Wonder

The last day of the month. Already?

Seeing all this stuff from Hurricane Katrina on TV, I can say that I can't imagine what it'd be like to see all of your city flood away, like those who are in New Orleans or to see all of the coast wiped-away, like along the Mississippi and Alabama coasts. What would it be like to know that you evacuated and that you don't know what to do for housing for the next 4 or 6 months or a year?

What has happened to this large metro area? They say 1 million people are displaced. Has a natural disaster like this ever happened? What is the mood there in New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama? What would it be like to know that you can't go back. Your house is probably never going to be seen in the way you left it.

I can imagine what is going through the minds of those who are looting, but what keeps them there? Are you planning on making it through the whole time there in NO?

For those who know people in N.O., my mind, heart, and prayers are there with you. Until you find out the safety of your loved-ones, please keep safe, keep calm as much as possible, and I hope you get into contact with them.

Fun daze.

I'm in a daze. Slightly. I'm not really in a 'school-y' mode. It's confuzing to be back. But only slightly. I think it's because I haven't really started schoolwork yet. When I will be writing later today, then probably it'll feel like school's started.

.andy.

welcome to capstone

the new requirements are below. It's very different.

It was nice to hear from Ellie. I wonder why the others don't call...:P.

Umm...where did they go. I love having a big room in 300, but I hate it because there's so many places for my notes to hide.

MAX 30~50 Pages. NO minimum.
Fall is the organization/proposal semester. Spring, research and writing.
University-wide rubric.
A grade of "D" will probably pass.
Capstone 390 will be divided into 3 modules: thinking & reflecting; research; understanding.

It seems like everything is off for the better.

Ko is weird. He laughs at his own jokes. Weird.

There are too many '05-ers around. If it was just Eddie and Jacky with ocasional Ko and being in class with Vincent, Amy, and Stacey...that would be fine. But this is whacko. I'm glad Uyennie is coming~!

YAy!

Anyways, i'm tired. 'night all.

Arrival was fun

I have arrived to SUA.

It's already been a blast and I've been up on late nights. It doesn't feel like a saturday. Maybe something more, maybe something less.

Mmmm...updates may be few and far between for now. I'm betting that I won't have a good schedule until Tuesday to start updates and stuff.

But either way, mucho amor.

Last nights....

Spending the last night here in Colorado for a while. It will be interesting to see how much I have grown this summer, if at all.

Hockey.

Sonic and Big City.

Hon-kan Video.

A full night.

A nice evening

Tonight I caught up with a long-time friend. He's one of the other "fortune babies" from Northern Colorado. He called us up earlier today saying that he was in town visiting a friend and was wondering if he could swing by, chat, and catch up on things. We had world peace prayer earlier in the morning, so we told him after we go out to dinner, he could come by any time.

It was nice catching up with him. He's grown up a lot. He's got beard and has frazzy (dare I even say 'kinky') hair all over. He's an awesome guy and us kids talked for a long time. Several hours about many things. It reminded me a bit of what President Ikeda chronicles in his Youthful Diary, with the discussions and the dialogues and discussions that the youth of post-War Japan were making/doing. It was nice to talk to James and to see how much he had found a mission and is really studying hard in what he loves. I am glad to know that he's on his path.

Seeing him with such a mission in his mind, clear and very much at the fore of his thoughts, reminded me that I am still not that clear on what I want to do. I really have to push myself to know what my mission is, what my mission for kosen-rufu is, to really know what my passions are. There was an experience by a 26-year-old Boulder SGI member that really encouraged me to find my passions. She gave an experience about learning what her passions really are and how that plays out into finding who she really is and what she really cares for. She wants to be a student at SUA. I want to support her as much as I can.

Furthering

Don't we three look cute in this photo ;)?

Hmm. I've started saying 'bye' to people now. This last 24 hours have been the first "g'bye"s I've had to give. First it started with Beau late last night (early today). A beautiful send-off if I do say so. But, I'm still at a loss of what to do. Then, I went to field hockey today with David. There, I had to say "goodbye" to Tammy and Jesse. Jesse, David and I went to this cool grill place at the new building on the SE corner of Laurel and College. Yum! I hope they stay in business.

It's tough to come back. Mostly because you know you have to return to wherever you came from.

I wonder how many of the people I've met this summer, I will see again.

I want to stay in touch with many. The question is "Will I?"

Tomorrow, the fam will be going out to dinner. We'll be going to celebrate our last few days here. Sunday night dinner at Red Lobster shouldn't be bad. I'm expecting it to be fun. We leave on Tuesday morning, hopefully early. Last Field Hockey will be on Monday night. It's sad, very sad.

Moments like these...

deserve to be captured with a Canon SD300

I think that's it...

I'm feeling scared of something, maybe even being scared of nothing. But I can feel it, yet agin.

Packing is a biotch.

What would be on my 'crawl' today: A 10th 'planet,' a miraculous crash in Toronto, Democrats have a strong showing in Ohio, 14 US Soldiers die in Eraq, Eran proposes to restart nuclear programme, Mother confesses to killing 9 babies at birth in Germany.

I got $25 Starbucks card, dare me to drink it all tonight?

Myspace is dangerous. Please don't let friends Myspace alone.

StumbleUpon! is also dangerous. It's an addictive substance that should be brought under control by the Surgeon General.

Just a general 'hello' to all. Happy to hear from many of you by MySpace Comments and messages.

Update: Feeling better

Well, what can you do about being in a foul mood except get over it? I guess that's what happenes when you're an SGI buddhist ;P.

I went to a meeting tonight that was a planning meeting slash 'going-away' party for me and David. It was so nice. (1) There were nice things said to us by all the members there, the ones that have known us from lil' babies to those who just started practicing. Strokin the ego. But also, heartfelt words of encouragement and advice--"Don't party too much~!" (2) Cheesecake. (3) Hopefully we rekindled the activities in Loveland as well as reconnected with old members who have fallen by the wayside.

Nestor Torres is coming to the SGI Denver Spanish-language conference next month. I wish I could see him perform. It would be awesome to see him perform in Denver con toda la gente hispanohablante (in Denver with all the Spanish-speaking members). Oh well, wish them a great conference and great YPG. SGI-Denver is making strides...

Interfaith Festival isn't going to happen for Denver YPG. Sadly, there was a mix-up and miscommunication and therefore YPG won't be performing. I wanted to go. I guess YPG here isn't as strong as it is in LA. I will chant so an opportunity like this will not go missed again.

I will be going to Japan during Winter Break. I am excited and anxious at the same moment. Thinking of travelling to see cousins I haven't seen in almost 10 years, I am nervous to see if we are still compatible. I must build confidence in myself, because well, honestly, I've done this before, I shouldn't have any doubt in my ability to mingle and mix and make friends in a foreign country again.

As lazy as today was, I am starting to feel the crunch of the last few days before I go back to Soka. I'm a week from returning. Scary~!

I can't say if i'm feeling happy right now

I've come to feel like I've lost something in the last eight months I've been in the States. There was something about being able to make it in a foreign country, make friends, attend SGI activites, get along without looking like a tourist, that helped me forge an inner confidence. Slowly though, over the last months that I've been back, I am again at the point where I don't feel like I have that confidence anymore. It's part of my karma and I still have yet to challenge it and overcome it properly. At least I've recognized it for what it is though. That's a major step.

Hockey

I've decided to update everyone on what's been going on with me since I'm not that reachable and no one seems to use MSN anymore. So here it goes.

I love Colorado.

It's really the combination of extremes that I think I like. As much as everyone complains about the 107F or 108F summers and the -2F or -3F winters, I like the contrast of every season and every moment. The last few weeks have been exemplary of Colorado, weather-wise: we've had the dog days of 107F highs and 78F lows and then followed a few days afterwards by a high of 77F and a low of 55F.

The drastic isn't only found in the weather but also in the geography: the high mountain valleys, the ravines of the plains, the flat pancake land of the borderlands near Nebraska and Kansas as well as the 54 fourteeners (54 mountains with a height of 14 000 ft + above sea level).

The photos above were taken at Rocky Mountain National Park, just an hour's drive from my house. We went up there when a sophomore from David's Class (C/o 2008), Tagawa Shinichi [aka Tagashin].

So, the FC Field Hockey Teams (Adults: D.F. Hippies [dirty frikking hippies]; U19 Girls: Inferno/Fuego) went down to the Springs for the Rocky Mountain State Games/State Games of America Field Hockey competition. The FC teams both got fourth place, though for the adults that's a last place finish. The girls did awesome in their first three games, but in their last two, the other teams scored first so, unfortunately they became flustered and lost. :(. It was a fun three days down in the Springs.

We stayed at the house of one of the officials. His name is Larry and his house is very good-looking. I guess he's a solteron, becuase it seemed like there was only him in the house.

It was warm there on the pitch though. It was a field of FieldTurf and all the black rubber pellets [peelots] warmed up the field to plenty hella hot! I think I was definitely baked most of the days we had FH games. Even just being out there and watching the girls play was hellish at moments. Nonetheless, those were the conditions that most of the atheletes had to play in so I can't complain.

To Ellie: Congrats~! You're really a teacher now. Though you are taking that huge step into crafting the minds of children, don't be afraid to make mistakes and learn how to be a better teacher. You know, I'm sure you'll be everyone's favorite anyways.

To Jess: Thanks for the card. It's a very good likeness of me. If I don't say so myself ;). And please before August 11th, send me a 4 to 6 page essay on umm...what can I make you write about...the relevance of Harry Potter in today's world, answering ONE (1) of the following three promts:

(1) To what extent does the Harry Potter series affect children's learning styles in elementary school?

(2) Why is Harry Potter such a loved character, even among university students?

(3) Pure conjecture: how will Harry Potter die?

Remember, grammar counts, but a clear, coherent, thoughtful response will earn the most points.

;)

To Pili: Whoohoo! One of the SGI members here in my hometown works for a Christian comapany, she says it's one of the best places she's ever worked, at least with respect to the camaraderie that they have among themselves.

To Allie: Thank you for the call. Sorry I wasn't there to pick it up. I was out with friends from here in colorado and playin field hockey at the time. :(

To Ann: Whoohoo~! Nippon!