Ya, I know...I have not been posting on my blog AT ALL..in fact...the activity can be described as dead zero. However, since I see this blog mainly as a diary...I guess thats ok ^_^
The main reason that I am not updating my blog you ask? Well, simply because college kept me on the tip of my toe this whole year! Whether if it's the academics or friends or whatnots, college has definitely started to be the best time of my life thus far!
Academically, well...let's just say that it is most definitely my least favorite part of college...but hey, that's the main reason i am at UIUC! Courses are pretty well rounded. Love the professors, love the people, love the atmosphere...just dislike the homework...because they definitely give me the biggest headaches of my life -.-
To my surprise, glowstrining and bboying are still a great part of me in college. Continuing my hobbies from high school, I decided to take things onto another level. I begin my choreography of glowstringing with a good high school friend of mine that was also in Midnight Rave.
As much as I love doing the above activities, I gotta remember to keep my priorities straight, and that's school. Although tough, I think I managed pretty well this past year ^_^ Although I can't say that I am looking forward to the next semester, I am rather eager to return to my new home: UIUC.
This is just a general broad overview of my freshman year at college. More to come!
Music
Monday, June 21, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
So it has been awhile!
Because i am rather short on time due to some meetings, i have to write a very short post. but it's definitely being awhile since i used this blog~ its fine time to get started once again!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Almost a New Beginning
Tomorrow at this very hour, I will be alone in my dorm at UIUC's FAR residence hall. So today is my last day at the town of Hinsdale. I thought I would be extremely excited about the upcoming change, but I can't help but feel a little bit nostalgic. I didn't think I would start missing this place of torture, extreme discipline, and the horrific boredom in this house. However, I did.
Yesterday was such a great day. I met with Priscilla Chao (JUJU), Emily Yao, Amanda Kang, Aaron Saballo, Julian Coltea, and Anna Hesley to watch a movie. Originally, we were going to see GI Joe, seeing that amazing trailer some time ago. However, the plan immediately changed as soon as we heard that Ponyo, the newest Miyazaki work, was released at the very day. Being an anime fanatic, and an extreme Miyazaki fan, I instinctively welcomed the change. Before I headed toward AMC, JUJU, Emily, and I dropped by Jingyuan Li's house to say good bye (well, only me saying goodbye). I think I am going to miss making fun of her a lot =[
Either way, the movie was...interesting, to say the very least. It was completely not expected. The graphics were not as amazing as the other Miyazakis, but the plot surpassed my expectations, by a big league. It had such a cute storyline....although the music at the end really, and literally, made me laugh out loud. It definitely has rewatch values ^_^
Anyways, I am going to leave with my brother in matter of 4 hours, or less. I will be posting again when I move into my dorm. Many loves, Hinsdale. I will never forget about you all!
Yesterday was such a great day. I met with Priscilla Chao (JUJU), Emily Yao, Amanda Kang, Aaron Saballo, Julian Coltea, and Anna Hesley to watch a movie. Originally, we were going to see GI Joe, seeing that amazing trailer some time ago. However, the plan immediately changed as soon as we heard that Ponyo, the newest Miyazaki work, was released at the very day. Being an anime fanatic, and an extreme Miyazaki fan, I instinctively welcomed the change. Before I headed toward AMC, JUJU, Emily, and I dropped by Jingyuan Li's house to say good bye (well, only me saying goodbye). I think I am going to miss making fun of her a lot =[
Either way, the movie was...interesting, to say the very least. It was completely not expected. The graphics were not as amazing as the other Miyazakis, but the plot surpassed my expectations, by a big league. It had such a cute storyline....although the music at the end really, and literally, made me laugh out loud. It definitely has rewatch values ^_^
Anyways, I am going to leave with my brother in matter of 4 hours, or less. I will be posting again when I move into my dorm. Many loves, Hinsdale. I will never forget about you all!
Monday, August 3, 2009
TAF 2009: Let it Sprout!!
As a second year camper, there were some doubts and fears in my mind as I stepped onto the bus that was heading toward Manchester College. I feared that this year TAF has less to offer to me compare to last year. Boy was I dead wrong on that one.
Small Group
If I could describe my small group with one word, it would be "eccentric". No, that would be an understatement...BLAH it's simply too awesome to be defined by words =P
At first, our small group was leaning toward the "quite side", meaning there was clearly a lack of familiarity as well as communication. However, as more time was spent together, we eventually opened the windows to our hearts. Thanks to Bum's amazing questions after his lectures, we learned how to enjoy and take comforts in each others' presence. Group 3, the small group I was a part of, was consisted of Eddie Huang, Travis Overton, Peter Shaw, Harry Tsai, Olivia Schieber, Carrie Hsieh, Katherine (Pamina Lin), Alicia Shiue, Eric (don't know his last name) and Karen Lai. Oh, and me! ^_^
Interestingly enough, our small group included the only two Caucasians in youth, Olivia, Willis's girlfriend, and Travis, the half Taiwanese kid. Despite the possible cultural barrier, they fit in just like any other Asian campers. Gracefully enough, Olivia contributed greatly to group disses as well as chants, which made her a great asset to our small group. Travis, being a Pokémon fanatic, boldly suggested the theme of our small group with the idea of Bulbasaur, which saved a lot of brainstorming time. Hence, our small group was named Bulbasaur Stinky Tofu Evolution.
Speaker
I really loved the speaker this year. Bum Kim masterfully and carefully worded his speech in such an elegant way that I had not seen a single bobbing head throughout the whole week, which wasn't the case in ANY other lectures that I had attended in my life. This year, the theme was Ethics and Values. Bum, although Korean, could easily relate to the academic pressure as well as cultural expectations. And he showed it in his speech. His constant humors and touching stories had kept the speaker sessions one of the best times throughout the day. Yes, it even tops some TAF activities, believe it.
Among his many valuable lessons, I found the concept of sacrificial love the most meaningful of all. What is sacrificial love? Was it love among families? Was it the unconditional love? Honestly, this concept was rather confusing. However, I identified myself as one that had provided such love in the past in a relationship. However, it did not have a happy ending. I guess that was why such topic was especially captivating.
I especially loved his demonstrations with water and cups. He stated that in order to provide love, one's cup must be filled with love. If the cup was empty, then the person would attempt to fill it up with all sorts of bad stuff to prevent emptiness. It really made me wonder, how full was my cup prior to TAF this year? How full would it be after TAF? A lot of other things rushed into my mind as he performed this demonstration. It made me realize that it was important to provide love to those that were hurt while maintaining the level of fullness.
Roommate
So this year, I had the pleasure to room with Justin Wang, a veteran TAFer who actually graduated from the JH program and advanced to the Youth program just this year! Every night we would talk about schools and, of course, our TAF crushes. As a high school veteran, I gave all the advices I could in order to prepare him for his junior year, knowing that it will be his toughest year of high school. He's such a cool kid. I wish I had him in my high school...But to be honest, most of the time we were just chilling and talking about our ideal girls as well as our TAF crushes candidates (well, more so for him because I only have one girl in mind the whole time ^_^)....hehe...its a guy thing =P
Little Sib
Oh my god! Like seriously, OH MY GOD!!! Was it pure coincidence?! If it was, then O-M-G!!! This year, my little sib happened to be a former church member, Tiffany Teng. As acquainted as we were already, we actually had not seen each other at all for a whole year! Of course, being so familiar with each other, writing sib letters had been awesome. I most definitely enjoyed my time taunting/making fun of her for miscellaneous things....mostly about the huge water fights =P Then I also got to see my previous little sib: Kyleen!!!! Coincidentally, she was my TC's little sib! (Coincidence?)She had some mad skills for Diabolos, also known as Chinese yo-yos. Of course, I am not surprised by that because she was taught by none other than the awesome Mark Chen!
TAF Night Performances
I had mixed feelings about this special night on Saturday. Mostly because I knew that TAF had finally come to an end. However, that did not stop me from enjoying this wonderful night! It really touched my heart to see the effects of TAF showing on everyone on that night. Juniors putting on the biggest smiles they could possibly make during their swing choir and choir; the Junior High campers were full of youthful energies as always; and the Youth campers showed their maturity via the expression of music. However, the most special thing about TAF night was the fact that I got the chance to perform with Mark Chen once again. It was really something special. Not because we did everything on the spot, but because we worked together in our old high school crew Midnight Rave. I guess it brought back some memories...blah it's too complicated to explain!
FINAL THOUGHTS
TAF '09 means a lot to me. Not only did it solidify my determination to come back every year, it also taught me what I need to do to as a Christian and as an individual that has the capability to make a difference in someone's life. This past week is TAFabulous!!
Small Group
If I could describe my small group with one word, it would be "eccentric". No, that would be an understatement...BLAH it's simply too awesome to be defined by words =P
At first, our small group was leaning toward the "quite side", meaning there was clearly a lack of familiarity as well as communication. However, as more time was spent together, we eventually opened the windows to our hearts. Thanks to Bum's amazing questions after his lectures, we learned how to enjoy and take comforts in each others' presence. Group 3, the small group I was a part of, was consisted of Eddie Huang, Travis Overton, Peter Shaw, Harry Tsai, Olivia Schieber, Carrie Hsieh, Katherine (Pamina Lin), Alicia Shiue, Eric (don't know his last name) and Karen Lai. Oh, and me! ^_^
Interestingly enough, our small group included the only two Caucasians in youth, Olivia, Willis's girlfriend, and Travis, the half Taiwanese kid. Despite the possible cultural barrier, they fit in just like any other Asian campers. Gracefully enough, Olivia contributed greatly to group disses as well as chants, which made her a great asset to our small group. Travis, being a Pokémon fanatic, boldly suggested the theme of our small group with the idea of Bulbasaur, which saved a lot of brainstorming time. Hence, our small group was named Bulbasaur Stinky Tofu Evolution.
Speaker
I really loved the speaker this year. Bum Kim masterfully and carefully worded his speech in such an elegant way that I had not seen a single bobbing head throughout the whole week, which wasn't the case in ANY other lectures that I had attended in my life. This year, the theme was Ethics and Values. Bum, although Korean, could easily relate to the academic pressure as well as cultural expectations. And he showed it in his speech. His constant humors and touching stories had kept the speaker sessions one of the best times throughout the day. Yes, it even tops some TAF activities, believe it.
Among his many valuable lessons, I found the concept of sacrificial love the most meaningful of all. What is sacrificial love? Was it love among families? Was it the unconditional love? Honestly, this concept was rather confusing. However, I identified myself as one that had provided such love in the past in a relationship. However, it did not have a happy ending. I guess that was why such topic was especially captivating.
I especially loved his demonstrations with water and cups. He stated that in order to provide love, one's cup must be filled with love. If the cup was empty, then the person would attempt to fill it up with all sorts of bad stuff to prevent emptiness. It really made me wonder, how full was my cup prior to TAF this year? How full would it be after TAF? A lot of other things rushed into my mind as he performed this demonstration. It made me realize that it was important to provide love to those that were hurt while maintaining the level of fullness.
Roommate
So this year, I had the pleasure to room with Justin Wang, a veteran TAFer who actually graduated from the JH program and advanced to the Youth program just this year! Every night we would talk about schools and, of course, our TAF crushes. As a high school veteran, I gave all the advices I could in order to prepare him for his junior year, knowing that it will be his toughest year of high school. He's such a cool kid. I wish I had him in my high school...But to be honest, most of the time we were just chilling and talking about our ideal girls as well as our TAF crushes candidates (well, more so for him because I only have one girl in mind the whole time ^_^)....hehe...its a guy thing =P
Little Sib
Oh my god! Like seriously, OH MY GOD!!! Was it pure coincidence?! If it was, then O-M-G!!! This year, my little sib happened to be a former church member, Tiffany Teng. As acquainted as we were already, we actually had not seen each other at all for a whole year! Of course, being so familiar with each other, writing sib letters had been awesome. I most definitely enjoyed my time taunting/making fun of her for miscellaneous things....mostly about the huge water fights =P Then I also got to see my previous little sib: Kyleen!!!! Coincidentally, she was my TC's little sib! (Coincidence?)She had some mad skills for Diabolos, also known as Chinese yo-yos. Of course, I am not surprised by that because she was taught by none other than the awesome Mark Chen!
TAF Night Performances
I had mixed feelings about this special night on Saturday. Mostly because I knew that TAF had finally come to an end. However, that did not stop me from enjoying this wonderful night! It really touched my heart to see the effects of TAF showing on everyone on that night. Juniors putting on the biggest smiles they could possibly make during their swing choir and choir; the Junior High campers were full of youthful energies as always; and the Youth campers showed their maturity via the expression of music. However, the most special thing about TAF night was the fact that I got the chance to perform with Mark Chen once again. It was really something special. Not because we did everything on the spot, but because we worked together in our old high school crew Midnight Rave. I guess it brought back some memories...blah it's too complicated to explain!
FINAL THOUGHTS
TAF '09 means a lot to me. Not only did it solidify my determination to come back every year, it also taught me what I need to do to as a Christian and as an individual that has the capability to make a difference in someone's life. This past week is TAFabulous!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wow, it sure has been long!
Oh man! I have completely forgotten about the existence of this blog!! Oh man oh man! I will never forgive myself now...this deserves about 1000 push ups and 1000 pull ups and 2000 sit ups along with 100 miles....
yeah right....
Well, where should I begin with this reminiscing post? Hmm...I guess for starters, I have successfully enrolled University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. I am rather excited for my college career to start! The thought of meeting new people and having a whole new learning experience (which is awesome now because it has a blend taste of freedom).
At the day of my graduation of high school on May 28th, it was a moody day. Don't get me wrong when I say "moody". I absolutely loved that day. Cloudy weather, but not too hot; nostalgic, yet a sense of accomplishments. To be honest, high school really had a profound experience in shaping me as an individual. So on that very day, I was half happy that I will finally be able to escape such academic torture, and half sad that I was leaving everything I knew behind. To be honest, I couldn't describe my actual feeling. It was just so...mixed up.
I will definitely write more as time goes by. But currently I am enjoying my short-lived vacation in Taiwan. A lot more to come!
yeah right....
Well, where should I begin with this reminiscing post? Hmm...I guess for starters, I have successfully enrolled University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. I am rather excited for my college career to start! The thought of meeting new people and having a whole new learning experience (which is awesome now because it has a blend taste of freedom).
At the day of my graduation of high school on May 28th, it was a moody day. Don't get me wrong when I say "moody". I absolutely loved that day. Cloudy weather, but not too hot; nostalgic, yet a sense of accomplishments. To be honest, high school really had a profound experience in shaping me as an individual. So on that very day, I was half happy that I will finally be able to escape such academic torture, and half sad that I was leaving everything I knew behind. To be honest, I couldn't describe my actual feeling. It was just so...mixed up.
I will definitely write more as time goes by. But currently I am enjoying my short-lived vacation in Taiwan. A lot more to come!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Last Pep Rally Performance on 3/13/09
At last, our final massive event is over. This pep rally performance is even bigger than ethnic fair because of the number of audience. Because the pep rally is placed behind 8th period, every students and teachers are obligated to attend. To be exact, this "small" performance is even bigger than the Variety Show in that sense!
With only a week worth of preparation, the group did quite well. Although the routine itself has nothing outstanding, it is not a shabby routine either. If we had more time to prepare for this event, the breakdancing routine could trump even that which we used in the Variety Show.
I myself probably committed the worst mistake ever. On this very important performance, I noticed that my shoe strings on my left shoe were untied. With my solo coming up, which involves an all out flare, I could not risk my shoe flying out in the middle of the performance. Therefore, in order to prevent that, I did a half-assed flare. Now I am kind of regretting that decision, but I believe that was the right thing to do. Ah well...
Now I believe we still have about two or three performances left. Ethnic fair, AIDES run, and Dance Company. I wonder how our year is gonna end...With the tryout for Ethnic Fair coming up on Friday and we have absolutely 0% done for that show. I guess we will just recycle the old routine with some weapon demonstration. Hopefully all will go well.
With only a week worth of preparation, the group did quite well. Although the routine itself has nothing outstanding, it is not a shabby routine either. If we had more time to prepare for this event, the breakdancing routine could trump even that which we used in the Variety Show.
I myself probably committed the worst mistake ever. On this very important performance, I noticed that my shoe strings on my left shoe were untied. With my solo coming up, which involves an all out flare, I could not risk my shoe flying out in the middle of the performance. Therefore, in order to prevent that, I did a half-assed flare. Now I am kind of regretting that decision, but I believe that was the right thing to do. Ah well...
Now I believe we still have about two or three performances left. Ethnic fair, AIDES run, and Dance Company. I wonder how our year is gonna end...With the tryout for Ethnic Fair coming up on Friday and we have absolutely 0% done for that show. I guess we will just recycle the old routine with some weapon demonstration. Hopefully all will go well.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Stomach Flu
So I have gotten pretty darn sick for the past two days. At first, I thought it was just some minor cold that was causing me to feel extremely tired. But late midnight I start to vomit once every hour or so. For the rest of the day, I literally felt like shit.
but I am feeling slightly better. Hopefully this flu will die down tomorrow...because I have two projects that are due sometimes next week =P
but I am feeling slightly better. Hopefully this flu will die down tomorrow...because I have two projects that are due sometimes next week =P
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