Spring Break...

...is nearly over. This was the busiest spring break I can remember. I worked on campus and finished up my internship at Seattle Opera four of the five days. On Tuesday, I "conducted" my first informational interview with a really great PR manager, and--for many reasons--I'm really glad that I did it.

It's difficult to describe how I feel right now on this Good Friday. A continuum from happiness to sadness, perhaps. Happy about my scholarship. Happy about my grades (yeah, I 4.0ed the quarter for the first time at UW). Happy that I had such a great time at the Opera. Sad that my internship has ended. Sad when I think about Lolo. Sad (or maybe just tired) that my break's almost over 'cause I really could use more sleep. Sad (but hopeful) about Jesus' death. I realize that I don't talk about religion all that much. It's something I usually keep private, but I know what it means to me:

At a time like this, I'm reminded just how much my faith in God keeps me going. Especially when the highs and lows come at the same time.

Dear Lolo Ven,

I love you and sorely miss you.

May you rest in peace.

Your granddaughter,
Alli

"Lay down your head and sleep, sleep.
I'll be your pillow, soft and deep.
Leave me your troubles, I will keep
Your days gone by, your days gone by...

Lay down your head and sleep, sleep.
I will be pleased your soul to keep.
Give yourself over to the deep
Of days gone by, of days gone by."

(Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley, "Lay Down Your Head")

Random bits o' tumbleweed

They're ba-ack... My allergies, that is. I'm sneezing more, and I have a headache. Greaaaat.

Poo on you... A bird pooped on my hand on my way to church this morning. It was Disgusting with a capital D. Miraculously, I didn't get pooped on anywhere else. At least, I hope not. The greeters at church asked, "How are you?" and all I could breathlessly reply was, "Pretty good." I didn't want to take the time to say I was desperately in need of washing my hands! ;)

Just what I needed... Church: Does a body--and soul--good.

Denied... I hoped to get bubble tea from Yunnie's today. That's my favorite bubble tea place on the Ave. Who knew they were closed on Sundays?!? That's lost business for ya. My honey milk tea craving will have to wait for another day.

Crunch time... I have a final tomorrow. Am listening to my music examples. Wish me luck!

Metro Woes

Argh, I don't know that I'll ever out and out praise public transportation. It's good most of the time, but it takes one late bus to get the *grumble grumble* out of people--myself included. I waited over half an hour for my bus this afternoon. Half a freakin' hour. This isn't the first time the bus has been severely tardy. Different route, but still. I guess matters were made worse when I witnessed a heated verbal exchange at the bus stop, and it wasn't pretty. I think if I hadn't kept myself preoccupied analyzing what the man was yelling (chalk it up to my being a communication major, taking speech codes and language classes), I would have been traumatized. And he wasn't even yelling at me.

I miss my car. But even if I had it here, I guess I'd complain about the cost of parking. *grumble grumble* :) I like typing *grumble grumble*. You should try it some time.

I'm flying high, defying gravity

Oh, you have no idea how big of a burden has been lifted off me! The paper has been turned in, the speech has been delivered, the questions have been asked and answered. I was really nervous during my speech (and even stumbled a bit), but I recovered during my Q&A time. When the hour was over, my professor told our group that he heard very interesting speeches. After hearing 40 this week, he could have zoned out, but he gave the 10 of us a collective compliment. I take that as a good sign. Phew! As for me, I'm just glad it's over. :)

Am going to see another concert tonight. This time it's the combined choruses and orchestra. Two years ago, I was part of the chorus singing on stage, and tonight I'll be out in the audience. It's kinda cool to think that I've been on the performing side, even if it was only for a brief time.

Finals, I'm ready for you! (Ha ha, not really, but I will be.)

It's here

The last week of class. I think this week will be more stressful than finals. Argh! I've got a paper and speech to write. I was in a groove, reading at -- appropriate enough -- Suzzallo Reading Room, but I had to stop for an officer's meeting at 4 p.m.. Two hours later, I haven't found my way back to schoolwork. *sigh* Oh well.

That's not why I wanted to blog. Hehehe. I just wanted to say that I won $28.50 at Muckleshoot Casino on Friday! Mom, Dad, and I had seafood pho (mmm) and then gambled a little bit. I didn't have any money, so Mom gave me $20. We all played the same slot machine game (I can never remember its name). I got to "party" for the first time and doubled my points, but then Dad started hovering over me and I started losing. No joke. LOL! :) I switched machines a little later and nearly lost. I was down around 100 points when I got to "party" again and I kept touching presents (that amount to points) on the screen like there was no tomorrow, eventually "party pooped," but ended up winning $48.50! Of course, I had to give back the original $20 to Mom. Anyway, it was pretty sweet. As a family, we still lost and the house won. Ah, gambling. :)

Me encanta la opera Florencia en el Amazonas

Wow. I saw Florencia in the Amazon tonight with Mom. First we attended the pre-performance lecture, which was informative and entertaining (humor-wise and piano-wise!). Then, of course, came the performance. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Everything came together so well: the music, singing, dancing, sets, lights, props, special effects... everything. The lecturer talked about a German concept about the collaboration of art. Whatever that German word was, it was right on the mark.

The singers were fantastic. I'm still amazed that they can project so well without the aid of microphones. That's probably one of *the* coolest things about opera, and I'll never get over it. I don't want to! I hesistate to point out favorites among the singers. They were all so powerful and are a solid cast. Ooh, special props to the chorus that sang from the sides of McCaw Hall. Talk about surround sound! :))

I *loved* hearing the music live. Daniel Catan's music is so amazing. I don't know, it makes you feel alive (not that any of us are dead), but if you listen to Florencia, you'll know what I mean. You actually hear and feel the pulse in the music, and the soaring phrases are breathtaking.

The opera was visually stunning. I normally don't comment on sets, lights, costumes, but how can I not? The boat could turn 360 degrees. The moving lights on the stagefloor really DID look like the moving river! The butterfly transformation at the end was beautiful. :)

Ah, there are no adequate words to describe everything...

The good news

I wasn't joking when I said I was addicted to tvtome.com. Well, it turns out that "Lost" won't be airing new episodes for the rest of March, which means I can watch "American Dreams" this month without conflict (my roommate watches "Lost"). Yay!

Still here

I haven't dropped off the face of the planet or anything like that. :) Have just been swamped lately, and I *still* have plenty to do before finals roll around.

Oscars were enjoyable enough. For the one category I actually cared about (best song), neither of my favorites won. Oh well. I ended up watching six hours of Oscar-related TV (yikes), and I swear I saw Josh's manager and vocal coach on the ABC post-Oscar coverage. LOL! That was worth it. Just picture me squinting at my TV (good ol' TV!) hoping to see Josh and at least getting to see David Romano and Brian Avnet (or very good lookalikes), and then you'll understand.

I saw a jazz concert on Monday with one of my clustermates. We saw three UW groups perform at Meany. Dannnng, they're talented. It's fun watching the other performers onstage react to the soloists. They look like they are having the best time listening to each other and playing with each other. Everyone's smiling, moving to the beat, nodding their heads... something to show that they're groovin'. :)

Don't have much else to report. Ooh, I get to see Florencia on Saturday! So excited. So I've been to my first opera workshop. And I've been to my first opera dress rehearsal. This is the real deal: my first opera opera. Ooh, note to self (and Mom): don't forget the binoculars. :)

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.