dcruzin.com

I know that many of you have been anxiously asking me what this countdown is all about since I started posting it on my status 10 days ago. Well, the suspense is finally over, because I’ve been waiting to re-launch my new blog (with more frequent updates) here at this new address (so please update your links on your blogs), and I figured I’d announce a pretty big day for me (well kind of).

[photo courtesy of kk+]

It’s 90 days left until the Vancouver Marathon on May 4, which I plan to run with my friend Derek. Oh, I guess I should probably clarify that we’re only running the half-marathon. Yeah, I know it’s kind of cheating to say I’m running a marathon when I’m only going to run a half-marathon. But today marks the first day of my 90 day training period. I’m following Hal Higdon’s Half Marathon Training Program for novice runners. It’s a 12 week program, and I have 13 weeks, so I guess I’ll do the first week twice or something. It starts off with about 10 miles/week and ramps up to around 25 miles/week which really isn’t that bad. I mean I played soccer for 10 years when I was little and during most of High School. And my freshman year I was even on the cross-country team. But yeah, that was a long time ago. So I’ll be posting my progress here every once in awhile. Feel free to comment or IM me and ask my how my training is going. I’m definitely going to need support and accountability to stay on track.

I’ve been meaning to get in better shape since I got out of college, and I’ve done alright, but this is a chance to really Go Big or Go Home. So to motivate myself I just put out a pretty difficult goal and I know I gotta get there. I also wanted to run for a special cause. I’m not going to talk about it much until March when I start serious fundraising, but I want to raise money in honor of my older brother Oliver who passed away from colon cancer in 2006 at age 28. So when I start raising money in March, I’ll post some more about the Oliver Cruz Memorial Fund which goes to benefit colon cancer research at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where he was treated.

I know that there will be some tough times and some pain I’ll go through in training and during the actual half-marathon itself. But I know that this pain is nothing compared to what Oliver faced. His life inspired me to do something great with mine. This is a small step. I’m just getting started.

2 Comments »

My friend told me about a blog post mentioning this fact:

In their fascinating study “Would you be happier if you were richer?”, published in Science, Princeton professors Alan Krueger and Daniel Kahneman, winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize for his work in behavioral economics, found that perhaps the best indicator of happiness was frequency of eating with friends and family.

While the paper is pretty academic, it does raise some interesting questions for why we (of course I’m included) seem to always be striving for more money. But I think all we’re really looking for is love. Not the romantic kind necessarily, but the kind that true friends and family can give you.

1 Comment »

I’ve been passionate about photography for the last 5 years or so, and only recently did I think I could potentially turn this into a business. Right now it’s still just a hobby, but who knows what crazy plans God might have for me. Anyway, I just launched my own photography website at: http://dcruzinphotography.com/. Right now I am selling prints online through a website called Imagekind.

Since that site charges quite a bit for printing, and most of you who read this blog are friends or family, I’d be happy to do the printing and shipping myself for at least 50% off. So, if you see any photos you’d like to order either framed or unframed (maybe as a Christmas present for someone ;), send me an e-mail and I can hook you up!

As my last post alluded, to I’m trying to brainstorm ways to make a difference in the world, so I’m donating at minimum 10% of all profits to help Filipino street children go to elementary school (Yes, even elementary school there has tuition!). My aunt in the Philippines works with these kids through her church, and I’d like to lend her some support. I hope to either start a non-profit or partner with an existing one in the upcoming months, with the tentitive name flYp: Filipino Local Youth Project. Plans are still developing, so stay tuned (and let me know if you’d like to be involved!)

As for the photo site, here are some previews:

The sunset at Carmel Beach in California.

A jetty jutting out into the Pacific Ocean at Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, California.

Sunlight streaming through the clouds from the Seattle waterfront.

Let me know what you think, and I’ll be updating that site regularly with new photos and also posting the bigger updates on this site as well.

Enjoy, and feel free to join the Facebook group

No Comments »

Usually I don’t think much about December 7th (except that it’s my friend Elaine’s birthday - happy birthday , btw!), but today I wanted to reflect a little bit on the 66th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit a couple friends in Hawaii and one of the places we went to was the USS Arizona Memorial which was built over the sunken battleship that serves as an eternal grave for 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on the USS Arizona that day. It was a pretty moving experience to stand over the submerged wreckages and gaze down at the rusted hull housing all those soldiers’ bodies.

I’m not a huge history nerd (yet), but World War II has always fascinated, frustrated and challenged me. Perhaps because of its role in Filipino history like the Bataan Death March or maybe it was when I visited Hiroshima while studying abroad in Japan and witness the place where 70,000 Japanese died instanaeously. I won’t try to compare the two tragedies since I don’t beleive human life can me measured like that, but after being dramatically moved at Hiroshima, it was thought-provoking to see Pearl Harbor and the site that marked the United State’s entry into the war and let to the inevitable bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

1 Comment »

I know a lot has happened since my last update, and this isn’t even new news anymore, but after 6 years (last win was in 2001), Stanford FINALLY beats Berkeley at Football. We have the Axe back and all my tears throughout the last 5 years are redeemed. I really wish I could have been there to witness it in person, but the next best thing I could do was go crazy in my living room in Seattle and take a video. It’s about 10 minutes long, but well worth it if you want to see me act like a fool, or just want to enjoy Stanford beating Cal

No Comments »

I took my first plane flight this weekend. No, I’m not talking about the standard jumbo jet kind of flight. I’m talking about taking off in basically an aluminum soda can that barely fits 4 people. My uncle Jeff is part of a flying club and has his pilot’s license, so when I was down in the Bay Area this past weekend for my grandma’s 87th birthday, he took my cousin, my sister and me on a tour over the Bay Area. It was a great experience, sometimes a bit bumpy and scary, but overall just amazing. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves

You can see a few more photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/dcruzin/SFBayStanfordAerialShots.

I have more to upload later, too, but those were some of my favorites from the 400+ shots I took while in the air 1.5 hours. Now flying in one of those planes on a clear day with light wind is definitely something I want to do again. Hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I enjoted taking them!

1 Comment »

On Saturday I went to Mount Rainier National Park for the first time. It was pretty much a perfect day as far as weather - just a clear blue sky with just enough clouds to make things interesting. I went with Derek, Ayako and Ken and we hiked the Skyline loop in the Paradise area of the park. It was about a 5-6 mile trail, and we took our time to just take in the amazing views and get photos of all the nature and wildlife. I’m just gonna post a few photos for now, and soon I’ll add a link to a whole album’s worth of photos.

Okay, that’s the best I could do for limiting the number of photos I post. Amazing views, huh? Stay tuned for more photos

3 Comments »

I know it’s been awhile since my last post. I think I’ve resolved to make my posts more frequent but also shorter. I’m gonna try posting the all the photos on a separate page w/ captions, and just including a few in each post.

Anyway…. today I got a colonoscopy. Since Oliver had colon cancer, everyone in my family gets checked every 5 years or so. Good news - it was normal, so I definitely thank God for my health. The doctor even gave me a little printout with photos from inside my colon:

Pretty cool, huh? I had to censor out photo number 4, since, well, you know… just look at the diagram. The whole procedure wasn’t bad at all since I was heavily drugged and basically unconscious the whole time. I actually don’t remember changing back into my clothes from the hospital gown which is both scary and cool at the same time. I wasn’t allowed to drive after the procedure, and they even told me not to go to work - so I didn’t. I’m not one to break the doctor’s orders now.

The worst part was the day before when I had to drink basically a gallon of this gel-like liquid which was supposed to clean out your bowels. It came in fun flavors that were supposed to improve the taste, but I’m not 100% sure if they made it better or worse. And then I wasn’t allowed to eat anything for the whole day. It was only one day - and I could drink clear fluids like water and gatorade. Still, being around food and watching other people eat definitely was challenging. It really made me a lot more thankful for the fact that anytime I want to have to have something to eat, I can. And I can even eat good food now that I’ve escaped the mass produced dining hall food from college. It definitely let me reflect on other people in this country and around the world who can’t necessarily say the same.

More than that though, this whole experience really took me back to when Oliver was sick. From the simple act of wearing a thin, cold hospital gown in a very air-conditioned hospital to being wheeled around on a bed with an IV in my arm, electrodes on my chest, oxygen in my nose and a pulsemeter on my finger - it all reminded me of Oliver. I’ll admit - there were a few times when I almost lost it in the hospital. The nurse and doctor saw on my records that I had an older brother who had colon cancer at age 25. They asked me how he was, and I would simply reply that he passed away last year. I was barely in the hospital for 2 hours. I bet Oliver spent over 2000 hours in a hospital bed. I didn’t eat for one whole day. Once his digestive system couldn’t handle anything anymore, Oliver didn’t eat for a month.

It’s been over 13 months since his passing, and though I still have some low moments like I did today in the hospital, when I think about Oliver’s story overall, I still can’t help but smile. My experience today gave me a snapshot of what his life was like for almost 3 years. And yet he was able to persevere through it all. He stayed strong and had hope. And though he’s no longer with us today, his hope lives on. He had hope in Jesus, who who had giant “needles” pierce his hands and feet when he died for us. I think when Oliver was facing all those needles, wires and treatments, he thought of the cross and knew that the pain is only temporary. One day without food followed by a few hours in the hospital has helped to remind me of what truly is important in this life.

Thanks Oliver.

1 Comment »

It’s been a while since I’ve posted - and I have some catching up to do, but in the meantime I figured I might as well live in the moment. I’m currently sitting in a youth hostel in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, Japan. We flew in yesterday afternoon and had dinner with our students from last summer. That’s why I’m here - along with a few other Stanford students, I was a host for the American Language and Culture program, part of VIA (Volunteers in Asia). We hosted about 75 college students from Taiwan and Japan during the month of August. We were kind of like RAs, helping organize activities and trips for them, and helping them with their English homework. As part of that volunteer program, each host gets to go on a trip back to Japan and Taiwan the next summer, and the program will pay for part of the trip. So that brings me back to Japan - the first time I’ve been here since August 2005 after my internship.

So far, things have been a bit nostalgic. It’s cool to be here with Adam who was also here in 2005 when we worked in Tokyo. It is a bit different though, since I’m no longer a student, and also since we have tons of Japanese students here to help show us around. My Japanese is pretty bad though - but I guess that’s what happens after 2 years..

Anyway, here are some pictures from the plane ride and dinner last night. I’ll try to post a bit more frequently during this trip so my posts are super long..

Julie and Wei Wei on the plane.

I was sitting across the aisle from them. It was a long 10 hours…

We met the students at the giant lantern in Asakusa.

Taking the obligatory tourist shot.

And then proceeded to go eat okomiyaki (a kind of savory pancake omlette).

Adam eating with Manabu and Takayuki.

Okonomiyaki is basically one of my favorite Japanese foods.

I watch the master chef Saori mix the batter before she cooks it on the table.

A similar dish, called monzayaki - just a little bit more runny.

The guys got a little crazy with the sake - already.

Adam and I relive old memories of Pocari Sweat (kind of like gatorade) in the Konbini (convenience store)

We’ve got a pretty busy day planned today, so hopefully you’ll see some more interesting photos soon. See more photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/dcruzin/ALCJapanTrip.

No Comments »

5 Comments »