And as part of a mini-series of positive blog posts, I will write about the greatest memories in my Double 3 Years.
Youth
Early Childhood -- most of remember early childhood as the great time before all the drama of adolescence and adulthood. We think that way, even though we didn't really have much control of our lives at that age. But it was a more care-free time in which you didn't think much of major responsibilities nor major insecurities.
My favorite memory from early childhood was going to parks and beaches with my father. Sometimes my brothers would come along. I really cherish the beach memories of early childhood, since that was before the body hairs started growing and became an unfortunate distraction (learn more at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2006/02/body-hair-this-is-from-advice-column.html)
My dad also used to take me around the island to explore how things are in different communities in other parts of Oahu. That might seem like a minor thing to some, but later in life, I have met people from the Honolulu area who didn't know much about the other parts of Oahu because their parents didn't take them around the island. I find that to be sad and unfortunate!
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At home, my interest was looking through the books on the bookshelves. I especially loved reading the atlases and encyclopedias. Both instilled a love of learning geography and history. I also loved reading about animals too.
Some of the books weren't even my age level. They were just there. I read them as best as I could. Of course, I may not have understood them on the same level as I do now, but just the exposure was important.
I think it is tragic when children grow up without books in their home. Parents can't just rely on school to teach their kids about the world. If the parents can't afford more books, they should get a library card.
I also remember back in 2nd grade, while I was at the store, I saw a pack of flashcards of the US presidents. I wanted it and got it! Then I memorized the flash cards. Then later that year, in a class lesson on "what is a president", me being the show off, said "I know them all". Well, apparently, the word spread and this whole thing got a life of its own. It led to random students coming up to me asking me about the presidents. This went on for years. In fact, even in adulthood, I hear former elementary classmates mention about me reciting the names of presidents. All this because I was a show-off back in 2nd grade! But at least I'm known for knowing something :)
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Another thing, I used to live in Lanakila Housing (called Puahala Homes by housing bureaucrats) which is considered a ghetto by outsiders. But it didn't feel that way growing up, in fact back then, I thought it was just another community. Maybe because we had basic sanitation and electricity so we didn't feel poor. But anyways, I still remember the red bench in the backyard, the grassy area (which looked like a swamp when it rained) and always bouncing a ball in the backyard. I wasn't bouncing a ball to practice a sport, I was just bouncing the ball for the fun of it!
I also used to remember some of the neighbors in Lanakila Housing. Unlike the stereotypes of "scary ghetto housing", our neighbors were mostly good people. Just because many of them didn't achieve higher levels of education nor a prestigious job, that doesn't make them bad people.
With all that, I was devastated when my family had to move out because their income was "too high" to stick around. Some people didn't understand my pain when we left because they were too caught up in the stereotypes of "housing bad, suburbs good". But that's not how I saw my community when I was growing up, it was just a great community to me.
my 5th grade year --- that was my favorite year in Lanakila Elementary School. I mentioned about it in previous blog post http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/09/myself-2-decades-ago.html
The first half of 1992, I was completing my final year in elementary school as a 5th grader at Lanakila Elementary School.Yeah, the ridiculous things I said. It was usually "dirty jokes". I still remember the boys who taught me those things. Well, I'm not going to mention their names but they know who they are.
It was my favorite year at that school!
Unlike earlier school years, I didn't have much problems with my classmates.
Even though there was still cliques amongst us, there was still a sense of brotherhood among us.
The guys who used to pick on me were now guys who I got along with.
And still remember when I was sitting in the back of my homeroom, next to Oscar and Jeff. Me and Oscar used to tease Jeff the previous year, but in 5th grade, we were all friends. We had fun times talking to each other, one of the funnest times in my life!
I also remember winning the school's Geography Bee (though Christine came a close 2nd).
I also remembered the cop from as the DARE program, and the field trip to Camp Pupukea. Fun times.
While the teachers were usually impressed with my academic side, they were irritated by the ridiculous things I would occasionally say in class.
Middle school --- It was at Kawananakoa Middle School. It was not as great as elementary but there will still a few fun memories.
I still remember the 2 Big Island trips where we get to explore the volcanoes.
I remember 8th grade homeroom, where we watched MTV. Back then, it played music videos, and in the hour we were watching, they were showing MTV Jamz which was mostly hip-hop/R & B videos. You should've seen David Nahinu's reaction to Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" video, it was classic!
I also remember 8th grade computer class, in which I was classmates with Jeff (from the elementary days). We used to partner up for projects, and laughed along when other kids say funny stuff! That was my favorite class in middle school.
I also remember hanging out with Russell. When he asked me what music I liked, and I mentioned "heavy metal and rap", well, the heavy metal part got his attention. That started a friendship and lots of conversations about "Beavis and Butthead", "Headbanger's Ball", and all the bands like Metallica, Guns N Roses, Pantera, Nirvana, Soundgarden, and more. We did talk about rap music too, but we did more of that when we went to high school.
Another friend that I made in middle school was Terence. We used to always talk about the NBA! I didn't really follow the NBA until middle school. In elementary, I was aware of Micheal Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and the other mega-stars. But I only started watching the games and reading books about the players in middle school.
High school -- McKinley High School ---- Home of the Tigers. it was better than middle school, and I won't have time to go over every great memory, but some stick out in a major way.
My favorite was Lunch recess in 11th grade. It was mostly at shop building. It was me, Russell (who I met in middle school), Brian Anderson, Orlando Holbron and Justin Gonda. There were other visitors as well. If you saw us separately, you wouldn't expect us to be hanging out. Russell was the guy who tried all the rock trends, Orlando was the hip-hop guy with the baggies, Brian was the conservative-looking white guy, Justin Gonda was the Marrolyn Manson wanabee. I was the guy with facial hair in the group. While we all looked different, that didn't stop us from having fun. We were basically the leftovers that didn't fit other cliques, but that didn't stop us from having fun.
It was mostly jokes about what's going on the campus. We were fans of hip-hop and rock so we talked a lot of the latest gossip from those genres. I used to buy monthly copies of The Source (hip-hop magazine) and showed it to my friends.
I remember trying to take a picture of them for photo class, but I still remember Gonda running as soon as I took out the camera. It was too bad we didn't have a group picture because I would've post it right here.
The group broke up in 12th grade. Justin Gonda alienated everyone. People found new cliques. I was still hanging with Russell and a few other guests, but things just weren't the same.
But what I enjoyed about 12th grade was the school activities It was our last year, and it was time to enjoy the festivities. It meant yelling SENIORS at pep rallies. It was the bonfire! There were campus club activities (ie. martial arts club practice, drug-free club service activities, Leo Club service activities, Spanish Club activities)
And of course, the talent shows. Those who left McKinley before my senior year MISSED OUT BIG TIME! I never sang at talent shows before that year. But this was my senior year, and I wanted to go out with a bang!
The first one was the Senior Luau. I didn't tell anyone (except for those organizing the Senior Luau) that I was going to sing there. But the word got out anyways and everyone was surprised, even my friends. I sang Usher's "Nice and Slow" a capella. For those who don't know the song, well the lyrics were expressing love & lust at the same time. Some were surprised the song got past the censors, but there was no profanity. But yeah, the performance got a few laughs from the audience but it was all in good fun, it was all from the classmates that I got along with.
But that was just talent show #1. That was just a seniors-only event. That was just a test-trial. That was only a warm-up.
The major show was called "Brown Bags to Stardom" and it took place in the auditorium and was open to the whole student body after-school. For that one, I chose to sing Nate Dogg's "Never Leave Me Alone". It was manly enough song to appeal to the inner-city crowd, but safe enough to satisfy the censors. And this time, I sang along with music in the background, making it more challenging than doing it a capella.
The performers were told to lift up their head to let the equipment person to play the song. Well, it took a while for the song to start playing, so I lifted up my head a few more times. Some in the audience thought I did it to show swagger, but really it wasn't.
Anyways, my performance got a positive reaction from the audience. I became famous campus-wide. People I didn't know before were now calling my name when I passed by. I earned a lot of respect by staying humble even with all the recognition.
Unfortunately, it was all before YouTube was invented. You just had to be there!
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And then there the year-end activities that are sacred to every teenager. There was the prom, that I got a last-minute hook-up. I even got my prom bid paid for by someone else (freeload!). The funniest part was when one of the MCs said "dance tastefully, no freak-dancing" but people ignored it and got away with it! There was a mix of teen pop (NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Britney), booty music (2 Live Crew, Uncle Luke) , ska (Reel Big Fish) and some other stuff. But mostly the teen pop and booty music stood out to me :) :) :) :) They should've added some Limp Bizkit, but understandably they didn't since that would've been a safety hazard with the mosh pits!
Then there was the graduation. There was the speeches, there were the songs. But then the special moments came
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/06/10-years-ago-today.html
The turning of the tassels!
Yelling out "99!" and "TIGER PRIDE" as a group!
And the ultimate --- walking through the oval!
For those who don't know, there is an oval in front of the school's Administration Building, with William McKinley's statue on it!
NOBODY is supposed to walk on the oval! You're supposed to walk around the oval! ALWAYS!
But there is ONE exception!
Graduation time!
After all the speeches, songs and ceremonies, the graduates walk through the oval (once in a lifetime moment) and on to the lawn to meet proud relatives!
When I got off the oval, my dad gave me the graduation ring! A real special moment!
Then there was Project Graduation. Project Graduation is an all-night party sponsored by the school for the new graduates! It is supposed to be the last time we spend time together before we go on with our lives! It is also meant to give the new graduates a drug-free, alcohol-free celebration!
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/06/10-years-ago-today.html
We had the dance floor open, we had the karaoke room open! I was known as the talent show guy that year, and I felt like I was in heaven with those things going on!
I was going back & forth between the dance floor and the karaoke room! Dancing, singing, rapping, having fun! And I just graduated! ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING MOMENTS IN MY LIFE!
As the night went on, some of our fellow graduates were falling asleep on the chairs! It was funny to see!
I was dancing on the stage even when others were too tired! One graduate who I didn't get a chance to know during the school years gave me a high-five when I was one of the last on the stage!
Then we had our breakfast when night turned into morning!
Then we got our official diplomas!
Then we got into the bus back to campus, for our parents to pick us up and go home!
Then I finally went to sleep in the morning after one of the funnest night of my life!
Adulthood
Adulthood shouldn't mean the end of fun. It's just a different type of fun.
Here's a few examples
Reason Club - It was an HPU club I was associated with, even though I was a UH undergrad when I was hanging out with them. I got introduced to them via a UH classmate David Parker. I was only friends with Parker for a few months (too much drama) but his intro to his high school classmate at HPU (Stuart Hayashi) was more than enough to impact me in a positive way.Parker and Hayashi introduced me to new political insights that were the alternative to the usual Democrat/Republican, liberal/conservative nonsense. Through them I learned about libertarianism and objectivism. And with hanging out with Stuart, I meet HPU economics professor Ken Schooland, as well as Hayashi's classmates. (I still remember Geo, Titus, Tali, Jason, Roosevelt, Ryan and that cute Japanese girl whose name I forgot.) Though we discussed political, sociological and philosophical stuff, it was done through an appropriate sense of humor.
As we got older and got jobs, we no longer had the time to hang out like we used to. I still see Titus around. And I'm still in contact with the Reason Club folks via facebook. So even though we're not talking in person, we are still talking online.
Entrepreneurship Club - This one was at UH-Manoa. I joined this group towards the end of my undergraduate years. I wasn't a business major, but I still decided to join in anyways. I wanted to meet new people and discuss ideas in case I wanted to start a business in the future. We had guest speakers and social activities. Loved it!
Parties -- the high school activities I mentioned earlier was good practice for parties in adult life.
I did a few night-time talent shows at UH. My favorite one was in 2003. I did Ludacris "Southern Hospitality". I was actually sick with the flu that day but screw it I still went on stage. People loved the performance. I remember Ho'onua was performing later that night. I wanted to join the dance floor, but I was seriously drained of energy from the flu!
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I host a karaoke party every year around my birthday since 2010. Since this year, my birthday (today) falls on a Tuesday, I decided to delay it until Saturday.
The past ones I had usually just had 4 people (including me) but it was still fun! The first one (my 30th birthday) we were singing Micheal Jackson songs as well as girly songs (Cindy Lauper, Katy Perry) and manly songs (Limp Bizkit).
But when my older brother came in for my 31st and 32nd birthday ...............oh shiiiiiiizzzzzzzzzzz......... we start to have a more hard-rock/heavy-metal edge to our karaoke parties. Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Guns N Roses, Quiet Riot, POD...... .... and more. We still did other genres too, even slow songs.
Not sure how many will come to the next one, but I'm ready for party .......
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I go to the clubs a few times a year. I've been to Rumours (the cages!!!!!!!!!), Pearl Ultralounge, Senor Frogs [dancing on stage with my Santa hat :) ], Lotus, The Loft, Playbar (tiny dancefloor --- squished!), MadDogg (slightly larger dance floor but still squished), Villa, Oceans 808, the Maze, and Fashion 45! Some out of business, some still going strong!
Sometimes I go with a friend (and see a few friends there too), sometimes I ride solo. Sometimes, I find a few ladies to dance with (and maybe more). But so far, I left without incident. I enjoy the parties, but I don't drink alcohol!
But the funnest parties are the New Year's parties. I went to the Aloha Tower parties for the countdowns to 2011, 2012 and 2013. Multiple stages, foam pits and more! The funnest one was the countdown to 2012!As soon as the clock striked and the fireworks popped, the ultimate party song of 2011 was playing --- that would be LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem! Oh yeahh!!!!!!! Then it was Afrojack w/ Eva Simons "Take Over Control". Just hearing those 2 songs right when the New Year started brings special joy to my heart and my spirit!
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UH games - I'm a major fan of UH sports, though I only go a few times a year. I mostly attend football, though I been to a few basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball games too!
My favorite one? In 2004, the last game of the regular season. UH played Michigan State. It was the end of an up & down season. and if UH wins this one, it makes it to the bowl game. If it lost, it would've been a sad ending to Timmy Chang and Chad Owen's UH career. Well, no sad endings this time around! It was a close game and UH won!!!!!
My other favorite one -- 2006--- UH vs Nevada! My dad got free tickets for me and my friend Aaron G.! We saw 2 assistant coaches arguing. We saw a really close game that went back & forth. UH defense stopped Nevada near the end zone! VICTORY!!
I went to this year's game between UH and Fresno State. Earlier that week, a Fresno State alumni on my facebook list was boasting and taunting (in a fun natured way of course). Then, the game. First half, UH just sucked. 3rd quarter, Fresno made a touchdown and a large exodus of UH fans were leaving. I decided to just stick around and chill. Great decision because the UH defense was on a roll, and the UH offense finally played like they existed! All UH had to do was make a last-second touchdown. Fresno State intercepted the ball :( However, the comeback attempt was the most fun I had in a losing effort. Well, at least it wasn't as bad as the 2004 UH-Fresno "game"!
As for the other sports, the most fun I had was watching a men's basketball game with Terence. It was UH vs Nevada. UH won! Me and Terence also laughed at the spectator's comments. I haven't talked with Terence in a while but hopefully, we can reconnect and watch another basketball game again!
Volleyball, baseball and softball -- I dont really watch those sports on TV. But being at the game (especially a UH game) is much more fun!
Work --
work is fun? Some workplaces can be!
Libraries -- I was a student helper at several libraries during my undergraduate years at UH-Manoa. My favorite one was at the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH). I was at LBPH from July 2002 to August 2004. I was mostly organizing the stacks of braille books, audio cassettes, large-type books and other materials. I loved the family atmosphere among the staff! Unfortunately, the pay was low and was a higher paying job that was offered at the UH campus that semester (Marine Option Program student librarian).
Now I'm in the Library and Information Science (LIS) program at UH-Manoa. I look forward to fun times being a full-time librarian in the future.
-----------recovery @ Macy's -- Recovery means re-organizing the items on the selling floor. I re-folded shirts and pants. I made sure the dresses fit back into the hangers.
My first Macy's job was a holiday seasonal job at Kahala Mall in 2010. My mentor was Andrew. He was the recovery expert as well as the expert in the different styles of pants. We had tons of fun folding and organizing stuff as well as talking story among ourselves as well as with the customers.
I did join the Ala Moana Macy's staff in summer 2011 as a salesperson. But I later switched to recovery for the winter time. While recovery at Kahala Mall was fun, recovery at Ala Moana was even funner! Mostly because it was a bigger store and we had a larger recovery team there. We went around to different sections of the store and re-organized the stuff! We also had very fun conversations and we all had an appropriate sense of humor. This was one of the funnest group of people I had ever worked with and they all have a special place in my heart.
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work leading the youth - The main job was being a substitute teacher for both public and private schools.
For the preschools, I enjoyed the outdoor recess, indoor play and nap-time. I used to do that level more often around 2007-2009.
I mostly work with elementary and middle school levels. High schools, I do once in a while.
This year, I went back to my alma mater McKinley High School! The main thing I noticed was the campus seemed less crowded, as if the enrollment went down. But it was still good to be back.
While people associated "substitute teacher" with "class chaos", it's not always that bad! In fact, when students behave properly and learn something, that is one of life's greater joys!
I also did some para-professional tutor jobs in the past. One year at Niu Valley Middle School, one semester at Palolo Elementary School!
I also worked 2 summer programs at Palama Settlement! They can be hectic, but there was fun as well. We had swim time, camp time, music performance and field trips. My favorite activity was the "game room" where we played with toys as well as played billiards and ping-pong. Even though I usually loose at billiards, I still enjoyed the games there.
side jobs and volunteer ops -- I did some side jobs in the past. Some of them include carnival game attendant, election poll worker, promotional sign waving and being an "extra".
For being an "extra", I was at Bellows Air Force, pretending to be a victim of a terrorist attack, while the National Guard practiced in how to respond.
But my favorite side job was promotional sign waving for America's Mattress. It was 1 weekend a month waving signs in the hot sun! The first time I forgot to put sunscreen. Lesson learned. But I always had water and Gatorades to keep me hydrated! I tried the "Dre Day dance" (where the "Eazy-E" character held up a sign saying "will rap for food") a few times, but doing so all day took too much energy.
starting over ---
My great memories including what I call "starting all over again", meaning making transitions to new things or going back to the good old classics.
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Back to the hood - An example of "going back to the good old classics" was when I temporarily moved back to Lanakila Housing after a few years in the suburbs. That was in my 12th grade year. I moved to my grandma's apartment.
I was back to my childhood home. But unlike childhood, I could now walk around the hood by myself. And now that I'm back, I did all the walking around that I missed out on when my parents moved me to the suburbs.
The summer after I graduated high school (1999) was the first summer since 1994 that I lived in Lanakila Housing full-time. It was the first summer since 1994 that I lived in Honolulu full-time. It was like finally breathing fresh air again. I was happy to enjoy the summer back home again. This is why the summer of 1999 will always be my favorite summer ever.
New apartment --- After the summer of 1999, I was in and out of UH dorms, my uncle's apartment in Makiki and my gradma's apartment in Lanakila.
But in summer of 2003, it was time for my own apartment. No more moving in and out.
This past summer was my one-decade anniversary at that apartment.
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/07/one-decade-in-my-apartment.html
So on July 2003, I moved in to my own apartment. It was walking distance from UH-Manoa where at the time, I was still an undergraduate student. It is a studio apartment with basic neccessities. I dont need extra luxuries.
And I get to live by myself . I can play my stereo when I want and I can have silence when I want. I dont have to worry about niele room-mates asking stupid questions. I do what I like when I like. That's the life :)
I continued to stay there, even after I was done with my under-grad years at UHM. The area has easy to many bus routes. It's easy to get to my workplaces and easy to get to all the important places in Honolulu. Close enough to Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kahala Mall, and downtown Honolulu. That's the life :)
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Apartment make-over
Last year (2012), I was 9 years in that apartment, but there were too many things there, too much disorganization, and there were bed bugs (eek)
my blog posts on the topic
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-war-against-clutter.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-apartment-gets-make-over.html
It's just about 3 weeks later, and I'm feeling like I'm living in a brand new place, even though it's the same studio apartment I've been living in for 9 years.
A lot of old outdated papers? Thrown out!
Big grey containers with piles of articles? Thrown out!
Old stuff that I haven't used in years? Thrown out!
Some stuff, I kept! Especially stuff I've been looking for that was hidden in a pile of useless papers!
But yeah, you'd be surprised what stuff is still in your house if you haven't had time to clean-out your stuff in YEARS!
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/10/32-years-of-living.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/07/one-decade-in-my-apartment.html
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Back to UH-Manoa -- yep, this year I'm back to UH-Manoa, this time as a graduate student in the Library and Information Science (LIS) program.I am so loving the opportunity to be back at UH-Manoa.
Big campus!
Lots of open space, green grass and beautiful scenery!
Lots of campus eateries!
Big libraries with computer labs!
Places to chill!
Lots of activities going on!
And I'm so loving my classes here.
Learn more at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-first-semester-as-uh-grad-student.html
and http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/08/uhm-summer-session.html
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Conclusion
there's other fun memories as well, but those are the ones that stood out to me in a major way!So, if you and me had fun memories but didn't make the list, please dont take it personal. Maybe in the future, I'll add more to future posts!
