a moment of silence.

on a serious note:

found out yesterday

that a teacher i had at acad has passed on.

to reflect:

before i met him

i imagined him like a classic sensei from japan.

all i knew about him before meeting him was,

he was a strict, a hard ass on design,

with a small bamboo stick to whip your hand

if you messed up on the mouse or if u didnt do enough roughs

(which sounds like all acad teachers, heh)

he was different. a super softee.

show respect and respect was given back.

(true japan represent, what!!!)

the hard walls came down once respect was earned.

goin through his classes

he was like,

a tough guy + a zen master,

a hard rock but with soft spots.

one critical point

during my third year there,

i had lots of negative things going on in my life.

to keep the story super short,

i was really down.

in my mind i had already checked out of school,

and was ready to check out on life.

eugene sensed this,

dropped teacher mode,

and sat down for a real heart to heart talk.

i think that was the first time i really

looked at any teacher in a new light.

i remember that was my' tsn turning point'

of my acad life.

strict to get the best out of students,

but understanding and caring.

the last time i saw him in person

was in 2006 while walking through the halls of acad.

it was the first time i had been

back inside the building since i bailed in '98.

i was hoping someone would be kickin around.

it was a good to see a familiar face in the marking room.

a taboo place for students back in the day...

(always wondered what went down in there)

he was in the middle of marking,

but he invited me in and talked for an hour reminiscing.

all the time in the world for alumni.

i can only imagine all the people he runs into,

i can only imagine all of the late nights he dedicated to students.

a great man.

thats how i remember eugene ouchi.

rest in peace.

i will miss you.