SUMMER RECAP 2009

Here goes an attempt to recap summer. I hope I don't forget anything.

(Haha, since I can't find any summer surveys on MS, I'm just going to reuse from last year)

Survey #1
Summer Confessions-​​​
So far this summer,have you:
​​
Seen an ex?
At church

Told Someone I love you?
To the family and friends.

Cried​?​​​
In Vietnam

Wanted someone you couldnt have?​​​
Probably


Gotten super​hyper​?​​​
Yes


Did something you shouldnt have?​​​
It's all good I suppose

Stayed up all night​?​​​
Once or twice

Shopping?​​​
Yeah

Went swimming?​​​
Hit up the beaches of Vietnam and Angela's pool pretty often

Been asked out?
With the friends.

Asked​ someone out?
We got food

Lost someone close​?​​​
Raymond, where did you go? S'all good though. We coo.

Slept​in someone elses​ bed?
Yeah

Had someone sleep in your bed?
No, not this summer.

Regret something?​​​
Not too much

Been to a concert?​​​
No concerts, but live performances, jazz clubs, open mics

Flirted with someone?​​​
A few people

Almost died?​​​
I escaped Vietnam

Kissed someone?​​​
Nope

Who did you hang out with this week?​​​
Angela, Ariana, Jomar, Marti, Roseanne, KP, Victoria, Tracey, Jesse, JLai, Lucian, Marissa, Amanda, Khrysten, Troy, Lynn, Matt, and Chanda


Did you go anywhere on an airplane?Where​?​​​
Richmond, Virginia; Taipei, Taiwan; Saigon, Ca Mau, Hanoi, Pleiku, Vietnam

Seattle, Washington; Taipei, Taiwan; Saigon, Vietnam; Nha Trang, Vietnam

Did you make new friends?
Yeah, I'd say I made a bundle of new friends.

Did you get in trouble with your parents?​​​
No, not so much.

Did you go camping?​​​
CAMPING IN MY BACKYARD

Did you meet anyone that you hated​ at first​ but then grew to like?​​​
I don't think so

DID YOU SNEAK​OUT!​!​?​
I wouldn't call it sneaking out as much as just staying out late.

Any car accidents?​​​
Too close

Are any of your friends moving?​​​
Miggs is moving to Fremont

How late do you usually wake up?
No sleeping in this summer.... -___-

What did you do on the 4th of July?​​
I had a family dinner and then was off to Cardoza for fireworks

What night do you regret the most?​​​
None in particular

How many all-nighters did you pull?​​​
Maybe one

What shoes did you wear the most?​​​
Flip-flops, Tevas, Pumas

Did you run through any sprinklers​?​​​
I don't think so

Where​ did you hang out the most?​​​
Milpitas and Vietnam

Did you sing karaoke?​​​
Yes! Karaoke houses!

What was the best night of the summer?

​​​There were a couple of good ones.

Survey #2
Look Back To Sophomore year, 10th grade...

Who were your best friends?
Lynn, Christian Mara, and Jomar

Did you have a crush on anyone?
A few cuties.

Did you ditch class?
I'd skip the ends of some classes
Did you get suspended?

Nope.
What was your favorite class?

Probably Steel Drums with Mitchell and Psychology with Ferera for chillin 75% of the time.

What was your school's name?
St. Francis High School

If you could go back would you?
Looking back, I'm glad I go to SFHS. Complete turn around from last year.

Where did you sit at lunch?
Most day's in Brother Sam's room.

Who was your biology teacher this year?
I had Mr. Andrew Welsh for Bio. He reminded me of Joey from Full House.

What's your most memorable moment?
Probably days after school when we would all just chill and play cards and ice breakers.

What action do you regret the most?
Not doing well in my Bio SAT-II

What did you spend the most time doing on weekends?
Chillin' out, maxin' relaxin', actin all cool

Did you make any lifelong friendships?
I'm pretty sure I did.

Have any enemies?
Not so much.

Did you ever dress out of the dress code?
As much as I could

Did you get your lunch from the school or bring it?
Both
Who did you sit with at lunch?

The Little Asia of SFHS.

What was your class schedule?
01: Spanish 2
02: Colonial History/Behavioral Psychology
03: Steel Drums
04: Geometry H
05: Biology

06: Living the Life/New Testament
07: English 2


Did you ever skip a whole day of school even though you weren't sick?
I don't think so.
Ever embarrass yourself in front of a large group of people/
Possibly, probably, who cares
Ever stayed up all night, then sleep all day at school?
YES

What was your worst subject?
Spanish, first semester
What's your advice for incoming Sophomores?

Don't mess up, this year matters.

All right, here is a list of accomplishments/things I did this summer:

-Photoshoots, improving in photography

-Sister's wedding!

-family reunion

-swimming

-some BBQs

-Parties

-East Coast

-LSVN 2009!

-Lack of summer reading

-New experiences, new friends

-Just chill vibe

-Working

I would say that this was a great summer. Many new sights and experiences, new friends, and a better sense of what it means to be a Vietnamese-Catholic.

Last Swim of the Summer!

So today we had our last swim of the summer at Angela's pool.

Around 1Pm we met at Las Vegas for lunch. We had a surprising amount of people show up, so it was all fun. Went to the pool and I just chilled. No need to be anxious or sad. I laid down resting and took it easy. It wasn't until the guys and girls were playing keep away and the guys were short a player that I joined in. It was all pure fun. We chilled at the pool for a good couple of hours. Afterwards, we walked to Angelas and chilled there for a bit before we all got hungry. We decided to get Lee Sandwiches and meet back at my place. Class schedules were posted online, so I went home to check. We ate dinner and hung out some more at my place until everyone left. It was a good day.

Summer Work Grant

So much for sleeping in during summer...

So this week, I had summer work grant at SFHS from 8AM-230PM everyday. We did yard work, lifting and moving things, cleaning desks, sweeping and mopping floors and lockers, raking leaves, scrapping gum, and basically cleaning the whole school. SO MUCH FUN.

I was seriously so exhausted everyday that I would fall asleep super early, like around 8pm. My hands got all callus-y. On Monday and Tuesday I had meetings after work so I wouldn't get home until 5pmish. Having 9 hour days at school BEFORE school even starts is greaaaat.

I don't remember the last time my body was so exhausted. Especially after just coming back from Vietnam for 4 weeks. And looking forward to school starting? No.

I guess its worth it because I get money to pay tuition for school. Here's a taste of adulthood.

Thursday 8/13:

- Work

- Chilled with Troy at Blush

- 3 Hour Nap

- Chilled with Matt and Chanda and got Falafel's

- Went to Lorraine's

Friday 8/14:

- Work

- Swimming at Angela's Pool

- Chilled at Angela's with Troy, Justin, Lucian, and Ariana

- Chilled at my place and had deep conversations with Troy

Saturday 8/15:

- Troy and Chanda come over

- Summer reading party

- Failed and played Wii

- McD's and Blush with Lynn and Sugi

- Watched Ratatouille

- Watched Diners, Drive-Inns, and Dives

- Chilled on the drive way

Sunday 8/16: Freshman Retreat 7AM-5:30PM

Long ass day. Arrived at school at 7AM and decorated the room. Lots of prep work. By 9 the freshman came and the retreat began. Blahblahblah, retreat stuff. BRIC Bro's had a public appearance and talk to the freshman class. Hella tired by 4pm, almost falling asleep during mass. Clean-up. Done by 5pm. Deciding if I should go to Matt MacDonald's party. Went home and crashed for 3 hours. Went to dinner. Ymass. Signed up to EM. Went home and then to Blush with Mimi, A. Runes, Chanda, and Andy to see Allison R. perform.

Monday 8/17:

- Read Pride&Prejudice all day, still not done!

- Watch Pride&Prejudice the movie

- Hair cut, fauxhawk is back

No rush, just chilling

So these past few days have been pretty chill. I'm trying to not let these last days of summer rush by so I'm just trying to let everything soak in as the days go by.

Friday:

This afternoon I drove to the Saratoga/Cambell area to Nghia's house to pick up Frere's laptop which is full of all 6,000 pictures I took in Vietnam. Later that day, Matt came over and we chilled for a bit before heading over to Blush. We then went to pick up Chanda and Miggy. As the sun went down, we drove up Sierra rode to see the sunset. For dinner, we went to Pho Kim Long. My first Vietnamese meal since coming back to the US. We just chilled at my dad's place for a couple hours after.

Saturday:

This morning I woke up and edited pictures from the trip. Around 2pm, Mimi and I went back to the Saratoga/Cambell area to see Harry Potter 6 with Nghia, Hieu, Amanda, Hai, and Tracey. It was a small LSVN09 reunion. The movie was pretty good. I got most of it for not reading the books. I kind of want to read them now. Anyway, we chilled and had In-N-Out after.

I don't remember the rest of this day.

Sunday:

Today I headed over to Matt's house to chill. Miggy and Eric came soon after. I had Sendai for dinner with my mom and grandma and then headed back to Matt's. They wanted to go to Ymass at Saint Pats for the first time. So we went to church and I think they enjoyed ymass. After, Lynn, Chanda, Miggy, Mimi, and I went to Q-cup and chilled at my house. I dropped everyone else off after.

I'm Home - Surprised

I am now back in the United States. Landed on Wednesday at 430PM. Why is it so cold here? I miss Vietnam already. Its a weird feeling coming home. When I first arrived in Vietnam, it was like a switch had been turned on and I was instantly in "Vietnam Mode" and now that I'm back, that switch suddenly changes back to "California Mode". And it seems like I lose all the feelings of Vietnam within the instant I step off the plane. But I guess all I can do is try to retain what I've learned from back East and bring it Westward.

I'm feeling the fast life again, though. Coming back, I'm just loaded on things I have to do and things that have to be finished. There is so much to prepare for and not enough time.

Anyway, tonight was a pretty good night. I didn't have anything planned for the day because I just came back and was just resting and relaxing when Jomar asked me to come over to play Rock Band at 530pm. I wasn't in any rush to go or anything so I just took my time and edited pictures from the trip. It wasn't until about 630ish that Miggy and Jomar came to my door and got me to go. So we were walking down the street to Jomar's when I see Christian's car pulled up in the front and I'm like, "Wtf? What is Christian's car doing here? Is he here?" Jomar opens up his garage and there everyone is. Standing there with smiles on their faces and yelling, "Surprise! Welcome back!" I was completely surprised. I was wondering why so many people were asking me what I was doing today or tonight. Haha

Thank you everyone you was a part of the plan! I really appreciate it! I think that was my first surprise party. Thank you's to Jomar, Ariana, Miggy, Angela, Marti, Shimono, Marissa, Sharon, Roseanne, Lynn, Justin Lai, Matt Ganan, Christian, Mark, Chanda, Shawna, and Russell!

P.S. - I'll put up all my adventures in Vietnam along with pictures soon! Warning, may take a few weeks. 10+GBs of pictures.