This is truly great.

A friend of mine posted a video on facebook that I felt needed to be shared with everyone. Even though I don't think anyone else other than maybe two people read this blog, I feel it is my civic and cyber duty to do my best to spread this greatness. So watch this. It is...SO MOVING.

I, for one, get goosebumps for every single reaction every single time I watch this video. Or any time the goal is replayed on the television. Landon Donovan, you are my HERO! And whoever made this video, you are also my hero. Well done.

So now that we've conquered our bracket in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we're onto bigger and better and more challenging things! The Round of Sixteen. Whooo! This should be interesting. Especially since we will be matched up against Ghana - who, in the 2006 World Cup knocked us out of the tournament. But I think it's safe to say that not only Donovan, but the entire USA Men's soccer team is more mature and prepared for this challenge. Come on boys, make us proud(er)!!

WE HAVE FAITH! Go get 'em.

On another note, a few friends and I decided it would be fun to wake up at 6:30am this morning to watch the Brazil/Portugal game. Naturally, we assumed that it would be a super riveting game, as Brazil & Portugal are two of the best teams in the world. But I guess what it actually means is that since they are two of the best teams in the word, they already defeated the other teams in their bracket (Ivory Coast & North Korea). And since they already did so well with so many points, I guess what that means is they don't have to worry too much about this game because they're already moving on. And so I guess what that means is they decided to just play an easy game against each other because they're both moving on anyhow (not a confirmed fact, just speculation). And that in turn, means nothing exciting happening in the entire game. And I guess what that means is that some people fall asleep during the second half. And I guess that all of the previously stated inferences end up in one simple equation:

Brazil + Portugal = waste of time and sleep

Therefore, I would have to still say...GO USA! And I'm excited to see the next games coming up in the Round of Sixteen. Not to mention that neither of the nations from last tournament's championship game, France & Italy, will be represented. Whew! Imagine that. And Ghana is the only team to represent the African continent at this point? I guess we'll have to see how it all goes. Tune in to the USA/Ghana game tomorrow, Saturday, June 26, at 2pm ET, 11am PT and support our country in this tournament soccer match!

peace. :)

"This magic...

...MOMENT." - The Drifters

WOW. So...I'm a big soccer fan; my whole family is. And as any slightly abnormal American family, we all got up early to watch what could possibly have been the last USA game of the FIFA World Cup this year. And let's be honest - things were looking grim. So many chances, all denied and rejected. Even though the offsides call was slightly bogus. It was a pretty fair game, until near the end when drama and flopping started picking up in a race to the finish.

but OH. MY. NOLA. Landon Donovan...he never fails! JEEPERS. Really, though. I was screaming for at least two minutes. I can barely swallow without feeling the sting of a sore throat. hahaha.

In the ninety-freakin'-first minute. IN OVERTIME. He came through! (Like he always does.)

try and tell me that THAT^^ is not amazing. So calm...so humble...with so much FINESSE!

What a great man. Seriously, with all the missed opportunities earlier in the game with over-blasting shots and mistouches...none of it matters anymore. Because we WON! Plus, this is awesome because I chose the USA & England to move on from that bracket. Haha.

US Men's Soccer Team: you guys are impressing me and surprising me. Don't stop now. :)

On another note, I'm done with high school. Therefore, I win. WOOP! :D

"Imma letchu...

...finish, but..." - Kanye West
I just have one quick thing to make a public declaration to the internet world of vast cyberspace as I am deep in thought during my homework time.
I LIKE PEOPLE.
PEOPLE NEED HUMAN INTERACTION TO SURVIVE.
THIS WORLD JUST KEEPS GETTING MORE RIDICULOUS. haha.
sorry...I got a slightly discomforted when I read this article:

lalalalala. I'm an article and I'm ridiculous! hehehe. ;)

take it in, people. Now, don't worry. I realize this is also slightly ironic since I am writing this online on a blog where I never see or interact with humans face to face. But you get the idea. hahahahaha.

And I'm not saying this is a horrible idea, I just don't think it should become a very large enterprise...for the love and sake of humanity. This was just my initial, blown out of proportion reaction. :)

peace.

"Sittin' on a fence post...

...chewin' some bubblegum." - Girl Scout song

So uh...it's May 25, 2010. Today, it was raining. The APRIL showers are supposed to bring the MAY flowers! Not more May showers! haha. Anyhow, this week is going to be jam-packed. I still have quite the load of homework to do and this upcoming three-day weekend shall be buzz-buuzz-BUUUSSSY! I have to march with my school band in the city parade. Then it's senior prom! Then I shall arrive at church on Sunday at 7am to sing for three baptismal services. And then one day to recuperate. But I'll probably end up hanging out with all my friends. haha. My mother is making my prom dress and I have found where I get my procrastinating skills. My MOTHER. *cough* ;)
Quite honestly, being a second semester senior in high school, I don't think I should have to worry about doing homework and such. But for some reason beyond my comprehension, I still have dumb little assignments that I must do. GAH. JUST LET ME GRAJEEATE ALREADY, JEEPERS! haha.
We finally convinced our physics teacher to give us a final project instead of a final TEST. What will it entail? We must build a Rube Goldberg device/machine that will dispense hand sanitizer into someone's hand. It requires six energy exchanges. I'm pretty excited about it, to be honest.
I had been wanting an open-faced clock for my room...and I never got one. But at a garage sale this weekend, I found one. But it was not working properly, as it had a limp hour-hand. :( So they let me have it for a dollar. And I still took it because I LOVE to fix things and I thought it might be salvageable...and if not, I figured I would still hang it up somewhere because it looks cool. :D
Anyhow, when I got home, I quickly resolved the issue of the hour-hand. A simple fix. :) Then I put a new battery in it and it's as good as new! WOOP! I've figured out where I want to put it; now it's just a matter of actually putting it up. haha.
Also, today I fixed our vacuum cleaner. :) The belt had broken, so my mother bought a new belt and I replaced it. Then I vacuumed. Because I also LOVE vacuuming! hehe. I want a Dyson sooo badly! And everyone thinks I am crazy for it. But really, it is SO EXTREMELY PRACTICAL! A Dyson is the best thing since peanut butter. (My Calculus teacher says that a lot. Not about the Dyson, but about peanut butter. "_________ is the best thing since peanut butter." In his Oklahoma accent. teehee.)
So needless to say, I feel very productive aside from my schooling. haha. I want to brush my teeth.
BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH. That's how I feel about schoolwork right not. GAH.
Phil Wickham is AWESHUM. Just sayin'. burblegurglejurgle. Okay, I guess I'll go now. :)




peace.

"And I'm finally free...

...in the Love of the Father." - Jimmy Needham
That is from what I like to call a poetic track off Jimmy Needham's album "Not Without Love." I've listened to it just about...four hundred twelve times now. HAHA. Kidding. Totally kidding. But really, I've listened to it a lot lately. Very encouraging, very truthful, very UMPH-y. If you catch my drift. ;)
ANYHOW, guess what! I'm on my blog! First time in...a shamefully long period of time. ha. It's my senior year, alright? SPEAKING OF WHICH...I'm graduating!! :D Can we all take a moment to happy dance? That would make me very happy. Mother, I know you're probably reading this...in which case pay no attention to the time stamp on this post. ;) But really, I felt the need to type something out right now and I couldn't sleep. :/
AP tests are finished! This year I was victimized by the following:
-AP Calculus
-AP Literature & Composition
-AP Physics
My favorite class this year was AP Physics. BY. FAR. The best teacher ever, the best classmates ever, the best projects ever, the best experience and learning environment for me to be in. I think I really would have retained a lot information had it been at a slower pace, though. That's okay, I still feel like I can walk away from that class and say I learned so much and loved just about every second of it! :) Let me just recap on two of the crazy ridiculous projects we have done this year. We had to build a trebuchet that could launch a golfball at least thirty yards. And just recently had to put out buoyancy knowledge to the test by building cardboard boats to cross the school pool and back. My motto all year has been: when physics fails, get creative. Meaning, when I don't really know what I'm doing, just make it look pretty. It's been fairly effective so far. ;)
I am so excited for this next chapter in my life. I can't even begin to explain to you how I just want to be done with high school! Yet, at the same time, I'll definitely miss all the faculty and friends I know at my school. Ugh. Mixed emotions...eh, I'll get over it. hehe.
I had to have one more semester's worth of physical education in order to graduate. RIDICULOUS, RIGHT?! I mean, I've played soccer and been a highly active individual all my life and what is about to hold me back from graduating high school? P.E. DUUUMB! :P Anyhow, I took one semester as an a-period class; it started at a painstaking 6:50am. HA! Then, with one semester to go and less than a semester left in school, I realized that I really needed to get on that. So I frantically searched for a class from the community college to enroll in. Luckily, I found a swing dancing class! Which was perfect, because I always wanted to learn how to swing dance. :) I got there on the first day, only to find that my name was not on the roster. Cue PANIC. Fiiiinally, I found an online class through the local community college that would count as an entire year's worth of credit! A sixteen-chapter book in nine weeks. YUP. I actually did it! I just finished tonight. The final was difficult. Five essay questions in one hour. Twelve minutes per question? NOT COOL. Plus, it was on all the chapters, so I had to rack my brain and whatnot. I didn't particularly care for the experience at all. But I'm pretty darn sure I passed the class, so that is QUITE A LOVELY THING. Now, instead of being held back and not walking at graduation, I'm graduating with EXTRA credits! haha. One semester of extra physical education. Whoo wudda thunk it?!
On another note, Prom is this coming weekend and my mother is making my dress. So far, she's cut out the pieces. It's on Saturday. Minor freak-out. ;)
There's currently a small piece of lint sitting on my comforter that looks like an adorable little tiny elephant. Yay. :)
I got a really cool open-face clock at a garage sale for one dollar. They thought it was broken, but I wanted it anyway. So when I got home, I fixed it. YUS. I love fixing things! It just makes me feel so handy and cool and whatnot. :P
WHOA. BREAKING NEWS. Today, I was in Costco and I happened to decide to wander into the book section. (If you don't already know, I STRONGLY DISLIKE READING. I LOVE books, the idea of them, the way they look, the way they feel, the entire concept of them; I just don't like to read.) While in the forbidden area of the store, I stumbled upon this particular book called, "The Lost City of Z." Intrigued, I picked it up and read the back. Now I REALLY want to read it! hahaha. I think I'm going to wait until the summer, though. It's a nonfiction book about a possibly fictional place. Crazy, right? It's about a man who goes to look for a fabled ancient city, Z. And he never comes back. :O CRAY CRAY!! I really want to read it. Right up my alley. So, I think I'm going to go to Borders and buy it! Oh my nola, I'm going to purchase a book! Holy cow! This one's for the books! :P
My room is clean. I really like it this way. Worship music really sets the mood in my room. I try not to play anything else. It's not that hard, though...worship music is music straight FROM the soul, TO the soul.
I'm glad I started writing on this thing. It really helped me get tired. hahaha. Mother, I apologize. Please don't be annoyed, but understand that I believe two things:
1. I am clairvoyant.
2. I have slight insomnia?
So...not entirely number two, but I AM a night owl! Goodnight, world. Rejoice and be glad in this day that comes from the Lord. :)








peace.

"It's not the end of the world...

just you and me."

-Relient K

WOO! the weather has finally brought about some variety around these parts. Meaning, it's overcast and chilly today! I'm so happy. The fall to winter transition is my favorite time of year, and this weather just gave me a glimpse of the joy that is to come! haha. :)
I made myself a nice and tasty bowl of one of these:

probably the most common flavor out there.
AGH! I'm just so elated that this weather is finally starting to make up its mind and be emotionally stable for one day instead of being freezing in the morning, nice during mid-morning, hot during the day and perfect at night. Plus, my soccer team is doing a "team building" event tonight at a local, and quite difficult for that matter, corn maze. I've done it before...and, uh...let's just put it this way. I entered with four and left with two. JUST KIDDING! haha. but I did enter while the sun was shining, with four's company, and left in the dark night sky with six. care to know where the other two came from? they were working the corn maze. We got so badly lost, they had to send out two people to come find us and lead us out. hahaha! funny story, fun experience. Hopefully this time I'll remember to bring my flashlight and actually use the map they provide. ha.

School just started up again after a week of "fall break," which I wish would last until June 16. I toured five colleges in Southern California and did a couple auditions for the music programs. One school offered me scholarship money, and a spot in their women's and university choirs, and the other offered me less scholarship and a spot in their women's choir. The more generous of the two seems more attractive, financially. However, the director of the second made a good point of saying that the schools with lesser programs offer more money. And the second school is actually my top choice. A private school, but I'll have $11,000 in scholarships automatically with grades and music, etc. PLUS, they have the best program for what I want to major in. And it's really good. really good. :)
So we'll see, but I'm really praying about it. God will work it out. They have a full scholarship available. But my SAT scores were short by FORTY STINKIN' POINTS. So I took them again on Saturday. haha. Hopefully I'll get those forty points so at least I'll qualify to apply for the scholarship. The way it works: people apply. They weed out the people who don't qualify. (I guess they thought it was worth a shot! haha.) Then, everyone who qualifies gets $1,000. Then they narrow it down to 40 people to fly out and interview for the scholarship. All of those people get $5,000 extra (a total of 6k). THEN, they choose five people to receive the full scholarship. And it's obvious what they are awarded with. haha. So as long as I even qualify, that's one thousand dollars more than I would have had! renewable. :)
In the music scene-- I STRONGLY suggest the new Relient K album, "Forget and Not Slow Down."
it is filled with strong melodies, harmonies, catchy tunes, full sound, and just all-around profound lyrics. seriously, I think it's one of their greatest yet. check it out on their myspace or something, if you don't want to buy it. but you probably will want to after you hear all of the songs.


alrighty, that's it I suppose.






peace.

"I don't need a soul...

...I don't need a soul to hold."
-Relient K

Well, it's finally senior year! and at this rate, I won't even have a soul by the time college applications are due. haha. My summer was super fast, short and BUSY. But wonderful. :)
To be honest, this year is going by extremely slow(ly?). I know, I know, by the end of the year, I'll wish it hadn't gone by so fast, right? But I really don't think so...I'm so ready for college. It's ridiculous. I just wish all my friends would go to the same college. haha...
This year, I'm enrolled in :
a-period p.e. (not by choice, I'll explain later.)
AP Calculus
AP Physics
Orchestra Winds/Full Orchestra
Photo
Government
AP Literature

The only reason I am taking a-period physical education, which by the way, is the class BEFORE school. And you know how late I stay up! SUPER late. but only because that's just naturally the way it happens. Anyway, the only reason I'm taking that class is because, going into the summer, I needed three semesters of physical education to get credits for. And THAT is because I chose to take band and Spanish for three years without any open classes to complete the physical education requirement. So over the summer, I enrolled in a yoga class offered by the local community college, worth only one semester of p.e. credit. Therefore, I still need one year of p.e. credits to my name in order to graduate. Luckily, my school was fortunate enough to have sufficient funding for an a-period physical education class to be offered. Anywho, I really hate waking up before I ever thought I was capable of in order to do; what. EXERCISE?! haha. that's a joke. but the most ironic thing is that school physical education is supposed to be a joke. But the teacher is the football coach. so what do we do? FOOTBALL TRAINING. you've got to be kidding me! agh. it's ridiculous, Needless to say, I do feel really good about myself after I start my morning with a decent over-exerting workout. haha...
alrighty, well that's all for now folks! I'll try to keep you updated...if I remember. :)





peace.