What I learned so far in 2009...

Six-pack of facts that I have been able to learn from so far in 2009. 1 good month down, 11 interesting more to go. Here is some tough facts:

Lesson #1: I can't turn away from things that I have grown accustomed to. Example: Going back to Chaminade for grad School.

Lesson #2: Hard to say goodbye to someone who really has feelings for you. Example: Another good friend, this time one who I was really close to for the past few months, is leaving, & now because of her, Screw Ohio! Hello Cali!

Lesson #3: I learned that you can never lose anything if you remember some of it. Example: Playing kickball, I never lost my groove as a pitcher, & I am still undefeated as a pitcher by default (thanks to Ocean's usual blown calls).

Lesson #4: I have been able to move on, even though i don't want to admit it. Example: Still have feelings for Angela, Kristin, & others I remember from 2008.

Lesson #5: My luck can be hot or cold, depending on the circumstances. Example: I get lucky one day, then fall flat the next. This also means that for every person I meet, they can be cool with me one day, then blow me off the next.

Lesson #6: I still haven't found what I'm looking for.
Example: A new job, new love interest, & a purpose for me being me.

For now, I can say that I am Ok with how my life is for now. Especially after going all out last night. I will not back out of my friday night class the rest of the term. I can say I got lucky last night. I accomplished my task without regret, without surrender & with purpose. AQ was happy to be with me @ the Shiny Toy Guns concert & I was able to hang out with Sara afterward. The concert was great; too bad i didn't get to V-Lounge in time to chill @ the after-party with my boys I saw @ the show. I also got back to basics this week to get my life straight & met some new people in the process. But all in all a good start to 2009 (including Sony Open & Elevaters concert, not the BJ Penn fight). February will be better, especially with whats ahead. Off to bed. Steelers will win tomorrow super bowl! Rock Money out!







MGMT

Revolutionary Reunion Coming...

The next couple weeks will be very good to me. Friday despite class will be a great night. Debating whether to go to the Shiny Toy Guns concert or go to a friend's last dinner. Either way, one will be happy, the other I will break their heart. I don't, however, want to spend too much money. But I gotta do what I gotta do to be happy. I definitely will be happy either way while having regret for someone else. I also gotta carry stuff going straight from class. Will make a decision before friday afternoon and sticking too it. Also, got the Super Bowl, the BJ Penn Fight, then the Pro Bowl. Going to be a great couple weeks, outside of Grad School n work. Def need a new job.

Good last couple of days away from staying out late. Too tired from work & class. Taking a little break. Chinese New Year Chinatown was great. So was Revolutionary Road. Sad but good. Better than Slumdog Millionare, Notorious, or even that Underworld movie. Great choice. Second great movie I saw lately. Well off to bed. More to do, less time to do it later. Shoots.
-D-Mo-Ro-So-Lo-Bo-Yo-Sho

Mixed Plate

Great but dreaded week for me. I started my Grad School journey. I added my 2 classes i needed. Sadly, friday nights (early evenings) suck for me but it will be over before I know it. Also, I can party after class. So my new classmates can kick back & chill after a dreaded 4 hour class. But I will miss first friday & the friday before pro bowl, but its not that big a deal. Luckly the other class is online, so I can go to chaminade anytime to check in & do all the things I need to do. Also, the job fair sucked, so I need to look for better jobs elsewhere (& avoid the soap opera that is Sears). I need to comitt to class so I can look forward to a better future. Great night watching the Elevaters as well as Deadbeats, & Matty Liu throws it down fridays @ Tikis & saturdays @ Red Lion UH. It's gonna be crackin again! Can't wait for pro bowl week. Well, off to Waialae tomorrow. Laters.
-Money-Rock-D

All In!

I am a grad school student now! I can't wait to start going back to school after a nearly 8-month hiatus. Well, why back to grad school? There are several reasons:

1. The Economy. Most everyone who graduated in the past year is having trouble finding a job in something they love, with few exceptions. As for me. I don't want to work a dead-end job anymore. I want to take control of my destiny. My life. I spent last semester on the sidelines because I wanted to see if I can land a job on my own. Found some interesting companies, but no jobs came up. I'm going back to school because there are better jobs out there that I can get with an advanced degree. I gotta buckle down so I finish my degree before 2011.

2. The surroundings. I miss being on campus, with friends as well as professors who push me to work hard and study hard. I enjoy the atmosphere even though the classes suck. But I gotta suck 'em up and do my best to survive and finish, then I can relax. I relaxed too much & now I am starting to fall behind. At least I know most of the faculty I would be learning from.

3. My experience. It seems like most jobs these days require experience on top of a college degree. Also, resources that were supposed to help you ends up being useless. I am an assistant-manager now @ Sears, but it is a job that is not satisfying & not worthwhile in the long run as I seek a better job to no avail. My internship for my senior research project is no good because the non-profit organization I worked with my senior semester (who needs us students to come up with a plan to keep it alive) is no longer operating, losing a valuable resource and against my future goals. At least I am building up resources during my time away to make myself a better person and to work smarter and harder to better shape me as I go through a grueling 2-year process of going from a BA to an MBA.

4. The Lifestyle. I like the fact that classes are once a week (including one online). But sadly, my friday nights (@ least early evenings for two and a half months) will be in a classroom on a dead campus. It's something I am willing to sacrifice for the short-term for a better career later. I also have fridays off anyway, so its no big deal & I can go to my friend's events afterward.

5. The Sacrifice. I am paying big now to make it big later. 'Nuff said.

Well, that's why I'm going back to school. Real Life can wait! Parties can be on hold too. Time to hit the books again! I also will be busy next week with only 3 shifts, a friend graduating from HPU, as well as VIP greenside on the #17th Hole @ the Sony Open in Hawaii. Late.

-D-Rockmoney

The New Beginning...

2009 is fresh & great. My first couple days included work & laying low watching a few games, then checking out First Friday. Worst decision I made so far? Watching The Spirit. I can see why this movie is nothing like 300 & Sin City. I walked out 15 minutes into the movie & got a quick refund since I knew the beginning wasn't special. Also, I wanted to see how the Blue Scholars was. I got in free, then took a quick trip across town to Waikiki, where I saw this dude on the ground, & people were saying "you got knocked the F*** out" over him. Cops everywhere. Most nightclubs slow. Cirque is history, my boy Matty Liu got me working with him for Pink Fridays @ Tikis, but that was slow also. Level 4 packed, but going down sooner or later. The Shack was ok, but not my type of place with a $15 cover. Zanzabar the same old boring spot. Of course, too many ghetto people & pros (you know, the other kind). Then back to Chinatown, where I saw a great performance from the Blue Scholars. Every spot bumping, & of course more cops. Got home shortly before 2. Looks like I will enjoy my new friday night(& select saturday) job.

2009 will also be different & a new era is begining. Because President Sue Wesselkamper, a good friend of my former high school headmaster @ the Academy of The Pacific (my high school) passed away early this morning. She was a great leader, & role model for all. Despite being busy, she was very helpful for getting me into Chaminade when I looked at a scholarship offer to going to the mainland @ either the University of the Pacific or Seattle University. I wanted to stay home. Great choice. I was also able to graduate on time. When I last saw her healthy, @ the commencement ball & again @ graduation, I was able to thank her for everything she has done for Chaminade & for me. That was when I got Senior of the Year & my diploma, respectively. Time flys fast & you don't know what you've got until its gone. May god bless the her family. She will be missed. Chaminade will never be the same. Ever. Everything changed for the better since she came in. Her permanent successor will have big shoes to fill.

My message to everyone this coming year, continue to let god's light shine in your life so you can be able to shine & reach out to others even when you or anyone else is down & out. Do it always. Day or night, down or up, near & far. I leave you with a song that relays the message. Watch the video & understand the meaning of this David Cook song. RIP President Sue!
-Daniel