Sleepless in Portsmouth

Hello peoples :)

I can't sleep so here we go. A pointless, mind-numbing list of questions none of you needed answers to.

..........

1. Where were you 3 hours ago?

In St. Benet's, serving my time in study hall -_-

2. Who are you in love with?

CJS, the silly goofball he is. But quite honestly, I am also completely and utterly in love with my best friends.

3. Have you ever eaten a crayon?

Not that I know of, although little Maya coulda had real questionable culinary taste back in the day...

4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

My water bottle is more of a magenta but sure, let's go with pink.

5. When is the last time you went to the mall?

Uhhhh not really sure...? Must've been close to a month ago, maybe?

6. Are you wearing socks right now?

YES I AM AND THEY'RE FUZZY AND THEY HAVE FOX FACES ON THEM.

7. Does your family have a car worth over $2,000?

I don't know the first thing about cars and I don't pay the least attention to prices and brands.

8. When was the last time you drove out of town?

Um. Well. Ya see. I can't drive, so.

9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?

No and that makes me incredibly sad.

10. Are you hot?

Wow. If we're talking temperature right now, I'll go with heck yeah.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?

AGUA!!! Gotta keep the bod hydrated, chafeel? ;)

12. What are you wearing right now?

A light blue Henley, my glasses, the Abbey's classic grey sweatpants, and FOX SOCKS!

13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it?

What an interesting question. I'm sure once I learn to drive and yaknow, OWN A CAR, I'll be able to answer that for ya.

14. Last food that you ate?

Girl Scout Thin Mints. Sue me. They're freakin' delicious.

15. Where were you last week at this time?

Exact same spot.

16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?

You think I actually have time to go out shopping? That's cute.

17. When is the last time you ran?

HA. From class to the dining hall. I've got my priorities straight.

18. What’s the last sporting event you watched?

What is a "sports"?

19. What is your favorite animal?

DOLPHINS <3 Although squirrels are seriously up there, the freakin' munchkins they are.

20. Your dream vacation?

A restaurant crawl through Italy.

21. Last person’s house you were in?

Probably Conor's?

22. Worst injury you’ve ever had?

Uhhhh well I sprained my groin pretty badly two years ago. It was not a good time.

23. Have you ever been in love?

Yes, sir, I have. It's terrifying and absolutely beautiful at the same time.

24. Do you miss anyone right now?

Mami and Papi, mostly. And Suki <3

25. Last play you saw?

The Children's Hour at The Gamm Theatre.

26. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?

You could ask CJS. I honestly have no clue.

27. What are your plans for tonight?

It's Thursday. I'm in bed. It's nearly midnight. What do you think I'm about to do?

28. Who is the last person you sent a MySpace message or comment?

So uh, the thing is, MySpace can only be found within the ancient fossils of the interwebs. And I am a mere young'un. 

29. Next trip you are going to take?

Shipping up to Boston for Berklee 2k17. Get HYPED!

30. Ever go to camp?

I've gone to several. Most were miserable experiences.

31. Were you an honor roll student in school?

Yes, indeed.

32. What do you want to know about the future?

WHAT KIND OF DOG WILL I HAVE WHEN I'M MARRIED OHMYGOD I NEED TO KNOW

33. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?

Not at the moment, no.

34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor’s visit?

Probably. My mom kinda takes care of all of that...

35. Where is your best friend?

Scattered around all different parts of the world.

36. How is your best friend?

What does that even mean? They're good, I guess?

37. Do you have a tan?

I'm the lightest Latina you'll ever come across.

38. What are you listening to right now?

The Yoga & Meditation playlist on Spotify.

39. Do you collect anything?

Playbills. I'm a real theatre nerd, I know.

40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know?

Mrant Batthews anyone?

41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over?

Once again, I DO NOT ADULT YET.

42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?

I guesso? Not typically, though.

43. What does your last text message say?

"FUCK IT'S OUT" -Claire

44. Do you like hot sauce?

Ew no no no.

45. Last time you took a shower?

Yesterday evening I think?

46. Do you need to do laundry?

Heck yes. I've missed two weeks already; I'm living in a pig sty.

47. What is your heritage?

Dominican-American and proud :)

48. Are you someone’s best friend?

I should hope so.

49. Are you rich?

In many ways, yes. In many other ways, no.

50. What were you doing at 12AM last night?

Tossing and turning because of this wicked head cold that's decided it's never gonna go away.

..........

There you have it, folks. A pointless post created for the mere intention of keeping me entertained for a brief period of time.

Anyway, I hope you're all feeling healthier than me.

Hasta la próxima,

Much love xoxo

Maya

On The First of the Lasts

Hello all. Some of you may or may not know, but today was my last first day of high school.

Yep. I am a senior, now, believe it or not.

I guess you could say I had quite an eventful day. Waking up in my very own room while at school was a bit odd, to say the least. I have a single this year and as lovely as it is to have my own privacy and the like, I've found myself awfully lonely without dear Hannah Banana. I woke up at 5:45am because what can you do? It was my last first day and I had to look good.

I took my time getting ready (far different from Junior year where I'd wake up 10 minutes before class started...) and proceeded to memorize an entire song for 8:15 Opening of School Mass. Emmalene and I had a hard time not laughing during it. You should not be surprised. I also managed to hand in my laundry on time and went to breakfast because I'm trying to be healthy and you know, not skip meals.

After church and an uncomfortably long assembly, it was time for my first class: Marine Biology. Granted, the teacher is my advisor and I love him to pieces and he's the chillest dude to walk this earth so I wasn't all surprised but I have a feeling it's gonna be a really great class. Next, I had AP Literature with the legendary Dr. B himself. My class is honestly a party. It's me, CJS, Amber, Scott, Emmalene, and Kevin plus a couple others. In other words, we're the raddest and the baddest AP Lit section this year. Not even gonna lie :)

After English was lunch, which was cut to 40 minutes because special schedule and all. BUT THEY HAD ICE CREAM BECAUSE MONDAYS SO YAY but then I had Precalculus with the new math teacher who seems nice and all but if I'm being honest I was 1000000000% falling asleep. Poor guy.

After that, I rushed on over to Ap European History, where Father P and I totally just made jokes the entire time while he went over the syllabus. Said syllabus makes me want to die, just by the way. It's been the first day and I already have two papers due so that's cool.

Then I had about 40 minutes to get my shit together, tug on my trademark overalls and severely beat-up red converse before making my way up to the auditorium for Anne Frank auditions. The turn out was greater than I expected although I'm having more doubts as to who's gonna play who. The cast list doesn't come out 'til Wednesday which is kinda frustrating but that's okay. I'd just rather get it over with.

Auditions were long but at least I had MegMeg and Scotty P and David Oh and Amanda and Addison and the other David and Emily and Diane. They're a wacky bunch, for sure, but I'm glad I get to spend this next term with them of all people.

I headed to dinner and realized just how badly my day-long headache had developed but I super wasn't feeling the food because Stillman but then CJS forced me to go make a PB&B (peanut butter and banana) sandwich, so at least that's something. Around 6:30, all the new EHX dweebs started freaking out cuz none of them knew their music and I mean I thought I didn't either but compared to them, I'd say I did pretty okay XD

Either way, that was probably the most emotionally challenged part of my day.

I dunno.

I guess it was weird to walk into such a familiar room with some of my fondest memories and yet not a single person from those memories was present but me. And it didn't help that Papa Kerr decided it'd be a great idea to show the rest of the newbies some old EHX videos where we killed our set.

If any of y'all are reading this, you'll know what I mean when I say he played the video from NAIS. We performed Radioactive and Run To You that time. That was our last killer performance of that year. This video was from two years ago. Two whole fucking years ago. I mean I shouldn't even be surprised I'm the only one left! Everyone else there has already graduated. I'm the only one left.

I know I know this is turning sappy and gross but I can't help it so if you're not enjoying this post anymore, I invite you to click the exit button. Otherwise, feel free to stay and read my whirlpool of emotions.

Mr. Kerr pressed play and almost instantly, every single memory of that day clouded my brain. I remember feeling a little sad because I knew it would be my last performance with these guys. I knew it would be my last time performing Run To You (which was my favorite piece from that set). Still, I tried to do my best to overcome that melancholiness and just enjoy the moment. So I focused on my rockin' outfit and dicking around with the rest of the peeps instead. I still have that dress and I still have those boots. However, my hair is about half as long as it was back then, and my skin is definitely heaps clearer than it was then, too. A lot can happen in two years.

Anyway, as I was saying. Mr. Kerr pressed play and instantly, I was looking back at an almost fifteen-year-old me, surrounded by a bunch of dorks who loved me for some godforsaken reason. Tiernan stood right by my side, Gibb was sat at his drum set behind us, C was all the way to the far right, and Soph all the way to the far left, right behind her magical keyboard. I looked around at all of us.

Some goddamn teenagers we are.

Smiling giddily at each other as we prepare to kickass on our last performance together.

That's when present-tense Maya started to tear up. Soph started to play like the Queen that she is and Mr. Kerr jokingly said to the newbies, "If any of you know anyone who can play like that, give me a call!"

And I know I should've laughed cuz he was just messing around. But the real answer to that is pointless. Absolutely no one, and I mean no one can play the keys like Sophia Diodati. And that made me sad. Well, maybe not necessarily sad but it made me realize what a fucking gem she is and what an absolute privilege it was to perform with her let alone become one of her closest friends. I just... I miss her. A lot.

And then we started singing and T and I did that thing where we'd look at each other knowingly and discreetly smirk because we know we're fucking good. Not good.

Fantastic.

And we'd sorta dance and feed off of each other's energy. And Caellum, dear God, he was just standing there all tall and proud cuz he also knows we're pretty darn fabulous and it really can't get any better than that.

So the tears started rolling down my cheeks faster than I could control and I knew that everybody was stealing quiet glances at me out of the corners of their eyes but I didn't give a shit. If anything, I wanted this to prove how special this music ensemble is to me. And how much more the people mean to me. I needed them to know this is what Enharmonix is all about. So I didn't wipe my tears away. I let the mascara stain ugly streaks down my face and sniffled all the while.

And don't even get me started on Run To You. I don't have words for that one. For those of you who've ever witnessed us performing that song, you know exactly what I mean.

All in all, I had a complete meltdown in front of all these new kids at our first rehearsal because I missed my friends. But hey, that's life. Last first days can't always be perfect.

I stayed afterward to talk to Papa Kerr for a while and we discussed the upcoming year and all our goals and expectations and I showed him a CD I'd been dying to show him for a while. So that was fun. I missed just hanging out talking to him in the Wing. But then it hit me this was the first time I'd been down there without anyone else. Without another motive to go. It was just me and Mr. Kerr chilling in the lab (which has AC now btw) and I somehow expected Claire to just walk around the corner. Or Caellum. Or Mike. Or Sophia. Or Tiernan. Or Fonts.

Anyone.

I just missed my friends. I miss you guys. More than you know.

And I'm excited about this year, I really, truly am. I'm just... still in the emotional stage, I guess. I hope I get over it soon.

Anyway, that's about the extent of what I have to tell you about today so I'll leave it at that. If you managed to read all this, thank you. You're cool. I like you.

Hasta la próxima,

Much love xoxo

Maya

Holy Fricken Frack

Well. I told you I'd be busy, didn't I?

Either way, here we are: February 15th (my little Suki's 7th bday holy crap) and I have SO MUCH to tell you.

Let's see, where did I leave off?

Ah, yes.

Firstly there was Berklee. I have so many feelings about that. I may or may not have a post written about it later... In the meantime, please go read Claire's recap of it here.

That was during the first half of our Winter Weekend. The second half was filled with various events ranging from fun to exciting to downright dangerous (we get competitive while playing games... *ehem* Catan *ehem*).

That Sunday, I finally got to see Star Wars in theaters with the bae. I also had an impromptu shopping spree with Claire and Max (my real baes, obviously) where we raided Sally's and bought Claire's first batch of hair dye (SUPER EXCITING!). Later that evening, we all ended up playing Settlers of Catan in Caellum's bedroom and dare I say, it was one of the most hilarious things I have ever experienced. We played in pairs, so Rory and Claire officially won, while Max and I took a close second, and meanwhile, poor Conor and Caellum were left begging for cyanide in their fruitless nation. I may have peed myself laughing once or twice. The next day snowed buckets and so obviously we thought it'd be a great idea to go sledding.

Wrong. We were so, so very wrong. Our faces were nearly burned away from wind chill and I was feelin the frostbite coming on. Instead, we took to Martin's, where Max and I proved to everyone else that we are true soulmates (and we also kick ass at Squares). We probably spent around three hours shuffling cards around and getting into heated competitions of Speed and Poker. I love my people.

Alas, the next day we had school, so naturally we were overcome with woe.

But that was that.

OTHER SUPER INTERESTING THING THAT HAPPENED RECENTLY:

I had my first stage kiss ever and it was awkward as fuck and I completely missed the first time and God bless Jimmy for putting up with my shit but holy crap I was so nervous and I kinda wanted to die

Since then, we've had to kiss like a trillion more times for The Addams Family but thank goodness it's only gotten easier and increasingly less awkward (except for, yaknow, the fact that the whole school and my boyfriend are gonna be watching but oh whale).

This past Thursday was Poetry Out Loud and as per usual, I memorized my poem like half an hour before the actual event (I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS, DO NOT TRY IT AT HOME) yet somehow I managed getting first place...?????????

Like........ wat. But yeah, that happened.

The weekend dragged on because Tech but HEY WE'RE GONNA PUT ON A MIGHTY FINE SHOW SO IT IS ALL A-OKAY. Plus, Saturday night the squad got to watch Deadpool and I have never not regretted something more in my life. IT WAS EFFING AMAZING.

You may be wondering what I did on my Valentine's Day especially considering the fact that I actually have a bae this year (I know none of you are wondering but I'm salty about it so I'm gonna tell you anyway).

Well, my dearest friends, I did absolutely nothing. Why, you ask? Well, because I was stuck in the goddamn auditorium the whole day and so I didn't even get to see CJS and usually I hate Valentine's Day so I wouldn't even care but it was mildly upsetting and I was stressed and homesick and exhausted and fricken frack it wasn't a good time.

ANYWAY, today was a new day and it actually went pretty well :) Tomorrow I may die after APUSH first period but yaknowI it's really okay. I should be studying right now. Ugh.

I have so many other things I'm probably forgetting but—OH WAIT I JUST REMEMBERED! MAMI AND JAVI ARE COMING TO SEE THE SHOW THIS WEEKEND AND I AM BEYOND EXCITED TO SEE THEM AGAIN AHHHHH

Yay, exciting :)

Quick shoutout to Shelbs for making me smile every single day and to Claire for being my bestest bae and to Max for tolerating my shit and to C for loving me unconditionally and to CJS for being a love and to Soph for actually deciding to go on a kickass trip with us and to Papa Kerr for being selfless and kind and to Hannah Banana for being the best roommate ever and to Emmalene for enduring the pain that is tech and making me feel hardcore as Wednesday and to Brandt for making me laugh and to Lil Kerr for being my child. There are really a lot of other people I should be thanking right now but I'm hoping they get the idea already.

Okay, but now I should really actually try and be productive.

Hasta la próxima!

Much love xoxo

Maya

Turkey Day List #2

Onto the much more extensive part of things I'm grateful for: the magnificent people in my life. I promise I tried to keep it short and sweet, but I mean hey, here you go.

Mami: You have always been my #1 fan. You've sacrificed so much just to make us happy and you work so, so incredibly hard. You've redefined the word "woman" for me and taught me that I am just as good as anyone else. You taught me humility and pride; love and caution; fun and responsibility. You may be an inch shorter than me but you sure as heck are the most badass person I know. Te quiero de aquí hasta la luna <3

Papi: Where do I even begin? You just get me. You get me more than anyone else on this planet. We share the same spirit and that allows us to bond over music and theatre and writing and art and poetry and feelings and experiences and you believe in me more than I believe in myself. You've always been there for hugs and kisses and food and dad jokes and I cannot express how much I miss you already now that we're on opposite hemispheres, but Cambodia will do you good. Please continue too seek the beauty in everything. You're really good at that.

Yan Diego: Goddamn, you are a pain in the ass. And yet I still find myself missing you every day we're apart. You were my first companion and role model (not so much anymore XD) but even though we've both grown, I still look up to you occasionally, believe it or not. Thanks for not letting me travel alone 'cuz you know it freaks me out. Even with all the insults, you still make me laugh more than anyone else I know, so thanks for making me pee myself in public, I guess. Here's to many more years of mischievous rivalry and unconditional support. You're allright.

Javier: I'd never call you this to your face, seeing as you're turning eleven in January, but you're my little munchkin. Sure, you're a pest, as all little brothers are, but you're my pest, and you are most definitely the sweetest one out there. You're gonna break lots of hearts, that's for sure. Please don't ever let anyone tell you who to be, okay, bud? You wanna dance? You dance. You wanna sing? You sing. You wanna be the most kickass, multitalented kid in the world? Go right on ahead. Don't let anyone stop you. I continue to be so proud of you each and every day and I am beyond honored to call you my baby brother.

Suki: You're not actually a person, but you might as well be. I adore you, my little peanut rat. You've got a heart of pure gold. It probably weighs more than the rest of you. Missing you endlessly.

Abuelo: You are my hero <3

The Fam: Y'all are the loudest and touchiest group of people I know. Much love.

Madrina y Padrino: No se imaginan lo duro que sería todo esto sin ustedes. Los quiero un montón.

Pri: Vieja, tu y yo llevamos siglos. Se que casi nunca nos vemos pero tu sabes que te quiero y que te apoyo ahora y siempre <3 Vas a llegar super lejos, de eso estoy segura.

CJS: Goodness, all I can say is you're my best friend. I can't go a minute thinking about you without smiling. I am so, so lucky to have someone like you love someone like me. You put up with all my crazy and don't mind one bit. You make me feel beautiful and giddy and special and exciting and intelligent, even when I don't feel it myself. Thank you for staying up at all hours of the night just to talk to me, and for reminding me to chill when I'm winding myself up, and for going out of your way to make sure you see me at least once a day, and for your hugs and your jokes and for teaching me something new everyday. Thank you for always putting a smile on my face and for being a dork and for making me so so so happy. I love you so much.

Claire: Oh Claire Bear, what can I even say that you don't already know? You're my big sister. You know that and everyone else knows that. We keep each other grounded and we make sure to brighten up the other's day when we can. You've given me a home away from home and have become a part of my ever-growing support network and you have absolutely no idea how much that means to me. Thank you for taking me shopping and jams in the car and buying me food and coming to my shows. Thanks for the lazy Saturdays just chillin' in my bed, tumblring and geeking about Hamilton, among other things. You're honestly the loveliest and anyone who has ever had the pleasure to make your acquaintance should be greatly honored. Also, thank you for eating my candy for me so I don't get fat <3 Greatly appreciated.

Caellum: I am so thankful for this past year; it's allowed us to grow as friends and I honestly could not have managed fall term without your constant support. We get each other on so many levels; there're hardly enough words to express it. You've always been there. You've always been patient with me. You've never pushed me away even when I got annoying as heck. We've been through a lot together, believe it or not. Your puns and hugs and company are enough. Thank you thank you thank you. I love you dearly.

Shelby: YOU ARE MY FAVORITE! Words cannot express how glad I am to have gotten to know you in such a short amount of time. Your daily messages make my day and never cease to make me smile. Thanks for not thinking I'm an old lady for using Pinterest and thank you for sending me a letter all the way from Texas. I cannot wait to finally meet you so we can chill and have lots of fun :) You're always reminding me of this but this time I'm reminding you: please never forget how talented and capable you are. We're allowed to make mistakes. We're allowed to have bad days. It doesn't make us any less brilliant. You're going to change a lot of lives, trust me <3

Gibb: Sitka, you already know how much you mean to me. No use in writing paragraphs about our history ('cuz I've already done that before XD). Instead, I just wanted to say thanks for still picking up the phone regardless of what time it is and for not pushing me away. I love you to infinity and banana.

Maeve: My beautiful, talented, courageous Maeve. You're obviously kicking ass at school (just as I knew you would) and even though we don't necessarily talk as much anymore, I know you're still there if I ever need you. That's how you know who your real friends are—you can go days and weeks and occasionally months without speaking to them, and yet when you pick back up, it's just where you left off, as if no time had passed at all. That's what it feels like with you. Thanks for letting me come to you with awkward, childish questions and for being my mom and for reminding me of what I'm capable of. You're absolutely fantastic. We need to chill sometime.

Max: Oh my dearest Maximiliana, you are the only thing I look forward to at the end of the day. Those five minutes talking to you before housemeeting mean so much more than you know, especially when I'm crumbling with stress. You converted me to the dyed hair cult and I guess there's no turning back now. Thanks for the sass and for letting me bitch to you about people and/or things. Your perpetual badassery is an inspiration to all, let me tell you. Winter term I gotta actually hang out with you, okay? It must be done.

Tom: Eff you and your talent and smiles and hugs. You're actually the best, Tom. Don't let my lack of words throw you off, like you are actually the greatest. Please visit soon <3

Sophia: You are a goddess. It'd take a fool not to see that. You continue to inspire me every day through your talent, hard work and dedication. Thank you for being the greatest blessing EHX has ever had. I am blessed to have you in my life and I am so glad you let me be a part of yours. Please don't forget about me when you're rich and famous and have like 60 Grammys in your basement.

Tiernan: It still shocks me how you're on the complete opposite side of the country for most of the year and yet you still wow me with your sage advice. I miss your cuddles and your teasing more than anything. Please please pleaseeeee come back when you can, yeah?

Fonts: You know how the story goes. You're my rock and all. The end.

Hannah Banana Banderbob: Bae, you are my one and only. Don't tell anyone but you are by far my favorite roommate. I adore your sugar highs just as much as you despise them and your constant studiousness and determination inspires me to be my best self everyday. Your puppy chow and pumpkin bread are to die for. Thank you for telling me when I look like trash and for putting up with my meltdowns and my craziness and every time I squeal about Conor and/or food. I sure lucked out with you, boo #TheFruits <3

Amber: You crazy, soulless Asian. I love you with all my heart. Thanks for putting up with all the shit I give you and for not kicking me out of your room in the middle of study hall when I get obnoxious and distracting XD We hate the same things and we both swear more than others give us credit for. What a solid bond we have. Please continue to slay as you do. Te quiero.

Scott: You, sir, make my life immensely more entertaining, that's for sure. Your hugs and ridiculous jokes and your sass continuously make my day and the fact that you are now a part of EHX makes me wanna squeal every time I think about it. Please don't ever leave me alone 'cuz a life without Scott Powell seems kinda depressing to be honest.

Alasdaire: Babe, you are insane. The fact that Benet's walls are so thin lets me eavesdrop on your ridiculous conversations with my favorite Asian (I'd hardly call it eavesdropping though since y'all are always screaming at each other). Either way, thanks for making me feel smart and for being a more-than-decent lab partner for Bio. Couldn't have done it without you.

Meagan K: MegMeg, how you make me smile. Your patience with me is unbelievable and you stuck with me while we endured the horrors of BrayBray and rehearsal. That alone deserves an award. You are so talented at what you do, please don't let anyone dictate your dreams, okay? Go get 'em, ese.

Emma Kerr: I still refuse to believe that you're taller than me. I also refuse to believe that you are any older than eleven. You, kiddo, are growing more talented and more beautiful every day and I am so proud of you, okay? Never forget that.

Emmalene: For some reason I keep referring to you as my fairy godmother. Thanks for always making me feel like a princess.

Nayte: From Bonin's freshman Lit squad, to Geometry with Ruda, to Algebra with Mr. C and Bonin's Junior Lit. You've always stood by me and endured it all. Go team.

Elise Banderob: Lowkey my favorite freshman. Thanks for letting us in on all the amateur drama and being our eyes on the inside XD

Jay Gibb: My dude, your hugs are life. Thanks for letting me embarrass you in front of your freshman friends xo

Ellie D: Thanks for hating the same people as I do and for being a super chill prefect. Oh! And for putting baby powder in our beds. That was heaven.

Kevin Jiang: Your passive agressiveness and sass alone could kill. You keep doing you, gurl.

David Oh: I still have to beat you up. Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you <3

Brandt: We need to catch up. I haven't seen you in centuries.

She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Thanks for giving all of PAS a common enemy.

Haidy: You are the craziest Korean I know. God bless you child.

Jerry and Liam: You guys are definitely my favorite new additions to EHX.

James Briand: You're gonna go far, my friend. Keep doing what you do.

Megan M: You're the cutest and I love you to bits.

Matt Johnson: Your high fives are the greatest.

Will Kim: Can we get Will in here? Of course we can.

Anne from Stillman: Thanks for always asking how my day is going and for stealing me cookies when no one's watching and for wishing me happy holidays every time I leave. Your work does not go unappreciated.

Mr. McCarthy: The fact that you can call me nothing but Mia-Maya-Moya every single time you see me is impressive. You're a pretty fab advisor if I do say so myself. Thanks for using your kids as slave labor to make us food.

Dr. Davidge: You know what's up.

Bragan: Man, do you get on my nerves but you sure manage to pull off a great show.

Marilyn: I've lucked out in terms of costumes. You've managed to make me look decent in 5/6 shows so far. I'd say that's a good run.

Mrs. Smith: The fact that you don't hate me still amazes me, to be honest. Oh, and thank you for letting me date your son :)

Mrs. Bonin: You believe in my shine. Please don't let the brilliance fizzle out.

All State Judges: Holy crap thank you for choosing me.

Tyler Oakley and Zoe Sugg: How you make me laugh and smile.

Catbug: You're my friend now. We're having soft tacos later.

CryWolf: Your voice and lyrics follow me into my dreams, sometimes.

Ed Sheeran: Thanks for listening to me weep and stuff.

Johnny Depp: I swear, you're a human shape-shifter.

Emma Watson: You flawless woman, you.

Brennan's: Thank you for adopting Yan Diego into your family. Hannah means the world to him.

Doires: Oh my, my, my... The fact that you have an entire room in your house that I claim as mine must say something, right? You guys have been incredibly generous to me and my family and for that I am immensely grateful.

Mama and Papa Kerr: I think you both already know how thankful I am for y'all, but I'm gonna go ahead and say it anyway. You are my parents away from home and the fact that I get to see you throughout the day makes life at the Abbey a lot easier to bear. Thank you for adopting me and for your constant love and support. I love you guys.

My Angels in the Sky: Please continue to watch over me.

God: Thank you for listening to my prayers.

I am so blessed.

Hasta la próxima,

Much love xoxo

Maya

Berklee 2015

This is long overdue. I know. Sue me.

Nonetheless, I thought I'd fill you in on the mandatory Berklee post.

Yes, this was a whileeeee ago, meaning January 31st, but I think I still have the right to write about it :) I will admit, seeing as it was so long ago, some of the details are quite foggy and I might not be able to go into as much detail as I normally would (lucky for you guys haha).

If any of you are looking for a better relay of that wonderful day's events, click here.

Saturday, January 31st came quicker than any of us could have anticipated.

After months and months and months of endless rehearsals, and a week's worth of tireless run-throughs, EHX felt more confident and yet more nervous than they'd ever been before. We'd learned to dance our hearts out with Mais Que Nada, leave our heart on the stage with Run To You, and picture the flawless Tito with Señor Blues. Bright and early, we were ready to roll.

I sat with T on the way there, who managed to show me the entire soundtrack for Broadway's Catch Me If You Can (it's safe to say he had me humming every song on the list...)

The rest of the crew was scattered about the back of the bus as per usual. Tradition is tradition, after all. I managed to snag T's hat, play numerous rounds of Heads Up, take sneaky pictures of sleeping crew members and fall into at least three laugh attacks before we arrived to our very lovely destination.

I'd like to say I helped by supervising (everyone else seemed perfectly under control carrying things, so why not?).

We made it to our usual wait spot and unloaded all our baggage. Papa Kerr gave us the run through and handed us programs for the rest of the day before Emma and Claire, our faithful fangirls, proceeded to take off their sweatshirts and show us their clever roadie T-shirts: fluorescent pink tank tops with the words "EHX ROAD CREW" in iron print. Let me just say you two rocked those outfits ;)

I have to say, I can't remember much of the events that happened before our performance. It was all a foggy blur of scenery and food and meeting people and loud sounds that resembled music but not quite and coffee and Tom and The Chileans and uniforms but most of all: nerves. I couldn't focus on anything for the next few hours, now and then cursing the fact that we had a later slot.

And then it was go time.

I was picking at my dress and wiping the sweat off my hands when the first chords of Mais echoed through the room. Scanning the cramped area, I remembered to force a smile on my face, trying to erase the nerves. I spotted my godmother in the audience, which was exciting, although there were no signs of my brother, YD, or his girlfriend, Hannah. They promised they'd be there and I knew they were running late so I hoped they'd make it for at least one of the songs. My solo came up and of course my voice had to crack, but I mean, it happens. I focused on Claire and Tom, who sat front row. Thank you guys for letting me forget everything and just enjoy myself.

Next came Run. I swear, you could've heard a pin drop. Mr. Bentley was fantastic accompaniment (obviously) although of course we did miss Rosie, who couldn't be with us due to an injured wrist. I have to admit, Run was my favorite of the three. Performing it with you all was a real privilege and I hope someday I can get that same feeling again, the same unity and emotion. We put our hearts on our sleeves with that one. I could tell from the tears in people's eyes ;)

And last but not least, Señor Blues. T and I had a great time teasing each other through the song and I could tell C was enjoying pretending to talk about himself... XD Only joking...maybe ;)

We welcomed the applause and listened to what the judges had to say (all wonderful things, thank goodness!) Sophia won the Judges Choice second year in a row, of course, and we burst out of those doors feeling grander than ever. I felt like flying.

That was the best we had ever performed our set. And I was and am so very very proud of every single one of you guys. Even our roadies, who made the experience all the better ;)

After unloading our stuff again, we left to go nom. That was when YD and Hannah finally decided to show up. Hannah felt really bad for missing the performance; YD, not so much... haha So they hung around for a bit before leaving to go have dinner and we all said goodbye.

The Award Ceremony creeped up on us pretty quickly and I knew without a doubt that the nerves were back. Time couldn't have ticked any slower as we waited for our category, V2 to be called. I was probably breaking Gibb's hand more and more by the second (sorry about that...).

Honorable Mention was called. Not us.

The lady in charge of announcing the winners was taking as long as she possibly could to announce third place.

I saw her lips form and "E" and immediately went into denial. It's like my mind would refuse to believe that Enharmonix had, in fact, won third place. It took asking four different people (despite the screaming cheers of the rest of EHX seated behind me) who had won for me to understand that we had actually made it.

We made it. We actually did it this time.

After months and months and months we were able to say that we'd really left it all out there and we did everything we possibly could have to make it an unforgettable performance. Thank you guys, From the bottom of my heart.

I couldn't stop shaking or squealing or laughing or crying and I don't even remember the other places being announced because I was so caught up in my own excitement. Sue me for being absolutely ecstatic.

I only remember frolicking, yes frolicking, down the hall, down the escalator, across the room to go give Papa Kerr the biggest hug of all time.

T'was an amazing moment, to say the least :)

On the way back, we made our usual trip to Murder King, and celebrated by jamming at the top of our lungs. At least I did. It's safe to say I completely and quite literally lost my voice on that trip back haha! There were the usual ones, Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are Young, and Uptown Funk (which I will forever associate with the legendary Enharmonix) but then we decided to go down memory lane and belt High School Musical and Jonas Brothers songs... I do not regret a single thing.

All I have to say is that was a pretty spectacular day and I was so lucky to spend it with all of you <3 I could not have asked for a greater group of people to be with on such a special occasion :)

I love you all so very, very much. Keep rockin'. Stay classy.

Hasta la proxima!

Much love xoxo

Maya

Keeping You In The Loop

Hiya lovely creatures!

I will admit, a lot's been going on lately---quite sorry for the angsty, typical teenager posts as of late---but I thought I might as well let you in on the short version of what's been up.

Okay, fine, you got me--I know this won't be short--but let's just pretend for a sec, shall we?

Also, Claire, I sincerely apologize for sorta copying your latest post idea...Teehee :)

Without further ado:

1. Coming back to school after the end of break was harder than I thought. I had to pretend like it didn't hurt when Javier waved goodbye. Next time I see you, buddy, you'll be double digits. You just wait.
2. A blurry week came and went, full of stress, panic attacks and sleep deprivation.
3. Fonts went back to college.
4. Next came C's dandy 17th birthday where the entire cast of Ghost managed to plug through a 4 hour dance rehearsal, making a toast with some cupcakes before Mr. Kerr blasted EON's "Seventeen". We all sang along, of course. Later that night, Eric, Brandt, Tiernan, Claire, and I headed to Casa del Kerr to watch The Interview and to drink milkshakes in their awesome possum basement (Fonts also joined somewhere in the mix haha).
5. Soon after came Gibb's 18th birthday. Dude, you're getting freaking old. Not okay. (As of right now, it's been three days since your birthday and I'm still working on your present. I'm so sorry, but you'll thank me later <3)
6. Max sent me a text about shooting stars.
7. Maeve dropped by a couple of times and they were very much needed visits because I super duper freaking missed her.
8. Caellum's birthday present finally came in (waaaay after his birthday but shh) and his look of panic will forever be cherished in my memory as he unwrapped the paper. I gave him a stuffed animal goat. His name is Frank.
9. Semi. That happened. In fact, many things happened, but we don't need to go there. Let's just cut to the part where I say thanks to Olivia for making me feel like a princess and thank you Rory for dancing with me even if it made you uncomfortable and thank you Maeve for showing up unexpectedly and thank you Sawyer for calming me down after anxiety happened and thank you Kai for dancing and making me have an awesome time and thank you Claire for jamming with me as promised and thank you Brandt for the pictures and Patrick for being my sassy gay bartender for the night and Sophia for looking like a goddess and Tom for showing up looking all spiff and dapper and Dan for having had the pleasure to make your acquaintance. You all looked lovely.
10. School's been surprisingly average--meaning gross, but still. Could be worse.
11. Today's been a pretty rockin fantastic day overall. Sure I was sleep deprived and sure I fell asleep in Geometry... and Humanities... and Chemistry... but besides that, Enharmonix rehearsal tonight really took off. I am so proud of each and every one of you. Thank you for letting me share your time and talent. Brandt, Sawyer and Claire helped T, Gibb, Mr. Kerr, Mr. Brett, and I to set up the stage whilst jamming to Uptown Funk. God, what a jam. And just as we finished a very productive rehearsal, Mr. Kerr blasted it again so we could strike the mics and goodness, I haven't had such a fun time in a while... Though simple, it's moments like that that stay forever embedded inside the nicer side of my memories.
12. Berklee is next Saturday and every time I think about it, the more I wanna cry.

Fun funnn. So that's the vague wrap up of what's been going on :)

Hope you all had awesome possum days because you totally deserve it xoxo

Hasta la próxima,

Much love xoxo

Maya

Goodness Gracious, What A Year

In light of New Years Eve,  I've been inspired by the lovely Claire and the legen-wait-for-it-dary Fonts to write this sort of summing up post about 2014, so here goes...

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?

I ended my first year of high school and started my second one. I went to my first EON concert despite crowd anxiety and had a blast. You guys were amazing, as per usual ;) 

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Ummmmmmmmmm I can't remember making any New Year's resolutions to tell the truth, but there's definitely always room for improvement. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

One of my sort of cousins (more specifically my younger brother's godmother's daughter) gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Jasmine (after the Disney princess haha) and I don't know if this counts but Gibb now has a precious baby sister, Grace, and she's the cutest thing in the world.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully, no, although I do pay my respects to anyone who has suffered a loss.

5. What countries did you visit?

Well the states, obviously, seeing as I go to school here for nine months of the year... But other than that, I've gone back home to DR, which has been kinda nice :)

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?

More self confidence and guts. I tend to second-guess myself and fear taking risks. I want to have the guts to leap for challenges and the confidence that I'm better than I think I am. I also would love to have the determination and motivation to finish anything I start, perhaps another song or two...

7. What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory and why?

Goodness, that's a tough one... I'll have to get back to you guys on that one, seeing as I don't have my calendar with me at this moment.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I would say staying alive but none of you would believe me. Seriously, with a body as clumsy as mine, you'd be surprised... Apart from that, I'm quite proud of finishing writing a total of three songs: Thoughts Of A Lonely One, Coffee In The Rain, and Untitled. Getting help. I'm also extremely proud of two slam poems I've written quite recently---one about my relationship with my dad, and one about my struggles with my ethnicity. I'll probably post them on here eventually. Maybe.

Oh. And starting a blog.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Allowing myself to be a punching bag when I had no reason to be. Not speaking up when I should have.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Ha ha... ha... ha. So yeah, there's a reason I don't do track anymore... Tendonitis all the way. I missed Gibb's 17th birthday because I was quarantined in the infirmary for three days due to the fact that I got the 1% of Flu that nobody gets -_- There was also an incident where failed attempts to make a split resulted in not being able to stand up, let alone walk, for a week. Oh! and I almost forgot: that time I thought I got a concussion because Gibb decided to launch his phone at my head (okay, I'm exaggerating; it was an accident, but still).

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I actually bought Christmas presents for people this year (which is a first) so that was kinda nice. My favorite is probably the most awko taco adorable looking polar bear stuffed animal that I got for Brandt (we've promised each other that we're moving to Alaska sometime in the future because polar bear license plates). 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Anyone who has ever listened to one of my five hour long rants, aka: Sawyer, Claire, Fonts, Maeve, Caellum, Gibb, Tom, Brandt, Sophia, Lilly, Lauryn, Olivia, Amber, Alasdaire, Rory, Tiernan, Zoe, Emma... I can't thank you guys enough for your patience. You are literally the best.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled?

I was extremely hurt and disappointed and angry a fair share of times but I'm not mentioning any names.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Um... you mean my parents' money? Ha ha... ha... ha. Well, honestly, it probably went to Chinese take-out and concert tickets now that I come to think of it. The rest went to Christmas presents :)

15. What did you get really, really excited about?

Good God, you ask this question to ME? The Queen of excited squeals? Okay, well... I got really, really excited for Semi, for Winter Weekend/Pajama Day (which I started, just for the record), for Berklee, for H2$, for my birthday, for cutting my hair, for finishing freshman year, for the Kerr's first day of summer get together, for TFIOS, for dance camp, for the twins' last day of summer get together, for beginning of sophomore year, for rooming with my best friend, for attending my first real EON concert, for the day Fonts came back, for Harvey, for the Dance/Music Recital, for Thanksgiving, for Mockingjay, for Coffeehouse, for Ghost, for EON's MET performance, for Christmas, for Claire's impromptu holiday get together, for the day I showed my poems to Mrs. B, just to name a few...

16. What song will always remind you of 2014?

You've got to be kidding me.

Seventeen by Everything or Nothing
Royals by Lorde
Iris by Sleeping with Sirens
Rude by MAGIC!
All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor
Run to You by Pentatonix
Samson by Regina Spektor
Less Than Likely by Everything or Nothing
Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars
Get Free by Major Lazer
Female Robbery by The Neighborhood
Light 'Em Up by Fall Out Boy
Talk Dirty To Me by Jason Derulo
Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? by Arctic Monkeys
Let It Go by Idina Menzel (from Frozen... don't ask)
Bedroom Eyes by Crywolf
I'm The Man by Aloe Blacc
The Best Day Of My Life by American Authors
Breakeven by The Script
Stutter by Marianas Trench
Sugar We're Going Down by Fall Out Boy
I'm Not The Only One by Sam Smith
Don't by Ed Sheeran
Partition by Beyonce
La Vie Boheme by The Cast of RENT
I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cutie
Big Shot by Billy Joel
Chandelier by Sia
Diane Young by Vampire Weekend
Take Me to Church by Hozier
Call Me In The Afternoon by Half Moon Run
Riptide by Vance Joy
I See Fire by Ed Sheeran
Piano Man by Billy Joel
Happy by Pharrell Williams 
Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's
Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
Teenagers by My Chemical Romance
Fancy by Iggy Azalea
I Follow Rivers by Lykke Li
You Got It On by Justin Timberlake
Lupita by Chiquito Team Band
Stereo Kids by The Plastics
Dollhouse by Melanie Martinez
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
Lennon and McCartney by Dala
Bailando by Enrique Iglesias
Shower by Becky G
Pretty Hurts by Beyonce
Mirrors by Justin Timberlake
Youth by Daughter
I Get Around by The Beach Boys
On To The Next One by Jay-Z
Moviendo Caderas by Yandel ft Daddy Yankee
Love Me Again by John Newman
Happy Little Pill by Troye Sivan
Darte Un Beso by Prince Royce
Tee Shirt by Birdy
Secrets by Mary Lambert
Steal My Girl by One Direction
Shake It Off by Taylor Swift
Warriors by Imagine Dragons
Miss Jackson by Panic! at the Disco 
Weightless by All Time Low
Habits by Tove Lo
Budapest by George Ezra
Waves by Mr. Probz
Common Pleasure by Jason Mraz
Falling Slowly by Once
You and Me by Disclosure
Lose Yourself by Eminem
Northern Lights by Jaymes Young
Oceans Pt. II by Crywolf
Cell Block Tango by The Cast of Chicago
Suspend My Disbelief/I Had A Life by The Cast of Ghost
Rain/Hold On by The Cast of Ghost
Night Changes by One Direction
Who Spiked The Eggnog? by Straight No Chaser

Just to name a few. Have fun listening to that playlist... ;)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?

(a) This time last year<This time this year
(b) Probably thinner I think, considering dining hall food makes me sad
(c) Richer in life experiences, to put it that way

18. What do you wish you had done more of?

Enjoyed every moment of pure bliss with my friends.

19. What do you wish you had done less of?

Wallowing in self pity. Being jealous of things I couldn't control.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Quietly with my family at my aunt's house in Vermont. Much snow prevailed. 

21. Did you fall in love in 2014?

...yes.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

SherlockSherlockSherlockSherlockSherlockSherlock, Bob's Burgers, Orange Is The New Black, and The Fosters :)

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Um... Hate is a big word. I prefer strongly dislike.

24. What was the best book you read?

The Mayflower, Nathaniel Philbrick 

..........

I am sooooooooooooo kidding. Anyone from the Abbey will understand XD

..........

Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell
Macbeth, William Shakespeare
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Is it too cliche to say my friends...?

26. What did you want and get?

Friends that are more like family. Poetic success.

27. What did you want and not get?

Peace of mind.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

TFIOS, Mockingjay Part 1, Big Hero 6, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

29. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Making new friends and becoming closer to those I already had.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?

Wow. I don't even know... Colorful four-year-old meets prepubescent boy meets bubbly goody-two-shoes meets pajamas forever. If it weren't for the Abbey's dress code, I'd be in PJs 34/7. Just sayin'.

31. What kept you sane?

Ed Sheeran.
EHX.
Poetry.
Mrs. B.
The stairwell.
The Kerrs.
Non-dining-hall food.
A select few of my friends that listened to me when my feelings were all over the place. You know who you are. Thank you for being angels.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Benedict Cumberbatch. Denise Frohman. Johnny Depp---Always.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

Ferguson. Without a doubt.

34. Who did you miss?

Anyone and everyone at different times of the year. My family. My other family. Suki.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.

You must first allow yourself to be happy before anything else. Your feelings are always valid. Always. You are entitled to your feelings.

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"So when I'm ready to be bolder,

And my cuts have healed with time

Comfort will rest on my shoulder

And I'll bury my future behind

I'll always keep you with me

You'll be always on my mind

But there's a shining in the shadows

I'll never know unless I try."

"Home" by Gabrielle Aplin

Gosh this post took longer than I thought.

Well, with that I leave you magical fairy people. See ya on the other side :)

Hasta la próxima,

Much love xoxo

Maya