Two Months and Then I Graduate

Wow, I graduate in less than two months and will be leaving my high school.
And I did not edited the following pictures. :P

Echeveria Peacockii

I have to admit my brain is still in the "Why am I stuck at school?" phrase while another part of it is in" I just wanna hang out with my friends and family with no work. Summer. Come to me. NOW!" For all you graduating senioristis -infected students, you know what I am talking about.

Dew covered Canlendula

However, we know there will be the goodbye approaching. Sometimes I had felt the goodbye as a bit melodramatic or understated because when I have visited my alumni friends, they seemed a-okay. Seemed.

Why did I emphasized that word? Because I felt that even when two months are going to slip past by, we all are holding secrets and unspoken feelings from each other, and sometimes a few of those secrets need to be said aloud in order to have closure. But since we are procrastinators ( I recommend reading Why Procrastinators Procrastinate or watching the TED talk Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator), we often delay it by saying, "Next time. "

But when is next time? No one knows because there is much uncertainty up ahead. And most of the times, it is the uncertainty that drives us insane. Yes, we can ask our parents, teachers, older friends and more for advice, but their advice can only go so far if we haven't experienced it yet.

For instance, recently I have been getting out advice on how to approach a girl to a good friend of mine. Even though I was questioning why in the world guys at this young age would panic on talking another fellow human being, I do understand that it is scary to talk to someone who you want to leave a good impression on. After a long Facebook chat with my friend, I realized how the key of having a close relationship with any person whether it be family, friend or boyfriend/girlfriend, starts by showing how you care for each other.

I shall repeat those words in case you didn't catch that.

STARTING RIGHT NOW, SHOW HOW YOU CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER!!!!

It's so important, yet most people underestimate it because it seemed so simple. (Just like procrastinating. Muahahaha). Not only you make the person feel special, but also you strengthen your relationship with them. And even when there is uncertainty up ahead, you be confident that the memories and the feelings you two have would continue on.

My shadow after a hail storm. :D
"Here comes the song"-the Beatles

Okay, I shall continue editing my UC San Diego wait listed essay. Wish me luck!

Day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today, you.

I shall do a little tribute for something that deserves special attention.

       Today, while I merely watching episode 14 in Clannad, an anime I had started during Spring Break, Ichinose Kotomi (一ノ瀬 ことみ), one of the characters, repeated the enigmatic phrase to  Okazaki Tomoya (岡崎 朋也), the protagonist.

Day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today, you.

         At first, her words struck me as odd yet soothing. I pondered what she had meant until I realized how close her words were to her when she disclosed her hidden memories. After I rewatched the scene in Clannad, I repeated those words and let them rolled off my tongue as if it was a lullaby. The words seemed to fly out of a book, and in fact, it did.

         After I quickly researched the phrase in InfiniteZenith's article, CLANNAD- Day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today, you, it reappeared along with the title, The Dandelion Girl by Robert F. Young. It is a short science-fiction story written about the rediscovery of love found between the 42 year old Mark Randolph and the dandelion girl. As I read the story, I was enthralled by the story as I pictured the two, feeling anxious and longing for each other, despite the seemingly impenetrable time gap. (Read the story to know what I actually meant). 

        Throughout The Dandelion Girl, her words murmured again and again, as if her essence was captured in them. Those intimate words that were only reserved for the one person reminded me of Dos Palabras by Isabel Allende. (If you want to read the English version, click here).Throughout this short story, Belisa's words for the Colonel revealed how transforming and everlasting love and words were. Already at the budding age of (nah that I won't disclosed ;), I have already my secret repertoire of dos palabras tucked in my heart from those who I could not possibly forget. And now, I have a new one. Because I want to capture a deeper sense of these words, I closed my eyes and dreamed how I would reacted if I have seen a rabbit, a deer, and then the one. 

         Tears flowed down my cheeks while I opened my eyes. I wiped away my tears, chiding myself how young and inexperienced I was to think that I have honestly encountered what love was really like. Yet, I could not shake off the dear memories I had when I love someone dear to me. I already have them safely stored in my memories, but I was devastated to realize that we had felt towards each other did not last as long as I had hoped.

         Hope. My memory started to tingle as I began to recall the words that leave me feeling calm and a bit sad. Whenever I started to feel overwhelmed, they somehow return to my mind and repeat again and again until I realized what I had been almost forgotten.


加油! (Keep going!) -My grandmother who passed away.

Have Faith, Miss Chen. -My 10th grade math teacher.
Don't worry. In a few hours, the sun will come out. -one of my friends
You're a blessing to me. I'm lucky to have you.

I took a deep breath and smiled at my fond memories. I then reflected on how no matter how drastic things can be, I still have my family, dear friends, loved ones, and, of course, God. As I thought about them, I cannot give up. I have been given the chance a to grow and learn everyday, and I should not be stuck in the past. Even though it is painful to move on, I know that if I keep working and waiting, there will better things to come. Besides, there are still beautiful things in the worlds.

 A quote from Clannad.

            "The world is beautiful. Even when they are filled with sadness and tears, open your eyes. Do what you wish to do. Become what you want to be. Don't rush, and take your time in becoming an adult."

Free free to listen to "Roaring Tides II" song from Clannad. It's really moving.

Mission Peak!

Why, hello there!

Since it is Spring Break, my friends and I decided to start off by hiking Mission Peak, my hometown icon. 

I woke up at 6:30 am and arrived at the entrance of the Ohlone trail with a few of my friends. Because some people in our big friend group, officially called the Kiwi Turtles, woke up late, everyone waited for another hour before we could all start to hike. 

Still waiting near the parking lot

The hike overall was really peaceful and eventful. As we walked uphill, I got to talk with my friends about who we could trust, back problems, what is considered to be childish, and other philosophical concepts we seventeen-years old have. I felt that with each step I took, I was one step closer to my goal and one step away from the academic pressure and college expectations. 

That reminds me, did I mentioned that college acceptance letters came out during last March? Indeed they did. Even though I got rejected from six universities and wait listed from four universities, I got accepted into UC Santa Barbara for Pre-Biology. So excited to go to college soon! 

Anyway, back to hiking. One of our friends did walked back by himself because of personal reasons, which is okay. Once the Kiwi Turtles reached the peak, we simply gazed around the view and enjoyed each other's company. We ate some rice crackers and played Worst Case Scenario cards, which are quite useful in case we want to hot wire a car, drive on a motorcycle in a rainstorm, or get attack by a bear. Hey, you never know what is coming to get you.

Aerial View

Taken by my Friend

Selfy Stick! (lol it's not mine)

Lupines on the Hillside*

The Golden Country*

California Poppies*

Baby cow and the Mommy!

On the way down, my friend and I talked about our high school's garden, in which I am in charge of. He offered a plethora of advice concerning about members, weeds, rock path, and organization. As he criticized what needs to be done at the MSJ Garden, I smiled at him and felt grateful that he's willing to help me out. 

When we return to the parking lot, we decided to visit Starbucks (got a Honey Frappuccino) and T4 ( got a peppermint milk tea). We simply rested and enjoyed our cold drinks until we had to go home. It was still pretty nice, fun day. A few of us did visited one of our friend's cat, Tommy, at her home and rested there.

The neighborhood cat outside of Starbucks

The entrance of T4, a milk tea shop

A few of the Kiwi Turtles chilling

Yeah...it was a nice day.

Sorry, my brain is a little tired from hiking. 

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Some of them were not edited unless indicated by *.

A Lot Can Happened in Three Days

"Hey guys!"-Ryan Higa

If you don't understand the reference, I suggested checking out his Youtube channel called nigahiga.

I honestly thought of that because he noticed that most of his vlogs started with him greeting everyone, "Hey guys!"

Anyway...

If you looked back to my previous blog post on Valentine's Day, I mentioned about my physics project, which took my friend and I three consecutive days.

        Before we presented our project in class, I walked to my friend's home at 7 am to help prepare the project and do a small test run. However, we did not because we did not have enough lemon juice for the test run, and we both were tired beyond belief and took an half  a hour nap before we arrived at school around 8 am. Since our high school has a Wednesday 9 am start day, we hung out in the library where we stored our project and set up an essential component of our project nervously.

We agreed to come back as soon as first period was over, since our physic class was second period. Before our physics class started, we can carried our project outside the classroom and set it up as students passed by. There were a few kinks we ran into: the motor did not move and the tissue full of baking soda was dangling precariously in the wind.

Eventually within the next five minutes, everything was set up the way we wanted it to be (Thank you so much God!). My friend and I displayed our project as my teacher went over the inspections. I flicked the lighter and lit the string hanging the baking soda.
In less than a minute, our project completed its job with flying colors (and lemon juice foam). My friend and I were a bit dazed to realize what happened but felt relieved to see our hard work had paid off. We watched our classmates' energy machines, and we were amazed that only two groups out of thirteen done very well.

Hmmm. I want to include a picture of it, but the picture quality is not what I hope for.
So I include a picture of the prototype. (we removed the oranges and replaced them with a battery pack. :p)

So why did I wrote about it? Because it is nice to celebrate the little accomplishments along the way. Senior year is not going to last long, so I better enjoy my time here.

Happy Valentines Day!

"It should be called 'Singles' Awareness Day'."-my Government Economics teacher.

Today is Valentines' Day. To me, it's a day when I get free candy, someone's birthday, and my dad buys my mom roses and take us all out to dinner. It is also a holiday where I hope the Valentine cards I made are given away! I made around fifteen cards and sold most of them. Yippee!

Butterflies

Pusheen 

Winnie the Pooh

But this year, it is a day when I spend time alone with my friend as we race to the end of finishing our Physics project!

Yes...Physics. A wonderful subject that explains the incredible phenomena this universe has and a subject in which my friend and I look to each other with apprehension and a sigh. However the class is pretty fun when we both work together even though it does drive us crazy.

For the past three days, we have been working nonstop on our energy machine. Our original plan set a fire to a string holding a tissue with baking soda. The string would break and the baking soda would fall into a cup of lemon juice that would soon bubbled out into a straw. The straw would then direct the liquid to a turbine that would rotate and power a motor to hit a tiny box.

Our plan in theory would worked, but in reality it was greatly modified as we experimented numerous methods of generating and utilizing electricity using a water turbine, a motor/generator and lemon juice. We tested the idea last Friday, and that idea quickly fizzled out when we realized the water turbine could not produce enough electricity. The next day, we then switched to test how much electricity lemons produce. Enough to power a LED light bulb but not a motor. After five hours of experimentation, we took a break and a quick ice cream break with a side nap.After our break, my friend suggested to use a battery to give a boost of energy and lemon juice to complete the circuit. Not a bad idea.

Today we used copper, galvanized steel, lemon juice, baking soda and batteries to power the motor. Our current plan was that the as the baking soda-lemon juice foam flow out of the cup, the liquid would flow down the cup into a bowl and fill it up. When the bowl is full, the copper and steel would have a connection and be able to complete the circuit. The circuit has two batteries and a motor with a stick attached. Once the circuit is complete, the motor would move and complete its job. Again, our plan would work in theory but not somehow not in reality.

After a few trial and errors for about two hours, we ran out of ideas and decided to take a little nap break. I could not nap well, so I returned back the project and had an idea. I got some Styrofoam and shaped some pennies and wires into it and then attached it to the circuit. After my friend woke up, I suggested that when the foam flows in the cup, the Styrofoam with the copper attached would float up and be able to connect with the steel hovering about it, thus completing the circuit. We then tested the idea four times, but we had to stop because the fire we initially set burned a bit out of control and I inhaled the smoke as I was frantically blowing it out. Note to self: doing that may trigger a slight asthma reaction. I gradually recovered with a little fresh air and my friend's inhaler, but we need to finish the project quickly since I have to be home within an hour. We set up one more time, and ....it worked fine. We then decided to celebrate with ice cream and a nap!

So why did I share this story with you guys? First take breaks and nap because ideas seem to flow once your head is rested with some ice cream. :D
Okay, the reason is that I want to show that Valentine's Day could be a special or a regular day, depending on you do on that day. And the same message goes with any other day.Yes, Valetine's Day is a day of love and Lent (I recently went to my first mass with my Physics buddy). However to me, today's Valentines Day is day I spent time with my family and friends with the knowledge that spring is right around the corner.

Enjoy the pictures.

I'm not sure what they are called. Almond flowers?

Winter Break memories

Hey guys!

I know I have not written in my blog ever since my senior year came. A lot has happened and I guess I did not have the time to share out my pictures with you guys. Previously, I ended my last blog post with a note I wrote to a friend. Now I want to slowly return to the cycle of regularly writing and posting pictures online. So let's see if I am able to accomplish this little goal of mine. But first, here are some significant memories I want to share from Winter Break 2015.

December 22, 2015 Tuesday

I woke up around 7 am and decided to hike up a hill to touch the 16 on the hill. I am not a morning person, so I knew I must take advantage of this serendipity. I guess after my friend dared me to hike the 16, I have been secretly waiting for the day when I can. I must admit the view of my hometown is breathtaking as my shoes were completely soaked with water from the dew on the grass. But it was worth it.

My hometown

My home from the hill

December 29, 2015 Tuesday

If you remembered my friend Stanley from my previous blog posts, then you should know that he and my other old high school friends came back home during Winter Break. He invited me to go hiking with them to Sunol, and I agreed. Even though I was the only girl there, it was pretty fun to hike five hours with these cool guys and see the fantastic view of Sunol. I even believe the hike is much more better than Mission Peak's. You'll see what I mean. After we were done hiking, we grabbed a few milk teas and mosey our way home.

My hiking buddies

Our shadows

A few trees on the way

Grassy hills and mountains

View from Flagstaff

Into the Woods

Standing on the Verge

Second Semester Senior...almost there

Hey guys!

I know I have not written a blog post since Senior year whacked me hard with work and commitments. But it has been an interesting ride with my family, friends, teachers and my cat Gracie.

Recently, I had going through a lot of interrogations with myself, not just because I have to for college applications but mainly to realize what I have been missing this whole time. And I think I'm gaining a sense of what I had taken for granted.

Life can be short, long, difficult, easy,--in short anything. It honestly depends on one's perspective and attitude towards the situations. The situations can change to whatever extent, but how we react either needs to be change or kept. 

A positive outlook? Keeper! A complaining mood? Tried to realize what you already have is priceless.

I guess what I want to say is tied in this one letter I wrote to a dear friend of mine back in August 23, 2015.

Hello ( I shall never reveal the name! :D )

     I want to write this out before the pressure of senior year hits us hard. Keep in touch...do not forget that you are not alone. I always used to think we have our own emotions that no one has ever felt, but it turns out we all do [share them together]. That is why we need each other, family, friends, and God. Remember to set aside some time for Him (referring to God). And I have been praying for you, so please do not feel discouraged. I believe in you, dude. And I remembered to keep my joy as you have told me. Thank you for helping realize that. Good luck!

Sincerely

Deborah Chen

Now it's time for me to follow my advice and others too.

Enjoy!

My cat Gracie in a Happy Birthday bag!

Hens in Sunol Agpark farm

University of California Berkeley 

Rainy day at home 12-13-15