Sports and Dreams

Again, another random post for the purpose of documenting my thoughts for future laughter.

My relationship with basketball. In the latter stages of elementary school, my dream was to be an NBA player. Some kids may say this, but are not serious. I was totally serious. From 4th grade to 7th grade I would dedicate 3 hours every day to practicing my dribble (left + right), post game, and outside game. Defensive drills were done with my dog as I worked on running backwards and laterally. Finally, when my dad would come home I would challenge him to a couple games of one on one. Every day. As I practiced, I visualized myself the star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Every night I would study my folder of basketball cards, and to this day I can recite a lot of veteran NBA player statistics. Since my mom had cut off cable, I would listen to Chick Hearn describe every Lakers game. My mood ended up becoming a reflection of how the Lakers were playing. You have no idea how estatic I was when the Lakers won the 2000 championship. I have to admit, with those countless hours I became very confident and really good. By the time I reached 6th grade, I believed myself to be the best basketball player at my school (I'm pretty sure others would agree too). Eventually everyone else became taller and faster, and I became more and more dedicated to my studies. These days if I'm lucky, I will play 3 times a year. So, were all those countless hours dedicated to basketball worthless? NO NO NO.

Basketball has taught me many things, as I am sure sports has done for many people.

1) Practice and hard work is key to becoming better.

2) People who are flashy and offensively gifted are not always the people I want on my team.

3) Good things happen for teams with players who play their heart out.

4) A lot of facades fade away when playing...you get a real glimpse of how a person really is when you watch them play basketball.

5) Don't take things too seriously. You don't need to win every time.

Although I don't play basketball as much as I used to, I still enjoy watching and analyzing people play. This is why I will always be a basketball fan.

Current pursuits:

Running + Jiu-jitsu

Running is very personal. Everyone runs for different reasons. My reason is simplicity. When running, everything becomes simple. It's you versus the trail. I don't have time to think about outside issues because I must concentrate on what is directly in front of me. Losing focus usually leads to you falling or not challenging yourself. When the fatigue takes over, I love it. It's strange, but I like to embrace the SUCK. At this point, it's a test of your resolve. Running at night is preferred by me because it allows me to unplug from the day.

Jiu-jitsu is chess with the body. I've fallen in love with this martial art because I can see how I've grown from practicing it. When rolling, you are often put in many high pressure situations (come on, you are about to be choked or a limb is on its way to be broken), so I've noticed how I've become much more calm in these situations. Jiu-jitsu is about finding a way to counter, execute, and utilize what's given to you with efficiency. Practicing this martial art has also given me confidence in myself should I ever be physically attacked by anyone. Yes, having earned a 2nd degree black belt in taekwondo should give me confidence, but learning jiu-jistu is on another level.

I'm a big fan of physical activities because of the awesome fun and the lessons they teach us.

Steak & Raisins

Steak and raisins...what could these two possibly have in common to warrant inclusion in the same sentence?

Childhood.

I despised steak and raisins in my youth. And I still despise raisins to this day.

Steak

It was the summer before 3rd grade at a winter camp with my family. The main dinner item on the menu: steak. So, without other choices, I decided to stand in the line headed out to the BBQ pit for the grilled steaks. When my turn came, a piece of charred meat was slapped onto my plate. It was well-done. My mom had to cut the steak for me, and I distinctly remember saying to myself: I will never eat steak again. This piece of charred meat does not even compare to juicy burger patties (my favorite was the whopper) or any other meat I had eaten up to that point in my life.

This all changed when I took a trip to Sizzlers in 8th grade with my family. Remember, for 6 years I had refused to eat steak as the thought of it disgusted me. I decided to give it another shot, and ordered the sizzler steak and grilled shrimp combo. Changed my life. I remember biting into the juicy (at that time) medium steak and supplementing it with succulent shrimp and bbq sauce. From that point forward Sizzler's has always had a special place in my heart, and I love to eat steak.

Raisins

Recently I've been getting a lot of flak for not eat raisins. Whether in cereal, yogurt, bread, dessert...I just despise raisins. Even after learning they were dried grapes (I love grapes), it had no effect...the thought of raisins makes me cringe. So why?

In elementary school I always looked forward to Halloween. The one day I get to stock pile candy and eat for the next 2 months. All the snickers, reeses, milk ways, butterfingers, baby ruths, sugar babies, etc etc I could eat. Whenever I came upon Almond Joys or candy corn, any smile I had vanished. And whenever I came across a small red box of Sun-maid raisins I became infuriated. I want candy, not these weird little thingies! And for weird reason, to this day I hate raisins. Sometimes I will randomly eat them, and say to myself...they don't taste bad at all. But when I remember it's a raisin I spit it out. Strange. Perfect example: My former co-worker brought me a delicious medley of dried pineapple, chocolate, almonds, peanuts, cashews, and ....After eating a handful, I spit out the little dried fruits because I believed they were raisins. They turned out to be dried blueberries! After realizing this, I ate the delicious mix freely.

I never thought it strange to dislike raisins until recently. Just shows the influence of perception on our everyday lives.

We all have strange childhood memories that have faded or continue to affect us to the present.

Chaotic organization.

Golden Silence

People tend to be very uncomfortable with silence.

And empty spaces.

But empty spaces and silence can say a lot more than many words.

Communication is much more than the diction that somehow makes its way out of your mouth. From tone of voice, facial movements, hand movements, speed of delivery, pauses, etc etc...communication is so much more complex than the actual words. After having had led many workshops, classes, and discussion sections, a common theme is the discomfort people have with silence. To be honest, I am still uncomfortable with it, but much more understanding than when I started to speak publicly. Pauses give moments of contemplation and even simplicity. Better to say nothing than something that discourages or a bunch of empty words. I can often fall victim to empty words...and must catch myself. Remember, more can be said with less. Try to become more comfortable with silence. Hey, with all the input we experience every second...we are in danger of being inundated with catalysts that may end up starting nothing. Be happy with silence.

That being said...

So I just finished the book Unbroken. Recommended from a lot of friends, specifically my friend Cho, I finally came around to read it. A story of potential, triumph, disaster, torture, reconciliation, and triumph again....this is a book I would recommend anyone to read.

To end:

Ecclesiastes 3 1:8

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

Shoe Review

Recently I've become a really big fan of trail running, and since I wrote a post about running a few weeks ago, I've decided to do my first shoe review.

When I first started running competitively in high school, I picked whatever shoe looked nice at Sports Chalet and was expensive. My first official running shoe ended up being New Balance, and it worked well for a few years. Next, a pair of Adidas.

Finally things became serious when I purchased my first pair of Asics. Asics 2140 to be exact. Running had never been so comfortable, cushioned, and easy. I could even put them on and play basketball comfortably (actually played better in the Asics...but a lot of it was superstitious belief in the shoe). After having such a successful experience with Asics (running the marathon, playing basketball, running in Korea, mud run), I decided to purchase another pair to break in before potentially going to Marine Officer School. Since the 2140 series was discontinued, I purchased a pair of Asics Nimbus 12's. Great shoe + a lot of cushioning. Again, a fantastic experience.

BUT then I watched a short documentary on the Tarahumara People (Running Indians). I began to reflect on the ongoing foot issues I've had in the past (shin splints, stress fractures, toe numbness), and I decided to try minimalist running.

Purchased the New Balance Minimus MT20's. It is the perfect shoe. I didn't have to break them in because it simulates barefoot running. I love feeling the ground beneath me with every step, the control I have over my movement, etc etc. It's easily washed and cleaned, super light, and is very breathable (I often don't wear socks in them). The only problem I ever had was when I was running up a hiking trail I stepped on a sharp rock that hurt my foot in-between my toes. But other than that, I've had only positive experiences with it after a month. As a note to my future running experiences, I will only be running in minimalist shoes, and I recommend other semi-serious/serious runners to try them (if your goal is to improve your running).

Tutoring Moments

The past few months I have been tutoring elementary students on the side and have noticed recurring themes with my students. Of course each student is different, but on a general level I have repeatedly seen or thought of the following things:

Recognizing what we missed out on rather than what we have been blessed with.

If someone else gets a prize or a break, we tend to complain instead of being happy for the person.

If I have something great, and someone gets something better...suddenly my thing is not as great.

It seems like many people live in a zero-sum world. If one person wins, then that means another person loses. Life is so much more rich and uncertain to even attempt to translate our world as a zero-sum game. Strive for solutions, not to create more problems.

Things are going against me...people are trying to make my life harder. Lol. Unless you did something to really piss someone off, rarely is it someone's whole intent to make your life harder. The world does not revolve around me. or you.

The ability to ascertain value is a valuable skill to have.

There are many issues that need to be fixed. Just keep in mind that you can't boil the ocean.

:)

How I Started to Run

For those who don't know, I love to run. Not long runs of over 10+ miles, but 3-5 miles every other day. My preference is running at night, after a hard day and emptying my mind of everything except the sound of my breathing and feet gliding over the ground. So, how did this all start?

Summer 2004

My sister came to spend a few days in early summer at home before returning to college. As many of my summers began, I vowed to lose weight and be more healthy. So, I invited my sister to go run with me at the local high school's track field. Little did I know this would change my life forever (haha so dramatic).

After running one mile, I panted my way for the bleachers to rest + stretch before heading home. My sister came up behind me and asked innocently, "How much did you run?" I responded proudly, "1 MILE!" Her response shifted my perspective of running permanently.

She responded, "That's it?"

That's it? Up to that moment in my life the one mile was the pinnacle of cardio activity. Elementary school, middle school, and even P.E. in high school only required us to be tested for a 1 mile run. It had never occurred to me that you could run more. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I never imagined myself running more than 1 mile up to that point. Running more than that was for people who were way too serious about running and needed to realize the beauty of other sports like basketball.

Well, long story short, I ended up running one more mile that night. And for the rest of the summer I ran 2 miles in the morning, 2 miles in the evening. Ended up losing a lot of fat and in the best shape of my life up to that point.

I still love basketball, martial arts, hiking, swimming, soccer, etc etc...but the common denominator in my physical training regimen is running.

Sometimes we need to be reminded that what we think is the limit, really isn't.

That's it.

Valentines Day

1) Prepare a vase of a dozen roses on the dining room table ~check

2) Melt chocolate and dunk ripe strawberries...to end up with delicious chocolate covered strawberries ~check

3) Wait for parents to come home ~check

4) Eat a delicious meal of jjajjangmyun and spicy fried shrimp with my parents ~ check

Well that was my Valentine's Day evening in 4 bullet points. Ended up eating most of the chocolate covered strawberries by myself for dessert after dinner lol.

It was certainly funny to see huge groups of young single people eating jjajjangmyun at the chinese restaurant. I remember in Korea I was told that the reason this tradition came about was to end up matching singles at the restaurant. Come on, if you're eating jjajjangmyun then it's guaranteed you're single; thus, available. Funny thing is that I didn't even think of this tradition as I made my way there to eat with my parents. I don't know, but I found it funny that I ate jjajjangmyun on Valentine's Day...unplanned.

Life is full of funny moments :)