Epiphany!

My roommate resembles the hamster-baby from Spirited Away

The Borrower: Arrietty

I can't wait to watch Ghibli's new film! <3

Karigurashi no Arrietty - a children's story based on the novel The Borrowers by British author Mary Norton. The movie will be directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi of Studio Ghibli.

Hahahaha

Hanging in there

Just...two..more..hours.
Then FREEDOM rrrrrraaooooaaaaar!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

..is here!

된장

After drawing class, I went to watch a Korean movie called 된장 (The Recipe) at the CGV theater last night. It was a beautifully made film that stays with you long after you leave the theater. I hope more people go to see it to support films like this.

Use of Time

Funny how during the school year, I try to make at least one post a day. But now, with all the time in the world, I completely abandon my blog. There are so many things I want to share! GAH

Pride & Happiness

Today was a goooooooooooood day! Well I mean yesterday and part of today. (Hopefully the rest of today as well!)

• First off, my beautiful boat made it all the way across the school pool. I actually didn't know what to expect, but I'm glad it worked out. All my ingenious ideas for it paid off hehe.
• Then, my group's Reader's Theater presentation was a success! Thank God I'm leaving that cursed room with a smile. :) See? There's my smile. :) There it is again HAHA I'm in such a good mood.
• I got even happier because of a certain something but that's a secret.
• Then, Hannah Lee randomnly treated me to Love Letter pizza after school. I'll never tire of her company. Thank you Hannah! Mah-shee-suh-ssuh~ yumyum
• and of course...the KOREA VS GREECE GAME was of epic proportions! I napped for three hours before heading to church to share this experience with my St. Thomasians. It was so worth it. I remember getting so moved and oozing Korean pride when I watched Kim Yuna & Big Bang's Shouting Korea Videos. I am so proud of my roots! We've come such a long way and we are truly blessed by God. Plus, our new goalie is a cutie

Now I'm going to go work on homework while watching the USA vs ENGLAND game!

A bientot!

Tired

I want to graduate. Now.

Prisoner Artist

Convicted forger A. Schiller was serving his time in Sing Sing prison in the late 1800s when guards found him dead in his cell. On his body they found seven regular straight pins whose heads measured the typical 47/1000ths of an inch or 1.17 millimeters in diameter. Under 500 magnification it was found that the tiny etchings seen on the heads of the pins were the words of The Lord's Prayer, which is 65 words and 254 letters long. Of the seven pins, six were silver and one was gold - the gold pin's prayer was flawless and a true masterpiece. Schiller had spent the last 25 years of his life creating the pins, using a tool too small to be seen by the naked eye. It is estimated that it took 1,863 separate carving strokes to make it. Schiller went blind because of his artwork.

Amazing.

Family Time on Weekends

I absolutely love love love weekends.

Funny how I used to love school -seeing my friends, looking forward to my history class, etc. Now, I seem to live for the bell that rings at 2:43 pm and weekends. That's when I get to just do the things I want to get done with my life whether it's catching up on schoolwork or updating my sketchbook/journal/scrapbook.

But what I love most about weekends is that I get to spend time with my family. Last weekend, my parents and I decided to go on a date to the Orange Block to go window shopping and eat. I was so happy walking around munching on kettle corn and krisy kreme donuts with mom and dad. You might think I need a life - seeing how I'd much rather hang out with my parents than a bunch of friends, but hey that's what makes me happy. :) This weekend, we watched Alice in Wonderland at the dollar theater. My dad loves the dollar theater (he's cheap) and my mom and I LOVE Tim Burton films, so it was a perfect saturday night! I still can't get over how utterly genius Tim Burton is..

And today, after mass and lunch with John and Gabe, I watched Shrek: The Final Chapter with my two cousins, Julianne and Eugene. I need to see those tikes at least once a week. Wow, I'm like family-obsessed. I shall stop.

But at this rate, how am I going to survive in college?!! I guess I'll just have to hop on the metro and come back every weekend. Haha

Bon Appetit!

van gogh cake :)

I've been neglecting my blog.. There are so many things I want to talk about so I end up not posting anything. How sad. I should make a list of things I want to blog about and try to write about them one by one. I shall start tomorrow! :)

Letters to Juliet

"Doubt thou the stars are fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love."

-Shakespeare

Huntington

Sooo, yesterday my dad and I spontaneously decided to abandon the life of rotting couch potatoes and go biking at the beach! We loaded the bikes, layered ourselves with sunblock, packed Mochi's peepee-pads and hit the road. I sang along to Taylor Swift songs at the top of my lungs while Dad laughed at me and Mochi slept on my lap the whole way there. Here are a few pictures :)

Now that I think about it, Mochi's last time at Huntington Beach

was the first day she met me! :) This beach holds such happy memories :)

That's all~

A Closer Look

A single groove on the vinyl record magnified by 1000x.

Pretty crazzzyyy.

Good Advice

I should try this.

Corners of My Mind

Looking through artsy blogs, I came across this picture. Immediately, I felt a connection to it. Not that I love the picture for itself... but it brought a wave of nostalgia that I can't even identify. Weird how you can remember things you don't remember

TGIF!

Thank God it's FRIDAY! Hallelujah!
but...

I have saturday school early in the morning with Hannah Lee and Gloria Hong. Ugh.. 6 tardies in 1st period! Colgin should cut me some slack. I mean, his classroom is allllll the way in the back of the school and I'm only 1 or 2 minutes late each time....and, I'm going to be a fellow trojan soon! Hrmph..

Well, I guess it's a good thing, seeing how AP exams are lurking beyond the horizon. I'll just utilize this time to study for Government. Oh! By the way, I probably failed my calculus final I took today. I'm praying for at least a C. I never thought I would ever stoop so low. Hodge has definitely lowered my standards. But on the other hand, I have over a 100% in Euro, so I am exempt from taking the final! Much love to Patty Debacker! :) Boo Hodge.

Happy

Woah, I guess I was on a 2 week blog-hiatus. But I'm back and I'm happy!
Hahahaha, this is because....

I got a $2,000 Award from USC's Art Department! :)

Few weeks ago I got an email saying

"..this year we received over 500 portfolios of hopeful applicants and yours was one of just 100 chosen by our faculty as showing the most talent and the most promise. A job well done! "

And then I got this in the mail today...

"Congratulations and welcome to the Trojan Family! Now that you have been admitted to the USC Roski School of Fine Arts, it gives me great pleasure to inform you that you have been awarded a Talent Scolarship in the amount of $2000. This award is based on your outstanding portfolio of work that was submitted along with your other application materials.
The Fine Arts faculty was impressed with your hard work and dedication, both academically and artistically, and you should be very proud of your accomplishments thus far.

This award will be applied toward your tuition for the academic year 2010-2011..."

and etc.... :)
Haha I loooove USC. My future looks so bright! I'm so glad my hard work on my portfolio earned me some money to help out my parents with my college tuition. Now I'll just have to wait until next week for my financial aid package.

Peace out & FIGHT ON!

Unexpected

I love my future college.

(Haha, I'll elaborate later)

God Bless Dentists.

Goodness, I've neglected my blog for over a week!

Well, I missed school for two days, thus starting my spring break a tad bit earlier than my friends at school. I must say, it was a good two days to miss! By skipping thursday and today, I managed to dodge (put back) one murderous Calculus test, one physics lab&test, one english project/make up test, two french quizzes, and one government test. Isn't that swell? :) I heard from a friend that I got the highest score on the Euro test again. Sucks that I wasn't there to soak in my ritual glory. I sound like an obnoxious pedant. Hahaha...but seriously, AP Euro is the only class I truly enjoy at this moment. I tend to have a frown if I think of my other classes.

But I digress..
I missed school because of my toothache. I have a lot of problems with my teeth, but I just endured the pain and brushed it off since I knew it would cost my parents a LOT of money if I were to go to the dentist. My mom and I decided that it would be best to get all my teeth fixed up in Korea this summer. I tried my best to wait it out, but yesterday's aching was unbearable. So my mom called up our dentist and scheduled an emergency appointment.

The dentist did a patchup job in the most damaged area so that I wouldn't have to go through so much pain everyday. Thank god! I can eat without wincing anymore :) He said that this will last me until I go overseas for my heavy duty appointments in Korea.

For once in my life, I thanked God for dentists.
But I couldn't help thinking...He should have made it so that we grow out a new set of teeth every 10 years, so that we don't have to worry about tooth problems! Like great white sharks hahahha

Comfort

"Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God."

-Philippians 4:6

These words save me. Everytime.

Into the Blue

" The sea was ever-changing, shimmering and seamless to the sky. This was the well at the bottom of the world, and when you looked into it you felt you could see to the end of forever."

"The sea seemed to be trembling with anticipation.
Haumi e, hui e, taiki e.
Let it be done."
- The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

Story of My Life

Lovely

I actually don't like Gohara's look that much. But this picture is l.o.v.e.l.y.

寿司

Yesterday was a busy day.

I lectored for mass and after church, Mom and dad decided that we should go and visit USC's campus, since I've never seen it before. Of course, I got all excited and deliberately chose go to LA instead of studying for the calculus test the next day. Couldn't help myself.. :P

We all got hungry and debated on what we should eat once we reached our destination. I do not know what came over me, but I blurted out that I wanted to try some sushi. From my birth until now I have never properly attempted to eat sushi. Why eat it raw when you can cook it? was my mental reasoning. Which was probably why my dad got all excited from my spontaneous offer.

My mom always calls me 'sushi baby.' A name I earned due to my mother's crazy cravings for sushi while she was pregnant with me. She says that probably 70% of all the nourishment I got in her womb was from Noshi sushi. Maybe that's why I had no desire to eat raw fish..because I got sick of the thing when I was but a fetus..

I present: NOSHI SUSHI

The chef with his back towards us is the chef that my mom always sat with in the past.

I liked Saba, Magura and the Anago the best. :)

Sushi is definately an acquired taste.

After finally trying it out I conclude: Not bad. Not great. Perhaps it'll grow on me.

Yay, now I can cross out that from my Bucket list :)

Friday Night at Borders

I love Colin Firth. Every time I see him in a movie, I am determined to find myself an English bloke to claim as my own.

I went to Borders today to fulfill #7 on my Bucket List.. which says: "Read the back summaries on every book in the Literature section of Barnes/Borders."
Well, I kind of cheated in that I only read the summaries of the books that particularly caught my eye. I'm guilty as charged: I judge books by their covers (&titles) most of the time.
Nevertheless, I went to the whole Literature/Fiction, Historical, Biography etc etc sections. All that straining to see the top shelves rendered my neck in need of a massage. But I digress..

So, my goal in doing this was to find books that actually suited my taste. A few months ago I realized that most of what I read are limited to the great classics or the more celebrated modern novels that receive a lot of attention.

But I was rather disappointed. I found that 90% of literature contains plots infested with adultery, revenge, disfunctional families, and war. Not to say those are bad topics.. just not what I am in the mood for maintenant. I realized that I already have most of the books that I actually would like to read already sitting on my shelf back at home. So, in conclusion, I'll just read whatever I have and feel like reading..classic or random.

So I just settled to buy some of the books that popped out at me for one reason or another - including Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, The Phantom of the Opera, and Best-Loved Folktales of the World. I realized that I had never read Anne Frank before which is positively unacceptable. I can't wait to read Phantom of the Opera and I decided that it would be a good and fun experience to read fairytales from various cultures every night before I go to bed. The version I bought has a total of 200 stories from all over the world. Cool, huh? :)

I also bought the dvd Bridget Jones Diary because I happened to come across it in the sale box. Yay! I absolutely love this movie and its sequel. Darcy, played by Colin Firth practically oozes charm. So sweet, sincere and awkward. Just how I like him. :D

Swell

Today was any other school day...except that there were scattered bits of good happenings all around.

• I got to wear my new sandals to school today. Such a minor thing, but heck it made me feel happy :)
• We had a sub in english today - really put the cherry on top.
• Mr. Hodge postponed our calculus test to Monday. Thank God...or else I would've been dying right about now.
• I cooked some pasta for Hazel and made her girldate date's shirt for her. It looks really nice, if I may say so myself.
• I got complimented a lot by a certain elder. :)
• I got accepted into USC. Not my dream school, but I'm really happy. (SD is no longer my backup after this)
• My parents and I went to celebrate with a nice dinner at Black Angus. A tradition that takes place whenever I accomplish something big.
• My family is proud of me. That's all I can really ask for.

Life is good. 97% good.

Rain in Spain

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."

There. I am officially a lady.

Premonition

Woke up from the earthquake...at 4:04 AM. That was really scary. My mom, Mochi and I bolted out of the house and after waiting a few minutes, decided to park our car outside so that we could have it ready just in case the power goes out and we can't get out of the garage. My dad slept through the whole thing. Amazing.

I think that I had a premonition about this earthquake. Right before falling asleep, the last thought I had was : what if a big earthquake happens and Mochi is alone at home? How will she survive if the house collapses? I prayed that if there will be any earthquake, that it will happen when I am at home so that I can protect her or when my mom sometimes takes her out while I'm at school.

I don't know if that's a premonition..or a prayer answered. But either way..
Thank you, God.

Jeg Elsker Min Faetter

"I love my cousins" in Norwegian.

I have many first cousins all over the place - those near me in California, those in South Korea, the one soon graduating from Yale, and the two that I have never met in Norway.

The 7 in California (mother's side) are the ones that I am closest to, obviously. I am the second eldest of them.

1. Nicole (Suh-Yeun) Kim - 21 yrs old. Currently in Connecticut as a Senior at Yale University. I am so lucky to have her as a role model and older-sister figure. Super lucky. Super blessed.
2. Caitlin (Min-Jee) Song - 17 yrs old. Junior in highschool in La Crescenta. Only six months younger than me, but she still calls me "unnie." We were inseparable as kids... Nicole always talks about how we wouldn't stop laughing like hyenas whenever we were together. I love my Mun-Jee(nickname - means 'dust'). We already have plans to live next to eachother when we are married women with kids. :)
3. Chris (Kyung-Soo) Song - 15 yrs old. Sophomore in highschool. Caitlin's brother. The sweetest boy in the world. Loves Disney movies, swimming, and eating. He knows how to say my name. :)
4. Francis (Sang-Yeun) Kim - 13 yrs old. 8th grade. Nicole's brother. Although he may seem like a taciturn, unamiable ball of grumpiness, he is actually the quite the opposite. He is the cutest boy - loves stuffed animals and said that I was his favorite cousin (it's a secret! :))
5. Julianne (Joo-Eun) Kim - 10 yrs old. 4th grade. My favorite "baby" cousin - although she's not a baby anymore :'[ She is quite a character. Very ambitious and studious for a kid her age. She loves my room and staring at my bookshelf and other little things. She was huge eyes - like those of goldfish. I almost became her godmother, but couldn't because her first communion ceremony was the weekend of my confirmation retreat. So my mom stole her from me...but it's okay, I'll just steal her back in her confirmation. [; She is one of my baby cousins that I cannot live without seeing at least twice a week.
6. Kenneth (Min-sub) Kim - 8 yrs old. 3rd grade. My little prince charming. He is so smart and athletic - he is the top student in his grade and he got into the GATE program with the highest score. He is so so so so sweet. He told me that he will study alot, earn lots of money, and build me a museum to display my art. He said that our whole family can run it, with himself as the president, me as the vice president, and other jobs for our other cousins, aunts, and uncle. He designated grandma to be the head chef of the cafeteria. Haha
7. Eugene (Yu-Jin) Kim - 6 yrs old. 1st grade. Julianne's sister. She is quite different from her sister. My aunt told me that when she wakes up at 6AM in the morning, she finds Julianne reading quietly on the couch and Eugene twirling in circles in front of the mirror with her Halloween princess costume on. Haha. Eugene is the baby and also the beauty of our family - which makes us older females very bitter. Haha jk, but she really is pretty though not vain. She is very observant and insightful for a kid her age.

In Korea, I have four cousins (dad's side), of which I am the youngest. Three oppas and one unnie. I finally get to see them after so many years this summer! Can't wait!

In Norway, I have two cousins (mom's side) who are half-korean and half-norwegian. They are both in elementary and are so beautiful. I have never met them, but hopefully I will soon make a trip to Norway before they grow even more!

Meet my dearest Cordelia and Nicolaus!

Nick playing Wii. So cute.

Embracing their Korean culture through Taekwondo! :)

So European. They're so adorable, they make me melt.

La Pasta Claire

So lately, I've found a new hobby. Turns out, I love to cook.

About two weeks ago, I had this strong urge to try and make Italian pasta. My mom had bought a pasta cookbook about 10 years ago but never got around to actually using it. So I took the abandoned book, post-it marked all the different recipes I wanted to try, bought some essential ingredients, and went at it.

So far, I have successfully made three different pasta recipes! :)

My first pasta: Ali e Olio
Makes your mouth water, no?

Made this one like 20 times already because it's soooo good

I have also recently mastered the gourmet Vongole and Spaghetti with Garlic&Mussels.
My dad came home hungry from work last night. He had to go to a church meeting in an hour, but my mom was still at work and I wasn't very hungry. Usually, I make him some fried rice or ramen, but he asked if I could make some pasta. It felt great to fix up some real food for my dad all on my own. :)

Cooking the noodles - Al Dente and Simmering the mussels, cream, garlic, herbs, etc.

My beautiful Spaghetti with Garlic&Mussels

As they say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach :)
2nd time making this recipe!

A well-fed dad is a happy dad. No better compliment to a chef than an empty plate...although he verbally drowned me with compliments.


Couple hours later (10pm), Hannah came to sleep over. In the morning, I made her some of the same Spaghetti w/Garlic&Mussels I made for dad last night.

Aww, nothing like filling the tummies of my loved ones to make my day :)

Wonderland

Yesterday was a good day. Mostly.
I...woke up early, went to church for the St. Thomas Ministry Leaders meeting at 8:30 am, slipped out of the mtg to lector for mass, ate lunch with my cousin Nicole who is currently a senior at Yale University, went to Borders to study, and met up with the cuz again to watch Alice in Wonderland in 3D.

I personally do not like the books Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, but wow this movie was amazing. The casting, the acting, the soundtrack, the visuals, everything was to my liking.

• Johnny Depp - CUTE as ever. My eternal love for him was dwindling but this rekindled it once again. I love you Johnny!
• Helena Bonham Carter was the perfect Queen of Hearts.
• Anne Hathaway was so...fluffy and comical. Just how I imagined the White Queen.
• Mia Wasikowska -I love her hair and outfits. I am jealous.

Soundtrack was awesome:
1. Avril Lavigne - "Alice (Underground)"
2. The All-American Rejects - "The Poison"
3. Owl City - "The Technicolor Phase"
4. Shinedown - "Her Name Is Alice"
5. All Time Low - "Painting Flowers"
6. Metro Station - "Where's My Angel"
7. Tokio Hotel and Kerli - "Strange"
8. 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch - "Follow Me Down"
9. Robert Smith - "Very Good Advice"
10. Mark Hoppus with Pete Wentz - "In Transit"
11. Plain White T's - "Welcome to Mystery"
12. Kerli - "Tea Party"
13. Franz Ferdinand - "The Lobster Quadrille"
14. Motion City Soundtrack - "Running Out of Time"
15. Wolfmother - "Fell Down a Hole"
16. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - "White Rabbit"

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Difference

These past few days, I've been doing some things differently.
Well for starters, I spent all day Saturday at Borders, studying for my Euro, Calc, and Physics test. I like this one big square table they have but I always feel awkward sitting there alone. I feel like I should take one of the small tables since I'm sitting by myself anyway.

So, as usual, I walked into Borders at 10 am, settled in on my favorite table, asked Jared for my small Tazo Calm tea, and went about my business for a good five hours. When it was about 30 minutes before my scheduled pick-up time, I let my eyes wander from my calculus homework to the people sitting around me. I caught sight of a high school girl who was carrying an enormous Juicy tote that seemed weigh as much as her. She was looking for a seat, but with the early afternoon being the busiest time at the cafe, she was inevitably disappointed. After a few minutes, she gave up, turned around, and trudged to the back of the book store - probably to find a small couch or stool to sit on.

After a few seconds, I got up, ran after her, tapped her on the shoulder, and asked her if she would like to sit with me since I was leaving soon anyway. She was really happy and thanked me for offering. I know it's nothing close to being a good semaritan, but hey, this small good deed on my part made my day.


To top off my good day with a cherry, I wanted to make Ali e Olio pasta for dinner, so I asked my mom if we could stop by at Rite Aid to buy some light virgin olive oil. It was really cold out - enough to make me shudder even with my coat on.

As I made my way to the entrance, I saw a homeless man that I recognized since I see him often in the streets. I could tell it was him because this man always wears shorts - and by shorts, I mean the horrendously short ones that basketball teams in the 50's would wear. Yes, the ones that cover about half the thigh. But I digress...
I saw him jogging in place, trying to keep himself warm. It was uncomfortable looking at him and his exposed legs, not because of the usual reason (short shorts), but because his legs were pale blue from the cold.
Back at home, I made my mom some pasta and asked her if we could take some to him. I live right next to RiteAid, so I could get it to him when it was still piping hot. So, I made another serving of my amazing 5 star Ali e Olio, got a bottle of water, and grabbed a pink wool blanket that we only use for camping trips. When I got there, he was lying down on some news papers and a jacket facing the wall. We tapped him on the shoulder and asked him if he would like some pasta and a blanket. He had such a surprised look on his face when he turned around...as if this was the first time someone had talked to him in years. He accepted and thanked me.

I don't know if I can help the people in Haiti or Chile, but I know that even though it's small, I can start by helping those around me. When he thanked me, I saw for the first time how clear and pure his eyes were. Those eyes made me feel like I got more out of this than he did.

"You must be the difference you wish to see in the world."

Set the Fire to the Third Bar

Their words mostly noises
Ghosts with just voices
Your words in my memory
Are like music to me

I'm miles from where you are,
I lay down on the cold ground
and I, I pray that something picks me up
and sets me down in your warm arms

-Snow Patrol

Saturday Morning

Lately, I feel that I've been failing in all aspects of my life. So, I've decided that it's time to get back on track so that I don't feel so lazy and unproductive.

I haven't been going to SRE to T.A. lately. I ran into Stella (SRE director) on Sunday and she still thinks that I'm a "super TA" so I decided to substitute for Julie's 2nd grade class while she's at a retreat this weekend. I realized that this small sacrifice on saturday mornings really makes all the difference in my life. I love our little catholic children and I've found that I actually get more out of this experience than the kids do... in my opinion. :)

So, I'm off to enlighten little 7 year olds about Lent and how they should try to be good little Catholics. Other than that....I'll have the rest of the day off to study/play on my own until the C.I.C. meeting at 7 pm.

I took the road that led to nowhere. Now I'm going to backtrack and take the right one.
It's great to be back :)

Email in the Morning

Got into UC Irvine today.
They sent me an email saying that "my admissions status has changed." So I spazzed out for 15 minutes trying to log on to 'my admission status' to see whether I was accepted or rejected. Why can't they be as cordial as Riverside?
At least UCR had the courtesy to send me a specialized acceptance letter that had bold headlines - "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED."

Haha. But I forgive them. At least they accepted me.
Now I can let out a sigh of relief and know that I have a good backup school. :)

After the Same Rainbow's End

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,'
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

Bucket List

I decided that I should make a Bucket List.
I'm actually quite serious about this. I hope I can put a line through all of these throughout the years. :)

1. Read all of Jane Austen's completed novels
2. Get married in St. Thomas
3. Lector for the Pope
4. Own a Husky/ poong-san
5. Learn how to surf
6. Swim the English Chanel
7. Swim with dolphins
8. Read the back summaries on every book in the Literature section of Barnes/Borders
9. Buy all of Hayao Miyazaki DVDs
10. Watch Phantom of the Opera
11. Have my own formal art exhibit and invite all my friends/family/etc.
12. Ride on the super super super tall swingset in Korea
13. Meet Jang Geun Seuk (or marry him)
14. Buy all my favorite korean dramas in DVD
15. Sculpt a human-size sculpture
16. Live in France/Italy for a few years
17. Visit Saint Chapel
18. Go star gazing by myself or with one other person out in nature. Like legit star-gazing.

I can't think of anything else for the meantime. I'll keep adding more randomly at the end of my posts. I'll number them so I don't lose track.

Bravo, Claire Cho

I am currently freaking out.
Two essays, a Euro test, Gov't test, Physics test and A BUTTLOAD of homework due tomorrow.
And in the meanwhile, I will receive a spontaneous Brown University phone interview within the next 6 hours.

Why oh why do I do this to myself. I really don't understand.

Love, Your Daughter

I did the dishes today.

Can't remember how it started, but washing the dishes kind of became my way of thanking my parents subtly. I know its not much...but being the spoiled child that I am, every time I turn up the songs on my iTunes playlist, put on those pink rubber gloves, and scrub the plates and utensils to the beat of the songs, I feel happy that I can do at least this much for my parents.

My mom's really busy everyday. She works as an office manager at Almer SAT, cares for my ill grandmother, and takes care of me every hour of the day, all the while trying to attend daily mass. My dad works long hours in L.A. while doing a lot of work as the head of his Regio group at church. I probably have the best parents in the world. Hands down. But often I find myself not giving them the respect and affection that they deserve.

My mom and I aren't the tidiest of people in the world. This drives my dad crazy sometimes, but my mom just doesn't have the time to rest, much less do the dishes.

So, although it's not much, I hope that my little effort makes my mom and dad happy when they see an empty sink when they get home

Art is...

Art is such a loaded word. No denying I love it... but at times I truly abhor the word. It scares me.
While I made my portfolio these past 2 years, I had many times when I just wanted to close my ears and scream. I see so many young artists painting dark, disturbing images of fear, turmoil, and depression and countless of times was and felt pressured to paint in such a style. I see the work of contemporary artists, with oversimplified, indiscernible compositions and wonder if that is that I have to do to succeed as a 21st century artist. What happened to beauty? Life? love? Where are all of these things in art today?
I am not saying that paintings of disturbing images and messages are necessarily bad. They are how people choose to express themselves. I just wonder why 'professionals' in Art seem to appreciate a painting of a bulimic woman over that of a young mother and child?

........
Okay, on a lighter note. Last sunday, my friends and I went to Irvine Spectrum. As usual, we visited Urban Outfitters to wallow in the prettiness and unaffordableness of most of their products.
I always found myself more drawn to their home furnishing/gadgets&gizmos section than their clothing section. They always have canvases with images of simple, but really pretty art. Whether its photography on canvas or simple paintings done by an unrecognized artist, each artpiece was visually appealing. There would huge canvases depicting city lights, asian-style sakura trees, a couple kissing in a gondola, clouds, blotches of colors, etc.
After seeing these artworks, I realized that I think too much. Always, when I stand in front a blank canvas, I try so hard to create a perfect classical piece or try to put as much deeper meaning into it as possible. Art should just be an expression of your core being. So I've decided to save up as much money as possible, buy myself a bunch of different size canvases and just paint whatever I feel like painting. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece. It doesn't have to have any philosophical or meaningful reason behind it.
Just pick up the brush and let it blossom on the canvas.
Just paint, Claire. Just paint.

Rainy Day

Rainy days, oddly enough, make me feel all warm and cozy inside. I came home from a long day at school, changed into my dad's big baseball shirt, boa-contrictored Mochi to near death, baked brownies, and melted my icy feet in hot water.

Ideally, I would pick up where I left off in Persuasion and drink a warm cup of Starbuck's Tazo Calm Tea, but my cravings for Korean Romance/Comedy Dramas has kicked into full gear. These past 5 months of fasting from dramas in order to finish apps&portfolio were even harder than giving up chocolate for Lent. So, Jane Austen and flavored water will just have to wait for another rainy day (tomorrow?). Besides, I don't exactly have the means to get to Starbucks.

P.S. I decided to create this new blog because I couldn't remember the password and username for my other one that I used for 3 consecutive years up until my junior year. I should be crowned Miss Short-Term-Memory.

P.P.S. I shall try to update daily, if not more often. (lets see how long I can keep this up)
Until then, Adieu :)