ebony

i just watched "spellbound" - a documentary of the national spelling bee championships. a tribute to 8 little 4 eyed kids with crazy determination and work ethic. one kid clearly has some kind of hyperactivity disorder, but somehow manages to channel all of that energy into an obsession with spelling words. so awesome.

i won my classroom's spelling bee in 4th grade but when i went on to compete in the school-wide spelling bee, i dropped out in the 2nd round trying to spell the word 'ebony'. i think i spelled it ebeny.

anyway, i am now inspired by these kids to become a geeky bookworm. but as some of you know, it's not like i need to try very hard... this past week, i've been poring over marine biology science papers trying to come up with a research proposal for my grad school applications. overall, i've actually been liking the stuff that i've been reading... i think that's a good sign that i will be able to maintain focus as a grad student, something which i am told requires a mild obsession... and yes, if you haven't noticed, the philippines has made me mildly obsessed with the ocean.

on that note, surf was so awesome today. good surf makes my day.