Friday, January 28, 2011

Permit Test

So I failed my Permit test last week... I know I'm a loser.

I don't understand how I could fail my permit test it makes me feel so bad about my self, its supposed to be like the easiest test ever but I didn't think so! It was hard. Maybe its a sign that I'm going be a horrible driver, who knows? All I know is I'm retaking the test on Monday and if I fail again I will break down and cry in the middle of the DMV haha.

Anyway I'm just going to think positive all weekend and study... a lot. Failing again is not a possibility I have to pass! And if I do pass(which I will, hopefully)stay off the roads haha!
Wish me luck:)

bleh junior prom

Ugh...
JP...
2 weeks...
to find a date...
and a dress...
What is with this? Everyone makes out JP to be this huge deal, and then that makes me make a huge deal about it. Ask any adult and they can give you a detailed description of that night. It's a memory that will stick with us forever. If JP sucks, we will never be able to forget how horrible that night was. If it's amazing, well lucky you.
All I know, is I don't want to be "that girl". The girl without the date. I know there are girls and guys who go to JP without dates no problem. But it's just not my thing. I'm not going to a date dance without a date. Period. Ok... i'm done feeling sorry for myself now. Hopefully everything will all turn out.

The Driving Test...

Yes, the long awaited day has come. The day where i take my driving test. Today at 9:30 i will drive to the dmv wait in a line for two hours, then get in a car with a random stranger that will access my driving skills. Last night, i found myself waking up at 3 in the morning second guessing whether or not i have to look over my shoulder on every right turn i take. Yes, this simple thought kept me up for an hour. Then it was the hand signals, straight arm out means left, bend arm means right , and bent arm down means stop. Right ? Who knows. I'm probably taking this too seriously and will second guess every move i make. But really it doesnt matter if i pass. I will be given the opportunity to take it again. Its true. I am now just using this blog as a venting session to let out all the nerves. Well wish me luck !

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

State of the Union

Yesterday, President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union. It was a heavy speech. Considering the current condition of America, there was much it had to achieve.
It did a fantastic job, at least in my opinion. Obama deftly spoke on such issues such as education, the deficit, our two wars, and, of course, the economy. On the first two issues, he laid out intelligent plans to improve both. In education, he went over previous successes, as well as the need to improve instruction in the areas science and technology to compete with other countries, just as was done during the space race, and how to accomplish such reform.
On foreign policy, Obama went over his achievements, as well as what he plans to do to make things better. These plans include a successful pullout from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as dealing diplomatically with difficult states such as Iran and North Korea.
Most importantly, Obama spoke about the economy, and how to recover from the recession. This involved fiscal policy as well as entrepreneurship. He shared many success stories of the latter.
All in all, it was a great speech. Effective too. In the wake of the address, Obama's approval ratings have gone north of 50% for the first time since spring of 2010. Most of America is once again confident that America can get better.

"Good morning, ladies and gentleman..."

I had a realization the other day- I'm a weirdo. You know, I hate it when that happens. When you finally get "Oh, wow...I'm sort of strange".
It's because I love doing speeches.The trigger? AUWW speech contest.(By the way, if Shilpa is joining, I'm so screwed)My goal is to make at least 5th place in the competition. This usually wouldn't be a worry, but there's 15 applicants. So basically, I have a 3rd of a chance of making it. if we're basing it on random statistics....I'm so nervous! The topic is women's rights and poverty. I'm basing teh main cause of poverty on the stereotypes surrounding women in the job industry.

I need to practice, but instead I'm writing this.

This is why America is FAT.

So I've been looking around the Internet since class started (only 15 minutes), and I have already seen countless food ads. Pictures of cupcakes, cookies, burgers, and other delicious looking items are in ads, especially all over Yahoo!.

Seriously? What kind of person likes to be bombarded with pictures of the most mouth-watering food possible while they're sneaking on the computer at school or in some cubicle at work? It's 8:03 in the morning. I just had breakfast. And I'm already in the mood for a burger and a cupcake.

This is why America is fat. We try to mind our own business, we really do. But the food industry, they're masters at advertisement. Literally no other ad could get me as hyped up about a product as a huge picture of some quality food does. Or just someone who happens to be walking around campus with a Starbucks in their hand with some steam floating off the top or the whip cream drizzled with chocolate showing through the clear plastic dome top thing.

And now I am starving, but my lunch seems tasteless. Healthy food.... gah.

Ads suck.

iGeneration

Ever since we first touched upon the subject in AP Psychology, I have been wondering what exactly makes our generation unique. Mr. Sturgeon told us about how other generations seemed to have more of an identity compared to ours, with their styles, music and fads and it sort of worries me that we don't have anything to set us apart from all the other generations. I mean, I don't really want to be the unidentified generation. When I was in a bookstore last week I saw a book about how Snark (a word that is basically a combination of snide and remark) is apparently changing our society for the worse and it's all because of our generation of degenerates and our horrifyingly sarcastic ways. I don't mind a bit of snark, in fact, sarcasm is pretty much my favorite form of communication, but I don't necessarily want it to become our only identifying feature.

But what should identify us? Our clothing styles are mostly just borrowed from previous generations. Our music isn't unique unless you count rap and auto tune as revolutionary developments in the field. And many of our more popular songs are just remakes of old one hit wonders. The only things I can find which could count as being even remotely revolutionary are Language and Technology. With language I'm not sure it counts because language is always changing and every generation, memorable or not, makes changes in language. Besides, what have we even changed? We've simply made phrases and words gradually shrink so that we could be even lazier with communication than before. And technology has allowed this to happen even faster. Technology may truly be the only thing that makes us distinguished from other eras. With all the developments being made, from the iPod to the iPad we just keep one coming out with innovative new things to give ourselves. So does that make us the iGeneration? Constantly worried about "I" and continuously discovering new technology to satisfy ourselves with...

Is it sad that these are the only things I could come up with that even partially establish us as an anomalous era? Or is this normal? Maybe it is simply impossible to understand what sets a generation apart until aforementioned generation is fully grown and we have all become more responsible versions of our degenerate, snarky selves. But somehow, I find this theory difficult to believe, after all, in the fifties didn't they almost immediately know that they would be later identified as the generation of Rock & Roll? In the sixties and seventies didn't they know they would be known as the Hippie generation? Maybe that's because these were more countercultural movements than anything else. Is that our problem though? Do we need a more rebellious movement to earn our place in history as a generation to remember or do we simply need time? Either way, I do hope that someday we will be known as something. Even if it is just the iGeneration.

Day One: Verbal Detox.

Today, our dear friend, Alisha McGoldrick, is beginning her verbal detoxification. Of late, she has been using certain...undesirable phrases with high frequency. The word in question is "shat" a derogatory exclamation of the "crap!" family. Everyday, her friends and family have experienced the shouts of "shat!" at any misfortune.

"We have an AP US test today? SHAT!"

"My flash cards suck? SHAT!"

It must stop. After some research that determined that breaking a habit takes roughly 30 days to break, Alisha vowed at 7:55 am on Wednesday, January 26th to clean up her mouth and take responsibility for her bad habit.

By 8:03am, a whopping eight minutes later, Alisha's willpower had broken.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

lsjfsljflaskjfldkf

Maybe you've seen me type/text like that before. It is a way I get rid of stress and it feels so good to just let your fingers run across the keyboard sldfjslsldfjwliehlsdkfjslkfjlkdjflskdjflskdjf. Ah, relaxed and now back to studying.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Mr. WHS

Mr. WHS is Whitney's version of Mr. Thunder. I was actually asked to be in it by my friend Cory who sings, so he needed someone to play guitar for him. the experience was great, even though when it was time to perform, my friend left out some words and his voice was all over. The whole thing was run by our own Mr. Nicoles wife. I really did not want to piss her off. Even though I was backstage the whole time, I was able to watch he show on the TV, and I have to say that they have yet to out do us on the male "beauty" pagent.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Starbucks Spelled My Name Wrong

I really don't care if Starbucks spelled my name wrong on my drink. Maybe it is because I go to the place three-four times a year (and wrote an editorial, "Stopbucks", for the Flash two years ago). Or maybe it is because "Amanda" is a pretty simple name to spell (other than amanDUH) so I don't come across misspellings. I don't know. To me it just seems silly to make a big deal out of a spelling error on a cardboard sleeve/piece of plastic that is going to be thrown away later that day. I know Safa agrees with me because she just tells the people her name is "Sara" for convenience. I mean, these people are human, they make mistakes, too. It isn't like the name on the drink is going to alter the flavor of the beverage.

"Trending Now"

I appreciate Yahoo for telling me what the top ten searches currently are, because I totally want to search what the rest of the world is right now! I was disappointed in society yet amused when I actually read the list of top ten searches, for basically the first time ever.

1. Kourtney Kardashian
2. Nicki Minaj
3. Ashton Kutcher
4. Ben Affleck
5. Heart disease
6. Rosemarie Dewitt
7. LA Lakers
8. College Applications
9. Kobe Bryant
10. Refinancing

I love how there are four celebrities then heart disease. Not that I love that heart disease in on the list, but it is just so random. I have no idea who Rosemarie Dewitt is... haha The most practical one on here is definitely college applications. That is probably the only one I would actually search. Except that I am finally done! I am not really sure why Nicki Minaj is number two. I don't really like her music, and she is better when she is "featured" in a song, but still... As for the fact that basketball is thrown in on 7 and 9, I am sort of confused why there are two about the same sport. What i get from this list: Entertainment gossip, sports, and health are the priorities in today's society.

Exhausted?

A typical conversation:
"Hi! How are you?"
"Good, but tired."
"Me too, I hardly got any sleep last night."

This happens so often. I stumbled across an article that stated sleepiness can come from more than just a lack of sleep. I figured as much, but was surprised at some of the reasons shown. I knew that excessive stress could cause you to be tired, but I was surprised to see that a messy desk, professional outift, monotonous routine, and sleeping in on weekends were also on the list.

I was definitely most surprised that sleeping in could actually make you more tired, because I typically feel more rested after actually catching up on sleep. Maybe I will try that next weekend...

Saturday, January 22, 2011

You know what really grinds my gears?

You know what really grinds my gears?
-When my house is out of Eggo waffles
-When my brother tries to tell me what to eat
-When my brother tries to make me vacuum
-When I lose at board games
-When people assume I'm stupid
-When people beat around the bush
-When someone you clearly know doesn't acknowledge you in the halls
-Having to work on Saturday mornings
-Having to work at all
-When people my age condescendingly call me adorable
-When people call the elderly adorable
-When good friends become acquaintances
-When girls think it's okay to shriek all the time
-Wind chimes
-Wind
-Being predictable
-Meatloaf
-That California doesn't have lightning bugs
-Rihanna
-That Santa doesn't exist
-Forgetting my password
-Forgetting to do my homework
-Forgetting everything, always
-Fake smiles
-Stale cookies
-That I'm not a wizard
-That superheroes don't exist, but villains do
-When people take 184 napkins, use one, then throw the rest away
-The freezing cold water in the restroom faucets
-Being a picky eater
-Dull pencils
-When people spell my last name Peterson
-That my nose is always pink
-Cat hair
-When people say sam-which
-People who are always in a hurry
-When Costco doesn't have food samples
-The song 'Eye of the Tiger'
-Horoscopes
-Magazines about celebrities and their personal lives
-When you are eating candy and someone asks if they can have a red one
-Ice cream with freezer burn
-People who dress their pets
-That I bite my nails
-Cold hands
-That I suck at public speaking

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Beginning

Tomorrow, Saturday January the 22nd, I will be starting 'boot camp' training in order to test for my third degree black belt. Having already been through two boot camps before I know it's going to be intense to say the least. Training will consist of being at karate almost everyday; sparring Monday-Wednesdays, general training Tuesday-Thursdays, and conditioning and whatnot Friday and Saturday. I've been anticipating this for quite a while now, and to be honest I'm pretty excited to start working hard. I am apprehensive however, about how all these extra hours at karate will conflict with schoolwork and Mock Trial practice. The day of the black belt test is April 29-30th and two days later on May 2nd I have tests for two of my AP class, Chemistry in the morning and Psychology in the afternoon. Later in the week I have the AP US test. Studying is going to be really hectic with everything else that is going on so I hope to take full advantage of the two week-long breaks that we have before then.

Honestly though, I really enjoy boot camp. We run around 3-6 miles a week and train hard on all the material we need to know. It's fun because you become so close with the other candidates who will be testing with you. Though time consuming, when it's all over you feel pretty accomplished with all the hard work. Should be some good times.

I love this blog

It's so funny! People are so weird

http://awkwardsleepramblings.blogspot.com/

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Wordz

Yup.
So I read Catcher in they Rye last night.
Meh.
I mean, it was a lot better than any other assigned reading I've had to do. Besides Tuesdays with Morrie, that is.
But Holden was just so negative. Pessimistic.
He hated everything, and it made me feel pretty lousy.
"Wah wah wah I'm Holden, and I am misunderstood. Feel bad for me." Shut up.
But otherwise, it was easy to read. So that was nice.
Elisabeth says not to hate on Holden. Maybe she feels she is misunderstood too and can relate to him.
Nah, it's elisabeth. HHAHAAHAHA. SHES NOT MISUNDERSTOOD! HAHAH.
One thing I did enjoy is Holden's relationship with his little sister. Having two older brothers, I thought it was very sweet the way he cared for her.
OH, the part where he spends the night at his old teachers house and wakes up to the creep stroking his face. What is that??
Okay, yeah.
If I knew this boy personally, I would probably slap him senseless.

dance crashers

I don't know what posseses a person to show up to a high school dance drunk. what is it with people? It is the most stupidest thing a person can do, because they never get away with it. I don't know if they think it's cool or not but I find it very stupid, and ultimately pointless. It makes them look like idiots because it's very obvious when a person has been drinking. maybe it's for shock value or maybe it's just to say that they've done it before. Just go to the dance to be around people and actually dance, and I don't think you have to be drunk to be able to enjoy that.

CHUCK

So, I never thought I would say this (EVER) but I love Chuck.
No, not some guy named Chuck, but the Chuck the TV show!
About a month ago, I did not think I could fall in love with this quite cheesy show. BUT my friends proved me wrong!!
I went over to a friend's house and stayed up watching about like 2-3 episodes and fell in love! And then, like all shows, Chuck took like a 3-week break and I was kinda flipping out!
This week though, a new episode of Chuck aired and it was pretty intense!!!

Can't wait for next week

Kennedy

Today, users of Google are greeted with the face of John F. Kennedy embedded in the logo. This is because,50 years ago, on January 20, 1961, he was sworn in as president of the U.S. Kennedy, a WWII hero, won the election during difficult political times. He fulfilled his duties well, even averting thermonuclear war. R.I.P.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Just write it out

Tomorrow, my French/Spanish penpal and I are sending each other letters! I met her over the summer (she lives in socal) and instead of communicating 100% on facebook, we have decided to write each other letters the "old school" way-paper and pen.

There's just something fun about receiving snail mail. It is nicer to walk to the mailbox, open it up, and open an envelope to see someone else's handwriting on nice stationery/binder paper. A message just feels more real on paper, I think. Knowing that someone took the time to write out a personal message brightens my day. Just the act of writing a letter is so kind and thoughtful enough.

Maybe I'm just weird for being a big fan of handwritten letters. I love the convenience of texting and e-mail, but sometimes, a letter is the way to go.I know our society is so electronic now, but electronics can't replace everything entirely.

Some people save letters to look at years later. And cards, I won't even go there-let's just say I love artistic and beautiful cards.

So someone in here, in this class, write a letter to a friend on a piece of paper. They don't have to live far away. They could be sitting next to you. I dare you to try it.

California Super Storm?

I'm pretty sure everyone has heard about the possibility of the super storm in California. But I am not sure I believe it, part of me is scared to death, but the other part is in denial. 100 scientists believe its going to happen because of its history..I don't even know what I would do, I guess I would just try and spend as much time as I can with my friends and family and to try and live in the moment..but at the same time I can't help but think its just a theory and there is just a chance of it happening.

Blue vs Silver

I don't like blue days. I have never liked blue days. I always feel so much more relaxed on silver days and for some reason I feel like there is a different feel to silver days than blue days. I think mainly it is because all four years of hich school I've had math on blue days, and math requires a lot of mental strength. I think also I have had more electives on silver daysand more academic classes on blue days. For my blue days this year, I have 2 AP classes and english..that requires me to think more..lol

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

A Snoot & the Humbs

Let me tell you a story of a wondrous kingdom,
Although there were those who called it a nasty, foul slum,
To us it was a land of abounding great beauty,
And those who said otherwise were the snoots, because they were all snooty.

Inside this kingdom was a marvelous sight
Like a rainbow exploded, from left clear to right.
There we were, a divine, peaceful race,
Each boasting a smile upon each kind face.

We'd never had an argument, a fight or a war,
Sometimes we did quarrel, but to life there is more
Than wandering about kicking stones while you grumble.
That is why we were called humbs, because we were quite humble.

One day came along a snoot of great force,
(for following him now we do fully remorse)
Our culture and joy he seemed to devour,
And quick as a snap he came into power.

He spoke of prime colors as if they were holy,
And then he did something, he did it quite slowly.
Maybe we waited just a little too long,
But we certainly, certainly, certainly caught on.

Anyone who was
PINK,
who was ROUGE
who was RUST.
Who was CRIMSON,
MAGENTA,
SANGRIA,
or LUST,
Was sent to a place we know not much of,
Except it's not here, with the ones that they love.

He did this too,
With yellow and with blue,
So no longer was seen
Orange, purple, or green.

We did not like this, not one single bit,
Some of us cried and hollered and caused a great fit,
And those who had said, "No, wait, stop this is wrong!..."
Their sentence was ended, they also were gone.

So we spoke his strange language, his gobboldy-gook,
And we lived in blind fear of our ruler, this crook.
He took more than freedom, but the truth of the word,
The concept of trust was forever unheard.

And we lived in blind fear
Of the one who ruled all,
Though for him we'd cheer,
We awaited his fall.

He made it quite clear of the boundaries between us,
And he made us three seperate races, with great success.
So I, who was red, fought my brothers of blue,
And my sisters of yellow, it's sad, but it's true.

And I watcher as our metropolis, our utopia, our world,
By the words of this snoot, come thoroughly unfurled.
And I wept as I thought all hope is to be lost,
Out the window, harmony tossed.

And then one day, as soon as he had come,
That snoot, that rat, that wretched old scum,
He was no longer here, an answer to our prayer!
Now was the time for extensive repair.

His impact, I am very, very sad to say,
Is much stronger than what can be fixed in a day.
There is still fighting among the races, why? I'm not sure.
I am trying my very best to find the cure.

This all happened some time ago,
And I believe it is time to let our love once again grow.
I am trying my very best to get this country back,
For you see my child, just born, is the faintest shade of lilac.

Why I love lists and dislike blogs.

1. It's more fun for the mind to read simple little bullet points instead of long paragraphs.
2. It takes up more room so it makes it look like I wrote a lot.
3. They can be about anything, anything in the world and you will most likely read it. Because it's a list.
4. It sounds like lisps.
6. I can skip numbers and you won't even realize it. It's like...a subliminal message. Sort of. ...Not really.
54. You don't ever have to finish a list. You can be done any time you want and name your list "(Number you ended on) Reasons Why I (Blah blah blah)"
107. You can make a list about making a list.
108. Two words: Christmas lists. Uhh, who doesn't love Christmas?
109. Lists can even include pictures! So I leave you with this random picture I made in Adobe Fireworks off of some tutorial I found. Enjoy.

110. I hate blogs.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Lazy Days

Everyone deserves the right to be lazy every once a while and today was one of those days where I did absolutely nothing important. Unless you call sleeping until 12 or watching a full season of America's Next Top Model important. After all the stress of the school week, I want to cherish the time on the weekends that I have to relax so I take full advantage of it by making sure that terrible word, "school", doesn't even pass through my mind. I don't understand people who pack their weekends full with plans or constantly have to be around people and doing something exciting. Honestly, I would probably spend most of my weekends by myself in my room reading Harry Potter or playing Bubble Spinner if it weren't for my friends and that luring sense of unaccomplishment. In the end, lazy days are helpful every once in a while, because I eventually get bored and disappointed in my self for having "wasted" a day and I become more motivated to get things done the next day.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Eagles

Man.. i hate Eagles, i really do. Philadelphia Eagles, Eastern Michigan Eagles, but especially the freaking Golden Eagles of Del Oro. Don't we all?

Tonight at 7 we at Rocklin have a chance to take them down as usual at the Varsity Boys Basketball game and boy am i ready!!?? Whether you're on the team, are a manager, play on the lower level or are just a fan you can help the Thunder get a win.

In what's sure to be a great game, come out and support we want it PACKED! Let's go take them down!

I'm ready, are you?

New Year's Resolutions Turnouts

It's still very early in the year and at the start of 2011 I resolved to start working out regularly and stop my habit of procrastination. Nearly two weeks into the year, things are going pretty well for one of these changes. I have been running nearly every day a little less than a mile and I plan to build up my endurance to start going farther. I have also been doing exercise videos. There are these 8 minute workout videos on Youtube for legs, arms, abs, and stretching. They were made in the early 90's and they're kinda cheesy with this guy who says "Hey gang!" in every video. I've also been doing workout videos by Jillian Michaels who is the toughest trainer on the Biggest Loser. Her workouts are really intense but I look up to her for her never quit attitude.
In regards to procrastination, things haven't been going so well. I still have trouble starting my homework right away and focusing on it long enough to get it all done in one go. I need to learn to eliminate my own distractions and build up a higher tolerance for continuous work. I have decided that I won't make resolutions a yearly thing but make every Monday a new beginning for my goals and ambitions. Hopefully this will lead to greater improvement.

Creepy Noises Near My House...

Yesterday, I heard some creepy noises. How creepy you ask? Quite...

Before I begin telling this great horror tale, I'll give you some background details. For one, my room is on the side of the house right next to the big wooden door that seperates my backyard to the driveway. It gets stuck often and makes this really loud screeching noise because it gets stuck on the cement.

So, yesterday, I was in my bed about to drift off into my stages of sleep when I heard the screeching noise from the wooden door. That could only mean one thing, right? SOMEONE WAS BREAKING IN!! I was having a panic attack in my bed and was flipping out. I din't want to turn on my light and have the thief like break through the window and attack me (it could happen...) but I know I needed to do something.

I decided to maybe get a look at the thief before screaming towards my parents' room. So, I slowly lift one of the blinds from my window to take a glimpse at him. And do you know what I saw??? A cat. A cat staring at one of the plants in my backyard. I almost had a heart attack because of stupid cat. Never really liked them anyways...

runaway week

So this is Runaway week and I can't decide whether or not I like it. Last year, Runaway was my favorite week of the year. But this year there is an amazing amount of drama. It honestly feels more stressful than homecoming. I would think that Homecoming would be more stressful because you have to worry about dates, dresses, dinner reservations, etc. But in ways Runaway poses a lot of problems. My group has had a ton of disagreements over what we are going to wear and in ways I hate this about casual dances. Also, it seems that everyone is just in a bad mood for some reason. Maybe because it is the second week back at school and everyone's still tired.
On the flip side, I love Runaway week. I love all the dress up days. It is so amazing to see how creative people are with their dressup outfits. Also, I absolutely love rallies. So I think it could still be fun. :)

Snake

I was bored one day and discovered the most fun game...Snake! Yasmine showed it to me. It's the simplest game. You're a little snake and you collect apples without hitting the wall or yourself. The more apples you collect the bigger the snake becomes. http://allpsych.com/games/snake/index.html Play it, it's fun!! : D
Anyways, besides that new joy in my life, I am very upset with administration. I was put in plus period for a class I am not even in anymore. I dropped Ap biology and they decided that I was now going to be in plus period for two weeks. The point of plus is to help you with classes you are struggling with, but I'm not in that class anymore!!!!! Who makes these decisions??
http://isisrosemusic.wordpress.com/

back in the swing of things

being sick by the second week back at school is never fun. but it was a nice break from school but, it is now back in full swing. test have begun and are going strong. students are begin to wonder when their next break will be, but luckly this weekend is a three day weekend!!! this week even with being sick has been extremly busy with the spirit week, homework, friends, studying, practice, games, and getting ready for the dance. but strangly it is kind of nice being back to routen.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

River Deep, Mountain High

Glee has subjected me to a world of music. On the episode where the club did duets, there was one song I had heard once years ago and had never really listened to, but was taken aback at how great it was momentarily. I forgot about it, that is until my friend started singing it nonstop a week ago. Now, I am absolutely completely obsessed. It's such a great song. Originally by Tina Turner, "River Deep, Mountain High" is a powerful ballad with incredible lyrics. I loved Glee's rendition of it, but the original is really fantastic. I've been singing it nonstop. For your enjoyment, I have posted the first few verses and the chorus. I highly recommend listening to it. It will blow your mind.

When I was a little girl I had a rag doll
Only doll I've ever owned
Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll
But only now my love has grown

And it gets stronger in every way
And it gets deeper let me say
And it gets higher day by day

Do I love you my oh my
River deep mountain high yeah yeah yeah
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby
Baby, baby, baby

A Pet Peeve

I absolutely hate when people post overdramatic, overemotional statuses on facebook. Or take a billion pictures of themselves that look all the same! It's just ridiculous. Facebook is a place to communicate with your friends, not tell the world about your non-existent problems. I'm a generally happy person and it really bugs me when people post negetive things. I guess I sound like a jerk right now, but it just gets on my nerves.
Thank God for the blog, I need to vent every once in a while :P

Needs Halp Bad

So Brit Husmann walks into 2nd period today completely decked in homeless attire. She seriously went all out, and I honestly don't know who can top her. So I'm going to take this opportunity to elaborate on the contents of the cart that she has transformed into her home away from home.

So we've got your obvious cardboard sign, saying "need halp bad" in excellent grammatical form. On her person shes got two different shoes, one tall sock, a beanie, and two huge jackets. Plaid is a given. On the outside of the cart, there's a plastic bag tied to one side and running shoes tied to the other. Other accessories include a broken trumpet, a water bottle in a brown paper bag, an umbrella, a blanket and two bags. She's completely loaded.

I'm impressed. This is what spirit week is all about. Sort of. Now all she needs to do is walk around all day growling at people/blowing on the broken trumpet to warn people to get out of her way, mumbling to herself and that will complete that which is referred to as Hobo Day.
Oh wait here she comes...back into the room...with dirt covering her face. And has just discovered ants on the cardboard signs. This is dedication, folks.

Dress Up Days

So I've never really been much for dressing up on spirit days. In fact, I never have, with the exception of wearing a specific color to school like purple yesterday. I don't know why, I suppose I just am not very comfortable with leaving my comfort zone. Thanks to the encouragement of a friend who has trying to connive me into dressing up since middle school, I'm finally going all out. And, I figure, I only have 17 months left in Rocklin, and 3 semesters left at RHS. So I'm going to dress up quite a bit, at least for Hobo Day, today.

I hope my cart will fit through the classroom doors.

Friday, January 7, 2011

BruNO TALENT Mars

So my fran Holly is obsessed Bruno Mars, and well I'm not totes sure which songs he sings (all I know is I have a shirt that a girl wears in one of his videos hehe) but I know one thats called 'Grenade' or some nonsense and well it just doesn't make sense to me it's really just a dumb song actually and Holly tries to defend it by saying oh well he has lots of good songs just none of the ones that are on the radio. And that's clearly rubbish because an artists best songs get chosen to be singles derr. But anyway, back to granade. Here's some lines from the song:
I’d catch a grenade for ya
Throw my hand on a blade for ya
I’d jump in front of a train for ya
You know I'd do anything for ya
Why would anybody ever need to do these thing ^ for any person ever at all? What is Bruno trying to say here? Basically he's saying if there was an impossible situation where him and his gal, perhaps in the midst of enjoying some carmels or sharing a baklava, find themselves teleported into a World War I battle field and there's a grenade coming at them. In this situation, Mars would, without a doubt, sacrifice his life to catch the explosive weapon. He'd catch it... apperantly so that at least when they both blow up and die he can at least say he was courageous enough to reach for it. And uh, Bruno, when's the last time your girlfriend has asked you to saw off your hand for her? Or are you living in a 1940s black and white cowboy film where some crook tied ur gf to a train track after that saloon brawl?

The moral of the story is this guy doesn't tickle my fancy because who can relate to nonsensical lyrics? You may criticise me for singing along anyway (it's catchy) but I still disaprove.

life

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you lemonade, you know you have a wife that's good to you. This week i've been in a fantastic mood. everythings gone right. it was my birthday i'm finally not sick and i am loving life. so go out and enjoy your burritto.

Sleeping in class

Yesterday the girl that sits behind me in World History fell asleep during class. No big deal right? Are you wondering why I'm blogging about this? Well if you are wondering why, its because my teacher said something to her in front of the whole class and embarrassed her completely. It really made me think and I had a realization that sleeping in class is a lot more of a big deal than people think it is.

Everyone seems to do it, right? In every class there at least always one person sleeping. I admit there have been times where I have wanted to fall asleep because something my teacher was talking about was so painfully boring, but i have never actually completely fallen asleep. When I look at it from a teachers perspective it really makes me think about how embarrassing it can be for the teacher and not only the student.

Teachers have to stand up and talk in front of teenagers all day long and when they see someone sleeping i feel that its a sense of the student say, "I have no respect for you and don't want to listen to what you're saying."

The thing that I think about if I was trying to teach teenagers all day long and if I saw them sleeping while I was talking I know I would feel offended... so that helps me not fall asleep. In my opinion its just rude, so people get enough sleep...at home.

Nemo character...Toy Story army men...The Incredibles

Runaway week is coming fast! The upcoming days of dressing up as our favorite pixar characters, dressing as a hobo, ugly sweaters and much more are approaching the halls of Rock lin High School. Though for most this is not was has everyone buzzing, but instead the dance. The Runaway dance taking place on Friday, January 14th . For most the actual dance isn't the fun part but figuring out which one of the many costumes they should wear. Girls all over the campus are exchanging ideas of what cute costumes can fall into the pixar theme of the dance. The ideas of fish from Finding Nemo, Toy story barbies, and the crew from the Incredibles are only a few. As for me and my friends the barbies from toy story have caught our eye. Rocklin high school has a great tradition of having their students dress up and show spirit for their dances. Runaway is no exception.

Icing On A Cupcake

I took a visit yesterday to arguably my favorite place in Rocklin, Icing on a Cupcake. I am not a particularly huge fan of cakes or cupcakes in general, but Icing on a Cupcake is amazing. And apparently I'm not the only fan, as this small town bakery has become an unexpected success and is spreading it's business around Northern California, with new openings in Folsom and Sacramento and a possible opening in Roseville.

Icing on a Cupcake is so unique because of it's very homey feel. I've never felt unwelcome there, seeing as I've visited with others and just talked or even done my Calculus homework with a friend. The employees are always wearing some kind of T-Shirt saying "I Love Cupcakes" or "Cupcakes Rule!", and it seems like they are even part of the light pink wall paint and cheery decor of the room.

But the cupcakes are what keeps me coming back. I have never had better cupcakes in my life. They even vary it with their "Flavors of the Month" (November was Cranberry, December was Gingerbread, and January is Maple, which I had yesterday and it was AMAZING.) and experiment with flavors that I would never expect in cupcakes, seeing as I saw a couple dozen pistachio ones on display yesterday. They're extremely rich, however, and best enjoyed in moderation or scraping some icing of the top (it's ridiculously sweet).

So if you haven't visited yet this "Boutique Cupcakery" yet (as they call themselves), take soem time to do so. you might just find yourself addicted.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

To all those Flash haters out there

I love distribution day. I love it when people come up to me and ask if they can have a copy of the Flash. I love seeing students with their faces buried in the newspaper everywhere I turn. And I love when teachers have to constantly remind their students to stop reading the Flash in the middle of their lecture.

But I hate when people reject receiving a paper.

"Hey would you like a copy of the Flash?"
"No."
...

I know this is a really biased point of view since I'm an editor, but, I mean, come on! The impression I get when people turn down an issue of the Flash is that they think they are too cool to read and that they don't give a care what goes on in their school. I take much pride in RHS and I love being involved so I find this behavior in some students very offensive, especially when they shoot me dirty looks just because I offered them a paper. I understand not everyone is going to want to read the Flash. That's just how it is, but they are missing out, and someday they will probably regret not taking more pride in their high school.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

A Crazy Little Thing Called...

Love. What is love anyway?

Today I'm going to be writing about a major pet peeve of mine; people who overuse the word love. It's something that irks me to know end; something worse than people tapping on desks, kicking the back of my seat, or K$sha.

I mean, come on. We've all seen them walking around, or maybe one of them are a close friend. Those criminals who use "love" like a valley girl's "like". "I love you! I love you! I LOOOOVE~!YOUU!" It makes me want to puke. Love, to me, is something important. If you love someone, then you really care about them, listen to them, and understand them. So far, there are few people in the world that I love. However, to these love maniacs, love is something that everyone can have. Because they "love everyone!"

Love is a stereotype. Every little girl someday wants to grow up and fall in love with a prince. I wanted him to have a horse and bring me to his castle, and party with singing animals. My dream has still not been fulfilled.

But love in the end is something important. It's something that you don't just throw around like a dirty sock. It's more than just a four-letter-word that means you really like something. It's deeper than that. It has meaning!

People really don't see that. It bugs me.

The more they abuse the word, the more meaningless it becomes.

Soon, girls will not fret over when he's going to say "I love you" because the phrase will not have meaning or impact. It will be a mainstream phrase, similar to the Californian surfer "Duuuude..." or the over abused "totally".

Soon, people will speak of love to strangers, saying 5 minutes after meeting them, "I love you". I've had strange girls I barely knew say that to me. Of course, it was accompanied by "like" and "totally".

What's happening to our society? Is love no longer magic and sparkles and meaning?

When the future generation reads of Romeo and Juliet's love, will they be incapable of understanding doomed Romeo's love for tragic Juliet?

So you know who you are. Stop abusing love, before I start abusing you.

Lolcats

I have recently discovered the world of http://icanhascheezburger.com/. If you don't already know (and you probably don't), this is a website full of pictures of lolcats. These are photos people take of their cats doing relatively normal cat-like things with atrociously spelled captions in block letters that take up around a quarter of the entire picture. For some reason people seem to find these lolcats entertaining. After I got over my initial confusion I became one of these people. I would not reccommend visiting this site because if you are one of the people who has the potential to be amused by the lolcats then your overall internet productivity is likely to decrease significantly.

New Semester

It's a new semester in period 2 journalism and things are changing. We have switched seats, computers, groups, print groups and some of us have switched pod groups. The Pod is still together but we have been shifted across the room. I would much rather be back in the original Pod, with it's now unseasonal Christmas decorations and it's homey warmth, but at least we are still together in our seating arrangements. In some classes, I am totally cool with not choosing seats at the beginning, but I almost never want to switch seats in the middle of the year. By the end of semester one I finally enjoy sitting where I was assigned in different classes because I have gotten to know the people around me. And honestly, unless people are distracted by the seating arrangements there is no real reason to switch them. People generally work better when comfortable so why make students uncomfortable with seat changes?

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Aging

Today, I got a ride from someone in the same grade as me. This is not a novel experience for upperclassmen, but it was pretty weird for me. I was walking with my friend to his car, when he pointed out that his mom was in the passenger seat. I was perplexed until I remembered that all of my friends either can or soon will be able to drive. Six months from now, most will be fully licensed. This isn't happening for me anytime soon. Because I skipped a grade, I'm several months to a year and a half younger than my peers. The Class of 2011 will be a distant memory by the time I'm licensed. Until then its either others, or my bike...

Monday, January 3, 2011

Blogging

Blogging isn't the worst, in fact it should be one of the easiest parts of this class. But I hate blank computer screens. I feel like there should be some sort of structure to blogging, like it would be nice if it asked questions instead of was like.. just write. It's weird though because blank pieces of paper don't inspire as much writer's block for me as blank computer screens. I know. I'm really interesting. And so is this post...

Sugar Hangover?

My break was not really a break. I worked and partied too hard, and didn't really rest, so yesterday, I thought I would attempt to relax with a Law and Order SVU marathon. I ate way too much sugar and fat though, and my head is all out of whack. I'm super dizzy and tired, and there's something pounding in my head. Eww, right? So tired...Time to detox.

My breaks never are "breaks"...They're just work outside of school.

Happy to back!

So my break was pretty much amazing!! I hung out with friends and just had so much fun but I'm glad to be back. I actually kind of missed waking up early and going to my classes, so Welcome Back everyone!!

winter wonderland

my friend has never gone snowboarding and her friend took her boarding. it wasn't one of the little bunny slopes but an actual slope. getting off the ski lift was the first trouble then came the part where she had to go down. lets just say it was stop and go. so the lesson of this is take a lesson before you go down the slope.

This Break in a Flash (Part II)

Basketball. Practice. Movies. Gifts. Family. Marin. Lights. Presents. Friends. Momma Number II. Wedding. Usher. Reading. Basketball. Travel. Pushups at 2 AM. Basketball. Games. Bri. Basketball. The Works........

bleh..

I wonder if anyone is actually looking forward to school? I mean legitemitely looking forward to it? I don't think so...Maybe if break was one more week longer it'd be ok to go back, but now? I am dreading it! I think we're all in the same boat here which will make it easier for us. but no matter what all of us I know will miss our sleep

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Thanks Kahn!!

So i'm staying up late tonight to catch up on some AP Chem Kahn Academy videos Mr. Werner assigned us to watch. And I'm actually not falling asleep as I watch them. We are learning organic chemistry right now, and so far I'm loving this Kahn Academy stuff. I'm actually excited for this unit because I'm actaully following what this guy is saying. Unfortunately organic chem is the shortest unit of the year because it is not a common subject covered on the AP exam.

But it's really funny because the narrator of the organic chem videos sounds just like Jeffrey Seyfried, which makes it all the more interesting. Kahn Acedemy even covers calculus! I have a feeling I'm going to have a good time with this website. It seems like it will end up being a real life savor.

Resolutions

I really don’t see the point in why people flock to Time Square or Las Vegas to see the ball drop. I guess being able to say “I was in Time Square on New Year’s Eve to see the ball drop,” is reason enough for some people. But the ball dropping really has no effect on me.
The excitement of the New Year does not stem from staying up past midnight, wearing the cool 2011 glasses, or watching the ball drop. The thing I look forward to every New Year is making my New Year Resolution list and of course looking back at my 2010 resolutions to see what I accomplished. Excited for 2010 to end and 2011 to start, I took a peak at my 2010 New Year resolutions. Looking back at it, I couldn’t help but laugh. I had 83 resolutions for 2010 and accomplished only 13…
At first it was upsetting. I felt like I accomplished nothing this year, but looking back at my 2010 New Year’s resolution, I realized how ridiculous I was to make 83 to begin with. Sure I didn’t accomplish all of them, but in January 2010, I had different interests and priorities than I did in February through December. So the truth is that I did accomplish quite a bit this year, but the things I did accomplish were not relevant in January 2010, and therefore were not on my 2010 resolutions list.
My 2011 New Year Resolution only has eight things I want accomplish, each goal being long term projects. Some are important while others are just for fun. Some examples include getting a job, volunteering at Sutter, and finishing the Harry Potter series. I also want to try having monthly goals so I can focus on my priorities that are relevant to a certain month. I love setting goals and I especially love the feeling of crossing something of my “TO-DO List”. So I’m going to take my long-term and short-term goals more seriously this year and hopefully when I look back at 2011, I’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

i ♥ journalism

i just submitted a story to my editor for work. it is one of my favorite stories i've ever written. it is such a beautiful story. it is about a cancer patient...i won't give any more info away. just read the placer herald on thursday.
Overall this break has been great. I have gone to San Franciso, my favorite place on the face of the planet. (If you are traveling to the city, I highly recommend visiting Hayes Valley. It's a great neighborhood filled with great restaurants, cool interior design shops, and cute boutiques. Plus it's near the Civic Center, so there's convenient garage parking, which is a rarity in the city.)
Other than going into the city for the weekend, I have done absolutely nothing. I have been to a couple basketball games and that was fun. I have hit the mall with my best friend twice. I've seen a couple movies with my family. And now I have a late night trying to get as ready as I can so I don't have to spend a ton of time in front of the mirror tomorrow at five in the morning. It's going to be a long night with my flat iron haha. Anyways, it has been a great and all too fast break. I cannot wait to see everyone tomorrow morning! :)

This Break in a Flash

Relatives. Movies. Sleeping in. Eating. Sleeping. Vicodin (wisdom teeth). Jello. Soup. Shopping. Picnic. Disney Scene It. Video Games. Christmas. Siblings. Parents. More sleeping. More eating. Friends. NEW YEARS!

Didyougetallofthat?

By the way...did anyone catch the title? (pun intended)

These Blogs

I always seem to end up doing these blogs the night before...even if I have been given two whole weeks to do them. I can't explain why...I just do.

Even though I realize what I need to do and by when...I make the conscious decision to do it at almost the last minute. This time I will go with the excuse that, "I work better under pressure."

In reality we all realize that this is a cop out to cover up for my tardiness...but sshhh...no one has to know that :).

Well it is the end of break and time to head back to school. Maybe this year I will be able to be more punctual. I wish you all a happy new year and good luck in your first week back!

A Not So Typical Christmas

Due to our family vacation to the East Coast this holiday season, we weren't able to keep up many of our Hartman family traditions for Chrismas. For years we have always picked out a Christmas tree, decorated it, watched Christmas Family Vacation, and drove by to look at Christmas lights together as a family, but none of that happened this year. Also, it was my first Christmas away from home since I can remember. At first, I was disappointed because it didn't even feel like Christmas without our prized traditions but I came to realize that there is so much more to everyone's "favorite time of the year". You don't need traditions to get in the Christmas spirit, all you need is the people you love. The holidays are all about appreciating what you have no matter where you are. While our Christmas may have been different than usual, it was still Christmas all the same.

New Year's on the Plaza

In Arcata (my hometown), New Year's revolves around the center of town: the plaza. It's just a square with stores and a statue, but it's like the heart of the town from 11:30 to 2 in the morning. Drunk people climb the statue of McKinley and count down to the new year, stoners wander around a bit confused. When the new year has been claimed, a samba band begins to play the same rhythm for the next several hours but people don't mind the repetition, the people who have chosen the Humboldt-lifestyle dance until the band is exhausted. Teenagers take off, worried about being picked up by the cops for being out past curfew among other possibly illegal activities.... On to the next party which is often busted soon after it's beginning. It's an interesting place to be, I saw old friends who had graduated years ago but continue to find their way there, as if they can't even conceive being anywhere else but on that plaza, in that town, on the first day of every new year. It's our own little Times Square, except the ball that drops is something more like a confused and very wasted person falling from the statue. But it seems more appropriate; after all, Humboldt is not known for it's glamour.

The Day I Became A Wizard

Being the Harry Potter fan that I am, I want nothing more than to become a wizard and go to Hogwarts. It may sound insane but over winter break my dream came true. As I entered into the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, tears came into my eyes as I saw the world I had been reading about since I was little appear before me. The is only one word to describe the theme park: magical. Everything is so detailed that you feel like you are in the movie. In Hogsmeade, I was surrounded by butterbeer stands, Ollivanders, Honeydukes, Zonko's, and The Three Broomsticks. I even purchased my own wand, a duplicate of Hermione's and drank a butterbeer which was quite delicious and tasted a lot like cream soda. Needless to say I was in Harry Potter heaven. The most chilling experience was looking up at the replica of Hogwarts and entering it to go on the main attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I have to say that it is the best ride I have ever been on. You sit on these "enchanted benches" and you begin to fly all over Hogwarts narrowly escaping spiders, dragons, and dementors. Parts of it are like Soaring Over California except way more intense while the other parts you are flipping, turning, and spinning all over the place. Even though the ride is meant to be sort of scary I sat there smirking like an idiot due to being overwhelmed with the amazingness of the ride. The downside to the day was that it was extremely crowded. I don't think I have ever been around that many people before in my life. Luckily, we went early enough so we had to wait an hour just to get into the Harry Potter section of the park instead of the three hour wait when we left. It was two hours just get inside some of the stores. But overall it was all worth it to live out my lifes dream of being a wizard.

DISNEYLAND

So obviously, I have put this all off to the very last minute. So much fail. Something that was not a fail, however, was my family vacation to Disneyland.
The Saturday break started, my family and I packed our bags, hopped in the car, and rode the long seven hour drive down to Anaheim. It was pouring rain the entire way, so I looked out the window, slept, and listened to some music. I figured it might be warmer in "sunny Socal".
I was so wrong. It was soooo rainy and wet and cold the entire time, but it couldn't have been more amazing. A lot of people were driven away by the rain, and at around 11:30 one night, my family practically had the entire park to themselves.
I developed three new pet peeves on my trip: wet shoes, wet jeans, and umbrella people. Wet shoes... ugh. Just ugh. You can feel all the water squelching around in your feet, and soon you can even feel your feet start to prune. Wet jeans... even worse. My legs were burning because I went on Splash Mountain five times in the pouring rain and my jeans were getting painful after they were soaked.
The last one requires an entire paragraph. UMBRELLA PEOPLE OH MY GAWSH I CANNOT STAND THEM. I saw a lady walk through the line at Buzz Lightyear to rejoin her family. And, like the rest of the umbrella people, she didn't bother to close it when going through a crowd, thus clawing the face of a poor innocent bystander who happened to be standing near her child. Too many people did this, and I found myself shouting things like, "GEE, THAT UMBRELLA SURE IS POKEY" or "DO YOU NOT REALIZE YOU ARE CLAWING EVERYONE IN THE FACE???" Not too many happy faces from those statements.
Aladdin. My love for Aladdin... well, I saw the show twice and visited Aladdin's oasis at least five times to check if he was there. And he never was because of the rain. I was so disappointed, but just seeing the show twice was amazing. Even if they skipped "A Whole New World" the first time I went because of technical difficulties.
But all in all, Disneyland was incredible. World of Color was absolutely amazing. My mom found ten bucks on the ground. Peter Pan and Ariel told me they liked my Christmas sweata. The lines weren't too long. It's a Small World was absolutely magical. Disneyland really is "The Happiest Place on Earth" :)

Wisdom Teeth Removal.

So I had my wisdom teeth pulled on Wednesday and it was a wondrous deal. Except, not really. First of all, they denied me the joy of laughing gas. Not only would I not get to experience the hilarious side effects of laughing gas post surgery, but I had to be awake for the surgery. Which I thought wouldn't be bad, as I've had four teeth pulled before and it didn't hurt at all.
When I walked in on Wednesday morning, I was completely relaxed. I sat down on my reclining chair and watched "The Divorce Court" until dentist walked in. He pulled out the anesthesia, and soon my entire chin and lower half of my cheeks were numb. I figured I wouldn't feel anything, seeing as I couldn't feel my own fingers against my face. It would be just like last time, just a nasty squelching sound and some slight pressure and it would be done. That's what I thought, at least.
The enormous plyers were pulled out and Dr. Nguyen (my dentist) proceeded to try and force my tooth out of the socket by "wiggling". It wouldn't come out however, and so he resorted to manually try and drill my tooth in half using what looked like a screwdriver. When that didn't work, they pulled out an actual drill and I heard a nasty cracking sound a couple of minutes later. It hurt pretty bad, seeing as they can't numb the nerves at the core of your tooth, just the surrounding gum. Possibly even worse is that he dropped my broken, bloody tooth on me while attempting to put it on some medical tray. The same exact thing happened with the other tooth, minus the dropping of the tooth. Needless to say, I wasn't in the best of moods afterwards, but I was finally done.
After the anesthesia wore off, the lower of my face was continuously throbbing and I resorted to Vicodin. Since then, I haven't really eaten solid food and I pulled a stitch out on New Years Eve. I don't believe I've had a bloodier New Years. One of the benefits that has come out of this whole thing, however, is that everyone felt the need to bring me frozen goodies, which I don't mind in the least.
So, take it from me. Find a way to get the laughing gas. Beg for it. Steal it. I don't know, just get it. It'll be a lot better than laying in a dentist's office, staring at a ceiling with lights covered in fake Japanese cherry blossoms while angry couples bicker in the background about their assets on "The Divorce Court".

13 Hours Left

Hmmm...The last 13 hours of my break are rapidly disappearing. It was neither the most eventful break nor the best break, but it was very nice to catch up on sleep. And, I must say, I'm less opposed to the prospect of starting tomorrow than my peers seem to be. It feels like it's time to get back on track and get back to school. I know during first period tomorrow, I will likely forget to change the date, but I'm looking forward to 2011 with hope. I still need to write out my New Year's Resolutions, but I think things are going to be good this year. Still...I will miss sleeping in...

Lady Gaga

May 23rd. The date of her new album's release. I am so excited! I just wish it was closer. At least a single is promised for February 13th. Nearly every song on The Fame Monster has become a hit. Bad Romance, Alejandro, Telephone, LoveGame, Paparazzi, Poker Face....the list can go on and on. So, I am ready for a new album.
I also applaud Lady Gaga for her crazy outfits and obnoxious performances. Though some, such as the meat suit, were a bit over the top, I am always excited to see what she is going to come up with next.

Piano

We have always had this huge piano in our living room that no one really plays. But recently I have been having an interest in playing it. My friend has siblings who can play but never really learned herself. So I thought it would be cool to learn some songs on the piano. It really helps having someone who has no experience in music also try and learn with you because both people are struggling to learn and it makes it easier. We mainly learn songs from youtube and friends who know songs. My problem with learning the piano is I don't really finish songs..I learn half and either get lazy or its too complicated for me to learn the left hand. I think its easier when someone actually teaches me, because they can work on it at the same time and visually show me in person. Now I really want to learn one full song and play it really well. The song I want to learn is River Flows in You. It sounds really complicated but also really pretty, a couple of my friends can play it and I get jealous, but they play other instruments, so they have some musical background where as I don't. But yeah basically I want to learn this song by the end of the school year.

Fresh.

Fresh, I like that word.
Fresh fruit. Fresh air. But most of all, a fresh start.
And for me, that is what a new semester brings. A gleaming hope. A chance to do things right.
So, first off. This semester, I will be a better planner. I am awful at time management. This needs to be dealt with. I never write things down in my planner, and therefore often forget to do homework.
Second, I need to do some community service.
Third, I need to balance the time and care I give to each class. Last semester, I was so consumed with getting an A in calculus, I neglected my AP psych grade in a major way.

So I guess you could call these my second semester resolutions.
Wish me luck.

Awards

What to expect in the first month of 2011 is big award shows coming to the red carpet. Love watching these award shows and rating the celebs' dresses and suits with my mom as we watch the red carpet premiere. If they look good, we don't throw popcorn at the TV. But, on the other hand if they come walking down the carpet dressed like the next Lady Gaga, it will be raining popcorn.

So, the first award show I am psyched for is the Golden Globes on the 16th. This award ceremony recognizes the cream of the crop actors and actresses.

Another awards show to watch for is the Screen Actor Guilds award show on Sunday January 30, 2011.

There is the Academy Awards on February 27th too.

These dates are for your convenience :P

And if you don't like these just watch them because normally the hosts are pretty funny.

Mon amie Angelique

I was so thankful I got to spend New Year's Eve and Day with my good friend from church, Angelique. I don't get to see her very often bec ause she is away at college, but I absolutely love her and her family. They should be featured in a documentary, but for now, I'll just start off with a blog post about them.

1) Angelique's parents are from Egypt and went to boarding school in France before moving to the states . They had a cute little love story, as they have known each other basically their whole lives.

2) They speak three languages fluently: Arabic, French, English. Angelique speaks English, French, and Spanish allll fluently (and better than me). It is so fun to have mulitlingual friends.

3) They love and respect all culture. Every Christmas party of theirs is a "life-changing experience", as Angelique puts it. The energy is always inspirational. Walking into their house alone is so refreshing...I see art from all over the world.

4) Angelique has been all over the world. She has been to Mexico, France, Brazil, Russia, Greece, Italy, etc.

5) Her sister has done medical work in Africa. She is a Harvard graduate. Her brother is a UCLA graduate and her other brother is a published author.

6) Angelique goes to Stanford. She is so humble about it though, she says she's going to start saying "Palo Alto Community College" when people ask what school she goes to.

7) Her family has a good sense of humor. They are ALL so down-to-Earth and such kind humanitarians who know what is important in life.

8) Angelique hung out with me and my foreign-exchange student this summer. Oh, and my foreign-exchange student who said America has no "attractive" females, liked her. Yes, she is beautiful inside and out.

9) Even though her family is so intellectual, they know how to have fun.

10) Angelique and I want to take racket-ball to the professional level.

11) Angelique wants to go into the health field and be a multilingual medical writer just like me! She got to write for Stanford's newspaper before she was even a student there.

I definitely wish I could bring her into journalism for a day.

Rain Rain Go Away

Rain rain go away... don't come back another day!

I absolutely despise rain with a passion. You hear those people who advocate for rain and say how "they sit inside next to a warm cozy fire reading a book while they cover themselves with a warm snuggie on days like these", but I'm like, what the heck are you thinking??

Rain is freezing (unless you are in the tropics which we are not), sometimes it stings, and it is simply annoying. I mean they are constant water pellets being shot from above.

Rain is not for me and to spend New Year's Day and the day after New Year's sitting inside watching this stupid rain make that "pitter patter" noise on my windows, I wish I could stop rain.

Such a gloomy day today...

Into the New Year

Alas it's been two weeks of break though it seems like we just got out. It's been a great time what with hanging out with the cousins a lot and re-watching the entire Avatar: The Last Airbender series on Netflix. As 2011 rolls in, I've been thinking about New Year's resolutions. Some people think that there's no point in making resolutions because they're almost always broken before January's end. I feel that this is a time of new beginnings, and resolving to do better helps guide one towards the right path in whatever one chooses to do. In past years, my resolutions haven't always worked out because I don't think I ever tried hard enough to stick to them. This year however, I hope to be more committed. I have resolved to stop procrastinating and work harder on my schoolwork and start exercising to get in shape. These are probably the most generic resolutions out there, but I feel that they apply to my life. I have also decided to try doing creative things and seek out new experiences. I hope that by documenting these resolutions I will be better prompted to actually follow them and stick to them for all of 2011 and beyond. Happy New Year!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

2010 Reflections

"So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one's just begun." -John Lennon, "Happy Christmas (War is Over)"
These words of my favorite Christmas song came softly from a radio in the corner of Grooves record store on Haight St. just a few blocks away from my uncles house on a recent trip to San Francisco. I don't know if it was the song, being in my favorite place on Earth, or being with one of the most influential people in my life, my uncle David, on Christmas, but it made me really stop and think about everything that I had done in 2010, right or wrong.
There was a lot I feel went right this year. I expanded friendships with new people. I became more self confident. And my favorite part of 2010 was becoming closer with my brother.
This summer my brother played in a baseball tournament in Southern California, and up until that point we hadn't been as close as we could have. I don't know what changed in LA, but I'm glad it did. Now we think like twins and are the best of friends.
Also, in 2010, I learned a lot about myself. I learned how much I value myself and that I won't let people disrespect me. I also learned that I need to balance relationships with friends, old and new. I love them all and want to show them that. Finally, I learned that I need to become a little more focused on my schoolwork again because in the long run, drama from Rocklin High School will not matter.
Overall, 2010 has been a great year, and I have learned so much about myself. I can't wait to see what 2011 has to bring. :)

Forward

Well, its 2011. I'm not happy about this. But I'm not sad either. In retrospect, 2010 was pretty average. One one hand, nothing bad happened to me, so that's good. On the other hand, nothing good happened to me, so that's bad. Ah, well. I can't go back anyway. The only thing to do now is look forward and hope 2011 falls on the plus side of the 2010 scale. Happy New Year!

Let's Bring Back...

While I was in Santa Barbara over break I went shopping at the local Borders. It was closing down and they were literally selling everything (even the shelves), so the sales were amazing. I bought three books, which should have cost me about $50 if they had all been full priced but I ended up only spending $15.

The best book I bought is called Let's Bring Back, by Lesley M. M. Blume. It is a sort of cultural encyclopedia of times gone by. It celebrates things that have slipped away with time and is a sort of witty, nostalgic list of things that the author wishes would be more prominent today.

Here's a short excerpt if you're curious:

"Good posture. Next time you walk past a manicure salon, peek in the window at the women getting their nails done. I'll bet you a million bucks that they're all sullenly slumped down in their chairs, as though they'd been shot.

Manual cameras. With black-and-white film. Particularly good on the Kerouac-style road trip. A Pentax K-1000 takes all of the wretched passivity out of taking pictures. And they won't just sit there blobbily on your hard drive afterwards.

Sunday roasts. In which you invite your family and friends late in the afternoon. This is a particularly nice ritual if you happen to like your family and friends.

Bright white tennis clothes. Because they just look so damn fresh.

Picnics. And picnic baskets. They're hard to carry but in the end they are worth it. Wear linen clothing, set up shop under a tree, bring (and read) books, take black and white pictures."

Maybe I'm a bit of a nostalgic myself, but I do enjoy reading about things that seem so sophisticated and simple. I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get the books earlier in the vacation because now that school is about to start I'm not going to have any time to read them. But oh well, at least they were on sale :)

Austerity?

Merriam Webster named the word of 2010. Drumroll please.....Austerity. Yes, austerity is the word of the year. It is defined as "enforced or extreme economy" and "severity of manner, life, sternness." I'm glad to know that 2010 will be remembered by the word austerity, such a positive term. In a way, I can understand why it was chosen, because of the huge economical crisis, but it seems like there were some positive things that happened in 2010. This word selection goes to show how focused on materialism we are.
At the same time, I am glad that an intellectual word was chosen. Things could have been decided in the complete opposite direction, and the word of the year could have been slang or meaningless.
The good news is Lake Superior State University outlawed the words viral and epic. hahaha :)

Closed for Christmas

I was in Southern California for the week after Christmas visiting family and we made a quick stop at UCLA for a tour. The problem with this idea was the campus was closed so it was almost completely empty. It was a beautiful campus and was absolutely enormous but I felt like I couldn't get a really good idea of what the college was like because there were no students.
We also stopped at UCSB, which was incredible. It's a pretty big campus but is much smaller than UCLA(seriously, UCLA is like a city inside a city). The buildings were all huge and beautiful at both campuses and at UCSB you could see the ocean from some of them.
I loved both universities but I have decided that for future college tours I will go when there are actually some students on campus. I would recommend the same to anyone else who is planning on checking out some schools. :)

Resolutions?

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Finally time for a fresh start. I'm so pumped for this year. Last year was arguably the most amazing of my life, and I'm ready for 2011 to snatch that title! So I usually at least attempt new years resolutions because hey, why not? It's a chance to start over that everyone in the world celebrates once a year, and the significance alone is motivation for me to change some of my ways.

I tend to make a ton of lists. So this year I made a list of things that I want to get out of this year. New Years Resolutions if you will. On this list, I vented all of my hopes for this year. Some are physical things to change, like having healthier eating habits and exercising more. However, others, well the majority of them, are emotional or mental things to change. I firmly believe life is all about perspective, so it is top on my list to consiously try my hardest to think positively about everything, no matter how difficult. I also hope to break my habit of procrastination and put a ton more energy into studying and my schoolwork. Other things I hope to accomplish are getting a job, completely clean my entire room, and embrace absolutely every opportunity. Generally speaking, I am determined to make the best of this year. To work harder, laugh more, love more, dream bigger, smile more, and put my whole heart in everything I do. One year left until graduation, and I cannot WAIT to get out of this town. So I have to make this year count to ensure accomplishing everything I want before graduating. This year is a step closer, and I'm excited and more than ready to take on 2011!