one of my favorite places in the world is the library. stacks and walls and shelves of books, music, film, history, knowledge, information, entertainment...it makes me all tingly inside just thinking about it. Went there today. In Boston, the Copley Library is f**ing fantastic. It's beautiful and has an outdoor section with columns and a fountain. It's too cold to sit outside right now of course, unless you want to declared a historical monument when you freeze into an icicle, but summer's around the corner. I can see it now, men in thongs and speedos lounging in the library. Hot. It's sunny today, so the mood is good. Typing away at the Apple store. Stevie Wonder is playing on the speakers. Just for the record, Justin Timberlake's song Until The End of Time is damn good. he's not too...
you know, I was never much of a chocolate person. Maybe at a very young age, chocolate ice cream was a passion of sorts. But middle school/highschool/first round at college...chocolate was a non-issue. But now...give me chocolate or give me death. Ok, i'm exaggerating a bit. Maybe it's just this very moment. Need sleep. btw, the power of the mind is fascinating...amazing actually. we are walking magnets. the idea of that is f***ing crazy. will get more into this later. oh, and i wrote another song. was up until 5am writing. still needs a bit of fine tuning and such. am optimistic.
It's quite beautiful, the snow outside...it's so white it blinds your eyes if you stare at one spot for too long. Of course it makes you want to go outside with a big sled, except there are no hills near where I live. Plus the fact that this terrible cough won't subside...been under the weather and want very much to be over it. While in bed, I've been listening to quite a bit of Joni Mitchell and watching Love Actually. How coincidental that the song "Both Sides Now" has been on my youtube rotation, and is also a pivotal scene in the film Love Actually. You know, the scene where Emma Thompson's character opens her Christmas gift thinking it is a necklace from her husband, only to find that it is a cd...I won't give too much away for those who haven't seen the film. And...
Has it been that long...in between writings and rantings and random blogs?...my bad! In my defense, it was the butler in the living room with the candlestick. I'm in Palo Alto, have a performance tonight at Stanford University for Listen to the Silence. A contradictory title seeing as to how the audience will be listening to musicians singing all night = )
Looking forward to it nonetheless. Have a new song that I just started working on, cannot wait to share it with everyone!
Here I am, typing away on my laptop, sitting in my new room, in a new city...bean town...Boston. Home of the Red Sox and Boston baked beans, which I have yet to try. A friend of mine affectionately dubbed me a "masshole". That's one I haven't before. It is hot, wet, humid, hot...like the inside of a mouth after a jalapeno pepper. And i love it. Love the heat, love the newness of everything, love being in the eastcoast. Love how unconventional everything feels, even the stench of the T and walking everywhere. Though I must admit, I am NOT looking forward to the cold. I hear it is Brutal. With a capital B. As for music...I do have more news coming...but I'm not ready to disclose yet...give me a few more weeks and I will write more... with love. your...
I am back from England...what an amazing, mind-dizzying, fantastic, beautiful, historic adventure...
Firstly, for anyone going to London, make sure to go on a their Guided Walking Tour. The tour guide is usually funny and full of stories and anecdotes of the city's history. Both tour guides I came across were from Australia. Go figure!
It is a full moon. Though I am not an astrologer of any kind (unless reading occasional magazine horoscopes counts as such), it seems that a full moon on Christmas Eve must be a rare treat. And what a beautiful sight! The moon, the stars, and then an airplane passing across the sky... this reminds me of when I was really young (now I'm taking you back to my childhood) and the days when mom and I lived in China.
arrived in Idaho last night late night...and though i was exhausted...sleep did not come easily...i kept hearing Uma Thurman's voice...i was listening to a book on audio during the 13 hour drive and she was the narrator...it's not like she speaks to me often...or ever...
online definition of an admiral. 4. Any of various brightly colored butterflies of the genera Limenitis and Vanessa. Actually, there were other definitions as well that related to the navy, ships...but the one above was my favorite. So that is where I am right now, typing away at the Admirals Club at JFK Airport in New York. Where I would love nothing more than to hop over to Manhattan...but the layover is only for 3 hours. 3 hours, where it is a tad too long for a comfortable layover (not that layovers are ever comfortable), and a tad too short to go and explore. I'm not sure if American Airlines actually meant that their club is a butterfly club, but it seems like a nice idea. Definitely a spin on the navy/ship club.
i have taken three baths today, and one shower. and if you include the bath i took around midnight, that would make it four, and if you add the one i will take later on, that will make it five...i do not know why. i just had an urge...correction...i had several urges... this past weekend was spent recuperating from the past tour. it's strange, no matter how long or short a tour is, a week, a month...i find myself exhausted. you wouldn't think that driving/being in a car for 13+ hours to end up sitting in a hotel for an indefinite amount of time to be exhausting...but it is. last week, i left for Idaho on Tuesday, then headed to Spokane on Thursday. After the show at Gonzaga, my sister (God bless her for wanting to come with me) and I were suppose to...
Sitting in my hotel room, actually it's not a hotel, it's an inn. I'm not too sure of the difference, but either way, there's a bed, table, some chairs, tv, bathroom...you get the picture. Little Black Book is playing on cable tv, I just finished practicing some songs on the guitar (and finished a new one *_*). It's a new year...almost hard to believe - but I think I think that every time the ball drops. Well, I like the way the New Year has started so far. I'm in Idaho on tour, performing at Idaho State University (my first time in Idaho might I add). The staff have been amazing, we went out to dinner tonight (salmon and a baked potato, mmmm) and there was an endless supply of tea.
Changed channels, on the screen is the governator of California, swinging some barbaric weapon over his head - must be Conan or something. Speaking of Conan, how funny is Conan O'Brien! I secretly (not a secret anymore) love him. Okay. That's all for tonight. Sweet dreams everyone. Much love.
I am sitting at my computer in Washington, typing on our family computer while my two brothers watch “Myth Busters†in the kitchen. Certain herbicides can cause your pants to explode. Huh. The last few months have been…an emotional roller-coaster… Quick story of the adventures of VJ and Lijie. Before leaving San Francisco, I had one more show in Las Vegas and decided to ask VJ (full name Van Joseph) to come with me. And of course, VJ and I had ourselves quite an interesting time in Vegas. If you’re thinking gambling, booze, and naked people, you will be disappointed. It was more like one game of slot machine (I lost 25 cents), super-sized daiquiris, over priced henna tattoos (Eden…), and sleeping at airports because hotel reservations fell through. Good times. VJ, you were a wonderful travelling partner and our next fine dining experience is on me! And...
I find myself stumbling over words (I mean, more than I usually do) because Chinese and English have become one big smorgishborg inside my head. I confuse others, and even myself. = ) In retrospect, when I think of China, it was beautiful, sad, crowded, and lonely, all at once. And I feel lucky to have spent most of my time with family. But it also means I was living in a bubble for 3+ weeks. A bubble of food, smoke, and constant laughing. I wonder if the people of Beijing will ever see a clear blue sky like the one above California.
We are so different, and yet the same... I love watching people on bicycles, especially the little ones that sit on the back seat. Today, I saw a woman carting a crate the size of a refrigerator on the back of a 3-wheel bike. I thought to myself "she rocks!" I find it interesting that for so many, life in China is a 14 hour work day, spent sitting outside their shop/food cart. The days are slow and leisureIy, nothing like what I have become accustomed to in San Francisco. I love red and/or greenbean popsicles, with its sandy texture and slight sweetness (especially the ones that have real beans). Delicious! And I love the little babies with their beautiful chubby faces. I do not mean to make China seem like a beautiful, magical place. Because I must be honest, the air is dirty and...
When my mom and I first arrived in Beijing and stepped outside of the airport, the first thing I thought was "wow, this city is polluted." I've been to Beijing before, but it seemed this was the first time I actually took the time to experience my surroundings. Because we arrived on a day where it had sprinkled rain earlier in the day, the air was thick with dust. The drive back from the airport was an hour of tree/people/building/street watching. And I thought people in LA were aggressive drivers! Drivers in Beijing just GO. My kind of city = ). I do not know how people on bicycles have the courage to ride amongst the lawless traffic. Yesterday, my aunt took my mom and I to a park built during the Ming Dynasty where the emperor of China use to live. ...
Moving out of my apartment in San Francisco. Labeling boxes with a red permanent marker. Separating the "must haves" and the "no longer needed" items. And yet I still find myself attached to the strangest things...like the multitude of colored pens that have been sitting in my desk drawer...and neon colored post-its with my illegible handwriting. I feel like I'm starting over. Again.
I must admit, I was nervous and hesitant about going to LA for a whole month. I know, it sounds silly, especially with the inviting weather. But I am trying to alter my sometimes warped way of thinking, and face my fears. To be honest, I can't even recall what my original fears of LA were...maybe I was scared of sunburn. Okay, no mas dwelling on the past. I am now a full-time musician. Whoa. Saying it outloud (or writing it, rather) seems surreal. This means no more depending on answering multiple phone lines to make ends meet (yes, I was an admin for awhile). I can't tell who the more worried party is, my parents or me. = )
Sitting in a car for 10+ hours. Stopping for extra extra large coffees, and then half an hour later, needing a bathroom break. Listening to Bjork until her voice is embedded inside my brain. Laughing at cheesey jokes with Corbet (guitar player) and then sitting in silence. Actually, not silence; Bjork. But she has now become a part of our tour and blends easily into the background. I listen to her until my heart pounds and aches. She is amazing. Quirky and strange, but aren't we all? Back to the road. So much rain in the northwest. RAIN. And then it stops. Windshield wipers change between full speed, and slow mode. Squeak squeak against a dirty window pane. Ironically, the windshield is dirtier on the inside than the outside. Must remember to buy car air-freshener (and...
