The Last Supper

Yesterday was Westchester's annual End-Of-Year banquet and Lock-In.

I don't even know where to start, simply because it has so many amazing points to begin with... I guess I'll just go chronologically.

First off, we had food provided by Vinny's - We had Alfredo, Mixed Greens, and a Spicy Tomato/Mushroom/Cheese Angel Hair Pasta Mixture with Rigatoni with Marinara Sauce.  I can't describe food for my life, but at least I'm trying.

My tablemates are amazing, as always.  It's fun to hear Timmy quoting Step-Brothers(I might watch that movie again just for the hell of it,  Max recounting Spencer's election speech on how he saw a tall giraffe, took it and now is his wallpaper, but endorsing Scott anyway to win the position because well, he doesn't have a camera and Joey and Tarrin stuff-facing themselves.

And then came the awards.  To the best of my memory, here are the people who got them:

Delegate of The Year - Alex Soelter

Advisors Award - Oliver Adams

Outstanding Senior - Daniel Castro 

Rookie of The Year - Brandon Kim

Forum - Spencer London

Court - Nik Soelter

Legislature - Robert Espinoza

Page/Media - Elena Ioudina

NIC - Jeff Day

Advisor - Stephanie Foster

SIP - Tommy Skahill

I would write a piece about each person, but I guess that's another blog.

And now, for next year's officers

Activities Chair - Aubrey Van De Wetering

Elections Manager - Tatiana August-Schmidt

Parliamentarian - Christian Collins

Historian - Scott Tolton

Chaplain - Elena Ioudina

Sergeant at Arms - Robert Espinoza

Treasurer - Bita Minaravesh

Clerk - Bianca De La Vega

Vice President - Marisa Mito

President - Chris Adams

In the behalf of last year's officer team, we give you our blessing and our trust to bring our delegation into greater heights, with more people winning statewide positions, more people going to CONA, getting Premier Delegation, and a stronger bond than before.  With this bond stronger than ever, you are no longer a force to be reckoned with.  You will be at the top, and sit there for a long time.

I also want to give a shoutout for those other people who ran: Patrick Bennett, Alex August-Schmidt, Eileen Cheng, Timmy McKinley, Max Ramey, Joey Breese, India Purnell, Spencer London, Drew Hancock, Jacklynn Morris, Brandon Kim, Tanner Webb, Nina Benton and Natalie Friedricks.

There is no harm in losing, especially with the turnout for the elections this year.  Be a part of a force.  Every single delegate, including the officers themselves are the force that makes this delegation powerful.  Always remember that you have the choice to lead.  You took the path, and I want to applaud, hug, or shake your hand for that.  In the words of Chuck Noll (not sure really), you learn a page when you win, and a book if you lose.  In short, you gain just as much as those who won.

Moving on...

Beyond the food, the slideshow, the chocolates, the helium and the awards, we now go to the better part of the night:  

Lock In.

Lock In, in a simple definition is pure amazement.  We get locked in the YMCA until seven in the morning, do whatever the heck we can do (as long as it is Y-Rated, of course).

I was pretty psyched about this lock-in because there is this tradition that goes on for the seniors: Diddy Rieses.  The deal about this place is that they sell Ice Cream Sandwiches.  Sounds simplistic, right?  Wrong.

First off, this place is in Westwood.  I actually got to see UCLA from the outside(which was really cool, for the lack of a better word, and I didn't even know it was THAT near).  That, and the line was so long that it was worse than Tito's - no hyperbole there, but it was worth the wait, I got 3 dozen cookies for 11.75.  Not bad.  But I don't think the dude gave me thirty six...

However, here are some of my highlights at Diddy Rieses:

1. Indian Boner Jamz - Nik needs to burn me that CD.  That, and the annoying German Song that if Chris White heard it again, he would kill himself.

2. Just Dood It - Lynora gave me the suggestion for this shirt.  And I will do it.

3. Nik's Ice Cream Sandwich - I remember it was a snickerdoodle with some ice cream in the middle.  Gave me a culinary boner, nonetheless.

But seriously, I'm going to go back there someday and get an ice cream sandwich for myself...

At the actual lock in, I put my cookies down by my bag (you know where this is going).  I played some hoops with Patrick and Timmy, then decided to go on the pool, swim, and play some kinda "monkey-in-the-middle" kind of game, just tossing around water polo balls, and wrestling our asses off, I guess (obviously Lifeguards had to stop us there).  

When I got at the pool, I saw John (I hope Logan doesn't read blogs).  He said that he might not make it, so I was kind of upset, for a lack of a better word.  To come back from a sweet place (literally) to see him (yeah, he's extra special to a degree, no homo), I literally just took my shirt off, put my towel and shirt to the side and jumped in, only to tell me that I should have showered first.

Oops.

I could tell that the time lasted shorter than I thought, as it was already one in the morning (after all, you can only soak yourself in water for so long, or there's a time restriction for it to clean the filth of 85 delegates).  After playing in water, a lot of us dispersed into different places.  Some people were listening to Jason Butler's philosophies in life, some of us were playing HORSE, playing half court basketball shirts vs. skins, watching the half basketball game, racketballing, volleyball in the racketball room, basking in relaxation or hoarding a lot of food.

I'm pretty sure that people can attest to whichever statement as they know what they did after one in the morning.

After that, nothing happened, except this one event:

Me and Nina were walking together in the kitchen, as she wanted some cake.  She gets some for herself, and I playfully get some frosting, and put it in her face, and she goes on to say: "You did not just cake me".  I walk away to check the poker game that I was on (apparently, I went out too early).

I came back once again, and I asked her where she's been.  She said she's been walking around.  (I mean, really, what are better things to do than walk around?  Watch Slumdog Millionaire? Perhaps.).  She said that she wanted cake again.  And so we go to the kitchen, but this time, I distance myself away from her because I didn't want to get frosting on my face.  It's a terrible feeling.

She then asks me to come next to her, and I said no, since I'm paranoid of being caked and nothing else, to be quite honest.  She insisted that I was paranoid about something else (but I really wasn't - I tried to prove my point, but epically failed).  She said that if I didn't tell her what I was paranoid about, she would stop the conversation.  It happened.

I walked to the room, and saw Brandon's note lying around, and below that was a piece of paper and a pen.  It could only mean one thing:  Catharsis.

I don't exactly know what I wrote, but all I knew is that I was paranoid about what my life would be after Youth and Government.  Would I live a life of mediocrity once again, with a routine life of homework, sleep and tennis?  Would I meet people just as amazing as these people?

Ladies and Gentlemen, as I was writing this blog, I felt Peter Pan's presence around me as I never wanted to grow up.  I wanted to be a delegate forever.  Then I remember Case's voice:  Everything must come to an end.  Even if I want to avoid the inevitable and say "Should it?", I don't want to say it anymore as it is merely consolation, something that stimulates in my opinion a further cause for depression as it only stops the damage, and not repairs it.

In this lock-in, I finally accepted the fact that nothing lasts forever, as we have to move on, and keep writing chapters in our life.  Jamie told me as she hugged me tightly, that to take what I learned from here and apply it somewhere else, as I can do great things with it.  For people to have that much faith in me is truly amazing, powerful, and belongs to one of my memories that I can remember despite being shitfaced (referring to my last blog).

After writing this blog, I literally looked around the Y for Nina, only to give, and read it to her, saying that "If you want an answer, then this is your answer".  I read it with a tired and rather crappy accent, but it was well worth it.  That note, as she told me is now up in her wall (which is why I don't remember it word per word, but the concept of it I remember), and I almost killed three birds with one stone: My own satisfaction, to answer a question, and to make Jamie Buckley almost cry (unintentional however, but I was close, as she told me).

I got home, slept, and been uploading pictures for three hours now as well as composing this blog.  No grammatical edits, therefore full of errors, but try to stay with me when you read it.  

Tomorrow, I live my life once again.  But this time, I'm not alone.  I have 84 delegates in my heart, plus a couple statewide, ten advisors, and friends that are not in YnG lingering in my heart.  The thought of you guys makes me happy, and inspire me to do great things.  If it weren't for you all, I don't know what I would be doing today, or who my inspiration for every tennis game I play, or every meal that I cook.