Advice for High school.

When I first asked my parents what would happen to me in high school, 

there was some wise words. My dad was the self labeled class clown in high school, so he told me to always stay calm and to keep doing what I'm doing. Which in context doesn't make sense. But it does when you think about it, right? If you are a very out going person, such as my self, (maybe too out going at points) then It works for me. I love to talk. A lot. My family knows that, so they gave me advice accordingly. 

  

   My grandpa, who is a math wizard, told me to always keep my grades up. I do that now, by not biting off more than I can chew. In other words, I never take on more than what I think I can do. I know that's what you automatically thought, but it's always good to be thorough. 

    

    That's another thing. Always be thorough is what my grandma told me. Never be the person that gives it 85%. Be the person that gives 100%. In order to exceed, you have to give it your all in anything that you do. If you have a specific thing that you're good at, focus on that more than you focus on your number two thing. 

    You need to have faith that you'll make it through. Especially in high school. You need that support from your self, because if you don't believe in yourself, than who will?

Perfection

School in a Perfect World.

       Personally, school for me is really enjoyable. It wasn't all that way, though. I used to hate going to school everyday. Waking up at 6:00 every morning and waiting for the bus for ten minutes in the freezing cold isn't really my thing. I remember my first day of middle school. It was early September, and there was a terrifying feeling in the air. The teachers were unfamiliar, so that was really intimidating, and not to mention the whole new building that everyone was in now.

        Now that I've found my “category” that I fit in now, so to speak, I’m way more comfortable waking up. The material that we’re doing right now is somewhat simple, so I guess it comes easily to me. I’m involved with a lot of music, band, and drama related productions, so that also makes school easier for me because I get to look forward to practicing in jazz band, or early morning choir, or even regular concert band.

        In a perfect world, school would be split up half and half between academic related activities, and specialized talents, for example, playing an instrument, being good at art, or participating in sports. That is very important in the development in a child, especially at this point in life. If you don’t have something to keep you occupied, than what’s the point in life? You need something to excel in in order to achieve anything in life. That’s the sad truth.

        Also, homework would be split up evenly with the activities you would be working on. Homework is just another stressful helping on top of the plate of life. When you look at it in the grand scheme of things, school is where you get an education, and home is where you go to get away from it all. Sure, there would be some assignments that would be sent home with the kids, but not every night. People spend too much time focusing on good grades, that they don’t have time to work on anything else. It’s just very tedious.

        School is great, but there are some faults. Pointing them out to the administration would be an advantage for anyone and everyone because if you never say anything, nothing gets done. Change needs to happen to schools around the nation. 

I Believe....

I believe that I am capable of more than what people say. Ever since I was diagnosed with this stupid heart condition, I've always been told "I can't...." "You never will..." you know, those things. I've even told my self those things. It is hard to live a normal life with this put down. I'm not able to participate in all of the athletic activities that everyone else does. Which sucks, but there are upsides.
        I've thrown myself into drama, music, performing, anything performing arts related, I've focused on. I never really thought much of it until the diagnosis. I was big into piano and a little bit into trumpet, but nothing like stage performing. I was practically forced into all of these things by me. I wanted to do these things. I wanted to better myself in those specific fields. And I did. I picked up numerous new instruments (e.g saxophone, clarinet, flute) and I still want to learn more. I was Prince Eric in my school's production of The Little Mermaid and that really picked me up. 
      I never thought of myself to do these things until something motivated me. In my case it was a bad motivator, but the result was good. I love every single second when I'm on stage. I can be whatever I want, do whatever I want, and express myself. It's a real shame that some people in this world don't have something to fall back on if something goes wrong with plan A. You need that stability, whether it be from your family, your community, your music, your sports, your art, poetry; it can be whatever you want. You just have to.....



                 Believe 

Purchasing a Musical Instrument

Your first purchase.

           If you want to get your first instrument, whether it's a trumpet, saxophone, or even a full blown piano, don't be afraid. There are plenty of resources that you can use to get your very own piece of art. 

     First off. Check an online music store. Personally, I think Musicians Friend is the best source of online inventory. They have multiple categories from DJ equipment and lights, to orchestra instruments. What ever you need, they'll have it in stock and ready to ship. 

        If you want a more "hands on" experience with your newly purchased instrument, Gracewinds is the store to go to. Located in the heart in downtown Corvallis, this music store has been serving the northwest for over 25 years. They offer personalized services and you're able to talk to a specialist in your instrument's field.

I like this store the best because, like I said earlier, you have a hands on experience with your instrument. The employees are there to help you and to service your every needs. 

If your hungry after your first purchase, there are multiple restaurants in Corvallis that will please your palate, but the one that stands out to me the most is Baguette. 
        Baguette is a Vietnamese sandwich shop located between Gracewinds and a nice little breakfast place called the Broken Yolk. When you walk along the sidewalk in downtown Corvallis, I doubt you'll notice the small building that holds Baguette. It's about a quarter of a regular sized building, but when you step inside, your nose goes insane. You're surrounded by so many different smells and aromas, that you need to sit down, grab a Thai Tea, and get ready to order your baguette. 
         The first sandwich I tried was the curried beef. The meat was so tender and juicy and soft, that the bread was kind of like a back up meal. The chefs put the beef in this wonderful fresh baked french roll with cabbage, a little bit of lettuce and some thinly sliced carrots. The meat to veggie ratio is just perfect. You're essentially eating a nice hearty chef's salad in a roll. 
         Other options at Baguette include traditional Asian salad rolls with an incredible peanut dipping sauce, and steamed pork buns with an unnoticeable little hard boiled quail egg in the center. 
         If your looking for a nice and light lunch with a fresh new twist in your day to day lifestyle, you oughtta' check out Baguette! 
         

One Curable Disease.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

This is a disease that I would like to see go away. So many people are diagnosed with this disease every year. About 1 in 500 have this  condition that effects the heart. Athletes with this condition can no longer do extraneous and competitive activities. That would include swimming, football, gymnastics, track and field, cross country, basketball, baseball, etc. 

This condition causes sudden cardiac arrest, which in some cases, causes death. About

               

              Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease in which the heart muscle (myocardium) becomes abnormally thick — or hypertrophied. This thickened heart muscle can make it harder for the heart to pump blood. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may also affect the heart's electrical system.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy often goes undiagnosed, because many of those with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have few, if any, symptoms. In a small number of people with this condition, the thickened heart muscle can cause signs and symptoms, such as shortness of breath and problems in the heart's electrical system resulting in life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).

Fortunately, people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy often lead normal lives with no significant problems.

Unfortunately, very last sentence is somewhat incorrect. The athletes that are fortunate enough to have been diagnosed with this condition before it took their lives are still here to live, breathe, talk, you know, what humans do. But, they are not able to do any of the sports they were able to do before. This happened to me, and it's very emotional because I loved to run. I did track and I absolutely loved it. 
    Advertising for this particular condition is relatively hard to do because not everyone knows about this disease. There are support groups, though. http://www.4hcm.org/ is a prime example of one of these support groups. I urge you to check it out because there are way more facts given in this website than are listed here. 

Desert Dance Theme

Night in Hawaii

This dance theme would be perfect for our class. Our class is laid back and relaxed. Glow in the Dark is a bit too uptight and crazy. I can just imagine in my mind strobe lights and black lights glowing everywhere and people going crazy. Hawaii is supposed to be a place where people go to relax and have fun and that's exactly what the desert dance does for us. It's our last dance. Shouldn't we make it last? Neverland doesn't appeal to all types of audiences. Some might say it's too nerdy and weird. Hawaii is warm, and beautiful. Just like summer! It'll be the perfect preceding action before summer for us. All of us are looking forward to it, so why not start out early. We could have white "sand", colorful place settings, and a tropical ambiance. I can already imagine this in my head. I am willing to contribute my after school time to making this go right. 

The photo booths could be decorated in tropical flowers and colorful animals to make the night go perfect. This will be a night that I think most people my age would be looking forward too. I mean, who doesn't want to go to Hawaii? 

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"Smile Like That" Review

Smile Like That

~Esperanza Spalding.

Official Review.

I really like the flow of this song. The way that it's pitched makes you feel like you're alive with the song. It's almost as if your heart beats along with this because you're so lost into the rhythm. 

 The way the song progresses from a sweet type of pitch to a more mellow type of pitch gives the song a more sense of variety and rounded characteristics. The breakdown in between the verses and bridges do not make it for me. I think that it takes away from the skeleton of the song. Sure, it gives an alternate perspective and insight for some people, but it's not needed. 

Overall, this song is prime example of modern jazz fused with some R&B. Very soulful and down-to-Earth. Enjoy!