1) Was 2005 a good year for you?
It depends on how I'm feeling when you ask me. Right now I'm feeling pretty good, so at the moment 2005 was the shit. Incomparable. And to quote The OC, "How you bring in the New Year is how you live the rest of it." -- Hailey/Summer, Episode 14, Season 1.

2) What was your favorite moment of the year?
[brace yourself] New Years' party hopping, rekindling old bonds with the quasi-cousins, watching my Godbrothers grow up, Drill Team Competitions, Formal Inspection, 10th Anniversary Military Ball, random trips to Quiznos/IHOP, working at the Best Ice Cream Parlor in NYC, petitioning the streets as a campaign bitch for Mayor David Roberts in Hoboken, romping with the Knickerbocker bromies & the Constellation sistars, Senior Prom, After-Prom Weekend, Pogifest '05, Momster's Birthday Party, JROTC Awards Ceremony, Senior Class Trip, pre-Graduation celebrating, Graduation, post-Graduation partying, Summer 2005, Krissy's Debut, Denese's Debut, Krissy's post-Debut parties, USC F5 Orientation, Gov School '04 Reunion, Rich's Installation, Class of '77 get-togethers, spontaneous late-night adventures to nowhere, the Jersey City / Hoboken / Edgewater piers, the NYC skyline, exploring New York City, summertime chillaxing at kickbacks with whomever, going-away barbecues, insane weekend at Wildwood with 3 guys that I picture myself growing old with and watching our kids play in my huge ass mansion's backyard, my last days of summer in New Jersey, this whole blur of an experience at USC, coming back to Jersey unannounced for a weekend in October, surprising my Pops and the rest of the world for his 50th Birthday party, everything. 2005 was really good to me. and to think, it's far from over.

3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Dealing with the passing of promising youth more than usual (RIP Jella, Anthony, Edwin, & Brian), watching Jon, Manny & Danny then Sean, Rich & Ernest drive away from my house hours before I boarded my plane to Los Angeles, dropping from the pledge process from Zeta Phi Rho (semi-regretting), suppressing homesickness (yes, I admit it) while adjusting to the West Coast lifestyle.

4) Where were you when 2005 began?
At the Aliparo residence in Union, NJ, partying, sipping on champagne & Hynotiq, and playing Hold 'Em.

5) Who were you with?
The Aliparo family aka my fake extended family from the Class of '77.

6) Where will you be when 2005 ends?
I want to spend New Year's at Times Square then after-party at Webster Hall, but I'll most likely be wherever the parentals decide to go.

7) Who will you be with when 2005 ends?
The familia, most likely.

8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2005?
I believe the 2005 resolution was, "Get at me, life," but that's more of a threat than a resolution. Living life to the fullest? Not quite, but doing what I can.

9) Do you have a new years resolution for 2006?
Yep. Stay true to the homies back in Jersey while establishing myself in SoCal.

10) Did you fall in love in 2005?
hah word, I'm feeling Jeff's answers. so they'll remain the same. "That's pretty deep."

11) If yes, with who?
"Friends. *no homo."

12) If yes, do they know?
" Of course, I tell them."

13) Are you still in love with them?
"We're talkin' about a different kinda love here huh?"

14) Do you regret it?
"Nope"

15) Did you breakup with anyone in 2005?
Yerp.

16) Did you make any new friends in 2005?
Yes, it's called college.

17) Who are your favorite new friends?
haha. Chill with the favoritism.

18) What was your favorite month of 2005?
June July August. strengthened my bonds with everyone I love before I left for California.

19) Did you travel outside of the US in 2005?
Nope. Maybe I'll go to Mexico this weekend.

20) How many different states did you travel to in 2005?
8? New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, SoCal, NorCal (yeah, they're different states), Nevada.

21) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2005?
RIP Anthony DeSarno.

22) Did you miss anybody in the past year?
Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

23) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2005?
Not big on paying to watch movies, but Saw & Saw II were ingenious.

24) What was your favorite song from 2005?
There's a couple, but the first few that come to mind are..
Daddy Yankee "Lo Que Paso, Paso"
John Legend "She Don't Have to Know"
Mas Flow 2 "Mayor Que Yo"
Mos Def "Umi Says"
My Chemical Romance "Helena"

25) What was your favorite record from 2005?
Once again, there's a couple, but the ones that stick out are..
Boyz II Men "Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection"
John Legend "Get Lifted" (probably my most favorite)
Kanye West "Late Registration"
Mos Def "The Mos Def Collection Mixtape"
My Chemical Romance "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge"

26) How many concerts did you see in 2005?
Only saw Kanye & Maroon 5 at USC and Mos Def & Talib Kweli at Universal Citywalk.

27) Did you have a favorite concert in 2005?
Fort Minor, Talib Kweli & Mos Def, most definitely. That shit was fucking euphoric even without the aid of marijuana.

28) Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2005?
haha, fuck yeah I did.

29) Did you do a lot of drugs in 2005?
Puff puff pass. Keeping the illicit activity to a minimum.

30) How many people did you sleep with in 2005?
I don't kiss and tell, bitches.

31) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
haha, chyea mang. but hey, "lo que paso, paso."

32) What was the biggest lie you told in 2005?
That moving 3,000 miles away from home would fill my life void. FUCK THAAAT.

33) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2005?
No clue.

34) Did you treat somebody badly in 2005?
Most likely. Probably unknowingly, but yeah.

35) Did somebody treat you badly in 2005?
Most likely. Probably unknowingly, but yeah.

36) How much money did you spend in 2005?
Too fucking much. $20,000+ on my first semester alone.

37) What was your proudest moment of 2005?
Getting big ass acceptance packages from USC & NYU Stern and even that tiny ass waitlist letter from Stanford. Graduation, most def.

38) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2005?
I'm not one to dwell on insignifiance. Brush that shit off, homie.

39) If you could go back in time to any moment of 2005 and change something, what would it be?
Thinking twice before letting petty family drama dictate the next four years of my life.

40) What are your plans for 2006?
Letting spontaneity work its magic.

thank you.

this is everything I can remember about life since I last updated.

Prom will be recapped, eventually.

[tuesday 07 june] happy 18th birthdays, Ryan & Amanda. came back to school with zero hours of sleep, bullshitted through school until the afternoon, had my weekly dose of Quiznos, came home around 6. called the USC Housing Office, found out my request was never processed. an hour later I called back and they told me I was assigned to a double in New Residential College, my first choice. received an E-mail stating that I can be an American Legion Boys State 2005 Staff member. pondering whether I will be doing it or not. now I'm here, not editing my short story.

[monday 06 june] skipped school, lollygagged until 3pm, attempted to do my overdue Calc project and Writing short story until Sean & Irineo showed up at my door around 12am. chilled until 4am, and rushed my Calc Jeopardy! project for the morning.

[sunday 05 june] woke up later than I wanted to. rushed to NYC. caught a glimpse of the great scenery at the Philippine Independence Day Parade on Madison Ave. saw a huge biker entourage full of middle-aged Jews outside the workplace. served ice cream from 1-10pm, but didn't come home until midnight. at multiple points of the day, the line was jutting out the door and eventually around the corner merely to get a taste of New York's Best Rated Ice Cream. the tip was incredibly generous that day, too, so all in all, good day.

[saturday 04 june] happy birthday, momster. spent the morning cleaning and waiting for people to get to the crib. started slow but eventually evolved into a typical Class of '77 drunken ballroom dance fest with the Godfamily slowly digesting the madness. Hold 'em with the Godbros & cousin Earl, who hustled $25 off them. good shit. disguised vodka as water in Poland Spring water bottles and had some fun with that too. the madre started crying when the inebriated dads and the dance-crazy moms started singing happy birthday. at one point she smacked me pretty hard for about to leave her for California in 71 days. didn't get drunk, but was well on my way. good times.

[friday 03 june] happy 18th birthday, Nikita. endured school, walked with Guardian Angel Gomez towards Newport, inadvertedly met up with Ateh Michey & Pogi, and headed to the Lodge in NYC. Renato & Ann were there hunting for national treasure! good times man. a mini-reunion materialized before us -- Minj, Claude, Vern, Jeph, AJ, and the usuals. fucked around with the DJ equipment during the Pyramid Lodge Installation Ceremony. bugged out for Day 2 of Pogifest afterwards.

[thursday 02 june] happy 19th birthday, Allan. Sean, Irineo & Joel picked me up from a monotonous day of school. lucky college bitches. met up with Danny & Carlos at Pogi's house. picked up Krystal & Nicole before heading to the Chili's in Paramus. our waitress was hot. the food was heavenly. afterwards, we headed to Sportsworld, where a group of 11 turned into a mob of 28 people celebrating Pogifest 2005. great times. pics are here. coincidence brought me & Marc Musni in the same room after being almost 4 years away from the game. holler at Donie & Ateh Justine too. afterwards, a 6 car procession headed from Paramus to the IHOP in Jersey City, where we afterpartied until 12:30am-ish. great times.

[wednesday 01 june] school. awards ceremony / mass promotions at 1730hrs. congratulations to everyone who was recognized that night. and no, I was not choking up when I called up the new Company Commanders for promotion. and no, I was not holding myself back when LTC Powers called my name and the names of the rest of the Class of Milestones for the Retirement Ceremony. I explain myself a lot better here as Senior of the Week, but in essence, I fucking love the Cougar Battalion, and it was an honor and a privilege to serve the Battalion as your handy, dandy, OCD-diagnosed S-1 Adjutant.

after awards ceremony and a myriad of camera flashes, roughly 1/2 of the senior leadership, John & Ana, and Alex & Mikey went to the Pancake House on Jersey & Grand. it was quite spiffy. thanks to those who went -- Chris, Lucia, Me, Ryan, Kim, Maria, Andrea, Gomez, Shaun, Phagoo, & Deja -- for celebrating our last night as the groundbreaking "Senior Leadership" that set so many milestones for those behind us to remember. the food was fucking amazing, but the company was indeed the best.

[tuesday 31 may] I don't remember, but I know I wasn't home until past 7pm and I failed recovering from the immense lack of sleep experienced from prom weekend.

[monday 30 may] memorial day. woke up later than I would have liked, thanks to the after effects of senior prom weekend. set up a grill in my backyard, then rushed to work for a lovely 9 hour shift. some homo hobo fucking stole one of our tip cups, which held almost 3 hours of earned tips before he snatched it and ran off. asshole. but all in all, any day where money is made is a good day.

[other happenings]
-- cotillion practices with Krissy & the mostly Dumont crew.
-- cotillion practices with Denese & the McNerds.
-- finally seeing my favorite Pare, Rich, after a five month hiatus, for a good 20 minutes on the night of saturday 21 may for the May M. Constellation Installation. went to Flushing afterwards with Kuya & some young'ns for some free frosties & Korean eye candy.
-- Maggie Moo's, Boba, Dane Cook, pool halling & IHOP with the Dajay dynasty on friday 20 may.
-- Tito Ike's 50th Birthday Luau at some Holiday Inn in Somerset County, NJ on 14 may. good times with the cousins.
-- Ciara Mae's First Communion Party at the Aliparo residence on sunday 15 may. fighting with the boxer hound, playing ball with the cousins. good times.

-- I can't remember anything else, so I'll throw in random after school outings with mostly Alex, working weekends & Mondays at Emack & Bolios, working whenever I want to at Hoboken for Mayor Roberts Campaign Team, bugging the fuck out with whomever was available on free nights, bullshitting my way through school, etc. If my memory comes back to me, I promise to update. I'm sorry for neglecting you, illmatix.tk . I'll make it up to you when I stop getting less than an average of 3 hours of sleep a night and high school officially becomes a distant memory.

peace.

"It's 3AM and I must be lonely."

Okay, maybe not, since DJ Fatboy is nocturnal too.

I've been trying to sleep for the past four hours, but to no avail. I have no flippin' idea what the hell is wrong with me.

Eh, the end. I'll update later.

What the hell have I been doing aside from neglecting my blog?

[in reverse chronological order]
bullshitting AP exams in English Literature, Calculus BC, and English Language; working in Hoboken for the Mayor Roberts campaign on the weekdays, working in the Upper West Side as an ice cream scooping prodigy on the weekends; waltzing for Denese's Debut; getting hit hard as hell with senioritis; going to Staten Island for Laura's annual birthday jumpoff; wil'ing out at MAHS Junior Prom/afterprom; having a tour of Rutgers New Brunswick courtesy of Arnel; etc.

I matriculated to the University of Southern California. so did Andie & Gina. I won't be the lone Jersey kid out of place on the Left Coast. word.

I accepted my spot on the Stanford Wait List, though I don't know if I want to go there if accepted. I think I'm pursuing this second opportunity merely as an ego boost, considering Stanford has the third most rigorous acceptance rate in the nation. I'm still set on USC. Fight On.

Now that I recollected my memory, it's time to go in depth.

Almost a month ago, Maria, Mara, Ryan, Ches, Jay & I skipped school one Friday to visit Rutgers. Actually, Maria & I took a Calc test first, then we left after 1st block to meet up with the others in Hoboken. Took the Northeast Corridor to New Brunswick, then met up with Arnel to tour the campus. In short, we ventured to College Ave and Busch campus. College Ave = frat row/social scene. Busch = Asian Avenue. I realized I have no problem attending Rutgers, but my heart is set elsewhere. The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy would've been perfect for me. Arnel was a great tour guide. I missed him. We checked out his dorm, Mo's dorm, Mara's Gov School RTA's suite, and Jaime's suite. Oh, and I had my first Fat Filipino from the grease trucks after four years. The day was definitely refreshing.

22 April 2005 was McNair Academic High School's Junior Prom. Went to Casino in the Park with my lovely date, Annerei, the secret S-1 Ass[istant], and Fathead Junior! She was a great date, indeed, and I'm glad I contributed to your enjoyment. The food was fucking amazing. I was tempted to use the corsage/boutonniere cases for ba'on (leftovers). almost Everyone was looking sexy & proper. The DJs were ghetto as hell, but the music was hot. Seniors/Staff pretty much took over the party, because we're the shit. good times.

After the last song, Cassidy's I'm A Hustla, Lucia, Derrick, Nina, Eric, Kim, Ryan & I packed into Gomez' Pimpmobile for an after-Prom adventure. We went to IHOP because we were thirsty. John's car (Kevo, Valgina & her boyfriend Mikey) was there too, and we decided to go to Playdrome and bowl. There was a whole hoarde of overdressed teenagers standing at the front desk at around 1AM, but only 1/4 of us felt like bowling, so we said, "Fuck this shit," and decided to find something else to do. We dropped off those who called it a night, leaving Ryan, Gomez & I in the Pimpmobile. We drove to Secaucus to shoot pool. Except the place closed at 3AM. whack. So the Pimpmobile met up with John's car at the Walmart parking lot. Yeah we're gangster. We called it quits and decided to head back to Jersey City. good conversation with Gomez while Ryan was knocked out in the back. I'm gonna miss that dirty Colombian. Got home around 3:30 that night. good times.

The next day, I clocked out from work around 10:30, then headed to Staten Island via the FREE Staten Island Ferry. Heidi picked me up with her NYU Stern friend, Tiffany. silly girls. It was refreshing seeing old faces again, particularly Laura, DJ, Jen B & Jenalyn. I think I was the only one still in high school from the group there, but it's all gravy. Laura's mom is cool as hell, and they're from the same island as me. DJ gave me a couple extended hugs with extra fondling. Heidi & I tried to fill up the gas to her Jeep before heading to Jersey but to no avail. So Heidi drove me back to Jersey at around 3:30, because she's submissive like that. We almost got lost again, but I made sure we didn't. good times.

I'll update again in a couple of weeks. Happy cinco de mayo, bitches! Triple 05 [Soul] day. Why didn't they use today as an advertising scheme? Ugh. Triple 05 Soul needs me on their Marketing Team.

After Phagoo's surprise cake, I peaced out with the Cougar Battalion and met up with the Govies for some quality conversation. heyhey to Salome, Ana, Cousin Curt & Paras. bummed around at Johnny Rocket's for awhile, noted that Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" cues the waiters to start dancing, and basically chilled the fuck out until 12:30-ish. good times.

I can't remember what I did two weeks ago, but I faintly remember going on my after-school quests to get Shmalex FAT, a weekly Wednesday cotillion practice for Krissy's Debut, driving wrecklessly to Dunkin Donuts with Armelle & Ryan, and so forth.

Last weekend, I went to work. The weather was gorgeous, as were the tips. I love the Upper West Side.

I need to blog about this week before I forget the inessential details.

Quite a lot has happened since I last updated--
went on after-school adventures with Alex, started cotillion practices for the Wifey's Debut, trekked through the rain at midnight in New York City to find an alternate way to get home after work, wrecked a drill floor for the last time at AC Dix Brigade Competition, ate at Chili's with the too cool McNerds, romped with the Govies in Hoboken, rendezvoused NYC on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for the NYU Stern & USC Admit Receptions, skipped 2/3 of my classes to visit Rutgers New Brunswick, and so forth.

Work is great. Hopefully by May I'll be working 5 times a week to serve the messy kids and generous yuppies of the Upper Westside. Emack & Bolio's pwns Maggie Moo's any day.

Funny thing happened while coming home last Thursday. I clocked out 7 hours, 4:30-11:30, caught the 9 downtown to 42nd, stopped by Villa Pizza to get discounted food before closing, and rushed over to gate 52 for an Immy that goes from NYC to Jersey City. Immies stop running after 11PM. Though it's pouring outside, I trudged to 33rd to take the PATH train. The gates were locked. The PATH stops running after a certain time too? bullshit. Unwilling to walk the same 10 blocks again, I took a cab to Port Authority and talked to the Information lady. She said, "Hurry up. The last bus to Jersey City leaves in 5 minutes." 12:35. Shit. I ran from the basement to Gate 406 on the 4th floor and found the 125 Bus waiting for a small group of overtime workers and disgruntled college students. I got home at 1:05AM, thinking, "Damn, what a trip."

When I'm not working, I take mini adventures with silly whitegirl Alex. or Fatty McFatty. or Flabby McFrenchFries. I am on a quest to plump her up. and I'm winning. I love Alex. She'll be a fellow Fathead by the time I'm through with her. High Cinco!

Cotillion practices are fun -- riding shotty with Bushy on Wednesday nights, picking up Ryan and/or Gina from downtown Jersey City, being perennially late on purpose (just messing), taking late weeknight trips to Dunkin Donuts while blasting music, and whatnot. The cotillioners are mad chill. Krissy has cool friends & family. The choreographer is a flamboyant prick, but it's okay because my partner, Clara, and I are the shit.

AC Dix Brigade Competition. Inspection was nuts. The West Point judges were pricks, but I didn't let them phase me, even though I got chewed out the most by the head judge. whack ex-Franny Lew Guyanese bitch. Regulation was always a downfall for us this year, but we did pretty descent for minimal practice and zero run-throughs. Exhibition was fucking sexy as hell. We swept 2nd place in practically every event. 2nd Place Overall in the Northeast Region, behind Francis Lewis, of course. My last drill team competition ever. It was bittersweet knowing that I won't be twirling rifles or calling commands as a squad leader again, but I am content knowing that my successors will continue the tradition of constant improvement. Next year, I expect flying from Cali to Daytona Beach to watch the last of the original Brothers-in-Arms wreck the drill floor at the 2006 Drill Team Nationals.

After Brigade, we saw ugly gay guys holding hands while in traffic for almost 2 hours. When we finally got to Jersey City, Ryan, Kevo, Alex, Jen, Kelly & I rushed to Chili's for a long-anticipated dinner. The food was fucking ORGASMIC. Our waiter loved us too. At one point, while checking up on us, Jen sticks her finger in Ryan's sour cream & says, "OU I LOOOVE SOUR CREAM!" and sticks her finger in her mouth. Mr. Waiter was dying. He left, then 2 minutes later he came back with a little dish of sour cream for Jen to feast on. He left again, then came back and asked us if we wanted to get the leftover sour cream wrapped to go. He was great. We left him (actually, Jen & I left him) a generous tip. I bet he wasn't expecting that from a bunch of high school punks.

It was Phagoo's birthday, too, and he was with 3/4 of the BIA, in addition to Deja, Manny, Kim, Chris, etc. Cougar Battalion basically took over Chili's that night. My table told the waiter which cake to get him, and he & a bunch of other waiters come out to sing happy birthday. The chocolate brownie cake with vanilla ice cream and choclate syrup and chocolate everything was heaven on a plate. Phagoo deserved it man. I love that nuccah to death. Yo come visit me at USC, and we'll go fucking wild on the beaches and show them Cali kids how us Jersey kids do. haha we're so cool.

I'll finish later. The brain hurts.

as seen on my neglected Xanga:

holler at Rutgers University Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, The College of New Jersey Honors Program, Stevens Institute of Technology 7-year Accelerated Dental Program, Boston University College of Engineering, New York University Stern School of Business, and University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering for dilating my overinflated ego.

thank you, University of California - Berkeley, for verifying that it is virtually impossible for non-California residents to be admitted to your institution. I regret declaring the wrong major on your application, and referring to California as the Sunshine State, but I had no intention attending your lecture hall classes.

thank you, Stanford University, for leaving me in more suspense than ever, though I expected getting rejected hard as hell instead of getting wait listed. your campus is too pretty. I will not surrender softly. and trust me, you will hear great things from me soon.

My intended major jumps from Biomedical Engineering to Global Business to Political Science/International Relations, depending on the school. oh well. Practicality tells me to take BME for the sake of a great starting salary and the option of medical school or Global Business for the opportunity to travel the world and become a fortune 500 entrepreneur, but design reminds me of my passion for international studies and the chance to initiate change (yes, Gov School got to me. I'm all about altruism). Diplomat? Attache? Ambassador? If only life were that easy...

The parentals were expecting my love affair with California to eventually abate to a capricious fad. O, how wrong they were. Slowly but surely they are giving me the thumbs up to formally matriculate to the college of my dreams. USC 09. Go Trojans. Fight on. until I hear from Stanford. again.

Am I kicking myself in the ass for the lack of effort I have committed to my high school career? No, but I am apprehensive about the nonexistent work ethic I should not boast of. Time to step it up, son. I'm a fish out of water once college starts.

With that said, time to finish the rest of The OC Season 1.

to keep things short...

On Easter, I went to Mass at 9AM and Atlantic City for the night. I played Hold 'Em and somehow broke even though I was paying no attention. Rain washed away my plans to romp with Gadget on Monday. Tuesday, went to Quiznos with Ryan & Alex, then the homedogs came over for a night of debauchery and confessional inebriation til the morning hours. I love Ryan & Crisanto, and no, there was no homo orgy sex. Wednesday, after they left, I went to Hoboken for some quality solidarity and orthodontist madness. Thursday, bummed around. Friday, went to work. The weekend, The OC Season 1 marathon.

All in all, great spring break. Could have been better, could have made the effort to put my guard down and spend time with the girlfriend, but that is the past. I love bumming around. Once the weather gets warmer, the work hours will pile up. Sooner or later I'll find myself getting home past midnight on a school night after serving Zagat-approved ice cream to the generous yuppies of the Upper West Side.

To everyone moping about their recent dosages of reality, keep your heads up. "It's just school anyway."

I really suck at this boyfriend business. I miss her. but I'm too proud to let her know. oh well. better luck next time.

Emack & Bolio's Ice Cream Parlor.
389 Amsterdam Ave. (corner of 79th St.)
take the uptown 1 or 9 subway to 79th St.
Rated the Best Dessert in NYC by the Zagat Survey.
come visit me. I'm the best ice cream scooper EVER.
There's a certain serenity entwined with staring into the black nothing at the Jersey shore. With the wind blowing on my face and a vast horizon of uncertainty before me, I felt.. content, to say the least. Rather than giving you a rant of pointless philosophy, I'll end it at that.

I have a fetish for waterside windows to the world.

California, here I come.

[Friday, March 18] left school at 10am for Maryland. hardcore cramming with the Academic Challenge [AC] nerds on the bus. got to the Holiday Inn before 2am. roomed with Kumar, Carl & Renato. 5-minutes in, we get complaint. bitches. practiced in the parking lot. by nightfall, the Cougar Battalion Drill Team revisited the Old Country Buffet for dinner. the food was fucking amazing. I played Battleshit with Ryan. back at the Holiday Inn, the AC nerds crammed some more as the sexual tension in the hotel rose to an unforsakingly high level. libido. we called it quits by 1am, but Lucia & Mar didn't stop bothering us til 3:00. I didn't sleep til 4:30-ish. good times.

on my brain fart break, Andie called me to see what's up. her & a shitload of Govies were at the Nets game that night. I talked to Norm AND Tiago that night. beautiful. thanks for thinking about me while you guys were romping like mad. I love you guys.

[Saturday, March 19] woke up to 3 different alarm clocks at 5:30. showered, uniformed, etc. the BIA congregated at my room, chillaxing to the music from Carl's subwoofer. got in trouble again for the loudness. boarded the bus by 7:30. we sat next to Francis Lewis again [!]. four events for me: Exhibition, Academic Challenge, Inspection, Regulation. Knock Out was sooo hilarious. by Awards Ceremony, I was going delerious. out of 49 schools, the BIA placed 4th overall, and the Tanko-Woosas placed 2nd overall, winning an expense-paid trip to the National High School Drill Championships at Daytona Beach, Florida. In essence, the BIA could've done a lot better, but I have so faith in the Juniors. as I promised Eric, I'll fly from Cali to Florida to watch them rape Nationals next year.

on the way back, I was knocked out. by the time I woke up, Gary's head was resting on my ankles and Andrea's legs were perching on mine, which were atop this huge box laying on the aisle. arrived in Jersey City by 1am, dispersing after a weekend of insiders and good times.

[Monday, March 21] practiced driving. drove to Lodi for my road test. owned it. went to the Jersey City DMV to get my provisional. I look high in my license. got lunch. went to school. went back home. ate at Wendy's with Alex [?]. fell asleep. woke up. received news that a fellow Gov Schooler, Anthony DeSarno, passed away earlier in the day. unknowing of what to do next, I took some Nyquil and coerced myself to sleep.

[Wednesday, March 22] a cold and rainy day befitted the occasion. after school, I undressed from my ROTC uniform to the traditional black attire. took the Lightrail to Ana's in Bayonne. drove to Harshal's in Union with Ana & Salome. Jackie, Amy, Pinky & Aish were already there. the ladies went with Burns, while I took shotty with Harsh. drove in the sleet to Tinton Falls, exit 102 on the GSP, for Anthony's wake.

I was thankful to see so many Govies saying their last goodbyes -- Robert, Aishwarya, Jackie, Amy, Julien, Melina, Jamie, Normal, Bill, Alex Farrell, Kristen, Kate, Ana, Chad, Gyan, Alexis, Jessica Lin, Christina, Scott, Pinky, Kaitlyn, Amanda, Alex Ortiz, Harshal, Dina, Salome, Jane, Ricky, Julie, Jeff, Joanne, and the thoughts and prayers of our once-101-strong Gov School class. there, we made an unspoken pact to make the extra effort to enjoy each other's company more often. there, I never felt so privileged to live with the most altruistic students the Garden State has ever seen.

seeing Anthony's face that night, not only my fear of open casket wakes washed away but also the regrets I suppressed throughout the week. Anthony and I were not as close, but I had the utmost respect for him after he went on that date with my tour guide in Quebec. he was always the Italiano from High Tech, the host of the hot fashion show, the tall guy who had a crush on Susie & Sunny. after Graduation, we talked on numerous occasions about hanging out with our Indian brothers, Ricky & Harshal, and having a quality Girl Search while at the City. he fawned over the time where he and Ricky caught a glimpse of Sunny while they were in NYC. he expressed his distaste for his height while I nagged about my lack thereof. Anthony was a quality guy, so much potential and genuine positivity. I'm still hurting, but, as my roommate, Matt Merighi, said, "We remember the dead by mourning. We honor the dead by living."

on the way to Kate's house in Eatontown, Harshal and I got lost for an hour. it was the best thing that happened to us, I believe, because Harshal and I go way back. Boys State back. after consulting a group of blonde ladies at a beauty parlor, we finally found our way and allowed familiarity to take us to Kate's. after a quick reception, we said our goodbyes to Kate, Scott & Melina, and the eight of us drove back to Union, where the Hudson County cats got picked up and arrived home by 11.

[Thursday, March 23] met up with Ana, Salome, Cousin Curt & Odinga at Journal Square. took the PATH to Newark Penn Station and the North Jersey Corridor to Edison. after an abbreivated mix-up, Ricky picked us up from the Station. stayed at his house until Harshal arrived. drove down to the funeral in Asbury Park. Harshal & I picked up Hanif from the NJ Transit station. the Govies took up three pews -- Ashley, Cara, Anton, Jackie, Curt, Melina, Ana, Andie, Scott, Alex Ortiz, Harshal, Dina, Salome, Ricky, Hanif, Andrew David Hall, Susie, Odinga, Drew, Jon Tran, Neerav. the principal of Anthony's high school gave a heartfelt eulogy that did justice to Anthony's legacy. a 30+ car procession followed the herse to the cemetery, where we said our final goodbyes to Anthony's body.

after losing our way, we found ourselves at the reception, where we caught up with each other and celebrated Anthony's life as a diehard Italian by feasting in his homeland's delicacies. none of us wanted to leave each other behind, fearing that we may not see each other again until our official reunion in July. following an hour's worth of goodbyes, we finally parted ways.

Ricky & Harshal drove the Hudson County kids to Metropark, where we found ourselves back in Newark and eventually in Jersey City. as many before me said, this experience was sobering, to say the least. I write like a 5th grader when it comes to this subject matter, but I truly believe that no words will ever hone on my sentiments for the untimely death of the youth.

Rest in Peace, Angela Abuan, Anthony DeSarno & Edwin Babia. your deaths have given life to so many, and your legacies will continue throughout eternity.

I'm a week behind, but I promise to catch up.