Hello Everyone,

Recently this email has been the target of repeated hacking. My password has been changed several times by an unknown party. Because of this, I will no longer be using this email. Please send all future correspondence to lemonade.swordfish@outlook.com, delete/change this contact, and disregard any future emails from this email adress. 

Thank you very much,

Grace Hong

First Day Back Fencing!

Yesterday was the first day I fenced in over a year. The plan (hopefully) is to give a month to settle in before school starts, and then compete compete compete and hopefully make it to the summer nationals. One major hitchup- the competitive foil program here is, according to the coach, not that strong (2 competitors. . . both men in like veteran 50), so there's a possibility I might have to look into switching weapons.

For the last year, the only muscle I've exercised was my brain. Walk, I can do that. Move a mouse, yep. Type up a paper, a-ok. Heck, I can even doggy paddle 5 feet or run (aka shuffle-jog) about 20. So coming back into fencing was a bit of a shock. To begin with, the 'warm-up' we were subjected to left me out of breath and trembling all over* then, after a 5 minute break for water and the like, we began. . . that's right, push-ups. Now my brother often jokes that I can't do one full push up (I can't), so you can imagine how that was like. Needless to say, by the end of the day I had the beginnings of blisters on my  feet and weapon hand, my legs were aching like crazy and I could barely take a breath. Today, I kinda can't really move. . . but I feel better than ever! Never knew just how good it was to get back into fencing. Now, after 1+ years without a foil in my hand, coming back feels like I'm connecting with a missing part of myself!

Next lesson is tomorrow--hopefully I will have recovered by then!

-Quiet Girl

* run forwards and backwards, 2 laps.
run 3 steps and jump, 2 laps
skip and throw hands in the air (yeah it sounds silly--but it isn't) 2 laps
hop on left foot 2 laps
hop on right foot 2 laps
grapevine 2 laps
.. . and it goes on and on. . . 

More Shiny Happy Fun Summer Stuff

In addition to flipping pancakes (like, literally flipping them) and making a new soda, I also created a statue of the imortal donut man. . . and got epically trolled in the process (by Ian--who else?) but that photo will have to wait until he gets back and unlocks his phone:

Me polishing off the last of the watermelon juice

Adding more orange juice. . . Ok, the soda was more like a  bunch of fruit juice added to perrier, but it was still pretty cool

Thoughtfully considering what else could go into the soda...

Caught a bug--for the first time

   Actually, catching a bug (not smashing it to smithereens or frying it to a crisp--my usual procedure, sorry to say) was on my list of stuff to do. The slightly over the top k-pop pose, though, was my Father's idea.

Made my own pancakes this morning

    . . . And actually flipped them, like in the air. Without utensils. Using the pan. It was pretty awesome.

Day 1 of Super-Awesome Fun Things To Do During Summer

Today was an exceptionally lazy day, and near the end of the day I drew up a short list of things to do before summer break was over. From building outdoor forts to holding Vriksasana (Tree pose) for half an hour to eating an entire watermelon (by myself at one go) to writing a spoof of Twilight (yeah, still hatin' on that book despite my sudden re-intrest in it) and more, this is going to be one interesting end-of-summer-vacation. And the best part is that everything is going to be part of a photo journal (also on the list) so you get to see my face when I eat the entire watermelon :D Today was

#1)  Climb a mountain in under 5 minutes

. . . and . . .

#16) Run around sprinklers

(yeah, I picked the easy ones since we didn't have much time)

 Me before climbing the mountain. Ok, it's not much of a mountain, more like a hill on steroids, but still! I'm trying to point to the mountain, but it looks like I'm pointing to the fence. Anyways. . .

Ian prior to climbing the mountain. . . Yep, I made him do a 'crazy mountain pose', which, as you can see isn't really that crazy.

This is me at the top of the mountain. I made it up in 3 minutes and 40-ish seconds whilst Ian sprinted up there in 2 minutes and a half. He was up there chilling and shouted down to me that I had less than 10 seconds yet, which caused me to sprint up there as fast as I could, freaking out all the way. He has an identical picture to mine--after getting to the top of the mountain, we each rushed down a little to take pictures of each other.

While we were on the way back, we ran into a broken sprinkler, and got the opportunity to cross over item number 16 on our list, playing in the sprinklers!

Huang Long

   Huang Long 黄龙 , the literal translation being "Yellow Dragon", is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the Sichuan province. After finishing 4 weeks in a language program in Guangzhou, it was our first destination for our 6 day mini-tour of Sichuan. 

Trees and Mist at Huang Long

   The park, when we saw it, was not at its best. The clouds we had seen from the airport, clinging to the sides of mountains, came alive after the three-hour drive and when we arrived at Huang Long, the sky was a stark grey and it was drizzling.
   After entering the park (well, it was still drizzling), the mist (and the drizzle) seemed to turn the forest on either side of us into a spirit world we had accidentally trespassed into. It was mysterious, eerie, and (as much as I hate to mention this) looked straight like a scene from Stephanie Meyer's Twilight. That is to say, its surreal beauty, had we not been directly experiencing it, would have looked slightly cliche and more than slightly photoshopped.
   Huang Long, and as we would later learn, Jio Zhai Go, was a place of ethereal beauty that sometimes pushed the boundaries of beliefe.

My Aunt and I, with Lakes in the background

Tiered ponds of Huang Long

    Though the mist lent a sense of surreality to the park, the light rain (which later escalated) made hiking a little irksome, especially when you take the fact that we only had 2 small umbrellas amongst the four of us into consideration. The tiered ponds, formed by calcite deposits didn't sparkle with 5 different colors, but they were still a gorgeous and interesting sight.

My Mom and I with Lakes in the background

   The only thing about the park that really bothered me, though, was the vast amount of people (all of the asian, by the way) that packed the path and jostled for place at good photo sites.    This place, for instance, that my mom are at in the picture was simply awful. The view behind us of the crystal-clear ponds was beautiful (though it didn't show up that well in the pictures). We had to push our way through the swarming mass of people, and then try to keep the eager photo-takers away until we had finished shooting our own pictures.

Paths are jam-packed!

   This picture is one that we snapped while there was a bit of breathing room from the crowds (relatively speaking), and as you can see, it's one gigantic parade of umbrellas*. Overall, though the mist, soaking rain and crowds were a bit of a deterrent, I would definitely say that Huang Long is a must-see if you're in the area. Every part of the path we took was gorgeous, even the woody area that preceded the lakes. 

*probably even on the sunny days, as Asian women (and some men) are in the habit of carrying parasols in order to keep their skin white.

A (not that) Glorious Return

We landed in San Francisco on 10:48 Wednesday. Strangely enough, being back in America was a welcome relief for the much overused 'sore eyes'. But it was certainly a little unsettling being surrounded by a bunch of gui lao and having people shoot me funny looks when I said something about them in English--a bad habit I picked up from China. Since everyone there usually can only speak Chinese, I've gotten into a bad habit of making sarcastic remarks in English about things that justly deserve sarcastic remarks. The vast majority of it is non-insulting--it just looks like I'm talking to myself all the time!

Anyways, to cut a long message short (well, really to cut to the chase so I can start writing about the trip itself), I'll skip the intro, apology, foreword, etc. and cut to the chase so I can start writing about the trip itself. Due to numerous obstacles in China, such as time constraints, lack of internet, and Blogger being kind of blocked, many my experiences have yet to be shared. So, like my postcards (yep, I'm the kind of person who buys out of country postcards and then mails them when they get back--or just looks at them pensively--or forgets them entirely), I will now begin talking about the trip. 

We Will Overcome: A Series of Rather Un/Fortunate Events

Recently, Regan and I have been experiencing the darker side of Guangzhou China. The humidity and heat aren't only uncomfortable, but according to mom and the Chinese doctors, they have also caused these awful rashes on our legs. The rash looks a bit like miniature mosquito bites, and I'm not really sure about exactly what it is. Anyways, mom suggested visiting the university clinic in order to get some advice about the spots, and so we did. Unfortunately, the clinic was closed until two o'clock which was exactly when our class would start. So we thought to come back tomorrow, but with mom in order to help translate.

un/Fortunate event No.1: Our Teacher Didn't Show Up....so after 15 minutes of waiting (and waiting and waiting) for her, we finally decided to skeddadle on out of there. Of course, then I got the bright idea, hey, why wait until tomorrow to see the doctor? So we decided to go to the clinic right then and there (and that was the start of this whole darn adventure)

un/Fortunate event No. 2: Everyone There Spoke Chinese...actually, that was pretty much one sidedly unfortunate. I couldn't figure out what they were trying to tell me, though I knew enough to kind of patch together what we were supposed to do (after long stretches of embarrassed silence and some pretty awful chinese on my part). We ended up on the second floor, trying to figure out what to do (thankfully the signs pointing to 'Traditional Chinese Medicine' and 'Western Medicine' were in english!) First we tried the western medicine clinic, but boy, that woman was a piece of work. She kept insisting that the spots were bug bites (they weren't), and even after we had called up mom to talk to the doctor and explain, she kept insisting it was a bug. 

 The traditional Chinese medicine guy was a lot nicer. Though he still couldn't speak english, and I thought I heard him remark to my mom that my Chinese was pretty sucky, we still left with a prescription and some vague (b/c I couldn't quite understand him) instructions on how to obtain our medicine. 

The next part in that little episode was a whole lot of walking up and down the stairs as we bumbled around, trying to find out where exactly we were supposed to go, and how exactly to obtain the medicine. Once we got it, though, we quickly exited the clinic and were on our way to the bus stop, to find our way home.

Cool moral lesson that would redeem this whole trial by fire? None really. It was pretty darn embarrassing going around and asking everyone if they spoke English, while simultaneously handing them a random cellphone. One thing I certainly learned from this encounter, though, was that I am definitely not returning to China until I'm fluent. (Dad, now I understand the lesson about self reliance and optionality. :D)

...Which possibly means that I should work to become fluent as quickly as possible, since I have no idea if I'll end up in Korea or China or just chillax back in the good ol USA next summer. 

Un/fortunate event No. 3: The Bus Was Leaving...while we were still on the other side of the street. We were just walking over to the bus stop, when I suddenly saw the 864 bus preparing to leave. The fact that it was on the other side of the road meant that I spent a few agonizing seconds debating over whether or not to jay walk, and finally ended up doing so anyways. Fortunate side of the story? Not much (besides the fact that I didn't get run over). But now I know that if you Jaywalk, you will NOT get struck down by lighting from above. Being a major rule follower, not obey the 'don't walk' sign was a major breakthrough for me. I feel like such a rebel, man. 

Un/fortunate event No. 4: The Bus Started Driving Away....despite our rebelious jaywalking efforts to catch it, which meant Regan and I spent a good few minutes running after it waving our arms and screaming. The fortunate event....it stopped for us! And further more, I am now less afraid of public humiliation. Slightly less afraid. Who am I kidding, the whole day (which seemed bent on humiliating me) didn't make me impervious to embarrassment a bit. 

But still, fortunate or unfortunate, the good thing is that I will have lots of interesting memories to look back on from this trip.

!!!Bonus!!! The Kind of Humorous Event That I Hope Doesn't Get Me Into Trouble:

Now honestly, I'm not a slacker (as many of my classmates may attest to. Really), and in fact on my last writing quiz of the course, I made a 100%. The only problem with this one was that I thought the quiz would be on Monday, while in fact it was during today. And I didn't study for it yet. 

...Yeah....

So after a valiant attempt at the Chinese characters, (I know for certain I got one right!) I (disclaimer: The heat and stress made me do it) settled for drawing a bannacar instead. Yeah, that's right, a bannacar! Like a car made from a banana? Luckily, my teacher was very understanding when I explained my predicament to him (in fact, he started cracking up as well), though he did advise me not to draw bananacars during the final exam.

...Sigh. The Final exam. On the entire book. Which I received a week ago. 

Life is going to get real interesting real soon.

Peace out, bluh! This is Quiet Girl, being a very Quiet Rebel! Rebel even more! Jaywalk whooohooo!!! 

Ok the day has kind of gone to my head.

-Shhhh....I think I need to lie down....

Guandong Foreign Language Institute

The school that Regan and I are attending in Guangzhou is a lovely
little university just 15 minutes drive from my Aunt's house. Although
it now seems to be a pretty cool place, initially I was pretty shocked
and a little disapointed at my surroundings.

I guess that the first major discrepancy between my expectations and
reality was the fact that no, I wouldn't be chilling with fellow
highschoolers on summer break, I was entering an ongoing college
course (shocker). The first few days went down from there. I couldn't
really understand everything my teachers were saying, since they spoke
in Chinese all the time (:P), couldn't really identify with my
classmates, and the cafeteria food was packed with all these gristly
carteliage and fatty bits. Ew! After two days, though, I switched to
A3, a higher level course and now I'm loving it. Still don't
understand everything my teachers say (but one guy is really good with
acting out what he says; he does a pretty funny 'hot girl'
impression), and though it's still hard to communicate with my
classmates, it definitely feels more like a community than it
previously did. The cafeteria food still sucks, though, but Regan and
I are trying different dishes every day in hope of finding good ones,
and so far, the breaded spicy chicken is not half bad.

Cons:

The Teachers All Speak in Chinese:
Funny, because you think we're going there to learn Chinese, but
nevertheless all the instructions are in Chinese, so...yeah. I pick up
about 80-90% roughly of what the teachers are saying, but it makes it
difficult to figure out what the homework is, or what exactly we're
doing. Luckily, like I mentioned before, all the teachers make efforts
to get the message across. One is good with talking with his hands,
and the other talks really, really slowly to us.

My Classmates All Speak Chinese (or other languages):

Which kind of makes it hard to make friends, but luckily everyone
speaks a little English, so we usually have stab at Mandarin first and
if it doesn't work out we try English. I'm glad to find that I'm not
the only young 'un there; two of my friends are 16 and 19, though
everyone else looks to be in their early 20s. It was nice to be
welcomed by this class, and as the time goes by, I find that Regan and
I know more and more people on campus.

People Still Stare:

Despite being 'Guandong FOREIGN LANGUAGE University', people still
stare at Regan as we walk to class (more on this later, it's a heated
topic for us both)! It's kind of funny, and also kind of annoying to
get so many stares from the one place you'd think people wouldn't
stare. I mean, come on, there's a whole building and a dorm devoted to
foreign studedents! Get used to it, people!

Cafeteria Food is Pretty Sucky:

Desipite the fact that the Cafeteria food is really cheap Chinese
stuff (which should endear it to anyone), the veggies and rice are
kind of soggy, and the meat is pretty gross as well. Probably because
I'm a picky eater, though, and I've certainly been spoiled with all
the resteraunts we've been taken to so far.

Guandong Foreign Language Universtiy is in Guangzhou:

Which is nothing more than me trying to say that

a) It's really hot. I sweat like a hog here all the time, and forget
running to class or having the teacher call on me. Whenever engaged in
physically strenuous exercise, or nervous, I'm instantly drenched in
sweat.

b) This is mosquito territory. I've been bitten over 22 times, and
they all swell around the size of a quarter. Ever since I've started
applying bug spray, though, they've begun biting my hands!

Pros:

The Teachers All Speak Chinese:

The fact that pretty much all dialogue in the classroom must be in
Chinese really means that your Chinese skills are sharpened pretty
quickly. Although I'm not sure if I've ever learned anything definite
from the constant Chinese, I feel much more confident with the
language and at any rate, it forces me to practice it every day.

My Classmates are People From All Around the World:

There's a guy from France, one from Brazil, one from Japan, two girls
from Thailand, and who else knows where. The classroom is truly a
multicultural place, but it's also super cool to see how well everyone
meshes together, and how welcoming everyone is. The fact that everyone
in the class speaks Chinese, and sparse English means that we each get
practice over the break between classes, speaking to each other.

My Classmates are College Students:

Meaning that while they are certainly more mature, we also spend time
discussing subjects such as how to say 'sexy' or 'hi hot girl' in
Mandarin during class. But it's still a fun time, I like the maturity
level of the classroom.

Guandong Foreign Language University is Located in Guangzhou:

Which means that the campus, though it feels like the inside of a
boiling pot of water, is also pretty darn gorgeous. Guangzhou is a
semi tropical (or so mom says. Heck, I think this place is all the way
darn tropical) climate, so there's all sorts of rainforesty trees and
plants growing here (lots of palms and mangoes), and it's really
beautiful. White cloud mountain is also very close to the campus, and
it's a lovely mountain.

All in all, I found that my veiw on the campus changed drastically
when I switched classes, and started making friends. Though I really
didn't like the campus when I first arrived, as the days pass by and I
become more and more familiar with it, it's starting to seem like a
really good enviornment. The school work is pretty OK, and though I
certainly don't know a third of the stuff that's going on, the good
thing is that I'll be constantly challenged. Even so, I'm not sure how
much I can learn during 4 weeks, though I certainly know that
experience has made me learn much more than just a language.

Guandong Foreign Language Institute

The school that Regan and I are attending in Guangzhou is a lovely
little university just 15 minutes drive from my Aunt's house. Although
it now seems to be a pretty cool place, initially I was pretty shocked
and a little disapointed at my surroundings.

I guess that the first major discrepancy between my expectations and
reality was the fact that no, I wouldn't be chilling with fellow
highschoolers on summer break, I was entering an ongoing college
course (shocker). The first few days went down from there. I couldn't
really understand everything my teachers were saying, since they spoke
in Chinese all the time (:P), couldn't really identify with my
classmates, and the cafeteria food was packed with all these gristly
carteliage and fatty bits. Ew! After two days, though, I switched to
A3, a higher level course and now I'm loving it. Still don't
understand everything my teachers say (but one guy is really good with
acting out what he says; he does a pretty funny 'hot girl'
impression), and though it's still hard to communicate with my
classmates, it definitely feels more like a community than it
previously did. The cafeteria food still sucks, though, but Regan and
I are trying different dishes every day in hope of finding good ones,
and so far, the breaded spicy chicken is not half bad.

Cons:

The Teachers All Speak in Chinese:
Funny, because you think we're going there to learn Chinese, but
nevertheless all the instructions are in Chinese, so...yeah. I pick up
about 80-90% roughly of what the teachers are saying, but it makes it
difficult to figure out what the homework is, or what exactly we're
doing. Luckily, like I mentioned before, all the teachers make efforts
to get the message across. One is good with talking with his hands,
and the other talks really, really slowly to us.

My Classmates All Speak Chinese (or other languages):

Which kind of makes it hard to make friends, but luckily everyone
speaks a little English, so we usually have stab at Mandarin first and
if it doesn't work out we try English. I'm glad to find that I'm not
the only young 'un there; two of my friends are 16 and 19, though
everyone else looks to be in their early 20s. It was nice to be
welcomed by this class, and as the time goes by, I find that Regan and
I know more and more people on campus.

People Still Stare:

Despite being 'Guandong FOREIGN LANGUAGE University', people still
stare at Regan as we walk to class (more on this later, it's a heated
topic for us both)! It's kind of funny, and also kind of annoying to
get so many stares from the one place you'd think people wouldn't
stare. I mean, come on, there's a whole building and a dorm devoted to
foreign studedents! Get used to it, people!

Cafeteria Food is Pretty Sucky:

Desipite the fact that the Cafeteria food is really cheap Chinese
stuff (which should endear it to anyone), the veggies and rice are
kind of soggy, and the meat is pretty gross as well. Probably because
I'm a picky eater, though, and I've certainly been spoiled with all
the resteraunts we've been taken to so far.

Guandong Foreign Language Universtiy is in Guangzhou:

Which is nothing more than me trying to say that

a) It's really hot. I sweat like a hog here all the time, and forget
running to class or having the teacher call on me. Whenever engaged in
physically strenuous exercise, or nervous, I'm instantly drenched in
sweat.

b) This is mosquito territory. I've been bitten over 22 times, and
they all swell around the size of a quarter. Ever since I've started
applying bug spray, though, they've begun biting my hands!

Pros:

The Teachers All Speak Chinese:

The fact that pretty much all dialogue in the classroom must be in
Chinese really means that your Chinese skills are sharpened pretty
quickly. Although I'm not sure if I've ever learned anything definite
from the constant Chinese, I feel much more confident with the
language and at any rate, it forces me to practice it every day.

My Classmates are People From All Around the World:

There's a guy from France, one from Brazil, one from Japan, two girls
from Thailand, and who else knows where. The classroom is truly a
multicultural place, but it's also super cool to see how well everyone
meshes together, and how welcoming everyone is. The fact that everyone
in the class speaks Chinese, and sparse English means that we each get
practice over the break between classes, speaking to each other.

My Classmates are College Students:

Meaning that while they are certainly more mature, we also spend time
discussing subjects such as how to say 'sexy' or 'hi hot girl' in
Mandarin during class. But it's still a fun time, I like the maturity
level of the classroom.

Guandong Foreign Language University is Located in Guangzhou:

Which means that the campus, though it feels like the inside of a
boiling pot of water, is also pretty darn gorgeous. Guangzhou is a
semi tropical (or so mom says. Heck, I think this place is all the way
darn tropical) climate, so there's all sorts of rainforesty trees and
plants growing here (lots of palms and mangoes), and it's really
beautiful. White cloud mountain is also very close to the campus, and
it's a lovely mountain.

All in all, I found that my veiw on the campus changed drastically
when I switched classes, and started making friends. Though I really
didn't like the campus when I first arrived, as the days pass by and I
become more and more familiar with it, it's starting to seem like a
really good enviornment. The school work is pretty OK, and though I
certainly don't know a third of the stuff that's going on, the good
thing is that I'll be constantly challenged. Even so, I'm not sure how
much I can learn during 4 weeks, though I certainly know that
experience has made me learn much more than just a language.

(yes that was a heart sign <3)

The day approaches...tomorrow my friend arrives, the day after, we head to SF (flight leaves from there), and on Tuesday, we'll be leaving for Guangzhou.

I am actually extremely hyper about this trip--worked up, hyped, excited, nervous, etc.

What I most look forward to:

CHINA. There's something about China--the sounds, the smells, the sight that I missed. Dimly in my mind I see a foggy vision of the red sun rising over craggy mountains, and I'm earnestly looking forward to experiencing the hustle and bustle and feel of China all over again.

What I most don't look forward to:

Last time in China, I stayed with my wonderful aunt who is one of the nicest people I know. Unfortunately I can't say the same about her gigantic dog. One of my memories was seeing her (to my horror) being dragged behind the dog as she went out to walk it, and having it snap at my hands while she fed it bones.

The Great (fire)Wall

What I'm most nervous about:

The Great Firewall of China. Yes that's right--firewall. Hopefully I'll still be able to blog and stuff, and email too! I know skype works, but I really want to upload pictures and snippets to my blog while in China. Still--I'm not quite sure what's blocked and what is not, so if I go on a 6 week hiatus--well, don't worry. It's not the CIA (yet), it's just this darn censorship.

What I (oddly) will not-not look forward to:

As awkward as this is, I'm actually looking forward to the err...squat toilets in China. They used to be the bane of my existence, last trip but (oh, this isn't getting less awkward), let's just say I am a confident global traveler and the squat toilets are one aspect of Chinese technology that I believe exceed the Western counterpart.

Not looking forward to no toilet paper or proper sanitation though, in rural China. :)

What I (oddly) will not- look forward to:

I have been bombarded by horror stories from one of my Chinese friends at DA about the Chinese food. From re-using axle grease as frying oil, to hormones in the water that change your female hormones to male, and vice versa, to street food that instantly smites innocent passerby's down with horrifying bouts of stomach sickness. I highly doubt that all his information is entirely accurate, though (we kid around a lot), and despite the potential dangers that will lurk on my well-filled plate, his warnings haven't completely killed my salivary glands yet. Though they have taken the edge off my appetite. It's a pity-- Chinese food is the most amazing thing in the world second only to Korean food. And we'll be in green tea ice-cream/ red bean heaven.

ahhh... Nom noms here I come!!

-Shhhh....the day approaches!

10 Things That You Probably Didn't Know (About Yours Truly Because She's Egotistical)

   Yes, the title is rather narcissistic, but in all honesty, it's been nearly a year since I have moved from Oklahoma, and it feels like things have changed a lot, for better or worse. But in retrospect, trying to gather inventory of all the numerous changes that have altered this strange thing you call 'identity', it's hard to find exactly where I've diverged from my previous self. Perhaps that's the thing about change--you never notice it happening. So without further ado, here are 10 new things about me, from the weird, to the random, to the plain out mundane.

1) I Like Math:

DA has made me grow in more ways than one, but the most notable one would be my newfound love of mathematics. Yes I am Grace, and no this is not a prank. Also, no, I'm not inebriated.

But in all seriousness (and I know I sound bipolar over here), I not only like math, I've found that I'm good at it. This, I can say with absolute certainty, is all due to my wonderful math teacher, Mr. C. with his great sense of humor (or his horrible sense of humor, they're all the same), his willingness to argue about tangent lines for half an hour with his class*, and his dedication to teaching us about multiple ways to skin a cat without spoon feeding. Math is a new joy in my life (well...geometry at least. Let's see what happens when I go head to head with my ancient nemesis, algebra), and its added a new dimension to my identity as well.

2) I am Now Addicted to Big Bang and SNSD:

Dad has told me several times in the past that technically my nationality is Korean, not Chinese-Korean or Korean-Chinese, etc, due to the obscure rules of tradition. All I can say is that I'm embracing this whole heartedly, because Korea is friggin' cool.

My two favorite bands, Big Bang and SNSD (Girl's Generation) are both Korean (and also interestingly, my favorite fingerstyle guitarist, Sungha Jung is korean as well!)

Girl's Generation, AKA SNSD

Big Bang!

 Not to be racist here or anything--it's just that Korean culture is super cool. Not only are there really addicting dramas (I think I've dedicated an entire blog post to one in the past), but their music is really fun as well. Maybe it's something about the slightly hyper peppy style that attracts me, but K-Pop is becoming my next addition to my fav-music repertoire, and rom the way I've begun to listen to it over and over (and over and over and over and...) again, a considerable factor in the way I identify myself as well. Big Bang and Girl's Generation, fighting! It doesn't matter that I don't understand a word that they say (besides the ocasional interjections of English phrases), K-pop music is just plain cool...

3) My Hair Is Now Brown:

I suppose this is in line with the whole "Grace....you ARE Korean" deal, but now my hair can no longer be called black, it's brown. In the past, Mom has been fond of making me stand next to her and showing friends and relatives just how different our hair color is--and lemme just tell it to you---it's not turning black again. In fact, I've begun to pull out the ocasiona blond hair as well. My goodness. The madness this is descending into. If I start to turn blond, I'm going to call a doctor.

But in all honesty, I like my brown hair. Sure, it's a little weird that there's the ocasional blond strand, but it makes me look unique and I think it looks pretty cool as well. Brown hair is pretty Korean.

       


4) I Like Having Facials

It's a new trend for me, a sudden emphasis on...being 'girly-girly'? But to my defense, facials make me feel better about not wearing makeup (nothing to cover up), and they also feel really good for my face. Haha, sounding like a total teen girl here, so I'll be quick to not bore you. Most of the 'facials' are really just a bunch of homemade ingredients thrown together. Bubzbeauty (on youtube and bubzbeauty.com) is my favorite source.

5) I Have Started Playing Guitar:

Thanks to Nix, a DA friend of mine who lent me her guitar over the summer (without whom this would not be possible), and Sungha Jung, the super awesome fingerstyle guitarist who 'inspires' me**, I've started trying to pick up guitar. What with Chinese cramming (the trip is less than a week away!!! Ahhhh!!!) and minimalist OCD (to be discussed below), there hasn't been a lot of time to pick up the guitar, but I've been playing for the beginning of summer break, and for the rest of it. Let me just tell you, guitar is a pretty sweet instrument. Though it does chop up your fingers something awful.

6) I Am Now A (Wanna-Be) Minimalist:

You may or may not be acquainted with my family's anti-materialistic move towards 'slimming down', but ever since the U-Box affair, it's been a major priority. Well, maybe not a major priority, but it certainly has been one, though mostly only on Dad's list. Recently, though, he sent us an article (http://zenhabits.net/a-guide-to-creating-a-minimalist-home/) and I realized that he was really serious about this minimalist deal.

Since we've already gotten rid of most of our furniture during the first inquisition (...uh that is, the U-box episode. More and more, I'm starting to feel like this push towards minimalism is a crusade against clutter), now our major target has become clutter. Which, unfortunately, is very abundant. Recently, I've been waging a war against clutter--with my bathroom as the epicenter of cleanliness. Being neat is against my nature--but suprisingly, and happily, it feels more and more natural and more and more relaxed. Minimalism is good for your mental health (:P) and in fact, ever since I've converted to the dark (and very sparse) side, I've started to feel a lot calmer and less frenzied.

7) I Have Started Doing Yoga:

This year, Yoga was my 2nd period elective, and Eastern Philosophy 5th and 6th block, so it's no big surprise that Yoga has become my new big thing. Not only is Yoga a great form of exercise (ok, so you  may be thinking, you hold a pose for a long time--how does that work out? But if you've ever tried yin yoga, you'll know what I'm talking about), it also has great philosophical aspects as well. Plus, it's just plain cool. Not only does Yoga work out your muscles, but it increases flexibility as well and gives a great stretch in some hard to reach places.

8) I Am Now Into Jung

On our last day of Neurophilosophy (another Friday elective), our class gave (the coolest teacher ever) Carmen The Red Book, a documentation by the psychologist Jung of his own madness.

(Illustration from the Red Book)

As superficial as this sounds, the beautiful handwriting (yes. I'm commenting on a psychologists' handwriting) and the illustrations by Jung, documenting his visions really cemented a growing interest in him that had been sparked by a copy of 'Man and His Symbols' that a Neuro classmate had lent me. Let me just say, Jung is pretty cool. I don't understand half of what he says, or necessarily accept half of the half that I do understand, but as I read more and more about his theories and works, I find that my mind becomes more and more open, and my ideas about well....existence, identity, intelligence, life...become more and more diversified.

9) I Can't Really Speak Chinese:

...Yeah, it's pretty unusual for a (1/2 Chinese) girl who has been studying the language for over 5 years, but it is true, I'm not fluent in Chinese. Not the best thing to lack when you're heading to China in less than a week. There has been a lot of pressure, for me personally, since a) everyone kinda sorta expects me to know Chinese (and don't get me wrong, I can talk some, but no way am I fluent) b) I'm probably going to have to do a bit of translating along the way c) Mom won't be with me, so I'm going to have to tough it out on my own.

Still, despite slight fear concerning communication issues, I am totally looking forward to this trip to Guangzhou. I'll be sure to blog faithfully, and take plenty of pictures. (of the food! and the scenery! and me! and more me!) Wish me luck! This is going to be sooooo cool!

10) I Like Coconut Milk:

Lactose (kinda-sorta-maybe-ishy) intolerant means that I've never drunk milk (well...just me personally. Not like all lactose intolerant people don't drink milk and hate it), although I'd never say no to pizza, or a grilled cheese sandwich, or green tea ice-cream.

No offense to those who like it, but soya milk and almond milk both taste kinda funny. Not like coconut milk doesn't, but it's....less...funny...tasting (?) if you get my drift. Rice milk though. Rice milk is the best.

Anyways, this is the anticlimatic end to my 10 things new about me.

Why mention Coconut Milk? No particular reason. But it's new.


-Shhh....

*there is a good story behind this, by the way. And yours truly led the charge, which mostly consisted of screaming "BUT HOW DOES IT WORK" at Mr. Carter with a bunch of my classmates.

**by which I mean, makes me go "0.o.....so....jealous....must...be...able...to..do...that....too"..

Ramblings: Graduation Day

   Graduation Day was today.

   And I must confess that the same nostalgia that gripped the graduates is also passing over me as well. 

   It's exhilarating, and also somewhat tragic as well, because somewhere along the way these graduates crossed the line between high school and college, adolescence and adulthood. I was not as close to these graduates as many of the students there were, I know, but the nature of the Davidson Academy* makes it so that by the end of the year everyone knows everyone, and you can't help feeling a twinge of emotion as the seniors grab their diplomas. It's nice to be in a school where freshies/sophomores** mingle with seniors and middle schoolers, yet at the same time, it makes graduation day really hard. I'll remember my friends that I've discussed books with, talked to about neurophilosophy, and meditated alongside. And I hope, when my graduation day comes in two or three years, my friends will feel the same way as well. 

   To all those friends there, near or far, graduating or still stuck with me, leaving or here to stay, best wishes!

-Shhhhhh......<sob sob. I'm such a sucker for sentimental moments>

*Ability grouped classes, student body size (aka S.M.A.L.L.!), and supah-cool electives

**Don't know WHAT I am exactly

Ramblings II: The Dead (are dead again, but are now resurrected--or is that re-resurected, or perhaps...)

Ramblings II: The not-quite-so-Dead-but-still-rather-spacey

   It has been about two days since school has got out, and I am slowly drinking in the fresh blood that will restore me to my former glory.

   You may be wondering-- hey, what's with all this morbid imagery portraying yours truly as a cadaver? The answer mostly lies in the fact that it's a motif I find that I am rather fond of*, and in all sincerity, while this 'resurrection' is not nearly as vivid as my winter break, the beginning of Summer vacation makes me feel like the sun has just set and it's feeding time**. 

   Instead of launching into a full blown account of my emergence from a first year at the DA, I feel like a brief overview would be more in order (as I slowly regain strength through the lifeblood of you fool mortals)...uh, that is, because the subject of DA and Summer break are exceedingly complex.

   So far, the first year was a fairly good affair. My brother is finally taller than me***, I started liking math, and recently, both of us have been (trying) to learn guitar. It's a hopeful endeavor--after only a week, I've gone from sounding like a dying chicken to sounding like a sick cat, so progress is inevitable-- and we're both enjoying the instrument immensely****. Also, in 10 or so days, my mother and I will be heading to China for 6 weeks, which is very exciting! I'm looking forward to seeing the mountains again, my family, and the food, which is possibly one of the best things on this whole planet. I'll miss Ian and Dad-- don't know what they'll be doing without us! Ramen is good, but not for 6 weeks straight-- and I know that this trip will bring out never-before-seen sides in the four of us. I'll try to keep things posted as the our stay in Guangzhou continues, with lots of pictures and bloggy posts. :)

Best to everyone, as you all head out on your intrepid boats to the wonderful land of Summerland*****! This is Quiet Girl, off to go eat some more watermelon!

-Shhh.....as dusk falls, you hear the flitter of bat wings...a ghostly wind....and then slowly, inexorably, the long drawn out creak of a coffin, opening.....

*:P This is where you call the psychologist

**Yes, I've ceased to be a corpse in favor of being a vampire. The effects of public school upon one's mental health!!! Actually, this might just be because we watched a really dumb Dracula-Frankenstein mashup on the last day of school, and being (one of) the only horror movie(s) I've ever watched (for a long long time), I'm kinda morbidly fixated upon vampires now. No, really. I can't stand horror movies, and now vampires haunt my sleep. 

***NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! He only has 2 inches, though. When I wear higheels, I can still fantasize about my former glory. 

****Many thanks to Nix, who is kindly lending me an old guitar of hers over the summer.

*****...I have no idea where all that stuff about intrepid boats came from. Sorry :P

Book Review I: Slaughterhouse 5

Book Review I: Slaughterhouse-Five

:D I suppose my last post, "Omg Joseph Heller!" was more of a book review than a fruitcake rant, but then again, I felt my labeling justified because it was mostly me gushing about...well...being psychologically...er....manipulated....

....by an inanimate book...

Um, anyways, since I'm planning to do a lot more writing about books in the future, I figured I might as well create a new category: the book reviews. The issue is, often I analyze books from an intellectual perspective. When I write about it, especially in this blog, I would rather prefer to ramble and gush. So, as long as everyone is aware of the fact that, yes, most book reviews will really be book gushes, then I have no qualms about calling this a 'book review'.

Actual Book Review I: Slaughterhouse-Five!

Anyways, Slaughterhouse-Five. I liked it, a ton. It's postmodernist, so there is a limit to how much one can like it. I mean, after a while, the whole cynical apathy begins to wear on you. By the time I got to Catch-22 (by Heller, a contemporary of Vonnegut's) I began to feel a little fed up with these dumb postmodernists. Just my opinion. Still, all things considered, I found Slaughterhouse-Five, with it's time traveling (or rather, perspective traveling) Billy Pilgrim oddly gripping and satisfying.

The perspective shifting format, I believe, really makes this book cool. The sense of disjointedness lends much more to the diaspora (ok, I just misused that word...:P) of Pilgrim, and almost gives a poignancy to his life story that otherwise wouldn't have gotten across. Reading it made me really get that sense of disjointedness and passivity that characterizes Pilgrim.

That's the thing about Pilgrim-- I loved him, but my fellow AmLit-ers were pretty 'meh'. Well, actually, they mostly wanted to punch him. For some reason, I really liked Pilgrim though. His character doesn't seem annoying-- perhaps because I've read characters like him before, notably, Lathe of Heaven's George Orr. I liked Orr, too. :D See a trend? The passivity/apathy seems familiar. It's a pretty cool thing, too. Pilgrim becomes opinions, inactive, almost, he merely exists-- like George Orr! Milquetoast, Jellyfish! Like Orr, this guy was born for his role, the self-less (literally) time traveller, much like Orr was born for his role. Maybe Pilgrim represented the everyman simply because of his absence. Perhaps he was intended to give greater emphasis to the ridiculousness of life. He literally is that bird who witnesses the massacre and can't say anything but 'poo-tee-wheet'. Whatever. I don't have a good reason for why I like him, but I do.

On another note, what I didn't like was the Tralfamadoreans (No! I refuse to spell that correctly! It's a sign of hopeless geekdom if you know how to even pronounce it correctly). They were really random, very disjointed from the rest of the book. Perhaps they were intended to give greater relief on to the absurdity of life. Meh. Still didn't like them. I would postulate that Vonnegut was just throwing them in there to explain the whole 'unstuck in time' deal, but I think he's a much better writer than that. Despite their...well, the only way to describe it is randomness...I still wouldn't re-write the book without them if I could. It's a bit how I couldn't re-write Catch-22 without the intense pain. Somehow, without it, it wouldn't be the same. The book needs it, even though it generally detracts from the reading experience.

All in all, I would give Slaughterhouse-Five a double thumbs up, and definitely recommend reading it (unlike Catch-22. Yes. Read this, it's good). If you do plan on reading it, though, be sure to either pay really close attention to the beginning (where he's all like, "I'm going to write a war story!"), or re-read it when you get close to the end, because it is important, despite your misgivings, and it does get really cool near the end.

This is Quiet Girl, poo-tee-weet!

-Shhhh.....so it goes.

Fruitcake Rave V: Omg Joseph Heller!

Fruitcake Rave V: Joseph Heller

The inner lit vamp inside of me needed fresh blood (and lots of it) to sink her fangs into. So in addition to Survey of Brit Lit (again?), I also took an independent study Am Lit with some other DA kids. Nevermind that they're both male seniors (aliens from another planet!), it's been pretty fun. Recently we've just finished reading Joseph Heller's Catch-22.

...Sigh. What can I say? Catch-22 stands out amongst a crowd and has made a lasting impression on me. Much like how a brand makes a lasting impression on you. Like, a cattle brand. Funny, but now that I think about it, reading Catch-22 felt a lot like being branded. Yet despite the immense torture, I emerged, victorious, and in love*.

Reading Catch-22 was like nothing I ever read before (and remembered. Sometimes, traumatic events get wiped from your memory). Initially, the book was pretty hilarious; that is, it got a couple of smirks and a bunch of 'oooh, that's clever'. Eventually, however, you realize that the jokes are getting old. And then after that, you realize that there is no plot. And after that, you realize that you aren't getting anywhere. And then, comes the final realization, you are going to die. Just kidding. But in all honesty, the book soon evolves into an upward battle. You constantly trudge through the same monotony, over and over again, and look back, and realize, absolutely nothing has happened.

At all.

Seriously.

I mean it.

Yet throughout the stagnacy, hope gleams. Merely because nothing has happened and the fact that Catch-22 is renowned as am lit, you continue to hope that maybe, maybe Joseph Heller is the messiah and can somehow manage to tie all of this together into an amazing wonderful conclusion in the next 30 pages.

And he does. He manages to pull it off. After roughly 400 pages of emotional abuse (there is no other way to state it. Yes. I have been manipulated by an inanimate book), he pulls through and creates this amazing ending which makes it all worth it. The suffering, the pain, the boredom is all tied together (or at least, most of it), and the ending...well, let's just say it's one of the most beautiful things in this world.

...Of course, it could be, (as Alanna puts it) just that Heller manipulates you so that you expect dirt nothing, and then gives you a carrot, so you're like "A CARROT!!!! ", which is definitely viable, considering how this book reads.

But, emotional abuse aside, this book is a work of art after you read the ending. Midway you begin to notice the deaths of Yossarians friends, very flatly narrated, but still poignant (and in the case of Hungry Joe...slightly ridiculous?), and if you're really nice to Heller, you may admit seeing the delicate growth of madness (through reading the book, what else!) growing not only on Yossarian, but on you, until it all explodes during the end, and if you do fan-worship Heller, you realize that this is the most amazing balance of ridiculousness and monotony until you're practically forced into Yossarian's viewpoint.

All of this, however, depends on the ending. The ending, I believe, is what reveals this as a work of art. Because otherwise, it is (pardon my language) a piece of c***. So if you do decide to read Catch-22, you must read everything. You can't pull out midway (because otherwise you'll be even MORE psychologically scarred), so if you begin, you must persevere to the end. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and while I don't recommend reading Catch-22 (because it's a pain), if you do decide to read it, my heartiest congratulations, and prayers, because you will need it. It's an interesting balance of one of those things I hate and love, that I adore but would totally not read again or recommend to a friend (maybe to a serious enemy, but even that seems a little extreme).

Three things are for certain; this really does deserve its place in the American literary cannon; I have been irrevocably scarred and manipulated by a book**, and Joseph Heller's Catch-22 is certainly not for the faint hearted.

Squeal! now I'm a fangirl. This is Quiet Girl, off to read more books!

-Shhhh....

*with the book. Just saying.

**No, I'm kidding. But I do feel like I've gone through an ideal, and emerged stronger.

Ramblings 1: The Dead (not James Joyce)

Ramblings 1:

...I have been dead for a very, very long time.

...

...No, not really, but for all practical purposes, I have been dead.

Firstly, I'd like to extend a belated apology to all my long distance friends and anyone who reads this blog (..."hello?....is anyone...out there?... Anyone?...Anyone?") for being such a bad communicator and not keeping up with the overworld (as we the dead term the world of the living). No excuses, as cliche as this sounds, can really justify such a long silence, and I really am sorry for being an irresponsible correspondent. From my heart, with love, my sincerest apologies.

Secondly, a quick update. I'm not quite sure how to quickly update anything, and a lot has happened since moving to Reno. I don't know if anyone's interested in the daily grind of school*, or angsty teenage bemoanings, and also-- I'm not really sure what to talk about. I suppose I should tell you I'm happy (the dead usually are), well fed (though Mom's going nuts about healthy food), alive (not. No, just kidding), that I've taken up yoga (ommmm....Namaste. That's all I know**), reunited with Piano at UNR***, started liking Geometry (see, this is how you can tell that I'm really dead, b/c I would only start liking math over my dead body!!!), and haven't grown one inch. Much to my disappointment****.

I'll work on quietly catching things up to speed, rambling ever on and on about life...in general. But before I ramble on even more and blow this up into a novel about the woes of teenager hood (jk), This is Quiet Girl, back from the dead!

-Shhh...

Even the dead need their beauty sleep.

*Or if I'm allowed to talk about the daily grind of school. DA is...well, one of the most paranoid buildings on campus. Just kidding. It is pretty paranoid, but it shouldn't be an issue.

**no, not really. But more on yoga later.

***My wonderful piano teacher, Dr. W has completely transformed piano as I know it.

****Even MORE to my disappointment, Ian HAS grown one inch. And another. And ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER. He is now two inches taller than me. :P Ah, so it goes.

Epicness II

Epicness II

Time starts to blur as the winter vacation drags on. Day after day it's the same routine, a relaxed oodle of Chinese, piano, Korean dramas and art. Aah, winter break is like sinking into a steaming bath of hot water. The stress seems to simply melt away. Your mind goes blissfully blank. The day simultaneously seems to drag on, and then, in retrospect, flashes by in a second. Everything blobs together like a pot of Mom's green stew*. But in between the monotony, there are occasional flashes of excitement**: cooking!***, new sheet music, and recently...computers!

My friends, recently I have the tremendous honor of being inducted into the uber-secret, uber-awesome, uber-cool elite squad of Hong family IT guys!...Which is to say that Ian and Dad are finally spilling their techie secrets****. It is surprisingly hard to actually get Ian to spill his techie secrets, whether it's about how to grab mp3 files from YouTube******, hook a laptop up the the TV, or even watch stuff online. Usually, I end up waiting impatiently for him to finish up his important business, like taking over the world******* before he deals with my own pitiful mortal problems, like powering on my laptop. When told to simply tell me what to do, his usual answer is a noncommittal grunt (I swear, in the last two weeks, he has perfected that) or, in other cases, a mumbled "I'm busy". Even when he's not busy, it's hard to get him to talk. When asked about that, well, he calls it "job security". I'm not sure whether he actually believes that, or if he finds it too difficult to explain his leprechaun magic to my pitiful mortal brain, or if there's some other unstated reason behind his close kept secrets, but end of the day, I'm left as computer literate as your average ape********* while coexisting with the wizards of technology.

But recently, there have been a few new developments in that battle. One of the computers in the apartment rental office (A frankenstein, as Ian bemoans, with an Intel Pentium 4 2.8 gigahertz processor, and sadly, only 1 gigabyte of RAM*) broke down, and the hired Tech Support guys aren't coming in for another few months. Ca-CHING! You could hear bright ideas start a chain reaction in my parent's heads. A broken computer could mean an opportunity for me to get initiated (preferably without the blood ritual**) into the secret guild of Hong-family tech people. Or, officially, it would give me some experience in the tech field, a little more confidence, and food for my secretly growing interest in what was previously solely my brother's territory***.

So, two or so weeks into winter vacation, we showed up at the rental office to pick up the computer. Man, that thing was stone age. My house has more computers than it has people (6 computers to four people. Go figure), and all of them are laptops and very transportable. The ancient relic that resided deep within the bowels of the rental office, though...uhg. It makes me want to barf just thinking about it. Give me a laptop any day. A Mac, preferably. But anyways, back at home, the plugged in computer begins to boot up, then stops, frozen at a pitch-black screen with a sole blinking cursor. We wait. And wait. And wait some more.

Well, actually, we kind of facepalmed, groaned, then rebooted it. This time around, though, we booted to the BIOS**** and then went crazy with the settings. About halfway through I paused and asked Ian if we might want to try making only one change at a time, in order to isolate the problem. He pointed out that it was a good idea, and we went ahead and ignored my advice completely. Meh. Took too much time. This way bore a great resemblance to performing heart surgery with a sledgehammer, but we weren't going to stop now. After a few quarrels, some constructive idea bouncing, and a few rounds of vying for authority, we decided that the problem lay in the fact that something was obstructing the normal startup sequence and preventing it from booting to Windows XP.

Our solution? To heck with Windows, let's try installing Linux. Linux Mint, to be precise. The process (installation) from there on was fairly straightforward. For those like me who don't have much tech-savvy, Linux is a free operating system***** tree which is obtainable online. We went with Linux Mint, because it took up slightly less space than other full-featured 'distros' of Linux, as they call them. Ian worked his leprechaun magic, burned Mint onto a CD, put that into the disk drive, and then changed the settings on BIOS so that it booted to the disk drive, then finished installing Linux onto the hardrive, after wiping it,******, and after that, well, we were home and free.

Sure, there were a few little (really eensy, tiny, minuscule, microscopic...) glitches. For example, Linux in general hates wireless. Well, at least for us it does. It ran fine with an Ethernet connection at our house, but when we toted the heavy thing over to the rental office and hooked it up to their Internet using a wire, it still didn't connect. Ooooh, we spent so much time freaking out over that problem...running terminal codes, creating new Nautilus files, unplugging and replugging the bleeping thing. Then we realized that all those internet wires were a big sham. So the other computer, printer, and this computer were all plugged in, but were supposed to be running on wireless. Linux hates wireless. Back at home, there's a massive rush to solve the Linux Wi-fi problem. We come up with solutions ranging from trying to get XP again using the computer's registration code, attempting to download Windows 8 onto it (first from a USB, then directly onto the computer using an ISO file or something like that), then running script after script, trying to get it to connect to our own Wi-Fi. Finally, Ian makes a breakthrough. To be honest, I had a hard time catching up with him throughout the whole PC-fixing procedure, but around this point, he was clearly leaving my poor mortal brain in the dust. He cracks open terminal, runs a few lines of script, and then, (tada!) it's miraculously connected to our Wi-Fi. Sigh. At times like these, you can only step back and go "whaaaaa? Ooooooohh. Pretty lights."

In addition to the glitches, there have also been a few flub-ups as well. For one thing, right after we wiped the Hard Drive, we realized that there had been Windows XP installed on Hard Drive 1... which we had just wiped. In other words, the sole problem was that we have been we were booting to the wrong Hard Drive. Basically, we went through two full days of stress and emotional ups and downs over nothing. Total facepalm. Epic fail. But hey, at least this way I got some experience with Linux.

So, techie stuff and all aside, this is Quiet girl, with a newly found confidence in all things geeky, a whole oodle of bragging rights (I did have occasional brilliant insight...jk, jk), and two more weeks of winter break with which to

....I don't know. Get into trouble. Fix some more computers. Change the world. Get rich.

...or, hopefully have some more interesting adventures to blog about...

This is quiet girl, signing off.

-Shhhh....I'm going to go nap. So much for that adventure. Ah well, it can wait till after dinner.

*a disturbingly homogeneous mixture, with occasional bumps that hint at a past life of vegetable-hood

**/stress/obsession/passion/...

***Eating the cooking!....jk, jk

****well, I mean, they're actually taking the time to explain their techie secrets. And I'm actually finding the time to listen to their techie secrets. But yeah. yeah.

*****Kinda sorta ishy legally. I think. Actually, let's not think about that too much.

******On his computer....for now!

*******According to Ian, though, there's not that much of a difference....

*Ian calls it practically criminal. Meh. I just smile and nod, and try to look like I know what he's talking about. When in doubt, just keep swimming....

**Just kidding. Really!

***Everything, in the end, feeds back into sibling rivalry. Ok, so maybe I'm just projecting. It is strange how I manage to unconsciously sneak so many war similes into these posts. Hmm. Well.

****Which is, to my brothers and sisters trapped in the desert of technological-jargon, a kind of control center, of sorts. To my mind, it's that magical blue leprechaun place where Ian can mess around with the computer settings. Hey, I did spend most of my life reading fantasy instead of sci-fi. Is it any wonder my attempts to explain things are a little bit cheesy?

*****Yes, it's free. We didn't pirate it or anything (for once). It just hates wireless, though, as a warning, so if you can't stand having an Internet wire plugged into your computer constantly, do a bit of thinking before you wipe your Hard Drive and install Linux.

******Ooooh, this drives me crazy, but we had Windows eight on a DVD, and we meant to install it on that computer, but it was so old, the...watchamacallit, that thingy that you put the disk in? I think it's the disk drive or something. Well. Don't quote me....only ran CDs, not DVDs. UHG.