Band Trip '09 - Seattle

Ok, so I was at Seattle with the band from 2-5th April. I swear it was such a great trip la. I know this is super late la. It's very long over due already.

On Thursday, we left school after mass and we headed down. Then we stopped for a short break during tea time. Went to hotel and went to our rooms, put our stuff away. Then, we went for dinner and shopping at some mall close by that night. Didn't do much shopping there because I didn't really find much la. Then as we were walking around, Sarah and I spotted Mr. Cabralda at the Apple store. We weren't surprised at all la. It was really expected. Yeah. Then we went back hotel and room checks/lights out.

Friday, we went to the experience music program (EMP), sci-fi museum, and pacific science centre. EMP was honestly super boring la, besides a huge LED screen near the entrance. There was also a really super tall structure constructed of guitars. Super cool sia! Then we headed over the the sci-fi side. (They were connected.) It was a lot of stuff like Star Wars, Star Trek, and all those kind of sci-fi shows. Quite cool actually. Then we went for lunch near by. Sarah and I bought food from the food court and we ate on the stage in front of the space needle. Then we laid there, and we actually lay on the floor with my bag under my head, until we had to meet to go to science centre. Science centre was super nice! Haha. Look at my pictures on facebook. Saw naked mole rats, buterflies, and they were super pretty, and a lot of others that I'm too lazy to type. We watched an IMAX film too. Sat next to Mr. Cabralda because all of them won't, and honestly, I would have died of boredom if he didn't sit there. He kept making realy funny comments and after a while, he started yawning so much and was likely falling asleep that I started getting tired and yawning a lot too. I swear, yawning is really contagious la. Once you start, hard to stop. Ya, then we went to Buca di Beppo for dinner. Some Italian restaurant. Spaghetti quite nice there. Then went back to hotel, had a bit of free time, then we had dry rehearsals. We talked a lot more than actually practiced. But the same thing always happens with Mr. Cabralda la. Then after that was room checks and lights out.

Saturday was our performance day. I would say this was the lousiest day of the trip, but not because we had to do work. It was because of Saturday night, but I'll elaborate later. Saturday we had breakfast and immediately went to performance venue already. Then, Gr. 8 performed first. Like always, got the assignment to assess other bands la. But honestly, that assignment always helps me because I start thinking about how badly we play, although we may get good comments from judges, I always find the flaws of our school bands, but then I don't focus as much on that of the other schools' bands. I'm super biased la. Ok, so after we performed, we went to take a group photo, which has yet to be sent to us. Then after that we watched a few other bands perform and we went off for lunch and a little shopping. After shopping, we went back to the hotel and got changed for our cruise to the awards banquet. Headed to pier 55 near Pike market and got on the boat. Really nice view of Seattle from the sea la. Such a nice ride with great scenery lor. Then we reached Tillicum Village, a longhouse. The food wasn't too bad. Had a play/storytelling/acting/naration/whatever you want to call it about the history of the natives. Quite interesting actually. Then was the awards presentation. Mr. Cabralda actually looked a little worried when he went to collect our recording/adjudications la. Then he picked concert master & top student to go collect the prize, so Matthew and I had to go up. They called our band for a bronze. After we got it, I was really so close to tears la. I was really disappointed in us actually, and he wanted to take a picture, and it's on facebook, but it looks really weird. Then, the Gr. 8 got Bronze 3rd. (We got bronze 4th. 5 schools in the same category including us.) So we were quite disappointed la. Then after a while, I just started to tear and cry. Was really disappointed in us, because I knew we could do so much better. Yeah, so I honestly couldn't enjoy the boat ride back, although the view of Seattle at night from the sea was just breath-taking. It actually felt good to let my tears run down my face and get dried up by the wind. Then after that we went back to the hotel and slept. It was a super long day, and I still couldn't get over the fact that we did worse compared to the Gr. 8 band.

Sunday was the day of shopping at the outlets. Honestly, I just couldn't really cheer myself up that much and I didn't really shop much. Before the outlets, we headed to Christ the King Church for Palm Sunday mass after breakfast. The priest was really nice, but it was the long gospel mass and I don't really like it to be honest. Yeah, then after that was when we headed to the outlets. Went to the food court for lunch first, then walked around to shop, and I can't say there was nothing much to buy, because when I went back a week later, I bought stuff that was there the week before too, so it was just that I couldn't get into the mood. Mr. Cabralda moved to our bus for the trip back. Near the end of the trip, I felt bad for Mr. Cabralda, because he was trying to cheer me up, but I just couldn't really cheer up just as yet. He was trying to point out that I could take this as a learning point for Kiwanis and do better there, (which, by the way, I am not able to perform because I'll be at Tim's grad) and that I still had senior concert band. I only realised that on Monday, and then the guilt of him trying to cheer me up set in. If I were him, I'd feel sad because he really tried but couldn't do much. Now that I look back, Sierra and him comforted me a bit and I'm really greatful for that. Yeah. So then it was back to school on Monday.

Then the worst and, at the same time, best thing happened during band class. We were listening to the adjudications during class and looking at the judges written comments and found that one of the judges messed up the forms for the Gr. 8 and 9 band. So technically, we were the ones who got the 3rd place in the end. It helped to know that, but I think we still could have done better and gotten a silver, since our average was only 1 less than a silver. (Silver - 75, we got 74.) So yeah, that was more or less the band trip for me.

Oh! And on the way back, Mr. Cabralda and Ms. Aguiar asked if I missed my parents, (because I sat in front, sitting at the back causes motion sickness for me...) and I could only be honest and say no. I really didn't miss them. Then again, when they work nights, I don't really see them much, because after I get back from school, they're sleeping, or getting ready to go to work again. And I had to stay one week at gu-ma's house when mom was back home and dad hadn't come over yet. And then I've been on trips with Celeste's family and school trips before. So yeah, I can survive not seeing them for a long time. Even when mom went back for 2 months, I didn't really miss her much, I just missed her cooking la.

Ok, I went off topic liao. I shall end this super duper crazily long post la. Let you escape from my rambling of nonsense.

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I really hope 棒棒堂 will come to Vancouver leh.
Hopefully 飞轮海 will come again, this time all of them.
I can't believe I'm always missing the 台湾艺人 who go to Singapore to perform sia. Very sian leh.