emily

Blogger Note!

2012-02-22T10:22:00.004-05:00

Hello Spring Weather!!! =]

I would like to make a note, a blogger note:

New England didn't really have a winter this year: we kind of skipped winter altogether. It's currently 45 degrees, and the forecast is predicted to reach a high of 57. That's nearly 60 degrees! And February is a prime winter month! Even the predicted low, 39 degrees, is high. That's just about 40 degrees! So unusual! Wow! Having lived in New England my whole life thus far, I expect frigid weather in February. So this unexpected Spring weather puts me in such a GREAT mood. I wake up to a flowing, not at all frozen, Charles River. I dress warmer than needed only to be met by Spring weather! It's great! I love Spring weather best. It's fresh! Everything is renewed in Spring! The other day, even the ground felt like Spring, saturated with water as if the "snow" had all melted. The birds and squirrels are out. I pumped my bike tires, cleaned and opened the window. It is fabulous. I just can't stop gushing over the weather! =]

*Fingers Crossed that I didn't jinx the wonderful weather! =]

(Oh, degrees are all in Fahrenheit.)

Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans

2012-02-11T18:22:00.010-05:00

I can only imagine what Bertie went through in making these beans because he must have had to tried millions of recipes per se to perfect the taste of his beans. I've only had a few beans and am already afraid to try the next flavour . . .

The first bean I had was banana, which isn't my favorite candy flavour but it was tolerable. I then had earwax, which despite its taste, I was able to swallow. Next came vomit. My friend, on a dare once, had to eat 13 in a row, and now says she will never eat Bertie Bott's every flavour beans again. So I thought what the hell might as well try it, if my friend could suffer 13, I can suffer 1. Well, it wasn't that bad at first. Then, the flavour kicked in, and I had to spit it out and get some water. And you know how jelly beans kind of stick to your teeth for a while until they dissolve? Yeah, the taste lingered with me for a long while. It was gross. And then, I summed up the guts to try another one: booger. And that was by far the grossest. I spit it out as fast as I could. Blargh! Gross! Thinking about it just makes gag. So I was like no more. But curiosity got the best of me and I tied another: candyfloss. This wasn't too bad, I had thought it was gonna be Tutti-Fruitti though, as in they were the same color. Candyfloss made me feel like I had dental work done on me or something, which I guess is a good thing. I've also had grass and green apple since. The grass I had by accident because I thought it was green apple. And I think I will hold off trying the rest for now. ~~I don't think anything will be as gross as booger though. But who knows, earthworm sounds pretty gross.~~ Strike that, rotten eggs sounds very gross!

So yeah, it's no wonder Dumbledore wasn't fond of these. As he said in the Sorcerer's Stone: "Ah Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavoured one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them-but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you? Alas! Ear wax!"

Update: I just tried black pepper which taste exactly like straight black pepper. It also gave me a cough similar as if I was smelling black pepper. And lemon was fine. But no more beans for me, for real this time.

George of the Jungle

2012-02-06T01:06:00.002-05:00

"George! George! George of the Jungle, Strong as he can be! AHHHH! WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!"

Remember when you were young, and you always had that movie you watched regardless of whether you understood it or not? Well for me that movie was George of the Jungle. I had it recorded on VHS and I use to watch it all the time. I don't even know why I enjoyed it so much. Maybe it was living with monkeys. I was such a fan of monkeys when I was younger. And climbing around everywhere. Anyways, today, I heard the song Dela used in a commercial today and I just couldn't put my finger on where it came from. Finally, I realized it was from George of the Jungle.

So "Dela" by Johnny Clegga & Savuka:

In hindsight, this scene had a great moral: the lame norms of our society. If we all were never embarrassed and never judging of others . . .

Video Games

2012-02-05T02:57:00.004-05:00

The guys across the hall from me always play video games, and often times I can hear it through my wall. Usually, they are playing sports games and 1st-person shooter, which doesn't bother me because I'm not a big fan of those types of games. But recently, as in yesterday, they started playing the N64, Super Smash Bros. , Pokemon Puzzle League, and the likes. And that really does bother me. Those are games I used to play and it really makes me really sad that I no longer routinely play video games. (Those two games I listed, believe it or not, are the games I still play when I go home. Although, I don't own the N64 Super Smash Bros., so I play the gamecube and wii counterparts.) I really am tempted to just go home and borrow my sister's Nintendo DS and play a classic Pokemon game (a remake of course, since, although we still have the original games, we don't actually have the devices (portable version at least) to play them.).

Part of me just wants to go across the hall and join the boys in their video games. But I'm not going to. One, I don't want to intrude. Two, I'm not really friends with them. It'll feel awkward just heading over to play. And three, college guys seem to give off the aura that girls don't play video games, i.e. they don't invite you to play. I could be totally wrong though. At home, I grew up playing video games and all my guy friends played with me. I could play with the best of them. I had game systems and we would take turns playing at each others' homes. We would also borrow games from each other. I never felt awkward being a female gamer. But now in college, it's different. I am game less. I feel I have nothing to offer. I'm also not interested in playing the current video games, which I feel puts me in the stereotypical girl category that guys assume can't understand video games.

Oh well. It's not like I have time to play, anyways. The only video game I play nowadays is Tetris, and that's because it's really convenient, and sometimes I just really want to procrastinate. Someone I know once told me that college is usually where most girls stop playing video games. He said that girls don't make time to play like guys do, which I guess is kind of true. (This man by the way is damn smart, he did his master's thesis on how video games help kids learn math.) I have never thought I couldn't do something because I was a female. But now, although I still believe I can do anything, I wonder.

Also, is it a stereotype that engineer's play video games or is my RA just into video games? I ask this because for our bulletin board, we've had two themes thus far: Pac Man and Mario. Or is there a correlation between the two? Or maybe as my friend suggest video games does help students learn math, and as a result capable math students become engineers. *shrugs*

Princess Peach is at the top and the barrels that Mario is jumping over are courses we have to take.

I never got a chance to take a picture of the actual Pac Man bulletin board. This will suffice.

Moving Forward

2012-02-02T23:01:00.009-05:00

I'm not a rain person. I don't particularly like getting partially wet and dirty. But I do like listening to rain. There was no rain in Boston today, however, nor do I want it. So I made my own rain sounds. You know by taking a shower: when you cover your ears in the shower, the shower of water droplets suddenly sound like a heavy rainstorm, and when you put your fingers in your ear, it sounds like a light shower. (Why? I'm not exactly sure. I should google it.) The sound oddly enough reminds me more of a rainstick than actual rain. Just the way it sounds, I guess, and what I associate it with. And suddenly I'm flooded with memories of my elementary school days when we would play with the rainstick in music class.

Just in case you didn't know what a rainstick was.

But no, rain is not the point of this blog post. The point of this post is moving forward. I am so comfortable with my life right now, and I know it. My education, housing, and dining are paid for by the university, my parents, me, and loans. I have pretty good professors this semester, so I'm learning. I am a grader, so I have a job and am making money. And I spend money and enjoy life. I live in the college bubble. It's all very fortunate. But I'm getting restless. But at the same time, I don't want to leave my comfort zone. I'm very hesitant right now about getting a research position or internship. I attended the Electrical and Computer Engineering Job Fair the other day because it was the ambitious thing to do. And I'm an ambitious person: I want to be a Disney Imagineer. But I was so overwhelmed, these research projects are real projects at the forefront of technology. I was impressed. But I was also conflicted. I wasn't completely there. The fair made me realize I was on the verge of the real world. So I didn't interact with the professors or put myself out there, on the market per se, as much as I should have for fear of the very, very slim possibility of entering the real world. But then again, I very much do want a research position, an opportunity to experience and contribute to innovation. I want and need to move on with my life, enter the real world. I ended up talking to only three professors. The three I was most interested in. There is also a Career Fair coming up next week that I will probably just scope out but not actually engage in. Another cause of hesitancy is that I really love working at Design Camp with kids, and if they would have me back, I would no doubt want to take it. But again, it's comfort. I can't be a camp teacher forever if I want to go into the industry. I need to move on. (The ideal would be to research or intern AND teach at Design Camp. But life isn't perfect.)

So, I took a long shower today because I just couldn't handle myself. Maybe I'm immature, but the slim possibility that I may entering the real world soon scares me. I needed to take a long shower and listen to rain because that's where I relax and think best – if by some miracle I won a noble prize or some equilivaent, the prize winning idea will probably have been conceived in the shower. I needed the shower to mull my life over and come to the conclusion that I can resist growing up, but I must move on in life.

On another note: I found this article I was mentioned in on the University of Massachusetts news site: an article about the Future Engineer's Center (FEC). I was interviewed a while ago, and forgot about it until today. So I just googled it and there it was.

Quotations from Angelina Jolie

2012-01-14T12:12:00.006-05:00

I sometimes forget how much I like Angelina Jolie. I've just been too concentrated on figuring out life and school work – and wasting time – that I forget things. Sometimes I just want to screw it and stop caring about my purpose in the universe. But my friend is right, that's life, you just can't get away from it. So let's celebrate post number 101 on my blog with some Angelina Jolie quotations. Yay! =]

"I like someone who is a little crazy but coming from a good place. I think scars are sexy because it means you made a mistake that led to a mess."
Me too! I'm such a scar person. I love talking about them. Weird, I know.

"If you ask people what they've always wanted to do, most people haven't done it. That breaks my heart."
Oh, this kills me too. But, I'm a little hypocritical. I'm not exactly doing what I've always wanted to do. I'm not in the position to be doing it. I'm working on it though, sort of. Then again, I'm not completely sure what I want to do.

"What nourishes me also destroys me."
The person who makes me cry the most is my mother. But I know she loves me and cares for me very much!

"When I get logical, and I don't trust my instincts - that's when I get in trouble."
Hmmm . . .

“If being sane is thinking there's something wrong with being different....I'd rather be completely fucking mental.”
I agree, such a powerful stance! Go Angelina Jolie!

“I don't believe in guilt, I believe in living on impulse as long as you never intentionally hurt another person, and don't judge people in your life. I think you should live completely free.”
This is me. I am so prochoice. I am in no position to decide what you should do or be. That's for you to decide and it doesn't affect me at all so why should I butt in. I also don't see the need to judge. I see people, not colors or labels, which is why I can sometimes be so insensitive. I use to go around telling people that I was mean or emo or part of the KKK (KooL Kids Klub, of course, not the racist KKK.). I've since stopped the latter two though. Going around saying I'm mean doesn't really affect anyone. Maybe no one will talk to me. *Shrugs* But there are consequences when you go around telling people you are emo or part of the KKK. There's always the chance that somebody who is actually emo is present or was mistreated by the racist KKK, when I make my claim. And in a way, I am being insensitive to a very serious emotional state and matter, the same way insults like gay and retard are insensitive to homosexuals and handicaps, and that is a problem because it's no longer just about me. I think the reason I use to do that was because I really wanted to strive home the point that putting labels on people is lame in an ironic way. So I agree, live life the way you want to, as long as you're not intentionally hurting someone else. (Part of this was meant to be its own post back in April 2011 but I never got around to finishing the post and it fits perfectly here.)

"I often see all these people taking pictures to capture the moment and I think you miss the moment because you are trying too hard to capture it. I want to live it."
I've noticed this too which is why I don't take many pictures. Most of my pictures are taken by others, which I totally appreciate. Occasionally, I will want to capture a fireworks show or something. But my recording won't be perfect because I'm just holding the camera. My eyes are on the actual show.

"I think that who we are and who we decide to be in life is not defined by our parents, our past, the way we look or where we're from. We make the choice." (Or as Dumbledore would say, "it is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.")
This is why I'm such a huge fan of Angelina Jolie, not because she is the prettiest woman, or the best actress, or the best mother, or the most caring humanitarian, or the most intelligent and original person. But because she was able to put beside her destructive past and choose who she wants to be today. I use to have a hard time explaining why I was such a fan of Angelina Jolie because there are people like her and do what she does better. But now I understand that it was her ability to make a choice that I admire. This is something only a person who has started to understand life could realize. I would have never been able to come to that realization at my current mindset. But I'm still young, and for now, I am content just observing others and living with my own life.

=]

Melody in C

2012-01-12T23:18:00.007-05:00

I have a special post today. =] (Okay, I agree, that earlier post about juice was pretty regular, not special. I was just up this morning drinking juice, waiting for a ride to go ice skating, and I liked it. But this post is better, I promise. Hopefully.)

First, I would like to point you in the direction of writer Theodora Goss (and my professor), if you'd like a chance for free books. She's hosting a book giveaway for two of her books, signed: In the Forest of Forgetting and soon to be released The Thorn and the Blossom. I've read In the Forest of Forgetting and it's a great read, full of fantastical short stories. My favorites were the ones involving Miss Emily Gray, a recurring character in her stories, and not because she shares a name with with me. Anyway, Theodora Goss is holding three book giveaways, I believe, and to enter all you have to do is write a paragraph or so answering the prompt on her blog.

I mention all this because I've entered this week's giveaway. Here's the prompt: "I’ve traveled a lot, and there’s quite a lot of traveling in my stories. In The Thorn and the Blossom, Evelyn travels to the Cornish town of Clews, where she meets Brendan Thorne. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be, and what would you do when you got there? It can be a real place, or a place that you or someone else has imagined. Again, be creative!" I'm not much of a writer though, so I don't expect to win, but it was fun. (I'm such a dabbler! dabbler dabbler!)

But here's my entry:

I've always wanted to go see the Northern Lights, because I'm the kind of person who likes lights and colors and looking at the sky. So I would head somewhere north, Alaska perhaps? I've heard you can see the aurora borealis from most anywhere there during the spring in Alaska, considering 2012 is amongst the years of peak solar storms – one of the "reasons" the world is going to end in 2012. Once in Alaska, I would ask the locals for the best location to see the lights. "Any empty field with a clear view of the northern horizon will do, but one with a backdrop of a mountain range will add to the spectacle," they would say. So I would find myself an empty field with a clear view of the northern horizon and a mountainous backdrop to sit and wait, shivering because I never dress warm enough. I don't want to expect anything of the aurora borealis for fear of disappointment. But it's too late for that. I can't pretend I don't expect it to be a fury of green streaks similar to a lighting storm without the thunder. Or swirls of green rays lingering in the sky in the pattern of my fingerprints. I can't pretend I didn't have that dream where time traveling was possible when the clouds turned green and the sky bright red, banded with more green. I mean how can I not expect anything short of spectacular of the Northern Lights, who once induced enough current into manmade telegraph lines that people could communicate cross-country without a power source? It's definitely too late to not expect anything of the Northern Lights.

Finally, here's what I thought was special!!! I composed a short little piece. "Melody in C" I will call it. It's nothing great of course. I just sat at the piano frustrated at my inability to play songs I once knew how to play, and the melody just slowly came to me. I really like it. It's much better than my other songs. (You can see an older song here.) However, for some reason I feel like I unconsciously stole it from a Hayao Miyazaki film. Here listen:

I always smile when playing the little part that starts 17 seconds inward. I don't know, it just sounds hopeful and happy. My friend agrees, it does sound like something from a Miyazaki film. But of course, Joe Hisaishi, the composer of scores in the Miyazaki film, does a much, much better job. He understands music better and doesn't rely on a simple chord progression. My friend tells me that people sample songs all the time and that if I did indeed steal this melody, no harm done because I'm not profiting off it or anything.

Unconscious influence. Who knew? The music in the Miyazaki films is simply amazing! Joe Hisaishi is one of my favorite modern day composers. (My favorite composer is Alan Menken but you already knew that!) Joe Hisaishi's score completes the Miyazaki films. Can you imagine Spirited Away with no music? Or feel Howl's inner conflict without the score? The music takes me into the fantastical world of Miyazaki. Each character has it's own theme. The joyful Totoro theme: I just had to youtube it! It's great, definitely check it out.

Now, we're back on the topic of travel. Doesn't music just take you places? I know it does for me. Can you just see the misty, open, sea when the Pirates of the Caribbean theme plays? Or Hogwarts castle when "Hedwig's Theme" plays? Composers know music takes people places, one of of musics multifaceted talents. I know for a fact the film cast of Harry Potter purposely played "Hedwig's Theme" at the precise moment when Harry enters the castle again in the last Harry Potter film. That's because they know the audience will respond. The audience has been conditioned to travel to Hogwarts when that theme plays. And to avoid confusion and add emphasis to Harry's return to Hogwarts, the theme was used in that moment.

Ballet is another example. Can you just imagine ballet without music? Imagine the Nutcracker without Tchaikovsky's famous score? Clara's adventure with the prince? It's just not possible. Even that pop song, I don't relate to at all, takes me back to the summer that song was popular. I think that's why I can like and listen to pop music and it's meaningless lyrics, it's just about the catchy melody in that instance. I tune out the lyrics. Of course, in some cases lyrics are really important. Oh music, you're so CooL.

I do miss the films back in the day when there were no sound effects and music provided the effects.

(What a long post! I should've split it. But then I would have posted three times today, so I'll leave it.)

One of my favorite things to do:

2012-01-12T09:31:00.002-05:00

Swirl juice around in a nice, transparent, hefty, glass cup. It makes me happy. =]

Favorite Quotations

2012-01-06T01:40:00.002-05:00

The new Facebook profile, Timeline, is a clutter mess and creeper friendly. Okay, Facebook profiles have always been creeper friendly. The only pro of Timeline is the nice big photo banner. Aside from that, it's a mess. When I visit somebody's page, it's because I'd like to know a little bit more about who they are as a person. I don't want to know who's been talking to that person. The old Facebook profile did that well. I could easily switch between stalking someone's life to their interests and likes by clicking "Info.' The likes are now on its own separate page. And worst of all, quotations are hidden on the bottom right corner of the new info part. Boo! Too much clicking is needed to find the same information that was once offered on one page. Timeline is a good concept, since people are too lazy to compile their life into a timeline, but it just doesn't work as a social network profile. My opinion. (Maybe Timeline suits everybody else's needs and I just want different things from my social network.)

Since Facebook basically hides my favorite quotations, I thought I'd do them justice and post them proudly on my blog. =]

"Hope is when you step into the darkness and think only two things, either the next step is solid ground or you will grow wings and fly."
This is a quotation I helped write. I'm pretty sure I stole the idea from somewhere and simplified it into a sentence. But this is my definition of hope. And I'm a hopeful person.

"Cross your heart, do it!" - Ellie, Pixar's Up
This reminds me that you sometimes just have to commit and follow through.

"Don't avoid the clichés - they are cliches because they work!" - George Lucas
I've always liked clichés. I like being unique but some of the best things around are unoriginal and have been around forever. This reminds me that its okay to be mainstream and unoriginal.

“Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.” - Neil Gaiman
Oh Neil Gaiman. He's a man of wisdom. If you follow his blog, you'd know. He's telling us that risks are risks, sometimes deadly, but sometimes you can fly. Truth of the matter.

"Take Chances, Make Mistakes, Get Messy!" - Ms. Frizzle, Magic School Bus
I seem to have multiple quotations about taking chances. I like this one in particular because in Magic School Bus taking chances, making mistakes, and getting messy was always fun. Taking chances isn't always a serious event. It's fun! Adventurous! =]

"Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one remembers to turn on the light." - Professor Dumbledore
Dumbledore is the epitome of wisdom! He has so many wise words. This is one of my favorite. (Although it is not from the books but the films.) Basically, when everything boils down, it's all perspective. All you.

"It's not about how to achieve your dreams. It's about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you." - Randy Pausch
This quotation I like because Randy Pausch like me dreamt of becoming a Disney Imagineer. And he's telling us, me, don't just aim to accomplish a goal. Live your life right and the way you want to, and karma will be on your side. The dreams will follow. (Randy Pausch also said, "Luck is where preparation meets opportunity," which I talked a little about at the end of this post.)

My Relationship With Apple

2012-01-04T16:49:00.005-05:00

I've received wonderful gifts for Christmas 2011. One of such gifts was from my roommate. She got me Steve Job's biography. She knew I was a big Apple fan. Steve Job's biography is one of those books I probably would not have bought for myself. The book is huge. Well, I finished reading and skimming the book, mostly reading, and it made me think of multiple things. So I thought I'd blog about them, but in two different posts. The first post, this one, is about my relationship with Apple ~~and the second post is everything else.~~ (Never did end up writing it.)

Elementary School:

The very first Apple product I used was the colorful iMac G3.

Remember these?!

This was in elementary school. Back then, all the computers in my elementary school were macs. I remember we use to crowd around the three or four iMacs each classroom had and take turns playing Bugdom. I also remember when I was in third grade, I was accepted into this program called TAG (Talented and Gifted). The program no longer exists. But back then, elementary school students would get the opportunity to go to the middle school and learn things. I went to an graphic arts one. And there I remember learning how to draw in appleworks on the iMacs. Some of my doodling and sketching styles – I don't draw – are still based on what I learned in that class. My family bought our first computer when I was in elementary school. I had wanted a iMac but I didn't win that one. We got a Windows, Sony VAIO.

(Fair warning: It's a super long post and does become a little disjointed at the end.)

Middle School:

In middle school, I remember just walking into a classroom of colorful iMacs. Not just the computer lab but also the science lab. It was GREAT! Since my middle school ran on macs at the time, there were also some old macs lurking around, you know the beige colored ones. I have no idea which models of Macintosh we had. Some didn't have CD slots and others did. But I did get to use them, I remember having to buy a floppy disk to save my artwork to. They were replaced when I was still in middle school with the Powermac G3 so few people younger than me have used the old Macintoshes. But they were in our graphic art class. And we used appleworks to draw. And of course, we played the games on them, Oregon Trail and Prince of Persia are the few that come to mind. But each Macintosh had different games on them. Good times.

Of the cube iMacs, I know I've used them all.

iMac G3 (2nd generation)

eMac

I was the kind of kid who sat at the computer and click the eject button repeatedly, so I know for sure we had the sliding trays, the original iMac G3. And then I also remember the red and deep blue more translucent colors with the slot loading which were the next generation of iMac G3. And then we had the eMacs (Education Macs). I remember then installing those toward the end of my my middle school years in the Tech Ed room and library. According to my youngest sister, she's currently in middle school, none of these cube shaped Macs work very well anymore. Oh well.

And then we had the iBooks.

There were thirty or so of them in my middle school and they were "the computers" in my school. We had the airport I remember and teachers would sign them out together. There were two carts for them, with each iBook in it's own slot on the tray. I remember they would emphasize us to be careful with them. My librarian would panic if you touched then them the wrong way. Two distinct memories: I remember using them in fifth grade in a social studies class and in the library when we learned internet safety. There was also this website: Oracle ThinkQuest. It was like a very safe school-related social network. I don't remember much but I remember I did make a few online friends.

(I've thoroughly enjoyed my middle school experience. Although toward the end of it, there were some things I wished I did differently. But it's that age. I really hate the education system we have now. My sister is in middle school now. Not enough emphasis in the arts or music or technology or other things besides Math, Science, English, and Social Studies. And even in the core subjects, it sucked. New teaching was emerging: Investigation in math instead of strict memorization which I guess is better but Investigation was too slow for half the class, well me at least. And John Collins Writing is a FAIL! Who the hell teaches kids how to write by having them focus on three things and ignore the rest. I'm not normally mean but I really don't like John Collins. I was in the midst of the change. I remember having to do John Collins Writing in art classes. None of the teachers besides the English ones were happy to adopt. I also remember the good old days, in fifth grade, having two specials a day! Specials were classes like physical education, art, cooking, not core classes. And they cut it down to one special a day my sixth grade year. But at least the classes were still there, right? But than each year, specials just disappeared. I still think I got a pretty good range: graphic art, regular art, actual cooking (maybe once or twice), Tech ed, drama, music (with real instruments of course). School is boring nowadays.)

And then high school:

Well at this point, I've been saving money. My dad and I had made an agreement when I was young: I really wanted my own laptop and my dad agree I could have one for high school but I would have to pay half of the price for whatever laptop I chose. Macs at this point wasn't as strong as it is now. Nothing was compatible for it: textbook discs wouldn't work on the mac and the likes. So if it were not for Dell's exploding batteries at the time, I was so close to getting a high end Dell laptop. It would have cost more than the Macbook I ended up choosing but it was what was deemed good at the time. But I reflected. I hated my experience on the family Windows computer, the computer was always crashing, and I loved my experience on the Macs in middle school. So I chose the pretty, pure white Macbook.

I loved my Macbook. It was amazing. It did everything I wanted it to. It ran the Tiger operating system. It made my first youtube video. I wrote stories on it. I did my first Web Assign and Mastering Biology assignments on it. It was a great first personal computer. I did get Microsoft Word for it though. It's the standard in school. My high school sucked in that it had ZERO Apple products. But that's okay, I had my own. School computers became a hassle. And I really started to hate on the Windows operating system. Compared to Windows whatever was out, my Macbook was so much easier to use. I could connect it to any printer. Wifi was simple to setup. Of course, I didn't play games on it, but I had my Nintendo Gamecube and then Nintendo Wii. This I guess is when I started to become a Apple fan. I didn't get why people bothered with Windows. I was one of the few people who used a mac.

Moving on to Apple products that are not computers.

I got my first iPod with my Macbook. My dad had his college friend purchase my Macbook so we would get the education discount and free iPod and printer. The free iPod was a white 2GB Nano.

I took great care of it and really it has less scratches on it now than my iPod Touch. I was always very careful with the things I owned. The iPod Nano currently won't hold a charge and I'm on the verge of sending it back to Apple. They're offering a Replacement Program. Good folks, the people at Apple.

And then 2GB wasn't enough and Apple had way more impressive devices out. The iPhone had just come out and I really wanted one. The touch screen looked awesome. My parents couldn't justify getting me one. I had just gotten a cell phone and at this point my parents weren't willing to pay for texting yet. And the iPhone would require both a texting and data plan. But the iPod Touch came out too. And I got that for Christmas my junior year.

The game on the screen, Tap Tap Revenge, was one of the first apps I got.

I never did end up getting a case for the thing but I did get a screen protector. As result, the screen is in perfect condition, the back, pretty scratched up. The iPod Touch had wifi, so I could browse the internet and more memory for music. It was Touch screen and the best portable music player and plus. I was pretty content. I had a Macbook and a pretty iPod Touch – in retrospect, the iPod Nano was prettier. I like edges more so than the tapered curves. I also had a cell phone. I didn't have a camera but I wanted one. Always putting up the argument that it would be so much more convienent to have an iPhone, you know so I wouldn't have to carry around an iPod and phone, but I didn't push it. The iPhone 3GS that was out at the time was attractive but it was not extremely attractive. Like I said, I liked edges better than curves.

Next, my Macbook started to have problems. The screen kept flickering. The power adapter was blinking between charged and charging. I also cracked the case. I brought my Macbook to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store and they fixed it. They replace the whole outside casing. They replaced the battery and gave me a new power adapter. That's when I learned Apple had great customer service. Yes, I had bought the Applecare plan but all the cost of all the repairs surpass the cost of Applecare.

And now college:

For college, I wanted a new laptop. I hadn't updated my Macbook so it was still running Tiger. The Macbook was a great laptop and I still love the thing. Currently, my youngest sister and mom share it. But I didn't want to be behind in the technology front using my four year old Macbook. And I had gotten a pretty nice financial package from BU and some scholarship money from my high school. So my parents agreed to buy me a new laptop. And by this point, I was a Apple fan. And my experiences on my Macbook were pleasant. So I decided I wanted a Macbook Pro.

The starting Macbook Pro was what I wanted: it had a 13" screen, all aluminum casing, running snow leopard (I've since updated to Lion). The thing looks beautiful. But it's processor was a little outdated. For the 15" Macbook Pros, the standard processor was a Corei5 and depending how much money you wanted to put into it, the processor could be up to Corei7. The Macbook Pro 13" was not Corei3 but Core 2 Duo. I was considering the 15" for the speed bump. But I decided I didn't need the speed bump. Hasn't bitten in the butt yet, but we'll see. Laptops were a lot cheaper at this time. And buying the Macbook Pro purely on looks was basically what the general consensus is. But I still bought it and I'm happy. I got a copy of Matlab from a friend and my Macbook Pro runs it well. So I spent late nights in my dorm room instead of labs. I also have AutoCad and Mathematica on my mac along with the default mac apps. (February 2012 Update: I've also recently started using Xcode and the Terminal for programming.) Unfortunately, I also have Microsoft Office 2011. When I upgraded to Lion, my PowerPC apps stopped working, so I couldn't run Microsoft Office 2004, which I liked. Now, I have this clunky Microsoft Office 2011 that just plain sucks. The upside, it cost only $40. The awesome thing is that now people buy macs. I walk into my university and it is a pretty even spilt, sometimes more macs than windows. It's amazing!

And finally the iPhone.

When the iPhone 4 came out. I wanted it. It was just the best looking cell phone out there: Apple had went back to the edges that I liked, it was sleek, all glass (plastic is not my favorite material), and had a great weight to it. I was familiar with it abilities because I had the iPod Touch. But the iPhone unlike my iPod Touch had a camera and a camera better than the digital camera my family owned. It's screen was ultra high resolution. I was sick and tired of carrying multiple devices. I'm not a purse person so my pockets are my limits. With the iPhone, everything in my digital world began to just sync. There's a whole post about the iPhone here so I'll just say I convinced my parents to get me one for Christmas 2010. And I'm very very content.

Think Different. Of course college made me start to think. Last summer, I read Think Different for the time that counted. That's when my relationship with Apple became not just that of a proud consumer and apple fan. I liked the thinking at Apple. I liked how they paid attention to the very littlest of details. I became an admirer. I appreciated their designs. How they made a power adapter cord that would just unlink itself easily when someone tripped over the cord. How they had the engineers figure out a way to have a steel rim on the iPhone 4 and still not block out service. Apple was the underdog who thought different. I just hope it stays the same now that Apple is no longer the underdog.

And finally I read Steve Jobs' biography and I read Apple's history. So now I understand what Apple is: a company aimed at making great integrated products. (A post to come . . .)

Now that I'm thinking about it, I've used A LOT of macs, apple products in general. Its no wonder, I like them so much. For most people, it's I've switched to a Mac at said date. But I've been fortunate enough to always been using one. My family computer, a Sony VAIO, was a Windows but I only used that at home and really, I spent more time on the school computers than the one we had at home. It was only toward the end of eight grade I started using the one at home, you know, the start of the social network era: Myspace and AIM. (I still use AIM. =]) And over the course of just five years, 2006 to now, I've come to own two iPods, two macs, and one iPhone. Wow! I think I'm content. (for now . . .)

Reflecting

2012-01-01T23:27:00.003-05:00

January 1st, 2012. That's the first time I've typed 2012. It's going to take some time getting use to writing/typing 2012 like it always is when the year changes. 2012 is the year we're all supposedly going to die. *Shrugs* Who knows? I'm not saying yes or no. Science says no though. Choose what you want to believe or in my case not at all.

Let's say we don't die. Well, I have a lot to work on. So much has happened in 2011 and I've learned a lot. But 2011 has definitely left a lot of loose ends. I need to decide on a major by the end of this semester. And –

BLAH!

I'm trying to reflect. But I can't. My mind does not want to. All it wants to do is veg. And scribble. So here's to 2011:

And let's say we do die. Well, I'm content dying as a student. I'm not going to do anything I wouldn't normally want to do. So right, same general plan for 2012 as if I were going to live.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:41:00.008-05:00

Have a FANTASTIC New Year! =]

Almost Everything

2011-12-29T00:42:00.010-05:00

[I'm not a writer. But I am an imaginer with a wicked imagination. And sometimes I can't help but jot down some of the random stories that cross my mind. And often, I will forget about these stories. The stories at the forefront of my mind are usually the grand epic adventures, the escapist ones. But looking through my files on my computer this morning, I came across this very short story and I like it. I don't remember ever writing this story so for all I know I could have copied and pasted it from the internet. But that's unlikely. From the date of the file creation, this story was also probably the first thing I wrote on this laptop, precollege. All my other stories from my last laptop are on a flash drive. So from the mind of emily on August 14th, 2010: "Almost Everything."]

Kurt read the tombstone one last time before walking toward his family: R.I.P. Elaine Guardfield 1915 – 2010.

"Father, tell them the story of Lily, Lily White." Katrina said to her father.

Kurt nodded in agreement.

"Lily White or White Lily as she later became known was a very dear friend of mine. She was an orphan. And by some miraculous fate, she was adopted into a military family at the same base my father was stationed. We basically grew up together since I was an only child and she was the first companion I had that was the same age as me. We fought invisible pirates together, attended school together, survived the awkward teenage years together, and when we were of age, joined the army together. She was very intelligent, the smartest person I knew, and advanced quickly, becoming one of the militaries best nurses in a span of two years. I, on the other hand, advanced very slowly. But even when I failed to run the laps as fast as the rest of the men and shot bullets with awful aim, she supported my efforts in one day becoming a lieutenant. She even whipped some sense into me and convinced a then chicken me to ask Elaine out. And then one day, after I had become a successful lieutenant, after I married Elaine, but before your mother was born . . .

There was a knock on the door.

I remember the day clearly. Elaine had peered out the window to see a man in uniform and mumbled, 'What does the military want with you. You're on your vacation, honeymoon.'
I shrugged, and walked to open the door. 'Admiral,' I saluted with complete military bearing.
'Lieutenant Guardfield,' the Admiral said, returning the salute. 'A fellow officer has died in battle yesterday and left all her possession to you.'
'Sir, are you sure?' I had said dumbfounded, who would leave me all her possessions?
'Yes sir,' the Admiral pulled out a will, 'Lily White has left you everything that was hers.'
I was speechless. I couldn't believe his words. Lily White. I never expected Lily to die before me. She was the one who was always there. I remember completely losing my military bearing and not being able to talk. I crumbled into myself. Thank goodness for Elaine, she continued the conversation with the Admiral."

"Gramps, you loved her." Vanessa said in awe. "Didn't you?"
Kurt chuckled to himself in a deep low hearty laugh and blinked away his tears. "You're Gram said something similar."
"Well!" Jeffery demanded, "Did you?"
Noah didn't say anything but Kurt could tell his eldest grandson was just as interested in his answer. His daughter, accompanied by her husband, walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Go on," she whispered.
Kurt closed his eyes and held back tears as he recalled his conversation with his then newlywed wife.

'You love her, don't you?' Elaine asked with a tinge of jealously.
'I don't know,' I admitted, lifting my head from her shoulder, blotting tears from my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt. 'I don't think I do. I feel so overwhelmed, Elaine. I loved my parents. And when they died, I cried, but I didn't feel like this. And I've seen men and women I've come to respect and befriend die in war but again I didn't feel the way as I do now. It's like I've lost a part of me, like a part of me has died. I loved her like I loved myself." I laughed, a meek forced laugh. "The irony that is life. Lily left me everything that was hers and I feel as though everything of me has been lost. No, not everything. Almost everything, I still have you.'

Rambled Jumble

2011-12-25T00:37:00.005-05:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

~~It's Christmas Eve! That means Christmas is less than twenty-four hours away. Oh my, that means the new year is in a week plus some minutes. =O~~ I fell asleep during this post and well, it's now Christmas and the new year is indeed in seven days. Wow! Time really flew by these last couple of weeks of 2011. Having had finals up until the 21st, I really haven't had time to think about the holidays until the break. And well, Christmas crept up on me!

I'm drawing a blank. My brain is still fried from finals. Ironically, despite this semester being the semester I've felt I've learned the most, I've earned the lowest grades of my university career. It's funny how the world works. Next semester will be even tougher: 1 hard science course, two math courses, and two engineering courses – I've decided not to take a non-engineering related course. So we'll see how I come out of next semester.

Major-wise, I'm still torn between electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. It's problematic since I need to decide by the end of next semester. Well, I could always change afterwards. But I rather not and I really do need to make a decision. Next semester, I think I'm going to start a tally of what my guts tells me I should major in as my roommate suggested.

Also, there are a couple changes I want to slowly implement on my blog. First, I'm going to change my blog url. I think it's time to shed my founded in middle school username and usher in a new and more mature, formal name: lamemily. Well, that's if you read it lam emily and not lame-mily. ; ] Never mind, that url was not available. The other changes I'll post about them when and if I implement them.

(This is just some rambled jumble to get back into the blogging mood. Bleh, a good portion of it is crossed out.)

Quirks, Likes, Flaws, and All Things Unique

2011-12-11T19:36:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking about what makes me me or you you. It's a hard question and I don't really have an answer.

First, I'm human. But you're also human, I think. So what makes us different? Are we different? Why do some of us strive to be unique while the rest of us strive to be similar? The reason is because we think different, right? Why? (I know, I sound like an naive, inquisitive kid.)

Physically, we are a lot similar than we are different. We're just different sizes, like similar triangles – did I really just make a math reference? Our chemical make up is pretty similar. There's this fact scientists toss around about how all human DNA is 99% the same or something like that? I'm no good at biology. But the point is that we are pretty similar. So what makes us different?

Our likes? Quirks? Philosophy? Flaws? Experiences? Personality?

Is personality constant?

I don't really have an answer for all the questions I've posed. But here are some thoughts going through my head somewhat related to those questions.

Over Thanksgiving break, I went shopping at the generic mall. And it hit me hard like a brick that I didn't like the same things I used to. Things I used to want to buy, I didn't want. Actually, I didn't really want anything at the mall. It was a rather empty feeling, not knowing what I liked anymore. So that poses two conclusions: I've either changed or my previous self was a lie. And I think it's a combination. I think my younger self strived more to fit in with society than my current self. And because of that some of my likes weren't really my own inception. But then again, video games was something I used to genuinely enjoy and now I find it terribly sad that I don't play. It's a realization: I've changed. This leads me to believe that yes, our likes do determine to some degree who we are. But again, not all Harry Potter fans are alike or all people who like the color yellow.

And then there are the little quirks of an individual. It's only been recent that I've consciously recognized my quirks. I can't seem to recall one but I certainly have quirks. I just forget them almost instantaneously after I've recognized them, that is until that quirk shows up again. (I just rested my head on my pillow and realized that one of my quirks is that I vary my sleeping orientation, i.e. my head is sometimes at the "post" of my bed and other times at the "end" of my bed. I've known this one for awhile but see, it's a prime example of me forgetting until the quirk shows up again.)

People I admire. Why do I admire then? I'm fascinated by Angelina Jolie. But I'm not fascinated by all actresses. Actually, there aren't many actress similar to her. And that's why I admire her. She's different. Of course all I know of her is from interviews and wikipedia. This post really isn't about why I like Angelina Jolie, so I won't go further into it. But I bring up Angelina Jolie because the primary reason I admire Angelina Jolie is because she took life into her own hand. She realized she was self-destructive and that it wasn't good for her. She rose from her flaws. To be able to take control of your life, I admire that trait. So her flaws somewhat define her, definitely her experiences. Yes, she's no longer the same person, but they make her different. And that I believe also defines a person.

I don't think I'm making any sense anymore . . .

Blog Update

2011-12-06T21:39:00.003-05:00

RAWRRR! RAWRRR! RAWRRR!

It's the end of the semester and everyone's stressed! It's awful. What a terrible way to end the semester. Stressed and everything. I'm putting Christmas/Holiday music on. That seems to always calm me.

It's been a while since I've blogged. I was planning a more thoughtful post but I really just need to blog so I'm just going to do just that.

Um, hmm, I changed the layout to my blog slightly. I don't think you've noticed but I got rid of the categories and added five random posts to the right margin. It was always difficult for me to just categorize my posts. And it makes so much more sense to just use the search function. And when it comes to labeling, all that matters is the labels below, where anybody can label it.

BLAH BLAH BLAH. I'm not really cohesive right now. I'm also thinking in triples! I think I'm going to pull a late night tonight. I don't really have anything really important tomorrow that needs attention until later in the day, and I'll be awake by then.

I'm doing Facebook friday again. I don't know if I mentioned that last year, but it's when me and my good friend, my roommate, gave up Facebook except for fridays. Hence, Facebook friday. Last year, we just trusted ourselves not to go on. This year, we changed each other's password. It's terrible how reliant we are on Facebook. I applaud people who don't use Facebook – they do exist, I know one or two.

Well, I'm going to shower and then do some work.

What a pointless post.

My roommate did a fantastic job making our room ready for the holidays. Here's a pic of some of the lights. There's a lot of it. It goes all around our room.

Inheritance Cycle

2011-11-25T20:05:00.015-05:00

I have a bone to pick with Inheritance. So this post will be me ranting. Oh well!

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been reading Inheritance, the last book of the Inheritance Cycle. Well, I've finished. And I am deeply disappointed. I don't know if it's because I'm much older now — I started the series when I was in sixth grade — or the book was really just subpar compared to the previous books.

Spoiler Alert!!!

First, Inheritance dragged. It really did. There was too much of Roran's point of view. And the chapters spent supposedly "developing" Roran were pointless. It's not like Christopher Paolini ended up making him a plot contributing character. He didn't help defeat Galboratoeix, nor did he become king. And when I read a fantasy novel, like Eragon, I read it for magical fun, not boring no magic Roran.

Second, the plot was a mess. Paolini seemed to have written himself into a corner: his antagonist, King Galbortorix, was too strong and had no weaknesses. So in order to have Eragon defeat him, absurd advantages were given to him. Absurd even on fantasy standards. They suddenly found a magical dragon slaying weapon and eldunari, hearts of dragons, not in Galbortorix's control, and dragon eggs hidden from Galbortorix? What? And the final battle was almost as anticlimactic as sucky twilight. And the conclusion was a fail.

Although I was shipping Eragon and Arya a lot, I'm not too upset that they did not end up together – I probably would have done the same thing if I was in Paolini's position. I am, however, very upset that their relationship almost didn't develop at all. Yes, Arya finally warmed up to Eragon and I guess they did share their true names – something done only when one knows another for a long time. But come on, none of that spells LOVE. And you really can't not have an epic romance when Eragon has been longing for her for three books.

Oh and the green dragon, I forgot about that. Oh wait, I think Paolini did too. The green dragon didn't appear until the end, kind of as an afterthought, a mate for Saphira for about a week. And this brings us back to Eragon and Arya. They just stand by idly while their dragons mate, not at all gonna give that romance thing a go? And why? oh why? Why, Paolini, did you decide to take the magic and dragon spectacular away and replace it with boring super magic? That's why we all read Eragon to begin with. For the dragons and magic. This book was meant to entertain and entertain it did not.

Finally, supporting cast development was nonexistent. Paolini had such a rich character lineup to work with. But he chose to develop NONE of them. Except for Roran. I do not consider Roran a main character. Eragon and Saphira and Arya were basically the only main characters. Orik just about disappeared. Nausuada had some development when she was kidnapped but that lasted about 50 pages of the 800ish pages of Inheritance. And when Queen Islanzadi died. What? She's the almighty elf queen. How does she just die so casually and easily. And I wasn't saddened by her death. Her death felt just the same as another random soldiers death, except I felt a tinge of sadness for Arya losing her mother. But not Islanzadi. And that's cause Paolini didn't develop her! Agh! Paolini!

There's more to hate but that's borderline nitpicky so I'll just leave it at what I have written.

I guess I'll mention the one tiny part I liked: the nausauda and murtaugh scenes. It was cute that Murtaugh had fallen for her. And the scenes in the prison were touching. But I guess Paolini could have improved that part by showing instead of telling. He just told us they were having moment. I would have liked to read a moment they were having. And the romance was so short-lived, Here I go, hating, again. Oh! I did like the introduction of werecats, but like the rest of the supporting cast, there was too less of them.

Argh, why did Inheritance suck so much. The characters saved it from completely sucking. Well, actually just Arya, Eragon and Saphira were getting boring. I really like Arya, she has a lot of characteristics I admire: self-discipline, virtue, loyalty, poise, courage, intelligence, and skill. She ranks high on my mental list of favorite fictional characters. I really had liked the Inheritance Cycle. Maybe my tastes have changed or I've grown, matured. But I hate to think that's true. I borrowed The Gril With the Dragon Tattoo from my friend. So I will read that next. I hope it doesn't suck. I would hate to have read two sucky books in one week.

Home

2011-11-23T22:44:00.007-05:00

Home: Word, by Magnetic North

It feels great to be home! My home is modest in size but having the whole house to wander barefoot feels great. Walking on the cold hardwood floor. Waking up at night and walking to the kitchen for a drink: 100% strawberry, banana, and orange juice — I'm spoiled. A nice firm bed. And home cooked food! Oh, and no work! I'm resting, resting, and resting. And resting. Did I mention I'm resting? November has been rough (and it's not over!). I practically gave up on Nanowrimo. So I'm just going to rest this break. And check the time as much as I can. I've noticed time slows down when I keep checking it. I need all the rest I can get.

I'm also reading. Currently, I'm finishing the Inheritance Cycle, by Christopher Paolini. I started this series when I was in middle school and I like it. It's fun fantasy. So I want to finish it before I return back to school. And I think I might read another book, if I have time that is.

And I'm watching the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, as I type this. One of my favorites. First, I'm a fan of Roald Dahl (I read a lot of his books when I was younger. Witches was my favorite by him.). Second, I love old movies. I really like the aesthetics of technicolor for some odd reason. And another thing about old movies: the score. I like the musical style of old movies. Annie, Sound of Music, and the likes – those are all musical movies but I like non-musical movies too. I was talking to my sister how I missed old cartoons where special effects were just different instruments and natural sounds, nothing digital. You know what I'm talking about: a Tom and Jerry episode or Fantasia or the likes. There are still great scores nowadays: Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean to name a few, but it's a different feel, a more grand feel.

I want to watch How the Grinch stole Christmas during the holiday break, either version.

Pretty nostalgic now. But home is great!

And HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

11-11-11 11:11

2011-11-11T11:11:00.002-05:00

It's 11 o'clock and 11 minutes, November 11th, 2011.

Make a wish! =]

I wish basically for the same one wish every time I get a chance. And I hope it comes true, really.

Clara C: Shaking Off Silence Concert

2011-11-11T02:21:00.002-05:00

I went to a concert tonight, err, last night, with friends. And it was great. Clara C is really talented and her opener New Heights was just as talented as well as the various local acts. Clara C's music I would describe as singer-songwriter, acoustic pop. But unique at the same time. She plays various instruments and loops and harmonizes her voice with her voice in her songs. It's great, and she has such a nice voice. I definitely recommend checking her out. New Heights, I would describe more as rock. They're a classic band: lead vocalist, lead guitarist, lead bassist, lead drummer, and rhythm guitarist. They sound great live. It's nice to hear a well put together band. I'll link favorites form each: Offbeat and Til We Go (I couldn't find a non-live version. But this is my favorite song of hers. So I linked a video from her Takeout performance. Takeout was a great concert.) by Clara C and Take Me On and Peaches by New Heights. And while you're checking them out, you might as well check out the Jubilee Project, they were the emcees. They make videos for charity. Love Language is a particularly good video of theres and New Height's song Peaches is featured in the video.

Clara C performing with New Heights. Did I mention we sat in the front row?

I really like up and coming artists. There's a genuine delight in performing. And they really care about their fans – I got to take a picture with New Heights.

Great music, great night.

Exams! D8

2011-11-10T10:10:00.002-05:00

Quick Update: Foliage, foliage foliage. It's starting. And with my view of the esplanade and Charles River, it will be beautiful. =] And yes this post was not written on today but a day previous to today.

Okay, so my first rounds of midterms are over. Yeys! And each exam was pretty different, format wise, from the other. Rather than a post about all the different types of exams in general, I thought I could blog about the five midterms I took and some pros and cons of each my exam's style and how I did on the exam.

Midterm 1: Physics.
Format: Physics midterm are probably the same nationwide. You are provided with a formula sheet with basically every equation you will need plus more. Part of the exam is figuring out which equations you need. And the exam consists of basically open response type questions and maybe one or two multiple choice concept questions. For the open response questions, you can get partial credit.
Advice: As a general rule of thumb, you should probably write down everything you know. You can usually earn points for copying the equations you need to use from the formula sheet. However, most problems will require analysis and manipulation of the formulas to get the correct answer.
Pros: Partial credit.
Cons: Typically difficult.

Class average: Low, 56.

Me: Thumbs up, I like the exam style. Pretty run of the mill and as expected. My grade: 70.

Midterm 2: Electric Circuit Theory
Format: This exam was all open response. We are given a circuit and we have to solve for a certain element, whether it be current, voltage, Thevenin resistance, etc. However, unlike the physics exam, we are allowed to bring in a single sheet of notes. However, there was no partial credit at all. Graded solely on answers.
Advice: Write as small and as much as you can on your notes sheet.
Pros: Notes sheet.
Cons: No partial credit.
Class average: Medium, 62.
Me: Eh, I don't really like that there was no partial credit but I do like the fact that we can bring a sheet of notes. My grade: 75

Midterm 3: Mechanics
Format: Multiple choice but not really. The exam was multiple choice but if you did not show work, you wouldn't get points for the right answer. Also, most of the answers for the multiple choice was none of the above and you had to provide your own answer. There was also an open response.
Advice: Solve the problem first without looking at the answers and then pick the answer that matches your answer.
Pros: Um . . . not your run of the mill exam.
Cons: Exam style made you doubt yourself.
Class average: High, in the 80s. The high class average I think is more reflective on the professor than the students. Other mechanics classes with different professors did not have as high a class average.
Me: Hmm, the exam style really messes with you but I like that it's different from other exams. My grade: 96.

Midterm 4: Design and Manufacture
Format: Take home exam. Most questions asked you to identify a certain material or technique and to distinguish it from another. There were some calculation questions, such as finding thermal expansion of a certain metal at a certain temperature. And there was a lot of questions on how you would make so and so. I haven't received the exam back yet so I'm not sure how it was graded.
Advice: Use the index of your book.
Pros: Take home exam
Cons: Tedious
Expected class average: High
Me: Eh, it just took up time. Some questions didn't have a clear-cut answer and some answers weren't in the book. My grade: Not yet received.

Midterm 5: Arts of Asia
This was an exam type I was not expecting. It was a powerpoint exam which I guess is the standard for art history exams. But this being the first art history course I've ever taken, I was shocked. Basically, an artwork is projected on a slide, and you have to identify the artwork and write its significant or answer the question on the slide. Each slide was shown for about 4 minutes.
Advice: Memorize themes attributed to certain time periods.
Pros: Memorization
Cons: Time constraint.
Class average: Slightly High, 82.7
Me: Eh, this was new to me. The time constraint really messed with me. I felt I did not have time to adequately write a significance for each artwork. My grade: 94.6 (A)

This doubles as my "update on my classes" post I like to post each semester. And overall, I'm doing okay. Above average, but not great. I'm aiming for great.

Wow, what a boring post.

nOVemBeR

2011-11-04T18:44:00.003-04:00

Is the title hard on your eyes? Yeah, I thought so. But I'm channeling my inner youth for this blog post.

First, November is going to be challenging: NaNoWriMo, three midterms, and thanksgiving break. Those three things come to mind right now, but I'm sure more challenges will prop up as November progresses.

Let's tackle that list in reverse:

Thanksgiving break will not be challenging in the sense that it will be a lot of work. It will in fact be no work. And that's the challenging part: to do work during thanksgiving break. I have this terrible habit of doing NOTHING when I go home. It's gotten to the point where I question why I bother bringing work home when I end up not doing it. And really, because of the next two things I'm about to discuss, I don't have the time to do nothing.

Three midterms. Well, they're midterms. Nothing much to say about them that I won't cover in my next blog post – I'm writing two blog posts tonight and trying out that post according to schedule feature. Part of the reason why I'm writing two blog posts tonight is that I really do not want to not reach my quota of at least five posts a month. And because this month is going to be challenging, I might not have time to blog later on this month. So since I'm taking a mental break right now, I'm just going to write blog posts – I really just can't think right now. My brain is mush. Because of that, these posts probably won't make much sense.

NaNoWriMo!!! Now that's the real topic of this posts. It's National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or nanowrimo). Basically, I've been participating in this challenge since I was in high school – but now that I think about it, I might have participated in eight grade. Nope, I started freshmen year in high school – I just checked my nanowrimo account. So what is nanowrimo? It's basically a writing challenge where you ignore the world and aim at writing 50,000 words in one month. The nanowrimo site covers it's "About Me" pretty well, so I'll just link it here. And for the four years that I participated in nanowrimo, I've never won the challenge. I didn't do nanowrimo last year – freshmen year was overwhelming. But this year, I'm going to try again. I'm already behind though. I've only written 500ish words and they don't really make much sense. The only reason I wrote them was to start my story. Because now, I can't say I didn't do nanowrimo this year. I can only say I failed again at nanowrimo or I won nanowrimo.

So that's my plan for this month: write a story.

Also, you should do nanowrimo with me! We can ignore school and go insane together. Yay! Join now: Click. =]

Oh, and the title of this blog post is in honor of the time when I started doing nanowrimo, a time in my life where I awkwardly capitalized words. I use to think of it as creative stylization on a computer, sort of like bubble letters on paper. But now I see that idea is flawed: capitalization has a purpose outside of stylization. But I still like awkwardly capitalizing things. (I remember a joint story I wrote with my friends where I forced my friends to awkwardly capitalize the title. Good times!)

Car Accidents Still a Novelty

2011-10-26T09:40:00.004-04:00

I just saw a five car bumper to bumper accident on Storrow Drive. Well, I heard the first crash and then saw four cars slam into each other. Storrow Drive is right outside of my window and generally, cars are driving really fast on it. So if one car hits another, there is barely enough time to stop, which is why a five-car collision is possible. In the picture below, you can only see four of the five cars. The last white car took off pretty quickly after the police arrived. So my guess is that maybe as the fifth car in the chain of collisions, there was minimal damage, if at all, and the driver was a busy person and needed to go. And no one seems to be seriously injured, so that's good!

The front of the second car is pretty deformed and a good portion of the third car, the blue car, is underneath the second car.

And you know what I realized, there's still a novelty in a car crash. When I heard that first initial slam, I immediately thought it out of the ordinary and looked out my window, to see the other four cars hit each other. And you know what, it's nice that car crashes are still a rarity. Storrow Drive is always full of cars and I've kind of gotten used to the sound of a constant traffic. I don't look out the window when I hear a car drive by. Living in Boston in general has made me not as mindful of traffic. Now imagine if I was accustomed to hearing car crashes to not look out the window? That would be AWFUL! Gah! Something would have to be seriously wrong with our society if accidents weren't out of the ordinary.

As I'm looking out my window now, I notice a black SUV. And a woman dressed in black with high heels getting out of it. Maybe she's a detective. She looks to be examining the scene. Yes, I will call her a detective. Now, wouldn't that be a cool job! A detective. Solving crimes.

A Nerdy Evening

2011-10-23T02:35:00.002-04:00

No, tonight was not a nerdy evening. Tonight hasn't even occurred yet. But rather than a nerdy evening, I anticipate tonight to be a scary evening. I am going to a haunted ship tonight for some early halloween celebration – we're trying to avoid the crowds. Yesterday night, a couple hours ago, was also not a nerdy one. Well, I did spend my time grading homework – I'm a grader – and prepping for my midterm on Wednesday. But it was not nerdy in the sense friday was. Friday evening was nerdy in that I spent it at a puzzle shop.

I spent friday night at a puzzle shop with my engineering friends. Usually, I hang out with a core set of friends – I call these people core friends because I spend a lot of time hanging out with them – and we usually spend our time exploring, adventuring, walking, and you know, active activities, however we also do like to watch movies. But that core set of friend was busy friday night and my engineering friends – I call these people engineering friends because I know them through classes, engineering classes – had invited me out. So I took up their offer and joined them for dinner at Anna's Taqueria. After dinner, I showed my engineering friends around Coolidge Corner – they hadn't ventured out into the city as much as I have. And one of the places I took them to was a puzzle shop, Eureka's Puzzles and Games, I had stumbled upon while exploring with my core friends. And we spent a good chunk of time there. And it was fun! We explored the shop, and then the shopkeeper was kind and patient enough to let out try out several of the demos there. I ended up solving four puzzles! I'm actually pretty proud. Among the four puzzles I solved was the Raketti Puzzle, which had puzzled us for the majority of the time we spent at Eureka's. And when I solved it, I was genuinely, really happy. I was kind of in shock, because I didn't expect the happiness that followed solving the puzzle. And that's when I realized I was, in fact, a nerd. And also that I'm capable of thinking outside of the box. I am more proud of the latter. It reminded me of my youth, when I was smarter.

Now, I really want to purchase a puzzle. I probably will for Christmas. I like to buy myself a gift for Christmas. It's something I do. But the puzzle I buy has to be challenging. Part of the reason I was so happy when I solved the Raketti Puzzle was that it stumped me for a good period of time. The other three puzzles I solved took less than ten minutes to figure out so it wasn't as satisfying as the Raketti Puzzle.

I don't consider myself a nerd because I don't always behave nerdy. But there are occasions where I am nerdy and last friday evening was one of them. And even then, I'm not that nerdy. It takes me well over a minute to solve the rubix cube. (After our Coolidge Corner adventure, which included foryo for half of us and ice cream for the other half and a stationary store, my engineering friends returned to work on a class project. I, however, went to watch one of my core friend's concert – I had told her I would go – and then out with her to get ice cream. I didn't get any this time around. I can only handle a limited amount of diary products a day. See, I am not that nerdy. =])

Apples!

2011-10-17T20:18:00.039-04:00

It's apple season in New England! And you know what that means? Real, fresh apples. Farm-picked fresh. There are many places here in New England you can go apple picking. I went to Parlee Farms, in Tyngsborough, MA, to pick my apples. I'm not really an apple person, but when it's apple season, I am. Today, I ate one of those fresh apples, in a rather odd way. Sometimes putting more effort into something makes it more enjoyable.

I diced the apple, and put the pieces in a mug. =]

And then because I don't have a toothpick, I used a dental floss pick as my utensil of choice. I am weird, I know.

I'm more of a dabbler.

2011-10-14T02:27:00.005-04:00

I would just watch from 2:25 onward if you don't really want to watch Sonny With A Chance. (I have to admit though that Sonny With A Chance was one of my favorite Disney Channel shows. Good humor. It's too bad they had to cancel it – I believe they had to cancel it because Demi Lovato was unfortunately admitted to rehab.) Anyway, I just really like this song: "Me, Myself, and Time." Maybe it's because I, too, am trying to find my way.

Dabbler. Dabbler. Dabbler.

Yeah, I think I'm more of a dabbler, not really good at any one thing.

Why I blog?

2011-10-12T20:37:00.005-04:00

(Best read not as a mobile version.)

Have you noticed what day today is? It's my blog's birthday, anniversary of my blog's creation.
A year ago, confused and directionless about life, I created this blog.
Perhaps one of the the weirdest part of this is that I made it to the anniversary.
Prior to this blog, I've attempted to blog, but it would always just fade away. But this is different.
You know, I really have become fond of this little piece of the interweb.

Furthermore, I have a confession:
I blog for myself, really.
Reading my past posts, I realize that I also blog for you but it's mainly for me.
Sorry. But this blog helps me a lot more than it helps you. I am sure of that.
The stuff I include on my blog sometimes just helps me think. And at all times, tracks me.

And why do I blog?
Namely, I blog to preserve myself for my future self to read. Kind of like what my myspace became.
Now that I don't update my myspace – I haven't updated for years –
I can go on there and find a preserved high school me. And read about myself, who I was.
Very weird, indeed! Everything on myspace is exactly the way I left it.
Even the simple layout, with colorful but simple font. And my hidden goals . . .
Reading this blog in a couple of years, I feel, will be just as weird and introspective.
Some blog posts already feel like they are from a much younger, distant me.
Although, other posts feel just as current as they did last year.
Really, I am still lost and unsure about my future. And my personality is pretty much the same.
Yet, I am finding my way. And at least for now, I can feel it: the sense of a direction.
!

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T00:57:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, Steve Jobs died. I'm in a bit of disbelief, because people like Steve Jobs feel god-like, immortal. Their existence has affected the world so much that you feel they will always be around to guide the world. But they are not supernatural beings, they're human. And it's a fact of life: people die. But I guess Steve Jobs' death is especially sad because Steve Jobs represents much more than the face of Apple. He represents visionaries, counter-culture folks who think different and believe they can change the world. And he did just that, he combined creativity with aesthetics and technology to push the world forward and bring the world what they wanted before they knew they wanted it. He was a true visionary and innovator.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs. I wish your family well.

Also, Macrumors has a nice compilation of reactions to Steve Jobs' death.

New Phone

2011-10-05T14:20:00.005-04:00

So here's the story:

I noticed something annoying on my iPhone yesterday, a shadowy spot on all the pictures I took. The shadowy spot would get larger when I zoomed in and smaller when I zoomed out, but nevertheless always present. From that, I concluded it wasn't something wrong with my phone display but rather the lens. I tried cleaning the lens, you know, there could have been a smudge. But that was futile. I know what you're thinking, it's just a smudge, not the end of the world. But I use my iPhone as my principle camera, so I thought it was worth having the Geniuses at Apple check it out. So that's what I did after my first class today. And well, they gave me a new iPhone. Apple has excellent customer service, and no one disputes that.

But it is slightly weird to have a new phone. First, it's empty, aside from my contacts. I haven't been home yet, but once I do, it'll be restored from my backup. But for the time being, it's empty. What do I mean empty? Well, no songs, no pictures, no notes, no apps, games and utilities alike. My calendar is empty, my email isn't synced. And those are some of the things I've come to appreciate about the iPhone. It was my agenda, plus more. So that's different. But all that can be remedied when I get home.

But the weirdest part? It's new! What are you talking about? Isn't that nice that you received a new phone? Yes it is nice, but the battle scars are gone. The what? You know, The places I've scratched the phone or dropped it or whatever it. You're not making any sense. See as oppose to receiving a new phone, I was actually just hoping they fixed my old phone. This new phone hasn't hiked Mount Monadnock or gotten me home when lost. This new phone is uncanny! D8

I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say. I guess maybe that I've always been fond of my scars and the same way I wouldn't want the scars on me gone, I wouldn't want the scars on my phone gone. And also, I feel materialistic for caring but I guess I'm not too materialistic because I'm only mildly, if any, upset that my old phone is gone. If this were my scars that were gone, I would be extremely downcast right now, maybe borderline hysterical.

Well, back to homework.

Post Script: I'm at Boston Public Library (BPL) right now, because well, it was only down the street from the Apple store and when will I make the time to study here, again? And the BPL really is beautiful. It puts Mugar to shame. Actually, many libraries put Mugar to shame.

I really love high ceilings.

Dining Alone

2011-09-26T19:20:00.009-04:00

If I was normal, I'd probably blog about my adventure to the Arnold Arboretum yesterday — it was awesome! But instead I'm going to tell you how albeit getting bitten by dozens of mosquitoes, I'm still sitting here, at the edge of BU beach, staring at a constant flow of cars on Storrow Drive and the Charles River.

See, today, I had dinner by myself. I don't usually eat dinner alone. Lunch yes, but not dinner. But everyone had their own plans tonight. And well, I was hungry and didn't want to deal with or think about the work I have to do — there's a lot of it. So I grabbed a sandwich and dined alone at BU Beach. Normally, during the day, I pick a spot where I don't see the cars. But tonight I'm sitting on the bump, and staring at the cars and the Charles River. It grew dark quick, and the mosquitoes wasted no time coming out and targeting me. But nevertheless, I sat through the mosquitoes, doing the fending mosquito jiggle, and ate my sandwich. And I realized I wouldn't mind just sitting here alone for the rest of my life. Just me, my thoughts, and the world. I know, it's not the ideal sanctuary: that mountain peak or stream in the woods, but it's still really nice. The noise of the cars driving by really isn't bad. There aren't any obnoxious horns. And you basically just experience the Doppler Effect over and over again. Occasionally, there will be an ambulance, and that's when you really get to experience the Doppler Effect. And the Charles! It's beautiful, especially for such a polluted river. The reflection of the headlights of passing cars on the other side of the Charles just glimmer so prettily in the Charles. And I am at peace.

Sigh, back to the real world. Ahh! I'm so itchy! I'll be sure to bring incense next time; mosquitoes hate smoke. Oh, and if you're really interested about my adventure to and at the Arnold Arboretum, I uploaded several pics and wrote a short post about it on my google+.

Update: On my way home, I stopped at COM Lawn and just laid down next to the fountain and star gazed. And I figured out a phrase that I think will always bring me out of a slump. It's an action phrase. I won't tell you what it is though. This is for myself. And if you can guess it, I think you might actually know me better than I do, which is definitely possible since I don't know myself well at all. Maybe I should get it engraved on a river rock . . . so I won't ever forget. =]

The Rainbow Connection & Do Re Mi

2011-09-21T19:53:00.011-04:00

This is kind of random, but I started humming this song in the shower. Maybe I'm just unconsciously dreaming of something, longing for something . . . Anyway, without further ado, "The Rainbow Connection," by Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson), from The Muppets Movie.

And then I started to listen to Julie Andrews! I love her voice! Aaaa, I'm very nostalgic now! I need to stop. No more songs from the past. Homework time. I'll leave you with one of my favorite childhood songs, ever! "Do Re Me!" (I think I just overused the exclamation point!)

Isn't she great!? And then I remember Julie Andrews may never be able to sing like that again. And I realize, I have yet to suffer.

Napping In The Sun

2011-09-19T16:00:00.006-04:00

Granted, I didn't actually fall asleep. So really, I can't call it napping, more like baking in the sun. =]

See, I have this 5 hour gap in my schedule on Mondays and Wednesdays. And because I have so much work this semester, I usually spend it outdoors, in multiple locations, doing work. And it's really nice: productive and relaxing. But today, I got most of the work I allotted for this 5 hour gap finished. So instead of going back to my dorm to get more work, which is more time lost walking than time gained for work, I "napped." I "napped" in Marsh Plaza, for all of BU to see. And one of my friends did see me napping. She recognized me by my backpack, which is something all my friends seem to recognize me by. *shrugs* Is it that unique?

I took this picture, while laying down.

I can feel the cold fall air coming. I don't even want to think about how I'm going to have to spend 5 straight hours indoors! I need natural light! Ah! Okay, class time.

Post Script: After ranting that there was no iPhone app, I discovered that Google released a Blogger app just a couple days previous so yeah . . . This post, by the way, was composed on the Blogger app and then edited on my laptop.

BU Beach

2011-09-13T01:17:00.010-04:00

Quoted entirely from my google+ page:

"I spent the good majority of the day at BU Beach today! And it was fantastic! =] The weather was perfect, T-shirt and shorts weather with a slight breeze. BU Beach, for those who don't know, is one of the few green spaces we have at BU. It gets it's name from a ridiculous myth BU tells us every chance it can, i.e. open house, college tours, information sessions, Wikipedia, etc. Basically the myth is that if you close your eyes, the cars passing by on Storrow Drive sound like waves crashing on the beach. I can't tell you whether it's true or not, since I haven't been to the beach enough times to remember it's distinct sound. But as far as I am concern, it's a peaceful green space, where you can't see any of Boston's skyscrapers or the cars on Storrow Drive – there's a little bump that blocks the view, but you can see the cars on the other side of the Charles, but they're quite a distance. And that makes me happy."

So why did I post it on google+ and not here first? Well, it's really inconvenient to post on Blogger from my phone. And I can't upload pictures onto Blogger from my phone. So, as the lazy person I am, I just post it to google+ because if I don't, I'll lose the appeal to post about it. Seriously, because there's no option to upload pictures on Blogger, I've posted quite a few short posts on google+. I rather have those posts here though, in one central location. So really, Blogger/Google, we need an app for the iPhone! Thank You!

My View

2011-09-05T19:15:00.002-04:00

My view is quite amazing. All in one glance, I see geese, cars, water, and a university. The geese are on the esplanade, the cars are on Storrow Drive, the water is in the Charles River, and the university is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And every morning, I wake up to this view, give or take the geese. And it's amazing. I really love it.

I snapped this earlier, focusing more on the Cambridge skyline than Storrow Drive.

And it's all thanks to my amazing friends who pulled me into their spacious triple. Spacious enough for me to do cartwheels in the center. I also have my own little corner, nook so to write. It has it's own ceiling light. And it'll definitely come in handy when I do some late night studying while my roommates sleep. I really do love and appreciate my living arrangements. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, but, my dorm is on Bay State Road, which is where all the Brownstones are. The Brownstones, one of Boston's iconic architecture, have so much character, each with their own unique detail. While I'm not living in a Brownstone, I do get to walk up and down Bay State Road everyday, instead of Commonwealth Avenue, and take in the Brownstones and the serene, as Boston can be, atmosphere of Bay State Road. It's really nice.

It's going to take some time, though, to get used to the constant roar of Storrow Drive – I've heard it quiet maybe once, and it wasn't at night. But you know, there's a rumor that if you close eyes, it sounds like the ocean.

Classes start tomorrow . . . So yeah . . .

Falling Asleep to Music

2011-08-31T21:26:00.001-04:00

Falling asleep to music has to be one of my most favorite activities ever. It puts me in such a happy mood. =]

And with the clock app on my iPhone, I don't have to worry about
turning off the music when I fall asleep.

Remember those goals?

2011-08-31T10:41:00.003-04:00

This summer felt perfectly paced. I guess that's because my mindset all summer was I miss Boston, I want to go back. So that longing gave me the sense of slowness. But then because I worked, had fun, and relaxed. I feel summer doesn't need to end yet – plus, I still have goals to finish. And the two feelings balanced out, so I neither feel this summer went by fast or slow. I had a Goldilocks summer.

Anyways, I wanted to assess my summer goals before September starts.

5. Learn a skill.
Okay, I didn't learn a skill. I didn't really try. But I did dabble in HTML so there was an attempt. I also worked at an engineering camp, so I honed my previous skills. I'm not sad at all that I didn't make this goal.

4. Complete a puzzle!
=] I did make this goal. Check the post about it.

3. Read/Write.
Since, I was really vague about this goal – I didn't specify how many books I wanted to read or how much writing I wanted to write – I will deem this goal a success. I did read and write. All the writing I did is in this blog. So yeah, nothing impressive. What I read was also not impressive. I read the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It's kind of like a merge of 1984 and Lord of the Flies. The first book was pretty good, it was believable, but it just went downhill from there. And it really started to drag by the end of the trilogy. I guess I judge a book in part by how well I can emerge myself in it. (Thought provoking is a plus!) Books, like the Hungers Games, really highlight how disgusting totalitarian governments can be. In that situation, I would probably go insane or not conform and be one of the ones they put down as an example to the rest. J. K. Rowling is right, we as human beings can imagine the situations of others. And we should use that ability to help the world. I will admit that I'm in a bubble, a bit naive, and that I don't realize how bad it is in some parts of the world. But that's something I personally need to work on. And I am optimistic about the human race. And that's all I read, book-wise. I know, weak.

2. Practice Piano.
I failed this goal. Yeah, I only relearned one or two songs. =[ But at least I attempted right. Aw, well. I'll still hold on to the list. Maybe a new deadline, by next summer? This failure I am sad about.

1. Build A Lantern.
I failed. And I think this is the saddest failure of the three failed goals. And it's not because I didn't try but because every attempt was a failure. =[ But you know it wasn't all for nothing. I learned a bunch of things. As Thomas Edison once said: I didn't fail to make the incandescent lightbulb 1,000 times but learned 1,000 different ways to not make an incandescent lightbulb. (I couldn't remember the exact quotation, and google wasn't helpful, it was showing me multiple versions of the quotation. So I just paraphrased what I remembered in my head. Besides most people have heard of this quotation in some form.) First, I want to say that I wanted to make a lantern without fireproofing the tissue paper, so a major challenge was preventing the lantern from catching on fire. Because my first two attempts caught on fire, I learned to line the bottom of the lantern, near the flame, with plastic tape. Plastic doesn't catch on fire, it melts. And on that note, because plastic melts, I learned to not seal the balloon part of the lantern with tape because when you light the lantern, the hot air will melt the plastic, therefore leaving holes in the lantern and letting hot air escape. Hot glue will also melt, but it won't leave holes and will also cause a stronger seal. And by all measures, I successful made a gleaming lantern. I like to sing to my little sister, "I've Got a Dream" from Disney's Tangled switching two of the words in Rapunzel's verse. Rapunzel sings, "I've got dream. I just wanna see the floating lanterns gleam." While I sing, "I've got a dream. I just wanna see my gleaming lantern float." (I know Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream about integration and mine is about a lantern. See what I mean about being in a bubble.) So why didn't my lantern float? It's too heavy. And I need more volume . . . so yeah. I might add more fuel too. I will try again today, in-between packing. But I want to leave you with a picture of my gleaming lantern.

My Jumbled Mind

2011-08-27T13:40:00.006-04:00

There's a lot on my mind right now. And it's really jumbled. Although not all my thoughts end up on my blog, right now, I feel like I need to write them out in order to make sense of them. So bear with me as I ramble through this post.

First, Steve Jobs is no longer CEO of Apple. What does that mean? Well, for one it's really sad. I mean Steve Jobs is the kind of guy who sleeps, breathes, and lives his company and would step aside only if he couldn't perform as CEO. So it really is sad that his health has deteriorated to this. I'm willing to bet his resignation was a really difficult decision for him to make. Yes, the man is still alive and still has an active role in Apple as chairman of the board. But it's still sad when the visionary of a company takes a backseat. It's no longer his company. I'm not saying Apple is on a downward slope. It's just I guess a loss of authenticity.

That's another thing I've been wrestling with. The authenticity of a company. I feel it leaves when the founder/visionary leaves. Once the visionary leaves, the company becomes a company by all means and profits and stocks become the most important details in decisions. Steve Jobs is famous for ignoring market research and just going with his guts, bringing people what they want before they know they want it. I really just hope the innovative nature of Apple remains. Apple used to be counter-culture, but now it's culture. How well Apple handles it's popularity is to be seen.

I relate all this to when Walt Disney left his company. The Disney Company is by all measure capable of producing top quality entertainment after Walt Disney's death. But, really what is the motive? Profits? Or genuine vision? I'm not saying that there aren't visionaries at Disney, but they are surrounded by businessmen that sometimes these visionaries are limited. I guess I just really like genuine things. You know, the feeling that hey, you put yourself into this product just so I could enjoy it. Thanks. I believe Pixar is very genuine in that way, which is why their films always touch my heart. Although like Apple, Pixar isn't as counter-culture as it used to be. (Interesting enough, Pixar was helmed by Steve Jobs until Disney bought Pixar, making Steve Jobs the biggest Disney shareholder, and a Disney board member.)

In light of all this, I watched Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford University. I don't know why, but I have difficulty remembering commencement speeches, even right after I watch it. But I do remember him talking about connecting the dots and how one could only connect them backwards and that dropping out of college and being fired from his company was the best thing to happen to him. How failure/rejection, so to say, set him on the right path. He also discussed that one must love their job. And to never give up on finding that job if one hasn't found it yet. This made me think of the other two commencement speeches I've watched. Katie Couric at BU and J. K. Rowling at Harvard. I admittedly don't remember anything Katie Couric said. All I remember is that she quoted a bunch of people and answered tweets in her speech. I think she also barked. J. K. Rowling's, I do remember. She talked, like Steve Jobs, about failure, and how it was alright to fail. How her own failure set her free to write and eventually succeed. This is similar to Steve Jobs' outlook on failure. J. K. Rowling also talked about imagination. How we, as human beings, can imagine other's life, good or bad. And that we should use that to better the world. Jobs and Rowling are different. One is in the field of literature and the other is in the field of technology. But they're both creative visionaries of some sort. And for that, I admire them.

But of course, where does this put me? What is my vision? What do I want? I realize, I know a lot more about what I don't want to do than what I do. I know for sure I'm not a medical or business or law person. I guess that cuts down on a lot of options. But still . . . Looking at my list of inspirational people on Facebook, I see Walt Disney, J. K. Rowling, Angelina Jolie, and Steve Jobs (recent addition). They're all creative. And different from their peers. And visionaries. And I guess that's what I want: to be creative, different, and visionary. But in what form do I want it? And is what I want who I am? And am I capable of what I want? Or in other words, how am I to be visionary if I don't have a vision?

I've also, recently, come across the Disney Legends Award Ceremony during the D23 expo. I started to watch it but then I just couldn't. Something inside of me just didn't want to see it. I watch award shows all the time, Oscars, Grammys, VMAs, etc. But you know those are awards are given to people that yes, I admire, but no, I do not aspire to be. It was very weird that I didn't want to watch the Disney Legends Award Ceremony. I don't quite understand why. It puts my life into perspective, I guess. Like they are being awarded for things I want to do. And I'm force to realize oh wow, I lack so many things. I don't know. It's just something. I did though watch the performances: the original voices of Disney Princesses, Paige O'Hara (the voice of Belle), Lea Salonga (the voice of Mulan and Jasmine), Anika Noni Rose (the voice of Tiana), and Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel), singing their songs. (Here's a link to an article with all five performances. The author is of the article is on the ranting side though.) While I'm not a fan of the pedestal the Disney Princess are on, I can't say anything except that I loved their performances. It's like a blast from the past. Although Princess Tiana is a lot recent and younger than the rest. And they're REALLY talented singers.

And I've also been thinking of my skills. Because, I believe I have creativity hidden somewhere in me. And for the time being, while my creativity is hidden, I should work on my skills. Because no matter how creative your mind is, you need skills to make them come to life. So that's what I'm working on. College will give me most of my skill set but I can try on my own. Today, I dabbled in HTML programming. And well, I didn't make an effort to remember all the coding. But HTML is pretty logical.

And as an afterthought, for some reason, I feel like I neither fit in with the outcasts or the mainstream. I'm like an inbetweener. And aren't those really the people who are least accepted?

Ride Concept Competition

2011-08-20T01:18:00.004-04:00

Today, I think was pretty productive. I mailed my Calculus book to Amazon for $105. I had bought it for $150ish. So net loss of $50 dollars or so, not bad at all. And! I finally put together my ideas for the Ride Concept Competition hosted by the Imagineering Disney Blog. The contest ends today, the 20th, so yeah I'm kind of on the late side. The worst part is that I follow that blog so I knew about the competition when they announced it roughly a month and a half ago. And it took me that long to put my ideas together since I had the idea, coincidentally enough, only several hours before I found out about the contest. So I guess I am deadline oriented after all. I need one to get stuff done.

But anyway, I wanted to share my idea. (There's no rule against it, I hope.)

The ride is called The Unheimlichs' Soundwave.

Here's the concept summary:

The Unheimlich brothers, as their surname suggest, are uncanny. They're also misnomers: Professor Liquid Unheimlich is on the stern and rigid side while Professor Solid Unheimlich is a go with the flow kind of guy. Together they are among the best professors in the field of audiology. They are continually nominated for teaching awards – occasionally, Professor Liquid will win one more award than his twin brother. But they wanted something more for their students. They wanted them to experience the unique properties of the sound wave. So they teamed up with Disney to imagineer a way to turn the invisible sound wave into a very visible coaster their students could experience. The Unheimlichs' Soundwave is the result of years of work and offers guests a way to simulate the unique properties of sound unlike any other experience. From a distance, guests can identify The Unheimlich's Soundwave, from it's unique appearance as giant waves. Right next to Test Track, The Unheimlichs' Soundwave lies on the edge of Epcot. The waiting queue circles the exhibit hall. And as guests wait in line, they have the opportunity to look into the exhibit hall and witness the latest audio facts, technology, and experiments. In line, they also get to meet the Unheimlichs in person and learn their story. Once aboard the coaster, guests are launched forward at transonic speeds rivaling actual speeds of sound into a enormous first hill that represents the high decibels sound can reach. At the bottom of the hill, guests zip through water demonstrating sounds ability to travel through all mediums, including water. Immediately after, guests are sent into four inversions that represent the longitudinal waves sound waves are made up of. During the homestretch, guests take on another medium sound travels through. They twist through a tunnel with very small head and feet choppers to emulate the rigid solid sounds travel through. After the ride, guests exist into the exhibit hall to further explore and purchase photos taken underwater of their experience traveling through water.

Disclaimer: I do know a coaster will not reach the actual speed of sound, 768mph. But a coaster can reach 130mph. And with speeds that high, propaganda can spin it to sound "close" to the speed of sound. I also do realize that it's highly dangerous to zip through water, even for seconds. But that's for the Imagineers to figure out. This is just some blue-sky thinking. But I really do think it could be a possibility in the future. Maybe masks? Maybe just simulate the experience? Or Maybe something else.

I included the disclaimer because some of the ideas are indeed blue sky.

And I also included a flyer of some sorts with my entry. It's pretty simple because all I had to use to create it was Microsoft Word. I know, what kind of lame engineer to be I am. I will learn CAD soon though, don't worry. The flyer took several hours. And I don't know why the lab coats have spots on them. They're a fluke that I didn't think looked too bad and also made no effort to fix. Overall, I'm happy with my flyer.

I really do like it. The color scheme fits well too. Tell me what you think.

Playing Music

2011-08-15T17:00:00.002-04:00

(Sigh, it's been almost one month since the last time I blogged. I don't know what happened to me. I just stopped. Hopefully, I'm back on track.)

Yesterday, I went hiking. It was grand and at times adventurous – we were chancing thunderstorms. We rambled – I believe that's British English for hiked – Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Mount Monadnock has a summit of 3,166 ft and is part of the White Mountains section of the Appalachian Mountains. We made it up with no rain and lunched at the summit with intense fog, chill, and wind. Down, we nearly made it back dry. We were fortunate to have already passed the rocky section when the rain came.

Here's a view from the summit.

While the rain was only a light shower, I think that was enough to make me slightly despondent for the rest of the day and into today. Today, I woke up relatively early, 7AM. And I just moped around. I felt so unlike myself. After lunch and some laundry, I decided to play the piano – of course I can't play anything now, it's all muscle memory. But it really soothed me. It brought me back to myself. I'm just really happy that I have the piano to go to. I know that when I'm feeling unlike myself, I can always throw myself into the piano and expect to feel better afterwards, even when I play at a subpar level. There's a real joy when playing the piano. Even when I struggle to learn a piece, I am still enjoying it, although I am also frustrated.

It's not just the piano. The other day, I pulled out my old recorder from when I was in elementary school. It's true when people say you don't forget the things you learn when you were little. Because I remembered every note I learned on the recorder. Compare to the piano, the recorder is very limited. I can play seven octaves on the piano while I can only play a mere octave and some on the the recorder. The piano is also capable of playing more than one note at the same time but the recorder can't. But playing both instruments is the same, joyful. And I realize the joy is in the playing. It's the same joy for all instruments. Even when I play the only song I know on the guitar over and over again, I feel content. Singing I guess is also another form of playing music. The instrument is your voice.

Listening to music in general is soothing. I guess that's probably why so many people invest in music: purchasing music and music players. There are also so many types of music out there that everyone has something they like to listen to. People connect to their music, and music at times can inspire people and also help create one's identity. That's probably why when I play the music I like, it soothes me. It reminds me of who I am or was. And let's me return to myself when I am in a despondent and vacant state. Playing the music you enjoy really adds an extra oomph of enjoyment, personal accomplishment, into the already enjoyable music. I highly recommend learning how to play any instrument because it's truly a wonderful experience.

Mid-July Update

2011-07-20T22:27:00.010-04:00

Today's blog post is just going to be an all update kind of post, sort of like a filler post. Anyway, I told myself aloud: I am determined to blog today. And guess what? It worked. I find that when I audibly tell myself to do things I actually do it. I know it sounds a little crazy or lame to talk to yourself but hey no harm no foul right?

So what have I've been doing?

I've been working a 40 hour per a week job and it wears me out. I'm an assistant teacher at an engineering camp, Design Camp, and I teach middle school students. The students have so much energy and being around them truly makes me feel old. So after a day of Design Camp, I'm usually really tired, but in denial that I'm tired. Like I try to sleep at my usually time of post midnight but I just end up passing out completely pre-twelve. It's so weird! There are also some nights where I can't even make it through a movie – my youngest sister and I have been watching movies before bed – before falling asleep on the sofa. Hopefully, the reason I'm so tired is because teaching is repetitive and tires me out and not because my youthful energy has run dried.

So does that mean I haven't done anything at all besides the necessities and work?

Some days, that's true. But I have managed to do a couple things. For one, I've worked on my goal of making a floating lantern. And for now, let's just say attempt one did not float. I've also been to the movie theater twice and watched a couple movies at home. I'm not exactly sure which movies I've watched at home but basically after July 4th, I've watched almost all the Miyazaki films, How to Train Your Dragon, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows Part 1. The two movies I saw at the theater were Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Winnie the Pooh. The release of the last Harry Potter movie kind of snuck up on me. As you may have noticed, I haven't posted any Harry Potter related news in a while. Not even about Pottermore, which I really should of. (I had woken up early for J. K. Rowling's annoucement of Pottermore and then refreshed the page for 53 minutes until the website successfully took my email.) I didn't even go to the midnight premiere like I did for the last film or see it on opening day. I'm still kind of bummed I didn't see it opening day. (When I was pre-ordering tickets way back in June – IMAX tickets regardless of which movie and especially for Harry Potter are hard to come by – I had opted to see it in IMAX 3D with my sisters, one of which we had to pick up from camp, instead of opening day.) And while I have so much to say about the final Harry Potter film, I'll just say it was great but I wish there was more especially with the Lupin and Tonks (my favorite character) subplot and the Snape and Lily flashbacks montage. (I am particularly peeved that while they emphasized Harry having Lily's eyes. Lily neither had the green eyes of the novel Harry or the blue eyes of blue-eyed Daniel Radcliffe Harry.) The other movie I saw at the theater, Winnie the Pooh, I saw with my youngest sister. I'm an animation fan so that was my reason for going and my sister just likes Pooh. Winnie the Pooh was what I expected: nostalgic, well animated, and well, a Winnie the Pooh story.

Is there anything else I want to discuss?

Yes! Remember Apple's Think Different campaign I talked about in my last post. Well, I was so inspired that I decided I wanted to purchase one of the posters from the campaign to hang for inspiration. I was thinking of the Amelia Earhart poster. (Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. I'm not exactly sure why I picked Amelia Earhart. It was an unconscious pick that I will have to think more about what the reason was, because there has to be a reason why I chose Amelia Earhart when I had the way more innovative Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison and the likes to choose from.) So I googled the posters. Turns out these Think Different posters are collector's items. Most posters if original sell for $200 upward! Yup, there goes that idea. But wait. Remember how I saw these posters first at work. So I talked to my boss, the executive director of Design Camp, and he offered to give me one of his! I picked the Amelia Earhart one! So now I have a $200 poster sitting on top my electric fireplace propped against the wall. VERY COOL! Thank You, Mr. Design Camp Executive Director for the poster, my job, and more.

You can see on the right corner a copy of Apple's Think Different "To the Crazy One's" message.

Final Words?
It's been really hot and because I'm still not yet used to the central air – we have non AC friendly windows so I've never had AC in my house until now – I feel like it's not summer and I'm cheating Mother Earth.

Apple: Think Different

2011-07-11T19:40:00.003-04:00

Today was my first day at work. And at work I read a message off a poster from Apple's Think different campaign back in 1997. I've read it before. But this is the first time it's really made an impression on me. (This year particularly has been a year where I've finally grasp the meaning of a lot of things I've read or seen before.) I really liked Apple's message. It's inspiring.

Anyway, here's the message:

To the crazy ones.

Here's to the crazy ones.

The misfits.

The rebels.

The troublemakers.

The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,

disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

They invent. They imagine. They heal.

They explore. They create. They inspire.

They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?

Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?

Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can

change the world, are the ones who do.

Apple Logo
Think Different

I'm a huge Apple fan, but reading this today really solidified my admiration for Apple. And you know, I really would like to be one of those crazy ones.

Pre-project Ramble

2011-07-07T21:54:00.002-04:00

It's July. That means lantern time! So I've been thinking about how I'm going to make this floating lantern. Logically it seems simple. Hot air rises and if you can contain that hot air in the lantern, the lantern will rise. I've googled and talked to my mother about the materials I could use. And this is what I've come up with.

For the balloon part I'm thinking of fireproofing tissue paper. Keep it light. That should work, right?

For the ring, my mom has suggested bamboo but where's one to find bamboo. I'm actually thinking of using copper wires. Just strip the plastic off and it shouldn't melt. And copper wires, if you twirl a few together, are malleable and light. My only concern is that it won't keep it's shape. If it doesn't work then I will need to go find bamboo. Then again, who says it has to be circular. It could be a polygon. That way I could use the bamboo sticks commonly used for kabobs.

I will definitely be using copper wires to tie the fuel into place though. And maybe when the fuel burns at the copper wire intersection, it will give my lantern a green tint. How cool would that be!

The burning fuel is where I'm running into problems. I'm trying to think of something that is light, will burn slow but with large flames and create lots of heat. I was thinking paper but that burns way too fast. Maybe paper saturated in alcohol. But then paper isnt really absorbant. Maybe cloth soaked in oil (my mom suggests cooking oil) but that I'm thinking is too heavy. I'm also thinking a cotton ball, since it's way more absorbent then paper, saturated in rubbing alcohol. I've googled around and some have used paraffin wax. But that's slightly on the heavy side. I will try a couple of things out.

And then there is the string I want to tie to the lantern to keep it from flying away. I need it to not add to much weight though. Maybe a regular piece of string fireproofed. Or again copper wire. Or steel fishing string or something.

Hmm, I'm going to take this project slowly and in steps. First figure out the fuel, then the ring part, next the actual lantern, then how to mount the fuel, and finally the string to keep it from flying away. I'll try to document everything as best as I can. A couple steps of the engineering design process complete!

Yesterday's Yesterday: July 4th, 2011

2011-07-06T13:42:00.006-04:00

Yesterday's yesterday was the fourth of July, Independence Day. And I had an adventure well worth blogging. (Did you notice I kind of half gave up on blogging about my adventures?) I wanted to blog yesterday but my mind was just not up to putting words into coherent sentences – I actually wanted to blog immediately when I returned home early morning on the 5th but my body was physically exhausted and barely made it through a shower.

So here's to today, the day I finally pull myself together and blog.

The 4th started out just like any other day I am excited for: I woke up without the use of my alarm and turned off my alarm before it woke the whole family up. This 4th would be the first 4th I would not be spending with my family. So after readying myself, I ask my dad to drive me to the train station. There I get into line to buy a ticket for the train ride into Boston only to realize they don't accept debit cards. o_O Fortunately, I had enough cash in my wallet to cover the ride to Boston. I would deal with the ride home later.

I arrived in Boston and met up with my friend, Jessica, at the Oval area of the esplanade. It was nice seeing my future roommate again! There we got wristbands for the evening concert with the Boston Pops. At the security check, Jessica's sunscreen was taken away because it was arsenal. I understand why but still lame. After, we checked out where her fraternity had set up tarps for the fireworks – they had ventured out to the esplanade at 5 AM to get those spots and prime spots they were. The fireworks were right above us, but more later on that. After that, we walked to Jessica's fraternity house to check out where I would be staying for the night. Jessica was staying at a fraternity house for the summer. Next, we met up with another friend, Kathy, at her dorm – she's staying in a BU dorm. I miss Kathy's energy. There we realized Kathy was roommate-less so I asked to stay with her since I rather sleep on a bed then a couch. We were all starving at this point so we decided to walk to Panera. There we ate and talked for a good chunk of time.

Next, we decided to head to Newbury St. On Newbury St. we basically AC hopped. It was brutally hot outside and every chance we had to enter an AC building we took advantage of it. We even sat in a Best Buy for a while looking at televisions. Jessica and Kathy wanted frozen yogurt so we ended up at Pinkberry. As much as I like frozen yogurt, I'm not a fan of Pinkberry's ridiculous prices and did not have any. There we waited for my next friend to arrive, Mariam. However, there was miscommunication and we were at different Pinkberry. We ended up meeting her at the Mass Ave. Newbury St. corner, aka inside Best Buy. It was really nice to see my HB (Hug Buddy) again. I had texted my friends, Aneena and Huot, from home and they too were going to meet up with us. So between now and meeting up with them, we went to a BBQ at another friend's fraternity house.

Huot and Aneena arrived around 6 PM and we had heard rumors that the esplanade was closing at 7 PM. So we set off to the esplanade. There we also met up with my friend Jenna and her roommate. Jessica and I ended up not going to the concert physically but we still enjoyed it very much over the speakers organizers placed around the esplanade. Jessica's fraternity had set up their tarp right next to speaker nine. We played cards, ate food, sung patriotic songs, and just hung around until the fireworks. I'm glad my home friends and my college friends got along chummily. Two of them even collaborated in swiping Cheese-Its from a nearby tarp (don't ask).

The fireworks were amazing!! I love fireworks. (If I fail at becoming an imagineer, I will become a pyrotechnician.) The fireworks were choreographed to music including Katy Perry's Fireworks – of course, right? Like I said earlier we were in prime fireworks watching spot. The fireworks were overhead and so close. So close that during the fireworks a firework shell had actually fallen onto my friend Huot. What an experience! I recorded the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. But it's like a 1.3 GB video and would take way to long to upload. So a picture will suffice.

"And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air . . ."

After the fireworks, my home friends and I booked it. (Oh yeah, I decided to go home instead of staying the night – the train ride was free.) We needed to get to North Station to catch the 11:45 PM train in 45 minutes. Seems like a lot of time but it's not when North Station is at the outskirts of Boston and there were approximately half a million people at the esplanade. Our first instinct is to take the T. It was free after the Fourth of July celebrations. We climbed and jumped over rails cutting hundreds, maybe a thousand, of people. We half ran and half fast walked to the nearest T stop. There we slipped onto the last step of the T at the last second, with the door barely closing. We had made it, we thought. But after a couple of stops, somebody fainted. There was nothing we could have done. An EMT, I think, was already attending to the person. Seeing the T was not gonna move anytime soon, we bolted! Huot later commented that we looked sketchy as fuck but there was nothing we could have done to help the person. At this point we had like twenty minutes to get to North Station. I whipped out my iPhone and had the GPS guide us to North Station. Thank You Technology! We made it just on time. But of course the train was delayed a good 15 minutes making her efforts futile. But it was a good adventure! (I felt drawing it. Click!)

Yay for adventures!

Wontons!!!

2011-06-29T23:23:00.005-04:00

It's Half-Recipe Wednesday!!!
(aka Ingredients only because I suck, for lack of better word, at cooking.)

Today I helped my mother make Wontons. Leek and Chicken Wontons. Mmm, they were delicious! Wontons are what I consider real Chinese food, not the stuff you get at mall food courts. Anyway, I'm going to share the half recipe for them. =]

First, I cut fresh chinese leeks from my mom's garden. (My mother grows in our yard an assortment of fruits and vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, peaches, etc.) If you don't grow chinese leeks in your yard, you can probably get these at the local asian market. Next, for me at least, I picked out the dried out yellow ones. But if you bought your leeks at the market, there shouldn't be any dried out yellow ones.

Here's the chinese leeks I collected, dried out yellow ones picked out.

Then I washed and chopped them into tiny half centimeter pieces.

Here they are washed and chopped.

This next part, I didn't really do anything. I'm like afraid of touching meat. No lie. I know, laugh. But it's true. I'm also much better at preparing than the actual cooking. So my mother did this part. She added ground chicken (we normally use pork but the market my mom went to today was out of pork. We sometimes also add shrimp. But not today. It really just depends on personal meat taste. But no beef! My mother says you can't eat chinese leeks and beef in one sitting. *shrugs* Bad for the stomach or something like that.) Then she added an unknown – to me – amount of salt and sugar and an egg. Mix it all together and it becomes this disgusting looking paste.

Appetizing right?

Next is the wrapping part. I forgot to take a picture of what the wraps look like. But like the chinese leeks you can buy then at a local asian market. Today I set a new record. I wrapped a whole plate of wontons. Normally, I'm just so slow that I wrap probably maybe a handful. I guess 19 years of trying paid off. And sorry, I'm not even going to try to explain how to wrap these. You are just gonna have to wing it.

I wrapped these!

My mother wrapped these.

And then you cook them in chicken broth and eat! =]

It's kinda lacking in soup but that's the way I personally like it. I also like to add black pepper. =]

And that's it for Half-Recipe Wednesday!!!

On another note: My mother also grows strawberries and today I had the best strawberry ever! It's 100% natural. YUM!!!

This little strawberry was like the size of a penny. But it was DELICIOUS!

Puzzle Completed – YESH!

2011-06-26T16:05:00.005-04:00

Alrighty! I completed my puzzle. And just like I expected it is the first of my summer goals accomplished. I am proud. The puzzle took me approximately 16.5 hours over a span of 3 days to compete. And then additional hours and days to glue and dry.

Basically, I wanted to complete a puzzle because I wanted something to decorate my dorm room wall. Last year, the most common comment about my dorm room was that it lacked decorations. I'm not much of a wall decorator. I like then bare. Even a poster of my favorite movie star, Angelina Jolie, and a middle school pennant hangs not on my bedroom wall but on the inside of my closet door. However, I do sometimes have random stickies on my wall. I use to also have a wall calendar but I've since removed it and did not purchase a new calendar to replace it. So, I decided I needed something for my dorm room wall. And being the atypical person I desire to be I decided to complete a puzzle and hang that.

I actually decided on the puzzle idea while I was still at BU. But because the puzzle will be hung on the wall, I felt it should be a reflection of me. So finding a puzzle to my liking took a while. I must've looked at a bunch of stores including specialty puzzle stores. Skylines looked nice but I never saw a Boston skyline puzzle. Castles looked nice too. But they are meaningless to me. Hidden cottages in the middle of the forest were beautiful. But not me. I finally saw this puzzle on the back of another puzzle box and set out looking for it. It is of a Thomas Kinkade painting. While I do not think Thomas Kinkade is anything extraordinary – I admit I'm also not in the know of art – I really liked this puzzle. It's of Central Park in New York – but I will pretend it's of Public Garden in Boston. The reason I like this puzzle so much is because it's the integration of the city and the park. And that's really me. I'm very much a city person. But I also need my green space. However, the major downfall of this puzzle is that it's of autumn and I rather it was of Spring. But I guess I can't be too picky.

Anyway here are some pics of the process and the finished puzzle:

After 5.5 hours

After 12.5 hours

Puzzle drying after applying puzzle glue

Finished Puzzle! =] (Argh, there's a glare.)

Summer Goals. =]

2011-06-21T13:16:00.131-04:00

I've never been very good at following goals and neither do I try. However, this summer I'm going to change that bit and make modest goals and put in a little more effort in accomplishing them.

Alright, here we go, my five goals:

1. Build a Lantern.
   I want to build a Floating Lantern. Similar to the ones you see in the movie Tangled. They are just so pretty! Here's an example of real life lanterns: a Lantern Festival in Taiwan – I won't embed the video to save space. But it's a short youtube video and well worth the watch. (You know, I want to attend a Lantern Festival sometime in my life.) I plan on making this lantern sometime in July or August. There's probably a fire code I will be breaking . . . But I'm not going to look it up, that way if I do set something on fire I can truthfully say I didn't know I wasn't allowed. Haha, my mom HATES when I play with fire.

2. Practice Piano.
   I can tell you that one of the saddest thing for a pianist or any player for that matter is to not be able to play something you once could. It's so depressing. But you know what, it's kind of easier relearning. And I will relearn! So this summer I have made a list of pieces I want to relearn with a few new pieces tossed in for good measure. You should join me! And it doesn't have to be piano. (Especially, You – we still need to finish our duet: Corpse Bride Piano Duet.)

3. Read/Write.
   I have this huge, long list of books I want to read eventually and my goal – I really just don't like the word goal – for the summer is to tackle part of the list. I know I won't accomplish reading all the books on my list. It's a long list . . . So if you want to join me in summer reading, please do. We can have book club-esque discussions. (I want to reread all seven Harry Potter books before the last movie. =[) Writing is something I enjoy and will do primarily here, on this blog. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with writing but for now, blogging is enough.

4. Complete a puzzle!
   I have already started this! I think this will be the first of my goals that will be finished. When I have a project with a concrete finish, I become immersed in it and determine to finish it. I noticed this when I completed projects for school. I have an ethnic where I must do a good job and also continue working on it until I no longer can, sacrificing sleep among other things. I literally had to pry myself away from the puzzle last night. It's summer I shouldn't have to work into the next day. I will have a whole blog post on this as soon as I finish but here's a picture of what I have thus far:

5. Learn A Skill.
I feel like it's an obligation of mine to learn a new skill this summer. I am a student and I love absorbing information. I really do. When I don't know something: I wikipedia it. I also feel like this skill should be somewhat related to my career direction: engineering. So I think this summer I will learn HTML web programming. Let's see how far I get on my own . . .

Alright there are my five goals! =] *FingersCrossed*

Btw, did you notice what time I posted this post? (Hint: Check the Google Icon for today's date.)

Summer Job!

2011-06-17T16:06:00.007-04:00

[Ahhh! I was suppose to post this on June 15th. But I have a tendency to not finish blog posts in one sitting, so therefore it's posted today. On the other hand, Raw Thoughts, a new category, are unpolished/unedited, usually brief, posts, I write in a one sitting, often dazed, emotional burst, which happens rarely because I don't usually write when I'm in an emotional state. (And if I do, I don't usually share.) That's probably why this post took so long to write; I was pretty excited on the 15th.]

It's official! I have a summer job! Well, I've known I would be working this job for while now but it's official in the sense that I have inked the contracts. I will be working at UMASS Lowell's Design Camp as an Assistant Teacher. I have been upgraded from teacher's assistants to assistant teacher. They're like the same words but in different order and cases. CooL! I am just so exited for this opportunity! I am excited because normally this position is offered to middle school teachers, teachers that have degrees! I have none; I'm still an undergraduate. I feel so fortunate, lucky, honored, to be hired amongst the teachers. And I truly appreciate it! Thank You, Design Camp!

I keep thinking this is the first work contract I've signed but it's not. I've worked before. I tutor part time at MIT/Wellesley's Upward Bound Program while at BU. But I guess I keep thinking this is my first job because it's my first job pertaining to my career. I've always known that in order to be successful in any career you have to start at the bottom. And this job is my stepping stone. But then again it's not my first engineering related job. It's just so weird how I keep thinking this is a first when clearly it's not and something came before it. I was a high school intern, aka teacher's assistant, for Design Camp for three years prior. And now the only thing I can think of that makes this job any more firstly is that it's the first job I will be paid over ten dollars an hour to work. It feels like I've won a scholarship which it kinda is. Because what I will use this money for is of course my college tuition. I'm having the time of my life in college and I believe college is worth every penny because the experience is priceless.

I think there's another reason why this job just makes me so exuberant. Initially, I was not going to be working at Design Camp this summer. Design Camp had a high school internship program but there was no college program. So while the director of Design Camp had tossed around the idea of hiring me and a peer of mine, considering our experience – along with the high school internship, I use to be a camper at Design Camp – it didn't seem likely it was going to happen. I'm just really glad it happened. This job ultimately functions as recreation that will keep me competitive in the engineering field, provide money, and buy me time to think about my engineering career. And I get to work with kids. =]

I think background information on my mental state pre and post job offer is also worth telling.

Entering college, I was a direction-less undecided ~~freshmen~~ fresh-mess. I was in a personal slump. And then I became overwhelmed by my ambitious peers and frustration that I was undecided. Fortunately – there it is again, luck. Thank You – I talked to my writing professor and she helped me a considerate amount, giving me very good advice. One thing for sure is that I became more introspective because of her and I realized yes I was meant to be an engineer but no not the kind medical savvy New England thinks. I'm still figuring out exactly what my engineering path is but I have a feel for what it is . . . Anyways, I decided in order to be a competitive engineer, I needed an internship or some engineering-related job. I can't just spend my summer idling around. I became determined to fix up my resume and put myself on the market. So I head to the CDO (Career Development Office) and get my resume looked over. That night, I was offered the assistant teacher job. I know this is a huge coincidence but I feel it just can't be a coincidence. It can't just be a coincidence that the day I decide to get my act together, I was offered a job. I know it sounds lame, like one of those kids shows: the moral is etc. But seriously, I think of this as not a faith kind of thing but a this is how luck works kind of thing, believe it as you will. But everything still depends on your effort.

My writing professor, Fantasy Writer Theodora Goss, explains it better: Check It. And Randy Pausch sums it up in a couple of words: "Luck is where preparation meets opportunity." Which I believe he quoted like many others from Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger.

Things have just been going very well for me! It's unbelievable. I feel so lucky. And with the high I'm on right now, I feel like I really have a good chance of accomplishing my dreams. I know for a fact there will be hard times and I look forward to every experience. I feel my life will be lucky. =]

Also among the other lucky things that have happend to me, I have also been featured in a brochure. I'm on the centerfold. Yay!! Check it out!

I feel very fortunate. Thank You! *Fingers-Crossed!*

Raw Thought: emily

2011-06-15T00:02:00.005-04:00

Often times when I don't know what to write but have a huge desire to put pen/pencil to paper, I write or draw my name, emily. It's weird. I know. It's like I'm lost and the only thing I really know is my name. Sometimes I just want to write something that is defining of the moment and all my self-centered self can think of is my name. The irony is that my name is a very common name and has no real special meaning behind it. I mean it's no Isabella which has beautiful sneaked into it or Faith or Hope. It's not even an old or royal name like Elizabeth. It's just a very popular name of today. Yet no one famous, on my attention radar that is, goes by that name. Okay I lied. But I love my name. And I'm proud to be an emily. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

When not solemn . . .

2011-06-13T00:18:00.002-04:00

I'm a particularly happy person. =]

Lego Watch

2011-06-05T18:32:00.002-04:00

I did something either really stupid and childish or just plain childish: I had my mom get me a lego watch for my birthday – my birthday was last month but since I was away at college, nobody at home celebrated it. I just really wanted the lego watch. It reminds me of my childhood, my lego days. It's also colorful. The watch makes me happy, despite it being plastic and in some way a toy – it was sold in the toy section. LoL, I'm a flake.

Anyway, I like to have things on my wrists. I guess to weigh it down. *shrugs* Normally, I wear a watch on my right hand and a charmless Italian charm bracelet, popular in the early 2000s, on my left hand. I've always worn a watch; I can recall wearing a watch everyday as early as second grade, seven years old. It was a pink Minnie Mouse watch. There was a period where I went through a new watch every year. My favorite during that period is a five dollar, light blue, Walmart watch with it's trademark happy face on the face of the watch. Although most of my old watches are lost, I do still have parts of most of the watch bands – my wrist is obnoxiously small so a part of the band always needs to be taken off.

The watch I currently wear is Tissot. I got it for my fourteenth birthday. I was really ungrateful about it too, let's just say it wasn't my ideal gift at the time. But that's the watch I wear everyday and I'm really grateful for it now. It's a Tissot watch, so that means it's automatic – no batteries needed – and the face, some sort of crystal glass, is scratch resistance. As of now, the watch band shows a lot of wear and tear but the face is still scratch-less. Even with the new lego watch, this watch will remain my everyday watch.

Sometime in high school, I noticed lefties wore their watches on their right hand and righties on their left. Therefore, I started wearing my watch on my right hand to go against the norm. I guess that's my inner desire to be unique kicking in.

Well, there you go, an impromptu blog of my watch history.

Feeling Unwordy

2011-06-03T17:07:00.002-04:00

Pictures taken June 1st:

Nice Guys

2011-06-01T23:56:00.006-04:00

This song has just been stuck in my head for the past hour . . . I have no idea why, asides from it being really catchy. It's Nigahiga, Kevjumba, and Chester See. Enjoy! (This is the Kevjumba version. There are Nigahiga and Chester See versions on youtube. Check them out.)

The Youngest in the Neighborhood

2011-06-01T00:42:00.004-04:00

I saw a little girl today. She was fictional, in my mind. But nevertheless, I saw her. She wore a pink matching outfit with Dora the Explorer on it. And she was jumping rope with a smile on her face. Well, she was until her mother walked out the front door of their home.

I overheard:

"Jamie, why aren't you playing with your sister."

Jamie. So that's the name of the little girl.

"I don't want to," Jamie replied.

"Why not?" the mother asked.

"She's playing hideandgoseekfreezetagteam."

I smiled, I haven't heard someone say that since I don't know when. But it's been a while.

"Hidey-what?" the mother asked. I snickered to myself. My mom said the same thing back then.

"Hide-And-Go-Seek-Freeze-Tag-Team." Jamie said and resumed jumping rope.

"Oh," the mother replied. But I could tell there was still a hint of confusion in her voice. "Is she playing with the rest of the neighbors?"

"Yeah, Carla, Jay, Noah, Jenny, and Ann."

"You should join them," the mother encouraged.

"I don't want to," Jamie shrugged. "I rather jump rope."

"By yourself?"

"Yeah."

"But, don't you want to join your friends in hideyfreetag?" the mother edged.

"Not really. They already have even teams. And I'm slow."

"You're not slow. You're just little. You could be on Bonnie's team." I guess Bonnie is the name of the older sister. "She'll help you."

"Really, mom, I rather just jump rope." I could tell Jamie was getting frustrated at her mother.

"Okay," the mother said giving up.

I watched the mother go back into their home. And Jamie just continued to jump rope with a smile on her face.

She jumped ninety-nine continuous jumps before she missed. But she didn't look frustrated at all when she missed. I guess I was the only one keeping track then, because if I were her and I knew I jumped ninety-nine continuous jumps, I would be, at the least, slightly frustrated that I didn't make it to hundred.

Jamie just continue to jump rope with a smile on her face until I stopped imagining her. But if I did imagine her again, she would be jumping rope with a smile on her face.

But I wonder, was Jamie really happy?

I wish I knew. In my own experience, I remember being slow. I remember even teams. I remember not playing with the rest of my neighbors. I remember playing by myself. But I don't remember whether I was happy or sad.

The Last Lecture

2011-05-28T02:35:00.010-04:00

Yesterday, I tried to come up with a creative idea to post on this blog. I failed. I guess I'm not at the level of creativity where I can just say accio idea (Kudos for Harry Potter reference?) and a brilliant idea will come flying toward me. Oh well. Today is a new day to try.

After getting nowhere idea-wise, I decided to read Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. I had recently, during finals week actualy, watched Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. I don't know why I waited so long to watch it since my high school latin teacher had recommended I watch it early senior year. If you've yet to see it, I definitely recommend watching it.

Anyway, after watching it, I decided I needed to read his book, an expansion of his last lecture. A floor-mate was actually gonna let me borrow it but I wanted my own copy. So, during my prolonged departure from BU, I bought it – I was staying an extra week so I could volunteer at commencement. Randy Pausch really led a wonderful life and he reminds us to appreciate life and time, to live life as Tiggers and not as an Eeyores, and to strive to achieve our childhood dreams. His last lecture was in a way about how he achieved his his childhood dreams, how he became a Disney Imagineer.

Childhood Dreams. I have a couple, but that's for a different post.

It's weird. I'm nineteen but ~~I'm old for my age (Rent reference)~~ I find myself desperately trying to hold onto my childhood. I don't behave my age and at this exact moment, I'm using a Power Rangers pillow case from my childhood. I also walk around my yard nostalgically. The rundown swing set and rusted scooter really remind me that, whether I like it or not, I'm growing up. Here's to my final year as a teen!

And since I'm obsessed with my birthday, something I noticed about my blog archives:

LoL! =] It's now "May (5)", cinco de mayo.

New Layout

2011-05-25T10:20:00.009-04:00

Update May 28th, 2011: I've decided to revert back to the old layout – I couldn't take myself seriously with the Penciling layout – except I kept the new background. This background was designed by Rahul Anand/Eternal Thinker and I really like the watercolor feel. There will be minor tweaks to the layout along the way as I learn html but for a long while, this will be the layout. =]

- - - - -

I like this layout: Penciling. It's very colorful.

But, too much?

It makes my blog look very polished. And I don't know if I quite like it. Hmm. I'm very tempted to change it back. But, I'll leave it for a couple of days. See if it grows on me. If not . . . back to the old layout.

Light in the Colors! (Chihuly Ceiling Exhibit at Boston mfa)

Fate Got Me Into College

2011-05-24T23:30:00.003-04:00

Now that I reflect, a lot of what got me into college was fate, luck, or whatever else you may call it.

I was not conscious that you had to "do extracurricular activities," "participate in community service," and "take AP courses" to be competitive college applicant until the end of my junior year in high school. Up until then, everything I did was purely for personal interest and curiosity. And well, look how fortunate I ended up. I'm at BU and having the time of my life!

It was fate that my elementary school music teacher was so nice and played the piano so well that I was inspired to take piano lessons, resulting in six or seven years of piano lessons.

It was fate that my parents wanted me to learn chinese, resulting in eight years of chinese school, and a certificate of completion.

It was fate that my middle school science teacher notice my interest in the sciences and recommend me to attend Design Lab/Camp, resulting in multiple high school internships and my current summer job.

It was fate that one of my good friends in middle school recommended me to join Air Force Junior ROTC in high school, resulting in arguably the defining experience of my high school career. I gained valuable leadership skills, committed to numerous hours of community service, and learned to become a better citizen. I remember being roped into the majority of the community service events by my good conscious and the ROTC requirement to do community service.

It was fate that I didn't run for an e-board position in middle school, resulting in regret and eventually in me running in high school for an e-board position for NHS.

It was fate that I was out of shape and decided to join cross country team to get back into shape, resulting in co-captainship but I didn't really do anything as a co-captain, so that doesn't really count.

It was fate that I watched the Beijing 2008 olympics, particularly the gymnastics portion, and was inspired to join the gymnastic team.

It was fate that I took AP History and AP Physics. I don't recall who convinced me to take AP History but I remember not caring whether or not I took it or not. I remember I took AP Physics because it fitted into my schedule. What I really wanted to take at the time was UML Biology, and that was only so I could feel good about myself that I was taking a university course in high school.

It was ALL fate! Everything.

Fate got me into college. I am really grateful. But, you know, it's time I give fate a rest and take control of my life! Thank You!

Spare Time

2011-05-16T10:29:00.014-04:00

I had written a nice post on Spare Time. But evidently during the recent Blogger outage, I lost it. Blogger had claimed they would restore the post but I guess not. So here's an attempt to recreate the post . . .

But in ten colorful bullets. =]

Spare time exists. Really.

No one works all the time. It's not expected. And I think it's impossible to work all the time.

Spare time is any time spent not being productive: Interweb browsing, facebooking, youtubing, relaxing at a park, watching a movie, other forms of procrastination, etc. (If you can't see the yellow, highlight it.)

I sometimes get mad at people's excuse of not having time to have hang out. But I shouldn't be mad at them. What I find fun may not be fun to them and vice versa.

People spend their spare time differently.

It is only a problem when people are unintentionally wasting their spare time. I'm guilty of spending my spare time unintentionally – I'm on youtube all the time . . .

Think back to all the things you did today. Was what you did all productive? See, spare time exist. You can't deny it.

Imagine you could harvest that spare time into one time block. And then, intentionally spend it. You'd be a master of time!

So next time you think you don't have time for something, ask yourself: do you really not have time?

What I'm trying to say is that spare time exist. Take advantage of it and spend it intentionally. (This last bullet is in white . . . =])

The U-Universe

2011-05-08T13:43:00.005-04:00

[This is that story idea I came up with a while ago, mid-March. I should have just posted it then since I didn't really add much. Oh well. So without further ado, here is my idea of the U-Universe.]

Everyone has their own U-Universe. It's a place not ambiguous at all. Everything goes exactly the way you want it to in the U-Universe. You want to fly, then you fly. You want your mother to fold your clothes, then so be it. Even time bows before you. But not everyone is allow into their U-Universe. In fact, the Universe is very picky on who is allowed into their U-Universe. I believe in the past five hundred years, only a handful of beings have been allowed into their U-Universe. (I'll let it slip that the being I will be discussing is a human, a scientist.)

Everything goes exactly the way you want it to in the U-Universe. I emphasize this fact because that's how humans have used the U-Universe for the benefit of mankind. They come into the U-Universe and ask for answers to supposedly unsolvable questions. And any question they want answered will be answered, regardless of how difficult or bizarre it is. But since the rules of the U-Universe are so different from the real world, experiments conducted in the U-Universe do not transfer over into the real world. For example, if your U-Universe doesn't take into account gravity and you figure out how to fly, that method of flying will not work in the real world, where gravity is continually present. BUT, you're smart. There are many ways of getting around that. For one, you could just ask for your U-Universe to behave similiar to the real world. (Don't ask it to behave exactly the same as the real world, because then you'll be stuck in the U-Universe and living the same life twice and at the same time!)

The U-Universe at times may seem like an alternate reality but it's not, unless you want it to. But why would you want to change the U-Universe into a reality where you have don't have control of everything, like you do in the U-Universe. The U-Universe is not a reality. See, from the moment you enter the universe, no time in any world has passed. It's like time stood still. I have heard some who went into the U-Universe purely to escape death. This is all a bit confusing – I know. The best way I can describe it is that the U-Universe is like a daydream, except it's not. Imagine you are daydreaming right now. And then time freezes but your daydream continues. That's essentially what the U-Universe is, except real. As in, if you injure your body in the U-Universe, your body in the real world will reflect that – kind of like the random bruises you get at night except you do know where these are from, the U-Universe. I promise you, the U-Universe sounds ambiguous but it's not, really.

How, you ask, do I know so much about the U-Universe? Well Ethan told me. Who is Ethan? I'll explain in a second. You don't believe in the U-Unverse? Well, it's expected. I believed it instantaneously but I'm a gullible person. I've never been there though. Ethan tells me, if I daydream enough, I'll get in. That's how he did it, but as of now, it hasn't worked for me. You're just gonna have to believe a gullible secondary source.

Well, Ethan is my friend, charming, witty, and all And he entered his U-Universe. And there, he learned so much about himself and helped society greatly. He says it was so nice to have the doubts about himself answered so truthfully. Some of the world's perilous diseases are no longer present because of the answers Ethan's received from the U-Universe – he has multiple prizes to his name, including a couple Noble Prizes, one to himself, a MacArthur Fellowship and honorary degrees from Stanford and Harvard, to name a couple. Before he told me of the U-Universe, I thought he was just so unnaturally poised and smart. Turns out, he's just naturally smart; the unnaturally poised part is the U-Universe's doing. Did I mention he's only 28?!

But I tell you all this because I'm worried about Ethan. I think he has stumbled upon something momentous about the U-Universe. Something he's not suppose to know; he won't tell me about it though; he just shrugs it off. But I think it will change the world . . . and at the very least kill him. And that scares me very much.

A Pretty Start

2011-04-24T15:56:00.003-04:00

This is just a quick post to keep my blog flowing, I guess . . .

Anyway, the other day, aka yesterday, I was looking at some of my old piano videos on youtube and well, while they are all nostalgic, one of them, in particular, really resonated with me. It's a song I composed; and well, while it's not the greatest of songs, it's my own composition and if I'm not going to be proud of it, no one else will because frankly it's just not good; it's just a simple chord progression and a simple melody, that's it. But I'm still proud!

The song pretty much describes how I was precollege. And, while I'm still kind of lost, I've come a long way, and I guess what I'm trying to say is that I now have a direction.

Note: I'm an unskilled composer and lyricist, so the words of the lyrics are like a syllable-ish per a melody-note (is this accurate music terminology? *shrug*) Um, oh yeah, the verse doesn't start immediately, there's sort of an instrumental prelude. I probably should just sing this instead of describing this but I have an awful voice, so that's definitely not going to happen. This is, um, more of a "this is who I am" song than a billboard number one hit. So I hope you enjoy it . . .

Title: A Pretty Start

Rough Lyrics:

I'm living my life,
I don't know what to do,
Trying to fit in, I guess.

I'm undecided,
And it's okay, why?
Cause I'm in control.

A pretty start,
I want it now,
Please dear, give me my start.

A pretty start,
It starts right now,
I know, I will be someone!

LoopHOLE!

2011-04-22T23:57:00.003-04:00

I am like Winston Smith of 1984! I have rewritten history.

Okay, not really. But I have just messed with time! Basically, this post was conceived on Monday, May 30th, 2011. But by scheduling this post to post on April 22, 2011, I have posted in the past. Yay for loopholes! (But don't worry, I will not make a habit of posting in the past.)

The best part about this post is that now, for the first five months in 2011, I have posted five times! This makes me extremely happy because five is my favorite number and I feel at five-quility. I like to have five of everything.

Five is my favorite number for multiple reasons. First, my name has five letters. The letter E is the fifth letter in the alphabet. I was born on the fifth month, May. My family consists of five members. And, I like the number. So yay for five!

But starting with June, I will be posting more than five times. I have actually written a post today, May 30th, but I'm going to hold up on posting it until June to keep the five-quility. This is great, posting in the past! =]

I Have A Blog?

2011-04-21T13:13:00.000-04:00

Hi, I'm emily.

I thought I just introduce myself, since well, I haven't blogged in a while and you know, you might have forgotten. I surely don't act like I remember I have a blog (Actually, I check my dashboard constantly. So the secret is I do remember I have a blog!). I mean, when's the last time I posted? April 11th. That was ten days ago and before that, April 6th. So, two post in fifteen days. At this rate, I'll post only four posts for this month which is an all time low for posts per a month since I've started this blog Now, the more important question: when's the last time I posted something interesting to you and non-filler? Trick Question! There's no one answer. It's up to you to decided which of my posts, if any, are interesting and non-filler to you. But I do hope there is at least one soul on the interweb who finds my posts interesting . . . *Fingers-crossed*

Okay . . . so it's not that I don't want to blog, but once tiredness and busyness got me off schedule, it became difficult to get back into the groove of blogging semi-regularly. And also, I will not lie, I am busy with school work, life, and procrastination.

This brings me to my next point. I'm tired of lying. If you look at the previous post, you will see that I said I would do things: post or update posts, which I didn't do. See, I lied. And if you read back, you will see that I've been prone to lying. This bothers me, because if I lie on a constant basis then I will need to use the word "honestly". And, I don't like using that word. It makes me feel like everything else I've said has been untruthful and that I'm only being truthful when I say "honestly," which is not the case. So, I will try my best to tone down the lying. No guarantees, because I don't wanna lie.

I would like to end this post with a brief update on my classes – Yes, that long overdue one I keep talking about. If I don't do it now, it'll be to late; there's only two weeks of classes left. Multivariate Calculus: I'm failing. It's completely my fault. I'm sad. And I will work for a miracle on the final. Physics: I'm not concerned grade-wise, but I feel like I'm not understanding the material completely. A little more effort and all will be well in Physics, I think. MATLAB: this is the only class I can confidently say I am doing well in, both in understanding and grades. And MATLAB, itself, is pretty snazzy and powerful. Writing: I love the class! Great professor and topic: Fantasy at the Fin-de-Siècle! My writing has improved but it's still not at the level I want it to be. Hopefully, writing the last essay will bring me close – my topic is Count Dracula vs. Lord Voldemort! =]

Wow! I just checked the date of the post I started but did not finish about my classes. The date was February 22nd, 2011. VERY OVERDUE INDEED! I wrote in the draft: " I've heard we can graph pixels in MATLAB. We'll see if I still like it by Spring." It's spring, and well, I still like MATLAB! Graphing pixels is actually very CooL!

And this concludes this mega update post.

As You Can See, I lied.

2011-04-11T20:27:00.003-04:00

I have hidden myself in the Department of Earth Sciences corridor in CAS (College of Arts and Science) to read Dracula. I am quite alone. I was at fist at BU beach but it has since gotten dark and windy. Now I'm being lonesome and writing a blog post before heading out to get froyo with friends. I am terribly behind in Dracula. =[ But now that midterms, paper, and project are over, I will be able to finally catch up. I feel horribly guilty for blowing off writing assignments; but, I have chosen, my other classes take precedent. There's a long overdue post that I started writing pre-springbreak that I haven't finished writing or posted about my current classes. But tonight will be the night it is posted. Well, I have more to say but I'll update this post when I get back: don't want to keep my friends waiting.

I edited the post title April 21st, 2011. The actually post, aside form this line, remains the same.

A Very Good Friend

2011-04-06T23:00:00.002-04:00

If you add a letter and subtract a different letter from this light fixture store name at Coolidge Corner, you get the name of one my very good friends. And yes, she is quite bright! =] (Also, I do know that I haven't posted since March and this short blog post in honor of my friend does not suffice and my friend also deserves so many more good words, but I am extremely busy. Sorry!)

Plasters Make Me Happy!

2011-03-28T22:47:00.000-04:00

I guess that doesn't sound quite as right as "bandaids make me happy" but they mean the same thing! =]

1:09AM

2011-03-28T01:10:00.002-04:00

My head is heavy, I'm zoning out, yet I feel no need to sleep even though I want to. I very much desire to sleep 24 hours straight but atlas I cannot. I believe I have homework in all my classes! What homework shall I do? I don't know. But my essay needs to be written ASAP and I guess my physics and MATLAB and calculus homework needs to be done as well. I'm yawning. Why am I writing in such a weird voice. It must be the lack of sleep. Or maybe it's because I've been reading Dracula and it's diary-like style is rubbing off on me. I'm feeling very passive.

Agh. I have been really unhealthy today. I don't think I ate a proper meal – not that there are proper meals in the dining hall if I had decided to go down to eat.

The television is on and my roommate is asleep and I'm just sitting here.

I don't know.

Well, I will now go shower.

Postscript: I just thought of something. I lied. I will not be posting my story idea until gawd knows when.

Old School Style

2011-03-26T16:05:00.001-04:00

One Week!

2011-03-18T01:54:00.001-04:00

Why is it that, on break, I can barely stay up past 1AM but then during the academic year, I am fine –as in I could pull it off– sleeping at 3AM and waking up at 8:30AM (I have a 9AM class)? Could I still be sleep deprived, even though, I slept past noon everyday of this week thus far? I don't know. All I do know is that I managed to hibernate pretty well this break, aka do nothing. So, I better be ready to work hard until the end of the academic year.

Remember the story I started last break, Riding the T? Well, I'm not going to finish it. I've come to the conclusion that I don't write stories. I don't think I have the skill or attention span to write a story. What I will do, though, is write an idea or part of a story. That way, I can constantly explore new ideas. Actually, I have an idea on my mind right now. I'll write it down soon. (I also just might shine a light on past ideas that I've never initiated the writing process . . . Hmm, it's a possibility.)

Also, I've realized that when I'm "procrastinating," um . . . "wasting time," I'm usually on the interwebs. I'm an avid wikipedia reader and I enjoy reading all sorts of random blogs: news, technology, friends, entertainment, sports, celebrities, etc. and I love watching youtube videos and playing Tetris. Oh, and let's not forget my addiction to social networks like facebook and aim (Yes, I still use aim). None of this really benefits me though. And, the time period sans-internet was really not too terribly long ago. My parents, after-all, lived a good amount of years internet-less and they turned out great. So wait, does this mean I'll be MUCH more productive if the internet didn't exist? Or will I still insist on procrastinating and lug myself to the library and read the encyclopedia? You laugh, but I wouldn't put it past myself. I was an AP, advanced procrastination, student. I would do anything to procrastinate, plus, I use to read the almanac when I was younger. Experiment, emily? No internet, except email checking and blackboard and school related stuff and emergencies (facebook withdrawals is not an emergency). =O This will probably not go well. Oh well. Starting now? Yup! =]

Ahhhh, I'm super tired. Good Night! And hopefully, be back in a week with a story idea.

Oh T!

2011-03-11T16:35:00.013-05:00

This is just a quick update. I was kind of planning something monumental for the first post of March but this will do. I'll plan a monumental post for the first day of Spring for sure.

Anyway, I have been SO BUSY. It's ridiculous. I don't even know why I've been busy either. It's just a regular college course load. It's not like I'm taking an extra class or working twenty hours a week. School work, I guess just takes me a while.

But yeah, Spring break starts now! And, I will be spending that time hibernating – You know, recuperating from the lack of sleep and pondering what to do with my life for this summer.

And um . . .

The inspiration behind the name of this blog is two events that happened on the T since the last time I posted. Basically there was one occasion where the T system was messed up and Ts were legit moving in the opposite directions of their usual direction. The Green line was also not making its full route, meaning I could only take the Green line halfway back to BU. The mbta offered a bus replacement, but I wasn't going to try to cram myself into a bus that I know will not hold the usual load of the Green line. I opted to walk back despite the freezing temperature. The second ocassion is when I saw people performing acrobatics on the Red line, I could totally see that happening in a film or music video. I, however, was totally not expecting to see it in real life! It was kooL. =]

Also, check out the cross-Boston adventure my floormates and I had:

!7.6 miles! =]

What The Hell

2011-02-23T18:03:00.006-05:00

I'm double posting today! Yay! =] Anyway, I've been posting a lot of wordy posts lately – although I have attached pictures. But that doesn't mean the word count goes down. So this post will consist of limited words – hopefully less than one hundred – and five songs.

Chinese version of There You'll Be from Pearl Harbor. Faith Hill sings the English version.
Amei's［张惠妹］ "排山倒海"! (I love her voice. Just thought I let you know.)

For some variety: Rap!
Magnetic North's "Drift Away"!

And continuing the variety: A youtube cover of a broadway song!
Sam Tsui & Nick Pitera Covers "For Good"!

Another Broadway (and Wicked) song, but rock!
Kerry Ellis' Rock Version of "Defying Gravity"

Draco Malfoy sings? No, but Tom Felton does.
Tom Felton's "If You Could Be Anywhere"!

I've Lost It, Whatever It Is.

2011-02-23T15:57:00.014-05:00

"It, where are you? I can't find you. Please reveal yourself to me."

I know what you're thinking: I've lost It. Well, you're right. I've lost It. I don't know where It has gone. Sometimes, you see me stumbling in the wrong direction and you wonder. Well, that's because I've lost It. Maybe It went the wrong way and if I never go the wrong way, I'll never find It. I mean It is not in my normal path because I would have found It already if It was there. Or maybe not. Maybe, It is just waiting for me at the end of the path. Okay, you've caught me. I don't stumble directionless because I'm looking for It. Actually, I'm just really lost. It has led me on a wild goose chase. And, I don't know where I am. I know where I want to be. I want to be where It is. So I can grasp It and not have to worry about It anymore.

So, I've lost It. It's current location is unknown to me. But, I need to find It. Wait a second, I don't think I ever had It in the first place. But I know It exist. It taunts me. And I've seen other people with It. And sometimes, rarely though, I am so close to It that my fingers wrap around It. But It always manages to escape and hide from me. I know where It will eventually be. It will be in my heart. But I don't want to wait. I want to find It now!

I just want to find my dear It.

But not to worry, finding It has not fully consumed my life. In fact, I'm still enjoying my life, rather guiltless too. I've seen some feverishly looking for It. And then there are some who refuse to admit they've lost It, sometimes claiming to have It when they don't. But sometimes, they just don't know they don't have It. What they actually have is something that's pretending to be It. And then, there are some who sacrifice the joys of life to keep It around. Let's also not forget about those who always have It. You know, the ones It seems to be attracted to. Or the one's who inherited It. Some aren't bother to find It and that depresses me. My favorite people though are the ones who have worked so hard at finding It and have gained It's respect and maybe befriended It. Befriended It to the point that It will reveal itself to another if they asked. I like to be one of them. It deals with everyone differently.

I will never miss the opportunity to grab It if It is around. But for now, while It hides from me, I will look up and have the North Star guide me. You know, so I'm not lost in a random alley It has led me to.

"It, don't get too comfortable. I will have you."

My Life Revolves Around Candy

2011-02-14T16:34:00.004-05:00

=O My mom would probably not like to admit my life revolves around candy but it's true. I remember one time, my mom was furious at me because of candy. I'm not going to tell you what happen though – I know, why bring it up when I'm not going to tell you. *shrugs*

Anyway, my life seems to revolve around candy. I have, more than once, posted a picture of candy. And, I just thought of something, for some reason, the candy always revealed some weird fact about me. Hmm . . .

Well, what really prompted me to blog today was the weather. The weather is just SO NICE! All, I want to do is lie out on the nonexistent grass and soak in the sun. But, I have indoor work I need to do . . .

Granted, it was only 51 degrees today but I was excited. I much prefer this weather than 90 degrees. Perfect weather for me is a warm day with a wind and a bright sun. I was always a Spring person. I can't imagine myself living somewhere where there were only two seasons. Firstly, I drive off change and spring is just full of change. You can't really predict the weather in Spring, especially in New England, where it has snowed in April. And also, Spring is a very hopefully and fresh season. Everything seems to start anew.

So, out of my happiness and against my self-dicipline (I still have it, so I have not completely lost self-dicipline), I bought this:

It's SUMMER flavor. o_O

I know, it's weird that I buy this flavor today, when it's just slightly warmer than usually. It's not like I buy this flavor everyday. In fact, this is my first time buying that flavor. It's weird. I'm not the kind to shy away from Starburst; in fact, I love Starbursts: my favorites being tropical flavors. I also like trying exotic candy. I've also seen these in store all the time; so, it's not like it's a new flavor. I just unconsciously decided I wanted it.

(Note: You can now label my posts. I'm not sure what it will do. But I'm assuming it will give me anonymous feedback on what people think my blog posts are. I will then try to use the feedback to keep my posts varied . . .)

My Self-Dicipline

2011-02-13T08:25:00.001-05:00

Fair WARNING: this post is extremely weird. People have given me the "you're crazy" look when I try to explain the following to them. Anyway, you have been forewarned, proceed with a wary mind.

Sometimes to understand an abstract concept I need to objectify it.

Meet my self-dicipline:

Yup, my self-dicipline is a 89¢ bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs. The way I see it is that if I eat my bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs, I will have no more Cadbury Mini Eggs or in other words, I have no self-dicipline. But by not eating the candy, I am actually self disciplining myself, and resisting something I really want. And, if the physical Cadbury Mini Eggs are not eaten then I also still have self-dicipline. Basically, I will tempt myself and carry around this bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs in my backpack. And, I will learn to ignore it's temptation and keep myself self-diciplined. I will also be self-diciplining my self not to buy on impulse random foods since what's the point of buying junk food when I already have it with me in my backpack. I'm just self-diciplining myself not to eat it. I have literally taken a abstract concept and objectified it.

Why? Well, recently, I have just been eating a lot of crap. I also have been procrastinating against my better judgement. This little stunt of mine will hopefully teach me the self-dicipline to stop myself from doing stuff I don't want to do.

Just Because I Miss It!

2011-02-08T01:37:00.007-05:00

Our floor bulletin board at beginning of the school year.
(Stole pic from a friend's facebook.)

The Magic School Bus:

One of my favorite shows from my childhood!

I still remember the lyrics of the opening theme I learned as a third grader!

Cruising on down Main Street, you're relaxed and feeling good. Next thing that you know you're seeing OCTOPUS in the neighborhood!

Edit: After a quick imdb search, I found out it still shows Saturday mornings at 11:30AM on NBC. So tune in kiddos. I know I will. I'm excited! I feel like a kid again. Waking up to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings . . . Nostalgic much? I guess I was always meant to be a science person . . . I also think a post dedicated to my awesome teachers is in order! The teachers who made a difference in my life. The teachers who taught me the foundations! . . .

After The Initial Excitement!

2011-01-28T17:14:00.019-05:00

"iPhone!!!! Omg!!!! The retina screen on this phone is amazing. It's so slim. It's just beautiful. I can play games. Look at that, it's a GPS. Wow, what can I not do with this phone!!!"

The above is basically what I've been thinking when I look at the below.

Haha, you can see a reflection of my stuff on the iPhone.

But, a month has passed since I have become an iPhone user, and I have, I think, finally gotten over the bells and whistle of the iPhone.

And after the initial excitement of owning an iPhone . . .

I am finding the iPhone to be a very powerful and amazing device.

First of, I want to say that I had a simple phone before the iPhone. You know, one of those phone that had all these random very basic functions, alarm, camera, an mp3, some form of calendar, task, tools, tip calculator, etc. But yet, all I did on it was text and call. The iPhone is my first smartphone. Just thought I throw all this out there before you laugh at my newbieness.

Anyway, the best part, I believe, of the iPhone is its ease of use and compatibility with my mac – I know, it would be a lamer if it was not compatible with my mac. It's an apple product after all.

Everything syncs! And because everything syncs, my life is digitalizing.

For example, now, more than ever, I don't use my agenda. All my events (birthdays, activities, exams, etc.) are put into my calendar on my mac, which is then syncs onto my iPhone. I no longer have to carry around my agenda, although I still do. It's just chilling in my backpack. I don't even know why I always buy one in the first place when I clearly don't write half of my assignments in it. However, there was one time last semester, during finals week, that I planned my entire life out in my agenda. But that was just one week. So basically, I can do one thing on my mac or iPhone and it syncs to the other. Awesome!

What does this mean? Well, I'm not exactly a person at the front of the technology scene and has been digitalize years ago. I'm just a normal technology consumer. This means our society is advancing toward digitalization of EVERYTHING. =O

But yeah, having the internet, camera, phone, notepad, clock, mp3, calendar, etc in the palm of your hand is pretty amazing.

Well, here are the ten apps I use the most:

1. Mail – Even before, I owned an iPhone I was constantly checking my email – my sisters can testify to this. Now, I can check it even more. =]

2. iPod – One of the main reasons I wanted an iPhone was so that I would not have to carry both an iPod and cell phone. The other main reason was to not carry a camera. I have not really used the camera app yet. But it might be because I haven't run into anything I feel the urge to photograph.

3. Messages – Texting is just something our society does.

4. Safari - The ability to surf the interwebs anywhere I am. Enough said.

5. Calendar – Surprising, I have been using this app. I never made use of the calendar application on my mac but now that everything syncs, it's so convenient to have all my events on my phone and mac. Maybe now, I can time manage effectively. LoL, that's funny, me time manage effectively. Haha.

6. Notes – Slowly, I feel this is taking the place of physical sticky notes. Right now, I mainly use this app to write down reference material, like office hours. My to do list is still on a physical sticky note. Physically crossing something off my to do list is way more satisfying than hitting the delete button.

7. Facebook – The black stain and guilty pleasure of our society. But it does help you stay connected with your friends. It's a Win/Lose kind of thing.

8. Clock – Time, Alarms, Timer. The ability to sleep my iPhone in an hour when I forget to turn off iPod because I fell asleep.

9. Maps – I like that it has a GPS worked into it. So when I'm walking somewhere I don't get lost nor have to look up directions before hand. I'm so LAZY.

10. Phone – I use this mainly to communicate with family and when I'm too lazy to text. Talking is still easier than typing. Wow, I really am lazy.

Guess the other apps I use? =]

The Seaweed Is Always Greener . . .

2011-01-25T00:04:00.014-05:00

. . . in somebody else's lake. We dream about going up there. But, that is a big mistake. Just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you, what more is you looking for.

A verse from "Under the Sea", from Disney's The Little Mermaid, composed by Alan Menken.

My friend visited me last weekend. I gave her a tour of BU, including the not so glamourous, sketchy stairwell and basement of the cummington st. buildings. During the tour, my friend noticed I had a knack for comparing everything to Harvard: BU architecture is pretty ugly compared to Harvard, BU is smaller in size, acre-wise, than Harvard, Harvard has a better bookstore, etc. It's not that I lack school pride, that is just how things are. I can't deny them.

Later, when she went home I asked what she thought of BU. She said that visiting BU gave her a new perspective of her university. She had considered transferring from her university but is now looking at her university in a new light. She compared it to the idiom: the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The idiom just means its all in your head and the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. BU, to her, is the greener grass on the other side of the fence.

(I'm happy for my friend regardless where she decides to receive her education, just as long as she's happy. I'm of course bias toward any college away from home.)

But that idiom bothers me. Sure, the grass probably is not greener on the other side of the fence but what if it is? Should I, hypothetically, just settle for what I have? That's rather limiting. Why would I be looking at the other side of the fence if I'm satisfied with my grass? Okay, maybe I'm just a pessimist and I don't appreciate how great and green my grass is. But, how would I know my grass is super awesome if I don't go to the other side of the fence. In the end, the idiom just means don't risk what you have for something you're not sure of. I feel this idiom is degrading and restricting of the possibilities, better or worse. And sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side.

Or maybe I'm just naive and reality has yet to knock the hope out of me.

Anyways, as a wrap up, although Ariel is a fictional character, she appears happier on land. She took a risk, and it worked out for her.

One Post, Two days, Still Incomplete.

2011-01-17T02:03:00.006-05:00

Been a while - LoL the signature phrase of a blogger. I feel every blogger has, at one point of their blogging career, said that. I guess I can now call myself a blogger.

But it has been awhile. I've been feeling ill all week. And for some reason, I blamed my illness on my overindulgence in looking at a screen: laptop screen, television screen, theater screen, iPhone screen. So I cut myself off from my laptop, checked my email sparingly, facebook, etc, on my phone, and avoid watching television as much as possible. However if I'm in the living room, I can't tell others not to watch television. So I didn't completely not watch television. I am not fully healed, but I am on the upward trend. So, I decided I needed to leave my house and went grocery shopping with my parents at H-mart, a Korean supermarket. Terrible idea on my part, since I am now bored. And we're caught up: I'm currently at H-mart, blogging away and trailing my parents without looking as they shop. (which is actually quite a task considering the massive amount of people at H-mart.)

A couple days later . . .

I didn't post the above after I finished typing it because I felt it wasn't complete. Looking at it now, I don't know what more I should add. Maybe include a line about how I read instead of doing screen activities. Maybe, a bit about the books I read: two mangas, an easy read young adult fantasy novel, and a fantasy novel I didn't finish reading. The books were totally different. The mangas were hour reads while the novels weren't. The easy novel was clearly a novel that was meant to entertain and did not make you think unlike the fantasy novel I didn't finish. That's the problem with me: I don't think enough. I've realized this a couple times during the break. The most obvious time was when I visited my camp directors. I listened in on their conversation and there's so much intellectual thought going on.

Is thinking something that comes with the years or something I need to work?

Letterheads

2011-01-05T14:54:00.006-05:00

I ran into this blog: Letterheady. It's basically a blog about letterheads. I found them so interesting that I am inspired to create my own letterhead. Yes, I will create one before break is over. And since, I owe several people letters from college, I will be able to use this letterhead when sending letters to them.

It's too bad letters aren't really used anymore. Aside from some formal matters, email has taken over! Is it a shame? Hmm . . . not really. I was never one to really hate on the advancement of technology. (I, for one, am not complaining about the CGI and 3-D in our cinemas. It is similar, like I've said to friends, the black and white to color transition. I don't want to watch a black and white film, and I'm sure kids of today and future don't want to watch a 2-D or hand-drawn film. Although, I do absolutely adore technicolor and hand-drawn animation, but that doesn't mean I have a problem with the new CGI and 3-D stuff.) But there was so much customization with letters. From, the letterhead, wax seal, stamp, handwriting or font. But then again, emails have become more customizable; they aren't telegrams after all. There's pictures, colors, not letterheads but I guess email templates, and the ease of sending digital files: music, videos, documents, voice recordings, etc.

Anyways, here are some of my favorite letterheads from the blog:

J. K. Rowling's (Above)

A couple Disney ones: Walt Disney's Fantasia, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, Disneyland, and Mickey Mouse

Dr. Seuss (notice the crayon signature)

JFK's (before he was president)

Wrigley's Chewing Gum

Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes)

Frank Lloyd Wright (Very detailed and fitting for him)

Converse Rubber Shoe Co.

The Coca Cola Bottling Company (sounds so formal)

My Laptop Wallpaper:

2011-01-05T01:10:00.004-05:00

Concept art from one of my most favorite scenes in Tangled:

Click the image to see it bigger and clearer and better!

So, let me explain the last post . . .

2010-12-31T00:29:00.007-05:00

Okay, the last post is not about my life or my thoughts.

It is the beginning of a story that I will hopefully finish writing. *knock on wood* This break, I told myself I was going to write regardless of the fact that I suck at writing. So, that post is what I came up with. The story itself isn't plotted, but I do have a few major events I want to hit and a few characters developed.

Why my fascination with writing? I think it's just one of those things I've always wanted to do but failed at doing. I've never finished any of the stories I've started outside of school. *knock on wood* But I guess, writing is also creating. It's not creating a physical object, but creating an idea, a story. And, that's what I want to do with my life. I want to create.

I've always wanted to be a creator – okay, not always. But starting in fifth grade, I wanted to be a creator. Actually, the term I used in fifth grade was inventor. But that year was when I started to become really interested in engineering, which is the creating aspect of science. I attended engineering camp/workshops, bought do it yourself engineering kits, and amassed random tools and parts. I have a solar panel somewhere in my drawer. Even the toys I played with were related to creating. I played with K'nex and legos. I remember fondly the ferris wheel I built out of K'nex. So basically, engineering was what I determined I wanted to do with my life. Well, that was until I took AP Physics my junior year of high school. I hated the class and thought if I hate physics, I can't be an engineer cause that's what engineers do, they apply physics. And, what better time to lose focus of what I wanted to do with my life than the year of college applications. I was deeply lost. I was so unsure of what I wanted. I was bouncing around all different majors, from music to english to film, while at the same time rejecting anything medical or law related. On all my applications to college, I was undecided until, the very last month before applications were due, December. I took a shower – that's where I think best – and realized I wasn't going to let one class, AP Physics, ruined years of devotion to engineering. And engineering was a combination of what I liked, creativity, and what I'm good at, mathematics. So I applied Undecided Engineering. And that was the state of mind I was in, when I entered college.

In a way, I feel I'm still lost. Although, I do know I want to be an engineer, I do not know what field of engineering. But, I am starting to find my way . . .

Wow, I didn't expect to write so much about engineering. Yeah . . . So anyways, my blog will now play host to random stories as well as random whatever else I've been and will be posting.

Riding The T

2010-12-30T22:58:00.010-05:00

Elmira was a traveler. Well, that was what she told me when she introduced herself to me. It wasn't until much later, though, did I find out she was – well, I'll tell you later. But right now, all that's important is that you know she loved to travel and she, very much, was, indeed, a traveler.

Anyway, November 28th, 2010.

Elmira stepped onto the T – that's what they call the subway in Boston – and found an empty spot to stand. There were no empty seats, but it didn't mattered, she was not one who liked to sit. It was rush hour and Elmira wondered why she picked such a busy time to visit her friends at BU. Oh that's right, she remembers, her friends at Harvard had insisted they go to L.A. Burdick for hot chocolate. There was always a line at that place, especially on a frigid November day. She was supposed to meet her friends at BU, at 2pm. It was now 4pm. To get to BU, she had to take the red line inbound to Park St. and then transfer onto the B line of the four green lines and head outbound until one of the multiple BU stops. Her friends were at the GSU (George Sherman Union) so she would get off at the Boston University Central stop.

Today, and tomorrow, were the two days she planned on staying in Boston. Today was reserved for visiting her friends still at university, and tomorrow for nostalgically wandering Boston. Thanksgiving had brought Elmira home to the Boston area from Montgomery, Alabama. Home for Elmira was her grandparents' house, which was not located in Boston but in a small city north of Boston. All the family gatherings were always held there. That was the only home Elmira knew besides her college dorm, which was also in the Boston area. Her parents had multiple houses and she moved from one house to another throughout her life.

Elmira had no permanent residence. The day after tomorrow, she would be off to Los Angeles.

Elmira checked her watch. She had gotten into the habit of checking her watch constantly when she wanted time to slow down.

"Excuse me!" a man exclaimed loudly in the middle of the T. Elmira looked up from her watch. "I finally have enough money to pay the deposit for a room and finally get off the streets. I'm so happy. However, I don't have an ID and I need one to sign the lease. Look, all I have is this homeless shelter one," the man held up a card with his photo on it, "and the landlord won't accept this as a valid ID. Please, could someone be as kind and point me in the direction of the nearest RMV to obtain an official Massachusetts ID. Also, I need twenty five dollars to obtain this ID. Please, a dollar or two will help. I'm really excited that I can get off the streets. Please, help me. Please!"

Elmira reached into her pocket. She sighed, thinking of the cash she had used to pay for her hot chocolate, no cash. She only had credit and debit left.

"Please," the man continued to say, "someone help me out. I really want this room. I'm so excited. So, please help me."

Elmira looked guiltily away from the homeless man. The man on her right, Elmira noticed, seemed hardly affected by the homeless man. He was concentrated on texting, since the T was currently above ground and there was cell phone service. Elmira smiled, this was a man who had mastered the T: texting while T surfing – the act of balancing while the T was in motion without holding on. Elmira looked to her right. There was a baby boy fast asleep in his mother's lap.

Elmira threw a quick side glance at the homeless man. Hardly anyone had helped him. He had a couple of one dollar bills in his hand. Elmira wondered why so few people had helped out the man, could it be the economy? "The homeless tend to lie about their situations," Elmira recalled her father telling her when she was young, "they'll make up the grandest lies just for your money." Surely, this man isn't lying, Elmira thought.

"Park St. Doors will open on both sides. Transfer here for the green line."

Elmira hurried off the T and up the steps onto the green line platform. She remembered how upset she used to be when she had missed the T. She slowed down her pace, the B line train had not arrived yet.

She walked to the designated waiting area for the B line and waited. She checked her watch again. It was 4:10. It was going to take at least 20 minutes for her to get to Boston University. The green line, all four of them, was notrourious for being slow, unreliable, and inconsistent.

Elmira looked to the right, it was the man she saw texting earlier on the red line T.

"Do you think he was lying?" she asked the man.

"Who?" he replied.

"The homeless guy."

"Oh, I don't know," the man shrugged, "I zone those kind of stuff out, you know?"

Elmira nodded, people really don't care about the homeless. So, why do I care? She returned to staring down the tracks, pondering, and checking her watch until the T came.

"But daddy, it could be us on the streets," she had told her dad.

"No honey. Your mother and I would not let that happen. There are so many opportunities in this world. There's no reason for anybody to be in that position, unless they chose to."

"What if the universe was just not on their side, or they were mentally incapable of helping themselves, or they were disowned by their parents?"

"Disowned?" her dad had chuckled and crouched down to look her in the eye, "Try not to to pity the homeless," he had said, "and if you must, donate your money sparely and wisely. Or even better, donate your money not to the homeless but to a better cause, like education. If the homeless really wanted to better themselves, then they'll seek an education. Your donation will indirectly benefit the homeless. And you can never go wrong with education."

Happy Holidays!!

2010-12-25T00:12:00.004-05:00

HAPPY CHRISMAHANUKWANZADAN!!!

(This is a much belated Happy Ramadan.)

I really do hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. Be Happy!

My family spent our Christmas eve making pretzels. Mmmmm! Enjoy them, virtually. =]

Mickey's Ten Commandments

2010-12-23T13:14:00.006-05:00

As I started to, finally, read my ginormous Imagineering Book, as appose to looking at the pictures, I came across Mickey's Ten Commandments. Marty Sklar, a retired Disney Imagineering Legend, coined these sometime during his years at Disney. I think these are pretty good – of course, being an unworldly college freshmen, I know nothing of what really is good.

So, without further ado, Mickey's Ten Commandments:

1. Know your audience

Identify the prime audience for your attraction or show before you begin the design.

2. Wear your Guests' shoes

Insist that your team members experience your creation just the way Guests do it.

3. Organize the flow of people and ideas

Make sure there is a logic and sequence in your stories, and in the way Guests experience them.

4. Create a wienie (visual magnet)

Create visual "targets" that lead visitors clearly and logically through your facility.

5. Communicate with visual literacy

Make good use of all the non-verbal ways of communication – color, shape, form, texture.

6. Avoid overload – create turn ons

Resist the temptation to overload your audience with too much information and too many objects.

7. Tell one story at a time

Stick to the story line; good stories are clear, logical, and consistent.

8. Avoid contradictions – maintain identity

Details in design or content that contradict one another confuse an audience about your story or the time period it takes place in.

9. For ever ounce of treatment, provide a ton of treat

In our business, Walt Disney said, you can educate people – but don't' tell them you're doing it! Make it fun!

10. Keep it up! (maintain it)

In a Disney park or resort, everything must work! Poor maintenance is poor show.

It's beginning to look a lot like christmas . . .

2010-12-22T01:06:00.002-05:00

The christmas tree is up in the living room. There are presents under the tree and the house is decorated in festive lights. There's even a barely there layer of snow covering some of the yard.

But, it definitely doesn't feel like christmas.

Also, Lowell's great christmas tree isn't up this year. =[ I wonder why? Google is your friend emily. Here's the Lowell Sun article. Sigh, when will our economy get out of this slump. Here's a pic I found online of the missing christmas tree.

Credit kittell

At least the rest of the lights are still present.

Credit Harkins Photo Blog

On a Side Note

2010-12-21T00:36:00.002-05:00

I always like to get myself a gift for Christmas – wrapped and addressed to myself from myself. However, this year it will be a belated gift. So instead of a Christmas gift, it will be a welcome to Semester 2 of college gift. Haha. =] But yeah, I think I'm going to get myself a grape soda pin from Pixar's Up.

You know, so I will always be reminded to explore and go on adventures and keep in mind what really matters in my life. =]

This Winter Break

2010-12-21T00:29:00.007-05:00

In these four weeks, I want to be productive, not academic wise though. My definition of productive just means not lazing around and doing nothing.

So maybe, I will practice some piano. You know, at least try to accomplish my goal of mastering piano. I'll probably toss in some guitar playing too, for good measure – I only know a handful of chords so my guitar playing is very limited to easy and chords only songs.

Or maybe, I'll write. I haven't written a story since high school. I'm not in the least bit good at writing though. Hmm . . . if I do decide to write, I think I'll post it on this blog.

One thing for sure is that I will be reading books, watching movies, and pondering about my life.

All these things that I want to do is really just for me. They remind me of the five goals I made for myself during high school – I believe sophomore year, during myspace's prime. I wonder if they are still hidden on my myspace page.

Yes, they are. I just checked. =]

It's nice to find my myspace page exactly the way I left it. (It's the same feeling as coming home from college for the holiday break, and finding everything, like family and friendship dynamics, pretty much the same.) The plain original myspace layout is still intact along with my customization of the font colors. The blurbs, I wrote, are still there and unchanged. It's especially strange to read the blurbs. The blurbs are kind of like my high school self preserved in writing. It's sort of like Tom Riddle's diary in Harry Potter, except it's not a horcrux – can a blog be a horcrux? – and won't influence somebody else negatively, I hope. I guess that is what this blog eventually will be: a representation of college me. KooL! =]

I Should Just Sleep

2010-12-12T23:43:00.004-05:00

I haven't blogged in awhile, and its not because I haven't done anything interesting. In fact, I've done many interesting things since I've last blogged, including going to the Boston Commons tree lighting, watching Tangled again, going to the Boston Ballet, which was AMAZING, going to a BU vs. BC hockey game, pulling my first all nighter while averaging 4 hours of sleep for the three days prior to that, followed by 16 hours of SLEEP, writing letters to ambassadors for women rights, exploding bottles with dry ice, trekking out in the rain as a superadventurer with Devon to watch the wonderful Angelina Jolie and equally wonderful Johnny Depp in The Tourist, and just having a grand time with my floormates.

The reason I haven't blogged probably is because I'm just really tired, lazy, and busy, mainly lazy. Right now, by blogging, I am procrastinating. AHHHH! I'm so unproductive. I really need to start on my MECH-E project too. And this exam week is daunting. I've like already planned my entire week, when and what subject I'll be studying. I highly dislike planning stuff. It's so unlike me.

I also want some real food, dining hall food no longer counts as real food. Actually, I just want some simple home cooked food . . . Even plain white rice sounds good right now.

Also, I still pretty much don't know what type of engineering I want to major in. I haven't given much thought to it either . . .

I am having an awesome time in college, but right now, I really need to just focus and stop being a lazy bum!

So Excited!

2010-12-03T15:53:00.003-05:00

I am eating POMEGRANATE!!!!! So excited!

Look at them! Don't they look so good. I totally spent an hour peeling (is that the word?) them into a bowl! =]

Blank Blog

2010-12-02T09:32:00.005-05:00

I feel the need to blog. But, I haven't anything to say.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

2010-11-25T23:51:00.009-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

I do hope everyone is enjoying their break, regardless if you celebrate the holiday or not. It's good to take a breather sometimes and just relax.

Well, it's been a weekish since I last posted. Hmm . . . what have I been up to? Well, for one I've seen both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and Tangled! I enjoyed both movies very much! I think Tangled might have been the better movie! I know, I'm such a Benedict Arnold.

The midnight experience for Harry Potter was amazing though! And watching Harry Potter with fans is always great. The movie was very much catered toward fans and if you never read the books you would be utterly confused. But the movie did do a good job with the parts it did do. The Boston Common Loews theater was also VERY nice!

The amc theater I watched Tangled in, however, was not pleasant at all. It was small and dingy and not well designed. It also made me realize and appreciate how nice my home theater was. There also wasn't a choice of nonbuttered popcorn. The only reason I went to watch Tangled at that particular amc is because my sisters had free tickets to watch Tangled there. Tangled was such a great movie. The trailer made the movie look very superficial and gave very little insight on what the movie was actually about. Tangled turned out to be very deep, musical, modern, cute, and enjoyable! Overall, a well-crafted movie; Props to Disney. Tangled has also made its way onto my favorite Disney movies list—a list I really should blog about.

Between watching Harry Potter and Tangled, I went to the Boston Symphony Hall to watch the Boston University Symphony Orchestra celebrate violinist Roman Totenberg 100th birthday and to the Boston Public Library to get my library card—it's orange!

Also I've been thinking of . . .

"Almost There"

2010-11-17T10:36:00.010-05:00

"Almost There" is a song from The Princess and the Frog, composed by Randy Newman and sung by Anika Noni Rose, the voice actress for Princess Tiana. Here's my favorite verse:

I remember Daddy told me: "fairytales can come true; you gotta make them happen, it all depends on you." So, I work real hard each and every day. Now, things for sure are going my way. Just doing what I do, look out boys, I'm coming through.

I find myself singing along to this song way to often – maybe for inspiration?

Freezing For Inspiration!

2010-11-15T18:33:00.005-05:00

Upon leaving office hours, I was determined to organize my final WR 100 essay. I left around 2:20pm and it is now 3:40pm.

I have now sat for over an hour, in my new favorite "study area" – To romanticize it, I will call it Inspiration Zone. I won't tell you where it's located because part of its wonder is its quiet, as Boston can be, and solitude atmosphere. But I will say it's outside and also not too hard to find. I didn't particularly set out to find this place, but I'm glad I found it.

After an hour, I have brainstormed and organized my essay. So sitting in this frigid, Fall, November, Boston weather proved to be way more helpful and cozy than stuffy, warm, Warren Tower.

I think I see a college tour(s?). Well, time for me to head back and start typing my essay. I would type it now but I lack a laptop – I will be sure to bring it next time. Also, the overheated 15th floor sounds nice right now; I am freezing. I wonder if I'll be able to sit here when snow arrives.

- - - - -

Yeah, I wrote the above while I was still outside and now several hours later, I have yet to start my essay. Also, I now realize it's not my final essay, I have a reflection essay after that.

The reason I have yet to start my essay is that I took an adventure with my NooB, Priya. We went to get tea - I forget what kind – at the tea club. We then had a very intellectual and stimulating conversation with the other tea club members. This was my first time going to the tea club and I enjoyed it.

Next, Priya showed me the library. I know I'm a loser, who has never been inside my school library yet. It's not very welcoming so it's not my fault. Okay, it is my fault. Strangely enough, I don't think I will be going back anytime soon.

Oh, did I mention the one cup of the tea I had has the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee! I drink neither coffee or soda so this will be an interesting night!

Stolen!

2010-11-14T21:18:00.004-05:00

This is such a cute picture of them: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint! I am so excited for part 1 of the last Harry Potter movie! Btw, this is stolen from my friend's blog. You should read her blog, it's filled with insanely cute posts!

I'm ADDICTED to awkward!!!

2010-11-14T16:43:00.004-05:00

Today has been a good day - okay, it would be better if I finished my outline for WR 100 but I still have time. Anyways, I went to the goodwill store for the first time! It was so interesting. They had really kooL stuff there, like records and cassettes and VHS tapes. I'm so disappointed in myself for never going into a goodwill store until now. My floormates and I also went into a gaming store and they had ALL sorts of board games! It was equally amazing as the goodwill store.

And finally, I bought Skittles Fizzl'd Fruits, for the second time!

They are so awkward! Like when you eat them. Weird. And yet, I bought it a second time. I think I'm addicted to awkward things. It's just so awkward on your tongue! The first time I bought them, I shared them with my writing class and this time with my floor. It's just such an awkward taste that I want everyone to experience its awkwardness. My roommate, however, refused to try it. But everyone else tried them and can testify to its awkwardness. As my floormate Kate said "Emily, I never believed something could taste awkward until now." Haha! =]

J. K. Rowling

2010-11-14T00:01:00.008-05:00

Oprah Interviews J. K. Rowling

Gosh, I love this woman!

Also, from the internet:

Question: Do you still have the napkins that you wrote the first book on?

J.K. Rowling responds: I'm giggling...where did you read that? I didn't write on napkins; I wrote in notepads. We really need to squash this myth before people ask to see the used tea bags on which I drafted the first book!

LoL, I need to tell this to Anastasia soon.

Somehow,

2010-11-11T13:38:00.008-05:00

I ended up on youtube.

And they are streaming the premiere of the seventh Harry Potter Film live! I do not have the self-dicipline to stop myself from watching. So now, instead of doing my Chem Lab, I am watching eagerly for someone to interview J.K. Rowling - btw she looks marvelous. Everyone's british accents are to die for. It's strange to watch a premiere - none of them look comfortable with the rapid flashing of cameras. The three lead look fabulous though. I wonder if Emma Watson has a Calculus Exam tomorrow like I do?

If I could meet any one person, it would be either J.K. Rowling or Angelina Jolie. I have so much respect for J.K. Rowling. She is extraordinary! I always consider writing a fan letter to her. . .

*Sigh* I have to ~~force~~, more like DRAG, myself to go to class at 2pm. You can expect a lot more Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling post coming soon though!

(Update: It's 1:49pm, J.K. Rowling is speaking, I can be late.)

Sometimes. . .

2010-11-10T20:26:00.001-05:00

. . . I feel like I am becoming more of an introvert, with each passing day. But then again, I love interacting with people. It's just such a weird thought: emily an introvert. Like a tingle crawls down my back when the words roll off my tongue, as if the words weren't meant to be said together - Although, I am sure there is an Emily, which is such a common name, that is an introvert somewhere in this world. Hmm. . . I think I'm more of an ambivert. A balance between an extrovert and an introvert. *shrugs* I don't know.

emily an introvert - bleh - so strange.

What A Fine Nice Little Quotation:

2010-11-09T12:45:00.007-05:00

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

I know I wasn't born great so hopefully one of the latter two options happen to me. Hopefully. *Fingers Crossed*

Anyways, guess the origin of this quotation? Click "Read More" for answer! =]

- Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

My Mind's A MESS!

2010-11-08T19:39:00.006-05:00

So yeah, since I've gotten to University, I've done a lot of things, most of which I would like to blog about but probably will never blog about since I'm not a strong blogger (or for that matter, writer,) and it would take a lot of time to blog it all. (You get a glimpse of some of those things in the last post.) So, I select and choose what I blog. Sometimes, it's the most interesting thing I can think of and sometimes it's just the most easiest and quickest thing to blog about.

Today's topic is movies!!! I've watched a good amount of movies since I've been here, more so than I did at home. So enjoy my movie talk! (I don't critique.)

[SPOILERS ALERT!!]

So let's start off with the first, and so far only, movie I saw at the Fenway Regal Theater with my floor-mates very early on in the semester; I don't even think classes had started. But let me check. *Looks for ticket stub* Oh, bummer, I can't find it. I must have taken it home and put it with my collection of ticket stubs. So the movie I saw was Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Basically, we just wanted to see a movie. I had not even heard of the movie when my floor-mates suggested to see it. But, I did promptly watch the trailer and tagged along and enjoyed the movie. The movie was about a young man, in a rock band, who "falls in love" with a girl with 7(I think that was the number) deadly exes out to get him. The movie was presented like a video game where the term "KO" would appear when he defeated an ex, earn coins and lives and the such. I thought that was unique; it's the first movie I've seen presented that way. It was one of those movies that you throughly enjoyed and like but most likely will not have a itch to see it again but you never know.

Since this is a long post, I will be adding a page break here, so click on to read more! =]

Next up, I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding. This movie was watched on a movie night in one of the girls room. It was a fun movie night and we bonded. We decided to have a movie night before we actually picked out a movie. We bounced around movie ideas. We finally decided on My Big Fat Greek Wedding because I hadn't seen it before and my floormates all insisted I needed to see it. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a well-done chick flick about a young Greek woman who falls in love with an American and the families having to overcome the heritage differences. It was a good and happy movie but not a movie I would most likely want to see again unless with friends.

Okay, this next movie, Beauty and the Beast, I did not watch here. But the movie is too great a movie to not mention! I actually watched it at home when I went home for my younger sister's birthday. She had received the new diamond edition of the movie for her birthday. So, I'm assuming everybody already knows the plot and if you don't, shame on you and go watch it already. But this is a movie that gets better and better with each watch; the ballroom scene looked fantastic in Blu Ray. I absolutely love this movie and it comes in at a close second for my favorite Disney movie, behind Aladdin. Belle, though, is my favorite Disney princess!

The next movie, I had watched before University and is a movie I brought along to college. Some of the quad squad, the four people in the quad room, had never seen 17 Again and wanted to watch it. 17 Again is a good chick flick, starring Zac Efron, about a middle age man who is not happy with his life and goes back into the past to change his life to realize he doesn't regret anything and would make the same choices. It's your classic age transformation movie and I liked it; it had its good moments. I had watched it several times but it was not until this watching that I realized how creepy some of the scenes where when not in context. *bleh-ew*

"Like a Shooting Star, I can go the distance. I will search the world, I will face its harms, I don't care how far, I can go the distance till I find my hero's welcome waiting in your arms." Yes, those are lyrics from Hercules. Hercules I watched right after 17 Again with my floormates who didn't watch 17 Again and some friends from home. We made it such an event with so much food and singing along. But everyone was so tired that by the end of it, we all just all wanted to sleep. Hercules, like Beauty and the Beast is a great movie that I really feel no need to explain the plot. However, a lot of people have not seen it, which is a shame since it's such a great movie, even though its depiction of greek mythology is skewed.

Rocky Horror Picture Show! Now this is a super hyped musical movie, played every saturday midnight at multiple theaters across the world with a live action presentation. The movie itself isn't all that great. It's plotless and extremely weird but it does have great music! I watched this movie first before going to the midnight watching. The midnight watching is an experience! If you haven't seen it and are alright with R-rated stuff then go experience it! The people putting on the show and the audience are really into the midnight experience. There is usually, almost always, people yelling out commentary to the movie which makes the experience tenfold more funny. I have to admit I fell asleep during the midnight watching, even with all the yelling, but that was because I hadn't slept till 2AM the previous night. Glee also did their version of Rocky Horror Picture Show but that was just strange and not executed well.

The next movie, the quad squad just decided to watch and invited the rest of the floor. I think it was on a night everyone was busy with halloween or something. The Proposal is a very well done chick flick. It's about a woman who fakes her engagement to a man so that she would not get deported but actually falls in loves with him in the end. The movie is predictable but enjoyable and hilarious all the time because each actor did a great job with their role, especially Betty White as the grandmother. The starring actors Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds were great too! Would I re-watch this movie? Yes I would.

The next movie I watched twice since I been here! And both times with people who have not seen it before. The Princess and the Frog is thoroughly enjoyable! The Princess and the Frog easily is comparable to Disney's best. It is about a hardworking woman who works for her future and does not wait for her Prince Charming to waltz her off her feet. I will have to admit that the first time I saw it I was disappointed but that was my fault. I was expecting it to be the best movie ever created and also I didn't appreciate the music as much. However, as I watched it again and again, I grew in love with the movie and Randy Newman is wonderful composer. The Princess and the Frog is definitely up there with Disney's Greats.

This next movie, I totally was not expecting to watch. I had slept a total of 2 hours in the last 36 hours and I was dead (Like zombie dead, too tired to actually seek sleep)! But it was the fifth of November and a floormate really wanted to watch the movie V for Vendetta. So we watched the movie! It was a good watch, to the point that I did not fall asleep despite how tired I was. I just can't believe I had never seen this 'til now. It's basically about how a free spirit with enhanced abilities tries to liberate a totalitarian government. Definitely has rewatch value. And also, Natalie Portman can pull off bald!

The latest movie I watched was Inception. Now, that is a movie that makes you put your thinking cap on! It's definitely got my mind in a MESS! Simple mind-boggling. I can't believe I waited this long to see it. Granted it's my fault, since, when the movie came out I was low on cash and chose Salt (I'm slightly biased toward anything Angelina Jolie), another movie that leaves you thinking, over Inception. I won't spoil anything on this post if you haven't seen it but I definitely recommend anyone to see it. And, those who have seen it, definitely let me know you opinions of the movie in the comments. All I'm going to say, now, is this is a movie I plan on re-watching it multiple times.

I think I've hit all the movies I've watched since I've been here, but there are probably some slipping my mind right now. I know, I'm losing it! Whatever it is?

As for movies I'm looking forward to watching, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (at midnight!) and Tangled (which comes out over Thanksgiving break so I probably won't be seeing it here) are on the top of my list. I am super excited for both!

Wow! Long post.

I'm sorry for length and the rambling that usually comes with it. =[

(Yes, I am adding color; I enjoy colors. =])

I'm Rather Upset that I'm a Failing Blogger

2010-11-08T01:08:00.010-05:00

Why is it that I never blog about the interesting events I run into.

Like my trip to Cambridgeside Galleria yesterday where a police cross-guard directed cars into pedestrians crossing the Street.

Or the T ride back from Galleria where the T was malfunctioning at Lechmere and we had to wait forever for a operating T that was overstuffed with people and a woman threatening to stab someone with her pen and Me almost nearly not making it off the T.

Or about the Smoots the Massachusetts Ave. Bridge is measured in.

Or getting abandoned at Guitar Center and having to make my way back alone.

Or Critical Mass with my RA.

Or my ban from Facebook for a week.

Or the wonderful Boston skyline at night, I see biking back from work.

Or teaching my friend how to ride a bike at Harvard University.

Or my adventures at Harvard Square.

Or our security guards that don't accept passports as IDs.

Or the common room, we decorated for Halloween.

Or going out for dinner to Dick's Last Resorts in our Halloween costumes.

Or my elbow that probably will be bruised from hitting the elevator button.

Or that KooL wall that is completely dry erase.

Or our elevators shelf filled with liquor bottles.

Or my amazing floormates on the W.I.S.E. Floor.

Or the fact that there are two pairs of birthday buddies on my floor.

Or bingo event where there was a long line to get in.

Or the thoughts I think about my directionless life.

Or any of the other interesting things I've experienced.

GRRRR, Why?

"SOOOOO BRIGHT!" I gasped.

2010-11-07T17:03:00.009-05:00

Haha, while I was trying to put convenience points, aka money, on my BU ID, I looked out my window and saw this:

It's an oh so bright sunset. So bright and full of energy. (Yes there is writing on my window, a floormate put it up, it's about Nerd Fighters I believe. You can ignore it.)

After I finished putting convenience points on my BU ID, I look back up and exclaimed with a frown, "Where the brightness go?!"

Here now was my view:

I guess there is still some light, but it was not as bright as earlier.

And now, as I near the end of this blog, I receive only a strip of light, pink and orange:

And soon there will be no light and and the dark night sky will take over. What a wonder the sky is; such an amazing part of this world. I really enjoy watching the sky display her wonderful array of colors. Too bad, I don't do it often enough. I especially enjoy watching the night sky, especially the shining stars that light up my inside and inspire me with pure inspiration.

I will end this post with this simple nursery rhyme:

"Star Light, Star Bright,

First Star I see tonight;

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the Wish I wish tonight."