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Blog No. 128: Snooze Button

This blog was lost due to recovering from lack of sleep after the Wicked/Concert Band Concert/Jazz Ensemble Concert.

ZZZZZzzzzz....

Ay Que Rico!

Blog No. 127: The Latin Jazz Concert

Choir was a little interesting. 

Dr. Hughes had invited the Day Care folk at ARC to bring the children to the choir room for us to sing to them. It was funny because he was trying to explain the song of Witness to the kids with visual aids he drew himself. Dicatator Roze also had to explain the Wicked song to them as well, and it was kinda sweet because I could see her easily being a mother or teacher of some sort. We sang to them, and they sang the ABC's to us. The kids were awfully cute! XP

Then we got down to business, seeing as the Choir concert is next Tuesday and we have to sing all the songs we worked on the past semester. We practiced them for awhile and we pretty much retained that status of suck we had back then, but, this time, the tenors were getting picked on the most. The thing I noticed, though, was that the things Dr. Hughes criticized us on were not the things I messed up on. Not to knock anyone down, but I guess because of the absence of Difuentez and my evil twin, whom I'll call Normandy for the purposes of this blog, that everyone else decided to sing less. Normandy basically shares my first and last name, (which I'm convinced that he stole), and can sing very bold high notes, while Difuentez is a part of Chamber and is therefore an "elite" singer. I tried to sing out the best I could for the tenor soli in the Italian song, but the attempt backfired. 

Then we went to Italian, where we got our Italian dialogue assignments given to us. I got partnered up with Kaity, and apparently got stuck with writing the entire thing... I still have to do 2 labs in Chemistry, let alone an Italian dialogue... 

Then Taka wanted to go to Lollicup, so she, Piper, and I called up Parkarr to take us to the Lollicup in Roseville. Taka was talking to us about the Old Teashop in Davis, how they had these "boba" or yogrt balls in the teas that they had. I didn't know what to make of it yet. 

We got kinda lost. Here's how it went:

ARC--->Roseville Road--->Cirby--->You are now leaving Roseville--->U turn--->Cirby--->Sunrise--->Fry's Electronics--->Atlantic--->Downtown Roseville--->Uturn--->Atlantic--->Roseville Galleria--->Lollicup

For a small city, it's really easy to get lost in Roseville.

When we arrived, I got a strawberry milk tea with boba... It wasn't my favorite drink... To be honest, it tasted like a weird combination of apple juice, milk, and yogurt. I didn't want to make Taka sad about me not enjoying the boba. It felt awkward when I sucked it into my mouth...

Instead, I walked over to the nearby It's a Grind and got a drink called the funky monkey, which so happens to be the Blonde's favorite drink. XP

I tried to get Taka and Piper to try it. I do not really taste the coffee in that drink, what with all the chocolate, peanut butter, and banana blended into it in a frothy delicious drink! Unfortunately, the people I hang out with at ARC don't like coffee... XP

Then Parkarr took Piper home, then took Taka and I back to ARC to see the Jazz ensemble concert.

They were really good. This time, the Latin Jazz ensemble played a couple more songs, featuring a couple of musicians from South America. It also featured some salsa dancers during the set. It was really cool. Picasso-Face and Dictator Roze had really cool solos during their songs. Taka enjoyed herself too, only she complained about a headache from the loud music afterward...

Then Taka and Parkarr took me home! XDD

I've noticed that the past few days, I've been taken home from no one in my family... My marine cousin arrived on the first, back when I started my Santa Cruz trip. I have yet to see him at all during his visit... B'awww...

But I had fun this week! I' sure he wouldn't mind. XP

Ay Que Taka! XP

A Day of Pessimism and Optimism

Blog No. 126: Starfish--LOVES YOU

I did not sleep.

Which meant that I did not recover from the long day in San Francisco to take the Chemistry test. The morning seemed too long and sickening. To be honest, I believe that I'm still recovering from the weekend at Santa Cruz...

As far as the Chemistry test is concerned, I'm pretty sure that I've done above a "C". Whether it was higher that a "B" is another story.  There was actually a time during the class that I had to catch my breath. But, in all fairness, I actually answered all but one of the questions, including the lab questions that I never understood. I'm still in the dark as to the results of the test so I'll update you in a future blog. Wish me luck!

The rest of the day panned out from extreme pessimism to optimism.

Piano class was canceled due to Heidi being out for the day. It's sad, but partly good because I am not prepared to play a performance. XD

The period, instead, was spent hanging out in the cafeteria, watching all three episodes of Charlie the Unicorn on Kells Mills' iTouch. They're all really hilarious, but be advised that if you watch all three at once your brains will turn to mush... brain mush soup... Here's the third one:

Starfishes are really clingy... XP

Then I waited for the Concert Band Concert. Instead of the quick and trivial preshow rehearsal, we plaed through the entire set, nonstop until the end without any blaring mistakes, which is a different mood right there. On concert days, we usually either play through a song more than once because we sucked still, or we only played through part of each song to get the feel of the theatre despite mistakes being made. This time, not an audible mistake on the stage...

Then we had our break. I spent the time catching up with Luna, my high school friend who's a trumpetist in the Concert Band. I helped him with his bright blue tie, (I mention it because the blue on black kinda made my eyes adjust to shades of blue and black for the day). Luna is still trying to get me on the dating scene. Hard as he tries I'm still unmovable. :P

The concert was just as effortless as the rehearsal, which is always good. XP

Then Dustin, being my ride, asked if I was able to go to Denny's afterward. Thus the both of us, as well as our group, retired to Denny's. 

I was at a weird spot at the table. To my right was Dustin, then across was all the guys Dustin hangs out with, To my left was Fishie, Susan Surrandon, and Phillip, and then behind me in the booth was Taka, Abril, Kells Mills, and Josh. I had to rotate evertime to talk to people around me. I also sat right in between Fishie and Dustin, both of them used to date. I really felt like a spinning top, rotating back and forth between the guys, Fishie and Susan Surrandon, and the booth trolls. XP

All in all, it was a pretty cool evening of just hainging out. Dustin and Ganondorf got some hot chocolates, which I secretly sipped out of Dustin's cup. Gonad is a copycat, seeing as he ordered exactly the same thing I have... Jerk.... I poked a hole in Fishie's airhead a couple of times. We made references to the Charlie the Unicorn ("Get on the duck! The Bleh Bleh Bleh is right behind us!"). Dictator Roze came in the middle of us eating our food to lean on her fiancee's shoulder. Then we all ended up getting hot chocolate, which I toasted with the booth trolls.

All was well. XP

Then Dustin took me home, after I "filled up his tank." XD

STARFISH LOVES YOU! XDDD

Wicked and Cheesecake

Blog No. 125: David's Grand Choir Trip Adventure

"For the first time in my life, I feel... WICKED!" --Elphaba making out with Fiyero in the woods. XP

The day started out like normal, in frustration. You'd think I'd wake up in a pleasing mood at least one time. It did not help that I had to report at ARC to catch the charter bus that would inevitably take me back to the high school right down the street of where I live to perform...

Honestly, I think Dr. Hughes likes to torture his students... XP

We all arrived by bus to Natomas High School, where both choirs sung each set for those high schoolers. The Chamber Singers sung their set first, and already I could tell this concert was going to be a flub because the audience itself was chatting away during the songs. I figured that if they didn't care about us, then why should we care how we sound to people who won't respect the performers on stage, which made me not nervous. I guess it paid off not to care, seeing as the stage there had no grand piano or risers for the singers... Heidi's hands were not meant to perform on keyboards! DX

Then we took the long bus ride to the bay area. First we arrived at the Mission Dolores, or, the oldest building in San Francisco.

Dr. Hughes showed us how the acoustics of a room affect the tonality of the choir. Seeing as the inside of the church was huge and stony, the sound bounced off the walls more easily, making our singing that much more resonant. It was a pretty neat experience. The Chamber Singers sung their Italian sex song in the smaller church nearby, and during that time they apparently messed up a bunch of times. 

We also went to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where Ray Zhou goes to school now.

That's him! XP

We first went to the theatre there, where we got an idea what that college offers and how it came to be and whatnot. The theatre itself was meant to have a wall between the stage and audience, where the audience would've been the ballroom and the stage would've been something else. Apparently that old wall had supported the building, but the school still forced the architects to work that out. The floors above the theatre are apparently hanging, which prevents sound from travelling in and out of the rooms...

Ray performed an awesome guitar piece, again, for us. I guess he doesn't mind playing for us a whole bunch. He always has an audience with the Choir. XP

Then it was tour time!

Ray Zhou, that super awesome guitarist, was out tour guide for the school. The Conservatory was about 8 or so stories high with a couple of theatre spaces, loads of practice rooms, artwork, lounging areas, and a musical library.

This was at the library on the top floor of the school.

Then we had our free time in the big city. Our Choir group decided to split up to go different places. It was funny because the further the Choirs walked down Market street, the more the group broke off. I was with the first group as I traveled with Taka and some of the Chamber singers, including Piper, JT, Dictator Roze and Sergeant Pepper, among others.

We walked about 15 blocks, 10 of which was spent getting lost due to Zack's brilliant tour guide skills, to the Cheesecake Factory on the top floor of Macy's.

San Francisco is weird. It feels like the city gets cleaner the higher off the ground you get...

The Cheesecake Factory was amazing! I had a fettucine chicken pasta dish that was very delicious, which made me not regret staying behind with King, Difuentez, and Parkarr at a Burger King. XD

The downside of the Cheesecake Factory was that we spent all of our free time there. So when we all finished, we walked back toward the theatre...

But not without having a little fun along the way! XP

There were some photo oportunity moments that, if I had my actual camera, I would've taken. I was walking behind the group with JT and an alto I'll call Poncho, mainly because she always wears a red knit poncho to the choir concerts. She was telling us how she apparently dodged death a couple of times, including slipping off of limestone during a wall climb. I've got to hand it to her, she's a tough cookie! A red sugar cookie! XP

Then we sped to our seats in the Orpheum Theater.

I got balcony seating, which made sense because I had not paid my fees yet... But I still saw a bunch so I was fine with it!

Anyways, here's a review:

~~~~~

Musical Review: Wicked

The story is about the tale of Wizard of Oz, but told in the perspective of the two witches. It basically explores mainly how Elphaba came to be who she was, just like in The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. However, to die-hard book fans, it does not match up with the story structure of the book it's based off of. From here on in, I have to warn you about spoilers, so skip to the score if you don't want to read it!

Elphaba was always singled out for being a little different. While attending Shiz University with her sister, Nessa, she found a teacher she could connect with, who was part goat. He told her how Oz was apparently going through a change that would make the animals of the world no longer able to have free will. 

Along the way, Elphaba ends up being forced to get along with the preppy popular girl, Galinda, with whom they share a mutual relationship of loathing. That was all taken away when Galinda made an unintended kind gesture of giving Elphaba the "witch hat" and invited her to the ball. Galinda did not realize that Elphaba had talked with the professor in sorcery to have Galinda attend lessons as well, which was what she wanted. When Elphaba arrived at the ball, Galinda felt guilty when everyone else had mocked Elphaba, so Galinda joins her in her fairly unique dance that ended up being the hit of the party.

The rest of the story you'll have to see because it gets a little more involved with its twists and climaxes, but it is indeed worth it! It really shows how history can really be knawed away just by looking at it only one way. 

The actors played into their parts extremely well. The person portraying Galinda really was the over-the-top popular girl, just as the person portraying Elphaba 

The musical itself was pulled off very well. It has a very comprehensive stage set up to accomodate the ver foreign storyline. There was one moment in particular, during the end of the first act, where I have to give major kudo points to the stage directors. I'm talking of course about the scene where Elphaba is actually "defying gravity." It really showed off Elphaba's amazing power and feelings with the use of lifts and angled lights. It really pulled off the end of the first act, making me sit down at the edge of my seat for more.

The storyline really sewn up how all of the things in the Wizard of Oz connects. However, some people might say, "Well it doesn't explain everything, like why the witch melts, or how'd Dorothy interacted with the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion!" 

To that I say, "If you'd think about the previous dialogue up to the Elphaba's death, you'd see how those comments explain that a story/history can lie if you only look at it one way" (There's a reason I highlighted that statement in green). I mean come on! Fiyero saw through the green skin to see his love for Elphaba. If you'd look behind the bubble of the Wizard of Oz story, you'd see that that story is what's interpreted for the Ozians to explain why the Wizard left and to end the tyranny that was caused because of him, as well as glorifying the "heroes" who in actuality never crossed paths. History is the story told only in the perspective of the winners, which is why we have the association of heroes and villains.

Some Other Cons: I also wondered what the reason was for the giant dragon on top of the stage. It occasionally moves and lights up during some action moments, but that was it really. There isn't a dragon in the Wizard of Oz, nor did it tie in with the story of Wicked, so I couldn't help but spend some time questioning why...

Overall, Wicked is a successful and entertaining reinterpretation of the Wizard of Oz for a reason. If you thought you knew Oz, you haven't seen anything yet! XP

4.75 Out of 5 Thumbs Up--->An AWESOME experience if you are familiar with the Wiz. XP

~~~~~

After the show, we hopped back on to the buses and headed home. The inside of the bus was lit up in dim, lime green lights, which was very festive for the night's events. XP

Then, when we arrived back at ARC, JT took me home. XD

Pikachu, Use Recover!

Blog No. 124: The Santa Cruz "Hangover"

There is nothing much to talk about. For the next few days I'll be in recovery from lack of sleep, which will only get worse, considering the schedule for the next two weeks...

I will sleep soon I promise! XP

My Main Worry: Passing the dreaded Chemistry test 7 hours I get home from Wicked.

Consequence: Taking Chemistry again over summer, or, another year at ARC, depending on how flexible the transfer transition to UC Santa Cruz works.

Wish me luck! :D

The Cake is a Lie

Blog No. 123: Santa Cruz Day THREE

Piper and I woke up to a game of Portal for Xbox. It was very interesting, it reminded me of that movie series, Cube, only not as creepy. That's where the line "The cake is a lie" comes from. We played it through the second to last chamber, where we gave up and started from the beginning again with the game programmer voice over commentary. XP

Then, after we got ready and after Terry cooked us some bacon strips, we headed downtown, all packed to go home. 

I had to hit the Lulu Carpenter's coffee shop because I desperately needed caffeine. I got an almond cappuccino, which was not half bad at all. :P

Then, Terry, Kaylah, Piper, and I re-hit the Erik's Cafe, where I bought the same sandwich and a side of that amazing tomato bisk soup. Piper also ended up taking a quart of that soup to go. Erik's Cafe has now become my frequent eating place in Santa Cruz, which is good because I needed one. XP

Then we quickly went souvenir shopping, again, only I had some goals in mind. I already had gotten gifts for Dustin, Phillip, and Lennox, but I needed to get some more, including a Mother's Day gift for mom. We went to Kaylah's favorite store, the large one with wall to wall cooking supplies. It was at that store where I bought Taka's gift, (Sorry Taka, not telling! XP), as well as a smaller version of Taka's gift for myself, each with its own unique design. It was also where Piper got her collapsable chopsticks. Piper has really been searching to the ends of the earth for those, apparently. XP

So in the end, I did get a Mother's Day gift. But I did not get a souvenir for Parkarr, KT, or Susan Surrandon, which was sad. I was really holding out until I found something perfect for everyone, but time got in the way of everyting. I just got a gift for Taka, Fishie, and myself. XD

I got really frustrated at the Amtrak people. I read Kaylah's bus schedule and it said "3:10" that the highway 17 bus would arrive. Well it did, but it didn't take any passengers (DX). Not only that, but I also asked the bus driver when the next one is expected to arrive, and he said "3:45" but he wasn't sure. So I called the 1-800 Amtrak number and asked the same question. I got "4:35". TWICE. Which meant that trying to catch an earlier bus to take an earlier train was never meant to be. Instead of trying to go home at 8 PM, we ended up home at 9 PM. I blamed Amtrak for world hunger, which was quite interesting. XP

Who ended up being right? The bus driver. Not the two receptionist ladies I called, but the unsure bus driver who didn't take us to the earlier train...

I still blame Amtrak for world hunger...

The cake is a lie...

During the bus ride back, we played Anberlin, Death Cab, and Twilight songs on my speakers. Then on the train, I watched most of the Fruits Basket and Piper took some more nature photos. And my mom drove Piper and I home.

During the trip home, Piper said, "Wow, I did not realize how much Kaylah and I are alike!"

I told her, "Duh! I only hang out with the crazy, zany people in my life! XD"

To which Piper replied, "Thanks by the way, for letting me go with you."

To which I replied, "Well I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. It's been a pleasure having you along."

[Insert a heartfelt sigh here. :P]

Of course I remember this moment. It was Piper's use of the words "letting me" that got me thinking. I took this as a mirrored image of a similar moment with Kaylah, where I realized that there was absolutely no way I could escape from the clutches of the Blonde any longer, (as if I ever tried in the first place! XP). But it wasn't that I allowed Piper to go with me on the trip, I wanted her to take the trip with me. As she napped on my shoulder to the sounds of Paramore, I reflected back on this dialogue and realized, too, that there's a very strong connection here that's not going away anytime soon. XP

Like I've said, it's the small moments that matter! :D

Thus concludes The Santa Cruz Trip (w/Piper) ADVENTURE!

The Beach is THAT Way

Blog No. 122: Santa Cruz Day TWO

I walked Piper to the squiggle next to Porter College and the tennis courts. Piper took some really cool nature photos along the way, like the prancing deer, the statues, and the snap dragon path here.

We met up with Kaylah at the bus stop, where we took the bus to see her new living arrangements for next term. Inside, there is a good sized living room with a fireplace with a dining table near the sliding glass door. The living room leads to a very blue kitchen, where it's kinda closed off, but it has a little window connecting it to the dining area. Down the hall on the other side of the fireplace are Dan's, Beth's, and Kaylah/Terry's rooms. Dan's room has a wall dedicated to bookshelves, which I can see fitting Dan's personality. Beth has her little corner room, next to the bathroom, and across the way is the master bedroom with its own bathroom where Kaylah and Terry will live. Kaylah also showed us this view down the walkway from their place where you can see that you are on top of a cliff, overseeing Santa Cruz and the ocean. We could see the Boardwalk's Dropzone from her apartment! As far as first apartments go, this one is pretty awesome! I'm excited for you guys!

Terry took us to downtown to eat at Erik's Cafe and Deli, which is an awesome sandwich/soup place. They serve soda in mason jars, apparently, which was that much more awesome! Piper and Terry had this amazing tomato bisk soup and sandwiches of which I don't recall... I had what's called an Abbot's Habbit sandwich, which was just amazing! It might just rank up there with the Rabbiman sandwich. XP

Then we went to this quaint little chocolate shop in the middle of Santa Cruz... About 16 blocks up the hill, away from downtown... But still, they had chocolate cell phones, chocolate tool kits, chocolate turtles stuffed with mini chocolate turtles, and so on!

By bus: Chocolate shop--->Downtown

We walked to the beach, which was down the road from the Metro Center. I believe this was the high point of our trip, partly because it was the major reason Piper came in the first place. XP 

Piper and I walked to the water, barefoot and with rolled up pants. She walked to the water, while I just stood on the edge. I mainly complained on how cold the water was, which was cold, it was on the cold side of frostbite and on the warm side of an annoying, numbing sensation. We walked up and down the water's edge and found small shells. Piper took some random pictures of the beach and some silly pictures of me posing by the water. I indeed pulled off the Dustin Catchphrase ("The beach is that way, and the waves are THIS big!" pointing to the bicep on "this").

Kaylah and Beth met up with us on the beach, so we decided to head over to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Terry bought Kaylah a GIANT donut, which I don't really understand because she never eats solid food! (XP) I bought a churro, which is what I must always get at a theme park/carnival. Churros are truly an amazing fair time food. XD

Piper and I went to the Big Dipper roller coaster, which apparently is 60 years old this year... Interesting... Anyway, we got on and it first went through a tunnel. Piper really freaked because it was going fast and it was pitch black. Then it got out and starting climbing the first hill. The rest was super. Piper screamed her lungs out and I laughed meniacally. Kaylah ended up taking a video on Piper's awesome camera and she added her own little voice over commentary as the ride went up and down those arcs. As the ride ended, Kaylah pointed the camera to her face and yelled a "BYE!!!" which was just classic Blondie. Thanx! XDDD

Then we did the same thing on the Rock n' Roll ride, which was basically us going in a fast circle, then doing it backwards. While it went backwards, Piper and I did the Scooby-Doo wave. ~~~

The five of us then walked to the wharf, where at the very end there was an ice cream shop called Marini's. Sure it was a long walk, but it's worth it because they have a tasty selection of ice cream! 

Trust me, there's a worse picture than this, but it might be flagged as innappropriate. XP

I ended up getting a sundae, with 1 scoop triple chocolate ice cream and 1 scoop horchata ice cream. [Insert mouthgasm here. XDDD]

On the way back, we hit a souvenir shop, where Piper and I got some souvenirs for people. We also stopped halfway down the wharf for Piper to take awesome pictures and to look at the sea lions sleeping on the platforms along the side. They are really docile and lazy creatures if you ask me. XP

Then we watched Yes Man back at the dorm! (where I was unfortunately lulled into a deep, deep sleep...)

--->Continue on to Blog No. 123!