Über alles in der Welt.

"Above everything in the world."

My lessons were canceled again, today. My teacher always seems to get sick...Ah well, on the bright side, my oboe is repaired, and I can hit low notes now! Now if only I can get better at tuba. I want to try to make an a capella-style video with myself and instruments. But, if I ever do it, it'll probably be some time year because I need some things first. I need some sort of recording device, better video-editing software, and some talent. Anyone know where I can get any of those things?

If you haven't already noticed, I tweaked my layout some more. I added a footer banner thingy, too (I love MS Paint). I'll probably add some more stuff later on. I want my blog to look pretty!

Today, I got to see my cousin and aunt for the first time in like three years. They commandeered my room when I was in eighth grade, and I had to sleep in my parents' room for that whole year, on the floor. She looks really different now. She...kind of looks Japanese... My mom and my aunt like to compare me and her. They apparently think we're alike because we have the same pickiness in food. My aunt also slipped me a hundred-dollar bill while my mom wasn't looking.

Music update: Somehow, I got interested in national anthems today. I ended up downloading seven:

1. The Star-Spangled Banner ~ United States
2. La Marseillaise ~ France
3. Schweizerpsalm ~ Switzerland
4. Il Canto Degli Italiani ~ Italy
5. Das Deutschlandlied ~ Germany
6. Amhrán na bhFiann ~ Ireland
7. God Save The Queen ~ England

I'm surprised that I never had "The Star-Spangled Banner" before. All of the anthems that I downloaded have lyrics, except the American one. I hear those lyrics enough as it is. I already had China's "March of the Volunteers," so my total is eight national anthems in my collection.

I'm surprised how much blatant racism there is on YouTube. It makes me question what our world is becoming. I guess I'm just naïve enough to believe in things like international unity and peace on Earth. Sigh, people shouldn't think that they're über alles in der Welt.

I found this kind of funny.

There is nothing like a dream to create a future.

So says the man who wrote "Les Misérables."

I thought the weekend would never come. Unfortunately, I think I might be busy for the majority of it. Sigh, that means I don't get much time to slack off and do nothing at home, which is something I love to do. Tomorrow, I have to pick up my cousin from the airport, get my oboe repaired, and go to my oboe lessons. On Sunday, there's supposed filming to be done for my group's Film Club project.

Today, I reached a new plateau in my journey of learning. I actually got a D on one of my AP Bio tests! That's quite a step up from my usual F's. Yohanna gave me one of the best compliments ever: She said she wants to copy be off of me on the next test! I'm so proud of this D, I'm tempted to stick it on my refridgerator. I'd do it, if I wasn't so afraid of my mom yelling at me for the 65% test score.

Speaking of over-achieving in school, I actually took a lot of notes in History today. I love learning about World War II, and I think the war in the Pacific is especially fascinating. I wish we could spend more than two days on it, though (I thought AP classes were supposed to be in-depth!). I remember reading a lot of about the Battles at Midway, Guadalcanal, and Leyte Gulf, but I kind of forgot everything. It's kind of ironic that my favorite part of US History is the part where Japan gets beat up.

Yesterday, I turned down an opportunity to take a Chemistry class over the summer at an Ivy League school. I explained to my principal that I was interested in music, and she said that I should think about applying to this famous music college that I do not know how to spell. I think it's "Giuliard" (Jew-Lee-Ard), but I'm probably wrong. Oh wait, after looking it up, it's actually called "Juilliard." Anyway, I've never really considered going to any other college besides a UC, but this would put me on the path to my dream job. Unfortunately, a career in music is quite quixotic (fanciful, outlandish, when Hell freezes over) for me, and my mom wouldn't want me to do it since there's no money in it. Besides, I'm not naturally talented enough to be a professional musician, and music theory still confuses, so being a composer is probably out of the question. Ah well, a boy can dream, I suppose.

Pride, Pomp, and Circumstance of glorious war!

Badminton was fun, but gave me a headache and my navel hurts. So, I won't really write much today.

Music update: I found this song called "The Land of Hope and Glory," or as many of you would recognize it: "Pomp and Circumstance." I never knew that it's kind of like England's national anthem. That's kind of weird. Regardless, it's still a song that can give me goosebumps, and make me apprehensive about the future. I'm kind of sad that this is my last year that I'll get to play that song.

There is power within my melodies. Listen!

During AP Bio today, I found the most adorable little animal! It looked kind of like this:I don't quite remember the significance of this rodent, but I just know that it's really cute.

Today, in History, we started learning about World War II, which happens to be one of my favorite parts of US History, next to the American Revolution. I did an entire essay on war machines from World War II, but I didn't do so well, since my only source was Wikipedia. I also did it in less than three days, which may also the explain the lack of letter grades shaped like tepees. Sigh, I had to change my B- into a B+ with a red pen so my mom wouldn't freak out.

My music update: I downloaded some more classical music, especially different fugues. I wanted to hear what they actually sounded like, and they sound pretty cool. I particularly like the one from "St. Anne Prelude and Fugue." Wikipedia tells me that fugues contain an exposition from one voice and other voices imitate the melody. Yes, it's very complicated stuff, but it sounds like the duets I have to play for my lessons. Sigh, oboes have to play a lot of Baroque stuff. Speaking of Baroque, I kind of, sort of hate harpsichords. They are kind of, sort of annoying. But, being an oboe player, I'm not exactly allowed to complain about instruments that sound annoying.

Light the passion, share the dream.

Well, my voice hurts, so I don't really feel like talking much today. I'll save longer blogs for the weekends, I guess.

We had another basketball game today. We soundly trounced Concord, and aptly put their manly parts where their mouths are. There's not much to say. I don't really feel like talking about human dumbness, so I'll just let everyone else handle it.

My music update: Hmm...this seems like an interesting section to add to my blog. I could bore, er, entertain you guys about the music that I download everyday. Uhh...well, today, my internet was able to hold out and it let me download "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" off of YouTube. It's most famous use is in Disney's "Fantasia." But, everyone (including me) recognizes it as that one evil organ song. Another song I found was "Into The Light" which is a song that we're playing in band right now. I couldn't find it before because my eyes were being faulty and I thought the song was written by Jay "Bocock," but his name is actually Jay "Bocook." I must have been thinking of someone else...either that, or I need a new prescription of glasses already.

Today, I took my History test without any studying or opening of the textbook. But, I still managed to scrape by with an A on it, further proving my Theory that true knowledge comes from the mind and not from some silly textbook. I just hope this Theory will hold true in college.

Nooo, fugu!

"The vortex is open, Charlie!"

Well, that's what my display name kind of reminds me of: a school of poisonous fugu fish. Even though that's not what it means! Ah well, it doesn't really matter, I suppose.

I have to keep this short. Homework is killer, and taking long naps doesn't help get things done. Sigh, and my leaky reed is making me sad. I already have tape on it, and I put three coats of nail polish on it. I guess if I pass out in the middle of band tomorrow, I know why.

D. It is written.

Woohoo, I have a lame, quirky display name, now. Well, I kind of like it. My APUSH buddies will get half of it, I guess. At least it sounds better and more colorful than my actual name. Sigh, my name is so common.

Well, I'll keep this short since it's Sunday night, which means lots of homework! I watched the Oscar's this year, though, and they were cool! What I thought was even cooler was the fact that I actually watched the movie that won best picture.

I got all tingly when I saw all the Oscar winners from the past when they showed all those flashbacks. It's the same feeling I get when I'm in History class and I stop and look around at all the faces of the past Presidents. I can just imagine the country evolving as my eyes progress down the row of posters. Those men left their legacy for the country, and now they remain in their eternal vigil over us.

It's said that people can have the most peaceful dreams just before they pass on.

Wow, I completely lost track of time. I've been too busy listening to the amazing Eternal Sonata Soundtrack! Motoi Sakuraba is awesome, and the game looks really cool, too. I wish I could play it. I mean, how could you not love a game based completely off of music!? There are all sorts of references to music. There are towns called "Tenuto" and "Ritartando" and charaters named "Alegretto" and "Beat". The game is set in a world that the famous pianist, Frédéric Chopin dreams up. I wish I had an XBOX 360...and free time.

Today, my cat (I call it mine, but in reality, I have no idea who it belongs to) managed to infiltrate my house. It was rolling around on the carpet and stepped on my sleeping bag! I think I'm going to have fleas biting me while I sleep tonight. That cat's too cute for it's own good.

Including that soundtrack, I also found the "Masterpiece Theatre Theme," otherwise known as "Rondeau" from "Sinfonie de Fanfares." It brought back good memories of playing it in eighth grade. I remember having to do a very easy playing test on bari sax for that song. People said I cheated, and I guess I did. That bari sax sucked, though. The mouthpiece was stuck onto the neck! And, I was so small, I could play it just by resting it on the ground. It also brought back bad memories of watching Jane Eyre last year, but, I can still remember dancing to the tune of this song during my freshmen year, in the back of Ms. Behonek's class.

I'm thinking of changing my screename thingy into a more secretive name. I'm wondering if people would have any objections if I did so. I already have something in mind...

It's dangerous to go alone. Take this.

I like putting obscure references as my titles. They're pretty much stuff only I would know, but I'll give people cookies if they can figure out what they are each time!

Today, I went on such an adventure today! Daniel took Mike, Andrea, and I on a journey through the hills of Pinole, and I got to see a different side of the town. I had no idea that there was a giant hole on top of the hill that I live on. It's full of decaying garbage and the best way to describe it would be to call it a "colosseum of death." At least, that's what I thought when I saw it. It was full of graffiti, but it wasn't even the good kind! THIS is the good kind:
Sigh, but no. They had just a bunch of lame names of people who nobody really cares about.

We also found a rope swing that a circular wooden platform to sit on. It was hanging from a tree in the middle of nowhere. The way that light pierced through the trees and shone on it was slightly eerie and unsettling. But, it turned out to be so much fun! I felt like I was on an amusement park ride. That much fun shouldn't be free; I should put a lock on it and charge people to use it! I feel like going up there when I'm bored and I need some swingin' fun. Now that I think about it, I felt like I could swing into another dimension if I tried hard enough. Or like that one movie: "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time." I still really want to watch the entire movie; it seems like something I'd enjoy. I like time travel...even if it hurts my head when I try to think about it.

Oof...my arm is still sore from badminton. I think that means I'm doing my high-clears incorrectly. I'm surprised that no one laughs at me when I play. When I hit the birdie, I jump from one foot to the other. It must look...really awkward, but probably really funny. I really want to practice some more. I want to not suck, but, that's probably asking for a miracle.

I saw something really scary this morning. I was in my room upstairs(Which only has two walls. The other two sides are a balcony and stairs) , and I looked to the side with the balcony and out the window above the backyard (The window is basically on the second story...my house is really confusing). I saw my cat through that window! It was just staring at me...and I had no idea why I was seeing what I was seeing. Apparently, my cat is smart enough to climb on my neighbor's roof and stick its fat head over to my window.It's up to something, and I'm gonna find out what.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnish'd rows of steel.

"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;"
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel
Since God is marching on!

Today, my fiery gospel came in the form of burnish'd rows of sushi. I'd rather not talk about it too much. I'll just say that eating it made me hungrier. It also reminded me of this video I saw on Screwattack where two people had a Tabasco Sauce drinking contest. Needless to say, I suffered the same fate as they did. But I'll tell you, eating it in one bite was one of the stupider things I've done in my life. It's up there with drinking two glasses of water right after eating the darn thing. Darn you, Level-5 Shotgun! I used to love you so much, Level-5 Inc.!

Geez, I'm hungry for sushi again, but all I have is some lukewarm soup. My parents are gone, so I'm alone in the house. I'm blasting orchestrated music to keep the evil spirits away. My new musical obsession seems to be songs of the orchestral persuasion. Well, even though it's not completely orchestrated, I've been listening to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", a lot, which is where the title and first paragraph of this post came from. Also, one of my favorite pieces of music is "Pictures at an Exhibition." Symphonic Band played parts of it last year, but we didn't play my favorite part of it, called "The Great Gate of Kiev" which is one of my favorite songs, ever! Close second to my favorite song of the set would be "The Ballet of the Unhatched Chickens" which was really hard to play (But it was still fun!).

"Hut on Fowl's Legs" and "The Great Gate of Kiev"

This director is crazy cool! I wanna be like him when I grow up!
Random fact #3 about me: I like to conduct music while I'm listening to it, usually when I'm alone, though, just so people don't think I'm completely crazy.

I think I regained the ability to think, today. Maybe it was the fresh air. Maybe I released bad spirits after I ate sushi. Or maybe I released my bottled up stress while playing badminton. Hmm...I think it was the badminton. It was so much fun! I still can't high-clear for beans, though. I need to build some arm strength somehow. My footwork could use some work, too. I should just tell myself:

"Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer him! Be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on!"

I'm your knight in slime-ing armour.

Well, throughout the day, I think about things that I could talk about in my blog, but lately, I've been forgetting everything I wanted to talk about when the time came. That's why my previous couple of posts have been so lackluster.

Also, for some reason, I've been feeling very lethargic and just plain lazy. I just don't feel like doing anything except stare at my computer screen for half of the day. Well, at least I did some homework while in my dazed stupor. It's interesting how most of my vocabulary comes from the video games that I play. Now, who says video games are bad for you?

I blame this white composition screen for my constant writer's block! The bright light probably erases all of the preexisting ideas that I have in my head.

Oh yeah...I guess I could talk about my new found fear of chimpanzees. They're vicious, I tell you! Vicious! They're bloodthirsty, and the only that can quench their thirst is YOU! Well, not really, but they can still kill people.

Haha, I love this guy. He's my news source. But I'm still scared of chimps now (I wonder if there's a monkey-phobia).

I've been cutting down on my use of ellipsis. I don't want to piss people off with all of my dot dot dot's. Perhaps ellipsis are also a by-product of my current case of sloth. I should probably get out of the house soon, or else I might go crazy. Staying home for four straight days can't be good for me, especially since I'm playing video games the majority of the time I'm at home.

Oh! I know another reason of why I feel like I have nothing to do. My oboe is in a state of disrepair, and the soonest I can get it fixed is the 28th, which is a week-and-a-half away. So, I don't have an outlet for my stir-craziness. I guess I could practice saxophone, but I still wish I had a tuba mouthpiece.

Ahh...I forgot how nice listening to music is. I haven't been listening to much of my music these past couple of days. That could also be another reason of why I'm so ornery. Hmm...to the thinking chair!

My handy-dandy...notebook! Things that I've learned today:

1. Video games are good for you.
2. White screens hurt my eyes and erase my memory.
3. Chimpanzees are smart of enough to use keys and kill people.
4. Ellipsis are the spawn of Satan.
5. Staying indoors will make you pasty-faced. (I'm lookin' at you, Boo Radley)
6. Music soothes the uncalm soul.
7. Slimes are rule-breakers.

Nyctophobia.

I still have no idea what happened to all my font options. I hope I didn't scare them away...but at least I figured out how to put my real post time, instead of the time I open up the composition window.



Speaking of getting scared, I realized last night that I get frightened rather easily. I was playing my DS in the dark, and in the game, I had to venture into a dark tower...filled with GHOSTS! It was scary...the lightning would strike and the flash of light would reveal ghosts everyone. They had red eyes and agape mouths. Reminds me of this one night last year when I was playing Pokémon Pearl past midnight, and I was sneaking through the Old Château, being attacked by Gastly's. And that room with the glowing red eyes...

Little known fact of me: I'm very afraid of the dark, actually...I'm tempted to call it a phobia.

This wasn't always the case. This kind of started just last year actually, but I won't say how...I don't want anyone else to be traumatized. I just get paranoid when I'm awake at night, and when everyone else is asleep. I even get scared when I have to get out of bed to shut off the light. I'm getting freaked out just by thinking about it! Must...calm down. Must think of...Cuccos...



Ahh...that's better.

Tenkū no Hanayome.

Hmm...this is weird. All the font settings are gone. What's even weirder is that the font setting is already on what I normally use! I'm scared...hold me...



Obsessed? Probably. Anyway, I'm gonna keep this one short. I have to test my ROM to make sure the Anti-Piracy Protection Bypass code works correctly. If it does, then I'm gonna be up playing this game into the wee hours of the night. Nothing but me and the glow of my DS.

Side note: I watched almost five hours (About 25 YouTube episodes) worth of a Dragon Quest VIII "Let's Play" footage today. It's great fun, just sitting at home, doing homework, watching YouTube videos, and listening to my parents yelling at our cat.

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention. I changed my AIM noises again. Now, they're sounds from Legend of Zelda, and I feel like I'm on an adventure when I'm on AIM now! Right now, I have the IM noise set to hearts being collecting, someone signing in as Navi going, "Hey!", and people signing off as the Link to the Past version of Link dying, which oddly sounds like Pac-Man dying...

Chipul tau si dragostea din tei.

This is so awesome, and, I actually know like half of the songs! I feel like a normal person for once. Although, the music shuffle survey I did on Facebook landed on a lot of my video game songs. So, I guess the feeling of coolness and my innate nerdiness canceled out today.

Sigh, my mom made me do SAT practice today, and it made me sad. Especially since it was so retarded, and was nothing like the real SAT. Ah well. At least I have things to divert my attention from studying, like RPG's! I love them so much! I'm not sure if I can wait for the release of Dragon Quest V, though. I may have to play Dragon Quest IV to keep me from exploding into...slime. Either that, or I could watch that "Let's Play" of Dragon Quest VIII.

What's that? You don't know what a "Let's Play" is? The main reason I go on YouTube is just to watch those! It's when a person plays a game while giving commentary on it. Since I don't have the time to play games anymore, this is an exciting alternative for me. I can essentially play a game, have someone talk to me, talk to people on AIM, and do homework at the same time (Which is what I often do). I've "completed" many games through this method. This may also be the reason why I never watch T.V. anymore.

They fought like seven hundred.

The Magnificent Seven. Just a little name I thought of for my close-knit group of junior buddies, plus a cool theme song. I need to think of who corresponds to which character, though. Watching the movie would probably be helpful. When someone needs to be added, it can be called the Crazy Eight. It actually started from the Triads to the Elite Four to the Big Five and then to the Magnificent Seven.

I'm like obsessed with Dragon Quest games at this moment, even though I've barely even played one. I've always gotten too bored with how hard they are (Well, to me they are. Probably because I was brought up on Pokémon games). But, I love the bright, colorful art style and the old world-type setting. Games with small towns, big castles, green forests, tall mountains, and blue seas always make me want to live there. It just makes me want to pick up a sword, go out into the open, green fields and stab some slime! Only two more days until Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride comes out. It's supposed to be one of the best in the series, and I am stoked! I am really hoping that it'll be able to hold my interest long enough for me to beat it.

Seeing The World Through The Window of a Star

My submission for this year's Bad Love Poetry contest. Well, actually, this is the uncut version, so I guess you can call it the Director's Cut? I feel tired today, so this is all your getting!

I once walked in perpetual darkness, with my eyes fixed firmly on the ground.
I took a quick glance upward, into the eternal night.
A shooting star raced across the great tarmac in the sky.

I followed it. I had to know more.
It remained unreachable, yet, forever shimmering.
I pursued it further. It didn't flee.

It descended towards me, as if to ask me something.
As if to ask, "Why are you all alone?"
It drew closer, and I could feel the ice in my heart melt away.
My heart was able to beat again;
A feeling I had long since forgotten.

The starlight reached for me, and I extended my hand to meet it.
My surroundings were illuminated, and my world was purged of its suffocating shadow.
The light created a window in the clouds, and I could see the world and its wonders.

Clouds drift freely in the cerulean sky,
And the wind is always there to catch them, should they ever fall.
Trees grow as tall and verdant as ever.
Their leaves embrace in the breeze.
Rivers gracefully meander and waltz around all obstacles,
Dreaming of the day they can dance with their beloved ocean.
Mountains loom over the world with strength and grandeur,
But their peaks yearn to touch the sky.

I now walk in a luminous world, with an emanation of warmth in my heart.
I look up, with a smile on my face.
There are many stars still shining in the sky.
But as for the one that fell;

I caught it.

I now know what love is, and I can see it everywhere I look.
It is the window through which I see the world.

Phase shift!

Well, I think my taste in music changed again, and I'm starting to download Disney music, again. My favorite song that I found today is...


It gave me goosebumps...

Our girl's basketball game was a success, and we beat Alameda 71-55 (This time, with less vocal damage)! I discovered something sad today. I think I could be better on tuba than I am on oboe. I was so happy when we got to play Smooth Criminal. It's like the only song I know how to play well on tuba. The only pro for oboe is that it's a lot lighter and more proportional to my size. I thought my arms were going to fall off when I was doing Sledge. I had to cheat and bend my legs to do it, after the second go-around of the cadence (I also needed assistance from others to support the bell). Ah well, Sledge is still my favorite drum cadence.

P.S. I love Disney music! It makes me feel like a young'n. I just want to prance around my house! I may not believe in praying, but Disney makes me believe in wishing upon a star.

Can you feel the love tonight?

Haha, I don't really feel like writing a blog today, for some reason. Maybe it's because I don't really have anything to talk about, or because I had to write an in-class essay today. Or maybe it's because I have to take a shower, or because I'm having video issues with YouTube...

Anyway, we had our Senior Conductor's Concert today, and we played a lot of cool songs. I also found that my soli didn't sound terrible for once (I lied. It still sounded pretty bad)! I could still do a lot better though...note to self: Use vibrato on every note possible!!! It's kind of sad that the whole band had to tune to me, just so I'm in tune for that three bar soli. It shows how bad my intonation is. My senses are really handicapped. I have terrible vision AND hearing. I find it VERY difficult to tune others, let alone tune myself. Sigh, hopefully it's something that I'll get better at doing.

Actually, I can't really hear myself as much as before. I think that's because I'm actually in tune with the flutes! Well, for the most part. So when I can't hear myself playing, I take it as a good sign. But I only mean this when I'm listening to the recording of us playing. Umm...I hope that's not confusing. I don't even know what I want to talk about anymore. I need sleep.

This year, Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday, but for a lot of my friends, it really will just be a Sadder Day. I think everyone should join me and study the circulatory system this February 14th!!!

J-E-L-L-O, it's alive!

Oof, I'm actually tired after badminton conditioning for once. My legs feel like Jello after doing that crawling midget exercise. Thinking about it made me remember a commercial that i used to see all the time when I was little. It was a Jello commercial and slogan was: "J-E-L-L-O, it's alive!", but I can't find it on YouTube...

A little project that I've started for myself is to organize all my music on my Zune, and add album art for every song. A good number of my songs have weird album names and incorrect artists, so I feel the need to set things straight! I also just realized how pretty some album art can be. Since I get all of my music from...secret sources (I can't get Limewire to work for the life of me), most of my songs have no album art. So, it's up to me to go on a scavenger hunt on Google to find their correct album and corresponding art. It's actually a lot of fun. The surprise of seeing what the picture looks like is exhilarating, and looking at it while listening to music is even cooler! The search process can be kind of challenging though. Searching for "Final Fantasy I OST" gives me results from every single Final Fantasy game EXCEPT the first one. I feel like I'm getting more into visual arts lately...speaking of which, I might be getting a camera, soon...

You're walking, and you reach a fork in the road.

At a glance, the choices are right or left. But when you take a second to think the situation over, you realize that the world is not entirely black and white. In reality, it's many different shades of gray. When the path ahead of you diverges into two directions, the choice before you is more than just right or left. You have the option of turning back, going through the area in between the two roads, or going to the side and blazing your own trail.

The thought of making tough decisions has been on my mind all day. A couple of my friends were forced to make a near impossible decision last week. The two of them chose to go to a CAL scholarship interview, instead of going to an Honor Band rehearsal. Unfortunately, this meant that they were not allowed to perform in the concert. Our band teacher thinks that they "blackened" the name of our school by doing this, but the whole ordeal wasn't fair to them. It was essentially a lose-lose situation. One of the main reasons that I'm scared by this is that if I had arrived at the same fork in the road as those two did, I would have chosen the same path.

On the note of choices, we received class choice sheets recently, and we had to choose our classes for next year. I pretty much know what classes I'm taking, but I found out today that my mom approves of me taking easy classes. To her, all that matters is my class rank and GPA. She doesn't really care about what I learn in the class, as long as I get an A. Her attitude is puzzling, but I'm not complaining. I'm glad she's in a good mood, probably because report cards came in, and I got eight A's and one B! It's kind of sad, though...it's the first B I've ever gotten on a semester grade.

So you will become closer to an infinite beyond this world.

THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD STUDY MUSIC! At least, according to the program for the 2009 County Honor Band it is. But trust me, we came close to something demonic last night. Danville is a Hell if I've ever seen one.

So last night, I rush off to Daniel house at about 5:28 P.M., and I foolishly bring with me what is essentially half a tape of film in my camera. I didn't have the foresight to bring an extra tape with me. I guess a part of me was thinking that I wouldn't have enough time to switch tapes between songs. Yeah, my forgetful side got the better of me yesterday. After receiving a hail of Nerf darts upon arriving at Daniel's house, Will pulls up, and we all hop into the car, literally.

I played Fire Emblem on my DS on the way there, and I happened to recruit what appears to be a pope to my army. A pope that can rain bolts of lightning onto the battlefield! While driving through the main street in Danville, we stop at an intersection and we see these girls on the corner. I proceed to open the window so Lauren could yell at them for their "digits". By their giant shopping bags, I imagined those digits would have a lot of zeros at the end of them. As we were being dropped off at Foster's Freeze, Will's dad told us to go get some rich, white girls. Except me that is, since I was the only one there with a girlfriend (I missed her...I could've used her protection for the horrors to come). Once Will's dad told us to "break huddle" we entered Foster's Freeze, and I ate there for the very first time, despite working there for two months.


After ordering, I turn around to organize my change and I jumped a bit when I saw Tianna and Ellen standing behind me. They were supporting their men, and we were all supporting...Brian, apparently. On the way to the school, Will taught us the proper white etiquette of crossing the street. Apparently, when a car lets a pedestrian pass in front of them, the pedestrian must make his hand into the shape of a gun and hold it up at the driver as a sign of apology. White people are weird...



The concert passes in a whirlwind of notes. I was hoping to get 1st chair oboe next year, but it seems impossible to even get in, considering that the 1st and 2nd chair oboes are just sophomores! I've heard the 1st oboe play when she was just a freshmen, and she was masterful, even back then. I'm scared to see how well she plays next year. At least the concert has inspired me to practice more often (Maybe I'll actually warm up with scales and arpeggios at home!).



After a bunch of pictures and avoiding Nez's fury (Austin Thai and Kenny couldn't play in the concert), we took Brian on a trip into town. We walked down the main street, as gay and merry as men could be with out actually being gay...and married...to each other. We tried to look for a place to eat. "Kanye" Sushi was full, Uncle Wang's was full...of white people, Panda Express was full...of Mexicans, China Paradise had people staring at us, and no one wanted to go to Foster's Freeze! On the way up the street, we see this half-black, half-Mexican guy with an Aquabats hat speed by in a car yelling, "Pinole sucks!" So, we headed back down the street toward the school again, and this is where things get really weird. Brian, Lauren, Schwanka, and Will run across the crosswalk while it was still red, and Daniel and I were left behind. As the white LED man signaled the okay to cross, a white pickup truck stops close by the crosswalk, and we hear this sound...that sound will haunt me forever...It sounded like a demonic cross between a hyena and dolphin. I scream, and we hightail it outta there.

We reach Uncle Wang's, and this is where we split up. Brian, Lauren, and Will go into Uncle Wang's, and Daniel, Schwanka, and I try to find nourishment elsewhere. We walked up and down that street so many times, I'll just have to give a brief summary of what happened. By this time, it was getting really dark. There were scary white people about. It was us against the world. We pass by this club, and this deep, heart-piercing voice booms from inside, as if to beckon us into it and to never let us out again. We pass by empty shops that had the eeriest glow coming from within. There was this display that had the most realistic plastic women ever, and their eyes seemed to follow our every step. There was also a children's barbar shop called "Shear Adventures", but in the shadows of the night, it looked like some morbid decapitation station.

Our intrepid heroes finally made it to Starbucks, and the caffeine (at least the thought of caffeine) settled our nerves. We could finally laugh at the face of danger, except for Scwanka, who jumped at the sight of his shadow. I could imagine him jumping into Daniel's hands, like a Scooby-Doo/Shaggy type of thing. We returned to Uncle Wang's and we espyed our friends eating their walnut prawns (apparently the best in the world). To avoid loitering, we traipsed up and down the street again. On the way back, a silver station wagon pulled up next to us. Certain doom for our heroes, you say? No! It was Will's dad coming to pick us up!

In our new, armored steed, we galloped back to Uncle Wang's for the final time. Well actually, since they weren't done eating yet, Daniel, Schwanka, and I decided to go the Burger King. Will's dad was kind enough to drop us off there. I had a "Spicy Chick'N Crispy", and the chicken looked like a heart! I think that made it taste even better. After stealing sipfuls of root beer, we left the devil's homeland, and we were homeward bound. Being in a car with six other exceptionally large men is no fun. It got sweaty and testoterone filled VERY quickly. I was glad that I was the first one to get dropped off. We decided to take a group picture in front of my garage, and my adventurous night finally concluded with me and five good friends...all jammed onto my front doorstep, undoubtedly disturbing my neighbors.

"Travel dream, a thousand miles

...meeting in Beijing." ~ "You and Me", Song of the 2008 Beijing Olympics

(EDIT 11:36 P.M.): This song makes me sad for a couple of reasons. This was the song that was playing when I had to say goodbye to my grandma for the last time and while her casket was being closed. This line from the song makes me really sad, though. My mom told me that my grandma always dreamed about taking me back to China with her one day. But she was never able to...That's strange...why is my shirt sleeve wet...?

(4:50 P.M.) My oboe lessons were a failure today, since I forgot all of my reeds at home. Coincidentally, Connor left his oboe at school, so we had a double oboe fail today.



When I was waiting in the car after my failed lessons, my parents were in the store, and I listened to my "Love" playlist on my Zune. This Final Fantasy song came up on shuffle, and I started to get a little teary-eyed. I don't have time to explain right now, so I'll finish this when I get home.

EDIT (11:03 P.M.): Okay, I'm home now, after watching an AMAZING concert. Back to what I was saying earlier! I was listening to this song and I was watching grass gently bobbing in the breeze. The sky was as blue as it could be, and clouds accented it...like fluffy marshmallows. I started thinking about all the people who come and go in this world, but nature is one thing that has existed for millions of year, and will be around for another set of millions of years. People die, but the sun still shines, the wind still blows, and water will never stop moving. Towards the end of the song, I see a BART train pass by, but it leaves as quickly as it had arrived, taking the last note of the song with it.

Argh, I apologize for the mixed up editing I did to this blog today. If anyone's confused, I basically wrote the middle first, the end second, and the beginning third. (I put timestamps to avoid confusion) Hopefully I get better at doing these...also, tomorrow, I'll write about my thrilling adventure in Danville today!

I feel like I'm gonna throw up.

I shouldn't have drinken so much Red Gummy...and Chinese soup. That combined with all the yelling I did at the rally makes my throat feel VERY strange. My stomach feels questionable and I just want to sleep right now. But instead, I'm doing this! The things I do for you guys. I risk vomiting all over my laptop, just to write about my life. Whew, I just need to take some deep breaths, and I should be okay.

Today, I turned in my lackluster, butchered shell-of-a-poem to my English teacher, and by now, someone has read it and laughed. I still can't decide whether to post my original copy on here, although, I kind of like the cuts I made to it. I posted the poem on MySpace, though, but only because I know no one checks there. I basically just have one because I like changing wallpapers, which I did, today! Also, MySpace surveys are started to be taken over by Facebook surveys. (I'm finding it difficult to do this while I'm so sleepy. This "My Neighbor Totoro" music is too soothing.) I think just fell asleep, maybe I'll continue this when I'm awake...

EDIT (10:58 P.M.): Well, I'm home from the basketball game, which was so intense! My head hurts so bad though, and ironically, my throat feels worse than it did when I came from school. My bloodcurdling screams must be really annoying to listen to. I'm surprised that no one pulled a gun on me, or tried to jump me. Anyone in my house will tell you that I have screamed very loudly before, but that's only when I see a spider. One time, I was pulling down toilet paper, and on the other side of the roll was a big spider. Needless to say, I rushed out of the bathroom.

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped for the PS1

Oh yeah! I started getting into a game that I used to love playing when I was little. It was awesome, and I think it still is. I used to play it all the time with my cousins, but I never finished it until I got my own copy of it. But even when I got my own copy, I was memory card-less for a while. So, I played the first five levels over and over. Ahh, brings back good memories...

I'm sorry if my blog makes less sense than usual, today. I was just half asleep when I wrote the first part.

In the rain without an umbrella.

...well, that's not completely true. I just didn't feel like using it after leaving the library today. It was in my backpack, but I was too lazy to take it out, open it, hold it, close it, and put it back. That kind of sums up my school habits, too. I have the materials to learn and be successful, but I'm too lazy to try really hard. I'd much rather be doing other things (Like writing blogs!), or chillin' with my homies.

Sigh, I could be preparing for badminton right now, but I was just too lazy to go...I should've though, since I'm so out of practice. I haven't stepped onto a badminton court in like six months. I feel the need to not be nerdy and to whack a birdie! I wonder if I'll be any better this year. I should be, since I have better shoes AND a wrist band that shows off my gang affiliation with band! I just wish my Sound headband fit better; then everything would be perfect. I would look like such a complete loser, it'd be funny. People would point and laugh.

Random fact about me: I dream about the day when I can buy some prescription goggles. I think they'd be SO cool. Unfortunately, the majority of the things I think are cool are usually perceived as really lame by other people.

I want some Digimon goggles.

I hate going so low.

Argh...solos. The bane of my existence in any band. I just don't like doing them, mostly because I get nervous so easily. I start shaking so much that I go cross-eyed and my tone gets all shaky, too. It's not a pleasant feeling, but I'm expected to be good at solos, since I play alto sax and oboe. Sigh, why do I have to play the instruments with the most solos? The ones in Jazz Band are exceptionally nerve-wracking because I have to stand up, and all eyes and ears are on me. It's like a different world up there; I seem to lose all sense of beat and rhythm. My improv' solos are messy and I find it difficult to read my written solo from my stand (Why do I have to be so tall?). When I look down, I start seeing double, so I have to play with one eye open, and I probably look ridiculous. At least I have a whole summer to prepare for when I become 1st alto in Jazz Band. Although today, my teacher said, "It's the trombones' fault that we had to stop Bryan's wonderful solo." But I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not...

Speaking of music, I've noticed that my music downloads go in phases. I just went through an orchestral/instrumental phase, and now I seem to be in a dance music phase. I went from downloading "Oboe Quartet in F, K.V. 370" by Mozart to "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada. I'll probably end up going back to my usual instrumental music, though. I'll pretty much listen to anything, so I guess you could say that my musical interests are very varied. Although, I find certain songs VERY annoying, but perhaps I'll talk about that another day...

Yay, I have a diary now!

Hmm...I hope I've done everything right. Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to make a diary of my own, since I have so many thoughts that go on in my head everyday. People need to know how weird I am! I have this urge to put emoticons after every sentence, but I'll try my best not to. I wanna look professional, kind of...

Here's something that I noticed myself doing lately. Sometimes, when I'm walking in the halls at school, I think to myself, "Oh crap. I actually go to this school." This is usually triggered when I see all those ghetto children roaming the halls. They're always limping, singing, and swearing at the top of their lungs. If I happen to catch their eye, they're usually blood-shot and drug-induced. It makes me realize that Asians make up a small majority of my school. It makes me sad...I think other schools think we're full of black kids, which isn't far from the truth, actually. Luckily, there are organizations like band and badminton that make me feel at home! Band is like a clean, little bubble that protects everyone inside from outside dangers, and I love it.