Stars - 14 Forever

There was a short time during university when I co-hosted a radio theatre show at my school's radio station. It was super fun, sitting in the dark surrounded by dials and buttons and tapes and enjoying this completely different little world. Then my co-host graduated from uni and I didn't want to continue without him, so that was the end, sigh. Whenever we finished a show, he usually put on a Stars song. Lovely. 

In other news, having bought a giant bunch of gorgeous organic kale, I tried homemade kale chips for the very first time yesterday and they were delicious!! Can't wait to try again (with a little less salt since salt is exceptionally salty)! Even though I'm not much of a meat-loving type person, I've also acquired a fondness for pulled pork yum yum.

Happy Weekend!

Indigo la End - Sweet Spider

One of my favorite Japanese bands :-) I really wish I could travel right now...I pretty much always have the travel bug and probably always will, but it's extra powerful at the moment. I want to sit on a train and look at new scenery, go to a bakery for a unique pastry, walk around somewhere discovering everything for the very first time, feel lost and excited, feel stimulated by every little detail around me. I think for me, becoming immersed in other cultures, wandering around in unknown places, experiencing life in a completely new way, seeing the world from many different points of view...those are just the best things ever. Especially when you can share the experience with other lovely people and explore and laugh and eat together. 

Regina Spektor - You've Got Time

I can't seem to wake up today. It's super cloudy - weather that's designed for napping and baking and doing absolutely nothing productive. I can't remember the last time I actually napped, but today it was just too irresistible. 

Today also brings the finale of American Baking Competition, which is a copy of the Great British Bake Off but...well, Americanized. British baking comes with a dose of charm and cozy warm-heartedness. The American version is still entertaining, but a little more ruthless, with specks of drama. 

Soley - Pretty Face

So this song, a rather haunting and delicate and gorgeous one, was used for the opening number in this week's So You Think You Can Dance...which I watched (as usual, ahem, I love this show). The dance was amaaazing and I wish I could post it and watch it many many more times. One of the two choreographers was Sonya Tayeh and everything she creates gives me goosebumps, it's so good!! Dark and primal and gorgeous and unique. She describes her style as "combat jazz". And she always chooses good music. Um, I'll stop gushing now. Hooray for dance!

Beach House - Other People

Whenever I have trouble falling asleep or waking up, I listen to Beach House. Somehow this works well in both situations. The same music that hypnotizes me to sleep also makes me jump out of bed, ready to get energized for the day. Some days are less jumpy and more of the groggy stumbling type, but still.

I've been doing yoga everyday for a month now, and I have to say it's made a huge difference! Besides the whole toning and stretching thing, I feel much more energetic, grounded, and happyyy. I don't like exercise that makes me feel exhausted and stiff, but with yoga it seems like the more I do the better I feel, and I always look forward to it.

Other current obsessions include cheese bagels, watching Wimbledon and then playing tennis in real life, drinking infinite amounts of water (it's never enough!), and shopping for California-appropriate summer clothes. I love this warm weather so much! I'm especially obsessed with fluorescent colored tops. Ahem. Color, color everywhere! I think I've finally gotten used to spelling 'color' without a 'u', but feelings of strangeness occasionally linger. 

Here's to a bright tomorrow bursting with bagels of all varieties, along with bracing games of Wimbledon-inspired tennis. Toodle-oo! :-)

Grimes - Nightmusic & On Writing Essays

My goal of seeing Grimes perform live still hasn't materialized, but I do get to write essays while neverendingly working on my Masters. As I was writing this morning, I thought about all the little tips and tricks that make essay-writing, or any kind of writing I guess, a little bit easier and less painful. Actually, writing in general gets easier, well more flowy and smooth, with time and practice...I think. That was not a smooth sentence. My theory is wrong. Oh well...here are my questionable tips re: writing essays (and/or other things).

1) Do most of your writing in the morning, very soon after waking up. Then you'll still be in that half-asleep state that promotes creativity and makes words flow beautifully and abundantly onto your computer screen. Make sure to read over what you wrote later on in the day, when you feel clear-headed and safely planted outside the realm of unicorns and zombies.

2) Do treat yourself to milk tea. Taking dainty sips of tea promotes the feeling of really being a writerly writer and keeps your brain fresh and toasty. 

3) Do stretch and stand up as often as possible while still keeping your fingers poised over the keyboard, ready to record every flash of brilliance. 

4) Don't snack. It is too distracting. And then you might have to wash your hands, which means leaving your desk and who knows where you'll end up if that happens. There's no carpe diem-ing when one is writing an essay! 

5) Don't question yourself and stare at each sentence for too long. This slows down the mysterious and volatile process that is writing. Just write, editing comes later. 

6) Do edit. Especially if those pesky unicorns from last night's dream snuck into your conclusion. Editing is magic. And it is practical. It is practical magic. It is not a movie starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. This paragraph would benefit greatly from the magic of editing. 

Ta daaa! Writing this post was infinitely more almost as fun as writing an essay!