It's Time To End the Madness

It's the last day of March. To be honest, I'm not much of a collegiate basketball fan but it doesn't mean I haven't been feeling crazy this month. This past week has been quite emotional. It's been hard to focus in class and it felt like the world was moving in slow motion. This past week I heard from the last few colleges. I was rejected from Dook. (I was expecting that one to come though. I would have been honored to have been waitlisted.) Also, I was waitlisted at Wake Forest. This one really surprised me. I was happy to be waitlisted but I knew I couldn't go there because of the price. Then I found out about Davidson College. Upon opening the email, I discovered I was rejected. It was highly disappointing. Davidson College was one of my top schools. Everything about it was perfect. I knew it was going to be tough, but I still had some hope that I would be one of the 490 chosen out of 4800 people who applied. Reading the admissions letter was one tough pill to swallow. Perhaps though this was a blessing in disguise. The last three schools all have something that would prevent me from attending even if I was accepted: the price tag. The only possible way I could have attended any of these schools was through some sort of merit scholarship. Also, if I was to be accepted, I would have been pretty hard headed about attending the school and much tension would have occurred between my parents and me.

 

The night I learned of my painful rejection turned out to be a positive evening. After discovering my rejection, I finally made a choice. I finally decided where to spend the next four years of my life. I decided to become a Tarheel. Everything felt so surreal. It hadn't hit me yet (and still completely hasn't) that I didn't have to wait anymore. I didn't have to mark the days of a calendar. I could finally just sit back and say, "Yes! I'm going to be a freshmen next year!" My family was so excited when I pressed enroll on the computer. I still haven't been able to completely accept the fact that I'm started a new chapter of my life in the next few months. The past two days I've signed up for orientation (June 18-19 anyone?) and completed housing registration (I mainly chose all female dorms and also applied for a living learning community. Oh I'm going potluck!) Today, my mom bought my siblings and me some Carolina apparel since I currently didn't own any. 

I've also been researching more and more about all the academic opportunities at UNC. I recently discovered that Carolina has a Cognitive science minor. This sparked great interest in me because I've also been interested in how music, learning, and the brain correlate with one another. I think it would be awesome to pair this up with my music major. 

I have five more weeks until my college classes at LRU are done. FIVE MORE WEEKS. It will be probably the most stressful last weeks of my entire K-12 year. I have to prepare, practice, and prepare for the Science Olympiad State Competition, my Senior Piano Recital, Prom, College Exams, AP Literature and Composition exam, Music Festivals, and Band Concerts. It's time to end the college March madness and push for the finish line. I have to be consistent and intense (my swim coach would love me saying this) in my academic studies in order to successfully finish. I'm ready to finish this year with a bang. I'm not going to let anyone ruin it for me. All I'm going to do is try my best and ignore distractions. I'm not going to let anyone's opinion or sarcastic comments effect me. I'm going to do my best in whatever I do and if anyone has a problem with that.. well, maybe they need to to take a good look at themselves before they attempt to hurt me. Guess what? It's time to make the impossible, simply possible.

Happy Spring!

When I actually find free time, I create wordles.. check out this website at 

http://prezi.com/0syxtn54s7bm/word-artwork/

I was dismissed from my Sociology Class at LRU early today! I took some time to take some picture of the blossoming trees and flower petals that were falling everywhere! I think Spring has started off very well! I am loving the warm weather. Right now, I am typing this in the comfort of my porch outside in the shade. I love the feeling of the wind passing through my air and the melodic harmonies of the birds. The clouds move slowly above as I take a deep breath and just appreciate everything around me. 

Yesterday was officially the first day of spring. So of course, on the first day of spring it was thunder storming at around 5 pm. Wait did I say thunderstorming? Why, yes I did. It is quite rare that a storm occurs  exactly at that time. It is at that time my swim practice takes place. Thanks to the lovely thunderstorm, I drove my friends from the pool to Rita's! Rita's celebrates spring by offering free Italian Ice on March 20th! Pretty Awesome, right? First it's free and second swim practice was cancelled.

 It looks I'll be spending my first weekend of spring with lots of band people on Friday and Saturday and with lots of swimmers on Sunday. It will be a busy weekend for me doing the things I love.

Thought of the Day: I miss who I thought you were, not what you actually ended up being.

I think I really enjoying blogging now. Hopefully its something I can be consistent with and not just a phase I'm going through. To anyone who reads this whether I know you or not: Have a blessed day!

Kirsten

Preparing for a Performance

Yesterday, had his spring solo recital. He did very well on his violin! Performing in front a crowd is not a very easy thing to do especially when you were up to midnight the night before cleaning up after a party.

Performing is something you think I be used to now. I have been playing for eleven years now on piano so I've always dealt with having solo recitals during Christmas and after Easter. I even perform with my high school band at MPA's, music festivals, marching band competitions, jazz band gigs, etc. I even used to dance for a couple of years. I guess swimming at a swim meet is some what of a performance as well. So, performing should be no big deal right? Not really, I still get nervous. I think as I have become older they way I approach a performance has definitely changed. When I was younger, I was so nervous before the performance. I would shake like crazy. I would just want to get over with it. I was more nervous in the beginning but after I started playing everything was find again. Now as I look at it, my perception of becoming nervous has changed quite some bit. I'm not nervous at the beginning of a performance. Not one bit at all. I can basically start performing a piece with the greatest confidence until I really get into it. For some reason, I become nervous in the middle of my playing. Maybe I might lose my focus or start having weird thoughts in the middle of my piece. I don't know, it's something I've notice it more recently going through college auditions and sorts.

With a performance you only get one shot to perform and show your talents. What a performance truly shows is how well you have prepared for it. In my opinion, it is obvious when you are under prepared for a performance. You all ready become nervous before you perform automatically knowing which parts of the piece are going to need a miracle from heaven above.  You might tend to rush the piece just so you can leave it alone. Putting forth in any musicality or expression is hard to do because you are so focused on notes. It might be obvious if you are overprepared as well. The piece might be rushed or sound very robotic. On the other hand, prepare yourself just right and you are on your way to a wonderful performance. I love it when I prepare for my performances just right. I feel like I'm on top of the world. It's obvious when  I've perfectly prepared for a performance. My smile  is so wide and I can't stop smiling what seems like for days.

As the days continue on I have multiple performances to prepare for. With my high school, we will be preparing for our spring concert, a possible Jazz MPA performance, and jazz band. We are also hosting a spring festival. I'm not completely sure what the Spring Festival is about but I think it's an idea from my band director. I am also preparing for my spring and senior piano recital! I've worked since last year memorizing and rehearsing my repertoire for this very special occasion. I am also rehearsing with my Filipino friends for our 2nd appearance at the International Festival in our town in May.

Time is getting closer and closer for these upcoming performances. Most of them will be in May. I know for sure the first week of May will be the most stressful and hardest week ever. On that week I am preparing for an AP exam, and three additional exams in my college classes. Once that is over, I will be performing at the International Festival and then have fun at prom! I know I can do it though.. All I have to do is prepare and breathe. And breathe again...

The Pursuit of Happiness

There is nothing that tastes better than some lovely custard or ice cream on days like today! I think I can get used to the eighty degree weather. It makes eating sweet, delectable food even more sweet and delectable. The photo you see was taken at a cute little shop on Franklin Street at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. The flavor of the ice cream had the university's name on it so I thought it would be appropriate to try some. I spent my day on Monday meeting the saxophone professor and checked out their jazz band. UNC is definitely different during the school year than over the summer. The music building was on the opposite side of campus where they didn't take us on tour so I was holding my map with my mom struggling to find the building. A very nice student was able to point us in the general direction.

The saxophone professor and I had a sample lesson and he was able to give me tour of the recently built music building which is very beautiful and impressive. He was a really nice guy. I also was able to meet the jazz band director. My mom and I were able to watch a rehearsal. He was a very tough and strict guy towards his students. I came to realize though that the students had just gotten back from spring break and were probably out of it explaining the lack of enthusiasm. The director came over to talk to me after rehearsal with an excited voice to meet me and explained how he was going crazy because they were having a performance in two weeks. I was fine with seeing him act like that. It gives you a good idea what a rehearsal may be like when things aren't going so smoothly. 

So, have I made a college choice yet? Nope, not yet. But maybe I can get closer to a decision in about ten days. My spring break is coming to end and it's time to get back to business. As soon as I get back, I only have 7 more weeks full of reading, writing, and studying until I am finally done with this semester. It's like I'm a baseball player running from third base to home plate starting on Monday. I need to make that home run.

To add to that, here's an inspirational quote from the Pursuit of Happiness that is currently on my laptop wallscreen at this moment: "Don't ever let someone tell you that you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. When people can't do something themselves, they're gonna tell you that you can't do it. You want something, go get it. Period."

Oh, and by the way Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Love,

Kirsten

Spring Break

Woohoo! It's spring break for me with my LR classes. It's nice to have a little break from my professors. My schedule is a bit wacky though because I am still following the Catawba County School Calendar with my Symphonic Band class. This upcoming week I will be performing at MPA with my high school at LRU so I'm not really escaping from campus. It's okay though, it's part of my decision of deciding to do my senior year at LRU. The program has allowed to take challenging courses that I would have been unable to take at my high school due to scheduling conflicts. Even though it's distanced me from some of my friends, it's help me realize who I am and what I'm capable of.

Going back to the topic of spring break, I feel like this week is more of "prepare for the last home stretch" week. After spring break I have about 7-8 more weeks of school left until my high school education is over. It looks like I'm more busy catching up with all my classes even though I do look forward to sleep in a couple extra hours. So as a reminder to myself, here's everything I have to do during spring or else! Or else stress will reach as high as Mt. Everest.

1.  Time to buckle down for Senior Piano Recital!

• I've been preparing for this shindig since last summer. I'm playing pieces from the Baroque Period to the Contemporary period. My repertoire consists of about two pieces per music period. So, I think it is a total of 9 pieces which includes a duet. I have so far memorized 5/8 pieces I want to memorize so I still have a lot of work to do! I also have to prepare for the public speaking part of the recital which makes me feel like this whole thing is a huge fury ball of anxiety. All this performing and public speaking will make my heart pop out! Just kidding, but seriously.

2. Read, Read, and Read

• Okay. So I have a lot to read for my AP Literature and Composition class (figures) in fact I have to try to get through two books. One of them is The Eyes Were Watching God and Invisible Man. I'm honestly not a big fan of literature but I'm starting to appreciate it a little bit. I've really been trying to improve my writing. I tend to have writer's block way too much so hopefully writing more blogs and attempting to focus might help. I also have to read a book for biology (who knew?). I chose a book that I hope would find somewhat enthralling so I chose a book Bombardier Beetles and Fever Trees. This book is about how animals and plants were used as a weapon in chemical warfare. Yeah, not the best book morally but I find it more interesting than reading an extremely detailed novel on the evolution of everything.

3. Try to apply for more scholarships

• As exciting as college sounds in the distant future the money factor isn't that hot. It's easy to say that my family is pretty well off (which I am entirely grateful about) but being the first one to go to college in America in my family can be frustrating. They don't completely understand the financial process. I don't completely understand the financial process. So when the word tuition is brought up, I can feel the tension behind each and every word. I can try to apply scholarships as much as I can but honestly there's not a lot anyone can offer me since a majority of the scholarships require proof of financial aid or if a merit reward requires a perfect SAT score and a bajillion AP credits. I think it's the downside of being more in the upper-middle class family in America. College is just expensive. Upper classes can afford it and lower classes are able to receive financial aid help from the government or through the college's financial aid department. 

Yep it's looks like my break won't be much of a break! But I can look forward to a few things though. On Monday I will be taking a visit to UNC-CH to meet the saxophone professor and visit the Jazz Band. I know it falls like two days before MPA but first off I've been trying to plan this for over a month now and it's one of the few times one of my parents are off work. Also, I'm not missing my college classes. 

Well I think I might end it just here. I have to wake up early since I decided to be a good consistent swimmer and head to swim practice. I am also waking up early because I am such a loving sister to bring my brother to his violin audition tomorrow. Oh my sister is having her MPA performance at LR tomorrow too! Hopefully she can earn a Superior! Being in that process for nine years I completely understand what's she's going through. I know both of my musical siblings will knock the judges out! 

May everyone have a blessed upcoming week! Thanks for reading from the outside looking in...

Kirsten Nicole Zaldarriaga Consing

An Idea

How does an idea form? Is it gathered through the responses of other people or puff up like smoke? Does it originate in dreams? If it does, I wonder how original the idea is. From what I know we only dream the landscapes our eyes have seen from our life and only dream of any person we have met. There is no such thing as encountering a stranger in a dream. So again, is the idea original or does it come to our mind by a miracle through the grace of God? I do know this. Once we come with an idea, it sticks in our head. It's like a scar embedded into our skull. We can take this idea and make it into reality. We can improve or explore it. It can lead to more questions that result in curiosity and a thirst for deeper knowledge. It can be small. It can be big. It can spread like wildfire across a dry plain.

The ways a simple idea can tug the heart.