I’m already a junior.

It’s both exciting and overwhelming at the same time.

Bombarded by daily quizzes, tests, and homework.

Yet…

I feel as though I need to make myself busier.

So busy that I won’t have time to complain.

People say that time flies during junior year…

I wonder just how fast this year will go

FOR ME.

Now…

Let me just…

take a deep breath

&

relax.

Now, there is exactly 4 more days left of sophomore year and to be completely honest, I regret not getting a “heads-up” from my upperclassmen about how excruciatingly painful sophomore year would be. Who am I kidding? As a sophomore, this year was definitely not all about fun and games… But if I managed to get through it, all of you can too! But here are some tips that will hopefully save you some trouble, all of you upcoming freshmen!

1. Don’t rely on Facebook for Mr. Joo’s chemistry class. This will hurt you when you take the chapter exams.

2. Actually READ the novels assigned to you during English class.

3. If you think you can get away with just “BS“ing in Asian Studies class, think twice.

4. Study for AP BIO at least an hour everyday starting from the first day of school.  (Trust me, this will help you in the long run.) Your grade in class will not guarantee your AP Exam score! So for all those A students, don’t slack off!

5. Enjoy you last year of P.E.!

6. Studying for the Algebra II test for two hours the day before is not the wisest thing to do.

7. Chinese II isn’t that bad, as long as you actually study for the quizzes. Last minute cramming for the Chinese finals….yeah…let’s avoid that.

8. Most importantly, don’t complain in front of the juniors! You don’t know how easy you have it!

Now, for all those pessimists out there! Remember to try to look on the bright side of things, and if you can’t seem to think of any, let me be of some help. At least your not a junior next year! ☠

COMING SOON!

Now, one of the frequent questions that I get about my blog is, “Why Monilicious?”

…

What does it mean to be monilicious? Does the word even exist? For the few of you that might have looked up this word in the dictionary, it is not there. This word was made by me.

Now, the story goes back to my freshmen year, a year when high school felt uncomfortable and awkward. I was actually one of those people who felt an immense change occur as I graduated from eighth grade and went onto ninth. By then, I had plenty of nicknames starting from Moni to mocharoll. Then, I came up with “monilicious” being inspired from Fergie’s Fergalicious. For the first time, I felt that this word truly described my personality in a creative yet playful way. I fell in love with the word and have even decided to make it my blog title.

Being monilicious means just being myself in addition to being satisfied with who I am and what I am capable of doing. The word emphasizes the many traits that have built the “Monica” that you see today. It could mean being a perfectionist, a workaholic, a dancaholic, a crazy person who has an obsession with polka dots, is random and fun at times, yet serious when it comes down to work, does things her own peculiar way, a creative artist, and much more. With this one word, it instantly describes all of these characteristics thus, defining who I really am and what my likes and dislikes are. Having all this in mind, this blog is thus titled “Monilicious” for a reason. This blog has no major theme for it is full of my random rants about my life and thoughts. Just like when I came up with the word ‘monilicious,’ many of the blog posts that you see here are also instant bursts of random thoughts and inspirations. My blog is random because I am random and that makes me Monilicious.

With this in mind, I have to give my friends some credit for this word because it all began with their lovely nicknames for me. Actually, at times, I believe that my friends are more aware of how I act on a daily basis, seeing how they come in contact with me everyday at school. Therefore, refer to Megan’s blog post for more traits that make me “monilicious.”

Dynamite, bombs, explosives — these are not the only factors that can detonate. One, two, three….BOOM! As you can see, there is yet another dangerous ticking device ready to burst at any moment: my brain. During this year, I’ve come to realize where my limits are when it comes to managing school work, tests, quizzes, exams, APs, SAT II, sports, clubs, student life, and this list could go on and on…

As a sophomore, there were times when I doubted myself. During the beginning, I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to survive what seemed like a extensive leap from freshmen year. As time slowly progressed, I bumped into many obstacles: lack of sleep, the piles of homework, projects, quizzes, and tests just waiting for me everyday, and my brain, which would always try to steer me to my comfy-looking, warm bed. At one point of the year, I literally got back from school and locked myself in my room, spending nearly 13 hours preparing for tomorrow’s schedule. How fun does that sound?

With this chaotic schedule of mine, some days were an absolute nightmare that still bring chills down my spine when I recall it. At that time, my brain was on the brink of malfunctioning and shutting itself down due to the excess amount of information that was trying to be stuffed in. These were some days where my friends and peers had to look out for me, as a I was short-tempered and oversensitive. Let me just tell you:

ff

two hours of sleep + school ≠ ❀

two hours of sleep + school = ☠

f

This year helped me to become aware of where my limits stand; how well I can manage schoolwork with sports and most importantly, some fun. Last year, I could barely pull on all-nighters and now, here I am a noted master at spending the night on homework. The year of 2009 has brought me some memories that I yearn to cherish and to dispose of. However, whatever the incident may have been, to a certain extent, I have learned to reflect from my mistakes, thus bringing me a step closer to becoming a more organized, model student.

I pushed myself this year and to my surprise, where I believed my limits to stand no longer exist. I have changed, and yet again I am amazed at how much I can actually handle. In spite of this, I want all those to notice that I am a human and merely a sophomore student in high school, not a robot that is flawless and can carry out every action to the perfection. Similarly to robots, humans can also reach a point when their minds “blow-up” from stress. So, look out!

*Note: Read more about dreaded schoolwork and its connection to procrastination in Eungi’s blog.

d

Photo from Flickr

Most of you are probably wondering what my title is referring to. Five more days until school is over? Until my next exam? The deadline for a project? The SAT or maybe even the AP Biology Exam? Just five more days until what?

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Don’t know?

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Actually..it’s my birthday in five days.

Yes, my 16th birthday.

My

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SWEET SIXTEEN.

However, this year, I know that my

sweet sixteen will not be worth looking forward to…

“WHY?”

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Let’s just say:

SAT II.

On May 2nd, the day after my birthday, I have my SAT II Biology to take. Now, some of you are probably thinking that’s not too bad, but you don’t know how it is until you experience it yourself. I have to say that nearly all my life, my birthday was long forgotten by my friends. When I was in California, STAR testing (a mandatory test that all elementary students were required to take, similar to the PSAT) took place during my birthday. In Korea, mid-term exams always managed to include my birthday. And now, at KIS, SAT II happens to fall on my birthday and next year…I dread to accept reality…but, my birthday is on one of the few SAT I dates.

Well, at least I know what I’m going to be doing on my sweet sixteen:

studying with a cup of Starbucks.

Now…

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some of my friends want a Chanel bag on their sweet sixteen,

some want a new digital camera,

and some want a new iPod,

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they all want presents.

But, you know what I want?

What can a girl like me expect?

Simple.

Just anyone to remember my birthday.

To say the two words:

“Happy Birthday!”

No presents, no cards, absolutely NOTHING…

a mere “happy birthday” will do.

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So,

Happy birthday to me!

April 11th was our school’s first annual KISitval!!! For all those poor souls who missed this awesome event, I have decided to write a post and put up pictures! Before we move on, I have to give credits to the NHS (National Honor Society) committee for arranging the KIStival. I happen to be a NHS member as well and I know the endless amount of work and effort that was put in to make this event happen. While I was in charge of designing and producing the tickets, other members were in charge of either game booths, food booths, the lighting, the arrangement, the decorations, fundraisers, donation drives, or most importantly, advertisement. Everyone played their part in this major project and with that KIStival had a favorable outcome. Once again, good work everyone and let’s make an even more successful KIStival next year! So…

3

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2

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1

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LET’S GO!

part one. a mix of chaos & fun☺

K I S T I V A L

There were all kinds of tickets:

The entrance ticket, the raffle ticket, and the game tickets

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There were booths.

Many booths.

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There was food.

&

the best ice-cream sundaes.

Y.U.M.!

There were even dogs!

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And of course, there was our beloved school mascot:

Philbert the Phoenix.

fff

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part two. loud, loud, and LOUDER! ☝

t.a.l.e.n.t. s.h.o.w.

consisted of:

1. Dancing

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2. Both the junior

&

sophomore bands.

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OOPS!

Let’s not forget

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the one-baby band.

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part three. sugar, spice, and everything nice❀

❁✿❀OnStyle Fashion Show❁✿❀

f a n t a s t i c  j o b  e v e r y o n e ! ✌

So our school’s dance club had our annual dance showcase! I have been in dance club since freshmen year and although we have fabulous showcases each year, this year’s was more special because it was the last dance showcase for Kelsey P. and Carrie K., the president and vice-president of our dance club. According to them, not even a second spent dancing was worthless and I know for a fact that all of our dancers appreciate all of their hard work choreographing and teaching us dances. Thank you once again! I have to admit that there were a lot of struggles, especially concerning some of the underclassmen, but we managed to pull off a fantastic show! As upcoming juniors, I know that I will be even more dedicated to dancing next year and keep this club going! So, below are just some pictures of how the showcase went!

Enjoy!

April 10th @ 7pm Showcase ‘09
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You can’t believe how many times I’ve heard the word “crazy.”

Crazy for that A, or in some cases, A+.

Crazy for dance. Crazy for praise.

Crazy for perfection.

sss

Now, don’t look at me like that.

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Fine.

I’ll admit it.

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I’m a perfectionist.

But is wrong to be a perfectionist? When it comes to grades, dancing, singing, or projects, I can’t be satisfied with myself until it is what I consider to be “perfect.” Surely, it is like my natural instinct to try my best in everything I do. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I am the best in everything, I just try really, really hard. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that other people don’t try, it’s just that I give everything my 110%. I have to be prepared, or more like, overly prepared. Some people say that this is one of my strong points, however, I think the opposite. Being a perfectionist is tiring both mentally and physically. When one spends an hour to write an essay, I spend three (writing it, proofreading it, proofreading it a second time, a third time, a fourth time…well, you get the idea, right?). Just ask any of my friends, none of them will say that I am naturally smart. What they will say is that I make a tremendous effort in everything I do, always being committed. They know for a fact that I spend most of my lunch time studying for that upcoming quiz, test, or presentation. Now, it isn’t even unusual for me to miss lunch! My friends know that on days like this I’m either at the library, art room, or dance room. This is how I am, always striving to give everything my all, even if the results may not be perfect each time.

But you know what? No one is perfect, absolutely no one. Everyone has their own flaws and weaknesses, which make them even more beautiful. I have no hard time admitting that I am not perfect and I can never be. Some people may have high expectations for me, like where I might get into college, or my career. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself, in fact, I don’t even know what I want to be. Right now, I just want to focus on my current studies, making memories with my friends, and just having a good time this very moment. I don’t want to regret not trying hard for an assignment, but I also don’t want to regret not making any memorable memories of my high school life.

To perfectionists, life can feel short, since there is so much to do in so little time. But, I guess I’m not a 100% perfectionist. Life is boring if you have to be perfect. I feel that life is long, or at least long enough for me to enjoy it and spread my wings.

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So, watch out world, here comes the imperfect perfectionist!

Last week was every student’s long awaited reward and salvation:

SPRING BREAK!

dddd

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Oh, I’m sorry. It was more like…

sigh..

Spring break.

As you can see, just because it was “break” doesn’t necessarily mean that the students at my school would be on one. In the many minds of many KISers (a term that I use to describe the students of Korea International School) having break automatically means attending endless hours of *hagwons and tutoring. Talk about being Asian..so will we ever get a TRUE break from school?

*hagwons: A place where students go to have after school academic lessons with other students. It is similar to group tutoring.

Fortunately, I do not have one of those typical Asian moms that send their children to these hagwons for a majority of the day. Seriously, I heard that some classes start at 7 A.M. and end at 6 P.M. and of course, there is homework given out. Who would have thought there could be something worse than school? I just can’t stress how much Korean mothers pressure their children to go to hagwons or hire tutors in order to “succeed” in school. They feel that it is crucial for their children to attend hagwons in order to obtain a further advanced level of knowledge. Most Koreans believe that they have to be at the top and be number one. Second place just doesn’t cut the line, it has to be first place. As far as I am concerned, I think that this way of thinking is wrong and something should be done to solve this matter of education.  Just because one attend hagwons, doesn’t mean that one will ace a class. In fact, I know some people who go to hagwons everyday yet their grades are lower than those who don’t. The reason behind this is because they spend so much of their time doing hagwon-related work and things that they don’t spend enough time on schoolwork, like completing the daily homework or studying for tests. What is the purpose of going to hagwons then? If you spend enough time studying independently for those subjects, you have a higher chance of getting a better grade. Trust me on this one. Studying is not something that someone else can do for you. Surely you might need help on the way, but this is what teachers and your peers are for. They are always there for you and you should turn to them first before hiring a tutor right off the bat. School should be the priority not hagwons and Koreans have to be more aware of this. This ludicrous trend of hagwons have to be stopped for once and for all…

f

Thus, break should be break. A time when students can relax, spend some time with their beloved family and friends, go to places, breathe in nature, go to the beach and get a tan, read that book that you have put off for months, watch movies and some television, dance, draw, paint, listen to music, and take those priceless naps that you have been longing for during the school week. Let go of that pencil and go outside. Enjoy yourself. Don’t you think it’s reasonable to give yourself a break for just one day? It won’t hurt you. Have a good time for once. And most importantly…

sss

Live your life to the fullest.

ffd

*Note: If you liked this blog post, there’s more about this topic on my friend, Eungi’s blog.