Yamato

For my freshman seminar class today, I was required to attend Yamato. I had absolutley no idea what it was; I thought it was something put on by college performers. Well, it wasn't. Yamato is a traveling group of Japanese drummers, and take my word for it, they are absolutley amazing! My sophomore year I got to see the Blue Man group perform, and until now I had nothing even compare to it! Well Yamato was equally as professional, entertaining, amazing, and any other wonderfully talented word you can think of! I am so happy that I took this class!

I would recomend Yamato to anyone and everyone! It isn't simply a drum performane. When you read the program, you get more information about the history of Yamato and more about the performance. Here is just a little clip from the article,

...Yamato is unique in the field of Taiko drumming, because our stoic presence expresses what we feel to be the distinctive soul of the Japanese people. This quality has given our music a strength that is now recognized the world over

At the same time, I don't feel compelled to solely articulate the culture of Japan or the Japanese people. The Taiko drum is an insturment belonging to the earth. Its heartbeat expresses the powerful pulse of life: the life of human beings and their hearts that resound in every passing moment.

...We carry open, smiling faces into our performances. Here, men and women are equals on the stage. Our smiles are meant to tickle the serious side of a human being; men tickling woman, and women men.

... Above all though, I think the sound of these drums communicates something of vital importance: energy; energy that is exchanged from us to you and you to us. Energy and the courage to see on to tomorrow.

Maasaki Ogawa

For more information about this crazy awesome group, click HERE!

Wanda Sykes

Yesterday my mom and I went to the Wanda Sykes comedy show. I laughed so much that my smile started to hurt. There was this one guy... can't remember his name... that did the begining/introduction act. It was so funny! All in all, it was a great night! I got to see my mom, eat Panera, laugh my face off, and sleep in my bed at home!

Monkey and Rice Crispie Treats

I love rice crispie treats. It's a simple as that.... I love them! I eat them all the time here at the KSU bakery, because the bakery makes the BEST ones ever! For directions to make Rice Crispie treats with help from Monkey, just click HERE!!

you should also check out Monkey at the art museum...

the wonderful world of blogs

My mommy decided to hop on the bandwagon and join the blog world frenzy! She's one of the coolest persons you will ever meet, read about, hear of, or ever even think about... name of "mommy's" she surpasses them all... just to let you know. Today I cut my nails. They were getting dangerously long. I think I almost poked my eye out a few times with them. No worries anymore, though. Here's before and after shots...

Glass art

Sunset Tower by Dale Chihuly

Glass artwork has really grown since artists began working with it. It is truly amazing what artists can do when molding glass. I really think everyone should be aware of the absolute awesomeness that glass art has to offer...

Ikebana by Dale Chihuly

Just for an interesting fact, Dale Chihuly designed the Chandelier mounted above the stairs in the Kansas State University Beach Art Museum.

For MORE crazy cool sculptures by Dale Chihuly, click HERE

Mommy's Gift

For exactily a week now, I have been giving my mommy these hints towards her birthday slash Christmas present. So far I have given her a total of 7 Hints towards what her gift will be. Here are the hints.. see if YOU can figure it out!

HINT #1: December 17th, 2005 on a Saturday in Kansas City, MO


HINT #2: We WOULD be required to leave at around 5:00 pm ish, but we
will be leaving around 3:30 or 4:00 pm instead.

HINT #3: The TRADITIONAL date... with a twist/turn :)

HINT #4: Tchaikovsky.

HINT #5:

HINT #6: Spanish, Arabian, Russian, Chinese, and Mirliton Dances, and a
Waltz.

HINT 7: iS it Unusual to Get AnotheR hint? Perhaps Later yoU May Figure out this spectAcular surprIse; you'Re going to love Your gift mommy!

Interesting Artwork

I just found my new favorite artist! Pierre Arman, better known as Armand, is known for his creations and sculptures of random objects. He takes things that most people see as "garbage" and creates these awesome sculptures.

Yasmin's Violin 1983

Long Term Parking 1982

This concrete tower of 60 cars measures 65 feet tall and is located infront of a parking lot in Paris. This sculpture is also in the Guinness Book of World Records.

More artwork by Armand: Ask Art

or ArtNetGallery

The Bible, the world's best selling book, is also the most shoplifted book in the world.

We Killed the Vacuum!

My roomies Lane and Michelle and I vacuumed our room yesterday. For such a boring task, it was actually really entertaining and funny! First of all... our vacuums are LOUD! So we were going along, taking our turns vacuuming our room, and then we all started smelling this really funky/bad smell.... I guess we broke the belt on it or something cause the whole hallway smelt like burnt rubber! Of course... we didn't stop. We were pretty desperate to just get the room cleaned. After we were done I sprayed the whole room with Febreeze! So now we smelt like burnt rubber and clay! Yay! That’s pretty much our entire vacuum story.

As for my car... I have no idea what’s going on now. I just told Tommy to get it back to me as soon as he can, but it turns out that that is longer than we both thought.... still don't have it.

I have a test today in Macro. Doesn't sounds like much fun to me. I feel like I have been studying forever, but I still don’t understand the material. Kinda scary... Hopefully it wont be as bad as I am thinking it will be though!

Poor Tommy...

Just when you think that your day is going to be normal, your car will be right in the lot near you, and all will be well and as predicted.... something out of the ordinary comes along and pushes you right off your balance post.

Today my friend Tommy came to visit me on his way back home to Lawrence. It was a normal visit. We had lunch and I showed him around our campus and our museum. Well he headed off home and I went back into my room to do something normal (and boring). 45 minutes later, Tommy calls and says, "Maria I have a big problem..." his tire went flat. No problem.. I figured he was trying to say that he didnt know how to change it. No. He didnt have a spare. No problem, we could just go and get him another tire.

Well, I get out there (cause he doesn't have a jack either) and we put on the tire together... and I would just like to say that I am very thankful for having the knowledge-- thank you mom!-- of putting on a tire! Well we get the tire on and head out to Sear's to get a new one.... well they're closed... so is Walmart, as well as every other tire selling company in Manhattan!

I could tell that Tommy was really nervous and upset, so I came up with the all masterful plan! I lent him my car! The only sucky thing about this is that his car is going to be out by I70 all night and most of tomorrow :( but he said he has important classes and a quiz tomorrow, so yea.

Well all in all it was a not so normal day! Either way, as long as Tommy is safe and nothing is wrong then that is all that matters!

Interesting Information for the Day

Did you know that in Australia, you cannot pump gas into your own gas container? I heard this from my friend Andrew, who is full of a lot of interesting information. If they can't put gas into their own containers... than how do they fill their lawn mowers? If this is true, then that kinda sucks for Australians!

This weekend I am actually staying HOME... in Manhattan... the whooole weekend! I know... it's crazy but true haha. Just about every weekend I have either gone out of town, or someone has come here. Well THIS TIME, it's all on me :)! It's really quite exciting, I'm not gonna lie!

Soup and New Phones... Grandness

I drove home to wichita today after classes. I missed my mommy and my puppy... I'm such a freshman in college. It's really quite sad :)

Mom is making me CHICKEN NOODLE SOUUUUP!!! I am so excited! She makes a wicked pot of chicken noodle... it's really quite impressive. It's always fun comming home. I get to do lots of fun stuff like my laundry, sleep in my bed, eat yummy food... it's great!

More good news, since I know that everyone in the world cares... mom and I get new phones this month! Yay! I would say that the only thing worse than not having a cellular phone at all, would be having one that gives you so many problems that you just want to throw it against the wall! Getting new things is always exciting for me. I don't think that it will ever get old... I'm not gonna lie... :)

Another day of walking...

I wonder how much walking I do each day. It has to be a couple of miles. Today was an exception... I walked SOO dang much today; it was rediculous! If you are familair with the KSU campus, you may understand this. To begin with, I went to all my normal classes for the day today and ended up at Throckmorton. After classes I went to Fairchild to figure out something dealing with Financial aide. The lady there directed me to Anderson... not a bad walk, it was simply across the street and up the stairs. Well, aparently the lady there couldnt help me either and told me that I had to go to Pittman. So of course, I walked all the way over to Pittman.

After I was done with this whole confusion, my friend, Kelly, calls me to go to the rec center with her. Well being the cheap (broke) college students we are, we saved our money from buying gas and walked from the dorms, to the rec (where I ran for a while so I think that adds to my "walking", just at a fast pace). Then we walked home, and since the I have been sitting in this same chair studying my little heart out. All together, I think im a walk-aholic.

In Need of Employment

I am in need of a job. I have applied many many places in Manhappenin, but its just not happenin for me. I'm already in debt... I owe Lane $3.50 from when we ordered Gumby's the other night.

I went to the front office/desk thing today and made a room request. Me and Lane want to stay in the same room together for next semester. My other 2 roommates are probably going elsewhere... Michelle is moving into her sorority house probably and Margo hasn't decided. It would be pretty dang sweet cakes if Lane and I got a room together! She's a fun person- VERY bubbly haha! Its great being around her so much cause for some reason we get along really great! But we'll see how it all goes later on...

I was wondering... since people who speak English can imitate another language's accent (I'm not saying SPEAK another language... just imitate the accent), then why is it so hard for foreign countries to imitate the "English accent"? I don’t think a Japanese resident could properly do a southern drawl... maybe, but I dunno.

DUSTY BOOKSHELF PRESENTS MARGO MAY @ 8:00 MONDAY, 10/10

ONLY $3!!!

Tonight my roomate is performing at the Dusty Bookshelf down in Aggieville. It should be pretty exciting. She's really talented... I can't think of another singer to compare her to. She has her own unique was of singing/playing guitar. Every now and then she practices her guitar in our room... so I know for a fact that she's good ;)! I plan on going to watch her tonight and I'm pretty excited!

School ID's are $15.00

Just a simple warning for all of ye who thinks that ID's are easily replaceable... Sure, at GCHS ID's were about $3 in 2004 (if I remember right), but at Kansas State University they are a hefty sum of FIFTEEN DOLLARS.... first hand experience.

lesson of the day: Don't lose your KSU Student ID

just give me a pen and paper...

I love writing! Though I may find some things about my poetry class at KSU to be completely irrelevant and pointless... as well as aggrivating... I also have come to find a lot of things enjoyable about this class.

Our most recent assignment was to write a poem over some inspiration we had from a piece of artwork. I chose a oil painting called "Stranger Woman" painted by Pugacheva Svetlana.


I fell in love with this painting when I saw it. I also wanted to use it since it is SOOO much different than what I saw everyone else using haha! Everyone seemed to use a painting of scenery. Now how's about my poem? eh?

Fantastic Features

A hidden Beauty, beneath
Snow strands of covering feathers
lightly floating, illuminate
unflawed features
Long, envious strands
of shadowed bronze, subtle streaks of red
Random, dancing every which way

A hidden tale, forbidden
A secret of fantasy, life of her own
Her own way of intimidation
Placed within her ees
Peering through
Holes from device of concealment

A hidden meaning, unknown
Not visible to the average eye
Meant to be searched,
Sought for
Like the key to one's heart
A journey to reach, yet need
To fufill Longing and Curiosity
10/5/05

Don't lie... you know that you all have been dieing to see a picture of my beautiful "new to me" car posted on my blog. Well.... I give in... :) here you go! I also added a little bit of happiness within my car... me! haha