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Birth
Mathew Joseph born at Outer Drive Hospital in Detroit Michigan. First time I met my parents. :) 8lbs 9ounces : 21 inches -
Baptism
The day i was baptized. Being a devote Catholic it was a big deal in my life spirtiually. -
Talk the talk
First real word: Mama *This is the exact month but not sure exact day -
Walk the Walk
Took my first steps and just stood and took a couple more steps and then my parents said, "it looked like you tried to run. It lasted fives steps and on the 5th step you fell. They said as soon as i took my first steps. I may have feel maybe six or seven times before I was walking normally. *This is the exact month but not sure exact day -
Can Toss
Story my cousin told me: At our family Super Bowl party my cousins and uncles were drinking beer and I went up to the small table my uncle placed an unopened can. I grabbed it, and though it was obviously heavy for me carried it across the living room as fast as i could (mainly because the weight of the can had me falling forward) and finally tossed it. My cousin remembers this incident so vividly because the can landed on his toe. Point is i liked to carry things at an early age. -
Big Brother
Today I officially became a big brother and met my little sister for the first time, Cicily Paveen Joseph. My birthday was only 8 days away so it was an early birthday present for me. *Within the next days i'm sure I realized I was no longer the baby in the family -
Meeting my grandparents
My grandparents were my Godparents and were at my baptism, but this would be the first time I would ever interact with them. Also the first time I would fly on an airplane (because they lived in India) I actually remember looking out the window of the airplane in the clouds and asking my dad where there house was. That is when i learned that people don't live in the clouds. We landed in India and it was totally different from America. -
Kindergarten
I never went to pre-school and I remembered hating school. My teacher was the worst Kindergarten teacher, I remember very many occasions she made me cry. I used to never eat my lunches and I would put them in my locker. She found it and made me eat some of it, which now that i think about it was a horrible thing for her to make me do. So I really disliked going to school. -
Monkeys Jumping On The Bed
I learned this song about monkeys jumping on the bed in school, it had to do with jumping and eventually bumping there head. I clearly didn't get the message because I jumped on the bed as I sang the song. I actually bumped my head on the edge of the headboard and had to goto the hospital to get stitches for the first time. After this event I was a lot more careful when I jumped around. -
The Move
We moved from Detroit to Farmington Hills. A brand new house that had an upstairs, jacuzzi, our own driveway and a three car garage connected to the house (our old garage wasn't attached). It was a big transition for me and my sister. top - new house/ bottom- old house -
Gill Elementary
I started first grade at Gill Elementary. It had a HUGE playground, I won't ever forget arriving at school and seeing that playground. Mrs.Saterfield restored my faith in teachers, she was the sweetest lady in the world. I was starting to like school. -
Holy Communion
Today's the first time i received Holy Communion and it was event I still remember. Religious events are a big deal in my family. I also got money on a day that wasn't my birthday or Christmas. -
First Loss
This day is still one of the saddest in my life. My aunt who babysat me and my sister, suffered a stroke and passed away. She was buried on this day. She was honestly our second mother. She was married to my uncle (dad's brother) and had no children of her own. We were the closest she had to kids and she treated us that way. It was the first real sense of loss I ever felt. First time I had to deal with death, and it was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry (a memory i will never forget). -
Cutting emotional ties
From 1st-4th Grade I was a die-hard Redwings fan. During the 96' season the set an NHL record 62 wins. I felt they would win for sure. They lost and I was absolutely destroyed. I was very emotionally tied to that team. I never wanted to feel that bad again, so i stopped loving them. The next year they won the cup but i didn't care. I was happy for them and Detroit, but the love i had for them was dead to me. After 96' i cheered for the Oilers and have been a diehard ever since. -
Change of Scenery
I didn't do as well in middle school as my parents expected. So after the sixth grade here they sent me to school in India. It was different and kids originally didn't like me. The life was different and the food was good but my stomach was having trouble adjusting. I left America thinking I wouldn't come back for another 6 years. It was terrifying and i felt betrayed by my parents. -
Basketball
Originally I didn't have very many friends. Then came my first gym class and we played basketball. I was like a superstar there and went on to make my school team. I was the first 6th grade ever to do it. That is because everyone is either in the 11th or 12th grade on the team. I then made the district and finally the state team. I became the coolest kid in that K-12 school. I was starting to enjoy it but a month later my mom called and asked if I wanted to comeback. I just started packing. -
Private School
Up until now I had attended a co-ed public school for every grade. For high school my parents decided to send me to Catholic Central (an all guy prep school) First I hated it, but all of the traditions and how proud people were to be a part of the school rubbed off on me. I'm very thankful now that I went there. It helped me build character. -
Extra Credit
Our English teacher offered us extra credit if we cam in on a Saturday and wrote a paper. This guy Joe in my car pool was doing the same thing. My parents dropped us and his picked us up. After his mom randomly invited me to come over. That was the day Joe and I became best friends. We'll never forget that day, ten plus years ago. -
Graduation
Graduating from Catholic Central was a big deal to me. Mainly because when I was a freshman the Dean guaranteed that only half of us would graduate from that school. He was 100% right on too. It also meant I was growing up. -
Work
My mom found me a job at her hospital working in Transportation. This was a really big deal becasue I was making great money and working a lot of hours. It was also a great lesson because I spent my money poorly and learned so much from that experience. It also allowed me to work with people and hear their stories. I gained a lot of knowledge because of their experiences. -
Fate
My friends boyfriend (who according to her didn't like me) invited me to play basketball because they were short 1 guy. The car ride started off quiet, but he broke the silence. We slowly realized we're exactly the same. It was an amazing conversation, I made my other best friend in the world that night. Also him not liking me was a lie. Raj and I since have gone through a lot. I could shed tears talking about how great of a friend he is. I'm very thankful they needed an extra guy. -
A star is born
I started listening to Rap near the end of high school because of Eminem. The reason I started rapping is because of a guy named Nivla, who I saw at an Indian convention I was at. I got to shake his hand and he was very humble. My goal was to get his attention and earn his respect one day. So today I started writing music for the first time. -
Eyes Wide Shut
I had been fed up with being tired all of the time. I slept through almost all my high school classes. The problem was other kids also slept making it look like sleeping in class was normal. Finally I went for a sleep test. I learned that I had Narcolepsy. When the doctor explained to me what it was, I felt a sense of relief knowing I wasn't just lazy. I still take medication for it everyday and it helps me a lot. Finding out was big news in my life. -
WE'RE IN!
Today we found out my best friend Raj got into Wayne State Medical school. It was a very proud day for me as well as inspiring. It would be the last time we would ever take a class together. We'd see each other but knew it couldn't be like the way it was before. Most people fall apart when a distance like this is created, but our relationship only got stronger. -
Underdog
Even though I started rapping in 05' I didn't start taking it seriously until 07' and in the summer of 2008 there was a rap contest. Winner got to be on a song with a local artist who wasn't world famous, but he was a big deal to me. There were a lot of guys who had been rapping for a while & were established, so I was nervous entering because I was a nobody, but this nobody finished 2nd and finally put my name out. -
Spotlight
I performed in front of a live audience for the first time since I began rapping. I performed at the ISA show at Wayne State. I was nervous but when I heard the music the adrenaline canceled it all out and it was a very good performance.
*i'm in red -
Founding Father
Today marks one of my biggest accomplishments in life. I became a founding father for Delta Epsilon Psi a South Asian fraternity. I worked very hard for this and the process helped me mature and become even more respectful. Anyone who wishes to join the fraternity will have to know and remember mine and my line brothers' names for as long as the fraternity exists. It's like my own Legacy. -
A Dream Come True
I originally started rapping because of a rapper named Nivla from New York I saw performing in New Jersey five years before at a convention. The people holding that convention asked me if I would open up for Nivla in Las Vegas. I definitely did and it was a great experience for me because me and him became good friends after that event. -
Heartbreak...
Today my aunt (mom's sister) passed away. She had been fighting cancer, but losing her was awful. She was my mom's older sister and she'd always take the heat for my mom when they were young. This broke my heart...her and my other aunt who passed away when I was young, were my favorites. -
St. Andrews
St.Andrews I was given the opportunity to perform at St.Andrews hall, famous for being the place where 8 mile is shot. Also the basement is famous for holding many famous battles including people like Eminem, Royce da 5'9 & D-12. So this was a REALLY BIG deal to me. I even have a youtube clip from the night, it is loud and hard to hear because of the audience. -
Hard Work Paid In Full
My Best Friend (Raj) got his first choice for where he does his residency. University of Southern California, it was a dream come true for him and me. For me because his dreams are mine as mine are his, but the sad realization that he'll be leaving me lingers alongside my happiness.
*Raj on the right (im not pictured) -
No words.....
Just a week after Rajs amazing news, his mother passed away from a heart disease she had been fighting for the past 8 months. She wasn't Raj's mom to me, she was my mom too. There exist no words that could describe the depth of our pain...so I have nothing else to say about this loss -
Whats to come
I don't know whats to come and I know i'm supposed to predict my end but I'm superstitious so I'm going to pass on that. I do know I plan on getting married and having children and God willing be able to meet my grand children....and if i can look back and wish I could do it all over again...I will consider myself to have lived a great life...
