Looking to Crystal Concert

Oh my GOD, I am so excited for this year's holiday concert at my school, the Crystal Concert. 

We're playing a piece called Laughing All the Way in band. It's like Jingle Bells, except on steroids. 

And in Chamber Singers, we are singing this beautiful piece called Breath of Heaven. It's AWESOME. My friend who is singing it in her choir at Purdue recommended it to my director. 

I just can't wait to perform again!!!

The End of Marching Band, 2013-2014

This marching band season at Neuqua was truly amazing. I don't think I've worked with a group of more talented and dedicated people in a long time (besides the time I did North Central College Summer Theatre. That's a whole different story). 

Our show this year was music from the opera, Carmen, by Bizet.  The music was so well picked for this year and was very beautiful and moving. There were many times in rehearsal where I was close to tears because the music had such an emotional connection to me. We played it really well, too! I played piccolo this year in the band, so learning how to re-play it was challenging and fun at the same time. 

The drill was amazing. We did some really cool things on the field this year, and I don't think we will for a very long time after this year. We executed drill well, and I'm really proud of the way that we did. 

Not only was the actual work part of it amazing, but the social aspect was the best it has been in the past three years I've been in marching band. I connected with seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen. Some of them I can tell are going to be great friends in the future. Plus, one of my really good friends joined this year as a junior, as she has loved it so far!

Band camp in August, at Monticello, was the best. The annual dance was amazing, we accomplished so much, and we had great team bonding while we were there. I will never forget dancing with my friend Will to "Get Lucky", kayaking for the first time with my friend Matt, and sitting at the senior campfire with my friends Bethany and Katie. I know these are memories that I will treasure as some of the best moments of high school. 

Although we did not place at our annual U of I festival, I am proud of the band and everything we have done this season. This Friday is Senior Night, so it will be a very emotional, yet happy night, for the seniors departing, and for the juniors (that's me) waiting to take their place. And after this season, I can't wait.  

Trials and Tribulations

As one of my good friends once said, a day is made to test your limits. I have definitely had a couple of trying days! 

So, tomorrow is the first day of school. There has been a lot of rushing around, stressing out, and just generally getting prepared so nothing is forgotten. In that vein, my sister and I have been having several fights about petty things that basically turn into screaming matches within ten minutes. 

I hate fighting with my family, especially my sister. She is my best friend and the person who knows me the best. But, having someone who is so close to you who knows you that well can be a double edged sword. She knows what can get me annoyed and how to push my buttons. As for me behaving to her, it is likewise. 

I just hate screaming at her and walking out of the room when she ate the last Fiber One bar, that's all. I wish we could just put things past us easily and laugh things off, but we can't. And I just wish it wouldn't have to be this way

Outings with Friends

Hello there, readers! I am so sorry that I have not made an update in a long time; I was on vacation, I had a lot of summer work, I just finished my show, the list literally goes on and on....BUT I am back and so happy to BE back!

So, where I live in my town is about twenty-five to thirty minutes away from what is considered the "downtown" area; there are lots of places to eat, nice parks and a river walk, and some shopping. For me, I use it as a general meeting place for me and my friends, but sometimes it can be a bit of a hike to get up there (and lots of gas is used, too). However, this week I made the trip four times, four days IN A ROW. Crazy! But, I got to eat a lot of good food and see some awesome people.

Thursday
That day, I went to the local pool called Centennial Beach with my friends, Ashley and Ashly. We only went for a little while, but it was still fun and a good break from the heat wave we have had!

Friday 
On Friday, my sister and I met up with our friends Julia, Jordan, and Maggy from our show we just ended at the local college, Jesus Christ Superstar. We had lunch at Noodles (and ran into our director and her family!), got ice cream, and went shopping. It was nice to see them and catch up because we all go to different schools and have different, hectic schedules. I love my friends from my show because they can see a different side of me that I'm not really around my friends. I can't wait to keep in touch with them and see them during the school year!

Saturday 
Yesterday evening, my sister and I met up for an early dinner at Chipotle with some other friends from JCS, Alexa, Katie, and Maggy. We laughed a lot and ate delicious Mexican food, so I would say it was a really great way to catch up!

Sunday
Today, I did something that I have not done since I was a little girl; I went on a picnic! I was with my friends Ashley, Ashly, Bethany, Vishnu, and Sam. We went to the river walk in our downtown and sat in a very cool, shady park with lots of trees, and just had a picnic! We played frisbee, rolled down hills, then went out for frozen yogurt. It was a lot of fun and something different to do! Ashley even said to me "This was such a good idea, why don't people do this anymore?" It was a lot of fun and we are planning to do it again!

So this was a very social week for me, as you can tell! I am so happy I got to see many people and catch up with great friends. I hope this summer you guys are catching up with the people you love and hang out with!

Music and Identity

For my online Music Theory course, I was asked a series of questions about my "personal soundtrack". One of the questions was something along the lines of, "please pick one song to identify with and explain why." 

For some, they love music a lot. But for me, music is, quite literally, my life. I play flute, piccolo, piano, and a little guitar. I sing in choir, I'm in marching band. I'm going to give private flute lessons this summer. I enjoy listening to my own choice of music. Honestly, I do nothing inside or outside of school that I enjoy more. 

Scratch that, I enjoy theatre probably a little more, but music ties for the top spot. 

Anyway, while I think that this is a great question, it was also very hard for me to answer. 

How can I pick one song out of, say, one hundred, that have shaped me to be who I am?  

If placed in the perfect situation, I would have answered with one hundred of my favorite and most meaningful songs to my life and explained why ALL of those identified me. These songs come from all different artists, genres, years. They feature different instrumentation and ideas. But, they have all influenced me to be the person who I am and want to be: more creative, fun, happy-go-lucky, loving. Less serious, not as worried for a sixteen year old. 

And, I really hope I made the right choice, out of one hundred, to pick the one. 

I hope if you were presented with this question, you would make the right choice, too. 

Because we are what we listen to. 

Finals 2013 & Looking Ahead

So, here at Neuqua Valley High School, finals week is coming to a close. My last two finals are tomorrow, Band and French 3. Woo hoo!

So, I already have my final grades in four classes. In Honors English II, I got a B+, in Chemistry, I got a B, in Gym, I got an A (but who doesn't? It's Gym, for crying out loud), and in Geometry, I got a C+

Yeah, that's right. This is my FIRST ever C in a class for the end of the year up to this point in my life. But you know what? I don't care.

While I understand and am fully aware that a Geometry course and at least three years of math classes are required to graduate at my school, the profession that I am going into (musical theatre performance) will never, ever, ever require me to find the slope of something. I hope.

But, odds are, it won't. Next year for junior year, I will try my hardest to do better in my math class, but I will give the most I can give. I won't worry about my math grade too much. I will just try to get it to a point where it contributes positively to my GPA. I will just focus on my two AP classes I will be taking next year in two subjects that I LOVE (English and History).

I will just look forward to next year and try my best, but also focus on what I love. That is it in a nutshell. I will also only focus what will move me towards my college/subject major & minor goals.

I hope you all can take something away from this, too.

More Auditions?!?

So this week, after a crazy and hectic two weeks of production of The Music Man at my high school, I traveled up to North Central College in downtown Naperville to do two auditions for their summer production of Jesus Christ Superstar. On Thursday night, there was a vocal audition and last night was the dance auditions. 

While the song I picked for my vocal audition is not totally suited to my vocal range and it was a little uncomfortable for me to sing ("Tell Me On A Sunday" from Song And Dance), I acted to the best of my abilities during it and I think that the directors' enjoyed it from the smiles on their faces! 

However, last night's dance audition was a little more difficult. I had to do the two auditions for the children's production of Peter Pan and Superstar. And, since I have to wear glasses most of the time, it was a little difficult to pick up on the steps and dance with my glasses slipping off my nose. But, I danced to the best of my abilities and tried my hardest at the audition. The directors even said not to get upset with yourself! 

The cast list will be posted either Wednesday or Thursday and rehearsals will commence from there. Wish me luck!

Pinning, Pinning, Everywhere

So, something new that has come into my life to ruin it for good is a little thing called Pinterest. Although it is categorized under the cult of moms and artsy-fartsys, I find it to be a very fun and cathartic experience. You can express your creativity, hobbies, and likes in an organized manner and repin what you like, too! 

For instance, I have been on Pinterest for close to a month now, and I have about ten boards under food, geek culture, weddings, hair and beauty, cities, and cool photography. I enjoy it thoroughly and I am able to teach myself how to do DIY projects, cool beauty ideas and I can try out different recipes that look delicious! 

I strongly suggest joining--it's a ton of fun, and there's so much out there on the site! 

Happy pinning! 

Leading Up To Neuqua Valley's Spring Musical.....

So, the spring musical at Neuqua Valley this year is the time-honored, slice of Americana Pie show, The Music Man. This little production, directed by the head of the Drama Department and freshman English teacher, has been in the works since the middle of February. Currently, it is the week before the show, and while there is still some to be done, we have made plenty of headway!

This is my third show at Neuqua Valley and my second musical. Last year, as a freshman, in Jekyll And Hyde, I was a member of the ensemble. But this year, as a sophomore, I got the part of Marian Paroo's Irish mother, Mrs. Paroo! It is an honor and thrill for me to be playing this part and I am so excited for show week to make the audience laugh and smile! 

However, rehearsals weren't always butterflies and giggles. We have a very close-knit cast, so we like to talk to each other. And seventy people talking all at once makes for a lot of noise. In addition to being Chatty Kathys', we were very unfocused and didn't put much energy into our respective characters. None of us were off-script. A week ago today, there still would have been much work to be done. 

But today, something magical happened. We all just clicked, I guess you could say. There was energy and memorization and cues were right and we had the pit there and some people were in costume! There was magic on the stage and laughter out in the house. After the run-through of the show, our director sat us down to give us notes and all he could say were great things and compliments. Today's rehearsal definitely restored my faith in the cast as a whole. 

Next week is show week! Cross your fingers for me and if you read this and you know someone in the cast, tell them to break a leg! I will be posting pictures from show week sometime soon.  

Shipoopi!

Spring Break 2013

So, this spring break, like the ones I have had for the past six years, I have spent it here, at home, in freezing Naperville. But no matter; it's been pretty fun!

My family celebrated my dad's birthday on Sunday; it was a quiet affair, but it was exactly what he wanted and that's what's most important!

BREAKING NEWS:  My family also renewed Netflix on Sunday night after a year long wait. So happy!!! I can watch all the Sherlock, Doctor Who, and Supernatural I WANT.

On Tuesday, I went with a group of friends into Chicago to complete a project for AP Euro at the Art Institute and went shopping afterwards. We took the train in and went alone so we felt very grown up! I can't wait for more trips into the city like that with my friends this summer.  

Yesterday, I went with a group of friends to our downtown area to go to lunch at a local pizza place and it was nice to catch up. It's the same group of girls that I eat lunch with, so it was fun to eat outside of school for a change! Plus, I just got my license, so it's really easy to drive myself around everywhere!

And today, I went with my mom, sister, and some family friends of ours to a new "classy bowling alley" called Pinstripes. I haven't been bowling in a few years, so it was a ton of fun and I came in the high-scoring rank of fourth place! But, I had fun and I plan on going back there in the future.

I plan on catching up on some homework for the rest of break and spending Easter with family friends. Then it's back to school with private lessons, homework, an argumentative speech for English, Sophomore Swim class, musical rehearsals (I'm Mrs. Paroo in our school's production of The Music Man!), and hopefully, sleep.

Enjoy your spring breaks and have a fun Easter!

The Fault In Our Stars Book Review

As you might have noticed  in one of my last posts from February (Interval),  I read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. And it totally lived up to its hype; a beautiful but heartbreaking story of teenage angst, first loves, celebrity encounters, and surviving day to day life, but the odds have been raised when it also happens to be a cancer book.  

The book opens where we meet sixteen year old Hazel Grace Lancaster, the sarcastic yet extremely likable narrator, who is diagnosed with terminal thyroid cancer and metastatic cells in her lungs, causing it to be difficult for her to breathe and she has to carry around an oxygen tank and breath through a cannula. Diagnosed as "depressed" by one of her many unhelpful doctors, she goes to a cancer support group every week run by the ever-optimistic cancer survivor Patrick, and that's where she meets him. 

Augustus Waters: Seventeen years old, a a basketball star, handsome, and extremely brilliant and witty. Also a survivor of osteosarcoma (bone cancer), and he has a prosthetic leg with a barely there limp. He takes an immediate liking to Hazel and the two of them connect over their overbearing parents, Cancer Perks, and a novel akin to any bestseller on the New York Times's list,  An Imperial Affliction, their bible of sorts. Within weeks of initial meeting, they experience the painful thing it is to have a best friend you fall in love with and lose them and meet some interesting people along the way that help them re-evaluate their perceptions of the time left they have on Earth, true love, and eternal remembrance.  

I read this book after hearing my friend Ashly rave about it and the author John Green continually. I bought it on a Saturday afternoon, went home, and sat in my room until I finished it that Saturday night. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe, had my mind blown by passages, and cried without regret three times. I re-read it the following day.  

What touched and amazed me about this book was that I was able to connect so well with the characters, despite their life situations being so different than mine. I could feel for them in their angst, upset, and heartbreak because those are all emotions I have experienced before and they are emotions I am sure all teenagers have and will experience. I had these moments while I was reading where I could say that I had been there before and I could feel how all these different factors affected Hazel and Augustus similar to me. 

John Green is a true genius to hit home on topics that are usually not poked fun at and he gives them a macabre, yet witty twist. His voice is overwhelming to come through passages of emotions and hilarity and, to quote NPR.org, "He writes for youth, rather than to them". His ideas on the universe, loss, love, and humiliating situations are genius and on point. His characters make The Fault In Our Stars shine with an edgy, devastating personality and comedic brilliance. And it was Augustus and Hazel's relationship and how it was portrayed that reminded me of what I want for the future: someone who will love me for who I am unconditionally and help me in my troubled times. And I will love them back for those things too and a hundred times over.  

I would suggest this book to anyone. Everyone can be reminded of these important things and how it is to truly feel once in a while.  

Swing Dance 2013

So, on the first Friday in February, my school's music department held the winter annual Swing Dance! It's where the music department kids and jazz groups (jazz bands, vocal jazz, etc.) come together and make music and actually swing dance. It's a ton of fun because it's a bit of a departure from the normal Homecoming, Turnabout, etc., and the jazz is awesome and everyone looks classy.

But the one thing that could have ruined it this year....DID.

Our school's weekly production show, Wildcat Weekly, decided to do a segment on Swing Dance, exposing this amazing, private event to the public, who already have their Homecomings and their Turnabouts, etc. I was like, "What, NOT COOL." But, you can't always get what you want. So, we would have to *sigh* SHARE the dance. But it was fine; I would concentrate on me and my friends and we would have a great time!

So, I go home that Friday and get ready: take a shower, dry my hair, curl it, do my makeup all nice and fancy, and put on my dress, tights and flats. Me and my sister both looked awesome and mod and classy.

So we get there and we meet up with our friends and mill around in the common area for a bit, then at 7 pm, the gym doors open and this whole crowd of kids heads in to get our swing dancing lesson! It was a lot of fun, and I was able to brush up on my swing skills a bit; turns out, I had been doing it wrong for a whole year....whoops!

After an hour long dance lesson, we were shepherded into the cafeteria, where the jazz bands proceeded to set up for the first set and we awkwardly hung out and talked with our friends. But once the music got going, we were on fire! I don't think I stopped dancing once with all of my friends, I was having too much fun! The music changes were flawless and the music itself was great: a lot of upbeat, big band numbers, with no slow dances (a crisis averted for single pringles, like myself).

At the end of the night, it started to snow. I collected my jacket, purse, and my sister. We said goodbye to our friends as the last jazz number ended and we left the school, smiling, because this dance was an awesome break from the hectic start to the 3rd Quarter.  I just love Swing Dance so much because it's different, fun, and unique, and I know it's a memory I will look back on fondly from my high school years.

  Me and my sister before Swing Dance! On me: Dress: Forever 21. Belt: Forever 21. On Jill: Shirt: Forever 21. Skirt: Forever 21.

Interval

Hello blog readers,

I know it has been a while since I last posted

But I have been busy

With auditions and callbacks and private lessons and homework and projects and shopping and Downton Abbey and stalking celebrities.

So everything's typical, but it's too busy at the same time

I promise promise PROMISE I will write something this weekend, I have missed you all.

There will be pictures

And rants

So the usual, but be prepared

Bisous





P.S. I READ THE FAULT IN OUR STARS AND OMG

AP Euro Struggles and Successes

Around this time last year, I was a freshman in high school, ready to complete my course selections for my upcoming sophomore year. I was totally set in all of my core subjects except for one, my Social Studies course. I was taking a freshman accelerated history course, Honors World History, and I loved it and knew I wanted to continue down that path, but I just didn't know what to do. That was when my teacher recommended me to take AP European History.

AP European History is a 10-12th grade level course, but most sophomores take it. It is notorious as one of Neuqua Valley's hardest classes to take, but it's a ton of fun too! We do plenty of skits & group projects, watch movies, and eat a ton of food, since we have Wednesday Treat Day every week.  

My year in AP Euro started off pretty successful: turning in all my summer work and getting good marks for it and receiving a fair grade on the first test of the year. I met a ton of new people through the class, and reconnected with some old faces, and we all bonded! I thought with these grades, and this kind of support system, I knew what to expect, but was I wrong. 

Because marching band took over, I struggled in this class for a while. I failed or received D's on three tests in a row, wasted tons of time on my note taking when really I was just copying my textbook word for word, and got too caught up in the social aspect of the class with the mentality "It's a college level course. Of course it's hard and of course I'm going to struggle. If I get a B in the class, whatever, I won't care.". 

But I smartened up a bit after the class got very intense and my schedule started to get even crazier in October. I went in for help, developed a new studying habit (flashcards!), made my two textbooks become my best friends, and emailed my old teacher to tell him about my progress. While it was tedious, receiving high marks for homework assignments, class projects, and an essay here or there, but receiving low grades on tests (the biggest part of my grade category), all the hard work paid off in November. My test scores started to improve to high C's and B's (the average in the class), and my overall grade was an 86% by the end of November, something that is usually unheard of in the class. It felt awesome to be doing above average (well, almost) and to be understanding the level of material given to me. 

But, all of my work really paid off when I got an 82% on the final exam, and with curved points, got a final grade on the exam of an 89%. I screamed and ran and danced around my house like there was no tomorrow!! 

So, at the tail end of the first semester, my final grade was a mid-range 87%. But with the HUGE opportunity of 3% extra credit, I received a 90.52% as my final grade, an extremely low, but still there A. 

It was, and is, gratifying to know that all the hard work, long nights, and immeasurable ink stains paid off for something. I can now go into the second semester confidently, and I am confident that I can go into junior year AP U.S. History with high expectations for myself with a great work ethic and understanding of what is expected of me. 

I know that if I try really hard again, maybe I could swing another A in the class for second semester. But an A in this kind of class is like a shooting star: hard to find, but the gratification when you spot one is amazing. I am just content I surpassed my own standards for myself and I am ready to beat the new ones for myself!! 

Plain Girly Things

If I could divide how I spent my time over winter break, it would have been: 

-5% eating 
-10% sleeping 
-10% watching TV/movies 
-10% listening to music 
-And 65% shopping online or in person, doing my nails, hair or makeup, planning outfits, etc. etc.  

Since I have very specific clothing tastes, which have driven my parents crazy since the day I could make my opinions known, I usually only get gift cards for Christmas, birthdays, etc., or I point out something extremely specific that I would like (for example: American Eagle Classic Utility Shirt in Light Blue, size medium, found at three areas in the surrounding fifty mile radius of Naperville).  

It is only then that I am happy. 

But, over the past three months or so, I have started to like more clothing brands and more styles, so I only asked my mom for gift cards for Christmas, so I COULD buy the things I wanted. And she happily obliged! 

With these lovely gift cards and much Christmas cash, I went out to both new and old stores to pick out what I wanted to dress to impress for the new year at school. 

                                         Shopping In Downtown Naperville w/ the Fam.     

   

Orange Sweater: Debbie Morgan via Macys. Jeans: American Eagle.com. Boot Socks: Sonoma via Kohls. Boots: American Eagle.com. Necklace: Body Central.   

Doing Errands and Friend's Party

Navy Sweater: Topshop via Nordstroms. Black Leggings: Forever 21. TOMS: Nordstoms.  

I also took the initiative over break and went on some beauty blogging websites and found out different and interesting ways to do my hair and nails! While the most complicated thing I learned how to do was French Braid my hair, I learned how to do my nails in a really cool way! Just go onto Google and search "tape nails". It's super easy and took me fifteen minutes max!

Tape Nails

I did my nails using two nail polishes from The Gap: a navy called Neptune and a metallic silver called Silver Bullet.  

Besides the beauty orientated part of my break, I spent a very quiet break here, at home, with mainly my family. But trust me, I am NOT complaining in the slightest. A quiet break alone, at home, was just what I needed to relax and recharge after the extremely hectic 2012 I had! 

I spent my last day of break, unfortunately, doing my extra credit for AP European History! I had to watch a movie on the revolutionary age in American and France. So I chose The Scarlet Pimpernel with Merle Oberon and I sat in my room with my mom's iPad, coffee, and Skinny Pop popcorn and spent a relaxing, quiet afternoon to myself. The perfect way, I would say, to end my break and start off the new year on the right foot at school: relaxed, recharged, and ready to go!  

Just a quick visual for how I spent my last day of break. VERY cozy!