WHO AM I?
Well, if you did not know by now, I am Paolo Beltran. Bear with me while I tell you the details of my life (I promise it should not be that long)...
BORN
I was born in Quezon City, Philippines at the University Hospital on November 10, 1976. I don't know what time of the day it was or how much I weighed, but nevertheless, I'm here so be grateful.
RAISED
I lived my early years in the Philippines near the city of Manila. Life was quite simple there. I attended a fine private institution named St. Benedictine Intermediate School. When my mother decided to immigrate to the United States, I just completed my fourth grade there. (My father left for the U.S. about three or four months before us). We left for the United States in April of 1987 and I was just ten years old then. We settled for a year or so in Honolulu, HI, while my mother earned enough money to purchase a home in the Mainland. On June of 1988 we moved to Norwalk, CA into a nice one bedroom apartment We really did not like it there so about a couple of months later we moved again to Long Beach, CA near Bixby Knolls. My sister and I attended Clara Barton School for a couple of years in North Long Beach. After that, I moved on to Howard Hughes Middle School, and it is there where I met most of my friends. Later that year my parents finally saved enough money to purchase a modest 3 bedroom home in West Long Beach. Because of the move, my sister attended a different junior high school than I did. After junior high, I went on to attend Long Beach Polytechnic High School. In the middle of my freshman year the family decided to move once again, this time to the cozy town of Lakewood, CA. I graduated in June of 1994, and I have a lot of fond memories from there. It is there that I met my girlfriend, Lediya. If you would like to see a picture of us, click here.
LONG BEACH
Long Beach is the fifth largest city in California, with about 670,000 or so people. It is pretty much divided into four parts: North Long Beach, West Long Beach, East Long Beach, and Belmont Shore. It's a pretty diverse city, with all walks of life living there. There are lots of stuff to do around Long Beach. For shopping, there are several shopping centers and malls scattered around the city. Long Beach Plaza (I don't recommend this one), Lakewood Center Mall, Los Altos Shopping Center, Marina Pacifica, and Second Street are just a few of the places to shop. For eating, my favorite restaurants are Super Mex in Lakewood and Second Street, Ruby's on the Seal Beach Pier, Hof's Hut, and Legends Sports Bar. For billiards, there is Blues Cafe in downtown and 8-ball in Westminster. Movie theaters are abundant in Long Beach. The Pine Square AMC is a great theatre, but they don't have those loveseats. Last, but not the least is the beach in Belmont Shore. A good place to go rollerblading and taking romantic strolls at night. Of course, when mentioning Long Beach you have to mention Death Row Records. It is here in Long Beach that rap artists such as Da Twinz, Tha Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, Warren G., Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Dr. Dre all originated. So, if you ever feel like visiting Long Beach, just take the 405 South 30 minutes to the 710, which is the Long Beach Freeway. Exit on Long Beach Boulevard and you are on your way.
EDUCATION/GOALS
I am currently attending UCLA and am a 3rd year senior. I am majoring in Biochemistry. I plan on working for a company that emphasizes on biotechnology and biomedicine. If I don't find work, I plan on serving for the Peace Corps and hopefully being assigned to the Philippines. Later on, I hope to eventually obtain a Masters of Science degree and maybe a Ph.D. in a related field. My dream job is to work for the FBI Forensics Department as a biochemist/ toxicologist special agent. If you are interested, feel free to check out my resume.. Check out my schedule too.
STUFF I LIKE TO DO
I am not really an outgoing person, but nevertheless, here goes. First and foremost, I enjoy hanging out with Lediya. Once in a while (if there is an occassion) we try to watch a Broadway musical (although we haven't seen one in a while). We've seen Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. But, we usually just go out to movies and have dinner with our friends in Long Beach. Second, I like to play basketball. In fact, me, my roommate Jay, and a bunch of friends formed this team called the Hula Hoopsters (so named because five of the guys on the team are from Hawaii). We joined UCLA Intramurals and played Level C. So far, we are 0 and 3, but who cares? We are having fun. I am a Los Angeles Laker fan also. I've been to a couple of games, but the best one was when I went last year with Lediya. The Lakers were playing the Chicago Bulls and they had one special player: Magic Johnson. Other than that, I just like to cruise and read a good book. I also like to go to the beach once in a while to unwind. The bottom line is that I am just an easygoing person, and the simplest things make me the happiest.
WHERE TO REACH ME
If you need to reach me, just email me at pbeltran@ucla.edu. Hope to hear from you soon!
