Prayer is good for the heart and soul.Right now, I would like to send my prayers to Kiefer Holman and the Holman family. It is just unbelievable. I got a phone call from my friend Dylon yesterday, and he told me that Kiefer went missing in Lake Ray Hubbard when canoeing with a couple friends. It was really windy on Saturday, and the canoe tipped over. Kiefer's friends made it to shore, but there were no signs of Kiefer, so a search party started looking for him. It is now Sunday night, and Kiefer still hasn't been found. I am hoping that he is found alive, but there are no positive signs. I just couldn't help thinking about all the crazy things that have happened to Kiefer in the past couple of weeks.I went on Facebook today (despite giving it up for Lent) to write on Kiefer's Wall to say that I am praying for him and his family. So many of his friends have done the same. I am continuing to pray for him and his family. 
And this one is to you Kiefer:Even though I didn't know you that well, you seemed like a good kid. A lover of God and life. A good Christian. We are in the same swimming/lifeguarding class, and you always cracked jokes to lighten the mood. I remember you re-telling your longboarding accident and adding some dramatic, crazy parts to the story. Dylon and I were laughing because of the crazy stuff you added to the story, but the others kept listening to you with straight faces, believing that you safely slid under an 18 wheeler before flying off your longboard. Lifeguarding class is going to be different when Spring Break is over and classes start up again. You're a great soccer player as well. I saw you show off some of your soccer skills during Intramural Soccer at HSU. I also think you have one of the coolest names. The name Kiefer reminds me on Kiefer Sutherland who plays Jack Bauer on 24. And Jack Bauer is awesome. Like Chuck Norris. You will be missed by many. You were a positive impact in many people's lives, and you will always remain a positive impact. Enjoy life with God in heaven and watch over your family and friends. You are an adventurer. You were a cool guy, easy to get along with. I am still hoping that you are found alive. But if not, I know that you are enjoying life in heaven with the Almighty Father. God bless, and rest in peace. I will see you one day in heaven.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Coming back home from college was just the best feeling ever! I couldn't wait to see my family! My dad, brother, and sister came to pick me up after classes on Tuesday, and then we headed home. I ate a yummy dinner with them (we had Pho at a Vietnamese restaurant, which I haven't had in a very long time!). I came home and saw my mom and our two dogs. The next day, we put up the lights outside our house and bought a Christmas tree. We decorated the tree with multicolored lights and a bunch of ornaments! On Thanksgiving day, my family ran the Turkey Trot in Dallas with my aunt and three of my cousins! It was super cold that morning, but we all made it! My brother was exhausted because he ran 8 miles while my cousins, aunt, and I only did a 5K. But that was still lots of fun! We went to my cousin's mom's house afterwards and had warm, delicious Filipino food! That wasn't all though! Later that day, we had the actual Thanksgiving get-together at one of my uncle and aunt's house (I guess by now you can tell that I have a pretty big extended family). I ate so much! And the food dishes and dessert were great! I loved my cousin's pumpkin cake (which I actually made for a Christmas party I had tonight in college, and I won a gift card because my dessert was voted best). There was a bunch of "typical" Thanksgiving food like turkey and ham and greenbean casserole (I'm not a big fan), but of course, there were many "non-typical" (I guess "atypical") food dishes. I had at least three full plates of food and dessert! It was greatness! I weighed myself on the scale in the bathroom, and I gained SIX POUNDS that night! I was super happy about this because ever since I went to college, I lost three pounds. So I was glad to have gained that three pounds back plus three more (127 lbs. at the beginning of college -> 124 lbs. during college -> 130 lbs. after the Thanksgiving meal)! And that was probably not all of the weight I gained during the Thanksgiving break! But anyways, I felt so grateful for family and friends and fun and food and festivities and KARAOKE! I'm not sure if this is a Filipino thing or not, but we like to do karaoke at parties! Everyone is encouraged to sing, and I usually sing now (I used to not want to sing). But I think I sound weird when I do karaoke because I don't really like singing with the words on the screen, and sometimes the key of the song is really weird. But Thanksgiving break was just great! I got to spend some well needed time with my family and cousins. We had lots of fun! Black Friday was interesting! Thanks to whoever came up with gift cards because I really don't like spending my own cash! I bought a ton of music CDs and movies on DVD as well as TV show seasons on DVD. That weekend was a lot of fun too! I am just so grateful for everything in my life, and I don't take anything for granted. I thank God for everything I have: family (a BIG one), friends, food, a house, clothes, money, education, ten fingers and ten toes, a love for music, a love for life, and everything else I have! Thanksgiving always puts me in a good mood, and I hope it did the same for you! HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
I'm really new to this "blog" thing. I'm familiar with Facebook and Twitter and YouTube, but I don't consider those to be blogs. I think you don't have to worry about what other people think about you when it comes to blogs. I have a love for writing. Writing is my therapy. It relieves so much stress in my life. I have been writing about life ever since I could write. And isn't that what a blog is for? You can talk about almost anything. Just spew it out on paper (or in this case, a blog). Hopefully this "blog" thing will not be something I try for a while and then quit because I am excited about this new experience! I hope you all enjoy what I have to say! Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Michael Cruz and I live in the USA. I am Asian and proud of it! I love God and my family and friends. They help me get through life. I'm a lover of music! Music is life's soundtrack! I like randomness even though it can be overwhelming sometimes. And I don't know what else to say right now except to LIVE LIFE!!!
So I have a question to anyone reading this...What questions do you have? Any suggestions on what you want me to write about? Please post in the comments below and spread the word about my blog! Thanks!
