Aspen Mountain was one intense hike! It was not as intense as my hike up the Alta Peak at King's Canyon though. 

What I learned:
Always take Advil up to the top. Elevation will always give me headaches!
Hiking Boots made me feel so safe when going on really slippery trail! 
Hiking is sadistically addictive. I want to do more and chart more territories!

Goal- to do a 14er this summer.

Red means MASTERED :)
Blue means priority to be done

1. Maroon Bells (July 6th 2014)
2. Maroon Lake Scenic Trail (July 6th 2014)
3. Independence Pass
4. Aspen Mountain/ Ajax (July 14th 2014)
5. Aspen Highlands 
6. Crater Lake Trail
7. Rio Grande (X June 24th 2014)
8. Cathedral Lake Trail 
9. Silver Queen Gondola (July 14th 2014)
10. West Maroon Trail
11. Hunter Creek Trail
12. Linkins Lake Trail
13. Ashcroft Ghost Town
14. Buckskin Pass
15. Maroon Snowmass Trail (Government Trail)
16. Conundrum Creek Trail
17. Capital Creek Trail
18. American Lake Trail
19. Aspen Grottos

It's the arrival of everyone. Most of the Aspen Festival attendees are coming today and tomorrow. Monday is the convocation. Already, my Monday schedule is packed! Also, registration time is today, so I will get to see the repertoire I have to learn by Audition time Saturday. 

What I really want to say is that water is  a central part of my life. I cannot express how much I love the water. The river was such a relief to me when I realized the extra comfort it gave me amidst this strange and beautiful place.

So it turns out the airport I used coming into Aspen was one of the most dangerous airports in the US. If I had known when I boarded, I think I would be more afraid of going. Thank God I am flying Denver after the Aspen Festival.

Today is day 2 of Resident Assistant training. I think I overestimate the duties I have to do. This is good! I will have more time to practice.

Now that I have visited the official Aspen music campus, I can honestly say that the best part of this music festival is the location. It is so amazing. Everything is so beautiful. The buildings are brand new and are such a treat to be in. Comfort is very important when it comes to specializing. I do not feel the same when I practice near nature, as I do when I practice in the basement that resembles a dungeon. 

I have yet to go on any trail hikes here, but that will change because every Monday there is a group hike activity. 

Some of the goals I have this summer are to just keep composing, keep practicing, keep playing... If I'm going to become a champion of my own life, I must keep my composure and do what I do. It's good to work towards something and try my best! 

Talk to you later,
Rosalind

I've been experiencing a creative block for the past quarter, and I believe it has to do with how this quarter I focused only on one thing--piano. It sucked the joy out of that one thing for me though. Who knew that specialization impacts so inversely on my life and happiness!

Having multiple paths/ options, and different, varied hobbies have such a positive impact on me. Specializing only causes me to reconsider my line of work, because I feel so dead in my tracks--the freedom gone, the sparkling bubbles flattened.  My energy is sapped when I have to stay in one place, do one thing, complete one task...

And what joys I felt when I met new people on the set of the Newsroom! And what joy I felt when I meet new friends and connect with people I used to only pass by all the time but never sit down and talk to! 

For my upcoming months in Aspen, I aim to do a few things:
- Connect with like-minded souls
- Be the creative person that I am, no more hiding
- See nature and take pictures, and soak in the immensity of the big broad sky
- Find my inner happiness with God above all else

 I would consider triple majoring a major success in my life. And there were obstacles in place, bureaucratic administrative roadblocks. However, I kept to what I was doing, and I took classes when I was not supposed to, and here it is! I have done it!

I need to follow this same philosophy. If I think I can do it, then I will be able to do it! 

I had so much fun playing at the Hammer yesterday night. It is amazing to play in a place that is sold out... The only other time I had that experience was when I played at LACMA, but the audience there were general audience, they did not come only to see the performers. They are more loyal to the series rather than the performers. However, the sonnets and sonata series is new, and this is their second concert--so the loyalty of the people who attended are still mutable. I hope I was able to captivate them! And I felt that I did. Lili came to speak to me after the concert. I first met her at the Emeritus college. she listened to Samson Francois when she was just a little girl, and he played Scarbo, same piece I played for her. Of course, his was much better, but it was refreshing to have her adore my playing! She came Wednesday especially to hear me. I was so surprised to see her there and she asked for my autograph. She is such a darling lady. A friend she met that night of is this tall french lady. She sat behind my mom, and the whole concert she was admiring my mother's style of clothing and style of hair. For all the years I've been alive, my mother has never changed her hairstyle. She prefers rococo styles, and just elegance of the older European styles. 

Such exciting things are happening to me at a time of such depressing stress and pressing issues. I finally booked my ticket to Aspen! From LAX to Aspen it is 1 hour and 55 minutes. Around 750 miles. 

Tomorrow, I will be singing a Beatles concert, and for once I feel at home in the musicality of the songs! I love them so much. The Beatles are so amazing. The complex rhythm, clashing of styles, etc... 

Scarbo has been one hell of a piece to practice. I cannot remember when exactly did I start practicing Scarbo. I believe it has been a year since I first touched Ondine though, so I might have started Scarbo half a year ago. 

Practicing is actually digestion. I had to bring back Schubert Piano Sonata for a concert today, and it was no problem performing from memory. Although it had been a while, I found that once I've properly digested a piece of music, it will be alright to perform once and again, of course with some refreshing. 

This past weekend, I was so busy hanging out with Matthew, that I could not really practice much. When I did, he got annoyed at me. It's understandable. When we were both just students at UCLA, he would be ok with me practicing and prioritizing that ahead of our rendez-vous.

Friday we went to Clementine, played pool at Q's, and ate at Sawtelle's Sushi and went to his old frat's party. Saturday I needed to practice and play a coaching for Professor Sutre, then we went to West Hollywood for Donuts and Santa Monica beach, followed by watching Game of Thrones and later ate at Gyu Kaku and got oysters at the Backhouse.
Sunday I went to church, and then later we went to Lakewood Mall's Round 1 and bowled and played the arcade. We had Costco food court for lunch, then went to the movie theaters and watched LEGO the movie, and ate Kariya with Joanna and Jason. The movie theater's inside looks like the Tardis. I loved it! When we got home, we watched the new episode of GoT.
The next morning I wasn't feeling well and didn't want to take him to the airport. 

It took a lot for me to remember all that happened and record it so that I will never forget... I hope to always remember all my memories, but it is difficult to focus on the past when the present and future is so pressing....

Sleeping has never been a problem for me. But recently, I only sleep well at my bed at home. My mom's health is deteriorating, and so I spend a lot more time at home now. This lead to the discovery that I actually sleep really badly at the apartment I'm at right now. It affects my daily strength and ability to function, causing me to depend much more on caffeine. 

Also, I have a hard time trying to pair this website with my newly-bought domain name, www.rosalindw.com

I wanted my boyfriend to help me with the pairing, but he does not seem to want to help. It saddens me a bit to know that my requests are ignored... I don't ask much of him mostly, so I don't understand why he won't help me with something he is better at than me. I have paired my previous website before, and I cannot for the life of me remember how I did it! 


Lastly, I find that my life is delicately in balance right now. I am teetering sometimes, when my schedule is insanely full, but I am satisfied. I clearly am stressed all the time, and my body shows signs of it. I get canker sores, I am stress-eating a lot...etc. But mentally I am ok. My symptoms are always physiological, rather than psychological. 

That's it! I hope to keep blogging for an extended amount of time and regularly as well. And I hope to successfully connect my website name with this website!

See you in a jiffy ~