Where am I now?
Where are you now?
Where are we now?
Calculated turns toward
Runnings from the hidden
Future that's to come.
Am I really forgiven?
Lost in abysmal state
Wringing out your towel
Your time will come in time
But I ponder just the "how"
Stuck inside a solace
That no one wants to break,
Forgiving tears run rampant
Were they truly this high, the stakes?
I am here.
You are here.
We are here. What is now.
May 31, 2011
February 21, 2011
Can you hear me now?
Listen to what's around you.
Do you have any idea what is going on in your brain, in your ears, in the air in order for you to hear what you hear? So much is going on!
In my Communication Disorders class we recently started the Audiology Unit and I have just been fascinated by the things I'm learning. Did you know that the smallest bones in the human body are found in your ears? Do you know why those bones are there?
The ingenuity that a person would need to have to come up with such a mechanism as the human ear is incomprehensible. I'm sure it's not even doable. No human could have ever come up with a structure so brilliantly designed and elaborately laid out.
Did you know that little tiny "trapdoors" in hairs in your inner ear transform mechanical energy into electrical energy by allowing ions to pass through into the negative-ion-filled inner hairs? Neither did I!
The workings of the human body are so incredible. So magnificent. So unfathomable. I can't even begin to think of all the different reactions, neural firings, or cellular growth that is happening in my body right now. And to think that our body just does it. We don't even need to think about it. This just puts me in a stupor.
To waste your body away, to not take care of it, to abuse this wonderful gift you've been given would be so ignorantly stupid.
So why do we do it? I guess we just need some sense knocked into our heads.
February 18, 2011
Embarciendo...
¡Buenos días! Yo ercribiré sobre unas ideas que están en mi mente de canciones nuevas y cosas de la vida. También voy a hablar de cambios a mi blog y de música y lo que se pone buena o mala.
Well, I've basically written my first song, "By Your Side." It's a love song about a very generic relationship and a man's wishes to be by a woman's side and his promise to be by her side. It's got some modern pop influences as well as musical theatre and ballad influences. And I'm actually very proud of it. I came up with just about everything in a day and have been tweaking a few things here and there. I'm hoping to have it recorded and up on YouTube by next week.
In the meantime I'll be working on some other songs; I'm in the process of writing another song - not sure of the title yet - but, of course it's about love. However, it's a bit more reminiscent of "Firework" by Katy Perry. Not super-deep love - maybe just a crush. Also, I have been working on a cover of "Kiss With a Fist" by Florence + the machine and I'm very excited to get that one finished.
In other news, I'm headed home this weekend to spend a weekend with my family and a few friends and I'm incredibly excited. I plan on visiting some grandparents and hanging out with some friends, going to church and simply sleeping in my own bed! Also, there's going to be SWEET TEA! Not the fake stuff like it is in the dining hall, but legit, boiled-on-the-stove, sugar-added, iced sweet tea. And Chickfila! Which reminds me, I should probably start packing.
Also, I'm going to be redesigning my blog - particularly the header, so look for something good!
Now, this is where I want some feedback:
What makes you like a song? What makes you move? What kind of lyrics do you just love?
I'm mostly just curious because I think everyone has a unique perspective on the topic.
Have an awesome weekend :)
February 15, 2011
All These Possibilities...
I've been prompted to elaborate on the many different life plans/opportunities that I have been contemplating. There are many different ones, but I'm going to list the ones that are on the top of my mind (not necessarily in order because I'm confused by all of the different opportunities).
- In this plan I would graduate from *Northwestern University with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and then proceed to apply to Graduate School. Throughout the rest of my years at Northwestern I would be a YoungLife leader for the Northshore branch of YL and would be spending a lot of time with high school kids. YoungLife and school would be the focus of my life.
- In this plan I would graduate from *Northwestern University with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I would take the MCAT and hopefully score well enough to get into Medical School - particularly the University of Cincinnati's Medical School. I would go on to study Otolaryngolgy (ENT) and have about 4-5 additional years of schooling along with 5 years of residency. I would maybe be a YoungLife leader for the Northshore during my years at Northwestern. Similarly, when I'd return to Cincinnati, I'd be a YoungLife leader there.
- In this plan I would transfer to the University of Cincinnati and begin my sophomore year of college there still studying Communication Sciences and Disorders. My reason for transferring would be to become a YoungLife leader in Southeast Cincinnati. I would finish my Undergraduate Degree there and then probably enter the Graduate School there.
- In this plan I would embark on starting a music career, focused in the pop-indie genre. I would start writing songs and doing covers of songs. I'd post these videos on youtube as well as writing to record labels all over and sending in demos. Preferably, I would complete my Undergraduate Degree at Northwestern. However, it's hard to make this plan concrete because of all of the different steps that would need to occur.
* denotes the possibility of finishing my Undergraduate Degree by the end of my Junior year
Might I add that there have also been plans to get my private pilot's license so that I could fly small aircraft. Also, I am well aware that Plan 4 is not incredibly realistic - but, I can dream, right? I actually wrote my first song yesterday and have a list of a few songs that I'd like to cover. Also, I can very easily work on this "music career" while in school. Therefore, I'll basically combine Plan 4 with the rest of my plans.
So many possibilities. Which to choose? Maybe I don't even need to choose one. Perhaps one will be chosen for me. They're all decent plans. But then again, who am I to plan out my life? I'm foolish to think that I can "plan" my life or that I can control anything. My life could change in an instant and I would have nothing to do with it.
All in all, I guess I'm just a daydreamer. I like to imagine all of my possibilities and the assortment of fun things that I could do in my life. But, never say never!
February 14, 2011
Where to go?
What's next? What are my life goals? What am I headed toward?
I find myself asking these questions constantly. I really wish I knew what my life was going to end up like. I have so many decisions and opportunities in front of me and I have no idea which ones to pursue. I swear to you, I have at least five different plans for the next 10-15 years of my life, ranging from going to medical school to pursuing a music career. And I just have no idea what its best for my life or which one I would enjoy the most. I'm so incredibly conflicted right now and I feel as if I'm just going to be sucked into the typical american life - go to college, get a job, stay a family. And, frankly, I'm not a typical person but I find myself getting sucked into all of these norms all the time. Not to say that I'm special, or more special than others, I just feel like I have a unique outlook on a lot of things.
I thought about posting my different life plans, but then realized how crazy and ridiculous some of them seem. Also, I'm posting from my phone and that would be a lit of typing. Perhaps I'll elaborate more tomorrow.
I find myself asking these questions constantly. I really wish I knew what my life was going to end up like. I have so many decisions and opportunities in front of me and I have no idea which ones to pursue. I swear to you, I have at least five different plans for the next 10-15 years of my life, ranging from going to medical school to pursuing a music career. And I just have no idea what its best for my life or which one I would enjoy the most. I'm so incredibly conflicted right now and I feel as if I'm just going to be sucked into the typical american life - go to college, get a job, stay a family. And, frankly, I'm not a typical person but I find myself getting sucked into all of these norms all the time. Not to say that I'm special, or more special than others, I just feel like I have a unique outlook on a lot of things.
I thought about posting my different life plans, but then realized how crazy and ridiculous some of them seem. Also, I'm posting from my phone and that would be a lit of typing. Perhaps I'll elaborate more tomorrow.
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March 29, 2010
/Under Construction\
My last post was in November of 2009. That was a long time ago. There is a lot that I could update you on, but, seeing as it's 11:00 p.m. here in Chicago, I will save it for the morning. Oh, and I need to start doing my homework some time.
November 25, 2009
Cooollllleeegggeee
So...
At the moment, I am writing a college essay for The ____ _____ __________. (Try to guess the name). I'm also glancing at everything I need to do for all of my other colleges. I thought I needed a break from it so I decided to blog because it's cool...
And now I forget what I was going to blog about.
Let's talk about...
... people? No. I'm tired of them.
... school? Ahhhhh. Sick of it.
... food? It's pretty good stuff but I'm not interested.
... music? Yes. Yes. Let's talk about music...
I'd really love to perform in Jason Robert Brown's show The Last Five Years. It's such an interesting and dynamic musical. Two characters, going through a divorce. One starts at the end of the divorce and recounts the memories. One starts at the beginning of the divorce. They meet in the middle. It's such an interesting idea. Very different. But, then again, aren't artists very different from everyone else. (I still need to get his Songs For A New World)
On another note, I downloaded Celine Dion's discography and was ecstatic when it was finally all downloaded. But my excitement was stifled when it was some weird file type - APE and CUE? Does anybody know what those file types are?
Also, I really love Scott Alan's music. It's pretty fantastic. I listened to Lisa Brescia sing his And There It Is and I loved it. He's a pretty good lyricist. Some of my favorites of his are Home (Shoshana Bean) , Behind These Walls , Blessing , Kiss the Air (Natalie Weiss) , How Did This All Begin? , Say Goodbye (Natalie Weiss) , and many more.
And then there's Natalie Weiss. She's freaking awesome! Just watch some videos of her on youtube. She went to Penn State for Musical Theatre and I'm applying to Penn State, considering their Musical Theatre program, but it's super competetive.
In news pertaining to my life, I will be singing Sweet Little Jesus Boy on December 4th at 7:00 at the A Cappella Chamber Choir concert. I'm excited. :)
El Fin.
P.S. I like cheese. My family buys it in bulk.
At the moment, I am writing a college essay for The ____ _____ __________. (Try to guess the name). I'm also glancing at everything I need to do for all of my other colleges. I thought I needed a break from it so I decided to blog because it's cool...
And now I forget what I was going to blog about.
Let's talk about...
... people? No. I'm tired of them.
... school? Ahhhhh. Sick of it.
... food? It's pretty good stuff but I'm not interested.
... music? Yes. Yes. Let's talk about music...
I'd really love to perform in Jason Robert Brown's show The Last Five Years. It's such an interesting and dynamic musical. Two characters, going through a divorce. One starts at the end of the divorce and recounts the memories. One starts at the beginning of the divorce. They meet in the middle. It's such an interesting idea. Very different. But, then again, aren't artists very different from everyone else. (I still need to get his Songs For A New World)
On another note, I downloaded Celine Dion's discography and was ecstatic when it was finally all downloaded. But my excitement was stifled when it was some weird file type - APE and CUE? Does anybody know what those file types are?
Also, I really love Scott Alan's music. It's pretty fantastic. I listened to Lisa Brescia sing his And There It Is and I loved it. He's a pretty good lyricist. Some of my favorites of his are Home (Shoshana Bean) , Behind These Walls , Blessing , Kiss the Air (Natalie Weiss) , How Did This All Begin? , Say Goodbye (Natalie Weiss) , and many more.
And then there's Natalie Weiss. She's freaking awesome! Just watch some videos of her on youtube. She went to Penn State for Musical Theatre and I'm applying to Penn State, considering their Musical Theatre program, but it's super competetive.
In news pertaining to my life, I will be singing Sweet Little Jesus Boy on December 4th at 7:00 at the A Cappella Chamber Choir concert. I'm excited. :)
El Fin.
P.S. I like cheese. My family buys it in bulk.
November 6, 2009
January 11, 2009
Caffeine Please?
So, I'm supposed to be studying intently for exams right now, but there is this thing on my lap called a computer that tends to distract me a lot.
This past week was such a long week. It was incredibly long and tiresome. Here was my past week's schedule.
Monday
- Rehearsal 2:30 - 5:00
Tuesday
- Haircut 3:15 - 4:15
- Rehearsal 6:30 - 7:45
- Voice Lesson 8:00-8:30
Wednesday
- Rehearsal 6:00 - 8:00
Thursday
- Rehearsal 3:00 - 4:30
Friday
- Rehearsal 3:00 - 6:00
- Voice Rehearsal 7:00 - 8:00
- Study Party 8:00 - 11:30
Saturday
- Audition - 9:00
- Costume Fitting 10:30 - 12:00
- Meeting 2:45 - 3:45
- Party 8:00 - 12:00
Sunday
- STUDY
So basically, that ^ , along with loads of homework, does not equal for a very restful week.
At the party on Saturday, we were dancing, and my friend want a piggy-back ride while dancing. So, I let her. It morphed into her straddling my back while i was bent over, killing my thighs for 7 minutes. But it was fun.
And at my costume fitting, we found some freaking awesome costumes for me! I'm so excited for this show now! (Not that I wasn't before.)
Another thing - at the study party on Friday night, we played apples-to-apples at the end, and the describing (green card) word was "Flirtatious". I was horrible and put down "Family Vacations". It was funny.
I feel like I've accomplished so much this week. I guess that's a good thing, but I am also worn out and I wish I had more time to relax.
For the audition on Saturday, they only take the top 20% for the next round. I'm hoping some or all of the people from my singing studio that auditioned make it. (I think we have a good chance.)
Hmmm.... what else? ..... It sure doesn't feel like I've been back in school for only a week. It feels more like a month.
This next week should be a little easier. It's only exam week. That means that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we get out an hour early. We also don't have to go to school on Friday, which is nice. And then we have Monday off too! (4 DAY WEEKEND!) Also, I really don't have too much work to do the week of exams because teachers only tell you to study. I barely study. I only need to get Cs on all but one of my exams to get an A for the semester. That means I only have to study for AP Euro so I can get a B on the exam, and consequently a B for the semester.
Oh, and to make last week even better.... There was lots of juicy news about some people. Very juicy.
This past week was such a long week. It was incredibly long and tiresome. Here was my past week's schedule.
Monday
- Rehearsal 2:30 - 5:00
Tuesday
- Haircut 3:15 - 4:15
- Rehearsal 6:30 - 7:45
- Voice Lesson 8:00-8:30
Wednesday
- Rehearsal 6:00 - 8:00
Thursday
- Rehearsal 3:00 - 4:30
Friday
- Rehearsal 3:00 - 6:00
- Voice Rehearsal 7:00 - 8:00
- Study Party 8:00 - 11:30
Saturday
- Audition - 9:00
- Costume Fitting 10:30 - 12:00
- Meeting 2:45 - 3:45
- Party 8:00 - 12:00
Sunday
- STUDY
So basically, that ^ , along with loads of homework, does not equal for a very restful week.
At the party on Saturday, we were dancing, and my friend want a piggy-back ride while dancing. So, I let her. It morphed into her straddling my back while i was bent over, killing my thighs for 7 minutes. But it was fun.
And at my costume fitting, we found some freaking awesome costumes for me! I'm so excited for this show now! (Not that I wasn't before.)
Another thing - at the study party on Friday night, we played apples-to-apples at the end, and the describing (green card) word was "Flirtatious". I was horrible and put down "Family Vacations". It was funny.
I feel like I've accomplished so much this week. I guess that's a good thing, but I am also worn out and I wish I had more time to relax.
For the audition on Saturday, they only take the top 20% for the next round. I'm hoping some or all of the people from my singing studio that auditioned make it. (I think we have a good chance.)
Hmmm.... what else? ..... It sure doesn't feel like I've been back in school for only a week. It feels more like a month.
This next week should be a little easier. It's only exam week. That means that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we get out an hour early. We also don't have to go to school on Friday, which is nice. And then we have Monday off too! (4 DAY WEEKEND!) Also, I really don't have too much work to do the week of exams because teachers only tell you to study. I barely study. I only need to get Cs on all but one of my exams to get an A for the semester. That means I only have to study for AP Euro so I can get a B on the exam, and consequently a B for the semester.
Oh, and to make last week even better.... There was lots of juicy news about some people. Very juicy.
January 1, 2009
New Year = New Me
(In the following song, replace the word "day" with "year")
I feel like that song right now.
In this next year, I hope to discover myself and what I believe. The past year has been a true roller coaster. Some very significant things have happened in my life. However, I feel like many more significant things are going to happen in this upcoming year. (Don't you love how vague I am?)
Contrary to the title of this post, there will not be a new me. I will always be the same person I was before. I will only grow and come to understand things better than I do at the moment.
I will try to be a better friend. TRY!
I would say I'd try to be a better student and work harder... and yeah, I kind of want to... but, I kind of want to focus on a lot of other things at the same time. However, I do need to be more attentive to my homework and get it done when I get home from school so I don't stay up until 1 in the morning doing it.
Now I'm off to a dance party to bring in this new year! I hope everyone has a great 2009!
I feel like that song right now.
In this next year, I hope to discover myself and what I believe. The past year has been a true roller coaster. Some very significant things have happened in my life. However, I feel like many more significant things are going to happen in this upcoming year. (Don't you love how vague I am?)
Contrary to the title of this post, there will not be a new me. I will always be the same person I was before. I will only grow and come to understand things better than I do at the moment.
I will try to be a better friend. TRY!
I would say I'd try to be a better student and work harder... and yeah, I kind of want to... but, I kind of want to focus on a lot of other things at the same time. However, I do need to be more attentive to my homework and get it done when I get home from school so I don't stay up until 1 in the morning doing it.
Now I'm off to a dance party to bring in this new year! I hope everyone has a great 2009!
December 21, 2008
A Torrent of Torrents
Oh my gorgeous cupcakes! This song just came on on the radio. Not FM radio, itunes radio. I was listening to Always Christmas (1.FM) because they normally have a nice selection of songs to play, and then this came on. It hurt my ears and I had to stop it. Their vowels and their consonants! My goodness!
Anyways... Today I decided to jump into the world of torrents. My friend had talked about it and I knew she got most of her songs from there, so I thought, "Heck. Let's give it a try." So I did. And....
OH MY GOD IT IS AMAZING! I found the download of 35 of Eric Whitacre's pieces. 35! I absolutely love his music. It is so amazing. This is my favorite and the singers are amazing too.
Okay. Go ahead. Call me weird and strange and all of that stuff; but this song is so amazingly beautiful. The dissidence in it is stunning. And building 13 part chords? (yes i counted) Who does that? Eric Whitacre does! And the high note at 1:08 just makes me melt. And I am currently downloading his music :-D
You should be jealous of me. Oh! And just thing. Lyrical/Contemporary dances to Whitacre's choral pieces! I must go call Mia Michaels!
Well, I think you've had enough of my being nerdy. I'll leave you be...
But seriously... Listen to his songs. You will die.
December 5, 2008
Stressful Week Ends in Excitement
This past week was so insanely stressful. I think it was mostly because I had auditions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Monday auditions were for a special that my friend and I wanted to do at our school's Christmas Concert.... I'm sorry.. Holiday Concert (we always have to be politically correct here!) Anyways, we got that. There weren't too many people trying out for it so I was pretty sure we'd get it. Plus our choir director absolutely loves us. We're singing "Grown Up Christmas List" as a duet; it sounds pretty!
The next day, Tuesday, was the day of auditions for my school's production of Chicago. (It is very rare that a high school gets the rights for Chicago. From what I heard, only 5-10% of the schools that apply for the rights actually get them. So this was a big deal.) I was pretty solid on my audition song, but not my monologue. I had chosen my monologue about 2 weeks before but had not memorized it yet. So, all of Tuesday I was memorizing my monologue, which was from the movie Clue. It was a very well written monologue, but I couldn't remember all of it. So during my audition, I just improved it and then acted boisterous and outrageous. (No regrets) When I sang my song, I cracked on my last note. I was pissed at myself, but not worried too much about it. And then we had to do the dancing part of the audition in a group. We had learned a dance 30 minutes before auditions. I felt like I knew it, and I did. In conclusion, my song was decent, monologue - decent, and dancing was strong. (Results of auditions later in blog)
The next day, Wednesday, I had an audition for another special during another concert. I had not rehearsed with my accompanist before auditioning and had not really practiced it sufficiently with my voice teacher. So my audition was definitely not the strongest. Plus, when I went up to sing, my throat got completely strange and I think my nerves got to me because of it. I was so embarrassed when I finished my song. I felt like a complete failure and was tempted to even say I didn't want to do a special anymore. I felt like a fool, but my other director still said I could sing at the concert.
Also, this week, I had a good amount of homework. On Thursday, I had two tests in my two hardest classes - AP Euro & Honors Physics - and a quiz in my math class. That was not fun, especially since it was the day of callbacks for Chicago. Which brings me to my audition results...
I received a callback, which I was very happy about, but not surprised because I was a guy that could sing, dance, and act, and they don't have enough guys. A callback meant that they were considering you for a major role in the show. The callbacks on Thursday were rather nerve racking. At first, I went to the chorus room and received music that they wanted to try me for. I received two pieces: A Little Bit of Good sung by the character Mary Sunshine (yes, a girl) and Mr. Cellophane sung by Amos. The song A Little Bit of Good is extremely high (look towards end for video). It calls for someone that can hit an A above the staff. I was singing the song along with four other girls (all of which were my friends = not fun competition). Anyway, the girls and I quickly learned the song, and when we auditioned, we only had to sing a small bit of the beginning and then we had to sing a measure where you sing a high F to and high A, which is held by a fermata, down to another F, I believe. I sang the beginning fine. I had looked at the directors as I sang the beginning and they were pretty impressed. (Reminder: I had to sing this in front of about 16 other people who were being looked at for lead roles too.) Then came the F-A-F (I hope I'm not scaring you off with my music-ness). The accompanist played the F, I took a super, deep breath and shot out the F and then popped up to the A and held it for a pretty long time and then went back down. The A was so strong, I was surprised. From what I hear, after I hit it so strong, I kind of stood there for a moment with a did-I-really-just-do-that look on my face. And everybody else in the room clapped and the other guys were like "holy crap" and were laughing out of awe. It was awesome; maybe even my proudest moment as a singer. :-P
Moving on. We did a short, little, easy dance for them and then did some acting. And then it was over.
Today, after chorus, during lunch, the cast list was put up. There were about 20 people waiting right by the board to see it. Once I saw the number of people, I just turned around and went to lunch. I didn't want to look in front of all of those people. Two of the people I sat with at lunch were very anxious to see the list, so they left to go see it. They came back smiling. They said, "You got Mary Sunshine."
My response, "No! No! No! Don't tell me!" But it was obviously too late.
I soon after went to the board to look at the list myself. I was so shocked. I couldn't believe that I was going to play a woman in the show (still can't). I was ecstatic. Now, I can't wait until those nights of the show when I just hit those As over and over again and leave the audience with their jaws dropped to the floor! I can't wait!
Here is a video of the song I will be singing:
The next day, Tuesday, was the day of auditions for my school's production of Chicago. (It is very rare that a high school gets the rights for Chicago. From what I heard, only 5-10% of the schools that apply for the rights actually get them. So this was a big deal.) I was pretty solid on my audition song, but not my monologue. I had chosen my monologue about 2 weeks before but had not memorized it yet. So, all of Tuesday I was memorizing my monologue, which was from the movie Clue. It was a very well written monologue, but I couldn't remember all of it. So during my audition, I just improved it and then acted boisterous and outrageous. (No regrets) When I sang my song, I cracked on my last note. I was pissed at myself, but not worried too much about it. And then we had to do the dancing part of the audition in a group. We had learned a dance 30 minutes before auditions. I felt like I knew it, and I did. In conclusion, my song was decent, monologue - decent, and dancing was strong. (Results of auditions later in blog)
The next day, Wednesday, I had an audition for another special during another concert. I had not rehearsed with my accompanist before auditioning and had not really practiced it sufficiently with my voice teacher. So my audition was definitely not the strongest. Plus, when I went up to sing, my throat got completely strange and I think my nerves got to me because of it. I was so embarrassed when I finished my song. I felt like a complete failure and was tempted to even say I didn't want to do a special anymore. I felt like a fool, but my other director still said I could sing at the concert.
Also, this week, I had a good amount of homework. On Thursday, I had two tests in my two hardest classes - AP Euro & Honors Physics - and a quiz in my math class. That was not fun, especially since it was the day of callbacks for Chicago. Which brings me to my audition results...
I received a callback, which I was very happy about, but not surprised because I was a guy that could sing, dance, and act, and they don't have enough guys. A callback meant that they were considering you for a major role in the show. The callbacks on Thursday were rather nerve racking. At first, I went to the chorus room and received music that they wanted to try me for. I received two pieces: A Little Bit of Good sung by the character Mary Sunshine (yes, a girl) and Mr. Cellophane sung by Amos. The song A Little Bit of Good is extremely high (look towards end for video). It calls for someone that can hit an A above the staff. I was singing the song along with four other girls (all of which were my friends = not fun competition). Anyway, the girls and I quickly learned the song, and when we auditioned, we only had to sing a small bit of the beginning and then we had to sing a measure where you sing a high F to and high A, which is held by a fermata, down to another F, I believe. I sang the beginning fine. I had looked at the directors as I sang the beginning and they were pretty impressed. (Reminder: I had to sing this in front of about 16 other people who were being looked at for lead roles too.) Then came the F-A-F (I hope I'm not scaring you off with my music-ness). The accompanist played the F, I took a super, deep breath and shot out the F and then popped up to the A and held it for a pretty long time and then went back down. The A was so strong, I was surprised. From what I hear, after I hit it so strong, I kind of stood there for a moment with a did-I-really-just-do-that look on my face. And everybody else in the room clapped and the other guys were like "holy crap" and were laughing out of awe. It was awesome; maybe even my proudest moment as a singer. :-P
Moving on. We did a short, little, easy dance for them and then did some acting. And then it was over.
Today, after chorus, during lunch, the cast list was put up. There were about 20 people waiting right by the board to see it. Once I saw the number of people, I just turned around and went to lunch. I didn't want to look in front of all of those people. Two of the people I sat with at lunch were very anxious to see the list, so they left to go see it. They came back smiling. They said, "You got Mary Sunshine."
My response, "No! No! No! Don't tell me!" But it was obviously too late.
I soon after went to the board to look at the list myself. I was so shocked. I couldn't believe that I was going to play a woman in the show (still can't). I was ecstatic. Now, I can't wait until those nights of the show when I just hit those As over and over again and leave the audience with their jaws dropped to the floor! I can't wait!
Here is a video of the song I will be singing:
November 26, 2008
Thank You
Thank you
for being there or not being there for me;
either way, you have helped shape who I am, and I am truly thankful for it.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving.
November 22, 2008
Don't Flatter Me
I really don't respond well to people that tell me I'm good at something. I'll always eventually get red in the face and do this thing where I bring my hand/fingers up by my mouth. I don't know why... I think it's because I feel like I'm covering my face. (It's the sort of thing the "Effed up leprechaun situations" guy from SNL does, just not as extreme)
Anyways, the reason I write this is because it happened to me on yesterday and today.
Yesterday, I was in Spanish class and we were doing a review worksheet. Everyone was working on it and I had finished in less time than everyone else (not by too much, i don't think).
Well, my teacher came up to me because I had started on some math homework and asked "Are you finished".
"Yes," I said.
And then me teacher told me, "I need to find something challenging for you."
I had no idea how to respond, so I just smiled...
I don't know how to respond in those situations, especially when they happen around other people. I don't want to seem like the "oh-he's-some-much-better-than-everyone-else guy" because I'm not, and I don't like people who are like that.
The same type of situation happened again today.
I was at my school's show, and we had incorporated video production into the play for some scene changes where there were voiceovers. I had designed and edited the video by myself, I just had some help with the filming. The whole cast and crew always do a warm-up before the show and our director gives a little speech.
It was a pretty long speech because it was closing night and the show had come a long way. Then he pointed me out and was like, "I'd like to recognize Justin. Because, although I know all of you work hard and are independent, I gave Justin no guidance, I sat him down and told him my crazy ideas for the videos and he went and did it."
This made me so embarrassed/flattered. Everyone was looking at me, and I started to do the little hand thingy, and I just laughed. I wasn't that special; many more people had worked harder on the show than I had. And then everyone clapped for me which was the end of it. One of my friends (pretty much all of them are my friends) gave me hug and I said "I'm going to use you to hide my face."
So.... moral of the story: Don't point me out in front of people and flatter me.
kthxbai
On another note...
I had a freaking awesome time tonight; I love my friends so much. I wouldn't be who I am without them. Here's a little picture of what might have happened at the cast/crew party after the show...
The blonde Sarah Palin?
Anyways, the reason I write this is because it happened to me on yesterday and today.
Yesterday, I was in Spanish class and we were doing a review worksheet. Everyone was working on it and I had finished in less time than everyone else (not by too much, i don't think).
Well, my teacher came up to me because I had started on some math homework and asked "Are you finished".
"Yes," I said.
And then me teacher told me, "I need to find something challenging for you."
I had no idea how to respond, so I just smiled...
I don't know how to respond in those situations, especially when they happen around other people. I don't want to seem like the "oh-he's-some-much-better-than-everyone-else guy" because I'm not, and I don't like people who are like that.
The same type of situation happened again today.
I was at my school's show, and we had incorporated video production into the play for some scene changes where there were voiceovers. I had designed and edited the video by myself, I just had some help with the filming. The whole cast and crew always do a warm-up before the show and our director gives a little speech.
It was a pretty long speech because it was closing night and the show had come a long way. Then he pointed me out and was like, "I'd like to recognize Justin. Because, although I know all of you work hard and are independent, I gave Justin no guidance, I sat him down and told him my crazy ideas for the videos and he went and did it."
This made me so embarrassed/flattered. Everyone was looking at me, and I started to do the little hand thingy, and I just laughed. I wasn't that special; many more people had worked harder on the show than I had. And then everyone clapped for me which was the end of it. One of my friends (pretty much all of them are my friends) gave me hug and I said "I'm going to use you to hide my face."
So.... moral of the story: Don't point me out in front of people and flatter me.
kthxbai
On another note...
I had a freaking awesome time tonight; I love my friends so much. I wouldn't be who I am without them. Here's a little picture of what might have happened at the cast/crew party after the show...
November 18, 2008
Today=Average
I feel like nothing special happened today. Nothing too memorable. But I'll write some stuff down anyways.
I had 2 tests today, one right after the other. They were both pretty easy; especially my math test because our teacher pretty much gives us a copy of the test two days before as a "review". I think I have a 101% in that class.... just checked... and yes I do. I also just realized that I got a much better grade than I anticipated on my physics test. So I guess I'm happy with that.
I stayed after school today with one of my friends to make up an essay for AP Euro because I was making my television debut the day the class did it. Our teacher is so ridiculous. My friend and I both knew that our teacher doesn't even read the essays. So I completely BS-ed my essay. The question we were supposed to write about was stupid. It asked how Great Britain, France, and Spain benefited from the growth of world trade in the 18th century. Our book did not mention one thing about France benefiting. It more or less declined because of the Peace of Utrecht (white & nerdy? - YES). So, while writing about the French in my essay, I added a little spice. After saying France failed to benefit from world trade I wrote "The French continued to eat their bread, drink their wine, and not shave their legs. They would later grow under Louis XXX." And then later I wrote "Although France was crumbling at this time, there was still some yeast left in the bread and they would soon rise and conquer."
I thought it was funny. :-D
I watched the first episode of Skins today. It's interesting how much the characters change throughout the season.
Oh! And I ran today! First time since August! I think I did pretty well for not running in 3 months. I ran 3 miles. It felt so nice to finally run again!
I must say, I had a pretty eventful day (especially compared to Sunday :-] ).
I had 2 tests today, one right after the other. They were both pretty easy; especially my math test because our teacher pretty much gives us a copy of the test two days before as a "review". I think I have a 101% in that class.... just checked... and yes I do. I also just realized that I got a much better grade than I anticipated on my physics test. So I guess I'm happy with that.
I stayed after school today with one of my friends to make up an essay for AP Euro because I was making my television debut the day the class did it. Our teacher is so ridiculous. My friend and I both knew that our teacher doesn't even read the essays. So I completely BS-ed my essay. The question we were supposed to write about was stupid. It asked how Great Britain, France, and Spain benefited from the growth of world trade in the 18th century. Our book did not mention one thing about France benefiting. It more or less declined because of the Peace of Utrecht (white & nerdy? - YES). So, while writing about the French in my essay, I added a little spice. After saying France failed to benefit from world trade I wrote "The French continued to eat their bread, drink their wine, and not shave their legs. They would later grow under Louis XXX." And then later I wrote "Although France was crumbling at this time, there was still some yeast left in the bread and they would soon rise and conquer."
I thought it was funny. :-D
I watched the first episode of Skins today. It's interesting how much the characters change throughout the season.
Oh! And I ran today! First time since August! I think I did pretty well for not running in 3 months. I ran 3 miles. It felt so nice to finally run again!
I must say, I had a pretty eventful day (especially compared to Sunday :-] ).
Queer Ducks FTW
November 17, 2008
Yay Laziness
I kind of like being lazy, but then again I don't. When I am super-busy, I always want to just take a day off and do nothing. But when I have days like today where I only do my homework and lay in bed, I feel like I didn't live the day to its fullest. It's kind of disappointing.
I was very happy/content today. And I know exactly why; I just won't tell you.
Hmmm... Did anything interesting happen today?
Oh! We finished watching Clue in my Mystery & Horror class (what a joke that class is!) and the monologue that Wadsworth has at the end is so crazy and sporadic, that I just might use it for my Chicago audition. Also, I had my voice lesson today (I am still sick! 3 weeks later! and can barely sing!) and my teacher and I picked out a pretty good song with a nice high G, because I ain't afraid of no G! (wow, music nerd ftl!)
Well... uhhhh... yay!
I was very happy/content today. And I know exactly why; I just won't tell you.
Hmmm... Did anything interesting happen today?
Oh! We finished watching Clue in my Mystery & Horror class (what a joke that class is!) and the monologue that Wadsworth has at the end is so crazy and sporadic, that I just might use it for my Chicago audition. Also, I had my voice lesson today (I am still sick! 3 weeks later! and can barely sing!) and my teacher and I picked out a pretty good song with a nice high G, because I ain't afraid of no G! (wow, music nerd ftl!)
Well... uhhhh... yay!
November 16, 2008
Awesomeness
So, today was an awesome day. Well, the ending was. I can't say why, but it was awesome.
At tech today, I pretty much did nothing. I am the Film Designer for the show, and all I did was sit there and help out every 30 minutes for about 10 seconds. It was a waste of time for me. I really enjoyed being the Film Designer though. Everyone tells me my videos are "so good" and that they "look professional". I'm flattered that people think that because I don't think they're that great. I don't think they're bad, but I don't think they're amazing. However, the annoying thing is that the screen that comes down to project the videos on is really slow, and timing it right is a pain in the butt.
And I have been procrastinating doing homework all day. Maybe I should start soon. I guess I should teach myself some European history (considering my teacher knows nothing about it).
Oh, and I found out that I don't have to be at the rehearsals or the shows for the rest of the week. I hope that doesn't change; I have a feeling it will. But, if it doesn't, that means I can go to my cousin's art show! I'm so excited for it. (I'm just hyper in general right now.)
In conclusion, today was an awesome day. I felt feelings I've never felt before, feelings that I doubt many people feel.
Alright, that's enough of that. I might do some more random blogging like this in the future.
At tech today, I pretty much did nothing. I am the Film Designer for the show, and all I did was sit there and help out every 30 minutes for about 10 seconds. It was a waste of time for me. I really enjoyed being the Film Designer though. Everyone tells me my videos are "so good" and that they "look professional". I'm flattered that people think that because I don't think they're that great. I don't think they're bad, but I don't think they're amazing. However, the annoying thing is that the screen that comes down to project the videos on is really slow, and timing it right is a pain in the butt.
And I have been procrastinating doing homework all day. Maybe I should start soon. I guess I should teach myself some European history (considering my teacher knows nothing about it).
Oh, and I found out that I don't have to be at the rehearsals or the shows for the rest of the week. I hope that doesn't change; I have a feeling it will. But, if it doesn't, that means I can go to my cousin's art show! I'm so excited for it. (I'm just hyper in general right now.)
In conclusion, today was an awesome day. I felt feelings I've never felt before, feelings that I doubt many people feel.
Alright, that's enough of that. I might do some more random blogging like this in the future.
November 4, 2008
My Theoretical Analysis of the Universe
So, lately I've been coming up with these AWESOME theories. Like freaking awesome theories! So I decided I would jot them down; and what better place to do it than on the internet?! I will post whatever new theories I conjure up here. My ideas will grow to be accepted by nearly everybody, excluding scientists of any kind, mathematicians, other theorists, and basically anybody that is knowledgeable.
In order to understand this theory, you will have to be aware of Aristotle's widely accepted view on the Universe. As Aristotle said, the Universe is made up of an unknown number of Crystal Spheres. Each Crystal Sphere contains a galaxy. For example; the Milky Way is contained in one Crystal Sphere. Outside of these Crystal Spheres is Heaven. This can be illustrated by the following drawing:
Theory #2 - The Evolution of Anime
Theory #1 - The Relation of Crystal Spheres, Heaven, and Christianity
In order to understand this theory, you will have to be aware of Aristotle's widely accepted view on the Universe. As Aristotle said, the Universe is made up of an unknown number of Crystal Spheres. Each Crystal Sphere contains a galaxy. For example; the Milky Way is contained in one Crystal Sphere. Outside of these Crystal Spheres is Heaven. This can be illustrated by the following drawing:
God and Jesus are located in the realm of Heaven. However, Jesus has been inside each sphere. He first entered one sphere and spread the word of God. He was not able to exit the Crystal Sphere however, because he had to die first. Therefore he died and exited the Crystal Sphere, returning to Heaven. He then continued his journey into each Crystal Sphere where he spread the word of God, died, and returned to Heaven. After this, he returned to each Sphere in order, where he stayed for varying amounts of time (depending on the Crystal Sphere) and then transcended into Heaven. He was able to transcend because God had gained many followers through his son's travels through each Crystal Sphere. Each follower gave God about 1.2 squabbles of power, equivalent to 59 joules. Because God had gained so much power, he was able to transmit his power to Jesus, giving him the ability to transcend out of each Sphere rather than dying. Because time is relative to each Sphere, Jesus was able to do this in what seemed like 3 days on Earth. It is each of Jesus's followers' duty to spread the word of God throughout their Sphere.
Theory #2 - The Evolution of Anime
Anime, the Japanese style of animation, has a very deep evolution. In the 1990s, a team of secretive, Japanese astronauts set out to explore a planet that never been touched by humans. After secretly building a spaceship, the Japanese traveled to Jupiter. There they found what we have come to know as Pokémon. They landed on the never-explored planet and discovered these creatures. They were so intrigued by these creatures that they set up about 15,000 cameras to track the creatures. They then built a base, along with a satellite, to transmit signals to the satellite and eventually to Earth. 4 scientist that were on the spaceship stayed on Jupiter and began to reproduce. The Japanese returned to Earth where they created another base to receive the signals transmitted from the satellite. In the first generation of Jupiter-born humans, we find Ash, Brock, and Misty. As the Japanese watched the three trek across Jupiter, cataloging every Pokémon, they noticed that they could watch the three's entire lives. They immediately saw this as an opportunity to make money. They quickly sold the rights to Nintendo in an underground trade. Once this documentary portrayed as a cartoon series was seen by many, Japanese artists began to impersonate the look of the series. Due to the atmosphere on Jupiter, that shapes of bodies and faces were construed. This construed view of reality turned into the art called Anime.
September 2, 2008
I'm a Mean, Mean Person!
So I had to write a personal narrative for school. (I know, school has started already... ugh!) And I thought it was pretty funny. So, I'm posting it here...
The wheels rotated faster and faster as we gained speed rolling down the hill. I pressed my hands against the seat in front of me to hold steady. The upper-middle class houses zoomed by as gravity pulled us down the hill. We approached the stop sign where, each day, our bus driver would make a rolling stop. The windows in the bus were all closed because of the fall transition into winter. It was inevitable; bus drivers hated elementary school kids. Therefore they would do anything to put them into danger. Mommy’s “precious, little angels” were no real angels, just devilish demons.
Our bus driver sharply turned the corner after rolling by the clearly visible stop sign. The back of the bus seemed to give you a much better feel of the road. This would come in handy if you were a surveyor, but I was a semi-professional student. Sitting on my knees, chatting with my bus-mates, my inertia refused to cooperate with the sharp turn the bus driver had made. I was thrown forward, toward the aisle. As a carefree eleven year old, I just went with the flow. Being thrown forward probably meant I would be thrown back. I was.
My head and torso quickly flew back as the bus straightened itself out onto Eminem Road. Making no attempt to stop my body, my head hit the side of the bus. Hitting your head on the side of the bus isn’t that bad, unless you hit it right on the edge between the steel, bottom half and the window, upper half. My head clonked against this edge, but I was oblivious.
I shot straight back up as if nothing hurt. (I think I was acting tough in front of my bus-mates.) But I did give some notice to the injury – I brought up a hand to the back of my head. Something was wrong though. My hand was feeling something warm, and maybe wet like I had just showered my head. I brought the hand in front of my chest and looked. I had to take a double-take because I couldn’t believe what I saw. There was blood on my hand. Not just a little blood, but enough to span three fingers.
My pupils dilated as I took in the shock.
“I’m bleeding!” I said, loud enough for the three sitting close by to hear.
This time a little louder, “I’m bleeding!”
I stumbled up and began to make my way up the aisle, as a bus-mate got up, only reigniting the terror in my mind. “He’s bleeding!”
The bus went around two bends in the road as I tried to steady myself with one hand, keeping pressure on my wound with the other. When I finally reached the front, we had arrived at two younger students’ bus stop. I sat down in the front seat while the kids got off. The interrogation was about to begin.
“What happened?” the overweight, curly, brunette bus driver asked me.
“I hit my head on the window.” I hadn’t known that it was actually the window sill.
“How bad is it bleeding?”
I took my hand off of my head and showed her the blood. She quickly brought down the first-aid kit from the compartment above her. She handed me the only pieces of gauze in it and then continued the torture.
“What’s your name?”
“Justin White.” I had ridden the bus for over 50 days now and she didn’t know my name?
The entire bus sat at the bus stop and waited while she called in the injury.
“You hit it on the window?”
“Yeah,” I said, knowing that I didn’t stutter the first time I told her, unless I had developed one from this blow to the brain.
I closed my eyes and it felt like eternity was going by as she lazily talked with “board base”. Finally, after what seemed to be hours, we continued the route. Of course there was no urgency shown to get me home quickly. We let the two brothers off at the next street and continued to turn around and go back up Eminem Road, passing the street that led to my demise.
One more stop at ChanningTatum Drive. I knew I would be okay. We came to the bus stop to find my dad waiting out there. I was very relieved to see another adult that would show more compassion than this fat, ugly, almost jobless woman.
“He was on his knees. I always tell them to sit down,” she shouted out the bus door.
“Yeah, it’s okay,” my dad replied.
But I was sitting down! I was sitting on my knees! And it doesn’t help when an eleven ton automobile gets swung around a turn with a stop sign to prevent any problems with inertia!
I wasn’t able to get into the doctor’s office until more than 2 hours after the accident. But that didn’t matter; I was home and I was safe from any potentially intoxicated drivers. At the doctor’s office, the very nice, compassionate, and not-so-fat nurse shaved off some hair around the gash in my head. She then proceeded to jab a needle right into the flesh of the wound to numb any pain. Three stitches were sewn into my head and forever etched into my mind.
I was very bitter for riding the bus home for a good three weeks. I think I am a bit bitter even after five years. That is not the point. I didn’t have any more accidents on the school bus after that because I always sat the semi-right way, just not on my knees. But I also had different bus drivers. (Perhaps they were more experienced.)
*The names of the streets were changed by the wittness protection program.
The wheels rotated faster and faster as we gained speed rolling down the hill. I pressed my hands against the seat in front of me to hold steady. The upper-middle class houses zoomed by as gravity pulled us down the hill. We approached the stop sign where, each day, our bus driver would make a rolling stop. The windows in the bus were all closed because of the fall transition into winter. It was inevitable; bus drivers hated elementary school kids. Therefore they would do anything to put them into danger. Mommy’s “precious, little angels” were no real angels, just devilish demons.
Our bus driver sharply turned the corner after rolling by the clearly visible stop sign. The back of the bus seemed to give you a much better feel of the road. This would come in handy if you were a surveyor, but I was a semi-professional student. Sitting on my knees, chatting with my bus-mates, my inertia refused to cooperate with the sharp turn the bus driver had made. I was thrown forward, toward the aisle. As a carefree eleven year old, I just went with the flow. Being thrown forward probably meant I would be thrown back. I was.
My head and torso quickly flew back as the bus straightened itself out onto Eminem Road. Making no attempt to stop my body, my head hit the side of the bus. Hitting your head on the side of the bus isn’t that bad, unless you hit it right on the edge between the steel, bottom half and the window, upper half. My head clonked against this edge, but I was oblivious.
I shot straight back up as if nothing hurt. (I think I was acting tough in front of my bus-mates.) But I did give some notice to the injury – I brought up a hand to the back of my head. Something was wrong though. My hand was feeling something warm, and maybe wet like I had just showered my head. I brought the hand in front of my chest and looked. I had to take a double-take because I couldn’t believe what I saw. There was blood on my hand. Not just a little blood, but enough to span three fingers.
My pupils dilated as I took in the shock.
“I’m bleeding!” I said, loud enough for the three sitting close by to hear.
This time a little louder, “I’m bleeding!”
I stumbled up and began to make my way up the aisle, as a bus-mate got up, only reigniting the terror in my mind. “He’s bleeding!”
The bus went around two bends in the road as I tried to steady myself with one hand, keeping pressure on my wound with the other. When I finally reached the front, we had arrived at two younger students’ bus stop. I sat down in the front seat while the kids got off. The interrogation was about to begin.
“What happened?” the overweight, curly, brunette bus driver asked me.
“I hit my head on the window.” I hadn’t known that it was actually the window sill.
“How bad is it bleeding?”
I took my hand off of my head and showed her the blood. She quickly brought down the first-aid kit from the compartment above her. She handed me the only pieces of gauze in it and then continued the torture.
“What’s your name?”
“Justin White.” I had ridden the bus for over 50 days now and she didn’t know my name?
The entire bus sat at the bus stop and waited while she called in the injury.
“You hit it on the window?”
“Yeah,” I said, knowing that I didn’t stutter the first time I told her, unless I had developed one from this blow to the brain.
I closed my eyes and it felt like eternity was going by as she lazily talked with “board base”. Finally, after what seemed to be hours, we continued the route. Of course there was no urgency shown to get me home quickly. We let the two brothers off at the next street and continued to turn around and go back up Eminem Road, passing the street that led to my demise.
One more stop at ChanningTatum Drive. I knew I would be okay. We came to the bus stop to find my dad waiting out there. I was very relieved to see another adult that would show more compassion than this fat, ugly, almost jobless woman.
“He was on his knees. I always tell them to sit down,” she shouted out the bus door.
“Yeah, it’s okay,” my dad replied.
But I was sitting down! I was sitting on my knees! And it doesn’t help when an eleven ton automobile gets swung around a turn with a stop sign to prevent any problems with inertia!
I wasn’t able to get into the doctor’s office until more than 2 hours after the accident. But that didn’t matter; I was home and I was safe from any potentially intoxicated drivers. At the doctor’s office, the very nice, compassionate, and not-so-fat nurse shaved off some hair around the gash in my head. She then proceeded to jab a needle right into the flesh of the wound to numb any pain. Three stitches were sewn into my head and forever etched into my mind.
I was very bitter for riding the bus home for a good three weeks. I think I am a bit bitter even after five years. That is not the point. I didn’t have any more accidents on the school bus after that because I always sat the semi-right way, just not on my knees. But I also had different bus drivers. (Perhaps they were more experienced.)
*The names of the streets were changed by the wittness protection program.
July 29, 2008
I met Dave!
I decided I would endanger my friends by standing on a street corner at night and talking to a yellow-shoe-wearing, wedding-band-holding, boom-box-carrying "homeless" man.
I don't know what I was thinking at the time. I think it was something along the lines of, "Don't be scared. He's a person too."
In a way, that is a very respectful thought. However, I ignored the fact that I would never see this man again if I just kept on walking. (But now it makes for a good story!)
So, we were walking back from the show (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and a rather tall, slim man walks up to us and explains that he has 60 cents and needs $3.60 to buy some food. (At one point I thought he said he wanted 2 dollar bills for 8 quarters, which was the reason I stuck around.) He tells my friend, Lisa (who he particularly liked ;-) ), that she shouldn't be scared because he is a Christian. (And yes, being a Christian means that you don't do anything wrong... psh) He points his fist at me for one of those fist-to-fist handshake-like things, so I give a nice fist to the fist. He hands me the 60 cents that he has collected for some reason (I proceeded to count it.) And then he goes on to tell us that his name is Dave and starts to say stuff about my other friends. He tells Lisa that she looks like a "bunny". (We have no recollection of what he actually said about the other two.) Now, I have no idea if he was having fantasies in his head about Playboy or what, but it was really weird. I then take out my wallet and give him 2 dollars. By this time, my other two friends had ditched Lisa and I and crossed the street.
That was one terribly odd experience. But it is now rather hilarious looking back on it.
(In the car we were all laughing our heads off because of what Dave said and how stupid I was.)
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