choir party report

So we had another party in the choir room today during lunch. However, this party wasn't quite like the one in December. The biggest difference was the lack of atmosphere. There were fewer people, none of whom stayed long or got up to dance. I'm guessing it's because the finals are coming up.

Though the mood was less festive, everyone still had a great time. I even brought my laptop to show people the Quake demos I downloaded. That's as geeky as it gets. ^_^

Currently playing: Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity

spring choral concert report

Tonight was the LAHS spring choral concert. The event was held in the school auditorium, an extremely convenient location. Like the holiday concert in December, the entire choral department was involved.

The choirs sang a variety of songs before performing Mass of the Children together as Choral Union. I should mention that I had also joined the Varsity Men's Glee after having enjoyed Chorale so much. The concert was definitely a great experience.

The nice thing is that Dad was able to make it this time. He actually rescheduled his business trip in order to come. I really appreciate him doing this for me. Dad even took some pictures to send to Mr. Shaull. Although my maternal grandmother had just passed away a few days ago, I did my best to not let that affect my performance. On the whole, the event was a huge success.

Currently listening to singing: Mass of the Children by John Rutter

Historical note: Pictures from the concert are available here.

why I didn't go to prom

So yesterday was the LAHS prom. I'm probably one of the few people who stayed home.

I'll start by saying that things were a little different this year. The school officials banned limousines and other private transportation, much to the chagrin of the senior class. Though they compensated for this by reducing the price from $75 to $50 per person, many students were still shaking their heads.

But that's not why I didn't go. I could care less how we got there. The main reason was the price - $50 is still a lot for a three-hour dance. The back-to-school dance was lots of fun and cost only a fraction. It's not like prom could be that much better. I also didn't have a date and couldn't be bothered to find one. The fact that my grandmother had just passed away a few days ago didn't help the mood.

For those who did attend prom, I hope you had a great time. :-)

Historical note: Prom pictures have been removed from the LAHS website but are available at the Internet Archive.

R.I.P. Grandma :-(

Uncle Harrison just called with some bad news: my maternal grandmother Pi-Tan Yang has passed away from complications of pneumonia. She was 84 years old. I can't say this was totally unexpected because she had been very ill for the past few weeks due to heart disease.

Pi-Tan was one of those special people who have touched our lives. I'll never forget her gentle spirit and non-confrontational attitude. Visiting my grandparents on weekends always made for wonderful family time. However, my favorite memory was when we took them to a Mexican restaurant in Saratoga called Chicken Salsa for lunch. That is something I'll always cherish.

Though my grandmother's passing wasn't a complete surprise, the news still hit me pretty hard. There are difficult days ahead, especially for Mom. Your support and prayers are truly appreciated.

Rest in peace, Grandma. You'll be greatly missed. :-(

In other news...

On a more positive note, my cousin Cathy just turned 12 years old. I'd like to wish her a happy birthday and hope this won't be too hard on her.

Currently playing: Shrak

so I got into Berkeley...

I found out last week that I was accepted into UC Berkeley for the fall. That was quite a surprise!

At first I thought it was an early April Fools joke when Dad told me the news. I had never even considered applying to such a prestigious school. However, Dad felt it was worth a try and sent them a copy of my application. I guess it wasn't a bad idea!

I'm confident in my abilities and decided to enroll at Berkeley right away. Though I wanted to keep a low profile at first and not tell anyone, somebody must have let the cat out of the bag because several people at LAHS have congratulated me. I figured I might as well share it with the world. :-)

my thoughts on RuneScape 2

Jagex just released one of the biggest RuneScape updates ever. Despite its name, RuneScape 2 is more of a new game engine than a sequel. The game now has true 3D graphics, an updated combat system and many other new features.

The new version actually looks pretty nice. However, after trying it for a while, I decided it wasn't for me and transferred my items back to the old game. I'll probably regret this later on as Jagex has said that RuneScape Classic won't get any more updates. Oh well.

Currently playing: RuneScape

on being a poll worker

I spent the whole day at the polls for the California primary elections. This was part of a Civics assignment in which we had to participate in two community activities and share our experiences. One option was to work at the polls. I thought it sounded interesting and decided to sign up.

While I haven't registered to vote, that apparently doesn't preclude working at a polling station. Yesterday was the training session, during which we went over the policies and procedures. The class lasted about three hours.

The elections began today at 7 a.m. I had to get up an hour earlier to help set things up. The work was harder than I expected. Because the polls are legally required to stay open until the last person has voted, I couldn't leave until 9 p.m. and was completely exhausted. The other team members had to yell at me a few times to keep me awake!

Long hours aside, everything went extremely well. I'm sure Ms. Contreras will be proud of me. :-)

Currently playing: Hacx