I have tried, therefore I am satisfied.

I was born in Monclair, raised in Upland. Living in a household where Cantonese was prodominately spoken, I received English lessons from the Looney Toons and Power Rangers. I rode the school bus for a year, and decided that I would rather have my father take me instead. I played basketball and swam nearly everyday around my apartment. Grandmother's house was only a few houses down, and she would always teach me how to gamble. She was my only grandparent left, the others past away before I even showed up. I witnessed my brothers graduate high school and college at an early age, having no idea what was going on. Contrary to the Super Nintendo generation, I was a Sega Genesis boy. Family Fun Center was the happiest place on earth for me, now it is called Boomers. The local bowling alley that we would always go to on Mountain Avenue became an Edwards Theatre. The Alphabeta and the Pic N Save dissapeared, and so did my family.

We moved to Ontario.

I was in 3rd grade at the time. I missed Upland, I missed Baldy View Elementary, I missed my friends Edwin and Scott. Out with the old, in with the new. I was 9 years old.

I acquired an old keyboard from my uncle. I participated in my first wedding event, my brother Sean's. I was the bellboy, I think. This in turn caused me to be an uncle at the age of 13, my dear Lilli-anne. I went on to play basketball for my Junior High and High School for six years. Within the six years I was enslaved to the swapmeet. Many memories there, but I'm glad they are only memories now. I watched my first South Park episode and I entered the world of hidden music.

My grandmother passed away when I was 16, the first person I witnessed dying. The structure and bond of our whole family tree slowly depreciated afterwards. Sad thing to see. I then graduated from High School, with good friends. I was 18 years old.

I had one girlfriend in my life, and it wasn't a strong one. I tend to have a better chance of gaining friendships than relationships in general, oh well. Cal Poly Pomona, I hated it from the start. My father had a severe heart attack. It resulted with me hearing a loud thump downstairs, only for me to walk downstairs to find him laying on the floor with eyes wide open with one hand on the heart, unable to answer me. This happened the night prior to my first day in college. I spend that night at the hospital. The same unfortunate hospital where I would see my dad take his last breath a year later. I was 20 years old. That's why I hate this school, I never had a good start to begin with. I was hired at Sport Chalet, my first real job. Chick's Sporting Goods quickly recruited me less than a year later.

I acquired an electric guitar from one of Jason's friends, and my first encounter with polaroids from the Chongs. I have let three girls slipped away, all because I was too unaware, and time wasn't on our side. Let me take this time and apologize. One girl once told me that she can never date me because it would cause too much stress and jealousy for her, because of all the female friends that I had. She was honest, and I understood. All things past, depression and enlightenment comes in full circles. I am 21 years old now.

Both brothers moved out, leaving me and mom here. I have one year left in college, and I have responsibilities. This has been one long blog, but it's only been a quarter of my life. Life is a game, and games are only fun because it gets harder and harder as we progress. If we have lived the past perfectly, then why live it again?

My name is David, and I'm done.

"This is not a good look for me!"

-40 Year Old Virgin.














We were reminded of that movie when Andrew, Glenn, and I were watching Brian at the tattoo parlor today. We accompanied Brian on his first tattoo purchase and watched how his dignity and courage slowly slip away during every stroke of the needle. It was quite a big tattoo for starters, but he seemed determined. I'll let the pictures do all the talking this time.













HAHA!













We made use of his agony and turned it into our amusement.

This will be the last time

..that I will go through the "first" day of school ever again.















I will be attending school on Tuesday and Thursdays from 10AM to 7:50PM. I am going to have a three hour break from 11:45AM to 3PM and an hour break from 5PM to 6PM.

This summer has been an overall successful one, to say the least. All the plans I made were completed with a few extra bonuses thrown in. Although there were some unnecessary events that caused some discontent, everything still fell in the right place. It was a long summer, but I wished it to be longer. Everyone is already back in the mode, I guess I should be joining them too. Lets get this over with. Fuck. One more year.

Wish me luck.

Another interview.

We are both falling apart.

My mother and I had a discussion yesterday, a discussion about our futures and how I am dealing with it. The talk sparked tears, from both ends, and I am afraid. My mom gave me a lecture on how she was afraid on the way I was handling my money. This whole time I thought I was the responsible one in the family, but as it turns out, I wasn't. I hate it when my mother is right, and this time around, she woke me up. Although I do pay for everything that I want besides food and shelter, it was nothing compared to how my brothers contributed to the family when they were both twenty one. They helped pay for the house I live in now and they gave my mom a monthly allowance of 300, each.

My mom is worried for me, worried that I am changing. I know I am not changing, but I can't be making my mom worry for any longer. It makes me sad, to see her in that state. This talk broke us down, and we realized how weary the future looks for us, financially. We need about seven hundred a month to pay off the bills and insurances of our house and our utilities. I haven't been the ideal son to her, and she told me that. I don't know what to do, I need to wake up. It has been a stressful two years in this household, and I can't pretend like I'm not apart of it any longer. I am falling apart, I broke down as I drove to the bank today, and I waited for my eyes to clear out before I had to courage to walk in.

I withdrew a grand and gave it to her, with a promise that I would give her two hundred and fifty every 1st of the month from now on.

I am not going on a shopping spree in the near future, and I am not buying my beloved banjo anymore. I am getting older by the day.

They belong in music videos.

So from I've been told, I have good looking friends. Or should I say, "they are nice to look at", haha. I'm not sure if you agree, but I'm never quite sure how to feel or respond when I get that semi-compliment. I usually reply with a "Thanks," then giving myself some time to imagine all my friends all lined up in front of me, only to notice that the person giving me the compliment was right, haha. I have been told that more than once before by quite a few people. I think it's funny that they are more aware than I am about my friends. That is all, random post completed.

I am back with a vengence.

So I hung out with Michelle today. It was an overall good time, a very mellow and steady good time. We first went to Starbucks with a casual conversation over our Caramel Macchiatos and Vanilla Beans. We decided to head down to Victoria Gardens afterwards, a place that I used to adore so much. Clothes were bought and jokes were told, mainly because we weren't on a time schedule, we were just shopping until one of us would get hungry, haha. Michelle went on a shopping spree, and I was quite jealous, mainly because she had spendible cash and I did not. We ended with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, ordering more than our stomaches could've handled. This resulted with a plentiful amount of leftovers for us to bring to Brian, whom was working the Valet section of the mall at the time. Then we parted ways, with me taking Michelle home. I finished with a newly bought tie at Aldo.

But all the envying came to an end when I arrived home a few hours later. The long awaited letter from Cal Poly Pomona was on the kitchen table. My grants and financial aid has finally arrived. My debts are cleared and I must say, I almost cried, haha.

Let's go celebrate, it will be my treat!

I am back bitches, with a vengence.

The ballad of our lives.

I have spent the last two nights of my life updating myself with the hidden world of unheard music. And it surprises me how there are still sounds that remain new to the ear. Committing an illegal act of downloading unauthorized music, I discovered a selected few that are truly wonderful in what they do. I want to meet these people, and I want to sit in on their sessions, and I want to see how it all happens.

I will be purchasing a Banjo in the ever-so-near future. Being my 4th musical instrument, I am closer to my dream of being able to play over 10 instruments (Cowbell, Triangle, Tambourine, and Bongos do not count, haha). My debt should be paid off right before the beginning of the school year, removing the financial stress out of the already cursed school-work stress.

Banjo!

Uncle Wavid Dong

So, out of the blue, the family and I went to the La County Fair today. And we stayed for eleven solid hours. All my nephews and niece came along, as well as their parents. It was actually pretty enjoyable. Mainly because the kids were there and that my mom seemed happy. I was quite satisified with the pictures I took today, probably because of all the bright smiles and social activities that came along with the one dollar admission ticket.

I am genuinely happy to be an uncle of these four.

Calvin
Lillianne
Tristen
Taylor
It went on my very first ferris wheel ride today, believe it or not. It was ok, it was way too hyped up when I was a child. The fair is a good place to be, if only I had money to spend.

Poor little Hubert.

He's been reading old messages and letters from a few years back.

For being so young, you have been through a lot, haven't you? I know you try to keep it cool and go on with your life, but you can't keep it to yourself all the time. It's bad for your head, and your heart. Having a glimpse of old memories are nice, aren't they? But remember Hubert, memories are what they are, don't try to make it any more than that.

At random times, he would realize that he is somewhat alone. Alone in a way that no one understands him. He hides under the sheets and covers, because in that small little space, he feels safe. He misses his family, his friends, his lovers. Go on Hubert, just turn on your little record player, and everything will be alright.

They left through the back door.

My mother gave me a single wooden chopstick. She told me to snap it; and I did. She then gave me three the next time around. She told me to snap all three at once. I couldn't.

She then tells me a story of how this was a old adage. An adage a parent would use for their children. The first stick represented myself, and it was fragile. The later two sticks were my brothers, and the bond made it impossible to break. It was her point, that we shouldn't be on our own.

I returned with a thought. "What if the first chopstick you gave me was ivory instead of wood, then it would be ok." She smiled. I knew her intentions, but its pointless.