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The world stops for no one

The world spins round

We wake we sleep

We live we die

And the world spins round

Last week a friend from a life 10 years ago passed away. And I didn't even know he was living in LA. The day he left I was working. I ate dinner with Brandon and had a short night class. We watched True Dectective. And I didn't even know he was living in LA. I went home at midnight and went to bed. And the world didn't stop. I didn't stop. 

We don't stop enough. 

Forgiveness

The only way to learn forgiveness is to be betrayed. You might understand the intellectual concept of forgiveness, but you will only learn how to truly forgive when someone has done something that requires you to love them and let it go. Life demands these hurtful experiences for you to learn how forgiveness feels, it could be not other way. If there is anyone in your life that you must forgive, instead of seeing them as someone who has hurt you, try to see them as someone who was sent to teach you forgiveness and thank them for this previous gift - then forgive them and let it go. 
-Jakson Kiddard, via The Daily Love

Blackout

Yesterday the city was doing work on our block and cut he power for two blocks in my part of town. It was out for about 30 mins before my neighbor called the city and they told us it might not come back on until 6am. So I shrugged and found my headlamp, blazed some candles and made dinner. It was really nice actually because it reminded me of huddling in our house after Hurricane Ike and Rita. How we didn’t have power for a week, but the mall did and how everyone would just go and plug in their cell phones. How my mom cooked ALL the meat in a few days and we had to eat nothing but pork and beef for 3 days, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I remember going to the FEMA trucks to get ice and just hanging out in the heat. Life is so much simpler without power. 

Death Valley National Park, Surprise Canyon, Panamint City

Surprise Canyon

This past weekend Brandon, Mihai, Albert, Trewdge, Lea and I drove up to Death Valley for a casual visit. We drove up to Novak camp at the base of the hike to Panamint City, passed out then got up the next morning for a good long hike. This time it was 5 miles but a strenuous 4,000 ft climb starting at 2,000 ft elevation. The hike was great!
We walked through a stream that flowed through most of the trail. Parts of the trail were actually on top of the stream and most of it was through the valley. Being close to fresh water was really refreshing. The water came from a spring and we would stop to refill our bottles. This part of Death Valley used to be a small city with a road leading up there, but long ago floods washed out the road and people abandonded the town. We came upon lots of abandonded trucks, mining equiment, and eventually homes and trailers. It took us about 5 hours to get to Panamint City and we stopped at this makeshift bench and firepit to have a well deserved lunch. The house by the pit had already been claimed by two campers that weren't around. There was another pitched tent across the way but no one else around. We guessed they had been there for a night already since there were other cars at the trailhead.

After lunch and a nap we found a good spot for all of us to set up and it got COLD. We were anticipating 50 degree weather but got low 40s or so. So when dinner time came around we scarfed down our food and jumped into our sleeping bags for the night which I didn't mind because we got time to enjoy the stars. Probably the best starfilled night I've had in a long time.

Devil's Golf Course

The next day we hiked out this time taking 4 hrs and was pretty good since we had eaten away lots of weight and were going downhill the whole way. We got to the cars around 1pm and then drove through the desert to Death Valley National Park and visited all the sights like the Devil's Golf Course and the lowest elevation in the world at 230 ft below sea level.

All in all a fun time and lots of cool things to see in one of the hotest places on Earth.

Musical Daydreams

Someone once asked me, “What are the three things you love most?”

I thought a moment and said, “Bikes, food, and yoga.”

He looked half satisfied and half bothered, so I asked, “What’s wrong? You don’t like my answer?”

“What about music?” he demanded. “We go to concerts and talk about music and share music and it’s not even on your top 3?”

I was taken aback, so I searched for the answer. I said, “I guess I don’t think of music as something I love anymore because music will always be a part of my life. To me it’s like breathing air, a reflex of sorts. Seeking it out is effortless and spending time with it is unquestionable.”

“How is that different from loving food?” 

"Food is something I have to find or work for, but music is something I can get anywhere at anytime. I can hum or sing or think about a song. I can go without food for a while, but I never have to be without music."

Uber Heavy

The other day I grabbed an Uber from LAX. The driver was a middle aged man from Jordan who had moved to the US to get away and make a living. Our conversation went something like this...

"How has your day been?" I asked. 

"Very good! Everyday is a good day. I have no stress because I have patience." 

"Oh thats great." I totally agreed so I had nothing to say. 

He continued, "God gives me patience and for that I am grateful. I have a job and I am alive and I have patience so I am good. You know I lost my wife and I lost $300,000 but God gives me patience so I am happy."

Wow. He really opened up in our 15 minute cab ride. For the sake of anonymity I'll call him Jerry. Jerry had a lot to say so he talked and I listened. Jerry told me that his wife really wanted a baby and he spent $300,000 on tests and what not to try and have a baby. But after 13 years of marriage she was barren and the doctors told him that it was because of him. So he and his wife separated 2 years ago not because they don't care about each other but because of their own personal goals and situations. Jerry has an older brother who fathered 13 kids from two marriages, 9 boys and 4 girls. So why did God make his brother so fertile but gave Jerry no success? Jerry said it's all part of Gods plan and he had faith because God gave him patience. Otherwise why would he be in this situation, driving an Uber, happy for his now remarried and pregnant exwife, and happy for himself in just two years if God didn't give him patience. He didnt feel the need to be angry or sad about the place he was in now. Instead he felt hopeful and content because he was making his money back in America and when he goes home he will find a new wife. 

And that was that. 

Backpacking in Big Sur - Cone Peak

Almost at the top of Cone Peak

This past weekend I went back to Big Sur, this time with Brandon, Mihai, Lea, Eric and Jesse. We hiked the Vicente Flat Trail up to Cone Peak (the highest coastal mountain in the US) and then camped at Goat Camp and hiked back out through the Stone Ridge Trail. The first day was amazing, tough, and frustrating. We drove to the trailhead overnight and camped right beside it. Then we got up early the next day and started hiking at 830am. It was about 5 miles to Vicente Flat camp and then another 7 up to Cone Peak. We climbed 5000ft in total and made it to the top for a beautiful sunset view at 530pm. It was the most beautilful hike I've ever done. The first 5 miles were coastal so you could see for miles up the pacific coast and for miles until the horizon took the sea away. Then we were just walking through forest and Big Sur vegetation which changed a lot as we got higher and higher up. The top of the mtn was close to the water so it was really beautiful. I really couldn't remember anything cooler. 

Brandon and Mihai filtering agua

 The summit was hard, but doable. However the next 4 miles were rough. The sun set quickly and we left to hike with only our headlamps. It was a relatively new moon, so the stars were beautiful but we had to rely on our headlamps. I think the hardest part was not really knowing how far away the camp was. We had an idea and knew the length but just being in the dark, not being able to see anything, and being really tired and hungry gave us all some extra anxiety. We finally hit Goat Camp around 9pm, threw our packs down, cooked dinner, and got ready to pass out. We didn't bring tents and slept under the stars so it was awesome.

The next day we got up and could see the water right from camp. It really was a great campsite. We packed up and left around 9am and spent the whole day hiking 11 or so miles back to our cars. The second day was not as strenuous, but all our feet hurt more so it was kind of a trade off I guess. The sun was warm, but we were in and out of the trees so the weather was really perfect. After we all got to the trailhead I think we spend an hour just laying down and recovering. That night we drove through San Luis Obispo and had clam chowder in a bread bowl and tons of fries. We took turns driving legs and finally got home around 1030pm. I can't really believe I'm doing all these things in a weekend without having to take time off work or a long weekend. California is so close to everything that vacations can really be a weekend thing. I'm spoiled. 

2013 in no particular order

I quit my job at Cedars and studied full time for the MCAT. I started teaching Yoga. I took the MCAT. I went on vacation to Zion, Havasu, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Big Sur, Portland, Bishop, then Dallas and Houston again. I watched Ted and Tina get married. I went to Vegas for the first time and then four more times after that: twice as a touch and go, twice to party, and once for Interbike. I practiced yoga. I applied to 18 medical schools. I got a job at UCLA doing the same old thing and I got a key to Bikerowave. I watched the modern production of The Magic Flute in LA. I backpacked for the first time in Havasu with the Sunnyvale crew, then three more times after that in Big Sur with Dan, the Angeles National Forest by myself and finally outside Bishop with Brandon and Eric. I started rock climbing. I worked on my Spanish. I chopped wood in Joshua Tree. I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time. I rekindled a friendship with Rose. I rekindled my friendship with alcohol. Chelsea got engaged. Linh came to visit me and we ran the Disney Half with Jimmy. Derek moved back to Chicago. Heather got engaged. Emily visited LA. I stood up for myself. Brandon taught me how to skateboard. Kevin got engaged and then married. Stephanie bought a house. I met and became good friends with Jeremy, Danny, and Leigh. Pattie visited LA. Another Stephanie visited LA. Sheree and I went to the San Diego Zoo. Steven, Jaci, Junior and I hiked a part of the PCH. Chris visited LA. Leigh became my roommate for a short while. Steven threw parties: dinner parties, board game parties, drinking parties. Genevieve and Arch moved in together. Jason got engaged. Jesse sent me a Kindle and I read a lot of books. I volunteered at the hospital. I assisted at Yogis. I bought an orange computer, and Chelsea gave me orange sunglasses. Derek was going to propose but broke up instead. I met Eduardo’s friends at the LA Gay Pride Parade. Gina and Peter got engaged. I saw Tiesto, Kaskade, ATB, Above & Beyond, Deadmau5, Katy Perry, Tegan and Sara, Ellie Goulding, Casey Musgraves, Vienna Teng, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Foxes and Sara Barellis on stage. I took my family to see the Nutcracker in Houston. I rode my bike to eat seafood for my birthday and then to breakfast a lot of times. Steven and I ran a lot and ate a lot of food. I restarted a friendship with John. I bought an orange knife. I watched 3 seasons of Game of Thrones in a week. Then I watched 3 seasons of How I Met Your Mother in a week. I clocked an avg of 17mph for 18 miles at the Malibu Relay Tri. I got 6 medical school rejections. I fell for a guy then had to come out of it. Pattie got engaged. Then I met someone else. I reunited with Caitlin, Theresa and Chels. I practiced yoga. Carol moved to LA. I rode my bike all over town. Arch cut my hair. Steven and I were in a car crash. Jesse took me biking in the south bay. I got sick for the first time in a year and spent all day in bed watching and finishing Sword Art Online. Derek visited LA. I volunteered at a free clinic in Mexico. Alvis graduated from Irvine. Danny visited LA. Piper treated me to Café Gratitude. I went to Oakland to take Rose to the airport. I went running. Genevieve helped me with my Spanish. Linh taught me about the Five Languages of Love. My brothers and I went to Dallas. I danced. I laughed. I cried.

This year was filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. A lot of people got engaged. I feel like I was building, building, building towards something but it’s not here yet. 

Home

I went home to Houston for about a week and now I'm back home in LA to start the new year here. Last year I spent almost 2 weeks in Houston for Christmas and by the end I was really ready to come back to LA and my life here. This time I didn't really want to leave Texas. This past year was hard in a lot of different ways and I just wanted to be in a place that I knew I would be happy. It was comfortable and I didn't feel like I had to be in my head a lot. Last year it felt like I was coming home. But this year it felt like I was leaving home. It's hard because I've made a life for myself in LA, but my life in Houston is still there. Some days I think I can't move back, and some days I think I will end up back there. Who knows? There's still so much life left to live. 

Las Cucarachas

La semana pasada enseñé una clase de yoga muy atípica. Mi estudiante, Geetesh, trajo a un amigo que necesitaba audífonos para oír. Entonces tuve dos estudiantes que no podían oír bien y tengo un voz muy suave. Siempre me olvidaba de usar una voz fuerte. El nuevo estudiante se llamaba Sammy y él nunca había  hecho yoga. Fue muy buena práctica para mi porque hábia sido un año desde que enseñé A un estudiante que nunca había hecho yoga. 

Al principio los estudiantes me siguieron bien pero a mitad de la clase una señora y su hija pequeña entraron. Su hija tenía unos cinco años Y ella se mantenía tranquila por diez minutos. Después de diez minutos ella decidío que no quise hacer yoga y empezó a jugar cerca de su mama, en el espacio entre la ventana y la puerta. Fue muy mono pero distraía uno poco porque ella echaba una ojeada a su mamá a veces. 

¡De pronto, una cucaracha! La cucaracha estaba enfrente de la señora y ella gritó - ¡Cucaracha! Ella estuvo riendo y gritando - !Cucaracha, cucaracha, cucaracha! Estuve riendo tambien y Brandon se levantó de su pose para coger la cucaracha. Cinco minutos más tarde una otra cucaracha aparecío encima de un bloque. Recogí el bloque con la cucaracha y se quitó de encima después de un rato afuera. ¡Ay! 

Fue una clase muy atípica, divertida y un poco estresante. Pero en días como esa, hay que mantenerse en los dedos de los pies. 

Words

You know that saying "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" ? As kids we used to hear that all the time as encouragement to not take mean words to heart. An effort to reduce negative reactions to bullying and kids being kids. But I never figured out how to not let words hurt me. Instead I would just turn off the sad emotion altogether. Eventually I found Yoga and that helped me learn to let go of hurtful words. But if you say something meaningful or hurtful to me, I will probably never forget how it made me feel.

This year Linh introduced to me the theory of 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman.In short, there are 5 ways people express and receive love: Physical Touch, Word of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Gifts, and Quality Time. Everyone places value on each way differently. For instance you might really value when someone does something for you. Another person might get more happiness from receiving a gift rather than if you did something for them. So in learning about this theory and trying to get to know myself and what I value, I've realized that I place a lot of value on what people say to me. If someone tells me I did something wrong, then I will feel horrible. My friend Gen always says she wants to see me and I feel really warm and fuzzy when she says so. However I'm pretty bad at expressing words of affirmation back to people. Chapman says that people don't always give love the same way they want to receive love and that is true for me. I would rather cook them dinner or help them with something.

I've tried to pay attention to how others give and receive love. Gen likes to give love through words, Sheree doesn't place much value on hugs or touch, Arch hates gifts and would rather you hang out with him. I think that knowing yourself is key to being able to live and work with others. Everyone is unique and knowing how to take care of yourself will ensure your own happiness. Here's to the search for happiness.

Escape to Lake Genevieve and Mount Baldwin

Escape! Sometimes you just need to get away, change your environment, do something new in order to move forward. What I'm finding out is that in California, a weekend trip can be like a mini vacation. Last Saturday morning Brandon, Eric, and I jumped in the car at 5am and drove up to the Inyo National Park, strapped our packs on and were hiking by 11am.

The route was a 6 mile hike into Lake Genevieve with 2000ft of elevation gain. This hike was hard. We started at 8000ft and ended up just around 10,000ft. I definitely felt the thinner air and with the extra weight on my back the last mile was tough. But the sights and sounds were gorgeous and peaceful. There was snow on the ground and the sun to warm you up. We got to Lake Genevieve as the sun was setting at about 530pm, set up camp and devoured a whole box of couscous with Indian Fares. I was exhausted, but managed to stay awake another hour while we set up our tent and cleaned up from dinner. The boys had the great idea of heating up water and filling our water bottles. My metal canteen was so nice and toasty in the 20 degree weather. For warmth the three of us crammed into a two person tent and I passed out pretty soon after.

Lake Genevieve

We all had an intermittently restful night sleeping shoulder to shoulder haha, but it wasn't the worst sleep I'd ever had in a tent. We rose with the sunrise and were out of camp by 715am, back out to lake Mildred by 830am and goofed around the lake. Brandon and Eric filled up our water bottles and then we stashed our backpacks by a camping spot so we could hike up Mount Baldwin.

The Sierras and Lake Mildred

I thought Saturday was long, but hiking Baldwin was worse. We probably got started around 10am, walked a quarter mile to the trail head and started our ~3000ft climb. This mountain was STEEP. I think we only covered 7-8 miles round trip, but it took us 5 hours to get to the top and 3 hours to come down because a lot of the trail was either covered in snow or covered in rocks. Eric and Brandon calmly bowled through everything, stamping down snow and scrambling up and down rocks to figure out where to go. We got lost a few times and had to back track, and at one point we were pretty much rock climbing.If I had been by myself I'd probably be dead, so I'm grateful they were there but it was a crazy experience for me. Part of me was like "oh ok, I'll follow" and another part of me was like "um...you're gonna die". I think I was too exhausted to really take in what I just did because that was pretty crazy. Brandon was pretty excited that we stomped all over that stupid mountain, but I think all I wanted to do was be in a place where I wouldn't have to hike anymore.

@ the top of Mt Baldwin

No dice. Once we made it back to our backpacks at 530pm, we had only eaten bars all day and had to hike the rest of the 5 miles out to Brandon's Suby. So yes, we hiked in the dark. Headlamps on, we got started just as the sun went down and the moon came out. Luckily it was all downhill, I slipped on a tree crossing the stream and then tripped on a rock, but we got to the car by 8pm. I think we were all exhausted and in pain by the time we got to the car. Eric and I ripped off the shoes and wanted to tear into the food, but Brandon rushed us into the car to try and catch dinner in Bishop before the restaurants all closed at 9pm. I think we crossed the town about 5 times before we found a place that was open, the Holy Smoke Texas Style BBQ. It was like home away from home. The staff and owner were so friendly I was reminded of what it's like to be in the south. The food was pretty good too, but no Rudy's BBQ. The next day I chilled while the boys bouldered around Bishop, then we had a delicious dinner at Whiskey Creek and drove home. All in all a hard but great weekend.

Love Stories

The easiest way to get people talking is to figure out what they care about. If they are married or have a family, then you hit the jackpot because parents or spouses who are really happy will not shut up about their loves. Hearing a couple's love story is always fun, inspiring, and makes me happy. Genuine love will always baffle and surprise me.

Lately I've been thinking about a conversation I had with my boss at UCLA. We were the only two people on a phone conference waiting for everyone else to join and he was working from home. His son made a babbling nosie and our conversation went kinda like this:

Me, "What's your sons name?"
"Ethan. Don't mind him, he's trying to eat the phone."
"And you're going to let him?!"
"Hahaha, no!"
(It was a Saturday. Yes. We had to work on Saturday)
"Is your wife home with you guys?"
"No, she's out. It's just us boys."
"How did you meet your wife?" I asked because meeting stories are just as good as falling in love stories.
"We met in high school. We've known each other for over 10 years."
"Oh! Wow thats a long time to be together."
"Actually we didn't get together until about three years ago."
      Whoa! These situtations are always so interesting to me because how do you suddenly change your mind and decide that you want to marry someone you've friend zoned for so long?
I asked, "So how did you know you should get married? Sorry if I'm prying."
He said, "Oh no you're not. I'm actually a pretty open person."
Then he paused a minute and told me,

"We accepted each other for who we were."

Joshua Trees

A Joshua Tree is like a cross between a palm tree and a cactus. Apparently they only grow in and around the national park and can't be found anywhere else in the world. I went camping in the Joshua Tree National Forest this past weekend with friends: Jason, Leng, Bo, Mihai, Albert, and Brandon. On the drive up I sampled my music for Albert and discovered that all my music is emo...not sure how I feel about this...kind of sad and mopey. haha. jk. I'm not that emo.

First stop was Integratron! Apparently this place has a high magnetic field so they built this dome thing in the middle of it and hold sound baths. They take large quarts bowls and play each of them to create this loud enveloping sound. You feel super relaxed and probably fall asleep. I didn't sleep, my body felt super relaxed and I was trying to relax my brain but if you know me my brain never stops. Anyway it was pretty cool. An hour and a half went by in what seemed like minutes. I would definitely go again. It was a great calming way to start a weekend.

After the sound bath, we went to set up camp. I hung up my hammock and we split wood. Aparently Californians don't know how to use a hammer, but I taught them how. Thanks dad for all those years of putting us to work when we were kids. We tried to fit in a quick hike to catch the sunset, but missed it by about 30 mins or so. We also missed the trail, but thats ok. We ended up hiking in the dark for about 2 miles which was pretty cool in my opinion, but I think others were less enthused by the not being able to see stuff. That night we had tacos and popcorn and hung out by the fire until well past midnight just talking. I slept in my hammock under the stars. I love the stars.

Sunday morn we had bacon and egg tacos cooked by Jason and Leng, then we drove into the park to scramble around on rocks and stuff. We goofed around, went to hike around Barker Dam, scrambled some more and then went to find some lunch. Brandon took us to a cafe called Crossroads where we pigged out and started to food coma. After that we bought some gear, went back to another part of the park and scrambled some more until we finally found some good rocks to hang out on while we waited for the sunset. The sun fell back behind the mountains really quickly, but it was nice. After that we headed back to camp to make dinner and eat some more. haha. We finished burning all the wood, cooked steaks, pineapple, spinach, brussel sprouts and baked some bananas with chocolate, marshmellow and grahamcrackers. Albert, Mihai, Brandon and I left that night so that we could avoid traffic the next day since we had to work half days at least.

It felt like a nice long weekend with lots of laughs and adventure. I can't wait until we go again.

Overachiever

These days I have this memory that keeps surfacing.

"We had our first lab post presentation and when I saw your poster I was like, who is this overachieving little asian?" - Jim

hahahaha. I think it's funny because I really didn't know what I was doing so I put a ton of random stuff that might have been relevant on my poster. But he had a point. I always try to do too many things at once. I probably put more effort than necessary into that poster and I try to multitask in a way that stretches myself thin. Even at work today I had so many emails going on about 5 different topics. My mind is constantly thinking 3 steps ahead, jumping from thought to thought. It got worse when I moved to LA. There's so much to do and so many people here that everyone is busy all the time. You have to make plans with people at least a week  in advance. It never seems like anyone is free at the last minute or even the day before. Rush rush, go go, don't stop. Maybe it's that people want to maintain that image that being busy means they're doing important things or that they are important or have a lot of friends. Probably all of the above. I guess I'm an overachiever in a city of overachievers. I told Leigh that because of this hustle bustle lifestyle I don't think I could ever raise a family in LA. So one day I will leave this city behind. Or who knows, maybe I'll decide that I don't want a family and keep trying to overachieve.

Anyway that's a tangent. I need to focus on one thing at a time. I'm starting to self sacrifice more and really prioritize wants and needs, which is hard after 4 years of indulging all my wants. So now I'm faced with this conundrum. I want to slow down...but will I be able to? And once I've slowed down...will I stay there?

Disneyland Half Marathon

Disneyland! Sunday morning I crawled out of bed at 4am to run the Disneyland Half with my cousin Jimmy and friend Linh. I dressed up as Tink and Linh was Snow White. Jimmy was amused but did not feel left out. Haha. Except for having to wake up crazy early the race was probably the most fun you could have while running 13 miles. The first 3 miles were through Disney and California Adventures. It was my first time there so it was pretty magical. There is nothing like it. I can't describe it, you kind of have to be there.

I tried to get as many photos with characters as possible, without having to wait to long or waste too much time. I got a picture with Hook, but didn't see my fav princess, Ariel. Oh well next time maybe. I wish the run hadn't been so crowded. 27,000 people did the run. But I guess that's what you get when you want to run inside the most magical place on Earth.

I thought I would hang up my running shoes after this, but maybe not. I feel pretty ok today and it was a pretty cool run. Who knows, I guess I won't rule out the idea if it comes up again. But no more full marathons. Hellz to the no.

Backpacking Solo

While reading LA mag's issue of The Best of LA, I came across a blurb talking about the Angeles National Forest. Intrigued I did more research, went to the information center and planned a one night backpacking trip.

Distance driven: West LA to Arcadia - 35 miles
The trail head was ~5 miles from Arcadia. That's nuts! It's literally in the backyard of LA.

I parked in Chantry Flats, proudly displayed my new, shiny annual parking pass on the rear view mirror and strapped on my pack. The trail was the Big Santa Anita Canyon Trail.

Pack contents: Tent (2 lbs), Sleeping bag (3 lbs), Sleeping pad (1 lb), Hammock (1 lb), Backpack (4 lbs), Misc stuff like first aid, glasses etc (3 lbs), Food (2 lbs), Water 2 Liters (4.5 lbs)
Total weight: Roughly 20 lbs.

Spruce Grove Camp

I hiked to Hermit Falls then double backed to Sturtevant Falls and Spruce Grove Camp. In total I covered about 5 miles from 12:30pm to 3:00pm and then thought about hiking some more for about 5 mins before deciding "no thanks". Despite being the middle of the week, there were plenty of people for the first 3 miles of my hike. Luckily it thinned out significantly about 4 miles in. Then when I was about 1/2 a mile away from camp I ran into a family. A FAMILY. Never in my life have I met a family of backpackers. Keep in mind that backpacking means that you carry all your stuff with you into your camp. There's no driving up to the camp site and then unloading your cast iron dutch oven. This camp was 4 miles from the parking lot and a total of 900 ft of elevation gain.

Also this family was Mom, Dad, and 3 kids aging from 6 yrs to 11 yrs old. So mom and dad were carrying majority of the gear. But when I saw them I thought to myself, "Wow there's hope for me and having a family that loves to do this sort of thing." I said hi too them, found out we were heading for the same camp ground and bid them adieu for now.

The family and I were the only ones at camp which made it nice. Probably the most secluded I've ever been in LA. I love the fact that you can do so much here, but sometimes the density can be overwhelming. Anyway I spent the rest of the day wandering around the campsite, reading in my hammock, napping in my hammock and trying to start a fire. After giving up on the fire I decided to crawl into my sleeping bag and read with my headlamp. That's when mom (Angie) came over to ask if I wanted to join her family for smores. Hell yes. I got to meet dad (Grant) and kids (Natalie, Mandy, and Ben). They were so friendly and welcoming I was really heartened. They were the kind of family that cuddles up when it's cold and tells stories around the campfire. The kids told me all the things they found and saw that day. I told them I was from Texas and am trying to start a new career. It's days like these that remind me why I love people.

LA is just beyond that mountain behind me

The next morning I got up around 730am, packed up, ate then said goodbye to the family of backpackers and headed out to a different trail that would take me back to my car. I hit Mt. Zion, a 3500ft peak and then headed back down through the Upper Winter Creek Trail. By 11am I was eating nuts and stripping off my hiking boots. I had half a liter of water left too. I think the whole trip took 24 hours.

Why did I go? Because I can. Because I wanted to explore LA. Because I wanted to try hiking by myself with all my gear. Because I wanted to be alone and without the internet for a little while. I spent a lot of time thinking and talking to myself. I read The Book of Secrets and Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. Did I come to any amazing revelations? Not really, just better understanding of things I guess.

Gratitude

Thursday class at Heal One World was small. Only two of my regulars showed up. Actually I think it has been dwindling over the past month. I try not to think about the numbers because you never know whats going on in another persons life, so you can't expect people to always show up at your class. Taking it personally is kind of silly because it never has anything to do with you, but nevertheless you still feel a little sad that you don't get to see someone that week.

Anyway I put together a slow class and since there were only two I tried to really watch them and adjust or correct their movements. At the end of class I thanked them for coming and got to talking with Norma, a small hispanic woman who takes care of 3 boys and her hubby. She was telling me that the teacher on Fridays is crazy hard and that she'll run away if she sees her again. Haha. Norma started coming to my class (and I think one class a day) a few months ago because her doctor recommended it. At the end of class today she expressed all her changes and gratitude. She has no more back pain. She used to have to visit the doctor frequently for one thing or the other, but she doesn't have to go anymore. The most interesting thing she said was she doesn't get angry easily anymore. She's calmer and happier and feels better every day.

So that made me feel like if there were only one person in class every week, then it would still be worth it.

On Motivation

Do you ever go on a trip and when you get back you feel changed? Your perspective has widened or your ideas have turned a different direction. I took a week and drove up the PCH, hiked the Pine Ridge Trail, saw wild cormorants, and breathed the fresh Bay air. Somehow, someone, something along the trip gave me the motivation I have now to finish my medical school applications and work on the list of things I've been wanting to do. Before the trip, June for me was quite stagnant. I would stare at my personal essay and not write a word. I would wake up at 10am and read fiction until dinner time. I watched 2 seasons of Game of Thrones. Only small things in my life changed like getting a new crank set for Frankenstein or finally replacing the passport that I lost. I was bored, and I didn't know how to get out of the funk. 

Luckily Dan stopped by LA and he let me hop into his TDI Volkswagon for a spontaneous trip up the PCH. Funk discarded and self-reflection commenced. Four days on the road listening to metal will definitely hone your skills for tuning things out and spending time looking inward. Just kidding. I only did that 80% of the time. Anyway there was plenty of quiet time and talks about who we are and what we think that I started to unravel some parts of my life I previously tabled. Like religion. 

In San Jose I hung out with my Aunt for a whole day. Man is she a talker. But she definitely changed my perspective about who she is and what she’s doing with her life. She quit her job and went back to school because she wants a better life for herself. Proof that it’s never too late to change.

The whole week was about family and friends. There was plenty of time for long talks and just hanging out. I guess I don’t really get that in LA. But it’s funny how I feel that this trip changed me more than the last one to Havasu. Maybe it was the timing in my life or having more chill time to think or do nothing. Either way I'm different, and I've found some motivation. Thanks friends and family. 
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En español - gracias a Gen por su ayuda. =)
Alguna vez cuándo hayas vuelto de una vacación,  ¿sentiste cambiado? ¿Que tu perspectiva esté ampliada o tus ideas hayan girado hacia una dirección diferente? Tomé una semana para subir la costa pacífica por autopista. Durante el camino subí por Pine Ridge, vi cormoranes salvajes, y respiré el aire fresco del área de la bahía. De alguna manera, alguien, o algo del viaje me dio la motivación para terminar mis solicitudes para la Universidad Médica y para trabajar en la lista de cosas que quería hacer. Antes del viaje, el mes de junio fue un mes muy inactivo. Miraba fijamente a la redacción personal que tenía que escribir, y no escribía nada. Me despertaba a las diez de la mañana y leía ficción hasta la hora de la cena.  Miré dos temporadas de Game of Thrones. Pocas cosas en mi vida habían cambiado, por ejemplo compré bielas nuevas para Frankenstein o finalmente solicité el pasaporte que había perdido. Estaba aburrida y no sabía salir de la mala racha.  

Por suerte Dan pasó por Los Ángeles y me dejó ir consigo en el auto por el PCH. Durante cuatro días nosotros manejábamos por la costa. Tuve tiempo de pensar y reflejar sobre mi vida. Hablabamos sobre quiénes éramos y sobre como pensábamos. Empecé a desenredar partes de mi vida que había archivado. La religión, por ejemplo.

En San José pasé tiempo con mi tía Anna. ¡Ella hablaba mucho! Pero cambió mi punto de vista sobre quien era ella y qué está haciendo con su vida. Dejó su trabajo para volver a la escuela porque quería mejorar su vida. Una prueba que nunca es demasiado tarde para cambiar.

El resto de la semana estuve con familia y amigos. Tenía mucho tiempo para tener conversaciones largas y para pasar los ratos. Es interesante el sentir que esta vacación me cambió más que el último viaje que hice. Quizás fue el ritmo de mi vida o que estuve utilizando  mi tiempo para pensar o hacer nada. De cualquier manera soy diferente y he encontrado la motivación. Doy las gracias a mi familia y a mis amigos.