your eyes can stop a bullet

College seems like such a big word. I can't believe that in two years, I'll be out there, giddily enjoying my independence, but eventually feeling the splash of cold water on my face as I realize: This is your ticket to the real world. I'll soon be facing professors and landlords and bus conductors, just elements of the big picture. I'm not a little girl anymore. Soon, I'll have to fend for myself.

Enough college talk.

I was so used to summer. I joined a theater workshop to rekindle my love for the stage, and, oh, boy. I loved it. Having to say goodbye to it felt like a breakup--you had to stop thinking about it for a while and then slowly realize that there is more to life than that. (Okay, a breakup would be a bad thing to compare it with 'cause I'll be joining the workshop again next year.)

I planned on making the last day of summer wild and spontaneous, but instead I stayed home for half of the day and spending the rest of the afternoon at the mall. So much for wild and spontaneous.

First days are always usually a big blur for most of us, having to snap out of summer mode and get back to the books. I tried to make a clean transition by reading my textbooks in advance, but it only made me dread school more. Oh, the agony. But surprisingly, my first day turned out pretty well, and in fact the hours flew by pretty fast. We were like, "Whoa. 20 minutes to dismissal?" which was pretty convenient, as you can imagine. Our teachers are quite redundant, which can be a bore for most of us. When will they realize that we need a little flavor in our discussions? Dang. The teachers are joining forces to bury us in academic toil, and we're all but psyched. I hope we come out of this schoolyear unscathed.

(I'll miss the seniors, though. They've been great to us, and having to replace them seems like big shoes to fill. They're awesome.)

By the way, my mom got me this really cool Louis Vuitton bag today. Dayum, I love it, but I can't use it to school tomorrow since it's too small for all my stuff. And besides I have to lug around this bulky Tupperware for my lunch. And now you know that even high school juniors, somewhere in the world, still bring packed lunch from home. Pathetic.

Stranger sighting: I went to the mall with my mom. She had another urge to buy shoes (that's the fourth urge in two weeks). I was sitting on a chair, waiting for her to pick between the black gladiators and the ribbon wedges when I felt a hand on my lower back. Okay, strangely invasive. I turned to look at the bastard, when I saw a little boy. He was looking at me with awe, like I was the most ethereal thing in the world. And right then and there, I realized that in this mad world, there is still room for innocence.

Till next time.