Hmm.. I can't remember when and where i got this idea, but what I do remember is that I was very excited. The plan is to wrap foil around everything in Shino's office. We weren't just going to cover the office, but my plan is to wrap every individual book, pen, mouse, coins with foil. A full on legit fancy foiling prank. After going to the 99 cent store and purchasing over 600 sq ft of foil I needed to recruit. I was lucky because there are many people willing and excited when they heard about my plan. Steven Vietti, Travis Harper, Ryan Gruss, and the last and least expected Hiroko. Well she wasn't exactly excited, but since she is my wife I kindly persuaded her to come and join in on her first prank, ever. I was filled with joy that her first prank was of this scale. I think after we finished she enjoyed it. So, it took the five of us 1 hour to wrap her office to the point you'll see in the pictures and video. Hope you enjoy it. Special thanks to Jeanette Garces, and Jordy Dickey for making this possible.



The Foiling Passe - Ryan Gruss, Steven Vietti, Hiroko Otsuka, Me, and Travis Harper


This is the main view of Shino's desk area


This is the side view. The picture you don't see is the shelf.
The shelf was full of intricacies. Oh well..


Please enjoy this video

For me and Hiroko's wedding we decided to tattoo the wedding band onto my ring finger. At first I wanted to actually tattoo a ring however after some thought I wanted something more personal and meaningful. So instead of a band I decided to tattoo "Hiroko" in japanese hiragana. This is what it looks like "ひろこ”. I thought it was going to hurt, however it didn't feel to bad at all. Some of you maybe wondering why I got a tattoo vs a traditional wedding ring. Well let me list the reasons.

Reason for Tattoo vs Wedding ring
1) A marriage is to last forever so a tattoo is a good symbol of permanence
2) I lead an active life style and a ring would likely be lost
3) I love to be different
4) It is cheaper than a precious metal ring
5) Looks good


My wedding tattoo..

This is our 2nd annual Death Valley Trip for Outdoor Adventures. This year differed from last in that we camped at a different spot each night. This proved to be a better decision because we were able to drive less and see more. This year we went to The Ubehebe Crater, Ubehebe Mini Peak, Race Tracks, Grandstand, Scotties Castle, different abandoned mines, dunes, and Zabraski point. We Did so much. This year we had a total of 7 participants and 2 guides. Gladys De La Torre, Christine Shanders, Natalie Horgan, Susan Jonston, Joelle Baker, Amanda James, and Katie Welch. Sara and I were the guides. Funny thing was that i was the only guy on the trip. Unfortunately I'm no longer single. I told Steven Vietti, a single, that he missed out on the opportunity.


Camping At Homestake Dry Camp


Enormous dunes we conquered - Amanda James and Katie Welch


Exploring the Indian Mines - Me (Mark Hsieh)


Top of Little Ubehebe Peak - Katie Welch


Kettle Junction

MiniUbehebe
Top of Little Ubehebe Peak - Joelle Baker with her kite, Gladys in the back


The mysterious moving rocks of racetracks, Death Valley


Group Shot @ the racetracks


Homestake Dry Camp - Sara Morril


Hand Stand at Ubehebe Crater


The White Tree - Scotty's Castle, Death Valley

3 months ago we reserved a campsite at Joshua Tree to celebrate I and Hiroko's birthday. My birthday is the 31st of Janauary and her's is the 2nd of February so it was only two days apart. So this is the weekend we went. We had a great time out in the wild climbing, camping, and playing with fire. Though it was cold we had a blast. Here are some pictures.


Fire and Flour


Caving (Josh E. Michael Lee, Diana Reyes, Kenny Hsieh)


Hiroko Otsuka Feeding Birds at El Burrito


Joshua Tree Sunset


Flour + Fire = Bigger Fire

Rumor has it that I am now married. It is true. Shhhh... don't tell anyone. For those who actually read this.. you probably already know, but we don't want to spread the word because we want to retain some meaning and hype for our actual wedding. Our wedding is on the 4th of May, the day after graduation. Ooh.. I'm excited.

Added 03.25.08
I just realized that this day is also the first birthday of this website. 365 days of blogging since its inception. Which means you can see everything that happened to my life. Its amazing to see the changes and adventures I've experienced .. especially Hiroko.