Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

I had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story.

It was a pleasure to burn.

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.

The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting.

This book was born as I was hungry.

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

Call me Sonny. According to my watch it is Wednesday, June 18, 2008. Right now it is 9:07 in the morning. Tomorrow, I will be leaving at approximately this same time in the morning from Philadelphia. My flight will take me half way around the world through Chicago, Tokyo, and ending at Manila. If everything falls into schedule, the whole voyage will take a little more than 24 hours. I was planning to stay awake for that whole time, but that wouldn’t be wise.

The trip will be roughly three weeks long, and I’ll be visiting many places in the Philippines. I am minimizing what I bring with me to a watch and a small backpack. Looking through the backpack’s contents, there is nothing more than books, dictionaries, pens, bookmarks, a small video camera of 60 minutes and a plain black journal.

This summer, I have made it my goal to spend each day productively. With Julia’s never-ending motivation and Andrew’s slyness always ready to pounce, I realize that the only thing television, video games, etc. are going to do for me now is entertain me and support my procrastination. Sure, I do think video games helped my imagination grow when I was a kid, but –

Wow, my aunt just called. It turns out that my uncle might be waiting at the train station to get picked up. He’s going to be protecting the house while we’re away. The problem is that my dad isn’t here. Hence, I’m going to be a man now, take my bike, and pick him up at the train station. Be back soon. I’m taking a journey into manhood (lol).

Okay, I’m back. To my disappointment, my dad had pulled out of the driveway as I was putting on a pair of socks. But nevertheless, I was reminded of a line that Jack said in this years’ play Into the Woods, “But Ma I’m a man now!” It came to me that kids, not men, relieve stress and find enjoyment in digital and animated figures. Real men find joy in knowledge!

“The mind of the intelligent man seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.” – Proverbs 15:14

Don’t get too offended fellow video gamers, I am slightly sarcastic.

So one of the productive things I’m going to be doing this summer, and a lot of during the trip, is reading. Much to the disagreement of my colleagues, I thoroughly enjoyed American literature this year. I especially grew fond of the idealism and optimism of the Romantic Era: Emerson, Poe, Longfellow. I would attribute the whole era to inspiring me to put more time into reading. Chapter 15 in the American Pageant helped a lot too.

So far I’ve finished two books this summer: How to Read Literature like a Professor & Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. To most that's probably no big deal, but I’d have to admit that it is one of my greatest (for lack of a better word) accomplishments so far.

Thinking of all the books my friends have read, I wish I had become an avid reader earlier. Andrew, I want to read the rest of the Harry Potter series like you have done. Lauren, I want to read your favorite book, A Clockwork Orange. One day Julia, I’m going to read Crime and Punishment. Ashley, you’ve told me that East of Eden is a fantastic book, and I have no doubt that it is. Hence, I am going to read all of the greatest literature ever written. It starts this summer with these books that I’m bringing with me:

Life of Pi
Saint Joan
Frankenstein
The Scarlet Letter
Walden
Selected Poems: Emily Dickinson
Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
Ralph Waldo Emerson: The Concord Hymn and Other Poems

Along with these books I’m bringing a driving manual because I need to drive. I’m taking the pink paper to remind me about the research paper as well. I should probably bring other school stuff like chemistry, Spanish, or biology, except I want to take in the books I’m reading and the experience of the Philippines as well.

Also worth mentioning is that plain black journal. All the content you’ll read on this blog when I return will be from that notebook. In it I plan to creatively write about all my experiences during the trip; the little things if you will. It may come out in a poem. Or it may come out in simple prose. I don’t know. I may write about the wonderful books I read, or the terrible ones. I may write about the long plane ride. If anything, I’ll probably be writing about the heat.

It’s 12:28 right now. I’ve been writing this for over three hours now while running all over the house helping my mom pack. In total, we will be bringing eight pieces of luggage with us. At least four of them are boxes full of old clothes, toys, home necessities and anything else you can think of. They are called Balikbayan boxes ; search it on Wikipedia Andrew. The rest of the luggage consists of old clothes that we will also be leaving behind.

It's 1:33 and lunch was cooked well done. I’ve been working on this on and off so much that I think it’s time I end it here. Not to sound like I’ll be gone for a couple years, but whoever reads this I’ll miss. I hope when we meet I’ll be a more enlightened person, and not too tan.

Much love,
Sonny

Not to make this look like a letter…