Happy Birthday bud!

A year ago today I sneaked up to the U of U to surprise my best friend in class on his birthday. I had done my background stalking work and had figured out his schedule, his professor's name and email, and of course the building floor plan. While my cousin who also went to the U was distracting him with some made-up sob story about an ex-boyfriend, I stole into his classroom and wrote a poem on the board (composed by me) asking him to go on a date with me after class. I also left some homemade chocolate cake balls on the main classroom desk for him. Then I found an underground tunnel and hid.

Of course, there were some gaping holes in my meticulous plan. First, he decided to skip class because it was his birthday. When he told me on the phone, I was frantic, bordering angry, which really confused him. So he went to class, 20 minutes late. By then, the professor had already pulled down the projector screen so it was blocking my poem on the blackboard. Long story short, he eventually saw it and we did end up chowing down pizza at his favorite place afterward - but not before I got lost in the tunnels because I wandered into the restricted/danger zones!

Sorry this year it will be so different. But I hope you will have an awesome day anyways!

Happy Love Day!

I don't understand why some people hate Valentine's Day. They mutter "Happy Single Awareness Day (SAD)" and wear black, determined to reverse the tide of romantic pinks or passionate reds. Awareness Days have a bad connotation in my mind - AIDs awareness day, Autism awareness day, Hunger awareness day . . . in short, somehow singledom has been designated a disease or a widespread phenomenon that the UN is supposed to eradicate by 2015. To me, Valentine's Day isn't only reserved for lovers and couples - it's for everybody. It is this wonderful day to celebrate love, in any form and with anyone.

I think this is the first year since eighth grade that I haven't had a boyfriend or received presents from boys on Valentine's Day. I suppose that's not a surprise when things end shortly before. Rather than feeling depressed as many of my friends, and to some extent even I, expected me to be, I ended up really enjoying Valentine's Day. In the place of romantic dinners and cheesy cards, I received long-stemmed roses from the Elder's Quorum, munched on wonderfully decorated sugar cookies (Ty!), and attended a fun Chinese New Year party. I also caught up with old friends and talked to my family. I felt loved. Very loved.

So in the spirit of St. Valentine's, here's a shout out to some of my favorite people:

The Triumvirate: Love these girls!
Of course, we're not complete without Bel.

You mean more to me than you probably realize.

These girls change my life. Literally.

I won't be much without them.

I miss you!
Come back soon - but not too soon :P

I still think you're absolutely wonderful -
Thanks for being my best friend!

What might have been

I checked the the airlines - we would probably be heading to Vegas right about . . . now.

Phantom of the Opera: strike six.

Counting the minutes

It is in moments like these that I feel so small. I stare at my to do list and somehow it never gets shorter. I try my best to maximize my time. I grade papers when I eat. I study for tests on my bus ride to school. I even dream about doing homework at night.

I thought that I could do it all this semester: 14 credit hours + 10 hour/week of LSAT classes + Chinese TA job + Officer of an Honor Society + Editor of a Political Science Journal + Volunteering at VITA (where I help low income people file their taxes) + Start my Honor Thesis research = late nights & weight loss.

I miss lazy afternoons. I miss talking to my best friend for hours on end. I miss my best friend. I'm sorry I was always too busy to talk.

I love the David and Goliath story. It's the story of the skinny kid who conquers despite impossible odds. But like in most of the real life stories, I just might get crushed under this behemoth mountain of work.

WAR!

Chad took this photo during our epic snowball fight where the girls have just formally declared war on the boys. Hence the warrior face. This is just so typical of Jody!