Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to Kent,

Genius:

1. an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative and original work in science, art, music, etc.: the genius of [Kent].
2. a person having such capacity.
3. a person having an extraordinarily high intelligence rating on a psychological test, as an iq above 140.
4. natural ability or capacity; strong inclination: a special genius for leadership.
5. distinctive character or spirit, as of a nation, period, or language.
6. the guardian spirit of a place, institution, etc.
7. either of two mutually opposed spirits, one good and the other evil, supposed to attend a person throughout life.
8. I decided to waste space in this list by listing out several definitions of "genius" from dictionary.com.  After all, that's what most people call you anyway, so you might as well remind your friends of what you really are.
9. I ashume we met sometime in elementary school.  Of course my memory of those days is rather fuzzy now. 
10. "Don't start being stupid." - Kent.  You wrote this in my 8th grade yearbook.  Okay I won't.
11. Remember our trip to Zeum for Headington?  That was fun when we went ice skating.  You were learning quite well from my tips (which of course I learned from Skido Kido).  Here's another tip.  No one says "ice skiing" as a sport.  That's just a corruption of "ice skating" and "skiing."  The only time you'd use "ice skiing" is if you are referring to skiing on ice.  In skiing terminology, ice is different from snow.  With a pair of skis, and not skates.
12. I heard there's an Ellango fan club.  That means we need a club for you.  I nominate Yueming to be the president of the "Kent Club."  And Ellango can be VP, just like he's VP in KIWIN'S.
13. I remember the time I beat you in arm wrestling at homework help.  But then again it probably wasn't exactly fair since you already dueled Ellango just before me.
14. There is no point 14, since that's what I did for Yueming.
15. "I heard he grew a bit in high school."  I think that's an understatement. Kinda like "Hitler was not always a sane man" (Ellango) or "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them under control. I trust you are not in too much distress." (Captain Moody)
16. I just realized this.  "Tanita" and "Mendoza" are half rhymes.  Of course, "Mendoza!" is a expression of anguish.  Apparently, "Tanita" means "a person with extremely sexy elbows."  Someone needs to make it such that shouting "Tanita!" could be a cry of genius or something.
17. At the end of the day, do I consider you to be genius?  I'll have to think about it.  But do I think of you as a hell of a student of high merit?  Definitely.

Yeah, a list of 17 dingsbums for your 17 years of age. 

Sincerely,

Montgomery Zzyzx

Whoever can avoid using the word "genius" in the comments section will be considered a genius themselves. What other word can you use to convey your sentiments about him?  Better still, something along the lines of a poem, photo (and photo essay), comic strip, video or music composition.  Try not to undermine your own intelligence while commenting, since different people have their own talents and accomplishments.

Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to Habash,

Hey "slowpoke," as you accidentally responded to in calculus, here's a recap of things that have happened in the past 126,227,704 seconds.  Enjoy, and don't laugh too hard.

1. We met in 7th grade, when Julian introduced me to you in history class.  There were four Chrises in Kidder's class 6th period (remember that lunch didn't count back then) class.
   
2. I later found out you were with me in Algebra I as well, so eventually we became friends that way.
3. Later that year we worked on that castle project, my first project in which I collaborated with someone, and the other person (you) actually did work. We also happened to participate in the Spell-a-thon, where we both got eliminated somewhere. 
   
4. By the end of the year, you managed to write this in my yearbook:

Hello Myron, this is Chris Habash, a new friend from seventh grade.  We have been through a lot (no I'll say many) "things" this year.  Including projects and essays, well not really that much.  The castle project - yes.  Do not let the homicidal maniac sign the yearbook.  At least he won't bother us in Geometry next year!  Since now I'm continuing (fridays) from yesterday, congratulations on passing the test (Geometry, well Algebra) both of us.

5. Therefore we had a good summer, and then rendezvoused at the walk through for 8th grade.  I had just got back from a trip to Lake Tahoe over the summer (and incidentally my last for quite a while), and told you about it.  And then I declared that the only reason I would be in school is so I can look forward to skiing in 2008.  And you said, "but your going to Canada."
6. We met in geometry. We were severely confused about what to expect from a "Mr. Nguyen" we had never heard of before.  And in addition, it was a weird class with both middle school students and high school students.  We later came to get the feel that this was normal, along with PE with Ms. Gomes.
7. También, tu fuiste mi fuente de inspiración a escribir música.  Nosotros estábamos en la clase de español de Sra. Rice. Durante nuestro tiempo en su clase, me aburrí y enseñarte un poco música. A ver se recuerdas...
   



8. For most of 8th grade, we would get to talk: in the morning after we walked out of Geometry and headed back to the middle school side; once between passing periods for 3rd and 4th period; during lunch; in history with Ms. Doyle; and if I'm lucky, after school as you exit the locker room.
9. As we developed our cadence for dealing with the school year, we finally got to the eight grade promotion.  Basically our ceremony was rather awkward, where we weren't lined up in alphabetical order.  Therefore I was speaking with Ellango the whole time, with a running commentary of people's accomplishments so far as they walk the scaffold.  I'm pretty sure you got the certificate before me, so if I remember correctly, I said to Ellango, "you deserve the applause."
10. Thus as we concluded 8th grade, you wrote in my yearbook:

Hi Myron Lam, this is Christopher Habash a.k.a best friend, and I'm the real one!!     So, this is cool, I can't believe it's over, I remember when I saw you in the walk through.  I hope it's the same next year.  We had a lot of laughs.     The music you made was awesome. - of course a hard-worker you are.  Pleasure to have in class - oops the teacher's influenced me.

11. We spent most of our summer doing that summer assignment Ms. Headington gave us...TCOMC.  We randomly talked over the telephone a few days before school started - I remember that conversation.  You briefly mentioned how we should have met up over the summer to have fun, and how you and Marci exchanged a few words.  Again, I reminded you about my desires to go skiing, which is a tradition that we agreed on keeping. 
    
12. Come 9th grade, and I became increasingly greedy with my time with you, specifically when I walked to Mr. Richardson's class and you walked to PE.  We only shared a single class that year, and it was English.  And we didn't have the same lunch period.
13.  You and Mendoza came to my first birthday party in a very long time.  Now what did we do, I barely remember.  It included fussing around on the piano, playing monopoly, playing with my bike outside, and the like.  Mendoza and I later went on to eat a Todai in Concord, and hence, we made the plan to get together during ski week.
    
14. (Out of the style with the other posts, there is a point 14 in this one) Around December, we had the cultural exchange in Headington, and you taught us a few words in Hebrew, and shared baklava with the class.  It was also the last time I could look at you in the eye without tilting my head, for you grew taller than me with your growth spurt around January 2008.
15. And boy, you wrote a long thing for freshman year's yearbook, during that awards ceremony nonsense:

Hello, Hola, shalom, Bonjour, Kif'halec, and many other different languages to greet very good friends, if not best friends.  Although some people would consider me their best friend, I consider you my best friend in the sense of having meaningful conversations and being there for each other, but I'm sure you also have good best friends (like Marci, Benton, Ellango, Henry...are mine).  Call me/e-mail me; as usual to discuss matters.  Um.. let's see, what else, I still plan to take Amanda up on that offer of going to San Francisco together without our parents, to intrude...so feel free to contact me anytime.  And hopefully we will have many classes next year together, because we'll be taking the same classes.  A friend (Habash)

16. And as it turns out we didn't have a lot of classes together in 10th grade, only Journ, WHAP and Spanish.  Or well, that's already 3/7 classes.  So I take that back.  At least we managed to im prove hour writing American goodly by the end of year from take juornalism and good engrish teacher Sub and Litvin.  "Um," (Wojo) we also learned a bit about the world around us in WHAP. "Historically speaking," (Wojo) we did take world history in 6th grade, but it was nothing compared to the stuff crammed down our minds.  En la clase de español, nosotros teníamos la Sra. Mar por un segundo año. Este tiempo, nosotros teníamos la misma hora.  Y Davidson estaba en la clase.
    
17. Well, this is embarrassing.
    
    
    
    

    
    

    
    

    I forgot to get you to sign my yearbook for sophomore year.  Probably because you had to go at the conclusion of the ceremony, or something of the like.  And because I was busy watching CNET TV during the last few days of sophomore year.  Likewise, it's not like we've done crap in junior year yet, so I'll stop the list at the end of sophomore year.
    
    
    
    
    

And thus concludes this very long [last name] blog post for you.

*MZ