cramming.

the person that said cramming is no use at all knew nothing about anything. seriously, 45 minutes before the quiz, athena had a major cram session with priya and the quiz turned out amazingly easy. and over half the time we were cramming, we were cracking up like crazy. i'm talking side-splitting, tear jerking, hysterical laughter. i don't remember the last time i laughed that hard. priya chakrabarti, you made my day. i think we're geniuses.

ouch.

it's like a papercut, but deeper. literally. and yes, i care that much to blog about it.

so contagious.

"oh no, this couldn't be more unexpected. and i can tell that i've been moving in so slow. don't let it throw you off too far cause i'll be running right behind you. could this be out of line? to say you're the only one breaking me down like this? you're the only one i would take a shot on. keep me hanging on so contagiously. oh, when i'm around you i'm predictable. cause i believe in loving you at first sight. i know it's crazy but i'm hoping to, to take a hold of you. could this be out of line? to say you're the only one breaking me down like this? you're the only one i would take a shot on. keep me hanging on so contagiously. oh, you're everything i'm wanting. come to think of it, i'm aching. on account of my transgression, will you welcome this confession? could this be out of line? to say you're the only one breaking me down like this? you're the only one i would take a shot on. keep me hanging on so contagiously..."

(sometimes, it's easier to blog lyrics when you can't think of your own words to say...)

oh, sanity.

it's funny what a simple phone conversation can do for her. she's found that it's the little things that keep her sane in this crazy world. without someone to talk to tonight, she probably would have lost her mind while she stared at the mountain of homework she had yet to climb. so she thanks you many times. even if your phone call did wake her up from her nap.

sweeet :)

how can you not smile after watching this commercial?

there's hope.

"back when i had a little, i thought that i needed a lot. a little was overrated, but a lot was a little too complicated. you see, zero didn't satisfy me. a million didn't make me happy. that's when i learned a lesson; that it's all about your perception. hey, are you a pauper or a superstar? so you act, so you feel, so you are. it ain't about the size of your car. it's about the size of the faith in your heart. there's hope. it doesn't cost a thing to smile. you don't have to pay to laugh. you better thank God for that. off in the back country of brazil, i met a young brother that made me feel that i could accomplish anything. you see, just like me he wanted to sing. he had no windows and no doors. he lived a simple life and was extremely poor. on top of all of that he had no eye sight, but that didn't keep him from seein' the light. he said, 'what's it like in the USA?' and all i did was complain. he said 'living here is paradise.' he taught me paradise is in your mind. you know that there's hope. it doesn't cost a thing to smile. you don't have to pay to laugh. you better thank God for that. every time i turn on the t.v., somebody's acting crazy. if you let it, it will drive you crazy. but i'm takin' back my power today. gas prices, they just keep on rising. the government, they keep on lying. but we gotta keep on surviving. keep living our truth and do the best we can do. there's hope. it doesn't cost a thing to smile. you don't have to pay to laugh. you better thank God for that. stand up for your rights. keep shining your light. and show the world your smile..."

"normal".

"do you realize you're not normal?" - mr. ontiveros

two words: define normal. and speaking of which, who gets to define normal, anyway? the jocks? the teachers? our parents? the president? How about none of the above. you see, the thing about it is, is that the “usual standards” as to what normal really is, isn’t so standard everywhere else. in beverly hills, normal would be considered the person with the seven bedroom mansion who rolls down the street in a silver mercedes. at oxford, normal would be defined simply into late nights, study freaks, hard workers, and perfectionists. at least to the people on the outside. to me, defining the word normal would go under the category of attempting the impossible.

case-in-point? it all depends on where you’re standing. to us, oxford has no norm. some see it as rebellion central, filled with hundreds of kids out of dress code each and every day avoiding the teachers well-known for giving out dress code violations. others on the other hand really do see it as the nerd school. and in respect to the other schools, we don’t fit under normal.

but if normal means i have to wear huge logos plastered on my shirts, do my hair a certain way, or act like someone i’m not, than i think i’d rather be considered out-of-the-ordinary. but if normal means laughing uncontrollably until people look at you like your insane, running at the beach just because you like the feel of sand between your toes, or dancing like no one is watching to your favorite song, then i’m just as normal as the next guy.

but as far as i’m concerned, being normal is overrated.

cheesy moral of this blog? be yourself, my friends. cause i wouldn’t want you any other way.

junk?

and as she sorted through her belongings in her room, clearing out things in order to make space for her new bookshelves, she stumbled upon little things that brought her back to different times, places, and memories that had been stashed away for so long. a plastic bracelet she had gotten from her neighborhood best friend when she was ten. a watch she had begged her parents to get her that she quickly lost interest in. a spelling test paper from the 4th grade that she got 100% on. and other seemingly meaningless objects to a stranger on the street.

but although these things would be of no use to her now (seeing as the bracelet doesn't fit her anymore, the watch doesn't work, and her spelling skills have greatly exceeded those of a fourth grader), she can't bear to throw anything out. she has a closet shelf full of old elementary school work that she has no point in keeping, but she does anyway. her mother questions why she can't throw away those papers, but she can't explain it. she needs it, but at the same time she doesn't. haven't you ever had things you couldn't part with before simply because you felt you would regret discarding it later? even after her neighborhood friend moved away, there may come a day when a surprise visit appears and her friend wonders where that bracelet is, hoping she still has it. and although those chances are just about slim to none, she keeps it anyway because of the memories it holds. which basically applies to every other object she hoards for "absolutely no reason".

and some people would call the things she keeps stashed up in her closet and under her bed junk. but shes like to think of it more as a collection of important times. well, important to her at least. and she may not even give these objects a second glance until the next time she rearranges her room, but nevertheless, they mean something to her. and in her book, that's the best reason she could give as to why she keeps all of this "junk".

after effects.

after spending an entire afternoon in the park, i've realized that parks have this strange effect on me. not the "i can't stop taking pictures at parks because they're so unbelievably pretty" kind of effect. although, that does tend to happen every single time. i mean the kind of effect where something comes over me and i care about absolutely nothing else except getting my turn to hang upside down on the monkey bars or sliding down the slide. i watch the little kids playing in the sand and remember why i loved recess so much. i hear the sound of the ice cream truck as it passes by playing those annoying little tunes that always seem to stick in your head even after the truck is blocks away. and as that song rings through the ears of the little kids, i watch them jump off the swings or climb off the bars and chase after the huge ice cream cone mounted on top of the truck.

and after this afternoon in the park, i've also realized that i've suddenly been fascinated at the fact that i miss being a little kid so much. i haven't the slightest idea as to why this sudden fascination has appeared, but it's making me regret wishing that i could be older when i was younger. but the good thing about it is that i've learned to take things one day at a time. besides, i've found that the best things in life are worth waiting for.

congrats, minh.

you deserve every penny of that $300. you're unbelievable, my friend.

life is wonderful.

it takes a crane to build a crane. it takes two floors to make a story. it takes an egg to make a hen. it takes a hen to make an egg. there is no end to what i'm saying.

it takes a thought to make a word. and it takes some words to make an action. and it takes some work to make it work. it takes some good to make it hurt. it takes some bad for satisfaction.

ah la la la la la la life is wonderful. ah la la la la la la life goes full circle. ah la la la la life is wonderful. ah la la la la...

it takes a night to make it dawn. and it takes a day to make you yawn, brother. and it takes some old to make you young. it takes some cold to know the sun. it takes the one to have the other.

...and it takes no time to fall in love, but it takes you years to know what love is. and it takes some fears to make you trust. it takes those tears to make it rust. it takes the dust to have it polished.

ah la la la la la la life is wonderful. ah la la la la la la life goes full circle. ah la la la la la la life is wonderful. ah la la la la...

it takes some silence to make sound. and it takes a loss before you found it. and it takes a road to go nowhere. it takes a toll to make you care. it takes a hole to make a mountain.

ah la la la la la life is wonderful. ah la la la la la life goes full circle. ah la la la la la life is wonderful. ah la la la la la life is meaningful. ah la la la la la life is wonderful. ah la la la la la...

shoe size.

(yes, we're sixteen.)

every now and then, we find ourselves complaining about the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. the stress, the drama, the pimples. and when we look back on our lives, we realize we never had to worry about these nonsensical issues when we were little. now it's hard to imagine a day where we finish our homework early enough to play outside with the neighborhood kids with the sun still shining brightly. we didn't care about the way we dressed, we didn't care about the cutest boy in school, we didn't care about the tiny little pimple that would suddenly appear on school picture day, we didn't care about getting dirty, and we most certainly did not care about homework.

day after day, i wish things would be the way they used to be when i was six. the way i could be as carefree as ever without a worry in the world. i miss the days i used to play on the monkey bars or in the sand box compiling large amounts of sand and calling the masterpiece a sandcastle. i watch the younger neighborhood kids ride on their scooters as they play cops and robbers and envy their freedom. i have become a stranger to my own neighborhood because of the continuous hours i spend locked inside, away from the fresh air.

but every now and then, i experience those days that i get to feel like a little kid again. i get my nap time when i need it, a snack from my mom when i come home, and a piggy back ride from my dad. i get those moments when i randomly start singing "the wheels on the bus go round and round..." and i run around in circles for no reason. i have those days when people tell me i'm cute and other days when i act like a four year old cause i'm so hyper. and for some reason, whenever i eat a lollipop, i feel like a little kid. i don't know why exactly, but i like lollipops :)

so i say everyone should just care a little less. but i mean a little less about the things that shouldn't matter that much. for once, we should take a chance to look up to the younger kids. why? because we all can learn something from anyone. no matter if they're taller, shorter, younger, older, or anything else. and if there's one thing that a little kid could teach us, it'd be to take at least one day to act your shoe size.

favorites.

long conversations. chocolate chip cookies. smiles from across the room. hugs from behind. being hyper for no reason. cheesy surprises. self-satisfaction. sleeping early. sleeping in. no homework. acting crazy with friends. food. cute babies. laughter. listening to the rain while lying in bed. marshmallows. john mayer. mangoes. long e-mails. Christmas. summer vacation. daisies. pictures that remind you of good memories. my camera. day dreaming. inside jokes. being loved by the one you love. family. chick-flick marathons. watching a sunset. ranch. john legend. accidentally hearing someone say something nice about you. looking at the clock and seeing you still have an hour more to sleep. jason mraz. knowing you've done the right thing. random letters that make you smile. finishing homework early. reaching your goals. pie. splurging. finding money in your pocket that you didn't know was there. rambling. the color yellow. water. freedom. fresh air. amazement. the sound of waterfalls. attempting the impossible. thinking about a certain someone. wishing on everything. being barefoot. doodling. running in circles. eating ice cream on a hot summer day. knowing somebody misses you. baking. listening to music in the park. running in the rain. unplanned sleepovers. funny faces. making new friends and spending time with old ones. not caring about what other people think. weekends. making your parents proud of you. being so indecisive that you just end up buying both things. having someone to run to when your world comes crashing down. fun people. cartwheels. elephants. stuffed animals. catchy jingles. corny jokes. aimless wandering. wrapping presents. hearing my favorite song on the radio. &you :)

let's grow old together.

the old man walked into the room cautiously and quietly making sure he was not seen or heard. the bouquet of roses in his hands stood still waiting to be delivered to the one person he believed deserved them the most. i watched as he crept to the wall and hid behind it so that she would have no idea of the surprise awaiting her. then, as cautiously and quietly as he had walked into the building, he walked into the next room and gave the bouquet of roses to his wife. it was one of the cutest and most meaningful thing i had seen done on valentine's day in the longest time. and i only wish i could have someone do that for me one day...

after seeing that, i thought it was amazing at how long those two people had been in love with each other. and i found it even more amazing at the fact that throughout their time together, the love they had for each other never weakened, but only got stronger day after day. i've always wanted someone to grow old with. someone who will love me until the day i die and every day afterwards. someone who knows me inside and out, my flaws and imperfections, my weaknesses and strengths, and will stand up for me no matter what. someone who knows my life story and could recite it as if it were their own. and when i'm growing old and losing my memory, i want someone who will take walks with me hand in hand in the park reminding me of all the memorable times we shared together in our lifetime.

more than anything, i just want to be with that someone who will give me the security of knowing he will never leave my side. when he promises me forever, i want him to mean it. regrets don't exist with him because he makes me realize how amazing life is with him. in sixty years, i want to be with this mr. wonderful. and i want him to surprise me with a dozen roses just like we were teenagers again. but more importantly, i want to know he wouldn't want anything more than to be stuck with me for another eternity.

happy valentine's day, everyone.

astounding.

this i promise you.

"when the visions around you bring tears to your eyes and all that surround you are secrets and lies, i'll be your strength, i'll give you hope, keeping your faith when it's gone. the one you should call was standing here all along...and i will take you in my arms and hold you right where you belong. till the day my life is through this I promise you. i've loved you forever in lifetimes before and i promise you, never will you hurt anymore. i give you my word. i give you my heart. this is a battle we've won and with this vow, forever has now begun. just close your eyes. each loving day i know this feeling won't go away. till the day my life is through this I promise you..."

the many faces of athena.

my angry/death glare face.

my not-so-interested face.

my happily dazed face.

my 'ew' face.

my lost face.

my depressed face.

no idea what the heck this face is.

my freakishly happy face.

my evil scientist face.

my hippo face.

and then we end with the side of my face. hooray!

this presentation was brought to you by christina magalona's boredom & powered by my inability to sleep at 1:00 in the morning...