amazing

i got this from my friend a.b. and just when you thought creativity was dead....

i don't wanna grow up....

....but each year keeps on coming. i'll have to admit, i didn't know what to think of how my bday would turn out being in a new city and not knowing many people. every one of my other birthdays i've been home with all my longtime friends and trying to make each party better than the last. 

but i would like to first thank my housemate for putting an amazing evening together for me. we had a group of 15 come out for 5 hours of bowling! i'm definitely going to be sore in the morning. thank to you to all my new friends who came out to help this new town boy celebrate. 

thank you to all my hometown friends who wished me a good day. i miss your faces and wish we could have all been together. 

pictures and videos soon to follow. hopefully. as for now, i have a 9am fire drill coming up, so i must head to sleepsville.

sunday funday

i don't remember the last time i had such an excursion on a sunday afternoon. first off, coming from ca, i was always used to a car, gps, and having an agenda. today, i took my first solo bus ride to the city, asked a nice lady to tell me where my stop was, and walked aimlessly taking in my new city.

walked "the ave", went to gasworks, saw the troll under the bridge, had dinner with good people, got coldstone in 50 degree weather, went and sang 2 songs at a karaoke bar, and topped the night off watching "horton hears a who!". and these activities started around 2pm! we vowed to do some sort of day like this again, planning different parks, towns, and shops to visit. hands down this was one of the top 3 sundays of my life (although i can't recall what the other 2 were).

i wish i could share this with my close family and friends at home in it's entirety rather than just via text messages. hopefully, you all can come visit me soon.

week end

so the week has finally been conquered. i talk as if i've been slaving over a regular 9-5, but i haven't. i must admit, if this tshirt biz turns out, i'll be a very lucky/happy man. the events that happened these past few days have been nothing but delightful. meeting new friends (i found a place to play ball every sunday), going to concerts of some awesome local musicians, trying ethiopian food (hands only), and surviving a real winter.

speaking of which, what better way to battle the cold with a perfect bowl of pho. 

also, i found an old video that i probably should be embarrassed about, but i'm not and i'm actually proud to say we won the "audience choice" award. so give me my 15 minutes. p.s. you may want to turn your volume down a bit. it's not that pleasing to the ears.

nubi buddy

i know i just wrote you a message on that social network site, but it made me miss you even more. so here's to you. it's sorta funny because at one point we were hanging out almost every day. then you had to go and decide to do this school thing and be "adult-ish". the reason i find it funny is because honestly, we haven't hung out or talked as much the last few months i was in town, yet every so often when i do see you or get a note from you, it's like no time has passed. i just wanted to tell you that i love that about you. also, the blunt comments, the desserts, and our list of unfinished chick flicks that we're supposed to watch so that i can at least say, "well, i watched it with a girl". hahaha. in the last year, i met a lot more "new" people than normal and i just realized it started with you. but i'm glad that it did and that we've had time to grow and know more about each other and i hope that it continues. thank you for bringing the extra, much needed, laughter in my life with your worries on the oh so many topics we talk about. frozen yogurt will never be the same without you!

ponder this

(got this from an email)

there comes a point in your life when you realize

who matters

who never did

who won't anymore

and who always will

so, don't worry about people from your past,

there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.

back to the SEA

between the humming of the airplane engine and people eating their dry roasted peanuts, i sat in my seat, partly eavesdropping and slightly envying the conversation behind me. 2 random people, meeting each other and talking as if they've known each other for years. the male, slightly boasting as to where he lives, i couldn't help but root for him spitting a little "game".  

as i slowly got lost in my own thoughts reflecting on this past "vacation", it's amazing how much has happened. the beautiful chaos of prepping for a wedding, reuniting with friends, and finally realizing the purpose for the turbulence in my life. besides the obvious, the only thing i'm truly going to miss are the new faces i've met in the past 3 months with whom i don't get to develop relationships with. but i'm eager to meet brand new people in wa and to apply my resolutions. emotionally, i'm drained, but my spirits are high and i'm about to get my second wind. 

if it were my choice, i would have made that man and woman exchange numbers and have cameras follow them to see how they would effect each other. if the conversation was purely polite or genuine dialogue. i just don't like the thought of being able to converse with someone so much and then going separate ways like it didn't mean anything. i do desire an encounter of such, and maybe i'll muster up the courage on my next flight.

JMT

to my "little" sister:

you have grown to a beautiful woman and we've become closer than ever. you're wedding was absolutely breathtaking and to see your creativity become a reality makes you that much more special. the tears you saw on my face were there because i could see the complete joy in your heart as you walked down that aisle. i hope for nothing but the best for you and your new journey and i know God will bless you if you keep Him close. i felt the words i said were not adequate for how much you mean to me as my sister. know that i am always proud when being introduced as "j's older brother". call on me for anything and everything. love always.