Gone Peaking

Here's to two amazing Davids. 

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

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.

Read More. 

What's your vibe?

Lately, I've been all around the interwebs and reading a lot too, surprisingly. There's been reading of books, magazines, articles, and blogs - mainly some internet vibes. But I've been listening to a lot of new music too. I'm really liking Youth Lagoon's vibe. His music sounds dreamy, like an MGMT feel, but it also sounds quite vulnerable and sweet at the same time. Trevor Powers who goes by Youth Lagoon has described his musical venture as merely a part of himself and his music as somewhat like letting people read his journal. I love these kinds of musicians who are filled with passion and emotion. Check out this music video, Montana by Youth Lagoon, which is very emotional and powerful that people in this video's comments section are all crying, or almost. 

I've got a few more things to share too, like this short film entitled, The Queen, by Christina Choe. The video is described as such: Bobby works at his parents dry cleaners on prom weekend. When the prom queen and her boyfriend stop by with their dress and tuxedo, Bobby has his own prom to remember. 

This next one, The Scared is scared, ensued when Bianca Giaever asked a six year old on what her movie should be about. Don't let the title scare you away, it's not a horror flick. 

Flickering Lights is a project done by hitRECord, a collaborative production company headed by the great, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It's a beautiful video and you should definitely check out more works on hitrecord.org. 

These next three music videos are my recent favorites. Cry Like A Ghost by Passion Pit is actually my favorite song off their album and then to have this masterpiece of a video to boot is nothing short of amazing. The directing duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have produced great music videos much like this. They were the brains behind Foster the People's Houdini and The Shins' Simple Song. 

Jim Canty gives us four reasons why we should watch Whispers in the Dark by Mumford & Sons four times as much as we should. At one point, it features a cameo by Haim.

Matt & Kim's It's Alright video will leave you dancing along to their tune. I mean, they already are... dancing on their bed and more. Check out Kim twerking at around 2:39. 

Lomokino Test Shots

I've finally come around to getting my first roll of film using the Lomokino developed and edited the scans. I wasn't too sure about how everything worked out yet and how it would turn out. So, this was more of a test roll and me figuring out about the settings and everything else. Here are some of the stills.

 

I'm starting this thing on my blog wherein I recommend websites that I enjoy visiting. It's just a little something I'll be putting at the end of each blogpost. 

Today's recommended site is Jackson Pollock by Milton Manetas. Enjoy!

Wonderful Christmas Time

     What are your go to Christmas films and music? Here's mine.  

Here's my festive desk right now. 

        

     Listen to Wonderful Christmastime by The Shins

     

Recognize and Analyze

Step onto my time machine and travel back and relive my awkward formative years. 

First off,

Oh boy, did I love The Moffatts and I am not ashamed. I still have their tapes in my old house. I remember they went here and played Hard Rock Cafe. I was in the midst of a stampede of girls trying to get in and I lost a shoe! What's worse was that I never got to see them. *cue sad music*

Click on to read the rest of the story.

The Ultimate Survival Guide for Bums

There it is. The Ultimate Guide for Bums, tried and tested by yours truly. 

Listen: Young Blood by The Naked & Famous

Watch this: Submarine

I've seen this film a couple of months back and I can't believe I haven't watched it sooner. I love how surprisingly funny it was, even funnier than what I expected. I actually love that about movies; how it exceeds my expectations and completely blows me away. But what drew me in further to Submarine is the beautiful soundtrack all by the beautiful, Alex Turner, from Arctic Monkeys. It falls perfectly in with the movie. To be honest, I had no idea Richard Ayoade was also a director. I knew of him from The IT Crowd. That show was absolutely funny. It's one of the Britcoms I watched along with Miranda, The Inbetweeners, and Fresh Meat. But really now, I urge you to watch this film. You can thank me later.

Listen: The xx - Angels