Jeffree Star, Breathe Carolina and autotune

Well I haven't been blogging as much of late. Here's some music related updates of what has been feeding my ears.. (last.fm/user/raz0r_blades209)

I have been slowly drifting away from that alternative, hard-rock sound when I discovered Breathe Carolina's new album Hello Fascination. Their electronica tune mixed with screamo sounds appealed to my ears, and I wonder why I have never listened to them before. I sure have been missing out. So what was my first impression? Well, I love it. It's something new to my ears. Upon obsessing over their new CD, I went back and listened to some of their songs from It's Classy, Not Classic such as "The Birds and the Bees" and one of their songs featuring Jeffree Star. Another point: I have also discovered Jeffree Star upon listening to Breathe Carolina. His recent album Beauty Killer just struck me with its upbeat techno tunes and Jeffree's self-confident lyrics.

Singing along to BC's "The Dressing Room" and Jeffree's "Lollipop Luxary," I notice that new music is following a sort of trend here. That techno-y electronica sounding beat is just music to our ears right? Well to me, it's sort of magical. Autotune has never sounded so good. Will a new era of music use this futuristic vibe to their advantage? The autotune should be noticeable and effective if used though, because I don't mean that robotic voice T-Pain has. Because that's just autotune gone wrong. If used properly and effectively it can create some new, very catchy and likable music. Hm, I suppose this blog went from my Breathe Carolina and Jeffree Star mini obsession to how effective autotune can be. What do you think?

Warped Tour Disappointment

As summer comes to a slow end, I came to a realization as I looked back at of all the fun and exciting things I did. I attended a NeverShoutNever! show, was able to meet one of my favorite bands, A Skylit Drive, and watched a bunch of summer films. But there was something I had anxiously planned for over any summer since middle school. And that was to be able to attend a Vans Warped Tour. 

I have been wanting to go to one ever since middle school because that's when my 24 year-old aunt started going and telling me about it. She's been to Warped about 3 times, supporting and promoting small local bands. Anyway, the Vans Warped Tour has been going on every year since 1995. It first started out for punk rock music but now the line-up features a variety of genres. Bands have different times and stages to be playing at, and it's usually very hot and crowded. Fun. But I can't really say unless I had experienced it myself. That's right, I was never able to go before because my aunt didn't want to "drag me along" before, and my parents thought I wasn't old enough. Well this is the year of 2009, when I turned 16, and my aunt promised to take me to Warped Tour this year.

Boy, I was so excited I nearly knocked the roof of my house over. Ah, no not really. But I was happy, I've been hoping and waiting for that day to come for so long, when it was finally going to happen I was thrilled. 

Well, Warped Tour has already ended so I either went or didn't.

I didn't. 

My aunt called me last minute and said that her boyfriend was too lazy to drive up and take us to Sacramento, and so I wouldn't be going to Warped Tour this year to see all those amazing bands that I've been dying to see for a long time. I was crushed.

Speechless and silent in anger, I was disappointed yet filled with anguish. It was the biggest let-down at the time, and I happen to not take those very well. False promises aren't really my type of thing. I guess you could even say that I was a bit heartbroken.

 But in time, we human bei

ngs tend to get over lost ca

uses and broken promises. I tried to. But every-time it comes up or an unexpected reminder of the event reaches my sight, it really really hurts because I think of "oh that would've been so awesome to be able to go.." I just make it worse for myself and as I grow deeper in regret. 

Moral of the story: Don't break promises because broken promises suck. 

All Time Low - "Nothing Personal"

All Time Low's new sound really is 'Nothing Personal.' Their style has changed, but not drastically, since 'So Wrong, It's Right.' No longer do they have that poppy happy feel, their sound has become more mature and the album contains deeper feelings and emotions. It's as if their hidden talent had been kept away but was finally unleashed and let out. 'Nothing Personal' conveys more of the band's developing style, and isn't always as upbeat and happy as 'Poppin' Champagne' and 'Dear Maria, Count Me In' were from the previous album. I'm not saying the album is more cutting edge and depressing. It still has that pop-rock feel throughout. It was definetly a change for the better, because I personally would get sick of their same sound, just as anyone else would. It's as if they started out with that pop-rock Boys Like Girls style, and developed into a more punk-hard rock Madina Lake sound.

Their hit singles 'Weightless' and 'Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)' have that familiar feel as the last album. Weightless seems like a song that wasn't good enough for So Wrong, It's Right and so it ended up as the single for this album. 'Damned If I Do Ya' however, at first listen I could tell All Time Low was different. The catchy drum beats with Alex Gaskarth's almost perfect voice makes the song addicting throughout.

I absolutely loved 'Break Your Little Heart.' As you can tell by the title, the song isn't very lovey-dovey. Gaskarth sings about heartbreak, instead this time, he's the one breaking them. He mocks how the girl is a drama queen and how he won't fall for any of her remorse. I found the lyrics to be rather humorous, because it made the term "heartbroken" more light and funny. At first, when he sang, "I'm gonna break your little heart/Watch you take the fall/Laughing all the way to the hospital/Cuz there's nothing surgery can do when I break your little heart in two," I thought the song was pretty cruel. Despite the fact that Gaskarth seemed heartless at first, this song was amazing and caught my attention with its' stunning guitar riffs and melodious beat. It simply made me think the message he was sending was 'nothing personal.'

'Lost in Stereo' revealed more of that Madina Lake style. This was another of my favorites. With the chorus repeating the faint echo of the words 'lost in stereo' along with Gaskarth's distinctive voice makes this song infectious. 'Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal' opens up with a familiar beat from their first album 'Put Up Or Shut Up' which was more punk than pop. This was another track that I've come to love.

A track I didn't like so much was 'Too Much.' This song was more mellow and calm than the rest, but it had 'too much' synthesis and seemed over-produced. It didn't seem like All Time Low, and I think I would've preferred it to be plain acoustic than have all of this unneeded synth. Lastly, 'Therapy' is another slow and soothing track, except it was executed way better than 'Too Much.' At first, I didn't like the song, but it really grew on me and now it is my absolute favorite off the album. I simply love the acoustic feel and it reminds me of their acoustic track 'Remembering Sunday' from 'So Wrong, It's Right.' This song really touches my heart, I love Gaskarth's voice in the chorus when he says 'give me therapy/I'm a walking travesty/but I'm smiling at everything.' It gives me chills. The beat reminds me a little of Green Day, but surely isn't a replica of any of their songs.

Overall, their album made a dramatic change, but a change for the better. I enjoyed the CD and it is my favorite from All Time Low. Like almost every band, their sound matured. We can't all be the same forever. But hey, it's 'nothing personal.'

Thumbs-Up Michy: RIP Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

It's a regular morning so far. I pour myself a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats and turn on the computer. Everything loads, and suddenly I get an instant message on AIM. "Michy, Michael Jackson's dead!!" I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it, but it was true. The King of Pop was gone. My family basically grew up with listening to Michael, his music is timeless. My 60 year old grandma loves his songs, and my 5 year old sister is always dancing whenever "Beat It" is on.

Michael Jackson is considered the King of Pop for a reason. His dance moves and singing were unique. It was evident that there could be no other person that could duplicate Michael's style. He basically opened the doors for other artists to make music. Michael started it all. Since he has passed away, it seems like the end of an era. The future of music is bright however, and many musicians should strive to follow in his footsteps. Even though Michael had to overcome many obstacles, he still came out strong. People will remember him for his classical tunes and effortlessly gifted talent.

Rest in peace.

-More at thumbsupmichy.blogspot.com

So close, yet so distant.

I grew up in a small home, with me being the oldest out of my two sisters. And when I couldn't get along with them, my cousin Pita was always there. Since we were small, we've always been close, causing havoc everywhere and starting trouble whenever possible. Pita and I were like best friends, I recall us always playing video games on that old school Nintendo, or just hanging out in the front of his house. Pita was like the older brother I never had. Even though he has many younger siblings and an older brother, we were able to get along better because we were about the same age, as he is only a year older than I am.

Unfortunately, as the years went by, we've began to slowly drift apart from each other. Since I started high school, Pita has been like a stranger to me. He started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and involving himself in gangs.

To this day, Pita is on trial for attempted murder.

When I found out about this incident from my mom, I couldn't believe it. This occurred probably right in the middle of my sophomore year. My mom picked me up from school and told me about how Pita tried to cut up some man's face. I haven't seen my cousin in a while, but I knew that wasn't like him at all.

I felt bad for not being able to keep in touch with my cousin. I thought that if I had been around more, this wouldn't have happened. If I was there like I used to be. But of course, it was too late now, and my mom told me that no one was to blame except himself and his parents.

As the investigation continued, I found out that Pita was sort of "crazy" when he did it. He was out of his state of mind, and they soon found out that he was on drugs. "That's what happens when you hang out with the wrong people," my mom said to me.

As time passed, I seemed to forget about this incident, for schoolwork and everything else was all that occupied my mind. Then, summer came, and Pita's court dates were still going on. The case was that; Pita shall not be immediately sent to jail, because they found him in a loony state and were trying to figure out where to put him.

So on the 18th of June, I was finally able to attend a court date with my mom and aunt, Pita's mother. When I entered the court room, I saw a long glass wall on the side. As we sat down, I heard chains moving behind the wall, and realized that was where he was kept, like an animal, along with the other "criminals." All I could see behind the wall were blurred orange suits, and after waiting for a long while, the judge then announced the name of my cousin, Pita Hing.

We all got up to stand at the opening to be able to see him. He came out in a a yellow jacket, with chains in the back. "That's what murderers wear," I thought. But he wasn't a murderer, he didn't kill anybody. Pita seemed so different, his hair was longer and he looked extremely sad tied up in that straight jacket, indicating that he was crazy. We stared at him for a long time while the judge talked. He finally glanced over at us. I smiled at him, letting him know that I was there to support him. He returned a mournful smile back, and after he did he stared at the ground for the remainder of the time. It was so sad, he looked miserable. I felt bad for him, his life was basically thrown away. He was only a year older than me, turning 17 this 22nd of June. He had dreams of studying to become a mechanic, he loved working with cars. He had his life planned out but was stopped by those obstacles in life that pulled him down.

So now, the next court date will be on this 25th of June. That is when they'll know whether to place Pita in a group home, or in a mental hospital until he turns 18. The sad part is that if he gets placed in a mental hospital, his family won't be able to see him very often because the hospital will be all the way in Southern California, near Long Beach. That is extremely far from Stockton, and we want him to be near us so we can visit him frequently. But whatever happens, I just hope that Pita will be able to have a future despite this obstacle that has stopped his life. He doesn't deserve to be in jail knowing that he was able to drive and was almost near his high school graduation.. Knowing that he has his future ahead of him.

Happy birthday, Pita.

A Skylit Drive and Dance Gavin Dance ESCAPADE!

For more pictures and vids on the A Skylit Drive and Dance Gavin Dance escapade, go visit my MySpace. :]

Thursday, June 11th was probably the best day ever. I got to meet one of my favorite bands, A Skylit Drive at Hot Topic and then see Dance Gavin Dance play at the Empire Theatre afterwards. And of course my partner in crime, Alisya, was with me the whole day!

First off was meeting Skylit at 5. My mom wanted to leave early so she could shop at Old Navy, so we left at around 3:30. We picked up Alisya at around 3:40; my mom took us to Starbucks because she knew we were early. She bought Alisya and I carmel frappuccinos, mmm.

When we arrived at Weberstown mall my mom let us wait in line at Hot Topic as she went to look around at Old Navy. I was glad that we came about an hour early, because the line was already long, and it was only about 4. When my mom tried to find us to give me some extra money, she found it humorous at how my peers in line all looked alike with our A Skylit Drive t-shirts and skinny jeans.

As Alisya and I stood in line we talked about how we would respond to seeing A Skylit Drive for the first time. "JAG, I LOVE YOU!" was one of the first reactions that I could think of. Luckily we decided that going all hectic and fan crazy was a bad idea. Alisya thought of the idea that we were going to take short videos of this awesome day, so we took two videos before we met them. After 30 minutes of waiting, we finally got to see them.

As soon as they told us that we could go to the table and meet them, I was in shock. With a quick gaze at all of the band members, I realized that they were all so beautiful. The first person I saw was Michael Jagmin, also known as Jag, and I was completely speechless. I guess I admired and was itimidated by him at the same time. I felt awkward standing there and letting him sign the CD, for I was just at a loss for words. While Alisya, next to me, couldn't stop talking as she was overly-excited. They gave us these Skylit posters for the band to sign with their pictures on it, and they drew mustcaches and boobs along with their signatures on each others faces. Also, Alisya still had the Starbucks cup from before, and she offered to let them sign it for our friend, Skyler. She told them about how we joke around and call him "The Skyler Drive" and so they signed "To Skyler," and "Skyler Drive" on the cup. The band was just really funny and they were the best, completely awesome. Once you meet them, you can never forget it.

So after the signing, we needed a ride to take us to the Dance Gavin Dance show downtown at the Empire Theatre. It was about 5:50, and the show started at 6:30. Perfect timing, right? Well, we called our friend Skyler and gladly said he would take us, as he was going to be there as well. We were overjoyed. As were going to wait outside of Dillards for Skyler, we took another video of the aftermath of meeting the band. Unfortuneatly, waiting for Skyler seemed like an eternity. We waited for him for about 30 minutes and were losing hope every minute. I called him multiple times but he never picked up. We were getting scared, and didn't know what to do but to just wait even longer. Finally, he called at around 6:40, but when the show started at 6:30. The first thing he says is, "hey guys I'm leaving my house now, I'm putting on deodorant."

Alisya and I were just shocked. I said "you know the show started already, right?" And Skyler just goes, "oh, did it?" It was a relief to know that he answered and would be picking us up, but we were angry that he didn't answer my 500 missed calls or texts. As Skyler came to pick us up, Alisya handed him the Starbucks cup with "Skyler Drive" written over it, and he laughed. We then drove off to the show where Dance Gavin Dance would be performing at.


Now, I've never been to the Empire Theatre, so it was my first time. I wanted to go when my favorite band Alesana came to town, as you recall from my first blog, but I wasn't allowed to go. That's why I made sure my parents had no idea that I was going, and I had no intention of telling them, ever. They thought that I was at Alisya's house, watching DVDs and such.

So anyway, I'm at Empire, and the uh, how do I put this? The "scene kids" sitting outside scared me. Some of them were just smoking and fixing their lovely multi-colored hair. I don't know why but they scared me, it sort of felt like I didn't belong. But as I went in to where the stage was, I felt more comfortable.

I saw Jeremy and his friend Thalia, they were already propped up right in the front of the stage, watching a band set up. So Jeremy joined Alisya and I, and Skyler went off somewhere. The bands that played before Dance Gavin Dance were mediocore. It was pretty boring because I just wanted to see the band that I came here for. After what seemed like forever, The Audition came on. They were pretty good, but I didn't like them and didn't know the words to any of their songs. So after they were done, we watched Dance Gavin Dance set up. Funn.

Finally, they played songs off of their new album, Happiness. I immediately felt stupid because I should've gotten their new album so I could sing along with everyone else. But I didn't, so I didn't now the words to any of the songs and just stood there shaking my head to the beat of the music. Dance Gavin Dance put on a great show, however, with leadsinger Kurt dancing like he was drunk. His stage moves were insane and unforgettable. It loved how he jumped in the crowd and everyone was going crazy. It was incredible.

After the show, we took another short video and called it a night. Later however, I found out that Skyler threw away his lovely autographed Starbucks cup, which made us very angry. Despite that, even though I know it won't ever make up for me not seeing Alesana, the whole day was completely amazing. Thank you Alisya. :)

Skylit Drive & Dance Gavin Dance ESCAPADE: Part II

Two brave hearts of the community; gone

On June 2nd, during an early Tuesday in the Oak Park village apartments, two unarmed security guards were found executed in their cars. Their bodies were found at 2 A.M, as they were parked alongside each other in the parking lot behind the complex. The guards, Oscar and Eugene, worked for Ad Force Private Security and were both very liked in the community. They were always described as polite and caring, even Eugene, on his days off, would come to talk and visit his friends here in the community, and even fish with them. The people that he protected were like his family, since Eugene had no close relatives.

When I come back from grocery shopping or doing laundry with my mom, I would always see her wave to Eugene, sitting in his car. My parents, my aunt and her boyfriend knew and were friends with Eugene and Oscar. My aunt's boyfriend was friends with Oscar, the other guard, and as I have seen, Oscar was always seemed chipper and excited about life; he was just in such a great mood. So, my family were close with these guards that protected us, and it's such a shame that they were found dead in the place they were supposedly loved.

As I think about what has happened, I know it isn't fair. Eugene and Oscar were always kind and friendly towards these people, and the community that they were guarding ended up killing them. Now, I live in these apartments, this village we call Oak Park. And I feel ashamed to live here. Whoever killed the guards just set a bad reputation for us, making the whole community look like criminals. Even a friend of mine said that her mom was afraid to pick me up or drop me off anymore because of this incident. The majority suffer from the minority, it's such a shame.

I, personally didn't know these guards, but to some people, they were like family to them. My parents saw them everyday, after a long day of work. When my dad gets ready to leave his car, he would see Eugene, always opening up with a "hi, how are you?!" They would then engage in small chit-chat, and it was like a part of his everyday routine. So, as a result, we have new guards but they aren't as friendly as Eugene and Oscar. They look at us as if we're going to murder somebody, and it's just very sad. The guards didn't deserve it. And this community doesn't deserve to have a bad reputation. I just hope that they find whoever killed the guards soon, as it will bring my parents and my aunt great relief.

Photo credit to: Leticia Ordaz/KCRA

I'm going to have a "21st Century Breakdown"

First off, I would like to commend these tire-less thirty some year olds for bringing out yet another great album. To anyone that disliked "their newer stuff" before they "sold out," let me tell you, "21st Century Breakdown" will not disappoint, no matter how much you seem to hate them with a passion of a thousand suns. But maybe it will, because some people are just so anti Green Day, it's ridiculous. Anyways, it definitely feels good to listen to Billie Joe's voice again with a brand new style and beat that doesn't differ completely, but mostly from their previous work.

The album opens up with their intro "Song of the Century" with spoken words that seem to be mixed in with some distinctive static in the background. Listening to it makes me feel relaxed and I only wish it could be longer.

Then bam, their second track "21st Century Breakdown" really hits you in the face. This song focuses on the downfall of society right now such as the economy. Billie Joe describes our generation as the ones who have to deal with the problems that our ancestors left us when he sings, "we are the class of 13 / Born in the era of humility / We are the desperate in the decline / Raised by the Bastards of 1969." And since our generation is having to stress about the many problems of the world, we are left with, well, a "breakdown.

I will not speak of every track, but yes, I will bring up Green Day's hit single, "Know Your Enemy." This song reminds me of "American Idiot" with the infectious drum beat and fast-paced guitar riffs. And yet, I still manage to somehow love this song no matter how overplayed and repetitive it seems when Billie Joe sings, "DO YOU KNOW YOUR ENEMY?"

"East Jesus Nowhere" really lures the reader into the song with the pounding guitar riffs in the intro. The rhythm of this song is amazingly contagious and keeps you listening throughout the whole song. This track is definitely one of my favorites, along with "Peacemaker."

"Peacemaker" is one of the songs that Green Day has really portrayed their new style in. I sense some Mexican vibes from this with the distinct maracas, constant strumming of the guitar and the fact that he rolls his R's at the end of this song. The best part of this track is when Billie Joe says "Well call the Peacemaker! Hey hey! Hey hey hey hey hey!" I seem to love that part because like everything else, it IS infectious.

Even though most of the tracks on "21st Century Breakdown" are upbeat and head-shaking, they also reveal their softer, less hectic side. "21 Guns" is definitely the most captivating song on the album, and it isn't just because I'm a sucker for acoustic songs. Billie Joe sings about war, and how it needs to stop because it isn't worth it. It really strikes you from the beginning, when you hear "Do you know what's worth fighting for? / When it's not worth dying for? / Does it take your breath away? / And you feel yourself suffocating? / Does the pain weigh out the pride? / And you look for a place to hide? / Did someone break your heart inside?" The beat of the song in the chorus even sounds a bit like marching, and it's brilliant how they created this song with a light and acoustic tone for a serious topic.

Yes, there's no song about how Bush is an American Idiot here, but instead, Green Day tackles topics such as the problems of the world and portrays them in a way that can make listeners feel what they're feeling. This album is definitely their best yet, and I admire how they can still create music that boggles people's minds. Although their sound has changed throughout the years, it is definitely for the better, and "21st Century Breakdown" won't dissapoint.

The power of childhood memories

It feels like just yesterday, when I gripped my purple Nintendo 64 controller; having sore thumbs and wide tired eyes. As I repeatedly tapped A and titled the joystick forward I can recall the peaceful times of when I made the character swing his sword and do little barrel rolls. The game that became my all-time favorite: Zelda.

The Zelda series really started it all for me. I grew up playing this video-game series, and as a result it has become a part of my childhood memories, and a thing I cannot forget. Ocarina of Time. My first Zelda game. I remember that sunny afternoon in the 1st grade where my dad brought me this game and handed it to me and told me to play it on my nice new console. I recall looking it over several times, asking him "what's this? what's this?" and he would reply "Zelda." And I would still question him because his answer didn't make any sense. So he showed me, and he played about the first 5 minutes of it. By then, I was too excited to watch any longer. I yelled, "I wanna play now!" and was able to try out this adventurous journey. Little did I know that the first 5 minutes of this game would keep me hooked on Zelda in the future. And I can honestly say that I am still an avid "gamer" throughout my high school years.

However, the sad part is, I've been brainwashed into playing mindless, violent, videogame shooters. I currently own an Xbox 360, with games such as Resident Evil 5, Gears of War 2, and Call of Duty 4. The innocent, adventurous storyline of the Zelda series seemed to have escaped me; as I get ready to headshot an enemy veteran with a sniper rifle, or chainsaw some alien zombies with my highly advanced weapon. No more swords and neat little items when I've got a load of technological guns and explosives now, right?

Eh, wrong. Soon after playing these videogame shooters, a part of me starts to realize what's missing. I think back and remember what made me so into this video game thing, and I came to a conclusion: Zelda. After days of mindlessly searching on Youtube, I come across the Zelda songs. And as soon as I clicked play to hear the theme song, a load of Zelda memories rushes through my mind, and it just makes me sad. It brings back so many memories, I wish I could just play those games again. Zelda's "Majora's Mask," "Wind Waker," and "Ocarina of Time" just fulfills that empty void that was created with the videogame shooters. Honestly; nothing was better than the classics, not even the great shooters of today could ever possess the unique elements that Zelda had that drew me into the series so powerfully.

So, as I sit here and reflect on my childhood memories, there seems to be a simple solution for the absence of Zelda. All I need to do is to just play it again. Simple, right? It would be. If only I could trace the whereabouts of my Nintendo Gamecube or Wii, or even Nintendo 64 for a matter of fact. But all of my Nintendo consoles are nowhere to be found, and whenever I look and see that ol' Xbox 360 collecting dust, I just stare at it and think, "where is my old-school Nintendo?"

End of season brings discourgement

It didn't seem too long ago that I was conditioning for badminton. Now, it's the end of the season and the end of practice for junior varsity. How time flies! It's funny how I never considered joining a sport at all in the first place, because I always knew I wasn't very athletic. Any sport, you name it; I was a complete clutz. I hated sports, but I decided to try badminton.

And well, I'm glad I did, because I absolutely love the sport now. Ever since I made the team, one of the things I looked forward to at the end of a long, hard day was badminton practice. Excluding the fact that I'm probably the worst player on the team, I really enjoy going practice. I don't know what it was that drew me towards this sport so much, but I tried to never miss a single day unless it was for journalism or some sort of doctor's appointment.

The blisters on my feet, the non-stop running around the school and the extremely hard warm-ups at conditioning were brutal. I almost gave up during the first week, because conditioning made me so sore that it was painful to walk. But now, I realize that it was worth it despite the hardships I went through and the games that I've lost.

So, I may not be the best badminton player in the world, but I love the sport so much that I'm more than willing to improve myself. The friends I've made and the games I've played have been a great experience for me, and it's just so disapointing that practice for JV ended today.
I guess there's nothing left to do except to wait for summer to start. Then, I can play again. :)

Easter day surprise

So today, my mom woke me up extremely early. 7 o'clock. Too early for a Sunday, anyway. The family was up early because we were planning on reserving a spot at Micke Grove Park. Every year, we seem to always celebrate Easter at Micke Grove, it's almost like a tradition. Since it being Easter, the park would be packed with big families celebrating this egg-hunting festivity.
And so we leave early, about 9 o'clock. My dad has been there since about 7 however, saving a good place for us to settle down.

And so, with the chocolate goodies in the trunk, and a few of my little cousins too, we were on our way. We planned to meet up with a few friends and other family members there as well.
After we laid out our Asian mats and prepared the food, the day just seemed pretty relaxing and fun. I took my sisters and little cousins to the playground for a while, and afterwards we played catch, football, and even a little badminton.

Or maybe, just too much badminton. I became so caught up in playing the game with my cousins that I didn't notice my 4 year old sister was gone. My dad, however, assured us that she was at the playground. I became relaxed, but when a few more minutes passed by, my cousins and I seemed to get a little worried. We immediately stopped the game and rushed to the playground to look for her.

While searching through the mess of little rugrats running around and screaming on the slides, I yelled my sister's name. "Mariee! Mariee?!" After a few seconds of searching with frantic eyes, I became worried. My little sister wasn't there.

All sorts of thoughts flooded my mind, thoughts that I didn't want to think about and I tried not to think about. Even after discussing what happened to that 8 year old girl Sandra yesterday, I understood that that could've been anybody. Filled with worry, my pace quickened, and I kept on searching for a little girl in a white blouse with blue cut jeans.

Finally, I saw her. Extreme relief rushed inside me as I yelled, "MARIEE!" She came rushing so quickly towards me, with tears streaming down her cheeks, and the sound of her crying echoing in my ears. All I could make out from her was "I want mommy," as her sobbing was painfully loud. As she jumped into my arms, I tried to console her, but at the same time I was also trying to call my mom and tell her that everything was alright.

Then, I noticed a blond, tall woman standing next to her. This woman explained to me that she found Mariee about twenty minutes ago, looking for her family. It turns out my sister was walking in the wrong direction, and that she got lost. When my mom came, the sheriff did also, and the blond woman explained everything. With the look in my mom's eyes, I could tell she was extremely grateful for that woman, but also feeling deep regret as if she wasn't a good mother.
And so, after this horrible incident, I'm sure my mother vowed to never leave Mariee's sight again. I'm just glad that I found my sister, but I also learned that chocolate filled eggs aren't just the only thing that could go missing on Easter.

Student misses chance to see favorite band

Alesana, a screamo band, came to play at the Stockton Empire Theatre last Friday. April 3rd to be exact. They came along with I Set My Friends On Fire, and a few others. Anyone who knows me pretty well, or has seen my MySpace, probably knows that I obsess over Alesana. And that I probably worship them daily. Maybe. I have their band picture as my desktop wallpaper, their icon as my AIM icon, and the wallpaper on my phone is Alesana. I have dozens of pictures of them in my computer, almost all of their songs, a big poster that says ALESANA on the front of my bedroom door, and heck, I’m even wearing my Alesana tee shirt right now.

So, did I go to the concert? The Alesana concert? Me? Why of course you would think so, anybody would. A friend told me that I was the first person he thought of going.

Well, no. I didn’t go. Crazy, right? Yeah, my parents, or rather my dad said I couldn’t go, because I’m only 15. Said there would be crazy teenagers there and that I couldn’t go without my aunt or anything. Didn’t really give much of a valid reason, but that’s what he said. So I immediately felt sort of heartbroken hearing this. I didn’t really know what to think. So, after this, I despised my dad. My mom just told me to shut up and get over it.

I went to school the next day, telling my friends the heartbreaking news. “What? You love them! Why not?” “Whaa? Ask again!” And so on. I told them that there was no way that my strict parents could change their mind about this, and so that was the end of it. As the day went on, I tried to forget about it, but my friends who didn’t know the news were constant reminders, e.g. flashing the ticket, talking about the show.

So after school, I decided that I was going no matter what. I was going to disobey my parents’ authority and go anyway. Now, I normally wouldn’t even think about doing this, I wouldn’t even consider that option. But this was Alesana. I really loved this band, and would do anything to go to that show. My good friend Jeremy told me not to go, and that I’ll regret it later. My aunt also told me this, because my birthday was coming up and I was going to feel sorry for what I did. But really, I didn’t care. Seeing Alesana was worth getting in trouble, it was probably worth anything.

So, I was supposed to go to my friend Alisya’s house that day also. We were going to work on our Huck Finn English project, thanks to Mrs. Dei Rossi. So we took the bus and went to her house. And that was when we would sneak off to the show. We had to wait until her mom came back from work though, because her mom would let her go. So we worked on the project until 6. The show starts at 6:30. I began to lose all hope, knowing that I would never be able to go. Alisya knew this too, and just told me to call my dad to take me home.

So now, here I am. My parents didn’t know that I planned to sneak out, so I wasn’t in any trouble. The show was on Friday, and today is Sunday. The feeling that was attached to me all those 3 days hurt more than I could possibly imagine. I tried not to think about the show, but every time I did I could not stop crying. To know that I missed Alesana and all their glory when they finally come here. To know that people who didn’t even listen to them went to the show. To know that I had a chance to go to the show and see my idols. That hurts the most.