So lately I've been on this jazz/classical/Romanian/French music kick. Actually, it's not a kick, it's more of like a, "well, if I listen to this often enough maybe the classiness and the French language will rub off on me..."
Obviously it hasn't, but the recent kick HAS opened me up to a lot of good music.
Oh... and once I find a job, I'm saving up to find an accordion tutor in Berkeley. Well, I kinda already found one, I just need the money to hire her. And, rent an accordion of course. ANYWAYS.

Beautiful artists that you should look into!

1. Jacques Brel



2. Billie Holiday



3. Chet Baker



4. Jo Basile & His Orchestra



5. Tin Hat Trio

I think we should revamp this again. Because I miss this...
So I'll first start off with saying: hello again!
I don't really know what to put as the first post (in a very long time), so maybe I'll just start off with a playlist of songs I've been into lately as well as a book or two and some films.

I mean, there's kinda no point to this blog.. I feel like tumblr has taken over and made everything simple (reblogging and such), but I don't get as much satisfaction out of that than I do actually writing and posting what's been on my mind. PLUS, I kinda get to stay in touch with Sami so that's always a good thing! :)

For the next post, I plan on writing (with pictures!) some places in Berkeley that are super dee-dooper fantastic that everyone should visit for food and fun. So stay tuned!

June playlist
1. Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti & Spearhead
2. Oslo In The Summertime - Of Montreal
3. Some Constellation - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
4. My Moon My Man (Feist Remix) - Boys Noize
5. My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker
6. Towards The Sun - Alexi Murdoch
7. Happy Hour - Tin Hat Trio
8. Leaves In The River - Sea Wolf
9. Comme Ci, Comme Ca, Tout Ca - Jo Basile & His Orchestra
10. Mightiest of Guns - A.A. Bondy
11. Feetlips - Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire
12. I Wanna Know Now (Bob Marley/MGMT) - Xaphoon Jones
13. Candy Says - The Velvet Underground
14. Don't Let Me Fall In Love With You! - Teitur
15. For Emma (Bon Iver feat. Eau Claire Memorial Jazz Band, Version) - Justin Vernon
16. Mushaboom (w. Spleen, Feist cover) - Bright Eyes
17. My Melancholy Baby - Al Bowlly
18. Biggie Smalls - Starfucker
19. Cool Yourself - Thao & the Get Down Stay Down
20. La Llorna - Beirut

Uhhhhhh. I've been reading this for fun (and for information:)



I don't expect anyone to like it.. It's more of a textbook and research novel than it is an actual novel.

I'm also midway through Dave Egger's Zeitoun, which is fantastic. And I just finished Barbery's The Elegance of The Hedgehog which was a very fun read.. although the best book of summer so far has to be Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Glibert which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

As for movies:



Saw this yesterday. It's an Italian movie, a little slow (but hey, that's the beauty of foreign films). It's one of those movies where after you watch it, you feel really really really tired because the main character is really really really tired. And you also never want to grow old and die. It's one of those films.



Please, Please Me - Saw at the Sacramento French Film Festival. Honestly, one of my favorite foreign movies I have ever seen. (The other being Grave of the Fireflies... which isn't your typical cartoon.) It's ex the gushy smiley faces, and more about war and death and survival and love. It's semi-autobiographical, anti-war based, and was compared to Schnidler's List. The first time I watched this I was ten and I kinda just busted out crying. It truly initiated my interests in international relations, peace and justice. Just... just watch it.



Mmmm... that's it for now.

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.