Wrap up Class of 2016

Final Moments as a High School Senior

Even though I'm a bit late on this post, I have been wanting to share this with you guys and keep it as a memento of what has been going through my mind as I graduated with my friends and classmates. By the way, it's pretty long, but it's worthwhile reading. 

If you want a spiel of what it's like to be a in a catch-22 for college, continue reading. It does get a bit dark, but it's noteworthy to read it. 

If you want to read a positive story, then scroll down to Graduation--June 8, 2016. There are fun pictures down there. :D

Enjoy reading.

College Acceptance (late May)

This is the moment when each person finally gets to confirm which school they are going to (unless something happens like UC San Diego updating your application on June 8, 2016, the day you graduated...) Anyway, I can distinctly remember the dread of waiting from the colleges I had applied and facing the high expectations from my parents. 

Back in March, I only got accepted into UC Santa Barbara out of the eleven schools I have applied and was wait listed for UC Davis, UC San Diego, UChicago, and UC Irvine (I never got a response from them). 

Once March ended, my parents were still not happy at the results. Arguments arose between my parents and me, mainly over my decision to declare Biology as my major and to not spend innumerable number of hours on my college applications. I can distinctly recalled the night when I first learned I was wait listed from UC Davis. I'm not sure if this is accurate, but by declaring Biology or another capped major, I was placed in a more competitive pool and more likely to get rejected compared to someone who has done a lot more stuff than me.

While my parents continued to argue as if that would change the past, I locked myself in my bedroom and just cried. My father's words, "You disobeyed me" echoed in my head, and another dark thought crept in my mind. I told one of my friends if he could called me and later that night he did. Over the phone call, I kept telling him, "I'm scared. I'm scared. I don't want to be here, I honestly feel that my parents valued me based off the colleges I got into. I don't know what to do. I really don't know what to do." When it was March 24, 2016, my family learned I was rejected from UC Berkeley, and the same argument arose again.

The next day, I wrote in my journal...



                "4 rejected, 4 wait listed, 3 more to go. Hmm, I feel like I'm in a tight knot position like ( :D) who has two accepted schools as well as ( :D)'s AP Chemistry classmate last year who was wait listed to UCs and then got into UCLA after being wait listed from it. It feels I'm dangling between a hope of a miracle and despair. But I need to keep believing in God. I cannot give up on Him, and I cannot give up on myself. I need to have faith and take the risk. What do I have to lose? Go to Ohlone and take the placements and registration forms. [I actually am doing this, and I'm fine with it now. Hey, I got to spend a few months at home with my friends and be chill before I transitioned to my college in the spring semester]. Gap year? Honestly, I'm shooting for UC Davis at this point. May 1 to June. One month and and a half of waiting. Wait, Hope, Pray.

                I guess I'm still holding onto God because I know that not trusting in God is something I can't imagine nor refuse to imagine because I will be someone I will not want to be.

                Okay back to UC wait listed essays. At least the garden meeting cheered me up. I hate being valued by colleges as if it determines my entire life course. I'll talk with you later."

-Deborah Chen

Once April began, I have tried my best to not let the fear and uncertainty to follow me because it was not a comfortable feeling to carry around at school. While I heard about my peers getting into the colleges I wanted to get into, I felt an odd mix of  joy and jealousy towards them, because a part of me felt that I was left out. Yet, I remembered my mom confidently telling me that God has a great school for me in plan once May comes along. When she told me that, I felt it would UC Davis because I felt really confident that I will be accepted into that school.

Over time, I wrote my wait listed essays for UC Davis and UC San Diego and submitted them before April 15, 2016. I made preparation to settle at UC Santa Barbara, but I felt I would be at UC Davis. But, of course, my parents wanted me to appeal for UC Berkeley, so I quickly wrote an appeal essay and submitted it too. When May rolled in, I decided to send my AP scores this year to UC Davis. Later on the same week, I checked my email and learned that I did get into UC Davis on May 6, 2016. I was screaming and shouting, " I got into UC Davis! I got in! Thank you God!" and jumped around the house. It was so exciting for me to see a Congratulations email from UC Davis. While I wanted to submit my SIR within the same hour, my parents told me to wait for my other wait listed colleges. Nevertheless, I submitted my SIR one week later and then spent the next three days filling out online forms for housing, health insurance, orientation, etc. I later learned that my friends also were accepted, and I made plans to have all three of us to be roommates. It really did felt exciting for me, yet I still felt that lingering "what if I got into UC Berkeley?" inside of me. I tried to push it aside, but it kept creeping in the back of my mind. By the time, I was convinced that I have my next few years planned, I learned that sometimes life does not work like that at all.

I shall continue on this story with something I wrote on the day I went to Senior Ball. 

Written on May 28, 2016 Saturday

For those who have talked with me for the past few days, you may already noticed that I was in a dilemma. Four days ago, something arrived in my email.

Tue, May 24, 2016 at 4:21 PM

An Update to your UC Berkeley Application

............

I never expected that I will be spending the next three days debating intensely over which college I should go to. I asked my counselor, my biology/AP Environmental Science teacher, my AP English teacher, over twenty friends through Facebook and in person, and my family over which one was best for me.

Update:
I ended up deciding to go to UC Berkeley over UC Davis. It was one of the hardest decision I had to make in my life because I want to go to a school for genuine reasons and not out of prestige or family pressure. After talking with 20+ people, I decided to block out the noise and visit the campuses to get a nice feel of the universities. At UC Berkeley, I felt I would have more opportunities to explore and expand my interests there in the humanities field and meet people with similar interests as me compared to what I found at UC Davis. There's a lot of activity going on in UC Berkeley, and it seemed quaint in that kind of sense. I don't know what will happened, but I would still say that both universities are terrific and still love to visit UC Davis (and maybe bring my friend's hammock, so that we can doze the day away).

Honestly a lot of my friends and teachers felt that I would be better at UC Davis, especially when I do plan to become a podiatrist in the future. I'm more of the relaxed, laid back person who loves nature. However, I work hard and find myself doing a lot of academic work in my free time, mainly because I cannot relax unless I'm convinced there is nothing for me to do. After I made my decision, I felt that my friends were looking at me with sad eyes while a few looked at me with genuine joy. I can still remembered how a friend of mine reacted when I told him I decided to go to UC Davis at school. Even though he rejected UC Berkeley to go to University of Washington, he was not happy that I was potentially doing the same thing he was doing, since he believed that I deserved to go to Berkeley. After I visited the UC Berkeley's campus and paid my SIR, I was wondering if I had made the right decision. On the day of prom, he coincidentally ran past my house, and I called him out. After he used my laptop for AP World History group work (since his little sister and her friend were using all the computers in his home), I told him my decision. He immediately told me, "Really? That's great!" and I felt that his reassurance is all I needed to hear.






 Maybe that is what life is about? Taking risks and having faith that in the end, and everything will be fine. Keep trusting in God because you never know what will happen in life, and it's an encouraging feeling to know that He is there for you even if it feels everything in life is shooting you down. You'll be surprise of how much things in life can change, and it's up to your discretion to whether or not the change is good, bad, or eh.

Moreover, I wanna share you guys my stories as a reminder that you have to look things at the long term and keep believing. I'm afraid that there are others who were in a similar positions as me would take drastic measures to get away from them. I almost did, and it was a close call. What stopped me was when I remembered that my family, friends, teachers, neighbors, etc do not want me to be a position where I think it's better for me to just poof away. They care about me and I care about them, and that's should be enough of a reason for me to endure a little longer until things calm down. After moving away from it, I looked back and realized how many fun, positive things I have experienced since then. Yes, there is the occasional crisis every now and then, but I believe the positive experiences and attitude we carry makes the difference.

So....................here's a positive message!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Graduation--June 8, 2016

Excerpt from my red tiny notebook, which serves as my journal at school. I also will not include real people's names because that's not respectful to them, and I'm too lazy to write them out. :D Also I'm cutting out info from the notebook, since I am still infected by senioritis. :D

            "My last day at high school.

And I still have a lingering thought from what happened yesterday.

During 3rd period, I was visiting my friend's AP Chem class. Surprisingly, one of my friends was there and playing Exploding Kittens, a card game. He was mainly focused on learning the game, and I thought it was best to let him play without me distracting him. Once I returned to my classroom, I worked on my Berkeley and Ohlone transfer situation, since I'm figuring out which major I want to declare in: Molecular Environmental Biology, Integrated Biology, and Molecular and Cell Biology. The same friend who was playing the card game came in and I was surprised he was standing to me.

"Hey"-Friend

"Hi, how come you're here?"-me

"I want to say I'm sorry for not paying attention to you when I was playing the game."-Friend

"Oh, it's okay dude."-me

Even thought I did not expect him to say that to me, I was glad he came to see me and reach out to me. That made me really happy. 

Anyway, back to the last day of high school. I was in my 6th period class, and my AP English teacher was retiring. During the party, I had a private conversation with her, and she told me...

     "You're a deeply good person, you know? You're hardworking, you always gave everything your best, you're sincere, sweet and environmentally conscience. Don't forget that. I shall keep this together (referring to the gift I gave her) and will write you a thank you note. Uh, I'm trying not to cry."

Later on, she addressed the class with a kind, heartfelt message:

         As Michelangelo once said cue on par one, "I'm still learning." Never stop learning. It's not for grades. It's not for degrees. As Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." So keep questioning, That is my best hope for you, and I love you guys.

After I reflected on my years I have spent in this high school, I later wrote in my journal...

       "I miss Mission. The people really made it a place that I love. Even though I have felt a bit out of place at a few times, it has been a remarkable ride here. Yeah, I'm graduating with no regrets. This has been a fun ending for senior year, especially today. Especially the final day, since there is no final. I got pretty well grades, but who cares about that? All the memories here are what matters, and God let us have them and enjoy them. 

    

         Thank you God for a wonderful year! I know that I should finishing writing about the Ashland field trip, Prom, and extra things, but I admit it has been a wonderful ending. I enjoyed the memories and the visits from friends and teachers. I look forward to the future, and I hope everything will be alright. I know you'll keep me in my journey of life. I hope to continue to grow into the godly woman you want me to be. I know I'm afraid of the future and the loss of opportunities and the things I took for granted. But I enjoyed high school. Now I end with a song called "See you again." 

"It's been a long day without you, my friend.

And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again.

We've come a long way from where we began.

Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again.

When I see you again.

After I left the school, I was talking with my kouhais (people who are an year or more younger than me). I can remember one of my Physics friends driving past the school. She rolled down her window and shouted out, " I love you Deborah!", and I shouted back, "I love you (name)!" It really made me smile a lot, even though I was rushing back home to get my gown on for my graduation ceremony. The moment I got home, it took me 10 minutes to get all my preparations, and I was out the door in my mom's car. When I arrived at another high school where the ceremony was held, I waited for my friends who were already wearing their caps, gowns and cords. We chilled around and goofed around as we waited to be seated at the ceremony. It was a bit boring to sit in a chair in the hot sun for two hours, listening to inspirational speeches and the names of my classmates being called out. Good thing I had two great friends who kept poking my sides to keep me awake. (Can you sense my sarcasm here?) The best part of the ceremony was when I got to hug my teachers and see their joy for each and every one of us. After the ceremony, I took a lot of selfies with my friends and classmates and ate at Sweet Tomatoes with my family. It was a tiring day, and it did not hit me that I graduated high school. Hahahahaha. 

Now pictures while I still believe I'm going back to high school in the fall. Old habits die hard.

yeah, I wrote that on my friend's white board. Well he's a teacher, but I never had him as a teacher. Ehhhh....

Go class of 2016.

Okay, I should be resting my brain from remembering the past few months. Goodnight!

“This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.”-T.S. Eliot

On June 8, 2016, I graduated Mission San Jose high school.


Yet, I cannot shook off that fact.
  I cannot believe that I may not see the faces that I have seen for years within a few months.
  I cannot believe how the world can change so suddenly, only to reveal how vulnerable and fragile we are.  

         While I am processing the times when I spent with them during karaoke night and the Grad Nite Disneyland trip, I felt a sense that I was in a dream, a dream that has a chance of ending. With the news of Christina Grimmie's sudden death and the mass shooting in Orlando, the dream to continue living on earth has ended for many others. I cannot believe that while I was spending my time at Disneyland, such awful events has already happened. While I am having fun, someone is dying, and this sad truth is always happening.

Why?

Within our souls, we repeats the question over and over again, and it comes back unanswered in our head. In the end, we may never know. Even if we do know, the sad heartbreak still lingers in our hearts, and it cannot erase the pain away.  The regrets, the tears, the stifled cries, the moment when we fall apart comes crashing down--for now.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, ... a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance"-Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2, 4.

We know that eventually we would heal from the loss, but when? I guess it depends on whether or not you want to and if you are ready to accept what has happened. At least, we are never alone in this situation, and we should not be alone since we have a common end.
"Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart" -Ecclesiastes 7:2. Looking back on the verse and history, we can no longer assume we will live long. We cannot predict our future or take our lives and the people (and animals) around us for granted. Even though we assume that we would live long enough to have jobs, raise a family, and be grandparents, we cannot imagine that can happen as a guarantee with the state of this world. The moments that we are enjoying together should be considered be as a blessing.

As an encouragement, I shall end this post from a favorite manga I enjoyed, Full Metal Alchemist.
"No matter how often we get beaten down, become discouraged, lose our way, come close to failing, and even if we know if's for superficial reasons, we keep fighting on, we find strength in each other."-Edward Elric.

Keep praying and show that you care to everyone.
Keep trusting in God even if the world fall apart.
And no matter what, don't lose sight of what and who is important to you.

One Month Left

Wow... I am going to graduate in a month along with thousands of students as the Class of 2016.

Honestly, I never imagined the moment that I will walk on the stage and see my classmates draped in their capes and gowns. I have pushed aside that thought for many years, but it is creeping it on me and everyone else.

Ironically at this point, I still don't know which college I'm going to in the end because I am still waiting for my wait listed universities. I would say that for now, I got into UC Davis last Friday. Once I learned the news, I was screaming over all the place because I was so happy. However, my parents want me to wait to see if I have other offers. We'll see.

By the way, did I ever mention Gracie gave birth to six kittens on April 15, 2016 (well we had to bury the firstborn Thomas, but the five are doing well. Their names from left to right are Sophie, Benjamin, Rebecca, Jeremiah, and Sarah)

I then realized that this my last time in high school.
This may be my last time I get to see my classmates.
This may be the last time I get to have six periods per day with required attendance.
This may be the last time I get to walk in the corridors among the crowd of students.
This may be the last time I get to hang out with my teachers and friends on campus, knowing that I would not have to worry about time conflicts (especially if I have them in my class next to me).

Maybe because I have such little time, I started to hang out with my friends more and really get to know them well. In fact, today I spent two hours at a friend's home and another walking and talking with another friend of mine for an hour.
Maybe because I know I'm not always going to see my family everyday, I'm spending more time with them, such as going on long leisure walks with them and listening to their life stories (and complaints).
Maybe because I am sick of schoolwork, I am not focusing on my homework (which is getting easier by the day except for those Physics labs). Hey, I have been taking double math, double literature, double science classes this year while four of them are AP classes. I'm almost done with AP exams. I only have AP Statistics left, which is today!

But let me be serious here. I feel at this point of time, I need to focus on enjoying the time I have right now instead of regretting my mistakes or worrying about the future.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own. "-Matthew 6:3

Yes, it's from the Bible, and yes, I'm going to say something optimistic here. There is so much uncertainty lying ahead in the future that it's unnerving. I believe that at some points in our lives that most of us believe that things will get worse, and it's difficult to see the hope in amidst of the darkness that suffocates us. However, we tenacious humans still cling on to the lingering hope that life will get better if we just keeping holding on. Just never let go of that hope. If you do desperately want to, know that your family, friends, God, strangers, cats, anyone will help you. Never feel hopeless.



Okay, enough pep talk from me (I think this is pep talk, right?) I should be going to sleep no later than 1:00am. Hehehehehe.

As for what the school year has in stored, this is what I can say...(the dates are tentative, but you don't really need to know unless you're stalking me for some troll reason...)

One Tea Milk Tea MSJ Garden outing: May 14
Movies: May 15
Ashland, Oregon Field Trip for the Shakespeare Festival: May 18-20
Senior Prom: May 28
Fanime (hopefully I'll go): May 28-30
Graduation Ceremony: June 8
Drivers Test: June 9
Disneyland Field Trip: June 10-12

As for those who read this far, thank you and go to bed with a snugly blanket.
You should listen to this song from Anohana: The Flower that We Saw that Day
Secret Base-10 years After

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.