paper moon

new england conservatory

2010-07-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

location: boston

tuition*: $34,500

jordan hall - said to be one of the most acoustically perfect performance spaces in the world.

fast facts:

boston. no more needs to be said.

awesome faculty, including lawrence wolfe: assistant principal of boston symphony orchestra

lessons can include both jazz and classical. while you do have to declare a major, at most conservatories, that's it and you can't study both.

i like their prescreen requirements

dave holland hangs out there. umm i don't think college gets better than that.

*and welcome to the reason why scholarships are also the name of the game. some of my other dream schools make nec look cheap.

college

2010-07-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

is the name of the game.

that mythical, far-off land of quasi adulthood is not far off. i'm in the last summer before my last year of high school, and the meaning of summer has changed. i've got a lot of work ahead of me this summer, and that starts with figuring out which colleges to apply to.

scary.

starting tomorrow (after my ap english summer essay has been turned in) i will be trying to feature a new college that i am looking at, along with facts that i find important and other weird ramblings that are currently being stored on my desktop in a ms word document entitled 'college thinkpad'

maybe not super duper exciting blogging, but i need motivation to keep researching.

ps. i discovered today i've had this blog for over a year now woooo

finals week accomplished

2010-06-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

done.

(almost anyway.)

now the real work comes. hey maybe i'll actually blog this summer.

a year ago tomorrow

2010-04-29T18:19:00.001-07:00

was the beginning of the end of my childhood.

and things are so much better now.

blogging fail

2010-02-14T18:27:00.000-08:00

relief

2010-02-02T16:52:00.001-08:00

done with the craziest couple of weeks of my life.

in comparison, they made finals week look easy... oh wait, it actually is. someone lucked out this semester :)

i am hardly beginning to grasp how happy i am that starting next monday, i have a completely fresh slate. (and hopefully more time!)

p.s: cool cool cool: dave matthew's grammy performance. when the horn players walk on behind the strings (around 2:25), look for the 3rd guy from the right. definitely know him (!)

for your listening pleasure

2010-01-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

on repeat for the past few days:

freddie hubbard

here's that rainy day

in case you were wondering...

2010-01-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

passed my driving test with almost a perfect score
realized my finals this semester don't scare me
started work on vivaldi sontata #5 for competition season (THAT scares me)
had my first ham sandwich in close to 2 years
fallen in love with ralph waldo emerson
practiced more this weekend than the last two weeks combined

it's been a good week.

two weeks

2010-01-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

i have a little under two weeks until my drive test. (it's about time.)

which means i have a little under two weeks to learn how to park.

wish me luck.

new years resolutions

2009-12-31T23:03:00.000-08:00

so there are mere minutes left, not only in this year, but in this decade. i have my fair share of new years resolutions...

read a book outside of class every month
have semester 2 bring my gpa up
drink more water
make my room somewhere i want to live
get my driver's license
document my memories more efficiently

...but as i start the second full decade of my life, i have some new decade resolutions as well.

surround myself only with people who will support me
never let a day go by where i don't work towards my dreams of life and career
make friends quickly - without sacrificing the quality of the friendships
if i don't stop procrastinating, at least manage the last-minute things well
never miss a chance to tell people i love them

here's to new beginnings and to new hope and a wonderful start to the new year.

and...

2009-12-28T12:58:00.001-08:00

...can we just agree that this is phenomenal?

this is what friendship looks like

2009-12-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

(at least with us freaks.)

blisters

2009-12-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

i'll spare the gory details because i realize some really just don't want to know, but i've had quite the experience or two with blisters this winter break. since last sunday, i've been almost incapable of playing jazz, so billé('s nuovo metodo per contrabasso) won over in terms of practicing, and has since stolen my heart.

but i tested the waters with some pizz stuff today. needless to say it felt reaaally good.

ba-humbug

2009-12-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

snow is fine.

please let it come after tuesday.

december

2009-12-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

well, i already failed at blogging every day this month like i was planning on.

but that's okay.

i have just been busy reveling in my love of this month.

december is my birthday month.

it's the month where 16-degree mornings make fleece blankets and a cozy bed so much more enjoyable.

christmas lights are everywhere, and it only takes a little imagination for them to be covered with snow.

a different pair of fuzzy socks are the highlight of my outfit every day.

average of about three rehearsals/shows a week outside of school for me.

but this crazy crazy month has an end in sight - winter break makes it all worth it.

chocolate silk pie

2009-11-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

as this week has gone by, i have looked forward to almost nothing more than all the food, particularly my specialty around this time of year, my soon-to-be-famous chocolate silk pie. i don't have any pictures of it (yet), but you can take my word for it - it looks fantastic and tastes even better. since the recipe isn't exactly a guarded secret, i figured i would share:

chocolate cookie crust:

2 cups crushed chocolate cookies
¾ cup melted butter

preheat oven to 375° f.

combine the crumbs and butter in a medium bowl and mix well. Firmly press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch pie plate. bake for eight minutes. cool before filling.

french chocolate silk:

1 stick butter (in eight equal pads)
¾ cup sugar
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate square melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs*
1 chocolate cookie crust
whipped cream
chocolate curls

mix butter and sugar, beat in chocolate and vanilla. add one egg at a time, beating five minutes each on medium. turn into baked pie shell. chill overnight. garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

*since the pie filling is never baked, i use pasteurized egg substitute suitable to replace 2 eggs.

2012

2009-11-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

since the day i first saw the teaser trailer for the movie 2012, i've been over the top excited for it to come out. maybe not in a wait-in-line-for-6-hours-for-the-midnight-premier type of excited, but excited nonetheless.

i was nervous for reviews to come out. i didn't want them to spoil my fun by either setting my expectations too high or too low.

but i ventured out to the theater for the first time in a long while last night, and i have to say, it was perfect. film snobs may not remember 2012 as a classic, but there's not much more you can ask of an apocalypse movie. it was not only completely epic where it needed to be, and serious where it needed to be, it was one of the funniest movies i've seen in a long time.

no one else in the audience seemed to think it was as funny as i did, but they just didn't understand. also i got punched in the arm many times by my friends whom i was embarrassing. all in all, highly recommended! and you'll have much more fun if you go see it with me.

day 4

2009-11-19T21:45:00.000-08:00

a whole list of happiness from today:

three-hour naps instead of homework
not reading the scarlet letter
valentín
jazz band sounds good. league competition next week might go better than expected.
spanishdict, my favorite english-spanish online dictionary, has an app for my iphone.
thelonious monk. does much more need to be said?

winter

2009-11-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

today was a first hot chocolate of the season, hot bath, do homework with a snuggie kind of day.

it's winter.

and i'm just fine by that.

leonid meteor shower

2009-11-17T22:42:00.000-08:00

every 33 years, debris from the remains of commet tempel-tuttel passes through our neck of the woods, giving us a celestial showcase of pure wonder. it peaked last night a bit after midnight, but it was unfortunately too cloudy to be able to see.

but tonight, a quick patch of clear sky gave me the opportunity to catch a meteor before i got too cold.

how magical?

also making me happy: a facebook friend of mine created a facebook event months and months ago for the shower and invited only a few friends. man did it grow- there are just 50 grand short of 1,000,000 attendees on the facebook page today!

a week of happiness

2009-11-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

on days like today, when i am generally displeased with the world, (a blog post for a later day, when i've calmed down a bit) it helps to remember the many, many things about this world that make me happy.

i'm going to spend this week blogging each day about one thing that makes me happy each day.

i'll start off with an obvious one: italian food

or more specifically, capellini pomodoro.

i'm pretty sure the news that this is for dinner tonight has made the world a happier place for those around me as well, as they get to escape the wrath of my anger for a little while!

dear iphone,

2009-11-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

please stop being so addicting.

or... don't.

quarter 1

2009-11-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

how it feels knowing i officially have more of high school behind me than ahead of me:

absolutely fantastic.

quarter grades:

not as fantastic.

but nonetheless life feels pretty spectacular right now. i guess life goes in cycles of various cosas* being 'in place' at various times. it's nice when they all line up. maybe things get complicated eventually, but all i know is that i've slept more this weekend than during the entire previous week, people are well again, i'm nearing in on a time when i'll be able to practice once again, and i'm listening to a song on repeat that sounds like falling in love. (which i have linked to on this blog about 1,296 times more than necessary, so i won't again.)

*my brain works better in spanish sometimes. 'cosas'='things', but is more sophisticated, in my head.

when actual blogging ideas escape me:

2009-11-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

reading… through catcher in the rye before i turn in that essay...

keeping… baxter in mind. thoughts for my friend who's going through some medical challenges right now, please!

listening… to moanin' -- my favorite art blakey album.

baking… store-bought brownies. you think i have time for that?

watching… a movie about the cambodian genocide in crisis class today.

trying… to keep it positive.

making… a giant effort to keep up on work.

congratulating… sam and lauren for making all-state orchestra.

interestingness

2009-10-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

photo source

whenever i'm bored, i often find myself on flickr clicking through photos under the 'explore' tab.

listening to this at the same time made the discovery of the picture above oh so much more enjoyable.

since it's been over a month...

2009-10-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

my life currently in a bullet-point list:

making an effort at respectable grades
college hunting
playing all the time
gig saturday
pit rehearsals for sound of music
too much facebook
lots of art blakey
hitting the snooze button for just 8 more minutes in my warm cozy bed... and 8 more... and 8 more...

thursday.

2009-09-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

it was love at first sight.

i went bass shopping with my parents a few weeks ago. pete's bass shop is the premier luthier in town, so we naturally headed there. after trying out several chinese basses, pete pointed to a bass in the corner and indicated i should try it out.

i suppose it would be more accurate to say it was love at first pizz. (pizzicato - to play a stringed instrument by 'plucking' the strings)

it stood out impossibly well against the rest. literally too good to be true. i was able to take it home for a while to try it out, and not a thing could convince me it wasn't perfect.

and today it is officially mine. giddy would be an understatement. i don't have pictures because while it was at home, i was far too busy practicing to take photos, and now it is in the shop until thursday getting touched up to be brought home.

naming suggestions? that could keep me occupied until thursday. :)

week 1

2009-09-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

so summer is pretty solidly over.

i don't remember a single week (let alone a 4-day one!) seeming to stretch out so long. it'll be a tough year, filled with lots and lots of work. but such is the typical junior year, so i've heard.

i have a feeling my blog will suffer as the workload builds.

so, to over-dramatize things, until winter break...

anthropology...

2009-09-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

...played at half the tempo it should be as a quasi-ballad makes for a fun saturday night.

with that whole money thing added in, i could really get used to this gigging thing.

pep band

2009-09-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

there is something so unfailingly wonderful about pep band.

i know people grumble about being forced to give up their friday nights to support the jocks, but i disagree.

i absolutely love spending the evening with my favorite people, playing brainless music, taking tempos fast to spite the cheerleaders, attempting instruments i can't play, and spending 3rd quarter avoiding the student section.

but today was a little out of the ordinary. in fact, it was downright adventurous.

i got a sliver stuck in my rear end! this was no wimpy sliver either. it's the kind that can pierce through a good pair of jeans without a problem. like the kind that seems to be as big around as a q-tip. (and that is minimal exaggerating.)

so during 3rd quarter when the band wasn't playing, i had to sneak about a quarter mile back to the school with sabrina to find a discreet place to remove the splinter. it ended up being the most adventurous thing i've ever done at a football game - i pretty much flashed the opposing team's locker rooms from the hallway outside the locked door. (which was, luckily, down some stairs and away from windows)

she saved my life!!!!

happily, the sliver came right out, but get this - it was bloody!

so aside from the adventure, it was a pretty marvelous kick off to the pep band season, and, i suppose, the school year.

time.

2009-09-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

so i think it's time to bring a focus to my blog.

i have to say, blogging has been a whole lot of fun. not only is it a way to vent my thoughts, it's an aesthetically pleasing way to vent my thoughts. (is there honestly anything better?)

all the best blogs i know of and want to emulate have some sort of focus - my wonderful cousin rachel blogs about motherhood. oh, mishka blogs

about the beautiful little things in life. on the nienie dialogues, the story of the painful aftershocks of a tragedy unfolds while hope manages to fight through the sadness.

but i digress.

cheesy as it sounds, blogging is at its best when it involves ones passion. it's interesting that i stumbled upon blogger at a point where it was time to decide what i wanted to do with my life; i had to figure out what my passion was.

the phrase "when i grow up i want to..." has been followed by many answers over the years of my childhood, from teacher, to stanford graduate, to professional surfer.

and what is my passion? fitting with the theme of this post, (which i really hope you'

ve picked up on by now) i'd have to say time.

time is a musical term, loosely connected with, but not to be confused with, tempo, the 'speed' of a given piece. i could write about time for hours, but for sanity's sake, it involves a perfect mix of constant tempo and soul. also, i'm in love with it.

whether you realize it or not, time is what makes good music good. a failed attempt at time is what makes bad music bad, in most cases. and it's something i strive for every second my fingers are touching my instrument.

and good music is what makes me want to get out of bed every morning and experience this world. it's no longer ever a sense of obligation. how lucky am i to have found this?

i feel this aching urge every gift of a day to make something out of it. which brings me back to my blog. here is an opportunity for you, whoever you may be, to watch me try to make something out of it.

music school?

band teacher?

world-famous composer?

who knows? but whatever the future holds for me, it's time to get started. and i'll be blogging about it every step of the way!

leaving for the beach

2009-08-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

the beach is undoubtedly my favorite place in the world. it doesn't matter much which beach in particular; i can sit and watch the waves roll in for hours no matter where i am. there is something so calming about the constant heartbeat of the surf against the land. the minutes turn to seconds any time my toes are at the edge of the water.

but there is nothing like my beloved oregon coast. i'm headed off in a few hours to try a new stretch of it, and no doubt i'll blog about it during or after, depending on my internet connection.

lincoln city, here i come!

e. e. cummings

2009-08-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond

any experience,your eyes have their silence:

in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,

or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me

though i have closed myself as fingers,

you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens

(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

or if your wish be to close me,i and

my life will shut very beautifully,suddenly,

as when the heart of this flower imagines

the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals

the power of your intense fragility:whose texture

compels me with the colour of its countries,

rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes

and opens;only something in me understands

the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)

nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

to-do list

2009-08-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

finish song of solomon and catch-22
buy other books to read for english
send postcard to ms. raivio
transcribe as many solos as possible
learn pyp excerpts
get 20 service hours
finish summer pe project
clean room
figure out mys jazz audition
prepare for all state auditions
remember to eat, sleep and breathe.

wonder why i find this useful?

my bet is you probably don't.

think it's possible for me to blog every day?

2009-08-19T23:57:00.000-07:00

i suppose we'll see.

(i only have three minutes left in today, so this one can be wimpy.)

dave holland is decidedly awesome

2009-08-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

i'm transcribing this, and i hit a block, so i thought i'd blog about its awesomeness.

done.

crazy blogging game

2009-08-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

an idea from oh, mishka

let's play a fun game today:

grab your camera. take pictures of 2 things in the room you're in right now. put them on your blog and say why you chose those 2 items to photograph. then comment here with the link

to your blog post so we can all see each others' photos! i'll start...

this is one of my grandmother's adorable aprons i've inherited, (which i am now collecting) that i used to cook really yummy blueberry pancakes this morning.

this is my really ridiculous tuner i used all through middle school. i'm proud to say i have a tiny bit more sophisticated one now, but this one is fun to ah... look at.

melting

2009-07-28T14:30:00.001-07:00

it is hot, and we are the last people in the city (planet?) to be without air conditioning.

did i mention it's hot? like triple figures hot?

because it is and i'm melting.

Originally uploaded by r0b0r0b

but thank goodness for tazo giant peach iced tea.

centrum jazz workshop '09

2009-07-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

there are ___* things i will never forget about this past week.

1. the first night.

i have to admit i was terrified. i didn't know or recognize a single person there, and from my perspective, everyone there already knew everyone else, and i felt like the new kid at school trying to find a spot to sit in the cafeteria. i hate to admit i considered taking my food from dinner that night back to my dorm and hiding out there, but damn it i put on my brave face and sat down at an almost empty table. that particular friendship didn't exactly blossom, but you might say it was a learning experience.

i spent the evening trying to stay connected with people who were familiar to me, but it's funny: by the end of the week, i had almost no text messages in my self-clearing inbox and outbox.

2. the fort.

from the second i arrived in port townsend to the second i had to leave, i spent every free moment reveling in the beauty around me. the town was adorable, fort worden was amazing -

actually the fort really needs its own blog post. i'll try to condense it. fort worden is an american army installation built to protect the puget sound. according to wikipedia. it consists of these beautiful big white c-shaped buildings with courtyards in the centers. the windows are trimmed with dark green, and they sit a stone's throw away from the beach overlooking the sound. i couldn't get enough of it while i was there, and i miss it every minute i'm home.

3. the music.

it seems like a given i guess. but what i'm referring to goes beyond the rhythmic patterns of sound and silence that in the dictionary define 'music'. it was the entire culture, the sustenance, the shared passion of over 200 people. being able to breathe in the wisdom and experience of some of the greatest players in the world is an absolutely priceless gift.

4. blisters.

i learned way more about them than i wanted to during the week. i am not kidding. show me a blister, and i can tell you approximately what color fluid will drain (or if you're lucky, spurt) out of it if you were to pop it. i learned what kind of band-aids don't affect your tone too much if you need to protect one. unfortunately they involved 'barbie' and 'hello kitty' prints. i learned where exactly a blister has to be to immobilize an entire finger for solid days in a row. fun stuff. calluses are much better, i've decided.

5. the combo experience.

playing in adam schroeder's combo was not only a lot of fun, but probably the musical highlight of my week. as a group, the whole was greater than the sum of the individual musicians.

playing at the pope marine building on friday night was such an amazing experience. ask anyone who spent a significant amount of time with me that night - i was too excited. i was ready to go two hours early, and my call time couldn't come soon enough. the crowd was awesome, almost everything went really smoothly.

halfway through i became aware that an old blister was acting up, but i ignored it. during the last chart, i realized i had nasty blisters bubbling up, and even tearing, on almost every finger that came in contact with the bass. i played through it though, and my mind didn't register a bit of pain. my body must have, because i remember sweating that had little to do with the temperature, and my mom says i looked like i was in agony. but it was a truly magical moment, and completely about the music.

6. playing for john clayton.

i won't even attempt trying to describe the guy. unless you've met him, you weren't even aware that someone so genuine and interesting existed.

still, playing in front of a virtuoso of your instrument should be a bit intimidating.

i know i was scared before, and even after the experience, but i've never been as calm as i was playing my so-so rendition of autumn leaves on tuesday afternoon. make of it what you will?

7. wycliffe gordon's solo.

really, words will never do that 5 minutes on a thursday afternoon justice.

*meaning infinite things i'll remember, but 7 for now. more + pictures will be added soon!

laundry day

2009-07-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

makes me happy.

i had the house all to myself today. there was plenty of laundry to get done before i leave for jazz camp this weekend. when i was little, i never understood why mom called it her hobby. i think i get it now.

it was a hot day.

2009-07-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

so, we went swimming.

did i mention it was hot?

johnny caught a frisbee.

picture of the day:

sabrina was so excited about getting freckles.

blast from the myspace age

2009-07-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

this is my best friend.

we're going swimming today.

oooold photo. i promise.

ten things about me at one o'clock in the morning:

2009-07-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

1. i. love. capital. letters. i think they're absolutely wonderful. but on a whim, i'm not going to use them in this blog.

2. pondering. it's my hobby.

3. like no other, i strive to learn how to be lovely. audrey hepburn is my hero.

4. i love classical music more than anything else in this whole world.

5. textsfromlastnight.com - it's fml but funnier.

6. summer sleep schedule is s l o w l y shifting towards nocturnal.

7. baking. it's my thing.

8. i wish everyone a happy birthday on facebook.

9. i'm a pescetarian. yes, i like it better that way.

10. the people in my life make me a better person. i love you all.