Depends on my mood!
[Song-Artist]
Oxford Comma-Vampire Weekend makes me want to dance
Swim-Jack’s Mannequin when I am sad
A Better Son/Daughter-Rilo Kiley when I need a pick-me-up
Yeah Yeah-Sam Means when I want to just feel chill!  

It’s really hard to pick a single favorite; lately I’ve been super happy with Vampire Weekend, Radiohead, Matt Costa, and Owl City; probably because those are among my newer acquisitions.  Oh and The Beatles, on YouTube.

I need some music that will help me focus instead of making me want to sing and dance.  Any recommendations? 

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One of my best friends, Brittany, gave me a giant Nemo stuffed animal (since I have a fishy fettish!) for my 17th birthday, and attached 17 notes from 16 other friends wishing me a happy birthday .  <3!!!!!  =)
  
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Oh, it’s about time people started considering things like this…

***Consider using clothes lines again.  Dryers use so much energy CREATING heat and drive up prices of energy (for air conditioning) by warming your house as you warm your clothes.

From Wikipedia: Advantages of using a clothes line

• Saves money for the user
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
• Clothes smell better when hung outside
• Fabrics last longer when air dried
• Provides frequent, brief exposure of the skin to the sun (Vitamin D)
• Clothes can dry more quickly on hot, dry days
• Eliminates heating up the house with a mechanical clothes dryer
• Eliminates the production of lint which is unhealthy
• Eliminates the increased ambient noise from a mechanical clothes dryer
• No risk of fire as from a mechanical clothes dryer
• No risk of toxic fumes from gas-powered mechanical clothes dryer
• No static cling

Doesn’t sound like it is stretching the truth too much, does it?

***Eat less meat.  Meat is a good source of protein, but there are other great sources for that.  Much more energy is used in the production of meats than in the production of beans or peanuts, both of which are also sources of protein. 

“A shift in society toward plant-based diets would reduce these problems
simply by reducing livestock populations and their demand for land and
other resources. On a per capita basis, the land requirements of
plant-based agricultural economies are only a fraction of those with
high rates of meat production. With fewer animals to feed, it might be
possible to rebuild world grain reserves, ensuring dependable supplies
for direct human consumption in countries facing food scarcity.
Reducing land use by cutting meat production would also be a very
effective way to ensure that wilderness areas are maintained and even
expanded. Wilderness is crucial to providing biological diversity,
climate control, and a store of carbon dioxide.”

So basically…by eating in lower trophic levels, you can save harvest more energy!  Consider this:

So by eating things like grains or vegetables, beans, and such, we are a lot more efficient in that we need less energy to feed more people..

***Use less paper, or at least recycle more of it.  If you look at a profile of many landfills, you will find that paper or paper-products make up the majority of the trash.  According to one study (based off of notes from a class I took), trash consists of approximately:

-39% Paper waste
-17% Yard waste
-12% Rubber, textiles, wood
-9% Metal
-8% Glass
-8% Plastic
-7% Food waste

As a whole, it’d be best if we could also reduce other sorts of waste too…(Food?!)..Oh, another side note about trash–things like BATTERIES, COMPUTERS, & TELEVISIONS cannot be thrown away like ordinary garbage–they contain chemicals that can leak into our ground and contaminate groundwater.

***Then there are the basics like driving less, walking more (good for your health too, for those wanting to lose weight)…turning off unnecessary lights, better insulation (but this could decrease ventilation, so watch out!), carpooling, and such!

Another note: I noticed that when I visited Greece this past winter break, they utilized their roof space by installing solar panels–almost every building in Athens had some solar panels…maybe we should consider something like that…and there were wind power generators on top of the mountains…It could help us with our energy bills for sure by heating or water, or something!  It takes more energy to produce heat then to keep things cool, by the way.
   

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Maybe I should answer the question that I proposed!

Three quirky habits—though I’m sure I could fill pages…it
is so strange studying my own behavior! (Read bold only for summary, haha).

1. So, I loooove statistics (not the class, but rather the data). There’s a website called Last.fm [totally add me if you have it!...or get an account!!!], which tracks the music that a user listens to whenever using music players like iTunes or Windows Media Players. So, I check my own statistics daily, and watch those of my neighbors, and those of my friends! I think I do similar thing with food–comparing labels of similar foods, i.e. different cereals, and such…It’s strange that I love these numbers so much, considering math isn’t my favorite subject and I usually discount statistics, since they are so easily manipulated…
2. I make lists all the time of things that I have to do…usually I construct these on scrap paper (I always cut normal sized paper into 8 pieces and make huge stacks of scrap paper). I found this pretty nifty widget on Yahoo that allows me to do the same. Then, I get REALLY happy when I get to cross things off the list, and especially happy when the whole list looks like this: HOMEWORK, HOMEWORK, LALALA [Okay, so it has been a very long time since I have had EVERYTHING done..More work always miraculously appears..sigh. One day, when it's done, I will do a happy dance..maybe it'll make it's way to YouTube and make me famous! Just kidding. I like being my anonymous self ]. I feel so good crossing everything out, that I almost want to do a happy-dance–which is saying a lot for a person like me who doesn’t dance at all…Sometimes I even write it on my mirror with dry erase markers (works better than soap–no residue!).
3. I like to observe people’s pupils…when they dilate, a lot of times they’re excited or something…just like my cat!  That’s when he attacks or chases me, haha. O_O!

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Oooh! Depends on which type of love–friendship? Romantic? Familial?

Friendship:

• Try to be there for them–listen to them; actually talk WITH them rather than AT them
• Share things that I care about that I hope they would enjoy too (i.e. comics: Pearls Before Swine; music: the Math & Physics Club; etc)
• Try to remember little things, such as birthdays (though Facebook seems to have that covered nowadays)
• Depends per person!

Romantic: (Jason!)

• All the Small Things (Blink 182)…Little surprises here and there, such as hiding notes in his room
• Photoshopping little things for him
• Phone calls!  Though generally he’s the one who wakes me up :3
• Holding his hand (not often though :’(…the bane of long distance..)
• And seeing that he’s one of my best friends, see above!

It’s weird.  I feel like I do a lot more, but I can’t seem to remember at the present.  O_O..Now I feel like I don’t do much. 

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Usually??

Well, it starts with a phone call from Jason. =)  It’s refreshing to hear his voice in the mornings, though I dread waking up.  (And even if I sound half asleep, it’s still nice..)

Homework, of course.  Tons and tons of homework.  But I usually allow myself to enjoy the newspaper/comics and a relaxed breakfast before I hit up the homework, regardless of how heavy–can’t totally let homework invade my life!  There are things in life that deserve to be enjoyed.  ;D.  Then sometimes lounge around a bit before launching myself into my homework.  Lately, it’s been cold, so I can’t seem to roll myself out of my cozy bed. 

Well, I love working to music, so when I do my work, I listen to lot’s of music. =) (www.last.fm/user/mellowmelin).  So, generally I listen to as much music as I do work…I’ll have no hair cells by the time I’m old..oh my!  (There are DANCING ear hairs that help us hear..!).  I LOVE MUSIC!  Interestingly enough, music is part of my name in Chinese! =)

I also update my Xanga/blog [sometimes]/Facebook, and such!  A little social, a lot of work.  I try to get some power naps and sleep, or something.  I also squeeze in time para hacer ejercicios. 

Occasionally I settle in to watch a Duke basketball game during seasons (today’s game was unfortunate).  & then I sometimes call friends I haven’t heard from in a while to do some catching-up.

---

Today was a different day, not the usual.  I cleaned a little and organized music, did some journals for TOK, and in the afternoon went shopping for prom.  I feel bad for spending so much money…one day, I’ll work hard enough to pay back for all that I’ve used, hopefully ;D.  I hope I’m worth it.

I bought a black and white dress, silver shoes, some makeup remover+foundation/sunscreen, and a necklace.  I hope I can look fantastic =) (I’ll post pictures in April, I promise!  Unless I look monstrous..).

---

It’s a tragedy what life has become–in a way.  I used to have extra time before bed to stop.  Think.  Reflect.  I would review my day, evaluate it, and dream of a better world.  Changes–improvements.  But now, I struggle to get that sleep.  It’s to the point where I don’t have time to do that, (now Xanga has replaced that..it’s my way to vent and such, and my journal)–I collapse and fall asleep without much thinking.  But thinking was a hobby.  Even if that sounds nerdy, hey, it’s true.  It seems like something many people forget to do.  It brings a strange sense of inner peace to be able to think.  Sometimes.

Books that have influenced me a lot:

• A Separate Peace-John Knowles
• The Little Prince-Antoine de St. Exupery
• To Kill a Mockingbird-Harper Lee
• 1984-George Orwell
• The Prince-Niccolo Machiavelli (JUST KIDDING)

The first three are among my favorites (also Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings & other Tolkien books, MOST books by Madeleine L’Engle, Artemis Fowl, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and such!  Oh, and a wonderful play to read: Cyrano de Bergerac–I HIGHLY recommend it)…

I’ve rambled enough, time for bed!  Prep for daylight saving..sigh.

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Hmm, depending on how you’d like to use this term, “online dating”.

For a quick and easy answer, I would say no, I have never tried it.  But if you want the whole story, I would say yes:

No, I have not tried some dating website, not that at all.  I think those websites seem a little sketchy–give out some personal information to so many unknowns?  I don’t really know details about it.  But I’m sure it has worked wonders for some people…and been a waste of time for others.  Actually, one of my Spanish reading assignments in the book Perspectivas was about online dating–evidently it isn’t laughable, but a REAL way to meet people.  Personally, I would not like to try this method nonetheless.  It’s sad that society has become so, or that I perceive society as so, but I wouldn’t completely trust people through the internet.  I still trust, and believe that finding genuinely nice people shouldn’t be difficult, but there is always that shadow of doubt..

But rather, I am currently in a long distance relationship (if you consider 560 miles long distance), if you could consider that online dating…

Then some comments on long distance relationships:

• To keep it healthy, I think communication is the most important thing above all.  Communication helps establish trust, which pretty much is the basis of any relationship.  Keep things clear and honest, and that’s the best foundation–even in normal relationships


• Compromises should be made on both ends, as with most relationships. 


• I don’t mind it too much, granted you miss some closeness through physical contact, but this way you can concentrate on some things that are less ephemeral–(trying not to sound cheesy) like spiritual connections


• However, one thing that bothers me is that our social circles don’t really overlap much this way!  Thus, I don’t know any of his friends, and vice versa.  That makes it harder on occasions, i.e. when he came over for homecoming, there was some awkwardness between my friends and him.  Then there is that isolation, since a lot of times I end up running home to (BESIDES HOMEWORK^infinity) talk to him…I don’t really hang out with school friends this way…


• Trips and webcam sure do help =) (and you can find some pretty cheap webcams on ebay amounting to less than 10 dollars, including shipping!)   

Blah blah =)

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• Eat food
• Read the comics
• Eat more food
• Talk to someone
• Read
• Draw
• LISTEN TO MUSIC…usually music that will match my mood, or occasionally music that is more upbeat

It’s hard to say, since most of my days are neither good nor bad..simply mediocre.  I think music and talking helps the most above all.

   

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1. Sticky stuff
2. Eraser crumbs
3. Messy bathrooms/kitchens??

There’s other stuff, but oh well. Those are actually minor ones that do occur day to day. 
How about, also

1. People who fail to use their turning light OR turning it on when they don’t plan to turn (or forgetting to turn it off)…maybe not people, but the habit anyways
2. Parental assumptions.  They always seem to assume the worst for me..
3. Crinkled paper, or wet paper (or paper that was wet and is thus crinkled and ink runs everywhere..)
4. Messed up layouts that result in HTML errors or messages of error in the status bar
5. Red eyes in photos; blurry pictures

I think I’ll work on a complete list when I have time.
   

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