I'm Flattered, But Still...

Yesterday, I was walking to class and someone stopped me in the halls and said, "Congratulations!" I was like, "Um... congratulations for what?" And he's like, "You made principal!" OMFG... So, I go to the audition results board, and there's my name at the top of the viola section. Is this some kind of joke?

For those of you who don't know, to be a principal musician, whether it be flute or cello or trumpet, means you are usually the best or most capable player on your instrument, and/or you have exceptional leadership capabilities. I've been principal violist with nearly every orchestra I've worked with. However, ever since around my 3rd year in college, that desire to be #1 has died down in me; I'm much less competitive than I was when I was younger ;)

Being principal in your section takes alot of hard work, and with it, comes plenty of responsibility, most of which I haven't had to deal with in a few years. I specifically asked to be last chair before my audition because I knew it would be a lot of work trying to prepare for my senior recital without all the work that being principal would take. So, you can see why I was not only surprised but also betrayed when I saw my name up there.

I even tried to talk to the conductor by saying it would be unfair to the orchestra if I remained principal as I would not be able to devote myself fully to the section. He said he knew about my situation and talked to the other members in my section and they were all fine with that. WTF? This is a conspiracy! :P He also told the assitant principal that making me principal might "get me out of the funk" that I've been in. Anyway, I'm now principal viola in the college orchestra. And even though I'm feigning being very upset, I'm actually kind of proud of myself :)

Should I Quit?

So, I started school at 9AM yesterday with a PolySci class, then went to a Musicianship class, and then to a Baroque performance practices class. I had a 45 minute break and then went to a Western Civ class, and then I had to run over to the music department to take a lesson with a new viola teacher they are thinking about hiring.

I have mixed opinions about the viola teacher. He gave some good tips on preparing orchestral excerpts, but he had a very narrow view on his Bach, and when he performed, I think he took too many liberties with the Mozart (considering it's Mozart :P) My conclusion: He has a nice viola :P

After the lesson, I prepared an audition for the orchestra, then went back home to change for kung fu and headed to my last class: Biology of Cancer. This class is so freaking scary, yet informative. I think everyone is going to get cancer and die. There are so many ways you can get it, even just by breathing in air on a ground level building! It's crazy. One day, they'll declare it an epidemic.

Anyway, here's the real reason I'm posting. I haven't been feeling like I want to go to Kung Fu anymore. It's just not fun for me anymore and the energy/vibe is not what it used to be. Usually, I can have a bad day and go to Kung Fu and I will feel better at the end. But lately, I still feel like shit at the end, even though I'm supposed to have tons of happy hormones swimming around in my brain :P This semester is going to be a tough one, and I don't know whether or not to quit Kung Fu?

It's the First Day of School Today

Ew.

Senior Recital

So, to graduate as a music performance major, you must present a senior recital. A senior recital is basically a 90 minute showcase of solo pieces that is supposed to represent your best ability. Therefore, many senior recitals are littered with the hardest music for their chosen instrument. Also, a senior recital program must pass what is called a jury, where several professors sit down and listen to how polished your playing is and decide whether you're ready to present yourself to the public or not.

I haven't practiced in a year. And now, I'm totally freaking out because I have only 3 months before I present my program to my recital jury! :( I don't even know what I'm going to play, but I have an idea:

Bach - Suite No. 2 in d minor for solo viola
Walton - Concerto for viola and orchestra, mvmnts I and II
- intermission -
Brahms - Sonata in f minor for viola and piano
encore: Bruch - Romanze

The only problem is that this is probably not long enough of a program. I might have to add in another piece, but then that's just stretching it in terms of my practice time. Oh what to do? What to do? :(

The Dilly-O

So, it's come to my attention that I haven't actually posted anything of substance in awhile :P So, here is a big long list of what's been going on in my life since my last non-poetry/non-picture post ;)

- Toasty, my ex-kitty who I gave to Chris after she got evicted from my apartment, came down with a 104.2 temperature and had to go to the vet. Apparently, she stopped eating for 2 weeks and was so dehydrated that they had to put her on an IV or she would have died :( I visited her a few days before this all went down and noticed her hair was really, really orange. Interestingly enough, the reason why it was so orange was because her body used the last remnants of water from her hair to stay alive! Poor baby :( I hear she's doing a little better, one day at a time.

- My mother just bought a new house in Prescott, Arizona. Apparently, she's going to move out there, and my sisters might go with her to open up a day spa (their life dream). They've asked me to become a massage therapist/esthetician and be part of the family business. However, just because my family is ridiculously entrepreneurial (they've opened up 6 businesses before) doesn't mean I'm going to go with them. I think I've found a home here in the Valley. Plus, I don't think I could just stop teaching and leave my kids. But, I have to admit, the thought does cross my mind whether to stay here or go with them...

- My new raise I got at work was put into effect and I make about $200 more per month than I used to :D With the extra money, I bought a new bedframe (previously, my mattress had been sitting on the floor) :P My apartment is really starting to come together, and redecorating has actually taken the place of dating in my life. In fact, I've lost most of my faith in men and finding someone who's both decent and compatible with me (more on this in a blog to come). On the financial downside, my rent got raised again :(

- I believe dancing is the best workout - EVER! :D I went dancing at The Avalon with one of my friends from kung fu. It's this big theatre on Hollywood and Vine that was renovated and turned into a dance club. I must have danced a little over 4 hours that nite :D Apparently, I was dancing pretty hard because the heel on my shoe broke within the first 10 minutes on the dancefloor :P But that didn't stop me, because I just tore the other one off and kept dancing hehehe ;) I haven't checked yet, but I swear I'm now 5 lbs. lighter! So now, I'm going to dancing at least once a month - you know, for the fitness aspect of it all ;)

Anyway, I think that about covers it. Oh yeah. School starts for me next week. So, I'll be super busy with getting my life in order around that time. It's a good thing that the classes that I teach ended this week. That way, I'll have some extra time to get used to my busy schedule before the nest set of classes start :)

Poetry with Quyen :D (Vol. 3)

Bringing My Son to the Police Station to be Fingerprinted

By: Shoshauna Shy

My lemon-colored
whisper-weight blouse
with keyhole closure
and sweetheart neckline is tucked
into a pastel silhouette skirt
with side-slit vents
and triplicate pleats
when I realize in the sunlight
through the windshield
that the cool yellow of this blouse clashes
with the buttermilk heather in my skirt
which makes me slightly queasy
however

the periwinkle in the pattern on the sash
is sufficiently echoed by the twill uppers
of my buckle-snug sandals
while the accents on my purse
pick up the pink
in the button stitches

and then as we pass
through Weapons Check
it's reassuring to note
how the yellows momentarily mesh
and make an overall pleasing
composite

Peachy's 5 Questions :D

I've asked Peachy to ask me any 5 questions she wanted, and I would post my responses on my blog. Without further ado, the "Big 5" ;)

1. If you had the option to attend a different college, what/where would it be, and why?

If I had the option to attend a different college, it would definitely have to be the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. I think it would have been better for my academic career had I been snowed into a practice room every once in awhile :P (Maybe I even would have graduated in 4 years!) Also, it would have given me a different perspective on living in a smaller city, and it would have forced me to make more friends as Oberlin is not a commuter school. Plus, I love the snow and would have had fun going snowboarding all the time during winter break :D

2. How old were you when you realized boys and girls were different?

I have a bad memory for things like this, and I'm not sure what this is implying :P But I guess I first realized they were sexually different (and compatible - wink wink :P) around the 3rd grade. My sister's boyfriend stole a book from his dad called "The Joy of Sex". It had all these pictures of naked men and women having sex. My friend and I found it one day, and the rest is history :P

3. What is your absolute favorite TV show (past or present)?

Hmnn... this is a tough one :P But I would have to say my all-time favorite TV show is the Golden Girls. I can sit down at any time (whether I'm angry, sad, depressed, happy, goofy, or horny :P) and have a good time watching it. It's the only show that I've come back to, time and time again, over the many years I've been watching it :)

4. How long have you been taking martial arts, and why did you sign up?

I've been taking Northern Shaolim Kung Fu since Novemeber of '04. So, I guess that makes it only about 9 months :P The reason why I started was a reaction to being hospitalized in September of '04 after getting OD'd from having my drink drugged in a club. After that near-death experience, I wanted to live life to its fullest and do all the things I had been putting off. So, the result of that was to go learn Kung Fu fighting fan and also not be so stingy with my money :P I've succeeded in both ;)

5. Whose blog do you read first when you sit down at the computer?

I love most of the blogs on my sidebar, and each has its role at different times depending on what mood I'm in. But I'd have to say the blog I click first the most is Adam's :)

If anyone else wants me to ask them 5 questions, leave your e-mail addy in the comments section :D

Goodbye, Glasses

So, I've decided to finally take the plunge. I'm going to get contacts (again) :P The last time I got contacts, I was too lazy to wear them all the time and they made my eyes all red and dry. I don't expect this time to be different, but I guess I'm a little more comfortable with myself now than 5 years ago (By that, I mean I've always hated my nose and would use my glasses to hide it)

Five years later, lots of things have changed. I'm starting to accept various aspects of myself a lot more. I remember when I used to hate my feet because my toes were so long. But now, I don't really care what other people think of my feet, and I don't care anymore what people will think of my nose. So, the age of using my frames to hide my flaws is over :D It's like the older I get, the more I just begin to accept things. It's a comforting thing :)

P w/ Q, part 2 :D

My Mother's Kitchen

A kettle whistle's cries
resounds off dull, black tiling.
Heavy curtains diffuse dusk
to recesses of the empty room.
He will not hear the kettle crying.
Here, untouched pots and pans hang
like unsought dreams
shining brilliantly in the faint light.
They hang above the kettle
where the steam forms wet droplets
like tears dampening polished, cold metals.
The kettle is my mother.
It is in my father’s house.

Time to Redecorate! :D

I've been on this redecorating kick lately. Today, I bought $60 in couch cushions, alone. Yes, you heard right. Apparently, my current couch cushions weren't good enough :P So, I got these faux doe-skin pillows in an ashy sky blue and muted turquoise. They are super soft and are perfect for cuddling :)

There's no real reason I'm redecorating. I'm just trying to create a more beautiful space to come home to :) Right now, I'm concentrating on the living room. I've been trying to make the living room look more like a trendy lounge than a starving student's apartment. I've already put up a large, circular mirror, framed a signed poster I got from E3, added some candle arrangements, and have added the finishing touches on my white couches with the pillows I got today :D

I think my next project after the living room will either be the kitchen or the bathroom. For the kitchen, I already bought some fun new martini glasses, a couple old fashioned's, and a fancy wood chopping block. All I need now is a new set of silverware and some trendy dinnerware ;) For the bathroom, I want to get one of those shelf organizers that sit over the toilet lid and go up to the ceiling. I already went shopping for a new showerhead yesterday which set me back another $60 :( But at least I don't have to worry about the shower head getting clogged and soap running into my eyes while I try to fix it anymore :P hehehe

On a sadder note, I now weigh 170 lbs :( I seriously need to stop eating like crap *sigh*

Poetry with Quyen :D

Two Trees

Two trees watched one mild June evening
as the skies' colors changed at dusk.
The first, unto the second, spoke of love.
"Love... love," whispered the tree,
"Love wanes, like the setting summer sky."
The second replied, "I cannot explain this, but it is true.
Love fills this forest... even now."

Two trees laid in the shade of night
anticipating the light of harvest morning.
The first, unto the second, spoke of love.
"Love... love," called the tree,
"Love fails and falls, like the leaves of Autumn."
The second replied, "I cannot explain this, but it is true.
Love could fill this forest... even now."

Two trees, bare against the frost of winter, shivered in the wind.
The first, unto the second, spoke of love.
"Love... love," urged the tree,
"Love is fleeting; a flurry, like snow."
The second replied, "I cannot explain this, but it is true.
Love might fill this forest... even now."

Two trees rejoiced in the fauna and flora of spring.
The first, unto the second, spoke of love.
"Love... love," cried the tree,
"Love is hopeful, for love has filled this forest all along."
The second replied, "I cannot explain this, but it is true.
Love cannot fill this forest... even now."

Pictures! :D

Sorry for not having posted in such a long time. First of all, I went to Vegas over the weekend (again :P), and then I went and bought two videogames that I've been playing nonstop! :P However, I did manage to get my pics developed. So, without further ado... the slideshow ;) Enjoy! :D

"VEGAS - TAKE ONE"


Here's me in my hotel during my first trip to Vegas. God damn, I'm tall :P



This is my mom (aka "Hot Momma" :P). She's 60 y/o. Yes, I'm going to age well :P



This is me posing with my $400 jackpot! :D Somehow, my double Grey Goose on the rocks didn't make it into the pic :P

"BETWEEN VEGAS TRIPS"


Hot boys love coming over to my place ;)



Jesse, Edgar, and myself drinking and playing video games on a Thursday afternoon.



Looking at this pic, I really can't believe I'm 165 lbs. :P

"VEGAS - TAKE TWO"

Disclaimer: I actually went because one of my good friends from high school was getting married! :D So, what does a good friend do to help celebrate? Road trip it to Vegas, baby! :D



My friend's wedding was beautiful. Here's me standing on a bridge overrunning a small stream.



Awwwwwww... Don't we look good together? :D Carlo is one of my best friends from high school.



Behind me is the gazebo where they did their vows. It really was a beautiful setting. :)