~:[CH3 - Day 90]:~ Last Minute

~:[CH3 - Day 90]:~ Last Minute

I wrapped up World War I today. It was a great end to a unit, with the students being able to break down the Treaty of Versailles and rewrite the treaty after analyzing it. With all going on this weekend, they needed something to grab their attention, so I let them do this assignment so that they could collaborate and then share. Lunch made my day today, as the Yoshinoya was a perfect addition to my day. I ended up running a bit today, as I slowly work my way back into shape for a few upcoming races and after coming back, my arch was throbbing. I worked it out and it slowly faded away, but the line for those needing their shin and calves worked out did not. I felt energetic so I decided to make dinner. I ended up with lasagna, shrimp and scallop pasta, and zuppa toscana soup! I had no idea what I was going to make heading into the store, but came out with this. Everything turned out as I hoped and was just a great way to end the day. I am exhausted and need to take a nice hot shower ... actually a bath might be much better.

~:[CH3 - Day 89]:~ Little Visitors

~:[CH3 - Day 89]:~ Little Visitors

I got a knock on my door and guess who it was?!?!? Makoa and Nala! Makoa is going to be participating in a jog-a-thon and he swung by to ask for his donations! I am so glad to see him involved in the jog-a-thon and hope he piles on lap after lap on that course! If you're interested, he's collecting donations now! The jog-a-thon is on Wednesday. Today was definitely a cleaning day but I have a lot of work to do still! After beginning the conversion for the basketball banquet footage (yes, I'll be editing agian soon), I got to work, then got distracted, then got back to work. In the end, I love to clean, because I always find money :)

~:[CH3 - Day 88]:~ Steeling the Night

~:[CH3 - Day 88]:~ Steeling the Night

I took a poll online that said my color was red and that friends often asked "if I ever sleep." Well today, I definitely did, as sleep stole most of the hours of my day today. I guess a day of moving things around and some good old sweat made my body exhausted. Today, I made it my basketball and Law & Order day as I lounged for most of the day, played with my dog, got my BOGO at Jamba Juice and browsed through my coins, as I talked about coins in my recent lectures during the wars. These steel cents always intrigue me and make me wonder, what types of coins are headed our way in the future?

~:[CH3 - Day 87]:~ A Whole Lotta Shakin'

~:[CH3 - Day 87]:~ A Whole Lotta Shakin'

Today is always one of my favorites, international food court day and while there were no samosas being served, I still enjoyed the variety and the amount of food they gave us. Since I stacked the food, you can't see it all, but there was plenty of food to go around. It was definitely a heavy-lifting kind of day as I moved all of our hurdles into the correct position, moved some palettes and also went to the weight room. What a day! I went home to catch some games and as I sat there, the house starting rocking. Shortly thereafter, a bigger quake (now officially 5.1) shook the house followed quickly by a 3.4. We have had a number of smaller aftershocks, but I guess it reminds us that after about 20 years of downtime, that the seismic activity could increase and that we always need to be prepared. Stock up on water and canned food, just in case. This quake was nothing to what I have experienced in my life even though we weren't far from the epicenter, but it still reminds us to be ready. Be safe my friends :)

~:[CH3 - Day 86]:~ Diversity at its Finest

~:[CH3 - Day 86]:~ Diversity at its Finest

It was a crazy day with an assembly schedule on the same day as a meet, again, but in the end, it all worked out well. My power point videos worked and it ended up being a solid lecture! During 4th, we got to see our class cultural presentations which included Mexico, Cambodia, Vietnam, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Egypt, China and Tahiti. It was great to see all of the wonderful performances, which were very good across the board. My class, the juniors, got a fairly tough combination of Sri Lanka and Egypt, but did a pretty good job with their skit. Our meet against Mayfair was one of the slowest I have ever been at. While we had everything in place and quickly put out (hurdles, blocks), it took the starter forever to get through the meet. It was quite unpleasant. While we did not do too well in the score book and losing one heart breaker by a single point, we had good overall performances.

~:[CH3 - Day 85]:~ Shedding Off the Old

~:[CH3 - Day 85]:~ Shedding Off the Old

I still am transitioning into the ways of track and field. I never really wanted to be head coach, as I loved the comfort of my distance team, but at times, sometimes you learn that things happen for a reason. I feel I've learned a lot in the process and this year, with all the changes, I have had to work extra hard to keep things going right. We haven't really made the progress I had hoped for yet, but it's getting there and the shed is definitely there. After spending weekends at school learning how to do a lot of things, I finally can say I am mostly satisfied with the product. Want to know how it turned out? Come join us for a track meet ... let's say, tomorrow or next week! In any case, we'll get there soon and for now, I'll be proud of how far we've come!

~:[CH3 - Day 84]:~ Perfection

~:[CH3 - Day 84]:~ Perfection

Today was a good day. After getting through half my lecture today, I was able to finally get our starting blocks for our track. I drove down to Torrance, avoided the temptation to get shave ice, and came back to work instead. Our workout was a tough one, transition to more speed work slowly. The kids are getting  used to it, but not quite yet. Afterward, I got some tacos for taco Tuesday, headed home, and also had spicy poke with curry! A delicious way to end the night. I even got a quick stop off at the Nishis which made the day even better. It was great to see all the older alumni today, bringing back old memories! 

~:[CH3 - Day 83]:~ Sweet Somethings

~:[CH3 - Day 83]:~ Sweet Somethings

Sometimes all it takes is a little pick me up to make things alright. The day itself was not bad, but Mondays are always quite difficult. You try to keep an upbeat approach, yet, you often find that there is difficulty in getting things going. Today, however, was a productive day! I caught up on grading, I completed most of my work for the week, I did a little tidying up in my car and the shed, and even got out and ran a little. With a stop at TapEx, a win by the Clips, and time to edit my power point, it ended up being a great day. There's always work to do, but it's a good thing that things are on the up and up!

~:[CH3 - Day 82]:~ On Stage

~:[CH3 - Day 82]:~ On Stage

It was great to see Anthony Chatmon again, but even better to see him on stage performing. He was quite amazing in his role as the doctor and had some of the most hilarious lines. It brings memories of his old days on stage in high school. He's definitely come a long way and great to see how he was grown over the years. It was such a blessing to watch! Thanks for a great experience and even showing us around a bit despite the fact that you must have been tired! It was definitely a great night with a nice quick meal, great company, and amazing entertainment that definitely was a great pick me up after a disappointed day in the sports world ... no more fantasy basketball for me. Thanks Dennis!

~:[CH3 - Day 81]:~ Chasing History

~:[CH3 - Day 81]:~ Chasing History

A late night on Friday followed by an early Saturday morning is not easy, but it ended up being a good day on the track. With a team that we pieced together, we found a team that looks like it will have a chance to take down our school record. No team before them has ran as well in the 4x1600m this early in the season and so it will be interesting to see if they can surpass the school record in four weeks. They were just 14 seconds off that mark, finishing #3AT in school history,  with one athlete who ran the past two days and another who had a race earlier that day. Regardless it was a good day. We also had a number of good performances throughout the day and with a lunch in the middle of the day and some basketball to finish it all off, it was definitely a good day. Can't wait for Sunday!

~:[CH3 - Day 80]:~ Into the Night

~:[CH3 - Day 80]:~ Into the Night

Today was a minimum day, but it definitely was not a minimum day for me. With the bell ringing at 12:05pm, we had practice, a short break, then back to Cerritos College for a night of track and field. It was great for the athletes to get a break before school let out, but of course, it was sad it fell on the day of a Friday race. Regardless, we had some good performances on the night in the 100m, 4x200m, and the 3200m. Despite not feeling well, our 3200m runner gutted out a decent time and looks to make progress on that time going forward. It was a night to fill myself up with food as I had Senor Baja after grabbing Yasai and TapEx earlier for lunch. I guess track season is officially in full swing.

~:[CH3 - Day 79]:~ Hope, A Penny at a Time

~:[CH3 - Day 79]:~ Hope, A Penny at a Time

It's always one of my favorite times of the year, as we raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As normal, my freshman make the big push to earn their music videos, but even more so to give back to others who could use the help. It started slow this year, but after telling them a story about why this means so much, it started to gain momentum. I was so impressed again at how the students were so generous or worked so hard in order to get the money they needed for this. In the end, my three classes collected over $2000 for the freshman class, as I do not have a fifth period class this year. One period had over $800 dollars, most of which was collected in the past two or three days. With the news of my car keys being in my brother's car and the start of the NCAA tournament, this trio of great events overcame the difficulties we faced at our meet today. We made a great effort, but fell short of beating Bellflower today. The distances were able to overtake Bellflower in all four divisions, however, did not gather enough points to overcome some of the point deficits. Regardless, it was a great effort and a great day overall that increased hope for a brighter future for those who are supported by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

~:[CH3 - Day 78]:~ Puzzling

~:[CH3 - Day 78]:~ Puzzling

I hate games. You download these apps and they become so addicting, at least to me. Well 2048 was one that was fairly short lived. I downloaded the game a few days ago and tried to figure it out. Of course, like many others, I had no clue what I was doing, but ultimately able to figure it out. It was not time consuming like clearing all the levels of Candy Crush, but it still boggled my mind that something so simple could be so hard, much like Flappy Birds. I know there is a mashup, but knowing me, I should not download it. While success in 2048 was found late last night (early this morning) after three tries while in bed, I continued on, trying to get a higher score and added over 5k points to my new high score! After taking our senior photo today, I made it through quite a busy day of making buttons, grading tests, and prepping for our meet tomorrow and this weekend plus Open House. Open House was quite busy and it was great to get a number of solid recruits for the season. A few of these students seemed quite excited! In the end, I stopped off at TapEx and plopped down in front of my computer to finish all my work I have to do for tomorrow's meet. Let's do this!

~:[CH3 - Day 77]:~ Happiness

~:[CH3 - Day 77]:~ Happiness

I could have won the lottery tonight and tried to find happiness, but it probably would have done no good in the long run. One of my favorite things about going to New Peking is getting the fortune cookie. I love the inspiring words that, while sometimes useless, can be inspiration or altering my thinking in life. As I read this fortune, the song Happy played in my head, over and over again. It played all day in fact and is still playing. After going through the day with a skip in my step after lunch, I realized why. I have so many good people around me who are so kind-hearted and generous and really push me to be like them. While many of them far-surpass me in that department, just the idea that I am around people who are always thinking of others makes me realize just how lucky I am. My students have been helping the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the past few weeks, my friends are always lending a helping hand, and my family has always shown themselves to be selfless and put others before themselves. I am not sure why I am so lucky, but I know one thing ... they all have definitely showed me to the road to happiness and that lottery ticket would not have been the answer. I can find that road to happiness and simply put, I find it in all those wonderful people around me.

~:[CH3 - Day 76]:~ Luck Not On My Side

~:[CH3 - Day 76]:~ Luck Not On My Side

Today was a rough day with me having to walk back and forth to and from school without the ability to use my car. Not realizing it until late, I ended up hustling over to school with some time left to spare. The school day went by quickly and smoothly with some proud moments. My students have showed such great generosity for such a great cause. They are raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and our three class goal will be over $1,500! Since I don't have a class in the competition, it was a bit more challenging to get the classes motivated, however, I am glad that they have given so much back. After spending the afternoon finalizing the work on the shed, I went home to do a bit more searching around the house before calling it a night. Luckily, my day would not end, as TNT signed me up for the passholder event on St. Patrick's Day! It was great to go into the park with almost no one in line, allowing us to get through so many rides. I went there by myself and met up with a few people, then a few more, then a few more! It was great to meet up with others and it ended up being a great day, even though things had gone wrong throughout the day. I guess you just never know what may come your way and you should always keep that positive impact, as sometimes, lucky may just sway back in your favor. 

~:[CH3 - Day 75]:~ On Display

~:[CH3 - Day 75]:~ On Display

It was not a pretty game, but in the end, the Clippers got their 11th victory in a row and Blake almost had a triple double, falling just two assists short. Regardless, it was great getting out to another game this week and joining in with the rest of the crowd as we celebrated, not another win, but another free sausage biscuit at Carl's Jr. as Willie Green knocked down the three to make it 100! He looked at the crowd knowing that he needed the three to make that happen and he made it! The rest of the day was spent working a bit more on track stuff and getting some classwork together. It was an exhausting morning, but in the end, it all came together! It wasn't a restful weekend, but definitely an accomplished one! 

~:[CH3 - Day 74]:~ Unplanned Amazingness

~:[CH3 - Day 74]:~ Unplanned Amazingness

I wasn't suppose to stay until Saturday, but I decided to just stay with my friends before heading back the next day. I ended up eating at the Fig Tree Cafe and got the Tuscan Bennie with the special potatoes (arugula, truffle oil, parmesan chees) with a side of house guac! It was a great detour on my way home and good way to start off the day. After some time in San Diego/Pacific Beach, I headed back up the coast and stopped off at school to finish off some work for track in the shed. It was exhausting but well worth the time knowing that I finished up some work I needed to be done. After a delicious dinner, I was able to relax a bit knowing that sometimes unplanned days are amazing!

~:[CH3 - Day 73]:~ Searching Around

~:[CH3 - Day 73]:~ Searching Around

It was a beautiful day outside and it was the perfect day to play the Imperialism Game. I made up this game early in my teaching career and have stuck with it ever since. I think this game really helps, as imperialism tends to be their highest scoring unit on standardized testing too! In my history/PE cross curriculum, the students have to find their clues and answer questions using a map, another skill that's required. In the end, I have to compile who gets what questions right in order to complete the negotiation portion of the activity on Monday! The second half of the day was quite adventurous with some interesting and intense moments that delayed me a bit, but I finally got away and headed to my friend's celebration in San Diego! It was a very long day, but a great one that ended with a cheeseburger pizza with garlic and jalapenos. Delicious!

~:[CH3 - Day 72]:~ Something New

~:[CH3 - Day 72]:~ Something New

The days of dirt flying into your face as your raced along the track are now gone as we ran our first league race at home on our new facility. It was great seeing better times at home meets that would be non-existent when people would be slipping and sliding around the track when starting. The lines can be seen, hurdles are easier to place, and overall, it's just a better setup. We were able to take home victories in all four divisions today and it got us off to a great start! I just hope that we can fill a few gaps in our lineups to make our team even stronger!

~:[CH3 - Day 71]:~ To Victory

~:[CH3 - Day 71]:~ To Victory

It was a long day. Even after all was said and done and practice was over, I still had to head over to La Mirada for a coaches meeting. The meeting just happened to be scheduled on the same day I had tickets to the Clippers game. It was sad, but in the end, I was able to go to the game and only missed about half of the first quarter. You may say that it's a lot, but coming from La Mirada a little after 7, I would say we made pretty good time, as we had to stop to get food as well. Regardless, the Clippers pulled out a great win against the Warriors and I am hoping that this can continue going forward. They're bound the slip up at some point, however, nine games in a row is a pretty good feat!

~:[CH3 - Day 70]:~ Just Lounging

~:[CH3 - Day 70]:~ Just Lounging

Sometimes you feel just like this, as if life is a breeze. You get to lie on your back and just enjoy the time passing by. Unfortunately, it was not that day for our athletes, as they were busy running intervals around the track ... around and around and around. My day was quite similar as I spent about 13 hours or so at school, trying to get things back in order for the second day in a row. The school day itself went pretty smoothly, just having to deal with all the little things adds up to long days. Of course, all can be cured with TapEx, Yoshinoya, and a great dinner! While things are busy, I still feel as if I am just lounging. 

~:[CH3 - Day 69]:~ Wrapping It Up

~:[CH3 - Day 69]:~ Wrapping It Up

I guess a few days after the trip, it's finally time to wrap up another NHSMUN trip. I took care of a few finals things today as I headed back to school and finally this NHSMUN chapter can be closed. It was definitely a great experience. The day itself was not as bad as I thought it would be as fatigue was not that big of a factor. It seemed like everyone else was having more issues with DST than I was. I also got back into the swing of things with track, as I gathered a bunch of stuff to try and get our shed in order. I wasn't sure what would work, so I have a bunch of items and we'll see what I end up having to take back. To end the night, the Clippers sealed their eight victory in a row, woohoo! 

~:[CH3 - Day 68]:~ No Place Like Home

~:[CH3 - Day 68]:~ No Place Like Home

It's always great to travel and see the world, but when all is said and done, there is no place like home. I always love coming home and having a wonderful meal to enjoy. I love New York, but still, home in Cerritos will always be greater. I had a mostly recovery-driven day, however, I did get out to get some milk tea and just some time to enjoy the weather I missed oh so much.

~:[CH3 - Day 67]:~ In The End

~:[CH3 - Day 67]:~ In The End

After a long exhausting week in conference, the team finally got an opportunity to relax. Our team worked so hard to get to this moment and while disappointed that they did not receive top honors, it was an honor to be recognized among the many schools present. This group also had the honor of representing their committees in nine of the committees with 15 of our delegates speaking at closing, the most of any another school during our session! This year's team demonstrated that if you work hard enough, you will be able to improve and shine on a large stage and that they did. They always have been one of the smallest classes and even had the least amount of accolades leading up to this conference, however, they shined brighter than many of those who came before them. They overcame so many obstacles over the past three years to get here and I could not have been prouder of what they have achieved. While some were not content with their performance and the outcome, they earned my respect and deserve nothing but the loudest applause for what they accomplished. Ultimately, they know that they represented Japan and the UAE as they should have and showed themselves once again as some of the most knowledgeable and most prepared delegates among the 3,300 in attendance! In the end, they walked out with a delegation award, but even greater, they walked out with more skills and more knowledge as they have grown so much over the course of this process. For that, they truly can call this experience a success.

~:[CH3 - Day 66]:~ Letting Loose

~:[CH3 - Day 66]:~ Letting Loose

As normal, some delegates had a tough time in committee, but I heard a lot of positives out of the students within the committees this year. I am not sure if that is just their evaluation or a true evaluation, but it was exciting to hear how they were doing despite their colds, lack of sleep and more. This group of students has worked extremely hard to ensure that they were prepared for this and worked on their weaknesses and displayed them as strengths at the conference. The night ended with the team venturing through Times Square, grabbing a bite at the Stardust Diner and finishing off the night with the delegate dance. Sadly, it's our last night in New York and I don't want to go sleep, because I don't want to leave here. However, I love home as well, so while I will be sad to leave, I can't wait to get home.

~:[CH3 - Day 65]:~ Diplomatic

~:[CH3 - Day 65]:~ Diplomatic

One of the best aspects of this conference is meeting from representatives to the missions to the United Nations. This year, we were lucky to get a meeting with Ambassador Jun Yamazaki who thoroughly answered the questions of the students and covered a number of aspects of their topics. It was definitely a rewarding experience. The experience allowed the delegates to thrive in committees, as this group showed how much they developed throughout their committees. After a difficult night last night, things went a lot more smoothly today and ultimately made this Thursday a good one. 

~:[CH3 - Day 64]:~ And So It Begins

~:[CH3 - Day 64]:~ And So It Begins

There are always mixed reviews on the first day of committee, but it seemed fairly positive as this did come in pretty well prepared. While there are somethings they need to work on tomorrow, it was a good way to start off a conference. Their ideas were very detailed and they provided new and refreshing ideas in debate. The day provided me with the opportunity to quiz them. While I still have to grade them, it didn't seem like the scores were too hot. I ate a loaded lunch at Papaya King and Pomme Frites. I am so full because of the meal. Unfortunately, Japadog closed down and it was one of my favorite places to stop off at when I was in town. Someone just recently reviewed it on yelp, so it must have just closed down. In any case, let the conference begin!

~:[CH3 - Day 63]:~ Step After Step

~:[CH3 - Day 63]:~ Step After Step

We took tens of thousands of steps today as we toured through Central Park all the way from Columbus Circle through Strawberry Fields to the Ramble and up to Belvedere Castle, We stopped at the Bethesda Fountain and over to the Alice of Wonderland statue before getting to the MET. The MET has been a difficult place to go to after being there so many times. However, I was able to enjoy some of the areas that I hadn't seen and a few that I had. We ended the night with Wicked, which turned out pretty great. I still was exhausted, but today was the last full day of touring. It's almost time for committee! 

~:[CH3 - Day 62]:~ More Adventures

~:[CH3 - Day 62]:~ More Adventures

After surviving a day full of adventures, Monday provided some adventures of its own. Riding the metro, we got on during the peak of rush hour as we had to navigate through all the chaos of Grand Central. We eventually arrived at our destination only to have to wait outside until the tour window opened. It was a little chaotic with their new "under construction" setup. We eventually got on our tour and got through the building including seeing a sustainable development conference and hitting the ECOSCO, Trusteeship and Security Council rooms. While we missed the GA Hall, it still was quite the fabulous stop. Our next stop was the Natural History Museum where the butterflies surrounded everyone. The museum always has great displays but seeing them 11 times, can be quite taxing on the mind. Thus, after a bit of walking, I found way way to the big whale. You all know what that means, rest time! The night ended with a study session and the hardest part is keeping them focused. They were able to do so as I assessed a group test today for a teacher on campus! The end of the day brought freezing temperatures, pie face, and of course, halal!

~:[CH3 - Day 61]:~ Standing Tall

~:[CH3 - Day 61]:~ Standing Tall

It was definitely a long day, but also one that we felt accomplished at the end of the day, as exhausted as we were. The early morning saw a ride to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The ride was actually fairly warm compared to most years despite the impending storm. After, we visited the 9/11 memorial and tribute center, as I was able to see the Freedom Tower almost complete, having pictures every year of its progress. We then headed to Chinatown for some dim sum and I was able to catch up with Sandy for a bit as we browsed around the area as it started to snow just as we wrapped things up. Catching up with them, we stopped at Washington Square before hitting the halal cart for the second time already, this time splitting it amongst us. We ended the evening with ice skating at Rockefeller, which was a bit crazy, but I know looking back, the students will have enjoyed every bit of it. Now I sit here exhausted and hoping that I don't have too much trouble waking up in the morning.

~:[CH3 - Day 60]:~ Up Up Here We Go

~:[CH3 - Day 60]:~ Up Up Here We Go

Well, it was a tough morning with an early flight out of LAX. With such an early flight, I was worried about missing people who were late. Despite a few sick ones and a flat tire (student), we were able to get through security on time, with one arriving a little late. The flight was smooth and we got in on time despite a delay. We were able to get into St. John the Divine and it was amazing, especially with their Phoenix art piece that filled the gigantic building. The students were in awe and this day got off to a great start. After touring Times Square, we headed to the Empire State Building and enjoyed the views. I even ended the night with halal :) ... it was a great start, let's just hope it stays this way. We'll see in a few hours.  I'm glad to be (second) home.