First Singles Title

This past weekend, I won my first singles title at the San Diego Dave Freeman Open.  I won four rounds in two days to capture the D-level mens singles draw.  In 2012, I've lost in the first round, lost in the semis, and lost in the finals.  Winning was very satisfying.  It wasn't easy.  In the final, I lost the first set, and was down two match points in the third set before winning 25-23.  It is the best result that I've had in singles.  I've very proud.  At the same time, I am humbled by the experience.  I know how fortunate I am in many regards.  There's much room for improvement, as evident by losses in the first round and in the consolation finals of the C-level mens singles draw.

For the past 18 months, I've been reshaping my body.  The two years of graduate school was hard on me physically.  I ate junk food and slept insufficiently for two years.  Just when I completed my masters program, a badminton club opened midway between my school and my home.  I rekindled my love for the sport.  With the help of my personal trainer/coach/friend Alistair Casey, who is a world-class singles player, I've trained hard to improve my singles game.  Although 18 months isn't a very long time, I felt that I've put in much work.  I've lost over 20 pounds and have improved my conditioning tremendously.  The training sessions were exhausting and grinding.  But I've enjoyed the process. Now, it's time to set new goals and work towards them.

I've shared this experience with my students.  They were very happy for me.  I've shared with them the power of writing down goals.  I hope that not only can I teach them math skills, but they can also learn other lessons from me.  Mainly, take care of your body and work hard towards pursuing your personal dreams.

Link: D-Level Bracket/Result

Link: C-Level Bracket/Result

Renaissance Rally 2013

On Feb. 20th, our school put together a Renaissance Rally celebrating students who achieved academic excellence.  I joined several other teachers in a flashmob dance.

Link: GHS Teachers/Students Flashmob Dance

A Neat Gift

I received this while tutoring after school. It's a Chinese New Year / Valentines Day combo gift. Very cool, very versatile. Thanks to Daisy and Sergio.

Not my first Hello Kitty gift, btw:
Gifts from my TAs.

Hand-Made Card

This totally made my day! On a Tuesday morning after a three-day weekend, I found Rebekah's beautiful hand-made card in my mailbox. Rebekah was in my Algebra 2 class last year. I remember her as a wonderful student and a very nice kid. She's also on our school's tennis team.  But I don't think I treated her any better than any other students. In fact, for bright kids like Rebekah, I often reflect and wonder if I've done enough to challenge them in the classroom. In any case, I'm so grateful for this treasure. (L-cover, R-inside)

Rebekah also gave me this card:
Xmas Card 2011 from Rebekah.

Year of the Snake

Yesterday was Chinese New Year. It's the Year of the Snake. I gave out some of these CNY ornaments to my private tutees and their parents. They contain traditional cultural symbolisms, yet neatly designed with a contemporary touch. My personal favorite is the fierce dancing lion.

Thank You for Your Thank You

Our fall semester ended three weeks ago. Each year a handful of seniors who only needed the first semester of a course will switch out of my class. I received a thank you card this week from one such senior. Uriel is kind and intelligent student. During the first semester, he was one of my students of the month. He wrote me a very touching note. I'm so grateful for his message, the gift card really isn't necessary. Thanks, Uriel!

2012 Olympic Rally

Our awesome science and video productions teacher did a great job at putting together this video for one of our rallies this year.  The students really enjoyed it.  I was honored to be ask to participate.  (2:33 marks me running across the baseball field).