My Best Friend, Jack

He was a quiet kid, first few, or five times I met him. June would always go to his seat on the bus. So I would talk to June on the way home pretty often. I knew to sit near Jack so I could talk to the two of them. Jack barely said a word.
He said more as we got to know each other better. We hung out in a group at lunch, even though the guys sat at a different table. Eventually, Diana and I joined them. Yeah Jack, you were a pretty quiet kid.
So months went by, and we hung out with our friends, the nerdiest of the grade. A few MAO competitions later, and you were definitely one of my smartest and closest friends.
And then, my mother walked into my room and asked me what I was doing.
My mother: What are you doing?
Me: I'm writing about Jack.
My mother: For whom?
Me: Jack.
My mother: -leans forward- ...
So anyway.
We got to know each other pretty well, I mean, if I knew his home phone number and address before I could possibly have gotten them, well, I knew him better than he did after a few months.
He's my best friend.
If you meet him, your first impression is probably, well, there's that tall skinny white kid who I never notice in my hardest classes. He doesn't say a thing, and he doesn't sound very intelligent.
Dude, he's way more intelligent that you could imagine. And I'm reminded by that any time we discuss such "intelligent" things as math or other nerdy things.
And when I'm down, if he doesn't have to leave for tennis, no matter where we are, he sits there and keeps talking, throwing everything at me to make me feel better.
We both dream about going to Pasadena and attending Caltech. Okay true, it probably won't happen, but who else in the world shares this crazy goal that probably won't be obtained?
He's also my brother.
Yeah, we don't look very similar. But he's a better brother than I could imagine, no matter how many twss jokes he makes.
Thank you, little brother.

Only as Bright as You Wanted Me to Be

I never saw "P.S. I Love You" with Chanyang and co. I have always had a liking towards the band, The Academy Is... Well, one of the songs that Anna gave me, "Everything We Had," is a sort of song I didn't expect that they might sing, and I like it, despite the repeats of the chorus.
Earlier today, I used a website to get the audio from the 8-minute depressing Korean video. I'm glad it worked.
I thought I would have about 18 days of freedom. I mean, if or when I finish writing the test tomorrow, there will be no more homework for me!
Fail.
There shall always be more for which to study.
I want to go out and do something fun for a whole day, instead of always being reminded about school and educational things. I'd leave right now if I could.
I want to congratulate Brianna on her mile run. I guess a good thing came out of not being able to hang out.
Last Wednesday, six of us played tennis in the rain. It was not something I expected to do, but it was marvelous because everyone was laughing, being happy, getting excited about their hero(es), and smiling at each other. Though, it wouldn't make sense to plan this so that it coincides with certain weather.
I'm waiting for the day I can go outside and look at the stars whenever I want, wherever I want, and with whomever I want. Or, if I feel like playing the piano at 2am, then no one can really stop me. On any given weekend, I could drive to the beach just because I feel like it. I look forward to that.
Maybe those days will never come, but I can always hope.

Always You in My Big Dreams

I thought I had one more awful Spanish assignment left. Then, I realized there were two, and the one I hadn't noticed was really more like two. Yeah, what a nice little surprise.
I, I, I, I, I... That happens a lot on this blog. And I (yes, again) would like to tell you that these posts aren't meant to be selfish. I say "I" so much because this blog is about me because it has taken the place of a physical journal.
Today, I found out that "Konstantine" by Something Corporate is about the singer, who got drunk, cheated on his girlfriend, and the kindness she showed towards him by allowing him to come back to her.
I have used SpanishDICT so much that I added it to my toolbar bookmarks for easier access.
Geometry this afternoon! Excited? Hellz yeah.

Look at you, you're growing old so young.

I thought this was a really sweet song, particularly the chorus.
The Power Bloggers are discussing religion, and today was my turn to post my views. Here is the URL, in case you are interested in reading a bit more about me.
I found one of my favorite songs on the 19th.

Oh, and I made this weird connection. "Frito" is the past participle of "freir," or "to fry."
And holy crap Won, you surprised me.

It's a beautiful new day, hey, hey.

Happy birthday, my brother.
And for all the people (or two) out there in crummy moods, well, it is pretty bright outside, no matter how many clouds appear in the sky. And it's warm. In fact, it's sunny almost every day because you live in this certain state. If you've gotten too used to the weather, think about all the loving family members you have, or how many friends would do really obscure things to make you feel better. It must be nice, since you're probably smarter than at least 98% percent of the population in this country. Summer isn't over yet, and you live in a house with locked doors, air conditioning, and a generally safe neighborhood. You smile at least once every day, and feel a sense of accomplishment every time you learn a new calculus concept (well, not really).
I do you hope you feel better soon.

What did you learn today, dear?

I can't focus my best, so this isn't going to be very long.

William's electric razor is funny and I wasn't high.
I talked to J before dinner ended. Like, way before.
Except there is more than one J now, thanks very much.
The cases that come with the people who make contact lens cleaner liquid things are about twice as deep as the shallower cases that people in hospitals give out because obviously they want you to go through their bottles like "bam, bam, bam."
College is so much cheaper in China.
Someone asked Ryan's sister to a movie and now she's leaving.
Mike passed the Euro exam.
Jack lied to me. He said he was leaving to play tennis with James. He came back for a while.
His mother isn't home.

And I feel really odd any time I see a mirror. :|

And that should be Just Fine.

As you may have already concluded from blogs such as those of runiteking1's Blogger or paces_place's Xanga, we certainly learned a bunch in California. The thing is, almost none of it was actually about math.
My surprise? The three awards ceremony played good music as the award winners were announced on PowerPoint slides. Ryan had many moments of shock when he immediately realized that many of these songs were commonly played on his iPod.
Today, I woke up about two hours later than the usual weekday morning of the 2008 summer. Coming back around 4am didn't exactly help us get over the jet lag. I feel mildly proud of completing the day's work of Spanish, but then you sort of realize all I did was write a nine-sentence long letter to my grandmother about my cousin getting into college in China. This is more Spanish than I have done in one sitting for two months.
I met a someone who had graduated from her high school this year one afternoon, after someone taught someone else to say to me, "you have beautiful eyes" in Chinese. Anyway, she and the guy who said it had both taken AP Spanish Language. The guy got a 3, but he claimed not to speak any Spanish. The girl was practically fluent, and had gone to Spain. She got a 5, and was pretty much amazing. She and her friend explained that many of their good friends were Hispanic, so they could often practice and learn the language. Fascinated as I was, you have probably heard enough of it, though you may unfortunately believe that Latin is better.
These people were only two or three years older than me, but they had completed high school and could now look towards the future at their Ivy League universities. I thought they were very nice people.
Ryan, if that man had been a terrorist, then I would have strangled him from behind. Just sayin'.
When this summer ends, I think I'll be ready.

Let's Stretch the Time in our Favourite Places

12 more hours until we travel sluggishly through the night into the Pacific Time Zone, I think. It's hard to believe we're meeting at the flag post at school in less than that. Yesterday, I realized that I hadn't eaten in 21 hours. No, I wasn't feeling fat. Goodness gracious, I am thankful for being generally psychologically stable. This trip could not come at a better time. I need to get away, be around some of my best friends, and think about math for a while. Make sure my mind isn't focused too much on the frustration that my father could think of me in such a terrible way. Laugh endlessly with my favorite sibling and various substantially tennis-obsessive logarithm lovers.
There are so many things next year that I don't look forward to, such as standardized testing and ridiculous homework loads. Really, I can't wait for junior year to end [successfully, I hope], and probably wouldn't mind June of 2009 dragging out forever.
Time for some food, probably. (Okay, or cut raw meat for dinner.)

	Everybody Else - In Memoriam
	Found at skreemr.com

Took a sip from a bottle of orange soda
Suddenly you were back
On my bike years ago
While sharing the camera
You passed by, so quickly

I remember you
So remember me
As I was back then
In my ripped blue jeans
Moments ago
It seems to me
That we were just kids
In a memory

I still see the blue, sunken barge
Down by the shore and I
Can taste the blackberry juice on our fingers
But there’s an echo of careless, callow footsteps
That run by so quickly

I remember you
So remember me
As I was back then
In my ripped blue jeans
Moments ago
It seems to me
That we were just kids in a memory
In a memory

It feels good to forget how wonderful it was
In the noise of a crowd
But sometimes cars in the night
Sound like the ocean and
Then I swear
I'm back there
Seems so real
It disappears

I remember you
So remember me
As I was back then
In my ripped blue jeans
Moments ago
It seems to me that we were just kids in a memory
Moments ago
It seems to me
That we were just kids
In a memory
Moments ago
It seems to me
That we were just kids in a memory
In a memory
In a memory

me: wow i'm slow its raining intensely
runiteking1: no its
not
its not raining......
me: yes it is
runiteking1: ?
me: its definitely raining heavily right now
runiteking1: outside?
me: yes
runiteking1: no
me: no, in the office. = =
yes it is
runiteking1: no its not....
its nice and sunny out my backyeard
me: its raining

I was right. I'm not imagining things.

Is it really a computer problem?

System Restore is a component of Microsoft's Windows Me, Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems that allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc., to a previous state in the event of malfunctioning or failure. -Wikipedia
It must be really nerdy to relate life to the need for a system restore. My favorite sibling used it a few times for his laptop to counter the effects of various trojans and viruses. I can't turn my back, no matter how malfunctioned or failing things get. It's natural to check back, look thoroughly to find a solution, and overcome harmful effects on Windows XP.

Help, someone out there?

It just so happens that every so often, Jack and I have a discussion over religion, science, and his stance on the whole thing. So, the all-famous Big Bang. How was it initiated? What was the energy that sent out this spark of life? Umm... Well, for now, God is the only answer that can even mildly be within reach by humans. My fantasy? That Jack and I somehow figure this out before we die. Because we really want to know. But of course, that's what everyone who has ever lived has wondered. How are we going to do this? Well darn it, we can't figure out God.
me: we should like, walk over to pasadena and just sit there
Jack: because pasadena makes us smarter?
me: sure
And then, reality strikes us again.
Jack: yeah
bill's wanting to show me a manstripper video
help
Another deep conversation has ended, as we would much rather enjoy our lives, having fun not watching certain YouTube videos, and refraining from pondering a question with no discernible answer.

Improvement

Yesterday night, I walked down the small hill to the fireworks. My mother found me, and greeted runiteking1's father. So I realized that I had not only said "hi" to Eric, but I had also seen runiteking1's brother and said "shu1 shu1 hao3" to his father, who sped past us to catch up with Eric, who is practically my neighbor. Runiteking1's father said "da4 de zai4 hou4 mian4" to my mother after their short greeting. Was my tallest cousin behind us? I'll never know until he tells me.
My brother's fish died a couple of days ago. It was his second red beta fish from Wal*mart. The first one was a birthday gift from a Chinese girl, but one night, it jumped out of its bowl and shriveled up until my mother discovered it the next morning. This one was probably underfed because my "gifted" brother kept forgetting to feed it. I have to admit, it's kind of relieving to know we don't have any more pets.
Before that, I received yet another instant message on Facebook. How? Because I forgot to either remove or place the person on my limited profile list. Smart, epsieanniihsct... Thankfully, this one was much better than the first.

Versatility at Its Nerdiest?

me: haha okay awesome
Jack: yeah
me: cuz youre a guy and my mom says guys are good at math and physics
Jack: we are
me: convenient.
Jack: yes
we are also convenient
Today, my interesting mother brought that up because she had questioned me, yet again, and this time said something along the lines of "What are his accomplishments in school?" Thanks, mom. Not a weird thing to ask at all. No, not at all. Because parents who aren't Asian ask things like that all the time. But yes, it was kind of funny.

This afternoon, as I was having a nice chat with Walter, Jack successfully ran to the house, Lisa came soon after that, and then I got a little shock. Look at this:

Jack quickly memorized this person's birthday. He's 23 until November. Creepy, much?

For the Better

I have successfully managed to convince myself that I don't.

Taking Advantage of the Situation

Here's how. (I gave up italicizing quotes because it's just caused a bunch of HTML problems.)
me: i dont want to go that far
liucthrn: :<
me: not today
liucthrn: okay.... I'll steal from the clutches of Jrod
me: hes not in town
liucthrn: :3
me: heehee
liucthrn: :D Perfect
me: ;)
liucthrn: love love love

For about half an hour, I finally assigned album art to a few artists, and of course, all of my Killers songs. There's probably more than a couple hundred that still don't have artwork... Well, that's for the rest of the day. Not really.
I took two walks. One in the late morning, and one with my brother not very long ago. He found a dollar bill on the sidewalk because he was walking slightly ahead of me. Lucky boy. Speaking of luck, the Year of the Rabbit is generally considered to be lucky. Even better for him.
Today, the stalker received yet another number to be matched with an identity. The stalker decided to just try it out today. The number didn't work.

Later...
me: i have a question
is won my second or third husband?
Ryan: we are not on speaking terms anymore
Even later...
Ryan: if you see kejing tell her i am her second husband
not her third

Why does the man get the lawn?

Ryan: men have a connection with their lawns though
when i get a house the lawn will be mine
I was biking around the neighborhood, when something stood out yet again. The signs that people use to encourage voting for certain people... well, they're never placed in the middle of any property. They're always either on the outskirts or in between two pieces of real estate. In Wisconsin, people would place these election signs in front of their homes. Here, it looks like they were placed by other people.
As for Ryan, he thinks he will be ordering his future wife around, beating her if she tells him that there are no houses without inclines honey, and that they shall live in a brown and white house. It will have 19 rooms and four stories. Everyone must wear shoes inside the house after mowing the lawn that only he can mow because he is the man of the house because shoes are great. In fact, he will hit me if I don't agree with him. The minibar will be open to everyone over 14 years of age. No one can mess up the yard, where there will be a Subway/Taco Bell-like gas station.
Yesterday, I watched Mean Girls on ABC Family. My mother walked by and said, "You're watching TV?" in a surprised way. Well, I was surprised too. I realized that Rachel McAdams, the main character in The Notebook, was in it. I had seen the movie (Mean Girls) with Katie back in Wisconsin. Weird connection.
Today, the real B (meaning better than the one from Gossip Girl), my protective friend (My mother asked if this friend was a boy or girl after said her name. Me: Giiirrrlll...) came over and we watched Memoirs of a Geisha. Her eighth movie in less than three days, and the other seven she had never seen.
Before that, it was sunny outside. Finally. I went biking, and realized that the handlebar was rotated too far counterclockwise. If my hands were the same distance in front of me, then the bike would be turning right. Not the least disappointing bike ride. Then, as I biked up the hill to my house because I finally switched gears so I could, I realized that I wanted to be outside a bit longer, so I put the bike back and walked the daily walk around the street, and back up the same hill. The shower felt great, of course.
I wonder where our math teacher lives.