Blogging on My Own

Hello everyone. Happy new day. I'm terribly sorry for the delay in writing in my blog. I needed some guidance in navigating the blog sphere. So here I am. I am here.

It's a truly a miracle that I'm out in the free world. My freedom would not have been possible without the love and support from my family and awesome network of friends. My heart bows to all of you.

I've been out for a little more than three weeks. Everything felt natural to me. I didn't have any difficulty adjusting to the society that I've been away for 21 years. Aside from catching upwith all the new gadgets like cell phone and the internet, I feel I'd never left. I attribute my smooth transition to having a great support system when I was inside and after I've gotten out. I didn't experience any overwhelming feeling about being out here. I had mental freedom during my incarceration. Now I receive my physical freedom (with conditions and restrictions.) I feel whole.

It would take too long to write about my countless first time experiences in the free world. I'll share my thoughts with you as I embrace this old world as the new me.

This afternoon I went to Berkeley with a friend and hung out on telegraph aveue. After getting a bite to eat we went to Eastwind book store. I met professor Harvey Dong and Bee for the first time. I felt I'd known them all my life. Being in their store is like being in a home away from home. I felt love.

Thank you so much for your patient and continual support. For the first time since I started my blog, I'm typing it myself. I'm forever grateful to my blogger who had been typing for me since August of 2004. What an awesome friend I have!

So please check in with me and keep me honest. I love you. Life is beautiful.

Eddy goes to the Chinese New Years Parade

(from Eddy's blogger)

After conducting his morning salutations, jumping rope, and giving his nephew tips on how to catch a baseball, Eddy set out for San Francisco to watch the Chinese New Years Parade. He walked to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and met up with his friends Alicia & Weyland. Alicia was working at a family summer festival organized by Department of Children and Youth Services. They had a deliciously meaty meal of imperial noodles, garlic noodles, filet mignon, and roasted & lemon chicken at Mangosteen, and set out for the Chinese New Year Festival in Chinatown. Eddy was looking forward to seeing Reverend Fong, constant supporter of Eddy's fight for freedom, whom he found singing oldies on stage with his band Jest Jammin'. With a few shout outs to Eddy, Reverend Fong belted out some old and new classics, while Eddy happily bopped his body to the rhythm. Another one of Eddy's supporters and friends, Jane Kim, met up with Eddy as well. Having left his VIP passes from Rev. Fong in the car, Eddy bolted back to the parking garage, dodging people, small children, and strollers. He found some seats in section A-2, across from S.F.'s celebrities (including former S.F. mayor Willie Brown).

The parade began with a slew of cars filled with local politicians and officials. Some of them were Eddy's supporters; among them were Tom Ammiano and Eric Mar (there were several more). Then came the school marching bands, benevolent associations, police associations, school groups, and martial arts clubs. The only floats were sponsored by large corporations, like Southwest Airlines, Ford, and Cathay Pacific. Children were dressed like pink pigs (some with wings?). One float, called "Party Pigs", include a group of dancing pigs who jiggled their pink tails to "Let's Get it Started". The queerest and most perturbing display was the marching troupes of smiling young teenage girls. Following a their school band, they were mostly dressed as expected: mini-skirt, go-go boots, & (strangely enough) lacy garter belts. Their behavior was most inexplicable; with wide plastic smiles, they abruptly jerked their head left and right, like little mechanical dolls. No one in the crowd could explain this creepy tick.

Going to the parade was memorable, and Eddy was content being a spectator of this excitement.

Most common question for Eddy this day:
"How does it feel, Eddy?"
"Are there any kinds of foods that you want to eat?" Eddy says he'll eat anything on the table - all of it is good, & he's hardly picky.

"This is the first time I've done this in...20-some years..." included
- walking through a revolving door
- sitting on the grass & relaxing in the sun
- throwing little new years gunpowder poppers
- more to come... Eddy has to add to this list...