Tag: my thoughts

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Where is home now?

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For a guy who has grown up in what can be considered a far away land. That land being in the middle of the ocean, I often find myself questioning why I left that place. Why would I leave some place so special? A place where love, life, family, and belonging are so prevalent to me. I began really questioning it recently after going back home to visit in July.

This time around though, I was not alone on my visit home. It was an interesting experience taking someone to my island home. This person had never been to Hawaii and, like most of the people here on the mainland, only know of the stories they were told. Stories of it’s beauty, it’s people, and it’s culture. We have so much to offer the world in the ways of living. It’s beauty can empower those to make serious changes to their lifestyle. Some could even find peace for once in their lives.

It was obvious by the smiles on both her face and of her daughter’s face that they loved Hawaii. From the swimming everyday in the ocean, to the many sights, shopping, and of course the fantastic food we have spread across all of the islands. When we got back, she told me that she had never seen a rainbow more full in her life. Even if she didn’t say it, I know that she fell in love with my home. Arguably, it is really hard not to fall in love with Hawaii.

I still get asked why I would leave a place with so much Aloha. So much Mana. The truth of it is the price of living in paradise. When I left Hawaii, we were living in a 524 sq/ft apartment for $1000 a month back in 2011. Today, the same place is going for around $1400. With everything else being expensive already in Hawaii it wasn’t easy to stay afloat with the ever rising costs. So when the opportunity came to work in the mainland, I took it. At the start of 2020 it’ll be eight long years since I made that decision.

A lot has changed since I left and a part of me feels like I have been a contributor to those costs. A bill has been passed in Hawaii called Bill 89 CD2. This bill is to help regulate the ever growing popularity of Short-Term leasing by websites/apps like AirBnb and Expedia.

According to the Bill, it’s purpose is to better regulate the use of homes for less than 30 days. While the Bill was being purposed, many thought of it as a way to save their neighborhoods from the random people showing up and ruining the area. I can understand this from the stories I’ve heard about people leaving an AirBnB unit in complete chaos.

On the other side of the issue is the real reason why I feel like a contributor to the Bill being passed is the amount of rentals available on the islands. A lot of good homes and residential apartment builds had been converted into Bed and Breakfast units due to the popularity of these sites. A home owner who has a space to rent could easily double or even triple their profits from a vacation rental instead of yearly lease from a resident.

I haven’t used the sites AirBnB or Expedia to book my stays in Hawaii but instead I have used a site called VRBO as it was the first I had heard of to offer these types of services. A big reason is that when I go home, I don’t want to be reminded that Hawaii is a tourist destination. It’s a feeling you can’t shake when you stay at a hotel in the islands. Instead I try to look for a condo or house to rent while I’m there. It just feels more like home when I do. There is a stipulation to the Bill that allows for vacation rentals to remain in areas where it is permitted. Namely those places with all of the hotels.

As of right now, I really don’t know what to think. Considering that there will be less units available to rent from for a short-term lease, those prices are sure to rise. I guess time will tell on what’s to come of the B&B market in Hawaii.

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What are the effects?

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What are the effects? We as a race just can’t seem to get it’s shit together. I think in just the last few months, move lives have been lost due to stupidity and selfish actions than ever before.

In Somalia, a truck bombing killed hundreds. FUCKING HUNDREDS!  In Las Vegas, one asshole decided that he was going to shoot into a crowd of people enjoying a concert. He killed more than 50 people. Puerto Rico, British Virgin Islands, Florida, Texas, all devestated by multiple hurricanes.

Only one of these things is beyond our control and that is the weather. We can only protect those that would be in harms way as much as possible.  What about the rest? What about the violence? Why is the world so quick to react with violence?

So many damn questions and not enough answers. Sometimes it feels like oppresion would be easier than what we have today. Not all the time of course but it’s the stories that get reported that just makes you wonder, “Can this world ever know what peace is?” People sing it during the holidays, over and over with songs like Joy to the World but it feels like it falls on deaf ears.

I don’t know what the answers are and I don’t feel like anyone has the right answer no matter what the circumstance. What I do believe is that the world needs to get it’s shit together or we may just end up extinct like the dinosaurs. Only difference is that it won’t be a meteor that takes us out, it’ll be ourselves.

 

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Day 045/365: My office for the day

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Day 045/365: My office for the day

So as the weekend came to an end I realized that I wasn’t any better so I just called in sick. If you saw the photo from Sunday then you know that I probably shouldn’t be going into work at a place that involves microphones.. However, being in IT makes it some what possible for me to do work from home. Remote desktop and VPN makes this life possible. However, I can’t see what is going on physically. I also still need to swap my offsite storage backups. #FML

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Hanging out in San Diego – September 13 & 14, 2013

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So there is one thing I’ve come to realize since I’ve moved out here. I’m never going to like a beach here it seems. I’ve been spoiled by my home of beaches. Nothing against the coastal beach parks crew and all but it’s just not that great to me. 

I’m from Hawaii, where our sand isn’t dust. When Limu (seaweed) washes up on shore, it doesn’t smell so bad and infested with so many tiny bugs. I really didn’t know what to do.

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However, here are some photos from San Diego.

Now, the rest of San Diego was nice. Went to Old Town San Diego which was like a little Mexico if that’s what it’s like. Everything had a real Mexican vibe about the place.

We ate at a place called Casa De Reyes and wow was it great. There was a 40 minute wait to get a table but that wasn’t really all that bad considering the restaurant was surrounded by shops. They had a stage where people were performing dances. By the time I had been through two stores and a bit of entertainment, it had already been time to get our table.

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I had a great Cumin Rubbed Salmon with Mango. OMG TO DIE FOR!

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Anyways, take a look at the rest of the set up top on the slideshow.

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So I made it to California

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It has been an interesting Journey so far I tell you. I will say though, I don’t regret it at all one bit. I wanted to come here and I won’t be knocked down! Knocked down, interesting choice of words but I’ll explain. Lets start from the beginning of our journey. Preparing to leave the islands.

We both choose to work pretty much right up until we were about to move. It made sense, we weren’t leaving till the 24th so why bother with worrying about taking off from work. WRONG!! We were both so busy with working and hanging with friends and family that we practically didn’t sell any thing in our apartment. My TV and the bookshelf. Yup, that was it. Basically everything was either given away or thrown away and boy was there a lot. Moving out of an apartment with the notion that not much is coming with you is crazy. Usually with my last few moves, I’d move in to a new place just before I had to move out of the last. This way I can take my stuff and stick in the next no problem. In this case that just couldn’t happen. Everything had to go. So right up until our landlord came to check us out of the unit were we almost completely done.

Leaving the Aina, my only home. This is the tough part. We drive out back to Ewa Beach so that we can help drop off some stuff at my mom’s place. She can’t carry any of that up the stairs so it was cool. Then later we go visit my grandma. She almost got me crying so hard right then and there. I never felt her hug me so hard. I love her so much. I will be back for her 80th birthday in July. I will try and make it no matter what. Then off we go to the airport. We get to the airport and I’m struggling to carry everything to the check-in booth.  Talk about back breaking work. OMFG were these boxes and luggage heavy. We had to pay a little extra for two of them as they were well over 50lbs. We make it past that, then say goodbye to friends and family at the security check point. I almost cried with my mommy but I had to stay strong. If I didn’t I’m sure she would have balled out in tears. :'( Big shout out to my brother and Mina for helping with the luggage. Justin, Stan and Dominic for showing up wishing us luck and saying goodbyes. That was cool guys. In an interesting turn of events in an ironic sort of way, Julia found an old Co-Worker who was working that night with TSA from Home Depot. It’s interesting because you realize just how small the island is. She said her goodbyes to her and we were off to start our travels.

So we looked for the cheapest flight we could find and oh boy was that a stupid idea. Seriously fucking retarded LOL. Step one of our trip was to Fly from Honolulu to Bellingham airport in Washington at 11:50 pm. I thought to my self no biggie, I’m gonna be tired anyways so I’ll just sleep through the flight. WRONG! Trying to fall asleep on an airplane just doesn’t work for some reason. Julia can fall a sleep any where but not me. Especially since I was having an acid reflux attack mid way through the flight. Oh also my nose kept running so I’m irritating the guy next to me sniffing all the time. Then when I finally get a chance to nod off a little; it happens, a child starts crying. FFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! So I stayed up all night and watched some Anime and Hawaii Five-0. Kinda funny though I didn’t know Don K-Won was in that episode LOL. Good thing I loaded something on my Kindle. So as we start getting ready to land, the plane descends and Tiny instantly knows something is going on. LoL He’s crying and we can’t do anything but just try to keep him quiet.

So we finally land in Bellingham and OMFG! WE HAD TO WALK OUT SIDE?! AT 5AM IN THE MORNING!!! FUCK THAT WAS COLD!!!!!! Anyways, so we hear over head on the plane before we got out, “look to the TVs for information on your next flight if you are transferring to another flight.” Bullshit, there was only news on each TV. LoL So we just sat around waiting for someone to at least announce our flight numbers. Had some couple just totally PDAing on a set of chair right in front of us. LoL I guess they were going to Vegas and were all up in wanting to get busy before they get there. The boyfriend went some where and she came over to play with Tiny. Was hella funny since everyone thinks Tiny is this beautiful cat, and I agree with them. However, if they ever get to play with Tiny when he is full of energy they will understand how much of a terror he is. (No seriously. As I’m trying to type this Tiny is trying to bite  my arm because it is going over his head and he don’t like it. EXCUSE ME PUNK! NO ONE SAID LAY DOWN ON DADDY! LoL)

So eventually finally the flight over to Seattle arrives and WTF?! we are flying on a two-propeller crop duster LOL FUUUUUU!!!!! At least it was only an hour flight. We both just knocked the fuck out during that flight. So I don’t remember shit from it. Well except for a huge cramp in my shoulder from the odd way I fell asleep on Julia’s shoulder LOL. SO! We make it to Seattle, holy shit wtf? Do all airports on the west coast not want people to use their terminals to charge their shit while they wait for their flights? Ok Bellingham had a plug on the far end of the whole terminal but seriously hows a guys supposed to keep himself busy on a plane if every device he got is dead LOL. Anyways, we waited for the plane about an hour then we’re finally on our way to LAX. That was a good flight though as we basically just didn’t give a damn any more and just kept going through it. Lunch was a dish of fruits, cheese and crackers and another dish of some chicken pasta. It wasn’t to bad actually, just disappointed I had to pay for it LOL. At least on Hawaiian a sandwich is included with your flight. Oh wells.

ALRIGHT!! FINALLY MAKE IT TO CALIFORNIA! WOOOOOO!!!!!! So now what? Well initially I was going to have my aunty help us get to Matson at least to help us get the car but she got sick. I hope she is better by now. GET WELL AUNTY!!! Anyways, so instead I pre-booked a car from Alamo while we were in Bellingham. So we went and got our luggage from baggage claim and tossed it all on a shuttle bus to the Alamo depot. Ok what is the deal with all the car rental places being so damn far away from the main terminals? Like wtf? We get all the way to Inglewood before we even see Alamo. So anyways, finally over there and find a HHR for all of our boxes and luggage. It was a game of Tetris but we sure as hell got everything to fit. One thing though, we tried bringing some asian seasonings with us and well the Sesame Oil bottle exploded. Practically got all over the inside of one bag. So now the car smells like it. Now we are ready for our journey into California. Step one was to get the car from Matson. Step two make it just in time to move-in to our new apartment. Heh oh the things we really didn’t plan for.

Lets start with step one shall we? We landed at LAX about 2:30pm got to Alamo at about 2:45 pm and finally started going at about 3pm. We get “Sheila” going to take us en-route to Matson to pick-up the car. (If you don’t know “Sheila” you really should click on her name to educate yourself.) So as we start going, we realize “SHIT! Matson is in Long Beach?!” Now we really need to hurry. Get to the freeway and FFFFFUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we are stuck in LA traffic. FUCK! I look around frantically trying to find a faster route on this stupid freeway of doom. OH LOOK CARPOOL LANE!! LETS DO IT!!! Yeah that was not a good idea. Ok so people of Hawaii, lend me your ear! The carpool lane isn’t the same as the carpool lane in Hawaii! Literally in less than 30mins of driving on the freeway I’m already getting pulled over by the police. Apparently there are these double-solid yellow lines for the carpool lane and you can’t cross them until the lane opens up with solid white dashed lines.

The police officer got to the window and says, “What you didn’t see the double-solid yellow lines?”

I reply, “No what lines?” I pull out my Hawaii drivers license and I straight up told him “We just landed and have no idea about the lines.”

He asked, “What? You don’t have double solid yellow lines in Hawaii?” He pointed over to the lines and I notice that they are dividing up the carpool lane from the rest of the lanes of traffic.

“Not for our carpool lanes. We just go in and out as we please.”

Pissed he said, “Man I’m just striking out today. Well don’t do it again.” Not sure what he meant by striking out but what ever.

I asked, “Well can you explain how this works so I don’t do something wrong again?” He continued to explain about the lane and let us go.

Damn was that a close one. I had no idea about the lane though I just jumped right in and out to try and get through traffic. Now with that delay we decided to call Matson to figure out how late they were open til. Call, call, call, automated messaging, wrong numbers, everything going bad on contacting them. At this point it is about 3:30pm, still stuck in traffic, still getting no where fast and getting no answers. Finally about 3:45pm we get someone on the phone and we ask about their hours; 4pm closing time… FFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So basically I been stuck in traffic for about an hour for NOTHING! AHHHHHH!!! Now before you start saying, “Why didn’t you just catch the plane to Long Beach?” I was told that the Matson facility was in LA. I didn’t know it would be some long distance drive to get to Long Beach and get to our car. I figured it would be close enough to get to. So scratch that idea of getting the car. So we decided FUCK IT, LETS MOVE ON TO STEP TWO!

Step two, move-in to new apartment YAY! Ok, two hours to get to Victorville, California. We can do this, I know we can. WRONG!!! FUUUUUUU!!!! Remember that traffic I was talking about? Yeah just as bad going the other way. All we had to do is make it there by 6pm. Well when 6PM rolled around guess what? We had just made it to I15… another parking lot. So instead of dealing with that crap, we pulled over at an AM/PM to think for a little while. We both decided to just stay at a Hotel in Victorville so that we could at least get to the town we are moving to and check it out a little. Was that a god send. A place to just fall a sleep for a little while and reset.

Heh sleep… Yeah right. We finally get to Victorville. It is about 8PM by this point. We were pretty hungry so after we dropped off some stuff in the hotel and relaxed a little we then did some exploring around town. Found our apartment complex, closed of course and eager to just move in. Found food, I got my self a chicken sandwich from Burger King. Chicken, shouldn’t be to bad for my acid reflux. WRONG! Anything fast food apparently wants to kill me. Took a shower and stayed up for a good portion of the night tossing and turning. So I went for a walk outside in the freezing cold. Holy shit, 38 degrees that night? I shot the picture above with my dSLR. Talk about having another panic attack at the same time. My camera wouldn’t auto-focus. I was freaking out! I wasn’t ready to just pass out yet so I did just keep walking around. Finally tired of the cold I pop back into the room and try to relax. My dSLR was bothering me though. I needed to know what was wrong. I popped out the battery and slapped it back in, fine. That’s all it needed. Oh wells, finally to tired to give a shit any more I passed out.

So just look at that there… That was basically one day for me. Throughout all of that I had one hour of sleep and a lot of fucking driving HAHAHA. I’m just glad I made it in one piece to the hotel. Now lets move on to day two and the reversal of steps. Step one Move-In to new apartment. Step two get the car.

We tidy up the hotel and check out at about 9:30am. I slept like a mother fucking champ so I’m feeling hella good now. Turn Sheila back on and have her navigate us to our apartment. Yeah I know we found it the night before but everything looks different from night and day. We get there, fill out a ton of paper work, get our keys and finally have our new apartment YAY! Take all of our bags and boxes and shove them into the apartment and head out for step two get the car. At this point it is about 12pm and there is NO TRAFFIC!!! OMFG! We took about an hour and a half to get there. Got a little lost trying to figure out where it was exactly in this industrial looking area but we got it. Left at about 2pm and were on our way. Now here’s the fun part. We now have two cars, the rental and her car. How do we caravan with only one working Sheila. Yes I know I  could have used my phone and her phone except, her phone the GPS navigation works. My phone the GPS chip is shit. (Good job Samsung).  So what do we do? Swap phones and I lead the way. Sheila gets me a good starting route and I get stuck in an exit lane going down some road. Good thing is? It’ll still lead me to Long Beach airport. So fuck it. Realizing I just pulled into a town I figured, great time to put gas in her car and the rental so I don’t have to pay an inflated price for gas. Head down and get lost a bit trying to find the LB airport but I finally get the car dropped off and we are done with everything that needed to get done YESTERDAY!!!

We celebrate by getting lunch close by at Spires and finally head the hell back home… in Traffic. So in short all I have been doing the past few days is FLYING AND DRIVING!!!! I’m so glad to be just laying on my back relaxing typing this. I’ll have another blog later talking about today and the things we did but until then my hands hurt from typing all of this.

Aloha!

CharlieBoy808

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So I’m moving to California

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Well it is official. I just the word that I’ll be moving Victorville California. I got a job there as an IT Manager and will be starting in February. This is seriously major and crazy all at the same time!! LOL Honestly I’m scared yet happy that I’m finally going to do this. I’ve thought about doing this so many times I don’t even know the number. All I know is that it is time for a change of pace. At least for a little while. I know for sure that I want to do this mostly because of my credit score. If it takes me leaving home to do this then so be it. I’ll be back eventually but in time I’ll try and enjoy the mainland for a bit.

Life will sure be different considering that I’m leaving my home of 29 years. It isn’t like I haven’t been there before, but that’s just vacation. This is permanent-ish. Not to worry though, at least I get vacation time right? I sure as hell hope so at least LOL. I will have a support crew out there as all us Hawaiians probably know someone out there living so at least I’ll be surround by friends. To myself, the many things that I will have is all of my memories to look back on. Thank goodness I took up photography as a hobby otherwise I wouldn’t of had anything to look back on. All my friends, family, life, locations, places I’ve been, etc… They have been documented for all the world to see and now for all my memory to look back at.

I started trying to make a set of photos on Flickr to house my Hawaii Memories but up to 13,000+ photos and my browser just crashes like crazy. However, so you all can see what fond memories we have made here is some of what I managed to get in there :-) (If you don’t see yourself, don’t think of it as bad but think of it as my browser failed LOL):

 

ALOHA!

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Steve Jobs

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Let’s face it, I’m a PC. Always have been but that doesn’t mean that I hate Steve Jobs, I just prefer PC products. I can say that I appreciate Steve Jobs for who he was. I’m not a big fan of the iPhone, but without it I know we would have never amounted to what we have today in mobile phones. I know that if it wasn’t for the iPod the music we listen to wouldn’t be as available as it used to be. Yes I know that there are many arguments to be had here when we discuss how iTunes could have brought the downfall to Tower Records and other music distributors. We should look past that as we now realize that without that innovation we wouldn’t have the thousands of new artists popping up all over the world. Artists can now go and distribute their music without slinging it from the back of their car.

It is fair to say that competition is what breeds innovation. Innovation is a way of thinking that outside of the box, but in competition it is also asking the question, “what is it that we can do to make this better.” Without competition there is no innovation and with the loss of a great innovative mind I can only hope that there will be someone else out there to push the boundaries. Innovate, create, design, establish, just a few words that the industry is built on. Just a few words that I believe Steve Jobs was responsible for putting into today’s technology.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

This is just a short clip I think you all should watch.

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Weird instances, are they destiny?

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Destiny, it is an interesting word: a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency.

It is strange how my life has turned out as of late. I have come to realize that the past has effected me more than my own comings and goings of everyday life. The things I do today are not that different from what my family had done before I was even born. It is all as if my destiny were to continue on with the things my family has done in the past.

You are probably wondering, “WTF is he talking about?” Let me explain. If you have followed me on my blog for a long time, then you know that I love photography. If you seen me live video streaming music to anybody who wants to listen. If you follow me on twitter, you know that I love the hell out of entertainment and the entertainment business. So let’s talk about these things here.

Photography:

Before I was even thought of, my grandfather (Mom’s Dad) worked for the US Military during the Korean war. He was responsible for “Recon” is a good word to say without calling it “spying.” So he was basically a photographer and come to find out liked it. I never knew this because I have never seen any of the photos he’s taken. I found out when I was digging through my grandmother’s closet back in 2008. I had moved out years before and I was trying to find some stuff I may have. I looked up and there was an interesting leather case that resembled a camera. Sure enough, it was a camera.

A little brief information about the camera:

  • It is from 1957
  • It is the Argus C-Fourty-Four
  • It is technically an SLR as the lenses are changeable
  • The lens it has is a 50mm/f2.8
  • You control the f/Stop via the front ring
  • Focus is controlled through the Range Finder
  • Shutter speeds go from 300 – 10 and Bulb

For how old the camera is I am pretty impressed with the features it does have.  I told my self that I would fix it, but I never really got around to it. In my last blog post, I talk about a family member I lost to cancer just a few weeks ago. During that time I really needed to take my mind elsewhere. So I went about figuring out what I needed to do to get this camera working again. Didn’t take much but it does work. The first photo is something I took  riding home from work one day.

Here are some other sample shots:

Music:

Music has always been an important part of my life as I’m sure it is for a lot of people. In my life my parents brought me up listening to a lot of music from the their past and pushing me to always either play or sing music. I’ve played quite a few instruments in my time of being alive and there are many more still yet to be played. Back in the day my dad played bass for some band, my mom did hula and sang Hawaiian songs whenever the occasion called for it. These are things I knew growing up, but recently I have found that I guess my family did a lot of these things in their days. Sure I knew that the sound guy “Hutch” at Shack Waikiki is my uncle and used to play music with my dad. Sure I knew that my family was friends with many influential groups/bands in days of really good old Hawaiian music. I just never really knew how many of them knew of my family.

It was a real eye opener to hear of all the stories they all had, but one that I found real interesting is my Aunty Ahi. I remember meeting her a long long time ago as a kid but I never knew how important she is to a lot of people I interact with on a regular basis.

As for me, I never knew this but apparently everyone else did that my Aunty Ahi basically taught a lot of the local (and I hate to say it this way) Old School DJs how to DJ and mix music. Another piece of my life that I have been doing for a while and finding out that my family had been done it way before me.

Now lets get into entertainment part of it all here. Yes, I went back to working with the radio group I worked with before. One day I walk into a studio with DJ Kool-E, Potato, and DJ 720 discussing something about some back in the day stuff that was on the air about who was the hotter DJ, Ahi or Lisa D. I couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that just a few days before I found out that she is family. I don’t know if it’s just the size of the island or the fact that I’m right where I should be sort of.

You tell me what you thing and if you made it this far thank you for reading. It really means a lot.

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Life and Death

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Sorry if this is a seriously depressing one for you all to read but I just need to put down my thoughts of late.

Recently my aunty died from cancer just two weeks ago (June 26, 2011) and tomorrow we will be having the funeral. I’ve been fighting to stay strong this whole time but I’m finding harder and harder to do so. The family has requested that my cousin (her daughter), my brother and I sing a few songs for her. It was a hard challenge to choose a song for such a wonderful person. She lived through a time when music was up lifting, heartfelt, produced by those who sang them, a time when it wasn’t just about making money, but telling a story.

Right now I’m listening to some classical piano jazz music (well in the style of it even though it is Final Fantasy Songs) to keep my head up. Tomorrow we’ll be singing, and I’m going to try my best to keep my head up for her. Right now I know that things are better for her and she is no longer in pain. I just hope that the music we sing will reach her and bring her peace.

If you are wondering the songs we are going to be singing, I choose C&K – About You and everyone remembered that she loved The Eagles – Best of My Love. Two great songs.I remember back in the days when I was still working with KUMU and we had C&K playing a show for us. Mandy said something that I will never forget, “Through all the years of C&K music, there will always be one song that they can relate themselves to.” I’ve thought about it and I have a few that I can relate to, and tomorrow I can add one more track of theirs to my list. I love that song and I know she did too.

It is just amazing how much music is a big part of my life. Probably before I was even born music has been a part of me. I may not be the perfect singer and I know it, but that doesn’t stop me from singing. I play mediocre at best, but my family is still proud of the fact that I can play instruments. I will always be proud of the fact that my family thinks of my brother and I when it comes to doing something special.

I am especially proud of all things that my aunty was capable of doing in the life she lived. Oh the stories and memories that we shared. It was interesting to hear all the stories of what growing up for her was like. I thought I was crazy in all the things that I do, but back in the day sounds like even better times. I think I barely scratched the surface of what can and is possible. I am glad that she got to enjoy so many things in life and that she fulfilled so many things. She has two wonderful daughters who I am happy to have as cousins. An amazing husband whom I cherish as an Uncle. (Sorry uncle Brian for not taking a beer the other day, but I got my health problems too lol. Thanks for the water though.)

As for the words I never had the chance to say:

Aunty Renee,

I love you. You have always been a big part of my life. As screwed up as we always think we Criscolas can be, it is in our screwed up ways that make us amazing people to be around. It was always a blast the whole family getting together talking story like a bunch of drunk potogees. It was all those good times that I will forever remember. It was all those good times that make me remember what a great person you were. You a light in my heart that I will never let go out till my very own last breathe. You are a big piece of my heart that shall always remain and will be there to remind me that good times are a simple story, joke, smile, and a laugh away.

I love you Aunty Renee Ige-Criscola