Life in Technicolor

Joey and Audrey

2011-12-22T00:23:00.000-08:00

The title says it all. Two of the coolest people I know. LOVE YOU GUYS!

I'm Alive!

2011-12-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

Hi! It's been a million years but I decided to revive this thing. I don't even know why I stopped.

Here's a picture of cute manatees because they are my favorite animal. They're so bomb.

Hope anyone who is reading this is having a good winter break. Christmas is near! :D

Spring Break

2011-03-22T02:41:00.000-07:00

Hey all, as the title says, that is what I am currently on. I am full and rested...mainly because all I have been doing is eating and sleeping. Sounds good, huh?
Anyways, two quarters have now passed by and I am very excited for spring quarter! There are a lot of exciting things that I'm looking forward to. I'll be sure to try to get pictures up or at least describe them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHdc6YOAEZs

Posted above is a song I wrote today. It's pretty raw but I basically was inspired to write this when I had a conversation with a close friend about how he wanted to be closer to God after being in college these past few months.

Shall properly update soon. :)

Merry CHRISTmas!

2010-12-25T03:57:00.000-08:00

...Wishing everyone a blessed and wonderful Christmas. Thanks for being in my life and I hope you all have a beautiful day full of wonder and whimsy. God Bless!

First Quarter of College [check]

2010-12-23T02:18:00.000-08:00

Fall quarter is done and now winter break is here! So far all is well with school and the first season of marching band at UCLA is now over (sadly). Needless to say, I really can't wait until next year. I'm planning on taking hip hop classes at the John Wooden Center and possibly do symphonic band...looking forward to an exciting winter quarter.

However, after one quarter, I've come to really fear midterms and finals. They are indeed extremely stressful and it scares me that I have 42343243 midterms and finals left to take at UCLA. Luckily there are a lot of places to study around the dorms and on campus so basically I just have to study a lot to do well right? Hopefully! Anyways, it sure pays off to take a break once in while. For instance, my building (hedrick summit) held a Furry Friends for Finals event where they brought dogs for us to play with during finals week. Mmmm, I love me some puppies. I did really miss my cat Julius while I was away for those 3-4 months down in LA.

Ahh, so what to do with all this time? Men's basketball game gigs is what! I realized how much more I know about basketball compared to football (although both are very fun). Four winter break games - I'm so there. I guess the only bad part would be driving down to Westwood and back but luckily I'm SoCal so I should not complain. Let's go Bruins!

I've also joined a wonderful Christian ministry at UCLA this quarter called Grace on Campus, commonly referred to as GOC. Every Friday we have worship as a student body and then every Sunday GOC drivers (usually upperclassmen) bring the dormies to Grace Community Church in Sun Valley. Ahhhh, I've met really great people at GOC and I can't wait to partake in my small group next quarter (and hopefully be more involved!). I've also learned a lot more about the Bible and the sermons at GOC are very convicting. I definitely am grateful for being part of this wonderful ministry brought together to worship such an awesome God. :)

On a random note, I noticed in my diary (yes, I have kept a diary since 5th grade) that I didn't write as much during high school, give or take a few entries. I realized that was when I started up a blog (so really it makes sense). I just can't write stuff here that is like super top secret...but then again I don't really have secrets to hide. (...or do I? haha)

I am getting rather sleepy so I will keep this post rather short. I wonder how many people from UCLA read this...I doubt anyone even knows I have one. Regardless, blogging is definitely my catharsis sometimes.

P.S - If you're in the AV area and you have nothing to do this winter break, hit me up! Please. :) I sadly have to go back by January 3. (I have a feeling that will come faster than I hope)

Feeling Good

2010-10-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

WOW. It's been a few weeks now in college and needless to say, I am LOVING it. I would have to say marching band has been a major highlight so far and football games at the rose bowl are incredibly fun. On top of all that we are doing a MUSE show (one of my favorite bands) and a cartoon show on top of a pregame show. Spelling out UCLA in block letters and the script (in cursive) is one of the most prestigious things I have ever done haha. Just in case anyone is interested I'm in the C in block UCLA and in the U in UCLA script. It's the best feeling ever.

I love the UCLA uniform. What more can I ask for? There's a freaking gold cape for crying out loud and the band looks great on the field and pretty much everywhere. I also really, really like my clarinet section and the people in it. I just wish I could talk more and NOT be so shy but hopefully with time it won't be too hard. I mean...I can honestly say I have met my closest friends through band so I doubt this would be any different from high school. I don't think anyone from UCLA would be reading this but I just wanted to know I appreciate all the clarinets very much. :)

Football games are either in the afternoon or at night so the afternoon ones are extremely hot. It's quite ridiculous how much the heat can get to you but luckily band serves a good enough distraction. :)

Classes have been also really good and dorming is great (I enjoy my roommates)...a lot of reading but the math is pretty easy and the GE classes are interesting. I'm getting more and more used to the walking, hills, and endless amount of stairs here in UCLA but all in all it's very much worth it. (good exercise right?)

This weekend is our band trip to CAL! I am so excited to go there and see Cal for the first time on top of going to an away game with the band. I hear USC is going to Stanford at the same time...hopefully I run into Josh with a couple of my clarinet friends so we can bully him around. ;) December 4 is the USC vs. UCLA game so if anyone is in town and wanna see what all the fuss is about in the coliseum by all means GO. :)

This is officially the first blog post since I got here and so I hope I can update more. I have been singing and playing guitar but haven't had a large enough block of time to record a video for youtube. Hopefully, when things settle in more I can find time to update that. At any rate, I am always up for anyone wanting to visit me or in need of a tour. There are so many things to do here - dining halls (yummy food), cafes, campus events, walking, and of course Westwood. I'm really enjoying all of what UCLA is offering thus far and I can't wait to explore more.

So I will end here for now and find more things and pictures to use next post. Fact: The squirrels here are beastly. They are NOT afraid of you.

Hope you guys have a happy October.

The Last Thing on Your Mind

2010-09-02T00:17:00.000-07:00

All right. I have 12 more days left. I cannot wait to start my new life at UCLA.

Anyways, I figure I will be a little more informal here and just use this blog to jot down thoughts I may have from day to day. I will certainly try to do this in college and hopefully put up some pictures of my dorm. That would be cool. The only thing I have packed are my bedding stuff and towels but other than I just have to bring my clothes, guitar, ukulele, my Bible and my mac. That's all I really need. (:

Recently, I have been listening to this singer/songwriter by the name of Lights. I have developed an acquired taste for her songs and so far my favorite would have to be the acoustic version of her song "The Last Thing on Your Mind." I actually just learned it two hours ago. I love singing it ha.

Other than playing guitar and being on the computer, I also have been conversing with my cat Julius more. Needless to say, I will him miss a lot when I'm gone. Even though he ignores me and walks away when I call for him, he's still my favorite cat and will always buy him two kinds of treats when I go to the store (because one is just not good enough haha). Maybe I should buy him some UCLA paraphernalia - like a new collar. Yeah, that sounds like a nifty idea because someone stole his previous one. -_-

I feel like eating Cheerios right now but I don't have any. Bummer...well until next time, hope everyone has a happy September. (:

Months 'til College: 1

2010-08-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, I auditioned for the UCLA marching band and with much surprise and excitement, I received my results saying I got in. Now with that in my schedule, I am even more excited to start my quarter in the fall although I am also extremely scared. Needless to say, I can't wait for band camp to start on Sept. 13 and am looking forward to missing those awkward social events during Welcome Week because of it. HA

So currently, I am a declared Molecular, Cell, + Developmental Biology major (mcd bio for short). The title is really quite obnoxious but it's the major I want to take to prepare for grad school. I might also go for a Spanish minor which I am also looking forward to around my sophmore or late freshman year.

Here are my classes so far (I might change it later):
- Math 3A (start of a calculus series for life science majors) [4 units]
- GE Cluster on Interracial Dynamics (a year long program taking care of four ge classes but I only take three. It also counts towards honors credit and gets rid of a writing requirement at the same time) [6 units]
- Classics course (GE) on the origin and nature of english vocabulary. [5 units]
- Fiat Lux Seminar on psychology: personal control; This also counts towards honors credit. [1 unit]
- Marching Band [2 units]

All in all 18 units for my first quarter is quite the hefty load but I'm up for it since I don't have any science classes to worry about. I also got in the College Honors Program (also a nice surprise) which will help me with grad school. In order to get honors credit, I can take seminars or personally ask professors to give me more work on top of the assignments to get more credit. I have to maintain a 3.5 gpa to remain in the program but this all serves to help me be more competitive in my credentials. (:

What to do for these remaining days is a question that even I can't answer ha. I will probably start practicing more clarinet since I will bringing it to college (yesss). I already finished my summer reading assignment (Zeitoun by Eggers) which was pretty cool because the book was quite touching and a good read. It was about a real life story of a family during Hurricane Katrina. Besides that, I already did orientation last month which was nice and I can't wait to move in my dorm on Sept. 12 (earlier than any other freshman!). I certainly don't want to start packing yet haha.

Anyways, I will end here and will update more since I have some time left on my hands. Hope everyone had a happy summer and a good start to school. (:

Official Youtube Channel

2010-06-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

I officially got the MacBook Pro and right away started my own channel on youtube. Here's the link to my channel. I am so completely excited!!! The video/audio could be better but this suffices for the time being. Enjoy. :]

Anyways, the new mac is really worth it. I was immediately impressed with all its features on top of its speed and capabilities. It's trendy and easy on the eyes. ;] I definitely would recommend for anyone to try it out...you'll see an immediate difference from all the computers you have used before. As far as prices go, I paid a total of $1800 and got a free printer and iTouch. With that price came the Apple Care Plan and iWorks. All in all, a pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

I will try to post a video as often as I can since it is summer. Any suggestions/comments are welcome. I'm not much of an advertiser so I really don't mind how many subscribers I have (a total of 4 right now). I am just excited to finally start this thing! Happy Summer to all.

Happy June

2010-06-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

Summer is pretty much setting in. So far I have been getting a ton of sleep on top of playing guitar/ukulele endlessly and watching Animal Planet. I'm just a tad bored but I know it's better than freaking out about school since I'm pretty sure I'll be doing that at LA this September.

So on June 1 at 3 pm the reservation and sign ups for orientation at UCLA went live. It wasn't a surprise to see that spots filled up really quickly and so I had to take the initiative to get a spot as fast as I can. Luckily I got into the second session out of the ten that we are allowed to choose from. It works out great because I wanted the second one anyways since the timing was more convenient. I will be taking two placement tests during my time there...music and math! I am really excited for orientation... just because I really want to be back on campus again after visiting it back in April with a special Filipino organization. Ha, I am pretty grateful I am Filipino actually. My mom was telling me about this special program where if I kept a GPA of 3.8 or higher for the first two years, the next two years of my undergraduate years at UCLA would be free. Pretty dang nifty I would say. I love the Philippines.

As far as summer plans, I really don't know what I am doing. I can't wait to get a Macbook Pro...that will definitely be highlight and I really want to learn how to start using it in preparation for college. (I hope I get it before Josh) There has been some talk of going to the Philippines or to New York. I'm up for anything really. Hanging out with friends would also be nice. I could really use some Jamba Juice or Berry Star...that would be terrific. Oh, and I really want to go swimming too...at Josh's or Michael's place. Just saying.

Lately I have been using Loreal Kids Shampoo. It's amazing and I just love the smell. I have thin hair so it works out great. Plus, it's tear free and I love having it in my eyes. Such a gentle shampoo!Hey check out this awesome bear do some ninja moves. I was like WOAH. This bear definitely has spunk. I have watched this several times consecutively.

I have been on youtube like 24/7 since summer started. I listen to music mostly and watch covers of people do songs I like. I listen to songs nonstop really....like this song by The Script called The Man Who Can't Be Moved. I also try to learn more and more songs. Yesterday I learned The Reason by Hoobastank...ha, classic song indeed. I can't wait to upload youtube videos!

So I will be headed to Northridge pretty soon to go shopping and browsing...possibly at the Apple Store! That would be quite awesome. I am pretty hungry too. Anyways hope you guys enjoy your summer. I think I will update as much as I can with all this free time on my hands. :]

UCLA, Here I Come...

2010-05-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

I forgot I had a blog. Ha, that's my excuse for not updating in quite a long time. Sorry.

Anyways, a lot has changed. This past three months or so of the end of my high school days have been a definite rollercoaster. But really, that's quite all right because I love rollercoasters. So win, win right? Yep.

Well we graduated on May 28, 2010 and I am pretty proud to say I will be attending UCLA in the fall. It was one the hardest decisions I have ever made but I don't regret it one bit and it's real nice to have parent support on the decision. The only sad part is leaving all my closest friends behind...opening up to new people is going to be really hard but I know it has to be done....unfortunately. I'm up for it though. Plus, Josh Kling and Michael Belzil will be at USC...approximately 12-13 miles away. I am so grateful for that. I am going to vist like...everyday.

Oh in the past three months, I did make a really good friend who is now really dear to me. Meet John Young: a dashing, extremely intelligent, hilarious, fun-loving guy. He's pretty much indescribable. I promised I would mention him in my blog and here I am mentioning him. If you want a fun time, hit this guy up. Ha, just kidding. He really is great to be with though and I am pretty grateful he has gotten closer and closer to people who are very close to me as well like Josh and Julia. Thanks, John...for everything.
Sum up of senior year in a list of bullet points:
- College apps
- last year of Tinikling/Multicultural
- senior lunch privileges
- Mrs. Nichter for Biology
- senior prom at The Plaza Hotel
- 4243243 IB/AP tests
- finishing IB crap
- grad practice
- grad night
- graduation
Plus, a whole bunch of stuff I really can't remember at this point but I will eventually.

Anyways, today we had our band alumni concert. It was pretty cool seeing folks we don't get to see everyday. Although, it was pretty short in my opinion it was an honor to play with past qhhs band kids. The music was quite all right. I don't like Swearingen pieces but the Ticheli piece made up for it. Then we all went to in n' out. Score.

Okay, I feel sleepy. I will make a better update soon...probably when I get a new computer! It's pretty exciting...ha, my parents were generous enough to let me get a 15 inch macbook pro for my college days. I will probably be getting it at an apple store in Northridge with a couple of friends. It should be a fun time. One of the things I was looking into was posting my own videos of me attempting to sing and play guitar on youtube using garageband on Macs. I really can't wait...actually I can wait but only for like a week or so.

All righty, I'm done for now. Time goes by pretty fast...I wish it went slower. I want to have a really long summer if you know what I mean. ;]

Happy 2010

2010-01-07T22:31:00.001-08:00

Wow, it has been a really long time since the last update. I apologize but for the most part, happy new year. It's amazing it's been ten years since the start of 2000. Hope everyone is off to a great start.

Last week, I was really grateful for being able to go see the 2009 Bandfest event down in Pasadena. Ha, it was pretty awesome driving down there with Julian and Casey and hanging out with them and Clark during the show. It was also great being able to hear and watch really talented bands and especially being able to see some close friends playing in the Tournament of Roses Honor Band. Although it rained, I think I was more excited just to be there more than anything else. Congrats to Josh, Julia, Marcea, Mitch, and everyone else who played! (Also, special congrats to Josh and Mitch for making All-State.)

Now that first semester of senior year has ended back in December, I am pretty excited for the last semester of high school. Although I won't miss a lot of high school, I will definitely miss a lot of people and the marching experience. I am really grateful I was able to get by first semester with solid grades and so now all I have to worry about is getting that IB Diploma and taking all those tests. Needless to say, I am excited about this upcoming semester since we will be performing Tinikling next month and on top of that we have graduation in May.

As for college applications, I applied to six schools:
- UCSD
- UCLA
- UCI
- USC
- CSULB
- CLU

I am pretty nervous as to what my options will be once acceptance letters come out but one of the biggest things I am hoping for is that nice presidential scholarship for Long Beach. (Ha, but it would be a miracle if that happened.)

Anyways, lately several friends and I have had this sudden urge to revert back to our childhood and once again play with those virtual pet things called Tamagotchis. The idea was Josh's during Dr. Reti's class one day and so that same day I went to Walmart near midnight to go fetch some. Since then, we have been playing them in and outside school and during class. Ha, no matter how foolish it looks, it's really fun.

All in all, this year is looking to be a really big one (for me at least). Besides the end of high school and the start of college, there's a Filipino tradition of having a debut for when a girl turns 18. It's kind of like a coming of age celebration but with the addition of a special court and traditional Filipino dances. Ha, I don't actually know if I want one yet or not since these things are pretty expensive and I am afraid of having that much attention but for the most part, I am still looking into it.

Anyways, hope all is well and that everyone has been enjoying their break (which is sadly coming to the end.) Again, good luck with the new year and hope to see all of you guys at school or wherever we may meet. :]

Hey, It's Hot Outside

2009-07-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

I take it that everyone has noticed the sun and the heat that it releases. It's quite draining but I know that some people (like Michael) who has lived in the snow for large portions of their life rather enjoy this heat. Summer is nice though and has always been my favorite season.

Luckily registration for the new year didn't take as long as three hours as I have been hearing from fellow classmates, but it was pretty boring and waiting wasn't particularly fun or exciting. I got all the classes I had intended on taking which was a blessing. This is how it's looking for my senior year:

IB English HL2
IB Biology HL2
IB History HL1
IB Spanish SL
AP Physics
AP Calculus BC
Journalism
Marching Band

...Another year of eight classes and sometime in September I will finally get my health credits with an extra supplementary class. That will take four days at the most but my counselor will work it out with my teachers so I don't really have to waste time taking an actual class. All in all, I am very excited to take physics and calc BC. I have been waiting all high school to finally take classes like these. I also share about all my classes with my best buddies so that was also a definite plus for this year. I am prepared for no sleep but I think at the end of the year it's worth looking at solid grades. :]

I also got my IB scores a few weeks ago and I was also very happy to see how I did. I managed to get a 6 on the IB psych test and a 5 on the IB math test. They are both standard level so it's great I only have to take 4 this upcoming year instead of 5 tests. I want to do better with math and beat Michael and Josh. I also very much want to beat them with the physics test. I know that's impossible but hey, it's worth the shot.

I am finally going to start volunteering at AVH for CAS hours. It's about time I start that and I am looking forward to that as well. Hopefully I can see all the hospital action up close.

Doing the foxtrot with Josh has also been a wonderful blessing this summer. It's absolutely fun but very difficult at the same time. I enjoy it so much. Thanks bud.

I also managed to finally get my driving permit. I got a 100 on the test which was pleasant and have been on the road since July 17th. I must warn you though that I am a slow driver. I got honked at the other day and I was absolutely pleased. For some odd reason I was waiting for the first time I would get beeped at for driving slow and I got that wish. Let me tell you I smiled when I heard that beep that was solely intended for me and directed towards my lack of speed. Isn't that great? Why yes, yes it is. I will soon take a picture of my car which is a red Lexus rx300. It's not a bright red but more of a darker tone of it. Ha, you'll see in the picture. I was very grateful to be given that car.

I have also been playing around with the guitar again. I was very happy to be requested to learn a Spanish classical piece by Josh. It is Asturias by Isaac Albeniz. It's an extremely difficult song and at this point I only can play the first 27 seconds but not as fast as the video of course. I have been practicing on an acoustic guitar but hopefully if I get my hands on a classical guitar I can practice this song. I will definitely need a lot of time to learn this piece especially with the technical parts and harmonics but it's a definite treat to listen to. I am also currently looking for a song to cover with singing as well.

I also visited Las Vegas this past weekend for a little break that all my family including myself very much needed. It was really hot and it even rained with lightening. It was funny because the rain droplets were obese yet nice to feel because of the heat. I was walking in the Venetian and the Blue Man group walked past me as I was watching this small musical performance (flute, classical guitar, piano, vocals). It was funny because they were randomly walking around since they had been performing at the Venetian and people had to wait a second to register that they were actually just walking around. I was standing when I turned around and saw all three of them up close. It was great. I didn't take pictures or anything. I guess because I go there a lot I don't take out my camera much. My mom however managed a few photos. I'll try to gather those as soon as I can.

Anyways I am going to stop right here and think of what to say later. I always manage to miss something important and notice it after publishing a post. Hopefully your summer has been safe thus far. Stay sober. :]

Oh, Summer

2009-06-20T23:09:00.001-07:00

So we recently have finished IB ToK and now summer has officially started (somewhat). ToK went by really quick and all in all it wasn't too bad. We had a mock trial, a debate, an essay, and a final speech. I managed to have fun with all of them although public speaking is definitely not my thing. Now to get started on that extended essay....later. Ha, I've heard that Dr. Reti called people during the summer in the past years so it would be pretty interesting if that happened to me. I wouldn't know what to say. Hopefully, it does not happen and chances are I won't even answer it because I simply fail at answering my cell phone or any phone.

On Friday, I took senior pictures. Hah, I missed them on Monday because I have a problem of remembering things but it wasn't any hassle at all. My mom almost started crying when I was taking the cap and gown portion so I basically told her to calm the heck down. Hah, nah I would not say that to my mom but I was quite surprised that she would get emotional so early in the year. It was sweet though. I take awkward pictures.

I also had my first dance session with Josh. We started the foxtrot and needless to say I very much enjoyed it. It's such a classy dance (not that I could ever pull it off) but I thought it was cool that we get to dance to Frank Sinatra type of music. I'm such a beginner but it's nice Josh is willing to put up with me and try this dancing thing out. Despite the fact there are also some strangers who are learning too, it's still quite a fun time. I have calculated a total of 2.5 hours for my CAS hours so far. I definitely need to start practicing to reach that fifty. Ha, I'm not complaining.
I'll also keep updates on the Sagebrush Cafe gig. It's coming together and it looks like we only need to have an informal audition. I just have no idea what songs to pick yet and I'm already quite nervous. As far as when, it's definitely going to be a Friday from 6 to 9 so the best I can do is give a notice that it's going to be a Friday sometime in the next couple of weeks or so. Hopefully things fall through and I'll try to find a convenient day so that everyone can come. It's a pretty small cafe but I think we can all get cozy in there...or not.

Hopefully, I can go to Six Flags this summer with friends. I need to scream incoherently. It's quite a form of venting when you're all bottled up from a long school year.

I should probably just start summer reading and get that AP Calc book. Hah, I feel so happy that I finally caught up with math (although it stills screws me over) but to think I will be taking AP Calc BC just makes me...dorkishly happy. Man, I wish I was cooler.

Surprisingly I don't think I am taking any AVC classes this summer. Ha, it feels weird not to. My summer almost feels incomplete. I really need to find something to do besides sleeping and eating.

So everyone is getting hyped on watching The Office. Ha, it's quite funny to see that but I can't say I don't watch it myself. I again thank my buddy Mike for introducing it. I definitely agree it's quite a funny show and I don't mind watching it for hours. It's always so nice with friends so I am very thankful for that as well.

All right, I don't think I know what else to say at this point so I'll stop here. I'll probably keep blogging in smaller intervals since I have a little more time than usual.

Happy Father's Day and go give daddy a hug. :]

Three Years Down, One Year to Go

2009-06-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

All in all, it's quite interesting to have finally arrived at our last chapter of high school. Junior year was definitely a memorable year from meeting wonderful people to strengthening my relationships with those I have already met. IB and its splendid horror is nearly halfway done and despite all the rough nights and painful assignments, it was well worth it. I am very much grateful for another year of solid grades (extremely ecstatic to say the least) and I'm really happy that I was able to learn a bit more about my classmates and friends. In a nutshell, these are some happy moments I thought I would just type out:

IB testing (ha, you probably think this is absurd but trust me you'll have fun if you only have one or two to study for. I will probably change my mind once this year unfolds...)

Band (somewhat controversial but S/E festival was surprisingly pleasant and overall I enjoyed quality time with people I care about)

Playing/singing guitar with some friends (Julia, Jenna, Michael, Christian and Josh to name a few)

College trip/tour of California Lutheran University (with Josh and Clark); along with NHS trip to UCSB and small visits to UCSD, UCI, and CSUN

Tinikling! (we lost about 95% of our team since they decided to be smart and graduated. I can't wait to do it again next year.)

Being introduced to The Office and simply enjoying it after finally understanding the humor behind it all. (I love Kevin's huge pencil.)

Competing against Josh in every single class and assignment. Thanks, bud. I'll let you win next year to make you feel better.

Meeting wonderful IB kids in my class and establishing stronger, substantial relationships with friends

Singing a song on guitar for Mr. Mcq and my IB psych class

It's quite difficult to essentially list them all but in short, I learned a lot more about life and truly did have fun. It was a hard year outside of school, but I really thank those who were there for comfort. It was very much appreciated and once again, I never say thank you enough. I also want thank Julia for inviting me to her church yesterday. Again, it really did make an impact and I hope I can come again.

I am looking forward to this summer although I realized it is in fact quite busy. Besides taking the second half of IB ToK with Dr. Reti ( I really like this guy), I will also be meeting up with my recently graduated friend Jenna Hang to prepare an audition for a musical performance at the Sagebrush Cafe. We decided to do a little collaboration during the year in Nichter's room and we thought it would be pretty neat to do a small perfomance at the cafe on a friday (every friday is Acoustic Music Night). We will most probably be playing guitar and singing a few duets (or at least harmonizing on a few favorite songs) and if I am lucky I might be able to get a ukulele and learn songs on that as well. I am really excited/nervous for it but in any case, everyone is invited to come watch and hear. I'd love to see you there.

For CAS hours and some quality time, I will also be dancing with Josh (foxtrot, tango, etc) during the summer. Even though I will most probably fail, it's one of those things that make me feel really happy and needless to say, I am very excited. I also plan on finishing my extended essay this summer and get volunteering and driving out of the way. If there is any time left, I also want to teach some friends how to make duct tape wallets for even more CAS hours. Overall, its a fun-packed summer and hopefully I still get to hang out with friends and just play guitar all day at random Filipino parties.

Tomorrow our ToK class will be heading down to Pasadena to visit and tour the Norton Simon Museum. I am actually looking forward to it not only because I am beginning to really like Dr. Reti but we get to relax and contemplate about the philosophy of art (ha). At any rate, I will probably end with that note. Ha, let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance. Gee, I'm such a dork.

Prom and Flowers

2009-04-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

Let's make this short and straightforward: I went to prom. Hah, that sentence is past tense and I apologize to those who think it's stupid. Although the music choice and grinding was really stupid and uncomfortable, I did manage to enjoy my time. Since it was at the California Science Center, we got to spend a good portion going through the exhibits they had on the second and third floor. We also have pretty awesome friends both in band and IB so overall I must say I had a wonderful night. I went with Josh to prom (hah it looks like we matched but if you look closely our blues are a couple shades off) and I'm pretty glad he came. He was tolerable (kidding) and a very nice gentleman. I'm lucky.

As far as prom itself...it wasn't horrific and the place was actually pretty neat. Josh and I tried to do some form of dancing (hustle, double time cumbia), but besides not having the right music we had great friends there to spend time with. Thanks much for that. We also did the corsage/boutonnière thing..hey it's high school. Hah. Overall we did have fun dressing up and being stupid. I also managed to get lost a lot. Cool stuff. I'll get more picture up here soon.

Besides prom, school has been quite okay. SAT and ACT are coming up in the next couple of months and that's already a handful. Other than that we have some deep poem explication to tackle and some practice IB math tests. All is well.

Anyways, I should be doing homework now considering it's a Monday night. Hope everyone is doing all right.

Happy Spring Break

2009-03-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

Solo and Ensemble Festival occurred yesterday and although I did not get to doing as much as I thought I was, I was pleasantly surprised that we had received a command performance on my duet with Josh (also the only thing I signed up for). We only sight read our piece (Mendelssohn's Concert Piece no. 1 in F minor) once and met up the Tuesday before Solo and Ensemble to play with our accompaniment...and with each other. It was pretty awesome to receive such an honor on little preparation. The whole day was filled with beautiful musicians and pieces and although I had to leave early, I got to hear pretty great stuff. Right after, my family and I headed for a quick visit with family in Vegas. I just got back right now. Staying in a car for so long with lots of people is unpleasant but I slept almost the entire round trip.

Spring break has started and I will cherish it. Doing nothing was what I had in mind and it is going to be exactly what I am doing. Although I have homework, it is still really nice not to be staying for that reason but to stay up and do what I like...playing the guitar and singing. Hah, I encourage all to take a shot at it. You will be surprised.

Shockingly, I am going to prom this year and dragged a few friends to come along with. I bought my dress in Vegas. It wasn't hard. Actually the first dress I saw that was indigo I grabbed, tried on, then bought (which brings me to a total of trying only one dress out for prom). I didn't even look any further because I hate shopping. I like the color of the dress and it is a better alternative then going as animals in zebra/tiger print. Hah, sorry... it was a funny idea at the time. Dressing up as wild animals and then going (and acting as animals as well for the full effect). Prom is at the California Science Center this year (next year it's the AV grounds?) and will be happening on April 4, a Saturday. I figured that saying prom is stupid without ever going to one isn't entirely justified...so I thought why not go to one and then say it's stupid. Yes? Hah, not really but we are getting in tuned with some of our fellow IB juniors and who knows...we might crack a smile.

Sadly I am not going on the band trip this year to DC since it was a tough decision between going with family to the Philippines this December or that. I picked the Philippines. Sorry, I won't dwell on it further. It hurts.

I feel so happy that I got some of my awesome friends hooked on Kina Grannis. She's so talented, pretty, and bubbly. Thanks for listening to her and if you guys are remotely interested I could teach you some of her songs to play on the guitar. So far I know Message From Your Heart, Valentine, and Together. I am working on The Goldfish Song and Strong Enough, but I am almost done!

Meh...I'll put up a better post with images later! My guitar is calling.

Are You My Type?

2009-02-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

As a supplementary reading assignment in our English class we were allowed to pick a book from a given list. Although I would have loved to read all of them given time and a copy of each book (and also since I like Mr. House's taste in literature) I chose to do The Drunkard's Walk or How Randomness Rules our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow. I am only on page 63 as of now but I have to got to say it is a pretty interesting book. It involves lots of mathematical concepts (especially probability) and goes into many of the common fallacies humans fall to. Don't be afraid to take a piece of paper out and go through the many calculations the author walks you through. I should probably finish the book before recommending it but I haven't got bored yet.

So this week is going to be another week from hell (the other weeks of hell are usually during portfolio time or before a big test(s)). I have the Multicultural Assembly this Friday (freaking out right now), my huge psych experiment due Thursday, and Science Olympiad on Saturday (it's not a big deal though). Lots to do and practice. I'm up for it though. These types of weeks are usually followed by a nice grace period. Well...hopefully. I got clapped on today. That hurt. It's coming along as well as it can. I am still excited to perform and have all the band kids watch since they all come at the same time and tend to sit in the front.

My title comes from the free shirt I got for donating blood last Wednesday. It's an amazing thing to give something as essential as blood (it seems so effortless just lying there) and I would recommend doing it if you of course are healthy, weigh enough, and are okay with needles. I honestly passed out twice the next day (eh I'm a short Filipino girl who was prone to anemia), but it's not scary/painful (I landed safely on my tile floor in my bathroom). Definitely drink lots of non-alcoholic fluids and get some iron into your system as soon as possible (before and after). I also got my "It's my first time!" pin and free food. Josh and I potentially saved 6 lives that day. It's awesome. We were both happy to know that we didn't clot and have no bruises whatsoever. Sorry to those that didn't go through so easily. Hey, it's an amazing thing to do before you die (because we are all going to die someday...kidding). Don't pass out like me though. I'm such a baby.

So a good friend of mine introduced me to Kina Grannis on YouTube. She's a lovely singer and I can't help but be inspired by her thoughtful lyrics. I learned one of her originals "Valentine" by ear. I couldn't stop listening to it although the lyrics are of the cutsie/aww nature. Hey, I'm super emotional and sensitive. Right Josh? If any of you want to hear it, I could go find some guts and sing it to you. I don't have a special rendition but you can hear me butcher it. I got Julia to like it so it must be good.

A shout out to Clark: Hey man, Happy Birthday. I think I've said it through the computer about three times now. Hope you have a good one though. Run free yes? (kidding).

I should be doing homework right now since it is a Sunday evening. I'll just do some math I think. I'll put in some reading tonight too. Perhaps some biology as well. (Not that this is relevant to your life.) Wish everyone a happy, safe week.

What is Real?

2009-01-29T20:18:00.000-08:00

We are well into second semester and we got a lot done these past few weeks. No more killer portfolios and the SAT is done for now. Ha, I'll try not to go into a lot of school stuff because you can basically read Josh's blog and know how school is going. That goes for band news and related paraphernalia as well. District Honor band rehearsals started today and I do very much enjoy our guest conductor Dr. Carnahan. He's actually making me like the pieces we are playing when I initially was not fond of them. Awesome stuff. Our concert is tomorrow.

IB Theory of Knowledge is now installed into our schedules and I must say that class does spark some tension within me. It's an interesting class and I already do like Dr. Reti. He asks pretty deep questions and really makes us kids think. He bakes cakes and runs marathons. Pretty neat I would say.

Tinikling has been running along quite nicely. I love dancing as you probably already know. I think I am obsessed. It is probably unhealthy but it's impossible to hide my enthusiasm.

I am thinking of donating blood soon in this blood drive. I'll post up more specific information soon once I dig up some. I have not done this before and I want a button that says it's my first time. Oh and of course to save at least three lives. It's a noble cause and I am thoroughly excited to do it. I hope I don't have some sort of vulnerability to faint spells since my dad warned me that my mom is prone to that (she also lacks iron). I've had huge bloody noses in the past and I am pretty used to losing a lot of blood. The most that happens is a possible headache. Hopefully I get to do this.

I just woke from a nap right after dance practice. I think I was hypoglycemic. Ha, that scared my parents and myself since it is a bit odd to see me sleeping randomly on the couch when I normally don't. I don't even remember trying to sleep, but I am pretty sure I had a huge headache and could not stand it so I crashed. So they made me eat right away when I woke up (I think my mom shook me awake) and I felt a whole lot better. I totally forgot to eat after band and before practice. I didn't even eat at band even though we had a lunch period. It was awful of me. I'll try to remember to eat. It's sad because I get so caught up with everything else that I learned how to suppress hunger. I've skipped dinner accidentally numerous times and only realize it around ten or eleven. Hah. I will be more conscious.

Anyways I'll leave it at that. Hope you guys have a good Friday and weekend. Stay sober.

Filipino Love

2009-01-17T12:56:00.000-08:00

Just recently I joined the Tinikling team at Quartz Hill. I got to say that dancing is becoming one of my favorite things to do. The Tinikling dance involves bamboo sticks where it is performed with dancers (people who jump over the deathly sticks) and clappers (people whose hands get clapped on when a dancer fails to jump over a stick and of course clap the sticks). Although it is pretty dangerous, it's terrifically fun and part of my culture! I'm supposed to dance like a bird in rice terraces or something but I know that a bird is much more graceful than I am. Anyhow, I was first afraid to dance with guy (on top of those moving sticks) but I think I got used to it and pretty glad I did. It's wonderful dancing with the significant other. I am also getting tuned in to my culture and am very proud of it. I have even started using Tagalog around the house. Although I have to think of what to say, I understand my parents and the various soap operas on TV. The Tinikling performance will be seen at the Multicultural Assembly on February 27th. That should be a good show because besides us there is so much more interesting culture out there.

I made Distict Honor Band I think. I am pretty excited since I miss my friends on behalf that I have been brainwashed to love Tinikling as of right now and the people in as well. (Kidding). I hope we get good music.

Finals are finally over. Again, I'm pretty happy about grades. As of now, my first semester is pretty solid and hopefully I can do better next semester because I'm afraid of the new grading system. IB isn't that bad actually.

Although I love my cat, Julius, I do miss my dogs terribly. Hah. Here's a picture of my beloved partner. I talk to this cutie when I have no one else to talk to. (which is often.)
I will be getting to Tinikling practice soon. I should get ready. Hah, I'm so lame for loving this so much. Happy Day!

Oh and thanks so much to Julia for the Angels and Airwaves CDs. It's amazing.

Here's Your Lifeline

2009-01-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to all. Let's make this year great guys. Hopefully.

I've been having this new thing for making duct tape wallets. I thoroughly enjoy it. I kind of suck at making them but I made one for Josh and pretty surprised he hasn't thrown it back at me telling me to remake it. So far so good. Darn it. I forgot to take a picture of it so I can post it up. Sorry. I'll make another one soon then I'll post it. I don't have many colors yet. (just gray, black, red, and chrome) I want to go and fetch me some other colors soon. I love making these nifty little wallets.

Winter break is coming to a close and honestly I would not mind going back to school considering my unhealthy habits of staying up late, doing nothing, and watching you tube videos.

Solo and Ensemble Festival is coming soon and I'm pretty excited for the little gigs I was invited to do. I'm going to try to do a solo again but I'm really scare of the piece I am considering. You aficionados out there would probably laugh at my attempt to try to do such a song but I sort of fell in love with it when I first heard it. It's by a French composer. I'll have the guts to actually tell you the song later. (hah) We are considering a Klezmer trio and as far as the duets go it's all Mendelssohn baby. I'll elaborate more on specific stuff and details once I know more. I'll probably post a recording of everything soon too.

Julia and my brother sort have introduced me to Angels and Airwaves. I like the lead singer's voice a lot (Tom Delonge) and so far I like the songs Secret Crowds and Lifeline. I also liked my first Jack's Mannequin song ( Dark Blue). I've played around with singing them and making up chords. Music makes me happy if you didn't already know.

Hope you guys have a good day. I wish I was a more exciting person. I will attempt to be soon. Sorry for the short post.

Had a Nice Christmas? Good.

2008-12-27T16:19:00.000-08:00

We seriously had been having numerous "parties" at my place. It's been about everyday this week. It's fun now that I have Ryan and his friends come over all the time. They are pretty cool kids(almost 4 or 5 years older than me). We went to Walmart about midnight last night and knowing how quiet I am, they decided to stop the car really fast in the middle of the road and yes they heard me scream. They were laughing that one off for a while. It was unpleasant, but somewhat fun. No, it was unpleasant. I thought we crashed or something. Wouldn't you get scared?! Yes you would.

Oh and I sat down at Walmart and this one really frightening dude sat by me. It was freaky. It was like "uhhh Sheena get up now before he does something...". I slowly got up, smiled at the bum, then ran. Hah. It wasn't obvious at all. They were still laughing at me. Apparently I'm funny or something. I don't think so. It's cool though. I still hang out with them even though whatever I do is funny. It's probably because I'm the youngest. We got home to my place around 2am. They are such a bad influence. It's because they are Filipino that my dad didn't even care. Kidding. Their parents are friends with mine. Problem solved.

On Christmas night, I went with some different Filipino peers (you wouldn't guess who. I was even surprised.) and we went to watch Yes Man with Jim Carrey. Hah I have nothing much to say but well Carrey is still hyper. Calm down. How old are we?
The point of the movie was to open yourself up to opportunities by just simply saying yes to things you wouldn't normally say yes to. Then things you wouldn't even imagine happen to you (good things apparently). You know... all that sappy stuff.

I don't think I like being bored all the time now. At first I was amazed at how much time I had but now it's such a drag. Wish I can join those T of R folk in their practices or visit them or something. I'm so left out. Hah.

I think I want to go to Disneyland soon. I will probably go with some of Ryan's friends. I might get killed and they would laugh. Kidding. It would be fun though. Wouldn't it?

On my IB form for testing it said I was Hispanic. Cruz? Hmmm. I should have left it. I was even more Hispanic than Josh.

I am reading Clockwork Orange right now. Josh suggested it. Hah ( hope you are enjoying WWZ). I love these kind of dystopian society books. Hope you guys really enjoyed Christmas. It's a wonderful day. I am looking forward to New Year's. Let's party okay?

Lucky

2008-12-21T12:58:00.000-08:00

I think it snowed sometime the other day. Hope everyone enjoyed that. I sure did. I will probably upload some pictures soon. It was fun to be a real kid after a while. Snow causes me to become somewhat masochistic but it is all worth it I believe.

I'm pretty excited to attend the Bandfest on the 30th of this month. To hear my friends contribute their wonderful sound to it will be thoroughly rewarding. Can't wait! (plus I'll be hanging out with some college kids. How cool is that. :P) I have my twenty dollars ready.
We had our last day with Mr. Cassady last Wednesday and that really did make me sad. He's such a wonderful teacher and I can't believe we are done with that class. It went by too fast. Although that's bad news, we are done with our first semester of IB! That is pretty exciting and frankly it wasn't that bad. My grades are pretty solid but now that there is news that we are changing the grading scale to some wierd 13-point one I might have to work harder next semester. Yikes.

I get so bored easily but luckily I have my new red electric guitar to play around with. It was supposed to be my Christmas present but hah I don't even know how I got my hands on it. Anyways I don't even play guitar but it's all in good fun.

My parents are more social than I am. I can't even remember how many parties I've been forced to go to with my parents. It's all fine with me as long as they feed me and give me some place to sleep until the party ends. That's what I usually do. Perhaps I even read or do homework given a sufficient amount of light. Speaking of reading, I finished and did my oral commentary on World War Z (a book about Zombie pandemic about to eradicate humanity). I liked the book and it is sort of scary once you look up pictures about it and what not. I recommend you read it if you are looking for something scary? or just plain fun. You know who wins in this war? CUBA haha good ole Fidel Castro. It's quite funny to see how countries react to the Zombie War. If you like history you might even like this one too.
So the title of this post is from the song Lucky by Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillat. (Pris knows what I'm talking about. :) ) I'm trying to learn the female harmony part to it. It's quite fun to try to sing a harmony rather than the melody.We are all kind of lucky in our own way I think. Maybe. I'm pretty grateful for everything.
Well I'm off to go register for the SAT for January. Hopefully I will be taking it on January 24, 2009 over at AVC. I need to study up for it. Enjoy winter break.

New Blog Title

2008-11-03T01:29:00.000-08:00

Not much to say. It's not that interesting or artistic but I find deeper meaning in it. I love Coldplay.

Happy October 31st

2008-10-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

I felt that since two other people updated their blogs tonight that I should conform.

During school, I have been enjoying our wonderful discussions in my IB English class with Mr. House. Just recently we talked about the common logical fallacies of life (which proved to be scarily accurate) and of course our general discussion of dystopian culture and literature. Mr. House is an incredible teacher. He is very entertaining and might I add extremely hilarious (especially since Josh and I already have a twisted kind of humor). I've learned so much so far from vocabulary (which actually appears on SAT stuff..hmmmm) to the denial of objective reality. This is crazy class but I thoroughly enjoy it.

Hart is tomorrow. Enough Said.

Juggling school, band, and life has really been a challenge this year. With all this politcal frenzy and what not, life is sure hectic about now. It's okay though everyone goes through what I have to so why do I get the right to complain?

Passing out candy is very boring. My face hurts from smiling and pretending that I really mean my "you're welcome...happy Halloween...you too!...". It's always like this every year but this time I brought my guitar out to play at the porch and made it pretty obvious at how annoyed I am when people start walking up to me. We (haha I keep saying we but really it was just me by myself passing out while my family was sleeping or playing xbox) actually ran out of drugs. It's sad. I talked to Josh for a while (sorry that was long if you happen to be reading this bud) during my passing out period which was funny because he could hear my "you're welcome" every now and then. I closed up at 9 which is pretty late but it was nice sitting outside in the chillness of night. Oh I did have a partner...my brother Caleb. It's funny because he went out to collect candy from our neighbors then he'd come back to me and deliberately empty the contents of his bag except for a select few into the passing out bowl. Then I knowingly distribute this candy to our neighbors. Isn't that great?

No pictures tonight. Sorry.

I realize how awful I write on my blog. It's just that I save that formality and proper grammar for essays. It's weird... I can only write well to an extent in a given time period so I don't want to use it up now. Oh math portfolio is done. I hated it.

I don't know how to dance like Josh, Julia, and Marcea since I have not participated in a formal quince, but a few weeks back I learned some salsa dancing. It's an intimate dance and it really pushed me out of my comfort zone (if you will) since some guys tend to be possessive/touchy/ have desire to lead/to appear like a man. I was extremely flattered yet felt really violated (in a non serious type of way) when they were trying to teach me how to move in that 8 motion (more like the infinity sign) with my torso. This is really hard to do especially since marching band has conditioned me to walk like a man (not really) but to walk straight with no bounce or excessive hip motion. Yes that's my excuse for my inability to dance. I don't plan on continuing to learn although my parents attend frequent ballroom sessions at a studio (run by Filipino people). They are quite good at it and they definitely enjoy it to the max.

I can't say I have been the happiest person lately but I'm hanging in there for those who remotely care. Anyways I will be seeing most of you guys tomorrow at Hart. Till then...Happy Weekend.

Don't Worry I'm Still Alive

2008-10-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wow. I haven't updated in a long time. Anyways I give thanks to those who actually read my blog. :D

School and band are pretty much the usual. Let's see I'll just list it: football games, pep band, AVC symphonic band, AVC clarinet choir, and T of R auditions. I truly do enjoy doing all of this even though school in conjunction with this is really difficult. Music is a pretty essential part of my life and getting section leader next year would seriously make me the happiest kid in this world. But who I am kidding, I most probably won't get it since there's better people out there who are louder, more assertive, and ultimately a better leader than I could ever become...

This next couple weeks are going to be insane. I have T of R auditions this Sunday and PSATs the following Saturday. We have also been assigned our first math portfolio for the IB program in this span of two weeks. I recently can't speak English properly. I make a lot of grammatical errors while talking.

The following SNL parody of the VP debate Josh sent me was pretty hilarious. This Sarah Palin Debate flow chart is also pretty fun too. Although it has some profanity (sorry), I thought it was pretty clever. I love people sometimes. Thanks bud...

I finally have my first article in the QHHS Ubiquity! Although you most probably don't care about the paper, I was thoroughly overjoyed. I am going to save all my papers.

I have been enjoying a lot of classes overall. Most of my teachers are pretty darn amazing and I'm thankful I took their classes. The IB programs isn't as horrible as I though it would be. I think it all has to do with time management. I also learned how to tie a tie three different ways! Although I don't wear ties, I think it will come in handy in the future. hahah I really don't know how it would, but you never know...

Working with other people with school is actually productive. Anyways I'll leave this post short since I have to do homework and get a good start on that math portfolio. Have a wonderful week.

Happy Day

2008-08-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

So far life's been pretty brutal at times and good at others. I'm most thankful for those occasional joyous moments that all you can do is laugh. Laughing is healthy for the soul. I love people who make me laugh.

I've been pretty musical lately. With the wedding tomorrow (goodness that will be tons of fun), I've been practicing. I listen to music while doing homework and sometimes pull out the guitar for some playing. I love music.

School is pretty hectic and full of work. Thank goodness I have friends who I can share my opinions with, study with, and complain with. Everything is better when we all do it together. I love friends.

Psychology is very interesting. Although the class is a work load, the material catches my attention. I love learning about the brain and its amazing capabilities. Most of my classes are pretty tolerable and almost fun at times. I actually enjoy having a lot to do so that way I'm never doing nothing.

So basically I have been a happy person lately. I think that's pretty good.

Just the Usual...

2008-08-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

The Philippines has a total of 15 athletes competing in 8 different sporting events in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. We currently have 0 medals and haven't had a medal in the previous years. Don't you think it would be nice if we got one?! Anyways Micheal Phelps is just amazing and there's so many talented, healthy people out there competing. I love the Olympics. This picture of a bike just says it all.
School is just the usual. Waking up early for 0 period is kind of annoying and I miss coming to the band room in the morning. I like most of my teachers, which is a good thing since you know it's easier and more exciting to learn. I have Mr. Cassady again(history), Mr. House (english), Sra. Pena (spanish), Mr. Herman (methods), Mrs. Rayfield (biology), and Mrs. Chaddick (psychology). I also have Mrs. Martinez for Jounalism and of course Mr. McQ. This week went by pretty fast so I hope the year is like that. Most of my classmates have the same schedule as I do, which is no big surprise.

My marching band number is 23 this year. Like last year, Josh and I both sandwich a section leader (John this time) and like before the section leader is usually somewhere else doing his/her duty. The show is coming along although this week we set too much moves for our band to handle, which ultimately leads to resetting these moves the next practice. We actually were able to make a circle and curves a few times and to move as section. Isn't that great?! Danny Elfman is pretty cool and the music is fun at times. This year I actually wear sunscreen every practice because I actually got sunburnt one day. This is unheard of with a Filipino! I am rather disappointed with myself but I guess sunscreen is good so I won't get too dark.

I have a lot of homework this weekend. It makes me sad. You know what's a waste of time? Trying to fall asleep at night! Immediate/instant sleep after a long day is much more better and productive rather than just laying there thinking about how tired you are. And what's better? You wake up more sweetly and happily when you fall asleep right away. I don't know if it's just me, but I rather fall asleep faster than slowly drift into napping time.

I can't wait to help Tani with the bake sale! Banana bread is pretty fun to make especially in abundance. I like banana bread tons.

I bought Peter and the Wolf, the short film, for my ipod. I must say I really I love it. Russians are so talented. The cat part is just spectacular! The film was definitely worth the money.

Anyways I hope you guys have a good week. This year should turn out pretty nice.

A Well-done Steak

2008-08-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

Band Camp. That should sum up the activites of this week. I just took my math finals and that was pretty easy. Basically as in the words of Jason, I will probably end up looking like a well-done steak by the end of the marching season not to mention the end of this week.

I am thankful for the many friends who remembered my birthday! I got lots of presents including 3 necklaces (from three of my bestest (yes i know this gramatically inaccurate) friends), amazing yummy brownies, an incredibly delightful made from scratch banana bread w/ walnuts, an itunes gift card, 100$, one nice card saying happy 21st bday (for those who are dyslexic happy 12th), a huge heart balloon ( currently floating in my room), 2 keychain things (one a cute asian looking one), a Ti-84 plus silver edition graphing calculator (I know right?!), a pair of earrings, girl paraphanalia, some books, and most importantly a safe year for everyone. I am most thankful to God for another year in His precious protection and guidance. Thanks much to all!

I will update more stuff later but that should suffice for now. :D Have a happy hour/day/week.

wowowee for IB

2008-07-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

I finally got my schedule of course for next year and this is how it's gonna happen:

-0 period Journalism
-1st period HistofAmer IB HL2
-2nd period English IB HL1
-3rd period Spanish 3 HNRS
-4th IB Math SL (math methods...oh goodness im way excited for this class. i finally catched up!)
-5th Biology HL/1st year
-6th IB psychology SL
-7th Marching Band (hahah no longer pe drill for me)

Oh and I'm going to take trig during the fall on thursday nights(AVC) so I don't screw up math methods. I'm already overwhelmed but that's okay. Who needs sleep these days right?!

Why So Serious?

2008-07-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

Because of math, I missed going to both Canada or the Philippines. But all is well, since I was able to go see the new batman movie The Dark Knight. The movie was beyond my expectations and was really long. My dad went in around two o'clock to grab some tickets for later on at Cinemark 22 yesterday. We still had to wait in line for the 5 pm showing (that was the only one open since later showings were already sold out) but it was well worth it. Christian Bale was batman this time and although he does a pretty good portrayal what caught the most attention was the Joker. Played by the now passed away Heath Ledger, he was indescribable - you couldn't even tell that was Mr. Ledger. He was a total freak, crazy, and more than the average villain. His little phrase "WHY SO SERIOUS?" is really super creepy especially when he says it when holding someone's face and a pocket knife. My little brother literally took a pee in his pants since he was scared to stand up and leave. Anyways, I recommend you thrill seekers to go see this awesomely intense picture.

I've realized that next year is going to be really busy and to get a couple hours of sleep would be miraculous. So I was thinking I should hibernate till the 29th of this month.

My brother has been staring at the TV playing xbox literally all day so I find it rather amusing to run across the front of the tv (better yet just stand in front of it) and talk to him. Good sibling bonding right? Although I get rather hard objects thrown at he misses about every time.

I really really really want to go to St. Petersburg, Russia someday. Anybody with me?! On this trip, we should go visit more sites of Europe - London(heck yes), Munich, Rome, and maybe even a small side trip to Poland.

I want one of those wasp knife things on Josh's blog. There's so much stuff you can do with one of those. Anyways....Hope your summers are packed with happiness.

Silly Math

2008-07-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

You may know I'm taking a math class at AVC and as I was going through my textbook I found some rather unusual problems to solve. Here are some of them. They are rather dumb and annoying and I have no idea if they are trying to be funny but just reading them makes me wonder what the heck were they doing.

- Do you smoke? How many cigarettes a year? Together, smokers in the United States and Japan consume 4637 cigarettes per person each year. If the average Japanese smoker consumes 437 cigarettes a year more than the average U.S. smoker, what is the annual consumption of cigarettes per person in each country?

(josh found this one here...)
-A group of smugglers cross the border in a car traveling in a straight line at 96 km/hr. An hour later, the border patrol starts after them in a light plane traveling 144 km/hr.
a) How long will it be before the border patrol reaches the smugglers?
b) At what distance from the border will the border patrol overtake the smugglers?

- If you went to school in Japan, then moved to Israel, and finally ended up in the United States the third year, you would have attended school for a total of 639 days. In Israel, you have attended 36 more days than in the United States. In Japan, you would have attended even longer: 27 more days than in Israel. How long is the school year in each of these countries?

-Is there a nuclear reactor near your city? The total number of reactors in the United States is 160, but not all of them are in operation. The number of operable reactors is four more than double the number of inoperable reactors. How many U.S. reactors are operable and how many are inoperable?

-The average American drinks 29 more Cokes per year than the average Mexican. If together they consume 555 Cokes per year, how many Cokes are consumed each year by the average American and how many by the average Mexican?

Yep they are stupid problems but hey at least they are easy to solve.

"If I lay here... If I just lay here... Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"

2008-07-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty happy right now. I don't know why but I think this kind of warm random joy is pretty healthy (Especially for people who tend to freak out more than necessary.)

I've been working out to teach myself how to play and sing with the guitar. It's real soothing and nice when you are alone and are bored. I'll play for all of you! ( hahha it would be a miracle if i ever have the guts to)

I was doing this messy/long math problem up on the board in my math class yesterday night and after the whole thing the answer came to negative one. People saw me quite annoyed with the fact that all that work came up to be a simple answer. It was fun nevertheless doing it when some 36 people who are ten or more years older than you are watching your every move. Creepy to think about but it gives me more self confidence for stuff like speeches and presentations. Nifty aint it? It's fun having a friend who's filipino who you've met at your own house and they end up in your math class. Competition is fun.

Oh goodness I need to start working on a piece of art for my room. I'm thinking of just painting something on a huge canvas and stick it on my wall. That will be good for starters.

4th of July for me was quite amazing. Irvine was beautiful. The beach in the evening was reallllyyy nice and the fireworks was really worth watching. Orange County was really green and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. I just wished I had brought my camera.

I just finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger last week. I must say that was one heck of a love story. It was really wonderful and it had a great twist to the plot. A lot of the book was too intense for me but after a while I learned to just ignore it and take in the bigger picture. I thought it was really deng clever how they explained how the main character could time travel.I don't know what to say about the new marching band music. I haven't really taken it in. I must say I'm excited to get into marching season again. I hope this year would be as fun as years in the past have been for me. I'm thinking of giving old John a hard time. ahahaha I won't.

I wish I knew more about computers and stuff. I'm really slow when it comes to technology and the programs that make technology so shiny and advanced. Anybody have the time to teach me?

I'm going to go do some math homework. I wish that class wasn't four hours long. Oh and the title comes from a song I happen to like. Kudos to the person who knows that song.

Disney Hall

2008-06-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Disney Hall was absolutely spectacular. The hall was incredibly beautiful and the sound was pure and crisp in the huge room. The organ was really cool looking and it was awesome to be able to touch the lockers of the LA Philharmonic and perform on their very own stage. It was both and an honor and a pleasure to have been able to go there and I definitely wouldn't mind for a second chance to go there. I had a pretty fun time walking around outside Disney Hall and hanging with good friends.

I just recently got the album Viva la Vida by Coldplay and I must say I enjoy the new sounds and songs that Coldplay has presented. Their lyrics are once again very poetic and chill. My favorite song is the featured "Viva la Vida". I also liked "42", "Death and all his Friends" and "Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love". It's a real unique album to add to your collection of music. My fairly new ipod nano has done wonders to my stress level and I enjoy listening/watching media while doing homework.
Believe or not I finally made some friends in math class. It's really hard to make friends but now that I have some I can enjoy class at night.

I think I'm going to start drawing and creating artwork of my own. I don't think I'm any good but it sure is a lot of fun. I have lots of time too.

So go have a productive summer!

Summer

2008-06-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated in a long time now. I apologize.

I passed sophomore year in high school. I'm now in summer school. I'm taking algebra 2 at avc and taking 1st semester of IB history of the americas at qhhs. I wanted to take trig at the college but after a long complicated time of figuring out what to do with my math I resolved by talking to the math methods teacher and the ib coordinator. It turns out that I can take math methods with just algebra 2 luckily as long as I work hard to learn my trig and any other stuff I missed out on. So I finally catched up in math after two years of easy going in that subject.

I took Drivers Ed online. It's kind of redundent and monotonous. I really don't feel like driving all too soon.

I'm thankful for my friends who give me the opportunity to take a break off the monotony of endless summer days. Movies, birthdays, and ice cream sure make me happy and put a smile on my face. Thanks to all!

You know I'll update later. I got some stuff to get done.

Study : To apply one's mind to the acquisition or production of knowledge.

2008-05-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

AP testing is now here and all of what we have learned will seriously be put to the test. My first test is May 9 for European History and my second one is on May 13 for chemistry.I'm somewhat wanting to get it over with, but of course I will study as much as I can and do my best. I will try not to freak out or anything and of course if I happen to die during the testing session (particularly the chemistry one) I know that I wouldn't have to see the horrific scores later in the year. Sounds good, eh?The year is coming to a close and to me it's rather depressing. The IB program will take over next year and well frankly I am not too excited. Although IB has its pro's and con's, I would definetly hope for next year to enjoy life and to have it all peachy keen. Here's my schedule as of right now:

-IB Biology
-IB English
-IB Math Methods (possibly)
-IB History of Americas (Taking 1st semester over the summer)
-TOK (half of it 2nd semester)
-IB Pyschology
-Journalism (oooo fun...yeah right)
-Marching Band
DID YOU KNOW?
-Peter the Great taxed people with beards.He encouraged smoking, but taxed tobacco. Because European men usually were clean shaven, he taxed Russians wearing beards.

-During World War II a cat called Oscar served on the German battleship Bismarck. When the Bismarck was torpedoed Oscar was rescued by a British sailor on board HMS Cossack. Five months later HMS Cossack was sunk but Oscar was rescued by HMS Ark Royal. Only 3 weeks later a German U-boat destroyed Ark Royal and Oscar was rescued again. The naval authorities then decided that Oscar had had enough and posted him on land. According to British naval records, Oscar died peacefully in 1955.

-What do people fear most? At the top of the list is death, the fear of which is necrophobia. Second, apparently, is the fear of failure, which is called kakorrhaphiophobia. There is of course a story of how fears developed, like fear for the number 13. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia.

-The "unlucky 13" is the reason why the thirteen loaves that bakers once supplied were never called by the number, but described as "a baker's dozen." The thirteenth loaf was regarded as a special bribe for the devil not to spoil the sale or the bread.

If you want to see a list of phobias. Come check this link out.

Well I'm going to go hit the books now. Have a fabulous weekend...

The Windy City

2008-04-14T16:42:00.001-07:00

Pictures say a thousand words. Here's a few of the pictures taken in Chicago during a band trip. I have lots more for anyone who cares . Enjoy!

Can you guess which one is the Sears Tower?

Josh and I being really cool.
Boat tour. Cold and wet. Josh is actually holding the flag and not pointing at anything. Good thing he did for otherwise the flag would have violently/brutally slapped us in the face and push us off the boat. Really fun/perilous ride.
Me on the boat.
Josh, John, and I inside the boat.
I couldn't keep my big head straight.

Me in a rock cave thing at a planetarium.
Holly and I are more than 5 feet!
Aly and I at the top of Sears Tower.
Me again.(I think Im a wee bit conceited.)

Camels! one poor camel with a dysfunctional hump at Lincoln Park Zoo.

The Zoo again. pretty chilly.
Clark, Josh, and John in all matching tuxedo shirts. Josh claims it to have been a coincidence. I think not dear sir! (at medieval times)
The LordKemper and I at Sears Tower. Notice the zero visibility from up there...and the notable height discrepancy.
The Bean

If you want more about this trip...go to Chicago!! JK Feel free to ask. As of now I must prepare for class. Happy Day to All.

Almost Done Packing...

2008-04-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

Chicago is officially in two more days! Ain't that excitin'??! I have made an attempt to pack but I am sure I will forget something. It's a talent of mine. I will definetly take pictures. Boo planes.

Update later...sorry

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

This a wonderful day...may yours be filled with happiness and thankfulness.

Then of course we can't forget the bunnies...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T15:53:00.001-07:00

Hope you guys have a splendid St. Patrick's Day! May you find gold at the end of your rainbow...(oh yeah I went there).

Here's how to say I Love You in 100 different languages. Check it out!

On March 15th, the Solo and Ensemble Festival went fairly well and was definitely a highlight of the year. Although I got an Excellent on my solo, my duet with John got a Superior, our quartet (Josh, Clark, John, and I) got a Superior and a CP (that one was my all time favorite) and the wonderful Monochrome piece got a Superior and a CP as well. Afterwards, Julia, Marcea, John, and Josh came over to "celebrate" at my house. It was super fun except when John and Josh pelted me with several ping pong balls claiming that it was an "accident" and that "I just happened to be there". We played Guitar Hero III and ate a lot of food too. John, Josh, and I played a trio piece by Beethoven for my Filipino family and it was thoroughly appreciated (thanks). Hopefully all you guys come over again soon!!

I hope we go to Regionals for our quartet!!!!!!!!! That would be super fun.

Spring Break has arrived and I am really excited to get some sleep before school starts up again. I'm not doing anything special in particular except for chem and english homework so please call up or say the word when something exciting is happening.

I'm not Irish and I really don't do anything special for St. Patrick's Day but....I use Irish Spring soap if that makes up for anything! It's green and fresh smelling and I like it.

I found this paragraph off a website and I think it explains why there is a separate box to check for Filipinos rather than us checking the Asian box:

"Just so all of you know, those forms (which categorize Filipinos separately from Asians) are configured that way because of confusion created by the older forms. In the past (many years ago) these forms were much simpler. The racial categories were something like "white", "black", "asian", "non-white spanish-surname", and "other." And that's IT. Nothing else. The "spanish-surname" category was created because before the hispanic population grew very large in America, hispanics were considered to be either white or black - there was no racial category known as "hispanics" or "latinos" back then! So a new category was created, and hispanics were given the option of checking the "spanish-surname" box. Well, if you were a Filipino with a Spanish surname, which box would you check? I, personally, would check "Asian." Apparently, however, many Filipinos were confused enough to check "spanish-surname" or "other." This obviously made for inaccurate statisctics. Therefore, placing "Filipino" in a category by itself is just a method of ensuring that the racial statistics are more accurate. It has nothing to do with Filipinos considering themselves to be Asian."

Well that's all for now...Have a good break.

Practice, Practice, Practice...

2008-03-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."-Carl Jung

I haven't the faintest clue who Carl Jung is but I like that quote for its has correlation to chemistry.

It's a record! On Sunday night (or should i say morning) I stayed up till 4am finishing homework and woke up at 5:30am which is like a whopping 1 1/2 hours of sleep. Thanks to the CAHSEE (which I believe insults people's intelligence) I can get a wee bit more of sleep time this week. Instead I'm going to use those precious hours to practice for Solo and Ensemble Festival, which happens to be this Saturday!!! Good luck everyone...

I still have to finish my key terms for ap euro. I'm totally happy because we are about to do WWII (which is one of my favorite history highlights).

I took a lot of tests this week. They were all pretty easy though. So no complains for me there.

I'm gonna practice my heart out for s/e festival. So.... Peace.

Yay Life!

2008-03-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

We just had our chemistry test today and for some reason I really want to take it again just for the fun it. It may sound odd but hey why not? Yay for extensive chemistry!

On that note I just recently bought my AP Test for Chemistry as well as the AP test for Euro Hist. I don't know why I'm taking the Chemistry one but I suppose I can blame the fact that I gave in to the peer pressure that my friends (*ahem Josh*) had put on me to take it. I'm sure I'll have fun in the end. Yay for extensive studying!

Solo and Ensemble Fest in nearing and my lips are tired from practicing every night, but all is swell. It would be pretty sweet to get some good scores considering this is my first time to actually participate in S/E. Yay for extensive practicing!

As usual I don't get much sleep nowadays, but the thing is I'm getting used to it. This could be a good thing (hah I really don't know). Yay for extensive sleep deprivation!

I don't think I have a life, but I'm going to pretend I do. Hah and those "Yay for extensive..." are getting annoying aren't they? I'm good at that. Real good.

Sorry for no pics...anyways have fun with life.

Ain't Cats Cool?

2008-02-29T18:18:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to see that the intrument on the digestive area of the cat was a clarinet. That made me leap with joy. Cats are freakin' awesome man.

My Weekend

2008-02-24T23:50:00.000-08:00

Homework and lots of it.

I also managed to practice my clarinet for a few hours and sleep for 18 hours on Friday night.

I got my voice back today too. It feels great when people can finally understand me.

I also switched phones with my mom's old one and now I finally can get service.

Don't know what else to say except for the fact I shouldn't be posting at this hour. Silly me. Good night.

Happy Birthday Clark

2008-02-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

I am aware that I made a promise to create birthday posts for friends. So here ya go Clark...I kept my promise. (hopefully the guy reads this) Be happy everyone...

I'm Lola...from London

2008-02-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been trying to be more social and with that I met my alter ego: Lola. Lola is a Brit from London and is well the opposite of me. Her accent is most noticable and boy is she social. She has more friends than I do and came to America for more. Her friends that came with her are Elizabeth Davenport, Charlie, and Collin. Sheena and Lola cannot exist at the same time. She is slightly taller than I am, more talkative, and probably a lot cooler. Some people admit they like her more than me but that's okay because I do too. Hopefully you guys can meet Lola sometime.

Do you like cows? Here are some pictures of some random cows and the stuff they do during the day. It may be kind of boring, but hey cows are cool. These next few animals are pretty interesting. Check them out too so they won't feel forgotton: cats, deer, hedgehog, chinchillas, iguanas, and turtles. I used to have an iguana when I was seven. I named it Iggy and I had always loved to feed it lettuce and leaves from outside. It liked to sleep on this heating rock that my mother bought for it. It died when I went to the Philippines for about two weeks. I buried it outside (back in LA) and never forgot about it. True story.

School has been loaded with homework but that I am used to. So no complains there. I have been practicing for solo and ensemble and well... I am pretty nervous. It's my first time ever to do it and crazy me I am doing four. Sometimes(well most of) my sentences are grammatically incorrect.

To end this post I will wish you guys a happy weekend. Be safe!

Yesterday at CA Adventure

2008-02-09T20:58:00.000-08:00

Our concert at California Adventure yesterday went quite well. We sounded okay and there was no major difference in how we usually play (except for the fact we did not perform Lollapalooza ). Although it was kind of hot in our concert attire, all went swell. As for the theme park portion of the day, we spent the time eating, rushing through the park, waiting, getting fast passes, riding, yelling, screaming, shaking, almost dying, getting lost, washing our hands, crying, hating the ride then end up going back on again, getting wet, getting wet another three more times, shaking because of the wetness, waiting some more, looking for friends, waving at band directors, laughing, standing, sitting, and whatever is to be done at theme parks. We went on a total of 14 rides, had a really unappetizing lunch, rode on the bus wet, and I had a major headache in conjuction with a really sore throat. We also got stuck on one of the rides and had to be escorted off it which was pretty scary considering how high up we were. All in all it was pretty fun, but I really couldn't handle going back until a few weeks or months have passed. The rides were too much (at least for me), but I'm glad I joined District Honor Band for the music. Today my throat really burns because of the screaming and yelling I did on California Screamin' as well as other rides (Tower of Terror). I woke up at like 11:30 and ended up practicing and listening to my pieces for solo and ensemble.

I hope you guys enjoy your weekend. May it be filled with happiness, laughter, and a load of sleep.

Disney's California Adventure

2008-02-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

It turns out we are not going to Disneyland after all. Instead, District Honor Band will be performing at California Adventure. I really don't know what to say but I'm pretty excited because I have never been there before. Hopefully tomorrow turns out nice. I'll see you guys on Tuesday (or tomorrow). Have a blissfully wonderful weekend.

Yours Truly,
Sheena

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRIS!!!

2008-02-06T00:35:00.000-08:00

Although it was your birthday 36 minutes ago, I just wish you again a very happy and joyous birthday!!!! I shouldn't be commenting at this hour but I'll always stay up after homework to make special birthday posts. Love ya PRIS!!!(hopefullly you read this...)

I Love Water

2008-02-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

I don't exactly know what we were doing but the weather was nice and I was happy. Those are my brothers with me.

Disneyland

2008-01-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the Quartz Hill Marching Band and well I went to Disneyland for a parade(fantasmic and Nobles of the Mystic Shrine were our songs). It was pretty cool although we (in my opinion) rushed the parade a quite bit but I lived with it. I was really excited to be with the entire clarinet section in the front but sadly my rank had to switch with a trumpet one, thus breaking up the unity I had shortly felt. That's life I suppose.

Anyways I have got to say that this was one of the most fun times I have ever went to Disneyland. I was accompanied by Nithya, Josh, and John for the entire thing as we pratically planned out everything we were going to do ahead of time.We went on a total of nine rides, got a dole whip and float, ate a french lunch, and slept numbly on a cold window(well at least for me). The ride home wasn't too hot actually it was rather cold considering I had fallen asleep on my hand on the window which had literally froze my right hand to a temperature in which a hand should not be in. (wow that was a run-on sentence, shame on me) Overall I though the trip was great.(giving a minimal time to do procrastinated homework afterwards. but that was my fault)

Hopefully I can find the AP/Pre-IB chemistry notebook but I think I left it at school on friday which is bad. I'm sorry.

Hope you guys comment soon.please...I'm desperate.....

I'm Back...

2008-01-25T18:44:00.000-08:00

Golly it has been a refreshingly long time since I have updated. Hopefully I can get some more viewers so I won't have to comment on my own blog. (it really eats at my soul when I comment to myself).

Hey I'm in District Honor Band and so far I'm pretty glad that I was able to be a part of a this awesome experience. It's also fun to hang with buddies from other schools and of course Quartz Hill. Our music is pretty sweet this year. (Candide being my fave one to play, Lollapalooza being my favorite one to sing although playing it is rather difficult...gotta fight the reed). I was given the opportunity to meet new people and to have Dr. Price (the genius) be our guest conductor. Disneyland is coming up and I am lucky enough to go there two times across a span of two weeks.

Clarinet Choir is coming soon and I can't wait to start it again. I might be doing the AVC Symphonic Band too. Hopefully I see most of you guys there.

The reason why cats are well ...freakin great is the fact that they have no interest in what you want. Really they only care for themselves and themselves only. Why... isn't that a phenomena? They are such simple creatures and therefore they have no real worries. When they want something, they ask and act cute, you fall into their trap, you give them what they want, and then they walk away without giving you a second look. wow...ain't that a novel idea?

I'm done for now and I hope you people will comment on my blog regardless if your comments are positive or negative.

update in process....with no apparent title yet.

2007-09-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

Yes I finally get to update somewhat so here you go.

AV Parade is done for now. It was funny how we were playing 387 different songs all at once or some of us just have problems of some sort. Our first football game is next friday (YES Im in pep band). My marching spot number is 60. It will be my new favorite number. I wonder who I will be by for the Star Spangled Banner arch that we make. Hopefully not next to ...

About the asian bear. Those statistics are completely false seeing that we live in a world of jealosy. Panda is smart.

Hold on ................................Ill continue next time!

Back from the DEAD.

2007-08-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

It's been an incredibly long time since I have been here. I thoroughly miss it.

We are back in school. I am completely ecstatic to be a sophomore yet I'm not. Doesn't sophomore year usually suck? Anyways I will make the best of it.

Few things I want to try this year:
-Clarinet Choir
- Pep Band
-District Honor Band
-Solo and Ensemble Fest.
-Passing the wonderful AP tests this year
Wow most of it was related to band. I shouldn't be surprised.

By the way, stop global warming and save the pandas.

Harry Potter Series ended happily. (in my opinion)

Well I'm too lazy to put up some pics right now so maybe next time. I'll just keep on typing words.

I have a rather small happiness inside me saying we might win grand champion this year in marching band. Hopefully. We have really great Seniors that truly deserve to get it this year. All their dedication is thoroughly appreciated.

Well that's about it. I think I have a lot more to say. Anyways Happy Happy Day.

Happy (Belated) 4th of July!

2007-07-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

I deeply apologize for not updating recently. My summer is actually busy.

Hopefully yesterday you were able to watch some nice fireworks. Unfortunately for me I wasn't able to. The sad thing is I really don't have a legitimate reason why.

Anyways I have to cut this post short. I'm sorry. I'll update real soon. Happy 4th again.

Cucumber Soda...mmmmmm?

2007-06-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

People in Japan are staying cool as a cucumber this summer with "Pepsi Ice Cucumber" - a new soda based on the crisp green gourd. The soft drink doesn't actually have any cucumber in it but has been artificially flavored to taste like cucumber. The mint-colored soda is on sale only in Japan. I love Japan.

Here's a few pictures of some cool cats. Two of them are not actually real live cats. Anyways I hope to see you guys out there today. I can't wait for the new music. I love music.

Wonderful Fish

2007-06-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today my father bought me some goldfish and a small aquarium for no apparent reason. I now have 3 goldfish swimming happily in my bedroom. They are not all actually goldfish but one of them is. There is a black one (with gigantic eyes that pop out of its minuscule body), a yellow one, and an orange one. It's the closest I can get to a fish without dying. How nice...

My summer has been going pretty good so far for those of you who want to know. Filled with learning, music, and now fish. Although, I am pretty excited to go back to school and be in the joyous company of fellow colleagues. I am rather strange.

Before you go to sleep tonight enjoy a nice healthy banana. These fun-filled fruits are loaded with potassium which is highly essential to potassium deficient folk. Good stuff.

That's about it for now. Try to enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Bowling is Grand

2007-06-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday several band folks including yours truly went bowling! It was a an interesting gathering but of course everyone had a great time. We took up two lanes and played two games all in all. No one got a turkey but many came very close (ahem Josh). Getting gutters was exceptionally fun for me at least but getting a strike felt really good too. Most importantly, the simple thought of hanging out with "band family" is what made our musical bowling meeting purely remarkable

I had my first class of Fundamentals of Music yesterday before bowling. That was pretty cool and our sub was interesting. Most of the class comprised of college kids but there was one asian dude from Paraclete(SP) who was a high schooler. Overall the class itself is very fulfilling and will help me become into an even extremer band fanatic.

That's all for now folks. Have a nice week!

Fundamentals of Music

2007-06-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

It has been decided that I am not going to take health but will take Fundamentals of Music instead.I just can't seem to live one summer without music or any band affiliated activity...that's ok because I'm atually really excited for it.

I found this dictionary the other day that had some extra stuff in the back called "Garfield's Daffy Definitions". I assumed they were talking about the cat Garfield. So here's some definitions: (by the way I believe that they are not very funny but since I have nothing else to do, here you go. anything written in Parenthetical citations are my comments)

Bed: Furniture piece designed for that most exciting of all activities - sleep. (its summer...we should hibernate and catch up on the sleeping we postponed for homework and reading)

lazy: indolent, slothful; in extreme cases, comatose

morning: the bad end to a good night; would be much better if it started later

pet: a domestic animal who provides love and companionship in exchange for blind obedience and twelve square meals a day(that's my cat)

sleep: a state of unconsciosness best experienced in large quantities

spider: web-spinning, eight-legged insect; generally harmlesss, especially if bludgeoned with a sledgehammer

Well I'll stop with the definitions because it is probably killing you now. I apologize that you had to read that. Anyways...

I hope you guys out there are enjoying your summer and having a grand time! Band Camp is coming closer and I can't wait to see all of you.

HAVE A NICE DAY!

Extremely Bored.

2007-06-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

It's summer and so far nothing too exciting has happened yet. On the bright side, I get to spend a little more time with my cat, Julius and of course my dogs too. I finally have time to actually have a life instead of doing homework and being affliated with other school related activities. I miss school and all you guys out there who are aware of my existence(friends). I apologize for not posting any pictures yet on this blog because I really don't know what to put up. Any requests?
Anyways, I have always enjoyed ironing clothes. It may seem weird (actually it is quite odd) but I believe that this so called "chore" can be somewhat entertaining. It is fun to get rid of wrinkles and other unwanted creases and replace them with warm, smooth texture and feel. I don't know what I'm saying. Well I think I'm going to take a much needed snooze after such a long unproductive day of carelessness and laziness. Actually I have a reason to be so idle, I get to take lovely health over the summer starting on June 18. Don't worry...I didn't fail the class, I just have never have taken it yet. I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday and whatever is left of this weekend. Goodbye.

Random Paraphernalia

2007-06-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated in such a long time so I will try to sum it up for all of you.

So far, everyone is well aware of our wondrous field show Fantasmic! and our newly selected honorary section leaders (Congrats SL!) and drum majors. The school year is over and the seniors are officially high school graduates. I get to play Pomp and Circumstance at three seperate graduations (played for QHHS grads, AVC grads, and will now be playing on the 14 of June for my previous middle school: Del Sur). My summer will be filled with learning and productivity (summer school) and of course I am definitely excited for band camp.

Today my relatives from Las Vegas and my older half brother along with his girlfriend and friends will be gathering at my house and staying for the weekend. It will be pretty exciting and really loud. Hopefully my neighbors won't have to hear us (...well franky screaming and talking make up the majority of our little reunions). We also have some in-laws coming in and I believe my mother is well prepared.

My cat seems to be losing weight. It is a good thing because he is very fat.

I really want a new clarinet. Clark (if its okay to use your name) suggested the R13 Prestige. It's 4 grand but I am sure it is well worth it.

I have to cut this post short for my laptop battery is dying on me.

End of the School Year

2007-05-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

The next two weeks are going to be pretty hectic. With all the finals coming up, there's no way anyone should be bored. All of our favorite seniors will be graduating (sadly), and the band will be playing Pomp and Circumstance perpetually (along with some other songs, too). Anways, to sum it all up, my freshman year was pretty fun. I made many new friends most of which who are in band. San Franisco was great and Pre-IB was easy. Hopefully next year AP European History would be the same.

SOME THINGS I LEARNED THIS YEAR:
1. Changing on a bus is rather difficult.
2. If you are in the IB program, be prepared to see the same people in all your classes.
3. PE. is pointless and unneccesary.(standing for one hour in the sun)
4. Taking the PSAT is important for preparation.
5. If you want something, ask for it. Do not merely stand there and wait for it to magically appear.
6. Some teachers can have 1,000,000,000 pet peeves.

Next year I am going to try out for District Honor Band and Clarinet Choir. Hopefully I might make it in one of them. I am also going to do Solo and Ensemble with some other people. As of right now a quartet has already been established.

Well I have nothing else to say so I'll just end this post.