Birthday and Camp Jitters
Much has happened since I got back from Truckee. Spent the 4th of July with Alvin, Jen, Nelson, Manuel and Julie at Ghiradelli Square in SF. The fireworks show wasn't all that spectacular if you ask me. It was covered by a fog bank! It made most of the fireworks show look like low budget nightclub lighting! argh!

The 5th was my birthday. ummm...yay?? I'm 28 now. Had lunch with my folks in Milpitas. The only downer of that was that we got pulled over for speeding. boo. Right after, I spent a lot of time at John's for my birthday bash BBQ with the buds. I'm glad they didn't try to slam me with alcohol like last year. For those of you who killed me at Super Puzzle Fighter: booo! It was also fun playing that trivia board game that Alvin brought. I still think me and Paul should have won. *smirk* That tennis game on the PS2 was HARD! Sorry if I scared all you guys with my screaming. Lastly, Thexder rules! I want Thexder for Win95 now. hehe. You guys are a blessing to me. You really are. I'd like to thank everybody who was there. It meant a lot to me. It really did. If you understand this, just holler: "NO RULES!!"

Right after, I met up with Judy and some of her high school friends at a pub near the SCU campus. We all had a nice conversation going while we were there. Judy's birthday was just the day before. Happy Birthday, Judy!

The next morning, Judy visited as we had a mutual Advanced Camp pep talk (see, she leaves for a later Regiment). Cool times. Spent the afternoon running last minute errands and got a fair amount of exercise in. I had a family going away dinner with my folks and my uncle Maurice and my aunt Emilia at our favorite upscale Chinese restaurant, East Lake. Later in the evening, I droppped by Steve's for a small chat. Right after, I met with Tony for some pearl tea and for our usual cafe talks. As I write this, I'm double checking my packing list.

I must admit, I have my jitters in leaving for Camp. I'm not too sure why. Please pray for me. I need some fortitude. I want to do well and be a blessing to others. I wont have access to the internet so this will be my last entry for some time. Folks, I'm gonna write you guys. You all are near and dear to me.

Well, I guess that's all I got hanging on my heart. See you back in late August. One last time: BASTALARANZA!!!

In Seclusion
I've gone to the mountains to train. Now before you write this entry off as a cheesy 70s kung-fu flick, let me explain. I'm spending this 4-day weekend in Truckee (near Tahoe) visiting my cousin Bill at his cabin.

Sure, we've done some fun stuff like check out shops around the lake and hanging out in Reno and Virginia City. But I'm leaving for Advanced Leadership Camp next Wednesday and I've got to be ready for it. So far, I've gone over the OPORD format in fine detail and rehearsing it in my mind. I'm also trying in earnest to stay in shape as well. Let me tell you this, when you're 7000 ft. above sea-level, you really do feel fatigue set in a lot quicker than you were in the Bay Area. My legs are still sore from doing wind sprints and lunges! I think I still need to go over the details of task organization and patrol base procedures.

Now, I've found some time to have some fun in all of this. I've finally watched Finding Nemo and saw Ronin for the umpteenth time (for me anyway). I'm gonna see Open Range and Seabiscuit tonight.

Last night, on Sci-Fi, I finally saw the Stargate SG-1 episode where Dr. Frasier dies. Just hearing her blood-curdling scream left me a little on edge. It was a very dignifying way to end her character. As it was well-written, it was rather somber. I really, truly liked her character. Yes, she's adorable. But I also liked her for the principles that she stood for.

I'm a little reluctant to go home because people (well John actually), remembered that my birthday was coming up. You can say that I'm a little anxious. If its going to be anything like last year, everybody's gonna try to do stuff to me. argh!

Like College Days of Yore
Wednesday was fulfilling. It reminded me of life in Davis. I started the morning running with Cheng. I spent the rest of the day running all sorts of errands all over town. Then I met with Alvin, Manuel, and Julie in Milpitas to see Spiderman 2. Afterwards, Julie went home to go to sleep (see, she’s a teacher). The rest of us ate a late dinner at Outback.

Just like old times, we stayed up late talking about stuff. I wished Nelson were with us. After dropping off Manuel, Alvin and I went to Terry’s house and we ended up talking some more there. Afterwards, we went to a local Denny’s had some shakes. By the time this was all over, it was 2AM. This was typical of me back then. Good times, Good times…