~:[CH3 - Day 334]:~ A Walk in the Clouds

~:[CH3 - Day 334]:~ A Walk in the Clouds

The weather was not what I had hoped for on a day I wanted to snap a bunch of photographs, however, the traffic was clear and I was able to get up to Hearst Castle by 2pm after a few stops up the road. It was completely cloudy at the top and we were pretty much walking in the clouds. I haven't been to Hearst Castle since I was small and it was cool to return, but I will definitely have to make my way back when it is clear. However, the trip did not disappoint, as I captured a few great photos on the beach at San Simeon as the sun was about to set. The drive back was fairly smooth and was able to get some delicious food for dinner in Oxnard on the way back. It was an exhausting drive, but one I do not regret taking at all. It was a great trip with great company and will hopefully have time to head up the coast again in the near future!

~:[CH3 - Day 333]:~ Hidden Gems

~:[CH3 - Day 333]:~ Hidden Gems

I cheated a bit with this one since I posted a day late. However, after spending most of the day prepping for the banquet, I headed to Santa Barbara for a quick turnaround trip. Since we had to leave later in the evening, we didn't do much in SB but did stop off at the Coronado Butterfly Preserve! It's always awesome to see the monarchs hanging from the tree and while there were not many in the grove at this point, I know there were many more on the way and the ones I captured were still beautiful! This will definitely always be one of my favorite spots!

~:[CH3 - Day 332]:~ It's SONday

~:[CH3 - Day 332]:~ It's SONday

While I was suppose to get away on a day trip today, I saved the day for TNT who return to the area from UK! It was great to see him and to catch up. It's so strange when you see someone almost every day and it changes to almost never, but I guess it's a part of life. Later that night, I met up with my friend from Japan who is teaching here in the states. It was great to hear how things were going and just to learn all about her experiences here. 

~:[CH3 - Day 331]:~ Giving Thanks

~:[CH3 - Day 331]:~ Giving Thanks

I believe in appreciating all that you have in life on a regular basis, however, I still believe that these holidays are good reminders to be even more thankful. I always enjoy seeing my family and while we may not do much more than eat, chat and hang out on these days, who needs much more? I've never missed a Thanksgiving in my life and I hope that rings true for the rest of my life as I hope I never lose sight of what's important in life. Today is always special day and I hope that all of you enjoyed your day as much as mine. I was a bit sore, however, as I actually ran the Turkey Trot this year. However, it has been quite a while since I even ran at all, so even a 10k was quite the challenge and it reminded me, I better start training. One of my athletes won his division and finished 16th, while my assistant coach finished 5th overall and won his division as well. After, I was able to cook up my chicken saltado for dinner!

On this day, I want to thank all the wonderful people I have met in my life who are nearby, far away and somewhere in between. Each of you have allowed me to do all I have wanted in life and I hope that I have contributed something to yours. I hope that we can continue to share this wonderful life with each other. I look forward to all the wonderful memories we have waiting for us and once again, thank you, as I am truly indebted to you for all of your selflessness, love, and care! Thanks for making me a better person!

~:[CH3 - Day 330]:~ The Last Meal

~:[CH3 - Day 330]:~ The Last Meal

It's amazing how time flies, but it does. It only seems like a few weeks ago that I was sitting at Canes and eating my last meal last year and now, we are already on our last meal of our Vegas trip this year. It's a great tradition to make this stop and it makes me appreciate the fact that I only eat this in Vegas. The trip was a great one and some great bonding time with my dad. We didn't get to sleep well because of the partiers nearby who kept slamming their door and making a lot of noise in the hallway. I know it's Vegas, but >50 door slams is pretty excessive especially when it's past 3am. In any case, we made it back through all the traffic and got to enjoy some time with the family at our first Thanksgiving dinner. What a joy!

~:[CH3 - Day 329]:~ Par for the Course

~:[CH3 - Day 329]:~ Par for the Course

We hit the links in the morning, however, since it was chilly, they had a frost delay. Amazing, eh? We had time to relax before teeing off. My wrist was still bothering me, so I taped it up and hoped that I would be okay. It wasn't too bad but did bother me a bit throughout the round. In the end, I couldn't hit my driver straight to save my life and shot an 88. Oh well, maybe I'll do better next time. After, we met up with JJ and ate at Monta Ramen! It's always a place we love to stop at and while the wait was long, it was pretty good. Exhausted from the day, we headed back but before I went to the room, I started to play, Deal or No Deal. I couldn't believe how much it paid out! I got three big payouts in the night from the machine, but the guy next to me won the big money. Good for him, sad for me. I also got to catch up with an old high school teammate, Roger. The day was highlight with a miracle come back by Villanova and a delicious final dinner in Vegas with my dad at the Bellagio after we walked to and from there.  I guess looking back on the day, it wasn't a par, more like my dad's eagle. 

~:[CH3 - Day 328]:~ Pawn of a New Day

~:[CH3 - Day 328]:~ Pawn of a New Day

My dad and I ventured out to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop from the show Pawn Stars. He watches the show all the time and so we ended up going out to check it out. It was pretty cool to go to, however, there wasn't much in terms of things I really wanted to buy. Afterward, we tried to save some money by heading to watch the Hunger Games. We got there just in time and ended up in one of those upgraded theaters. Empty but cool. We then headed to eat at the Lotus of Siam which is always one of my favorite places to eat. Before heading to the room, we stopped at the sports book and got in our bets and also played on the floor. Unlike yesterday, it was quite the profitable day. Because of that, I ended up taking the bill at the steak house. The surf and turf was delicious especially considering that it was paid for by house money. With an early rise in the morning, it means I have to head to bed early! It was a full and fun day! Hopefully tomorrow can be just as awesome! 

~:[CH3 - Day 327]:~ Moving Along

~:[CH3 - Day 327]:~ Moving Along

I spent the morning prepping for my trip to Vegas later that evening. However, in the middle of the day, I had to stop to head off to watch two of my athletes run in Jr. Olympics. It was great to see them both do well. I believe they both finished in the top eight as they zoomed along the course. Heading to Vegas was strange as the traffic was minimal and it got dark really quickly. I didn't have a very good first day on the floor in Vegas. Let's hope the rest of the week brings good things. Of course, while I may not have won on the floor, eating at Emeril's was definitely a win!

~:[CH3 - Day 326]:~ Championship Caliber

~:[CH3 - Day 326]:~ Championship Caliber

At the last minute, I decided not to head up to Fresno because it was going to be a rough turnaround for an event that would be about an hour. Since I made that change, I ended up going to our water polo CIF Finals game at Irvine HS. The game drew quite the crowd and we ended up with two-third of the fans. As it has been throughout this year, the spirit in the crowd was high and the game did not disappoint. In a defensive battle, the game ended up at 3-3 at the end of regulation and went into overtime. Unfortunately, while our Dons fought hard and made our school proud, we fell short of Righetti. We still were the runner-ups in CIF and I couldn't have been more proud of the team, the coaches and of course, our fans! I hope that the spirit continues, as if it does, it's going to be quite the amazing year! After the game, I headed home and continued working on banquet preparations. While I still have a lot to do, I am getting closer to finishing things that I normally do not complete for a few weeks down the road. Heck, I even finished the introduction titling for our video and already converted all the video! Can you believe that?

~:[CH3 - Day 325]:~ Ballin' it Up

~:[CH3 - Day 325]:~ Ballin' it Up

Alumni/Staff Games is always a fun day. It was even more fun, as the crowds filled the stands more than ever before! Of course, before all that could happen, I had to survive the craziness of the day. After finishing up our Columbus Trial and the Production Possibility Curves Quiz, our classes made cards to people they were thankful for! It's always a great assignment and an opportunity to have the students thing about what they are thankful for. In the Columbus Trial, Columbus was found guilty on 3 of the 6 counts against him among the three periods with the defense winning twice and the prosecution once. After class, I had to go get the senior privilege items which was apple pie this year. In the past, they bought pies and distributed them, but they ended up being a challenge to hand out, so we used McDonalds. It may not have been the best, but it was something and a relatively quick handout. I then was able to prep for the game. In the teachers game, the staff was down big as the freshman were sinking 3-pointers all game. However, the staff battled back and got a few favorable calls in order to seal the comeback victory! The coaches faced the JV team and despite the close battle, the coaches pulled away enough and kept the comeback at bay. In the game, I took two charges, the second of which left my wrist in pain (I'll check it out soon). I also got to play in the girls alumni vs varsity game. The girls varsity team was strong and was able to handle us and the alumni. The varsity boys faced their alumni and despite a furious comeback from the alumni, the varsity team was able to fend them off. It was an exhausting day, but still ended up heading out to Lazy Dog for a post-game meal. It was nice catching up again and look forward to this great season!

~:[CH3 - Day 324]:~ Order, Order in the Courtroom

~:[CH3 - Day 324]:~ Order, Order in the Courtroom

It always is a joy to watch the students grow. Through just the first few months, the students have really shown their growth in our recent exploration simulation. Our prosecution lit up the competition with their amazing opening and really showed us the skills they are starting to develop. It was definitely a fun day in the courtroom and we'll see how the rest of this case goes. After practice, our team went to go support the frosh/soph girls basketball team before heading to our team outing at BWW. It was definitely a good idea to have a post-season outing as everyone had a great time. All I can leave you with is two words that made it great ... mango habanero!

~:[CH3 - Day 323]:~ My Buddy Andrew

~:[CH3 - Day 323]:~ My Buddy Andrew

My buddy Andrew just got off work and fought through traffic for a last minute catch up meal at Kariya. It was cool to catch up considering we hadn't hung out in weeks if not months. It's always great to catch up with Andrew and glad the things are going well for him! My day kind of breezed on by without anything special coming up. After collecting the last of the on-time banquet forms and selling out our initial seats. Looks like we'll have to request more! I also had a short practice before heading to scrip after school. Since it was fairly quiet, I was able to catch up on the Clippers game. The time passed by fairly slowly, but in the end, it was a pretty easy session. Regardless, it was a good day and nice to catch up with a great friend!

~:[CH3 - Day 322]:~ STRIIIIIIKKKEEE

~:[CH3 - Day 322]:~ STRIIIIIIKKKEEE

It's that time of year again. All those who were members of past Nationals teams probably know this well. Now with Google Docs, they can keep track of their strikes live, which make it even more interesting. However, it's always good as it keeps me on top of things and focused on making sure I don't fall behind on my checks. It was a little nice to go home earlier than usual. While I still was doing cross country stuff, I was able to focus on that and try to prep for our banquet. I figure, if I can do most of this work now, then I won't have to worry about it later on :)! So far, so good! In the end, I got to sleep an hour earlier than normal and when that happens, life is good. 

~:[CH3 - Day 321]:~ A Glimpse

~:[CH3 - Day 321]:~ A Glimpse

While we were only there for a short while, it was cool to see the future of our district's program battling it out. We ended up at Haskell for their annual race with the district schools. It's always fun to take pictures of them now and post them to our team page when they are older. The day itself went pretty smoothly for a Monday. My stomach was giving me issues from the start of the day but settled down by the end of the day. I guess milk tea does a body good, because somehow it ended up settling my stomach. In any case, I made it through the crazy day which was mostly focused on collecting banquet sign ups! Pweh! We're down to about 20 spots now, so we should be in pretty good shape! I ended up ordering everything I needed for the banquet and am on track to get everything done on time, yahoo! Somehow, I already started converting video for the video presentation, what????? That never happens! In any case, maybe for once I won't be stressed out before the banquet ... yeah, maybe not.

~:[CH3 - Day 320]:~ Feeling Fishy

~:[CH3 - Day 320]:~ Feeling Fishy

It felt a little weird with nothing on the agenda, but as the days go by, I believe it will feel more and more like this. After cross country season ends, I end up with a bit more time and days like these where I need to start planning things on. I spent the day cleaning up some of my photo files, paperwork for cross country, and watching the Packers wreck the Eagles. Of course, I also started planning and thinking about my multitude of trips coming up ... Fresno, Vegas, California Coast, Utah, San Francisco, San Diego, Orlando, Vancouver, Seattle, New York, and Chicago. I will see what I am able to fit in other than those, but it should be quite the ride going forward. I ended the night with a beautiful layout of sashimi and topped it all off with uni. How can you beat that?

~:[CH3 - Day 319]:~ All About the Team

~:[CH3 - Day 319]:~ All About the Team

It was a bright and early morning as we headed to the bus, however, as I checked off the name, we were all ready to go pretty promptly. It was a great start to what ended up being the last day of the season. If I could change anything about this past week, it would only be that it would not be our last. The group I had to work with this week was amazing. I enjoyed the events, the practices, and even the race alongside them. With a range of different personalities, they meshed pretty well and am glad that we had this opportunity. While we are not going to log a CIF Finals year or even an all-time team mark, I think this year's CIF team understood - it's all about the team. They grew together, they adapted together, they healed together and ultimately, they figured it out. At the end of the day, the hugs and smile were a plenty. I couldn't have been more proud and am so happy for all the work that they put in. For some, their season was not what they had hoped it would be, for others, it was ground breaking, but regardless, they should all be proud, as in the end, we grew together and anchored this program with the roots of success. Thank you to all the athletes, parents, coaches, and other supporters including our incredible principal who was on site, who made this season a success!

~:[CH3 - Day 318]:~ Spice

~:[CH3 - Day 318]:~ Spice

I once again went to one of my go to places, Northern Cafe. While it only has been open for a bit, having one of my favorite dishes has drawn me in. Of course, the pile of chiles left on the plate makes for an interesting looking challenge. Regardless, I am smart enough to toss them but not to avoid this dish. It was our last day before CIF and it's amazing how fast this season flew by. Regardless, this week has been the best of the season and I have enjoyed working with this year's CIF group. While we had a tough draw in heats, I am proud of my group no matter what happens tomorrow, as it's not about where you place or even the time you run, but the effort you pour into it and how you do it. My hope is that they all see this and can be proud of any effort they produce tomorrow. I spent the rest of the night, writing a message to them with their annual poem and catching up the rest and relaxation I've been missing out on lately. What a lovely Friday!

~:[CH3 - Day 317]:~ Celebrating into the Night

~:[CH3 - Day 317]:~ Celebrating into the Night

My seniors continued the reality of budgeting and finances as they closed out their final day tabulating their family incomes and will present their budgets tomorrow. I feel as if they gained a lot of this assignment as usual and hope they become financially responsible adults. After covering the reformation, I was able to grab some Northern Cafe for lunch. While I had a DAO Workshop at lunch, my cross country athletes came in to sign their cards to each other at lunch (which they've done all week). It was great to celebrate with them all at another fun-filled evening. I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience and hope that this group has a great finish to this season. While we eventually left, it was great to see everyone hanging around to take photos with each other. These are the types of nights that you'll remember and am glad that I got to spend it with such wonderful people.

~:[CH3 - Day 316]:~ Signing My Life Away

~:[CH3 - Day 316]:~ Signing My Life Away

I was a bit tired going into the day, as a Tuesday day off meant a full day indeed. However, I made it through and successfully completed a number of tasks that I set out to do on the day. Our athletes blasted through a workout including one of our best performances of the season as a team for this workout we did today. It was late by the time I headed home, but still, I was determined to sit down after our meeting and finish off signing all the cards that we have every year for CIF. I grabbed my markers and began signing and before the stroke of midnight, I was able to complete all 37 cards! While they were not as neat and thoughtful as I had hoped for, I got the messages across and finished within the evening. I was overjoyed to see people so eager to sign these cards and hope that the messages bring joy into each others lives and continues this wonderful week that we are having. 

~:[CH3 - Day 315]:~ A Salute to You

~:[CH3 - Day 315]:~ A Salute to You

Our freedom to do what we are able to do today would not have been possible without the help of all the veterans who have served our country and for that, I salute you. You deserve nothing but the best and appreciate the ability to remember that on this special day, although it is something we should remember daily. Veteran's Day ended up falling on a Tuesday, which led to a strang mid-week day off, however, it was quite nice. I ended up cleaning in the morning and then I headed to Disneyland in the afternoon to a packed park. It started to die down later in the evening, however, still a bit more crowded than I usually like. Afterward we stopped at Pho 2000 to grab a perfect meal for the chilly evening. I ended up watching Interstellar to end the night. The movie was quite long and was slow at the start, I guess for a reason. If you're going to watch it, just make sure you pay attention to as many fine details as possible as you'll need them to try and figure it all out. 

~:[CH3 - Day 314]:~ Time to Share

~:[CH3 - Day 314]:~ Time to Share

In our Econ class, the idea of planning our futures was the issue of the day. While it was a harsh reality for the group, it also was a good lesson for them to learn so early on in life. Throughout the period, I heard complaints about how much money they had and their dream vacations turned into, how can I make this as affordable as possible. As I worked my way through Renaissance paintings in World/MUN, I headed to practice to one of my favorite days of the year. Every year we get to write cards to each of our teammates and coaches. While the messages are normally short, just getting the time to share a few kinds words with those you spend so much time with is amazing. While some see it as just another activity, some take it true to heart and find great joy in spreading love and joy to their peers. I always love to watch how intently they work on the cards and even ask if they can stay longer to do them. In any case, day 3 of CIF practice has continued to be an amazing experience and am excited for the days ahead.

~:[CH3 - Day 313]:~ Child's Play

~:[CH3 - Day 313]:~ Child's Play

It was great to have a relaxing Sunday as I got to watch some football and catch up on a little work. However, all was geared towards a evening dinner with the coaches and a few others. It was definitely nice to be able to see and catch up with Grace but also have  all of these wonderful people in once place. It seemed like we had just the right amount of food and it ended up being such a fun and festive evening with great opportunities to catch up with each other.

~:[CH3 - Day 312]:~ Accidents Happen

~:[CH3 - Day 312]:~ Accidents Happen

It was great being able to sleep in today. I did not set an alarm and woke up when I felt like it. I ate a delicious plate of leftovers, got my car washed by the sophomores while watching Holly Matchett get soaked by her class, then caught the Clippers game on the television. What a morning! However, most of the day revolved around preparing for our annual CIF Night on the Town. Today we ended up at a buffet followed by K-1 Speed. It was pretty awesome there and we had a lot better driving than the last time we went. On Friday, we held a draft, so there was a little more inspiration behind the driving. Other than a few drivers who didn't know how to ease up on the gas around a turn or did not know how to hit the brake, they did pretty well. One of our drivers, drove into the barrier and had it lift on his car like the last time we went. During my qualifying round, I ended up getting the race time of the month at the K-1 Speed Center, of course, it all happened because of my spin out right before the start/finish line. The result? I ended up with the pole in the final Grand Prix race and came out as the champion of the Championship Division! Regardless of how that race turned out though, it was a fun night and I realized once again just how lucky I am. I have a great group of kids and am glad to have been able to race by their sides today. They're so great, I'm sure they let me win.

~:[CH3 - Day 311]:~ Can't Help But Smile

~:[CH3 - Day 311]:~ Can't Help But Smile

These are the days that you hope for. Days when you can't help but smile because you realize how lucky you are. Between the honor of reading out names at the rally for our team, to one of my favorite practice days with a great photo shoot and traditional run, and of course the draft, it was truly a great day. I guess this picture sums up the day in itself when you get a boys team taking this photo. My girls photos were equally as excellent. It was a light and airy mood at practice and it was quite enjoyable. While I miss many among the group that were no longer with us since it's now CIF, it was also nice to just take a deep breath. I have so many things to write about the day that were so incredibly awesome, some of them being so minute, however, just know that it was one that left a smile on my face and provided warmth to my soul.

~:[CH3 - Day 310]:~ It Just So Happens ...

~:[CH3 - Day 310]:~ It Just So Happens ...

By the time we held our CIF team meeting, the sun had set and it was very dark in the park. With most of the day geared towards today, I was already quite exhausted by the time I got to the park. I stayed up late getting everything together including the certificates, bibs, packets and more. After the wait, the day finally started and in the end, we came home with three league titles, two individual league titles, 11 all-league athletes (5 1st, 3 2nd, 3 honorary) and 19 in the top 10 on the day. In the end, it ended up being a good day and while we were at the park into the late hours of the night, it was a day well spent.

~:[CH3 - Day 309]:~ Restaurant Hopping

~:[CH3 - Day 309]:~ Restaurant Hopping

I was looking forward to going out to Tasty noodle House today after a friend recommending it, but the person I was suppose to meet up with got sick and so I was a little bummed. However, no need to fear, I found someone to join me. However, with some time to burn, I stopped off at Tapioca Express, then headed over. The restaurant is quite clean and new. The place had a great menu and I will be back to try more and everything I had was pretty delicious. The interior was clean and I can't believe I haven't heard of this place even though it's been open a month! I would definitely recommend that you try this place! I then got a text from a friend and ended up stopping off at Shin Sen Gumi. Despite how full I was, I ended up going and getting a little bit of food. While I wasn't hungry, I enjoyed the company and chance to catch up. I really am glad that I went out despite my doubts. The day itself was as full as I was at the end of the day. After going through credits and loans in Econ and giving out tests in World History/MUN, I held my first Nationals meeting. The day was already hard enough, as I had to release the final list for the team with a very qualified applicant pool, but preparing for the meeting the same day made it a bit tougher. It was also the last day of cross country practice with the whole team. After league finals, we will have approximately 110 less athletes, which will seem strange. The meetings were quite emotional (in a good way) and I think we're ready for tomorrow. However, regardless of what happens tomorrow, I think today was a win. A lot of the athletes as well as myself, got a chance to look within ourselves and understand what it truly means to have an opportunity and never taking it for granted. #becauseyoucan

Don't forget that our principal declared tomorrow Ohana Gold Rush day, so if you have a yellow shirt, sport it tomorrow! 

~:[CH3 - Day 308]:~ The Chill

~:[CH3 - Day 308]:~ The Chill

It was our last ice bath of the regular season and we pumped through about sixty athletes through them and finishing just as the chill was setting in. It ended up not being too cold, but a little colder than I would have liked the weather to be. The day itself was quite packed in. I went through all my projects for the year in Econ, we had review day in MUN, so I was able to get a lot of my grading done, I snuck over and voted, before picking up ice for the ice baths. Tonight, I also had finalize our Nationals list which made me realize, I had to finish the packet for Nationals. I then wrapped up printing the bar codes for our league finals bibs, finished the two quotes, and the banquet flier. I feel so productive and hope that this streak can continue. Of course, I am beat now, so it's time to go to bed.

~:[CH3 - Day 307]:~ Trekking

~:[CH3 - Day 307]:~ Trekking

While my students finished this up last week. I finished going through all the brochures and recording them today. These brochures represent a collection of over 110 countries! I was amazed at the quality of some of these and it made me want to travel! Every student covered a different countries so we were able to get a lot of them covered. My seniors will be doing a similar project focusing on the financial aspects of traveling to four different destinations! With my first day of Econ combined with my last day of teaching for the unit, it ended up being a day of mixed feelings. Top that off with Northern Cafe and TapEx but mix in an MUN simulation until 8pm and I am not sure what you get out of it. Of course, the Clippers ugly win was the cherry on top of the day. 

~:[CH3 - Day 306]:~ Falling Back

~:[CH3 - Day 306]:~ Falling Back

I had an extra hour and besides that fact, I did almost nothing that I had planned. I didn't go for a hike, I didn't go to the HKCon, and I didn't go to Disneyland. It might be the trifecta and I could have added another to the list if I included missing the Clipper game. I slept in for one, I worked on this year's cross country banner, I caught the Clippers game on TV, caught up with some friends at 302 and 85, and then finished with prepping for Econ for the whole year! I posted all my project information until June! In any case, while I didn't do much in terms of venturing, the day felt complete as getting work done and catching up with friends is amazing in itself.

~:[CH3 - Day 305]:~ Out of Body Experience

~:[CH3 - Day 305]:~ Out of Body Experience

It was pretty awesome to experience the Bodies Exhibit. I didn't realize that I would be so intrigued but looking at the complexities of the human body was so amazing. I was especially intrigued by the feet, ankles, and legs as I tried to figure out how it related to my athletes. For some reason when I left, I was craving Korean BBQ (just kidding), but we did end up eating at Korean restaurant. It was pretty good and was pretty popular. I then proceeded to prepare for our annual Halloween potluck. The noise level in the house made it difficult to fully enjoy this year's movie, however, regardless, I think everyone had fun. The rooms were divided so it was easier to try and keep everyone entertained and not forcing them all to do the same thing. From the movie, to musical instruments, nerf guns, basketball, ping pong and more, it was a great place to hold an event!