Oh Irene!

So Hurricane Irene trudged through the East Coast this past weekend.

I got a call Friday afternoon that my Unit is on standby. Ok, HOOAH!

This was a very long, anxious weekend spent waiting for a call, monitoring Irene's movements & some long overdue quality time with the roommates.

gear READY TO GO!

Seeing the prep for the storm brought back memories of my childhood on Guam. It definitely made me feel homesick for my family.

I have a folder full of Skype Date photos with my family. Here are some of my favorites:

my dad trying to cool the rice down.

sunday brunch time.

i forgot what this was all about, but my brother's face is priceless.

this was on my birthday

my mom was telling us this really epic story about how her & my dad met.

then they both froze because they heard my dad coming.

& this was their look of extreme excitement for the upcoming picture...

birthday cake & song :)

& then they fed each other MY cake -__-"

I love my family ♥

Anyway, I'm glad to know that the casualty numbers are low & damages are currently being assessed. Prayers go out to those severely affected by the storm.

+ 365 Days

This past weekend someone I casually dated about a year ago texted me. It was so unexpected most especially because I hadn’t spoken or seen him since about this time last year. After our “small talk” over text, he invited me to go out for some drinks with him that night. I was tempted to catch up but then I remembered why he was no longer part of my life. So I politely declined & placed him exactly where he needed to be, in my past. His absence has opened up space for others.

The focus though of this whole reconnection though is not about old flames, but more about time & memories.

It’s birthday season & I’m in that reflection phase of the past year. Recalling who I was then, who I am now & who I will be. This past year (along with most of my others) was a roller coaster filled with emotions, mistakes, triumphs, failures, learning experiences, changes… all still sprinkled with support, friends & family, & blessings all around.

The seasons of this past year are filled with distinct memories. This time last year I was romantically indifferent, sitting on my recruitment process for the NYARNG, itching to go back to school. Fall was filled with an excitement of enlisting & a mistake of an affair that led to my demise. Winter was highlighted by visiting my family, friends leaving, recuperating from a heartbreak & prepping for Basic Combat Training. Spring was spent in South Carolina training, training, training to become a Soldier. Finally, this Summer was spent mainly reevaluating the important things in my life, figuring out the things I need to cut out & add more of, & also being a sitting duck until the next season when bigger things are in store for me.

But I think about all those things that happened, most especially the things I lost sleep over or was a nervous wreck about, & it seems so surreal that they are just things of the past now. My life was engulfed by those moments.
& now, they no longer are.

Now, there are different moments.
Mostly with the same people but with some new characters.
Same setting this time around but different atmosphere.
Different mindset.

So here’s to a new year & all the things it’ll bring my way!

Cool Story, Bro!

... is a saying I picked up from my brother...

... who visited me for two glorious week! I can tell you silly stories of how we had a hysterical laughing fit over Chinese subtitles at 1am or how we mimicked each others laughs while walking down the street or how we had epic jam sessions in the car or how we jumped railings to sit on the ledge by the East River or how we went to the same sushi place over & over again or how we made the Brooklyn Bridge our playground. But as I've learned over time, I suck at recounting stories. Plus, stories like those are a lot like inside jokes, funnier to us than anyone else.

It was unfortunate that I had to work while he visited but he managed to keep himself entertained during the day… napping or on the computer. I felt bad for a while that he wasn’t exploring what the city has to offer, except he was always so content with doing just that. It was so refreshing to be reminded that choosing to do nothing is in fact, doing something. I would come home & we would recap our days & he was always happy with all that he’s done, even if an adventure to him is walking to & from Subway for a lunchtime sandwich. I did force him to do one thing with me everyday though & it was usually walking through a park or going out for dinner.

It was just so much fun being with, not only my brother but, my best friend. The simplicity of our friendship is something you just don’t find very often in life... let alone siblings.

Another highlight of his visit was the mish-mash of people it brought together in which we’ve dubbed the NYCC: the NYC Crew. In what appeared to be a random turn of events of people coming & going in my life, it was perfect timing to have my brother, KLB & TGJ here & leaving all at the same time. I’m always nervous about having people from different parts of my life (family, an old college friend & a new friend, respectively) meet. But something I realized is that when you’re surrounded by amazing people, who do amazing things, pretty amazing things tend to happen. It’s as simple as that.

The bittersweet part of this is that all these amazing people left.

Those two weeks made me realize how much NYC isn’t so much of a home but is still a staging ground for what I’m still hoping to be a home & then there’s that cliché saying of, home is where the heart is. Well it’s hard finding a home when my heart is with too many different people all over the world.

Cheesy, I know… but true story, bro.