well, i just posted a lot of pics and some reflections... make sure to check em all out if you haven't seen any yet... there are quite a few :) enjoy them!
we will be going to tokyo tomorrow for new years celebrations. we're going to be taking the bullet train... it should be pretty awesome :)
all is going well
i dont know if i'll be able to update in tokyo, but i will if i can.
i hope all is going fine and dandy back home... enjoy your new years celebration, whether it be sleeping before midnight or staying up and watching the countdown. it's kind of weird to think that i am going to be entering the new year 17 hours before you...haha, i still cant get over this whole time difference :)
hooroo
Friday, December 30
a trip to the conbini store (convenient store, circle-k)
after a quick trot down to the corner and jog across the busy street, i’m greeted by a wall of warm air and the nasal Japanese greetings from the cashiers behind the counter (the nasal voice is customary and required of people in the position of service to others, like cashiers and greeters/hosts at resturaunts and stores...). I quickly bow my head and smile (not having a clue as to what they said) and I make my way to the hot drinks and breads. after grabbing a few things, i walk up to the cashier… another nasal greeting and some additional phrases as she rings up my hot green tea and bread—430 yen… that’s about $4.30 in US currency. I rummage through a bunch of coins in my pockets and pull out 500 yen (i’ve got the yen down now) and place it in the plate (you never hand money directly to the cashier).
she grabs the yen and is talking in that nasal voice the whole time as she grabs the change… my bro says that they are explaining what they are doing with your money, you know, “I’m taking your money, you gave me this much, you get this much back…” and so on. she places the money and receipt in my hand and I am off, back to the house.
who would know that a solo trip to the circle-k down the street in the mornings would prove to be such a fun adventure to me :)
now, here are a few things that are different about the service here in japan compared to the service in america. in america, we have the saying “the customer is always right.” in japan, they say this saying too. but when you translate their saying from japanese to english, it literally means “the customer is god.” and let me tell you, they take this to heart, and they will do anything to satisfy the customer. I could go so much further into this, but this is getting long. I’ll talk more of this later.
time for the list of lessons learned!
-the automatic doors are a little more delayed and slower than back home… I have walked straight into two because of this reason.
-another door had my face smashed into it because of its being semi-automatic… you have to push a button that’s on the door…I’m telling you, the button is disguised as a part of the door.
-it’s very difficult to tell the difference between the guys and girls clothing department
oh ya, this is random, but I had a dream that I was covered in cactus last night… weird.
anyway, hooroo for now!
she grabs the yen and is talking in that nasal voice the whole time as she grabs the change… my bro says that they are explaining what they are doing with your money, you know, “I’m taking your money, you gave me this much, you get this much back…” and so on. she places the money and receipt in my hand and I am off, back to the house.
who would know that a solo trip to the circle-k down the street in the mornings would prove to be such a fun adventure to me :)
now, here are a few things that are different about the service here in japan compared to the service in america. in america, we have the saying “the customer is always right.” in japan, they say this saying too. but when you translate their saying from japanese to english, it literally means “the customer is god.” and let me tell you, they take this to heart, and they will do anything to satisfy the customer. I could go so much further into this, but this is getting long. I’ll talk more of this later.
time for the list of lessons learned!
-the automatic doors are a little more delayed and slower than back home… I have walked straight into two because of this reason.
-another door had my face smashed into it because of its being semi-automatic… you have to push a button that’s on the door…I’m telling you, the button is disguised as a part of the door.
-it’s very difficult to tell the difference between the guys and girls clothing department
oh ya, this is random, but I had a dream that I was covered in cactus last night… weird.
anyway, hooroo for now!
Thursday, December 29
lots of pics because of lots of time
my mum and bro wanted to go shopping for some stuff, so i asked if i could go on my own and stop by the internet place to put up my pics since pics take a long time. ere go, i am here, posting pics.
this is inside the dressing room...
This is japanese graffitti
octopus tentacles... prepare to be eaten
this is inside the dressing room...
This is japanese graffitti
octopus tentacles... prepare to be eaten
the foreigner
well, I didn’t have a chance to say all I wanted to say, or show all I wanted to show from yesterday… so a lot of this is leftover. and this one did get a little long, so you can just skip to the list and pics if you don’t want to read two paragraphs :) actually, i dont have enough time to post pics, so i will do that later.
image means a lot here in japan… not that it doesn’t in California too… but here, it’s to another extreme. I mentioned earlier that the fashion here is mini skirts with boots. when I am walking in this freezing cold weather and see this, I figure that they are just used to it. however, this is not true. my brother mentioned to me that he had asked someone he knew about this, and they said that the girls here will put themselves through the miserable cold just to look good. wow… I could never do that… mini skirts in cold weather (or any weather :) just aren’t my thing.
I was thinking about how I have never been the foreigner before… I have seen foreigners before and observed them, but I have never taken on the role as one. Now, far from home, I notice that I am really enjoying the role as a foreigner…it’s actually a lot of fun. trying to communicate, learning new customs, taking in the different lifestyle, learning the way around a place that’s not home…it’s so awesome. being a foreigner isn’t so bad… I can’t quite explain why, but I just love being out of my element and adapting to the new one. however, I do miss having my friends around. next time I take a trip, I am definitely taking my friends with me :)
more things I learned today:
-check out the prices on these fruit (in US currency): 1 cantalope=$94.50 ; 1 orange=$85.00 ; 1 mango=$21.00… getting some yummy fruit= definitely not priceless
-octopus tentacles do NOT taste good
-the graffiti here is not so hard on the eyes
-the massage chairs here have people inside of them… well, at least it feels like it :)
-everyone either walks or rides bikes/scooters and uses the train (we walk and use the train) the bikes and pedestrians are on the same sidewalk, causing a lot of close calls
-almost all the stores in japan will play the song “Auld Lang Syne” at closing
-america isn’t the only place that have starbucks within a mile of eachother
there’s a ton more, but I can’t quite remember some things at the moment… so I will tell some more later.
image means a lot here in japan… not that it doesn’t in California too… but here, it’s to another extreme. I mentioned earlier that the fashion here is mini skirts with boots. when I am walking in this freezing cold weather and see this, I figure that they are just used to it. however, this is not true. my brother mentioned to me that he had asked someone he knew about this, and they said that the girls here will put themselves through the miserable cold just to look good. wow… I could never do that… mini skirts in cold weather (or any weather :) just aren’t my thing.
I was thinking about how I have never been the foreigner before… I have seen foreigners before and observed them, but I have never taken on the role as one. Now, far from home, I notice that I am really enjoying the role as a foreigner…it’s actually a lot of fun. trying to communicate, learning new customs, taking in the different lifestyle, learning the way around a place that’s not home…it’s so awesome. being a foreigner isn’t so bad… I can’t quite explain why, but I just love being out of my element and adapting to the new one. however, I do miss having my friends around. next time I take a trip, I am definitely taking my friends with me :)
more things I learned today:
-check out the prices on these fruit (in US currency): 1 cantalope=$94.50 ; 1 orange=$85.00 ; 1 mango=$21.00… getting some yummy fruit= definitely not priceless
-octopus tentacles do NOT taste good
-the graffiti here is not so hard on the eyes
-the massage chairs here have people inside of them… well, at least it feels like it :)
-everyone either walks or rides bikes/scooters and uses the train (we walk and use the train) the bikes and pedestrians are on the same sidewalk, causing a lot of close calls
-almost all the stores in japan will play the song “Auld Lang Syne” at closing
-america isn’t the only place that have starbucks within a mile of eachother
there’s a ton more, but I can’t quite remember some things at the moment… so I will tell some more later.
Wednesday, December 28
first day in town, experiencing the culture
well, first of all, the girls here... CRAZY... absolutely crazy... here i am, wearing long underwear, and two jackets, and gloves... and then these girls in miniskirts and boots come walking down the street... crazy!
some fun things i learned:
-you have to take your shoes of when you go in the dressing rooms
-i had no idea that they drove on the other side of the road
-they seperate all the trash
-the toilets are in the floor
here are some pics of what i saw today:
i would put more, but my bro and mum want to leave,.. more fun pics later!
planes trains and automobiles
ha, it's wednesday morning here and it's 4 pm tuesday back in CA... i think
i am adjusting just fine... i didnt notice the time difference at all...
maybe that's just because i was exhausted :)
well, three airports, two planes, one bus, and one train, and a quick walk later, i am in nagoya, japan. you know what, i can do this traveling stuff... i really like airports and changing planes and what-not.
my brother's place is sooo small... i love it! i don't know why but i just
love tiny places. now, i am not exagerating about how small it is... you'll
see in the pictures. the entire bathroom is so small, that i can't fully
extend my arms in any direction. his kitchen is a little under a yard wide,
and the place where i sleep (on the floor) is about one and a half of my
body lengths. he has a loft... that's where my mum sleeps. also, his
heater is broken, so he has this little space heater that actually does a
decent job. i didnt really need it, though, with all the layers i was
wearing :)
anyway, i have decided to just start using pictures with captions... it's a
ton easier and a lot faster to read... and probably more interesting. i
haven't had a chance to connect to the intrenet yet, so i have just been
typing out the stuff and will post it all at once... along with some pics.
well, we are off to check out some convenient stores and what-not.
i am adjusting just fine... i didnt notice the time difference at all...
maybe that's just because i was exhausted :)
well, three airports, two planes, one bus, and one train, and a quick walk later, i am in nagoya, japan. you know what, i can do this traveling stuff... i really like airports and changing planes and what-not.
my brother's place is sooo small... i love it! i don't know why but i just
love tiny places. now, i am not exagerating about how small it is... you'll
see in the pictures. the entire bathroom is so small, that i can't fully
extend my arms in any direction. his kitchen is a little under a yard wide,
and the place where i sleep (on the floor) is about one and a half of my
body lengths. he has a loft... that's where my mum sleeps. also, his
heater is broken, so he has this little space heater that actually does a
decent job. i didnt really need it, though, with all the layers i was
wearing :)
anyway, i have decided to just start using pictures with captions... it's a
ton easier and a lot faster to read... and probably more interesting. i
haven't had a chance to connect to the intrenet yet, so i have just been
typing out the stuff and will post it all at once... along with some pics.
well, we are off to check out some convenient stores and what-not.
seven hours in...
lets see... i have been inside a big chunk of metal with wings on it for
about 7 hours. so far, i have slept a ton (with a little help from
dramamine) while listening to my ipod. my music has been keeping me sane.
i just got done watching "fantastic four"... a lady in front of me and to my left has watched "wedding crashers"about three times... when i saw that we each had individual tv screens, i
thought i would be glued to it. i am happy to say i have only watched one movie, and have been reading and sleeping the rest.
luckily, i don have a five year old kid behind me kicking my seat. also,
the food is delicious... they are full-on meals. i had terryaki chicken with
rice and a salad for lunch... i'm wondering if we get dinner soon.
well, i am thinking i am going to sleep some more... hope all is going well
on the earth below outside of this chunk of metal!
about 7 hours. so far, i have slept a ton (with a little help from
dramamine) while listening to my ipod. my music has been keeping me sane.
i just got done watching "fantastic four"... a lady in front of me and to my left has watched "wedding crashers"about three times... when i saw that we each had individual tv screens, i
thought i would be glued to it. i am happy to say i have only watched one movie, and have been reading and sleeping the rest.
luckily, i don have a five year old kid behind me kicking my seat. also,
the food is delicious... they are full-on meals. i had terryaki chicken with
rice and a salad for lunch... i'm wondering if we get dinner soon.
well, i am thinking i am going to sleep some more... hope all is going well
on the earth below outside of this chunk of metal!
at the airport
well, i am sitting in a chair at a window in the airport near the food court
and being attacked by the strong smell of McDonald's. after spending a very
long time in line to check in our baggage (not carry-on stuff), i am
interested to see how i will handle this very long flight. i am tired, so
hopefully sleep will come easy.
christmas yesterday went well... my family got a kick out of my christmas
movie, but sometimes i wonder if they are just easily amused :) also, the
desert i made, eclair cake, was a hit (thanks for the recipe!) i'll be
posting pics later when i have a better internet connection.
packing last night was a blast... jenny and i spent a lot of our time seeing
how much we could fit our own bodies into my bag. we both fit fairly well..
those pics will be posted as well :)
hooroo
and being attacked by the strong smell of McDonald's. after spending a very
long time in line to check in our baggage (not carry-on stuff), i am
interested to see how i will handle this very long flight. i am tired, so
hopefully sleep will come easy.
christmas yesterday went well... my family got a kick out of my christmas
movie, but sometimes i wonder if they are just easily amused :) also, the
desert i made, eclair cake, was a hit (thanks for the recipe!) i'll be
posting pics later when i have a better internet connection.
packing last night was a blast... jenny and i spent a lot of our time seeing
how much we could fit our own bodies into my bag. we both fit fairly well..
those pics will be posted as well :)
hooroo
Friday, December 23
some random pics
well, i was cleaning out the pics in my digital camera, and somehow, i found some pictures from all the way back in april and some others in between. some of them are pretty good, so i'll put a few up. 
(you can click on them to make em 
bigger)
On the left is when we went snowboarding back in april... of course, this is afterwards. Then, on the right is my pumpkin pie i made for our tennis anquet... that's when it was about half deflated... it was really weird... i thought it was going to explode.
Here is when we went to manhattan beach on wednesday (when school got out... half day). The waves were so huge! Nobody was aloud to go on the pier because the waves were so big that water was spilling over onto the pier... it was pretty crazy. I'll be puting up some more pictures soon...
i hope everybody's breaks are going well...
ta-ta
(you can click on them to make em 
bigger)On the left is when we went snowboarding back in april... of course, this is afterwards. Then, on the right is my pumpkin pie i made for our tennis anquet... that's when it was about half deflated... it was really weird... i thought it was going to explode.
Here is when we went to manhattan beach on wednesday (when school got out... half day). The waves were so huge! Nobody was aloud to go on the pier because the waves were so big that water was spilling over onto the pier... it was pretty crazy. I'll be puting up some more pictures soon...
i hope everybody's breaks are going well...
ta-ta
Tuesday, December 20
Simply Genius
Well, this year i decided to make my Christmas Movie a little bit different. Last year, it was more of a pretty picture show... this year, i tried (key word, tried) to add some humor by making a movie of the rush on Christmas morning if one decided to procrastinate. Most of you have seen/will see the movie, but just to make a smooth transition into my next topic, i will say that it was done in the style of an old silent film... it was kind of inspired by this fellow:
yup, charlie chaplin. I have been having a blast watching some of his films the past few days. This stuff is just genius... it's where it all originated. You can't help but laugh when watching his films. When you can laugh as hard as you do without the dialogue, that says something about the acting and the writing. Good stuff, good stuff. If you ever have the chance to see some of his films, go for it... seriously, they are great.
well, i am off... tomorrow is my last day of school before break, and then i am done... it's nice to have my college friends around. i look forward to the next two weeks with them... who knows what we'll get into...
yup, charlie chaplin. I have been having a blast watching some of his films the past few days. This stuff is just genius... it's where it all originated. You can't help but laugh when watching his films. When you can laugh as hard as you do without the dialogue, that says something about the acting and the writing. Good stuff, good stuff. If you ever have the chance to see some of his films, go for it... seriously, they are great.
well, i am off... tomorrow is my last day of school before break, and then i am done... it's nice to have my college friends around. i look forward to the next two weeks with them... who knows what we'll get into...
Saturday, November 19
What a way to end the season!
Today we had individual CIFs (we being me, and our no. 1 doubles team kim & erin). Get this... our matches were at the Peninsula Raquet club. Now, you may not have heard of this place, but let me tell you, this place was BEAUTIFUL... it was so incredibly awesome. It literally was located on a cliff on the ocean. On top of that, it was a beautiful day and we could see catalina so clearly, that it was like we could almost touch it! I could see the ocean from the court i was on for my second match...
now, i dont know if you caught that, but i said second match... yup, i won my first round cif match... 6-3 6-1. it was such a great feeling winning that first match... that was my goal. praise God for the good draw!
and then i lost my second match... 1-6 1-6. this gal was good... she could place the ball on a dime. I got my two games off of her, and so no bagel was given.
doubles also won their first match (two sets and a third set super-tie breaker!) and then lost their second... they played really well.
so ya, it was a great place and way to end the season. I am super bummed that the season is over. but hey, i have got next season to look forward to!
well i am off
ta-ta
now, i dont know if you caught that, but i said second match... yup, i won my first round cif match... 6-3 6-1. it was such a great feeling winning that first match... that was my goal. praise God for the good draw!
and then i lost my second match... 1-6 1-6. this gal was good... she could place the ball on a dime. I got my two games off of her, and so no bagel was given.
doubles also won their first match (two sets and a third set super-tie breaker!) and then lost their second... they played really well.
so ya, it was a great place and way to end the season. I am super bummed that the season is over. but hey, i have got next season to look forward to!
well i am off
ta-ta
Saturday, November 12
By the way...
I now have a way to moderate comments, so all those people who have some sort of weird program watching my site waiting for me to post so that it can spam me the moment i do will get rejected by me... i get to approve the comments i want to now!!! In your face spammers... haha, three spammers tried spamming my last post... REJECTED!
Dry Courts
There has been so much tennis going on, i love it! I have been playing and watching tennis a bunch this past two weeks (except on wednesday when practice was rained out). I also went to watch the WTA tour tournament at the Staple's Center on thursday night with the tennis team... ton of fun. We all went after our team CIF match... and that's where the story begins... the CIF match.
I woke up on thursday upset to see that the street outside was wet. Then, as i walked to my car to leave for school, i was attacked by a violent drizzle (a drizzle on a match day is just the same as a downpour to tennis players, so excuse the exaggeration). Upset by the drizzle, i took off for school. When i arrived, i was greeted by a huge puddle in place of where our tennis courts were. In addition, the drizzle turned into rain. It was looking like our match, scheduled for 1:00 pm was not going to happen.
But wait...
During second period (AP english), while working on group work, i caught a glimpse of blue skies through the window and jumped out of my seat. I shouted, "Blue skies!" and pointed out the window. Being the only one on the tennis team, everyone else looked at me and didn't share my excitement. But, sure enough, there was a tiny patch of blue and it was getting bigger. I knew that third period (Teacher's Aide for PE) was going to be filled with squeegying (sp?) the courts and trying to dry them. Sure enough, that's what I did... however, i was joined by the PE class... with Allison being the PE teacher and the tennis coach, she could have her class dry the courts. So, by the end of third period, the courts were looking a ton better than a huge lake. They were probably half dry.
At the end of third period, i decided i would ask my ceramics teacher (4th period) if i could skip ceramics and work on the courts... surprisingly, she said yes. So that's what i and the 4th period PE class did all 4th period. God sent more blue skies and a warm sun, and by the end of fourth period, the courts were bone dry! Isn't that amazing?!?!? Praise God! Plus, what a way to end the school week (the team got out at lunch because of the 1:00 match start, and we had friday off). Yup yup, so that's the story. We didn't win our CIF match... it was 7-11. This team was from one hour north of santa barbra (cabrillo lompoc). They were good, but we totally could have taken them. I did win all three of my sets though, so i was super stoked :)
well, i am off... i have an appointment with myself to do nothing :)
I woke up on thursday upset to see that the street outside was wet. Then, as i walked to my car to leave for school, i was attacked by a violent drizzle (a drizzle on a match day is just the same as a downpour to tennis players, so excuse the exaggeration). Upset by the drizzle, i took off for school. When i arrived, i was greeted by a huge puddle in place of where our tennis courts were. In addition, the drizzle turned into rain. It was looking like our match, scheduled for 1:00 pm was not going to happen.
But wait...
During second period (AP english), while working on group work, i caught a glimpse of blue skies through the window and jumped out of my seat. I shouted, "Blue skies!" and pointed out the window. Being the only one on the tennis team, everyone else looked at me and didn't share my excitement. But, sure enough, there was a tiny patch of blue and it was getting bigger. I knew that third period (Teacher's Aide for PE) was going to be filled with squeegying (sp?) the courts and trying to dry them. Sure enough, that's what I did... however, i was joined by the PE class... with Allison being the PE teacher and the tennis coach, she could have her class dry the courts. So, by the end of third period, the courts were looking a ton better than a huge lake. They were probably half dry.
At the end of third period, i decided i would ask my ceramics teacher (4th period) if i could skip ceramics and work on the courts... surprisingly, she said yes. So that's what i and the 4th period PE class did all 4th period. God sent more blue skies and a warm sun, and by the end of fourth period, the courts were bone dry! Isn't that amazing?!?!? Praise God! Plus, what a way to end the school week (the team got out at lunch because of the 1:00 match start, and we had friday off). Yup yup, so that's the story. We didn't win our CIF match... it was 7-11. This team was from one hour north of santa barbra (cabrillo lompoc). They were good, but we totally could have taken them. I did win all three of my sets though, so i was super stoked :)
well, i am off... i have an appointment with myself to do nothing :)
Saturday, October 29
undefeated!
mmhmm... the valley christian girls team pulled through in the most intense and close match i have ever experienced against maranatha on tuesday. this is the team with the really good girl who pulls bagels off of everyone... however, i made a goal for myself to get a game off of her. well, i got TWO! yup yup... who would know that getting two games would be so exciting? it felt good.
anyway, back to the intensity of this match. for those of you that don't know how highschool tennis works, here is a quick explanation (for those who do know how this works, skip down to the next paragraph). there is a 1, 2, and 3 singles, and a 1, 2, and 3 doubles. each singles player will play each of the other team's singles player (so each will play a total of three sets... so, a total of 9 singles sets will be played by the singles players). the same goes for the doubles... a total of 9 sets. so, the team that wins the match is determined by which team wins the most sets out of 18. however, with 18 being an even number, it is possible to tie, 9-9. if that occurs, you then add up ALL the games (not sets...games make up a set) and whoever has the most games will win.
ok... so here we go. this match would determine if we were going to be undefeated league champs (we had already clinched the 'league champs' part... but we wanted the undefeated). maranatha's singles came out hard, but so did we. i won 2 and lost 1 (to that pro girl:) . i was done pretty fast, so i was heavily involved in the watching of the other sets and keeping score. our #1 doubles lost their first set (they had been undefeated up until that point), so that kind of caused a little bit of worry. as the match progressed, we found ourselves behind maranatha. our #3 singles player was down 1-5, and at this point, maranatha already had 8 sets, meaning that they only need two more sets to win the match, or one to make it a tie and go to games. we had 6 sets, so there were 4 sets left... 3 doubles and the singles match that we were down in. we had to win all of them to win the match.
our singles girl pulled it off and came back to win... it was incredible!! ok... so three left. two of the doubles sets went fast... we won them pretty easily. now, down to one set. the match score at this point was 9-8, with us having 9. in this last set, were down 1-3, then 2-4. at this point, everyone is watching and incredibly nervous. i don't think i have ever been put through such a nerve-wrecking match by just watching. we hadn't started counting games yet, but we figured that who ever won this set, would win the match... if we tied and went to games, we thought that maranatha would have more games.
it was then 4-5, and we counted games. the game count (not including the set happening right then) was 70-70... yup, the game score was tied, so whoever won the set would win the match (because they would have two more games than us if they won 6-4... making it 74-76).
there were some long rallies, and i think i held my breath throughout the majority of the match, not wanting to breath and disturb the path of the tennis ball in the midst of its rally. it was then 6-6 and went to a tie breaker.... A TIE BREAKER!!! the entire match has come down to a tie breaker! can it get any closer?!?!? my heart was going... it was so crazy, i can't find words to describe the feelings that everyone was going through.
well, you know the outcome.... we won the tie-breaker and won the match, 10-8. golly! it was so close! i don't think there was any better way to win the undefeated-champ title. go girl's tennis!
Friday, October 21
7 down, one to go!
Well, the Valley Christian Girl's Tennis Team is still undefeated as of yesterday! We are now 7-0 in league and stand in first place. We have our last league match on this coming tuesday against Maranatha (who i believe are 6-1... having their only loss to us). The team has been doing well, and we are going for a clean record of 8-0. We will be going on to CIF as a team, so that is going to be awesome.
Also, a few days ago, i beat two of the three girls that i lost to in the first round of league matches. I am now 18-3 and hopefully in second place (the first place girl is crazy good... crazy good. She is on the maranatha team). So, i am hoping to finish out the season at 20-4... or maybe i can try getting this maranatha girl and be 21-3... haha, we will see on tuesday. But anyway, i am hoping for a good draw in league finals (where the top 8 singles and the top 8 doubles compete). Only the remaining two players from each doubles and singles go on to CIF... so it basically goes up to semifinals. If i can get seeded at number two, then i would be opposite the maranatha girl and wouldn't have to worry about playing her.
wow, lots of tennis stuf, eh? well, it's all super exciting, and it's only going to get more exciting!
i have to go now though... wilderness challenge trip this weekend at north of zuma beach in malibu...
tata
Also, a few days ago, i beat two of the three girls that i lost to in the first round of league matches. I am now 18-3 and hopefully in second place (the first place girl is crazy good... crazy good. She is on the maranatha team). So, i am hoping to finish out the season at 20-4... or maybe i can try getting this maranatha girl and be 21-3... haha, we will see on tuesday. But anyway, i am hoping for a good draw in league finals (where the top 8 singles and the top 8 doubles compete). Only the remaining two players from each doubles and singles go on to CIF... so it basically goes up to semifinals. If i can get seeded at number two, then i would be opposite the maranatha girl and wouldn't have to worry about playing her.
wow, lots of tennis stuf, eh? well, it's all super exciting, and it's only going to get more exciting!
i have to go now though... wilderness challenge trip this weekend at north of zuma beach in malibu...
tata
Saturday, October 15
keepin' it going!
well, as of thursday's match against connoly, our tennis team is still undefeated in league! we are 5-0 in league, and its going great... everyone is doing awesome! i am going to have to take some pictures soon, that way i can post them on the site.
well, today's the day i have my first "video gig." haha, i don't know what else to call it. I am video taping a wedding this afternoon, and i am getting payed to do it... so it's exciting. i got the gig through a recommendation, so i hope everything turns out okay. it didn't hit me until a few days ago that this is huge... you know, a wedding... it's an important thing. i can't make any stupid errors. could you just imagine me forgetting to press record... ya, that wouldn't go over too well: "well, um, can we do that again... i forgot to press record, and..."
but, ya, i have to find something nice to wear to the wedding... we all know that i don't own a dress (well, i do have my dress from winter formal, but that's not exactly wedding attire). i have a skirt, and i have worn it to every wedding that i have been to in the past few years (which is only a few, but it has been my designated outfit for weddings... so maybe i will just go with that).
yup yup, well, i gotta go
ta-ta
well, today's the day i have my first "video gig." haha, i don't know what else to call it. I am video taping a wedding this afternoon, and i am getting payed to do it... so it's exciting. i got the gig through a recommendation, so i hope everything turns out okay. it didn't hit me until a few days ago that this is huge... you know, a wedding... it's an important thing. i can't make any stupid errors. could you just imagine me forgetting to press record... ya, that wouldn't go over too well: "well, um, can we do that again... i forgot to press record, and..."
but, ya, i have to find something nice to wear to the wedding... we all know that i don't own a dress (well, i do have my dress from winter formal, but that's not exactly wedding attire). i have a skirt, and i have worn it to every wedding that i have been to in the past few years (which is only a few, but it has been my designated outfit for weddings... so maybe i will just go with that).
yup yup, well, i gotta go
ta-ta
Sunday, October 9
been a long time
well, i just noticed (thanks to a friendly hint) that i have not posted in a long time... since september 26th to be exact. A lot has happened since then, so i shall fill you in with a few stories and pictures.
well first of all, lets see... I went to joshua tree last weekend for a thing called desert tabernacle... along with a few fellow church
members, i did a 24 hour fast from noon friday to noon saturday. The time in Joshua Tree was amazing. We did a few hikes and did some devotions... I just love it out there. here are some pics:
so those are some pics from joshua tree... the first one is of the sunrise on saturday morning, and the last one is part of the view i saw from a spot i sat at during my quiet time. it was amazing to see all of that in front of me... i was pretty high up.
now, for the next bit... this is probably going to be my favorite part of the blog. I am going to announce some great news... our girl's tennis team at VCHS is currently UNDEFEATED in league!!! yup, 4-0. there are 4 other teams in our league besides us, and we play each team once. on thursday, we were 3-0 and were playing against the only other team in our league that was undefeated, 3-0. so, whoever won that match, would make a statement and take over as 1st in league. so, we played against maranatha on thursday. it was a great match, and was a lot closer than the score shows (14-4). eveyrone played incredible and we pulled out the win! so yup, thats some great news... the team is doing awesome!
yesterday was a fun filled day... it was very long, though. i went for a bike ride to the beach in the morning with a friend of mine. i havent done that in so long, so i was glad i got to. i went to rei and hung out there for a while, walked around, checked out the clearance. then later i played some tennis with some teamates. after, i picked mieke and we went to the batting cages. i know, random, but it was a lot of fun. i brought the camera along and we had a lot of fun... there were no people in our section, so we messed around a bit. here are some pics:
we had a blast at the cages. mieke stuck to the slow pitch (softball) and i started there, but the softball fast pitch on cage over was calling my name. that was fun... i actually hit some decent shots of the fast pitch. mieke did some switch hitting, shes pretty good at that. the helmets were awewsome. they have holes in the back of them so that you can put your pony tail through it. they think of everything these days. so ya, we climbed around, mieke took a peek in the hole that all the balls roll into, and we took a picture of ourslelves right in front of the machine. it was not on, of course. we are not that crazy.
well first of all, lets see... I went to joshua tree last weekend for a thing called desert tabernacle... along with a few fellow church
members, i did a 24 hour fast from noon friday to noon saturday. The time in Joshua Tree was amazing. We did a few hikes and did some devotions... I just love it out there. here are some pics:
so those are some pics from joshua tree... the first one is of the sunrise on saturday morning, and the last one is part of the view i saw from a spot i sat at during my quiet time. it was amazing to see all of that in front of me... i was pretty high up.
now, for the next bit... this is probably going to be my favorite part of the blog. I am going to announce some great news... our girl's tennis team at VCHS is currently UNDEFEATED in league!!! yup, 4-0. there are 4 other teams in our league besides us, and we play each team once. on thursday, we were 3-0 and were playing against the only other team in our league that was undefeated, 3-0. so, whoever won that match, would make a statement and take over as 1st in league. so, we played against maranatha on thursday. it was a great match, and was a lot closer than the score shows (14-4). eveyrone played incredible and we pulled out the win! so yup, thats some great news... the team is doing awesome!
yesterday was a fun filled day... it was very long, though. i went for a bike ride to the beach in the morning with a friend of mine. i havent done that in so long, so i was glad i got to. i went to rei and hung out there for a while, walked around, checked out the clearance. then later i played some tennis with some teamates. after, i picked mieke and we went to the batting cages. i know, random, but it was a lot of fun. i brought the camera along and we had a lot of fun... there were no people in our section, so we messed around a bit. here are some pics:
we had a blast at the cages. mieke stuck to the slow pitch (softball) and i started there, but the softball fast pitch on cage over was calling my name. that was fun... i actually hit some decent shots of the fast pitch. mieke did some switch hitting, shes pretty good at that. the helmets were awewsome. they have holes in the back of them so that you can put your pony tail through it. they think of everything these days. so ya, we climbed around, mieke took a peek in the hole that all the balls roll into, and we took a picture of ourslelves right in front of the machine. it was not on, of course. we are not that crazy.after, we went to chipotle... now that place has good food. i love their rice and guacamole. its so good. then we rented the movie robots (which is rather funny) and i fell asleep. by that time, jenny had joined us at my house. by the way, i had done all the driving yesterday with no adult in the car... my 6 months was up on thursday, and i can finaly drive my friends around. dont worry, i am very responsible about it :) but it was really nice to be able to just do something spontaneously (like going to the batting cages) without needing a parental unit to drive us and pick us up.
well, i am off to the gym and to play tennis!
hooroo
Monday, September 26
computers are weird
well, i just noticed that my computer that was messing up a week ago and not letting me post randomly posted all the posts i tried posting. it's quite funny, as beth pointed out, that you can see my frustrating growing and my patience leaving. anyway...
big match tomorrow against connelly... in the past, our team has not been able to get a single game against this girl named lindsay kinsler. you know what, this year, i am fired up, pumped up, and ready. i am gonna come out tomorrow swinging and on fire. i want my game off this girl, and i sure hope that i can get it. Isn't it great how one game can mean so much :) i got as close as ad-in against her last year, but this year, hopefully i will get the full game.
well, i am off to do homework.. i wanna get it done so i can sleep and prepare!
hooroo!
big match tomorrow against connelly... in the past, our team has not been able to get a single game against this girl named lindsay kinsler. you know what, this year, i am fired up, pumped up, and ready. i am gonna come out tomorrow swinging and on fire. i want my game off this girl, and i sure hope that i can get it. Isn't it great how one game can mean so much :) i got as close as ad-in against her last year, but this year, hopefully i will get the full game.
well, i am off to do homework.. i wanna get it done so i can sleep and prepare!
hooroo!
Sunday, September 25
fore!
is that how you spell it? you know, when you are golfing and you completely shank it and want to warn somebody that the ball is coming their way, you are supposed to yell "fore!" well, i dont know how to spell, but i sure know how to say it. I went golfing with jenny yesterday at Los 
Coyotes country club. it was so much fun. I had never played a hole of golf before...only the driving range. I stepped up to the first hole, and prepared to tee off. I was in some funky "golf get-up" that i just loved and was very excited about teeing off. so, i swung and... slice! it was a hard hit, it went high, and it went to the left... hitting a tree and not coming down... haha, it was a great way to start the day. the rest of the day was fairly similar, except there wer times where i just couldn't hit the ball, or i kept on hitting the top of it and it would just pop u
p 3 feet to the right and in front of me. it was great. My favorite shot of the day: 2nd hole had a lake, and i tee off. I completely slice it (again) but it goes to the right of the lake, hits the bridge that you drive the carts over to get to the hole, and lands on the grass. it was hilarious... i said that i did it on purpose, you know, going across the bridge. its a much safer shot. anyway, the ball landed about 5 feet from the water, and i pull out the pitching wedge (with jenn'y advice) thinking i am gonna hit it on the green. golly, i was wrong. once again, i hit the top of the ball, and lands right in front of me in the lake... now thats sad... seeing your ball land in the water only a few feet in front of you. thats okay though, cause i my next tee off went great.
i will post some pics up... too bad i cant figure out how to do video yet, cause i recorded a few shots. anyway, enjoy the pics.
thats our victory shot at the 9th hole... yay!
Coyotes country club. it was so much fun. I had never played a hole of golf before...only the driving range. I stepped up to the first hole, and prepared to tee off. I was in some funky "golf get-up" that i just loved and was very excited about teeing off. so, i swung and... slice! it was a hard hit, it went high, and it went to the left... hitting a tree and not coming down... haha, it was a great way to start the day. the rest of the day was fairly similar, except there wer times where i just couldn't hit the ball, or i kept on hitting the top of it and it would just pop u
p 3 feet to the right and in front of me. it was great. My favorite shot of the day: 2nd hole had a lake, and i tee off. I completely slice it (again) but it goes to the right of the lake, hits the bridge that you drive the carts over to get to the hole, and lands on the grass. it was hilarious... i said that i did it on purpose, you know, going across the bridge. its a much safer shot. anyway, the ball landed about 5 feet from the water, and i pull out the pitching wedge (with jenn'y advice) thinking i am gonna hit it on the green. golly, i was wrong. once again, i hit the top of the ball, and lands right in front of me in the lake... now thats sad... seeing your ball land in the water only a few feet in front of you. thats okay though, cause i my next tee off went great.i will post some pics up... too bad i cant figure out how to do video yet, cause i recorded a few shots. anyway, enjoy the pics.
thats our victory shot at the 9th hole... yay!
Wednesday, September 21
3rd is the charm
okay, for some stupid reason, my posts will not post... i just get errors. i spent 20 minutes typing my first attempt. then, not wanting to retype it, i listed things in my second... now, my list will be even shorter and less descriptive... soory
-weather=awesome
-lightning and thunder=makes me happy
-bummed=match cancelled due to rain
-car=filthy=me mad cause rain soiled, not cleaned, my car
-washed my car
-no homework cause i did it in class (when teacher gave time, and in my TA)
-did i mention i am a TA for a PE class... TA=fun
-gonna sleep --> rest up for tomorrow's match.
hooroo
-weather=awesome
-lightning and thunder=makes me happy
-bummed=match cancelled due to rain
-car=filthy=me mad cause rain soiled, not cleaned, my car
-washed my car
-no homework cause i did it in class (when teacher gave time, and in my TA)
-did i mention i am a TA for a PE class... TA=fun
-gonna sleep --> rest up for tomorrow's match.
hooroo
i want to punch my computer
i just spent 20 minutes typing up my blog, and then there was an error so it wouldn't post... i will summarize because i do not want to retype it all...
-weather=crazy, but i love the thunder and lightning... love it! especially the deep vibrating i feel in my chest from the super loud thunder... and i love the crazzy looking lightning!
-bummed out about match cancellation... only downside to rainy weather.
-car was soiled, not cleaned, by the rain... filthy, absolutely filthy... i couldnt see through my windsheild... my car looked like i had gone off-roading.
-so, i washed my car :)
-had no homework cause i got it all done when teacher gave us time in class... and with my free time in my TA period i got my history done. (did i mention i am TA-ing with a PE class? well i am).
-tired, gonna sleep and rest up for match tomorrow
hooroo!
-weather=crazy, but i love the thunder and lightning... love it! especially the deep vibrating i feel in my chest from the super loud thunder... and i love the crazzy looking lightning!
-bummed out about match cancellation... only downside to rainy weather.
-car was soiled, not cleaned, by the rain... filthy, absolutely filthy... i couldnt see through my windsheild... my car looked like i had gone off-roading.
-so, i washed my car :)
-had no homework cause i got it all done when teacher gave us time in class... and with my free time in my TA period i got my history done. (did i mention i am TA-ing with a PE class? well i am).
-tired, gonna sleep and rest up for match tomorrow
hooroo!
busy NOT doing homework
isn't this weather crazy!?!? it is so awesome though... i mean the actual weather part. i love the lightning and thunder. they are incredible things to experience. i love the flashing of the bolts and the deep vibrating you can throughout your body. it's just great. plus, i love the fact that today, i got by with a tshirt, shorts, and flip flops without being cold or anything... well, i did get wet... quite wet. only in california can you wear that kind of outfit and survive in a random rain down pour. however, i did not enjoy the fact that tennis was cancelled... thats the only downside to rain... no tennis. thats okay though, we have a match tomorrow.
also, when i got to my car after school, i nearly had a heart attack... my car, instead of being cleaned by the rain, was soiled... it was filthy.... filthy!!! i had parked under a tree, so all the dirt came down with the drops that fell from the tree. i am not exaggerating... it looked like i had gone off-roading. when i got in my car, i couldn't see through the windsheild, so i spent a minute with the wipers going and the water squirting... grody. anyway, i came home and washed my car... i didnt mind that one bit!
tonight was my first night without homework, and let me tell you this: it was wonderful. when the teacher gave us time in class to do work, i did it... and i finished it. it was nice to come home and not have to worry about school work.
well, i am off to bed. i want to get some sleep for my match tomorrow!
hooroo!
also, when i got to my car after school, i nearly had a heart attack... my car, instead of being cleaned by the rain, was soiled... it was filthy.... filthy!!! i had parked under a tree, so all the dirt came down with the drops that fell from the tree. i am not exaggerating... it looked like i had gone off-roading. when i got in my car, i couldn't see through the windsheild, so i spent a minute with the wipers going and the water squirting... grody. anyway, i came home and washed my car... i didnt mind that one bit!
tonight was my first night without homework, and let me tell you this: it was wonderful. when the teacher gave us time in class to do work, i did it... and i finished it. it was nice to come home and not have to worry about school work.
well, i am off to bed. i want to get some sleep for my match tomorrow!
hooroo!
Monday, September 19
can we say, "wow"
well, today was a day of cleaning... bedroom cleaning. now, i must say, my room was in terrible, bad, ugly condition. so, it was time. my mum even helped me. it was a task that seemed impossible and tiring. tiring it was, impossible it wasn't. now, you may think i am exaggerating a bit at how messy my room was. because i knew that my words would seem a little hard to believe, i decided to take before and after pictures. i am a little embarassed to show the mess of my living quarters (is that how you spell it?), but hey, it only makes my room now look cleaner and better. so please, if messy rooms make you sick or disturb you in any way, look away and do not read any further.
well, you can figure out the before and after for yourself... enjoy!!
so, what do ya think? cleans up pretty nice, eh? well, i am gonna put two more pics up... they are both things i am proud of...one is off my picture fram collage (which i did in the middle of this summer, and the other is of when i broke 6 strings at once while playing tennis (that felt good!)
well, you can figure out the before and after for yourself... enjoy!!
so, what do ya think? cleans up pretty nice, eh? well, i am gonna put two more pics up... they are both things i am proud of...one is off my picture fram collage (which i did in the middle of this summer, and the other is of when i broke 6 strings at once while playing tennis (that felt good!)
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