aka Timothy St. John

besides brewing some of the best coffee known to man, TSJ is such an awesome guy. he started counseling/discipling me this past year, and hands down...top 10 for this year. the wisdom that he's been able to offer has been timely, and i think that his guidance has helped to further joy and perseverance in the Lord (to places i've never been). i love asking him questions and having him have the answers that i don't want, because they're the things that aren't the easiest to do, but produce the right results. and there isn't anything that is much better than being spurred on towards love and good deeds by a guy you respect, who has been through his own storms.

TSJ, i love you man.

edit: he just got engaged ftw.

20 of 31

something i've always loved are blogs.

from xanga to blogger i can't seem to shake it. a comparison is like reading the extra backstory in star wars, or watching the special features of movies that has spectacular writing or breathtaking special effects. it's the extra material that isn't necessarily guaranteed to be as blatant within the person who is writing them (in short, it's usually a raw, visceral manifest summary of the person writing them). whether you read them to gain valuable knowledge about random selected topics (such as the person themselves), friends, or family; or maybe reading them in downtime at work; or maybe its just you want to stalk the person a bit more before you finally work up the courage to meet them (think pre-facebook stalking), it had something in store for all who would venture into it's weathered lands.

anyways, i wanted to dedicate this post to people of recent days (especially this year) who have given me joy, entertainment, and fun within their unique blogs as each brings different things to the table. i encourage people to follow them and maybe you'll see what i'm talking about when i say unique.

leading off...

Scott Mizuno - www.scottmizuno.com

the reason i love scott's blog, isn't simply because he's the cousin of my former roomie, no, it's because his posts are always fresh and he keeps it pretty real on the whole for whatever he's posting about (meaning he doesn't exaggerate off the end about the warriors or giants. tbh it takes a lot of sheer honesty and self control that most people online don't possess) trying to find an unbiased opinion is like finding a needle in a haystack when it comes to sports blogging; especially bay area sports. people often try to be unbiased, or lie to themselves saying that giving a mere nod to an opposing team's league MVP is enough to satisfy the critics. basically, we'll go off a ebonics quote, "game recognize game." the kid's got an eye for talent so listen to his advice and you'll be on top of the sports theory and knowledge.

anyways, check out his blog if you love humor, sports and good times.

batting second...

Megan Terasaki - http://365megan.wordpress.com/

(for those who don't know her, she's in the totoro outfit...and mandy is hugging her)

her blog manages to capture a snapshot of her life, which is filled with family, friends and food, along with fresh music and funny stories (all wonderful things).

i've been following her since i started going to lighthouse and she kept asking if i had a blog...and then telling me how much she loves google reader and keeping up with blogs. as such, i've definitely been encouraged by her to post more, and it has had a positive effect on posting & content. tbh, her blog doesn't do her the justice that she deserves because in the few conversations that i've had with her, i've been blessed through the words of wisdom she's gained, either learned through life experiences or passed down from others (notably her parents); which have given me Godly encouragement and increased joy for the Lord. the way she carries herself is by being humble, devoted, and joyful to the Lord and it shows who she is and what she values. ladies, pull your notebook out and take notes, she'll give you a good example of what it means to serve God faithfully.

third up...

Jamie De Guzman - http://mizlaydeejay.blogspot.com/

honest. real. her life be like-. jamie is a poet (don'tcha know it) and a great one at that...it's mostly in the barrage of words that she hurls from the deepest parts of who she is onto her blog which i appreciate the most. she's always bent on keeping it real and keeping it all in perspective. she's not afraid of displaying her fears, failures, and insecurities within her blogs because through it, she's growing all the more. if you were to take jamie at surface for the sweet girl that she is...and fail to see her extensive, complex, and exhaustive thoughts, you're failing (and hard) at seeing the big picture at hand. the draw is that she's on top of her game, no matter what life's throwing at her and it's because she's living on the edge that she's gonna succeed in whatever she goes through. if you were to read her posts beginning to end, you'd see a gorgeous view of a girl into a woman by the unending grace of God in sanctification. just so y'all know, she's got "de gudz" manggg. ya heard it here.

batting cleanup...

Brian Chang - http://mahbad.wordpress.com/

(his exploitation of using little paige is shown in the pic) i think it's the number of books he's read, the constant updates, the continual connecting to the main point of the cross or maybe it's just that he's such an interesting guy. i appreciate his honesty, his hard work at showing thoughts, ideas, and life learned lessons on his blog so that others can learn from his own life experiences. he juggles his life posts with book reports and others so that it's continually fresh and new. I think, his strength, is the quality of length and post timing. he manages to post on relevant topics and things that actually have some weight in today's society. the main reason why he's on here is because he wins the quote of the year...

"You have to realize, we're all at different points in our sanctification."

::runner up Quote of the Year::

"There's still so much sanctification left for me."

(E Chabs quoting his accomplished seminary professor of late years)

a special thank you to these 4 bloggers. you've given me tons of things to think about and to further me along in my journey through life.

19 of 31

i was going to write about all these things and then i decided to just scrub them to here, write a smaller snippet about them, and then include more individuals in the blogs.

i apologize for not writing in here consistently over the past few days, i've been pretty busy to say the least and i think the climax was when i was driving to jwoo's wedding and my car's axel snapped and nearly shot a wheel off my car and thus sending me smoking into the right lane. thankfully, i was unharmed, as was everyone else and i still managed to get to the wedding.

1] my car - i love her, but she's finished, i think. we'll find out tomorrow, but tbh, she's kind of the epitome of what i've always wanted in a car. performance, looks, and all around fun. i'll miss her if i find out she's totaled tomorrow.

2] Disneyland - the best place ever. the happiest place ever. so many awesome, perfect, and fun memories from mt. hermon reunions to just chillin or dates. but definitely the one place that will make you feel like a kid again, just ride splash at night = insta-win

3] movies - besides the town being the movie of the year. i've always thought that movies were a necessity in my household because that's what me and my mom would do all the time. just sit on the couch and watch movies together, or go to amc and watch some movie with an icee and popcorn. i love movies because of the entertainment value, the metaphors and deeper messages and just overall fun.

4. Music - is what i will always love. because it's the thing that i can relate to, flow to, cruise to, and just dance to. there's something beautiful about it, and it's something will always make my mood peak and drop as it takes me for a ride. from bach to drake...hillsongs to gaga, pretty much anything that's catchy, has an ill beat, or just straight fresh i'm down to listen to it. i definitely appreciate lyrics but most songs nowadays could say watermelon watermelon watermelon and it'd be the same outcome. meh.

5. food - is the most amazing thing...and is definitely one of the biggest blessing of being born on this earth, and is why we use it as the bond in family ties (well fed = happy). haha, it's such an amazing thing what people can do with animals and plants. the above picture was featured in the best meal of my life (so far) as it was at le bernadin in NY with the bestie. i recommend it to everyone who goes, although it is a bit pricey, but when it's the best meal of your life, can you actually put a price on that?

6. video games - are pretty much the reason why i didn't do as well as i could've in school. but was definitely one of the things that i loved to do with or without my friends and it was games such as smash, that have forever changed what a party is all about. if you were to log the amount of hours we played all 4 years of college, or just my life...it'd be gross.

7. poker - you are both the greatest game, and worst game ever. i dont think i'll ever come across a more intriguing and fun game. thanks for ruining my stewardship of time in hs/college.

8. paintball - pretty much you were the one of the only things keeping me sane in HS. you allowed me to meet tons of great people and to be engulfed in a world that celebrates style and swag as much as skill. good times.

9. basketball - i think that ball was the best sport i ever played and it definitely was something i spent a lot of time doing. it facilitated the thing that allowed me friendships later in life. it's kinda crazy how influential it was, even though i hated it in HS, i miss it. mostly because i didn't care then, but i care now...and everyone older than me told me that. life lesson learned, enjoy and seize today, because it quickly becomes a distant memory soon.

10. college/ucsb - it was the unplanned best ever. i didn't think i'd love it. i did. i didn't think i'd stay much. i didn't. i didn't think i'd make a lot of friends. meh, toss up. but i had a great time and i definitely learned a lot during my time there.

18 of 31

aka Marc "taka" Takamine

he's the cool guy, the popular guy, the fun guy, the pun guy and i don't know anyone else that rolls off my head faster as far as someone i wanted to be like when i was growing up (he's also my cousin). there are so many awesome memories with him, and my favorite was when he would babysit and hang out with me while i was young growing up because it meant the world to me for him to take out time in his life to chill...and it only got better as i grew up and he was more independent. he was always down for me to hang out with him (especially while i was in my tougher times in life) and he showed me the ropes while growing up (he is one person who i will listen to when i'm being stubborn and who will give me sound advice which i trust). as we've grown up and especially in college, that's where we became really close, and i praise God that he allowed us to really talk and connect on a level that isn't really something that you can just put into words (he knows me through and through...and i consider him the closest person probably in my life). taka has always been the guy i've looked up to and he's been nothing but kind, gracious, loving, genuine, real, and tbh, he's the guy who i know will always have my back, and i'll have his, no matter what and that's real talk.

taka, i love you so much.

17 of 31

aka Michael "Mike" Yamada

has been for the past few years, my best friend. and i think that's definitely up the ladder of things people wouldn't want to do if asked...probably one of the harder tasks of the century IMO (following WWII/Vietnam/[insert war draft]) as i'm not the easiest person in the world to deal with, but thankfully, he's gracious and loving enough to stick with me, despite me being a crappy friend at times. I think of him as the older brother i never had, and in a lot of ways he's just that, probably one of the few friends i have who is able shoot me straight when no one else would (and that was when i was at my lowest, most difficult points in recent years, he pretty much does the dirty work, the work that nobody wants to do but is so necessary for life, friendship, and overall growth). i know the guy pretty well at this point, and i know without a doubt that he is one of the most loyal, honest, and real bros around who is probably misunderstood due to his sense of humor and jokes (which i have definitely been the benefactor of his constant mockery). he's more of the personal type, and by that i mean the type who wants to actually dive deep and invest if the opposing person is willing to put in time as well and i think it shows in the way he cares for his friends (as he'll ask the hard questions, and be the person who gets you to talk about the things you don't want to, but need to.) his motivation for life, work, and God are the things i admire, and tbh&real, i've always felt i needed to impress the guy as i grew up seeing him from among the low ranks of mt. hermon and wpc/ebcsgv collabs as he was everywhere (super fun/popular and awesome guy); and the fact that i'm such good friends with him now is kind of weird and surreal, something i never saw coming, but has definitely been the biggest of blessings and changed me for life, and for good.

mike, i love you bro.

16 of 31

aka Stephen Tanizaki

the brother who i never had growing up, who was literally my second family in every regard. I probably spent the most nights at his house, seen the most movies with this guy, always having cool runnings on at his house, playing board games, eating super awesome food or doing something awesome like n64 or taking awesome family trips together (so much vg, so many great memories); i was blessed with a bffl, or a best friend for life. he's someone that i can always talk to, go to, for anything...whether it be simply talking about life, or even about what we've been going through in our walks. i can't say enough of his character, as he is probably one of the most legit guys i know, and this is probably why he'll be a successful man within the realm of law; i really respect him in short and admire his drive and determination to succeed in life. he is in every way, shape, and form my brother and it's the love that i've received from him and his family that's been a huge reason for why i am the way i am today.

i love you stephen.

15 of 31

aka Matt Sawasaki

tbh, i've always loved matt, ever since i've known him...he's been someone who i just love to be around [and i mean who doesn't feel this way?]; i think it must be his sense of humor, personality, charm, and wit that cohesively mesh together to create a person who is irresistible to enjoy [kind of like a fruity pebbles jamba juice]. {i wanted to also mention his family's done so much for me (from feeding me, to letting me crash on their living room couch, to pretty much adopting me as the third [probably unwanted] child)} if i could sum matt up into a category of a person, i'd say he's the all around go to guy for practically everything as he'd either know, or know someone who does know [fellow bff seminarians or josh kira]; and it's because of everything about him that makes matt, matt...it all starts with his love for God, to his love for his family and constant joking with them, to his love for friends through his support and conversation, and also his love for sc2[i threw that in ftw]. i think in more ways than one, he's been one of the most gracious and loving friends i have...& just to have a solid friend while transitioning into lighthouse is unmistakably one of the best blessings i've had this year. his friendship has been such a great one, super awesome, fun and meaningful...full of fruit, and i honestly don't know what to say to him other than thank you for everything; my heart is full of joy and gratitude towards God for him. thanks for being so awesome, aquaman, zealots and marines ftw.

i love you matt.

14 of 31

aka Christina Pham

she is most definitely the closest friend to me that is a girl atm, and the thing that i love most about her is her personality as she might be one of the funniest girls i know, simply based upon the fact that she tells it like it is (shoots it straight). i consider whatever she says, whenever she says it, because usually it's a nice nugget of truth...this has been happening since i've known her back in high school [it's rare to have friends who are honest and real who actually know where you're coming from because they know how you work and who you are] + [her bf is awesome]. in fact, i've been one of the most blessed people because of her friendship and it's no doubt that it's just another instance of God's love and grace in my life; i pray that God continues to move her and grow her in her walk as she pursues him. i believe that her awesomeness is correlated to the fact that she's been in love with my mom and my mom with her as they both enjoy baking [insofacto, my mom actually loves you, you're probably win]

insofacto, i love you, christina.

13 of 31

aka Justin "JC" Cheng

after knowing this guy for most of my life, i can easily say he's a brother to me as his warm personality and jokes barely scratch the surface of who he is, and they give a good reflection of his easygoing demeanor, but fail to display the reality that is below -he is a man of great care, thought, and love. he always manages to always take care of his own, whether that be friends, family, girlfriend, or anyone in need; quite the example for so many people including myself and something to be said for in todays society. i respect the fact that he is a realist in that he doesn't ever overextend himself by his own means and does so always without complaint (except the occasional joke of "so bad"). the best parts of JC are those that are seen after the group is gone, when the dust is settled and you're simply hanging out with the man; it's here that he really begins to shine. i am so thankful for him, as he's been a man who is dependable, trustworthy, and most of all a great friend. congrats bro, you finished college!

JC, i love you.

12 of 31

aka Russell Uchizono

words can't really describe this guy and adequately explain what this guy means to me. easily one of the closest friends i have but i'll keep the details short on account of the fact that he is a a deep, complex, and sufficiently thoughtful/sensitive person, one of the best everrr to say the least. he literally was like a brother in my life as his family allowed me to stay at his house all the time...and it's because of his friendship that i am who i am today. tbh, when we were younger, i loved the guy so much, and i think that anytime he was busy with others, i was jealous, but it's only because i admired the guy so much (and still do); i think that as life has gone on, we've grown in our own paths, but in the same way, we understand that it's just by God's grace that we're even allowed to have the blessing of each other daily and for that i am thankful. his drive, motivation, and heart-change that's gone on over the years, is something that everyone should ask to hear from him, because the testament of God's grace is so abundant and clear in purpose. i am truly blessed to be friends and roomies with this guy for so long and i pray that it continues forever.

Russ, i LoVe you.

11 of 31

aka Grant Mizuno

the best roomie ever...that i could have ever had and there is no better explanation for our pairing other than "the dorm compatibility test" (they have you take at the beginning while applying for college) well that or most likely it was God's unending faithful providence in both our lives; our match was probably the closest you could get, passionate for the game of poker, love for japanese food and being Japanese American (or JA's as i like to say), suckers for movies of old (carpool, surf ninja's, bushwhacked, jingle all the way...etc) and quotes within those movies (nobody likes you booster!) the list is endless as i was pretty dumbfounded (in awe of the blessing) at how we were not only paired for fssp (freshmen summer start program) but also for college freshmen year. i remember talking to my mom (back in freshmen year) and saying that if for some crappy reason i didn't graduate, but grant came to know Christ, that nothing else would matter...it would all be worth it and as it goes by God's grace, i not only graduated, but grant came to know Christ, ftw. God's sovereignty and power was so visibly displayed in my roommate that i came to huge changes especially in the fact that i am so faithless and God is so faithful. grant is easily one of the most humble and down to earth guys i know and i can't say much other than i was the most blessed person to have him as my roomie. there are so many things he taught me (like being humble, which i still am learning) and i continue to be blessed by him, even today. i know that he's going to be super successful, obv, because of his heart...one of a kind. like, i just think of him, and i smile with joy because i love the guy so much (no homo), he's the best.

Grant, I love you.

10 of 31

aka Raymond "ray ray" Kim

[ray is one of my smartest friends; both academically, but (more) philosophically]

-ray is the friend i've always wanted to have throughout life and the reason for that is our timeless talks... the conversations we've shared have come to challenge everything i knew about who i was, to even aspects about God's character, resulting into paradigm shifts, ftw [i haven't had too many people in my short lived life challenge and engage my thinking as much as this man has within the past 5 years i've known him]. i believe his curiosity about life will always continue to thrust him into tomorrow to be a better "everything", but the thing that i will continue to admire most is his desire to be more devoted to God in all aspects of his life (huge encouragement). i can't say enough of how awesome this guy is...and how much i miss, hope, and pray that this guy will come back home...and since our time at college was cut short, and albeit, even today i hardly see him now that he's a traveling man in the east...i know that come later in life, he'll be one of the most successful people while challenging the very things those around him have come to call as logic. ray is a man of exceptional swagger, theological thirst, lover of fun, and desire for God. a christmas wish would be to have this guy settle down back in socal. *hint hint*

"no meeee, no men the masterrr"

ray, i love you; come back.

9 of 31

aka Alessandra "ollie" Horii

hands-down the best friend [that's a girl] i had during my time at UCSB; and that's definitely no easy task as i'm a handful to deal with...but i'm thankful/grateful/blessed to be one of her friends. her unending kindness, devotion to growth in her walk, quality of conversation, frank humor, love for food and overall openness are only the start of an endless list of amazing qualities that i cherish endearingly. the joyful ability to entertain me while i procrastinated on every single assignment i was ever given during my 4 year tour of santa barbara is something i will never forget, especially staying up wayyyy too late and talking about nonsense -a favorite memory of mine: when eunice and I were over and an infamous late night talk developed and we had church the next day...and ollie had to drive some freshmen and so we had to go to early service...actually it might've been regular 11 o clock...but before we got to this person's dorm, as we were delusional in the car, she was like, "oh man, i'm so tired, i'll make you cookies if you don't go to church." hahahahaha i think the fact that cookies being offered as a bribe for our laziness was the crown jewel as eunice and I slept in the overflow room @reality that morning [ollie, obv, paid attention during service (actually cares)]. i definitely hit the college jackpot with a friend like ollie and it just goes to show you that God has mercy on the foolish things in this world.

i love you ollie.

8/31

aka Francesca "French[ie]" Pham

simply one of the greatest, most down to earth, amazingly humble, funny, sweet, corny, best friends (who's a girl) that anyone could ask for. she was easily my best friend through most of high school (and probably is one of the only people that i think really knows me) and was always there for me whenever i needed someone to talk to about whatever was going on at the time, and she still continues to be a person who i admire and love (a favorite pastime was "new movie tuesdays" where we'd go to best buy on tuesday after school and pickup whatever the latest hotness was and watch it together). i can't say enough for her hard work, great attitude, and joyful spirit as she's gone through so much and grown so much. and for my 18th bday, she gave me a poster board with pictures of us&friends and notes inside of cards she made from construction paper, which made it easily one of the best presents everrr due to the immense amount of time, detail, and love it was created with. when i think of her, she is the definition of what a friend is, someone who is always there for you through everything and is perfect with timing on everything.

i love you frenchie.

7 of 31

aka Greg Lee

i actually don't know what to say about this guy other than i absolutely love him. his generosity, love, and friendship, not to mention humor were always there at all times. the times that i cherish most with him were over video games, chillin outside (esp on our balcony) and playing numerous amounts of games at our house- in short, the simple things [[also hearing him play PES all the time made me quite fond of the announcer's voice, " CHANCE~!! " from one standpoint, he might very well be the most well rounded out of the house as he was super motivated to get things done [dbl major w/minor], but more than willing to hang out and chill - a nice, stable balance - in fact, he was the most balanced; and is definitely something i admire and hope to become more like and respect/admire. i can only pray that as the years advance, so does our friendship.

i love you gregie poo.

6 of 31

aka Sebastian "bassy" Eccleshall

he definitely was my PIC (partner in crime) in SB as there were so many great memories that span all 4 years - from when we met in writing 2 and pstats 5e together- to actually being roomies our last year. a softspoken man, who is definitely chill and laidback, he was reknown in the house for always yelling for cards while playing on jokerstars (pokerstars). one of our best memories was when we were driving home at night in grants car, when all of a sudden we see some raccoons investigating the nearby trashcan... and there's a mom and some young'n which we called cubs (wrong term probs), so bassy mutters "...bad habitz..." and we're like "???" and then he goes on to explain that if he was the mother, he wouldn't be teaching his cubs to dig in the trash (thus teaching them bad habits...but we were still like "uhh what the?" and he then connected it later to how his dad grew up on a farm and there were animals he raised and he made sure they wouldn't develop bad habits...but the whole situations was probably a "you have to be there" type of things, but it was definitely one of the best/funniest moments of college...life? on the real thought, he's super kind, fun, and all around awesome...for sure thought his loyalty and always being down to do whatever whenever was one of the things i loved about the guy. he is without a doubt one of the most unique people i've ever met, and everyday i'm thankful to have met my friend, bassy.

i love you bass. =D

5 of 31

aka Jason Chang

The first time I've ever really gone through the word with anyone in depth was with J in a study on philippians (which we got through a few chapters and never finished). He was the first to disciple me, invest into me, and counseled me through a lot of my younger jr. high/early hs years. His 5-speed honda accord was where i first learned how to drive stick (in the wpc parking lot) and it was there that i grew to love a form of driving that i am finally using today. best memory: when he took Russ, JC, and I to snowboard for the day and we had the worst day ever, but the best memory...so on the first run, i tried to show off (go figure) by bombing the hill and ended up rolling down a third and thus losing my lift ticket somewhere in the snow; Russ locked the keys into the old brown sienna minivan we drove, so AAA had to come out and unlock the car (i can still hear russ, "uhhh, Jason, we have a problem!!!") and to make sure me & russ weren't the only two idiots, JC ended up losing one of the walkie talkies to even it all out... and then the other thing from that trip was that we handed out our extra food to a homeless dude on the side of the freeway who was quite happy (obv my mom's cookies/brownies ftw). how he still invested into my life relentlessly i'll never know.

love you J.

4/31

aka Craig Kaneko

one of the best times ever was, "dudefest" a la your graduation party. also letting me come over all the time to just chill or talk through what i was going through in hs; there definitely weren't lots of people there for me, but you were one of them. then through the endless talks about college, poker, and theology, i always felt i could discuss my thoughts with you to no end. thanks so much for always investing your time, energy, and thoughts into mine. you've always been and will be an inspiration to me.

love U bro.

3/31

aka Jared Wong

He adopted me into his family and I couldn't have been more blessed growing up. We have had so many good memories that never seem farther than yesterday (eg. putting up the fake tree @christmas, playing wciii:tft, counter-strike, watching movies w/ bros, disneyland, the list goes on&on) Best qualities are his heart for Christ, his sense of humor, and his loyalty (always been there for me in the worst of times[esp hs]. I probably have laughed the hardest with him and his brothers, good times.

love ubro.

2/31

soooo

i didn't think this through and there's obv too many people, places, and things for me to list in 31 days -_-

obv, poor pre meditation of idea. sorry for the fail.

apologies to the many people out there who have made big impacts, just not enough space.

with that in mind.

here we go.

aka

Andrew Kawano

(we) Grew up together and was always better at everything than me (especially ball). Nowadays it's video games (eg COD:BO) and fantasy ball (he's still probably better at ball). Best qualities are that he's always super loyal [always being down to chill (eating/hanging)], non-judgmental, and keeping things real. He's always expanding my knowledge of LA, Fashion, and Life. Thanks to him, I became a sneaker head and a lover of bape.

:D love you bro

1/31