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• GETTING MY 50MM LENS! :D <3 :D
• Meeting some very lovely, very friendly people.
• The all-American feel of ordering from the drive thru at Jack-in-the-box.
• Just barely making it home in time for the stroke of midnight deadline.
• Keeping a straight face when you receive the most hilarious, unexpected news ever.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Getting up at 7:30 to work my ass off—again.
• Learning to appreciate the humor in days that become identical to each other.
• Accepting possibilities for the future.
• Having something to look forward to at the end of a hard day.
• Inventing dance routines at 1am.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Getting up at 7:30 to work my ass off.
• Managing not to die of depression when I spend 10 hours working and have very little to show for it.
• Learning to appreciate the value of sacrifice, hard work and dedication regardless of the outcome.
• Never being dehydrated because of the nifty weight-loss secret I’ve picked up over the years: keep a bottle of water within reach instead of food, and you’ll always find yourself drinking water instead of eating.
• Having a day off the records.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Dutch pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. Need I say more?
• Family time.
• Walking on the beach, by the stormy ocean.
• Walking through a neighborhood that overlooks the open—where no house is under 2 million—just to appreciate the view.
• Post-activity afternoon naps.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Sitting down to 3 hours of solid Saturday night study time.
• (And actually having it be productive and fruitful!)
• Feeling “on top of it all” for the first time all week.
• Eating good food I didn’t make.
• The “post-essay” high.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

I’ve had a great deal I’ve wanted to say these last couple weeks, and not nearly enough words or time to say it.

I am not the same person I was when this past summer began. In many ways, my life has changed so drastically I can hardly remember what it was like before. I have said yes to things I hardly would have expected to say yes to, said no to things I would have jumped at a mere three months ago and have made decisions that have unrevokably changed the course my life is taking at this point in time.

About two months ago, I decided that I was going to finish high school.

Now, I’m a bit over the age of someone who is in high school. I’m not going to spell it out, but lets just say I could have been a 2nd year had my life turned out differently—but I am so, so glad it didn’t.

Three years ago, when I started my business, I experienced a paradigm shift unlike any other. Priorities were being refocused. My entire future—at the least the one I was heading to, or the one I had painted in my head—was being rewritten. I was building a residual income, learning invaluable skills, building a career for myself and going through a life experience like no other—all while I was still in high school.

Problem was, I soon realized rather quickly I had a choice to make; school, or my business?

For awhile, I played with the idea of dropping out of high school. I loved the rebelliousness of it, and I loved the challenge it dared not speak, namely, will you be able to make something of yourself without a high school diploma?

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• Very cool teachers.
• The familiar “new books” tingle.
• Chem labs.
• Adult conversation.
• Rest.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Scheduling time for a crack at a social life.
• Being the kid with all the answers in class.
• Running into people who remind me why I’m spending 10 hours a day in school.
• Surviving the ever-tedious 2 hour notetaking and reading in Bio.
• Realizing how much has changed since this very day last year.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Seeing my aunt, and seeing her in such great shape.
• Playing the piano anywhere, anytime.
• Discovering a love for music I didn’t realize I had.
• Coping with stress.
• Kinky hair.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• The sad/hilarious factor of encountering another WhiteSpot waitress who seems to have something against me. WHY MUST Y’ALL HATE ON ME IN MY FAV RESTAURANT. :(
• Friend/family discounts.
• Turning negative questions into positive motivation.
• ZOO STICKS HOW I LOVE THEE. Seriously. LOVE.
• Having something to look forward to.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• SEASON PREMIERE OF DANCING WITH THE STARS. So happy.
• Not letting my splitting headache get in the way of studying.
• Authentic, not-made-by-white-people chai tea.
• Dancing barefoot in my room at 2AM.
• Something to look forward to.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Amaze myself with my ability to literally sit down and study from 10am to 11pm, with 2 hours at the absolute most of combined breaks in between.
• Get to bed before the splitting headache has a chance to manifest itself.
• Being an annoying know-it-all by sharing what I’m learning in biology and chemistry and applying it to everyday life at every opportune moment
• Trying to find the cute little street I stumbled upon last week by myself, but being unable to find it when I bring along people to show it to.
• Critiquing houses and architecture with my dad.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Flowy dresses that blow with the wind.
• Learning songs based off of full piano chords; such a rich sound!
• Singing. A hidden simple pleasure I never knew I really enjoyed.
• Spending the afternoon in bed.
• Maple walnut ice cream in a waffle cone.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• The satisfaction of having all the pieces fall into place, just as I expected them to.
• Resisting the temptation of jumping into the vicious cycle again.
• “Clicking” with certain people; particularly girls (In a platonic way, of course – I don’t usually “click” with girls; I usually don’t relate to them at all).
• Teaching someone else how to play the game.
• Peter Chao, repping for the 604; enough said!

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• The incredibly powerful effect music has on mood and mentality
• Cops and their cop cars
• Walking down a deserted street at night, (softly) singing outloud to my mp3 player and pretending I’m in a music video. You know, crazy people behavior.
• Catching up on my 60 pages of reading and 20 pages of notes. :|
• Knowing I have my favorite recorded TV show waiting for me after I finish my work. It serves as good motivation and a way to get me through the 10 hour days.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• V-classes.
• Chem labs.
• Talking to the best friend.
• After 8 hour work days, spending time to do “me” things
• Vegetarian Shepard’s pie

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• A useless, work-free day
• Getting a phone unlocked for 4 bucks. On eBay!
• Fond memory triggers.
• Making an epic dinner complete with: a roast, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce
• Family dinners on the outdoor patio.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Not collapsing from exhaustion
• Not having my splitting headache turn into a migraine
• Filming a new set of video blogs with Merissa!
• Lasagna and balsamic vinegar brushed sourdough bread
• Me and Merissa’s epic message collaboration on Brandon’s voicemail

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Picking up a (live) chicken. Holding said chicken for a picture.
• Having five little kids chase after me with chickens because my mom told them I was afraid to pick one up and she wanted to make me do it. Quite a sight.
• Avalon Dairy’s open house.
• Yogurt with the fruit on the bottom.
• Chinese night market.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Lugging around 1000+ paged textbooks so I can study and listen to a seminar talk at the same time. I feel so …. student-y. The burden of no free time and constant studying!
• Walking in the dark listening to music. Such a simple experience, but it brings me so much joy and restores my happiness equilibrium.
• Being able to hop across the an international border to have a late dinner in another country and then hop back home.
• FINALLY GETTING MY AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD FROM CHIHUAHUA’S IN AMERICA! This deserves caps and an exclamation point because I have been craving their food since before I got my wisdom teeth out.
• The amazingly satisfactory feeling you get when your sleep deprived body hits the bed for blessed rest.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Lemony caesar salads
• Discovering that I look like something other than that a student again if I just dress the part
• Rediscovering parts of my wardrobe I had long forgotten
• Having dinner with a millionaire many times over.
• Dinner roles.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Taking out The Dialogues of Plato, Volume I from the library (which was sitting next to The Complete Works of Aristotle) and feeling extremely studious and sophisticated. And old.
• The magical feeling of libraries, especially ones that are filled with warm memories from your childhood and associations of exciting, school-filled days of tomorrow.
• The cute Serbian guy who helped me with a phone replacement.
• Running errands in an efficient, productive, orderly manner.
• The motorcyclist we were having a little game / gawking contest with today, and how he did a wheelie to show off. On Kingsway. At 6pm. In evening traffic.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• A well balanced, super packed day.
• The future, and everything it holds.
• Finding something new and exciting to add to my life list of things I want to do.
• Running into an old friend I’ve known all my life but haven’t seen in years.
• Being on set at the filming of Michael Buble’s newest music video, “I haven’t met you yet”—and having it being filmed at our local grocery store. (My first time on set anywhere, let along a music video!)

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• A dentist who makes dentists jokes.
• Having my stitches out.
• That feeling you get when you look at the world with an entirely different outlook and realize how much you love life.
• Being able to smile without feeling like I’m going to rip something in my mouth.
• A good Cesar salad.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Appreciating great screenwriting.
• Sitting myself down and force feeding myself school work if that’s what it takes to reach my goals.
• Having something physically wrong with me that I can revel in, i.e., mouth surgery. No wonder some people never really want to get better.
• Being able to actually chew (soft food) for the first time in a week.
• Zoo sticks, yam fries + chipotle mayo and chocolate shakes.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• When giving up is not an option, having the wisdom to know when and whether to go through, go around, or take a break and try later.
• Accepting the fact that I may not see the sun again until, a) I head south, or b) Spring.
• Having a really good, really deep sleep.
• Surprising myself by how much I’ve changed in the past year, and how far I’ve come in regards to how I respond and react to certain things.
• Appreciating the art of walking away.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

Apparently, no pain.

As you can probably guess, I survived the operation. The most prevalent feelings now? Thank God I’ll never have to go through that again, followed by the close second, WHEN CAN I OPEN MY MOUTH WIDE ENOUGH TO SHOVE MY FACE AND SINK MY TEETH INTO FOOD INSTEAD OF EATING WITH MY TWO FRONT TEETH LIKE A LITTLE PRISSY RABBIT?

The operation itself was long yet not long, considering that I had three wisdom teeth out and four fillings done all in the same sitting. It took about 2.5 hours, and the most painful thing about it was probably the neck pain I had during the ordeal from tensing up everything from my neck up for the entire time.

The extraction of the wisdom teeth took about half as long as I was expecting them to take, which was a very welcomed surprise. My second favorite part was right at the beginning, where they took the scalpel to my gums, which was followed by a crunch crunch crunch that I can only assume was them cutting through my gums and bone.

My favorite part, however, was the very last tooth extraction, which refused to come out—at which point he actually got up from his chair, stood over me with his fingers in my mouth and pulled. (Or at least, I’m pretty sure that’s what he was doing.) It felt straight out of the movies, and all while he was doing that, I was thinking to myself, okay asshole tooth, I want you out NOW. GET OUT. NOW. GO. GET. SCRAM. COME OUT.

I will now provide you with a picture of the three bloody wisdom teeth I got to take home in a bag, just to complete your mental picture:

You’re welcome.

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• Tasty gravy-based sauces.
• The purplish little bruise that is sprawling along my left jawline. I like it – it’s my (temporary) war scar!
• Bumpits.
• Friends that grow with you.
• The power of right decisions.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Realizing I lost 2 pounds since my operation by simply not being able to open my mouth wide enough to shove my face. Clearly, this is one weight loss secret people haven’t tapped into yet.
• Getting the communication ball rolling.
• Surviving my first Physics paper.
• Getting a head start on AP English discussions.
• Devouring my much-craved apricot cheesecake.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Having people at my beck and call.
• Having my meals cooked and mashed up for me.
• Narcotics! Being hyper and motivated to do WORK! at 2am when the drugs are supposed to make you dizzy and tired.
• Picking up new textbooks for the school year.
• Getting invited to AP sciences.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Entering the dentist’s office prepared to only get cavities drilled, but being able to instantly switch mindsets to prepare for four cavities and three wisdom tooth extractions.
• Having an amazing dentist whom I trust.
• Bringing my mp3 playing to the operation.
• Getting to keep my wisdom teeth.
• No pain!!

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.

• Bonding with the brother.
• Being able to actually make the day productive after spending the first four hours of the day in bed, depressed and worried about tomorrow’s mouth surgery.
• Continuing the family tradition of meals at IKEA.
• Cleaning off about 1 pound of eraser dust off my desk.
• Gravy and al dente vegetables.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.