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CONGRATS TO EVERYONE WHO GRADUATED!! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE THE COUNTRY BECAUSE I HAVE FEW FRIENDS NEARBY AS IT IS!! I will especially miss my roomie, Heren, but we will have a ball in Europe soon enough. To celebrate (more like mourn) the “end of an era,” as Meeshella likes to put it, we shot a really touching video, which was put together by the talented M-Dub. Please watch it over and over and over again and then spread it amongst your friends.
Dood, Usher is so sexy, even if I can see up his nostrils.
I saw him perform in a mini concert for the Jimmy Kimmel Show in Hollywood last Thursday and it was so great. We were really close to the front because we had gotten there so early and I would say, when at his closest, we were at least five feet away from Ursher. After a rather awkward interview with Jimmy Kimmel, he came out to the back lot to perform five songs, which included “Love in this Club,” “Here I Stand,” “U Don’t Have to Call,” “Yeah,” and “This Ain’t Sex.” I felt hot watching him, but not in a good way. I say this because it was pretty hot that day and he was in a freakin’ leather jacket. It made me uncomfortable how much he was sweating and I was pretty grossed out by the thought of getting hit with someone else’s sweat. I know he’s all awesome and all, but he’s still a person with normal sweat glands and bacteria-attracting perspiration. It would’ve benefited everyone if he just took off his jacket and let himself breathe a little, but I guess he has to stick with the look on his album cover and posters and such.
Sea of sweat aside, he is a really great performer and a dancing machine! I don’t know how he gets his body to move the way it does, but it can’t be human. He’s definitely got the moves of Michael Jackson but with a freakin’ killer body to go with it, and minus the creepiness. If you watch the vid I linked up above, look for the jumping girls holding half-folded posters between Jimmy Kimmel and the Bachelorette. Neither of the two girls is me, but they are my friends. I’m a little to the left of them with my friend Dee. haha.
A great random YouTube find. I usually get stuff from friends or blogs I read, but this one I was led to by fate. It’s called “Akon Calls T-Pain” and it is wonderful and catchy, with a little guest appearance from a special friend. Enjoy.
I don’t know if they call each individual band member a Decemberist, but it makes sense to me. Katlyn and I ventured out to Hollywood Tuesday because she won a contest for tickets to a show featuring Colin Meloy, lead singer of The Decemberists. I had never listened to any of his stuff, let alone anything from the band, but I dug what I heard.
I drove what was probably the farthest I have ever driven without parental or instructor accompaniment and it was pretty scary. We made it to the Kodak theater parking lot in one piece, only to find out that the Henry Fonda theater was nowhere nearby. We walked many blocks, with the street seeming to alternate between shady and a little less shady. In a more well-lit area, we were handed two cans of Jolt Cola each, which had a funny, bitter aftertaste. I didn’t really feel any effect from the soda, so meh. As we neared the theater, we passed by this cafe or restaurant or something that had a group of people sitting outside. All of a sudden, this older gentleman pointed at Katlyn and yelled, “Hey, I love you!” She responded by giving him a can of soda. Do I hear wedding bells? One lady that was with him commented on how she hadn’t seen Jolt in years and how she used to drink it way back when. Eager to rid myself of my extra can that would otherwise be discarded at the venue, I offered it to her but this other guy sitting behind her took it. The presumably drunken older guy pursuing the love of his life asked Katlyn, “Where are you going?” and when we responded that we were off to a show, he asked why we had to act like we had lives or something. After this quick break in our stride, we continued on to the show.
Having tickets at will call, we didn’t have to wait in line or get patted down like regular folks. I felt kind of bad for them because the patting seemed violating. What was sad, though, was that they took away the gum we had purchased earlier at Sanrio in order to validate our parking. Tear. Even though we arrived half an hour late, we were actually still early, since the opening act still hadn’t come out and hadn’t even set up yet. I spent this waiting period being amazed at the smallness but cuteness of the Henry Fonda/Music Box theater and the fact that it reminded me of the theater in The Muppet Show. I kept picturing the two old grumpy guys watching from the side. While we were waiting, this cute guy started talking to Katlyn. That girl always seems to bring all the boys to the yard.
Opening for Colin was Laura Gibson, who is a very softspoken but subtly funny person. Her music was on the slow side and pretty folksy, but I thought she had a really nice, jazzy voice; sometimes so nice that it made me zone out a little, but I liked it. I really wanted to sit down but not because I was bored or anything; I just thought it would have been better enjoyed if I didn’t have to stand, since I wasn’t really doing anything but bobbing my head occasionally. It wasn’t stuff you would or could really dance to, but I found it to be like cool lounge music or something you might hear in a movie scene where a character is reflecting on a tough decision or dramatic moment that occurred in the previous scene and either slowly walking around alone or sitting by a window staring outwards into the rain. Listen to her stuff on her MySpace and you will see what I mean. I would definitely classify her as easy listening, not that that’s a bad thing. I love easy listening. It’s so easy to listen to. Har har.
After her set, Colin’s guitar tuner guy came out, which I thought was pretty cool. You’ve got to be pretty awesome if you have your own guitar tuner, but it might’ve also been because he had several guitars out on the stage and tuning them himself would’ve caused the crowd to feel cheated of their time with him. Already setting the tone for the night, Colin Meloy came out with a glass of red wine, bringing about an air of ease and laidbackness. Even if his songs weren’t great, I would’ve loved watching him anyway. He was adding in random thoughts and commentary about his songs all night and was just a really funny guy. Luckily, his music was pretty good, so that was a bonus. I liked the show because he would talk to the crowd and get them involved, rather than just perform, making it really personal. Occasionally he messed up the words to his own songs, so it seemed as though he was kind of there to just hang out and play some music for us. Laura Gibson sang backup for one of his songs, which was really cool; she’s really good at harmonizing. The music itself seemed to tell tales from yore. That was kind of a weird description, but really, his songs are like storytelling with music, pretty much. The music is sort of dark but still fun to listen to. I occasionally thought of Mo Rocca from VH1/MTV when watching him because he sort of looked and sounded like him. I thought he was really awesome on guitar because there was only one of him playing, yet it sometimes sounded like more, because you could hear a melody amongst the strumming. I guess I don’t notice usually if people do this or not, so don’t call me lame for thinking it’s so cool. His voice is kind of distinct and sharp and he sings a lot of notes that could easily be sung out of tune, but he was so on top of that. On top of all that, his facial expressions made it all the funner to watch.
I also drove back to our apartment in one piece, so all in all, it was a fun and successful night. 
Last week in choir, my director invited a friend from the Gospel music industry and named Darius Brooks, who is a renown writer, singer, accompany-er, and probably everything else in the industry. He was pretty much the coolest person I’ve ever been in the presence of. He somehow managed to tie singing this particular genre of music to everything in life without turning it preachy, which is what I especially liked about him. He was really, really cool, because he was so excited about everything and emitted this glee that I can hardly describe. He was just such a delight to be around, because you could tell he did everything with his heart and celebrated any hint of effort put forth by others in the biggest ways possible, usually by giving them high fives and saying the word “awesome.” Mr. Brooks was quite a character, falling all over the place with joy, reminiscent of slapstick characters you see in old TV shows and such. His message to us that day was that it is not about talent but about giving it your all and to try to have fun and enjoy whatever you do, because if you don’t even try, you’re just being ignorant. And if you do try and still don’t like it, then don’t do it! He makes it so simple.
Not only was he great because he was so positive about everything, delivered awesome life lessons, and put on a one-man show, but he was also a super great singer. That guy’s voice can melt hearts, mang. He taught us a few songs, some of them I believe were his own. I especially loved when he was demonstrating how attitude and appearance affect the way an audience would perceive the message of the music, because one of his examples was like some sort of gangster lean. haha.
I am most likely the only member of that choir who is not religious, so it’s always a little weird for me, but I have always liked Gospel music because of the way it is sung and the way it makes people feel when singing it, not because of the content. I got a lot out of Mr. Brooks guest directing, because he made me feel like I am not necessarily singing this to praise a higher being but instead I can just sing to praise life and all its wonders. Yee!
I got absolutely nothing done this weekend besides my FAFSA. I hate filling out the FAFSA because it’s at such an inconvenient time. It’s nearing finals and my parents haven’t done their taxes yet, and knowing them, answering simple tax questions turns into an argument. That’s just how my family is; we all have amazingly short fuses. This year, I just tried to get through it as quickly as possible, so the yelling would cease a little faster.
On Friday, my sister was too sick to go to work but not too sick to go shoppang! I had nothing to do, so I followed her to Walgreens to pick up her drugs and we didn’t have any plans the rest of the day so we decided to hit the town–Old Town Pasadena, that is. Woot! We stopped by Jamba Juice to get her a Coldbuster and then went off to Urban Outfitters. Wasn’t much there, so we went to the bestest store in Old Town, Forever21. Normally I just walk around in there aimlessly, sort of glancing but barely, but we were in need of some cheer so we tried on a bunch of clothes. I wanted to look for a dress for my birthday and I tried on a couple nice ones. One of the ones I grabbed wasn’t the look I’m going for, but when I tried it on, I fell in love with it. Unfortunately, it was the only one I saw and it was too big. I was very determined to find another one, so I looked throughout the whole store–all two giant stories of it. I couldn’t find it, so we asked some employees and this one girl, my savior, found a smaller one for me. I was practically skipping to the fitting room. I think the only time I don’t dread shopping is with my sister. She’s just great to shop with. Oh how I love cute dresses. It’s rare for me to find an occasion to actually wear them, but when that occasion comes, you know I’ll be prepared! And yeah, my sister bought some goodies too. hahah.
Saturday afternoon, we traveled to the faraway land of the County of Orange. OoooOooh. There was a little fashion show going on in OC at the Art Institute, so we tried to dress up and still ended up being underdressed. The reason we went was to watch Everybody Else, which was a really awesome, intimate little concert. They played after the runway show on the runway, so during the last couple songs, the lead singer told everyone to get up and go crazy so all the boppers (and us…haha) bum rushed the stage and got all up in his grill. it was pretty scary because I don’t think that runway was meant for so many people and I kept getting scared I’d fall of since it’s sort of small. I felt pretty claustrophobic in the crowd. I can’t imagine what he must feel like, especially because some of those girls were stanky. After the show ended, all the high schoolers ran around giving the band hugs and taking pics and getting autographs. Meanwhile, I helped my sister nab some souvies. hehehe. She wanted to get them autographed but I made her stop because it was too shady. After she settled on not getting the stuff signed, we drove to Sprinkles to get some cupcakes, because she really wanted some and I had never had them. I must say, they are quite delicious but very rich and almost sickening. haha. We didn’t really have appetites after that and ended up eating dinner really late.
Lazy Sunday, my fam and I went to eat dimsum. I got a few things done, packed, and then went to fly my fish kite!!! I’ve been waiting to fly that baby since I bought it in China over the summer! We walked over to the track across from our house and flew for a while, probably an hour or so. We made the fish dance and bob to the music we brought with us on our phones. It was pretty great. I love that something so simple can bring about so much calm and glee. Watching the kite soar so high made me wish I could be a kite sometimes. haha. It reminded me of this Chinese movie called The Promise, which I didn’t really watch but I saw the part with the human kite and thought it was sort of funny. My sister said it wouldn’t be that great though, because I’d be hanging on my wall most of the year, waiting for that perfect windy day. Boo. Anyway, flying kites is sort of like fishing from the sky. haha. It’s really an art form. I guess I can understand why people like to go fishing, but I don’t really want to try because I do not enjoy the stench that comes with it. This analogy wouldn’t work as well if I had bought the other kite that I wanted, which was this even bigger one with one of those scary Chinese masks on it. haha.
Overall, my weekend was loverly. And I came back to my loverly roomies. I really want to wear my new dress. Someone invite me somewhere dress-worthy!
PS I planted some strawberries and radishes today. 
PPS Thursday was like the highlight of my life because there was free Chipotle in Westwood. <3
Huzzah for four-day weekends and the three-day school weeks that come after them!! Life’s been good in the hood as of late. I’ve been laughing and smiling a lot again. I think I got my soul back. haha. Never should’ve sold it to Milhouse, who in turn traded it for Alfie ALF pogs. Hope at least one person understood that. Perhaps I owe my joy to the consistent choir rehearsals we’ve been having. Yays! Still feeling the bruises and aches from snowboarding but feeling spiffy anyway. Frohe Vertrauenstag alles!
While doing group projects that involve papers, I realized that I am not the most horrible writer at school. I wish I had confidence boosters like this more often. Some try to be nice and tell me that I am not a bad writer at all, because they’ve read my stuff here and it’s not too disgusting, but it’s totally not the same because I write here by choice, whereas school papers are forced upon me and they do upset me so. Plus, how I write here is colloquial and involves lots of made-up words that professors and TAs may not understand.
I have had the same song stuck in my head all day and it refuses to leave. I just start singing it without even realizing it. It’s a song I learned Thursday in choir that’s pretty fun called Lily in the Valley. Here’s a video that’s pretty cool because they’re Brits. haha
Well, it wasn’t in the rain, but it was raining that night. The choir I am in had a performance last Thursday for the Martin Luther King, Jr., Oratorical Contest. We were just a filler for the time period in which the judges chose the winners of the contest, but it was still really fun. The speeches were pretty good, some a little more cliche than others, but the very last one sort of annoyed me. It was supposed to be funny and all and sometimes it was, but it was inconsistent and the girl enunciated every single “t” in her words except once when she said “seventy” really fast. She tried to include superhero icons to spruce up her speech, but if you’re going to do that, stick to one superhero storyline, or at least one comic book company. Batman, Kryptonite, and Darth Vader don’t go together. Geebus.
Anyway, for those of you, which is everyone but my loverly roommates and Helen’s friendlies, who missed the super awesome singing, someone in the audience recorded it and put it on YouTube. Yays! SO, we sang God’s Got a Blessing, Emmanuel, and Why We Sing. I’m not really in any of them, because the person recording cut the video off right where I was standing, but I can be seen in Emmanuel for a split second. I am kind of glad, because otherwise you’d see my inability to move with the groove. We sounded pretty good, I think, for people who had just learned the songs that day. My favorite to sing was Emmanuel. It’s just so great. haha. It isn’t included in this particular video, but the choir director confused us all by making us do an encore performance of it. I had some trouble finding the harmony at that point because I was ready to jet. Hope you guys enjoy the vids.
Afterwards, Helen and the friendlies went to Noodle Planet, while Katlyn and I took full advantage of the Rainy Day Special at Subway, and then we met up with them afterwards. I had a hankering for sandwiches that week and was very satisfied with mine, especially since there was barbeque sauce in it. We braved the rain once again and walked back to our apartment and sat around talking nonsense for a couple hours or so until Michelle came back. Katlyn and I then accompanied her to pick up Harroldo, singing songs from the radio all the way. It was a very musical night. I found that anything can be turned into a country song if you give it a little Western twang.
Thanks everyone who came to watch the performance. I lava you. Really, I doooo.
I finished my first week of winter quarter and I must say, my classes this quarter are really cool. The one I look forward to most, though, is gospel choir. This style of singing is just amazing. You let the music take over you and just sing as loud as you want. I love it! The other choir I was in was too formal, ugly dresses and all. In this one, they want us to move and get a feel for the music and no uggo dresses! Unfortunately, I confirmed this week that I have no rhythm. I have no rhythm and I don’t know how to let music move me. haha. Because it’s gospel music, we’re supposed to “tell a story with hands,” but I don’t know what to do. I have always had a lot of trouble multitasking and it had never been so apparent until we stood up and had to move with the music. I found myself always out of synch with the others and swaying in the wrong direction, so I’d have to catch myself as I was trying to remember the lyrics as I was singing (since it was only the first day and we ran through the songs quickly) and watch other people to make sure I was going the right way, all well telling a story of some sort with my hands. I’ve been watching videos of gospel choirs on Youtube to try to figure out what I should be going for, because I felt pretty awkward doing what I was doing and after a while, I forgot and was just rocking left and right, no storytelling whatsoever, every once in a while bringing one hand up and then back down. My remedy? I’m going to stand at the end so I stand out less when I’m going the wrong way. And do NOT try to take my spot, because I WILL resort to biting.
The quarter system is tough because it goes by so fast and everything is packed into these ten weeks so my workload is already pretty full, even though it’s only been one week. I already had a quiz Thursday and have tons of reading I’m behind on, which I should be doing instead of updating. Meh.
Last Sunday, my roomies and I reunited and it feeels so good! But we haven’t really had a lot of time to hang out and talk to each other because we had to jump right back into school mode right away. We did, however, get to do our gift exchange Sunday night and we are pretty cool giftgivers, if I may say so myself, and I believe I just did. We did sort of a 99 Cents Store/Dollar Store/something similar Christmas and found some nifty stuff. I love us and keeping the simplicity of Christmas! I will put up pictures when I get them from Heren.
Friday morning, I woke up earlier than I would usually on a day of no school to go a-snowboardin’ with a couple buddies. I had every expectation to knock all of them down as I got off the lift, but lucky for me I barely fell this time coming off, except a couple times where Jesse and I took each other down. haha. Not lucky for me was all the other times I fell, because for some reason, I wasn’t in snowboarding mode or something and I was pretty much helicoptering left and right. I tried to devote this trip to learning to carve toeside when possible, but it didn’t quite happen the way I would have wanted it to. There were a couple brief but successful attempts, but for the most part, I ended up eating it. Just gotta let go of my fears, a mantra I should apply to my life in general. Snowboarding is always fun, though, even when I can’t move the next day.
So I went from looking like a big, gross puff ball in the morning to getting dolled up to go clubbing at Avalon for my friend’s birthday at night. The transition is quite tough, because I usually look like crap. But, you know, every once in a while I’m capable of looking like a girl. What I don’t understand is why club wear is synonymous with as little clothing as possible before it becomes underwear. I’m sure they enjoy the attention from the creepers, but some girls do it up a little too much. I’ve only gone clubbing once before for Nat’s birthday and it was pretty fun, because I ran into my childhood best friend there and it was a night out with the girls. I wasn’t sure if I liked clubbing or not, so Friday night was the deciding factor. I’ve decided…not for me. I’d probably go again with a group of girls, but I’m not a huge fan of the environment. I don’t like being crammed into a sardine can full of sweaty people who are grinding each other to mostly crappy and unbearably loud music. When did that become dancing? I know for a fact that I can’t dance, but I will not resort to freaking. I’d really rather learn to ballroom dance or hip hop or something, because at least those are forms of art. I don’t care if it’s easier, I don’t want anyone’s grubby hands or wee-wees anywhere near me or my bum. If I were to go clubbing again, I’d want to go to a club with a cool theme like ’80s Night or something, hopefully where random people will not come up behind me and attack me with their crotches, and maybe somewhere less packed. I’m not saying that clubbing sucks or anything, it’s just not for me. There was one guy out there who was actually a pretty good dancer and he was just kind of rocking out by himself. More people should dance like him. The coolest thing I ever saw on a dance floor, though, was my friend in high school waltzing to hip hop at homecoming.
At one point, we were in the lobby. I don’t quite remember what we were doing there. I was just standing around and this guy tapped me and looked like he was holding something and said, “Excuse me, you dropped your smile.” Taken aback by this, I was unsure of what to reply with, so I pretended to take it back from him and put it back on my face and said, “Oh thanks.” Then he said something like, “There it is!” and poked me in my dimple and walked away. Weird.
So, a recap of things I learned:
Pictures to come soon…
