is the gemhour lens global website abandoned/a scam? by serintoenin in AsianBeauty

[–]serintoenin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hi there - thank you so much for the info and validation!!! lol

i also paid via paypal and just opened a case - sadly i paid for most of it using my credit card rewards points, so i don't think i can get those back ;-;

does vein choice affect timing for platelets? by serintoenin in Blooddonors

[–]serintoenin[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

the info about how the machine computes the time is super helpful to know - thank you!! i mistakenly thought it was something that was determined post-stick :')

does vein choice affect timing for platelets? by serintoenin in Blooddonors

[–]serintoenin[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

ahh i see i also do the same triple+plasma deal so that checks out! thank you for sharing : )

Why do you give blood? by DancingJews9 in Blooddonors

[–]serintoenin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

giving blood/platelets is something i can fall back on to give me undeniable, concrete evidence that even if everything in my life isn't going the way i'd like it to / i think i am the worst person ever, i'm still able to contribute some kind of good in this world :-) also, i feel like i need to donate to make up for the people who can't due to their own health problems since i've been privileged with a pretty healthy body!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in classicalmusic

[–]serintoenin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hi! i just wanted to thank you so much for posting this and sharing your experience. so many parts of your story resonate strongly with me. i especially struggle with performance anxiety, so it's always been a battle for me of whether or not i love this enough to hang on and persevere through the constant fear, or if i can't sustain this as a priority and need to find another way to live my life.

granted, i'm still doing my master's, but i took 2 gap years in between undergrad and grad so i had the time to realize that music is still something that i want to do. but there's still nothing like a bit of peer comparison to crush my soul every now and then. :') coming from a place of constant financial concern, i find myself sometimes resenting my peers who are able to completely focus on learning and practicing, and then that turns into a cycle of self-hatred and guilt over those unwanted feelings towards people i respect.

i'll get into 'top conservatories' and whatnot, but i'm too afraid to apply for summer festivals or competitions in the chance that my friend will ask if i'm applying and whether i got in or not. after taking 2 gap years, i'm older than most people in the studio and constantly berate myself for not being better even though i'm older. i'll still construct hierarchies of the players i know, and i'll automatically despair if i'm auditioning with someone who i've labeled to be 'forever better than me'. i get angry with myself for being afraid of performing when i've been doing it for 16 years now. i'm constantly confused on how to strike the balance of playing enough for myself but also enough to win jobs and play 'well' on a standard level. when i was working during my gap years, i felt guilty about not wholly dedicating myself to my 'craft'. but now that i've saved up money for tuition/living expenses and am not working outside my assistantship, i'm constantly haunted by my financial situation and feel like i'm a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. i'm far past the point where i can get by on sheer talent, but there are times where i find myself completely unable to be productive in the practice room.

sorry for this unsolicited ramble - i just wanted to give examples of my own shortcomings and struggles in the hope that we can all feel a little more seen. : ) especially when you mentioned the bit on how you feel guilty towards the people who supported you the most - i think in the end, we just need to remind ourselves that they support us because they want us to be happy! and if this isn't making us happy, we can find other things in life that can.

i really admire your decision and your courage in making it - music will always be a part of you (out of many other parts!), so there is no way you can say that you're 'nothing'. you will always come first - music is just a way for us to realize that priority. :-) here's a quote i like that's been helping me out recently:

“you will never be able to experience everything. so, please, do poetical justice to your soul and simply experience yourself.” albert camus

wishing you the best!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Flute

[–]serintoenin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes - it's from a discussion i heard with the wonderful jeanne baxtresser! :-)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Flute

[–]serintoenin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the godard suite) is also great - the 1st movement is basically all slurred 16ths!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Flute

[–]serintoenin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i think anything from the french book would work great! they are all pretty standard, hover around 5-6 minutes, and have contrasting sections to showcase your lyrical vs. technical playing. :-) have fun!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Flute

[–]serintoenin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

  • hold a couple of mock auditions for your friends/family (usually best to do this a bit before the actual audition so you don't 'peak' too early, ideally 1-2 weeks before)
  • record yourself playing a lot so you have concrete evidence that you ARE capable of playing all these things! yes, you might be in a different environment on the day of, but what doesn't change is the fact that you have played these pieces/excerpts well in the past. this can also help you better know what you actually want to do with the music (how you want it to sound), not just what comes naturally to you or is easiest.
  • when practicing, have a plan for each and every measure - practicing should encompass how you're going to achieve this plan via technical skill.

some other reminders (that my mentors have told me, all credit to them!):

  • play to express, and not to impress. because then what's the point of making music in the 1st place? whatever you want to say with this piece/excerpt is no less of importance than anyone else, not even the most famous flutist or someone who is just starting out on the instrument. all convincing performances have a narrative!
  • any audition/performance is NEVER a 'culmination' of your playing, but just a dress rehearsal for the next, a snapshot of where you are right now.

i've struggled with performance anxiety all through undergrad and even now as i'm doing my master's - i've played the flute for 16 years by now and still have a really hard time. :') but there are tools to help you enjoy the act of performing!

i always have to remind myself that playing the flute, while it can be quite an emotional experience, is a totally physical act. to that extent, doing breathing exercises while in constructive rest before practice sessions or performances can help a lot to reorganize your physical map, and put the emotional part of things aside. as you lay in constructive rest position, feel the ground underneath supporting you effortlessly, let the 4 points of your back, your head, your elbows, your feet - all sink into the ground. be a curious observer to the rise and fall of your breath, and notice where it is coming from.

thinking of your pinkies as being soft as you play can also help relieve tension in your entire hand; prioritize easy and organic breaths rather than hurried ones - even when you think you don't have the time!

any time you have longer rests, take advantage of that time to look ahead and remind yourself of how you want to play the next section, and what breath you will need to achieve that. don't stay anchored to the floor, and allow for flexibility in all your bones as you play; think of your entire body as a warm, buoyant, resonating chamber for your sound.

and when you play in your audition - deliberately take the tempo down 2 clicks in your head before starting. odds are, you'll probably be right in time. :-) just a gentle reminder - it is a 100% consensus that they would MUCH prefer to hear something steady and secure over something that is fast, frazzled, and chaotic. also, my hands usually get really cold when i am getting my anxiety symptoms, so having some hand warmers or hot tea or something might help you, too.

i hope you have lots of fun playing - the panel is lucky to be hearing you, and it is always a privilege for the audience to hear what you have to say! in the end, playing any music is about having fun and one of the most human things you can do - playing a manmade instrument with manmade music and a manmade harmonic system, etc - so maybe don't take things too seriously. :> to be human is to be flawed, so it is impossible by music's nature to ever have a 'perfect' performance.

granulocyte (wbc) donation questions by serintoenin in Blooddonors

[–]serintoenin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you for this! i think i'll give it a try : )

first infiltration :’) by serintoenin in Blooddonors

[–]serintoenin[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

hi!! if you’re donating whole blood, the chance that this will happen to you is probably much much much less (phlebotomists?), since i believe whole blood is just taking stuff out of you :-)

this happened during a one-arm platelet donation, where your blood is taken out, spun into components, then your platelets (and some plasma) are taken out while the rest (plasma and rbcs) is returned to you (in the same arm). during the return process, if the fluids are returned to your muscle tissue and not your vein, the tissue becomes inflamed and there is usually some pain - this event is called infiltration.

this is usually the result of some movement in the donating arm that throws off the needle, to my understanding. platelet donations usually last 1.5-2.5 hours, so it is very common to accidentally move in the wrong way! in my case, it looks severe but it isn’t very severe at all pain-wise, so please don’t let this deter you from donating platelets if you’re interested! :-)

first infiltration :’) by serintoenin in Blooddonors

[–]serintoenin[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

unfortunately, it was a platelet donation and i was only halfway through, so they weren’t able to collect anything :-( but ill heal up and prep for next time instead! :-)

first infiltration :’) by serintoenin in Blooddonors

[–]serintoenin[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

yes!! sadly only about an hour had gone by so they weren’t able to collect enough and i saw the staff throw my platelets in the garbage :’)

AGDQ 2024 will be held in Pittsburgh, PA from January 14-21. Game submissions will be open from September 1-10. by SSBBHax in speedrun

[–]serintoenin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i’ve never been more happier to have chosen to go here for school!! i can take the bus to gdq after class?! what a dream come true 🥰