しょうがない夢追い人

After careful consideration I've made my decision: I've decided to quit the the school play choir.


I've made some really nice friends there, and it's been fun. Still, to tell the truth I've been pretty beat lately, that with all the practicing, training and school work. My dream in joining this choir was to become a better singer, and if that's the case I realize now that I'll be better off with a singing coach. Sometimes pursuing your dreams means forsaking something in the process. 


I said I wanted to keep pursuing my dreams. Well, this is one of them, and I know that in order to make those dreams real you have to get out there and do something. I'm not saying I necessarily want to become a professional. I just want to become a better singer and learn more about singing and using my voice. And I've realized that's not going to happen where I am now.


Location: at home
Mood: school tomorrow -eep!

Loong time no write...!

Yes, I know it's been ages since I posted anything here. Sorry 'bout that.

I've been busy as usual - especially since I got in on my school play. No, I didn't make the actor troop, but I'm in the choir. And hey, any excuse to learn more about singing! It's funny - I really love singing, but I've always just done it for fun, so I never really thought about how much technique you need to sing well. It's a lot of work, and I simply can't wait to start learning more!

I'm at my sister's in Kristiansand right now. I'm here for the weekend, and we're having a great time being couch potatoes and celebrating the fact that she finally got a pemanent job as a cellist! Congratulations, you've earned it! Also, we saw "UP", the new Pixar film. It was amazing!

I've realized there's still some posts from my time in Japan I never got to writing. I'm thinking of simply putting it all into one post, as a kind of summary. We'll see. There's a bunch of other posts I've been meaning to write as well. -.-;;

Location: My sister's place, Kristiansand
Mood: Sluggish
Listening to: TV
Eating: -
Drinking: -

Jazz hands!

...I'm officially done with my auditions! 3 rounds of 'em too.

For the first round I had planned to read a poem in two different ways, but ended up improvising nearly everything, doing a tiny bit of Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and just talking.

In the second round I faced nearly all my demons at once by singing "Dreaming" from The Little Mermaid TV-show in front of a huge amount of people. Thank God for spotlights, I didn't see a thing! I was really nervous and felt stiff as a log when I stood onstage and I didn't manage to hold all the higher notes because I was so nervous. Still, it was quite fun! I got a really nice comment too, which made me very happy. (o^^o)

The third round was held yesterday. I teamed up with Andrea, a very talented and fun girl, and we did a modern dramatization of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. It was really fun to do it onstage! I feel much more relaxed once I have someone alongside me, and we made the audience laugh, so it was all good.

Phew!

Now I will focus on my upcoming history test (today) and then go home and do NOTHING. Except maybe draw and be with my family. Being 19 and all.

I'm already looking forward to it, this week's been rather stressful. No more auditions. THANK HEAVENS! Now all that's left to do is sit around and wait for the results. Wish me luck!

Location: School
Mood: Relieved and tired
Listening to: my Norwegian teacher talking
Eating: forbidden :C

"Sing, sweet nightingale..."

I've been really busy lately - kendo, swimming, the last weeks of school before summer vacation (but I never want school to end!) a trip to a lovely little island (that I'll have to write about later) and...singing! Midori-sensei has been giving me lessons every Thursday during lunch break. I also sing with Shun sometimes - he plays the guitar too, so it's a lot of fun! (I can't play anything, so if I'm alone it's all a capella...) He likes Avril Lavigne, and so we sing her early songs a lot - "Sk8r boi" (God, I hate that spelling!), "Complicated" and "Why". Especially "Why".

I started listening to it after Shun recommended it to me, and learned it by heart so I'd be able to sing it. It's a lot easier for me to sing without being so nervous if we're two performing. It makes performing in front of people a lot more enjoyable. (And if you know how much I love singing, you would hardly think that possible...!) Also, because he's playing the guitar, I have something to listen and orientate myself to.

*deep breath* So! Ladies and gentlemen, for your enjoyment and just to expose myself completely... wait, actually Shun is singing some too... OK! Here's our cover version of Avril Lavigne's "Why":

"Why" - download
...don't worry mom, it's safe.

Don't mind the guy at the beginning. We were three people in the music room, so we'd been joking around a bit before we started the recording. :P

(You'll need to download it until I find a better solution. Any recommendations?)

...would anyone at my Norwegian school notice if I just stayed here until we graduate?


Location: Japan
Mood: Happiness! ^^
Listening to: Ok, this is awkward... a recording of myself singing. (lol!) I don't get to hear my voice from "the other side" a lot.
Eating: White peach
Drinking: -

"Surpliiise!"

Yes! I've done it!

(;＾◇＾;)♪

I had a long debate with myself as to whether to do this or not, but I decided I'd regret it more if I didn't, so...

I sang "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid solo at the charity concert today! And then "Beauty and the Beast" with the chorus singing the backing harmonies.

It was outside, and had an unformal feeling to it, so I wasn't as scared as I thought I'd be. I was even able to have some fun while on stage.

It was my first time singing solo like this, so I was pretty nervous. I think you could tell from my singing too, but it was a good experience, and I think it went quite well all things concidered. ：P

I didn't tell anyone about this before, because I wanted to decide this for myself...and surprise you. So...

(Mom, dad, I sing in your general direction!)

PS: the stage is that brown building there...

A quick update - list style!

Now I know I have little time online! Haha! Bear with me.

- I will soon get to do kendo. I'll be practicing with a group of people trained by people who are also members of the the police (because they do kendo). Awesome! I'll have to walk there from school, though, but I'll survive.

- I'm still singing with Midori-sensei. It's so much fun! I feel I'm getting better control over my voice, and I'm learning technique, which is wonderful! I can tell I've gotten much more volume since I started. Hurray!

- I am learning Chinese. In Japanese.

- I had a ensoku (class trip) on Monday, which was a lot of fun!

- I have school for one hour on Saturday, because our parents are coming to see what our classes are like. Yay....

- I have a private lesson in Japanese dance at my dance teacher's house on Sunday!

Location: Japan
Mood: Guilty (I've been online for more than 2 hours.)
Listening to: Various Tori Amos songs
Eating: bread
Drinking: no

PS: Kiyu, why can't I read your blog? It comes up all wierd-looking on my screen, and no text! D:

Black and white

There are things that are annoying me right now, but I won't dwell on that. (Well, there have been small things all along. I've experienced both good and bad things here in Japan up until now - as I came to do, being on an exchange.) It's not all a dance on roses. It's just that I choose to write about all the positive things instead - they outnumber the bad by far, after all. It's more fun to read about, and more fun to think of too. A win - win situation. :)

Today was kyudo training again, and I practiced with my awesome bow of win! Last time I had a tendency to lean my body the same way as I pulled my string, because it's heavy and hard to draw. But today I didn't! The hand holding the bow still won't straighten out as it's supposed to, because the bow is still quite heavy to draw for me, but it's fun and I like the challenges! So I'll keep on doing it until I get it right! And then one day I'll shoot using cute, red arrows! Yay! XD

The guys in my kyudo club are great too. The freshman we teased the first time, Kuramura (who's name I now remember!) is really nice and funny. We practice together out in the cold every day after school, since he lives in the dorm and doesn't have much else to do anyway. And because we want to train (and I'm obsessed about those arrows, haha!).

Also, the singing teacher has arranged for us to meet every thursday during lunch so that she can give me singing lessons since my HR teacher won't help me change my schedule so I can go sing. The singing teacher is great, I love her! She plays the piano and I sing "Tonight" from "West Side Story" with her guiding me. I've told her I love singing and used to do it since I was a little kid. She listened to me sing for a while, and then commented "you always sang in a low voice, didn't you?". Well, yes...

I used to sit in the back of the car singing to myself the songs I wanted to hear (before I had an mp3-player, you know) and hear the music inside my head. Still, I'd stop if mom turned her head to hear. Yeah, I was shy. So I loved it if the radio was on and someone was talking, because then I could sing without being heard by anyone but myself. Still, I'd get really annoyed if there was music on, because then the melody would get mixed up with mine and I couldn't sing. XD

It's gotten better, but I'm still a bit shy singing in front of people. So I was taken aback when my teacher suggested singing a Norwegian song in front of everyone (meaning the school) on some occasion. "If you have a voice like that, I think you can do it." I'm very happy to hear that, but I kind of want to do this just for fun while I'm here. I won't say it for certain - heck, maybe I'll end up doing it, you never know - but I know I'd be so nervous that I'd be in pain for weeks. Haha! :P I think it'd be better if I could sing with someone. ("Oh, Shu~n!" XD) Anyway - I love singing, and it's great that I'll be able to get some lessons, just like I've always wanted. (Yes, really. I just never had time! 24 hours and 7 days is not enough.) So to my wonderful singing teacher: Thank you!

...and now I'll go to bed! :)

Location: Japan, baby!
Mood: Tired, slightly annoyed (but a bit too tired now to be really angry.)
Listening to: I noen timer - Odd Børretzen
Eating: Ochazuke (rice with green tea poured over it. Yum!)
Drinking: Green tea. Shiawase da na~