10.31.2009
10.20.2009
TIMF 2009
Treasure Island Music Festival 2009 was SOOOO MUCH FUN! i'm not sure how to describe it in a way that will do it justice. it was a beautiful weekend. sarah wong came down from portland. we enjoyed the sunny, but not too hot weather and amazing music all on the little treasure island surrounded by the bay, full of sailboats. i personally preferred last years line-up, packed with bands like Vampire Weekend, Tokyo Police Club, Tegan and Sara, Chester French, Justice, CSS, The Raconteurs, and more, but this year we actually were up close and personal for a ton of great bands.
DAY 1
Photos #1 and 2: Passion Pit was the first band we saw. they kicked off the day of dancing with their fun, unique sounds. if you haven't checked them out yet i pretty much guarantee you will love their electro keyboards mixed with an offbeat, high pitched voice.
Photo #3 and 4: next were British rappers, The Streets. i found out that pretty much all their songs are as fun as their hit, "Fit But You Know It" and am really excited to explore their music more. frontman Michael Skinner is quite the looker, even if he is an asshole.
Photo #5 and 6:a new discovery, Brazilian Girls. obviously points for the costume. their music was new and interesting. although i'm not sure what their obsession with "sexy assholes" or "pussy, pussy, Marijuana" was. ha.
Photo #7 and 8: another new discovery, MSTRKRFT. ironic that they spell their name with no vowels. these two DJ's did it big on stage with their bottle of Crown Royal and boxes of cigarettes right next to the tables. literally danced our asses off to their tasty remixes of songs like D.A.N.C.E. and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Photo#9 and 10: of course one of the moments i had been waiting for the entire day, MGMT. accompanied by pyramidal props and fantastic lights, they sang their album in it's entirety announcing that this would be their last show for awhile. sad, but ok because after they finished that album they enlightened us with some new material. my prediction is that they are taking a break from touring to record a new album!
DAY 2
Photos #1 and 2: day 2 was a little cloudier and windier, but when the sun peaked out and shined on Grizzly Bear it was "like something out of the Bible" (my exact words). their sleepy sounds mixed with the weather and our exhaustion from Day 1 was perfection.
Photos #3 and 4: another new band, Beirut, from New Mexico, kept the day going with a mash up of horns, stringy guitars, and an accordion. i definitely asked my roommate to burn me that CD as soon as i got home.
Photos #5 and 6: one of the most powerful, beautiful performances, the Decemberists played their entire album, The Hazard of Love, which tells a story. their mix of heavy instrumentals and folksy female and male vocals, all done in a theatrical nature was phenomenal.
Music: i recommend any band from this post. all are superb (and in italic purple) !
DAY 1
Photos #1 and 2: Passion Pit was the first band we saw. they kicked off the day of dancing with their fun, unique sounds. if you haven't checked them out yet i pretty much guarantee you will love their electro keyboards mixed with an offbeat, high pitched voice.
Photo #3 and 4: next were British rappers, The Streets. i found out that pretty much all their songs are as fun as their hit, "Fit But You Know It" and am really excited to explore their music more. frontman Michael Skinner is quite the looker, even if he is an asshole.
Photo #5 and 6:a new discovery, Brazilian Girls. obviously points for the costume. their music was new and interesting. although i'm not sure what their obsession with "sexy assholes" or "pussy, pussy, Marijuana" was. ha.
Photo #7 and 8: another new discovery, MSTRKRFT. ironic that they spell their name with no vowels. these two DJ's did it big on stage with their bottle of Crown Royal and boxes of cigarettes right next to the tables. literally danced our asses off to their tasty remixes of songs like D.A.N.C.E. and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Photo#9 and 10: of course one of the moments i had been waiting for the entire day, MGMT. accompanied by pyramidal props and fantastic lights, they sang their album in it's entirety announcing that this would be their last show for awhile. sad, but ok because after they finished that album they enlightened us with some new material. my prediction is that they are taking a break from touring to record a new album!
DAY 2
Photos #1 and 2: day 2 was a little cloudier and windier, but when the sun peaked out and shined on Grizzly Bear it was "like something out of the Bible" (my exact words). their sleepy sounds mixed with the weather and our exhaustion from Day 1 was perfection.
Photos #3 and 4: another new band, Beirut, from New Mexico, kept the day going with a mash up of horns, stringy guitars, and an accordion. i definitely asked my roommate to burn me that CD as soon as i got home.
Photos #5 and 6: one of the most powerful, beautiful performances, the Decemberists played their entire album, The Hazard of Love, which tells a story. their mix of heavy instrumentals and folksy female and male vocals, all done in a theatrical nature was phenomenal.
Music: i recommend any band from this post. all are superb (and in italic purple) !
10.16.2009
all together now (repeat)
my mind is racing with words, sentences, phrases, everything , just like a blog. so what must i do? i must blog of course! this will be my final post before i have a fabulous weekend of a day in the city with my mom and treasure island with sarah and kevin. i will of course post about that and want to leave it up forever in hopes that it will immortalize all the good times!
Thing #1: i was talking to my little sophomore friend Ryry (he goes to Jesuit High School) about homecoming and we were discussing how and why i thought prom was not the best dance of them all, even though it is always the one people make the hugest deal. this got me thinking about how kids in high school supposedly have these beginner relationships in order to prepare them for more adult relationships when they get older. let's face it, high school relationships are totally bizarre. most of the time they consist of a boy being attracted to a girl and vice versa, and then said boy asks out said girl. they hold hands, awkwardly PDA a lot, go to date dances, and see some movies. although i did not exactly have any technical relationships in high school i did observe them and learn a lot. i learned that the average high school relationship is all a huge scam, usually for some sort of status and that most people cheat on their bf/gf. if someone tells you they are in love with their high school beau, chances are they are lying or ignorant. how these high school relationships prepare anyone for meaningful, adult relationships in the future, i have no idea. (i apologize if you have had a good, meaningful high school relationship. that just means you aren't a statistic.)
Thing #2: here is a popular saying you might know "when you assume you make and ASS out of U and ME". i know it is bad to assume, because that is giving into stereotypes and profiling people and things. but i have to say, in my experience most stereotypes and assumptions are true. after all, that is where they come from. i'm here to tell you that sometimes it is ok to assume and draw your own conclusions. i'm going to even go so far as to say it is good. example: i wear a star of david necklace given to me by my grandma. now i can already predict the thought going through your mind. you're jewish? why yes jimmy, i am. most of the time when people see the star and ask me that i snap at them " no i just wear this because i like to get made fun of". no. i actually am jewish and i think that it is a safe assumption that a person wearing a star of david around their neck is jewish. and if the person isn't but you make that assumption, said person should not get mad because that is a logical assumption. the person instead should stop wearing the necklace if they feel so offended to be constantly mistaken as a jew.
Thing #3: i've been reading a lot of fashion blogs which is fun because it inspires me to experiment with all of my clothes for the winter to dress fabulously. also, they always have the best pictures of themselves. yea i am a narcissist and like to take numerous self portraits so it gives me tips and new ideas on how to do it in in more interesting ways. i'll leave you with one.
Music: Cornerstone - The Arctic Monkeys (credit to one Jack Taylor. check the link list for his blog.)
Thing #1: i was talking to my little sophomore friend Ryry (he goes to Jesuit High School) about homecoming and we were discussing how and why i thought prom was not the best dance of them all, even though it is always the one people make the hugest deal. this got me thinking about how kids in high school supposedly have these beginner relationships in order to prepare them for more adult relationships when they get older. let's face it, high school relationships are totally bizarre. most of the time they consist of a boy being attracted to a girl and vice versa, and then said boy asks out said girl. they hold hands, awkwardly PDA a lot, go to date dances, and see some movies. although i did not exactly have any technical relationships in high school i did observe them and learn a lot. i learned that the average high school relationship is all a huge scam, usually for some sort of status and that most people cheat on their bf/gf. if someone tells you they are in love with their high school beau, chances are they are lying or ignorant. how these high school relationships prepare anyone for meaningful, adult relationships in the future, i have no idea. (i apologize if you have had a good, meaningful high school relationship. that just means you aren't a statistic.)
Thing #2: here is a popular saying you might know "when you assume you make and ASS out of U and ME". i know it is bad to assume, because that is giving into stereotypes and profiling people and things. but i have to say, in my experience most stereotypes and assumptions are true. after all, that is where they come from. i'm here to tell you that sometimes it is ok to assume and draw your own conclusions. i'm going to even go so far as to say it is good. example: i wear a star of david necklace given to me by my grandma. now i can already predict the thought going through your mind. you're jewish? why yes jimmy, i am. most of the time when people see the star and ask me that i snap at them " no i just wear this because i like to get made fun of". no. i actually am jewish and i think that it is a safe assumption that a person wearing a star of david around their neck is jewish. and if the person isn't but you make that assumption, said person should not get mad because that is a logical assumption. the person instead should stop wearing the necklace if they feel so offended to be constantly mistaken as a jew.
Thing #3: i've been reading a lot of fashion blogs which is fun because it inspires me to experiment with all of my clothes for the winter to dress fabulously. also, they always have the best pictures of themselves. yea i am a narcissist and like to take numerous self portraits so it gives me tips and new ideas on how to do it in in more interesting ways. i'll leave you with one.
Music: Cornerstone - The Arctic Monkeys (credit to one Jack Taylor. check the link list for his blog.)
10.14.2009
Lady Gaga Dickface
as you can see, this is Lady Gaga made out of dicks. ironic and hilarious? yea. (displayed on the SF campus of CCA among other renditions of people's faces with realted objects.)
Music: Paparazzi - Lady Gaga
10.09.2009
Whip It/HOPE,CHANGE,BS (dual post)
First order of business: My review of the movie Whip It
first off, i highly recommend this movie. props to Drew Barrymore for the success in her directorial debut. Whip It is the story of a girl named Bliss (Ellen Page) whose small-town mother attempts to raise her through beauty pageants in order to assure her development as the ideal young woman. but Bliss has other priorities in life and finds a greater passion when she attends her first roller derby. She takes on the name Babe Ruthless and ends up on the Hurl Scouts, with Smashlee Simpson (Drew Barrymore), Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), and Rosa Sparks (Eve). now i don't want to give away too much, but what i love most about this movie is it's ability to be a cinderella story without the typical ending, but still satisfying nonetheless. all the characters were very well casted (something i really enjoy). you'll see plenty of familiar faces: Jimmy Fallon, Ari Graynor (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist), Marcia Gay Harden (Into the Wild, Mona Lisa Smile), and many more. the only complaint i have is that a few parts were anticlimactic where their could have been more action or tension. all in all i give it two large thumbs up and recommend you go see it. i anticipate more films by Drew Barrymore in the future.
Second order of Business: Barack Obama winning the Nobel Prize
Yes, i am a Republican. No, i could not vote in the last election. No, i would not have voted for Barack if i could've. No, i am not a sore loser. go read my blog post from that day. i am willing to give the man a fair chance to do his job right and admire him as an intelligent qualified man. however, i do not believe he has done anything thus far which deserves the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. he has been in office for less than a year and has not achieved any real progress yet. now i am completely willing to admit i am not the most informed citizen, but i am informed enough to be confused as to why President Obama has received this award. he claims the award is a "call to action". well if they gave out A's in school to call all the slackers to action, do you think that would work? preemptively awarding Obama the Nobel Peace Prize will not help him stop the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. it will only backfire on him if he is unable to do so.
Music: Youth - MGMT
first off, i highly recommend this movie. props to Drew Barrymore for the success in her directorial debut. Whip It is the story of a girl named Bliss (Ellen Page) whose small-town mother attempts to raise her through beauty pageants in order to assure her development as the ideal young woman. but Bliss has other priorities in life and finds a greater passion when she attends her first roller derby. She takes on the name Babe Ruthless and ends up on the Hurl Scouts, with Smashlee Simpson (Drew Barrymore), Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), and Rosa Sparks (Eve). now i don't want to give away too much, but what i love most about this movie is it's ability to be a cinderella story without the typical ending, but still satisfying nonetheless. all the characters were very well casted (something i really enjoy). you'll see plenty of familiar faces: Jimmy Fallon, Ari Graynor (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist), Marcia Gay Harden (Into the Wild, Mona Lisa Smile), and many more. the only complaint i have is that a few parts were anticlimactic where their could have been more action or tension. all in all i give it two large thumbs up and recommend you go see it. i anticipate more films by Drew Barrymore in the future.Second order of Business: Barack Obama winning the Nobel Prize
Yes, i am a Republican. No, i could not vote in the last election. No, i would not have voted for Barack if i could've. No, i am not a sore loser. go read my blog post from that day. i am willing to give the man a fair chance to do his job right and admire him as an intelligent qualified man. however, i do not believe he has done anything thus far which deserves the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. he has been in office for less than a year and has not achieved any real progress yet. now i am completely willing to admit i am not the most informed citizen, but i am informed enough to be confused as to why President Obama has received this award. he claims the award is a "call to action". well if they gave out A's in school to call all the slackers to action, do you think that would work? preemptively awarding Obama the Nobel Peace Prize will not help him stop the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. it will only backfire on him if he is unable to do so.
Music: Youth - MGMT
10.08.2009
talk speak
most of the time in my Intro to Graphic Desgin class we are asked to create type-based concepts. that means they use only type, or letters, to create the graphic. that got me thinking about words and language and all of the words i love. i talk a lot (if you know me, you know this is super true) so naturally i love words. but there are certain words i love more than others. you might have heard me say them. i am going to list them (in no particular order).
1) DELICIOUS: highly pleasing to the senses, esp. to taste or smell. this is such a fun word! just say the word and you must know what i mean. it has so many wonderful sounds and a wonderful meaning. it can be used to describe the obvious food, or other things such as an experience, person, etc.
Example: Today i went to the city and saw the most delicious boy walk out of H&M; naturally he was hand-in-hand with another male.
2)SWAGGER:as defined by urbdic, poised, sassiness that can't be touched. It may be in the walk or it may be in the talk, but there is no doubt it means you own the room and you have that natural charisma. all very true. anyone worth describing is described as having swagger.
Example: While on a relaxing vacation, Jay and B stopped all of those walking the streets of Rome with their immense, intense swagger.
3)HELLA (HELLUH): An intensifier, with a grammatical function and usage similar to "very" or "really". It's a contraction of "hell of", and may have originated in Alameda County, California. It was definitely in common use in Berkeley public schools as far back as 1979. (urbdic) basically it is something commonly used by and associated with northern california youths, although my father has dropped a few hellas. if you go to norcal, don't be alarmed to hear it and don't complain about it. instead you should pick it up because it is such a fun word.
Example: The girl from San Diego was hella trippin because she tried to say that norcal sucks.
4)POOP: i think you all know what poop is. basically i use it a lot in place of fuck, shit, or damn. it is a universal curse word which makes cursing something seem less harsh. it can be variated to poopoo, poopy, etc. try it out sometime.
Example: Girl 1: you totally just ripped your project.
Girl 2: POOP! now i have to do it all over again.
5)INEBRIATED: Exhilarated or stupefied by or as if by alcohol; intoxicated. as a teenager i encounter, and you probably do too, many inebriated people. i will admit to be occasionally inebriated myself. it is a fancy word which gives the appearance of intelligence. it is also waaaay more fun to say than drunk or high or even intoxicated.
Example: Max of Chester French arrived at the in store performance in his usual, inebriated state.
obviously i use more than just 5 words a lot, but these ones are quite fun. try to work them into your vocabulary and try them out. i think you will more likely then not enjoy it. another fun thing i like to do it either shorten everything to one syllable or add the suffix -ie to the end. it works best with nouns.
Example: oak=oakland, berk=berkeley and foodie=food, sodie=soda
Music: Bebe Buell - Chester French
1) DELICIOUS: highly pleasing to the senses, esp. to taste or smell. this is such a fun word! just say the word and you must know what i mean. it has so many wonderful sounds and a wonderful meaning. it can be used to describe the obvious food, or other things such as an experience, person, etc.
Example: Today i went to the city and saw the most delicious boy walk out of H&M; naturally he was hand-in-hand with another male.
2)SWAGGER:as defined by urbdic, poised, sassiness that can't be touched. It may be in the walk or it may be in the talk, but there is no doubt it means you own the room and you have that natural charisma. all very true. anyone worth describing is described as having swagger.
Example: While on a relaxing vacation, Jay and B stopped all of those walking the streets of Rome with their immense, intense swagger.
3)HELLA (HELLUH): An intensifier, with a grammatical function and usage similar to "very" or "really". It's a contraction of "hell of", and may have originated in Alameda County, California. It was definitely in common use in Berkeley public schools as far back as 1979. (urbdic) basically it is something commonly used by and associated with northern california youths, although my father has dropped a few hellas. if you go to norcal, don't be alarmed to hear it and don't complain about it. instead you should pick it up because it is such a fun word.
Example: The girl from San Diego was hella trippin because she tried to say that norcal sucks.
4)POOP: i think you all know what poop is. basically i use it a lot in place of fuck, shit, or damn. it is a universal curse word which makes cursing something seem less harsh. it can be variated to poopoo, poopy, etc. try it out sometime.
Example: Girl 1: you totally just ripped your project.
Girl 2: POOP! now i have to do it all over again.
5)INEBRIATED: Exhilarated or stupefied by or as if by alcohol; intoxicated. as a teenager i encounter, and you probably do too, many inebriated people. i will admit to be occasionally inebriated myself. it is a fancy word which gives the appearance of intelligence. it is also waaaay more fun to say than drunk or high or even intoxicated.
Example: Max of Chester French arrived at the in store performance in his usual, inebriated state.
obviously i use more than just 5 words a lot, but these ones are quite fun. try to work them into your vocabulary and try them out. i think you will more likely then not enjoy it. another fun thing i like to do it either shorten everything to one syllable or add the suffix -ie to the end. it works best with nouns.
Example: oak=oakland, berk=berkeley and foodie=food, sodie=soda
Music: Bebe Buell - Chester French
10.05.2009
Love and Haight
i am currently quite exhausted from this weekend's jam packed activities. i suppose i shall go day by day.
Friday: went to haight st to thrift with Joel. we discovered that because vintage (esp on haight) is so trendy they can charge you 20$ for some old guy's previously favorite garment. we didn't buy too many things. i did manage to escape with a cheaper priced American Apparel cardigan thing from Crossroads and i did buy a gold headband directly from AA. i think Joel got a tshirt. Jack met up with us and i ended up spending some time at USF with Jack and his friends that night. USF is a beautiful school...yea.
Saturday: the day of the infamous Lovefest (now officially called LovEvolution for some reason or another). the basic breakdown of Lovefest is thousands upon thousands of fun loving hippies, dressed crazily, totally inebriated, dancing in the city hall square of San Francisco. i brought the big guns to take advantage of this great photo opportunity.
photo #1: some random guy in front of BK lounge who asked me if i could take his photo. but one was not enough. after i snapped one shot he wanted to do another pose. editor's choice, i chose this one.
photo #2: i asked these lovely folks if i could take their picture and the girl in the front, getting her ass smacked, asked me "where will this be? my parent's won't see it right?".
photo#3: me and Nicky, duh!
photo#4: one example of many interesting characters i encountered. the man (yea, it is a man) in the middle is sporting furry leg warmers, one of the most popular items seen at this lovefest. other very popular items included angel/butterfly wings, anything neon, AA tube tops, body suits, leggings, headbands, etc., and tutus. of course there were always those select people who chose to wear nothing. (i did not photograph any of them.)
Saturday night i headed down to berkeley to spend the night with joel, greg, and spencer. unfortunately USC did major damage on the Cal football game that evening so everyone was kind of down. we still had fun. watched Animal House with Spencer's roommate Abe and their friend Allen. lesson learned: twin bed does not refer to two people sharing said bed. hahaha.
now i face all the work i've been putting off...most of it is due tuesday so i'm probably going to continue to put it off.
Music: Dont Steal Our Sun - The Thrills
Friday: went to haight st to thrift with Joel. we discovered that because vintage (esp on haight) is so trendy they can charge you 20$ for some old guy's previously favorite garment. we didn't buy too many things. i did manage to escape with a cheaper priced American Apparel cardigan thing from Crossroads and i did buy a gold headband directly from AA. i think Joel got a tshirt. Jack met up with us and i ended up spending some time at USF with Jack and his friends that night. USF is a beautiful school...yea.
Saturday: the day of the infamous Lovefest (now officially called LovEvolution for some reason or another). the basic breakdown of Lovefest is thousands upon thousands of fun loving hippies, dressed crazily, totally inebriated, dancing in the city hall square of San Francisco. i brought the big guns to take advantage of this great photo opportunity.
photo #1: some random guy in front of BK lounge who asked me if i could take his photo. but one was not enough. after i snapped one shot he wanted to do another pose. editor's choice, i chose this one.
photo #2: i asked these lovely folks if i could take their picture and the girl in the front, getting her ass smacked, asked me "where will this be? my parent's won't see it right?".
photo#3: me and Nicky, duh!
photo#4: one example of many interesting characters i encountered. the man (yea, it is a man) in the middle is sporting furry leg warmers, one of the most popular items seen at this lovefest. other very popular items included angel/butterfly wings, anything neon, AA tube tops, body suits, leggings, headbands, etc., and tutus. of course there were always those select people who chose to wear nothing. (i did not photograph any of them.)
Saturday night i headed down to berkeley to spend the night with joel, greg, and spencer. unfortunately USC did major damage on the Cal football game that evening so everyone was kind of down. we still had fun. watched Animal House with Spencer's roommate Abe and their friend Allen. lesson learned: twin bed does not refer to two people sharing said bed. hahaha.
now i face all the work i've been putting off...most of it is due tuesday so i'm probably going to continue to put it off.
Music: Dont Steal Our Sun - The Thrills
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