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| You know what's fun? Looking back on my writing and seeing how it's grown and changed over the years.
It's both encouraging and a little depressing. One of my stories that I wrote sophomore year for my advanced studies project in High School, I thought was one of my best stories. I was really proud of it and very happy with it overall for a long time. And now, rereading it, I'm like, "oh, that's a nice story, but it's really filled with lots of empty pretty descriptions, and is told in a frame that really doesn't support the plot, and oh the point of view is not the strongest, and oh it's all just so much info crammed into one big flashback ew..."
Not to say it was a bad story. Just the bar's set a little higher now. Hey look, ASU did teach me stuff! :D
No, as much as I kid, I have learned a lot at ASU. It's a much better school than it gets credit for. But really, it's like Mountain Pointe was--there are a few AMAZING, fantastic teachers, but you have to find them. And you get as much out as you put in; it's easy to cruise, but you can also really get a lot out if you wish (at a very much discount price, too!).
It's also amusing to read my stuff and realize that oh my goodness, I definitely went through that angsty teen phase of writing. You know, those whiny blog posts (...some of which weren't written that long ago...), the terrible emo poetry...
And it's amusing to see other kids in the same phase. And of course you can't say "oh you're just in that phase" because it IS NOT A PHASE IT IS MY SOUL AND HOW I WRITE OMG DONT YOU DARE INSULT IT, but it so is just a phase. (To anyone reading who thinks this paragraph is addressed to them...it probably isn't. <3)
Life is just a phase.
In other news, xanga still sucks.
I only seem to update late at night, and the lucidity of my posts are questionable at best.
ADD brain. SNAP, a new idea. SNAP, a new tangential thought.
I use the word tangential a lot.
Mainly to describe my thoughts.
And shifts in conversations as I try to keep up with my train of thoughts.
Which isn't so much a train as it is a spiral.
Heh. Psychometrics. If you don't know what Psychometrics are, ask Devin Shrawver or Mark Rosenberg. If you don't know either of those kids, that makes me sad.
You can also ask Mr. Scott, if he still remembers.
Oh, I think Gavin Plooster might know as well.
Anyway, spirals--and spiraling back to the original topic at hand--style.
You know what I've grown to really dislike?
That sugary, sticky, overly flowery pretty descriptive prose. And oh man, am I ever so guilty of that.
If you're writing like that, ESPECIALLY for essays and more formal papers, stop. Any good professor will cut you apart for it. (And if you get away with if, shame, SHAME on your professors).
Yes, this train of thought was spurred by a friend whose essay for NMSQT I was helping to edit. Yes, she knows who she is. And no, this is not an assault on her writing--again, reading my own NMSQT essay, I was guilty of making it more flowery than it really shoulda been.
Write honestly. Don't sugarcoat things, please.
And I will try to remember my own advice.
In other news, I miss the MP friends I had gotten back in touch with over the summer and then promptly lost touch with again when school started.
I miss my old friends from my class even more. I didn't even get to SEE Jon Chen or Yuan He or Bhavana Mohanraj or Carissa Guthrie or any of that group of peoples. And Ed Oh (even though he hated me in eigth grade) (that was an inside joke, which is rather ineffective as I don't think he reads xanga/lj anymore. shrug.)
Sigh. People. Moving on. Oh well.
Spiral spiral spiral SNAP. Look it's 2:12 AM! Sleep time.
Spiral spiral spiral SNAP. I have to go buy a book tomorrow. Cripes.
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Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net | | |
| So, obviously I've stopped posting on here regularly.
I haven't blogged regularly in some time. I've been either too busy or too lazy to write regular journal entries lately. Plus, xanga has devolved into a clunky, messy interface that has way too much stuff on it (what the heck is this whole "mini xanga credit" thing anyway?)
I'm starting a new blog at blogspot, if anyone still reads my entries. It'll probably be the easiest way to see whats' new and what's up with me lately. (It'll also be where I'll be posting my writing, for any who are interested in that...)
I'll probably post on here when I update on blogspot--if I remember to, that is. 
anyway, here's the blogspot address:
hiddenrains.blogspot.com
Come read if you'd like. There should be one entry up soon. ;)
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| So, I haven't been on Xanga in a while.
So what is new since last I posted? Weell....let's see...hmm...I've been doing some theatre, and I am going to my classes, and I
sorta-kinda-am-engaged-now-to-the-girl-of-my-dreams.
Oh, what, that last one? You wanna know more about that last one? XD
Basically, LIFE IS AMAZING. Holy cowbells, guys. It's been three weeks, and I've never believed in that whole "love at first sight" garbage, but I mean, it's been just unbelievable. I can't even describe it--it's just been an insane rush. She's the most amazing girl I've ever encountered. We met at a show, funnily enough--I was there alone, seeing the show for a class--she was there with a girl friend. We got to talking, and just had so much in common--she loves kids, loves theatre, and wants to teach middle school. She goes to the Corona singles ward in Tempe and is just-- you all just will HAVE to meet her. I actually just straight up asked for her number after the show--and for those of you who know me, you know that I'm definitely not that kind of guy.
I've been so afraid for these last 3 weeks that it's all just a dream, that it can't possibly be true that someone that amazing would like me so much--I haven't even been able to bring myself to say I'm in a relationship to people, because I didn't know if it's real, but never have I known so strongly before in my life that this is it, this is the moment. She was over at my place today, and I just turned to her, and I told her I loved her (me! use the LOVE word! Heck, half the entries in this online journal are about how I hesitate to claim I'm in LOVE, how LOVE is often just a misunderstood emotion and that lots of times you think you're in love but you're not--but I LOVE THIS GIRL!! AHHH!!)
So I turned to her, and I said that I wouldn't really mind spending my life with you and having a family, and she said, "what, like marriage?" And I said, "yeah, like marriage." and she looked at me, and said, "Yichao, if you propose to me I don't think I'd be able to say no," and before I even knew what the heck I was doing I was down on one knee and I took her hand in my hand and I said, "Jamie, will you marry me, today, April 1st, 2008?"
...and she said yes. ;)
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