When did you fly so far away.........

So now I know what I've missed, not having watched nearly two full seasons of Friends. It's one of those shows that can make you laugh, cry, and smile all in one episode. I seriously nearly choked on my spit from trying to sneeze and laugh at the same time. Greatest feeling ever. It's a good thing my last AP of the week is next thursday, so I won't have to miss it. Party anyone?

I've never had a teacher like Ms. Beck. And I dont mean that in a negative way at all. There's very few teachers these days in high school that go the extra stretch to encourage their students to try and work harder because they see potential in them. I've never had a teacher call me for the sake of calling me and telling me I could really accomplish something. Given...it's pretty weird when your teacher calls your house. It almost makes me feel bad that I haven't worked harder. Ms. Beck called tonight just to make sure I'd be making time to get to some tutorials for Cal, not to make my life more miserable, but as she put it "had faith" in me to do well on the AP. To be honest, I'd pretty much given up on doing well. The past couple months have been a deterioration of any study habits I've acquired and it's funny how she called me to tell me that just at the right time. I guess every teacher has their way of showing that they care.

A lot of the time, I find that my faith in God is like that. One moment, everything will be great, and my relationship with Him is good. I learn a lot and I understand and hear all the things that He has to teach me. Then I reach some obstacle in my faith that causes me to feel burdened or I simply don't feel like doing what God has planned for me. And when it seems like everything can't be helped, I get that phone call from God telling me that He is with me through everything. If I place my trust and faith in him, there is nothing that cannot be conquered. God's timing is perfect, and he'll rescue you at exactly the right moment. We will fail God, but God will never fail us.

Anyhoo, I was reading Jesse's blog when I came across a little something jack, jess, and I wrote for zander a while back.
So if you've never been to a dance, you need some tips on what you're suppose to do at the dance, and you're a guy. This is for you.

prom tips for guys

stronger than yesterday......

There's this new show on fob tv. (they have mini series) It's called the Golden Hope or something asiany like that. Anyhow, this guy from Hong kong goes to Austrailia for a gem exhibit, cuz his family owns some sort of fancy rock shop. He meets his co-worker down under and discover that he's having a lot of issues. In fact, he discovers that his co-worker is gay and is figuring out how to break it to his girlfriend that he wants to break up with her for another guy. Well his co-worker, named Julian, has this aunt that really likes his gf Rachel. When Rachel shows up in Austrailia from Hong Kong, Julian's aunt says that this random guy named Kim who randomly shows up at Julian's house is actually Ivan's (the guy with the gen exhibit) boyfriend. But Kim was actually Julians new boyfriend. So then Rachel thinks it's Ivan who's gay and not her own boyfriend. Rachel agrees to give Ivan a tour around Austrailia and in the process Ivan recues her from some thieves. Then when Julian breaks up with Rachel...she's shocked and goes into some gem mine...and Ivan goes to rescue her. Then they sorta get the jones for each other and due to circmstance Ivan has to go back to hk. Then back in hk Ivan gets arrested and Rachel ends up being the lawyer who is oppsing him. Sounds interesting...i might just watch this show.

TAKs rocks. and i have nothing else to say.

Hovering above the ground.......

I started watching the Rockets vs. Lakers game after halftime....then I started getting really drowsy and took a nap in my room. A little time passed (I dont even remember really falling asleep), and I hear a LOUD racket outside my doors in the game room. As I rose to conciousness, I realized that the noise was my father and sister shouting at the television screen. So being the lazy butt that I was feeling, i tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail. Finally, after an eternity, I rolled myself out of bed and into the presence of the idiot box and my family. I thought the game was pretty intense, although I think the doubts that many people had in the Rockets truly jinxed them. Tis a sad sad thing. How disappointing to lose after such a game! I cant imagine watching basketball games all the time. If I did that...I think I'd be dead by age 30 from a heart attack. Thank goodness the Olympics are every two years....or I'd have some serious issues. I can feel my heart rate increase at the approach of the 2004 summer games in Athens! I think they begin August 17th. =)

I've been telling myself to study for the past 2 hours. It's funny thinking back a few years when I use to be hard-working. I can't believe how hard i use to study....and the only thing that's changed is I'm a senior. What a big difference that word can do to you. I came across the blog Jesse, Jack, and I use to have....and i saw the entry that I wrote a mock senior reflection/column for Jess (exactly a year before today). The things I wrote about on that reflection are things that I'm feeling right now about my senior year... looking back at the past 18 years of my life. Maybe I'll post it some time. I was talking to Jesse a few days ago, and she told me to go and read it. I'm guessing she asked me to write that last year so that I could look back on that column and be totally shocked. I am really shocked, and I cant believe I survived another year of high school....afterall, I was ready to be out last year at this time. It's a curious thing wondering what I'll be thinking exactly a year from today. Remember to ask me this day next year. (maybe I'll give you a prize) I'm thinking maybe I'll be so sick of Juice by this time next year that I'll have moved out of our dorm and into my tent, pitched in the middle of the hallway...teehee..but that will never happen *knock on wood* Please assure me that the rooming with your good friend and hating them myth isn't true!

now that I've written way too much, and wasted way to much of your time..... I shall go and study for those wutchamacalits that i'll be taking in a little over a week. BUT PTL for TAKS!! =D

as we go on we remember all the times we've had together.....

So I got several emails from an old friend about a drama festival he went to. It sounded unbelievably exciting. The festival had all sorts of workshops for both techies and thespians. There was one about massive sophisticated lighting. Another workshop taught how to choreograph sword fight scenes. The exciting part about the emails was just the fact that his thespian group did awesome at the festival and got some pretty amazing marks. I really miss stage production and all the craziness and stress that went with it. I also remember how heartbroken I was when I found out I hadn't made the musical. Being rejected from something I felt so passionate about was pretty heart wrenching. Looking back on those times, I remember why I hadn't been casted. I also remembered why I hesitated to be a thespian again after that experience. Although I stopped acting for awhile, God sorta brought drama back into my life. I remember the Christmas production two years back. It was so much fun, and it was a really great experience for me. I loved acting with the cast and how exciting it was to be able to tell the story of Jesus through drama. Being a part of this play wasn't like the other ones I'd been casted in. Acting for the Lord didn't bring glory to myself, and that was the best part. All was done for the glory of God.

That is the most rewarding thing about being on drama team. It's exciting to be a vessel for the Lord, to glorify Him by using the talents he's given us, and letting the spirit that stirs in us to touch the hearts of others. I've explored a lot of activities in my life, and there's never been one thing that I've really excelled at. But I've always loved to act, and that's something I can carry with me for the rest of my life. Drama is an act of worship for God. And like I always tell the little kids, worship means showing God how much we love him. What's your act of worship?

His promise will endure forever.....

Looking at all the answered prayers in my life, I cant be more certain that God is faithful to fulfill his perfect plan.
It's a curious thing wondering how all these pieces of the puzzle will come together.

So the officer apps for sfc were due today ...or well officially tomorrow. But I've received two apps and two people have said they plan to submit one. It's pretty exciting, cuz 75% of the applicants aren't chinese. Not to say I dont love chinese people, but I'd really love to see students for Christ diversify, and I guess having a group of officers who are African American, Indian, Caucasian, and Chinese is a nice leap in that direction. God's really blessed sfc this year, not just with members, but with an overall pretty committed, caring group of officers, and people who've prayed for us. Seeing how the club has grown this year is pretty awesome. I really pray for God's continual provision for the club and the growth of the Christian community at Clements. It reminds me of the little kid song they sing in the nursery, "people need the Lord." Yes, people do need the Lord, and it's just great to have a place where Christians can encourage and fellowship with one another in a secular world. I've read some of the apps and they all seem to have a pretty similar vision-- to see SFC grow and to reach others for Christ. I'm excited to see how God uses next years officers and how His plan will unfold to impact Clements. Please keep students for Christ and the future officers of the club in your prayers. Thanks!

modern day cinderella.....

Family Matters is a great show. I was watching it yesterday and the entire episode promoted such good morals. They talked about obeying your parents, responsibility, trust, and clean relationships. Not only do they advocate positive conduct, but there's a lot of humor, and there's a lot of things about the show that make it very entertaining. Now I remember why television use to be worth watching. Then I decided to give One Tree Hill another chance. There were very few positive things about that show. It's gotten a bit over dramatic and some of the issues they promote, I dont quite fancy. I have to say that many of the actors are better than some of the other shows out there....but when I watch that show, it makes me so disappointed to see what our society has become...and to witness some of the things we now tolerate so much more. It's funny how so many shows today are very alike. They make them so simliar because it's what people like to watch. Not to say all shows are bad, because there are some good shows out there I'm sure (take PBS for example), but it's still sad thinking 10 years ago, everything was a comedy...now everything is drama....and conflict.

anyhoo...got this from an old friend's profile....hehe

advice for women:
1. Don't imagine you can change a man- unless he's in diapers.
2. What do you do if your bf walks out? Shut the door.
3. Go for younger men. You might as well-they never mature anyway.
4. Def. of a bachelor: a man who has missed the chance to make some woman miserable.
5. Never let your man's mind wander- it's too little to be out alone.
6. If he asks you what sort of books you're interested in, tell him checkbooks.
7. Best way to get a man to do something, is to suggest he's too old for it.
8. Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.
9. If you want a committed man, look in a mental hospital.
10. Sadly, all men are created equal.

no such thing as coincidence and luck......

That was probably the longest blog fast I've had for a while.
So...this is the last six weeks we've all been waiting for!!!!!! It's weird...I've never really thought about the termination of high school. Actually, I was sorta thinking high school would last forever. I thought this vicious cycle of school work, Clements, SATs, grades, TAKS, drama, and stress....would never end. And perhaps...some things on that list never will....but being spat out of high school will definitely be a step up...a refreshing one for that matter. So much to look forward to, yet at the same time, so much to want to hold on to.....not to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my high school experience, but there are many good things about it that I will forever cheerish.

Currently, I am eating these dehydrated vegetable calcium carbonate japanese seaweed crackers. They are really good.

Oh right... i do have something to update about...Districts! It was fun. I ran poorly, but that's kool. It was a great end to seven years of hurdling. DUDE we got to run at the new HALL stadium at Hightower. Man...that stadium rocks. Although, the artificial grass in the center is a tad on the wacky side, the track is SUPER AWESOME.....however it's condition could not ever in a million years surpass the wonderous quality of the BRAND NEW CLEMENTS TRACK...that has yet to be painted. I'll miss track a whole TON. I believe next year around this time, I will have a void in my life for the lack of vigorous running activity. I suppose that could all be corrected. As of now, I will resume my sidewalk/grass/ at the park running activities until it's too hot to run. Then when it gets too hot, the pool will be open. I've lived in this neighborhood 2 going on 3 years...and i've only been swimming in the community pool twice. This year...that will all change. I'm going to make the best use of my association fee! Okay....time to go watch my sisters teddy bear puppet show.

An Appreciation of Happiness

Here’s one definition of happiness:
Happiness is…going to sleep at peace with your self and the world.
Having a new book, whether borrowed from the library or bought.
Picking up autumn leaves to admire their beauty.
Being at home with the lights on just at twilight.
Bundling up against the winter’s cold to take a refreshing walk.
The slow, silent fall of soft, white snow.
Reflecting on the past, enjoying the present, anticipating the future.
How would you define happiness? It has been said that, “we carry the seed of happiness within our own minds.” Nurture that seed today and each and every day.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy are those who find wisdom. (Proverbs 3:13)
Teach us wisdom, root of happiness, Holy Spirit

out to get me....

My family and some friends went out to eat crawfish today. We ate a total of 45lbs of crawfish. I guess that's not that much considering we had 15 people and crawfish are only *yay* big. It was very tasty indeed....nice and spicy. Oh, and then we ate vietnamese sandwiches.....man the bbq pork and the special kind are really good. They're cheaper than american subs and personally, I think they taste a whole lot better. So if you're ever in the mood for a viet sub, gimme a ring and I'll be there in a jiffy.

I've been reading Wuthering Heights most of today, and I really like the book. I dig the whole victorian goth genre. The story was a little confusing in the beginning, but it's meant to be that way. Once I sorta got into it, the whole plot was rather interesting and enjoyable. I bought the book 3 summers ago because when I was 11 I went to visit my elementary school best friend in Cali and we played charades and the book she chose was Wuthering Heights. She's this really scholarly genius and for the most part, I always trust her literature judgment. So anyhow, I'd planned to read the book that summer, only to realize that I'd be reading it senior year. So then i decided to put it off till then. After 3 years of having the novel in my possession, I'm finally reading it. I must say that there is an imp of regret not having read it earlier so instead of frantically attempting the impossible (reading 265 pages in one day), I could have just worked on 45 insane questions. But the impossible I shall try to achieve. I'm finally halfway through the novel....so that means with 24 hrs left to go I can finish the book and do all the questions. It's never too late to start getting ambitious.....

Whats does your personality rate from 1-10? by morning_prayer
Your first full name
Your personality rates a	11
your best quality is	your music taste rules
your worst quality is	youre too sweet
this is because	Of the people you hang around
Created with quill18's MemeGen 3.0!

I got this off of jhgpy's blog...it totally reminds me of something someone could have written for Spradley's satire pamphlet....It's absurdly funny....so brace yourself (well i know all the females out there will be laughing...and guys...never reject some good advice =P) I only posted a few...the ones I thought were the funniest.

Prom Tips (for guys)
7. What to wear?
You must look formal. Not semi-formal, but full formal. You need some sleek shirt, and nice formal pants. Black pants require black shoes. You can wear the jacket if you want. But if you accessorize with a cane and hat, you've gone too far. For males, dressing formally is quite simple. This is because we all lack any sort of fashion sense. The key is to look almost exactly like every other guy that you see at the prom. That way, your date may discard and replace you at any time she feels the urge. Nobody will be able to tell the difference. However, that does not excuse you from forgetting about hygiene. Brush your teeth, clean your ears, shave, and please, take a shower.
8. Dinner
Let her pick the dinner location if she requests it. If she does not request or suggest anything, it is assumed that you are selecting the site. First of all, do not go to any restaurant whose name includes the word "buffet". Prom dinner is not an eating contest. Think classy. Class above satisfaction. Do not go to a place that shows you your meat alive before you eat it. Unless it's aquatic. If you are selecting which cow to slaughter, you're in the wrong place. Also, anywhere that has drive-thru is a no-no. Your prom dinner must not be eaten while driving. Do not order anything that comes with fries or onion rings. Try to go somewhere that you can leave from without any food stains. Do not eat with your hands. This may only be done in extreme situations, or if she is in the bathroom. Taking home leftovers is not a mark of shame. Do not stuff yourself too much. She does not want to dance with a bloated pig. Unless she insists otherwise, you will pay for the dinner. Don't pay with all coins, and tip the waiter, unless he was hitting on your date.
9. The dance
Obviously, you are expected to dance at the dance. You can't just stand there doing nothing. She is not a stripper and you are not her pole. If you don't know how to dance, try anyways. Slow dancing is simple. The two of you basically sway together, usually creating a circle or oval on the dance floor. For the music of a faster pace, you're usually on your own. If you have no moves, follow these simple dancing procedures: start with feet about shoulder's width apart, continually bend and unbend knees slightly, have arms in a relaxed fighting stance, let body and arms bounce with the bending of the knees, move feet every few seconds, move arms and head with the music. If nothing else, she'll laugh and think you're cute.

pulse check......

Long time no update, for me at least....=P

well I guess I'll begin with Good Friday service/ 30hr famine.
Our awesome skit team spent hours preparing for the skit, and I heard many positive things about it. I'm definitely proud of how far the team has come, and it's a great experience worshiping God through drama and being able to serve him by using our gifts. It's also humbling to think that through this act of worship we are learning that our service is NOT TO US and all for Him. There was a lot of reflection on the character of Jesus and what it was that He did on the cross. I felt very at peace just being able to give glory to God through singing and praying. It was when I was most at peace that I began to feel extremely hungry due to the fact that I was well into around 23 hours of fasting (for 30 hour famine). During that time I began to reflect on my relationship with God, and as i shared with the people there, I realized my physical hunger paralleled my spiritual hunger. I realized that as a result of a lot of things in my life, my walk with God was suffering. I was longing, hungering for some spiritual feeding that I'd been neglecting myself of. God is supremely loving and although I fail him and set him aside at times, He does everything to draw me into His arms again. Just the realization of God's awesome love for a wretch like me truly leaves me standing amazed.
Thirty hour famine was great. We raised close to $7000 for hunger around the world!!! The bible study we had was a great reminder of God's commandment to us about caring for the widowed, orphaned, and the foreigner. I pray that God will continue to stir compassion in our hearts. Thanks to Gloria for taking the time to organize and prepare for such a meaningful event. =)

So today is Easter and there's so much joy in the resurrection of Christ. Our thankfulness will never be sufficient for the grace He's provided us.

Make the best of each day that you will never live again.

my life as a senior citizen....

wowee. *understatement* What a crazy week. My head is still a little mumble jumbled from all the work and lack of sleep, but I'm surprisingly awake. I thank God for keeping me up this week to finish all the things I needed to accomplish.

So I was looking through old ghetto 80s photo albums yesterday to find a baby picture for the senior slide show. I find this entire album with just pictures of my head....i cant believe how round it was back then. Back in elementary school, I use to love looking at old photos and laughing at myself. But now, it's harder to believe that I was actually that little at some point in life. I remember I use to think that I looked the same as when I was born, but now I look at pictures and I cant remember ever looking like that. My parents liked to take pictures of me eating ice cream and throwing up when I was a baby. Then when I was a bit older, they liked to take pictures of me making really weird faces...maybe they wanted to make a flip book..cuz you probably could.
I like looking at old pictures of friends and fond memories. But looking at my old baby pictures was a strange experience. Like thinking that i'll be off to college next year, flipping through old albums is quite surreal.

I will hasten and I will not delay to obey your commands.....

That's what my sister said when my parents came home today...hahah...

So I was looking over the pictures taken at Thai Gourmet. There's this picture of Phil, Mok, Peter, and Simon singing a whole new world from Aladdin. I never realized it before, but the store behind it (in big bold letters) says BIZZARRE BAZAAR. I found that slightly amusing. (although many of the pictures are quite the knee slapper.)

I was talking to my mom's friend about a bunch of stuff over dinner a few nights ago, and we got on the topic of piano. She didnt realize that I use to play the piano and when she asked how long I had played, I shocked myself. I hadn't really thought about how long I'd played until I actually stopped playing. Even now, I still go over to the piano and play some of the songs I use to love playing; and on occasion, I still play the songs that frustrate me....just to see if i can play them better now =P I remember when I was a wee little lass, I begged my parents to let me play the piano, and I loved playing until I was about 12 when I got a new teacher. I loved my teacher....but she always made me play the songs i'd played before. There's something exhilarating about playing the piano. For me, it's sorta like when I run. It's both stress relief and relaxing. It's a shame I dont play as much as I run.

Apparently, there's these ATM money snatching criminals that were metioned on the UT site (my mom's really concious of the goings on of UT these days). They place hidden cameras on the envelope slot and then store a completely different card inserting slot to get your PIN and your number. These people have gotten a butt load of money from this. So be careful when you're getting money from the ATM machine....check to see if there's a hidden camera behind the envelope slot.

the not so perfect world we live in....

Do you ever wonder why people find enjoyment at the expense of others? Like how people enjoy watching someone trip over things. I had a teacher who made videos of people tripping, just so he could laugh at them. Or how people like to see those who win all the time lose..or witness the most accepted people receive rejection. Is it because people gain some kind of satisfaction in watching the best of mankind fail? No one's perfect and no matter what we do to prevent it, nature will run its course..stuff happens.
People have been asking me all sorts of weird questions lately. Mostly about stuff I didn't know they knew about me. It's weird wondering how they hear about what goes on in my life, especially when I dont really know them. It's funny how connected everyone is these days. News travels pretty fast via aim or blogs. And going with my quote from yesterday, there's some curious bees out there reading random xanga and blogs and then you find out about some random person's life and what happens when you actually meet them?
I guess it reminds me of this person I've known for a long time, or well I've heard lots about them throughout the years, but I never actually met them. So in a sense, it seemed like I knew the person pretty well since I'd heard so much about them. Then when I finally met them, it was in reply to an email I'd sent to the person. It was funny cuz I'd heard from others that this person was a great person, but the way they turned out to be was not what I'd expected. They turned out to be unbelievably encouraging, intellegent, and funny. So although it seems like you know someone through reading their blog or hearing stories....you dont really get to know someone until you talk to them in person. and i lost my train of thought....

you only got one shot.....

So I came home and made a toasted pastrami, turkey, lettuce, tomato, dijon mustard, bagel. It was really good. Sat at the tv and was shocked when I flipped to the fob movie channel and saw both Louis Koo (the funny looking guy whom I adore over on the right) and Daniel Wu (another adorable fella) in the same movie. The movie was okay. It was the typical.... the bad guy killed my brother, OOOH i need to get revenge...type of movie... It reminded me of something Francis said after the track meet, "How can you frown when you see something so fine." haha.. it was funny when she said it, i guess you just had to be there.

A few days ago, I was reminded of this question I missed on the Heart of Darkness test. The question was about the meaning of this quote, "'I don't want to bother you much with what happened to me personally,' he began, showing in this remark the weakness of many tellers of tales who seem so often unaware of what their audiences would best like to hear." Basically the quote is saying that people like to hear about what goes on in other peoples' lives. There's always this level of curiousity or interest....and somehow people like to talk about their lives and share the little stories that go on. It's funny. Just one of my random ramblings.....

all rained out......
"Rainy Days" --- mary j. blige

I love rain. Everything is refreshing about it except for the humidity of the wretched houston weather. I like how little drops fall on my eyelashes and I can see water drops fluttering when I blink. I like how rain smells and how puddles form so that I can jump in them. I like laughing in the rain and how it makes me feel like I'm in the movies. Rain brings back both the best and worst of times. It was raining today....and my last meet forever got cancelled.

Techincally speaking, I still have 2 more meets....both district meets....but those aren't as fun because there's more pressure and they're really boring and strict. Plus they're at the new Hightower stadium this year, so most of us aren't riding on the bus cuz it's so close. It was so much fun on the bus today. The boys were all gossiping in the back; while the girls were playing telephone....my track girls rock. I'm actually really gonna miss spending 12 hours every friday with them. This has been the best track season ever. I've gotten to know the girls better over the years and we actually say hi to each other in the halls now, and we talk about significant things instead of the usual... oh i have a test to study for. It's interesting how this year turned out. I really pushed myself this year.....I guess I was trying to discover what my limit is....and you know, every drip of sweat and hard work put out this year was all worth it. Man, track has been such a big part of my life for so many years...it's hard to believe it's finally over. How bittersweet =)

I actually have a ton to blog about tonight....but not I dont really feel like finishing....but I had every intention of blogging about something.....maybe if i remember what it is...i'll enlighten you.