Las Vegas

My relaxing place...

Last weekend, I went to Vegas for a 3-day 2-night getaway. And it was the best Vegas experience ever. We were lucky as we had no traffic going there and coming back. Non-stop cruising both ways. Each way's drive time was about 3 hours 30 minutes. Very fast. I had a whole lot of fun up in Vegas, going to places I had never been to before. We stayed at the Tahiti Village Resort, which was very nice. Our room was very clean and we stayed in Tower 5, the newest tower built there. In the resort, I chilled one morning poolside, reading "The Scarlet Letter." It was cold but relaxing. In the Resort, they had a fitness center and an activities center. I was happy since I didn't have to walk through the casinos to get to my hotel room. What a relief.

Red Rock Canyon

Once we got there, went shopping at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets. I didn't buy anything but ran into Eric Prana and his family. Pretty cool unplanned meeting between our families. On the night of the 23rd, we feasted at the Feast Buffet at the Red Rock Casino and Resort. There were a lot of different varieties of food, from American to International, Asian to Italian, Mexican to Sushi, etc. I ate a lot of different styles of food. Very good tasting delicious food. On Christmas Eve, we went to Red Rock Canyon. Google Maps led us to this ghost town in the middle of nowhere, but we found our way into the park. It had been closed all week due to flooding from the record rain. Red Rock Canyon was absolutely gorgeous. Went on the scenic drive through the conservation area. Basically, only this one portion or rocks is red. Walked down the rocks and took lots of pictures. 

The V show

On the night of Christmas Eve, we watched the "Ultimate Variety Show" at Planet Hollywood. We somehow got discounted tickets and it was a very exciting and funny show. Wally Eastwood was the host and he is one hell of a great juggler. Eastwood demonstrated to us his juggling skills, using different objects. He was very lively and funny. I loved his demonstration with juggling the balls and playing different piano tunes. There were also acrobats who were crazy flexible and strong, gymnasts who danced like an Olympian, a magician who played many tricks with this one bird, and other acts. What a great show to watch. The "V" show. Then, we walked around that area of the Strip. Went to see the new hotels that just opened recently, such as the Aria hotel, Cosmopolitan, and vDara. Those hotels are nice. They have shops that are for the rich. Everything is so expensive in those shops. Saw the Bellagio water show, which was to Christmas-theme music. It was super short and disappointing.

Overall, I had a extremely great time at Vegas. Before, Vegas had seemed boring as we didn't go to places suitable for us. But now, I want to go back to Las Vegas more often, like during 3-day weekends. Besides, Las Vegas is only a 4-hour drive away.

Interesting store name in Vegas...

Rain is finally over

After seven days of non-stop, hard rain, it's finally over. The rainstorms have come and gone and left a trail of damage, which include debris everywhere, flooding, and just a mess outside. My Christmas decorations outside the house was knocked over. And when I went outside to do anything, I got wet, no matter if I used an umbrella or not. It was miserable with the rain. This "storm" is probably our equivalent to hurricanes in the southeast, snowstorm in the midwest, etc. SoCal weather is so weird. We experienced something like this in January, when there was 5 straight days of rain. It caused flooding as my street was flooded. That was the worse I have seen with rain and SoCal. We experienced a cooler than usual summer, a 113 degree record setting heat in September and now in December, this record setting rainstorm. Weather is so weird here.

This rainstorm came at a bad time: during Winter Break. If it had rained during school days, I would be perfectly fine with it. But I couldn't do anything outside because of rain. I had wanted to go out to play basketball with friends but those hopes were dashed because of the rain. I wanted to practice on the driving range, but those hopes were dashed because of the rain. I was so bored on Monday as I literally did nothing. I stayed in the house the whole day and did not step foot outside the house. But on the bright side, I made a lot of progress on my winter break assignments. I'm almost done with the Calc BC Clue Project. Just have about 6 more sets to complete. I really need those 150 extra points. Those will really boost my grade a lot. But I'm glad the rain is over. I can finally go outside and do what I want to do.

Tis the season to be jolly

Today was the last day of school for the year 2010. And it was a weird day. I had three chill periods (movies and parties) and three periods in which I had either a quiz or test. So I was stuck between enjoying the fun and the food and the important things that affect my grade. I didn't really care that much about the tests and just took a relatively carefree approach. It may come back to haunt me.

The parties in journalism and English were all nice. Holiday Olympics was a pretty cool event created by Mr. Stevens. Food wise, there were many delicious items such as Olive Garden's pasta and bread sticks, Church's chicken, cake, noodles, cookies, and all the party foods. Then in the evening, I went to yet another Christmas party, for my sister's girl scout troop. There, I again ate a lot of food as there were noodles and all kinds of sweets and deserts. So a whole day's worth of food today. The Christmas celebration is just getting started as I have a few more parties coming up in this next week. Oh I really love the holiday season. It brings so much joy and so much food.

4-day weekend!!!

One reason I love November this year is cause of the luxury of two 4-day weekends. Never happened before and it is nice. 2 1/2 months into the school year, it has not been easy. I have experienced moments of ups and downs but yet I've been able to overcome whatever challenges that were in my way. I have so many things to worry about right now besides school. Gotta get my Eagle Project Proposal done, get ready for December SAT, get myself ready for golf season, and much more. This break could not have come at a better time. 4-day weekend, I love it!!!

A Great Moment in APUSH

Today in APUSH, Mr. Mustard was going over the Chapter 10 powerpoint. We got onto the slide of the South Carolina Nullification Crisis. He had been calling random people to summarize the previous slide. I was talking with someone during that slide and when we moved onto the next slide, Mustard called on me to summarize the previous slide. Luckily for me, I was ready and knew my information about the SC Nullification Crisis. So I explained to him about it, with added information. I said "South Carolina didn't like the tariffs placed on the South and passed an ordinance that ruled the tariffs void and no good. They used the principals of what Madison and Jefferson used during the VA and KT resolutions of 1798. Then, Andrew Jackson used his authority to put down the threat by passing a Force Bill, which authorized power for him to use military force. Jackson played it both sides as he also lowered the tariffs." That response shocked Mr. Mustard. He said, "Wow! You should teach the class tomorrow!." The class gave me an applause and I felt pretty happy. I had been called on the spot to answer a question and came through in a big way with an outstanding response!

2010 Cross Country

This year in Cross Country, I accomplished and exceeded my goals that I set up at Mammoth Camp. I improved drastically as a runner as I had a great time. I challenged my self to running A group and ran it for most of the season. It was hard in the beginning with the extra mileage and the extra work, but soon, I adapted to it and got used to it. It didn't seem that bad anymore. I remember the first day back from Mammoth Camp, at that Monday practice, I challenged myself and ran 8 miles for the first time ever. Just kept on running and running. Time wise, I was consistent throughout the season. I ran in the 20:30 range in most of my races throughout the season. I peaked at the Dual meet at school, as I set a PR by running a 19:25. Breaking 20:00 was a relief as that was also one of my goals I set. In running a 19:25, I won Athlete of the Meet honors. At. Mt. SAC, I ran a 20:26, which was a 2:40 improvement from last year. Overall, I was most proud of my consistency in the times.

I had a lot of fun running with the team. Stretching with A/A- group is a lot different than stretching from B/C. We got to talk about many things. Last season, I thought running was a burden but this year, I completely discovered that it was fun and wasn't hard. All it takes is mental motivation within yourself. Mammoth Camp was one of the highlights at the season. That week at Mammoth was one heck of an intense training, but it benefited me as I wasn't afraid of those small hills at La Mirada Regional Park or Mt. SAC. Mammoth Camp was also fun, especially with the activities that we did at Shadys Rest Park and in the condos.

I'm gonna miss running with my fellow CXC teammates, especially the wonderful seniors who helped me.

Halloween 2010

This year's Halloween was special. Because 10/31 fell on a Sunday, it allowed for a 3-day Halloween celebration. And I made the most out of it.

On Friday, I dressed up as Superman for school dress up day as a lot of students dressed up. Saw a few creative costumes such as "Facebook", money tree, minions, etc. It was a great day to be at school to see how creative people could get.

Saturday, I went pumpkin carving with my cousins. We carved the face of three pumpkins as we used templates to help guide us. We made the pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns and all three of them turned out pretty well. Then, watched Paranormal Activity 2. Yes its rated R but my cousin took us there and she is way over the limit so we were good. I didn't watch Paranormal Activity so I didn't understand the main plot. But overall, the PA 2 was a pretty decent movie. Loved the cinematography as it switched between the video camera and the 6 cameras of the house. Plot was also pretty cool, basing it on dates and times and what goes on. Honestly, I didn't think the movie was that scary. The part that made me jump a bit was the loud banging noises such as the pots falling down or those loud booms. But other than that, it wasn't that bad. Didn't like the ending though as the movie just ended abruptly and suddenly. Funny thing happened after the movie. I wanted to scare my sister entering the house but my cousin came by first and saw my shadow and I standing there in the dark and screamed.

Then today on Halloween Sunday, I went trick-o-treating around my neighborhood. Got a whole bag full of candy. Gonna take my time in munching it down.  Now, I'm 16 years old but I'm not too old for trick-o-treating. I look at it this way: Next year will be my last year as a child and when I get to college, I probably won't be trick-o-treating that much. And my costume for today, a construction worker. Wore my yellow safety vest, hard helmet, and safety glasses that I got over the summer in Boston.

Happy Halloween!!! A pretty cool Halloween 2010

It's been a tough journey so far

5 weeks into junior year, all I can say that it has been unlike any other years. These last five weeks have been really hard and tiring as my schedule has been packed. So many things going on in my life, school, AP classes, cross country, clubs, eagle project, SATs, etc.  I've been sleeping at least past 12 every night (my normal bedtime is around 11:30) and would be satisfied if I got 6 1/2 hours of sleep. Taking 4 AP Classes and Spanish III Honors, I have to study every night. And studying doesn't mean just skimming through the textbook, but reading it meticulously and detailedly. I have on average at least 2-3 tests per week and that doesn't include the math openers that we take everyday in AP Calc BC or the pop quizzes we get surprised by in AP Chem. I've done well on some tests but done bad on others. Like this week, I got an A on my chem and calc test. Grades wise, I am cutting it way too close in my classes. I have a lot of borderline grades and need to raise it. Even on weekends, I am now confined to my house as I have so many homework and stuff to do during the weekends. My last few Sundays have been homework, homework, homework! Remember, I lose about 3 hours of study/homework time since I run cross country and have practice everyday. But running is fun and I am having a great time running this season. Made lots of improvements and I'm running A group now.

It's a Saturday night and yet I got to do some school stuff. This is junior year :(

Best Race Ever

7th place in Boys JV race!

Today at the ABC District Cross Country Championships race, I ran my best race ever. I mean ever, as in best ever in my life. I won a medal for the first time ever as I got 7th place overall in the Boys JV race. They only gave out medals to the top 7 finishers so it felt really nice to get that 7th and final medal. Additionally, I was part of the scoring for the championship for the first time ever. My placing counted in the scoring! I ran a 20:23, which was not too shabby as I beat PRed for the second race in a row, this time by 4 seconds from the COW Run. Team wise, Cerritos dominated, sweeping championships in all five divisions.

When the race started, I started in the middle of the pack. I just maintained my pace and made sure I had in sight the runners in the front. Then, slowly, I made my move as I caught one runner after another. Then, near the beginning of the third mile, I looked out and counted the runners in front of me. There were 9 runners in front of me so I knew a medal was in sight. I just had to pass two more runners and the medal would be mines. I did exactly just that as I pushed myself to the limit. After I got to number seven, I opened up the gap with the number 8 runner and finished strong. Once I crossed that finish line, I felt so relived and happy. I ran a smart race today. I had deeper breaths today along with better pacing and made my move at the right time.

First medal today, it was quite an honor. Hopefully I can earn some more medals in other races in the future.

Summer 2010

Summer 2010 has ended. :( What a fun-filled summer it was though! The four weeks at the Summer Transportation Institute in Boston was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I got to live the life of a college student, as we slept in dorms and went to classes on campus. Merrimack College is actually a pretty nice campus. I learned a lot about the field of engineering and met a lot of friends from the east coast. On the weekends, I went home with a friend and got to experience life out on the east coast. Experiencing the Fourth of JJuly in Danvers was cool. The festivities were awesome and so many people were at the park enjoying the Fourth. I stayed in both Northern and Southern Massachusetts. Got to see a NE Revolution soccer game and sure enough, they played the Los Angeles Galaxy. Those four weeks were really fun. I had a great time 2,000 miles away from home for four weeks.

Then, I went to Mammoth Camp with the cross country team in mid August. We ran all 7 days and on different terrain and elevation. The runs were challenging at high altitude but Mammoth Camp was all about the bonding with my teammates. We stayed in really nice condos and had many condo competitions. My white condo won overall in points. I got faster in my running times after Mammoth. The training helped a lot, kind of like a running boost camp. Mammoth Camp was exhilarating and I will sure be back next year.

This summer, a new era began in my life. I passed my drivers license test on June 25 and started driving by myself August 1, when I got car insurance. Since August 1, I have been driving myself to places, like XC practice and other events that go on in my life. I feel I have become more responsible because I am driving alone now. More accountability now falls in my hands. It feels really cool driving myself in my car. My car is kind of like a home away from home. I put a lot of my personal things in there. So I'll be driving to school starting tomorrow and it will feel a bit weird, but I'll get used to it.

Summer passed by way too quickly. Starting tomorrow, September 9th, junior year begins. This is the hardest year of my four years in high school. I'll be taking four AP's and be taking my SAT and ACT soon. Also, I am planning my Boy Scout Eagle Project. It seems like a lot but I know I'll be able to take on each task and handle it now.

Let's get this party started junior year!

A Dodger-Giant Baseball Game

This past Saturday, I went to the Los Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants baseball game at Dodger Stadium with my dad, Matt and Mark, and their dad. If you don't know about the Dodgers and Giants, they are huge rivals that dates back to their days in New York. So Saturday's game had a feel of Yankees-Red Sox, Lakers-Celtics. It was a fun game to attend despite the Dodgers choking, blowing a 4-0 lead in the seventh inning as Jonathan Broxton blew yet another save.

We got there early and had to wait it out with the other cars to enter Dodger Stadium. Once we got inside to our seats in the left field pavilion (LFP), where the true baseball fans of Dodger Stadium are, we caught the Giants' batting practice. I had wanted to catch a BP ball but that did not happen. I came close though as a few baseball flew our way. I should have been more aggressive in my approach. Tim Lincecum threw a ball to us and I had the ball in my territory. I put my glove down to get it but this little kid reached under the glove and snagged the baseball away. Boy was I mad. Next time I go see a baseball game, I will catch a BP ball, whether it is a toss up or home run. I will be aggressive and do whatever it takes. Batting practice was the most fun part of the night!

Wearing the black shirt is Bobby Crosby. He's the creator of youtube.com/dodgerfilms. He brings his video camera to every game and films all the parts of the game. Watch his videos on YouTube. They show what a group of season ticket holders in the LFP at Dodger Stadium experience during the baseball season. Dodgerfilms' videos are awesome!!

Sitting in the 5th row in the left field pavilion, our Dodger spirit was exuberant. Almost everyone was wearing Dodger blue. And when we saw a SF Giant fan walk up, we would boo and taunt them. That went on the whole night. When Jay Gibbons hit that home run to put the Dodgers ahead 4-0, everyone stood and cheered loudly. When the Dodgers needed some support, we would chant "Let's Go Dodgers" or "Giants Suck". And the most memorable part of the night was when the San Francisco Giants hit four home runs in the game, all to  left field. After each Giant home run, we would chant "throw it back, throw it back", in reference to throwing the opposing teams home run ball back onto the field. The first two times, the ball wasn't thrown back, but the last 2 times, it got thrown back and everyone cheered even louder. The left field pavilion is the ultimate baseball fan experience.

Saturday was also Taiwan Day at Dodger Stadium, as the Dodgers celebrated the Taiwanese heritage. Pregame, they had this group of Taiwanese dancers perform out in center field to Lady Gaga songs. That got the crowd fired up. A Taiwanese character threw out the first pitch. Throughout the game, the Dodgers displayed ads and commercials about Taiwan. I went to the first Taiwan Day event back in May and they had similar festivities as it included Lin-Yu Chun singing a few songs. Taiwan is the only country to be represented twice in the Dodgertown My Town promotion. Hong-Chih Kuo pitched the Dodgers out of a 8th inning jam and was applauded loudly. Kuo has turned into the Dodgers best reliever this year, with an ERA of 1.42. Kuo was named an All-Star this year. Good to see Taiwan represented!

This baseball game was exciting from the start to the finish. From the first inning, it seemed as if this game would be a pitchers duel between Ted Lilly and Matt Cain. But the Dodgers grabbed that 4-0 lead and Ted Lilly was dominate, leaving the game with the lead 4-2, as Lilly gave up 2 solo home runs. Then the bullpen came in for the Dodgers and Octavio Dotel gave up a solo home run. 4-3 Dodgers in the 8th inning. Kuo came in and retired 2 batters to end the threat. 9th inning, Joe Torre summoned Jonathan Broxton to close the game. He had lost his job as closer to Kuo with his blown slaves in August. This was supposed to be redemption for him to show everyone that he was the closer for the Dodgers. Instead, he gave up an infield single then a devastating 2-run home run to Juan Uribe, as the Giants took a 5-4 lead. I remember when Broxton entered the game, I said to Matt Chern "No, Broxton's gonna blow this save. Why did Joe Torre take Kuo out only after 6 pitches?" Sure enough, he did.

Looking back at One Year Ago

One year ago around this time, I vacationed in Taiwan for two weeks. It was one of the best times of my life being in my home country. I stayed in Taipei and Kaoshiung, visiting families there. I got to know my cousins better and connected with them via Facebook and Email. I went to many places in Taiwan I had never been to before such as Danshui in the north and Kenting, the southernmost point of Taiwan. The sunsets that I saw were the most beautifulest ever. Going back to Taiwan made me more aware of my Taiwanese culture. I finally knew what Taiwan was like and why it is so great. Taiwan is changing for the better everyday. More subway lines are being built and the high speed rail is awesome.I miss the night markets and the good food of Taiwan. Eating is always a supreme in Taiwan. Night markets sell so many good priced food and products. Everything is just so convenient in Taiwan.

Before 2009, I had only been back in 1999 and 2003 ever since immigrating to the U.S. in 1997. I'll be back to Taiwan soon, probably in the summer of 2012. Until then, the pictures and videos I took will keep my memory fresh...

2010-2011 Junior Schedule

Period 1: Spanish III Honors - Fidel
Period 2: Journalism - Jepsen
Period 3: AP Chemistry - Centeno
Period 4: AP Calculus BC - Carlson
Period 5: AP US History/MUN - Mustard
Period 6: AP English Language - Stevens

That is my 2010-2011 junior year schedule as posted on ABI. The final one will come out at registration next week Originally, I had AP Calc BC 6th period but I emailed my counselor and requested a schedule change and got it. Having a math 6th period would have sucked since I play sports and would miss a lot of 6th period. And missing math means missing openers, which are hard to make up. My schedule will be tough with four APs and a honors class. But I think I'm up to the challenge. Isn't junior year suppose to be the toughest year?

Camping Trip

This past weekend, I went down to San Clemente State Beach with my family for a 3-day 2-night camping trip. It was a good gathering as there was 9 of us in total camping. I had a lot of fun, especially spending time with my wonderful cousins. It was a perfect weekend to be down by the beach with the hot weather. Even the two dogs, Rusty and Mimi, tagged along. For the past two years, we have gone family camping, but I felt this one was the best for many reasons.

We had a campsite that was close to the beach unlike last years. Five minutes of walking around a campsite and down the hill and we were at the beach. San Clemente State Beach is quite unique. There isn't a lot of sand area. Very little beach area. But the waves are huge, surfing type waves. Friday evening, we were standing on the edge of where the sand meets the rocks and high tide struck, washing out the entire beach. It was a pretty cool view. Playing in the ocean water on Saturday afternoon was a blast. As the big waves came in, we battled one wave after another. The best part about San Clemente State Beach is the sunset view. It is just absolutely gorgeous and beautiful. From the cliffs before the trail that goes down to the beach, we saw the sun set into the ocean both nights. This beach was nice in all aspects.

In our camp, we ate plenty of rich, tasty food. One night we had Korean-style noodles to go along with dumplings. Another night, we had Korean BBQ with sopa noodles with corn and vegetable stick. Our breakfast was nice too with waffles, sausages, eggs, and French toast. Cucumber salad for Saturday lunch was also tasty too. And smores both nights during the campfire summed it up. Honey-maid crackers with melted marsh mellows with Hershey chocolate; it was delicious. And roasting popcorn over the campfire was pretty tight too. Food food food; I ate so much this weekend.

My dog Rusty is so funny. Saturday night, we all headed to our tents. Rusty came in and went to my cousin's sleeping bag and just knocked out flat. We made noises but his eyes stayed closed. It wasn't until we carried him up and relocated him that he woke up. Rusty, you are so cute and funny!

This camping trip was all about spending family time together out camping. Everyone had a great time bonding. We all worked as a team building up our campsite, setting up the tents, the canopy, cooking,  etc. The weekend was fun-filled and exhilarating.

The Summer Fun Continues

The summer fun continues on for me this weekend. Starting this afternoon, for 3 days and 2 nights, my family and I will be camping at a state beach down South. A lot of my extended family will be there and even the dogs will accompany us. It will be a great way to beat the heat and sun. It finally felt like summer this week with the heat and humidity.

Family camping trips have often been fun. The last two years, we have gone up to the Oxnard area to camp. Everyone has always enjoyed this event. Can't wait for the camping trip to arrive. I am excited!

Mammoth Camp

Mammoth Camp was FUN!!! I had a great time at my first ever Mammoth Camp. We not only ran and trained at high altitude (7,000 feet), but also did a lot of team bonding activities that showed the true spirit of OHANA. I got a lot out of this week as  pushed myself to the limit on the run and got to know my fellow teammates, coaches, parents, and alumnis much better as I talked with a lot more new people. Everyone was encouraging on the tough runs and gave each other positive remarks.

The runs were CHALLENGING. Most of our runs were out a certain amount of time and then back in. Some were out uphill all the way and then back downhill, others were rolling hills with turns. What a good place to train for running! High altitude elevation with clean air and beautiful scenery surrounding you. In Cerritios, there are no legit hills to train on. The two-a-day run on Monday wasn't that bad. I survived through it. Convict Lake was a cool run. One of my greatest accomplishments of the week was the ridge run on Wednesday. I had planned to go out to the Mammoth Rock and then back, but once I reached there, I somehow got the inspiration to keep going and I did; ending up at the road. That was where A group ended. On Thursday, I did the same, doing 6 fartlecks, again the maximum amount that A group did. I feel proud of myself for ascending to new heights in running with A group.

My favorite run was the Ascent on Friday. The view was absolutely gorgeous of the Eastern Sierra Mountains and the Village of Mammoth. All along going up, I ran/walked as it was tough on my knees. I think it was at least a 1,000 feet elevation gain. Took lots of pictures along the ascent (6.4 miles in total), especially coming back down. I should've went with the earlier group which went all the way to the lake. Next year, my goal is to go to the lake!

Cliff jumping on Tuesday was some great experience. I was scared at first as it seemed dangerous. But as more people did it, I wanted to do it. I compared the height of the rock to the water like the CPE diving boards but just a bit higher. I hesitated on my jump and jumped too close to the rock. That was a bit dangerous. I flopped into the cold water weirdly and then swam ashore to the rocks. It was a great experience rock jumping into Arrowhead Lake.

The team-building activities and competitions were a blast and competitive. My condo, White Condo, did just well enough to maintain our place in the Camp Olympics. As of last night, we were in the lead, 980 points, by 100 over Gray Condo. Building up our music video was also great team-bonding experience. We used "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey and filmed each scene. Everyone participated and got involved in it. Great job to my condo mates, Mike, Brandon, Andrew, Kelvin, Tim, Vincent, Ganesh, Zach, Mark, Brian, Ben, and Raymond. White Condo 13 strong!

I will sure be back to Mammoth Camp next year, 2011. Thank you to all the counselors for prepping the food and feeding us so well. Most importantly, thank you Coach Wat for running such a wonderful and successful camp!

Mammoth Camp Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, I'm leaving for Mammoth Camp with the cross country team. I am super excited. Looking at the calendar of events, there are a lot of them. We'll be running at 7,000 feet elevation everyday, and there are three two-a-day runs. It's going to be tough but I'm ready for the challenge. In addition, we'll be having team condo activities such as a skit, making a music video, competitions, etc. I'm done packing and managed to fit all of my gear into my 3 feet in length duffel bag. It all begins tomorrow for a week!

Let the Medieval Crusades Challenge begin!

A New Era Begins

A new era began for me yesterday as I officially was able to drive by myself in my car since I was added onto the insurance. So it kicks off the driving era of my life. With more freedom, it means I have to be more independent and I will now be responsible for most of my transportation, getting to school, practices, places. I felt so grown-up driving to morning practice. I am greatly excited for being able to drive by myself now. One positive note: It will make my parent’s lives easier…

Driving now!!!

First Week of Practice

I’ve been back home for a week now. It’s been super relaxing as I have been at home for most of the week. I went to cross country practice this past whole week and I survived! I am in shape! I’ve been in B group the whole week which is nice. I survived the 5.2 mile Gahr loop run the first day.Thursday was the Gahr Two-Mile Time trial. My first race of the season. Surprisingly, I somehow PRed, 14:12, a 1:02 improvement from last year. It was a tough time trial for me. Halfway though it, my legs were dead on tired and sore. But I kept pushing myself and sure enough, I PRed. I’ll take that. It means I am in shape and ready for Mammoth Camp. My runs in Massachusetts paid off!

Back Home

So I am back home after four weeks out in Massachusetts. I flew in Friday night into LAX. Other than getting delayed 45 minutes on the runway of Logan Airport, the flight was pretty nice. JetBlue has the best flight experience ever! The seats are leather and comfortable and lots of leg room. They give free snacks and drinks twice. And best of all, free XM Satellite radio and 36 channels of DirecTV all throughout the flight. 

The last four weeks have been one of the best times and experiences of my life. It was a great experience for me as like a college student, sleeping in the dorms and going to class. Everyone one of us Summer Transportation Institute (STI) participants had fun and learned a lot of things. The 3 counselors were awesome and Dr. Spring was chill. We went to I think 8 field trips. I think I know the roadways of Boston better than some of them now. LOL We learned so many things about the field of transportation in regards to engineering. We got to learn about civil engineering, bridge building, maritime operations, roadway designs, airplanes, anything you can name that is related to transportation. 

Last Friday was the last day of the program. It was an emotional time after the closing luncheon as everyone was leaving. For four weeks, we were a family. We spent nights playing card games, Counter Strike, Poker, Rockband, manhunt, and other fun activities. We went to many places together to play lazer tag, go carting, mini-golf, watch movies, dine together, etc. After the luncheon as everyone checked out of the dorms, we all took pictures together. We signed each other’s yearbooks and talked about keeping in touch. Everyone just did not want to leave. We were a “ohana”.

Talking about keeping in touch, we found each other’s AIM and had a group chat last night. We then took it to the next level with a conference call on Skype and then webcam on Oovoo. I will never forget each and everyone one of them. The memories we shared together are ones that will last forever. 

But it feels nice to be back home

Standing in the Atlantic Ocean on July 4th, 2010

All the members of the 2010 Summer Transportation Institute Program

3 Weeks in Massachusetts

BILLERICA, MA - I am staying over at my roommate’s, Nikolay, house here in Billerica for this weekend. Hard to believe but 3 weeks of the Summer Transportation Institute Program at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA are over. Just one week left and I’ll be back home. These last three weeks have been real fun and exciting in many ways. We’ve been down to Boston many times now for field trips and I have stayed at homes in both Northern Massachusetts and Southern Massachusetts. I kind of look at my 4-week stay here in Massachusetts as a learning experience and a vacation.

During the weekdays, I stay at our dorm room at Merrimack. We were supposed to stay at Santagati Hall, which is nice with carpet floors, but we were moved to Monican centre. My roommates are Nikolay, Jim, and Nathan, all from around the area. In our rooms, we have a common room and 2 other rooms and a restroom. I room with Nikolay and we each have a dresser, closet, and a twin sized bed in our room. There is no A/C so in order to combat the heat and humidity, Nikolay brought a fan the second week. That provided a lot of relief sleeping. 

There are 22 of us total, ranging from sophomores to seniors in high school. We have 3 wonderful counselors who attend Merrimack College. Most of the 22 participants of the STI program are from Massachusetts. I hold the honor of farthest traveled as I flew to Boston by myself from L.A. 2 people are from New York, 1 from New Jersey, 1 from Virginia, and everyone else is from around the state of Massachusetts. We have gone to many field trips so far. We’ve been to a team-building Ropes Course in New Hampshire, Massport Tour, Boston Harbor Tour, Volpe Center in Cambridge, Chelsea Street Project, shopping at Fanueil Hall (Quincy Market) and Northshore Mall, Cape Cod Coast Guard Air Station, the beach at Cape Cod, tour of HNTB Boston office, tour of the Zipper lane on Interstate 93, and tour of the Traffic Operations Center. We have run into Boston traffic just about every single time we head into Boston. It is horrible. In addition, representatives from different companies have come in and spoken to us about their profession and what they do. We have had transportation planners, designers, visualizers, civil engineers, inspectors, and much more people come in and talk to us. It is very informative. Also, Merrimack faculty staff has come in and talked to us about college admissions, writing great resumes, good study habits, and making great presentation. 

The July Fourth weekend, I stayed in the town of Danvers, Massachusetts, located in Northern Massachusetts. We went up to Canopie Lake  Park in Salem, N.H., which is the Knotts Berry Farm of the New England region. The rides were fun. Saw the firework show of Danvers which was impressive and also went to two beaches on the Fourth of July. We went around 6PM and I stepped foot into the Atlantic Ocean. How fitting, on July 4th, “from sea to shining sea” for me. Saw another firework show on the Fourth.

Last weekend, I stayed at a friend’s house in Norfolk, Massachusetts, which is located in Southern Massachusetts. We went to go see a professional MLS soccer game between the New England Galaxy and coincidently, the Los Angeles Galaxy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. NE won 2-0 as L.A. rested Landon Donovan. It was a great experience as I got to walk in the place where the Patriots play. My friend had season tickets so they obtained a ticket for me. Went to the Museum of Science in Boston also. The exhibits were quite fascinating.

One more week left and I’ll be home next Friday, the 23rd. This last week, we are going to a few places and then wrapping things up. O man has it been fun and I’m enjoying it a lot here in Massachusetts.  

To Boston

In a few hours, I will be boarding a red eye flight to Boston. Yes, its Celtic territory but the Lakers just beat them so I can be proud!!! I will be at Merrimack College, north of Boston, for a summer transportation institute program for four weeks beginning on Sunday. It will be a great experience for me, as this will be like going to college. Being there by myself, I will get to be like a college student since we will be staying in dorms and dine in the student dining halls. I’ll get to know my 19 fellow programmers really well plus the professors. The other students in the program are from around the country. It should be a fun program and I am guaranteed that I will learn a lot about the transportation field.

Goodbye Los Angeles and Hello Boston for 4 weeks

Licensed!!

I took my behind-the-wheel driving test at the Whittier DMV and passed it. So officially, I have my drivers license. It was a really great experience for me with the DMV as I learned every DMV is different in how it is operated.

After arriving there about 30 minutes before my appointment time of 3:30, the test began at about 4 PM. My dad and I waited in the drive test line for awhile. Then, a guy came out and told us we had to check in inside the DMV at window 19. So I went down and checked in and had to pay my $6 retest fee. But the guy said to pay it to the examiner. So I waited and my dad went down to wait. Then that guy told my dad that I had to pay it at window 10. So I got down and paid it. It was a bit hectic but eventually, the paperwork process was all done.

My test examiner was really chill and nice. After I pointed out where everything was (headlights, arm signals, defroster, etc.), we got started. As I was driving, we engaged in a conversation. He asked about me and what school I went to. He knows a lot about Cerritos High as he knew about the boys tennis team being very good. We talked the whole way and it made the atmosphere a lot better. I made turns really well but my only problems were backing up. I got marked off some points for backing up too slow and not in a straight line. But other than that, I was pretty much perfect. In total, I got marked off 7 points. The test examiner did not do any marking until the end when we pulled back into the parking lot. I got marked off some points for traffic check but its ok. Our route was pretty easy as there is not that much traffic around Whittier DMV. We went on teh main roads and the residential streets. That was basically the drive test.

It took me two tests to get my license. I felt it was good in me failing the first one. I learned a great deal about turning and being aware of your surroundings. Because I failed the first time, I will always check to make sure the opposing driver is making a left turn or u-turn before I turn right at intersections. No matter if the u-turn is legal or not, I will be aware. 

I am really excited that I got my license. It is a big accomplishment.

Driving Test

Two weeks ago on June 10th, I took my behind the wheel drivers test at the Long Beach DMV. I got DQed coming out of the parking lot, as I was making a right turn onto the street, I did not see a car that was U-turning. The examiner intervened and basically my test was over. He wrote “Intervention by Examiner. When exiting the parking lot, driver did not notice another driver making a legal u-turn and attempted to make his right turn, impeding other driver.” I quickly rescheduled an appointment and tomorrow, I will take my driving test again at the Whittier DMV.

But tonight, as I read through the California Drivers Handbook once again, I realized the examiner was wrong. On the “Illegal U-Turns” page, it mentioned “never make a u-turn in business districts. Areas with churches, apartments, multiple dwelling houses, clubs, and public buildings (except schools) are also considered to be business districts…” That means, the examiner was wrong!!! That driver made an illegal u-turn. The DMV is a public building since it is run by the state government and is for the people. I can’t do anything about it now, but I just want to point out that sometimes, the examiners may not have the factual information.

I am all fired up and furious now after making that discovery tonight. Tomorrow, it is time for redemption. I am ready for my drive test. I believe this time I will do much better and pass it. I was too nervous two weeks ago as I couldn’t point out the headlights and couldn’t demonstrate my arm signals correctly. I will conquer that test tomorrow!!! And I will bring my California Drivers Handbook with me in case a situation comes up where there is a disagreement. I drove with my dad around Whittier DMV the other day and the traffic flow is a lot better than the congested Long Beach DMV. There were a lot of empty parking spaces. 

REDEMPTION tomorrow @ Whittier DMV!!!!!

The End of Sophomore Year

Sophomore year ended last week. It was a successful sophomore year for me: 4.0 GPA both semesters. Mission accomplished!!! Sophomore year felt a lot easier than freshmen year. Probably because of the experience I had been through freshmen year.   

My finals were actually not that bad and thank goodness for curves. For chemistry, I got my A because of the curve on the final. Final grade in chem: 89.76…It’s an A-. Also, the chemistry song project extra credit proved very valuable. It paid off!!! English, I had some room but I finished with a 94% as I did well on the Joy Luck Club essay and got a B on the final. Math, like the first semester, finals were A or bust for me. I had a 88.96 going into the math final and by the end of that day, my grade was a 92.40. My wonderful notebook propelled me as I scored a 234/200 on the notebook check. I did a lot of extra credits which helped and put a lot of time into perfecting my notebook. And I got an A on my final too. A 4 percent jump in math in one day. Spanish, I had a 96% so I didn’t really try that hard but I managed a 80% on the scantron final, 93% on written, and 99.3% on oral. MUN, I finished with over 100%. 4.0 GPA, I am proud of myself. One lesson I learned is to take advantage of all the extra credit that is given. You never know when you may need those extra 2 or 3 points that will raise you up a letter grade.

Junior year will be tough beginning this fall. I hope I can maintain my level of excellence of a 4.0. Until then, I’ll enjoy my summer!

Whitewater Rafting

On Saturday, I went whitewater rafting with my troop. We went to Kernville and rafted down the Upper Kern River, making 3 runs in total. It was my first time rafting and I was a bit scared at first. I was afraid that I would fall in the water. But it was fun and exhilarating. Whitewater rafting is similar to scuba diving, something that is hard to explain if you have not experienced it before.

My raft crew consisted of Andrew Choi, Eric P., Brandon Hojo, Jeffrey Tai, my dad, and a guide. We were the best rafters as we cooperated and worked with each other very well. All four of them were experienced as they had rafted before. All of us are best friends and we have known each other since 2nd grade. I sat in the back right seat for most of the time in the raft. We paddled together as our guide shouted commands, “Forward 1” and we paddled one time forward. “Left 2” and we worked together to turn the raft left. We were able to conquer almost all of the challenges that persisted. Some parts were calm and that was nice as we got to chill and just roll along the Kern River. The class IV’s were a challenge. The ride was bumpy as we rode a wave up and then down and had to paddle in order to move along. Water got into our raft a lot as it was a blast. We went through this stretch called “Powerhouse” where it was bumpy one after another for quite some time. On our first run, we had to rescue one raft as in a class III rapid, they capsized. I pulled two people up to our raft. 

And I fell into the cold, fresh waters of the Kern River. On our third run as we were approaching our destination, we had one last Class III rapid to go through. I changed spots with Jeffrey and was in the front with Hojo. We were in the Class III and then we all paddled. But the boat turned to the right and I was knocked backward into the water. My feet were trapped on the right side of the raft, on my seat, and my head and body were in the water. I then released my foot and my whole body fell in the water. I followed what they told us about what to do in case we fell and floated up on the “California lounge chair” position. That’s when we put our feet up, facing down shore.  Next, I went to our raft and Jeffrey pulled me in by my life vest. It actually wasn’t that bad in the water. It was cold for a second but then I got used to it. Falling into the Kern River, where it is fresh water, is a lot better than falling in the sea or ocean, where it is salt water. I was able to breathe like I was swimming when I was in the Kern River.

What a great experience whitewater rafting. And it was special since I got to raft in the same raft as my dad on Father’s Day weekend. It’s a moment that I will cherish forever. 

To the CHS Seniors 2010

So only 5 more days left of this school year. It means I am halfway done with high school. Hard to believe, but in two more years, I’ll be graduating and off to college. Yesterday was the seniors’ last day and I was a bit emotional as it might be the last time I see some of them. I’m really going to miss the class of 2010 seniors, especially Janet, Kevin, Richard, Venky, and Eileen. You guys are my role model. 

Janet, I admire your preciseness and care for us. Working scrip every month, you helped us out in a lot of ways such as choosing classes for next year, math, and life in general. I don’t know how you were able to fit everything into your schedule, scrip, Editor-in-chief, NHS, etc. Indeed, we should have a reunion this summer. Thanks for mentioning me in the June issue of The Informer in your editorial. I’ll be in news staff next year and it should be fun. Thanks for everything. Good Luck at Berkeley!!

Kevin A. Lee, I didn’t get a chance to take a picture with you. I got to know you better this year through scrip. I remember I played basketball with you last year at Friendship Park quite often. You are a great shooter. You are a very humble and patient guy. You are very smart. Thanks for helping us out in Math, Calculus AB stuff. Thanks for helping me out in choosing my schedule for next year. I’ll see you around sometime at the park. 

Richard, Venky, and Eileen, 5th period was the best with you guys being IAs. I didn’t really get to know you guys too well until second semester but it was fun.

Richard, you were my DAO and helped me out last year, but I didn’t get to know you until this year. Last year, I had fond memories of the CHS Security Council where you posed as Ban-Ki Moon. I admire your ability to talk so well and fast. You should be a politician someday, like president. Your speech about “BSing during speeches” was the best and “whatnot”. I like how you take a lot of days off from school and just casually bring all your stuff to school in a badminton bag. Good job getting redemption for that CIF Badminton ring that was taken back this year. 

Venky, you were always there when I needed help. Congratz on becoming an Eagle Scout. I’ll be one soon too. I remember how Richard told us you were stopped at the airport coming back from Washington D.C. as airport security pulled you aside for further questioning about your gavel. That was hilarious. My first ever grills were with you and you prepped me really well for Davis. Thanks!

Eileen, you were my chair at the Cerritos Conference. You made it really fun. I remember how we, Cerritos delegates, were so much prepared than the other delegates from other schools. Thanks for giving me help on that topic on tuberculosis. I loved reading your articles in the newspaper. You’ll be at UCLA so it’s not that far away. 

Thank you IAs for the wonderful time we had this year. We will be better MUN Delegates and a better person in general because of you guys.

Good luck to all the 2010 CHS Graduating Seniors in college! Come visit us often at CHS.

Test-free week

This week has been relatively easy. I have had no test in any of my classes. I don’t have a test on Friday either. 15 days of school left until summer vacation starts. The final stretch begins next week. Finals begin at the end of next week with Spanish written. Time for me to buckle down and finish this school year off strong.

On the Dodgers’ Jumbotron following Matt Kemp’s Home Run, which landed two rows behind me

Caught on the FOX Cam following Matt Kemp’s home run. National TV!!! I'm the guy at the aisle seat wearing the blue shirt and turned facing the back.

Dodger Game

Last Saturday (May 22), I went to the Los Angeles Dodgers-Detroit Tigers game at Dodger Stadium. It was a special day for the Dodgers as they devoted the day to Taiwan. Saturday was “Taiwan Day” at Dodger Stadium. With the Taiwan Day festivities, the Dodgers had two Dodgertown Taiwan sections in the upper deck. Sitting in those two sections were a lot of jubilant and excited Taiwanese fans who received free T-shirts, thundersticks, Taiwanese food, and most importantly a lot of nationalism pride.

My family made the decision on Friday night to go to the 4 PM nationally televised game. We bought left field pavilion row C aisle seats tickets on stubhub. On the way to Dodger Stadium, we were stuck in the L.A. traffic and therefore arrived late as the bottom half of the 1st inning was about to begin. When we got in, the fun had just started. It turned out to be the most special and unique baseball game I have ever attended.

We got to see Dodgers pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo and Detroit Tigers pitcher Fu-Te Ni pitch. Ni pitched 1 1/3 inning and Kuo pitched 1 solid 7th inning. That was really special, two Taiwanese pitcher pitching on Taiwan Day. When Kuo came out to pitch, the Dodgertown Taiwan sections were rumbling and rocking. All the Taiwanese fans seated up there were all excited. Next, during the 7th inning stretch, Lin Yu Chun sang “God Bless America”. Lin Yu Chun gained fame back in April as he sang a wonderful rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” on a Taiwanese reality talent show. He appeared on many talk shows in the U.S. Besides singing God Bless America, Chun sang “Taiwan Touch Your Heart” and the U.S. national anthem before the game. Unfortunately, I missed the first two songs. Lastly, we got ourselves on national TV. In the 5th inning, Matt Kemp hit a home run that landed two seats and two rows back from my seat. I saw the baseball come at me and I knew it was going to be near my seat. This old guy caught the ball and it really changed the feeling of the game. When I got home, I searched online for the FOX broadcast and the highlights and I saw myself on TV. The FOX camera caught me turned towards the guy that caught it. In fact, my whole family was on TV. In addition, I saw myself on the jumbotron on that home run replay. I could never imagine myself on TV, especially this being on national TV, broadcasted to the whole nation. 

For the game, Dodgers won 6-4. Casey Blake hit a home run, Matt Kemp hit a home run, Blake DeWitt had a triple that scored two runs, and that was pretty much  the game. Got to see Jonathan Broxton pitch the final inning to earn his 10th save of the season. But this game meant a lot to me. As a Taiwanese, it was great seeing Dodgers celebrating and marketing Taiwan. Seeing Ni and Kuo pitch was awesome. Hearing Lin Yu Chun’s beautiful voice made it even better. Taiwan was represented well on Saturday. In fact, the FOX broadcast team even made mention of Taiwan Day. It’s really touching to see Taiwan getting recognition. 

This baseball game was fun. Sitting in left field, I really understood why baseball is so fun of a game. 

Go Dodgers and Taiwan!!! 

Davis and Berkeley

Last weekend, I went to both Davis and Berkeley. Friday to Sunday, I was at UC Davis for a MUN Conference. Then Sunday afternoon, my parents picked me up from Davis and we went down to Berkeley, where my cousin was graduating on Monday. Those 4 days away from home were a breather. I was able to relax and not worry about a lot of things. And getting to see the campus and towns around UC Davis and UC Berkeley gave me a first impression of the school.

We totally dominated the MUN Conference at UC Davis. Our school, Cerritos High School MUN, won the best school delegation award as 37 delegates represented various countries. That award was the goal for us going into the conference. We won many commendations and outstanding awards and one gavel. In addition, we won a lot of research awards. I won a research award for my position papers. My committee was WTO and my topics were Global Financial Crisis Impacts on Multilateral Trade and Effects of Trade Policies on the Environment. In committee, we had 7 Cerritos delegates so we backed each other up. The chairs did not care about us at all whatsoever the first day as our chair was tracking a San Francisco Giants baseball game and was on Facebook. He called this one delegate like 5 times in the first session alone! I made moderated caucus speeches and comments but wasn’t really that aggressive. Saturday was the worst day. We had 3 sessions of committee, totaling about 9 hours. Sunday was much better as we only had a 3 1/2 session committee to close out debate.

Besides being in committee, I got to see what the city of Davis is like. When we arrived at our fancy Hyatt Hotel, I thought were in the middle of nowhere as all I saw was farmland. UC Davis has the largest square area of all the UC’s. Our hotel, Hyatt Place, was really nice. It was built last year so everything was new. In our room, we had a HDTV, a couch, granite marble counter tops, new restroom, and free Wi-Fi. The hotel also provided us with free continental breakfast that was plentiful and abundant. Since we had to eat four meals by ourselves around Downtown Davis, I went to restaurants that were delicious and had high reviews. Friday night, I dined with two other people had “Sophia’s Thai Kitchen.” We had a 30 minute wait but it was worth it. It was the best Thai food I have ever eaten. I ordered chicken beef and spinach with peanut sauce and it was tasty. Saturday night, I ate with about 10 people at “Crepeville”. I ordered seafood alfredo along with chocolate crepes desert. Those were nice too. For Saturday and Sunday lunch, I just ate it with a few buddies at this Japanese restaurant and Korean Restaurant since we had limited time. Man Downtown Davis is so small and so easy to walk around. All the streets are straightforward. I have Downtown Davis memorized in my head. At night as we were walking back to the hotel, Mr. Mustard led us in walking on the riverwalk nature trail. It was pitch black but we were able to find our way back to the hotel as the girls were all scared and freaked out. It was actually quite fun. Davis is a nice school and a nice town. My impression changed a lot ever since we arrived on Friday and I saw all the farmland. 

Sunday afternoon, my parents picked me up from Davis after awards ceremony and we headed down to Berkeley. I accomplished a lot in the one night I stayed there. Sunday night, I stayed at a hostel. Now the word hostel, I had never heard that word until this year in Spanish class when it was a vocab word but never quite understood what it was. So here’s what a hostel is: It’s basically a house where they rent out rooms for the night. The bathroom is shared by all the people who are staying at the hostel. I had a pretty good night sleep Sunday night. It was a cool experience. Monday morning, I dined at the “Cal Dining Hall”. That is the place where Berkeley students eat their meals. My graduating cousin got us in and it was a pretty cool. The dining hall serves all kinds of meals and it is “all you can eat.” After breakfast, we went on a campus tour of UC Berkeley. We walked around the campus and saw a few important and meaningful buildings, such as the chancellor’s office and the library and the science building. Berkeley gave me the feel of those east coast colleges. Its buildings seemed really old but yet unique. That big tower was cool. After our tour of Berkeley, it started raining so we took shelter in the student store, where I bought a Cal T-shirt. In the afternoon, it was graduation time for my cousin. Her department, sociology, had their graduation at the Zellerbach Hall, where Dali Lama, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton spoke before. My cousin is so special. She was a valedictorian when she graduated Cerritos 4 years ago and she graduated in the honors program. She was a honorable mention for this one award. There were many speakers giving the commencement speech. They each spoke about how sociology matters to us. Some were funny, others were boring. The commencement ceremony was amazing and impressive by the way it was run. My cousin is so awesome. Afterwards, we took a lot of pictures with her and then went home. Got back home Tuesday morning at 12:30 AM.

Congratulations Annie on graduating from Berkeley! I had lots of fun. It was a great 4-days up in Northern California.  

A 4 Day Weekend

I’ll be having a 4-day weekend in a few days. On Friday, along with 39 other CHS MUN Sophomore delegates, we are traveling to UC Davis for the Davis MUN Conference. It’s going to be a long 7 hour bus ride in a charter bus but it is going to be fun. This will be the first long distance conference for most of us. We are staying at a brand new Hyatt hotel that was just built in 2009. I looked at the pictures and was impressed. HDTV’s in every room, free wi-fi, complimentary breakfast, and a lot more cool features. Conference will run til Sunday afternoon and I will not be coming back with my school. Instead, I’m heading down to Berkeley, where my cousin will be graduating on Monday. This weekend is going to be a fun one but I have to get all my homework done! I must be at school on Tuesday as I have to present 2 projects and have a chem test on Tuesday. But it’ll be a nice 4-day getaway….

I took one of these graduation trips in May of 2008 as during Memorial Day weekend of that year, I took 2 days off school and went on a 5-day east coast trip to Boston, Providence, and New York. My cousin graduated from Brown and we went to Providence. I caught a Red Sox game before that and it was a fun game. The Red Sox hit 2 grand slams and we still got to see their closer pitch. After Providence, we went to New York for a night. I saw yankee and shea stadium that were both demolished to accommodate the new ballpark. I still remember fondly of my trip 2 years ago. It was fun and exhilarating. 

First AP Test Ever

Today, I took my first ever AP Test this morning at school.  AP Calculus AB. I woke up extremely early on a late start day as we had to be at school by 7:15. It was a great first experience as I got a taste of what an AP Test is like. To me, this AP Test was like a practice one. Even if I don’t do as well as I desire on today’s test, next year’s Calculus BC will cover the AB Credit. The test was about 4 hours long and it was tiring and dreadful.

I walked into the gym expecting it to be like the CAHSEE. We go in and get our booklets and start the test. But no, it wasn’t quite like that. I walked in and got placed in a seat number. After everyone got seated (both calc AB and BC people which took a long time), we got started. Ms. Silber went over all the steps and I kind of got lost; I didn’t know what to do with the booklets. Somil, who was sitting right next to me, helped me out and aided me on what to do, such as placing the AP student number sticker on the test booklet and answer document. I couldn’t quite understand what Ms. Silber was saying on the instructions. Everything seemed so formal, kind of like a SAT Test.

We began the test around 8:45 and Part I of the multiple choice non-calculator began. 55 minutes. I skipped 7 questions as I didn’t want to take any chances in guessing. Immediately right after that 1st part was done, we began Part II, the calculator section. I had to think thoroughly and for a long time on 3 questions and in the end, skipped only 1. I was aggressive in answering my questions. After a brief break where I ate a light snack, Part III, the FRQ section began. It is divided into two 45 minutes sections with 3 questions each. The FRQ were weird. I understood the concept of doing the problem but had a hard time in analyzing the problem and what to do with it. I think I did ok on that part. Probably got at least a 6 on each question. So that was it, the AP Calculus AB Test. We ended testing around 1:00 PM. About 4 hours of testing. I was exhausted afterwards and had to show up to 5th period for 5 minutes.

Many upperclassmen left right after the test as they submitted notes to the note box excusing them from leaving school after the AP Test. I didn’t know that and now I know. Next year, for sure I will bring a signed note from my parents that will enable me to leave right after the AP Test. I don’t see a point in sticking around for the rest of school especially after sitting through 4 hours of AP Testing. I’d probably go home or go eat lunch. That’s my plan for May 2011. In fact, on the days before some APs, I might even take a day off to study. That’s all next year.

The total amount of points is 99. 28 MC + 17 MC + (9 points each x 6 FRQs). We only need a 68 to get a 5. I think I got at least a 4 on the AP Test. O well, I’ll find out in July. But today was a good first-time AP Test experience for me. Now I know how to do things, such as the AP Student Pack, filling out the circles, etc. APs for me are over now and I can breathe a sigh of relief. 

2010 Golf Season

Tomorrow was scheduled to be the Suburban League JV Golf League Finals at La Mirada Golf Course but apparently it’s not going to happen. For some reason, this year, we only had 2 league matches and it was all against Mayfair and we only had 12 matches overall. So that means my second golf season has come to an end.

This 2010 season, I elevated and improved my game a lot from freshmen year. There were a lot of ups and downs for me. I broke 50 a few times this year compared to none last year and was a lot more confident. I felt part of the team more as my score was included in the scoring this year in almost all of the matches. Coming into this season, I set a goal for myself to be number 1 on JV and accomplished that in a match vs. Gahr on April 13. I shot a 38 which was the best of both teams. That was a result of my hard work and diligent effort during spring break, in which I practiced almost everyday and played a few rounds of golf. It paid off as the Monday we got back to school (April 12), I shot a 50 at Lakewood against Mayfair. That is my PR at Lakewood.

One thing I lacked this season was consistency. When I was playing really well and on a roll, I couldn’t sustain it. I would play really well in one match and then have really bad matches. Two weeks ago in a match vs. Bosco, I shot a 56 which was pathetic. I should of broken 50 that day as my drives were horrible and my short game sucked. I was 11 over through 3 holes and never found my touch.

I figured out my driver halfway through the season as the match vs. Downey at Los Amigos on March 24, I hit about every fairway. My drives were straight down the fairway and I shot really well that day, a 47. I’d call that match my best of the season on the long courses (par 36s) as I two-putted every hole but one.  But I lost that touch of my driver the last few weeks as the driver has been my Achilles heel. I’ve been hitting my drives to the right and it has been horrible.

We finish 10-1-1 on the season. The only loss was to Long Beach Poly on March 12 by two freak’in strokes. I got hit by a golf ball that day while searching for my ball under the trees. A teammate of mine teed off from the next hole and the ball bounced and got me on my thigh. The tie was also against Long Beach Poly, on April 20, was one I’ll never forget. It rained hard and viciously the first three holes which made playing conditions tough at Big Recreation Park. I was soaked and wet and the third hole was the worst as we teed off with the rain blowing right in our face. The rain stopped after we finished the third hole. Despite all that, we tied them. If I had made my 3-foot par putt on hole 5, then we would of been the victors. The wins, we beat Long Beach Poly  by 5 the first match of the season, St. John Bosco twice, Gahr three times, Downey twice, and Mayfair twice. Overall, a successful season. Our team goal was perfection and we almost achieved that.

Personally, my goals for the off season are to improve my game to bring my stroke down on the longer courses, especially Lakewood. I’ve already pretty much mastered Ironwood as I shot a 6 over par (35) last Tuesday, my best round ever there. That 6 over was a good redemption for the first match at Ironwood, in which I shot an embarrassing 48 (March 17), followed by a respectable 38 (April 13), then 35. I want to develop my consistency. That means drives that have a right-to-left draw, 2 putts on every hole (if not less), chips that are great, iron shots that I don’t shank, and many more objectives. I plan to play a lot of golf before the 2011 Golf Season starts, especially on the long courses. All that experience will only benefit me. I’ll continue to go to the driving range to work on my game. My goal for next year is to make varsity. It’s going to be tough but it’s possible if I keep working on my game.

Good job to all JV Golfers for this year. Dilan, Kris, AJ, Victor, Patrick, and Scott, it was fun playing with you guys. Thank you Coach Daniel and Patrick for the wonderful support and advice you gave me. It was a great and successful 2010 season. I had a memorable second year of playing golf for Cerritos.