* tiny but powerful *

Today is Leap Day. That is cool. I am posting mostly just so I can have a blog post from February 29.

Viennese Ball was wonderful: Opening went spectacularly (I'm so pleased!), all the other performances I saw were amazing, my date was a total gentleman, and the dancing was a lot of fun. That's all I have the time to say for now.

Thanks everyone for your support of Opening this year!

This is it. It's the big day. Henceforthe begins the mad rushing around to make sure everything and everyone is where they need to be (including my own personal preparations), and then tonight will be the culmination of many months of hard work. It's amazing how unworried I am about Opening -- I know we're prepared. But I'm definitely starting to feel the nervous excitement. Wish us luck!! I look forward to seeing many of you tonight at the 2004 Stanford Viennese Ball!

For the most part, you all have no idea. You really don't.

And some people just weren't meant to get it on the right day. ;)

Anhingaman (12:08:20 AM): good night
Anhingaman (12:08:49 AM): by the way, a day's late happy birthday
TPiglette (12:08:56 AM): hahahaha
Anhingaman (12:08:58 AM): i'm at least around midnight again

Oh my. Some people are too much...

nebula58611 (11:59:26 PM): HAPPY BIRTHDAY
nebula58611 (11:59:39 PM): i just wanted to be the last person to wish you happy birthday

Eric and Erin win. ;) They called at 12:00am exactly!

Kari: "They beat *me*, and I'm IN THE ROOM! Argh!!"

balee42 (12:06:23 AM): Happy actual birthday!
balee42 (12:06:24 AM): =)
balee42 (12:06:37 AM): Can't believe I missed it by 6 minutes.
balee42 (12:06:38 AM): How sad.
...
balee42 (12:08:22 AM): *sniff*
balee42 (12:08:23 AM): Ah well.
balee42 (12:08:27 AM): At least I wasn't in the room. ;-)

Hahahaha. Thanks guys!

As I told my action group last Thursday, when I'm particularly stressed is when I know I especially need to make a thankful list. This is one of those times.

- seeing Chi-En on Friday, even if it was nowhere near the relaxing girldate we'd been hoping for
- successfully fulfilling an emergency request for the national anthem at the Women's Gymnastics meet
- my car breaking down when it was with David (who didn't freak out) rather than when it was with me (who would have completely freaked out, even more than I did just by hearing about it over the phone)
- my brother happened to be coming to Stanford anyway, and he's the person I call when I freak out about my car
- SO many people were at my surprise birthday party!...Wow.
- 21 pivots with Eric
- my brother somewhere along the way has turned into a total gentleman :)
- an awesome dress rehearsal with Opening: we performed well for Richard, and we even ended rehearsal early
- my dad got to see our choreography after all (he won't be at the Ball)
- afternoon naps to (sort of) alleviate crankiness
- one of my professors contacted one of my old RF's because he was concerned about me
- my old RF (from 2 years ago!) called me to see how I was doing and ask whether he could do anything to help
- realizing that Stanford doesn't let you slip through the cracks
- friends who care enough to know when something's up, and are sensitive enough to understand when I don't want to talk about it
- friends who come over because they'd rather talk than IM
- being so much more focused on my work by reading in someone else's room
- encouraging email from Eric
- knowing that even when I feel like I don't have enough in me to make it, that's okay, because God's grace makes up the difference

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8-9

Wow. What a day, for all its ups and downs and surprises of all sorts. Thanks so much, everyone!!! Especial thanks to the awesome people whom I have as my friends, for planning the whole surprise birthday party. I didn't expect much to happen this year due to the coinciding of my birthday with pre-Viennese craziness, but they managed to get me anyway! (Today itself was not, in fact, my birthday, much to the confusion of certain people...)

Definitely time for bed now, though. Stories will have to wait. Tomorrow is going to be a super-packed morning: Tmony is singing the national anthem for the Wushu Collegiate Tournament at 8:30am, and then Opening has a full-dress rehearsal at 10:00am. So goodnight!

(P.S. For those of you who are wondering, my brother and I retrieved my car and brought it back to campus. Further diagnosis pending.)

Um, that was weird...

Current Music:: Caedmon's Call - "Faith My Eyes"
Sorry sorry sorry. I know I am long overdue for a real update. Unfortunately it probably won't happen anytime soon. Life is only getting busier by the day. Lots of class, schoolwork, rehearsals, performances, lessons, errands, and meetings. Austria Week started tonight, which seems somewhat surreal to me -- I can't believe Viennese is only a week away!

Here are some brief thoughts, in no particular order:
- Many thanks to my mommy for helping me write TSF letters (Tmony got assigned to the worst possible session for me).
- Testimony had a dorm show in Paloma last night (without me!) - and they did great! Yay!
- Slippery ballet shoes make left waltz spins really scary...
- Tmony Valentine's Synopsis:: Girls surprised the boys with heart-shaped cookies, handmade artsy cards, and origami lilies. Boys kidnapped the girls (including an ambush of all FIVE altos while we were delivering the aforementioned treats), walked us blindfolded to the Quad, presented us with roses and cards, and sang to us by candlelight. It was so sweet!! (See the Tmony blog for some choice excerpts from the cards.)
- Opening rocks! We watched the video of last Saturday's rehearsal, and everything looks great! Just a few things to touch up here and there, but they're minor issues. I think we are going to be awesome!
- Saturday night included a group dinner at Miyake and a couple hours meandering through Borders - bookstores are fun.
- Over the weekend, I was unexplainably tired. I slept a lot, but couldn't shake the feeling of exhaustion. I think I might have been fighting off the cold that's been spreading through campus recently... but I'm still not all-out sick yet, so that's good. You can guess the undesirable effects on my productivity, though.
- Writing sucks. A lot. I still hate it. A lot.
- Mindi wants to do my makeup for Viennese. This is unsettling because I never wear makeup (not even for high school proms. The most I've ventured was the lip gloss Kari put on me for Viennese last year). I'm still really dubious about it, but I might humor her because of all the pictures that will be taken before/during the Opening Ceremony...
- My violin teacher tried to get me to punch him at my lesson on Monday. Why? He was trying to get me to be more aggressive so that I would play more aggressively with my bow. Story of my life: I am NEVER loud enough.
- Stuff at home is uber complicated. We'd really appreciate your prayers.
- I get to see Chi-En tomorrow night!!! :-D I've missed our girldates. I got a surprise visit from her tonight, too, which was YAY!
- Flop is cool. So is Plop. (Meep!)

More later (eventually)...

Oh, the Tmony boys are sooo awesome. I have a great story to tell, in the near future. But for now I have work to finish...

Happy early Valentine's Day!

Sorry for the recent silence. I haven't had the time or inspiration to write anything worthwhile. The usual recount-what-happened-today approach has seemed unusually unappealing. In short, I've been very busy. Midterms are in full swing, and Viennese stuff is ramping up. Tonight I need to finish a Schubert analysis/comparison paper (for my Music 121 take-home midterm) and it is making me very unhappy. Everyone in my class to whom I've talked is equally as frustrated with the enormity of the assignment. Well, I must press on.

Altos rule. 'Nuff said. :-D

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO MINNA!
(It was 3 days ago - but she didn't tell me until last night! I can't believe her! PUNK!)

Current Music:: Jars of Clay - "This Road"
"This road that we travel
May it be the straight and narrow
God, give us peace and grace from You
All the day through."

Well, that was cute. :)

Current Music:: EastMountainSouth - "Show Me The River"
Brian sent me this waltz after I danced it with him at Bon Bon. It's so pretty! Yay for finding new music.

Unfortunately, it's been a blah couple of days. I'm hoping it'll pass soon. Nonetheless, there are always things for which to be thankful.

Recent not-so-happy things::
- being really tired
- days with packed schedules
- Stanford-culture-induced identity questions
- humor clashes
- feeling cranky
- an icky Music 41 midterm
- needing to reschedule lunch with Cammie
- did I mention being really tired?

Recent yay things::
- my kids at church
- belated Christmas gift from KC (a pretty calendar!)
- a pretty flower from Ssonia
- running through old songs for fun during Tmony rehearsal
- seeing Chi-En
- practicing for worship
- dinner with Chris Wallis
- finishing the "Less is More" arrangement!
- the girls in my Bible study