Support your long-distance sister

Janice is walking for the American Heart Association. Please consider donating any amount (even if it's just $5) to a worthy cause.

http://heartwalk.kintera.org/syracuseny/janicecabellon

Thanks,
Alli

Oscar buzz.. zzzzzzz...

Well, the 77th Annual Academy Awards airs tomorrow. I'm looking forward to Josh and Beyonce's performance of "Believe." But, of course, you probably knew that. :)

I've visited some of the news sites online, and they are talking about how the Oscars don't have any major contenders this year, so that may affect the ratings. I agree. I haven't seen Million Dollar Baby or The Aviator. I don't plan to anytime soon. But I'll still watch the awards show.

Btw, one article reported that last year's Tony Awards only attracted 6.5 million viewers. That show was one of the best I've seen in years. Perhaps I *should* work for the PR firm that handles the Tonys (I know which one does). That would be so much fun. :)

Shout-out to last night's writers of ALIAS

Andre Nemec and Josh Appelbaum... you guys rock! Finally finally. Alias calls back to the first season of the show with Anna Espinosa, cutting off a finger (hehehe), and actually having a dramatic cliffhanger moment (ruined by scenes from next week's episodes, but you know you wanted to see that!). *sigh* Good stuff. :)

"A new adventures awaits you this weekend."

Or so the fortune cookie said. But does that apply to this weekend (which is nearly over) or next weekend (which is too far way)???

At any rate, I definitely had an abnormal weekend. Am really glad that it lasted a couple extra days. Friday doesn't *really* count, but at least I didn't have any pressing matters to attend to. Saturday was very enjoyable and productive .

Ah, yes. But on Sunday, she rested. I was pooped out, I tell ya. There was no way I could make it to church. So I plopped myself down on the couch for pretty much the entire day. My cheeks swelled, and I could barely stay awake longer than 2 or 3 hours at a time. Definitely was awake for "Desperate Housewives" though.

I head back to the dorm in an hour or so. Hope I survive this week OK!

Recovering

Hi! My pain medication seems to be working (yay!), and I'm having a pretty good time recovering from my wisdom teeth surgery. After my surgery, Dad picked up my prescriptions and bought Frosties from Wendy's for me. That makes three Frosties in one week. I think those do wonders, even if you can't finish 'em. :)

I watched the rest of the Grammys. The first 65 minutes were the most entertaining. Loved watching the opening act, Alicia Keys, and U2. Didn't really enjoy J.Lo -- she was singing live. Heh heh.

After that I watched a program hosted by Lea Salonga. It was about religious faith of Asian-Americans. I didn't really need to watch it (I almost fell asleep a few times), and I certainly didn't agree with everything they said, but hey, it's Lea Salonga.

For whatever reason, I desperately wanted to watch Annie. LOL! So I popped in the videocassette of the 1999 version, starring Alicia Morton, Victor Garber, Audra McDonald, Kathy Bates, Alan Cumming, and Kristin Chenoweth. Good stuff.

Finally, I watched The Notebook with Dad. Hmmm... I keep hearing about people bawling after watching the movie. Under Alexa's recommendation, I read the book last year. I definitely cried after reading that. But I didn't really cry after watching the movie. Eeep. I hope there's nothing wrong with me. I got teary-eyed after watching Kramer vs. Kramer in class the other day. Hmmm... what was the last movie that really made me cry? Will have to think about that one. Cinema Paradiso, the new version, made me really sad. Maybe it was Finding Neverland. I held back the tears, but it was a tear-jerker. Will have to get that when it comes out on DVD.

GSP... niiiice

I used my "graduating senior priority" status to register today. I didn't even bother to wake up before 6 a.m. to do it. Not even 7. Eight. Yup, 8 o'clock. And, it was the easiest and most painless registration experience I've ever had! YAY!

I may or may not change my schedule, but right now I'm signed up for two COM classes and a Filipino histories class. I've actually never taken a history class at UW, so I thought, "Why not?" As for my COM classes, I'm very happy 'cause I thought I wouldn't be able to take both. The first time schedule indicated that the classes would be a country mile (lol, I'm borrowing Brittany's Olive Garden parking lot phrase) apart, which means the ten minute break between classes would be a %($!*#& walk on foot. The latest time schedule says otherwise! Now we're talkin' a quick city block. No need for bikes or Segweys.

The reason why I might change my classes is that I've *always* had at least one class every weekday. The COM classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays. I *thought* the history class met Mondays and Wednesdays... alas, it meets MWFs. Oh well.

T-minus two hours 'til extraction. See ya when I see ya...

Don't kill "American Dreams"!

OK, first you don't order 22 episodes a season, and directly related, you're not airing any new episodes during SWEEPS, for cryin' out loud.

Now you're gonna move "American Dreams" to Wednesday nights at 8? Are you out of your mind, NBC? A bit LOST, aren't we?

Jeez. I am so addicted to tvtome.com right now, and it's telling me that "American Dreams" will air on Wednesdays. Bad move, NBC. Bad move. Thanks a lot for killing such a great show.

Almost in the clear

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weekend. And it's not like I'm even going anywhere (*ahem*Disneyland*ahem*New York*ahem*LUCKy). I'm having my wisdom teeth extracted. I don't think I'll be happy when I'm groggy and in pain, but I can't wait to rest and watch my tape of the Grammys and movies on DVD... oh, and drink milkshakes. :)

An update on my internship. I translated the PSA into Spanish last Friday and surprised everyone--including myself! On Monday I got some help from another staff member, and he said my Spanish was pretty good. Considering I haven't taken Spanish since high school, I'm still pretty amazed.

It's been a long day. Back to watching Alias, which is shaping up to be better than last week's episode. Ha!

Edit: LOL! "Will you marry me, Mr. Bristow?" Love Marshall. :)

Best ever

Howdy, y'all. I'm not entirely sure how much I should report about this weekend. ;) It was definitely fun! And I couldn't have spent it in a better way. Let's see... Not-so-great but still entertaining dueling pianists at Chopstix. Reeeeally good drinks. Really really. We *could* stay in the bathroom forever. Name that tune. Interesting time between 2 and 5 a.m. I learned more about Iceland than I have in my entire life. Best gum ever. The car ride did us in. Best chicken strips ever. Happy birthday, Brittany! *thinking of my potential audience* Yeah, I'll keep it at that. *grin* :)

"I have confidence in me."

Don't know how The Sound of Music popped into my head, but it's fitting! One of my projects at the Opera today was to call back the radio stations and ask for their PSA requirements. Oh yes, PSA stands for Public Service Announcement. :) I've never written one, but we covered how to do them in my writing class last summer. This time, when one of the radio stations answered the phone in Spanish and said, "How may I help you?" I was able to ask "?Habla ingles?" right away. :) The woman on the phone was really nice (I don't know if she was impressed, but she seemed pleased that I could at least say that) and said, "Yes." Overall, the project of calling went smoothly, and I'm getting more confident on the phone.

Had a really good day today. Felt helpful and productive at work. Only had an hour of class. Saw someone I went to high school with on the Quad. Actually fasted on Ash Wednesday (yeah, I feel bad for never doing it before). Had an epiphany about what I learned in my communication class. Got a lead for an informational interview (wish me luck!!!). That's probably the best thing that happened today. No, it probably ties with my epiphanic moment on the bus, and I do think that may be in part to my craziness for having to fast today. Hmmm... it's all interconnected somehow. Thanks to everyone Up There. :) You know who You are.

"?Habla... ... ... ingles?"

At my internship today, I had to call some Washington-state radio stations that air Spanish-language programs. (We are preparing to send news releases and/or PSAs about the upcoming opera, Florencia en el Amazonas [Florencia in the Amazons].) When I called one of the stations, somebody answered in Spanish, and I panicked because I wasn't prepared to speak in Spanish... because I CAN'T. I haven't done that since high school, and even back then I sucked at it. Really, I did.

Anyway, I wanted to know if she spoke English, so of course I started to say, "?Habla..." And literally, not one, not two, but *three* ellipses passed by before I came up with "ingles?" Good grief. I was so relieved when she said "yes" and gave a little laugh. Actually, I was relieved *that* she laughed. :) The problem was I wanted to automatically say "?Habla espanol?" but clearly I knew that was wrong!!! :))

Become multilingual when you're young, kiddies. That's the lesson del dia.

The next step

I applied for graduation today. Now before you go "whaaaaat?" just know that I have been freaking out about this for months now. Yet when I met with my department advisor, signed the forms, declared my music minor, and went my merry way, I felt... elated! It was really nice to walk into my advisor's office and say, "I'm approaching graduation" and then hear, "Congratulations!" :) I now have graduating senior priority, which means I can choose my classes before the "regular" seniors and other undergrads. My last quarter will be autumn 2005.
"The world is a big scary place. But somehow I can't shake this feeling I might make a difference to the human race." Looks like Avenue Q is gonna be my theme musical when I step out into the "real world." Wish me luck.

"She gets the car."

Well, I really do love New York. My knack for knowing random things paid off today. In one of my music classes today, we had a guest lecturer, an assistant conductor here at UW. He invited us to guess what instrument John Philip Sousa, the march king, played. He said if somebody got it right, it would be like getting a car on "Wheel of Fortune." I question the choice of the quiz show, but you get the point. Anyway, somebody guessed the tuba. Somebody else jokingly guessed the triangle. LOL! Well, nobody knew. The conductor told us that Sousa played the violin. How about that? You learn something new every day.

Fast forward a few minutes, and the conductor was telling us the pieces that would be featured in an upcoming School of Music concert. One of them is called "Redline Tango." He was reading a paragraph about the piece and explained that it had a double meaning. I forgot the first, but the second refers to the red line of the subway system in New York. It runs through Manhattan and to BAM, where the piece premiered. "What's B-A-M?" he asked our professor. My professor didn't know. Before I knew it, I called out:

"Brooklyn Academy of Music!"

"What?"

(louder) "Brooklyn Academy of Music!"

"Broadway?"

"Brooklyn!"

"Ohh. She gets the car."

*smiles on both our faces*

Let's hear it for random trivia! Maybe I should apply for Jeopardy! (FYI, I owe it to PBS' "Ghostwriter" for knowing that BAM stands for Brooklyn Academy of Music. LOL! Loved that show.)

Baby, it's col---no, I take that back!

What's up with the 60 degree weather, Seattle? We're freakin' dyin' here. They've got the heat turned on in the dorm, in the classrooms, at work, and at the Opera. It's way too toasty. Yikes. Here in my room, the windows are open, and the fans are going. It's like a summer night. I really enjoyed last summer and I sometimes wish it still *were* last summer, but really, I'm not in denial. I very well accept that fact that it's winter. So if you please, let it be winter. No more sticky heat in January. Don't give people in the PNW a reason to wear flip flops in the middle of WINTER when it's RAINING.

My guitar!!!

A Takamine G Series, model number GS-330S. Acoustic. Steel strings. Narrow neck. Cedar top. Gorgeous mellow sound. It's beautiful. And it's mine. :)

Mom and I went to Guitar Center for the first time yesterday. That store is incredible. I started by examining a couple guitars (Yamaha and Fender). It was a little annoying because I had to tune them. As I was playing the Fender, a salesperson approached us. Jay seemed knowledgeable and trustworthy, and he was very helpful in leading us to the intermediate guitars in a room where you can test guitars without being distracted by the music aired over the speaker system. He showed me a grand concert Fender (I liked that it had a smaller body and the fact that it was a Fender [what can I say? I was thinking of RENT]), but then he said he just got a shipment of a Takamine guitar. I tried the Fender while he went to get the Takamine. I knew I would get an intermediate guitar once I started playing. For one, they were already in tune. Also, Jay had explained the wood tops of the intermediate guitars produced better sounds over time than the beginner guitars.

When he returned with the Takamine, he tuned it and then handed it over so I could try it. Right from the start, it was super easy to move my hand on the neck, and the sound was, as I said before, gorgeous. I tried one more guitar, a Yamaha with a spruce top. But I was already convinced I'd get the Takamine.

Thank you, Mom, for such an amazing present!

Gimme an 'R'!

Gimme an 'A'! Oh, forget it. Let's cut to the chase:

I got a raise at work! It was totally unexpected. My supervisor told me she had good news. I was kind of like, "Huh?" So I asked, "What is it?" And she told me I'm getting a raise -- effective today. Woo to the hoo! My day has been made. They know how to keep this student assistant happy.

Tonight I'm seeing the dress rehearsal of Manon Lescaut. Yay!

On another note: Happy Birthday, Lolo Ven!

Not my day

Well, I decided to buy a portable CD player to replace my old Panasonic. It wasn't that old, but as you'll recall, it broke. I can't live without a portable music device, so I decided to stick with Panasonic and ordered a cool model -- complete with a remote control feature -- from circuitcity.com. I bought it *because* of the remote control. The main unit is really light, and the headphones are pretty good. Unfortunately, the remote control doesn't even work! Argh, imagine my frustration if you will. Oh ho ho, I'm determined to get a replacement part without having to pay an outrageous price. I'm just not sure how to go about doing it. The Panasonic site won't let me submit my query. OK, I'm done ranting... for now.

First new year's resolution (yeah, I never got around to writing any down): Cut down the use of the word "cool." I say it too much.

Second new year's resolution: Drink more water. I think I got the idea from Janice.

Opera novice

That would be me. As opposed to an opera aficionado. This past week has inspired me to see the upcoming productions of Manon Lescaut, Florencia en el Amazonas, and Le nozze di Figaro. I have different reasons for wanting to see each opera (yikes, I keep wanting to type musicals because I'm so used to saying that).

Manon has been labeled as Giacomo Puccini's first successful opera. It's not performed by opera companies very often, so this is my chance.

Florencia is sung in Spanish. How cool is that? It was also written by Daniel Catan in the last decade of the 20th century. Yup, this opera was written during my lifetime. It's also based on themes from Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (accents over the "i" in Garcia and "a" in Marquez).

I'm watching a production of Nozze on DVD. I can't pass up watching the Young Artists, since I'll be working on the Young Artists Program at my internship.

I had wanted to see operas in the past but never got around to it. To make up for it, this is the year I'm going to see some. (And pick up some programs that I helped proofread and, in some small & supportive ways, create. ;) )

Endings and Beginnings

Here's lookin' at you, 2004. It's the year I...
...declared my major in communication.
...saw Josh Groban sing live and in person for the first time.
...met Josh Groban.
...visited Brittany in L.A.
...saw Miss Saigon for the 9th time.
...volunteered with Seattle Public Theater.
...went to New York City twice.
...saw Wicked.
...saw Avenue Q.
...attended the free Broadway on Broadway concert in Times Square.
...saw Josh in concert a total of three times.
...wrote my first complete song.

2005 is off to a great start so far. School is back in session. Alias has finally returned to the TV lineup. I've returned to work. I've also started my internship with Seattle Opera. I can't fully describe how cool it is to intern there. I've been able to write an opera synopsis, write a draft of a news release, proofread a blue-line, sit in on a department meeting, and take a tour of the office, rehearsal, and storage space. Everyone is really nice and friendly.

Here's lookin' at you, 2005.

Let's see where this year takes us.

Not just any Monday

Finished my last final! I was much more prepared for this final than my music midterm. I probably even overstudied the listening examples. Still, there were a couple part II (written exam and multiple choice) questions that totally stumped me. When did Buddhist music begin? Uhhhh... my mind went completely blank. Multiple choice: What is the oldest music performed in Asia and when did it begin?

Yeesh. I don't even think I have this information in my notes. Then I started thinking, "Didn't we learn this during the first half of class? I thought the test wasn't cumulative. Is this a trick question? It's a trick question. So I better not answer *that* way. Answer: B. Well, guess: B. Hmmm... waaait a minute. Erase visceral answer. I'm answering *that* way. It's probably wrong, but I'm gonna answer *that* way anyway. Ooh, it's tricky. I'm going to write that on my test -- 'Trick ?' -- just so they know that I think they're messing with me. Answer: A. I give up." Oh well! And now I think I read the question incorrectly, but what can you do? Smile and blog about it. :)

I can tell you about other things though. For example, the Nepal national anthem is pretty cool. There are three bands playing at once, and they are playing incompatible musical scales. Sure, you've got to get used to the reality that it's out of tune (and you may even wince), but that's what makes it cool. :)

I'm looking forward to next quarter but not until I make full use of my Christmas break... starting NOW!