This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

~ Never Far Behind by Aly and AJ

It really depends on your perspective when you read that title. What do you think I mean when I say “Never far behind?” Do you think I’m talking about reality? The problems that come with our life? Friends? Family? Well, this is what I mean when I say “Never far behind”.

I guess that today I’m feeling a little emotional. Heh, my friends will ask “since when have you not been emotional?” and I’ll say “FU!” Kidding! I’m just kidding! I probably wouldn’t say “FU!” per sé, but I’ll probably stare at the person blankly and shake my head. Anyways! You can say that I’m more emotional today than usual. But then, another person will say- well whatever, that’s another story or problem for another day.

Today, it was a good day. Woke up feeling energetic, ready to face the day, had my essay in my binder, had my iPod and cellphone charged, got my skates cleaned and the weather wasn’t too bad. I almost got hit by a car on the way to class, but whatever… that was just weird. I rolled into class- more like dragged and wheeled into class, but overall it was a good class. Though, sometimes I ask myself why I go through that class because some things just strike a chord and I don’t know how I should take it. Sharing experiences related to the topic is hard for me, I mean, nothing is really easy. Then again, life isn’t easy, but does it really have to be this hard? Do the constant struggles have to pile up like this? One good day and then problems arise again. It feels like my problems are so close and no matter how fast or far I run, I have a feeling that something might happen sooner or later. Rawr.

Maybe it’s the pessimist side of me that I have trouble dealing with that leads me to see things negatively. I’m always focusing on the negativity that I don’t see the positive results of what just happened. Maybe not always, but it has become a habit that I’ve fallen into so frequently. Being lost in the abyss of darkness, feeling alone and confused… it’s tough. Constantly wondering and waiting when the next problem will happen. The pessimism grows and as much as you try to change and try to be positive… you realize that the way you’ve acted so many times- being negative- follows suit so fast and it’s easier to fall into that kind of mindframe… it’s familiar.

Rawr. I have no reason why I say rawr now. I don’t say it out loud, but oh well. Let’s continue on, shan’t we?

When problems occur, you turn to people you know who cares and will listen. Well, that’s what I do, talk to someone I know who won’t shrug off what I’m saying and try to help me or just talk to me. The support system. Friends. Friends who become the support system that help you go through the problems that occur in daily life. They are the ones who help you through the times of crisis. They are the ones who you know will be around when you need a friend or help. The people who stay by your side no matter what; through whatever problem, issue, dilemma, and accept the way you act or react to a problem (even if they want to smack you over the head or punch you in the face), don’t judge you and help you are those who matter the most. They are the ones who’ll matter the most in your life because you can depend on them and hopefully they can depend on you. (Note: one-sided relationships… especially this kind of relationship… always taking and never giving back… just remember to give back.)

With that in mind, it’s good to know that people will be around and that you’re not alone. There are people who care even if it feels like you’re alone versus the world.  You’re never alone.

I went through an entire spiel that just expanded from my morning. What about the rest of the day, you ask. Here’s the rest of the day: break, lunch, interview, meeting(s), chill out, home. You’ll ask why there are no specifics, but I’ll say “everything that I felt during that morning class, what I learned, and what I had to dig up just to participate in that class panned out for the rest of the day. The entire day was centred around conflict. What kind? Well, that’s for me to know and you to probably not find out… unless you already know”. Everything was good, but once that feeling of sadness goes through me, it spreads and- it feels like a disease. It won’t go away unless I fight back. Sometimes I fight back, but other times I let it consume me because I’m tired of fighting. Or, I’m tired of running. I usually run from feeling sad instead of facing up to it and saying “I don’t want to feel like this anymore- it’s time to let go”. I’m a runner. I avoid. I hope problems go away, but that isn’t how it works. Not in this life. Not in this reality. Probably in any kind of reality. Owning up to what is wrong and bracing yourself for the impact is what you should do because despite every beating you take, you learn and realize that you can take it. If you need help to cope, you ask for help. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness because without help, sometimes, you might not be able to cope at all. Once you realize you can handle that problem, you know that you can probably handle whatever comes next. I’m just glad that there are people I can turn to for help. You know who you are and I thank you.

Thank you note: Thank you for helping me when I needed the help. Thank you so much for putting up with me because I know I’m not the easiest person to handle, but I’m glad that you understand. I’m really glad that I found you all because without you, I don’t know where I’d be right now. You guys are awesome and I love you all.

My final thoughts on this: Problems may always be near, and so will the negativity that comes along, but always know that friends and family are never far behind- you’re never alone.

***

Other stuff? I feel like being random. I want to throw something else in here. A poem? Song lyrics from the song that is playing while I write this? Let’s write a poem and throw the lyrics up front.

The deafening silence fills the air
And you wonder what you’re supposed to do.
You try to focus on the good day you had
But something else starts to eat at you.

You take a deep breath
And try to listen for something other than the silence.
You start to hear a quiet beat
Which is really your heart beating.

Thoughts fill your mind
And your life seems to flash before your eyes.
You wonder what it means
But then you realize that you’re reflecting in disguise.

You don’t understand until later
When your heart begins to ache.
Something in your past
Is about to make you break.

You reach for closest thing near you;
A pillow, a blanket, your phone, your computer, a teddy bear.
You steady yourself
And find out that you’re turning to a friend.

The pillow that you snuggled to,
The blanket that comforted you,
The voice through the phone,
The messages on the computer,
The bright eyes of a friend that was always there.

You hold onto whatever you have
And you pray that it doesn’t get taken away.
You try to feel better
And it works.

Maybe not right away,
But somewhere along the line…
Whatever ate at your heart
Is slowly disappearing.

You know that you’ll feel this way again
But you know that someone will be there to help.
Holding on and fighting is all you can do
But you know that you’re not alone.

Your friends are never far behind.

I’m deciding to update and I have nothing on my mind. Okay, that was a lie, I decided to delve into the thing called my mind and brought up many things… mainly videos I’ve been watching as of late from the Philippines. That will obviously be beyond the cut.

When it comes to those videos, some I’ll be proud of, some I’ll be laughing about, and others I’ll be dying from secondhand embarrassment. You can be the judge of these videos, since I’ve formed my own opinion on all of these already.

Ah, yes, I’ve also gotten around to listening to Filipino music again, OPMs. I’ll put up a list beyond the cut as well. After watching and listening to Filipino stuff, I think my Filipino…ness (?) is showing. Haha, yeah… however after watching all the Filipino stuff, it made me want to watch Spice Girls… stuff… yeah… those will be behind the cut as well.

Oh, I’ve formed some kind of celebrity crush on someone again. You’ll figure it out through the videos, if you know me well enough, you’ll notice who it is. Saying who it is right off the bat seems weird for me, but you know, whatever floats my boat.

This is going to be a relatively long post, so… everything shall go behind the cut… NOW!

(videos are owned by respective owners, I’m simply spreading them.)

Let the list of links of videos begin! A few of these videos will be about the same song… but different performances, case in being; they performed When I Grow Up about four times… so… you know. Time to scrounge through YouTube.

ASAP ’90s-09 (Titles are clickable)

I Hate This Part
Stickwitu/Don’t Cha ’05 (Watch this before the next link)
Stickwitu/Don’t Cha with Melissa Reyes ’08 (do note the choreography for Don’t Cha in both videos)
When I Grow Up (ASAP Opening)
When I Grow Up (It Girls)
When I Grow Up (Sarah Geronimo)
When I Grow Up/ 4 Minutes
Low
Mamma Mia Soundtrack
Umbrella
Filipino Medley (Kanto Boyz)
Spice Girls Medley (Kanto Boyz)
90s Medley (Carol Banawa)
One Moment In Time (Must See/ Charice)
Whitney Houston/ Celine Dion Medley (Charice)
Single Ladies (D-Lite)
ABBA Performances
Just Can’t Get Enough (KC Concepcion)
T-Shirt (It Girls)
Keeps Gettin’ Better
Break The Ice/ Disturbia
Dancecool ASAP Kapamilya
OPM Medley

Filipino Music List! (Titles are non-clickable)

Piolo Pascual – Kailangan Kita
MYMP – Kailan
Carol Banawa – Iingatan Ka
Regine Velasquez – Dadalhin
Dingdong Avanzado – Basta’t Kasama Kita
Louie Heredia/ Ronnie Liang – Nag-iisang Ikaw
Martin Nievera – Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin
Sharon Cuneta/ Sarah Geronimo – Bituing Walang Ningning
Faith Cuneta/ Sarah Geronimo – Pangarap Na Bituin
Sheryn Regis – Dito Ba

Spice Girls! (Titles are clickable)

Old Ozone Interview (Very funny)

Viva Forever (With Luv from Marcel)

2 Become 1 (Strictly Come Dancing)

Yup, if you’re bored, you can watch the videos or listen to the music. Haha, even if you can’t understand the lyrics, the music will suffice. Haha.

Title: Say Goodbye

Rating: G

Fandom: United States Women’s Gymnastics Team

Song: Say Goodbye by S Club 7

Notes: I do not own the characters or the song featured. I shall say that this is completely inspired by this fic by shawty_swingz. Angst, I tell you, angst! Oh and here’s a download link to the song, just in case you don’t have it. Please put the song in repeat; makes the fic more dramatic, HAHA! *Places a box of tissue on an imaginary LJ table*

Summary: It is the final day the entire team has together as one unit in Beijing before they take their separate roads in life once they return home.

It was the final day that Alicia Sacramone, Bridget Sloan, Chellsie Memmel, Nastia Liukin, Samantha Peszek and Shawn Johnson would spend a day all together as one bonded unit-a family-before they returned home to America and went their separate ways. Sure, the tour would somehow get them back together, but it wouldn’t be the same; not everyone would be there all in the same day-everything was going to be different. The six girls all found themselves in Nastia and Shawn’s room, lying on the two beds that had been pushed together, looking at each other in silence. They thought about having some kind of reunion every so often because they were more than teammates, they were friends, they were sisters; abandoning each other was not an option, but they knew that their schedules would be gruelling at some point and that not everyone would be able to make it.

The thought of actually splitting up and going back to their own lives was something hard for all of them to comprehend. They had spent so many months together that they couldn’t really see themselves without the others around. All the bonds had been created and for them to be slowly strained due to absence, it wasn’t the brightest thought for any of them. It also didn’t help that Nastia was leaving for America the following day while all of them were bound to stay a couple days longer or until the closing ceremonies, it made the reality of separation that much more real.

“I really don’t want to leave,” Shawn whispered, looking across to see Samantha looking back at her with eyes mirroring her own anxiety. She reached out with her right hand and entwined them with Samantha, feeling another hand entwine with her left. She took a deep breath and sighed as she felt Nastia hold her hand as she crawled up and lied behind her, holding her.

“I don’t think any of us do,” Alicia breathed, as she slowly crawled up behind Samantha, mirroring Nastia and Shawn’s position. She looked up and saw that Chellsie and Bridget were in the same position; all three pairs making a relative circle.

“I’m really going to miss you guys,” Bridget choked out, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She took a deep breath and willed for them to stay back, but every passing second and thought made her willpower wane. She felt Chellsie rub her arm, trying to comfort her, and it did to an extent.

In the years to come
Will you think about these moments that we shared

Nothing lasts forever though we want it to
The road ahead holds different dreams for me and you

All six of them had tears forming in their eyes, but all of them willed them back; they wanted to be strong for one another. Saying goodbye wasn’t going to be easy if they had trouble thinking about it. They all looked at each other and remembered the days when they would practice together, eat together and hang out together, wishing that it would never end.

“I don’t want to say goodbye…” Nastia whispered, her face pressed up against Shawn’s shoulder. She couldn’t handle the reality that it was almost over. She took a deep breath and looked up at the other girls, seeing a knowing and understanding look on all their faces which partially eased her heart.

Sometimes goodbye, though it hurts in your heart,
is the only way for destiny
Sometimes goodbye, though it hurts,
is the only way now for you and me
Though it’s the hardest thing to say
I’ll miss your love in every way
So say goodbye
But don’t you cry
‘Cause true love never dies

“No one does, Nast, but we all have to eventually. What am I saying, we’ll eventually see each other down the road, this isn’t goodbye, it’s more like a see you later,” Alicia replied back, her voice cracking as tried to hold back her tears. She half-laughed, hoping to lighten up the mood, but she saw the unchanged looks and sighed, pulling Samantha closer to her.

In a year from now
Maybe there’ll be things
we’ll wish we’d never said

Sometimes goodbye, so it hurts in your heart,
is the only way for destiny
Sometimes goodbye, so it hurts,
is the only way now for you and me
Though it’s the hardest thing to say
I’ll miss your love in every way
So say goodbye (so say goodbye)
But don’t you cry
‘Cause true love never dies

“I wish everything didn’t have to happen so fast, I just want to stay with you guys forever,” Chellsie breathed, watching as everyone held onto each other as if they were their last lifeline. She, too, tightened her hold on Bridget, wishing time would stand still.

“We’ll see each other, maybe not all at once, but we will. We’ll figure something out during the tour, all of us will stay in one city and just hang out,” Shawn stated, wiping her eyes from the tears that threatened to spill down her face. She saw the half-smiles on the others as she tightened her grip on Samantha and Nastia’s hands.

“It’s not the end, why are we freaking out like we’ll never see each other?” Bridget asked, already knowing the answer, but the question nagged at her.

“Because we live miles apart… our lives are going to change once we leave Beijing,” Samantha answered, looking over at Bridget, seeing the sadness in her eyes.

“Well, why are we just lying here then? If this is our final day, shouldn’t we try to make the best of it? There is no way I’m going leave Beijing depressed,” Alicia stated, pushing herself off of the bed into a sitting position. She looked over at everyone else and sighed. “Come on… as team captain, I say we go out.”

“Alicia…” Nastia quietly drawled out, watching as the other girl began to pull everyone up into sitting positions.

“Seriously, I’m not letting us waste this perfectly good day. Today is our last day and we’re making the best of it, got that? Nastia’s leaving tomorrow and then we’ll all leave for our own lives; this is our day, so let’s get on it,” Alicia stated, but she immediately wanted to bite her tongue when she saw Shawn’s tears freely flowing down her face. She realized that reality was truly setting on the younger girl and all she could do was crawl over to Shawn and pull her into a hug.

And when you need my arms to run into
I’ll comfort you
Nothing will ever change the way I feel

Sometimes goodbye, though it hurts in your heart,
is the only way for destiny
Sometimes goodbye, though it hurts,
is the only way now for you and me
Though it’s the hardest thing to say
I’ll miss your love in every day
So say goodbye
But don’t you cry
`Cause a true love never dies

Everyone eventually joined into creating a group hug. All of them held onto each other and soon all their tears were flowing down their faces and none of them were willing to make it stop, it was their moment; their bond as a family. They knew that despite this turn in their lives that everything would be okay, everything would turn out for the best. Nothing would break their bond and nothing would forever separate them; they were a team, they were friends, they would never let each other go.

“I love you guys and know that it’s never going to be goodbye, it will always be a see you later,” Alicia whispered.

The quiet din of cars passing through the streets beneath the hotel did nothing to calm the Russian Olympic medalist. Nastia Liukin, America’s golden Olympian, who seemed to be able to focus, concentrate and take control of any situation given to her, felt at a loss.

To her honesty, Nastia felt challenged; more challenged than being in the Olympics. She had no idea why one little thought kept her from staying calm and collected. Every time she thought about that one little idea, she seemed to unravel and lose control; falling into the abyss she called her feelings.

A crush.

That was the ‘little idea’ that constantly put Nastia swirl into a spiral of inner conflict. To Nastia, a crush was simply something small and nothing to lose sleep over; her many boy crushes never affected her so much, but this crush was more than she expected. That one night where she watched Shawn sleep soundly on the bus had her emotionally and mentally conflicted. The way the younger girl managed to unintentionally put her entranced had her reeling. She had no explanation why that night made her see Shawn in a different light, but it did and she knew that her life changed from that night.

Tonight, Nastia began to examine the thoughts and feelings she felt that night and everything seemed to fall back to something that told her she had a crush on her best friend; not a friendly crush that meant admiration or adoration, but a crush that involved the longing for the other to like them in the same way. She knew it was completely irrational to have a crush on her best friend because for one thing, they were girls and girls do not have these kind of crushes on other girls; theoretically. However, theory exists so much in the real world and in the real world, unexpected things are bound to happen, and this was completely unexpected.

An anxious groan came from Nastia as she started to delve deeper into her feelings once again. She rolled onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow as thoughts began to rush into her mind. All the ‘what if’ questions bombarded her; what if she really did have a crush on Shawn, what if Shawn found out, what if her parents found out, what if everyone found out, what if she liked Shawn for more than a friend, what if she did succumb to her crush? The questions continued to pile into her head and Nastia could do nothing to make it stop. She tried to think of something else, but it somehow led back to Shawn and her crush, which was driving her to the edge.

The quiet monotonous sound from the vibrations of the cellphone had Nastia blindly reaching out for the device. She wondered who would be calling her at that ungodly hour, but any distraction would suffice (in her mind) to keep her on track. She found her phone and lifted her head to see who was calling.

“Is this a sign or something?” Nastia muttered to herself incredulously, noticing it was Shawn who was trying to contact her. She realized that Shawn left her a message and she flicked her phone to read the little note.

‘Hey Nast, are you asleep? Sorry if I woke you, I really can’t sleep.’ Nastia quietly chuckled at the text message; that was Shawn for her, the text messages in the early mornings asking if she was awake. Usually, she would actually be asleep only to wake up and answer the text, but tonight was not one of those nights; she was awake, wide awake. Though conflicted, Nastia answered the text replying that she was awake and that it was okay for her to message her; they were best friends after all. She sighed and buried her face back into her pillow, holding her phone in her hand.

“Should I really be doing this, right now?” Nastia mumbled to herself against her pillow. Before she could go into an internal monologue about what she was doing, her cellphone began to vibrate in her hand. Once again, she pulled her head away from her pillow to look at the display on her phone and saw Shawn actually calling her.

“This is a sign, isn’t it?” She smirked and answered her phone. “Hey, what’s up?” A quiet breathing was all Nastia could hear and she wondered what was going on.

“Hey, you sound really awake,” Shawn whispered, noting Nastia’s bright voice. She rarely ever found Nastia awake so early and so chipper, but there was a first time for anything, right?

“I couldn’t really sleep… too much on my mind I guess,” Nastia quietly replied back, holding herself back with the thought that something might slip. She heard a suppressed laugh from the other line and it made her smile.

“Miss Nastia Liukin, unable to sleep because she has too much on her mind? You slept like a baby before every competition, what changed?” Nastia half-heartedly laugh at Shawn’s response; always the observant one.

“You,” Nastia whispered back and her eyes completely widened at what she said. She pressed her face into her pillow and moved her phone away, groaning loudly into her pillow, realizing she said something that she did not mean to say. She brought her phone back to her ear, waiting for a reply; hoping that Shawn did not hear her whatsoever. Thoughts began to rush madly back into her mind and new ‘what-if’ questions appeared; this was not good. She waited and waited, but there was a silence and it was beginning to make her nervous. She felt her heart thundering in her ears from the anxiety and her palms growing sweatier by the passing second. Did Shawn hear her?

“What was that? I sort of spaced out…” Shawn trailed off into a silence. Little did she know that Nastia was ready to pass out in her room. However, she did hear a deep sigh from the other end of the line, but she thought nothing of it, thinking that Nastia was annoyed that she spaced out.

“Stupid Freudian slips…” Nastia breathed, rubbing her free hand over her face.

“What was that?” Nastia froze and cleared her throat, slapping her forehead.

“Nothing, I think I’m just tired- making me speak really random things,” She replied back, trying to sound as inconspicuous as possible, but her tone sounded otherwise. Luckily, she managed to keep herself from rambling on and eventually setting herself up for defeat.

“Oh… do you want me to leave you alone?” Nastia smacked her forehead again and rubbed her face; wondering what was going on with her. She took a deep breath and tried to collect herself so something she actually wanted to say would come out instead of some random thing.

“No, it’s okay, it’s not like I’m tired to the point of passing out, just tired because it’s late. You don’t have to leave, you’re not doing anything,” Nastia took a deep breath and realized she did not completely withhold herself entirely from rambling. “No, don’t leave me alone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Shawn, always the thoughtful one,” Nastia thought, rolling onto her back as she looked up at the ceiling. “Yes, I’m sure. Anyways, Miss Johnson, why are you still awake?” She heard Shawn giggle on the other end, making her smile.

“If you must know, the tour’s starting to get to me actually; I can’t sleep, I’m getting kind of homesick,” Shawn quietly replied back, answering Nastia’s question.

Nastia quietly sighed at Shawn’s statement. She knew how much the other girl missed being at home after arriving from Beijing; she said so during one of the day offs in the tour. She, too, also missed home; all the interviews and all the promotions she had to do was starting to take a toll on her as well. Even if all she did was fun, it was still tiring.

“So do I, Shawn, so do I. Once the tour is over, we can go home and just relax,” Nastia replied back, hearing a quiet snort from the other line.

“Will I still get to see you?” Shawn’s voice pulled at Nastia’s heart; the sound of apprehension and anxiety evident. The possible look of sadness on Shawn’s face passed through Nastia’s mind and it made her frown; she wanted to run to Shawn and hold her and tell her that everything would be okay.

“Yeah, of course you’ll see me, why do you think you won’t?” Nastia quietly asked, knowing that Shawn would give her an explanation that would undoubtedly have her thinking, after hearing her sigh.

“Come on Nast, what do you think? Once the tour is over, you’ll either be doing more interviews or promos so that will obviously take up your time and those times when you actually have time to breathe, you’d probably want to spend your down time alone after spending nearly three months with other people. Besides, you’ll be occupied trying to figure out university because you’ll be starting off not so later after the tour, so I won’t be able to see you. When you go to SMU, then you’ll be completely occupied, so seriously Nast… will I still get to see you?” Nastia fell silent. All that Shawn said was true, she would become busier once the tour was over; university, possibly more endorsements, there may be little time for herself when she thought about it. She deeply sighed and covered her eyes with her free hand and really wondered what she was going to say. She did not want to raise Shawn’s hopes with her own uncertainty and she did not want to lie to Shawn for the sake of making her feel better or herself better.

“Shawn…” Was all she could muster up and say.

“Nastia… will I see you when all of this is over?” Shawn’s voice started to make Nastia break; the fear in Shawn was starting to go through her.

“Yes… yes you will. I will do whatever I can to see you, okay? We’re best friends, and best friends always stick together, right? I’m not going to let you go or stop seeing you, so stop acting like we’ll never see each other again, got that?” Nastia was determined to convince Shawn that things would turn out. She had no idea how things would turn out because it was still early to say anything for sure, but some things were definite such as university.

“Are you by yourself?” Shawn’s question caught Nastia off guard, throwing her into a loop.

Title: Who Do You Think You Are
Rating: G
Fandom: USWGT
Song: Who Do You Think You Are – Spice Girls
Notes: I do not own the people referred in here nor do I own the song that is featured and the song that is mentioned. I heard the song and I had to write something on it. Completely Alternate Universe-it almost went with the tour timeline, but apparently not.
Summary: One song, one impromptu dance party, one party pooper. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Luckily, that night was one of the nights where everyone could finally relax. Alicia, Shawn, Bridget, Chellsie and Samantha all barged into Nastia’s hotel room, dragging a large stereo with them. Nastia had no say as to whether or not everyone could simply waltz into her room considering Alicia nearly brought down her door with her pounding and that everyone was yelling to get in. Unfortunately for her, sleeping early was completely gone. She sat on the edge of her bed as she watched as Alicia dropped the large stereo on the floor while Samantha pulled out a CD from a case she was holding. She had no idea why everyone wanted to be in her room at that hour; 10:00 being quite late in her eyes, with a stereo. Suddenly, music began to loudly blare from the speakers of the stereo and all that Nastia could do was fall back onto her bed and grab her pillow, pulling it onto her face.

“The race is on to get out of the bottom,” Alicia half-sang, half-called out as she hopped towards Samantha.

“The top is high so your roots are forgotten,” Samantha half-sang as well, looking at Alicia.

“Giving is good, as long as you’re getting,” Chellsie loudly sang, looking over at Bridget.

“What’s driving you is ambition and betting,” Shawn sang, walking over to Nastia and ripping the pillow away from the older girl’s face. She grinned at the exasperated look on Nastia’s face as she pulled her up onto her feet.

“I said-ah who do you think you are, do you think you are, I said-ah who some kind of superstar, you have got to!” Bridget continued on, looking over her shoulder at Shawn and Nastia; noticing the deadpanned look on Nastia’s face.

“Swing it, shake it, move it, make it, who do you think you are? Trust it, use it, prove it, groove, show me how good you are! Swing it, shake it, move it, make it, who do you think you are? Trust it, use it, prove it, groove, show how good you are!” Nastia’s jaw dropped during the chorus and she fell back onto her bed when she saw all of her friends doing the same choreography-the exact choreography for the song that the Spice Girls did for their concerts. She thought that the Soulja Boi dance was something she would never understand, but this, this took the cake. However, she found herself being pulled back onto her feet when Shawn grabbed her hands and pulled her up; the younger girl was not going to leave her on the bed.

“Don’t be a party pooper, Nast!” Shawn called out, over the loud music. She pulled Nastia further from the bed to make sure she would not collapse on it again. She was determined to get Nastia to dance, even if it meant coercing her to do so.

“You’re swelling out in the wrong direction,” Alicia sang, taking Samantha’s hands into her own; both of them jumping onto the bed and leaping on it.

“You’ve got the bug, superstar you’ve been bitten!” Samantha half-sang and half-laughed as she and Alicia kept jumping on the bed.

“Your trumpet’s blowing for far too long!” Shawn and Chellsie cried out.

“Climbing the snake up the ladder, but you’re wrong!” Samantha and Alicia both called out, jumping off the bed and landing beside Nastia and Shawn, completely ignoring the tenants beneath them.

“I said-ah who do you think you are, do you think are! I said-ah who some kind of superstar, you have go to!” Bridget came in, taking Chellsie’s hand and pulling her to create a small circle around Nastia and Shawn. Nastia sighed and covered her face with her hands as her friends began to do the same choreographed routine for the chorus again. All of them were singing loudly and she knew that she would get kicked out of her room or the hotel for that matter because of this.

“Swing it, shake it, move it, make it, who do you think you are? Trust it, use it, prove it, groove, show me how good you are! Swing it, shake it, move it, make it, who do you think you are? Trust it, use it, prove it, groove, show how good you are!” Everyone began to hip bump each other during the small break; everyone was laughing and smiling during the entire thing despite Nastia completely staying silent and giving everyone death glares that could have possibly killed them all. Suddenly, everyone stopped and Shawn pulled away Nastia’s hands from her face and pointed towards the older girl. Nastia could see the determination on Shawn’s face, but she was not going to give in; not now, not ever.

“You have got to reach on up, never lose your soul. You have got to reach on up, never lose control!” Shawn sung by herself, pointing from Nastia to the ceiling, slowly wagging her finger down before pointing back to Nastia and doing the same actions again.

“Come on, Nastia, you can’t beat us or girl power!” Alicia called out, trying to coax the other girl into joining them.

“I said-ah who do you think you are, do you think are! I said-ah who some kind of superstar, you have go to!” Everyone, but Nastia, loudly sang, noticing the unchanged deadpanned look on the Russian’s face. However, when the chorus came, they heard a loud grunt in disapproval, but saw faint smile on Nastia’s face.

“Swing it, shake it, move it, make it, who do you think you are? Trust it, use it, prove it, groove, show me how good you are! Swing it, shake it, move it, make it, who do you think you are? Trust it, use it, prove it, groove, show how good you are!” Nastia finally joined in, realizing that if she couldn’t beat them that she would have to join them. She shook her head as she took part of the group choreographed routine for the chorus but when the chorus came up again, she sang all the other parts and grabbed Shawn’s hands, swinging her around.

“Swing! Shake! Move it! Make it! Trust it! Use it! Prove it! Groove it!” Nastia sang quite loudly, louder than the others and as the song came to an end, she collapsed on her bed, pulling Shawn down with her. The two looked at each other and the others all looked at each other and grinned before quickly bolting out of the room, dimming the lights down. To their unknown amusement, 2 Become 1 began to play.

This week, I’d like to present J Minus.

J Minus is a rock band from the United States and are currently unsigned, however are making their way up the ranks via MySpace. Check them out and if you like their music, you can download their music off of MySpace. Here’s what is said about them on MySpace.

“This band depicts what so many up-and-coming artists are striving to achieve – innovation, originality and of course, the growing support of their loyal fan base…and they make it all seem effortless. The highly anticipated debut album, Sun and Moon, features 29 groundbreaking tracks, all spanning the boundaries of rock. While the Moon side shows the softer side of J minus, with captivating melodies, powerful lyrics and a low to mid-tempo emotional delivery of acoustic rock, the Sun explores one-of-a-kind guitar driven depth, coupled with phenomenal story-telling. You can actually feel every word and breathe every bit of rhythm. Whereas moving tracks like ‘A Mile Away’ and ‘After Midnight’ deliver a sense of love, loss and an ounce of hope, tracks like ‘Time to Grow Up’ and ‘The Rest of Our Lives’ stir up stored emotions of rebirth and stages of weakness, all the while showcasing the easily discernable voices of the 2 talented lead singers. Overall, a great undiscovered band that is clearly on their way to a highly successful career. Make sure to pick up this album, you will not be disappointed! – Link Music”