Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Passive aggresive
I was lectured by my older sister today because I had explained the realities (with the visualizing help of drowning polar bears and the carbon footprint of the McDonalds Happy Meal they love to eat) of global warming to my nephew which he then translated as my sister as being lazy. Of course I had not intended for my nephew to see his mother in that light but I guess his thought process led him to that conclusion.
Living in Seattle (somewhat of a poster child for the green campaign) for several years now, I've learned a thing or two about environmental consciousness and doing my part to be sustainable. Passing this information on to the next generation of my family, I actively try to educate them about doing little things in effort to become a little more environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, my nephew took this the wrong way by criticizing his mom. I don't think it is her fault because there is a larger entity that needs to be addressed.
In Seattle, I have been acclimated to the law enforced climate of being penalized if I had not recycled or the witnessing the huge social stigma of driving big cars. However, on Guam, that type of regulation or social ostracism does not exist (unless I am just some white washed statesider and should not impose my super liberal ideals on these people). Although it has not reached the status of streamlined itemized trash, compost and recycling bins, Guam is slowly taking part in the movement to conserve its environment. While the environment is a big issue to consider, there are a number of other structural problems that have had a history of being problematic. The public school system is a classic example- the island's major public high school in the north, Simon Sanchez, has been closed for two and a half weeks past the intended opening day due to the inspection of the buildings and the proceeding failure to pass structural safety. The islands central counterpart, JFK, is indefinitely closed for the same reason. The government prematurely opened its new high school, built to alleviate the overcrowding at Sanchez, manifests itself through the unpaved and potentially hazardous driveway (the only one) into the school. George Washington, another central highschool, is now housing the students at JFK which has resulted in a double session method of the facilities' operations. Let us not even get started on teachers not being paid on time!
I am not condemning Guam to be this terrible place as I attribute a lot of my personality to this place. I grew up here and I am proud to represent this island regardless of where I am. There are just certain issues (or institutions) that need to be questioned. Judging by the number of wooden signs that line the street with the accompanying entourage of sign wavers, something tells me that it is campaigning season around here. Should I stop being so passive aggressive? I think politics is my brother's job.
Instead of attempting to formulate an argument, let me share some pictures that will distract you from more pressing issues of the government:
Living in Seattle (somewhat of a poster child for the green campaign) for several years now, I've learned a thing or two about environmental consciousness and doing my part to be sustainable. Passing this information on to the next generation of my family, I actively try to educate them about doing little things in effort to become a little more environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, my nephew took this the wrong way by criticizing his mom. I don't think it is her fault because there is a larger entity that needs to be addressed.
In Seattle, I have been acclimated to the law enforced climate of being penalized if I had not recycled or the witnessing the huge social stigma of driving big cars. However, on Guam, that type of regulation or social ostracism does not exist (unless I am just some white washed statesider and should not impose my super liberal ideals on these people). Although it has not reached the status of streamlined itemized trash, compost and recycling bins, Guam is slowly taking part in the movement to conserve its environment. While the environment is a big issue to consider, there are a number of other structural problems that have had a history of being problematic. The public school system is a classic example- the island's major public high school in the north, Simon Sanchez, has been closed for two and a half weeks past the intended opening day due to the inspection of the buildings and the proceeding failure to pass structural safety. The islands central counterpart, JFK, is indefinitely closed for the same reason. The government prematurely opened its new high school, built to alleviate the overcrowding at Sanchez, manifests itself through the unpaved and potentially hazardous driveway (the only one) into the school. George Washington, another central highschool, is now housing the students at JFK which has resulted in a double session method of the facilities' operations. Let us not even get started on teachers not being paid on time!
I am not condemning Guam to be this terrible place as I attribute a lot of my personality to this place. I grew up here and I am proud to represent this island regardless of where I am. There are just certain issues (or institutions) that need to be questioned. Judging by the number of wooden signs that line the street with the accompanying entourage of sign wavers, something tells me that it is campaigning season around here. Should I stop being so passive aggressive? I think politics is my brother's job.
Instead of attempting to formulate an argument, let me share some pictures that will distract you from more pressing issues of the government:
My sister and I in front of our grandparents' house in R.R. Cruz, Agat. This is where I got my first big break, compliments to my grandfather who helped in the construction of the military base, granting his family US citizenship. It was very hot.
Inarajan
Nimitz Beach
--
So what else is new? I'm leaving in two weeks.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Peculiarities in list form
My stepfather thinks I dress like a prostitute
My mom thinks I will get raped by everyone
A priest speaks of his days of smoking marijuana
Driving everywhere (no bikes or public transportation) and awkwardly using crosswalks when walking is necessary (only because of high costs of gasoline)
My 5 year old niece being really vulgar (i.e. when speaking to her Dad "we only came here so you could kiss Michael on the lips")
No recycling
How my pants are tighter in humid weather
...
And I've only been back for a week.
My mom thinks I will get raped by everyone
A priest speaks of his days of smoking marijuana
Driving everywhere (no bikes or public transportation) and awkwardly using crosswalks when walking is necessary (only because of high costs of gasoline)
My 5 year old niece being really vulgar (i.e. when speaking to her Dad "we only came here so you could kiss Michael on the lips")
No recycling
How my pants are tighter in humid weather
...
And I've only been back for a week.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Summer: Phase 2
I've been on Guam for a total of six days which equates to me feeling like I've already exhausted my time here. I miss my bike, I miss recycling, I miss my house, I guess I miss my friends and, most importantly, I miss doing whatever I want. However, as the cycle goes, those things will get old (especially the friends) after six days. My brother says that there is a lot of fluff when I write, is this true?
So my computer has unofficially crashed for the third time. I hope my stepfather will be able to recover my files because all my music, pictures and epic, quality papers mean the world to me. Without these things, I am all talk and no pretense. To paint a more pathetic picture, after I heard the news of my destroyed hard drive I have since been mourning. Let us all hope for the best, my heart can only take so much lost files.
-
I have been hanging out with my niece, nephew and new niece since I've been back. They have grown so much! I like to detach myself from the situation and listen to their dialogue, which always proves to be so entertaining. For example, because my nephew was making fun of my niece for not eating, my niece retaliated by saying that my nephew "pooped on the floor". I think these kids are turning out to be just like their auntie Frances' friends. It is also interesting to see how they interact with their new born sister. They are always willing to help my sister (with or without her permission) take care of the baby. I hope this will continue throughout their teenage years. I also hope that my nieces and nephew turn out to be cool kids.
On the note of sibling relationships-
Before my arrival, my brother told my mom that I like to drink a lot through the means of "funneling" or "beer bonging", which is ridiculous because I have only done that once in my lifetime. So as soon as I get here, my mom kept making comments about "funneling" (which she pronounces as fyoo-neling) and how I should behave myself. Nice, Paulo.
How are you all?
So my computer has unofficially crashed for the third time. I hope my stepfather will be able to recover my files because all my music, pictures and epic, quality papers mean the world to me. Without these things, I am all talk and no pretense. To paint a more pathetic picture, after I heard the news of my destroyed hard drive I have since been mourning. Let us all hope for the best, my heart can only take so much lost files.
-
I have been hanging out with my niece, nephew and new niece since I've been back. They have grown so much! I like to detach myself from the situation and listen to their dialogue, which always proves to be so entertaining. For example, because my nephew was making fun of my niece for not eating, my niece retaliated by saying that my nephew "pooped on the floor". I think these kids are turning out to be just like their auntie Frances' friends. It is also interesting to see how they interact with their new born sister. They are always willing to help my sister (with or without her permission) take care of the baby. I hope this will continue throughout their teenage years. I also hope that my nieces and nephew turn out to be cool kids.
On the note of sibling relationships-
Before my arrival, my brother told my mom that I like to drink a lot through the means of "funneling" or "beer bonging", which is ridiculous because I have only done that once in my lifetime. So as soon as I get here, my mom kept making comments about "funneling" (which she pronounces as fyoo-neling) and how I should behave myself. Nice, Paulo.
How are you all?
Saturday, July 12, 2008
On Crossing the Threshold
Summer Pt I
This is what my life has come to-
Selling out
A full bathhouse
Unfinished projects
CUTOFFS
Not pictured:
Shitty work uniform (I am being generous when I say that)
Frances= Katherine Marie S Mesa
Gay men
Ballard/Top Banana
Coming Up:
1. School is ending in a week and a half
2. No more work after two weeks
3. Dusten is coming
4. San Francisco
5. LA
6. Guam
7. I think my sister is having her baby right now
I'm supposed to be working on a group project but instead I'm watching Curb [Your Enthusiasm] online which, considering Clearwire is a piece of shit, is an uphill battle because my internets is slow.
How is your summer so far? Did you think I forgot about this? Do you want me to write more? I ask a lot of questions?
This is what my life has come to-
Selling out
A full bathhouse
Unfinished projects
CUTOFFS
Not pictured:
Shitty work uniform (I am being generous when I say that)
Frances= Katherine Marie S Mesa
Gay men
Ballard/Top Banana
Coming Up:
1. School is ending in a week and a half
2. No more work after two weeks
3. Dusten is coming
4. San Francisco
5. LA
6. Guam
7. I think my sister is having her baby right now
I'm supposed to be working on a group project but instead I'm watching Curb [Your Enthusiasm] online which, considering Clearwire is a piece of shit, is an uphill battle because my internets is slow.
How is your summer so far? Did you think I forgot about this? Do you want me to write more? I ask a lot of questions?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
English
To commemorate this last paper I have to write for the quarter (and probably for the rest of my undergraduate career), for posterity's sake, let me relate the process to some kind of bowel movement. As I've mentioned, this is the last assignment I have to do for the quarter. As usual, I had a lot of time to accomplish this, giving me the opportunity to have several days to frolic about and enjoy the little time I have before another segment of school (which I will not be dropping out of, by the way Liz). And, as usual, I spent a lot of this time whining about how I don't want to write the paper while reassuring myself that I'll get it done at some reasonable time before I must turn it in. This cycle is all too predictable. You would think that I would learn from the collective mental breakdowns but once again I've cast myself as the victim.
Do you know that feeling when you've eaten too much and you know that you should poop but are physically unable to? Related to both the writing process and the material to write the paper itself, that is what this last assignment feels like. I have all the necessary equipment to get this paper done but there is something in the way. I'm convinced that this blockage can be rectified (haha, I had to) with the use of some kind of amphetamine but that option does not seem to be a very popular choice among my peers. Maybe I should be friends with people who have ADHD. Until then, I guess my anti-drug is talking about poop, how much I hate writing papers, how much I hate hip shit and talking about myself and how I hate things.
I'd much rather force myself to poop than write this paper.
Do you know that feeling when you've eaten too much and you know that you should poop but are physically unable to? Related to both the writing process and the material to write the paper itself, that is what this last assignment feels like. I have all the necessary equipment to get this paper done but there is something in the way. I'm convinced that this blockage can be rectified (haha, I had to) with the use of some kind of amphetamine but that option does not seem to be a very popular choice among my peers. Maybe I should be friends with people who have ADHD. Until then, I guess my anti-drug is talking about poop, how much I hate writing papers, how much I hate hip shit and talking about myself and how I hate things.
I'd much rather force myself to poop than write this paper.
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