~:[CH2 - Day 151]:~ Golden State of Mind

~:[CH2 - Day 151]:~ Golden State of Mind

After a long drive up last night, we arrived to the California State Championships. Sadly, today was the beginning of the end for us and where our road ended, however, with an athlete that started in mid-March, qualifying for state in an event with a lot of technical skills is pretty impressive. The disappoint of not making finals on his face was heartbreaking, however, I hope he realizes he isn't near his potential yet and with another season, he will be soaring. He has come a long way and I am seeing a change for the better for him and hoping that this wonderful experience can continue that change. While he has may learned somethings along the way, I also have learned a lot while working with him. Thank you for the wonderful experience.

During the meet, I ran into an old friend, Brandi! It was great to see her and hear that she is working with the state office! We also ended up enjoying some food in Fresno. Always remember that four stars in one area does not always equate to four stars by your standards though :) While this was a great experience, it is sad that I will be leaving tomorrow instead of Sunday. Maybe there will be some spontaneous stops on the way home. We'll see!

~:[CH2 - Day 150]:~ Smooth as Silk

~:[CH2 - Day 150]:~ Smooth as Silk

Today went well despite the fact that I was exhausted from a long week. However, I survived the day and headed to UCLA for a day I have been waiting for for some time. Arriving at UCLA, I headed to one of my favorite places, Noodle World and then head back to Royce and picked up my VIP pass! Originally sitting with my students, I moved to the SECOND ROW just in front of Kofi Annan and was probably the closest to him as he gave his address at the podium! Kofi Annan was simply amazing and his responses during his discussion were inspiring and insightful. My respect for him grew and I almost fainted as I shook his hand and introduced myself as a Model UN advisor. I was so nervous that I forgot to take a picture with him :( ... regardless, knowing that I talked to him and shook his hand was good enough for me. After saying goodbye to my students, I met up with Ian, Thien-Nam, Rachel, Sonia, Melody, and Hannah! I also ran in to Dipalee, Kimberly and Madeline! It's always great to see how the alumni are doing and running into them and catching up with them at school. I posted two pictures today since I promised Hannah that I would say how amazing she is on my daily blog. She swiped us today, so I am willing to go outside my normal one photo post for her. By the way, she is collecting money for her mission, support her please! :D Anyway, after all of that, I jumped in the car with Thien-Nam and we headed up to Clovis and got in just past midnight for the California State Track and Field Championships. Our athlete competes at 4pm tomorrow. More to come about this tomorrow! Exhausted ... good night!

~:[CH2 - Day 149]:~ Award of Gold on a Golden Night

~:[CH2 - Day 149]:~ Award of Gold on a Golden Night

While today was crazy with presentations, making the video for Premios (https://vimeo.com/67249259) in the span of about 12 hours, holding practice at Cerritos and Artesia, then coming back for Premios, it's always a great night. While it's always a hassle to come back at night, in the end, we look back and understand why we spent the time to come back. We get to honor students who go above and beyond whether helping out, contributing to discussions, doing well in conferences, showing enthusiasm, or doing well academically. While many are surprised when they receive their certificate or medallion, there is no question that the deserve it. This day always will hold an important meaning in my life and will always serve as a lasting memory of Ms. Susan Megna. I was lucky enough to receive a medallion from her and know that one of the reasons I stayed in teaching, was because of her. A golden night? Yes, indeed.

~:[CH2 - Day 148]:~ What is that Stank?

~:[CH2 - Day 148]:~ What is that Stank?

My room had a strange odor today and so did the aftermath of my Korean BBQ. However, the day itself went well. Why is this the subject of this post you may ask? My wonderful sister knows me too well, that's why! No, I don't have a biological sister, but one that has been one of the cornerstones of my life since high school. In my wonderful gift of goodies, I received a bag full of toilet related items that will keep me occupied for days! How ever did you guess?? I also got two birthday surprises today, but simply the greetings and messages were worth more than anything in the world. No matter how bad the stank is in a room, you all will make it smell like roses!

~:[CH2 - Day 147]:~ Remember Always

~:[CH2 - Day 147]:~ Remember Always

Today is a day, I shall never forget. I was lucky enough to spend time with family and friends, I was able to travel, I was able to eat great food, I was able to get my boba, but most of all, I was able to share my wonderful birthday on a day in memory of those who allow me to do all these things. Who have protected my freedom by giving their own life. It's a little strange to have your birthday on Memorial Day, but it makes sense, as my ability to be born free was due to the sacrifices of all the citizens of this amazing country. Thank you to all those who have sacrificed for this country and thank you to all those who took the time out of their day to wish me well on my birthday. Today was extra special because of all the wonderful messages each of you sent to me. Just knowing how wonderful you all are is enough for me to be thankful on this day for all of you!

~:[CH2 - Day 146]:~ Whale of a Good Time

~:[CH2 - Day 146]:~ Whale of a Good Time

Today was a super long day, however, it was a lot of commuting time as I headed to San Juan Islands to hit the seas and see what we could find. We headed out early and had a 1.5 hour drive to catch a ferry that took another hour. We finally arrived at the San Juan Islands at Friday Harbor where we were able to eat some smoked salmon chowder and some amazing fish and chips. After walking around a bit, we hit up the Whale Museum before heading across the island to Snug Harbor to go whale watching. We had such a great group and met such nice people including our guide Spencer. We crossed into Canada for most of our trip and chased a humpback whale. We also saw a number of other wildlife around and the trip was well worth it! After heading back, I had an even more amazing crab cakes. I guess the Pacific Northwest has amazing seafood ... go figure :D ... the drive home was pretty smooth and we caught some farmland on the way back and a beautifully lit Seattle. I am sad to say goodbye to you Seattle so soon. I hope to show someone around here another time because it was such great fun!

~:[CH2 - Day 145]:~ Spectacular Seattle

~:[CH2 - Day 145]:~ Spectacular Seattle

With an early wakeup to make it on time to the airport, I made it to Seattle early in the morning. With time to spare, I headed to Seattle Center and checked out the festival in the park. I checked out the EMP and walked around the whole area, grabbed some corn, crab, and shrimp chowder (amazing), and then headed to the Olympic Sculpture Garden before meeting up with a friend. We then headed to the zoo, international district (boba, yes!), Pike Place Market (the Original Starbucks), the Bubble Gum Wall, the Great Wheel, the Space Needle and then Bellevue. By the time the day ended it was almost 24-hours since I woke up and to say I was exhausted would be an understatement. However, I saw just how spectacular Seattle could be!

~:[CH2 - Day 144]:~ The Birthday Boy

~:[CH2 - Day 144]:~ The Birthday Boy

Today was Makoa's birthday which is now the second in a string of family birthdays and in the middle of a bunch of birthdays who are friends of mine. What can I say, Geminis are just awesome :) .... anyway, we hit up John's Incredible Pizza and played some games and ate some buffet. Makoa loves that place, but almost didn't want to go after going to the 24-hour Disneyland day earlier. Afterward, we headed to the Masters meet, where we had one of our athletes who started jumping in mid-March. In his first meet, he cleared 6' and the past two weeks, he cleared 6' 7". With a little approach and form work, we'll see if that can change anything when he goes to state. He finished third overall and advanced to next week's meet in Fresno! After watching the Pacers beat the Heat, I finished my laundry and packed my bags for Seattle. I better get to bed now, as I have to waked up in about three hours! I'm excited to be going to Seattle for the second time, but this time for more than half a day! Hopefully the weather cooperates!

POEM: Plus One (At Last)

i realized that the only thing missing in my life is my plus one

~:[CH2 - Day 143]:~ La Dolce Vida

~:[CH2 - Day 143]:~ La Dolce Vida

While the school day and practice was a blur, my focus of the day was the evening. After running errands, I headed to the library to go to the city council meeting. Tonight our Model UN team was being recognized for their performance at the National High School Model UN Conference in New York! It's always great to see them succeed and I am so proud of their work at the conference. We had our ups and downs during the week, but ultimately because of all their hard work throughout the week, they definitely made this into a trip to remember. Afterward, we enjoyed a team dinner at Macaroni Grill and enjoyed la dolce vida and I even got an early birthday cake and celebration! Truly, life is sweet!

~:[CH2 - Day 142]:~ In the Blood

~:[CH2 - Day 142]:~ In the Blood

As a coach, you end up serving as a fatherly figure to many. Tonight, I played in the father-daughter game for NOC for one of my athletes, serving as the Okinawan parent. I had a great time playing despite being careful not to hurt myself in my old age. I sported this beautifully made shirt by my "daughter" which displaed the word, team loser. It's ironic, because WE WON :) ... Regardless, despite the competitive aspect, it ended up being such a great time! I'm glad I had the opportunity to participate!

POEM: Milestone (At Last)

a poem fitting for reaching my goal, however, i know that i can never be content by simply reaching a milestone, but must look towards the greater heights that i can reach

POEM: Eternity (At Last)

sometimes you just know that someone will be there forever

POEM: Morning (At Last)

every morning, be thankful for the world around you and start your day off with a smile

~:[CH2 - Day 141]:~ Dogsitting

~:[CH2 - Day 141]:~ Dogsitting

Well, I really didn't dog sit, but I did spend some time with Max, my brother's dog. It's quite funny because when my brother first got him, I used to scare him and make him run away. Now, he loves me :) ... today was another great day of testing. While I don't do much, it's great to have some time to catch up on things while monitoring in between walking around. We have one more day of testing to go! Practice went well except for someone tried to break into the track shed. It's sad how they have been vandalizing the campus and how they care little about how much hassle and money their actions are costing programs that can't afford it, as well as the school.

POEM: Spotlight (At Last)

dedicated to two people who i never say i love you enough to or give enough credit to; you are the reason why i am where i am today.

~:[CH2 - Day 140]:~ The Art of Happiness

~:[CH2 - Day 140]:~ The Art of Happiness

When people ask why I like Disneyland so much, I don't really have an answer other than, it's the Happiest Place on Earth. It's just a great place to enjoy and be merry. A pass allows you to do this, a ticket, forces you to wait in long lines and deal with all those people. Regardless, today, I took more of an artistic approach to enjoying the kingdom, as I was shooting scenes for a music video I'm piecing together. What a great experience that was! While it took longer than I had anticipated, it ended up being a pretty good day and I even got to enjoy a good number of rides and even won a Mickey that matched me :D ... the Disneyland trip was a great ending to a day that went pretty well with all the testing in the morning. While it was a little tedious, it was actually nice having a relaxed day where I can just monitor the class and not think about too much! We'll see how the rest of this minimum schedule goes!

POEM: Tending (At Last)

i'm always here watching your back

POEM: Rise (At Last)

our prayers are with all those suffering from disasters, with confidence and hope, you'll soon be on the road to recovery

POEM: Countdown (At Last)

traveling leaves us forever changes for the better

POEM: Discovery (At Last)

when we risk, we often are able to discover a lot more about ourselves

~:[CH2 - Day 139]:~ Into the Darkness

~:[CH2 - Day 139]:~ Into the Darkness

Today, I finished my first Davis Conference, as I usually am in charge of advising at UC Irvine, for obvious reasons. However, as we slowly climb into the darkness at Fort Tejon, I am glad for this wonderful experience. I was able to catch up with some amazing alumni at the school and got to work with our students who seemed to enjoy the experience. The city was quite a cool area with the campus mixing into the surrounding community. Businesses looked like houses and there was pretty much no separation between them. The conference itself went off track with their crisis topics, something that needs to be reformed in MUN at many conference to maintain the purity of its purpose, however, in the end, our students performed well, regardless if they were recognized for it or not. In the end, we returned with the large school delegation award with half our students being recognized. Our team will have another group head to UC Irvine next weekend to end our MUN season.

~:[CH2 - Day 138]:~ A Warm Aggie Welcome

~:[CH2 - Day 138]:~ A Warm Aggie Welcome

Today, UC Davis treated us well. From the conference, to the farmers market, the restaurants, the shops, the arboretum, and our alumni who attend, it was great exploring and looking around. Thanks to all the alumni for catching up with us! This trip has been interesting since it was my first and traveling with only sophomores makes me feel like this mama duck. In fact, this is what we look like walking back to our hotel ... me, one student way off in their own world, and the rest in some kind of order. Check out our photos on Facebook!

On another note, our high jumper was able to clear 6-7 with just one miss and qualified for the masters meet. He ended up in 3rd and 6th overall! 

~:[CH2 - Day 137]:~ Getting Our Legs Under Us

~:[CH2 - Day 137]:~ Getting Our Legs Under Us

After a morning of getting things together, we finally took off to Davis, hitting traffic right at the start. However, it began to clear out and we headed on our way. During my first "nap," I woke up to a stopped bus. Luckily, it just needed a restart and we were all good. Only downside was that we couldn't finish Cars 2 since the remote didn't work. After a few stops, we ended up in Davis. It was my first time in the campus area and I have enjoyed it. While it's quiet, it's actually a pretty nice place and our first meal at Mikuni was awesome. Sunny and Kent have done such a great job as chaperones and I am glad that they joined me on this trip. Any alumni at Davis?

POEM: Support (At Last)

sometimes those who are always providing support, need a little support themselves

~:[CH2 - Day 136]:~ Second Battle of Jepsen

~:[CH2 - Day 136]:~ Second Battle of Jepsen

I am sore for some reason. Maybe because I have been cleaning or packing or both? Regardless, I survived the day. A day which consisted of handing out MUN shirts, watching presentations, preparing sub-plans, doing a little bit of a workout, relaxing at Buffalo Wild Wings and just getting things together. It was a lot of little things, but sometimes, it can add up. Today it felt like it did. Anyway, I got to stop off at my favorite destination, the home of my good OLD friend Awk Jepsen. This is my second attempted at dethroning best looking Kendall from the most viewed post on my blog. Can he do it? Only you will be able to help him do this by sharing this post to see if he can top the list! Let's aim for 500 hits and/or likes. If we get that many Jepsen will ...

POEM: Under a Rock (At Last)

the world is not always a nice place, however, only when you risk, will you be rewarded by the great treasures this world contains

POEM: Ray of Hope (At Last)

even when things seem hopeless and you're completely in the dark, know that the ray of hope is just waiting for you to find it to brighten up your day

~:[CH2 - Day 135]:~ Calling All Models

~:[CH2 - Day 135]:~ Calling All Models
Fashionable, don't you think? Today, I struck a pose with our UN helmet delegation award. I believe I posted a picture of it, but never of me wearing it. I decided for today, I would model it for all  you other models to be jealous of ... take that! I call this move, "blue." What's even better is, I can turn left or right. In any case, the helmet is ridiculous uncomfortable, but so awesome to wear! I spent the night working scrip after rushing over from the CIF dinner since there was some miscommunication on whether or not we had scrip. While I missed dinner, everything ended up turning out alright and in the end, I got over my sadness, by doing what I do best ... looking good. Haha, jkjk :) ... or am I?

POEM: Perspectives (At Last)

music has a way to take you to places you've never known

~:[CH2 - Day 134]:~ Duck & Cover

~:[CH2 - Day 134]:~ Duck & Cover

In class, one of my nuclear weapons groups did a practice nuclear weapons drill. It was funny to see how difficult it was for high school students to complete such a task. When I was in elementary, it was easy, but as you get older, it becomes more and more difficult. In any case, their group presentation was a great success. Afterward, we had a good group to work on the steeples. It's great that we're making good use of them and it looks like they're getting the hang of them.

~:[CH2 - Day 133]:~ Breaking Down the Barriers

~:[CH2 - Day 133]:~ Breaking Down the Barriers

My once shy freshman begin their journey towards development as they are teaching the class for the next few weeks. They will be addressing different topics of the Cold War, an assignment that an amazing colleague of mine developed and I tweaked just a bit. In any case, the groups had some great ideas for the first presentation and when that happens, often, it requires the other groups to top them! We'll just see how it goes, but I am excited for the next few presentations. On another note, my planning for the next two weekends begin ... Davis and Tacoma! Yahoo!

POEM: Take a Second (At Last)

many times are problems stem from our inability to see things in a positive light; take a second, take a deep breath, and prepare for the great things coming your way

POEM: Difference (At Last)

no matter our differences, we are all the same and until we can realize this, we will never be able to progress towards equality

~:[CH2 - Day 132]:~ Blake Face

~:[CH2 - Day 132]:~ Blake Face

Yes, today is Mothers' Day, yet I am posting a picture of Blake Griffin. Why? My mother loves Blake Griffin ... so much so that she did a whole report about him in Spanish. It's funny that my mom knows more about what is going on in the playoffs than I do at times and always boos Memphis since they knocked us out of the playoffs this year. She also went to two playoff games this year and more games during the season than I did. SMH. In any case, after making breakfast, I cleaned, then gave my mom her present, which she loved! She was just sad she couldn't bring it to any games this year. She'll just have to wait until next year. Afterward, I spent my day watch Tiger win, the Ducks and Angels lose, and seeing myself pass the entire phone version of Candy Crush on my 40th day. I do not want to go further on Facebook, so I may just uninstall it on my phone. We'll see ... Happy Mothers' Day to all the amazing people I call mom and to all the others who are amazing mothers! The world is forever indebted to you all!

POEM: Ascending (At Last)

for that person who brings you to places you've never been and makes you have feelings you've never experienced

POEM: All You've Done (At Last)

to all the mothers, both biological and not, who have sacrificed so much so that your children are provided for, i thank you for being so selfless to ensure the brightest future possible for your children.

~:[CH2 - Day 131]:~ Leaping Above the Field

~:[CH2 - Day 131]:~ Leaping Above the Field

Because we had about 30 students too many, we had to make the trek to Moorpark instead of Estancia this year. Not including traffic, it is at least another 30-40 minute drive, which also means, I missed out on my post-race Mitsuwa linner. Regardless, we made the drive out on what ended up being a really hot day. Our sprinter PRed desite having to pull up to avoid anything bad from happening to her hamstring. She actually had the best start out of ALL the field. Our vaulter has been dealing with an injured hamstring and a sore back the past few weeks and battled through to make it to CIF. They started the bar above his PR, but he made a valiant effort. Our high jumper (pictured above), had to wait so long for his turn to jump, yet cleared all three heights without missing (one of only three). In fact, he had a good number of inches to spare so we're hoping he can continue that run. After our PF Chang's lunch, I drove home and crashed ... actually completed KOed for the night.

POEM: What Lies Ahead (At Last)

there is so much waiting for you; get ready for the best days of your life

~:[CH2 - Day 130]:~ Truly Magical

~:[CH2 - Day 130]:~ Truly Magical

Sometimes there are crazy times and days, but in the end, you can truly make them into magical days. Today was one of those. With all the madness at school, in the end, the day was great with a stop at happy hour for Starbucks, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Disneyland. The lines were wonderful at Disneyland, as the longest line we were in all night was the jungle cruise ~ goodness! Regardless, we breezed through the night and I was able to snap this photo at the end. Here's to truly magical days at the Magic Kingdom. A perfect ending to the week and great transition to tomorrow's CIF meet. Best of luck to all those who have athletes competing!

POEM: Confidence (At Last)

never lose faith in yourself and always remember what success truly is

~:[CH2 - Day 129]:~ Food = Less Problems

~:[CH2 - Day 129]:~ Food = Less Problems

The day went by pretty quickly with my seniors taking the AP List test, as I had only ONE student show up and the my freshmen in review mode for tomorrow's test. Practice was fairly quick as well, as we got in some steeple work, the vaulters vaulted, our sprinter sprinted, and our high jumper jumped. I also was able to get some cleaning done, poles transferred and ready to transport to CIF, as wwell as completing our annual CIF dinner. As usual, we hit up Olive Garden with a smaller than usual group. Regardless, we still enjoyed our food including stuffed mushrooms, calamari, spicy shrimp scampi fritta, zuppa toscana soup and my dish. the spicy shrimp vesuvio! My main dish was a spicy dish with hot cherry peppers and roasted peppers with spinach, pancetta bacon, and sauteed shrimp. It was actually a great dish especially when topped with red pepper flakes! I was looking for something new, light, and delicious and found it in this dish!

POEM: United (At Last)

this is only a small example of who makes this world amazing, however, together, we add our own piece into this country and make it into a country as great as it is; while we may complain about all that is bad about this country, we still are lucky to be living in a country that is so privileged and has been able to give us a good number of opportunities, freedoms, and rights.

POEM: Our Clock (At Last)

time is precious, make the most of the time you have

POEM: Pearl (At Last)

to that friend who has been the most precious thing in your life, you are not always told this, but you are appreciated every hour, day, month, and year.

~:[CH2 - Day 128]:~ Ragnar Bling

~:[CH2 - Day 128]:~ Ragnar Bling

I came home today and there was a package (not uncommon). However, inside this box was Ragnar bling! The first thing I saw was a "Congratulations!" certificate and underneath were these beautifully engraved batons! Our team, MooMoo and PooPoo, won the far out fashion award for the SoCal Relay in 2013. It was such an awesome experience and I believe it was our team's spirit that helped us win this award just as much as our fashion (or lack there of). Hoooorrrraaaay!

~:[CH2 - Day 127]:~ A Day in the Pits

~:[CH2 - Day 127]:~ A Day in the Pits

No, it was not a bad day. In fact, I was able to catch up on grading today and I also got a BOGO at Chipotle for teachers' appreciation day. At practice today, I did some manual labor, first carrying the steeples to do some work, then moving the entire high jump pit due to flooding on the other half. Regardless, moving it helped and our jumper was able to work on his approaches without jumping over any mud or puddles. We really need to fix it up ... anyone got a million dollars lying around they'd like to donate??? :D

POEM: Springtime (At Last)

the season of rebirth

~:[CH2 - Day 126]:~ Upper Echelon

~:[CH2 - Day 126]:~ Upper Echelon

It's always fun to see what letters come to my school for my athletes. Today, I was surprised to receive this one :) ... I guess this moment calls for my Harvard Track & Field shirt tomorrow at practice. It was such a fun moment delivering this letter. While it's only an interest athlete survey, it's still kind of fun to get - like opening gifts on Christmas. Regardless of the value of the letter, I hope the progress continues for this athlete, as I think this could be good motivation towards reaching that next level. Let's do this.