I went to the All-State conference this weekend, and it was an amazing experience. It's really the kind of thing you have to do yourself to really know what it's like. On paper, it seems boring and tiring - rehearsing for seven hours? Waking up at 5:30?
However, my roommates became friends and we had a grand time watching TV shows, playing games, and just chatting about things. In addition, my group (people in the same band, picked randomly into groups to walk to the rehearsal building) was extremely talented and quite funny.
Then, there are those inside jokes, moments that happen just because.
Jessica
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Diary of Anne Frank
In English class we've been reading a screenplay version of The Diary of Anne Frank. I think it's amazing, especially for a 13 year old girl. There is an incredible amount of depth and profound thought in it.
Anne Frank was a teenager during World War II. She was born in Germany, and her father owned a spice business. They moved to the Netherlands when they started to fear for their lives because of the Nazis. When the Nazis took over the Netherlands, Anne's sister Margot got a call-up notice (a letter for Jews to be deported to concentration camps). They hid in a part of Mr. Frank's building called the Secret Annex. The entrance was hidden by a bookcase.
The Franks lived in hiding with another Jewish family, the van Pels, and a Jewish dentist by the name of Fritz Pfeffer. They were captured by the Nazis two years later, and sent to concentration camps. Mr. Frank was the only person who survived.
Today, Anne Frank's diary is one account of life in fear - never having a normal childhood, and persecuted because of their religion.
Fun Facts:
-Mr. Frank was a WWI veteran(this is probably part of the reason why he survived -Auschwitz, one of the toughest concentration camps).
-Hermann van Pels died in October 1944 in a gas chamber, one month after he arrived.
-Mrs. Frank stopped eating at Bergen-Belsen to save all the food for her daughters.
Jessica
Anne Frank was a teenager during World War II. She was born in Germany, and her father owned a spice business. They moved to the Netherlands when they started to fear for their lives because of the Nazis. When the Nazis took over the Netherlands, Anne's sister Margot got a call-up notice (a letter for Jews to be deported to concentration camps). They hid in a part of Mr. Frank's building called the Secret Annex. The entrance was hidden by a bookcase.
The Franks lived in hiding with another Jewish family, the van Pels, and a Jewish dentist by the name of Fritz Pfeffer. They were captured by the Nazis two years later, and sent to concentration camps. Mr. Frank was the only person who survived.
Today, Anne Frank's diary is one account of life in fear - never having a normal childhood, and persecuted because of their religion.
Fun Facts:
-Mr. Frank was a WWI veteran(this is probably part of the reason why he survived -Auschwitz, one of the toughest concentration camps).
-Hermann van Pels died in October 1944 in a gas chamber, one month after he arrived.
-Mrs. Frank stopped eating at Bergen-Belsen to save all the food for her daughters.
Jessica
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Shoutout
And here's a shout out to a blog I'm contributing to: School + Life = Chaos(it's on blogger too). Sorry, you won't get a link. You have to find out for yourself(rule #2 of Life).
If you like reading orderly, long-winded stuff, School + Life = Chaos is not for you. We're pretty random, but pretty philosophical.
Contributors:
Me: Well, you know me.
E: My friend.
M: My friend with an issue who is on probation. Not a contributor yet.
G: My friend who is the occasional commentor.
Jessica
If you like reading orderly, long-winded stuff, School + Life = Chaos is not for you. We're pretty random, but pretty philosophical.
Contributors:
Me: Well, you know me.
E: My friend.
M: My friend with an issue who is on probation. Not a contributor yet.
G: My friend who is the occasional commentor.
Jessica
All-State
Hi all..
I got into my All-State concert band, which is pretty cool. I'm kinda disappointed I didn't get into the symphonic band like my friend did, but I'll probably make it up somehow. :) Anyway, I shouldn't be complaining, because that means that I'm one of the 20 or so top flutists of my age in the state (according to the people who judged the audio recordings). AND I get to spend two nights in another city in a hotel with roommates that have a common interest in music. :D Life is pretty good.
Jessica
I got into my All-State concert band, which is pretty cool. I'm kinda disappointed I didn't get into the symphonic band like my friend did, but I'll probably make it up somehow. :) Anyway, I shouldn't be complaining, because that means that I'm one of the 20 or so top flutists of my age in the state (according to the people who judged the audio recordings). AND I get to spend two nights in another city in a hotel with roommates that have a common interest in music. :D Life is pretty good.
Jessica
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Astrology
Sometimes I seriously think about being a therapist. Why are people depressed all the time? It doesn't make sense to me..
Anyway, this is a professional(cough cough, just me) reading of the Eastern and Western signs for a friend. I actually used information from astrology for it, although some of it was made on the spot. This friend's Eastern sign is an earth tiger, and the Western is Leo.
*****, fire and earth is a pretty unusual combination. Your desire to shine and be in the spotlight from Leo contrasts with your down to earth Eastern horoscope, which tells you to focus on your studies. The fire and earth spontaneously combust, making you in great inner turmoil and in some depression because of this. You must pull yourself out of your black hole and find a way for everything to work out. Fire and earth can be a very succeeding combination of signs when used correctly.
***** is her name, deleted because she prefers to stay anonymous.
Her comments? "This describes me...o.0"
Jessica
Anyway, this is a professional(cough cough, just me) reading of the Eastern and Western signs for a friend. I actually used information from astrology for it, although some of it was made on the spot. This friend's Eastern sign is an earth tiger, and the Western is Leo.
*****, fire and earth is a pretty unusual combination. Your desire to shine and be in the spotlight from Leo contrasts with your down to earth Eastern horoscope, which tells you to focus on your studies. The fire and earth spontaneously combust, making you in great inner turmoil and in some depression because of this. You must pull yourself out of your black hole and find a way for everything to work out. Fire and earth can be a very succeeding combination of signs when used correctly.
***** is her name, deleted because she prefers to stay anonymous.
Her comments? "This describes me...o.0"
Jessica
Blogs
How's everyone's winter break?
I know I haven't been blogging much (okay, at all) but still, M(you know who you are) shouldn't be talking about procrastinating...:)
My life: I haven't finished my cross-stitch project yet. Why procrastinate today when you can procrastinate tomorrow? I should take a picture and upload it sometime.
I'm going onto ABRSM Grade 7 Practical for Flute! I'm skipping Grade 6->I passed Grade 5 with distinction despite failing the aural part of my test(ouch!). That means that in the fall, I should be able to take Grade 8(the last level), providing I pass Grade 7, of course. All-State band audition results are coming out on January 3rd, I really hope I get in.
I'm also taking the SATs in January! If you don't hear the results here, then either I sucked or I just forgot. Or..I just didn't feel like blogging.
Stay tuned on my blog!
Jessica
Fun fact- I have more than 20 sewing needles in my room. And an extremely sharp hair chopstick. Just saying.
I know I haven't been blogging much (okay, at all) but still, M(you know who you are) shouldn't be talking about procrastinating...:)
My life: I haven't finished my cross-stitch project yet. Why procrastinate today when you can procrastinate tomorrow? I should take a picture and upload it sometime.
I'm going onto ABRSM Grade 7 Practical for Flute! I'm skipping Grade 6->I passed Grade 5 with distinction despite failing the aural part of my test(ouch!). That means that in the fall, I should be able to take Grade 8(the last level), providing I pass Grade 7, of course. All-State band audition results are coming out on January 3rd, I really hope I get in.
I'm also taking the SATs in January! If you don't hear the results here, then either I sucked or I just forgot. Or..I just didn't feel like blogging.
Stay tuned on my blog!
Jessica
Fun fact- I have more than 20 sewing needles in my room. And an extremely sharp hair chopstick. Just saying.
Monday, September 5, 2011
A Whirlwind
I'm such a procrastinator.....sigh.
Flute camp, at the end of July, was GREAT. I auditioned into the Senior group, and I felt much more musically challenged. In repertoire class, we learned five pages of music a day - although it was difficult and an overload, I became familiar with many famous flute pieces, like the Burton Sonatina and the Martinu Sonata.
One of the highlights of flute camp was the competition. There are two levels in the Senior group: Advanced One and Advanced Two. I got into Advanced One, naturally. The Advanced One competition requires you to play a Telemann Fantasie and at least two contrasting movements of a piece at a similar level to the Hindemith or Liebermann Eight Pieces. The attire was strictly formal: ball gowns for girls and a suit or tux or something for guys. All of the girls(including me) wore ankle-length to floor length gowns - so pretty! Of course..the best part of the competition is that I won! It's an amazing feeling to climb up on to a stage and receive a check.
I also won Jamba Juice in warmup class because I played a chromatic scale in seconds without mistakes. :D
After flute camp, I was whisked away to China. There, I learned to play Mahjong, and my relatives were exclaiming at how tall I'd grown(don't be fooled, I'm not that tall)...and they were doting over me, which is very fun. My family and I also spent a week in the Yunnan province sightseeing. We climbed the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and I got a medal with my Chinese name engraved on it - it's with my other medals on a hook.
Once we were home, I went back to school. There's all that mad rushing to get to classes and meeting up with friends, which occupied me for awhile, not to mention I'm doing cross country again, and I might do tennis, and...
In my next post, if I don't forget, I'll list my goals for the new school year!
Jessica
Oh yeah, I'm getting a new desk too. :D
Flute camp, at the end of July, was GREAT. I auditioned into the Senior group, and I felt much more musically challenged. In repertoire class, we learned five pages of music a day - although it was difficult and an overload, I became familiar with many famous flute pieces, like the Burton Sonatina and the Martinu Sonata.
One of the highlights of flute camp was the competition. There are two levels in the Senior group: Advanced One and Advanced Two. I got into Advanced One, naturally. The Advanced One competition requires you to play a Telemann Fantasie and at least two contrasting movements of a piece at a similar level to the Hindemith or Liebermann Eight Pieces. The attire was strictly formal: ball gowns for girls and a suit or tux or something for guys. All of the girls(including me) wore ankle-length to floor length gowns - so pretty! Of course..the best part of the competition is that I won! It's an amazing feeling to climb up on to a stage and receive a check.
I also won Jamba Juice in warmup class because I played a chromatic scale in seconds without mistakes. :D
After flute camp, I was whisked away to China. There, I learned to play Mahjong, and my relatives were exclaiming at how tall I'd grown(don't be fooled, I'm not that tall)...and they were doting over me, which is very fun. My family and I also spent a week in the Yunnan province sightseeing. We climbed the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and I got a medal with my Chinese name engraved on it - it's with my other medals on a hook.
Once we were home, I went back to school. There's all that mad rushing to get to classes and meeting up with friends, which occupied me for awhile, not to mention I'm doing cross country again, and I might do tennis, and...
In my next post, if I don't forget, I'll list my goals for the new school year!
Jessica
Oh yeah, I'm getting a new desk too. :D
Monday, July 11, 2011
Preparing for the SATs
It's been a whole month since I've blogged! I admit it. I'm lazy.
Anyway, I want to join the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth(CTY) Talent Search, so I have to take the SATs. Naturally, that means a lot of preparation. So far, I've been doing Mathcounts math, studying from a vocab book, and doing sample questions + practice tests from the College Board "Blue Book." Even though vocab is my strength, I'm still missing five or so questions per 20 questions (around there). I just can't wait till I get to the math section..-____-
Other stuff..one of my cousins and his girlfriend came over. It was really awkward, because his girlfriend(Megan) doesn't speak any Chinese, and my parents' English is...not the best.
But my cousin and Megan were nice. Megan has a cute smile. :D
Flutewise, I got my flute back from the tuning and it's really shiny and plays better than ever! I'm really hoping to get into the senior level of my camp, and it's getting pretty stressful. I'm playing ten, soon to become thirteen pieces (although thankfully some pieces are quite short).
Also, swimming at 7:30 in the morning is quite distasteful. That's all I have to say on that subject.
-Jessica
P.S. I am an Oxford comma practitioner.
Anyway, I want to join the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth(CTY) Talent Search, so I have to take the SATs. Naturally, that means a lot of preparation. So far, I've been doing Mathcounts math, studying from a vocab book, and doing sample questions + practice tests from the College Board "Blue Book." Even though vocab is my strength, I'm still missing five or so questions per 20 questions (around there). I just can't wait till I get to the math section..-____-
Other stuff..one of my cousins and his girlfriend came over. It was really awkward, because his girlfriend(Megan) doesn't speak any Chinese, and my parents' English is...not the best.
But my cousin and Megan were nice. Megan has a cute smile. :D
Flutewise, I got my flute back from the tuning and it's really shiny and plays better than ever! I'm really hoping to get into the senior level of my camp, and it's getting pretty stressful. I'm playing ten, soon to become thirteen pieces (although thankfully some pieces are quite short).
Also, swimming at 7:30 in the morning is quite distasteful. That's all I have to say on that subject.
-Jessica
P.S. I am an Oxford comma practitioner.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Braces
But first: A shout out to two of my friends: Hi Anonymous and M.D.!! :D :D
I got braces on Wednesday. I chose the metal kind, with a light blue color. First, the orthodontist tried on different sizes of metal rings to act as anchors for the archwire. Next, she sprayed my teeth so they would be dry. Then she put little dots of glue on my teeth and put the brackets on. An assistant would flash a blue light after each bracket was put on to dry the glue. After the brackets were done, the orthodontist strung the archwire across my teeth. When she was done, I looked in the mirror. I felt like a true metal mouth. ;) Then she explained how to brush my teeth and floss with braces. I got an orthodontic care package with everything.
During the process, and for the rest of that day, the braces did not hurt at all. Now they are quite irritating. I have many sores inside my cheeks and on my tongue because of the metal, and food keeps getting stuck in the brackets. It is also quite frustrating not to be able to eat normal food. Luckily, my flute does not seem to be affected much.
I cannot wait until the braces are off and I will have a gorgeous smile and eat anything! :D
I got braces on Wednesday. I chose the metal kind, with a light blue color. First, the orthodontist tried on different sizes of metal rings to act as anchors for the archwire. Next, she sprayed my teeth so they would be dry. Then she put little dots of glue on my teeth and put the brackets on. An assistant would flash a blue light after each bracket was put on to dry the glue. After the brackets were done, the orthodontist strung the archwire across my teeth. When she was done, I looked in the mirror. I felt like a true metal mouth. ;) Then she explained how to brush my teeth and floss with braces. I got an orthodontic care package with everything.
During the process, and for the rest of that day, the braces did not hurt at all. Now they are quite irritating. I have many sores inside my cheeks and on my tongue because of the metal, and food keeps getting stuck in the brackets. It is also quite frustrating not to be able to eat normal food. Luckily, my flute does not seem to be affected much.
I cannot wait until the braces are off and I will have a gorgeous smile and eat anything! :D
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The Legend of the Necklace
I have quite a jewelry collection, mostly necklaces and some bracelets, with pearls, sterling silver, and other gems. I am pretty happy, but there will always be one more spot for one special necklace....
A long time ago, when I was little, my relatives came over, likely my grandparents on my mother's side. I remember that they gave me a necklace in a red velvet box, a thin oval. Either that, or they put that necklace into a similar box my mother has. I was enchanted by that necklace - it was made of clear crystal, probably 20 inches long. The beads were in a diamond shape, (kind of like some Swavorski beads, but not as sharp) just strung on one string with no clasp or fancy stuff. But the beads were beautiful - I held them in the sunlight, watching the light reflect off the beads in many different colors, fuchsia in particular. I even put it around my neck.
The next day, the necklace was gone, and so were my relatives. My parents said that it was all just a dream, but it was so real....
Someday, I will find that necklace or a replica, and I will bring it home...
Jessica
A long time ago, when I was little, my relatives came over, likely my grandparents on my mother's side. I remember that they gave me a necklace in a red velvet box, a thin oval. Either that, or they put that necklace into a similar box my mother has. I was enchanted by that necklace - it was made of clear crystal, probably 20 inches long. The beads were in a diamond shape, (kind of like some Swavorski beads, but not as sharp) just strung on one string with no clasp or fancy stuff. But the beads were beautiful - I held them in the sunlight, watching the light reflect off the beads in many different colors, fuchsia in particular. I even put it around my neck.
The next day, the necklace was gone, and so were my relatives. My parents said that it was all just a dream, but it was so real....
Someday, I will find that necklace or a replica, and I will bring it home...
Jessica
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