End of the Year 2008

As the end of the year of 2008 approaches, I can't help but reminisce everything that has happened in this past year: college applications, AP workload, Midnight Rave, and a lot of other things. It is hard to believe that I am finally arriving at the end of my journey of high school. Really, I know that is definitely a good thing. However, I can't help but feel a bit of sorrow. High school has definitely become my second home, no, maybe even THE home. It is hard to let it go, but I guess college will replace high school within a few months.

Definitely more to come, I figured what I want to talk about should each get an individual post..because I am wordy like that =D

Phew~

Despite all odds, Midnight Rave successfully passed the tryout stage and is officially part of the Variety Show 2K9. Honestly, I deeply regret the fact that we could not concentrate on this set of routine prior to the tryout date. We messed up SO MUCH that we actually doubted our chance of making it. Thankfully, the judges understand the limit of our capability and qualified us.

So with that said, time to do an extreme makeover for our routine. After all, this is our last year in Hinsdale Central and we want to make it as astonishing as possible.

Great Success!

Midnight Rave just had its second official performance as halftime show in the staff vs seniors basketball game yesterday. Not to brag, but we did next to nothing in order to prepare ourselves for this show. However, that was not to say we did no work at all. Numerous times, Alex Kim, Aaron Saballo, Luke Gill, and myself tried to meet up to put it together. However, numerous external factors constantly defeated our attempts; and therefore, we had to oral our way through the whole thing about the day before and some minor modification 30 minutes prior to the show.

Like everytime, I was extremely nervous prior to our performance. My heart was bouncing at an incredibly fast pace, my limbs were soft, and my hands were sweating. However, all fear was gone when the music started. We all tried to be our very best despite the fact that we made some mistakes regarding the choreography...but hey! The performance actually turned out quite well. In fact, I think this is probably the best dancing routine we put up by far!



So today, the variety show tryout for us was canceled due to bad weather. I honestly hope to God that this will work out tommorrow...

Hmmm...

So far, there are some good news and bad news. At this point, I have been accepted into both Purdue and IU. The bad news are, unfortunately, that I am currently being deferred by both U of I and Stanford. Hmm...I really hate the anxiety but I guess there's the hope of being accepted by both.

I feel retarded for applying to U of I's biotech major. Apparently it is currently the toughest major available in that school....if I had done biochemistry, I would've been in already....bleh....this just plain sucks.

So, Another One.

So I checked the IU site today and apparently I got accepted. There goes anotehr safety school!.

Now the big day will be Friday....Gahhh the anxiety is simply killing me.

Finally, a Decision Made.

So it has been awhile since senior year began. I have to say, the first three months really weren't the best time of my life due to all the college applications that needed to be done.

Well, I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore because I finally submitted my last application for Cornell University today!! YAHOO!!!!!

Sure has been a long ride...now I think about it..half of being a senior is college applications. With that done, I feel somewhat empty and filled with sadness within. But I would really rather not go through the whole process AGAIN...=P

The Good news is, I have already heard from one of my colleges that I am accepted. The bad news is, it's Purdue. It's not a bad college, but it only one of my safeties. This coming Friday, UIUC will release its decision. I am very anxious yet scared about it because UIUC is one of the schools which I really really REALLY want to go to.

May God be with me on this. Amen.

Game Review #4 - Dream of Mirror Online

Dream of Mirrir Online, or DOMO for short, is a mmorpg developed by Aeria. With mechanics which resembles that of Final Fantasy XI, it is a game which requires long-term dedication but may appeal to a lot of people who are looking for a game that will provide you with every features of the game regardless of your actions. As a dedicated mmorpg player, this game was a real treat for me. And here is why.

Almost every single mmorpg requires the player to choose a class/race that has certain strengths and weaknesses as well as sets of skils unique to only that class/race. With such principle, players are stuck with his or her choice through the remainder of the game unless he or she decides to create another character, with the necessity to begin from the very beginning again. With DOMO, however, such thing would never be a problem. Why? Because DOMO allows you to be everything! In the beginning of the game, you get to choose among one of the four races: Human, Sprite, Shura, and Slyph. However, this choice only affects the appearnace of your character. It does not affect the overall game play at all.

Now, there are 12 professions. And they are as follows: Commoner, martial artist, wizard, blademaster, hunter, thief, doctor, mercenary, shaman, fencer, musician, dancer, and merchant. As mentioned above, you can be all of them in the game! However, each profession have its own separate level and experience bar. Meaning, you cannot train the levels of these professions all at once. I know, this might be tedious at some point. But hey! At least you don't have to share the health you make as you train via several separate characters! Because there are 12 professions and I do not have the full experience with all 12, I cannot give you the full aspect of each profession. However, you can go to http://domo.aeriagames.com/info/occupation if you are interested. On a side note, some professions need to be unlocked by fulfilling level/queset/item requirement.

Here comes the unique part of the game. Dream of Mirror Online features a fun and beneficial "personal relationships" system. Everyone, in some way, depends on others, and when you nurture those relationships, you'll not only make great new friends, you'll enjoy the benefits of having someone to back you up in any battle, and perhaps even some exclusive special abilities as well.

In Dream of Mirror Online, your characters are able to develop three types of close human relationships: Teacher and Student, Friends, and Lovers. Anyone can develop these relationships, but other relationships are predestined - depending on your birth date and your Chinese zodiac sign, you'll be connected to certain players by the red string of fate. You may find yourselves to be relatives, rivals, or even a true love via these fated connections - and who knows what may happen after that? It's all up to your initiative!

In addition to the relationships that players forge for themselves, there are some predestined or "fated" relationships set by Dream of Mirror Online when you create a new character. The Fate System will decide the three most important destined relationships in life for players: destined relatives, destined rivals, and destined true loves! Here's how the creators describe these three relationships:

A Destined Relative is someone who is or was your relative, perhaps many generations ago, or in a previous life, or in another world.
A Destined Rival is someone who you can constantly measure yourself against. Like both an enemy and a friend, a Destined Rival can be a great competitor who keeps you moving and growing.
A Destined Love means both parties have great affinities. Any fortuneteller would predict that the two would make a perfect match. If two Destined Lovers help each other through life, they are sure to prosper.


The graphics of the game is like that of Flyff, using the 2.5D style. Some may find this somewhat annoying because it seems childish. But really, I find this style suit the game quite well because of the plot of the game. Yes, there is actually a LEGIT plot to the game! Like console rpg, you will go through tons of entertaining and intense cut scenes as you complete your quests. I think many of us gamers would really enjoy and appreciate the casual yet intense storyline.

Overall, this is really a great game. With great gaming community as wel as simple yet sophisticated game play with endless possibilities, Dream of Mirror Online will be one of those games people will remember in the long run

This is my evaluation of the game.Keep in mind this is out of 5 stars, with 5 being the best.

Rating: ****
With an entertaining plot as well as great game plays, few will not enjoy this game.

Grinding: ***
With 12 different professions, you can experience the strengths and weaknesses of each profession. However, it does get tedious as you will have to train each profession separately. But again, it really does help to play all 12 professions later on in game.

Fun: ****
I really had a blast playing this game. Lucky for me, I found a guild to join. Their continuing help with quests and leveling really made the game great. I never get bored fro playing this because there are simply too many things to do! This is definitely the game for those who are looking for a long-term dedication to a game.

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving is the day of gratitude. So I figure I would spend some moments of solitude to list and appreciate.

Friends - for being there for me in times of need.

Family - for bringing me to this world full of sufferings and joys.

A Certain Someone - for giving me a memory that is actually worth to reminisce.

Yellow Fever - for providing such an opportunity for me to kick ass.

Midnight Rave - for just being an awesome group of friends and partners in crime

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hopefully you guys are pumped for what's to come ^_^ ( Black Friday of course!!!)

Current Music Project

So it has been awhile since I touched the piano. Well, not really awhile since I touched the keyboard in order to record the keyboard portion of a piece into the TAF song that we have been working on. But it has been awhile since I sit down and play the piano for the pure leisure of it.

I have to say, i am simply surprised at the change of attitude toward music at this point of my life. I first started piano as young kid because my mom simply forced me to learn it. Defiantly, I did learn it, and learned it rather well. I was only one degree shy from obtaining my teacher's license. But that was awhile ago. Right now, for some reason, I return to the instrument and play it with curiosity as well as passion. Maybe it is because I am much more mature now, I am able to appreciate the melody and the symphony of keys.

Since Thanksgiving break is coming up very soon, I am hoping that I will be able to learn this song from D. Gray Man:



It is a beautifully written music. I don't know why I like this song, but I feel like the atmosphere and mood set by this piece is accurately describing and expressing my current emotions. Hence, I am determined to learn this piece, and hopefully have it memorized by the end of this weekend. Hope all goes well. I would really love to play this song ^_^

Now and Then

So it has been awhile since i write posts. Really, life really can't get much worse than it already is. Really hard on me both physically and emotionally. It's almost as if God designed this life full of painful experiences just so he can continue to torture me. I really wish I can just take on all the pain physically rather than emotionally, because I feel like my mind is about to shatter like a piece of worthless glass.

So Hinsdale Central's football team somehow dominated Mt. Carmel by 3 points and is advancing to state final at U of I next week. I guess that's one thing to be proud of as a current student of Hinsdale Central.

I would really like to know a way to subside or erase my memory. Really, I would rather not remember anything than remembering my life at the moment. In fact, I am so disoriented by the emotional torture that I just realized this paragraph that I am writing is located in the wrong location in this post...ahahahaha whatever. I don't usually write the blog post formally unless it's something of importance =P

I can only pray that life will improve. And I sincerely hope for it.

My Philosophy Paper

So This paper took me a lot of thoughts and time. So I decided that it's worth being put up here. So here it is!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anselm’s Ontological Argument: the Attempted Failure

Religion, the service and worship of God or the supernatural, has bring forth an ongoing controversy between those who places their faith in God and those who believes in numbers and data. The valid and convincing evidences and logics from both sides clash over and over again with no conclusion to this endless war of contradiction of human perceptions. However, the religious side seems to be fighting a losing battle due to the lack of physical evidence. Thus, the only way to prove the existence of God for us mortals is through the examination of the concept of God itself. This is called the ontological argument, an argument from the nature of God to the existence of God.

St. Anselm, the archbishop of Canterbury, attempted to prove the existence of God through his ontological argument. It is as follows:


1) God, by definition, is the greatest being possible.

2) If God exists only in our minds, then it is possible for there to be a being greater than God, namely, a being like God that exists in reality.

3) But it is not possible for there to be a being greater than God.

4) Therefore God must exist in reality.


A being that exists in mind cannot be greater than a being that exists in reality. So if God existed only in our minds, it would be possible for there to be a being greater than God, namely a being like God, to exist in reality. Although this argument is valid on the surface, the majority of the people find this very hard to accept. The mere thought of defining something into existence is simply unconvincing and absurd, and I agree.

The second step of his ontological process is the root of his failure. If God exists only in our minds, then everything that exists around us in reality is greater than the God in our mind. If everything that exists in reality go through a series of comparison and ultimately are arranged in order from the least to the greatest being that exists, the last item to be implemented to the series will be the greatest being possible in reality. But as we all know, nothing that exists in this physical world is perfect. And having something that exists in reality labeled as “God” is contradicting because “God”, by definition, is perfect; while the physical being is not.

Guanilo, a contemporary of Anselm, shared the critical view of the majority and created a thought experiment known as Guanilo’s Lost Island to demonstrate the shortcomings of Anselm’s ontological argument. His thought experiment directly attacked Anselm’s logic. The greatest island, by definition, would have the best ideal climate possible. However, according to Anselm’s logic, if such island did not exist, then it would not be the greatest island possible. So, by similar reasoning, it would seem that the greatest island possible must exist.

Of course, Anselm was aware of such loophole in his argument and attempted to amend it by claiming that his argument applied only to the scenario of the greatest being possible. However, such attempt did not help his argument. Rather, it helped digging its own grave. If the existence is intrinsic to God because it makes him better, it is hard to see why it could not be intrinsic to other things as well.

What went wrong with Anselm’s argument? The problem lies within the concept of “exists only in the understanding.” To simplify the matter, let x represents something that exists only in the mind. To say that x exists only in the mind is to say that the concept of x does not apply to anything in reality. Similarly, to say that God exists only in the mind is to say that the concept of God does not apply to anything in reality. There is no contradiction involved in saying that the concept of the greatest being possible is not exemplified. Therefore, Anselm’s attempt fails to prove the existence of God.

Immanuel Kant, an eighteenth-century philosopher, bashed the whole method which Anselm pursued. Kant reasoned that existence is not an attribute of an object like temperature, size, and the like. According to him, existence is not “something that can simply be associated with the definition of an object”. To further amplify his argument, he gave the example of a “quircle”. It is given information that a quircle is a circle that exists. Just from this, it seems impossible for us to reach any other conclusion other than that a “quircle” exists, for the definition told us it does exist. However, any intelligent mind in the world would agree that this is obviously not a good reason to believe, for we could prove that anything exists by utilizing this method. Thus, Anselm’s method of pursuing the truth is a failure.

With all due respect, I personally do not find Anselm’s ontological attempt very convincing. Not only do I not agree with his method of choice, but I also do not find his logic sound and valid. Just like the causal theory of the physical, which states that everything that happens can be explained in purely physical terms, it is hard for me to believe that something like God can be defined by anything outside of realm of God. Anselm’s ontological attempt not only utilized the wrong approach in to prove his belief, his logic is also full of flaws and contradictions. Therefore, Anselm’s ontological argument is nothing but a failure.

Game Review #3 - Flyff

I have to say, I really don't know if I know enough for this game to really write an accurate review for it. This is probably the only mmorpg that I could not play for more than a few weeks. This game's graphics is not as amazing as the other mmorpgs that I have reviewed. However, this game does have its decency and I believe it deserves some praises.

To be honest, when I first started out this game, it was extremely confusing to get what you are going to do next. I figured it out after about an hour of aimless exploring. But once you get the basic gist of things, it will eventually smooth things out by itself. Really.

So to begin, everyone is a vagrant. Vagrant is the beginner class that everyone starts out with and can be promoted to various diversity later on in game. It is strongly suggested to not invest any skill points as a vagrant because you can pass this stage relatively easy without them. At lvl 15, a vagrant can do a promotion quest to become one of the four other intermediate classes: acrobat, assist, magician, and mercenary. At lvl 60, these each of these four classes get to choose between one of the two branches of these professions. Acrobats have the choice of becoming either a jester or a ranger; assist have the choice of becoming either a billposter or a ringmaster; magicians have the choice of becoming either an elementor or a psykeeper; and mercenaries have the choice of becoming either a knight or a blade.

I myself only played up to level 40. So I can't really know I know a lot about the game. Leveling in this game isn't as bad. If you grind for an hour or two a day with efficiency, it will only take about a month or two to reach level 60 and be promoted to your end-game profession. However, rumor has it that soon there will be a third promotion. Honestly, I don't see myself grind that much...maximum level in this game is 120. With a new promotion available...gahhh it gives me the chill just to think about it >.<

The skill system is very straight forward. I do recommend not to max a skill too early in the game because the mana cost of that skill will be far too great for a low level character to use the skill efficiently. Yes, I learned this the hard way.

It's quite simple to make money in this game. All you do is kill, pick up monster drops, and sell. Sometimes you may get lucky and obtain some nice items. In that case, as for every mmorpg, you can put it on a market system and hope someone buys it with your desired price.

One thing I do really like about this game is the pet system. Pet is an expensive and time-consuming yet worthwhile investment in this game. All pets will start out at level 0 and in egg form. It can only evolve from the egg form if the owner feeds it with pet food until its percentage reaches 100%. The pet you will get is completely random, thus, adding some an element of surprise. Regardless of the grade of the pet you get, once it evolves to its 2nd form at lvl 60, it will become a powerful ally and a wonderful companion in your journey.

I don't know if it's the graphics that makes me lose the interest of the game, was I don't like the game mechanics. The game graphics, although somewhat childish, offer some really interesting way of expression. I rather like its style, but it's just not giving me the impression that I wanted when I play a mmorpg. However, the community of this game is full of nice people and they are all willing to go out their ways and help you out.

I will try a new evaluation system from now on. 0-5 stars, 5 being the bets and 0 being the worst.

Rating: ***
Really a nice game if 2.5D graphics is what you are looking for. But the pvp system and the amount of time it requires for this game is simply driving me nuts.

Grinding: **
Personally, I really can't stand the grinding in this game. Just me personally.

Fun: ***
It is really fun to grind with a friend. No, it really is.

Field Trip for AP World Lit

Being an avid student who has enrolls mostly honor or AP classes since freshman year, my opportunity to be included on a field trip is minimal. Hence, I was extremely excited to be on this field trip today. It is my first field trip in three years!! Sounds like blasphemy, I know, but it is true!

Anyways, AP World Lit and AP British Lit traveled to the vicinity of Navy Peer via three buses. Being told to bring my Nintendo DS, Ali Arfeen and I took the liberty to hone our RTS strategy by playing Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. Although we paid the consequences physically through our back pain for the rest of the day, It was definitely worth the suffering.

The play we saw today, contrary to what you may have guessed, is not part of the Shakespeare Production. Rather, it is by Peter Shaffer. Amadeus is the name. Being loosely based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Amadeus was inspired by Mozart and Salieri, a short play by Aleksandr Pushkin and later adapted into an opera of the same name by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Shaffer then adapted the play for a film released in 1984.

I was quite surprised but pleased by the appropriate usage of foul language. Through some actions that is completely out of the league of the field known as common sense, the actors vividly brought laughters and smiles in the atmosphere and successfully kept our attention throughout the entire play. Which, if I may say, is an extraordinary feat. I strongly recommend this play to anyone because the play itself definitely made the field trip completely worth it.

On the downside, we didn't get to stay outside in Navy Peer for too long because the play itself is about a little over three hours. With that said, that left us about 15 min to walk around Navy Peer under the beautiful sky and fantastic wind after we ate our food with much haste. Nonetheless, it is quite nice to take a day off from school and enjoy ourselves. I feel refreshed and ready to roll once again for the hard days ahead ^_^

Really, Why Do I Deserve This?

So my mood just reached its rock bottom once again. But really, nowadays nothing good is happening at all. In its place, a series of unfortunate events constantly take its toll on me. I feel like I am going insane and I don't know how long I will be able to keep my sanity in check. I need nationals to arrive sooner. I need a way to unleash all these bullshit of life, and nationals seems to be the best way to do it since I usually don't get to participate in a match nowadays due to the fact that my team usually wins before it's my turn. Beside, there is someone I must personally kill with my own hands, for the sake of my friend, my mom, and for myself.

Reminiscence

So, a quarter of my last year in Hinsdale Central is done. Just yesterday I received my report card. To my dismay, this is the first time in all my years in high school that i finally broke the curse of 5.4 gpa. This quarter I received a gpa of 5.6. I do feel quite accomplished, yet at the same time it seems like the grades I obtained are meaningless. With most of my college applications submitted, I find school work almost next to pointless. But because it already is an established routine, I continue to work and study as if I am a freshman all over again.

A lot has happened in this past quarter. First of all, with unbelievable diligence, I finished most of my college applications. All that are left are two or three schools which my aunt and uncle want me to submit against my personal will. But I have until...January? But really I will probably just take my sweet time. Honestly, I just want to go to UIUC because I know I can blend in there quite nicely. However, I also want to go to a college where I can have a fresh start. So even if I do get into UIUC, I may give it a second thought.

With that said, I am slowly shifting my focus back to my school work. Senior year's workload is surprisingly light compare to that of junior year. Maybe because of AP US...which took like 90% of my work time...but hey, at least I get to be the bitch and asked the teacher to curve my 98% to a 99% semester grade just so I can see that + sign on my report card...o ya...I definitely take my liberty to do so..and it worked ^_^

As my friends and I slowly conclude our college application process, we are finally getting together to formulate a routine for the variety show. As many of you might have known already, there is a tryout for the show. So, even though the show itself is happening toward the end of January next year, we must have a solid routine by the end of November so we can have time to perfect it for the coming up tryout. As of now, we are pretty screwed. We still need to teach the basic footworks and steps to most of the members. We haven't even decide on the music which we are going to use yet! Man...this is the one time which procrastination is my sworn enemy...Ah well, I hope this can be done very soon too.

With days of despair in search for my own entertainment until Starcraft 2 is released, I heard a great news! RF Online is coming back, sponsored directly by CCR! The game will be back 3 days before the result of my UIUC application is announced!! I really can't wait! It has been awhile since I touched any real time strategy genre games. I remembered the good old days when I was a general in an ancient clan known as Clan K9 in its Starcraft and Diablo II branches...ah..good old days. Only the good days during middle school was I able to play it as much as my heart desires. I wonder if I will be able to recall the me back when I was ranked 9th in U.S. West Ladder in Starcraft when I start to play Starcraft II. Man, I can feel the blood boiling in my veins ^_^

So much has happened. And I really don't know what to make out of it. With nationals approaching as well, I am getting very nervous. I still have so much I want to amend in my life. With the limited amount of time I have left, I really don't know what to do to maximize it. In a sense, I am wasting my time right now to write this blog post. But I feel like this has to be done. This is the only place where I can speak out my thoughts without fear or restriction. I plan to continue to post blog posts every day during the nationals. I can only pray that all ends well....may God help me amend the scar in my heart.

Brave Heart

So I finally managed to find this song which I LOVED since childhood.
My first encounter with this song was because of an awesome anime series known as Digimon Adventures. Honestly, this song is way better than the one that is being used in America. Why can't those media people just learn from those clever Japanese..sigh

anyhow, below is the lyrics to the song. This song was also the very first song which I learned to sing along while playing guitar. I simply can't emphasize enough how I love this song!



BRAVE HEART
If given a second, anyone can give up and run So just keep on walking ,something only you can do
So that this blue planet doesn't lose it's light
show me your brave heart.
Seize the dreams you had!
Protect your beloved friends!
You can become stronger!
Unknown power dwells in your heart, when its fire is lit.
Any wish, it's true.
Will surely be granted...show me your brave heart
Not every day is sunny, so sometimes
Even though a cold rain is falling, just open your umbrella
There's no map of how to live, that's why we're free.
You can go anywhere, how me your brave heart Run faster than the wind!
Aim farther than the skies!
You can meet a new you!
Unknown courage sleeps in your heart, and when you realize.
The downpour in your heart
Will surely stop...show me your brave heart
Believe in your heart Seize the bright tomorrow! Protect the ones you love!
You can become stronger!
Break that weak self!
Destroy the walls blocking you!
The warm beat of your heart will be your weapon
Believe in your heart!

Recent Days

I finally turned 18 a few days ago. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this event. On one hand, I am really happy that I am now considered as legal adult and is now able to fully access individual rights as a U.S. citizens. On the other hand, I feel extremely sad that I am now an adult. It is really hard to identify the root of this negativity. Even now, after hours of dwelling on this matter, I am still unable to fully understand this.

To start the series of mischief, a humorous "incident" happened during 9th period. Although the announcement of postponing the test during that period was like a gift from heaven, I could not stop wondering why only the left side of my face was going through allergic reactions. My left eye continued to tear while only my left nostril was suffering with extreme itching. I had to stop breathing for numerous instants to prevent myself from sneezing my eyeballs out. It was not until near the end of the period did I find out why. A friend of mine sitting right next to me had cat fur all over his shirt and jacket....Good god....So the day went downhill from there.

After school on Friday, things just took a turn for the worse. Personally, I don't mind the spectators watching Midnight Rave practice. However, Friday just went overboard. There were simply too many people watching us practice while throwing down commentaries. I found that a little annoying..but hey at least they left about an hour later. Ah well...not like we were going to actually work on a routine anyway.

Well, a certain someone decided to just continue not to talk to me despite my effort. Honestly, I can still say I care, but as of now, hatred is winning this metaphoric tug of war. Quite honestly, I am actually welcoming this feeling. Anything to get my head out of this futile effort...anything...

Sadist

Ya, so lately I have been labelled as a sadist. Honestly, I don't give a shit about what you guys think. Want to label me as chink while ur at it? Bastard? Good-for-nothing useless human trash that only uses up human resources? GOT ANY OTHER GREAT IDEAs YOU DUMB LOW EXPECTATIONAL MOTHERFUCKERS?!?!?!?

Midnight Rave's 2nd Official Performance @ Pep Rally

As the title suggested, we had our official 2nd performance in our homecoming pep rally today. Although notified at last minute, we managed to put up a respectful routine. Because of the SAT testing schedule last Saturday, we did not practice or run the planned routine once whatsoever. In fact, the routine itself wasn't even finished until the very last minute right before the pep rally. Honestly, they could have notify our involvement sooner than they did this time....

What really sucked about our performance today was the fact that we could NOT hear the music AT ALL. We could hear the slight tremor of air waves in the atmosphere full of thundering cheers from the audience. However, due to some technical reasons, the music started to have static sound effect implemented and completely ruined the music. Us, as an experienced performers, had absolutely no way of following our original routine because our routine was heavily based on the beat of the music, which we could not detect with our greatest effort. Sooooooooooo......we resorted to what we do best: BSING.

Thankfully enough, they asked us to RAVE in the pep rally, not breakdancing. If it was breakdancing that we were asked to do, then we would be completely screwed head over heels. However, no matter what we do with our glowsticks, it will always bring a sense of phantomness along with flashy photon patterns. Therefore, BSING seems like an obvious and immediate yet sufficient solution to our problem. The only problem left was the ending. In the end, without noticing the music finally was ending, we continued to rave until no sound can be heard at all. Then we simply thanked the audience by bowing or waving. Oddly enough, people enjoyed our mystic performance despite the crappiness of it ^_^

We gotta do better than we did this time, I know we got the potential to, it's just that we didn't ge the chance to show it. With only a minute and twenty seconds to perform, we couldn't really demonstrate what made us known as Midnight Rave. Ah well, I guess we will ge the chance to redeem ourselves in the Variety Show....O man...gotta start making routines for it. ^_^

稻香 - 周杰伦

So I finally get to listen to one of Jay Chou's newest piece of work. By far, this song is my personal favorite. Translated to "Fragrant Rice", this song not only has catchy tunes, but it also has inspirational and very touching lyrics. I guess I know what to do to kill time now for the next few months: learn this song on acoustic and sing along with it. ^_^

對這個世界如果你有太多的抱怨
If you have too many grievances towards this world,

跌倒了就不敢繼續往前走
Having fallen, you lose the courage to go on

為什麼人要這麼的脆弱 墮落
Why do people want to be so weak and fallen?

請你打開電視看看
Please turn on the television now and see for yourself

多少人為生命在努力勇敢的走下去
So many people bravely fighting for their lives

我們是不是該知足
Shouldn’t we be content,

珍惜一切　就算沒有擁有
Cherish all we have, even if we don’t possess them

＊還記得你說家是唯一的城堡
I still remember you said home is your only castle

隨著稻香河流繼續奔跑
Following the paddy fragrance, the flowing stream, I continued running

微微笑　小時候的夢我知道
Smile, I know the childhood dreams

不要哭讓螢火蟲帶著你逃跑
Don’t cry, let the fireflies take you away, escaping

鄉間的歌謠永遠的依靠
You will always find serenity in folk songs

回家吧　回到最初的美好＊
Go home, return to the sweet past

不要這麼容易就想放棄　就像我說的
Don’t give up so easily, just like what I said,

追不到的夢想　換個夢不就得了
If the dream can’t be reached, then just follow another dream

為自己的人生鮮艷上色
Add bright colours to your own life

先把愛塗上喜歡的顏色
Paint LOVE in your favourite colour

笑一個吧　功成名就不是目的
Smile, fame and success isn’t the aim

讓自己快樂快樂這才叫做意義
Be happy. That is the whole meaning

@ 童年的紙飛機　現在終於飛回我手裡
(Just like how) I finally found my lost childhood innocence

＃所謂的那快樂　赤腳在田裡追蜻蜓追到累了
What is happiness? It’s chasing dragonflies in the fields barefooted till we’re exhausted

偷摘水果被蜜蜂給叮到怕了　誰在偷笑呢
Tried to steal fruits but suffered so much bee stungs until i am scared. Who’s snickering (at me)?

我靠著稻草人吹著風唱著歌睡著了
Leaning against the scarecrow, enjoying the wind, singing songs till I fall asleep

哦　哦　午後吉他在蟲鳴中更清脆
Oh~ Oh~ In the afternoon, the guitar chords sound more crisp amidst the cries of the insects

哦　哦　陽光灑在路上就不怕心碎
Oh~ Oh~ The sunlight shines on the road so there’s no need to fear a heartbreak

珍惜一切　就算沒有擁有＃
Cherish everything, even if we don’t possess them

Game Review #2 - RF Online

Rising Force, RF for short, is perhaps one of the best mmorpgs I have ever played. Unfortunately, due to the failed attempt to renew the contract with the Korean main branch, RF Online will be shutting down for both North America and Europe on November 10th, 2008. It is very sad to hear the destruction of such great game. Nonetheless, I believe this game still deserves to have a review. Who knows, maybe another company will run RF Online in due time. If such thing happens, I will be sure to return to this game.

Now, what makes this game so unique and special? This mmorpg is the very first mmorpg which I played that has strong emphasis on the player vs player system. The game evolves the pvp concept to a much larger scene and ultimately motivates player to continue to play. Everyday, there will be 3 wars, known as Chip Wars, between 3 races: Accretian, Bellato, and Cora. The winner of CW will receive not only a race buff while causing the other two races to receive negative buff, or debuff, but they will also gain the advantage of mining in the core for materials that ultimately will be transformed into fortune until the next CW.

Due to the awesomeness of this game, I have created and played nearly every single class in all three races. So therefore, I am quite an experienced player ^_^

The Accretian race, acc for short, is a robot race which has stronger raw power in terms of damage and defense. Their race special is the launcher, available to all acc players. However, only the Striker class will be able to use launcher to its maximm potential.

The Cora race, the elf looking race, place much emphasis on its ability to use magic. Their race special is their animus, or summons. Only Grazier, a branch from the spiritualist tree, and specialists are able to summon these handy creatures to aid them in battle. However, specialists' animuses are smaller and have weaker functions as oppose to the real animus summoned by the Grazier.

The Bellato race, the futuristic dwarves, is my personal favorite race to play. Their ability to pilot Massive Armor Unit, MAU for short, is the race special for the Bellato Race. However, only the Armor Riders, a branch from the specialist tree, is able to pilot them. Nonetheless, Bellato possess much potential and is a race greatly underestimated due to their size.

The main money eater in this game is potions. Potions can cost anywhere from 500k up to a skyrocketed 3 mil for enough potions for a grind run. This may cause some difficulty when trying to save up money, however, this really depends on the player. I did went through some difficulties in saving up money as the game progresses due to the fact that monster damage constantly increases as if your new high level armor has no meaning, forcing players to purchase expensive potions. It is not hard to guess that eventually all players will have to grind to make money.

Each week, there will be a public election for each race to nominate their race leader and archon councils. These special players will obtain special race buffs as well as several other benefits. However, this system, although interesting, often causes turmoil and political scandals within the game. Thus, disrupting the general peace within the race. However, I do love this unique election system.

As the game progresses, player will have be exposed more and more to players of different races. Thus, increase the chances of being killed on site. This predatoring behavior often causes frustrations and complaints within the race. Eventually, such resentment transform into motivation for players to become stronger and taste the sweetness of revenge. Ultimately, RF became more of a political game than a regular mmorpg.

If not for the fact that RF is going to be discontinued, I would have still stick with it. It is really a shame that such great game is destroyed due to some failure in negotiation. Nonetheless, I do hope that this game will return in the near future with lots of promises that this game is currently providing to the Asia continent. Rest in peace, RF Online, for you serve me greatly as a valuable source of entertainment.

Rating: 8.5/10 - a very delicate and awesome game with contents.

Grind: 5/10 - some people may find it grindy. Personally, I don't find grinding all that bad in this game because you have to constantly scan around your map for potential raiders and dangers.

Fun: 9/10 - With the conflicts between the 3 rising powers of the universe, you will never be bored.

At Long Last, I See the Finishing Line

I am officially done with all the standardized tests in my high school career. As I think back on this long journey, it is quite hard to believe that I am already a senior. It seems like yesterday when I was in Mrs. Gabric's Biology-H class during freshman year first period. IT has been quite an exhilarating journey, full of sweet and sorrow experiences.

With only the college applications left, I suddenly feel very old. I am about to 18 years old, legally an adult in the United States. I can't really explain this feeling I have, it seems to consist of both sorrow and happiness. Well, with only a little more than a semester left of high school...life seems both hopeful and depressing...sigh. I wish I can be more optimistic than I already am.

The Beginning of the Final Year of Midnight Rave

Fortunately enough, Midnight Rave was included in this month's Devil's Advocate issue. What's more? I somehow made it to the front cover! Ya...not exactly the best picture of me, but I feel that the picture itself is making a statement. For years, Midnight Rave has to walk under the shadow and be pushed around by school-sponsored programs. Now, with us becoming noticeable enough to make it into the school magazine, I believe we will finally deserve some respect for what we do and enjoy.

I am really happy about the following features of the article:

1) It includes the fact that revealed the limitation of our practice ground.
2) It features the truth from last year's ethnic fair in the time line.
3) It attempts to draw new recruit(s).

Honestly, I am a tired of being constantly removed from the cafeteria, where we always practice. Well, I can't really argue that we should stay when the football team needs to use the cafeteria for the team meeting. However, when we resort to the 40 x 40 in the field house, it extremely irritates us that we are not allowed to utilize it, even though it is not occupied at this time of the year. The teacher uses the excuse that he doesn't want us to "get hurt". Honestly, I do not see how practicing on the 40 x 40 is ANY SAFER than practicing on cement floor. Since we can't really argue for the access of 40 x 40 due to the lack of a sponsor, we constantly have to risk our necks and bones to learn moves. Ah well, no pain no gain, as people always say.

Now to address number 2....ya...I did not intend for it to be published because it seems like a direct attack on Sra. Pohlman, who I deeply respect and like. However, it is still true that we only had one afternoon to make up a routine for the event in the following day. We would like to make sure that stuff like that will NEVER happen again....

As the article mentiond, Midnight Rave is really lacking new members. It would be such a shame to terminate Midnight Rave after us...afterall, we did promise the precedents that we would continue the tradition....*sigh*

Well, at least we are about to have our debut of the year on Monday! 2nd official appearance in the pep rally! Can't really say the timing is good because SAT II is also happening on Saturday, leaving us almost no time to prepare even though they did give us a few days ahead of notice....

Ah well, we will do what we can. Midnight Rave ftw!

Game Review #1 - Silkroad Online

So I have decided to write reviews of games which I played and enjoyed for a time period. I figure this is also another great usage of the blog =P

So the first post will be a mmorpg known as Silkroad Online, created by Joymax. I first started playing this game because Alex Sun, my good friend, invited me to play along with his other friends. I had a blast with this game for nearly a year, until I can no longer take the bots population in game. However, the beautiful scenary of SRO is undeniably one of the best among mmorpg.

The game is currently divided into two factions: European and Asian. According to rumor, there will soon be an Arabian faction, but I already quit the game so I can care less =P.

All characters will otain stat points when leveled. Players can choose to invest into either the int stat or the str stat. The higher the int stat, the higher the magical damage and defense. Similarly, the higher the str stat, the higher the physical damage and physical defense.

The Asian faction is a very versatile and flexible race. With no potion usage delay, the Asian faction has noticeable advantage over the European race in terms of solo capability. For players following the int route, players will choose to use sword, spear, and bow. Players following the str route, however, mainly uses blade, glaive, and bow. Bow is an unique weapon that can truly bring out the potential of both int and str players. Hence, many hybrids choose the path of Pacheon, or bow.

The European faction, on the other hand, is extremely systematic and very organized. Although the capability of soloing is clearly no match to the Asian race due to the huge potion usage delay, the European race can easily out damage the Asian faction. However, the true strength of the European race lies not within the individual damage, but within the strength of team play. As mentioned before, the European race is very systematic and organized. That is because each class has a very distinguish role in a party and is specifically designed to for party play. Warriors are made to be tanks of the party while dishing out moderate amount of damage; healers are there for buffs and healing spells; and mages/rogues are designed to dish out extreme damage. An European party that includes every European class is truly an efficient and unstoppable party.

Now, in order for a character to learn or upgrade a skill, it must have sufficient amount of skill points. The only way to earn skill points is to kill monsters in game. Thus, the grinding part of this game became involved. Not only will you grind for money and items, you will also grind for enough skill points in order to upgrade or learn a skill. In other words, this game requires INTENSE amount of grinding.

Now the unique part about this game is the job system. To obtain the occupation, one must join the job league of that occupation. You are allowed to join only ONE job league. If you want to join another job league, you must leave the current league in order to do so. In this game, there are three occupations: Traders, thieves, and hunters.

Traders obtain job experiences by, well, doing trade runs. Trade runs involve players buying goods from local merchant and travel to distance towns and sell those goods for net profit. The longer the distance, the better the profit. Needless to say, also higher the risk. Traders will encounter both npc and player thieves that will attempt to steal the goods. Hence, player thieves are usually high level players. However, the hunter job is here to save the traders from complete annihilation. Hunters are usually high level players that protect traders on a trade run. They gain job experiences by killing both player and npc thieves. Of course, most player hunters would refuse to accompany player traders unless high rewards are involved.

There is one additional feature of this game that has been recently implemented into the game. The castle war. I do not know the detail because I have never experienced it, but as far as I know, it's basically a massive guild vs guild battle for the control of a town. The winner will be able to set taxes and gain glory as well as obtain some awesome armory/weapon award.

Overall, the only thing that turned me away from this game is the high population of bots. Generally speaking, it would take YEARS to hand grind your way to level 100, currently the highest level possible in game. However, the beautiful scenary and great pvp combat makes this game one of the best mmorpg I have experienced.

Rating: 7.5/10
Grind: 9.5/10 - very grindy
Fun: 7/10

One down, two more to go

At last, with the final ACT score displayed, I am officially done with the ACT business. It was quite surprising, for I felt absolutely devastated about it two weeks ago. I guess God finally gave me his smile for once.

Nonetheless, the joy is only temporarily. Why? Because I still have to cram for the coming up SAT II subject tests for biology and chemistry, which is happening next Saturday. Biology shouldn't be much of a problem due to my very recent exposure to the materials as well as the amount of practice I have had via variable resources. However, chemistry is a completely different story. I am not in a chemistry class, nor was I exceptionally good at it when I was in it sophomore year. I barely got my A- in that class at the end of my sophomore year.

Anyhow, only two more weeks of studying hell then things will bright up a little. With all the testing done, only the college application process is left. Senior year is starting to get a little better...at least...in this aspect of it...

I wish I have a choice

As many of you who are acquainted with me already, you would know that I am a little...well...what people think as "emo". Not that I am extremely emotionally depressed, it's just that my thinking is not exactly the most positive out there. Of course, my friends and I already have several inside jokes relating to the general emo connotations...fun times ^_^

As I was saying earlier in my very first post, I try to find time every now and then to write about my thoughts and feelings as ways to unload some baggage in my life. Well, today is one of those days. With my final SAT II subject tests coming up in two weeks and barely prepared for it, I am pretty much screwed. Ya, I know what you are thinking. I should have started earlier. Well, as matter of fact, I did. It's just that I did not find the time to sit down and review the materials which I supposedly revisited my first time around. So here I am, extremely stressed about the upcoming tests and college applications as well as school grades. As if that is not enough, I have another problem that is giving me some very painful times: Girls.

Ya, I admit that I went overboard. I fell too deep for this girl who is only a year younger than me. When we finally broke up nearly 6 months ago, I didn't know what to do when she was crying. I wanted to cry too, but that wouldn't help the situation. We didn't break up because we lost the feelings, but we broke up due to some external reasons which shall remain confidential.
However, my mind became even more attached to her than before. Even now, whenever I see her during school hours, I would feel a little sore in my chest. It has been freaking 6 months, yet I still cannot dismiss my feelings. I really wish I have a choice to tell my heart to stop the nonsense and move on, as many of my friends have suggested. The problem is, I simply can't, I do not know the reason.

We continued to talk on the phone until school started again. As a senior, I have many college applications and many other stuff to deal with. As a junior, her life will be really stressful due to the workload of typical juniors in Hinsdale Central have. She stopped calling a week into school, which is understandable. Since we ended our relationship, I didn't expect her to call me. However, what I cannot tolerate or endure is the fact that she acts very cold to me. I don't know what I have done to deserve the treatment. She knows very well that I still want to be by her side, she knows it. But she acts as if she no longer cares and starts treating me with coldness so cold that could penetrate the warmth of a jacket.

I am just being a paranoid you might say? Ya, I guess I am being a paranoid. However, that doesn't change the fact that it bothers me to no end. Her bright and hopeful smile will suddenly be replaced with a blank face whenever she notices my presence. Such action itself is extremely painful to me. I really don't know what I have done to deserve such treatment. Even though I confronted her about it, she merely dismisses it using homework and stress as excuses. I don't think stress can turn someone's smile into a cold stare in a matter of seconds. What have I done?

*sigh* I really wish I can move on, but my heart simply won't let me. Why? I have plenty of potential girls to choose from, yet my heart is set on this one. What is so special about her? Why can't I stop thinking about her so much? If only I know the answer....

As mentioned, this post mainly serves to unload my baggage because a misunderstanding just happened between her and I. I tried to amend it immediately but she signed off before I could. I don't know how to climb out of this emotional torture anymore...may God be with me.

-Joe Peng

TAF 2008 Reflection

Due to the awesomeness and meaningful blog made by Eric Kao, I decided to give it a try. Why? Well, honestly writing is never really a big thing to me. However, I see it as a way for me to better reminisce the past week I spent at TAF.

What is TAF? TAF stands for Taiwanese American Foundation and it gathered younger generation Taiwanese American people from all over the United States annually. It is a camp which allows the Taiwanese American people to share their past experiences as well as opinions while learn more about the theme of each year. The themes of TAF revolved around four topics: Identity, ethics & values, leadership, and communication. This year, the theme was IDENTITY.

I like Eric's way of dividing his blog, so I will also do the same. Honestly, I would absolutely love to do a play-by-play reflection, but that would take forever and I don't have that much time because of my workload. With that said, let's get started!

POST TAF THOUGHTS

I honestly think that this past week was the best week of my life. Being a first year camper at TAF, I was very nervous that I would be left out. I felt very uneasy on the bus and started to worry about the image and dominant impression that I wanted to give to people. However, these immature thoughts got obliterated in my mind almost instantaneously when I stepped into the Youth dorm. I saw a group of Taiwanese American stood in a gigantic circle playing some sort of shouting game which consists of WHAT, OK, and YEAH. The point of the game being to be able to say those three words in the most exaggerated way possible. My first thought was, "What the hell? This is stupid."

However, as time passed, I gradually understand why people acted the way they did at TAF, and eventually conformed myself to follow the way of the TAF community. After all, TAF is a place for us to relax rather than another source of external pressure. By doing so, I feel like this past week of bliss went by almost too fast. The schedule consisted of a series of serious speaker sessions and physical activities all the way from 8:30 am to around 10:00 pm. With the curfew at 11:00pm, that allowed only one hour of free time. However, usually I would be so tired at the end of the day to care too much about free time anyhow. Nonetheless, the exhausted feeling was refreshing and satisfying. Why? Because I know that the exhaustion that I felt was because I had too much fun.

SPEAKER SESSIONS/WORKSHOPS

This year, the speaker was Vivian Hsu. To be honest, the speaker session turned out to be a little bit disappointing because I learned little about myself from her. One would expect that an hour and a half each day from Tuesday to Friday would be acquainted with some, if not more, understanding of oneself. But I didn't. The speaker basically was simply imposing her own believes on us rather than attempting to help us reveal our own identities. Nonetheless, I don't see her as a bad person. Just that she is teaching the wrong crowd.

SMALL GROUP

So, this is something new. Each year, campers at TAF would be divided into several small groups which will be led by two counselors. My small group consists of Eric Kao, Andrew Kuo, Alison Yang, Chelsea Liu, Jessica Shen, Travis Overton, myself, and two awesome counselors: Godwin Chen and Jing Wang.

As a first group camper, I went in without knowing what I had gotten myself into. I only expected that small group time would be spending into reinforcing the speaker's daily lessons. O boy, I had never been so wrong in my life.

Yes, we did discuss a lot about the lessons that the speaker had to offer, but most of the time we played games and shared our life experiences while creating a group name and group representation. Interestingly enough, our group this year is named “Zodemon in the time of Opium War”. How we got to that point? I forgot. All I remember was the fun time we had thinking of a skit for it. Special thanks to the baby powder which Godwin owns…without it, the skit would be incomplete….lololololololo

lol.

It was also like a baggage dumpster. And I have to say, it felt good to let it out. I honestly don't think I can ask for a better group!

ROOMMATE

This was another thing I was nervous about. I feared the possible awkwardness which may occur, but never did. I was roomed with Jason Lai from Ohio. He was an outgoing person with many personality traits which resemble my own. We would often talk to each other about our days at TAF and our lives back at home. It was quite a mind-opening experience.

Just a side note. On the very first day we arrived at Manchester College, it was tradition for people to be tied with random people for the first meal. I think it was to force you to learn teamwork and force you to be acquainted with new people. Coincidentally, Jason and I were tied together

Ever since the Tea House party on Wednesday, Jason was dying to learn how to rave after seeing Mark Chen and I rocked the house that night. So, as a token of friendship, I decided to teach him what I know. I have to say I was shocked by his potential. In the a few hours, he learned butterfly, weave, and almost a complete set of arm-wraps. Quite good if you ask me.

LITTLE SIB

Some background information is needed before I can go any further for this. So basically, people in the Youth and College programs will each be assigned to one or two "little siblings" from the Junior or Junior High programs. Throughout the week, the siblings will interact with each other in several programs and have time to bond with each other to establish a good “sibling-like” relationship.

My very first sib is Kyleen Jan. She is very sweet and was very patient with me when I had to take care of some stuff. She expressed intense interest in raving after the demonstration given by Mark Chen and me. So I spent about 90% of the time of Wednesday night’s party teaching her like Alex Sun taught me. Although the music and the atmosphere were calling for me to join the rest of the crowd, the simple smile of self-satisfaction on Kyleen’s face was enough for me that night. It was time well-invested. We also had a blast during the annual water fight, which was a massive free-for-all, anything-goes water festival and it was simply the most wonderful thing ever. If there was one regret, it would be that I wore a white shirt to that….anyhow; I hope that she had a good time with me because I was very scared to have a little sib….

SWING CHOIR and CHOIR

So each program, except for the college program, had to dance a choreographed routine each year in TAF Night. TAF Night was basically a mini talent show for the parents and other programs. Although the dance was definitely weird, it was really fun to learn and dance along with the peers. I do have to say that the routine demonstrated by the staff members were definitely the BEST lololololol…goodness how many times did I lololololol? Lololololol is my small group’s group chant =P

As for Choir, every program will choose a song to sing while modify the lyrics to make it somehow related to TAF. This year, the Youth program chose “The World’s Greatest” by R. Kelly. I am not really a big fan of R. Kelly, but this song was extremely touching and very very very good. It’s one of my favorite songs now. With many musical talents in the Youth program, the song was implemented with extra-crispy melodious sensation that is very hard to describe. Joshua Lin, perhaps the most talented musician I have ever met in my life yet, grasped the tunes of the song on piano without a music sheet by simply hearing it a few times; Kevin Tang and Bronson’s finger-breaking guitar skills never ceased to amaze me; and Alison’s solid beat boxing skills guided the rest of the crew with well-timed beat and gave a formidable taste of modern touch definitely made the song the world’s best.

OTHER FUN STUFF

TAF also has two or three parties each year. Those parties took place in the Union Room, or the cafeteria of Manchester College. With Jason Hsu, my stepbrother-in-law as DJ, Mark Chen and I raved our hearts out while having a blast with other bboys at TAF. It felt great to rave next to Mark Chen because it reminded me of all the good times we had when he was still part of Midnight Rave. He still is and always will be, even though he won’t be physically performing with us in the Hinsdale Central Variety Show.

So there are several other traditions of TAF that I have not mentioned until now. I will start with the last day of TAF. Apparently if anyone dares to sleep on the night before departure, be prepared for a ton of scrubbing on your face the moment u wake up. Because people will doodle on you if you sleep! On the very last night of TAF, my small group moved our own bad mattresses into a small staff resident room. Although not the entire group was there because Alison had to leave that night for softball tryouts, we had a great time discussing about TCs and other stuff and were definitely stuffed with pizzas and other junk food.

Oh right, I haven’t explained what TCs are. TC stands for TAF crush. It’s another one of those traditions of TAF. Basically you are expected to have a crush on someone at TAF. Yes, even if you don’t have one, you WILL have one by last night of TAF. Interestingly enough, I turn out to be my TC’s TC. As for who, I won’t tell. If you really wanna know, make me.

FINAL THOUGHTS

At long last, this blog has come to an end. I really don’t have a final thoughts or wrap-ups for this blog simply because I don’t want this memory to have a period mark at the end of it. To me, this TAF experience is very valuable and will always be treasured deep in my memory bank. And I want it to continue to flow back to me until TAF 2009. From now on, I will always be labeled as TAFer, and I am damn proud of it.

I am a blogger now!

I have been thinking about making an online blog for a long time, but never really had the time to do it until now. There are simply too much going on in my life that I think I should put into words in attempt to soothe my emotions. Whether it's school, college applications, girls, and whatnot, it all brings about tremendous amount of stress to my senior year in high school. Honestly, I find it awkward and embarrassed to talk about some of the matters mentioned. However, I see it as a way for me to dump the internal pressure through an external mean. Thus, I finally decided to make a blog.

There is so much to say, yet so little time to do it... >.<

I will mainly write my blog entries on weekends due to the impossible daily schedule of weekdays. However, I doubt my chance to write another journal entry until after October 4th, which is when I will be taking my last two standarized tests: SAT II for biology and chemistry. God...I really don't have a good feeling about this....mainly because I honestly think I did way worse on the ACT which I took last weekend....gahhhhh I hate this time of my life....

Anyhow, I just finished writing my epic paper for my AP World Literature class. The paper was assigned today and due tommorrow...ya..kinda ridiculous. Nonetheless, I finally managed to finish it and here I am blogging...lololololol. For starters, I will start transferring some notes I wrote on my facebook to here as a blog entry.

Hope you guys will enjoy my blog! Thank you for taking your time to read my blog!

^_^

~Joe Peng