Breaking
3 weeks ago, Jason and Iris held a memorial for their son, Kaden, at CCIC. The news of his passing was a shock unto itself. But I didn't feel the gravity of it all until this memorial service. There were requests to help photograph so I volunteered. It was a heavy ceremony.

All through out the ceremony, I did whatever I could to help capture the event. All the while, I seemed to be fine. However, towards the end of the ceremony, I felt like I had to fight back some tears.

In the line, when I came up to Jason and Iris, I just lost it. To tell you the truth, I broke down crying like I've never had before. I felt overcome with grief. Even after the crowd had went downstairs for refreshments, I felt a need to stay in the sanctuary. I'm not entirely sure why. There's a part of me that really wanted to collect myself, reflect, and then pray. I almost felt very "undignified" in losing it like that.

Even after 3 weeks, I have no idea what really happened there. I've been to a few funerals, some of whom were military services. While feeling a sense of loss there, I don't recall even the slightest inkling to just break down crying. However, in this one, it was more than just an inkling. I was floored. I don't know what to make of this. I didn't even know him. He was but only a few months old.

I'm not saying that I even entirely understand what Jason and Iris went through. But, if I were in a simliar situation, I don't know if I could even handle it. To this day, I wonder what it was. As I close this entry, I'll continue to pray for their wellbeing...

Back in the Saddle
Yes, sports fans, I'm back and badder than ever. Look out.

Sorry for not writing for a really long time. My only alibi was that I was temporarily hosting a fairly large photo gallery and didn't have a whole lot of space to put other things (yes, including text for my blog). Oh well, I've had quite a bit of thoughts bottled up over these past few months so pardon me as I'll dispense my brain dump.

Just this last weekend, the chica came up and we celerated her birthday. In fact, we had two gatherings for her birthday. One was a lunch that we had at our favorite Chinese restaurant with her and my parents. The other was a really nice dinner in San Mateo with Alvin, Jen, Nelson, and Pei-Hua. We had a really good time. It was too bad she had to leave for LA the next morning. I really enjoy being with her.

On other news, more friends are being deployed to the 'sandbox'. Even at odd hours I see my friends online while being Over There. While they can't always disclose everything that's going on, its still really good to hear from them. Often, I'd pray they all come back safely. It's something I think about fairly often.

Early last week, I started a new job. Honestly, it feels good to be working again but it feels rather strange. As always, the grass seems greener elsewhere. At school, I felt like I was at liberty to create things with few restrictions. As of now, I feel like the restrictions went up several notches. On the flip side, however, it's nice to get paid. Have I really forgotten about earning money and some of the compromises we make? Oh well. I guess it has been quite some time.

About 3 weeks ago, I went with Alvin and Nelson to Joshua Tree National Park. Kinda cool in a weird sort of way. Some of the terrain very much reminds me of Arizona. I'd totally recommend this place but I tell you, don't stay there for more than 3 days. It's really not a very large park. I had a good time, though.

That's all for the recaps. Look for my other brain dumps in the near future.