my goal for 363 days: achieved.

districts was amazing. there is so much to describe.

so let's get started.

FRIDAY- 3/14/08
got 4 hours of sleep. woo i'm the best at killing my health and sanity. but that's alright, lol.

stats test went GREAT. i'm so sure i got an A, which is all i wanted. :) the other classes were dreary, boring because i wanted to go "forensics practice." and that was tons of funnnn. just prepping and just waiting.

steph's car was lots of fun. we wrote on the windows.. and it was just so much happiness. goh i love us. :] and then we arrived. the school is SO nice. the auditorium was so classy, i felt like i was at a national tournament. great stuff.

after thousands of hugs, handshakes, and jitters, it was time. mrs. nicholas approached the stage and started discussing the districts rules. i could feel my heart bounce back and forth, my mind racing -- i was finally nervous. i mean, it was the biggest competition so far for my life -- of course i would be nervous. but i had just edited my oratory the night (or more like.. 14 hours before aka around 1-2am) and i was worried that blanking out would totally kill my performance. and my confidence. two things that i think i have an edge on against my "fellow competitors."

but of course, the friends you sit next to are there to comfort you and make sure that you're not out of your mind, that you would do fine, and that it was nothing to worry about. it's the competition i've been waiting for a YEAR. the one competition that i've been dreaming about.

by the time my heart finished racing and my mouth quit running the same phrases "omg im so nervous im gonna kill myself omgomgomg," mrs. nicholas was pretty much done with her speech. the rules were set, the judges were going up for their ballots, and we head off in the cafeteria. i felt more relaxed -- i had some time to look over my oratory before everything started, right? -- so i walked outside, and i looked. blue sheets of papers with numbers and rooms stared at me. the postings were already up. and oratory was first.

as i huddled with my oratory "gang," we started exchanging codes and figuring out who hit who and which room was the easiest, the hardest, and to quote amy, "i don't know what the hell is gonna happen." so after we compared, we went off to our rooms.. crossed our fingers (i went to the bathroom of course! -.-) and started the competition. i was nervous. really nervous. my room was of 4 competitors with.. the state finalists who placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th?! this is great. good job, randomizing computer, you sure know how to freak me out. but it went fine. and when i finished, i rushed out and figured that pattern B had posted. greeeat. off to the cafeteria i went. i found my posting, frantically hugged and waved to a few people, and was off. HI time. it was a great round though.

so this continues until, let's say 10 or 11pm? when everything starts to pause, everyone starts to sift away from carolina high, and just a group of people are left. these people are eagerly waiting for the postings of breaks of HI and DI. and guess what, yeah, i was there. at this time, i was already pretty happy. i was UP in HI, and just finished my 3rd round. oratory was UP, and i was in FINALS. top 7. i was pretty excited. :)

then they posted. and my code was under DOWN. i knew that i had had a hard room, but i thought that maybe i could've pulled through. but oh well. the night was finished, so i head off to nick's car with cat and amit, and we rode home.. awaiting another busy day..

day 2. got up early, and took a ride up to carolina, tea and waffles in a bag in hand. it was pretty good too. round 4 of HI was up right away, and i rushed away -- and i was first. even better. so i went. the judges didn't seem very pleased, and i felt like crap. i also realized that (thanks to lauren), i was wearing the same tie i wore yesterday. smart job, gary. turns out i left the right tie on my chair. DAAAAAAANG. exposed. oh well. it was a really hard round and i had a bad feeling. but still there was hope.

hope was wrong though, as i was eliminated (WRONGFULLY, i must add -- along with others who should've made finals) and finals was up for HI. three people didn't deserve it. -.- oh well though. so i walked off, sad, but grabbed some donuts, a stress ball and just chitchatted with people. some that i wouldn't see.. ever.

shortly after that, oratory finals were posted. and i knew i was there but i was still ecstatic to see my name. unfortunately, i don't have the big posting sign -- mauldin got it, but whatever. i was there and i was happy. performing 5th (the later the better for me!), but still worried because sith had gotten a good position, as did amy -- who i saw as my biggest competition at the time. so i.. frantically ran off to the bathroom, grabbed a few of my fans (hahaha pun!), and went to oratory finals.

i was nervous. but i felt confident enough that i knew my speech, it knew me, and it was going to be good. as each of my friends went up there and gave their speech, i just knew that i was getting closer and closer to my last speech in south carolina for this school year. hopefully NOT the last speech for this school year. and it was my turn. i went. felt calm. and did it. some of my other oratory friends who got cut gave me some advice before i went, and some from tournaments ago, and it was all in my head as i gave my speech. i think i made a minor slip-up, but whatever. it all went well. and after i finished my singing, two of the judges smiled widely. i felt great.

the next two orators went and i was excited to see the last one -- i had never seen his oratory before. he went, and i enjoyed it. and then -- in a flash -- it was over. (not really a flash. 7 10-minute oratories with time in between was one of the longest rounds ever.) but it was done. i had done what i could, and now, i just had to wait patiently. (and wait. and wait. OMGOMGOMGOMG AND WAIIIIT.)

then i went to see duo finals. great stuff there. i realized that i really wanted to be up there on that floor.. performing in front of millions of (more like 60) people and getting a great reaction. i honestly wanted to be in HI finals -- not oratory finals. but the day pressed on. i didn't have lunch, skipped it for HI finals, which was .. incredibly underwhelming. i was pretty frustrated during the entire thing just because i knew that three people up there had the spots of two people that should've been there, and .. me. as cocky as it sounds, i really think i deserved that spot. i had been consistent, i got 3rd in the state -- yet i wasn't there. oh. well. but the rain started pouring, and we moved on to.. DI finals. the rain really got angry there. and so did one of the competitors! who.. i ranked.. last. but anyways, it was a good DI round. i cried twice.. all for the same DI, and teared up at one DI. those two were at my top obviously. haha i felt pretty ashamed and embarrassed to cry, but i was around people that wouldn't mind. they were actually trying to hug me and find a tissue. but my suit sleeve worked fine.. i had nothing else XD

and we got out, and there was quite the outburst. PFD qualifers were up, and neil and ryan had qualifed. i was pretty ecstatic (okay i was like extremely excited), and it was awesome. it also made me want to qualify that much more. JUST CAUSE. hahaha. then cornesia found me and made me sing for her. which i did after trying to escape her. but i sang, and she listened and i laughed after the second line and stopped. i don't know, but it's so hard for me to perform in front of certain people! it just is. i guess i'm just shy. [woah, me shy? haha NO WAY. rofl] and she was like.. "wow i didnt know you could sing." i'm used to that reaction, i don't think many people think i can either. remember -- i'm just a random skinny asian boooooi. [who can dance too. hehe!]

and i just went with my friends and waited. and talked. and waited. and talked. and waited. and talked. and stole someone's cheez-its and ate it. and talked. and waited. [hahaha ate it and waited like kinda rhyme! lol] and then it was time. AWARDS. i grabbed my stuff, grabbed my friends and asdlkfjasdlfkjasdlfkjadsf started. freaking. effing. out.

it was time. we took our seats, and after a long and winding introduction to the awards ceremony, mr. evans got to the podium and started. i was squeezing the crap out of my stress ball the entire time, and his first event: original oratory.

AH.
AHHHH.
*squeeze*
*my friends give me reassuring words and smiles*
AHHHHHHH.

"will the finalists of original oratory please come to the stage?"

I got up there first, and waited for Charlene, Andrew and whoever else would come as we smiled at each other, and waited. AND WAITED. goh i use that word so much. Mr. Evans began to call the placings. 7th.. 6th.. 5th.. 4th.. I wasn't there. It was me, Amy and Charlene left. I had talked to a bunch of kids after the round who honestly said that they were predicting me and Amy. I felt good. And I was worried because 3rd would've been the worst thing. I knew that OO was Amy and Charlene's only events and that they wouldn't drop nats for the alternate. I had gotten 3rd at states, and I was just nervous.

But the nerves ran away when my name wasn't called for 3rd place. And I hugged Amy, and then went to Charlene where we both freaked out, hugged and waited.. To me, it didn't matter anymore. I had qualified for nationals and that was all that mattered.

2nd place.

I don't mind. I HAD QUALIFIED. AND MY GOAL WAS ACHIEVED.

I received my award from Mrs. Nicholas, thanked her and Mrs. Hanning, and walked off. I was met with a bunch of Riversiders hugging me, congratulating me, and I had felt really good. I was shocked when I saw Nikhil with the Watkins, but he congratulated me and I pressed on. Receiving pats on the backs, hugs, high fives, hand shakes etc.. I plopped myself back in my seat sitting next to two qualifiers from Southside. Oh.. we are going to have quite the time. :D

I took note of our people that placed and our people that qualified. Quite a lot, btw. And when they called the line of qualifiers back, I was so excited. I was standing next to Charlene and we were just freaking out. NATS. NATS, CHARLENE! NATS, GARY! OGMOGMGOGOM WE'RE GOING TO NATS.!!!!

Then we went to take pictures. Lots and lots of pictures, with lots and lots of congratulations, "well done's" and "you deserved it's." It was an awesome feeling.

And it was over. SC Districts. The NFL Qualifier tournament.

I had been waiting for this since March 17, 2006, and it was done.

and i qualified to nationals.

and i'm happy.

and .. yeah.

sigh of relief.

- GARY FAN.
semifinalist at wake forest
4th at myers park
quarterfinalist at emory: the barkley forum for high schools.
3rd in the state of original oratory
qualified to nationals in original oratory

Hopefully I can add a nationals accomplishment on that list.

June 14-22, 2008.

VEGAS FOR MY 16TH BIRTHDAY, SCORE.