Monday, August 2, 2004

it's monday, and I skipped class
I do not often read the surveys that people fill out. Maybe once in a while when I'm stalking someone, but not often. Charlie's (Heaven's Cloud's, that is) is an exception. Other than that, though, usually they just strike me as something way more fun to fill out than actually read.

This weekend a bunch of my high school friends and I went to stay the night with one of our friends who has just moved into his own apartment near Philadelphia. It was a housewarming!! I didn't realize this until later ... I was tricked into going to a housewarming party!!!! Well, it was pretty awesome, actually, so I don't mind, and there was no giving of gifts or anything. It turns out my friend is an awesome host -- he bought and cooked us tons of food for a barbeque we had, wouldn't let us clean up or anything, and got us alcohol as well. That is truly a good man.

We also went to see Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, and if it came out in a theater near you, I highly recommend it. It was set in New Jersey so we (who were all from New Jersey) particularly enjoyed that, and it had a hysterical randomness that was just as good as I expected it. Although all of us pointed out that there was definitely a White Castle closer than the one that they went to ... us being Jersey trash and all. And it did rather poorly in the box office its opening weekend so if you could go support it I'm sure it would be much appreciated :-P. Hell, I might go see it again. A quality 86 minutes of my life.

And in closing, I'm starting up Prophecy sometime soon, so that should be fun.
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Wednesday, July 28, 2004

that introspection thing
I've decided my posts are never really all that interesting. No, no, this isn't me being humble or fishing for compliments, this is just the truth. And I think that's because I don't have opinions about a lot of things.

It was odd, in the first day of my bio lab this summer, we were drawing microscope slides. My lab TA and I got along pretty well right from the start (thinking back on it, I realized I always get along ridiculously well with male lab TAs I've had, no I don't mean that in a perverted way, I think it's just because I get along really well with nerdy guys). So I was looking for more microscope slides to draw, and he said, "Well, what do you want to see?" And I said, "Oh, whatever is fine."

To which he said, "I'm sure you can choose something. You look like the kind of person who has opinions on everything."

Which made me really puzzled. Because it's not true. I do have some very strong opinions on some things, but only trivial, stupid things, and I feel like an intelligent 20-year-old should have an opinion on way more things than I do.

How annoying.

Of course, also, the changes to the Arena are awesome and I'm glad they've been put into effect. And after all that debate about that other RPG I thought of a different one and put it up within twenty minutes. Though I didn't spend weeks writing it up in Word and finally not even putting it up like most of my brainchildren, I think it's one of the cooler ideas I've ever had for one, so you should certainly sign up.
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Monday, July 26, 2004

I like to drop in now and again
Wow, so they added private messaging to myO as well.

Anyway, a long time ago (by that I mean a couple of months, maybe) I mentioned I had an RPG idea in the works, then I put it on hold (well, mentally). As it turns out it has a structure somewhat similar to Tony's upcoming RPG, Torment. (I hadn't read his thing or anything related to it.) Though mine would have a bit less to do with ... graphic horror-ish stuff, since that's not quite my thing. But yeah, I thought that was interesting. I haven't decided yet whether or not to put mine up at some point ... I just re-read over the intro post I've already written for it and it does get me excited, but it's so complicated a thing I don't know if it'd be worth it.

Though I do want to do it ... Eh, we'll see.

Real life? I'm living at school for the summer, taking a class and studying like hell for .......... the MCATs. Oh God, every time I think about taking the test it honestly just makes me realize that there is no way in hell I'm going to do as well as I want to. The MCATs, by the way, are a standardized test that most medical schools require for admittance, and tests on first-year-level physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, and biology, with a verbal reasoning and essay section as well. I am good at all of those subjects individually. BUT THE TEST IS SO RIDICULOUSLY HARD. It's really discouraging; I've always considered myself fairly intelligent and able to do any academic thing I put my mind to, but I'm honestly beginning to doubt that.

Oops, I didn't mean to go off ... I actually go off like that about every day now. (I know none of you know me in an academic sense, but if you did, you would find this very strange. I never stress about classes. I mean, obviously I like to do well, but I seldom really worry about them.)

My boyfriend's in New York City for the summer, which is about an hour and a half train ride which kind of sucks, but we've seen each other a couple of weekends so it's cool. Last weekend I went up to Boston to visit a few of my other friends and saw my first baseball game ever -- Red Sox vs. Yankees, which I keep hearing is one of the biggest rivalries in baseball and perhaps even in American sport. It was pretty cool. We got to see a brawl!!

Well, I think I'll be off now.
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Friday, July 16, 2004

There is no need to be rude and/or insult another member's intelligence when you are reporting posts.


Actually I'm also beginning to feel like fewer and fewer new members bother reading rules.


Anyway, I'm going to New York today. I went bowling last night and did rather pathetically, but a new friend I met got a 174 :-P. And I heard that another friend of mine (at home, I was not witness to this amazing event) bowled over 200 three times in a row. Wow!
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Wednesday, June 30, 2004

voluntarily incoherent.
A really cute commercial just came on that I found highly amusing ... This adorable six-year-old kid is playing tennis against someone around 20, and the 6-year-old is kicking ass. The 20-year-old keeps trying to kick it up a notch and finally wins a point with this monster volley. Then the six-year-old gets picked up in a minivan driven by, of course, Andre Agassi.

I couldn't tell you what the ad was for. But oh well. It was cute.

Anyway ... After Fiji and returning from New Zealand, which was of course weird (or "weird as"), particularly because the last night I was there I only got a couple hours of sleep ... my computer isn't set up at home so I'm not online very often. Of course, there's Internet access aplenty at my house but I'm just too lazy to go to one of the computers to use it most of the time :-P. At least this way I've gotten some good studying done. Well, a little, at least.

I think my dad is making an effort to make this week the week in which he spent the most money. Ever. Aside from house purchases, I suppose ... So far, we've gotten a new car, a GPS system (separate from the car), three new cell phones (for him, my mom, and myself), and, well I got a pair of sneakers but compared to everything else they were child's play. And I think this week I'll be buying a new laptop as well. Any suggestions? I have it narrowed down to a Dell, an HP, or a Sony Vaio.
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Wednesday, June 23, 2004

long post on diverse items.

>> FINALS

I've got two of my four finals done with now, with two left on Saturday. Saturday is going to suck so badly. Not only do I have the two finals, both of which are for English classes (makes sense since I took four English classes here) and so will require tons of writing, but there's a "clash" situation as well -- I'll be taking one of the finals at a different time from most of the class. So for the two hours between the exams, to make sure I don't cheat, the University of Auckland is making me pack a lunch and sit in a supervised room, and I'm not allowed to leave. Thus about eight hours of my second to last day in Auckland will be spent sitting in a room. Oh the joy.

Only two of my finals were what I'd consider kind of hard ... the "Age of Shakespeare: Tragedy" one that I took a couple of weeks ago, which went fine, and the "Middle English Popular Literature" one that will be my last experience with the University of Auckland. The other Saturday one is on Lord of the Rings, which I re-read entirely in the first two days I was at Fiji (I was kind of impressed with myself), so I consider myself done "studying" for that one. It's really hard for me to get back in the groove of studying ... I thought the final I took yesterday would help, and it did, until I was out until 6AM this morning and one of my friends left for home. It's so odd that we're all leaving, and I really don't want to sit in a room and study in the last few days I have with these friends I've gotten so close to, but I have to.

>> LEAVING

Yeah, I'm leaving here on Sunday (at last, heh, Tony said the other day it seems like I've been in New Zealand for a really long time -- which is true). I'm not really thinking about it yet, because of finals and things, but it's so weird. I found friends here that I've basically spent every day of the past four months with, and I don't know if we'll ever all see each other together again. Sure, we'll probably have trips up and down to each other, but I don't know if we'll all be gathered together again. Ever.

Although one of my friends did suggest having a 4th of July reunion party, which is about a week after we get home :-P. We'll see if that pans out.

>> FIJI

Oh right, that ... vacation. It feels like a really long time ago now although I only got home a couple days ago (and until a couple hours ago my room definitely showed it, it was disgustingly messy again since I hadn't unpacked). But yes.

Fiji was amazing. We went to this small island named Beachcomber Island, which literally takes ten minutes to walk around and is nothing except the resort that we stayed at. We didn't have "flash" accommodation -- actually, we stayed in a "Grand Bure" that was basically a house with 86 dorm bunk beds. But it wasn't that bad, except for the bathrooms, but they were kind of nasty all over the island so it wasn't the dorms in particular.

And to do? There was nothing to do. I think if you weren't in the right mood it could get really boring, but I was in the right mood, just to relax and read books (luckily I got a fair amount of studying done, Lord of the Rings as I mentioned above and a good bit of reading for "Middle English Popular Literature" too. It's an interesting feeling to sit on the beach reading The Canterbury Tales ... kind of enjoyable). Plus, I was with probably the best friend I've met here, and we got along really well, had some good talks -- which was good, because both of us were a little afraid we'd hate each other at the end of it :-P. But we didn't, if anything it just cemented our friendship, which was awesome.

But we did do a few things ... During the day, mostly lying on the beach, and snorkeling -- there was free snorkeling equipment if you stayed at the resort. And, by the way, I think I saw a shark on the last day I was there ... which was a little freaky. The snorkeling was amazing though, the water was gorgeous, the reefs were gorgeous, and beautiful fish would just swim a couple feet below you and not even care. You could get so close to everything, a couple times I swore I could've reached out and grabbed a fish.

We also went parasailing on the last day we were there, which was the tamest and most relaxing of the air things I've done while in New Zealand. Such a nice experience -- just a beautiful view of the island, and since the water was so clear you could see the reef stretching out away from it too, and it was just like it was out of a movie. We had amazing weather all four days too, okay I really need to stop using the word "amazing" but that's the only way I can describe it. For a picture, see below :-P.

Speaking of pictures, I have to admit, my friend and I thought it was a hysterical idea to get up one day at sunrise and pose ourselves on these boats they had sitting around on the beach. A couple of them actually came out really well and look very ... calender-ish ... They're so very funny. Those are never seeing the light of Internet.

>> END
If you made it all the way down here, congratulations.
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Tuesday, June 22, 2004

short.
As always seems to be the case these days, I don't really have time for a real update. But ...



Better than a thousand words. And winter in Auckland.

I'll be back for real later.
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Tuesday, June 15, 2004

the least sad goodbye ever.
Well, first off, the answers to last week's game show quiz (what?):

1. Modern English - I Melt with You (oh 80's)
2. John Mayer - Love Song for No One
3. Brandy - You Don't Know Me
4. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman - Elephant Love Medley (words were slightly changed from the original, I'm pretty sure)
5. Plumb - God Shaped Hole (Christian song)
6. Hanson - Mmm Bop (my friend made me download this for her, I swear!)
7. Jars of Clay - Worlds Apart (Christian song #2)
8. Craig David - Nice & Slow (originally done by Usher)
9. Mario f. Biz Markie - Just a Friend Remix
10. BBMak - Can't Say

I think the most fun that game afforded was the fifteen minutes or so it took to pick the songs and their lyrics. Those were a good fifteen minutes.

--------------------

Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon for a quick six-day vacation before I come back for three more finals. The destination? Fiji-licious. Fiji-tastic. Fiji-I'm-going-to-beach-and-sun-land. ... That last one got a little away from me, I think.

True, I'll have to study while I'm there, but this will ensure I'm not completely pasty when I return to the U.S. :)

I've really not been doing much besides studying, so I suppose I'll leave off trying to be interesting for another week.
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Sunday, June 13, 2004

Because imitation is the highest form of flattery.
Dead stolen from dearest Arcadia:

Here's the deal: find your playlist, set it on random so that twenty songs come up. Out of those twenty, pick your ten favorite. Copy a pair of lines from each of these songs and paste them in your journal. Watch and behold as people try to guess the name of the song and the artist behind it.

I cheated and did more than the first twenty, because a bunch of them were either New Zealand songs even I hadn't heard of, or didn't have words. Also, I hope these words are right ... I just wrote them down from the song while it played.

1. I saw the world crashing all around your face
Never really knowing it was always mesh and lace

2. Searching all my days just to find you
Not sure who I'm looking for
I'll know you when I see you

3. I gave you all of me, still it wasn't enough for you
Is this how it's supposed to be, now I'm trying to get over you

4. We should be lovers
We can't do that

5. Does the world seem gray with empty longing
Wearing every shade of cynical

6. Keep planting to find out which one grows
It's a secret no one knows

7. Like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind

8. Now here we are, driving round town
And I'm contemplating just where I'm gonna lay you down

9. I wanna know you in and out
I wanna know what you're all about

10. And everything you give to me
Feels as though it's meant to be
If you ever ask me how I feel ...

Man, I have some random music. I wouldn't even get some (most) of these.

One day I'll post in complete sentences and actually about my life. One day.
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Wednesday, June 9, 2004

numbers
Can you tell I've gotten lazy these days?

Number of finals I have in the next three weeks: 4.

Hours I've spent studying for these finals so far: 4.

Days until my first final: 1.

Days, on the other hand, until I make my way to Fiji: 6.

Number of finals after I return from Fiji: 3.

Days until my first final after my return from Fiji: 1.

Number of finals after Fiji for which I am utterly screwed: 3.

Days until Harry Potter comes out in New Zealand: 0.

Number of times I plan to see it after numerous complaints about how it wasn't out yet: 0.

Number of clean shirts I have left: 1.5.

Number of one-dollar coins I have to do laundry with: 1.

Number of one-dollar coins I need to do laundry with: 8.

Hours of time difference between here and the East coast of the States: 16.

Years I have lived, as of today in NZT: 20.

Probable number of minutes until I start freaking out about how old I am: 2.
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