Church

I don't care what the date is, I'm going to tell you my Christmas Eve story.

My sister and her boyfriend came over to visit. I'm totally fine with that. However, my mom told me that if they came over, I HAD to go to church. I HATE CHURCH SO FREAKING MUCH. I SWEAR, PEOPLE THERE PISS ME OFF. So, obviously, I was angry that I had to go. The church that we went to had this "concert" type thing going on. So, I sat there trying to get my mind somewhere else, but it's a bit hard when the bleachers you're sitting on is shaking and the people behind me keep putting their knee in my back.

And let me tell you something, I hate bleachers too. Why? They're so uncomfortable and everybody is jammed together. And then, you also have the people behind you. Really? I had to have a bunch of teenage guys (who obviously don't want to be there) sit behind me and the whole time, ONE OF THEM HAD TO BE TOUCHING ME. Now, it's not as awkward as it sounds, but it still made me an angry girl. Like, get off my back...

Back to the story, the these three guys keep preaching, and I'm like c'mon already! I want to go home! Seriously, it shouldn't take an hour and a half to tell me the meaning of Christmas. And don't throw in side-stories to keep us entertained. I don't care, or will I ever. Now, I'm not a hateful person, I'm just an angry one...but only because people piss me off. Then, they introduced their families, and I'm sitting there going "WHAT THE H***? Why do I need to know your family members or what Christmas traditions you guys have? I'm not here for your families."

Then, I hear my watch beep (it beeps EVERY freaking hour) and then began my Christmas. That's not how I want to start Christmas, being in a church, with some d-bags behind me and a preacher that won't shut up.

But anyways...I was so uncomfortable...and so angry.

Some people

So thrice in the last month or less, I have been driven crazy by people sitting near me at public events. I'm debating which of these social crimes is the worst.
1) At the Not So Silent Night" show in Oakland, two 20-something women sat behind us and talked throughout. They were inibriated to the max, and one was obsessed with a missing leather jacket. Talked through Florence, talked through half of Mumfords... then left. A small blessing.
2) At candlelighting on Christmas Eve, a family tradition held at our church and a moving and joyous event, the couple in front of us brought their dog. Yep, their dog. Now dogs in planes make me mad, dogs in stores get to me... but at Church. Really. OK, I get god is dog backwards... but no. Have some restraint.
3) At the Kings home opener vs. the Lakers I was concerned that my group had moved to new seats against my wishes. So I was set up for frustration. Society delivered... two male business types talked non-stop throughout the first half. About business, how they'd share tickets... anything but the game before them. Again, a small blessing that they allowed their quiet though food challenged teens sons to take the seats for the second half.

I know I am supposed to be easy-going and flexibile. But, proper etiquette matters. And talking during concerts, moves and games should be a capital offense. A dog at church... guess I'll leave that to God. But... really?

Christmas Tradition!

So, being that it's CHRISTMAS EVE, my family and I all open some of the presents tonight and save some for tomorrow. Well, this year has been the year of changing up traditions and so we will be opening all of them tomorrow. I know, big difference. -__-. But for my family, we have always done things the same way for so long- like having the same decorations on the lawn, eating the same thing from dinner on the eve of Christmas and even opening presents in the same order. But this year we threw out the lawn decorations, put the tree in a different place and even decided to cook something different for dinner. So having so many traditions change in my life at once got me thinking about the new things I should change in my life and try and keep on them for the rest of the year. But knowing that I always give up on my "New Year's Resolution" list only a couple weeks going in, maybe that'll be the first change in tradition?? Maybe it'll be a Christmas Miracle(:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

Presents

I came across an article concerning top-selling Christmas presents and was amazed at what people want. It starts in the present with Let's Rock Elmo being the in demand toy and ends in 1929 with yo-yos. I liked seeing some toys I grew up around in the 90's like Tamagotchi and Furby. Its also pretty interesting to see how peoples' priorities change over a century. Speaking of centuries, I just had an epiphany that if I live to be 107 years old I would have lived in three different centuries! That seems absolutely amazing! But the reality is that a person born in 1998 or 1999 would have a better chance of achieving that.
Link: http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/769/a-timeline-of-the-top-selling-christmas-gifts-ever/

Faculty Follies

Last night was my first time going to Faculty Follies, and it was better than I thought it would be. Some of the teachers definitely stood out ahem cough Mr. Hardy cough. I've never had him as a teacher, but he seems really funny. I have had Ms Padilla though, and I thought she was great. It was very entertaining watching my teachers do dances, skits, game shows, and singing. I can't wait until they do it again!

Sicknessssss

So, after being sick for the past week and a half... the most important week and a half of the semester, I am finally starting to feel better in time for Christmas. Yes! I still have a super runny nose, and a cough, but, hey, I can deal with that after having a pounding headache for four days, a sore throat, runny nose, cough, etc. It's the miracle season after all haha :)))

Pizza

So, after school today I went to the Pizza Place with my friend, and her sister. Her sister's at Granite Oaks, so she walked up to us, after she finished school at 1. I know them from Karate, so it's definitely still weird seeing them in normal clothes. They're super nice though, so it's fun knowing people from somewhere other than school. I don't go to the Pizza Place very often, and I couldn't remember what it tasted like... it was better than I remember. I will definitely be going there more often this year.

Break!

So, the semesters over... four days until Christmas! I am finally getting into the Christmas spirit! The shopping is finally done, the presents are under the tree, and all my brother can do is talk about Santa :) After a hectic two weeks, it's nice having only blogging as homework. It's going to be a relaxing 2 and 1/2 weeks, and then school starts again. I guess my countdown to summer vacation has begun haha :)

YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH

The semster is over. Now its winter break. 5 down, 3 to go :D

Bill of Rights

So right now I am in the midst of filling out charts for the debates in language arts. I honestly don't mind this assignment at all. I am a staunch supporter of our constitutional rights, and enjoyed verbally supporting them in class. So far I've argued against an amendment banning flag burning (overruns the first amendment) , for employees' rights to wear religious clothing at work (because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, among others), and against laws putting signs in front of sex offender's homes (Violation of ex post facto, 8th amendment). Its been a fun time.

Thunder Galleria

Last week, many families from the community gathered at Thunder Galleria for some holiday shopping! Elves guided the children as the picked out gifts for their family and friends. The kids got to take pictures with Santa, decorate cookies, and even have their gifts wrapped.

ILS Shopping Trip

Last week, yearbook and photojournalism students accompanied the ILS students on a holiday shopping trip to Walmart. The students shopped for gifts for their family. After, everyone went to McDonalds for lunch. It was a great experience and everyone had a lot of fun!

Break

Yes! Finally winter break is just a day away! A break from tests, homework, finals, everything school related. I really think I am going to enjoy this. And it can't get any better with the NBA season starting right around Christmas. I think this is going to be one of the best breaks I am going to experience!

To-Do.

This week all of my to-do's have to do with school: finals, essays, stringing together loose ends. In 48 hours, my priorities will shift to making the most of 18 sugar-plum-sweet days of break. Whenever a school break rolls around, my head is buzzing with all these new activities I want to set my time to. I get so excited about all my plans but usually end up forgetting what I wanted to do, getting lazy, and sitting around all break.
To avoid this freedom-induced slump, I am in the process of developing a fool-proof method for making the most of my break. I am someone who responds to structure in my life. I feel accomplished when I check off a completed homework assignment. Thus, I will make a list of my plans and try to schedule my break to complete all of the desired tasks. Here's my list so far:

1. Finish the Hunger Games series
2. Have a Cake Boss marathon
3. Try new cake and cupcake designs
4. Start reading Frankenstein
5. Watch Sherlock Holmes
6. Go to Skyzone
7. Try to learn more French
8. Get a new haircut
9. Do homework in the first week (haaaa)
10. Organize my room
11. Make resolution to eat better and exercise
12. Actually eat better and exercise

There, twelve so far for the twelve days of Christmas. I'm sure I've been thinking of more lately, but I can't remember them right now. Happy winter.

Baking

I'm making cake pops today. The cake part of the cake pops is baking in the oven right now. I need to wait about 15 minutes before the cake is baked. Once it out of the oven, I will smash the cake into tiny tiny pieces of cake sand and then add some pre-made icing to bind the cake sand into small one and a half inch globes. Lastly I will cover each piece with melted chocolate and maybe some sprinkles. It may seem like people slave over making cake pops but really they are so easy. Well they're easy until you have to cover them in chocolate because melting chocolate is a very difficult task. So I think I'm going to get back to my baking, now.

Super

I think my mom is a superhero in disguise. She can do just about anything she sets her mind to. It is amazing how she just decides to start a project and in the end come out successful. Whether the task be to cook something, sew something, fix something, or any other something out there, she is great at it all. For example, this weekend she decided to make a big hearty breakfast on Saturday. We had potato halves that were covered in a yummy seasoning, homemade biscuits that she spruced up with a brush of some garlic butter, and fluffy scrambled eggs. On Sunday she decided to make me a pair of pajamas. She began taking measurements around 10 in the morning and was completely done with them by midday. I now have a new pair of nice and warm homemade pajamas that fit me perfectly. She is innovative, great at solving problems, and fun to be around. I don't think I will ever be as amazing as my mother is but I'm perfectly content knowing that she is the one to guide me and to make me a better person.

Kim Jong Il

So Kim Jong Il is dead. That's clear enough. Less clear is what this means for America. Ideally, his son and succesor will try to make life better for the North Koreans as well as reduce the country's nuclear threat to America. Less ideally, he could expand the nuclear program and kill us all. Guess we'll all have to wait and see. In the mean time, I'm going to go make fun of my favorite Korean friend (North, South, same thing, right? Hehe)

Success

So this is my third and final blog post about the attempt by Shilpa and me to produce enchiladas. Earlier I was somewhat worried at our cooking talents. Luckily, help came when Jeffrey joined our group. This addition meant that the sum of our cooking abilities now enabled us to successfully make the enchiladas. They should taste pretty good too.

Break from PreCal

So this semester has been absolutely exhausting from the very start of the school year. I was expecting my Junior to be fun and not super difficult. Lets just say it has been the complete opposite of easy. I definitely had some fun but my classes have stressed me out so much!

I can't wait till the end of the semester! Break is going to be so amazing and feel so rewarding since I have been working so hard! PreCal has been the main reason for my stress. It was a definite mistake to take that class, I thought I would be able to handle it no problem but is has taken extreme hard work on my part, and a tutor.

I have decided not to drop the class, although its extremely difficult and I don't have the best grade, I don't want to give up. I feel that dropping a class because its hard is somewhat weak and equivalent to quitting, and quitting is something I'm not used to. Another thing that contributed to my decision to suck it up and work through it, were the wise words of my math tutor. I asked him if he thought I should drop the class and he told me that I definitely shouldn't because "A grade can never measure up to all the important knowledge you are absorbing and keeping for the rest of your life." That was kind of my "Ah ha moment" as Oprah would say. It really helped me realize that although it difficult and I don't have the best grade, this is important stuff I'm learning, and I will be able to use it my whole life.

Almost there....Not

Today, I realized that I have a bunch of stuff to do before the semester ends. Like the responsible person I am (not), I made a to-do list. On the plus side, it helped me take stock of how I should distribute the work load. On the minus side, it informed me of how much sleep I am going to lose over the next few days (I have to read a total of 500+ pages to finish various books, for example). My consolation is that one week from now, at a similar time in the evening, instead of being deep in APUS work, I will probably be asleep :).

Three Left

Today was the last full day of the first semester. Now there's an articulation day, and two minimum days (the difference is about 45 minutes of school time). Yay.

where will you be in ten years?

As first semester draws to a close, it amazes me to think that everything is going to change in about six months. People i am used to seeing every day or every other day, i probably won't see ever again. The things that i am used to doing every day is going to change.

As probably many other seniors, I will be moving away. I plan to attend Marinello beauty school in Southern California. But what happens in ten years? I get asked this question constantly. I really don't have a answer for that. I could see myself settled down in Southern California with a husband and a kid. But on the other hand, i could see myself raising a family in New Jersey or New York. I could see a million different outcomes for me. Ten years is a long time. I think about how much i have grown as a person in the past ten years, i can't imagine how much things can change in the future. I guess thats the exciting part though? Not knowing how things will turn out for you in years to come.

Guess all I or anyone for that matter is to wait and see what happens. Change, good or bad, can be tough. Change can be good though, I have to remember that.

I Hate You Grades

Why? Stupid grades. Gotta make my life SO much harder than it needs to be. I mean, I can't learn a whole unit of whatever the hell I'm studying in three weeks! Argh, and it sucks because when I get back, I'm going to be retarded from not having to look over anything.

I swear, teachers get together and make an operation of "How To Screw Julie's Grades Up." Yes, yes, definitely possible. I don't need tests all on the same day. And for any class taht I hear is just watching movies, all I have to say is "Screw you!" Argh, people make me angry...

But at least the short days will get out at 1 pm. Too bad tests, which determines my overall grade, are on those days, therefore defeating the point of making me happy with shorter days. If that makes sense... Well, AP test later, and guess who's gonna, no, most likely, probably fail? Me.

It's Friday

Last friday of senior's last first semester in our last year of high school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Catcher in the Rye

What was J.D. Salinger thinking?

After only reading 30 pages into this book, I felt lost in Holden Caulfield's life. I wanted to close the book, chuck it across the room, and never again have to open it again.

I just didn't understand! What was the point of the randomness? His stream of thoughts didn't intrigue me one bit. There was barely any background so at the get go, the book was confusing.

Around the 8th or 9th chapter, I finally gain some insight on why he thinks the way he does and acts the way he does. His nonchalant punk-ish attitude isn't just by some mere coincidence but because of the death of his brother Allie. He's acting out by smashing the windows in house, flunking all his classes at Pencey, and starting fights for no apparent reason.

But still, the book was still puzzling to the mind. He just goes at night to random bars, tells the waitress he's 21, has a drink, then up and leaves? There's no meaty description or plot to that!

Maybe that's why this book is a classic though. Because of it's simple poignant writing. The writing gets down to the simple lives of a human. The raw emotions and thoughts. Maybe some can connect to that, but, as of right now, I am most definitely not connecting with this book . . . yet.

Wisdom Teeth

So one week ago I went in for the procedure I had been dreading for weeks. Getting my wisdom teeth removed. I have always been absolutely terrified of the dentist, even going in for cleanings would make me nervous. Everyone kept telling me I would be okay because I would be knocked out and wouldn't remember a single thing. After hearing it over and over, I began to believe them all, and I calmed down a bit.

Things changed the day I went in. Sitting in the waiting room, I was about to cry from being so nervous. Little did I know, I had a very good reason to be. My parents were not aware that it is better to get your teeth removed from an oral surgeon, and according to our dentist office, they had a dentist who was an expert at this procedure. So going back in the operating room, they give me this cup of medicine to drink. It tasted like bitter apple juice. They kept asking me if I was getting sleepy, I wasn't. They gave me a little more, and the doctor came in. She said, "Let's get her numbed up!". I remember saying, "Wait, I'm still awake!". They told me I would be out soon enough. Of course, I blacked out after that and was asleep for a little while. However, a little while later I remember waking up, and I was fully conscious. I was dazed and confused, but I was fully aware of what was going on. I heard them talking, I heard the drill, but worst of all I felt the pain. It was one of the worst pains in my life. Considering I was drugged, my body was exhaused and I couldn't push my way up to make them stop. I was helpless. I began crying, screaming, and kicking-anything I could do to let them know I felt what they were doing. Thinking the dentist would stop, she instead said, "You need to stop, your behavior is unacceptable." Uh, excuse me??!! This lady was crazy. One of the assistants told me to hold her hand and squeeze when I felt pain. She had to continuously keep switching hands because I was hurting her hand so bad. After what felt like hours, they told me they were done. The second I heard this, I blacked out again.

The next thing I remember was waking up at home hours later. My mom told me the entire way home, and all night, I kept crying and saying "Mom, why didn't they stop?". After I told her everything that I remember, I'm pretty sure she is more upset than I am. The next day she went to my dentist office and gave them a piece of her mind and demanded a refund.

That was a week ago, and today is the very first day that I am not in terrible pain. In fact, I haven't taken any medicine today and I feel fine. I still can't open my mouth open all the way, and I still have to be careful with what I eat, but besides that I am very close to getting better.

As for my dentist, I'm never going there again.

98 days.

And the countdown begins. Myself, as well as many other Junior girls, are counting down the days until Junior Prom. Along with frantically searching for the perfect dress, some are wondering if they will even get a date. My experience of taking pictures of Prom last year let me take a sneak peek of what prom is like; the venue, the food, the music, the dresses. I would have definitely rated the prom a 5 out of 10. I heard mixed reviews about the food, the dance floor was fairly small, and many guests left quite early. Personally, I'm only looking forward to the party bus/limo and the pictures before. But of course, finding the perfect sequined dress is at the top of my to-do list.

crunch time

soooo it's that time of the year where my head is about to explode and im gonna tear myself to shreds. I've got essential skills to make up and grades to boost up and teachers to beg to bring my grade up a letter grade. But once I get all of this done it will only make winter break better
and yeah. But overall, I really hate this time of the year and can't wait till it's over :D

Step into a Fairy Tale

Ever wish you could live in a fairy tale? The designers of these houses kept all sorts of fairy tales in mind when they made these houses. I personally fell in love with the Moroccan themed house in Texas that looks like a palace straight from Aladdin's world. It is on sale for a cool 8.9 million dollars! I guess it pays to live in an enchanted world. But how awesome would it be to have a figment of your imagination become a realistic thing?
The open floor plan, gorgeous colors, and delicate architecture caught my eye immediately. The layers of intricate pattern may be a bit much for some people but I find a sort of a calming beauty in the decoration. I especially like the well balanced feel of the decorations, as they do not take away from the beauty of the intricate architecture but enhance it. The style describes my taste almost perfectly. The intricate style of the patterns show the patience the designer had for their project, the vibrant colors show a bit of eccentric flare, while the purposeful and uncluttered furniture show organization.
As amazing as it would be to have a dream house like this, I cant see myself sitting at the edge of a fountain admiring my surroundings or taking the time to keep this house neat and clean. The house I have my eye on sprawls over almost 20,000 square feet of land. The upkeep seems to put a huge damper on this fairy tale house.

Ambition

Some people like being ambitious about everything. Shilpa is one of those people. Unfortunately, this is not always such a good idea. Especially when the event in question involves cooking, and neither of us knows how to cook.

Fire

When I was younger I was very afraid of fire. Although today I can watch someone light a match without cowering helplessly, I'm still uncomfortably whilst watching flames consume something.

Naturally, I'm not much of a cook. One of the reasons is that I'm afraid of using my stove (and knowing me, I probably will set the house on fire regardless of my aversion to it). Besides that, I am completely complexed by anything related to non-ready-to-eat food.

So generally when Spanish class is holding a posada (Christmas party), I volunteer to bring forks or ketchup or something. But this time, my friend Shilpa suggested we do something. Some what sexistly, I figured that she would have some idea of the cooking process.

Communication is key to many things. Unfortunately, it is somewhat difficult when all of your exchanges must occur in Spanish. Nevertheless, I proceeded to get what I thought was a confirmation of my prediction.

If you've read Shilpa's blog post, you know I was fairly wrong. Turns out she assumed I could cook. Oops. Wish us luck. Also you should probably wish the rest of 4th Period AP Spanish luck.

Donating Blood

Yesterday, around 2:00 P.M., I donated blood. It was an interesting experience. After a brief medical questionnaire, I was given a finger prick to test my hemoglobin levels, and a blood pressure. The nurse told me the prick was the most painful part of the test. I figured she was just trying to make me less nervous (my heart rate was 98, which for me is somewhat elevated).

She wasn't kidding. The actual donation itself was pretty quick. There was a small prickling sensation when the needle went in, and another when it went out. Besides that I didn't feel much. I just spent a few minutes staring at a wall while my blood was collected. If, in that time, I somehow forgot I was giving blood, I probably would have assumed the sharp feeling was a rock in my sleeve or something.

The best part of the whole thing was, as I was getting up, the nurse told me I had just saved 2-3 lives. That felt good. Also, there was free food afterwards. Red Powerade has never been so ironically delicious.

Princess for a Night

My Thunder Galleria experience turned out to be different from last year. I was asked once again to dress up as Princess Jasmine and walk around the cafeteria talking to the children at the event. At first I was indecisive on whether I wanted to go to Thunder Galleria or not because there weren't many other girls who had volunteered as the other princesses, but in the end I needed to finish a CSF project for the semester so I showed up Monday night in my Jasmine costume ready to be talkative and cordial. Aside from myself, one other person had agreed to dress up. She came as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Together we began wandering around the cafeteria, but before long we were asked to become elves due to a shortage in students able to guide little children. Both Belle and Jasmine were assigned to the sweetest little girl. She was sure to get presents for all of her family members. We took her to get her picture taken with Santa but when it came time to pick up her printed picture, we could not find it. She was a patient little girl who was very mature about her lost picture. In stead of becoming sad, she brushed it off with a brave, "it's okay, I can get a picture next time." She was absolutely adorable and made my first experience at being an elf quite memorable. I am proud of how successful the event was but I am also sorry that this is my last year being able to participate in Thunder Galleria as a high school student.

Thunder Galleria

This was my first year on the board of directors for thunder galleria, and I have to say, it was really enjoyable. The other day when we were setting up, putting up Christmas lights and getting everything ready it was really fun. After handing out the gift vouchers to all of the elves, there were still a few kids left so I was elected to become an elf as well. I had the nicest little kid, he said that his two favorites were God and Santa. He told me that he was very thankful that we put on Thunder Galleria and also said that he thanks God and santa for blessing all of the boys and girls of the world,.. he was only 6. When I took him back to his mom, she was so thankful and very appreciative. It truly was an awesome Thunder Galleria.

My Real Last Blog of 2011

Well, last night I blogged and said that it was my last blog of 2011, apparently I was wrong because I realized I had only nine blogs instead of ten... oops. Math has never been my strong point. But it just so happens I had a horrifying morning which gives me the perfect story to rant about on my real last blog of 2011.

To start off with, I have a billion tests before the semester ends. I have a Language Arts presentation today (I'm terrified of public speaking), then I have a LA test, two chem tests and a final, a Spanish 3 Honors test, and last and definitely the worst of all, I have an AP World test on Friday. These tests pretty much determine all of my final grades and that is terrifying.

So back to this morning, I had been studying like a crazy person since 5 a.m. therefore I got in the shower late. I had 30 min to get ready once I got out and I still had to finish a chapter in AP World. Then, as I was walking out the door my backpack broke. The zipper got stuck in the cloth and not just kind of stuck, like it refused to come out. Even my dad got frustrated and he ended up just breaking it. Now it is 7:15 and to be on time I usually have to leave at 7:10. So I quickly found a random bag, shoved all my stuff in it and ran out the door.

I hate the end of the semester. Everything is so much more stressful and the littlest things make me want to shoot someone. For the next 5 days my life will consist of textbooks and outlines. Yay.

Fear Factor

So, the other night Fear Factor returned to TV. This show was always one of my favorites in the first and second grade and its finally back on. Even though its pretty gross, it's really entertaining too. I only got to see the last half hour of it because of Thunder Galleria, but it is definitely on TV to stay for awhile. The contestants had to swim in cow blood to retreive cow hearts with their mouths, as well as eat scorpions. Although, the did have to climb out of a bus and grab a string dangling from a helicopter as well. Anyhow, Fear Factor is entertaining as well as repulsive, but it's definitely suspenseful and a show to watch.

Christmas is almost here

Ohkay so I don't understand why people don't like caraoling. Caroling is wonderful in my opinion. What better way to get in Christmas spirit? I mean obviously Buddy the elf agrees. That should be enough. I was planning on having a get to gether and go caroling with my friends. There are two problems however. One my friends despise caroling, and two, I think we won't have enough time because we'll all need to study for finals.
Speaking of finals, I am freaking out! I have an AP bio final, an anatomy final and an SAT vocab final for Pereira all on Tuesday! Goodness that's less than one week away. I am scared. I will definitely be studying all weekend. It's my last oppertunity to do well this semester, and I need to finish up strong.
Well I hope you are all not as stressed as me! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

DONATE TO SPEECH AND DEBATE!

[contributed by Jacob Watson, freshman]
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Amanda made an OA.
We need funds to help us run.
Please donate some today!

(Speech and Debate is going caroling for money! Please donate~)

Donations needed, are you listening,
In the lane, students whisperin'
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight,
Walking in our 4N6 wonderland.

So away to our rounds
But here to stay is our sound
We'll sing you a song,
As we go along,
Walking in a 4N6 wonderland.

In the meadow, Tommy'll do some PubFo
He'll be talking about our world,
He'll say: "Do you believe me?"
We'll say: No man,
But your words sure do sting
when they are hurled

Later on, we'll conspire,
As we dream by the fire
To say unafraid,
The speeches that we've made,
Speaking in a forensics wonderland

In the meadow, you can hear a duo,
you'll laugh when their faces smile and frown,
We'll have lots of fun with the Jiang Twins,
They will knock the competition down.

Donations needed, please be listening,
In the lane, we are whispering,
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight,
Donate to the 4N6 wonderland.

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight

Lately I have been staying up later than usual to finish homework and as a result my sleep pattern has been off. I actually began reading a book in middle school called, "Scrambled Eggs at Midnight". It was one of those obscure books that talked about some girl's problems in life that I couldn't relate to and didn't try to finish. Well I hadn't thought about this book until about a month ago when I started to catch a bit of senioritis. When it gets to be around midnight, I feel as if my brain is being whisked, poured into a sizzling pan, and being cooked into chunks of scrambled eggs. My head would become a disarray, my thought process would slow down and I would feel altogether sluggish throughout the day. I have to take the blame for having bad time management skills but I wish I could find a quick cure for my laziness for at least these last few days before winter break.

Last Blog of 2011

So, it's Tuesday evening and I didn't really have Journalism today but I was sitting at my computer stressing over Chemistry then decided that I should go write a blog so I will have more time to study tomorrow. Then I realized that once said blog was written, I would have no other blog weeks left this year. It's so weird to think that 2011 is coming to a close. This year has gone by so incredibley fast, I cannot even believe it.

On a different note I have a presentation in Language Arts tomorrow and I am terrified. I hate public speaking with a passion. In fifth grade I had to do a speech in front of my entire class and when I got up there, I forgot every single thing I was supposed to say. Little 11 year old me was mortified and ever since then I have been deathly afraid of talking in front of people. Plus, this grade is pretty much my last major grade in the class for the semester which is even more traumatizing! Ugh I hate school!

Anyways I should probably get back to Chemistry now considering all I am doing at the moment is procrastinating. Dear Christmas Break, please come sooner. Goodbye Blogs of 2011 forever.

Posada

So on Monday Rahul (here on reffered to as Raha) and I will need to bring a Mexican food item for our party in AP Spanish. Therefore, this item needs to turn out well for a few reasons. The first one bieng that it is extra credit and I will feel bad if I get extra credit for food that does not taste good. Another one being that all of the other food will be good and ours will stick out if it isn't. Oh, and there is the fact that we have less than 15 people in our class and after you factor in that I am assuming most of them will forget, there won't be that much food. But most importantly I don't want to deal with the leftovers so I need them to finish it. This means that Raha will need to come over and help me cook the food on Sunday, hopefully he is okay with that since I never really asked him. And hopefully he knows how to cook because after looking up these recipes I am not very confident in my ability to cook. Oh, and to clarify for anyone not in Spanish posada is like a potluck so the blog is appropirately named.

Post Wisdom Teeth

So the last time I blogged I wrote about before getting my wisdom teeth out. I was so nervous but it wasn't a big deal at all. I would have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life. No joke. Everyone said it would be so painful so I was expecting the worst.
I got to miss two days of school, which meant that I got to start my Thanksgiving break two days early. It was awesome. The procedure was very fast and I didn't wake up with pain and I wasn't nauseous. When I went home I got to eat fro yo and watch my netflix. I didn't really have that much pain in my mouth, and the medications they gave me made me feel almost nothing. It wasn't bad at all.
Also some of my friends came to my house Friday night to have a Star Wars marathon. I'd never seen the movies before so it was good to say I finally watched them. Also they brought me Jamba juice so it was nice to know they cared. :)
So overall getting my wisdom teeth out was great. It's something I would definitely do again.

Where are you Christmas?

This year it really does not feel like Christmas. I don't know why, I just haven't been feeling it this season. My house is now completely decorated as of yesterday but it still has not sunk in. When I was little, just like pretty much every other little kid, by this time of the year I would be bouncing off the walls with excitement. I remember sitting under the Christmas tree and gazing at all the gorgeous lights, I remember the eager anticipation of Santa Claus, and I remember having a huge dinner with my entire family.

Now, Christmas seems distant and elusive. Not even my youngest brother still believes in Santa Claus (although he still pretends to). But even last year I was more into the Christmas spirit. Maybe it is because break starts so late this year or maybe my attention is too focused elsewhere. Either way I need to get back my Christmas spirit.

Winter staple

Over Thanksgiving break I acquired a new taste for boots. I usually don't like to take too much time in the morning thinking about what I wear, so as long as it looks presentable, I'll wear it. Now I find myself on an endless hunt for the perfect pair of boots. I have a basic image of what I'm looking for: tall, relativly flat, in a dark color (either black or brown), with one buckle around the ankle and another buckle at the top of the boot.The hardest part of finding the perfect pair is that you have an image of what you want but you feel like you should keep looking because you don't want to settle on the first pair you see. As much as I hate having to depend on the internet for shopping, I have attempted to search for boots there as well. I've kept a lookout for any boots whenever I go shopping but none of them are just perfect. My Goldilock-like behavior isnt making the search the least bit easy. Some pairs are too slouchy, some have a round toe, some have a wedge heel, some are not the right color, some dont come in the right size, some make me look shorter, some are too tall, some are not comfortable, some don't match my style. I feel as if my ideal boot doesnt exist at all or it is very cleverly avoiding me. I hope I will be able to find the perfect pair of boots before the cold weather comes to an end.

Best Friends Part 2

Here's the rest.

I can't say the rest of the names mainly because I don't want to, but it's also for their privacy.

There is another girl. Hella close. I knew her for a while and because drama caught up to us, we stopped talking. I thought she hated me and it was really awkward to see her, but with a few pushes and thinking, we talked. We solved our problems, but you know, animosity grew in me because I was just thinking "What the hell?! Why won't you talk to me? I didn't do anything to you." I felt a little bit abandoned.

Recently, again, I've had another set of friend problems. We don't talk anymore. I want to just give her a hug, but her work interferes. She... I don't know anymore. What should I do? I mean, I love her. I told her everything. If you didn't know, I have trust issues, I feel if I tell someone something, they'll walk away and tell everyone else, just like what happened in sixth grade. But I opened up to her and didn't hold back. And for something(which I don't even know) to get in the way and crumble everything that we had...I think is the most retarded ever.

I don't know if it's just because of her work, but please, I know you read these, but please, just talk to me. That's all I want, I don't want to be abandoned again. I'm tired of losing friends, I just want one...only one to be there for me. However, if this continues, my happiness will be traded for hatred and bitterness. The reality of best friends haunts me.

Best Friends

Well, throughout my life, all of my best friends have left me. I know, sad right? Let's go through the most memorable ones.

Sarah. I met her in like first grade and we would go everywhere together. Our school time would be spent together and although I honestly don't have much to remember since she didn't exactly have any weird or outrageous moments considering we were only in elementary school. But I do remember spending time with her and yeah.

The reason I don't have much to remember is because she died. Eight years ago on Easter night. The cause? Some douchebag was driving drunk. I remember that I was told her mom was sent to the hospital and her two brothers were in good condition. She was the only one who didn't make it (in her family at least). My parents told me what happened and to be quite honest, I think people thought I would just move on from her and forget she even existed, but I remember her. And she'll stay in my memories forever.

Next, Deanna. O my gosh, she was like my twin. I met her in fourth grade and I also knew her for a short period of time. But we were chill. I looked up to her because I thought she was an amazing person.

I had to move. We spoke once after that on the phone, and by that time, she met new people and while she told me about them, I felt left out, and that I obviously can't connect to her anymore. Recently, while in Kohls, I saw her. It blew my mind. She still looked like the same bubbly person I knew several years ago, but looking at her now, we've obviously grown apart. Two seperate people.

I'll post a part two to this because it's really long!

Am I crazy? No, but apparently I need to go back to college.

So recently, I have come to the realization that my good friend and editor Shilpa is somewhat neurotic. She, however, refused to trust in my diagnosis, especially when I accidentally said "neurotism" instead of "neurosis". Anyway, so we decided to look up some online tests. Just out of curiosity, I took one to. All was going smoothly until the final question, "Do you want to become smarter?". I figured I didn't really need to but clicked yes anyway. Then, all of a sudden, my computer started trying to sell me on some online college that would probably give me a virus were I to click the link. But hey. I'm not crazy. Too bad Shilpa didn't get that result. She is, however, in my computer spelling dictionary now. That made her very happy.

S&D

Speech and debate's always on my mind, so here's another ramble about it.

I love Speech and Debate, and Mock Trial, and all my speaking activities. I really really do. I don't think people get that about me. I feel most alive when I'm in front of a crowd, when I'm enjoying the adreneline rush from knowing that my words have meaning. It makes me feel (this sounds so cliche) magical. I feel like my words are powerful. I've been doing a dramati interpretation of a Holocaust clown, and I swear, there is nothing as awesome as when you see your audience get visibly creeped out by your interpretation. One of my rounds, I saw this girl give me the most freaked out look EVER! It was so funny. I've consistantly broken, both in varsity and in novice, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

Skype

I never really used skype before unless i was with my friends and we were just messing around with it. That all changed when my girlfriend got a itouch that could skype and since she doesn't have a phone, we used Skype to talk. Now late night convorsations are common and Skype is to be thanked for this. I even use Skype now to talk to people i could call but i'm slowly starting to perfer Skype calls. The only thing now is i wish i had an itouch so i could Skype people anywhere and not have to use minutes at all.

Blogging

I feel really wierd blogging in Journalism because people all blog about personal and family issues, school, friends, tv, and all this drama and literally all i blog about is basketball...we might need to just get a basketball blog for me because i'm not blogging about nothing else...hahaha...maybe i need to get with the times and complain about how my girlfriend sucks or my teacher is a douche, but nah i don't want to and don't need to...i'll just keep the blogging going....

welcome to non-stop basketball

After the Whitney game wednesday, when i pulled my hamstring, i looked back as i missed the last two practices and realized that that was the first time in two years i hadn't played basketball full speed on back to back days! It was horrible, i've now missed foiur straight days (I don't know how long it's been since i've done that), and i'm in danger of not even being able to play today in a huge game....Welcome to non-stop basketball.
I kind of always knew this was coming i mean, it happens to everybody who plays basketball year-round for a decent amount of years unless you're freaky lucky...injuries start to pile up...you have to be careful with your body, which for the most part i am. Eating healthy, stretching everyday, keeping in top condition, having high muscular strength and endurance....you know, the works...but sometimes that's not enough. Then, all you can say is, welcome to non-stop basketball.

Christmas

I am so ready for Christmas!!! I am ready for a few weeks off of school, and hopefully no tests afterwards, because it's a new semester. I think I'll sleep a lot. And watch a lot of TV.

What about you? Is anyone going anywhere? Tell me about it, because even if I'm not going, I get excited for the freedom of two weeks off!

Origin

I work at Origin, the coffee shop, but you may know that because I've blogged about Origin before. Well, Origin is now selling soups as well as drinks and pastries. I tried some of the soups, and they were amazing!

Since I work the shift through dinner time, I might start bringing money to buy the soup for myself, because it is that good.

At Origin they have two sizes of mugs, a 12 oz, and a 16 oz. The 16 oz. ones look really big, and that's what the soup comes in. The soup also comes with two pieces of break, that is amazing! They had a bag of the bread for the volunteers to sample, and I might have eaten half of the bag. Oops.

Origin also has new seasonal drinks now, Caramel Apple Cider, and Pumpkin Spice Chai. I have to admit, those are my two favorite drinks. I personally do not like coffee, but I do love the smell. Which is good because I work in a coffee shop. Anyway, whenever the barista makes a drink, and there's some left over, she'll keep all of the shots of espresso, and coffee, and half the chai's, and she gives me the other half of the chai's, the hot chocolates, the apple ciders, pretty much everything without coffee. It's great!

The barista tried to teach me how to set my own grind, and pull a shot yesterday... and, as you know... I don't like coffee, but she made me try it because she wanted me to know what a bad one tasted like... it was disgusting... I think I drank about 5 bottles of water afterwards. It was so bitter. Ugh.

Oh well, maybe I'll grow to like it, since I'm around it so often now. I used to not like the smell... but now I do, so maybe there's hope ;)

Anyway, everyone should go and try Origin's new seasonal drinks, and their soups.

Break

Over break, I really really hope I don't have much homework. Most of my teachers are giving tests in these next two weeks, and in a lot of my classes I have at least three more tests to go. Well, that applies to two classes. These next two weeks are not going to be very fun, but the two and a half weeks after it will be! On the last day of the semester, me, and the friend I walk home with, are going to the Pizza Place to eat lunch, and wait for her sister (who is at Granite Oaks) to come join us, and then, after we eat, we will all walk home together. I think it will be very fun! I know them, and their dad, because we all do Karate together, and it's really nice getting to know them better.

Xmas

I am so excited for Christmas! This year, though, I'm not as excited about the presents, I'm more excited about the two weeks off. I have friends from Australia and England staying with us over break, so it will be exciting. I haven't spent all that much time with the friends from Down Under, because they're so far away. We talk on facebook all the time though, and it will be interesting hearing four different accents from four different countries in our house.

Working Black Friday

Instead of going shopping on Black Friday, I had to work. Because Target was short on cashiers they pulled me out of Starbucks and made me work the register. It was terrible. I didn’t know what I was doing, there was a ton of people, and I was constantly asking the supervisor for help. Because there was so many sales, a lot of them didn’t register in the computer when I rang up items up, resulting in a lot of angry customers and time consuming price changes. I worked at the register for 8 hours and by the end of the day I was completely exhausted. I am so glad that I work at Starbucks and I really hope I never have to do that again.

New Job

A few weeks ago I started working at Starbucks in Target. At first it was really stressful and I had no idea what I was doing, but after two weeks of training, it has become easier. I like it because there is always something to do and the time goes by quickly. Because each drink is a little different, there is so much to learn and remember. It can be very overwhelming especially when there are a lot of customers at one time or when people order drinks that stray from the norm. Luckily my coworkers are very supportive and always willing to help when out whenever I am having difficulty remembering how to make a drink or when I have a question. Besides making drinks it is important to keep the store clean, and the displays and ingredients stocked. We also have to keep up on the daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning tasks. Although I wish I worked less hours,I am enjoying learning something new and most importantly, making money.

Daniel Radcliffe Web Conference

At the National Journalism Convention two weeks ago, Holly, Alie and I got the opportunity to attend at live web conference with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe. Being the avid Harry Potter fan that I am, I was extremely excited as you can probably tell by the video above due to the fact I can't hold the camera still. The way the conference worked was we could see him on a giant projector screen and he could hear us but not see us. We all lined up in the aisles in front of two microphones to ask our questions. Though the three of us weren't able to ask him our questions, it was still an experience I will never forget. I was amazed at how humble and down to Earth Daniel was. Unfortunately, since I was waiting in line, I didn't have my camera with me until the very end but I did get to take this video. Since we were only able to ask two Harry Potter-related questions, the guy running the conference did this thing at the end where he would say the name of someone from the cast of the series and Daniel would have to say one word that described them (or at least that is what he was supposed to do). So make sure to watch it and experience the wonderfulness that is Daniel Radcliffe.

Indoor Soccer

"This is gonna be so awesome!"- that was my original thinking of this. My thoughts were twisted and tormented on the first day when I was shoved and tripped to the ground, kicked at least 3 times and had to do 60 or so push ups.

Can I make a slight alter to my original thinking? Yes. Correction: "Indoor soccer will be fun, as long as I stay out of people's way and remember to not get near this person or this person and to not volunteer to play for "fun" in a game that does not require me for I will be stuck in the game for 3 consecutive times."

So indoor soccer: Round 1 wasn't all that good. But today wasn't that bad. I didn't get tripped and I didn't have to do push-ups. I'd say that is a good start. Though, I do hope that we start our Ping-Pong unit soon.