Obleak City. Day 2.

           My life's been pretty lowbrow radical (if that even makes sense) ever since I graduated college. It's super unpredictable. Well, life, in general, is unpredictable but I've never really seen my life plotted on some path towards a singular goal that's why it feels like I'm all over the place. I don't have those, "five more years of med school" or "four more years of law school, then study for board exams, then work for Annalise Keating and start getting away with murders." It's not that simple for me.

          You see, I have all these dreams and aspirations on what I want to be or where I want to be but I worry too much and think about the risks too much that it prevents me on getting to my end goal faster (but there never really is an end goal. See Matthew McConaughey's Oscars speech*.) I wish I were one of those people who could just drop everything and lead with their dreams (with caution, of course). Maybe then, I'd get to see some sort of tunnel vision of my future.

          Every month or so, I'd start thinking about what I had been up to in the previous year. Like, June of last year, I was in Dallas, Texas. My sister and I went there to visit her boyfriend. We were there for about 10 days and it was one of the best trips that I have ever had. We drove from Dallas to Austin and watched the X Games and my 13-year old self fangirled like crazy. I got to see Dillon Francis.

(A little side note, I remember I had this mental note that I should be able to see Dillon Francis within the year. I thought of it with no expectations, no plans whatsoever and then a few months later, there I was, stood amidst the crowd in the amphitheater and witnessed his speakers get shut down by the fire marshall. It was pretty awesome.)

We also visited some cool places and took lots of pictures of street art, bought some records at this hip little record store, drove past Franklin Barbecue (because I failed to convince my sister to get in the 1-2 hour line to eat there), and well, we did a few more things in the 3 days we were there. Three days is not nearly enough to explore the weird in Austin. I am definitely coming back.

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I Recover. Day 1

These months-long hiatuses have to stop! I keep putting off writing new blog posts for more than a year now and that's some bad blogger habit I need to quit. Every few months or so I keep coming back with a post similar to this and I promise (I hope) that this is the last one. 

I used to only write new entries when inspiration struck me but I've recently learned that that approach is NOT AT ALL EFFECTIVE! Waiting for inspiration to strike is work of the lazy and I'm trying to change that. A huge part of the reason why I'm making this change is because of Casey Neistat. Lately, he's been my biggest inspiration on being super productive, like have three jobs kind of crazy productive. I mean, how else would I ever get to afford to live in New York? I somewhat already have two and so, I'm making this my third. Nothing too radical though, I just want to have some time to write. And so, I'm doing this self-imposed writing challenge. 7 days, 7 blog posts. (fingers crossed)

I'm actually excited about this 7 day stint and have been thinking about it for the past month. (Yeah, this post has been in my drafts for a month now. ugh) So typical me wanted to put it off until I had a bank of things to write about (again with the security blanket. ugh, right?). I have to stop this habit of procrastinating and waiting. So, here I am just doing it. I worry so much about what to put in here when in reality, nobody probably even reads this. (Ha!)

Now jokes aside, what is this going to be anyway?
I want to try to make content daily (with subpar visuals), but only for a week. At first, I wanted to do it for 15 days straight, but let's be realistic here. I've only made 6 entries last year so pushing to 15 is a bit much. Now, 7 is a bit ideal.

In the coming week, you'll be reading about what I've been up to, new music I've been listening to, share some stories (pre-blogging era), and basically, anything that I could write about. I've recently watched Alt-J live in concert, so you have that to look forward to.

But for today, I'd like to keep it simple and offer some daily inspiration.

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Bastille: Live in Manila

Happy new year! And what a way to start the year with Bastille. Yes, Bastille! Those four English lads that sing about the ruins of Pompeii and a (fictitious) dead girl called Laura Palmer. It is one of the best concerts I have attended, definitely Top 5 material (knocking FTP down to number 6, soz). It is one of those nights that I wish would go on longer, no matter how tired my legs would be afterwards. It's the best feeling in the world to see one of your favorite bands, to be amidst their music, the energy, the people. And that's why I always choose to watch my favorite acts even though it leaves me being broke in the end.

Oh, and I met (and hugged!!!!!) all of Bastille.

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Too Bright

Music makes me poetic.

I love it when an album catches you by surprise and sort of demands you to stop whatever you're doing and just listen. And then have all these different emotions rush through you like it's no big deal.  But really, it is(!) because now you're three songs deep and somehow you've got a napkin on your hand ready to catch the first tear to fall. But then it doesn't because you don't let it fall. You don't want it to fall...

...because now, you're not really listening to the music anymore. You're listening to the voice in your head that you've silenced for so long, like an "old friend" with a silly grin on its face. You try not to listen and it usually works. But this time it doesn't and it really hurts. 

{break}

You've reached the last song and somehow, you know all the words too well. You sing, "deep down I never did feel right..."And now you wonder, when will I get it right.

~

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Gone Peaking

Here's to two amazing Davids. 

Listen to Highasakite's cover of Bon Iver's Heavenly Father.

I Met Youth Lagoon

Seventeen by Youth Lagoon

I remember everything, from the moment I first spotted the curly-haired man in orange hippie garb to the moment I tried speaking to him. My memory of that short time is so vivid in my brain, I hope it stays that way even as years go by. 

I first came across Youth Lagoon's music last year when I was discovering artists from the 2013 Coachella line-up. I really enjoyed his music and I instantly felt a connection. It makes me feel all sorts of things. Sometimes music does that to me and listening to it makes it an even better experience. Of course, like the geek that I am, I wanted to learn more about Youth Lagoon and started reading about the brilliance that is Trevor Powers. I even wrote about him back in March. He's one of the artists that I feel a strong affinity to because I can somewhat relate to his music. His words are beautiful and speak so much. I read somewhere that his music is to some extent an extension of himself and feels like pages off his journal. Flash forward to 25 January, I was in the crowd and he was on stage. I kept remembering that little piece of information when I was watching him perform. I was in awe of him and his art and I couldn't believe I was there to witness it.

I should probably first mention that I was at Singapore last January 23-27 for St. Jerome's Laneway Festival to see him and many more great artists.

Now, here's how I remember meeting Trevor.

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Tegan and Sara: Live in Manila

November 25, 2013 - 7PM

NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio, Global City

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I love music. 

So obviously, I must love concerts and I do. I always jump on the chance to see an artist perform whenever I can, especially if I really, really like them. The plan was to watch TDCC on the 26th but then sadly they had to cancel a few shows and Manila was one of them. Truthfully, it was a little bit of a sigh of relief because, being the huge fan that I am, I was planning on purchasing tickets for the concert the day before and also, I didn't have the money yet for said tickets so it was somewhat okay for me. I know, it's a self-centered reason but hey, I'm staying positive that they will come back. If I learned anything from previous cancelled shows, I'm guessing they will be back in 3 years, just like The Killers. 

The next best thing to that debacle was to see Tegan and Sara. I knew my friend, Yana, had free tickets from her company and I basically begged her to take me. It wasn't a sure thing until the morning of the concert and that sheer good news was enough to take me to my happy (and weird) place. I was listening to their songs all afternoon and every time their song Closer came on play, I got even more excited. 

Up Dharma Down was their opening act and they were amazing. I had seen them before at Wanderland but only from a distance but then seeing them at this show was so much better. I felt their music and I have grown to appreciate more of their music. 

Then Tegan and Sara came on stage and everything was amazing.

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In The Open

"Statistically speaking, you will die having missed almost everything." This is the sad truth in life. 

I came across this article from NPR from two years ago and it kind of hit a nerve. We all know the days we have in this lifetime are short and precious thus, some of us live it meaningfully while others go batshit crazy and start saying 'YOLO' in attempts to make life more adventurous.

Though the article doesn't actually go that route. It focused more on being well-read and knowledgeable about books, music, and films and how it is physically impossible to know everything especially since new content is being made every second of every minute of every hour. Now that everything is practically handed to us, it is our choice to decide what we'd want to be well-versed in. This is a problem for me because sometimes I feel like I want to watch all episodes of the The Office and Arrested Development or watch all of the classic Doctor Who which is about 695 episodes or know all the words to every Black Keys song and there's at least a hundred of those or watch all of my dad's dvd collection which I can calculate as 200+++. There's so much to be taken in when there's only one of me and 24 hours in a day. That's why sometimes I end up falling asleep at four in the morning while listening to some podcast that I probably wouldn't be conscious by the time it finishes.

Although the reality that I'll die having not known about some film that could've changed my life is a little bit haunting, I guess, the flip slide to all of this is that this just makes life more interesting and giving you something to look forward to. There'll always be something new to discover, new records to excite you, new films that will inspire you, and new books that will bring you to another universe. If I had finished my list of everything I want to see, read, hear, and everything else, then I'll probably end up being bored to death. But then again, I'm pretty sure my list will never stop growing.

Linda Holmes concluded the article well saying,

It's sad, but it's also ... great, really. Imagine if you'd seen everything good, or if you knew about everything good. Imagine if you really got to all the recordings and books and movies you're "supposed to see." Imagine you got through everybody's list, until everything you hadn't read didn't really need reading. That would imply that all the cultural value the world has managed to produce since a glob of primordial ooze first picked up a violin is so tiny and insignificant that a single human being can gobble all of it in one lifetime. That would make us failures, I think.  

If "well-read" means "not missing anything," then nobody has a chance. If "well-read" means "making a genuine effort to explore thoughtfully," then yes, we can all be well-read. But what we've seen is always going to be a very small cup dipped out of a very big ocean, and turning your back on the ocean to stare into the cup can't change that.

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Thinkin' Ahead

"A storm is coming, Frank says. A storm that will swallow the children and I will deliver them from the kingdom of pain. I will deliver the children back to their doorsteps and send the monsters back to the underground. I'll send them back to the place where no one else can see them except for me."

Listen to Thinkin' Ahead by Bastille (feat. Ric Elsworth & O.N.E)

My Yoga Story

An open letter to future me (theme: yoga)

Dear Leica,

It's been two and half years since I started my journey with yoga and I can tell you that it hasn't been easy, to say the least. That first week of ever doing yoga was the hardest workout I've ever experienced since the only exercise I did before that was run the treadmill. But it felt so good to turn in those running shoes and step into the studio barefoot. I've never felt so in tune with my body. I only availed the one week beginners package and by the end of that week I didn't want to leave the mat. That's when I knew I fell in love with yoga.

I clicked with yoga instantly and I guess a major contributor to that is because of Yoga+. It's only a 7-minute walk from where I live and 5 minutes if I'm running late. Everything is there already, all I need to bring is my water bottle and myself. It's true what they say that the hardest part of yoga is going to the class because sometimes, your mind tells you to skip today and take a rest day instead - to let your body recover for a day... or two. Good thing I have my sister as my yoga buddy to push me to go practice and vice versa.

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A Fineshrine in Palawan

[First off, this is a month and a half month overdue. I take full responsibility of my laziness and it is ending now.]

A little bit of context too, my sister's boyfriend was in town so they generously took me along their trip.

So obviously, I was majorly third-wheelin' but it's all good. This just means I could wander off more and take photos. 

We ventured off to Coron, Palawan and we were welcomed with sunshine and bliss that was then taken over by gloomy skies. I guess it wasn't the best time to go to the beach because it was drizzling most times but thankfully, the sun came out once in a while. 

Listen to Fineshrine by Purity Ring

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The Escape: Coron, Palawan

  This is a visual diary. 

Suggested music while viewing: In The Darkness by Foxygen

Up in the air once again. This time the destination is Coron, Palawan. 

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Happy (late) 4th of July

Lana Del Rey feeling a little patriotic. 

I miss u, 'murica. Hopefully I see you soon. 

Check this out! If you're ever having the trouble of what to have for dinner, just let the internet do the choosing for you with WTF Should I Make For Dinner?.

Listen to: No Faith In Brooklyn by Hoodie Allen

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Plastic Rain

Recommended music while reading: Smother by Daughter

    I look out my window and it's raining once more. I like this cool breeze the weather brings me. I'm more of a sweater weather, bury myself under the sheets, and stay in my pajamas all day kind of person. Today is one of those lucky days I get to do all these things. It's been awhile since I've been with myself lately. Most people are afraid to be alone and I don't get why. I like me. And I don't mean that in any vain way as possible. 

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Stubborn Love

Stelth Ulvang and Norah Hoover.
The reference photo I used was by Chloe Aftel from when Rolling Stone was with The Lumineers the whole day for their Grammy performance. I absolutely love the photo that's why I chose to draw it. I love this band, of course, and their music so much. Their album is just filled to the brim with songs about love. Their music is simple and yet there's so much emotion to it. You should definitely listen to them. [I highly recommend this for fans of Mumford & Sons.]

Check this out! BEFORE I DIE I WANT TO...

Listen to Stubborn Love by The Lumineers.

Fade Into You

I was feeling a bit too bored and wanted to do something productive for once. So, this happened. I did this in about 4-5 hours in Adobe Illustrator. Here's the picture I used...

Check this out! Rich Pellegrino's Illustrations.

Also, listen to this mixtape I did a couple of days ago.

Listen to Fade Into You by Mazzy Star.

Breakfast and Music

A smoothie and a great album,  that's how everyone should start their days. It's a great combination and just puts you in a very pleasant vibe. And, you can never go wrong with The Beatles. I've been making a lot of these smoothies these past few days because 1) we have an abundance of fruits at my place, 2) they're easy to make, and 3) they taste really good. I just love these. They're absolutely amazing plus extremely healthy. Get on it!

Current band crush/es:

Alt-j and Alabama Shakes. Listen to them. You might like them too. Check out Alt-j's Matilda and Alabama Shakes' Hold On.

Listen to this playlist I've put together. Enjoy. 

2012: Anything Could Happen

     2012 has been quite the year for me. It has been filled with a lot of new and exciting experiences that I couldn't believe all happened in just a year. I've met new friends, made stronger ties, ventured on different challenges, visited various places, and survived the end of the world. But most of all, I've grown so much and matured through out this year. I've had my highest of highs and my lowest of lows because that's just how life goes. This has been my most pivotal year because from here on out, things are going to be different. The change might be alien to me but sometimes, change is good. 2013 will be good, I just have this visceral feeling it will be.

Listen to Anything Could Happen by Ellie Goulding

     

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2 Atoms in a Molecule

     Work has preoccupied my sister this past weekend thus pushing off our movie date to yesterday, December 4th. We had dinner at Boon Tong Kee and then watched Rise of the Guardians. I liked it - the film. It made me think about when I actually stopped believing in these childhood tales. I can't recall when I consciously made the switch from believing in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, etc. to a nonbeliever. Sometimes, I wish I could be a kid again and remember what it felt like to believe in these things. I remember I used to be excited when Christmas came and see what Santa has given me. I genuinely thought there was a North Pole. Oh, to be naive again. But what was running through my mind while watching was, "I know that voice but I can't seem to put a face to it!" I had to wait for the credits to roll only to find out it was Jude Law and not Paul Bethany.

Listen to 2 Atoms In A Molecule by Noah and the Whale

      

A Very Ambitious Wish List

Listen to The Christmas Song by She & Him

PS. I really want a Kigurumi.