Where does that leave me? What am I willing/dreading to give up?

• Smoking – I really need to stop.
• My fears – Let’s see if I can give up my fears and let myself go.
• Facebook – Sound pathetic, but I kinda need to give this up.

I will attempt to not do these things for lent. See you on the other side.

My 2010 New Year’s Resolutions:

• Maintain my healthy relationship with my family and friends. (This was fairly easy to maintain. Distance does make family grow closer; at least in my experience.)

• Pick up the honeys. (This is totally subjective, but I believe I could have pushed this one a little further.)

• Eat and live healthier. And win the weight loss bet. (Although I did not win the weight loss bet, I did start eating better and exercising more. In return, I lost a little over 20lbs in a years span. It should have been more, but I’m not complaining. That’s doing the bare minimum stuff. I do plan on doing better this coming 2011)

• Save/earn more money. (Totally failed this one. School is putting me in a hole.)

• Actually start my graphic design business. (I’m still as small-fry, but I’m pretty legit now in Seattle. Well, more legit than last year.)

• Get into UW.

• Get into the design program at UW. (These two are by far my best goals that I met this year.)

• Become a better person for other people and myself. (I made more relationships than I burned. I’m much more outgoing. I am becoming more truthful to myself. Did I manage to complete this goal? I’d like to think so, but I can always do much better.)

Six out of eight! Not bad, not bad at all.

Now for my 2011 New Year’s Resolutions:

• Become more of a man; a modern man that is. Some resources to learn more about being a man: The Art of Manliness, Gunn’s Golden Rules, Rules for My Unborn Son.

• Be more truthful to myself and to others. I want to become more honest with myself and to the people I hold dear.

• Eat and become physically healthier. Let’s push it further to a flatter stomach. Maybe I’ll even pickup cross fit with Arnnie. If I drop another 20lbs or a couple sizes, I will treat myself to some new snazzy swag.

• Learn how to dance: I got to at least learn how to be as cool as Sam Rockwell. Ever since I started my sophomore year at UW, I noticed a group of people always dancing in Red Square. It looked like they were dancing swing. I think I’m gonna do that.

• Dress to impress (myself). I will wear what I want to wear. Wherever. Whenever. A stubborn tailor once told me “when you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you look great!” I have to thank Put This On for just being awesome.

• Less thinking, more doing. This year, I want to get my hands dirty, like Dirty Jobs dirty. Ideas and dreams are great and all, but what’s even better is to realize them into something tangible. Yoda once said, “do or do not. There is no try.”

• Become awesome. Time should not be wasted being negative. 2011 is all about being positive and being awesome. I will try an make it a habit to always see the positive side of things, hence being awesome.

• Have a legendary time, because time waits for no one. Carpe diem!

Moving into a new apartment (or should I say unit) was proven to be more challenging than I had originally anticipated. Marc and I had previously lived in a spacious two bedroom apartment which was quite nice actually. But because of previous circumstances and new trials that were about to follow, we ended up “moving” into a cheaper one bedroom unit.

Having one bedroom is not that big of a deal. We’re guys! We treat every living area like it’s a locker room. These set of “unwritten locker room rules” are drilled into their brains of young men throughout the course of their adolescent lives. For your information (ladies), most of these “locker room rules” holds true to a man’s everyday life. For example, no lolly-gagging around other naked dudes. If you happen to notice a naked man in a confined area, eyes automatically hit the sky or stare into the imaginary distance (even if there isn’t one, you damn well find that distance). Gay or straight, it’s the sincere thing to do.

Another rule is to respect one man’s shit and he’ll do the same. In other words, don’t touch what isn’t yours. And if you really want to touch it, ask before touching. Nothing out there grinds my gears like someone messing with my stuff without my knowledge. Even adjusting the mirrors to my car can annoy the hell out of me.

And my final example is one of the more important unwritten rules out there which is, everything is fine even when it’s not. Girls and guys should know what this means. One of your homeboys playfully socks you in the gut or smacks your nuts. You’re dying inside, but you man it up and you forcefully muster up, “is that all you got?!” Or when the backseat driver nags and pesters you to ask for directions. You stubbornly refuse and yell “I GOT THIS!” Even when you damn sure know you don’t. You are fine, even when you’re not.

Despite saying these “unwritten rules” hold true to a man’s everyday life, rules drastically change when things get personal. You see, when moving into our new apartment, I didn’t realize the increase of personal interactions I would make with my friends/roommates. People! For the record, your friends, girlfriends/boyfriends, and spouses aren’t legit until you live with them. You will start to learn all of their bad habits as well as discover a bunch of your own. Yes, you have bad habits (you’re no saint)!

Throughout the year, I learned a lot about myself through another person’s perspective (i.e. my friends/roommates) that I wouldn’t have learned on my own. Although, none of this came easy. Most of these realizations came to during fights and other quarrels. That being said, there will be times when acting fine is not enough and you just have to let the people know what’s up.

Being drunk doesn’t count. Not only are you being insincere, but chances are you will not remember what went down. So regardless of the outcome your efforts will most likely be rendered useless. Both of you being drunk is no better. You know that math rule, negative times a negative makes a positive? Doesn’t work here. You’ll just end up waking up with a sore body, belongings smashed with puke everyone (not saying this exactly happened to me).

I know that living with a friend may sound like a pain, but if you can get pass by the trials that are to come, you will find a friend that you can a brother from another mother (or a sister form another mister). I’ve gotten to know Marc and Lou (even Rven despite not living with him) on a more personal level than I ever thought possible. At the same time, I have gotten to know myself even better. This type relationship should be cherished because it will take you places, like from the bar safely back to your house, from just people hanging out to people you can turn to in times of need, or from just friends to brethren (even best man/men).

Personal life aside, I was fortunate enough to intern for a very ghetto-fabulous marketing company called Savor the Sound. My experience with Savor the Sound from beginning to end was essentially an intensive three month experience I would not have gotten in a classroom. Imagine the movie Training Day mashed up with Superbad. That was the daily grid at Savor the Sound.

Working as a professional in-house graphic designer for 3 years has— believe it or not — sheltered me from the industry side of design. My employer, Nate,  was not your typical conservative businessman. To simply convey how effective and resourceful Nate is as a businessman, this man can literally make something from nothing. He literally could “make it work.” He was also honest, sometimes brutally honest. Not honest in a sense of being condescending-asshole, but honest in the most constructive way possible. Unlike the average employer, Nate gave his employees total creative and business transparency. In other words, whatever he knew, I would know as well.

Not once in my professional career was I give such power and freedom. Not only that, but my professional opinion was highly regarded and taken seriously among my employer, peers, and clients I worked with. It was a weird but amazing experience to have my work taken seriously. I wasn’t just pushing paper or doing office work, but I was developing creative solutions for small businesses. I even got to name a startup tea company, Otaku Tea.

Through Nate, I obtained a set of skills that has proven to be useful not only as a professional but for my own personal life. He made me realize that I am hungry and creative, a leader, and that I am capable of doing greater things in life.

My time spent with Nate and Savor the Sound made me realize that I have so much to learn in regards to being a true professional designer. I made it a goal to not only get into the University of Washington, but to also get accepted into the Design program. I chose UW because of its design faculty which is filled with highly regarded designers from all around the industry. So I worked hard towards that goal, because I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Not only was UW a great school to get into, but the design program was also extremely competitive to get into.

After the extremely long application process and months of waiting, I finally got accepted into UW after passing the design workshop in the summer. I was ecstatic. This proved that my design capabilities had worth to them. Out of 160 prospects, I was one of the top 33% chosen for the program.

My moment of triumph and self-worth was short lived. Not only was attending a university physically different from a community college, but it was psychologically different as well. The thought of the amount of time, money, and effort I would put into the university certainly laid an uncomfortable sense of pressure on me.

My experience at UW was very humbling. I quickly realized that I was a small fish swimming in a big ocean. Difficult would be and understatement to describe my first quarter at UW. It certainly pushed me to the edge many times and occasionally over, but it was for the best. The underlying competition between student designers was quite amazing. So amazing, I got pissed off sometimes. Though, the statement of “iron sharpens iron” holds true. The quality of work my peers cranked out really pushed me to dig deep into the next level to thinking and produce designs I could have reached otherwise on my own. I honestly wouldn’t have made through the quarter without the help of my friends and classmates. Besides the design professors, my friends and classmates were there to turn to.

It wasn’t just the design program that changed me, but the school itself was life changing. I found myself developing interest in other things like human psychology, school clubs, and other things I probably wouldn’t have found attractive in my earlier days. I actually ended up in the process of starting up a new club in the university known as the Modern Man Club (soon to be changed to incorporate coed participation). This is something I wouldn’t have thought of doing a year ago. Nate actually told me that “this has to be the most craziest and stupidest idea I have ever heard from you! I like it!”

In retrospect, I am thankful for all the people I met and the various things I experienced throughout the course of this year. There were a lot of trials and uncomfortable situations, but with the help of friends and supporters I pushed through all the crap and made out to become a better man than I was the previous. Although I am still immature and most likely will be for a while, I’m going to do everything in my power to man up and “make it work.” The future looks great. So great, it’s something I’m actually looking forward to. Here’s to 2011!

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.