This One Time...At Band Camp...

So as you can tell by the title of this post, I've been at band camp the last week! It's the second time I've been to Camp Bountiful in Jackson, Ohio, and I have to say, this time was almost as exhausting as the second time!! Yes, sometimes, band camp can be fun, but for most of the time, it was just a lot of work, combined with a lot of heat and humidity of course! But as always, band camp was a great opportunity to connect with the other band members and have fun! (When we're on break, anyways).

As I've said on previous posts, our show is called State of the Art, and starts with Sanctus from Canon in D (by Pachabel), and then takes off with a piece called Ride! I love the music, but there was a major problem. We had no sets to march them to! Well, we had 17 sets, but that's not very much. So instead of marching and playing (or in our case, twirling), we just stood there for a long time and just played. Yeah, real exciting, isn't it? But there was a reason for our lack of sets: our drill writer's father passed away, so we couldn't get them. However, he did procrastinate a bit, and that resulted in a LOT of stress at band camp, especially for the band directors! It also didn't help that 2 of our evening practices were rained out, so we didn't nearly as much time on the field as we needed. And as if that weren't enough, our flag fabric was supposed to come in on Tuesday of that week, but ended up coming on Thursday, so our color guard director was extremely stressed!!

Well enough about the work part, let me talk about the other stuff! This year, there were some pranks played on the senior, but the pranks weren't too big or anything...the worst one was the juniors saran-wrapping the seniors' cars, which I have to admit, was really funny! And then there was the standard trashing the field type of thing, but it wasn't as bad as last year, so that was good for us! Then there were the standard activities and stuff, but the best night was senior seranade! It was really cool to see their childhood picures, and hear them play, but it made me realize how much I'll miss them next year! Well, at least there's still the whole school year to spend with them...that's the one thing I don't understand about band camp. They have senior seranade and make everyone get all sad and everything, and then you'll realize, "oh wait, I'll see them for the rest of the season!"

Okay, so that was a super brief overview of band camp 2009! It was fun, and I'm glad I got to spend so much time with my friends! However, I can't say that I'm looking forward to going back next year. But I guess that's just the nature of band camp!

(Hopefully this was a good enough overview for you Egalita!)

"Set 0!"-Mr. Gray

The height of laziness

Let me get straight to the point. I haven't blogged in...a long time! And this time, it's without reason too. I suppose I've just been lazy, hence the title of this post. So enough self-bashing, let me write about my summer since June 16th. Wow, it has been a long time...

Well since then, I've lost a friend. Well not really, Egalita moved back to Indonesia, and in all probability, the chances that I'll see her again are very slim. But that's what makes me thankful for our advanced communication technology! I'm still in touch with her, and although I miss seeing her, I'm still staying in touch, so that's a good thing!

After that, my life was uneventul until the July 4th parade, which the marching band participates in every year. While it was somewhat repetitious from last year, it gave me a chance to get to know the new girls who are doing it this year! And the following week, was flag camp, a 4 hour camp almost all week. I didn't really go except for Friday, but after geting to know everyone a bit better, I had a better idea as to what to expect for the upcoming season. Especially because starting next week, I'm going to practically spend my when life with these people! Next week starts pre-camp, the precursor for the week long band camp. Pre-camp also has another meaning: the end of summer. The last month of summer is mostly spent in band related activities and such, so it leaves little time for anything else!

So I should probably explain why I was unable to go to the majority of flag camp. As my schedule turned out, I had the summer pops youth orchestra to attend at the same time. However, I absolutely loved that week! It was my first experience with the youth orchestra, which was good, because at least that way I had some experience before my first year in the cadet orchestra. There were a couple from my school in the camp too, Jonathon and Arty. I also made some great friends, so I'm happy that I'll at least know some people when reversals start in the fall. But more than the people, I absolutely LOVED the music that we played! The way the program worked was that youth and cadet orchestra were combined, and we rehersed music for a week, and played prior to the Columbus Symphony Orchestra's concert at Cemical Abstracts! So back to the music. We played Mendolssohn's Hebridges overture, the theme from Schindler's List, and my 2 favorites, Bizet's Carmen Suite No.1 and Harry's Wonderous World, which I found to be fitting, because of the upcoming Harry Potter 6 release!! I'll try to upload videos of the performance if I can! But yes, that was the best week of my summer so far...

Well, that adequetly sums up the major events of my summer. Other than that, I've been reading: Mansfield Park, The Lurker At The Threshold, Sense and Sensibility, and the oh so exciting summer reading for school, A Separate Peace. I'm reading more, but I'm not done with them for the present. I've also been listening to music, much more than I can name, and the same applies for movies. The best movie I've seen this summer? Harry Potter 6 of course!!!

I've also started some new piano pieces, because I'm taking a break from the Beethoven sonata (the tempest), and the Mozart concerto (no.23). I've started Scriabin's prelude for the left hand alone, which is extremely difficult, and I've been playing Bach's prelude and fugue no. 21, along with some jazz, so that's defintely keeping me busy! And in the world of my oboe, today was my last class with my teacher, and I'm moving to my new one next week, so that should be exciting! And the most exciting news? I got a new oboe!!! It's a step-up from the one I had, and it sounds so much better, so I'm really excited to play on it!!

Okay, that was a really long post...next time, I promise not to delay it as long as I did for this one!

On an ending note, I'm excited for band season, surprisingly. It'll give me some excitement to what has otherwise been a somewhat unexciting summer!

AND...I GOT MY TEMPS! I can finally drive!

"I like the word 'indolence. It makes my laziness seem classy."-Bern Williams

Long time, no blogging!

Wow, it's been over a week since I've published!! I guess I've switched over to an almost weekly blog now? Well, it's not without reason. There really hasn't been a lot going on, given that it's summer vacation and all. Really, my day has consisted of piano, oboe, and the occasional chemistry and calculus studying, which I'll admit, I'm really slacking off on. Last week, my sister and I were babysitting, so that kept us both busy! However, I told my mom that I just can't do it anymore, especially when there's no benefit at all for me, and because I just started summer health yesterday. The class isn't bad. Health is easy in general, and even when it's sped up, I still don't really feel challenged, so it's fine. The teacher and students are good too, but most of them are from Coffman. Moving on from the exciting world of summer school, my parents saw my report card today. I thought they would be more angry, but they were surprisingly calm. On the contrary, I was the one in an emotional quandary. Yes, I knew my grades beforehand, but seeing that one English grade on paper really hit me. I had lost my straight A streak, and I was only in freshman year. Then I reflected on the year. Why was it that brought me down? I came to the conclusion that it was extracurricular activities. My focus on those detracted from my focus in school. So now I've learned from it. As much as I love theater and pit, I'm giving it up next year. I really hate this decision, but I know it's the right thing to do. Now I'll only stick to the activities of color guard, piano, and oboe. During this reflection, I additionally noticed that I changed. All of that stress, of school, of after-school activities and everything else took a toll on me. I found myself to be less tolerant, and even more hostile. I steered away from my values and who I really am. So quitting theater and pit is a good thing, or so I've decided. It'll give me more time to focus on school and piano, and even give me some free time, a concept that didn't exist for me freshman year.

So now that I've got that out of the way, I've really got to start reading chemistry stuff...

"A little reflection will show us that every belief, even the simplest and most fundamental, goes beyond experience when regarded as a guide to our actions."-William Kingdon Clifford

Nothing to Report

Day 4 of summer.

Really, it's been uneventful.
A couple of parties, and hanging out with friends.
Reading and practicing piano.
And still procrastinating practicing oboe...but that's usual!
So yes, as a result, there's nothing to report.

"An eventful day."-Tiger Woods

First Day Of Summer

I slept in today.
I had no homework to do.
I had time to practice piano.
I watched TV.

And what are these signs of? That summer is here! I have to say, I'm loving just relaxing at home, without the pressures of school. With that comes time to read and play piano, and do everything that was lacking during the school year. As a result, today was pretty uneventful. Of course, that wasn't a bad thing for today; a chance to relax is always welcome! So I guess that's it for today!

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."-Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

Exams: Day 4-Done With School!

All done with freshman year!

After a difficult pre-calculus exam, I say goodbye to being a freshman! I'll miss this year though-it was one of the best ones yet! I made so many new friends, and I've gotten to get closer with many existing ones. I've been exposed to a variety of experiences, and they've taught me so much, from knowing what I like and don't, and the strength of my morals and values. Through this year, my political views have been defined, along with my personality. Overall, this year has been great, and I'm excited for next year! Best/more interesting experiences (because not all interesting experiences are good!) include:

• Color Guard
• Theater
• Pit (the people that play music for the musicals)
• Public Speaking/Debate
• The lunch table
  
• Friends
• And numerous other things that seem to be too trivial to mention
  

But for right now, I feel like I don't need any more school! Right now, I believe a relaxing afternoon is in order! Hopefully, my summer will remain interesting enough for me to have something to blog about...but I'm sure it will be! With color guard and piano, how can it not be?

Exams: Day 3

A C.
The worst grade I've ever gotten on an exam. And guess which exam it was? English. Sucks 4 U Dracula...LOL! got a C.
Now I'm working on a paper which hopefully will explain to her the meaning of our board game, because she didn't like the concept, or the name for that matter.

Aside from the english project, I think the biology test went decently, so I'm happy! Now I only have one more exam left, which is math, and I'm done with freshman year! Honestly, the end of the year couldn't come soon enough.

Exams: Day 2

Today I had my history and english exams.

History went well, and english went okay...I think the whole LOL idea backfired, but hopefully we'll still get a good grade! Nevertheless, today was a better day than yesterday, so I'm happy now!

And so now I get to study biology and precalculus...fun!

And tonight I get to see JoJo's senior recital, which I'm very excited for. She's an amazing pianist!

Okay, that's all for today.

Exams: Day 1

Today I had my debate and spanish II exams.
I failed at both.



So now I am studying for history and finishing Sucks 4 U Dracula...LOL!
That's all for today.

Typical Exam Weekend

Ah, yes. The weekend before exams. A.k.a. the week to cram-study everything, which is 7 subjects for me. So as I'm writing this post, I'm in the midst of preparing for my debate exam, which happens to be a persuasive speech. My topic is global warming, and that humans cause it. So anyways, enough about exams...let me talk about the CSO concert last night!

So the Columbus Symphony Orchestra did a fantastic job last night, and that was no exaggeration. I've been to a few of their concerts before, but this one certainly topped all the previous ones. The pianist was just great! I LOVED her cadenza! The energy and command with which she performed it just left me speechless. It was so good that there was applause after the first movement itself, and I thought it was a worthy exception. The rest of the concerto was great, of course. And then the symphony performed symphony no. 5 and Leonore Overture no. 3, both of which were wonderful! Symphony no. 5 was delivered with so much energy and vibrance that I had never heard before from the symphony-it was great to hear! So all in all, it was my favorite CSO concert to date (and not just because they played Beethoven instead of Mozart/Haydn!)

Other than the concert last night, there's not all that much going on. My life can now be summed up into 2 words: Studying. Exams.

"Instead of studying for finals, what about just going to the Bahamas and catching some rays? Maybe you'll flunk, but you might have flunked anyway; that's my point."-Jack Handy

State of Acceptance

I know, I know, I didn't post yesterday. In all honesty, I kind of forgot. I came home, and I suppose my body was too stressed from school, band, and all, and so I found myself taking a 2-hour nap. Then I went over to my friend Oshin's house, and by then, I had completely forgot about blogging.

Enough with the explanations. Let me just combine yesterday's and today's post into one.

I walk to my locker on Friday, and like always, I pass by the band room. Only, Friday was different. On the window was posted the field commander. My anxiety reaching it's height, I read it, and admittedly, my face fell a bit. It was Arty, who is currently a junior. Now I have to admit that I knew I didn't have the best chance at it. Yet, there was a little part of me that told myself that I still had that chance. Oh well. In all honesty, I'm disappointed, but I'm still okay. Arty is a fantastic musician, and I truly think he will do a great job as field commander. On the bright side, I get to be in the color guard with all my friends! I'll have Jany, Maria, Rebbecca, and Katie to hang out with, and I'll learn how to twirl weapons, which I am pretty excited for! So, for that, I've accepted it, and moved on.

Friday was also our last day of classes. I found this to be both good and bad. Good, obviously, because no more work! No more projects, studying for tests, homework, basically everything that comes with school! I can finally sleep in, hang out with friends, and PRACTICE PIANO AND OBOE! Yes! This year has been so busy that I haven't had as much time as I would have liked to practice. And why bad? Because I'll miss all of my friends, old and new, even though I'll hang out with some of them. And I'll miss the general social aspect-I won't get to see people until band season starts. But in all reality, that isn't too long of a time to wait. However, I will not miss the actual learning aspect, as my mom is planning to teach me the fundamentals of calculus and chemistry over the summer, which should be interesting. Additionally, I am taking summer health, which should be fun...but on the positive side, Lena should be taking it with me!


So anyways, after we cleaned out our lockers and went home, I took a nap, which is pretty unusual for me-I hate taking naps! After that, I went over to Oshin's house, which involved keeping control of quite a few 4th graders, which as you can imagine, was very interesting! Then Oshin and I watched Dracula 2000, which I thought was a good movie, but sidetracked so much from the book that it really didn't pertain to the real plot of Dracula. Then I came home and pretty much went to bed. So all in all, it was a decent day!

Today, I woke up and got ready to go to the senior's commencement ceremony, because the band had to play there. It wasn't too bad, but it made me realize just how much I'll miss the seniors!!

And so that brings to me to this point of my day. All I have to do now? Study for exams, and go to the symphony with Egalita today!

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”-Anonymous

State of the Art

That's what our marching band show is called: State of the Art. It start off with a rendition of Pachabel's canon in D, followed by the ballad song of Claire de Lune by Debussy (one of my favorite songs by the way!), and ends wih a piece called "Disturbance," and is supposed to have a Spanish sort of theme to it. These songs all weave in the idea of a painter starting off with a blank canvas, and suddenly getting ideas for the painting. The painter, specifically, is the Spaniard Picasso, and his idea of cubism. To go off of this theme, we will be using cubes as props! They will be different sizes and all, but in the end, it will make one big sculpture. I think this is a great idea, and I'm very excited for the show! So then we got to work in color guard and reviewed some routines. Then we got to work with rifles, which was pretty fun...but hard too!!!

School otherwise was good, just a lot of review in all my classes, but that is to be expected, considering finals are coming up next week...

So those were the highlights of my day. The only damper? Not knowing who the field commander is. It's driving me insane not knowing. And Mr. Gray promised he would tell us by today!!!!! So I live another day with anxiety...

"Anxiety is the space between the "now and the "then."-Richard Abell

Mixed Emotions

I've been nervous all day.
I've been anxious all day.
I've been frustrated all day.
I've been happy all day.

I've been disappointed for part of the day.

See how there are mixed emotions here?

So I expected that the field commander results would have been posted today. But of course, that didn't happen. And so now, I spend another day in suspense, wondering about the results...
In the meanwhile, the juniors found out the marching band show for next year! I tried to get it out of Egalita, but of course, she stood her ground. So for today, all I know is that the cover up show is Rush. On the optimistic side, at least I know that Rush isn't the show, although it would have been nice to do that, 2112, Fly By Night, Working Man...yes that would have been cool. Travis would have loved the show too! (He's a big Rush fan, and he introduced me to the band.) But the juniors did say this: that the show is really good! Well, I'll find out soon enough, at least by 6:30 tomorrow. And I'll find out who the field commander is. Ahh! I'm still so nervous!

I've covered nervous and anxious, and now onto frustrated. Well today has just been one of those ADD days. I haven't been able to do any work, and I've been distracted for various reasons...

And I've been happy, of course! But it's rare when I'm not happy, really. Everything's going well, and school is great! Best part of the day-watching The Princess Bride, for sure. I LOVE that movie!

And why disappointed? Because I went to oboe class today, and found out my teacher is moving to Cincinnati soon to pursue a law career, which means she's quitting the symphony. I'll miss her so much! She has a great personality, is a great teacher, and a FANTASTIC musician-she's second chair of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. To support her, I'm going to her last concert this Saturday with my family and Egalita. I'll miss her so much!!!!

That's all for today. I can't wait for tomorrow-hopefully it will be as good as today, and hopefully better, because there won't be any anxiety!

-On a side note, there's more reason for disappointment. My wireless router just broke. Great.

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."-Martin Luther King Jr.

Oh the rain...

Field commander auditions are finally over!
This is reason to celebrate-I've been fretting about them for too long now.
So I think auditions went well. It wasn't my best, but it certainly wasn't my worst. There were 6 other people trying out, and we went in this order: Scott, Jonathon, Me, Jacob, Arty, Casey, and Ryan. After auditions, Casey and I decided to relax by walking to Tuula's, where we had something to eat, and analyzed auditions a bit. While we were waiting outside, it started to rain! But it was nice. To me, rain makes things seem tranquil and calm-I love it! It was especially welcome after the stressful auditions. Well, enough about the rain, and the auditions. School was decent, just trying to finish up projects, do homework and all! Currently, I am researching on why global warming is caused by humans...I am absolutely determined to prove this point! So other than that, my day tended to be pretty uneventful. I'm just anxious for the field commander results to come out! Until tomorrow...

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain."-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Memorial Day

Today, as part of the DSHS Color Guard, I marched in the annual Memorial Day parade. And while it was hot, we were sweating, and we were in constant fear of fainting, I actually liked it. No, it wasn't filled with cheery people, cool floats, or campaigning politicians. However, it was filled with people who cared for our country and our troops. And it was this sense of caring that made me patriotic, that made me truly appreciate what our military sacrifices on a daily basis for our liberties that often times, we take for granted. Just recently, I became naturalized as an American citizen. While I still feel allegiance to India, I feel proud that I am an American. I am proud to live in a country where we have plenty of freedom, and where there are soldiers who are willing to sacrifice their lives, and people there to support them.

On the flip side of the situation, hearing about the soldiers who were wounded or died, only strengthened my values and beliefs. As an opposer of war, these Memorial Day ceremonies made me question: why exactly do we go to war? Why does war have to be our only resort to fighting people who are a threat to our country? In our debate class, we watched a documentary on this very topic, but still, in the entire documentary, it never answered the fundamental question on why we fight. This bothered me throughout, and led me to believe this: that there is no reason for fighting, or for war. After a class discussion, I came to more conclusions on my views of war:

1. There is no reason for war.

2. War shows a sign of weakness: by major countries (such as the United States) not being able to negotiate with terrorists, it leads to war.

3. War is currently the only resort; however it should be the last resort: there is room for discussion and negotiation, but major world powers never seem to take advantage of this.

4. War only results in bloodshed and hardships for the country in economic, political, and social terms.

5. No matter how much we fight terrorism, there will always be a force against us and for the harm of our country and that there is nothing that can be done to completely stop this.

Think what you will of my beliefs, but this is my current opinion. This is what participating in the Memorial Day ceremony got me to think about. However, putting all of this aside, the fact is, we do fight, and we do go to war. Because nothing can change this fact, it leads me to do the only thing I can do: and that is to honor our troops who have done so much for a country that proclaims itself "the land of the free."

"No war is enevitable until it breaks out."- A.J.P. Taylor

Driving Lessons

I woke up to a surprise today.
I was going to learn how to drive!
It's something that I've wanted to learn for a while, so obviously, I was excited! So we went to the elementary school's parking lot, which happens to be next to our house. My dad told me the basics, and so then before I knew it, I was in the front seat, driving! I had my scary moments in the beginning, me letting go of the steering wheel and all, but after a few minutes, I was crusing through the parking lot...at 5 miles per hour. I eventually got up to a high speed of 10 mph, but I was proud. My first time driving, and I didn't hit anything or run over that old Japanese man walking by!! In all honesty, driving seemed like a video game to me- which was a good thing. It gave me something to relate to! Hopefully, another opportunity will come to further develop my driving skills...maybe tomorrow? However, I will give it time. I still have a lot to learn anyways!

Other than driving, life does go on, and I am still preparing for field commander auditions, and still doing homework. Well that's really all I have to say for today.


"Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly."- Anonymous

My Life-As Of May 23, 2009.

1 week before exams.
Field commander auditions approaching.
Piano lessons.
Oboe lessons.
Enough said.

Actually, not enough said.
Actually, I believe it is time for a venting session.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I thought the pace of my life would slow down after Aida, our school's theater production. (Which I played piano for. But that's for another post). Of course, that isn't the case. First off, I have to complete my part of our English final exam, which includes typing up directions and completing the board game design for our board game that we have to create. (As a side note, it's called "Sucks for you Dracula...LOL!" Interesting name, right?) After that, it's writing a biology book report on Survival of the Sickest. I love the book. However writing about it? Not so much. And the book report is additional to studying for finals. However, it is biology, and it is one of my stronger subjects. In math, finding limits analytically with irrational variables is starting to confuse me, which could partially be because of my apathetic teacher. And then there is studying for the history exam, which our pathetic (yes, pathetic, not apathetic) teacher seems determined to make us fail. But then again, it's Mr. Miley. I shouldn't expect much more.

Moving on from academics to field commander auditions! For those not aware of the band lingo, field commander is the person who conducts the band during the marching band season. It is the highest position of leadership a student can attain, and therefore requires a lot of musical as well as leadership skills. Walking into clinics the first day, I was not sure what to expect. What I got was a discussion on leadership, and learning how to conduct.

Huh?

At the end of the week, namely yesterday, I found myself overwhelmed. I was still considering trying out. Is it worth my time to prepare for an audition when I'm not positively sure of what I am doing? However, there was a larger issue at hand. The competition.
When there is a position such as field commander, rest assured that many will want it, and not just a random person off the street. These are highly talented musicians, with experience, both with leadership and conducting. These are squad leaders, who have been to clinics before. These are upperclassmen. How am I supposed to compete? Well, I could only come up with one word.

Practice.

And so currently, I am constantly listening to the audition music, practicing queuing entrances, and cutting off sections while still conducting with my right hand.

Confused? Don't worry: I am too.

Moving on from the wonderful world of marching band...piano! If you couldn't tell by my blog description (or maybe you haven't read it), I absolutely love piano! Whether it's listening to it or playing it, it is the one thing I could never live without. But I suppose this is for another blog post, seeing as this post is already too long...and probably the same would apply for oboe. However, there is something that I was very happy about: in the midst of field commander clinics and school, I got my acceptance letter into the Columbus Symphony Cadet Orchestra! This was most certainly the highlight of my week, resulting in me jumping and squealing like a little girl. And in my dad staring at me strangely.

Well, after that venting session, I would not blame you for exiting out of this window, or writing me off for an overly talkative and overall music and school nerd. However, if you are still reading this, I commend you! Congratulations on reading the major highlights of my life, as of May 23, 2009. Now to actually start all of that homework...

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it"-Henry Thoreau

The Beginning

So here I go.
I have to admit, blogging is not exactly my "thing." I've never had a diary, or a journal. Actually, writing has never been my strong point.

And so you ask, why start a blog?

To be honest, I don't know. Maybe to relate my day-to-day activities/whatever I decide to include? Maybe just to have an outlet for my feelings? Whatever the purpose, I hope this new endeavor leads you to learning a little bit about me. Or who knows? I might just end up learning something about myself!

"Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned"-Mark Twain