I'm thinking back on all my "first days" of a school year.

Nothing, not even kindergarten, first grade, middle school, high school, senior year of high school, or the first day I ever stepped foot inside a college, compares to today. And not in a good way.

Mt SAC changed around it's program, and everything is done online. Every student got a new ID number, as well as a school account and username, with an e-mail system and such. Cool, to a point, as we now have school e-mail for stuff like university applications, e-mailing professors, scholarship crap, and whatnot.

The problem is that this new system is still very brand new, therefore it comes with a bunch of glitches and new stuff.

No more waitlist. You either try to add immediately, or show up early with your registration date and hope to the heavens that you'll get in. That's the main change.

Now the glitches: the system crashed a few weeks ago, meaning we weren't allowed to register for last minute available classes. They said the system would be back up on Aug. 24. Which is, um, today. First day of school. -_-;;

Adding to the confusion of new ways to add a class, being unable to even figure out the system, and professors actually having to look at each and every registration date... EVERYONE had such an irritated, anxious, frusterated aura to them.

I've been relatively luck today... Japanese 3 was listed as full, but there were enough no-shows to add me. It's the same sensei as last semester, and she really wanted me to add the class, and in the end I got it, so woohoo.

I also got into photography, which makes me happy. The professor actually took in everyone, and asked many of us to bring in laptops with photoshop of some form of photo editing program, and Frank'll be letting me borrow his laptop twice a week now. THANK YOU SO MUCH FRANK OMG.

I'm tentative on History of World Civilization. If I get added, yay, I'll have a history course under my belt for my A.A. I'll still need to take U.S. History even if I take this if I want to transfer to a CSU or a UC (which I will if Academy of Art fails me), but still, I'll have something. If I don't get added in... then it's also a bit of a yay meaning I won't waste time with a history class when I'll have to take another one anyway, and yay to the fact that if I don't get it, I won't have to be there from 9:40am until 9/10pm. o.O

It's a bit of a win/win, and I'll see what happens. If I don't end up with that class, I'll probably apply for a small job somewhere on campus to fill in the time before class (Japanese starts at 2:30pm).

So I had a relatively lucky albeit stressful day. I got most of the classes I wanted, and I'm happy lol. It's the fees that're getting me anxious, and I'll talk to my dad to see if there's any way he can help me this semester. I need it. Badly.

Oookay, I'm gonna finish up my spaghetti, go home, and sleep. I'm effin' exhuasted >.<

Random shout-out to maggifan : I sent you a note on DA, just letting you know if you can check it when you can~! Thank you~!! ;D

Instead I practice singing for two hours. Woot (?)

I'm not enjoying the section we're doing at the moment too much. Yeah I like singing but the Art Songs, Arias and Faith Songs are hella hard. Things like "Ave Maria" and high-voiced crap like that. I missed the day when out instructor sang all of these songs for us to consider and choose, so I chose a random one at whim and sight-read it horribly. One particular song, I really like, but every other person in that class is doing so I decided to stick with the one I chose.

No way in hell am I choosing a hymn song. They are way too crazy o.o

I'm singing "Beneath a Weeping Willow's Shade", a song with a lot of vocal trills and runs. Oy. I do these better on my flute.

I'm eager to get this section overwith, though, and move on to Show Songs ^________^

And for that, I'm torn as to which one to choose. Our book includes two songs that I absolutely adore from two wonderful plays...

"On My Own" from Les Miserables. This song is so tragic and beautiful, and I remember a fellow classmate singing it for a variety show my freshmen year. It's at a comfortable pitch for me, without fluctuating too much in pitch and not too many high notes or whole notes. Here's what it sounds like:



A lot of people complain that the singer usually sings this in a whiny tone, but Eponine, the character who sings this, is supposed to be a not-so-pretty girl, including her voice. She was once a spoiled daughter of an inn-keeper, who loose their home and are subjected to the streets. Eponine loves a young man named Marius, who considers her a great friend but does not notice her at all romantically. When he falls for Cosette, Eponine helps the two get together despite her own heartbreak.

I want this version as an MP3... I don't enjoy the singer's voice on the one I have, but she does suit the character well.

The second is "A Change in Me" from Beauty and the Beast. I am really thinking of this one more because everyone clsoe around me knows how special Beauty and the Beast is to me. Probably my favorite movie ever. Our book has a high-voice and low-voice version of this song, and I'd probably do low voice because high voice is crazy high XD

The song was actually not in the original run of the show, but was added way later in the show's run when Toni Braxton was playing Belle. Susan Egan, the original actress who played Belle on stage, recorded the song for an album. This particular version is sung by a very talneted British girl who sounds beautiful and exactly like Paige O'Hara, Belle's original voice.



Doesn't she sound lovely? ^_^ I believe this version is the high-voice. Mine would be a few keys below this one. This song hits a special spot in my heart. It's sung after Belle returns home with her father, after the Beast releases her. It's a realization of moving on, of growing up, of leaving behind those silly childish notions, but not being embarassed about those dreams. Gently laying them to rest. Entering into adulthood, accepting, matured, a bit scared, but brave.

Okay, now I ask you all~

Give me your very honest opinion. Take into consideration my vocal range and such... I'm no soprano, nor can I sing too low. Be honest and constructive please~

Just out of singing class, and our first singing test is next week. Oh joy, and it has to be memorized. Though I'm not doing that bad of a job. And for some reason, our pianists' "creative" takes on each song makes me more comfortable because he never plays what's written, except for the general chords, and adds his own rythms and melodies to individualize each song for each person. For example, today I sang a rather jazzy version of Scarborough Fair XD (and he was actually surprised I started on cue... the song was so unrecognizable!)

And yayyyy for killing another 3 hours before Japanese class. I think I'll go watch "Spirited Away" over at the language lab again.

Sewing party on Monday night was fun. Very fun. Though I wasn't as productive as I should've been XD

I went another step closer to finishing Katara, so that made me excited. Kim also worked on Kiki, while Alison worked on her Dawn. Cosplay. And Joy joined us later in the night, and she finished an entire undershirt for a Kenshin commission. She was definitely the most productive of us all XD

Though we stayed up ridiculously late (3am woohoo), I had an insane amount of fun. Christopher joined us after work, and (uncle) Frank had come alone earlier.

And like I said earlier, the hotel situation for Fanime worked itself out, and after simply posting a status on Facebook, a friend's boyfriend replied and told us a friend of his was looking for people to fill in a vacant spot for the hotel. I jumped on the opportunity and everyone else in my group did as well. We're staying at the Sainte Claire, and we're paying roughly $50 per person. I need to confirm one more person, but so far, it looks like me, Alison, Miguel, Kim, and Frank are comming. Emily may go, it looks fairly good, but I still don't have a confirmation.

Yayyy Fanime Fanime Fanime I'm so excited I really need to start and finish some of my costumes o.O

I'm gonna go eat lunch now. Bye~

To kill this long gap until Japanese class, I went to the LLC to watch a movie. Plus, it'd give me hours towards my Japanese class.

I remember Yuki-sensei telling us last semester about a movie she submitted to the LLC for us to watch. "Densha otoko", or "train man". I didn't watch much at the LLC last semester but I realized I'm going to be killing a lot of time there.

So I watched "densha otoko" and fell in love with it about five minutes into it. It's basically about a hardcore otaku who akwardly defends a cute woman on the train from a drunkard. He later recieves a thank-you gift from her in the mail, and he asks his online chatroom friends for advice on how to return her thanks, and the entire movie consists of a bunch of people giving him advice and cheering him on through the chatroom, while he himself transform from an akward geek to a shy handsome man.

My gawdd I hadn't seen a chick flick in a while and this one rocked. I seriously want to import it in, it was beyond adorable *o*

So I'm going to go see the spring musical at my old high school tonight. Going back gets weirder and weirder and I lose my comfort there more and more each time. After next year, when my "freshmen" graduate, there won't be anymore reason to go back and visit, save some teachers that were beyond great. But yeah. And I'm going by myself, which'll make me feel even more akward o.O

And I'm gonna go see a presentation on the bombing of Hiroshima in about an hour and a half. Um, yeah, that'll be interesting. I really mean that but everytime I research the bombing it depresses me to hell. There's an interesting exhibit in the library (actually it's right behind me) with graphic photos from the bombing. Interesting to say the least but really sad =/

Okay, I need a snack before class, so, bye~

But ridiculously slow wi-fi will have to do for the next two and a half hours o.< Miguel is in class right now but gets out right before my next class, so he let me borrow his laptop for the time being. Yay.

So my schedule was sorted out earlier than usual this time because *gasp* I actually registered for some classes this time, instead of randomly showing up and wedging myself into the class. Schedule looks a lot like this:

Mon & Wed: Intro to Theater @ 8-9:25am
Mon & Wed: Beginner's Singing @ 9:45-10:50am
Mon & Wed: Japanese II @ 2:35-4:30pm

So yeah, notice the huge gap between singing and Japanese XD And yes, singing. Bleh. I'm hoping I'll enjoy it, and I probably will, but yeah, still really nervous about singing. More so than a lot of you know >.< Having seeing Miguel's singing final last semester is getting me incredibly nervous already: a singing recital to an actual audience at our school's beautiful recital hall. O.O I'll be sure not to tell you guys when my final is...

And I scheduled everything on only two days of the week so I can have a little more time for myself, as well as time for work. Goodness knows I need those hours, (heck, any mintues).

Eight units total. Not a full time student but there's no way I could handle being full time at the moment. But I'm happy with my schedule, and really happy to be back in school. I think having the entire winter off kinda depressed me actually. But yeah... I'd rather not like to put school on hold for that second job because I feel like I'll enjoy my classes this semester, but I'll see what happens in the next few weeks.

Anyways, yesterday, rehime invited us to a really cool seminar at Pomona College. She doesn't go there, but instead to neighboring Pitzer, and the seminar was open to all Claremont College students, though neither of us but her go to a Claremont College XD Only fuzzycotton and I could go because Christopher had to study and zack_mcdohl had work. Besides, it wasn't an event where the absolutely made sure you attended was one of the Colleges, and as long as we weren't obnoxious delinquents, we'd be fine.

The seminar was Manga in America, being presented by a former Pomona student now working for DarkHorse Comics. It was a really interesting look at the comics and manga industry here in America, as well as some insight to the history of the still-recent industry and Japan's huge manga industry.

He also said that DarkHorse is currently/going to work with CLAMP for the first ever simultaneous release of mangettes in Japan, America, and elsewhere around the world. No surprise that his last slide showing a gorgeous photo of the CLAMP ladies (with a dog that shamelessly reminded me of Iryogi from Kobato XD, except it wasn't small and blue. The face really made me think of Iryogi though).

After the seminar, Kim voiced to me the idea that I should work as a manga translator, knowing that I deeply admire translations that try to stay as true as possible to the creator's original intentions. It's an idea I'm playing around with in my head. I can barely draw, and even so a career in visual arts doesn't appeal to me much, but I'm enjoying linguistics more and more.

Afterwards, Alison dropped Kim and me off at my hosue, where Kim and I watched Beauty and the Beast and parts of The Princess Diaries, as well as random SNL and Acedemy Awards clips. I missed the Academy Awards this year because my shift at work was pretty much scheduled over the entirety of the show, but Hugh Jackman's amazingly corny intro was amazingly corny. I loved it XD

He was also very very sexy.

I also worked more on my Infinity Sakura cosplay last night, mostly on roughly sewing an underskirt straight onto my skirt. It's a lot closer to being finishing than I though, and it is my goal to finish by the end of the week. I asked Kim if she'd be willing to help me take a quick trial photoshoot of the costume later this week, so we'll see. The things holding me back is finding a spiked collar and cloth to make the leg strap. Other than that... it's actually looking pretty good. And it's fairly comfortable... except for the boots =_=;;

Blah my foot hurts. I fell today XD

Stupid Mt. SAC and it's stupid hilly campus built on a stupid hill. I was trying to dig my phone out of my back while walking with Miguel, and somehow lost my balance and fell stupidly on my ass in front of a bunch of people who stared at me XD Some guys from a nearby table shouted out, though, asking if I was okay. I nodded and waved, too embaressed to even say something. I'm okay, but I have a fairly ugly scrape on my ankle. It's not bleeding, though, and nothing else hurts except for that scrape, so I'm really okay.

And here I thought yoga actually improved my balance XD

Oh, and both Miguel and I ran into rt_emily_nguyen while going to the school's bookstore, which was an awesome surprise. I'm sad to elarn she couldn't stay at UCSD because I know she loves it down there, but it'll be nice seeing her more often ^o^

I fought tooth and nail, sweated tears and blood...

all to FINALLY get added into the oceanography class XD

I asked the professor, a cute, energetic young woman named Karren Bridges, if I could sit through the course to see if I can still be added one last time. She gave me her tragic, doubtful face, telling me I could try, but she wasn't so sure.

Two others boys also walked in, trying to add. She responded with "This class is absolutely full, there is no more room."

I looked around to see several empty desks, which made e want to laugh. She didn't want a cramped classroom, which is respectable. But I was still anxious. The two boys left, and I stayed. She eventually seperated us into groups for our end-of-the-semester oral presentation, and when our group turned in our list of names and the subject, I realized she didn't even know my name despite seeing me since last week.

"Nataly?"

"Oh, me."

"Ah, you're still trying to add, right? Well... I'll put a question mark next to your name..."

The rest of the class went by with her lecture on tectonic plates, as well as a brief explination of the San Andreas Fault. She spoke about how it's possible for those of us who live in Southern California to easily cross borders with the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, as the San Andreas Fault is the border between the two. An example she gave was when she had to commute to San Bernardino from her home in Alhambra.

I find the subject incredibly interesting, and when I went up to her after class, she just smiled up at me.

"You're quite a determined, one, aren't you?"

"I guess. I just really want this class."

"Okay, who are you...? Here you go..."

I gave her my name, and took the add slip, and practically skipped out of the room. Not before she called out "Don't tell anyone!"

So, yay! I'm liking my schedule now.

Oy, jazz dancing is going to KILL ME. I hadn't realized how tensed up my muscles had gotten from inactivity, I'm really gonna have to step it up. A lot of people in there (almost everyone, actually), had lots of previous dance experience, which got me a bit nervous. But it's fun, and a hell of a workout, so I'll try to stick to it.

So now my school schedule is settles, I'm happy, and I'm hoping to have a nice semester.

Hmmm.... I'm tempted to trek over to Mikomicon... it's fairly local. I have a scholarship that'll pay off most of my student fees this semester so I might be able to afford it, though I might only go for one day. I'm just not sure if my friends would be able to make it, nor do I know of anyone else who is actually going, so...

I'll see. If I do, go, I'm going to try and finish off a costume I've been wanting to finish for a while. I just haven't had time, nor do I have a working sewing machine. D'oh =_=;;

I started my fall semester. Being the horrible procrastinator that I am, I totally missed my registration date during the summer, and was reduced to showing up to random classes in the hopes that other people didn't find parking or were even lazier than me to show up in class,  so they could get dropped and I could take their spots.

Yeah I know, I sound rather cruel XD

I'm taking an odd assorment of classes, though. I easily got into my Japanese II class, which wasn't even full when registration closed. My instructor, Yuki-sensei, is an adorable and hilarious woman from Osaka. When she pointed out Osaka on a map of Japan, she said "I am from Osaka, which is known for it's food. Lot's of good food! And also... lot's of crazy people."

She rocks XD

I also got into a yoga class o.O

I needed a physical education class, and only this one looked appealing. Well, karate did too (I miss karate so much), but it was during my time for other classes. I also got taken into the Yoga class really easily, there was hardly anyone registered for it.

I also got into a guitar class. I like this instructor MUCH better than the one I had last semester (I dropped the class because I found him to be a jerk). I already felt a difference in my fingering skills while playing today, which made me happy ^_^

Now I'm trying to fight tooth and nail to get into an oceanography class. I swear... there's PLENTY of room left, but the professor refuses to take in anymore than what her roster allows. There may be many more spots open Wedensday, and I've showed up the last two days. I hope I get it >.<

And to top it off, I'm taking jazz dancing.

Lot's of physical classes this semester o.O

Probably due to the fact that I feel I need to shed a fair pound or two. I've also wanted to take SOME form of a dancing class since I was little... I finally can!! 

Hehe... my knees are gonna hate me a lot this semester >.>;; 

Now, I need to go buy a yoga mat by tomorrow. They sell some at my school's bookstore, but they also sell some at Barnes and Nobles (my job XD). They're pricier at my job, but I get a discount. PLus they also sell some cute carry-bags for the matts, which I want :3

I need to start figuring out my major, and where I want to go. I don't plan on transferring somewhere by next fall... but I kinda want to find a goal to move towards to. I'm just at a major crossroad right now, with several interests, though none of them really giving me an exciting prospect to a happy future =/

Bleh, I'll see. I'm off now, to buy my yoga matt XD