Because of the whole crazy medical ordeal and my mother's car accident recently (she got rear-ended on her way to visit me at the hospital one night and her spinal cord's unfortunately a bit out of alignment as a result), our family's been feeling a lot of financial strain lately. As a coping strategy, since I can't work at my part-time job anymore, I've been applying for scholarships like crazy during this winter break. As long as they allow international students and I qualify otherwise, I'm pretty much entering.
One of the scholarships I've entered is the Brickfish "Show Us a Smile campaign". Basically, you submit an original photo of you (or a friend) smiling and hope that you're ranked high enough or popular enough to win. Normally, I avoid these type of things like the plague, as self-promotion makes me uncomfortable, but since I'm not exactly in the best situation right now, I'll swallow my pride for the sake of possibly easing a bit of our monetary troubles. This is where you all may be able to help, if you wish. My photo can be seen and voted for here. Contest goes from tonight until February 12, 2008, and you're allowed to vote once every 24 hours, so there'll be plenty of time for you to visit if you can't now. Thanks in advance; it's much appreciated!
I'm letting you go with the small hope that you'll eventually find your way back, but the knowledge and wisdom to understand that chances are...you won't. You will probably get yourself together and be amazing for the next girl, but it won't be me. I could've waited longer, I could've been more patient. I could have, but I won't. It's not right. I think we both wish it is and could be, but it was time to call it in.
I'm letting you go so we can both be free.
If you ever need me, you know how to reach me, but for now, it's better to say goodbye.
Pre-ripped jeans is one of the stupidest trends of today. If I wanted to wear jeans full of tears and holes, I could just stick with old ones rather than lay down $30+.
Also dumb? Ultra-low hip jeans. Thanks, but I would rather not have my ass crack showing when/if I need to sit down/get up. It's bad enough when I'm subjected to it by others.
Oh, and while I was out attempting to update my wardrobe, a kid that couldn't have been more than 12 blatantly checked me out and waggled his eyebrows at me. Ew.
Yes, I'm grumpy today.
While my sister and I basically have a non-relationship, my cousins and I get along like actual siblings. Since last year, I've had to start driving the youngest to Chinese School on Saturdays, which means that she stays over at our place on Friday nights. This makes for a lot of amusing banter whenever I get home (consisting of teasing snark on my part and dorkiness on hers) .
Snippets of conversations from tonight include...
Joyce: I should stop watching Scrubs. It makes me weird.
Me: Oh honey, I don't think you need any help.
Joyce [singing the song from West Side Story]: I feel pretty, oh so pretty...I feel pretty and witty and gay...
Me: Let's alert the lesbian community!
[ After winning a game of Literati, Joyce starts doing something awkwardly reminiscent of the chicken dance. ]
Me [deadpan]: Please stop doing that, or I will record it and put it on YouTube.
How have people mispronounced your name? How is it supposed to sound?
Submitted by Lorie.
The many ways people have mispronounced my name include:
- Ee-lee-ah
- Ee-ley-ah
- Eh-lee-ah
- Ah-lee-ah
- El-lee-ah
- Allie
- Elliot
- Ali
- Eli
"Ellie." (El-lee)
I like my name, but sometimes the "weird spelling" just makes it way too easy to butcher.
For ways that people have misspelled my name, feel free to reference the Flickr set.
My cousin is a Computer Science major, although he minors in Music.
Turning up his nose at web 2.0
D: i signed up for a decal (informal class of sorts)
D: the "class" is on making "web 2.0" software on ajax and ruby
D: which would involve me learning ajax and ruby
On hobbies
[ I just caught him reading up on Jay-Z, the rapper. ]
D: I've been reading Wikipedia for fun these days.
Me: Dude. That's sad.
Semi-random
D: my roommate is learning java
D: its a sad thing when i have to teach a grown man object orientation
The very first career path I ever wanted was to be a writer. The type of writer changed as I got older — it went from author of children's books to teen novels — but I knew with complete certainty, from grade three to eight, that that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
In that time, I used to construct elaborate plots and feverishly type them out on the computer. Only a few stories were ever finished, however, because as clearly as I could picture the beginning and the ending, the middle always proved to be difficult to work out. Eventually, I figured out that I was simply not very good at fiction.
I don't recall exactly when I began writing poetry, but it's funny how much of it I've penned over the years versus how little of it I read. Sure, I've gone through the classics in school, but in my spare time, I've perused poetry on only a few occasions.
When I began high school, I no longer felt that writing was a viable form of employment. I still enjoyed it — or, enjoy it, as I should say — but I was no longer sure I had enough skill to try making a living out of it. However, a secret desire to someday publish a book of poetry resided and lives on even now.
Earlier, I received an e-mail from a visitor commenting on one of my poems. It meant more to me than any compliment I've received on my designs (which is not to say that I don't appreciate those, because I really do as well) and I thought, If I wanted to be honest with myself, this is the path I would choose. To touch people with my works.
Which, perhaps partly explains my love of writing, singing, and photography.
Show us the best picture you took in 2006.
Submitted by Captured Moments.
I don't know if this is *the* best picture I took last year, but it's definitely one of my absolute favorites. A few other shots I really like include:
I only began listening to The Blow recently and have become enamored by this song of theirs in particular.
"If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you and I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors, why would I mind?
All of the babies they can feel the world;
That's why they cry.
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses.
There's plenty space to encase whatever weird way my mind goes,
I know I'll be safe in these arms."
Too bad when it was playing in the car yesterday, a certain someone felt the need to pick apart the lyrics. "Wait, but if they're parentheses, there has to be something in between…” A short pause later: “I know! Numbers!”
I looked back at him in disbelief.
“…number of posts in a category, number of children, number of dates…number of…"
They may be a pair of parentheses. We however, are probably a pair of dorks.
