End of Swimming, Start of a New Life

Well guys, I'm sorry for not updating for quite a while. It is hard to juggle living your real life with writing down the things you do for the future. Sometimes I just get mixed up in the present that I forget about the past or the future, but that needs to stop.

I'll recap. These couple of weeks have been crazy. Swim season just ended for me and that means the end of everything that I have centered my life around for the past four years. I have been in that pool for so long that it is really sad and depressing leaving behind that big part of my high school career. If there is anything that I am going to miss about Rowland, it is going to be swimming.

I placed 3rd in my 200yd im, 5th in my 100yd fly, and 3rd in the 400yd freestyle relay at League Finals. I am glad that I got one extra medal this year, even though I would really liked to place top 3 for my butterfly. It is okay though. Life is life.
Swim banquet was very fun because it was potluck and there was so much food there. To be honest, I am quite disappointed that I did not get Golden Raider this year because I got Golden Raider for the past 3 years in swim, and it sucks to not get it my last year. I just got a Senior Appreciation Award that every senior gets. I think Coach Mike is a jerk this year. It is not cool at all to not give me anything. I am glad I got top honors like 1st team All League though.

On a side note, now that swim has ended, I just want to say that a lot of people seriously need a reality check on life and they need to earn to respect people or else they will not get respect back. It is very annoying when people don't treat others with the respect that they deserve. If someone is hard working, it is just not right to treat them like they're dirt or like they don't try hard in life. Those who do not try hard in life, I can understand, but it is just not right to treat others without respect.

Prom was very very very awesome. I can't help but to smile ear to ear when I talk about it. I got ready early in the morning at around 11 and I went to Wayne's house. After, I went home and chilled until about 3. Then I went to pick up the corsage and buy Susan a bouquet of glittery roses for our 53 monthiversary. Then, I picked Susan up from Franceska's house and we went to TaiPei La for our picture appointment. After, we drove to Puente Hills Mall where we picked up Tara and Bobby and then we drove to Disneyland where we arrived an hour early so that we could take pictures and just sight see. We were going to go into Disneyland, but it wasn't really worth it because we only had half an hour to get there and I didn't want to risk rushing and getting stressed out, which would jepordize our special prom night. We got to Prom nice and early so everything was very relaxed and very calming. I liked it though, because we got to really soak in the atmosphere and settle into each other. The food was pretty good, better than I expected. Then, Susan and I danced the night away until I drove everyone back to Franceska's house where we ate and sung kareoke for the rest of the night.

I just want to say that I really love me and Susan's relationship because it is going really good. I really like we finally have time for each other now that both drumline and swimming is over. The two extracurricular activities that we had to compromise over for the past four years are finally over and now we can just enjoy time with each other. It really just feels good to be with her each and everyday <3.

I will update next time. Right now, I am preoccupied with my two video projects and with scholarships. Peace!

College Decision: UCI

Well I submitted my SIR to UCI today. I cannot believe that all of this is over. It is actually quite sad how I started this whole college application process with a QuestBridge scholarship program, extensive UC essays that I started in the summer, a dream to go to UCB, and a dream to even go to a private college.

To summarize, I got into UCSD, UCI, and Cal Poly: SLO. All of these schools have outstanding engineering schools and it was really a tough decision. UCSD is probably the best out of the three when it comes to engineering if you are looking at rankings. UCI is ideal for me because of location, the wide range of course offerings, and the school itself seems ideal for me. Cal Poly: SLO is a great school, but it is an entirely different location and academic program.

Let's get down to the nitty gritty though.

UCI vs UCSD

location: UCI is located in Irvine, California. It is ideal because it is close to Anaheim, Orange County, Huntington Beach, and Irvine itself is a very nice and safe community.

UCSD is located in La Jolla, California. Everyone talks about the beach and how much they love it at San Diego. For me, the beach is a plus, but it is not a main reason to choose a campus. I would get annoyed if I went to the beach everyday. Something about cold water and windy weather is not appealing to me. I like a mix of suburban and beach.

Closeness vs. Farness
Honestly, UCI is only 30 minutes away from my present location and about 20 minutes away from Susan. Whereas, UCSD is about 1 hour and 50 minutes from my present location and 1 hour and 30 minutes away from Susan. UCI is not too close while UCSD is far enough to not come back for any little reason. However, I am choosing to dorm at UCI solely because I need a dose of reality and independence. I refuse to live at home for a lot of reasons. I don't think I can be patronized and looked after anymore. I need to branch out and do what everyone does, find their calling.

So, in conclusion, I have to give UCI the edge when it comes to location.

Academics
UCI is less stellar when it comes to academics than UCSD. However, UCSD is predominately a science and medical school. At UCI, most majors are in biological sciences, history, and English. At UCI, only 3.7% of majors are in computer science and informatics. This translates into approximately 800 students in the entire Computer Science department. This is very good so that the ratio of faculty to student at UCI is smaller than UCSD. This allows for smaller classes and better interaction.

Honestly, great and rigorous academics at a good college only goes as far as a person is willing to work. If one is a bad student, going to UCB does not do much. If one is a good student, then going to UCB will definitely enrich and enliven one's experience.

When it comes to academics, it is really true on what they say, that college is "what you put into it". I believe that I would give a better effort at UCI, by taking honors rather than falling behind in the masses at UCSD.

Maybe going to a less stellar school will make me stand out more, as bad as that sounds.

Gut feeling, destiny

As cheesy as this sounds, we all do this. We all have that gut feeling where we are supposed to go and where we belong. You can call it a calling or you can call it destiny. I had a dream that I went to UCI and I was very successful with very intellectual and friendly people. I had a dream the same night when I went to UCSD and it was very dark and frightening. It really all boils down to what your gut tells you to do. After multiple coin tosses, UCI is what God told me. I cannot disappoint.

The only regrets I have about UCI is that I passed down a better offer when you look at it at a objective standpoint. However, if you look at it subjectively, UCI is the better place for a student like me. I am competitive, but not to the point where things get too cutthroat. I am incredibly loyal to friends and family, and I definitely need that support system closeby (Susan and family).

One Hectic Week

Well this week was very hectic, particularly on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

On Wednesday, I had a swim meet at West Covina and I decided to be bold and drive myself to Edgewood High School. However, I was supposed to take a right on Sunset Blvd, but it was closed due to construction, so I had to wander for almost an hour looking for a detour. I finally got to the meet right when it started. I didn't drop any time for my 100yd butterfly. My goal is to make CIF for 100yd butterfly, which is :56 seconds, so we shall see if I can make that goal. *Sigh, but I will keep trying.

On Thursday, I had to go with my dad to the Asylum interview. Basically, I watched my dad pour out his heart to some korean little girl who was the interviewee. Anyways, I am crossing my fingers in hopes that she will grant us asylum so that I can get financial aid for my second year at college. GOD HELP ME.

On Friday, it was Sadies! I had lots of fun because Susan and I went to take pictures at Cue and then we went to eat at Banana Boat. The dance was pretty fun because the DJ was very good and there wasn't any stupid songs like at Winter Formal. Overall, I was able to just dance the night away like how I wanted. It was a very magical and wild night.

On Saturday @ 7am, I had to go to the Raider Invitational. There was over 6 schools there competing, amounting to over 400 swimmers. I got 1st in my 200yd medley relay, 3rd or 4th in my 100yd butterfly, 1st in my 200yd freestyle relay, and around 5th in my 100yd backstroke. After my swim meet, I had to rush home and go to Susan's prelims competition @ 3:15 until 11:00 because we went to Denny's after. Overall, the whole SCPA process was very unfair and I think that Rowland deserved to go to finals because I honestly don't understand how they cannot. They had a really good show and very little mistakes, plus a good show concept. I guess the world is not as perfect after all. It is always destiny though.

Today, Sunday, I went to Prom Fashion Show at 9:00am until 2:00 pm. We just basically finished up the entire show and I am crossing my fingers that everything goes according to plan. REMINDER TO SELF: get somebody to record and take pictures on Wednesday!

Next week is the last week ebfore I go on spring break and I have never been more happy. i am looking forward to celebrating my last spring break with friends and Susan of course :).

The End of the Infamous College Application Process

Well it is over guys. The infamous stressful and nerve-wrecking college application process for me is over. It has been a very difficult and anxious time for me. All in all, I can honestly say that..I am not happy about my college options. ALTHOUGH people can say that I have good options (UCSD, UCI, Cal Poly SLO), they could have been better. I am not a person to take denial very well.

HOWEVER, I've learned from this whole process a very important lesson about life. I've learned that it is not about the effort that is important, but rather, the product. Nobody cares how hard you worked to achieve that A in APUSH, but they do care that if you successfully obtained that A. If one tries hard in something, but ultimately fails, people don't celebrate that hard work. They only celebrate the success of the product. SO HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO COLLEGE? Well, nobody cares what one did to get into UCLA, UCB, or whatever college. They only care and admire that you actually got into that college. There is no IF's, AND's, or BUT's in an admission acceptance or rejection. There's no gray matter (except UCB's appeal process).

Now, I'm going to concentrate more on producing a successful finished product rather than just merely "working hard". There are plenty of times where we all work really hard, but just come out short of being successful. TAKE FOR EXAMPLE, I worked super hard in swimming, by swimming on both Trident and High School. HOWEVER, a loss is a loss. A win is a win. It doesn't matter how hard one tries, but the true victory.

Well, no matter if I like it or not, I have to accept my college options. I have to weigh my options and consider ALL possible factors. I'm teetering on the edge between UCSD, UCI, and Community College. Even though San Luis Obispo is probably the hardest school that I got into, it is just really inconvenient to go there. I would be isolated like crazy. At least if I went to cc, UCI, or UCSD I would be in touch with a few of my friends and be remotely able to visit Susan. If I went to Cal Poly, I don't know how I would survive. I'm sure I can get a good education while being close to the things that I love the most.

UCSD is just really far (around 150 miles) from Rowland Heights. If I went there, I would have to dorm or rent a room in the nearby neighborhood. However, apparently their engineering program is top ranked in the nation. Plus, I would be at a pretty prestigious school where I think I would enjoy the extra-curriculars on campus, what with a division 2 swim team and the number one surf team in the nation. I think I have grown accustomed to being around water from swimming all 4 years of high school. Also, that is probably why I got accepted into UCSD in the first place.

DOWNSIDES: UCSD is far. I won't be able to visit Susan everyday, but I think I might be able to visit her every weekend if I drive early in the morning to avoid traffic. It really hurts to be away from home and Susan though. I can't imagine doing so. That is a BIG factor that is deterring me from UCSD.

UCI: Apparently, people have been telling me that it is a great school, but I don't like the fact that almost half of the school is enrolled in computer science and that almost 90% of the school is asian. I will not appreciate having more than 30 people in my junior and senior classes. Nor will I appreciate all of the competition from the overachieving asians at Irvine. Definitely not an enjoyable environment. HOWEVER, UCI is close and far enough so that I can enjoy life on my own. UCI is a good school. I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter what college you go to, but it is what you make out of the college.

For example, I went to John A. Rowland High School, which I am not the most proud of. It is not a great school, it is not a bad school. But, I managed to make the most out of my experience at Rowland by taking AP and Honors classes while enrolling in the extra-curricular activities (Swim and Water Polo) offered as well as extra-extra curriculars such as a Swim Club. Now, I am blessed to be even offered admission to UC's. Especially with my situation. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't like going to a good college because it still would be nice to have the resources that an IVY league has. Plus, bragging rights is always a plus that boosts any man's ego.

Gah, my eyes hurt. I will write more later. I love you Susan :). I'm glad I went to your Temecula Drumline Competition today :). Good Job!

Super Recap

Whats up peeps? I'm terribly sorry that I have not been updating in this for a while now. Life has been incredibly busy, but don't think that I forgot about all of blogspot. After all, I need to make sure that I will be able to reflect back on this blog twenty years from now and relive my days when I was 18.

I will just touch on some main points that happened these couple of weeks.

Kyle's Birthday - was pretty interesting and we all went to John's Incredible Pizza which was INCREDIBLE! I loved their pizza and their games. It is like Chuck E Cheeses times 20. The place was really big and they gave out free tickets every couple of hours or so. We played musical chairs and limbo with Kyle. Dang, I really missed those games when I was little. I drove there with Susan so that was a first too. I'm still here aren't I?

Swim Season 2009 - Swim has been alright so far. I have a bad habit of showing up to practice late. Sometimes it is not my fault and sometimes it is. I have to go after 7th period and I have to drop off Susan and her brother so I get back to school at 3:30 or so and practice starts at 3:00. So far, I can make my 100yd butterfly on the 1:02. However, I need a :55 in order to qualify for CIF. Will I make CIF this year? I sure hope so.

College Acceptance Letters - This is a biggie for me because this has been the source of my angst and my anxiety ever since I submitted my applications back in November. To recap, I applied to CSU: Fullerton, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Claremont Mckenna College, Yale College, Pomona College, UCSD, UCLA, UCI, UCB and Mt. Sac for good measures. So far, I have been accepted into CSU: Fullerton, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UCI, and UCSD. I should know where I stand by the beginning of April. That leaves me with approximately 1 month to decide where I want to spend the next 4 years of my life. God help me to make the right decision.

Susan's Drumline Competitions - Well I've been going to Susan's drumline competitions for mostly every weekend now. They have been pretty cool because I get to spend time with my lovely girlfriend while watching intense drumline performances at the same time. It would be one time to accompany my girlfriend to something like a book club or something boring like that. But it is exciting and fun each time I go on a drumline competition with her :). It makes me feel like when I was in 8th grade. Good stuff.

Tuesday, (March 17, 2009) is me and Susan's 51 monthiversary :). I hope she asks me to Sadies and I hope that we get to do prom fashion show together and I hope I don't suck at it. Well I love her so much and I am prepared to support and be there for her every step of the way.

I will try to update more, but that is all for now folks.

Valentine's Day 2009 + Week of February 9-15

Why, hello there! :) I shall tell you of my dainty little week of February 9 through 15. Overall, it was a pretty wet and cold week because it rained on and off, but when it rained, IT RAINED.

Monday - Susan was not feeling well, so she went home during lunchtime. I walked her to the office and waited with her until she left :(. Then I went to College Algebra and Yearbook, feeling lonely as heck. She didn't go to practice that night because she was really sick. Poor girl. I went to practice though and the pool was really steamy.

Tuesday - Susan did not go to school because she was still sick. I felt incredibly sad and lonely in all of my classes. It really makes a big difference because Susan is in three of my classes so it hurts when shes not there :(. I don't have my emotional support there or that smile to keep me happy. Anyway, Tuesday was a pretty straight-forward day though. I just went to all of my classes and went through the daily routine. School seems even more boring without mah love :(.

Wednesday - Susan's back! Yay! :) Bad news though.. I talked to my counselor during lunch time and asked her about AB540 and she told me how I did not qualify because I am not a "undocumented immigrant", basically an immigrant who does not hold a visa. It is really ridiculous because, why would immigrants who came here LEGALLY not be able to apply for in-state college fees when ILLEGAL immigrants can? What the heck.. Good news in the evening though. I got accepted into CAL POLY SAN LUIS OBISPO. Even though San Luis Obispo is incredibly far, it has a very good engineering program. I cannot imagine going 200 miles from LA though. I'd be homesick and Susan-sick, more Susan-sick than anything :(.

Thursday - Same old same old. I prepared for Valentine's day by buying flowers, baking a gigantic heart cookie, cooking lasgana, and typing her Valentine's letter :). I forgot the stuffed animals at home though, d`oh.

Friday - VALENTINE'S DAY! Yay :). Well I gave Susan her glittery blue flowers in the morning. Stupid me was a bad liar and told her to open my locker because my hands were cold and when she opened the locker, the flowers were there :). Then, we both got our Valentine's gram from each other. We're so funny :). Anyways, then I gave her my cookie in AP Economics and pretty much, we were overflowed with balloons, flowers, and chocolates. It was pretty crazy. Then, we both ate my lasgana during lunch time and watched the Valentine's video that I made in yearbook :).
After school, it was pouring so I hung out with Wayne as we played halo3 online mostly.

Saturday - My mom went out in the morning so I had to stay home and mow my neighbor's lawn. Long story short, I couldn't get the lawn mower to start so I just gave up. Turns out that the outlet that I plugged the lawn mower into just didn't have power. So I had to mow the lawn while calling Susan's mom to "confirm" so that we could go out. Bad luck again, Susan's mom did not return any of my calls. Bad luck again, it was already 12:30 and my reservation at Buca Di Beppo was at 1:00. Bad luck again, Susan's mom called so that she could talk to my mom. Bad luck again, my dad lost his glasses at the liquor store. So, my mom, my sister, and I all went to pick up Susan at 1:00 and we all got to Buca di Beppo at around 1:10.

Good luck though. Susan was hungry and Buca di Beppo gives a lot of food. We mostly just muched on their bread with olive oil :). Then we ordered fried mozarrella sticks, which were very yummy :). Then, we ordered the Buca Small Lasgana. For some reason, we ate lasgana twice for Valentine's Day :). Anyway, it was good so it was all good :D. I used my $10 gift card so the bill came out to $15, which is very good :).

After we went to Gamestop and checked out the games. Then we went to Chuck E Cheese with my sister, which was really fun because that place makes you feel like a kid, which is always a good thing :). Susan and I played Basketball against each other :). I won though (sorry hun, I had an advantage because I'm tall :)). Anyways, I had a lot of fun because my mom and my sister was okay with everything and everything was fun and chill :). Good stuff, good stuff.

Sunday - Well I woke up today and I tried playing Dynasty Warriors 6, but it did not really work out because I had to cut trees and make dumplings with my mom. Then, I went to Anaheim with Elina, Wayne, and Susan to ice skate :). I'm happy because I never ice skated before, but it looked like fun. If you minus the falling, the painful sores on my ankles, then it was really fun. Next time, I go, I'm going to be a pro :). I just need to bring really long socks so that the skates don't rub up on my ankles again. Gah, that hurt, but fun, but hurt :(.

Then, we all went to Downtown Disney to eat at Rainforest Cafe. We ate outside on the patio, which was okay due to the heaters everywhere x_0. Susan and I got our free quesdillas and the Pot Roast, which was not very good, to be honest because it was only a little bit for $16 dollars. Boo at Rainforest for that entree :(. Oh well, it was very fun because Susan was there :). WHENEVER Susan is there, it is always fun for me :), even if we go to Disneyland a million times :)

GAHH this was the longest blog, I feel like I'm getting carpool tunnel x_x. I should split up my blogs into twice a week

Week of February 2 to 8

February 2 (Monday) - it was okay. As seen before I had a family dinner with my parents at home to celebrate my 18th birthday :)

February 3 (Tuesday) - Totally awesome 18th birthday! I really want to thank all of my friends and Susan for making me feel special at school. I loved the Chili's dinner with Susan and I especially loved the xbox 360 present from all of my caring friends :)

February 4 (Wednesday) - Back to the daily old grind. I think I skipped practice this day because it was raining really hard.

February 5 (Thursday) - The week was getting really hard and I had 3 tests for Friday so I mostly studied and went to practice.

February 6 (Friday) - Turns out that I did not have an English essay, but I did have a Physics test (60/66) and a Econ test. After school, I went to practice from 3-6. Went home and played my xbox :)

February 7 (Saturday) - Thank You Party! I invited Jeff, Marc, Daniel, Kyle, Susan, Elina, Cliff, Brendan, and Wayne over for a thank you party for buying me my xbox 360. My mom was really nice about the whole thing and made a lot of food! She made short beef ribs (basically Korean bbq), sliced beef, sushi, oranges, chocolate covered bananas, strawberries, eggrolls, salads, fried shrimp, and we bought pizza and I made pasta :). Overall, it was a really really fun day because we just played wii, xbox 360 and Brendan brought over his xbox 360 and little television too. So basically, we had a game fest going on in my living room. It was really funny though because Juliette was owning everyone on Sega Tennis and complaining about Wayne's poor performance :). Good times though.

February 8 (Sunday) - I stayed home the whole day and did my homework like a good boy. Other than that, I just ate all of the leftover food and pigged out like a fatty. It was really cold today too because of the rain and wind :(. I miss sunny days because they make me feel nice and warm :).

Until next week!

Facebook Happy Birthdays

HONESTLY, I've been waiting for this moment from the first day I got facebook :)

Christina Hwee wrote at 12:10am

happy 18th birthdayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!

Jeff Hsu wrote at 12:13am

happy birthday god haha
have the best day ever cuz you deserve the best man

Stephanie Fabro wrote at 12:41am

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNSON!!! :D
I hope you have a super amazing spectacular excellent superb day. You deserve it.

Armand Cuevas wrote at 1:12am

happy burfday johnson! hope you are enjoying senior year like i said

Wayne Hwang wrote at 3:58am

happy birthday man, I wasn't able to say it at 12 am so now here it is

Heidi Eun Ji Gil wrote at 8:32am

happy birthday johnson!!:DD hope u had the best birthday ever!^-^

Albert Chen wrote at 10:21am

happy b day.

Nicole Han wrote at 11:22am

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! OMG FINALLY 18 AHHAHAHA ur a kid :P

Tiffany J. Lew wrote at 11:50am

Happy Birthday, Johnson! :] I hope things are going well for your senior year. Have a wonderful birthday!

Liz Phung wrote at 1:59pm

happy birthday johnson!

Lillian Ma wrote at 5:13pm

heyy youre fucking legal. yayyyy!

Ted Hsieh wrote at 5:40pm

happy birthdayyyy!

Rachel Ho wrote at 5:46pm

Happy birthday johnson! :D

Michael Tung wrote at 5:49pm

happy birthday :D
cant call me old anymore XDDD

Kevin Yang wrote at 5:57pm

JOHNSONNNN! Happy Birthday =D

Phillip Chan wrote at 6:46pm

happy b day

John Kim wrote at 6:56pm

happy bday =]

Phoebe Hua wrote at 6:59pm

hey johnson

happy birthday! =)

hows it goingggg? hows everything?

Kelvin Tran wrote at 7:01pm

Happy B-day Chris Chen!

Leon Ying wrote at 7:43pm

happy birthday el hijo de juan

Sherry Chen wrote at 7:52pm

happy birthdayyyy :D

Alex Loo wrote at 8:45pm

Happy Birthday!

Don't forget to buy lotto tickets and scratchcards! :D

Diya Fu wrote at 9:01pm

happy belated burfday johnson!!!

Hon Hoang wrote at 9:08pm

happy 18th burfday dude, i m still going to kidnap you and take you to spearmint rhino just prepare yourself if u see a big white van pull up

My 18th Birthday! Legal!

Well here is a recap of my birthday. Overall, I am just in shock of how people surprised me and how awesome my 18th birthday was.

Let's go through my whole day.

I woke up at 5:45 am because Wayne and I were supposed to go to Denny's together because they were offering free grand slams. However, when I called Wayne, he didn't get ready yet so we ended up not going. After, I went back to sleep until 7:45.

I ate breakfast (4 scrambled eggs to be specific). Then, I went to school and then I called Susan to tell her that I arrived at school because she asked me to call her. I got to school, and I met Susan at the back of the band room. I was kind of late because I arrived at school right when the bell rang. But, Susan gave me a big hug and a yummy cake. It was really nice, but the day just started :).

Then during my 2nd period in ROP/Java, Susan, Justin, Omar, Nicole, and Franceska all came and surprised me. They brought balloons and said happy birthday to me :). It was really nice and thoughtful, even though Mr. Luey and all of the other Asian nerds made it really awkward. But, Mr. Luey and awkward Asian nerds cannot make my birthday bad :).

I had 3rd period (Ap Economics) with Susan where we went over compartitive advantage and where I ate like half of the cake that Susan gave me.

4th period was physics where I did not do much other than practice problems as usual. I felt less excited about my birthday because I had to do work :(.

5th period was English where we had a quiz on "The Hawk in the Rain" by Ted Hughes, which was a random poem.

Lunch was so-so just because I didn't feel like eating school lunch on my birthday. I think I'm spoiled on the inside because I expected not to do ordinary stuff on my birthday. I'm sorry for being unhappy at lunch Susan. Susan and I just ate spaghetti together, which I enjoyed just because I love having lunch with Susan :). She cheers me up despite any circumstance.

Anyways, after lunch, I started feeling better because a lot of people started saying Happy Birthday to me. Well a lot of people said Happy Birthday to me in the hallways and in my classes, but a lot of people that I don't talk to said Happy Birthday to me in my class. Mr. Baumunk even announced that it was my birthday and handed me one dollar to tell me to buy a lottery ticket so that I can give him 10% of the winnings. It was a really thoughtful thing to do actually :).

In yearbook, the whole class sang Happy Birthday to me, twice. Once without music and twice with happy birthday music provided by Sean :). Anyways, then Mrs. Weber said how she enjoyed having me for two years and that she gave me the power to decide what the class does for the whole period. I didn't know what to say, so she showed me a slideshow as I deciding. The slideshow was pictures of Susan and I at winter formal and stuff :). Then, Susan and Wayne came into the room and gave me a present :). I opened it and it was a XBOX 360! It was so crazy. Given that I didn't jump for joy, I was just in pure shock because I did not expect or deserve such a big present. I was just like, "are you serious?" I couldn't believe that Susan would give me such an expensive and big present. It was EXTREMELY thoughtful and nice though. For the whole period, I just talked with friends and chilled out :). Very nice period and surprise indeed. I'd just like to say that my girlfriend is definitely the best for organizing such an awesome present for me :). Well, Marc, Daniel, Wayne, Brendan, Elina, Cliff, and Kyle all pitched in as well. THANKS YOU GUYS FOR THE AWESOME PRESENT!

After school, Susan, Wayne, Princess, and I all went to Taipei-la where we chose our winter formal pictures to be printed. It was kind of annoying just because the service at Taipei-la was really slow and random. Plus, I couldn't believe that they charged $5.00 for proofs and $10 for a cd. That's just a rip off :(, considering we already paid $50 for pictures. Boo at Taipei-la.

Then, Wayne took me home where I just sat down and reflected on my birthday. It is really thoughtful how Susan did so much for me and how my friends all made sure to say happy birthday for me and to make my birthday feel as special as possible, given that it was at school.

I tried calling Susan's mom for the whole time at Taipei-la, but she didn't pick up. I initially organized Susan and I to have a birthday dinner at Benihana, but when we went there @ 6, it was really expensive and we didn't know what to order. The waitress even told us that Benihana had raised the prices and that it was not a good place to eat at. She said that she didn't eat sushi so she couldn't recommend anything to us. Then, she said that if we wanted to go somewhere else, it would be fine. So, Susan and I just left Benihana and went to Chili's. My mom and my sister waited for us the whole time at Toys R us while Susan and I took the car to Chili's where we ordered chicken fingers, buffalo wings, mini-burgers and texas style fries, all of which were deliciously bad for you.

Then, we took Susan home and I went home. I set up my xbox 360 and now my sister is playing sega tennis on it :). I couldn't bear to open the xbox when I got home, but now it is open. I really can't believe that Susan actually got me a xbox though. It is really too much :(.

However, I am really really grateful that Susan and my friends pitched in to get me a xbox. Overall, I had a really great birthday. I think it is not just about celebrating the day that you were born, but celebrating the whole year and celebrating for your whole life that you are born so that you can cherish life :). I am really grateful that I have been alive for the past 18 years and particularly for the past 4 years with my dear Susan. My life has been very nice and I couldn't ask for better friends and a better girlfriend<33. Thanks to everyone for making my birthday very special

The Day Before My 18th Birthday

Well there is only 1 hour and 15 minutes until it is officially my 18th birthday! Gosh, well let's recap on the pre-birthday celebrations.

Yesterday (2/1/2009), Daniel, Marc, Hon, Jeff, Wayne, Brendan, Kyle, and I all went to Chili's for a "Man" feast where we just ate like a bunch of fat pigs. Anyways, I got a big mouth burger and a half stack of ribs. DAMN, that was one fattening yet delicious meal though. The bill came out to 117 dollars though, but it was well worth it. The whole dinner was very chill and nice because everyone knew each other.

Today, I went to school as usual. School sucks :(. Today was unofficially when I celebrated my birthday with my family. I was thinking of going to a Korean BBQ, but my mom told me that it was too expensive, so I just went home after practice. Anyways, my sister and my mom started making me a cake, but I eventually helped them make a vanilla cake for myself. Basically, this was my birthday cake. My mom decorated the cake with 18 cherries, oranges, grapes, and green apples. Yum! It was really nice.

We took pictures as a family. They sang Happy Birthday to me. We tipped glasses and cheered. I blew out the candles. I cut the cake. We all ate the cake, which was yummy. That was officially my family's celebration of my birthday. Overall, it was very nice and thoughtful. My dad gave me a personal check for $1000, which I am going to turn into my own personal account and I'm going to get my own credit card.

I will keep you guys posted on how my actual birthday turns out tomorrow :). Woot 18!

Life Stands Still 1/26/09 - 1/30/09

Okay, I don't know where to start. This week has been so overwhelming for some reason. It could be because I went to practice Monday through Friday, 3-6 each day. Talk about a daily grind. Or, it could be that it is the first week of the 2nd semester. For some reason, teachers decided to mix up their teaching methods and lesson plans, so maybe I was thrown off a bit.

On the other hand, it could be because of today. Today, my dad's wife's brother's son called at around 7 pm. He sounded upset and asked to talk to my mom. Within an hour, my mom came to my room and told me that she had some bad news. My heart stopped. More bad news? Everytime I hear bad news from my mom, I associate it with a relative dying. I really did not want to hear another relative of mine dying. It has devasting enough when I found out that my grandfather died. However, I found out that my life died. My dad's wife's brother's son has been helping my family get a greencard for the past 16 years when my mother, my father, and I arrived in America in 1992. Through a mutual agreement, my dad's wife's brother's son agreed to sign papers to verify to the immigration department that my mom worked at his restaurant in Thousand Oaks as a "chef assistant".

A little background, there are many paths to get a green card. One - you can marry a citizen of the United States (probably the easiest way). Two - you can be a really successful entrepreneur and start your own business here in America. Three - you can be a reowned professor and agree to teach at a school in America. Four - you can work in America for a legal employer and tell your employer to vouch for you that you are a good, hard worker and should be given a greencard to make a living in America.

My mom chose option four. However, the immigration department has not given my mom her greencard for the past 16 years - insisting that her case was still pending. However, my mom obtained a "labor certificate" to show that she was working in America and that she was on track. Then, at the end of 2008, my mom and I received "Employment Authorization Cards" to give legal proof that my mom and I could legally work in the United States.

This was a godsend for me because this meant that I could apply for a driver's license. So I obtained my permit in the summer of 2008 and I waited until my 18th birthday (next tuesday) to get my driver's license. Also, my Employment Authorization Card was one step for me to show that I am a legal immigrant in the United States and that I am not illegal, and thus, I could show colleges, employment locations, and the immigration department that I was registered with the United States government and that I could work and make a living, legally.

Back to the bad news, my dad's wife's brother's son told my mom that the immigration department sent him a letter today saying that they entirely denied my mother's case. This means that, after 16 fucking years, they finally made up their mind to deny her case. This means that, no more employment authorization cards and NO HOPE AT ALL for my parents and I to obtain greencards.

My father's case was already denied 3 years ago, after 16 years also. They told him that his case was denied. He then went to Asylum where immigrants to America apply to seek "refuge" from their native countries. For example, when Chinese students protested against the Chinese government in Tiananmen square, those students who immigrated to America could apply for "Asylum" for the reason that they needed "refuge" from being prosecuted by the Chinese government. Thus, they would obtain greencards.

For my father, he was jailed by the communist party in the 1950-1960s for communicating with America at the time. Thus, he applied to Asylum because he was wrongly jailed by China and thus moved to America to seek refuge. However, he was supposed to apply for Asylum within 6 months when he first moved to America. He didn't apply. He didn't apply because he was offered a temporary green card because he was an entrepreneur and he opened his own helicopter company, Brantley. However, his company went bankrupt and he lost his chance at a greencard along with asylum. So, his case was finally closed and denied 3 years ago.

Now, where do I stand? I am turning 18 years old. I have lost my chance at obtaining my driver's license by getting my employment authorization card revoked because of my mom's case being denied. I cannot apply for financial aid because I do not have a greencard. Both of my parents do not work so they have to rely on interest rates to pay for our living expenses. Interest rates are at an all-time low of 1% due to the poor economy trying to motivate Americans to buy homes. My parents make less than $20,000 dollars a year now from $40,000 before this whole economic crisis.

College is coming up. College expenses are rising. I cannot apply to 99% of scholarships because I am not a citizen, permanent resident, and do not have a greencard. I cannot get grants because of the same reasons. I cannot get financial aid, despite my low-income, for the same reasons. UC Tuition is about $25,000 per year. That means my parents and I have to foot that bill, without any financial aid. Fuck my life. I don't understand why I am in this predicament. Have I done something wrong in my life? Have I wronged someone? Is God angry with me?

Right now, my life has hit rock bottom. My mom told me that she does not want me to stay here anymore. There is no reason, if you think about it. I cannot work, college is too expensive, I cannot drive or live independently, legally or financially. It is the worst for my parents because they have lived in the United States for almost 17 years now and they have not done anything wrong. They have not commited a crime and they have only supported my sister and I through school. And now, they get a decision from the immigration department, that their case is fucking closed? FUCK YOU AMERICA.

Honestly, there is nothing to do except to take this complicated and frustrating situation into my own hands, now that I am turning 18. I have to make the decision. Do I stay here and suffer immensely? Do I move to Uruguay, where I was born and where I can live life as an actual citizen with some fucking rights? Do I move back to China with my parents and go to college there? Is my life here in America over? I have been struggling with this notion for my entire life. At any point, I can say, "that is it." and move away from Rowland Heights, from America. Nothing is working.

Honestly, what do I do? My parents cannot afford college here. Nor do I want to go to Mt. Sac, which is more financially affordable, after taking honors since elementary school. But, UC and private college education is too costly for my situation. The only reason people can afford UC and private college education is because of, part-time jobs, grants, scholarships, and financial aid. GUESS WHAT? I can't get any of those. FML.

So what do I do? Is there a point anymore? Do I give up right now? Do I pretend that everything is alright when obviously it isn't? So much for a HAPPY 18th birthday. I will celebrate inheriting this immigration mess from my parents. I will celebrate living in America, going to college, having no job, having no help from the government - in a time when help is needed most. What am I doing? Where do I stand? AND I FUCKING SWEAR, YOU BITCHES OUT THERE, DON'T LOOK AT THIS AS AMUSING. BECAUSE, GOD HELP YOU THAT YOU DON'T GET AN OUNCE OF WHAT I HAVE TO GO THROUGH DAY BY DAY.

It makes my blood boil when people disrespect or mistreat me. Not only is it a direct insult to why I'm even here in America, but it is purely inhumane. Honestly, if you people want to act immaturely and disrespect me, I have no problem, just leaving. I don't deserve that. I don't take that. God will vouch for me that I am working for a hard-working and honest life. Don't slow me down if that is not your goal or purpose in life. Don't influence me if you people want to just live with sin. Honestly, I see you people. You people constantly disrespect and take everything for granted, thinking that the whole world revolves around you. Guess what, I am your living proof that life isn't dainty and that life isn't all about you. I forgive you people for your imperfections, I just wish you would at least realize and open your eyes that some people in this world, like me, suffer enough to be disrespected like that.

This blog is aimless. I don't know where I am going. I am spiraling out of control. What is the point of school anymore? What is the point of swimming anymore? What is the point of college anymore? How can I fight through obstacles when you have stripped me of all of my dignity and weapons? How do I go on without hope?

Honestly, right now, I don't want to hear, "it will be okay" or "don't worry, something will pull through". I don't even want to hear anything. I want to see concrete, solid hope. I want to see a scholarship, I want to see hope. I want a greencard. I want a job. I want a chance at life. This isn't fair.

Happy Chinese New Year 2009!

Well guys, it is officially the year of the ox :). Too bad it will not be the year of the horse until I am 24 years old. Anyways, I shall recap on this week's events :).

Before I do, I want to post this note that I posted on facebook just right now.

"Before this whole economy-spiraling-down-hil

l thing started, I thought, "Wow, this is kind of cool! I've never been in an economic depression before. I've only read about these things in textbooks about a momentous FDR president raising a nation out of the pits of hell". So, naive me, took the ride of a lifetime. I toyed with the notion of running out of money to spend on food and leisure items like video games.

Then, I watched the stock market go down MOSTLY EVERYDAY. You know it was funny at first. Seeing news anchors say how the DOW and NASDAQ has gone down however many points again for the however many day in a row. It was quite funny to me.

Then, going to the supermarket started to be a pain when I couldn't get my favorite ham or my favorite brand of chips because it was too expensive. When the economy starts effing with my food, then that is when I get mad. Going to the Asian Market today, I found out that roasted duck is now $20 at T.S. Emporium. WTF? Before this whole depression started, roasted duck was $10 and it has been going up $2 every week. Now it has doubled. Although my parents can still afford to buy duck, I am sure there are families who are feeling the crunch in their wallets. NOW, what happens when food is too expensive for EVERYONE to afford? Do we starve as a nation?

Then, it was quite amusing seeing corporate giants like Freddy and Fannie Mac go bankrupt along with WaMu and other banks. Then, Circuit City announces bankruptcy along with Mervyn's, which got a little scarier. At the same time, China is laughing its ass off at us because they have replaced us on the global economy. NOW WHO IS GETTING THE GREEN CARDS TO WHERE?!

Now, the depression is affecting me on a more personal level. My birthday is coming up and yet I feel restricted to my options. Birthday party? Maybe not. Going out to eat with friends? Don't count on it.

College admissions? Limited. Bright future? Not anymore."

Monday - No School due to MLK day. I just hung out with Susan and tried to study for my java final.

Tuesday - JAVA AND YEARBOOK FINAL. It was also OBAMAS INAUGURATION DAY. So I got to watch Obama's inauguration speech and oath in java class. Then I got to see his speech and oath throughout the entire day in all of my classes and at home. Although I only watched it on tv, the whole spectacle was pretty momentous though. I got a C on my java final and then played halo with Michael, George, and Gi Su after. Yearbook Final was okay. Mrs. Weber showed The Princess Diaries while I worked on layouts. Too bad I couldn't get much done because of my staff. Practice 3-5 due to finals.

Wednesday - PHYSICS AND COLLEGE ALGEBRA FINAL. Physics final was okay. Apparently, I got a C average on the final and my grade stayed at a 88%. I hope Houghton rounds and curves it. College Algebra final was a waste of time. I tried to finish first just because I was bored. I fell asleep on my backpack after the final for an hour. Practice 3-5 due to finals.

Thursday - AP GOV AND AP ENGLISH FINAL. Basically, these were my hardest finals because they were both mock AP tests. All in all, I survived the finals and hopefully I did well on them. After school, I had a yearbook work day where I inputted and worked on my layouts. Jeff and Preston were missing good mod pictures and content, again, so I couldn't entirely finish my layouts.

Friday - DISNEYLAND! I went to Disneyland with Jules, Franceska, and Susan because of band's parade. This was my 3rd time going to Disneyland, but it was really fun nonetheless. It was really cold and rainy though so when we went on California Screamin`. That was really crazy because all of the rain water was flying into my face and hair. It was painful too because my face was hitting the rain drops at probably 50 mph. After the ride, my entire sweater was soaked and my hair was dripping wet. My face hurt like heck too. It was to the point where I couldn't even open my eyes because there was so much water on it. After we dried off, we went to Disneyland where we rode Indiana Jones. Then Susan and Franceska went to get ready for the parade. I passed out on the benches and then went to Tower of Terror with Jules and rode it for the first time. After Jules and I walked along side the band during the parade, we went to Toy Story and I got 167,000 :). Then, we all ate at Rainforest Cafe where I used a coupon for a free appetizer. SCORE! We were pretty much pooped after that and we saw everyone leaving Disneyland for some reason so I guess there was no fireworks. We just decided to go home after that and I got home at around 10 that night.

Saturday - Basically, I stayed home and did nothing. I played warcraft 3 and went to the Thrift store on Holt in Chino. It was a very chill day.

Sunday - I chilled at home until around 2. Then, Susan, Franceska, Jules, and I went to a free bridal show. Susan and Franceska tried to surprise us with the bridal show but I saw the sign when we were entering Royal Vista Golf Course. Anyways, after that we went to the Puente Hills Mall where Susan bought a necklace and earrings for formal. After they dropped me off at home, I went to Macys at the Puente Hills Mall to buy a tie that matched Susan's dress. Then I ate Shrimp dumplings and duck for dinner. Then I received $100 from my mom for Chinese New Year :).

Week of January 12-16

Hey all! Well I have a slight fever right now, but that cannot stop me from blogspot :). Anyways, I took a nap earlier when I got home, but it did not do much. It just left me in a surreal mood because I'm not used to losing part of my day to sleep. Anyways, my head hurts and I feel dizzy, but hopefully I will get better.

I watched Hancock after I woke up. That movie is so ridiculously random and bad. It got pretty depressing with the whole "end-of-the-world" thing. Anyways, I got depressed, so what do you do when you get depressed? Go get social online :).

I don't like how I missed practice because I was sick, but I think it was for the best. I feel pretty lonely right now because my mom and sister went to the Walnut Library for some snow event and Susan is at practice :(. Plus, I have a headache right now.

Well let's try to recap on this week.

Monday - it was a late start so Jeff and I went to the Hong Kong Supermarket to buy you tiao and soy drinks. I saw Susan at school and we just shared my you tiao and I gave her egg omelet :). There was complications about random rumors about me and Susan, but hopefully people are nice and don't spread random rumors. HONESTLY, I think if a person has an ounce of dignity and respect for others, they will abstain from spreading rumors. It is just messed up. SERIOUSLY, sometimes people just need to keep their mouth shut or at least be a man about things and confront others about it than being sly and spreading rumors. KARMA will get you.

I went to practice 3-6 after that.

Tuesday - Basically a repeat of monday. The same old daily grind. School then practice 3-6.

Wednesday - Yay! I FINALLY bought formal tickets for me and Susan. NOW, it is official that we will go :). Winter formal should be interesting, with the whole science exbihits open and stuff. I will have fun regardless as long as Susan is there<3.

Thursday - THE CHAOS BEGINS. I had to study for 3 tests this day (Computer Science, English, and Physics). I got out of practice 1 hour early so that I could study.

Friday - Well as I mentioned before, I was not feeling so hot because I had a big headache and I had the sniffles. Plus, I felt like I was getting a fever. It didn't help that I had 3 tests today.

Computer Science - Initially, I got a 56 on the chapter 4 test, but today, I retook the test and I got a 84. Thank goodness. That partially made my day. 2 more to go!

Physics - The test was pretty hard, either that or the sickness was getting to me. I was stumped on the first problem and I think I got from a A to a B. Depends. I know I didn't do my best on that test though. Boo :(. I hope I am able to still maintain my border-line A.

English - This partially ruined my day because of Elizabeth Bishop's "The Map". The poem itself was really random, plus Ms. Tan's class was making a bunch of noise because they had presentations. Blah. Anyways, I came about (with what I thought was a valid interpretation) of the struggle of nature and civilization and how society constantly seeks to explore and dominate nature. WRONG. I guess the real theme was about how man is unable to fully capture the true beauty of nature. Well that was a FAIL. There goes my A. Let's hope that I can get a good final grade.

I am praying for a miracle next week. Even though I'm a senior this year, I still want to do good in my classes; both because competitive colleges like Pomona and Berkeley might be watching my grades this year and I just don't like being a failure.

Well, tomorrow is Susan and I's 49 Monthiversary, meaning our first month after our 4 years. Time really flies, but I'm really happy that I have Susan as my loving girlfriend. HONESTLY, she is really an angel sent from heaven. She is truly a blessing and I am always reminded everyday of how blessed I am to have her in my life. I am grateful that I found my soul mate so early in my life. I thank God everyday for blessing me so<3.

First Week Back from Break

Well this break has been very chaotic, crazy yet satisfying good :). Let me just recap on what happened this week.

I am very proud of myself because I went to practice for 5 days in a row, 3 hours each day, except on Thursday. It hurt a lot, but I feel accomplished. I feel stronger and I feel that :55 time on my 100yd butterfly within my grasp. I want that 1st place medal at League Finals and I want to whoop some butt and take some names at CIF. I want colleges to say, "DAMN, I WANT THAT GUY ON MY TEAM" :). Hey, a boy can dream, can't he?

Anyways, the definite highlight of my week would have to be on Friday when I asked Susan to winter formal. Basically, I prepared and planned for the whole week. Actually, my planning started during winter break, but I didn't actually start until this week. My planning process went from making t-shirts and writing S-U-S-A-N on them and going on the stage with my friends and asking her. Scratch that off the list.

Then there was my plan to show her a video during yearbook. Scratch that too. My ultimate plan was to write her a fake poem about love, by Elizabeth Bishop since we were studying her poetry during this week as well. Then, the poem was about bleeding love. Here is the poem.

From my temporary bleeding love,
out comes a desperate plead, one plead
rushing against time. Time comes fast.
Manage to catch my bleeding love, all I need

A bleak boy stands his ground outside while
love stands still in his heart, waiting.
Joy is at the tip of a needle, teetering
She is the only one who can patch his bleeding heart

Anyways, if you look closely, you will notice that the first letters on each line spells out FORMAL JS. Too bad Susan did not notice that :P. Then, after the video, I showed a video where I lip-synced Leona Lewis's Bleeding Love song. Then, I dressed up in a suit and tie and walked in with a bouquet of roses. I said, "Hi Susan. Will you patch up my bleeding heart by going to formal with me?"

Then, Cliff Ahn raised a poster that said, "Will you". Marc and Daniel raised a poster that said, "Go to". Then, Ivy Li raised a poster and said, "Winter Formal" and I said, "With me?". Then, Susan gave me a hug and said, "Yes" :).

I loved it because she loved it<33. style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday
Today, I woke up and beat Order Up! for wii. OMGOSH, I love that game. That is BY FAR, my favorite game on the wii. WHAT A FANTASTIC GAME :). I operated a Burger restaurant, a Mexican one, an Italian one, and a New York style one. Then I went to Iron-Chef-style competition and beat some Japanese dude. YEAH!

After that, I ate and cooked food, ironically. Then, I played some flash games and finished the FASFA in less than 1 hour.

To be honest, I was very angry/disappointed/and distraught when Marc told me he couldn't hang out today due to yearbook stuff he had to do. So my "Fallout 3-Pizza Hut-Hangout @ Daniel's house" was terminated. Then, I called Brendan to hang out, but Wayne wasn't even home, so my "Hangout @ Wayne's to Kill aliens" was terminated as well. GRAWR AT YOU GUYS >:O.

Then, I went to the library and got the 2nd book of Twilight (don't ask me why) and Watchman comic book. Then, I went to the Rowland Heights park to teach my sister how to ride a bike. FAIL :(. Oh well, it was worth a try. Then, my mom, my sister, and I went home. When I got home, I spent a good 1 hour and a half trying to install DVD codecs and players onto my computer. FAIL. Then, I watched the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which I already watched. I found this out at the end of the movie, smart huh? GOSH. Well now i'm going to sleep. I will try to blog tomorrow. `Til then y'all.

School has started! Run for the hills!

Yep, school has started and that means much less time to do ANYTHING! Honestly, I don't know if I can blog everyday, but I will blog on every weekend to recap on each week. That is a promise to you BLOGSPOT :).

Basically, this post is to inform my two followers and myself that I will not blog everyday and I will blog on weekends to recap on my week and on the weekend :).

Let me just put it into perspective what my daily schedule looks like.
7-3 school
3-6 swim practice
6-11 or 12 homework time

Anyways, that is my schedule pretty much everyday. I will say that I will try my VERY BEST to not get lazy on my schoolwork and contract senioritis. I PLEDGE to you Blogspot and my followers :)!

Btw, I love you Susan :). I promise that I will try my best not to be cranky and in a bad mood. I will try not to offend you with my bad jokes and not to say or do mean things to you. Let's make this a HAPPY new year :). Only a couple more months and we are home free<33.
Anyways, this is Johnson, signing out until the weekend :)

A Farewell to Winter Break 2008-2009 :(

This winter break was definitely not too shabby.

I had lots of fun for the first week of winter break, because it was very productive, the way I like it :). The key highlights of the first week of winter break would have to be Susan and I's 4th anniversary where we went to Macaroni Grill and Disneyland. Then there was Jeff's 18th birthday party where we watched the Lakers lose :(, then there was the yearbook party where we all played hide and seek, ate food, then played cranium, where I was the star actor :). Then there was Diya's party where there was lots of yummy BBQ food, but Susan was not there :(.

The 2nd week of winter break was quite the opposite because it was the week of Christmas. Christmas Eve and day was nice though, although I would have liked it better if my family decided to go somewhere outside of Rowland Heights. We ate at Asia Buffet, which was a plus because we all got to FINALLY go out to eat after like a whole year of not eating out as a family. Then, the rest of the week was a mixture of practices, random hangouts, and futile attempts at doing homework.

The 3rd week of winter break was a mixture of both productiveness and unproductiveness. The beginning of the week was frustrating because I was trying to cram in last minute hangouts, which did not work. I'm glad that we went out to Souplantation, Benihana, and Guppy's! Then there was when we hung out at the mall, and a Rough Ryder sleepover last night.

About the sleepover
The sleepover was pretty chill. Marc and Daniel picked me up @ around 8 and they played Fallout 3 (marc on his laptop and daniel on his ps3) while I surfed the web until 11. Then I talked to Susan on the phone until around 1ish. Daniel was talking to Aileen until then too. Then we played SSBB until 2 and then we took a "Food Run" to Daniel's kitchen for some late night cereal feast until 3. Then Daniel and Marc played Super Mario Galaxy until 4. Then somewhere between 4-6, we just played Fallout 3 and surfed the web again. Just being bums is part of the creed, I suppose. We slept around 6 and I woke up somewhere around 1 in the afternoon. I don't actually count waking up at 1 as "sleeping in" because we slept at 6 so it is more like getting my regular sleep on. Anyways, it was a pretty chill and traditional sleepover.

Today (January 4, 2008)
Not much happened today aside from a random trip to Wal-mart to pick up pictures and a trip to Stater Bros to pick up grocerries. Other than that, I just sat at home and mooped around. It is astonishing how time flies when you just moop around at home. Not exactly one of my most productive days, but I "attempted" to study for physics and other stuff.

I tried to take care of Susan today because she started :(. Poor babe.

Anyways, I will miss these things about break
-waking up at 10. Seriously, it is the best feeling ever because my body does not feel like I got hit by a car each morning.
-spending time with Susan. Obviously, this is THEE number 1 thing that I will miss this break. I had such memorable and meaningful times with you Susan<3. All of our memories are soo great :). We finally got to have intended formal dinner dates this break too (Macaroni Grill and Benihana), and they were both very very very nice and memorable. From our humble junior high days to our senior year in high school, spending time with you has always been very memorable and sentimental in many ways. You still give me those jittery, butterflies, warm, fuzzy feelings whenever you are with me. You still make me laugh and smile the biggest :). You still make my heart melt and you make my soul smile. Our memories are what make us up and what started us. Armed with both cameras, we are SO ready to document our memories now :). I cannot express how much I love you Susan. You always keep me smiling with your genuine and loving personality. On top of that, you are GORGEOUS and BEAUTIFUL beyond comparison. That is definitely a plus, but don't take me as shallow :). Calling what we have as LOVE is definitely an understatement, I call it DESTINY or ETERNAL ATTACHMENT. Although, those names are very dramatic sounding, you get what I am trying to get at :). Well we have been a couple for officially 4 years now babe. And you know what? I've never been happier for the past 4 years. These 4 years have been a blessing. Everyday that I am with you, I am grateful for being blessed for having you in my life. Without you, I cannot imagine being the same person I am today. I can only thank you for being my BIGGEST supporter and for MOTIVATING me to get past life's obstacles. You keep me going hun. And so, winter break has been very memorable and life-changing, but, like how we are always moving forward, I don't expect the memories to stop rolling in<33.

New Years Day! 2009!

Today was pretty productive and eventful :)
-got out of bed at 9:45, when I actually woke up at probably around 8
-watched the Rose Parade with my mom
-played soul caliber on the wii
-ate some tiger roll for breakfast
-went on the computer and browsed until 11
-went to T.S. Emporium to buy duck, pig, and other Chinese foods
-ate lunch with my mom, lame dad and sister went to watch tv in the living room. I swear, I'm the only person in my family that actually eats at the table. I feel so American. I want that family that eats around the table, bonds, and talks about their day. Instead, my sister goes to the garage and watches tv. My dad goes into the living room and watches news on the big screen, and my mom goes to the other living room and watches her Chinese soap operas while I am the only person sitting at the table eating :(. Well, I wanted a family picture on New Years, but I guess not.
-watched the Rose Bowl game USC vs. Penn State. This was one of the few times that I actually sat down and watched a football on television. Actually, this was one of the few times that I actually watched television, period. Anyways, it was a good game and USC totally dominated Penn State. Good job USC :)
-went to Guppy's with Wayne, Kyle, and Susan @ 4
-ordered the Guppy's special and shared it with Susan. Gosh, two days eating out with my lovely girlfriend? What more could I ask for? Thanks for making these past 2 days very special ones babe<3
-went to Michaels, but they were closed so we went to Target to look for Wayne's wooden picture frame.
-took Susan home and then hung out at Wayne's house with Kyle and played Call of Duty 5 and Halo 3
-went home @ 9
-went on the computer, finished my Guppy's strawberry shaved ice, uploaded pictures, played a flash game, and now I am blogging :)

I had a pretty good day overall. The highlights of my day would have to be, the Rose Bowl game and Guppy's :). I had a great time just hanging out with my hunny. Seriously, food and love are all that I need in life<33. Thanks hunny for giving me a great time on New Years Eve and New Years<33. I can't thank you enough :). I hope the good times will keep rolling in.