A few days ago, I learned that Vons sells kites. Yes, kites. Why a grocery store would sell kites is beyond me. Course, but now, I've come to accept that they sell everything.
At track, since its usually windy, and some dork injured herself through attempting to fly a kite, we decided that we would bring kites one day and just fly them.
So I bought a kite from Vons. Now all my coworkers think that I'm weird. They thought I was buying it for someone else, or something. I was going to try to fly it in the parking lot, cept then my break ended.
It's actually a big kite, well, a lot bigger than I expected. Its shaped like a dragon, a very ugly dragon with very big wings. Its still awesome though. Plus, my other options were a butterfly or a fish, or even worse, a barbie fairy... thing.
I'm going to try to fly the kite tomorrow during track practice, if it flies well, my sister wants a fish shaped kite, then we can both attempt to fly kites during out track meet along with all the other weirdos with kites.
first impressions of ucsb
|
The view is pretty, though everyone knows that, moving along..
The campus is really really clean. It's almost impossible to find trash anywhere, they also told me, the beaches are even cleaner. Sadly, I didn't have time to visit the beach. Campus has trees everywhere, many many different kinds of trees of various colors. Great for shade, or hammocks (yes, we're allowed to bring hammocks and hang them up anywhere we want). Grass is very well maintained, nice thick green grass everywhere.
Weather is pretty much what is expected on the beach. It's warm-hot. There was a slight ocean breeze today. People told me today is considered one of the hotter days cause there was less breeze than usual. Sunny is nice.
Campus is also very very flat. It's easy to walk on, and the campus isn't too big, so everything is within a 15 minute walk. Everyone pretty much travels by bikes, with the occasional skater. There are a lot of bikes. They're everywhere, and apparently, they get stolen/lost quite often too. Parking isn't too expensive, nor hard to find. It's just a bit inconvenient, because most of the parking structures are on the opposite side of campus from the dorms. Makes sense, dorms near the beach, parking farther inland. Really no need to drive, because the school has a great public transport system, and the fact that everything is within biking distance. Though, it's still easier/faster/cheaper to drive home than to take the bus or train. So I want a car in SB, even if it is just for getting home.
Dorms were.. not what I expected. For starters, they're small. Very small. About half the size of my current room, shared by two people. But apparently, the only thing one does in the dorm is sleep. Bathrooms are shared by everyone on the floor/wing. Every floor has a formal lounge for activities on the floor, and every wing has their own personal lounge. Or something like that, might be slightly different depending on hall, but from the 2 I visited, that seemed to be the case. Each floor also has a break room with ping-pong, pool, ice hockey, and/or foosball table, and a plasma T.V. with many couches and vending machines. Kitchens are also shared by the floor/wing. Most people study in the lounges, or socialize, or both. Break rooms are for socializing and hanging out. Dorms however, do not have AC, but its cool enough there that an open window does the job. Dorms are also, very very clean, and cleaned often.
Around the dorms, theres obviously the beaches. But right next to the dorms, are things such as volleyball and basketball courts. All recreational equipment can be borrowed from the school. Plus, theres lots of grass and trees around the dorms. So most people spend their free time playing basketball, volleyball, kicking soccer balls around, throwing frisbee, or most commonly, sleeping under trees or suntanning.
People wise, its very very.. white. Lots of pale white people here on campus. Pale you say? Yes, very. Plus, everyone pretty much walks around campus in bikinis or board shorts with flipflops, occasionally on bikes. Saw lots of people just jogging around campus. Apparently, they have pools everywhere on campus too.
Other than dorm mate anxieties, and the fact that everyones white, everything else about the school seems cool. On the side note, white people are awesome, they're social and friendly. They just make me feel short, and when they're nerdy, they're really really nerdy.
I'm soo brining a hammock.
The campus is really really clean. It's almost impossible to find trash anywhere, they also told me, the beaches are even cleaner. Sadly, I didn't have time to visit the beach. Campus has trees everywhere, many many different kinds of trees of various colors. Great for shade, or hammocks (yes, we're allowed to bring hammocks and hang them up anywhere we want). Grass is very well maintained, nice thick green grass everywhere.
Weather is pretty much what is expected on the beach. It's warm-hot. There was a slight ocean breeze today. People told me today is considered one of the hotter days cause there was less breeze than usual. Sunny is nice.
Campus is also very very flat. It's easy to walk on, and the campus isn't too big, so everything is within a 15 minute walk. Everyone pretty much travels by bikes, with the occasional skater. There are a lot of bikes. They're everywhere, and apparently, they get stolen/lost quite often too. Parking isn't too expensive, nor hard to find. It's just a bit inconvenient, because most of the parking structures are on the opposite side of campus from the dorms. Makes sense, dorms near the beach, parking farther inland. Really no need to drive, because the school has a great public transport system, and the fact that everything is within biking distance. Though, it's still easier/faster/cheaper to drive home than to take the bus or train. So I want a car in SB, even if it is just for getting home.
Dorms were.. not what I expected. For starters, they're small. Very small. About half the size of my current room, shared by two people. But apparently, the only thing one does in the dorm is sleep. Bathrooms are shared by everyone on the floor/wing. Every floor has a formal lounge for activities on the floor, and every wing has their own personal lounge. Or something like that, might be slightly different depending on hall, but from the 2 I visited, that seemed to be the case. Each floor also has a break room with ping-pong, pool, ice hockey, and/or foosball table, and a plasma T.V. with many couches and vending machines. Kitchens are also shared by the floor/wing. Most people study in the lounges, or socialize, or both. Break rooms are for socializing and hanging out. Dorms however, do not have AC, but its cool enough there that an open window does the job. Dorms are also, very very clean, and cleaned often.
Around the dorms, theres obviously the beaches. But right next to the dorms, are things such as volleyball and basketball courts. All recreational equipment can be borrowed from the school. Plus, theres lots of grass and trees around the dorms. So most people spend their free time playing basketball, volleyball, kicking soccer balls around, throwing frisbee, or most commonly, sleeping under trees or suntanning.
People wise, its very very.. white. Lots of pale white people here on campus. Pale you say? Yes, very. Plus, everyone pretty much walks around campus in bikinis or board shorts with flipflops, occasionally on bikes. Saw lots of people just jogging around campus. Apparently, they have pools everywhere on campus too.
Other than dorm mate anxieties, and the fact that everyones white, everything else about the school seems cool. On the side note, white people are awesome, they're social and friendly. They just make me feel short, and when they're nerdy, they're really really nerdy.
I'm soo brining a hammock.
spring break and birthdays
|
Spring break's been a blast, well... at least it is now, maybe not so much after homework, but lets forget about that. So far, spring break pretty much consisted of sleep, eat, practice, work, and birthdays.
My birthday - Puente Hills Mall Todai
Yeah. It was pretty much one of those weirdo rituals freaks have, cept in Todai. Sushi was great. Instead of tying my birthday balloons onto Spike this year, my sister drew... interesting... faces on them when I was sleeping with my sharpie collection. Then the balloons deflated, and the faces got all mutated (as if they weren't strange to begin with). Thanks to everyone for really big jar of whey protein. Hope I actually get buffer with it. Thanks to Clarice for the flying pig to match my phone. It's accompanied by the mini mushroom that came with the.. white floofy like thingy with a stick with a leaf on it from Christmas... yeah. Thanks to Char for the mushroom, its cute. (Though honestly, wtf is up with mushrooms. o_O). Much thanks to Connie for expanding my bunny population (see below), and the super big blue pillow. Oh, and my coach gave me her coaches' track jacket cause I liked it so much as a birthday present too.
I was told I was supposed to name them. So. Starting from the mushroom (the picture above's horrible, I know, my phone can't take pictures in the dark) next to the mushroom would be Levey, next to him would be the almost exactly identical looking bunny, Ryan. Between them would be Sandra, whose size matches her quite well. The psycho bunny dice I think will be Natalie. Shes the only one I can imagine with that expression. Connie's the big pink octopus bunny. The brown bunny (that is really hard to see) next to Connie would be Clarice. The two other matching bunnies to the right of the big pink blob would be Jono and Steph. Eric is the mashimaro bunny. Big head, fat body, holding food, see the resemblance? Behind everyone would be the super long blue pillow, who everyone else named Mike. My sister really likes Mike pillow.
Sandra's Birthday - Old Town Pasadena.
Ok. Next time, I'll drive freeway. If not, I'll make sure I bring the gps with me. Though, Connie didn't kill us. Bravo. And we weren't too terribly late.
First time ever getting pinkberry. It's expensive. It was good. Not somewhere I would go often cause I'm not rich enough to buy expensive frozen yogurt with stuff all the time. But they have the funniest "kitchen accessories" ever. A bunny and a carrot makes a paper towel dispenser!
Pasadena Forever21 is huge. Honestly, I have spent so much time in that store with so many people that I've learned to avoid it completely with shopping with females. Surprisingly, they had a guy's section. They have pretty log chairs, and thats pretty much all it was good for, decoration. They're not very comfortable to sit on. So I played lumines a lot. That game is crazy addicting.
Dinner was nice. It was a friendly-family atmosphere with interesting pictures and decor. Seriously. If no one explained to me that the big cans were used for putting food on, I would've been so confused. That's a lot a lot of sweet peppers.
Back at Sandra's it was a free for all. Lets stick whipped everywhere (don't we always?). Pillow fight! Who needs alcohol? We're crazy enough without it. Sucks how everyone had to leave early though.
Connie's Birthday - Her house.
Lots of food everywhere. I like food. Didn't really get to know them DBHS guys. Next time maybe.
I love my waterproof, water balloons bouncing jacket. It's awesome. It absorbs impacts and keeps me dry. :D I still got soaked anyways though.
Brawl was pretty much. "POKEBALL!!!!!!" "you suck." "AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA Goooooooooooo gundam!" "WTF?" "I hate you" "ByYYEEEEEEeee" "WE LIKE IKE! WE LIKE IKE! WE LIK-- ike's a jerk. GOOOOO KIRBYYYYYYYYY! GO GO GO!" "PikAAA"
It the bestest party game ever.
Oh, and truth or dare.. >.>;
My birthday - Puente Hills Mall Todai
Yeah. It was pretty much one of those weirdo rituals freaks have, cept in Todai. Sushi was great. Instead of tying my birthday balloons onto Spike this year, my sister drew... interesting... faces on them when I was sleeping with my sharpie collection. Then the balloons deflated, and the faces got all mutated (as if they weren't strange to begin with). Thanks to everyone for really big jar of whey protein. Hope I actually get buffer with it. Thanks to Clarice for the flying pig to match my phone. It's accompanied by the mini mushroom that came with the.. white floofy like thingy with a stick with a leaf on it from Christmas... yeah. Thanks to Char for the mushroom, its cute. (Though honestly, wtf is up with mushrooms. o_O). Much thanks to Connie for expanding my bunny population (see below), and the super big blue pillow. Oh, and my coach gave me her coaches' track jacket cause I liked it so much as a birthday present too.
I was told I was supposed to name them. So. Starting from the mushroom (the picture above's horrible, I know, my phone can't take pictures in the dark) next to the mushroom would be Levey, next to him would be the almost exactly identical looking bunny, Ryan. Between them would be Sandra, whose size matches her quite well. The psycho bunny dice I think will be Natalie. Shes the only one I can imagine with that expression. Connie's the big pink octopus bunny. The brown bunny (that is really hard to see) next to Connie would be Clarice. The two other matching bunnies to the right of the big pink blob would be Jono and Steph. Eric is the mashimaro bunny. Big head, fat body, holding food, see the resemblance? Behind everyone would be the super long blue pillow, who everyone else named Mike. My sister really likes Mike pillow.
Sandra's Birthday - Old Town Pasadena.
Ok. Next time, I'll drive freeway. If not, I'll make sure I bring the gps with me. Though, Connie didn't kill us. Bravo. And we weren't too terribly late.First time ever getting pinkberry. It's expensive. It was good. Not somewhere I would go often cause I'm not rich enough to buy expensive frozen yogurt with stuff all the time. But they have the funniest "kitchen accessories" ever. A bunny and a carrot makes a paper towel dispenser!
Pasadena Forever21 is huge. Honestly, I have spent so much time in that store with so many people that I've learned to avoid it completely with shopping with females. Surprisingly, they had a guy's section. They have pretty log chairs, and thats pretty much all it was good for, decoration. They're not very comfortable to sit on. So I played lumines a lot. That game is crazy addicting.
Dinner was nice. It was a friendly-family atmosphere with interesting pictures and decor. Seriously. If no one explained to me that the big cans were used for putting food on, I would've been so confused. That's a lot a lot of sweet peppers.
Back at Sandra's it was a free for all. Lets stick whipped everywhere (don't we always?). Pillow fight! Who needs alcohol? We're crazy enough without it. Sucks how everyone had to leave early though.
Connie's Birthday - Her house.
Lots of food everywhere. I like food. Didn't really get to know them DBHS guys. Next time maybe.
I love my waterproof, water balloons bouncing jacket. It's awesome. It absorbs impacts and keeps me dry. :D I still got soaked anyways though.
Brawl was pretty much. "POKEBALL!!!!!!" "you suck." "AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA Goooooooooooo gundam!" "WTF?" "I hate you" "ByYYEEEEEEeee" "WE LIKE IKE! WE LIKE IKE! WE LIK-- ike's a jerk. GOOOOO KIRBYYYYYYYYY! GO GO GO!" "PikAAA"
It the bestest party game ever.
Oh, and truth or dare.. >.>;
dad's home
|
Many things happen when my dad comes home. Like..
The house gets super clean overnight, with the exception of the rooms belong to my sister and I, which become clean a few days later due to excessive nagging.
Spike freaks out. The old fat man scares him more than grizzly bears do.
Plus, since Spikes in the habit of waiting for my mom to come home before eating, and since my mom's in Taiwan, hes not eating. Instead, hes playing guard dog watching every move my dad makes.
My phone and alarm clock disappears cause my dad takes it.
I get to drive my moms car! No more crappy Mercedes for a few weeks.
Did I mention the obsessive cleanliness standard? I walked into the kitchen after practice and I swear it glowed from shininess or something.
The house gets super clean overnight, with the exception of the rooms belong to my sister and I, which become clean a few days later due to excessive nagging.
Spike freaks out. The old fat man scares him more than grizzly bears do.
Plus, since Spikes in the habit of waiting for my mom to come home before eating, and since my mom's in Taiwan, hes not eating. Instead, hes playing guard dog watching every move my dad makes.
My phone and alarm clock disappears cause my dad takes it.
I get to drive my moms car! No more crappy Mercedes for a few weeks.
Did I mention the obsessive cleanliness standard? I walked into the kitchen after practice and I swear it glowed from shininess or something.
vs. South Hills
track
|
It was fun, and disappointing, mostly the latter. Final score of 81-55, SHHS. We lost.
---
I PRed three times (though technically, only twice) today.
HJ: 5'5'' > 5'6''
An inch is better than nothing!
TJ: 37' > 38'4''
Could've done better. I thought the 38'4'' jump was absolutely horrendous cause there were so many things in that jump I could've done better in, but didn't. Next time...
LJ: ~17' > ~20'
The last time I long jumped was in my sophomore year. It's been a while, I don't quite remember my exact jump distance, but it was 17' something. Good for a sophomore I guess. But I hated long jump cause there would always be an insanely long line for long jump, and I would always be the last person in that line cause people tend to cut in front of me, and I have the farthest mark (cause I have the longest stride).
Well, the reason I long jumped today was because Vincent Chen injured himself and could not jump, but didn't finish jumping, and at least wanted to finish jumping. I jumped in his place. Well I landed about 21 and a half feet into the sand, but I scratched by about a foot. So if it was a legal jump, it would've been in the 20s. Plus, that jump was pretty horrible too, form-wise.
---
I PRed three times (though technically, only twice) today.
HJ: 5'5'' > 5'6''
An inch is better than nothing!
TJ: 37' > 38'4''
Could've done better. I thought the 38'4'' jump was absolutely horrendous cause there were so many things in that jump I could've done better in, but didn't. Next time...
LJ: ~17' > ~20'
The last time I long jumped was in my sophomore year. It's been a while, I don't quite remember my exact jump distance, but it was 17' something. Good for a sophomore I guess. But I hated long jump cause there would always be an insanely long line for long jump, and I would always be the last person in that line cause people tend to cut in front of me, and I have the farthest mark (cause I have the longest stride).
Well, the reason I long jumped today was because Vincent Chen injured himself and could not jump, but didn't finish jumping, and at least wanted to finish jumping. I jumped in his place. Well I landed about 21 and a half feet into the sand, but I scratched by about a foot. So if it was a legal jump, it would've been in the 20s. Plus, that jump was pretty horrible too, form-wise.
what my coworkers think of me
work
|
They think:
-I really like tea, like, really REALLY like tea.
-I am easily fascinated by grocery products I have never seen before.
-I get lost in the store, easily.
-Especially when they need me to find something. Then they need to call another clerk to go back and find me.
-I have this strange obsession with window cleaner and cleaning non-window areas with it
-I really like the red raincoat over the orange vest. (which I do, the raincoat is awesome)
-I absolutely suck at fetching liquor and cigarettes. "Marlboro Lights please. No no. Those are normal Marlboros, and those are methanols, and those are methanol 100s, up more, to your right, farther right, the smaller pack, no no, the Marlboro light small pack, not the light 100s" Usually halfway through that, the cashier comes and grabs the right one.
What I learned at work today:
-Foil balloons are evil. They're hard to inflate.
-It takes two clerks and a supervisor to fill up one balloon, yes, one. Of course, the supervisor gave up first, then told one of the clerks to actually go help bag groceries (me), then when the other clerk couldn't get how to inflate the balloons, we switched jobs, then switched jobs again to tie the ribbon on it. Thankfully the customer was quite entertained by us.
-The store has raincoats for us to use when it rains. :D
-Our store manager hides things in the most awkward areas.
-Everyone loses their pen at work, and therefore, brings cheap pens.
-I don't have to wear an apron to work. Though, I still will, cause it keeps my clothes clean, and the pockets are useful.
-I found out where the bathrooms are!
-I really like tea, like, really REALLY like tea.
-I am easily fascinated by grocery products I have never seen before.
-I get lost in the store, easily.
-Especially when they need me to find something. Then they need to call another clerk to go back and find me.
-I have this strange obsession with window cleaner and cleaning non-window areas with it
-I really like the red raincoat over the orange vest. (which I do, the raincoat is awesome)
-I absolutely suck at fetching liquor and cigarettes. "Marlboro Lights please. No no. Those are normal Marlboros, and those are methanols, and those are methanol 100s, up more, to your right, farther right, the smaller pack, no no, the Marlboro light small pack, not the light 100s" Usually halfway through that, the cashier comes and grabs the right one.
What I learned at work today:
-Foil balloons are evil. They're hard to inflate.
-It takes two clerks and a supervisor to fill up one balloon, yes, one. Of course, the supervisor gave up first, then told one of the clerks to actually go help bag groceries (me), then when the other clerk couldn't get how to inflate the balloons, we switched jobs, then switched jobs again to tie the ribbon on it. Thankfully the customer was quite entertained by us.
-The store has raincoats for us to use when it rains. :D
-Our store manager hides things in the most awkward areas.
-Everyone loses their pen at work, and therefore, brings cheap pens.
-I don't have to wear an apron to work. Though, I still will, cause it keeps my clothes clean, and the pockets are useful.
-I found out where the bathrooms are!
It's final.
|
I'm going to UCSB.
My highly retarded conversation with the UCSD appeal and undergraduate admissions representative went something like this.
You have 6771 points. You need 7576 points. You have a good SAT score, backed by very good SAT II scores. You got a huge amount of points for personal hardships and a well written personal statement.
Wait. You didn't say leadership and activities. Didn't I earn any points from there? What did you do? Well I ran varsity track for 3 years, was captain for 2 of those years. I have some school service, and some community service. Well, sorry, we don't take athletics into account unless you're at least state champion, but even then, its worth very little points. Because your leadership is in athletics, that's not good enough.
wtf. -_-
Then she was like, well it looks like your major weak point would be your GPA. It's a 3.55 academic partially weighted from sophomore and junior year. Why partially weighted? Oh, we can only offer honor credit for up to 4 classes. So you're saying even though I took all honors and AP level classes in my sophomore and junior year, only 4 of them count as honors/AP classes? Yes. Sorry. A 3.55 GPA just isn't good enough.
What if I wanted to change majors? It wouldn't make a difference. We admit regardless of major.
Let me assure you that reevaluation of your application will not help you unless you have "new and compelling academic information." If you are still interested in attending UCSD, we recommend attending as a transfer student. We have a won-- (at this point, Mr. Maynard took my phone away and hung up).
My advice for future UCSD prospective students? Take 4 honor classes. Only 4. Don't bother with AP, they're worth the same. Then take all regulars, preferably the easiest regulars level UC approved classes you can find. Don't take more than 10 classes in those two years. Take hard classes in freshman and senior year cause they don't count. Join every club possible. Hell, just take the club directory for your school and list every club on there. Get cabinet positions in a few of them, then do jack shit. Get a job, it's worth more than community service, and you get paid. Don't waste your time with athletics, it uses 100x more time than clubs do, and the school just happily ignores it. Go figure, they don't have a football team.
My highly retarded conversation with the UCSD appeal and undergraduate admissions representative went something like this.
You have 6771 points. You need 7576 points. You have a good SAT score, backed by very good SAT II scores. You got a huge amount of points for personal hardships and a well written personal statement.
Wait. You didn't say leadership and activities. Didn't I earn any points from there? What did you do? Well I ran varsity track for 3 years, was captain for 2 of those years. I have some school service, and some community service. Well, sorry, we don't take athletics into account unless you're at least state champion, but even then, its worth very little points. Because your leadership is in athletics, that's not good enough.
wtf. -_-
Then she was like, well it looks like your major weak point would be your GPA. It's a 3.55 academic partially weighted from sophomore and junior year. Why partially weighted? Oh, we can only offer honor credit for up to 4 classes. So you're saying even though I took all honors and AP level classes in my sophomore and junior year, only 4 of them count as honors/AP classes? Yes. Sorry. A 3.55 GPA just isn't good enough.
What if I wanted to change majors? It wouldn't make a difference. We admit regardless of major.
Let me assure you that reevaluation of your application will not help you unless you have "new and compelling academic information." If you are still interested in attending UCSD, we recommend attending as a transfer student. We have a won-- (at this point, Mr. Maynard took my phone away and hung up).
My advice for future UCSD prospective students? Take 4 honor classes. Only 4. Don't bother with AP, they're worth the same. Then take all regulars, preferably the easiest regulars level UC approved classes you can find. Don't take more than 10 classes in those two years. Take hard classes in freshman and senior year cause they don't count. Join every club possible. Hell, just take the club directory for your school and list every club on there. Get cabinet positions in a few of them, then do jack shit. Get a job, it's worth more than community service, and you get paid. Don't waste your time with athletics, it uses 100x more time than clubs do, and the school just happily ignores it. Go figure, they don't have a football team.
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