Friday, January 14, 2011

Conscious Listening Across Genres

I've been playing with a rather interesting way to listen to music. I just hop on Grooveshark and type in a keyword. (Today's word is "runaway.") Then I sort by artist and add all the songs with the keyword in it's title.

This method is interesting because it aggregates songs from many different genres and yet they are still cohesive because they all deal with the keyword. It's interesting to see how each artist has used that keyword in their work.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Androgyny: Song Joong Ki


So he's not so much womanly as girlish (and only sometimes), but that's still aesthetically intriguing.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Sons of Fathers Find Happiness in Themselves.

While drinking Twinings English breakfast tea and listening to the Inception soundtrack, I naturally thought back on the movie and recalled a memory, a particular snippet of conversation, where my sister responded, "like in Inception" and I suddenly re-experienced the epiphany I had then. At the time I had been describing the relationship between Gu Ma Joon and his father in the K-drama "Baker King Kim Tak Gu" and it really was like that of Robert Fischer and his father in Inception. I hadn't made the connection before. (Sometimes I'm dense like that.)

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Hello, hello, 2011!

As 2010 comes to a close I'm prompted to think about all the things that happened in the past year. For me personally 2010 wasn't the most exciting of years, but I think I liked it that way. It was in one part about finding solace in routine and in another part about reinventing myself as an adult in society.

Last time I gave the new year a theme and it was all about self-improvement. I just really wanted to start growing of my own free will, and I still do. I want to continue to grow in 2011, and I now that think I have a better idea of what that entails, it's really time to focus.

I've decided that in 2011 I'll focus on conscious consumption and cultivated expression.

Conscious consumption: I intend to really think about the things I consume physically, mentally, and spiritually. I want to actively choose the things I bring into my life. I don't want to be a blind consumer. I don't intent to spend my money on things but on obtaining knowledge and experience. And even with creative media like TV, movies, books and music I intend to consume them consciously and not just view them as mere entertainment.

Cultivated expression: I want to in turn be able to express myself and my ideas more and I want to be better at it. Whether that's through drawing or writing or dancing or whatever, I want to do more of it and I want to be able to do it well... eventually.

And of course, the past couple of years I've been wishing for peace, love & prosperity in the new year and this year that won't change. I think now I have a feeling for peace and I've had a taste of the beginnings of prosperity. Love still seems to be a little out of my field of experience. Perhaps that'll change in 2011. In this moment it's fitting that I'm recalling an idea I've only recently learned to ponder, the idea that today is always the first day of the rest of your life.