http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/blog_undergrad Azusa Pacific University Blogs en-us Fri, 02 May 2008 12:26:00 PDT Fri, 02 May 2008 12:26:00 PDT http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/12347/ Well… sorry this last blog is so late in coming, and it really is late as I am sitting in my empty apartment on the floor because all of the coaches are gone and chairs packed ready for the trip home. The last several weeks have been absolutely crazy with activities and studying and getting ready for the end of the semester. I finished my last final today (Friday), and it was the toughest one. 

I did my triathlon!! It was so much fun; the swim was a little harder than I thought it would be and the bike and run were about what I expected. I can’t wait for the next one. The next big ride is in the middle of the summer. I am riding with my Dad and several guys from my church from Seattle to Portland it is a 200 mile ride, I am excited to be training for it.
 

The end of the year is always bitter sweet. It is great to be done with school, but sad to see everyone leave for the summer. I had a lot of friends studying abroad this semester and a few of them got back in town last night, it was great to see them all and hear about their adventures.  

Well all in all this has been a great year. It was very challenging and fairly stressful at times but I wouldn’t change any of it. Thanks for reading I hope I didn’t bore you to tears. I hope you have a great summer!! 

That’s it, 

Josh

P.S. here a few pictures from the past few weeks: Triathlon, AC group, Friends, and Fun

 

]]> Fri, 02 May 2008 12:26:00 PDT http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/12163/ Well, here at APU we are in our second week back from Easter break. Over break my whole family was in Mexico... My mom and brother were in Tijuana on a mission’s trip with the high school group from our church at home. My Dad was working but took a few days off and surprised the group with a few other people from the church and helped with finish the work around the mission’s site. I was also in Mexico lifting up the name of Jesus and suffering for Jesus in…………….. Cancun..... Ok not really. I was on vacation in the Rivera Maya, just outside of Cancun. I went with my girlfriend’s family and had a blast. We saw the Mayan ruins, went snorkeling, ate some great food and got really sunburned (despite repeated application of sunscreen).

I returned from Mexico and was home for a few days to see family and celebrate my birthday. (However, as a side note, I was not celebrating the loss of my luggage by Mexicana Airlines for 4 days) It was a great time being home and I went out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Woolgrowers (its Basque food). One night at home we had BBQ ribs and a four layer chocolate cake that my Dad made for my birthday. He is an awesome cook!

Well there are about 4 weeks left in the semester, and I am ready for summer break. Unfortunately these last few weeks are going to be really tough. Hopefully I will be sustaining my grades in most classes and bring them up in one.

My triathlon (final for my triathlon class) is almost here. I have still been training throughout the semester and we compete at the end of the month (April 27). I also have a new goal in mind that will give me plenty of training over the summer. I plan on riding from Seattle to Portland in July (Cascade STP ride); that’s 200 miles, in two days, with my Dad and a few other guys from my church. I am really excited it should be fun!!

That’s all for now,

Josh 

]]> Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:56:00 PDT http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/12054/ Well some of you may know that the LA marathon happened just recently. It is always fun to hear about all of the people that ran in the marathon from APU and most of the time you can see them hobbling around campus. 26 miles is a long way. I actually participated in the LA marathon this year… but I hate running. So I did the LA Bike Tour, which is a 21+ mile ride through the streets of LA with 20,000 other riders. It generally follows the same route as the runners. It was packed with people on all sorts of bikes. The ride was a lot fun and it was neat to be able to ride through LA with no traffic, well at least no motor vehicle traffic! At times it was a little slow going but with that many people it is to be expected. I did the ride with the rest of my family, so I drove down and met them at the hotel Saturday night which was in the perfect location. We woke up Sunday morning and literally rode from our room, out the lobby, and down the sidewalk to the starting line.
 

This last Wednesday was the Common Day of Learning. This means that all of the normal Wednesday classes are canceled and there are a variety of different seminars, group discussions, and presentations that take place. None of the activities started until a little later in the day so my buddy Jaycen and I decided we would go on a little bike ride. We started at my apartment and rode up to the San Gabriel River trail that heads southwest 41 miles to Seal Beach. We left about 6:05am and were eating breakfast by the beach looking over the water around 8:20 am. Unfortunately we were in a bit of a rush, both needing to be back be 12:00 noon. We finished up breakfast and started our 41 mile struggle home. The ride back inland was tough, fairly up hill, and being tired from the first half of the ride didn’t help our cause. All in all it was a great ride. We both made it back in time for our commitments and I can’t wait to do it again… and no flats!! WOO HOO!!!

School is great but I can’t wait till Spring Break.

That’s all for now,

Josh

]]> Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:42:00 PDT http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/11899/ It’s been a while since I have written, sorry about that. I have found myself extremely busy the last few weeks. The first Preview Weekend that I got to participate in at my new job was this last weekend. It was a great weekend and I had a lot of fun.

If you are thinking about coming to APU, attending a Preview Weekend is an awesome way to get all the information you need about the school as well as being able to stay the night on campus in the dorms and truly live a day in the life. Your interaction with current students will give you some real insight into life on the APU campus.

I also just found out that I got the AC position (Alpha Coordinator position) that I was applying for in the last few weeks. The 10 Alpha Coordinators oversee the 100 Alpha Leaders, who in turn are responsible for 10-12 freshman APU students. We had our first meeting last week; I am really excited for the rest of the semester. We will soon be starting interviews for Alpha Leaders and beginning the process of choosing who the Alpha Leaders will be for the fall semester. Alpha is only one of the many ways to get involved on campus. Being involved with activities is a great way to meet a wide variety of people as well as get connected with professors and other staff members. If you are a freshman here at Azusa, I would strongly recomend getting involved with something; be it Alpha, ASB, music, intramurals, ministry, or any of the other activities on campus, they will truly make your experience here a lot more exciting.

This semester is surprisingly littered with random breaks and a few vacations which I am looking forward to. School this semester is much harder for me. My classes are more demanding and a few of them are less structured than I am used to, which makes studying difficult. But all in all I am having a great year!!

That’s all for now,

Josh

PS. Most of you know that I am in a triathlon class this semester and have been training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Well Tuesdays are our swim days; we swim next door at Citrus Jr. College. Anyway my buddy Jaycen and I came to the conclusion today while we were swimming our laps that the “up” (of up and back) lap is easy, it feels like we could be in the Olympics, if you look behind us there is a wake so big you could probably surf on it, however the “back” lap is terrible we practically sink. We figured that the only explanation is that we are swimming up hill on the way back. I know that water can’t be up hill but still… Well I’m off to philosophy maybe I can ponder the uphillness of the water with my professor. Should be interesting…

]]> Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:51:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/11611/ Well it’s great to be back at school. I hope your break was amazing. I had a blast!! It was really nice just being able to be home and not worry about school work. At home I was able to go snow skiing, ride my bike, hunt, cook, and enjoy a lot of eating. I spent some time in the mountains…. So …, I guess after all of that, being back in the classroom isn’t so great, but being on campus is awesome.

Having new classes and seeing old friends is so much fun. I know we have only been back at school for not even a week but sitting around this weekend seemed like we have been here for weeks. I’ve actually had a lot of fun with this writers strike, watching old episodes of House at my friend’s apartment. Today I went to a little fiesta at another friends MOD, it was neat hanging out, and taking a little study break. There were plenty of chips, salsa, and virgin margaritas to go around… we even had a piñata. 

This semester is going to be a lot tougher than past semesters, but I will have plenty of distractions to keep me sane. I have a job this semester in the Undergraduate Admissions office as an event coordinator, so if you are thinking about coming to APU make sure to come to a “Preview Day” and say hi!!  I have also started the application process for the Alpha Counselor position (AC) (stay with me here). An AC is the leader of a group of Alpha Leaders. Alpha leaders are the leaders of Alpha Groups. Each freshman is put into an Alpha group. They are a ton of fun and you get to meet all kinds of new people. 

I am really excited about my classes this semester. Triathlon class is going to be great because… well it’s a class for a triathlon. It doesn’t get much better. I really like my Philosophy professor and I have heard great things about his class. Abnormal Psychology will be exactly as the title reads, abnormal. I’m learning about crazy people. Physiology is going to be really interesting. I have a lot of friends in the class and I love my professor. That leaves Microbiology… I’m not sure what I think about it yet my professor seems great, but it’s a class of 12 or 13, I’m the only guy, the only one that isn’t a nursing major, and the class appears that it is going to be really hard.

Well I have a lot of reading to do.

That’s all for now,

Josh

]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:13:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/11542/ Just a quick Christmas break up-date. First off I hope you are all handling finals well, or have already finished them. I survived finals week and had a lot of fun hanging out with people, without all of the stress from school. I am home now and having a lot of fun. It is great to see family and friends and I am planning on visiting some of my teachers from high school this week.

Well the big pheasant hunt (mentioned it last time) is coming up Saturday. I just got back form snow skiing today and I’m going on a 40 mile bike ride this Sunday… so far the break is going really well. 

Again, have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Until next semester,

Josh

]]> Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:24:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/11466/ Quick update on the bike… it is amazing!! (Remember I needed a one for my upcoming triathlon class next semester (see prior blogs. I got a new one and I love it!!) Although I do realize how much I hate getting flats. I found this out on my last ride. I went on a 30 mile ride with my friend Jaycen last weekend and I got three flat tires. (Yes, I have two wheels and got three flats) The riding was great……..changing flats was not as fun.  

 

Finals are coming up next week and Christmas break is just around the corner. It seems to be all business here at school; most people are focused on classes and upcoming exams. There will be one pretty fun event coming up called Midnight Breakfast. This breakfast takes place on the Sunday/Monday morning before finals. It is a great opportunity to take a study break, as well as talk with professors about grades and the upcoming examinations. It happens in the cafeteria and there is always tons of food and plenty of entertainment. Even if you don’t go to talk with professors or eat the food it is worth it to stay and watch what-ever it is that ends up on stage. Some big production is always put on by about 20 or 30 crazy guys on campus and it is always kept a big secret. (I may or may not be involved). Anyway, Midnight Breakfast is a lot of fun and well worth the break from the books. Also, there are usually a lot of giveaways. Something you don’t want to miss.

Another thing you can’t miss, no matter how many chapel absences you have (we are allowed to miss chapel 10 times throughout the semester, most people save them up ‘till the end and then skip the last few) is the Christmas Chapel, this is the last chapel of the semester and it is always a lot of fun. It is generally shorter so if you don’t have anymore finals you can get on the road for home. Rumor has it this year that the Men’s Chorale is singing (traditionally really funny songs).

This Christmas break will be a lot of fun. I plan on going pheasant hunting with my Dad and grandfather, snow skiing, and a lot of bike riding (hopefully without flats). I’ll try to maybe put up a blog over break… but if not I will definitely be writing when I get back. I’ll try to take a few pictures and post them as well.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas (as opposed to a Holiday Break!!!) and get to spend your time enjoying family, friends, and resting up for the long hall into summer.
 

Lesson #9 – Always carry an extra tube, or two, or three… or four, with you when on any bike ride over 100 yards!!

]]> Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:44:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/11396/ Well it seems like most of the activities around campus are wrapping up in the next week or so and upcoming activities have yet to begin. 

It saddens me to inform you that the best flag football team in the world (that would be the team I play on – X-Blades) lost in the first round of playoffs this year and is out of contention for the 2007 championship. But, it was a good season and there is always next year…..., or the next.

Last night was the Fall Dance here at APU called Les Femmes. It was held at a nearby hotel in Pasadena. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone outside of the classroom and all dressed up. The group I went with met at a friends MOD (these are the modular houses on campus that most of the sophomores live in) for pictures then went to dinner at Claim Jumper. The food was great and the dance was a lot of fun.

For some reason this year, more than last, I cannot wait for Thanksgiving break to come. It will be so great to be home, see family, AND thanks to all of my professors, not worry about school. This semester I dodged a bullet by not having any work to do over the Thanksgiving break. Both of my classes on Wednesday got canceled so I will get to head home a little earlier than I first expected. I plan on going to the Thanksgiving chapel (traditionally really good and a lot of fun) which is held on Adams field. That is the creatively named field that is behind Adams Dorm, which is the all girls dorm on campus.

Just to update you all on my recent obsession with anything Bicycle: I now have a bike, it is a Trek 1000, and on my way home Wednesday I am stopping to pick up some pedals and other accessories that I ordered, including some bike shoes. Needless to say, I am ready to go!! (pictures to come… don’t worry you won’t catch me in one of those spandex suits)   

Life Lesson #8: Never wear spandex outside your apartment unless at least 3 objective people tell you that it looks great on you, or you are involved with something called Circus!! (If you are a current student you know what I’m talking about, if not you have something to look forward to.)

Thats all for now,

Josh

]]> Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:44:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/11284/    Mid terms are finished and the craziness is mostly over. I have registered for next semester’s classes and am anticipating Thanksgiving break. I can’t believe that we are already halfway through the first semester; it has gone by so fast. It literally seems like we started yesterday (cliché, I know but its true!)

   Along with a pretty heavy load, next semester I am also going to be taking a triathalon class. We are required to provide our own equipment for the class. I already have a swimsuit and running shoes. That’s two of the three for “tri.” The only thing I’m missing is a bike. This is the source of my addiction. I have literally been glued to eBay for the last three or four days, searching for a good deal with the right components. My funds are quite limited so buying a new bike is out of the question. Unfortunately, I need something fairly nice because I am going to be on it all semester and plan on riding a lot this summer. In other words, I don’t have the money to buy the bike that I need. So my endless quest through the pages, and pages, and pages, and pages of eBay continues.

   I hear that people can actually make a living buying and selling things on eBay… hmmm… what a job: surf the net all day, make a bid here and there… Is this for me? NO, and here lies life lesson # 7: Say no to eBay and stay in school. Although it is a nice tool once in a while it is far too easy to become completely consumed by trying to figure out your strategy of when and how much to bid or whether or not the price is going to jump too much in the next 2 days 19 hours and 37 minutes. By the time you read this, there will only be 1 hour and 22 minutes left.

   One another note, the best flag football team in the world came out victorious the other night improving our record to 4-2.

Life lesson #1: Turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Life lesson #2: Handicapped ramps are for handicapped people.

Life lesson #3: “Never stand under a spinning ride that goes up in the air really fast – at any county fair in America…you may get sprayed with vomit!”

Life lesson #4: Read the syllabus (they give them to you for a reason).

Life lesson #5: Take full advantage of your parents’ willingness to shop for you.

Life lesson #6: Always check to see that there is toilet paper on the roll (and a few back up rolls).

Life lesson #7: Say no to eBay and stay in school.

That’s all for now,

Josh

]]> Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:30:00 PDT http://www.apu.edu/blogs/joshua/11219/ Well, unfortunately there is nothing super exciting that is jumping out at me right now to tell you about. School is going great right now, my roommates are awesome, and I am having a lot of fun in all of my classes.

My flag football team is doing well our record is now 2-1. I was able to visit the Getty Center Museum the other day with my girlfriend Ashley; it was really pretty. The view is awesome from some of the buildings; it looks over all of LA and out to the ocean. All of the lights are beautiful at night. 

  

So, some say that as a college student you starve, you never eat healthy, and it’s all café food. Though most of the time that is true, there are a few shining moments in our culinary choices, or creations. One of those moments was the other night, when my roommates and I decided to cook dinner.

The previous weekend my parents and brother came down to visit and watch a football game. Before they came they asked if we needed anything from the store (this is Life lesson #5 and #6) so we made a short list of necessities like soda, chips, and the like. Much to my surprise they also picked up two pieces of Tri-tip. So me and the roommates cooked up the tri-tip, made some rice with peas and asparagus, and had ourselves a nice little home cooked family dinner. It is amazing what three college students can do with an old camping barbeque and a stove.

Life lesson #5: Take full advantage of your parents' willingness to shop for you. There are some key points: 1. You don’t have to pay for it. 2. You don’t have to do it. 3. They will get you the things that they think you need, but in reality you don't really need, but may come in handy later on...ie. Tri-tip.

Life lesson #6: This lesson stems from lesson 5. When someone asks if there is anything they can get you at the store... ALWAYS say "toilet paper." I'll save you the details. (don't worry it wasn't that bad) RA to the rescue.  This week I was reminded of one of the great things about this university. The professors are awesome. I was reminded that they are very passionate about the subjects they teach, but more than that they are truly looking out for the needs of students and really are concerned with how you are doing in class, and in life.

Life lesson #1: Turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Life lesson #2: Handicapped ramps are for handicapped people.

Life lesson #3: “Never stand under a spinning ride that goes up in the air really fast – at any county fair in America…you may get sprayed with vomit!”

Life lesson #4: Read the syllabus (they give them to you for a reason).

Life lesson #5: Take full advantage of your parents’ willingness to shop for you.

Life lesson #6: Always check to see that there is toilet paper on the role (and a few back up roles)

That's all for now,

Josh

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