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Entries for December, 2004

December 1st, 2004

The Differences:

Posted by kaolla at 09:05 PM on December 1, 2004.

Since I have nothing better to do than list my bahness, here is a list of a few interesting things, since school has been dull.

First, though:

I am Dropping Orchestra.

Starting 2nd semester, or in two weeks, and after winter break, I'll be doubling up on PE to finish up the credits that fucked me over because I moved here.

Next year, I don't think I will keep doing it. If I do, then I won't ever get to take two AP science classes, which isn't worth it.

  • Thanksgiving Break: I watched about six movies at home with people who came over from St. Louis. Made me think that I could've gone down there and had them drive me up. Infuriated, especially by their daughter.
  • Fell down the stairs and got bitten to death by mosquitos.
  • Barely got any work done on Geography project, and am now panicking to finish it by Tuesday, as well as my lit re-write.
  • When learning about evolution in Bio, the teacher had to say a few thigns and read a few things to 'console' the religious about evolution and how it doesn't go against 'the teachings'. Gee, this is funny, because one of the two times I've ever gone to church, they played a DVD about how evolution was obviously fake because 'only God could make such 'intricate' creatures'. Do they do this at your schools, or is this place catching up to me again?
  • I may have a chance to do policy. Although the amount of work this entails is probably not too appealing to anyone who hasn't done it before and my one-time policyness. Actually, I hate to say this, because it sounds so final, but I'm thinking of just... trying to give up on debate. Because... there is just nothing here for it. Which sucks, so much, I can't even explain it. But... eugh.

    Basically, what made me who I was last year (orchestra and debate) has pretty much been wiped from my slate this year.

    And what am I now?


  • All I know is that these days I'm continuously looking at my old blog entries (from my non-depressed moods) and going:

    ARRRRGHHHH. WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!

    And Ally, DO NOT say anything. Tis a public entry. Let's keep it that way this time, eh?

    8 of many melodies

    December 9th, 2004

    How ...HAHA.

    Posted by kaolla at 09:11 PM on December 9, 2004.

    Sometimes I like to write something or work on my homework. But then my mother comes in and screams. About me not drinking water. Or something equally as vague. And from that, I have no motivation. At all. Whatever I had, I just lose it. Completely. There is just...none left.


    You Know You're Chinese When...

    You unwrap Christmas gifts very carefully, so you can save and reuse the wrapping (and especially those bows) next year.

    You only buy Christmas cards after Christmas, when they are 50% off.

    When there is a sale on toilet paper, you buy 100 rolls and store them in your closet or in the bedroom of an adult child who has moved out.

    You have a vinyl table cloth on your kitchen table.

    Your stove is covered with aluminum foil.

    You use the dishwasher as a dish rack.

    You keep a Thermos of hot water available at all times.

    You eat all meals in the kitchen.

    You save grocery bags, tin foil, and tin containers.

    You use grocery bags to hold garbage.

    You always leave your shoes at the door.

    You have a piano in your living room.

    You twirl your pen around your fingers.

    Even if you're totally full, if someone says they're going to throw away the leftovers on the table, you'll finish them.

    You don't own any real Tupperware -- only a cupboard full of used but carefully rinsed margarine tubs, takeout containers, and jam jars.

    You also use the jam jars as drinking glasses.

    You've eaten a red bean Popsicle.

    You bring oranges (or other produce) with you as a gift when you visit people's homes.

    You have a collection of miniature shampoo bottles that you take every time you stay in a hotel.

    The condiments in your fridge are either Price Club sized or come in plastic packets, which you save/steal every time you get take out or go to McDonald's.

    Ditto for paper napkins.

    You never order room service.

    You carry a stash of your own food whenever you travel (and travel means any car ride longer than 15 minutes). These travel snacks are always dried. As in not just dried plums, dried ginger, and beef/pork jerky, but dried cuttlefish (SQUID).

    Your parents vehemently refuse the sack of gold coin oranges that their guests just brought just to be courteous.

    Your dad thinks he can fix everything himself.

    You majored in something practical like engineering, medicine or law.

    When you go to a dance party, there are a wall of guys surrounding the dance floor trying to look cool.

    You live with your parents and you are 30 years old (and they prefer it that way). Or if you're married and 30 years old, you live in the apartment next door to your parents, or at least in the same neighborhood.

    You don't use measuring cups.

    You feel like you've gotten a good deal if you didn't pay tax.

    You beat eggs with chopsticks.

    Your parents' house is always cold.

    You have a teacup with a cover on it.

    You reuse teabags.

    Your mom drives her Mercedes to the Price Club.

    You tip Chinese delivery guys / waiters more.

    You're a wok user.

    You like Chinese films in their original undubbed versions.

    You have acquired a taste for bittermelon.

    You like congee with thousand year old eggs.

    You prefer your shrimp with the heads and legs still attached -- it means they're fresh.

    You never call your parents just to say hi.

    You always cook too much.

    If you don't live at home, when your parents call, they ask if you've eaten rice, even if it's midnight.

    Your parents tell you to boil herbs and stay inside when you get sick. They also tell you not to eat fried foods or baked goods because they produce hot air.

    Your parents never go to the movies.

    Your parents send money to their relatives in China.

    You use a face cloth.

    Your parents use a clothes line.

    You eat every last grain of rice in your bowl, but don't eat the last piece of food on the table.

    You starve yourself before going to all you can eat sushi.

    You've joined a CD club at least once.

    You know someone who can get you a good deal on jewelry or electronics.

    You never discuss your love life with your parents.

    Your parents are never happy with your grades.

    You keep most of your money in a savings account.

    You've been on the Love Boat or know someone who has.

    Your toothpaste tubes are all squeezed paper-thin.

    You love Chinese Martial Arts films.

    You have Tupperware in your fridge with three bites of rice or one leftover chicken wing.

    Shao Lin and Wu Tang actually mean something to you.

    You love to go to $1.75 movies.

    You love to go to $1.50 movies even more.

    You never order sweet-n-sour pork, egg foo young, or chop suey at a Chinese restaurant.

    You hate to spend more than $5 for lunch.

    Someone in your family drives a Honda... with custom rims.

    You have a Chinese knick-knack hanging from your rear-view mirror.

    You like to eat chicken feet.

    You suck on fish heads and fish fins.

    You turn bright red after drinking two tablespoons of beer.

    You can get a buzz on Coors O'Douls or Miller Sharps.

    You look like you are eighteen.

    You only buy used cars.

    You have more than five remotes in your house.

    You leave the plastic on the lampshade for ten years or more.

    You can't bear to throw things away.

    Your dad washes his hair four times a day, or never at all.

    Your unassisted vision is worse than 20/500.

    You've worn glasses at least since the fifth grade.

    Your parents (or some other close relative) own a grocery store or restaurant.

    You drive around looking for the cheapest gas.

    You add twice the amount of water recommended when making orange juice from concentrate.

    You've never seen your parents hug.

    Your grandmother lives with you and your family. (well. she did..)

    You never order desserts at restaurants.

    You always have water when dining out.

    You say "aiya!" and "wah!" frequently.

    You love Las Vegas, slot machines, and blackjack.

    You love to play mah jong.

    You have to read all your parents' mail written in English.

    You are constantly being set up with uninteresting (and usually ugly) people by your parents.

    You hate eating cheese.

    You have a big aquarium filled with colorful fish somewhere in your house.

    Your mother is strangely obsessed with plants.

    White people look at you strangely if you tell them you are Buddhist.

    You notice the main topic at family get-togethers is food.

    You seldom ever owned new clothes if you were a second child.

    Your folks never speak under 10 decibels at family gatherings.

    You never made the school football or basketball team.

    You have two middle initials instead of one.

    You grow your own bean sprouts in the kitchen.

    Your mother made you peel water chestnuts and snow peas.

    You have an lonely unmarried relative who frequently drops by during dinner time.

    You received little red envelopes containing money on special occasions.

    You use the underside of a porcelain bowl to sharpen your knives.

    You cut your own hair… or had someone in your family do it.

    Your grandmother has a lot of gold teeth… especially in front.

    You keep fresh garlic and ginger in the kitchen at all times.

    You know what the term "lemon" or a "banana" means.

    You only have to shave every other day (maybe).

    You wash and reuse ziplock bags.

    You know at least three people named Alan Wong.

    You never drank milk after eating cherries.

    Your parents collect jade jewelry.

    You always drink tea after a meal.

    Your dad owns at least one bird.

    Your parents grow vegetables in a garden.

    You use doilies to decorate your furniture.

    Your grandmother rapped your knuckles with her chopsticks while reaching food with your fingers.

    You're proud to be Chinese - and you pass these jokes on to all your Chinese friends!


    Heh.






    You Are the Loyalist



    6




    You have strong relationships and are intensely loyal.

    People find you easy to love and care for.

    You like your world to be stable and secure, no surprises.

    You're cautious. You prefer your inner circle to the outside world.



    What number are you?

    3 of many melodies

    December 14th, 2004

    YES

    Posted by kaolla at 07:02 PM on December 14, 2004.


    Jude Law: you like them romantic and British with
    beauiful green eyes.


    Which guy are you destined to have sex with?
    brought to you by Quizilla


    Ok. I'm happy now. Fulfilled.


    And yes, I will update with some actual things. But right now, I should be studying for my spanish final while trying to philosophize about my life and why I feel like such a fuck-up.

    Yay! Ally. Enjoy the poem.

    8 of many melodies

    December 17th, 2004

    Sometimes it's disturbing...

    Posted by kaolla at 06:31 PM on December 17, 2004.

    I took a few quizzes that asked what Ivy League school I should go to:

    Note: there are 8 schools in the Ivy League. And for BOTH tests...

    University of Pennsylvania
    You were a hard-working wannabe cool kid, and now you are at the Ivy Leage equivalent of a rich, suburban high school, and all of the kids used to be too hard-working to be cool, so now you all pretend to be cool together. As long as Daddy keeps sending you money and you keep that coke habit in check, you're degree will mean something someday, even if none of your classes did.

    Which Ivy League University is right for YOU?
    brought to you by Quizilla


    PENN! Yes, you have an inferiority complex because
    everyone mistakes you for Penn State. You're
    preppie, drunk, and your daddies are forcing
    you to do well so you can become a lawyer and
    spend the rest of your life defending heartless
    megacorps. And in your spare time, you try to
    light members of other schools on fire with
    motor oil.

    Which Ivy League Institution Are You?
    brought to you by Quizilla



    That is more than just a little scary. Especially because Penn was my #1 choice before I heard about all the preppy people. But then again, maybe there was a reason for that. But the above isn't me! I guess that's what happens.... Of course, there's the problem of getting IN. I don't think I can... ><'' Eugh. Who knows.

    Finals are over. I think I did alright... probably A's in everything except Spanish (I hold out a LITTLE hope, but not too much) and P.E. (which doesn't matter because he just throws them all away).
    We did secret santa things at school, so I got a $20 Gift Card to Best Buy and a book. Yay.... well... my iPod still hasn't come, so that is a little disheartening.

    I talked to Brittany today about maybe entering some writing contests to get some prestige (after all, I have to find some way to MAKE it to Penn) since I'm not cut out to win any awards in scientific research (watch how much I care about plants/rats). Does anyone know any contests? Maybe? Or just literary magazines that offer them?
    And most importantly, is this a stupid venture for me to try? I dont' want to spend money and enter these contests if I can't get anything out of it. Maybe I should write an oratory... or not.

    I still have to mail out the christmas cards. Terror grips my ... loins. I think I'm getting a little sick, too. Ah well, winter break has commenced, and Yue will... get online a lot, as usual.

    Breakdown of Finals:
    Geography: If I don't get an A I will douse myself with fire and act all Penn-ish.
    Math: If I don't get an A I will kill myself. Just that. Nothing more. Or I could just drop dead, convulsing from shame at not doing well in ALGEBRA II.
    Spanish: Eugh....
    Bio: No Problem.
    English: No Problem.

    I dropped Orchestra officially. The tentative schedule for next year is:
    AP English; AP Spanish Language; AP US History; Precalculus; Chemistry; AP Biology.

    W00t. I hate how my schedule fucks me over. I HATE IT. I had to drop orchestra to make room for AP Bio, and because I moved I have to take CHEM junior year... CHEM I. No jump to AP because the world ... just ... puke-ful.

    P.S. This entry is too long, but I'm going Jude Law stalking tomorrow. JUDE, MON CHERIE.

    6 of many melodies

    December 27th, 2004

    Not so bad

    Posted by kaolla at 07:34 PM on December 27, 2004.

    A few days ago, some of my dad's old college friends came over. My mother hinted to me about their 20-year-old violin-playing son who is a junior at Juliard in a very replusive matchmaking way.

    Well, thankfully, nothing happened. And not surprisingly, either. But there was something that I gained from their visit.

    Lately I have been increasingly worried about college and what I am going to do with my life afterwards. Sure, you can say that many teenagers do not know at this point, but I like to think ahead, and not thinking about it doesn't do me much good, either.

    This guy wasn't (isn't?) an idiot, but I don't think that he was as smart as I am. No, I am not shamelessly bragging; there really isn't a better way to transition between my points. The thing is, despite the fact that he could've made a life for himself quite sucessfully as something else, he chose to play violin at Juliard. Apparently he and his parents had a very long discussion about it, because his parents are both doctors, but eventually they let him do what he wanted.

    I have no doubt that my parents will not beat me or cut me off if I choose a profession that may not please them; that isn't the problem that I'm worrying about.

    But as all the adults were chatting about this and that during dinner, I thought, who knows what I am going to realize and how I am going to mature over these next few years. Even if I get into (heh) U. Penn or Yale or something, I could still possibly major in English, and... what then?

    A part of me still thinks it's futile to dream about not bending to these Asian stereotypes of doctor/lawyer. I wonder, why is it that I am worrying about this? If I truly wanted to do what I wanted, I would do it regardless. But see, I think, no, I know that I can be successful if I decided to do something more 'professional', and the bottom line is, I don't want to waste any possible worth in myself if I only live once. But I don't want to deny myself the ultimate happiness, if I can achieve it.

    Now, I wonder... what if I do not go to Med School or Law School? What if I actually try to do what I want? Even though I had considered this, it had been more of a dream and less of an actual possibilty (sad, isn't it). But now, I think it HAS become a possibility, and I'm not sure what to make of it. It almost sounds stupid to myself to say 'I want to be a writer'. And then my dad says, "I still want you to be a doctor." Again.

    7 of many melodies

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