~:[CH15 - Day 290]:~ Squishing It In

 

~:[CH15 - Day 290]:~ Squishing It In

Awhile back, I agreed to capture media at a first time festival being organized by a friend. Little did I know that everything would fall on that same weekend. An event I normally cover, MUN, and cross country all had something today and the day itself was quite overwhelming to think about. I traded my MUN coverage, I had to not attend the other event, and I went with the team to the meet before heading to the event. Luckily, the event was close to the meet and the timing wasn't too bad. After catching most of the meet, I headed to the venue, tired from the 5:45am start to my workday. I was a little stressed knowing that I was fatigued and that it was a little warm. In the end, I survived. There was a lot that caused issue as I was capturing these moments from the barricade. Luckily, my entrance was near the stage and I causally walked from there to the stage. It got a little crazy behind me as girls were arguing and I kept getting pushed on with someone even sitting at my ankles, not allowing me to move much. Within the chaos, I made two new friends who dealt with it all with me. One was another media person covering the event, another was a teacher. My schedule was packed, but the area I was in was packed even more. Still yet, I accomplished what I needed to and was happy with the content I was taking home. There was a lot to figure out today to make it all work, but somehow it ended up that it all worked out in the end.

~:[CH15 - Day 289]:~ The Winds of Change

 

~:[CH15 - Day 289]:~ The Winds of Change

It was going to be a busy weekend ahead as I tried to figure out what to do. I canceled one event as it was an impossible feat to do it all and another, I figured would be too tough to make it. With practice canceled, I had a short break before heading to our team event. I found out that one event I was going to cancel, ended up being canceled due to the winds. In a past year, the wind blew all the tents and I think the organizers wanted to avoid that issue again with people inside. One of the performers decided to hold a late night LIVE performance and in the end, I ended up photographing it. After our team event, I jammed over to the studio and captured the moment. I knew that doing so would make the busy weekend busier, but I guess you just make a decision and in the end, deal with the consequences of it. I am not sure how I'll hold up over the weekend, but for now, I'm glad I took the time to attend even if it meant a few less hours of sleep. Mother nature intervened in this case, but in life, sometimes the winds of change help create a path that you didn't thing would originally be there opening up a new road of opportunities. Don't be afraid to take it.

~:[CH15 - Day 288]:~ Let's Do Our Best

 

~:[CH15 - Day 288]:~ Let's Do Our Best

Let's just say, this new conference has gotten off to a rocky start. With heat playing the biggest factor, it exposed the many issues with lack of communication, planning, and organization. Even before this whole fiasco started, we already saw that how they ranked the leagues was problematic and today it showed. While many of the predictable teams fell where they should have, you could see where the faults were with teams falling way behind in their leagues. Regardless, our athletes took on the challenge. They did what they could in their races and I was proud on how they took on the challenge. Our lower levels actually impressed as they won three of the four divisions with frosh-soph girls, who were created at the last minute, ended up in second. There's only so much you can control, but you can control how much effort, time and energy you put it. Even if doesn't end up taking you to where you had hoped to be, you still need to be proud of what you did, because in the end, it will be the thing that helps you the most in life. If you show a consistent effort in all that you do, on average, you'll find the success you hoped for much of the time, even when other factors don't fall in your favor. I hope that things get better in this new conference, but for now, we'll do what we can, hoping everything else falls into place.

~:[CH15 - Day 287]:~ No Matter How Much ...

~:[CH15 - Day 287]:~ No Matter How Much ...

No matter how much thought or planning go into your life, you only control so much. You can make things fit, plan things out, but at some point, somethings just don't work out as planned. I fit my weekly schedule today and found that the Clippers preseason game fit perfectly into it. I was excited as I've always wanted to see Yuki Kawamura in person. Some tickets in a great seat went on sale and so I snagged them, but the Monday before, it was announced that he was waived to my dismay. I was hoping for some type of miracle, but in the end, there was silence and he would not be there. In the end, I got to hi-five all the players and enjoy a good game, seeing Jokic and Murray up close. It was a preseason game, but it had season vibes as they were ramping up for the season ahead. No matter how much you plan, don't fret when things don't work out. Make the most of the moment or pivot and change course. No matter how much time or energy you spent, just know, you shouldn't let that hold you back. Sometimes things aren't meant to work out and today, that was the case. Still yet, I enjoyed the moment and it ended up being worthwhile. For others, they may change course and while it make some time, sometimes that new course may lead to greater things. 

 

~:[CH15 - Day 286]:~ Already That Time

 

~:[CH15 - Day 285]:~ Already That Time

It's that time of year again where we start to round out our Nationals team. It's amazing how quickly the time comes and goes and it's already time to start training a new group of juniors. It's quite the rigorous process alongside the demands of junior year, but often, these students are able to find that balance. Before we know it, it will be time to go to New York and then soon after, we'll start this process again. With each passing year, this process comes and goes quicker and it makes me wonder, how fast will the time go when I'm older and grayer. For now, I'll sit back and continue to soak in all of these experiences and do my best to live in the moment, because before you know it, the present will soon become the good old days.

~:[CH15 - Day 285]:~ Iconic

 
~:[CH15 - Day 285]:~ Iconic

It was a cool thing for JO1 to do. They schedule an event where they performed in a random dance challenge at UCLA in front of Royce. Hosting an open event where they fans and others can gather is pretty cool! It was nice to see them jump into the random dances alongside the other dancers who were probably in awe. While the crowd was a bit crazy, it was a cool experience to be there for and capture through the lens. It was a little difficult getting the shot with the crowds, but I was happy to capture some great moments. It was nice to chill near Royce after the event before eating in Westwood. This area feels so familiar to me since I'm always here for MUN and other events and now, another memory has been created. .This truly was an iconic moment as I felt like they took a step beyond the stage and went to great lengths to connect with their fans in this fashion in an iconic spot. 

~:[CH15 - Day 284]:~ Forget About the Rain

 

~:[CH15 - Day 284]:~ Forget About the Rain

The rain didn't have much impact on me, as I was inside most of the time when it was falling. I was able to get the rest of my grading in during the morning before heading out the event at night. It was a bit chaotic as the JO1 fans were being a little difficult and not listening to the concert staff. I understand their concerns, but they weren't going about it in a good way. Regardless, despite the struggles, the event itself went well. I had to deal with a few obstacles here and there, but by night's end, I was happy with moments I was able to capture. This group bring such great energy to stage and has such wonderful transitions that they grew on me. Last summer, I was lucky to have an encounter with them in the airport lounge when we were both flying to KCON. I guess fate brought us all together and since then, I've been enjoying capturing all these incredible moments. I will be glad to go home and rest a bit, but I'll also enjoy looking through all these clips and assembling the recap from a night to remember. 

~:[CH15 - Day 283]:~ Let's Jump for Joy

 
~:[CH15 - Day 283]:~ Let's Jump for Joy

It's the weekend, but there was a lot of running around to do. I thought my photoshoot was on Monday, but then there was some confusion and so we rescheduled for today. The problem was that my nephew had a basketball tournament. Luckily, the games were in Santa Ana and the studio was in Orange. What luck! I headed to the game and it was a bit nerve-wracking as they went down seven. They stayed calm and collected as they adjusted their defense and ended up coming back to win. I left right away and headed to the studio and get the shoot done. We were in a crunch for time, so it felt a bit rushed, but overall, it went well. I actually had some time after the shoot, so I uploaded the photos to my phone, grabbed lunch and headed back to the gym. The next game started out terribly for us as we went down double digits early, but they slowly clawed back and ended up winning, advancing to the championship game. It's been fun watching this team grow over time and it was nice to see them do well. There is definitely room for growth, but for now, we can celebrate these two wins. I headed home to get back to work, as I sorted through photos and also got some grading done, but I survived the day and it was a good reason to celebrate. The timing somehow worked out for everything and I am grateful when things like this fall into place. 

~:[CH15 - Day 282]:~ FriYAY

 
~:[CH15 - Day 282]:~ FriYAY

Originally I was supposed to drive down to LA to run an errand, but with traffic picking up and with it not being urgent, I passed on those plans and stayed home. I focused on getting some work done and then prepared for my visit from the family. I was exhausted, but it's always fun to spend a little time with the family. It's been exhausting with so many events and this and that going on that it was nice to lay out and just relax even when two little ones were running around the house. I'm not always home when they come over so it's always nice to see them, even if it takes some poking and prodding by them to get me up. With tomorrow being a busy day, I headed in after they left and focused back on the work I had to do. I took a short break to break a pack of 30th anniversary Pokemon cards and ended up pulling a Mewtwo which truly added the yay in Friday. Happy weekend to all!

~:[CH15 - Day 281]:~ Let's Be the Light

 
~:[CH15 - Day 281]:~ Let's Be the Light

We finished our workout just as it got dark. It's been difficult this season as we've had to move a few practices to 6pm and late in the season, we are battling sunlight. The struggles of dealing with the heat is tough enough, but add the light into it and we've got another obstacles. Regardless, the team finished up a great workout and they seem to have been locked in as of late. I am proud of them. Despite the changes and challenges, they stay focused and go above and beyond to get the workout done. Sure, we were missing some athletes, but for the most part, we had a good chunk of the team at a postponed practice. Life will throw darkness our way with the many obstacles it has, but we can find a way to be the light that helps everyone keep moving forward. There are many moments that are challenging in life and I hope that we can work together to maneuver our way through these challenges and finish up despite all that gets in our way. We can only do this if we help each other find our way and this year, this team has been doing just that. We'll see how it all pays off in the end, but as of now, I am proud of what they've been able to do.

~:[CH15 - Day 280]:~ Tolerance & Understanding

 
~:[CH15 - Day 280]:~ Tolerance & Understanding

I thing one of the best things about being in Cerritos is the diversity. There are people from so many different backgrounds with different beliefs and they all seem to mesh together. When teaching, we encounter many difficult topics, but I always try to get them to see all aspects of these topics and then ultimately decide what they believe or the approach they want to take. The main point I want them to see is to be understanding and tolerant of each other. As we teach the religion unit of the book, I always like them to see the similarities across all beliefs. Whatever they want to believe at the end of the day is up to them, but I hope that they can see that all these beliefs want people to be good, to help others, and understand it's about love, compassion, and faith. It's a difficult topic to cover, but at the end of the day, it can be the most rewarding when students can learn and understand others around them that they may see as different from them. The reality is, we're really not all that different at all. 

~:[CH15 - Day 279]:~ Trust & Focus

 
~:[CH15 - Day 279]:~ Trust & Focus

The day was hot. We were all trying to survive. Of course, with so many canceled practices, we need to get a workout in, so we planned practice at 6pm. With winter approaching, the darkness set  in as we were still running. While we could still see, it took a little more trust and focus for the athletes to ensure that they were all good. They did just that. Despite the conditions, there were no complaints, they did their workout and headed home. I love the process where athletes figure it out and learn how to get things done. This is a younger team, but they're growing quickly and to see the do it together is wonderful. Often times, people can be impatient and expect results right away, but often, it takes time. It takes overcoming challenges together, working hard and figuring it out. This group has been grinding through that process and I only hope that at the end of the day, they're rewarded. 

~:[CH15 - Day 278]:~ The Tougher Part

 
~:[CH15 - Day 278]:~ The Tougher Part

It's difficult to plan for an event with the busy schedule and anxiety that come with hoping all goes well. However, to me, the tougher part is cleaning up. There often isn't a deadline attached like planning the event and it's quite tasking to clean versus setting up. We took on the task of putting everything away the Monday after the conference. Being a Monday was hard enough, but we handled the disassemble quite well. As tasking as the takedown is compared to the assembly, the feeling of finally being done is amazing. I hate that lingering feeling that something still needs to be done, so to me, it's much easier to get it out of the way as soon as possible. That's just what we did. It was incredible to watch everyone do their part and make everything go so smoothly and while at times we could have been more efficient, I was proud of everyone who make this tougher part of the process, easy. Now, I can breathe a sigh of relief and relax (for now).

~:[CH15 - Day 277]:~ Are You Crazy?

~:[CH15 - Day 277]:~ Are You Crazy?

I tried to stay indoors as much as possible today, but I knew that I would be headed out at the hottest point in the day. When I told people I was photographing an event, I kept getting, "are you crazy?" I probably am. Rain or shine, freezing or burning hot, I'll definitely be willing to do a shoot if I committed to it. If the event was going on, I'd be there. I was especially excited to go as one of the performers I work with in Japan came over. We worked on a gallery exhibit in the summer after meeting last spring. It was cool to connect again and capture her amazing performance. It was nice to catch up briefly. I loved watching everyone enjoy themselves despite the hot weather. We all dealt with the weather to have this wonderful experience and it truly was worth it. Some may have stayed home, which is their choice, but sometimes when you face the challenges, you are rewarded. Maybe I was a little crazy for not bailing on the event, but I focused on preparing myself for the weather, and ultimately left without any issue at all. Don't be afraid of challenging situations. Do what you can to prepare and then use your best judgement as your proceed. 

~:[CH15 - Day 276]:~ Survival Mode

 
~:[CH15 - Day 276]:~ Survival Mode

It's that time of year where I am just trying to survive. Right out of the gate, I am slammed with a schedule that is quite demanding, but I wouldn't change it for the world. As much work and stress as there is to start out, there are so many good things that come out of these moments. From Cow Run to our cross country travel meet to the conference, these events provide something that these students will remember for a lifetime, so it's worth all the white hairs that come along with it. Still yet, it's not easy and I am just trying to survive at some points. This is one of them. Being at school a bit before 6am is not ideal for a Saturday (or any day for that matter), but I'm used to it. I rolled out of bed, packed the car and headed to school. Everything felt routine as I was able to do everything as needed and it felt like I was on auto mode. Have I become a robot? I love that I'm used to this annual routine as I become less anxious, even though I always worry about this and that before it actually happens. So many things can go wrong when planning an event, but today, everything happened as planned. Our SGs did an amazing job and they coordinated well with our staff. My freshman also looked to have enjoyed the day. The end of the day arrive as I let out my sigh knowing that I made it. Survival mode was activate and I survived. I'll love looking back on the photos and videos from the day, but for now, I'll enjoy stretching out on the couch and just lying there for a moment, before I get back to work of course. Thank you to all those who made today possible! 

~:[CH15 - Day 275]:~ Together

 
~:[CH15 - Day 275]:~ Together

We often have events before our meets, but this one is always the strange one as a portion of our team is at the MUN conference, while the others head to the meet. It's nice that even in that case, the group can gather together and enjoy each other's company together. When you do things together, you tend to unintentionally get closer to people as you are in the same environment. In my life, that has happened with co-workers, teammates, and others who I shared a space with regularly. One of the best ways to unify a group is to do things together. While it can actually lead to issues, in most cases, we've found that they make a connection with a few people each time and sometimes those smaller encounters can lead to life long connections. Even in work situations such as my MUN class who was preparing for tomorrows, conferences, these moments can be memorable, even if it's sharing about the struggle that you had together. In both good and bad moments, when you do it together, you add a connection to someone else that may be everlasting, something I've been lucky enough to experience myself. 

~:[CH15 - Day 274]:~ It's Leg Day

 

~:[CH15 - Day 274]:~ It's Leg Day

"It's leg day," I joked with a few people as I pushed my cart around Costco. Sometimes I have a helper with me, but this year, it was just me, pushing around about 900 drinks and snacks on a cart around Costco. Yes, it's conference time. As I do this, I am reminded of the Costco runs I had with cross country. I miss going to Mammoth Nowadays these runs are for conference as I get everything we need ready for the conference, doing this and that. I love do the leg work to make a conference or meet happen. There is satisfaction in checking things off a list and getting things done. Sure, it's exhausting doing this and that, but at the same time, it also makes you feel like you've accomplished something when you get things done. My body definitely felt the exhaustion as I purchased everything, loaded it and unloaded it into my classroom, but that soreness will be a badge of satisfaction at day's end knowing that I worked out and completed another leg day.

~:[CH15 - Day 273]:~ The Rush

 

~:[CH15 - Day 273]:~ The Rush

I wake up pretty early in the morning to do work. I get focused in so much that I lose track of time sometimes and have to hurry to work. As I did today, I didn't realize that our meeting was non-existent. I guess the upside of it was that I had time to do work at school, but of course, it would have be nice to take my time in the morning, albeit, it would have only been about twenty minutes more. These days, rushing from place to place is fairly common. My schedule has been quite jam packed and so I am V-lining from one thing to another. In some ways it's good as time passes by quickly, but it's also quite stressful thinking about the next move. It ended up being a nice break after our run to have the athletes have a small bonding game together. They gathered together and just spend some time playing some silly games. It was different than the rush of the morning and it felt nice to sit back and feel a little bit of the breeze, despite the heat creeping in. The rush of life is common to us all, but remember to also take the time to enjoy the cool breeze and hit that slow-mo button to catch a glimpse of the great things happening around you.

~:[CH15 - Day 272]:~ Life at Home

~:[CH15 - Day 272]:~ Life at Home

Being away for work so often has allowed me to appreciate being home a lot more. The simple fact of having a comfortable place to come back to is quite the gem, but to be amongst those you love sharing some good food is the best part of all. I always talk about how we yearn to get away, but I guess we also have that feeling of relief when we return home. It's great to be away for a bit, but it also helps us appreciate what we were missing. Sure, the bill can be high at times and work can be exhausting, but there are some things at home that can't be replaced. As I enjoyed a meal with my parents, I was appreciative of the fact that I could share this moment with them and as much as I missed the clean air of Portland, I was happy to be back home together. 

~:[CH15 - Day 271]:~ A Little Wild

 
~:[CH15 - Day 271]:~ A Little Wild

It was our last day in Portland as we ventured out to the Oregon Zoo. It was nice because the group stuck together for the most part until the very end. We were able to get a few shots before they went their own way for a bit. The weather was nice as I was already fearing the weather we would get upon our return. It's hard to say what each person's favorite animal was as they ventured from spot to spot, but still yet, it was nice that they explored together. We did our last go around in Portland before heading to the airport. We survived a wonderful weekend together and I think the group came back more unified. It was a small group, but I think that is part of the reason why it ended up being quite successful. It will be a busy week upcoming with our conference, so I soaked in these final moments of peace and headed home at the stroke of midnight. Good night world.