When We First Met.

When we first met, it was like a miracle.
Unexpected and unprepared, we came across somehow someday.With blue sky, breeze and blooming flowers,
Birds flew and butterflies fluttered.
The sloppy clouds seemed to be sleeping,
And the whole world was so wonderful.

Then you appeared like an angel,
Surprising me with the sweetest smile.
You were bestowed with all the beauty.
Brilliant, graceful and gracious.

Suddenly,everything vanished.
Desperately finding you in the twilight,
I found anything was just a lie.
Without my beloved in my sight,
Only left were my cry and sigh.

Dead Toenails and My Lovely Roommate!

Today, two of my toenails fell off after my final season of track here at Ojai Valley School.

My roommate and I were talking about this to our coach (thebrownguy) and we were discussing how it is almost a badge of honor to have toenails that fall off. It shows our character and dedication in running, that despite the pain that comes with running, we give it our all.

My roommate’s toenail fell off a few days ago.

Now, let me tell you, this girl can run.

She was a new student this year and came to take advantage of the track team at our school. Her previous school did not have track as a sport. Now, for a girl who had no prior official track team training, she did fantastic.

My roommate broke several personal records, brought home multiple first place medals, broke a meet record, and even took the title of Condor League MVP this season. But this is not the crowning point in her high school track career. She ran at the CIF preliminary meet, placed second in her heat, and qualified for finals.

She is one of the most dedicated people I know. And dedication is not something you can fake. When I look at her run, its inspiring. The way she pushes herself to the hardest during practice and the way she takes such tender care of her feet afterwards is just fantastic. There is nobody I know that is as dedicated as her. And all of that dedication stems from her pure love for the sport. She loves running. And that is what makes her good.

Now, my roommate can be hard on herself sometimes but I hope when she reads this, she realizes how great she actually is.

She will only get better as she gets older. College is going to be fantastic for you. I just can’t wait to see how well you do, even in your first year in college. I know you will go on to do such great things!

And so back to the topic of toenails. Now that we have established them to be badges of honor, you deserve to have all of your toenails fall off.

I love you thehungryrunnergirl!

The first meet of the season!

This Wednesday, we had our very first track meet at Cate school. Competing schools included Providence hall, Cate, Thacher and us, Ojai Valley.

We didn’t have any field competitors, but we had sprinters and long distance runners. We all ran well.

Two distance runners and I ran in 3 events: the 800m which is 2 laps, the 1600m which is 4 laps(1 mile) and the 3200m which is 8 laps (2 miles). There was only about 20 to 30 minutes in between the events, so it was pretty exhausting.

My coach (thebrownguy) and me warming up:

I love my track shoes, but they peel off my skin every time I run in them. I wear Nike Zoom Victory shoes and I can’t even feel them because they’re so light. Also, the colors are so bright and the colors of each shoe is different.

Well, it was such a fun meet and I can’t wait for the next meet, which is after our spring break!

Your Feet

Your Feet

“When I cannot look at your face
I look at your feet.

Your feet of arched bone,
your hard little feet.

…But I love your feet
only because they walked
upon the earth and upon
the wind and upon the waters,
until they found me.”

Pablo Neruda

I love this poem because it can describe anybody that is special to you. Friend, family, boyfriend, or girlfriend.

My mother has always told me that your feet are the doorways to your well-being. If it is flu season, and your feet are bare, you are welcoming the sickness into your body.

I’ve always wondered why she said that. I mean, I could understand why she would advise me to take good care of my hands or perhaps my head, but my feet?
I figured that it was because we use them everyday to walk, to sprint, to skip, to tiptoe, to dance, to keep a rhythm. And since we use them so often, it is crucial that we take care of them.

But this poem took my perspective to another level. Your feet carries you from place to place.
It is not how often you use them or how you use them that make them so special but where they bring you and who you will meet.
That is why my mother stresses me to take care of my feet.

My feet have brought me so far these past 18 years. They brought me up and down mountains and through my life’s pinnacles and pitfalls.

It’s quite funny because my feet used to be my biggest source of self-consciousness. I hated them. I hated the way they looked. I especially hated that because of 4 years of soccer and track, I have two black toenails.
But now, I kind of admire them for where they have taken me. It is almost as if I have a strange respect for them.

Now, as I am going to college, it is time to let my feet take me wherever they choose to go. OH and the places I will see! The people I will meet!

Life is remarkable.

Math Down, The Rest Is History!

Yesterday was grueling.


My morning began with YouTube videos by khanacademy (who is BRILLIANT by the way) on solids of revolution. My favorite breakfast of waffles and milk didn’t manage to make my morning any better.

I dragged my legs as I forced myself to the Lecture Hall. I sighed as I saw the cold metal door knob and my opaque reflection on the still glass door. Then I went in.

It was torture. Hours and hours of math. I panicked. I think I did horribly.

With a bad mood, I went to the cafeteria to grab lunch before my track meet. With my Princeton Review AP U.S. History Exam book in hand, I trudged to the big, yellow Ojai Valley School bus.

The meet got a lot off my shoulders and I managed to get a lot of studying done. I met my friends at Cate School, Denali and Blake, both friends from 8th grade and that got a lot of stress and grief from my AP exam earlier that day. It helped me realize that I shouldn’t stress but I should try my best for the next test because I can’t change the my previous test score but I can try to get the best score for my next AP test.

Next:

Tomorrow, A.P. U.S. History.

Wish me luck!