Today has been a relatively okay day. Nothing really upsetting has happened yet.
Brief review of what went down at science fair this morning:

I was the only participant not in formal wear. Call me an idiot--I'd agree--I somehow jumped to the conclusion that everyone was supposed to wear their science fair t-shirt today when presenting, so I came in grey jeans, my science fair t-shirt, and my leather combat-ish boots. Oh good lord. That was probably the worst part about science fair--feeling like I didn't belong at all (when I probably in fact didn't anyway) and sticking out like a sore thumb and looking completely unprepared for the occasion...

Aside from that uh, mistake--I feel like I presented myself quite well. I handled the situation very well. I presented smoothly in front of the judges--and it went great, considering I didn't have a speech prepared compared to the other participants. Damn, I was looking at the girl whose booth was across from mine and she was rehearsing this long speech like mad. She had it typed with all the graphs and was reading off of it and saying it aloud. It was intense. But I held my own under those circumstances. I didn't come off sounding like a robot unlike some of the folks around me. I sounded natural, conversational, and hell, I did have conversations with my judges. It wasn't as scary after I got through the first judge. Admittedly, that was my worst presentation out of the six that I did in total--I was a mess, I had to allow for some silence for me to finish my sentence--I had paused mid-sentence, unsure of what to say... but it was the first try, and the lady was nice, so I recovered and adapted and pretty soon I was talking smoothly. I amaze myself sometimes. I can be a glib talker when I need to be.

I am not expecting any awards--my fellow participants were damn incredible, I'll acknowledge flat out--but I am proud to say that I did my best out there, and that's all there is to it--all that matters to me, anyway. I held my own, and my project was not groundbreaking like the other ones there, but I gave it my all.

After that, I went home, took a walk with my aunt, and did some gardening work with her. It wasn't so bad--the weather was refreshing, and I am currently basking in the sun by the patio's sliding door.

It's been a good day today.

Are you effing kidding me?

For the SAT this year, I got this prompt:

“Reality television programs, which feature real people engaged in real activities rather than professional actors performing scripted scenes, are increasingly popular. These shows depict ordinary people competing in everything from singing and dancing to losing weight, or just living their everyday lives. Most people believe that the reality these shows portray is authentic, but they are being misled. How authentic can these shows be when producers design challenges for the participants and then editors alter filmed scenes?

“Do people benefit from forms of entertainment that show so-called reality, or are such forms of entertainment harmful?”

According to a Yahoo article, “not every test taker received the same essay prompt; some opened up their tests to find a question about whether photography represents real life of just a photographer’s point of view.”

Can life get any fairer, just saying? I would have nailed that essay--blow it out of the water, aced it--if I had gotten the photography prompt.

I don't watch reality TV (not a decision that I made of my own volition). And okay, hey, let's be honest--even if College Board claims that you don't necessarily have to talk about reality television--the first thing people are bound to feel the need to talk about is reality television since that's what the prompt addresses in the first place! 

What the actual fuck.

I have often pondered this:
I wonder, if people who have experienced devastating or even traumatic disasters—like the people in Japan who were affected by the tsunami and earthquake—if they will ever smile or laugh the way they did before the event that surely irrevocably altered the course of their lives. I wonder if they will ever smile or laugh for the same reasons. I am sure that their lives have changed, significantly. But what I am wondering is, will they always dwell on this event—for the rest of their lives? Will any part of them ever be the same again—has any part of their previous self been salvaged?

[fashion] "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"

dawn til dusk

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Today has truly been a jam-packed day.

1. I first woke up at 6 a.m. after a 12-hour slumber. 
2. Ate a pretty huge breakfast. 
3. Headed to CHS to take my first SAT for five hours. 
4. Got out around 12:50 p.m. 
5. Went to have lunch at Ichiban's :)
6. Got back home and made the official announcement about my interview/photo feature in Fluorescent Adolescent Magazine
7. Got to Flippin' Pizza at 6 p.m. for the Flippin' fundraiser. 
8. Went home at 7:45 p.m. (?)
9. Ate dinner.

Now I gotta go do homework. And Andromeda. And newspaper stuff. And study.