Concert at Greek's Pizza

The View from Below
Originally uploaded by DerekSee

Tonight was bitter sweet. Stephanie invited me to a concert at Greek's Pizza (a place I had never heard of). We got some food and waited for the music to be played. A couple of artists performed, mainly just singer/guitarist. We came for DM Stith, who played last. Stephanie is friends with him from grad school. His music atmospheric. I think what really made it special was the addition of jazz trumpet, trombone, and saxophone. Randomly, the bassist is a guy I met when I was in Japan.

That was the sweet part, the bitter part was paying the cover charge, paying for James' cover charge, paying for James' and Stephanie's pizza, and then getting a parking ticket. Darn

Credits

The cinemas in Osaka are of the highest quality. The other day I went to see Terminator 4 (not my choice) at Toho Cinemas in Umeda (A). I was blown away by the cleanliness and quality of the experience, although that is what I should expect for a ticket that costs ¥1,800 (about $18). They use all digital projectors which produces the best quality image I've seen at a theater. Though impressed by the experience, I realize you can get the same in the US. What really surprised me was what happened after the movie.

The final scene ended and the screen went blank. I began to get up when I realized everyone else in the theater was still seated. Not only did they remain in their seats, they also stayed as quiet as they were during the movie (during which I didn't hear one cell phone). The entire audience quietly watched the all 6 minutes of credits roll by. Once the credits ended, the lights finally went up and the theater quitely emptied. As you left (being careful to pick up any and all trash you produced) a group of friendly employees collected your garbage at the door at sorted the cups, straws, lids, wrappers, bags, etc. into the proper recycling bins.

The experience highlighted a strong contrast between the culture in the US and Japan. Out of respect and tradition the Japanese watch the names of everyone involved in making a movie. It doesn't matter what type of movie, or its quality, each is shown it's proper respect. In the US you would be given evil stares by the cleaning staff if you were to watch all the credits.

For the same reasons as watching the credits, the theater is kept spotless. As I walked out I didn't see one misplaced piece of popcorn or forgotten napkin. The theater was left in the same condition it was found. The pride the Japanese show for their country and surroundings inspires me.

Who are the Japanese?

In an effort to develop my style, I am taking portraits.

Before now I have been too scared to take photos of strangers. Something about asking someone I did not know if I could take their photo frightened me. I now realize that if they say "no," I can just move on and take the next person's photo. It's still a little scary, but I'm getting over it. One of my goals for this trip is to capture Japan through its people.

Today at the park I took some fantastic portraits of the people. There whole park was filled with Japanese people. There were lots of races and marathons being run at the stadium, but many people were just there to enjoy their day. It made me realize how much personality and warmth the Japanese have. Everyone I talked to was friendly towards me.

I took photos of people buying plants, street musicians, children, parents, old men, old women, and anyone else I could find. It was a good day. It taught me quite a bit about the Japanese. They are some of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met.

Osaka Preparations

In just 5 days 5 hours 42 minutes and 36 seconds I will be getting on a plane eventually headed to Osaka, Japan. I am going to Osaka to study photography with the Japan Institute of Photography and Film. I am going with about 15 other people from IU. The classes are in studio, but there will be lectures about the culture and language as well. The program starts of May 24th and ends on June 27th.

I've been getting prepared for the trip and it is getting me very excited. I just purchased a hard drive to backup all my photos before I leave. I've purchased books on Japan and have subscribed to a few Japanese related podcasts. Unfortunately I don't know any Japanese, and either does most people going on the program. It should be very interesting.

Knowing what to bring for a trip like this is very difficult. Bring lots of clothes or buy clothes there? Get a new tripod or hope I won't need one? Film or digital or both? So many questions! I just hope I can get it all worked out before I leave.

Along with excitement, I also feel very nervous. The feeling not only comes from the fact that I don't know any Japanese, it's also because I am taking a different flight from everyone else. Every single other person on the trip is going through a group flight, so they will be all together the whole way. I saved a bunch of money by booking my flight out of Chicago. I made sure that we were taking most of the same flights, so I shouldn't be apart from them for too long, but, there is still a large chance for error. Hope it all goes well.

I'm listening fellow IU student Esther Kim play Bazzini's "La Ronde des lutins." I actually heard it for the first time at a recital she performed at IU.

The Rest of my Life

When people say that you can do anything you put your mind to, I believe them. At this point in my life, I think I have the choice to go into any field I want. The only problem is I don't know what I want to do.

My friend Esther (above) is very confident in her life plan. She is working at her chemistry lab while she gets a degree in biochemistry and math. Then she is getting her MD and Phd to do research in cancer. If only I could be so confident in my majors.

Business is practical. My major in marketing is established and reliable. There is also a lot of room for creativity. My major in technology management is mentally stimulating. It involves problem solving and challenging critical thinking, a necessity in my future career path. I am fairly content with my current route, but nervous there are better options.

I have plenty of interests and I wouldn't mind pursuing them in school. With my math minor, I get to enjoy my interest in math and logical thinking. With my music minor, I learn new instruments and develop a deeper understanding for music. But there are other areas I want to get more involved in.

Photography is part of my daily life. I use the camera as a tool for living. A big occurrence must be recorded. Heading the Photography Society allows me to work on that interest and meet other like minded people. Not only does photography interest me, all of the arts do. I love to paint, write, sculpt, compose, design, and simply be creative.

Maybe my best option in life is to develop my creative side. But I have to balance enjoyment with practicality. As much as I don't like to admit it, both are very important.

I like to think my path with come in time, but I will miss many opportunities without a plan. These are my last summers without work. This may be my last chance at getting a BA or BS. This is my last chance to get a degree in violin making. The decisions I make today do have consequences for tomorrow. Now is the time to discover who I am and where I will take my life.

Tomorrow, I will try to find myself at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Current Listening - Ravel: Miroirs, No. 3 Une barque sur l'ocean

My Favorite Walk

The campus is beautiful in the fall. Though I take a bus when I can, I love walking through campus. I have classes all over the place, so I am able to see all the different parts of campus. From the Gothic Revival buildings of the Old Crescent to the international style of the Art Museum, there are all sorts of architecture to see. But, my favorite part of my walks isn't always the architecture.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have a jazz class in the music building. When I walk out of class, I have the best walk home. First I walk past the music practice building. After leaving the music school, I can hear the sounds of tons of musicians practicing coming out of the windows and through the walls.

As I move closer, I can make out individual performers. On the first floor of the practice building there is always a jazz combo practicing. As I keep going, I walk along the side of Merill Hall. The first person I hear is always practicing their flute. Sometimes they are alone, and sometimes they are with a pianist. They are usually playing Classical. Immediately after I hear a violinist, my favorite. She (or he) always has the richest tone and makes me want to stop and listen some more.

The last two musicians I hear are on the front side of the building. There is a clarinetist on the top floor who will practice just one or two measures over and over. Usually they are big intervals, or at least something that sounds difficult to play. I also walk past a piano student and their teacher practicing. I found out the other day that the teacher is Andre Watts.

These are my favorite walks of the week. I only get to hear these musicians for a few seconds, but it it's enough to put a smile on my face.

Speaking Up

I am working this summer for my university with the office of orientation. It's my first job and I really enjoy it. We have a great program that does a great job welcoming freshmen and their families to campus.

Recently though, fellow employees and myself are having a few issues with how the job is run. So today, I was lucky enough to give a little feedback to the director. My main qualm is that we are not given a decent amount of time for sleep.

I have to say, I am very proud of how I presented my argument. I researched my rights as a university employee, my rights as an Indiana worker, and how those functioned with my contract. In addition to this, I found articles from scholarly journals to support my argument for a full night's rest. After printing out all of these articles and documents, I read and reread them highlighting and annotating important passages. During my meeting, I presented this information very professionally and made my argument and the supporting evidence very clear. Hopefully my efforts made a difference.

But, even if no changes are made to the program I am still proud that I spoke up. I have a tendency to talk about the changes I want to see but I never follow through or tell the right people. Finally, I was able to speak my mind and not do it offensively to my boss.

It is so important today to stand up for what you think is right. Too often, I have just let things that truly bother me just slip by. This quote may be slightly hackneyed but I still believe in it: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." It's true, and I will try harder to live by it.

It's time to speak up for what I believe in.

Leaving School

My freshman year in college is over. I'm sorry because this post is going to be very sentimental and sappy. You have been warned. Well, the year is over. It went by very quickly.

I started out the year in Canada on an "IU Beginnings Trip." You move in a week early and you can choose to go on a variety of trips with a small group of people. I went on the Theatre Immersion trip. We went to Stratford, Canada to see their annual Shakespeare Festival. I am still great friends with some of the people I met on the trip.

My first semester of classes were fun. My favorites were Music Theory and Beethoven, Mozart, and Their Era. Monday nights I went to Swing Dance Club (didn't last very long). This was also the time when I thought of the Photography Society and started to plan it.

Other highlights from first semester include:

• Random Saturday night trip to Cincinnati
• Camping
  
• Late night trips to Qdoba and Ross' place
• Karen's Party and Quinto's Parties
• The bagillion concerts I saw (Hilary Hahn signed my Violin!)
• Seeing the Dali Lama
  
• Fall

All in all, a great way to start off my college career. Now we have second semester! One again, very enjoyable. The Photography Society had the first meeting and it was stupendious. There were many members (didn't last long) and many plans. I started taking violin lessons with the always unpredictable but amazingly talented Minjung Cho. The Photography Society had a catered gallery opening with live music. That was probably the best thing to happen this year, I'm so proud of the club. PhoSo also got sponsored by the Hutton Honors College! Woo! Maybe we can finally get some cash! Politicians went crazy over Indiana. Chelsea Clinton, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Dave Matthews, and many others made some visits for the sake of politics.

On the downside, I did have to take Honors Financial Accounting. That class was so difficult and so time consuming I really wanted to drop. I stuck it out, and I think I will get a decent grade. Violin lessons, as great as they were, turned out to be a bigger challenge than I thought. I ended up stressing out over them and getting a little emotional, but I did become a much better player.

There were so many other great things that happened throughout to year but I don't want to bore you. College is awesome. You should definitely go, it's worth it. I really hope that my summer and following year can live up to this one. I have made bunches of lifelong friends and unforgettable experiences. I want to go back!!!

Indiana Matters

"For the first time in 40 years, Indiana matters!"

Those words were so eloquently spoken by Bill Clinton during a speech he have at Indiana University yesterday. Of course he did not mean for it to sounds offensive and not surprisingly no one really noticed he even said it. They just kept cheering. The speech he gave was quite good, especially because it seemed like he was improving the majority of it. At times he tried too hard to relate to the "Indiana student" with too many basketball references. That's not what we want to hear about! After the speech, many of us wished he could be president again. He is a good leader and is truly intelligent. I hope that either Hillary or Barack can live up to his presidency. I only had one qualm. He came two hours late! Going back to what he said, there is truth in what he said.

It has been a long time since Indiana's primaries have mattered. All of the sudden the Obama and Clinton campaigns are starting to spend a lot of time in this wonderful state. Last week, Chelsea Clinton gave a speech here. It went well, unlike the speech at Butler University. Yesterday, Jeremy Piven was here campaigning for Barack Obama. He is that guy from the Entourage and the uncle of Pearl from the now famous YouTube video, The Landlord. On Sunday, Dave Matthews Band and Tim Reynolds are performing at Assembly Hall.

I have been getting great benefit from all this activity. I actually got to shake hands with a former president and I was able to get him to autograph my friends pocket constitution. Now, she has both Bill and Chelsea's signatures, there is only one left to go. Even before the political hubbub many of my idols came to visit. The Dali Lama, Hillary Hahn, Joshua Bell, Martha Nussbaum, Michel Camilo, Lewis Lockwood, and more have been lucky enough to be in my presence!

I wonder if the quantity and quality of all these events is typical for IU or if this is just a special year. In some ways I think Indiana actually is a popular campus for people to visit. The size is a big draw and in terms of classical music the Jacobs School of Music brings in famous musicians from all over the world. Picking this school has been one of the greatest choices I've made. Indiana matters!