I think that it is somewhat interesting that I am mixed the
way I am. for the record my makeup that I understand is: 1/2 Asian and 1/2
White. The Asian is Chinese and Japanese. But that is somewhat irrelevant since
the genes are of Asian decent and that is the main focus.

Genes make us up and each race has genes which make them unique. They give them
features and capacities that are beneficial and there are also those that are
not so beneficial. They make us tall/short, eye color, nose type, etc... But they
also do stuff like make us more prone to certain health issues and our bodies
can handle different substances and such. One of which is alcohol.

Now alcohol is something that affects people differently. Some people can
handle it and some cant, and it is due to our genetic makeup that has to do
with the enzymes in our bodies that breaks down the toxin. Due to our genetic
make up we can find that women dont have as much as this enzyme, in general,
than men. I'm only stating scientifically, for what I have learned. Also that
Asians have a deficiency as well, both men and women. So, if you’re an Asian
woman, and cant hold your liquor too well, now ya know why.

So what does this all mean?

It basically is the lead into this story I recall from 9^th
grade during science class… and yes I was a science geek and still am proudly.
=D

My teacher was going over that exact subject of alcohol and
how it affects the human body. The effect on the liver and how the liver breaks
down the toxin was explained. We were always encouraged to ask questions and to
be open to anything asked as it would strike up conversation that was education
and beneficial to us. So when someone asked, “Hey so does sex matter?”

*Some one yelled out* O hell yea, you can perform as well…

*Laughing*

After it calm down our teacher explain that women have less
of the enzyme than men do that break down the toxin.

“What about Race?”

Teach then explained… since most of you as Asian you got
jacked genetically on the enzyme as well…

Which lead to my question. But first you need to know that
genetic makeup and pro and cons of being one race or another came up all the
time so we had a good amount of why “this race and that race,” and why “men and
women,” things with genetics in the past.

So then I asked,

“Since I’m half Asian and half White, does that make me a
super human?”

Yea I made a lot of people laugh, but not with me… at me for
my geeky-ness as I beagn to explain my case…

“Yes, in a way you are,” my teacher said.

*thinking to myself…. COOL

I would say the only thing I "love" about Mondays, but I hate them so much so there is no room for love on Mondays, unless it's a date with a hot girl. So may I digress to "like," as there are things I that I can enjoy that much on Mondays.

At the top of the list:

Many Pulses/Posts/Pictures to be updated on Xanga from my subscriptions, so I get some good entertainment to keep me being not so bored and pissed off about monday.

That's about the only thing on this list.

I'll write some more stuff later.

The way I see it is if you work hard enough at something, within reason, you can achieve it. I want to get back into the best shape of my life. I know my last post is somewhat contradictory of this, but I read about that swimmer who beat the pants off the the younger women and she was 41. Hell, I think I have a shot if I'm almost 26 and want to be in shape like when I was 18.

The only limitation is the mind. If you can "unblock" the things that say you can't, I think you can achieve anything. Except using the force, that is reserved for the Jedi.

I remember as a kid hearing my elders speak of how their bodies ache, doesn't work right, and can't bend this way or that way. They would just say that enjoy it and take care of it as I played outside. Man they were right.

Despite being an athlete growing up and always play sports and running around, since I didnt have a Nintendo, I always thought I would be able to do any and everything I've always done. I was a division 1 cross country runner in high school, went to state & Western Regional and played soccer and hockey all through my days from elementary to college. I didnt like sitting around doing nothing, and still dont. I thoguht with all this behind me I would be fit and good to go. But like all performance machines they need to be maintained and worked on continuously.

So I went off to college and went from athelete to"lazy ass." I didnt really excerise too much and just went out and had a good time, played lots of video games in the arcade and so on. But I tried out for the SJSU hockey team and walked on. =) But.... I wasnt nearly in the shape I was before, as I stopped playing hockey my Sr. year in high school and it took me 2 years before I missed it enough that I had to play. So I played, but the body not being tuned up for almost 3 years let me know real fast that it couldnt do what I needed it to do. I figured I was out of shape, and so with enough practice I was able to get back on my game, but my endurance was nothing what it used to be. Sadly I got injured half way through the season and so my college hockey days were put to an end.

About 2 years later, still in college, I really wanted to get back in shape so I was really working hard at it with long moring runs for 6 miles and trying to be as active as possible. Summer rolled around and I went to the track doing workouts that I did in high school for track and field. I push and push myself for that entire summer and came to the conclusion that the extra 20-25 lbs that I put on, and I needed it when I was getting racked on the boards during the ice hockey season, that I wasnt the 16-18 yr old 119-128lb runner, I once was. I felt in shape, but not like I wanted to feel. I wanted to have my high school athleticism back!

2 years later I wass doing some running, but nothing too intense and then I signed up for the Disneyland half marathon. I was think it cant be too bad 13.1 miles is a joke compared to my 15 miles workouts I used to run back in high school. I started training in January for the September run and started out with some 8-9 mile workouts. They were long and my legs were not what they used to be, but I figure that I was good enough to do it. I stopped trainging later as I figured I would need to since I felt I could do it anyways. And then the race day came. It was the worse racec I ever ran. I went out really fast and ran a the first 3 miles in 17ish mins and I knew then I was in for some serious pain since I was nowhere in shape as I needed to be to keep that pace. So I backed off my speed, and keep going. The sun was beating down on me and I started to feel tight in my legs and I knew I was a goner.... somewhere after mile 7 I stopped to stretch and then crapped up so back it was horrible. So I ran a bit and walked a bit... ran some more and walked some more.. finally was able to jog and then I was sick of the slow pace and took of spririting the last mile. It hurt so bad.

Here I am a year later rock climbing and loving it. Once again thinking I want to get back in shape. I want to get more strength in my more body and core so I can be a stronger climber and try new problems, but this time I'm taking it slow and only have one thought on my mind... I'm not 16-18 anymore and I'll never have that kind of time to train and excerise, but I'll do my best to stay as fit as possible.

Yea.... about 21-23ish the body just doesnt work the same anymore, hate to dissappoint you, but it's true...

People ask me a lot about my climbing and why do I do it and so on. So this post is dedicated to those questions and some explanation of why I like to "Boulder" or in normal people talk "Climb Rocks."

I think the the one of the best things about rock climbing is meeting people. You get to meet people where you travel, another bonus of climbing, from all over the world. You swap stories about places you've been and you got this scar and that. Let's face it we all love stories and to hear a great one about some awesome climb someone did, if they are a good story teller, is almost as if youre there with them in the moment. Well I have a good imagination and can picture myself there... it fun to learn about people and their inspirations for climbing. Which leads me into my next commonly asked question.

What motivated me to risk life and limb to climb a freaking rock? Easy it's fun. Dont knock it till you try it. Its like when your a kid and the things are too hard to climb and you wish you were bigger and strong so you could climb it. Guess what? Now you can! Plus Acting like a kid is fun and you get to just have fun like the good ole days.

Being a kid is interesting as we focused only on what we were doing since our minds were not developed enough to multitask thus we only had one thing on our mind. Having fun. Well, when you climb, it is fun. As an adult I have to worry about a job/rent/my car/etc... and when I climb I focus on only one thing. I hope I can "stick," grab on to, that next crappy ass "hold," or thing to grab. Focus is there and there are no outside worries.

What if I get hurt what will you do? I will heal. I will get rehabilitation. I will train. I will climb again. I will get hurt again, hopefully not, and the cycle repeats. Just like any other thing we do in life. We do it cause its fun.

You could kill yourself. Yes, same thing with going to work each day as I will be driving, and I can die there too. Or, at least I died do something I loved with my friends around me so I dont have to be alone.

There's nothing like the climbing community when it comes to friendliness and support. They are some of the coolest people around and are always willing to lend a hand and help you out with things. Having people cheer you on to finish a "problem," or route, you are doing that is super difficult is great. Bottom line is that Climbers are very caring people. And the friendships you make last a lifetime.

Excerise. I dont think I need to explain this, but you get to know your body very very well. Its limits and what it can and cannot do. You find out that you have muscules that do things that you had no idea. You learn to use your feet as if they are another set of hands. You also start to get connected with the outdoors and eat healthy too.

Dieting. I mean eating different things. You tend to eat more nature foods and steer away from junk food, but beer becomes an essential element to climbing as it relaxes you more and some people even climb better. Plus climbing drunk is really fun too...hahaha... be careful tho.

Having something that can:
a) Focus your mind,a nd give you mental strength
b)Make Great Friends
c)Travel the world
d)Excerise your body
e)Give you Awesome Stories to tell about.

=

Priceless...
 

A lot of people ask me / remind me, "Hey when are you going back to church?" I usually reply, "When I'm ready to." I think that will be a while. And the explanation behind it is here:

So why I wont go back to Church:

a) I cant stand the "holier than thou" things, along with the "Remember you're at church" behavior that I see and do put on myself.

b) I cant stand the gossip in church that goes around. Not much is kept to ones own self.

c) It makes me a different person, or something that I try to be and not truly myself.

d) Hurtful memories. Dont like remembering certain things.

Why I want to go to church:

a) I really miss the worship music and singing

b) I miss the sermons and Sunday school discussions

c) I miss seeing friends regularly

Bottom line is I will go sometime(s).

I'm not sure if I have fully recovered from my trip down to Glendora, CA(So Cal) this weekend. I 'm not sure if it cause I drove 1400 miles in a day or the fact that I only slept for 4 hours yesterday since it was father's day. I think I'm still really tired and just need to knock out for about 12 more hours, despite the fact that I slept the best I had in a while last night, only to wake up to an alarm on my phone at 7:30am.... work time.

I feel like I was lucky in more than one way. First off there were a lot of nice xA's there and I really didnt think I would place at all since there was only 1st and 2nd for xA's. And secondly because our caravan was stopped on the way down by CHP, and I got my hood popped. I got off with a warning to get things fixed and so I was happy about that.

Anyways I was a fun time since I got to see some of my xA team buddies from the forums as only me and another guy from Nor Cal are the only ones from the forum that are up where I live. So it was some what of a small reunion of Scion United where I initial got to meet a lot of them in Blouder City Nevada about a month ago. But Anways I found some great shots on the scionlife forum and so I'm sharing them here. Thanks for the shots buddy, they are awesome:

Just playing some Rockband or GH3... dont know since I cant see the screen

Got Alpha Squad playing Rockband... I think I was singing Creep.

But in the end I was shocked and excited....

I won 1st place best xA! =D

GG

Special Thanks Atomic and JG Audio and Alarm!

edit: Pictures werent mine so they got deleted as they were no longer available

I think it is interesting that we go to the store and buy our produce or even to a farmers market without having the experience of picking your own fruit fresh off the tree or bush or plant. I went white peach and white nectarine picking this weekend with a group of friends and met some of their friends as well. It was good times and more importantly delicious times.

I think I enjoyed the time of chillaxing in the park that we went to after the furit picking and enjoying the sandwiches and food that we prepared the night before. We made enough for 15 people so there was plenty to eat. The sandwiches were my highlight as it was a recipe from a my buddy Greg's mom and she used to make it all the time and I would request to make a sandwich when I went to visit. But due to the fact that G's mom stopped making the chicken salad sandwich filling as frequently I hadnt had one in years. So, we made 18 sandwiches, 2 of which I consumed at the park.

Anyways, life is short. Enjoy the small things more than the big things as the small ones come around more often and the big ones are like the cherry on top.

It's simplily amazing what free food does to employees. I mean especially in the high tech industry here in the Silicon Valley where the pay is high, not mine unfournately, and everyone can pretty much go where ever they want for a bit to eat. But it's something about the Friday free doughnuts and bagels that fasinates me.

I am out sourced by Canon as a on-site support engineer to manage our 4th system that was recently installed at a customer site, sworry cant disclose who. Canon makes more than cameras and printers in case you are wondering I work for the japanese division that deals in semiconductor and magnetic head thin film technology. But enough with me, and back to the doughnuts and bagels.

I find it quite entertaining as the time approach 9am. I see a few people here and there slowly wander into the break room and then a few more and then masses. I hear comotion and then I know all the vultures have spotted the pink and white boxes of free breakfast and instantly I notice how happy everyone is.

Ingenious! A company can stress out the employees, make them work hard and do what they want and the only redemption needed is a Chocolate glazed or a Jalpano Bagel. Mind Boggling. But hey that is the reality of free food and knowing that people grab 2,3, sometimes 5 or more... is astonishing.

When we look at the economic value of the situation, it's a golden idea. There is somewhere around 500 employees rotating 3 shifts, this place works 24/7.. it is a FAB, and you need to supply about that many bagels and doughnuts. So economically speaking:

500 (doughnuts and bagels) weekly. = $300~$400 to be genernous.
Annual Cost to Company = 52 x say $400 for kicks = $20800

$20800 may seem like a decent expense for doughnuts and bagels... BUT!

The cost of keeping employees happy = Priceless
Keep them happy they work hard and efficiently = Priceless
Not having to give them a big raise every year = Say Avg $2500/employee x 500 =  $1.25 Million

So with my bogus mathmatics:

Take: "DnB" = Worth of Doughnuts
         "HE" = Happy Employees = Priceless
         "HWnE" Hard Working and Efficient =Priceless
        

DnB = HE + HWnE
$20400 = Priceless + Priceless
             = 2(Priceless)
$10200 = Priceless

So as we can see the Avg employee sees $10200 as priceless, in this case free doughnuts...

O DAMN It's 9:55 I did get my doughnut yet......

I once dropped a mirror more than 5 years ago and it shattered, like many dreams I have had.

Circumstances in life are not always easy to take or understand, but nonetheless present themselves in our lives everyday. Some small and insignificant and some large and troubling, but in the end an outcome happens. It is not important to concentrate of what the outcome maybe or how a situation will turn out. It is not important to think about what to do is the outcome is positive or negative. What is important is to be in the moment and concentrate on what is in front of us at that that given time. Instead of thinking of the outcomes, think of how to go about what stand in front of us.

Life changes on a daily basis and we do not have control. Things happen for a reason, but are not always easy to accept. We can, however, accept what is happening and confront issues and focus on what is happening, instead of questioning it. The sooner the acceptance, the sooner the peace of mind and clarity comes into focus. To accept the present time is to live in the present time. To not accept what is present is to live in the past; and just as the past grows further and further away, so do those who dwell there; like a ship fading into the sunset.

We often question why things turn out the way they do or happen the way they do, but that is not the attitude we should have. To ask, “What if” or “Could if” is to not accept life as it unfolded, but to find an excuse not to want to move on. We chose to sit in our messes or to clean them up. It is a decision to move on or to linger, but life will move on with or without you. “Time heals wounds” some may say, but it is not true. Time is some that constantly flows like a river. Like the water in a river, just as life changes and moves. Slowly at times, rapid at others, uncontrollable quickly, and even clam and gentle it flows. We cannot as the river to stop or to flow, we can only move with it, if we choose. We can hang on an embankment, or a fallen over tree, but if we do, we cannot see what is farther down stream. To explore further down stream is to accept the flow of life and see what lies ahead.

The mirror shattered into many pieces and what once was one reflection became hundreds.

The path we take in life is decided by us. Do as you please and it will be done, but accept the consequences of your actions. Life was not meant to be fair, nor will it; it is what it is and it will be just that. It may be bumpy or smooth, high or low, wide or narrow, but each path leads to an end. Some paths branch off to others and some dead end and force us to back track, somewhat like a maze. Until we run it we don’t know what to do or where to go, but nonetheless we need to move to discover anything, and to discover is to learn. To learn is to be enlightened. To apply enlightenment is to show wisdom, but not always done.

I picked up one piece of the mirror and as time past it turned into a new mirror itself.

Maturity is not something that happens for all at once or even at all, but is something that takes place when we are ready to accept it. When younger, comfortable, confident, egotistical, driven, and going full speed, I felt invincible. Nothing could stop me or slow me down. I was right and didn’t care other wise. I had to be the best, the fastest, the most creative, the hardest working, but I look back and think, “For what?” All for me I can now see. But what good is it to be everything and anything, if you are alone? Companionship is something we crave and want, we weren’t meant to be alone.

I dropped a mirror a few days ago, another dream shattered. I stand looking at the pieces yet again. So many reflections to choose from, and I picked one up. I hope this turns into another new mirror.