November 10, 2009

Dear Diary,

I was upgrading some parts in my current desktop today when I recalled some of the events which took place in the past including taking my computer apart for the very first time. I remember taking apart my computer for the first time; it was a huge sense of pride and accomplishment for me because I’ve always wondered how the inside looks and how the parts connect to each other.  I compared my techniques from now and the first time and realized how much of an amateur I was back then.  I remember taking apart the processor from my motherboard carelessly and almost ended up ripping it right out of the motherboard because I didn’t realize there was heat sink liquid attaching the two together. My dad taught me mostly everything about computers because he was an expert at building them and helped worked at electronic stores so I could always go towards him if I ever had technical issues with electronic hardware or software. I really would thank my dad for everything because he’s the one that gave me all this knowledge and has helped me grow intellectual wise and he’s never said no whenever I need his help. Sometimes I look back on past events and I just seem to not recognize how thankful I should be having such lovely parents that I know who will be always here for me whether to protect me or to guide me with my future tasks in life. Basically, I started thinking about taking apart my computer and just seemed to get side tracked for the next two hours wondering how live would be if I never had my parents here to support me and it made me reflect on how many kids in poverty have no parents yet they have such a strong will to continue on living. After recalling some of these events, I decided to take some action by cleaning the hardware inside my old computer and then driving it down to the station where I donated it and gave an opportunity for kids in Africa to continue on with their studies and have the necessities to learn.

From,

Kevin Seto

December 10, 2009

Dear Diary,

Today me and parents were just having some random conversation when we begun to talk about the baby years of everyone. Even though I did not have a lot of memories from being a baby, I can remember that I was a really playful child that would always break rules which include drawing on walls, spilling my food, running outside without being properly dressed and always crying at the worst moments possible. If it was not for my parents then I would of never knew when I was born I was having some breathing problems but after going through surgery I was all better and the problem was to never arise ever again. Apparently, I was one of those kids that would never stop eating candy and chocolate which led to a very fat baby and one that gets sick all the time.

I wish I was able to remember everything that happened during my baby years because by looking through pictures and listening to the stories of my parents I can conclude that I had one of the best baby lives out there. During my baby years, I’ve been to Ottawa, Montreal, Sudbury, Newfoundland’s, Buffalo, New York, Chicago, New Orleans, and Hong Kong, various places in China, Japan and Thailand. There we pictures of me in very special locations like the Liberty Statue and the old Yankee stadium in New York. I wish I could go back and revisit all these places again so I could have some major shopping sprees and raid all the malls. Sometimes when I see baby’s at malls and other places I feel jealous because I want to become a baby again, easiest time of your life. I’ve always wondered if there was a way to remember everything during your baby years because I find it ironic how the best time of your is usually forgotten and you remember everything after that. Anyways, I’m so glad I got the opportunity to talk about my baby years and learn what I was like as a child.

From,

Kevin Seto

Elementary School

By: Kevin Seto

Many people are scared during their first day of elementary school, being introduced to new faces and given the opportunity to share fun experiences with other people can be frightening.  Personally, elementary was also a nerve wreck on the first day of school seeing new faces and catching up with old familiar faces. During my elementary school years I remember I had some of the most wonderful and nicest teachers around that didn’t mind using some of their own personal time to help students and prepare them with the tools for high school and their future career. I recommend forgetting all the fearful experiences and instead focus on all the fun ones that will be remembered forever and the stories will be shared in the future. A lot of students might complain that there is a lot of pressure going on from parents and teachers but think about this: everything that they tell you is there to help you because they are much older than you and have been through the same experiences meaning they have the knowledge to help you succeed and they want to help you.

During my elementary school years, I was honestly one of the worst kids around. I didn’t do my homework leading to many phone calls home and writing many letters that had to get signed by my parents. I was always fooling around in class disrupting other students from properly learning which led to even more phone calls home and eventually parent teacher conferences regarding my learning abilities. After a while I understood that everything I do in school only benefits myself and if I choose to waste all my time doing nothing then I would never get a good job. Understanding this concept, I assured myself I will work very hard in high school to achieve good grades and I still follow that today in Grade 11. I hope all you elementary school kids that read this article will do the same and I wish you all the best of luck.

Dear Diary,

Chinese New Year was the best day ever. All my relatives in Toronto came over to my house where we made tons of traditional Chinese food to celebrate. I received many red pockets from everyone totaling to over 400 dollars all within one day. We have a tradition where we distribute red pockets before the actual Chinese New Year day but we only open all the red pockets on that day as a sign of luck and inheriting our tradition. My family is used to sharing the dinner party with our different relatives so we take turns hosting the celebration at each house every year making sure we get to taste everyone’s cooking whether or not it is as good as our other relatives.

We went over to First Markham Place at night where we saw a traditional dragon dance and many different singers from the Chinese television network came over to perform and give everyone that same sense of pride. The mall was literally filled with people as I could barely shuffle through the people just to enter the store to purchase candy. I remember helping distribute red pockets and receiving red pockets with many people I didn’t even recognize and it made me feel like I was part of the community by participating in such fun activities. I also participated in this small session where they taught young kids how to properly dragon dance while they explained about their traditional Chinese clothing which includes a lot of gold as a symbol of fortune and luck.

I had a lot of fun celebrating this event and I can’t wait to celebrate this event again next year making sure I help prepare the red pockets earlier and give them to everyone. I hope everyone gets a chance to celebrate this event whether they are Chinese or not. I believe there are no requirement towards participating because it is all about becoming a community and coming together for a night of fun and festivities.

Regards,

Kevin Seto

Canadian National Exhibition

By: Kevin Seto

Canadian National Exhibition also known as the C.N.E. It is a famous event that takes place for about two weeks from the end of August to early September. The CNE consists of many multi cultural festivities coming together and selling them in one of the buildings which is just a huge marketplace where you can basically find any product from any country around the world. These products usually include famous clothing articles from other countries, electronic brands most people haven’t heard of, rare vases and articles that are almost impossible to find anywhere else in Canada. Everyone should get a schedule and check out the Super Dogs show which takes place every year beside the marketplace and contain some of the best show dogs around the world which compete against each other for a nice treat. These dogs are usually very tame but sometimes they don’t listen to their owners and frolic around the course causing tons of laughter and a hassle for the owner to try and calm his/her dog down. Across the marketplace building is a huge petting zoo which contains many farm animals and a lot of other exotic animals you might not get to see every day like ostriches, hens, and bulls. There are many activities so you’ll be pleased whether you’re an adult or if you’re a child because they offer face painting, coloring, and petting. Both exhibits are the first things you see after the entrance meaning there are plenty more things to visit which includes delicious food, fun rides, sports and tons of opportunities to purchase some discount clothes. I would recommend visits the sports exhibit as there are tons of activities including interactive sports, batting cages, bike show with a full stadium, a video game section sponsored by Sony to try out their new systems, and tons of racks of cheap clothes from famous brands like Sirens and International clothes. I’m going to stop sharing so much information to keep you guys surprised when you go visit the CNE but remember it’s all about having a fun time and sharing moments whether it be with your friends, family or relative.

Markham, Ont L6C 2H6

December 25^th, 2004

Dear Cousin Cedric,

Thank you for hosting the best Christmas party known to mankind. I had way too much fun hanging out at your house and having your family cook us such a wonderful turkey dinner which included lots of other foods like pasta, chicken wings, mashed potatoes, clam of chowder soup, and a gourmet Caesar salad.  The food you guys served was literally restaurant quality but at less than half its price which I found wonderful seeing that our parents didn’t have to fight over the bill like every single other year. I loved your selection of Christmas music because it consisted of many different types of beats from slow guitar, pure singing, drums and even a little bit of techno. There were so many different conversations going on at the same time I just didn’t know which one I should tune into as some people talked about video games while some talked about sports. I knew it was going to be a great day before the party even started when I walked inside your house and saw the beautiful 8 feet Christmas tree all decorated up in lights, mini figurines and sparkles along with a small 3 feet tree in the living room which hid all the presents which were perfectly wrapped which kept me really anxious wanting to know what you guys bought me. After the dinner was truly the highlight of the day, finally getting the chance to rip apart the nice wrapping paper and find out what I get. I’ve never experienced receiving so many presents before in one year: American Eagle sweater, Nike basketball shoes, $50 mall gift card for Markville shopping center, playstation portable, and an 8gb memory stick for the PSP so I can carry all of my favorite music and movies anywhere. I decided to write you this letter as thanks for making my Christmas seem complete and providing a young teenage boy with such a memorable Christmas that I’ll recall many years from now.

Regards,

Kevin Seto

^ 1 of my all time favorite Christmas Songs! The Beat is way too catchy.

36 Summer Mist Crescent

Markham, Ont L6C 2H6

December 20, 2009

Dear Uncle Charlie,

Thank you very much for taking me around all of Hong Kong when I went there at the age of 5. My parents took many pictures of all the famous locations we went to like the old airport and a lot of the old harbors which are know taking down and replaced with buildings. I remember I had a lot of fun walking around the city shopping with my parents and taking the subway everywhere instead of using the car like we do in Toronto.

I am very grateful towards your family by being so kind and giving us a place to stay while we were on vacation. I met a lot of my family members on my mom’s side that I never knew even existed. I did not even know my mom had 2 sisters and each of them had a son and a daughter respectively. I remember spending time walking around the famous malls like SOHO and MegaBox. I heard Hong Kong was famous for all their fresh foods like chicken and seafood so we went to this very classy Asian restaurant where we fine dined with everyone in the family. We needed 3 tables and had 30+ people at the party.

One of the most memorable moments was spending a whole winter in such a warm climate. The weather was really nice and was at about 15 to 20 degrees everyday throughout all of winter and even Christmas. All I had to wear was a light jacket and shorts I felt the crisp breeze along with the warm sun rays giving me such a comfortable feeling. I do not remember much of this trip as I was only 5 years old at the time but I would like to thank you for everything knowing that you will be there for me if I ever return to Hong Kong for another vacation.

Regards,

Kevin Seto

My main theme for all my blog entries is GROWTH whether it be spiritual, physical, mental or emotional.

A web definition of Growth: One of the seven goals. Its positive pole is comprehension; its negative pole is confusion. It is used for lifetimes emphasizing learning new things. It is the most frequently used goal. People in growth seek stimulation.

For me growth isn’t that important but its the event that take place during growth that will be remembered for years to come and it is precisely those events where we learn and continue to strive for more. A big part of my growth has come from family, peers, teachers and even people I hear everyday on the news like Barack Obama and Dali Lama who are such powerful figures in today’s society and provide us with such strong speeches.

I found this song to be a real inspiration while I was writing a lot of my memoir entries, it meaning represents how sad it feels to be left alone and by yourself.