I made new Pucca icons to match the layout *grins* Uwaaah it's late! I think I'll go brush my teeth and hop onto bed..

Happy Valentine's Day!! Actually, happy midwinter break for me, ehehehe :P week off, whoohoo! Here's some stuff for you to enjoy this holiday:


+ Happy Valentine from PuccaClub
+ Valentine Manga courtesy of Shoujomagic! (warning: cuteness level is at a dangerous high; may be intolerable to some)
+ Low Calorie Recipes for a variety of good foodness
+ More Low-Fat recipes to enjoy
+ A super-simple Love Compatibility Test
+ History of Valentine's Day as put by the HistoryChanel.com

Ahahaaa, we knowledge bowl nerds got our tees and sweatshirts today :D They look rather nifty in my opinion! but anyways..


Today was a good day :D Nate didn't forget to give me a ride in the morning, which was infinitely better than riding the bus or walking to school :P Nate's awesome and I owe him lots, even though he makes fun of me for using my locker. *..mutters..* His German's getting better too! And his Japanese is really funny, hehe.


Biology was booring as usual. This one kid that I despise just transferred into the class, too. As soon as I saw him, I was like, God, please, do NOT have him sit by me.. and as I saw him coming nearer: please god.. no.. and nearer: have mercy..! Until he finally sat by me, which was his assigned seat by Mr. Mangrum. ...damn it. At least he doesn't talk to me at all. I think he feels my angry vibes toward him. Actually, he's not that bad, but I really hate sitting with people in Biology, unless it's Tammy and Ray T_T I miss you guys~~


Buuut Intro to Business was GREAT! I love that class beyond belief. There's just something about Mrs. Butler that makes her completely entertaining. You can't explain it, either! She's just so charismatic and enthusiastic, she can make business seem incredibly interesting. Aubrey agrees with me :D (we were discussing this in Knowledge Bowl) Both of us expected this class to suck, but we were pleasantly blown away. Long live Mrs. Butler XD


Careers was boring and long. Involved a video and group work with this rich preppy and outlandishly dumb girl that I wish to jab in the eye with a pencil. ... thank God Jinny's in that class with me XDXD She keeps me sane.. and law-abiding.

I finally finished my Sophomore Research Paper yesterday. *joy* However, my paper is rather sucktacular :/ I'm not going to be able to sleep at night until I get the score back.... Plus I have a billion things for homework this weekend (including a paper and a speech reflecting on the srp), morning reheasal tomorrow morning, morning rehearsal on Monday morning, AND an all-day band contest on Tuesday.


Ah yes, and I have about five things for homework that's all due tomorrow. ..I think I'll get to work now. *falls*

Looklooklook! Ray made finals at districts!! CONGRATS RAY!! :D You rock and you'll do great at finals!!


On a random note: Hey people, upgrade your AIM to version 5.5! They added a lot of useful features, and jacked a lot of things from MSN and other competitors :P It's great! ..actually, the interface somehow got even uglier, but oh well, it's all good ^^


Another random thing: T'was font finding this night :D Found a rather large-sized deal of new ones! I also found this nifty flash application that lets you quickly and easily preview all of the fonts on your comp :O It's a handy little ap for me, with my 1321 fonts (and counting). *grins*


Anyways, it's off to bed for me :D

Mwahaha! Today I finished Kat's layout! *beams* (though I still need to make user icons) It's rather lovely, I do say :P Actually, I think it's a lot better than the one I made for myself. ..Speaking of which, my layout is really pissing me off. I'm already making a new one in photoshop, hehe. Hopefully it won't go through as many renditions as this one did!


Today was.. uneventful. I finished up various homework, but I can't wait for midwinter break *falls* I'm so ready to laze. I can feel myself slacking already.. nonono! I have to work hard one more week! ...but I'm soo sick of school... I don't want to go to any of my classes tomorrow. Especially not English. Or Jazz Band, or Orchestra, or Math... okay, maybe I'm dreading them all equally XD I just have nothing to look forward to in any of those classes. Blah. Ninety minutes is much too long for any single subject.


Oh well, at least I have Knowledge Bowl to look forward to tomorrow. XD Honestly! That was the best club that I chose to join; it's so unexpectedly fun :D Sophomores SHALL somehow make it to state! ..maybe.. ..well, if we bribe the judges :P

Today was the best day I've had in the LONGEST TIME!! The UW band festival was soo fun.. I had a great time hanging out with a variety of people and eating a variety of foods ^_^ Lessee, at first it was kind of slow. Talked with Barret and Abi in the bandroom before the bus, and we discussed GameBoys and GameBoy Colors XP Then on the way there, I had to sit by Mr. DePalatis because there were -no- seats left XD; which kinda sucked, even though Mr. D rules. But after we got there, I had barrels of fun!

Hung out lots with Holly B. in the beginning.. Luis would spontaneously come by and bug us :P (*whispers* he likes holly! X3!!) and he really likes to mess around with strangers *falls* he kept throwing things at the people behind us (or calling them hot/etc.), and then when they'd turn he'd pretend to act all normal and such.. Yeah yeah it sounds lame and middle-schoolish, and it would have been if he didn't have this uncanny ability look absolutely innocent.. since he does, it was absolutely hilarious XD

Then we performed. Performing was the un-funnest part of the day for me, since I only play one out of the three songs (the others don't have piano parts) and my part is retardedly easy. I think we did well. Our adjudicator's comments didn't help at all, unfortunately. He told us we were a pretty good band, but in order to take it up to the "next level," we needed to listen to each other more. ... How utterly generic is that? He spent about two minutes talking with us, while the other bands got at least 10 minutes apiece. Oh well, whatever.

Once that was done, I grabbed a lunch. UW sandwiches are expensive, but yummy :O I had a turkey half-sandwich on nine-grain bread with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheddar cheese. So good! After that, I bought some welfare-brand fig newtons (12 for 59 cents as opposed to the "real brand" 4 for 65 cents!!) with Abi. Me and Abi then went exploring around UW! Waaah, wonderful experience! I think the college students were getting annoyed with us though; we were being a wee bit loud :P Then we had to go in and see the special UW something band play.

During the evening performances, I sat with Abi and Jeremy in the second row closest to the stage. Holy Jesus, the UW band/ensamble people are amazing. Especially the soloists.. the oboe dude was incredible, and the marimba lady.. wow. I was speechless. One of the most awe-inspiring musical events of my life. It would have been even better if they allowed food in the audience :/ their concert was really long and I was getting really hungry...

After that, we went on the bus home. I got to sit with Abi and Barret! We had a looong, loooud, rambling, hyper conversation that was highly entertaining, to say the least *grins* We ate the rest of the fig newtons I had (I should have bought two packs though! I could have gotten 2 for a dollar.. grr...), listened to music, contemplated calling for pizza on the highway, blinded each other with cell phones.. it was bizarre, as Barret would say XD but a very, very good kind of bizarre!

Got home and ate a dinner of a Lean Pocket (nasty pepperoni pizza kind), carrots, and an apple. Then I wrote up my math portfolio which was incredibly easy, thank God. (I had already discussed the answers with barret on the bus, too, which sped up the actual at-home process) And now I sit, tired and hungry, but thoroughly satisfied.


I love symphonic band!!!!!

Wow, iTunes 4 is infinitely better than Windows Media Player. Thanks Nate for telling me about it :O The sound quality is far superior, the interface is prettier, there are a lot more options, and when you set the equalizer to bass booser, the knobs do this cool ~whoosh~ thing (I remembered, btw!) XD Overall, it's well worth the 19 mb download. I suggest you give it a try, even though it is a Mac product :P

(Ewww I'm getting sick of this layout really quickly. Though I still like the icons... I'll be changing things around here come this midwinter break-- two more days..!!)

For V-Day this year, I went to the math team project meeting at the library, messed around with PS, and then began reading The King Must Die. Lovely, no? :P

TKMD is already much better than Frankenstein (the last book I chose to read for Honors English), even with my miniscule knowledge of greek mythology. It's just a lot more enjoyable of a read. Still, I decided to read up on the legend of Theseus for a clearer understanding of the happenings of the novel. ..I've discovered that greek mythology is IMMENSELY interesting XD

(read more about greek mythology)

Wahh I'm hungry -_-; I think I'll get myself some food..

Awww, Ray's my valentine for today~<3 We just decided that over AIM a few minutes ago! So this entry is devoted to him-- I wuv you Ray! XD *gives him a pink cookie*

[edit: I'm expecting flowers/chocolates/poetry now, ray :P]

An urge for a digital camera has suddenly overtaken me o.o I don't exactly know why, but now I feel I -must- get one! However, problem one: I'm cheap. Problem two: the nice digicams are expensive. Problem three: my parents -have- a digital camera (crappy, clunky, ugly and unfun), and thus will see no need in me having one.

But still, it's fun to look, no? Here's what I've found so far:

+ PD300 4-in-1 Pocket Digital Camera -- $57.05
+ Mini PenCam 1.3 1.2 -- $59.99
+ Veo Mini Capture 1.3 -- $55.88
+ Kodak CX-6200 2.0 PLUS a free camera bag (allegedly a $19.98 value) $99.98

I've been searching only through $50-100 price lists.. Anything over $100 seems to have a bunch of features that I don't really need :/ Like, will I ever need a picture to be at a 2592 x 1944 resolution? I'll continue my search soon-- right now my hair's asking to be dried and my teeth are demanding to be brushed XD

Still searching for a digital camera. It's pretty fun, actually! I've set some more standards for my search:

- Must have at least 3 minutes of video/audio recording ability
- Must be under $150
- Must be available to purchase in store, not online

+ Aiptek Pocket DV Digital Video Camcorder -- $99.99 (sale price! this is my favorite so far :D)
+ Cool-iCam CIC-300 4 In1 Digital Camera -- $99.99
+ Microtek Take-it D1 -- $99.99
+ Canon PowerShot A300 -- $148.00 (T_T!)

Oh, but good news: parents gave the okay on getting a digital cammer! :D:D So it's possible..!

I have made a decision about my digital camera: To wait! *falls*

Well, I've chosen the brand and (somewhat) the model. I'm going to get a Canon PowerShot point-and-shoot digital camera, either the A310 or the A300. See, right now the Canon PowerShot A300 is about $150-200, depending on where you go to buy it. The updated version of this model, the A310, comes out in April, debuting at a street price of $199. Meaning if I wait two months, the price of the A300 is going to plummet nicely *grins* Still, I might go with the A310.. $200 for a brand new model is a tempting deal. It'll depend on how much less the A300 is!

The other brands are quite a bit cheaper, but they all had problems of some sort. The Aiptek Pocket DV didn't have a flash *dies* and the reviews were only mediocre :/ Microtek Take-it D1 seemed nice, but I couldn't find it at any offline store and I found reviews that said that the video and sound quality lacked. The Cool-iCam CIC-300 4 In1 Digital Camera.. well, I couldn't find ANY opinions on it at all. However, I've never heard of Cool-iCam and the company site looked about as professional as the name itself :/ So I don't really trust them. Plus, the design of the camera is ass-butt ugly XD So I think I'll go with a more widely-reknowned brand, Canon! Hopefully it's worth the money? And the wait? *shrugs* We'll see in April :D

Now for a little FYI:
+ Canon PowerShot A300 || Reviews
+ Canon PowerShot A310 || Previews || Press Release

Met up with Meg today! :D! We watched Hercules, talked a bunch, and I ate a looot of her food. She has the good stuff! XD And her cookies are awesome (I had five ^^;) I was so mad that she had to go to the train station at around 2:45-3:00ish! grr we were having lots of hanging out goodness! But twas okay. Now I need to DDR my cookies away XDXD I think if I go for about... 3 hours.. I can burn maybe 800 calories? which is hopefully enough to cover all the stuff I ate at meg's XD

Hmm, I still have a lot of homework to do before break's over.. crap. I actually don't have -too- too much to do, just a lot of stuff I don't want to do. Like my biology lab :| I should reaaally start writing that baby up.. but I don't feel like it XP I hate write-ups, I hate labs, and I hate biology. *sigh* But I need my 2nd science credit, so yeah. I don't mind science so much actually; I think I'll be taking Chemistry next year, and possibly Physics as well. What I do mind is Biology.. I have no interest in the subject. It's boring and 90 minutes is an incredibly long period of time. Ah well. Only a couple more months (err.. 4 and a half) to go!

Hehe. I've been working on a new layout! It's one I drew completely by myself X3 All on comp! I'm not sure if I like it yet, but it's definitely.. different! XD Hopefully it'll be up.. tonight? :D? We'll see!

Another new layout! :O It's so blue! And I like I said before, I drew it aaaall myself! XD Well, minus the icons. *checks AIM buddy list* Omg, I've been online for five hours.. I'm going to get off and get a life now XD

I can't believe it.. midwinter break is almost over! (and I still have a bunch of homework to do aaaaall tomorrow *dies*) I'm so sad.. it feels like I did nothing at all! ..which is mostly because I didn't do anything at all... but anyhow. I'm still in break mode. I don't want to go back to school..! *sigh*

Went to the library today, paid my six dollar fine XD at least I got that taken care of. Tomorrow I have to wake up early and practice driving. NOOO!! I hate driving!! And I haven't driven in.. forever! Ahh I feel so uncool right now x__x;

Back to the same-old, same-old stuff again. *Sigh..* but a small sigh :P Because today wasn't too shabby!

In Biology, we took notes and learned the entire period. Ahh, Mr. Mangrum is 1000% better at teaching than Mr. Gereb! Considering he actually takes the time to teach. It's boring, but I'm learning, so I'm happy :D

On the other hand, Intro to Business was boring today because we learned :/ In that class, learning crap = evil. Careers was equally boring, but in a different sort of way.. we took another gay "inventory" quiz thing to see where our values are. -_-; Well, I suppose it was slightly entertaining because I was sitting by Jinny at the time we took it, and we were avidly discussing the utter lack of accuracy nevertheless potential value in the outcome of the assignment. ..Damn careers. But at least it wasted class time *grins*

German was pretty good too. I got a 24.5/25 because I freakin' misspelled "blöd" in my notes so I misspelled it on the quiz (wrote it with a t at the end) And guess what "blöd" means auf Deutsch? Stupid. XD Still, I was happy with my results as most 2nd year students failed it-- including, I'm pretty sure, the retarded freshmen who feel they're all geniuses to be in that class. Sie sind besonders blöd, Mensch! Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut, aber ich bin besser als sie!! Und ich habe Recht!! Sie haben nie Recht!! Ach, sie nerven mich. >:B

Then I got to practice my solo/ensamble piece with Jinny. We're doing pretty well; I think we'll be alright by Saturday! Then I went to Knowledge Bowl, and then I went home and ate Costco apple pie. It was good, but too many calories x_x; ..I think I'll workout DDR with the few minutes I have left before my dad goes to sleep XD

Haven't written here for a while.. I've been too busy! But gawwwwd... today wasn't a very good day. Blah. Well, I guess it was mainly the end that sucked :/ Tomorrow has a lot of potential to be sucky, too. *sigh* Eh. So let's think about yesterday!

Yesterday was looong, but it had its fun moments :D Honors English was crazy because, in order to make our bus for the German field trip, Heather and I had to complete our Greek Roots test in exactly two minutes *falls* We made it though! The field trip itself sucked balls (and I had to miss jazz band because of it.. grr...), but I had lots of fun talking with Heather. And making up words in Greek. Ex: "I miso 'macro-caco-phon.'" XDXDXD

Then Orchestra and Math were uneventful. I left early for the *fanfares* Tacoma Invitational Knowledge Bowl Competition! ... yeah, I know, it's gay, but >:B It was so freaking long. We left at 2:40 and it ended at 8:00-8:30ish *dies* There were some fun parts, nevertheless.. me, Jeremy and Nate sat around playing cards and talking and stuff.. hehe and then we ordered pizza (courtesy of Laura's mom!! <3s!!) and since they messed up our order, we got another one free :D Our seniors got into the finals and won easily, by the way, but we weren't being a very supportive audience.. we just continued playing thirteen :P By the end of the tournament, I learned so much... for example, "bastardization" is a technical term (according to Aubrey), the other guy on the junior team is named Chris, Jeremy never loses, and Nate has satan under his control. XD Oh, and Ronnie-san wa totemo baka desu yo because he couldn't understand that 2 was the highest card when you're playing Thirteen and so kept trying to use it incorrectly (at LEAST 5 times after we told him); also, once he obviously beat Robbie, but then Nate (I think) told him that he lost and Ronnie believed him and got all mad about losing all the time XD hehe.

Wow, thinking of yesterday made me feel better! XD Who's says not to live in the past~~ :P

(And now for a survey-ish thing)

Swiped from Lise.

Instructions:

1. Copy this whole list into your journal.
2. Bold the things that you have in common with me.
3. Whatever you don’t bold, replace with things about you.
4. Delete the things you find boring or stupid :P
5. Please add a note/comment if you do it so that I can come read it!

(Do note that ALL of these things apply to me; bolded ones are just the sentences that me and Lise have the same.. get how it works? :D)
***************************

01. I love vanilla root beer floats.
02. I'd rather just take a risk than wait to plan and prepare.
03. I like to read.
04. I love my life.
05. I dislike lima beans.
06. I love a good argument.
07. I have some regrets, but I know I can’t change the past.
08. I'm helpless and funny-looking without my glasses.
09. I love cooking, but I suck at it.
10. I know how to talk bad about people in German.
(...continue the list!)

Long day, short post: Started off icky (got yelled at for being dumb) and got slowly ickier (problems with solo/ensamble), then a significantly good thing happened (awesomely wonderful adjudicator) and then I got hungry (got home at 12:40) and then I got unhungry (ate a pbj). Went to a far-away thing (pep band in auburn) and experienced a some funny things (bass drum almost falling.. twice) and got unhungry again (bought a prezel). Carried some heavy things (my keyboard, its stand, its amp), bummed a ride home (from the wondeful holly w), and realized a bad thing (left dad's cell phone in holly's suv). Got yelled at (again for being dumb) then holly saved me again (by bringing the cell phone to me). Ate and lazed (in a braindead stupor). Found this thingy (nerdy but fun).

more on this (but you'll have to click here)