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To remind me of California when I'm in Canada

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The best throwing duo in all of SCVAL

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First, and last, country concert that I will ever attend.

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I don't know how this got stuck as my school email profile picture

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The OG bass crew. Although I was asleep in a bass cover most of the time

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It's called "Alpha" for a reason

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1. Rush Hour Series: The Rush Hour Series is by far the funniest movie series that i have watched. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, respectively, play the role of a LA police officer and a bodyguard for a Chinese politician. Throughout the series the two solve crime, rescue hostages, flirt with women, get themselves in all kinds of unnecessary trouble, and make countless inappropriate jokes. The slapstick humor in theses movies is unsurpassed by any other movie.

2. The Harry Potter Series: This movies series is a favorite of almost every child in my generation and the generation before and after me. Who doesn’t love the three super relatable young wizards who always find themselves in the middle of all kinds of trouble. I personally can relate to all three of them; Harry, Ron, and Hermione. This movie series will go down as a classic of this era.

3. Remember the Titans: My father made me watch this movie before we moved to the USA because I was showing interest in playing football. The only reason this movie isn’t at the top of my list is because the other two have more than one movie to add to their rankings. The movie manages to highlight the racism in America and how a newly unsegregated football team came together to fight it. This movie shall forever hold a special place in my heart.

4. Les Miserables: The musical production of this play is my absolute favorite. However, the movie version of this did a really good job of keeping the original lines of the story and preserving the true personality of the characters. Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Russell Crowe do an exceptional job of singing and acting.

5. The Gladiator: This movie was a big favorite of mine when I was younger. I watched it after my unit of roman history in middle school and I loved it. Ridley Scott does a superb job of the entire script, screenplay, acting, and of course m=the music. Hans Zimmer, being the genius that he is, has written beautiful music for this movie. Russell Crowe did a great job of acting as the roman general whose family is murdered and is turned into a Gladiator.

6. Interstellar: Although a lot of people didn’t like this movie because the science behind it was too confusing, the entire thing made a lot sense to me. The music is my favorite part of the movie and of course it is written by Hans Zimmer. The plight of the astronauts and the people left behind at earth is heart wrenching.

7. La La Land: I have very conflicting feelings about the ending of this movie and do not like it one bit. However, the rest of the movie is extremely well directed and enacted. The music of course is superb and greatly contributes to the fame of the movie. Ryland Gosling and Emma Stone work so well together to bring to to life the personalities of the characters that they play.

8. X-Men Series: The X-Men is one of my favorite comic books and all the movies, including the wolverine series are a favorite of mine. I’m drawn to the plight and sorrow of wolverine since he constantly loses people he loves and in the end has to watch as all of his fellow mutants are hunted down and killed. It was painful to watch his death in the newest wolverine movie “Logan”.

9. Pirates of the Caribbean Series: Johnny Depp single handedly has made me love this movie series since his character Captain Jack Sparrow is so flawed that I always have a good laugh watching him try and fix problematic situations that have usually been caused by him in one way or the other.

10. Fast & Furious Series: Last but not least this series is a favorite of mine because of the epic races, the explosions, the very well thought out plots and villains. But what I love most about this series is the message of family above everything that is constantly repeated throughout every movie.

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1. Ludwig Van Beethoven: I love so many of his works of music that Beethoven easily sits at the top of my list. When I was a child my parents made me listen to his most famous piece of music “Ode To Joy” from his Symphony N.9. Ever since I have listen to and played many of his works.

2. Green Day: Back when I was a moody middle schooler Green Day’s songs and lyrics really reached out to me. Whether they were singing about rebelling about sorrow, I could relate to the music in one way or the other and that’s why the rank as number 2 on my list

3. Queen: It’d be a crime not to have Queen in the top three of this list. From his iconic Bohemian Rhapsody, to Want to Break Free, and the The Show Must Go On, Queen has written some of the most beautiful music ever. I would compare his songs to classical music because he is so far above the other works of modern music,

4. Eminem: Eminem is the greatest rapper ever. There is no one dead or alive who is even as good as him. The fact that Eminem uses his turbulent and horrible past to inspire his songs, at the same time making them meaningful (Unlike many other rappers) gives him a special place in my heart. My favorite song of his is Mockingbird, which is dedicated and directed towards his daughter Haly.

5. Samuel Barber: I love Samuel Barber because of his iconic piece of music “Adagio for Strings”. It has been called “the saddest song in the world” and the name does is justice. The song brings tears to my eyes and to most listeners’ eyes as well since the piece reaches into you to bring out your sorrow and despair. Such a power piece of music deserves recognition on my list.

6. Bruce Springsteen: I grew up listening to a lot of my parents music, and Bruce Springsteen happened to be one of their favorites. Born in the USA is of course my favorite song of his. His other favorite of mine is “This Land is Your Land”, and although he didn’t write the song, I love the way he sings it.

7. Imagine Dragons: Imagine Dragons’ songs are, again, those kind of songs that I can listen to motivate myself and get hyped, or listen to when I sad and down. They do a great job of mixing meaningful lyrics with excellent music.

8. Avril Lavigne: Again, when I was much younger, Avril Lavigne’s rebellious songs were something that were very easy to relate to. Not to mention the fact that she seems to never age! Over the years I stopped listening to her songs as I became more mature, but because she was a favorite of mine for so many years, she definitely deserves to be in this list

9. Maroon 5: Now I know, Maroon 5 is a band meant for girls and what not. But, lead singer Adam Levine has such a unique voice in the sense that he can reach such high octaves with ease and more importantly with utmost control that it is essential to have him in this list. Additionally, his songs contrast with most of the other songs that I listen to that it makes for a refreshing change. Lastly, his song daylight holds a special place in my heart because it is so emotional and something I can relate to.

10. G-Eazy: In the past year or so G-Eazy’s music has become a big favorite of mine since it is very refreshing to listen to a rapper who sings about meaning things in a time where it is very hard to even understand the words that come out of most rappers’ mouths.

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1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

The 1812 Overture is my favorite piece of music ever written. Written by the Russian composer  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky it commemorates the Russian’s victory over Napoleon in defending. their motherland. I was lucky enough to play this piece freshman year for the CMEA music festival. It is hard for me to put into words the feelings that this piece evokes. In my opinion is it is literal translation and depiction of the entire campaign. The beginning of the piece is sad and dark, probably reflecting the mood of the Russians as the were being invaded. Then it starts to get more energized and gressive in response to Russia’s response to the invasion.  Every Single emotion can be felt in this piece. There is desperation and despair, there’s hope, anger,  and joy. And if one is not impressed by the powerful brass section, or the intricate melodies of the strings and the woodwinds, there is a section in the piece where literally cannons as set off. I mean, come on! It doesn’t get more intense than the sound of cannons in the midst of a piece. The finale of the piece is intense: the entire orchestra plays and you can hear the percussion replicate church bells ringing, and just as it reaches the climax, the music turns into a more parade and victory like theme to celebrate their victory.

For me, playing this piece as only a freshman was overwhelming. I have listened to the piece numerous times but nothing will probably ever equal playing the piece. Usually, I listen to this piece before football games and track meets as it gets me into that mindset of winning against all odd, something that I’ve had to do often in high school sports.

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The man who turned me from a wannabe track athlete into to the best in CCS.

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Don't mess with him, he's the scariest guy alive

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One last game under the Friday night lights

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Nothing better than a good ol' game of tug of war

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He didn't stand a chance

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Getting ready to perform at Carnegie Hall

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It's mostly sports and orchestra

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My favorite novel or play by far is the Broadway production of Les Misérables. I watched this musical in New York last summer and no other work even compares. The story itself is great and the actors did a fascinating job bringing the characters to life. However, it was the music that makes me loves this musical so much. The play is set in revolutionary France, specifically during the unsuccessful June Rebellion.

“Do You Hear The People Sing” is my favorite song out of all of them. It is filled with emotion and since almost the entire cast sings it the music resonated throughout the entire hall. The story of Jean Valjean is a heart wrenching one.after being released from prison for stealing break he breaks his parole. His quest to escape his past keeps getting thwarted by Inspector Javert, his jailer who is in search of him. The chase climaxes during the heart of the June rebellion where Javert is faced with the dilemma of capturing Jean Valjean since he us a “man of the law” or letting him go since he has mended his ways.

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1. The very first thing that comes to mind when I think about high school's Track & Field.  To be more specific our tradition of going to Round Table Pizza after post season meets is my fondest memory. After League or SCVAL meets (mostly held at Los Gatos High) a group of us would go over to the Round Table Pizza in downtown Los Gatos and order the extra large ulti meat pizza and the largest possible side of garlic knots. It was the best way to finish off a hard week of training and a good meet. It was also the people I went with that made it so special: It was mostly the throwing team that went to eat along with one or two runners, and this tight knit friendship was possibly the best way to send off a successful season. Our final visit to Round Table Pizza will be my fondest yet, not only did all of us do well at the SCVAL Championships but Coach Bob agreed to come with us, and it was a perfect way to say goodbye to four years with the same group of exceptional athletes.

2. The greatest influence I’ve had over the past four years is without doubt my track 7 field coach Bob MacPherson.  Coach Bob is a alumni of Lynbrook high, and so apart from helping me to become on of the best best discus throwers in the state (#20 in California) he has helped me navigate the turbulent waters that are Lynbrook. From the stresses of academics to the pressure of the college application system Bob has always been there for me and given me advice. There were times that I wanted to give up on my academics, on football, and even times where I wanted to stop trying so hard at track & field; and at every instance Bob was there to make sure I didn’t stumble and fall. Now that high school is over I can truly say that has was like a third parent to me and I know that other athletes can and do say the same.

3. My greatest academic challenge in high school was always mathematics. I couldn't never seem to do well on tests or any form of assessments. It reached its lowest when I got C’s in mouth my semesters of Pre Calc. That summer I decided to make changes and took a calculus class at De Anza College. The class was hard (as I expected) and I had to put in hours of work everyday to just finish the homework assignments. However, I noticed that I was doing well on all my tests and quizzes even though all I was doing was judiciously doing homework. I ended the class with an A and came to the realization that it hadn’t been the curriculum that had gotten the best of me in school, but that I had never put in enough time into my homework, whether that be because I was plain lazy or because the amount of homework was ridiculous for a high school class. This really helped me with my college essays since I put a lot more effort into them than I would have if I hadn’t taken the class since I now knew what I could achieve if I put in the extra effort.

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Nothing is more terrifying than playing with the big boys when you aren't one yourself.

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"It's all about a little bit of throwing and a little bit of mind games" - Coach Bob

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The end was near; he knew it; he had known for a while now. He had known it ever since he saw that premonition: that vision of death and destruction; the barren blood soaked land with bodies strewn everywhere like seeds on freshly tilled soil. Grindelwald Zare just stood there on the side of the street in his long trench coat. His tall and thin stature created an eerie silhouette which was only made more sinister by his long sharp nose. It was a dark and silent night as Grindelwald looked towards the deathly silence that was pierced by the sharp screech of a nearby owl as it flew off into the sky towards the heavens. Bringing his gaze back to the earthly world the man walked across the street towards the rundown dusty bar. It was the kind where the scum of the earth congregated at the end of the day, the kind where murders and felons lurked in the gloomy corners looking for their next defenseless victim. When Grindelwald walked in a terrifying silence fell over the place, the air turned cold and the lights dimmed, almost as if Azrael himself had walked in. Every person in that run down tavern looked at the tall figure dressed in black as he walked by them on his way to the front. Did these fools, these imbeciles not recognize him? He was the Angel of Death dressed as a puny, worthless, mortal, yet no one could recognize him. How could this be so? But we shall not dwell on that tonight, for tonight Grindelwald had more, much more, important things to do.

This was a creative writing assignment my Junior year where I had to imitate an author's writing style. Creative writing is one of my favorite type of writing assignments so I put a lot of effort into this. This is a very story, or more of an introductory chapter; this story revolves around Grindelwald Zare, the angel Azrael in human form. Azrael in Islamic culture is not some kind of “Grim Reaper” that acts independently of god, but instead is an archangel and servant of god. For this reason he is not feared but rather accepted as a creature that helps man transition between this world and the next. I used this to depict Grindelwald Zare as a helper of mankind who has come down to earth before an apocalypse to collect souls of the dead.

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A tiny freshman