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| I have just recently realized how powerful and (appropriately) ignorant the phrase "ignorance is bliss" is. Let me just start by saying two words: shark and surfing. Based on these two words one might conclude that I have encountered a shark. To answer the unnerving and awe-struck question plastered upon my loyal reader’s faces, my answer (with a slight hint of disappointment and relief) is NO (well, not in the ocean but most definitely at SeaWorld in which I can simultaneously safely and tauntingly point in awe of those magnificent creatures dubbed as Knights** of the ocean). What is interesting is that over the past two months or so a group of us have been surfing almost every other day during sunset hour and we would stay out until a little past sunset (and once into the mesmerizing moonlight) and not once did our hearts pitter patter for fear of a shark attack. Our biggest fear would have to be that one of us would have to expose our unmentionables in order to bring relief to our brother/sister in utter pain brought upon by either a stingray or jelly fish. Not once did the fear of a shark attack cross our perma-grinned faces (except for maybe for Alice, she’s the more sensible of the pack…). My ignorance that there are possible sharks that infest the waters of del mar, scripps, shores, torrey pines, and yes, blacks (don’t worry, my eyes are still virgin eyes) was tested not in the waters (thank God) but simply through the faster-than-lightening speed of the internet. Alice sent me a link that brought the movie Jaws to mind where the shark attacks simply might be more local than New England (setting of Jaws was in NE). Yes, for those of you who know me well enough will know that I am an easy sell (too many examples to think of to actually write down) and you will also find it is easy to believe that I was scared… (although there were times when I thought my own shadow in the water might have been a shark or… something). These real shark-encounter stories at these local spots (the one in OB will be very local after this Wednesday) will most likely be repeated in my head (with the occasional verse from Way Back Into Love) when I am lolling in the water (with my limbs dangling in the warm, salty, perfect water) waiting for the next set. With these stories, I will wish that I were ignorant of them. Fear is not good when I am in the water getting ready to tackle the waves (or the other way around, it’s a 50/50 chance). But, like I said, ignorance is ignorantly bliss. With that being said, Alice graciously educated* me in the habits of sharks. Most of the shark encounters are at night when they feed or early morning. Knowing this little awesome fact will hopefully keep my shark encounter to the SeaWorld aquarium where I can safely observe them in awe and not in fear. For now, my fear will be limited to getting too close to bat-rays, sting-rays and jellyfish, and in order to avoid de-virginizing my eyes, I will keep vinegar in my car.
http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/pacific_coast_shark_news.htm
scroll down to Ocean Beach, San Diego
**sharks are merely knights of the ocean because I believe that killer whales are more powerful than sharks mainly because Killer Whales hunt in packs and they far outweigh sharks (killer whales are 8,000lbs).
*facts are given to me by Alice who works at SeaWorld.. and we had an awesome day at SeaWorld yesterday... =0)
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| So it's been many months since I've updated this site. I'm torn between reasons as to why I should update and why i shouldn't. As for updating, I love writing, although it doesn't show in my sporadic entries here and there but my reason for not updating is because I'm scared that people will know the real real me through my writing prose. That scares the living daylights out of me (that explains the many random entries that I've made since I've jumped on the xanga bandwagon...although it's not really a bandwagon anymore but more of a small clown car. But as it happens, I'm feeling rather bold today after reading one of my co-worker's entries.
Alice and I have been somewhat heartfully looking for housing. We've finally decided to move to PB instead of into the heart of Downtown. It's similar enough to Downtown for us to be satisfied that we're growing up. For us, growing up basically means decreasing the size of the house occupants from 5 (occasionally 6) down to two (hopefully 3 if Lora will just find a job down here!). It's trivial, I know, but it does feel like we're growing up. We've outgrown the college dorm-setting of living in La Jolla (yes, it's pretty dorm-like even living off-campus) and the suburban life in MM surrounded by aspiring young U2ers (and the annoying dog who barks at the most inconvenient time--> midnight and more often than not, I'm always tempted to throw a chocolate bar its way but then I realize that would be a waste of chocolate!). Living in MM over the past two years has taught me a great deal. One, I love living so close to the supermarket (the walk is literally a hop, skip, and a dance away!) Two, I'm not ready to settle down into a suburban town just yet, not until I have at least 2 little buggers hanging off of me. Third, uncontrolled feelings of hate and rage surge up whenever I drive down MM from the 805 to Camino Ruiz. Fourth, there are a lot of black widow spiders where we've developed a commensalist relationship (wikipedia the word). Fifth, the walls are thin, so in order to keep conversations private the backyard has been a somewhat frequent Diary Room. The list can go on and on, but enough digression.
As the house is in a big mess, it's feeling less and less like a home. Mainly because for the lack of tenants at home but also because the lack of cooking done in the kitchen. A home, to me, is a home when the kitchen is able to serve it's purpose. This summer the kitchen has only been used once to its full capacity. A dinner party was held where the food was home cooked by yours truly (with Caroline's help, of course!). Since then, the kitchen has been rendered useless, and not by its broken appliances (nothing is broken!) but its neglecting tenants. Furthermore, as the time draws near for us to move out, we are just less and less inclined to call it home, but rather a just a place to sleep. For this faithful house for the past two years, I'm sorry for a neglectful ending, but I'm done. I'm ready to grow up.
But what does growing up really mean?
I'll tackle that question next time I'm bold enough to bear my soul to all you xanga-ians!
PS: If anyone still reads this, please leave me comments as I will be checking for them for the next week! (comments make feel special!)
PSS (or PPS): This entry took me a while to write since under the advisement of a friend, I should just write and not care about my grammar. But since I'm bearing my soul to those loyal xanga-ians, I will not give you guys another reason to judge me, especially on my grammar (as it's really bad already but not as bad as my spelling, so thank God for spell check!!)
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| So this weekend was a big for both my sister and me...
MY SISTER AND HER FRIEND WON 1st PLACE IN THE UCLA FASHION SHOW!! WHoothoot!!
http://nickverrreos.blogspot.com/
my sister is the girl in the black to the left of nick verreos with the
other girl (her really good friend) in the blue shorts and blue top with yellow shoes (which
they designed and made the whole outfit.. the yellow jacket isnt shown
in that picture). I'm so proud!! sister:
now to me..... so as all of you guys have been reading my past two xanga entries.... i
finally did the aquathon!! let me just say it was NOT easy...mentally
it was such a challenge. I've never in my life felt so panicky and
frustrated...why? you ask?
well let's just start out saying that I've never swam in the ocean before... not wait.. not hte ocean, the bay. People have been tellign me that swimming in the ocean is COMPLETELY differnt than in a pool. I believed them but it didnt register that in my mind until i was actually in the water. For some reason I imagined that the water would be ok (since i surf... but surfing is different than actually swimmin in the ocean). About 100m out, i freaked bc i realized that the visibilty was only to about 2 feet in front of me. I felt claustrophobic. i started to doubt myself, i kept thinking "what am i doin??! Im not a swimmer! I'm going to drown!" so i flagged down the lifeguard who were on surfboard. This nice lady came and calmed me down ... but all i kept doing was looking back and forth between the shore which was 100m away and the buoy which was (150m away but that was going out ... and i still; had to swim back and do another lap).... and i kept thinking.. i should jsut swim back... i have no right to be out there, swimming with all these professional ..... BUT THEN.. this guy, who was fit and young (who i though would be in front of the pack) was back there with me too... and he continued on.. whcih ... i saw it as, "if he, a fit young nubile guy, was back here with me, and if he's going to continue on... then i can sure as heck just follow him"... which i did. I finished one lap with much stopping bc i realized that i had veered off course, then i finished another... with much more veering off coursing..
anyways... God really brought my pride down.... i wasnt tired at all from the swim or the run which was my biggest fear going into the competition... but i did not at all prepare myself for the mental aspect of it. As yogi berra said "90% of the game is half mental" It was completely mental. Althoguht i was very prepared physicallly, i was not prepared mentally. And because I almost quit, that made it impossible to continue...so what made me finish? I have to give the credit ot God. He was my surfboard, he was my dolphin and most of all he was there even when i didnt feel him. I had a conversation with HIM all through the run, just asking him where he was, and what he was doing with me in the ocean, and why i was failing so horribly (failing as in i wasnt in the beginning or at least the middle of the pack... yes i was at the end of the pack). Now looking back at it 20/20, i realize that He was there, he was there mentally because He didnt let me give up, He didnt allow me to be disappointed in myself or Him, that through HIS strenght I can do all things (phil 4:13).
All in all, the race was an awesome CHALLENGE, and i love a good challenge.
now for mySHE WON 1st PLACE IN THE UCLA FASHION SHOW!! WHoothoot!!
http://nickverrreos.blogspot.com/
my sister is the girl in the black to the left of nick verreos with the
other girl in the blue shorts and blue top with yellow shoes (which
they designed and made the whole outfit.. the yellow jacket isnt shown
in that picture). I'm so proud!! sister:
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| So........ the aquathon is next week... next sunday..... am i ready!?? I;d like to think so from all the swimming and (running) but its a completely different story when you're thrown out in the ocean with a few hundred life-time swimmers out there...I feel ok with the running part... i think my personal goal for running
is just to do it at a decent time... whatever that may be. I KNOW that God will be with me that day but I want to feel his strength in me. I want to be calmed by His presence in my body as im swimming (or jsut trying to stay afloat).
Please pray for me and Alice as we attempt this competition. Please pray for strength from HIM. (and while you're praying.. also pray for our health... that we wont get sick since i feel like everyone around me is getting sick)
Im so nervous/anxious/scared/(im about to pee in my pants!)
in HIM
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| so all winter quarter i've been nothing but LAZY....so alice and i decided to do the aquathon in April .... and let the practices begin!
http://www.playadelrun.com/
already paid for so there's no backing out.
ps this particular aquathon requires that we swin 1000 meters (40 laps) and run 3 miles after.
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