November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

Too many things. I am thankful for too many things. But I can narrow things down to the present.

Right now, I'm thankful for especially poofy jackets that make my niece's cheeks seem chubbier.

I'm thankful for the opportunities I have to travel. My parents and I officially planned for me to go to Hong Kong this summer to work, brush up on my Cantonese and learn wing chun. Obviously not for combative situations, but for speed and agility, reflexes and awesomeness. So I can be like Ip Man (below) and Sherlock Holmes. And Bruce Lee and my dad.
(From the movie "Ip Man," based on a true story, is available on Netflix; Rated R for violence.)

I'm thankful for my health. I chugged a whole gallon of orange juice last weekend in hopes that I will avoid the stomach bug (unlike last year).

I'm thankful for the power of prayer. They will be answered.

I'm thankful for people who care. For my family and their wise advice. For my sister and brother-in-law for letting me live in their home for a couple days. For my roommates, for my good friends.

I'm thankful for the goodness of God. There was this quote that was on my friend's corkboard. It said this:
God does notice us, and He watches over us. But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs. - Spencer W. Kimball
There were a couple random days when I felt completely dejected and stressed by everything. Everything happened at the wrong time. But, there was always someone out there ready to help me out whether through their words, their hugs or their music. They do not know how much they mean to me but I thank God for them everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends! Last, but most definitely not least, I'm thankful for you all!
Live with gratitude each day.

p.s. My niece is thankful for: ggggggggdsssaq15iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicccccc                suyyyyu zxzxzzzzzzzxzzzxzzzzzzzzzzzxxxxxxxxxxxxcxzxcvbvvbvbvvbbvbvbvbvbvbvbbvbvgddddddddddfdfddffdfdfffffffdd                            11111111111111111111qqqqqqq

p.p.s. This song makes me nostalgic for something...I don't know what, but I feel happy and grateful for living a good life.

November 15, 2011

And then the world will end.

I jolted up, gasping for air. I had crashed the car. The first time that I borrow someone else's car and I crash it. Ten points for Eden.

All I had wanted to do was to see City and Colour perform.

But, thankfully, the after-haze of waking from the blasted dream dissipated and I realized that it was Friday, the day of the concert. My body ached from the stress of just thinking about driving my neighbor's car. The second her keys touched my palm, every imaginable horror that could occur raced through my head.
A fifty car pileup that I caused.
A freak pillar of fire coming from the heavens.
A hoard of genetically mutated apes attacking.
Anything could have happened and I believed it.

Throughout the rest of the day, I had an annoying voice in the back of my head saying, "Careful Eden. If you crash this, not only will you die, but so will Nicolle (who was going with me) and then your family will owe Matea (my neighbor who so generously let an Asian borrow her car) a bajillion dollars! And then you'll throw your family in debt because the insurance will go up! And then...! And then...! AND THEN...the world will end!"

Sigh.

Thank heavens. It was not bad at all. I think I was freaking out mostly because I had relied on a GPS all my life. Nicolle was exceptional at giving directions and so really, thanks to her, we got there in one piece.

The opener was fun to dance to. Nuff said.

Then came Dallas Green...the man behind City and Colour. And thus began the perfect ending to a stressful day.
His tender voice never failed to hit those high falsetto notes. In many songs, I put my hand in the center of my chest as I closed my eyes and felt the bass drum beat into my soul. I almost cried. (Dang, I just realized that I'm way too emotionally attached to music...but I just love it so.)
Shaky picture #1
I realize I have shaky hands. I've always sucked at taking pictures.
This guy was pretty awesome.
My only good picture from the night.
Sigh.
And when he sang "The Girl," the song I wake up to every morning, my heart told me he was singing to me and only me.
While I'm off chasing my own dreams
Sailing around the world
Please know that I'm yours to keep
My beautiful girl.
--Dallas Green

And then we went to watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

And then I realized that the world will end with apes becoming smart via a weird virus that kills off mankind.

November 8, 2011

Music, and Musings of Eden: 11/7/11

by Eden Wen
--------
Frozen in time, closed off from worlds
All I can hear are dissonant chords
That resonate soundly from shadows of my past
But it’s time I renew my life so it can begin at last.

Unable to find a place where I could belong.
Each group I chose to enter just always seemed wrong.
Old friendships die (though tonight one proven true),
New friendships too young; I'm lingering in limbo, and nothing can soothe.

I compare myself to others, I acknowledge this flaw
So when they achieve wonders, I sit in awe
Feeling that time is slipping, passing me by
And I feel I can do nothing but sit and cry.

I wish I could run, fly away from my troubles
And leave my yesterdays and escape mounds of rubble.
But, alas, I am here, alive in the present
With only two goals: beating time and regaining acceptance.
--------
Written on 11/7/11

This poem may or may not be about me. And it may or may not be about Aang, the last airbender.
But just maybe.

Moving on.

Two things.
One. On the fifth of November, I watched "V For Vendetta." It was a pretty awesome film about censorship and such. I love dystopian novels (love love love Kurt Vonnegut) so this movie was right up my alley. But here's the funny thing: we had watched the edited version and they completely cut out one of the prisoner's life stories and they didn't cut out the violently graphic scenes (those make me queasy). She was arrested because of the sole reason that she was homosexual. And the editing company edited it out. And it wasn't even explicit. Ironic. Really ironic.

Two. I love Singaporeans with every fiber of my being to the point where I actually kind of want to be one. Everytime I'm with them, I feel happy. I never really understood their accent before, but after weekly dinners with my sister and brother-in-law (who is Singaporean), it's grown on me and I enjoy just listening to them talk.

And insanity, you guys! I'm starting to be consistent in my blogging! Here's a song to celebrate.
I honestly love fun. with all my heart. And adding Janelle Monae is the cherry on the sundae. Just look at their beautiful smiles and listen to their beautiful voices.

Also, I'm going to go see City and Colour this weekend!
Gah! So excited!

I only need to go through this stress-filled week. Yay. 

November 1, 2011

Happy November and review of Mylo Xyloto.

I've decided that I'm going to be better about blogging starting this month. I may have potentially found my blogging days (Tuesdays) and by having a solid day, I will blog more consistently. I guess I will confirm next Tuesday.

So, there are lots to talk about and because I've been so behind on blogging, please bear with me as I talk about past subjects (for example, my final conclusions on Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto, which can be found in this post) and for this long first-post-in-a-while.  But before we go on, guess what I was for Halloween.


Yes, I was the greatest Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum and it only cost me a total of 50 cents (for the ornament, which I then painted with my neighbor's paint set). I proudly showed it off at multiple dances Halloween weekend and Halloween night. 

I need to sleep.

What were you?

Mylo Xyloto
I have already expressed my undying loyalty to the greatest band alive on this planet here, but it'd be incredibly horrid as an avid Coldplay aficionado to forego reviewing their newest album.

Words cannot express what I felt when I first listened to this album. I slipped on my headphones and sat on my couch for 44 minutes and seven seconds and it was one of the best 44 minutes and seven seconds that I have ever spent. I sobbed tears of ecstasy for the next five minutes. It was that good.

As I listened on--four, five, ten times--and as I discussed the musicality and the lyrics of Mylo Xyloto with fellow Coldplay fans (Rachel was the one who convinced me in the end), I've come to the conclusion that Coldplay has, in fact, sold out.

What had happened, Coldplay? Chris? Jonny? Guy? Will? Anyone? Though some of their best songs have been overplayed, lyrics like "Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones and I will try to fix you" stick with you and in a good way. In Mylo Xyloto, they are catchy songs and some are quite creative ("Hurts Like Heaven," instead of hurts like hell, and "Princess of China"), but really. Listen. "Para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise, ohhoooh hoohoho."

On the other hand, I absolute love love love the first track "Mylo Xyloto" going into "Hurts Like Heaven," and my niece does too. That's all she dances to when I'm babysitting and we're having a private dance party. The album was an attempt at something creative and it told a story (of falling in and then back out of love and finding hope for new love), but one has to admit that Coldplay's lyric writing has gone downhill.

I guess I'm saying I prefer "Kingdom Come" and "Warning Sign" over "Major Minus" and "Charlie Brown."

Nevertheless, I still love Coldplay.