Exchange Students

My gaming ego has officially lowered by 80 xp. I cannot defeat two boys (16 and 18) from China that currently dwell in my house as exchange students in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. It really sucks when you're the one who has been supposedly playing longer. The thing is, though, they have been playing whenever my parents aren't around, which gives them an unfair advantage. I wish there were a way in which I could stick a password onto it so that they cannot play the Wii (sorry, it's my Wii, so I should have at least SOME say in who and when it is used). Second week of school is sailing by somewhat smoothly, but PYSO (Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra) seating auditions are looming above me (this Saturday?!). I feel the pain of midlife crisis already.

On the brighter side of things

No, I am not thinking suicidal thoughts. I simply wanted to express the previous article I wrote. It feels pleasant to be out of my system, at least for the moment. I'm still the bright, artificial being I am. Am I bright? I'm not sure. I think I am. I think I can. I think I can. I AM NOT THAT TRAIN THAT THOUGHT SHE COULD or whatever it was called. The first week of high school came and left finally, and it's now Friday night. I'm exhausted and amazed how a first week could've gone as slow as it did. It was like the third week of May, where you could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and you still had to wait ages more to arrive at the exit.

Watching Through the Glass

Have you ever felt as though you were in a glass box on wheels, with the wheels moving by themselves to different destinations? Have you ever felt the need to scream and shout and shake the nearest person to wake up from the foggy dream they've been living? Some days are those days. The days I just want to stay home and curl up into fetal position in a closet corner. I just want to scream and cry, not caring about how the rest of the world interacts. But no one can hear me. It's just a small voice in my head. A sad voice. A lonely voice. A voice crying to others. A voice waiting for a response. No one cares much anymore. There are billions of people out there. What's one less going to do? Nothing much. I know the voice in my head. It's just a sad voice. A lonely voice. A voice crying to others. A voice waiting for a response. It is a small voice. I'm tired of all of this madness. This rush. This chaos. I wish I could go back. Back to when time was not a matter. Back to when time had not been invented. Then, people wouldn't rush. Children would be sitting in meadows, staring at beautiful puffy white clouds and rich blue skies during the day, and snuggle under blankets watching the mysterious night scenery up above, with the Moon, Mars, and a hint of Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and some star clouds. Life isn't like that at all is it? It's a one-way road. A long line waiting for the rollercoaster ride to some far place. We can't go back. No matter how hard we try. No matter how hard the voice struggles. I wish I could simply say "April Fools!" or "Psych!" or something to suggest that I'm joking, but I wish and wish to be allowed to go the wrong direction in a one-way road, to escape the impatient line always pushing forwards. Is it just me? Is it just that small voice in my head, smothered with thousands upon millions of other voices reminding me of whatever else I should be doing? Is it all right for me to stop worrying about what is the latest out from Apple? Is it all right for me to stop caring about what type of clothing I should be wearing instead of comfy old pajamas or the favorite shirt with small holes and threads coming out of the hem and worn out, faded shorts? I'm just weary. Weary, but pushed to continue. Pushed to continue, but with a ever-fading voice in my head, crying.

Life comes around again

It's amazing how long it has been since my last post ranting about going back to school. It's that time of year again, and Mr. Opportunity isn't knocking on the door. This year is the first year that I've had summer homework (I feel the pain now!), and I had to read The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck and Anthem by Ayn Rand. The former isn't half bad, but I had some fustrating moments with the latter. Life is going smoothly (so far), and I've gone to China for the 4th time in my life (I'm Chinese, if that makes any difference). I forgot what I had originally intended to put on here, but I'll try to remember it later...someday.

G-20 is heading to Pittsburgh

So as the world knows, President Obama announced that the G-20 Summit in September will be held in Pittsburgh, PA. WTF?! I will admit right now, I was born and bred in Pittsburgh. I learned that the word "yinz" is the plural form of "you." I also learned that "Djeatyet? Nodju?" (There are different spellings for it, but the same pronunciation) is acceptable. I still live in Pittsburgh. Again, G-20 IN PITTSBURGH?! WTF?! What has this world come to? Indeed, it's a great honor and all that crap, but seriously, consider the following:
Positives of having G-20 here:
1. Business would improve.
2. The city would be cleaned up.
3. Someone might realize that Pittsburgh is a city and still exists somewhere in the mountains and hills north of West Virginia.
Negatives of having G-20 here:
1. A torrent of weird yuppies and the like will come pouring in.
2. It will be a pain in the arse to have someone (most likely a tourist or something *cough*) walk up to you every five seconds asking for directions from point A to point B due to the excessive amount of one way signs, late-in-appearing directional signs, traffic issues, pot hole fixing, and the like.
3. Did I mention the torrent of foreign people?
4. Foreign (I mean anyone who lives outside of the outer Pittsburgh region or doesn't support the Steelers/Penguins) businesses will begin springing up in hopes of getting business in this recession, punting out the diverse and yet concetrated culture that we have right now, especially in the Strip District.
5. A whole lotta police men/military = A pain. Down there. Really bad pain.
5 and a half. With all those police men and military, how can the rest of us drive down those bloody one-way streets without hitting another car or waiting a half an hour before we can get about 2 or 3 streets down the road?
6. If too many "wanna have money" people come in, where will the rest of us go?
7. I, for one, like Pittsburgh the way it is now, though I'm not too enthusiastic about that casino.
8. Filthy rich doesn't apply to the majority of us. We are a small but happy city. We speak Pittsburghese. We sit on our porches at dusk. Some of us drink beer while sitting on our porches. We don't go to fancy-schmancy restaraunts every other day/night. We sit next to complete strangers on blankets and lawn chairs while watching the Pens game on a big screen. We burn couches when the Steelers win the Super Bowl. We get banned from putting furniture besides patio furniture outside for use due to couch burning. We are indeed a small but happy city.
Eh, it may seemed biased and all, but I am still happy that Pittsburgh is receiving such a great honor. I'm just hoping that no get-rich-quick idiot enters the bubble. Yinz are welcome, just be sure not to leave any garbage after you. Oh, and if yinz want to get a more "formal" like reading, view this place: http://www.anarchistnews.org/?q=node/7765

RElate, REmember, REtry

Tomorrow is Sunday. The day after tomorrow must be Monday. Monday=Back to school. I've been on vacation for a week and a half, and on Monday, it's back to school for me. The good news is, I will snap out of boredom. The trade off? No more lounging around for a while, loads of homework, and everything else that is included in the package. I have discovered two things in the midst of my boredom:
1. As I'm drifting off, it is not unusual for me to suddenly feel like I am falling through something, as if I tripped and fell into an endless vortex of some sort or I would feel like a large balloon just exploded in my head. Can anyone explain why this occurs?
2. I discovered a psychology textbook. There is one interesting concept that I found. Suppose there are two strings hanging from the ceiling that are far enough apart that they aren't long enough to touch both at the same time (meaning when you are holding one strand, you couldn't stretch out far enough to reach the other one), and there is a toolbox full of tools beside the two strings. Your task is to somehow be able to have both in your hands at the same time, though the two don't necessarily have to touch each other. Ponder the solution for a minute.
Before you continue reading this, define the use of the tool plier on a piece of paper. A plier, supposedly, is used to bend a piece of wire or something of the sort, correct? Now, if it were to be located in or next to a toolbox full of tools, that definition would be emphasized. People's natural assumption of a plier is that it is simply a hand tool. However, in this case, it can be used as a pendulum. By tying one of the string to the plier, you have created a moderately large scale pendulum. And by swinging it, you have thus created motion, and with enough speed, you could gain enough time to grab the other string and snatch the string with the plier as it is swinging. Quite fascinating, isn't it?

Christmas and the Season

So, Christmas is right around the corner. Nothing much is occurring...Just the standard "Merry Christmas!" greeting and such. Each family's celebration is different. I wonder how different countries celebrate it...Mexico's is awesome...