A new lifestyle

Lately, I have been eating out way too much and I feel like my body is taking its toll.

You would think after enrolling in a class this semester titled American Food, where the class teaches you about how the meat industries make process their foods, I would watch myself with what I eat.

Well, being a college student on a low budget, sometimes you have to buy the cheap stuff that might be less quality over a high priced food that's high quality.

I feel guilty because I had worked hard and ate right to get to where I am today, and also got coached nutritionally when I was attending Functional Fitness on the Bluffs. I guess there's that factor where if I'm living at home, I have mom's homemade cooking or I can make food with the ingredients that my mom bought.

But that should be no excuse. I should be going to the grocery store to by food to make instead of going out four of the seven days. Whenever I wake up after eating fast food, I feel like crap.

So starting Monday, I'm going to start a new project called "Project Transformation." This will consist of eating right and working out constantly.

So if you ever see me eating fast food or catch me at a fast food restaurant, guilt trip me, please. I don't want this project to only last for a month but I want it to be a lifestyle. I'm still in college and fast food might be the food I buy at times because its cheap, but I have to start somewhere to begin a healthier lifestyle

-Jun

Dont take it for granted

Seeing old friends that you haven't seen in a while is great.

This past weekend was Mount Mercy's homecoming/alumni weekend. It was great to see all the guys that played baseball at Mount Mercy in the past play again, even if it's one day out of the year.

I remember before the alumni weekend, some of us were s*** talking each other on who was going to win and all. But you know who won the game. Of course, we took the game. I think the score was something like 14-3. 

But you know, playing against alumni this past weekend makes me realize that being able to play baseball is such a privilege and some of us take the game for granted.

I talked to some of the alums and they feel like they still have playing years left but there comes a time when we stop playing. Everytime I think about how close my days of baseball is getting closer, I always think about a quote fromt he movie Moneyball; "We're all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children's game, we just don't... don't know when that's gonna be. Some of us are told at eighteen, some of us are told at forty, but we're all told. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, we want you badly and we think that this amount of money expresses that desire."

I know during the game, they were on cloud 9. Being able to be on the field again to play the game they had played since they were little kids. That feeling is something I can't describe in words; it's something you have to experience.

In all honesty, I think this is going to be my last year playing competitive baseball, besides maybe playing a Sunday beer league or something. But being with group of people that have your back and look after you is something I cherish and would never give up anything for that.

When ever I coach little kids, I always tell them, "being able to play baseball is a privilege. Dont take things for granted because you never know what's going to happen." With that being said, I'm going to work harder than I ever have to make this one unforgettable season.

-Jun

First tailgating experience

I'm taking a wild guess here, but people that are from the Midwest might think a person from California has done everything exciting, at least in the time span of 22 years. At that age your still going to college or just graduated and found a job. Regardless of that, we have so many more attractions and things to do.

Although I got the title, Assistant Sport Editor for the Mount Mercy Times, I must confess that I have never been to any type of college or professional football and basketball game. Kind of embarrassed but I thought I bring that up.

Today was the closet I got a a football game, but instead I got to experience my first tailgate in Iowa City, Iowa. Home of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

It's funny to say because the people I went tailgating was with nine California guys and one Minnesotan.

The night before I only got an hour of sleep due to disturbance in my household in lower campus (for those of you who don't know what that is) it is a on campus apartment style room). I was one of the people driving and with the lack of sleep, I thought I was going to fall asleep begin the wheel, but thank goodness I didn't.

We left at 5:30 a.m. Midwestern time ad arrive at Iowa City around 6:15. We were one of the first parties to show up at the tailgating site. it was about in the mid 50's outside and it was cold enough to keep our beverages cold. But as soon as we got there, we got things started right away.

As the morning turned into day, we had already grilled a lot of meat and tossed a football around and played some beverage games while listening to a Snoop Dogg Pandora station through my car stereo.

We left around 11:45 a.m. And didn't go to the game, which was the Minnesota Golphers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes.

On the way back. The four people I drove fell asleep on me in the car and I was the only one awake thinking, "I better not fall asleep behind the wheel."

All in all, my first time tailgating was exciting, being able to hang out wih friends and get out and explore the state of Iowa a little more. Now I'm hoping I can go to a Oregon and tailgate there an actually go to a game (Goooooooo Ducks!)

Thanks to everyone that went and made my first experience of tailgating a one to remember.

-Jun

Frustration

We all get frustrated at times, whether it is from losing in a video game or if a player on your fantasy football team didn't perform good enough.

Recently, I been frustrated with the game of baseball.

The Sunday before school started back up, my buddy called me and asked me if I wanted to play in a baseball game (not to mention it was a championship game of a tournament). I haven't done anything baseball related for a month but I agreed to play.

I ended up going 2 for 3 with a RBI single and a walk-off homerun. That was probably the best game I have ever played. Having that game before school started back up, I gained a lot of confidence that it is going to be a good year.

When practiced started back up, I was really excited to get things going.

Then everything started to going down hill. Once I started to not so something right at practice, at first I let the thought of "don't mess up again" not get to me. But a couple of days ago, I just started to over think everything and I just felt really frustrated with myself.

As my frustration gets to me more and more each day at practice, at times I want to just quit all together. But I remember talking to my high school coach one day and he told me "Don't do it Junie...you'll regret it...notable a year from now, maybe not 5 years, but at some point you will."

When he told me that, I told myself that I didn't work hard and come this far to just quit.

So even though Ill probably get frustrated during practice, I'm going to take it one day at a time and not worry about the future. Like someone tod me before, "Tomorrow is a new day."

-Jun

Bitter or sweet?

So as I start my fifth year of college, I don't really know how to feel about it being my last year in college (knock on wood)...

After ending my fourth year of college at Mount Mercy University, I couldn't have asked for a better time in my first time living out of state, and of all places...Iowa.

I'm not going to lie, at first, I thought I was going to hate going to school and living out here in Cedar Rapids. I mean, come on, its Iowa. It's about 2,000 miles away from Torrance. I can't just go home to visit my mom, my sisters, my dog or eat my mom's delicious home-cooked meals.

I remember that when I arrived here in Cedar Rapids, I met a couple of soon-to-be teammates at the time that were born and raised from Iowa, but I also met a bunch of people from California that were out here for baseball as well. At times, I felt home sick, but hanging out with them made it feel like I was at home away from home.

Things that happen in the school year of 2011-2012, I would never forget or change it for the world; I made some of people that I now call family, had a good baseball season though it didn't end how we liked it to and the memories every single day living in a dorm room that was literally like a 6 by 6 prison cell.

But now, going into week 4 of my "senior" year, I just want to graduate and get the hell of out college, but at the same time I want to be in college for a little bit longer. Talking to my teammates and also my friends from high school, I ask them about how life is like after graduating. Most of their responses are:

"The real world sucks. I come home and I shower, do laundry and do the dishes at night and I think to myself 'I have to do this all over again tomorrow' Its not like I can skip class or anything because I can get fired."
"I dont like it."
"It blows! I want to go back to college for one more year!"

But they also tell me that they don't miss the fact that they don't have to do homework every night or reading 100 per night.

I started to get mixed emotions about turning in my intent to graduate. But why should I worry about the future when it's not even here yet. I was always told to "Live in the moment."

So until the time comes, I'll try to make it a great college experience, even if I'm at a university as small as Mount Mercy. But I know that bittersweet feeling of graduating this year will still be in the back of my mind.

-Jun

"Cheers with a smile, love is whatchu get, 'cause if you're living for the now, there's nothin' to regret" -Mike Stud

For my grandmother.

"Family is not an important thing, its everything..."

My grandma is around 85 years-old, but to be honest, I don't even know my grandma well. I wish I got to hang by her side more along with my other grandparents, but what can I do when they live all the way in Fukuoka, Japan.

The last time I visited Japan and saw my grandma was back in 2003, when I was in the 7th grade and I couldn't tell you when the time before that was. It wasn't vacation unfortunately; my grandfather had passed away a week or two prior on our arrival. It was sad to see my mother, my aunt, my uncles and my cousins break down into tears when we had a gathering at my grandmother's house.

I didn't know my grandpa well either. All I knew was he was sick all the time when I visited him (from what I remember) and he is a war veteran.

Now, that my grandpa has passed away, my grandma as pretty much alone. One of my uncles has been living with her his entire life but knowing that their significant other isn't there by their side anymore, it's more than depressing.

My mother will always call her to check up on how she's doing and whenever I pass by my mother talking on the phone with her, my mom always forced me to speak with her, even if it's just a simple "Hey, how's everything going?"

My grandma and my cousin, Izumi

Probably about 2 years ago, my mother's sister called and told my mother that my grandma started to lose her memory. She said that my grandma didn't recognize my aunt when she went for a visit to my grandma's house and starts to space out while having conversations. My mother, sister's and I were worried that her time might be coming soon.

As my mother gave phone calls every night to Japan, she told me one day that she is moving to a nursing home because it was too much for my uncles and aunt to handle because it consisted of them having to stay up all night and going to work in the morning. They all thought it was the best for her.

I write this blog about my grandma because I was listening to music about chasing your dreams today and I remember my mother telling me during high school that my grandma said she hopes that I can make it big one day so she can watch me on TV. So, like any other kid would, I started to chase my dreams so I can show my grandma that I did it. Then I'll have flash backs of when my grandma would always treat me to lunch or buy me things that my mother wouldn't. I was pretty spoiled when I was around her but would scold me when I did actually do something bad.

I look up to my grandma because she is quite possibly the strongest person to live. Not physically,  but mentally and emotionally. And when I think of what have to go through at times, I think about what my grandma has and is going through.

I wish I talked to my grandma about her past. It's been about 10 years since I seen her and I feel stupid that I didn't talk to my grandma a lot because as I grew older, I realized that family is everything and the times you spend with family is the thing we value most.

Now, I sit here in Torrance, California with no job and another year of school left, thinking of how and when I would get to visit my grandma when time is only running out. What I would give up to just to see my grandma, even if she doesn't remember  what I look like, who's son I am or what my name is. I would give her the biggest hug.

Until I have time and money to visit her, I have at least one more year of college baseball left. I'm not great as everyone thinks I am but I'm going to give it all I got like I have always been. Leave it all on the field.

I love you to death grandma. Ill see you soon

Croatia

Since I have been home in Torrance, California for the summer with no job and a tight budget, I sit and sleep on my couch day in and day out. Somedays, I think about what I want to do after I graduate. Do I want to get a big boy job right from the get-go? Do I want to pursue something in the baseball field still? Do I want to join the military forces? etc.

Well today, I was taking a glance at Facebook and one of my closest friend posted a "status" listing all these places he is going to visit in the summer (I think that's what he's doing). And whenever I thinking about traveling, the first image that pops in my mind is Croatia.

For those of you who don't know, we had a Croatian, Dino Gutesa, attending Mount Mercy University playing basketball. Before I knew him, I asked him where he was from and he said that Croatia is one of the most beautiful places on this planet.

So, I went back to my dorm that night, and being the stereotypical human being I am, I googled it.

Croatia, is located east of Slovenia in Europe and the Adriatic Sea separates it from Italy.

Then I clicked "images" on google and I was drawn to this picture out of all the result that showed up..

Not most people have heard of Croatia before. I haven't until I started to attend a school in Iowa.

But Croatia isn't the only place I want to visit. There are many more places.

But am I going to have money have a graduate? Probably not, but Ill figure out a way

-Jun