Orangina

So the past couple of days was a whirlwind of excitement as I drove 2 days from New Orleans to Pennsylvania. Along the way I ate 36 McNuggets (and swore off McDonalds in the process), got 2 fortunes, heard about a the Great Beaver which will forever be held as a symbol of hope in our dying world, and started reading Ender in Exile, part of the Ender's Game series, one of the deepest books I have ever read.



I stayed at an excellent motel called the Red Roof Inn. On the AAA advertisement, they advertised continental breakfast. There was no such thing. Also, in the middle of the night, I chanced upon a pool of water from the A/C. Great motel.





If you've ever been on a road trip with me, you'd know that my drink of choice is Arizona Green Tea. On the first day, I went through 3 of them, not because they're necessarily the best tasting tea out there, but because they're a tradition that I began starting with my first Hurrication way back before Katrina. I think it was in 1998? But anyways, I found these amusing new tea brands which are obviously modeled directly off of Arizona Green Tea. This Tea Brand, however, was called Peace Tea and advertised a peace sign along with a very green can- at least two of the people were also dressed in green. Foreshadow something? Yeah. But the signs on the can were curious in that "Question Authority" and "Be Your Own Master" were the only two signs available on this can that called for Peace. This is in fact interesting, cause I would think that these two ideas would lead to conflict, rather than peace. Well, in the simplest case I suppose.




After crossing into the great land of West Virginia, my parents decided to stop at the welcome center because my dad, equipped with a highly advanced GPS System, had decided that we were lost. GPS 1 Dad 0



So onto the first fortune I got, it's a blurry picture, but it reads "Beauty is its various forms appeals to you." In my Chinglish Autocorrection, the fortune became "Beauty in its various forms appeals to you." Small error. I was impressed. I really don't have much to say about this, however, because it's true. Beauty



Right after that this old lady in a red car started cursing her son out for a reason I don't really understand. And then, to make everything even more beautiful in the world, the son started cursing her out. Yay life.



"Your deeds speak so much louder than another's words"--I actually slightly disagree with this statement. While I do believe that what you do truly shows who you are, I would amend this statement to "Your deeds speak so much louder than your words." Consider this, some people's words are their greatest tool to creating change. In a previous post I talked about the UN. In the book i read, Kofi Annan had the capacity to generate considerable action in events that were defined unofficially as genocides. He regrets that he did not push harder in causing deeds to be done that might have prevented further genocide. In his case, his words had greater power than anything he could have done by himself. Although I guess one of his deeds could have been a speech where he gives words to enact change.



These last two pictures are my sister and her friends. More photos will follow.

I need to work.

So today when I got up to work, I woke up rather refreshed and satisfied, soemthign that I have not felt since the last day I spent with my friends at Washu. It's rather curious how I look forward to summer for the entire spring semester but when I do get to it (if living at WashU and working is called summer) I want school to start up again.

But truthfully, I think what I wish the most is to have a face to face conversation with my friends. I enjoy texting, I really do, sometimes, actually most times, texting just doesn't cut it. I don't really understand my high school friends' (those still in high school currently) obsession with texting. I was reading chris' blog the other day and he raised a really good point about how a couple years difference between me the college freshman and them the high school students completely defines a barrier in the whole 'texting phenomenon.'

It's funny how a year ago today (give or take a couple months), I had a texting plan of 200 and rarely went over 100. I intensely disliked texting because, frankly, it was my belief that unless you were with them, there really isn't much point in communicating. I mean, the occasional catch-up email is great and all, but my favorite joy is visiting people. Now, however, I have a 1000 text plan and I often go over, to my parents' great dismay. How did this happen?

Everyone knows that I visit people a lot. For some reason all my friends say I know everybody. I guess I do know a lot of people, but it's cause during the school year, if you're given the opportunity to visit people and you have time, why not? Having people to talk to is always great, and I always try and make time for people.

But hopefully my friends will learn that schoolwork takes priority. I know some people may or may not have realized that this year as the school year went on and I became more and more studious (I know right, strange for me at the beginning of the year...) Instead of not studying (like for the first two bio tests) so I could talk to people and hang out, I began concentrating on studying. And because of this I started texting people instead of visiting. And next year will only be even more intense. I know exactly how it'll be, even though i'll deny it if you talk to me. I'll spend the majority of my time studying in the library (which one I don't know) during the day and at Mudd (probably with Kathee cause she's a great study buddy) at night because that's how I am. I mean, you'll see me at KSA, CSA, AMC, and Lambda Sigma Events (lol) and you might catch me at lunch, but other than that, not likely.

I'm not wholy (is that right?) part of the texting community and I only respond to texts, I rarely initiate, so if you ever want to talk to me come to Mudd at night. Or call me to find out wher I am.

Of if you want to hang out weekends are preferable lol.

This was just a big rant about what to expect from me. No real meaning, probably wasted your time but I'm at work and don't really want to go to work yet.

Poem from a Friend

It's a poem from a friend about no one I know.


and were you aware

that your footsteps still echo in my head

beating a path i cannot go down again

sometimes the easiest way to cut you out is to manifest doubt

but messy spill it makes watching it become my biggest mistake

listen closely

put your ear to my heart hear the diminuendo from the start

the sounds are crashing flashing signs not to cross those lines


and all this change

who knew it would have such far-reaching range

i cant see the same

i cant feel the same

i cant work the same


waiting waiting waiting for the hope that never came

"there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly"

TR

I spent a really long time shopping in the past week looking for something to buy. I went to Urban and saw these dandly little inspirational books that don't really have any meaning except to make the reader feel better and then enable them to sit around feeling great while they do absolutely nothing. It was kind of ironic that I read this quote when I got back onto the internet when I came home from the Galleria, as here I was, unable to really do anything (exercise) because of my damn knee and not 'knowledgeable' enough of 'experienced' enough to achieve anything right now. But within me, and everyone really, is the greatest ability of them all, potential. we hear it all the time, and let it go to waste. Our untapped potential. We sit at home playing games, doing nothing, thinking in our classes as we fall asleep what we want to be, what we really want to do. Do we ever do it?

So this year was really a waste. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I love everyone who took part in making this year as awesome as it was. But really, what do I get out of it? This summer, I'll get this great feeling of satisfaction as I help a kid learn english or physics or poetry or tai chi or soccer or something. It'll be awesome. But then I'll think about the Genocide that is happening in Darfur, the Serbian war that happened a few years ago, the failure of the world to do anything against the modern crimes of our time. And what have i really accomplished. I need to expend all my effort to achieving a higher goal. I need to find that goal.

We humans, we feel powerless against anything not within our control. But is really anything in our control? Look at the stock market plunge, a computer error which cost companies millions of dollars. Look at Greece. Look at the UN, a entity that aims to keep peace but cannot even prevent genocide. Everything that man has created are tools that have gone above us. Do we really understand our governments? Our people? Our businesses? Do we understand how it all works and is put together? Even if we do, can we control it?

Each day, as I was taught (without my control), I set a new goal for myself. This year, due to things not within my control and some things that are arguably in my control, I have failed myself. Time and time again.

What have we really learned from all this? Nothing. We still see ourselves for who we think we are. Our perceptions, those lies that our brain feeds us to keep itself satisfied, deceives us and causes conflict between people. And through this conflict, nations tense as they see war in the future. And the people who make up the nations our blinded, blinded by the very entities that they think protect them. The UN. The Media. The Governments of each Nation. They are all out for their own personal interest, created by mankind's unsuppressed greed and fueled by the ignorance of the masses.

I seek in life only to center myself. To isolate myself from this madness so that I may heal others and bring them away from this cycle of chaos. But only if I can control myself.

Studying Bio.

Need to order Plane Tickets.

Finish Bio Studying tomorrow during the day.
Start DiffEq Studying!! Review everything and tomorrow will be major work!

WORK WORK WORK