Wishing You A

Happy New Year!

I have no idea what the new year is going to bring, I can only hope it's a bit calmer than the last. I'm personally really excited about the inauguration so I guess that's a pretty good start. And Hopefully I'll still be traveling to India and Sri Lanka over the summer permitting no major terrorist attacks or outbreaks of conflict. And hopefully my family won't be targeted and killed seeing as we're American tourists.

My point is that besides this I pretty much have no idea what this next year is going to hold, which is pretty liberating. At least I'm not trapped in rut doomed to repeat the same monotonous routines over and over, I'd like to hold that off until at least my mid-30's.

I hope you're all as excited as I am!

-Viv

goodbye 2008

Well I am posting, thanks to Blair and her new phone. :)

Maybe some people are sad to see 2008 go. I'm not. It's not that 2008 was all that bad but I know 2009 is going to beat it hands down. First of all it ends in a 9, that's an odd number divisible by 3. Second of all, I am going to be turning eighteen!!!!!!!!!! In like. . . a month and a half. I'm not sure the world is ready but I sure am. Third of all, everything just seems to be coming together for me in life like all of the sudden I've filled in the frame of a puzzle and I just have to make sure not to mess up the middle now.

I've posted or had someone post for me every Tuesday except for the one time I forgot. . . and it's been over 200 days that we've been writing this blog. That's pretty good. I'm a lot different than I was a whole year ago. Actually, I'm almost opposite. Now I want to go to college and I want to do well in school and I care about it. Now I know what and who matters to me. Now I feel just more optimistic I suppose. Now I can run a lot farther and I can play Rockband decently. I can stand up for myself more than I did, although sometimes it's still hard. I finally got what I wanted and then realized I was wrong about it in the first place. And it's because of that that I'm so happy today in a way. In fact, there's hardly anything that hasn't changed. (Is hasn't not a word because its underlined in red.)

Anyways I found this quiz so here we go.
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
 I don't know. Lots of stuff? I got a business liscence. I'll go with that.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
 If I made resolutions last year I did not keep them. Yes.
3. What was the last text message you got? Blair texted me "Don't forget it's your blog day."
4. Did anyone close to you die?
 My cat, Pepper.
5. What states/countries did you visit?
 New York
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
 More common sense.
7. What date from 2008 will you remember?
 December 25th
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I'm doing really well in school? And I ran five miles.
9. What was your biggest failure?
 Not being assertive. . .
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
 1st surgery.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
 All my movies maybe? That's basically what I've purchased.
12. Are you happy with life right now? Yes, very much so.
13. Who was the last person who called you? Won
14. Where did most of your money go?
 Movies. . . It's sad isn't it.
15. Do you have any new regrets? Yes yes yes.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
 Maybe "Love in this Club" or "Whatever You Like." They're just catchy for me.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? 
happier b) thinner or fatter? thinner c) richer or poorer? . . . poorer maybe?
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Hung out with my friends.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
 . . . don't want to say.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
 Umm presents, biking, Rockband 2, dinner.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
 Yes.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
 New: Arrested Development. Old: The Office.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
 I don't really hate people.
24. What was the best book you read?
 I honestly can't remember.
26. What are you looking foward to? Right now? Thursday evening.
27. Did anything surprise you? Yes. I am doing well in chem. . . and that everything worked out so well.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
 That's a hard one. Maybe Juno. That was this year right?
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
 My parents forgot my 17th birthday and gave me 17 dollars. . .
30. What are you most thankful for? Second chances. I usually need them.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
 There were a lot more bad outfits than good ones unfortunately.
32. What kept you sane?
 I have absolutely no idea. . .
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
 It's between Michael Cera and Brandon Flowers
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
 I'm not really that good with politics. . .
35. Who did you miss?
 Pepper.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
 Conor. He's just so awesome. He taught me so much so far this year and he makes me laugh. If he wasn't in my classes they wouldn't be so interesting.
37. What's a song that sums up your year? "The Show" by Lenka. And i'ts also good :)


Happy New Year tomorrow everyone!! And a shout out to Erica!

-Lacey

The Last Monday

My last post of 2008.

And what a year 2008 was!

We have the first black presidential elect after a ridiculous war between the Republicans and Democrats. We found that Heath Ledger played both a convincing and frightening joker. And Iron Man wasn't the disappointment as expected. We couldn't get Love in this Club by Usher, Love Song by Taylor Swift, and Viva la Vida by Coldplay out of our heads. No one would stop talking about the latest episodes of House, Heroes, and SNL. We lost Heath Ledger, Bernie Mac, and Bobby Fischer. Two of us lost cats. And one of us lost a father. There were break-ups and couples formed. Blogs were made and friendships grew. We watched siblings go to college. There were arguments, huge fights, and quite a bit of drama, but we made it through. We started the 'toughest' school year yet. We've thought about our futures. We've faced tests. AP tests, SATs, ACTs, and the general tests of life. We laughed. We cried. We grew. We changed.

I think we all came out of this year older and wiser. At least I can only hope.

2009 gives us a fresh start. We have the oppurtunity to make new memories. I hope it turns out wonderfully.

-Brianna

Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear

Hello there, Blue Powerblogger here!

So my Christmas was basically awesome. I went to the mountains with my family and got to see my favorite people in the whole world, my cousins Rachel, Rebekah, and Matt. On day one, we went to a christmas tree farm where we chopped down our own christmas tree and then we returned to the cabin to decorate it. It was a cute little tree, less than six feet tall and four feet wide. It must have been a little heavier on one side though because while I was hanging ornaments on it, it fell over on top of me! We had to tie it to the wall. On day two we had "Polar Express Day", a day on which my cousins and I set up chairs to resemble the seats on a train and we watch The Polar Express while sipping hot chocolate. Day three was spent planning the "Third Annual Blairsville Cousins Christmas Pageant", a little performance we put on for our parents and grandparents. And day five was Christmas Eve. We made foam ornaments and door hangers and had our cousin gift exchange. 

So this brings us to Christmas morning. I had really wanted an ipod for Christmas because I have never had one, so I was looking forward to receiving one. I also asked for guitar hero world tour, because I am obsessed with that game. On Christmas morning, I woke up at 9:05 (the latest I've ever woken up for Christmas!) and went to open gifts. I got a couple of shirts, a pair of pants, a dress, and a picture for my room. Its not that I was ungrateful, but I guess I was just expecting more. My parents then told my sister and me to look at the tree. There was an ornament on the tree with a "to/from" label on it. Behind the ornament was a piece of twine. I started pulling on the twine and followed it to the floor, under a table, and out the window. It led to a box with a green tablecloth over it. beneath the cloth was guitar hero and the ipod! I almost started crying out of pure happiness. It was probably the best reaction to a gift I've ever had.

We left on saturday night, and I listened to Underoath for the entire seven hour drive home, of course. I didn't get back into town until two o' clock in the morning, and I had to wake up at nine for church. So it was basically a long night. And that brings an end to my Christmas shenanigans. 

Oh, and listen to "Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear". Its my new favorite song off of "Lost in the Sound of Separation". 

Until next week,

-Caroline 

Even If The Theme Was Last Week

Hola mujeres y hombres! I really suck at Spanish! Even though the Christmas theme was last week, I'm going to talk about it again!!!!

It wasn't Christmas that was interesting for me, but Christmas Eve. I promised a friend that I would play tennis with her and her friends whom I've never met til then. She told me she would be at my house around 9 to 9:30 in the morning. Well guess what? My alarm didn't go off! In fact, I set the alarm to go off at 8:30 pm instead! *Smacks himself for allowing blond moment* She came when I still had my bed head, the phone rang when she came in, I stubbed my toe on the way to the door, she ended up standing by the door for 3 minutes because the guy wouldn't stop talking, and to wrap it all up, she waited on the couch while I got ready. It was the best morning of my life (note sarcasm).

Tennis itself was pretty good. I got to be "Coach June" for a while. Just me and a bunch of girls... Bleh. Let me also say that I was tortured in the car because I was listening to Asians attempting to rap. Anyway, after tennis we played pool and I lost. I'm terrible at pool but it was still fun ^_^. Afterwards, we went to Mo Mo's where we ordered a gimungulous (I invented a new word!) pizza. I barely finished the 3rd slice.

The afternoon ended and my friend dropped me off at my house. Thus the adventure began. My dad came home a little bit later and picked me up so we could go to the homeless shelter. This was a big deal for me because this was my first time meeting a hobo. IT'S A BIG DEAL! Our church does a program to feed the homeless something better than the prison food style delicates they serve in the shelter once a month. So when we got there, we lashed out our plastic gloves and started heating up the grills. I was the pickle man =D Bread, put on mayo, put on the lettuce, then the tomato and onions, fish the pickles out of the jar and put them on (that's me!), put on the hamburger, spread the fries next to it, now it's ready for the person. Make, breathe, repeat. Really though, I was amazed at how many people came. The line was huge and there was almost a fight because someone tried to cut in line. Most of them were really nice actually. A lot of people were thankful and told us," Merry Christmas!" as we worked. All I could do was smile and tell them "Merry Christmas" back. There were times when I wished I could do more =(

We went to church after the deed was done. We were to play/sing in a Christmas program there. Watching the homeless eat was torture to my dad because they were having dinner while we were handling food we couldn't eat. While he went to get dinner, I went to the car and brought out a very dusty violin. I didn't want to play but I was the only one in our group that could. My dad finished eating and he gathered everyone in our group for a quick practice session (and our ONLY practice session. We decided on this on last minute terms). We practiced for ten minutes (with very off-key voices) and decided that was enough. I, however, did not stand for the out of tune notes I played so I practiced for half an hour more. I guess the OCD musician in me came out.

We were ninth in the program. The show was very laughable. There were technical difficulties in EVERY act including ours. The microphones blew out, the music wouldn't play, the power point was a later edition, etc. Even in ours, we couldn't use the amp for the guitar because some idiot took the only cable out. In the end, my OCD self was satisfied. 75% of my violin skill returned in the span of 40 minutes and I landed every note in Jingle Bells and Silent Night. I got a lot of compliments ^_^. Oh, did I mention all the acts were being judged? We placed 6th out of the 12 places and received two hefty bags of rice. The pastor told everyone "good job" and everyone recieved two bars of soap. Rice and soap... Awesome.

Lastly, here's a Halloween-style Christmas video about Frosty the Snowman! (Excuse the profanity)


That's all folks. Join us tomorrow for an awesome post from Caroline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!^2
(Too lazy to check for errors... Someone tell me if I messed up something)

-June

Looking for a Used Car

I think if Ryan weren't there to keep me on top of things, I would have a lot of problems.
Yesterday was Friday, as he kindly reminded me.
On the way back from a small Asian party on Christmas Day, it was really foggy, and at some point it smelled kind of smokey outside. I was really tired, so it felt like I was in China. I was definitely nice how almost everyone was so happy. Jonathan, I really liked your video, even though you were not telling a story in it.
Well, Friday was a tiring and boring day as usual.
I went to the second car dealership of recent times, and limped around, as I have been for a week now. It's really hard to find used cars, as my mother has pointed out more than once.
So, we sat there for three hours, waiting for them to figure out what was wrong with the car that we already had because it made funny noises that I have never noticed.
It is 11:11am!
So, today is the day to pack because I am leaving to get my passport renewed. Fun stuff... Yesterday during dinner, I remembered that a very very long time ago, my mother had to throw away a little plastic baggie of cucumbers or oranges or something because we couldn't take it into this room in which we were doing things to go to America. I knew I'd have to wait another few hours when we got there. She took my little hand and told me to hurry up.
Jack is looking for an ALW, an Asian Lady Wife. Anyone interested?

On another note:
"Baby, it's fact
That our love is true
The way black is black
And blue is just blue
My love is true
It's a matter of fact
Oh, and you love me too
It's as simple as that
Baby, our love is true"

I hope you had a great Friday.

-Kejing

Merry Christmas!

Well, today is a The Power Bloggers first! 'Tis Christmas! And in the spirit of firsts, I thought it might be fun to do another- a video post (that actually works this time!).
I'm sorry for the quality of video- that'd be the crappy webcam we have. Futhermore, I'm really sad I couldn't read "The Night Before Christmas" because the microphone kept acting up. It's a real pity because it's a pop-up book with all sorts of neatness packed away into it. Anyways- here's the video!



Merry Christmas
- Jonathan

Hello everyone! Happy holidays.

I must say I am thoroughly enjoying my break from school. Just the chance to relax and not think. It's so nice.

Here are some of my holiday favorites:
Movies- A Muppet Christmas Carol, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and The Year Without a Santa Claus
Music- Sleigh Ride, Holly Jolly Christmas
Story- Christmas Means Giving from Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

My cat fell asleep on my arm so now it's hard to type. I'm going to wrap it up I suppose. Also pretty soon I have to finish wrapping presents.

This has to be my favorite Christmas Break so far.

Honestly, I am usually a little disappointed. It's not really that great to have a lot of extra time with my family. . . I don't get to sleep in. I usually spend time cleaning and doing chores and not having fun. But this year everything is okay. Even though none of it has really changed.

I am just so extremely happy and I hope that everyone else feels the same. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

-Lacey

A Slightly Cynical Christmas

My family every year does a couple of things to prepare us for Christmas. So let me tell you about the Rosier Christmas.

If you know my family, or even if you only know me, you know that we make fun of pretty much everything. So it's become sort of a family tradition, that every year we'd go around and look at Christmas lights. We pick out the tackiest and declare every bad thing about it. It's quite enjoyable.

Then we make about a million sugar cookies. After frosting these and proceeding to put them on plates, we take them to a ton of families. After spending all day making the cookies, we don't look forward to driving around for multiple hours to give cookies to people we barely know, but happen to live near us. It usually involves a lot of complaining, and at some point at least one plate is dropped and ruined.

Probably one of my favorite parts of the holidays is when we read the Christmas story from the Bible. You see, a certain member of our family, we'll not name names but you can probably guess, reads really badly out loud. And after we proceeded to mock her reading, or attempt to cut her out of it all together, she storms off angrily.

But that is the whole dynamic of my family. We're all kind of jerks, but we're also pretty close.

I remember this one year, when we used to still get up at three and wait excitedly for our parents to wake up, we sat around the tree with the lights on. After that we got out our "Santa present", which happened to be a playstation that year, and started playing. I never really believed in Santa by the way, my sisters killed the chances of that when I just grasped the idea of him. But anyway, that year was one of the best times I can remember, Christmas or not. I mean I probably have another opportunity to get up so early with my sisters and enjoy the wonder that is Christmas morning. It's simple, but it's one of my happiest memories.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.

And for those Jewish people out there...and Ryan...happy first day of Hanukkah!

-Brianna

Moving for the Sake of Motion

Hello there, Blue Powerblogger here!!!

So this week our theme is Christmas. I was going to talk about some of the Christmas traditions that run in our family but instead I decided to write about the commercialization of this holiday. Now, I don't mind if you celebrate Christmas even if you're not Christian, as long as you are keeping with the holiday spirit of giving and spending time with family. What I hate, though, is how the word "Christmas" has become synonymous with presents, presents, presents! All I hear is "Mom, I want an Xbox 360!!!" or "Please please please get me a new stereo system!!!" Do we even know why we get presents on Christmas? Here's a brief history:

The origin of the Christmas Present seems to have a number of different sources. The earliest references to presents being given on or around the Winter Solstice comes from Ancient Rome during the feast of Kalends. High ranking officials were expected to give gifts to the Emperor since the Winter Solstice celebrated the birth of the Sun God, to whom the emperor was directly related.

Another early source of gift-giving comes from St. Nicholas, who was remembered for his charitable giving. Often on his feast day parents would leave small gifts of chocolate or fruit for their children. His feast day slowly came over time to be associated with the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity on December 25th.

Gift Giving in the modern sense starts in America in the 1820s. What had once been the simple practice of exchanging small gifts exploded into the full-fledged consumer driven holiday we now know. The first advertising for Christmas Gifts is found in the early 1800s, around 1804. By the 1820s ads began to spring up more and more, and by the 1840s they were an integral part American Society. This sudden interest in gift giving may be tied to the rise of Clement Moore's poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas".

Many people in today's world claim that, "Christmas today is all about presents, not like when I was a kid". In truth people have been claiming that for over a century and a half. Harriet Beacher Stowe, of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" fame, wrote a story in the 1850s where a character complains how when she was a child, "the very idea of a present was new!" and that, "there are worlds of money wasted at this time of year." Unlike all the other people who are nostalgic for the Christmas of their childhood since, Harriet Stowe was correct; the commercialization of Christmas did occur in her life time.

It just annoys me how a holiday which is held sacred to a religion is being transformed into a money-making machine. Stores get the most business during the holidays. Parents run into debt trying to get everything on their childrens' wishlists. It's so ridiculous, especially now that our country is experiencing economic troubles. Are we trying to raise the next generation on greed?

I wish people stayed true to the real meaning of Christmas, whether that be by celebrating Jesus Christ's birth or spreading goodwill to men. So this year, just spend time with the people you love and remember why we really celebrate this holiday.

And listen to "Moving for the Sake of Motion"!!! It's AMAZING!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

-Caroline

Day of the Firsts

Hola. I'm really mad right now because there is a stupid glitch where if you upload a video and then you leave, it totally erases the whole thing EXCEPT the video embed code. ARGH! So here is my whole post all typed up AGAIN!

Christmas was always the day when I experience a "first". What I mean by that is that I experience something for the first time. So here is a list of things that I experienced for the first time on Christmas.

First time...
-I believed in Santa.
-my belief in Santa was crushed.
-my mom's dear friend from Wisconsin gave me a board game when I was little.
-my mom's dear friend gave me a monster truck when I was 14.
-my mom's dear friend gave me an "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" game when I was 15. That's not an insult to my intellect at all.
-my mom's dear friend gave me a 4th grade science kit when I was 15.
-I found out my mom's dear friend will give me kiddy gifts no matter what age I am.
-I drank eggnog. It was horrid.
-I became addicted to a video game (reference to previous post).
-I got a large number of Yu-Gi-Oh cards.
-I burned a Yu-Gi-Oh card.
-I went to a beach in 22 degree weather.
-I went to Panama City only to find out it was raining there. We ate at Sonic's then we went back home. Some trip.
-I sat on a pedophile dressed in a Santa suit.
-I read Chicken Soup for the Soul.
-I burned a marshmallow along with the stick.
-I started making songs in my head. I never bothered to write them down though because I didn't have a guitar back then ^_^
-I realized how much I missed my best friend from Tampa. He came over for a few days.
-my church did a rap session for the yearly Christmas skit.
-I had a solo for a Christmas skit (I had to sing in a different skit. I wouldn't rap. Asians can't rap. Not even the ones who did the skit).
-I realized that I never had a real tree for Christmas, just those artificial ones.
-I realized I actually like tennis. I know right?
-I got a present from someone my age. I didn't get this until high school. Kinda sad =(
-I learned the meaning of yellow snow.
-I played in snow.
-a dog demolished a very cherished snowman that I had painstakingly built. I cried. I was four years old.

Lastly, here's a video! View in full screen for an enhanced effect.

If I saw that up close, I would've had a seizure. So join us tomorrow for an exciting Christmas edition of Caroline's obviously awesome post.

-June

Random Question: Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

It's over it's over it's over!

This week's theme is Christmas. How joyful.

I've never seen people so eager to finish their exams. This is the first year a lot of people have to take all of them, so of course, it has gotten a little stressful.
I wrote between ten and five pages of stuff during exams.
It was nice seeing a lot of the kids next and diagonally across the door before the 7th period exam. More people to give lots of luck!
I think I went crazy during the math exam. I started talking to myself throughout some of my work-checking, and then I smiled a lot for no reason, stretched, all this while realizing I had to keep working or checking or figuring-out, and then Jeremy Katz comes in so I wave my arms and smile more. Later, the teacher smiled and it was odd too.
Actually yesterday or so, I was thinking about how I'm not actually really celebrating Christmas. But, I made a card, and did previously give someone a Hanukkah gift, so I guess it is kind of festive. Also, yesterday morning, my mother asked me what I wanted, which turned into a one-sided conversation in which she talked about how Apple's computers are better and more expensive, which had absolutely no correlation with the first topic.
I really hope that you relax during the break. Almost everyone worked so so hard...

Okay, Christmas!
This year our family isn't going to put the artificial tree up because there is dining room furniture (table and chairs) in the living room, so there isn't a lot of space for it. But if you look at the house at night, you can see lights in the bushes! Wooh!
I think it's amazing that so many people don't have white Christmases.
When I was in first grade, I heard about Santa Claus for the first time. Someone was talking about how he was real. Actually, he was arguing with these other two kids about it. He read a book that had Santa in it, and was adamantly sure that Santa exists. I thought this was terribly ridiculous.
It's funny how so many little Asian boys get video games and video game consoles around now.
I am nervous for Christmas Eve.

May you be satisfied. :)

-Kejing

The Cowardly Lion

(If you need to see the original, click here)


Sometimes XKCD is scary.
Sometimes it's because:

1. The Black Hat Guy is maiming/murdering someone.
2. There's a very very disturbing sexual reference I wish I didn't understand.
3. The topic is presented in a way that I resonate very well with.
   

The above comic strip is such example of #3. I don't know what it is about me and the way I show (or don't, technically) my affection for someone, but there is certainly a lot of self doubt and confidence-issue stuff that gets in the way. I mean, is slowly building a friendship under the pretenses that I just want to be a friend and don't actually harbor any feelings of intense infatuation really healthy? Ultimately, they friendships always boil down to a midnight-or-later conversation, traditionally commenced by the opposing party's acquisition of a riddle of some of sort that spells out my true feelings for her. In what will be a gut wrenching few hours, deceit will twist the ruse into the most complicated knot possible, break quite a few rules of logic along the way. I can't stand that time- when I've committed myself to telling her that I like her, but I can't stand for her to find out- it's very taxing. It's not healthy and, frankly, it does no one any favors.

So, no more.

I guess I've changed- obvious enough, in some ways (geez, I'm 6'2" now and my hair color isn't what it used to be)- but less obviously in what I'm doing for seeking out companionship more than my circle (though at this point you guys have more honestly arranged yourselves into a multi-planar object, refusing the existence of certain others) of friends. Gone are the days where I stalk my prey (please excuse the obligatory creepy predator-prey metaphor) though a drawn out and methodical process. What, then, is my new method? Funny you should ask; I haven't a clue yet. See, enveloping your innermost self tends to have a cold effect on potential dates. I made a sort of pact with myself this summer that I wouldn't entangle myself in some complicated relationship where I lose focus of school and my grades suffer. What's the best way to avoid that mess? Well, abstaining from it altogether seems to be pretty effective. I mean, I'm not saying I can't make exceptions, but I'm just saying that it has to be pretty extraordinary.

Sure, I'm nice enough (and apparently humble too) and you may be a little put off by the fact that you just learned that I've been holding out on you all- not giving you all my all. I'm sorry, I truly am, if you are offended. I don't really know what I'm doing in this life, but I do know from observing relationships that surround me, parents, friends, celebrities (just kidding!), and others, that giving your soul to someone that ehh, might not be the person you want to spend a lifetime with, can end pretty disastrously. I can't know if I've missed my opportunity, and I will live with a lot of regret, 'tis only human to. I can take solace in knowing, however, that no one can tell me that I'm doing it all wrong, because, frankly, no one knows. It's one of those questions that no one knows the true answer to, like, "what's the meaning of life?" I still live for myself, unguided by a kindred spirit with which to exchange innermost thoughts and secrets, and I think I'm still doing pretty well. I don't need to reach a quota of girlfriends to be happy with my month/year/high school career. I am content with taking it one day at a time, blissfully ignorant that I'm missing out on what could be the greatest joy that I've ever known, or the most heart-breaking dolor that I've ever wished not to know. It works for me.

Perhaps this sideways glance into the innerworkings of my heart and mind will give you readers, an assortment of friends, acquaintances, family, and even foes, a better understanding of your residential black powerblogger. I should hope so.

- Jonathan

La Nouvelle Generation

I’m done with school for the most part now, I just need to make a C on my French exam (even though I suck at French it shouldn’t be that bad) and a C on my English exam (if I didn’t I probably should have my head studied). But no worries, and aside from my Calc homework over the break that Mrs. Johnson so *unexpectedly* assigned us, it should stay that way over the break.

I’m so excited. Now I have time to read all those books I’ve been meaning to read, see all those movies I’ve been meaning to see, and download all that music I’ve been meaning to download. And then there are the actual holidays. The actual day of Christmas is kind of disappointing for me, but I’m looking forward to Christmas shopping and I can’t wait for New Year’s Eve.

Thanks to Jonathan I’ve recently discovered the presence of French dubbed Degrassi episodes online, definitely a new obsession. Sure I can’t really understand anything their saying, but general teen-drama translates through any language. Actually, it turns out Dailymotion has tons of tv shows in French, but Degrassi definitely uses the lowest level of vocabulary and I therefore have the greatest chance of actually understanding some of it. Who needs a tutor anyway when you can learn foreign language through a good old fashioned Paige-Manny showdown? Or an adequate teacher for that matter? I definitely know what I’ll be doing in French class next semester.

Someone mentioned Iron & Wine today in class and I’m suddenly really in the mood to listen to them again, even though I’ve decided they’re a spring band. But that’s not even really fair to them, considering they are a really good band and our spring only lasts for about two weeks anyway.

Oh, and did I mention I finally have a kitchen sink? Yeah, it’s going to be a pretty good break.

-Viv

sorry for the blandness

EXPLANATION 11:34
I know this is kinda a cheap way to make sure I post on time. . . but I will finish this post after I am through studying. . . pinky promise.

ACTUAL POST 12:18
So basically I just spent like. . . 2 hours memorizing 119 things for my history exam tomorrow. My head hurts so badly!!!

An hour in I decided all I really wanted was some yogurt. It was good because I had purchased some recently. I went in and all my yogurt was gone even though I hadn't eaten any. . . my sister ate all of it. So my mom was like, "That's okay, have some of mine." And I was like, "Okay," and then it was expired. . . I was not pleased.

This is the first year that I am taking all of my exams and it makes me feel so stressed out. I will not be able to relax until Friday when all of this is over.

I can't help but think about what classes I want to take next year. I basically have three schedules I am choosing between. One where I don't take everything that I want to but I will get to live. One that is compromising but kind of questionable. And then theres the one with everything in it that probably will kill me.

So I ended up with all A's. Yay. . .

Can you tell I'm tired?

Goodnight.
-Lacey

Sorry, I'm Lame

HEROES TONIGHT!!!!!!

...and after staring at the empty text box for the past 45 minutes, I kinda feel like that is all I have to say.

I'm so ready to be done with the semester.

-Brianna

In Regards to Myself

Hello, there, Blue Powerblogger here!

So this week, I have really kept thinking about my purpose on Earth and my singing vs. architecture dilemma. In order to get more in touch with my musical side and with the sound of Underoath pulsing through my veins, I wrote this song (Sorry, June, I didn't know you were writing about songs this week, too, but they are very different, at least):

The working title is "Grant's Song", because I always write songs about people and their names serve as the title until I think of a better one:

listen up now, listen to me

listen closely do you hear the noise

there's nothing but silence, and thats the point

this is where we stop forgetting regrets

I'm sorry for who I've become 

I'm sorry for the things I've done

I'm sorry that I used you

I never meant to use you

but maybe if you stood here for a second

If you saw the view, the view from here

I find it's getting harder and harder to erase all these mistakes

your walls are closing, closing in now and I'm trying to escape

your silence is more suffocating than your words

and I can't breathe, I can't breathe...

Where did I lose myself? Where did I go wrong?

Speak up now, speak over the noise

I'd take it all back just to hear your voice

this is where we just forgive and forget

I'm sorry for the things I've said

I'm sorry for the lies I've spread

I'm sorry that I used you

I never meant to use you

but maybe if you listened for a second

to all the things you need to hear, to hear

I find it's getting harder and harder to erase all these mistakes

your walls are closing, closing in now and I'm trying to escape

your silence is more suffocating than your words

and I can't breathe, I can't breathe...

...anymore

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also curled my hair today for church, and it's really springy. I'm thinking of doing it this way for Seussical auditions. And I got a water gun from our white elephant gift exchange at youth. I love Christmas!

And listen to "In Regards to Myself" by Underoath. I've decided that from now on, my blog post titles are going to be songs.

Until next week (WINTER BREAK WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!),

-Caroline

Three Words Of Affection

Hey guys. Today I'm cutting this post a little short because I have two enormous exam review packets to finish and I need all the time I can get. So here goes something...

I haven't really finished the mushy love song yet but I've got a pretty strong grasp on what the melody is going to be. It's all planned out in my head, now I need the words. I also took 3 lines from my first song and decided to put it in here because I kinda stole some of the music from Reliant K. So now these three lines are in a genuinely original song =D. Even though I wanted this song to go a Christian way, it's turning out to be a song for just about anyone. Maybe I'll play it for someone some day. Yeah right! Anyway here it is:

Chorus
A2 E
After all those times you gave me attention,
A2 E
After all those times you saw me through,
A2 E
Let me say these three words of affection
A2 E/D#
"I love you."
A2
Have I told you that I love you?


Bridge
A2 E
Even when I try to leave you
A2 Bsus
You're still there for me even then too.
A2
You come back ten times stronger
Bsus F# A2
And you my make heart grow all the more fonder.


Ending
A2
I love you.
E/D#
I love you.
A2 E/D# A2
I love you more than you could ever know.
E
Oooooooo....

So there's the love song. Bleh. Join us tomorrow for a terrific post from Caroline!

-June

Random Question: Do prison buses have emergency exits?
(End Note: Bleh the blog paragraphing mushed all the chords together. Oh well...)

Oh trig sub, how I used to love you so.

Kejing: Get off, Ryan!
Ryan: That's what he said.

Philip Crasto: How do you say "cucumber" in Chinese?
Philip again: So next time if I'm ever attacked by Chinese people, I'll say "cucumber." ... Isn't that your natural predator?

I keep having to wake myself up and remind myself that the Mini Mu actually is tomorrow. Why is it already December?

To someone who may have had a hard time today after school even though I was not there and you do not know how I know or even that I do, I hope you're okay. Oh, and you are a very smart child.

I actually forgot I was writing this for fifteen minutes. Forgive me? =/

Today, Brianna presented her opinion on the internet, including communication with emails and blogs. I thought she would say something about how great they are, but instead, she took a firm stance against the growth of this technological stuff because it takes time away from hand-written notes. I thought that was very ironic, and very true. Mrs. Clarke was proud of her for pointing out some words of wisdom. Something about how the communication is unique to our generation, but not to the individuals. So, that was purty cool.

Have a beautiful and relaxing Friday.

-Kejing

"My Name Is Not Roderick!"

Ahh, words immortalized by your truly this evening whilst performing a rather disarmingly good rendition of Pierre from the play entitled "The Madwoman of Chaillot". Okay, perhaps I'm overselling it a little bit, or quite a lot, but to be honest- I've never had so much fun.


While the idea of spending even a few hours with the "drama kids" may seem repugnant to some of you, I revel in the thought as I try to learn by some hypertonic->hypotonic diffusion system, trying desparately to understand the secret to their success. I've come down right to it, and it's the confidence. If you make a mistake on stage- even if it's really obvious, you've got to play it off as the big white elephant in the room that no one is noticing.

Speaking of elephants, and by some neural connection or another, Horton and Seussical! I am scared out of my wits as to how I'm going to even start preparing for an audition, but I do know that, fear or no fear, I will tryout, dammit, and not even the infamous wrath of stage fright is going to deter me. Is that too foolhardy? Ah, well who cares. It's not worth doing if you won't do it head first!

- Jonathan

All for $10

I can’t believe how close winter break is; once I make it through this week I’ll pretty much be done with school for the semester. Thinking about it now (and I know we’re only halfway through so I don’t want to jinx it), junior year isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I might actually have less work than I did last year, even though I’m taking three more AP classes. But then again, 3^rd semester is usually the hardest for me; I just seem to loose motivation or something.

Today I found out about this book called the better world shopping guide, and it’s really cool. Basically it grades brand names of common commodities in terms of their social and environmental impact. It’s very compact and easy to use, but it would definitely make a big difference in the way I shop. It’s not like I intentionally contribute to companies exploiting others, I’m just relatively uninformed. I definitely know what I want for Christmas!

Here’s the website if you want to check it out: http://www.betterworldshopper.com/

-Viv

for a pessimist i'm pretty pessimistic

Since I am foreseeing this week to be extremely stressful and the opposite of fun. . . I am writing my post Sunday. Isn't that pessimistic?

I had a not good weekend and a not good last week, but somehow I am still doing okay. Isn't that interesting?

I think that I have a problem. I can't accept the fact that I could possibly be happy and I have to ruin it. Isn't that depressing?

I have a really bad feeling that my life is fixing to fall apart.

I have been watching a lot of movies the last few days and the basic message of them is: don't get married it ruins your life and if you are weird and outcast, you will be happy. It is pretty much just bringing down my life except for the fact that these movies are so good. Paradox.

You know what I hate? When you don't know how to start a sentence so you sit there thinking with the Shift key down, because you know it has to be capital, and then that stupid window pops up about "Sticky keys" or whatever. It is just annoying.

So I suppose it is time for my fantastic story. Well obviously I am not in a fantastic mood, but here goes.

I had a near death experience pretty much everyday for the last two weeks. Someone cut one of my tires. My car was making a weird noise so my dad took it into the car people and they discovered it. They wouldn't even let my dad drive it home because of how dangerous it is. I have it fixed how. I started off with a few suspects. But now I know who it is. So if you did it, I know who you are and I would respect you more (and probably not press charges) if you just confessed.

Here's a little update from Tuesday. My day at school was pretty much the worst day ever!! But all things considered. . . it turned out okay.

There you go. I hope your happy now.

-Lacey

Holiday Concert, Heroes, Homework, blog post?

I had planned to write a post on everything that annoyed me. The list would be quite long. The past couple of days have been rough as I dealt with all the stress. I mean I'm a kind of nervous person by nature, but I don't usually get bothered by stress. So I wanted to complain. Why not?

But as I began my list I was reminded of a thought I had yesterday. You see, I was thinking about how often the holidays are forgotten, because this time of year homework and tests are piled on us. But I didn't want it to be that way. I wanted a jolly December, as December should be. And yesterday I decided that I would do everything in my power to make Christmas great for everyone this year.

And I forgot. So quickly I forgot.

I don't know, I mean do I have a point?

I guess there is lot more to be grateful for, than to complain about.

-Brianna

It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door

Hello there, Blue powerblogger here!

Okay, so I had a mini-meltdown on Friday night that was caused by three separate things:

1. So you know how I talk about Underoath a lot? Well, the drummer/co-lead singer (I just made up the latter title!) is Aaron Gillespie, and he is freaking incredible!!! He has red hair (A necessary component of being cool), a lip ring (the first guy with piercings other than earrings that I have ever had a crush on!) and he can sing, play guitar, and play the drums amazingly well. So I am pretty much in love with him. But then I found out he was actually married, and I was DEVASTATED!!! );

2. So the amazing Aaron Gillespie is so totally awesome that he's actually founded two bands: Underoath and The Almost. I was listening to some of The Almost's songs when I came across a song called "Amazing Because It Is". As I was listening to it, I became vaguely aware that I had heard the song before. Thats when I realized that one time, I heard it on the radio, and I disliked it so much that I had to change the channel! I felt like I had betrayed The Almost! I'm pretty much a hypocrite.

3. Probably the biggest factor causing my mini-meltdown was my whole issue with architecture vs. singing (those of you who read my blog about future plans a while back will know what I am talking about). I was talking to my friend on Thursday afternoon when we began discussing college plans. I asked him what he wanted to do after high school and he replied, "I don't really know. I try not to focus on the future too much and instead I worry about living each day to its fullest and getting the most out of life". Whereas I don't agree with this philosophy 100%, there were definitely some valid points he had made. And thats when I started thinking, "Do I really wanna live the mundane life of a business person? Where's the passion in that? I wanna do what I love, which is singing! I wanna feel the exhilaration of being onstage, the adrenaline rush of thousands of people cheering for me, the pride in knowing that I am a source of inspiration for others!" It really upset me, not knowing which path to take. I mean, sure, there's more security in being an architect, but I just can't even imagine going a day without singing! That's why I am going to run away, sign a record deal with Tooth & Nail, and go on tour with Underoath.

Okay, so thats my rant for today! Tune in tomorrow for Bri's post! And listen to "It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door" by Underoath!

-Caroline 

The Wonderful Week

Hello dudes and dudettes. Did you know that spell check actually identifies dudette as a word? Apparently it's in the dictionary now. I didn't know that =O. Anyway, here is the post!

I've heard a lot of things lately in school:
"Are you ready for the SAT?"
"OMG! THE TEST IS NEXT PERIOD!?!?!?"
"Hi Junie-oba." (This one is getting unusually common. Oba means big brother in Korean and the younger sister is supposed to call her older brother this.)
"Hahaha, LSU lost. Ryan is probably crying in the corner right now..."
"That's what she said."
"Tu madre."
"Votre mère."
But above all, I heard this the most:
"Did you see the Twilight movie?" or some sort of statement pertaining to the new Twilight movie. I heard it was pretty bad too. Apparently the guy playing Edward had 30 expressions on his face in each take and he also played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter. So enjoy this little clip I found =D


This week was also a song inspired week. I finished the song "Gaining My Wings" and now I'm already writing a new one. Hm, maybe I really could make an album if I wanted to... Or maybe if I got some other band to play one of them. That would be awesome =D. The new song is also a somewhat mushy love song that I would have never wrote on my own. Ugh, but it's currently called "Three Words of Affection" and I may or may not change the title.

That's all for this post. We are nearing our 200th post yay!!! I can't believe this went on that long. Well cya folks and don't forget to come back tomorrow for an awesome post from the Caroline.

-June

Random Question: What would the speed of lightning be if it didn't zig zag so much?

Narration

If I were to look back on the last night and today, my mind would try to shove my focus away.
So, here is something else first. It is true that my mother says some weird things to me. Yesterday at dinner, the conversation went something like this (again, in Chinese):
mother: So, do you have some sort of prom boy-girl thing in high school?
me: A what?
mother: A prom party thing.
me: Oh, yeah. I don't want to go this year, but I will next year.
mother: There won't be no one to take you, will there?
me: No... Also, people can go in groups.
mother: Okay.
me: How did you know about this?
mother: Well, [someone who works at the company] had this picture and he looked really formal in a tux and someone said "Hey, Kyle, is this your prom picture?"
That night, I tried to talk to someone, and deliver some sense into his brain. Well, that did not go so well, as he managed to severely insult my friend and me in one sentence. But I still hope that things get better for him, even though it seems like that will never happen. And after doing and saying those things, he doesn't even seem to deserve it, which I cannot say about almost every other person I know.
So, my mother was taking me to school as usual. Today, she decided to emphasize the worldly aspects of college. "You should definitely try to get into a really good school" and "you can even go to London if you want. Not that I am telling you to move to London."
Before 2nd period, Jack and I do not have a class, so we got Chanyang to get Ryan to come out into the hallway. Jack and I took turns hugging him, trying our best to make him feel better. The four of us talked a bit, and it was really pleasant. Good luck, and good luck to the rest of Chiles Brain Bowl! You're gonna rock Gainesville!
I realized the quiz in history was actually a test. Hm.
It was our pre-intern's last day in English. She seemed sad to leave, but I suppose that is what happens.
So I'm pretty sure we deftly raped that lab without actually finishing the write-up. Oh right. Also, you see, there are many guys in that class. So one of them said something about this blog. I said something like, how did you know about it? This other guy was just like... >.> and <.<>.> and <.<, back and forth. Like in his mind, "Wow, I just witnessed a stalking!"
I tried to tell Keenan to give them some alone time but he gave them about 30 second's worth and decided that was very generous. There seems to be a lot of touching at the hill.
Vicky asked me something weird and actually, I was already worried about that, but oh well. Today's conversacion dirigida in Spanish was about the request of a computer over the phone. This guy in math today raised his arms in elation when he realized that he bested me on the last last math test by 8%. I thought that was kind of cool.
My mind has been on so many things at once that I forgot to make a certain phone call when I got home. I am now listening to the album Day & Age by the Killers yet again. Thank you, Lacey, yet again! Well, that was my day. I hope yours was better!
Sincerely,
Kejing

Okay, is Heroes really in danger of being pulled of air? Because it’s really freaking me out. I mean, what am I supposed to do between the hours of 9:00 and 10:00 on Monday nights? Nothing. Nothing but watch Heroes, and if that’s taken away I’m in serious danger of becoming some crazy person who just sits and stares at a blank TV screen because they have nothing better to do and have nowhere else to go.

I’ve dedicated myself to Heroes much more than almost all other series I’ve gotten into. I’m a big fan of multi-tasking, some TV shows where just made to be watched while simultaneously talking on the phone, downloading music, and making dinner. But not Heroes. All homework is off limits, human contact is strictly limited to commercial breaks. And after all this dedication, you’d think they at least feel some sense of obligation towards me too. Unfortunately the cold-blooded fiends running NBC don’t care, they don’t care about me or the show’s millions of other fans.

At least I still have Liz Lemon, and Heroes for now.

-Viv

Ohhhh Snap!

'Tis a "snaptastic" post today! You'll notice that each of the topics have a nice little snap related title. =D Enjoy!

Cold Snap!
The weather has been wrecking havoc what with its mild afternoons and freezing morning gusts- what gives?! THIS IS FLORIDA. -.-
It would be nice if it actually snowed here like it did in 1993; at least then we would claim to remember seeing snow in the godforsaken town that gets colder my freezer but is as about as snow filled as my oven (which brings me to....)

Ginger Snap!
Ever since this cold weather has begun, I have had the strong urge to bake holiday treats! I'm contemplating making a really nice little confections basket for each of my teachers for the holidays with seasonal treats like Peppermint Bark, Hot Cocoa Mix, Peppermint Taffy, Christmas Cookies, and other things. Sure, it's a little "brown-noser" thing to do, but hey- I'm not denying it.

Triple Finger Snap!
DRAMA: I've mentioned it before, I'll mention it again! As I've talked about in weeks prior, I'd like to get a little more involved with our drama department. Well, I see a perfect opportunity with Seussical! I'm really excited about it, though the chance of me actually getting a part is very slim. Oh well, a guy dream, can't he?

Snapfully yours,

- Jonathan

Wellllll this last week is turning out to be extremely well balanced between the good things that happen to me and the bad. But thats pretty good considering that i had surgery for the first time ever which is a huge negative.

I don't want to give Walmart free advertising but I just can not help it. The movie sale that they are having is so great!!! I have gotten. . . . . a lot of movies in the past two weeks. That's right it's not a number that I care to share with the public because I have actually considered the fact that I may have an addiction. The movies in the five dollar bin with green stickers are two dollars. TWO DOLLARS! I actually ended up getting a number of scary movies that I am not even one hundred percent sure that I would ever be able to watch. But what a bargain!!!

It seems like since we have so little school left before Christmas holidays, and because this is the time of year when all of our lives seem a little brighter because of that break coming up. . . the teachers are PILING ON THE TESTS. Ugh. I just do not appreciate it at all. Trashcat is not amused.

I actually have put off writing this post for the longest time because I keep telling myself that something exciting has to happen to me. It . . . hasn't? So maybe something will happen to me next week. If not I will make something up for you guys.

-Lacey

Story

A little story...make what you will out of it.

It seemed like such a simple decision. "The time is now to choose. You can save your best friend, your parents, and that young gentleman you've had your eye on for quite some time. Then there is the option of saving the other billions of people of Earth." It was obvious the choice one should choose.

But then again, how could she part with the people that meant the most to her? And for what, a couple of strangers? Well, it was a little more than a couple of strangers. Was she selfish? Wouldn't anyone else in her position feel the same?

She racked her brain for an answer. How could she choose? This seemed like the classic superhero situation. Save a bus of people or your girlfriend. Somehow they always both end up being saved anyway. Things aren't always like the comic books. In fact, things are rarely like the comic books. If they were, Superman would come and fix the whole situation. She would not be here making the decision.

And how had she arrived to this point? None of that really matters now.

It was now or never. She had to make a choice. She walked her loved ones into a large chamber. Surely they would forgive her. It had to be this way. She joined them in the chamber and shut the door. She watched though the small glass as the world outside began to explode. The screams of the world were faint, but the tears of the four she had brought with her were deafening.

No, life is like the comic books. Those people wouldn't be coming back.

And why were her loved ones crying? Did they not realized she had just sacrificed the world for them?

-Brianna

Writing on the Walls

Hey there, Blue Powerblogger here!

So I had an interesting er..."chat" with a kid at my school last night on facebook. It went a little something like this:

Taylor

hey

9:58pmCaroline

WHAT DO YOU WANT???

jk

hey

9:59pmTaylor

cool man.

hows lfe

9:59pmCaroline

swell.

it would be totally awesome if i didn't have all this homework to do

9:59pmTaylor

thats good

i have a lot of makeup work

when are we going out for icecream

10:00pmCaroline

yeah how long were you out of school?

huh?

10:00pmTaylor

a week but when?

10:00pmCaroline

what are you talking about?

10:01pmTaylor

icecream date?

haha

10:02pmCaroline

you are a fag

haha

10:02pmTaylor

lol thanls

10:02pmCaroline

no problem

and still i have no clue what you are talking about

10:03pmTaylor

WHEN CAN I TAKE YOU OUT

10:03pmCaroline

um never.

10:03pmTaylor

o yeah your dating that kid that used to play soccer

10:03pmCaroline

haha no

10:04pmTaylor

yeah you are

10:04pmCaroline

umm....nope. unless something has happened that I am unaware of

10:05pmTaylor

your lying right now

10:05pmCaroline

i wish i was lol

10:06pmTaylor

ok ig2g toodaloo

10:06pmCaroline

sure later

this has been...weird

So yea, it was basically the strangest conversation I've had in a while. And I don't know how to get the font back to normal, so we're stuck with this. For those of you who are wondering, "Taylor" is Taylor G. (I won't say last names for confidentiality reasons) but you guys should know who I am talking about. He's in my chemistry class. That conversation was incredibly random, and I still have no clue what he was talking about, so I plan on clearing things up with him tomorrow during science.

Strange conversation #2:

So I was driving these two boys home from school, Colten and Sam. Here is part of our conversation from the trip:

Me: So what are you guys doing on your first night of Thanksgiving break? (the two boys were hanging out at Sam's house)

Sam: Well, we'll probably get naked, and see what happens from there. Anything ensuing will probably just be a result of attraction and flirtation.

Yeah, it was awkward...

Strange conversation #3:

There's this awesome european kid that goes to our school, and he is hilarious. I was talking to him about this girl that he likes, and then he turned the tables on me and inquired about the kid I am crushing on:

Conor: So how are things with you and your boy?

Me: pretty awesome, I guess

Conor: how? why? I need details! Elaborate! Who, what, when, where?

(So I told him some recent events)

Conor: I have to meet this kid! When can I meet him? He must meet my approval!

-yeah, he's kinda obsessed with my love life for some odd reason...

So those are three interesting conversations I've had within the past few days...Join us tomorrow for a riveting post from Bri!

And listen to "Writing on the Walls" by Underoath!

-Caroline :)