Happy New Year everyone!!!!

Well, almost. Just in case I don't post again or something... I say it now.
As for me, I welcome in the year with much trepidation. I am both fearful and excited. This is the year that has always been, I guess, the boundary of my future. When I've thought of the future, 2008 was always the year looming boldly ahead. 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, it's difficult for me to even type them--that's how unaccustomed to them I am. The future seemed to be 2008. That's it. And now, the future is becoming the present and I don't know quite how to feel.

Haha it would've been good to finish apps before the new year. Well, I still have 2 hours left. But the thought of going to college and leaving home is so scary and so... wrong, almost. I've always lived here, in my two-story house in Chino Hills with my teddy bears and with my daddy. My entire life story has unfolded within these walls. I can't imagine leaving them. Oy. Getting teary just thinking about it.
I wish I could stop being lame and think of it as an adventure, as the next chapter, and be excited, but that's one of the most irritating things about me. I always have to harp on what's past, many times at the expense of what's actually occurring. It was really depressing talking to a lot of my friends and asking where they were applying to. We had almost no schools in common. Jen, Kristina, Vicki, Shayne, Royston--there's absolutely zero chance that we'd end up together in many cases. I'll never forgive Shayne for not applying to Cambridge. Oh, and now that I think of it, I should be hearing from them "early January", so one of these days... great..

Jen called yesterday and asked when we were going to hang out for the umpteenth time, and we finally decided on a day, and while talking, we realized that it'd been more than a year since I last really hung out with her and Kristina. That was a very depressing moment. I always have to say, "uhh umm... I have _____" or "sorry!!" to everyone and I feel terrible, and I wonder whether I'm going to be a workaholic someday with no time for anybody. But it just makes me even more grateful to have friends who still call even though I haven't picked up or I haven't been able to hang out for ages, who haven't given up on me and moved on. Thanks guys. :)

And of course, as we do every year, New Year's Resolutions:
1. Be a better friend. Actually have time for people and not take people for granted
2. Be a better editor
3. Not lose my temper and take it out on Yogin randomly when I'm stressed
4. Be nicer to my mother
5. Not be so demanding
6. READ MORE
7. Improve Spanish
8. Think of more to post :)

Hello! I know it's been a while since I've posted. Absolutely inexcusable. I guess the only things I would have been able to post about was COLLEGE APPSSSSSSS which I'm STILL not done with. I'm considering having a gigantic, we're-done-with-apps party after January 2, but I think I might just have to write my English essay. How depressing.

But today, I did not do apps, though I just submitted Amherst and Northwestern. Went to Danielle's house around noon (I DID NOT GET LOST THIS TIME, though I did spent like 15 minutes parking... but in the end, the result was perfection. Thank you very much.) Yogin, Danielle, and I spent basically all day filming our Spanish music video to "Te Busque", though I'm sure none of you have any idea what that is. It's about a girl who is all depressed and emo and looking for love and finally someone "enters her life like a light."
Scene 1: Elaine is emo. Elaine storms out of a car, slamming the door of course, and walks down stairs very depressed. And then she sings. And then, at the line, "in the sky I see", she lays on the COLD CONCRETE and stares at the sky and looks like an idiot.
This was rather difficult, as Elaine would end up cracking up, but hey--I think I looked really actually depressed when I made up my mind to do it. Yogin was getting sad just watching!
Scene 2: Yogin. prancing. Zac Efron-style.
It was possibly the scariest thing I have ever seen. That, and the funniest.

So somehow Elaine being emo turned into a Yogin is a double-crossing player who is dating both Danielle and Elaine.
Anyway, once Yogin edits it, I'm sure it'll find it's way onto Youtube. I will then probably post it here, and you can laugh at us. Haha I should put subtitles so those in Spanish can understand. The worst part was probably the spoken English section of the video. Each of us took two lines, and when Nelly Furtado does it in the original, it's kind of like... spoken lines, but with a gangster feeling.
Yogin turned it into a rap.
Danielle and I turned it into poetry. Haha no not poetry. But like... PERFECTLY PRONOUNCED ENGLISH. The contrast is amazing. :)

And the first line is "I look in the mirror; the picture's getting clearer."
Inspired by Zac Efron (this is for Jen and Kristina), we had Yogin looking at his reflection in the pool and singing at it. :) Highlight of my day!

Oh, and side note: Good job Patriots?? :D

After that, Vicki came over to my house, where we force-fed her noodles. Tehehe. Then we went and saw ENCHANTED!!! FINALLY!! We wanted to see "Atonement" (or "August Rush" for that matter), but NEITHER of the Chino Hills theatres had it! I WAS SO MAD!! I couldn't believe it!!! Usually they balance each other out pretty well. But "Enchanted" was adorable!!!!!! I WAS SO MAD IDINA MENZEL DIDN'T SING THOUGH!!!! But yay now I'm twirling to "True Love's Kiss". :)
I was screaming at the screen during the kiss scene. HURRY UP PATRICK DEMPSEY!! DO IT NOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!! THE CLOCK IS STRIKING TWELVE!!!!!! AHHHHHH!! *STRANGLES VICKI!*

And I have decided that that movie is proof that CHIPMUNKS ARE AWESOME. DO NOT INSULT US!

An eventful couple of days since we last met, at least college app-wise. Actually, I haven't done enough. I submitted the common app yesterday, finally, and right now I'm getting ready to submit Amherst, though I'm really paranoid because I haven't had anyone read it yet, but I'm anxious to submit it because I want to feel a sense of accomplishment. That's going to be the first one I'm done with outside UC/USC/Cambridge.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

I'm going to make a totally unrealistic list of movies I want to watch this break. I'll be lucky if I get around to two of them.
-The Lord of the Rings trilogy
-Pan's Labyrinth, completely in Spanish
-Atonement
-Sweeney Todd
-August Rush
-Enchanted
-Les Choristes
-The Great Debaters
-Love Actually (I really want to watch this tomorrow night with Kathleen.. holiday spirit and all that, but NO she'll be in Vegas)

First things first, HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!!!

Today was a very lovely day. I'm just bubbling with happiness and holiday spirit and joy and all that jazz. Thanks to all my wonderful friends who made this such an awesome day. I haven't felt this happy in such a long time!

But at the same time.. in my annoyingly Victorian way, it's slightly depressing. But more on that later. First, a synopsis of the day!

Woke up an HOUR LATER than normal... which was SO NICE. Just having the sky be light already when you wake me is so refreshing. I felt like the world was alive with me, that I wasn't a solitary person creeping through quiet streets disturbing dreams and sweet slumber. There were actually other garages open and other people getting ready to leave, little girls with their backpacks, men in suits, old people walking their dogs. It was amazing.
The only downside to the early morning sojourn of this particular More than 150 cars (I'm estimating) stuck there for a ridiculous amount of time, stopping one by one at the flashing red light, and hesitating and arguing over who's right of way it is next.

Yet all that was erased completely from my mind as I walked into English. We spent the period camera-whoring and eating (which pretty much sums up the whole day). Blogger is really losing out on Facebook in that pictures are SO tedious and difficult to load on here. Pictures would totally aid this narration. Since I have like 300 of today... I shall just upload a few interesting/significant ones.

It's Mr. Sawaya!!! Wearing the hat that Prem made him wear because he's a terrible person. He's SO NICE. He's just like... a kind person. Truly kind. And I love his artistic taste. :)

Matthew's mother is the best baker ever, by the way, if you didn't know already.

Yogin gave me his present!!!!!! A Barack Obama calendar. First step of my conversion process. Mwahahaha. He WILL support Obama instead of Hillary! And a keychain with a penguin, whom we have to name by the way. Poofy's sibling!! And... my favourite bit... a little porcelain figurine of a bear with newspapers. It's a journalist bear!!! His name is now Jude! :)

DICKEY!!!!! We stood here for like... 5 minutes literally, just taking photos. It started off with just Vicky and me. And then Prem and Joseph wanted to join. And with every click of the camera, more people ran into the picture, until it became a class photo. Dickey so popular!! (Imagine Asian fob voice there!) But the poor man was sick today. :(

I need our jumping pictures from Vicky... wait till she gets on facebook. I was so excited and happy today when I gave Vicky Ge her present. I've never seen anyone that happy to get a present. Calvin & Hobbes for the win! :) She's so precious.

Whee! Kayla! Me! Amy! Amy decided that she just HAD to braid my hair during English... and then Yogin added his Santa hat later to complete my attire. I look straight out of a Chinese village.

After physics, during which we TOOK NOTES (GRAH), it was time to fully embarrass ourselves!!! :) I can't believe Crystal actually got a picture of this, even though she supposedly had no clue this was us when she took it! I didn't fall!!!! And I kinda remembered the steps! Mostly! Kinda! It went a lot faster than in practice. I was like, "WHOAA WHAT ARE WE DOING NOW? AHHHHH!!" But, it was fun. I was happy. :) So strange though... there were so many old seniors (from last year) sitting in the senior section of the gym and while I was sitting on the floor waiting for the Elf Dance, I was just browsing through their faces, and for a few moments I totally forgot that I was the senior doing the Elf Dance. It seemed just like they were all still here. I can't be almost 18. It's just not possible.

It's Castillo Brown!!! The rally wasn't very... spirited this year, I guess, but they tried really hard! And it was a cute idea.

Then after that, the girls decided to take a photo! I LOVE ALISON AND VICKI'S COSTUMES!! And I love Jen's nose. :) Andy was here with Irene and Meghan as well, and Steph and Crystal turned up too. I miss them so much, but I'm pretty happy to say that while they are so wonderful and missed, I love my friends that are still with me, and they make each and every day more than just bearable. They make me love it, even if I fall asleep in physics and fail calculus and stay up at night. I guess I shall be very cliche and trite when I say that whenever one door closes another one opens. No one could replace people like Kathleen, Andy, Winston, David Lau, Amity, etc, but that just makes me appreciate Vicki, Yogin, Royston, Shayne, Sarah, Alison, Jen, Kristina, etc even more. I love you guys!!

Calculus just does not deserve mentioning. Test. Unannounced, unplanned test... after the test yesterday... because MR. KNOX SCREWED UP. GRAH. MORE FAILING.

Spanish was fun. I love this picture with Danielle, my future roommate and fellow McFly/football lover!

Gave Matthew his last present as Secret Santa: a glow-in-the-dark football that he immediately began terrorizing the campus with, and a "ticket" to the UEFA Cup Final (that Everton won't make, by the way). Yesterday, I gave him (thanks to Shayne's generosity) photos of Mikel Arteta and the Everton crest, which basically TOLD HIM that I was his Secret Santa, plus my hint, "Soy una persona que nunca anda sola" (You'll never walk alone--Liverpool). His head snapped up so quickly when he saw it and he just started laughing. So then afterwards, he was like, "I demand that my present tomorrow be tickets to the UEFA Cup Final!" Obviously, I couldnt' actually get him tickets, because first of all, Everton aren't even in it (as of yet, and I have decided that they won't be in it at all), and secondly, it's probably 5000 pounds or something. So today, I "made" him a ticket... it was pretty bad, but hey I tried!

Lunch was AWESOME, one of the two best parts of the day. Took LOADS of photos... hehe mostly of me terrorizing other people!!

I loved lunch today because it was so nice... and beautiful to see people talking, laughing, photographing, doing idiotic things, and just... enjoying each other's company rather than studying, doing homework, begging for hints on next period's test from someone's who has already taken it, or stressing. I love days like this.

Alison Ozaki!!!! I love this picture. So cute! And it's BLESSED BY THE DIVINE LIGHT! DO YOU SEE THE LIGHT ABOVE OUR HEADS?? It's... JESUS!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!! ALMOST-SORTA PUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *PUN DANCE* PUN!!! PUN!!! PUN!!!!

Okay. So.. we're celebrating CHRISTmas. And we're being blessed by CHRIST. AHA. AHA. HAH! Alright moving on... but I still say it's the divine light pointing out to all of you commoners that WE ARE ANGELS! MWAHAHA!

MY REIGN OF TERROR BEGINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elaine: I AM THE SCARY MONSTER FROM "PAN'S LABYRINTH"! I AM COMING TO EAT YOU!!!!!

Shayne: ... I am going to stare at you like you are an idiot, which you are, by the way. Why do I even know you?

Michael Yang: I HAVE THE SCARIEST SMILE EVER. I AM POSSESSED.

I think this picture is just like... the epitome of our relationship. I WILL WIN THIS WAR DAVID LEE!!! And on that note, thank you Shayne, by the way, for the wonderful present that will serve as a primary weapon in my OFFENSIVE STRIKE THAT WILL END DAVID LEE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

(Shayne got me a 365-day calendar of Shakespearean insults, to aid me in my most eloquent word wars with David... I think we have dredged up THE most synonyms for the word "prostitute" in the world.)

DIE DAVID. DIE!!! :)

SHAYNE IS SMILING!! TIS A MIRACLE! This is the first of many smiling pictures, but I'm only posting one because it's taking forever!

Hahahahhah his eyes are closed because he's CHORTLING with laughter! CHORTLE! Always reminds me of a teapot. I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT SHORT AND STOUT! HERE IS MY HANDLE. HERE IS MY SPOUT.

Wow. What I wouldnt' give to see/hear Shayne sing that.
I don't know what I'm doing.. Hiding? Sneaking into the picture?

Shayne--you would totally look Asian upside down in this picture!!!!

I just like this picture for how natural it is. It kinda captures everyone's personality. I'm looking very hyper. Norman's staring intently. Michael just looks strange, and Shayne is gesticulating wildly with his hands, which he tends to do when he gets rather excited about what he's speaking about. Not as bad as Sayak though. Haha. I don't think anyone's that bad.

Hahahaha poor Alison!!! Norman is crazy. I LOVE THE MISTLETOE OUTFIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I have decided that Alison is abused because of her height. Cue: Vicky and Elaine scream, "ALISON ABUSE!!!!!" at the top of their lungs

People pick her up randomly, twirl her around, bite her head (as Norman is doing), use her as an arm rest, mock her verbally, and just... ABUSE HER!!! (I am so eloquent). She's so cute though! :D

OLD PEOPLE!!!!!!! Oracle was too short today!!! I only got to say hi to people, not actually talk to them, but it was really nice to see them again!!! Sheena's facial expression is very odd here...

Aww I miss David Lau... I miss reading dimensions to him in fobby voice!

Oh how I miss my editor. Oh how the Oracle misses its opinion editor. Winston is just so... perfect. *sigh* Too heavy a burden to live up to. That's why I went from opinion to chief. Chirag is much easier to live up to. :D

In the middle of memory lane, Royston came to collect me, so he could give me the sweetest present!! He taught himself "Too Close For Comfort", which, for all of you who somehow STILL do not know this, is my favourite McFly song, and one of my favourite songs ever. He played it and sang it, and though he is not Danny, it was AMAZING!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH ROYSTON! IT WAS SO NICE!!! *HUG*

Speaking of hugs!

I loved it!! Even if he's too skinny to hug!!! :-P

Gain some weight! ALL OF YOU BOYS OUT THERE!!!

After school, Kathleen, Yogin, and I went off to Starbucks/Chipotle and terrorized the complex!

While Kathleen was getting food, Yogin and I started playing with the camera. Bad thing. Trust me.

Scariest photos ever.

Aww whee :)

And then.... Kathleen came back... and we decided... to jump. I shall spare you the horrid attempts that we made and just get to the one where we FINALLY succeeded.

Yay! We look so cool!!!!!

WHEW. FINALLY DONE. GAH. This is why Facebook is taking over the world. It took me exactly 2.5 hours to upload all those pictures onto here. It took me 5 minutes (and that 5 minutes was spent WAITING and not actually doing anything) to load 60 photos onto facebook. GRR.

GRRR. AND THEN, when I actually POST THIS, it doesn't take the same format as it does here, which I PERFECTLY ARRANGED AND FAUNED OVER. GRAH.

Hello!!!! I have to go shopping tomorrow!! Elf Dance, 2 Secret Santas, teachers, friends, people! AHH!! I really wish I could draw or bake at this point, especially for all of those people who I feel like I should get something for am not super close with.

But, if you guys were all wondering what to get me.. which you better be doing.. haha jkjk (not really hah jk)... here's my Christmas list!

-"The Holiday" DVD (I asked my Oracle Secret Santa for this though...)
-"Love Actually" DVD (I still can't believe I don't have it)
-"Chocolat" DVD
-"10 Things I Hate About You" DVD (I don't believe that I don't have this either.)
-"Unbreakable"--Backstreet Boys CD (I think Kathleen has reserved this...)
-"Celtic Origins"--Anuna
-"Awkward Annie"--Kate Rusby CD (It'll cost you a billion dollars to import it from Britain.)
-"Across the Universe" poster
-pretty photography/postcards/posters of my favourite stuff/artwork
-anything with any of my obsessions on it... you know what those are!
-something creative

By the way, "Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss" also known as "Psyche and Cupid" or "Psyche et Amour" is just about the most beautiful sculpture around. I would so buy a print and hang it in my room, though I don't know if my dad would appreciate the nudity. He always seems to think it's pornography or something when I'm looking at ancient art... maybe I can convince him otherwise.. seriously.. the David is not that interesting to look at Father. I am not trying to watch porn. It's a naked guy standing there. This is not exciting to me. This is the History Channel. Okay...

My vacation reading list, because I am a freak. I know I won't get to half of these, but still:
-"Othello"--William Shakespeare
-"King Lear"--William Shakespeare
-"Till We Have Faces"--CS Lewis
-"The Awakening"--Kate Chopin
-"This Side of Paradise"--F. Scott Fitzgerald
-"Paradise Lost"--John Milton
-something by Henry James
-something by Edith Wharton
-possibly something by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

With those last three, I kinda want to see their styles...

Obviously, I'm back!!! Well, I've been back, but I'll post about that tomorrow when I'm actually fully conscious.

Just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAYNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And I love embarrassing you. Eight shades of red! :D I'm going to name a book that someday.

And good job Royston in "Romeo and Juliet". You are THE perfect friar. :D

Because I want to numb my brain:

MOUTHOLOGY

Q. What is your salad dressing of choice?
A. bleu cheese

Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A. In-N-Out

Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A. A specific Chinese one and probably Chili's. I LOVE their buffalo bites.

Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A. it depends. I usually do the conventional "double the tax/15%" thing, but it really depends on how much change I have and how good the service was

Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
A. noodles

Q. What are your pizza toppings of choice?
A. pepperoni. JUST pepperoni. Don't give me the other nasty stuff. Don't ruin it.

Q. What do you like to put on your toast?
A. I don't have toast much, but strawberry jam I guess. At least that's what I had in Cambridge.

Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A. View of Paris from Pont Alexander III

Q How many televisions are in your house?
A. 1

BIOLOGY

Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A. right-handed

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. umm... I don't think so... my umbilical cord? my brain from falling down so much?

Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted?
A. my stupid backpack

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. hahaha in my imagination--it's a very romantic moment in bad stories. :D

BULL[CRAP]OLOGY

Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A. that's a hard one, but I think in the end, I'd say no, because I couldn't take it otherwise

Q. What color looks good on you?
A. err... no clue. I always wear the same colours: black, white, red, blue

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. gum.

Q. Have you ever saved someone's life
A. I don't think so...

Q. Has someone ever saved yours?
A. my dad probably... "LOOK OUT THERE'S A CAR!!!" or burping me as a child to make sure I didn't CHOKE and DIE

DAREOLOGY

Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A. money.. *shakes head*

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A. NO

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A. err... define "blog". YOU CAN NEVER STOP ME FROM WRITING, but if it's just like.. you have to use a different server, then sure!

Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
A. NO. I have SOME dignity thank you. And don't look at me please. Don't blind yourself.

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
A. I couldn't do it. I know I couldn't.

Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
A. I don't think I could carry it through. Even if I agreed, I'd probably hurt myself accidentally. And even if I didn't, have serious guilt problems and then write another "Crime and Punishment". NO LIMINAL SPACES!

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket?
A. lint probably. earlier, money

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A: SAVE ME NOW

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house or apartment?
A: wood downstairs, carpet upstairs

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A: ... who SITS in the shower? that's called a BATH. I stand...

Q: Could you live with roommates?
A: depends on who it is. Couldn't live with fluffy pink cheerleader sorority girls. save me now.

Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A. two

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A. errr.. I don't want any! *HIDES*

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. journalist? someone who gets to write and travel? someone remembered?

LASTOLOGY

Q: Last Friend you talked to?
A: Yogin (still talking)

Q: Last person who called u?
A: Yogin

Q: Person you hugged?
A: my dad (and Yogin)

FAVORITOLOGY

Q: Number?
A: It was "7" for years and years, but Gerrard is changing my mind. So no. I have no favourite number.

Q: Season?
A: spring; too hot in summer

CURRENTOLOGY

Q: Missing someone?
A: as always; Elsa, Kathleen, Andy, etc. Even people I see every day.

Q: Mood?
A. About to fall over sleeping

Q: Listening to?
A: "Fields of Barley"--Eva Cassidy

Q: Watching?
A. Yogin type things on AIM and me typing back!

Q: Worrying about?
A. too many things: Oracle, Christmas presents, IB oral, philosophy presentation, philosophy essay, calculus in general, catching up on physics, ORACLE (I know I already said that), Liverpool, Yogin, college apps

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning?
A: bathroom

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A: Be done with college apps
Get Christmas presents :)

Q: What was the last movie you saw?
A: in the theatres?? Err... crap. What was it? OH. "Across the Universe". WOW. that was SEPTEMBER. Holy crap.
Last movie in general was "Romeo and Juliet"

Q: Do you smile often?
A: hahah too much. My eyes disappear.

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A: IT depends. I'm really friendly with strangers and people I don't know too well. I'm really friendly with my friends (so redundant. grr), but I can be the world's biggest bitch sometimes and I know it.

SLEEEEEEEP