Happy Birthday Jacob and Wayne

A little night out with the gang

Interestingly, there had been four birthdays this month: Prof. Gayle, Prof. Zanter, and today, Jacob and Wayne! Tomorrow, we're having a concert at the Salzburg Domkirche, where Mozart would have worked if he had worked for the Archbishop at the time, Mozart and many other musicians have performed in this magnificent cathedral. Anyway, this blog isn't about that yet, that's for tomorrow, right now, it's about Jacob and Wayne's birthday.

As usual, it is very hot, but we're still glad because it's definitely much better than rain. Our penultimate week in Salzburg is definitely challenging, in terms of all the academic stuff we need to get done while making sure we make the most of the little time we have with each other (the friends that I have made here) and the whole place itself. Tonight is the first night I actually got out with almost 80% of the whole KIIS program and partied, it's usually just 10 or less people in one night, but tonight was definitely fun!

Candid shot, this was the only photo I got from the brewery.

Let's start with the end of our choir rehearsal at the St. Paul's church, we went straight to the Stiegl Factory, were really good beer is made, had dinner there, I ate a Schnitzel, which I never finish every time I get served eating it. I had a grapefruit radler, which is Stiegl beer with grapefruit flavor in it. Then we went back to the hostel at around 8P.M. to relax, pregame, and get ready for a long night we are about to have. I had about thirty minutes to practice some voice, work on vibrato, and then I showered and went to the terrace where everyone have started playing a game, I forgot what it was called. Let's just say we have this constant rhythm going on, then we have our own personal gestures that we use, 'interesting' gestures, and it's pretty much a hand-eye coordination because the rhythm that we do is increasing in tempo overtime. It was definitely fun.

At around 11P.M. we decided to go downtown, to go club hopping, all about 20 of us, moving together. We were being loud Americans of course, but it was fun! We went to Vis-A-Vis, then some clubs I don't even remember what they're called anymore because I had a little too much, but just enough to not cause trouble.

had a little too much, but just enough to not cause trouble: Jacob, Justin, Mac, Myself, and Evan

We had a couple of shots at some drinking bar, which was jam-packed with people, it was very lively! We got shots that had interesting names, called, well, just ask me personally or email me or something then I'll tell you what they're called. hahhaa it's Rated R. Anyway, it was very strong and quite tasteful.

Where we bought those interesting shots.

After going around clubs, we went back to Vis-A-Vis then later on some people decided to walk back to the hostel, then at around 2A.M. Myself, JJ, Evan, Mac, and Jairen all decided to walk back to the hostel. It took us about 35 minutes to walk, which was pretty fast. We had some interesting conversation about being young adults and music. Then we arrived the hostel and slept immediately!

Tonight was really fun, I hope we get another chance to do this again!

Vienna: Meeting Musical Geniuses

Beautiful and peaceful day at the Zentralfriedhof

Yes, today, I met Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf, Beethoven, and Strauss. First of all, the cemetery, which was the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) was very far from where we stayed. So, again, I got tested on how well we mastered the whole train system in Vienna. Well, I wasn’t the only one travelling, I was with Bethany, Sara Fox, Nyghel, Todd, Mark, Emily, Jairen, and Patric. It was almost 90 degrees out so it was so hot and it was to get on everyone’s nerves, I was also hungry, which only exacerbated the whole situation, so we ended up splitting the groups in two, me, Jairen, Bethany, and Sara, while everyone else was in the other group.

Johannes Brahms

So, the Zentralfriedhof, I bought flowers, 2 bouquets, because that’s all I could afford, so I decided to put them in Brahms’ and Schuberts’ grave, my favorite composers. The first grave I saw was Johann Strauss’, I haven’t heard much of his music so I wasn’t so starstruck when I saw his grave, I took a picture of it anyway because I know someday I might like his music, next to him…was Brahms, all it said was Brahms and a sculpture of his face and hands trying to write something, maybe a piece. Anyway, his Intermezzo Op.118 no. 2 played in my brain, and stood there in utter silence for how long, I do not know. But I was just amazed by the fact that he is right there, who wrote the music I am so in love with! A genius, is right there! I couldn’t believe it!

The next grave I saw was my other favorite composer: Franz Schubert. His last lied, Die Taubenpost which I sang last semester, played in my brain. I stood there and sat by his grave, and imagined that he and I were talking, just me being so excited about his works and his compositions, and somehow, I know he heard me and he was speaking to me as well.

They all felt so close to me after hearing their music all this time, I felt as if they were conversing with me each time their music is played. I feel honored and happy to have had the opportunity to be this close to them, this is the closest anyone will ever be to them anyway, physically speaking. I am happy and content. There will come a time that I will be able to play the piano music of Brahms and Schubert. Much of the vocal repertoire that I did this past year is centered on Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin, I’m almost done with the cycle, I’ve also seen it performed live here in Austria at the Mozarteum. This semester, I’ll learn some Brahms’ lieder and more Schubert!

Beethoven's Grave

Venice Part II

Hanging out near the Adriatic Sea before we checked in.

So, part II, (same day)we checked in, and we all had to figure out a systematic way to sneak the rest of everyone to our hotel rooms which are pretty much 1 sq. foot. Did I say that our hotel was a different building from where we check in/Reception? Yes, it is, it’s about ten houses away from the reception area and it is found on a very narrow alleyway, where only one person at a time can walk in to, great huh? Anyway, we went outside with my beach outfit, with my other friends, Patric, Bethany, Jairen, Nyghel,Wayne, Marissa, and Kaitlyn, (who both are from NKU). We found out that it is 14 euro for a boat ride from Venice to Lido, which is the island where the beach is, it is about an hour boat-ride. –It was an amazing boat ride!! I had such a great time!!

Boatride to Lido from Venice

We finally arrive at the beach… the beach!! It was so much fun!! It has been two years since I last set foot on sand and salt water. For a moment, I felt very nostalgic. I thought of my best friend in Guam, Aida, who I miss very much, and my mom, dad, and sister.

After awhile, I went ahead and asked everyone that we should bury someone under the sand, and yes, they all voted that I get buried. It was so much fun, I missed being buried in the sand!

At around 5 P.M. we left the beach and had dinner at this gelato place which also had some Italian food, I got a pasta, I forgot what it was called and ate gelato! We returned to our sketchy hotel, played cards, had pizza, gelato, and wine of course!!

Hello beach!!

I went back to the waters to the sand washed away from my body.

Before arriving at the beach, I promised myself I wouldn't go to the waters, but that didn't happen because I got too excited seeing the ocean and the sand. I shall return!!..someday.

Venice Trip Part 1

Oh yes, Venice, it’s definitely nothing like other fancy restaurants depict it. If I were to recreate the ambiance of Venice in a restaurant, I would make narrow alleys, smell of stagnant water, unmaintained buildings, and lots and lots of vendors selling the same thing from different kiosks. Our hotel was the sketchiest place. It’s actually quite funny, I felt so uncomfortable and thought that I would be kidnapped and that we’re just being put in a trap. So let me start with our experience with the night train, because you can’t say you’ve traveled around Europe without having ridden a night train-as I have heard somewhere.

Our Cabin

Getting on the train

Our train ride to Venice was… made bearable by the people I shared the cabin with: Lindsay, Levi, Nyghel, Megan, and Justin, then later on, we adopted Mac because the people in her cabin occupied all the space, the little space that we had. So from our hostel, all 16 of us went to the Salzburg Hauptbahnof, or the train station, at 11 at night to catch a 1A.M. train ride. We went two hours earlier because the buses end around 11 so we can get to the hauptbahnof for free and easily.

So we’re finally on the train for eight hours and trying to sleep so we can have energy going around Venice. I slept, thankfully, not in the best position, but I still got sleep. Somehow, we did a positivity circle where we all genuinely say positive things about each other, that felt great, that helped me sleep.

I woke up to the light of morning in Venice! It was beautiful, I was in such great energy when I woke up and it was only a few minutes until we had to get off the train. Then we all got off, got out of the train station, and this is what I see, I got excited!

Then comes the best part, looking for our hotel, it’s not that it was a bear looking for our hotel, it was just very very sketchy. We were not allowed to check in until 2 so we had to go around Venice with our stuff on our backs, we all decided to be in groups my group is Nyghel, Wayne, Bethany, Paul, Patric, and myself. We went around and found a market where we got Italian subs for lunch, oh and GELATO. Yes, Gelato in Italy. Just typing this makes me really hungry and crave for it. We sat on the corner of a street and observed people, then we migrated to a different side of the town where there is a great view of the Adriatic Sea, and I slept, on the street, and checked in.

On our way to the hotel

hangout near the Adriatic sea

Vienna Day 2: Schonbrunn Palace and Zoo

Behind me is the Schonbrunn Palace, comparable to France's Versailles

Yesterday was a pretty fun outing. We went to the Schoenbrun Palace and it was amazing. I didn't actually got to go inside the palace because the tour was 16eu and I didn't want to pay that much. Anyway, me, Nyghel, and Bethany went to the zoo. I saw a lot of animals that I've never seen before. There were animals from different countries. It was really hot around, I was wearing jeans, my dress shoes and a shirt- not the best outfit for a trip to the zoo. Well, let me explain that part, first off, I was not planning to go to a zoo for a whole day, I did not want to bring too many things, I just brought a knapsack and a little bag where I can put my camera, wallet, a bottle of water, and a little umbrella. I went to a concert at the Weiner Konzerthaus and I wanted to dress nicely. So there you go. I forgot which one we saw first because it was so hot out, I just kept taking pictures of every foreign animal I saw, which was pretty much everything!

After seeing so many animals, we didn't know where to go, so we decided to just go whatever is the closest to us, it was seal-feeding show. It was so much fun! There was a person who gave an introduction, all in German- not a surprise- so I did not understand anything, but the seal-feeder finally came out and the seals knew it was time to eat! So they came out also. They were so cute and very intelligent. I'm not sure if they actually understand what they do or they just do it because they think that they please the person to feed them, whatever the case may be, they're smart and cute. Anyway, we stood on a spot where there was no sun and it was close to the seals. Little do we know that that spot was a splash zone, there was a little sign behind us, which we did not understand, and the person earlier probably gave warning that that was a splash zone. I'll tell you three things about standing at a splash zone, I ensure you that my camera is dry, the water where the seals swim at is very salty, and i felt so cool and wet after the show, that is all.

Here is a list of animals that I saw for the first time, or at least had a close contact with:

Grizzly Bear

Cheetah

Deer

Flamingo

Jellyfish

A Huge Turtle

Lazy Hippo

Llamma

Ostrich

Penguin

Rafflesia (this is a plant)

Tiger

Some bird

I wanted to put the actual names of the animals I saw, but I wasn't taking notes and it was very hot, so instead I just put pictures. Forgive me, I'm not a zoologist. I have tons of pictures that I will upload when I get back to the U.S. when wifi is much more stable. I even have a video of when they were feeding the seal and the mommy seal jumping from ten feet to splash water to the audiences. It was definitely fun!!

Tomorrow, we're getting back to Salzburg, so far this whole trip to Vienna is definitely fun and easy, I've traveled so much that I'm not stressed about it. I didn't understand anything language-wise, but everything is self-explanatory. I am much better with reading maps now and understanding a railway system in one afternoon. I've always said that my sense of direction has always been poor, but after being exposed to foreign places all the time, I think my sense of direction has improved, I mean, it's still pretty bad compared to others, but it has definitely improved!

I'd like to take some friends or family to Austria, I think they'll really like it here!

Vienna Day 1: Distant Worlds: Final Fantasy Concert at Weiner Konzerthaus

Distant Worlds: This is where they showed some video clips and snapshots from different final fantasy games.

So today was the Final Fantasy Distant Concert at the Weiner Konzerthaus, it was... AMAZING!!! First off, they started the concert with their usual prelude, then they did Liberi Fatali from FF8. I forgot what they played next but I think they actually played music from all final fantasy series except for 12 and 4, which was weird, maybe that's why they were selling CDs of FF12 and 4 piano collection and soundtrack outside, but at the same time, they didn't play any music from X-2. The only final fantasy games I finished myself were 8, 12, and X-2. The other ones, I just watched my brother play because I was too young to play them. Anyway, here are some of the songs they played too, Fisherman's Horizon, a medley of Final Fantasy 1-3, they had a medley of battle themes where they did FF5's battle on the big bridge (Gilgamesh), Fight With Seymour, and FF7 Battle Theme and they ended that medley with the winning fanfare tune. They also did a Chocobo Theme medley, the tunes from 5, 13, and 6, I think.

This is the view from where I sat, it was a great balance on the sound, it wasn't too close to the orchestra or the choir, it's perfect.

Of course they did Zanarkand, Aerith Theme, and Eyes On Me. These tracks almost moved me to tears, I say almost because I don't really get emotional in at public setting, but the whole time they were playing this music, I would say I got really emotional inside at least.

They also played my most favorite theme of FF13, which was also my alarm tune that woke me up my whole sophomore year of college, Blinded By Light. I love Lightning.

They ended with the Terra's Theme from FF6, and had an encore, which was the One Winged Angel, of course. Nobuo Uematsu himself was there, he sang with the chorus on that last piece and performed a piece with Arnie Roth, the conductor, who was playing violin while conducting that piece. The rest of the time, Nobuo-San was sitting with the audience, listening to his creations.

I grew up with Final Fantasy music, when I was young, that was the closest to classical music that I learned, well the pieces themselves were not particularly classical, obviously, but I only said that because I didn't have a choice but to listen to whatever is on the radio at the time. That was my only exposure to non-popular music.

On top of the orchestra was a huge screen that displayed scenes from the game from were the music came from. Looking at the screen while the music is playing had brought so much memories to me. Playing the game/watching my brother play the game, I have grown to like the characters, I've grown to care for them, and seeing them in this screen with this music, after so long is like seeing a childhood friend and having lunch/dinner with them. I revisited my childhood!

This is the part of my life where I have no time to spare for games like Final Fantasy, they're great games, I know, but growing up means having more priorities. I'm glad I spent my childhood the way I did, having a good balance of playing and studying. (By good balance I meant more playing than studying) As a young artist, I sometimes regret that I didn't spend my childhood sitting for hours in front of a piano or some instrument, I would have done that if I could, I promise you, since I was six, I remember begging my parents to let me join the choir and learn the piano, my parents just didn't have enough money to support me with it, but what's done is done, the best I could do for now is work hard and focus. Which I am doing anyway. I am still thankful I spent my childhood the way I did, I could still be a good musician even if I didn't spend all my childhood playing an instrument. At least I have moments like this, I get to be a nerd, me and a lot of others have something in common, and that is we know Cloud, Tidus, Yuna, Squall, we know what Chocobos are, or what Aeons/Eidolons are. We know three different level of Ice. blizzard-blizzara- and blizzagga. Isn't that great. Lol

Anyway, the whole concert was a success, the ticket was pricey, but it was definitely worth it!!!

I'm loving the city of Vienna by the way!!!

Last Minute Plans

Bound for Venice this weekend! yay! I'm so excited, this is kind of last minute, but it's going to be fun!!!! There are going to be sixteen of us going there, so the cost is much cheaper!!! Next week, we're going to Vienna for four days and I'm excited for the Final Fantasy Nobuo Uematsu concert next week!! We're planning on going to a lot of places, cathedrals, museums, and a graveyard. I'm really excited. I need to go to Munich but all the railways to get there are closed because of the flood. We'll see. and by the way my piano teacher here is really nice, she's charging me 15 euros for 45 minutes of lesson. I'm excited to work with her, we start this coming Friday. Tomorrow we have a first quartet exam and I think I'm ready for that. I've not sung with my quartet at all so I don't know how we're going to sound, balance-wise, but I'm pretty confident of my part because I studied. We also have a 'mock audition' for Opera Theater, let's see how that's going to go. Tonight is the first night I didn't drink anything alcoholic, I feel different, I feel more tired actually. Anyway, I wrote a blog offline about my day, but I'm not done and I'm really sleepy. So that's it for now!