My song!

For my final reflection project, I wrote a silly song describing myself in the past, present, and future. The lyrics are posted at the bottom if you want to read them. In the first verse, I'm just basically listing things that I like and enjoy doing. I've actually had an interest in these since I was a kid, particularly cookies; they are seriously what pop up in my head when I get hungry most of the time. I'm also trying to get more into photography (I finally ordered my first vintage Polaroid instant camera!) just because of the idiom "a picture is worth a thousand words." As for the chorus, I actually spent some time contemplating on what I've changed over these months, but I couldn't really come up with anything, so I put "this is me; I haven't changed." However, I do believe that I am moving forward as I work on building my repertoire here at Converse. I used some comparison as well to better convey how I feel toward life. Action painting is where an artist splatters paint instead of carefully applies it with a brush on a canvas. The result is usually a beautiful artistic work composed of random brush strokes with different colors, which is why I compared my life with this particularly type of art. I am experiencing with new colors right now for my piece of art. The second verse is saying I may have challenges, but they're not impossible to overcome. My dream, which is currently to become a music therapist, will be achieved if I keep trying. I picked the ukulele because this song is meant to be cute.

Verse 1
I love cookies
Toys, clothes, and hair.
I take pictures but not in a stalkerish way
And daydream about pretty boys.

Chorus
This is me; I haven't changed,
But you'll see more of me in the future 'cause
Life is a canvas and
I'm an artist;
Action painting is my profession.

Verse 2
I hate MacGAMUT
Homework and exams,
but I'll try anyways,
'cause one day
I'll become a rock star.

Repeat Chorus

Love to you, my dear professors.

Converse already has many fun and unifying traditions like 1889 week and big sis/lil sis week, but we could use another one to bring us together even more as a family. I have friends in different majors, and somewhere in our past conversations, we had quarrels about who had it harder. I have realized that every major has its own challenge; however, wouldn't it be cool for students to go by class schedules of other students in different majors for at most a week? For example, a music major could live by the schedule of a mathematics major and vice versa, then they would share the experience with each other and their classmates. That way some of us could get a better idea of what the other majors are like. Realistically speaking, this is not a very planned-out thought, and it probably wouldn't work, plus it is also mainly what I've personally wanted to dip my feet in. I've always wanted to try a major in physics just for the heck of it and go back to music. Nonetheless, here's something Converse should definitely think about: a teacher appreciation week. Kind of similar to big sis/lil sis week, we could anonymously leave presents and thank you notes in front of our favorite teachers' offices then reveal ourselves later on during the week. By favorite, I mean the person(s) that has the most influence on you. I thought of this, because I have someone I seriously owe a big thank you to.

Music

When I am down or just feel like drifting away from reality, I listen to music by Snow Patrol, Gregory and the Hawk, John Mayer, Incubus, or Radiohead.With the playlist repeats itself, I usually just lie on my bed with eyes closed while listening to the songs go on and on until I'm tired of everything being perfect and ready for reality once again. On those days when boredom makes me feel useless, I turn on songs by Rediscover, Mihimaru GT, Family Force 5, Wonder Girls, or The Ready Set to motivate me in productive activities such as making a life size origami or a giant heart out of construction papers.

Drinking Age

The drinking age should not be lowered to 18 because not every legal “adult” is going to be mature enough to handle being intoxicated. This is still an early stage into the grown ups world, so not all 18-years-old can make wisely thought out decisions especially in deciding when, where, and how much they should drink. In order to drink, a person has to know his or her limit and has to be able to decipher between what is a smart decision and what can turn into a fatal tragedy. College students, who just acquire their new freedom, are usually zealous in abusing their privileges including partying and clubbing late at night. Their reasoning isn’t as logical as experienced adults. I’m not saying all 18 years old are immature, but not all are mature either. If the drinking age is lowered, asides from the choice to go to class or not and whether to sleep in their room tonight or not, they also have a choice of whether to drink or not without the pressure of doing it illegally. I do realize underage drinking isn’t uncommon, but the number will increase if it’s no longer considered wrong to drink at 18. Intoxication involves lapse of judgment and making the wrong decision at the age of 18 is very crucial.

Little sisters

Hello little sisters! My name is Tu Anh but feel free to call me Annie. I am a music major just like you guys, and I’m here to tell you a little bit about my freshman year here at Converse!

Because I’ve been a music major since my freshman year, I understand how tough your schedules must be. I struggled with balancing my practice time, studying time, homework time, and somewhat of a social life. As a high school student, I believed I had the power to bend time and make it work for me, but college used the time that I wasted and threw it in my face. The evidence was shown clearly under my eyes, which I considered as bruises. However, college isn’t your bully; it’s your friend. Everything you do here is preparation for the real thing out there. If you’re so sleep deprived to the point that you want to knock out wherever you are standing, then you probably need to organize a better agenda. If you don’t have time to work on an assignment, then maybe you’re spending too much time on something else. If you don’t have a planner now, get one, because it definitely helped me adapting to college life. I remember when I shoved 4 chapters of psychology in 2 days before the big exam, when I typed an essay at 4 in the morning, and when I practiced MacGAMUT for 4 and a half hours in a day, because it was due the next day. What positive results did I get? Nothing! I lived like a zombie for weeks before I actually discovered the usefulness of planners. You shouldn’t start on your assignments at the last minute, and you definitely should not cram. Also, make sure you realize that you are never alone, which was one of the most remarkable things I noticed when I first entered Converse. The friendly environment here stripped an ample of my shyness away, and I hope you’re feeling the same way. If not, take my word for it and ask any questions you might have.

Have you ever felt like you don’t fit in as a music student here at Converse? Professors here have the super human ability to pick out true talents. If you weren’t Converse made material, you wouldn’t have gotten accepted. Find the areas that you need to improve on and take advantage of what Converse has to offer! You will go far with a humble amount of ambition and strong motivation in chasing after what you love. Only you could be the shackles to your success.

Dilly-dallying

The taste of coffee used to make me squint, but now it's what keeps me from falling over during a lesson. I have a habit of not planning ahead and procrastinating, so everything usually gets stacked up then completed at the last minute. As a result, I'm drowsy and stressed out most of the time. I could get through highschool with ease, but now the habit is at a great disadvantage to me, and I'm trying really hard to develope a healthier habit. Procrastination is my biggest problem; however, I have also caught the deadly epidemic that's rapidly spreading among teenagers: social networking websites. I have two Myspace accounts, a Facebook account, and a Skype account. I used to go to these websites when I needed a break from an assignment that I'd been working on for a while, but now going to them is like an instinct from seeing a computer. I have also realized that it's easier for me to focus on what I find interesting. For instance, writing a reasearch paper on a historical event makes my mind wander to distractions like Facebook, Myspace, or a burger, because I tend to "feel" hungry from concentrating on the paper for so long. I'm actually getting better at organizing my agenda; nonetheless, the other issues are going to take awhile.

Decision Decision

Why college?
Honestly, as strange as this may sound, I've never asked myself that question. It's similiar to those cases where the decision has already been implanted in your mind so deeply that you think the alternatives should just cease from existence because of how inferior that one chosen decision made them seemed. My mom didn't go to college, so she spent 18 years of my life venting about how I would end up working in a smelly factory or becoming a hobo if I didn't get a proper degree for a proper career. Obviously, it worked. My brother and sister also influenced me, because they're both enrolled in colleges. However, I have also realized along the way that I need to be led into the real life. I enjoy feeling prepared, because that comes with confidence and as of right now, I'm simply unprepared.
The Petrie School of Music!
Converse was on my "definitely not attending" list, so how did I end up here? I was undecided throughout most of my highschool years, so all that mattered to me was getting accepted into a coed college. I applied to many colleges like USC and Furman with thoughts of majoring in journalism or accounting because of the satisfying salary. The proverb "money can't buy happiness" truly applies here, because I felt more obligated than excited about either of those decisions. I desired music, but I doubted my ability to succeed in it as a performer. My hero finally came to relieve my stress sometime during spring break through airmail. Berkeley School of Music sent me a booklet involving the courses they offered at their school, and I stumbled upon music therapy. After reading the description, music therapy seemed like a perfect fit for me; it puts my talent into good use. I had heard from many resources that The Petrie School of Music was an excellent music school and they offered music therapy, so I decided to apply. After having a successful audition and meeting with the professors, I threw away the other applications and checked yes for Converse. Moreover, the money given from Converse sternly nailed my feet to its ground.
Sandwiches all the way!
If I had to give up either cereal or sandwiches, I would definitely go with cereal, because I find cereal boring to the taste. I do eat it on occasions, but whether its invention happened or not is out of my things-to-ponder field. Sandwiches, on the hand, taste differently depending on where. America has its own sandwiches and so do other countries.