A Little Bit of Everything

Questions and Requests

2010-03-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

Does anyone even CHECK this blog?! =[

Whoever does, thank you so much... but my blog isn't updated every day for nothing. Could you tell all your friends about my blog? I'd appreciate it so much... otherwise I might have to GET RID OF this blog!!! :'( I so do not wanna do that

Santa Barbara III

2010-03-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Here's where the fun starts. We got some bread from the buffet at the hotel and started feeding it to the birds!!! You won't believe how fierce they can get!!! We also saw some MORE pelicans!!

Another view of the ocean...

Waves

Hey look! It's a seagull!

We threw some bread down and he was ON IT like a half second later!!

Another seagull came by and I thought he must be saying "Hey wazzup??" and the other one would be like "BACK OFFFF IT'S MIIIIINE"

See? Now they're fighting for the bread.
Those little black birds came to spectate HAHAH
Eventually this became boring so we went farther up the dock and saw a little seagull with black legs!! Never seen one of those before...
We saw ANOTHER seagull with awesome markings on the end of its tail!!
AHH ANOTHER PELICAN!!!!!!!

OMG!! THEN IT STARTED FLYING AROUND THE DOCK!!!! :D :D :D!
Cool it's a bird gathering!
Sheesh calm down! (hehe look at that little pigeon just watching them)
Pretty..
I was SO CLOSE to a pelican!! I could see its wrinkly eyes blinking.
:D they started flying again!!

Notice that scary-looking claw thing on the end of its beak...
This is to let you see how big the pelican is, and how fearless they are!! My dad was within kicking distance and it doesn't even flinch.
More pelicans!!

When we got off the dock, we saw this really creepy shark head staring down at us from one of the shops!!

A metal octopus
We ALSO saw these two people doing something unknown to us... I guess they were like trying to get the raft to another spot or something... I have no idea where the raft came from or why they're doing that, if you ask.
A pineapple fountain!!!!!
A pretty dolphin fountain in front of the "Harla Mar Hotel" (yeah I know it sounds ridiculous, but that was the name!)
We left Santa Barbara the next morning =[... so that concludes my Santa Barbara pictures! How did you like them?

China Pics 11

2010-03-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

Omg! It's been SO! LONG! since I posted some pictures from China!!!!!!! I just got tired of doing it and stopped for a while.... hahah

So, thankfully, this post is relatively short. * continues from last day's adventures in China *

We went to this restaurant on the edge of a river called Fu Cuin Jiang (or Fu Cuin River). The river looked amazing!! There was fog floating above the river water!! It was.... well, you'll see. And the food was really good too.

You can't see the fog very well in this picture... the sun was still kinda sorta partially out because it's.....well, daytime.

This picture is a little better... it got colder outside.

The fog/mist at its thickest!

They're cucumbers!!! Cut in those little spiky shapes!! Awesome!!

The largest shrimp I've EVER seen!! Even today! I have no idea how the arms get so long. Maybe they chop them off at the supermarket. Then again, maybe not.

Slices of fish and cucumber... do you see the cut-off fish head and tail at the ends????

For dessert: these fried bun things and a green cherry! (FYI, the cherry tasted so gross I almost barfed.)

News of the Day: Adventure Day

2010-03-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

YAY today we went home early because it was adventure day! The 6th graders come up and tour the JH campus (a few people stay for the rest of the school day to show everyone around), and the 8th graders go up to the high school campus and get shown around there. The seventh graders are stuck in the middle, so we're the only ones who get to go home early!! :D

So yeah, that's it... unless you want to hear about something else? Like what? I don't know.

Sorry!!! Again!!!

2010-03-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy these weeks!! Weekends are filled with parties and sickness. Ugh. And in the weekdays, I've had a LOT (and I mean a lot.) of homework! My pre-alg teacher wanted to get through the entire chapter 7 (thank goodness we had the test today) so we had 2 assignments a day sometimes. Oh, and I've been addicted to Facebook these days =/. And by the way, I found out that I had 88 posts before this one. 88 is a lucky number in China!! I just wanted to hold out the luck as long as possible.... jk.

So! The lineup for extra posts! (I HAVE to organize my photos... it might be a while [most likely the weekend at the latest] until some of these come out :P)

News of the Day: Adventure Day

China Pics 11 (man, it's been FOREVER since I had one of these, huh????)

Santa Barbara III

Questions/Requests

Anything else? Nope, I didn't think so...

Well, ciao!

Santa Barbara II

2010-02-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

OK here are the pictures from the walk that my mom and I took after resting.

Some more stuff from the hotel: OMGGG THE MOST AWESOME.... THING... I'VE EVER SEEN!!! What is it anyways??? In any case, it's an object in the shape of a flip flop. CRAZY!

The pretty blue mirror...
HOSB I think stands for "Hotel of Santa Barbara" but I'm not sure. I like how the bathroom area is designed in blue squares =]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S AN ACTUAL PELICAN!!! THE VERY FIRST I'VE EVER SEEN!!!!!!! AND IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!!!!! I guess it was sheltering from the wind (oh, and how did I notice it? I saw some white blobs leading up to it. Yeah.)

These are my favorite types of palm trees... those small ones, or those with "beards" made of dead leaves are not pretty... but these are like circular :] There are not many of these in Loma Linda...

The pelican's beak :]
To give you a better picture of how big this bird is, here's a view from above (trust me, it was really hard to get this picture-- this big sopping wet plant was directly in the way).
A pretty flower pot...
We walked up a set of stairs (it lead to more rooms in the hotel) and saw this beautiful mosaic!!
We also saw this porch and great view :P
The hallway that shows all the rooms (we actually found someone's soaked tennis shoes leaning against the wall... haha)
Omg!! On the railing was this type of TREE!!! OMGGG it twists around anything it can hold onto and it looks so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Close up of the tree :)

Looks like some sort of... hair pea plant or something..Close up of that.
When we got down the stairs again (there really wasn't much to see up there), I checked on the bird's hiding spot and it was GONEEEE but then I turned around (led again by a trail of poop (I know...)) and the bird was sitting in a (possibly) more sheltered place (there was a hedgerow right out of the picture, so don't say that place is exposed).
Other angles...
I watched the bird blink and look suspiciously at me hahaa.

Another picture to show how big the bird is.

A pretty pot covered in seashells!!

Sigh... all that oil will go washing into the ocean... :'(
MORE OIL! I HATE IT!
The name of our hotel. Hotel OCEANA! Grand, isn't it? :P
The hotel complex.
So we went back inside and got my dad out to start our walk around the city, and I got my first close-up glimpse of the beach at Santa Monica (and also of a sleeping hobo lol)
MORE TO COME! It's a lot of pictures! More than 100! Cut me some slack... I've been on the computer for around 2 hours organizing and stuff... I'll post more when I have the time!

Santa Barbara

2010-02-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went to Santa Barbara! It was really fun, and when we were done sightseeing around Santa Barbara, we went to visit one of my best friends' homes and we played some games and all that. (Sorry, I don't have any pictures from that)

BUT I do have pictures from Santa Barbara!

First, though, I have some random pictures that I took on the same memory card before S.B... so here come the pictures!

My birthday cake :]

Some pretty mountains and clouds

MORE pretty mountains and clouds

.....a tree.

Some storm clouds over the mountains.

I got this in the mail!!! (Well, actually, it was the previous owners of the house that got it, but it came to OUR mailbox so technically it's OUR mail!!!!) I've ALWAYS wanted to see one of these little seals!!!!
This was the night of the fullest and brightest moon (according to NASA) on January 29. See that pale glow on the ground in my backyard??? YEEEAH THAT'S THE MOON'S LIGHT!!!
Like a flashlight. It almost hurt to look at the moon directly. I couldn't believe that the moon could possibly get so bright!!

SANTA BARBARA PICTURES STARTING...... NOW

This was at the hotel that we stayed in. Isn't it a pretty bottle of seashells??
This was outside the front door of the hotel. It's so pretty!!!!!

Some creative tiled stairs :]
The door to our room is on the left.
Isn't it BEAUTIFUL? It kinda stank when we walked in though.... hahahah
A painting
Man I want something like this in my room!!! They painted the green and stuck some white stickers to make those little swirly designs (and by the way, the design that's painted on the wall is the same design that they printed on their key cards (that little card that you slide to get into the room))
So after we settled into the hotel room, we just like crashed on the couches until it was time to eat. We ate at this delicious restaurant with a view (sorry, it was dark and I couldn't take any good pictures) and then went back home and THEN gave into slumber.

The next day when we woke up though... that's another story to be told at another time. Sorry! I'm kind of tired now and I'm intalling Adobe Photoshop CS2 and it's taking a while and problems are coming up and I REALLY want Photoshop and I have to fix these problems!!! Bye!

Take my quiz!!

2010-02-07T19:49:00.001-08:00

Michelle's Quiz...Reloaded!!
1) What is my favorite color?
		Turquoise
		Lime Green
		Dark cerulean
		Violet

Make A Quiz - Take This Quiz - View Scoreboard

Google Chrome Annoys Me and I'm Obsessed With Some Things

2010-01-31T10:07:00.001-08:00

Whenever I type something relatively long, this annoy-to-death alert comes up and it doesn't say anything except 99 or 101!! D: I don't know why!!!!! It's killing me!! It pops up every 4 letters or so and I'm updating on Safari right now because I'm ditching Google Chrome for the moment.

Yeah, I know, you don't wanna hear me complain, you came because you want some cool pictures or something. I get it (COUGHJULIECOUGH). But if you have ANY idea what's going on, PLEASEE share it with me. I don't want to start Google Chrome all over again... I just installed a bunch of extensions and I love them! But then this thing popped up!! D:

So here's some more "positive" stuff.

Things I've been obsessed with! I've been loving Pandora right now. Pandora.com is like an online radio. Check it out! It plays the music that you like!

Also, I've taken an interest in Greek history too.... long story, but the SHORT version is that I read a book series that centers around Greek gods. Try and guess what books they are. (hahah) Hint: the protagonist is Percy (no, I'm not telling you what protagonist means, or what Percy's last name is hahahaha I know it's not much of a hint but it's SOMETHING)

Now, I've been REALLY obsessed with some particular songs that I've been singing for like 2 weeks straight now. They're Tik Tok by Ke$ha and Replay by Iyaz hahaha

So yeah. That's my update. Please comment!

Notice anything??

2010-01-16T18:00:00.001-08:00

THAT'S RIGHT, I CHANGED MY BLOG AGAIN!!!

This time it's in celebration of my birthday :) and I've decided that I'll change it every year on my birthday and never any other time!!

AND YOU ARE RIGHT AGAIN!

I didn't consult *ANYONE* about this new background cuz it's MYYYYYY birthday and I get to pick :)

So yeah I hope you like it because you're kinda stuck with it! :D

(By the way, my birthday isn't the 16th, it's the 20th and no I'm not having a party, sorry)

SICKNESS SUCKS D:

2010-01-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

...and no I did not intend for that to sound weird up there.

I. AM. SICK! :(

First I had a fever on Thursday and I was * PANICKING *! I could NOT miss that history test so I sucked up my guts and drank (if it can be considered a liquid * gags *) that nasty white Tylenol stuff/medicine D: D: D: D: D:

So I got better for Friday's big test.

BUT NOW I HAVE A FREAKING COLD

I'm better than this morning though, but I'm still feeling crappy... and missin' Gerald's partay! Wish I could say hi to everyone :[ (crap I just realized I could've asked Sarah or Gerald to say hi to everyone for me hahahah oh well :P)

What happens now? WELL I put up some curtains in my room!!!!!!!! They look so awesome!!!! It kinda cheers me up just looking at them :]

Pictures!

My excellent curtains :)

The red compliments the red quite nicely, don't you think? :)

News of the Week, of the Past Month, etc...

2010-01-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

Well, quite obviously, it's the new year! Happy new year again! Okay, I'll tell about my days going backwards...

Today, the majority of school was pretty boring. 8th Period was fun though... I'm around 4 chapters ahead of Ms. Miller (SHH..) hhahahaha. (We're reading a great book (well in my opinion) in history class and I can't wait for her to read in her slow boring monotone... so I read ahead hahaha)

Okay, winter break this time...

Over winter break, my sister came over from college, my cousin came over from HER college, and we drove to Las Vegas! We were there with one of my mom's friends and I'm friends with his kids (Alison, 14, and Stephen (pronounced "Steve-en"), same age as me). We got back on Christmas Eve. We rested, then my mom cooked dinner for us (she stayed home when we were in Vegas). After dinner, my mom's OTHER close friend came with her son (in medical school!! No he's not one of my friends but we're on friendly terms). They stayed for the night and we opened presents together the next morning. What did I get for Christmas? A pair of pretty earrings, a ruby butterfly necklace (no I don't think it's real ruby, but it's a beautiful red color), a PS3 (well that was about 2 weeks before Christmas because my parents wanted a new TV and Blu-Ray player and the good TV just happened to come with a PS3 and the PS3 has a Blu-Ray player so yeah...), Beatles Rock Band (YEAH!!!), Rock Band 2 (yeah I know..), some gel pens (dude they seriously HURT when you try to write on the back of your hand ok????), and that's pretty much it. After Christmas, we started SERIOUSLY remodeling the house. We painted my room (ahhhh!!! the picture's next), we painted the downstairs living room area (where my piano is) a brownish color (it was supposed to be a dark gray, but my mom picked the wrong color from the store... ugh...). IT LOOKS LIKE POOP. I'M SERIOUS. TOTALLY NOT KIDDING. IT LOOKS. LIKE. POOP. It's too close to the color of the floor too... but I mean this is my opinion. My mom and sister like it so... whatever. Um... what else... I guess there's nothing else besides going back to school.

So that's it! Whew! Here come the pictures...

That's my sister on the left with the red dress and my cousin's on the right with the white shirt. (And in the background is part of our Christmas tree! Haha)

This is my room when the paint was just beginning to dry and we didn't clean up yet.

My room when we moved all the furniture back!!!! Do you like it? :] And by the way, my sister PAINTED that picture of her and me in the corner (yeah I know she painted her mouth way too big)

I took this picture in the mirror (that's why there's that line-- it's the edge of the sliding mirror door), but this way you can see my side table and my fedora :) (it's the hat)

My AWESOME zebra picture!!! My bookshelf, my books, my plant, my vases, my fake flower, my panda, and my awesome east wall (yeah that's what I call it hahah)

So that's my room and my relatives! I hope you enjoyed this post! Please comment!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

2009-12-31T20:37:00.000-08:00

IT'S THE NEW YEAR!!!!!!! IN ABOUT 3 HOURS AND 15 MINUTES IT'LL BE *2010!!!!!!!!!*

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'LL BE THE LAST YEAR OF THE DECADE!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! WHAT ARE YOUR RESOLUTIONS?

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!!!

2009-12-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!! Happy Holidays!!! Happy New Year (even though it didn't come yet)!!!

Catch Up

2009-12-28T18:55:00.001-08:00

Hi guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been so busy! Las Vegas, about 10 million parties, getting sick, WHEW!

Anyways, I hope you all had a great Christmas! Can't wait until New Year's!

I have a few posts coming up because I went to a LOT of places and did a LOT of things (and by the way, I won't be posting China Pics for a while... it was about half a year ago! I couldn't remember the names of some places we went, so I have to ask my dad about some places and he's always busy!!!). Not all of the posts I'll be posting have pictures.

Las Vegas
Christmas Party
New Room Color

There might be some more, but anyways sorry for not posting for a long time, but I'll be posting more soon!

News of the Day: CalSkate and the Last Day Before Christmas Break!!!!

2009-12-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

AHHH today in school we went to CalSkate!! It was so fun... we didn't have to bring backpacks and we didn't have to wear uniforms!!! :D :D :D

It was really fun... we played some skate games (haha I didn't play any of them though, because I wanted to watch them).

Yes, I fell ONCE, but it was because I was tripped by someone (haahaha).

That was basically the whole day, and then it's done and we're FREE!! Hello winter break! :)

The Clouds

2009-11-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

I told you I would show you the video in a separate post, didn't I? Well here's the clouds rushing upon us. (Note: If you have NO IDEA what I'm talking about, you should check the post before this... that goes for all posts on my blog whenever I update it, because I often refer to posts that I put up earlier.)

China Pics 10!

2009-11-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

FINALLY some more pictures from China! This was my FAVORITE place that I went to in China! It's called Shan Qing Shan (Three Distinct Mountains) and it had some SPECTACULAR views!!! I loved it because we were so high up that the clouds actually washed over us! At one point we were walking IN the clouds!!! We could see the clouds sweeping over us!!! It was AWESOME! (I'll post the video in another post because it's too big to fit with all the other pictures).We were also hiking with some doctors from Run Run Shaw Hospital (LLUH supports this hospital in China) that are also my mom's friends... and that can speak english!!!!! Yay!!!!!! So yeah... it's about time you should see these beautiful mountains for yourself.

We had to take an ENORMOUS cable car ride to the middle area of the mountain... to hike up the entire mountain would take more than a day! This part of the cable car is climbing up...

Now we're looking back at what we just climbed!

At this point we could see the jagged peaks of the mountain.

We saw a couple of people like this. They hike up the ENTIRE mountain EVERY DAY, and CARRYING heavy loads! They can't take the cable car because of their cargo. I guess they take it to the top as resources... and they get paid for the climb. Then they hike down the entire mountain again... eat... sleep... then go up the next day. :[

We could see more rock peaks now that the sun came out. They were beautiful.

This was the point we got off the cable car. The ride took about half an hour! But it was worth it-- look at the folds of mountains!

I looked around and saw some amazing rocks!

This was an interesting building... it's masked by rocks!

I looked higher up and saw these HUGE rocks!

I just thought these rocks were amazing.

At one point while we were hiking, I looked over the railing and saw this REALLY steep fall!!!

China must specialize in enormous flies.

What does this stone look like? Yes a cobra!! It was SO cool!

That is so cute! This HUUUUGE rock.. with a single little tiny tree standing on top of it!

After about an hour of hiking, we got to some slippery stairs we had to climb. There was no railing, just the rocks closing in on the sides of us. The stairs actually narrowed to this point!!! (And this is about 2 feet from my face, it was that steep!)

What does THIS rock look like? I know! A woman looking to the left! It's amazing!

Look... we circled that entire area to the other side, where we could see the little tree and the cobra rock both (and bonus: encircled by clouds!)

The area was so cloudy (COOL!)... but I could still see this tree that ALMOST tumbled down the side of the mountain, but it stopped (for some reason) and it just got stuck there!

Believe it or not, this is a natural rock! It looks like a mushroom...

Along the route (near the end of our hike) was a set of steep stairs...

...but these are even steeper!!!! They were slippery too!! And almost 100 steps!! I was scared out of my skin... and I almost had a heart attack when I slipped and (OMG) fell, but I caught onto the railing JUST IN TIME!!! That's why going down these stairs is harder than going up.

After we finished climbing the mountain (WHEW) we ate a meal in a hotel... and I thought this dish was pretty interesting. It's fish... in a fish bowl!

Ugh... this chicken is a little too fresh...

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

2009-11-17T21:04:00.001-08:00

I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL CHRISTMAS COMES!!!!!!! I've already made a Christmas playlist with all the carols and modern versions and stuff... it lasts 3 hours :)

Even my parents are feeling the Christmas spirit early... my mom says that listening to Christmas songs now are making her feel like Christmas is close too :)

News of the Day: Science

2009-11-17T20:49:00.001-08:00

I'm starting a new series called "News of the Day" and... well the title is pretty self-explanatory. I just tell you guys interesting stuff that happens from day to day. I won't post this every day, or maybe even not every week, but it's just a little thing for you guys to know what's happening here.

SO ANYWAYZ

Today in science we dissected owl pellets!! Fun!! If you don't know, when an owl eats, it swallows the small animal whole. When it reaches the stomach, the owl digests the meat and the remains of the animal (fur & bones) comes out... like the owl throws it up. These are the little pellets we have to work with. DON'T WORRY, Dr. Penington says! They've been sterilized and cleaned!

Ok once we got our owl pellets, you have to first break it into two halves and you and your partner take one half and extract the bones from it. Everyone was too scared to touch it with their bare hands... until someone like poked theirs and he was like "IT'S SAFE" hahah but still, most people tried to take the bones out with their wooden probes (they look like solid wood pencils). I finally worked up the guts to just rip it apart and take out the bones. A girl sitting diagonally across from me watched me and she said, "You are the bravest girl I know to be touching it like that!!" so I was like "Uh.. thanks.." because I thought it was no big deal after you get over it. My partner was still too wimp to work with their hands, so they just (OHMYGOD) STABBED THE PELLET AND WE. HEARD. CRUNCHES. HE. CRUSHED. THE. SKULL. THE MOST VITAL BONE THAT WE NEED!! HE JUST STABBED IT AND IT BROKE!!! UUUGH!! I am so mad at him. Then class ended, and I looked over at my friend's desk. He had like black fur all over the place! I was wondering how that much fur could fit into one little square inch pellet!!! It was really gross, but it was also really fun. I hope you guys have the experience of dissecting an owl pellet!

(You know, I think this is my longest post ever... I mean the one with the most words! Wow! It didn't take me very long to type it!!)

FIRST OF ALL

2009-11-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T POSTED IN A LONG TIME!!!! Both weekends, I had stuff to do and places to go so I had no time to post... and during the week I've had endless amounts of homework!!! So yeah after this post I'll start posting material like mad.

Sorry again! Thanks for the people who actually check this blog!

Updates

2009-10-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hey guys I just updated My Favorite Songs EVAH! Pleeeease comment on it (not this post)? I'm curious to know what your favorite songs are!

China Pics 9

2009-10-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

YAY we're about halfway through!!! (crowd groans)

So anyways, this post has pictures from one of my favorite places that I visited in China-- it's still in Tong Lu (the city where Grandma's Bridge is (see China Pics 8)), but it's totally different than those pictures you saw last time. We went to a building with these intricate paper cuttings (you'll see) and this BEAUTIFUL cave with amazing rock formations that are all NATURAL!

I couldn't believe how exact the cuttings were!! The sign said that these were cut by a 96 year old woman!!!!!!!!

Let's get this straight..... the BLUE is the PAPER. The WHITE is the BACKGROUND! Can you believe it?!!

This is the entrance to the rock cave... the day we visited it, it was SOOOO HOT OUTSIDE! There was cool air wafting from the entrance... it felt so good (until we got to the middle of the cave, when I started shivering haha)

The tunnel leading into the cave. The entire cave is lit up with colorful lights like these (they made the rock shapes look pretty cool!!...)

...as seen here :)

This is called the Waterfall Rock.

This AWESOME rock pillar is called Tower of Heaven.

Do you see the really small frog?!?! I went WOW!!! when I saw it!!!

These are called the tree rocks, because they resemble the thin trunks of trees! It's so cool!!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? A STORE. IN THE MIDDLE OF A CAVE. They sold beverages and they had [damp] stone benches, so I guess it's a resting place. I feel so sorry for those people working there. They have to stay there all day :[.

This is just an impressive rock figure-- it has no official name, but I took a picture of it anyways :]

This whole rock scene is called "Heaven" because it looks so magnificent!

See, look-- proof :P! Well actually it was named Heaven because it had 33 large-ish rocks in the same area-- in China, heaven is said to have 33 layers.

* heavenly music! *

You see here a pool of water-- it was the most AMAZING thing I've ever seen in my ENTIRE LIFE!!! I'm not joking!!! My camera can't capture it (with or without flash), but our guide told us to look at it. What we saw was the image of a cavern that stretches down, down, down, about 200 yards down!!!! Then he turned on his flashlight and we saw that it was just water!!!! It was the most amazing thing ever!!! The water was just reflecting the ceiling!!!!!!!!

As you can see, this rock is called "Fairy Stalagmite" (don't ask me! I don't know how in the world they came up with that name!)

This is part of a rock structure called "Dragon's mouth" because that white bit looks like a long tooth.

Here's the bottom half of Dragon's mouth (the bottom tooth).

THINGS I CAN'T STAND

2009-10-17T23:18:00.001-07:00

Chinese rap - NEVAH LISTEN TO IT-- it'll probably be the last thing you do before you faint of horror

Chinese DANCING - UUUUUUUUUGH AMERICAN MOVES + CHINESE INTERPRETATION OF THEM = HIDEOUS!!!

Farts - even just a little one released can stink up a small room in SECONDS (TRUST ME-- I'VE WITNESSED IT IN ACTION)

100+ temps - Oh em gee I cannot stand the heat! I'm a cold weather person... even though I'm like super tan... being cold is better than melting in the sun!

I might add to the list later on...

Flower Origami

2009-10-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

There are just too many flowers in the world, and many more that can be made with origami, so I included *10* in this post!

A water lily!

Golden flower

I can make this flower! Except better :P

A lily

Another water lily (I can make THIS ONE too!)

Roses

A poppy

Beautiful flower

Yet another water lily-- this one has a dragonfly on it :)

China Pics 8

2009-10-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Over an entire day, we rode a bus through a city called Tong Lu. Most of the trip was just riding on the bus, so there weren't many pictures :/

The first place we stopped at was called "Grandma's Bridge" (yeah, I know... it's a pretty weird name, but it is what it is.)

After some MORE driving, we stopped at a [horrible] restaurant for lunch and we passed this truck (don't ask me how I saw it! I get very observant when I'm bored) and there was a scratch on the Ford sign, making it look exactly like Fjord!!

I also spotted a real bird's nest!! :)

The cruelest thing they could ever do to Jerry.

In a place near Grandma's Bridge, I saw this BEAUTIFUL golden flower!

After that, we went for a "rubber raft ride" on the FuChun river... it was foggy, but we could still see pretty far (it was pretty!)

As you can see, the water was dirty and the rubber raft was... weird, so there. (haha)

At our destination was another fake mountain.

Sigh this post was PRETTY BORING, so I'm posting another 2 posts! They're not related to China, though....

Favorite Songs EVAH

2009-10-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

I just came up with a list of my all-time favorite songs... usually when people ask me what my favorite song is, I JUST CAN'T DECIDE!

So now I just decided that my top 4 songs (most likely, they're permanent) are these:

#1 Favorite: You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift

#2: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

#3: The Climb by Miley Cyrus

#4: 1,2,3,4 by Plain White T's

What are your favorite songs?

Woo Hoo

2009-10-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

I'm posting stuff again!

Sorry I didn't post anything last week... I was on a camping/canoeing trip :)

So this week, I'll show you a couple of posts:

-Favorite Songs EVAH
-China Pics 8
-Church Canoe Trip :)
-Flower Origami

I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY! I'M WORKING OVERTIME TO SUPPLY LAST WEEK'S FILL! (lol just kidding)

By the way, I MIGHT not post a certain post... I'm still organizing the photos from the church canoe trip.

Please comment!

Shoutout to Juliane!

2009-10-03T17:21:00.001-07:00

Just like last time, I posted a shoutout to Sarah because she saw my changed blog first! So NOW, Juliane saw my new background and liked it first! Thanks, Julie!

Hm.. seems like I don't have a present like last time... you already know about those various names...

Well? What are you waiting for? Compliment Juliane in the comments!! Hahhahahaah

JUST KIDDING :P :)

Just wanted to thank Juliane :]

China Pics 7

2009-10-03T14:14:00.001-07:00

Finally! We returned to HangZhou today (my dad's hometown), where practically everyone from my dad's side lives. We hung out here for a few days and visited my cousin!

WOW! THERE WAS A *HUUUUGE* STORM WHEN WE ARRIVED AT HANGZHOU! It was raining BUCKETS of water, there was lightning, wind, thunder, the whole shebang.

We got to my aunt's house and slept the night out before getting up the next day to fold dumplings.

That's my cousin. Isn't she puurdy?

Later, we visited my mom's best friend's awesome apartment. Believe it or not, she was actually one of the people who ran a couple of miles holding the Olympic torch!!!!!! Here's the actual torch!!!

Beijing 2008. Unbelievable.

The top was all spirals.

NOW *THAT* IS THE COOLEST CLOCK I'VE **EVER** SEEN!!!!!!!

This is a photo of her holding the Olympic torch (yeah, I know, I took a picture of a picture).

Later, we checked into a hotel... it says "NO SMOKING"... and the sign is right on top of an ASHTRAY. How stupid!

That's my other cousin. He's actually from my mom's side, but he flew to HangZhou by himself (you know, he's over 20 years old) to see me! :)

When my aunt and I were taking a walk, I saw this *ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE* kitty writhing around under a bicycle (a very rusty one, I should say).

I had no idea what it was doing there!!! It was SOOOOO cute!!!!!! :)

It had the bluest eyes I've ever seen :]

That's me, my cousin, and her husband at her apartment.

Let's Take A Break

2009-09-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a long time since I posted some pictures from China... but come on! I've posted 6 sets of pictures-- six different cities.

So this time, there are only a few pictures, and they're all random. We decided to relax for a few days (AND BOY DID WE NEED A REST! :)

The Xi An airport

This was on the counter... what the heck is it supposed to do?! Cheer us up????

Why. Do. My. Dad's. Glasses. Say. Mercedes. Benz. On. Them?

Candied fruits! I guess the fruit inside is native to China or something... there's no English name for them.

This beautiful structure was hanging in a huge mall.

Party/Get-Together Today

2009-09-06T16:16:00.001-07:00

We've been working since this morning trying to get ready for this enormous party that we're throwing!! I helped (a bit...) by preparing a HUGE watermelon (I'll explain the process through the pictures :)

That big watermelon in front is hollowed out... I carved out those little spheres of watermelon :) That black pot is holding black grapes... we're going to put them both in the hollowed-out watermelon (along with something else...)

A home-grown melon. Those assorted circles look so funny :]

There they are...

Another half?! :[

The finished product! * bows* Thank you :]

Fire! (cont.)

2009-09-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said that I would post pictures later?

Here they are! It was REAAALLY windy!!

I almost thought the trees would blow over...

...along with some corn.

TIMBEEEER!!! :(

The palm trees were creating a HUGE commotion, rustling and scraping against each other.

My pool was FILTHY.

Time for Change :)

2009-09-04T14:26:00.001-07:00

I found this AWESOME blog template website (with *20* pages chock-full of amazing blog backgrounds :) and I searched through the entire website, and chose some of my favorite backgrounds to change the blog to :D

They all look AWESOME... so which ones do you like? Tell me by commenting!! PLEASE! Oh, by the way, you see that some blogs have no text or the words are hard to see. If you guys come up with one of your most-voted, I'll change the text according to the template.

Royal

Quixotical...?

Dots :)

Cerulean

Madison Avenue (Some of these names are from the website... some others I didn't remember, so I made some up (THIS ONE IS FROM THE WEBSITE))

Harmony

Ivy

Stripes

Floral

Preppy

REMEMBER!! Vote/comment for the one you want!!!! Please!!! I can't decide by myself!!! (Vote in the poll on the sidebar, at the top... comment by clicking this little "Comment on this post" link below these words)

Fire!

2009-09-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

As you all have probably heard, there's a fire in Yucaipa. That's very near to where I live.

You MIGHT have heard that the first two firefighters lost their lives two days ago. My choir teacher's nephew is a fire captain (he's head honcho of a city fire department). The firefighters belonged to his team.

A few minutes ago, the weather was causing chaos. The atmosphere outside is tense. The air is hot and stuffy. Humidity generally is good for firefighters, but the WIND is not. There was so much wind that all of the garden's corn crops blew over! I'll post some pictures later...

But as I'm writing this, the sun came out (a little bit) and the wind eased up (a VERY little bit)...

I'll keep you guys updated on the situation here.

Woo hoo!

2009-09-01T15:47:00.001-07:00

The results of my summer poll:

How was your summer?

TOTALLY AWESOME!! :D -- 8 people (47%)
Great! :) -- 7 people (41%)
Eh... okay :| -- 4 people (23%)
Bad :( -- 1 person (5%)
Horrible x-( -- 1 person (5%)
Too hot!! B-) -- 7 people (41%)

So.... most people enjoyed their summer :)

Amazing Origami

2009-08-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

I was reminded of our origami posts :) I totally forgot about them!! Anyways, here are some AMAZING pieces of paper. These figures are totally original. There are no "instructions" for how to make them.

Pegasus!

Man now that is awesome!!!!!!

The skirt looks amazing!

A really cool rhino.

AHH!! A LOCUST!! hahah

I just can't get my mind to wrap around the fact that something this detailed can be actually formed from pieces of paper!!!

I wonder if each scale needs one piece of paper.... o.O

A mammoth! That type of paper makes it look fuzzy :)

A realistic saber-toothed tiger!!

China Pics 6

2009-08-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

I know, this is like 5 hours after the last one, but I'm waiting for dinner to be ready!! And I just finished watching Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie! And I'm listening to Demi Lovato!! What better time? Hahhaha

OK, we're still in Confucius' hometown right now, and we're visiting his temple. (No, it's not ancient, not really fancy, he didn't even see it! It was built in honor of him.) This set of photos doesn't have many pictures... Confucius' temple was really boring.......

The entrance gate.

This inscription is a biography of Confucius.

Practically the ONLY interesting thing there was this trash can. Shaped like a temple.

China Pics 5

2009-08-29T13:44:00.001-07:00

MY EPIC JOURNEY IN CHINA HAS FOUND ME AT CONFUCIUS' HOMETOWN... You've never heard of Confucius??? o_o

Confucius was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life. He's really famous in China... about as famous as Christopher Columbus here.

Anyways, I went to the city where he was born, and believe me, IT WAS *SO* HOT THE DAY WE GOT THERE!! I was sweating GALLONS.... ugh!

To make it worse, we had to walk to our hotel with all our luggage and stuff. I saw an interesting clothing store.

It was also windy that day, and we WITNESSED this guide sign fall over!! Hahaahahhaha

When we got to the hotel, I noticed this AWESOME card holder!!

The bathroom. Has. A. Phone. A PHONE RIGHT NEXT TO THE TOILET!! What's the point of that??

We ate lunch (compliments to the hotel... the meal was free :) and this hotel is so fancy that they fold napkins like this for LUNCH.

While we were eating, I looked out the window and almost BARFED... BECAUSE I SAW THIS *HUMONGOUS* FLY!!

This hotel was by far very stylish :) I LOVE the carpet!

The napkin form was even COOLER at dinner!! (We decided that we would relax the first day, then go sightseeing after a good night's sleep.)

The chopsticks were awesome.

EVEN THE HAT STAND WAS COOL!!

This hotel's dinner service goes like this: there's one waiter for our room. She never leaves (you know, unless we tell her to :P). Other waiters deliver the food through this little window :)

The glass revolver was awesome too!!

Ugh I have no idea what these little beans are... they don't taste too good...

This dish isn't special... I just felt like taking a picture of each dish that we ordered (because they're so fancy! hahaha)

Bitter vegetables.

Delicious tofu.

The brown little cubes are meat. They're supposed to be eaten wrapped in those "bread scallops"...

The entire dinner table.

That window is cool too!!

Rest in Peace...

2009-08-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of Michael Jackson. He would be 51 today.

RIP

Weekly Update

2009-08-29T13:27:00.001-07:00

YES! Finally the weekend! You know, I think I might have to update my blog every week now... I have school... so at least I'll have a routine!! Hahahaha

You might want to check my blog every Sunday because I'll update it every Saturday (most likely). Every once in a while, I'll forget one week or update it on Wednesday or something :]. Anyways, I'll update my blog more often now and you'll finally have something new to see!!

My Current Wallpaper

2009-08-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

I change my desktop wallpaper... pretty much every week and a half :)

My computer is pretty big, so it's hard finding a wallpaper that fits... so I saved some of my favorites... and here they are :D!

My current one :] (click the picture if you can't see the words)

I just loooove this picture!!

Every single (and I mean EVERY) time I open my computer to this wallpaper, I smile :)

I love Twilight!!

School Started!!

2009-08-21T15:34:00.001-07:00

Ahhhh!!! Middle school!!! -whimpers and hides in corner-

Hahahha just kidding

I was really excited for middle school!!

Did you know that I go to this private school called Loma Linda Academy? It is huge... one half of the plot is elementary school... the other side is middle and high school.

Some of the extra things I had to get for school (because this is a private school) were some new uniforms (AHHH BORING COLORS) and

TEXTBOOKS!!!! YOU HAVE TO *BUY* THE TEXTBOOKS THAT YOU USE IN CLASS!!! IT'S RIDICULOUS!! Brand-new books were $70 each. Omg. But used ones (I got two used, two new) are like $20-$50... still pretty expensive...

The first two days of school were fun :) I met all my friends again and the teachers were pretty nice.

My history teacher, Ms. Miller, is nice (and she made us guess where she's from for her first class (Chile ;). My choir teacher, Mr. Knipschild (he prefers Nippy or Mr. Nippy hahaha) is hilarious! After choir class ended, my friend, her friend, and I stayed after class to audition for the piano part in the choir :DDDD It's the piano accompaniment to the choir singing :). My English teacher is CREEPY!! She told us all the rules her first class with us. (With every class, if you're caught chewing gum, there's a fee of $5.00, or if you run out of pens in class, you pay 50 cents EACH... and she doesn't give change, so if you only have a dollar, you have to buy two pens.)When my English teacher (Ms. Moran) is telling us something DIRE... she would pause ominously... the room was dead silent. I'm serious. IT WAS A CREEPY CLASS...

Anyways, my locker location is good, my books are readable, and my school year will be fine :)

China Pics 4

2009-08-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

I've collected pictures from two different cities: Ji Nan and Confucius' hometown. These cities are in the west part of China.

...You've never heard of Confucius??? Confucius was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life. He's very famous in China, mostly for his amazing teachings long ago. (...About as famous as Christopher Columbus here.)

Anyways, here are the pictures. Enjoy :)

The first pictures are from Ji Nan. We visited this little cave... filled with Buddhas!! Painted onto the wall, carved out of rock, HUMONGOUS and taking up the cave, it's allll Buddhas. It was very interesting. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures (not allowed to :[). It was so comfortable!! The inside of the cave was freezing (there are actually people who stay inside all day, wearing giant overcoats) but outside it was BOILING HOT... so the cool air was nice.

After I got out, I had an ice cream... it was purple :) And DELICIOUS... I think the flavor was some sort of bean that I tasted... a million years ago... when I was 4 or something... I had a strong wave of de ja vu... but it was SOO good!

These weeping willows are from a park called Baotu Spring Park, in the same city.

A fake mountain (literal translation from Chinese).

There were statues of royalty, such as this. The room was PACKED!! I was soo lucky to get this shot when people rushed by.

Here's another statue.

This is APPARENTLY a famous willow or something... some other people were taking pictures holding the leaves, and my dad and I had some time left, so we were all, "Why not??" and so this picture was taken. hahahah

This was a beautiful pond filled with spring water constantly running into it... it was so clear.

This is a VERY famous engraving... see that little temple? People (including me :) take the one dangerous step to stand on the base of the carving. The sign says Baotu Spring Park. By the way, those dark spots are spots that people rubbed shiny, since so many people have clutched the stone for dear life :) Just kidding

On the wall behind that temple, there's this... brass (?) carving of some men, some temples, some clouds, and some horses hahahaha... people rubbed the horse's muzzle so much that the blackish part on top was totally rubbed and the gold part underneath was rubbed smooth and shiny.

These willows were beautiful.

This was an interesting place... the sitting area was draped entirely in bright green vines... it was so pretty.

At dinner, we were served this HUGE fried fish... how in the world did they get it so bent, so stiff?? Its position never slacked during the entire dinner :)

Got My Ears Pierced!!!!

2009-08-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

And just in time for school!!!! Here's something disturbing... the lady piercing my ears (at Claire's in Victoria Gardens, btw) forgot to clean my ears!! I was all OH MY GOSH when my mom pointed it out to her... and she was all "Oh. Oh yeah."

O-O

Everyone I know who got their ears pierced and said that it was a small pinprick of pain.

WELL GUESS WHAT

It hurt. So much. My ears were on fire. For 2 hours after that.

They like stapled my ears!!!!

Anyways, I got blue titanium earrings... pretty?

Skype!

2009-08-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

HI!!! I just got a Skype account!! In case you're wondering, Skype is a way to video chat with other people (for free). Do any of you guys have one? My username is michelle...xu

hahaah

New Addition to my Blog

2009-08-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

Remember that music player that was on the sidebar? I changed the songs to songs like Party by Demi Lovato or Just Dance by Lady Gaga :).... like really fast, upbeat songs.

It's at the bottom of the screen, below all the posts... sorry it's in a bad place... if I put it in the sidebar, you notice how half of the box is like cut off? At the bottom, you see the entire box and you can scroll down and see what other songs there are!! :D

Enjoy the music!!

China Pics 3

2009-08-07T10:07:00.001-07:00

THIS WAS THE DAY THAT WE WENT TO THE MAJESTIC *DALAI LAMA TEMPLE!!* It's a temple made ENTIRELY of wood... no glue, no nails, no nothing :) The temple is constructed from wooden rectangular blocks wedged together! It's huge!! We also went to the Echo Wall and the Temple of Heaven, where the Heavenly Center Stone is :)!! You'll see what I'm talking about soon.

The entrance gate.

In this temple were some stone dragons.

The tradition is to throw some coins into the dragon's open mouth for some good luck, but apparently someone had a laugh and threw some CRACKERS in there.

This is an incense stove. You get a couple of incense sticks (usually 4), light the end, hold them between your fingers, and bow 3 times. It's like Chinese praying. Then you put the (slowly) burning incense stick into the ash in the incense stove. (Trust me, it sounds WAAY less complicated in Chinese :)

This is one of the SOLID GOLD Buddahs of the Dalai Lama Temple.

*HOLY MUSIC!!!* The great Dalai Lama Temple!! Isn't it huge??

Again, I was just amazed by how much meticulous DETAIL there is!! Click the picture to make it super-big and see the detail for yourself. :)

The inside of the temple is even fancier.

We climbed up ALLL those steps (and it was SO HOT OUTSIDE!! I thought I would melt on the way up.)

Massive.

The detail is fantastic!!

Our next stop was the Echo Wall... it was kinda far away, so we had to walk some ways to get there... but on the side of the path to the Echo Wall, there was this huge patch of grass... I just noticed that it was SOOOOOO well kept!!! How in the world can grass look this good??? (BTW I checked; it's real).

Some information about the Echo Wall: Why is it called the "Echo Wall?" The Echo Wall is the circular surrounding wall of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The hard and smooth wall in a perfect circumference constitutes an excellent reflecting body for sound waves, which travel along the wall surface by continuous reflections. If two people stand on opposite ends of the Echo Wall and speak with their face facing north, they can hear each other's voice clearly. Isn't that cool?

THE ECHO WALL!! Do you notice that the wall is kind of bent? This is only a small fraction of the OUTSIDE of the wall... the inside is pretty plain.

Next to the Echo Wall is this important tree... the Nine-Dragon Juniper Tree. Here's some info from the sign next to it: This is a Chinese juniper of 500 and more years of age. Straight, robust and in a grotesque shape, the trunk is covered all over with spiral grooves that twist up vertically along as if nine coiling dragons were wreathing up into the sky, hence the name "Nine-Dragon Juniper".

This is the inside of the Imperial Vault of Heaven (sound familiar? I mentioned that it was inside the Echo Wall).

This structure is called The Circular Altar Mound. I think there is something special about this place...

The surface of the uppermost terrace of the Circular Mound is paved with nine concentric rings of stone slabs; the round stone slab in the center is called the Heavenly Center Stone. It is surrounded by 9 stones in the first ring, 18 in the second, all the way up to 81 in the 9th ring, symbolizing the nine heavens. The voice of a person standing on the Heavenly Center Stone sounds particularly resonant and sonorous.

This is me standing on the Heavenly Center Stone!! It was the coolest experience I had in China. I said "This is so cool!" in the middle, and it actually SOUNDED cool!!!!!!!!! My voice, as the sign says, sounded resonant and sonorous :).

We went to eat at the best tourist restaurant in Beijing (seriously, there was a plaque that said it was a five-star tourist restaurant)! Of course it was in the mall, and I got this picture on the escalator :).

There was this (literal Chinese translation) fire pot. You put the meat in that little basin around the black burner (of course that area (the area where the steam is coming out) is filled with water, so it's boiling the meat).

Some of that meat got stuck onto the burner, and GASP!! After about 5 seconds, the meat shriveled up and started looking a darn lot like Hawaii!!!!!! Doesn't it?!!

Sorry About the Glitch

2009-08-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Apparently I don't have much access to most of the stuff that I used to be able to put in a post on Blogger... it's weird! I don't know where it all went! Anyways, you're going to have to copy and paste the URL into your address bar for the YouTube videos... sorry for the inconvenience (and possible annoyance :)

YouTube Videos VI

2009-08-05T13:55:00.001-07:00

Woo hoo! The sixth YouTube Video post!! Yay...

These are just random videos that I found hilarious :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwSqdL7fiE8 This is like the best prank ever!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1oV_MzzNSk&feature=channel THIS IS ALL TRUE!!! LOLOLOL!! Everything happens JUST like he says!!!! HHAHAHAHAHAHHA FUNNIEST THING *EVER!!*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dx0MwgIZos&feature=channel Also from nigahiga... a spoof (fan made version) of NEW MOON!!! Though I recommend watching the actual trailer first... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYBF3HKzrmE Don't pay attention to the white and red boxes with words in them... I SO WANT TO WATCH THAT MOVIE! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wujsu9YUB8 What is wrong with some people?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTPpbHueNJ4&feature=related This is so creative!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IytNBm8WA1c These are the funniest cats ever!! The video is kinda long, though... you don't have to watch the whole thing.

Enjoy and comment please!

Happy Birthday!!

2009-08-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

We have another birthday!! Today, President Obama turns *48*!!

Happy birthday, Mr. President :)

Remember That Hotel I Told You About?

2009-08-04T16:35:00.001-07:00

... in "China Pics 2"?

Some people sent me requests to describe it.

If you say so...

Ok the hotel was horrible. The bathrooms on every floor were like linked or something with this hole in the ceiling and another hole in the floor... and you know what that means.... THE SMELL!!! It was this constant REVOLTING odor that never left the room... I would gag every time I walked in x-(... plus I still have scars (no literally, SCARS) from the various mosquito bites I got from that hotel on my face, arms, and wrist. The entire left side of my face was swollen, and my arms burned with itch every day. Oh and I also had a horrible bite on my right eyelid :(.

Sorry... I don't have any pictures. It was so horrible that I decided it wasn't even worth taking a picture of (hahah).

I'm sick.

2009-07-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sick. I feel horrible.

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-07-23T11:27:00.001-07:00

Omg today is my sister's birthday!!! SHE TURNS 21!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! :)

China Pics 2

2009-07-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Yay we're going strong! These pictures are still in Beijing... but since Beijing is so big and has SO many tourist attractions, we stayed there for 4 days (and I should mention, at a HORRIBLE hotel).

...

(YOU DON'T EVEN WANNA KNOW)

Enjoy the pics.

This is the Forbidden City!! Has anyone heard of it? The Chinese Emperor lived here from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty (...A LONG TIME)... and a river separates the first temple from the rest of Beijing.

The first temple of the Forbidden City, or the Northern Gate.

The detail on these buildings was absolutely amazing!

Unfortunately, when we arrived, it was WINDY!! Wow all these potted trees blew over (like dominoes :)!

Around the front, there were these bronze elephants.

This is one of the "fake mountains" that the Emperor owns. (Sorry, I don't know anything about this.)

A little, insignificant temple (compared to the other temples)... within a temple.

A fancy outdoor stone furnace.

Two of these bronze dragons guarded the main temple.

This stone is considered "sacred"!! Do you see that it has two different colors? A peachy color and this dark purple? Well. The dark purple shape on the left looks like...? A praying monk!! He's bowing to the temple on the right :). Cool, huh?

Every temple had these "good fortune" animals on the roofing.

On the walkway to some of the "more important" temples was this giant stone tablet with carvings of dragons.

Once we were past the Northern Entrance, there were a couple of temples, then this other important temple (I'm so sorry!! I don't really know much about the Forbidden City... my dad just told me about every temple (and I shamefully forgot most of the info.))

However, I DO know that that temple was a clock museum, with these spectacular clocks.

Ok. This is the NINE DRAGON SCREEN WALL :)! "This wall is composed of 270 glazed decorative bricks. with seawater as the background, nine dragons are encircled by waves and clouds, and separated by six groups of rocks. A yellow dragon is in the center, and eight dragons in blue, white, purple and yellow are on both sides. The dragon was the symbol of the emperor in ancient China. The roof has five ridges, each having a dragon, and the main ridge also has five dragons."

In this picture you see the center yellow dragon, plus the individual bricks.

On the opposite side of the Nine Dragon Screen Wall, there's yet another temple. "Guarding" it were another two bronze dragons, but they had this ornament under their claws.

This temple was an ancient theater ;).

A mountain! Carved into a HUGE block of jade stone! Enclosed in glass!

There's nothing particularly interesting about this temple... it was the one I was just in :).

YES! THE EXIT! We've been walking around the city for like 6 hours (from ten in the morning to 4 in the afternoon!!)

Sigh... the sun was SO intense... I got like 7 shades tanner that day :(

I don't know what this stone totem pole is for...

Ugh! The day's not over yet. We still had to visit Tianmen Square! It's kind of like China's Washington D.C... except in Beijing.

Left side of Tianmen Square.

Right side of Tianmen Square.

This is the Tianmen gate/entrance to the Forbidden City.

Comment please! For example... which clock was your favorite? (FYI, mine is the sunflower one :)

China Pics 1

2009-07-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

OMG IT WAS FREAKY... on the plane arriving in China, these people came in and scanned everyone's foreheads for their temperature... it was painless, but their suits freaked me out.

The Bird's Nest was AMAZING! I was so excited to be where OLYMPIANS have walked!!!!

The walkway leading to the Bird's Nest was lines with these little ornaments... cool.

The Water Cube!! Where Michael Phelps won his gold medals and his title.

Just a little info about the Great Wall of China (I read this little part from a giant sign): The Great Wall was first built in the 7th century B.C. After Emperor Qinshihuang united China, he had all the sections of the Great Wall linked. That was the earliest Great Wall. In the Ming Dynasty, massive repair was done on this basis and turned the Great Wall into an important defensive system in ancient northern China. The Great Wall, which has lasted more than 2000 years and extended 50,000 kilometers (or about 31,069 miles!!), is a huge and lengthy history book. It has become a symbol of the Chinese nation and the soul and ridge of the country, which has been deeply rooted in every Chinese.

Wow I was SO excited to be hiking this section of the Great Wall of China!!

.......Looks threatening.......

This isn't even one TENTH of the Great Wall.

Yay we made it this far! My aunt and my grandma were like WAY too tired after about... *1* section of stairs.

My dad and I AAAAALMOST!!!!! MADE IT!!!!! ALMOST!!!! Omg we were SO tired... my legs were sore and numb (ouch).

The steps are sometimes more than KNEE-HIGH!!

Since the steps are SO tall, you can imagine how much more dangerous it is to actually climb DOWN the wall... I was gripping the rusty, germy, muddy handrail for dear life!! My hand was absolutely FILTHY by the time we reached the bottom again... BLECH

After dinner, we went to the most famous restaurant in Beijing... the PEKING DUCK RESTAURANT! Have you ever heard of it? We witnessed the chef slicing the roasted duck in front of us. The smell was mouthwatering.

Outside our "hostel" (hotel), there was a RIDICULOUSLY NAMED clothing store.

China Pictures!!!

2009-07-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

My entire collection of China pictures are here at last!!!!! Gosh, it took long enough. The first four days of my trip were in Beijing! I went to the Forbidden City, the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium, and LOTS more :)! I have to warn you, though. I've figured out how to post an entire month's worth of pictures (we estimate that there are about 5000 pictures in all.... * shudder *). The only thing I can tell you is that there are going to be a LOT of new posts... keep up :D.

Weird, Unique, and AWESOME Hairstyles

2009-07-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

I got REALLY bored, so I started surfing the web... and searching for random pictures on Google Image.

I found this... or THESE slightly creepy hairstyles... but my favorite is the first one! What about you?? Comment please!!

Awesome!!!!

Oh my goodness...

WHOA!!

WOW... now THAT is amazing.

OMG!!!!

Wow. That. Is. A. LOT. Of. Hair. And it's all frizzy too...

How on Earth can someone have THAT much hair?! I mean just look at it!! IS IT A WIG?!

I wonder how much hairspray and mousse it takes to get that amazing hair...

Comment please! Which picture was your favorite?

I JUST GOT AN iPOD!!!!!

2009-07-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted an iPod NANO!! It was supposed to go to my relative in China... but he never showed up where my dad and I were going to meet him.....

SO THE iPOD WENT TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

It's silver, btw.

I already have a couple of songs in it... last night, I wasn't used to the time change... so at about 2:30 in the morning... I started listening to my songs xD hahah that helped me fall asleep :D

I'M HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

I'M FINALLY HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After a tiring one month journey, I return to my house in Loma Linda :D

Now, I've figured out a way to post 1 MONTH'S worth of photos, and trust me, there are going to be A LOT of new posts, and it probably will take a long time to post....

Anyways

What I'm doing at home right now: organizing all the stuff from the school year, cleaning the house, organizing MORE stuff in my room... and of course, swimming :)

I probably will start posting those pictures in a few days... I need some time to get used to the time in CA, unpack EVERYTHING (3 LARGE BAGS!!), and figure out how to get rid of most of my useless stuff (hhahaha)...

Oh well! I'm back to CA! Everything's good now... * harmonious music, sunrise, birds chirping * ;)

Traveling YET AGAIN....

2009-06-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

You know, sometimes I get tired of traveling and I just want to stay up late in my own house and just relax in a familiar environment... but I find myself going across the ocean... this time to China on a 16-hour flight! Yippee.

Once again, this trip is relatively long... ONE MONTH!

The time difference is... 15-16 hours? UGH! I'll have severe jet lag...

Well I'm leaving on Saturday... all of you keep in touch!

~Michelle

Some of the Best Photos I've EVER Taken

2009-05-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

So, I was walking around my garden one bleary Friday afternoon... and I just happen to notice some of the most spectacular flowers in my garden... and I just happen to have a really good camera with me... and I just HAPPEN to take some photos... or was it all on purpose? :)

Here's the link to my Snapfish album:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=942159013/a=108284557_108284557/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

:D Comment PLEASE!

YouTube Videos V

2009-05-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the fifth edition of the YouTube chain!

These are some pretty HILARIOUS videos-- guaranteed to make you laugh, if not just a little :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk One of the funniest videos ever!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY Omg!! Another hilarious video!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93CPo0sBVZc&feature=related Guaranteed to make you howl with laughter!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM&feature=related Why did Harry stick his finger in Charlie's mouth in the first place?! (Many of you have probably seen this video before).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYt31nQabYA HAHAHAHHAAH!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_mBLWpdwnI Oh wow... so funny!

(yeah... sorry the videos are all laughing-baby themed.....)

I hope you enjoyed them and got a good laugh!

I'M BACK TO CALI!!!!!!

2009-05-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

...... heh heh..... I'm not quite done with my presentation........

I'll post it soon!

~Michelle

Going to Italy!

2009-04-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ok guys.... I'm going to Italy tomorrow morning!!!

In case you haven't seen my GoogleTalk status, this is what it says right now:

Status: going to sleep at 9 today--waking up at 4:45 am tmrw--updating my souvenir list--feeling sad cuz i can't bring my phone to italy--feeling AWFUL cuz the time difference between s. cali and italy is 9 HOURS!!

Everything is the same-- including the "Status:"

My teacher has excused almost all of my daily work, so she said that instead of doing that work, I have to make a PowerPoint presentation about my trip to Italy, about the culture, and the food :).

I'll try to post that on the blog if possible... if I can't, then I might post it another way... hmm.....

OR I can just email it to everyone I know :D

Totally Random Sentences Made Up ON THE SPOT 3!

2009-04-20T16:29:00.001-07:00

Nice! We have a third one!

But first, I need to tell you something.... I'm going to Italy! My mom has this presentation/meeting there and we're going there for 10 days and I get to miss school }:-)

We're going to sightsee the country (or at least the major cities). I'M SO EXCITED!! I'M LEAVING TO EUROPE THIS THURSDAY!!!!!

Btw it's also my first trip to Europe :)

Let's start: (warning: none of these sentences are true except the 2nd, 3rd, and the one with the nightingale :D :P)

I smell someone in Jamaica eating pepperoni low-fat pizza!

I just looked up the word "discombobulated".

My friend's name is in the #1 New York Times Bestseller!

Let's drop by in La La Land with a psychopathic turkey.

Do you by any chance have some bagels with you?

Plant Planet Planet Plant is the name of a sticker company.

Having to outstare lettuce is so expressionistic.

I know of a nightingale that comes and sings for a noble emperor every day and every night.

Remote controls use way too much power.

I think that llamas are prejudiced.

Tacos taste like cheese!

Who thinks that my name starts with a C and ends with a Y and has 5 letters in it and that I'm waaaaay too energetic, unpredictable and unstable?

If you want some quality television, go to this website: stopthestink.com

Did you like them? Which one was your favorite?

Animal Origami

2009-04-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here we have the fourth post in the Origami Series--all animals. Which one is your favorite? Which kangaroo looks best? Do you have any requests for some other animals? Comment and tell me! *The order of the animals: elephant, unicorn, frog, kangaroo 1, kangaroo 2, kangaroo 3, koi? fish?, crab, capybara, swan.*

FREAKY HAIRSTYLE.....

2009-04-12T08:46:00.001-07:00

I wonder how she gets through doorways...

Improve Your Mood in 30 Minutes from MSN

2009-04-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

Whenever I open my computer, MSN pops up and today, one article caught my eye. Check it out.

Being happier doesn't have to be a long-term ambition. You can start right now. In the next half hour, take on as many of these suggestions as possible. Not only will these tasks themselves increase your happiness level, but the mere fact that you've achieved some concrete goals will boost your mood.

1. Raise your activity level to pump up your energy. If you're on the phone, stand up and pace. Take the stairs instead of an elevator. Put more energy into your voice! Take a brisk 10-min. walk. Even better...

2. Take a walk outside. Research suggests that light stimulates brain chemicals that improve mood.

3. Reach out. Send an email to a firend you haven't seen in a while, or reach out to someone new. Having close bonds with other people is one of the most important keys to happiness. When you act in a friendly way, not only will others feel more friendly toward you, but you'll also strengthen your friendship with others.

4. Rid yourself of a nagging task. Deal with that insurance problem, purchase something you need, or make that long-postponed appointment with the dentist*. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a big rush of elation. *you can show this to your parents

5. Create a more serene envinroment. Outer uniformity contributes to inner peace, so spend some time cleaning off your desk and tackling the piles in the kitchen. A large stack of little tasks can feel overwhelming, but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizable dent. Set the timer for 10 mins. and see what you can do.

6. Act happy. Fake it 'til you feel it. Research shows that even an artificial smile boosts your mood. And if you're smiling, other people will perceive you as being friendlier and more approachable.

7. Learn something new. Think of a subject that you wish you knew more about and spend 15 mins. on the internet reading about it, or go to a bookstore and buy a book about it. But be honest! Pick a topic that really interests you, not something you think you "should" or "need" to learn about.

Some people worry that wanting to be happier is a selfish goal, but in fact, research shows that happier people are more sociable, likable, healthy, and productive--and they're more inclined to help other people. By working to boost your own happiness, you're making other people happier, too.

Check the comments please! There's something you need to know

Contemporary Origami!!

2009-04-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Apparently, there are two types of origami: ancient and contemporary. Ancient origami only uses paper and a pair of hands, but contemporary allows you to use scissors, glue, etc. Enjoy.

My personal favorite :) the crane

Shoutout to Sarah!!!

2009-03-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Sarah! You were the first person to see my blog in its renewed, refreshed form! In honor, I present to you this gift. (or these gifts)

In the first (green one): All of your names!

Your regular name: Sarah

Your gangsta name: Sarizzle

Your detective name: Bluedog

Your soap opera

name: Avia Obra

Your Star Wars name: Pansa

Your superhero/villain name: Greenlemonade

Your Iraqi name: Anpiajy

Your witness protection name: Sliem

Your goth name: Blackcindy

Your hood name: Sariqua

In your second gift box... a hilarious YouTube video!! (if you've seen them, just go to the next one)

http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JdLCEwEFCMU

I'm pretty sure you haven't seen this one.... if you have, then UR NOT GETTING A REPLACEMENT!!! hahahaha

Thanks again for being the first one to see my updated blog!

Star Wars Origami!!

2009-03-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

You know, in addition to the "Totally Random Sentences Made Up ON THE SPOT" and the "YouTube Videos ~~~", I've decided to add an "Origami" series to the blog!!!! Enjoy the Star Wars.

Money Origami!!!

2009-03-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

From left to right: crane, dragon, kangaroo, pig, llamas, dog, squirrel, pelican, mountain sheep
From left to right: cat, puppy, owl, lizard, arrow through a heart, another cat, another dog, turtle
From left to right: pig, frog, hare, crab, penguin, and.... I have no clue what that last one is!!
From left to right: 6-petaled flower, spider, camera, shark, koi/carp, another shark, 8-petaled flower, and two miniature flowers.

I hope you like them!

I'm Running Out of Ideas

2009-03-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Guys!! I've been sucked dry!! Help me here!! I have almost nothing else to post!!

THINK OF SOMETHING RANDOM AND SEND IT TO ME

PLEASE!!

THANKS!!

Totally Random Sentences Made Up ON THE SPOT 2

2009-03-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

FBI stands for "Foreign Blue Igloo"

Our paper airplane has crash-landed!

Piggy banks have to be painted red or else they waste all your money.

Let's have some soup!

Where's my super-ultra mega-awesome neon yellow laser beam of ponies??

That blue ribbon looks fantastic in your hair!

Swivel chairs feel like cotton.

Does Uganda have westbound rehabilitation?

Peacemaking is sooooo last-yearish.

Trash cans have nontelepathic opinions.

Where did my brown purebred capybara run off to?!

What does "balsamiferous" mean?

Lindsay Lohan's hair is overrated.

Rubber bands hold stuff together!

My Sister's Here!!!

2009-03-23T10:38:00.001-07:00

Ok for those of you who don't know, my sister arrived in Loma Linda on Saturday the 21st of March. She's staying until Wed. the 25th, and then she's going back to college.

BIG CLUE

YouTube Videos IV

2009-03-16T20:24:00.001-07:00

Okay, guys, I've been motivated by another visitor to my blog!!!
So he told me about this really funny YouTube user..... called nigahiga.

YOU WILL LOVE THEIR VIDEOS

*Beware: some videos have mild language (I won't post the ones with.... more than mild language :P)*

TRUST ME.... YOU WILL LAUGH YOUR HEAD OFF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBBleNvbXt4&feature=related They are listed in mostly order of favorites

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgoINEHDPas&feature=channel This one has one word.... just ignore it...!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weIbm3m-Xbo&feature=channel OH MY GOSH THIS IS SO FUNNY!!!!!!!!! IF YOU HAVE SEEN HARRY POTTER, YOU'LL LOVE THIS EVEN MORE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goix7jFXD9Q&feature=channel THIS IS HILARIOUS!!!! MOSTLY FOLLOWING THE PLOT, BUT SO FUNNYYYY!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdLCEwEFCMU&NR=1 Ok now it's not in order..... THIS

IS

SO

FUNNY

COMMENT

IF

YOU

WANT

MORE

Totally Random Sentences Made Up ON THE SPOT

2009-03-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Posters are a nuisance.

I hope Christmas comes soon.

Why do I smell soap?

Where's my burrito?

Does Japan have universal health care?

Your curly hair accentuates your high cheekbones. (?!)

There's a meaningful code behind french toast.

What does the flag of Iraq look like?

Dogs pant way too much.

Foam is crashing down.

Why is a pickle lying there?!

Conservation of salt is important.

Let us worship our blankets and sleep well.

The oil says, "Don't use too much of me!"

The pidgeons seem to be settling in well.

Where did my belt buckle go?

*deep bow* Thank you, thank you. If you want more, just comment!
Which one was your favorite?
Which one did you think was the most random?

COMMENT, THANK YOU!!!

Family Update

2009-03-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!! I just wanted to say that my grandparents came to America today!!! (And they brought 10 pairs of socks as a gift to me from my aunt.........)

So now my dad will be a lot less busy with them helping around the house.

AND GUESS WHAT?????!!!?????

I GOT A NEW LAPTOP!!! AND IT'S ALL MINE!!!!! YAY!!!! (btw i'm using it to type this post right now!!)

Ok. Later!

Poptropica Big Nate Island is out!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG BIG NATE ISLAND IS OUT!!!!!!!!! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ISLAND TO COME OUT FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IF ANY OF YOU NEED HELP WITH THIS ISLAND, I'M DONE WITH IT!

http://www.poptropica.com/
Make an account (or log in)
Jump inside your blimp
Go to Big Nate Island!!!

I can help you with this island! And all the others!

YouTube Videos III

2009-02-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

Some YouTube videos: (you know, the regular procedure)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFPeceyIGfY Who knew there was a Pen Spinning World Tournament?! Your mouth will DROP OPEN when you see these incredible tricks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwNk2dW3NKM A useless talent, I must admit, although I CAN DO THAT!!! (but not all the tricks)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNG3sgk02Lc Cup Stacking World Record.... watch her hands!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDJ3sor2oQ0&NR=1 WOW.... godly music for a penny pyramid.. can you imagine how much money that is?!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7VKhrSmRaU This lady falls (or, rather, wobbles around) while reporters laugh their heads off at her!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URLRdcnU6Hk Optical Illusions are one of my favorite things, so I thought I might share this video with you!! Amazing!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Zz05t19dg Jastrow Illusion! One of the best illusions ever!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpwnnK4YHUc Bubble Magic!! This guy is awesome!! Who knew bubbles could be so amazing?? Be sure to listen to it too.

Wow! I think that's a new record! How many videos is that? 8? YES! NEW RECORD!! Kay. Be sure to post some comments!

YouTube Videos

2008-12-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

I've been.... obsessed.... with YouTube lately, and I've collected a few videos to show you guys.
Here are the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJiklDQVQnI XClusive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDrOg90By_w Chain Recations Part 1... my favorite was the last one!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arfn67EBgFQ Chain Reactions Part 2... OMG THESE ARE EVEN BETTER THAN PART 1!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEPqrQ-OtLo Time Warp Sonicbooms.... I know the beginning is kinda boring... but it REALLY gets good in the middle... trust me!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXaE8jCQGFw Time Warp Card Throwing... ANYTHING can be turned into a lethal weapon...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0zgohFURlY Penguin Tripping Other Penguin!!! LOL HILARIOUS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVx9Z8DvTC0 Ski Kangaroo Flip... AWESOME

I hope you like them! Just post a comment if you want more!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T14:29:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas you guys!!

If you coincidentally happen to check on my blog on December 25, 2008, you have received this greeting!!!

I hope all of you guys have a GREAT Christmas!!

<3--Michelle

Pravin's Blog

2008-12-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

Just like my friend Madeline, my other friend Pravin made a blog too!

It's called hayy and the URL is

http://mooshiprav.blogspot.com/

I hope you like it!! (because I didn't.... hahaha just kidding) (but it is kind of weird.......)

HAHAH NO OFFENCE PRAVIN

The Giraffe Test

2008-12-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! I recently received an email called "The Giraffe Test"... and I failed miserably at it!! See if you don't.....

How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?
Stop and think about the answer before you scroll down

The correct answer is:
Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door.
This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

How do you put an elephant in a refrigerator?

Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the door?

Wrong answer.

The correct answer is:
Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant, and close the door.
This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend.... except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct answer:
The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there.
This tests your memory.

There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?

Correct answer:
You jump in the river and swim across. Have you not been listening?
All the crocodiles are at the Animal Meeting.
This tests whether you are quick to learn from your mistakes.

According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong, but many preschoolers got several answers correct.

Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four-year-old.

The Book List Commenter

2008-12-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! Have you ever seen the list of books and series I recommend at the bottom of this page? Well, some people have and they've been posting comments about it... (it's not just you, Jo Ann :P) They've been published in all kinds of random posts, so I decided to make a post just for commenting on the Book List (thus the title of this post)..

From now on... if you have a comment about my Book List... just comment right here!!!

Madeline's Blog

2008-12-02T19:58:00.001-08:00

Hey everybody!

I just wanted to update you on my blog.... (instead of waiting for more furniture to come for my house)

So! My friend Madeline just started a really cool blog and I just wanted to encourage you guys to visit it if you want!

It's at http://www.madigabimace.blogspot.com

See How Much You Know Me!

2008-11-28T12:24:00.001-08:00

Michelle's Awesome Quiz
1) Where do I live now?
		Edina
		Loma Linda
		La Palma
		Los Angeles

Make A Quiz - Take This Quiz - View Scoreboard

How to Play 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

2008-06-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (we'll just call it 1, 2, ........ 10.) is a game that you need at least 10 players to play. Somebody starts by saying either 1 OR 1, 2. You can say either 1 or 2 numbers. The next player says 2 or 3, depending on what player 1 said, and so on. The person who is stuck saying 10 sits down. Then the person next to him (or her) starts over and the game continues. Try going fast to make it even more fun and exciting....Here's an example:

Player 1 says, "1, 2"

Player 2 says, "3"

Player 3 says, "4, 5"

Player 4 says, "6, 7"

Player 5 says, "8, 9"

Player 6 then is out, and Player 7 starts over.

Have fun playing this game and, Mr. Wuest's class, keep playing it to keep the tradition up!

How to Play 102

2008-06-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

102 is a fun card game that 2-4 players can play.

Materials:
*a deck of cards (with jokers)
and if you want to be competitive, *a sheet of paper and a pen (to keep track of the score)

The main goal is to get the 10, Jack, Queen, Ace, and King of one suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades). Jack, Joker, Queen, 10 and King are all worth 10 points. Ace is worth 11, and if you get all 5 cards in your hand, your score is doubled to 102. (Remember, they all have to be the same suit)

1. Players draw cards until they have five cards in their hands. (You have to decide which suit you want to do) Player one draws a card.

2. If that card matches the suit that player one is looking for, they keep it and exchange it for a card that they don't want.

3. Once five players have put down cards, the fifth player gets to exchange either one or five cards from the pile (Remember that players put down cards to exchange for a card that they want, so all of the unwanted cards start piling up. At your turn, if the pile has five cards in it, you can exchange one or five cards. Not two, not four, one or five.) If you don't want any of the five, you just push the pile aside and draw. If you get a card, the next player can get a card, too, etc.

4. If you get the full set, wait until it's your turn, then put all the cards down. You win!

Strategies:

You don't have to get the full set. The earlier you put down your cards (remember yet again, they have to be the same suit!), the more likely you'll win because the other players probably won't even have all of their cards matching yet.

Sometimes, some other player will be looking for the same suit as you. Watch what they throw out, and, if they aren't throwing out the suit that you want, you might want to switch suits. Be careful what you switch to, though, because the "unwanted" pile could have the ace that you need. Without the ace, you cannot get 102.

Origami Crane

2008-06-11T15:46:00.001-07:00

This crane is simple, yet so entertaining! All you need is a square sheet of paper. The finished model is above.

1. Take the paper and rotate it so that it’s a diamond facing you.

2. Fold the top down and unfold. Do the same thing horizontally.

3. You should now have a giant “X” in your sheet.

4. Flip the paper over to the other side and fold down horizontally.

5. Unfold.

6. Fold the paper vertically.

7. Take the corners and push them together. It should look like the picture below.

8. Flatten the whole thing.

9. Take the right edge and line it up with the crease in the middle(top layer only!). Do the same with the left.

10. Flip it around, do the same thing on the other side, and fold the tip as far down as you can without folding past the flaps you just made.

11. Take the flaps out from under the tip (they’ll have 2 layers) and lift the top layer.

12. Bring the tip of the diamond as far back as it will go and flatten. Do the same for the opposite side.

13. a. Fold the left top layer over to the right, b. fold the bottom layer up, and c. fold the tip down to make the beak.

14. Fold the right layer back to the left. This time, fold two layers over and repeat step 13 b.
15. Fold the left layer back to the right, pull out the head and tail, and finally, pinch the base of the crane’s neck and pull the tail. Voila! If it doesn’t flap, fold the wings down once and fold them back up to kind of loosen them, and it’ll be ready to go and flap at your will!!!!!!!!