Jupiter

I went and got Gustav Holst's The Planets today after my Physics professor played it before class... He played Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity and it just bothered me because it sounded so damn familiar and I couldn't understand why. I could hum the next couple of bars as it was playing, a clear indication that I knew the song. And I could hear it in my mind -- strong vocals and the barest hint in the back of my mind that it was a Japanese song. It bothered me so much that I couldn't place it. You know it is when something sounds so familiar and you gets hits of something you've heard before but you just don't know what it is? What was how I felt.

So I went out and found the song and I listened to it over and over again. And then all of sudden it hit me. It was JUPITER by Hirahara Ayaka, that one artist that one Japanese piano music student introduced me too! And it should have hit me sooner because really, they're practically named the same thing.

I never did like Hirahara Ayaka all that much -- her voice wasn't my thing. She has a beautiful voice and her songs consistently have strong vocals but it's a bit too strong for my tastes generally. Anyway, I like the original orchestral version of this song best, I think. It's really beautiful and magnificent like how it was meant to be. And I really love the powerful feeling of the slow middle section -- simply rapturous. You can really feel the power of the song. I totally encourage people to download this song and listen to it. It's a fun, happy piece of music for the most part but you get a sense of Jupiter's magnificence in that slow middle section. This makes me wish I played an orchestral instrument so I could play a little bit of this song.

And now that I've identified where I knew this song from, I'm going to go and listen to the other tracks on this CD as well. I've heard great things about "Mars, the Bringer of War" even though I've heard it's a rather dark piece of music.

I'm so glad I took this time to research this tonight. Apparently the slow middle section of "Jupiter" is called Thaxted? And it's used in a popular British hymn called "I Vow to Thee, My Country" which has some wonderful lyrics. I love patriotism for a country -- I love the feeling of pride for your country and this song totally hits me. It brings tears to my eyes because it's just the embodiment of one's love for a country.

I really wish I could find a version of the hymn online somewhere... I've only heard a very short clip and I have a hard time hearing where each lines goes in the song after what's covered in the clip...And not being from England, I've never heard of the hymn until today so I have no idea how it's supposed go at all..

Ah, found the entire song playing on a thing on YouTube. I still don't have the mp3 and I wish I did but this will do for now. Seriously a wonderful hymn. I don't usually go for stuff like this but I can't help it this time. I'm so moved by it right now...

Laundry!

Well, I haven't exactly kept to my schedule tonight at all... Aside from food and doing nothing. :\ Ah, well, whatever.

But now I'm doing my laundry. I've avoided doing for the last two weeks because of these evil midterms but I've finally run out of clean clothes so I kinda have to do it. So practically everything is in the wash now.

I'm also taking the time to wash my sheets and bedding and all that stuff too. And while I was at it, I switched the mattresses from the bottom bunk to the top. I've always suspected of having the icky one and yeah, that's sums it up rather well... Jaclyn's is so much better but since she's gone, it's mine now! ^^

But lifting a mattress up by yourself is kinda tricky...

It's a bit ironic that I did this today because I just noticed that someone ripped off Jaclyn's name off our door. I suspect it was probably Kathryn or whatever our RA's name is (yes, I do realize it's bad not remembering your RA's name but really, I don't really know her and I don't really care to know her so her name isn't sticking all too well in my mind) who did it because it's not something Brittney would do. Maybe Steph. But probably not.

*yawns* I'm tired. Really, really tired. I just kinda want to go to sleep already... :\ I should study Momentum and Impulse again though. Recitation tomorrow and I don't want to feel too much like an idiot. Again. Damn post-Bac students who've already taken the course. Okay, I'm not being all too fair and since both me and Sirida bum off of him to pass recitation...

Okay study a bit. And then it's that Top Chef show that I insanely love. Hey, I don't get the Food Network any more so this is like my only exposure to cooking shows now.

edit x1: They had Ming Tsai on the show! I adored Ming from the very beginning when he had his East Meets West show back when I was in like middle school. And middle school is like almost a decade ago which feel so weird because I still feel like that much time hasn't past yet.

Anyway, Ming! I was happy to see him on the show. And I'm totally with him with the whole indignant Asian thing about badly cooked rice. No one likes soggy rice! I was happy to see Otto bow out. I was one of the 30% that believed he made an honest mistake. An honest mistake that he took advantage of after he realized it, but still I don't think he meant to steal those lychees. And I have to admit, it would go through my mind about using them too. I don't know if I would have but who wouldn't think about it?