasn't initially excited about the idea of Watsonville, it was nice to see a childhood friend in the area and enjoying my trip. (Lizzy from http://secretariesinaphonebooth.blogspot.com)

I also got to see the amazing Alanis Morissette live once again. Concert number four of hers that I have attended.  Icing on the cake...I won the tickets in a contest

November 2012:

Korea super reunion in Fresno.  Love these guys, we have been through a lot together.

December 2012:

Another Korean reunion, how awesome is that? It's not that easy to accomplish, but we find a way when the will is there.

Things still to come: Christmas, Christmas parties, and New Year's Day of course!

Among these 12 months my amazing friends have accomplished great things from moves in career, location and family size.  Happy for all of them.

My family continues strong, and I am in great hopes that continues.

Unreal

It always blows my mind when I go to trips with people in which we know each other from one place and end up somewhere completely different.  A not-so-distant occurrence was the Hawaii trip I took this summer.  However, a much more current event even made this idea more real yet unreal.

This happened in the city of Pyeongtaek in South Korea in the summer of 2011:

Then this happened at Clovis in Fresno, California in November 2012:

Yes, same people, and even MORE!
We had a blast catching up, eating, sharing stories, eating, going down memory lane and eating.  The fun stuff consisted of the Korean slip-ups (I called Korea "back home" at one point), using our Hangul skills in the Korean restaurant (where we had our fortunes told), board games, and wine tastings.  Good times, surreal it happened, glad it happened, and looking forward to the next one.

Heights

It's November 6th, 9pm, and Obama has won a second term as president of the US.


I'm watching the propositions' results come in....it's getting interesting.  As an educator, minority, son of immigrants, I care deeply about politics, but I don't discuss them much.  Mainly because I feel everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but also that I really don't want to fuel a conversation that leads to disrespect and will never lead to someone changing his or her mind.  It's like convincing someone to change religion....actually, more like getting someone to quit vegetarianism.  Good luck, but there are no winners.

People just need to get out there and vote, because there are some many people that live in countries they contribute to every single day, but cannot.  Don't let your vote go to waste ever, because then it's a waste that you got the right to vote.






On another topic, I was thinking about heights.  Not the same type of heights as posted here when I ziplinned just this past August, but close.

But in the same fashion, it's difficult to be up high.  I see people work extremely hard for the places they are in, and for the things they want to achieve, but at the same time I see them stop themselves for fear of those successes.  I know it's a difficult topic to articulate, but I hope I've given it a good try just now.  This idea crossed my mind yesterday as I noticed someone who continuously stops themselves from achieving amazing things.  Not to say I'm not guilty of the same thing, as I have been and probably will in the future, but this was clearly evident.  I hope nothing but that everyone I know is happy, and finds themselves over and on top of their high points.