For most of the year, Seattle can be a cold wet mess. But, once summer comes around, Seattle can be one of the most beautiful places to live in. Sunny but cool weather, early sunrises and late sunsets. Some being as late as nine in the evening. Man… I love Seattle in the summer.

*I do recommend you listen to Snoopy Waves by Deerhoof. That was my anthem of the afternoon.*

A couple weeks ago Leroy and company invited Marc and I out to Golden Gardens. We had dogs on the barbie, beers buried in the sand, whiskey in a bag of chips, pirate’s booty, and some questionable substances provided by Endresen. It was such a beautiful afternoon at beach… BOYEE~!

The shoreline was really calm that day. The waves creeping up onto the sand was therapeutic medicine to my ears. Kinda like that electronic waterfall that Terrell has next to his bed; the one with sound effects. Only less of a novelty item and it’s free.

It was also cool and breezy. Thankfully not windy and blasting sand in our faces. There were people at the beach flying their kites literally a quarter-mile high. OK, maybe not a quarter-mile high, but it was pretty damn high.

Boys will always be boys no matter what. Even in our mid-twenties, we still enjoy making fires. Noel and Terrell would agree.

I swear to god I used to believe in! Photos can capture the stupidest faces on anyone while they eat.

Despite the beers being buried under the sand, we still were forced to drink them in blue cups. Not red, because that’s a dead give away you’re drinking something you’re not supposed to. That and red cups are played out.

James can be seen here eating some pirate’s booty. Gah! I could go for some pirate’s booty right now.

Marc manages to pull of a “Clint Eastwood stare” while eating. He’s actually squinting because he’s blind as a bat.

Endresen was very disappointed when he dropped his hotdog in the pit.

The only decent photo of myself. Thank you Mea!

I do have to say that José and Mea are exceptional people behind the camera. With my camera, they managed to pull some really good photos throughout the afternoon.

Marc, you so derp.

Endresen getting ahead of himself trying to cook two dogs at once.

I’m posting this picture disregarding James’ request.

I’m a little sad I blew-out this photo.

Yes, we actually cooked the dogs using sticks Steve and Leroy found in the woods.

Endresen does have a pair of cool looking Chucks. I wish I had the confidence and skill to draw something cool all over my Chucks.

As the afternoon was coming to an end, we soon found ourselves gathering around the fire snacking on chips and booze. Although it was sunny, Seattle is still fairly cold during the evening.

Leroy has that “Dos Equis” stare going on. “Stay thirsty my friend.”

As soon as the sun started to set, we packed up our things and discreetly gave some of it back to the aina.

Chillin’ at the beach was such a relief from all the stress I’ve been building up from school and other things. I was happy and nostalgic at the same time sitting any lying on the beach. It kinda got me a little homesick. Nothing can ever beat the beaches in Hawai’i.

• Improve my relationship with my family and friends. (I feel that I met this resolution with ease. I think moving to a different state strengthened my bond with my family and close friends. When I came back to Hawai’i, it felt like I never left. You guys make me smile.)

• Improve myself spiritually. (This went totally out the door. Thanks Marc.)

• Pick up the honeys. (This is totally subjective. I want to do better this year.)

• Meet new people. (Comes with moving to a different state.)

• Try new things. (Definitely experienced new things this year.)

• Eat and live healthier. (This was a total failure. I think I gained weight.)

• Save more money. (Nope. Broke like a joke.)

• Ultimately to improve one’s self and hopefully at the same time improve the lives of the people around me.

Now for my 2010 New Year’s Resolution:

• Maintain my healthy relationship with my family and friends.

• Pick up the honeys.

• Eat and live healthier. And win the weight loss bet.

• Save/earn more money.

• Actually start my graphic design business.

• Get into UW.

• Get into the design program at UW.

• Become a better person for other people and myself.

Dear 2009,

You fuckin’ suck! Sure, I experienced some cool things this year, but you still fuckin’ suck. Bring in 2010!

Waikiki is cool and windy. The crowds are swarming the strip. Traffic is congested. It’s Valentine’s day. Conditions are perfect… perfect for free hugs and Noel is here to give. Noel is not the first, but one of many in support of the free hugs campaign; a fabulous idea from Juan Mann the founder of the free hugs campaign.

This group of Canadians were more than happy to receive some free hugs.

Girlfriends, wives, street performers; they all couldn’t resist.

Neither did she… and he.

A group of girls stop Noel.

Wait… what the fuck?! Is that Colt Brennan? Dude was stealing Noel’s thunder, so we had to give him the boot.

Drivers couldn’t keep their eyes on the road. I know they wanted hugs too.

Let me play this situation out for you. LIVE IT! A guy is getting cited by three cops for god knows what and guess what the cop is thinking about. You know! The guy getting cited must have been like, “Who the fuck is this guy?” How weird is that situation.

Noel waiting at a busy intersection.

Satisfaction guaranteed.

I was happy to assist and document Noel and his free hug campaign. I got a hug from a cute sidewalk performer, chatted with some interesting people and I even got a handshake in with Colt Brennan. But that’s besides the point. This campaign proved that the world isn’t so cruel and there are people out there who want something more personal; even if it’s as little as a hug. Think about it. All it took was an idea and a little sign. What more if you put a little more effort into it. You can make our world a more enjoyable place to live in.

Go on. Give someone a hug. It’s free anyways.

Improve my relationship with my family and friends.

Improve myself spiritually.

Pick up the honeys.

Meet new people.

Try new things.

Eat and live healthier.

Save more money.

Ultimately to improve one’s self and hopefully at the same time improve the lives of the people around me.

When I initially wore the hat in front of the mirror I thought it looked a bit goofy. The hats were not what I expected. Both the Newsboy and the Cameo looked a little wide and short. I thought the hats would have a slim look to it like the other driving caps.

I had a feeling I was wearing both hats wrong. After looking at some magazines and researching on the net, I found out these hats aren’t worn like regular baseball caps. Usually, baseball caps are worn snugly and fitted around the head. Instead, these type hats are worn very loosely. Just place them on your head and adjust to fit.

After figuring out how to wear the hats, I quickly grew fond of both of them. I got mixed reviews about my hats. My little sister said I looked “weird.” My mom said “it looks good.” My dad said, “it looks a little big.” I guess I’ll just have to rock it and see for myself what other people think.

Regardless, if the reviews of me wearing these hats are bad, I’ll still keep them and wear them occasionally. In the end, what I like is all that matters, right?

It’s like every visit to the dentist. The lobby is hot as hell and the elevators are slow as fuck. I have been going to the same dentist for years; since my family moved to Hawaii. One thing I really remember about the office is the loud electric door chime they have on the door. It’s been there for as long as I can remember.

Upon arriving to the office *BING-BONG*, I quickly grab the restroom keys to take a crap. For some reason, I had a feeling my name was going to be called next for cleaning if I stayed there any longer. Last thing I want to have is the urge to crap in the middle of my cleaning session.

I came back to the office, when lo and behold, my name was called. What a surprise. I actually was surprised because it wasn’t the usual male apprentice that cleaned my teeth last time, it was a girl and I knew her. For privacy sake, she’s a family friend.

I would never approach or even talk to this girl at family parties. For some reason, I always thought we wouldn’t get along. So I keep my distance. It’s not that she is hot or anything, nor is she ugly. Just picture your average Filipino girl. But today was different; she actually looked kinda cute in her scrubs and stuff.

Soon after being escorted to the individual rooms where they conduct their cleaning, I came to the realization that this girl will find out how bad my oral hygiene is. I gave her a disclaimer and she laughed it off.

We had a little chit-chat while she was taking my X-rays, then she went on cleaning. You know your oral hygiene is bad when you hear tons of chipping and scraping. The cleaning process took longer than I expected. Yeah my mouth was dirty; mind you, she’s only been working in the office for a month.

After my cleaning, doctor came in to inspect the cleaning and the X-rays. I could hear them mumbling dentist jargon to one another like, “What the hell is that?” and “We’ll keep an eye on number 20 and 2.” OK, maybe not jargon, but I knew a lecture was coming up.

Last time I had a serious lecture from doctor was in intermediate. I guess my breath was so foul and my flossing was so bad he threw a fit and showed me how to floss. He also had a talk with my mom. His lecture wasn’t nearly as bad as the ride home.

This lecture was a little different. He started talking about the bad times when I was younger and my present state. I could tell by the tone of his voice and the advice he was giving me that he was disappointed. He ended it in saying he expects me to maintain my teeth the way they left it, shook my hand and wished me good luck in my life and career. What the fuck does that mean?

After he left, I gave my apologies and thanks to the girl who cleaned my teeth and left. I picked up my my parking ticket at the front desk and asked the receptionist for my next scheduled appointment. She told me “no need” and I went on my way.

Wait a minute. What the fuck? Maybe they don’t want be coming back there. Or, maybe it’s all in my head and she doesn’t need me to schedule so early. Yeah… let’s keep it at that.

In essence, you should always have good healthy brushing habits and always floss. You never know when a person you know will end up cleaning your teeth and will possibly tell everyone you know how bad your breath smells and at the same time risk loosing your dentist because he had to put up with your horrible oral hygiene for 10 plus years and is fed up with it.