Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Call of the Wild, Carla Bruni, curiousity, dreams, fifteen, French music, friends, homework, independence, road trip, school, summer, Trader Joe's
One thing I find myself repeatedly thinking every day is “I wish I could fast forward a few years.”
I suppose I should rephrase this sentense, because I could never give up the lovely feeling of being fifteen, on the edge of sixteen.This year has felt like a day at the fair, maybe not every single day, but as a whole. Looking back I will probably see fifteen-years-old as pink.
But being fifteen has its constraints. Excuse me, high school has its constraints. I can’t wait to start learning what I want to learn. As much as I love the subjects I take – with the exception of math, I learn so much more when I discover on my own and not because my teacher shoved a book down my throat. They’re not that vicious, but a book is a lot more magical if I read it at my own pace and don’t have to answer questions on it. It just makes you want to rebel, to not like the book.
Case in point: I read Call of the Wild when I was little, because it was on sale for 99 cents at Wal-Mart. I loved it. Come eighth grade, when we had to read it and analyze it, I didn’t like it so much. The image I have of that book is sort of tarnished.
I love this summer because I have the time to do whatever I want, and I’m not wasting it on going to the mall with my friends, or sitting in a movie theater all day. I finally have time to write, to make a movie, to run around my backyard giggling like a four-year-old.
And even if I am taking a class, I’m taking it of my own free will, and it doesn’t feel like a routine. I wake up and there are so many possibilities in the day. I know that my life is mine, and there isn’t anyone aside from my parents who can make me do anything. My parents are mellow, so it’s okay.
My mom and I have been going to Trader Joe’s a lot lately, and I love that even though my dad stored enough food to last us through the winter before he went to Taiwan, we’re not eating it. Because going to the store every day and deciding on the spot what you’re going to eat is more exciting than eating what you already have.
That’s why I want to fast forward. I want to leave high school, as carefree as it is, because in a different sense it’s not carefree at all. It’s a burden that’s constantly on your shoulder. Your homework weighs you down when you could be traveling, painting, whatever it is you love. I hate schedules. They’re fun to make and they keep me in line, but I’d rather read when I want, play violin when I want, and write when I want. Whenever it strikes my fancy. I’d like to call my friends over at 7 PM and just look at the moon, because streetlights block out the stars in the suburbs. And not have their parents say, “It’s too late”. I want to take a road trip with them out to see the country, to visit the factory where they make the plushie microbes, to get lost in New York because we’ve been harbored safely in a suburb for too long.
What do you do with kids like me, who love to learn but feel constrained by “the system”? Or am I just naively dreaming, and the real world would swallow me alive?
P.S. I was hesitant to like it, but Carla Bruni’s music is really calming. It’s that peaceful yet excited feeling I get when I read a nice blog. Add another to my list of favorite French artists. They are my new alt rock, I suppose. Sometimes they blend together with similarities but I still listen.
P.P.S. I never thought I’d be a dreamer.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 80's movies, actors, birthday, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, community college, crew, downtown LA, Edward Scissorhands, filming, flowers, Gene Wilder, Haunted Honeymoon, Johnny Depp, Labyrinth, Mystery Men, Nanalan', Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, periods, pink, scheduling, sparkling pink lemonade, stop-motion, summer, sunglasses, The Breakfast Club, TV, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, WonderPets
These past few days have been hectic, what with preparations for the first day of filming for my yet-t0-be-named stopmotion. And then yesterday, Sunday, we actually filmed. I went to sleep at 10:30, which is earlyish, but I was actually sleepy and I woke up exhausted too. It was a good type of exhaustion, the kind you get after a long day of retail therapy.
I however, had been filming all day. It was a little chaotic, and the dragon costume gave us trouble, but we got through it. And even though I was worried we hadn’t been precise enough, it looked great when I reviewed the pictures.
Every time I try to read “how-to’s” on stop-motion, or tips for it, I get confused. When it comes down to that moment where you’re actually doing it, you go with instinct.
Really though, stop-motion is not easy. Granted, I’m working with real actors and not clay figures, which I’m not sure whether makes it easier or harder. You have to think about the little movements in your everyday movements. Like when you yawn and gasp, how does your arm move so that it looks natural?
My actors are very cooperative though, despite being put in ridiculous costumes and with a director who doesn’t know how to mount a camera onto a tripod. Don’t laugh!
There was this weird moment where I had positioned the camera in front of the boy and the princess, two of my characters, and I said, “Smile!” It came out differently than in my head, however, and there was this stunned moment before we all started laughing. I really meant for them to smile, but for a moment I felt like we were tourists at the zoo.
It helped though, with the tension.
When we first said that we were doing a stopmotion, a lot of people said they wanted to help. Yesterday we had one crew member there other than me. Everyone else was an actor. The more is not the merrier. I figure, if you’re not going to show up for a meeting, and you’re not part of the cast, then I’m not going to move dates for you. So I guess we’ve unofficially dropped the cinematographer, along with a few other people who volunteered to help out. It’s already difficult juggling dates for the actors. I’d say the most difficult part of making this movie is scheduling, especially when everyone’s studying for SATs.
Haha I meant this to be the weekly happiness post. Look where that got us.
I’ll work on that next. This will just be the long overdue regular post.
Our first psych 101 test was today and goodness it was easy. It is community college though, so I doubt that real universities will be this easy. Maybe I’m overestimating them. Some of the people I meet in community college remind me that Whitney is not representative of the world population. You’d never meet someone at Whitney who thought their hippothalamus was in their privates. Well, maybe one, but he’s not there any longer.
I’d like to post about something interesting, something other than my life, but my Internet is as slow as I am during PE and my blog-following days are on a hiatus, if not over. I dislike blogging about the news, so that is out of the question.
Confession time. I spend a lot of the day watching TV. Talk shows, yes, but mostly children’s programming. I watched “Nanalan’” twice this week. And it was awesome, even if I had seen those two episodes before. If only I had “WonderPets” on TV too. And this movie channel that kind of sucks.
But I guess I can only thank the movie channel, because it dissipated my bias against Gene Wilder. Obviously I would, because of the whole CatCF versus Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory thing. But I watched “Haunted Honeymoon” or something, and while that movie was kind of stupid (not in the “Mystery Men” stupid – which I rewatched yesterday with Amanda when my mom bought a pizza and all the cast had left so we made her stay to help eat it, and it was still funny), Gene Wilder wasn’t as much of a fatteh as I remember. So huzzah for him. The only gripe I have is how he was bitter over the making of CatCF.
Miya came over for an 80’s movie marathon. Twas fun, and she brought cake and soda, which sustained me for a week while the ants ravaged the rest of my kitchen. We watched “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure”, “Labyrinth”, “the Breakfast Club”, and SKADFJKWJWE. “Edward Scissorhands”. Of course we freaked out when it came to that scene.
“Hold me.”
“…I can’t.”
KJFEJWEKJKWEJWKLJWKJWe.
I love periods. It gives such finality to things. The punctuation mark, not the other thing that’s making me grouchy because soon it will come visiting.
And then Saturday, my mom and her friend took me along to downtown LA. Always fun. Even though it smells like urine and is creepy, downtown is so diverse and I love how you can walk anywhere. Also we passed by this one building and I will say no more except KSJRFKWEJ.
Flowers are pretty. We went to the flower market, can you tell?
And how could I forget the biggest event of all. There it was, a little old Chinese man selling sunglasses. Well, first we passed by a Mexican store where they had the tortoise-shell frame Johnny Depp sunglasses, like he has although his are just glasses, but I only had a moment to gaze at them before we moved on. So. The old Chinese man – I decided to take a risk and ask to try on his Johnny Depp sunglasses. I didn’t say that, I said, “Can I see those blue sunglasses behind you?” in Chinese. And eventually it was between the purple and the pink. Guess which one I walked away with?
The pink. Surprising, eh? Canada where did you come from? Anyway, yes, surprising because I love purple. But I decided pink is less common and I have way too much purple stuff anyway.
I guess now I have to go update that dictionary of mine. Not today though, I have other things to do.
My birthday is actually closer than it looks. I want it outside, but Southern California’s weather doesn’t want to cooperate with me. Now there’s a phrase you don’t see too often.
If all else fails, maybe I’ll have it in my front yard, where the massive obviously-remodeled-because-look-how-small-all-the-other-houses-are Indian house next door will tower over us and give us shade.
I’ll have sparkling pink lemonade, maybe limeade, lemonade, and mixed berry too, and ice cream cake, kettle corn, anddd…I don’t know what we’ll be eating for lunch. At first I wanted to have a table but now I think I’ll just scatter chairs.
I’ll figure it out. But I can’t wait. I really don’t want summer to end, and I don’t think I’ll be going through summer boredom anytime soon, where you start wishing for school. Huzzah!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Arizona Dream, Before Night Falls, Bon Bon, costume, creativity, directing, dragon, dragon lady, Ernest, Johnny Depp, Julian Schnabel, La Poo Poo, Lieutenant Victor, Mika, mom, movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, psychology, references, SAT, screenplay, summer, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Trader Joe's, We Are Golden
Oh what fun it is to scan SAT practice tests onto my computer and try to write a screenplay, hey! Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. That has always irritated me. Whatever, it’s what I’m doing right now – scanning SAT practice tests and working on my first feature-length screenplay. I read it today and realized how much I relied on dialogue. No! Not good! Stop! Not good! You’re burning all the food, the shade, the rum!
To expand on my praise for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” yesterday, I would just like to say this. Julian Schnabel, I must watch more of your movies. For many reasons not limited to because Johnny Depp dresses like a woman in “Before Night Falls” and also plays Lieutenant Victor. What a nasty man is Lieutenant Victor.
If I get any of this wrong, please don’t tar and feather me. It’s been a while since I maintained my library of Johnny Depp trivia and my computer is in no state for me to check it quickly. I can imagine the neurons devoted to Johnny Depp trivia in my brain (if there is such a thing – which would be kind of sad) dying one by one from lack of use. Ah psych 101. The things you teach me. Like endorphins, which made me do the Drew Barrymore Syndrome in class. I hope no one saw that.
“Gives one the feeling of being in love.” “You don’t say…”
It’s the little things in life that make us smile. Like Johnny Depp references. And eating a whole bag of kettle corn before you realize that you’ve eaten a whole bag and emptied the equivalent of a gallon of sugar into your system.
While in the bathroom, I thought back to the moment I realized that I wanted to be a director. 11-years-old, creating a tour of Mesopotamia video for school. We didn’t have the money or the means to create an actual ziggurat, so we printed a picture out and moved our camera toward it. To simulate a long journey, we filmed back and forth on the same seven-foot stretch of hedge, with my friend’s little brother panting behind the camera for sound effects. It was impulsive thinking, it was creative, because we didn’t have anything.
Watching the extra features on “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”, they did the same thing – but more sophisticated. A good use of camera angles and colors excited me more than a good story. It felt like finally, this was art. As I’ve mentioned, “Arizona Dream” felt similar to this, as did “Across the Universe”.
The summer has taken a turn for the better. Tomorrow Miya and Nobu are coming over for an 80’s movie marathon, and by the looks of it Club Retrospect has been approved. Huzzah!
Sorry for the lack of Ernest & La Poo Poo updates. It’s been difficult for me to even find time for my own blog, I’ll really try to find time for theirs but I can’t promise anything.
My mom and I have been hanging out because really, there’s no other option. But it’s fun when there are only two of you because you’re more free to make your own plans. I could never have my friends over if my dad was home, and especially if the house had not stayed somewhat clean. Which it wouldn’t have if my sisters were home.
I can’t wait for tomorrow, and I can’t wait to go to Trader Joe’s today and find more awesome possible birthday foods. Mostly, I can’t wait to fail my first psych test and realize that maybe I should study.
I just realized that “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” has unseated PotC as my second-favorite movie. To be honest, PotC wasn’t my second-favorite, it was only there as an obligation to acknowledge how prevalent it’s been in my life. I could never bring myself to put something before it on a list besides “Arizona Dream”, though. Congrats. I think I’ll watch PotC now…while no one’s home.
I’m busy working on the dragon costume anyway. Oh yeah, I went to Halloween Club and asked for a dragon costume. They showed me a dragon lady costume. I know it’s nothing, they were just trying to help me out and showing me their only options, but it’s sort of funny. In a racial way…and yet…whatever. It’s just…funny. I can’t explain it.
Costume-making isn’t so bad. It’s nice to have something you’re working toward. A goal, I guess, but not necessarily. This stop-motion keeps me optimistic that this summer will not go to waste.
In other news, MIKA’s new single is called “We Are Golden”. Huzzah.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: busy, dreams, effects, excited, filmmaking, Independence Day, J. Edgar Hoover, obstacles, passion, plans, Public Enemies, stop-motion, summer, Taiwan, writing
My summer has taken a huge detour and left me scrambling to salvage it. Fatherman has decided to take my sisters to Taiwan for two months. I’m staying optimistic now, instead of hyperventilating when I first learned of his plans. The stop-motion can happen. I just keep thinking that there’s something unexpected ahead that will make all our hard work for nothing. Something always in the way of every single one of my productions. Then I feel like Terry Gilliam.
But come on, that’s part of the filmmaking. The unexpected challenges, people looking to you for the difficult decisions. I know I said I was passionate enough to do this. Now all these obstacles are presenting themselves, like “Fatteh! You are just a kid. You can’t even drive because you are a lazy fatteh who won’t start driver’s ed. You don’t even know squat about cameras. Are you sure you can do this? Are you sure you even want to bring so much stress on yourself?”
But I have to see this through, so I will. I haven’t even been writing screenplays - all my efforts are concentrated on this stop-motion. Also, the computer with my screenwriting software has been down.
I’m really sorry for neglecting you guys for a week. But it’s been a busy week – literally scrambling to get everything ready for Sunday, when my buddies come over for the first stop-motion meeting and my dad leaves for Taiwan. On top of that I haven’t been reading many blogs for about a month, and I don’t have anything to talk about other than my own life. Which I always feel is not very interesting on paper. This summer particularly so, even with the stop-motion.
Who knows that feeling, when you have big plans and dreams but circumstances don’t let them happen? Which is this summer, because even a trip to the beach requires the consent of my buddies’ parents, my parents willingly taking them. Just a trip to the beach, not a cross-country road trip. To put this into perspective, I live in Southern California, ten minutes from the beach.
Okay, not even that. Getting someone to watch “Public Enemies” with me has been a nightmare. And now I’m going Sunday afternoon, but still not for sure. Every time I ask people it’s always an apathetic or uncertain answer.
Which reminds me of a phone conversation I had with one of my elementary school buddies – we’ve grown kind of distant. She said, “‘Public Enemies’? I heard that the effects kind of sucked…” Wait, I thought, effects? What effects? “Public Enemies” is a historical drama. There are men with guns, not giant robots, and not Freddie Highmore x2. I’m looking at you, Spiderwick Chronicles. I replied, and looking back I guess with a hint of an elitist tone, “Oh…I didn’t know there were effects in ‘Public Enemies’.” Someone warn me though, if in the middle of the movie a giant monster appears that could only have been created with the power of modern technology. I’m more than halfway through the book and there is no sign of a monster, not including the pictures of the FBI and the criminals. Those are kind of scary. I’ll be reading and “Gah! J. Edgar Hoover, what are you doing there?” But no, it was just a slip of my fingers to the glossy photo paper in the middle of the book.
It’s no fun going to something you’ve anticipated for a year if the people you go with don’t care much for it.
It’s not all sham and drudgery, though. I’m still excited for a few things.
Once everything settles down, say Sunday night or Monday morning, I’ll be back. Have a fun day. Oh yeah, and Happy Independence Day. Mine will be spent cleaning the house, so have a double fun day for me. Huzzah.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bowling team, directors, Ernest, filmmaking, Future Filmmakers Showcase, game, greeting cards, inspiration, issues, Jack Kerouac, LA Film Festival, Mann's Theater, old ladies, On the Road, premiere, prose, Public Enemies, short films, stop-motion, summer, The Pink Ladies, travel shows, writing
Mine family went to the beach yesterday, and my sisters and I spent the time on the car playing a ridiculous game. It started out with me making strange noises but evolved into a very entertaining game. I prefer it as a one-man pastime, though.
How to play: Say “Abu”, repeating with the addition of a “bu” after each turn. See how long you can go without laughing. Basically it goes like this, “Abu. Abubu. Abububu. Abubuhahahahhahahahahhahaha.”
Shannon suggested rounds, where we go around with each person adding the next “bu”.
I think it’s been invented before. Who knows? It’s fun nonetheless.
Remember how we’ve been planning to stake out the “Public Enemies” premiere for months? Huzzah for failure? I did walk past it when I went to the High School Program 1 screening on Saturday of the LA Film Festival. Mann’s Theater is pretty nice.
Speaking of, the High School shorts were entertaining. They did group a bunch of activist documentaries toward the end, which was when my butt started to hurt.
Summer? It’s okay. I’m studying and working on Ernest greeting cards. The main thing is the stop-motion though. I’d really like to submit it to the LA Film Festival’s Future Filmmakers Showcase next year. It’s hard, though. I don’t know whether I’m oversimplifying the process or overcomplicating it. Still, all the issues real directors deal with – finances, schedule conflicts – it’s happening to me too, on a smaller scale. I can’t help thinking that if I can’t handle this maybe I’ll go crazy if I have to deal with it when millions of dollars are at stake.
Travel show hosts have a great life. They get to go on trips – paid for by their companies – and eat bugs in South Asian markets. I’d like a stint as a travel show host.
I’m working to stay in touch with my prose-writing self, so I’m writing something based off of that thing we talked about at lunch – The Pink Ladies. Old ladies are always wonderful characters, possibly my favorite. All I’m taking from it is the name and premise, though. I couldn’t remember our specific names so I made some up. The plot will be revealed in time.
I’m a little bit scared of finishing On the Road. So many people have shared how it was the book that changed their lives, that if I read it it just becomes a book that I’ve read. So far it hasn’t captivated me yet.
Whell then. I’m off to waste the day away in various activities that will add up to something in the end. 
Good god I need post inspiration. Any particular topics you want me to talk about?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Angela, beaurocracy, Ben Stiller, bloopers, books, CD, cheesy, cleaning, cliche, deleted scenes, Disney, epilogue, Ernest, escapist, hobo, India, intelligence, Jack Sparrow, LA Film Festival, La Poo Poo, MovieCube, music, Pineapple Express, premiere, Public Enemies, Ralph's, RedBox, soundtrack, stopmotion, summer, Sundays at Tiffany's, Sushi, taboo, Tropic Thunder, Twilight, Wal-Mart, walking, wizard costume
Hola, it is summer! Hola hola hola. Tomorrow I’m going to the LA Film Festival avec mine journalism internship. Excited? Actually, not that much, despite the fact that I asked for us to go. To be honest, I asked because “Public Enemies” is premiering there – but the $100 ticket price soon dampened my dreams.
I’d like to direct you all to Ernest and La Poo Poo’s blogs, where updates have been posted for you.
Every morning, I wake up and feel like something’s off. Something is off – I should be at school. It’s going to take me a bit of time to get used to this freedom. Usually I’m take no time in adjusting, and it’s at the middle of summer that I start missing school. Oh vell.
Next week I plan to go stake out the “Public Enemies” premiere with some friends. For now I’ll be content with finally doing some reading I never had time for during the school year. I went to Costco and bought three books, two of which are going to be returned tomorrow. The one remaining book is Public Enemies“, I’m almost ashamed to admit. Okay, Johnny Depp did inevitably factor into my reasoning, but I really am interested in reading about gangsters in the 30’s.
I should have known Sundays at Tiffany’s was going to be one big cheesy romance. The title indicates something that runs throughout the book – good writing exchanged for a quick and clever joke that is really just a cliche with a twist. Basically, every character says something clever every time they speak. The book, I’m sorry to say, reads like a mediocre fanfiction. At times I thought I was reading Twilight. The tenses kept switching back and forth. I could forgive the writer if the girl had actually died, but no. It turns out it was her mother, and so the girl’s mysterious vomiting is laid aside. Did I forget to mention there’s an epilogue? A bad sign. Harry Potter 7 had an epilogue, and that book may have been the worst out of the series. Well yes, in this book they have children too.
I’m willing to like a cheesy book if it’s somewhat well-written, even if it’s escapist and romantic. But this book was just a huge disappointment. The premise lures you in. Don’t be lured in.
Okay, book review’s over.
I’m doing my summer cleaning right now. Gah, it is a big fat hassle. I spent today cleaning to the tune of all my old CD’s. Embarassing Disney/nonDisney stuff, to say the least. Whatever, it’s a part of me I guess.
On the last day of school, we walked over to Towne Center and had lunch. Now I know what it feels like to be a hobo, because I only had three bucks on me so I had two things from the dollar menu at McDonald’s. Anyway, we saw a lot of old elementary school buddies, and not so buddies. I’ll just say that I’m grateful for being at my high school rather than the normal one. No matter how weird some of us get, we’re all guaranteed to be somewhat intelligent and sensible.
Then we walked to Sushi’s house and sat with her. Oh, wow. She’s in India right now. She was leaving midnight that day, but we just…walked into her house. And borrowed her wizard costume, huzzah! I hope Jonathan fits into it. Then Angela decided to go home because it was way too hot, so she left and we followed.
Oh yesh, Sushi’s keyboard makes the perfect noises for our soundtrack.
At Angela’s house, we ate her food, as usual. And played Taboo. I’ve decided – we will play at my birthday. Huzzah. Except that everyone kept using me as an example.
Amanda: Katherine is weird, right? So you would tell her to see a…
The answer is shrink, and yes, I got that one. Afterwards we went upstairs and Sunyoung had to go home. Amanda fell asleep for half an hour, Angela watched 90210 on her computer and played facebook games. I read H&M magazine. Did you know you can hire your own paparazzi for a day? Um…it’s the worst part of being a celebrity. But okay, if it floats your boat.
Finally Angela had to return her DVD’s to Ralph’s moviecube box, so off we went to borrow some more. Stupid box wouldn’t work. That’s the second time it hasn’t worked for me. We asked the cashier but she said, “We’re not associated with the box, but if you have any question you can call this number.” Beaurocratic much. I gave her much subtle attitude. Hahaha passive aggressive. No matter, we drove to Wal-Mart, with the much better Redbox, and rented “Tropic Thunder”. Of course we were sad that Redbox did not have “Pineapple Express”, which MovieCube did.
“Tropic Thunder”, as you may have heard, is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. Ben Stiller, you have redeemed your entire career with one movie.
Thinking of holding a meeting next week with everyone involved in the stopmotion. “Thinking…of putting in French doors actually.” Oh Jack Sparrow, why is your voice so strange in that deleted scene/blooper?
That is all. Goodnight and goodluck, everyone.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazing Race, birthday, blogging, buddies, club retrospect, cynicism, finals, frustration, grades, happiness, Jerry, job shadow, Johnny Depp, picnic, Puerto Rico, self-righteous, stop-motion, summer, temper
I think I’ll start replying to comments directly under the comments – so check there.
Our picnic was a failure – but still fun. Miya’s cake killed us all – over 500 calories for 1/12th of that cake and we had devoured over half. I love my buddies. I never felt that I actually really loved my friends until this year. Nothing ever really impressed me, I was slightly cynical and all that jazz. Maybe being eternally happy takes away from my humor or writing style, but I’m not going to complain about happiness. But really, my friends are an amazing group of people. We all have our individual faults, to be true, but when we’re just having fun all of that is pretty much forgotten.
Today Miya tried to help me out in chem. She offered me her calculator and I snapped at her. I do these things all the time at home, but afterward the regret just like, rushed up my throat. I know we all say we try to be nice people, but when you’re frustrated, your temper just roars out at people. I’m afraid that I’ll ruin my relationships with people by losing my temper. Sorry, Miya. The frustration had just built up to that one moment when you offered your calculator and I said the first thing that was on my mind, which was true, but really mean.
The day started out horrible, but got a lot better. My team got screwed over in the Amazing Race, and all the other teams think we’re just bitter because we had caught up to second place and ended up last. If the race isn’t set up right…
Anyway. When things go your way it’s easy to see the bright side of things, and I hate when people get self-righteous about seeing the good in people. Do they know what we had to go through, running all around the school? It’s definitely nothing compared to say, what the Jews had to go through during the Holocaust, but I wasn’t physically made for running. Rather, I was but I don’t. I looked at that class full of people and wondered if maybe we were the ones seeing it wrong – but I know one thing and that is that we did not screw up that race for ourselves.
The stop-motion is coming along really well. We’ve got 3/4ths of our cast and their schedules seem to really match up. Then we’ve got a “crew” and a script. I wouldn’t say yet that we’re set to go, but huzzah nonetheless. Also, Club Retrospect is almost up and running. We’ve got an advisor and our petition has been filled up. I think we have a good chance of being approved.
So, the rest of the day went beyond well. I’m excited for summer, and for next year. Still, the fear of junior year has not subsided. One must remember that this is a competitive high school and everyone here is above average – so the standards get pushed higher. In other news, I got an A on my math test, which will surely bring me up a letter grade. In other other news, AP Human remains a B+ 
Oh wow. And with the phone call made between the last paragraph and this one, my job shadowing is officially over. Boo hoo.
I’m watching the video of Johnny Depp’s birthday celebration in Puerto Rico, and when the camera was on both Johnny Depp and Jerry, each on one side of the frame, I didn’t know where to look! My eyes were darting back and forth frantically. There was Jerry on one side, pulling candles out of the cake with haste. Yet on the other was Johnny Depp, being happy and Johnny Depp. I wish I were there – that cake looks delicious, even if grainy because of bad video quality. And to have the drums and singing constantly in the background – that’s festivity.
My excitement for summer is making my grades slip. This is bad.
EDIT.
This is the next day. I would have started over but again, the things I do for posterity.
I feel like I’ve gone astray with my blogging style – and I may spend some time away to figure things out. Whatever I decide to do, I’ll be trying to clear my head. Basically, I’m not satisfied with my posts in the last week or so and I’ve lost my desire to post, really.
Hopefully I’ll be back in full swing by the time summer break gets here – next Wednesday. I’ll try to update but please keep in mind I have finals for the next week. In fact…I should be studying now for math.
So goodbye for today. Have fun and whatnot. I may or may not be back tomorrow. Actually, I probably will be. Tomorrow’s Friday.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Pirates of the Caribbean, celebrity, Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, movies, books, camera, summer, Taiwan, Edward Scissorhands, Harry Potter, love, French, talent, garden party, optimism, parents, friends, nature, trip, idealism, angry asian man, fun, feature film, schedule, stress, suburbs, bus, The Perfect Storm, camping, grades, jacket, funeral, The Road, Jack Kerouac, Medieval Times, knight, fevers, sisters, Canada
My brain feels like it’s being wrenched inside my skull. Why is the end of the school year such a rush?
I love my parents. Of course as I grow older I start disagreeing with them on many things, but whether that is just a phase of life or a permanent thing is yet to be seen. I say “old and bitter” because that’s what it seems like, sadly. Maybe when I was little I just wore rose-colored glasses, but I do think they were happier than they are now. As a young person I’m full of optimism and all of that, so I’m determined to be happy. Get back to me in fifteen years and we’ll see.
MUSIC – I get the feeling you just turned fifteen. I’m a bit ahead of you, but if you want to round almost an entire year, then yes, we are currently the same number. My sixteenth birthday’s in August. Holy god, I’m more than halfway to thirty.
Remember when I was going on about how I wanted to do everything in the world? It’s too much now, because I’m trying to cram all these experiences into the next few years. Starting a new club about making life an adventure in a school where everyone is mainly focused on academics is not very encouraging. This club thing is such a dilemna – because I feel like it’s too broad. I wonder if it will succeed. But then I get the feeling that if you keep worrying and bringing up possible obstacles you’ll never even start the project.
I’d love to take a camera and go on a trip by foot throughout the city with my friends, just taking pictures.
And right now I’d even just love to kick back in a bus and take a cross-country road trip.
I think what I need now is a trip somewhere away from the city, preferably with some buddies. But I doubt that’s happening – this is not a city of teenagers who spontaneously visit a forest together. Too many safety regulations. I’d like to see what a world without so many safety regulations would be like – where people could camp at the beach without worrying about security guards telling them to move because they’ll get swept away. And if they do get swept away, so be it. Makes for more dramatic stories. There’s a reason people avoid watching “The Perfect Storm”.
PS. I know that that would be anarchy, but allow me my idealism for this moment.
All this daydreaming has made me slack off in school too. My chem grade just slipped with this last test down to a B. That means I have to get an A on the comp to bring my grade back up, which means studying hard this week. I’m resisting so much right now – but I really don’t have much choice.
I’ve also decided that I’d love a garden lunch for my birthday – if not the entire party. The more I look at it the more my backyard, however small, looks beautiful. Maybe it’s because it’s the closest to free space I’m going to get from this computer. I’ve never spent so much time staring out the window…well, maybe at my old house. But all I saw there was a wall, a tree, my Indian neighbor’s house, and occasionally a bird. I remember I saw a bluejay once, and I wrote a poem about it. Or was it a squirrel?
I do love Cerritos, it’s full of people who are different from any you would find outside, and they really take care to keep this city looking nice. It’s partially a mix of all the old white people who like to wash their vintage cars thrice a day and the Asians who wouldn’t really mess with the city for no reason. It’s an ideal suburb – but that’s exactly what’s wrong with it too. I’m pretty sure Tim Burton lived in a place like this, because he retaliated with “Edward Scissorhands”.
Sometimes I think that talented people are so modest because they really think they’re nothing special, not because it’s an act. I completely understand their denial, because people rave about my writing and I don’t see what’s so special about it. The other day my church buddy told me she was really impressed with my “Angry Asian Man” screenplay – that she had been surprised, especially since I was a fifteen-year-old who hadn’t had much exposure to scripts. I had handed to her the worst draft of “Angry Asian Man” – the one I wrote in a day because all I had was the story to get down. I was embarassed of it and determined it would never see the light of day.
If you don’t think your work is much, sometimes it is better than you think. Especially with writing and such, if you grow up like that, you never think twice about it until you see everyone else’s work. There’s always doubt, is what someone told me. And it’s true but I hate it. Although, I do think it makes for better work.
I need a good jacket – not a hoody, although that would also be nice. Maybe I should return that $30 outfit from Forever 21 and invest in some good basics.
I’ve been reinspired to write. I’m currently in the middle of my first feature-length. I don’t want to spill much, but it includes celebrity, old love, and a funeral. Sound intriguing? Old love does not mean lost love, by the way, because lost implies that they still wanted it to go on. I’m hoping that in the flashbacks the hazy polaroid-reminiscent small town feel will be captured. I’m excited for this one and I really want the script to turn out well. Who doesn’t want their screenplay to turn out well, but this one in particular. It could just be the excitement of beginning a new story. We’ll see.
I’ve also been wanting to read The Road by Jack Kerouac. Yes, yet again inspired by Johnny Depp – but it’s my own interest now. It has to be if I’m to attempt such a fat book. I haven’t read anything that thick since Harry Potter. I don’t know how I’m going to do all this though – there are only so many hours in the day, and I’m planning to get my sleeping schedule ready for next year. That means bed ideally by 9 PM and up at 6:30 AM. I have an extra class next year in the morning and I’m not looking forward to the stress of next year. Can I handle a club on top of that, and possibly work?
Who wants to go camping in my backyard? I have such summerlust right now. I hope that’s not a double entendre. Goodness, tomorrow is crazy Tuesday. Thank God. I need the break.
So, summer, now my favorite time of year. Where are you?
What are your plans? I’m hoping to plunk down with some good books and movies, go out frolicking with buddies, and make some good stuff.
Looking at some of my old Word files, it still amazes me how far I’ve come from full-on PotC fan. Yeah, I still usually know Johnny Depp’s whereabouts, but I can stand on my own now, if that makes sense. If you were to pull PotC out from under me, I wouldn’t fall over. Huzzah.
I feel like going on and on. Permit me, s’il vous plait.
That will never be a jumble of words that mean “please” anymore. It will forever be “if it pleases you (polite)”. I love French class and I hope Madame gets better.
I’d love to go rollerblading at this time of day, when it’s pitch black outside. I’d have flashing neon lights on my rollerblades and annoy the heck out of everyone like the fatteh Mexican on the dune buggy who revs by my house twice within five minutes. I wonder if I’ve lost readers because of the replacement of sarcasm by wishful thinking. I wonder if I ever had readers to begin with. Fatteh lurkers. Can’t say anything though, I am one.
Whell. My sister went to Medievel Times today. Good for her, that she went and devoured chicken like a fatteh while watching fake knights prance about below. Like in our time, some of her classmates fell in love with the knight. I think the same colored one too. I must confess, I did secretly scrutinize him as well, but he fell far short of my liking. Huzzah, because there’s no use for an eleven-year-old lusting after some old man who prances about in a green tunic on a horse who spends most of its time behind a glass window.
And both of them have fevers, which means double hand-washing for me. Hopefully they recover soon. I think Jocelyn’s okay now. When did I start referring to them by name instead of my sister and “my younger younger sister”? I wish I had somewhere to go this summer, like back to Taiwan or Canada. I say back because even though I wasn’t born there it’s still a little bit like home. I wonder if my children will feel the same?
That’s it for tonight. I’ll keep on daydreaming but I’ll keep it to myself for the rest of the night. Huzzah, see you later alligator.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: music, school, summer, angry asian man, fun, argument, pigeons, SAT
MUSIC: What do you call little kids who sit down at a piano and start playing tunes that they’ve heard, without taking lessons? Just curious, because it’s a common scenario.
I don’t think that I’ve stopped being good at violin, just that something was lost during those four years. I used that because it’s really been the biggest thing that’s happened to me. Pathetic, but I think we should put the topic to rest, or it’s going to turn into an Internet showdown, and I hate those things.
As to your questions, I just got them a couple days ago. “Out in the open” means I’m pretty honest with my dad that I have a blog, rather than alluding to it. Yes, that’s my name. Yes, I’m Asian. Yes, I’m probably the same age as you. And yes – just kidding. No. Because if you were a 55 year-old creepy man and I were the same age as you I’d be a 55 year-old creepy man.
We now return to our usual broadcast.
I have never been so excited for summer, I’ve usually been indifferent to it. That’s a shame, because I only have two really free summers left, and this is one of them. There’s so much I’ve suddenly realized I want to do and what with SATs and such taking up my summers, that’s a bummer. Huzzah, I’ve rhymed.
Still, school’s almost over and we’ll have fun. I’d still love to make “Angry Asian Man”. Twould be fun and an awesome experience.
There are pigeons in our roof and their eggs just hatched. The sounds above our heads are driving us crazy, especially my dad. I could here the babies going “EEEEH EEEEEHHHH EEEEEEEHHH” And now there are these claw sounds like their learning to walk or something. It’s really annoying, and really, just think of all the germs.
I’m going to cut this post short so I can start working on what will hopefully be a weekly feature.
