Death

No, nobody close to me physically died.  Rest easy.

This tiny little corner of the internet I call Pointless Tales on the Internet is slowly dying.  Actually, it's dying really quickly.  If you follow this blog (and I know there are people who do), you know of my terrible inactivity in the last two months.  And some of you that know me in person have asked me about that.

Indeed, it's dying.  But not because of lack of things to write about.  I could use the "I don't have time" excuse... But I can't really say that when the first draft of each post is usually written at 2 a.m. Deep down, I know that answer lies in my recent apathy and lack of initiative towards anything.  I lost track of myself somewhere in this test called life, and everything from giant deep thoughts to simple tasks like taking out the trash kind of fell off into a hole.  I know that I said that I would start writing again in the previous post... But with what's going on right now, that doesn't seem entirely possible.  I'm blatantly lost.  I would further go into detail, but that'd take a while... I'll just say that thinking is a lot harder than it used to be.
Just this post took a lot more effort than it really should have.  I'm not even bothering with editing; I'm just writing the first things that come to mind.  It probably doesn't sound very good.

So I need to figure things out.  Until then, I'm signing off.

-Austin

October SOTW 1 - A Turtle's Heart

Mili recently released their first album opening with a new original: A Turtle's Heart.  At first I just simply liked the song for it's musical elements.  Not to mention Mili is currently my favorite group.
The thing with music by Mili is that the lyrics usually are not set to have a form that people are used to hearing in modern pop music.  The tunes are usually through-composed (no repeating verses or chorus) and the lyrics are not set to necessarily rhyme.  The composers are Japanese, so even though English pronunciation is good, the melody may sound strange for the words to most people.  Only hearing it a couple times, I just simply enjoyed what I could hear and interpret.  But then... I recently looked up the lyrics.  And decided that I should start posting again.  Now that I know what is being said, this song means so much more to me.  After my short period of silence, this song made me decide to keep posting.

I couldn't find the song just by itself, so here's the whole album.  (yay)

The Relatable Musician 8

If there is an ignorant thought that annoys me a lot, it's the fact that people think that guitar is the easiest instrument to learn.

Ignorant people think "Oh, if I just put my fingers in these places on the fretboard and strum, I'll magically make music!  It's so simple!"  

Unfortunately, it's not that simple.  A guitar is actually pretty complicated to learn notes on as a beginner.  It takes a while to memorize the note names of all the frets... and then there's alternate tuning of the strings, and the use of capos.  Granted, you can easily learn a basic E minor and A major chord in ten minutes.  But to be able to play more than that, it takes quite a bit of work.

Typical piano used for note names

The instrument always used for visualizing notes in the music world is the piano.  Why?  It's easy to see the notes on the keys of a piano.  No one is going to teach basic theory to beginning musicians using saxophone fingerings.  That's just too complicated.  The piano has the note names in ascending and linear order.  And to us, that is the simplest way of visualizing notes.   

The good thing about guitars is that it's practically the same concept.  If you play a string, it plays one note.  If you press your finger down somewhere on the string and strum, it plays a different note.  And the closer you move the placement of your finger to your picking hand, the higher the note.  Similar to a piano.  However, the hard part is that there are five other strings using the same concept, and they all don't start on the same note.  When you strum a chord on a guitar, you are playing six notes that fit in the key you're playing in.  You strum six individual notes that harmonize together for that lovely sound that everyone wants to hear around the campfire.  If you want to play a G, you have to place your fingers in such a way so you play G, B, D, G, D, G (In that order).  But of course not not a lot of people know that.  They just put their hands in a shape of what they are taught is a chord, and strum.  No more thought given.

 That's why a lot of people decide to pick up the guitar and put it down after a while.  They don't know how complicated it gets after learning all the easy chords in the key of G.  They learn that there are actually inversions of a chord, and that bar chording is pretty hard on the hand.  

So to all of you who are thinking of learning an instrument: don't pick one because it's simply easy.  Granted, there are some instruments that you can pick up the basics faster.  But to become good at an instrument takes a lot of work.  Even if it seems simple, like guitar or percussion (trust me, percussion has some tough rudiments).  Whatever you pick, make sure it appeals to you.  And once you learn all the basics, stick with it!  

The Relatable Musician 7

Folk music.  Everyone claps on the downbeat. 
*claps* 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and...
But did you know that the drummer is hitting his snare drum on the "and" of every beat? 
*claps* 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and...
But noooo everyone has to clap on the downbeat.  *rolls eyes over-dramatically*

September SOTW 1 - END THEME

I've been playing a certain song over and over again lately over the past week, so I thought I should post it.

This song is beautiful.  If you've watched the movie 5 Centimetres per Second, you would know that the context in which this piece is played is quite powerful and moving.  It perfectly sums up the emotional state and being of the main character.

I find that this piece is extremely easy for me to express myself with.  Emotions that I can't get out in words or paper come out through playing this song.   When I sit at a piano with nobody around, this is what I play.  No one hears, but that's fine with me.  Sometimes it's better to say what you want to say when nobody hears.

August SOTW 5 - Oracion

This is the first time I've done five Song of the Weeks in a month!  This apparently isn't going to happen until May next year.  It's something really small and trivial, but I for some strange reason look forward to it.

Lately I've taken a deep liking to this song, for a couple reasons.
-It's the end theme of my favorite anime, No Game No Life
-I love this style of Japanese rock
-The key changes are a little strange but still work effectively
-Whispering is seldom done in music, and they nailed it's use in this song... it perfectly suits Shiro's character
-I really love the lyrics, they mean a lot to me (translation here)
-Shiro is adorable
-Shiro is adorable
-Shiro is REALLY TABLE-FLIPPING ADORABLE   (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

The Ghibli Manuscripts

Recently I went on a trip to Japan (yay)!  Being a fan of anime and Japanese culture in general, I quite enjoyed myself.  I experienced a whole bunch of stuff like different food, tea ceremony, ryokans (and their public baths!), shrines, and even taiko drumming!  I had a lot of fun with drumming :3

A robot soldier from Laputa Castle in the Sky.

While we were in Tokyo, I went to the Ghibli animation museum.  You're not allowed to take pictures inside, but you're allowed to photograph the robot soldier statue on the roof of the museum.  It was a little overcast and I didn't have time to get a good photo, but if you click the link above, they have better photos.

On the second floor of the museum, it's full of desks with work scattered across the rooms.  It looks the like filmmakers just left their desks for a break when we walked in.  But my favorite room... was a small room that people frequently walked in and out of.  Compared to the other rooms, there was barely anything in there.  It was just a table with some books (with abnormally large pages), and a small wooden chair tucked in the corner of the room.  Seeing this room unusually plain in comparison to the others, I decided to look around a little more carefully (not that I wasn't already).  I picked up one of the eight thick, large books sitting on the table.  I looked at the title... When Marnie Was There.   I opened up the book.
It was a manuscript of the animated drawings.  Like a framework of what the movie should look like.  The reason the pages where so large was because each page had about five drawings in it... each showing the next shot in the movie, yet to be brought to life.  To the right of each drawing was room for notes.  Surprisingly, there was enough English for me to guess what they were saying.
I began reading.  It was a little like a manga, but a lot more open ended for plot.  After a half hour, I realized I was enjoying myself.  A lot.  Which was a little strange for me.

The frustrating thing for me with books is that I can't read them through once.  For every sentence I read, I need to pay attention and process it to understand what's happening.  However, my brain can't do that while keeping up with my reading speed. So I end up reading a page or even a paragraph, stop, and realize I need to read it again since I had no idea what just happened in the last 5 lines or so.
Books with tonnes of detail are hard for me to read leisurely.  I need study every sentence hard to comprehend everything.  My mind kind of blanks and then I keep thinking: "Okay, what's happening here? Maybe this? and this and this?".  And then I realize I'm still reading and I have no idea what just happened in the plot.
However, being a visual learner, manuscripts give a general idea of what I'm supposed to be looking at, but still leave a lot of freedom for me to imagine whatever I like.  And in a way, it's more fun that way.  It might not be the actual story that the writer might have wanted to tell but it makes me feel creative...

I haven't seen When Marnie Was There yet.  But in a way, I have seen it.  I may not know the actual story that is told in the movie, but I do know that I had a lot of fun imagining my own story without having to worry if I've comprehended the provided image.
If I had a library of manuscripts, I could spend forever there.

Austin's Tea Preference Criteria

I was recently asked the question if I preferred hot tea or cold tea.  I never actually thought about it, but I'm a little picky as to what I prefer depending on the circumstance.  So just to see how conditional my criteria of choosing hot or cold tea is, I decided to write it all out.

Hot tea: If it's a cold day, or I'm just feeling down or philosophical, I have hot tea.  Usually green or chrysanthemum if it's available.  When I feel sick I usually like peppermint with honey.  Also, I like hot Chinese or Japanese teas when eating (good) Asian food.  The exception is dim sum places... 

Chinese dim sum like to put all the leaves and flowers in one pot and leave it in there, so the tea gets stronger as the meal goes on.  Personally I like it a little lighter, so I usually immediately pour myself two cups, then ask for water later.  

Cold tea: I live in Canada, and here we have sweetened iced tea.  Pre-sweetened.  Popular brands include Brisk, Nestea (both owned by Nestle), Lipton, Snapple for more hipster people, and Arizona for frugal, addicted high schoolers.  The thing with the sweetened iced tea is that it's really sweet for people not used to it.  I've seen a handful of Americans try sweetened iced tea for the first time... they really didn't like it.  Sometimes, flavoring and sweeteners actually exceed the amount of tea in the drink, which is actually a little gross once I think about it.  

Read more on the wonderful, trustworthy, default resource Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iced_tea#Canada

I like iced tea practically any time I'm not drinking hot tea.  It's my default drink when I'm thirsty and want something sweet at the same time.  However, when I leave the country, I usually don't order it.

Being a Canadian used to over-sweetened iced tea, I always have to remind myself when travelling to America, the iced tea is not sweetened.  And when I forget... I take a big first sip and am met with the taste of cold tea (Duh. Why did I think it was going to taste like something else?).  

The exception to cool tea outside of Canada is Japan.  Most places (even some fast food restaurants) serve cool Japanese tea.  It's usually very light, with a nice subtle taste of green.  And it goes with almost anything.  And the best part: they serve it like water at restaurants; it's free.  You don't even have to ask.  

August SOTW 4 - St. Thomas

As you can see from the title, I've decided to rename my Song of the Week so it's easier to find them later.

So as seen in my last post, I attended a summer jazz camp.  On the first day, the piano and guitar teachers were still teaching their students when the faculty concert was supposed to start.  As a result, the guest teacher decided that they should start the concert with St. Thomas, a jazz standard by Sonny Rollins that didn't need a piano or guitar player.  The tune outlines the chord changes so a comper isn't absolutely necessary.

If you didn't understand any of that, I'll just say this: it's flippin catchy.  I heard it all week.  And sang it all week.  And played it all week.
And it's not just me.  I showed up 30 minutes early everyday, and I could hear people in practice rooms playing St. Thomas... whistling it in between classes... jamming out to it at the end of the day...
At one of the concerts, a combo even performed it.

The Relatable Musician 6

DON'T CLAP WHEN THE BAND STARTS TRADING FOURS!!!

Same idea as inexperienced people who don't know audience etiquette for classical music.  You don't clap in between movements, unless it is something extremely worthy of mention.  Personally, I wouldn't clap, as seen in my post about not clapping. 

The same idea is not applied in the jazz world.  In fact, if you hear something you like, you vocalize it (but maybe not for a ballad).  Yelling in approval adds energy and encouragement to the atmosphere.  So there is little room for the audience to make error as an audience.
But little room doesn't mean no room.

I was recently in a summer jazz camp and the faculty/directors put on a concert for the students.  A popular jazz element for letting the drummer solo is called "trading fours".  In music speak, a player solos for four bars, then the drummer solos for four, then the player, then the drummer, and so on.  It's a very basic element.
However, the audience, which is comprised of jazz students, clapped for every four bar solo.  Granted, there are some beginners in the crowd.  However, people at least my level should know... And I'm not too high on the ladder. 

It isn't that they are ignorant and should know better as jazz students.  It's obvious that if you applaud every four bars, you're going to miss half of the solos because you're too busy making noise, drowning out the music you came to hear.  And it disturbs the people around you who know what they're doing...

To Lose Sight

The world is very loud.  Noisy.  Voluminous in thick waves of sound.  But we barely notice it.  The humming of the lights, people passing by, air conditioners, traffic, even our own breathing.  We've all grown up in an environment where we are used to at least a little sound, somewhere, all the time. 

I used to find sound fascinating.  The drastic change in sound as soon as three people started conversing rather than two was something that always amazed me.  The thin air of one voice all of a sudden gained an overlap of another.  It was thickening like layers of honey collecting at the bottom of a cup of tea.  Indeed, the reception of sound is a fantastic thing. 

I recently went to a tourist attraction called "Dialogue in the Dark".  You are given a blind man's stick and put in a series of rooms in pitch black darkness with a guide (all guides are visually impaired).  The whole point is to experience being blind, relying on only touch, smell, and hearing to navigate in the darkness. To be honest, it's not for everyone.  Kids sometimes aren't mature enough for it, or are scared of the dark.  I don't blame them.  However, for me, my problem was the sudden barrage of information to my ears.  I discovered that I relied heavily on my eyes to process auditory information.  If a car honked, I turned to look at it.  If someone spoke, I could confirm it with my sight.  However, as I stood in a lightless room with the sounds of a busy intersection simulated, I couldn't help but be extremely overwhelmed.  Overwhelmed by the seemingly large quantity of information I would have confirmed with vision, but couldn't.  All the sounds I had overlooked with my eyes.  I was a tiny being facing a tsunami of sound stimuli. It was disorientating.  Belittling.  Daunting. My body produced a headache in no time.  I didn't want to process so much noise at once.  It was too much without eyesight. 
Then on top of that... I had to move around.  Navigate using a wooden apparatus that had loose connection to my body.  My headache became worse.  Why was the world so loud?  Why couldn't it just shut up for a while? 
And to think that it was all simulation. 

Afterwards, sound was a lot different.  It was no longer a fascinating concept that I could think to observe attentively.  It was a vast, endless swamp of information, one that I could never hope to process and understand should I lose my vision.  I had developed two things after that experience:
1. A newfound deep respect for visually impaired people.  Especially those who lost their sight after adolescence.
2. A new fear.  Fear of losing sight. I didn't think it would be something I would be afraid of, but after having a taste of the world with only ears...

Side note: I'm not saying Dialogue in the Dark is a bad attraction.  In fact, it's very well done and is unique for a tourist attraction.  It just isn't for everyone.  I'm just a wierdo who is hypersensitive to things concerning sound... So don't think that as soon as you come out you will develop a phobia for blindness.  If you have a chance to go there, it's a good experience!

August Song of the Week 3

One of my favorites from Imagine Dragons.  The best part starts at 6:46! :3

Chinese Grammar Accent (in Japan)

My parents have a Chinese grammar accent (grammar bad intended).  Meaning they insert Chinese grammar into English grammar. 
Their English is good enough that they don't have an accent.  However, Chinese sentence structure and translation gets inserted into their speech here and there.
For example, when referring to a person in Chinese, there is no "he" or "she".  There is only (literally translated) "they/you".  So when my parents learned English, they had to learn the difference between he and she. 
It's sometimes frustrating when they mix it up and makes the conversation confusing.  But other times, it turns out really funny.

However, on my current trip to Japan, it's been painful to hear them attempt Japanese.  Also the strangest thing to listen to. 
They try to read and pronounce Japanese with English phonetics.  Normal for an uninformed speaker.  But it's the funniest thing (both funny haha and funny weird) to hear them try speak Anglicized Japanese with the Chinese grammar accent. 

*waitress hands over the bill
"How do you say thank you to him?"
"Arigato."
*turns to waitress "Ahreegaito"

*I facepalm

August Song of the Week 2

They should have more jazz clarinet players...

August Song of the Week 1

I actually wondered a bit on what I should post this week.  As you probably noticed, I haven't posted anything but Song of the Weeks for all of July. All month, I've been thinking (I won't bore everyone with details).  Maybe a little too much.  Right now I'm not entirely enthusiastic about anything, so the blog got neglected.  

I haven't been able to listen to this song a lot, but when I think of it and how it sounds, it eases my mind a bit.  Not to mention that Eric Whitacre is one of my favorite composers.  

Quick side note: I'm not in town and internet is a little hard to come by (at least, harder than at home).  Sorry if I miss next week's Song of the Week.

July Song of the Week 4

I've had this stuck in my head all week.  I really think Gumi's voice does this song really well.  The pronunciation of the words captures the image of the childhood friend stereotype perfectly.

If you don't know, Gumi is a vocaloid.  But I think in this song it's harder to tell a vocaloid is being used.

July Song of the Week 3

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate this song.  But I really don't like the story delivered.  "Can I have your daughter's hand in marraige?  No?  Then screw you, I'm going to marry her anyways!"

...sigh... if it weren't for that I would like this song so much better...

I just can't shake how unbelievably catchy this song is.  I listened to it once, and somehow managed to memorize the chorus hearing it once.  And sang it for the rest of the day.  And the next day.   And the day after.

July Song of the Week 2

Mili is one of my current favorite bands.  They have such a unique style.   The composers have obviously studied in the classical style, but bring Japanese contemporary music and modern electronic elements to their music.  And, their songs are quite diverse.
Here is one of the first ones I heard from them.

July Song of the Week 1

Remember the Alice in Musicland from the last Song of the Week?  I thought I would stick with that theme.

Again, it's not your typical Disney-formula song.  This is real good stuff for people to get into jazz.  Oscar Peterson is a piano beast.  

June Song(s) of The Week 4

Really this should be a June six songs of the week, mixed with a Beginner's Guide to Anime post.  This video is a short twelve minute long musical... performed completely by software and animation.  In Japanese pop culture, works like these are often collaborations of animators, composers, arrangers, and so forth.  First, let me explain the voices in this musical (I'll probably make a standalone post on it later):

Vocaloid: Software that emulates singing.  Practically a voice synthesizer.  There are many different models of Vocaloid; English, Japanese, and their own models within those languages.  The most famous of them is the Vocaloid 2 model Hatsune Miku (Alice in the video below).  Other Vocaloid models included in the musical are (in order of appearance): Kagamine Len, Kaito, Kagamine Rin, Megurine Luka, and Meiko.  

And without further ado, I present "Alice in Musicland"!  Enjoy!

The Relatable Musician 5

I recently bought a new 6 string bass (love the extra C string for chords) and today I bought a used Fender rumble 25 bass amp.  At first, it just started with a Squire P-strat with no amp,
but at this rate, I'm going to have to get two bedrooms... one for music and one for sleeping.  Or I'll just install a hammock and sleep above all the instruments :D

The Beginner's Guide to Anime: The Attracting Factors in Characters

Okay, this topic I don't have a tonne of knowledge in, and I don't have any good research to go off of.  Sorry if this is not accurate to the veteran's standards.

As promised in the previous Guide to Anime post, I'm (going to attempt) explaining what a loli is. The explanation is, of course, below.  But before you read there, I should explain this topic a little more.  A loli is one of the many stereotypes put in characters as an attractive factor.  Most anime have a character that has an appealing factor to them, even though a lot of people don't notice that they are stereotypes.  Some of them are agreeable factors, where others take some time to understand.
I should add that there are a lot of them... So this list isn't complete.  Maybe if I feel oddly motivated I'll continue it.  Of course, if I miss any, just tell me in the comment section.

The Childhood Friend: As the title suggests, the main character has a childhood friend and they fall in love later (usually high school).  These are either promises made to each other from a young age, unrequited love that eventually gets recognition, or a relationship that neither character sees coming.  Usually found in the romance genre.
Examples: I actually can't remember any anime I've watched with a big emphasis on this.  I vaguely remember Asura Cryin' having this element, but don't quote me on that.  I haven't watched Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Steins;Gate but I heard they stress this element a bit.

Senpai/Kouhai Relationships: A senpai (sometimes spelt sempai) is a senior in position relative to someone else in the same field/discipline.  The most popular use in anime is at school, however, it can be used in dojos, workplaces, etc.  Basically whoever is slightly senior in rank, you call senpai.  And kouhai is the opposite: a senpai would call their underclassmen kouhai.  Senpai is not to be confused with sensei; an authority figure. Senpai is usually reserved for a mentor-type role.
In context, a 2nd year high school student would call the 3rd years senpai, and 1st years kouhai.
And also, as the mentioned above in the title, relationships between the senpai and kouhai may happen. If you don't know already, this element is where the meme "I hope senpai will notice me" comes from.  In some anime, the kouhai might have feelings for the senpai, but not have the ability to say it.
Examples: Strike the Blood,  Ouran Host Club, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia (sorta)

The Sibling Complex:  Closeness with a sibling to the point that it either annoys the charactercoughvictimcough, or makes other people wonder if incest is going to take place.  Usually the character with the complex teases their sibling a little much, and can be jealous people.  If the target character has a girlfriend/boyfriend, it's possible that the complex sibling would try sabotaging the relationship.  In other cases, the complex sibling declares their love (usually in a comedic manner) and tries to keep any other potential competition away.  In general, a sibling complex in a character includes thinking that if they weren't related by blood, they would have a relationship with their sibling.
(Side note: I think I might do a post just about complexes sometime.)
Examples: The Irregular at Magic High School, Oreimo, No Game No Life

Lolicon: "Loli" being the shortened form.  Blatantly put, a lolicon is a pedophile.  But in anime, it's a term used for a type of character.  Lolis are girls that are under the age of consent, the appeal being childish features and innocence.  I say this in the least possible creepy way: lolis are adorable.  They are like the cute internet puppies of anime.  But they can talk, dress adorably, cock their head slightly and say "senpai", and eat food in the cutest possible manner (yeah, I definitely have a weakness).
Now that you know about the sibling complex and lolis, I can share this photo I found a little while back... If you've watched a bit of all three of these series, it is a lot funnier.

Oh, you should also know that "imouto" is a younger sister.  It goes under the "sister complex" category.
Anime used from top to bottom: Black Bullet, The Irregular at Magic High School, No Game No Life

Maid: This one I never really got either.  There's this thing out there for maids, or girls in maid outfits.  I don't see the big attraction, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
Apparently characters in anime are aware maid outfits really exist as fanservice, and realize that having to wear one is potentially very embarrassing.  If you're watching an anime and the character has a maid outfit forced upon them, you now know why their face turns bright red.
The male counterpart of this stereotype is of course, the butler (shitsuji).  Using the most famous anime butler, Sebastian, as an example, the butler always looks good, acts gentlemanly, and does anything in their power for their master.  Not nearly as much as a fanservice as maid outfits, but still a huge attractive factor for girls.
Examples: Black Butler, Nanana's Buried Treasure, Kaichou wa Maid-sama!


Bishoujo/Bishonen: Respectively, these characters are the girls that are considered a beauty by everyone, and the boys that are so pretty that they can pass for girls.

Fan art of Zaizen Hikaru

The bishoujo have slimmer yet appealing figure, long flowing hair, big sparkling eyes, and an innocent face.  And bishonens... Just see for yourself.  These are all the hot guys in anime.  For anyone not familiar with anime, bishonens are often mistaken for girls.
Examples: Black Butler, Nisekoi, Inu x Boku SS, Special A

After spending probably too much time on this post, I have determined that this topic is going to take a lot longer than I thought.  It's late. I'm starting to spend more time editing than researching.  I'm starting to have terrible remembers.  #inexperiencedwriterexcuses
So, I'm splitting this post up.  Look for part two in the coming week!

June Song of the Week 3

Found this little gem three weeks back on Youtube, and wanted to post it.  After putting it off for other stuff, I'm finally getting it done. Yay for procrastinating...

It's a good break from Pharrell Williams XD
Incidentally, the following day I found a video of a couple dancing to this song.  Just watch it, they're really good...

The Prince and His Unwanted World

Yet another rant.

Don't get confused, it's not that the prince's world is unwanted by others.  It's that he doesn't want to be the prince.

I'm the son of an influential person of the medical world.  It's not so high of status that my father can change the country's healthcare system like a politician, but it is high enough for a lot of people to view me as the spoiled child of the boss.  My father has quite a few employees, more than just a normal sized clinic.  And being the boss' kid, it's easy to get benefits... a good childhood pastime was stealing goodies from the staff room, usually cookies or donuts.  And there was raiding the fridge for the stash of soda that anyone was welcome to take... if they worked there.  But when you're the boss' kid, who's going to stop you?

Such benefits continue into teenage years, with more added... one being the job benefit.  For example, this summer I'm not in town for the month of August; my family is going on a three week long trip.  And for the last week, I'm going to an all day camp (an intensive music camp).  Who is going to hire a fresh-out-of-highschool student for only a month?  Why waste your time on a kid that will only work for half the time and 1.4x the price compared to the eager teenagers starting to explore the workforce?

These questions can be ignored when you are the boss' kid.  It's uncommon for someone to challenge it. 

But being on top of the the small world in front of me is not something I enjoy.  With it comes everyone's judgement.  No one learns who you are as a stranger... you are already seen as a royalty that needs to be protected and attended to.  And should you somehow wrong them, you will get a good talking to, or even lose your job.  Your junior co-worker has more benefits than you, could potentially get paid more, and has flexible hours than you do.  It makes sense that they would judge me off the bat. 

It is very agreeable by everyone who meets him: the manager is naturally abrasive.  Very naturally abrasive.  He is good at what he does because of his personality, but a lot of people don't like dealing with him.  One time, my father couldn't take me to school after work, and asked the manager to do it as a favor.  Then for every person that asked him of his next whereabouts, he told them that he was leaving briefly to chauffeur the little prince.  

...That's uncalled for.  And not what I want to be remembered as.

 If you are the son or daughter of an employer, or of an influential person of society, you might know what I experience.  Whether you be a son of a doctor, a daughter of a high school principal, or the president's kid, you know that you have potential power.  It can be abused very easily.  And many people under you fear it.

But as for me and many others, we do not want this power.  We don't want to be feared as kids that could potentially make someone lose their job or get them in trouble.  We don't want jealous sighs of senior employees heard behind our backs.  We just want to be recognized as ourselves, just like anyone else.  

June Song of the Week 2

On the complete different note than the last song of the week (Yes, laugh at my terrible puns), I decided to post this.  It's one of those that look just like any other a capella video... but at around 1 minute, elements get pretty interesting.  And the ending... oh the ending... just so powerful...

A great arrangement that should definitely be watched.

What to do with my free time?

When I ask that question, the default answer is "watch anime".  But as crazy as it sounds, it is possible for me to get bored of it.  Too much anime is actually something that can happen to me.  When the social networks are boring, I don't feel like starting new a new anime, and my work is done, my IP address usually wanders it's way to this site.  I stare at the "new post" button, thinking what I should do.  What should I write?  Research more on anime?  Find something for The Relatable Musician?  Write something completely random?  I have to take a while to decide what I'm writing before I write.  And lately, since I'm quite busy with a giant piano exam, it's gotten harder to decide what to do.

So, I'm leaving it to you guys!  If you follow this blog and know I've written so far, tell me what you would like to see me write next!  There is a poll on the top right of the home page, next to this post if you read it before I post anything else.  If I get good response I'll keep it up for next month.  

You have until the end of the month to vote!  

The Beginner's Guide to Anime: The Foreign Genres

Everybody knows what mystery, romance, action, and horror is.  They're all genres that books and movies fall under.  But if you're going to watch anime, you should know there some genres that are not labeled in western culture.  So, here's a few of them (conveniently in alphabetical order):

Adventure: This one is quite the popular genre.  As the name suggests, an adventure takes place.  These anime can be any length; short and sweet, standard 21-25 episodes, or super long with tons of character development, such as Naruto. 
Examples: Naruto, Full Metal Alchemist, Pokemon

Ecchi: According to Wikipedia, ecchi (ech-ee) is Japanese slang for lewd conduct.  It can be used as a noun for describing someone as a pervert, or having dirty behaviour.  This genre includes things that you would not want other people to be around when watching.  These shows can start at PG-13 but the hardcore ecchi stuff can go to a rated R level.  Sexual innuendos and behaviour are used, but to leave everything else to the mind of the audience.  In some cases, it's not bad.  Others, you might want to look into before watching, if you're fine with it.  But most of the time, Hollywood stuff is worse.
Examples: Fairy Tale, The Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat, Zero no Tsukaima

Fantasy: Pretty self-explanatory.  Monsters, witches, magic girls, alternate universes, demons, faeries, and the sort.  This genre is ofter paired with adventure or action.  A lot of mythology, folklore, and fairy tale concepts are used in this genre, although they usually have a twist.  A good example is in Fate/Zero, where the legendary King of Knights, King Arthur, is actually a girl.
Examples: Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?, Inuyasha, Fate/Zero

Game: The anime is about a card game, or a similar game, containing monsters in it.  Players of the game face each other in battles, duels, or whatever else they may be called.  Usually I don't watch these because they're geared towards younger male audiences (elementary to pre-teens) and are poorly done.  Although, the card games that they come out with can be fun sometimes.  These usually are the worst things ever when watched in English dub.  *shivers in disgust*
Examples: Bakugan, Yu-Gi-Oh! (Any of them), Cardfight!! Vangaurd

Harem: The main character is surrounded by people of the opposite gender.  Usually three or more.  The protagonist is usually a boy that is either short, shy, not outgoing, or not well spoken, but somehow has a flock of girls following around.  Sometimes they all try to get his attention, or sometimes they need him for something important (The Comic Artist and His Assistants). Really, I have no idea how this works.
In addition to this, the group of girls usually carry their own stereotypes.  They include:
-A main girl that actually ends up with the main character.
-Two girls that are the biggest rivals and often lose to the others because they are fighting each other.
-A Kuudere of some sort (see my post on the 'deres)
-A Deredere, which is a sweet girl through and through
-A Loli (more on this in the next Guide to Anime post)
-A Tsundere
-The Childhood Friend
And there are actually more, but you get the point.
Harem anime are usually associated with ecchi and romantic comedy.
Examples: If Her Flag Breaks, The Comic Artist and His Assistants, Rosario Vampire

Horror: I know, this is already a well known genre.  I just should say that when it comes to anime, horror is not very scary.  Horror anime typically tend to be more gruesome than fear-inducing.  Some horrors are actually not scary at all, just a little gory.  Come to think of it, I have watched horror anime that aren't even as gory or violent as the Lord of the Rings.
Horror anime are rarely disappointing.  They usually have a very good plot line, and are developed in clever ways that rival psychological anime.  Just stay away from Highschool of the Dead.  It's horror, but completely fanservice...
If you want to go full force into the brutality of horror, the worst I have seen is Corpse Party: Tortured Souls.  It could potentially make people vomit, so don't watch if you're prone to that.  Seriously, that thing is the most graphic anime I've ever watched.
Examples: Corpse Party: Tortured Souls, Mirai Nikki, Another

Josei: Josei meaning "woman".  This one isn't as common.  The intended audience is aimed at 18-40 year old females.  These anime are usually more mature, and about romance.  Not really much to say.  It's just out there.
Examples: Chihayafuru, Loveless, Eden of the East (not quite sure about this one, but that's the official genre, and it's popular, so I'm putting it there)

Magic: Used with fantasy a ton.  Of course, magic is used.  They can be used in charms, praying etc., but the biggest stereotype under the magic category is the kid-orientated magic girl anime (mahou shoujo).  These are usually girls who can be anywhere between 6th grade and high school where they live a double life between a student and a magical girl.  These anime are usually light hearted and attractive to young girls.  However, the stereotype can be misleading and the anime may have some dark themes in them (Puella Magi Madoka Magica).  This anime sure puts up an excellent facade with the mahou shoujo look.
Examples: Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, The Irregular at Magic Highschool

Mecha:  Robots.  Giant, overpowered, mountain levelling, human piloted, physics defy-ing robots.  Think of humans piloting Godzilla-sized robots at war, flying into space, shooting nuclear-generated lasers at each other... pew pew pew...
All jokes aside, mecha can either be very good, or very overrated.  They are completely unbelievable achievements in science, and very unrealistic.  The best one I've seen (and one of my favorites) is Code Geass.  It's main genre is not mecha, but it's definitely worth seeing.
Examples: Code Geass, Asura Cryin', Mobile Suit Gundam

Psychological: My favorite genre, next to horror.  These anime are extremely plot-orientated, and cleverly outlined.  I have so far never been disappointed with a psychological anime.
There are different interpretations of the psychological genre:
-Mystery based: These series are like a giant game of chess.  Mental geniuses making one move after the other, trying to outwit each other with the fate of many people in their hands.  Just watch one of these.  They're fantastic.  Examples: Code Geass, Death Note
-Mental instability: main character or someone goes insane.  Yanderes can be found in this genre.  Often more associated with horror than the mystery based psychological anime.  Examples: Another, Mirai Nikki

School: Used with drama, slice of life, and romance.   The plot usually goes in chronological order, and has it's own sets of stereotypes as seen in the previous Guide to Anime post.  This is usually a secondary genre, so the mood of the school setting depends heavily on the primary genre.  In Medaka Box, students have superpowers called abnormalities, so you can expect a building or two on campus that gets destroyed once in a while.  In Say "I Love You", the students are ordinary kids.  Nothing special.
Examples: Say "I Love You", My Little Monster, One Week Friends, Medaka Box

Seinen: The male counterpart genre of josei.  Aimed towards 18-40 year old males.  It is commonly said that it is violent and sexual, but that's not always the case.  Sometimes they have really good themes, and may even be romances (White Album).
Examples: Cowboy Bebop, Hellsing Ultimate, White Album, 5 Centimeters per Second

Shoujo and Shounen: Anime aimed at 7-18 year olds.  Shoujo is the genre directed at girls, and shounen is geared towards boys.  These two genres are the probably the biggest umbrella term there is for anime, all having subgenres of the ones listed above, with the exception of josei and seinen.  Shoujo anime usually have more themes of romance while Shounen have themes of adventure or action.
Examples of shoujo: Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, Pretty Cure, Ouran Host Club
Examples of shounen: Bleach, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, Ao no Exorcist

Superpower: Not just simply having superpowers.  This means having way more power than super heroes have in American movies.  These guys make the Hulk look like he needs to do more weight training.  Be prepared for tonnes of explosions, instant landscaping*coughdemolitioncough* and yelling unnecessarily while powering up or attacking.
Examples: Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Dragonball Z

Vampire:  Of course, these anime have to do with vampires.  And like all other stories about vampires, they all have different strengths and weaknesses.  The thing with vampire anime is that the vampire usually ends up falling in love with another character and a lot of consensual biting to either restore or transfer powers takes place.  That's really the big difference between the well known vampires and anime vampires.
Examples: Rosario Vampire, Vampire Knight, Strike the Blood

And lastly, some things to stay clear of.  I'm not ashamed to write this or am trying to give ideas.  Remember, the title of this series is the beginner's guide to anime.  So, if you're new to this wonderful world, keep in mind that if you see these things, it's best that you stay away.
Hentai:  Anime porn.
Yuri: Girls that love girls.
Yaoi: Guys that love guys.

Remember, if you are unsure about an anime, look around for reviews and whatnot first.  Otherwise, have fun!

June Song of the Week 1

Prepare yourself for the weirdest song of the week yet.  I don't think there is anything I like that is weirder than this right now.
I found this a while ago on the trending videos of Youtube.  This a band called Babymetal; three Japanese teenage singers who sing metal/pop fusion.  Yes, metal and pop.  When I first heard it, I really didn't want to like it, but I ended up liking it...
By far this song has given me the most mixed feelings about music.  And culture, for that matter.

Just see for yourself...

Also, the Fine Bros did a Youtubers React episode to the music video:

To my math teacher

Where I live, final year high school math is divided into three levels: 30-2, 30-1, and 31.  30-2 is for students who do not need higher math for university, or simply would like that level of challenge.  30-1 is is the harder course, mandatory for students aiming to be doctors of lawyers.  Math 31 is calculus, essential for aspiring engineers and such.  Being the failure of an Asian I am, I naturally took math 30-2.  A good mark in 30-2 would look a lot better than a barely passing mark in 30-1 on my transcript, so I took the path that would suit me better (despite my parent's protest).

Now you must understand that there is a joke in my school that creates a social divide of -1 and -2 students (well, not quite a social divide, but I think you get the idea).  -2 is always referred to as the "not as smart class".  In some ways, I must agree.  However, I think it's more like the -2 class is less motivated to work.  Maybe it's because they feel like they can't accomplish as much because they are in a -2 class.  Or maybe it's because they simply don't care.  Whatever their reason, the majority of the -2 class I am currently in doesn't take the course seriously.  They joke around, talk while the teacher is teaching, and play against each other in various games on their phones.

My math teacher is a pretty patient guy.  Or maybe a better description is "extremely tolerant".  Most of my classmates clearly don't give a crap about math, and have barely done any work. 
My teacher has never taken anyone's cellphone away.  He's never vocalized his frustration to the lack of attention paid to the lesson, nor the lack of respect.  He's never yelled at any of us.  He's always kept his cool... but sometimes it doesn't work.  The other day, he stopped talking in the middle of a quiz review to try get a chatty group's attention... you know, the "silence-to-get-your-student's-attention" method.  It didn't really work that well.  He stood at the board for a good two minutes (yes, 120 seconds) before it quieted down a bit.  Even after that, he still had to interrupt and ask them if we were good to continue.  Of course, the automated response was given, he carried on, and the students continued chatting.

The poor guy needs a break.  He's not a bad teacher at all; I'm doing well in his class, fully understanding him.  If people would actually pay attention to him, they wouldn't think he is such a bad teacher.  I can't imagine how it is like being a teacher losing sleep over how your students might do on a provincial exam worth half their grade.

So to my extremely tolerant teacher: on behalf of my classmates, I apologize for their irresponsibility.  Your seemingly unending patience is greatly appreciated by at least me, if no one does.  Even though I hate the idea of graduating, I enjoyed working with you this year. 

May Song of the Week 4

Okay... So now I'm going to start giving out weird stuff.

I'm very picky when it comes to dubstep.  The first time I heard it, I thought it was terrible.  The song I was given to listen to just sounded like terribly chosen sound effects for electronic violins, playing way too many triplets.  I later deducted that I simply didn't like the repetition of what seemed like annoying noises for more than 2 beats.  I found out that if the music had a ton of variety and good taste in musical elements, dubstep could be one of my favorite genres of music.  I will say that out of all the newer modern genres of music, dubstep has the biggest potential of innovative music.  Of course, such good dubstep is hard to find.  Consequently, I don't like the genre as much as some others, since I can't simply enjoy 4 songs forever.

But when I found this... I couldn't help but laugh at joy for what I've found.  I looked absolutely ridiculous, headphones on, sitting at my computer moving my head to the beat, and softly chuckling to myself making the rest of my family wonder whether I should be sent to an asylum or not.  This song... is simply spectacular!  Jazz and dubstep... Who knew those two genres would go so well with each other?

The Beginner's Guide to Anime: School

(Mostly) all anime that use a school as a main setting follow a lot of sterotypes.  There are even anime out there that are based entirely on a high school, such as The Daily Lives of High School Boys or the recently popular The Irregular at Magic High School.  Usually you can find a school setting in the genres slice-of-life, romance, shoujo, and of course, the school genre. (More on genres in the next Beginner's Guide to Anime post!)

The classroom:

In anime where a standard classroom is used, there always seems to be a repeating pattern of where characters are placed.  It is very common for the main character to be in the far back left corner (see diagram), close to the window.  Of course, this picture is not correct for all anime, but it gives a good idea of the stereotypical seating plan.  For example, in the anime Tonari no Seki-Kun: The Master of Wasting Time, Seki-kun sits in the bottom left of the diagram, while the secondary character, Yokoi, sits to his immediate right.

There are certain standards in which class seatings in anime run by, as well as a few things to know when reading this diagram:
-The doors are usually sliding doors.  Also, it's common for the wall between the front and back doors to have windows on them.
-The main character may not have a rival.  If they have one, the rival is usually as far away as possible, or relatively close.
-The indifferent genius may be seated where the childhood friend is if they are a secondary character.
-Transfer students that are not main characters usually go in one of the middle columns, towards the back.  It's unusual if they are on an outside column.
-Class representative is usually either in the front, or second row.
-The love interest of the main character may be beside them.
-As said above, the main character may not always be the second last desk of the left column.  They are usually put in that corner though.
-If there is a mysterious youth in the back left corner, they usually are an important character.  Typically the rule is the more important of a character, the closer they sit to that corner...
-The back may have a clock as well.

The roof:

A typical school rooftop.  

Almost all schools in anime have a rooftop that is fenced by chain link fence.  Usually the rooftop of the school is treated as a meeting place for the main character and someone else, whether they be romantic interest or friend.  If the rooftop is open to students, it's common to see characters on the roof eating lunch.  The picture to the right looks like the school lets the students use the roof, since there are artificial grass and benches placed.  If the school treats the roof as student restricted zone, the main character usually finds access to it.  Sometimes they steal a key, climb through a window, or get access through a teacher (usually a young teacher that everyone likes).
Although the rooftop may be treated like a sacred meeting place for friends, it's also sometimes used as a meeting place for fights.  Bullies sometimes drag their victims to the roof to beat them up, or a love triangle climax may choose it's resolution point on the rooftop of a school.

The infirmary:
When a student gets sick or injured, they're brought here.  Like in real life.  ...What did you expect?

A smaller infirmary

Typically people who simply feel a little dizzy come to get checked out, usually brought by a friend.  Or, the character fakes being dizzy so they can skip class.  And for every sport-type anime I've watched that involved high schoolers, the infirmary is visited at least once.  If you find one that doesn't use it, please tell me ^.^
Also, a lot of medicine is typically stored here.  A lot.  I mean full cabinets of over the counter drugs.  In some horrors in which an apocalypse happens, the infirmary is not a bad destination for supplies.

I must say, I'm rather impressed with how well the anime world handles health care.  My school certainly does not have full size single beds with curtains like most anime schools do...

The clubroom:

The Student Cultural Research Club from Kokoro Connect

In Japan, schools typically have a large variety of extra-curricular activities that students participate in.  These activities are student led, with a teacher as a supervisor.  Any club can be created as long as it is approved by faculty, and enough members join from year to year.
Typically a clubroom is a smaller room in the school that may or may not be in a separate building on school grounds.  The club rooms are meant to simply be a meeting place for the clubs, unless they need more space or a different venue, such as a light-music club, or a kendo club.  The club room shown above is a typical room that is neatly kept, but there are some strange ones out there.  The club room in The Dusk Maiden of Amnesia is in an abandoned building, and has a hidden basement... (sorry if that is a spoiler)

The Beginner's Guide to Anime: The 'Deres

In the culture of anime, there are many archetypes and stereotypes just like stories from any other place in the world.  A common one is the archetype of the 'deres (pronounced "deh-reh". Like "meh" except starting with d and r).  "Deredere" or just "dere" in short means lovestruck.  The biggest criteria for being a dere is the switch in behaviour when a certain event happens (usually a certain special someone is around them).   Typically, a dere is a girl, but they can be boys too.  It's just not as common.

There are different types of 'deres out there that can be put into sub-archetypes.  But for this post I'll be briefly giving an overview of the four most commonly known and used ones.  

Tsundere (tsune)

Louise de la Vallière

"Tsun" meaning to turn away.  Tsunderes usually have colored hair, and are socially adept.  They are academically stable, and are well off athletically, although this is not absolute (as can be seen from my selection of a tsundere example to the right).  The biggest determining trait about a tsundere is their conflicted feelings towards the lover in question.  Their face becomes red, they deny anything to do with a romantic relationship when brought up, stutter, and sometimes become physically abusive (in a comical way).  Usually such physical abuses are unrealistic and for comical effect, such as kicking their paired character into outer space.  Stuttering in denial usually sounds like this:

"I-I-It's not like I like you are anything!  I t-thought it would b-b-be a good idea to give you ch-chocolate for being a nice p-person!  Stupid! D-Don't get any wrong ideas!"

A good example of a tsundere is Louise de la Vallière from Zero no Tsukaima! (The Familiar of Zero!).  

Yandere (yahn)

"Yan" from the word "yanduru", meaning mentally ill.  Where tsunderes would be described as (comical) abusive love, yanderes are obsessive love.  Often the affection that yanderes show are very sweet and attractive... until the trigger is initiated.  Then their affection becomes extreme, and sometimes dangerous.  They are extremely jealous lovers, and will even kill should other people interact with their obsession.  

Yuno's bipolar personalities

The trigger of change for yanderes are usually when someone other than themselves show affection towards the target character.  When this happens, the pupils of the eyes usually disappear, and they have a crazed, absent-minded look.  Unless the main character calms them down, the yandere will do something dangerous.  It's this bi-polar obsessive behaviour over a person that makes a yandere easy to spot.  

I think it's safe to say that the most well known yandere character out there is Gasai Yuno from Mirai Nikki.  

Kuudere (koo)

Kanade playing the piano as seen in the main theme

"Kuu" being wordplay on the english word "cool".  The title being semi-self-explanatory, a kuudere is a character who typically is calm and collected, and keeps their cool most of the time.  It is truly a rarity to see them flustered or show a large range of emotions.  Of course, the trigger being the person they are in love with, they usually show attraction and more emotion around the partnered character.  

Although she doesn't seem like a dere at first,  Tachibana Kanade from Angel Beats! fits the textbook definition of kuudere perfectly.  

Dandere (dahn)

"Dan" derived from "danmari", meaning silent.  Danderes are not to be confused with kuuderes.  Kuuderes are reserved yet socialize on acceptable levels.  However, danderes are shy and do not say a lot until the right people come along.  As they get comfortable with the right people, they gain confidence and the dere side of the dandere starts to show.  

The normally shy Hinata defends Naruto

A lot of times, danderes are portrayed as the antisocial book readers and don't talk to anybody.  But that doesn't mean they don't have feelings.  Sometimes they can be a loner but have a huge crush on someone.  Their only problem is that they are much too shy to initiate a relationship, and need help.  As these characters develop, it is common for their confidence level to grow.  

Hyuga Hinata from Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden clearly shows the growth of a dandere over a 3 year span.  

May Song of the Week 3

I'm on top of the world 'ay! ~♪
I'm on top of the world 'ay! ~♪

Such a happy song ~♪

May Song of the Week 2

I'm not a patriotic American... But this is pretty flippin amazing.  I have never heard a more chilling and haunting melody than this. 

The Relatable Musician 4

DON'T CLAP IN BETWEEN MOVEMENTS OF A PIECE!!!!

The Relatable Musician 3

For those of you who don't know, a trap table is a very useful stand for a percussionist.  Typically it is a table top that has a padded top, and excels at keeping noisy instruments such as shakers and tambourines quiet when put down.  It keeps auxiliary percussion easy to handle.

A relatively clean trap table

The other day, I took a good look at the percussion section and noticed that it was a mess (more than usual, at least.  It's always a mess).  So I decided to rearrange things a little bit, and tidy up.  That included the trap table.  Looks pretty neat, right?  Relatively organized, for such a disorganized person.  I'd say that's a success, keeping in mind that the idea is to be able to grab any instrument on the table in under 2 seconds without making too much noise. I was satisfied with my effort, and content.  Until...

Five days later, this happens:

I don't look after it for five days and look what happens... 

I'll give my classmates and underclassmen credit; the whip, gong mallet, triangle beaters, and rock tambourine stayed in place.  And the claves almost stayed in place.  However, where did the concert tambourine come from?  When did we have an extra pair of 5a sticks?  We have another pair of super soft (and super fuzzy) bass drum mallets?  It's amazing, the things I learn and lose when the percussion section is used after a week.  Not only is it frustrating for inventory count, it becomes inconvenient for other people to use.  Imagine rehearsing one day, knowing where everything is, and then walking in the next day not having any idea where your essential instruments are.  The conductor starts the song with your giant swing at the bass drum, but you're still trying to put down the sleigh bells that are rattling in your hand, turning 40 heads your direction.  

So if you are a percussionist, take pride and keep your playing space clean!  You don't want to be that guy that creates an avalanche of sticks during a caesura.  Be organized!

May Song of the Week 1

So I was told that the series-type posts were a good idea, and I got a ton of ideas for more topics!  For now, I'm going to do two: The Relatable Musician and this new one, Song of the Week.  The title being quite self-explanatory... every Friday, I'll (try) to post a song I like.  It might be my favorite song at the time, or a song I used to listen to a long time ago.  It might be something random I found that day.  I must warn you, I have some pretty weird tastes, especially in weird genres.   Right now, one of my favorites is post-classical rock and alternative... who has seriously heard of that?

But before we go all crazy, I'll share something that made me smile.  If you didn't know, I've had the most stressful week of my life so far.  I have never been under so much pressure.  Listening to this song made me feel a little better.  :3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3fX-O4N_4

Unfortunately, the video is not popular enough to show up on the search results of Blogger's "insert a video" button.  Sorry!

The Relatable Musician 2

Studying for history exams...  -_-

I'm not the best at studying.  In fact, I'm pretty bad.  The amount of reading I put into studying with the little absorption that goes with it frustrates me to no end (Again, having a terrible remember).  I have yet to find a study method that actually works well for me. 

History is a ton of work.  There is so much work and effort that goes into it with little gain from it.  The reason: it's straight memorization.  Everything in the textbook from first to last unit is fair game, and nothing should be missed when studying.  So, when you've been a horrible student that gave up history for studying math, it becomes difficult cramming 3+ months of information in about 3 weeks.  See that piece of looseleaf?  That took half an hour. That's worth 10% on the test.

The good thing is, they don't try to trick you on the test.  Everything is straightforward.  

Combining this with my terrible work ethic and absorption of material, you can imagine what the result may be: an overworked, sleep deprived, stressed, grumpy, depressed Austin.   

Also, I never understood why we need to know all this stuff.  Sort of like most other things we are taught at school.  I don't see how knowing that the "London" symphony (no. 104) by Haydn starts with a grandiose introduction in D minor is going to help me in any way, besides getting a better mark on the exam.  "I don't know how to pay bills or make budgets, but good thing I know what stile concitato is!"

I guess it's just one of those things you gotta do, like it or not.  Wish me luck >.<