Wow seriously, can't believe it, my free education days are drawing to an end! After tomorrow, I start PAYING for someone to torture...err "educate"...me. Well okay so it can't be so bad.

I'm graduating this Friday 6/17, Valedictorian of the Class of 2005 :banana: and attending UC Berkeley this fall :banana: :banana: Hear that Berkeley has bad parking...looks like I might be taking the train :(

Here's 2 pages out of our YB dedicated just to cars. I fought tooth and nail for these two pages, normally it's only one. It was worth it though. I had the design editor spend probably 10 hours reorganizing the entire structure just to fit these in :thmsup:

http://www.reaction-image.net/albums/N4TECguy/IMG_14521233.jpg
Didn't put my car in because there was too much demand. Had to leave out a few nice cars because of the amount of people that were askin me to include theirs.

http://www.reaction-image.net/albums/N4TECguy/IMG_14511233.jpg
Originally we had a picture of the Silver Lightning doing a smokey burnout instead of just the seats...but stupid administrators pulled it out :headbash: :rant: :furious: :censored:

And that red truck up there in the top right corner...we put that in there as a tribute. Lots of hard work and money put into that sweet truck...the guy died in the summer as a passenger of a driver that fell asleep R.I.P.

And in other news, another local school claimed that one of their students had an '83 Corvette and put it in the Yearbook. Caught that one immediately...lol

Congrats Ben :thmsup: :thmsup:

Nice job on the yearbook :notworthy :notworthy

I1 :thumbsup:

valedictorian??? wow!!! congrats ben!!!!!!!! :biggrin:

job really well done!!!!!! :banana:

Congratulations! You've chosen to be in debt for the next 30 years! :biggrin:

Seriously though, congratulations on getting in UC Berkley! :banana:

congrats! i just graduated last wednesday. boy it feels weird knowing high school is over. i barely missed valedictorian, got a B+ in geometry freshman year. i guess i should have fought for an A, but i didnt plan on getting A's for the rest of my high school career. :( oh well, wont make much of a difference anyways.

i'm going to UCLA in the fall...hope i can get a parking permit...

good luck at Cal! a lot of my friends are going there...

i'm going to UCLA in the fall...hope i can get a parking permit...

That was my dream school but they rejected me...weird how things work. I'm glad I ended up at Berkeley though, my parents were super pleased and I'm happy with that. But they wouldn't buy me an AV6MT :( :lmao:

You chose Berkeley, huh? You had many wonderful choices & I was wondering where you'd go. At least you don't have to worry about rent for a while....being close to home.

Congratulations!!! You made it through this phase with flying colors & you'll be great in the next! :yes:

I try to remember to bring you a card when I see you on Tuesday!! :grouphug:


The yearbook looks like fun... nice job! :thmsup:

That was my dream school but they rejected me...weird how things work. I'm glad I ended up at Berkeley though, my parents were super pleased and I'm happy with that. But they wouldn't buy me an AV6MT :( :lmao:

i didnt get into Cal. its weird...most people that got into one didnt get into the other, only a few i know got into both. i was set on Davis, but UCLA accepted me out of nowhere. Davis would have been fun since theres a billion people going there from my school, but SoCal has much more to offer than middle-of-nowhere Davis does.

heres to the next chapter in our lives! :salue:

it's ok, you can be an honorary Gen7 owner. feel free to register/post on gen7accord.net. we have a couple 6th genners over there. :thmsup:

i didnt get into Cal. its weird...most people that got into one didnt get into the other, only a few i know got into both. i was set on Davis, but UCLA accepted me out of nowhere. Davis would have been fun since theres a billion people going there from my school, but SoCal has much more to offer than middle-of-nowhere Davis does.

heres to the next chapter in our lives! :salue:

it's ok, you can be an honorary Gen7 owner. feel free to register/post on gen7accord.net. we have a couple 6th genners over there. :thmsup:

Yeah UC system admissions was real weird this year. UCSD pushed me back to Winter admission. My friend got into UCLA fall but rejected totally from UCSD. Like you said too, a lot got into UCB OR UCLA, not both.

You're right that UCLA has a LOT more to offer. The whole reason I loved the place so much was because there was Westwood...ahhh that place is beautiful. Cheap food, beautiful cars (see Bentleys and Ferrari's every night man), good entertainment...that's all you'd ask for haha. Davis is a rather boring town, got there at 7:30AM for a Honors guest reception or something with 2 friends, we were sick of the place by 10 and went to Sacramento visit a friend haha.

Might check out gen7accord this summer, bored as heck. Uninstalled AIM because it took so much time out of my life but I guess hanging around here makes up for it haha

Congrats, man! How many times can you plug this website in your valedictorian speech? ;)

College - the best 5 or 6 years of your life.

wow, valedictorian?!?!?! awesome! :thmsup:

congrats benji!!!!! enjoy your time on college....... :banana:

Excellent job, Benji! I could tell from your postings that you were something special...you have a maturity and intelligence well beyond your years.

Why didn't you get some kind of scholarship? In NJ, The top 5% of every high school can get a full scholarship to just about any state college or university.

Can you post your speech for us to see? I'm sure it will be unique and thought-provoking.

Which reminds me of Denis Leary's comments on his speech at his alma mater (Emerson College): something to the effect that everyone will tell you that these are the best days of your lives. Well - they're not! They will get even better, as you find fulfulling careers, fall in love, get married, have children...

Then he closed by saying that life does start to suck pretty bad when you get to your 40's though (his current age).... :lmao:

One more request from both you and VTECaddict - how about posting the traditional cap and gown pic for us all to make fun of???

:yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

:lmao:

he closed by saying that life does start to suck pretty bad when you get to your 40's though


I don't agree with that part.... life has got really great now... kids are all out, more time to travel, more funds to play with & if the house gets messy WE did it!! Fingerprints on the glass around the house & the doors of my car are less.

Life just keeps getting better!!!


The weather is giving Benj a graduation gift! He likes cool & it dropped 20 degrees since yesterday!! It's drizzly & gray! Hope you like it, 'cuz I sure don't!! :)

I don't agree with that part.... life has got really great now... kids are all out, more time to travel, more funds to play with & if the house gets messy WE did it!! Fingerprints on the glass around the house & the doors of my car are less.

Life just keeps getting better!!!


The weather is giving Benj a graduation gift! He likes cool & it dropped 20 degrees since yesterday!! It's drizzly & gray! Hope you like it, 'cuz I sure don't!! :)

Yeah, life truly begins at 40...younger people may laugh at that statement, but it's all good. Plus, you can use your age to make excuses for buying stuff...the mid-life crisis syndrome. :D

Seriously, congrats to Benji on valedictorian and getting into UC Berkeley. Lots of luck parking if you ever have to drive around that area, though.

Berkeley is so competitive that I was just happy to get in. Didn't even care that I didn't get a scholarship...knowing Cali's budget situation, I'm surprised they didn't make me pay more than it is now.

For the cap and gown pic, I dunno about that. Bad lighting in the auditorium so kinda hard to take pics. If I get a good pic of me in the cap/gown I will try to post it.

Here's the speech as requested.

The War on Pessimism

Ladies and gentlemen, there is a big problem with society as we know it. Today more than ever, there is a pessimistic air clouding the beautiful atmosphere of the Bay Area. It is derived from materialistic desires on an individual level and fueled by the media on a larger scale. This pessimism worries me greatly. But, there is hope for the future.

Take a look at our graduates here tonight. In a time in which there is so much negative attention given to race, ethnicity and skin color, I consider myself truly blessed to have had the opportunity to work with such a diverse group of people. They have not only taught me how to deal with every kind of situation appropriately, but they have also inspired me to think positively.

For instance, a classmate from my Senior English class made a speech once on her daily routine. She has to wake up at 4 in the morning just to get to school on time, because she moved to Lodi. Her ride home can be as long as 3, even 4 hours, because of traffic. And to think, I get impatient just trying to get out of the school parking lot. She has taught me to truly appreciate the opportunities that I have, especially when my morning commute is a measly 3.6 miles and I still have trouble making it to school on time.

I have also had the honor of getting to know a young lady in my Yearbook class. Over the past few months, she has encountered a plethora of problems, ranging from family problems to health problems to relationship problems. There were weeks where she was so busy dealing with these issues that she got less sleep in five days than I did on one typical night. And to top it off, she also started a job. During the times when I felt miserable, this amazing person brought perspective into my life and taught me to appreciate everything I have.

So tonight, I challenge every one of you, right here, right now, to start thinking positively and being optimistic. It doesn’t mean that we allow injustices to occur, but it does mean that we take time out of our lives to appreciate what we do have, to appreciate the progress we have made thus far in this great country, and to dream big for the future. The great Helen Keller once said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” Folks, I beg you to join me in my endeavor to make this nation, our country, a better place to live.

I don't agree with that part.... life has got really great now... kids are all out, more time to travel, more funds to play with & if the house gets messy WE did it!!

I think he was saying it for effect...recognizing that 95% of the graduates' parents would be in their 40's like he is. I think he knew it would get a big laugh. :thumbsup:

The thing that makes me laugh is that I knew Princess would jump on that line...she is too happy to let that one slide by... :jumping:

Great job Ben!!!! And so true, we need to see the possitives in life. Sure makes a better time of it than grumbling about everything! Living with an Eeyore, I can tell you that first hand. He says he's optimistic...he's "possitive" things will go wrong & they do! :lmao:


Pair, :blah: (a raspberry) :nuts: I know he was going for a giggle....


I don't think there is a part of life greater than the rest... I LOVED my teens, eraly adulthood, & now too. Just for different reasons. When I was a kid, my mom called me Pollyana. I thought it was some sort of insult since I hadn't seen the movie. I finally saw it 30 years later & cried through most of it. She was saying a good thing! I guess getting it late is better than never!! :)


Ben, have fun tonight! Traditionally you're supposed to stay out all night...after your family's celebration.

I hope we've helped you be an optimist..... after all we love our Accords in spite of rattles, shimmys, trannys, paint................. :D :yes: :yes:



CELEBRATE LIFE!!!!!!! :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping:

We are all proud of you.....

Valedictorian! what an accomplishment, specially in HS these days. I'm glad your going to college after, cause a lot of the kids these days has no direction where & what to do. I should know, I employ a couple of them in my warehouse. BERZERKLEY I think is better than UCLA IMO, more liberal & tolerant which I think you should be use to it by now. Don't be dissapointed if Mom & Dad would'nt buy you an AV6MT, they have alot more expense coming when you start in college, I know we did when my daughter started college. I was broke most of the time cause I was also saving up for a new car for her when she finish school. Maybe when you finish college mom & dad might surprise you with a shining new Accord :naughty: or better yet if you finish in the top ten maybe a BMW or Mercedez. You'll never know :dunno:

A belated congrats Benji and Vtec. Keep up with those studies. :thmsup:

My daughter just recently graduated from La Tech (Summa Cum Laude) and 2 days later started classes at LSU Med in New Orleans. The PT school starts in the summer, no rest for the weary, but at least she's much closer to home now.


Pairallel said

"The top 5% of every high school can get a full scholarship to just about any state college or university."

Louisiana has this also, thank goodness. I've had 3 in college the past few years. It's called the TOPS program down here and it covers tuition and books for any public state university/college or it may be applied to in-state private universities also.

There are tons of scholarship funds available out there, but you normally have to start seeking them in your Junior year of H.S. Others are also available once in college. Seek advise from your counselor/advisor to find out what and when you need to apply.