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.