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.