Milestones.

Oh man, I'm too tired to put my best effort into writing right now, but this past week has been pretty damn crazy. Tons of frustration, which led to even more productivity. Let's just say that I got a lot done, even if it wasn't completed through the most efficient of methods. Oh, and for the first milestone, I'd like to announce: Ding, 80.

I've started to realize and appreciate the beauty in my culture, more and more as each day passes. For the longest time, I've considered myself very in-tune with my roots; and I still believe that I am, but now I see that there's still so much more that I have yet to discover. My cousin turned 25 last weekend, and as with any birthday in the family, a small get-together gave us the bonding time that I had been missing for so long. On the menu for this occasion? Roasted and sauteed pork tongue. Sounds gross, right? I usually don't eat these kinds of things, but I was feeling especially adventurous and decided to take a bite anyway. Half an hour later I had cleaned off the entire plate, chili sauce and all. By the way, my sister got engaged! Hahaha, so awesome. I'm happy for her.

Most of my time this week was spent in the garage, toiling away as I cleaned, polished, and waxed every nook and cranny of my car. People think I'm crazy for spending so much time on my ride, but I have to say that it's quite relaxing. Not only does it give me something to do, it's also a great workout, and I can't count the number of times somebody has complimented me on what a shiny and clean-looking car I have. I guess hard work really does pay off in the long run, after all! Finally broke 60,000 miles today, and I'm mastering hill driving, slowly but surely.

As the week came to a close, my heart was a rollercoaster of emotions. Throughout the past two days alone, I underwent pretty much every emotion in the book. I swear, it felt like Kababayan Fest 2009, all over again. After hanging out with a couple of friends who I haven't seen since school ended, it finally hit me how much they've changed. Or perhaps, how much I've changed. It's as if my mind is on a whole 'nother level than theirs. Don't get me wrong, though; I still value their friendship as much as ever, and I love hearing from other perspectives once in awhile, even if I don't necessarily agree with what they have to say.

I wore my Military Blue IVs last night to the dinner party, the pair that started it all for me. My shoe collection is almost entirely gone now, but I don't think I'll ever get rid of these. They're my favorite pair of Jordans ever, without a doubt. That said, I've also realized that I don't look so hot in Jordans, and that Nikes fit me better. Anyway, my parents said that it wasn't formal and that I didn't have to dress up, but I have to admit that I felt really under-dressed. I didn't realize that I had so many cousins, though! And finally, someone around my age at a family event! Mayflower is...well, not very good. I'm extremely picky with my food (just like with my women. ha ha!), and after having eaten at so many fantastic restaurants in SoCal, nothing that we have up here can compare. It saddens me to say this, but it's true. Oh boy, am I craving some Porto's right now. Note to self: Load up on cheese rolls next time I go.

As much as I want to let off some steam, I have to remember to keep calm and carry on. The past is the past, but I also can't put too much weight into the future; thinking about tomorrow isn't going to change how I feel today. My mom is going out of town in 7 hours and I'll have nothing to do for the next two days. Sounds like a perfect time to start that workout routine my brother sent me last night, which incorporates 5 minutes of meditation a day. I'm not very good at meditating, but now's as good a time to learn as ever.


See ya soon.