My Holidays have gone well so far with my friends and family! But NYE is still coming, and after that I'm on the road again. I received many things, and they all contently fit in a considerably small box. They will travel nicely. My best friend has branded me a minimalist recently, which is pretty close to what I am. I need money for my upcoming trip to Toronto and have all this stuff laying around that I have no attachment to and it feels like clutter. In a way that kind of stuff is overwhelming. Every thing fits into the box, except my new 2NE1 poster. :)

I also received an album by The Cranberries, "To the Faithful Departed." I heard it didn't get the best ratings, but I enjoyed it. I plan to write a review on it after my little road trip. Speaking of reviews, I also bought myself a couple of cds from the local f.y.e. that is closing. :( I felt I could only buy stuff for my self after Christmas. One, because someone might already be planning to get it for me, and two, it just doesn't seem right to me. So, I plan to write reviews for Tegan & Sara, Within Temptation, and The Sex Pistols!

It's snowing here right now, so travels may be delayed, but it depends. - and I just shoveled the decks 0_0

Happy Gregorian Calender New Year! :)

Awaiting 2011 Releases

As 2010 comes to an end, the time feels longer as artist announce release dates into the next year. I have to keep telling myself, "It will come sooner than you think." There are many singles and full length releases coming out within the next year that have interested me, but here are just a few I have been thinking about:

2NE1

Although these four girls haven't been around for a year and a half since their debut in May 2009, 2NE1's popularity has risen quickly not only in South Korea, but also worldwide. Dara (far left) and Bom (second on the right) have even had some solo debuts. Some say 2NE1 has a certain unique style, both in music and fashion. Both CL (second on the left) and Minzy (far right) carry out strong rap verses, while Bom and Dara sing out melodies. Personally, CL always surprises me with what she wears. It's not like Lady-Gaga, but it's out there, and totally awesome. It's not just CL either, everyone has fun style, and their performance is full of energy.
Recently the girls have worked with will.i.am, and are planning an full length, English album debut. The release has been moved into 2011 to make sure every song has enough potential to be a hit. BoA, another Korean artist, attempted this move last year, and shockingly, she didn't become as popular as hoped, even with her excellent English. Hopefully, 2NE1 can overcome the "United States' cultural barrier." (I have always been amused at the United States, for being one of the only countries that doesn't listen to music in foreign tongue.)
With 2NE1's unique style and energy, there is still much to expect in their upcoming U.S. release. Maybe this will produce a U.S. tour? :)

Dir en Grey

As one of my favorite bands ever, of course I would anticipate this release. At one time the Japanese band would release a single every three months or so, but in the past few years Dir en Grey has gone hardcore on touring. About a year ago, the band released a single titled, "Hageshisa to Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami." Yes, long title. I know. This song ended up serving as the final track in the SAW 3D sound track. I never found the SAW movies interesting, but I was excited for their achievement. Fans have been saying they are hoping the upcoming release, "Lotus," will be a 'ballad.' The terminology is slightly questionable, since the term is associated with boy bands, but it maybe the lyrics, telling a story that makes the term fit. I'm just as curious as the rest of the fans. 

The Ting Tings

The British Duo, has only had one full album release, titled "We Started Nothing." For a while it was thought it would only take a year at the most to make a new album. Two years later, in August of 2010, the single "Hands" was released, along with an announcement with an upcoming album in 2011. When their first album was released in 2008, it wasn't till a year later when I heard their music on a pop radio station in the U.S. The Ting Tings have upbeat songs that are creative, and it could even be called a "simple" style. After hearing "Hands," I know their upcoming album will have a new musical twist from the last; evolving is good. 

Releases from The Ting Tings, 2NE1, and Dir en Grey are only some of the upcoming, exciting music of 2011. Three very different bands, huh?

Turkish Music in Season

Listening to: Sinanay- Pin Up

Recently I have come across Turkish music. In the past I have had my Japanese and Korean, along with some Russian, French, and German music. I do have to say the popular music in Turkey is unique, and has a cultural twist to it. The artists that have caught my attention so far are Pin Up and Ayben. Pin Up is a four girl alternative rock band, often seen in fantastic colors of hair dye. Ayben is more about pop, hip-hop, and rap. Two very different artists indeed, but I ended up liking both of them. By looking at the statistics of the Youtube videos, Turkish music has not spread nearly as much as Japanese or Korean music has around the globe. I always feel like I am in a good area when the majority of viewers are concentrated in an area or specific country.

(Ayben)

I finally finished my Chinese presentation today. It shouldn't have taken me long, but it took longer than expected. Now my big project is to read my books for school, but that due date is a few weeks into the future, so no pressure. Though, I shouldn't procrastinate again! Lets see... I also cleaned the kitchen today, while my mom was at work! That was relaxing, believe it or not.

This year we have two Christmas Trees; one is fake, the other is real. We also have more presents than usual, and we did more shopping this year. This is all thanks to my Mom's boyfriend and his daughter that moved in this year. We get along. It's nice when I am bored.

Back to the Land of Birch Soil

Now that I have completed my 600 mile car ride, I am standing in a relatively quite place. Yes, I am indeed standing. An hour ago I started feeling overwhelmed, and decided it was because of my lack of working out. Missing school for three days is okay academically during the holidays, but I still have a need to get my energy out. So I am typing, standing-style, periodically jumping around in a circle. Later I will actually do something that raises my heart rate. I may also feel overwhelmed because of the quietness of the woods. Last night I got out of the car, refusing to follow the line walking in the door, and stood still for a moment. After the door had closed shut, I extended my head toward the sky, seeing the large moon, perched in a sea of stars. I have to admit, the stars sky is a lot clearer farther north from the big cities. Glancing across the lawn, my innocent childhood came back to me simply, as the fresh snow sparkled delicately. I remembered my self running down the driveway in blissful moments like this, watching the snow's sparkles change in different perspectives. The snow is even different from the city. The snow started to crunch under me, as my boots started to turn toward my dog waiting patiently beside me; the only sound accompanying the cold, soft wind. No matter what experiences happened, there is always something special about the place of childhood. For me its settling and peaceful.

School has gone good recently, minus the out of control PE class, though even there I seem to find the nice things. Grading is harder in Gym recently, and I finally got my grade up to an A. I am sure I will rant about my gym class some time, but not now. And by the way, it's not the teacher, it's the students that bother me. But of course, just after I receive the one grade I needed to have all A's, I get a B+ in a Chemistry test, and my grade in science goes down to a B. But the next unit is not that hard. Otherwise I am just trying to keep up with whats going on in my classes. In other words, my Chinese presentation. The website we are using at school, is not working out as well at home. I think I may use Windows Movie Maker instead.

As always I am using procrastination this holiday season, and I don't have everything yet. But hopefully I will be able to put something together. I am pretty excited about it actually, and it doesn't involve money! I am mostly thinking of my mom's present.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Recently... or a long time ago

Listening to: Follow Me/ Try to Copy Me- 2NE1, and my brother playing Call of Duty

I sit here eating my candy cane, realizing how long its been. opps...

Well, here is a quick update:

I went to my mom's house over the summer, seeing friends, taking an online course, going to concerts, and so on. Things went really well, including the information on my AP Human Geography test: I passed. I saw Brandi Carlile in concert. She is really fun live, interacting with the audience. Plus, I love her voice. My friend and I tried composing music, which didn't go as planned. In short, I am not experienced in composing in the metal genre! Big surprise! This friend also introduced me to even more K-pop over the summer, in which I started learning some dances. I have improved and really benefited from this. I find it more entertaining then running for exercise, something else I experimented with this summer. And of course, I could go on, but this would become long.

This school year has been rather nice, compared to the AP work I did last year. Next year I hope to take three AP credits, and APHUG will help out a lot! I have actually had time to play the PS2 this year! I know its 'old,' but its my favorite, mostly because of the games. Over all this year has been better than last both academically and socially. I even went to a dance this year: homecoming, which was a blast by the way. Plus I have more time to hang out with my friends.

I am going to go back to my mom's house for the Holiday's soon, and missing three days of school because of it. My friend and I are hoping to be able to do a 2NE1 cover soon. This is something that I am keeping my fingers crossed about. We don't necessarily do everything we say we are going to do. I was there recently for thanksgiving, and my 'step-sister' (she's not really a step-sister, but its close enough!) has an awesome room that she had made in our basement. She has chalk paint on one wall. She's an artist, so really owns the wall. My bedroom has a lot of white... It's rather sad, but my mom decided it needed to look bigger, so she turned light blue to white. Not the whole room was painted, so the some color is still there, but the majority of my furniture is white. I have asked to paint it other colors! It's fine though.

Hopefully I will be able to keep up this time around!