Finally processed and posted memories from the union of Amanton. See them here
Location: Columbus, Ohio.
Date: October 3, 2009
Time: All Weekend!

There are some videos from the event!

Group Opa!

“Dude, I’m at a bar, in OHIO”

Eric’s Best Man Speech – Part 1

Eric’s Best Man Speech – Part 2

Every season there’s something. Christmas, he always out-does himself.

We had a little bit of rain/drizzle last week which was a nice refresher to the heat and dryness, which always seems to plague California this time of year. So, this is always a pleasant sight to see. Ironically, my girlfriend and I were heading to the Great Mall which it seemed was at the end of this rainbow. Go figure.

Today, I had my going-away lunch at Straits Cafe in Palo Alto — in fact the same restaurant that I had my welcome lunch at.

It had been five and a half great years at the E*TRADE, but it was time to move on. In that time, I’ve seen three different CEO’s. I’ve seen the stock start at $3.50… soar to $27… and return back down to $3.50. I’ve worked in five different cubicles. I’ve seen a time when evite.com was not blocked at work. I’ve also seen eight newborn babies (future E*TRADErs) in the group.

This is a shot of my group outside the restaurant. Through the good and the bad, I can say confidently that I attribute the length of my stay at the company to how closely knit the team was. I will miss my first full time job… and I will miss everyone of them.

Thanks for everything guys.

My first flickr blog post. It’s a pretty cool automated feature that allows me to blog on my website through flickr.com!

So as most of you already know, I’m backlogged with a large number of photos I have yet to post up on the site. I blame it on Yotowoti. Just hanging out with him has made me very picky as to what kind of pictures I post up. He’s one quality photographer. (Check out his pics at Yotowoti)

But here goes attempt #2 at updating the site. I’ll start with the recent good news of two close friends of mine, Michael and Grace, who have recently wed in San Francisco, CA. I’ve only got one picture up for now as a teaser, but the rest will come soon. (Unfortunately, this is probably this best photo of the batch, so don’t be disappointed if the rest aren’t as good. )

There was playing time management. There was a practice program to be formed. There were emotions to be tamed. There were parents who watched every step. There was the lack of motivation. Little did I know that all of these things crashed into one, when you’re the coach.

Was it worth it? Yes.

Over the two years, I learned what it meant to be a coach, or a mentor. It was a nose-to-the-grindstone sort of thing. I threw myself into this swimming pool, and it’s sink or swim, Choy. The positive effect of managing ten 18-year-old girls for two seasons was multi-layered. Here’s what I got out of it:

1. Presentation skills. I realized that I lost the nervousness of making presentations and standing in front of large groups.
2. Putting what I know into words. It’s one thing to do, it’s another to teach. (How do you teach a set?)
3. I learned volleyball in a different perspective. It’s not just a jump high, swing hard game anymore. (not that I could ever jump high in the first place. )
4. Lastly, I formed a bond with the girls and their parents that I’ll remember for a lifetime…

I certainly remember my coach from high school, Coach Davies, and how he had impacted my life down the road. For me to try and do the same for someone else… and find out later that it actually meant something to them… it’s a feeling that irreplaceable. Having been a part of their lives, right up through their final years in high school, was an indescribable award in itself. And it didn’t really hit me until I was invited and attended some of their graduations. That was an honor.

If you girls ever see this entry… thank you, to each and everyone of you. You guys spoiled me with how great you guys worked together and made this a true team for every definition of the word. Each of you in your own way, added something dynamic to our group that made this experience as great as it was. I hope you guys learned just as much from me as I had learned from you.

Thank you… You made it all worth it.

P.S. Despite the fact that this video was set to a morbid tune, this post, it is not.

Maybe I will be staying at this house through 2012 afterall, just so that I can be a part of an interesting transformation for this city and area! And maybe then, might I relive the glory days of my 80’s childhood and become a die-hard Niner fan once again!

It’s just like the California Angels of Anaheim, and how they put the little-known city of Anaheim on the map. It’s only a matter of time until Disneyland starts to realize the value of erecting a new park in this city too! I love Mickey Mouse! It’s a small world after all beatch!

There comes that time in every grown man’s life when we desire to behave like twelve year old’s once again. This time comes every Labor Day weekend for all of us volleyballers. It has become a tradition of sorts. First week of September is open season for all the guys!

Toronto 2005 – Labor Day Weekend…

Needless to say, Jason (the victim in this clip — I intentionally missed), got me back pretty good a couple minutes later… and while I was on the phone with dad. Low blow Jason, low blow.

Thanks for the good memories Crezia! I didn’t even know you were taping this! =)