~:[Day 183]:~ Design Star

~:[Day 183]:~ Design Star

I may not be as pro as some artist, lets say like Jay, but I think I had some skills today in my poke and wonton presentation :) ... I did some work today to get these two dishes ready as well as a number of others. In any case, after a long day, it's time to hit the hay because tomorrow will be a longer day! Thank you for all the amazing people who made it special! :) Buttons for life!

~:[Day 182]:~ Becoming One with the Art

~:[Day 182]:~ Becoming One with the Art

After spending the morning finishing the final cleaning stages and setting up the backyard, I headed to LACMA to claim my free entry since the levitating rock went through Cerritos. I haven't been to LACMA in awhile so it definitely was a good time! Afterward, I went to Wurstkuche and ate the buffalo/beef/pork and the rattlesnake/rabbit sausage with the Belgian fries with all ten dipping sauces and white truffle oil (Bleu Cheese Walnut & Bacon, Buttermilk Ranch, Chipotle Aioli, Chipotle Ketchup, Curry Ketchup, Pesto Mayo,
Sundried Tomato Mayo, Sweet and Sassy BBQ, Tzatziki - Greek Yogurt Sauce, Thai Peanut). If I were you, I would stick to the chipotle aioli, pesto may, and chipotle ketchup. Did I mention that I also have my own art piece now? I didn't make it, it's of me! I am officially art :) Coming soon!

~:[Day 181]:~ Glowing in the Night

~:[Day 181]:~ Glowing in the Night

I really had not looked into the new show at Disneyland too much. I guess I was so focused on cleaning my room today that I simply forgot. After throwing out the 10th of my trash bags from cleaning, I got my things together and headed over to DCA. I met with our group who organized everything and we kind of just hung around. It was great to see everyone and was as fun as normal. After Toy Story (where I lost my pink Carlsand button), we got in line for Glow and it was very cool how they used technology for the show. While I had wished that they had changed the show more (I know they are capable of so much more), the new addition allowed the crowd of passholders to oooooh and awwweee through the show. I'm not sure how cool it would be if half or less of the crowd was wearing the ears, but I guess it was a good promotion to get people to spend 20+ dollars to get the hat to watch the show. I guess now that I am at home, I realized, my neck is sore :P ... nice seeing ya'll and have a great night!

~:[Day 180]:~ So There is a Shelf There

~:[Day 180]:~ So There is a Shelf There

After some time, I finally found my fourth shelf down below :P ... I never knew there was actually a shelf there. While it looks like I will only be able to do one set of shelves before the weekend, at least I've made the most progress I have made with my room. So many old papers out the door and I actually used some file folders. I think this world really is going to end in 2012 :P ... in any case, I love to clean my room because ... last time, I sent because I like to find the old letters, etc. ... this time, it's because of all the money I find! Score! I'm rich :P

~:[Day 179]:~ The Happiest Place on Earth

~:[Day 179]:~ The Happiest Place on Earth

Today after a long day of productive cleaning, I headed over to the "happiest place on earth," Disneyland. Jinny and Emi got their passes today, so we made a night out of it with Janie joining in on the fun. It's so cool because more and more people are picking up passes and I have more people to go with. Anyway, it was great to get on a number of rides and sit next to the best people we could have eaten next to ... we were so luck, right Emi? ... anyway, thanks for a great night! The only thing that could have been better would have been if I saw slinky man :P

~:[Day 178]:~ All I Do is Clean, Clean, Clean

~:[Day 178]:~ All I Do is Clean, Clean, Clean

I've worked almost the entire day on my room and I was able to get one corner and two shelves cleared. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well, that is the equivalent of three big trash bags worth of trash :P The end result? The first of 16 shelves that I have dreamed of organized like above. The shelf above is the travel section of my room. How much more can I do by Saturday? We'll see! Wish me luck ~ I may need more folders :P

~:[Day 177]:~ Sweet Surrender

~:[Day 177]:~ Sweet Surrender

Today the sun pounded down on me as I waited for the races to pass by so we can get to our events. When we did, I was fairly happy with the results. Then it was time for 4x100m race. Two weeks ago, we were able to cruise to victory, however, we faced some ringers from Vegas. The monstrous build of those youthful athletes in green, left us in awe. We new we had to face the challenge, but in the back of our minds, the white flag of surrender was already being waved. I ended up running the shortest leg (handed off before the zone), yet somehow ran about the same time as everyone else. Regardless, it was fun. To help my self recover from being mutilated, I used some freshness from the sea. I added a quick sauce made from shoyu, garlic, pepper, sriracha, chili sauce, and raspberry jam. Except for the raspberry seeds, it was pretty good. Anyway, first real week of summer vacay for me, who wants to play???

~:[Day 176]:~ Productive as the Clock Turns Back

~:[Day 176]:~ Productive as the Clock Turns Back

I finished an entire room cleaning today and ended up with five bags to toss outside. I slaved away and in between, worked on the new design for the Great Cow Run. All in all, the day was quite productive other than a short break to catch up on the Angels/Dodgers game. Afterwards, we headed to Belasco (again) since it was suppose to be 80s night. Dressed for it, sadly, there were about five 80s songs played the entire night. Of course, we still highlighted the night amongst the many non-dancers. Pweh, why do they even go out? Afterwards, a delicious stop at Danny's again. Still about a 3.5 stars, mainly because of their onions but really good when you are hungry! Have a great night :P

~:[Day 175]:~ The Spice of Life

~:[Day 175]:~ The Spice of Life

Today was quite the relaxing day, with not much on the agenda. I went to clean my room and back up my computer. I also went to the second round of junior olympic qualifying. Afterward, I went to Senor Baja to grab some dinner and ended up with asada and pollo tacos. I had asked for yellow peppers, but was given none, so I had to make some of my own at home. I had bought some over the weekend (luckily). So I cooked them and they were the perfect compliment to my meal. Three cheers for self-sufficiency :P

~:[Day 174]:~ Closing Another Chapter

~:[Day 174]:~ Closing Another Chapter

The walk of a graduation down the aisle to get their diploma never gets old. To see the same students who started as young freshmen (not loving to run, ditching practices, quiet as mouse) to grow as experienced seniors, is quite the blessing. It's always one of my favorite nights, simply because you see the excitement in each of their faces. For some, the road ahead is clear, for others, it's still foggy, but regardless, they begin their lives towards independence. The fireworks show was the best I have seen while at the school (https://vimeo.com/44533731) which is saying a lot, because that is one of the things we pride ourselves on - four years of fundraising. To the class of 2012, congratulations!

~:[Day 173]:~ Collecting

~:[Day 173]:~ Collecting

Today was Carsland collecting as I got all six Carsland pins with the help of JT, Thien, and Marcus. Along with my two new pins and the eight I made, my lanyard looked pretty full. I went through the single riders line at Radiator Springs and it ended up being pretty fun! We got on that, Tower of Terror, Screaming, Toy Story Mania and stopped off for Dole Whip before we headed out. Not bad for a short stretch in the park, which was still longer than our norm.

~:[Day 172]:~ Something's Fishy

~:[Day 172]:~ Something's Fishy

Today was our first set of finals and it went smoothly. The scores, not so much. Afterward, I spent most of the time prepping for the evening's cross country meeting (about five sets of parents showed up out of a team of 140+). Since we ended early, I was able to head over to Road to Seoul (went the wrong way at first) to grab some KBBQ for Henry's birthday. Their birthday presentation is spectacular :) In any case, good food, good friends, happy birthday Henry!

~:[Day 171]:~ Don't Push My Buttons

~:[Day 171]:~ Don't Push My Buttons
Carsland opened this weekend and it's the talk of the town. Well you know what's the talk of the town? My Carsland button stash. BOOOOYAAAAAH! :) Last full day of school and I am planning to pull an all-nighter. I have most of my video shot and edited, still working on the dictionary, I'll be up til at least 3am :P

~:[Day 170]:~ Double Down

~:[Day 170]:~ Double Down

Today was relaxing as I got to sleep in for once, even though I was suppose to wake up to play basketball. I woke up sore from my run and cleaning yesterday and relaxed with my father, as it was Father's Day AND his birthday today! He asked me to make my seafood pasta and I did. As usual, I included tiger shrimp, scallops, clams, green mussels, and squid, along with ground pork and a lot of veggies. I also topped it off (for decoration) with a blue crab. In the end, our day consisted of golf, basketball, and food.

~:[Day 169]:~ Celebrating in DTLA

~:[Day 169]:~ Celebrating in DTLA

Tonight we celebrated Henry's birthday at Belasco in DTLA. It was strange arriving so early, as we were one of the first in. For my first time there, it was interesting. It is a very large space renovated into a night club with space to hold events in their ballroom, basement level, or food in their dining areas. The basement level had a K-pop night, which I was tempted to go down and visit, but didn't. Good thing, because just as I was about to, I decided to run upstairs and saw my friend. It was good catching up. At the end of the night, they were having a giveaway and I ended up with a free pair of "ladies" shoes. Anyone a size 9? I was sore from the day, however, as in the morning I had a 45-50 minute run in a hilly area and then cleaned my sleeping quarters requiring a lot of heavy lifting :P ... all that caused my calf to cramp. Ending the night, we stopped at Danny's tacos, where the food was alright but the onions and peppers were amazing.

~:[Day 168]:~ Setting the Night on Fire

~:[Day 168]:~ Setting the Night on Fire

Tonight was the seniors Candle Rose ceremony. The purpose of the evening is to ceremonially pass the leadership of the seniors to next year's officers. However, there are also a number of great performances and a slideshow to top it off. In any case, the seniors did amazing and I hope that in the future, they'll head my advice and trust in themselves, take chances, and do what they love!

~:[Day 167]:~ Farewell to Our Future

~:[Day 167]:~ Farewell to Our Future

Every so often, I hits me of how lucky I am to teach such a fine young group of students. While some may catch major cases of senioritis, this group has been one of the hardest working groups on campus for four years, braving four to eight conferences a year across the country, collecting hundreds of documents, writing page after page of position papers and by putting themselves out their at each conference they attend. While many end up attending prestigious conferences, ultimately, it is all the work that they have put in that they will be measured by in the end and by that measurement, they are off the charts! Thank you to the underclassmen for all of your work and I look forward to what the future holds. Seniors, I appreciate all that you do. I know how hard it is to stay on task, but in the end, you fulfilled your duties and surpassed expectations and for that, I must thank you!

~:[Day 166]:~ The Finale is Near

~:[Day 166]:~ The Finale is Near

As normal, I wish I had another week to edit the video. No matter how early I start, the story is always the same, the last minute hustle. Of course, this year, I am not editing a few hours before the banquet (I actually finished the night before). It's always so great to look back at the year in video and pictures and remember all the good times. This year, my New York trip was filled with great times as I traveled with great company, the RHSMUN trip was new and exciting, as well as the Duke trip with a number of conferences in between. Tonight we say goodbye to a group of seniors who have risen up and improved so much over their four years. Tonight will also mark the start towards the downhill roll to the finish. With one dictionary, one music video, one meeting packet, one speech, and three finals to go, I can see the light in the distance. The finale is almost here.

~:[Day 165]:~ What Life is All About

~:[Day 165]:~ What Life is All About

What would life be without the love and support of family and great friends? I am so lucky to have found both and I do not know what I would do without all of them. One of my folders in my e-mail is dedicated to them because when we have an event, you cannot believe how many e-mails get exchanged. The picture shows about 24 hours work of e-mails and sadly, it's not the entire list. Of course, the pre-planning conversation because part of the fun. I love you all!

~:[Day 164]:~ The Spoils of Recovery

~:[Day 164]:~ The Spoils of Recovery

As the world keeps on turning, my road recovery is much slower than I hoped, but I am slowly getting there. After a prolonged day at work, I was able to take a quick nap at the beginning and end of practice. I also cleaned out my car and got it washed! Afterwards, I headed out to eat at Kiwami's. While my friend was not working tonight, it still was delicious as my friend Reina and I ordered dish after dish. We ended with the garlic albacore with truffles ~ amazing! So how is recovery? Not bad, not bad at all.

~:[Day 163]:~ A Spin on Things

~:[Day 163]:~ A Spin on Things

The entire day, my world has been spinning. Vertigo. Ugh, it's been a rough one, but I made it through. It was tough to get up and go today, as I headed off to a meet. I had to lay down throughout the day just to make it. Our team did well today, as we had a number of people medal, of course, I forgot to pick up their medals. The coaches also won the 4x100m in a solid time. We'll be looking forward to racing again in a few weeks. Afterwards, another trip to Senor Baja helped ease the pain. After coming home, I started to cook the food I got yesterday for today's dinner. I made two separate dishes in one ... the first dish was a bacon-wrapped shitake garlic filet with rosemary vegetables. The second was a garlic butter horseradish tenderloin with herb salad over asparagus and carrots. A delicious way to end a miserable-feeling but great day.

~:[Day 162]:~ AAA - Another Amazing Adventure

~:[Day 162]:~ AAA - Another Amazing Adventure
It almost felt like we were on a safari ~ it was a jungle back there. Well, not really, just three racoons and two dogs :) It was a super spectacular night with good friends, good colleagues who ARE friends, and of course good conversation. After a morning job with my co-advisor Bill in the trails of Fullerton, I was able to complete most of what I had to do on the day and also get my food together for the gathering. I ended up with a beautiful dish of poke and spicy poke, plus my simple okra recipe! While, I ended the night with vertigo (my world is spinning), it was definitely a day I thoroughly enjoyed!

~:[Day 161]:~ Simply Refreshing

~:[Day 161]:~ Simply Refreshing

While today was another day working on something, it never fails that work can turn into something more relaxing. It has been a joy working and I am glad that things are going well. After school, two of my athletes competed in the Association 33 Jr. Olympics - Day 1. They did well and it was a good way to end of the day. Wait, that wasn't the end of my day, as I stopped at Senor Baja before heading home. Now THAT is the way to end the day. Carne asada tacos *drool.*

~:[Day 160]:~ Another Day, Another Event

~:[Day 160]:~ Another Day, Another Event

It's been a rough stretch with events, but another event is down and now I can focus on my next banquet which is next week. After all the preparation, calculating points, making plaques, assembling videos, etc., the banquet came to close and with it, my first season of track and field as the head coach. While I loved learning more about all the events, I would not have minded another season in my wonderful box of "nothingness" outside of practice. Since that did not happen, I can say that this year was the next best thing. A great team of hard working athletes who work together well and support each other. What else can a man ask for?

~:[Day 159]:~ How Lucky Can I Be?

~:[Day 159]:~ How Lucky Can I Be?

It's days like these that make me realize how lucky I am. Tonight was senior awards night when they recognize the top seniors in the school for various items. In athletics, all four of the students (male/female athlete of the year and scholar athlete of the year) recognized ran cross country this season. Then, out of the twelve Escudo de Oro awardees (the highest honor at our school), eight were my students or athletes - six of them in cross country and seven of them in MUN. I also had eight lifetime pass recipients out of my seniors! What an amazing night! I guess I figured out why my job was so easy - amazing students/athletes! Great job seniors!

~:[Day 158]:~ Extraterrestrial

~:[Day 158]:~ Extraterrestrial

Do you happen to see something weird in this image? My iPhone captured this image while trying to capture the sun. Obviously, the Venus dot had already passed, but what might the white dot below be??? Strange, don't you think? Even stranger, the old Celtics defeated the Heat today, putting them just one game away from elimination! The Angels won and I also voted today. It's back to track & field banquet prep today, however, this is the only "light" I will see for the night, as I finish up the work that I need to finish for Thursday's banquet. Let's do this!

~:[Day 157]:~ Gone Fishing

~:[Day 157]:~ Gone Fishing

Today after practice, I caught up with Makoa and the crew while they were fishing at Regional. In the blue murky water lie a good number of blue gill, ten that we know of! Makoa caught ten blue gill, of course, all of them were about the size pictured, so we could only toss them back into the water. He returned to the lake after not catching anything at the fishing derby on Saturday. He was happy to catch some fish today, no matter what size they were. He upgraded to his Spiderman pole!

~:[Day 156]:~ Progression

~:[Day 156]:~ Progression

The boys scouts go through stages of progression as they move from one rank to another and today, I got to see four of my current/former students progress to the highest rank of Eagle Scout. It was such an honor to speak on their behalf at the ceremony and an even greater honor to be pinned with an Eagle mentor pin. It means a lot to be asked to go back and speak on their behalf or even to be remembered by former students. While I have gotten used to the goodbyes and farewells each year, it is nice to also be reunited every once in awhile.

~:[Day 155]:~ Growing Up

~:[Day 155]:~ Growing Up

I guess it's times like these that we go back and reflect on the fact that so many years have passed since our age of innocence, where our biggest concerns were sleep, eat, and fun. I do in fact miss these days but also am glad that I have had the experience that I had. Today was Byrdie's 3rd birthday celebration and I see so much of her mother Kim (my cousin) in her. She is growing up so fast and before you know it, she'll be just like us and we'll be just like our parents. I also got to see the future in our middle school MUNers today and my freshmen who performed in CHS idol. They both did an excellent job and I know there is still much growing up to do in the next few years.

~:[Day 154]:~ Farwell? No, Adieu!

~:[Day 154]:~ Farwell? No, Adieu!

Is this a farewell? No, it's an adieu ~ I will see you again. Tonight we attended our UCI Bookstore supervisor's retirement from the store. A number of alumni going way back came on out to see Rick and it was definitely a night to remember. The look on Rick's face was priceless as we truly did surprise him and I think it was one of the best endings to his final meeting night that he could have asked for. It also allowed many of us who haven't seen each other in a while to get together. I can't believe how long it has been, yet this group + those not here, will always be apart of my life going forward. I love them all!