Ichi-bro's flow, aka "Ichiro-etry"...

home fr. work at Sea-Tac...need relaxation...

think i hear Gran Turismo 3 callin' me fr. inside the PS 2...

i also need to head out to the IMA and get the cardiovascular and the weights in...somehow if i don't work out for a week or longer, i start feelin' like a 150 pound tub of Jello...

but first, rejuvenation and relaxation...GT3 style...

picked up a shiny new PS 2 yesterday evening...and i think i've once again found my passion for being mesmerized in front of the television set w/ controller grasped firmly in hands, anticipating the next breakneck turn...haha. it's weird because i never considered picking up a PS 2 before 'cause i figured the price would drop significantly w/ the release of the X-Box and Nintendo's Game Cube, but when i saw the deal taggin' the PS 2 for $199, i had to take advanage of it. to knock off the $100, i had to trade in my PS and 10 games. i guess if a person held all unrelinquishable games, it'd be a problem, but luckily i had a enough low tier PS and Dreamcast games to trade in. they didn't account the value of the games into the trade-in, so i ended up buying two $1.99 games at the place, and using those as additional fodder for the trade-in. and trading in the PS was only logical, since the PS 2 is backwards compatible w/ PS games, and actually enhances the games because of the quicker loading times and the discernable upping in resolution quality. and the DVD capabilities...only made sense cost-wise since i didn't have a stand alone unit, and the X-Box would require an additional (unnecessary) add-on (expense). i didn't know it at the time of purchase, but i suppose i've already picked a side in the upcoming console Armageddon...

it's lucky that i've got saturday and sunday pretty much un-booked...from what i've sampled thus far, it seems like all the positive comments i've heard on the game were right-on, 'cause GT3 is definitely a clinic on software brilliance...

yesterday evening was special for me...smoothed things over w/ a "friend" at a local Starbucks. i'd prayed for resolution over this situation for a while, and the Lord really came through...

to keep a long story short, i've been interested in a particular girl for the last 8 months or so, and i couldn't really gauge where i was at my chances of hooking up w/ her. from the start, i knew the huge implications of this gamble i was taking...i put our friendship, which at the time was solid, at stake. i knew i was also making a huge emotional investment, ante-ing up my very emotional well-being as well. i knew right from the start the immensity of this risk, and yet it didn't stop me from accelerating at the opportunity full throttle. sometimes it's funny what love can do to you...it can render you spellbound, as you keep walking down the trail, unable and/or unwilling to see the cliff's edge, where one look over for a sober person would be enough to daunt them for a while. i suppose i was "drunk" in love. i guess a weird way of rationalizing it would be to consider that if people weren't "drunk" at one time or another, we wouldn't be here doing coo stuff like writing on blogs, or rooting for Ichiro and the Mariners (they're currently demolishing the Tigers 13-0)...

however, i definitely can't say all is lost, since i think i've re-established once again a strong friendship, which i think has grown stronger after the entire experience, which came to a climax of sorts last evening...

on another note, speaking of the Mariners and sports, me and a couple of my airport "thugs" caught the Raptors' Vince Carter at the Southwest Airlines baggage claim. kinda funny considering i had a brief conversation w/ his coach Lenny Wilkens just a few days prior... *haha*. homie Kosol went up and snatched an autograph, and brutha Seth copped a handshake. Despite his star status, Vince really came across as grounded...which is coo to see, as it is often not the case w/ other "stars" who're totally self-consumed by their "stardom"...

if you arrived here via a URL that was e-mailed to you...you're in the right place...

Reg's "Experiencing God" spiritual markers...as of Aug. 20, 2001:

1979-God decides that I am to be born in Swedish hospital of Seattle, WA...a 2nd generation Filipino-American firstborn son of 1st generation Roman Catholic parents.

1980-87-Looking back to this time, I sense that the living God is w/ me. I am encapsulated in the Lord's love...He shelters me in an unbelievably loving and nurturing atmosphere, and blesses me w/ a coo imagination that keeps me occupied for many a day. In my abbreviated life thus far, I think this is the closest I've ever been to Heaven...

Mar. 1987-went to Chinatown for lunch w/ my dad and grandfather. i remember my grandfather not being able to finish his food. the next morning, my mom wakes me up and tells me my grandfather died last night. i remember not being distraught at the news. for that day and leading up to the funeral, it's kinda weird, but it almost seemed as if he'd never left. btw, if you ever wanna see my grandfather, he looked much like an Asian version of Colonel Sanders' likeness on the KFC logo...

Autumn 1987-parents separated. again, i didn't feel overly distraught...but my first real sense of mild spiritual anguish was felt here. this is where i first experienced intense hate all around me...a hate which was looking to envelop and consume me.

1988-90-six of my cousins arrived fr. the Philippines in 1988...in a way it felt as if God had blessed me w/ a 2nd glimpse of Heaven. during this time i discovered a passion for baseball cards, Nintendo, wiffle and tether-ball during recess, and an appreciation for fellowship and connected-ness...

1991-spiritually, it seemed like things were starting to get darker...possibly coinciding w/ the start of middle school. (it was not all "grim," as God shelters me in the honors program throughout secondary school and high school.)

1994-i'm in tenth grade, and I start reading one of those green Bible's that people pass out after school and such...

1995-the Holy Spirit compels me to take a leap of faith and bike over to the local Target and purchase a Bible...at the time, i wasn't aware that it was the Holy Spirit at work, but as i reflect on it i realize it was definitely the Holy Spirit at work w/in me...

Dec. 1995-my grandmother dies. my dad called and told me in the morning. at first i was numb in disbelief, but later in the day it hit me like a chorus of raining bricks on a coconut. i completely broke down spiritually, and this was probably my darkest moment ever spiritually. i cried to God, pleading that He could somehow ease the unbearable suffering i was experiencing...

Mar. 1996-God was merciful and eased the pain considerably by providing me w/ a passion for tennis...along w/ a passion for a certain girl. He allowed me to discover a natural gift (tennis), and in six months, i vaulted up to #1 singles.

Jun. 1997-HS graduation...at this point i'm not sure where God wants to lead me. i plan on attending the UW, but some of my family succeed in convincing me to join the Navy. during the process, it came down to the last batch of paperwork, and a final "yes" marking that would complete my entry. i fully intended to mark "yes," but the Holy Spirit intervened and marked "no." inside i felt incredulous, wondering at the time what it was that compelled me to mark "no," unaware at the time that it was the Holy Spirit which propelled me to mark this box. i ended up not going to the physical, and instead attending South Seattle CC, obtaining an AA, placing myself on a fast track to the UW...

August 1998-purchased my first PC w/ wages earned at Sea-Tac.

Sept. 1998-stopped by Electronics Boutique in Southcenter, and the clerk handed me a complementary copy of PSM Online. in the back, the infamous one Garrett Chan was listed as the "Gamer of the Month." i noticed i had some games on his wanted list, and i e-mailed him about a deal. the deal never materialized. two or so months later i then discover his webpage after recognizing the name in the "student personal webpage" section of the UW site, and discovered an internet forum on the now defunct "A" magazine site through link on his page...

Oct. 1998-1999-friendships are developed on the site through weeks and weeks of regular posting on the boards. many memorable discussion and heated debates are had here, but i digress. two key things that came into fruition were a group called the 'Asian American Liberation Front" (AALF), and i first meet "Qingchu" aka Chris Fong on these boards...

Dec. 1999-Chris invites to a UW AACF meeting...

Jan. 2000-present-i feel like my spiritual sword of faith in the Lord is put through the furnace so to speak, continually being forged and developed as i attend weekly AACF meetings and partake in various (i.e. three) men's bible studies/ministries. the first being led by Chris Fong, the second (Three Fists of Life) by Ray Choi, and the third one (blue team) by Garrett Chan.

Apr. 2001-faith is put into action as the Holy Spirit compels me to choose finding a new church (eventually CBC) over working weekends and trying to stay afloat financially.

Jun. 2001-on the verge of a financial breaking point (i.e. zero account balance)...

Jul.-Aug. 2001-the Lord rewards my simple act of faith, and blesses me w/ a job w/ the perfect hours, perfect days, (weekends off, which i think is real ironic), understanding bosses, and most importantly a job where i can bear witness to the Lord time and time again day after day...

Aug. 20, 2001-at the airport this morning, i drive two young ladies to the end of the "B" concourse of the airport, and one of them remarks that Reg is "so sincere, considerate and gentle...may God bless you." it felt real spiritually gratifying to hear that, and i think it's a statement that no one could ever put a price on. i am thankful to the Lord for blessing me the many ways He has this summer...

won my first superfecta today at Emerald! typically, superfecta's can range into the thousands in their various payouts, but today i only caught a smallish $116 one. i suppose it's better than no fish at all for the day...

well, another monday, which means the beginning of another eventful five days and fifty some odd hours chillaxin' at the airport. probably one of the brighter spots of the day was seeing rashard lewis stroll his tall self out of gate B-11. for those who don't know who i'm talkin' about, he's a starting forward on the Seattle Sonics basketball team...

left work after eight hours, 'cause i was eager to deposit the fruits of Saturday's race 9 at Del Mar...felt real awkward lugging that much cash around, or at least more than i'm used to...

took a nap for a couple hours at home, guess 'cause i was still tired somehow from the eventful weekend previous. afterwards, ventured out to the IMA to work out w/ the weights, and also got in a productive game of b-ball...

ichi-bro...the quickie 411 on the name. well, it's a play on words, a play on ichiro suzuki, the japanese sensation who plays right field for the seattle mariners (as if you baseball fans out there didn't already know that...). earlier in the season, me and some other die-hard mariner fans were gonna make a sign w/ "the Ichi-bro's" paited boldly on it. we didn't get around to doing that, so i guess the next best thing would be issue out that name to this blog...besides, Ichiro's the man! i know it kind sounds corny, but he's really an inspiration to me...he's comparable to my bodily frame, and he's asian. attributes which apply to me as well. who knows, maybe we'll play alongside one another someday, if somehow i can boost my fastball in upwards of 15 mph... (as for now, i'll jus be daydreaming that...)

went to the racetrack again today, seein' if my luck could somehow extend another day. almost did, came quite close to nailing a $2000 superfecta...oh well, guess ya still can't go wrong w/ being up $1120 for the week... =]

saturday was a mad nice day...if one ever invented a time machine that enabled you to re-live certain days, yesterday would be among those days for me.

in part 'cause yesterdays had quite a few "firsts." welcome, positive firsts. won the most money i've ever won at the Emerald Downs racetrack, winning $1200 and change. what's scary is that i won it on two trifecta wagers that totaled about $35...won the last two trifectas on the last two races of the Del Mar simulcast, $400 and $800 respectively.

afterwards, met up w/ the brothers of the Wudan Christian ministry at Tony Roma's on Northgate Way. it was my first time to sample Tony Roma's heralded ribs, so i decided to splurge and ordered the All-Star Roma sampler...good, good eats...

after the eats, the peepz split up into two groups, one group goin' to see Rush Hour 2, and the other goin to karaoke at SBK. the one on King St. was full, so we carpooled down to the one on Minor, and it's the first time i'd been to this one. i like this one better, 'cause the rooms seemed more welcoming, and the inside didn't look all ghetto drab and dusty. i sang three songs... these songs were "just once," "beautiful in my eyes," and O-Town's "all or nothing"...i think i sang the first two OK, conveyed the emotional content of the song coo enough, but the third on i really had to hang w/ because i'd never performed it before, but w/ this one i think i still did a'ite. in terms of sheer emotion comin' through the mike, i think i tried to convey the most emotion in that last one by O-Town.

everyone else mostly sang a buncha japanese pop songs, which were coo, even though i didn't understand a lick of what they were singin', apart fr. the occasional japanese phrase or words that match up w/ my limited japanese vocabulary...

three days have elapsed since the first entry...been mad busy w/ other commitments, so i haven't had much of a chance to write...

i guess something inside me is trying to gun for the perfect entries...but i need to realize there's no such thing as a "perfect" entry. w/ that said, i vow to write from the gut, and see what happens from there...

i said i'd elaborate on the title, but right about now i've gotta dish out the weed wacker treatment on some unsightly hillside grass, and drive up to Costco...

Ichi-bro's flow...catchy title, eh?

i'll elaborate on the title later...right now i'm gonna go b-ball and lift at the University of Washington IMA...