my current obsession♥

Marimo (毬藻) aka Cladophora ball or Moss Ball

“A marimo is a rare growth form of the species where algae grows into large green balls with a velvety appearance. Colonies of such balls are known only to form in Iceland, Japan and Estonia” – Wikipedia

Marimo are said to bring blessings and grants wishes to people.

Legend in Japan tells of how the daughter of a chief fell in love with a commoner but when the elders rejected of their relationship, the two gave up their honor and fortunes to be together by drowning in a river. It is said that the marimo is the shape of their happiness and the proof of their everlasting love.

Hopefully, when I go on to Hokkaido this winter break, I will be able to visit Lake Akan where these close to extinct marimos live .

(X)

Everyone is a damsel in distress.

Dear Friends

Last week was just horrible.
I would complain about my stupidity.
I would stress over how to raise my grades.
I would thrash out at people as a result.

But over the weekend, I had what some may call an attitude change.
This is usual for me especially because I have a tendency to notice what I had done wrong.
Only if I can keep up with my words though.

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あみねこ〃★

Finally finished.

Amineko #1 has been completed after couple of excruciating days.
(sweat and red fingers included)

One of a kind in the entire world.

…

One of my life’s goal has been complete w00t.
(Though the scarf’s completely ruined lol)

Now if I can only get my hands on a Canon EOS…

P.S. このあみ猫わもうアメリカにいる私のお姉さんに遅れてしまったんですけど、やっぱり時間があれば、私のためにもう一人のあみねこを作りたいです。ヽ(・ε・｀~
あの表情はとても可愛いと思いませんか？それじゃ、ただ私だけなのかい？
まあー今年はテストばかりで集中しなきゃならないんだから、私が卒業した後しか時間がないんだ。。。
やれやれ～。

Junior ‘09-10 Blabbers.

We always wondered how Junior year would be like.
How the heck would we be able to handle the stress?
Would we turn out like the last year juniors?
Or would we really transform into dark-circled eye zombies?

It’s been 3 weeks into the school year. But it feels like it’s been 3 months.
The usual multiple tests/quiz/projects for each class on the exact same day routine fails to cede.
But this year is the one where stress doubles with adults nagging about what your going to do with your future (not to mention the red deadline dates on calenders).

Really, it’s so tiring.

It’s not because we procrastinate (compared to last year).
It’s not because we take an unusually long time finishing up assignments.
It’s not because we’re just physically/mentally exhausted because we’re ‘growing up.’

In my opinion, I think it’s too much expectations from people around us.
Because we worked our asses off  for previous years and set up this whole ‘oh, we have high expectations from the ‘11 students because we heard so many good things about you.’
As a result, if we don’t have time to finish up something and we end up doing it without much effort, our grades plummet.

Junior year is marked with ‘it’s not effort- it’s your skill’ quote.
Even though we work so hard like we did, the results are rarely satisfying.

How much further do we need to kill ourselves?
How many more months do we need to stay up?
When will this all end?

Oh, I’m oh-so-dreading the upcoming 9 months of school.

The 2009 AP Biology Exam

It’s still a wonder that this exam was over just yesterday (May 11). But before my brain decides that it doesn’t need such memories and starts “erasing,” I decided to write my reflection now (omg no procrastinating?).

I guess I still have that pre-AP Biology study paranoia going on since I somehow managed to study for my math test for 5 hours straight.

Arrived at school with Alice at 7:20 was it?
Hands glued to the Barron’s AP Biology Prep 2008 book.
Seeing others with their own personal stack of Prep books.
Eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
And cramming till the last second before entering the Mini Auditorium.

On Saturday, Alice and I were able to stay up till 3 am to almost finish our prep books and jam the vocabulary-filled pages into our heads. Even though a majority of the teachers warned us that we would not be able to learn and process anything new the weekend before the exam, I proved it wrong .
Though cramming was wrong, I think this high glucose (or was it epinephrine/noepinephrine?) level somehow helped maintain about 80% of what I read; much better than what I usually do on normal days.

On Sunday, I procrastinated worked my hardest to finish up my studies and went through 4 practice exams. Retrying the Sparknotes practice exam and getting a score I never thought possible really boosted up my confidence and made me go shrieking as if I got a 5 on the real exam. But that mood was soon ripped apart after the Barrons practice exams.

During the real AP exam, I had a stomachache (but it sure wasn’t butterflies).
But I also started to realize that the questions on the exam were about the same level as the Sparknotes exam and began to feel skeptical at how ‘easy’ it seemed.
I omitted 3 but managed to finish 20 minutes before and have time to almost finish looking over.
The essay section was brutal: I literally wrote for the entire 90 minutes (unlike the practice ones during class in which I simply sit there looking at the blank page).

Overall, it was an easy exam because it was way lower leveled than I expected (cough Barron level cough).
But that doesn’t make it an easy one because stupid mistakes always seem to haunt me.
And another problem is that because the majority of my intellectual AP classmates thought it was easy, the curve for the score will most likely be extremely high (I assume 80 or something that ridiculous).
So glad that hormones, nervous system, and plant hormones did not come out (though the nephron section killed me).

All we can hope now is for a passing grade (well not all of us).

Couple of notes&tips after all that is over:

• Sleep.
• If you must, cram two nights before; not directly the night before.
• Time management is crucial (the supervisor is not going to warn you that it’s 30 seconds before the exam is over).
• Don’t underestimate the exam.
• Plan out all homework/projects/videos and prepare early rather than pushing them aside and getting your nose hurt.
• Erasers Erasers Erasers Erasers Erasers (Alena is my savior).
• Try to maintain the pre-AP paranoia because it sure helps for normal school days
• I never felt such a strong connection to a book before.
• I’ll miss AP Biology (it’s not even over yet!)

PS: Wish luck to all you AP World History students taking it this thursday!

D-3

3 days till the AP Biology Test and what am I doing here sitting and pleasantly writing a blog post?
Cause I wanted to preserve this pre-AP Test paranoia within my blog.
(That’s sure sounds like Eungi)

The first ever AP Test that I will have taken will be over in 3 days.
The chaos, the effort, and the nightmare will simply disappear in 72 hours.

But why is it that my heart doesn’t scream in panic and my eyes don’t go frantic over the words of my prep book?
Why is it that I don’t feel anxious or regretful about not studying at all?
(maybe all those posts about how failing something isn’t going to end your life really got to me).

On the other hand, it just seems surreal.
My mind just doesn’t accept the fact that the AP test is in 3 days but rather says, “psh, yea right.”

In 3 days, everything starts & ends.
In 3 days, everyone will start burning their biology books.
In 3 days, I’ll be overwhelmed by the other classes and forget about the AP Test.

It’s scary to know that all the effort through out the four quarters of school will simply dissipate as if it never happened. All the information about Kreb cycle, muscle contraction, and the respiration system will feel as if learned simply in one day. It simply doesn’t feel like I had made progress just yet.
It’s hard to believe all that ‘pain-staking’ work will be gone and over with in a single day.

Yes, it’s quite absurd for students to be worrying and literally dying because of a single AP.

But what can one do before the almighty-first-ever-in-High-School AP test?

PS: To all those AP testers out there, I wish you good luck comrad

Schedules are not your doom.

I should have talked about this before. I know.
But procrastination just seems to drag me down with its black arms of doom to nowhere.

Many people ask me:
“What do you think I should take next year?”
“Would this be a good class to take?”
“I heard the teacher sucks though”

Choosing classes is one of the hardest mental tasks that high school students need to endure through their school years. A single check can lead to either a year full of stress or to a year full of fake relaxation (ending up with procrastination and doom).

For a person who spends an hour in the market trying to figure out the best deal on chocolate bars, choosing schedules would seem like a relatively difficult, if not, impossible task.
But for the year 2009-2010, deciding my classes took me at most one day.

Then I started to feel anxious.
I started to wonder if this was really the right class for me.
There were other options out there, other paths I could take.
Did I really want this class? Would I regret it later?

Stop worrying. YOUR LIFE’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE BECAUSE OF ONE SCHEDULE.
(leh gasp!)

Here are some guideline questions you may want to consider before marking in that box:

1. Do you even like the subject?
2. Is it building up towards your next next year or even your major?
3. Are your classes well distributed?
4. Did you talk to the teacher/counselor/parents/friends/neighbors/dogs&cats?
5. Are you taking this class merely because of rumors that said it was easy?
6. Your probably taking this class because your friends are in it? (must leave it as question form)
7. Can you really REALLY handle that AP class without taking the intro?
8. Are you willing to work hard?

High school really you gives you a mere taste of what it’s like to be an adult. Nobody is going to make these choices for you (well they should be doing it anyways). Taking one class over another class isn’t going to be any easier no matter what other people have said about it. It’s your responsibility to gather the most information about the class and it’s your final decision that controls your future.

Make the right choices you won’t regret later.
Then stick to those choices and make the best use of it.
(telling yourself you hate the class isn’t going to make it any better so why not try working hard at least?)
Sometimes, there may just be a reason to the final schedule after all (in my belief).

‘Hello’

Have you ever wondered how far a single ‘hello’ could get?
(Yes, I think about the most random-est things)

Everyday, you probably say ‘hello’ to the people you see (most likely your friends).
They would then wave back and greet you with a smile too.
But imagine, the devastating event that would occur if you…DID NOT SAY HELLO.

Your friends would wonder, ‘is she/he angry at me?’
Your teachers would ponder, ‘is it because I took their cellphone away?’
Your parents would think, ‘must be teenager rebellion.’

But on the other hand, greeting people without even having them on your list of “best-of-the-best-est-to-the-max-est? friends.” Imagine a situation in which a person you barely knew well but were able to distinguish their features through the midst of what is known to be the army of highschoolers greeted you. Your reactions may consist of:

‘oh….kay’
‘do I know him/her?’
‘haha, that’s funny’

Though at first, these reactions do not seem quite happy, it certainly has an effect on yourself. Do people usually have their mood down when others greet them?
No (unless there are complications which I cannot comprehend currently).
In a mixture of confusion, there may be slight amusement and happiness at the fact that there is someone in the world who acknowledges me.
Even the person who says the greeting will feel happy for they were able to accomplish something and actually create a chance for the other to acknowledge them also.
Otherwise, hesitating and eventually walking past with ones face down is certainly disappointing.

Sometimes, we just have to step up and be able to muster up the courage to say ‘hello.’
It’s a hard job, I know.
But it’s certainly a wonder at how such a minuscule action could really have an impact on others.

Have some courage. Go out to the person you don’t even know and say ‘hello’ (just make sure you don’t get taken as a psycho/kidnapper/etc). Every time you miss the chance to greet another, your chance of seeing them again decreases. Really, there’s no risk in saying a simple greeting.

So, ‘hello’

typography

Inspired by opening of Eden of the East (as mentioned in the previous blog post), I decided to write about the style of ‘typography.’

Typography is the art and techniques of arranging type, type design, and modifying type glyphs. Type glyphs are created and modified using a variety of illustration techniques. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing), adjusting the spaces between groups of letters (tracking) and adjusting the space between pairs of letters (kerning). [1]
- directly copied from Wikipedia

Simply said, it is a style that uses words in different styles, size, color, and just about any variation in order to make a work of art (usually in a video format synonymous with music).
For me, typography usually gives a visual representation of the lyrics of a song or dialogues from a book and is just pleasant to watch. It also advertises and helps watchers appreciate what the words are saying better than they would have when reading it in text.

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