Hoppípolla...

I love Sigur Rós and their music videos. Once I watched this movie the first thing I though of was how people tend to get lost in their age. The older you become, the more you forget how it was to be young. How it felt. We grow, we age, we mature and then what? I know we don't all become these boring old people who do nothing but sit around all day and complain about the nation's youth but...I don't know. I feel that this video has the right idea, you need to keep in touch with that inner child or you'll rot away.

Parents need to remember this especially. What were you doing when you were 18? Sitting at home bonding with your family? No. You were out in the world with your friends trying to make sense of it all. And when you did make sense of it, and you didn't like it, you went against the establishment and tried to change it, which is what our youth is about. Change. Even when you're between 17-25 you're still young and still naive about the world. When you see something you don't like you think "Well, let's change it." It could be from the Green Revolution, to helping suffering people, to how your town is being run...I don't know. But it's because the youth is naive about this, and being the youth, we won't shut up until we get our way and we see change. So either we'll take initiative or receive help from "older" people who have the resources to help.

[This is becoming quite the rant]

So all-in-all, people need to remember the good times of their youth and hold on to that. Don't let your age define who you are. I sure as hell don't. I'm 20 and my weekends mostly consist of homework and reading. I don't go to clubs and all that hoopla. Besides that, when you grow up you begin to carry more responsibility, don't let it weigh you down.

Have fun with your life, you only have one...unless you believe in reincarnation...which you may get more than one until you reach the highest point or something...I don't know, look it up for yourself.

Internal Rush...

I went with my friend Diana to grab FIT Market to grab some lunch before class the other day and when crossing 7th ave I walked out before the signal turned and even though cars were still coming. I knew I could time it right to get across but Diana didn't think so and stopped me. We then began to argue as to why I do that. Why do I cross the street when there are still cars coming? I honestly don't know but it got me thinking. Why was it when I came to NYC did I start to throw myself into traffic? It's not like I'm going somewhere important. The only excuse I can give is that it's what you do in NYC? I don't know. So I dug deeper and deeper into my subconscious and this is what I pulled up:

I tend to not go against the grain really, I don't rebel, I don't smoke, I don't drink that often, I don't do drugs or really put my life in serious danger, except stepping out into traffic; timing it just right to where it just passes me as I cross behind it. It's the adrenaline rush. I know I'm not going to get hit but at the same time there's that what-if factor. I do the same thing with subways...sort of. Sometimes when the subway is coming I stand close to the edge of the platform. I know I'm not going to get hit, but to see the subway coming at me, feeling the rancid air barreling through the tunnel, then the push from the air just gives me a weird rush. Don't judge.

I'm not saying I bolt out into heavy traffic or I stand right next to the subway all the time, that's just weird. I use my head. If there are 20 cars coming down the street I don't play Frogger with myself and try to not get hit by a car.

Picture

The Things You Do When You're Alone...

Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm not talking about masturbation. I'm talking about the goofy things you do when you think no one is around or when no one is looking. What tends to happen with me a lot of the time is that I think no one is looking, then I'm caught mid-act and I get strange looks from passersby.

There are a few things in particular that I just love to do. It first started last year when I was in Alumni Hall. I lived on the 6th floor and would always take the stairs, great exercise, and when leaving I would always dance down the stairs to whatever my iPod was playing. It's a wonderful way to start your day. This surge of energy just goes through your body that's filled with happiness and sunshine.

I'm always mouthing the lyrics when I'm listening to music and walking and on the subway I try to contain myself. I try to not move so much because I don't really want to draw attention to myself. But I just want to break into dance.

One time, it was about 1am and I as walking through Madison Sq. Park and it was absolutely deserted. When I realized this "I Feel it All" by Feist came on and I just let loose! I felt so free because I was out in public and just let it all go. Arms flailing, legs kicking in an uncoordinated way. No one was there to judge me or make some smart comment or shoot me a weird look. Bliss.

Recently, after another ridiculous rehearsal, a group of us started singing "A Whole New World" from Aladin, then we broke out into "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. We didn't care how loud we were or who was annoyed, we just let it out. All of our frustration, anger and stress toward the show was released for those few minutes. Then it all flooded back after we were done laughing. But those moments were golden. I'm happy to say "Part of Your World" was videotaped and hopefully it won't be deleted.

I think a lot of people want this to happen, but I've always wanted to break out into dace in the middle of the sidewalk or at a park and have random people start to join in and know exactly what to do. Sounds corny, I know, but I don't care. I'll expand on this topic later...

Beirut [the band not the country]...

Founder, Zachary Francis Condon, is a very talented man. Started out as a solo thing, Beirut combines the feel of Eastern Europe and Balkan fold with Western pop music which fits in wonderfully with the indie-rock culture. I'm not going to talk about Beirut too much, but I did want to introduce him to whomever is reading this blog. He has two CDs out, Gulag Orkestar and The Flying Club Cup, and a number of EPs. You can greatly hear the French influence on his music, most likely from the fact that he lived in France for a time, which has oddly enough left me liking the accordion.

Listen to him, he's great and the music is like nothing you've heard. The song featured in the video is called "Nantes" from The Flying Club Cup.

Enjoy.

Self Style...

Your style is who you are, it's what you feel comfortable in. Your clothes are apart of you...you know. Personally, I love a pop of color, just something to catch your eye. Crazy patterns and colors in small doses pushes my buttons in the right way. One of my favorite sock retailers I've discovered is Happy Socks. Wonderful pairs of socks in vibrant colors, patterns and graphics are at everyones disposal, for $10 a pair. I have yet to order a pair but one day I will. They look so comfortable and welcoming!

I had a very exciting moment as I was going to my internship the other day. Getting off the elevator I see, posted on the door in front of me, a pair of orange Happy Socks with black, horizontal pin stripes. I wanted to take them and run, even though I didn't really care for them. I love socks! I don't know where it came from...but I guess I do.

I used to be that kid that wore white socks, then I started venturing into the world of black ankle socks...so straight! Then hello high school. In middle school I was in the Drama Club so I was starting to become more open and not as timid with myself and my body. During this time is when ripped jean became really big, thank you Abercrombie and Fitch. While walking through the mall I saw a pair of these jeans and said, "I could do that." The next day I took a pair of my jeans and introduced them to Mr. Scissors and Mr. Cheese-Grater. My mom was a little taken aback when she saw but was okay with it. Then I started growing my hair out in my junior year...that was fun. I had long, wavy, blonde hair, it was amazing. So, I went from this kid who wasn't so sure of himself or who he was to the artsy kid who was ripping his own jeans and paint splattering everything he owned. My mom kept begging me to cut my hair, which by the time I got to college was down to my shoulders, but I didn't. That's the only way I rebelled. I didn't really drink, smoke, do drugs or have random unprotected sex with people I met at homosexual gatherings during the the night time. I was kind of like a hippie, but clean.

Nowadays I'm a completely different person. If I went back in time, I wouldn't know who I was. When I was in high school I said "I hate wearing a shirt and tie, I feel so contricted." I adore shirts and ties now. If I could dress everyday in a shirt, tie and jacket I would be so happy. I saw A Single Man with Collin Firth, who played the main character, George [bottom picture], directed by Tom Ford [yes sir], and if I could dress like George everyday I would look so nice.

Right now I'm in an awkward in-between stage. I'm trying to move away from my "Express T-Shirts," you know, the ones with screen-printed graphics on it that are obnoxious, and go toward more simple, sophisticated clothing. My closet is so strange. It's full of t-shirts, only four of which I actually wear, a handful of shirts that I wear and a few jackets. I actually only have three pairs of jeans, I can't shop for pants to save my life, it's such a process. I went from having extravagant-looking clothes to a simple, clean-cut guy...with colorful socks.

The Little Things...

I'm that kind of person who notices the little weird things that happen in life. When I walk through the hustle and bustle of the New York sidewalks I try to take in what's going on around me. I love to see what people are doing, saying, acting and looking like. One of my favorite things is when you are crossing the street while other people are also coming to the corner from a "perpendicular" side and you pass right behind or right in in front of them. I hope that's understandable.

Something wonderful happened on my way to work today. I got off at 5th and 53rd and walking up the second escalator the person in front of me got off and went to the left, I went to the right, then, out of the corner of my, I saw the person behind me go to the left. I stopped turned around and the next person went the right, then left...and that happened for the next five people. Too amazing.

Oh how the subway can just piss me off and make me just a little happier at the same time. Like many people I've stood around or sometimes leaned against that dirty, disease ridden poll, waiting for that god-damned subway to make it's way to the station. What makes that long, smelly wait worth it is when that door stops right in front of you. How glorious is that! Just standing around, and you happen to pick the right spot.

Things like that just make my day just a little bit brighter.

La Primavera

Good day sunshine! It's finally Spring! After a dreadful winter of a climate that resembled one in Canada, constant snow, which caused two snow days, there is now sunshine and a temperatures of 65ºF.

The short days of winter are bleeding into the longer sunny days of spring, life is reborn from the dead. The trees are waking up and blossoming, flowers are reaching toward the sun through the dirt and even concrete. Love seems to fill the air as more people venture out to meet the day. And now it's the perfect weather for picnics.

Many festivals have been dedicated to this revival. In Afghanistan, the first day of Spring signifies the new year! The Christians around the world celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ who then ascended to Heaven, but not before hiding colored eggs and chocolate. In India they celebrate Holi, or the Festival of Colors, where they throw colored power and colored water at each other. They celebrate it at the end of the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month.

Spring time is about life, renewal and colors! Live life and love it!

A Happiness Dream Project

To get even more excited for Spring I've decided to read A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare and The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin.

I don't think I need to explain A Midsummer Night's Dream but I must say it is my favorite Shakespearean play. I've always wanted to be Robin Goodfellow, a.k.a. Puck. I remember the first time I read it. I was a Freshman in high school and not apart of the english honors class. I went to my teacher to ask if I could have a copy of AMND and she was thrilled that I was so interested in reading it. I was one of the very few students who loved reading Shakespeare. Having only read one Shakespearean play in class before this, Romeo and Juliet, it was somewhat difficult to read but I pushed through it. That same year we went on a field trip to a theatre which was showing AMND. It was amazing. The show itself was great, but the costumes really caught my eye. The show looked like so much fun and I wanted to be a part of it.

Now, I wanted to buy books that would be very happy or funny to get me excited for Spring. So picking The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle and Generally Have More Fun was simple, it's right in the name. The book is a memoir of a woman who decided that, even though she had a great family and a successful career, she felt that something was missing. She decided to start a year-long journey to learn how to lead a happier life. Each month she tackled a different task - go to sleep earlier, bring people together, take time to be silly - along with many other goals. She read books of Aristotle, Churchill, Oprah. You get the idea. I haven't started it yet but I'm very anxious.

Virtual Clutz...

I'm addicted and my drug is StumbleUpon. This site is pure cocaine. Sign up and start tripping through the internet. What you do is pick a category, the first one I did was drawing, hit "Stumble" and here begins an adventure. The first thing that came up after hitting "Stumble" was a website with the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci...yes please! It hooked me right from the start. If you like the website shown, hit "I Like" and it'll save it for you. If you don't simply hit stumble again. Genius. Everyone should be a part of this site, there's so much to be inspired by and be exposed to. The image shown is one of my favorite stumbles. It's from cole rise which recently features teenagers "floating" in the air. It has a very surreal feeling but at the same time I feel like I identify with them. Is it because my secret passion it to be able to fly? I don't know but sometimes I feel like this boy.

I honestly don't know why he's running, but have you ever thought of what would happen if you just dropped everything in your life and just ran away? To just run away to another life, another world and start anew. It all seems so thrilling. I've had a feeling that it isn't as plausible today as it was, maybe 100 years ago when things weren't as connected as they are today. To just leave and travel around the world, not knowing where you're going to sleep, having to snatch food from a local market, to meet new people and see the beauties of the world outside your window.

I had no intention for this post to go this way, I was going to mainly talk about StumbleUpon, but oh well. I guess this explains the title of this blog. If you want to do something, go somewhere, don't let people or money get in your way. Life is too short to just look out your window, Madame Bovary.

They just don't make 'em like they used to...

I just finished watching A Streetcar Named Desire which featured Marlon Brando, who was nominated for his role as Stanley Kowalski, and Vivien Leigh, who won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role as Blanche DuBois. I was blown away by the quality of acting that was shown in this movie. I love movies, there's just something about them. In high school, the amazing Frank Scelsa started the Film Club, where we sat down, ate snacks and watched movies. We didn't watch just any movies, we watched only the best, like The Godfather. Oh The Godfather, I had never seen it before then and I was blown away, no pun intended. After the few days it took us to watch it, we sat around and talked about it. Frank told us some background about the story and such and also put in his opinion on things, but he always let us lead the conversation.

Last year I watched Casablanca for the first time and "Here's lookin' at you, kid," "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." I...I just...can't even...come on!! They don't make them like they used to! I hate to use the title of this post but it's true. I know that a lot of wonderful films have been made recently but they just don't have the same feeling, the same level of class. Everything was different back then. There was no special effects like we have now, or CGI, or even colored film in some cases. I feel the caliber of acting was so much higher. I could go on all day so I'm just going to stop. I need to watch more of the films made in the 30s 40s and 50s.

[Image above starting upper left going clockwise: Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Katharine Hepburn, Marlon Brando and Cary Grant]

Glósóli

Sigur Rós is an Icelandic band that is truly inspiring. I do not speak, read, or understand Icelandic, thusly I do not understand the lyrics. To me that doesn't matter.

I remember when I first heard this song: I was in the living room of my suite at Buffalo State and my friend Maddie had come back from a road trip and the soundtrack to said trip was Sigur Rós's Takk... I was having a stressful day and Maddie graciously gave me a back massage while listening to the album; it was glorious.

While in a zen state I began to create stories in my head as to what the songs were about. When seeing

this video I was...words can't even describe how I was feeling. My favorite part is the end, when they fly.

Although I always wondered, did the last little boy make it, or did he fall?

I believe he flew away.

Audrey Kawasaki

I am in love with Audrey Kawasaki's work; mixed media on wood. Maddie introduced me to her and I was blow away by the technique and I just wanted to share. She mainly paints young girls, sometimes naked, but there's no vulgarity to it. Alright, there are a few pieces that are sexual but it doesn't take away form the work as a whole. If you ever get a chance to see her, do it.