Yesterday, there was a mob of students clamoring for books. I had to carry backpacks into the backpack tent, send them back to the customers after they purchased, and had to guide some students to where they had to go. It was mayhem, and tomorrow, I’ll have to do it all over again.
My Business Calculus teacher, Uyammadu Mbanefo, was an old black guy with an African accent. He encouraged us to ask questions, as well as answer questions that he gave us. Of course, we were a bit awkward of getting it wrong. That was our fear of failure. Otherwise, he’s a straight, no-frills teacher who gives us the nitty gritty, and encourages class participation,
Today, I saw a few students steal a car on the Brotman Hall fountain turnaround. They pulled over, and were arrested by campus police. Ouch.
Second day in a nutshell
John, Ed, and Professor Tom. A.K.A. The first day
The first day of classes! Before, you are excited, and after, you’re drained. That was my day in a nutshell. I woke up at 5:00 in the morning to get to class. But I was full of energy, especially after having a dream about making love to this beautiful girl that resembled my friend Zaira, who is an officer on the A.S.I. government on campus. I’m serious, she resembled her in a way. I gotta keep having dreams like that; it keeps me full of energy all day!
My accounting teacher, John Lacey, was sponsored by Ernst & Young™. Interesting, indeed. And he is a very accomplished instructor, having taught at UCLA and USC. One of his quirks is that he isn’t very good at remembering names. I hope he remembers mine, because mine’s stands out. ^_^ But it seems he’s a very amiable teacher, and I think I might do okay in this class. It’s all a matter of knowing the concepts.
I had a long break, and I went over and bought some books and shirts with mom. And after lunch, it was time to head to my second class. Ed Funkhouser’s a young, blond, stout instructor with a cool looking name. I mean, Funkhouser? I thought he was an old, geezer-looking guy that knew how to rock and roll! But anyway, Ed’s a very cool teacher, and is very energetic about his role as an instructor. And a good deal of his class in online, so I can look at the assignments and analyze them before making my call.
Afterwards, I got treated to yet another instructor that I seem to like, Tom Frazier. Sounds like an athlete’s name (isn’t there a famous athlete by that name?), but he has been well traveled, and can speak a good deal of foreign tongues. Professor Tom, as I like to call him, is planning to earn his Master’s degree at this university in Berlin, and for our first session, broke it down quite well. All of a sudden, I got an idea for what my country will be in my case study report. The Philippines is a country that I visited, twice in my childhood. And I still have a clear vision of what it looked like then, and still looks like today. Slums, pollution, dirty filth all around. So I’m tapping that.
After grabbing some more notes, and a few test score sheets, I headed home. Oh, by the way, I decided that I will either be committed to Zeta Phi Rho (a Filipino fraternity) or Delta Sigma Pi (the co-ed business fraternity). I just gotta see what each of them has to offer, and then I’ll make a decision.
Tomorrow’s gonna be a challenge. I got to work at the registers and accommodate a ton of angry young students, and then off to my Business Calculus class in the evening. But first, some homework and hydration…and sleep.
Volleyballs and bottles
I had an eventful weekend. Two days ago, I went on the bus to the Pyramid, I met this drunken guy at a bus stop who told me about his appreciation for California, and his loathing of New York, and his never-ending love for Long Beach State. He’s a cool guy, but I don’t think he’s got a lot more years to go. And on the bus, I met this alumnus who had an appreciation for college football. We chatted a little bit on the upcoming season; I’m looking forward to it. I think USC will pound Hawaii, but by 3 or 4 touchdowns. Anything more would be declared a blowout by me. Anything less would be declared…a game.
I had to wait a few hours for the game to begin, so I loitered around the Pyramid, seeing some old documents about the founding of the University (which is younger than Long Beach City), and then the game began. There was a good crowd on the feast, and the band was there, too. So after each good play, I waved my pennants, and after each big play, I did an X with my flags. After the win, I danced on my seat in celebration. We defeated the Long Island Blackbirds in three straight sets, though we rallied in the third.
The next day, I went to the Parkside dorms on campus and rallied up the gang to venture out to the Pyramid and watch some volleyball. Sacramento State was no pushover; they really tested the 49ers early. I couldn’t watch the rest of the game because for the second time this year (including the Galaxy game I attended in July)…my shorts got ripped. I had to ask my mom to drive me home, and I dropped the tattered shorts in the recycle bin. Let the bums use that one. I found out today that the 49ers won the game 3 games to 2. Looks like the ladies dug deep and rallied.
Today I’m just gonna send some bottles to the campus recycling center and get some cash. And then I’ll apply for some more positions at the 49er Shops. Nothing too special…until tomorrow comes.
First day at the Bookstore register
Well, I had my first day as a cashier at the Bookstore today, and by the end of the day, my feet were hurting. Must have been the shoes I was wearing; the soles weren’t cushioned well enough. Otherwise, I was given the basics of running a cash register on the fly, and I was scanning books upon books upon books, swiping credit card after credit card after credit card, and for the most part I was in a zone, save the occasional brain farting and not knowing a new feature of making transactions.
This was the week that University 100 was performed. UNIV 100 is sort of like COUNS 1 at LBCC: an orientation class to college life and the purpose of colleges and universities. Except, this class has a Beach twist, and is aimed towards freshmen. So I was scanning copies upon copies of this book for UNIV 100, and every time I saw somebody purchasing this book, it was my inner obligation to welcome that person to Cal State Long Beach, even though I’m a new transfer student. The freshmen students were quite pleased with how they were treated on campus, and there was a friendly camaraderie.
I knew in the back of my head that this would be nothing compared to the bedlam I would get next week, when the lines are longer, the frustration higher, and the tenseness ever thicker. The only thing I was missing today was my Bookstore ID. I’ll have to get that tomorrow.
As I sat outside Brotman Hall waiting for my sister to pick me up from her work, I envisioned in my head that I was also a freshman, being oriented to the campus, and I was excited at getting ready to watch the 49er women’s volleyball team kick some butt against Long Island University this Friday, as well as pondering the possibility of joining Delta Sigma Pi.
I need some sleep. Tomorrow’s gonna be quite interesting, yes indeed.
New frames!
I had a bit of a fun day today. First off, I made a new friend. His name is Larry Maroon, and he’s from Madera. He plans to be an elementary school teacher one day, but his grades have not been living to expectations. I advised him to work hard to keep those grades up if he wants to fulfill his dream of teaching kids like him. I have no doubt he will reach that goal, but like many roads, it won’t be easy. I believe in him, and he believes in himself.
Then, after my mom and dad and sister came back from the Costco store in Signal Hill (which has this wonderful park on the top of the hill where you can see Los Angeles and Catalina Island on a clear day, and of course, all of Long Beach any day), me and my mom set off to find frames for my Long Beach City College diplomas I received. I originally wanted to go to this store that my friend and companion in student government at Long Beach City College, Mary Bunting, told me. It’s called Shades of Africa, and it’s a fancy store in downtown Long Beach that has wonderful frames. The problem was, it was out of our price range. So instead, we set off for this thrift store at the corner of Carson Street and Orange Avenue, in the California Heights area, which is next to Bixby Knolls. We stumbled upon a couple of cheap frames. One was only 99 cents, and the other one, which was made of wood, was $4.99. Both were of very good quality, though. We bought them on the spot.
Next, we had to find some nails to hang the two frames. At the Target in Signal Hill, we found this $4.99 kitchen set. This had everything: thumbtacks, nails, hangers to hang pictures…literally everything that you need to make the office spiffy. The goal today was to make my bedroom look like a bit of an office. So we bought the kitchen set.
When we got home, I and mom prepared the frames. The smaller one was easy; all I did was place one of the diplomas on there, and it was hung. The larger one took more work, but this would have a lot of things inside it. First off, we had to remove the seal, which was made of staples. We bent the over, to open the frame. And then we placed a lot of stuff in it. I placed these items.
A diploma
A crest badge for my fraternity, Tong.
Two photographs of me in my cap and gown.
A tassel
A gold Alpha Gamma Sigma honor stole (which I really treasure, as a symbol of my academic success)
Seven pins, representing:
Associated Men’s Students Silver Key
Viking Volunteers Hall of Fame
LBCC Associate Student Body Cabinet
LBCC Viking Award
Thane (LBCC Honorary Men Society)
Alpha Gamma Sigma Silver Pin (associate member)
Alpha Gamma Sigma Gold Pin (permanent member)
A small red LBCC pennant
My retired LBCC College Service Card (student ID)
My ASB Cabinet name tag (the position I had was ASB Secretary)
Everything was carefully taped together, and I nailed it onto my wall. I placed a couple of screws at the bottom to support it, but I don’t think it was needed as much. Also, adorning the frame to the right was a bigger Long Beach City College pennant, with a little LBCC badge on it. That exhibit itself was a microcosm of three years of hard work,
I moved some of my other plaques I received, nailed some more pendants and leis onto the wall to hang, and even added my high school diploma from Lakewood onto my wall. Now it looks a bit cleaner, though my dad complains there are too many holes in the wall now. Nothing a little plaster can’t fix, right? I will post photos of my room on BoBA and BoMB, as well on Day in the Life threads at SeiyaUsagi.net and Imperial Academy Forum (http://sdc.kefi.org), when I can get my hands on my sister’s digital camera.
A temp job...and a phone troll
I received a temporary position at the CSULB Bookstore, as a cashier for the first few weeks of class. I got debriefed that there’s going to be long lines of people suffering in the sun, waiting to purchase their books. A lot of new students are going to be angry that they have to pay so much for their classes. For example, one student may have to purchase about $400.00 for his/her books, and will get very frustrated. Very few students will want to buy any of the clothing/apparel because they’re nagging about their books. Keep this in mind: I was one of the last few who got hired on the spot, so I’ll have to train on the fly to use the register. I’ve never worked with a cash register in my life, so I’ve got a bit of a baptism by fire.
The Bookstore is student owned and operated, and so the people who run this store are students as well. I’m hoping I don’t get scrutinized and some trolls try to get on my bad side, because, let me tell you, it ain’t happenin’. But those lines are going to be gruelingly long…
By the way, some douche bag called me on my cell, and didn’t leave me a message. I tried answering back, and either the line is busy or no one is even taking the time to answer my call. Stuff like this gets me on my bad side. So I am making a resolution:
No one should call me on my cell between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Standard Time. Anyone who calls me during those hours is nothing more than a prick, and will get a verbal ass-kicking from me. You got it? This is to prevent shit like this from happening.
I need to get a new frame for my new degree. In this frame, I will also store my tassel and my pins I won during my stay at LBCC. I’ll even place my other TONG badge on there. It’s going to look sweet; I can’t wait to set it up!
Mayhem in Compton
I’ve been reading topics on this forum, JUCOFootball.org. It’s this site that has information about the latest things going on with the junior colleges. There’s this story about nine El Camino football players being expelled from the school for fake transcripts from some trade school from hell. (Ewwww.) There’s the story about a 57-year old football coach from Cerritos who was arrested on felony charges of obtaining more than $150,000 in federal grants for 13 players who were ineligible for financial aid and could end up in prison for 11 years. (Ouch. And he’s 57…he could be killed at that prison.) And at San Diego State, 4 JUCO players would not make the team: one tested positive for a banned substance (oh god, I thought doping was for baseball and endurance and speed sports…but in football?), one retuned to his college to pursue a major that SDSU didn’t have, and the other two didn’t make the grade.
But nothing disturbed me more than seeing Compton College get stripped of its accreditation. Being accredited means that you are worthy to provide students the best education possible. Compton could be the first California Community College in history to lose its accreditation, and a lot of the 7,000-ish students will flock to LBCC to salvage their education. And I thought the rift between the Administration, Student Life, and Cabinet members was prick enough. Compare that to the hell in Compton, and I think we’re doing okay.
Before I rant about Compton, I went to the ASB Cabinet meeting today, and their president resigned from his position. Unfortunately, he and one of his friends may end up getting expelled because of an honor code that was violated according to a friend of mine, who was on last year’s Cabinet as me. In this case, it was a forgery of college documents and records, combined with unauthorized entry of the college facilities. He says it was a serious offense, and the bad part is, the administration is not even looking at this. I think it will all pan out, and appropriate action will happen. I know those two people. They’re very good students, and friends of mine. But what happened last semester could come back to haunt them if the punishment is very harsh. This is punishable by civil and criminal law, so you don’t want to cross this line, that’s for sure.
Back to Compton. I heard from my mom that the classes at Compton are easy. The teachers are very lenient. I would suppose there aren’t any pricks there. The problem is the caliber of education there is not comparable to ours, which is superior. That’s saying a lot, because I had some instructors who were quite challenging. I suppose due to this leniency, there’s been a lot of shady things going on at Compton. For example, one of the ex-trustees at the college was arrested at his Paramount home with his wife for defrauding more than $1,000,000 to divert the funds to himself and family members. And he did this in a community of low-income families. And a lot of the money was used to purchase a house in Guadalajara. (Chivas country! All the more reason to hate those goats. See, I’m a Galaxy fan, so you know where I come from.)
Murph, a user from the JUCOFootball.org, said “It’s getting ugly in SoCal.” I’m glad for two things: 1. Long Beach City College has not been slapped yet (though sooner or later, they will fall, too) and 2. I’m finished with junior colleges. I’m already a university guy, so all I can do is frown at the fact that the California Community College system is suffering, and should the day come that Compton College no longer exists, a gray cloud will hover over the whole state of California.
Combine that with the agony of a mother about to lose her son in court as she talked over her cell on the bus, and I am so glad to still be in school, without stress. Until classes begin.
My degrees have arrived!
After winning a few more rivalry trophies on NCAA Football 2006 (including a virtual keg of nails symbolizing toughness akin to the contents inside), I wandered over to the mailbox to see if there was anything for me inside. Turns out, there was this small, slightly thick, white cardboard envelope, with the sender being “Long Beach Community College Admissions and Records, 4901 E. Carson Street, Long Beach, California 90808.” I had a gut feeling that three years of hard work and fun had been packaged in this envelope. Opening the contents, I found a voter registrations form, and two of the most beautiful pieces of paper that I would treasure forever. They were identical, but nonetheless beautiful to look at, and to keep.
They were my degrees. My Associate of Arts degrees in Liberal Arts (Option II) and Computer Business Information Systems (Track 1) were sent to me today. I was elated, but I asked my mom if I could get a new frame to place my diploma, my tassel, and my pins that I received over the course of my stay at LBCC. I then showed her my degrees, and she promised to give me a reward for receiving these diplomas, which now I can use for a lot of things, which I can’t name off the top of my head, because I am looking forward to football season.
Only one thing is remaining from LBCC that I still need, my Business Law grade. I shall ask Admissions to locate it next week, so that I can send it over if it looks good. Otherwise, I may have to retake the darn thing, which is the last thing I want to do, hmph.
I’m really looking forward to the last week in August, when classes at the Beach start. I’m ready to see some hot chicks kick ass in soccer and volleyball. *drools* See, from what I know is that the girls who play soccer and volleyball at Long Beach State are hot and cute to boot. I hope one of them is single and boy-shy, because that’s when I will come in and see if I can get a connection. If not, there’s always the other chicks from the sororities and co-ed business fraternity at the Beach that I can hit on. *le sigh, in a Parisian voice* What is a single bachelor like me to do when he is looking for love as well as good grades? Le sigh. Oh le sigh. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…….*pout*
Next week, I may consider checking out LBCC again just to visit…actually, I’m going there to visit and attend the ASB meeting next Monday. I am hoping the next Cabinet is going to have a stronger voice that we did last year.
I shall go ahead and grab some more of those trophies, if only to imagine that another trophy is falling from the sky, through the roof and into my room. Heh, I think we have another roof to fix…much to the chagrin of my family. Sorry, Mom, but I LOVE FOOTBALL!
Bike Trip
I love riding my bike. I hop on my year-old Trek 3500, with its red-an-black color scheme, and pedal off wherever I want to go. My bike has gone as far north as Pasadena, and as far south as San Clemente. But it never ceases to be my main weapon of exercise, as well as my free-spirited mode of transportation. Ever since I heard of Lance Armstrong, and his Trek bicycles, I always wanted to purchase a Trek. I loved the red-and-black scheme at the time I purchased the 3500 (I was a LBCC student at the time, so it figures!). But I go wherever my heart takes me.
My legs don’t like having to pedal over hills, but sometimes I have to, and I copy Lance’s style of pedaling with quicker strokes, before I crack near the top and ride my bike a few paces so my legs can recuperate from the effort. Then as I go downhill, the wind refreshes me and my legs, and my legs spin the chain effortlessly as the blood comes back to refuel and prepare. I also don’t like headwinds much, because it slows my ride down. But I have to ride through them.
And there are so many people riding bikes this time of year! Even old farts are climbing up hills and going down hills. Must be a summer thing.
On my trip, I passed by Marina Pacifica, and read some magazines at Barnes & Noble, before sipping a Jamba Juice smoothie that had all these different vitamin boosts. I think I had about seven of them in my smoothie. This would be enough fuel for me to ride home on my bike. But first, it was time for a bit of memory lane.
I soaked in the summer ocean breeze as I biked by the beach and watch voluptuous girls fawn by in their scanty bikinis. I even passed by one that was riding a bike, and had her hair laid down in braids. I didn’t know if she was married or not, but if she wasn’t, I’d want her to be my wife! After sauntering down the beach on my 3500, I passed by Shoreline Village. I walked my bike down the shops, and even passed by a merry-go-round. And this was no ordinary merry-go-round. I remembered when I was a little boy, and my mom was riding me on one of the horses. I didn’t want to fall off and hurt my head. I feared for my safety, and my health. I still do today, although merry-go-round horses don’t scare me at all.
In this world, there are a lot of worse things to worry about. The biggest worry I have to deal with is whether or not it is my time to leave this Earth. I want to live to about 80, maybe even 90. But if it is my time to leave, I will embrace it. You see, one who fears dying fears living. So you gotta live every day like it’s your last.
I rode to the top of this lighthouse next to the Aquarium. It kinda looked like a miniature, grassy version of Mont Ventoux. Lance Armstrong once said that “Ventoux is a very special climb which gives me very special feelings.” He conquered Ventoux, but was never able to win a stage there. He even gave a win to a cyclist who would pay the price with cocaine. So I pedaled as fast as I could to the top of the lighthouse, and I parked my bike and sat on one of the benches to reflect.
I could see Shoreline, the Queen Mary ship, and the Carnival Cruise ship. I had a dream one time in which I was taking Passport C to the Queen Mary. I realized that not only was the Carnival Cruise ship there, but the Queen Mary’s younger sister, the Queen Mary 2, was in its place. I thought, “Oh man, I died and gone to heaven!” And there was a shopping mall, there, too. Maybe that will happen in the future.
Also, I could see a couple of restaurants next to the Queen Mary. There was Naga’s Restaurant, which was this restaurant that me and my fraternity boys got kicked out of because I started a fight against this bastard I know, Jeremy, who shortchanged me out of my misery by giving me no awards. I couldn’t even speak because my throat felt like it was removed and fed to goony birds. So I punched and smacked him in the face, and it could have been worse. Heck, I could have thrown that douchebag out the window for all I cared. He was the fraternity’s president that time, and he was doing a pathetic job at it. Actually, in spite of our success, the fraternity, Tong, was in a funk after Fall 2002. There were so many slackers that wanted to join, and the alumni (including me, of course) wanted none of that. I have a gut feeling that it won’t taste its glory days again unless it wakes up and brings in competent male blood.
I could also see the Reef restaurant, which was the last place where we had our fraternity’s banquet. Great occasion, there, though by that time I was tired to being a frat boy, and that was the time I committed to Alpha Gamma Sigma.
As I watched the boats whiz by the harbor, I reflected on my plan for having a family. In order to have a family and enjoy the pleasures of sex with style, I made my set of rules. This is in chronological order. And I think if a couple follows all these rules, they will be well off.
Be financially sound. Gotta have a lot of bucks, and a six-figure disposition to support. Having your spouse to be in the same position makes it even more better.
Get tested. If you or your partner have a disease or even HIV, then the relationship will have to be that of swingers, and not of a married couple with children. A lot of people in relationships don’t do this, and they pay for it with their lives.
Discuss whether it would be the right time to have children. Are the two of you ready to have kids and pass on your legacy, and raise them to be the best citizens they can be?
Get married. I had an icebreaker when I was with the ASB Cabinet at LBCC in which I had to say one interesting thing, and when I told the group that I had a niece born out of wedlock, the whole place erupted with laughter and sympathy. Even some of the old ASB Cabinet members heard about this. (Wagner Wong, this has nothing to do with you, okay, so back off and don’t worry about it.)
Spend a night out before making love. Go somewhere good and safe, like a restaurant, the movies, nightclubs (well, scratch that, unless you want to take a chance in Adultery City), shopping. And, oh, do this at night for best results.
Think of having sex as not just something you have to do, but something you want to do. You live to be with your loved one and take part in the foreplay and kinkiness et al that follows, so enjoy it, and clean yourself up after you’re done.
Take part in a parenting class. It will help you prepare for the inevitable. And it’s invaluable.
Women, never smoke, drink, or do drugs when you are pregnant. If you do this, I loathe and pity you and the future of your child. And men soon to be fathers, embrace your children, teach them to be great citizens of the free world, and never treat them like pieces of meat, lest they end up becoming Michael Jackson clones. One King of Flop is surely enough, amirite?
After reflecting on family, I set off homeward. It’s amazing. I mean, I’m now 21, and I can go wherever I want to. I can smoke, I can drink, I can gamble. But I want to pace myself. I don’t want to smoke or drink, though I want to have fun with the slot machines. I’ve got classes to take, scholarships to obtain, games to watch, and a whole life ahead of me.
Oh yeah, and I have my bike to ride on.
I turned 21 today.
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