~:[Day 60]:~ Leaping into Productivity

~:[Day 60]:~ Leaping into Productivity
The past 24-hours might have been my most productive 24-hours EVER! As many celebrated leap year by visiting the 24-hour adventure at Disneyland (which I sadly missed), I was working to prepare for my upcoming trip and also to leave my track & field team behind! After attending the Clipper vs Timberwolves game, I finished making the passports for our trip this year (our little guidebook), printing our maps, and started to get our paperwork ready. I worked until the morning where I got my work done, recorded all my new payments & deposited them, assembled the track & field packets for the parent meeting, copied them at office max since our copier was being difficult, designed our stationary for Nationals and copied those (at a separate time) at office max, attended practice, distributed the team bags, held individual grills, held a parent meeting for track, attended group grills for Berkeley, and finally wrapped up the paperwork for Nationals, as well as for track. I hope this is a sign for my productivity for the remainder of the leap year! It really felt like I got an extra day this year!

~:[Day 59]:~ Deliciously Disappointing

~:[Day 59]:~ Deliciously Disappointing
My appetite was worked up for a great meal (pastrami sandwich) and a great game at the Staples Center, however, only one of those could be satisfied. The pastrami sandwich was amazing, the Clippers performance was not. They played a decent three quarters of basketball and then went flat on the defensive end, allowing 36 points in the final quarter. They went away from what was working and sadly lost in the end. It was great to see another Suburban League star succeed in the end, however, not when he is one of the reasons why your team lost. We got another shot in Minnesota, but first, a few games on the road first!

~:[Day 58]:~ Countdown to New York

~:[Day 58]:~ Countdown to New York
Today was the first of the week and it was a fun-filled one. After being welcomed back as General Wat because of my guest speaking role as Lieutenant General Etumba, we reviewed the successful conference the students had. I am hoping that they learned a lot and will be able to carry that with them to their next conference. Because of the rain, our team did some good work in the weight room. While I would normally make my team run, I figured, a week before three big races, I should think about keeping everyone healthy, especially considering that we'll be missing a group for a few of those races. I hit up Dolphin Bay for some pork over rice and some milk tea boba with egg pudding before heading to Noodle World (formerly Noodle Planet)! One of my favorite places, I got the Noodle World Tom Yum Noodles and a Thai Fried Rice for lunch tomorrow! It was great catching up! I also was able to catch up with Jenn in Santa Monica after my nice brisk walk around her neighborhood in the dark! A busy week is coming, yet I have no time to waste, as the countdown to New York has begun!

~:[Day 57]:~ Stars All Around

~:[Day 57]:~ Stars All Around
Today was the all-star game and I got to see LA dominate the spotlight in the starting lineups with our two Clippers, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul shine on the court. While Chris Paul had some great dimes (making others look oh so good), Griffin was slamming his way to success. K-D was named the MVP, however, he got to play the most minutes and took the most shots. I guess that's what happens when your coach is the coach of the all-star team. He played a good game for the most part, but starting throwing up some wild unnecessary shots that let the east back in it. Griffin had 22 with 9-12 shooting and some monster dunks, while Paul had a game leading 12 assists, doing what he does best. The worst part of the night was probably Westbrook's celebration after one of his dunks. All in all, it was not a bad way for the game to end.

~:[Day 56]:~ Roaring in the 1st

~:[Day 56]:~ Roaring in the 1st
After finishing up a long day at Cerritos for MUN, I rushed over to CPE to celebrate Nalani's 1st Birthday! They decorated the party with a Lion King theme, as they had their usual extraordinary celebration with raffles, games, trivia and more! The food was also delicious as usual! While I wasn't at the party for long, it was great to see everyone for at least a bit and to catch up! Happy Birthday Nalani!

~:[Day 55]:~ Game, Set, Match

~:[Day 55]:~ Game, Set, Match
After a day at work, I headed over to Boomers to supervise the coat check at Boomers with my partner in crime for the class of 2015 Allison (the pole dancing queen)! She brought Albertaco's which already made the night a great one! (I haven't had it in awhile!) It was great to see the students dressed up, many of whom were matching. However, looking at the picture above, you'd think that our dance was a winter formal or prom! With a circus theme, many students dressed up like ringmasters, mimes, and even some animals, while others went with the more simple and traditional route of simply matching. In any case, despite some long lines, Boomers provided some good opportunities for great fun!

~:[Day 54]:~ MUN Season

~:[Day 54]:~ MUN Season
I just stepped off a plane from the Duke MUN Conference and already am preparing for another conference this weekend! Saturday we will be hosting our in-house Cerritos Security Council Conference and the Carmenita Middle School MUN Conference. From printing credentials and placards, to making crisis updates, the planning has piggybacked on the week long trip, individual grills and speeches for Berkeley, re-grills for Nationals, as well as our group grill and parent meeting. Pweh! With paperwork and more, I sadly have to say that I will be glad to jump aboard a plane with 42 high school juniors to New York City, just to have some time away. Of course that will bring my consecutive MUN weekends to six, which includes the Surf City Conference during Superbowl weekend. Soon enough, this madness will calm and I can go back to a more normal life, but until them, welcome to February and March MUN madness!

~:[Day 53]:~ Dog Sitting

~:[Day 53]:~ Dog Sitting
Max may not have enjoyed the torture, however, I enjoyed torturing him! I don't really torture Max, just like to play around. In any case, today was quite the long day, as I worked almost 15 hours today. With school, practice, then MUN grills/parent meeting, it was an exhausting day, especially since it was not done when I got home, as I had to prep for this weekend's SC MUN Conference. However, in the end, we had a wonderful group grill session (one of the, if not the, best ever) and I got all the work done, so I guess, it was all worth it in the end. Plus the Clippers pulled one out against the Nuggets and ended with a win going into the All-Star break :) Yeah!

a restless night

i think of you at night

as i lay my head to rest

as your burdens weigh heavy

tons upon my chest

a thought maybe two

minutes, hours, days

i'll be right next to you supporting

as you venture on your way

to always be your crutch

when injury slows you down

to be the one to dust you off

when you hit the ground

i want to be the answer

if a question resonates in your mind

as i'd want to be the best supporter

you could ever find

as you deserve to smile

under a cloudless sky

to prance along carefree

as the day goes by

breathing in the fresh air

no worries, mind at ease

as in a happy ending

will soon be yours to receive

so let go of your distress

don't let it hold you back

join me on this journey on which

adventure will not lack

allow your mind a vacation

so many wonders, all in store

soon to be discovered

as you open your eyes to explore

walk out of the darkness

shed the weight that holds you down

as it's time to be helped by an angel's wings

that will allow you to soar, to fly

wipe those tear from your face

take my hand, let's seize the day

keeping fond memories of the treasured past

making new ones as we fly away

jason

2/22/12, 11:49pm

~:[Day 52]:~ Failed Attempt at Parenthood

~:[Day 52]:~ Failed Attempt at Parenthood
It may have been just short of an hour that I had to serve as a temporary parent to this sweet looking young boy, but his tranquil state would not be for long as screams and tears came flowing until his real father came back from his run. Over the course of that time, there may have been about 5-10 minutes of peace, however, it was clear, Dylan wanted his father. It must be my lack of pectoral muscles as compared to Damon, but Dylan just would not stay comfortable with me, as hard as I tried. JT and Thien-Nam each had their moments to calm Dylan, however, in the end, only the father could reinstate tranquility. Soon thereafter, Damon began teaching Dylan how to drive. Watch out world, Dylan is coming!

~:[Day 51]:~ Lazy Recovery Day

~:[Day 51]:~ Lazy Recovery Day
Didn't leave the house once today in a total lazy recovery day. I think I needed it, but felt super unproductive. Oh well, I guess it's good to rest up before heading back to work. While we had Monday off, I will still have a five day week with a conference on Saturday :P

~:[Day 50]:~ Representing LA

~:[Day 50]:~ Representing LA
Our team represented LA at the Duke Conference (DUMUNC) in Durham, North Carolina. After touring through Washington, DC for the first half of the week, the team was able to show off their MUN research at DUMUNC. Our delegates continued to represent Cerritos well as they stuck to their research and maintained their professionalism even when others may not have. As a reward, they go to flash their LA signs in our delegation picture before we left. While we didn't stay for the whole ceremony, we learned we got at least four gavels, three outstandings, and four honorable mentions (commendations) plus a delegation award. Regardless, their performances earned them the highest recognition, the pride in knowing they represented their respective countries/positions the way they should have throughout the conference. Way to go!

~:[Day 49]:~ Kabobin' in Durham

~:[Day 49]:~ Kabobin' in Durham

Today was a fairly uneventful day. After waking up and spend a few hours trying to send in my papers for NHSMUN, I ate at the conference luncheon (free lunch, yum!) and then went through the committees. Our delegates have been doing very well and have maintained their substantive ways. I am hoping it doesn't work against them. In any case, I headed to Ninth Street to pick up some Duke gear for a few students and the day ended with dinner at Mediterra, so delicious! While I couldn't understand the lady taking my order, I ended up with chicken and lamb and the sauce they gave me, was quite amazing! After walking back, I went back to my room to pack up while the students hit up the social. Hopefully, they had a good time, but since I emphasized packing, I haven't asked them about it. I don't think I should anyway. It's my last night in Durham, but of course, far from my last trip of the year. Welcome to travel season!

~:[Day 48]:~ Devilishly Beautiful

~:[Day 48]:~ Devilishly Beautiful

We were blessed with a beautiful day as we toured the Duke Campus after our first Friday session. After doing well during this session, our students took a leisurely stroll through with our alumni Jenny Shim. Showing us the few key areas, my favorite was Cameron, where you could find a number of tents (maybe twenty) camped out for tickets. You could tell the spirit on the campus was pretty high and it was nice to see the Duke Chapel, the centerpiece of the campus. While there was no way to see all parts of the campus, we got a good idea of what the campus was like. Designed in a gothic time architecture, the campus was quite beautiful, you could almost say, devilishly.

~:[Day 47]:~ FORTUNate?

~:[Day 47]:~ FORTUNate?

Anyone want to test this out with me??? HAHA ... JKJK ... anyway, this was my fortunate from my ordered in lunch in Durham. There hasn't been much within walking distance of our hotel, which is quite the bummer, but we have quite an extensive list of places that will deliver to our hotel. Our students are adjusting to the conference and while the reviews are mixed for this conference, I'm sure in the end, they'll find their way to success. They'll just need to focus their energy and stay true to what MUN is about, not winning awards, but representing their positions as best as possible and staying on task, even if it costs them that award. Some groups have learned that it comes at a cost sometimes, but in the end, those were some of the groups I have been the most proud of. BTW, Clippers pull out a good one :) Good night!

~:[Day 46]:~ Greetings from the Jefferson

~:[Day 46]:~ Greetings from the Jefferson

In our last day in DC, we hustled through the DC area in order to get to as many spots as possible. In just under four hours, we walked to the Jefferson, the Roosevelt, the MLK, the Korean, the Lincoln, the Vietnam, and the WWII memorial, by the Washington Monument, performed our "I''m Just a Bill Assignment" on live feed to our first period class and then hit up the White House before heading to the hotel area to eat. I ate at Panas and it was so delicious as usual as I scarfed down six of them! At about 1:45, we hit the road to Monticello. Our drive got lost in the backwoods of Virginia and we missed the last tour through the estate. However, we still got to wander around a bit, of course, not as much as the drive would warrant. Our driver took us through the backroads most of the way to Durham, as we got to see a lot of large farms and very scenic areas, however, as it got darker, it became more of a Blair Witch scene. In any case, we arrived safely and now it's time to tour Durham for a day before the conference.

~:[Day 45]:~ Totally Sweet

~:[Day 45]:~ Totally Sweet

The boys once again wowed the girls by making chocolate covered and stuffed chocolates with coconut white chocolate in addition to the rose they got each one. The girls enjoyed it. :) Today was an exhausted, yet great Valentines Day with a tour of the Supreme Court, a trip through the mall, a great dinner at Scion and of course the wonderful Shear Madness. Today was our last full day in DC. It was a great time, but we must say goodbye to you and hello to North Carolina.

~:[Day 44]:~ Archiving DC

~:[Day 44]:~ Archiving DC

Today we walked the city of DC and beyond as we hit up the Pentagon, Chinatown, the Newseum, the Archives, the National Gallery of Art Ice Rink, and caught a meal in DuPont. We spent an amazing 13 hours out and about with very little time to spare. However, the moments were enjoyable, yet exhausting! The cold weather didn't help, but all in all, I think that today was a good day, minus one groups dinner - they did not follow me to Thaiphoon! :) They missed out, oh boy, did they miss out. I ordered tiger shrimp (plagoon), typhoon soup, green curry, and a fried rice to go with my thai tea :) Delicious. I guess after walking as long as we did, I deserved it though! I also finished my night with a perfect treat, a visit from Erika and Will! I miss you two and am glad that we had a few moments to catch up!

~:[Day 43]:~ In Paradiso

~:[Day 43]:~ In Paradiso

I've been craving pizza from Pizzeria Paradiso for months since I started thinking about the upcoming trip to Washington DC. This year, they had a special - the cherry, cherry, cherry :) It had black cherry, cherry tomatoes and cherry vinaigrette. I added sausage and prosciutto. In any case, the trip to DC was alright and with a load of 18, it is easy to corral them through all the spots. Today we had a light load and thank goodness. We arrived in DC in time to grab some food and eat at the Pizzeria Paradiso and grab some snacks at CVS. We watched Pretty Woman as we ate and before calling it an early night. While we might have been able to squeeze something in tonight, with the rough flight in and the fatigue from travel, we turned in early. It's only 10:17pm here, yet we're all prepping for an early rise for tomorrow where we will hit the Pentagon, the Newseum, the Archives, and the National Gallery of Art + a dinner (cookoff or in Dupont). Here's to a good night's rest and a great trip!

~:[Day 42]:~ Packing Time = Travel Season

~:[Day 42]:~ Packing Time = Travel Season
I have taken trips to Las Vegas, San Diego and Santa Barbara in 2012, however, none of them were technically overnight stays! Thus, Washington DC/Durham, NC is my first real trip of the year, kicking off my travel season! While I love this time of year, I know that it's also my most hectic where I try to keep my cool and try to stay on top of all I have to do. Hopefully everything is in order for these trips, otherwise, I may be stressing out the next time I see you worried that I may be forgetting something. As for this trip, I have 16 seniors with me and it should be a nice trip! I did only need one other advisor, so unfortunately, other volunteer advisors were not needed. Maybe another time! :P

~:[Day 41]:~ Catching My Eye

~:[Day 41]:~ Catching My Eye
These flowers caught my eye today while I was at the Towne Center with my team. I'm not sure if I have seen these flowers before, but they looked quite nice, especially from a distance. I guess it was a great way to unwind after a long week and before a week-long trip to DC/NC. Boba, Basketball, Track & Claim Jumpers :) The only downer on the day is when the security officer at the Towne Center told me to move our students to the patio, even though they were sitting on the bench and not blocking a walkway (we even had a lot less athletes than normal). While there were some boppers that needed to be dealt with, I felt bad for my athletes since they did nothing wrong and were supporting the city by buying from Cerritos businesses. While I do not want to, maybe I should take our few hundred of dollars a week of business elsewhere.

~:[Day 40]:~ The Queen of the House

~:[Day 40]:~ The Queen of the House
The comforts of daily life for my dog, JD. She is the queen of the couch and probably the house, as she is the one that asks to go in or out and also is given half of the couch (and a blanket) if she wants it. Yes, I love her so, but maybe it's time to take back the house. She seems much too comfortable :)

POEM: Picking Up The Pieces

a crack, a tear
my heart, two pieces torn apart
no idea, no clue
just were i should restart

shattered, all over
can it even be repaired
dark, depression
i sit and wait in despair

my happiness built
on sand, a weak foundation
disaster resulted
from my own creation

nowhere to turn
no relief is in my sight
toss and turn
no sleep for me tonight

switched, right on
a light within appears
the clouds, removed
suddenly things are clear

the climb, it's ended
at least this time around
as peace, solace
within is what i've found

words, just words
have begun to mend my soul
the pieces, adjoining
slowly becoming whole

trust, optimism
my friends and God instilled
with hope, encouragement
slowly i'm being filled

the pieces, no longer
one unit, once again
all because, support
from my Lord, family & friends

jason
2/9/12, 9:11am

To all those who have struggled with separation, know that there are many there who will always have your back and be there to support you and guide you when things seems as if they cannot be salvaged. Know that you are never alone and that you always have someone walking with you to make sure that you will find your way down the road to your destination.

~:[Day 39]:~ The Well Runs Dry

~:[Day 39]:~ The Well Runs Dry
During the fall of 2011, Target & Ralph's ran two different promotions that both put Vitamin Water at about 50c a piece. Taking note of these deals, I left a hole in the stock of Citrus (yellow) Vitamin Water at both locations collecting over 150 bottles and stockpiled them all. Within the next few days, that stockpile will have vanished! The well that was once rich in Vitamin Waters will be dry. What will I do? What has this world come to? Really though, I'm not sure how I fell in love with the yellow Vitamin Water. Obviously, I was draw to it because it was yellow, however, after all is said and done, there is no other flavor I would rather drink because of taste. Cold, it tastes much better, but regardless, I'll drink it. In the next few days, the well will be dry and I can only wait until the next super sale takes place. I may be waiting for awhile. #odetomyvitaminwater

~:[Day 38]:~ Accessorizing

~:[Day 38]:~ Accessorizing
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's just a new keyboard for my iPad! This keyboard is a slick little device that serves as a case and a keyboard. You can stand your iPad vertically or horizontally (to make it look like a laptop) and type with ease! The bluetooth connection took about 30 seconds or so without any directions! I'm really excited to see if this will take over the duties of my laptop for minor trips or not. I guess we'll have to wait and see. It will be much nicer to have to carry around this than the laptop below it plus a large cable and the like. Of course, I will be traveling with my larger computer when I head to DC/North Carolina this weekend! Yahoo! Like it? I got it at Amazon for about $60 (Logitech ZAGG) Be careful, you might end up paying $140+ if you just pick anyone! They're all the same item, but vary in price!

~:[Day 37]:~ The Super Roll

~:[Day 37]:~ The Super Roll
Awhile back I bought a bunch of rolls on sale and I am glad that I did now, because I have found great use for these rolls! While I originally use them to mark cross country courses, I began to find that I could make men's and women's wallets, purses, ties, vests, and I will be trying fanny packs and Disneyland AP holders! While some items come out better than others, with so many designs and colors, it makes for a good time. I only showed one of each roll I have, so I have a bunch of tape ready to roll :) ... year of the dragon, hello kitty, and baroque six packs! I am a dork, just FYI! :)

~:[Day 36]:~ Poke Poke Superbowl Mania

~:[Day 36]:~ Poke Poke Superbowl Mania
While I spent most of Superbowl Sunday trying to catch up on sleep, I caught the last round of the Phoenix Open before heading over to Rammmmmdy's for the Superbowl. The game was close most of the way and ended in a dramatic fashion, however, without a team to root for, it wasn't as exciting as most. I guess, karma was well served to New England who cut Underwood on the eve of the Superbowl. While I know you need to make the best decision for the team, at least give more notice. In any case, poke mania was also on tap! Want to make your own? Fresh ahi tuna (cubed), green onions, fresh seaweed (sweet maui onions can be substituted but changes the flavor), sesame seeds, sesame oil, salt, soy sauce, and optional items include chili oil, crushed red pepper, ginger, and garlic. I also do a poke natto mix, which ends up as a pretty good combination if you can handle natto :) One of the keys is, find the best tuna possible! BTW, the flowers above are all edible! Ask Janie or Kirsten about it!

~:[Day 35]:~ Roaring at Surf City

~:[Day 35]:~ Roaring at Surf City
The day was filled with the Surf City MUN Conference where I watched over our 10th to 12th grade group. While we were missing some of our seniors leaving next Sunday for Duke, we had a solid team performance at the conference! We collected five gavels, 16 outstandings and 31 commendations along with a number of research awards. As usual, I caught up with a lot of advisors and ran into Ryan & Shruti. It was an exhausting day, but ended up pretty good! Now it's time to start packing for Duke! I also found out that I won a prize at the Cerritos HS bowling tournament! My brother bought me tickets and I won a bowling package! Yahoo!

~:[Day 34]:~ A Lazy Day, Lazy Dog

~:[Day 34]:~ A Lazy Day, Lazy Dog
Today was not the most productive of the year as I got to sleep in a bit, had a good talk, took care of some work, ran some errands (including sending a care package to Jess) and catching up with Sung Ling! After that, we took the bus over to Norwalk, where we got our sixth win of the season and clinched a berth for CIF! Ending the day at the Lazy Dog Cafe for pesto chicken with a hummus salad. It was not look to be the most appetizing dish on the menu, but it tasted pretty good. Not spectacular, but good. In any case, here's to lazy days at lazy dog!

~:[Day 33]:~ A Hidden Treasure

~:[Day 33]:~ A Hidden Treasure
After completing work for the day, Santa Barbara provide a good relaxing finish to a great school week. I visited the Coronado Butterfly Preserve after eating at Natural Cafe. When walking though, Kendall and I only saw a handful of butterflies flying around and did not notice the huge clumps of butterflies together. Wow, there must have been tens of thousands or even more! Anyway, it made me think that sometimes we need to slow down and take a pause to look closer at what we may have been missing. We're so used to looking for the things that stand out that we fail to see the more incredible hidden treasures that blend in with the rest of the environment. Let's now allow these treasures to go undiscovered! After a long day, I am back and home and will have an even better day tomorrow!

~:[Day 32]:~ Hungry Hungry Hippo

~:[Day 32]:~ Hungry Hungry Hippo

First off, to clarify, I am not calling Dylan fat! However, Damon, you better feed him because I'm not sure if a steady diet of dress shirts is going to keep Dylan satisfied forever! I got to see Dylan today at the basketball games. It's been awhile since I have seen him, so it ended up being the nice part of my day. It also reminded me of my massive lunch/dinner including hot and sour soup, fried rice and salt and pepper shrimp! Yum! We lost our game today against Bellflower, however, were down two starters including our leading scorer. We played a good game, but had our smallest lineup (maybe in school history) with no one over 5' 10" or so. We hung tough and kept the scoring down to keep ourselves in the game, but fell short. I guess the bright side of the day is that the girls won (they looked awesome) and so did the Clippers (for the first time in Utah in nine years and for just the second time ever in Salt Lake!