Saturday, January 31, 2009

Reading Eyes

Hello people. I am physically exhausted from a three hour bus ride. Three other power bloggers and I went to a math competition and I have to say it was pretty fun. I would like to give a shout out to Lacey because she displayed her ninja page ripping skills during the team rounds. Way to go!

Eyes are everywhere in the ever-bustling society. Wide eyes, squinty eyes, slanted eyes, a wide assortment of eyes. But for an odd reason, I can read them. "Eyes are windows to the soul," said a philosopher whose name I cannot remember at the moment. And indeed they are windows. I don't know when this began to occur in my life but what happened, happened. I would catch myself staring at someone, only to look away when the person notices me stalking them. Here is what I read in the eyes of the people I see everyday:

To nobody in particular:
Person 1: You have such a longing look whenever I see you. Sometimes you have a look as if nothing mattered and only when you have a task at hand, you would have an intense focusing look. You can be very easily influenced by what you see sometimes take whatever you see for yourself.
Person 2: You have such a desolate look. It's as if there is some sort of mask hiding a true expression you keep deep within you. You smile, yet I see something troubling you on the inside. I always get this feeling that you want to cry out to someone for help but the "walls" are keeping you tightly shut inside.
Person 3: There is such a desire to fit in with someone. You are also very sensitive. I can see that whenever someone throws an insult, joking or not, that there is always an impact. I wish I could tell you to loosen up, cool down, and be yourself.
Person 4: There is a spark whenever I look at you. It's quite interesting actually because I only see this spark in poor, innocent freshmen. But when you aren't looking at me, there is emptiness and confusion. There is something there, I'm not totally sure, like you have to decide between one thing and another... Almost like you have to get your priorities straight.
Person 5: You have this look of supreme tiredness, as if the weight of the world was crushing your every fiber. I'm quite jealous actually because I'm supposed to be the tired one.
But I know when you are really tired or trying to hide something. I wish I knew what was making you so tired.
Person 6: You have a look as if nothing mattered. You go with your own way of thinking and hopefully drag some people along with you. For some odd reason, I can't read you very well.

I'm not saying I'm telepathic or anything. It's just that my predictions have been troublesomely accurate. Even I'm getting skeptical about what I have written but I'm just writing down what I saw in people. Maybe I'm totally wrong... maybe I'm totally right. I don't trust my judgement anymore, which is rather worrisome.

Well anyways, join us tomorrow for another exciting edition of the Sunday tribute from Caroline! WHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-June

Random Question: If Barbie is so popular, why do we have to buy her friends?

Friday, January 30, 2009

Ryan Pace is Really Ticklish, Everyone.

I think I just had a conversation with my possible sister-in-law-to-be. He is a freshman at our school. Very short, jokes around a lot, can not ever stop talking, and is a little bit annoying after a while. It's difficult not to make fun of him though, because it is sooo easy to do. We had a lot of fun joking around with and about him on the way home today, though sort of at his cost. I probably would not be able to stand him if I had to talk to him for a long time, though...

I'm really excited about tomorrow, even though most people don't seem to be ready. Again, it will be a nice biweekly break from the normal pattern of life.

Chanyang gave me an Asian song to play! Wooh!

I hope Lacey and Caroline dominated in 7th period today.

Off to play some piano!

-Kejing

Thursday, January 29, 2009

"Oh Yeah, it's Thursday"

I just finished with my piano lesson, finally giving me a time to relax since 7 AM this morning. I was halfway through typing the URL to The Power Bloggers when asked myself who was writing today. " Oh Yeah, it's Thursday" rushed to me and I promptly signed and wrote this cute little anecdote which has take up a grand total of 68 words of space. Fantastic!

What to write about now? Well.. I could talk about how I attended our high school's 10th anniversary celebration and saw Mrs. Carlson for the first time since she retired. And I could mention how I took a picture with her, and gave her my email. And also, I could tell you guys that she's happy in retirement. Whoops.. I guess I just told you guys all that!

Well, I could mention how stressed I've been. Oh wait- that's what I talked about last week!

- Today is my sister's birthday!-

I could talk about anything, really. I could ramble, forming run-on sentences that go, and go, and go, forming new sentence that lead into newer fragments. that aren't quite. sentences. I could bore you by reciting what I could do. Wait a minute..


Life is reach a quality that makes my early childhood seem surreal. I wish the people who told me, when I was young, that that was going to be the easiest and best time of my life had found a way to make me understand and believe them. My childhood is slipping away as I grab a hold of responsibilities and opportunities. It's not that I don't want to grow up; I just want more time to do the kind of exploration that I used to do as a kid- but instead of searching for four-leaf clovers and inventing new Pokemon species, I'd dedicate my whimsical free time to more serious, interesting, and rewarding subject (like biology). See, already, just writing "biology" has caused my heart to flutter with panic as I remember the test I have tomorrow, my internship application, and any un-finished assignments. Life as a human being is tough. We were both cursed and blessed with the concept of self-awareness.

Okay, enough philosophy for one night. Enough Jonathan for one night.

I'm going to bed. Ha! No, I'm actually going to go study my ever expanding list of subjects to study.

- Jonathan

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Music Mission 2.0

A little while ago my computer was taken in to be repaired, and my music library was taken with it. I was okay with this, despite the many months the computer guy took "working" on my computer, because I knew I'd eventually get all of these songs back, and my library would be fully restored to its original glory. I specifically remember telling him that my music library was all I wanted, but that I most definitely wanted it. Just to clarify.

I got my computer back, I was told with my full library intact, but this was little but a sham. Yes, a few cd's had been recovered under the Itunes music folder. But the Shared folder, the Shared folder filled with hours, days, and weeks worth of sweat and dedication, of long hours spent in front of the computer downloading feverishly from Limewire, yes this folder which indeed contained a not so small piece of my life, was gone. Completely gone.

I was devastated. I'm not going to lie, I cried a little bit. In many ways music has been more a part of my life than any one specific person. But I decided right then and there that I would not let this stop me. Apparently every once and awhile Itunes saves a list of the tracks in your library and their information. It's in computer jargon, but you can still pick out each track name.

So now I am on a mission. I will not rest until every song, album, and artist is fully restored to my music library. It will be a long and treacherous mission; this I am willing to accept. But the reward will be more than worth it. Besides, how could I do anything else?

Also I randomly found this alternate version to The Strokes' song You Only Live Once, called I'll Try Anything Once. I love it. I personally think Jules has the best voice, ever.

The Strokes - I'll Try Anything Once


Found at skreemr.com



-Viv

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

its all relative

Hello everyone.

I am having a hard time coming up with what to say, not because I don't have anything new. . . or . . . interesting (?) to talk about. But because it's not the kind of thing you write of here and it's hard to think outside of that right now.

I have a lot of things making me. . . stressed out(?) right now. Between friends, family, and school. . . it's just a lot to handle, not to mention SATs which are coming up.

Probably about half an hour has gone by since I wrote that.

I am so mad. I watch four shows a week. Four. And now three of the four come on at the same time on the same day. What the heck?? Now I have to actually decide what to watch, and if you know me, you know how much I hate decision making.

Have you ever asked someone what they thought of. . . let's say a dinner. And they say, oh my goodness this is so spicy. But you don't think it's spicy at all. It's a spectrum. It's relative. How do you know when something is actually. . . by definition. . . spicy. . .?

I feel like this post is starting to make me look really stupid. I am just trying to type everything I am thinking and I don't exactly think in grammatically correct sentences. Maybe that is why I will fail the SAT and end up working at McDonald's. And you know what? I don't even LIKE McDonald's. Oh my golden future. . .

So a lot of people I know are kind of down, so here is what I have to say:

1. I am upset and I feel bad for messing things up. I don't even know what I did but I know that I am involved and I am sorry. I will do whatever I can to make everything right again.

2. You are an amazing person and I know that everything is not easy peasy right now, but it will get easier. You have so many people that love you and just want you to be okay. We will help you get through this.

3. I had planned to say something to you, but now all I have to say is just go and be happy. :)

-Lacey

Monday, January 26, 2009

An Old Notebook

I had a pretty cruddy day. My head started pounding in about fifth period, and I haven't really been able to concentrate since. I finished up my history fair project. I had the bibliography left, and what I expected to take thirty minutes to an hour, took three hours. I have an Art History test, that I have yet to begin to study for, and with my brain about to explode, I have a feeling there will be no studying done. I'm stressed and down.

Ok, enough complaining. I'm sure you guys have so much crap going on too.

So, I found this old notebook from the seventh grade. Reading it, made me realize how weird I really was in middle school. Half of the notebook are just thoughts that came into my head on random days, which reading them over now, are all really vague and I have no idea what I was talking about. What's more in the notebook are these strange ideas I had. I have pages dedicated to an army I created out of my friends to systematically take over the school. I also have a page in which I diagram my brain with what I decided were the things most important to me. The only normal thing in that notebook were a few short stories I had written down. My favorite thing reading, though, was that it would seem that as I was writing the notebook, I would read entries in it a few months later and write notes on things I had written. Like on the brain diagram, I wrote in bold letters below it, WHAT IS THIS!? WHY WOULD I WRITE THIS!? But I never erased any of it. Which makes me kinda glad, since I can look back at it now and laugh.

Ah, seventh grade me, you were one odd child.

-Brianna

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Lost/In/The/Sound/of/Separation

Hello there, Blue Powerblogger here! And I have a story!


There was once a girl named Bailey and a boy named Chance. Bailey didn't know Chance that well, but she'd seen him around, and he was the friend her friends Max and Joseph. One day, Bailey decided to ask Max to hang out with her. When she called him up, Max said he was with Joseph and Chance and suggested that they all go out to lunch together. After lunch, the four went to Bailey's house to just chill. The three boys even dedicated a special version of "You Had Me at Hello" to Bailey.

 Well Chance had Bailey at hello. Bailey found herself having feelings for Chance, but he was so mysterious and strange to her. It seemed as though he held many dark pains and secrets to himself. Bailey was determined to be his friend. She said hi to him everyday, offered to go on bike rides with him, and drove him home occasionally. A friendship grew between them, and Chance started to reveal some of his secrets to Bailey. He felt worthless and unloved, he thought that no one cared about him. Bailey reassured Chance that this was not the case, and tried to bolster his spirits. 

Chance seemed to be doing better. He even started flirting with Bailey, racing her home, chatting at school with her, and making silly faces at her during lunch. Bailey felt as if Chance was staring to enjoy life more, that maybe he had realized how important he was. 

But Chance kept hiding behind his stupid wall, unable to leave his comfort zone. With each day, Bailey's heart rose and sank like the ocean's tides depending on her interactions with Chance. These interactions determined her happiness to the extent that not talking to him ruined the day and left her in a sour disposition. She began to let herself be controlled by her feelings towards him. But she liked him so much.

Then one day, Bailey met Tyler. Tyler was a musician with his own band and the most beautiful voice Bailey had ever heard (after Aaron Gillespie, of course). Though Bailey had only known Tyler for one day, she knew he would one day play a huge factor in her life. She began to kind of like him, as well.

So now Bailey was faced with an interesting conflict-should she like Chance, for whom she had harbored feelings for over three months? Or should she leave her frustrations with Chance behind and just opt for Tyler instead? What made matters worse was that all of Bailey's friends kept urging her to completely drop Chance. It wasn't that easy for her; she had written three songs about him and gotten to know him and felt as if it would be a waste to forget him after her three months of pursuit. But she also felt as if she had reached a dead end with Chance, so maybe Tyler was the best choice. Life is so confusing.

How can you follow your heart when it doesn't even know what it wants?

-Caroline

Saturday, January 24, 2009

A Wandering Mind

Hey guys. June is very depressed and is speaking in third person because he is depressed. All thanks to Kejing who led June to fail the SAT because he read her post too early. No, I'm kidding. The SAT was really easy. I totally owned it >:D. I would also like to thank Jack for a great match today that resulted in a tiebreaker. 7-6, with a tiebreak score of 7-5. I won but it was hard earned.

I don't sleep in class as much anymore. In fact, the only classes I sleep in are Spanish and Lang, my last two classes, compared to sleeping in Statistics and Calculus, my first two classes. I have to tell you, it's SO much better that I'm awake in the morning. It feels like the huge rock of pressure has been lifted from my mind.
As a result, my mind started turning its gears and slowly thought creative thoughts. My mind wandered as my Spanish teacher attempted to teach the class (key word "attempted") some Spanish grammar. It was quite interesting. A sudden desire to make a flash movie (or an animated cartoon using a computer program) crashed into my consciousness. I have no idea why or where it came from but my mind didn't stop there. In fact, it gave me a whole story to base my flash on. I mean an ENTIRE plot from start to finish with ideas as to which music to use, some of the characters' names, how the plot should develop, a lot of things. Okay, I exaggerated. I didn't think up of an entire story but I came up with most of it. The takes an Avatar the Last Airbender approach but not entirely. So here is what I have:

There are 4 mages who each control one of the four elements: fire, water, wind, and earth. They band together to defeat the Shadow Master, who summoned the Colossus Behemoths (giant, stone, titans) to force a dictatorship on each of the lands. They go on an epic battle and finally defeat the Shadow Master, but not before he shoots off a curse that zaps the mage of water to who-knows-where. The Shadow Master laughs as he dies, telling the remaining mages he had an apprentice almost as deadly as him. He dies and the scene fades out.

Three years later, many people presume the mage of water as dead and the rest of the mages spread out to live their own lives. The mage of earth goes to live a life as a hermit on the fringes of the Great Desert, the mage of fire decides to look for the apprentice, and the mage of wind (who is a girl) becomes queen of a land (I want to call the land Lapia for some reason). Inside Lapia (for now anyway), there is one specific girl named Maki. She is a somewhat strong willed girl who wants to train for an army division called The Warriors. The Warriors recruit anyone with magic potential but only the elite are able to join. Though magic users are not able to use the elements like the four mages, they can shape their energies into whatever they choose such as a bow and arrow or a sword and shield, etc.. Maki's father became a general for the Warriors which fueled her desire to join and become a great Warrior as well.

Maki had just finished her private training session with a weapons master who was a good friend of her father. She runs home hurriedly because it is almost night and a gang called the Tigers usually come out and terrorize anyone unfortunate enough to be in the streets. Sprinting to her house, she fails to notice a child (about 5 years old) and accidentally trips over him. The kid cries and Maki is appologizing over and over again. She asks him if he has any parents and questions the rushing people around her but to no avail. Without much choice, she takes the kid home with her where her mother expresses how cute he is.

The next day, Maki questions almost everyone in town in hopes of finding the kid's parents but nobody knows the child or his parents. It's almost time for her lesson with the weapons master so she takes him with her to the training session. There, the kid distracts her energy-bow-and-arrow technique and angers her. They lose track of time and Maki hurries out with the kid at the end of the lesson. Unfortunately, they meet the Tiger gang, who also have a few magic users, the leader being the most capable. After a struggle, the leader pins Maki to the wall and is about to kidnap her. The kid is crying and beating the leader's leg with his little fists. The leader laughs and kicks the kid into a puddle. As the leader is ordering the rest of the gang to tie Maki up, the kid gets up and his eyes change into a crystal clear blue. He points a glowing finger at the leader and the water from the puddle rushes into the leader and freezes him. The kid smiles a mischievious smile and then freezes the rest of the gang. The kid passes out and Maki is stunned. There is only one person in the world who can manipulate water: the mage of water.

That's pretty much the first episode.
Lastly, Character Profiles:
Mage of Water (before transformed into a child): Age 15. The youngest mage of the four. He was considered a prodigy and even joined the Warriors at the age of 12. He has a calm personality, is actually a great dancer, and the most intelligent out the the four.
Mage of Fire: Age 22. He has a very belligerent personality and believes in fighting with brute strength compared to the strategic fighting of the mage of water. I already made a fighting move for him called the Phoenix Whip ^_^. Also, he has a crush on the mage of wind.
Mage of Wind: Age 20 She has a very bubbly personality. She is very happy most of the time and she always thought the mage of water as an extremely cute kid, much to his annoyance. She always wanted to see what royalty felt like and eventually got her wish.
Mage of Earth: Age 25 His personality is sort of like a woman-chaser. Though he is a failure at getting girls, he is a potions master, and the most buff of the four. He decided to live as a hermit in order to get away from society and its rejectful girls.
Maki: Age 17. Strong willed and very ambitious. She REALLY wants to join the Warriors and as a result, trains with the weapons master almost everyday. She has problems controlling her magic though.

Wow, a lot of typing. I probably won't even make this flash but it gave me something to write about. So join us tomorrow for another fantabulous post from Caroline!!!

-June


Friday, January 23, 2009

!semordnilaPPalindromes!

Power Bloggers: 242 posts
Gatorfila: 414 posts
That reminds me, "Palin" can be spelled from the word "palindromes."
Again, I'm quite excited that it is Friday, the day of homework and such and such, but also the day I feel the least pressure!
I don't have my own laptop anymore, so I have to use the computer, and I think the best thing that happened, not that the positives outweigh the negatives, was that as of then and now, I can use Calibri in my Word documents! Yay...
Today's directed conversation involved the nine-person room hyperventilating, repeating phone number, and having a job interview over the phone, trying to get into an investment company. I thought that was interesting. I missed the one last week about Shakira.
Enjoy your weekend, and get really exciting for June after he goes through a [very] important day.
-Kejing
P.S. I didn't really want to type "very" because if he reads this before tomorrow, he would be pressured.
P.P.S. Don't fail, big brother! =]

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Why Yes, I Am NOT Free!

So it has begun. "What has begun," you unknowingly ask. I'll tell you what, I have no more free time, and I'll break it down into three things.

  1. Seussical- Okay, so yes, I am thrilled that I got such a great part- but to be honest; do we really need this many rehearsals? And on Fridays too!? Yeesh! I mean, I'm glad I'll be prepared and all, but it's seriously cutting into my time when the play is still more than two months away.
  2. Mock Trial- Okay, so this one is definitely my fault to some extent. We waited a little long to pull this all together, but now that we've met, the ball is rolling- mind you at a breakneck speed. We're scheduling a ton of meetings (though I can't make it to half of them- SEUSS!- so I'm not sure how far I'll fall behind). Fortunately this ends in late February.
  3. History Fair- OMG OMG OMG. Due in 4 days. Holy crap. Holy crap. I've done no research and I'm doing a website! CRAP CRAP CRAP. My weekend is shot to hell.

I'm particularly feeling the crunch this weekend, what with a Mock Trial meeting I can't attend due to a Seussical rehearsal from 9am-4pm. I also have my entire History Fair project to do.

Don't expect to see my face around for the next week.

- Jonathan

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

I'm Back and Pneumonia-Free

I just got back from the Inauguration, and I have to say it was amazing. I still can’t believe that when people say “the President” they’ll be referring to Obama. I don’t think I could really verbalize what I was feeling at the moment he was inaugurated, and I honestly feel a little weird blogging about it, so I’ll move on.

It was freezing though, and thankfully the Junior Museum and all of its glorious heating was available to the public or I might not have been able to go home with all of my toes intact. Every wall was lined with people, most of them dead asleep. It looked like a homeless shelter. A homeless shelter with millions of dollars worth of valuables on display.

That was also probably the longest drive I’ve had to endure in my life. Over 1,000 miles both ways, and only one shower in between. I’ve never been so happy to get home and wash my face. Thankfully with time the trials of the trip will fade in comparison.

Well, I’ve got a lot of makeup work I have to attend to.


Modest Mouse - Tiny Cities Made of Ashes


Found at skreemr.com



-Viv

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

to put it simply

So I know this post is supposed to be really great. At least that is what Ryan told you.

Last week I had completely forgotten about posting when he mentioned it to me. So I pawned off my responsibility on him. Which was horrible because I realized that I actually had a lot to say last week. Oh, the irony. I also noticed that for like, the first time ever I think, Brianna gave me an actual introduction. And I didn't even post. So I've felt bad about that for a whole week.

Sometimes it is hard not to compare two things that are placed side by side. When you do though, you may realize something you didn't want to.

As much as I feel like giving up on my future. . . I realize that now I need to study for the SATs more than ever. So if anyone wants to. . .

I kind of have a major in mind. First time ever! I'm sure it'll change but look how official this sounds:
I am going to major in Law and minor in Criminology and Psychology.
Pretty good, huh?

I actually watched a whole half of a football game. I actually know what the defense is and how many yards you are supposed to get within four downs. I know who is playing in the super-bowl. It's kind of awesome.

Last week I gave up chocolate. For a whole year. I can have it again on January 15, 2010 at 5:52 PM. I have always dealt with my problems by eating chocolate so this will be interesting. Now I might have to actually talk things out and deal with the people involved. I hate that. I hate confrontation and even serious, negative conversation. I like to keep things light and fluffy. I can talk about the weather all day long, but I don't like to talk about real things.

And I don't like to feel vulnerable. I don't like feeling like at any moment my circumstances can change completely. I feel like that and it's awful and it's wonderful, but mostly it's awful.

I like looking out for myself. Because I know I can trust me. I can keep myself safe. It's like I am trying to fly but when I finally jump and I leave that comfort zone that I am so fond of, I can't tell if anyone will catch me when I fall.

And then at times I feel like it doesn't matter if I fall and break my leg, the time I am up there is worth it. I should just stop analyzing and stop worrying and have a little faith. It's those times when I feel like I can take on the world.

-Lacey

Monday, January 19, 2009

Sugar, Spice, Everything Nice, and Chemical X

Cartoon network had a marathon commemorating the ten year anniversary of the Powerpuff Girls. I was a little confused as to why they were doing that, since the show went off the air like five years ago. But who really cares? I get to watch the Powerpuff Girls all day.

My favorite was always Buttercup. I think it was because she was actually like mean and rude. But she still was good at heart...she did fight crime. I just always thought she was the most realistic.

As for villians, my favorites were the Amoeba Boys. They were jokes of villians, but I thought it was adorable how hard they tried to commit crimes.

So yeah...The Powerpuff Girls...that's a blast from the past.

-Brianna

Sunday, January 18, 2009

For Loss of Words to Say

Hello there, Blue powerblogger here!

Today I will only be home for one and a half hours, so this blog will be shorter than usual. Basically, this week was one of the best weeks of my life. I met with a band guy named Tim, and I am either going to collaborate with his band, UNclaimed, or just with him. He is pretty freaking awesome, and an amazing singer, and super hot!!! And we are both in love with Aaron Gillespie. So I met him on Wednesday, and we hung out writing songs and singing for two and a half hours!!! This is basically a dream come true for me, to be in a band. But now I am faced with the dilemma that I must chose between my current crush and Tim. A lot of people want me to drop the former and head straight to the latter, but I don't think that's really fair. I still really like my current crush and I feel like things are going exceptionally well between us. But I do feel like God placed Tim in my life for a specific reason. He has big plans for us down the road. Now, whether that be musically or relationship-wise, only time will tell. 

So that's my excitement for the week! Check out UNclaimed on myspace music and listen to "For Loss of Words to Say". They are pretty amazing.

-Caroline

Saturday, January 17, 2009

A True Story

"And so begins the worst day of my life," he moaned. June dragged his feet as he walked on the asphalt road on the way to his house. He didn't bother to hurry home to lay on the couch for a quick nap or grab a snack. All he thought about was the cursed report card in his backpack. In black and white, inscribed on that cursed paper was a C. June sighed and thought," Well, I'd better make the best out of the situation. Maybe God will have mercy on me and make the suffering quick and short... Or maybe He won't let me suffer at all! But then again, my parents freaked out when I got my first B... I'm so screwed!" He kicked a pebble into a neighbor's lawn and silently muttered to himself the rest of the way home. "The garage door is still closed. Phew, at least I'll get a few minutes of peace," thought the relieved June. He fished his house key out of his backpack, unlocked the door, went inside, threw the backpack down on the floor, and threw himself on the couch with a muffled "whump"!
Anticipation tied knots in his stomach but he patiently waited for his dad to come home with that same thunderous expression June had seen only twice in his life. June drifted into near-slumber but the garage door creaked open, signalling the approach of the darkest day of his life. Staring up at the ceiling, June silently counted the seconds that ticked by before his father finally entered the living room. "Hello father," June said in Korean. Wordlessly, his father held out his hand. June didn't have to ask what he was asking for. Equally silent, June handed him the paper. For several tense seconds, silence filled the world. June couldn't take it anymore. He went to his room and closed the door tightly shut behind him. "If I'm going to face this, I would rather face it with both parents rather than facing it one parent at a time," thought June. June expected his dad to come into his room but he never came. With nothing better to do, June started his homework.
Hours went by in total isolation. His father went about his business without even coming near the door to June's room while June did his homework with a fervor fueled by worry. Finally, his mother came home. To June's surprise, she didn't come in his room either. The clash of pots and pans sounded from the kitchen as dinner was being made. The muffled conversations of his parents wrestled their way through the door but June couldn't make anything out of it. He nervously tapped his pencil against his desk as frantic thoughts sped through his mind. "They are both here now so when are they going to give me the lecture? Argh! Concentrate! Do you want another C? Okay, so take the integral of this an--- What was that? June calm down! Okay, now factor it out and the answer should give me the position. Oh man, someone is coming! Argh, false alarm. Ok, ok, ok. I'm calm. I'm sane. I'm ready for this..." Finally, a clear voice rang out,"June! Dinner is ready!"
June nervously opened the door. Niether parent was in sight. He made a trip to the bathroom to buy some time. "Okay, so here is the plan," June thought as he washed his hands. "Go up to them, apologize as emotionally as you can, try to withstand their yells, then go to your room and finish the rest of your homework." June wiped his hands on the towel and rushed to the dinner table. As he expected, he found his stern parents waiting for them... with a bucket of KFC chicken and a big steaming heap of mashed potatoes. "Congratualtions June!" yelled my dad. "Did I do something good?" replied the bewildered June. Asians almost never buy KFC unless it's a special ocassion. It's too American for any oriental Asian. "Well, you promised us that you would do better this semester. Am I right?" my mom asked. June nodded dumbly. "Good. Then that is enough for us," my mom said with a slightly forced-looking smile. June sat down, prayed to God in thanks, and ate. It was the best chicken he had ever eaten.

I have the best parents evur ^_^.

-June

Friday, January 16, 2009

EXCITEMENT

This afternoon, I found out that Lacey is going to Vero Beach! Oh my gosh! An addition to that, Brianna is in my hotel room! Oh my gosh again!
Today was the final day of Poetry Out Loud in our English class. I thought it took so, so, long. By 6th period today when we were handed another poem to read... :O
I'm really excited, but not so much about doing all of the homework everywhere at every time of the day, and helping the preparation of the preparation of dinner.
Good luck, everyone!

Much [platonic] love,
Kejing

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Sorry, But I Hate Windows

Sorry about not getting this in time- after having the page that comes after you post never fully load for two days, I figured I should check to see if what I had posted had make it. Of course not.
So I'll just abbreviate what Windows so kindly crashed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

This week I've been working really hard on learning how to construct websites. However, being the zealous geek that you love, I took it upon myself to learn how to create half the website in Flash. Right now I have an assortment of half finished pages and lots of "proofs of concept" projects (too see if what I want to do was even feasible). Tonight I made a breakthrough, linking an html page in Flash, allowing me to make Flash menus (means that they're going to be very pretty). We'll see how it all pans out- I still have to do all the research and finding even one primary source from 1550 is going to be a real pain-in-the-butt.

- Jonathan

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Fancy Title

This is Ryan substituting for Lacey this Tuesday. I have been reading this blog from the beginning, so it is a real honor to be able to post the 232nd post. I sure hope this color is yellow. I changed the font before hand to yellow and I don't want to change it back but I can't read any of this.

Six days ago, the world lost Morgan Hooper. Even for those of us that didn't really know her, this has had an impact on our lives. I went to the same school as Morgan all twelve years since kindergarten but, since we only had a couple of classes together, with those being in elementary school, I just knew her name and that was it. A little over a year ago, I started attending Canopy Roads Baptist Church. Her enthusiasm for worship left an impressment on me and I can't think of anyone who could be considered friendlier than her. It was clear her personality was ridiculously awesome.

Morgan was 16 and took courses with many of us. I feel so horrible for her family and friends that they had to go through this when her life was still really just beginning. She wore a seatbelt and wasn't talking or texting on a cell phone before the accident. A lot of people do the opposite of those things I mentioned in the last sentence and never have trouble. Of all the people it could be, it was her. At least now we know she is in a better place.

I have noticed that most posts on here have a couple more paragraphs than I have written so far, so the rest of this is just a hodgepodge of random stuff that may or may not be interesting. Luckily for you, if you are still reading this, I think I am a very interesting person. I worked for years to try and be funny by being able to make my dad laugh. He is probably the funniest guy I know (and, as many people tell me, the scariest) and my role model. He could easily make anyone laugh, but it was hard for me to purposely since he was good at not laughing. I think that is where I got my self-control from; I have never lost a stare-at-each-other-until-someone-laughs contest and am good at keeping a straight face. Also, at the JCL induction party, we had a scavenger hunt thing and one of the quests was to make Baxter laugh. I think that moment was the symbol of my humor, that single event no one was there for.

This part of the year used to always be bad to me. Yet this time around I am happier than I have ever been. She may just be using me to write posts for her just before they are supposed to be up because she promised to be interesting the next week in her previous week's post (just kidding!). I don't care. I love Lacey.

-Ryan

P.S. I can guarantee that there will be an awe-inspiring spectacular post next week to make up for the times promised ones weren't made. Woo!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Just a Few Thoughts

Here are some thoughts that have gone on in my head in the past couple of days.


There's this girl who recently started to attend our school. A couple of us knew her from middle school, where she was the pretty much the most ridiculous person ever. We constantly laughed over the crap she made up. We all kind of despised her. Now she's back. This select group of friends is trying to avoid her, but I want to welcome her back. She really gave us a certain bond that has made us into the friends we are today.

I don't really say 'I love you' at all. Not because I don't love people, it's just not something I do. But I love all my friends and family, and I hope they know.

When I die, I hope only nice comments are said about me.

I wish I wasn't so good at reading people's emotions. I feel like that talent should have been given to someone who could actually comfort people with their words and brighten up their days. I'm not so good at that.

I've craved hugs over the past week. But being anti-hug for so long, I don't expect them.


I've had so many more, but mostly they're pretty depressing. But I plan on writing a note on Facebook, with a message to each of my friends like Caroline wrote to the Power Bloggers yesterday. So that'll be up today or tomorrow.

So check out the blog tomorrow for an awesome post from the...yeah I kinda forgot what Lacey's color is...*checks a past post*...the yellow Power Blogger!

-Brianna

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Breathing in a New Mentality

Hello there, Blue Powerblogger here! 


"Pain has never been so brilliant; I made sure you were buckled in. Now you can walk with Him, with Him"-in memory of Morgan, a great teammate, a great classmate, a great friend.
 
So this week, we all lost a great person. She was a ray of sunshine to everyone who knew her, and was able to brighten up a room with her infectuous smile. Many people were left questioning why God had sent her home so soon. But if anyone deserved to go to heaven, it was her. She had such a strong faith and such a genuinely caring personality. And now she is dancing with the angels and living a perfect existence in heaven, much better than ours on Earth. So while we may be sad that she is no longer with us physically, her memory and example remain. Hopefully we can all draw from this tragedy the idea that we should live life to the fullest and be friendly to everyone. Thats the way Morgan lived. 

In lieu of this event, I have been reflecting on my life. I spend too much time worrying and questioning. But I've realized that life is so limited, so I should really try to enjoy it. I also have some things to say to my fellow powerbloggers and friends, since we have seen that you can never really know what day may be your last:
Bri-you are so intelligent and caring. I love how strong you are in your faith, and the way you really stand up for what you believe in. You are quick to help a friend in need or to cheer them up. I am fortunate to have you in my calculus class this year.
Lacey-I have known you for so long, and it has been such a crazy rollercoaster ride! Sure, we've had our ups and downs, but I am so glad that we are friends. You are always so funny and bubbly, and it's hard to be sad in your prescence. And you are so smart and talented, and you always help me with whatever I need.
Viv-You are such an interesting person! I love the fact that you don't conform to anything or try to fit in with certain stereotypes. You are such an individual, and I admire your uniqueness. I am really sad that we have no classes together this year!
Jonathan-Without you in my AP french class, I don't know how I would survive! It seems like you always know the answers, and not just to french problems. You are great at giving advice and you are a really caring person. I also love your cooking!
Kejing-It's so great being able to tell you about all my boy problems! I miss sitting near you in class and talking about whoever my latest crush is! You are so incredibly intelligent, and quick to help me with anything I need. We need to talk more this year!
June-Chemistry buddy! I would never have gotten through chem last year without you! I know that I may have been slightly annoying, what with my constant humming and what not, but you never complained. I admire your strong faith, as well, and I think you are an amazing songwriter. And thanks for the shout out at the end of your posts!

So thats it for now. Just remember to tell the people around you that you love them and live each day to its fullest. And listen to "Breathing in a New Mentality" by Underoath!

-Caroline

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Ownage State

Hey people. June here with another made-up-on-the-fly post and I'm improvising as I'm typing. My dad called me a jerk just now. Yay! (He was just kidding)

I've experienced what I allegedly call "The Ownage State" only a few times. It's a real rush and it seems I only experience it when I'm either playing a video game that requires an excessive amount of adrenaline or when I'm playing tennis. The ownage state is a state in which all safety switches in your body are off and you go all out with whatever you are doing for an extended or short amount of time, depending on what you are doing. Like for instance, when I am in the ownage state as I'm playing tennis, I always smile for some odd unknown reason and I feel invincible. I often win whenever I'm in the state.

Today I went into the state again ^_^. I played tennis today with Kejing and another friend (we will call this person John). There were two kids about our age, maybe younger, who were on the court next to us. My knees were hurting terribly today and the last thing I wanted to do was play a watch. Well guess what? The two kids came over and challenged John and me to a game of doubles! Yay.... We agreed. I asked them what school they came from and in turned out they were from a rival school which had an awesome tennis team. Repping our school, it was our duty to defeat these mighty foes... or semi-mighty. They were on the junior varsity so it was a junior varsity vs. junior varsity match. John and I took our win as easily as.... uh.... a fat man rolling down a hill? I terrible with analogies. The score was 6-1 Then they came up to us and asked us to play ANOTHER set. At this point, my knees were killing me and I could barely tolerate bending them. I reluctantly agreed again.

The second set was not so hot as the first. We took the first two games to make it 2-0 but then they got us with a come-from-behind lead and made the score 2-3. I was dragging us down, I was practically limping on the court if I didn't have to run, and my serve accuracy was declining. Bleh, I'm going to go into story mode! I'll name the two rival school players as WhiteShirt and OrangeShirt. Here goes:

"Wow, that was lucky," I thought as the ball passed by me. Mr. WhiteShirt double-faulted and allowed us a tie game with the score, 3-3. I wearily stretched my knees. They were throbbing and it felt like a doctor was giving me a reflex test over and over again. I tossed a ball to John for him to serve and glanced at my opponents. "We shouldn't have to live off their mistakes," I thought. "We should be slamming the ball down their throats. Argh! Stupid knees! Stop hurting!" I slammed the racquet down on my right knee and waited with painful patience for the intense throbbing to stop. A sudden calm washed over me. "No more," I thought. "I'm not giving them a single game. We're ending this now." Adrenaline rushed through my body. I never felt so alive. My fatigue melted away, the pain died down to a dull ache, a smile played on my lips, I was ready. John swiped a serve into the net and prepared to hit his second serve. He called out, "June, move back!"
"Not this time." I replied.
He gave me a look but proceeded with his second serve. It went in. WhiteShirt smacked the ball back and the ball whizzed towards John. However, I noticed that time seemed to have slowed down. The ball seemed a little too sluggish and slow.
John replied with a smash towards OrangeShirt. Then I saw saw it: the opportune moment, the opening on the court, and where my opponent was going to hit the ball to. Without thinking, I rushed over to where he was going to hit it. I saw his reaction. He saw me running but it was too late to change the direction of the ball. He struggled to change the course but failed. The ball swerved slightly off course to where I predicted it was going to go and at that, my smile turned into a wide grin. I reached out and blocked the ball sharply into the corner of the court. WhiteShirt struggled to return it but to no avail. One point to Team J&J (clever team name right?).
"I'm mad," I declared to the surprised John. The shot seemed to have lifted his spirits though. With that, we played.
The game ended with a score of 6-3. We didn't give them a single game.

I hope you liked my improvised narration. I'm too lazy to check for errors so let's end with: "Join us tomorrow for another exciting edition of the Sunday Caroline Post! Yay! I made her post sound like a newspaper ^_^."

-June

Random Question: Is the moon really made of cheese?

Friday, January 9, 2009

Tuesday and Friday

I am writing this on Tuesday, quite a bit early, because my computer broke.
So, my parents changed their minds. I might get a car some time around the summer or something. Better then than not at all. Well, then, I get to do things and work and stuff. Fun...
Still, my father laughed a lot at dinner when my brother whispered something in his ear. It turns out that my father wrote him a $39 receipt, acting as a sort of bank for my brother. Unfortunately, my brother actually managed to lose the receipt. My father said that this was his first banking experience and that it was a failure, using English terminology for "first banking experience" and "failure." I suggested asking for interest, but without the receipt, on cannot exactly collect it. My mother said my brother went to the wrong bank. My father was reading something not long after that, and he wasn't paying attention, so I reminded my brother that the banks closed early.

So, it is Friday now, and a day after an extremely emotional one. In the morning, my mother made me absolutely miserable, but it was nothing compared to the morning announcements. I hadn't received any news on Wednesday, with not much access to the Internet, and definitely no television-watching. The only really weird thing was my father coming home and talking about how the traffic was really bad on every which street on his way home from the Lab. My mother said something about a silver car on the news. I thought no further. So, the morning was definitely a shock. With the principal talking to us, I was thinking, "Oh gosh, I hope it's not anyone I know, because then, the people around me would be even more sad." Well, it was, and we were handed markers and paper and colored pencils and letters in third period. Throughout the day, whenever I wasn't completely focused on anything, my mind would wander to the dreadful day that almost everyone around me had to experience. I felt really bad inside for a reason that many other people probably didn't need to consider. I could not really pray for her because I do not believe in that stuff. However, if there really is a heaven, then I'm sure she must be there. It seems like the perfect place for her, though, not as perfect as having such a pleasant life on Earth... It was good to know that everyone was very respectful. But it was awful to see so many tears.

-Kejing

Thursday, January 8, 2009

What'll They Remember You By

Megan T. here, filling in for Jonathan (yeah, I spelled it right)

Ya cant walk anywhere in America (and I'm sure some other countries as well) or turn on your radio's to any station without hearing about Oprah Winfrey's controversial magazine cover. In this humble walk of ultimate shame, Oprah shows a picture of her some odd years ago, as compared to a recent picture of herself 40 pounds heavier. "I'm mad at myself. I'm embarrassed. I can't believe that after all these years, all the things I know how to do, I'm still talking about my weight. I look at my thinner self and think, "How did I let this happen again?" says the befuddled O.

I've got an answer for you Oprah, you let yourself get fat again because you freakin' ate too much and didn't exercise enough! I think that this is the most ridiculous thing circulating around mouths today. If Oprah thinks that her problem is her love handles or her "jiggly" butt, then that's even more sad. When you eat, and sit, you let all of that food in your body turn to fat. I don't know about you O, but I learned this in like 3rd grade.

Some of you are probably wondering why I even say this, I'm not exactly a size zero myself, but it's not the 40 pound plight that aggravates me so much about Oprah, or that stupid cover, it's her constant struggle to change herself and to make her problems everyone else's. That really sets me off. If you want to change yourself, just do it, accept what you have done and make the decision to change. Creating this cover is not going to make losing that weight any easier. You did it to yourself, so you handle that mess on your own.

If you ask me the real problem is wanting to fit in with the rest of slim and trim Hollywood A- list celebrities and having low self esteem issues. Oprah is an example that the insecurities we have don't just disappear with age , or in O's case, fame. Sometimes it's hard to feel secure in yourself when crap like this occurs. What is Oprah trying to say, that gaining weight should shame you; make you want to take only face shots for photos like magazine covers until you finally admit that you're fat again?

O, this is how I see it, you are beautiful no matter what! You've come a long way from Mississippi. People are going to admire, love and respect you no matter what weight you may "just happen to reach". I think that strutting in front of that camera, and putting a full body shot of yourself with a title of "This is me, Deal with it" would show more class than trying to assure Americans that you can change your image. You don't have to change, you're Oprah!!

i love you powerbloggers!

megan (Morgan, we will never forget you)

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

What Happened To Bret's Shoe?

So today I finally finished Mao: A Biography and returned it to the library. It took quite some time to finish but I have to say I feel smarter than when I began reading it, so I’d have to say it was worth it. Seriously though, 460 pages of nonfiction biographical information, I deserve some reward for that. So I decided my next book will be an autobiographical account of the Cultural Revolution called Son of the Revolution. Oh wait no, that’s not really different at all. At least it’s under 300 pages.

Also even though the second season of Flight of the Concords is scheduled to premier on HBO sometime this, the first episode has already been released online as of mid December! Has it really been over a year since I was last anticipating getting home to watch the new FOTC episode? Well, I don’t think anyone’s actually going to take the full thirty minuets to watch this entire episode, but maybe you could just watch some random bits? You might like it! Really.





-Viv

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Well. School started today. I also got only an hour and ten minutes of sleep. I stayed awake all day long. It was pretty much amazing.

On a happier note, I found 35 dollars today, got a letter from Harvard, and I get to drive my dad's truck for the next two days. YAY.

I also got an invitation to an all girls college . . . no thank you. And I got a magazine full of prom dresses. I don't really know how that happened. I guess maybe because I'm a girl in high school they thought they could send it to me, but I just want to know how they got my address. . .

A lot happened over the break. I feel like I should explain, but then again not.

Honestly I just feel so blah today. . . I didn't have anything planned for this post and you can probably tell.

I guess I have a couple of resolutions. So maybe I will share those . . .
1. Run.
2. Don't procrastinate.
3. Lie less.
4. Try to not mess everything up.
5. I have given up red meat, which qualifies me as a semi-vegetarian. In a year and a half, I would like to be a lot closer to being completely vegetarian . . . so we'll see.
6. I am going to be one of those people that just jumps into the pool instead of testing the water and acclimating to it like I usually would. And no, it does not just apply to swimming.
7. Be happy.

I wish I had a good way to end this, but I don't. I'll try to make next weeks post more interesting.

-Lacey

Monday, January 5, 2009

The National Guard

Winter break seemed to end so quickly. There was so much I wanted to do, but didn't get the chance.

I am glad, however, that I got lots of sleep.

Today, in the mail, I got this thing from the National Guard. Basically if you went through this whole process you got two free movie tickets. Did you guys get that, too? Anyway, I was psyched about the tickets even if I'll get a call from the national guard recruiters at some point. The tickets were legit too. I thought they might just work at some obscure theater, but apparently they're valid in every theater in Tallahassee but AMC.

It was a pleasant surprise. Thank you National Guard...but I don't think I'll join your organization.

-Brianna

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Anyone Can Dig a Hole But it Takes a Real Man to Call it Home

Hello there, Blue Powerblogger here! 


I don't know about you, but I am GLAD that its a new year. I just like having a clean slate to start with and being able to say, "I'm gonna try to make this year one-thousand times better than last year!". Its kind of refreshing, in a way. It's like being able to reinvent your life and make it what you actually want it to be. So on that note, here are some of my more interesting New Year's resolutions:

1. GET A BOYFRIEND. I'm close, but not quite there.
2. Memorize every single song released by Underoath since "They're Only Chasing Safety" and every song by The Almost.
3. Learn everything there is to know about Underoath
4. Write enough songs to create a whole album
5. Love everyone, no matter how hard it might be, and be more forgiving towards people who have treated me wrongly.
6. Not gossip as much. I am bad at that.
7. Be a better friend. I have trouble making plans with people, and I think this is harming some of my friendships, so I resolve to make more of an effort to hang out with people that I don't get to hang out with that often.
8. Be a better Christian. This goes with loving and forgiving people, but I also want to set a better example for my younger relatives and live out my faith more.
9. Learn to play the guitar. I need to. I REALLY need to.
10. Pursue my dreams more fervently. I don't know yet if I want to be a singer or an architect, but I need to start becoming more involved with both so that maybe I can figure out what I want to do with my life.

So those are my top ten resolutions, probably, and I really hope that I will actually follow through with them. I hope everyone had an awesome winter break! And, lets see, listen to "Anyone Can Dig a Hole But it Takes a Real Man to Call it Home". The title alone should be enough to make you want to give it a listen.

Join us tomorrow for a fantabulous post from Brianna!
-Caroline a.k.a the girl version of Aaron Gillespie 

Saturday, January 3, 2009

I Resolve To...

Hey guys. June here with another post for Saturday. Kejing pointed out to me that I seem more energetic than usual. That's because I'm awake! Yay!

New Year's passed already but I don't have anything else to talk about. In Korean tradition, if you bow down to a adult and say,"Happy New Year," in Korean (it's in more polite terms, I don't know how else to say it), you get money! It's usually like a dollar or two but it's better than nothing, right? =D

As for my resolutions:
1. Establish a better relationship with God- This tops my list because this is something I really need to work on.
2. Be more mature- Heh, yeah. I'm a little too casual and childish around most people. This year I'm going to try to fix that.
3. Get better at playing the guitar- I mean like TONS better to the point where I'm able imitate a solo written by Metallica or something. I probably won't be able to fulfill this one but I can try at the very least.
4. Treat people with more respect- I do this all the time but apparently it's not very pronounced so I'm going to try and show it a little more.
5. Sleep less- One of the major problems in my life is sleeping in class. Now I will make twice the effort to stay awake (even though I should have started before my resolutions).
6. Score 4-5's on all my AP classes- This will take a ton of effort but I'm postitive it is within the range of my abilities.
7. Communicate with my more distant friends- Lately I've been neglecting them so I'm going to make an effort to stay in touch every once in a while.
8. Make the varsity tennis team- MAKE ROOM FOR ANOTHER PLAYER BECAUSE I'M COMING!

9. Touch the violin- Even though I quit, I will make a resolution to touch the violin at least 10 times throughout the year in order to maintain some level of playing.
10. Cook something edible- After all those years of eating frozen, microwavable foods, I vow to make one dish that tastes decent.

That was my list of resolutions in order of importance. Join us tomorrow for another extra spectacular post from Caroline!

-June

Random Quote:
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils ... - Louis Hector Berlioz


Friday, January 2, 2009

"Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on your car insurance."

After going to various car dealships yet again, my eyes are basically dying, begging for me to close them. It is the most tiring thing for them, and I do not actually feel exhausted in any other part of my body. Just my eyes. Maybe cars just do that to you. I guess car-selling is not much of a career option for me.
So this one guy turned his head to me and said, "So, what kind of car do you want?" I said, "Anything that moves." I think he agreed that that was a good idea or something. Later he said, "So, anything with four wheels and four doors...?" So I said, "Well, not necessarily four doors." Then, I thought about the day when I saw a double rainbow on the way home in England, and how I also saw a three-wheeled car with one in the front and two in the back, but I didn't say anything out loud.
The manager I saw today was wearing an FSU shirt. This went really well because I was and am still wearing my badger shirt. I really don't know how he goes through such torture in his life.
Wish me luck tomorrow. It might be a very good day! I hope it is better than very good for you. I mean, of course it will be a good day. Big brother will be posting.

-Kejing

Thursday, January 1, 2009

New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year! I really lucked out this year- I got to post on Christmas and New Year's Day!

Well, I thought it might be fun, as it is the first day of the year 2009, to post my New Year's Resolutions. So, without further ado:

  • Become more social/outgoing
  • Cook rather than bake more often
  • Do at least one good deed for a friend each day
  • Foster better relations with my nieces and nephew
  • Learn enough Italian so that I could hold my own in a short conversation
  • Learn how to design dynamic and interesting websites
  • Learn how to design stunning Flash animations (or even boring ones, actually- I'm not picky!)
  • Improve the quality of someone's day at least 5 times a week (let's be practical, every day would be very difficult)
  • EDIT: I also must hide a stapler in a large dish of Jello

So nothing too difficult.. =]

- Jonathan

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