New Orleans: August 2013

This is what I've been up to lately, captions to come soon!

 

I was lucky enough to go to New Orleans August 5th-August 11th for the National Flute Association's annual convention. I love going to these though it's expensive and it's hard to know if you can a) get the time off work b) afford everything and c) afford to get back home ;)

 

One of the coolest parts of my trip was who I met at LAX and ended up being on my flight. He was the nicest man and I am so grateful to have met someone as inspiring and positive as him.

Yes, this is Richard Simmons!!!!

 

The first night there, we went to the Bourbon House Seafood Restaurant. The food was good and it was very nice to be out of the muggy, crowded streets.

 

 

 

 

 The next day, we walked around the French Quarter and found the Cade du Monde which, apparently, has world famous beignets. I didn't try them but I was told they were good. The restaurant service was very different from what I was used to and their menu was pretty much soda, basic coffee, and beignets.

 

We got to go a paddle boat and it was so worth it. The view was beautiful and

 

I found this gem on one of the walls in the paddle boat. I love Dolly Parton :)



 

 

The funny thing is that I'm not a Hard Rock Cafe die-hard fan, and yet, somehow I almost always end up eating there on trips.

Hard Rock Cafe: New Orleans

Friday morning I saw a guy dressed in a red dress in the hotel lobby. He didn't look like he'd been to bed yet and I remember thinking "wow, that must have been some party, he came back wearing a dress!" Nope, we went outside and there they were: the Red Dress Runners! Maybe it's because I life in Los Angeles, but I was thinking how great it was that despite the unhealthy eating in the south, they could rally so many people to do a big run. Wrong again ;)   It was more of a "let's wear my sister's red dress and get wasted" than an actual running event.

Red Dress Run

Paying It Forward

Paying It Forward

I'm a strong believer that you have to stretch what you have to make it work for you. Do what you can with what you have. Things may seem greener on the other side, but there are always good things to your current situation, even if it isn't your ideal place to be. I never seem to have enough money to do everything that I would like to do: travel the world, buy a bass flute, continue my education, repair my instruments, and all the little things that add up over time. I know I'm not at the bottom of the barrel but I'm reminded of times when I was much closer and friends/ strangers did nice things just because they could. They had a few more resources than I did and their friendship and generosity will not be forgotton.

I was at Starbucks today and when I went in for my free tea refill (yay Gold Card bonuses!), there were about 20 young highschool students mulling around. After waiting in line, I realized that many of the students were just their accompanying their friends who were ordering drinks. Anyone else remember being that kid in school? Going on a field trip and either not having the money to spend, or the money you had was allotted for something specific. I asked the girls if they were in line (I hate being that person who unintentially cuts in line!) and they said no and politely moved out of the way. Before I knew it was coming out of my mouth, I offered to buy three girls near me a Starbucks. They turned me down, which I thought was very sweet but I insisted. I have found that the "I'm going to buy you one anways, so you might as well order what you want" line works very well. The girls were so sweet, saying "really?" I appreciate that they were polite, trying to stay out of the way of other people. Polite people should be rewarded more often than giving attention to those who demand it.

I asked them if they were downtown for a school trip and they said "yes." They go to Jefferson and were there to hear the live band at the Grand Events on Fridays. They get to meet the band afterwards which I think is so cool. Those are the kind of events kids remember years after it has been experienced. I told them how I'm a flautist and one of the girls said she played saxophone. Nothing better than random people connecting over music!   :)

Be the example, show people that strangers can be nice for no reason, no strings attached. Words are more powerful when followed through with actions.

In honor of those sweet girls, go Demos!

 

 

What About You?

If I were [happy], I would want to get married. There are a lot of verbs/ nouns that can be placed within these brackets and continue to make the sentence true.

Thinking about my friends and family that have gotten married over the last decade, I tried to think of some of the things they've said when they were talking about marriage.
If I were: [in love]... I'd get married.
                [ready]...I'd get married.
                [smitten]... I'd get married.
                [financially stable]... I'd get married.

It makes me so sad that some people had to say [legally allowed to]... I'd get married. I know there a lot of people that don't agree with me, but I also know that there a lot of people who do. I want to share my ideas so that my friends who are LGBT.

Is change easy? No, not usually. But guess what, if you don't want to, don't marry a gay person! Pretty simple I would say.

Tutoring: Saying Goodbye

Monday was my last night tutoring one of my students. I've been tutoring children who are in foster care for 1.5 years now and he was my first student and the only student I have worked with throughout this entire span of time. He is a great kid and it has been wonderful seeing him mature. I love his humor and his willingness to learn. Yes, it's difficult at times, he's young after all and would rather be running around outside playing sports. I am really going to miss seeing him every Monday evening.

I have seen this little kid transform. When I first started working with him, if he thought anyone was disappointed in him, he would shut down, completely, and it would take hours to get him to talk/ function. He has taught me so much, not only regarding different ways people learn but fun ways to approach subjects kids don't gravitate towards.

A few weeks ago, I warned him that after this school year, I would not be able to work with him anymore. He seemed so sad, it broke my heart. He said he didn't want me to leave because I was his best friend. It makes me sad, he has a hard time fitting in school, he's moved a lot. He's definitely had some huge gaps in his knowledge and I wish him the best. He's so smart, and he is sweet, attentive, hyper, active, creative, and thoughtful. He's good at reading me and it's been fun to see the things he could come up with to try and make me laugh. I am going to miss him and I wish him the absolute best in life. It frightens me to see him without guidance, limited parental help, etc. He has my contact information but given that he's so young, I'm not convinced he will contact me. Who knows :)

Brightening Your Day

A friend of mine was having a bad day and I found this online. I don't share photos unless I actually laugh out loud and I love this one:

 

The Huffington Post shared these uplifting quotes today, these were a few of my favorites: 

Life Lately: Traveling & Music

Our current show at the college is Becky's New Car by Teven Deitz. This is our set and I love it! The actors are doing  a great job and every show I try and take a picture of the set. It's built by faculty and students and a lot of muscle work and brains goes into it!

Life has been super busy lately. Well, for those who know me, it's always busy, always packed, and I'm always doing something. This time though, I went to Seattle and days were packed with different things in order to see people I don't get to see enough. There's never enough time to do everything though. I mainly went home because my grandma turned 90 and I was invited to perform a recital at my alma matter. It was great being back in the PNW and the day I arrived was beautiful! Even better, I spent it with a great friend and her son at a park by the ocean.

Thursday

Redondo Beach

The night I flew in I got to have dinner with my mom and grandma. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant. I love fajitas and decided to try the vegetarian ones. This is how much food I got!!! Holy bananas, people! Two FULL plates, ridiculous though actually a good deal. I got FOUR full meals out of it. 

An obscene amount of food

Driving home we had a great view of The Mountain, not that this picture does it justice.

Mount Rainier, April 2013

Friday

I spent with family. I got to see my best friend and niece and she is so cute!! Since I don't like to post photos of people without their permission on my blog, you'll have to enjoy these photos of mini-golf that night with friends. I even got two hole in ones!!

Saturday

My family went to Vashon Island to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday. We had a delicious lunch, I love me some clam chowder!!! And I had a salad on the side.

My grandma was surprised with this little birthday cake and it was so cute, the surprise on her face. It was sad though when she started crying, wishing my grandpa was still there to celebrate with us.

 

Sunday

I drove over the pass to CWU where I taught a flute/ piccolo masterclass and performed a solo recital. It was so much fun and I'm grateful for everyone's support. I took a ton of photos with friends/ family and they're all uploaded on my Facebook page. 

Photo By: Chrissie Chang

Monday

I drove back to Seattle and got stuck in this weather for almost the entire drive:

 

Yes, that's snow, and a lot of it. That's the mountains for you.

Monday night I flew back to LA. My mom, being awesome, gave me some Greek meatballs to go, heck yeah! They were so yummy. Impressively, I didn't them all before I got on the plane. ;)

I wouldn't say that I fly a lot, but I do fly frequently. I flew with Jet Blue again and loved the experience. Having dealt with so many airlines, it's nice to have the little sensitivities, like blue chips instead of peanuts, or nothing.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip home and I'm so glad that I was able to see everyone that I did. I have some truly amazing friends and it's always good being back in familiar stomping grounds. I went back to work Tuesday morning and it's been busy ever since! More recitals to play, more teaching, and always: MUSIC!!

Upcoming Flute Recital

I am so excited to go home next Thursday!! I will be able to celebrate my Yiayia's 90th Birthday with family and get to see as many friends/ family as I can pack in a short trip. There's never enough time to do everything, see everyone that I want.

I am excited to see my niece too, it's always too far in between visits and she's growing up so fast! On Sunday, I will drive to Ellensburg where I have been invited to teach a masterclass. That evening I will be performing a recital (CWU, Music Department, Recital Hall) at 6:00pm. I love planning programs, this time I will be playing works by Taffanel, Clarke, Debussy, and Taktakishvili.

I hope people come, I'm so excited to go back to my alma matter and share music with friends and family who've been supportive along the way.