Into the Mountain Range.

 

Written on June 26th:

We went into Wyoming and Montana today, but first, we saw Mount Rushmore. It was disappointing. We saw 4 heads from a distance, and that was it. I wanted to be closer and maybe a longer trail. Meh.

 

What followed was a 10 hour road trip. God that was long. We had to stop by McDonalds for lunch, and I ate a crapload of chips. So unhealthy. Luckily we bought some baby carrots, apples, peaches, and grapes. :3

Along the way, we almost ran out of fuel. As in, the low fuel icon came on and we were freaking out. There are like, NO gas stations before Rapid City (??? Idk where we stopped really). So we drove like 20 miles, with roadwork, at 30-60 mph (due to stupid cars ahead of us.) We turned off the AC, unplugged the GPS, and even turned off the radio. People were wondering what to do if we ran out of gas. Luckily it didn’t happen. That sure woke us up. Freaking risks. :P

We made it into the mountains relatively cleanly. The views, my god! Pine trees  carpeted the mountainous inclines; snow draped the peaks; sunlight glistened off ice crystals; chasms plunged off the sides. White, blue, green, brown. Each crisp and vivid contrasting against the others. See what I mean.

Aside from that, I thought a lot during the car ride. It’s what reading does to you. Speaking of which, I finished The Other Side of Paradise. Great book. I like Fitzgerald. Next up, Hemingway’s In Our Time.

Into the Badlands

Written on June 25th:

First day of roadtripping with the family. Spent like 5 hours in the car, minimum. My legs died.
Fitzgerald kept me good company. Amory Blaine, what a character. Literate, successful, charming, and Princetonian. I wish I were like him. The book put me into a pensive mood. The fundamental Amory… when will I know the fundamental me?
We visited Badlands National Park. Its beauty astonished me. See for yourself.

We went to Wall Drugs after that. Shout out to Sami Meyer for the suggestion. Great suggestion. :) We ate dinner there. I had a Buffalo Burger. Tasted like any other old burger. Walked around, looked through the stores, saw some awesome knives, bought nothing. Then had some ice cream. The ice cream was good, better than anything I’ve had in Minnesota. The milk flavor really came through, and while sweet, it wasn’t too sweet. Newtown, CT has better ice cream though. Newtown Creamery, go if you ever get the chance.

We finished the trip by driving to our hotel in a torrential thunderstorm. My dad managed to snipe this pic before that though. I really like it.

Pandora's Box

Last Friday, Pandora's box was opened for me. No, it's not that I discovered Pandora Radio (pshhhhh, discovered it long ago man.) It's that I found Uptown! :D

Following X-Men: First Class, Anisha and Leona took Ivan, Ish, and I to explore Uptown. We had quite a time getting there, with Ivan and Anisha fighting about directions for a little bit, but we got there. :p Eventually.

So we parked at McDonalds and walked to Cheapos. It started to rain a bit. Not too heavy, but not a drizzle either. I cracked some jokes to Ish about El Cheapos. Lame jokes. Real lame.

Cheapos is pretty big. They have a HUGE collection of music. Just... not Asian music. See, I was searching for Kpop, but they only had pop on records. You know, like those 45 rpm old school style vinyls. Meh, back to international, modern rock, and rap I guess.

Oh, they also had a ton of DVDs. I saw Yu-gi-oh DVDs there. ^_^ Like, the really old episodes from back when it was Yugi on that island trying to get to Pegasus. 2000 life points, crazy rules I never understood, yeah. Good times.

We left Cheapos without buying a thing (LOL CHEAPOS.) We walked to Sushi Tango in the rain. Ish described the feeling best. It was like Europe. I love Europe. Maybe that's why I love Uptown. Anyway, it kinda felt like this picture (I'll spare you some words)

Sushi Tango was nice. It was really... hipster and chic though. Nothing wrong with that, except wow, the bowls used for serving noodles were ridiculous. Oh, and I didn't bring enough money. I fail. The sushi was quite good. Ivan seemed to enjoy his Sashimi. I think the Tempura was a bit heavy though. Maybe too focused on the batter and frying instead of on the ingredients. Just what it looked like to me.

That's Tempura

It was a pretty fun night. I'd definitely go again. I'm looking forward to it. ^_^

Jumping

Look but don't touch
Touch but don't taste
Taste but don't swallow

Story of my life.

Taking up the Mantle

We're seniors tomorrow. I can't tell if I'm sad or shocked. God damn sentimentality. Congratulations are in order, but all I can think about is the past, about how 3 years have gone by, and about how my friends are leaving me yet again.
"Stop!" cries my heart, "Stop!" I hate time.
"Stand still." I say, "Stand still!" Who am I to request that?
I smile not because I'm happy, but because it makes me happy. If I keep smiling, will time slow down? Will the seniors stay another day? Another year?
No, that would be cruel, unjust, despicable. Let them soar.
Here's my goodbye seniors.

Julia - It's been awesome knowing you. Three years of Mock Trial, definitely changed my high school experience. Take MIT by storm. I know you can. I'll just try to hold up without your leadership. :)

Lewin - Despite the Jane Austen love (lol, I kid, Jane Austen's pretty good), you're still amazing. Easily one of the best basketball players out of the Asians. :p You're a genius. Lit, Math, Science, you excel in everything. Harvard's lucky to have you.

Lawrence - Boss. Thanks for all the advice and insider knowledge you've given me throughout the years. Talks on the bus? Most useful things ever. Cal-tech is crazy, but you'll handle it just fine. Whenever you dedicate yourself to something, you're good as hell at it. Take high school, take HMC/research, take weight-lifting, take parkour. Too Boss.

Amy - I can't believe I only met you in my sophomore year. Really? Really? Hahaha, it was always fun hanging out with you. Sorry I couldn't write a paragraph in your yearbook. I just couldn't find space. >_< My handwriting needs to be smaller. It's always great to talk with you because you're so happy and pensive (weird mix of words?). Talking in Chinese is especially fun (after party? :D). It's been great knowing you.

Kelley - It's been great hanging around you. ^_^ Every party with you (without SC) has been a blast. :D You're carefree but also serious when need be and incredibly smart. I know you're going to go through a 6 year program, but after beating out competition for Wayzata's math team? Psh, peace of cake for you. On an ending note, keep playing Pokemon. It's amazing like you.

Larry - Gaming club is amazing. SCing with you is always fun. We should play more over the summer. ^_^ We should talk more strategy. You should watch Jaedong. :D Larry, you've always amazed me, both in your genius and your innocence. Although, sometimes I realize you're just kidding around. Hahaha. Have fun in college.

Gabi - I wish we had a class together this year. :( Too bad. Still! SO was great, and we got to hang out there. SO was always fun with you. Picture This practices, Boyceville, and bus ride back from State this year. Good times.

Brian - You're a really awesome guy. Chill, relaxed, funny, and smart. Princeton seems to fit. Lunch with you was really fun. Your jokes were always hilarious and devastating. Hope you did well in Brit Lit, hahaha.

Gaurav - Sci Bowl, SO, Math Team, Starcraft, you were good at them all. I loved being in Sci-Bowl with you, especially during the Regional/State tournament. You get so hyped, hahaha, and it's really amazing seeing you guys win this year. ^_^ I remember playing Team Melee as T with you. That game was hella fun. We need to play again sometime. :)

Rohit - Hanging out with you was fun whenever it occurred. Playing games like Mau, SC, and Mafia was great. So was learning about Abstract Algebra (although comprehending it? Oh man, lol). You're a tier above me in intellect (probably 5), but you never show it. MIT will be easy for you.

Anisha - OH CRAP! I realized I won't be there this Saturday cuz of SATs. Maybe next Saturday. :D We gotta order pizza then. Well, knowing you through Methodist was great. :) You really brightened up my shift. Without you and Arsalan there, I would probably be bored out of my mind there. You were also a hilarious person to hang around because you're just so silly sometimes. xD Hahaha. Thanks for all the college advice. Especially for teaching Arsalan and I about our stupidity. I hope I actually remember it, hahaha.

Leona - I wish I knew you better. I feel like the lunch experience wasn't enough. :P You seem to have brains, humor, and style. Your reactions at lunch always make me smile. :) You also know French, which is just an awesome language.

Richard - Playing sports with you is fun. Partially because you're really competitive, making it all the more fun. Partially because you can stand my horrible play. You're too good at B-ball man. xD Too good! We should play more in the summer. :D Teach me to shoot?

Abe - Lunch with you has been fun. :D Seeing you vid-sniping and interacting with Lawrence. Of course, I'll always remember the library incident with Mrs. Cameron. Hahaha.

Zhu - I've known you since 9th grade right? Melee man, Melee. That's always been fun, hahaha. Hanging out at your house was awesome. Definitely an epic weekend. :P We should Melee more often. You're a beast with Falco. Have fun in college. I know you'll love it.

It's time for us to take up the mantle isn't it? Haha, with all that nostalgia coursing through my veins, I don't think I'm quite ready. It's intimidating to see what you've accomplished, to imagine school without you guys.

To hell with it; we'll grab it anyway to free you from that burden. Have fun, fly, soar, accomplish your dreams, cure cancer, become billionaires, turn the world upside down, but most of all, congratulations.