http://cipher.hiveports.com/grad2005.wma

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the thing I've done you blame me for

But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share

And none of it seems to matter anymore

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird in a distant wood

Who can say if I've been
Changed for the better?
I do believe I have been
Changed for the better

And because I knew you...

Because I knew you...

Because I knew you...
I have been changed for good.


I'm starting to miss high school.

Craigslist is amazing. I just posted my lovely pink mobile on Craigslist today at 2:30pm and I already received messages/calls from over 15 interested buyers. :) Granted, these aren't for-sure deals (except this one girl who begs me to not sell my car to anyone but her), but it's encouraging to see such a fast response. Although it's kinda weird that more than half of them are guys. haha!

This entry is not friends-locked because I want to spread the word that I am indeed selling my pink car.

Here's some info:

Selling for: $4000
70k miles, Automatic, A/C: Front, Airbag: Driver, Airbag: Passenger, Anti-Lock Brakes, CD Player, Fog Lights, Power Steering, Power Windows, Rear Window Defroster

No engine modifications except for intake. Exterior painted pink with white pearl with Veilside full body kit: front, back, sides, and top and middle spoilers. 18" white rims with low profile tires. Brand new trunk cargo cover from DX model. Matching pink interior pieces, including a Pink Neon that lights up to the beat of the music.

I may be slightly biased to sell it to a MSJ kid. ;)

------

I leave in 6 days for New York City. THAT'S IN LESS THAN A WEEK. :(

It still seems so surreal… but selling my car definitely makes things more concrete. Ah well, a more nostalgic post about leaving will soon follow.

Hello hello. As you well know, the afternoon after grad night, I quickly packed my bags and hopped on an airplane to Chicago. As a member of District Council, it was my responsibility to represent Interact at Rotary International's Centennial Celebration. This was one big shindig: 100,000 (?) Rotarians from around the world attended, President Bush gave a recorded speech at the opening ceremony, and the Sears Tower was lit in Blue and Gold for a whole week in commemoration of Rotary.

As promised, here's my obligatory Chicago picture post.


14 teenagers. one BIG city. limited supervision. what do you expect, of course we went wild!




Chicago-Midway airport warmly welcomed us on arrival.


We were busy working the Interact booth every day from 9am to 6pm.


The question is, were we working hard or hardly working?




"Booth voted Best of Show!" haha ;)

Then, of course, we had our fun in the city.


District Council goes to WHITE CASTLE!


District Council goes to Hooters!




District Council goes to eat Chicago-style deep dish pizza! (and gets yelled at by the rude waitress)


District Council dresses up and goes to the Field Museum! (and gets 14 $80 dinners for free!)




District Council plays in "Do Not Touch" displays!


Thought the warthogs were real, didn't cha?


District Council goes to the top of Sears Tower!


I was too short to reach his tongue. :(


District Council goes to Navy Pier!


and rides the 150 ft ferris wheel!


and screams at the top of their lungs on the wave swinger!


Alas, Chicago, we will miss you! Farewell and thanks for the wonderful memories. Perhaps District Council can continue their adventures next year in Copenhagen, Denmark!

(There's more fun just around the corner.)

Chicago was great.
What happens in Chicago, stays in Chicago. ;)

Photo recaps on Graduation, GradNight, Spring Banquet, and Bishop O'Dowd prom still to come (in reverse chronological order!)

As for me, I must now go pack. Tomorrow I leave for my roadtrip to Ohio with my brother. For 5 days, I'll see nothing but a bunch of cows eating grass as I drive across the U.S. Then, on the 9th of July, I'll fly over to Washington D.C. to visit my dad.

Enjoy the summer, stay out late and play, and I guess I'll see you folks on the 15th!

I was looking through pictures from my outing with Robert, which caused me to undergo a lot of introspection.

But before we get to the deep, juicy thoughts, i shall narrate my ballroom dance lesson adventure.

( Yes, I suck at all forms of dancing )

okay, now onward to my self-analysis.


Before I leave to New York, I want to experience all the little things that make the Bay Area so great. This is probably why I'm into finding such "cutesy" things to do, like ballroom dancing, going to a drive-in movie, ice-skating in the open rink at night, watching the local theater group perform, looking at the stars while lying in the hills, getting massaged at the Oxygen Bar, etc. (Haha, well maybe the last one wasn't so cutesy... but it's still something unique!)

There are so many quirks about our small city that are often overlooked. Who's actualy been to the art gallery on Washington, Broadway West Theater above Bay Street, Lord Bradley's Inn on Mission, or Bob's Giant Burger on Fremont? These local attractions are what really make Fremont so great.

Same with the Bay Area. I vow to, by the end of the summer, eat pizookies at BJs and fondue in Los Gatos, visit the mystery spot and Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, and ride around San Francisco in a trolly all day and then hit up the night scene. There's so much I want to do and experience, partially because I want to live the life I see on TV, full of excitement and adventure, but without the "sex, drugs, and rock n' roll". :P

I see life as an opportunity to experience everything. You only live once, so why not try out new things? Some people call me too idealistic, for I value "fairytale" excursians a bit too much. (haha who can say they went horseback riding on the beach?)

But hey, that's who I am. Like the way I think? Then let's go play!

I finally found the time to upload my senior ball pictures!


mr. robert zhu and me

The Girls

MSJE + dates

Senior Ball, brought to you by the Senior Class Officers. :)

San Francisco!

The Glas Kat

Beach Bonfire!


( Senior Ball 2005: Unforgettable )

here are a bunch of random thoughts strung together.

"The Last Dance"
so we're having an end of the year dance for sure!
- May 27, 7-10pm @ MSJ gym
- $10 at lunch & after school; $12 at the door
- open to ALL MSJ students
- music by DJ Rex (DJ Hightop was unavailable so he told us to get Rex. apparently Rex is really good too!)
- can guest pass students from other schools as long as the forms are returned to the senior class officers or Ms. Yepez by Wed, May 25. guest passes available in the activities office. make sure to pick up "The Last Dance Guest Pass" because it's slightly different from the normal guest passes
- Money fundraised goes to pay for the Seniors' graduation expenses (we have to pay around $5000 to print programs, bus seniors to the site, and buy graduation diploma covers). Because it's a Rotary sponsored dance, the extra money will go to fundraise for our Interact trip to Chicago in June for the Rotary Convention! (I looooovvee the fact that we're fundraising for my 2 favorite causes - Interact and Senior Class!)

TELL EVERYONE TO COME! it will be a blast!!

( Here's the real story for the dance, if you'd like to know the details. )

District Council
It was my last Interact DC meeting on Saturday. I'm SO SAD that Interact is almost over!!! You don't understand how much it means to me. Over the years, out of EVERYTHING I've done, the one thing I've never regretted getting involved in was Interact. I've met so many people and made so many connections. Most importantly, I've been able to make a significant difference in the world.

Perhaps the most life-changing/eye-opening incident was fundraising for the Wheelchair Foundation. As a district, we raised $47,000 to send 600+ wheelchairs to countries overseas. I seriously cried when I received my donation packet, with the picture of Pham Tan An, the 8 year old boy who received my wheelchair. It felt so amazing to impact someone's life so drastically.

This year, I've been blessed to get to know District Council even better. (<-- click the link for pics of our DC bonfire). These people never cease to amaze me with their altruism. And we never fail to have a BLAST every time we hang out (which is quite often, mind you). Some of these folks have become my closest friends, and I'm grateful for that. (I'm talking about you, Ms. Steph Wu!)

So Sunday marks the official end of my term as Governor, as well as Nick's term as Interact Chairperson!! (OMG DID YOU KNOW THAT DC?! I CAN'T BELIEVE NICK ISN'T THE DC CHAIRPERSON ANYMORE!) This has been the most rewarding position I've had. It has been my dream to become Governor ever since Freshman Year, but I thought, "No way. It's impossible for ME to get that position. How the heck am I supposed to get enough votes as a measly MSJ Interactor, when schools like Independence have 400+ members?" But after joining DC as Secretary my junior year, I knew then that it WAS possible. Thank God I lost Junior Class elections; if i had won, I wouldn't have joined DC and then I would have lost the opportunity to become Governor.

Things happen for a reason. :)

Prom!
Boris asked me to go to Bishop O'Dowd's prom. Unfortunately, it's the night before ours, so I'll be DEAD tired on Saturday. But of course I HAD to go. Laura missing a party? IMPOSSIBLE!

It's going to be at the Hyatt in San Francisco. I'll be dressed like I was for Jr. Prom. Boris, the nice guy he is, refuses to let me pay for anything so it's a free night of fun for me!

Brother's Graduation
Then the next morning I have my brother's graduation ceremony in Berkeley. I'm so proud of him. He's been and continues to be my role model. As sad as I am to see him leave to med school, I'm glad that he got accepted to Cleaveland Clinic (since it's one of the top schools for orthropaedic surgury). We're going on a roadtrip to Ohio at the end of June. Just my brother and me. :)

My DAD is coming back this weekend too! Dude, this blows, because amidst the 2 senior balls and the interact spring banquet, i will hardly get to spend any time with him before he leaves to the east coast. :/

MSJ Senior Ball
I'M SO EXCITED. Although everyone and their moms heard about how much drama our 40+ group had, I'm glad that's ALL OVER. I can't wait until the night.

This is how I'm doing my hair:


This is what my corsage should look like:



this weekend is going to be BANANAS. :)

This is what you've all been waiting for:

SENIOR BALL BIDS (come in pairs, but singles can be sold separately):
5/9 - 5/10: $125
5/11 - 5/13: $130
5/16 - 5/17: $135
5/18 - 5/20: $140

Bids start at $125! That's how much our JUNIOR PROM TICKETS cost at one point. SO CHEAP! As far as I know, our Senior Ball tickets are the cheapest in FUSD... AND WE INCLUDE DINNER WITH THAT!


you can thank us later.


or now. because i like appreciation.


HAHA JUST KIDDING. I'm not that self-centered.


But the blood, sweat, and tears are NOT over. We, the Senior Class officers, still have to plan these fundraisers to cover the cost of graduation ($5000 for printing programs, busing students to Central Park, and diploma covers):
- Jamba Juice sales all during Stress Free Week
- Prom Bid sales all during Stress Free Week and the week after
- Chevy's Night
- Donation letters sent home to parents in the upcoming newsletter (PLEASE, IF EVERY STUDENT IN THE CLASS OF 2005 DONATED $15, WE'D COVER THE COST OF GRADUATION!!! ONLY $15!!)
- End of the Year Dance on May 27! Plans aren't definite yet, but if we can get enough teachers and chaperones to supervise, it may well go through. (then, of course, we'd have to simultaneously work both the Senior Ball and End of the Year Dance booths to sell tickets. lol, i swear, we need to be in 4 places at once)


Then, on top of these fundraisers, we have to:
- set up the picture schedule for prom
- hold auditions for the people who want to sing the class song
- hold after school tapings for our Time Capsule video
- design and gather all the data for the graduation programs
- plan out the graduation ceremony schedule


And, of course, there are leadership duties like:
- Stress Free Week (not stress-free for leadership kids, though!)
- Golf Tournament on the 27th (i know it's the same day as the potential dance date. asfjkwaoigjl...)


See why Andy and I can't go to Ashland? WAY TOO MUCH TO DO. All for you, Class of 2005. All for you.




Anyway, to keep me happy and sane, I shall now look at the ( Cotillion Pictures! )

after 3 emails from CAL personally reminding me to accept the Alumni Scholarship...

after one email from CAL to my MOM telling her to remind ME to accept the scholarship...

after two phone calls from Berkeley's financial aid/outreach students reminding me to turn in my forms...

after hours of persuasion and pleas from my father to attend CAL...

after years of unwavering pride for the Bears...



i have officially sealed my fate and let the SIR deadline pass me by. good lord, what have i done? so many feelings of regret are swirling around in my head, making it nearly impossible to study for the impending Calc AP test (which, mind you, i just started studying for this afternoon by purchasing a Princeton Review Prep book that i will return tomorrow for a full refund!)

don't get me wrong. i'm still very excited for Columbia, but now i'm questioning whether i made the right decision. Berkeley would have been immensly cheaper. Alumni scholarship + Watson scholarship + financial aid (most likely, seeing how they called me so many times) + mother's apartment for housing = nearly free ride.

on the other hand, we now have to call Columbia every week to beg them for student loans, work study, and aid, not knowing whether or not they'll give me any cash at all.

perhaps i was being too selfish and hasty in making my decision. i should have been more considerate of my parents, especially in lieu of our recent financial situation. now they have to send my brother to medical school in the fall while ALSO worrying about how to find loans to send me to a freaking expensive PRIVATE school.



what was i thinking.



aghhhhhh. if i liked Berkeley so much, why the hell didn't i go? obviously i would have enjoyed it. it would have been the sensible thing to do.




i'm so stupid sometimes.



i think i like to dig deep holes, jump into them, bury myself alive, and then try to escape. i guess i like to make things more difficult because i like to suffer and test my abilities.

what if i don't dig myself out this time?

don't save me. it's my fault. if i can't handle it, i deserve the consequences.



agggh. i'm fine with making mistakes, but i HATE dragging people down with me. why, oh why do i always have to hurt others? :( i'm sorry.

I usually don't listen to Radiohead, but this is one catchy song.

Anway, here are some senior lunch pictures for you lovely kiddos to steal. :)

You know, the pictures actually make MSJ look decent. The green hills and grass are nice scenery... i'm not joking!

As much as I'm ready to leave high school, I'll still miss everyone I've met over the past 4 years.


Two of my closest friends, Kaitlin and Shannon.

( Onward to more Senior memories! )

so on an unrelated topic, know what i'd like for a graduation gift?
THE PHO CLOTHING LINE!

lol. i saw that on Arthi's blog and oh my god, that's the funniest thing ever. so yes, if you would like to treat your favorite senior to a tshirt, you know what i want. ;)

on another unrelated topic, i get to go to a Cotillion tomorrow night! asdkljoiwgj!!! i feel like i'm on The O.C. :D i've always wanted to go to a Cotillion, just so I could dress up and learn how to ballroom dance. unfortunately, i'll just be in the audience tomorrow, but hey, i still get to wear a formal dress. fun times! i love the exciting events that accompany my life.