Stranger Danger.

So this evening was pretty interesting. As I walked to the Alex Theatre from church (a mere 4 blocks), I was approached by a guy. Actually, it looked more like he was waiting for me to walk by. He looked to be about 23-24, dressed in stylish attire and he asked me where the Americana was located. Keep in mind that the street I was walking on was relatively dark and empty. Instant red flag.

"Um, a block that-a-way," I explained as I pointed in the right direction.

I kept walking and he joined me, much to my dismay. He explained that he was meeting up with a friend and proceeded to make small talk. I just shot him down with bleak responses.

"The Americana really put Glendale on the map, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"So, where are you headed?"
"The Alex Theatre."
"Oh. I'll walk with you, if you don't mind. You live around here?"
"I.. uh, don't mind. And yeah, I sorta live in the area."

On and on until it somehow got to our ages and ethnicity. He asked if there were any good Filipino restaurants nearby and I pointed him to Max's of Manila. He asked if I'd like to join him sometime. I very politely turned him down -- "stranger danger" was loudly echoing in my head.

And he asked, "So how do you feel about dating older guys?"
"Uh, not interested, sorry."
"You seem really cool and we've got that Asian thing going!" He was half white/half Taiwanese. But that's totally beside the point.
Then he kept going about how this was the norm and that this was how people usually met nowadays.

Uh, what? Come again? It's normal for people to meet on dark streets and start dating?! What happened to meeting through mutual friends? Or cute & innocent study dates because you happen to be in the same class at school? Is this just me being naive? Too oblivious? Does this stuff seriously happen? I don't think so. It's creepy and my guard was definitely up. And I clutched my pepper spray with an insane death grip throughout our walk. I thought it was weird. And to make things even weirder, this was the 2nd time this week this has happened. Except that one was a little more to my tastes, a random 2 hour conversation with someone at Borders while I was waiting for a friend to get off work.

Anyway. Directionally challenged boy seemed kind of interesting -- he told me he used to play in the Youth Orchestra here and that he still plays double bass in a band. But his advances were just so... direct. And is that really the best place to meet women? A dark street? Hmm, cause that's the hotspot nowadays, right? Right. That's a CSI episode waiting to happen, thank you very much. All I'm saying is that guys shouldn't be such creepers.

Whatever. I just really needed to get that off my chest. My feet hurt from all that walking. Damn sandals.

Ventura.

I seem to have lost my followers. Sad face. Not quite sure if it was due to a glitch or if they actually unfollowed me, in which case I'll have to ... meh, I don't care. My blogs are pointless to begin with! :) Though I'll admit I was kind of excited that Kelly Tenney was following me. Sad face, again.

Moving on.

I spent this past Saturday with a few friends in Ventura County for a little reunion slash makeshift birthday get-together. Daniel and Kristy were the brains of the operation, leaving Sheila and I in the dark. I was only told to bring a sweater and to keep a lookout for imminent danger. Their words, not mine and it couldn't have been any truer.

So we were walking on railroad tracks along the coast to find the secret location. And because of our engrossing conversation, we weren't really paying too much attention to our surroundings. If a train were to pass by, we were sure we would've heard the loud "choo choo" warning us of "imminent danger". Dun dun duuuun. But no. It wasn't like that at all. We heard a mysterious and earpiercing metallic sound but we didn't think much of it. Kristy, bless her heart, turned around and screamed at us to get out of the way because the train was coming. So we jumped out of the way, with maybe 10 seconds to spare before the train passed. Stupid conductor couldn't even warn us.

The rest of the day wasn't as dangerous, thank goodness. It was pretty relaxing -- a picnic on the cliffs at Carpinteria Bluffs, walking along the shore, picking out really colorful shells, etc. I have the most random adventures with these people and it really sucks that we barely get to see each other because of our school schedules. But we'll plan out these trips every couple of months to catch up and rebuild friendships and it's just a good time. We've turned the summer bonfire into a yearly tradition -- one I hope will last us all for years to come. I love them and I'm blessed to have them in my life.

Click.


Auditioning.

Continued from the last entry.

Throughout high school, all I ever dreamed about (that is, concerning music) was to march with the Blue Devils. To be on the field at DCI championships, with the bright lights shining down and performing the show of a lifetime.


But that's never going to happen. EVER.

For one, you can't march when you're over 21. I'm still 19. But if you ever want to make it into BD, you have to start young. There's even a C Corp for little 5 year olds.

But anyway, the main reason why it's never going to happen is because I'm deathly afraid of auditioning.

Senior year, I auditioned for the Honor Band in Pasadena to march in the Rose Parade. I walked into that room with the judge, all decked out in my concert attire, baritone in hand. I thought I knew what I was doing. Really, I did. I mean, I rehearsed like nobody's business. But when he put the music on the stand in front of me, I completely froze. I forgot how to play and nothing at that moment made sense. I freaked out. The music was pretty simple enough -- just a few sixteen note runs. I tried. Failed. Started over. But I couldn't do it. I felt my face turn bright red and I walked out of that room with my head lowered in shame.

Now, if I can't even audition properly for something like that, how the heck am I supposed to face my fears and perform in front of Scott Johnson and all the Blue Devil greats? I can't. Plain and simple. But I am living vicariously through some other music buddies of mine. The friend/captain that I mentioned in the last post is going to audition this December and I really hope he makes it. After all, he's got the talent and the drive (and the connections) to get in.

I know I'd be able to make it into a lower division and all, but naaah. My days are over. I'm never going to audition. I've accepted that. But that won't stop me from going to the shows with my friends and cheering for my favorite corps.

Updates.

I just recently discovered the electropop magic that is HeyHiHello!

Weeeell, let me backtrack. Some pretty amazing opportunities have recently found their way to little old me.

1. A good, good producer friend of mine has asked me to write a song or two for his lovely songbird. At first, I was a bit wary because I know my writing skills aren't up to par. But he's reassured me to some degree and it got me to change my mind.
2. He's also allowing me to do A&R work for him and his company, which is beyond amazing. I've wanted to do this for years now and I'm finally getting the chance. So far so good. Hopefully? I've introduced him to my incredibly talented friend, Jackie Harms. I saw her just last week and she played her guitar and sang for me. Her performances mesmerize me. Every single time. He sees her potential. And I'm just hoping it all works out for the best.
3. Since he has oh so much faith in my *crappy* writing, he's introduced me to Shooting Stars Mag editor Lauren, who wanted me to join the staff. So, voila! Mainly, she wants me to do music-related interviews... which is where HeyHiHello! comes in. Well, I'm putting that off. I'm putting off even ASKING him if I could have the honors of interviewing him. Cause I'm a N00b. And I'm shy. And I'm insanely @#$%^& about stuff like that. So, I'll give it a few weeks until I know what I'm actually doing before I jump the gun.

What else, what else.
Oh. My drumline captain from high school has been helping out at the local middle school and he's asked me to assist him! I love it. Although they're only in the beginning stages, I can already see where they might end up in a few years IF they choose to stay motivated and practice. They're precious in that pinch-their-cheeks, tousle-their-hair kinda way. Haha, one of the kids asked me (in the cutest, most cautious whisper), "Are you his giiiiiiiirlfriend?" the first day.

It's been fun. And as a side project, I'm working on this -- the Spida Toss from the Blue Devils' 2004 show "The Summertrain Blues Mix". My favorite year!


Scott Johnson is my HERO.


Always and forever a Blue Devils fan.
I'm a geek when it comes to DCI. No shame :)

Bible Study & Music.

It's Friday the 13th today, but honestly, it's probably one of the most relaxing days I've had in a while. Mix tapes CD's combined with the light pitter-patter of the rain and my green tea makes for an awesome and relaxing afternoon. I thought I'd write because... well, I've got nothing better to do. Bear with me, this might be long. And boring.

I'm kind of ashamed to voice this, but I've been neglecting bible study recently. I've tried, but things haven't really changed much since my CPK & Religion blog a few months ago. I'm still going to Holy Family -- my home parish -- that's never going to change. But I really wanted to give Christianity a shot, along with PYROS and WIN-LA in general. I still feel incredibly awkward whenever I'm with them. I know it's a relationship, a two way street, and that I shouldn't rely on them to make me feel comfortable. I know I have to reach out and make an effort too. I know that. But it's difficult when I'm the newcomer and they have such a tight-knit friendship. I actually sent in a PostSecret email a few weeks ago to some guy out in Kansas and I told him my situation with feeling left out in the church setting and he replied by saying that God is the one you should go to church for. Build up your relationship with Him. Don't put faith in people because they're just going to let you down in the long run, whereas God is forever faithful. He's right. I know he is. But it still wouldn't hurt to feel comfortable.

Whatever. Hopefully circumstances change and I can go to Soul Anchor this summer without my insecurities getting in the way. I've heard nothing but good things about their camp, and I know that it might just be the catalyst to a new found friendship with Him.

2 Chronicles 20:17
“Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”

Moving onto music :)
Feel free to skip to the next paragraph. It's somewhat insightful whereas this is complete nonsense.
I'm currently listening to a mix CD I made from junior year. It's perfect rainy day music, in my opinion: Mae, The Postal Service, Johnathan Rice, Iron & Wine, Death Cab for Cutie, Elisa, This Providence. But anyway, "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service just came on and almost instantaneously, this memory popped into my head: I was out on a night drive with my good friend (incidentally, the one I got suspended -- number 14 of the last post) and we were listening to this CD. Well, this CD was ALL we ever listened to. He practically kidnapped it from me one day and left it in his car for the duration of that year. It was the soundtrack for all our outings: picking me up for school in the mornings, Starbucks adventures, long drives to Santa Clarita Valley for his work, everything. Back to my memory. So he was driving and he started to tell me about his really good friend from the fire academy, Anthony Bettencourt, and how he thought it'd be wise to set us up. I burst out in laughter. I'm not really good with situations like that. He knew that too! So he continued to tell me about him, his hobbies, workmanship, etc. and I was starting to get intrigued. He showed me pictures of him on his phone and boy, was he good looking! Then, he scrolled through his phone book and pushed CALL once he reached his name -- he thought it was that good of an idea. I thought he was kidding until I heard the muffled rings. He picked up and they made plans. Apparently, my friend already told Anthony about me and he was looking forward to meeting me. So, the 16-year-old me was sitting in the passenger seat, absolutely freaking out. All the while, my so-called friend was sitting next to me, completely amused at what he had done and poking fun at me for overreacting. Long story short, I probably listened to the beginning of "Such Great Heights" a bazillion times before we pulled into the parking lot of the Burbank Empire Center. It was the shortest 10 minute ride of my life! Despite the fact that Anthony was extremely polite, the "date" (if you could even call it that...) was pretty much a disaster. But that's a story for another time. Quite possibly never. But anyway, that's what I connect this song to.

Isn't it kind of amazing what listening to a song can do? Music has the power to elicit all these responses and memories whether or not we want it to. And the emergence of mp3 players and iPods, or in this case a CD, just makes these memories all the more accessible. I mean, that memory most likely wouldn't be on my mind right now if I never took out this CD and played that particular song. Sigh. Yet another reason why I love music.

Peace out, girl scout.

25.

25 things you never would think to know about me. I got tagged on Facebook and I thought I'd post it on here to compensate for the lack of updates? I'm not really sure. Anyway.

1. An ideal afternoon by myself consists of a book and a beverage, iced coffee with white mocha preferably. I loooove reading and recommendations are always welcome!
2. I'm pretty sure I'll live in Maryland when I'm older.
3. You know when someone's sick and their voice is nasally when they talk? I actually like that haha.
4. I like the sound of drumsticks hitting each other, whether it be keeping tempo or just a random stick click.
5. In addition to 4, I LOVE DR. BEAT. I don't understand why people hate it! One and two and three and four and! :)
6. I envy/am inspired by artsy fartsy people. See: Red Velvet Art, Etsy, Charm City Cakes, the Tumblr and Vimeo communities. The list goes on.
7. I don't think I'll ever get bored of California sunsets. There are way too many memories attached and they are just breathtakingly beautiful.
8. I will own a 1956 Chevy Bel Air one day. Actually, I found out pretty recently that we had one in the family, but it was traded in -- for a Camaro. SERIOUSLY?! Also, I'll squeal like crazy if I see one on the street. Or any other classic car for that matter.
9. I've had the same cell phone number since 8th grade! And I plan to keep it that way for a long time :]
10. There's no way I can go to sleep if my feet are cold. That means layer after layer of socks, if necessary.
11. I have .00000001 of a tattoo on my left wrist. I went with a friend when she got her tattoo and I wanted to see what it felt like. The guy sterilized everything, so that one dot would've been $50.
12. I'll constantly skip from song to song on my iTunes, but I very rarely do that with my iPod simply because I don't want the battery to die. Did you know that the 30gb can only handle about 300-500 charge cycles? Yeah.
13. I can't swim.
14. I got someone suspended in high school. It's part of his record now and he told me that he's had to explain it numerous times when he was applying for jobs and I feel kind of bad about it. I mean, he deserved it and all, but I wasn't going to tell. I had a few adults tell me that I should turn him in and I caved.
15. I run away from my problems and I've had people call me out on this quite a few times.
16. I hate it when my bangs part.
17. I'm pretty paranoid. If someone I don't know too well posts an ambiguous angry Xanga entry/MySpace bulletin/Facebook status right after I do, I'll think it's about me. I'm getting better with this though.
18. I never ditched class in high school. EVER. Unless you count rallies when it was mandatory to skip a few classes for practice. But I don't think that counts because I had permission. College just made it easy.
19. English > Math any day.
20. I'm really weird with letting people into my life.
21. I would love to be a record label A&R. I'm already kinda sorta getting a headstart on this and I'm more than excited.
22. I hate, hate, hate needles. Being awakened at 6am everyday for a month and a half in the hospital will do that to a person.
23. Monster Energy. Green please? I've never tried any of the other colors.
24. My favorite scene in Garden State is towards the end -- after running around town and following Mark the whole day and Largeman starts yelling at him.
Largeman: I think we've corrupted this innocent girl enough for one day!
Sam: I'm not innocent.
Largeman: Yes, you are. That's what I like about you, okay? And I don't want this guy taking you to some sketchy quarry in the middle of Newark to find crack whores huffing turpentine or pit bulls raping each other or whatever else is down there!
Mark: Man, that's the most worked up I've ever seen you.
Sam (with the biggest smile on her face): He's protecting me.
Largeman (bitter): So?
Sam (cutesy): He liiiiikes me.
Largeman: Don't be cute.
Sam: He's my knight in shining armor.
Largeman: Don't talk about knights around Mark. It's a sore subject.
Mark: I'm gonna kill that mother******!
Largeman: Pun intended?
ULTIMATE HAPPY FACE!
25. Last but definitely not least, I'm on the brink of something amazing.

Dear San Pedro,

Please stop lying cause it breaks my heart. I'm asking nicely.

Love, Glendale.

Currently listening: