Happy Holidays!

Hey, hope everyone is having a good time at home with their families! It's been a while (again I know) and I really wish I update this blog on a daily basis but I get lazy haha. It's pretty weird how I come around to post every month, but it's nice to see the contrasts in my posts every month y'know? Not many people follow my blog anyways and it's for me to relieve my thoughts so its whatever right.

ANYWAYS, what's up with my life? I got home for my Winter Break from UVA on Friday, last week. I drove home with a 2nd year friend of mine named Josh. It was a really cool drive home, I got to learn a lot about him and I guess he got to learn a lot about me. We're in OYFA (Organization of Young Filipino Americans, I know I'm not Filipino. But you don't have to be) so we had a lot of topics to talk about. We talked about the stuff going on in our lives and I had a good time just sitting back and talking. Josh lives in Southern Virginia and he was driving up to NoVA (Northern Virginia) to attended our friend's (Sofie's) debut. To those that aren't familiar with Filipino Debuts, its pretty much a debutante ball for Filipino girls when they turn 18, like how the Spanish celebrate when their daughters turn 16. Consequently, Josh got stuck up in NoVA because on Saturday night, a HUGE snow storm hit our area that piled up around 2 feet of accumulated snow. It ended up closing the local schools for about 3 days (which they are loving because it gave the local highschoolers a 2 week Christmas Break)

Sunday night, I went to my first Filipino Debut. It was supposed to be on the night before but the snow storm ended up delaying the party and as a result, many guests from UVA couldn't drive up and attend. Although at first I was disappointed by the lack of familiar people I knew at the Debut (even Josh couldn't go because his car got snowed in at his Aunt's neighboorhood) I ended up having a lot of fun! There was good food, dancing, and a lot of happy people celebrating my friend's birthday. It got emotional at one point but it was a nice atmosphere.

There's me with my friends and the lovely birthday girl :)

It was a little awkward at first because almost NO ONE from UVA showed up. But that's alright, it turned out to be a very lovely evening.

It was also a PARTY, so of course I got my groove on :)
Check out the birthday girl's reaction! LOVE IT haha

It's really nice to be home and it's been very relaxing. I ended my first semester of UVA with a 3.3 GPA, which I'm both pleasantly surprised and disappointed in. For one thing, I did not think I would end up with a 3.3 GPA but when It came out, it made me realize how CLOSE I was to UVA's Dean's List (3.4 GPA). It made me think that if I worked just a LITTLE bit harder, or was a little bit less careless, I could have made the Dean's List! Also, it really shows a stark contrast with my highschool GPA. I remember ending my freshman year in high school with a 3.85 GPA. It's crazy and stressful because I am trying to get into Medical School which requires at least a 3.5 GPA to be considered competitive. I can still hear my mom's concerned voice when she heard the GPA I received. "Mom I got a 3.3" "3.3?! That's so low!"

But it's whatever, UVA is difficult and I guess I should be happy with a 3.3 GPA with the high standards UVA has. But it has definitely motivated me to improve and they say 1st semester is the most difficult (but at the same time I've heard it all goes downhill from there) I'm determined to succeed however, and I want to be a doctor.

Anyways, I participated in a secret Santa lately with some of my closest friends. The limit was $25 to spend and I bought my secret Santa a furry hat and scarf that totaled up to $24.95. PERFECT! I think she liked it because she was wearing the scarf and hat right after I gave it to her. It was fun getting to see my friends again. My gift, unfortunately, wasn't that great. I was hoping to get a new white cap or a nice shirt at the least but my secret santa ended up getting me an Astro Boy lunch box.



But whatever, I'm really glad I was able to make my secret Santa happy and I think she genuinely liked my gifts. I gotta thank my friend Andria for helping me pick those out.

So what have I been doing at UVA? Well during finals week, instead of studying, I decided to jam with my friends from OYFA, Ian Fajardo. We got into a local competition with Josh where we would post a musical video in response to each other on Facebook. Here's one of our videos :)



Other than that, I've gained about 9 lb in the last 3 months from UVA food. I'm planning on getting fit again over winter break. I've also picked up bboying! I'll update once I get decent. Anyways, I think this post should make up for my month of absence. Happy Holidays everyone, and be safe!

Blessed and Stressed

It's been a while since my last post but I think its excusable seeing as how busy I've been for the last 2 months.

First off, I want to say that I miss home, I miss my friends (Teck Fresh, Sohwa, and Angela especially), and Mimi (my dog). Thanksgiving break is next week so it wont' be long before I see them again. I am always thinking of all of you and wish that I can get to see you guys as soon as possible. Hearing words from you aren't the same as talking to you guys face to face. I love and miss you all very much.

UVA is both a blessed and one of the most stressful places I've ever been. I've adjusted to living but am still not used to not exceeding academically here at UVA. It's tough and I hate how tough it is. It's fuckin stressful because it's the first time I'm getting Bs on a regular basis. But I'm also getting involved with the orgs here at UVA.


First off, I've been Historian for the Vietnamese Student Association for about 1 month now and I gotta say that I fairly enjoy making slideshows for VSA and giving back to this very communal org. However, the downside would be that I have to attend ALL the VSA events and meetings that keep me away from participating in other orgs that I equally enjoy.


The Organization of Young Filipino Americans, especially, is an organization that I am in love with. The sense of family the Filipinos transcends into this Org and I couldn't be happier. I've gotten so close to people like Kyle, Keia, Anessa, Ian, and Sofie that they're the closest physical family I've got here at UVA. I <3 my OYFA bigs too. They're seriously amazing and are the closest things to older siblings that I have ever gotten in my life. They're funny, supportive, caring and I love all of them, especially Mama. Love is the only genuine word that I can use to describe OYFA.

I'm going to go to VCU this weekend for a Filipino Culture Convention. It should be interesting but I'm looking forward more to the family bonding that I know is gonna be happening. It should give me a chance to unwind after a hell week of papers and exams. I can't describe how disappointed I am at myself for not doing as well academically but with the support of all my friends here at UVA, I'm getting by. Hope the next post won't take as long to post.

UVA is amazing

Been so busy at UVA. Gonna update soon i promise!!

Alex, Elderen, Chris, Sohwa, Jeremy and Angela are the best.

It's pretty late, but I want to make this post so I don't leave out any of the details that occurred on this amazing night.

Tonight my friends took me out to Dolcevita for one final evening before I left them for UVA. We ate some pretty good food in a great Italian setting. The night started out a little rough because we were late for our reservation (getting lost trying to find the restaurant, ending up on the highway) but that in a way was fun in itself haha.

When we finally got to the restaurant, the exterior of the building looked very dark and decrepit. I admit I was a little bit taken back at first, but when we stepped into the building, the whole scenery changed. We caught up with Alex and his "surprise guest", Jeremy and had a great meal. First, we got appetizers and ordered different Italian dishes. I got veal with some pasta which tasted pretty good. We got dessert too! I ordered a cheesecake (which Elderen and Sohwa loved) while the others got a lemon tart and a chocolate cake (which was TOO SWEET)

The things we did after Dolcevita however, was what made this evening so great. I couldn't ask for better friends than Alex Chou, Chris Kim, Elderen Lee, Sohwa Kim, and Angela Kim. After we finished our meals we left and Alex suggested we go to Fair City. After dropping by a McDonalds so Jeremy could pee, we hung out in the parking lot in front of Shoppers. At first, Alex called to tell us he had to drop Elderen off at home because his mom wanted him home and later called agian to tell us he had to drop off Chris. So after 15 minutes (and a trip to the Bank of America), Alex comes with Chris AND Elderen with a box...

This brought me to tears... especially after eating all of it hahaha. After that we took 21 jumping pictures

... with only 1 successful take.

Finally, a security guard asked us to leave because we were laughing so much in the parking lot :)

Yeah, so this evening was the last I'll have with my senior friends before leaving them for UVA. So many emotions are running past me that I can hardly express them all. I'm so grateful to have such great friends of them. This summer was especially hard for me because I felt like I never had any real friends in highschool and that the friends I made were truly temporary or artificial. But after tonight, I felt their love and love them back so much. They are my family and I'm going to really miss them. It's such a bittersweet moment but I really hope they succeed and prosper while I'm gone. Even if I make new friends at UVA, I know they will not be as caring as these people.

Alex, Chris, Elderen, Sohwa, and Angela. I love you guys.

Only a Week Left

With the days starting to wind down, I'm starting to really think about the people who have mattered so much to me these last couple months. It's coming down to the wire before I leave to UVA and there's still so much to do haha. I haven't gotten a laptop yet and I still need to pack. But anyways I should probably update on my life. This last week has reminded me on how lucky I am to have such caring friends.

Alex, Chris, Sohwa, Elderen, Angela, Josh and I went to Kings Dominion on Wednsday with a couple people. We met up at around 9 am to go buy ingrediants in order to make and pack our lunches (because food is so mad expensive at KD). I took Sohwa to Microcenter to buy her a memory card and while we were gone Sohwa's mom made us amazing boxed lunches. We ended up leaving for KD at around 11:10 am. I drove the whole way with Sohwa, Chris, Elderen and Angela in my car. During the ride, Chris, Elderen, and Angela DJed in my car with Chris's Ipod. I think we sang the whole way :). We got to KD at around 12:30 and we had lunch and got in the park at around 1:00. Everything after that has pretty much been a fantastic blur because we did so much and went on so many rides. It was a great day.
We stayed at KD until the park closed and officially left at around 10:30 pm. We decided to go to IHOP back in Fairfax because none of us had any dinner. We got at IHOP at around midnight where we ended up staying until 1:30 am. It was cool because Elderen turned 17 right when we got to IHOP and we got to celebrate his birthday right on the minute.

I got in a lot of trouble coming home at around 1:30 am (when I told my mom I'd be home by 10:00). But that's alright, the day was too good for my mom to spoil.

The times I've had Alex, Chris, Elderen, Sohwa, Angela, and Josh have truly been the best moments that I can recollect in a long time. They've always thought of me and put it out of their way to include me in their plans. Their group has been one that I'm proud to have been a part of and grateful for. I'm really gonna miss them at UVA.

Frusterated but not giving up

This summer has really left me to think on who my friends really are up to this point. I know I've said that so many times in this blog but I can't stop thinking about it. I feel... abandoned or forgotten. The group I usually hung out with in high school, especially junior year, I feel has moved on without me. So many changes have happened and it makes me both depressed and a little angry on how much an impact these changes have made. I feel alone a lot nowadays. I know I have a couple very supportive friends like Andria, Agnes, and Sarah but I also feel as though I'm insignificant in their lives. It's left me thinking about whether it's my fault all of this is happening... and it's scary. I've tried my best to be a nice guy. But I've been accused of using people, being selfish, which I don't deny. I'm sure everyone has used someone in one point in their lives. I sometimes wish I was funnier, had a better personality, but that is something I can't change.

I guess what's leaving me to think about my friends again is the fact that a couple of them went on beach week to Ocean City without saying a word to me about it... It's leaving me to feel like a little kid I guess. The kid who is left out while everyone is playing in the sandbox. Like the awkward kid noone wants to talk to because he's not funny, fast, or interesting... he's just there. That's what I feel like now. Like I'm here and no one acknowledges it. I haven't been able to hang out with Alex, Elderen, Chris, Sohwa, or Angela lately either because they're still in high school... they still got a lot going for them. I sometimes wish I was a year younger, so that I can relate to them more. They've treated me so much better than my old friends. But I guess my age has played a part in it too.

On the upside, I think I jumped over the hill on my wisdom teeth. They're not hurting anymore and only have a slight discomfort. The only thing I'm worried about is how my stitches have gone loose and left my gum kinda of clinging off the side. I don't know whether its normal or not because it doesn't hurt. Food is getting stuck easily in the gap though, so I hope nothing bad is gonna happen...

But anyways, there's only 2.5 weeks of summer left for me before I go on to UVA. I've already talked to a lot of people from Kellogg dorm and I'm really excited to leave. But before I do, I'm making sure that I go to OC for at least a day with Agnes and Co. and then go to KD with the Juniors. I'm definately not going to let something like beach week keep me from living up the rest of summer.

How can removing 4 teeth be so uncomfortable??

I got my wisdom teeth removed today, and I gotta say that it wasn't a very pleasant experience. Firstly, my dad woke me up at 6:30 am so that we could make it to the dentist's office in DC where I was going to get my operation done. My schedule was at 8:30 but my dad wanted to leave early in case of traffic. It turns out there was none and we got at the office at 7:30. Thus, I sat around for about an hour waiting for my surgery. I spent half of that hour trying to sleep in in a cramp waiting chair lol.

After finally getting called up, the nurse hooked me up to a heart monitor. It was pretty cool because it looked like of those machines in TV and I had fun trying to see how calm I could get my heart. Eventually the nurse and dentist came and hooked me up to an IV, which I am TERRIFIED of. The idea of a needle being stuck into your vein still makes me want to faint, but it didn't turn out so bad. The doctor wrapped a rubber string around my arm and made it go numb, so all I felt was a pinch (I also looked away haha). Unfortunately, he had to jab me a second time because he missed my vein.

I can't really remember much of the operation because I was knocked out. I remember feeling my arm go numb after he started applying the anesthetic and the nurse putting me on an oxygen mask, and then everything went black, I woke up on a bed somewhere in the office and was really dizzy and disorientated. I thought it was funny I couldn't keep my balance.

Now, right after I got home, that was when everything started hurting like hell. My lower jaw started stinging like crazy, and I felt extremely nauseous (especially when I was upright.) My parents fed me jell-o and some meds, but I eventually I spontaneously threw up blood. That turned out helping me a lot though, cause I supposedly swallowed a lot of blood during the operation and I felt a lot better after. My pain-meds also kicked in, which is the first time I've ever used prescription pain-killers. I gotta say that I felt wonderful after I woke up having taken them.

Well, that's pretty much been my day. I hope I recover quickly and don't get a dry socket. I'm kinda nervous because my mom didn't follow the dentist's instructions and told me to do stuff that I shouldn't have done. Oh well, I hope people visit me while I'm stuck at home. I'm already getting sick of Jello-O and Yogurt.

I would die for some meat right now sighhhhhh

Can't wait for UVA

I don't like the way I've been sounding the last couple posts. They make me seem more sad than I really am and is hardly displaying the amount of excitement I have stored up in the upcoming month. This summer's been hard for me. I've felt abandoned by my old friends, but thankfully it's made me realize who my true friends are. They are the ones that I'm focusing my attention and its getting me through these months. Although this summer has been a hard one for me, I do believe things will get better after Move-In Day at UVA, which is Aug. 25th. I already got in touch with my roommate and he seems like an alright guy.

I haven't really touched on the my living arrangements at UVA yet but it is definately one of the major things I'm excited about. I was assigned to live in Kellogg House, which is apparently a new dorm that was built last year. It has plasma screen TVs, carpeting, elevators, and air conditioning. The only downside I see living there is the lack of minority. I only saw 2 asians on the housing list but its whatever, I need to broaden my horizons. I'm already making friends with people online before even having moved in.

Another thing that's already made me fallen in love with UVA about is the fact that there's gonna be a block party the first night of Move-In day with GIRL TALK throwing a free concert. I admit I had no idea who Girl Talk was until I saw the event on FB but after looking it up on youtube I couldn't believe it. Girl Talk is a mash-up DJ who throws huge house parties whenever he performs. The area around him becomes a dance floor and it's pretty much a huge dance party with flashing lights and everything. U2 is also coming to UVA on Oct. 1 but I'm not sure if I'm going to go because I'm not that huge a U2 fan.

I can't wait to start living at UVA.

Chris, Alex, Elderen, Sohwa, and Angela are true friends. I couldn't ask for better ones. Imma miss them at UVA.

I turned 18 today.

Nothing really happened. My mom was the only one that cared enough to do something. She got me a cake and had family over for dinner. I got a bunch of FB notifications of people saying "Happy Birthday." But that's about it...

Iunno, it's kind of concerning to me that I didn't see any of my friends in person on my 18th birthday. I think its kinda lame how facebook has replaced the traditional happy birthday phone call or instsant message. It seems so general and impersonal. It got me back into seeing who my true friends are. I'm not ungrateful though, I deeply appreciate all the comments that wished me a happy birthday. Those notifications were what made my birthday and I'm thankful for them.

Thoughts Before Graduation

In less than 24 hours I'm going to graduate from high school...

It's such a big and exciting step... yet I can't help but feel some anxiety. It hit me a couple hours ago that this is going to be it. This is the last chapter of my high school years, the last page. With the closing of this final chapter, I can't really see any reason to look back in the past. I feel like I've got nothing to look back on, nothing worthwhile. That isn't completely true though. The friends I've made this year have brought me comfort. Alex, Elderen, Chris, and Josh have all been supportive friends even though they have yet to experience the things I've gone through. When I've felt abandoned or bored, they're always there to cheer me up. They're good guys.

I can't help but feel like I don't belong anywhere among my friends these days. I don't attach myself to any certain groups because I feel alienated in both. There are only a handful of individuals I feel comfortable with and am going to sincerely miss after I leave for UVA. It's still bothering me how little I've achieved in high school. Prom was a let down, although I had fun, many things from that night went on to bother me.

But despite all these disappointments, things are picking up. Senior year has been a rollercoaster to me, going up and down but it is definately going up at the moment. I've made new friends and inspirations. The other day I saw "Up" by Pixar. It was an excellent film that really had an uplifting message about relationships. That every relationship a person has with another is important and special, they shouldn't be taken for granted. The ability for Up to convey so many emotions on the audience also impresses me. I want to be able to make a film like that someday, something as meaningful as it is cute and funny.

I made a list of summer goals that I plan to fulfill by the time I leave for college. I'm confused at the moment on where I'm going with this summer. It's got a time limit that I feel is restricting me. I honestly hope this next year in college, I will be able to start anew, and find myself in a position where I will be sincerely happy. For the moment, however, graduation will just have to be a new beginning for me.

I'm Inconsistant

I'm not sure why I can't maintain a consistent presence in this blog. I think it's because I get so busy that I always forget to check in every once in a while. It's already been a month since my last post... and its weird. I don't remember the month passing so quickly...

June is my final month in high school. This is the last month where I am still a dumb high school kid. It's weird and its a little scary. Looking back, I really feel like I haven't achieved much in high school. Nothing remarkable, astounding. I've just been a good kid, doing my work... just drifting. I was never the funny kid or person that was really that fun to hang out with. I always try my best to do whatever for my friends, but in the end that's really gotten me nowhere. I try to be the nice guy, but even as a nice guy, where has that gotten me? I've made friends but up to this point, I don't believe I mean much to any of them. There are many people who are gonna miss their friends when they're going to college and I know I'm probably gonna miss some people.
But at the moment, I really can't think of anyone I'm going to miss as I leave.

I'm not trying to sound bitter because in all honesty, it scares me. It scares me to think that as I leave high school I won't miss anyone. All the friendships I made in high school I feel as though they've dissolved and drifted away. Freshman year I would hang out with Bobby and Alex. Sophmore year: Stephen, Seung Soo, and Woonkill. Junior year, Sean, Jason, Andria, and Sonny. Senior Year: ???

Heh, this post may be one of my most depressing but it's gotten me to think about which people have really mattered in my life.

Last week I got to hang out with Bobby. We've been friends since 3rd grade, and I hadn't talked to him all of Junior or Senior year in high school. I'm not sure what happened... we went into different cliques and just stopped communicating. So many things have changed since sophmore year. People were getting old, things were moved around. But during those moments hanging with Bobby, to me it was like rewinding and reliving some of the fondest moments of my childhood. He was like a brother to me as I grew up. I was really happy to be hanging out with him again. We didn't really do anything but just shoot hoops and talk. It was the most relaxed I felt all year. This year I feel disillusioned because I honestly don't know who my real friends are. But after being able to catch up with a person that's shared my most fun moments with, it's something that I want to recapture.

I'm meeting up with Bobby again next week and we're planning to make a action comedy film.

I'm really looking forward to it.

Taking a Break from Studying

So many things have happened since my last post and I don't know whether I should take the time to cover it all, mainly because I have ap exams to study for. I should probably cover the best news though, which is, I GOT INTO UVA! I'm officially a cavalier and looking back, I'm still shocked at how worried I was about getting in. I remember the nights where I would lay wide awake, wondering where I would be in 5 years. It's funny because I didn't shout or scream when I got my acceptance letter, I took it in kinda passively. The acceptance was a lot more casual then I expected. I guess because UVA is such a competative school, I imagined confetti would burst out of the envelope or fireworks or something haha

I've also gotten acquianted with a lot more people this year. I've made a lot of new friends with underclassmen. In particular, I spent my spring break hanging out with a bunch of junior guys who collaboratively call themselves Teck Fresh. They call themselves that because they are tecktonik dancers who performed at "Woodson's Got Talent" show. After noticing them and knowing two of their members, I got to know each of them. Surprisingly, I was already acquainted with one of the members because he is a family friend (whom I didn't really take the time to notice). I've had a lot of fun with these guys and they all had an interest in filming which definately drew me towards them. Together, we established Teck Fresh Productions. We've done so many things together like run and dance around DC while making a music video. And although we started off making silly vids, they are the ones that allowed me to get more serious with my filming. Their participation allowed me to create serious shorts and dramas that I always wanted to make. These guys mean a lot and I'm gonna miss em when I go off to college.
I also saw Waking Life last weekend. I know this is kinda random but I feel like I should post this so that I don't forget about this film. It was VERY BORING, but nonetheless it was mentally and visually stimulating. I love the style that it was animated and filmed. It's pretty much a very intellectual and artistic film about a boy who falls into a lucid dream where he meets a lot of different people who talk about existentialism, post-modernism, and many other philosophies. The whole film is pretty much dialogue, with no action but the things they talk about were really deep. I respected that film andI felt that my life was sort of awakened by it. I've gotten into researching existentialism lately and I know that I am no where close to comprehending it but its so interesting to me...

Well I should go back to studying. A lot of exciting stuff is supposed to happen in the next month. AP Exams, Prom, Graduation. There is a lot going on in the closing moments of my childhood. It really hit me a couple weeks ago when I thought "Wow, I'm graduating. I'm going to leave and be an adult." It's kinda scary, but in a good way. I guess its so scary its exciting haha

Last night, I dreamed about a girl that visited my house during a thunderstorm. She looked sad and I let her in. After that, she was standing on my back porch with a sad face. I asked her why she was sad, she said something but I don't' remember what she said. I remember thinking she was cute and thoughtful. Then a big guy came up and tried to guide her away. He hit her, and then I stood up to him. Right before we butt heads, I woke up. Just wanted to post this cause for some reason, I don't want to forget the feeling I felt talking to this girl.