2008 San Francisco Auto Show

AJ's 2nd Birthday Celebration

Tattoos...

By now, you probably know I have 3 major tattoos that cover both my shoulders and my back. I got these tattoos for me and not to show off. Since I do go to the gym, I like to wear cutoffs, so the one on my shoulders are exposed. Well, yesterday I decided to wear cutoffs to school because I was planning to head straight to the gym after my class was over, and I didn’t feel like changing. Normally the lab for my microbio class is freezing cold, so I always bring a sweatshirt to keep me warm. For some reason, it was a bit hot in the lab so I took off my sweatshirt, and the reaction I got yesterday was, “I wouldn’t never thought a person like you would have tattoos” or “Wow, you have tattoos?!?” These are the reactions I tend to get when people first see my tattoos. Isn’t it weird how people have a natural tendency to stereotype? I bet within the first month of this semester, people think I am Asian/Pacific Islander who is good with computers, take pictures, and get straight A’s. Well I am, but someone with tattoos… hahahaha

The One Regret…

When I give advice to people, I tell them never regret anything you did in the past. The mistakes you did makes the person who you are now. It is easy to say those words, but hard to live by. Being my age, I made many mistakes in my life, and learned from them. But there is only one mistake I regret; letting go a person who means a lot to me.

This happened a little over 2 years ago, and till this day, it affects me. I tried moving on by dating other people, but because I can’t let go, I find myself in many failed relationships. What makes this hard is we cross paths time to time. Today I wonder what the future holds for me…

Hustled

There has to be a time when you get hustled, and today was one of those times for me. Today was a typical Tuesday for me. Went to school and headed for the gym. On my way to lunch, I get stopped by one of the booths in the mall. I normally have a great defense against these people by just ignoring them, but this one particular girl literally jumped in front of me and blocked my path. I couldn’t move left or right because there were people on my side, so I was forced to talk to her.

She was offering a shaving cream and after shaver. She asked me to sit down while she did her demonstration. I can tell she was a touchy feely person because she kept rubbing my arm and holding my hand (the demonstration was on my face, not my arm by the way). I didn’t really mind the demonstration because she was pretty to the eyes. When she was done, she asked me if I wanted to purchase any of the products she showed me. I was pretty good at saying no, but she was very persistent. I think her final offensive move was to give me her personal number… and before I knew it, my defenses failed and purchased the products she showed me. What is wrong with the world where HOT girls offering products to people like me… hehehe

Latest Pictures (San Francisco and Walnut Festival)

Here are some newer pictures that I took this month. The first set was from a walk-about in San Francisco. I tried to capture what I feel is the heart of the city. I first went to Pier 39 and ended up at Coit Tower. I have to say that my favorite pictures are the Bay Bridge. Just the way the ambient light hit the bridge made the shot look great. During this walk-about, I wanted to take photos of the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was a foggy day.

This set is from the the Walnut Festival in Walnut Creek, California. I went to this event with a couple of friends to practice my photojournalism skills. These are some of my favorite shots.

R.I.P. Lolo Joe

I’ve been meaning to write this blog since I got back from the Philippines, but I’ve been so busy with the video I was making for the past two weeks and school. As many people know, my grandfather passed away in July of 2008. My immediate family, uncles and aunties, and a few cousins did an emergency trip to the Philippines just to participate in my grandfather’s funeral. I’m not sure if you saw my pictures on my myspace account, but many people think it was a vacation. In a way it was because in the Philippines, a funeral is a happy event. In America, a funeral tends to be gloomy, but in PI, we throw parties. It seemed like the only people who actually cried was the immediate David clan, but it was for a very short time.

Even though my grandfather and I weren’t close, I had SO many great memories of him. He is truly the backbone of our family. He was always a happy person. He had great PR skills, and made a friend every where he went. I still can remember him around age 75, he danced a Hawaiian dance at my cousin, Ate Di’s wedding. I mean, he went full out; getting low to the ground and backup. I remember everyone just enjoying watching him. Even nearing age 90, he would go to the senior citizen’s club house, and get his groove on. He truly loved dancing. I think because of his personality, he lived so long. Unfortunately at the age of 93, he passed away.

It’s been a few weeks since his death, and I find myself in an emotional rollercoaster. Some days I’m just fine, but some days, I’m just down and out. It was especially hard for me for the first two weeks because since I’m not a great public speaker, I put my skills in video making to use. For my dedication to my grandfather, I put together pictures and videos through out his lifetime, and wanted to show it the family on the 40th Rosary day. There were so many times I got teary eyed when I was making this video and wanted to stop, but I was determined to finish it. American society says men don’t cry, but come on, if someone close to you died, wouldn’t you cry?

These are my final thoughts for this blog… I will truly miss my grandfather. He left us with so many great memories that he won’t be forgotten. He will be talked about for years to come.