People often ask why I want to be a teacher.

My answer to you is that being around kids is a gift. People grow up and then become adults and forget how to have fun or be a kid. I also want to be a teacher because I want to re-invent teaching. Get all the old-school stuff out of education systems and bring in stimulating and fun activities/exercises for learning. I want to teach children about life skills and hopefully they can carry those skills with them everywhere they go and into the future. Teachers create leaders. Teachers create the future. And without teachers, the potential of kids and creative thinkers would diminish. I want to help build a better environment. I want to be the support system that kids can come to in times of need. I want to teach kids about saving the environment and treating each other with respect. I want to teach them to become better citizens and become more selfless. I want to teach because I want to keep studying. Education is a gift. I want to assess what types of things help children grow and excel better. Children are in school for most of their hours of the weekdays, and I don't want to be one of those teachers who waste their time with busy work. I want them to learn.

I've been meaning to quit dance this year.

And my heart was set out on quitting after these last performances with 02H and JGP. But... I've come to face the facts that no matter how hard I try to leave dance, I end up staying. Dance has been there for me since the beginning. When I moved here from Japan, I knew nobody. I spontaneously decided to sign up for dance class in high school because I wanted to make some friends and wanted to explore new talents. Then I got really into dancing. I wanted to get better and I took an interest in hip-hop my sophomore year and was apart of the dancing community at Great Oak High School. It's a good feeling being apart of something. Sharing something with others. Ideas, new ways of improving, anything really! So then I joined about 6 other teams in my span of being in high school. The most I learned from dancing is that every team has a different feel to it. And adjusting to the styles and vibe of each team helped me become a better dancer.

Dance was my number one supporter when I hit rock bottom and committed a felony when I was 16 years old. After my relationship took a big hit, I felt like I had nothing left. I started drinking and smoking. But I actually had something left in my life. My family and my dance. I didn't realize that with all the mess that I was creating, it helped create an artful masterpiece. I would be at iCON practice crying on the inside and dancing through those emotions. Then when I walked home, I would feel so depressed. If I didn't have dance, I wouldn't be able to be strong. I would have broken down here and there. I don't know if anyone could relate. I don't know if anybody has ever felt as broken as I did. I think dancing when you are going through a rough patch in life gives a better performance and helps serve the purpose of dance. Dancing without emotion is pointless.

Even now, if I'm enduring struggles, it is because of dance. It is because of the community. The people in it have a way of always putting a smile on your face. I can't give dance ALL the credit for keeping me sane. It's also the people. I'm so grateful to have danced with and met so many different inspirational people. Dancing is my foundation and it keeps me high above the ground. So I ask myself: Why quit? Why just throw something that you've invested so much emotion and time into away? My journey through dance has been a roller coaster. And I just keep getting on and I keep enjoying the ride.

1.25.14

Last night was amazing at Press Play

Zero II Hero won 1st place and fan favorite! Also, Jeffrey and Gianne Project won 2nd place! I am so proud of my team and myself. We all put in hard work and passion! Great victory and very much deserved. This weekend was just so awesome but seriously it's time to get back to college life. Hahaha. :D

Update

Been real busy with 02H practice and school started this week. I'm already overwhelmed ): lots of reading. It looks like I'm going to have to work extra hard this semester.

PRESS PLAY THIS WEEKEND! WOOOOO. SO ESSITED!~

I am so sore from practice last night. At least that was my last 10 hour practice because Press Play is this coming Saturday! Wooo! Everyone should go. It's gonna be fun! Definitely so much fun for the performers. The audience has NO idea what goes on back stage. Hahahahah! We get so crazy. And it becomes so emotional sometimes, cheering for your team mates when you're behind the curtains. Cheering for other teams. It's all a positive feeling and I take something with me/learn with every performance.

It's a holiday on Monday but I still have work. But kids don't have school so it's going to be super busy tomorrow. Hm, school is starting soon. Pretty cool because I only have school on Wednesday :D Yay!

Tom and I visited Charles in SD and had a nice walk on the beach.

These jumping pictures were too hilarious HAHAHA Charles looks like he didn't even jump. He looks photoshopped lmao.

Tom went with Charles to shoot Fab's car!

Babe got his wisdom teeth taken out!

New Semester coming soon

Well. My bank is wiped out because I bought so many books for college. Whyyyyy. It's okay. Education is expensive yet rewarding. Slimy yet satisfying... (if you don't know where that's from then we can't be friends haha jk we can still be friends.) Anyway, I still need to get three more books. That's how broke I am. I couldn't afford those 3. Ugh. 

I'm also so broke because I spent my other money on Christmas presents. What can you do with a minimum wage job hahaha. Just praying that somehow I'll get my books on time because I am so OCD when it comes to college. Yeah..... Nobody cares. Luls. 

Today was pretty relaxing. Went with Tom to his appointment. He's getting his wisdom teeth taken out on Friday. Poor baby. He's scared because his mouth is going to have "holes" and he doesn't want food to get stuck in those "holes". 

So if y'all aren't busy next Saturday the 25th, I'm performing at Press Play at El Camino High School. I'm going to be dancing with ZeroIIHero and Jeffrey and Gianne Project! Doors open at 6:00pm and the show starts at 7:00pm. Tickets are $7 and are sold at the door. SO SUPPORT YA HOME GIRL :D 

Finally put together my first custom longboard. I thought long and hard for the design. I wanted it to be representative of me. So a Japanese War Flag seemed fitting. But why stop there and add camou/army design to a "war" flag. Hahaha. Thank you Tom for helping me build it :D

Update

On Friday, I watched a movie with Joseph, Jamie, Sabrina, Tom, and Dennis. We watched Her. It was an interesting movie and it was beautiful in its ways. Shows the loneliness of many people, and how love does not have to be equivalent. People have fallen in love with their pets, or I heard some guy fell in love with his pillow and married it. And in the movie, a guy named Theodore who is getting divorced falls in love with his "operating system" because it is programed to have the personality of a human.

The best part was when Theodore has "sex" or rather "phone sex" with his operating system, the screen  was all black and all you could hear was them moaning. And then a row in front of us, I see an old couple leaving the theater HAHAHAHA. They couldn't handle the heat. Those conservatives. As if they've never had sex before.

Yesterday, which was Saturday, I had a 10-hour practice. I tried to do my best and to polish up my skills in learning quickly. I haven't been to ZeroIIHero practice in soooo long. So right now my back is sore. It was so funny because Sean asked everyone "who wants to do groundwork?" and I replied with "I LOVE THE FLOOR". And people laughed. It was my way of expressing that I like floor choreography? Hahaha. Cuz often times choreography is mostly standing on two feet. I think any dancer would get excited for floor choreography. Anyway, practice was fun, challenging, and rewarding. Always testing my skills to the limit. That's what's great about dancing, you can never fully achieve your best or the highest skill because there is always room to improve. That goes for everything really. If you've got the passion, then always strive to progress.

Mini Photoshoot of my sister Denice and Kuma! Some of you may know her as the cashier at Forever 21 hahaha

Spending time with my loved ones

I've been spending more time with my loved ones and it's the best feeling I've had in a long time. Today, I got to walk Kuma while Tom skated on his penny board. My family is having yakiniku night and I can never skip it because it's what brings us back to Japanese culture and cuisine. Yakiniku is a better version of "KBBQ", if you will. Anyway, I'm hoping I get to spend more time with my family this year. That's my New Year's Resolution. That reminds me that I have to make a New Year's Resolution list/goals. Hooray for new goals!

 My cute little bear!

Kuma was scared of the big lens on my camera. Hahaha! So cute

Edit//

Tuesdays with Dayne

Today my family and I spent the day together. We got sushi for dinner and then we watched Frozen. My dad was laughing a lot at Olaf. Hahaha. It was nice to be together because I can't remember the last time we watched a movie at the theater.

My sister got me these AWESOME SOCKS! They rock my socks... but they are socks? Hahaha. The left one is french bread and the right one is sushi. Because I'm french and japanese as fuck! I am so lame.

We've lived in Japan for about 18 years and my family and I have never had real Japanese sushi. We were wondering how amazing it must taste in Japan.

 Mountain roll at Oishi sushi restaurant!

And the Snow Cone roll

Kinda weird

How break is already almost over. 2 more weeks left. It feels like it just started. Maybe I've been having too much fun hahaha. 

I'm craving boba right now. Even though I had some yesterday. They need a 24/7 boba place. 

Right now my boyfriend and I are in a fight. And we're right next to each other and I'm just typing up this blog hahaha. I think it's pretty funny. We're gonna make up in like 2 seconds. 

Anyway, tomorrow (or rather today since it's already 12:25AM) I'm going to watch Frozen again. With my older sister. The first time I watched it I got emotional because I resemble Ana and my sister resembles Elsa. So I convinced her to watch it. And she's going to buy my ticket! My sister and I used to be close when we were young just like Ana and Elsa. We're not as close anymore because we're basically opposite people. 

Anyway, I'm going to go tend to Tom now. 

The Lion King Musical!, Hollywood, and Rowland Heights