Story: Golden Bear Tutoring Roll Love

Caterpillar roll, cherry blossom roll, Philadelphia roll, crunchy delight roll, hella hot roll, rock'n roll, no-name roll, Godzilla roll, sex-on-the-beach, crazy monkey roll, and golden bear tutoring roll--ranging from normal to exotic, pretty to the slightly absurd, these are all sushi rolls that I've stumbled across.

As I was perusing the sushi menu of the restaurant P, D, and I had decided to grab lunch at, I wondered what these sushi chefs were thinking when they were naming their creation. Like, how do you come up with "Golden Bear Tutoring Roll" from avocado, salmon, and masago? Because I sure don't see the connection. But, I guess yummy ingredients + a nonsensical name = sushi that I must try!

But all in all, there is nothing that beats catching up with old friends over sushi and mochi ice cream. It was great to see P, D, and M again and chatting with them brought back old memories from our high school days. But we've also moved forward in time as we shared what was going on in our lives. Even though I hadn't seen them in months, it meant a lot to me that I could share the little things in my life with them, and they with me. I rerealized what great friends they are and how lucky I am to have them. I look forward to the many more happy times we will have.

I was especially touched by P and D's unexpected but heart-string-tuggingly-sweet insistence to treat me out to lunch and delicious strawberry mochi ice cream (my favorite!) because of my upcoming birthday. Thanks guys! You really made my day. :)

PS. Unfortunately I didn't have any sushi pictures from today, so I'm substituting in another recent sushi adventure. And we kinda went overboard with the ordering that one time, but I promise that there's more than four people working on finishing that sushi on the table. :) (Props to my friend R. L. who took this crazy amazing photograph.)

Story: Running

I went running today. Which I guess normally is not all that unusual, since as a cross-country and track-and-field veteran of four years, I've put a lot of mileage on my shoes. However, as of late, I've been leading the sedentary life style: waking up, eating, watching TV, eating, reading, and sleeping. Maybe a short bike ride or two if I want to mix things up, but nothing strenuous. The last time I ran was April 24th, the day of our League Finals and I was in the 800.

I bought a new pair of running shoes yesterday, and, finally, I ran out of excuses on why not to run.

I'd never planned to be a runner. I always thought of myself as the quiet type, the shy girl who would lead a nunnish, bookish life. After all, I already had the nerdy glasses and bookshelves crammed with books. Running was something I stumbled upon. It wasn't love at first sight nor was it a passionate whirlwind affair of romance novels. But slowly, I grew to love this sport because it gave me an opportunity to prove myself. I grew to love it because it felt good to feel my lungs burning after a five-mile hill workout, knowing I pushed myself to my limit of endurance and that I can, and will, do better next time. It felt great to watch my legs transform from tiny cinnamon sticks to sculptured calves that rippled when I flexed. And I loved the camaraderie of my team, for they became my second family.

But as seasons passed, I became jaded and narrow-minded. I ran only so that I could be faster than everybody else and each time I competed it was only so that I could PR. I lost sight of why I initially loved the sport. Running became stressful for me, because I only thought about getting better, and hating myself when I didn't. It wasn't fun anymore, and sometimes, I would secretly wish that I wasn't as fast as I was, and therefore my coach would have lower expectations of me.

I even considered quitting track my junior year, but, I'm ashamed to say, selfishness made me stop. I wanted to be an outstanding female athlete at our school, and I knew that if I joined track and field, I would be guaranteed a spot on the varsity team. But it wasn't until this year that I realized what I was doing to myself. It was probably the college application process and thinking ahead to the future that I realized, it shouldn't matter how I'm doing in my events. In the long run, it's not about breaking a 5:30 mile that should matter, it's about enjoying what I'm doing.

And that's what I thought, when I laced up my running shoes today. I only ran two miles, and probably at 10-minute-mile pace, but I relished every moment of it and can't wait to go running again.

Story: Transition

Ever since I helped BoFo finish packing and helped ProHo move in a few days ago, my mind has been preoccupied with the notion of college. Back in March and April when we were just getting our college acceptance letters, college was still an abstract concept to me. Sure, I'll be moving out and "living" on my own, but that seemed ages away. After all, I still had a plethora of high school memories to make, from dreaded AP exams to Prom to Graduation and of course my big graduation trip to India. But now, all this is over, and what's left is the absence of two special people in my life, and many others who've already gone off to start the next saga in their life.

I'm excited and can't wait to start either. All the clothes I've been buying, books I've been reading, lists I've been making are my preparation for college. "I wonder if my roommate would want to borrow this scarf; I wonder if anybody else has read The Fountainhead, I wonder if three deep dish sized Tupperware will be enough for me to store food for next year." I feel like I've been preparing for my Move-In day ever since I got my college acceptance.

The last time sunnie and I went shopping, I even dragged her to Anthropologie and made her sit through my silliness as I posed with different cups trying to decide which would be the best late-night-hot-chocolate-sipping-keeping-my-hands-warm-as-I'm-studying-for-my-midterms mug. (We later settled on a homey looking wide-brimmed mug that has butterflies fluttering around the inside and out.)

On a tangent, I did get my permit a few days ago, so I'm excited to start the process of learning to drive. This surprises me, because up until I passed the test, I really wasn't interesting in driving. I've always felt pretty self sufficient with my bike, Cal Train and all. But now that I have the tedious written part of the way, I actually want to get behind the wheel. I suppose this is pretty late for me to learn, with my starting university in a few weeks and all, but I guess, better late than never. Now, I just have to when the earliest time I can sign up for driving classes will be...