Owl City, Lights, and Finals' grades.

my grades for the finals are as follows . 98.5, 84, 96, 100, 89.5. I think the average is 93.5 I am so excited, these are the highest I've ever gotten for finals and for classes. And they were not easy (except for HEPE, which ironically, I scored the lowest on). I think I'm starting to believe in this thing called "Studying". Yeah, I know I'm asian. I know we're supposed to be smart. But I think I'm a mutant asian. But I'm getting in touch with my roots again.
Its kinda like believing in Santa Claus. People will distract you, but you gotta push through and believe in yourself. You gotta focus. OK. So its not really like believing in Santa Claus....though I did believe both Santa Claus and studying were figments of the imagination. I stand corrected. Now I might start believing in Santa Claus again. I guess I can accomplish stuff if I push myself. Another truth verified.

And. I have to give credit where credit is due. I didn't get those grades by studying alone. And no, I didn't cheat. You were thinking it. I know it. But I'm talking about God. It was all Him. honest.

And. I've asked my sister to come with me, April 12th, to see Owl City and Lights in Magna, Utah. That's a negative there. So. I'm looking for a replacement. I'm planning on acquiring two tickets as soon as I can. Which is whenever I can get money. Which is whenever I get a job. Which might be in January. maybe I'll get some kid from Chinese class. or maybe I'll get some kid from Chinese class to give me money to go. Hmmm who looks rich? ..... haha. jay kay. XD

Hmmm...I wonder if this studying thing can help me with getting money for tickets...

*goes back to listening to "Hey Stephen" *

Music

I love rap music. I do. Especially when I need to release some madness or anger, the music does it for me.

I love hip-hop because I feel it lets me dance more effectively and in sync than other types of music.

However, both rap music and hip-hop doesn't really connect to daily events in our lives. Its mostly about drugs, oneself, sex, money, or possessions. Most people can't relate to that. It just sounds tough and macho.

Rock, and R&B, and Country, and Pop mostly talk about love. And that's something we all can relate to.

By the same account, I can't see what use that kind of music will be in heaven. We'll all be married and stuff. No more love triangles, drama, heartbreaks and stuff like that. So... yeah.

Finals watch 2

OK, 4 down. 1 more to go. This sucks. I'm supposed to be leaving tomorrow morning. ugh.

I didn't get the score for my finance final, but I felt pretty good. Wouldn't surprised me if it doesn't end up being the score I though I got. The average of my finals so far is 93%. not bad.

Inspirational:


Happy girls are the prettiest
- Audrey Hepburn

We must be our own before we can be another’s.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson


Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken
- Oscar Wilde

The best vitamin to be a happy person is B1.
- unknown

Hey Stephen

So. I just found out today that there's a Taylor Swift song called "Hey Stephen". So I decided to look it up. And it sounded very generic, but as the song went on, it was such a dorky/cute song that I started liking it. Plus, its kind of fun to pretend she's singing to me. hahaha.


Two Finals down. Avg score on the finals: 91

not bad. not great either. Gotta do better.

Chinese Class.

Dang, I'm going to miss our class and the people who are leaving, or moving.>

Our class dynamics, class chemistry, the teachers, everything. Ugh. It feels like graduation…but its not even. I hate good times. They always have to end.haha

impressions.

Tina – I always thought tina didn’t like me. Or at least saw me as this little trouble maker. But she’s awesome. Way too smart for her own good. Lol. Just gotta find the right way to make her laugh.

Thomas – the class leader. Love his laugh, and his good nature-ness. Smart, calm, and preserved. I loved his presence in class.

Chad – always adds insights. I liked his laid-back take on the class. Also, loved his popped collars. Haha.

Don – he has the best laugh. Kelsi and I dig it so much we always smile hearing it. Good guy.

Austin – His mistakes are hilarious. Love how he slips into the Korean. “ne”. haha. What a pleasure to work with him in class.

Marie – working on the skit with her was fun. I thought she was stand-offish, but she was actually more fun than I thought.

Natalie (married one) – she was the first one I thought I could be friends with since she asked me for help on the first quizzes we went through.

Levi – the first guy I ever spoke to in class. I asked him if this was actually Chinese 101 since the class seemed too hard, and way more work even for a 4 credit class. Such a chill guy. Loved his Mohawk in class and appearing in the Daily Universe.

Kirsi – kirsi is so sweet. She is positive and an amazingly fun person. Seems care free and laid back, but a hard worker.

Christian – what can I say? I loved his funny motions and jokes. The second guy I ever spoke to in asking him for help. He was really chill, thought he was the tough silent type at first. XD “Wo bu bu”, “Ding …ding…ding”. Haha.

Joseph – The other asian guy in class. Nice nice kid. One of a kind. “nailed it”. Haha.

Sorah – oh my gosh. The Jewel of Chinese class. Haha. Yes, she became more outspoken as class continued. She was really quiet at first, but she’s really cool. Had to give her a hard time for missing class so much. “you go girl”. Seeing her in the library way too much, seeing her 5 times in one day. Haha.

Natalie Peterson – aww yeah. Got to know her better second half of semester. We have a lot in common, and since she’s from Californian she gets my train of thought, viewpoints, and moods. Haha. Loved sharing music with her and Sorah. Natalie’s personality, and attitude are closer to mine, and she gets a lot of my jokes and likes the same kind of jokes. Haha. PLUS, she was in Club Style. So cool. “Gee”. Haha.

David Cramer – the class clown. Love that kid. He has got the most awesome attitude about life, and the kewlest personality. Can make anyone laugh. I will never forget his skits. DANG I wish we could have taped them. XD

Lisa Callister – Lisa is sooo chill. Easy person to get along with. Nice, and always willing to help. Always there. Love having her in class. Getting donuts, studying late at night, “Danielle”. Haha.

Andrea – I will remember our tunnel singing endeavors. Lol. Dang it was cold too seeing in those tunnels. I was intimidated by her, still am. But she’s got a certain way of doing things, and is independent. Appreciate that. Loved our last skit. Haha.

Cate Mumford – MU KAI YING!! Oh gosh. Where do I even begin with the memories? My first girlfriend in class. First prank pulled together. The music videos. Tunnel singing. The crazy hair, the skits, the teasing from Gong Lao shi. Your food, your festive holiday colors, seeing you at devotionals, cheering for Boise state, and just getting to know her. Mumford!! Haha.

Lyz – oh Lyz. Thank you for so much. For providing time to study, for providing us with food, for your home, for being enthusiastic, friendly, and excited. It was neat to hear her stories on the time when she was at byu. She has some AWESOME stories. I will never forget about talking about dating, and the advice given to me, especially from a married person.

Daphna – DAPHNA! Oh yes. You (since you will probably read this) are an awesome person and friend. I love your enthusiasm and curiosity for life. You added something special to Chinese class. You were always the most outspoken, the one to laugh the most, the one to answer questions, and the one that understood everything the teacher was saying! Haha. Everyone in class knew who you were (and that’s a awesomely good thing). You and David made quite the pair ;) . “let’s make it interesting. How about you’re writing to your boyfriend?” David: What if your professor was your boyfriend. Yeah? That would make it real interesting. HAHAHA. Thanks for being such a good sport…even though I could never freakin get a hold of you!! And you stopped coming to the review sessions!! DANG I will miss you in class!!

Kelsi – JADE!!! My girlfriend outside of class. Hahaha. Kelsi honestly intimidated me at first and I was scared to read off dialogue with her, but Kelsi turned to out to be so awesome. I think to a certain level, she laughed and clicked with me better than any other person in class. Like she knew the intention of my jokes and stuff without me ever having to say the complete thing. Really really awesome girl. I feel bad, because I think she only got about 75% of everything that happened in class because I would always be talking to her. (and hey, gong lao shi didn’t care…most of the time). Haha. I have no idea how many inside jokes we’ve now accumulated. Lol.

Shalise – so Daphna, apparently, Shalise was going to be my girlfriend in the last round? Haha, finally figured that out. Lol.

the first person EVER to say “hi” to me in class and that was a big deal to me. I think that was the point where I said to myself “I think I might like this class”. Shalise is so funny and her cluelessness is fun to observe, but I’ve learned a lot from her. Appreciate her excitement to learn. Always fun, smiling, and laughing. Because of her, I will never forget xi hua wu now. LOLOLOL.

Gong Lao Shi –love gong lao shi. Even though everyone says she’s too strict, she wasn’t strict with me. Honestly, I got away with TONS of stuff. She only cracked down on me several times (though she hammers Shalise a ton haha). But I loved her humor, her desire to help us be good, to correct us so we can be better, to provide help, and to join in us with humor, youtube videos, and teasing. Turning our prank on her back against us in teasing is a testament to her versatility and flexibility. Gong lao shi shi hao de lao shi! You know, I realized now how much I didn’t show my appreciation. L I need to get a card and give it to her!

Zhou Lao Shi – so nice and warm hearted. Everyone liked her though I think she was little harsher on me. But she was nice, kindhearted, and had a good sense of humor and optimism on life. Her food was good too. Haha.

Finals Watch

So. I hadn't touched facebook for three whole days until Cheryl reminded me that my high school account still existed. Nevertheless, I have cut back facebook quite a bit. Upside, I spend less time on the computer. Downside, I have no one to talk with anymore and it feels so lonely sometimes. XD But I think this is going to be the longest time I'm away from facebook since my mish. And to be honest, I haven't felt like I've missed too much.


So. My Chinese final is done. Honestly, I'm hoping for a 95% or better. I believe I've scored that high if not higher. But then again, I could get shot down.

I'm going to miss my chinese class. so many great people.

OH MY GOSH.

So...I think Heavenly Father has been waaAAY to kind to me. Check this out.

For my chinese class, the teacher announced last week that we can make up any homework we want. Granted, I'm scoring 90+ on everything and haven't missed any assignments I don't need it, but wow. That's nice ain't it?

HEPE is taking care of itself.

in Marketing, the teacher told us there will be a curve on every exam. NICE!!

In finance, just about two weeks ago, the teacher told us that he had decided to just drop our lowest graded test, and THEN, CURVE the second. DANGGG. THAT alone boosted my grade a whole letter grade.

NOW GET THIS, TODAY, my bio teacher just told us that if our final grade on the Final is greater than our grade so far, he will use THAT as our final grade. Meaning...if you failed EVERYTHING in class up to this point, and ace the final, you will have an A.

I now have a legitimate shot at acing the semester. oh wow, what a christmas present.

Issues

So this is a big thing for me to admit. But I admit two things.

I fear disappointing people.

and, I think I'm scared of commitment. XD

Faith vs. Works

My favorite things to study are faith, agency, and the Garden of Eden. The whole dynamic of how the Garden of Eden works is so fascinating. Everytime I answer some questions I just develop a dozen more. Agency is also real interesting just by the concept itself.

Faith has fascinated me because of how deep it is (along with other general gospel principles' basics). Its always interesting to hear faith versus works arguments because to me its not even an argument. To me, its like comparing apples and bananas. Or more closely, its like saying what's more important, the car or the car's engine? Faith has always been tied to works.

Even the most famous scripture presently, John 3:16, illustrates this point. Everyone knows "for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". This is followed by these verses, "For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. Bit he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God" (John 3:20-21).

Our faith in God must be followed by doing good, because after all, it is the opposite that pulls us away from God (Isaiah 59:1-3).

The problem, I think, comes from people who live on the extremes. We have met these people, and they're mostly really good people, but misguided I believe.

We've met the person who lives by faith alone, believing that baptism is not required, covenants are not required, and all these other things are not required if we only believe in the name of God or Jesus Christ. We know this is not true, for Satan believes also, but is he going to be saved? Of course not. James 2:17, 19.

However, we've also met those who only live by works. Those who say, "Oh, I don't need to go to church. I'm a good person. I don't believe God will keep me out of heaven. If there is a God, He will see that I lived a good life and won't let keep me out". This is wrong also. Paul battles this idea profusely, when he mentioned that God is the one saving you, not you, so you better believe what He says. Ephesians 2:8

There are those who contend that the scriptures are contradictory on this point. I don't believe so. They are addressing different audiences, from different authors, on different subjects, on different trials.

Often the words of Paul in Romans (Romans 3:28) are used to counter those of James, but Paul's epistles in Romans was partially written to settle the disputes that had arisen from the Law of Moses which was very law and works oriented. James epistle was directed at the 12 tribes and was a reminder to them not to become lazy in doing what was right (James 1:22). Faith needs works to be true faith, and work needs to have faith in order to have significance. Paul and James were just addressing the troubles of falling too extreme to either side.

Blackout

I'm thinking of shutting down facebook for the next two weeks, texting less, and focusing more on my school work. It won't be the first time I've done it this year, or even this semester. It has worked effectively to various degrees .... everytime I feel like I can do it, I end up not because I'm waiting for a reply from someone...or there's something I want to do. We shall see. While I don't want facebook as a distraction, I also don't want to be cut off from people.

I also find it amusing that after not texting for 4 1/2 days, that I'm still averaging aboaut 93 texts a day. Ugh. Thinking about something for my new New Year's Resolution that will cut down on unnecesssary digital plug ins.

Anyway. If I go black out, I'll keep twitter.

ReCap November

quick look at the goals of my New Year's resolutions by month

Recap for November 2009

1. Spiritual Amendment

read the scriptures everyday - 22-8 (total since September 8th: 62-21)
attend Church every week - check
pray daily - check

2. Grades -
straight A's
- not quite there yet. Some classes unexpectedly got weird jumps in grades, but the last HEPE exam killed me. STUPID HEPE and stupid me. -_-;; I might have lost the battle there. GPA 3.0+

3. Health -
follow health plan
I'm getting back on after getting derailed by the week leading up to Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving itself. as noted last month, my increased calorie intake didn't offset my increased exercising, and resulted in 6 lbs gain. Which isn't bad. I don't need to lose weight. XD But I'm getting back into shape again. gonna be a long road my friends....

4. Dancing -
improve
Almost no dancing for month of November. Missed 3 out of 4 weeks at Club style. probably way behind...but will pick it back up. My dance moods comes in waves.

5. Dating -
at least once a month
Check. My focus on finals might sidetrack December though.

6. Temple -
at least once a month
Check. Temple is the BEST place ever. And it is service!!