RINGO!

Hey! I got back from Reno last night, and Ringo Starr performed there! Me and dad went to go watch. I've never been to a rock concert before, so my ears were a little shocked by the noise. Especially since we were right in front of the speaker. See, there were 2 empty seats in the front row, so we snuck up and took them (they said we could fill empty seats). Front row seats! But my stupid camera broke, so I didn't get many pictures or little videos on my camera. Sigh. This is one of the few pictures I got.

I knew three of their songs:
Yellow Submarine
I Wanna be Your Man
With A Little Help From My Friends

Yellow sub was fun because everyone sang along.
That was so cool!

Phoenix Dragon

So, here's the almost last dragon. I still have to finish fixing the frilled dragon. Or ruffled dragon. I forget what I called it.
I think the hand in this picture actually looks better than the dragon...
So, this is Poco, from the extinct story you've heard so much about. He's a phoenix dragon. Like their larger relatives, these little guys breathe fire. They most closely resemble the sun dragons. But don't let their size fool you. Though the larger dragons can only breathe fire, phoenix dragons can breathe fire, and also control it. So, they can create a full-sized dragon out of fire, if they're strong enough, among other talents. They prefer not to get wet, though, because it makes if harder for them to control the fire.

Ginger Design

Oh, Ginger has a really long braid. And she wears that fur-lined cape. Other than that (or if I wrote anything else about her in the story) I don't mind. Whatever "feels" right.

Ginger

Here's some character concept art for Ginger. So you can pick and choose different aspects of the three, like eye shape, face shape, or hair style, etc. I'll just combine them together later.









I just realized I haven't posted a picture of my character, Saleera, from the story Tara and I are writing in a while. And I was bored, so here it is.

Dude...

Dude Tara...research much? Seriously! Anyway I'll post up the map as soon as I can find some paper...it's amazing how hard it is to find things on my desk right now.

Japanese and Korean Dragons

Oh yeah. A couple more pictures.
A Japanese dragon.


And a Korean dragon.

Chinese, Japanese, Korean Dragons

So, I said I'd do some research about these dragons. I couldn't find anything so far about the Tibetan dragon, but since all these three (I added Korean because it seemed to go with the others) seem to share very similar traits, I assume the Tibetan dragon has them too.
First of all, these dragons control the waters, such as the rivers, lakes, seas, ex. Maybe they should be our water dragons! Imperial Chinese dragons have 5 toes. Other Chinese dragons have 4 toes, as do the Korean dragons. Japanese dragons have three toes (because in Japanese, the word 4 sounds like the word death). There's two theories about these toes, depending on where you live. The Chinese believe that as the dragon travels further from China, it loses toes. The other theory is that the dragon gains toes as it heads in that direction. Hmm. I shall choose no side in this debate.
Ryu (Japanese dragons) can grant wishes. Their powers include healing and transformation.
Now this stuff is what I learned about chinese dragons specifically. So, here goes.
The loong (or lung/long) is how you say dragon in Chinese (we stayed in the Loong Palace hotel when we went to China). I personally prefer to spell it loong, because lung makes me think of breathing, and long makes me think of distance. Loong looks like how it's pronounced, if you know what I mean. They're guardians and they protect people.
The loong have a body of a snake, antlers of a deer, a camel head, eagle talons, tiger paws, carp scales, bull ears, crocodile (or iguana) neck, frog belly, hare (demon) eyes. The ones in parenthesis - the iguana and demon, I've also heard. But I'm not sure which one is the original idea. Anyone who knows, please tell me. They're also supposed to have 117 scales. I'm not sure what the significance of that is. Again, anyone with more information, it's be nice if you could post it!
Loong hold a flaming pearl, which lets them "ascend to the heavens." Since that seems like a good phrase.
There's also a legend that somewhere there is a Dragon Gate, and any carp that can jump over this gate will become a dragon.
So, there's nine main loongs. Here they are (I got this from a website over a year ago and I just read it now. I forget where I got it, so if you find I stole it from you, tell me and I'll be happy to link it back to you).
Tianlong: Celestial dragons. They pull the gods' chariots and guard their palaces. (5 toes)
Shenlong: Spiritual dragons. They control rain and wind.
Fucanglong/fucanlong: Hidden treasure dragons. They're underworld dragons that guard buried treasure of any kind. Doesn't have to be man made. When they come out of the ground, they're said to create volcanoes.
Dilong: Underground dragons. Earth dragons that rule rivers and streams.
Yinglong: Winged dragons. The oldest eastern dragon, and the only one with wings.
Quilong: Horned dragons. Said to be the strongest.
Panlong: Coiling dragons. supposed to live in lakes of the Orient (What's the Orient?)
Huanglong: Yellow Dragons. Came from the River Luo and gave the emperor Fu Hsi the elements of writing. Have "scholarly knowledge."
Long Wang: Dragon kings. Rule the seas to the north, south, east and west. That means there's four of them. One for each sea. They can change into humans.

In addition to these nine main ones, there's 9 dragon children and two hornless species: the jiao/chiao and li. Jiao lives in swamps. Li is homeless and lives in the ocean (but then wouldn't the ocean be its home?).
Here are the others. (thanks to http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/13Traditions1371.html for the pictures)
Bixi: Looks like a turtle. He likes to carry heavy loads. Image carved on the stone base of tablets.

Chiwen: Looks like a lizard without a tail. Carved on the roof because it likes to see things from "precarious" positions.

Pulao: A small dragon. Likes to roar, so is found on bells.

Bi'an: Looks like a tiger. Is powerful, and found in prisons.

Taotie: Looks like a wolf. Likes to eat. Is found on ancient bronze.

Qiuniu/Gongfu: Small yellow dragon. Likes water and music. Found on bridges.

Yazi/Yaizi: Looks like a jackal. Likes to kill.

Suanni: Looks like a lion. He likes fire and likes to sit.

Jiaotu: Looks like a palm (a palm tree, or the palm of your hand?) Is tight-lipped (doesn't like to talk?) He's carved on doors.

Storm Dragon

So, this is D'Arcy (duh-are-see), Also a former occupant of "Dragons of Element." There was also a sun dragon in that story too named Shakayah (she was purple). But I didn't put her drawing on the blog. Because let's face it, it wasn't very good. My other sun dragon drawing was better. So I put that one up instead.
So, back to storm dragons. They're built similarly to wyverns. That is, they have two legs and two wings. But they do have many other differences. For example, they have a sort of feathery mane, which I didn't really improve upon until after this drawing was done. So, just pretend like she has MORE feathers down her neck. And though you can't see it in the picture, storm dragons do have hawk-like legs. They can control wind, and also call upon storms.

Frost Dragon

This is Narsay, a frost dragon. He was originally from Dragons of Element, but is now homeless. He'll get a part some time in the future. Frost dragons are levitators. They can breathe frost and ice, and Narsay even learned to spit ice sickles. They can also control snow, ice, ex. To some extent, water because water is very closely connected with ice, as you know.
Sorrel is also a frost dragon, as you may recall. But her coloring is a little more unusual. Narsay here is more typical coloring for a frost dragon. White, blue, and other pale colors. Narsay is supposed to have fur that shines like opals. It's hard to convey in a drawing though.

Lash Dragon, redone

I got a less blurry picture of my lash dragon. Here he be.

Dawn Dragon

I realized that I neglected to mention Nicole's last post! Yay! Nicole posted! Thanks, Nicole.
So, I realized that in addition to some of the dragon designs which I had to redo, I forgot to post a couple of them. So, once I scan them, I'll put them up. But for now, I'll put up my newly redone Dawn Dragon. Dawn dragons are shorter and thicker than their close relatives-the sun dragons. They're also bigger than sun dragons. And they breathe fire.
This is Strongheart. It is actually the name of a dog. An actor dog that was in several movies and was very famous in his time (He died a while ago). And he was very SMART. You could say something to him, like: go and grab that branch, take it to that man there, come back and tag my hand, then sit down. He could understand what people told him, in complex sentences. And he was one of those psychic animals. He could tell if a person was good or bad. I read about him in a book called "Kinship with all Life" by J. Allen Boone. I highly recommend it. It's short, and it starts out boring. But it gets better, and is completely fascinating.

But either way, my dragon Strongheart originally starred in "Dragons of Element," which as you know, I have abandoned even though I finished it. Now I'm bringing him back in a new story I created in Beijing. I haven't started it yet since I'm in the middle of almost 8 other stories. But here's the overall plot. Several of the magical races from Magic-Earth (there's a wind race, fire, water, ice, animal, night, tree, and earth. I'll explain about them later) plus Briena, the your mage who I'm currently writing about (title still nonexistent) and a dragon (Strongheart) from Soreina somehow get sucked to our earth. Still searching for an actual plot. I think there will be a unicorn involved too, since they're interdimensional beings and could assist in getting everyone back home. Not just a horse with a horn stuck on its head. The real unicorns have more dainty, deer-like bodies, cloven hooves, and lion-like tails. Here's a picture from "The Last Unicorn." Also a good movie. You should watch it.

Skull Kid and Kyouya

I always wondered what skull kid's face looked like...but then I remembered he didnt have one. So here's a doodle...woo doodles!!!

Also in honor of Nicole's posting, which she should probably do more of, here's Kyouya

VICTORY 2!

I can finally put up scanned pictures! Mom's friend came over and showed me how to fix it. Ellen, I don't have to bug you any more!
By the way, this is Boga from Star Wars. She's awesome! I want one!

Tibet and Chinese Dragons

A tibetan dragon

A chinese dragon. The five-toed dragons are the imperial dragons. In ancient china, if anyone besides the emperor wore an image of the imperial dragon on their clothing, they would be put to death. Good thing times are different now. Because I have an imperial dragon on one of my shirts.

I'm still looking for a good picture of a Japanese dragon. If you have one, put it up for me.
These sorts of dragons are usually very peaceful and usually don't breathe fire. In fact, I don't think they do at all. They're more comfortable around water. They have all the traits given to them by their cultures. I'll do a little more research and report back to you about these guys.

Just cause

Well since my other post will be knocked of the first page if I dont post now I'm posting now. so tada!!! as nicole says. here's page 2 of tara and my story in mangafied form! woo!

Oh and Nicole, I'm redoing my one manga about the weird kid who doesnt have godzilla living in his backyard...remember? Anyway I'm redoing it and it looks so much better! I've decided that white space in panels is the bane of my existence...who's bane anyway?

Something

Okie-dokie, Tara. Fine. I shall post...something.
So here's what this traitor has been doing. My mom had ear surgery a week ago so i've been staying at home taking care of her, and my family is driving me insane. they're so mean to me too! like, an hour ago, i was watching tv in the living room and it was the very end of a show, and my dad asks me a question. i wasn't concentrating cuz i was trying to listen to the tv so i asked him to repeat the question, and he got mad at me! he always hates when my mom asks him stuff when he's watching the end of something, and he throws a huge fit. but when i ask him to repeat a question, it's like i spit on him! the hypocrite. and my bro and mom were right there in the room cuz they'd been arguing with him a few minutes before, and neither of them stuck up for me! they just averted their eyes. i especially can't believe my mom; i did so much stuff for her this whole morning and afternoon! and what do i get? averted eyes. jerks!
*calms down* So they're dead to me now. ^-^
...
Ta da!
What? Was that not a good post? You said you didn't care what we wrote about! And you said...you said i wasn't doing anything! And you said-!
What? Hey, who are you? Why don't I talk about a book I read? Okay, I read this book called "Eye to Eye" about mannerisims and how people take physical cues from people and stuff (all of which I knew already so it was pretty boring)...which is ironic because of what I said earlier...maybe...no, nevermind.
Seriously, who are you?
Please excuse me ladies and gents, I had lotsa sugar today.
O.O
Ellen let's go get coffee! Tara come too! Bring a camera!

Sun Dragon

So, this is a sun dragon. And sun dragons are the most powerfully telepathic of dragons. Fire-breathers. They're the most well-known and wide-spread species in Soreina. I've referred to these several times, and I probably will again. Yes, this is the same dragon as the mascot of Dragon's Pen. I like to think that if I turned into a dragon, this is what I would look like.

Ranen

So, this is Ranen, Briena's stag friend. I kinda screwed up on his legs. I forgot to add the "elbow." But, either way, you get a sense of his mane and antlers, ex. And he is almost as big as a horse, so Bree can ride him. Yes, Bree is Briena's nickname.

Beijing Article 2

Hey! That other article came out yesterday! I'll put it up on the blog. Again, I hope this isn't illegal.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_9802442?source=most_emailed


Aragon High musicians play on Great Wall of China

By Neil GonzalesSAN MATEO — Tara had never traveled outside the country before. But during one hazy, humid day just before lunchtime, she found herself sitting on the Great Wall of China with her flute.
Under a looming, pagoda-like structure, she and about 145 other Aragon High School musicians performed in front of Chinese crowds in Beijing on the ancient, winding landmark.
"The Great Wall was incredible," the 18-year-old said. "I never thought I'd be able to do that."
Last month, the school's orchestra, choir and band ensembles visited China for 10 days to perform several concerts as part of cultural festivals leading up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games this summer.
Tara was among only a handful of students who participated in all three ensembles led by musical directors David Martin and Troy Davis. She played flute for the orchestra and band and sang in the choir.
Tara said she felt nervous early on during the Great Wall concert because she had to play a solo in one of the orchestra's pieces, but she got through the solo fine and was able to relax for the rest of the show.
The choir sang several numbers, including songs in Chinese.
"For me, it was challenging," Tara said of the Chinese songs. "The vowels were pretty tricky. They go in different directions. But I think we did pretty well."
Among several instrumental tunes, the band performed the host country's national anthem during which the
San Mateo County TimesChinese spectators "started to sing the lyrics to the music," she said. "That was exciting."
The students also played at Peking University with their performance recorded to be aired on Chinese television, Tara said.
"Events like these are seldom held (at) Peking University (considered by many as the Harvard of China)," said an entry in the blog www.jerryworks.net/aragon about the China tour, "so it was an honor to be invited to play at the Concert Hall. Larger-than-life posters adorned the streets outside the hall, advertising the event, and the auditorium was filled to near capacity. First up was the Huaxia Chamber Ensemble from the China Conservatory of Music, playing a selection of traditional, folk and opera music. The (Aragon) orchestra followed with a rousing rendition of 'A Beijing Overture.' The choir followed with a beautiful performance of 'I Am Not Yours.' And finally the band concluded the evening with the ever crowd-pleasing 'Stars and Stripes Forever.'"
The students donated their portion of the proceeds from the university concert to victims of the recent devastating earthquake in China, Tara said.
"I think it's good we put it to a good cause."
The Aragon group planned for the China trip for a year, doing local fund-raising events to finance their trip. Families also contributed money.
"It was a financial effort for all of us," said Tara's father, Larry. "But what a wonderful investment that they could do this. It's expanding their minds. It makes me a little jealous that she knows a lot more about the world than I do now."
The students, accompanied by about 50 parents and teachers, also enjoyed plenty of sightseeing in China, learning another culture up-close.
They hiked the Great Wall, rode on rickshaws, saw pandas at the zoo, dropped by silk and jade factories, and walked in the Forbidden City.
"I did have a good time even though the culture was quite a bit different from ours," Tara said.

Interview

(Found Olivia and Zach-remember? Facebook is good for finding people.)
Hey, I forgot to mention that a couple days ago someone from the San Mateo Times interviewed me (over phone) about the Beijing trip. I think Dad called them and asked them to do a small article about it.
So, they did a small article last year, and interviewed me. It wasn't a short interview, but they only used one quote. A lame one too. So, the last one was a long interview, so maybe they'll choose a better quote I'll post it whenever it comes out. You don't have to read the whole thing. My quote's at the end. Well, here's the old one.
I hope it's not illegal to post it...

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070523/ai_n19167383

Aragon music group to play at Beijing festival

SAN MATEO

AGROUP OF Aragon High School musicians have just been offered the opportunity of a lifetime. All they need to do is raise some money.

The school's music groups have been invited to perform at the Olympic Cultural Festival in Beijing, one of the many events leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Roughly 150 Aragon students will go to China from June 6 to 16 in 2008, where they will participate in four or five performances and do some sightseeing, said Troy Davis, director of bands.

The groups will get to perform on the Great Wall of China, a prospect that has many students very excited. They will also be holding concerts with music groups from schools and conservatories in China.

"This route will give them a very educational and cultural experience," Davis said.

Junior Elaina Marshalek, 16, who has played the clarinet for nearly eight years, said it's not often that people can say they have performed on the Great Wall of China.

"It's really exciting. We're areally great group of musicians, and to be able to perform all the way across the world is a great opportunity," said Marshalek, who has never been to China before.

Students from the school's bands, ensembles and choirs will perform in one band, an orchestra and a choir when they go to Beijing, Davis said.

They likely will do some traditional Chinese music as well as American folk tunes and selections from Broadway musicals, he said.

Davis said they were invited because of the music department's good reputation, and the fact that he knows someone who is organizing the Olympic activities. Aragon's music groups have won numerous awards at events around the country and often attend music festivals, Davis said.

In addition to attending numerous concerts and going to the Great Wall of China, they will visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Xi'an, said David Martin, director of choirs and orchestras.

One of the biggest challenges will be raising enough money so they can take all the students who want to go on the trip.

It likely will cost $2,700 per student, Davis said, meaning roughly $250,000 is needed to offset costs for all of the musicians who want to go.

They are planning to raise the money by writing grants, soliciting corporate sponsorships and holding school fundraisers.

Martin said he's confident they will raise enough money, since they have a year to do it.

"This will take the whole community to help us out," he said. "We have a lot of students who are deserving, but are by no means financially able to pay for this."

Aragon High junior Tara Caughlan has been playing the flute for five years and has even arranged a piece of music on her own. But she never thought she would have an opportunity to play at an Olympic festival.

"It's going to be so cool," she said. "I've never been out of the country before."

For more information about the trip or to find out how you can help, send an e-mail to Davis at mrtroydavis@mac.com or to Martin at artsrlive@run.com.

'cause Tara said so...

Ello! I'm finally posting a blog. woo...

Why? 'cause Tara told me too... 'cause I'm really lazy...

So...manga...

Well since tara's been posting like crazy, I figured I better post something too. I'm an anime/manga crazed fanatic...eh. Anyway being theartistically inclined *cough*manga-freak*cough cough* that I am I decided to turn Tara's and my story into a manga!!! Woot!!! Anyway here's the first page. Please keep in mind this is the first time I've done this...so if things dont make sense it's all the panda's fault!! So this is essentially Ch 0. page 1. It's like a narrator thingy...so give me some slack and I'll post the later pages...well later... (click on the picture to make it bigger)

Shaggy

So, remember that lame story I started in 6th grade? About the dog? Well, I got sick of it sitting n my to do list, so I "finished" it. It IS a piece of garbage. I basically wrote what I had from 6th grade since I didn't fell like improving on it now. It needs a lot of work, and maybe someday I'll throw away what I have typed and start it afresh. But I can take it off my to do list.

Lash Dragon

These guys have bad tempers, so don't get one mad. And since they have five heads, they're pretty fierce fighters. Especially when all five of those heads are breathing fire at you all at once. Yes, he does have wings. I just realized I forgot to draw them in, so we can pretend that they're tucked against his back. Shoot. SInce these pictures are a little blurry, some of the detail on him doesn't come out. And I put a lot of work onto this guy. I'll try to fix the blurry pictures eventually. There are a few more that I need to redraw because they turned out bad. I'll put those up once I redraw them.

Earth Dragon

Earth Dragons are battle dragons. They have sharp spikes along their back and are shorter and sturdier than some of the other dragons. They're not really big, but are very though. I did get a bit lazy drawing this guy, so I didn't add too much detail. But remember, I never claimed to be a great artist. I just like to sketch out some of my characters. Draco from Dragonheart could be classified in this group, but he breathes fire. Earth dragons don't breathe fire. They control rock, soil, metal, ex.

Wood Dragon

Well, he came out a little blurry, but you get the idea. Pretty much a snake with wings. The wood dragons don't breath fire, but have control over plants. That is, they can make them grow, bloom, have vines wrap themselves around something, ex. My cousin Beaux actually helped me think of this dragon. I was telling him about one of my stories. He was sitting on the floor behind a wooden chair. He looked at me around the wooden arm of the chair and said "I'm a wood dragon" (Perhaps slightly strange behavior for an adult, but me and my family aren't normal:D ) So, I made the wood dragon in charge of plants in honor of my cousin.

Lion Dragon

Lion dragon. They're a floating dragon too, but this one has four limbs. In addition to scales, they also have fur and a mane. Hence the title lion dragon. Their horns are more like those of an antelope. They don't breathe fire, but acid.
This is annoying. I have to put the picture on facebook, then bring it to gmail, then put it on my computer, then move it to my blog. And I know this part is boring. I've been waiting to do this a long time and I want to get it over with. It's boring to do.

Serpent Dragon

This is Coal, a serpent dragon. They're a floating type dragon, which means no wings. This particular species only has forearms. Their horns are more twisty than those of other dragons. And they usually have a mane. Instead of breathing fire, this species breathes poison gas.

Here's another example.




That's Volvagia, from Ocarina of Time. Again, I took a bunch of dragons with similar designs and blended them into a new species. I'm just picking out internet dragons that follow the vague outline. Most dragons you can find fit into one of my groups, which is what I'm aiming for.

Titan Dragon

Here's Sturl. He is a titan dragon-the largest of the dragon species. They also have longer necks than the sun dragons (obviously). Fire breathers. He was in "Dragons of Element," but now that that story is dead, I'll put him in another story. I've been taking out most of the theories and themes from "Dragons of Element" and adding them to other stories.

Imperial Dragon

So, here's Shalia. She's an imperial dragon. And that statue is one I have in my room. I have a lot of dragons that shape, so I turned that shape into the imperial dragon. The imperial dragons are much longer and thinner that sun dragons the blog mascot above is a sun dragon-the main type of dragon). They also have longer scales and more that 2 horns. They're very closely related to the sun dragons. Maybe we should change the name, though. It sounds too much like the imperial loong (chinese dragon). I'll ask Ellen though because she's part of the story where the imperial dragons are used. Since there's the sun dragon and the dawn dragon, maybe we could re-name them dusk dragons, or moon dragons? Moon dragon might sound better. They do breathe fire.

Midna drawing

This took me forever. That mask was hell to draw. I have a huge appreciation for whoever designed Midna.
And LOOK! I can make the pictures bigger!

Feather Dance

Here's Feather Dance. I'm still trying to sort out this puzzle that is my computer. And I still can't get the pictures to be very big.

Here's another crane I found too. Just to show the "dance" part of her name.

Pets

Here's my cat, Midnight, and my Rabbit, Alaska. My cat is very strange, isn't she? And Alaska (All rabbits for that matter) go into a trance if you put them on their back.

PHOTOS!

USING FACEBOOK I CAN PUT UP PHOTOS!
They're not big, but hey, they work. I'll see if it works to photograph my drawings, put them on faceboook, then put them on my blog. It takes a while, but I won't have to bug Ellen to put them up.
By the way, these aren't my puppies. I Wish they were, but I only got to visit them.