Stop Hating on Vocaloid!

I have been listening to Vocaloid a lot this week because... well, I'm just tired of the same old songs being played.

I know some people don't like the fact that people (like myself) listen to computer voices. I always thought that Vocaloid isn't bad but I shouldn't get too used to it but then I saw at two amazing comments:

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  pinkpetalpearl 2 weeks ago

  people say that vocaloid is stupid because the singers are fake and computer made.i say that the English they listen to is auto-tuned as crap
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  ocwkuro 2 weeks ago

  we have computers that sound halfway human, we have humans that sound halfway computer in the end there is no difference in what they sound like

  personally, I have more respect for the human-sounding computers since it is much harder to do

They are right. :) There's music that's autotuned and music created by computers. 

You have no idea how much I hate autotune. It takes away the human's true voice. Even if the singer is bad, it's better for them to learn to sing better than to use computers to alternate their voice. With auto-tune, it makes the human sound "halfway computer."

Vocaloids are computers that generate human-like voices. It's not a real voice but it's close to one. Sure, it might be wrong to use computers to create human-like voices, but which is more wrong? Using computers to create human voices or using computers to change human voices?

I personally feel that changing the human voice is worse than creating human voice. Why? Well, if you generate, then it gives it a more electronic sound (which is okay because it is a voice of a computer program) but if you alternate it, you are making a real human voice sound electronic, which makes it less natural. 

I've also started to love Vocaloid because the songs are so much better than the pop songs now. Sure, with Vocaloid it's in Japanese but the message/lyrics are so much better than current pop songs. If you read the translation for most of the songs, then you'll see that the songs mean so much more than partying. Plus, the songs are a lot more creative with their messages.

Rolling Girl: One of the best
Vocaloid songs

I mean, Miley Cyrus's "We Can't Stop" is on the top of the charts recently. What is it all about? Partying and doing drugs. I mean, many popular songs are negative influences. (I'm not saying all are.) Then there's Vocaloid, with many songs about suffering and getting back up. They are also about life and how you should enjoy it.

I dunno. I guess there's some things about pop music and Vocaloid that I like and dislike. I really wish haters would at least consider Vocaloid with pop music before opening their mouths. If you listen to some of the Vocaloid songs carefully, you might feel that it's better than normal pop music.

Well, thanks for reading this rant.

♥Petpet

A Day at the Lake

I am so sore. Why? You might ask.

Well... Let's just say I held on for my dear life for minutes at 20-25 miles per hour on an inflatable tube.... That's right. It went tubing.

Yesterday, it was a special holiday for my state because that's when it first became an official state of America. Like most families, we went to the lake to enjoy ourselves. My uncle has a boat and invited all of the nieces and nephews (so Shiny Sun, my cousins, and I) to go to the lake on their boat. It's a nice boat but it's not as big as my other uncle's, which is just fine. We spent there the entire day. At first, it was cloudy and windy so no one wanted to go on the tube. So, my cousin drove us (he's the same age as me but could drive the boat with an adult watching him.)

 Our tube looked liked this one

Once we could start tubing, guess who had to go on first? This girl. This girl who hasn't been on a boat since she was 9. But this girl is one for adventure. So, I went on the tube first with my cousin-twice-removed. You have no idea how scared I was. I couldn't see anything because I couldn't have my glasses on and I had a hard time getting my grip. My "partner" fell a few times but I never did...

I went on a few times again and never fell off but after 10 minutes of holding on for dear life, I let go due to exhaustion and hurt knees. (My knees were skidding across the water and I couldn't do anything about it!) After the constant bruising, I had to let go and not go back on.

My little sister, Shiny Sun, actually went tubing too. She's a little girl but she can hold on to that thing like me. She kept riding over and over again and never wiped out. Not bad for a first timer. And she was actually having a ton of fun too.

Where all the burning happened

We all had to take turns riding the boat so some of us would be in the picnic area while the others were on the boat. And since there were a ton of teenage boys in our family, what did they do to keep from being bored? They played with fire. They put sticks into the hot charcoal and then pulled out those sticks and burn innocent bugs, write on the cement, or melt things. I swear, they are all pyros.

Either way, I had a lot of fun spending time with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Boating was fun and so was tubing. Only problem is, I'm sore from holding for my life. At least I work my upper muscles. :P I'm not too happy about the bruised knees though.
♥Your sore Petpet

Tubing picture belongs to rightful owner!

Busy Summer!

I thought I would have plenty of posts this summer... But I haven't posted anything for almost 3 weeks! (Yay me for being so "updated.")

Anyways, I have to apologize for that. I've just been busy with so many different things. And by busy I mean by real life busy.

I know what you are thinking. I have been talking about relaxing over summer since I've been so stressed out all school year. But here I am... Saying that I'm busy. I guess that's a way to know I still have a life other than school.

So what have I been up to when I'm not posting? Well...

Let's start off with parties. Yes. I have been partying with my cousins. (We tend to have a lot of summer birthdays.) It was nice to see my cousins and just hang out with all of them. It was really nice to see my cousins from California though. (They are staying here for the summer.) So I've been to two parties in 2 weeks.

Then for Independence day, we went to Las Vegas for a few days. Let me just say this... NEVER GO TO VEGAS ON A HOLIDAY. It is absolutely impossible to find a parking spot in Caesar's Palace or anywhere in the Vegas Strip. The lines for food is incredibly long and expensive. And there's just people everywhere. Plus, it was super hot outside so that didn't help our mood. Sadly, we missed the fireworks too because it took us forever to get food and park. No fun... Although the pool is refreshing.

Other than that, I've been busy at home. I've been cleaning and organizing a bit (kinda procrastinating on that though.)

I've also been doing a lot of reading. All year, I'm busy studying and such so it's nice to be able to have a lot of time to read as many books as I want to.

I've also had a lot of new piano pieces to learn so a lot of my time has been spent practicing.

Even though it's summer, I still have to keep my mind learning. So what I've been doing is learning vocabulary words to prepare me for SAT/ACT test. I only have one more year to help me prepare for it so I'm doing a bit of studying each day in order to improve... but it's on the Internet so that always distracts me.

So that's my busy summer. Although, I still procrastinate when it comes to cleaning. At least it's not so hot lately due to thunderstorms. (It's rare to have thunderstorms in July.)
♥ The busy Petpet

All pictures belong to rightful owner!

Driving, for the First Time!

I finally got my learner's permit this week!

NOW I CAN DRIVE! ...with my parents.

But still, the point is I can get in front of the steering wheel and drive.

I only drove for about 15 minutes my first but I think that's all I could take. It's easy to drive a SAFE go-kart but it's not easy driving a DANGEROUS car that can kill people. My mom and I just worked a lot with braking, gas, and turning... It's pretty easy but it takes me awhile to get used to being on the left side of the front seat. (All those drivers out there can probably understand all this... Including Cpt. Busy Seagull.)

I was pretty nervous and still have trouble turning. I was also scared to see upcoming cars and kids on the street as well.

It was only 15 minutes but I felt that was plenty for the first try. I still have much to learn... But that's okay. I have a whole year until I'm 16.

Hopefully I can learn the basics of driving without crashing or failing.

❤ The Not so Fast and the Furious, Petpet

Need for Speed

Yesterday was Shiny Sun's 11th birthday party.

We went to our favorite fun center. It has laser tag, XD theater, arcade, mini-golf, go-karts, and more. I've been there so many times that I know what's the best... and to be honest, my favorite has to be go-karts. We stayed there for about 5 hours (1 hour eat.) I had so much fun and too much adrenaline.

I went on the "bumper boats" about 2 times to beat the heat. The Go-Karts about 3-4 times and managed to pass people ahead of me. It was actually pretty fun. The constant wind in my face was refreshing and I just got to feel adrenaline. During my drives, I managed to do pretty well without being a jerk (unlike other people.)

At one point, there was a guy trying to pass me to catch up to his friend in front of me. I wasn't going to let him until I didn't turn sharp enough and he had the chance to pass. You know, I could have hit him in the back of his kart and not let him pass like a jerk... or I could've just stopped for a second and let him have his fun. You probably guessed which one I did.

Then some jerk girls aren't as nice as me. I was driving and was catching up to a 2 girls (they have passengers for the Go-Karts.) Anyways, I decided that I wanted to pass them so when I got the chance to, I got past them. Right when I was about to turn the next curb, they hit the back of me and turned me around the course. I had to wait until everyone else behind me could pass so I could make a U-turn back onto the course. They tried to do that with a few other people too... which was really stupid. I mean, just let me pass you for a second instead of making me spin out! They were teens so I'm not sure if they know how to drive. If they do, I just hope they aren't that wreckless.

All that Go-Kart driving made me crazy for speed... and that's not a good thing when I'm about to get a driver's permit soon. I'll get over it soon though.
~~~~~~~~
Aside all that, Shiny Sun had a great birthday party. She got to hang out with her closest friends and celebrate her birthday. We also got to hang out with our cousins and just have a good time.

Her birthday isn't until the 26th but it's always worth the celebration! So happy birthday little sis! (You'll get your present on your actual birthday.)

♥Petpet

Pentatonix

I've always been a fan of Acapella music. I don't listen to it everyday but I still enjoy listening to it. I've been listening more to Accapella since I found an awesome group.

The group's name is Pentatonix. If some of you have watched 'The Sing-Off," then you probably know this group already. If you aren't a big fan of acappella, they will probably change your mind about it. They are just 5 people singing their hearts out to some of the best songs ever.

Ever since they won "The Sing-Off," Pentatonix has become more and more popular. They've also released albums and done tours! Don't believe how awesome they are? Well, why don't you check it out yourself?(Do not worry. They cleaned up the song quite a bit.)

Their version of Thrift Shop is awesome and their "outfits" totally match the song's theme.

This next one is one of my all time favorites:

Totally beautiful and powerful. I also love the message of the song by mashing the two songs. It really brings hope to the world...

This next video doesn't only show the revolution of music but the brilliance of it.

I love the transitions they do for this song. It all fits int so perfectly and there were at least 30 songs in that video that it's amazing. Again, this is brilliant.

My favorite collaboration video to one of my favorite songs:

The scenery they filmed in and the costumes are great. So steam punk. :3

Another cover of Nicki Minaj's "Starships"...

To be honest, this music video makes more sense than the original... Without the hidden meaning, of course.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pentatonix has 5 members. Lead singers Scott Hoying, Kirstie Maldonado, Mitch Grassi; bass singer Avi Kaplan; and beatboxer Kevin “K.O.” Olusola. Together, they perform arrangements of some of music's most popular songs.

So before Pentatonix became a huge sensation, they had to go through a competition to be the best. That competition is known as "The Sing-Off." The five sang week after week They beat the competition and impressed the judges. This is one of their best performance:

After they won, they got the money and started their own EP. Then their popularity grew. They released their album, went on tours, and captured the hearts of many.

I am a HUGE fan of Pentatonix and I hope you like them too!
♥Petpet

Learn more about Pentatonix here:

Subscribe to their YouTube channel here: PTXofficial's channel

*All videos belong to PTX and I'm not taking any credit. I just want to share about them.

What a weekend!

Goodness... my weeks have gone berserk now.

Let's start with Friday.

For my state, it is legal for teens 15 and up to get their learner's permit... just to start driving. My parents wanted me to get it so I could start driving over the summer. I studied kinda well but I knew I could make it with a passing score of 80%. At the first driver's place, we found out that we were missing a few wrong things so I could test until I got my FULL birth certificate and house bills that were within 60 days ago (to check for that I am a resident of the state.)

We went back to a different place later that day and I finally got to test. Well... I tested and got a 78%. I just missed passing score by 1 question. I probably would have gotten one of those questions if I didn't start off with a bad day. (It always happens when I'm at school too.)

At least I got to watch "Man of Steel" that night. I have to say, superhero movies are becoming my new favorite thing... Don't ever ask me to choose between Marvel and DC comics though.

On Saturday,
I just stayed home...but I did get a good hour workout. My mom willingly played some sport with us. That's rare but very celebrational.

On Sunday,
I woke up early to do my Father's day card. (Yay for procrastination and forgetful mind!) This year, I did a superhero theme because I'm pretty sure he was getting tired of all those "tie cards" I gave. It was probably one of the best cards I've made in such a short amount of time. Then later that night, we went out to dinner (dad's choice, of course.)

After a nice full meal, Shiny Sun and I decided to watch a movie together. My parents weren't interested so we just went and watched. We watched one of the best movies ever created... "Holes." I swear, that story is a genius piece of work.

Dang... so much can happen in a few days.

Summer break has been great but I should really get to finding something to do during my summer vacation because the constant online hours isn't good for me.
♥Petpet

Book Review #11: Night

It's been awhile since I did one of these...

This book is called Night by Elie Wiesel. It is a memoir on the author's experience in the World War II camps. (A memoir is a narrative composed from personal experience during their life.) The story really reminds readers of the terror the Jewish had to go through during the war.

Night is recommended for young adults and adults who can handle reading about real-life suffering. This is a work of nonfiction which tells about events that the author suffered through during his stay at the camps. If you are uncomfortable with the camps or World War II itself, you probably shouldn't read this book.

Wiesel starts his story before he was taken away from his home. He lived in a town known as Sighet. He was a happy boy that was proud of his religion. Then one day, the Germans came and took all the Jews out of their homes and to the camps. Wiesel describes everything that he experienced during his journey between life and death. Along the way, Wiesel has to decide to choose between survival or his fate.

This was a very terrifying story to me. It brought me to a greater reality about World War II. I've always learned about what happened but this was deeper. It wasn't about statistics but more of the terror and suffering the Jewish felt. That really made me think of humanity... Humans are great but they can be cruel to each other. It is a very depressing book so I would be careful when you decide to read this.Although it is sad, it will be a story you will never forget.
♥Petpet

9th Grade Graduation

Tuesday, June 4th was my 9th grade graduation.

To be honest the graduation was fun. I just regret that I didn't wear heels and that I didn't wear my pretty dress (I thought I would overdress but apparently not.) We took pictures of the guys and girls in our pretty dresses.

Then we went on with the ceremony. The first speech was from an administrator and it was nice. Then my friends sang a duet of "Hallelujah." It gave me the goosebumps and it still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. I'm jealous of their voices!

The speech from our student body president was great. He did a great way of talking about the good times at our school while making it a little comedic. His speech really loosened the tiring atmosphere. I'm really going to miss him.

Our last speech was from our principal was... very long. She talked about how this school first opened and the 3-4 years we've had. She managed to make us feel proud though. What she did was say an accomplishment and then have all those that did it at their years at our school stand up. Everyone stood up at least once... whether it was for being here 3-4 years, joining different clubs, being on the school teams, or academics. I stood up so much that it was crazy. Here's what I can remember standing up for:

• Being at the school for 6-9
• Being at the school for 7-9
• Getting Honor Roll
• Getting High Honor Roll
• Getting High Honor Roll all of this year (9th grade)
• Joining Journalism
• Joining Yearbook
• Joining Peer Leadership
• Joining a Music Program
• Going to the Spanish Language Fair
• Help win the trophy at the Spanish Language Fair this year

There was probably a few more... but that's all I remember. I felt great because I knew I didn't spend my middle school years doing nothing.

We then had a slideshow of the proceeding students. They had pictures of us when we were in 7th grade and then this year's yearbook teacher. It's amazing to see the 2 year difference in everyone. Even I looked so different...

We went through our little ceremony after the slideshow. It wasn't much. We got to shake hands with the school board (who I'm not very fond of because they are the ones why we can't get anything fun) and get a snazzy little "diploma." Then we got to take a picture with our principal. Pretty fun stuff. (NOT.) I guess that's one way to prepare us for graduation in high school and college. 

I took tons of pictures with my friends... and felt shorter still. What is up with parents and picture taking? Either way, it was still a fun night. I have "officially" graduated from the school!

♥Petpet

Special Day Full of Tears

Well... If you all know me enough... you probably know what day it is.

Even if you didn't know, June 5th, 2013 is...

• My 15th Birthday
• Last day of 9th grade
• Last day of going to the school 
• Start of Summer

So yeah... It was a very exciting day.

I was a few minutes late to school so I couldn't go check in with my first period teacher (I had to help with yearbook.) I spent pretty much all morning helping yearbook. Then, I FINALLY got to go upstairs and start yearbook signing. I had to roam through the halls just to find my friends.Then we all went downstairs for our end of the year slideshow! It was fun watching all the memories I've had this year.

We spent the last 2 hours signing yearbooks. This year, I didn't get many people to sign (which is okay because I don't want a lot of "HAGS" in my yearbook.) It's amazing to read what your friends say. Last year when we did yearbook signing, I saw all the 9th graders crying... and I also cried a bit because some of my friends weren't coming back.

I knew I was going to cry. Even if I promised myself that I wouldn't cry... I did. The last 30 minutes were the worse. I cried so much and so did almost all of my friends (some of the guys are just too hardcore. :P) All the gals cried at some point though. I was one of the worse (luckily I don't wear makeup often or else I'd be a mess.) 

The cover of our Yearbook

You know, it's so hard to imagine not being able to see your friends everyday. I've been with these people for 3-4 years that it's hard to let them go. Sure, I'll still be friends and be able to contact them but it's not the same. It is never the same once someone leaves. I get to start the cycle all over again.

So, I guess it was a pretty good birthday. I got the most birthday wishes this year in my life. (About 10 from PSF, 10 from Facebook, and about 10 from my guild.) I had some birthday cake from my party on Saturday... and I no longer have to go to school for a few months!

Even if I cried like a baby, it was still a great day and year. High school... here I come!

♥Petpet