Who Would Want To Go Back?

This post all begins with a text message I had received from my good, female, friend. The fact that I mention she is a she is subtly pertinent to my little anecdote, but mostly in the realm of, "A girl would say that," and nothing more. It was Valentine's Day, and I had received the message during work, where I can occasionally sit for intervals plastered to my phone as a means of respite from the doldrums that is a stable career. The message read,

Happy Valentine's Day :) hope you're not hating today. (...)

The entirety of the message is not important to this post, on that you will just have to trust me. I certainly was not hating it more than any other workday up until that message. I messaged her back in witty retort, trying to save some face,

I hope you're not hating today? What's that supposed to mean? -_- lol. Happy V-Day to you madam.

After which were a couple of IMs sent to be me explaining in unnecessary detail the very self-aware reasons why I may be hating the holiday. Last I checked, this past Valentine's Day basically was not any different than the ones before.


Which brings me to the topic at hand. Being with oneself.

How to Be Alone

I like that video. Not in a viral, "Dude, have you seen this video?!", kind of way, but I like it. There are some people out there who simply do not know how to be with themselves for prolonged periods of time. An unforeseen tribulation that plagues the people I talk to that have been stepping into "the real world" for the first time is loneliness. For some, this time in their life is their first taste of what it truly means to be one your own. Please note, that being alone is not the same as being lonely. Albeit, they are related, being alone can often make one feel lonely. However, being alone is not as dark of a cave as people make it out to be. One of my favorite quotes from that video goes,

Society is afraid of alonedom, like lonely hearts are wasting away in basements, like people must have problems if, after a while, nobody is dating them. But lonely is a freedom that breathes easy and weightless and lonely is healing if you make it.

Some of the best experiences in my short life have occurred when I have considered myself flying solo. I have stories of some experiences I have not even shared simply due to incredulity and lack of witnesses; it would be a waste of my time trying to paint a picture when the serendipitous nature of it all is only applicable through my eyes being with myself. It is a double-edged sword, I will admit. The lifestyle is certainly not for everyone. Just because society might be wrong about the darkness of cave, does not take away the fact that it is still a cave.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

While not completely one to one for the metaphor I am going with, it relates well enough; the video is interesting if you like to philosophize in your spare time. I am not here to say that being lonely is the new popular, nor am I trying to glamorize solitude. However, a little perspective can make all the difference. Do I know how to survive on my own? Certainly. Am I immune to the loneliness? Certainly not. Do I know how to be content by myself? Yes, but as we all know, humans are social creatures and having some people that, you think, know you as well as you know them can be rather fulfilling, at least from what I have experienced. Just as the video quotes Homer,

Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do, and take after their manner.

I Still Can Recall

In elementary school I had this one friend, he was a bit of an oddball and a happy-go-lucky character, even for elementary school. At some point in time he stopped showing up to class. I heard he moved to Africa.

That's it.

I knew the guy for couple of years before I even reached double digit years of age, but I will always know him as that one guy who up and moved to Africa. For all I know he could be back in America, if he ever left, and fighting crime as a masked superhero. I don't know, but it did make me wonder. Why do I remember him?

It's not like we were the best of friends. I am not sure how you were raised, but as for me, I was raised in the 90's. A childhood chock full of the classic Disney fluff and Nickelodeon, you know, back when Nick taught you that it was swell just being a kid and that having friends is the best-ety best thing in the whole world. That said, just about everyone and anyone in elementary without cooties was my friend. Hell, even the cootie ridden kids knew me as a nice person. (I was a very mature 3rd grader. I developed a cootie vaccine very early on.) Why do I remember him?

If you think I am going to find out why by the end of the post let me save you some time and say that I have no idea. I have asked a couple of people about this phenomenon, and it seems that everyone has a couple of those memories of people they will just always remember for some reason or another. Good, bad, terribly obscure, there is always someone. It does not matter how long I have known them. There are people I worked with all of college or high school that, come a couple of years, I am probably not even going to recognize their face. There are people I have met at bars that, for all I know, will be the last thought I think of before I leave this mortal coil.

I wonder how I will be remembered, or if I even have that kind of impact on people. I hope I do. Good, bad, or terribly obscure, deep down I hope that my relationships with people affect them as much as they affect me. I love meeting new people, and being with people I have already met. Now, two years out of college and starting a career, I hold the friends I have have now closer to my heart than ever. A good lot of them are still in college or still schooling, and even though I can hope that we will all be together forever, realistically I know that we each live our own lives. We all have things we want and, for some, just need to do in life. Whether or not that includes myself, is not up to me. I had a joke with one of my friends named Larry, I met him through a mutual friend who was his roommate at the time, that when we would say farewell after meeting with each other that it will be the last time that I see him. I have not seen him since 2008. We are still friends, I think, I just have not physically seen him. I hope he is doing well.

(I can't think of a picture to post with this. I wrote it on a plane ride.)

I got a new smartphone!

So I got this new smart phone, called the Samsung Captivate. It's an Android based phone, so that means I can download, and hopefully make, some cool apps. Just like this one which I'm using to mobile blog.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.9

I like it when people understand.

I was a little bored at work. So I decided to IM my friend, which I normally do, only this time I changed it up a little bit.

(10:38:00 AM) johnny156: Well, if it isn't Mika.

(10:38:11 AM) Mika: why hello there

(10:45:43 AM) johnny156: I can't believe you have the guts to show your face around here again ...

(10:46:00 AM) johnny156: Not after what you did to my family.

(10:46:04 AM) Mika: i can't believe you have guts

(10:47:24 AM) johnny156: Me?! ME?! You're the one who ran away! When we needed you the most.

(10:48:38 AM) Mika: you... you would think that.

(10:48:42 AM) Mika: it's not like you can understand

(10:49:27 AM) johnny156: I understand loud and clear! You only care about yourself, and your money!

(10:49:54 AM) Mika: money?! is THAT what you think this is about?!

(10:50:49 AM) johnny156: Don't lie. He told me everything.

(10:51:09 AM) Mika: what?!

(10:51:11 AM) Mika: who did?!

(10:51:16 AM) Mika: who did this?!

(10:52:13 AM) johnny156: A certain someone ... I think you know him from the war.

(10:52:29 AM) Mika: *from the war*

(10:52:31 AM) Mika: *from the war*

(10:52:34 AM) Mika: *from the war*

(10:52:42 AM) Mika: *enter FLASHBACK sequence*

(10:52:58 AM) johnny156: *disembodied voice* NOOOOOO!!!!

(10:53:10 AM) Mika: OH MY....

(10:53:14 AM) Mika: H MY GOD!

(10:53:16 AM) johnny156: YOU HAVE TO TAKE COVER!

(10:53:23 AM) Mika: NO!

(10:53:27 AM) Mika: i can't leave you!

(10:53:33 AM) Mika: the captain said to STAY TOGETHER

(10:53:40 AM) Mika: LOOK OUT FOR YOUR COMRADES.

(10:53:48 AM) Mika: i can't leave you here w/ your blown up legs.

(10:53:51 AM) Mika: you'll die!

(10:54:20 AM) johnny156: Mika, I died when you chose him over me... NOW GO!

(10:54:30 AM) johnny156: RUN!

(10:54:45 AM) Mika: ... no.... NOOOOOOOOOOOO

(10:54:47 AM) Mika: *runs away*

(10:54:55 AM) Mika: NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(10:55:01 AM) Mika: *exit flashback sequence*

(10:55:10 AM) Mika: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(10:56:15 AM) johnny156: Old man Two Stubs has plenty of stories to tell, doesn't he Mika?

(10:56:32 AM) Mika: noo... noo.. *shakes head*

(10:56:36 AM) Mika: i thought i could leave the past behind

(10:56:43 AM) Mika: i wanted to start a NEW LIFE

(10:56:45 AM) Mika: away from it all!

(10:57:11 AM) johnny156: Away ... alone ... how you like it.

(10:57:55 AM) Mika: yeah.. well.

(10:58:00 AM) Mika: you know what, john?

(10:58:04 AM) Mika: i'm not afraid to run anymore

(10:58:07 AM) Mika: i realized long ago

(10:58:11 AM) Mika: that sometimes, that's the best solution

(10:58:13 AM) Mika: and now..

(10:58:18 AM) Mika: i'm going to run again.

(10:58:24 AM) Mika: im meeting some guys at the park

(10:58:40 AM) Mika: we're going to pretend we were kids again

(10:58:52 AM) Mika: and remember happier times.

(10:59:08 AM) Mika: (this is all true btw. haha. i really am going to the park soon)

(10:59:33 AM) johnny156: What's done is done. Take your money and leave.

(11:00:31 AM) johnny156: The raiders are gone, my sister is gone. We'll make it on our own, without you.

(11:00:46 AM) Mika: i'm sorry.

(11:00:51 AM) Mika: i never meant for it to be this way.

(11:00:59 AM) Mika: *walk away into the sunset*

(11:01:42 AM) johnny156: *shimmering tear down my face*

(11:01:56 AM) johnny156: Get out of here, before it's too late...

(11:02:02 AM) Mika: FIN.

Supression.

Back in high school people used to call me "Jolly John."

"Don't be angry."

"Don't be like that."

All my life I've been told never to be mad. All my life I've been told never to be angry. Straight to the point where I simply wasn't allowed. I have seen other people angry. At me, at others, at the world. Even at the slightest things that would peeve me, someone would always be there to tell me how I should be feeling. Oh, but don't be angry.

Why not?

A smiling face. The most dangerous people in the world are often not the ones with tattoos all over their body or hard serious grimaces where ever they go. It's the person with the smiling face that has the most opportunity to cause the most harm. I am not one of those people. I have grown a level head. (More about that on a later post maybe.)

What happens to it all? If you are not allowed to let it out, where does it go?

EDIT:
Relative.

Of "Name That Tunes-day"

For those of you who don't know, I keep a Twitter. I have been commended a couple of times by my friends for my tweets, although I really do not update it for them, or anyone specific for that matter. This blog, and my Twitter, are for anyone who cares to look me, or my thoughts, up. (Actually I started re-updating this blog so that my family and friends can keep better tabs of me so that I don' t have to call anyone individually.) Something that has caught some people's attention on Tuesdays around 12:00 PM on my Twitter. A segment I like to call "Name That Tunes-day." It is fairly self-explanatory, I tweet a line to a song, someone guesses it, and we are all smarter usually within 30 minutes of my posting. The person who guesses the song and artist first is supposed to be the winner, but there's no real winner¹, just fun². Some people think I must know every line of all the songs I know. Let me just get some things straight.

I like music. I like music a lot. I am just not that into the know-everything-about-a-song side of things. Band, title of the song, who sang it, and other which-what is all pretty arbitrary to me. In fact, more often than naught, the more I learn about a song ... the less I enjoy it. That said.

I like to sing. I like to sing a lot. I am just not that into the know-every-word-from-a-song side of things. Intro, outro, chorus, and other word-what is all pretty arbitrary to me. In fact, more often that naught, the more I learn how to sing a song ... the less ... I mumble. That said.



That is me.

Why should words get in the way of me enjoying life? However, sometimes³ I have no idea what I am really singing; and knowing what exactly you are singing can be useful information. (Little kids singing to "Ice Cream Paint Job" come to mind.)

¹ Yes there is.
² Yeah, for the winner.
³ see often.

Of last.fm and Pandora

Consider this.

Two boxes of Lucky Charms. Both of the boxes advertise being a part of a balanced breakfast, and being magically delicious. However, one of the boxes is open. Clearly this open box has seen it's fair share of hungry mouths. Why hasn't anyone opened the one? Maybe it's bad? So you open up the second box, reach in and eat a single piece, wary that it might actually be bad. Well ... the other one tastes like Lucky Charms too. What's the difference? So you get two bowls, and pour yourself two bowls of goodness. The pre-opened box on the left, and the other on the right. You look down and find this...


And that about sums up my last.fm experience.

Graph

It's like a puzzle of a my head.

Wii90X: The Introduction

Welcome to a new segment on my blog I hope to actually keep up with, Wii90X.

What is Wii90X?

First watch this informercial.


Yeah...it's not that. Not at all...at least not yet.

It's actually going to be more like this guy.

The Wii Fit Experiment - Workout Montage from WiiNintendo.net on Vimeo.

Basically Wii90X is going to chronicle my efforts of living a healthier lifestyle by actually having some daily physical activity centered around the, you guessed it, Wii Fit. Why am I doing this? Well, it is actually more of a personal experiment for myself with the following questions. Does Wii Fit actually work? What would happen if I actually did exercise often? Is 90 days enough time for a significant lifestyle change? Does Wii Fit actually work? I also have this Wii on loan from my brother, we have had this long going exchange of video game hardware for 4 years now, and now I have a Wii, so my only big monetary investment in this is currently only the Wii Fit.

The Plan.

P90X, from what I have learned, consists of an X-TREME workout for about an hour everyday. So my plan consist of clocking in an average hour of "Fit Credits" everyday. The way Wii Fit's exercises work is that they are split up into four sections; Yoga, which focuses on honing your sense of balance, Strength Training, supposedly it focuses on building your strength, Aerobics, this is where cardio exercise are separated into, and Balance Games, that seem generally useless from a fitness standpoint. I will be spending all of my time posing with Yoga, lifting with Strength Training, and running in place with Aerobics. The balances games section, albeit more fun than say a torso twist, do not seem to be any sort of useful for the purpose of my experiment, so I will not be clocking in any time tightrope walking or ski jumping. My diet for the most part will remain unchanged, no strict dietary regimen here, although I will try my best to make healthier descisions about what will be passing through my lips. I will be updating this blog weekly, every Sunday is the plan, which will help me be accountable throughout this experiment. In the entries I hope too give status updates about how I am feeling at time, what kind of exercise I have been doing and overall progress about the whole thing.

The Goal.

The guy in the second video from WiiNintendo.net wrote that he lost 15 pounds in 41 days from adding Wii Fit to his daily routine. He did not change his dietary habit either. He simply did a whole-hearted Wii Fit workout for 30mins to an hour EVERYDAY. Wii Fit has the feature to set a weight goal on your profile. My goal is set to lose 20 pounds within 3 months. If I am able to pull this off I will be at a weight I have not been at since middle school, I am currently 22.


The Entry.

Now that you know what this is all going to be about I might as well start with my first post. I started this last Monday, September 14, I weighed in at 219.8 lbs. with a Body Mass Index of 31.47. I registered my profile at 5' 10" so with all of this together Wii Fit categorizes me into the "Obese" demographic. Wii Fit initially does not come with every single exercise unlocked, in fact I am still unlocking some of the strength exercises, so when I first started on Monday I only clocked in 30 minutes of "Fit Credits," the actual workout gameplay time, without over lapping or repeating any of the exercises. However, as time has passed I am now reaching a point where if I do a whole "lap" of all the exercises included in the game the Fit credits easily excede an hour. I must admit at first, I did not feel a thing. I mean, sure I broke a sweat, but the first few days just left me feeling tired, but not worked out. With more of the exercises unlocked now, that is becoming a rarer case. Have I seen any physical changes after a week? Well, sort of. The strength training exercises seem more geared toward toning muscles than building muscles. So personally, I have noticed my arm is slightly bigger, I have been able to increase reps of certain exercises I used to have trouble with, and after a week where my arm muscles used to be sore now my thigh muscles feel a bigger burn. Unfortunately, Wii Fit currenly has me at 221.8 lbs but I'm doing my best to not be discouraged. This seems like a pretty long post to read, so I will stop here. Until next week.

Mobile: It's Always Sunny in Austin

Too bad I don't actually watch the show.

The annoyance list.

Figure a.

I have decided to compile a list. If you have not yet guessed it, yes it will be of things that annoy me in a very special way. The kind of annoyances that make you facepalm. If you do not know what that means, please refer to Figure a (for further reading please see Figure b). This list will be in no particular order, and will hopefully be updated as time proceeds and I can recollect my thoughts.

• People who don't use enough normal English. (Including slang, hype words, and cutesy words ending in -y, -ey, and/or -ly, also -ers or -erz)
• Learning a truth you didn't want to hear.
• Use of Internet slang/lingo/meme improperly in real life.
• Ignorance, straight ignorance.
• Tweets/updates about bodily functions ... Are you trying to dissuade skeptics of your humanity? Stop it.
  

Figure b.

Behold...err.

Sounds about right.

There are people who don't know.

Now you know.

Ode to Texas Weather

This is not necessarily in order.

Especially during romantic comedies

I always like a good story. Movie, book, video game, you name it. Usually with a good story, people like to add either a dash of fiction or throw the whole thing into a tale of whimsy. Having a sense of realism, I think, is key to telling a good story. However there are times where I will hear a voice in my head screaming "DOESN'T HAPPEN!" in certain scenarios.

Take this picture I found on the internet:


While I enjoy the humor of this picture...

DOESN'T HAPPEN!

The voice is like that of someone yelling at their incompetent employee, "YOU'RE FIRED!" and then stamping those words on their pink slip.*

I've come up with a nice visual aid, I hope to use again in some later post.


This does not mean I don't like some good fiction. Usually I will just play the "It's a movie." card, or something of the such, and just enjoy the ride, like when I watched just about every stunt in Die Hard 4.

I really just wanted to post this picture. It's pretty funny. I mean look at that guy's face. He just wants to play his game...stupid boobs getting in the way.

*I don't actually know how pink slips work. If I do ever get fired, I want it to happen exactly like that.

It's like someone recorded my geek dream.

What happens when you combine my number one action anime with my number one game of all time?

The world probably would explode, or at least my head would.

While not being a cataclysmic threat, this video does get pretty close to my cephaclasm.

Mobile: Yes, That's a Spoon on Top

Whether my weekend was productive or not is still a quandary...

Passion vs Preparation

I'm going to steal a quote from this YouTube movie I watced recently, although the movie itself is not so recent. (More on that later.)

"If you know how you get somewhere, usually, you can figure out how to get out."

-Just a Nice Guy, Wong Fu Productions

Every now and then, as probably with most people, there are times where you try and take a step back from your life and figure out how exactly you got to where you are now. Maybe you are wondering why you have it so good, maybe you are wondering how did things go so wrong, or maybe you are wondering when did this all start or end. Maybe, just maybe, the thought has never crossed your mind.

Decisions. What did you do?

It is our decisions that govern how things unfold. Once you think about it, life could be seen as simply an object of infinite states. I say state meaning a state of being. If you are still confused, think of it life like a path beginning with being born and ending with dying, and there are infinite number of steps you can take to go from A to B. It is up to yourself to figure out exactly which steps exactly you are going to take. Which brings me to the topic at hand.

It's a fight between the heart and the brain!

There are two major factors that go into making your next move, passion and preparation. Yes, I know I can equate these words with other synonyms that would better convey my message, but for alliteration sake, I am using passion and preparation. These are hopefully self-explanatory, but I will expand for those who have not caught wind. I will start with the latter. Preparation involves your logic, your analysis, your sense of counter-balancing the good and the bad. Preparation is the part of you that can spot a good deal at a sale. Passion involves your emotion, and your...well, that is about it. It is that gut-feeling, your impulse. Passion is the part of you that buys that thing simply because it was on sale.

You can go right and wrong with how you choose to react. I find that the preparation side of life has the higher chance of "paying out," so to say. Why would it not? You have done your homework, the decision you are about to make works with your logic, and you have hopefully weighed it out to be the best choice. That being said, I also find that the jackpot can only be won with passion. It is like going all in, on pocket twos when you have not even seen the flop. For me, it seems like I can not even function with the passionate side of me anymore. Everything in my head seems to run through some filter of what is going to happen. I think it is because running on passion on my side of life, seems to only get me into trouble. Bad things sprout from relying on your gut too much. In the movie, "Minority Report," where most crime has been diminished, the only murders that occur are based on passion. I feel now more than ever, especially being out of college, that I have no room for mistakes. It feels like my safety net is gone. I have regret this. The mantra of "everything will be alright," seems to be fleeting. This subject matter has been on my mind for a while now, and even though the fall my hurt I feel like now maybe I should start rolling my dice.

Where does your fate lay? Why it is in your hands, of course. Now this is most certainly not a black and white affair. The shades of gray, can probably deduce your chances of failure while maximizing your pay out. Ferris Bueller's Day Off comes to mind. Of course, have a good amount of luck doesn't hurt. Just make sure it's the right kind of luck.

Cloud Computing, Before Your Eyes

This video is proof of concept balls-to-the-wall amazing. So to give a brief premise this video is going to show you the power of cloud computing applied to normal applications we use everyday (i.e. video games)

I know, I know, you have a lot of questions. I am going to try my best to demystify some of the magic going on. You are probably asking, "John, what the heck is cloud computing?" My answer, "Well, it's basically parallel or distributed computing across multiple systems." And before you ask the next question about computing let me just give you an analogy.

Think about sometime ago when you were doing your homework. You had your math, science, and social studies homework to do, but you could only really work on each subject one at a time. So let's say you are a computer, and instead of math homework, you are doing computation. Doing math homework with one hand and social studies with you other hand, is sort of where we are today in computing in the world of multi-core processors and concurrent programming. What is an even easier way of getting homework done? A study group of course! A good study group, the one that just lets you copy down the answers and has the group do all of the work. That is cloud computing. You, the user, are having what is called "The Cloud," do all your work for you. Instead of the aforementioned study group, it is actually the Internet, which is nothing but a bunch of computers connected together doing the work.

I hoped that helped. With that in mind, a man by the name of Dave Perry decided to put words into action. He uses the power of cloud computing, a basic install of Firefox with Flash, and what has to be some sort of devil programming to hopefully open the world of video games, which tends to have and entrance fee and equipment prerequisite, to everybody by playing games like, "Spore" and "World of Warcraft" all within a Firefox window. Seeing is more believe so just watch the video.

Gaikai Technology Demo (JULY 1, 2009) from David Perry on Vimeo.

FSA Senior Will

Back in high school we had senior wills. They were anonymous vindictive compilations of aversion and malediction typed and passed around the halls from person to person. If you're still having trouble understanding what I'm talking about, I believe someone has related it to a "Burn Book" ala the movie "Mean Girls." (Which I have never, nor do I plan to ever, seen in its entirety.) It was written like a will with excerpts like, "To ______, we leave you zip tie. Hopefully that will actually keep your legs closed." However, the senior will I wrote for my college organization is nothing like the such. It is meant to be commemorative and touching, and I wrote it with the intention to make at least one person cry. I am posting this now because I was cleaning my computer desktop and decided to post, so if you missed it the first time around, here you go.

First for the Fuglies. Blame me, Leslie, and Amanda, if that name sticks. Stay close, you all are a fugly family now, and do not be afraid to let latecomers join. You will learn as much from FSA as course at UT. Fatima, I will always remember your infectious laugh and smile, and your overwhelming trust and love for you friends, take care. Mika, all work and no play. Make sure your study breaks always involve FSA, they can help you with your school too. David, my adopted ading, time to man up, learn to take a shot, no more drinks from me huh? Genny, my SoAding, you’re a sweet gal don’t let anyone tell you different. Dean, my baklading, my favorite part about you is your indomitable spirit. Aim high, meet people, and you will definitely go places.

Secondly the Squeefers. Your class is an example of how an FSA family works, nauseatingly close-knit, but still welcoming, with just the right amount of under-your-breath shit talk. I fully believe you guys have what it takes to bring FSA back to its former glory. Czarina, me and Joy are leaving. It’s up to you, Queeny, to make sure there is a least one CC to take your place when you leave. Janel, the past three FCNs were produced by people equally busy with non-FSA stuff, as you will. Remember, you have other people to help you all the time; I hope to taste some sugar bread at FCN next year. Daniel, you certainly know how to influence and inspire people. Only use your powers for good, use it to get people active in your community work. Brenda, I hope your care and help you give everyone never runs out, you were and still are an amazing officer. Anna, where are you? Ah there! You are nice, truthful, and blunt. Deadly mix, but makes for a good friend. Glenn, you know my PSN. Rochelle, my brickhouse co-Ate, please smack our adings if they are doing something stupid…literally….any of them. Leslie, you are someone with whom I can always converse. Please keep in touch, and come back to Texas. Anne, you have good intentions and high ambitions. What happened on that kayak, stayed on that kayak. Open up your options sometime, you might be in for a pleasant surprise. Lastly, my first (good) ading, my successor in oddly too many ways, Dino. You are going to hate me in about a year or next semester. I always got your back. Do better than me. In all aspects, take that sentence to heart. Over the time I met you, you truly are my brother.

Will the Squirters please stand up? One, two, three, aaaaand four. Alright, that’s four more than expected. Thea, shut up. In all seriousness, you crack me up. Emily, you have changed a lot since freshman year, good luck with everything you do. Randy, please stay active. You may, quite factually, be the only 4th year in the org next year. In life, experience means a lot, the officers and members will need your input next year. Raisa…I said stand up. Oh you are standing. You were probably my first close friend in FSA. So for me, count that, I had a whole year in FSA without a friend like you. I am glad you joined. I will make sure to visit you in Houston sometime when we are both done with college.

The Floaters. Looking at the newbies, we are the last of our breed. It’s looking like shot trains, Duval, proper freshman motivation, all leave when we leave. I do not really identify myself as a “Floater,” but you guys are my class and we been in here for four years together. Anh, told me to mention him in my will. Darrell, also wants to be in my will, thanks for being the best roommate of all my four years of college. Maria, my first (good) co-Ate, you know. You know how it is, optimisic but down to Earth, and always on my ass if am remotely offending. Joy, that’s it, game over, see you at Christmas. I remember our freshman year, and traveling forth between cities. I am glad to have been part of your life for this long. Oh, and thanks for bringing me to FSA.

The last group, the people I do identify with, has no name. Even though we are not Floaters, Squirters, Squeefers, or Fuglies, the love for this organization runs deep. Cef Heruela, keep it real. Open your mouth more, because I know you know what you are talking about. Lance Heruela, “How are you doing?” I met you freshman year, and despite everything thrown at you, you always keep seeking your aspirations, I admire that about you. Keep fighting the good fight. Panda, you will be in Houston soon, please do not expect me to drive two hours to jumpstart your car, but do not ever hesitate to call if you need help. We grew a lot closer this past year and I appreciated your company and advice, heh. Gel, always smile and sing often. Being a first year upperclassmen, I tried to make sure you felt welcome when I met you, and now you are an officer. With your kindness, commitment, and sweet voice, I know you are going to make an awesome nurse. JoieL, what in the world did I drag you into. You are the president now, not bad considering a year ago you knew only a handful of people in the group. I wish I had met all of you four years ago. Until meeting you guys, I could not wait to leave college. Starting a career, traveling, earning real money, not studying; all of that could wait if it meant I could hang out with you guys at least one last time.

I finally understand. I finally understand why, when I was a freshman, the upperclassmen appreciated the alumni so much. Come your senior year, maybe you will too. This night ends in a couple more hours, what will you take from it? What can you take from it? The food will spoil. Our clothes will go out of style. That group picture of your table might even get lost.
Memories. In the end, all we have is our memories. Memories of the happiness. Memories of drama. Memories of when, what, and why. Most of all, memories of all the friends. Most of you have those titos and ninangs that are not really related to you, but friends of your parents. The friends you make today, just may be the titas and ninangs of your children. Cherish every moment with your friends. Soon enough the people beside you will just be memories, and memories are everlong. When you care about your friends, you will do anything just to see them smile. Everybody, thank you.