Pillowy Love

Waking up pillow-less,
I crane my neck to check,
Sure enough, he’s commandeered
my entire pillow.
Sleeping with nary a care in the world,
Dreaming of Whiskas Temptations®.

Not withstanding the crick in my neck,
My heart wells up with love.
For my perennial pillow-hogger.

I’ve never like his type.
I’ve always thought
His kind was too aloof.

But someway, somehow,
He’s insinuated himself
Into my hard cynical heart.

Whenever I'm feeling down,
He uncannily knows.
He'll snuggle real close,
Melting into me like
warm comforting butter.

As I hammer away
At my assignments, or watch
A film for class, We sit together,
A mere feather’s breath apart.



Past bedtime, he saunters downstairs.
Blocking the computer screen,
He contemplates me in bemusement
As I bang away on the keyboards.

Day's done, we hit the sack together.
He snares a cat’s share of the pillow.
His warm body rumbles merrily along,
And his stout whiskers tickles my face;
A furry kiss, a pillowy texture of love.

The Gospel of St. Luke The Cat

(A Bible for Cats and their human slaves)


The Ten Commandments

All Cats art thy Lord,
thou should Worship no other.
thou shall Make only Cats Idols.
thou shall Revere and Honor thy Cats.
human slaves, Submit and Obey.

Thou shall rest all 7 days of the week.
Thou shall be perennial Cat burglars.
Thou shall blame thy neighbor.
Thou shall also covet thy neighbor’s fish.
Thou shall be promiscuous and adulterous.
Thou shall be murderous and vicious.
Cats, your Lord commands you so.

The Seven Sins

Thou shall lust.
Thou shall eat till thou vomit.
Thou shall be greedy in all things.
Thou shall sleep 20 hours a day.
Thou shall rain down thy wrath.
On any that doth disturb thy sleep.
Thou shall envy thy neighbor’s fish.
Thou shall be proud and vain.
These are sins if thou doth not commit them.

The Seven Virtues

Thou shall be wonton, not chaste.
Thou shall not temper one’s greed.
Thou shall be selfish, not charitable.
Thou shall be lazy, not diligent.
Thou shall be impatient and violent.
Thou shall be evil and jealous, not kind.
Thou shall suffer hubris, not humble pie.
These are virtues if thou follow them.

The Devil's Brother

Oh Stanley
He’s a Serval Domestic Medley
He’s an Evil Savannah Cat
When You See Him You Go Scat

He’s Oscar’s Brother
With Chuck for a Father
Luke His Surrogate Brother
And Fonda for a Mother

He is the Epitome of Evil
That’s Definitely No Fake Call
His Brother is the Devil
After All

His Paws Full of Claws
He Leaves Your Face With Scratchy Flaws
With Terrifying Toenails He Draws Blood
Oh My God He Just Caused Noah’s Flood

Biting He Unleashes His Razor Sharp Teeth
They are Most Definitely Not A Myth
The Ground Shakes When He Pounces
For He Weighs A Great Many Ounces

Where He Leaps He Brings Gloom
When He Lands He Goes Boom
As He Stares At You From Across The Room
You Know You’re Awaiting Your Doom

When Luke Sees Him he Trembles and Cowers
For Brimming with Evil are His Diabolical Glowers
He Mutilates Chuck’s Beautiful Flowers
For Dark and Evil Are His Malicious Powers

He is Definitely Not As Innocent As He Looks
He Only Does that to Get into Chuck’s Good Books
Hear Not His Plantive Yowl
For When He Attacks With Excruciating Pain You’ll Surely Howl

Evil Emanates from Every Pore in His Body
He is The Vilest Villain from Every Fairy Tale Story
Beware Stanley for He is the Devil’s Brother
Even Satan Sees Him and Falter

A Love Poem Riddled with Clichés

What is love?

Love is a blushing dove.
Love warms you like a glove.
Love is found in a hidden grove.
Love is more than a treasure trove.

Love is the water that feeds a cove.
Love is the road that gypsies rove.
Love is the scarf your mother wove.
Love is how hard your father strove.



Love smells like cinnamon and clove.
Love feels cozy like a hot stove.
Love is the light from above.
Love shines on a small alcove.

Love is in everything, by Jove!

Labor Day Picnic*

This Labor Day at Coyote Point Park,
We had a lot of fun under the sun.
On grass fields flaked with eucalyptus bark,
It was perfect, like burger in a bun

Topped with sliced pickles, mustard and ketchup.
Tandoori chicken with basmati rice.
Sweet Jell-O shot to be slurped in a gulp,
Chilled Corona flavored with lemon slice.

Greek dolma lovingly wrapped in grape leaf,
Corn on the cob that's slathered with butter.
Thick, succulent, and well-seasoned grilled beef,
Pakora fried in gram flour batter.

This is the stuff that picnics are made of,
A great awesome way to spend your day off.

*While the poem, written in traditional sonnet form with iambic pentameter, seems to be obsessed with food, what I actually hope it does brings across is that the picnic is really about people, how friends of diverse cultural backgrounds came together to enjoy a traditional American Labor Day activity, as seen in the poem where verses about classic American barbeque foods are juxtaposed with that of other cuisines.

Pho Garden Challenge

On Friday last
Right after class
We drove to the city
In about an hour fifty

To test our mettle
In a food battle
As we took our seat
Two pounds of meat

Plus two pounds of pho
In a bowl of broth duh
To finish in an hour
Using all our eating power



Else we had to pay 22 dollars
From our meager coffers
We had to sign a waiver
Yet we did not waver



At first we were so smug
All too soon our pants got snug
Those pho do pack a punch
Soaking soup up like a sponge



Near the end of the hour
The taste of noodles turns sour
So to save our fragile sanity
We reluctantly paid the penalty

It’s the worst idea we ever had
Why, we must have been mad
We wanted to win so bad
Losing just made us sad

How bruised our ego
To see our dignity go
Our tummies were in such pain
No more pho for us ever again

Poem written by Sharon Ho.
Photographs taken by Lu Zheng.
Challengers featured: Patrick O'Leary (right) and Ezekiel Luis.

Pho Garden, home of the Pho Garden Challenge, is located in San Francisco on
2109 Clement Street, between 22nd Ave & 23rd Ave. For anyone who is interested
to know more or deluded enough to try, you can check out their website for more
details at http://phogardensf.com/.

Bulldogs spruce up Parkside

Devonte Street, 18; James Carter, 18; and Lucky Dozer, 19, clean up Parkside Elementary. Photo courtesy of Tim Tulloch.

http://media.www.sanmatean.com/media/storage/paper796/news/2010/09/07/News/Bulldogs.Spruce.Up.Parkside-3928818.shtml

Sharon Ho
Issue date: 9/7/10

The Bulldogs took a break from football practice on Saturday, Aug. 21 to help spruce up Parkside Elementary School for their 2nd Annual Community Service Day.

The players joined other volunteers in collecting about 90 bags of trash, painting all the wheelchair ramps, the walls, the basketball courts, play areas, tables, benches and cleaning out the garden and planting trees.

"The school has been severely hit by budget cuts, and the only way to help maintain the school is through volunteer efforts," said Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Tim Tulloch.

The refurbishing effort was organized by a volunteer group called Parkside Dads, consisting mostly of the fathers of Shoreview's current students.

Tulloch is also a member.

The idea to volunteer came from the leadership group comprising of 10 players from the team.

"There a few different options on what volunteer work they could do, but they chose to clean up Parkside because they felt that that was the best option because it would have a direct effect on the community in making a difference," said Tulloch.

"We decided to clean up Parkside because we were all kids once and now as role models to them we want to show we do care about the kids and help them get a better experience of school than we did," said Marc Baker, an offensive lineman who is part of the leadership group. "It's important for our team to give back to the community and show we appreciate all that our community has done for us."

"I thought today was a great day seeing not only the team but also the coaches and others coming together to help paint and clean up the school," said running back Nate Newman, 19. "It shows how much we care about the community and also how much we don't mind taking the time out of our busy schedule to help others."

The Bulldogs plan to continue setting aside a day during the fall football season every year to volunteer.

"It is good for the players to learn that volunteering is important work and that they are more than just football players; they are also learning to be the leaders of tomorrow in helping to shape the community and this helps to increase their social awareness," Tulloch said.

This volunteering effort is part of the Bulldogs' Life Skills Development program. Players will also be attending workshops and talks as part of the program.

"Right now we are excited about a new mentoring program we launched just this summer through partnering with Bulldog alumnus Damion Caldwell's Walk Through Incorporated in which freshman and sophomore players are paired up with alumni as designated mentors," said Tulloch. "These mentors will help them continue to reach their end goal of getting their bachelor's degree and that is part of the bigger picture in our football program."

CSM Bulldog Spring Blue-White Football Game

If I can sum up my thoughts on the game in a sentence, it will be that watching the game from the press box has been an interesting experience, to say the least.

The night before the Bulldog Spring Blue-White game, I had been unable to sleep until around 2 a.m., which accounted for the fact that I went right back to bed even after the alarm sounded at 7 a.m..

I had actually planned to cover the Bulldog alumni flag football game that started at 9 a.m., but I guess that was not to be.

Still, despite nearly missing the bus, I managed to arrive at the football stadium early to catch the Spring game, and after scouting for the best seats to watch the games from (directly under the press box), I started chatting with some of the people sitting beside me, which was fortuitous because my voice caught the attention of my friend from the press box.

She was there to film the game, and I went up to the press box to join her. Sitting in the press box was a Bulldog alumnus, who asked me if I was the one currently covering the Bulldogs, with the scholarship stories, which I replied in the affirmative. Then he asked me if I was getting paid for covering the Bulldogs, which elicited peals of laughter from me and a firm negative. Shortly after the game started, he left, leaving just me and my friend in the press box.

That was when things started to get interesting. I'm afraid to say I can't really remember what was happening in the first half of the game. The Bulldogs were playing touch football, but that wasn't what gave me amnesia.

At first, both head football coach Bret Pollack and receivers coach Gregg Patner shouted some instructions and also the scores to my friend, and it was hard to make out what they were trying to say through the noise on the field. Usually there would be someone who was in charge of updating the scoreboard, but on that day it was left to my friend, who was desperately trying to film the game and update the score according to what the coaches were shouting at her.

On normal game days, someone from the field will signal the score to the score keeper in the press box but since the coaches were busy trying to coach and referee the game at the same time, and my friend had only coach Patner's vocal cords to guide her by.

Pretty soon I gave up trying to concentrate on the game and was instead trying to help my friend make out what Coach Patner was shouting at her after each play. For one thing it took us like a quarter of the game to finally realize out which team's scores was supposed to be recorded as home or guest, (it was all so disorienting), although with Coach Patner shouting at us when we got the scores wrong (yes, we knew that touchdowns were worth 6 points and field goals were worth 3 points and all that, but we decided early on to focus solely on what coach Patner shouted to us) I am quite sure we got the final score right. At least I hope it is.

Near the end of the first half, trying to film the game, keep score, start and stop the clock all by herself was taking a toll on my friend, and I took over stopping and starting the clock under her directions, only for coach Patner to shout at my friend that we were supposed to start the clock at the snap.

After half time, slot receiver coach Mike Langridge came up to the press box to keep score, but the game only got weirder. Somehow or another, someone decided that nobody was going to try and convert a point after a team scored a touchdown, although coach Langridge bemusedly decided to award 7 points for each touchdown. Earlier on I had decided not to cover the game, but I began taking notes, just in case.

However, I gave up upon realizing that some of the players were not wearing any numbers, and some of last year's sophomores were actually playing too.

Overall I guess it was a pretty informal game. There was some horsing around, like when a player decided to playfully "score" a touchdown after a play ended, and a player rushing into the field halfway during a play after being called in by a coach. The game ended with the White team winning 40-34.

Coach Langridge left right after, though not before saying that it was nice to see me again (and he remembered my name even though I interviewed him over a month ago!).

Overall, I managed to get some impressions of only a few players: sophomore quarterback Julian Bernard, who did a pretty good job as the White team's quarterback, Defensive linebacker D.j. McDonough from the White team who got two interceptions, and Defensive lineman Sosefo Maka from the Blue team, who recorded a sack towards the end of the game. I'm pretty sure I missed out a lot of other players who were also standouts in the game.

All in all, it was a pretty interesting game, and I guess watching the game sort of ended my semester of covering the Bulldogs during their off-season on a happy note. When Fall comes around, I look forward to just sitting in the stands at their home games as a normal spectator without having to worry too much about keeping score.

Former Bulldog scores NFL contract

Raymond Emanuel Hisatake at Pro Day, April 1, 2010. Photo courtesy of Bay'bee Joy Saleapaga.

Sharon Ho
Issue date: 5/3/10

In a world where most players enter college football programs with years of Pop Warner and high school playing experience, Raymond Emanuel Hisatake stands out.

Hisatake, 23, a former CSM Bulldog defensive lineman, signed a three-year free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers on April 24, and will be suiting up in a No. 62 Panthers uniform.

He received a $10,000 signing bonus and will have a first year salary of $320,000.

"It's a storybook tale," said his former CSM head coach Larry Owens.

"Ray having never played any football at high school to have an opportunity to play professional football and get paid for it, I am really excited for him. We at CSM love him a lot and are very happy for him and his family," he said.

Hisatake never played a football game before he came to CSM, said Owens.

When he first came for tryouts, he wasn't sure what the pads were and how to put them on.

"Ray was easy to coach," said Owens. "He would do everything you tell him to and he worked very hard and has come a long way."

"I am very thankful and very blessed," said Hisatake. "I gave my best and am happy that I will be able to represent CSM and the coaches."

Hisatake graduated from Westmoor High in Daly City, a school that did not have a football program, in 2004 and enrolled at CSM with the intention of joining the track-and-field program.

"It was very hard to get a full-ride scholarship to college through track-and-field," said Hisatake. "I spoke to a few colleges, and I found out that I was good but not good enough (to get a scholarship)."

Still, that did not stop Hisatake from winning the 2006 Coast Conference Track & Field Championship in discus throwing.

"I thought that since CSM had a football team, I might as well try out and hope to get into a Division III college football program," said Hisatake.

Instead, after greyshirting in 2004 and playing as a defensive lineman in 2005 and 2006, Histake won a scholarship to a Division I football program at the University of Hawaii.

At UH, he switched to playing in the offensive positions of left tackle, right guard and left guard.

"When I first saw and met Ray, we were in spring football and he was working out with the track team," said CSM Defensive Line Coach David Heck. "6'4" and 330 pounds does not come around too often. I remember his first play in his first game where he got driven down the field 15 yards and could not get off the block. Now he is the one driving people 15 yards down the field."

After graduating from UH on Dec. 20, 2009 with a bachelor degree in sociology, Hisatake spent three months in Arizona preparing for his Pro Day on April 1.

"I did well enough in the individual drills and managed to impress the Chicago Bear and Carolina Panther scouts," said Hisatake. "The Carolina Panthers gave me a call after the draft offering me a contract."

"Coach Heck was one of the first people outside of my family that I called," Hisatake said. "I consider Coach Heck my family and I still keep in touch with Coach O (Owens), (CSM Defensive Coordinator) Coach Tulloch and my Bulldog teammates; I will never forget the bonds of friendship I made with them."

"I felt so proud and thankful about Ray signing a pro contract; it couldn't have happened to a nicer kid," said Heck. "Coming from where he came from and never playing football to signing a pro contract is the reason I coach; just for him to have the opportunity to be in this position is a great thing. I think this is what junior college football is all about. Giving opportunities to young men that they didn't have coming out of high school."

"I'm happy for Ray," said Bulldog teammate Tevita Halaholo. "He's an athlete. I remember him doing perfect splits in the locker room; biggest dude I've ever seen do the splits. He will do a great job in the NFL."

"The coaches at CSM, they helped me a lot," said Hisatake. "Coach Owens gave me an opportunity to play despite me not having any football experience. I am proud to be part of a great football program at CSM which also helped me get ahead academically; I was able to graduate early from CSM with an AA majoring in liberal arts. Due to the program, I am the first in my family to graduate with a college degree."

"There are three things that I am really happy for him about- first that he got a scholarship to University of Hawaii, then when he got his bachelor's degree there, and now when he gets a shot at playing football professionally," said Owens.

"Ray represents what we all mean when we speak of being a Bulldog," said CSM Football Head Coach Bret Pollack. "He exemplifies our culture and fighting spirit of 'Play Hard, Never Quit' which rings true for all Bulldogs in the classroom, in the weight room, on the field, and in life. Ray continues to exemplify that culture and at the same time provide motivation for current and future CSM students and athletes."

Crash stuns Poles around the world

Memorial poem amidst a candle memorial in Lodz, Poland. Photo courtesy of Hanna Marciniak.


Kasia Jagusiak. Photo courtesy of Kasia Jagusiak.

http://media.www.sanmatean.com/media/storage/paper796/news/2010/04/19/News/Crash.Stuns.Poles.Around.The.World-3909068.shtml

Marcin Marciniak and Sharon Ho
Issue date: 4/19/10

The crash of a plane carrying 89 Polish dignitaries, including the president, shocked Poles, including CSM student Kasia Jagusiak.

Jagusiak, 24, a native of Poland learned of the crash while watching the news. Using Facebook, she quickly contacted her family and friends in Poland. "Poland is in mourning," she said. "The country is stunned. People are trying to find meaning, some reason for this tragedy, to have so many leading minds taken away so quickly and abruptly is stunning."

The plane crashed near the Katyn Woods in Russia, killing all 96 aboard. The delegation was traveling to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Forest massacre. Among the dead were the Commander of the Land Forces, Commander of the Navy, Deputy Defense Minister, Deputy Foreign Minister, and many top political, business, military and religious leaders. Also traveling on the plane were the families of the Katyn victims, social activists and many distinguished Poles.

"How could they have put so many political, military and business leaders on one plane?" Jagusiak asked.

The plane was a Soviet Tu-154, designed in the 1960s. It had been in service for 26 years. The Bulgarian government has grounded all Tu-154 flights until the official cause of the crash is determined.

The plane was denied permission to land due to weather conditions, but proceeded to attempt a landing anyway, according to reports by Russian investigators.

"The first day there was mostly disbelief and shock," said Hanna Marciniak, 23, a student in Lodz, Poland. "People were gathering in city centers, bringing flags, lighting candles, praying together, crying together."

"The support I've received from my friends, family and other students here on (CSM's) campus has been touching," said Jagusiak.

"Katyn is where so many lives were lost during World War II," said Marciniak. "The Katyn massacre was only two generations ago. It's still fresh in all our minds. Now, Katyn touches us all again, opening up old scars."

Since World War II, Katyn has been a source of tension between Poland and Russia. In 1943, mass graves containing tens of thousands of bodies were found in the Katyn forest in Russia, victims of the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939.

Until 1989, the Soviet government denied involvement and blamed the German army, despite the 1943 finding of the International Red Cross which found the Soviets were responsible. In Poland, the truth about Katyn was passed from generation to generation by oral communication, as anyone who publicly disputed the official version would be prosecuted.

"Their deaths were tragic and unnecessary," Marciniak said. "They died in a very symbolic place. May they rest in peace. I hope that - despite the efforts of politicians and media - that the relations with Russia will improve. The Russians are helping a lot to reveal the cause of the accident."

New slot receiver coach 'excited'

New Bulldog slot receiver coach Mike Langridge. Photo courtesy of Mike Langridge.

http://media.www.sanmatean.com/media/storage/paper796/news/2010/04/19/Sports/New-Slot.Receiver.Coach.excited-3909211.shtml

Sharon Ho
Issue date: 4/19/10

If there is one word that new slot receiver coach Mike Langridge can use to describe coming back to CSM, it is the word "excited."

"I am really excited to be back at CSM," said Langridge. "Being an alumni coach made it so much more special."

During the interview, Langridge, 36, used the word "excited" more than five times to describe how he felt about his new position.

Langridge replaces former slot receiver coach Manny Orta, who is unable to continue coaching at CSM due to a time conflict schedule with his new second job.

Langridge was a Bulldog defensive lineman in 1991 and 1992 before receiving a football scholarship to play at Arizona State University. During his senior year at Arizona State in 1995, he was voted by his teammates as the defense team captain, which he described as "an honor."

After his college football career, Langridge returned to his alma mater Serra High School, where he was team captain in Serra's 1990 Central Coast Section Championship football team, to coach football for 10 years, five years as a defensive coordinator, before taking on the position of head coach and offensive coordinator at Archbishop Riordan High School in 2006.

At Riordan, Langridge was named 2007 Examiner Coach of the Year, leading the Riordan Crusaders to their first ever CCS Championship with a score of 47-21.

"It will be an easy fit for Mike since he played here, so he understands the coaching we do at CSM," said head coach Bret Pollack. "What we gain is a coach from Riordan, which has a very tough conference, and the experience he would bring being a head coach before."

Langridge is currently finishing up the 2010 school year as assistant dean at Riordian, and has been working every Thursday with the Bulldog slot receivers for the past few weeks.

"I don't know what I can bring to the program just yet. For now, I am looking forward to a great year with the Bulldogs and keeping the strong Bulldog tradition going," said Langridge, who joins the ranks of Bulldog alumni-rich coaching staff. Eight of CSM's 12 football coaches, including Langridge, are Bulldog alumni.

"Coach Langridge is a fun person to be around," said sophomore Bulldog slot receiver Matt Sevelo, a Serra High School alumnus. "We all respect him and listen to what he tells us, like how he wants us to focus on keeping our eyes up while running routes. I have known Coach Langridge since the eighth grade as he coached my older brother and my cousins."

"I'm extremely proud my brother has joined the coaching staff at CSM," said Langridge's brother John, who worked with Langridge at Riordan as the defensive coordinator and is also a Bulldog alumnus. "I am going to miss coaching with him but I look forward to him coaching alongside my mentors while I was attending CSM."

Langridge currently lives in Redwood City with his four children and wife Collen, who herself was a Lady Bulldog basketball player under then women's basketball and head football coach Tom Martinez.