Grand Prix

The Grand Prix took place in Downtown Long Beach this past weekend. It is a car race where tons of people love to attend and watch the cars speed their way past each other. Unfortunately, this also occurs on the street I work on. Islands was pretty busy this weekend and I was lucky enough to experience crazy drunk people begging for the patio and people coming in the door left and right. Luckily, I had my Islands team back me up the entire time. 
The cars were really cool to watch speed by next to the restaurant. Whenever there was a dead minute at Islands, a few of us workers would run outside on the patio to watch them go by. Our Islands crew is pretty amazing. Everyone relates to each other so well and everyone has a great personality. I feel like I have been part of the team for years, yet it has only been just about a month and a half. As a lot of customers departed from our restaurant, we received many thank you's and your staff did a great job complements. Even on one of the busiest weekends, our Islands staff stuck together and accomplished our work.
Thank you to the Grand Prix for proving our members are great at their job. I am happy to be part of this team and hopefully I'll be able to stick with it for a little while longer :)

Go here if you would like information on the Grand Prix:

http://www.gplb.com/

Fears.

We all have a fear whether it is death, falling off a cliff, going on a rollercoaster, or even mice. My biggest fear is unfortunately something other people love, it is clowns. This may seem like a weird blog subject to expand on, but I think fear is something everyone has in common and can relate to. Clowns can be happy, sad, scary, or sweet to others, but to me I cannot stand them. I do not know what it is about them, but the way the laugh creepily, the way they dress, the way they use their make-up, the way they are in movies and things just freaks me out. I have had a few encounters of friends trying to help cure my fear, except they only made it worse.
One time I was with one of my best friends, Kaitlyn, at Rite Aid during Halloween time. As I maneuvered down the aisle looking at decorations, she snuck up from behind me in a clown mask. Not only did I scream bloody murder, but I ran around the store tearing up in a stage of fright and panic. I couldn't get away. I ended up on the floor in a ball wishing and hoping she would leave me alone. Yet, unfortunately for her, she didn't so I got up and started hitting her. In my mind, the clown wasn't my friend, it was my worst fear. It was a facade. She/it was laughing and then Kaitlyn finally took off the mask. I was hyperventilating and she was still laughing. It was a horrible trick, but ever since then she hasn't tried to scare me.
Recently, my boyfriend's brother, Yianni, found out that I have a huge fear of clowns. I was in his room watching tv while Yianni was talking to a friend in the room. Unexpectedly, Yianni said something to make me turn my head towards his computer screen. It was a blown up picture of a scary clown! OMG!!!! I freaked out and ran outside. I had to calm myself down for about a good 5-7 minutes outside. It was not okay.
Fear is a negative emotion induced by the thought of threat. As humans, we use these tactics against threats as a survival response. So it's understandable if you scream or cry because you are afraid of butterflies, bees, crashing, or airplanes. We all know what you feel, and sadly, it does happen to everybody, so never think you're alone when it comes to being afraid.

EW.

San Diego Zoo :)

On Monday, April 11th, my boyfriend, Christos, decided to take me on a date. It's really exciting knowing my boyfriend wants to keep our relationship fun. He took me to the San Diego Zoo! After class, we got in his car and drove an hour and a half to the see some really interesting animals. We literally walked around the entire zoo and saw our favorite animals. The koalas were my favorite part and Christos loved the black leopards. I got a koala backpack and he got a picture of us as caricatures. The whole day we spent together was amazing! Not one part of that day became dull or boring. He and I have a lot of fun together, we joke around, and even while he's whistling like crazy at the animals, I just stood behind him while drinking a souvenir cup with a huge panda on it. hahaha We are such little kids...it's funny. 
One really cool part was the Panda exhibit. There was an actual line to see them and we got to! There were two pandas, one male and female, and they were separated. The information noted that male pandas are isolated unless it is mating season, then after the female is impregnated, he is back to isolation. Also, we saw a show. The zoo keepers brought out these really exotic animals such as the bald eagle, scarlet macaws, the singing dog, an actual wolf, and sea lions! If you ever have a free day and don't know what to do, take a trip down to San Diego and visit the animals! <3 

Here is a link, if you would like to adopt an animal from the zoo!
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/adopt/animal.html

Texas. YEE-HAW!

After injuring my ankle, I thought I would not have enough strength to play volleyball for a while. Unexpectedly, my team captain gave me a phone call saying the team needed me to go with them to Houston, Texas for Nationals. I was ecstatic! I made a phone call to my parents telling them the news and they were so happy for me. A few days later, I hopped on the plane with my team and the club men's volleyball team to Nationals. As we arrived to Texas, the weather was so gross! It was about 80+ degrees and super humid. We walked 5 seconds out the airport and we all became sticky and wet! It was not okay.
The next day, our tournament began. The convention center was hugeeeee!!!!! There were so many people and teams from every part of the country. It felt so good to be there representing my school, Cal State University Long Beach. As our mens and women's volleyball teams supported each other, our desire to win increased. Three days later, we made it to playoffs. We became tired yet, I became captain :) It was the best feeling knowing that even though I had been injured, the entire tournament my team needed me. I felt as though I had succeeded in my will to play well. Even though we lost in single elimination, I had the best time with my teammates.

CSULB Women's Club Volleyball Team <3

Spring Break

Spring Break was a combination of every adjective you could think of. It was thrilling, exciting, scary, lazy, hot, tiring, and everything else in between. My first couple days of spring break were spent at Islands, also known as my work. My coworkers and I have been getting to know each other better and I feel like I am finally part of the team. Also, I got to spend some time with people I have not seen in a while including my own sister. I drove my sister all around Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey on Monday just to spend some time with her. It was fun eating lunch and trying clothes on :) On Tuesday, I had an unfortunate car accident on the way to picking up my friend for breakfast. It was so scary, yet I am just thankful for nothing too dangerous or damaging to happen. Wednesday was kind of my lazy day, except I spent most of it with my friend Kelcie and her roommate, Kacie. We went to a baseball game and ate lunchables. YUMMMMMMM. Once Thursday came around, the weather was so nice! My friends and I went to Hermosa beach and played volleyball, football, dug huge holes, and splashed around in the water. It was Christos, Kaitlyn, Lizzie, Nico, Nick, Sarah, Victor, me, and a few people I barely met. It was a lot of fun. The rest of the week I spent it with my friend, Kaitlyn, who has been one of my best friends since my freshman year of high school. We went to Venice and also to a club with a ton of friends. Friday night ended with a concert at the Wiltern in LA. A bunch of friends and I went to go see Rebelution play. The music was soooo good! It was fun singing to songs I knew live. Now, I am finally reunited with my roommate, Alex, in our dorm at CSULB. Spring Break was amazingggggg!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsZtMtyWRVo

Here is my favorite song by Rebelution! :)

Christos Giagos "Spartan"

For those who do not know what MMA stands for, it is Mixed Martial Arts. My boyfriend, Christos, recently fought for the title in Respect the Cage. His opponent Chris Manzo was a very tough competitor, yet not tough enough for Christos. It was the first time I had ever watched Christos cage fight, and I was full of mixed emotion. I was scared, anxious, excited, nervous, nonchalant, worried, and absolutely terrified. He ended up being the 8th fight which meant I had to suffer in stress and worry for 7 fights before his even started. I became antsy and impatient. After seeing so many guys get punched in the face and taken to the ground, I could not even imagine seeing Christos getting hit or even hurt. 
The lights turned down for his fight (he was the main event) and right away I ran to the front next to his sister. I screamed the entire time. His fight was supposed to go 5 rounds for 5 minutes, but Christos KO'd his opponent Chris in the middle of the 2nd round. It was such a good fight and I was so proud of him when he won. His opponent Chris on the other hand was not so lucky. The paramedics came to take care of him as they walked him out on a stretcher. Christos was humble enough to shut the crowd up while they took care of Chris. Christos finally had the belt in his hands and was first to be named as the title. His hard work, determination, and desire to win left him successful in the end. 
Everyone, especially me, was so proud of him. During his speech he thanked everyone for their support including his fans and trainers. Christos then went on to say, "I'd especially like to thank my girlfriend who's supported me, Sami, I love you." It was the first time he had ever said it to me and it was in front of hundreds of people! I was sooooo happy and shocked at the same time. My cheeks turned red and I teared up, but at the same time I could not move. When I saw him I told him I loved him too <3 I am so proud of my boyfriend, Christos Giagos :)

Chris vs. Christos

Here is the link if you are interested in watching his fight!

http://www.sparwithme.com/

Volleyball Let Down

Usually the unexpected never occurred to me until recently. During one of my volleyball games, I landed on a girl from my team coming down from a jump. It rolled and at first I did not think it was too bad. I figured I could just walk it off. Obviously, that was not the case. I ended up going for a run a couple days later at the gym and unfortunately, my ankle gave out on me. I tried to suck it up like the stubborn person that I am. I was hoping and praying I was fine since I had a Las Vegas Tournament coming up. A few days after, my ankle was still swollen and bruised. I could barely walk so I decided to finally go see a doctor.
A couple x-rays after, I was informed that I could not play volleyball. With this news, I was horrified. Volleyball means a lot to me, of course (it's in my blog title). The doctor put me on crutches for a couple weeks and told me to rest, ice, compress and elevate. I did this, and this past weekend, my team left for Vegas without me. It was a little depressing knowing that I missed a whole Vegas experience with the team, but at the same time, I would have rather spent it the way I did with family, friends, and my boyfriend. 
Good News----I am back and healthy which means I get to go play for the Nationals tournament! :)