I am my own experiment

"Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life." Herbert Otto

This is why I love adventures.

Isn't that fantastic? A person who has risked himself and dared to become involved with experimenting with his own life, trusting himself. To do this, to experiment with your own life, is very exhilarating, full of joy, full of happiness, full of wonder, and yet it's so frightening. Frightening because you are dealing with the unknown, and you are shaking complacency.

The Animal School

The animals got together in the forest one day and decided to start a school. There was a rabbit, a squirrel, a fish, and an eel, and they formed a Board of Education. The rabbit insisted that running be in the curriculum. The bird insisted that flying be in the curriculum. The fish insisted that swimming be in the curriculum, and the squirrel insisted that perpendicular tree climbing be in the curriculum. They put all these things together and wrote a Curriculum Guide. Then they insisted that ALL of the animals take ALL of the subjects. Although the rabbit was getting an A in running, perpendicular tree climbing was a real problem for him; he kept falling over backwards. Pretty soon he got to be sort of brain damaged, and couldn't run any more. He found that instead of making an A in running, he was now making a C, and, of course, he was always making an F in perpendicular climbing. The bird was really beautiful at flying, but when it came to burrowing in the ground, he couldn't do so well. He kept breaking his beak and wings. Pretty soon he was making a C in flying as well as an F in burrowing, and he had a hellava time with perpendicular tree climbing.
The moral of the story is that the person who was valedictorian was a mentally retarded eel who did everything in a half-way fashion. But the educators were all happy because everyone was taking all of the subjects, and it was called broad-based education.

New Goal(s)

Life is boring and routine. Learn something new every day. Do something new every day.

• life is boring and routine
• wake up --> go to class --> eat --> study --> go to club meeting --> sleep --> do it all again
• same thing every. single. day.
• walk in a circle for four years
• Learn something new every day
• correction: learn new things every day
• new knowledge in class and outside
• someone I don't know
• skills of life
• Do something new every day
• let's keep it PG-13
• socialize with new people
• possibly adventures
• talk to friends I haven't kept in touch with

*Note: actions not limited to items above

I had a dream #3

Last night's dream...
I was arguing with my dad. Arguments are very rare in my life, but this one was very fierce. Dreams tend to be very obscure and blurry, so I couldn't tell whether we were fighting over having the courage to call someone or about a flashlight. At any rate, I stood up to my dad, which is also something I've never done. After our heated fight, I began to cry at how stupid our argument was. Why the hell were we arguing about a trivial item like a flashlight? Were we really going to ruin our relationship over something so minuscule? As tears began to flow from my eyes, I left the room.

When I woke up, it was 9:59 am. I was going to be late for my 10:00 class.

In Geisel Library

Listening to podcasts on how the eye contributes to psychology can eventually become quite boring after the first 10 minutes, so staring out the 7x5 feet windows I currently sit next to can become an amusement to me.
There is an enormous, constantly moving fog that has blanketed the entire campus. It's like God set off a giant fog machine right over this school. Maybe it's the fact that Geisel's design structure was used in the movie, Inception, but staring at the fog provides this sort of mysticism to this place. The fog tumbles and rolls around, bouncing off the many walls that surround this library. If you did not know, Geisel's design structure was used in the third dream level of Inception, the place filled with snow. I can imagine Leonardo DiCaprio running through these very halls and crashing through the windows. Strangely enough, this image make me want to jump out of a window too. So my point is, I am extremely bored. I do not want to study for my biopsychology midterm tomorrow, but I am getting off tangent now.

Laugh at myself

I'm in such a pitiful state right now. I can't tell whether what I feel is stress or depression. It could possibly be both. Starting off the school year with late night chats that went well into the mornings might have not been the wisest thing to do, given that I have 10 a.m. classes almost every day. Fixing this habit, good or bad, seems to be taking it's toll on me. Setting a curfew has been beneficial to me, but waking up at 7 a.m. is something my body has not adjusted to. Being alone in my dorm room is something I simply detest. The solidarity and loneliness this room brings is something I am not comfortable with. The feeling of being, simply put, free is something I long for here, but I cannot. Work needs to be finished, and classes must be studied for thoroughly. How long can I endure this ongoing torture. Look at what I've become, a mumbling fool, full of complaints and whining. I laugh at myself. Where's my mommy? Where is my soft and warm bed? Pathetic. I would spit on myself if my mouth weren't so conveniently attached to my face.

I am praying to God, literally, that I find a way to get through this ordeal. His help is what I desire the most, because there's just no one else I can always rely on..... is there? Migod!! The more I reread this post, I realize just how childish I am. My desire to delete this post is looking very convincing at the moment. Why am I posting this, my inner most thoughts? jeez..... I guess I'll save that for another, adjective-filled post in the near future.

The start of a new life

So, it's not that easy. It turns out that college is actually a bit more daunting that I initially thought; the classes, especially, appear to be quite the challenge. The transition from a small, private Christian school to the second largest UC in California is no mere walk in the park, but there is one feature, a part of this transition that I overlooked, which is my new-found independence. The ability to control the usage of my time, to walk away from an invitation, to eat or to skip a meal is not what I am familiar with, not at all. The question that runs through my mind is what I am going to with all this time. How can I make the best use of my time? A part of myself wants to run back home, into the safety of my home, but endurance is key. Independence is, admittedly, a scary thought. Where has my confidence gone?...

And so begins the start of a new journey.

To my sister, Christine Rhee version 1

Ever since the fledgling age of five, I've always dreamed of being Christine's flower girl. I imagined walking down a red carpet covered in a white silhouette, throwing a plethora of different colored roses joyously into the air, all the while following the tail of my sister's gorgeous wedding dress, but today I have to give a speech (pause)- a speech about the love my sister, Christine, and my soon to be brother-in-law, Alex, both share for each another.

I first met Alex when I was five, and I admit, he was a bit intimidating. Imagine seeing a tall white man in your house for the first time- it can be quite daunting for a five year old Asian girl. Despite my initial reaction something inside of me told me he was quote unquote "the one" Christine would marry. This feeling I now call intuition was afirmed when I broke a vase, and Alex courageously took the blame for me. I might be thirteen years late but, thank you Alex, and Christine, I'm sorry for breaking the vase.

This is not finished yet

For the remainder of my speech, I could go the usual, cliche route and tell you about when I first met Alex, and how I instantaneously knew he was "the one" my sister would marry, but instead, I will tell you a couple

A day @ Pacific Park Pool

I'm at the local swimming pool. There are so many kids taking lessons here, but one strikes my attention. She's Korean, you can automatically assume many physical attributes, and she's quite large. The way she moves through the water resembles that of a polar bear's swimming. As each paw comes in contact with the water, all you see are pillars of water flying into the air, which simultaneously hit the bystander parents.  Moses himself would grin in appreciation at the sight. Her legs do not kick properly, instead they lunge forward, almost as if they were climbing a horizontal ladder. Her paw just hit another student in the eye. She is caring though. Apologies do not seem to be rare to her, which can be both good and bad. Either way, this girl makes me smile.

Noah and Nathan

Noah and Nathan, the two newest members to the family are brothers, are so different from each other.

I'm not quite sure when, but Noah started talking long before he should have been able to. Noah was also able to solve puzzles with simple ease. At the time, he reminded me of one of those babies who could name the Presidents. In short, the kid is very book smart. He loved watching Toy Story, all of them, and he even started imitating the lines from the movies. I remember him running into our house once shouting, "Howdy! My name's Sheriff Woody!" My dad would then scream back, "NO! You're Mr. Potato-head!" Then, the routine, immature "NO!!" and "YESS!" argument would ensue. He always brought laughter in whatever house he stayed at. He's grown tired of Toy Story, so he's moved on to other Disney and Pixar films like Up and Cars. Despite his growing appetite to be a cartoon character, he is relatively shy and anti social. He doesn't like to talk to other people and he's very protective of his toys. I've seen him and his younger brother, Nathan, fight for toys, in which Nathan would always win.

Nathan, on the other hand, is the compete opposite of his older brother. I believe they're about 2 years apart, but Nathan possesses much more physical strength than Noah. He's notoriously known for breaking things and running through board games. I don't think he can talk yet, but I feel he's going to be quite the stud when he grows up. Sorry Noah. I imagine him growing up to the be star captain of a sports team and getting all the cheer leaders. Luckily, Cousin Daniel will be there to shoo them away.

Sometimes, Nathan and Noah remind me of my brother and I, but I won't delve into that. Until later~

Saying Goodbye

Move on, but do not forget the memories you shared and how your friends changed your life.

I admit it: I miss my Korean friends, especially Pierre and Minnie. We share so many memories together it's almost impossible not to think about them every day. Today, Pierre is a grown man in college, with died hair, and contacts, but I still remember him as the shorter adolescent with black hair, glasses, and who was scolded by his father frequently. It's quite amusing how someone can change so much in such a short time. I'm going to miss his sense of humor and contagious joy. Although I don't have as much past memories of Minnie, I became much closer to her this year, all the more harder to say goodbye. Her innocence, laughter, singing ability, and generosity are irreplaceable. Now that we're in this great age of technology, I can communicate with them; regardless, I still miss their faces. I know what I've said, but I've decided to move on. Dwelling on the past will not help me in any way. Mr. Insensitive has just entered the building and I apologize. A new school year is approaching, and I plan on forming new relationships.

I know that I will miss my friends, and they might miss me, but asldkffasnddsavnweioqaqls. I can't finish this sentence. It looks like I'm much more sensitive than I thought. I wish I could have both friends and school, but I know I can't. I am dreading the day I have to say goodbye for the last time to many of my friends.

Thank you

Dear Diane and Diana,
First of all, I just wanted to say thanks for the most awesomest and amazingest SMT ever. I'm glad I could finish my SMT career with such a great trip.

Diana, if you ever see this post, I want you to know that I despised your rumors, not you, with a great intensity. On a more positive note, you have such a creative and spontaneous mind, although narcissistic, and it still continues to amaze me. I also thoroughly enjoyed experiencing first- hand your infatuation with Aaron and his drums. It would really make my day if you said "Oh My God" for me one more time.You are one heck of a girl and I know that God has marvelous things planned out for you.

Diane. Diane. Diane. I don't know where to start with you. When I first met you, I thought you were a dick, BUT it's not the same anymore. hahaha. I now know that my first impression of you was completely wrong, so please don't be depressed. You are the best partner I could hope for and also a great friend. Getting close to you was something I really enjoyed doing, and SMT is over; therefore means that the "sister" label has been lifted, so don't expect me to be so nice and gracious to you as I once was. Just kidding :)
Ya. I hope that we can continue to keep in touch in college and I WILL visit whenever the opportunity arises so... hopefully, I won't be too busy. Though the distance is far, our friendship will continue to grow ever stronger. I made that up just now. That was inspiring wasn't it? Hahahahah. I crack myself up.

Climbing Mountains

It's not always about how fast you climb the mountain. Sometimes, it's the climb that means the most.

I feel really stupid for paraphrasing a now falling teen pop star, Hannah Montana, but I see what she means. Hiking Echo Mountain has been the most arduous and painstaking task I've ever done since the end soccer season. Did I suffer the entire time I was on that mountain? Yes. When you start to curse the only source of water you carry, a water bottle, because it feels like a lead block, it usually has negative connotations. Would I hike that mountain again if I had the chance? Absolutely YES.

Despite the negative commentary, it actually felt good to get to the top of that mountain. The scene wasn't what I hoped for, but that's not the point. The amount of accomplishment I felt as the boys and I stood in the breeze with our shorts at our knees, and our gloots exposed for the world to see was unparalleled.

I felt so ebullient due to not only my suffering but also because I realized I was capable of so much more. Forgive my dickory, but I feel bad for those who didn't make it to the top. Of course, they tried their best, but I know they could have made it. I really feel compelled to do even more difficult tasks now. If I felt this good from hiking, how good will I feel when I go to Korea? The possibilities are endless.

Through all this, I can't forget the rest of the group. Running ahead of the group allowed me to get to the top faster, but there were some who really needed a companion to talk to. True character shows in difficult times I guess... As I go to Korea, I CANNOT forget about the feelings of others. I now know what I can do, and  the few do not just need a few extra encouragements to make it. The question is -- who will be there to help?

Why I don't

Yesterday, one of my teachers asked me if I had had girlfriend, which seems to be a favorite topic among women. I casually said no, and she proceeded to ask me why. I thought about it, but just smiled back.

I actually thought about her question for some time after that and wondered why. Was it a lack of courage? Was it a fear of women? Then it came to me. In a un-narcissistic way I asked myself: Would I want to date myself? Honestly, I wouldn't. If people knew me the way I knew myself, I don't think I'd have any friends. If I had a girlfriend, how would I be able to treat her well? I don't think I could. I've heard there were maybe one or two girls out there who liked me, and I apologize. As of now, I'm not the guy you're looking for, not until I grow up a bit.

Curse My Simple Mindedness

Think Daniel. Why would they do what they did? Why would they say what they said? Think about it will you?

This Week

There's always that ONE WEEK in school when every teacher decides to give you some sort of important assignment. You always think to yourself, "How the HELL am I going to survive this week?!" But somehow, in the end, you always do. Of course, you never want to experience it EVER AGAIN, but it's always self-fulfilling to know that you can. For me, it's the opposite this week. On almost every day, Sunday through Sunday, I will/had something to do. On Monday, what I thought was going to be a simple movie with my friends turned out to be a long, fun day filled with shopping, karaoke, and soon-tofu. That was just the first day. There are so many more things I am looking forward to this week. I can't wait to see how this week unfolds.

Then vs. Now

It's natural to change as life progresses. It happens all the time. When I came into high school, I was a skinny (still kinda skinny now) Asian kid who was just looking for fun. I had absolutely no sense of worry, so because of this attitude, I was extremely giving. People at school thought I was the nice, quiet, smart Asian kid who was always smiling. Now that I look at who I am today, I realize that I've changed dramatically, more than I imagined. The change in my mentality was what I found most changed. I'm not happy most of the time, the things I say aren't the most friendly, I always look tired, and I seem to lose my "cool" quickly.

I donno. I feel like I've changed in the wrong direction. Maybe I tried growing too fast and I'm just tired. I donno. Whatever it is, I need to figure it out. Maybe I just need to rewind a little.

Found God in the Park

I just thought this story was a little cute

Abe was fiercely independent, even at age 85, but after a mild stroke his son insisted he move in with him. Abe missed going to the park near his old apartment, and one Saturday he set out to find it.

When he became disoriented, he asked a young boy named Timmy where the park was. Timmy said he’d like to take him there, but he didn’t have time because he was looking for God. He said he needed to talk to Him about why his parents were getting a divorce.

“Maybe God’s in the park,” the old man said. “I’d like to talk to Him, too, about why He’s made me useless.” And so they set off together to find God.

At the park, Timmy began to cry about the divorce, and Abe lovingly held his face in both hands and looked him straight in the eyes. “Timmy, I don’t know why bad things happen, but I know it wasn’t because of you. I know you’re a good boy and your parents love you and you’ll be okay.”

Timmy gave Abe a big hug and said, “I’m so glad I met you. Thanks. I think I can go now.”

From across the street, Timmy’s mother saw them hug and approached her son in a worried voice. “Who was that old man?”

“I think he’s God,” Timmy said.

“Did he say that?” she demanded.

“No, but when he touched me and told me I’m going to be okay, I felt really better. Only God can do that.”

When Abe got home, his son asked in a scolding voice, “Where were you?”

“I was in the park with God.”

“Really? What makes you think you were with God?”

“Because He sent me a boy who needed me, and when the boy hugged me, I felt God telling me I wasn’t useless anymore.”

I had a Dream #2

Last night, I had a very strange dream. Actually, it was more scary than it was strange. Here's how it went:

I was walking along a bank when I saw one of my teachers and my friend. T and D, respectively, were also walking along the water, but D appeared to be very distressed. I went up to them and D did not seem to notice me, another sign of distress. T then whispered to me that D's mother had just died, which obliviously came as a shock to me. Not only was I shocked, but I was also mournful.

This was the first dream I have ever had where someone has died. It came as so much of a shock to me I was almost compelled to call D and ask if anything was wrong. It seems as if experiencing death has made me more sensitive to it. Very rarely, my dreams turn into reality, yet it still scares me. I do not want others to experience what I have gone through. D is not even that old, which makes it even worse.

College board v. UC system

I knew that when I decided to go to UCSD, that it would definitely be a challenge while in school. But who knew you had to take so many freekin entrance exams in order to take classes. It's not that these tests are impossible to pass, it's just that it's all so annoying. Come on... I just got rid of college board and now the UC system comes in. Damn it.... Oh well, I'm already this far so might as well keep moving forward. I'll take every one of your stupid tests and pass them all you poop face.

Scaffoldings

My church, school, bible classes, bible studies are all like scaffoldings. They are all used to hold my faith, or house. But every construction worker knows that scaffoldings are not meant to be permanent. They are simply support beams. When the house is solid and strong enough, the scaffoldings are taken away because after all, they are support beams.
Soon, I have the opportunity to rid of my scaffoldings. Rid is the wrong word. I have the choice to pull some off. But, there is another option. If I chose this, I'll be able to build an even higher scaffolding and therefore make my house taller. The question is this: just how tall is my house and will I be able to survive with what I have now? If I decide to lose some of my scaffoldings, will I be able to not just withstand but also conquer the storm of life while being a scaffolding for others? There is only one opportunity. If I lose this, it may be gone forever.
I've told a lot of people I'm deciding with APU, but actually, I'm leaning more towards UCSD now. I'm such a flip-flopper. Sorry guys. Please forgive me.

How I live life

"Live like Jesus died yesterday, rose today, and is coming back tomorrow."

Change

Thanks to this last Mexicali trip, I expanded my memory bank, but more importantly, I learned a valuable life lesson.

Unlike on other nights, on the last night, I gave an effort to stay up while the speaker talked to the congregation. He talked about Matthew 7:22 and how unless you know Jesus, it doesn't matter how many demons you have casted out in his name. The result is always the same. I used to think that "head knowledge" was everything. All ihad to do was know what not to do and believe in Jesus, and that would give me a ticket straight to heaven. However, the speaker told us that knowledge means nothing if we do not use it for God's people. If I become transformed, shouldn't I therefore transform others? It makes sense right? In the past it didn't. I do not learn to show God how smart I am or to answer all the questions in bible study, but to use it to spread God's love and knowledge. If everyone did this, wouldn't our world be so much better?

College smollege

Yay! I got into college! But now what? It looks like I have to decide which one I want to go to. SO here are my options:

• UCSD
• APU
• UCI

This list was made in no particular order just fyi. All of these schools are very good, in my option, which makes it very hard to decide which one to go to. So I thought visiting each school would help me decide, but it just made it worse. They all have very clean and beautiful campuses, the housing is amazing, and the curriculum and staff is excellent at each school. 

What's funny about this whole dilemma is that I never expected to get into UCSD. I just clicked on it for bragging rights. But when I found out that I actually got in, I got really excited. Could it be a sign from God? Possibly... Then again, APU is a Christian school, and why wouldn't God want me to go there? APU is giving me so much money in grants and scholarships too. A sign from God? Possibly too... Despite being a private school, it is the cheapest of the three schools right now because of the scholarships. And I can't forget Irvine. A lot of my friends are going there, but friends aren't everything. As of now, I am majoring in Criminology at Irvine, which I do not want, but hear that there is a chance of getting the major I do want, apparently. 

Dang it UCSD! Why do you have to make my life so complicated? Whatever it is, I'm deciding by the end of this week. So until then, all I can do is pray and think.

March Maddness

March Maddness can only mean one thing: lots of college basketball, partying, and HOMEWORK?! Yes. Homework. And lot and lots of it. This entire month, I've slept at 1:00 a.m. and I'm starting to feel more and more cranky. I've noticed that I snap really easily (especially in the morning), and I zone out a lot. It is my firm belief that every teacher gathered together to ruin the Seniors' lives. Now that I've been accepted to colleges, my workload should be a little more lighter right?...please? Gosh... just when I began feeling lazy too. So here's my schedule this week:

• three essays
• one project
• read two/three books
• mandatory two hours of t.v.  ^_^
• routine homework
• tennis match and practice
• play sax for a musical on Thus and Fri

No wonder it's called March Maddness

FUN FUN FUN FUN~

Prayer

Please keep my sister in your prayers. She is 10 years old and she still tries to sleep in my parent's room. I cannot yet reveal as to why, but just pray for her please.  More specifically, please pray that God gives her a peace of mind while she sleeps.

Strange Habbits

A while back, I told myself, "Daniel, you're going to be a better brother." Well... I did just that. Whenever my siblings were in arguments with my parents (mostly my mom) I would step in and "pull" them out. Whenever my siblings needed help, I gave them even more than they wanted. Whenever my siblings were frustrated, I would provide understanding because, sometimes, parents just can't do everything.

Strangely, due to my actions, I've experienced a side-effect. Every now and then, as I am working in my room, one or sometimes both of my siblings walk into my room and sit on my bed. I pretend to ignore it, but after a while it gets a little weird, so I ask what they want. Almost always, they'll answer, "Nothing." My sister, especially, does this. She'll go into my room and stand right next to me. If I don't say anything, she'll grab the closest thing next to her and examine what she's holding. Then, after a thorough examination, she'll leave. I kinda get this feeling that I'm some kind of new species of animal.

Then I realized that maybe they just wanted to talk. When I did, we had pretty decent conversations. At that point, I felt like a pretty accomplished brother. I admit, I don't have the PERFECT relationship with my siblings, but we have our laughs. As long as there is some sort of bonding, especially with my two siblings, there is nothing more I could ask for.

Oh the Nostalgia...

Daniel has no homework, no projects, no school. All this translates into a very bored Daniel Kang. Because he was so bored, he decided to read his past blogs. As he read his blogs, some of them made him chuckle, but others made him question his sanity. However, as he continued to read, he stumbled upon one particular blog titled Last Year! In this blog, Daniel had promised himself to accomplish certain activities, and he did accomplish most of them.

• get straight A's
• go to prom
• go to at least one school event other than prom
• go to the beach with friends
• finish college apps early so I can relax :)
• Eat all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ with a bunch of friends and drive that restaurant out of business
• get more involved with church
• improve lost friendships

Sure, he accomplished about half of his promises, but Daniel was sad because he had had the opportunity to clear this list. As Daniel continued to read his past blogs, he stumbled on yet another blog. This one was titled Which one? In this blog, he stated his rule about promises: whatever promise he makes first, comes first. Then it dawned on him, hadn't he made the promise to accomplish everything on his list before anything else? Had he forgotten the promise he had made to himself amidst all the other promises? And that's when he decided that he would firmly complete his promise to himself but in a very strategic manner.

My Valentine

This year's Valentine's Day was one I will never forget. I don't mean to be lackluster, but this day was not one that I shared with the coolest girl in the world (I hope to do this someday). I shared this day with my friends, who were all single, I might add. This year, I was told a tradition for singles on Valentine's Day: singles eat jjajangmyun. The jjajangmyun tasted especially good this day and our conversations were filled with laughter and joy. Everything went great except for the jjajangmyun sauce I discovered  on my white shirt. Who knew Alex could be so clumsy. Biting his tongue twice, getting sauce in his eye, and spraying sauce over his white shirt and mine provided for great entertainment overall.

We then decided to grab some boba at 5.2 Patio. At 5.2 Patio, I got my first taste of taro boba which tasted much like butterscotch and popcorn. It wasn't bad, but it was too unique for my taste. Apparently, Ben likes this kind of stuff. I'm pretty sure we just talked for almost two hours, and I noticed the owners were becoming quite irritated. Ignoring their glances, we talked about Joyce's odd "Flappjack" laugher, sports, Joanne's slightly perverted mind, and the strange and torturous things we do to our older and younger siblings. And who can forget Alex's famous line, "So ya.... How's life guys?" which provided for multiple moments of awkwardness. By that time, it was almost 9:00, so we decided to head on home despite our desires not to. After our goodbyes, I had to drive four boys home. Now I know how Phil feels like. As I was driving them, I decided to have a little fun by farting and locking the windows, The boys soon broke out into an argument about who farted in which I casually said it wasn't me. After some time, I decided I would be the kind and merciful person that I am and open the windows

This day was one of the best days of my senior year. Why hadn't I thought of something like this sooner? I earnestly hope to experience these kind of days in the future. Singles for life! NOT

Last Dance

Tomorrow is my last soccer game I will ever play in high school and possibly college. It feels so weird though. After tomorrow, I will never step on another soccer field. Sigh.... It's all so depressing. Why do I have to graduate? I really don't want to leave high school.
I'm kind of worried about the team too, mainly because we haven't won a single game this year. I don't want to hear about another year without a win. But at the same time, I have a gut feeling that the team will do much better next year (CIF?). I've done my job. It's now my turn to step down and let those younger than me take the lead.

Senioritis

Although I hate to admit it, senioritis is finally catching up with me. Whenever I go to school, my energy level drops and I appear to be tired/bored. It's becoming harder and harder to stay awake in classes too. I just pray to God that I have the mental willpower to finish the year strong.

Which one? #2

Last week, our senior class received great news: the school was going to give us a free retreat on March 27-28! I'm so excited right now. I honestly cannot wait. I have never been to camps with school friends and this will probably be my last opportunity in high school.
However, on the following Sunday, our senior small group for AWANA decided to set the date for our camping trip late in March. I've gone to retreats with my church friends, but never with seniors exclusively. Plus, this might be the last time I ever get to camp with my senior class from church. I really hope to God that the trips are not on the same weekend. That would be devastating, but if it were, I wouldn't know which one to choose. Church or School? I honestly don't know.

Dear AP Stats,

Dear AP Stats,
You have forever changed my outlook of the world. You and your histograms and stem plots occasionally caused me to throw my hands in the air and ask "why?", but you knew what was best for me. You taught me how to differentiate between biased and unbiased statistics by looking at how questions were asked. And how could I forget probability. I now understand that the probability of selecting a Jack on the first draw and then a 5 on the next is .00793 and that a game of Texas Hold'em is a lot harder than it looks. I still don't completely understand how to effectively use probability, but I promise, I am trying my best. However, I am sad to say that by May, you have a high probability of being dumped on the street again. Sorry.

Happy Birthday

Hey Anna. It's Daniel. I just wanted to say happy birthday and I miss you so much!! You're turning 19 now right?! You're like a 할머니 now :) We sang happy birthday for you today! We even had a cake too. I was wondering who was going blow the candles out, but Noah and Nathan blew it out (no surprise there). Nathan grabbed one of the lit candles and almost set the house on fire :o. Anyways, I bet you're having a splendid time with God right now. It must be nice up there. All the angels must be throwing quite the party in heaven. Again, we really miss you and we wish you could've been here today :)
    Love,
            Daniel