Box of Stones by Benjamin Francis Leftwich

Another weekend has swiftly come to an end! The first February weekend...which means that in a little over a month I'll be on a plane to Japan! Can't wait can't wait can't wait....!!

My weekend was filled with lots of studying (and, ahem, anime watching). Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the Old Globe Theatre (not the one in London) to see Pygmalion (the play that My Fair Lady was based on), one of my favorite plays. It was hilarious and I was happy that they chose to end it in a more feminist rather than traditionally romantic way. Also, the actor playing Henry Higgins was Robert Sean Leonard from Dead Poets Society (one of my favorite films) and the television series House (he played Wilson, Hugh Laurie's friend...too bad Hugh Laurie wasn't also in this play!). All the actors were fantastic and I laughed the whole way through. Going to shows is always so fun! 

Happy Monday...back to work ;-)

Bat for Lashes - Marilyn...and Life Lately!

I'm so excited for Bat for Lashes' new album - The Haunted Man! This song, Marilyn, is my favourite one from the album so far. It's just gorgeous and dreamy and makes me want to stare at the stars. Listen and feel your heart swell.

So I still can't believe that summer's over. I've never before experienced an October when I could still wear shorts and tank tops and sandals and feel meltingly hot sitting by the ocean under a shining sun.

One thing that makes it feel more like fall is going back to school. My first week was actually super fun and it was great to finally make some friends my age since moving to California. The UCSD campus is huge, beautiful, and has a friendly, easygoing atmosphere. When I walk around I feel like I'm in a movie haha. 

Ooh, the other thing about fall - there's pumpkin and Halloween stuff EVERYWHERE. It's so beyond the offerings available in Canada. Trader Joe's alone has multiple seasonal products that all look amazing and perfect for a cozy autumnal evening. Yesterday I bought some pumpkin pecan oatmeal. It's also gotten cool enough in the evenings that I can truly enjoy my cups of tea :-)

Yesterday I went on an official tour of the 3 main theatres on UCSD campus. La Jolla Playhouse is so cool! And Gregory Peck was one of its founding members! And their upcoming performance is Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots! It sounds like the best thing ever and I will definitely be attending. Lately I've been thinking about how much I miss theatre and acting and being involved in creative team work so I'm going to try to somehow get involved on campus. We'll see.

Lastly, I've been watching Project Runway and a few nights ago Dmitry showed up in my dreams! So odd...he's just the kind of vampire ghost guy who would haunt people. I do like his designs though. My favourite to win is Christopher :-)

Ahem, enough about that and let's wrap things up shall we? There's work, homework, and pumpkin related activities to be done :-)

Mozart, the Rock Opera!

A couple of days ago I got the chance to see 'Mozart, the Rock Opera' at the beautiful Keimyung Art Center. I love going to shows - plays, musicals, concerts, operas, ballets, recitals, readings - all of these wonderful creative performances make me feel inspired and incredibly alive. I used to do quite a bit of theatre back in the day and I miss it terribly. Everyone needs an outlet I suppose.

Anywho, getting back to the show. The overall look, including costumes, sets, and lighting, was stunningly gorgeous, lavish, colourful, unique, and quite magical. The 1700s exploded with colour and modern boldness. Some bits reminded me of Cirque du Soleil. There was plenty of glitter and the richness and vibrancy of all the colours made my eyes pop. It was a treat visually.

Even though everything was in Korean (the original version is French), I could still follow the story. More importantly, the music was so fun and most of the songs were combined with creative choreography so I never felt lost or bored. Some of the singers were very talented and there were several goosebumps-worthy moments.

Of course it's quite fluffy but many fluffy things are awesome. This show was pure fun and I could easily watch it again and enjoy the visual spectacle and catchy songs. It's kind of like Moulin Rouge in that way - over the top and magnificent.

Now, what can I watch next?