Eh, it's kind of warm right now. Today has been rather dull. I can't think of what I feel like doing. Played games for a bit, got bored, thought of reading, and decided it was too hot to sit in bed and read... But maybe I'll do it anyway just for the sake of doing something since I don't really feel like browsing the internet. School starts on September 22nd, one day before my birthday. Nice . I hope I get into Chem. I'm 3rd on the waiting list, so I probably will, but it still makes me a tad nervous.

   Do you ever think in different languages? I've never thought in Vietnamese before, but I can recall years ago when I was much more into manga/anime/Japanese culture; Whenever I'd read things, or come across certain words, the word would come up in Japanese in my head rather than English. It continued on until some time in high school. After I started taking French, I started thinking more in French w/ the occasional lapse back to Japanese. I preferred thinking in French though (probably because I knew the language more). Now, however, I just think in English. I miss it. My French is going downhill!

   I played pool for the first time not too long ago. I'm pretty bad, but it was fun.

   I've really been craving cookies... Then again, I've also been eating more. Ah, coincidences. Time for dinner !

Tiffy finished typing at_ 06:46PM;

   It's been a while, hm? Nothing insanely important has happened since my last post. Well, actually, they were probably blog-worthy but I was just lazy. However, I will do a brief listing just for you, so here we go: camping, family parties, hangouts w/ cousins, movies, games till 7 o' clock in the morning w/ the Sir, summer school, car accidents in the parking lot, and huge amounts of forest fires (and the smoke they bring in).

   Ah, speaking of what's gone on, California legalized gay marriage. I thought it was sweet seeing pictures of eldery couples finally being able to get married, and then you've got those crazy anti-gay marriage vans driving around with signs and everything. Can you guess my opinion on this ? On the non-religious side, I just feel that the government should not be able to forbid someone from getting married based on sexuality. It doesn't really make sense to me, and the whole "marriage is between man and woman" doesn't either. Marriage is between people who have a deep caring, love, understanding, and whatever other adjective there is. There are a ton of heterosexual couples who are unfit to marry, but they're not barred from it. Considering it from the religious side, I still see nothing wrong w/ it. The only verse in the Bible that I can see is against homosexuality is in the book (not convincing, but I forgot which book it was) in the Old Testament where the laws aren't really followed anymore. For example, there's a law in there forbidding you to cut your hair or shave, as well as eat shellfish. It seems contradictory to pull that verse out and use it if you don't abide by all the other laws in the Book. So no, I honestly don't believe Christianity opposes homosexuality; it's the certain people that either don't realize it, or use religion to justify themselves and force others to succumb to their beliefs. Another thing: I've just stated that I don't think Christianity condemns homosexuality, but even if it did... Marriage is not, and should not, be ruled by religion. People all around the world get married and I can guaruntee that they are not all the same religion, or are even religious for that matter. I understand that it's just how things are since our nation is related to Christianity ("In God We Trust"), but the question is should it be that way? Marriage has been around before Christianity developed, so why should religion dictate who is to be married and who is not? Maybe I'm missing something. If so, fill me in and give me another viewpoint.

   I kind of wanted to share opinions on random topics from now on so maybe this blog wouldn't just be a "What did Tiffany do this month?" thing. Onto something less serious. Movies. Notable movies I've seen over the summer that I can recall off of the top of my head: Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Wall-E, and P.S. I Love You. Iron Man was good, and I liked the script as well as Tony Stark's character. The Dark Knight had great depth, great acting (Not only Joker, but Bruce Wayne/Batman, Harvey Dent/Twoface, Alfred, Gordon, and Fox were really good), etc. I don't feel like writing anything long, but it's one of those very few movies that I would actually consider purchasing. Wall-E was hilarious, indredibly cute, and had a good plot. It may come off as more of a children's movie, but it's definitely for all audiences. There are too many references in there for it not to be for adults as well. The morals and implications the movie presents is also targeted towards people of all ages. P.S. I Love You wasn't great and I wouldn't buy it, but I just watched it recently and it was pretty okay. I probably would've cried if I'd been watching it in theatres or by myself. It's sweet (what romance isn't?), but it's one of those movies that makes you place yourself in the person's shoes. In this case, how would you deal with your lover's death? I rewatched Thank You for Smoking the other day. Another pretty good (and hilarious) movie. You know, I didn't even realize Nick Naylor and Harvey Dent were one and the same until I rewatched it.

   Here are some other movies I want to see that are coming out, linked to their trailers for your convenience: I.O.U.S.A, Towelhead, and Traitor.

   I just heard a song by Matt Nathanson on the radio last night called "Come on, Get Higher" and it is love . I just like the overall atmosphere of the song and its lyrics. Apparently, he's from San Francisco. Umm, I've nothing better to do, so I'm just gonna post the lyrics. I don't fully expect you to read through it all since I, myself, am guilty of taking one look at lyrics (if they're posted on someone's blog) and moving on.

I miss the sound of your voice
And I miss the rush of your skin
And I miss the still of the silence
As you breathe out and I breathe in

If I could walk on water
If I could tell you what's next
I'd make you believe
I'd make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
(repeat)

I miss the sound of your voice
Loudest thing in my head
And I ache to remember
All the violent, sweet, perfect words that you said

If I could walk on water
If I could tell you what's next
I'd make you believe
I'd make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
(repeat)

I miss the pull of your heart
I taste the sparks on your tongue
And I see angels and devils
And God, when you come, on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, love

Sing sha la la la
Sing sha la la la la

Ooo Ooo Ooo...

Come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me, drown me in love

It's all wrong,
It's all wrong,
It's all wrong,
It's so right
So come on, get higher
Come on and get higher
'Cause everything works, love
Everything works in your arms.

Tiffy finished typing at_ 02:09PM;

   It was exactly two months ago today that I last blogged. Interesting. Anyway, as the title says, it's only spring and yet it feels like summer. I'm pretty scared of the changes to come. I'm taking ICS 28 (Social Environmental History) right now, which is basically about the history of mankind's interaction with the environment and how it affects everything. It is probably one of the most interesting classes I've ever taken, and the professor is funny. We're on ancient civilizations right now, but it's not as boring as it sounds (to me, anyway). What other classes am I taking? Mmmm, PHTG 7, PSYC 1, and MATH 1B again. Yeah, it's kind of depressing. I told myself to make more of an effort this quarter w/ math. Did I tell you I didn't pass Chem last quarter either? I feel so incredibly pathetic. So, I can't be lazy anymore; or, I have to be less lazy. It's a horrible feeling at the end of the quarter knowing you wasted your parents' money. I feel so guilty I can't even describe it. Anyway, I'm taking summer classes to try making up lost time, and I need to look for a job to help my mom out. She's been too stressed lately and I really hate seeing it. I feel like hugging her when I see her. Charlie had better look for a job during summer too, or I'm gonna be really angry with him. Ahh, I hope gas doesn't go up too much over the summer, but we all know it's going to happen.

   I had a really, really weird dream last night. I was flying inside a whale, except the inside of the whale was like a spaceship and the whale could speak English . I wasn't alone, either. I was with a big group of people my age; we were supposed to be in the same class or something, except the class consisted of around 100 people or something. Yeah, no clue what it was about. Anyway, last night's weather felt really nice. It wasn't cold or hot, and there was a nice breeze that was flowing through my window. It made me fall asleep quickly. You know, I really appreciate small gestures like taking bobby pins out of my hair so I can sleep w/out losing them in the sheets or being uncomfortable. Stuff like that makes me melt hahha. I feel all warm inside and truly thankful, even though it doesn't seem like a big deal . It makes me smile :).

   I have a photography midterm coming up that requires me to go to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Normally, I would be excited and definitely go, but now I'm facing financial restrictions and don't know if I should go. I might just look up the pictures online instead to conserve money. It's not just the mueseum ticket I have to worry about, that's why. I don't want to drive because I can't drive for crap downtown, so I know it'd be even worse in SF. Even if I do drive, gas is always a problem. If I go, I'd take the train, which equals money. Train fare + bus fare + museum ticket + food = $$$.

   You know what really bothers me? People who are selfish. You know what's worse? People who are selfish that live in the same house as you. I'll leave it at that. I know Melissa has heard my lovely rants about this several times . I hope this situation is resolved soon, because it's getting on my last nerve.

   I read this thing the other day about a girl who was worried that her boyfriend didn't love her because he hasn't said it and it's been about eight months since they've started going out. It was probably one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Okay, maybe not, but that's still pretty bad. She was comparing their relationship to her friend's, where the guy told the other chick he loved her within two weeks. Okay... I really hate it when people throw the word "love" around. You do not love someone in two weeks. I flat out refuse to believe that. I'm not one to believe in love at first sight. To me, it's impossible. To love someone, you have to know them very, very well.

   Ah, my entry is cut short. I'm going to a BBQ today, so I have to go shower. Maybe I'll resume another day. Bye bye.

Tiffy finished typing at_ 01:08PM;

   To start off, it's a nice day today. For some reason, I always tend to feel like blogging on nicer days. Then again, I guess that does make some sense .

   A little while back during the President's Day weekend, I hung out w/ Donna at Valley Fair after going to Golfland w/ Stephen, his brother, and his cousins. It was pretty fun (both events). It felt... Hmmmm... How should I describe it? Even after about five-six years, I did not feel all that strange. I mean, I can't deny that it felt perhaps slightly awkward, but for the most part it wasn't (for me, at least). The awkwardness was so little, in fact, it was almost nonexistent. It just felt like... hanging out w/ someone? I dunno if that's normal, or if I'm unemotional and indifferent; I would like to think it's not the latter, and I honestly don't think it is -- I can be very emotional. I didn't feel indifferent though, I felt relatively comfortable actually. I guess that's fine haha.

   Not too much has been happening in my life, except for the fact that I'm getting lazier and lazier. It's actually rather interesting 'cause I tend to almost want to do work on nice days. Of course I still think things like "it'd be nice to run around outside right now and do something," but at the same time I'm in the mood to get work done. This morning, after dropping off Stephen and reading for an hour till my first class, I got out of the car. I saw two classmates of mine walking back to their cars, which struck me as kind of odd. When I reached the door to my classroom, I saw that class had been cancelled. Niiice. We have an exam on Friday, haha. I experienced a mixture of grief and happiness, then went back to my car to read some more. Then, I went to go copy some stuff for my mom at the library. "Some stuff." It took me about an hour or so to copy everything; I swear the people at the checkout desk were looking at me, wondering what in the world I was doing there for so long in front of the copier. My right leg started to ache 'cause I'd leaned on it for that hour. Smart me for not switching off, hm? Anyway, after that, Stephen and I went to have lunch w/ his mom. It was pretty good, but I didn't have too big of an appetite today. We got some milk tea, then I dropped off Stephen and went home. That was basically my entire day so far!

   I am currently reading this book for English: What is the What. It's kind of an biography of a man who faced the civil war going on in Sudan as a boy, but it's labeled under fiction because all of the conversations and such are derived from memory and may be a bit skewed. I would consider it a good book. Actually, I would consider it one of my favorites, but I can't really call it that right now 'cause I haven't finished it yet. It's definately not a difficult read at all, so you should read it. It's a page-turner, to me .

   Homework calls!

Tiffy finished typing at_ 02:03PM;

   So much for going to the mall w/ cousins haha. There's a storm right now, but that's okay. I don't mind much. In fact, I rather welcome it; we need rain, so it's a good thing. Also, it means I can stay home to play Rune Factory !

   Ah, it's nearing the end of winter break. I start school again this Monday. I didn't get into the math course I wanted, so I have to wait until next quarter; hopefully, I won't completely forget everything because that's what I usually do. In place of math, I'm taking an elective course. Since it's an elective though, I'm contemplating whether or not I should take another elective for four courses total. Perhaps I shall do that...

   It feels as if it's time for a new layout, but I'm fond of this one and I don't want it to go just yet . It shall stay!

Tiffy finished typing at_ 10:42AM;

   Happy New Years, even though I may be sort of late. 'Tis the time for New Years resolutions to be tested. I wonder what percentage of people who make resolutions actually keep them. I'm pretty sure it's a small percentage. I haven't made any resolutions for this year (or last year, for that matter), but I kind of want to just to see if I can keep it. What should my resolution be? I've already done something bold recently, and it's only the start of the year. It made me feel good though, stepping outside of my comfort zone. I hope all goes well, but I'm not necissarily expecting it to. Anyway, hmmm... How about my resolution is to drink at least one full glass of water a day? Hahaha, okay. I know how pathetic that sounds, but I really do lack water. It makes me guilty and ashamed to admit that I can't even do that much for my body .

   Ever since the world map was mounted on my wall, I was thinking that it'd be a good idea to research countries one-by-one whenever I don't have anything better to do. I spend a lot of time just sitting sometimes, so I figured it'd be better to actually take the time and put it to relatively good use. I've nothing specific in mind like how long I'm going to take on each country or anything, so I'm not sure how to go about it. I don't want to put a structure on it like one month do this country, the next do another. I just plan on going with the flow. I'd planned to work on a collage this break, but I didn't get around to doing it. Maybe another time, but hopefully I don't keep pushing it further and further, and never get it started.

   Colbie Caillat's music is pretty good. It's mellow and sunny-sounding. I think of spring or summer, and a nice breeze. Give her a try; hopefully she won't disappoint. "Bubbly," "Feelings Show," and "Tailor Made" are recommended.

Tiffy finished typing at_ 10:39PM;

   I've been feeling pretty good lately . There have been quite a few changes to my room since the last time I blogged:

     01. Got six more fishies along w/ my betta, and two small tanks. One tank is on my desk and the other is on my nightstand.
     02. Stephen and I rearranged my room back to how it used to look before it was painted.
     03. He bought me a poster of "The Creation of Adam" (only the two hands), so now it's up on the wall.
     04. I now have the world map in front of my face on the wall above the monitor so that I won't be too ignorant regarding geography.
     05. I've actually been successful in keeping my room clean.
     06. Reorganized my bookshelf. It's much cleaner and less cluttered!

   There might be more, but I can't quite think of any right now. Anyway, Merry Christmas all (or whatever you may celebrate)! Ah, did I mention I chopped off my hair? It's so short that it doesn't even go past my shoulder ! Yeah, this is basically the shortest length to which I've ever cut my hair. I got kind of tired of its getting tangled often, so there you have it. My mom said I look like Charlie, but most people liked it :). I'm pretty satisfied w/ it hehe.

   Now, I must be off to eat Christmas dinner. Have a lovely evening and be careful on the road!

Tiffy finished typing at_ 06:22PM;

   I realize I've been neglecting my blog lately, and it makes me feel pretty guilty. I remember the days way back when I first started experimenting with HTML and such. I started off on Blogspot and messed around with the templates already provided. Back then, all the way up until... Well, I can't remember the most recent time that I was actually really absorbed in this blog. I do remember, however, spending lots of time with it and feeling so accomplished after making a layout, even if it wasn't great. Even if I don't post as much on it anymore, I don't think I could have the heart to ever even think about getting rid of it.

   As usual, I'll probably discuss school and the weather. School as been a bit stressful lately, even if it shouldn't be. The assignments don't seem to be too difficult; I think I just happen to be getting lazier. I started off much stronger than how I am in the present.

   The weather, I admit, has been pretty nice. Unusually nice, wouldn't you agree? I mean, it's supposed to be autumn and the sun is shining as if it's summer or spring... And it's already mid-November! I recall other years, when it would be raining and pouring in just September. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't enjoy this weather; I do love it. What I don't love, however, are the implications of it and what it will mean for us in the near future. Already, there's a drought occurring in the Southern areas of the U.S. California is one of the states listed to be in danger of drought within the next so-and-so years. Sure, it's supposedly many years from now, but it's still happening and I think it's safe to say we should start conserving our water while it lasts. In the small town where the drought is occurring, water is only being run for, I believe, three hours per day. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the consequences of our greed and mass consumption. The earth is teaming up with karma to fuck us over for sure.

   Have you ever gotten that feeling when you begin to think about people you used to go to school with, and realize that there are people you would have liked to talk to but never did? I get that sometimes. You think to yourself, "Hmm, that person seemed pretty interesting. It'd be cool to have gotten to know them better." Sometimes, I also think back to a certain person. On the surface, her current personality reminds me of people I probably wouldn't befriend seriously, but I get urges to say "It's done. I don't care anymore, and I haven't for quite a while. I've no feelings of animosity toward you. How's life?"

   I watched The Green Mile last night and I highly recommend you do too. I had vague memories of the movie because I'd watched it when I was in elementary; obviously, since I was in elementary, I don't remember it much and I probably didn't understand a thing. It's a very good movie. Made me cry several times throughout. I plan to read the novel some time or other.

   The earthquake that occurred a little while back made me realize one thing: cell phones are pretty much utterly useless when you're trying to contact loved ones in the case of an emergency. It was probably one of the biggest ones I've felt. I guess I could've felt slightly bigger ones a long time ago, but I don't recall any. I don't know why, but it just feels like some sort of ominous warning that the big one is just waiting to happen.

   I have more to say, but I'm not sure what it is. By that, I mean I don't know what I feel like saying after so long. But something's there. Maybe I'll be able to think of it later. I'm going to go to Costco with my mom now, so until next time...!

Tiffy finished typing at_ 01:42PM;

   Ah, the first week of school has ended! Every day this past week has left me feeling pretty tired by the time I get home. I don't know if it's 'cause I'm not used to carrying books anymore or if it's just mentally draining, but that's just what happens I guess. My classes are okay, as are my teachers, but I definitely notice the homework is larger in quantity; or, maybe it just seems that way to me because I get home at nearly 7PM and don't get much time to work on it. Anyway, I'd say one of the most notable things at De Anza is the fact that Asians are most certainly the majority. And, out of that majority, I'd also say that half of them are Chinese and Korean. Of course, that estimate is probably somewhat far from accurate. I just happened to notice while walking around campus (and sitting around in class) the amount of people who tend to speak Chinese and Korean. Even if they don't speak it, though, they sure as hell look it. It's not that it's necissarily a bad thing; like I said, it's just one of the first things I noticed this week.

   I don't really feel like talking about too much, so I suppose I'll just leave it at that, hm? Good night!

Tiffy finished typing at_ 12:20AM;

   ...Is exactly how much I appear to be blogging! I write in my journal more often than I write on here, which sort of astounds me because it's typically the other way around.

   Last week or the week before, I woke up in the morning; looked outside my window; and smiled. The smile widened when I actually got outside. It's finally beginning to reach autumn again! I love cooler weather and welcome the clouds that roll in. Autumn is very much my favorite season .

   With autumn, of course, comes school. My classes start on the 24th of this month, so I might have to take the bus for the first week since my birthday falls on a Sunday and DMV won't allow me to take the test on Saturday . Also, there's a two-hour gap in between two of my classes and I'm kind of doubting that I'll be able to find a job that would hire me for two hours... Well, I can hope (or dream).

   Have I ever mentioned buying a Nintendo DS Lite? If not, then there you go. The only games I have for it are Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales and Animal Crossing: Wild World. I finished the first and well, I don't really think there's such a thing as beating Animal Crossing. I'm kind of tempted to buy Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon, but I'm pretty tight on money at the moment. As of right now, I need to buy an external harddrive and MySims when it's released. Anyway, I don't think you care too much about my expenditures, yeah?

   What other exciting or not-so-exciting news do I have? Ah, my cousin's wedding is coming up soon, so I'm looking forward to that; otherwise, it's pretty much day-in/day-out at the dry cleaners on weekdays and going out/staying home w/ or w/out the Sir on weekends. My plant has been dying. It flourished for quite a while, but the little ceramic egg container became too small for the plant and we failed to switch containers quickly enough. Now, it's alive but barely managing. I do hope it survives and grows larger again. It's kind of growing and dying at the moment; no net gain.

   I'm going to go watch a movie or figure out something to do now, so perhaps I'll blog again some time. Don't count on it being soon though !

Tiffy finished typing at_ 09:15PM;

   It's been getting quite warm lately, but do you know what makes the heat unbearable? That's correct: working at the dry cleaners. The pressing machines and all that other good stuff make the little store an oven; even customers can feel the heat just walking past the door! My arms get somewhat sore because I have to lift them constantly for about seven hours a day, so that doesn't help much either. The job itself isn't difficult, but it just leaves you a little tired. Then again, I suppose most jobs tire people.

   I took the placement test for Chem1A/Bio6A at De Anza Friday and wow, I don't think I did too well. I probably failed on account of my not-so-spectacular memory and the fact that I haven't seen any chemistry since Sophomore year. It's too bad the test is all based on Chemistry. If it included Biology, I probably would have done better. I think I tend to recall terms better than things that deal w/ mathematics or numbers.

   The people who own the donut shop near our cleaners are nice. They give me extra donut holes and let me get away w/ donuts when I'm running low on cash .

Tiffy finished typing at_ 08:45PM;

   It is a lovely day today~!

   I watched Music & Lyrics about two days ago and it was pretty funny (and cute). "PoP Goes My Heart" and "Way Back Into Love" are so freaking catchy -- especially the former. Hehe, I love watching the video for it. Ever wonder why Drew Barrymore always gets sung some sort of sweet, silly song to her in movies? I have.

Tiffy finished typing at_ 05:40PM;

   Today was a fairly good day, minus my having to take Part 1 of the AP Stats final . I wasn't late for first period for once, thankfully. We didn't do much in that class either, so that's good. During break, I hung around in Mrs. Ehrlich's class 'cause I didn't feel like hanging out w/ the group that I normally hang around w/. It's not as if anything's going on, it's just that I find it a little dull and I just stand around anyway. I think I'll probably just stay in Mrs. Ehrlich's class until the end of the year (maybe). It feels good in there :).

   After school, I hung out w/ Vy and Melissa. Well, there were other people too along the way haha. It started out w/ Vy, Shirley, Kevin, Melissa and I. We went to get donuts, then went to Target, and then Eastridge for a little bit. After that, Kevin & Shirley were dropped off and we went to school to pick up Jason and Tracy. Finally, we went back to my house and hung around for a while. For most of the time, we were just playing cards. They all left at around 3-something and here I am now.

   I love the feeling of being in different people's cars. Maybe I'm just odd, but I get a unique feeling in everyone's cars. Each person has this different atmosphere and it feels nice. I've never actually been in a car where I didn't like how it felt. I haven't gotten that nice feeling often enough since my cousin went to San Diego :P. Well, that's about all I have to say for today. Have a lovely day .

Tiffy finished typing at_ 03:46PM;

   Greetings! As you can see, I have finally returned. I told myself a long while back that I wouldn't blog until I changed the layout. Initially, it was supposed to be a sort of incentive for me to actually work on the layout; obviously, that didn't work out too well. Well, that's past and now it's spring, it's green, it's lovely, and it's wreaking havoc on my eyes & nose .

   I'm not going to talk about too much, but I'll say that on Mother's Day, we (Charlie, Melissa and I) made fruit tarts for my mom. Also, I've been watching quite a bit of TV lately and falling alseep on the couch. What else, what else? Stephen bought me a dart board, although I truly and honestly say I am no good at all. I've also got an Eggling from the Discovery Channel Store now, and it's growing nicely . Okay, I'm going to leave now. Good day!



This isn't how it looks presently, but I want to take pictures of it as it grows :).

Tiffy finished typing at_ 07:15PM;