Well this is kinda awkward huh? Five years later......

So quick update because I have homework todo. Josette came back to Texas, Maria Teresa moved to Spain and I've adopted a puppy.

What that's it?!

Hah, no that's just the small stuff.

Bye,
Sophia

The Sorrows of David

Yes, I am indeed alive.... I did not perish during the Summer because of the intense heat. I was almost consumed by mosquitoes though. It took a month for my skin to go back to white instead of white and pink polka dots.

Anyway my dearest little brother switched schools and is now not the center of attention in his new school. Poor David has sobbed about 3 of the 10 days he has been there. However he complains and sniffs and pouts the moment he gets back.

Apparently only a few people play with him. One of witch is a very witty Indian boy who asks him in his Indian accent, "David what do I have to do to get you to stop crying". My brother being so upset cried in front of his whole class for a whole hour. After that the vice principle came to talk to him and the shrink.

David has not taken all this emotional turmoil well so he cries a lot now. So I try to make him as happy as possible. Like when he came to me with tears in his eyes on Thursday night asking if I would watch t.v with him. I inhaled deeply and exhaled telling myself that God is good and he would help me finish my my test the next day. I still haven't found that power within me to finish the test.

Apparently my brothers decided to watch the 9/11 movie (which David knew they were not allowed to watch because they would never be able to get on a plane again) and he was not allowed in the room. So he and I watch the Frog Princess on my laptop via the fabulous Netflix.

Which was a traumatizing movie by the way. Why on earth does a Disney movie contain so much voodoo? I will NEVER visit New Orleans after watching that movie it was seriously creepy.

Anyhoo after we finish the movie I go to my room to get ready for bed and I find David sobbing at my door.

"David, what happened?"

"I,I...I cant remember it." He sobs while clutching his Rosary.

"Hail Mary full of grace....." I start to explain the Rosary.

"No not that one!"

I recite nearly every prayer I have ever heard in every language I know. None of them work for David.

After taking him to my brothers room they laugh and tell me that its the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Davids face lights up and he runs back to my parents room in triumph. I get no thank you.

Yes no thank you for Sophia the amazing sister who wasted hours for him.

I later learned that he's been praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy so that he wont cry in school. I instantly forgave him.

I hope school gets better for him, I can't take much more of his emotional state.

La Juventud del Papa

So I went to that awesome, incredible, mind-blowing event in Madrid. It was probably the must fun I've ever had in my life, but even better because it was five days long. It's hard to describe the atmosphere you get when you put about a million teenagers in one space, for one cause, all excited out of their minds. But Marc Barnes (who has a really cool blog you should follow) already did.



Those Texan girls would be my friends from Houston. Yeah, we do talk about Catholic terminology in our free time.

Of Pitches and Jesus and Hockey

Todd Koal is really cool, and it shows in his music, a nice blend of introspective lyrics and dreamy, effervescent pop instrumentation. You really should follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, and friend him on Myspace. But read this interview first!

1)  Thanks for the interview!  You describe your music as "transcendent acoustic pop."  What exactly is transcendent acoustic pop?

Transcendent Acoustic Pop is something I came up with when I was working on my pitch. I used a website called  http://www.15secondpitch.com . It entailed a lot of writing out all the various aspects of my music and also what I was trying to communicate through my music ... It was a really good experience... as it helped me define what I was doing and how I was going about  it, as well as coming up with a catchphrase that defines my music in an interesting way that makes people curious. I highly recommend going to that site and doing the work that is required... It helps you get clear on what you are doing. As far as Transcendent Acoustic Pop as a genre... I would say it's where the song or music comes to some kind of conclusion or resting place where it can be observed without a lot of judgement, ending where it began with a new perspective.  Having said that though I'm obviously still working that out.

2) What experiences or individuals have shaped you musically? 

I remember as a little kid first being introduced to my parents music, back when actual vinyl records were all the rage. I listening to the rock opera Jesus Christ Super Star over and over and over. I probably wasn't much older than 4 or 5 at the time. I'm sure I could still sing a big chunk of that album straight from memory. It had a big influence on me. I think that's probably how I was introduced to Spirituality as well. Luckily I never had to go to Sunday school because that was the same morning my Dad would play hockey.... and of course watching him won out over sunday school everytime  I'm Canadian eh.

3) Did you always know you wanted to be a musician, or did you realize it was your calling later in life?

I started playing guitar when I was about eight. I can remember learning timing in the kitchen with my Mom and crying because I found it so difficult playing notes and tapping my foot at the same time.  I have always kind of been Physically challenged. I was in a head on collision when I was 21 and there were years in my life were my spine and neck where so unstable that playing guitar was completely out of the question. I've had major alignment issues most of my adult life but I can honestly say that I am physically stronger and straighter than I have ever been. Being a musician takes a certain amount of health. And that been a bit of a challenge for me.

I think I knew early in life that I wanted to be a musician because music had such a big place in my heart . Actually expressing myself with my voice came much later. I've always been quite shy and more comfortable being in the background. I had to blow through this personality trait before I could be comfortable being seen or heard as a musician.  Putting myself out there has been a big step in my growth as an artist and even as an individual. I am finding that I can really get behind my new EP "Spirit is Flow" although it has had to happen in its own time and space, perhaps a little later in life.  Hopefully with the time it has taken, I am a little wiser for it.

4) Some people really don't like to be compared to other artists, but I hope you won't take offense now that I do. When I listened to "Running to Stand Still," I instantly thought The Velvet Underground. And then The Cure.  (That's always a good thing in my book, by the way)  Regardless of my opinions, what musicians have inspired you most?

Wow Thanks for that Maria. I'm totally honored to even be mentioned in the same sentence as those bands. There have been a lot of musical influences in my life. The folk rock classics like Tom Petty, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan, all the way to more contemporary artists like Seal, Sting, Madonna and U2. Obviously The Beatles are on my list as are more recent pop stars like Cold Play and Pink, but the list goes on and on.... there are so many others.

5) Obviously, working without a major label to back you up is not easy for any artist. Has there ever been a point in your musical career that you felt like giving up? 

You bet ! There have been many times where it seemed like I was not making any progress. There are a lot of different aspects involved in being an Indie Artist. Learning all the social media applications is very time consuming. Communicate effectively through social media is a skill I am still working on. Doing interviews, writing songs, recording, playing live, finding inspiration, working my vocal range, shooting videos, practicing, are not always convenient and no one is pushing me to do any of these things. You really need to be self motivated and completely realistic with yourself and what your expectation are. For example ... I am working on writing radio friendly songs that people can hopefully relate to. If they don't get played on the radio does that make the project a failure? The question you have to ask yourself is "Why are you doing what you're doing?" For me it is mostly about personal growth. Learning to be a better communicator. Being more at ease with the process.  There are lots of things I'm not really comfortable doing within the whole realm of being a Indie Artist. That is where the gold is, showing up and being consistent and finding your way through. It's not easy or convenient...  kind of like life. I do find that as I keep building towards my goals it helps in being consistent and staying focused on what my next steps are.

6) Random question: What's your favorite bubble-gum flavor?

 Bubble gum

7) Any new plans for 2011?

Yeah I'm planing on shooting a Video Album of all of the songs on my new EP Spirit is Flow in the spring. Pretty much bare bones and raw... very acoustic not a lot of fluff. I'm sure I have a couple songs stirring around inside me somewhere ... so writing would be a good bet.

I'm also wanting to get more grounded with social media and putting myself out there. It's probably my weakest link, so I really need to work on it and I am learning, but more importantly to me... it's pushing my boundaries of comfortable. There's no evolution in comfortable and I am interested in growing as a person (spiritually) and evolving personally.

"And the further I go.... The less I know"

Hey just like that song... 

What's it called ?

I think it's this song.

Willy Wonka

Okay for a completely random post, my brother just brought my sister and I a pack of this gum. We are both currently gravely ill (I'm getting the flu and Maria Teresa has the flu) and sitting in our room. Maria Teresa was telling me about what to do with her possessions when she died (I get them all) and I was trying to do my Health homework. Then my brother walked in with the gum (even though I asked for Sprite) and you know what? IT TASTES JUST LIKE KEY LIME PIE! At first I was somewhat disturbed, then it tasted pretty good and after a minute or so of chewing, the taste has faded.

But really, go buy a pack of gum.

I mean, it's like Willy Wonka without having to sign a contract that gets smaller and smaller till you can't read it.

I have to go back to finding my body mass index, but I leave you with information that will change your life. So go buy a pack of gum! And umm.... while your at it say a prayer for me, I really don't want to get as sick as my sister.

Josette and I May Be Crazy. But We're Totally in Sync.

Josette moved to Japan. Yes, you read that correctly, and yes, I was green with envy. The whole time zone deal really hinders communication, so whenever I see her on gchat or skype, my little heart skips a beat.   The other day, we were gchatting, and I'm pretty sure that we've been communicating telepathically. And subconsciously. 

                       josette: Help. Me.

 me: Hey!

  How?

 josette.rophael: I have no idea.

  Rewind the clock?

 me: Uh...

  Technically, I could do that by flying you back here...

  That's easier said than done

  What's the problem?

 josette: It's midnight and I'm pretty much just starting my homework.

 me: Oh, haha. Sorry :(:

  What are you working on?

 josette: Right now Environmental Science.

 me: Oh, I did that in ninth grade!

 I might remember some (Of course I didn't.)

 josette: Really?

 me: Yup! 

  And I passed!

  By some miracle

 josette: That's pretty awesome.

  

 me: I thank God for that one

josette: Know anything about microalgae?

 me: Tiny little algea?

  algae

 josette: That are apparently very oily

 me: Hmmmm

 What's the question?

 josette: Possibly oily enough to solve our energy problems

 me: Haha...Well... not really...

 josette: haha well that is what some scientists think according to the given FRQ passage.

 me: That's what Wikipedia thinks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_fuel

 

 

 

OMG, I dreamed of your little brother last night!! (And this is where my ADD kicks in...)

josette: haha whaaa? why?

me: I have no idea. It was so weird. I dreamed that somehow I walked BAREFOOT to my grandma's house in CALIFORNIA - actually it was my aunt's house, but still, it's in another state- and your brother was there and he was SOOO NICE! Oh, yeah! And before that I was helping you with hw in Starbucks!!!!

  That is so freaky

  you had a nervous breakdown but I don't remember why

 I think it was school related

 josette: well that is just so comforting!

 me: Haha, sorry

 You kept chatting with Sofi, and I was like, Josette, maybe we should work on this, and then you started crying

  so I packed up all our stuff and walked, shoeless, to my aunt's house

  

  where my grandmother walked to the door to greet me

  sans a walker

 and your little brother was jumping on a trampoline

  that was inside the house

 josette: this is too good

 me: and he ran up to me TO GIVE ME A HUG

  ?!?!?!?!!?!

  Needless, to say, I was pretty much shocked into tears

 josette: I am pretty much shocked into tears.

  Your dreams are pretty insane. 

 me: Gosh, you don't even know the half of it...josette: I kind of want to know now though

 then I started recognizing a bunch of people... and all my sister's friends were thereThe sequence was kind of weird.

 josette: WE SHOULD START A DREAM BLOG

 me: YES!

 josette.rophael: Like how people have dream diaries

 me: We should blog this whole chat to start

 josette.rophael: haha ummm

  maybe just your parts

 me: Your parts offer a humorous deadpan
So, hopefully, I don't get in trouble with her for posting this. Because God knows oceans and countries mean nothing when it comes to Josette's wrath. 

And My Favorite Superbowl Commercial of the Night Is...

Because I'm a geek at heart ;)