~:[Day 305]:~ Masquerading

~:[Day 305]:~ Masquerading 

Today was an interesting day, as I was able to finish up everything I needed to do with time to spare. I created my sub-plans, finished all of plan B reservations ,added an item to my lesson plan for the day, and then simply posed as Yoo Jae Suk throughout the day, as today was Halloween. After our final practice as a whole team, which was emotional for some, I headed to the towne center to meet up with Makoa, Nalani and Co. It's funny to see how much attention my costume drew and I guess for good reason. In any case, who needs candy when you can get boba. While I was one pound away from reaching my goal weight in our challenge, I think this day may have set me back a week or so :) .... afterwards, we headed to Chipotle for $2 burritos. While I ordered a whole burrito, I split it so that I did not eat too much and I think I picked the right amount. I closed out the day prepping for league finals tomorrow and also watching the Clippers start off their new season. It was fun to watch them in a physical battle against Memphis. This year, our bench looks so much better with the defense they had last year but now with more offensive weapons off the bench. While we had way too many turnovers (22), the solid play of our bench came through in a game where Chris Paul and Blake Griffin only had to score 11 a piece for the W. Happy Halloween Everyone!

~:[Day 304]:~ All The Things One Could Ask For

~:[Day 304]:~ All The Things One Could Ask For

Tonight I sat at Baja Fresh and chowed down on my steak and shrimp bowl filled with so many wonderful things as I watched opening night of the NBA and thought, there isn't much more I could ask for, not in a bowl, but in life. Realizing and being thankful for all the things I have and the opportunities I posses is something I often take for granted, but today, was not one of those days. Thank you to everyone for being there, supporting me in the best and worst of times and cheering me on every time I turn a corner. Life has so many things that make it complex, but there is no reason why it can't all come together like my steak and shrimp bowl :)

~:[Day 303]:~ Something's Fishy

~:[Day 303]:~ Something's Fishy

After a productive weekend, I had an even more productive day, as I got almost all of my grading done, had good debates in class, as well as what ended up as a good practice after some bumps in the road early. However, something was a bit fishy when I ordered my food at Senor Baja tonight and what's disappointing is, I order a carne asado taco. I guess the cashier had been ringing up fish tacos all day long, but in the end, my craving for carne asade tacos and roasted yellow peppers was not satisfied as I got fish tacos and green peppers. After spending nearly 20-30  minutes cropping per picture over the weekend and most of the day today, my deflated carne asada craving spirit was revived as I finished the team banner for the season, then completed the Mira Costa MUN assignments! A busy but complete day!

~:[Day 302]:~ In Disguise

~:[Day 302]:~ In Disguise

Today was a day I caught up on most of my work. My papers (100+) are graded, I was able to finish going through photographs, I am about half way through banner making, and I also cut my wig for my Halloween costume! It's been a busy weekend, but today allowed me to catch up and get a lot of work done. I finished so much that I am wondering what to do tomorrow :) ... in any case, we're almost done with our Rorschach music video (even though it was suppose to be done weeks ago) ... I hope it will be worth the wait :D ... great job to all the actors, especially for the slap scene today :)

~:[Day 301]:~ A Royal Ending

~:[Day 301]:~ A Royal Ending

After waking up for a morning run and trying to blast past my boys only to die after 350m, I enjoyed a great brunch at Pho Tasty, headed to the Block to try to complete my Halloween costume unsuccessfully, yet still burned a whole through my wallet and got the rest I needed. Lagging around, I finally got myself to get up and head to the shower, then changed into my red suit for the dance (the theme was on the red carpet). While working coat check, I took a break to watch the coronation ceremony! Since we did not have a football game, the crowning took place at the dance and for the third time in four years, a girl from our cross country team became homecoming queen! The Hulett family showed up and so I held a mini-photoshoot with them! Super awesome family and super awesome queen! Congrats! 

~:[Day 300]:~ Tranquility

~:[Day 300]:~ Tranquility

After a busy week, the night in Long Beach provided some tranquility to the end of a busy week. While it took a bit of running around to finish off the day, in the end, standing along the bluff, allowed for some relaxation and provided some much needed energy going into the week. On a side note, this is the 300th entry of my year and I can't believe I have kept  up with it all this time. While a few entries have been late, it the end, I have fulfilled my daily commitment to this :)

~:[Day 299]:~ Ya-POOOOH

~:[Day 299]:~ Ya-POOOOH

What is this you may ask ... this is what you get when Yahoo Fantasy Sports NBA does not work on draft night! There was way too much traffic for the server (I guess?) and thus, our league could not log in. We ended up going old school and manually drafting. On my left is my list of available players, the right is our google doc where we put our picks. The bottom was my stat bar and the right side was our chat box through Facebook messaging. In the end, it took over two hours to draft! On a brighter note, I ran (for a bit) today. Hopefully, I don't have any problems like the last time I ran, but we'll see in the morning! It was also the day of our rally! A lot of people liked our rally and video and I felt it was a success, however ... I'll just leave it at that.

~:[Day 298]:~ Supporting Cast

~:[Day 298]:~ Supporting Cast

We got a great sign from one of our teachers today. She has been working on a sign for cross country and she finally put it up near the area where our top groups stretch after practice. It's great to see all those who support our program, as without the support of parents, alumni, friends, family and more, our program would not be successful at all. As the season winds down, it's always nice to think about those who pitched in to make this season a success. The same goes to those who are willing to help out when I am in trouble. Stuck with a problem in final cut pro, a number of people helped me try to diagnose the problem and after a few hours (mostly re-rendering) I figured it out and was able to finish the video - mediocre, but it's finished! Thanks to the entire supporting cast that has allowed me and all the programs I am apart of get to where we are today!

~:[Day 297]:~ Hot & Cold ... A Katy Perry Day???

~:[Day 297]:~ Hot & Cold ... A Katy Perry Day???

I love a bowl of hot and sour soup. If it was 100 degrees outside, I would probably still eat it, however, it is days like today that make the soup even more special to me. It was so chilly outside that I felt that I needed something to warm me up. After our practice and meetings, it was the hot and sour soup that gave me that warm feeling of comfort after a long day. I survived the day, but a long day it was! Today was also my pseudo-sister Allison's birthday! I am so lucky to have such a great friend and sister and I hope that we have a lifetime of friendship awaiting us! We better, since I get to see her everyday. I bought her 30+ cans of diet Pepsi along with an ice cream cake and a little bling to use at Target :) Enjoy Ali!

~:[Day 296]:~ The Master of Creative Thinking

~:[Day 296]:~ The Master of Creative Thinking

It's these types of nights where my creative thinking must take control and allow me to make what I am trying to create. However, sometimes, it's the technology and not my mind that is in control. We always think that we are in control, when reality, our master is our computer. While we can fix it and try to prepare ourselves to avoid frustration, the computer tends to have a creative mind of its own, letting us know who the real master is. While I have gotten a lot done, there are still huge strides I must make before I finish this video. Albeit, the video will be a simple one and not a very detailed music video, but still, I don't want this to be a throw-away job. Let's do this! Who's your daddy computer???

~:[Day 295]:~ Don't Fall Asleep

~:[Day 295]:~ Don't Fall Asleep

After a long night, it was my job to try and not fall asleep during the MUN conference. Of course, except for the bus, I managed to stay awake and keep on top of my small collection of sixty students. You might say, sixty is a lot, however, it is a lot less than I am used to. In any case, we had our  mixed bag of performances, but in the end, you had to be proud of our team. With so many things on their plate right now, I know it's always hard to focus and keep on top of things. One of my secretary-generals and her co-delegate won gavels in Security Council, a tough place to get one, and we ended up with a medium school delegation since we had a smaller group with us this time around. After catching up on a few more things today, I can finally relax and get ready for bed. To bed I said.

~:[Day 294]:~ Trick or Treat

~:[Day 294]:~ Trick or Treat

After a long day at Mt. SAC, I got to rest and relax a little before catching up on some work around the house and taking care of a little business such as purchasing the supplies for Brandon Hojo's Eagle Project, which I am proud of him for doing! Before I move on, Brandon's Eagle project was to collect school supplies for those who in need in coordination with Olive Crest. The items included hygiene kits, backpacks, school supplies and gift cards for clothes. While there were a lot of people out for Edison MUN, PSATs, etc., Brandon still managed to pull things together. He might still need supplies so contact him! Afterward, I finished up a few more things and head to Portillo's for dinner. My italian beef dipped in gravy was so delicious and served with fries made it even better. While my biggest loser challenge suffered a bit, it was worth it in the end. Of course, I may have walked off the food, as we wandered around Knott's for about six hours, as we got in early and left just after midnight with some staying a bit later. It ended up being good, except for the last few mazes had the longest lines and were the least scary. We had planned on hitting every maze, but those last few disappointed us, so we ended up with nine mazes, three rides, and a stop for a quick meal. Not too shabby trying to move a big group. Afterward, we stopped for a quick strawberry funnel cake, which was the other potential picture of the day. I was exhausted and knew I would be the next day, but in the end, I think it was a good night!

~:[Day 293]:~ It's What We Call Ohana

~:[Day 293]:~ It's What We Call Ohana

I turned around and saw a scene of mass chaos, well at least it was a group hug by our team that continued to grow. After a long and tiring day, it was a great sight to see. It reminded me while that there may be many moments that are disappointing, moments that I must discipline, moments I can laugh and celebrate with my team, moments we find victory and defeat, moments we want to cry, moments when when we find we let emotions get the best of us, moments that we feel alone, moments that we feel unified, moments that we find comfort and moments that are not so comfortable ... in short, while the ups and downs of life may be plenty, today reminded me that in the end, we still are one family. We must find a way to love and support each other in both the good times and bad, when we find our ups and downs. While we must learn from our mistakes, study our races, take care of all the things we must do and do everything to stay on the right path, we must also remember that we cannot only focus on one self but must devote a good amount of attention to those around. Thus, no matter what you did in the past, what you said, what happened, etc., put the past behind you, forgive and learn from the past, and forget a greater bond with those around you, your ohana. ~ Cerritos Cross Country ~

~:[Day 292]:~ Simply Delicious

~:[Day 292]:~ Simply Delicious

Tonight's dinner at the Bazaar was once again amazing and delicious. While I did not stay for dessert, the amount of food ordered was perfect and a good last meal together with Reina before she heads off to Japan. From the oxtail sandwiches to the paella, the caprese, the japanese taco and more, the food was amazing! I also got the liquid nitrogen drink :) ... afterwards, I got my first massage. It was quite uncomfortable as they hit so many pressure points and areas that were painful, but in the end, I feel a little more relaxed. The true test will be what I feel like tomorrow. The night ended at half and half! We ordered three, but Yuna ordered a different one, so I guess she has got one for the morning! In any case, it was a great night and also a great day. Tomorrow it's finally time for Mt. SAC!

~:[Day 291]:~ Prepping for SAC & NY

~:[Day 291]:~ Prepping for SAC & NY

The list full of races have been up for a few days now and the preparation for Mt. SAC has begun. While we are a bit banged up, it's almost time for the invitational. I am assuming the race will have upwards of 18-20 thousand athletes competing over the two days, a mass amount of athletes to face. Today we handed out course maps and tomorrow, we'll talk one last time. We'll be gone on Friday from school but will be leaving campus just as school begins. I also began planning my New York trips. While the March trip has been set, the January trip for my gig is now set and the June trip is still not confirmed but maybe I can take care of that soon now :) I locked up a great fare so I better try to grab one for June too. After scrip this evening, I was able to hang out at Cha2O and catch up with Jenn! It's been awhile, but has felt like we haven't skipped a beat! In any case, good night world!

~:[Day 291]:~ Just Didn't Sit Well

~:[Day 291]:~ Just Didn't Sit Well

For some reason, I started the day on a positive note and had a skip in my step, happy as I headed to school. What was it exactly??? I'm not sure, but regardless, I rode the wave. While I had to deflect a number of issues through the day, ultimately, things fell into place, we survived practice, and I was mostly happy with the grade checks I received. Afterward, I unloaded more from my car and had the chance to head to Jamba again and grab some BOGO :) ... after seeing the menu was Mezza, however, I couldn't stop myself from ordering a half and half entree. It was very delicious with shawarma (beef and chicken), hummus, and garlic potatoes. I only ate a small portion of what I ordered, but it was oh so good! Of course, while that sat well in my stomach something did not sit well with me with Romney. I am an independent and always love to sit back and see what candidates have to offer. When doing some research, I am a little uneasy on how Romney's policies have changed so drastically and how this tax cut simply doesn't add up. When something seems too good to be true, it usually is and I think we might be disappointed when we find out where that money will come from, if anywhere. While I do know that Obama has not met many of the promises he had made (I was a critic of him in 2008 because I felt he was all talk), I still feel it is too difficult to judge the progress of a president within their term. The changes they make often aren't felt within a term, especially when they stalemate with a congressional majority of another party. I feel that through history, a lot of blame has gone on presidents who didn't necessarily cause the issues that plagued them during their terms while others did not receive enough blame. Regardless, don't forget to consider that the economy is not just struggling because of decisions of politicians. I met an economist when I first started teaching and he said that we should just watch as the economy would struggle in a few years not because of political decisions but because of population distribution. In 2000, we had 103 million people between the ages of 30-55 (working population) and about 51.8 million over the age of 55 (38 million - 60+). In 2012, we had 71.1 million people in the same 30-55 age grange and 71.1 million over 55 (52 million - 60+). What does this mean? There was greater stress on the economy since there was a smaller taxing paying working age class and a larger group of people dependent on government aid. In any case, too much politics for me tonight. In short, the numbers did not add up for me with Romney and while I am not 100% sure on my vote yet, the more that is said, the more sure I become.

~:[Day 290]:~ So Much Awesomeness

~:[Day 290]:~ So Much Awesomeness

Tonight, I had another spectacular dinner with sukiyaki meat, sashimi, tofu, and seaweed salad. It was a great addition to my awesome day. While nothing super special happen, it just seemed to flow very well. My classes did fairly well at the conference. While I had a modest number of people get awards in my first two periods, over half my fifth period received awards! I also was given a package of grapes, which were super delicious and will last me the week. Of course, to top it all off, we got our Mt. SAC confirmations today. While we did not make the sweepstakes races, I am always excited to run Mt. SAC and we should do fairly well this year. Of course, how can you complain when your day ends up with Jamba's BOGO :)

~:[Day 289]:~ A Little Fishy

~:[Day 289]:~ A Little Fishy

It was strange being able to wake up late, however, after a long Saturday, I slept in on Sunday :) ... I ended up watching some games on television, catching up on some work and just relaxing. For dinner, I enjoyed a nice salmon with asparagus and mushrooms. It was a perfect meal for my biggest loser challenged. I ended up being down 3.5lbs and only 4.5lbs away from victory, haha :)

~:[Day 288]:~ Finally, Relief!

~:[Day 288]:~ Finally, Relief!

My alarm went off early and I packed up A BUNCH of stuff in order to get to school to host our annual novice conference. The morning was hectic as we tried to get everything setup and had some obstacles to overcome, but we just barely made it and we were able to pull off the largest conference in some time. We ended up pulling out three of the four bleachers for opening and used all four for closing since there were so many students, yet none of the committees were as full as I thought they would be. I was very proud of my freshmen this year, as they did a great job in committee! I think my freshmen IAs had a lot to do with their success! In any case, we cleaned up, I took this picture at the request of our SG, and then headed to unload. Waiting for me, was a group ready to go to Disneyland, so I unloaded and headed out. It was super crowded, but at least we got to go on Toy Story Mania. In the end, we went on Grizzly River Rapids Run and of course, for those that know me and my luck on this ride, I got the most wet in the raft. One hundred percent of my top, sixty percent of my pants. Boo!

~:[Day 287]:~ A Day Starring ...

~:[Day 287]:~ A Day Starring ...

After trying to recover from yesterday's league race and also preparing for tomorrow's MUN conference, the homecoming top 5 rally fell somewhere in the middle. With all the craziness, I had some time to relax and enjoy four cross country athletes walk up to the stage for the event. In the end, one of our girls was selected to the top 5! We've actually had four top 5 athletes in the past three years and two of them were crowned Homecoming Queen! The rest of the day was filled with practice and also purchasing over 1,000 drinks for tomorrow's conference. It was quite funny to see everyone stare at me and my crew as we walked down the aisles with so many drinks and even worse, to watch me drive with all that inside. In any case, a few hours to relax before I head to bed and get ready for tomorrow's action!

~:[Day 286]:~ Striding Ahead

~:[Day 286]:~ Striding Ahead

The entire day was focused on preparing and wrapping up for our second league cluster at Cerritos Regional. After a morning of watching the weather and making sure all was good, we headed to the park. I had a good feeling on the day and it ended up being right. Our girls opened the day with one of my girls winning the JV race and our girls coming out on top. The JV boys, while not running as well as we hoped, still managed to claim eight of the top nine spots including the top four. We had a good bunch of them run well, but we had a few that I know could have run better. Our girls were sitting in third after the first cluster in a close battle, however, they came ready to go and ended up edging both Mayfair and La Mirada in order to create a three-way tie for first place! Our boys were our only team to finish second, however, they ran to the second fastest time in school history since 1982 with a 1-7 gap of 38 seconds and a 2-7 gap of 15 seconds. We ended up with seven in the top twelve, but fell just a bit short. Regardless, it was a good day and the pho at the end and a stop at Micasa were the perfect cherries on top.

~:[Day 285]:~ Sweet Sensations

~:[Day 285]:~ Sweet Sensations

It't that time of year again, Homecoming. Around campus, the buzz is in the air and people are asking each other left and right. What is this madness? I remember just handing over a bouquet of flowers and asking, very simply. I do admit, I had one or two more interesting ways to ask, but for the most part, I just asked. Now, they come up with these extravagant plans and make it so incredible difficult for everyone else who simply wants to ask. Regardless, today was quite the busy day with an amazing stretch of speeches (I've been impressed with this year's group so far), a good practice, a nice time setting up the course with dinner after, as well as a good night catching up with friends, and booking my trip to Atlanta for Clara C's concert, it's official. It's great when you are able to book a flight using a eVoucher you got for free :) ... in any case, it was a great day and you definitely can't complain with the sweet smell in the air. Now, only if that storm tomorrow will disappear at 10am, as promised and then hold off until after 6pm. I always feel like a weather man/storm watcher during XC season :)

Travel Season
November 14-15 - Atlanta
November 18-20/21 - Las Vegas
November 29 - December 1 - San Francisco
December 7-9 - Albuquerque, NM
December 26-29 - San Diego
January 10-13 (TENT) - New York
February 10-17 - Washington DC
March 2-9 - New York

~:[Day 284]:~ The Way to End the Day

~:[Day 284]:~ The Way to End the Day

It's always tough to go through a long day, but it's always wonderful when you find a good way to end the day. While today ended up being a fairly good day, it still was exhausting. Pork over rice and a milk tea boba with egg pudding was just what the doctor ordered. It may have added a half a pound or pound to my "biggest loser challenge" weight, but I think I deserved this one :) ... imo ... in any case, I began recruiting for Ragnar Relay! Last year was a blast and I hope I can gather at least one team for the next one! While I want one competitive team and one recreational yet competitive team, I'll be happy with just the chance to compete again, thus, one team would be acceptable :) Any takers???

~:[Day 283]:~ Priceless

~:[Day 283]:~ Priceless

For the past few years, I've been sponsoring a child in Thailand. It's really cool since I get messages and drawings from her from time to time and also get to write to her. While she cannot write yet, it still very nice to see her drawings, which have improved drastically since the first letter she wrote to me. While I still wonder if most if not all of my money is going to help her out, I still am comforted in knowing that at least I can help in some way.

~:[Day 282]:~ It's All About Presentation

~:[Day 282]:~ It's All About Presentation

Today was all about presentation. It was definitely a cleaning day and working on making things more presentable. I started by cleaning up my room, doing my laundry and putting it away, cleaning up my old computer for my mother, then dressing up sashimi-grade blue finned tuna that I got from Julie to make it presentable for the picture she asked me to take! Unfortunately, I did not have any greens to add in, but I made due with what I had and hopefully this will satisfy your need! Thank you so much for it though, it was so delicious! I ended the night with a trip to Disneyland. I felt blind most of the night, however, I think I was just tired. In any case, I was not the one who was blind *uhem* when we were at the churro cart. Oh well, maybe one day it will all work out :)

~:[Day 281]:~ Breaking Through

~:[Day 281]:~ Breaking Through

Despite missing three athletes with our top seven PRs coming into the meet, our boys nearly knocked out the fastest time in our school history since 1982. The reason I say since 1982, is because around that time, we had a team that probably ran in the 78 minute range, but no team time records were done before this time. Regardless, I told my friend Gary my predictions for the race and the boys nearly came through with many of the underclassmen stepping up with eight of the top ten yesterday coming from my junior team. Hopefully when our full squad is intact, they can take down that team time mark. Our girls also were without three of their potential varsity lineup, but still managed a solid effort and have begun to chip away at their times, as we're headed in the right direction. It's always great to see how excited the athletes are when they reach their new PRs, whether on the season or in their careers and I hope that this can continue. On the day we collected 50 new career PRs and in the past four days, 78 total! I am not sure about season PRs yet, but I am sure that number is VERY high. With our races to go in the regular season, I hope this momentum keeps building.

~:[Day 280]:~ Doing Big Things

~:[Day 280]:~ Doing Big Things

Friday is always a wondrous day and today was an especially great one. In class, I felt I made a lot of progress today, at practice, we got what we needed done and presented our little contest to our athletes, and at the potluck and throughout the day, it was great to watch all the Homecoming couples starting to ask each other to the dance. While I still thing it's way overdone, it's great to see them scurry around to get the perfect plan and see how it all works out. Let's see, we had a fake captains meeting, a girl tricked into helping ask someone to homecoming when she was being asked, a candlelit path kidnapping, and then a glow-stick and Christmas light special. Afterwards, I went over to the "test kitchen" and enjoyed the rest of the evening with my friends before heading back home. It was quite a great day and it prepped me for a big day ahead.

~:[Day 279]:~ Never PHOget

~:[Day 279]:~ Never PHOget

You never forget the deliciousness of homemade pho. Tonight I was treated to a last minute invite to eat some homemade pho. It sits happily in my belly and I am only sad that I am in the biggest loser challenge because I would have eaten another bowl, for sure! I also stopped by the Nike outlet and pickup a surprise for tomorrow. Today, I spent most of practice with Dylan but had some time to talk to the teams before our race Saturday and to briefly go over yesterday's races. The practice was one of our longest of the year, but also one of our most productive, for most. We end our loaded race schedule soon and then comes our training time before league and CIF. Let's see how this all goes! Hopefully we can make this a season we'll never PHOget!

~:[Day 278]:~ A Bit of Spice

~:[Day 278]:~ A Bit of Spice

I spent most of the day setting up for our afternoon race and while the temperatures did not cooperate fully, we still were able to get sixteen PRs on a course that ended up being just a bit long (3.03mi). Regardless, it was a pretty good day, but I definitely was tired by the end of it. I ended the night at Thai BBQ and had a delicious Thai Basil Chicken and a not as delicious Thai Tea with boba. I guess you can't have everything, right???

~:[Day 277]:~ Double Trouble???

~:[Day 277]:~ Double Trouble???

Today, we had both picture day and back to school night. I call that double trouble. Picture day is always a horribly long process of trying to get everyone organized and ready to take a snapshot. Regardless of how organized we are, it always takes far too long with a squad of 120+. Regardless we finished despite the 90+ degree weather. I then put on my super-MUN suit (harry potter style), a smile, and went full force into my room for back to school night. My first group I addressed got only half my presentation before the bell went off and I kept talking as they walked out the door. My next group nearly made it to the end, while the last group got the gist of what I wanted to say. Regardless, it seemed like we got the message out. Can you believe this is my 18th year involved with MUN? Geeeeeezzzz! I am getting old! One last cool thing was that I met one of the first MUN students at Cerritos HS who is a father of one of my students! Isn't that amazing????

~:[Day 276]:~ Helpfulness

~:[Day 276]:~ Helpfulness

My IA (Instructor's Aide) is a wonderful and helpful young man. He does such a great job of downloading widgets for me so he can play them during class. Who doesn't need to play a game shoot balls into a hoop using angles? In any case, he, as well as my other IAs are amazing and helping me get the freshmen ready for their first conference. They have made my life feel like a breeze this year and I only hope that they feel useful in class and not compelled to play with widgets :P ... today, was an amazing hot day - 100+ which led us to walk the course for Wednesday but not run it. Oh well, I guess they deserve a break every once in awhile. They should try living out in the desert communities in California. Just at about 100, great weather for a run!