New Years Eve. Some years it's a blast. But this year, all I can think is "eh." Hopefully dinner will be nice with my family.

I remember when I was a kid, New Years was as simple as spending a night with my cousins while our parents went out. We'd bang some pots and pans around the neighborhood at midnight, watch fireworks on TV, and be excited over staying up so late. Some years it was at my great-grandma's house in Santa Clara, other years it was at a hotel.

For a couple years it was a big dinner at a Benihana style restaurant and a movie with various members of my extended family. During high school years it was a big family party at my Aunt Rosemary's and Cousin Lisa's that we could invite our friends too. Those years were some of the best New Years I remember.

For 2000 and 2002 it was parties at my house with some of my family and my high school friends and big count-down celebrations in Downtown Mountain View. For 2003, it was a family trip to Monterey, a laid back evening enjoying all the "First Night" festivities they had going on.

This year, all my high school friends are doing their own thing. Various members of my extended family are too. It's been a rough year for many of their families. It doesn't seem quite as easy to get together as it used to, at least for this year.

Even my brother might split and go hang out with his friends. So what it comes down to is I might be counting down to midnight with my folks and maybe and aunt or uncle or two. I can't complain too much, at least I'm not completely alone.

But anyways....here's to 2004!

Community Development in Europe

Summer Abroad program through UC Davis. Anyone else interested?

All things considered, Christmas went well.

Feliz Navidad.

All right. Random history update.

My family has lived in Santa Clara County since 1917. At least the Portuguese half of it. I always say we've been here since the 1930s. But that's just my mom's side. My great-great grandparents left the island of Madeira off the coast of Africa for Hawaii in 1909. They lived in Kahuku, Oahu for eight years, then took a ship named the Wilhemina to San Franciso which arrived on March 17, 1917. They settled in Santa Clara and lived in a house that stayed in the family until I was a kid. Spent quite a few lazy summer days at that house. Lot's of good childhood memories. If I ever win the lottery, I'm buying that house back.

That's all for now.

The Result of Studying for my Southern Border class too much....Southern Border dreams:

For some reason, the Big Game was in Mexico. At least I think it was Mexico, but my subconscious was getting all the Latin American countries I've been studying mixed up in my head.

Anyways, the Big Game was in Mexico out near the coast but also near the desert. It was indoors for some reason too. Anyways, we were all really scared about going because Mexico was having a revolution and angry mobs of Mexicans were coming and hunting down any Americans that were in the country. So we all had to be REALLY quiet inside the stadium....no cheering at all. But being Berkeley, people didn't follow the rules and starting cheering against Stanfurd. And then all the sudden huge mobs of Mexicans and their military storm into the gym throwing tear gas. Everyone runs for their lives, I make out of a revolving door.

Then I embark on a journey through the desert, trying to make my way home to the US border. I'm tired and thirsty, I pass skeletons of others that have tried to make the same journey. Things seem impossible but I make it! I'm at the border. It's a lush forest, and wouldn't you know...the White House is right there. I don't know why. It just was. I safely make it across the border and everything is fine.

So....let's dissect the meaning of various things in this dream:

Big Game: Don't quite know, but that bonfire rally poster is still on my door. Maybe I'm thinking about Chris and his Spirit-building drive at Saint Francis.

Indoor Stadium: The bowl game Cal is playing will be in BankOne Ball Park, indoors, which I found strange so it must have come up again in my dream.

Angry Mobs of Mexicans: All right, this has nothing to do with any issues I have over my ethnic identity. Rather, I've been studying bloody revolutions in Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, and Cuba for my Southern Border Class. In Cuba, one of the countries I was reviewing after going to bed, and Guatemala, people were trying to end US domination. Hence the mob attacking us at the Big Game in Mexico.

Revolving Door: One of the terms I've been studying is the US's "revolving door" border with Mexico. People make it across, get captured by the INS, get sent back, and do it all over again.

Journey through the Desert: The militarization of the border pushed Mexican immigrants into remote deserts near Arizona.

Bones in the Desert: As a result of being pushed to the desert, many die during the journey.

White House at the Border: No clue. Really. Could be a lot of things.

So there you have it! My dream was a review session for my final today! Thank you subconscious, thank you.

Back in Berkeley.

Time to study. I'll start tomorrow. (I've been saying that since Sunday) Oh well. Let's not think about that, ya? Let's think about all the fun stuff I did this over-extended weekend. Ya!

On Friday, I hung out with Matt and Kim! I can't believe I haven't seen Kim all semester. We went to Peggy Sues and walked around Christmas in the Park....happy that it was a crisp night and it wasn't raining on us like the weather channel said it would. Then we came back to my house and played a game of "let's see how many faces we can identify w/o looking at their names from our senior class yearbook!" We all did pretty bad....but I think I did the best. Hehe.

Saturday....I saw Saint Francis loose it's CCS Championship game to some school from Salinas. 17 to 13, the other team scored in the last 2 minutes. It was pouring rain, but the stands were full on both sides at San Jose City College. Chris and his Yell Leaders did a good job getting the crowd into the game considering the weather. But the band....the band left at half-time. No, they didn't just put away their instruments to avoid any water damage, they got up and left the game on a bus for no good reason. Typical Saint Francis apathy rears its ugly head. The Cal Band would NEVER do something like that. I wonder how the band would feel if the football team left their Winter Concert half way through.

Sunday...I started putting Christmas Lights on my grandparents' house. I also saw Elf with my parents and grandma. A Christmas Classic! Go see it. Also...I think on Sunday I went on a drive with Chris. We checked out the new McCafe at Mountain View's McDonald's (McDonald's is trying to be all hip and Starbucksy...and it looks like they've succeeded in MV) and took a drive to Shoreline.

Monday. Walked to the Little Store around the corner with grandpa for some Tamales and Pan Dulce. That was really nice, especially since he treated me. Can't wait until I have some of our family's homemade tamales in a couple weeks. At night I was on my way to Berkeley with my parents, Hayward to be exact, when I called Erik and realized the review session I was driving back to Berkeley for was on Tuesday. After some debate, we turned around and headed back home, but had a great dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Downtown San Jose. I also finished putting the lights up that night.

Today I had lunch with my dad at the new sandwich place in Downtown MV. I then went to City Hall to drop off a letter and report on preservation in SF I did for one of my classes to the City Council in Planning Dept. I got to review a plan for a historic building and catch up with some of my old co-workers. It was really nice to see them. Then I went across the street to Kaiser Hospital where my Auntie RoseMary, Marisa, Lisa, Angelica, and David were for a check up. Since it was pouring and I didn't have a car, my Auntie Rosemary offered to drive me home. I got to talk with her, and she read my Mixed-Race paper which I had interviewed all of them for last week.

Now I'm back in Berkeley. Watched some weird-ass movie with Ryan, Erik, and Lauren instead of studying. Put up some of my mom's old Christmas decorations here and just wrote possibly the most boring blog entry you've ever read on this page. Sorry. I'll do a witty and short post next time. Promise. Maybe.

Woah! Portuguese-Azorian pride in the main stream media? Awesome.

I have a new found respect for Nelly Furtado and her new single, with people in Azorean costumes dancing in the video. Haha. Sweet.

Paint my face in your magazines
Make it look whiter than it seems
Paint me over with your dreams
Shove away my ethnicity
Burn every notion that I may have a flame inside to fight
And say just what is on my mind
Without offending your might

Cuz this life is too short to live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless what are you gonna do
So say what you want

You tell em Nelly.