take off your cool

Looking Back

2010-01-03T22:34:00.000-08:00

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

graduate highschool, start college, a couple of things i regret, go overseas (Hawaii), played sax in a jazz band, um, get in a minor car accident, get pulled over, get my car stolen AND get it back! i love my baby

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I always forget what they were, but I can say I did improve in a few things

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

I don't think so

4. Did anyone close to you die?

yes

5. What countries did you visit?

none, but Hawaii

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Patience, faith that things will work themselves out.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory and why?

Spring Break - Hawaii Trip

June 12? - Graduation

Oct 24 - =[

November 21- lets just say my life flashed before me

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Completing Highschool

college and completing the 1st quarter

couple things with band

9. What was your biggest failure?

Losing sight of a couple things

giving up on a few things

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

sort of

11. What was the best thing you bought?

a couple of CDs, I'm trying to get a CD collection going

my Yamaha Custom 82Z Alto Saxophone, I was hornless for a while haha, she's my baby besides my car

gifts I got for people, especially during christmas time, it felt good to give a few gifts

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

theres a couple people, one person whom I just me this year my roommate

always positive and always there to help out

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Lots of death, celebrities and a few closer to heart

14. Where did most of your money go?

hm, i remember spending a lot for saxophone related stuff, and then a new saxophone

also i remember buying like 5 cds in two weeks time

lots of music related stuff

and college

15. What did you really, really, really get excited about?

hm, i was always excited for band stuff during senior year aha

JAZZ w/ Lapre and the homies OG's

Hawaii

Graduating and college of course

UCI, living in the dorms

seeing people i haven't seen in a while
Going to Barona for the first time haha

always got excited when i was on the verge of a new musical discovery

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

any song i played in band that year

cant believe it haha

dig by incubus

theres a bunch really

17. Compared to this time last year are you:
not as happy but its okay

more thoughtful
more into music

i feel more responsible

and im definitely more thankful

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

theres alot but these two i still think about

1. spend more time with certain people

2. play more music

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

overthink things

annoy people

things i regret

20. How did you spend Christmas?

church with the family

Avatar 3D with the family

21. How will you be spending new years?

well new years is over but i

slept in

played piano and guitar all day

stayed home with my parents

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?

hmm

23. How many one-night stands?

nada

24. What was your favorite TV program?

just recently, The Office and Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon mostly because of The Roots haha

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

nope i dont hate anyone

26. What was the best book you read?

just a couple ones ive read a bit of each at Barnes and Noble

27. What was your biggest musical discovery?

some jazz recordings, lots of Bob Florence

orchestral versions of some J Dilla productions

The Roots "sandwiches"

28. What did you want and you got?

people i could rely on and that made me happy

a saxophone

a college to go to

29. What did you want and not get?

more time with people

an ipod

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

UP, Star Trek, Sherlock Holmes, Avatar, District 9

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old did you turn?

turned 18

actually I remember PCN was on my birthday and some lovely people surprised me

pcn practice and last PCN ever!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

look at number 18

and a few other things i guess

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

simple, lots of neutral colors

34. What kept you sane?

my friends and family

i just thought of this today too, my car and some good music

35. Which celebrity did you fancy the most?

i don't really fancy them, but michael jackson after he passed away

couldnt stop listening and watching his videos

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

i dont remember a bunch, prop 8, equality issues

37. Who did you miss?

a couple of special people

38. Who was the best new person you met?

haha id rather not rank people

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:

really think before you do something

let people know they mean a lot to you

a couple of small things can go a long way

i think my sisters answer is a really good one too

"You can never tell those close to your heart "I love you" too much."

40. Quote or Song Lyric that sums up your year:

wow this one is really hard

well this one even though its just 5 words had a pretty significant meaning to me

"i found my smile again"

theres a ton though

Been a While,Bye 2009

2009-12-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

Well here it is, another one of those 'haven't written here in forever' type of blogs. Good timing too I guess since this year is about to end, it's just a few days away. I don't know where to start, so I'll just start off with going off to college.

This year has been a big one, the end of highschool and the beginning of college. Moving in day was definitely a mixed day. I was so happy and excited to be living and doing things in a new place, a place that will become a second "home" to me for the next few years, but of course I was sad to leave San Diego, a part of me was left back in SD and in the people there that I care about. My time so far at UCI has been great to say the least. Zot Zot! I've met a ton of chill people, and feel like I've grown a little more responsible and mature. I'm still learning the ways of a college student, it's so much fun though! Staying up late with people, late night food runs, tons of new people. It's really awesome having my car up there too, getting to explore the area is always fun. Guppies, The Spectrum, and The Lab, and The District are my favorites so far, but there's still alot out there. As for the school part though, it's very different from highschool. Big lecture halls, hardly any really homework and nothing but a few tests to make your grade. My grades, unfortunately, are the worst they've ever been, it could've been alot worse, but it could have been alot better too. I'm happy that I've survived my first quarter in college, and that I am motivated and determined to do a lot better next quarter and the rest of college.

One of the things that has constantly been on my mind and causing alot of stress for me is what I want to do in life. I'm always going back and forth between a few things. It's awesome when I hear people who know what they want to do and how they're going to get there, I wish the same could happen to me. I need to take some career test, and I wish there was some career day that I could go to haha.

Christmas was just a few days ago. This christmas was really different for me this year. Usually, I have a list of things I wish I could get, you know, like material things, clothes, electronics etc. But this christmas, all the things I truly wanted were things you couldn't buy from a store, couldn't order online, you get what I'm saying. I realized, that I've been focusing on alot of unnecessary things in life, and I've found out what really makes me happy and what really means alot to me. Being away for college, even though its not that far, I was happy to be free and independent from home but I realized I was taking time that I spend with my family for granted, and time with my friends for granted as well. Just spending time with certain people was what I wanted for Christmas. It felt so good to go out to the movies on Christmas day to watch Avatar in 3D. My parents haven't been out to the movies in forever, and it's definitely been too long since my family and I have gone out and done something just for fun. There's a few things I really miss right now, and I wish I could have even just a tiny piece of each back, or a chance to relive a few moments and experiences, but like they say you can't always get what you want..To be honest, this Christmas felt like a Thanksgiving all over again, for once I really think I felt what it was like to be thankful and really feel just what and who means alot to you, gotta be thankful for what you have everyday. Thank you everyone.

2009 has been an interesting year. Too many memories to list all down here. Definitely had alot of ups and downs. The transition from highschool to college was really exciting, I think its one of the most exciting times in a persons life. For me, feels like the year started out better than it's ending, I don't want to sound negative or anything, but these past few months especially have been pretty hard, college, and a couple other things have made some days and nights pretty tough. On the good side, there's been so many awesome, just awesome things that have happened this year. I'm excited for 2010 and for what it has in store, I definitely have no idea haha. It feels good to be writing again, anyone who's reading this, I don't want you to think that I consider myself a writer of any sort, but it feels good to put down some of your thoughts. I guess it isn't the same as talking to someone, but I think it serves a similar purpose. I wish I had more interesting things to write about, maybe I'll work on that for the upcoming year. 2009, goodbye and thank you for everything. hellllo 2010!

And I guess thats why..

2009-08-18T23:45:00.001-07:00

they call it the blues, time on my hands, could be time spent with you

The Times They Are A Changin'

2009-08-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

Summer, for the past three years its consisted of pretty much the same thing; hanging out, random adventures, wasting time, band, vacations, you know, the usual summer stuff. This summer hasn't been much different, but it sure feels way different than any other one. It didn't hit me at Graduation, High School was over and we were all caught up in celebrating 4 years of hard work. It didn't hit me at Grad Nite that this night would be the last time I'd ever see people that I had shared the same "home" with for 4 years. Its crazy if you take the time to think about it. After going to my college orientation, I realized, this is where I'm going to spend the next 4 years of life. A new place, new people, starting completely fresh. It's like being a painter. 4 years ago you got a blank canvas, and each year you painted or added things youve done, things you've accomplished, and all your countless memories. Fast forward to now, and now someone says great, now start this one. Thanks Melinda Ching, when you mentioned this "canvas" thing during your speech at Grad it totally caught my attention. I'm bummed to see alot of friends go, 2 of my best friends are leaving in two and three days, and a ton of people are leaving really soon too. I really wish I could have kept some friendships more intact, I'm sorry for taking a few granted...

But life is life right? Well, I am really excited for college. Props to all the staffers and planners at SPOP, it has really made me excited to be an Anteater. At the same time though I am just as nervous as I am excited. What I'm most nervous about is just the whole academic part and really finding what I want to do in life. I've heard stories of people, who seemed destined to do one thing but end up doing another. People gifted in the field of science, who make calculating this or computing this seem like a piece of cake, but who are passionate about things like social issues, or art and music. I just need to find my own balance of being practical, what I'm passionate about and what I enjoy doing. I've heard it everywhere, balance is key.

Anyways, before I started writing I remembered a scene from the movie Watchmen to the song The Times They Are A Changin, and it could totally relate to how I see this current time in my life. Things are going to change alot in the next few months, weeks, days, part of it good part of it not so good, but they are all things I'm willing to accept and embrace.

Heres the link to that one portion of the movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2hNhM3dHB4

Again

2009-07-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

So here it is, another blog about a song I like.

Esperanza Spalding. She's a talented bassist and singer, graduated from Berklee College of Music and was asked to be a professor after crazy huh! Anyways, shes a girl with real talent. Her song "Precious" is probably my favorite. Really deep song. Lots of things to ponder here, create new thoughts, but yeah well here are the video/lyrics.

Love me or leave me, but please don't decieve me

and say you'll love me how I am

You love the way I fit some ideal,

Not the real woman you've yet to understand

See, love ain't all heaven, and I am no angel

But I do the best I can

You always wanted something more from my body

And said you needed something more from my lovin'

But all you got was me and that's all that I can be,

I'm sorry if it let you down

Now it's no nice excuse, but all the magic was used up on trying to uphold

Some kind of tame, flattering persona that

Soon enough was getting real old

It takes more than pressure to change rock to diamond,

Now all you have is sand slipping through your fingers

You always wanted something more from my body,

And said you needed something more from my lovin'

But all you got was me and that's all that I can be,

I'm sorry if it let you down

But I'm not gonna sit around and waste my precious divine energy

Tryin' to explain and being ashamed of things you think are wrong with me

I'm not gonna sit around and waste my precious divine energy

Tryin' to explain and being ashamed of what you think is wrong with me

Set you up, you say I set you up

Like I was different than what I am offering you now

Let you down, you say I let you down

And drove your heart around

Did you forget about all the love & the acceptance that you promised me too?

So today, I had to go to UCI to take a test, and the only music playing was from the radio

almost all of it had no real value to it so annoying...

someone should invent something where you can access your iTunes library

from your car, how awesome would that be?

I notice alot of my blogs have to do with music, sorry if it gets annoying

to everyone (or no one) who reads this, enjoy anywayss

blurbs

2009-07-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

today, i had nothing to do, so i decided to go to barnes and nobles and look for things to read. I across some really interesting stuff.

One on this japanese scientist who decided to study water and the crystals they form. really interesting. im not sure how he did this, but he had water and put words printed on paper into them such as "beautiful" "hate" "anger" even things like "thank you" and "mozart". Then he took pictures of the crystals that formed to each corresponding word and it was nuts how things like beauty and wisdom had perfect crystals formed, and words like hate had very broken crystals or no crystals at all. "heart broken" even had a crystal in two pieces. the book had a bunch of pictures and everything it was really coool.

the second book was by a musician who became a neuroscientist, and wrote a book about music and the brain. it was so awesome! it talked about why we like certain music, how music affects us and i really cant begin to describe everything that was in it. it really got me interested...

also, some good advice i found just reading through other things. it was talking about relationships with people, specifically when arguments or issues happen. when two people fight, they usually take a side over and issue and they each take one side and fight. what it was suggesting is that you should both take the same side and fight against the issue, i guess this way is that you get rid of the issue and not one another. i thought it was pretty helpful advice, i mean ive never really thought of the situation in that way, see what some curious reading can do? i'm definitely going to go back, read random things, im always up for learning something new or reading something new

sorry this blog is just a bunch of random thoughts, though i think its worth atleast for me to write or put down somewhere.

im still listening to michael jackson songs everyday, am i the only one? timeless music, seriously.

summer feels extra long, i guess that is cause i do have a month longer than the previous years, but each day feels longer too.

what else, im really excited for college now UCI is gonna be fun zot zot, but i miss alot of people now and i am going to miss alot of people even more when school actually starts

i really miss playing music in a big setting, the only chance i get now is with Mr. Torns summer band, which is awesome, but i wish there were more opportunities. i especially miss jazz, gah, some of the song we played were just crazy, Last Season, always got to me. everytime i listen to it i still get the same feeling.

summer jazz band was super fun forgot to mention that,got to play with some people ive never played with before, awesome music too.

speaking of awesome music, dont you just love those songs that just grab ahold of your insides? recently ive been finding alot of music like that.

i think james taylors music is timeless, i watched a live concert dvd the other day with my family during lunch, it was great. you should all have some of his songs if you dont already.

well this has been a run-on blog, peace

cuerpo y alma

2009-07-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

This is super random, but here's the lyrics and a video for probably one of my favorite jazz standards ever, Body and Soul. Here's Chris Potter, whatta monster..haha well in this case a very soulful, emotional monster

My heart is sad and lonely
For you I sigh, for you, dear, only
Why haven't you seen it?
I'm all for you, body and soul

I spend my days in longin'
And wond'ring why it's me you're wrongin'
I tell you, I mean it
I'm all for you, body and soul

I can't believe it, it's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending? It looks like the ending
Unless I could have one more chance to prove, dear

My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you, body and soul

My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I would gladly surrender myself to you, body and soul

Jazz Classical Pop & Sex

2009-07-06T20:54:00.001-07:00

Here's an interview from Charles Mcpherson, a jazz saxophonist. I was just watching his interviews for fun since I might attend one of his concerts at Anthology woo! but then he started talking about different music, as well as Shakespeare, and why only a few people may really enjoy it, and I really started to listen. As someone who listens to classical and jazz music a lot, (thats not all i listen to as well), I agree with alot of things he says, he speaks the truth in my opinion... but Watch it! I tried to type out the part of the interview I liked the most, so sorry if a couple words are wrong, itll start around 4:00

"The difference between that music, jazz music and classical music is that, the marketing ability to sell that music has nothing to do with sex.. none. none! Okay, if you take the element of the sexual component, out of pop music, i dont know if that would sell. So when you go to classical concert and youre into classical music, sex persay really doesnt have anything to do with it,if the music has something to do with it..its the same thing with jazz, so if you love music, you love the music. You dont love the way the persons pants fit, or the dress, or how handsome or ugly or pretty or unpretty a performer is its like, how do they sing, what does the voice sound like, this is what youre into. These two musics classical music and jazz music and maybe other musics too, are dealing with music, pure music, like it or not. Has nothing to do with the trappings, pop music in the whole pop consciousness, the whole thing is trappings. Its green smoke, its a guy killing a chicken on the bandstand, its somebody coming making an entrance from the top of this wall on a string, its a guy putting his guitar on fire, its somebody half naked, thats what, if you take all that away... no i mean because people like jazz because they like billie holiday because she could sing her butt off, not because..her buns were this way or that way or shes got green smoke coming out of her ears or she just killed a bunny rabbit.. soo as long as the level of consciousness is like that, which is probably about 4 inches below the naval, then itll never be, neither will shakespeare, neither will jazz, itll never be fertile(word?), maybe that will change.."
- Charles Mcpherson

Just some food for thought. Whatever it is, whether its music, or people or anything, you should appreciate something for what it really is, or for who they reallly are. Dont get caught up with the trappings, its about the substance not the shine. It's annoying, I hear people say or read comments about music artists like "omg she is so sexyyy id wife her" or "mmm i want him now". Now, I know its normal for people to say things like this, but the thing is I hardly hear or see things like "wow thats such a great song" or "i can totally relate to this". There'll always be things like this going on I know that, but I just feel theres a real lack of appreciation for real music these days, and that people and especially the media focus on the things that really don't matter, like looks, sex appeal, what people are wearing. There's a lack of appreciation for a lot of things that are really valuable like literature, art and music. I dunno..

Anyways, the music in my life is awesome. Summer band with Mr. Torns is crazy, we're playing such awesome music. And today summer jazz just started, and its fun! It's been too long since I've really written a blog, the past couple have just been lyrics/videos..I guess this is kinda the same haha but I feel like I wrote more of what I felt this time. Woo!
Till next time

Centerpiece

2009-05-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

The more I'm with you pretty baby
The more I feel my love increase
I'm building all my dreams around you
My happiness will never cease
But nothings any good without you
Cause baby you're my centerpiece

I'll buy a house and garden somewhere
Along a country road a piece
A little cottage on the outskirts
Where we could really find release
But nothings any good without you
Cause baby you're my centerpiece

- Van Morrison

Genius

2009-05-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

This video is crazy. The music fits perfectly with it haha, musical genius Henry Hey.

We Shall Overcome

2009-03-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this video on youtube. Before I even finished it, I knew it would be one of my favorite videos. What this is an original composition called "Enoch's Meditation", and it uses audio from Martin Luther King's speech "We Shall Overcome" and Barack Obamas victory speech. I spent over an hour trying to find the transcript to MLK's "We Shall Overcome" speech but I was able to find Obamas part. Watch and Listen carefully! This video is definitely worth taking the time to watch. Not only is the music enjoyable and fitting, but the message really has an effect, and the speeches are amazing just to listen to. A person may die, but their ideas can live on forever.

President Barack Obama-

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voices could be that difference. It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled -- Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America!"

music, we need when language fails us, but we cannot remain silent...

A New Now

2009-03-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

It's certainly been too long since I've last blogged. I feel like there's a lot to say, so much has happened since!

I guess I'll start with All-State. My first (and last) All-State experience is one I won't forget. I had the pleasure of playing with some of the most talented musicians I've ever heard. Some of these highschoolers sounded like they could be professional. Anyways, the convention was in Fresno. Not the greatest place to go, especially in California. Most of the drive up there seemed to be endless miles of plants. One cool thing was the Tejon Pass, driving through the mountains. The convention lasted from Thursday to Sunday, which was basically arriving there, two days of rehearsal, then a performance. The band I was in was conducted by Dr. Mallory Thompson. She was very energetic and outgoing and also very intelligent. One moment that will always stand out to me is when we were rehearsing a piece called 'Sleep' by Eric Whitacre (anyone who knows this composer knows he writes some beautiful pieces). We were doing a run through, and we got to the climax of the song, which, in a lot of Whitacres music, had its ways of tugging at your insides, and she started to cry.. not just tears but crying. She kept conducting but she had to cover her face because she couldnt help it. And when the song ended, we were all just kind of quiet. It was a prettty awesome feeling just being in a place where everyone worked hard and everyone had a common goal, to play beautiful music! aha well enough about that.

For another thing, you might already know cause it seemed to spread at school, that my car, my baby, was stolen... but luckily thanks to the stupidity of the thieves I got it back! My sister already did a blog on it, since it was hers before mine, so check it out www.capinator.blogspot.com, it has some interesting pics too but I'll explain the story anyways. So the guy driving was speeding on the I-15 (with a stolen car,smart huh) so the police chased the guy into a cul de sac in Mira Mesa, not a smart move, so thats where they got caught. My car ended up with new rims and tires (thanks guys!), but my radio was gone, and so were my RayBans but those were the least of my worries. In the car was to be found; checkbooks, movies, video games, variety of tools, trash, coins, clothes, electronics, and the crazy thing is all of this stuff was most likely stolen. The police cleared most of the car out for evidence and what not but an old but working mp3 player was left so thats cool. Right now my car is in the shop getting some repairs and what not so yeah.
This is a bit of a sidetrack, but I forgot to mention my car was on sophomore hill when it was stolen. Now i know the school doesn't have liability for that, but what I'm saying is that my car would have been more likely not stolen if it was in the parking lot. Now having 1st period online does have it's disadvantages when it comes to the parking lot, but what is up with that 30 or more empty staff parking spots EVERY morning?! what's up with the new tier II policy? Used to to be if you had a D or an F you couldnt park in the lot. Now its if you have less than a 2.0(I dont know the exact but it is around there somewhere). Used to be there were no separate staff and student parking. Now theres an exact number of staff spots that there are staff, but lots of staff have already admitted they carpool to school with other teachers, and that all teachers come and leave school at different times. It just seems ridiculous to me that the school hasnt done anything all year yet to add more student parking when the line of cars on sophomore hill gets longer, and when theres ALWAYS EMPTY STAFF SPOTS, especially after someones(my) car was stolen off it! I know a lot of people, seniors, especially know what im talking about. well anyways.. hahah

The jazz program at MC is kickin off pretty well. This saturday, both jazz bands are going up to the annual Irvine Jazz Festival. Playing jazz has really appealed to me these past couple months. It's one of the things I've committed some time to it lately, I think I've found my number one way to express myself creatively and thats through music. Wherever I go, I hope I can join and play in a big band setting, or maybe even a combo, or an ensemble but I don't plan to stop playing. I guess that leads me to college..

College college college...all I can say is I'm really thankful for whats happened so far regarding college admissions. Im excited to start new and be in a new environment. The only thing I'm nervous about is keeping up in college. My sister told me today, staying in college is 1000x times harder than getting in, and shes a senior in college so i know I can take her word for that. Only a few more weeks than AP Tests are here, and pretty soon it'll be senior activities and GRADUATION! well, I'm not gonna write a whole shpeel here all on what i think/thought about highschool so far and all that stuff now, since theres still some time left to enjoy it!

Saudade

2008-10-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've become a pretty big fan of youtube. I swear, you can find anything on there. One of the subscriptions I have is to the username AndanteLargo. He's this classical guitar player, who posts a bunch of compositions and covers he's done, and they are downright some of the most beautiful things I've ever heard, like in my life. My favorite one by him is 'While You Were Sleeping'. Another one that really caught my attention was 'For My Love'. I like to read the comments on alot of the videos I watch, and I came across this one that had mentioned the word 'saudade'. I'm not 100% right, but I think it's a portugese word that means like, a mix betwen happiness and sadness, kinda melancholy. It was crazy cause thats exactly the kinda vibe I felt from just listening to the music. The guy who commented it related it to how you can think of something in the past that made you so happy but now it feels like you can never have it back, but theres still some hope that it will return. haha i dont mean to sound so dramatic or serious or anything, but it seems like a deep word when you can relate it to that music.
And now, I feel like I can personally relate to 'saudade'. I've come to realize, with the help and concern of others, that the way things are now are really different. Change is inevitable, but I'm really hoping that this whole thing is just a phase..Senior year has definitely taken by surprise. I think back to all the times in the past, everyone was so close, things felt so secure. When senior year started, i expected things to get even better, but what happened, or is happening is like a complete 180 degrees on the dial. im sorry for the times i didnt put the effort in to work against this 'phase'..i don't want this to become a thing where i look back and feel like its gone for good..
Today was the first day I actually started college apps. I still can't believe this is my last year of highschool..I'm so excited for it yet so nervous..well, i guess thats all for now.

First One of the School Year

2008-08-28T21:22:00.001-07:00

So senior year has started, and let me say...it has been amazing for the most part. Band camp went super well, all of my teachers are sick as hell (Calver Lafferty and Hizal ftw!), and it just feels good to be a senior. The only downfall to it, which i think is a pretty bad one too, is that i just hardly see everyone now. Everyone seems so busy, i miss a bunch of my friends, but i know that it'll get better.

anyways, i wanted to focus on this seminar we had in bandcamp with Dave Kuns. Dave Kuns is a band director/motivational speaker. he's been coming to Mt. Carmel for pretty much the past 16 years, and he has truly made a difference in my life. He's taught a lot of people so many things, and I think he's helped many people widen their perspective of things not just in band, but in life. One thing he said is that if you know you have to do it, you might as well want to do it. When you want to do something, youre so much more likely to succeed and have fun doing it. It ties in pretty well with the feeling of fear and excitement. He really made me realize, that the two feelings feel exactly the same, but the only thing different is your mindset. If you're scared to do something, you might as well be excited to do it. I remember being scared about so many things; auditions, performances, presentations, speeches, or even like talking to that cute girl haha. And i've realized everytime i turned got into the mindset of being excited rather than scared, the outcome has been better than what i had thought it would be. Everythings in the mind...mind games haha. he also made me realize just how fast time goes by, he went on saying how the seniors now will be putting on their uniforms for the last time soon, and doing everything for their last time soon. it just made me think like, im a ****ing senior. thats so ridiculous. it just amazes me. each day that goes by just means that theres one day less of highschool, forever. haha crazy.

well we're about into the first full week of school and its friday tomorow, i cant wait for the weekend. it feels good to be in school again, as weird as that may sound.

peace, love, one.

Three-Fold Utopian Dream

2008-07-12T03:04:00.000-07:00

It's pretty early in the morning, so I thought I'd make a random post. Incubus is such a good band. I've been listening to a lot of their stuff lately, and there's this one song that I can't seem to stop listening to. I Miss You - Incubus. I'm really hoping that during my last year of highschool, I'll be able to perform it with someone. Bomb-ass song haha. What a random post.

To see you when I wake up

Is a gift I didn't think could be real

To know that you feel the same as I do

Is a three-fold, utopian dream

You do something to me that I can´t explain

So would I be out of line if i said

I miss you

I see your picture

I smell your skin on the empty pillow next to mine

You have only been gone ten days

But already I´m wasting away

I know I´ll see you again

Whether far or soon

But I need you to know that I care

And I miss you

Anyways, let's all try to increase the peace yeah...

Getaway

2008-07-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

So today, 4th of July..LAST RB Parade ever! It was kinda sad actually, knowing that it's the beginning of the end. The parade was about the same as any year, ended up being hot and sweaty as usual. Go Monica Riturban! After the parade, I went over to the Mira Mesa Rec Center. Did the usual, hang out with friends, watch the b-boys/b-girls break it down at the Gazebo, and of course the fireworks. During a break from the dancing, the stage was set for this one emcee, and this kinda leads to what im talking about in this blog..

The emcee performed a pretty dope piece, I don't remember his name but he deserves some props. The main idea he talked about was a getaway. Everyone has their own getaway, something they do to pretty much let themselves go. Everyone can relate to it, pretty much the getaway is like a creative outlet. After reminiscing about the day, I realized how many "getaways" I saw. I remember seeing Geoff and Nathan skate with a couple other dudes. It was crazy just seeing what they can do with a skateboard alone, but I thought about it more and how it was a way for them to express themselves. It's like the dopest thing ever, to see people who are passionate about what they do and see them just totally tear it up know what im saying?Dancing too..seeing the music you hear through the movements the person is making. Its crazy, seeing something you hear, two different things but they connect somehow . I remember watching an interview with the Jabbawockeez, and Joe was freestyling for the interviewers while Kevin was talking about it. Kevin said how it like "stimulated two of the senses"- sight and sound. It was definitely dope seeing people dance at the gazebo. Its a blessing that we're able to have these things to use as our getaway. A getaway to happiness, a way to just express ourselves. haha i hope this is all making sense to you.

Speaking of a getaway on different terms, someone please take me to Tokyo! Get me out of this place! Only temporarily though..

today is a gift

2008-07-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

so its summertime, and its been a long time since ive blogged. thank you alejah tabula for reminding me that i had this haha. i dont even know where to start.. summer is almost halfway done i think, im just going by summerschool since first semester ends next week. its been pretty fun so far, ive been out like everyday. Del Mar Fair for the first time in a couple years was dope, and the dancing was sick! all ya'll dancers make me super jealous haha. theres still alot of things i want to do before summer ends. i wanna explore san diego so bad, but the gas prices are holdin me back. i wanna go to a live show, MAH is on july 12th maybe maybe..john west last year was dope! or was that two i dont remember. being out pretty much everyday is nice, a getaway from the house and time to just chill, do whatever. one thing im looking forward to is (dont laugh..) is band camp. i dont care if you think im a band nerd, but its crazy knowing that im about to start my last year for something that ive committed to for a long time. its all went by fast but its already the beginning of the end. being bandpres/section leader, and a SENIOR (wth already), im so determined to live up this last year and go all out. that applies to pretty much everything else i do like school, fil am, airbands, pcn, i know im missing out other stuff.

anways, today i watched kung fu panda. it was a dope ass movie! super funny jokes and like i thought it had a good lesson. just believe in yourself and believe in things. haha i know that sounds like some fairytale bullshit but in alot of cases its true, its something to start off with, a place to begin. haha but yeah. all you gotta do is believe haha. im not tryna be super deep here or anything but yeah. another random thing, lately i went to the airport randomly with some people, and i got this feeling of wanting to get away. getting away i mean traveling. ive been wanting to travel to tokyo for sooo long. its gotten to the point where ive been thinking about studying abroad for maybe a year or so or going there after college or something. i just wanna experience new things, and go to my dream vacation of course. man, endless mochi, sushi, cool technology, i cant even start to list the things i wanna go see and stuff haha. that reminds me, studying abroad means college. i havent really thought about college that much. i really wanna figure out what i wanna do when im older, but i guess it just takes time. haha what a pointless blog.. but ill leave it with a regular but good quote from Kung Fu Panda haha..

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present”

Home Stretch

2008-06-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

So we're all finally heading down home stretch, school is basically done. It's so crazy just how fast schools going by. I remember coming into highschool saying "Am I really here? I can't believe I'm a highschooler", and its like a cut-scene from a movie to the present where I find myself saying "Is junior year already over? I can't believe I'm gonna be a senior..." Haha. Well these last couple days are going to be very packed. Theres a bunch of things like Band Banquet, Dance of the Decades, Fil Am Banquet, Finals, and Junior Speech. And just recently was PROM!

Escape to Paradise at the ZOO! and at Nikkis house too. No doubt one of the best weekends I've ever had in my life. Thank you to Christine for being a wonderful date! And another thank you to Nikki Endozo for letting us stay at her house, always a good time there. And Good Job to the Prom Committee for making Prom this year bomb as fuck. seriously. haha dinner at PF Changs was pretty dope too and La Jolla Cove was lookin amazing till it got dark. One thing that was super fun was pretty much racing to PF Changs, and going like 100 on the way to Nikkis house.

With summer coming up, theres alot of things I'd like to do. Possibly get a summer job, who doesnt want to make some bank? Having some money to spend would make summer alot more enjoyable i think. More gas money especially (4.25 a gallon? are you kidding?!). WARPED TOUR! Ive only been once, but it was super crazy the last time I went. Del Mar Fair. Beach it up. Road Trip? Las Vegas? Explore San Diego. Summer Assignments -_-. Make some music. Record. Work on the car. Im really looking forward to summer this year. The whole summer vibe has already taken over.

Well this blog was mainly a blog of random thoughts because I havent blogged in a while.

It's late at night and...

2008-05-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

I got some random thoughts again. First, I just wanted to say wow. AP Testing is finally over! It ended like a day ago but I used the other time to just freaking relax and not try in school haha. AP testing day was definitely one of the longest days of my life. I dont think I've ever done anything in a day that amounts to 8 hours of sitting, 200 multiple choice questions, and 12 essays. It was pretty funny how the APEL and AP Art Test landed on the same day, since so many people were taking both courses. Also, the fact that all 4 periods, about 91 people, of the AP Art classes were shoved into one classroom. Anyways, everyone was so happy once all the tests were over. Go everyone! Now, its just time to finish everything else in the other classes, gotta finish strong, and once thats done, I'll be a Senior...

May 18, 2008

Now its pretty early in the morning, about 630. Last night was Westviews Prom, "A Walk on the Wild Side..." at Petco Park. Thank you Felice for taking me as your date! Hm so where should I start..Well the day started out with the usual new haircut, pickup things like clothes, corsage, etc. Once ready, everyone met at Candies House, then Westview to take pictures. Back at Candies, our "bus" picked us up haha. Since our bus was owned by Deja Vu, some strip club company, there were other similar company names along the top of the bus. On the back, there was a picture of a half naked girl, with the words "Follow Me..." near her mouth. And on both sides, there were pictures of lifesize people looking into the windows of the bus. Haha I honestly think it was kind of funny how we ended up with the bus. One of Candies neighbors was outside, with the most pleasant smile looking at the bus haha. Dinner was at Tom Ham's Lighthouse. The food was pretty good, I had Tropical Isle Chicken. The wait for the food took quite a while, and the menu was pretty pricy, most items were $20+. The service was pretty good though, I swear I had my water glass refilled like after every time I took a sip haha. Now it's time for the dance. The whole layout was pretty cool, the dance was on the rooftop balconies, and on the floor under that was a "casino" like place and they had a bunch of pretty good snacks. The DJ in my opinion was aiiight. And the dance flooor was like way too small, there was barely any room to really dance, and as my friend put it, it really just looked like a giant "humpfest". But it was fun overall for sure. The DJ though, had to diss Mt. Carmel a couple times; "Y'all party harder than folks at Mt. Carmel" "Man, alla ya'll dance better than Mt. Carmel". Like what the? haha whatever, I know it was another schools prom but yeah you know what Im saying. Being a Mt. Carmel-ian, of course I'd think that was wack haha. So after the dance, pretty much just went to Candies, Alvaros, then peaced out. Pretty fun day, hot as hell though...

signing off...

Confirmation / The Beautiful Struggle

2008-05-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all those who have been confirmed! I'm finally confirmed, and it feels good. I definitely feel uplifted inside, and closer to the G-man himself. It still amazes me how fast the whole process has gone by. I even remember sitting through my sisters confirmation, seeing her be confirmed, which was years ago, and just a few day ago I got confirmed. The bishop brought up something that really caught my attention. He talked about life and love and how theres nothing better in life than to have loving relationships with people and maintaining them. In my mind as he said those words, there were a million faces that came up, all from my family and friends and those who I care so much about. And I think the bishop is completely right, I mean, I dont think I could ask for ANYTHING else in the world than to keep the relationships I have with the people I love and care about. It made me realize how my family and friends shape who i am. I couldnt picture life without them. Confirmations really taught me alot about myself and other people, and remind me how grateful I should be. Thank You for everyone who came to support all the Confirmation-ees, thank you to everyone in my life, family and friends, i love you, especially my mother since its Mothers Day.

As for PCN 2008 "The Beautiful Struggle", Major props to everyone who was involved in every way and a major thanks to all those who supported. It definitely was alot of hard work for everyone, but we ended with success yee! It's definitely crazy how this was my 3rd PCN, leaving only one more to go. Crazy how fast time goes by. I was happy when I my parents told me they enjoyed the show, and that my sister told me it wasn't a typical PCN. I cannot wait to see the PCN dvd, and also for Fil-Am Banquet!

...everyone has a purpose, nobody is not loved...

4:29

2008-04-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot that has been running through my mind, so maybe if I spill some of my brains here, there'll be more room for other things!

The majority of my thoughts, and unfortunately my stress, comes from school. I swear, everything couldn't have picked any other time of the year to bother me haha. For one thing, both my AP tests are on the same day. That means I'll be writing about 12....yes 12 essays, 3 for APEL and about 9 for AP Art. Another thing that scares me is my first SAT this Saturday. Im surprised I haven't really taken the time to really review for it. Theres not much I can do in the next 4 days to significantly change how I do, so I'll willingly accept how I do. Finals are coming up too, but one good thing I can say is Junior Paper is over! I can't wait for this school year to be over, but in another sense I wish it wouldn't end because so many people I look up to are leaving, and I can't wrap my head around that I'm almost a senior....

Another thing thats been on my mind is what I wanna major in, or just do in the future. Architecture and Engineering seem so interesting, itll probably be the path I take. AP Art and for those of you who know him, Mr. Currie, his Dream Home/Building project probably influenced me the most. Lately though, the thought of doing something with music keeps coming back to me. I think it would be soo sick, to work in a studio, make music, make beats, record people, and just play music. Since music is like my first love, I don't think I'd ever get tired of it. Band, this year especially, has allowed my passion for music to grow. I also remember going to Studio West (not the dance place) for my Career Day in 8th Grade. It was pretty cool, cause Blink-182 has recorded there! and so has Get Back Loretta, which is a pretty cool thing I would say. Basically, we learned how to record a band, work some of the equipment, and we even got to be on a track the workers there made! I played some percussion instrument, like, a shaker or something haha. That still would be so dope though, be like the Neptunes or something haha I wish.. Well I'll leave things there for now. till then...

For You Know Who..

2008-04-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

Hey yo, Hey yo, put your hands in the

Air, girl you're lookin' good can I

Stare, I don't mean no harm

So lets keep rockin' till the break of dawn...

Freedom Writers are back....check out Mt. Carmel Fil-Ams PCN 2008 May 8th and 10th

On a National Level

2008-04-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

The trip to Indianapolis this year for Wind Ensemble I had to be one of the most impacting experiences in my life. When most people hear about Indianapolis, they think of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts or NASCAR or whatever. But every year, Indianapolis is the center for the Music for All National Honor Band Festival. In a nutshell, this is pretty much where say, the top 12 Highschool Wind Ensembles and Orchestras from all over the nation perform for " the best of the best". There also are performances by the National Honor Band, Honor Orchestra, and Honor Jazz Band which consists of the best highschool players in the nation. It's pretty badass that Mt. Carmels Wind Ensemble was invited to go, and also that 4 people from our very own Wind Ensemble made it into the Honor Orchestra. BigUps to Scotty, Steven, Matt, and Melanie. Now I guess I'll just talk about different things on the trip.

First of all, being in a place where like EVERYONE around you has a passion for music was just crazy. We had "Master Classes" with professional players. We pretty much got alot of tips and advice on how to become a better musician. We also got to watch the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) play and rehearse. Up until this moment, I never thought I would enjoy listening to a live orchestra play. It really gives you this indescribable feeling inside. It's like you can feel the emotions the musicians feel while they are playing. It was just really inspiring to see such passionate people play. After the trip, I've find myself actually wanting to play for fun. Not practicing, but playing for fun as well.

As for our performance, I thought we did pretty kickass! Our program(song list), took many months to perfect. We probably got all of our music like a little bit into the start of the school year. After our performance, someone from the ISO came up to Mr. Torns our director and told him something along the lines of " That was the best highschool band I have ever heard". It felt so good to perform something that you've worked so hard for. Mr Torns was also really proud of u s. The performance also was different from every other performance I've had. Since they were gonna make DVD's of our performance, there was a live action camera like, flying around the stage, zooming in on soloists and other people haha. We're all still waiting for those dvd's, its been like almost 2 months!

After our performance, the rest of our trip was pretty much free time. One of my favorite nights was the student social haha. It was a dance with all the bands that were attending. There were alot of awkward people I'd have to say haha, but I got to meet a couple people from California who were in the National Honor Orchestra. The other days, everyone had free time at the mall. The mall over there was pretty regular. I was surprised to see a Pacific Sunwear there haha, but I wasn't surprised that it didnt really have that much good stuff. The rest of our nights were spent watching tv. I watched Borat for the first time too one night haha, funny ass movie. Another interesting thing about the trip was that, our hotel was connected to every other nearby hotel and so was the mall. Basically, because of the cold weather, or other reasons, each building had a walkway or tunnel that lead to the building right next to it or even across the street, so we hardly had to walk in the sidewalks.

If our band had the chance to go to Indianapolis again, I would mos def go without any hesitation. Its crazy how fast that time went by, from the f irst time we looked at the music to the time our plane landed back in San Diego. That seems to be the case with almost everything. In the whole preparation process, I probably faced the most stress I've ever faced before, faced the worst rehearsals, faced a huge amount of criticism on my playing, and with all it feels like forever. But once its over, you realize how fast it went by, and also how much you miss it. Honestly, all those hours of rehearsals and practice and stress was worth it. I know how cliche that sounds, but I'm being completely honest! The main thing that I got from this whole trip is to do whatever you do with passion, and the things you are passionate about, stay passionate about it. okay well i think i've said enough (especially for all the non-bandos haha) but yeah. One of the best trips of my life!