summer breeze

Reasons why I have not been blogging lately

1. trying to get through the last couple months of senior year without blowing my head
   
2. have lost all interest in everything on the internet except facebook; yes even lost interest fashion for awhile
3. should have been working on my senior project and getting my life together
4. trying to cram every minute that i did not devote to educational purposes to hanging out with high school friends
5. ran out of witty subjects to blog about

Reasons why I should be blogging again

1. it is summer; NO SCHOOL!!!!
   
2. i am officially done with high school (oh such a scary thought)
   
3. i have three months of nothing to do until college starts (another scary thought)
4. need to get back into the blogging habit

Well it has been a long hiatus since me and Pachia have been on here. Well we had good reasons because we were trying to survive the last couple months of senior year! So many things to do like senior project, senior boards, senior activities, graduation, etc! Well it is all over and I am happy. Summer is finally here. But sadly Sacramento has been a bit windy so it feels no different. So we have finally passed a "rite of passage" in our lives. We graduated!


How do I feel about not being in high school anymore? Great. I thought I would have some life-changing emotions flowing through me during the ceremony but I was just content and mostly bored. Maybe it is because I know I am going to see my good friends over summer (and I have been seeing them a lot lately over the last couple days). Maybe it is because I know it won't come to an end until September when we all "leave". Maybe it is because everything always hits me at the very end and I will be the one bawling my eyes out on the trip to San Diego. But, I do not feel anything yet.

But I have noticed a difference. I have noticed that everything isnt exactly the same. I already accepted the fact that people drift. It has happened to me but I am not the type of person to feel heartbroken about it. But I already see it happening NOW. I am not the type of person to drop a friend over one mistake. That is not how friendships are maintained and I know I do not want to lose a close friend for a mistake that can be forgiven and changed. I just wish others would feel the same "forgive and forget" as I do. But that doesnt mean I am going to blindsight the major issue. I would rather address it then drop the friend and ignore the problem.

Looking back at my four years in high school, I am satisfied. I have done all I could and tried my best and I have gotten the best results. A friend asked me if there was anything I could change about my four years and I realized I do not have anything I would change. Everything happened for a reason. I didn't start off with a great freshman year but I learned from that and I knew that I wanted to have a great high school experience and my goal was set to have fun sophomore year. And fun I did have. I made great friends who I hope to keep. I learned so much in the last four years by my teachers, friends and from myself. I did not have an awesome life changing experience in high school, but I know I can look back happily at those memories and move on forward knowing who I am a little better. I know starting college will be a little scary but I have the experience from high school to know that it is always scary in the beginning but in the end, it is just fine.

For my senior project I wrote and published a book called How to Survive High School: A Senior's Memoirs. You can preview it on the site. It really sums up the little tips I learned over my four years and talks about things that we always talk about our peers with but never really try and extend the information to people who need it. I found a quote that sums up high school.

"Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad; it's what you do in between that counts the most."

Summer seems very long this year. I have exactly three months because I do not leave until mid-September for UCSD. I am ALREADY BORED because I do not have a job this summer. I need to seriously search for one. I wish it was just as easy as it was last time to get a job.

Summer goals (because we all need some)

1. get a job
2. go skinny dipping at least once
3. go streaking at least once (however not fully naked...)
4. look for perfect jumpsuit and perfect overalls

It is a summer and I do not feel like dressing up every day. I will be living in my boxer shorts or my cutup denim shorts and plain tees. But I really want to find the perfect jumpsuit and overalls. I am not into the harem pants jumpsuits. I know 80's is coming back but I prefer the modified 80's look, not the tacky over the top ones. I wanted the somewhat loose, tailored jumpsuit look or the fitted look.

I have also been wanting overall shorts since like sophomore year when I saw this really cute senior girl wear them with a frilly top. It was inspirational.

Images courtesy of chictopia and forever21. I wish lookbook would let us copy the images. They have some awesome pics of overalls!

---christina

mission: to get my life back on track

I am having one of those "awake at 3am" moments. Ever since I read about it in Emily's Quest, I've been thinking what they feel like. Let me tell you, not good.

Here is why I am having one of those moments. Senior year is the worst year because procrastination becomes like a sickness. I thought I was able to fight it off junior year and I was sort of handling it this year. But it has become worse as spring break has gone by. Why? Because I know I got into the college I want and I do not care much of high school except to get decent grades (hello to STRAIGHT C's!) and get my diploma. No I won't get straight C's, I have too much pride, but I am going down that ugly road. I could not go to sleep because of anxiety over my ap literature homework, spring break is over, I need to face my troubles, I am graduating, I am thinking about how graduation day will be, my senior project is a mess, etc.

So TO SOLVE THIS, time for a list.

things need to be done by end of this month:

1. senior project needs to be DONE?!!?!?!?!? 3 weeks to get a book or something.
2. suck up and start doing homework for my classes on time.
3. take lots of photos for photo1 and my book.
4. turn in stuff for ucsd (fasfa verification forms before may1st)
5. cram for aps; start to CARE again
6. get a senior ball dress
7. pay dues for sober grad night, yearbook, etc.
   

I may need to add more to this list.

I hope I will get motivation for life again. And get over my anxiety.

I did some portraits for photo1 and they came out interesting. I've been watching lots of movies over spring break and I will do post about them later.

---christina.

ive been thinking about you lately

I had a great weekend. I think it is going to be one of the very last for a couple weeks because I need to stop avoiding the big things in my life like my SENIOR PROJECT and cramming for aps. I don't really care for aps as much but SENIOR PROJECT!!?!?!? I need that to graduate :(. Well this weekend I went out with Maggie and Michelle (my M&M's) and we went to old sac/downtown on Saturday. First we went to a sac soompi meet and that was very interesting. But we had a great time in old Sacramento. We just took a lot of pictures because we loved the old buildings and it was a nice day (despite it WAS FREEZING and I was wearing thin clothing). Too bad we got ripped off because we ordered hot dogs and the guy gave us polish sausage instead which was 2 dollars more. WTF!!! Oh well. We also went to 2nd Saturday. I like the free stuff. We got free Chipotle from a boutique which I just found out was actually Pachia's aunt's new boutique. Small world.

I love the mural by the downtown mall.

Michelle looks like a witch.

We are on a train. Looks like a ship huh.

We found this cool area where it was a bunch of crumbing pillars.

On Sunday, I volunteered for the Shamrock Marathon (also called Running for Rhett) with my Key Club. Our job was to direct traffic away from the runners and to show the runners where to go. Me and Kim had the harder job of directing cars. Some people are so impatient but obviously I was trying to make sure no one was getting run over! But after awhile Licia, my brother and Nemo came to where me and Kim were and we started cheering for the runners. In our area, it was like a two way street, runners would pass by and then the trail would leave them around and back past us to up the hill. So halfway through the race my brother made up a chant,

KEEP GOING,
DONT STOP!
WHOOT WHOOT (clap clap)

So we were yelling probably for two and half hours maybe even three hours straight to cheer for everyone. We could not stop because if we stopped, it seemed like we didn't like them so everytime people pass we would have to chant it. A lot of people really liked us and said thank you and said we were the best cheerleaders on the block. We tried to wait until the verrrrryyyy last stragglers. It was very fun. But my voice was out afterwards.

Well in the beginning, we were at Raley Field then we got the maps from the directors and pretty much we had to walk to our spot which was very confusing but thank goodness downtown streets are based on numbers and the alphabet. So it was like a ten minute walk. But on the way, Kim and I found the coolest thing ever:


They had a couple of these in the neighborhood. And we were sitting on a rock. I think it is so cute. Why don't they have encouraging signs here in our suburbia? Always dream big.

News on college acceptances. I am very lucky and glad for all my acceptances so far. I am just happy to know that it doesnt take a perfect person to make it into a UC and that essays do count! I really think my personal statements pulled me through in a couple of my schools. So far it has been UC Davis, UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz. UC LA comes out on Wednesday. But I am satisfied with what I have now.

I like this new David Choi song.

And to make you laugh.

--christina.

im nothing but a sand castle

Agreed.

Senior year is love/hate year. A lot more hate though. Haha. Today I went to the big central library downtown and I love big libraries. Though I hate how you can never really go to the library expecting to stumble upon some good books. But I did find some good books to read. I am really addicted to non-fiction books about consumerism and the economy ever since I read Freakanomics. I haven't gone to the public library in two years since I got my first library card but I went with my mom and my sisters and we have found a new love in public libraries. The library near our home has a new building so we visited that one. I read probably less than ten books over break. I just read, watched tv, ate and slept. It felt good.

The books currently reading/about to read.

I checked out this photo essay book. It is a timeline of history of women who changed America.
I grew up reading women history thanks to those Dear America diaries and I used to love reading historical fictions when I was young. I really appreciate women in history. Looking at these photos and facts make me strive to be in a book like that. I want to be in the history books. These women are really heroes.

I am loving Solange and her music. It is definitely refreshing, happy, and colorful. She edited/did the music video herself for Sand Castle. I am not sure if she did the I decided one, but still they are great. She is really an artist. Both Knowles sisters are talented. I love Beyonce's new album too.

I went to the mall with my friends to buy a birthday present to sent to our friend in Korea. They don't have Aeropostale there and she loves Aeropostale so we bought her some stuff there. Personally, I do not really like Aeropostale but we got some nice stuff for her. I really do not like mall shopping but I love walking around the mall. It makes me reminiscene about my childhood. Like going to buy cinnabons at Cinnabon or visiting the Sanrio store or the Disney store. The mall has some good memories. But seriously, I can no longer buy clothes from there. But it was fun to shop around with friends. And I think UO is too overpriced. But cute. But overpriced.

We love trying on hats.
Fedoras do not look bad on me.
I need to invest in hats.



Interesting but hats from 1920s are becoming popular.
Those bowl cut, feather hats. I like them.
but not as flattering as fedoras.



Group picture.
May be the first and last together picture at mall.

And update on my little sister Sophie. She is growing faster and faster. She crawls everywhere now. Already five months. It is amazing. She will be walking in no time.

19 weeks before graduation. Augh.

---christina.

a good breakfast is all you need.

So it seems my senior year has been a cycle of MON-FRI = stress, stress, stress; after school FRI-SUN = chill. But once Monday starts again, it is stress all over again. Why? I do not know. I think it may be my classes or my anxiety or that senior year just damn sucks. But lately my weekends have been the best and have been super chill. So I will talk about my weekend, because it makes me happy.

So last weekend, I probably spent all weekend with Mimi and Chrissa pretty much. On Friday, I went to Toy Box and ushered and hung with my friends (as told in the previous post).

Here's the picture with us meeting Gabe Bondoc.

On Saturday, Chrissa, Mimi and Michelle came over to "work" on fan dance (I will talk about that later on) but pretty much we worked/chilled. And we got to surprise Michelle for her birthday with our belated gift of a pretty m&m cake that Chrissa baked and a poster we made for her that we were going to hold at homecoming game that said "Michelle Homecoming Princess" because she is one of the homecoming princesses. Then we went to Red Berry to drop me off work and they just hung around. Then Mimi and Chrissa came up with the idea to go thrifting. So Sunday we woke up early and went to Chrissa's house to go eat french toast made by Mimi (which were delicious) and then went thifting. We were at the store for like two hours. Then we decided to go to another one but got totally lost and probably would have ended up really far up north if we had not turned around. We passed a Target and Mimi got really excited and we just had to go in. Me and Chrissa took stupid pictures while Mimi looked at clothes.

I am attacking Chrissa. Camp Rock lovers, my sister and Chrissa.



That was scary. Happy Holidays.

Then we just decided to go eat at Jack's Urban Eats because Mimi really wanted to show us their salads. So it is a make your own salad place, well they make it but you choose what is in it. It was REALLY GOOD for some reason. And they were huge. The urban fries were AWESOME too. They were bleu cheese fries.

They look good, don't you think?



Mimi is a better advertisement for the salad then I was.

We were super tired afterwards. I fell asleep as we were driving. Then I had work afterwards, such a BUMMER. But we got over it.

So today was PSAT day for sophmores, so we got to go to school at 10:50 am. So we decided to do a breakfast at Michelle's house. We made omelettes and french toast (by Mimi again) and had fruit. It was the best thing ever. I had the best morning afterwards. I was happy all day. It is true, a good breakfast is all you need. But we were late to first period and got to school at 11 am. hahah.

We even added parsley for random decoration (my idea).



My hair looks horrible but it was a good picture.
We had to rush to put the timer on.
I wish I could eat it all over again.

----ck.

just a couple minutes is all i need

So I haven't posted in a really long time. Why? Because senior year is the craziest packed mess in my life. My senior classes, the five (or more?) clubs I am in, work, college applications and life is just a big emotional roller coaster for me lately. And I have been pretty stressed most of the time because most of my classes like to screw me over and have tests on the same day, work is a pain in the ass and inconvenient, college applications are a post-it note in the back of my mind and I have club meetings morning and after school practically every day. And plus I am choreographing & organizing dances for our multicultural assembly for Asian Club and that is in nine weeks and we have just started to practice the dances. I haven't started on my personal statements because I never have a free time to myself really and if I do, I do not want to spend it on that.

Anyways, enough griping about life. I am sure if I am stressed about life, you are too so doesn't help you or me to complain.

My new motto for this year is: WORK HARD, PLAY HARDER because it will pay off in the end.

You know what helps? LISTENING TO MUSIC!!! So here are some songs I found very helpful and peaceful and calming. Michelle's blog post inspired me. She says we all need "happiness in a jar" once in awhile. So here I go, here is my happiness in a jar to you.

I love this song. It is SOOO CALMING


Just in an Epik High mood


I also like this song. Seems kind of cheesy but it gives me a good feeling.


I don't really like them a lot but I do like how cheery this song is.


Homecoming is in 0ct 18th for me :D




WE CAN DO IT GUYS, LETS MAKE IT THROUGH THE YEARRRRR

-----ck

cheeeer up.

the economy is so bad, yet Americans are still going about their business, as if nothing is wrong. i guess i am guilty of that too, except i have this constant voice in the back of my head that keeps me a little worried everytime i purchase something totally unnecessary. i'm pretty sure the country's not gonna go broke dead, like back in the depression days, if our economy crisis gets out of hands-- but still, i am worried. i guess sometimes i worry a little too much though. i think its unhealthy.

school is so not as stressing as i invisioned it to be. however, it is still stressing! i'm not pulling my hair out of my brains yet, but i think i'm managing fine, seeing as how i still have the ability to procrastinate and get away with it. well, i can't say that yet, because i havent really gotten any grades back yet-- except my psychology test, which i got a D on. but the majority of class got D's... so i guess i'm on the right track. you can't blame me though! i've got 5 AP classes! and i really didnt think that was really that impressive or shocking, until i started telling people, and everyone gave me the impression of it being impressive and shocking! yay. i for once dont feel stupid. whooooooo. i'm still worried though. worried, worried, worrrrrieddd!

pheeeewwwwwwwwwww. so i guess i'm going to start typing slower now. i've really been rushing with everything these past few weeks! would anyone like a chihuahua by the way? we have accumulated too many dogs over the past few years, and we really no longer have time to take care of them anymore :( so if anyone's interested in adult chihuahua's, i have a few. REALLY!! i'm just looking for good homes for them! HELP ME OUT! there's no charge. and i'm getting desperate, because REALLYYY, i don't have time to take care of them anymore, and they need to get to good homes. i'd appreciate it, if you know anyone who's interested in chihuahuas, and you pass this information to them :) they're so incredibly sweet and cute.

i don't want to make this blog a reaaalllyy long one, but i havent blogged in so long, and i have so much to update on! well, let's just keep this short. i got my camera in! it's amazing, and i love it-- i've been taking pictures of everything! my birthday was freaking amaaazing. i've discovered a crazy love for baking. my senior project's gonna be on cooking (that's not official yet though).

today i went to the flea market. and there really wasn't anything that great. i got this cute indian bracelet/ring (or so my mom says-- that it's indian) and some yellow nail polish! then i came home to work on my yearbook "about me" and now after this i'm probably going to cook dinner and study for french...

ahh, i feel so sad thinking now, about how summer's over. i saw some of my co-workers at the flea market today, and i saw my kids at the Hmong Family Healthy Day picnic yesterday. i miss being a kid. this is gonna be my last year and the world is so crazy these days. ahhhh. that just means that we gotta cherish every moment, and savor all the good times. i mean look at my grandparents and my parents! they were in the middle of a war, and look at how far they've come. yes, you just gotta cherish every moment. and cheer up :)

salut, salut!
PACHIA

do want you wanna do.

"People don't listen to what you say,
but what you do."

--keith hawkins.

On Friday, I had a senior event, SENIOR BBQ. But before I go on to talk about that, let me talk about the Senior BBQ training. Well I was one of the students picked to be a leader at senior bbq. And the night before (thursday), we had to go to the "training" from 5-8pm. Yeah THREE HOURS!! Pretty crazy. What could we possibly do for three hours? Well it was worth those three hours. We even went a little overtime. So there were probably 40 or more seniors there (half of them I knew) and the speaker, Keith Hawkins was there. He was going to be the motivational speaker for the senior bbq and he was going to teach us how to lead these group activties. So no the senior bbq was not just going to be a day where you could hang out with your friends, the senior class was going to be broken up into "random" groups and we would be forced to do activities to get to each other. First Keith got us to do some really wacky activities that were totally fun and exciting. We had to partner up with random people we did not know and talk to them and play these insane icebreakers. It was a great way to start it. Then we got into real business and got split into groups and we learned these new activities.

Most activities were just a couple icebreakers where everyone could get to know each other's names, trust each other and eventually learn how to be a team. The last activity was pretty intense. We had to pass a toilet roll around and take a piece of tissue and we were supposed to tell a personal story of something that impacted our lives, made us the person we are, etc. Well we were all kind of like..."we did not really sign up for this". But it happened. The first person who started in my group was Catherine and I had class with her so I knew her but she set the tone and she really did tell a personal story. And after that we all told a story and got really choked up and I actually told a personal story I had never told ANYONE (not even my very close friends) about and I didn't break down but I did tear up/cry a bit but by the time I had finished, I felt better and it was let go. It was an amazing experience. We all found out things about each other and really sympathized each other. I honestly felt better telling a bunch of acquaintances/strangers my story and I did not feel like I was judged at all. We hugged it out in the end and it was an empowering moment.

Well after that the next day was senior bbq and we came early. That was the fun part. Keith Hawkins was an AMAZING speaker. He was fun and everyone respected and listened to him. I cannot believe how great he was and how personal he seemed. He truely understood us and what I remember most about his speech was about doubt and fear. He said at this time, we live in doubt and that doubt turns into fear. We don't apply to certain colleges because we don't think we can get in. We don't try to promote ourselves because other people said we weren't smart enough. And he said, it is truely sad how we can believe that. As long as you believe in yourself, it does not matter what you cannot do. He said job = just over broke. He said you should want to be able to do something so much that you would do it for free, but you are so good at what you do, you get paid for it. What he said may not be realistic or logical enough, but he made it happen for himself. And he supports his kids well enough and his family to do what he loves. And I believe him and I want to do as exactly as he said. I want to do something I love so much I would do it for free, but I do it so well, I get paid for it. that is why I want to go to college. To learn what I love and to find what I love and not to worry about how to make the quickest and easiest buck.

So during the senior activities, I did actually meet some new people in my group and from the parts where we had to partner with random people. I truely believe that senior year is about breaking barriers and not caring about who you are friends with. I find it so much easier this year to talk to people who I would not really ever talk to or be friends with. I don't even about "cliques" or status. All of that is in the past and I really hope the rest of the senior class feels like that to because HELLLO we are the only class of '09 left so we should know each other before we are not together anymore.

So at the BBQ itself was AWESOME. We went to the park across from our school and luckily it is pretty damn huge (a lot of grass area/fields) and we had a huge slide thingy, adrenaline rush jumpy thing, a bungee cord bouncy thing, and a velcro wall. I went on everything except the velcro wall. They were all awesome but I kind of got whiplash from the bungee cord thingy.

I look pretty intense because that thing was pretty intense.
And it was harder than you think.
I saw football players getting sore after this.

I kept falling. Look at the warrior, Chrissa
Mike and Kumar had to help me in the end because I could not get up.

Cutest kids ever. Craziest entourage ever.

And we like cheesy group photos like this.

And even make a pyramid. I felt bad for the guys.

And pretend to be like married couples. Yay gay marriage.

And pelvic thrust and stick the booty out like no other.


P.S HERE IS A HILARIOUS YOUTUBE VIDEO OF MY FRIENDs.
i was the mean girl with the black hair who was teasing mike and not giving him the velcro thing.

-----christina :]

finally it is that time

Finally it is that time, the time where WE (pachia and i) ARE SENIORS. Well Pachia is not officially a senior until Tuesday when she starts school. I've already had my first week of school over. Can you believe it? I've had my LAST first day of school already. It is still kind of scary to think of---my last year of high school, no way. The only bad thing is that I am one of the "oldest" in the school. And I don't know like 80% of the schools because they are full of underclassmen. I knew a lot of upperclassmen, even when I was a freshman but now I am an upperclassmen and my underclassmen friends are very few. Well maybe I will make more later when club activities start and I am in quite a few clubs (and officier for every one of them). I am looking forward to making new friends and getting to know my senior classmates who I have not met already.

On Friday, our first senior event was the SENIOR SUNRISE. We had to get to the stadium at 6am. I got there at like...6:20. So the sun was already up but it was still fun to hang out. We just mostly ate pancakes, took lots of pictures and just messed around until school started at 7:45. It was still great hang out time tho.

Do you like our senior shirts?
I think they are okay.

I am looking forward to the events to come, the friends to come, the ups and downs of the year to come. Bring it on I SAY!

goals for senior year.

1. don't lose sight of your dreams
2. dont lose sight of your goals
3. procastination, once again, is BADDD
4. dont avoid applications and hard work because you are scared of the future
5. stay focused
6. keep grades up
7. dont stress yourself out (or you will have an ulcer)
8. dont get depressed at all
   
9. have fun, and lots of iiiiittttt
10. dont let anything or anyone stop you from having a kickass year.
11. go to a jonas brothers concert
    

So I am freaking addicted to this song. (EDIT: ADDED NUMBER 11)

----ck