I love work. I love my homies there. HAHA. I’ve never been so close to all of them! I have officially become one of the crazies who go in even when they’re not scheduled to drop by food or see somebody. But damn…it has really taken it’s toll on school. Being a full time student and full time associate has given me barely any time to myself to study and do homework. Now it’s time to play catch up and hopefully keep my A’s where they’re at. I hate doing this and I told myself I wouldn’t do this when I hit college, but I can’t say no to working. My dad is still on sick leave and who else is going to help my mom pay the bills?! On top of that, Christmas is coming up and I need to shop for everyone. I’m not complaining about it….I love shopping for Christmas gifts but it’s hard balancing my budget out for what needs to be paid for my car, for everyday life, for bills to help my parents, and for Christmas shopping. AND…my brother finally graduates on December 23. Even though my parents keep saying that we don’t have enough money to go see him graduate in Hilo, I’m determined to make sure we can all go and see him. I forced him to go so he could get somewhere in life and he’s taken a bold step by leaving home to get his high school diploma, even though it’s only in Hilo. He’s about to reach the finish line of something that he can confidently say he succeeded in on his own and has decided to set all things aside to help this family out. SOMEBODY NEEDS TO GO OVER AND CONGRATULATE HIM. Even though my brother and I get into pretty gruesome fights, I miss him and I’m proud of him. He didn’t have to go to Hilo, he could have waited until January to go to Youth Challenge in Kapolei but he wanted to make a change, and he wanted to do it immediately. Despite the difficulty he faced adjusting to the temporary move, he pulled through. Even when his girlfriend didn’t want him to go, he didn’t listen. He knows this is not only for himself, but for this family. He’s chosen to brush off the unnecessary crap that has been weighing him down all this time. My brother deserves some applause. And though this may seem a little far-fetched, I want to try and make sure my family and I can go back to the Philippines in January. I know that it’s tradition to return after a year of burying a family member, to return out of respect and remembrance. I know it’s not necessary, but it’s important. It’s important to my mom. It’s important to my great-grandmother. It’s important for my Tatay. Ahhhh, I’m doing my best but I don’t know how long all of this work can go. Either way, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to even try and make all of this possible. His grace is sufficient for all things. Ok, sorry for the rant! Now back to studying!!!!