People in Pilsen

So I was lucky enough to spend a month in the beautiful Czech Republic with some amazing people...they had so much character, spontaneity, and a little bit of mystery to them. In fact, with people here, you never know what you're going to get!

For starters, I met a pregnant man.

And many beautiful women.  

There were lots of kitties around town.

 

There was even ice cream that doubled as eye wear!

 

There was a guy who aspired to be part of a fence.

Some nice guards...

And some awkward guards too.

I met a talking table...

 

A very charming and shiny man...

And a couple of witches on a night out on the town.

On a day when no one else was on the tram, we turned into hardcore parkour masters!

But sometimes...you don't know what or who is underneath!

(dun dun dun)

Thanks for a great month. :)

Pseudosynesthesia

One day, I was fooling around and claimed that I got a "blue" vibe from somebody. The people I was claiming this to agreed with me, and so, being encouraged, I continued to point out the color of people's auras. I was amused to see that my friends agreed with many of them.

They joked around saying I had some magical gift or ability, a type of synesthesia, and I got super excited over it. I knew that I was pulling this stuff out of my butt, that all I did was stare at somebody and announce whatever appropriate color I saw first in my head; it wasn't even related to those color personality tests you take online. (You're a blue person, tranquil and loves water...) But it was so fun that people would support my silliness!

So I was even more amused when I brought it up again some days later, sitting on a bus with these same people and more, and I found myself feeling defiant against people who disagreed with me. How dare they contradict "the gift"??

It was also really funny to see others getting into it with me. People made their own judgements, and there were a couple debates about what colors some people were. I deemed Willie Braun a mustard yellow, and Hanna deemed him burnt orange. He told me he wanted to be burnt orange because that was his school color, and I made a big deal on how you didn't have personal choice on what color you were. You are what you are!

We had all agreed that Hanna was green. Hanna liked being a green person, but wanted her violin playing to be red. It was a really distressing dilemma.

We decided Kyle was blue. He said, "Yee."

I looked up the types of synesthesia and this definitely does not exist. So it makes me really happy to see people play my game with me, and I think it's so funny how seriously we took it. I liked watching our imaginations interact! :) I also thought it was kind of a cool demonstration on how much we could convince ourselves is the truth. What an awesome power to have...I'm going to start telling myself every day that I'm a Disney princess.


I think Mulan is a bright yellow, do you?

10 Things that Make Me Happy

 

1. Rereading books you already know will make you happy.

2. Large, unidentifiable creatures.

3. Leaving nice notes for strangers you'll never meet.

4. Watermelon in a plastic bucket.

LOL

5. Bonding time with mom, and healthy skin!

6. Quartet love :)

 

7. Friends...and Friends!

8. Paper crafts.

9. Making music!

10. Loving oneself. 

"At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe us when we say there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. And what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events, may, in fact, be the first steps of a journey."

Life

So, of course this post is regarding the (supposed) coming of the Rapture tomorrow, and about the world ending in general in 2012.
But not really.

The whole theme lately is that the world is ending soon, and if you're Christian, some of you may believe that God is coming to end the world and take us either to heaven with Him or to Hell.

First, bear with me for a few seconds. I happen to be a very paranoid and impressionable person (surpriseeee), and if you told me my skin was turning purple or contact lens solution is poison and would make you go blind, I would believe you. So of course for a while I was one of those people that legitimately believed the world was ending and had a 5 minute breakdown over it. (Sigh.)

But then I got my head on straight and thought...whether or not you find all of this silly or you actually believe it, the truth of the matter is one day we will die. We may not be going down with the destruction of earth, we may not be burnt up in the fires of God, but we will meet our end eventually and in some way or another. What is the difference between the world ending, and our lives ending?

We don't know when we'll die, and we don't know if the world is actually ending, but we do know for sure that we have an expiration date, and we have a life in our hands.

If our lives were to end tonight, or tomorrow, or 50 years from now, we should all be prepared to say that we are happy with what we've done. If you are Christian, then have you done all you could to live in God's name? As a person in general, have you impacted enough people? Do you have any regrets? It's not even about what we have accomplished in life; it's simply about what we have brought to the world. We all have an influence...are we satisfied with how we used it?

The lesson to all of this end of the world hype is that, who cares if the world is ending? Who cares if this whole thing is a hysterical concoction of paranoia that people can either be swept up in, laugh at, or ignore completely? We'll die eventually either way. What we really need to think about is living the life that we have today to the fullest! We deserve the best, and only we can give it to ourselves. We have been given this gift (even though some days, it may seem to really suck to be alive), and we also deserve to get as much as we can out of it.

YAY LIFE!

Summer

Right now I am sitting on our comfy couch with a bowl of watermelon, after doing an hour of yoga and taking a long hot shower, wearing an old hoodie and watching Friends.

Summer is perfect.

I Should Be Practicing

Today, I had a magical moment.
The sun was shining outside, I was still in my PJs, it was probably 2:30 PM, and I had just finished watching an episode of Cake Boss (yummy!) when...

I randomly wanted to practice.

I took out my violin, tuned it up, warmed up for about 45 minutes...

And then the feeling was gone.
...
I put my violin down on my bed.
I stood there for a moment.
And then I went to get some watermelon and went on Facebook.

And I never practiced again.

----------

This summer, however wonderful, will be a tough one. FIGHT ALICE FIGHT!

HEDGEHOGS <3

What if...

"What if we knew for certain that everything we're worried about today will work out fine?

What if...we had a guarantee that the problem bothering us would be worked out in the most perfect way, and at the best possible time? Furthermore, what if we knew that three years from now we'd be grateful for that problem, and its solution?

What if...we knew that even our worst fear would work out for the best?

What if...we had a guarantee that everything that's happening, and has happened, in our life was meant to be, planned just for us, and in our best interest?

What if...we had a guarantee that the people we love are experiencing exactly what they need in order to become who they're intended to become? Further, what if we had a guarantee that others can be responsible for themselves, and we don't have to control or take responsibility for them?

What if...we knew the future was going to be good, and we would have an abundance of resources and guidance to handle whatever comes our way?

What if...we knew everything was okay, and we didn't have to worry about a thing? What would we do then?

We'd be free to let go and enjoy life."

EVERYBODY!

EVERYBODY, SMILE. JUST DO IT.

EEEEEE!
Feel better now?
Good!










And now, a joke:

An orchestra was plagued by absences in all of their rehearsals. In fact, each member had missed at least one rehearsal except for one loyal oboe player. At the last dress rehearsal, the conductor took a moment from rehearsal to express his appreciation in the oboe player’s dedication towards attendance. The oboe player just smiled and said, “Well it’s the least I could do since I won’t be attending the performance.”

YOU BETTER BE LAUGHING.
The hardest part of the year is almost over, and summer is around the corner. I hope everyone is doing well.

The Great Adventures of Bel Fiore EDITTED and an Ode to Kyle

February 28 February 26 - 28
11:47 pm Kyle started compiling DVD

March 1
9:00 am Kyle still compiling DVD
12:00 pm Kyle still compiling DVD
3:30 Application is filled (coffee run)
3:47 Passports photocopied
5:00 pm Kyle still compiling DVD
7:00 pm Alice makes Kyle dumplings and noodles while he compiles DVD
7:33 Kyle starts burning DVD
8:17 Tim and Alice go to Target
8:30 Tonya calls FedEx to ask about overnight. THEY CLOSE AT 9:00 PM.
8:32 Tonya calls Alice in tears
8:38 DVD finishes burning
8:46 Tim and Alice arrive back at the dorms after unsuccessfully reaching Target
9:02 Realized we did not reach FedEx in time
9:03 Continued onward to the airport FedEx
9:17 Realized we didn't have money orders
9:30 Arrived at Walgreens. Failed to get money orders
9:37 Arrived at Giant Eagle. GOT MONEY ORDERS
9:41 Drove past airport, GOT LOST.
9:45 SAW A FEDEX TRUCK. Followed it.
9:50 Arrived at FedEx. IT CLOSED AT 9:45. LIKE, REALLY? REALLY???
9:53 Ran to neighboring UPS store. Rejected.
9:57 Went back to FedEx. Tonya calls FedEx helpline. Kyle cries Kyle transforms into Superman and flips over a car. Alice runs into the FedEx truck field.
9:59 Alice finds a truck driver and begs. Truck driver radios a worker inside the FedEx building. WORKER AGREES TO OPEN THE DOOR TO TALK TO US.
10:00 FedEx worker rejects us. SYSTEMS ARE SHUT OFF. OVERNIGHT PLANE ABOUT TO LEAVE.
10:01 WE POUT.
10:02 She realizes we are applying for a competition. Takes Kyle's credit card and runs in to the building with no promises.
10:04 Alice checks on the plane. THE ENGINE IS ON AND THE LADY IS RUNNING TO THE PLANE.
10:05 FedEx lady comes back out and tells us...
MISSION SUCCESSFUL.
10:06 Kyle cried again. Kyle roared in victory, volunteered at a soup kitchen, and saved a burning house.
10:11 Got celebratory Burger King.

An Ode to Kyle
Kyle.
Brave. Blonde like cheese.
Tall. Has Justin Beiber's haircut Inspired Justin Beiber's haircut.
The master of DVD compilation. The master of all.
Run Kyle, run! Run into the wilderness of life!
Let your ping pong ball soar!
May your dedication to making DVDs be known all over the world!
May your style make people smile and your height help cats stuck in trees!
May you fight evil with your endpin and may you overcome Cheese and D!
May the soundtrack to "Up" guide you throu--SQUIRREL--
Kyle.
Brave. Blonde like cheese.
He did not cry.

The Great Adventures of Bel Fiore

Synopsis: Kyle Price, Tonya Burton, Hanna Cooper, and Alice Hong are applying for music camps as a quartet. They spent 16 hours recording in a church and lived off of leftover pork buns and Jimmy John's. The arrival deadline of the application is March 2.

February 28
11:47 pm Started compiling DVD

March 1
9:00 am Still compiling DVD
12:00 pm Still compiling DVD
3:30 Application is filled (coffee run)
3:47 Passports photocopied
5:00 pm Still compiling DVD
7:00 pm Alice makes Kyle dumplings and noodles while he compiles DVD
7:33 Kyle starts burning DVD
8:17 Tim and Alice go to Target
8:30 Tonya calls FedEx to ask about overnight. THEY CLOSE AT 9:00 PM.
8:32 Tonya calls Alice in tears
8:38 DVD finishes burning
8:46 Tim and Alice arrive back at the dorms after unsuccessfully reaching Target
9:02 Realized we did not reach FedEx in time
9:03 Continued onward to the airport FedEx
9:17 Realized we didn't have money orders
9:30 Arrived at Walgreens. Failed to get money orders
9:37 Arrived at Giant Eagle. GOT MONEY ORDERS
9:41 Drove past airport, GOT LOST.
9:45 SAW A FEDEX TRUCK. Followed it.
9:50 Arrived at FedEx. IT CLOSED AT 9:45. LIKE, REALLY? REALLY???
9:53 Ran to neighboring UPS store. Rejected.
9:57 Went back to FedEx. Tonya calls FedEx helpline. Kyle cries. Alice runs into the FedEx truck field.
9:59 Alice finds a truck driver and begs. Truck driver radios a worker inside the FedEx building. WORKER AGREES TO OPEN THE DOOR TO TALK TO US.
10:00 FedEx worker rejects us. SYSTEMS ARE SHUT OFF. OVERNIGHT PLANE ABOUT TO LEAVE.
10:01 WE POUT.
10:02 She realizes we are applying for a competition. Takes Kyle's credit card and runs in to the building with no promises.
10:04 Alice checks on the plane. THE ENGINE IS ON AND THE LADY IS RUNNING TO THE PLANE.
10:05 FedEx lady comes back out and tells us...

MISSION SUCCESSFUL.

10:06 Kyle cried again.
10:11 Got celebratory Burger King.

The package arrived at 12:50 pm today.
We are epic.
HAPPY SPRING BREAK EVERYONE!