~:[CH12 - Day 365]:~ Closing Another Chapter

 
~:[CH12 - Day 365]:~ Closing Another Chapter

My family has always had a fairly quiet new year celebration. We don't go out into the crowds or have a wild dance party. We celebration in a traditional sense with traditional foods and family. With all the craziness of 2023, we forgo most of what we normally do and had a even quieter night in. I ate my lucky beans, watched some football, cleaned a bit, and ate noodles at midnight. It was a little sad not to be surrounded by my extended family, but this quiet moment allowed me to reflect on an incredible 2023. I think that the fast-paced year didn't allow me time to think, but now that I sit here, I think of all the special things I was able to experience. From enjoying the beaches of O'ahu with cross country to the mountains of Canada with MUN, walking the rain streets of Shibuya and just days later soaking in the breathtaking tranquility of Arashiyama before the tourist rush. I enjoy such a range of performances and was able to capture these incredible moments to share with the artists and their fans. I taught in a classroom far away from my own and walked into newly renovated classroom after having to move years of stuff out and right back in. There were many victories in 2023, but also things that we lost. As we look back on our own chapters, I hope we can take with us some of the most precious of memories with us, that we capture not by our phones or cameras, but from the experience of living in that moment. As while that collection of images may one day disappear (as mine did this year), the memories you store in your hearts and your minds will last much longer. Tomorrow I will begin with a blank slate on the next chapter of my life and I only hope that 2024 will bring as many blessings as 2023 did. Every year, I anticipate that there will be ups and downs, the successes and the failures, the victories and the defeats, but what will be ever present is the amazing opportunities that await you ahead. For each of us, this book is a choose your own adventure and I hope that you find that your path leads you to an ending that leads you to great happiness, success, and prosperity. As the year of the dragon will soon arrive, I hope that we can make our presence felt in 2024 as emerge powerful, confident and ready to take on this next chapter in our lives, page by page. Wishing you the best to you and your family. Happy New Year! 

~:[CH12 - Day 364]:~ Parallel

 

~:[CH12 - Day 364]:~ Parallel

It always interesting to sit down with people and chat. Although you may know someone in one capacity, you don't always know about how similar or different they are from you. You get to learn more about them when you get a chance to listen and chat about things. It was cool to see the parallels we had in various topics and how there were differences and similarities. I always like to pass on what I know in the areas I am most confident in, but in the process, I love it when I can learn more about the same things. When you find people who you move parallel with, it's nice, because you help each other grow by passing on knowledge, insights and experiences. I went home inspired to layout some plans for 2024 as I look forward to a few new projects that await and I even tweaked some of those plans I had in place to try something new. That's life. You'll find inspiration unexpectedly and learn something new when you weren't planning on it. As a running coach, I often see that when people are moving parallel to each other, you're trying to beat the other to the finish line, but in life, when we move parallel, when we focus on uplifting each other, we may just find ourselves moving to a higher level together. 

~:[CH12 - Day 363]:~ The Break

 
~:[CH12 - Day 363]:~ The Break

It's always nice to have a true break where you don't go anywhere and have very little scheduled. I was able to cook a lot of the things I wanted to and clean. Break also means catching up with a lot of the alum and friends I haven't seen for awhile. When hanging out with one, I ran into two others and it's always such a pleasure to see how they're doing and what they're up to. I wish there was more time to do this, but I am grateful that there is anytime at all for it. For the most part, I've been a hermit getting work done, but during the moments I take a break from that, it's always nice to have a little interaction and time to catch up. As I took the trash cans in, checked the mail, and finished up dinner, I thought to myself, this is what a normal break feels like. I didn't have any alarms, no meetings, and no deadlines today as I allowed my mind, body and soul truly take a break. What do you typically do when you have a break?

~:[CH12 - Day 362]:~ Keep Looking Forward

 
~:[CH12 - Day 362]:~ Keep Looking Forward

I decided to drive down to San Diego today as the schedule seemed like today would be the best day for me. They played one of the top 15 schools in San Diego and would need a good effort to take this W. It was difficult as their team got off to a hot start, taking a huge lead in the first and extending it a bit in the second. Our team battled back, but the deficit was too much to close as every time we got a bit closer, they opened the lead back up. As much as could be changed, there's no sense in looking back too much sometimes. You learn what you need to learn, you take those lessons and move on. It's not fun to take a loss like that, but what can you do about it now. With important things ahead, sometimes you need a short-term memory, so you can focus on what you need to do as you move forward. For all of us, holding on to things of the past can sometime weigh us down. Our fear of failing again, our past experiences, and more will sometimes be the factor that leaves us at a disadvantage. Some may say, they have a cycle of failure, but if they look at it, do they see that maybe their lingering in the past be one of the factors that caused them to fall short again? I truly believe we need to learn from our mistakes, but also know we must move on. We must shed the things that we don't need so that the journey ahead will be much easier, shedding things that will only weigh us down. In life, we're going to fail, but in life, we also have opportunities to make up for those mistakes, learn from them, and come back better prepared. Let's all look forward as we head into the new year, as we chase after all the things we hope for. 

~:[CH12 - Day 361]:~ Life in the Fastlane

 
~:[CH12 - Day 361]:~ Life in the Fastlane

I got stuck in traffic. I doubt that's a surprise for anybody living in LA. As I headed out to drop off my hard drive for my last ditch effort to save my data, I got slowed down. As I thought more about it, I was trying to rush there and back much like how I rush through things in life. When I travel, when I work, and in most things I do, I find efficiency and do things quite quickly. However, at times, it's important for us to slow down and enjoy the ride. Traffic can be frustrating, but it can allow us to slow down to see the murals on the side of the freeway, the beautiful formation of the clouds in the sky or whatever things we missed as we go zooming by. I typically hit traffic here, so what new is there to see? As much as we may think we will see the same things, life is never the same day-to-day and if we keep our eyes peeled, we may just come across something we missed previous. I slowed down this week, as I stayed home to clean and get some personal work done such as recovering my data. I found time to make a meal I've been wanted to make, wander around the house, and just relax; things I haven't done in the past few months or even the entirety of 2023. Yes, we do often live life in the fast lane and get upset when we're forced to slow down, but maybe we should accept it as our fate and just enjoy the ride as we cruise on through to our final destination. 

~:[CH12 - Day 360]:~ The Great Search

 
~:[CH12 - Day 360]:~ The Great Search

As I continued the process of recovery of my photos, I get to look through old photos and memories as I think back to all the great moments of years past. The forgotten images will become vivid memories as I feel the breeze in my hair and the sounds that surrounded me. It made me think about what we search for through our days during our lifetimes. While many will think about the studying they did and the work they put their life into, sometimes you wonder, what was the purpose of it all? What was I actually trying to find? What was the meaning and purpose of this life and what should I be in search of? I feel the toxicity of this generation across social media and the like, as it seems like a wave of negativity and judgement that comes out when things happen. That wave washes out all that you've worked on through your lifetime and makes you feel like you're left with nothing. I bring this up in part because of the recent death of Lee Sun Kyun, but it isn't something new and isolated to this incident. The words we put out there and the actions we show towards all people have an impact as they journey through their own maze of life. This maze is stressful, leaves you anxious, and sometime you get lost in it all and this added wave of negativity is exactly what we do not need. Even when things are going well, this wave can be what slows our momentum or takes us out completely. Why bring up such a depressing topic when I'm taking about our great search in life? It's because we can start this great search by understanding the challenges of our own journey and making sure we realize that that the journey of others is just the same, if not more difficult. Instead of adding to that wave of negativity, maybe as part of our journey, we can focus on being encouraging, supportive and forgiving. This social media generation is so quick to cancel, so quick to judge and so quick to assume forgetting that those celebrities, those athletes and even those friends and family are human too. Just as we all want to be given space to make a mistake, we must also be willing to show compassion. While we don't have to be their supporter, we can at least look to  help each other out by not trying to bring each other down during their journey which is already filled with obstacles. There were definitely moments during this adventure that were not perfect, but in it in those imperfections do these memories become more vivid. I think I'll spend the rest of my life thinking about what this journey of life was all about for me, but I hope that when I make that wrong turn, instead of being punished or chastised, I'll find a group of people that can help me find my way. As life is a great search where we find ourselves and during that journey, I hope that we can become a light for each other, rather than digging them deeper into the dark abyss. I hope we can pledge to judge less and support more; criticize less and encourage more; and instead of knocking others down, I hope we reach out our hand when they need it the most. So what has been the purpose of my life so far? After thinking through this all, I still don't have a clue, however, it has made me grateful that I am surrounded by those who have been uplifting, supportive, loving, and encouraging so that I can be one step closer to finding out. 

~:[CH12 - Day 359]:~ The Value in Words

 

~:[CH12 - Day 359]:~ The Value in Words

I watch those car commercials during the holidays and wonder, who would ever ... There's nothing wrong with gifting someone a car or something similar for the holidays, but in my lifetime, it's probably not something I would do. Even if my wealth increased and it became affordable, it may not be the choice I make for the holidays. While these grand gifts may seem fabulous, I've always cherished the thoughtful and sentimental gifts. The photobooks, frames, and of course, the handwritten messages. I got a few wonderful messages this year that I will truly treasure and while I will tuck them away and not see them for sometime. I hope that they realize that all these messages I receive, I keep close to my heart. In reality, I actually have rarely thrown away a card or a letter. I have a suitcase (literally) full of cards, letters, and other memories that I hope to treasure forever. Sadly, I know that some of these things will fade over time, but the reality is, they will not fade from my memory. That car may eventually break down, be traded in and the like, however, the value of those words will outlast that car and it's value and meaning will be greater in ten or twenty years. Life has taught me the value of looking past receiving any gifts and rather look forward the the wonderful messages, gestures, time and love that we receive during the holidays. While economic challenges may limit what we can give out during the holidays, I hope that we realize that there are still things we can give to those around us that will be of great value and may even be just the thing that they need during this holiday season. Instead of just focusing on the gift wrapping, let's be sure to wrap our arms around those we love and share the spirit of the holidays with each other. Happy Holidays. 

~:[CH12 - Day 358]:~ Our Traditions

 
~:[CH12 - Day 358]:~ Our Traditions

I can't remember a time that I missed one of our Christmas gatherings. As much as I work here and there, I always do my best to keep the holidays open, as we always have our traditional gatherings. This year, we had a bit of a thinner crowd, still yet, we had a fabulous time with our annual traditions. From grab bag to Santa and Bingo, we have our routine that makes the evening eventful. We changed it up a bit with a white elephant instead of our annual door prize, which added a little spice to the evening. Regardless, tonight was about seeing everyone, connecting again, catching up and just sharing these celebrations and moments together. Just recently, my drive with all my friend and family photos crashed and while I was sad that they were gone, at least the crash can't impact the memories I've created during all of these gatherings we've had. Hopefully, in the next few weeks, I can fully recover that drive and all those photos, but if I can't, at least I have something greater that a mechanical error can't impact. By night's end, we were all full and a bit tired from all the festivities, but we also took home our own folder of memories that we can cherish for years to come. Wishing you and your family the very best during this holiday season, as I hope you've been able to create some great memories with those you hold dear. 

~:[CH12 - Day 357]:~ Packed

 
~:[CH12 - Day 357]:~ Packed 

My schedule hasn't been fairly nice the past few days despite being quite busy. I've done a lot, but without a deadline, it feels nice just to work my way through things at my own pace. Today was different, as I know is the case for many others. After a run to Trader Joe's, I went through my stuff and began organizing and packing. I can't believe how quickly the holiday season came up on us and the deadline for getting this all wrapped up and ready is quickly approaching. In the middle of the day, I took a break to meet up with a few alumni as we caught up and chatted for awhile before deciding to eat dinner. I knew I had more things to do, but I decided to stay for dinner as well and glad I did. There was definitely a bit of nostalgia as we ate at one of my favorite restaurants, thinking about days past when I used to scarf this very meal down in class. We talked about how things were and how they've changed, we looked at what the future might hold, and ultimately just tried to pick up where we left off. It's always nice to have these moments and I know that there will be more ahead. As I headed home, I finished up what I needed to do, as everything was finally wrapped and packed away, but the ribbon on top of this day was obvious, as the break now only allowed me to eat and refocus, but it added more great memories to the greatest package that I have received and that is life itself. 

~:[CH12 - Day 356]:~ Reorganizing = Life

 
~:[CH12 - Day 356]:~ Reorganizing = Life

I rolled up my sleeves and got to work because I knew exactly what I needed to do today. I haven't had time to keep my own life organized from putting stuff in their right place to organizing my files and even doing my laundry, so today became that day. I knew I wouldn't finish what I needed to, but I knew I could put a dent in the amount of things I needed to catch up on. It felt good to break down boxes, open packages I set aside and just organize. Cleaning is always a chore for so many, but to me, it definitely inspires and motivates me, as it means that I'll have an easier time being efficient and won't have to go searching for this and that every time I need something important. Reorganizing may be for visuals, but to me, reorganization helps me organize my life. I definitely could make life easier and cut back on this and that in life, but in reality, I love what I am doing (and even how much of it I am doing) and thus, the only thing I need to work on is reorganizing so that I'll be ready for the next round of obstacles that lie ahead. By night's end, all my laundry was done, boxes were broken down, and I even escaped for a bit to pick up a little treat to keep me going through the day. I may only be about 10% done, but it definitely felt good to finish that much. Let's just see how far I get over the next few weeks! 

~:[CH12 - Day 355]:~ Let's Eat!

 
~:[CH12 - Day 355]:~ Let's Eat!

After wrapping up a photoshoot for the girls, I wrapped up the work in my classroom and relaxed for a bit. I sorted through the photos, changed and headed off to eat. It was a day where I would get to enjoy some good food with friends as we had one of our outings for the year. We try to meet at least once per year, which seems to be a challenge for me with most people this year. My schedule was so impacted, I had to wait to let people know when I could meet at the last minute. Fortunately enough, things worked out and we enjoyed a delicious meal at Little Sister. I guess food has always been something that brings people together and I love the fact that today was almost like a celebration of the end of the year. As of late, I've done my best to keep it simple and eat at home as much as possible, but today, I was happy to go out and enjoy the company of good friends which was amplified by the delicious food. Let's eat!

~:[CH12 - Day 354]:~ The Bigger Picture

 
~:[CH12 - Day 354]:~ The Bigger Picture

I am still in disbelief as the and-1 turned into a charge, taking a basket away, plus one of our main players who had five fouls. A no-call here and a no-call there definitely tipped the balance against us, but our players kept fighting. Another starter fouled out as we went to overtime and only a last second shot falling short sealed our fate. As they say, we may have lost the battle, but we won the war. As much as this game left these athletes disappointed, these are the types of games that help you deal with adversity in the future and in reality, the ultimate goal for this team is much bigger than this single game. Our cross country team lost at our district championships, but they stayed composed knowing what their larger goal was. I'm hoping that similarly, this team will also stay composed and focus on the things they need to work on to help they reach their end goal. At times, these smaller failures seem monumental, when ultimately they are actually opportunities to learn and grow when you zoom out and look at the bigger roadmap. The bigger picture will show that at this moment, there was a shift and it will be up to these athletes which direction they go from here. I hope that this game adds fuel to their fire and adds the experiences they need to help them down the road. When you look at life through a microscope, you notice all the smaller flaws we posses, but when we see the bigger picture, you begin to realize that its something less significant. The outcome of this game could have been much different with that single call being called correctly, still yet, it didn't impact that bigger picture and the path that this team chose to take, as they make their way to the larger and more important goal. It is only then that this team will realize the significance of this game, as it gave them the additionally experience they needed for this grueling road ahead. 

~:[CH12 - Day 353]:~ Strangely New

 

~:[CH12 - Day 353]:~ Strangely New

While I still had a few more days of work left, today was my last day with students. It felt a little weird to end the semester in December. In the past, we always carried the semester over into January, leaving time to grade and time to plan on catching up on what was missed. However, this year was strangely new, as I left campus knowing that the stress of the school year was lifted. I met up with an alum after school as we chatted about how things were going in life and our typical banter on sports. It's always great to catch up, picking up where we left off last. I ventured home and cooked for my parents, as the time I had allowed me to feel so free. With the way the year ended, I also volunteered to make the starting lineup videos early, so I got to work so that they could have something special for the game. It's weird how things flowed this year and even more strange how they ended, but as strangely new as it was, I have been receptive to it, as there are many pros to this setup. As I wrapped up my grading, only leaving some cleaning and odds and end, I smiled knowing that when we come back in January, we will start anew. Life has its cycles, but sometimes when they change, instead of that challenging adjustment you may think is coming, sometimes you'll find things flowing better than before. 

~:[CH12 - Day 352]:~ Wrapping It Up

 
~:[CH12 - Day 352]:~ Wrapping It Up

It was the first time testing with the new setup. With paired desks, I wasn't sure how to approach it, but I ended up using the foam boards I had in my room and creating a divider between the two desks. I think it made a good setup and eliminated the temptation of students to look around. While it makes me walk around more to monitor the class, I still enjoy the setup to take the initiative to eliminate at least one potential problem. It was nice to be wrapping up 2023 and the semester all at once. While normally these finals are after break, as rushed as it was, it will be nice not to have to worry about grading and the like. Since I took care of most of the grading yesterday as my late turn in deadline was Saturday, today was a breeze as we rolled through the process. I inputted the file, quickly printed out the grades and wrapped up my first few periods. I had a meeting before I went home, but otherwise, it was a day where I had time to do a few of the things I wanted to do. There's a long list of things I'll need to do over the break, especially tied to organizing and cleaning up, but still yet, I'm looking forward to finally having time to do what I've been putting off for so long. As while I'm wrapping up the school year now, it will be a few more weeks before I wrap up everything else in my own life. Let's do it!

~:[CH12 - Day 351]:~ Contrasts

 
~:[CH12 - Day 351]:~ Contrasts

I had a lot of work to do today. I sat myself in front of the screen and worked through the day. I wrapped up everything that I had not done before due to all the craziness of the past two months. It's weird how different today was than just a few days before. Our lives change like the season, sometimes gradually and sometimes suddenly. I wonder how much we change, but don't notice. Do we realize that we've become what we most despised or what we hoped and dreamed for when we were young? I always wonder where I will be ten or twenty years down the road. As while at first these seasons took so long to past, with time, it seems like they are passing by so quickly. Soon enough the leaves will shed and new cycle will begin, but how different will that cycle be than the last. Will it be similar to the days of past or will it be a stark contrast, only time will tell. I accomplished a lot today and while it may not have been the most exciting, it definitely was satisfying. As while I only stared at the beauty of the outdoors through my screen as I reminisced about this past fall in Tokyo, I still felt fulfilled. As quickly and chaotic as the final quarter of this year has been, today was definitely a nice contrast, as the pace of life slowly down, at least for today.

~:[CH12 - Day 350]:~ The Air Up There

~:[CH12 - Day 350]:~ The Air Up There

I was supposed to have a shoot in LA today, but our schedules were mixed up, so I ended up being free to shoot for the seniors for this year's season. It's always fun to have some fun and test a few shots out and see what they come up with as well. They were quite creative in their ideas and ultimately, we came out with a number of fun shots, although, leaving my extension cord limited me a bit when shooting. Regardless, it was definitely a worthwhile shoot and I enjoyed seeing what I capture when I went home. Later in the evening, I headed to Crypto.com after cooking my parents dinner to enjoy the Clippers vs Knicks game. It's been over six weeks since I went to my last game. It hasn't even been a though as I've been running around to different shoots and events, planning for banquet and wrapping up the semester which ends in December for the first time ever. It was definitely a fun game where I didn't have any thoughts of what I needed to finish when I got home. It's a nice feeling that I haven't had in a very long while between everything that's on my plate. I definitely was on cloud 9 today as I enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of the day. Yes, there are things to do, but I knew that I had plenty of time to finish on Sunday, so for today, I took the day "off" doing something that I chose to do. For some reason or another, I always choose to keep my schedule pretty impacted, but the benefit of that is that it's days like these that feel so much sweeter. 

 

~:[CH12 - Day 349]:~ Never Quit

 
~:[CH12 - Day 349]:~ Never Quit

It was a recovery day for me. My mind and body were in rebellion and didn't want to do much. I definitely was exhausted from the past month of work taking over my life. Regardless, I escaped with some great memories and experiences while producing the work I wanted to produce. There were so many moments that I could've just thrown my hands up and given up or taken the easy road, but I didn't let that thought even enter my mind until now. All my life, I've been raised with an approach of believing I could do things. While I have a good sense of reality in terms of what my capabilities are, I also know that even when things are tough, if I push through, I can do it or at least give myself an opportunity. At tonight's game, we didn't come out with the W, but the team never failed to keep pushing, keep fighting and never gave up even in defeat. It would've been easy for them to give up, but this team showed that they're ready for what's ahead, because they kept battling. I was proud of that effort and although I was hoping for a win on the scoreboard, they still got a win in my eyes. I hope in life, we keep chasing after those dreams. Many times we are so close and give up right before we get there. While at times, we make decisions so we can focus on other goals, dreams or responsibilities, if there is something we want and we still are capable, trust in yourself and keep pushing forward. In the process, there will be moments of failure, of struggle, and moments you feel like you might not be able to go on, but believe that you are strong enough and keep yourself chasing after what you're hoping for. 

~:[CH12 - Day 348]:~ The Backup Plan

 

~:[CH12 - Day 348]:~ The Backup Plan

It felt weird being at school, but it was a must. I was smart enough to plan a number of lectures today, wearing down my throat, when I would be speaking for the rest of the evening. Still yet, my mind kept wandering as I was thinking about all the things I needed to do once school ended. I did my best to review it multiple times before departing school and packing up all my stuff for the banquet. As always, I setup my computer, loaded the files my old computer and then burned a few DVDs as a backup. It would pay off in the end. While playing the video, the video froze (on quite a funny image) and my attention was drawn to the screen. I thought it was just a quick fix, but it was frozen. I pulled out my old laptop, hooked everything up and the video played through the end. Most of the night went smoothly aside from us running out of time, as I didn't get to play a video one of my captains worked so hard on. Regardless, the packages that were delayed arrived just on time, I didn't forget anything, and I resolved the problems that sprouted up. I always tell my students to always assume things will go wrong. I always have multiple plans in case something doesn't work and today, all that extra work I typically do, finally paid off. In life, we will find more success when we approach life with multiple routes. I always plan for the what ifs just in case something doesn't pan out as troubleshooting is definitely part of my job. Thinking on your feet is great, but it's even better when you don't have to think much since a plan is already in place. The extra step can sometimes seem tedious and sometimes goes to waste, but in those moments you face a challenge, all that preparation and planning will play dividends as you'll be saved from a moment that could be spoiled. Whether it's as simple as an extra battery or having an extra stop in mind during a trip, always having a backup plan has keep things running smoothly and has kept so much unwanted stress away. In the end, tonight I once again enjoyed the company of my wonderful ohana with athletes, parents, coaches, supporters and alumni. As we watched the video, I remembered so many amazing moments throughout this season. From the struggles to the breakthroughs, they are all pieces that I will take with me as I assembly my own life's puzzle. With the future uncertain, I definitely soaked it all in, as I recalled so many great moments I've had in my career. Life has Blessed me with so many great opportunities and moments, friendships and connection, and of course challenges and successes. As I take my steps on the path forward, just like tonight, I will have a number of options prepared and will see what life throws at me, but regardless of my plan and where I am headed, I know I will always be ready when life throws me that curveball. 

~:[CH12 - Day 347]:~ D-1

 
~:[CH12 - Day 347]:~ D-1

With just one day to go, I feel a bit more pressure as typically I have time to work through the morning until the start of banquet. This year, I couldn't afford to take a day off as there was a lot I needed to cover before finals. Thus, my deadlines moved to tonight. I made great progress through the video, but as I was on the final song, I kept running into issues (as expected) and had to reset between events. I figured out a solution fairly quickly and it ended up going pretty smoothly. I packed up the packets, wrapped up the videos and prepared all the backups. I was still waiting on two packages to arrive, but besides that, everything seemed in order. It's always a little stressful not knowing if you forgot something, but I went over things in my head to ensure that I had all the bases covered. For many of us, that D-1 day is often more stressful that the actual day as it's the final prep. By this point, it's typically too late to order something from Amazon and sometimes too late to pick it up, so you deal with the stress of figuring it out. I feel a bit anxious as things went too smoothly this year, but who knows, maybe I just figured it out and my tech actually liked me this year, Regardless, it was a bit late before I turned it, but glad I am able to get some sleep before the big day. All the prep has finally finished and now it's time for the big day. How do you normally deal with the stress of D-1?

~:[CH12 - Day 346]:~ Centerstage

 
~:[CH12 - Day 346]:~ Centerstage 

It's always fun to host this final day of our PE dance unit. In the middle of the stress of editing, it's always a nice break. This year a large group came out to watch the underclassmen perform. While all the performances were not as polished with some groups missing people while others have been missing others through the rehearsals, each group did a pretty good job of having their best performance today. I didn't expect a AGT (America's Got Talent) type performance, but I was definitely proud of the effort that they put in and the attention to detail each of them had. I loved hearing the laughs and the cheers from the group as each group took centerstage. Despite the loaded day with lectures and meetings galore, I still was energized by day's end, as I was looking forward to them all performing. I am excited to announce the results at this year's banquet (the first time we're doing it this way), but regardless of who ends up with the highest score and most votes, each of them should be proud of how they did when they took centerstage today. 

~:[CH12 - Day 345]:~ The Luck of the Export

 
~:[CH12 - Day 345]:~ The Luck of the Export

Today was quite productive. As I made it through the school day, I went directly hope and straight for my corner to begin working. To focus in right away is a key to finding success when you're working, as you avoid any distractions along the way. While I can be as efficient as I want, I am at the mercy of a few things when editing. One, is the general speed of the computer; two, the rendering time of the files; three, the final export time of the video. Even if I finish a day early, I am always at the mercy of the computer, as I must hope that it works with me and processes everything as it should. The deeper into the editing process I am, the slower the computer gets which is natural due to the cache and rendered files. In any case, by night's end, I hit another target and while I was hoping to get ahead tonight, I ended up right where I needed to be as I found myself on the lucky side of this whole process. Hopefully that luck continues tomorrow. 

~:[CH12 - Day 344]:~ The Lack of Vitamin D

 
~:[CH12 - Day 344]:~ The Lack of Vitamin D

I had not seen daylight for almost 48 hours when I finally went out today to pick up boba. I took a quick break from editing, allowing my mind and body to catch a break. I felt my body soak in the suns rays and really enjoy the refreshment of the outdoors. I do my best to walk around when my computer is rendering, but for the most part, the week before the banquet is nothing but intense editing and preparation. Earlier in the weekend, I finalized all the ordering, printed out a few of the awards, and wrapped up the photo montages. The typical computer slowdowns were solved by transferring some files that I didn't catch when clearing out my hard drive. Yes, I still had problems, but not the same ones I had last year. Of course, it's never easy spending an entire day or weekend in a corner facing a few computer screens, but it definitely brings me joy when the process moves smoothly and quickly. By night's end, I hit my target goal and it felt so good. While I am unaware of what is going on in the outside world, at least I can celebrate knowing that the inside word is moving along towards that finish line. The vitamin D revitalized my spirit as my focus was on point. There is still a lot to do, but for now, I can be proud that all seems to be sailing along. How was your weekend?

~:[CH12 - Day 343]:~ Processing

 
~:[CH12 - Day 343]:~ Processing

It's funny that I always choose to work on my old MacBook to make this video every year. As I thought about it, I decided to roll the dice with what I am comfortable with considering how long the conversions took. For now, it was a good decision as I have a high level of comfort with the interface. I was able to quickly work through what I wanted to get completed today and despite a late start, I reached my goal for the day. It's always hard to focus in all day as you sit alone in a corner edited and trying to avoid distractions. When the moment of processing comes, I take my "break" and hope that I don't allow myself to take too much time off. Typically, I am responsible and take care of business, but every once in awhile, I get off task and have to refocus myself. It was a bit harder for me to focus today too as the news of Ohtani broke. To be honest, it wasn't much of a surprise. He deserves that contract 100% and he was loyal to the Angels as he gave them an opportunity to turn it around (which they didn't). Ultimately, with his contract opportunity, he once again kept them in the mix, but at the end of the day, it would have been tough to add the pieces we needed with a $700 million contract. Learning later he deferred his payments, it may have been feasible, but with the contract of Rendon, for the Angels, it may not have been the best for the future. I pledge I will never root for the Dodgers, but will still cheer for Ohtani from afar. Yes, that is still processing along with my computer, but for both, eventually it will wrap up and when it does, I'll be able to move on. I am excited for what's ahead as once all the banquet prep is done, I finally feel a bit of freedom, although that freedom is still composed of catching up on work I have not been able to complete. Whether or not my old MacBook holds up remains to be seen, but I can only hope and if not, at least I'll I have something to show for all the work that I've put in. Twenty three minutes down, 37 minutes to go! Let's go!

~:[CH12 - Day 342]:~ Not Time to Celebrate ... Yet

 
~:[CH12 - Day 342]:~ Not Time to Celebrate ... Yet

I walked into the office and saw it all festively decorated. I love to see it. However, for me, this definitely is not the time to relax or celebrate, yet. As the year closes, I always am focused in on getting everything done for the banquet. It's definitely can get overwhelming from all the ordering to the designing and editing that goes on. On top of it all, typically all of the planning for our junior and senior MUN trip falls around the same time. When my computer was transferring or rending, I made calls, wrapped up reservations and got one thing after another checked off. It was definitely hard to focus in on working, but I was able to finish up the photo montages, get everything ordered, and finish up the intro and credits. With all that taken care of, the bulk of the video still needs to be finished and my focus will be on just that. I think many people are in the same boat. As we approach the holidays, as much as we want to be festive and celebrate, we have to decorate and prepare, shop and wrap, and take care of this and that. It's definitely a stressful time of year for us all and I hope we take a quick pause in the middle of it all, give ourselves a break, but also remind ourselves what we are doing this all for. For the banquet and MUN, all this work is worth seeing the joy on their faces as they get to enjoy all the work put into the event or traveling planning. For the holidays, I know that it's worth it when we sit down to spend time with our families and see the amazing moments we get to share together. So while it may not be time to celebrate as we work through all the things on our checklist, I hope we see the light at the end of the tunnel as good times are coming our way soon.

~:[CH12 - Day 341]:~ Dance the Afternoon Away

 
~:[CH12 - Day 341]:~ Dance the Afternoon Away

The cheerleaders danced to the song that goes, "watch me dance, dance the night away ..." and so I had to hear it regularly as I waited for cross country practice. I didn't realize why it was so familiar until it hit me that it plays on BPM pretty regularly so I would catch the song to or from school. Everytime I think of dancing now, that song pops into my head. As we spent yet another day preparing for our final dance off next week, it was fun to watch the development of the group and to see them doing something that is unfamiliar. While it's easy to do things that you're used to and comfortable with, it's nice to see them get challenged and take on something that they are not used to. Putting yourself out of your comfort zone helps you grow so when you take a chance, many times you may fail, but ultimately, you will grow to help you find those breakthroughs that will help you grow exponentially. For many of them, I've seen them turn a new leaf, arrive on new ground they've never been and have left me excited for their final performances next week. It's been hectic and crazy with all the banquet prep as I work late nights every night, but it's moments like this that add a little extra charge into the day to help keep me going. 

~:[CH12 - Day 340]:~ Limited

 
~:[CH12 - Day 340]:~ Limited

I chucked as I was questioned why I hadn't gotten to something. To students or parents, not updating something may result in them thinking that a teacher is lazy, similarly, when a student doesn't turn something in, the teacher may think the same about them. While sometimes laziness plays a part, today reminded me that we have to be careful to judge since we don't always know the circumstances that exist. For me, the past weeks has truly reminded me that while I can be efficient, I am also limited by the factors around me. In this case, the processing on my computers limited me. I set my computer to convert my footage on Thanksgiving and over ten days later, it finally wrapped up. Similarly, when clearing items from my editing computer, the process that usually is pretty quick, took a few days. The stress of this has made my schedule tighter and limited what else I can do outside of the prep for banquet. On top of it all, a few students dropped out of a conference, forcing me to spend more time adjusting the reservations, refiguring things and ultimately, answering emails and following up with them. The number of calls and emails have piled up which I've done in between classes and when I have to wait for my computer. Today, I reached a point of great progress, however, as my conversion ended, my transferring complete (as now I am just offloading from my external), and the number of reservations I have left to make is minimal. While there are a few stressors that still exist with a tight window ahead, I feel a little more at ease knowing that I've knocked out a good portion of the tasks I've had and solved a few issues that arose over the past few weeks. With most of the "other" prep done, I can focus in on editing the video and creating the packets for the banquet. These long days will soon be over in just over a week and then, my time won't be as limited. I figure that some students may face the same turmoil in their life. Maybe they work or have to take care of their siblings, they could live far away and have a long commute or have bigger issues to deal with. The next time I get upset, I just have to remember that just like the students and parents don't always know what's on my load, I may not always realize what's on theirs. In about a week, I'll catch up on all the things that I've had to put aside for now as I must prioritize various things, but soon enough, I'll be back into a normal sleep cycle, I'll be able to take a deep breath and hopefully, I'll be able to enjoy this upcoming winter break without worrying about these deadlines that I'll be facing the next few weeks. Still yet, when my own deadlines and stress disappear, I'll have to keep reminding myself to not always assume the circumstances of those around me, to show patience, compassion and understanding, as I may not know exactly what is limiting them.  

~:[CH12 - Day 339]:~ Dancing the Afternoon Away

 
~:[CH12 - Day 339]:~ Dancing the Afternoon Away

After a long day with soup kitchen (having made a chili and soup) and a meeting after lunch, I headed to the quad for our dance practice. Dance practice, you ask? Yes, every year our cross country team assembles for our PE class and holds a dance unit. What started off as appeasing those around us to cover various units of PE, became a fun unit where the students dive into something that many had no experience with and allow them to work together to choreograph and perform their own routine. Ninety seconds, limited repeating moves, but not too many more requirements. It's been fun to see how they've progressed and with only one week, I am excited to see where they end up. While I have been stressed with prep for banquet, it definitely was a nice break from everything. Who knows how the performances will turn out, but if I would have to guess, like most years, there's going to clutch it and exceed my expectations. They often say, dance like nobody is watching and going through this unit, it impresses me more when these students can do it when others are watching. I hope that for all of us, we find a beat that we can dance to in our lives so we can truly soak in and enjoy our every minute of our every day. Let's dance the day away ...

~:[CH12 - Day 338]:~ Staying Afloat

 
~:[CH12 - Day 338]:~ Staying Afloat

It was a bit of a frustrating day as I dealt with the constant questions of "can I bring it tomorrow," in relation to a deadline or others not following through on their commitments. I'm not sure if it's different times or just an adjustment from the past few years, but it's not the easiest thing to deal with as I think one of the most important lessons the youth needs to learn is responsibility. Regardless, I dealt with all, as I finished up the work I needed to do during the day. Of course, after my day was done, it was just beginning. I've always enjoyed Soup Kitchen, but the timing was always bad. I was gone for the past few or unable to make something and this year, I already knew it fell during a bad time. I almost didn't sign up, bit missed experimenting and whipping up something fun. As I headed home, I stopped by the store, picked up what I needed and cooked up a smoked bacon chili and the usual saltado de pollo, which I'll turn into a soup in the morning. I decided, why not just participate and take a few moments out of the day to destress from all that I dealt with today. As I work towards preparing for the upcoming banquet, wrap up edits for my shoots in Japan, and wait for my computers to finish their jobs, I got to enjoy the food I made and am excited to finish it up to share. While I wasn't 100% satisfied with the outcome, I enjoyed the smokiness of the chili and the sauce for the saltado came out pretty good without having all the ingredients I needed. In the end, taking on this task was the best decision as my mind was taken off all that weighed my down today and rather I was uplifted by doing something I chose to do and something that I enjoy. Life will always try to drown you in all that stresses you out and drags you down, but when that happens, take some time for yourself and do something that will help save you from the pool of muck. Find that lifesaver in your life that will keep you afloat!

~:[CH12 - Day 337]:~ Delays

 
~:[CH12 - Day 337]:~ Delays

I love efficiency. I typically have a pretty long list of things to do, so I do my best to make the most of my time. I always say that lazy people actually find the most efficient way of doing things and while I don't consider myself "lazy," I do have the tendencies that allow me to find ways to do things the quickest so I can get on to other things. Of course, the production that was supposed to happen today did not as my computer processing was not as quick as I had planned. I am switching to my "newer" laptop to edit this year's video. I have been scared the past few years to edit such a large project on a platform I am not comfortable with organizing tens of thousands of clips. This year, I am making the leap, but as I cleaned up the computer, I found that it was going to take much longer than expected similar to the conversion of my footage which has been running non-stop since Black Friday. Yes, that is over a week! Regardless, despite the delays, you find a way, you get things done and you reroute, reschedule and do your best to get to your destination as planned. In the middle of the work day, I stopped by school to congratulate the team as they came back from Mira Costa. I loved how hard they worked throughout the conference and how focused they stayed throughout and that right there was the greater award than anything that they can take home. As I always say in class, let's celebrate the awards as an extra, but let's focus on making sure we learn, we grow and we involved ourselves in committee. If they do those things, I'll leave a conference happy every time before the awards ceremony even begins. After a quick visit, I headed back realizing that this delay would last longer than expected, yet, I was able to get get ahead on other tasks that I had put off, before I have to focus in on the larger task at hand. Wish me luck on the next ten days, hoping that there are no more delays.

~:[CH12 - Day 336]:~ Everything Will Be OK

 
~:[CH12 - Day 336]:~ Everything Will Be OK

It was an early wake up call as we headed to school with about 160 of our students to Mira Costa. With both a novice and advance conference, many of our students choose to sign up for this conference. I always  warn my freshman that getting an award here will be tougher than at their last conference. We always have a certain number of awards at our first conference, then a drastic drop off at Mira Costa. Regardless, I encourage them to focus on their own progress and let the award be an additional benefit. I pinpointed that part of the issue is just the timing of the conference with fall break falling right before the conference. While others may have issues as well, I think we benefit when we have a bit more time to prep. Regardless, I was proud of how they performed whether they won an award or not. A few were great surprises, while others did improve even if they didn't receive an award at all. It's easy to get caught up in the hoopla of the award ceremony, however while still highlighting those who earned one, I also love to keep praise for those who worked hard and improved. I always remind them that even if they struggled a bit today, that everything will be okay if they keep working hard, keep learning and keep focusing on progressing as they make another step forward. 

~:[CH12 - Day 335]:~ Welcome Back

 
~:[CH12 - Day 335]:~ Welcome Back

It's been awhile since we had our sports assemblies. It's weird how things so commonplace disappeared so quickly. As they become reintroduced, it's interesting to see how things change. I think in some ways there were some benefits to missing these types of events for some time as the students seem more engaged and intrigued by the events rather than taking them for granted. It was definitely fun to see all the teams come out and get announced. I was glad that it was Friday and while I do have a conference upcoming this weekend, I definitely needed the weekend to come quickly so that I can refocus and get on task to get everything prepped for the banquet upcoming. The next two weeks will be focused solely on preparation and thus I will disappear for awhile until it's my turn to reappear. While there have been so many great and memorable experiences the past few weeks, I am not going to lie, as it was nice to be back home and find some normalcy. I will miss the cheap prices and convenience of taking the train to where I needed to go, but at the same time, it's nice to simply be home.