Perfectionism, Laziness, and Infatuation

It's you being a self-centered bitch.

2011-05-31T18:40:00.001-05:00

"It's you being a self-centered bitch. Like the world revolves around you, like it always is."

It's nice to hear this from someone you thought was your friend. Of course, pardon my use of a swear word, but it was heavily implied, so I felt the need to include it. I'm not denying it, but it was still a mean thing to say.

Of course, this is my classmate I'm talking about. It's not unusual for her to say things like this. But it still doesn't negate the hurt. It has to do with a project we're doing. A scavenger hunt across Chicago, in fact. We have to take pictures for geographical places in Chicago ("Insull's Throne" - Civic Opera House, "a bridge the Dark Knight traversed" - on Michigan Ave., etc.). Our group had been walking around downtown for about four hours, which is a lot of walking. We have to take ten pictures in total, and we had three left, all on the southside. I was two miles away from home (again, lots of walking) but I was willing to walk than to take public transportation. Could you say I'm lazy? Walking versus sitting on the train? Maybe not. The project stated that all members of the group have to be in 7 of the 10 photos. I had already fulfilled this requirement. We stopped at the Art Museum, and I said to everybody: "Hey, regardless of where we go, we'll have to take the public transportation. Since I'm within walking distance, I think I'm going to leave." And here we cue in the accusations of my classmate for being lazy, and followed by looks of condescension ("OH, Julie"). They were weird faces; I don't know how to describe them.

So today in class they told me to make the entire Powerpoint presentation. Um, great! Just 'cause I didn't go with them to take three pictures, I deserve to have a whole pile of work. I'm the one here with two AP classes. Self-centered-ness? Fine, I'll make up for my "laziness" and make the presentation. In the words of my classmate, "SO WHAT? It's not that much work anyways." But then they tell me that I have to be the one to take the presentation to the teacher early in the morning in class. Here's my injustice speaking, not my self-centered-ness. Of me, my classmate, and another one of my group members, the other two group members hardly contributed anything more than what they were required to do. Sure, I'm the one making the presentation, but all of us get to school late. So why do I, again, have to be the one who puts in more effort than the other two group members, and gets the same grade? How am I being self-centered if I'm putting more effort into this project than some of the other group members? Am I making a big deal? Sure, why not. But it's the same concept as having your Chemistry homework copied off by a classmate who has 101.3% in that class as number 1, while you rank number 4. It's such a great feeling.

Julie

In the Blur of Everything

2011-03-20T12:26:00.004-05:00

Long time no see. I've been hanging around my best buddies aka fanfiction, kdrama, and manga in the form of Strobe Edge and Naruto. But no matter how much I try to escape reality with these friends of mine, reality will come shaking and knocking and rattling. I'm seeing this in the form of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami (and its unstable nuclear plants), Rebecca Black's horriblehorrible song teaching us what comes before and after Friday, and my rejections to U of C's Collegiate Scholars Program and the Scholastics contest.

And to address my most pressing matter first...I had really put in a lot of effort for the CSP thing and had really thought that I had a good chance of at least getting an interview. But this turns out not to be the case. It kind of makes me think what went wrong sometime in my life. Why don't any of my teachers seem to like me? What is it that I lack? Last year I got rejected my UC's math program, mostly because Mr. Moran didn't like me. And before that, I got rejected from the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship thing. I don't understand what it is that I'm doing wrong.

Now my plans for summer are ruined. I wanted to do something fun, something new, something elsewhere. I guess CSP isn't any of that besides new, but I had really seen myself putting in the commitment to go to lectures regularly and knowing more than everyone else around me. I had high hopes built around CSP--I really did. Now I have to rely on my backup, solely being UC's math program. I didn't make any plans for other programs out-of-state; they cost a lot and would be a hassle to get there (round-trip plane tickets). UC keeps a record of you, and now that they've rejected me from the math program, how am I going to get in this year? Not to mention, my math teacher this year doesn't like me all too much either...

So I've been on a Naruto-binge since last night, when I got the rejection letter. Everybody else seems to know where they're going, what they're doing. And the saddest thing is, I'm sure that there was a good chance that my friend applying for CSP got an interview. So sure. And maybe this makes me a bad person, but what depresses me most is not me being rejected but my friend getting accepted.

As for fanfiction, well, Naruto has great fanfics. And TV Tropes. Ohemgeeeee. There's a horde of fanfics both on FF.net and LJ and it's overwhelming. But I think I'll be able to do it. Many are epic-length, and that's a bit intimidating given the fact that I procrastinate and will never get around to finishing those. But this summer I'm setting it a goal and hoping that I'll be able to fulfill it. Afterwards, I'm thinking of writing a Naruto fanfic, as well as starting on a story I have in mind. It's fantasy, and probably a bit weird, but I'm thinking of ways to make it work.

As for kdrama, I'm currently watching Dream High. After my Naruto-binge, I've gotten hung up again on Dream High (I started it, stopped for Naruto, and continuing it again). I'm on episode 14, and I haven't watched it in a few weeks, which is again my procrastination/laziness in the works (I only have two episodes left). But then again, I'm thinking about convincing my friends to go to La Push this summer with me, and I want to get them to do a piano-flute-violin trio. I think it's going to be really fun, except the problem will be finding ways to get my friends to take up the challenge...

Yesterday, I explored my old home, Sapporo, on Google Maps. I don't remember much, but I think it's changed greatly. I hate that I no longer feel the familiar twinge in the center of my chest (nostalgia) whenever I catch a whiff of autumn-winter or winter-spring breeze. I only feel empty longing now in place of painful nostalgia when I stare out the window, and the light and atmosphere of the afternoon feels like a lazy Sunday with my bike in Japan.

...In any case, I'll post again soon.

So It Happened

2011-02-02T14:21:00.002-06:00

Haha, the blizzard here just ended. I dunno how many inches, but the car by my house is pretty much entirely buried in snow. I would be eating ice cream at home like my AP Human Geography teacher, but there's no ice cream at home (just some cookie dough flavored ice cream from three years ago) and it's too cold to be eating ice cream. Everybody's so frazzled by the snow day; it's weird. In Japan, we regularly get around 2 feet of snow or more. It's a regular occurrence. :D

And I also realize that I haven't posted in a very long time. That's okay though, because I'm too wrapped in my life to do this anymore. So I'll just be posting occasionally if I have stuff to say. And which, I do, because I just started playing Club Penguin again! It cracks me up thinking about this because how can you expect someone this old like me to be playing a game made for little kids? I haven't been on that game in about 3 years, so my old account (plus my joint account with my friend) got deleted. -sigh- I had so much stuff on my old account. But going on again, it seems to me that a lot of things have changed. There are new games, and the old secret agency got destroyed and got replaced with a new one. Also, a lot of privileges are no longer available for all players. It's a little unfair. Club Penguin should learn when to draw the line. Now it seems that regular players barely are able to enjoy anything on the game, whereas the members get to do everything. Like they say, money can buy almost anything.

It annoys me because you can tell that almost all the players on CP are members now. And there are achievements now, and many of them regularly players can't get because they are member's only. In January, CP also opened a new "Wilderness Expedition" and nonmembers couldn't do anything much to participate in it! Games and costumes, as well as igloo decorating have all been limited. Nonmembers can't buy any clothes whatsoever (only backgrounds and colors) and they can't decorate their igloos anymore. Parts of games are now limited to members only. I still remember back in the day when I got full access to everything, and the divide of privileges in the game wasn't large. Sure, parents are paying for a bunch of pixels and in return, their children feel exclusivity, but I think that overall, CP can do a better job balancing privileges between nonmembers and members.

But my rant about the new Club Penguin aside, it's Chinese New Year's Eve! I looked up a calendar from when I was born, and now I know I was born on a Wednesday! And now I know my lunar birthday too. But it is that time of the year, so my family will be eating dumplings, giving out red envelopes, calling relatives, and watching the Chinese New Year's show online (since we don't have a Chinese channel).

Happy Snow Day!

New Year's

2011-01-01T00:00:00.003-06:00

So today that I am writing this, it is 1/9/11. But as I was posting my Isles of the Blest page, I saw my archives and they were grouped by year, and there were no uncollapsed posts for 2011. Which made me sad. So now I am posting this ridiculously late post for New Year's, scheduled to be posted eight days into the past. (The internet these days...)

So here you go: Happy New Year's.

But know that I hate the new year.
Always.

Love is a Song, Love is a Song, Love is a Song.

2010-10-18T21:51:00.002-05:00

Freshman city champ! :) 14:41, I think, with about 7:20 splits.
And...
I've been made an alternate for varsity, for regionals/sectionals/state (if we qualify). It totally surprised me, when we came to the "final" meeting to turn in our uniforms, turns out I'm still in season for two more weeks. Which is great, I mean, I'm happy that Geiger sees enough potential in me for me to be varsity next year, but I kinda made other plans. Like, you know, math team? Piano? (speaking of which, I have to accompany my friend who's playing flute for her exam which is in NOVEMBER.) And I have to design for the school directory, yearbook...

My new Yamaha U1 piano is coming next Saturday. :D

My new favorite song. Currently I love all U2-ish sounding songs. -squee-

YES!

Check this out here :
http://thesmartyowl.blogspot.com/2010/10/star-crossed-contest.html

I'm crossing my fingers.

And my toes.

My research for an awesome dSLR still continues.
But also on my list is the...
Sorry, lost that train of thought.
I think I might've meant to say that I still hae a Chem test to study for, and that I'm worried about how badly I failed my AP Human Geo quiz. Afterall, I did get 66.6 (devil's number, much?) on my last one. Haha.

-JY

Homework is going to kill me. And then my mom, if she finds a way to revive me.

2010-10-07T22:06:00.000-05:00

Alright, so, I friended some old acquaintances on Facebook for the wrong reasons.

Alright, that didn't sound right

I friended some old acquaintances on Facebook because I LURVE their pictures.

Nah.

I friended some old acquaintances on Facebook because I love their picture quality, and most importantly, I love their photo editting skills. And their photography skills. SKILLZZZ.

So now I'm telling my mom that I should really get a digital SLR camera.
Yush, I am doing my research. At the moment, I'm looking at the Nikon D3000, I guess, since I know it takes great pictures and its cheap. But I think I'll have to do more research on different lenses, ISO, exposure, and apeture, because I really want to figure out how to take those really cool photos at night with flash.

Well. I had an interesting title, but it evaporated.

2010-09-22T20:47:00.002-05:00

So I had a lot to say, except after doing 24 200m's, they kind of evaporated.
But this post is my attempt at remembering:

Recently, I was Facebook-stalking (haha. I wonder who's actually going to take me seriously when I say this) and I saw Jack Wanberg's photos with Annamalise. And it totally made me have an empathy-moment (I mean, honestly, it doesn't happen a lot, and why of all people, them?). But it happened so... I just felt so sad for them, because they were really good friends before, and had a good relationship after, and then I see their status'... SINGLE. I DUNNO!!! ;_; It just made me sad.

And my American lit. teacher is McCarthy... When I first saw his name, I went, "Hey..." There was this feeling, not of familiarity, but a cross between dejavu and I'm-pretty-sure-I-know-you-from-somewhere. Recently I realized what and why. It's because his name reminds me of McCarthyism! :D I had a major "OHHH!" moment when I realized. Which caused me to brain fart on my math problem.

Today after school, I was at my locker, and I saw a girl. YES, I SAW A GIRL. I won't name her, but she's a girl (YES, SHE'S A GIRL!), is a year older, is a fracky, is in my AP Chinese Lang.+Culture class, has awesome carving skills (my goshness, I saw photos on FB and she carved words out of pencil lead!), is good at percussion, has awesome baking skills too, and has awesome friends. Now, I'm not going to say anything about my current friends, I'm not implying anything either, but she has awesome friends. It just makes me wonder, if I had gone to Payton, would WY people still have tried to hang out with me some weekends? I dunno, movies, parties... And lastly, the reason why I say that she has awesome friends, is because ATM, I have a puppy crush--

Yes, a puppy crush and nothing more. I have to make this fact clear in black and white, because I just KNOW that confessing this is going to come back and bite me in the arse. But I just have to say this, for a personal record, because when I come back to this blog in ten years, I'll see it and laugh at myself. Now, I certainly do not want this fact out. This blog is public, but please try to keep this as private as possible. The only reason why I'm letting this out is because I trust you guys enough. I'm giving you guys the benefit of the doubt. I've read way too many cliche books about blogs SOMEHOW being found out. Not pretty.

--on ~~N.o.a.h. S.e.b.e.k.~~ Yes, because my socializing skills suck crap, so that's just it.

Third to lastly, for Alice's card, we should put, "You suck. But this game is too interesting."

Second to lastly, McCarthy's making us do a "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" blogpost, and I kinda (just kinda) want to draw a picture of a god with 26 hands (yes, because it has to be even, no?) blocking some sort of dam. That would be fun. But I don't think I can do it in one day. Sorry, I don't have enough time in my life to come home and just be able to finish homework and even do math team homework. -coughcough-

Finally, -whew, finally- I'm just going to drop off a little tiny fact:

I know why and how Sheila got mad at me for my controversial blogposts back in March. (You can look for them again, but sorry m'dears, I've saved them as drafts. :) )

-JY-

Pictures from trip

2010-09-11T17:12:00.001-05:00

I need a picture of me doing something over the summer for AP Human extra credit, and so I’ve uploaded the better pictures of me throughout the whole trip. You know, the ones where I don’t particularly look too stupid, like all the other ones. So, I’d like your top three, or top two (or maybe top one, which would make everything easier).

Knock yourself out.

View Full Album

-Julie

EDIT: I was a little bit curious, so I clicked on my blog stats. And now I feel stupid I didn’t click it earlier, when the a-hole stalker decided to drop by.

+ PRTSC 1
+ PRTSC 2

PS. I didn’t know I had dimples until I smiled really hard at myself in the mirror.

Babbles.: Me.

2010-09-07T21:54:00.000-05:00

Babbles.: Me.: "My name is Bob Jiayin Tang. I dislike writing essays and such because I sound stupid. Informal writings are good, and I like writing rando..."

'Tis my blogpost for my American Lit class.
Writing a blog is unusually, but seems pretty neat. :)

I'm not quite sure if I like it, but...
Maybe I'll be in a different mood tomorrow and decide that its ABSOLUTELY AWFULLLLL.

My mom finally downloaded the pics from the trip. :D So when I blog about Days 6-8, I can include pics!

Following is an email I sent about first day of school. I'm copy/pasting because I'm too lazy and I still have to do another AmeriLit hw. -sigh-

i finally got art, so i was excited about that
and i have lunch with a bunch of syd's guy friends
my american lit teacher is making us make a blog for class. its unusual, but i think its going to be fun
ap chinese we have a crowded classroom, and we actually have to turn in our summer hw (panic!)
for ap human our class is veryvery small, and the teacher isn't so bad. she's very straightforward, so i like that
i'm doing cross country now, which means for the season i cannot commit to anything but cross country :(
i still have to talk to math team coaches about practice (one which happens to be tomorrow)... bleh.

-Julie

Random Post.

2010-09-03T21:08:00.002-05:00

Trust me, I haven't forgotten about Days 6-8. I'm just really unmotivated and busy right now.

Shakugan no Shana is really good. I'm on the second season right now, and it has just the right mix of romance and action! And so because of SnS, my new favorite thing to say is Enpatsu Shakugan no Uchite (「炎髪灼眼の討ち手」Flame-haired Blazing-eyed Hunter, except not the "no Uchite" part).

Anyways, my point:

Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman.

It sounds really good, but I don't really like the horror twist to it.
I'm uber paranoid, and therefore doesn't go well with me. :(

-Julie

Baltimore, MD – Day 5

2010-08-14T14:46:00.000-05:00

Besides that lame ass comment from Anonymous who thinks I’m some bubbly idiot (great, I feel like I’m being stalked) and the frustrating email about Art I being full, my day was okay-ish. :)

Back in Baltimore, we visited Centennial HS, which is where my parents want me to go. I don’t really like it that much, prolly because I just don’t want to transfer. It’s all one floor and is really spread out, in the suburbs. But the ‘burbs in MD is a lot different because there are lots of hills and trees and very big houses. I keep telling them that if we ever have to move, I’m going to Choate Rosemary Hall. I don’t think that they think I’m serious, but I am. Eitherway, I’ll have to give up a lot, so I’d rather be in a good boarding school somewhere in CT than to live in the suburbs (something I would never want to do) and limit myself because the school itself doesn’t offer as much (compared to Choate and WY). Since my mom is indecisive, switching back and forth from moving to MD and staying here, I’m going to test for Choate anyway, and if I do get in with a scholarship and/or (are you allowed to have both?) financial aid, I’m going. For sure.

I think I’m going to limit the more personal info I’m putting in here. I didn’t think that my blog could be found so easily. Or I’m being stalked. Anyways, I’m gonna stop talking, since I’m afraid that Anonymous is stalking me and if I don’t get my details correct, then he/she is going to be a smart-aleck with me. –sigh- People these days. No manners at all.

I’m doing Days 3&4 later.

Smithfield, VA and Yorktown, VA - Days 3&4

2010-08-12T16:02:00.000-05:00

Day 3

We woke up and ate breakfast and left for Smithfield & Isle of Wights. We drove on Richmond Rd (where the hotel was on) to Jamestown Rd, where we drove to the end of it where Jamestown Scotland Ferry to Surry County was at. Fifteen minutes, very cool. B) This is bucket-list worthy, I think. The ferry was really part of Route 10, and we continued driving on it on land. There weren’t any streetlights (not that we needed any ATM); very rural and countryside-ish. There were plenty of what looked like “haunted houses”, battered and seemingly empty. Sadly, we were driving too fast and so I couldn’t take any pictures.

About an hour later, we arrived. There wasn’t much—just very old houses, a museum about Smithfield’s history, and a British telephone booth. (Maybe I’m just too paranoid…but that wasn’t all, fyi. Ahem.) [insert picture here.] One of the interesting things about Smithfield, I think, was that it's (apparently) internationally famous for their hams, and produce(d) good peanuts (something like that). And it being such a small town, it has a museum about itself, and surprisingly, they have tourists coming, like us. Our excuse was that it was a place to stop at after riding the ferry, and also on our way to Virginia Beach. But forget it, since I don’t know what my point is. Anyways, for lunch, we ate at Smithfield’s Gourmet Bakery and tasted their, so they say, famous ham. On our way out of town, we stopped at St. Luke’s church, because it’s an old gothic church (the only) still standing since the 1600’s.

(There are lots of streams and river and bays and lakes in the East, which means lots of veryvery longlong bridges.)

We passed through Portsmouth and its downtown, where there was a veryvery longlong tunnel. On to Virginia Beach!
It was very hot, but the water felt really good. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my swimsuit. I had to settle for just soaking my feet and shins in the water. WHEE. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. There were a couple guys that were trying to surf (keyword: TRYING) all while trying to hit on “hot girls” at the same time. On the way back to the car, one of them was at the water fountain (one where you can rinse off the sand off your legs and whatnot) with a bunch of girls. He was very cocky and, I guess, they would say, humorful. I was figuring out how to work the fountain and he joked with me. (It doesn’t sound right, but it’s when people tell you that you broke something when you can’t figure out how to work it, because they’re just messing with you.) The girls laughed. He asked me where I was from, and I said Chicago. The girls shut up. (HA!) “You like it there?” “Yeah.” “Better than this shithole, huh?” –shrugs- And as I was walking away, I couldn’t really hear what he was saying, but it sounded like he was making fun of the way I said Chicago and the girls were laughing. Screw him, because I don’t like his accent either. Yeesh.

Understand that in between the hotel, Smithfield, and VA Beach, we drove for about an hour and a half. So by the time we were done with VA Beach, it was time for dinner. We tried looking for a good seafood buffet, (everywhere we go, we look for a visitor center :D ) through all the visitor guides and dining guides and maps and coupon books and ads and whatnot. I found Yukai, which was a seafood buffet and a sushi buffet. (which I thought was nice, since the last time I ate all-you-can-eat sushi, Japanese-style, was in Japan. –teartear- memories.) But it was a typical Chinese-owned buffet that you see in Chicago often, so we went to eat at Captain George’s another seafood buffet right next door. We ate lots, and I was really full.

Heading for the hotel, we drove a different route from Smithfield (the shortest route). We passed through downtown Portsmouth and its really long tunnel, passed through another longlong tunnel, before driving onto a very longlong bridge.

Day 4

We woke up early, ate breakfast, then checked out. We headed to Yorktown Battlefield, the last in the Historic Triangle. But it was too early, so we went exploring through the fields. At some point, my parents thought I disappeared, since the trenches the soldiers dug ended pretty high, so they couldn’t see me. When the visitor center opened, we went in and watched a video and browsed through their exhibit. Since we’d already walked through the fields, we decided to take an driving tour around the whole battlefield. We saw the siege walls, trenches, encampments, etc. I can’t offer any other details, since, really, it was just an empty field. (At this point Anonymous would say, What were you expecting? Preserved tents and dead bodies?)

We saw a family of deer. :D The male was pretty young, since he barely had horns.

Lunch: ate in the car, before going home.

It was a stormy day with scattered T-storms, so when Dad was driving on the very left lane on the highway, we drove under a huge raincloud. Before the rain, the wind was really strong. We driving at about 70mph and the car was starting to swerve in its lane. It’s a Western car (Chrysler), so its heavier. If we’d driven a Toyota or something, then I dunno what would’ve happened (Asian cars are lighter to save gas). The windshield wipers were going very fast (the fastest) but the rain was pouring so heavily and fast that it was louder than mom talking in the backseat. It was like driving under a small waterfall. We couldn’t see anything in front of us but rain and grayish-ness, from the sky, the mist from the car tires, and the heavy rain on the road. The cars all had headlights turned on, but in the rain it was still so hard to see. Our car and many others started turning on the double-parking lights, so that the repeated flashing made it easier to see. It was easier to drive in our lane, since we could follow the yellow line on the left. We were all panicking, and (almost) everybody had dropped down to about 45-55 mph. Some people stopped on the side to wait for the rain to stop. It was really scary, and lasted for about 10 minutes, I think (since it felt longer, like 30 for me).

Instead of home, we went to H-Mart to buy groceries, and ended up eating dinner there. We ordered Korean dishes (I dunno the names, but I wished I wrote them down) but the one my dad ordered was really good. Prime ribs with veggies and rice on hot stone pot. P:

Home, and outside the car, I get seven mosquito bites in one minute. I also had a headache for about the entire day, so as soon as I layed down, I passd out.

Excited for NaNoWriMo and the double ARC giveaway. |D
Music: ROBYN. Dancehall Queen, yo.

Baltimore, MD and Williamsburg, VA – Days 1&2

2010-08-11T21:19:00.001-05:00

Day 1

So we got off at BWI (airport) from Columbus, OH, and it was awful. I felt like I was gonna puke. The pilot wasn’t as good as the first one, I guess, and also because I don’t think that after four years of not being on an airplane, two a day was not a good idea. But after going to the baggage claim and getting our bag, I sat down and felt a little better. My dad soon picked us up with a Chrysler PT Cruiser. Haha, I’ve never really ridden in a Western car before (except when carpooling). And, I gets to ride shotgun. |D On our way to my dad’s house I saw M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens, I think.

Over at my dad’s house, we got settled in, and then went shopping at H-Mart (in Chicago too), Asia Market, and Wal-Mart for stuff we’d need for our trip. I got a good look at Baltimore, and apparently, some weird mayor wanted Baltimore to be a city of townhouses. So pretty much all the houses are connected together and reallyreally squeezed together. Their all really narrow. And old. At some parts of the city there are foreclosed and really rundown townhouses. :(

For dinner we had lettuce, noodles, kimchi, sauced meat, and nato. :)

Day 2

Couldn’t sleep on the first night, as always. But the East is humid-hot. We headed toward to Williamsburg, VA, which took about 3-4 hours. We packed lots of goodies, since we’d be staying there for 3 days and 2 nights. There were lots of really weird road names like Good Luck Rd. and Paint Branch Pkwy. Closer to the destination I saw Opitz Rd., Dumfries Manassas, and Prince William Pkwy. (he also has a forest park named after him). The East also has lotsandlots of trees. Stick-straight and really tall, ones that I’ve never seen in Chicago. At some point (not sure, but prolly Annapolis) on the highway, I saw the obelisk Freedom monument or whatever it was again, and I saw the top of Capitol Building. Maybe we can stop by DC on the way back to Baltimore??? :D

(If you kill a a mosquito in your car that has just bitten your mom about 30 minutes ago, you can see all the dark red blood.)

We got a little backed at some point near where I saw the tips of DC on I-95, and so I just took some weird pictures. And when we went to get gas, I saw that their gas contains 10% ethanol, which I thought was pretty cool, because you don’t see that in the city (or at least, I’ve never).

Other weird cities include Tappahannock and Mechanicsville, along with a museum called Weems-Botts. Not making fun here, just a little bit of linguistics-slash-culture shock. :)

We arrived, checked into the hotel (Marriott’s Fairfield Inn) and headed over to Jamestown Historic Settlement. There wasn’t much, but I did learn that there were 104 settlers that came to VA in the 1600’s. We went on and took an island drive. It was veryvery hot, like 106 degrees hot. DX –dies- Living in a cold city like Chicago’s rubbed off on me, I guess. We crossed several bridges over marshland, and at some point we saw little tiny brown crabs crawling sideways. I told my mom to take a picture, but they were too small. :( Also, on the drive, we saw a speckled baby deer (cute!!! but we couldn’t get it on picture; it decided to camouflage behind some grassy leaves) and prolly its mother a mile or two away. We also saw bamboo, which my dad said was very strange and mysterious, because why would something so Zen and Asian be growing in VA? And we also went through this reallyreally long and dark tunnel. Veryvery cool. :)

Next, Colonial Williamsburg. It was basically just one street (the Duke of Gloucester) where we saw a mini marching bad playing fifes and drums for 15 minutes (really just hired people). And then there were lots of old houses. See, this trip to the Historic Triangle (Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown) would be interesting, except we’re not American. And you’re not getting anything out of me, because I have absolutely no patience for hot weather and old ruins and forts and houses and churches. Definitely not churches. We rode a shuttle bus around the place ($6, $2 per person) and we passed through houses with people dressed in colonial clothes. This is why they’re paid, because I would never wear all those layers and long clothes voluntarily. I sure pity them.

For dinner we went back and I got to taste beef-like tofu that we bought in Asia Market. I think after this, I wouldn’t want to go vegetarian/vegan. And we also had Korean instant ramen and other pickled veggies.

It’s the end of Day 3 that I’m blogging this, but I’ll do Day 3&4 tomorrow. :)

Happy summer.
_julie_ B-)

EDIT: Apparently, someone decided to give me some flames, which I don’t happen to appreciate, so I’m replying. You may like Williamsburg, but I didn’t, so don’t be such a critic about a friggin’ blog post about my experiences.

Colonial Williamsburg is just one street? Hmmmm.... I guess you weren't really there, or you would know that it is an entire restored CITY with 88 original buildings. How did you manage to miss that?
The Fife and Drum were "hired people." What did you expect? Retirees from the American Revolution? Ghosts?

I didn’t say is was just one street, I said basically. And how did I manage to miss it? I JUST DID. It’s fine if you just want to correct me on the details, but no need to be such a butt about it. Besides, I didn’t read the pamphlet.
Yesyesyes, I did expect ghosts. In fact, I expected zombies—dead colonists back from the grave. Just being Captain Obvious, you got a problem with that?
Why did you decide to be anonymous? What could I do? Stalk you just to tell you some very colorful words?

Columbus.

2010-08-09T10:25:00.001-05:00

Alright. Blogging here at Columbus. Sadly, to get cheap tickets, we have to stop here before going on our way to Baltimore. It’s interesting because mom and I had a mini-panic session when we couldn’t figure out the time. But luckily, this massage bar that’s right in front of me has a digital clock, so… (My mom thought Columbus was in Boston. Hello??? How can a city be inside another city?)

Anyways, once I get to Baltimore, I think I might be able to post again, and occasionally afterwards, until our return. Since coming back we don’t have to stop anywhere, I’ll have to wait until I get home. WHEE.

Getting on a plane was a little bit different, I’d have to say. I thought I’d be fine, but after we had taken off, my heart felt like I was on a roller coaster (‘Cause we kept dropping altitude and such). It was really cool after we had taken flight for about two minutes because suddenly you see downtown Chicago. Purdyyy. ;) And I was a little nervous about the landing. I’d bought a Newsweek while waiting for our flight and by the time the flight was over, the sweat off my fingers had stretched the paper. :P

11:39am here.
Currently listening to: Shut Up and Drive (off the 21 soundtrack)

-Julie

Twilight. And vacay.

2010-08-08T12:32:00.001-05:00

It’s amazing what goes on online. But eitherway, my mom’s been watching the Twilight Saga with Chinese subs (she actually finished the 3 yesterday night) and it scares me a little, frankly.

Anyways, I’m just saying that I’ll be leaving for Maryland Monday morning, and will be back the 16th. (Missing a day of Acky orientation, but whatever. And I will not be reachable through my cell, ‘cause I’m leaving it at home. So don’t text me.) It’s the first time I’ve been on a plane in 4 years (in which I went to New York and the East Coast). I used to go vacay a lot, but not anymore, sadly. I traveled all over Japan when I was there (and Australia and China), and in third grade I went to San Francisco and the West Coast, and in 4th, to New York and the East Coast. I’d like to go to Hawaii one day, and the Caribbean. And of course, Europe. And South Korea…

Thank goshness we’re taking the computer. But I don’t think I’d be able to surf, because there’s not always going to be WiFi (sigh, gonna miss my high-speed) and my mom’s very sensitive about using the computer off its battery. (She doesn’t like it, let’s just say. And telling her that I just want to surf is not going to be a good enough reason to use it.)

I hope I won Ace’s Up. No guarantees though. Sadly I can’t check because I’m leaving for Midway at 6am tomorrow. And I really want to enter in the next ARC giveaway too.

Lastly, I’ve officially given out Shadowed Summer. I guess I decided that it would be happier in someone else’s hands.

-Julie

7 Souls

2010-08-02T13:51:00.001-05:00

Alrighty. So I got the book in the mail today, by Barnabas Miller and Jordan Orlando. It’s an ARC copy, but the book went on sale July 13, 2010, so it’s not really an ARC, but oh well.

This is the cover of the book. (Ignore the background!) And it looks kinda creepy, with the face and hieroglyphics and stuff. I couldn’t see it clearly on RB.com, but now that I have it up close, it’s a little ugh-y (not necessarily in a bad way).

And this is the back of the book. I know you can’t see the words clearly, so here it is:

“Mary expected her seventeenth birthday to be a blowout to remember, courtesy of her best friends, fellow New York City prepsters Amy and Joon, and her doting boyfriend, Trick.

Instead, the day starts badly and gets worse. After waking up in a mortifying place with a massive, unexplainable hangover, Mary soon discovers that nobody at school is even aware that it’s her birthday. As evening approaches, paranoia sets in. Mary just can’t shake the feeling that someone is out to get her—and, as it turns out, she’s right. Before the night is over, she’s been killed in cold blood.

But murder is only the beginning of Mary’s ordeal. Her soul gets trapped in a strange limbo, and she must relive the day of her death through the eyes of seven people—each of whom, she finds, had plenty of reasons to hate her. As Mary explores the mysteries of her world, discovering secrets that were hidden in plain sight while she was alive, she clings desperately to the hope that she can solve her own murder, change the past, and—just maybe—save her own life.

With its blend of suspense, horror, fantasy, and realism, 7 Souls is an adrenaline rush of a thriller.”

It’s weird because I didn’t enter in the contest because I liked the book and whatnot, but because I just wanted to give myself a chance of winning. But now that I’ve read the summary about five times (too unsure whether I should start reading it or not) I’m a little intrigued. It’s been a while since I’ve liked this kind of dark stuff, so can’t wait!

RAWR.-Julie

Nice sunny day, isn’t it? Why yes, I quite enjoy the sparkle of my skin.

2010-08-01T22:12:00.001-05:00

Current obsession: Cayla Kluver’s Legacy. It’s amazing she’s seventeen (16 when she wrote the book) and I like the plot very much. :) (LOVE TRIANGLES FTW!)
Prologue for Legacy’s sequel, Allegiance. And after that would be Redemption, but that’s a long time later. Which brings me to Eldunari, which is the supposed title for the last book in the Inheritance series! I guess I can add that to my wishlist, along with Allegiance when it comes out. :D

(I’ve noticed I’m not as hyper as usual nowadays. You know, excessive usage of emotes, parentheses, and caps lock. I think someone stole my jazz. D:< aka my GRRR face. Guesses are welcome. ‘Cause my blog would very much like comments. They warm my heart. :) At least, as warm as it can get, because we all know that my heart doesn’t warm easily.)

Anyways, onto the real topic, VAMPIRES! YAY.

So, today I went to see Eclipse. I felt a little weird admitting it to people, because you say, “Oh, I’m going to see Eclipse today” or “Oh, I wanna go see Eclipse sometime” and it just makes people go LOL. (At least, on FB chat. But who knows what their real reaction is? Something like a sarcastic “uh huh” with an eyebrow raise.) Plus when you say Twilight Saga, everybody thinks the whole cheesy vampire chick-flick that started the whole vampire-and-other-related-mystical-creatures-and-kingdoms-and-whatnot trend (or fad). And the sparkly skin under the sun. Because if you do think about it, sure, reading the Twilight Saga does (for most girls) induce some sort of giddy fangirl-ness. It doesn’t for me, but I don’t hate it. But when you really think about it, and you really listen to what those with opinionated minds say, the Saga is just basically an inner fantasy of a very lucky author and excessive usage of big words. But otherwise, Bella is hard to relate to, or maybe not relate-able at all. (Oh dear. Here I can go on about how unfair it is that somehow all the heroines in books are pretty. Now what happened to the fairytale ending for the ordinary and very plain-looking girl?) But, (finally onto my real point here) I saw Eclipse today (redundant, much?) and it still made me smile (really wide so you can see all my braces) regardless of everything. Because I just happen to LURVE love triangles. Sigh.

And, speaking of how Twilight is an inner fantasy, it’s “an inner fantasy of a very lucky author and excessive usage of big words”, quoting my earlier words, completely incomparable to Sunshine. It was reallyreallyreally good. :) Although, I don’t think I did it much justice, because there was too much “world-building” going on (and in my mind I kept wondering, DO THEY REALLY?) that I was a little impatient for the end. I doubt you would have any self-control to not read the spoilers, but this wonderful review sums up everything nicely. I’m prolly slacking, but I couldn’t have said it any better, not to mention I didn’t even view the book as deeply as the reviewer did. Anyways, I loved it.

I found this too, and it seems a little interesting. Although Robin McKinley should tell us what the recipes are.

Lastly, you likey my new theme? + Here.

-Julie

Emergency Post

2010-07-25T21:55:00.001-05:00

I’m freaking about. Seriously.

silverado writes: In regard to the recent anti-piracy activities in the film, music and manga industry I've decided to write this post as a warning to all website owners who are currently hosting scanlations or fansubs to think twice about a take down request!

The publishers made their move and it's now up the community and admins to make ours. Despite many rumors and confusion there is one thing we can tell for sure: Going to court is the worst of all possible scenarios!

If the scanlation community wants to survive and maintain the freedom they are enjoying now, it is of utmost importance that all US online manga viewing sites comply with the publisher's take down requests. Because it takes only one loss in court to create a leading case to make scanlations officially and forever illegal. For the first time in history is the creation and hosting of scanlations threatened. Do you remember Morpheus P2P or Kazaa? Winny or ShareEX2? File sharing was tolerated until it grew too big to be neglected by the industry. This is the same. If this case gets through, there will be no gray-zone, no tolerance, no tolerated hosting anymore! A loss in court will result in a wide spread trickle-down effect on all US webhosting providers. Scanlations will be seen as cancer that has to be cut out and pursued. Hosting scanlations, even unlicensed material will be classified as illegal software. Webhosting accounts will be banned, IPs might be given out to find the uploader. This is all a real threat and it pains me to say that this is legally possible and a very probable scenario. So if you all want to continue reading scanlations from your favorite group, stop whining about it and start supporting your admin's decision to take down licensed series! We all are carrying the moral responsibility to set the legal environment for future scanlations! So support your admins decisions to take down manga! As for the admins, think twice before you don't comply to a take down notice. The best solution for the scanlation community and the corporation is to cooperate exist next to each other. Don't force them to use legal weapons of mass destruction. It's a lose-lose situation for all of us.

"He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious." - Sun Tzu

silverado

I’ve gotten the warning message on OneManga, and today, when I finally came back to MU to check up on my updates and read La Corda D’Oro, it was gone. Licensed. This whole thing, honestly, is scary. I haven’t been in the community long enough to know what reading manga “underground” means or how to use an IRC site, but the whole thing’s just sad. If this goes to court, of course the publishers will win. I personally think that the publishers really have no right to bring this to court, because those who bought the raws bought the copyright, and all editting and translating and whatnot are from the actual scanlating groups themselves. The scanlating groups are like non-profit groups, and while the publishers are 100% legal and do for profit, I don’t see how scanlating is could become illegal if brought into court. Obviously, I don’t know publishers on which side—the home country or publishers like Viz? And if it were the publishers of the home country, then I have no idea what kind of rights they hold in this. But it could be both, so…

I agree with the idea that you reap what you sow.

Scanlations just became TOO visible through all those online readers. They're reaping what they sew.
If scanlations are just made IRC only, no one'll notice they'll still be around; and the people that have half a brain will still get to read their manga.

We’re getting used to the luxury of having (almost) all our manga in one place. I’m getting used to it. It’s a luxury that we all enjoy. And I think that if we had at least tried to sacrifice this, to not be too lazy, then we’d probably not be having this issue right now.

On a little brighter side (I mean, this is issue is the absolute LEAST of my worries) I don’t think MU has anything to do with it. MU only provides an online database on all published manga (how is this illegal? in fact, I think this is reallyreally smart) and allows manga readers to keep track of their manga. Though the latter does work hand-in-hand with scanlating groups, MU is really not muddling in any murky legal waters.

But perhaps I’m just being naive. I don’t know much of this legal stuff, besides what I gather from common sense (that some don’t even have—this can lead to a very long, and different topic I can go on forever about: how I absolutely hate how all people in this world think about is money, money, money. Greedy bastards.)

Sometimes I know that things are going to turn out okay. Because they always do for me (at least, between my mom and me). But I have to remind myself that this is the real world, where people are really greedy and care nothing about the general happiness of the public, where people work to get a salary and not because they like their job, where as long as people have good lawyers and take this case to court (especially against such an unofficial and unorganized community), they’ll win the case. Because in this world, as long as people have money, they’ll do anything to get more money (and also because they just can). They’ll lose all their morals, if that’s what it takes.

Anyways, I’m ranting now, and being a little harsh. Obviously, there are going to be exceptions in all my cases. But there are so many horribly, caustic people that I can’t help but overlook these mere exceptions.

I’m leaving you something to think about, at least, whether you agree or not.

-Julie.

Stairway to Heaven

2010-07-24T20:57:00.001-05:00

Stairway to Heaven is a Korean drama I remember watching with my grandma back when I was in fourth grade. I’d been really curious about it for a long time (because I remembered the basic plot details, including the end, and it was such a tear jerker) but I didn’t know the name. I googled it for a while, gave up, and googled “Good Korean Dramas”. And finally, after reading some of the answers, I found it!

Stairway to Heaven

It’s absolutely sad. Wikipedia completely spoils the whole plotline, but the Korean names are confusing and even if you do know what’s going to happen, it’s nothing compared to the actual thing when you watch it. I’m planning to rewatch it, but it was so absolutely sad that I don’t really want to. :(

Anyways, just something I really wanted to say.
My book reviews are coming soon—I finally got Shadowed Summers!

Yeah, I hate the cover. But more in the review. :)

BOOK HAVEN. :D

2010-07-17T19:28:00.001-05:00

Lala-land for books. Yush.
Introducing, Random Buzzers! + link :) Click, and trust me, you will love it.
So, onto that, I have won the ARC for Shadowed Summers. WHEEE. Once I read it, I’ll review it, I guess. :) Hold me to that.

And, a banner!

with the original:

ANDDDD…
It’s for Firelight by Sophie Jordan! (which I found out on Random Buzzers)

A CONTEST!!!

ANOTHER UNOFFICIAL POST! :)

2010-07-05T17:30:00.007-05:00

This post, I'd say, is actually meaningful, for once. Today, you, along with me, will explore embedding mp3 players into a blog post. Yay! It is a simple matter of HTML codes, which I copied off the Web. The only codes I write involve Logo, which is no use unless you want to draw pretty shapes and tessellations with the Turtle. :) (I do know some simple HTML, but that's about it.) So please, don't feign innocence and ask why not. Besides, you'd be rubbing it in, since mom's not letting me go to UC this summer, and if she did, I would've been able to learn Javascript! ARGH.

Anyways, what we're also doing this time is playing a guessing game! WHEE. I've been training my ear to be sharper, unconsciously or consciously, and I like to pick out the little tiny sections of a song and separate them. Like a melody always has a harmony, a pop song has a lot going on in the background, except you just don't notice because everyone listens to the melody. I've gone ahead and picked out sections of songs I like (mostly because the electric guitar sounds so KEWL).

First link

Sadly this allows a download, but I couldn't find any other good ones that worked. -sigh.
I don't think you would've preferred it to this:

which has no volume controls and has branding. GAH. Not that you could do much with a download of a 23 second section of a song, so we go rolling along!
Also, if you are true, loyal fan, then you should know #1.

Second link

This one's a bit harder, but... If you'd been to Yahoo! recently you should prolly know. :D

Third link
Fourth link

These two are the hardest. But man, they are really cool. :)

Lastly, two more:

Fifth link part 1
Fifth link part 2

All from the same song. Not very well known, but if you go for something Disney-related, you just might be able to get it.

If I get some comments, I can start working on another Guessing Game, and maybe, just maybe, I'll include answers from this game.
How 'bout that, yush?

^______^

FUMES. >:P (another unofficial post)

2010-07-04T20:18:00.001-05:00

I can’t do a “grrr” emote, so sad.

Happy Independence Day, people!

Anyways, to the point—I was wondering what was going on with Kiniro no Corda, since the latest chapter came out about 12.7 weeks ago (about 2 months) and it was from the February issue of LaLa! BLASPHEMY! >:U And so I went to check out Kaito Zero, the scanlating group, and no notices from them. SLOWPOKES. And then I check out their translator’s blog page, and chapter 64’s already been translated, since MARCH. Even more reason to be frustrated, I’d say. Then I go on Mangafox, and guess what? It’s been LICENSED! Great! I’m sure it’s bad business for Viz, but it publishes sooooo slooooooow. Besides, people do end up buying really yummy mangas like La Corda. I just don’t because my mom is a Hater. D:

Soooo, luckily, the forum’s still up, and I check out the spoiler scans for chapter 67. (OMGNESS) Screw my Chinese, and screw traditional. (Since getting my mom to read it for me is NOT an option.) But I did manage to get the overall meaning of the chapter and it just really makes me want more. NAO. Sometimes I tell myself I’ll come back in a year, and then most of my serials would be completed by then. But then I quickly tell myself that, like TDA, I’d lose an insight as to what’s going on, and miss out on a lot of new series. So no.

But maybe 3 months. :)

BORED. :O

2010-06-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

Mkay, so read some good books today. :) I’m adding the “Recently Read Books” widget. Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Yush. :D I’ve been reading so much fantasy recently, and I’ve simply no patience for the classics that I promised myself I’d read (or reread, in some cases). But I guess fantasy is just so much easier to immerse myself into and allow myself to be swept into. Besides, the books in YouMedia are so neeew and some of them look realllly cool (I’m sorry I judge books by their cover, but it’s a habit I can’t overcome).

And Live Writer is so kewl. Yesterday was the 27th and the previous post was posted the 20th (which was when I drafted it). >:D Today’s the 28th, but I think this should go as the 25th, haha.

I was so bored recently that I decided to learn (or more accurately, sight-read) some more pop songs. Well, in this case, I was going for more Yiruma-like songs (and prolly other Asian songs, because they sound pretty and have really nice cadences, like Gackt). I found some good ones, so for now, I’ve got something new to work on. I have to admit, I do feel a bit bad. I already have a couple songs that are currently in progress (like La Campanella and Un Sospiro by Liszt [La Campanella is not by Paganini, idiots! Paganini composes for violin, not pianists! IT WAS A COLLABORATION!], Yiruma’s Kiss the Rain, Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, and Pachelbel’s Canon arranged for piano solo…)

Lastly, I forgot to say that I cut my hair. :D So once I take a good picture I’ll post it, along with my other pair of purple glasses that no one’s yet seen/recognized. (For some reason I’m really sensitive to when a person gets new glasses. People look totally different, and that’s why you really have to choose glasses that look good on you. The way they frame your face prolly makes a subtle difference, but its enough to make you look different.)

>(^___^)>

I’m Not Poor -_-''

2010-06-20T22:24:00.001-05:00

(BTW, I changed my theme again. Best seen with full screen. +mah old theme Thank goshness I didn’t reload my theme for Writer. –phew.)

As the title suggests, I feel bad because I asked for financial aid for camp. I don’t think I should really make it such a big deal, because my dad is in Maryland and things are a little tough right now. But my dignity, I guess, is just too big for me to swallow ATM. –sigh. What I’m trying to say is that sometimes when people somehow find out that you are in need of financial assistance or that you applied for aid, there’s that goddammmmm (< hehe) pity. And/or the look in their eyes that says, “I’m sorry. I should help you/give you special attention because you are needier than me.” And/or they patronize you because you are needier than them, so they think they can bully you (indirectly or directly, through small or big ways—this is a touchy subject, but I do feel that in some ways or another I have been bullied/patronized [usually because of race—I mean face it, there is still a lot of racism]). ANYWAYS, my point being that I’m a little uncomfortable about the fact that I asked for financial aid. (Then again, I don’t think I would’ve been able to escape stupid FRESHMAN CONNECTION if I hadn’t.)

Anyway, onto lighter subjects. I was watching TNT the other day, and the Rescue Me commercial came on with Alicia Keys singing her “Concrete jungle where dreams are made of/ there’s nothing you can’t do/ now you’re in New York/ these streets will make you feel brand new/ the lights will inspire you” part from Empire State of Mind and I decided that I was gonna try to look for a version with her just solo. I mean, seriously, I just don’t sing rap. (I love the when her voice gets a little scratchy on the higher notes.)
And another thing about Empire State of Mind—a ton of people on Youtube were like, “Hey, high-five if you’re from New York! :)” I mean, I’m sure in the suburbs and the rural areas, NY has very pretty lights. I mean, the chorus (and pretty much every other lyric in her solo version) suggest that it’s New York CITY. Don’t be so conceited guys, I understand, we all want to live in places like NYC and Chicago, yes? :D Yes, I’m being a bit mean about this, but whatever. Just playing. (Don’t get me wrong [like last time].)

On the topic of music, I realized that I love going through my iTunes library with my mom. I remember going through my JRock songs (by アリス九號。—it was really fun asking VoiceOver to say it. HAHA. XD ) and she asked me, “What kind of music are you listening to?” Then we listened to David Archuleta sing Crush + Touch My Hand + A Little Too Not Over You and I get, “Who is this? Why’s his voice so quiet?” I cracked up. :)

Lastly, I’m working on CHAPTER 1 (if you don’t remember, you can read it via Google Docs, and please, no copy/pasting to others) as Sheila spontaneously emailed me this week to tell me to finish. I suddenly now have a couple other ideas floating through my head (they are going to evaporate soon) and it’s so funny the times creativity decides to tap me on the forehead. Because I’m obviously not that hot and lazy to write them down.

Gonna blog sometime later.

Listening to: my iTunes library (or more specifically, my “awesome songs” playlist :) )

--fades out.

Oolala.

2010-06-16T17:51:00.001-05:00

I gots a new theme! ^_____^

I prolly might change it once in a while, because there are lots of cool combos and I wanna see them all. But maybe this one will grow on me (or maybe my old one has grown on me) so who knows?

Random post, so here’s a pic of me during/after graduation:

And another random pic:

Keep rocking, peeps!
And also, please, NO STEALING THIS PIC.
I swear, I can give a very long lecture about how immoral it is to rip others’ graphics, (seriously) coming from an amateur graphics maker.