05/14/2012

Of course I get sick the week of AP testing. Honestly I probably deserve it b/c all the other times I have been home sick this year were just a fake. But, I’ve had a lot of time to read, which I haven’t been able to do lately. I’ve read both Looking For Alaska and The Faults in Our Stars in the past two days. I’d really recommend reading both of them. John Green is awesome. He is one of those authors that you’d be friends with in real life. They just get you. They understand.

At points in the book I’d laugh (& cry) and once I was so upset I threw the book down (lol I usually don’t do this but this was an exception).

I found out that he lived in Indiana, which is perfect because I plan on moving to Indiana for IU. Wouldn’t it be perfect if we could be friends? 

P.S. I remembered that I had an extra copy of The Faults in Our Stars, does anybody want a copy? Or maybe I’ll do a giveaway…

04/09/12

Today I went to the King Spa in Niles, IL with my grandparents, mom, and sister. Basically this is how it went down. 

You pay $20 bucks used the facilites for 24 hours and they give you this little key thing to charge food and extra services. Next you go into your gender-specified locker room and you put your stuff in a locker. Then you strip down naked and go into the bathhouse. But first, hold up, don’t think about going in the water without showering first. That is a BIG no no. You soak in each tub and make awkward conversation with the other naked ladies around you. Then you go and shower again and go out into the locker room where the attendants give you your own set of clothes to wear. Women wear pink and men wear grey.  Here is a picture of some lovely people in their uniforms. 

Then you can walk out into the main area, where they have 9 different types of saunas including Bul Gama, ice, salt,charcoal, ocher, and gold room. Out in the area they have some lovely chairs for you to relax on seen in this picture below: 

But if you’d really like to relax, I’d recommend going upstairs where they have lazy boy chairs and also a room where you can sleep on the ground. Back downstairs, they have a food court with asain meals prepared for you, as well as an egg that is cooked in one of the saunas (probably won’t try that one). However, the good food is at the Super H-Mart which is in the same shopping center. They also have a movie theater with about 5-6 movies playing every day. If you ever wanted to run away from home, this would be the place. 

This place also has the option of having a massage and/or scrub. This time, I didn’t get the scrub, but I have gotten one previously. They basically exfoliate all the dead tissue off of your body. You’ll feel super soft, but it isn’t really good to do them all the time. Keep in mind, these are without clothes, exposing you to everyone in the bathhouse. Plus, the masseuse will not be afraid of getting close and personal to you. I did a regular massage which included hot towels massage, oil massage, cucumber facial, and a shampoo and conditioner treatment. At one point she was straddled onto of me wearing her lace bra and panties, and then she put her feet on my ass and was like running in a crouch position. I couldn’t help but laugh. There seems to be a pattern in their work, first, they’ll rub and massage an area and then to signal that they are finished, they will slap you and the sound will vibrate off the walls. They’ll also massage the boobs and other parts which I still haven’t gotten used too. I have had a few of these massages before and they are really humbling. 

I have been to this place 4 or 5 times now, and I can never explain it to my non-asian friends. They don’t understand. One of my friends, Sarah, jokes that it sounds like a concentration camp. Anyways, it is always an interesting trip at the korean spa… running around naked with a bunch of other women.

P.S. if you have any questions ask

P.P.S. You can always tell who has gotten boob jobs or other work done… haha. 

3/27/12 Ohio State University

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Size: 42,082 undergrads

ACT: 26-31 (middle percent)

website: Undergradosu.edu

Admission Requirements

• College prep curriculum 
• GPA/class rank
• ACT w/writting

PROS:

• The Circle (the quad)
• Brand new Student Union
• mirror lake, pretty campus
• study abroad (:
• 8 minutes to downtown Columbus
• good facilities 
• school spirit
• freshman year exploration
• good retention rate

CONS:

• Far from home
• BIG campus
• very industrialized
• small greek life (maybe a pro)

I liked OSU better than MSU. I felt a greater sense of school pride. There seems to be a great set of school traditions and friendship. I really liked the quote from their alma mater ( I think it is from there), ” How firm thy Friendship”. My mom was a grad student at OSU, and I think she enjoyed it. The school did have a really nice campus for the most part. Sometimes, I wish it was less city like, and more college town like. The schools facilities were also top notch. The dorms had airconditioning, the library was stunning, and the RPAC (workout place) was big and beautiful. I loved the variety in architecture, there were classical style, buildings as well as modern ones. 

3/26/12 Michigan State University 

Hey guys! I am currently on spring break, and I thought it be kind of cool, to blog about my college visits. I am currently at IU, but I am a couple days behind, so I thought I would post it anyways.

Location: East Lansing, MI

Size: 36,058 undergrads

GPA: 3.4-3.8

ACT: 23-28 (middle percent)

website: Admissions.msu.edu or beaspartan.msu.edu

Admission Requirements:

• Rolling Admission, they use there own app, available aug. 18
• ACT scores
• class rank
• GPA 
• Course Rigor
• Don’t have to send in Teacher Recommendations 

PROS: 

• Has a river on campus (I don’t know why, but I like it)
• A lot of land (many people bike around)
• Study Abroad!!! #1 in the country
• School spirit
• urban/rural campus 
• they make their own ice cream on campus (from their own cows)
• many opportunities
• they have an urban outfitters (plus for me)

CONS:

• Cold winters & buildings are spread far apart

I really liked this campus. My dad gave us our own private tour—which he researched online and was very proud of himself for doing so. That being said, I enjoyed the contrast between, urban life and rural. MSU was founded as an agricultural campus, and the southern half is farm land. There was a north, urban  part of campus, but I didn’t like it because it was mainly on one side of a street. Also, everyone there bikes around campus which I think rocks. It is a big campus, so biking would be an efficient and healthier way to get around. We went to a meeting on campus, and about 90% of the people there were from Illinois. In fact, I recognized joe and anna, from my high school and Shelly who moved to Colorado in 4th grade. Overall, I liked the school, but I don’t think it would be one of my top schools. However, I didn’t go on the student guided tours so I feel like I didn’t get a really great perspective.

2/25/12

Today was one of those days in your life that changes you. 

I met so many lovely, heartwarming people who truly inspired me to be a better person. 

Today I spent 15 hours at school on a Saturday, learning and having fun with other students. We were are this program that is called Operation Snowball. We spent the day doing big group activities, listening to motivational speakers, and chilling in small groups. 

My Group color was hot pink (or HAWT PINK) and our room was decorated with pink. We really opened up in that group, and I am really glad I got to meet all of them. At the end of the day we all wrote each other letters, and promised we would try to hang out later. 

Throughout the day we gave/received compliments, in the form of warm fuzzies. You wear a string snowball of your group color and when you want to give someone a compliment, you tear it off and tie it to their strings. It was a really cool idea. 

I am horrible at explaining this—I am also tired, so i probably have forgotten some stuff. I definitely will do this again next year. 

‘night (: 

01/30/12

Today, my preschool teacher, Mary, died of cancer.

She was a women who I looked up to. No matter how old I got, she always remembered me and I had so much respect for her.  I went to Mary’s Little Lamb, starting when I was 3, I remember being terrified of misbehaving. There, I would always take the pink, my little pony from the shelf during “play time”, eat beef stroganoff, play red rover in the yards, travel down to the pond, and listen to the cicadas in the will trees. It was at her house where, I first got on a computer, learned language, watch X-men, and develop so many really lasting relationships. My favorite part of the year was when we performed at our holiday concert and dinner. We all got gifts from mary and exchanged other gifts. It was a big deal to be party of the concert—It meant that you were officially on the big kid side of the basement. However, we kids grew older, we became more distant as we went to different elementary schools, and formed new friendships. Her son, Dustin still babysat for us and one time he thought my underwear was spandex-y shorts, I was to embarrassed to tell him. When I grew older, Mary still kept inviting me and my family to her annual Christmas party.It was still like we were apart of the family she created. But, then we saw each other less and less, maybe once or twice every two years. I was offered a summer job, but declined because I was too busy. A year ago, her son Dustin got married. We were invited over to her house for a brunch the morning after the wedding. She already had breast removal surgery due to her cancer, but I she was so happy and excited to see my sister and I. That was the last time I spoke to her. The last time I spent in her basement where I learned so much. 

Her wake is this coming Thursday. I know all of her kids from 20+ years of day care service will come back to celebrate her life.

What I don’t understand,  and makes me so angry at myself and society is the fact that only something as powerful as death can bring people together. 

I really regret, not doing anything, never saying goodbye— or thank you for that matter… to a woman who truly changed the life of so many people. 

Sorry, for this long message. I just needed to get if off my chest. I think I will stop posting for today and tomorrow. 

01/15/12

Hello, enthusiastic followers! Welcome (: 

Today was my trig. final review day. It was fine, I went over to my friends house and did most of the packet… therefore, I am done with that crap. Lol. 

Anyways, earlier today, I went over to my aunt’s house/my old house, and was decorating for my cousin’s birthday party. It is next weekend, and is harry potter themed. I can’t contain my excitement for this party. 

Each year, my aunt goes full out with my cousin’s birthday party. One year we changed the whole house into a carnival for the kids, we got a popcorn machine, had games, ticket booths, etc. Another time we had a spa party complete with Lush products—and every year, my sister and I dress up for the party. 

This year we get to be Harry Potter characters. They bought  authentic hp robes for my sister and I to wear. My dad is dressing up as Hagrid (since he is tall), and is carrying a pink umbrella to help the kids enter Diagon Alley. 

That’s right. I said Diagon Alley. 

When the kids enter, each of them get a sack of gold/silver coins. They enter through the stone wall made out of cloth, and go into the alley. They purchase their quills, books, etc. at Flourish and Blotts. Then they past the Owl Emporium. They also buy a broom @ Quality Quidditch Supplies for a Quidditch game they’ll play later that day. Next, they stop by Ollivander’s and get the wands. We’ll have sound effects and everything. It’ll be beautiful. 

And…. I’ll get to be playing the characters in diagon alley and throughout the party. I really hope I get to be Snape, because Alan Rickman is my spirit guide. Wait, what? 

That’s just the first 15 minutes of the birthday party. I haven’t even talked to you about the great hall, sorting ceremony, honey dukes, divination, or potions class. 

Seriously, the house looks like hogwarts. 

Here’s some photos, but their from the iphone so their not good quality. 

I’ll definitely take more pictures. This is only part of diagon alley. 

Hope you all have, a wonderful evening… or should I say morning? 

Btw, check out my yoga challange. I am a day or so behind, but I’ll go and update it. 

Also, please watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDxZgFoAciU

01/12/12

Hey! This will be a really quick post. 

Today was the first real snow, usually we’ve had multiple snow storms by now, but that’s not the case. So I am assuming we will be getting snow some time in march/april as well. 

I really don’t feel like talking now… I’ll go to bed. 

‘Night

01/11/12

Hello (: 

Those two pictures were meant to challenge your brain, so that is why they were left sideways.   So here are two pictures for you. 

1) This is my Blues Clues Duck that I bought at Theaterfest. I think I am going to name it Manny, not sure. Anyways, It is called the Blues Clues Duck because it has a pail and shovel. So maybe then I should call it Blue? I don’t know. It as a fundraiser to help schools come down to theaterfest. If you have the same duck as me let me know, they can be virtual duck pals or something. Or if you looking at this from the IHSTF tag, I love you. 

2) A poster my Asian grandma made for me. She is so fucking cute. I don’t say that a lot. But my grandmother is the epitome of cuteness. One of the pieces is missing, but it is all good. We still love her. 

Today, I was quite interested in our Physics discussion. It was really a weird experience. We were discussing relativity. I thought it was cool, because time in space is completely different from earth. Its basically a form a time travel into the future ( that is if you return to earth). 

I don’t know what else to say… Oh! Today I felt this pain in my arms, and I thought I must of slept funny on it or something. But, then I realized that it was just my exercising/gaining arm muscle. Point for Healthy Sara.

Btw, I have started a 30 day yoga  pose challenge.here is the link to the page. 

I really cracked down on my APUSH key terms. I think it went pretty well. Maybe. 

& if you guys ever want to check my other journal entries, click here. 

I hope you all have/had a wonderful day (:

Wait, I had another thought. My dad always comes over to the computer and gives me a kiss on the head while I am on the computer (like just now). It is really annoying sometimes. I mean, I love my dad and all I’m such a daddy’s girl. Still, I know he just uses as a cover up to see what I am doing on the computer. It’s Tumblr, were all cool here. Plus, I should really get a laptop before college. 

01/10/2012

Happy birthday john! Hope you have a wonderful day (: 

and here is his happy birthday photo that I kept forgetting to make: 

make sure to tell him  happy birthday tidalwav3s

Today went well, it was the 3rd day of my bodyrocking. Hard core working out. Then I went to the choir concert and ate a donut, so much for hard work. 

I didn’t even get to singing in the concert, i just lip-sang because I’ve been sick and my range is teribble. Plus, I croak out these horrible notes.

I got my Adele music book yesterday ! I am so excited. Whenever I go to the music store and get some new music I can’t stop smiling until I can go home and play it. #musicnerd

01/08/2012

Hey, this will be a short post. Today was just another sunday at home. 

I have a one of those closets within a closet. It holds alot of storage, and when I came home yesterday, my parents had taken it all out and put the boxes in the hallway. It looked like a mild case of Hoarders. It was all good though, because I got to look through all of my old stuff from my childhood—which by the way, I crack my self up. It is so cool to see all this stuff I made, played with etc. 

I just totally lost my train of thought… Oh well, I will remember it later… 

Anyways, I also started working on my big research paper for English class. I readA Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. The main character goes insane and goes to a mental institution at the end of the play. I had to write my tentative thesis, and I really don’t know what I am doing. The play also focuses alot on sex and death, and how there is an animalistic (just made that up) relationship between two characters. I really would like to explore that topic, but I don’t know how to write about it appropriately for an high school paper. So I decide to kind of focus on the main character Blanche, and her transition from the Old South, to the New South, and her constant struggle between Fantasy and Reality. However, I don’t know how to do that, and make it sound intelligent. 

I also started tracking #IHSTF today, and I can’t explain the joy I felt in seeing all these wonderful theater kids on tumblr. I look at peoples’ posts and can say: I was at that show too, you were great in that show, I have the same duck as you etc. I just love it. 

Well, I also started a 30 day bodyrock workout challenge. My numbers aren’t with me right now, but I probably will repost it here. If you want to try it with me, go to bodyrock.tv and start the 30 day challenge (:

01/07/2011

Hey! I’m back!

So the past few days, I have been at a theater festival for high school students. It was wonderful. It was arguably better than my x-mas/winter break. 

4.400 high school students gathered at ISU to perform shows, attend workshops, meet new people, talk to college reps, etc. I don’t know what to say (mainly because I am a little tired & want to write this later). I ended up seeing 5 different shows, attending 2 different workshops, and competed in the Tech Olympics all  within 32 hours. 

I saw 

• A Chorus Line
• The Importance of Being Earnest
• The Completed Works of Shakespeare ABRIDGED (revised) 
• Might
• Almost Maine

I went to an Afro-Carribean Dance workshop, where we danced to songs fromOnce on this Island. I also went to a workshop for the next Allstate production:Memphis. I went into it, just to listen to, but when I came out of the workshop, I realized that I really want to be apart of the show next year. It would be so much fun and such a great opportunity. Memphis started on broadway in 2010, and besides the Broadway productions, the 2013 Memphis Allstate show would be the first non-professional run. Since, I can’t dance, I am going to create a portfolio to show apply to be on the running crew.I think I would have a great shot at it. However, if I wanted to apply I’d have to keep working on shows to build up my portfolio. So, the problem is whether to audition for my school’s shows, or work backstage. If I work backstage, I would be able to work on the portfolio. However, I wouldn’t be able to act in the shows, which I just started to finally be casted in. So, any suggestions would be lovely.

Later, today, I was home and my sister and I were taking showers in different bathrooms, and before I went to take a shower, I texted my sister to see if she wanted to try out omegle. Our parents weren’t home, and since we only have one webcam downstairs it be perfect to try it out. I went downstairs to grab my food and asked my sister if she got my text. She didn’t. A little later my dad texted me and asked me what was omegle. My sister took my phone and told him that it was an auto correct problem, and that I meant to say Nancy (drew). Yeah, it was such a fail, and I think my dad is having a mid life crisis and will think something is wrong with me. Oh, well. 

So now, i am home, back from theater fest, tired, and watching a dateline episode. Bye!  

01/04/2012

8:54 p.m.

ONE MORE DAY. 

Today I feel like a boss, because I am writing this with all my homework done before nine o’clock. Well, all my hw except my APUSH reading, but that doesn’t count. 

In english class, were starting our mega research paper thats worth a ton of points. I chose the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. It was recommended to me by my teacher, and my favorite librarian. Anyways, I read it, and it definitely wasn’t what I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, but now I have to change my focus on the essay. I feel like I should do the theme & setting topic. If any of you have read Streetcar, or anything Tennessee Williams, give me your opinion on it! 

Besides the homework and activities I’ve had tonight, a great deal of my time is taken up by Theaterfest. I went to a Theaterfest meeting, went to the mall buy clothes for Theaterfest, packing for theaterfest, and bought gifts for my friend who is performing at theaterfest. Words cannot explain how excited I am (: One of my favorite things I bought, was for my friend who is in the Allstate show. I got her a Disney Princess record-able book. I thought that all of the kids going could record a bit of it while we were on the bus, and sign the book as well. I also got her some new ThroatCoat tea & other goodies. 

Oh, and by the way, don’t hate on my grammar mistakes. Please. I am not proofreading or anything, but I am probably writing in a more formal manner than I would with my private journal. Love you, and have a wonderful night.xoxo

Things I still have to do tonight. 

_shower                          _pack my suitcase

_practice piano                 _queue blog

_pack Val’s gift basket       _move all of my stuff into the bag

_APUSH flashcards            _ get snacks

01/03/2012

Today, I took a Fat Day.

I’ts like a sick day, but worse.

It really wasen’t a choice.

For some reason I just felt like a Blimp, even though I ate healthy today. Okay, moving on. 

It was the first day back at school, nothing special or anything, but I was in denial that I actually have to go back to reality. Of course my Physic teacher schedules a quiz for Friday, the day I won’t be here. In choir, we are singing The Seal Lullaby SSA by Eric Whitacre. I can’t get over how beautiful the song is, and I feel so connected to the piece for some reason. For example, when were singing/singing on solfege, I don’t need to look at the music, because I know what is happening. Of course, that may be memorization or something. 

After school, I had one of my friends come over to exchange Christmas presents. Afterwards, we just stayed on my bed and made noises/faces at each other. We’re a weird pair. 

So as I was procrastinating on my essay, I decided to put a pot of tea on (BTW, we learned the Spanish word for pot today, which is olla). My Asian grandma gave us this tea made of corn or something… so I put on the water, and returned to my APUSH essay. Sometime later, my dad yells down and asks if I put something in the oven. Then the fire alarms starts blaring like a… well, a fire alarm. Turns out all the water had evaporated and I was burning the pot. The fire fighters didn’t have to come though, so it was all good. I had a really witty way to end this post earlier, but I can’t think of it, so I will just end it here, awkwardly. 

P.S. I realized that I am such a dweeb. For my last two entries, I had the year still set in 2011. I always end up doing that at the start of the year. Did anyone notice that? I bet not! I wonder if anyone actually reads these, which is fine with me. But if you want extra cool points leave a message in my ask box and I will draw you a picture. 

01/02/2012

I had a dream last night, and i woke up afterwards and thought—that was a good dream! But then i woke up for real later, and i couldn’t remember. 

Tomorrow, school starts up again. No. We should have finals before winter break, because now all the teachers are going to cram in information, plus I’ll have to re-learn everything I’ve forgotten. Somehow, this year I only have 4 finals. Usually I have six, but I am not complaining. I have Physics, Spanish, APUSH, and Trig. Spanish and Trig won’t require too much effort, but I really got to haul some ass for the Physics and APUSH. Remember when I used to be a straight A student? Haha those were good times. Junior Year sucks. I have all these things that I want to do, but I just to have time for them.

Here are all the things I want to do: Tumblr, knit, piano, pottery, workout (fo realz), take dance lessons, cook my own food, start another blog, get a job, piano, figure out the uke & how to tune it, hang out with people, theater, singing, etc. 

Here are all the things that I have time for: Sleep, School, Homework, and more sleep. 

I am literally booked until summer. 

I just need some time to breathe and relax. 

That’s why I am currently struggling internally. I am trying to decided if I am going to GI/CP and spring play at my school. GI/CP is my favorite part of the drama club. I love it, and the people in it. I don’t know if I should audition. I know if I did it I would have so much fun & learn a lot. However, I’d feel guilty that I am not taking the time to do other things that I really want to try out. I will definitely be doing GI/CP, but maybe I will only do crew. I don’t know because my mind is totally confused. 

I hope you all had/have a wonderful end to your winter break & I hope your teachers don’t pile on your hw load. G’night. 

01/01/2012

Today is the first day of 2012! woo. happy new year. Truthfully, I had no idea that it was today. I was on vacation and didn’t completely no what day it was. I spent the last week or so at my aunt and uncle’s mountain house. It was actually really warm outside. While I was there I realized something: If you are completely shut off from wifi, tumblr, friends,and etc., you actually notice things. For example, have you ever noticed how many attractive boys go out in public? I had no clue because I have a strict policy for flirting: 

1. make a quick awkward eye contact. 

2. turn away

3. Don’t make anymore eye contact. Only admire from a far. 

This plan may or may not be full-proof if you want to flirt.  I am a sad individual. I feel awkward to flirt with people- it’s just not me. Is something wrong with me? One time we went out to eat and i was wearing my black lace adele dress. A guy was sitting at another table and in my head i was like, “You like?” haha I crack myself up. okay. 

Later on at the trip the parents went out golfing for a day, so it was only the kids at home. So we all decided to go on a hike in the forest behind their house. Of course, as the oldest child, I wanted to be prepared for everything, so I packed us a picnic lunch to take to the trout pond. All my cousins wanted to do was to jump over the stream and take pictures. I was really bored so I made videos on my iPhone of me pretending to be Bear Grylls on man versus wild. Eventually one of my cousins fell in the stream and was soaking wet. So we had to backtrack to the house and get him a new change of clothes. We walked for about 30 minutes when we decided that we were lost so we asked someone for directions. My cousin, instead of following her advice, decided to take a shortcut. Well it wasn’t a short cut. We eventually passed the same lady we asked for directions previously. Embarrassing. We finally wandered around until we found the trout pond and everyone was in a bad mood. We all went home on different paths with wet bums and angry. Guess who had to carry the 20lb. lunch bag home over many hills. This girl did. Nobody thanked me. It was like a Modern Family episode, but there was no happy ending or lesson learned-except don’t make your cousins a picnic lunch and go on a hike with them. 

Today I went to the mall and bought a bare minerals set. I had received some for x-mas and i have loved it so far. Plus, it was on sale, so that rocks. Then I spent a good hour or so in Urban Outfitters ( really want a back pack from Urban but i can’t decide) . They had a sale going on, plus I had gift cards. I bought two tights, and a pair of shoes. I will definitely be wearing them to theaterfest. 

Btw, did i mention how excited I am for theaterfest? no, well i am excited for theaterfest. It is basically a big festival in my state for high school theater kids. Which rocks! Maybe I will meet people from tumblr there. Well, Goodnight tumblr. Hope you have a wonderful 2012 coming your way. xoxox