A Million Things Since February...

It's been a really long while since my last post. I've been very busy with school -- apparently March happens to be midterm month. I was writing out pages and pages of endless pages of review sheets for each test, as well as reading up on materials for class. It takes a toll on you after a while, and you find that you're missing hours of sleep and can't write anything because you're so tired and eventually find yourself drooling near your laptop's keyboard. But there has been some progress and high points.

This past weekend, I had the honor of becoming a Grand Representative to Georgia and Oregon in my youth group, the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. I'm so proud of my friend Samantha, who's the new Grand Worthy Advisor of NY. Her mascot is that curious little monkey, Curious George, who's holding a bunch of balloons. "Reach for New Heights" is her theme and her motto, and it's a big challenge this year to step up to the task.

We have new charity and service projects, and many things to be thankful for. One of the surprises I wasn't expecting was that my assembly, W. Mark Sexson #15, actually won the Membership Award and was named "Assembly of the Year"!!!! We brought in five girls since we first started, and we've also helped to initiate two other girls from another assembly. (I have a LOT to memorize, as we're having another initiation of new members into our organization in May.)

It was pretty funny that some high school kids who were there at the same resort for their senior trip thought that we were all taking part in a wedding or a beauty pageant, since we were wearing our white gowns. And I'll never forget when Hannah was awestruck by one of them, a guy with long locks whom she admired from afar and affectionately called "Blondie." He splashed me when he did a cannonball into the pool as I was drying myself. When I told Hannah this, she was just all the more excited, ahahaha. And Jasmine... I can't believe she actually went up to one of the guys and said, "Hey, I think you're cute." To which the boy answered, "Hey, if you wanna chill, I'll be on this floor so come holla at me." LOL. And then she just walked away, thinking, "Uh... NO." And then there was the "Oooga Boooga" ceremony after the banquet-dance... every advisor and Rainbow girl who visits Grand Assembly for the first time must go through it. It wasn't that bad... aside from the fact that I wet my pants, ahhahaha. But anyway...

I'm so glad to have made new friends at Grand Assembly, especially Dawn and Gabby, and to have the opportunity to do my part as a Rainbow girl. I just hope that I can set a good example for other girls, and get them to join in the fun and rewarding experience of helping others be all that they can be. So, here's to hoping. ;)

Grand Assembly wasn't the only highlight in the past three weeks. I went to the MoMA twice this month and saw the Tim Burton exhibit with some friends from high school - Priscilla, Liliana, Amy, and Renee. It was like walking into another dimension, or some kind of time warp as we set foot inside the giant mouth...

It's so amazing and pleasantly kooky to get to know the inner workings of Burton's creativity. For a preview of the exhibition, you can go here and explore the site: http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2009/timburton/

Also, here's a checklist for all the different odds and ends at Tim Burton's art exhibit at the MoMA... I guarantee you'll find something terribly intriguing: http://moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2009/timburton/includes/pdf/checklist.pdf

It was great to reconnect with my old friends. I just wish I had more time with them. And I wish that I could see other people from my high school - Tegan, Arielle, Katie, and Agatha, to name a few. They're some of my closest friends (and in case any of you guys are reading this, I miss you!), and I love our crazy-yet-sane-talks about life and music and books and movies and tv shows and vibrant creativity and.... and... there's too many. I hope that I can see them again sometime soon.

I also reconnected with my teachers and some of my classmates from St. Aloysius, my elementary/junior high school. We've all grown and we've all changed. It was all Kim's idea. I almost didn't go because of the crappy weather that day, but I'm glad that I did. We met up with four of our favorite teachers, and they will always hold a special place in our hearts. We just sat and ate pizza at California Pizza Kitchen in Atlas Park, talking about our favorite memories and about where we were now, and what we hope to do in the future. It was nice, and it was a wonderful time getting to know everyone again. We're hoping that for our 10-year reunion (2010), we could all go to Vegas. I don't know if that'll actually happen, but at this point, who knows? ;)

There's a song called "Let It Go" by Debra Arlyn, and it's such an inspiring piece of music. It gives me hope when I'm feeling confused, frustrated, or insecure. It calms me down. Because the most important task is to focus on the postivity, the things that you've already got, the family and friends who are there to support you no matter what, and the aspirations you hope to achieve in the future. Just take a deep breath and take things day by day, one small step at a time.

"The change in the weather is affecting me deeper this year
It's another reminder that the time is passing by
Am I doing the right things, pursuing the right dreams?
I'll go for a drive
As I take in the scenery, look up at changing leaves
It's then I decide

To let it go
Out the window
Just let it flow
Out of my mind
'Cause I'll never know exactly what's in store
So the best thing for sure
Let it go"

Wanna know another exciting thing that's happened to me? :)

I got to chat with one of my favorite actors, Ethan Peck!

Ethan currently plays Patrick Verona on ABC Family's tv show remake of "10 Things I Hate About You."

You may have seen him in one of my earlier posts, you know - the ones where I've pretty much exalted his hotness factor and thought that he would be absolutely PERFECT to play one of the characters in my novel, should it ever be turned into a major motion picture (I wish, you have no idea how much).

It was a good thing I found out about the live chat on Facebook about an hour before it started, otherwise I would have really missed out!

My burning question was this: "What first drew you to play Patrick? Do you feel that you share anything in common with your character?"

To which he answered (and I love, love, LOVE his answer!), "Patrick drew me because he's such a loner, something I've been for most of my life, and he's searching, deeply searching, for love and meaning, like many of us, but he's very angry too, something I don't have in common with him."

Someone else asked him what his dream role would be...
Ethan Peck: "Right now? Anything good! I like truthful stories that teach good lessons, with depth and soulful complexity."

Another person asked him if there's anything he doesn't like about his character, Patrick Verona...
Ethan Peck: "Lots of things! He's such a jerk! And mean sometimes, too. If I knew him I'd make him tell me about his childhood--it seems most of his problems stem from trust issues that I imagine began with his upbringing. And he's pretty cocky, not an attractive quality, in my opinion."

HA! I kind of drew inspiration for writing Seth's character from Patrick, both from the movie and the tv series. I wanted Seth (one of the main characters in my novel) to be a bit of an a-hole... but a likeable one, hehe. One who has a past and anger issues, but one who can also rise to become the well-loved and redeeming hero of the story, who can bring out the worst and hopefully, the best, in the heroine.

Ethan's such a deep thinker, so thoughtful and introspective, and so focused on his career and honing his skills as an actor. Pretty intriguing guy. ;)

I would absolutely watch any other productions Ethan's part of in the future. So far besides "10 Things I Hate About You," I've seen him in the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie "Passport to Paris." Though, that probably doesn't count because I was like, 12 years old when I saw it. But I will definitely watch his other movies, mostly independent films, which I hear were really good and won some awards.

You can read the entire live chat with Ethan Peck online; just click here.

Well... that's it for now. I realize that this post may be a bit too long, and I apologize if you're having difficulty straining your eyes from staring at the monitor screen for so long. I'll try to update a tad more often, and to write more often. One step at a time, folks, just one step at a time. ;)