Wise Words:
When life gives you lemons -- PUCKER UP!
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Friday, March 29, 2002
I'm alive . . . I'm a-LIVE!!!
sorry about the lack of updating, folks-- after staring at computer screens for days getting my seminar work done, I've opted not to touch the keyboard for a few days.
as if anyone cares if I update this anyway.
Well, it's Easter, but am I getting a break? Hellllllllll no, I've got to catch up on some major shit. Like composition -- we're supposed to have'em done by this week, but of course i've had to neglect mine for the past month or so, so instead of being 100% done I'm about 30% there. And I have to copy the parts for the players that technically don't exist. I practically devoted yesterday to my comp baby-- just over lunchtime alone (about 1 1/2 hours) I hashed out a whopping 50 measures (100, if you include the repeat sign). Not bad for somebody who's not used to writing for an ensemble. And I also got inspiration for it walking through this labyrinth they set up in the Union, an Easter tradition with the Chaplain's office (a meditative cure for stress at a very apt time).
Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh, I wish i hadn't decided to devote my last semester to music -- in fact, this morning I wondered about why I didn't take non-departmental elecive courses this semester. Like Spanish and German-- what if I had taken introductory language courses this semester? That would make my resume look soooooooo much better than it does now, particularly if I'm going to do ESL or international stuffs.
I have to talk to my seminar prof in a few minutes.. still waiting for my colleague to return, bruised and ego-broken, from his talk with him. I have such good ideas in my paper -- I can see my prof ripping them to shreds. Goddammit, why does academia have to be so hard?
In other news....I've been spending a lot of time downloading mp3s (for free!!) in between spurts of paper writing. I've gotten so many Linkin Park files that the band now has its own subfolder in "My Music". If anyone wants recommendations, check out "My December" and "Carousel". Very nice stuff. I also found a Natalie Merchant song that I adore, "Just Can't Last". I [heart] Natalie. Damn, how I want Motherland, her new album. Maybe I'll order it with Symphony 1997, which I might be able to tie in to my seminar paper (those amazon.com customers all say that he uses Schiller's Ode to Joy, but since I haven't heard the piece yet i can't confirm it). By the way, I think I may have a new idol in the realm of classical music -- Tan Dun.
I hope this long entry makes all you nonexistent blog readers happy.
14:11
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
grrrrr, i'm gonna miss the choir concert to finish this durn outline.
...yes, i'm a geek, and a music geek at that. :-o
19:58
Where art thou wildcat ho?
Geez it's been a busy couple of days. My main obstacle has been my seminar paper outline, which is currently four pages long (yeehaw!)... scary to think that it could be much, much longer if I hadn't chopped my thesis up a bit. Nearly everyone in the seminar is taking advantage of the 24-hour grace period our prof has given us for our assignments.
I attended the Imani winds concert last night, even with all the work I had to do. God, am i ever happy to have gone. The ensemble was amazing-- the performers had a very collaborative dynamism and communication and their articulation of the music was very... soulful. What I liked about them most, though, was that they seemed very down-to-earth -- nowhere near the snobbiness I encountered with the flashy, lip-sticked, Britney Spears-ish image of the Ahn Trio that was here last semester.
Since I was up til 430 this morning working for seminar, I'm gonna give myself more time than usual to sleep -- that means cutting all things short to get everything done. Thus-- sayonara!
16:30
Monday, March 25, 2002
if anyone needs further reason to kill time, check out this website-- it's seriously worth the look.
All I can say is that this guy has some issues...although he's got the scientific method down pat.
12:06
Progress-- I think I'm done with the introduction to my paper! And the rest...*sigh*
01:51
Sunday, March 24, 2002
I know, I know; I haven't updated all day.
Agh. My seminar paper is not going well. I've been doing seminar work all day-- I should be working a lot harder, considering that I was the laziest SOB over the weekend. At least we'll be discussing some rather cool pieces come Tuesday: we're looking at 2 pieces by this guy named Rochberg, and one of his pieces, a piano suite, is entitled "Carnival Music" and uses... circus music. yep. Man, that's one awesome piece to listen to. Wish I could say the same about the string quartet (an hour long).
So Allison called me up around 7 to ask me if I would take her to go pick up her roommate at the AmTrak station. Apparently this girl was gonna take the bus back here and didn't realize that the buses stop running at 5 until it was too late, so Allie was practically begging me over the phone. I wasn't terribly happy about having to drive all the way to Charlotte, but hell, I was looking for excuses not to sit and work. So we're downtown, we're driving around in circles block around block cuz we have no idea where the AmTrak station is (Allison had been there once before but she vaguely remembered it). So we actually pull up to a fire station and ask these two guys lounging around for some help. The directions? Just take 2 lefts and go about 5 blocks. There goes my confidence in my sense of direction.
So now her roommate is safe and sound (she's from Germany... I gave her a blunt "Wilkommen" when I finally dropped her home) and Allison is pleased. And I still have my seminar paper to write. Dammit.
Perhaps I'll check out the Oscar scores. Bottom of the ninth, Moulin Rouge 10, Lord of the Rings 0!
22:32
Saturday, March 23, 2002
random: I just got a cybercard from "The easter bunny"-- no joke-- if anyone wants his address (or help finding eggs): easter@bunny.com
22:36
Before I begin my next update, I'd like to ask a question:
Is anybody out there reading this? I've heard from a few people, the closest of the close (yes, that would be Moose, Butterfingers and Miss Meggo. And what about some darjeeling tea eh? But seriously, I'd like to know if there are other people who check this out -- if not, I'd love to throw more obscenties into this only-mild-but-still-simmering stew.
So... a lot has happened since my last blog. We of course held the blasted PBD meeting... and of course I had differing opinions than others about who should be allowed to join. For one thing, I was under the impression that study abroad "carries significant weight as membership criteria" (it says so on the application)-- but then again, we didn't even discuss much study abroad in the meeting. Another thing: who knew that on-campus international involvement was such a biggie? Honestly, you learn more tricks of the trade once you've entered the business. The president of the society (president in name only; really, the professors wield all the power) and the secretary (the one whom I've described before as "the bitch I love to hate" -- she nominated herself for the position, by the way), being so essential to the existence of the society, participated a lot. Dr A, the prof who went with me to India last year, encouraged me to speak up at times... but I repeated the "what's the use? this place is shit" mantra to myself over and over, reminding myself that I might have a blissful life in the future and that release from the world is what I need.
Maybe I should've gotten down on the floor and started meditating-- which was what I was doing the hour before the meeting. I RSVP-d for a special meditation workshop, an event to go along with the Mystical Arts of Tibet. The monk that was with us seemed so pleasant... they all do, really... made me consider packing up and throwing myself into a Buddhist monastery, like my good friend and zhongwen partner HCS. He's received a thousand bucks to head to Myanmar to do just that. Lucky bastard.
Last night was the night we officially celebrated my friend Lara's birthday; we went out to dinner at O'Charley's. Although the food was great, we had a 45-minute wait-- even with a reservation -- but that gave me time to survey the waitstaff. :) Our waitress made some stupid remark about the yeast rolls: "OK, I have another batch for you all, this basket has five because the other table has five so it's all fair." Where the heck did that comment come from? No one had complained about the number of rolls before, so we were a bit stunned and one of us complained to the manager.
I had to leave dinner early to make it to the monks' performance. Yes, their performance. Sounds a bit paradoxical, but they put on a show. I could talk for ages about what I witnessed, but here are some key things I noted:
*these Tibetan Buddhist monks don't always sing in their lowest register
*you could both hear and see Chinese influences in their performances (a good thing to note, since we're always complaining about China's political influence on Tibet)
*although the acoustics in the new performance hall are great (those overtones were loud and clear), they should add some lights -- I got there late and the alcove and aisles were pitch black, no lights installed-- therefore literally groping the walls to find the doors was a must
And, finally, today I had lunch with Lauren. I hadn't had a good chat with her for a while; she was gone last semester (DC's been a bit rough for her). She informed me that there's a new Jars of Clay album now. I haven't checked them out since sophomore year, so this oughtta good.
And now, ladies and gents, I shall attempt to work on my seminar paper. Adios!
17:32
Friday, March 22, 2002
as an addendum to the previous entry, here are some snippets from the applications (don't worry, I've withheld all names so I won't get sued off my ass):
*I am currently tutoring French to a French teacher.
--Typos, anyone?
*The extent of my international learning abroad has had a profound impact on the depth of my education. While I have benefited greatly from my experience here at Davidson, the formal scholastic training still pales in comparison to the life lessons I've acquired as a world traveler. Aside from histories, culinary delicacies, and service initiatives, I have come to gain a unique appreciation of the world's diversity.
--This goes on for PAGES. Do I need to type anymore of this crap? JUST GET TO THE POINT, YOU IDIOT! Sadly, this guy is OVER-qualified for induction, even if he can't answer a single question in just ONE page of space. Does this person know the meaning of the word "briefly"?
*I lived and studied in Guadalajara, Mexico. ... Mama, papa [sic], Sergio (24), Mari-Carmen (19) and Beatriz (18) took me in to their home and made me a part of their family. We ate meals together, shopped together, talked together -- even vacationed together. We always spoke in Spanish and they also included me in gatherings of their extended family.
--Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever read?
*I realized the rest of the world doesn't necessarily live like Americans and that diversity should be welcomed.
--Congratulations for figuring that out. Did your Mommy help you with that?
*In fact it was the outstanding study abroad program at Davidson that made me so interested in being a student here.
*I feel that Davidson is unique in that it has challenged me to think not only intellectually and critically, but also more openly in regard to the much larger world that surrounds me.
*I had the pleasure of embarking on [a really stupid study abroad program offered here]. It was a stunning adventure, in terms of places we saw, food we ate, people we talked to, books (and there were so many!) we read, ruins we explored and studied. Never have I been so exposed to such a variety of differing cultural practices. ... Can there be a better, more enriching, more thoroughly international experience than [this trip]? It is hard to imagine it, with all the amazing things we saw, and ate, and heard.
--These people obviously know how to get into EVERYTHING at this school.
And people wonder why I hate this school so much.
01:03
the FIRST RANT -applications out the wazoo
perhaps I should begin this by stating that I started this blog as I way of releasing some stress. so unless you're ready to hear me whine, bitch and moan about my fellow classmates, you better go elsewhere -- maybe here?
Oh yeah, and there's some profanity here. Watch out.
god, I am sick of this school. I''m currently reviewing some applications for Phi Beta Delta -- it's the international studies honor society here, and really the only thing on my damn resume of any worth. But reading what these people have done-- why the hell did I come to this school? I'm reading about spoiled brats whose parents give them money to skip across oceans; about top-notch, A+-up-the-ass students who get gold stars and grants (AND fellowships -- geez-us) to travel and study here and there and everywhere; and about people who think that just learning about some culture in a class will automically get them into an honor society. An honor society... if we had no honor, we'd be admitting members right and left, but we do have some expectations of our indcutees, right?
Christ, maybe i should just give all these applicants their awards framed and vacuum-sealed.
00:20
Thursday, March 21, 2002
Mandala Mania
I feel like a huge geek, standing in the Union with my camera and updating my blog. Hell, I feel like a netjunkie just updating this thing. But what can I say -- the monks and the mandala are quite inspirational, so much so that I felt like writing. Just took several pictures of them working on their piece of art (?), and I got some quite good closeups with my trusty zoom-zoom camera. (It's a 4x.) I'm considering buying some merchandise but of course it's rip-off central. (Why didn't I just buy this stuff earlier when I was in Nepal?) However, I did just return a $150 purchase at yon local bookstore, so I do, in a sense, have money to spend.
I'll try posting some pics of the mandala (this would be a good time to pull out that digital camera I got for christmas, but I'm an idiot and didn't think it'd be worth the use to bring to college)... we'll see how that goes.
15:55
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
Tibet or not Tibet (I bet not)
Oh wow, my first real entry... the Mystical Art of Tibet has made it to campus and have already started on their sand mandala. oooooh, let's all gawk and stare at those funny Asian men playing with colored dirt! the good thing is that the SFT (Students for a Free Tibet) have the mandala table set up in the Union atrium, which means we can all get some fab pics of the grainy creation from the 4th floor.
Just got back from the lecture on the "Ancient Art of Healing"... if y'all wanna know, here are some questions that came up. (This should tell you how stupid some of my fellow schoolmates can be.)
*What language are you speaking? (For cryin' out loud, they're from Tibet -- think TIBETAN.)
*Do you eat animals? (Um, they're Buddhist monks so they're kind of not supposed to...)
Oh, and a great statement from the talk:
"We Tibetans get our food from China, because in all Asia Cbina has the best food. We get clothes from Mongolia, because Mongolian clothes are so pretty. Our culture is from India. But we Tibetans are the cleverest, because we take from all of them."
21:03
In the beginning...
OK, so this is the start of a beautiful new relationship between me and the WWW. Earlier this week I called a wonderfully brilliant, talented, etc friend and told her that I needed a new hobby, or at least something new to occupy my time. So, instead of falling into the usual "let's do some service and pretend we're ideal DC students" trap, I took her sage advice and started... this. What is soon to become a blogmania within my soul.
At least I have a medium through which I can rant now (and pretend to have somebody who cares enough to read it). So peeps, tell me what you think of this idea, eh?
15:35
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