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.