~:[Day 245]:~ Leaving an Imprint

~:[Day 245]:~ Leaving an Imprint

Today was spent at Bolsa Chica State Beach. For those who don't know, I'm not such a beach person :P ... of course, I don't mind having an event at the beach for the team's sake. It always ends up being a good time. We have a few bumps and bruises, but ultimately, it was a cooking fest with 10lbs of chicken and 15lbs of korean bbq beef, 24 wat burgers and 20 wat dogs off the grill plus a huge pile of food on the table. Our theme this year is leaving an imprint and hopefully, we will move forward like these prints above. Now that I've cleaned up, it's time to pack for Vegas. I leave in the early AM. See you soon Vegas!

~:[Day 244]:~ Where Does the Food Go?

~:[Day 244]:~ Where Does the Food Go?
A lot of people ask me where all my food goes since I am always posting food pics. I know where it goes, in my belly of mine. Of course, Dylan was trying to figure out where his food should go. Obviously it ended up mostly on his face and shirt. Anyway, today was the last of our summer races and now it's just over a week until our first race. It will be a lot of work to finish all of the prep for it, however, I hope I am as ready as I will be. Of course, my mind is not on the Great Cow Run prep (which you should all sign up for ... http://cerritosxc.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/4/9/3149868/cowrun12.pdf ) ... it's on Vegas, Gangnam style this weekend. I am almost done getting everything together, thanks to the OC! Ty, your buttons are printed and will be assembled tomorrow. Yahooooooooo! Labor day weekend is here! ... btw, my fortunate tonight said "a new relationship is about to blossom" ... I hope now is the right time, haha.

~:[Day 243]:~ Getting Hot in Here

~:[Day 243]:~ Getting Hot in Here

After trying to stay cool during a warm day, I headed to a meeting in Rowland Heights. For the meeting we went to the Boiling Crab, which was a great way to enjoy the evening. While I stayed withing a reasonable realm of spiciness, I was sitting between a xxx shrimp and an xxx crawfish. Let's just say they were dripping sweat before the night was over. Cathy Nguyen was working tonight too ~ youtube! :P ... afterwards, we stopped at MVP for some claw and basketball. I got a 371 and my son made it to the 400 wall again. Of course, I'm sure the picture will never make it up there. Oh, I also missed only one shot in my third to last game, wooooowwwweeee!

~:[Day 242]:~ Guilt By Association

~:[Day 242]:~ Guilt By Association

My association with this Duke lacrosse shirt got me associated with the infamous wild and crazy Duke lacrosse party that ended up making headline news. Some guy asked me if I was a wild party animal and involved in those crazy parties talked about on the news when all those stories broke. In any case, my Duke shirt, really was an attention getter and I guess I will make sure to wear it when I want some attention, haha. On another note, the weather was crazy ... it went from hot, to windy, to humid, to a dark sky, to rainbows ... you get the idea! What a crazy weather day! I also went to the Fantasmic Glow premier! It was great, as expected and I even got the batteries changed for free in my Mickey ears due to the fact that one member of our group was a singing sensation! Amazing to know those asian r&b/soul singing stars, eh? Haha ... I wish I could have sat with everyone, but I guess, sometimes things can't always work out.

~:[Day 241]:~ Fragmented

~:[Day 241]:~ Fragmented

Today, which was suppose to be my first weekday morning off in awhile, turned into a fragmented day off, as I forgot that it was the day of freshman orientation. It actually ended up being a great day and hopefully we'll get a solid list of people from the work we put in. Afterwards, I headed to the mall where I always end up seeing someone I know. I don't mind it too much, just sometimes it can be overkill. I grabbed my delicious lunch at kyochon and headed off! We were able to survive a practice under the hot sun with minimal issues and finished off the day with a meal at Sweetee Thai :) BTW, my wonderful Oregon shirt I wore today is fairly new and is suppose to be like that :)

~:[Day 240]:~ Topping It Off

~:[Day 240]:~ Topping It Off

I got a lot of rest today, as I spent the night writing messages to people and I still have yet to complete sending them to all the people I hope to. I think it makes me feel so good to be able to do this and I look forward to the messages I will be sending out in the near future. For those not on Facebook, my status yesterday was "The most important message of the day ... take every opportunity to let those around you know just how special and amazing they are to you. Call them, e-mail them, hug them, and tell them that you love them, as you never know if it will be your last opportunity or not. No matter how old or young you are, today is the day. Don't procrastinate with things this important ... to all my friends and family, thank you so much for all that you do for me. My life would never be the same with the positive sprinklings that each of you have given me. You all truly are the spices to my life!" I am now taking my opportunity to send messages to people of the past, present, and future to thank them for everything and let them know the things I want to say ... after a great sleep, I watched Japan take the Little League World Series, headed over to cross country headquarters (the Nishis) for some volleyball and to watch an aggressive game of water basketball, then headed home to dinner to cook. I ended up making a spicy soy ranch dressing for my meat and it was delicious :) yahooo! new sauces FTW! 

~:[Day 239]:~ Life of a Champion

~:[Day 239]:~ Life of a Champion

Tonight, my friends and I went to Medieval Times to celebrate Ty's birthday! We were thrown into the evil green knight's section and we had a blast. While our knight was not crowned the grand champion, this whole day made me think of, what exactly is being successful. It was disappointing when our knight had his struggles, but it was also great to see him succeed. Ultimately, he did what he could for our section. Yes, I know, it's a lot of acting, but the similarities of the show to real live came to life. During today's service, I thought even more about the life of Rachelle, and the pieces really came together today. While many of us are striving to do our best, we also have to look at what exactly we are doing to give our all to help those around us and not just ourselves. Rachelle had so many stories of what she did to give to others and it made me realize how much more I can do to help those around and by doing this, I can keep her spirit and her dream alive. Life is full of challenges, like our long run in PV this morning, but the question is, are we approaching these challenges in the right way? While the title of "champion" may be a great goal and accomplishment, ultimately, when we are no longer here, the true meaning of success will be evident in the way that we impacted those around us. Today, Rachelle, I saw through the hundred of faces at your ceremony, just how much you gave to this world and how successful you were. It is my hope that I can come close to giving as much to this world as you have. A champion, you truly are Rachelle, as are all those wonderful people who have helped the people of this world overcome all the challenges this world has in store. Many of these selfless people, I am lucky enough to call my friends and family.

~:[Day 238]:~ Roaring My Way into the Weekend

~:[Day 238]:~ Roaring My Way into the Weekend

It was an interesting day filled with pockets of things to do, but most of the day was spending getting things together for the weekend. In the morning, we celebrated Mama Nishi's birthday with her annual Starbucks and then some breakfast burritos. I got the lovely task of cutting the onions and shed not one tear! Yahoo! I spent the afternoon picking up and hanging with JD before heading over to a fundraiser that was quite the success. So much so that there was no food for me to buy for my parents when I left! The music, karaoke, ping pong, and just dance was the perfect combination and turned the luau fundraiser into a xc potluck-type evening! Finally, we ended the night at Dolphin Bay with best looking and the crew, as we "hydrated" for PV! Hahaha ... nothing like milk tea boba to prep for a long run.

~:[Day 237]:~ Prepping to Take Vegas by Storm

~:[Day 237]:~ Prepping to Take Vegas by Storm

Well Andrew put me up to this and I am just getting my stuff together to take Vegas by storm, for at least a night. With the recent craze of music, my yellow suit will come back out of the closet, as it will be used soon enough! The man in the yellow suit (Yoo Jae-Seok/Yooruce Willis) is the inspiration behind by recent splurges and we'll see just how it turns out in Vegas :P ... I'm waiting on a few packages to complement this suit that has collected a bit of dust, but will once again reappear. You may have wondered why I drew a yellow suited man on my facebook photo ... now you know! You thought you had some storms there Jay? Get ready for me, haha!

~:[Day 236]:~ Cruising Along to Surf City

~:[Day 236]:~ Cruising Along to Surf City

After running a short practice for the non-bikers, we headed down to Regional to start our annual 40-mile bike club ride. It is short of 40 miles, but hey, we were always taught to round up :) ... In any case, we ended up with a good solid group of 37 who made it by bike and a few more who were apart of the support crew. We ended up picking up one straggler, switched out two bikes and fixed a few broken chains, but ultimately had a great ride, lunch, swim, and even a volleyball game.

~:[Day 235]:~ The Art of Relieving Stress

~:[Day 235]:~ The Art of Relieving Stress

Whether through poetry or drawing or other forms of art, I find that expressing myself through art has allowed me to relieve a lot of my stress. Today was more fun than ever as I just toyed around with a few things and began my drawing which ultimately turned into a graphic. Oh what fun it is to draw! I normally sketch everything out in pencil, then layer two colors, outline and then do a second outline. I end with adding silver highlights. While it's not perfect, I think it's not bad for a quick sketch :) Anyway, I smell like Korean BBQ, so I better go shower :)

~:[Day 234]:~ A Prized Birdie

~:[Day 234]:~ A Prized Birdie

After our long run today, I headed to Industry Hills to play on the Babe course with my brother, father, and uncle. My dad finished third at the Industry Hills Men's Club tournament, thus, he treated us to a round on the links with his prize! The round actually started decent, as I felt the rust but managed to scramble, however, I hit a stretch of five holes that really just killed my round that happened just before I missed my best chance for birdie, or so I thought. Late in the round on sixteen, I was able to stick it fairly close to the pin and I nailed my putt to at least have a bright note on the day. While the round was not that great, I had an awesome time just relaxing on an almost empty course. It was so empty, I felt like it was my own private course. In any case, it definitely was a prized day!

~:[Day 233]:~ A Bowl Full

~:[Day 233]:~ A Bowl Full 

I spent a big chunk of my day getting things organized and arranged, catching up on work, and just doing all the things I need to do, but have yet to do. After chatting at today's car wash, I went home to enjoy some wonderful ahi tuna over two types of salad. I was amazed that Costco would sell such fresh ahi tuna and makes me wonder if it could possible be my new source of poke ahi tuna! We'll have to see :)

~:[Day 232]:~ Up In the Sky

~:[Day 232]:~ Up In the Sky

Today was the Kevin Cook Spirit Run, honoring the memory of Damon's former cross country teammate. However, this day also fell on the fifth year memorial of RNR. It's strange how time flies so quickly. As I stood staring at the orange balloon in the sky, I thought to myself, we have a good amount of people looking down on us, watching over us. Each leaving us in different ways, many, if not all, too soon. It never really gets easier and makes you realize that you must live each day to the fullest and never forget to say what you need to say to those around you. In life, we are just floating along, however, one day, we will never be grounded again. Are you prepared for that day. Today, was not an easy day, but it is one that I hold dear to my heart. It is one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

~:[Day 231]:~ Life as a Boxer

~:[Day 231]:~ Life as a Boxer 

Many people never knew that I was a boxer. I think ever since I was small, I saw that boxing was a way of life and now, my life is full of boxes. I spend the entire day sorting through boxes and I began my sweep and organization of them all. It's always rough after a week in Mammoth, but ultimately, it will feel good when it is all in order and organized. It was not the nicest of cleanups and resulted in a full trash and recycling bin, a bag for me to sort and find a home for things, discovering a box full of memories, a busted hose, and of course, lots and lots of sweat. In the end, I guess you could say it was all worth it.

~:[Day 230]:~ Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra-Men

~:[Day 230]:~ Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra-Men

After making some returns at Costco from camp, we stopped at Gomen for lunch. Despite the urge to stay away, I ended up going straight to the ramen + chauhan combo and added gyoza with a pepsi! What a bad meal for a "diet" phase of my life! I completed the task of eating the full meal. We also had a successful night at the Gahr two mile including the fastest boys team time in school history at the meet and the fastest individual boys time ever. However, the girls made more improvements that the boys on average for the top seven over the past two weeks. Great job everyone!

~:[Day 229]:~ My Favorite PastaTime

~:[Day 229]:~ My Favorite PastaTime

Today after practice, the Jamba deal called my name. After my pink star and green gummi, I headed over with my team to Roadrunner Sports in Costa Mesa where we got some more pairs of shoes for our team. I needed to stop at Disneyland to get my Fantasmic voucher and we ended up stopping for lunch at La Brea! Delicious! I don't remember much of the day after that, but I think most of it related to my dreams. :)

~:[Day 228]:~ From Great Heights

~:[Day 228]:~ From Great Heights

The higher you go, the greater the risk. While I am not scared of heights, this law still applies, yet for some reason, I was at ease the entire time. Despite a great meal high above the courtyard including filet mignon carpaccio and veal scallopinin, it was topped with a nice view, a great show, and a more amazing time. The high flying acrobatics, hilarious acting, and just good times joking around made for a great mix that left me knowing that this day was one to remember.

~:[Day 227]:~ Washing Away the Stains

~:[Day 227]:~ Washing Away the Stains

After a week in Mammoth, my van was in serious need of a wash (not like it wasn't already). However, no need to fear, the cross country team is here! Two of my athletes washed six cars in the boiling sun and raised some money for their Hawaii trip. My car was washed twice, clay barred, and then waxed :) It was the best treatment my car has seen and I am thankful for such great athletes! They definitely got a great tip, what I would have paid at the wash and more, but the job they did was much more extraordinary!

~:[Day 226]:~ A FAIRytale WeekendING

~:[Day 226]:~ A FAIRytale WeekendING

After a long week in Mammoth, the weekend ended with a little bit of cleaning and a lot of fun. After starting the cleaning process, I met up with Jenn at Tsujita LA. It was such an amazing experience with the Tsukemen Char-siu Ramen along with the Maguro bowl. I thoroughly enjoyed the dipping process of the ramen and the taste was astounding :) I realized why there was a huge line forming just as they opened. Afterward, I headed to the fair in the burning heat. As the night went on, the weather cooled off. After downing some frog legs and watching the pig races, I won two large animals and three small ones. Quite the successful day! I ended with a Maui chicken pineapple bowl. yum! Definitely a way to end a wonderful week!

~:[Day 225]:~ Mammoth - Day 7

~:[Day 225]:~ Mammoth - Day 7

This is the group that makes Mammoth Camp so special every year! The athletes, the alumni & adult counselors put so much work and effort into this camp every year. From the cooking, to capturing the moments on camera, completing the missions, and more, the group really works together to accomplish what they need to. I think this year more than most, they overcame difficult situations and made them into positive ones. I really appreciate all the continued support and hope for many more great days this season & year.

~:[Day 224]:~ Mammoth - Day 6

~:[Day 224]:~ Mammoth - Day 6

Today was our most challenging day while at camp, a run we know as the ascent. We plan on being on the trail for approximately four hours, which is why we load up on snacks and water. The Nishis also always remember to have their water filter ready to refill those bottles for the trek back. Regardless, we had the most people make the huge elevation gain and it seemed to be well worth it for most! The day also included some great videos and singing/dancing performances. Sadly, today was out last full day in Mammoth.

~:[Day 223]:~ Mammoth - Day 5

~:[Day 223]:~ Mammoth - Day 5

As usual, we headed down to Bishop to hit the bowling alley for a night of fun. Our task for the day was trying to get a certain target score, which we did fairly successfully. Earlier in the day, we had a great run on the ridge and also a decent set of games to end our outdoor camp olympics even though we left two boxes in the van and wasn't able to find it. 

~:[Day 222]:~ Mammoth - Day 4

~:[Day 222]:~ Mammoth - Day 4

The day consisted of us shaking our way to the end of the day after a run at the Crater. The afternoon saw a day full of games such as the one shown and also an afternoon pool workout. We ended the day with our goal setting sessions, which ended up being a good night for both teams.

~:[Day 221]:~ Mammoth - Day 3

~:[Day 221]:~ Mammoth - Day 3

Our hike on the day led us to a jumping rock where we spent most of the morning and early afternoon. The hike there was quicker than normal and ended up being pretty good. After a nice rest, the afternoon saw us running up Eagle's but running into two cubs. Luckily, there was no incident. 

~:[Day 220]:~ Mammoth - Day 2

~:[Day 220]:~ Mammoth - Day 2
After a great day 1, we had a smooth day 2. After a good run at Convict Lake, we ate a hearty breakfast, then headed to the park to play basketball. The counselors organized ourselves and wore NBA jerseys in our game. We ended up winning 15-12. After clinic, we got in another good run with a stretching clinic and came back for chicken night. I made my special strawberry chicken and it ended up being pretty good considering what ingredients I had to work with. Using our superhero theme this year, we played some camp competitions and it seems like it will be a very even year this year in Mammoth. May the competition begin!

~:[Day 219]:~ Mammoth - Day 1

~:[Day 219]:~ Mammoth - Day 1

After a long night of packing and getting prepped, we headed up to Mammoth. Meeting at school at the crack of dawn, ultimately, we made it up ahead of schedule and things went well. Even the unpack happened very quickly and we were on schedule. While dinner ran a bit late, we had a nice first day, first run and I enjoyed the weather here in Mammoth. It was a bit hot, but the wind countered the heat. Welcome to Mammoth. 

~:[Day 218]:~ Gone Too Quickly

~:[Day 218]:~ Gone Too Quickly

Rachelle, you had such great energy, accomplished so many amazing things, and head a big caring heart, as show by your efforts in Honduras and many others. You always had a way to keep things interesting and fun. I know there were a number of rough patches, but I saw how strong of a person you were and I feel that you grew into an amazing young person, who I wish more people in this world had the opportunity to know. You'll always be apart of our ohana and we know that now you will be looking down on us, watching over us. The next time I'm at UCLA eating at the dorms, I know I will feel that absence, knowing that you will not be popping in during the meal. However, I know that at the same time, you'll be ever-present. Rest in peace, my daughter. I couldn't have been more proud of you.

we may never know the reason

the greater master plan

as we trust in the Lord, our God

leaving it all in his hands

as when our time comes calling

we must walk through those pearly gates

as each of us has a different timeline

for our turn, we'll have to wait

i know that we'll find each other once again

but wish i had the chance to say goodbye

adieu until that day we meet again

together, high up in the sky

~:[Day 217]:~ Childhood to Responsibility

~:[Day 217]:~ Childhood to Responsibility

This picture makes me want to be a kid again. The carefree lifestyle of a child with little to no responsibility and just having the ability to enjoy life. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy life, but I wonder how it would feel to go back to that age of innocence. Today was quite the taxing day, as the preparation for Mammoth continues. After a Watermelon Relay, a team breakfast, three flats and a cart at Costco, a trip to Walmart, a stalking trip to Flurries and a night full of paperwork, I would say, I am quite spent. Of course, it feels good to be able to get some work completed. I still have laundry to do and things to organize, but I think I will not be too rushed tomorrow. At least I hope. Oh, the responsibility, my love hate relationship :)

~:[Day 216]:~ Magic in a Package

~:[Day 216]:~ Magic in a Package

I enjoy eating out a great restaurants with amazing food all throughout the country, yet there is one habit that I can't kick and because of it, it reigns supreme in my book of food. I don't know what it is that draws me to it, (the taste, the price or the efficiency) but the reality is, Yoshinoya is still truly my love :) ... well to my delightful surprise, when walking through Mitsuwa the other day, I walked across this! Frozen Yoshinoya packets? OMG! It tastes pretty much the same as in the restaurant and it's a frozen food! I better stock my freezer with these in case the big one hits. At least I can eat my last meal with my favorite food ever. Crazy? If you asked this, you probably don't know me too well :D

Ode to My Frozen Yoshinoya

Oh how I love thee, Yoshinoya

You seem to touch my soul

As you make me smile from ear to ear

Each time I eat a bowl

Now a frozen treat you are

I can have you any place

Which is the reason I am so happy

Always carrying this smile on my face

~:[Day 215]:~ A Day As Delicious as the Food

~:[Day 214]:~ A Day As Delicious as the Food

At the end of the day, I felt accomplished. While I had much more work to complete, I still felt like I finished more than my norm within the constraints of the time in which I have been placed. After a great practice where the teams presented their Mammoth themes, I finished making the buttons, and headed to Roadrunners, Mitsuwa, and Target. I worked on a project for a few hours, then headed to Sports Authority, ordered what they didn't have there online, and finished a few odds and ends including edited the little project, which is set to be completed next week (yes, while I am in Mammoth). In any case, the food I ate today was delicious including a Toroniku Miso Ramen with Natto and Aloe. Of course, I also picked up some snacks for Mammoth, sukiyaki beef + gyoza, and FROZEN YOSHINOYA! (A DREAM)! Finally, I wanted to spread some cheer and sent out some text to a boatload of people and hope to continue to do that in the future! Yay! Anyway, it's time for bed, tomorrow is another long and hopefully productive day!