worst school dance ever

So my roommate Scott invited me to a party at his fraternity house. But because frat parties aren't my cup of tea - mainly because I've heard so many horror stories about them - I went to a dance hosted by the ASUC instead. As much as I hate to say this, the dance totally sucked.

For one, there was barely any information available. The only thing I could find was a flyer near my dorm. To their credit, the ASUC dropped the $3 surcharge for people who bought tickets after the early bird deadline. However, that was where the good things ended.

Only a handful of people showed up at the dance. Although I saw my friend Albert there, he didn't stay more than an hour. The music was repetitive and would randomly stop. There was little else to do as we weren't allowed to play the piano in the ballroom or use the Internet kiosks downstairs. It's no surprise that the dance ended early when people lost interest. I'd say it was a blessing in disguise.

This was a total waste of time and money. Had I known better, I wouldn't have attended the event even if it was free. You can read my full review here. Shame on you, ASUC.

had to miss out on another dance :-(

The week ended on a sour note as I had to miss out on the "Holiday in the Sun" dance. This was rather disappointing as I had been looking forward to it for a long time. It definitely brought back bad memories from last year.

Mom was worried about the flu outbreak and advised me to stay home over concerns that germs spread easily in crowded places. She had a point as a dance isn't worth getting sick over. Although I was prepared for the possibility — mainly because my mother has always taught me to expect the unexpected — having to miss the dance still sucks.

The back-to-school dance in August might be my last high school dance ever. Though there are two more coming up — Winter Ball and Sadies — the tickets aren't cheap. Prom is probably even more expensive. Mom assures me there are dances in college, but that remains to be seen.

On the bright side, I don't have too much homework this weekend. The other good news is that my aunts Wei-Jen and Wei-Fang are coming over from Taiwan and will be staying for a few weeks. Dad plans to take us all to the Southwest U.S. over the holidays. So at least there's something to look forward to. :-)

In other news...

Our winter choral concert is tomorrow night at the Los Altos United Methodist Church. This will be my first public performance. I'm a little nervous but also excited at the same time. So wish me luck — and make sure to be there!

Currently playing: Chasm: The Rift

accidentally let my RuneScape membership renew itself...

Now that school has started for me, I decided to cancel my RuneScape membership in order to focus more on my classes. But when I logged in yesterday afternoon, the membership had already been renewed. Though I immediately requested a refund, Jagex told me this wasn't possible.

This was pretty cheap of them in my opinion. Because the RuneScape website never made it clear when the automatic payments would occur, I had always assumed it was the last day of the billing period. At least the same thing didn't happen last year. Shame on you, Jagex.

While $5 isn't a big deal, companies should be clear in this matter. On the bright side, I can't exactly complain about another month of membership. :P

Currently reading: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

RuneScape account hacked :-(

The thrill of getting level 99 Cooking in RuneScape was short-lived as my account got hacked.

The first sign of trouble was that my character was in an unfamiliar area. I checked my bank to find most of my valuables gone, including 33 Halloween masks and 52 Santa hats. The hacker also took my armor and weapons, all of my gold and lots of other items. I know it's only a game, but this really sucks ass.

Of note is that an online virus scan picked up a Trojan on my computer. I guess that explains everything. Though I'm pretty careful about downloads, I've heard some malicious websites can install viruses through browser vulnerabilities. On the other hand, this was probably partly my fault because I had a weak password.

It's also possible that I was specifically targeted. Being the 36th player to get 99 Cooking likely made me somewhat famous. But considering that Jagex doesn't return items, none of this really matters. Oh well, better start earning my stuff again...

Update: A bit of good news: my friend Sandman2002 gave me a green mask to help me get started again. There are no words to express my gratitude. Thanks, dude!

Currently listening to: "Sandstorm" by Darude

a crappy Christmas break

So the spring semester has started. To tell you the truth, the break sucked because I was sick the whole time. I'm actually still not feeling well and can barely talk due to laryngitis. :-(

The other thing is that we mostly stayed home due to our current financial situation. Though we went hiking in Stevens Creek County Park three days ago, that's pretty much all we did. I also had to study for the finals. Fuck that shit.

All that having been said, there were some high points. One of our family friends gave me a tray of dried fruit from Casa de Fruta. It was nice to share it with my parents. I also got to play RuneScape during study breaks. Speaking of which, I'm close to level 90 Cooking and should get there in a few days. :-)

Currently playing: RuneScape

an unhappy new year

I hope everyone had a great new year because mine sucked. The worst part is that I caught a bad cold just after the break started. I'm actually still very sick at the moment. The fact that finals are coming up doesn't help the issue.

2002 in review

The last few months have been rough. For a start, the workload was heavy - which isn't unexpected for 11th graders. It doesn't help that my father decided to start an argument with me over my studying habits. Mrs. Schiffman kicked me out of Spanish III two weeks later. I then had a crappy weekend before getting this nasty cold - what a shitty way to end the year.

Despite all the bad things, 2002 had its highlights. Our trip to Hawaii was probably the best part of the year. I really enjoyed visiting the Southwest U.S. as well. All that having been said, here's to hoping 2003 will be better. :-)

Currently watching: True Lies

the worst weekend ever

Hopefully everyone had a good weekend because mine was terrible. Sometimes shit happens.

As you may remember, the holiday dance in 10th grade was pretty fun. I was definitely looking forward to going again this year. However, my mother advised me to stay home and finish an overdue paper for American Literature.

Because I'm supposed to be catching up, she didn't think Mrs. Herrera would be thrilled to see me at the dance. I felt she had a point and reluctantly agreed not to go. Considering that I've been waiting for months, this was a huge let-down. It didn't help that I also had physics, trigonometry and web design assignments. Talk about unlucky — no wonder Friday the 13th gets a bad rap.

Of course, that alone wouldn't have been so bad as there are other things to do. For example, my family loves to go hiking on weekends. But that didn't happen either because the trails were all muddy from the rain. I decided to catch up on TV shows — only to find there was no signal available. Just wonderful.

Another thing is that my favorite online forum is shutting down for legal reasons. It's like a second home to me. Seeing the community disappear really sucks. Other forums just aren't the same. :-(

However, the good news is that I managed to find time for games. RuneScape is something that always cheers me up. I actually reached level 70 Mining and can mine adamantite ore without boosts. Click here for a picture. It only shows my stats because I was too excited and forgot to press Print Screen after leveling up. D'oh!

Update: I asked my mother for RuneScape membership in exchange for giving up the dance. She said that would depend on my grades. I guess it's time to work harder. :-)

Currently playing: Blackhawk Striker

Asian parents suck sometimes

So yesterday I had a big argument with my father. Everything was fine until he started ranting about my study habits not long after dinner. Finishing my homework quickly is apparently a bad idea because Dad will think I have too much free time. It didn't help that he was stressed after coming back from a long business trip.

He completely lost it when I called him an idiot for not understanding that I've already finished my assignments. It was the straw that broke the camel's back — and things went downhill from there. Our neighbors could probably hear the yelling and insults. I'm glad nobody called the cops.

In all fairness, this was partially my fault because we should be respectful to our parents. But given the circumstances, maybe "idiot" wasn't entirely inaccurate. Asian parents can be assholes sometimes. I'll probably regret posting this because this is a rather personal matter. Just wanted to get it off my chest and tell someone.

Friday update: Some more thoughts now that things have calmed down. Despite his short temper, my father is very kind and wise as long as you don't get on his bad side. I hope people don't think he's a terrible person due to last night's events. Being a CEO can be stressful at times!

Currently reading: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

done with summer school at Gunn

Summer school is over. You may know I was at Gunn High School for an SAT preparation class. I'm not going to lie: this wasn't a positive experience.

It actually started out great as we had a wonderful instructor. She made sure we were up to date and was always looking out for us. But a few days later, the school said the class was too large. I was among those asked to move to the other one.

However, the problem with this class is that the teacher didn't do her job. She didn't teach us anything in the last three months and spent the whole time reading the newspaper. I ended up having to study on my own throughout the entire course. Hope I don't fail the exam when the time comes.

This was surprising because Gunn is said to be very competitive. Mom paid around $300 and wasn't too happy either. One positive thing about the situation is that there were fewer assignments. Gotta look on the bright side. :P

In other news...

We're heading to Hawaii in a week and will meet up with the Shiehs there. I'm quite excited as my family has never been to Hawaii before.

Currently reading: The Unofficial Guide to Hawaii – 1st edition by Lance Tominaga

a bittersweet evening + welcoming 2002

It's hard to believe how fast time goes. Hopefully everyone had a great New Year's Eve. Despite our best efforts, things didn't quite go according to plan.

A few days ago, my grandfather Bien-Chuan and his partner Ms. Chen arrived from Taiwan to spend the holidays with us. Dad decided to take us to a Chinese restaurant for dinner to celebrate the New Year. He also invited the Shiehs and my maternal grandparents.

Unfortunately — due to a recent operation — I reluctantly had to decline. Because I can't eat solid food for a while, my mother agreed that I should use the time to prepare for finals. Even though I didn't have anything better to do, being stuck at home sucks.

Further complicating matters is the fact that Ms. Chen blamed Mom for grounding me. For one, the decision was mine alone. She should have minded her own business as this had nothing to do with her. But that apparently didn't matter because Ms. Chen only stopped when Uncle Dong told her to shut the fuck up. Go figure.

However, the good news is that I got to play RuneScape in my free time. Some players celebrated the New Year by hosting virtual parties. People "danced" and even dropped items for others to take. It's cool to see the community come together.

2001 in review

Last year certainly had its ups and downs. One highlight was the trip to Canada in the summer. All of us love the outdoors and the unspoiled wilderness. I also enjoyed the recent trip to Tahoe. Vacations are always something to look forward to.

But this has also been a tough year. On a global scale, the world has not been the same since the 9/11 attacks. It's going to have far-reaching effects for generations. Of course, the loss of our classmate Cory also hit close to home. Hope his friends and family are doing fine.

Besides these events, there were also personal challenges. Like the time I caught the flu from a friend after he came over. I was so sick at one point that I couldn't attend school for a few days. Yeah... not my idea of a good time.

The wisdom tooth extraction wasn't exactly fun either. Although the operation went smoothly — at least for the most part — having a restricted diet for two weeks is a huge pain in the ass. It's probably going to be another 10 days before I recover. But hopefully sooner. :-)

In other news...

I recently started my own forum on ProBoards. Be sure to check it out as I spent a while setting it up!

Currently playing: RuneScape

regarding current events

In case you haven't seen the news, terrorists hijacked four aircraft and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It's been reported that the Twin Towers have collapsed while the Pentagon suffered serious damage. I must admit this looks like something out of a disaster movie.

We didn't do much today as our eyes were glued to TV screens. According to government officials, Osama bin Laden is responsible for the attacks. Assuming that's true, then it's time to launch some cruise missiles up his ass.

At any rate, my thoughts and prayers are with those affected by today's events. I hope they get justice.

Currently reading: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

getting the flu sucks

To cut to the chase: things haven't been great because I was sick the whole time. It got so bad at one point that I missed a few days of class. Damn... there goes my shot at perfect attendance. :-(

So the Lins came to my house about a week ago. I then played video games with Moonway for a few hours. He had the flu at the time but told us it wasn't contagious. Mom wanted to wait until he got better, but the Lins insisted on showing up. I was eager to see Moonway and agreed to it against her advice. It turned out to be a huge mistake because I got the flu shortly after.

Hanging out with friends just isn't worth getting sick over. I regret not asking the Lins to reschedule. However, the silver lining is that this gave me more time to prepare for classes. I also had a biology quiz on Wednesday — which isn't exactly easy — but Mrs. Williams was kind enough to let me take it at home. Shh... don't tell anyone!

It sucks we had to cancel our plans for Martin Luther King Jr. Day as we obviously couldn't go anywhere. But the good news is that there's no school this Friday and next Friday due to teacher in-service. Hope I recover soon.

Currently playing: Unreal

a ruined 14th birthday :-(

So I'm 14 years old now. The ironic thing is that the day didn't end too well, even though my "unlucky" birthday was supposed to be last year.

If you really want to know the details, here's what happened: my friend Moonway and I went to a family entertainment center in San Jose called the Jungle. Moonway's mother Angela had recommended the place because it offered free admission to people on their birthdays.

Angela had picked me up at my house and taken us there, so many thanks to her for the ride. It wasn't just me and Moonway as his sister Sarah and one of her friends also tagged along. I didn't catch the name of Sarah's friend, but I think it was Michelle or something. Angela left after paying for the admission, so it was just us kids.

Our day at the Jungle had a great start. Moonway and I checked out the tube maze and the redemption games while Sarah and her friend explored the place on their own. The Jungle was huge; there was just so much to do. But it wasn't long before the afternoon turned sour: the girls got hungry and ordered a pizza. This wouldn't have been a problem, except they didn't have enough money to pay for it. Uh-oh.

Moonway and I were then called to the front desk, but neither of us had any money at all. Angela was out on some errands, so it would be quite a while before she came to pick us up. The people at the front desk didn't really know what to do either. It was certainly an awkward situation.

The Jungle staff eventually let the girls have the pizza at no charge, but they also canceled our admission to cover the cost of the pizza. In other words, none of us were allowed back in unless the fees were paid again, and my birthday offer was unsurprisingly no longer valid. We weren't too happy about the whole situation, so we just sat in the lobby and waited for Angela to pick us up. I guess there's really no such thing as a free lunch - or pizza in this case.

Angela didn't come back until the late afternoon, so none of us wanted to pay the admission fees again. I did rant to the staff on how stupid their policy was, although I understand they were just doing their jobs.

Back in the car, Moonway kept scolding Sarah and her friend for ruining our day and vowing to never let them participate in our activities again. Neither of the girls would apologize, which made him even more upset. However, I felt all of us were somewhat at fault. For one thing, Sarah and her friend should not have ordered anything without checking their budget. They could have at least shared the pizza with us!

But to be fair, Moonway and I had both made the mistake of not bringing any spare change, which is admittedly a bad habit. Other than that, Angela probably shouldn't have left us alone in the Jungle, considering that children under 13 weren't technically supposed to go inside without adult supervision.

In an attempt to make the best of the situation, I asked Moonway if he wanted to come back to my place after dropping Sarah's friend off, but his mother wasn't interested. Oh well.

Let's hope my 15th birthday will be better!

winter break report + Tahoe trip canceled :-(

This winter break had a pretty good start, thanks to the awesome party at Ann's house last week. However, the break kind of ended on a bad note.

As mentioned earlier, my family had planned to go skiing in Tahoe again this past weekend. Unfortunately, the trip was called off as Dad was too busy with work-related stuff. I had been eagerly looking forward to the slopes, so this was quite a let-down. :-(

On the other hand, my parents invited the Liang family over to our house for dinner on Saturday to compensate for the trip. The gathering was quite nice except for when I got into an argument with Dad (although not related to the cancellation of the trip) during the meal. This was rather embarrassing, although it could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for the fact that we are good friends with the Liang family. Damn Asian parents.

In any case, I hope spring break will be a lot better, preferably with no canceled trips or silly bickering. :-)

Currently playing: Operation Neptune