Aaanndd.. More Piano!

I know I post constantly about piano- and if music isn't your thing, I apologize profusely.
But for me? Music is my everything.
That's not to say that music is the only thing that I do- but music gives me something to channel my emotions, is something to pump me up (or just lose myself in), and is a great form of expression (Sorry for that lame cliché- it's true!).

Well, thanks to the urgings of Christina and Alex,
I've decided to post a little video of last year's Spring Recital:

I realize it isn't perfect- yes, I have that nightmare-to-any-performer, stage fright!

Oh, and-while I would love feedback or constructive criticism- I'm not a professional! I do make mistakes, and I definitely have feelings (that are quite easily hurt)- remember that I'm only 16!

I hope you enjoy!

PS- the songs are Chopin's Etude Op.10 No.12 (0:00), and Sviridov's Little Rain (3:37).

Sushi Partayy!!

So, my best friend Anne turned 17 this past December, yet we never quite got around to having a party for her!

(And believe me, we tried- every week it was "Anne, how 'bout this Saturday" and she would always answer "Oh... after this test, after this essay..."
You can see how that would take a while!)

ANYWAYS- since we all adore sushi, we decided to have a little sushi-making party to celebrate her MUCH belated birthday.

I was extremely proud of my sushi.

Being the neat freak I am, I had to perfectly align my rice, cucumber, and egg on my seaweed. I may or may not have been the butt of some jokes at the table.

But, in the end, I got the last laugh- my sushi(s) turned out beautifully!

We also made fun of Anne for her unwillingness to just PICK UP the sushi and eat it. She didn't want to ruin it (or maybe get her hands dirty?) so she used the saran-wrap (that we used to roll the sushi) to serve as a fork of sorts... Silly Anne.

Group picture!!

Oh, and another one... yes. LOONG explanation- in short- Avatar Makeup Tutorial. That's all I'm gonna say! ;D

Avatarize Yourself

It's pretty sad, I haven't even seen the movie yet... but if I WERE a Na'vi...

...this is what I would look like!
(Pretty creepy, huh?)

Here Comes the Sun!

Dear Sun,
After two weeks of horrid downpour that involved me coming home completely soaked through EVERY SINGLE LAYER I was wearing- and I hadn't even biked-
you finally decided to come out and grace us with your beautiful presence.
Thank you.

Love,
Allison.

P.S. I'm really happy you're back and all, but can you please talk to whoever's controlling the temperature and ask him to turn the knob up a couple of notches? I'm freezing!

Photobooth Fun and Humiliation.

So, those of you with a webcam (and an Apple?) out there know just how addicting this Photobooth business is.

It's seriously crazy.

Karina brought her laptop to school today (to finish up a bit of homework!) and we played with Photobooth all of lunch. Literally...

We played around with the PopArt Effect.

Yeah, I know I have the same face in EVERY single picture. I'm sorry.
I can't help but laugh because it's FUN!

We made puppy dog eyes with the effect that I forget the name of.. that makes your face look ugly.

We made ourselves look like we were sketched!

And-
(I'm putting myself up for PUBLIC HUMILIATION with this next picture. Please love me through it.)

- we played with the "mirror" effect so that our faces were disproportionate and gross. It was hilarious- and at the same time, I hope I NEVER look like that. Ever.

Photobooth is FUN.

Edited to add:
WOW. I am dumb. For the past 16 or whatever hours, I had every "Photobooth" as "Photobucket". YES- I know the difference. I had just been playing around on both, and obviously didn't realize that I had biffed.
Thank you, Darian, for showing me my mistake!

Insert Adjective Here.

Adjectives that would work: AMAZING. COOL. THOUGHTFUL. LOVING. LOVABLE.

ABSOLUTELYAWESOMEINEVERYWAY.

Karina wanted me to name this post "Shieva is amazing for having an open 5th period and baking her boyfriend Kevin brownies and letting us eat some"... but I thought it was a tad too long.

But OH- they were such good brownies.
Perfectly crisp on the outside, hot and soft on the inside with gooey chocolate chips...

They were delicious.

Thank you, Shieva.

A Feature

As I've gotten much positive feedback from my previous post "Beauty is", I've decided (from the urgings of Alex and company) to make it a permanent feature!

Of course, the topic won't always be beauty, but I've added a formspring.me answering box on my layout, right underneath my blog's email- make sure to include your name and blog address if you want to be quoted (and acknowledged for it)!

I'd really love it if you could take a second every [month] to submit an answer, because it's just so interesting to see people's beautiful thoughts. Seriously.

February's topic is
Love is ________.


(and you can send in answers on this post, the formspring box, or via email!)

I Met Bigfoot

Well, not meet him in person...
But I did find his footprint in the mud at school!



DANG.
People have big feet.

Beauty is

... seeing the good in the bad.
-Alexandria

...looking in the mirror and loving what you see. No matter what the world thinks you should be.

-Kim

... the sunshine after the storm.
-Kelly

...seeing the world through a child's eyes.
-Vanessa

... in the eye of the beholder.
-Lillian

... felt, not seen.

-Karina

... looking into the face of someone you love.
-Kim

...within.
-Allison

Piano Madness!

For all you who know me, my week is FILLED with piano-ness.

I teach 3 boys piano on Mondays, have piano lessons on Tuesdays, and teach 2 girls piano on Wednesdays!
Today (in case any of you was wondering) is a Wednesday.

So while I'm practicing with Elika,

Roma is drawing! (and when Roma is having her lesson, Elika is reading)

Roma is what I would call... a drawing machine. Literally.
I get 10-15 filled papers a lesson from her, and sometimes they're all the same thing- me.
Page after page of a circle with eyes, green hair, and red lips. (yes, that's what I look like in real life. :D)

Today was a little bit different. After the lesson, I saw this!

Me: Oh Roma, what a beautiful.. picture!
Roma: Read it, Allison, read it! (she points to the very bottom of the left hand side)
Me: (reading) I- love-Allison.


Sometimes that hour a week really pays off.

I Have a Dream...

We all have a free day for a reason- to reflect on the thoughts of the great man Martin Luther King Jr. and his dreams for a better country.


A country that would not discriminate against color, race, gender, or religion.

A country whose citizens would not turn their backs on their neighbors because of that discrimination.

A country whose children would not cry to their fathers because they were teased and hurt.


We should all take this day to remember that we, as citizens of America- such a bountiful country, full of opportunities- carry on our shoulders the responsibility of accepting everyone and anyone, no matter what they look like or believe.


(and yes, that picture was photoshopped! Thank you, Karina, for letting me re-post it!)

Just a Tribute...

... to all those guys and girls out there who didn't end up with who they danced for and sang for.
Who didn't end up with who they wanted.

You are not alone.
(um. I'm sorry if this seems like I'm talking about me. I'm not)


Ducky from Pretty in Pink.


Tom from (500) Days of Summer.


Prince Edward from Enchanted.


And, if you want to be technical... Luke from Star Wars.
But that doesn't really count because she was his sister all along.

The Unit at Winter Ball

I'm just gonna start out by saying- if you don't know who "the unit" is (aka. The Boyfriend Unit)- I'd mosey on down here and check it out!

For the rest of you-
I shall commence!

So, you remember how much I enjoy hair, right? Well, apparently my fun has not been overlooked!
Stella, the yin of my boyfriend unit, requested that I do her for hair for Winter Ball for the wonderful payment of cookies. Um... YES!

I gave her what I call "The Goddess"...

I started out by french braiding down each side of her head, close to the hairline.

Then we stuck her hair in curlers!
Stella had never had her hair curled before (can you believe it?) and was SO excited when...

... the curls came out well!
You should've seen her. She was bouncing up and down (as were the curls) and "boing-ing" each ringlet.
Silly Stella. :D

Then I stuck in a couple of bobby pins, and voila!
The Goddess.

Just a quick tip if you try and replicate this hairstyle- make sure you bobby pin the curls up randomly and at different heights so that you have many layers.
Stella's hair is all the same length, so while the hair just down and curled would be nice, it gives a much nicer, fuller look when the whole head is covered with curls.

Elad attempting to tie his tie without choking himself in the process.

A picture of the happy couple (Stella and Elad) right before they headed out to Winter Ball!

A Winner!

Thank you SO much to all who entered in my little giveaway!
I had a bunch of fun hosting this- it was my first time!- and I hope you had fun.. entering... :D

I will pretend to pull a name out of my hat (actually a number out of random.org)

drum roll please ...

Number 66! (I just had a flashback of Phantom of the Opera- "Lot 666". I'm a nerd.)

Congratulations, Grace!

Please send me your information via e-mail (abiteofallison@gmail.com) and I'll try and send it as soon as possible!

De-Stresser Fact 27

De-Stresser Fact #27:
Despite what doctors might say, eating plants/tree branches is actually good for you.


1. They have fiber in them. Fiber is good for you.
2. They make paper, and paper is used for work, and teachers say work is good for you.
3. They're totally organic.. and organic is IN. (and good for you)


Also- despite what my face says...
they're tasty.




BTW- just a little reminder that my little giveaway is ending tomorrow!
Make sure you "cast those ballots"... or whatever you do with blog comments.

Always Allison

Yeah. So I basically stole these questions from Alex (except not really STEALING because she "gave" them away)....
...so I named this post "Always Allison" after her.
She's cool like that.

1. Were you named after anyone?
Um.. no? Although... if I hadn't been Allison, I would've been Emma. Or if I were a boy, Mathew.

2.When was the last time you cried?
Um. Today. Angry tears of losing a competition in my lit class.
Sad, I know.

3. Do you like your handwriting?
Yeah. Of course, I always want other people's (the grass is always greener...) but all in all I enjoy mine.

4. What is your favorite (lunch) meat?
Honey ham.. sigh.

5. Do you have kids?
Not the last time I checked... although I do have "piano kids" and "nursery kids".

6. If you were another person would you be friends with yourself?
I'd say yes... but I might actually hate myself. I DON'T KNOW!! I like myself.. but what if other people don't?

7. Do you use sarcasm?
Of course not! PSH.

8. Do you still have your tonsils?
Yes. Although in when I was traveling in Turkey with my family, them doctors over there thought I had tonsillitis. I had to take the WORST medicine ever twice a day.
It turned out it was just a fever.

9. Would you bungee jump?
NEVER. I cry on roller coasters. Seriously.

10. What is your favorite cereal?
"Blueberry Morning" with flakes and dried blueberries!

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Haha, I'm lazy. No.

12. First alcoholic beverage?
WELL, seeing as I'm underage....
I did have a sip of this beer "soda" thing before. I thought it was soda, but it turned out to be a mix of ALL these kinds of alcohol. I just gave it to my dad. :D

13. What is your favorite ice cream?
I cannot even choose. I like ALL ice cream. Except them with nuts.

14. What do you first notice about people?
It depends what I'm seeing! Am I looking at their back? Are they talking to me?

15. Red or pink?
RED.

16. What is your least favorite thing about yourself?
I procrastinate. It's SUCH a problem.
.

19. What color of pants and shoes are you wearing?
Heehee. I'm wearing blue striped PJ bottoms and fuzzy socks. I'm comfy.

.

21. What are you currently listening to?
My brother practicing clarinet. Not my favorite thing, but you know...

.

26. Favorite sports to watch?
Soccer- and to play!

27. Hair Color?
Brownish-blackish with natural highlights...

28. Eye Color?
Brown.

29. Do you wear contacts?
I'm pretty proud of my 20-20 vision. :D

.

31. Scary movies or happy endings?
Only happy endings! I get scared REALLY easily.

.
.
.

50. If you could sit down at dinner with five people, who would they be?

Wow. I stink at this game. I can't even answer all these questions. I think I got less than 30 out of 50. That's an F.


Sorry for this fail questionnaire thing.
Something you might have not known about me, but do now-

I get distracted easily.

A Beautiful Mess.

I usually don't blog about other people's blogs.

Actually, I don't think I've ever blogged about someone else's blog.

But A Beautiful Mess is too beautiful not to blog about. Seriously.

Okay, for starters- who even knew that beautiful ladies who could sew sock monkeys existed? It's crazy.

And she has her own studio and store and designs these crazily cute comic books and scrapbooking things.

Oh- and she makes pizza headbands.

If you're not in love with her work by now or madly jealous of her skills, check out her handmade baby shower invitations...

...Or her sense of style (and ability to pull off these kinds of outfits).



If it's not obvious, I'm jealous.

A Little Giveaway!

This past break, I had a LOT of time on my hands.
And I spend a lot of it hanging out. and reading. and sleeping. (well, not as much sleep as I should have gotten)
BUT- I was also doing some crafting!
I've been really into metalwork jewelry, and thought giving a piece away would be a nice After-New-Year's-because-it's-too-late-too-call-it-New-Year's bloggie present!

Also, as I love making choices, I'm giving you ladies (and gentlemen) TWO choices for the giveaway- if you win,
you can choose which necklace you prefer!
Ain't that grand? :D


1
16.5 inches long (from one end to the other, measured with the shorter "strand")

INCLUDES: Turquoise drop pendant, small and larger faux pearls, baby turquoise drops, and diamond shaped beads, etc.


2
21 inches long (measured from end to end)
KEEP IN MIND: Pendant appears larger compared to the necklace (in this picture) than it does in real life!
INCLUDES: Turquoise shell pendant (approx. 2 inch diameter), small circle and drop shaped shells, small and larger faux pearls, translucent small beads, etc.
(sorry about the color difference- this picture was taken in different light!)


Giveaway Rules:
1st entry- Just comment once!
2nd entry- Follow (or already be a follower of) this blog!
3rd entry- Tweet/Blog about this giveaway!

Remember:
- make sure each entry is separate
- tell me in the comment which necklace you prefer
- winner will be picked through Random.org
- winner will be picked on Friday, January 15 at 5:00 CA time



Good Luck!

Ab the Painted Wonder

Only Ab can pull off a guitar solo with painted nails. Seriously.

And don't go thinking any thoughts- he's just spirited!

Our school had a considerate "Back in Action Week" to help push us off into the new semester after break. (And I mean that literally, the "push us off")
Included in the week were "Carnival Day" and "Massage Day" and nail painting was a fun activity- one that we girls took the opportunity to use as an excuse for Ab.

It didn't even take any convincing.

Oh, Ab.

Homophones

Today I was biking home from school with Darian when I had one of those moments- you know, where you KNOW a word, and its meaning, and it's right on the tip of your tongue! but you can't think of it just there... those drive me CRAZY.
Anyways, the conversation commenced like this:

Me: You know, where 2 words sound the same but don't mean the same thing??
D: I dunno...
Me: AAGHH! I have to know. Maybe I'll knock on a car window at the stop light and ask the person inside...
D: NO!
Me: Fine. I'll brainstorm Lit. terms: hyperbole.. no. onomatopoeia... no.
D: Books. Reading.
Me: Those aren't Lit. terms!
D: Yes, they are.
Me: Ugh. YOU KNOW THIS. Like, they're, and there, and their...
D: Well, technically not "their".
Me: Uh. Why not?
D: It's pronounced "thur".
Me: Um, no it's not.
D: Yes, it is! Like "thur house" and "thur dog".
Me: What are you talking about? Who taught you how to speak English? Everyone knows that that "ei" makes an "ay" sound. Like "Th-ay-r".
D: Allison. It's "thur". I'm positive.
Me: Okay. Name ONE word that does that- has an "e-i" and sounds like "urr".
D: Okay. Caterpill-urrr.
Me: ....

Heart Tarts

Nothing says "delicious" and "lovely" in the same sentence like these wonderful jam tarts.

I almost squealed when I saw these laid out on the table (okay, I did squeal) and found that the jam had formed into the shape of a heart!

Please love me even though I'm a silly-billy.
(and yes, I know that's an adjective- I just used my magical abilities of writer's power and changed it into a noun)

Note to Self.

Always be the blue guys while playing my church's foosball table.

Yeah. Foosball doesn't play so well when your players' feet are gone.