So, amist all the emo-ness going on at Buzznet, why not think some happy thoughts? Besides, I figure this is a good time to make this list because I got a snow day. (Finally!) It’s the usual routine: list then tag.

1. When I was a baby, my uncle took me to the Chinese supermarket, without a car seat. He wanted to show me to his friends who worked there. However, he didn't tell anyone he had taken me, so my family was a bit puzzled as to where I had gone.

2. During Chinese New Year, he would find creative ways to give us presents. He found numerous ways to give us money. Once, he handed me an orange, and as I peeled and opened it, I found rolled up money in the middle. There were no signs of damage to the orange at all.. Another time, he gave us all perfectly normal looking fortune cookies which contained money as well. But the most impressive, was probably when he found a way to put money in these little party favors, (the ones that explode confetti when you open them). How he managed to put money into that, while still enabling it to explode when we opened it, I will never know.

3. He had the same car for at least 20 years. Although he had the money to buy a new one, he always put that money toward cars for his children. It was a rickety, old car, but he loved it.

4. He taught evey kid in our family how to drive, (in the old car mentioned above). Except for me, since I am too young.

5. Even when he was terribly sick, (a few weeks before he went to the hospital), he still fried turkeys for Thanksgiving. We tired to convince him not to, since he was weak, but he wouldn't listen. He gave them to a bunch of family friends.

6. When I was young, he would go down bumpy roads really fast because I loved having "bumpy rides" in his car.

7. If you were with my uncle, you would never go hungry. He would often have food waiting for you when you came home from school, and he would cook something for all of the kids every Tuesday and they would go to his house. (His curry is iconic.)

8. He would always dress rather shaggily. Even when he had nice expensive clothes, he would choose not to wear them. Everyone one says I do the same thing.

9. When I was younger, every time he called my house, he would ask, "Where's the poopie head?" refering to my father. I always got a good giggle out of that. Then he would ask, "Was he nice to you today? Because, if not, I will kick him to the moon!" (My father has always been good to me, but my uncle just liked to say these things jokingly.)

10. He would always take me traveling. If it wasn't for my uncle I may have never been outside of my state.

11. He would always help me out. No matter what.

P.S. - Sorry I have not been on lately to comment or anything. I doubt I will be on very often for the next couple of weeks. I have exams, and all this funeral stuff.

Here's what I copied and pasted from her:

I talked with ilovecris about when we start to love a special band and how my music taste grew up from children's songs to rock music.
I thought it would be fun to write a music curriculum vitae.

• 1. Tell us in 10 steps your music life story
• 2. You tag 10 people.
• 3. You CANNOT tag someone who has already been tagged.
• 4. You have to let the people you tagged know that they've been tagged.

1. (1997) The first songs I ever learned how to sing were these Chinese songs that my family taught me. Perhaps the most memorable, would be one where a mouse calls for Grandmother and she comes to hit him with a bromstick. Not exactly what you would consider a happy child's song, but everyone seemed to find it very cute and adorable for me to sing it. As years passed, I felt worse and worse for that mouse.

2. (1998) When I was little, my parents always used to rent these Chines soap-operas, and I loved all of them. (In fact, those movies are probably the only reason I can speak Cantonese.) I would always learn how to sing the opening theme songs. One of them was an extremely long song that involved complex metaphors and diffcult words; yet at the age of four or five I was able to recite the song perfectly. I had no idea what I was saying, but I sounded like I did! I can acutally still remember most of it today.

3. (1999?) I can't believe I am admitting this, but my first favorite song was "I Don't Want to Wait" by Paula Cole. (I didn't know who sang that until a few minutes ago when I googled it.) Give me a break, I was young and at the time I loved that song so much, (but I still don't know why). The first time I heard it on the radio, I imediately began singing it over and over again, (with the wrong words, of course). This song was most famous for being the theme song for the show "Dawson's Creek", (but that wasn't why I liked it, in fact, I've never even watched it).

4. (2000-2003) This is by far the worst phase of my musical taste. It was the era of bubblegum pop and I will admit that I was sucked into this "phenomenon". My mom bought me my first CD's and they happened to be Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. (She says that I asked her for them, but to this day, I swear that she got them for me out of the blue; but then again, I could be subconciously blocking it out.) In my defense, even then, I liked Christina Aguilera more. I guess that was a wise choice considering where Britney Spears is now. It was quite an odd time, because I recall being seven years old and talking to my friends about how we knew that Britney Spears had fake breasts. Yes, indeed this was an anomaly.

5. (2004) The first time my dad played me a Beatles song, I was maybe four years old. I distinctly remmber dancing to my favorite tracks, however, for a few years, this classic band was eclisped by the popular pop of the time. It wasn't until I was about ten that I really began to listen to The Beatles consistently. Each song was, (and still is), a gem. I remember memorizing pretty much every song on my dad's CD and asking for more of their albums. I even read John Lennon's biography and began liking Paul McCartney's more recent work.

6. (2005) This is probably the turning point in my music taste. It was when I stopped listening to just what my friends liked, and I listened to more alternative rock. The band that inspired all of this was Green Day. I have since gotten more into their earlier work and I even read their biography. Although, I like various other bands, Green Day will always be in my top two. I can't wait for the new album!

7. (2006) This was the year of the My Chemical Romance domination. It started with The Black Parade, (which I will admit I only bought because it was on sale), and I soon got the two previous albums as well. I probably know MCR's music better than any other band even though I haven't been an avid participater in the communities or forums lately, (but then again, they have only put out three albums, while a band like Green Day, with nine albums, may be a little harder to know everything about).

8. (2007 - a few months) The Raconteurs are, simply put, a supergroup. Although my interest in them faded after a short time, I still hope that they will come out with a new album. Unfortunetly, they haven't put out much material yet, so there wasn't much for me to dwell on.

9. (2007 - a few months) I have to admit that the tremendous hype of the Arctic Monkeys contributed to my interest at first. Of course, once I heard their music, I realized that the hype was well deserved. Their lyrics are witty and each time I hear a song, I catch another funny little observation that seems to have tremendous truth to it.

10. (2007 - present day) I am just begining to get into Rise Against. I think that they have a strong and clear point of view and that they convey it while still putting out great music. The lyrics are genius and every song gets me pumped up and wide awake. Even if I am half asleep, if I hear a Rise Against song, I will feel like jumping up and singing along at the top of my lungs. Lately, whenever I eat meat, I think, "Rise Against would not approve of this."

You'll always have celeb crushes!

Remember the "8 random things about me" thing? It's basically the same thing

1. You post your top 10 fantasy guys/girls
2. You tag 10 people.
3. You CANNOT tag someone who has already been tagged.
4. You have to let the people you tagged know that they've been tagged.
5. These are the rules they must be repeated every time.
6. THERE MUST BE PHOTOS! AT ALL TIMES! 

Okay, so here's the thing, I don't really have any celebrity crushes. Some of them may be handsome, but I don't necessarily like them. So, instead I have decided to make a list that consists of celebrities who I think are talented, interesting, or nice people in general. For that reason, some of my people may seem a little wierd. This took me a while since it's not something I have really thought about before; I had the hardest time getting ten people. But anyways, here it goes:

10. All of you Law and Order: Special Victims Unit fans will recognize Detective Elliot Stabler, (played by Christopher Meloni). I like the character, not the actor. The uncontrolable rage Stabler has when dealing with criminals is dramatic and definetly keeps my attention.

9. Ilan Hall, (winner of Top Chef), was definetly one of my favorite people on the show. He was always a great cook and most importantly, he told Marcel, (the resident villan of the show), that he didn't deserve to have legs! (That may be the best insult ever!)

8. Chris Garver from Miami Ink is such an amazing artist. Each time I watch the show I am in awe of the pieces that he can come up with, and he is extremely versitile. He can do anything from portraits to Japanese style art. Most importantly, he seems very laid back and nice on the show. Garver always helps friends out and cracks jokes.

7. Lloyd Dobbler......boom box. Need I say more? This is another instance where I like the character more than the actor, (no offense to John Cusack). When I first saw the movie, the character came across as a genuinely sweet and kind person.

6. Conan O'Brien is just a really funny guy. He is random.......so I guess we have something in common! His odd ball sense of humor appeals to me and he is a great interviewer. Out of all the late night talk shows, he is definetly my favorite.

5. Anderson Cooper has led a truly facinating life. He seems to have real integrity and I admire the fact that he never used his mother's power or wealth to get where he is now. He is my second favorite newscaster next to Wolf Blizter, (but only because WOLF IS THE BEST NAME EVER!!!)

4. Besides the fact that I love Rise Against's music, I think Tim Mcilrath has a real message to convey to all of his fans. He is socially, politically, and environmentally aware......something you don't see too often these days.....especially in celebrities. Not to mention, he has an extremely versitle voice.

3. Yet another example where I like the character more than the actor. John Krasinki plays Jim Halpert as a funny and nice average guy. His elaborate pranks on Dwight are hilarious and the only thing left to say is.........JIM AND PAM SHOULD BE TOGETHER ALREADY!

2. Ryan Gosling is probably the only person on this list who would make much sense for a thirteen year old girl. His movies are always great and he has the ability to play both comedys and dramas brilliantly. He certainly has a promising future ahead of him, (I mean he already got nominated for an Oscar). Besides, he took his mom and sister to the Oscars. Yay for being loyal to the family!

1. Alright, I will probably seem like a tennie after this, but if I didn't put Bob as number one then I would be lying. Great drummer, nice guy, and funny. Oh, and he could probably beat you up! That's important too! ( But don't worry, he won't do that. He's too nice....well, as long as you don't have a camera! That's fine though, I don't like getting my picture taken either.)

Pretty wierd list, huh?

1. Only list 8 facts.

2. You must then list 8 TAGS at the end of the post. This means you must name 8 people on Buzznet who now must do the same blog.

3. Go comment on their profile and tell them to come read yours!

1. Contrary to what my profile says, I am 13 years old, not 14. (For some reason, buzznet doesn't have the year I was born so I picked the closest one.)

2. I am allergic to a wide array of things; however none of those things are truly hazardous to me. My allergies include: all pollen, all pet dander, dust, cherries, kiwi, water chesnuts, peaches, pears, apples, and all soy products.  

3. In my opinion, orange juice is no good without extra, extra, extra pulp.

4. I don't remember the last time I wore a skirt.

5. My dad thinks I am a good luck charm because when I was born, numerous good things happened.

6. I watch cooking shows a lot even though I can't cook. (But if you talk to me, I may sound like I can cook.)

7. I am a perfectionist, which is not a good thing. This is because, when I begin a project I am so obsessed with making it just right that I will not sleep or eat until I am finished.

8. When I was little, I had very big eyes. However, as I got older they seemed to get smaller, (which I am not happy about). I have come to the conclusion that my eyes either shrunk, or my head grew larger and my eyes stayed the same size.

When the Red Flags Come

By: Hiddentrack

Jing-Mei groaned as she tried to sit up; her bones felt frail and her entire body was intensely sore.

            “It’s okay, stay laying down,” instructed a faint voice, “you need your rest.” Somehow Jing-Mei gathered enough strength to turn her head. In a dark secluded corner squatted Mother. The large cut on the side of her face marred her porcelain skin and her left leg was completely engulfed by a dark purple bruise.

            “Mom!” she yelped, attempting again to get up, but her body wouldn’t allow it. Within seconds her knees buckled underneath her and she collapsed onto the cold, filthy floor. Mother quickly rushed to her side; as she walked over a pained expression consumed her face. Regardless, she got to Jing-Mei and began trying to comfort her young daughter.

            “Where are we?” Jing-Mei questioned with urgency.

            “You don’t remember?” Mother asked curiously.

            “Remember what? Why am I so sore and what happened to your face and leg?” She began to get frustrated, Jing-Mei wasn’t comfortable being so unaware of her own environment.

           “I’m afraid their brutal beatings may have affected your memory.” Whispered Mother with a face steeped in concern. “Yesterday night at around four A.M., the Communists assailed our house. They immediately shot your father in the head and when you came rushing into his room, they grabbed you. You struggled with them and fought with true diligence but it was useless. It was three large men against one young girl!” Mother spoke with her back turned to Jing-Mei, she did not want her daughter to see her so weak in a time of such urgency. Jing-Mei was stunned, she had heard of wealthy families who owned land, such as her own, that were imprisoned by Communists and killed. But she had never imagined that one day she would be the one in the dark, dingy cell.

            “What about Sheng-Wu? She asked anxiously.

            “They took your brother also. But he is in another prison. By now…,” Mother struggled to get the words out, she began to get choked up, “by now he could be dead.” They sat huddled together in the cell in utter silence. Both Mother and daughter’s eyes were blood shot and puffy from sleep deprivation but mostly from the constant stream of tears that ran down their cheeks. Suddenly, Jing-Mei’s fingers began feeling wet. She slowly lifted her hand up to see what substance her hand had become drenched in. At first it was hard to see, the cell had no windows and barely any light was able to penetrate the hard concrete walls. However, there was a small crack in the wall’s cement and Jing-Mei cautiously held her hand up to the meager ray of light. What she saw terrorized her; she jumped back in shock and let out a yelp. Mother quickly covered Jing-Mei’s mouth and stifled her deafening scream.

            “We must not attract the guard’s attention. If they think something is going on, we will pay the consequences.” Jing-Mei’s eyes were consumed with fear; she lifted a shaky hand for Mother to see. It was covered in bright red blood. Mother hastily grabbed her hand and wiped it on the floor. She held Jing-Mei’s hand close to her heart and stroked her daughter’s hair in a futile attempt to sooth her. Finally, Jing-Mei calmed down and Mother’s hand uncovered her mouth.

            “Where did the blood come from?” Jing-Mei asked, obviously still shaken from the gruesome discovery. Mother motioned toward the cell next to their own. In a dark corner, a young girl’s body lay lifelessly. Blood was streaming from both of her wrists and she grasped a small piece of glass in her bloody hand. She looked no older than nineteen or twenty years old and her face had a strange sense of peace. Jing-Mei now understood that the poor girl’s blood had leaked into their cell and covered her hand. “Why did she do it?” she whispered quite breathlessly.

            “She committed suicide,” Mother said with dull eyes, “the poor thing was probably so traumatized by all of the beatings and tormenting that she decided life wasn’t worth living.” Jing-Mei’s eyes were fixed on the girl’s face; she had never imagined that someone who had taken their own life would look so serene. Neither of them could tell whether the girl was dead yet. But they both decided not to alert the guards. She seemed so relieved and relaxed; there was no reason to bring her back to a life of brutal torture and misery. She was better off dead. Both Mother and daughter prayed for the agonized soul to have a safe passage to heaven. However, their prayers were abruptly interrupted when a burly guard stomped into their cell.

            “Sign this.” He commanded gruffly as he hurled a bundle of papers at Mother. She glanced at the papers and began skimming the important sections. The document gave the Communists all of the family’s land and possessions. Suddenly, the guard slapped her across the face; the large cut on her cheek began to sting. “I told you to sign it not to read it, you whore!” Jing-Mei cringed as he hit Mother; she wanted to lunge at him and defend her but something inside her said that that would not be a wise course of action.

            “I will not sign this!” Mother exclaimed with fury.

            “Your husband was a coward. He killed himself because he was afraid of what we might do to him. Because of his spineless suicide you are the only one who can sign all of your property over to us.” The guard declared this with great arrogance and he clearly had the intent to wound their dignity; one of the only things they had left.

            “You liar!” Mother screamed ferociously. “You know he didn’t kill himself. You people shot him in the head; he was honorable and courageous. How dare you smear his name? I will never give you pigs all that he had worked so hard for!” She hurled herself at him and began beating him with rage. This was a futile effort considering the man was more than twice Mother’s size. With a mighty swing of his fist, the guard punched Mother in the stomach. She flew to the other side of the cell and blood began spewing from her mouth. Jing-Mei could no longer tolerate this, despite better judgment, she too threw herself at the guard in a vain attempt to make him pay for all that he had done. He had to be punished for hurting Mother, and insulting her father, and ruining her perfect life. Soon another guard rushed to her side. One man pried Jing-Mei off of the guard and the other seized Mother.

            “If we have to torture you for one hundred hours to make you sign the papers, it will be done,” hollered the guard as he began to take Mother away. “As for the small one, make sure she has no money on her. Don’t believe her if she claims to have none; just continue to beat her until she tells the truth.” Mother and daughter desperately clung onto each other; they struggled to get the out of the guards’ crushing grip.

            “Mother! Mother!” Jing-Mei cried in desperation as her eyes flooded with tears; she clung onto her mother’s had firmly. But it was pointless; the two were painfully pried apart.

Suddenly, Jing-Mei woke up, gasping for breath. She was lying in her comfortable bed and not one scratch marred her body. “It was a dream.” She said as a sigh of relief escaped her mouth. She turned her head to see that her clock read four A.M. In her dream, this was the time Mother said the Communists had bombarded their house. She quickly got out of bed and ran to her parent’s bedroom, but before she got there she heard a gun shot. As the bullet pierced her father’s head her mother unleashed a terrifying screech. A dull “thud” was produced as his lifeless body fell to the ground.   

Please leave comments as to what I could improve on, what needs to be changed, or any other reccomendations. I would appreciate some feed back. Thank you.