~:[CH15 - Day 311]:~ When Stars Align

 
~:[CH15 - Day 311]:~ When Stars Align

I typically have to turn down or cancel events. My schedule is so impacted that I can't manage to do everything I want. However, when the stars align, I try to take on whatever I can. Today, the stars align. With an MUN Conference at UCLA, I was prepped for the conference and for a lot of walking. Strangely, this year had even more walking as they had committees in the front and back of campus. However, I had a few more places to walk by today. I knew someone playing and organizing a basketball tournament at Pauley Pavillion today. The games started before committee officially began and thus I stopped by. I went to committees and got to all of them before I swung by the gaming center and caught up with my friend who was cosplaying at the Wuthering Heights popup. We did a minishoot during my lunch break before I headed back to committee. Not only did the schedule work out where I could do all three, but they were all in the same location as well, which is quite a rarity in itself. I was truly exhausted after having to walk around the campus and Westwood all day, but I still came home content as the stars aligned, allowing me to do everything I had wished for today. When that opportunities arises, soak it in and enjoy it as you'll never know when the opportunit y will ever come again. 

~:[CH15 - Day 310]:~ Unfortunately

 
~:[CH15 - Day 310]:~ Unfortunately

You never really want to hear that word, "unfortunately ..." The word often comes with something not so pleasant. We love all of your qualification, however, unforunately ... I'm sure you can think of many occasions where you were let down with those words. Sometimes, it's due to our own shortcomings, sometimes it comes because of how someone perceives you, and sometimes, it's completely out of our control. The first time I went to see Yuki Kawamura play, he was waived just a few days before the game. It was truly unfortunate. I still went to the game and I got to hi-five all the players and even fist bump Ty Lue. Instead of just canceling, something good came out of it. I really didn't give up, as I traveled down to San Diego to watch him play in the G-League. I luckily found good seats for cheap, the tickets got me in early, and I got to watch him in action, finally. Unfortunately, towards the end of the first half, someone rolled into his ankle. He tried playing on it, but ended up coming out. After halftime, we walked out in a boot. Still yet, he greeted everyone and signed autographs despite the grief that he probably was overcome with. He was going to a tough time, but he made sure to take care of his fans. Unfortuantely, I was just one person away from being able to get his autograph as the staff member called him back to the locker room, but still yet, I was happy to see him out there. For Yuki Kawamura, I'm sure he's faced a lot of unfortunatelys. His height itself may draw that word, but he didn't allow that to stop him. He's worked hard, grinded and even after so many unfortunatelys, he stepped back out on the court, doing what he could to change that unfurtunately. Today ended with another unfortunately, I'm sure he'll be back to show us what is possible. With so many disappointments in life, it's easy to give up, but if we take that "unfortunately" and make it our mission to change what we can, we may eventally remove the "un" and start finding our way to more fortunatelys in the future. From mindset to effort, we have the power to change some of our destiny. It won't be easy, but it's possible.

~:[CH15 - Day 309]:~Just X-traordinary

 
~:[CH15 - Day 309]:~Just X-traordinary

I thought about canceling since I've had so much on my plate. The thought of having to make another reel worried me a bit, but I was glad I didn't. I've seen XG perform before and that's one reason I didn't cancel. They were great and tonight, they didn't disappoint again. I was place in a nice location and was able to gather some good video clips. Of course, I enjoyed the experience itself thoroughly as the seats were at a perfect angle and there weren't any issues that we faced. I love so many spects of their performance including their artsy videos, their stage, and their performance. I think the crowd truly appreciated it as well. Looking around, they had such a wide-range of people in the crowd, many who thought up a variety of outfits to match the groups various themes over time. I was happy when I left the arena realizing that I almost canceled because of my schedule. I won't have to produce the reel for a week, so I don't feel as much pressure as I usually do, but I am looking forward to getting to work on it as the evening was truly X-traordinary because of this wonderful group we know as XG!

~:[CH15 - Day 308]:~The Golden Spoon

 
~:[CH15 - Day 308]:~The Golden Spoon

The day after league finals, we often have a photoshoot for our CIF teams. It was a bit sad, as only our boys qualified this year. With the new league alignment and our girls getting misranked, it was a tall order to have them qualify. Regardless, they ran well and so did their lower levels who won a league title (JV) and took second (FS). The boys also excelled and move up to second with quite a young group of athletes, as the team is a majority sophomores. Every year after qualifying for CIF, our team runs to Yougurtland (originally Golden Spoon before they closed) to honor this achievement. This year, more than ever, it was a reminder that you can't take things for granted. Many factors many contributed, but what is so commonplace at times, can change drastically. I have 22 spoons over my career (I wasn't invited the first year since it was started by the girl athletes on their own.) and although it was bittersweet sicne one team didn't qualify, I was happy to have one of our teams qualify. I guess it can also provide a little motivation to focus back in and get ready for next year to restore the tradition and start a new streak while trying to maintain the other. In life, there is never a given no matter how likely it is, and this year, we were reminded a bit about it. Still yet, we celebrated the girls alongside the boys with our photoshoot, wrapping up our year, as we look forward to the boys having one last bit of experience before starting fresh for the next chapter as they look to grab another "golden spoon."

~:[CH15 - Day 307]:~ Overcoming Frustration Through Focus

 
~:[CH15 - Day 307]:~ Overcoming Frustration Through Focus

I already knew it would be a long day. Prepared for the challenge, especially with an event the day before, I mentally prepared myself. Everything was loaded and I got to the park by 6:40am. I already realized I left something behind. Luckily, we got everything we needed to the park and the meet went on. We aren't in charge of this year's meet, but we help out by setting up the course and managing it through the day. To my surprise, however, I was handed the task of running the meet and award ceremony for the second half of the day without warning. I wouldn't have minded to do it, but having it thrown at me without having what I needed and to ensure that the other bases were covered had me a bit flustered. I threw my megaphone in my van as a precaution, but when I tested it, it didn't work as the wire had come undone. I also didn't prep my starters pistol as I didn't realize it would be our job. Luckily, I packed my car as I normally would if we were running the meet, but it wasn't all aligned, which was quite upsetting. Aside from being asked to run the second half, I was told that the school in charge of our conference wouldn't be there for the awards ceremony. Their teams are in league 1, which had their meets in the morning with league 2. Our team was in league 2 and 3, which meant we would be there all day. I focused in and did what I would normally do at our league meets, being sure to let it be known that we need to fix the system, as we've been saying all season with our block of schools (mainly the old 605 league). Although more things happened that left me frustrated, when I looked back on the day, I realized that when you focus in on what you need to do, you can overcome the frustrations of things you can't control. Other people will do what they want, but you can focus in on what you need to do, even if it wasn last minute, to ensure that things run well. I always tell my students and athletes to always prepare for the worst and luckily, I brought everything to run a meet, as I planned for the what if's, some of which were not on my BINGO card. I focused in on preparing for a meet and luckily that helped me survive the day. I left the park 11 hours later, exhausted from the mental and physical demands of the day, but was happy as I looked at how our athletes ran, excelling despite the challenges they faced in this new conference. It's easy to get frustrated with things, but focus in and be sure to also focus in on what matters. Today, what mattered was the athletes and our combined efforts in the afternoon lead to us overcoming the frustrations and allow us to make this day a memorable one for them.

~:[CH15 - Day 306]:~ Sink It

 
~:[CH15 - Day 306]:~ Sink It

"Sink or swim," they say. I thought of this phrase after I thought about today's Clipper game. The Clippers is in reference to boats. Their style always includes water and the ocean. However, this season, with games on the line, the team has sank. Strangely enought, for most of their games this year, they've been in the game or leading, but today, we sat on the sideline and watch them sink. However, earlier in the day, our boys didn't fare the same. The teams all held onto their leads and left the court with a victory. Of course, the wins and loses in this game matter very little as the experience of being on the court is quite unimaginable. It's such a precious moment that very few will have the opportunity to experience and thus, makes it even more special. It's always a special moment and I love capturing it for the team. Although the day wasn't complete as the Clippers faultered and their lead slip away, I think we all walked out of there still content with how the day went overall. I'm pretty exhausted and adding another event probably wasn't the greatest of ideas, however, it was worth it in the end, as I watched our athletes sink shot after shot. 

~:[CH15 - Day 305]:~ Who is that ...

 
~:[CH15 - Day 305]:~ Who is that ...

It's funny that whenever I see a reflection, the song from Mulan plays in my head. "Who is that girl I see ...??" My next reaction is to take a reflection photo. I had a little time to relax and as I did, when I thought of the song, I kind of wondered who it was looking back at me. Times have been so busy lately that I've been dragging myself around. I've been a bit overwhelmed so today was a wonderful day to truly enjoy the ability to take care of work as needed. It's a little sad that I celebrated doing nothing, but sometimes, you only appreciate something where there is an absence of something. Without any free time, the ability to choose to do nothing felt so good and so right. Although I actually did a lot of work today, it felt as if I was just chillin' most of the day, even though I wasn't. As I glace back at the past few months, I wonder what I have become, with minimal free time, I wonder if I have changed or not. Will I recognize my own reflection? Take some time in your life to check yourself. Figure out if you're on the path you want to be and if not, pivot until when you look at your own reflection, you recognize the person staring back at you as the one you hoped to see. 

~:[CH15 - Day 304]:~ A Reason to Celebrate

 
~:[CH15 - Day 304]:~ A Reason to Celebrate

Tonight, some celebrated Halloween, some celebrated a championship, while I celebrated catching up. I spent the entire day catching up on things I needed to get done. I won't finish by weekend's end, but at least I'll catch up. As I did my work, I tuned in to watch the end of the Valkyries game. It was cool to see Natalie Nakase coaching and helping close out the win. I remember when she played for Marina as they faced up against Cerritos. Both times we played Marina with either her or her older sister, Cerritos won. When we didn't face up, they ended up making a championship run. Strangely, I went to coach at Marina after I graduated and one of the assistants still remembers Cerritos. It was cool to see Natalie coaching her team in those final moments. Working with the Clippers gave her some experience that I think helped her in this critical moment. Her time with the Aces also surely helped her. However, it was her own skills and approach that help her take her team over the top. No matter how much experience you have, in the end, you need to be able to reach those you work with. It's true for everything in life. Today, they raised that trophy and celebrated. I celebrated alongside them as I sent out album after album. What we celebrate in our lives will all be different. We all have different goals and ambitions, still yet, at the end of the day, when we reach a point we were aiming for, there is reason to celebrate. Whether it's a goal unattainable by most or something most people can do, but it was something you struggled with, it should still be celebrated. Celebrate your wins no matter how small, as that is exactly how you get yourself to the highest peaks you hope to reach one day. One small step at a time, remembering to celebrate each and every victory along the way; that's the way to do it. Congrats to the Valkyries! 

~:[CH15 - Day 303]:~ The Magic of Halloween

 
~:[CH15 - Day 303]:~ The Magic of Halloween

It's always fun to watch the transformations take place. Many of our students will dress up, the question is, as what? It's fun to see the creative and thoughtful costumes, although mine ended up being chosen last minute due to the late arrival of the original plan. While the history of Halloween is a little dark, there is a bit of magic to it, as people can become something that they want to be. While Halloween is often thought of as a spooky holiday, it is also one where we enjoy sweets and have a lot of fun celebrating together. I almost feel as it's the most celebrated of all the holidays out there. There truly is a little bit of magic in Halloween, so look around and soak in all the effort that people put in. What did you dress up as for Halloween (if any)?

~:[CH15 - Day 302]:~ Camo

 
~:[CH15 - Day 302]:~ Camo

It was fun to wear camo today. I had the perfect outfit to wear for this dress up and it ended up turning out nice. Since I had a meeting later in the day, I also kept the camo on and added a sweater and it ended up working out. After a long week, it was nice to have some good food and chat about the work I created for 82 World. While I have one piece left to make, most of the hard work was completed and so it could be reviewed. I haven't been able to go to Louders in awhile, so it was nice to eat there, while also taking care of some unfinished business. As while it was disguised as a meeting, it ended up being a nice escape from the chaos of the week. In the end, I enjoyed a good meal and got some work done afterward, as I look forward to a relaxing weekend that will finally allow me to catch up on everything I've been hoping to take care of. Wish me luck.