Sunday, December 28, 2014

A Random Compilation of Music!

Here is a Tumblr challenge I found on music. I decided to use it as a way of introducing you to more music you need to listen to in the upcoming year, or reiterate my love for a few songs.

1: A song you like with a color in the title

"Blue Sky" - Francesca Battistelli

2: A song you like with a number in the title

"9,000 Days" - Overtone

3: A song that reminds you of summertime

"Shiawase" - Puffy Amiyumi

4: A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget about

"Over My Head (Cable Car)" - The Fray

5: A song that needs to be played LOUD

"Anything Goes" - Sutton Foster

6: A song that makes you want to dance

"September" - Earth Wind And Fire

7: A song to drive to

"3005" - Childish Gambino

8: A song about drugs or alcohol

"Swimming Pools (Drank)" - Kendrick Lamar

9: A song that makes you happy

"I Want to Know You" - Measure

10: A song that makes you sad

"Echo" - Jason Walker

11: A song that you never get tired of

"Hanabi" - Ikimono Gakari

12: A song from your preteen years

"Excuses" - Deas Vail

13: One of your favorite 80’s songs

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" - Tears for Fears

14: A song that you would love played at your wedding

"A Whole New World" - Lea Salonga & Brad Kane

15: A song that is a cover by another artist

"Now On Air" - covered by Goose House

16: One of your favorite classical songs

"Piano Sonata no. 14" - Beethoven

17: A song that would sing a duet with on karaoke

"Fancy" - Iggy Azalea & Charli XCX (honestly, I hate this song, but...)

18: A song from the year that you were born

"Reflection" - Lea Salonga

19: A song that makes you think about life

"Seasons of Love" - from Rent

20: A song that has many meanings to you

"When it Rains" - Paramore

21: A favorite song with a person’s name in the title

"Beifong's Sacrifice" - Jeremy Zuckerman

22: A song that moves you forward

"When You Believe" - Sally Dworsky & Michelle Pfeiffer

23: A song that you think everybody should listen to

"Daisy" - Stereo Dive Foundation

24: A song by a band you wish were still together

All of the bands I like are still together, I think...

25: A song by an artist no longer living

"Endless Night" - Jason Raize

26: A song that makes you want to fall in love

"Life is Like a Boat" - Rie Fu

27: A song that breaks your heart

"Tears in Heaven" - Eric Clapton

28: A song by an artist with a voice that you love

"In My Own Little Corner" - Laura Osnes

29: A song that you remember from your childhood

"Don't Worry Now" - Britt Nicole

30: A song that reminds you of yourself

"The Wizard And I" - Idina Menzel

Thursday, December 25, 2014

15 Songs You Should Listen to in 2015

Merry Christmas, guys! Mine's been pretty awesome; we're preparing for dinner right now. I was given several baking supplies, so I'll be busy for these next few weeks!

Anyway, here are some songs you need in your life this year.

  1. "3005" by Childish Gambino. This is definitely the song I'll be ringing in the new year with... partially because I have no social life and will be ringing it in at home. Again.
  2. "Dollhouse" by Melanie Martinez. "Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces. Everyone thinks that we're perfect; please don't let them look through the curtains."
  3. "Jealous" by Nick Jonas. I will admit that I never really stopped liking the Jonas Brothers, nor Nick himself.
  4. "Shadows" by Childish Gambino. I could just listen to Donald Glover's voice all day. Even just him talking-- I never get tired of it.
  5. "That Power" by Childish Gambino. If you ever just want to listen to Donald Glover's voice while he tells you a story, this is the song you need to hear. "This isn't a story about how girls are evil or how love is bad; this is a story about how I learned something... I wish I could say this is a story about how I got on the bus a boy and got off a man... but that's not true. The truth is I got on the bus a boy, and I never got off the bus."
  6. "3005 - Beach Picnic Version" by Childish Gambino. I just really like Childish Gambino, okay?
  7. "Sky" by Goose House. "Constellations above nowhere to be seen at dawn, while I blink just once. They're so like you, I smile. Strong as the will we swore, straight like the road we once used to walk. I'm missing those days, times I spent with you, and your melodies..."
  8. "The End of Everything" by Measure. This is my go-to song for bad days. Whenever I'm rejected by a casting director or I get a bad grade, this song reminds me that life goes on after the fact. My life will continue even after everything I care about ends. I'll figure something out. The end of everything isn't really the end of everything.
  9. "Bang Bang" by Jessie J. I absolutely hated this song when it first came out, but now I just can't help attempting to hit Jessie's notes and rapping Nicki's part.
  10. "Alchemy" by Kyler England. This one is a lot like #8, in the sense that it is my go-to song when bad things happen. It reminds me that even if I don't get into a school or musical or ace my chemistry test (I got a 56% on my last one and barely swept by with a 90% for the quarter), I can't change what happened, so I need to stop wishing. That's why I love the way the chorus of this song is written-- she spends half of it talking about what could have been done differently, what she wishes would have happened, how simple it could have been, and then she shuts it down saying, "it's all said and done."
  11. "Hurricane" by Athlete. "I don't wanna run; I've been here since I was young. What we see today could be gone within the hour. Oh, Hurricane, what you gonna do to us this time?"
  12. "We Are One" by Angelique Kidjo. I really love how she combines English with... Zulu, I think. I'm pretty sure it isn't Swahili, but I don't know. 
  13. "Personal" by Stars. This song kind of addresses online dating, and I'll leave it to you to decide what this song means.
  14. "Ride" by Cary Brothers. This song almost has a creepy feel to it, which is why I like it. Not because I'm creepy, but because of how soothing the song is.
  15. "Eyes Wide (Fool's Gold Remix)" by Aristotle Pop A Bottle ft. Local Natives. I don't what's up with the rapper's name, but I promise it's actually a good song.
Well, here are fifteen songs I like! Enjoy the last week of 2014!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas (and a happy new year)!

Before I start, here is a little Goose House song to get you in the spirit!


I will admit, I'm not that in the spirit this year, or any year since like... 2007. But, after completing my Christmas shopping yesterday (spent less than $68 on four people-- is that NOT a win? AND every person got at least two gifts from me, so yeah, it's a win), I got a little happier. Aside from the fact that I think I'm starting to get sick after having a migraine for two days in a row.

I thought I would reflect on what 2014 has been like for me. This has been a year of major ups and downs. I started driving... BUT I didn't get an A in geometry. I did good in this one thing... BUT I didn't get this other thing. I have always been one to focus on the negative, even if wasn't a big deal. So, I'm going to share the good AND bad that happened to me this year, instead of focusing on one or the other.

WHATEVER THE HECK HAPPENED TO ME IN 2014
  1. I turned sixteen, and started learning how to drive. I haven't practiced much in the few months I've had my permit, but I learned that I am actually pretty good at parking. 
  2. I got into my school's chapter of the National Honor Society, which has been my dream since middle school. I was inducted last week!
  3. I started hoarding mail from Northwestern. I guess they got my contact information by using a cookie to see how many times I've been on their website? It's a mystery. ONE YEAR MORE!
  4. I performed in my first concertLes Miserables, in front of more than 2,000 people. I was only a chorus member, but this brought me a step closer to getting the roles I've always wanted.
  5. I got rejected at an audition. I mean, this has happened in the past in one way or another, but this really hurt me. I auditioned to play one of my absolute dream roles, Natalie, in Next to Normal, a character I have always felt a strong connection with for all of the things that make us similar-- our personalities, our similar family issues, etc. It all made sense why I had to play her. And someday, I hope I will. But, I auditioned for the role, and in my opinion, it went pretty well. As cliche as it is, I auditioned with "On My Own" from Les Miserables ("...and I know it's only in my mind" through to the end of the song). Because it was a community theater, I don't think they cared how popular the song was. The mistakes I made all had to do with pitch and volume. I noticed I tended to "back off" of the higher notes ("That I'm talking to myself," "he is blind," "when the night is over," "every day I'm learning all my life, I've only been pretending," "happiness that I have never known"). That might have hurt me a little, especially since I'm a belter and didn't belt the whole time. Also, Natalie plays piano. I have it on my resume that I know chords, but... that probably wasn't a very big deal, because playing wasn't necessary. The point is, I auditioned for a role that I spent six months preparing for, and wasn't even called back. When a girl who didn't even have sheet music with her was called back. When a boy who stopped the pianist in the middle of his audition was called back. Like, what the heck? The point is, I learned that you will not always get the part. You might not even be called back. But you have to keep trying anyway. At least I can say I tried to get in.
  6. I got third place in my first Junior Council on World Affairs quiz bowl. My team of girls who didn't study at all until the week before. My team of girls who, even then, barely studied. My team of girls who were only guided by common sense. Third place out of more than sixty teams.
  7. I started my own business! Come on, if Northwestern doesn't want me after the work I've been putting into getting in, then somethin' weird's going on (actually, it's probably just my freshman grades coming back to haunt me). But yeah, I started a cake business. I've gotten really good reviews on the free work I've been doing so far. I might even get to be a decorator for a wedding! Now, to be employed...
  8. I read Fullmetal Alchemist. And yes, that needed to be mentioned. All twenty-seven volumes of it. And I have absolutely no regrets-- best manga I've ever read.
  9. I cut my hair into a pixie cut. Which I kind of hated. And still do, but it won't grow out. And yeah. It still fits into a ponytail, though, which confuses me. Like, is it a bob? Is it a pixie? Is my hair just magical?
  10. I got back into gymnastics! By gymnastics I mean an acrobatics class I took at my local dance studio for a month. But, nevertheless, it was gymnastics. And I plan on doing it again next summer.
  11. I ran for my school's student government. And didn't get in. Their loss, not mine. Actually, it is my loss because that would make me look good for Northwestern, but... oh well. I'm running again to be the senior class rep next year, and guess what my slogan is? I'm not even kidding. My slogan is, "First things first, I'm the realest." Because I am.
  12. I made peace with my inevitable fate of being forever single. I have embraced it. In fact, I don't even really want a husband until my late twenties. Which isn't the smartest decision, being someone who wants to have a lot of kids. But, like Kate Monster from Avenue Q says,"You gotta go after the things you want while you're still in your prime." 
  13. I went crazy with community service. Nearly 300 hours, I believe. I am an usher for national tour performances at my local regional theater, I volunteer for my local library, I babysit in my church nursery, I help with elementary school kids at my church, I volunteered for a Kiwanis club Christmas tree lot, I am in Key Club at my school, and I'm doing other things as well. I might start tutoring middle school kids. Take note, Northwestern. Although, I will admit that I honestly just enjoy volunteering. I don't just do it to get into college.
  14. I read 200 books! And stay tuned for a MASSIVE book review over them soon.
WHATEVER THE HECK MIGHT HAPPEN IN 2015
  1. I will start my senior year of high school. This is scary, especially since my recent Principles of Macroeconomics grade isn't exactly going to raise my GPA (I got a B... one that I am actually pleased with, as it was a poorly planned online college course). I hope my transcript is pretty enough. I'm mostly just afraid that my freshman grades are going to make colleges say no to me. It's frustrating, really, because I feel like my cumulative GPA says nothing about me as a student. I'm usually a 3.8-4.0 student, not a 3.5. I feel like my freshman mistakes are going to end up determining where I can go, even though I have grown so much since then.
  2. I will turn seventeen. I'm still sad about not being fifteen. I really don't want to turn seventeen. Luckily, I have eleven months until that happens.
  3. I will apply for BFA programs. I feel like I just started my freshman year, and now it's time to audition for programs to get a freaking Bachelor of Fine Arts. Like, where did the time go?
  4. Northwestern will make a decision about me. This really, really scares me. The one school I've had my eyes on since ninth grade will tell me a yes, no, or maybe this time next year. The only school I really can see myself at will only see me as just another applicant. One that probably isn't as impressive as those with higher GPAs and ACT scores.
  5. I will get my actual driver's license. In my grade, about 50% already have one. But, considering I'm a lot younger than most of them, getting it this summer isn't that late.
  6. I will perform in another concert, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. I'm already in this one, and rehearsals will start in March. I'm so excited-- I might even get a solo (?).
  7. I will audition for more productions. I will audition to play the wicked witch in Shrek, Rizzo in Grease, Christmas Eve or Kate Monster in Avenue Q, and some character in Mary Poppins. It'll be a busy year!
  8. I will compete in another JCOWA quiz bowl. This time, me and my girls are aiming for first place. And we've already started studying.
  9. I'm growing my hair out. How long? Who knows. I wanna see how long it can grow. Generally, I maintain it at chin length or slightly longer. But, I wonder how long it can go. When I was about eight, my hair was pretty long, but it didn't look good on me, so I finally caved and cut it when my mom asked me to. I wasn't even aware that my hair was even long until someone said, "short hair looks so much better on you than long hair." And so I have kept it short all these years. Aside from the fact that my hair began moving past shoulder-length in ninth grade, I have always had it cropped short. In the long run, I think it'll probably be short. But in the short run (ugh... I sound like I'm talking right out of my econ textbook), I think I'll let it grow long.
  10. I'll go back to gymnastics again. Or, I might even take some ballet or jazz classes, because why not?
  11. I want to attend my first casting or go-see. I should be an official signed model after taking a long hiatus this upcoming year. I'd love to book a bridal show!
  12. I'm running for Student Government again. First things first, I'm the realest. 
  13. I might get asked out to prom, or force a guy to go with me. Probably the latter.
  14. I will complete an internship. It will probably be a journalism internship, but I don't know yet. All I know is my school is forcing me to do one whether I like it or not.
  15. I will pick up a new musical talent. I own too many instruments to only be playing two of them (and they're both guitars). I think I'm going to work on autoharp and keys, while learning the basics of violin and string bass. 
Those are my goals for 2015! Thank you for being apart of my 2014, and have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!