Dear Blog-I'm sorry I've been so distant. Life got hectic again and I stopped looking for things with which to fill my time. Now I look for time to do things, with little to no avail.
I am now employed, in a relationship, and in college. Only one of these things is really satisfying (Hint: it's the one thing in that list that does not involve the transaction of money). Which is a sad state of affairs really.
It all comes down to $100 unpaid dollars from six months ago. But that is a long story from another time. I understand that this is the right decision for some people, but for me, it was not a choice. That is why, thus far, I loathe college. I hate how unmotivated my peers are. I detest the condescending tone in my teachers voices. I quit participating in class about half way through when I realize that a. I am the only one answering the teacher's questions and b. a good part of my comments are corrections on "facts" that the teacher stated incorrectly. Due to this I have become both sleepy and irritable. I spend each day at school and work, then off to home where I do my school work, rinse and repeat.
But fret not dear blog, I am not the sort who bases my happiness on these sorts of things. Life has been going well for me. Thanks to this institution of somewhat-higher learning, I have a library full of books at my disposal (with no late fees : ] ). This week I will be seeing my favorite band in concert for the third time, (and you know, the third time is the charm). The end of the month marks the end of my childhood, and I will be celebrating in the City of Angels with my best friends and a Mr. Conan O Brian. I have my health, my family, my friends, and that is more than most people can claim.So from here on I will hopefully be posting more, but who knows. I have stopped making plans for the time being, because plans seem to lead to disappointment.
Hope you are all well,

Sam




"I have grown to love secrecy. It seems to be the only thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvelous to us. the commonest thing is delightful only if one hides it." Oscar Wilde

Formally known as The Sound of Bailey, I want to introduce The Title Sequence, if you haven't heard them already.

http://www.myspace.com/thetitlesequence

just had to do this.
too good of music to keep secret.

1. Race You - Elizabeth & The Catapult
2. Forever - Walter Meego
3. Big Sur - The Thrills
4. Dry Clothes - Annuals
5. What Makes a Man? - City and Colour
6. Love Is An Unfamiliar Name - The Duke Spirit
7. Skip To The End - The Futureheads
8. The Lusk Letter - The Kindness Kind
9. Space and The Woods - Late of The Pier
10. Before The End - Levellers
11. Good Light - The Lucksmiths
12. Stuck In A Glass Elevator - Myriad
13. Rush Our Soul - Supergrass
14. Beat - Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
15. Violent Sensation Descends - Violens
16. London Town (with Andrew Bird) - Emily Loizeau
17. Long Distance - Nizlopi
18. Poppy - Zee Avi
19. Golden Skans - The Klaxons
20. So Post All 'Em - YACHT

Enjoy! :)

I was reading the New York Times this morning, as I often do to pass the time at work, and I came across an article that re-affirmed a theory of mine; there is a small revolution going on in the film industry.


And who is to thank for this resolution? It just happens to be you, me and this little thing we call the internet. Thanks to the now ubiquitous Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Texting, Forums, etc. etc., word of mouth is now lightning speed.


Now a days, for a film to do well it has to have one of two things: a successful internet marketing scheme with some sort of fan boy following. Usually this approach leads to a huge opening box office return, but a steep decline in attendance after the first week or so.
The other success is slower, and thus harder to catch. Often it goes like this, film opens at festival, receives rave reviews, and disappears for a few months. Those lucky enough to see it write, post, and tweet about it to all of their friends, and enough of a fan base is established that the film is picked up by a studio for distribution. It shows up at the multiplex and a few people see it the first week, love it, tell some friends and so on and so forth.
Many times these small movies that once saw distribution as an epic struggle are nominated for major awards- a la Slumdog Millionaire, which received so much hype from it's Oscar nod that it was actually re-released in theaters.
[speaking of Oscars, did you know they're going to have 10 Best Picture noms this year?]



So in the new tradition of the little movie that could, I present you these four movies that I watched-and loved this past week. [two are quite manly and two are French, this was not planned]


1. District 9
Perhaps you've heard of this little alien film produced by Peter Jackson?
At first glance it's just another Aliena/Explosian film, but there's omething a little different. Set in South Africa, this film borrows heavily from the countries history of racial segregation and Aperthied, extremely well written, well directed, with amazing special effects that actually help the story line, instead of just bedazzling it.










2. The Hurt Locker
Personally, I'm not big on war movies. Especially ones about Iraq, they always seem sort of romantisized, macho, and boated with explosions. The Hurt Locker however, was absolutely riveting. I was literally on the edge of my seat for a good deal of this movie about an American bomb squad in Iraq. Well written, well shot, and incredibly realistic. Oscar worthy in my opinion.
[Plus, the incredible lead -Jeremy Renner- is a local boy from Modesto.]





3. The Class [Entre le Murs]
Movies about school kids almost always play off the classroom as simply a backdrop for pubescnt drama. What this documentary-style French film does is create a drama that exsists entirely in the classroom, compounded by the small space. A teacher who desperatley wants his students to do well, and students who are- in middle school- already exhausted by the system.




4. Paris 36 [Faubourg 36]
If you like musicals, love stories, and don't mind subtitles, this movie is worth your time. It's about all sorts of love, a father for a son, and actor for the theater, a man for a woman. Plus it's visually stunning, set against a Hollywood-ized version of 1936 France that is just kitchsy enough without being distracting. I still have the "La Mer" tune stuck in my head...






So go see a movie someone recomended to you. Maybe you'll have to rent it, but good or bad, at least you'll have something to talk about.



"What is that you express in your eyes? It seems to me more than all the words I have read in my life." -Walt Whitman

I really miss Hong Kong.
I mean, really really really miss it.

Of course I go back every other year but this year was a no go since I have to stay home and start on college things.
But still. I'm missing the sights, the smells, the tastes, very much.

It's one of those places where it's not your home, but it feels like your second home. I can remember my grandparen'ts apartment exactly as it is. The smell of my grandma's perfume in her room, the way the lights bounced off the pink curtains, the way the window next to her bed curved, how my grandpa's room is always cold, the tv showing old chinese operas, the view of the ocean from the window, AHHHH there's so much to write here but I can't describe them all.

Here's a little glimpse of where I grew up.
Heng Fa Chuen:




You're really not seeing much. Heng Fa Chuen is second to last on the MTR map. Hong Kong is divided into little 'provinces' almost like little cities, where there are sights to see and things to do at each one. The blue line at the bottom of the map is the Island Line, which is the one Heng Fa Chuen is located and where we traveled the most.






But if you do ever have a chance to visit Hong Kong, here are some of the places where you should visit. This isn't a very long list at all, keep in mind, there is a lot more to see. I'm not going to type out the description but look up for yourself some of the places if they seem interesting to you:


Ocean Park:



Victoria's Peak



Lantau Island:





Golden Palace:





Hong Kong Museum of History






Hui Lau Shan (Located just about everywhere, this is the dessert booth for weary travelers. Best desserts I have ever had in my life- and no, nothing with chocolate. It started off as an herbal tea shop, but now not. Everything is fresh fruit, red bean, mango pudding, sago, sesame, or try something a little more traditional like kwai ling go otherwise known as tortoise jelly... you can tell I love this place because it's the most I've written on this post so far. A MUST GO.)




Pacific Place Mall



The Peninsula Hotel for an afternoon English style tea (UK originally took over HK, hence the influences)





Aberdeen





Macau is a hop, skip, and a jump away so take a ferry and visit it too!





Take a ride on the double decker trams everywhere





Or just walk the streets. There are always fresh foods (and when I mean fresh, sometimes they would kill chickens right in front of you) at the markets, tons of trinkets to buy, a bakery on every street, and a mix of people, from men in $5,000 business suits walking next to a women with a straw hat, ripped pants, and sandals. It's the old and new world combined, great for people watching and exploring.

Did you ever find a band, that upon first listen you thought "Well, gee- how did I ever survive without these songs in my life?"
Last night, I did.
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's

Their name sounds like some obscure band that Rob Flemming would obsess about.
They have two albums [The Dust of Retreat and Animal!], one EP [The Daytrotter Sessions] and one release of the version of Animal! the record company would not let them release [Not Animal-clever title, yes?]

Pandora list this artist as similar to: Iron & Wine, Matt Costa, The New Amsterdams, The Shins and The Decemberists.

So pump up dat bass and have a listen:

I would like to introduce you to my new favorite shopping experience. I can't really say what my old favorite was- I really despise malls and anthropologie makes my wallet hurt.

But this- my friends is a glorious find;

The Alemeda Point Antiques and Collectables Faire

Let me explain;

When my mom first mentioned this, I was relluctant to tag along. I figured it was something along the line of Denios- rows upon rows of crap no one needs or wants. It happens the first Sunday of every month on an abandoned Navy air-base in Alemeda.

But this was certainly not what I expected. Upon first showing up, we were directed to park in the rear of a large open lot, and had to take a tram [driven by a very entertaining mustached man] to the enterance gate. Once we got to the front gate, my dad got our tickets (it's $5 to get in after 9 o'clock, I wouldn't recommend going earlier- professional buyers show up at 6 and ticket prices are higher the earlier you show up).

The first good omen was the mix of people standing in line, Old Couples, Rockablies, Hipsters, Young Families, Well-dressed Women, Men smoking Pipes, Granola-hippies, just glorious people watching.

Once we passed the gate, you could finally see the faire, and it was a sight to behold. Rows upon rows of interesting little stands selling everything from Old French Fruniture, turn of the century modern art, steampunk jewlery, hand made linens, etc etc. It was all set against the backdrop of the San Francisco Skyline, absolutely lovely.

I kicked myself at least a hundered times for not bringing my camera. Luckely- plenty of other people did, and here are a few photos from Flickr of the weird and wonderful things to be had;

these are the treasures I returned with:

- An old Swiss Medallion on a blue and white ribbon [free]

- A large skeleton key [also free]

-Old men's buddy holly style eyeglasses, soon to have my perscription in them [$100, and completely worth it]

- Two pewter rings, one of a peony and the other braided [$15]

-a type-set necklace for my Oma [$10]

-Watch-gear cufflinks for my Dad [$20]

- a bracelet made of old buttons, broches and baubles for my Grandma [$18]

- A delecious lunch of Fried Zuchhini, Fish and chips, and iced tea [$8]

things I sincerly regret not buying;

- A large poster of a human skeleton smoking a pipe [$75]

- a very intricate french iron-wrought day bed from the 20's [$500]

- An old black and white reel of street-names that used to be used in double-decker busses around the UK to announce destinations before they used digital displays [$100-$300]

- A ring from ancient Rome, cast in bronze with a sort of floral design [$55]

- A four-foot long pillow made from a french lavender sack from the Provonce region [$35]

Also- I love that many of the vendors were actually from the same country their items were. There were old men arguing in Italian, chic french women selling luxurious fruniture, cute Japenese couples pedeling vintage Kimono Robes.

So in conclusion, I will be saving up my paychecks until I can return again, and maybe I will see you there.

Happy hunting.

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. -Wayne Dyer

So chances are if you are returning to school this fall, you have already begun preparations.

New bag? Check

Class Schedule? Finalized.

Summer reading? Done. [ok, at least you read the spark notes]



Here's the thing, school isn't just about learning-gasp- there are going to be a lot of times you find yourself sitting in class with absolutely nothing to do. You've finished your work, class doesn't end for another twenty minutes and all you have is your notebook and some chewed up Lisa Frank pencils you stole from your little sister.

Not to worry! After twelve years of in-depth field study I present to you these sure-fire bordem busters.



If you have:

- a few bored friends

- a piece of paper

- seats in the back of the room



You can:

Play Paper Ball.

This works best if you don't mind/enjoy acting like a fouth grader. Gather your like minded friends and orientate yourselves into some sort of circle-ish shape. Take your piece of paper and fold it into a paper balloon [it's easy breezy]. With some luck your ball should look like this:

Now for the rules:

-Keep the ball up in the air for as long as possible

- Everyone has to hit the ball

-No one can hit is twice in a row

If the ball goes out of reach of any of the participants, the last person who touched it is out. Don't be a buzzkill and get people out on purpose, karma will find you in the form of a wicked paper-cut. Improvisation is suggested for this game.

If you have:

- a writing implement

- a piece/scrap/bounty of paper

You can:

Write a note!

Before tweeting, updating, poking, emailing, and texting people had a strange means of communication known only as a "note". Often these include- long rants about the opposite sex/how boring the teacher is/ absolutely nothing. But what makes them even more fun is that they often include illustrations/doodles/sketches.

So if you feel up to it, try writing one for a friend. Or, if you are feeling particularly adventurous, write one and leave it at your desk whomever sits there the following period.

If you have:

-a class where you can see everyone else [like a Socratic seminar circle]

You can:

Play silent tag.

This may take organization beforehand- the participants need to know they are participating- but it can be worth it if you are talking about a particularly boring book. So someone starts as "it" . It's basically like regular tag, but you all remain seated so all you have to do it make eye contact with someone and give them some sort of signal that they are now "it", be it mouthing the words, or some sort of hand gesture. This game either goes one of two ways. First, you play for the whole period successfully, because people keep forgetting you're playing. Or, you end up with a class full of people avoiding eye contact and one very confused teacher.

Either way, it's entertaining.

In order to keep this short- my last suggestion is this, pay attention! Study! It may seem awful at the time, but the harder you study during school, the more you'll get out of it an the less you'll have to do outside of school hours.

Boredom: the desire for desires. - Leo Tolstoy

Go visit the French site, http://www.blogotheque.net/ .

They have been doing a project since 2007 or so called Take Away Shows, where popular bands and musicians would be convinced to perform in unpopular places.

Some bands that have contributed are The Kooks, Grizzly Bear, Au Revoir Simone, Cold War Kids, The Shins, Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, Dirty Projectors, Andrew Bird, The Ruby Suns, Arcade Fire, yes yes the list goes on and on.

I think right now they have more than 100 episodes already with these performers.

Here are the Fleet Foxes doing Blue Ridge Mountains in an abandoned wing of the Grand Palais:



Beirut playing Nantes in front of a cafe - Zach Condon marry me:



Grizzly Bear with acapella Knife in Paris:



I really like the idea of this project, and I'm glad it has been warmly received by the performers.
And go to yellowbirdproject.com for some neat designs for charity. Enjoy! :)

My apologies on not posting recently, I got a job/lost a lot of sleep time because of said job/ my computer has been acting up. All of which are bad excuses and you can choose whichever you wish to believe.Thankfully, Stephanie has been keeping your minds busy.



So I was reading the recent issue of Time, which I found crumpled on the floor after a long day spent being smushed under my dog's belly. Usually in the Time’s Art section, they review books the sorts of books where the author’s name take precedence- in a bold, shiny font sort of way- over the title or content of the book. But in this issue was a review of a book that sounds like my cup of tea, one that I will be stopping by the bookstore tomorrow to pick up and I just can’t wait.

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science

Things that intrigued me [and hopefully you];
1. An anecdote about the first hot-air balloon flight that was included in the review:
“They couldn’t see each other because the balloon was between them, so they had to yell back and forth. As the giant aircraft careened wildly over the roofs of Paris and the two men frantically shoveled straw into that fire that kept it flying, the marquis became more and more hysterical.
‘We must land now!’ Pilatre stayed icy calm. ‘Look, d’Arlandes.’ He said. ‘Here we are above Paris. There’s no possible danger for you. Are you taking this all in?’ But the marquis couldn’t take it in. When a gust of wind jostled the balcony (at this early point in the game there was no basket, simply a balcony around the balloon), he screamed, ‘What are you doing! Stop dancing!’
Eventually, after 27 minutes aloft, they landed safely. D’Arlandes-according to his own account-threw himself out onto the grass. Pilarte just stood there. “We had enough fuel to fly for an hour,” he said sadly. The crowd grabbed his green coat and tore it to pieces for souvenirs. He was an instant 18th century rock star.”



It sounds like the kind of scene that would be in some fantastic movie about the beginning of flight. Perhaps staring some dashing young Hollywood stars [Gael? Rpatz?] … I’d watch it.



2. I’m really interested in this time in history. When chemistry, astronomy, botany, psychology was new and veexciting and completely unknown. I feel like people rarely get this excited about science anymore, which is a shame. It’s as if we’ve gotten used to it, and lost our sense of wonder. So when your done reading this, please go outside, and explore, marvel, get excited about all those things you take for granted in this world. [For help on this one- the next Meteor Shower viewable from the US is August 12th, that's something to marvel at]



3. I like trinkets. Especially old ones. Especially old ones that had curious functions. Please meet Phren:
He’s a bust used in the study of Phrenology, an early theory in Psychology that related the bumps in one’s skull to personality traits.
Isn’t that interesting? I very much think so.

So in conclusion, I very much hope I am not disappointed by this book.
In the meantime, this is who I’ve been listening to lately.

Speachwriters LLC: They keep me entertained whilst I spend hours upon hours entering number into spreadsheets and filing payable in cabinets larger than I.

Hope your day is wonder-full.

Wondering's healthy. Broadens the mind. Opens you up to all sorts of stray thoughts and possibilities.- Charles de Lint

Lately I’ve had the pleasure to laugh at people who call their life ‘simple.’ Or even more so, the life style magazines that vow ways to make your life ‘simple.’

Let me explain. Life isn’t simple. That’s the beauty of it. There will always be disappointments, problems, trouble, complex things. If there wasn’t the ups for all the downs , life be worth living for.

These magazines and ‘simple living’ people vouch for eating fresh, green fruit, vegetables, excersising, etc. That’s all great, but that’s a ‘healthy’ living style. I wouldn’t consider that simple.

They also advocate products like planners, drawers, and other organization knick knacks. That’s all great, but that’s just organization, I wouldn’t consider that simple.

Also, a big part of simple living is what makes you happy! So enjoy life, sit back and relax with a good novel, take a mini vacation.


Many people can’t afford to buy fruit and vegetables (quick rant for an instance, I honestly believe that only cultures and countries that are wealthy, like America, can afford to go vegan. Our culture sticks the idea of veganism down everyone's throats as a healthy lifestyle and a way for one to be an animal rights advocate. Well if you're an impoverished country and your kids are dying of hunger, you wouldn't really care what you're eating, especially if its vegan, as long as its food. I don't see any advertisements promoting veganism in Cambodia... nothing against vegans, i respect their choice of lifestyle, just my pov) and knick knacks promoting organization. And most people honestly don’t have the time to do such things because they work multiple jobs to even have a lifestyle thats not on the streets, nevertheless what our culture calls a 'simple' one.
Now what is simple living?

“Simple living is not about living in poverty or self-inflicted deprivation. Rather, it is about living an examined life — one in which you have determined what is important, or "enough," for you, discarding the rest.” – Duane Elgin, author of ”Voluntary Simplicity.”

Hmm, that sounds wonderful, but lets look at it from another perspective. Mainly the part of “’enough’ for you, discarding the rest.”

What is enough for some people is not enough for others.
What I’m trying to say is, simple living can only be lived by those that can afford to live their life simply. If you can't afford much, you'll always want more, which by definition isn't simple living. People collect so much over their years of growing up, that by discarding ‘the rest’ of what they don’t need, they consider it simple. It’s ironic that the accumulation of items that would ‘clutter’ your life means nothing to you when you discard them, but could mean the world to others. It’s also ironic that most of this clutter are things at one time or another the person had said “I need that.”

But for those that already live their life ‘simply,’ they don’t consider it simple. Which is why I find the phrase ‘simple living’ so problematic, because everyone needs something at one time or another in their life that is more or less ‘worthless.’

For example (its a little far fetched, but a good one nontheless.) Shoes. We all wear it, we all ‘need’ it. But many kids in Africa survive without shoes. It doesn’t mean we can’t either, but we don’t. So does that mean I’m living in luxury? Yes, but to our culture no. But seeing kids in Africa with no shoes makes us realize that we really don't need shoes to live. Hence, if I discarded my shoes, in American culture I will call it simple living, but to the impoverished people of Africa it wouldn't. But hypothetically, lets say I did stop wearing shoes. Yes, I would be doing 'simple living' because its something I don't necessarily need to live, but I won't be happy with not having shoes, therefore simple living is unattainable. There are many perspectives and examples for looking at ‘simple living’ but I’m not going to describe them.


There is no such thing as simple living during this modern era. If they don’t give you step by step instructions on how to live your life simply when your house burns down, when the stock market crashes and you lose your life savings, or when a family member dies, I don’t believe it.

When your house burns down you wouldn’t be looking to these instructions for guideance: (http://www.ohmishka.blogspot.com/)

1. have an outside day. go to markets, parks, have picnics, etc.
this is even more fun if you do this via bicycle.
{my boyfriend and i love to bike to the farmers market in
charleston, buy fresh fruit, and bike down to the waterfront
and have a little picnic!}

2. buy fresh flowers to put in your kitchen...
a luxury worth regularly indulging in.
{pretty flowers always brighten my day}

3. bake cupcakes for someone
{and have a friend for life}

4. buy or make pretty stationary and write a letter
to someone you haven't talked to in a long time.
{or become regular pen pals with your grandma, like me.
finding a letter in the mailbox always makes my day!}

5. make dinner with a friend.
{my boyfriend and i looove cooking together. eating is
one of our favorite hobbies, and it is also a great excuse
to dance around the kitchen.}

I’m sorry, do you have a job oh Mishka? Because somehow it doesn’t seem like it with so much time.


Just saying, is that simple living? Seems pretty shallow to me.
But I advocate happiness, not the theory of 'simple living." And happiness is not the number of flowers you buy, not the cute little stationary, not the bike rides. Yes it can make you happy, but you don't need all that material goods. In general, your true "simple living" and happiness can only be attained with they way you think, and not how you live your life, contrary to the belief that simple living is how you life your life, that will affect how you think. If everyone gave in to this form of simple living and baked cupcakes everyday, cupcakes wouldn't be very special and valuable then?

Everyone lives their life differently, and everyone has problems. And the only way to achieve the 'happiness' that comes with 'simple living' is being content with yourself. You don't need the rest of the world telling you what you need or don't need and how to do that.

Enter Yann Tiersen, a 39 year old French musician who composes beautiful music via french folk.

Here are some clips of his work, the piano is especially beautiful. So far, his song "Comptine d'Un Autre Ete" is my favorite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML4ffX4pvjk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4kRciR7Eo4

If you want more:

http://www.jango.com/music/Yann+Tiersen?l=0



I have yet to see Amelie but he composed the film score.
I am in love with this video clip.



Fin.

I'm finished with my AP English work! Whoohoo!

However I think I will take some time to read all the others on the list. They do look interesting. But other than treading through Frankenstein and Hamlet, here's what's on my bookshelf for the next few weeks:






1. This Is Your Brain On Music - Daniel J. Levitin

http://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Brain-Music-Obsession/dp/0525949690

I'm actually half done with this read and I AM LOVING IT. Levitin writes very well, and not only does he combine and explain the science of psychology and music, you can truly feel his love for both subjects in the sentences. It's less of a novel than it is a scientific read. The back cover caught my eye when I read 'Levitin reveals : how composers exploit the way our brains make sense of the world. why we emotionally attach to music we listen to as teenagers, why 10,000 hours of practice - not talent - makes virtuosos, how insidious jingles get stuck in our heads.' Levitin has a background at MIT, Berklee, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and so on. This is a great book that I would recommend to anyone.







2. White Oleander - Janet Fitch

http://www.amazon.com/White-Oleander-Oprahs-Book-Club/dp/0316284955/

To tell you the truth, I've never read a book just because it said "Oprah's Book Club" on it. But I'm giving it a shot. Hopefully it'll be good. Since I haven't started it I don't have much to say about it, but Los Angeles foster homes and poetry sounds a promising combination right?






3. Summers At Castle Auburn - Sharon Shinn

http://www.amazon.com/Summers-Castle-Auburn-Sharon-Shinn/dp/044100928X/

I'm not a big fantasy-medieval book person, but I promised Alicia I would read this this summer so I'm putting it on this list. Alicia won't stop talking about it and from what I heard it seems good. It had great reviews so I hope it'll be a good read. :)






4. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

http://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Orange-Anthony-Burgess/dp/0393312836/

I'm disappointed in myself that I haven't had the chance to read this book until this summer. I have high expectations for this.







5. Ticket To Ride - Larry Kane

http://www.amazon.com/Ticket-Ride-Inside-Beatles-Changed/dp/014303426X/

If you do decide to read this, get the hardcover version with the cd. They have a bunch of 'Ticket To Ride' novels, but please please please get the one by Larry Kane. I'm halfway through this book too and I am enjoying it too much. Everyone knows what a big Beatles fan I am and Larry Kane really did a fantastic job chronicling their coast-to-coast trip on their North American concert tour. They have a good amount of pictures in the book and a really nice cd of recordings of Beatles interviews.






6. Postcards from the Boys - Ringo Starr

http://www.amazon.com/Postcards-Boys-Ringo-Starr/dp/081184613X

I originally wasn't going to put this on this list because it isn't really a book and it was fast to go through, but reading "Ticket to Ride" made me remember about it. It's more of a museum collection of Beatles memorabilia in the form of postcards, from the boys that is. Each postcard from all over the world would have a picture, a phrase, a sentence, and no more. They say so little but it shows the really deep friendship they all have with one another, that a simple "YOU GOT THAT SOMETHING" would mean so much to Ringo. The book would show a picture of the postcard, back and front, and Ringo would write a little of what he remembers from each one. Really interesting and enjoyable to go through.






7. Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling - Ross King

http://www.amazon.com/Michelangelo-Popes-Ceiling-Ross-King/dp/0142003697/

I HAVE YET TO READ BRUNELLESCHI'S DOME EITHER. Every time I go to the library its in high demand and checked out. Not fair. But I'm so excited to read this because I've actually been to the Sistine Chapel in Rome and toured Florence and I don't know the historical context of Michelangelo's masterpieces as well as I would like. The Sistine Chapel's ceiling was extraordinary and I remember our tour guide telling us stories and legends of how Michelangelo would work lying on his back or bending backwards on a scaffold to paint. Very excited to read this.






8. Theft - Peter Carey

http://www.amazon.com/Theft-Peter-Carey/dp/0307276481/

I'm usually not a big fan of easy reads and love stories, even mores so, fiction stories that will never in a million years happen, but the cover of the book seemed promising. It centers around "an ex-'really famous' painter, acting as a caretaker for his younger brother, a damaged man of imposing physicality and childlike emotional volatility." And then some "mysterious young women, daughter in law of a late great painter" named Marlene is introduced in the novel. Ok, its cheesy, but if it's about art and love then I'll give it a chance.





9. Great Neck - Jay Cantor

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Neck-Jay-Cantor/dp/0375713395/

Isn't the cover adorable? Something about a comic book artist, the Holocaust, the sixties and seventies, civil rights, and New York. Oh, and friendship, love, sex, politics, drugs, optimism, courage, and "dangerous dreams of a generation who sometimes seemed to think they must be superheroes." I think I will like this.





10. Seven Years in Tibet - Heinrich Harrer

http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Years-Tibet-Heinrich-Harrer/dp/1585427438/

It has a foreword by the Dalai Lama! THE DALAI LAMA!
A FORWARD TO THE NOVEL BY THE DALAI LAMA!
That goes over my head really. But I found this under 'travel/history' and its been made into a movie. So my book has giant pictures of Brad Pitt all over it.
I'm not a big Brad Pitt fan so these pictures are a bit distracting but nevertheless, I think I will enjoy this since it combines both travel and history. Both of which I am a fan of.






11. Picasso's War: The Destruction of Guernica, and The Masterpiece That Changed The World - Russell Martin

http://www.amazon.com/Picassos-War-Extraordinary-Atrocity-Painting/

I guess Russell Martin also wrote a book called "Beethoven's Hair" that I really want to pick up someday, but as for right now I will settle with Picasso's War. I read the description of the novel and there seems to be a lot of drama in it. I don't really like drama, but I really like Picasso, so maybe it'll balance one another out. I think this might be comparable to Candide by Voltaire, lots of traveling, and lots of stories.


The thing about books is that you lose so much time reading them. At least I do, and I essentially don't have a lot of time ever. I'm hoping that I'll work on my time management more this year and improve it, so I get a couple minutes devoted to reading each day, and not at two in the morning.

My poor body has not been allowing me to sleep normal hours, so it leaves me time in the early AM to ponder a lot of things.
And because I ponder so many things, I like to make lists and write, so here's a list of things that have kept my attention lately.



1. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

A hell of a read. I feel like I've trekked through the Congo after I read this. I'm doing it for school and at first, I honestly could not enjoy it whatsoever. It wasn't that it was difficult, the story plot was just not agreeable. I wanted to hit a pastor after reading the first few chapters. But towards the middle portions I started understanding the tone and speed of the writing, and I ended up liking the historical context of the novel.

I recommend this if you are:
1) Into all things African/historical fiction
2) Have a copious amount of time
3) Into religion and the Bible
4) Into poking fun of religion and the Bible
5) Have a lot of siblings



2. Romane (a.k.a Patrick Leguidcoq)

In continuation of my Django rant, I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to listen to another wonderful French musician known as Romane. I specifically recommend the songs "Swing for Ninine," and "Gypsy Fire." Note how the intro to "Swing for Ninine" sounds SO SIMILAR to "Creeping Up The Backstairs" by The Fratellis. Which I found hilarious. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP772o3yqs4&feature=related) - (By Gipsy Trio, not by Romane, but same song)

I found him under the collection "Jazz Monouche Vol 3 - Selected by Thomas Dutronc," but he has his own albums out that are super good, "French Guitar," and "Swing for Nanine"(the album) and "Gypsy Guitar Masters" by Stochelo Rosenberg & Romane.

I recommend this if you are:
1) A gypsy
2) Into jazz such as Duke Ellington and Django Reinhardt, or artists like Beirut, Kaki King, Gogol Bordello, or DeVotchKa
3) Had a huge passion for the soundtrack of Everything Is Illuminated (..... i refuse to answer questions about this)
4) Are either: Ukranian, French, or Russian and want to get in touch with your modern acoustic jazz guitar roots
5) Need some relaxing music




3. Dave Eggers

I recently finished "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" and I want to share it with the world. It's a true story, an unbelievably harsh reality, about growing up, loss, love, and passion for life. The reason why I didn't put just the novel as the focal point in this note is because Dave Eggers is one of the most inspiring people I have ever read about. Losing both parents within 32 days of one another and gaining guardianship of his 13 year old brother at the age of 21 is insane. Wikipedia him, his achievements, and his life after this novel. He is unbelievable.

I recommend Egger's novels if you:
1) Are an orphan/took care of an orphan/21 years old
2) Know someone with cancer
3) Are a big fan of "Catcher in the Rye"'s writing style
4) Are a big fan of of urbandictionary language... there is quite a lot in here
5) Need something inspiring to read




4. Tor Press - Zine A

"The first in the series of zines each based on a letter of the alphabet from Tor Press. 23 illustrators/ designers were asked to create an image with A as the theme. The zine is A5, grayscale and has a screenprinted cover.
Limited to 100 copies." -http://www.torpress.co.uk/Zine%20A.html

The upsetting thing about Tor Press is that it's a UK based company. Which means I can't get my own copy of Zine A. And if I did, I would be spending mucho dinero on it, money I don't have.
But the good thing about Tor Press, is that it lists out all the illustrators that have contributed to Zine A, that I recommend checking out. Tor Press also supports Jake Blanchard, an illustrator who recently created the work for the zine "Postcards from a 19th Century Missionary." But really research Bjorn Rune Lie, Edward Mcgowan, and Stuart Kolakovic. Great artists with really fantastic illustrations. P.S Check out The Wizard's Hat, another illustration house: http://www.thewizardshat.co.uk/index.html

I recommend this if you:
1) Like illustrations
2) Like designs like the ones you see on threadless.com
3) Doesn't mind not owning the prints yourself :(
4) Like London. And the UK. Not that it has to do with any of the illustrations
5) Enjoys abstract art





5. Treasure Island Music Festival

http://www.treasureislandfestival.com/lineup.php

Look at how incredible the lineup is! But really, I'm always the type of person who will say "Let's do this!" but when the time rolls around, I either don't: A) have enough money, B) have enough time, C) can't find transportation to and from.

But I can't stop drooling over this festival. Ahhhh someone buy me a ticket. Two preferably. And Sunday is dandy, although MGMT is wonderful. So wonderful.

I recommend this if you:
1) Are a big fan of any of those bands
2) Loves San Francisco (who doesn't?)
3) Are a pirate
4) Loves music concerts / festivals
5) Have a lot of money and a lot of time to waste. In that case, just go, it'll be good. Buy me a ticket.

It's 3:28 AM right now and I'm finally tired.
I think I will sleep. Goodnight :)

I often find myself remembering this hauning portrait and haing a sudden urge to find a link to it on the internet so I can look at it again. I guess you could call it a crush- an eternally un-requited love for the "young man with a cap".

In an attempt to preserve it in my own space on the internet, I am posting it here. Equally as much, I am posting it just to share.

If anyone happens to know where I can find this paiting, please do let me know. I don't know if it belongs to the Van Gogh Museum- or any museum's- collection.

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream. Vincent Van Gogh

Here's another playlist of things i've been listening to a lot this past week :)

1. Walking - The Dodos
2. Between the Bars - Elliot Smith
3. Modern Inventions - The Submarines
4. Mary - The Dutchess and The Duke
5. Autumn Sweater - Yo La Tengo
6. Right Hand On My Heart - The Whigs
7. Go On, Say It - Blind Pilot
8. I Woke Up Today - Port O'Brien
9. Brother Down - Sam Roberts
10. Brand New Colony - Ben Gibbard (live in chicago)
11. Pachuca Sunrise - Minus the Bear
12. Little Waltz - Basia Bulat
13. Drugs In My Body - Thieves Like Us
14. Summer of '98 - The Secret Handshake
15. Little House Of Savages - The Walkmen
16. Could It Be - The Mugs
17. Spoonful of Sugar - Of Montreal
18. Holland, 1945 - Canoe
19. We Danced Together - The Rakes
20. Let's Talk About Spaceships - Say Hi To Your Mom

And before i leave you at that, take some time to listen to Phoenix's album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, especially the songs 1901, Lisztomania, and Fences, because I am in love with their music and this album is ridiculously good.




Also, check out www.villageten.com, the artists collective that supports Canoe, and other bands like Adam and Darcie and Johan the Angel.



And lastly, I've been listening to a lot Django Reinhardt lately, it makes my summer nights oh so lovely. So if you're looking at French/Big Band/Smooth Jazz/ReallyReallyReallyGoodMusicToPutYouInTheMood/ Want to feel like you're in a Chicago night club sipping a martini in the 1940's: then look no further.



Now go get some head phones, a nice cup of tea, and enjoy! :)

At the Atlas Obscura

" a compendium of this age's wonders, curiosities, and esoterica"

I just discovered this site, and I love it. As soon as I get around to it, I'm going to start submiting my own, and hopefully visiting some of these places as well!

"We're looking for places that expand our sense of what is possible and tell us something about ourselves, and about the wider world in which we live." -Joshua Foer and Dylan Thuras of the Atlas Obscura

I like to pride myself in being a musician, but be aware that I'm by no means a child prodigy at all whatsoever. I'm sure middle school band members can attest to that since I was the one getting in trouble for talking half the time.

People who know me well, know that I love music. But even those people who know me well, don't really know how prevalent it is and has been in my life.

And I'm not writing about loving the new Death Cab album, or being to seventeen thousand concerts, or personally knowing the members of a band, or memorizing every word and every line of a song, or knowing the full discography of multiple artists. Not bashing on death cab here, and there are times when I listen to a song and I'm fully immersed in it, and i do love multiple artists, but that's not the music I'm writing about.
I'm just writing about simply playing music.



I can't remember a single time in life where it hasn't been present in my house.
When I was little, instead of waking up to the smell of a delicious Christmas breakfast, I would wake up to the sound of the piano. It would accompany the voices of my family when they sing happy birthday to me as I blow out candles. Classical music was the only thing playing in our cars as my parents drove me to school and back. I knew nothing of the songs on the radio, didn't even hear of boy bands until the fourth grade when they were slowly declining into obscurity.
My elementary school life consisted of a collection of classics neatly sorted out on a rack separated by composer.

We have five drawers at home filled completely of books; sheet music, college music theory texts, used music books, books my mom used when she was seven, books I used when I was seven, Phantom of the Opera, Haydn, Jack's Mannequin, Fleet Foxes, Ben Folds, even a slowly decaying children's classics book that was originally purchased in 1927 by my grandmother.

My family has gone through instruments like going through old pairs of shoes.
Two uprights, spinets, consoles, disklaviers, baby grands, and grands, Yamahas, Baldwins, Kawais, Schimmels, Steinways. We've tried them all but concert pianos, I don't think those would fit well in our house.

In first grade I would have piano lessons down the street every Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was a life changing moment, I even remember in my first piano lesson, I learnt the middle C and wouldn't stop playing octaves the rest of the week.

In second grade, I was enrolled into an art school where I went after school for five hours everyday to paint, draw, illustrate, play and learn to compose.

In fourth grade, I was given a flyer in the middle of class asking for all interested students who wanted to participate in band to tryout. Then I started taking flute and clarinet lessons three times a week, sometimes double lessons after piano.

In fifth grade, my mom finished the program to be a certified piano tuner, and since then, have been in the music industry. At one point, we had to park our cars outside for a month because we had five very old, 19th century, broken, and coffee stained pianos taking up space in our garage.
Also during this time I've been invited backstage at various philharmonic performances, music warehouses, and have met very interesting people.

In sixth grade, I was given a guitar and started taking lessons then from a college student named Gerard with long, shaggy brown hair. The first song he taught me was Lounge Act by Nirvana. I loved it.

In middle school, I was a giant band geek who played too much of the flute. I continued taking lessons and doing those awkward recitals your teachers have you do.


Freshman year in high school, I started working at Gordon's Music and Sound.
Freshman year was also the year I quit playing music.

And as I ramble on and on about my relationship with music throughout the years, I realize that I should have continued. And its a shame I didn't since I had all these connections, definitely not talent, but the mostly the experience.
And I know now why I had quit.

Music to me is a guilty pleasure. Both my parents have always been supportive of me playing music, but they always stress the fact that its not "practical." It's not practical to major in music, its not practical to be too intwined in it, its not practical to have music in your life as a profession (coming from my mother with experience in the industry herself, I was forced to accept that opinion half heartedly.) I'm definitely not saying music professions are bad, I have the greatest respect for anyone in the music industry. But because of how I was steered away from even thinking of doing music as a profession, I stopped trying to improve. I was scared that I would love it too much, and the thought of parting with it for a future, practical life and eventually a practical job in the next four years that doesn't involve music was hurtful to me. So I stopped early. It's a stupid way to think.

On the topic of meeting interesting people in the music industry, that also shaped my decision to stop.
I've met a man who graduated from Berklee, plays ten instruments, and doesn't have a steady job.
I've met another man who graduated from Julliard, played the alto sax in front of millions in New York, and at this moment is out of a job.
I've met many piano store owners who can't even afford to buy themselves lunch since business is so poor.


Thinking about it now though, I wish I hadn't quit. I have wonderful friends (Katie specifically) whose wonderful parents would support her going to whatever art school if she ever desired to, and I think to myself, I would love to do the same, but I can't because I stopped playing and its frustrating now that what could have been a possibility is now a far off dream to even apply.

On another tangent about music and frustration is when someone asks me what instrument I play, and I say piano, they answer, "Oh but of course, you would, you're Asian, it would either be that or the violin."

Yes, because every Asian knows plays the piano or the violin and therefore we all play the same, spend the same insane amount of time practicing, and we're all forced to do it by our immigrant parents who don't speak English well and probably can't pronounce Beethoven, Chopin, or Bach.

Thank you so much ignorant person of America, you truly understand music and the world around you.
Now get yourself a plane ticket and fly to somewhere in Asia where then you can realize music might be a necessity to us Americans, but its a luxury to everyone else.

And here is my connection to music. I promise you, it wasn't forced.
As a child, I had moved to seven different houses, six different elementary schools, in five different cities. I've had a parent live in another country for two years at one point. I've had an almost separation, neglect, and in sophomore year, went through a case, later treated, of depression.


There are a lot of changes in my life. Change of school, of friends, of family, of culture, and all that with missing my family who are half way around the world, however music was the only consistent thing that I could have depended on that never changed.

And through incidences like the one where my dad had heart surgery during a giant move from two different houses, I never parted with the piano for the whole month. I remember, I would neglect doing homework, and at one point failed my math class, just because I would spend hours with music, and my mom would understand, because it was what I needed to keep myself together.

But sadly in high school, my three guitars and two flutes sat lovingly collecting dust as I worried about life, and eventually forgot that the wonderful remedy to my problems were actually just hiding in the closet.
And for some reason last spring, I realized what I was missing, opened the dusty cases, and once again, fell in love.

And now I want to pursue the goals I had three years ago, to make up for the time and practice that I could have had and I didn't take. Goals of learning the saxophone and the violin that are unfortunately put on hold since I have no money to rent, nevertheless buy any of these instruments... thank god I have a job.

So this is what I wish for in the future.
I wish for parents to immerse their child in the arts, but let them dream, and let them dream big.

So what if your child doesn't have a chance in being a famous actor? A musician? A dancer? Please please please, let them be happy and face their disappointments naturally for themselves, don't impose it early upon them. They might actually make it.

I lost my chance to learn and grow up with the wonderful thing everyone calls music when I called my tutors and told them I was quitting, when I didn't sign up for band on my transcripts, when I refused to look at sheet music for three years because it would hurt me too much, when I would bypass music stores whenever my mom had business there-just because i didn't want to catch a glimpse of the instruments and start missing playing, and when I placed my instruments their cases and told myself to not open them for fear of wanting.

It was a giant mistake, and no one said a word on my decisions, but I really wish someone had.
I'm sure someone in the world out there has a similar story as mine, no matter if its with art, dancing, or acting.

And one more thing, don't expect me to be a great musician. I do it for the joy of playing, not to prove to anyone how fast I can sight read. I hope you won't expect too much out of me after reading this note.

I'm just happy that I know better now, and that its alright to have music in my life, even if that means that I won't be changing the world with it. Most importantly I want other people to know, if it makes you happy, continue with dancing, acting, writing, drawing, no matter how many people tell you how unpractical it is, because you won't be happy if you cheat yourself of what you really need.

And now excuse me while I drool over Yamaha P85S's on Ebay for the rest of the night. :)

I like movies.

Big movies, small movies, fat movies, tall movies.

[no, that wasn't intended to make sense.]


I also have a habit of watching a movie most every Sunday morning. It's my way of celebrating the Sabbath I suppose.... and in honour of this lovely Sunday morning I present a list of movies that I partiularly enjoy, and hope you will too.

And in an attempt to bring some reason to what could easily be a motley assortment of movies, I went with a theme of relationships-

between star-crossed lovers, brawling brothers, and between a citizen and their city.



So next time you find yourself bored by the basic selection at your local video store, perhaps you'll pick one of these up;

Once

For people who like: Accents, Street Musicians, Dublin, Oscar-Winning Scores

A gorgeous movie about a scruffy Dublin street musician and a beautiful Czech pianist who are drawn together by their intense love of music. But lovers of traditional musicals be fore-warned, their is no spontanious dance number in this film, the music is as natural to the storyline as the grass is to the hills that surround Dublin.

Love Actually

For people who like: Cute little boys, Christmas, Hugh Grant shakin his tush

Possibly my favorite Christmas movie ever, which is a considerable feat. Perhaps achieved by the mere fact that the focus of this movie isn't Christmas- it's love, actually. It's a romantic comedy with considerably more fluff than the usual chick-flick. Runners up include classics [A Christmas Story] and newbies [The Holiday] alike, but Love Actually has in it's short time become a Christmas tradition for me, and worth repeat viewings throughout the year. And really, how can you resist such a great cast? Liam Neeson! Emma Thompson! Severus Snape!

Two for the Road

For people who like: Audrey Hepburn, European Road-Trips, Men in short-shorts

An-unfortunatly- lesser known Hepburn film. About the joys of falling in love, and the pains of falling out of love, and the journey that leads to each. In a world of love stories that end at happily ever after, Two takes the next step into what happens after the young couple runs off into the sunset. Although despite the more realistic scenes of the older, married couple, I can't help but get swept up in my own European travel fantisies watching this film.

Rudo Y Cursi

For people who like: Movies in Spanish, Futbol, Y Tu Mama Tambien

Gael Garcia Bernal [le swoon] and Diego Luna are the darlings of Mexican cinema, and ever since their pairing in Y Tu Mama Tambien, people [me] have been waiting on baited breath for these two to do another movie together. When they finally reunited, we were blessed with this, an entertaining little number about the volitile relationship between two brothers who are scouted to opposing futbol teams. Schinanigans ensue.

Paris- Je T'aime

For People who Like: Short films, mimes, Natalie Portman, Paris

The concept of this film sounds hit-or-miss, a collection twenty short films, running about five minutes each, each a dedication to a particualar neighborhood in the city of love. Particularly good for those with short attention spans, the structure is actually very interesting. A favorite of mine would have to be the story of two mimes falling in love as told by their young son.

Harold and Maude

For people who like: Hearses, Bowl-cuts, and Cougers

A must for any sort of wacky-relationship list, Harold and Maude is a classic. Depressed young man meets granmotherly woman at funeral. Quirky relationship and musings on life ensue.

This list was definitly not difinitive by any means, but hopefully you found it helpfual and were able to ignore my many spelling mistakes.

"I love that word "relationship." Covers all manner of sins, doesn't it?" -Hugh Grant