If I had to write a personal ad...

...this is what it would sound like:

"Dear potential suitor,

My name is Quyen and I'm an Asian female driver. However, because I'm 5'8", I can, in fact, see over the dash (yet, I still have close calls with running over pedestrians) :P Many people think I look like a sexy librarian or a naughty teacher or some other form of a "punish me for doing bad in school" fantasy girl. Rest assured, you will be punished for having done badly in school, but only because I can't tolerate stupid people ;)

I have a wide array of interests, from poetry to music to video games to nudity in my own home :D I'm pretty comfortable being who I am, which is to say amazingly funny, smart, sexy, and talented to name just a few :P But, keep in mind that I AM an Asian female driver and if you get on my bad side, I might just "accidentally" run you over. I'm kidding, of course. Right? Right?? ;)

As for what I'm looking for, that's hard to say. It seems that everyone I meet has some hidden sexual agenda - even if I just want to be friends (and yes, if I don't like you, I'll tell you that I want to be friends just to be polite). I'm just sick of meeting guys who fall too hard or not at all but still expect me to be the girl of THEIR dreams. Get real, and stop expecting people to bend over backwards for you just because you're not okay with taking more than 2 dates to get to know someone without expecting some kind of reciprocation of affection. We're not trusting, furry little animals. We're those problem-solving raptors from Jurassic Park that can see through your BS ;) Spare us.

As for how much money you make, I could care less. Because #1) I probably make more than you and #2) you really don't think I believe you're going to spend it on me, right? :P As for how well-endowed you are, there will always be an even bigger vibrator... WITH a spinning head! So, beat that! ;) As for how intelligent you are, or where you went to school, or how many awards you've received, companies you own, or properties you manage, keep you and your ego at home because I'd rather clean my toilet than listen to you talk about how great you are and how you think you're so much better than the rest of society.

All I want you to be is you. Especially if "you" is a big dork who doesn't have the slightest idea what he's doing in life. Cause let's face it: no one really does. We're all just floating around in life waiting for opportunities, as if they were trains you could catch to places you've never been. I can honestly say I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just on a train to somewhere I've never been. And so far, I'd rather sit alone. And if you're thinking about asking "if anyone is sitting there", just remember, I'm crazy.

Signed,

Your friendly, neighborhood, Asian female driver :)"

I have good news and I have bad news...

The good news is that my quartet is freaking awesome! We play so well together and with so much energy and passion! We had a rehearsal on Sunday evening from 5 to 9PM. We chose several quartets to work on including:

Haydn - op. 9, no. 2
Mozart - K. 421
Mendohlssohn - op. 12
Debussy - Quartet

It's going to be a great program and I hope we can get into a lot of performance opportunities like convalescent homes, recitals at noon, and street playing to get some more experience playing together. Can you tell I'm uber-excited about all of this? :D

The bad news is that Chris' dad had 2 heart attacks yesterday and is currently in the hospital. Please send his dad your good vibes and best wishes. He's, like, the nicest guy in the whole world :) (You wouldn't even guess that he and Chris are related! hahahaha :P)

Goldberg Quartet

The results are in on the Goldberg Quartet! :D The roster includes:

Edgar Sandoval - 1st violin
Crystal Alforque - 2nd violin
Quyen Nguyen - viola
Yoo-Jung Cheng - cello

This is EXACTLY how I wanted things to turn out! :D This semester, we'll be playing the Debussy String Quartet in g minor as well as a couple other quartets. There are plans to make a brochure with each of our pictures (this means I'm going to have to hire a professional photographer :P) including a short bio that we can use to advertise to the community :) I'm so excited! This quartet's roster is the best quartet the school has had in a very long time. Each of us has had extensive chamber music experience, been soloist with symphony orchestras, and are "high octane players" ;) I will post info on where our upcoming concerts will be. So hopefully, some of you can attend if you're in the area :)

Damn That Reverse Psychology

Well, apparently, my conductor's plan to "get me out of my funk" is working. I've been feeling really excited about leading a section again. It's like it's all coming back to me again :D Last nite, I had major insomnia and stayed up till 5AM putting fingerings and bowings into parts! :o I know. I'm insane. :P

But it feels really good to be throwing myself into something headlong - even if I know it'll eventually exhaust my time and energy. Because of that, I've decided to take a break from Kung Fu for awhile. I may still practice on my own just to work out, but the weekly minimum time commitment of 6 hours is too much for right now. Not to mention the fact that it also costs about $65 in gas per month just to drive back and forth to class! Couple all that with the $100 it costs to be a member per month, and it ends up not being worth it with everything I have going on right now. :(

However, I was talking to my friend and he was saying that since Kung Fu was considered my leisure activity that I'd need something fun in my life to help balance out all the work and school. He's right. Without an outlet to unwind, I may go crazy. So, I've decided to try out for the Goldberg String Quartet. I've been a member once before, but it was a horrible experience because I was too immature and too much of a diva to really be a productive member of a string quartet. Maybe this time will be different. If there's one thing that surpasses my love of food, it's my love of chamber music :) Wish me luck! ;)