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...