heat.

So, I haven't been updating as much as I'd like to.
Simply put, the weather has been too hot for my taste.
Way. Too. Hot.

I don't hate a lot of things.
But I can't STAND heat.
I'm the type of person who likes to have at least three layers of clothing on at all times.
I like the cold. It makes me happy.
And to be suddenly flung into 90 degree weather, well, I'm suffering a bit.

I've been cranky and annoying and insufferable.
And I feel like I'm sweating out all of my creativity and wit.

All I've wanted to do these past few weeks was sit on the air-conditioning vent.
And we all know how productive that is.

because i'm special like that.

I've always been a person who's been fascinated by little, quirky talents.

Like being able to sing the ABC's backwards.
Or juggling.
Or being able to knit a hat for your dog.
Or being able to lick your elbow.

Plus, I feel like that those would be great conversation starters. 

And now my newest quest is teaching myself to be ambidextrous.
Which by the way, is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
I even had to go to Staples and buy the special extra-big lined paper people use in second grade.
I got a very weird look from the cashier.
Feeling awkward, I made up some bogus excuse about how it was for a class I was teaching.
Which made things even more awkward, because I'm clearly underage.
I'm not applying for a job there anytime soon.

So yeah.
That's what is currently going on in my life.
Feel free to tell me what's going on in yours. Especially if it's interesting.
Traveling to Australia and adopting a koala is a good example.

why i wish i didn't play the violin.

The problem with playing violin is that it eats into your confidence.
It's like a greedy little demon that munches on your ego and self-esteem.
Whenever you get a new piece and search it on Youtube, you can find a toddler playing it. And sometimes, they're playing it better than you.

Want an example? Here's one. This is the song I'm currently learning.
She's five years old.


Don't get me wrong.
The violin is a wonderful instrument and it's capable of producing a beautiful tone and even better music.
But only if you're willing to suffer through a few years of torturous high-pitched squealing.

Me being Asian doesn't help my case either.
It's a stereotype that all of us are heavenly at violin.
Well, some of us aren't.
Sorry.

If I knew this was going to happen, I would have learned the bagpipes.
Or the tuba.
Or some weird instrument that nobody knows about.
Anything but the violin. 

doomsday.

Well, I'm still here.
I guess we all have to wait until 2012 for the world to end.
And if it doesn't happen, historians will still later somehow find another prediction of the apocalypse written on some rock by the ancient Spartans.
Wash, rinse, and repeat.

This way, the thrill never ends.

my character.

Would you like to hear a story?

Once upon a time there was this boy named Ben and this girl named Fiona.
Ben and Fiona happened to be sitting next to each other on the bus. Because Fiona was tired and had a massive headache, she wasn't willing to strike up a gripping conversation with Ben.
But Ben took this personally and called her a loner.
And then Ben proceeded to preach to Fiona about the importance of relationships, and how instead of going home, it would benefit your life more if you went out made friends.
Thoroughly ticked off, Fiona went home, took some Tylenol and then furiously blogged about their encounter.
The end.

Am I a loner? Maybe.
I'm just not someone who puts a priority on friendships.
I put my family as a first.
Then my studies and schoolwork.
Then my extracurricular activities, like swimming and bassoon.
Perhaps after that would come friendships and my relationship with others.
It's quite far down the list.

I'm aware that my beliefs are much different than most people. I'm extremely realistic and frank, almost painfully so.
I know what I'm capable of achieving, and I know when things are out of my reach.

I also very conscious about money.
I don't lust after things I know my family can't afford, so naturally I've learned not to ask.
Because of this, I especially hate people who complain about things they don't have.
I think it's disgusting how all they can think about is themselves, and how they don't realize how lucky they are to be in the position to be able to worry about petty things like that.

I'm sometimes perceived as a nasty person because I don't like to give fake praise.
If someone asks me for their opinion on their work, I will give my truthful thoughts on it. I won't sugarcoat it, or just simply say that it's good.
If I don't like it, I will tell them and say why.
Which nine times out of ten, cause them to get angry at me. Which I don't get.
Don't ask for my honest opinion if you aren't willing to listen to what I have to say.


And that concludes the end of my spiel.
I know that it was chaotic and you probably didn't follow half of my thoughts.
But it feels good to let that out.
I really hope that this post doesn't change how you think about me.

breakfast foods.

I seriously don't understand why it's socially unacceptable to eat ice cream for breakfast, but it's fine for people to have waffles doused in syrup and powdered sugar.
Breakfast is a meal in which you consume so you are not hungry until lunch.
Why does it matter if I want to have cold pizza?
And if I want to have a turkey sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce, I should be able to.

It's not gross.
I'm just filling my belly.
Why does it bother you if I choose to eat something a few hours before the time that you deem acceptable?
I'm just being flexible.

If there are leftovers that need to be eaten, I will will eat them before they spoil.
Therefore I am reducing waste.
Therefore, eating any food for breakfast is practical.
And therefore it is superior than eating solely "breakfast foods".

So there. I win.

arachnophobia.

Arachnophobia (əˌræknəˈfəʊbɪə) —noun An abnormal fear or spiders.

As cliché as it may sound, I am genuinely scared of spiders.
For my entire life, I've been trying to conquer my fear before my fear conquers me.
And I'm pretty sure that that's a famous quote, so write that down.

But apparently I haven't done a good job of fear-conquering.
Because somehow a spider had managed to crawl onto my bathroom ceiling.
And I screamed.
It wasn't your ordinary, run of the mill scream.
But a full blown, girl-in-a-horror-movie scream.
And everyone heard me.
Everyone as in my parents, the stray cat, and several neighboring countries.

And the spider, Warren, let's call him Warren.
When I stopped to breathe from my scream, Warren was gone.
Gone.
Gone as in vanished.
Gone as in it's not in my visible view. 
Which means Warren is somewhere else in my room, creeping along with his demonic little legs.


I really don't think I'll be able to get any sleep tonight.

a quick lesson on the eating habits of cows.

Today I spent an hour explaining why cows don't drink milk.

I seriously don't understand why this is a problem.
Cows drink water. Not milk.
Water.

Cows produce milk.
As in it comes out of their udder. Therefore, they do not drink it.
They drink water.

I will repeat it as many times as it takes for people to understand.
Because it's frustrating when people don't even know their basic cow information.

If they can't comprehend the concept of cows drinking water, how will I be able to trust them with the future of the country?
How will I be able to trust them handling my bank account in twenty years?

I don't think I'm capable of doing that.

bundles of joy.

I got an award from iZaynab and Jodie-Ann.
Which makes me really happy.

Here are the rules:
1. Accept this award with a smile and link to the person who sent it to you. :)
2. Pass this on to five blogs that make you smile.
3. Contact the person somehow to tell them that they have received this award.

And now I pass it on.
I know I might be re-awarding this to some people. So I apologize in advance. 
...Here I go.

1.) the wild dreams of a mid-west teen
Once upon a time, there was this girl named Bianca. She wrote an amazing blog, and it made this girl named Fiona really happy. The end.
But seriously. Go take a look. She's really optimistic, and tells amazing stories. And did I mention that she's a boss at French?

2.) On The Wings of a Bird
This blog is written by Michaela (also known as The Blonde One). And starting off, her layout is the cutest thing ever. Ever. It even has owls as it's background.
She also posts about a plethora of things, from school to fashion to music to crazy old ladies.
And sometimes she talks about her cat. And everyone likes cats.

3.) Cupcakes!!!
I found this blog not too long ago. It's written by this girl named Rachel, and it's one of those hidden gems you rarely find. Don't let the title fool you into thinking it's all about food. Because it's not.
All of her posts are extremely entertaining and amusing. I don't really know how else to put it. I love this blog. So much.

4.) The Usual Shenanigans
I've been following this blog forever. And it's as good as it was four months ago.
It's by Ashley, and she has the most unique personality I've ever seen. She's very bold and says what she wants to say.
And she likes Pokemon. And I like Pokemon too. So me awarding this to her was inevitable.

5.) According to Lo
Lo has the most beautiful writing style that I've ever seen. Her posts are deep and make you think. So, kudos to her.


I really don't have a clever way to end this post.
So I'll awkwardly trail off.
...yeah.

tissues make me happy.

There's a saying out there that says how you can find happiness in the small, little things in life.
And today I found one.
On the description of a tissue box.

This is what it said:

The right touch to turn your day around. Whether you're stuck in a rough patch, feeling under the weather, or just in need of some extra kindness and care, KLEENEX Ultra Soft tissue will pamper you with indulgent softness that lifts your spirits and inspires a smile.

I seriously don't know if I should be amused by just how ridiculous and absurd this is, or impressed by the wordiness.
But the one thing I know is that's the most hardcore tissue description that I've ever seen.


And I can't believe that I just blogged about a tissue box.

that awkward moment when you realize that you're short.

Every year, our school takes a photo of everyone in each grade.
So in homeroom, we had to line up by height. And I was the fifth shortest in my class.
The. Fifth. Shortest.

I refuse to believe that I'm short.
I went to my doctor yesterday, and she told me that I was average in terms of height.
Key word: Average. When did the word average turn into the word short?
Oh, that's right. 
Never.

However, deep in my gut, I know that I'm a bit on the shorter side.
But do I accept it? No I do not.
So right now, I'm in this awkward situation where I'm in denial about being in denial.

One time in the waiting room of the dentist's office, I read this psychology magazine. And there was this article about hypnotism.
It said that in order to convince yourself of something, you should say it to yourself until you fully believe it.

And I've been doing that all day. Trying to convince myself that I'm tall.
I almost crashed into a wall at swim practice because my mind was so wrapped up with the problem of my height.
And I might as well do it now too.
For good measure.


I am tall.
I'm not short. I'm tall.
My height would make Yao Ming jealous and if the Empire State Building could think, it would be jealous too.
You, Fiona, are a boss and you are super tall.


...I think it's working.

day of silence.

Today, I didn't speak at all. At least, I tried not to.
Because today was our school's Day of Silence.
The purpose of this is to raise awareness about the harassment that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (GLBTQ) individuals face.
And because of the things they have to deal with, those who are GLBTQ may not be heard.
Which is why some of my peers and I chose not to speak today.

I'm glad that I did it.
But it was hard. Really hard.
And I'm not going to lie and say that I went the entire day without uttering a word.
Because I did need to talk a few times.
... please don't be mad at me.

And it was hard to do the most basic things.
I really needed to use a tissue, but I didn't know where they were.
Because I couldn't ask, I had to suffer through the rest of the class tissue-less.
Which was not fun.

But all in all, it was a good experience for me.
And it definitely raised my awareness about a topic I knew nothing about.
Which was the whole point, wasn't it?

writers block.

I have really bad writers block.
So here are some pictures that I liked. Click on it to view it full sized.

Sorry for the lame post.
I just need to recover my creativity, because it's a bit off these days.
Blame it on the allergies.

environmental things and whatnot.

The earth is important, yes?
Because if we didn't have the earth, we wouldn't be able to sit on beaches and eat carrots. Which is all good stuff.


Today I came across this "My Blog is Carbon Neutral" initiative. (Here's a link.)
And I learned the horrible truth about how every time a blog is viewed, about .02 grams of carbon dioxide is released.
To combat this, the initiative will plant a beautiful new tree in the Plumas National Forest every time a post is featured about it.

Therefore, this post will neutralize the emissions my blog causes.
Which is awesome.
And makes me feel like I did something good.
So it's a win-win all around.

I encourage you to make a post featuring it as well.
So we all can save the earth together.
And continue to enjoy carrots and our days on the beach.

To go with the environmental theme, I recently found this video on Youtube.



And I thought it was amazing.

allergies will be the death of me.

I hate spring.
Because spring equates to allergies.
And I hate allergies.
I hate allergies with a fiery passion that easily could bring down a healthy male bull.


... did I mention that I hate allergies? 

thinking for yourself.

I can't stand people who incapable of forming their own opinions.

Whenever I have a conversation with someone like that, I get this overwhelming sense that I'm talking to myself.

Me: Do you watch The Office?
Human: Yeah! 
Me: You know the new guy? Will Ferell? I don't think he'll be as good as Steve Carell.
Human: I agree totally!

30 minutes later: 
Another Human: My god, I LOVE the new guy on The Office!
Human: I know right? Isn't he awesome?
Me: o.O

Please have your own ideas on things.
Going with the general opinion doesn't make you seem informed. It makes you look like a follower who doesn't know any better.

I would rather have talk to a person who has radically different views than me, than someone who agrees with everything I say.
It gets tedious after a while. 

teen romance novels.

Girl falls in love with Boy.
Girl is extremely average with dumb problems and low self esteem, so the book appeals to the female teenage crowd.
Boy is preferably a supernatural monster.
However, Boy is still sexy despite being a freak of nature.

Boy goes through some deep internal conflict and ends up falling in love with Girl.
But before anything serious happens, another boy falls in love with Girl.
Boy goes crazy with jealousy.

Stuff happens, several people die, and revelations are made.
Boy and Girl chase after each other a lot.
The hearts of the teenage girls melt.

But don't worry!
Everything is okay.
For in the end, Boy and Girl fall in love and get married and live happily ever after.
They have lots of mutated monster-baby kids together.

today is the day i was born.

Today's my birthday.
It's nice to know that I've gotten 365 days older. [:
I would tell you my exact age, but due to my unmatchable sense of paranoia, I won't.
Because you can never be sure if someone's just reading this blog to get my Social Security Number.

I got a bunch of food.
My friend Katrina gave me some cookies.
And Alison made me these great cupcakes.

 

The white one on the right is supposed to say "winning!". (Do I need to explain?)

The one directly below that was made to look like ramen in a pot. 

Since we both agree that making ramen in a pot is superior to preparing it in a microwave.  

Aren't those the coolest things ever?

I think so.

Life is good.

adios bin laden.

Today in history, we talked about Osama Bin Laden's death.
Which eventually morphed into a discussion about humanity, with most of the people trying to extend our conversation for the duration of the entire class period.
Our air-head of a teacher realized what was going on (half an hour later) and finally led us back into the topic of the Civil War.

I'm not sure how I feel about his death.
I'm certainly happy that he's gone and won't go around bombing any more civilians. But seeing all these celebrations about him dying just feels so incredibly wrong.

You shouldn't have a party because someone died.

I guess I'm too young to really understand what is truly right and wrong.
At this moment, him dying feels right, after the horrible things he did to thousands of people.
But the celebrations feel wrong.

I think I still need some time to think this over.

my dork moment.

I found this picture on the internet. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Pokemon drawn on eggs?
I really don't think it gets any better than that.