tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78793393784045936092024-02-18T22:20:50.517-08:00jonyang.orgjonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comBlogger729125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-42273429990439250902019-12-30T02:24:00.000-08:002020-01-06T02:25:01.142-08:00Stuff I've Been Consuming 2019Well, it's that new year's tradition, time to go over last year's consumption! Why isn't this spreadsheet more filled out and organized? Why isn't there an app for this?! I'm gonna go with final numbers of 57 movies and 20 books, give or take. That's um, not great. That's even down from <a href="https://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2018/12/stuff-ive-been-consuming-2018.html">last year's pathetic totals</a>. Should there be a penalty for not hitting the goals? There should be right?
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q7gktquwB62amBNPNOXulnO5j_63vF-c84yQWXTB5ps/edit?usp=sharing">[2019 Consumed Sheet]</a><br />
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<b>BOOKS:</b> Well, this is just embarrassing. Despite being home most of the year, I only read very few books. After last year’s debacle of twenty-two books read, I think it’s safe to say that I am no longer a reader. The sum total of books read for 2019 was only twenty, plus six graphic novels. I think cutting out graphic novels in the count is probably the way to moving forward, because yes, I'm using them to pump up my weak numbers.<br />
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There were probably some other books I read for research but that’s just a pile of stuff sitting on my desk. Lots of how-to and craft books, along with many others that are related to the book I'm writing. So yeah, in my defense, I was working on a book most of the year and so had no time to read. Ahem. Okay that’s not true but let’s pretend it is. Twenty twenty, the year I'm ready to read again!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCjngC4moO3ecczUseqVJPyob6eEa0EKxCTiyu2PEhMLqiRPynJBiW0iFVLaoOJ08Crv9PWjXK6tO6tGhnaTu1w2Fucg7OnS-dIcYyiICOI03Cc5pedCw5Ki_91-xSP_G6NZfdx49p0c/s1600/six_speaker.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="397" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCjngC4moO3ecczUseqVJPyob6eEa0EKxCTiyu2PEhMLqiRPynJBiW0iFVLaoOJ08Crv9PWjXK6tO6tGhnaTu1w2Fucg7OnS-dIcYyiICOI03Cc5pedCw5Ki_91-xSP_G6NZfdx49p0c/s200/six_speaker.gif" width="200" /></a>The good news is that our San Diego book club is starting up again -- the famed Celebrity Book Club -- because L has returned and that will spring us forward into the year new. Could our book club from a decade ago, Literary Urbanites also make a return? 🤞<br />
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I found out there was a <i>Speaker for the Dead</i> graphic novel and read it asap, dying to know what Lusitania’s pequeninos look like. After I read it online — <a href="https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Orson-Scott-Card-s-Speaker-for-the-Dead/Issue-1?id=135049">all five issues can be found here</a> — I bought the paper version just to have it. The other book I want to recommend is <i>Six of Crows</i> — and its sequel, <i>Crooked Kingdom</i> — by Leigh Bardugo, which just blew me away. Away! It was so good. (And here is <a href="https://kevinwada.tumblr.com/post/147405838356/lbardugo-all-of-the-character-art">Kevin Wada's character art</a>, and <a href="https://kevinwada.tumblr.com/post/123470543176/lbardugo-well-be-giving-away-this-limited">again</a>.)<br />
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And I kept seeing Carmen Maria Machado’s <i>Her Body and Other Parties</i> on my feed forever and finally got around to reading it. It’s fabulous and you can read the first story here: <a href="https://granta.com/the-husband-stitch/">“The Husband Stitch” (2014)</a>. So yeah, books read this year, an embarrassing fail!<br />
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<b>MOVIES:</b> The biggest event of the year was <i>Frozen II</i>, which was about as expected. Better maybe? I dunno, I need to watch it again. The past month has just been me pushing <i>Parasite</i> onto anyone who would listen — strangers and friends alike, and also <i>Knives Out</i> if I think they’d be remotely into a whodunit. (If you watch it multiple times like I did, here’s <a href="https://collider.com/knives-out-rian-johnson-audio-commentary-track-details/">the Rian Johnson audio commentary</a>.)<br />
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But in my late year enthusiasm, I cannot forget that April brought me double bill of <i>Go Back to China</i> and then <i>Swing Kids / Seuwingkizeu</i>. I had a whole post in draft about <i>Go Back to China</i> but I guess I’ll wait on it since it was just bought of distribution and will be out in March 2020. The Emily Ting directed, Anna Kana starring, vehicle hit so close to home. I’ve moved to China before to work at the family factory and this film brought up so many personal touch points.<br />
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And then there was <i>Seuwingkizeu</i>, which was undoubtably my favorite film of the year. I mean, <a href="https://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2019/04/swing-kids-seuwingkizeu-2018.html">I gushed hard already</a>. The sad news is that the official version lacks captions for the English lines, which makes it a tough watch — especially if I was trying to share it with non-native English speakers. Who does this? Offers subtitles but not through all the dialogue regardless of language?!<br />
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Overall it was a light year for movies, with fifty-six consumed. The Marvel auto-tens were <i>Avengers: Endgame</i> and <i>Spiderman: Far From Home</i>, with the other ones being <i>Seuwingkizeu</i>, <i>Go Back to China</i>, <i>Parasite</i>, <i>Knives Out</i>, and <i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i>.<br />
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2019 was also the year the <i>Deadwood</i> movie finally came out, which was mostly fan service-y but led me down a rewatch path. Still a top five show ever! And shout out for two Penélope Cruz films, Almodovar’s <i>Pain and Glory</i> and Farhadi’s <i>Everybody Knows</i>. It’s a tough call who I liked better as her co-star, Bardem or Banderas, so we’ll call it a tie. Actually on, it has to be Bardem, it’s always Bardem!<br />
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Underwhelming: <i>Uncut Gems</i>, <i>Hustlers</i>, <i>The Farewell</i>, <i>Beverly Hills Cop 1/2/3</i> (I’ve been listening to a lot of <a href="https://www.theringer.com/the-rewatchables">Rewatchables</a> so we’ve been watching a lot of old stuff), and the truly awful <i>The Dead Don’t Die</i>, which pretty much almost killed a new friendship before it had a chance to fly, because I recommended it and we had to suffer through it together.<br />
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<b>TELEVISION: </b>The hits were <i>Sex Education</i>, <i>True Detection S3</i>, <i>Russian Doll</i>, <i>Mindhunter S2</i>, and <i>Watchmen</i>. I’m not even done with the latter as it just needs to be slow dripped. Also I quite liked <i>The Boys</i> and <i>The Society</i> (also unfinished). I guess I didn’t watch that much TV this year actually! I really wanted to like <i>Umbrella Academy</i> but ultimately lost interest, and with Netflix throwing out <a href="https://variety.com/2019/digital/asia/netflix-dates-three-taiwan-made-series-1203313883/">some Taiwanese movies</a> and series, I was sure <i>A Thousand Goodnights</i> would be a hit with my mom but it wasn’t good, like at all.<br />
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And even though this is a yearly staple, I need to mention the most recent season of MTV’s <i>The Challenge</i>. It was called War of the Worlds 2 and featured a US team versus a UK team. We bought the entire season on Amazon to go ad-free and it was a great decision. Even better, we suckered AMR into watching it with us and he led us to <a href="http://mtvchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/12/final-standings-wotw2.html">an Alliance Reality Bites victory</a>. It was thrilling. Also I got my friend <a href="http://mtvchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/08/bananas-congratulates.html">a Cameo from Johnny Bananas himself</a>, which was truly a highlight. Bananas!<br />
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<b>GAMES:</b> I played many a game this year, the product of being homebound and also having a Switch. <i>Lichtspeer </i>is a fun two-player game that can be challenging but also meditative. I loved the art and action of <i>Guacamelee 2</i> but have yet to finish it. Actually I’ve yet to finish any of the games I’m about to talk about because, well, I guess that’s just what I do?<br />
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Most of my Switch buys are for local co-op and of there were two throwbacks that were wonderful: <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i> is a Wii rerelease but it features simultaneous four player action. Yes, that means classic Super Mario action with four players at once!<br />
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And then there’s <i>River City Girls</i>, which is a semi-follow up to one of my favorite games of all time, <i>River City Ransom</i>. Playing as Kyoko and Misako, the girlfriends of Kunio and Riki, makes <i>River City Girls</i> even better than the original. I mean, teen girls punching and kicking their way through malls and squads for cheerleaders? Bring it on!<br />
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Oh, also <i>Marvel Alliance 3</i>, which is kind of a throwback. I’ve already spent many hours on this game and will continue to play it over and over, leveling up Spider-Gwen and her friends. All of the old <i>X-Men Legends</i> and <i>Alliance</i> series were great and this one is more of the same. Am I lacking three friends to come over and play with me all the time? Yes, I am, but I push on. Other good co-ops: <i>Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker</i> and <i>Yoshi's Crafted World</i>.<br />
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To start 2020, I will be continuing on my quest to catch them all. After some debate between Sobble and Scorbunny, I chose Scorbunny to start, a decision I haven’t regretted. Oh and I got <i>Shield</i> because well, I need Galarian Ponyta. Need! I’ve spent more hours organizing my various Pokemon boxes than actually catching Pokemon, but that’s just setting the foundation for a beautiful Pokedex.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPaja8ZHNhlSXQiyVY1qgVyJyHtMFAccsRLHX10VdtBhMWZmXEU98oeKjpuyManFPi3OzVXTIvEnJyRxHNv9JiT_FL-FzUkoAzhZHUZdvkUQH3VUZ2qqlLcTb_0rEtqNL1YzM8aihAtE/s1600/tumblr_px82ziQW5Z1v36qeto2_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPaja8ZHNhlSXQiyVY1qgVyJyHtMFAccsRLHX10VdtBhMWZmXEU98oeKjpuyManFPi3OzVXTIvEnJyRxHNv9JiT_FL-FzUkoAzhZHUZdvkUQH3VUZ2qqlLcTb_0rEtqNL1YzM8aihAtE/s320/tumblr_px82ziQW5Z1v36qeto2_1280.png" width="280" /></a>For iOS, I kept buying games but not playing them, but of the few that I did, <i>Meteorfall</i> sucked me in the hardest. I spent a week trying to perfect a particular strategy — at one point even throwing my phone down on the couch with some force, which for me is a huge display of disrespect to my phone. When <a href="https://jonyang.tumblr.com/post/187982974927/meteorfall-journey-this-is-one-of-the-greatest">I finally beat the Lich King</a> on hardest difficulty with Queen of Shadow Rose, I felt like I had conquered Everest. It’s the small victories my friends…<br />
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Two wonderfully meditative and beautiful games: <i>Alto’s Odyssey</i> and <i>Sky: Children of Light</i>, Apple’s game of the year. We were taken with Alto’s Adventure when it came out and then AMR started playing the follow up, Odyssey, which is basically the same thing but still splendid. And <i>Sky</i>, from the makers of <i>Journey</i>, was just magical. You meet friends and wordlessly join them in traversing the world, flying and twirling around. The only communicate is by emotes and hand holding and I think I made many deep connections to people who helped me along the way. You’ll be forever in my heart, random helpers of the internet!<br />
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Also, this was <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAsVrpXv7-k14xjHZwvGie4mv6_6Neb0wTlDPK9-4ysbhlaFaOtwgkOdmHVJEVcj0YuU19CWe9TIdqreG5C6pDWnrwuIHz5OqQcA5sw4zQQe0500SUQqkPDJ3ZkaZFzuwfszZ88g8xQU/s1600/LOL_taliyah.png">a big moment for me</a> in my LOL career. H-U-G-E. Taliyah forever...<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.destructoid.com/review-river-city-girls-565291.phtml">Destructoid: River City Girls</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/sky-children-of-the-light-review-flying-free/1900-6417262/">Sky: Children Of The Light Review - Flying Free</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmteMn-DiLw">13 Minutes of Sky: Children of Light Gameplay</a></li>
</ul>
<b>EVENTS:</b> I must have done something between January and August right? Well, the records tell me a resounding "no!" So I guess it was just a Carly Rae concert in August, followed a few weeks later by a Kacey Musgraves show, and then Poolside right around Christmas. Oh and a Todrick Hall, I can't forget that! Very dancey concert, as expected.<br />
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I apparently only saw one musical this year, The Book of Mormon in Mexico City, which was super fun mainly due to sitting right in the first row -- with nobody else around us. Being close to things is the way to go. We were a few rows back for Carly and that was life changing. The lesson to be learned is to be very close to things...and to Carly. Fave song off Dedicated: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJw32FXV97A">"Too Much."</a><br />
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<b>PODCASTS: </b>I was on the community panel for <i>Self Evident</i>, a new Asian American podcast that debuted this year. Episode one came out in May and the season ended a few months later. Hosted by Cathy Erway and featuring an experienced and ultra-competent team behind her, <i>Self Evident</i> should have another season coming soon!<br />
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I swore my cousin introduced me to <i>The Empty Bowl</i>, “a meditative podcast about cereal.” Alas, it was not her I should thank for this gift. The deep dives into cereal life are indeed meditative, if you can believe it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-vByNWZA9Z6PrKcfjRjUfPam4-LQYdL39CzIAuvDKIcOeC02K4SXThVbIzgAJQIHjDh699pV0DDiJe4jtyRn6UHfH3W7uLpPC7eESz_Nh7wMqjn9NTu2qlYFAYWoU3MKx8e8tkcRnaY/s1600/deadline_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-vByNWZA9Z6PrKcfjRjUfPam4-LQYdL39CzIAuvDKIcOeC02K4SXThVbIzgAJQIHjDh699pV0DDiJe4jtyRn6UHfH3W7uLpPC7eESz_Nh7wMqjn9NTu2qlYFAYWoU3MKx8e8tkcRnaY/s200/deadline_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a>For months, writer and all everything Mary HK Choi was making daily minipods with "a focus on mental health and creativity," as part of her <i>Hey, Cool...</i> banner. As a fan of Mary HK, it was like getting her piped directly into my life. The mini format was interesting and I was sad when the episodes got less daily. I would love to see more people do this sort of thiung.<br />
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And then there’s <i>Deadline City</i>, which is Dhonielle Clayton and Zoraida Cordova’s new bookish podcast. I listen to quite a few YA podcasts and this one has a friend and is just super fun!<br />
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Michael Lewis’ <i>Against the Rules</i> was great. And while this isn’t exactly a podcast, Gladwell’s <i>Talking to Strangers</i> audiobook is pretty much exactly that and I heard that his audiobook was outselling his physical and ebook, and it’s probably because the audiobook is just a podcast. If that makes sense.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://selfevidentshow.com/">Self Evident: Asian America's Stories</a></li>
<li><a href="https://deadlinecity.com/">Deadline City</a> | <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/zoraida-cordova/deadline-city">Stitcher</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nylon.com/hey-cool-life-podcast-review">Hey, Cool Life Is The Perfect Podcast For An Anxiety-Driven Age Life</a> | <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-cool-life/id1448378735">Hey, Cool Life</a></li>
<li><a href="https://anchor.fm/bowl">The Empty Bowl</a></li>
</ul>
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-24863434627770024412019-05-28T05:29:00.000-07:002019-06-19T05:39:20.751-07:00Night Time Sharpens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>So I’ve had</b> about a few weeks off in-between writing and that meant I had some time to go out and play. "Suffer local, enjoy somewhere else” is my motto. First up was a trip to Los Angeles to see the LA Philharmonic. I’ve never actually seen anything at the Walt Disney Concert Hall I realized recently, and made it an immediate must-rectify. So I gathered up some friends who would be free on a Thursday night — aka people without regular jobs — and off we went to see "Beethoven: Piano Concerts 4&5.” I hadn’t realized that you could sit behind the musicians underneath the organ in special orchestra view seats where you face the conductor. That will have to the next thing I try out.<br />
<br />
A friend in New York has been hitting up musicals and shows left and right, after never really going to them, and I have been eagerly awaiting his reviews on everything. He goes to them mostly solo and has been absolutely loving it. I told him that he should expand his intake to include some stuff at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. My god sister actually plays harp for the Boston Orchestra and its a damn shame that we’ve never actually seen her play there. Another thing to get to. I mean, no need to watch the Celtics minus Kyrie anymore right? Ha.<br />
<br />
This slight resurgence in classical music owes much to a visit to see our friend sing with his new choral group in Torrance. They did Brahms' "A German Requiem, Op. 45" and George and I made a whole half-day of it, which was our big day out in March because well, deadlines and children, respectively. The day afterwards I watched the local Poway Symphony Orchestra with a friend’s family. The PSO played some very recognizable tunes but were decidedly off-key, owing to its very amateur status. (My friend’s wife pointed out later that there were no auditions required to join the Poway Symphony, which means if I pick my flute back up, I got a shot to get in.) All this reinvigorated my interest in symphonies and such so c’mon, let’s go to more!<br />
<br />
For those wondering, there’s a specific explainer for the difference between an orchestra, symphony, and philharmonic. The short answer is: just say “orchestra” if there are any instruments involved.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2014/08/04/classical-101-the-difference-between-chamber-philharmonic-and-symphony-orchestra/">The Difference Between Chamber, Philharmonic, And Symphony Orchestra</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2009/02/the-best-seat-in-the-walt-disney-concert-hall">The Best Seats in the Walt Disney Concert Hall (2009)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/177/2019-05-23/beethoven-piano-concertos-4-5/">LA Phil: Beethoven: Piano Concertos 4 & 5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.jmnsingers.com/2018-2019-season/">Joanna Medawar Nachef Singers</a></li>
</ul>
I also hit up the Broad Museum and the MOCA downtown branch while waiting for the concert. I’d not been to either and realized that I haven’t visited any LA museums in years, probably since somewhat regular visits to the Getty. When I’m anywhere else, one of the first things I do is head for museums. I guess I’ve just been overlooking everything in my semi-backyard. The Broad was actually a bit disappointing, as I hadn’t realized it was just one family’s collection basically. Interesting building but it’s also mostly just a giant storage unit and most of the art inside was quite, well, broad and so-so. The MOCA was very small but slightly better, but I think I need to hit the LACMA next.<br />
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<b>My faith in</b> random people karaoke was restored the next night. Usually in LA I go to Max Karaoke in either Santa Monica or Chinatown but they are decidedly low budget and very sparse. The Chinatown location doesn’t even serve alcohol anymore, which was a major limiting factor for some people. So instead my friend audibled to Star Karaoke in K-Town, which was a major boon to the night’s success.<br />
<br />
I realized one day that with all the karaoke I do I should really be more organized about it. So I started making a spreadsheet of songs that are good for groups, and the genius idea I had was to add tags. So far it’s just a beginning but I’ll be doing some deep research and evaluating individual tracks across three important factors: tempo, difficulty, feeling. Tags include notes like “banned, cut at chorus, deep cut, duet, enders, need a great voice, etc.” I’m sure I’ll be making a separate post with my findings. I think my destiny is to write a book about Asian karaoke. Well, maybe it’ll just be a pamphlet. Either way, I desperately need to codify all my karaoke rules, tips, and suggestions.<br />
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As an unofficial private room karaoke ambassador, my basic rules for karaoke are these:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Enter and push all the tables to the edges of the room. Nothing I hate more than a static table in the middle of the room.</li>
<li>Any songs with long repeating choruses need to be cut quickly. (Most pop songs basically.) I am very ruthless if the energy drags. Cut, cut, cut!</li>
<li>Group karaoke is best thought of as also a dance party. Keep the energy high, or at least make sure the crowd is feeling it. When in doubt, refer to rule number two.</li>
</ol>
This night restored my faith in strangers as a whole as the disparate group of friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends came together for an incredible time. People brought their A-game and were full of excellent surprises. The room at Star was fantastic too, with a long U-shaped booth area for the food, dual screens front and back, and an open area for dancing up front. After a few lackluster group karaoke sessions recently, I had thought that the magic was gone, but now I believe again. I welcome all new friends, but only if you come bearing a microphone.<br />
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The last thing we did in LA was to watch <i>Booksmart</i>, which I quite liked but didn’t love since I was no fan of <i>Superbad</i>. Still, it was an enjoyable watch and I love that this was Olivia Wilde's directorial debut. Please watch this movie because it is tanking at the box office and that means America hates books and teens.<br />
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Next up: Baby shower in the Bay...jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-43068166144269832502019-04-14T07:09:00.001-07:002019-04-14T07:30:53.769-07:00Swing Kids / Seuwingkizeu (2018)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>When <i>Swing Kids</i></b> dropped late last year, I recall <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abcHCpXz_Tg">watching the trailer</a> and thinking "this is so my movie!" Tap dancing in a POW camp, what is this?! However I believe I was traveling right around then and totally missed it. And somehow nobody in my circle saw it and grabbed me by the collar and dragged me a theater but hey, I don't have real friends I guess.<br />
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I'd risk hyperbole and say that there was never a movie that was more made for me but right before I watched <i>Swing Kids</i> at <a href="https://sdaff.org/spring2019/">SDAFF Spring Showcase</a>, I saw another film that was literally about my (past) life. So, two movies made explicitly for me in one day? Banner stuff. Either way, the only thing to do is to immortalize the experience by adding one more to my <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2010/02/dance-like-somebodys-watching.html">dance movie review series</a>.<br />
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Review spoiler: I didn't think there could be a finer dance movie than <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2015/07/magic-mike-xxl-2015.html"><i>Magic Mike XXL</i></a> but this movie was that great. Whereas <i>XXL</i> stripped out all the stuff we didn't want to see -- anything not involving dancing -- <i>Swing Kids</i> managed to insert dramatic tension and high stakes while maintaining the plot veracity of the actual dancing. 👏<br />
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<b>Tagline:</b> I don't know Korean so I'll have to settle for the American poster. That tagline was <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIm2pc3wq-Gt_fcPdoB1hSR4-a2PsqGvrUzRPQ27Cj97OwU8IMF6wxtUayeKIWkmXLlf0zgzjl04C7dCibvAUUOJPP6ABmJ_k8zOgFE2rTILBF_xxOdZvORxuuH1nJBfTEowFNs5tYcg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-04-14+at+6.25.21+AM.png">"We Want Just Dance."</a> But the "we want" and "just dance" are separated so maybe it's "Just Dance." Either way, who cares!<br />
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<b>1. Plot (9)</b><br />
The plots of most dance movies are not that dense. Considering there’s sub-plots galore here, plus a semi-mystery, in addition to motivations for all the major side characters, this was practically the Oscar winner of dance movie plots. Oh wait, the Oscars are trash, so that is no honor.<br />
<br />
Anyways, if you’re aiming high by combining tap dance and a POW camp, then you gotta deliver. <i>Swing Kids</i> delivered. I wouldn’t fast forward a single one of the non-dance scenes and it’s a 133 minute movie.<br />
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The year is 1951, the setting is Geojedo POW camp. Roh Ki-soo is the North Korean soldier who hates capitalism, traitors, and yankees but loves to dance. Jackson is a black American soldier tasked by his scene chomping commander to start a dance troupe for the benefit of journalists and wartime propaganda. What else is new? Splash a ragtag bunch of other dancers into the mix and we have a dance team.<br />
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If <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2011/05/white-nights-1985.html"><i>White Nights</i></a> scored an eight in terms of plot, <i>Swing Kids</i> was at least a nine, and I’m only leaving room at the top for some sort of mega-complicated, multi-generational Gabriel Garcia Marquez type epic in dance form. Please tell me if this movie already exists.<br />
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<b>2. Can the lead characters dance (10)</b><br />
Um, yeah, I’d say so. Doh Kyung-Soo in a mega Korean boy band and Jared Grimes has danced for all the biggest names. Mariah and Barack. <a href="https://www.dancespirit.com/jared-grimes-tap-dance-2633823048.html">His letter to his teenage self </a>could use a little bolstering though. I couldn’t find out the dance backgrounds of the rest of the cast but there were no weak links. In fact, every dancer deserved and got their moments of shine.<br />
<br />
<b>3. How’re the dance scenes? (10)</b><br />
🔥👞🔥. Two new words/terms I learned while reading about <i>Swing Kids</i>: terpsichorean and diegetic dancing.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Terpsichorean: of or relating to dancing</li>
<li>Diegesis: the telling of a story by a narrator who summarizes events in the plot (in the case of <i>Swing Kids</i>, through dancing). Here are some handy links. <a href="https://dcairns.wordpress.com/2016/08/06/whats-diegetic/">"What’s Diegetic?"</a> and <a href="http://www.shag-pile.com/blog/2016/8/2/diegetic-dancing">"Dirty Dancing and Diegesis."</a></li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06TyzK791RjjkQr_rrzm1SlsA9o0C8R5Jw0hhl7b9GxSaqOB0GEDUDPMIWs2I6FJwq0DYcvf_Tag6W7CTYu92CDDPxm-_fV-lRq2xNU86pz-qUrkNgAOtPIfO7RaylSLns2ODXgxTFXk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-04-14+at+6.53.40+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06TyzK791RjjkQr_rrzm1SlsA9o0C8R5Jw0hhl7b9GxSaqOB0GEDUDPMIWs2I6FJwq0DYcvf_Tag6W7CTYu92CDDPxm-_fV-lRq2xNU86pz-qUrkNgAOtPIfO7RaylSLns2ODXgxTFXk/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-04-14+at+6.53.40+AM.png" width="179" /></a>This dancing was the best kind of movie dancing. Most of the scenes fit into the emotionality of the characters, and you can’t just separate out the dancing from the plot. As for specific dance scenes, there were so many that I lost count. I was very pleased that <i>Swing Kids</i> delivered on all the correct ratios of group on group, hero vs villain, friends vs frenemies dancing setups.<br />
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There are a few individual dancing clips from the movie online but it would an injustice to watch them first in that format. Peek at the trailer but then just get on with it. Then return to the Youtubes for highlights.<br />
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Additionally, I would like to point out director Kang Hyoung-Chul’s homage to the David Bowie “Modern Love” dance sequence. Strong move.<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abcHCpXz_Tg">Trailer 1</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUEgyMGi6SE">Trailer 2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3p6IT46-Os">Dance Hall scene</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQjKtIX0Rpk">"Modern Love" scene</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQxdpeUVbAo">Frances Ha (2012)</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM-U7SF2Ni0&t=21s">Mauvais Sang (1986)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCTtcEFNZeo">Finale scene</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-m0iACm4I8">Behind-the-scenes</a></li>
</ul>
<b>4. How’s the love story? (5)</b><br />
Practically non-existent. Unless you count the fact that one character was literally dancing to get famous enough so that his possibly dead wife might hear about him, and thus they could reunite. 💦Oh, did I mention <i>Swing Kids</i> was set during wartime? Prepare accordingly.<br />
<br />
There is a bit of flirting here but both the execution and pay off of the romance was extraordinary and surprisingly, quite funny. Actually, let’s me just warn you that overall this movie is extremely funny. There were other warnings given to us preceding the movie but I'm not gonna repeat them as to color your perceptions. Because this post is obviously spoiler free.<br />
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<b>5. Rate the sidekicks (10)</b><br />
You could not have asked for more winning sidekicks. And I’m not just talking about the other three dance troupe team members. There were memorable characters across the board. Heck, I even liked the asshole general a lot. Whoops.<br />
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<b>6. Best line (8)</b><br />
I can’t recall. I was enjoying the movie so much I forgot to find a favorite line. Maybe when I go rewatch it in a couple of days I’ll find one. And yes, I'm gonna go rewatch it when SDAFF screens it again next week. There was no dearth of fun dialogue in <i>Swing Kids</i> though. Bonus points for the numerous instances of humor as a result of purposeful false translations.<br />
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<b>7. Music (10)</b><br />
<a href="https://cine-vue.com/2012/04/interview-hyeong-cheol-kang-director-of-sunny.html">One interviewer</a> asked Kang Hyoung-Chul this question about some of his earlier movies.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Q: </b>It’s quite strange that you selected western songs. Were they both popular songs in Korea at the times both films were made?<br />
<b>A: </b>In the 1980s in Korea, western music was very popular, so they these songs were a useful tool to recreate the atmosphere at that time.</blockquote>
I’d imagine that was the polite translation of what Kang Hyoung-Chul actually said. I’ll leave the actual word-by-word translation to your imagination.<br />
<br />
Anyway, there are songs by the Beatles, Bowie, and um, other famous peoples on display. For some reason some reviews really honed in on the anachronism of the music. Okaaaaaay. You realize this wasn’t historically accurate right? This wasn’t <i>Mad Men</i>. <i>Mad Men</i> wasn’t <i>Mad Men</i>.<br />
<br />
Another comment, both informative and biting, from the same review: "The only thing, do you consider all Korean music to be part of ‘millennial' kpop? Cause I’m pretty sure the korean song is from the 80s and disco more than anything else.”<br />
<br />
Translation: “do you think we/I/us all sound the same?” Burn! Here’s an explainer, <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-history-explained">“How K-pop became a global phenomenon"</a><br />
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<b>8. Fashion (6)</b><br />
Gotta mostly give this one a pass since prison movies don’t usually have a wide sartorial selection. But there was some good hair and traditional Korean costumes and masks. And a lot of facial scars, if you’re into that kind of thing. Oh wait and also some, well, never mind.<br />
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<b>9. Cultural Impact (6)</b><br />
In the US market? Not great. $200,000 grossed and a paltry 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. But again, anyone who actually takes Rotten Tomatoes seriously probably only eats at "four-stars and up" Yelp restaurants as well.<br />
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I’m not exactly sure how much this movie made in its native South Korea -- ten million? -- but I can only imagine it ushered in an entire wave of tap dancing in the streets. Right? I’ll try to go to Korea next year and research. Forever 21 and tap dancing, yes please!<br />
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Broadly speaking, I assume that having Doh Kyung-Soo, otherwise known as D.O. of EXO fame, helped <i>Swing Kids’</i> international success. America just ain’t ready for a group of diverse tap dancing POWs I guess. And it's not lost on me, the non-subversive subversive aspects of the film. No sir!<br />
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To America’s savaging of this movie I have only this to say: 🖕. Or 🖕🖕, I suppose.<br />
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<b>10. Miscellaneous (7)</b><br />
As soon as we got out of <i>Swing Kids</i>, I had to find out what else writer-director Kang Hyoung-Chul had done. Turns out he’s the director of <i>Sunny</i>, aka the movie <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2018/12/stuff-ive-been-consuming-2018.html">I’ve recently dedicated my life to watching</a> — the original and all the remakes.<br />
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Armed with that fact, everything clicked because the blend of humor, angst, silliness, dance battles, American pop culture references, tidy character arcs, and very serious yet humorous political settings and asides, all wrapped up in this kind of “light” movie were all previously displayed in <i>Sunny</i>. Now I must watch every Kang Hyoung-Chul film ever made.<br />
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<i>Swing Kids</i> was based on a Korean musical that was written by Jung Woo-sung, the South Korean actor and multi-hyphenate who co-starred in <i>The Good, the Bad, the Weird</i>. I’d recommend watching that one as well if you enjoyed <i>Swing Kids</i>. And well, if you didn’t enjoy <i>Swing Kids</i> I guess you’re a colonizing bastard and this movie wasn’t made for you anyway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDFdhyphenhyphenlpIrRl1fVYWX_XZX-dPwrEWto3yQy9NGUl1JTVxv11KppwskDrKroE84N3UCrnM_adzhZzxCg97knbbzZl2mn8peTwvz3u4n4df3XGs5TO3pMCKE3yV4taqvZovXEJDTzY-IBg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-04-14+at+6.53.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDFdhyphenhyphenlpIrRl1fVYWX_XZX-dPwrEWto3yQy9NGUl1JTVxv11KppwskDrKroE84N3UCrnM_adzhZzxCg97knbbzZl2mn8peTwvz3u4n4df3XGs5TO3pMCKE3yV4taqvZovXEJDTzY-IBg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-04-14+at+6.53.42+AM.png" /></a></div>
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<b>FINAL VERDICT (86/100)</b><br />
I’m surprised this wasn’t a clean 💯 since I left the theater asking myself “was that the best dance movie ever made?” All of <i>Swing Kids'</i> dings — in a scoring system not really designed for it — are not exactly applicable categories. But I’ll buffer in some room since I’m a renowned overhyper but there’s not one thing I would change about this film. Eh, except maybe the name, if only to distance itself from the Christian Bale <i>Swing Kids</i>, which I also liked but that was child me. <i>Seuwingkizeu</i> was made for adult me and it’s a must-see.<br />
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No, that's not a strong enough recommendation. I fucking loved every second of <i>Swing Kids</i> and I won't be shutting up about it for awhile. There. Let's (dance) battle.<br />
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-20064653522630765012019-03-10T07:11:00.001-07:002019-03-10T07:11:43.978-07:00Ranking: EW’s GoT Collector’s Edition CoversThere was a time when I might have wanted to collect all sixteen <a href="https://ew.com/tv/game-of-thrones-season-8-ew-cover-photos/">Entertainment Weekly covers for the final season of Game of Thrones</a>. I used to have boxes and boxes of archived EW issues hoarded away, until the great Kondo-ing of ‘09 —aka my mom made me do it. Nowadays I prefer to save digital images on my desktop and these are the five I’ve selected as the absolute best.<br />
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First off, after perusing the collection, most of these covers aren’t good, for reasons I’ll detail out below. All of the major characters get their own cover, including a frightening Night King, but why the solo Bran? The rest of the cast gets split up into some fun pairings but overall I wish the covers had the actors in more casual, or fun, poses instead of being all in-character. But I’m not an art director so what do I know.<br />
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Let’s start with the fails. The Bran one is completely unnecessary. While he could be a huge part of Season 8, nobody needs Bran as a collectible cover. Isaac Hempstead Wright should enjoy this career high. (Comment from the internets: "I like Bran's bowl cut; it looks very appropriate for the aesthetic of the show.”) And while I love Varys and Jorah, the composition of their cover just seems off and definitely needs some re-centering.<br />
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The Jaime and Arya covers are just plain bad. Jamie’s has a lot of unnecessary fog that makes the bottom of the cover look desaturated while Arya’s photo is set at an angle for some reason. Perhaps it’s to show off her new Valyrian steel dagger — bye Needle! — but still, why the tilt? Arya’s asymmetrical coat and skirt combo are amazing though. Where can I get this outfit?<br />
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Literally nobody cares about Euron and Theon, and their cover seems entirely unnecessary. At least throw Yara in there if you’re going to give us Theon. As for the best couple in all of GoT, the Gilly and Sam cover pulled at my heartstrings until I realized that they left out little Sam. Entertainment Weekly does not care about family. Biggest missed opportunity, a pairing of Drogon and Rhaegal. Isn’t that just obvious? Oh and Tormund, I would have liked to see some Tormund. Perhaps paired with a 🧸?<br />
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<b>Honorable Mention</b><br />
The Clegane brothers cover seemed great at first glance due to the fact that these two would never pose together in real life / show life, but then the terrible banners in the background caught my eye. Somebody should’ve just Photoshopped those uneven red borders out. Sorry Greg and Sandy, you deserved better.<br />
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<b>5) Jon Snow</b><br />
This is the best Jon Snow has ever Jon Snow-ed. Kit Harington has the perfect amount of fierce on his face and looks clearly like the Prince Who Was Promised. Spoilers: Maybe.<br />
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<b>4) Daenerys Targaryen / Sansa Stark</b><br />
These two close-ups are gorgeous and both actresses are luminous. The photographer clearly took care to make sure that the backgrounds enhanced the characters' looks. The same can’t be said for most of the rest of these photos. Frankly, I would have preferred close-up shots of each individual character taken by this photographer, and then I would have considered buying all sixteen to display on my office wall House of Black and White / Hall of Faces style.<br />
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<b>3) Cersei</b><br />
Everything about her pose, expression, and outfit is perfect here. Queen Cersei would never be just hanging out on a castle stoop like this but Lena Headey sure would! Cersei looks more regal here than seated on the actual Iron Throne.<br />
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<b>2) Brienne</b><br />
Has Brienne ever looked better? This is Brienne as Vogue cover model and Gwendoline Christie looks incredible. She manages to maintain Brienne's rigid warrior-like presence while giving her face a gentle softness. And again, this is a pose Brienne would never actually do in the show, just like Cersie's above. Absolute perfection all around. This is the author photo I would strive for had I armor and a sword.<br />
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<b>1) Missandei / Grey Worm</b><br />
Sorry I was too hasty earlier in dubbing Gilly and Sam the “best couple in all of GoT.” These two are the real OTP and here they are in the perfect couple shot. That’s a wedding invite right there, let’s just fire them up and print them! While some of the aforementioned covers might be technically better, this is definitely the one I would buy to display because I'd want people to think Missandei and Grey Worm were my friends.<br />
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If you've made it this far, consider playing fantasy GoT with me at Fantasora, and yes our very unexciting death pool is still going... Someone please die this season. Just not Gilly please!<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://medium.com/@nathanyan/fantasoras-game-of-thrones-fantasy-league-new-scoring-rules-for-the-final-season-8-30d2a4e80d21">Fantasora’s Game of Thrones Fantasy League: new scoring rules for the final Season 8!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://fantasythrones.blogspot.com/">Fantasy Thrones S7/8 Death Pool</a></li>
</ul>
jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-11464868431707495332019-02-12T16:26:00.000-08:002019-02-14T15:22:10.204-08:00Shop It: 200ml Water Bottle<i>There’s nothing better than a well written piece about a product someone loves. I’ll point you to <a href="http://nymag.com/author/Molly%20Young/">Molly Young’s collection at New York Magazine</a>, where she highlights products like dry shampoo, her favorite notebook, and a Japanese Soylent replacement. Or take a look at this recommendation for <a href="http://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-eye-drops-for-reducing-redness-rohto-eye-drops-review.html">Rohto Cool eye drops</a> written by Or Gotham. Spectacular!</i><br />
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<i>As is my wont, I find myself recommending certain things just from the reviews themselves — a dicey proposition for my reputation, I know. Still, once in awhile I come across a product so wonderful I feel the need to push them upon the world. This series of posts are about the things that are me-tested and I can’t shut up about.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIBAVonUtGLfHkjCiMByWVqGEffsRpZGKahCKiMUxIB-G8oy6cmVJZANPYXF3N8V2QpVfiVsaiX2aNE63qn9LJTWFdz-oGTrzqO-ih9KaJmRmx1EYqqnhFJtzqa81J9OPPha0SlyxJYo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-02-10+at+9.46.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIBAVonUtGLfHkjCiMByWVqGEffsRpZGKahCKiMUxIB-G8oy6cmVJZANPYXF3N8V2QpVfiVsaiX2aNE63qn9LJTWFdz-oGTrzqO-ih9KaJmRmx1EYqqnhFJtzqa81J9OPPha0SlyxJYo/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-02-10+at+9.46.28+PM.png" width="275" /></a></div>
While I have purchased three or four aluminum water bottles in my life , I have rarely used them except as decorative items. Carrying a tall bottle just never fit my lifestyle. However, when I went to Tokyo last year, I stumbled upon a magical item: the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074N8YGVN/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1">200 millimeter water bottle from the Tiger Corporation</a>, aka a Baby Tiger.<br />
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The typical water bottle size is double that, at about 475ml, or 16 ounces. These babies are small — we nicknamed them "Baby Tigers" for a reason — barely the height and width of a regular sized iPhone and can slip into a large pocket if necessary.<br />
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Now, some have asked what’s the point of such a small drink container? 200 ml is about 6.5 ounces, or a smallish coffee. Unless you need to down drinks Big Gulp style, this is a perfect size for an espresso based drink. The Baby Tiger would probably not work for your daily consumption of water, but as a coffee/chai/tea/smoothie receptacle, it’s fantastic. And while there are <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/B8F0EAAF-66C5-43DE-9C2C-842D1507D688?ingress=2&visitId=965d9167-aeaa-4b4c-bdfc-69e4f21e1343&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_10772208011">various flip open lids</a> and the like available, I prefer the simple plain lid that keeps the size factor slim. Plus did I mention the whole thing is incredibly cute?<br />
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The bad news is that the 200ml size is generally only available overseas, and while there are some available on Amazon an eBay, they'll need to be imported. The alternative is to try an eight-ounce soup cup, as Tiger has these for sale Stateside. They are also a tad cheaper, as my pistachio green soup cup cost $21, versus $26 for a 200ml Baby Tiger. However the soup cups are chubby and not as easily thrown into a bag. Also, eight ounces is 236 ml, so a tad bigger than the magic 200ml number. In sum: go small(er) with the thermos and expect big results in return!<br /><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074N8YGVN/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Baby Tiger, 200ml</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-MCA-B025-TM-Stainless-Insulated-8-Ounce/dp/B011N938U0/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=tiger%2Bsoup%2Bcup&qid=1550039394&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-4-catcorr&th=1">Tiger Soup Cup, 8 oz</a></li>
</ul>jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-17504816188130610452018-12-30T06:39:00.000-08:002019-01-22T23:38:52.724-08:00Stuff I've Been Consuming 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMYpXcwGMOvEmyVm8AOMeQ4H9wezaaTYNd-0VlAcaEvm2xyyakKw7l2GrCYsuIOw0slrovHZh4mqAoEFDIU5PO3fkfo7XQOF13tyAqLvXkyAwKhj6db3fnHL18jmZXYc_utZmtxVphGI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-01-02+at+10.01.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMYpXcwGMOvEmyVm8AOMeQ4H9wezaaTYNd-0VlAcaEvm2xyyakKw7l2GrCYsuIOw0slrovHZh4mqAoEFDIU5PO3fkfo7XQOF13tyAqLvXkyAwKhj6db3fnHL18jmZXYc_utZmtxVphGI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-01-02+at+10.01.31+PM.png" /></a></div>
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So I made this brand spanking <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10LmZfUmRe0D72Vl8SRpluYzP6AG52uzGGCIYIn9X8m0/edit#gid=0">new Stuff I Consumed spreadsheet</a>, to track everything I consumed — inclusive of books, movies, TV shows, music, games, podcasts, and events — and then promptly didn’t really update it as I got lost in the swirl of traveling and, um, not updating. So I find myself scrambling to figure out how many books I read and how many movies I watched in a nod to <a href="http://www.fiftyfifty.me/">Fifty Fifty</a>, even if we had retired it for this year. In the end, I watched approximately 62 movies and read 22 books, a far cry <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2017/12/stuff-ive-been-consuming-2017.html">from last year</a>. Still, on with the recommends!<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vJo3G2vgvMq24701wytO9NcM0xxCGpveoc7ybTAoufw/edit#gid=0">[2018 Consumed Sheet]</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0Q1urW1aLjAklXz0dkEd-INaKLxLr5y8vdNwxPNQJVnFNJJAmRZB-wSxhnm_VSNPM2YbUi9L6Ltc0i4ogy2Boj2HpQ4Tvpq0-oQ28Z1hTRP_yBteM1CFk8-V8NxtNezswy3ZE6iyInw/s1600/belles.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0Q1urW1aLjAklXz0dkEd-INaKLxLr5y8vdNwxPNQJVnFNJJAmRZB-wSxhnm_VSNPM2YbUi9L6Ltc0i4ogy2Boj2HpQ4Tvpq0-oQ28Z1hTRP_yBteM1CFk8-V8NxtNezswy3ZE6iyInw/s1600/belles.png" /></a><b>BOOKS:</b> Despite starting strong with a string of good books earlier this year, I really faltered down the stretch. I can still readily recommend <i>The Girls</i> and <i>Annihilation</i> — which I endorsed in <a href="https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=ed1df332a01748887065585f2&id=12efddb4c6">my lone 2018 issue of Cool It Now</a> — and I can add to that two more. <i>The Sympathizer</i> by Viet Thanh Nguyen was fantastic, and I liked it much better than <i>The Refugees</i>. I also enjoyed Gene Luen Yang’s <i>Boxers and Saints</i>, a two-book companion graphic novel set about the Boxer Rebellion.<br />
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And then there’s my long time friend Dhonielle’s solo debut, <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/the-belles-by-dhonielle-clayton-exposes-the-dark-sides-of-beauty-ambition-8087446"><i>The Belles</i></a>, which came out in February and has a sequel, <i>The Everlasting Rose</i>, coming out in March. It’s a thrill to see friends publish, especially people that you were friends with way before the writing thing. <i>The Belles</i> hit the New York Times Bestseller list right out of the gate and deservedly so!<br />
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<b>MOVIES:</b> I feel like I missed almost all the major “good” movies this year, so much so that I just made a list of things to catch up on for the beginning of next year. So <i>Burning</i>, <i>Shoplifters</i>, <i>Roma</i>, <i>First Reformed</i>, <i>The Rider</i>, <i>Skate Kitchen</i>, <i>Wildlife</i>, <i>The Favourite</i>, <i>Shirkers</i>, I’m coming for you!<br />
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I changed my film rating system from A-F to 1-10 and ended up with only four ten-score movies: <i>Avengers: Infinity War</i>, <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i>, <i>To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before</i>, and <i>A Star is Born</i>. Clearly three of those four were auto tens and <i>A Star is Born</i> blew me out of the water. I wanted to drag my sister to go see it on the big screen but she just wouldn't go with me! Ultimate sibling fail.<br />
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There were only six movies that netted a nine and they were <i>Go-Go Sisters</i>, <i>Sicario: Day of the Soldado</i>, <i>All the President’s Men</i>, <i>First Man</i>, <i>Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse</i>, and this lovely Japanese movie I saw on an airplane, <i>Kako: My Sullen Past</i>. Still, to be honest, I can’t wholeheartedly recommend any of these for everyone as they seem pretty genre specific.<br />
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Of course, I’ve dedicated my life to watching every remake of <i>Go-Go Sisters</i> so I guess I’d recommend that, but only if you are open to teenage tales that’ll make you cry. So far I’ve seen the original Korean <i>Sunny</i>, the Japanese remake, and <i>Go-Go Sisters</i> twice on the big screen on two different continents. Plus I watched 1995’s <i>Now and Then</i> for research. My favorite remains the Vietnamese version.<br />
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My big downvote? <i>Minding the Gap</i>, which is a documentary that is getting lauded everywhere but I found mostly unwatchable and not compelling in the least. Nice skate scenes though. But overall, bleh.<br />
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<b>TELEVISION:</b> I finished ten TV series and most of them were so-so, but I really loved <i>The End of the F***ing World</i> <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2018/01/five-moreplus-more.html">(again)</a>, <i>Succession</i>, and <i>Maniac</i>, which we haven’t even finished yet. A special shout out for <i>Jean-Claude Van Johnson</i>, which was a nostalgic, and unexpectedly fun, delight.<br />
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Oh and if you’re looking for some Taiwan/American romcom, Netflix is carrying <i>A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities</i>, about two women who swap locations. It’s not for everyone but the Taiwanese cultural stuff and overall FOB-ness is spot on and hilarious.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlrDipA4Mi8YYPYowBiHa32w9Wsr7cj2gztBm_ksHEvBatsNtuHO25kRhwrn_iSX4KsXmZtaKERvih5YQnvqBdDAh1z7eUJOsX9M42zCe5Y1FWuyFe7T9Hr4XZKHydE9sfixYC4d_fGw/s1600/2018-11-04+11.20.25.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="350" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlrDipA4Mi8YYPYowBiHa32w9Wsr7cj2gztBm_ksHEvBatsNtuHO25kRhwrn_iSX4KsXmZtaKERvih5YQnvqBdDAh1z7eUJOsX9M42zCe5Y1FWuyFe7T9Hr4XZKHydE9sfixYC4d_fGw/s320/2018-11-04+11.20.25.png" width="320" /></a><b>GAMES:</b> I bought a Switch this year, mainly to play <i>Overcooked 2</i>. I’ve been afraid to jump into more games because well, I’m bad at regulating my time with games. So more on this next year. In the meantime, for iOS games I can wholeheartedly <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-games-we-play.html">recommend <i>Antihero</i></a>, <i>Polytopia</i>, and <i>Soul Knight</i>, the latter of which is a free-to-play rogue like dungeon crawler that works seamlessly for local co-op. High recommend for all three! And although I’ve yet to play it on any platform I’ve bought it on, <i>Stardew Valley</i> for iOS dropped and I can’t wait to get into it.<br />
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<b>EVENTS:</b> I didn’t get to that many events this year, but did see Katharine McPhee on Broadway in <i>Waitress</i> and then an absolute highlight of the year, Taylor Swift’s Reputation tour, which is now showing on Netflix as a concert film. My friend offered me two free tickets that morning and a few hours later I was out in the rain, singing along to Tay Tay!<br />
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<b>PODCASTS:</b> As for podcasts, I <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2018/01/five-moreplus-more.html">already gushed about <i>Night Call</i></a>, and I’ll add <i>Shedunnit</i> to the list, "storytelling podcast that unravels the mysteries behind classic detective stories.” I had been following Caroline Crampton’s <i>No Complaints</i> newsletter and her podcast was a real thrill. Plus I’d like to push my cousin’s podcast, <i>APT 504</i>, which is Ashley and Emily talking about their pop culture and celebrity obsessions. I also love their tagline: "It's time for pillow talk.”<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://audioboom.com/channel/night-call">Nightcall</a></li>
<li><a href="http://shedunnitshow.com/">Shedunnit</a></li>
<li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/apartment-504/id1370254957?mt=2">APT 504</a></li>
</ul>
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-33988642025871237012018-08-03T15:04:00.000-07:002018-08-09T15:34:38.616-07:00It's a Small Book After AllIt’s a throwback, a <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2011/12/reading-nightcap.html">Stuff I’ve Been Reading</a> column! Well, actually, it’s just a Stuff I’ve Bought collection because while I’ve been reading, it’s more interesting to look at what I picked up in New York recently. It’s rare nowadays that I bother with physical books, unless it’s used, graphic, or a friend’s book. Everything else is digital because <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2011/08/riding-ereader-bandwagon.html">nothing beats the portability of a Kindle</a>.<br />
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[Note: This is the last post I'm going to bother italicizing titles of movies, books, TV shows, etc. It's just too much work to highlight and italicize things. But just know that I have now learned how to italicize properly, thanks.]<br />
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However, I grabbed a handful of stuff in New York because I figured I’d never see them again. My stroll through Williamsburg took me to Book Thug Nation and the new-ish McNally Jackson there. Overall, I bought the following:<br />
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<i>Masculinities</i> is Cindy Crabb’s interview with men about well, masculinity. Which is interesting coming from the <i>Doris</i> creator, as Crabb's zine was a defining feminist zine. Personally my attention span nowadays for men talking about masculinity is low but if Crabb’s asking the questions, I’ll read the answers. Also snatched up issues #56 and #58 of <i>Cometbus</i>, because <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2011/07/and-wheels-keep-turning.html">I always get <i>Cometbus</i></a> if I see them. And then a real throwback, as I saw Ayun Halliday’s <i>East Village Inky</i> on the rack and it brought me back to years ago when <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2010/12/zinesters-guide-to-new-york-city.html">I interviewed her about <i>Zinester’s Guide to NYC</i></a>. Hello 2010, hello <i>East Village Inky</i>, still going strong with issue #58!<br />
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Also at Book Thug, I got a copy of <i>The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses</i> by Juhani Pallasmaa, which explores why architecture caters mainly to only one of the five senses. (Spoiler: it's sight.) It promises to be very interesting. I realized most of the used books I buy are old ones about buildings or traffic -- or personal essay collections. <i>Eyes of the Skin</i> should dovetail nicely with this mini-book I got at the Whitney gift shop, <i>Confessions of a Poor Collector</i>, which was a speech Eugene Schwartz gave in 1970 about his rules, discoveries, and principles of art collecting. Despite it being only thirty-nine pages long and costing $18, it seems like an excellent purchase already. I hope to be a budding art collector. But you know, not really...<br />
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The other area I tend to hit up in bookstores is graphic memoirs, especially little pocket sized ones. I grabbed <i>Trying Not to Notice</i> by Will Dinski and <i>Square Comix #16</i>, by Ian McMurry, neither of whom were familiar to me. If it’s physically small and the pages are filled with cartoonified images your quotidian life, I’ll probably buy it. And since I have aspirations of making a similar type of book myself, I picked up <i>Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice</i> by Ivan Brunetti at McNally, which condenses Brunetti's cartooning instructions into a short (and small) book. Perfect!<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.colinhagendorf.com/blog/iceharvester.com/2015/04/my-interview-from-cindy-crabbs-new.html">Interview: Cindy Crabb's new <i>Masculinities</i> zine! (2015)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.editiontaube.de/en/product/confessions-of-a-poor-collector/"><i>Confessions of a Poor Collector</i>, Eugene M. Schwartz</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0YCZ_4XqiY"><i>Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice</i>, Book Trailer (2011)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://thegreatcomicbookheroes.blogspot.com/2015/05/square-comix-by-ian-mcmurray.html">Interview with Ian McMurry (2015)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/punctuation/when/when-to-italicize.html">When to Italicize</a></li>
</ul>
jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-19117262133345581962018-06-09T10:52:00.000-07:002018-06-10T12:54:44.574-07:00The Games We PlayIs this just becoming a recommendation blog? Sure looks like it! It’s been awhile since I’ve recommended some iOS games -- <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2017/01/sendem-packing.html">the last ones were Lost Frontier and Guild of Dungeoneering</a> -- so here we go, more phone games...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4RdXyBDwpuyY4fs08jp5LaTGIj8zzK88u7eGsWUImbmsRtU4-TLhhJ66HMl_f5lxcp7NoUEGy0QmFuPg5LVZL0GLBWpb2rd-L05R-WVs3Day54r4bDvBt4980sICJ6BNgV1F_lXcOPE/s1600/2018-06-07+00.46.54.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4RdXyBDwpuyY4fs08jp5LaTGIj8zzK88u7eGsWUImbmsRtU4-TLhhJ66HMl_f5lxcp7NoUEGy0QmFuPg5LVZL0GLBWpb2rd-L05R-WVs3Day54r4bDvBt4980sICJ6BNgV1F_lXcOPE/s1600/2018-06-07+00.46.54.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Antihero ($2.99)</b><br />
This gem of a game has kept me entertained for long hours as I suffered through some bad fried chicken in Bali. In Antihero you play as a master thief, and your goal is to pilfer the city before your opponent does. You’re aided by urchins, thugs, gangs, assassins, and other fun fellows, all speaking in darling Dickensian accents. The campaign is a delight and playing against another human has the potential for great back-and-forth while using differing strategies, depending on the map. I couldn’t recommend Antihero enough and I’ve gotten two people hooked on it, neither of whom have ever played an iOS game before!<br />
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<b>Teeny Titans ($3.99)</b><br />
What happens when you combine Teen Titans with Pokemon? You get figure collecting and battling, all wrapped up in the delightful animation style of Teen Titans Go!, which appeals to all my sensibilities. I’ve recently just started watching the show and while the game itself isn’t all that difficult (or long), it is a freaking blast to rip through racks at the in-game figurine stores to find the rare one you’ve been searching for.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQ-OMdwgVOTrxCWlGJVf6ANoHTviUP1VMVf889vqbvK8P1gNO0p1dcvWtk7rbonWnQknlKBtW330TojnRWmU3wzcltH-XWjxDxkA7dUQ0DhXumIcb2m_De-e87Yb5MTrVt0xJnbThJ_8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-06-11+at+1.03.14+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="800" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQ-OMdwgVOTrxCWlGJVf6ANoHTviUP1VMVf889vqbvK8P1gNO0p1dcvWtk7rbonWnQknlKBtW330TojnRWmU3wzcltH-XWjxDxkA7dUQ0DhXumIcb2m_De-e87Yb5MTrVt0xJnbThJ_8/s200/Screen+Shot+2018-06-11+at+1.03.14+AM.png" width="200" /></a><b>The Powerpuff Girls: Flipped Out ($2.99)</b><br />
Arizona-based developer Grumpyface has kicked out a bunch of Cartoon Network properties and between my experience with Teeny Titans and this Powerpuff Girls game, I’m sold! Besides using Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup at their butt-kicking cutest, Flipped Out has an innovative flip mechanic that allows you to instantly turn it from a horizontal fighting game into a vertical match-three one. It’s really so smooth and a little bit genius. Throw in pickle collecting, the funny assortment of Powerpuff villains, plus super solid gameplay and I may just have to get all of Grumpyface’s games!<br />
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<b>Death Coming ($1.99)</b><br />
While I’ve barely started this one, the pixel art alone drew me in. You play as Death’s assistant, using semi-omniscient powers to drop things on people or bait them into unfortunate deaths. The goal is to kill the little people on-screen and it’s a freaking delight! While I do agree with some of the reviews that cite eventual frustration—and some tiny finicky controls at times—the game is unique enough, and the art so lovely, that I can recommend it for the killer in everyone.<br />
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<b>Miracle Merchant ($1.99)</b><br />
I’m actually pretty bad at solitaire type games like this but Tiny Touchables, who made Card Crawl, has always won me over with its personality-infused artwork by Thomas Wellmann and its simple yet deep mechanics. If you like a touch of math, and am into mixing potions for an imaginary apothecary, Miracle Merchant is the game for you!<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-antihero/">Pocket Tactics: Antihero (2018)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://toucharcade.com/2016/06/28/teeny-titans-review/">Touch Arcade: Teeny Titans (2016)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gamingboulevard.com/2016/04/review-powerpuff-girls-flipped/">Gaming Boulevard: Powerpuff Girls Flipped Out (2016)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/12/21/death-coming-review/">Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Death Coming (2017)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-miracle-merchant/">Pocket Tactics: Miracle Merchant (2017)</a></li>
</ul>
jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-51772937395191342692018-01-30T00:18:00.000-08:002018-02-10T00:46:01.558-08:00Five...Plus MoreA listing of recommends and things that have caught my attention lately...<br />
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1) <b><i>The End of the F***ing World</i>.</b> Best show I’ve seen all year. It’s a mini-series on Netflix about two dour (and destructive) teens. Think reverse <i>Moonlight Kingdom</i>. With just eight twenty-five minute episodes, <i>The End of the F***ing World</i> is the perfect binge watch.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/05/the-end-of-the-f-ing-world-the-rare-convincing-teen-romance">“The End of the F***ing World”: The Rare Convincing Teen Romance</a></li>
</ul>
2) <b><a href="https://www.themiamiheatstore.com/collections/vice-jerseys">Miami Heat “Vice” jerseys.</a> </b>They’re beautiful, that’s all.<br />
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3) <b>Shinsuke Nakamura.</b> Somehow I went deep on WWE superstar Nakamura, a Japanese import who has the most interesting style and entrance music I’ve ever seen. While I haven’t paid any attention to pro wrestling since I was a teen, diving in on Nakamura — and his backstory and growing US fanbase — was a nostalgia call of sorts. Also, I did a little look see at Asuka, another Japanese import who just won’t the woman’s side of the Royal Rumble (which Nakamura did for the men).<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95QgTfBtYTE">Shinsuke Nakamura's SummerSlam 2017 Entrance</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.thesportster.com/wrestling/wwe-facts-about-asuka-shinsuke-nakamura/">Royal Rumble Winners: 10 Things Fans Didn’t Know About Asuka (And 10 About Shinsuke Nakamura)</a></li>
</ul>
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4) <b>Echo Fox.</b> I have been playing League of Legends for about a year now. “Playing” is an understatement, but that’s okay. Originally my friend just got me on-board so we could follow the eSport, but now I crave hour long sessions of LoL. Anyway, I’ve thrown my support behind Echo Fox (based on logo alone), which just happens to be owned by ex-NBA player Rick Fox. League games are weekly and I’ve not only been following Echo Fox but also signed up for <a href="http://fantasy.na.lolesports.com/en-US">a fantasy team of LoL players</a> because why not?<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/esports/article-5104313/NA-LCS-logo-rankings-new-teams-match-up.html">NA LCS Logo Rankings (2017)</a></li>
</ul>
5) <b><a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/1/29/16944030/new-orleans-food-diary">Danny Chau, “Chau Down: A New Orleans Food Diary.”</a> </b>It wasn’t the food talk that captured me, but Chau’s reflections about his immigrant family. Specifically this, from the beginning:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My brother’s first meal in America was a piece of fried chicken. It was specifically the aroma wafting within the car that he remembers so fondly, the smell of something completely foreign. That was his first memory of the States, a Proustian moment so vivid even our cousin retells the story as though it were her own. My dad’s first memory of America was of the giant mosquito that bit him just as he opened the airport doors. Two generations, two different perspectives; one rapt by the newness of it all, the other acutely aware of the challenges ahead. I was two years away.”</blockquote>
6) <a href="https://audioboom.com/channel/night-call"><b><i>Night Call</i>.</b></a> A new podcast from Emily Yoshida, Molly Lambert, and Tess Lynch, three ex-Grantlanders whose old podcast, <i><a href="http://www.espn.com/espnradio/podcast/archive/_/id/11615921">Girls in Hoodies</a></i>, was brilliant. Their chemistry is unparalleled. The debut episode starts with a discussion about shower rat and then segues into <i>Paddington 2</i> and <i>Black Mirror</i>, which is exactly as to be expected from "a free jazz blend of pop culture theory, internet fascinations, and venture down a plethora of half-baked conspiracy theory rabbit holes."<br />
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7) <b><i>The Girls</i>, Emma Cline.</b> I completely missed this 2016 literary hit, but have read it now and it’s great. Ostensibly set around the Manson Family murders, Cline’s multi-million dollar garnering debut book is better than expected and it’s really not about the salacious hook at all.<br />
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8) <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/insider/jada-yuan-52-places-correspondent.html"><b>Jada Yuan. </b></a>The New York Times was looking for someone to travel to their 2018 places to go, one per week for a year. They found her! <a href="http://wearetheredo.com/post/169614020851/we-talk-about-the-ios-111-release-that-brought-us">Margot and I</a> were speculating who the NYT might pick and Margot wasn't far off. Yuan is a half-Asian, a writer (mainly of celebrity profiles), and of a nice medium age. Let's all follow Jada on her adventures!<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/insider/jada-yuan-52-places-correspondent.html">She Has 52 Places to See and One Year to Do It</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a9078418/i-tried-dating-in-6-different-us-cities-heres-what-i-found-out/">I Tried Dating in 6 Different U.S Cities. Here's What I Found Out (2017)</a></li>
</ul>
jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-8173555743955767492017-12-31T10:51:00.000-08:002018-01-08T17:21:55.544-08:00Stuff I've Been Consuming: 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDv282Wq4wCkIEXbFxBgQxlSZl-fA0sAnpmmV0nDumt0I0FyidgoiaaXhnJAiyzAja6G6WvearYpZ_Ojytbddz1AXjizFrE6BdH98mpFEn_cfc-GkIc3-UbYr8_LUJINOu1mCg9hAEvA/s1600/goldfish.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="800" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDv282Wq4wCkIEXbFxBgQxlSZl-fA0sAnpmmV0nDumt0I0FyidgoiaaXhnJAiyzAja6G6WvearYpZ_Ojytbddz1AXjizFrE6BdH98mpFEn_cfc-GkIc3-UbYr8_LUJINOu1mCg9hAEvA/s640/goldfish.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>[<a href="http://www.fiftyfifty.me/">fiftyfifty.me</a> | <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zhg0TSObw6cNytpHLjvdelD-C8sXSqqUnMiradBqcRE/edit#gid=0">Google Doc</a>]</b></div>
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I bought forty or so books this year, starting with Kiersi’s <i>Shy Girl & Shy Guy</i> at <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2017/03/stuff-ive-been-consuming-jan-feb.html">the beginning of the year</a> and ending with <i>The Creative Tarot</i> by Jessa Crispin during the last week of December. Two finds: A huge coffee sized book, <i>Tenements, Towers & Trash: An Unconventional Illustrated History of New York City</i>, by my longtime favorite Julia Wertz. And also a book published in German, <i>Kunstblut</i>, by Alexandra Kleeman. I’m <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2015/09/books-by-great-people.html">always gonna get a Kleeman book</a>, even one I can’t read, but the fabulous cover also dovetailed nicely with the colors in my house, so it’s really a decorative piece.<br />
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But let’s not bury the lede here, in 2017 I read 45 books and watched 85 movies. Yes, that’s right, I almost made 50/50 this year! Of course, clearing the marks would have been nice, but this is the best I’ve done on the books side <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2012/12/stuff-ive-been-consuming-12.html">in years</a>. But enough self congratulations for a job not quite done. Let’s just get to it, shall we?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UkjIlrmFV1gLGkLRnesP1-M1pZ0nNEyFYFMl_wwwd78y_iiA_RwIkYgLeKyAqXu_c6KMagniNHwBlWNxdrGIcq4CjAuqiemcExfAA5_LwnDv6RdrVAQa0ipaC4Q_JR4PcjnbxazRhNc/s1600/fiftyfifty2017.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1410" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UkjIlrmFV1gLGkLRnesP1-M1pZ0nNEyFYFMl_wwwd78y_iiA_RwIkYgLeKyAqXu_c6KMagniNHwBlWNxdrGIcq4CjAuqiemcExfAA5_LwnDv6RdrVAQa0ipaC4Q_JR4PcjnbxazRhNc/s320/fiftyfifty2017.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhZjFlCg7BCNC8fexY_GXmXCs0IDo1d9wNLY4yFN7y8IHzv6hmPnPqYCeOKBr4lAZgiXGtFmcXGzpt9VtoLxdCCivadyA8Fau-eyhGVUSqlDejapxjlVR7WnLqQ-mbi54xH0shjSLiHc/s1600/kleeman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="193" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhZjFlCg7BCNC8fexY_GXmXCs0IDo1d9wNLY4yFN7y8IHzv6hmPnPqYCeOKBr4lAZgiXGtFmcXGzpt9VtoLxdCCivadyA8Fau-eyhGVUSqlDejapxjlVR7WnLqQ-mbi54xH0shjSLiHc/s320/kleeman.jpg" width="205" /></a><b>BOOKS: </b>I started off the year <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2017/03/stuff-ive-been-consuming-jan-feb.html">on a fast pace</a>, jamming in about a dozen books in two months. I was sure fifty was gonna be reeeeeal easy. Unfortunately I slowed down a lot in the coming months and it wouldn’t be a lie to say that I haven’t quite finished all of these books. But anything I went over 75% or so on, I’m counting. To be honest, some of these books were just great so I’m savoring them.<br />
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I’ve already talked about my three books in three nights binge reading of Anne Patchett. But I also wanna throw in recommends on <i>Dom Casmurro</i>, <i>I Am a Magical Teenage Princess</i>, <i>Sour Heart</i>, all of the <i>The Enchanted Forest Chronicles</i> by Patricia C. Wrede (I had only read the first one or two before), and <i>The Ministry of Utmost Happiness</i>, which has been twenty years in the waiting from Arundhati Roy.<br />
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And who would I be without plugs for friends’ books such as Malinda Lo’s <i>A Line in the Dark</i>, Cindy Pon’s <i>WANT</i> set in a near future Taipei, Maurene Goo’s <i>I Believe in a Thing Called Love</i>, Nova Ren Suma’s <i>The Walls Around Us</i>, and Dhonielle and Sona’s follow up to last year’s debut, this one is called <i>Shiny Broken Pieces</i>.<br />
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Something I wasn’t into, the highly acclaimed and recommended series by Patrick Rothfuss, <i>The Kingkiller Chronicle</i>. I finished the first one, <i>The Name of the Wind</i>, and wanted to love it, but was really just annoyed at Kvothe’s over-competence in everything. Maybe I’ll try the series again since I would love a fantasy world to obsess over, but this wasn’t it. Also, I read most of Sarah J Maas’ <i>Throne of Glass</i> series, which my YA book club is super into. I’m a little more "eh," but they do get better as they go, and are quite addictive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJND_TshqMEuJ1vdsRcw5Z7gqYQjb2aq1GSgRKhJQVm13VbWi_TFJxfB20MO0cz7kNnEt1PF1xF2tz3rR1Zexee2fcYAb7dXjb0i5j4ZgMdVBpUF8Q_imTSTw8kDeE7ZwBnm4zEkfu5JM/s1600/wertz.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="221" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJND_TshqMEuJ1vdsRcw5Z7gqYQjb2aq1GSgRKhJQVm13VbWi_TFJxfB20MO0cz7kNnEt1PF1xF2tz3rR1Zexee2fcYAb7dXjb0i5j4ZgMdVBpUF8Q_imTSTw8kDeE7ZwBnm4zEkfu5JM/s200/wertz.png" width="146" /></a><br />
Speaking of book clubs, I joined a local young adult book club in 2017, and they were probably single-handedly responsible for pushing my book numbers higher this year. I spent many a Saturday night cramming in the monthly selection just so I could show my face at the next day’s meeting. And I love how everyone in the book club are voracious readers, with plenty of recommendations, and geeky interests to share with me. Thank you <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1891182111125623/">Children's and Young Adult Literature Book Club: San Diego</a>! Also, the selections they picked were often not ones I would have naturally gravitated towards, so overall the experience was a very interesting insight into what mainstream YA fans are into.<br />
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I think I’m gonna have to give up the fifty books goal next year, although I’m considering just high diving into this year’s <a href="https://themorningnews.org/article/the-2018-tournament-of-books-shortlist-and-judges">Tournament of Books</a>, and going straight down the eighteen book list. Basically the other key to success this year was to just read read read, who cares if I was in the mood or liked what I was flipping through, just keep going!<br />
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<b>MOVIES: </b>Despite watching 85 movies, and reading that 2017 was a great year for film, I can’t say I saw that many amazing things. Nothing I was even super passionate about, now that I look over the list. The seven straight-A films were: <i>20th Century Women</i>, <i>Abacus: Small Enough to Jail</i>, <i>Lady Bird</i>, <i>Logan</i>, <i>Mon Mon Monsters</i>, <i>OJ Made in America</i>, and <i>Thor Ragnarok</i>. Taking out the two Marvel movies -- albeit legit non-fan goggles good ones -- and we’re at a mere five A-ranked films. Add in the A-minus movies and we’re looking at only maybe a dozen films I really truly liked. Recommends: <i>The Babysitter</i> on Netflix, which was just hilarious, so fucking hilarious. Actually that’s like my top recommend for the year for an unexpectedly fun throwaway movie full of useful quotes and high rewatchability.<br />
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For some reason the past couple of years I've been seeing my favorite movie of the year in January, and this year was no different, as I saw Mike Mill's <i>20th Century Women</i> pretty early on. I need to rewatch it though to confirm my love for it. But I fear it was like <i>Lady Bird</i>, which I really really admired -- it’s no coincidence Greta Gerwig was in/behind two of my favorites -- but I think I still liked <i>Beginners</i> better so it’s hard to be as passionate about <i>20th Century</i>. And oh yeah, I almost cried watching Sho Tsukikawa’s <i>The 100th Love With You</i>, which is a contemporary Japanese romcom that involves time travel. I can’t tell if it was the plane watch that got me so emotional, but I think it would have hit me the same either way.<br />
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As for disappointing films, the list this year was long. Very long. I went through a stretch of such horribly disappointing (much hyped) films that I thought I was going to have to take a movie break to cleanse myself. There was a back-to-back hopping of <i>Dunkirk</i> and <i>The Beguiled</i> that almost killed my friend and I. <i>Dunkirk</i> was fine, but not anywhere near great, and thank goodness there was nobody else in <i>Beguiled</i> with us because we were trashing it as we watched. Loudly. Sorry Sophia, <i>Beguiled</i> was just awful, and I ranked it my worst movie of the year, which is saying something since I also saw the new <i>Pirates</i>.<br />
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Also, this year I volunteered to help program for <a href="http://festival.sdaff.org/2017/">SDAFF, San Diego Asian Film Festival</a>. From March until November or so, we watched a ton of shorts, and some features -- that I didn’t always count on the sheet unless I theatred it. Through this process, I actually did find a film that I super loved. It’s a twenty-seven minute short but so packed with genius that I couldn’t stop showing it to anybody within range. So yeah, my favorite film of the year is Makoto Nagahisa’s <a href="https://vimeo.com/170127382"><i>And so we put goldfish in the pool /そうして私たちはプールに金魚を</i></a>. Luckily for you, you can watch it right here right now, just click on the link!<br />
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<b>TELEVISION: </b>Just like last year, I started tracking the TV shows I was watching. Actually, with so much television, it’s almost just as fruitful to track the series I wanted to watch but haven’t dived into yet. Can you believe I haven’t seen <i>Sherlock S4</i> or <i>Orange is the New Black S5</i> yet? I’ve been waiting for the right binge moment I guess. Some of the things I did want to watch but haven’t gotten around to yet include <i>Legion</i>, <i>Preacher</i>, the revamped <i>Twin Peaks</i>, <i>Mr. Robot</i>, <i>Broadchurch</i>, and <i>The Keepers</i>.<br />
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However, there were some great things I saw this year, namely finally getting into <i>The Wire</i>, which I spent most of January running through -- I skipped S2 because I read that was okay to do. I also loved <i>Brown Nation</i>, <i>Riverdale</i>, <i>American Vandal</i>, <i>The Young Pope</i>, <i>Attack on Titan</i>, and <i>Terrace House: Aloha State</i>. In fact, getting into <i>Terrace House</i> in the fall of this year is contributing directly to my wanting to go live in Japan next year. “A love worth dying for…."<br />
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Also I have to push two series I just crammed in December: <i>Alias Grace</i> and <i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i>. Sarah Polley adapted Margaret Atwood’s book into a miniseries, writing all six episodes herself, and <i>Alias Grace</i> is better than <i>Handmaid’s Tale</i> to be honest. I haven’t actually finished <i>Handmaid’s</i> but I’m gonna just take a swing and say that <i>Alias</i> was better. And then there’s the insanely delightful <i>Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i>, created by Amy Sherman-Palladino of <i>Gilmore Girls</i> fame. And well, I’ll stop right there. “Of <i>Gilmore Girls</i> fame…” should be enough of a recommendation.<br />
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Absolute trash: <i>13 Reasons Why</i>. Sorry, if you liked this show I’ve already judged you. It's problematic on just about every level and I couldn't even finish hate watching it. And I wasn’t very high on <i>Dear White People</i> either, which was exactly like the movie: the title was the best part with everything else being pretty disappointing. I quit a lot of shows this year actually.<br />
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Anyway, here’s to going into 2018 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2btMNaFmYZk">like Lenny Belardo</a>... what a fantastic opening credits scene right? And here's the <i>Young Pope</i> "you'll never forget" track: <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2017/2/8/16039650/the-young-pope-best-music-cue-levo-recondite-ffe614f2d122">"Recondite" by Levo</a>.<br />
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<b>If you've read</b> this far, you're clearly interested in my new and revamped Stuff I'm Consuming spreadsheet, which is not only much more detailed and customizable, but also about to have some fancy auto-stats once my spreadsheet wizard gets done with it! Try out a beta version!<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10LmZfUmRe0D72Vl8SRpluYzP6AG52uzGGCIYIn9X8m0/edit#gid=0"><b>[Stuff I'm Consuming 2018: Blank]</b></a></div>
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-34427579054007497522017-12-27T04:34:00.000-08:002018-01-08T17:19:56.137-08:00There Was a Time When<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Well that was</b> a farce wasn’t it? Six whole months without blogging (here) and it looks like I’m gonna have to get back in the habit. The good news is that <a href="http://catchthedamnball.blogspot.com/2018/01/super-bowl-xvii.html">I won one of my fantasy football leagues</a> — behind the force that was Todd Gurley — but the bad news is <a href="http://maizeandblueleague.blogspot.com/2017/12/super-bowl-xiii.html">I lost the other one on Monday Night Football</a>. I was ready to quit fantasy football, go out on double top, but alas that was not to be. Most of the time markers this year has been sports related for me actually, because I guess that’s what happens when the months blend together otherwise.<br />
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From the Falcons’ crushing (all time worst) Super Bowl defeat in January to <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2017/05/its-not-luck.html">the ecstasy</a>, and wild off-season, from the Celtics. And then onward to Gordon Hayward’s horrific ankle injury six minutes into the NBA season... These moments have been the ones that mentally partitioned out my year, for better or worse.<br />
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I had stated that 2017 was the year I’d quit following football and instead focus on some world politics, but that didn’t exactly pan out. Still, stuff happened I guess. The brief recap basically goes like this: June was a short trip to New York, in July my sister had a second baby, August I surfed and hung out by the water, September I moved into my house, October we had our friend-family from San Francisco come visit, November was the <b><a href="http://festival.sdaff.org/2017/">San Diego Asian Film Festival</a></b>, and then December I ran out to New York again for a second.<br />
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As always, I need to figure out how the next year may unfold, and it’ll start with hurtling off again. I’ve been in San Diego most of the year — something I'd promised myself I’d do because 2017 was the year to #adult, to remodel the house, and to get things settled down as much as possible — and now I’m ready to travel again. So it’s off to Asia for a few months. And oh yeah, of course I was supposed to write this year, with all this downtime, but instead I’ve only got an outline or two and a half-finished proposal. So, um, yeah...<br />
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<b>The good news</b> is,<b> </b>I’m back in on New York! A year and a half ago <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/07/goodbye-to-all-this_27.html">I said I was out</a> but then I went this past June, for a magical ten days, and I was all the way back in. Each trip to New York always unspools in unpredictable fashion and this time I ended up hanging out with mostly film people, some of whom I'd just met. Also, I briefly volunteered for the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum this year — <a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/sd-me-chinese-museum-lawsuit-20171106-story.html">before major drama unfurled</a> — and spent that trip visiting as many New York museums as I could. Overall, I want to recommend The Tenement Museum, which turned out to be a treat as it was only my friend (who works at SFMoMA) and I on one of the tours, and our guide just happened to be into Chinese art and history. Coincidence?<br />
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Actually let’s just skip ahead to probably my greatest day of 2017, December 11th. I start the day running through the Guggenheim to see their China exhibit. Then a dinner in K-Town with my old roommate, where we caught up and tried to scheme up how to hook up our most eligible single friends. Then I headed down to Club Cumming, Alan Cumming’s newish club, which was featuring a musicals night. That all would have been great in itself but not all-time worthy. But the night continued...<br />
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Around midnight, looking for more musicals, my friend and I popped over to Marie’s Crisis, a piano bar in the West Village that only plays show tunes. And my goodness, if I thought I knew musicals, I was soon proven wrong. A crowd of twenty or so people stood around the piano and sang along to like every song, with nobody looking at lyrics or anything. These were true musical geeks! And sadly, my Sondheim knowledge is weak, as 90% of the songs they played that night flew right over my head.<br />
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However, right when we got there, I noticed that Darren Criss of <i>Glee</i> fame was standing right near us, by the bar. I was 100% certain it was him despite a shaved head, and if you’ll recall, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiQHNS85I3g">a video of Criss and Lea Salonga singing "A Whole New World"</a> went viral in 2013, and they were at this very bar! Frankly, I was very excited, very very excited. You know <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2010/04/we-had-time.html">me and (early) <i>Glee</i></a>. Anyways, I assumed Criss would just be hanging out and not joining in or anything but when Patricia Clarkson and Edgar Ramirez walked in about an hour later, I got giddy with anticipation. “There’s more than one celebrity here, they’re totally gonna make him sing!”<br />
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And sing Criss did. After doing some <i>Hedwig and the Angry Inch</i> — which Criss starred in two years ago — Mr. Teenage Dream himself sat down at the piano and then proceeded to lead everyone into that "A Whole New World," and then launched into a moody version of "I Dreamed a Dream” from <i>Les Mis</i>. Me and my friend, obviously also a fellow musical fanatic, were on the verge of tears. My friend captured all of this beautiful stuff on video -- usually a no-no -- and really, did this really just happen?!?<br />
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I know, musicals, C-level celebrities, it ain’t much in the recounting. But seriously, this kind of magic night does not happen to me except in New York. You think Blaine is hanging out at a piano bar on a Monday in San Diego? Certainly not! Anyways, as it turned out, Criss and Ramirez had come straight from the premiere of <i>The Assassination of Gianni Versace</i>, also starring Ricky Martin. Can you imagine if Ricky had been there to sing along too? Ugh, dreams!<br />
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Afterwards, as we stumbled home at three in the morning, I was so hyped up I was almost shaking. “This is it,” I thought. “This was a top five moment in my life!” And okay, maybe that’s hyperbole but just a little bit. A top moment of 2017 though, that's for sure. So yeah, it’s been a long year of in/out feeling awake and engaged, but my two trips to New York infused me with kismet and energy for the next thing.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Guggenheim: <a href="https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/art-and-china-after-1989-theater-of-the-world">Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/style/alan-cumming-club-cabaret-east-village.html">Alan Cumming Brings His Cabaret to the East Village</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtllQNUKvRo">Working in the Theatre: Marie's Crisis (video)</a></li>
</ul>
I’ll start 2018 with a stop in Taiwan, and then I hope to jet off to Bali, Vietnam, and eventually land in Japan for a few months. Is this the most advance planning I’ve done in awhile? Heck yes! But the world calls you know? See ya 2017!<br />
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-3949515104279265742017-05-22T23:56:00.000-07:002017-06-14T07:19:36.542-07:00It's Not Luck<b>So much can</b> change in a week. Sometimes entire months go by when nothing happens and you’re droning on-and-on but then in a span of three days your life gets turned upside down. That’s amore! Of course I’m talking about <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-state-of-celtics.html">my Boston Celtics</a>! For a seventy-two hour span, there was a chance that the Celtics would win a GM7 against the Wizards, win the #1 overall draft pick in the 2017 draft, and then win a GM1 on their home floor against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. That would have qualified as the greatest Celtics period since our championship almost ten years ago. As it turned out, only the first two happened, but they were the most important happenings. It’s been a banner week. Let’s recap.<br />
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<b>May 15: </b>I start the day meeting some friends at Tea N More for boba and some laptopping. Then, while I sit in a PacArts programming meeting, I discretely have the BOS-WAS game on. Turns out I don’t even need the leave the room because Kelly Olynyk is the One True Manbun and had a career night to give Boston the victory.<br />
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Mostly I’ve been avoiding watching the actual games this season because every time I watch we lose. Case in point, I watched the first two games and Boston went down 0-2 to the Bulls. I stopped watching for six games and we ripped off four straight victories and went up 2-0 on the Wizards. I resumed watching after a GM3 loss to Washington and we go on to lose GM4. By now I’m ready to start watching games again, but during a huge GM7, my friend — who had been texting me and filling me in all playoffs — told me to shut my viewing device off as GM7 started winding down. As soon as I stop watching, the Celtics pull away for a huge win.<br />
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<b>May 16: </b>Regardless of any game results this season, the most important thing for the Celtics this year has been to win the #1 pick. We had the best chance based on Danny Ainge’s prescient deals with Brooklyn years ago, but “best chance” was only 25%. Twenty-five percent is pretty damn low, and no sure thing. (Plus there was a decent chance that the NBA would conspire to let the hated Lakers vault over everyone for the first pick.) The last three times the Celtics had such high lottery picks we lost a player to cocaine overdose two days after he was drafted, and then we whiffed on the Tim Duncan and Oden/Durant lotteries. So yeah, there was no way I was going to watch the lottery, not with my luck. Instead I played League of Legends to distract myself until someone told me Boston had won.<br />
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I was beyond excited and texted 🍀 emojis to anyone within internet distance. I was planning to stay home but sheer joy lured me out and I went to my friend’s house to laptop and chat until 3AM. Again, 🍀🍀🍀! Note: I want the Celtics to just take Markelle Fultz, and not trade away the pick. Please just take Fultz!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRavdU5DkxCerUj0Fjq493stMOL2R4so6WxkElY24Pg9KcZQMqtDp1W6rUxDna9JkEX5Q-V6LDfrswOgZZtOnuo-ur3u9gISPwsmaQjhaQy5VdN2mR7jMq6TH5yUvEP0Y8Seid9KZtUOU/s1600/1242x685.jpeg.a219f4914fcd4cb686896e2bea50a923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRavdU5DkxCerUj0Fjq493stMOL2R4so6WxkElY24Pg9KcZQMqtDp1W6rUxDna9JkEX5Q-V6LDfrswOgZZtOnuo-ur3u9gISPwsmaQjhaQy5VdN2mR7jMq6TH5yUvEP0Y8Seid9KZtUOU/s1600/1242x685.jpeg.a219f4914fcd4cb686896e2bea50a923.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>May 17: </b>Still giddy over our last night's lottery win, my banner week includes the premiere of <a href="http://mtvchallenge.blogspot.com/2017/05/champs-vs-pros-rosters-and-draft.html">MTV’s Champs vs Pros</a>. George orders $75 worth of Thai food for three adults and a baby, and we watch as Lolo Jones becomes the Kevin Garnett of the Challenge and destroys ex-WNBA star Candice Wiggins with her competitive intensity. I didn’t know about the Lolo hate from before but now I'm caught up and am still solidly cheering for her. Also, the Celtics get blown out by thirteen points in GM1 against LeBron and Co., but who cares, we won the lottery! Woohoo!<br />
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<b>May 18: </b>I go for day one of volunteering at a museum downtown. I not only prove that I can use a hammer and a level, but I meet my name/life doppelgänger working on archiving the collection. Let’s just say that this person and I have the same last name and our first names are only one letter off. Plus we graduated from college the same year. “Who are you!?” I kept saying to her. Life always surprises.<br />
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After we attend my friend’s non-profit networking event in the evening, I go back with my friend to her apartment to counsel her and her friends on a future Taiwan trip. I learn the power of modular furniture — and vehicles — and decide I must have more modular items in my life as well.<br />
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<b>May 19: </b>The Celtics suffer one of the worst defeats in NBA history, losing by 44 points in GM2. In addition, Isaiah Thomas, the King in the Fourth, goes down to injury. For "weeks that a lot happened,” nobody can top Isaiah. He lost his sister, played in a playoff game the next day, had his teeth knocked out soon after, received oral surgery, and then scored a career-high 53 points for a GM2 win over the Wizards. And now it’s revealed that he’s been hurt most of the time, thus explaining his slightly sub-par performances recently. Everyone loves Isaiah.<br />
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As for me, I was up from 7AM-4PM, most of that time spent hanging stuff at the museum and trying to be handy. It felt productive and unusual, and I liked it. Banner week continues.<br />
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<b>May 20: </b>After the second of four upcoming airport runs, I am at the museum briefly for a tea lecture before I head off to book club — Sarah J. Maas’ <i>Court of Thorns and Roses</i> series. I had severely underestimated the length of the last two books, and I didn’t exactly finish the 600/700 page books, respectively. However, I did dive deep into the fandom of Maas, and her haters. While I didn’t love the series, nobody should be hated/bullied this much.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxquvJpC7KzCVbFOZFi6ZQUxA6EyE1lznBLby80hh9bm0ftYyxydZpqXq83uPYKrw9N58OebuT70oNpqb8gQTdqHUVxS1oqyWBOCtUWXKAI1lGeh0MbBtYz7Z3czyqhEtmTY4W9wtjGXA/s1600/675174106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxquvJpC7KzCVbFOZFi6ZQUxA6EyE1lznBLby80hh9bm0ftYyxydZpqXq83uPYKrw9N58OebuT70oNpqb8gQTdqHUVxS1oqyWBOCtUWXKAI1lGeh0MbBtYz7Z3czyqhEtmTY4W9wtjGXA/s1600/675174106.jpg" /></a>After a cat nap, I get Indian food and then have a PS4 game night with friends. Among other things, we played <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2017/4/24/15403104/what-remains-of-edith-finch-review"><i>What Remains of Edith Finch</i></a>, a sort-of game about a girl who returns to her house to figure out how her family members died. <i>Edith Finch</i> is incredible, from both a mechanics and storytelling perspective. (It's also Annapurna Pictures' first foray into video games, and more than lives up to their quality reputation.) I had been waiting to play it with a friend, in case it was scary. Turns out, it really isn’t scary scary, but neither would I play it alone.<br />
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<b>May 21: </b>I stumble around at home until the afternoon, when I must hit the airport again to pick up AMR/George from their weekend in San Franciso. On the way back we pick up (in this order): a New York deli sandwich, many bobas, Mexican food for soon and <i>then</i> their child.<br />
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And somehow, magically, even without Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics battle through and win GM3 on a last second three-pointer that bounces around and around. If my sister’s next child isn’t named "Lolo," I am going to push hard for “Avery.” Or maybe “Avery Kelly Jonas” Although those names have a few too many negative connotations. I know the Celtics (probably) can't beat Cleveland, but even taking one game off them -- in a beautiful comeback to boot -- was enough. The sprinkles on top.<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.celticsblog.com/2016/5/17/11681778/boston-celtics-nba-draft-history-in-the-top-ten" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;">Boston Celtics’ NBA Draft history in the top ten (2015)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theringer.com/2017-nba-draft-lottery-winners-and-losers-celtics-lakers-sixers-suns-7394e8f1af40" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;">The Winners and Losers of the NBA Draft Lottery</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theringer.com/2017-nba-playoffs-isaiah-thomas-boston-celtics-washington-wizards-game-2-53-points-582b0d6d9c7c" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;">Isaiah Thomas’s 53-Point Night Deserves to Be in Boston’s Postseason Pantheon</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theringer.com/who-owned-celts-cavs-game-3-b2db60f1efeb" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;">Who Owned Celts-Cavs Game 3?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theringer.com/2017-nba-playoffs-boston-celtics-rebuild-isaiah-thomas-markelle-fultz-gordon-hayward-85101ee9212b" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;">The Once and Future Celtics</a></li>
</ul>
My favorite thing about this Celtics playoff run — the first they’ve had any success in during the Brad Stevens era — is how a different hero steps up each night. Isaiah is the star but Al Horford has more than proven he was worth last summer's free agency splurge. And Avery has transcended his “defense first” reputation by leaps and bounds. Even Gerald Green and Amir Johnson have had their moments. On top of all that, Marcus Smart going 7/10 from three in GM3 was the most unbelievable plot twist I’ve seen all year — Smart normally can’t shoot. And when Jonas Jerebko is hailed as playoff hero, it’s a good time to be a Celtic fan.<br />
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In fact, it’s a good time for bandwagon jumpers to jion us now, as we’re set for at least a decade of success. That’s how important winning the lottery is: ten plus years of happiness ahead. Make wise choices, plan for the future, execute where you can, get 🍀. That's how May 15-21 will go down as the week that my life got so much better. See you on the hardcourt (of life)!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSIMDnAp-cojwdGVFK_1Kq3LyS5E5TUkMVI4swaGgf2TL98z3HUDPlLixit2t4xGhZ3E-byNyBN5jTQ0cqE0gFHj1vv6Es0YjZ3amoKgCMOTyjuhew6H5z9FboSeMqBpuHxrnfbI0c6M/s1600/IMG_7444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSIMDnAp-cojwdGVFK_1Kq3LyS5E5TUkMVI4swaGgf2TL98z3HUDPlLixit2t4xGhZ3E-byNyBN5jTQ0cqE0gFHj1vv6Es0YjZ3amoKgCMOTyjuhew6H5z9FboSeMqBpuHxrnfbI0c6M/s1600/IMG_7444.JPG" /></a></div>jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-18114117226622177922017-05-19T15:44:00.000-07:002017-05-21T15:44:24.981-07:00Thinking of a Master Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Around a year </b>ago I started <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/05/stay-cool.html">my Cool It Now newsletter</a> and now I’m on the fourteenth issue, a special all music themed one! It contains links to an incredible article about the rise of flute rap, as well as a Spotify playlist of my seventeen tracks for the summer. It’s a winner, just like my all Gosling edition from earlier this year. So while the frequency of the newsletter has stalled, the quality has gone up! I mean, I hope. Here are all the past issues, and below is my song notes for the seventeen tracks included in <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/jayang/playlist/3heuOVgSoEagnRYwzzC2kY"><b>Cool It Now, Vol 1</b></a>. And for the record, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7t8eoA_1jQ&feature=youtu.be&t=1m8s">"Paid in Full"</a> is always the best flute rap!<br />
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[<a href="http://us13.campaign-archive1.com/?u=ed1df332a01748887065585f2&id=a4e5264daf">#14 Music Issue</a> | <a href="http://us13.campaign-archive1.com/?u=ed1df332a01748887065585f2&id=fc761343a7">#12 Gosling-fest</a> | <a href="http://us13.campaign-archive1.com/home/?u=ed1df332a01748887065585f2&id=35dee028f8">Past Issues</a> ]</div>
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<b>1. Bishop Briggs, “Wild Horses” (2017)</b><br />
This twenty-four year old British singer by way of Japan seems fond of wearing Chun Li buns and got inspired to sing via Tokyo’s karaoke bars.<br />
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<b>2. DJ Khaled, “I’m the One” (2017)</b><br />
I’m starting my hunt for the dance jam of the year, the one I hope will be everywhere on a dance night. This one features Bieber, Chance, Lil Wayne, and Quavo — the latter whom I had to Google to clarify his role in Migos. I’m not 100% sold on it but after ten listens it really sticks in your head...<br />
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<b>3. Tegan & Sara, “Boyfriend (2016)</b><br />
For some reason I haven’t really gotten into T&S’s post-Closer album, Love You to Death. A clear oversight.<br />
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<b>4. Khalid, “Location” (2017)</b><br />
Only nineteen, Khalid is calls upon Eighties new-wave for the cover art to his debut, American Teen. This track is straight alternative R&B though, and is simply ear candy.<br />
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<b>5. Lady Gaga, “The Cure” (2017)</b><br />
Gaga back!<br />
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<b>6. Sheila E, "The Glamorous Life, Re-Recorded” (1984)</b><br />
I have a pretty big hole for songs from the Eighties — FOB life — and am only catching up now. Unfortunately I got addicted to the non-canon version of “The Glamourous Life” because I didn’t know it wasn’t the original. Whoops. If this song gets played on any dance floor this summer, I’m golden.<br />
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<b>7. Little Dragon, “High” (2017)</b><br />
Hey Little Dragon, where you been? “Ritual Union” was 2009, and while the nothing else caught my attention on Season High, this moody confection was perfect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIW4_8KKWLtHECoBXpV92zAfnb48ifdEReqC0n-ZbGDjXXNPB43WqrfulS2cOAK-u7l1qPyA6EKwGo5fO9UUI2PDuHqf_jskq04zvMCZH2yR1iKNrCuFLxZZj87TnLkd6cj3-17RknDEQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-21+at+3.33.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIW4_8KKWLtHECoBXpV92zAfnb48ifdEReqC0n-ZbGDjXXNPB43WqrfulS2cOAK-u7l1qPyA6EKwGo5fO9UUI2PDuHqf_jskq04zvMCZH2yR1iKNrCuFLxZZj87TnLkd6cj3-17RknDEQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-21+at+3.33.07+PM.png" /></a><b>8. Paramore, “Told You So” (2017)</b><br />
I know exactly nothing about Paramore aside from recognizing their name. Apparently it’s lead singer Hayley Williams plus a rotating cast. Their new album is a shift into 1980s new-wave also, and I’m digging into it now.<br />
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<b>9. Anya Marina, “Shut Up” (2016)</b><br />
Featured on the Riverdale soundtrack, Marina hails from Ann Arbor, MI and started her career in San Diego. I only knew her previously from a cover of T.I.’s “Whatever You Like.” Her 2016 album Paper Planes has some gems.<br />
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<b>10. Drugdealer, “Suddenly” (2016)</b><br />
I asked Ameer what he’s been listening to recently and he answered “Drugdealer” aka Weyes Blood. That’s enough of a recommend for me!<br />
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<b>11. LL COOL J, “I Need Love” (1987)</b><br />
It’s officially/unofficially breakup season so a little soft side of James Todd Smith always helps right?<br />
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<b>12. Hailee Steinfeld, “Starving (Acoustic)” (2015)</b><br />
I love Stenfeld the actress but I’m starting to suspect I like her better as undercover pop starlet.<br />
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<b>13. Marvin Gaye, “The Shadow of Your Smile” (1968)</b><br />
I asked my friend D for her recent listens and here was her answer: "I've been listening to an obscure [posthumously released] Marvin Gaye record on repeat. The record is called Vulnerable. I guess he lost his woman or something so he's all sad and shit. But I love it.” Clarinets are sad…<br />
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<b>14. Linying, “Paris 12” (2016)</b><br />
Intrigued by a twenty-three year old Singaporean Feist? Yeah, me too. Her voice is penetrating. Oh yeah, Feist herself has a just released new album, Pleasure.<br />
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<b>15. WILDWOOD, “Moonrise” (2017)</b><br />
I can’t even find anything about this artist, and she’s got just one track on Spotify. One shot, one kill.<br />
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<b>16. A Taste of Honey, “Boogie Oogie Oogie” (1978)</b><br />
Recently we looked up our <a href="http://www.birthdayjams.com/">birthday jam</a>, the number one song on the Billboard charts when you were born. Mine turned out to be disco cut from A Taste of Honey. Alright alright!<br />
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<b>17. Cat Stevens, “Father and Son” (1970)</b><br />
The closing song from Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Ronan Keating did a cover of this song in 2014, which is fitting because the villain from the first Guardians was named Ronan the Accuser. Marvel synergy?jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-74570672643818883182017-03-27T22:54:00.000-07:002017-03-29T23:03:59.635-07:00In the Mix<b>Currently pushing:</b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_BJ0LXvLNk">Oprah’s Legends Ball</a>. Apparently back in 2005 Oprah threw a three day celebration honoring twenty-five African American women who have done some stuff. Just watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E_S_vNnS-Q">this clip of the gospel brunch</a>, and be stunned by everyone in it. Patti, Dionne, Tina, Diana, Gladys, Chaka, Janet, Mariah, Naomi, Halle, Mary J, Tyra, Alicia, uh, Ashanti. Basically everyone. (Notable no-shows or uninvited included Whitney, Aretha, Toni, Lauryn, Vanessa, Beyonce.) The best part, I found this via a tweet and the one post Tumblr it was shared on was called "trumptaxreturns2005.tumblr.com.”<br />
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<b>So I left</b> the comfy confines of home a few weeks ago to attend a friend’s wedding up in the Bay. While I was there, I not only experienced the magic of the Impossible Burger and rewatched Logan, but also got to go to my friend Jasmine’s first <b><a href="https://www.bhangrainthebay.com/">Bhangra in the Bay</a></b> class. I mince no words in saying that Jasmine is the greatest bhangra dancer of all time and she’s now teaching a class in Oakland — along with her co-instructor, Chetty. Our videographer friend brought all this fancy gear to make an intro video and I got to help, meaning I stood around and manned the camera’s remote control while Victor did all the (literal and figurative) heavy lifting. Needless to say, the video came out great and if you’re looking for a workout, bhangra fusion is the way to go. Also, I went deep into the world do bhangra forums and YouTubes, and now consider myself an amateur expert.<br />
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And while I’m on a dance theme, I’ve been following this Taiwanese hip hop dancer, Nike Chen — and her three person crew called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MoveOnDanceTaiwan/">MoveOn Dance Taiwan</a>. I’m a little surprised I’ve never seen her before, considering Taiwan’s small dance scene. However, I listened to <a href="https://youtu.be/MqzdZm5sZbQ">her short TED Talk</a> and am intrigued by how she talks about being inspired by the hip hop ethos in Taiwan. One of the first things I did upon moving to Taiwan was to explore the world of hip hop and dance, as it wasn’t something I was expecting to find there. The number of students and people practicing under freeway underpasses, next to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial around sunset, and other wide open spaces would astonish you. Also, I attended an all-female dance show once that had literally twenty-plus acts. I haven't even seen that in the U.S., so it's safe the say <a href="http://www.dancemeets.com/5-dance-studios-to-go-to-when-youre-in-taipei/">the dance scene</a> is thriving there.<br />
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I found Nike’s stuff through her work on Dizzy Dizzo’s music video, "Radar" <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9vAzpHSzgk">(choreo video)</a>. Dizzy's another Taiwanese artist I’m pretty intrigued by. She swings between styles pretty comfortably, from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM1R5G5u7f4">vintage J.Lo</a> to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE3Ziw4vKdI">acoustic</a> to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enEP8KBFBj8">Iggy Azalea-like</a>, but most of all I like her song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ENna7vHD4"><b>“Stray Love,”</b></a> which has production that is very <i>Drive</i>-esque, a sound I haven’t heard before in Taiwanese pop.<br />
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Dizzy (real name Dominique) is an Australian Born Taiwanese <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ck3i9DNQYk">married to actor Sunny Wang</a>, and he appears in a lot of her videos. Also, Dizzy’s videos certainly have an aesthetic that sticks out prominently from her Taiwanese contemporaries. Overall, I think she represents an interesting mix of what’s current but also throws in her own flair and influences. Special stuff.<br />
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And lastly, here's friend and my <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2015/05/may-week-one.html">former dance class instructor</a> Clio dancing in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eQWwh2NuiQ&list=RD7eQWwh2NuiQ#t=39">Ty's "美 國."</a> Awhile ago Clio told me that there exists a documentary on Taiwan's burgeoning rap scene from twenty years ago. For the life of me I can't find this film but I would love to see it. Or to make a new one, but on dance instead.<br />
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-10075328365120546422017-03-03T00:25:00.000-08:002017-03-06T00:25:48.691-08:00Stuff I've Been Consuming: Jan - Feb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Listening to:</b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7HTOkKff5k">“Shut Up,”</a> Anna Marina. From <i>Riverdale’s</i> soundtrack, which is superb.<br />
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<b>So San Diego</b> is cooooold! Who knew! I haven’t been back for a San Diego winter in awhile and it’s all I can do to stay in sweats and blankets all day. Toward that end I’ve been reading, watching, and listening to tons of things — and some writing too. Off the top I’m heavyweight obsessed with <i>Riverdale</i> right now. George and I grew up reading Archie comics and this CW version — described as <i>Twin Peaks</i> meets <i>The O.C.</i> — is not only good but heavily nostalgic. Throwing in a murder mystery and noir feel to Archie was just what an update needed. And the casting for Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead is spot-on. Plus, Luke Perry plays Archie’s dad...!<br />
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Additionally I’ve been following NBC’s <i>Emerald City</i> very closely, waiting for Ozma to ascend the throne. I’m not sure this <i>Game of Thrones-y</i> version of Wizard of Oz will get a second season but it’s been great to me so far. However you feel about the admittedly erratic plotting and sometimes sparse characterizations, there’s no argument that the sets and costuming are amazing. For example, Emerald City is now literally Park Guell and the show uses a lot of other beautiful Gaudi locations.<br />
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The entire first season of <i>Emerald City</i> is directed by Tarsem Singh (<i>The Cell,</i> <i>The Fall</i>) and while his movies can be messes, there’s no arguing they’ve got visual panache. So yeah, <i>Emerald City</i>! If there was ever a crossover between two things I love, <i>Emerald City</i> with Oz and Barcelona has it in spades. (Plus a Faruiza Balk 2.0 in Ana Ularu, who plays a delicious Wicked Witch of the West.)<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.atlasofwonders.com/2017/01/emerald-city-filming-locations.html">Where Was the <i>Emerald City</i> Filmed</a></li>
<li><a href="http://io9.gizmodo.com/emerald-city-is-so-shallow-that-it-almost-appears-deep-1790871022"><i>Emerald City</i> Is So Shallow That It Almost Appears Deep</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.tvguide.com/news/emerald-city-lady-ev-masks/"><i>Emerald City's</i> Costume Designer Reveals the Magic Behind Lady Ev's Magnificent Masks</a></li>
</ul>
While I’ve seen about twenty movies in the past two months, the only one I can wholeheartedly get behind is Mike Mill’s <i>20th Century Women</i>, which I absolutely loved. I'll have to rewatch <i>Beginners</i> again to see which one I liked more, but Mike Mills is just wow. I'm still getting my head around how well Mills writes female leads and then I think about his relationship with Miranda July and suspect that he's probably the only male director capable of doing it. Or maybe I'm overstating his on-pointness. Either way, Mike Mills!<br />
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And obviously I <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2017/01/stuff-ive-been-consuming-2016.html">loved the shit</a> out of <i>La La Land</i>, which means I was/am on the wrong side of "it's some white people shit," and I haven't been on that side for something popular culture in awhile. I can't defend <i>La La Land</i> against any of its racial downfalls but find myself wanting to celebrate its musical-ness and Gosling-ness first and foremost. So reading all the anti-<i>La La Land</i> posts and seeing people (rightly) savage the film has been quite the novel experience. Something you like so much, hated by so many you respect, how does that change your take on it you know?<br />
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<b>Anyway, onto reading! </b>I’m up to fourteen read books this year, which is huge considering where I usually am. And while I’ve read a few really good things, I have to go out of my way to discuss Ann Patchett. I really loved Patchett’s <i>Truth & Beauty</i>, a memoir about her intense friendship with Lucy Grealy, back in 2012. <i>Truth & Beauty</i> immediately vaulted itself onto my all-time favorites list but I hadn’t gone to any of Patchett’s fiction yet — I did read <i>The Getaway Car</i>, but that was a short memoir about writing.<br />
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Well, in three don't-sleep-till-I-finish nights I ripped through three of Patchett’s books. First it was <i>Commonwealth</i>, then <i>State of Wonder</i>, and then <i>Bel Canto</i>. I literally haven’t read nonstop like that in ages, and much less back-to-back-to-back of just one author's work. I couldn't stop or gush enough to other people and now I want to make everyone read Patchett.<br />
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I'm not sure how to push her though. Literary Michael Crichton? That’s how I'd sell <i>State of Wonder</i> I guess. Aside from her instantly engaging writing, Patchett is brilliant at plot building and throwing incongruous things side-by-side. For example, <i>Bel Canto</i> is about a terrorist hostage situation, plus opera. <i>State of Wonder</i> is a bit more straightforward, with a scientist who goes into the Amazon to recover a wonder drug, but it also has multiple surprises. And then there's <i>Commonwealth</i>, which has no high concept at all and focuses on just one (extended) family. Overall, I just can't recommend Patchett's stuff highly enough. Go read her now, thank me later.<br />
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<b>Also, my friend</b> <a href="http://kiersi.com/">Kiersi’s</a> middle-grade horse series just came out, and of course I read them all right away. Kiersi’s one of the most prolific writers I’ve ever met -- plus genre spanning -- and her published stuff is just starting to come down the pipeline. When I was young I read every horse-related book I could get my hands on so getting a chance to read Kiersi’s horse books has been a delicious throwback. If you've got middle-grade aged people in your life, check out the Quartz Creek Ranch series!<br />
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And somehow Kiersi <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTOs_FnQr9CGUtbCUnQ6m8aVgZoJHbo1HgR-AoaWNf4AD8kY-NjPL0XdiS1tC8y2llHCaaks19ADuU4763m-zNFpE4md6Mh3sWsZFQwlQH_pVKshNqo3Go97CVV17Qq5AIPnhsEB4P1c/s1600/send_kiersi.jpg">presciently knew</a> that the Falcons would make it to the Super Bowl but then become ultimate losers. I read that section a few days after the Super Bowl collapse and um, let’s just say it hurt. Deeply.<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://thesweetsixteens.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/meet-the-author-kiersi-burkhart/">Meet the Author: Kiersi Burkhart</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shy-Girl-Quartz-Creek-Ranch/dp/1467795682/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1488786724&sr=1-2&refinements=p_27%3AKiersi+Burkhart"><i>Shy Girl & Shy Guy</i> (Quartz Creek Ranch)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Top-Speed-Quartz-Creek-Ranch-ebook/dp/B01MTYIMKK/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1488786724&sr=1-5&refinements=p_27%3AKiersi+Burkhart"><i>At Top Speed</i> (Quartz Creek Ranch)</a></li>
</ul>
jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-67841289417998467992017-01-09T14:15:00.000-08:002017-01-09T14:15:56.153-08:00Send'em Packing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay, I’ve got some app recommendations, as usual. These are all utility ones but so far I’ve loved them all. First up is <b><a href="http://www.bear-writer.com/">Bear</a></b>, which is just wonderful because it’s a beautiful note taking app, perfect for replacing Notes. I mean, Notes is nice and all, but if you want/need a beautiful icon of a bear’s profile on your iPhone screen, high recommend. Also, Bear has very nice categorization hashtags, a clean interface, and a Mac app that syncs perfectly — and quickly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnM_Tl6oFXh-45zllotorcduPtU6qMVORcGIOzsg46MZuK0ULEWuQezq3UQxmBNoIFoF2s5CS8HkZuibEz5S1vz-spE_1QZA4IW8YA4ZS3nc15w25xsQ-CJK7DpA4oqQ5w3l8eRIdKbq4/s1600/bear-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnM_Tl6oFXh-45zllotorcduPtU6qMVORcGIOzsg46MZuK0ULEWuQezq3UQxmBNoIFoF2s5CS8HkZuibEz5S1vz-spE_1QZA4IW8YA4ZS3nc15w25xsQ-CJK7DpA4oqQ5w3l8eRIdKbq4/s1600/bear-logo.png" /></a>The one downside is that Bear costs money to sync between devices, and while it’s only an annual subscription fee of $14.99 (or $1.49 month-by-month), I know how some people feel about paying for apps. If you’re against it, well, Bear ain’t for you. Actually, all these apps I’m gonna talk about today are paid. But if you want to support creators, you should really reconsider your stance on never paying for apps. Times have changed, and oftentimes paying for an app tends to bring you a more quality product. No more freemium, and the inevitable ads, for me if a better paid alternative is available!<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.macstories.net/stories/why-im-considering-bear-as-a-notes-app-replacement/">Why I’m Considering Bear as a Notes App Replacement (2016)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://appadvice.com/review/bear-beautiful-writing-app-for-notes-and-prose">Write Beautifully with Bear from Shiny Frog (2016)</a></li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgns_7iEal-O5hFcGrkDjBwfiRJj64aHeoRsRidQ8rOYYkwm67q9yaAE6Oqs9Gt2zen1cds6yEI2fLtq3MTBrPnCDbg5rDndigXhdPc_tV798Kvz9oUvrQnQkJ_5iJVbTLp-HMxHo3hs8M/s1600/splash-100018308-large.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgns_7iEal-O5hFcGrkDjBwfiRJj64aHeoRsRidQ8rOYYkwm67q9yaAE6Oqs9Gt2zen1cds6yEI2fLtq3MTBrPnCDbg5rDndigXhdPc_tV798Kvz9oUvrQnQkJ_5iJVbTLp-HMxHo3hs8M/s1600/splash-100018308-large.gif" /></a>With that in mind, I finally moved over to <b><a href="https://1password.com/">1Password</a></b>. As much as <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2011/08/rise-of-use-of-pathetic-password.html">I harp on systemizing and frequently changing your passwords</a>, I know I should have been using a master password solution long ago. So I’m making a change — and upgrade really — and going with 1Password. And I’m glad I’ve waited, as the newest version of 1Password is significantly easier to use than when I tried it a few years ago. Now, 1Password isn’t cheap. The iOS app is $10, and the accompanying Mac app is $50+. Plus if you use their proprietary service to sync/save, it’s another $2.99 per month. (You don’t have to though, you can use Dropbox or iCloud.)<br />
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Setting it up can take a bit of time, but be patient, and soon your passwords will be secure and yet easy to use. I’ve been using it for three weeks now, and it has helped in so many little ways. I don’t use 1Password to auto-generate all my random passwords, but I’m working up to it.<br />
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Unrelated but a pro tip: Do this for your phone, <a href="http://rocketink.net/2014/09/ios-@@-shortcut.html">"The iOS ‘@@' Shortcut As A Text Expander For Emails.”</a> It’ll change your life, seriously. Thanks to <a href="http://superlum.com/2014/09/the-ios-shortcut-aa-a-text-expander-for-emails/">SuperLum</a> for changing mine.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/best-password-manager-and-why-you-need-one/">The best password manager, and why you need one (2016)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/3030022/software/1password-6-for-mac-review-enterprise-features-and-lots-of-small-improvements.html">Macworld: 1Password 6.0 for Mac review (2016)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2986679/software-security/1password-60-for-ios-review-first-class-secure-data-management-to-your-mobile-device.html">Macworld: 1Password 6.0 for iOS review (2016)</a></li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUgcWt2hhDlB2ivtO1-n3n457X1iOxflSJJ-zS8ESGB7sE4GMTFehiDYfIrdgGLC1xZabEeoYT6_PyBmw0Tl6MLQNHIM78QrvyQTFWgKx6uRNep7uTPdMn3hKXA385-sIKs1HEguTv78/s1600/screenshot-2014-11-26-21-16-48.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUgcWt2hhDlB2ivtO1-n3n457X1iOxflSJJ-zS8ESGB7sE4GMTFehiDYfIrdgGLC1xZabEeoYT6_PyBmw0Tl6MLQNHIM78QrvyQTFWgKx6uRNep7uTPdMn3hKXA385-sIKs1HEguTv78/s1600/screenshot-2014-11-26-21-16-48.png" /></a>And then we get to <b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/deliveries-a-package-tracker/id290986013?mt=8">Deliveries</a></b>, which just tracks your um, deliveries. If you prefer to do all your shopping online, this is a no brainer. While I didn’t quite see why I couldn’t just check my Amazon account a lot or click on all those emails, now that I’ve used Deliveries, I absolutely love it. I know exactly where my stuff is and when it’ll arrive. No more heading to the mailbox — we have to drive to a PO Box — to see if my exciting order has arrived. And trust me, I’ve been ordering up a storm of stuff recently, from kitchen supplies to books to well, mostly those two things. Also, it’s been useful for work as I can track UPS shipments and stuff too!<br />
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Deliveries is $4.99 for iOS and also $4.99 for Mac. I bought both. And if you want to get fancy, you can <a href="https://ifttt.com/search/deliveries">use IFTTT to cook up some useful Deliveries recipes</a> that automates the tracking info from your email to the actual app. Otherwise you gotta copy/paste tracking numbers in.<br />
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My other friend uses <b>Parcel</b>, which is semi-free, and seems to be just as clean and useful, but since I was recommended Deliveries from a trusted source, I went with that one. Alternately, if you want me to keep track of <i>your</i> packages, feel free to send me your tracking numbers and I’ll be on high alert, I promise.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/favorite-deliveries-tracker/">Sweet Setup: Our favorite deliveries tracker (2016)</a></li>
</ul>
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<b>And now we</b> get down to some games. No need to get into super detail here but the two that have been living on my phone are <b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lost-frontier/id1008496061?mt=8">Lost Frontier</a></b> ($2.99) and <b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/guild-of-dungeoneering/id1085272239?mt=8">Guild of Dungeoneering</a></b> ($4.99). I auto-buy anything <a href="http://www.mikamobile.com/games/">from Mika Mobile</a> because I love their games and art style so much, and Lost Frontier is a cut above due to its Western theme. Plus I’m a sucker for hex based war games and only wish this had multi-player. But I know it won’t likely have it, sadly.<br />
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As for Guild of Dungeoneering — “dungeoneering” is just weird to see/spell right? — it’s a twist on the classic roguelike dungeon crawler because you don’t actually control the character. Instead you lay down tiles and try to lure them around a dungeon. You do get to do the fighting, and losing, but when a character dies, you have to go recruit another one to send to their death. Each character is GoD is so cute and has whimsical traits, plus the art is just unabashedly cute! This is another app I like having on my iPhone just because I like looking at the logo…<br />
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So, that’s what I got on my phone these days If you have any app recommendations, please share! Actually, just one more. If you’re into fine art, <b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/artsy-collect-bid-on-fine/id703796080?mt=8">Artsy</a></b> is a free app for browsing museum collections. Ostensibly it’s also for collecting but I’ve never explored the side of <a href="https://www.artsy.net/">the site/app</a>. Because, I mean, who am I to collect fine art?<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-lost-frontier/">Pocket Tactics review of Lost Frontier (2016)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://toucharcade.com/2016/07/22/guild-of-dungeoneering-review/">Touch Arcade review of Guild of Dungeoneering (2016)</a></li>
</ul>
jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-90392722938544187632017-01-04T09:05:00.000-08:002017-02-24T08:36:20.931-08:00Stuff I've Been Consuming 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">[</span><a href="http://www.fiftyfifty.me/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">fiftyfifty.me</span></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"> | </span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jayang/fiftyfiftyme-2016/">Pinterest</a></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> | </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14ylLY1JyID6-W46GBD9PrWyN44lNsVQHVKgE-_h_X0U/edit"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Google Doc</span></a><span style="font-size: 100%;">]</span></div>
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Well, here we are again, at the end of another year and I’ve failed to finish fiftyfifty.me once more. However, this is my finest effort in years, as I got to 33 books and 64 movies. I spent my NYE trying to cram in one last movie and book -- a very excellent <i>Mustang</i> and a confusing <i>The Hour of the Star</i>, respectively. Obviously I went into the new year right, and totally set the stage for twelve months of productivity and progress. Ahem. Anyway, let’s just get right into it shall we?<br />
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<b>MOVIES: </b>Considering I’ve averaged eighty-four movies for the past four years, this year’s sixty-four seems awfully low. But that’s okay, quality over quantity! And there were some good ones on my list. But first, where do I watch my movies? Apparently the breakdown is forty-two movies in the theater and twenty-two at home or in airplanes. I recently calculated that I spent about $1,000 at the movies last year, which comes out to a whopping $23.80 per movie I watched. (By comparison, I spent $300 buying books, clearly many unread ones.) Something about that seems awfully wrong, but it just goes to show that I either paid for a lot of other people's tickets, went to some real luxurious theaters, or I rewatched a lot of things. Like <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>, saw that gem three times. And <i>La La Land</i>, which I saw twice in four days, and almost another time last week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH-L-a3baIspM1aiky8P2I2SGqTF7ZwTwLfyOGNiVGLxLxSzz0v_8_lSc_vb9xmOLBOetaKGq04hP4EA1Youy5EGjc1gZ50NZe2NnOonH6QBlUKPkDCDGHKxab256V8gAGIXN_BiDuAc/s1600/la-la-land.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH-L-a3baIspM1aiky8P2I2SGqTF7ZwTwLfyOGNiVGLxLxSzz0v_8_lSc_vb9xmOLBOetaKGq04hP4EA1Youy5EGjc1gZ50NZe2NnOonH6QBlUKPkDCDGHKxab256V8gAGIXN_BiDuAc/s1600/la-la-land.jpg" /></a>Stop right here. Pay attention... <i>LA LA LAND!!!</i> I was so in on this movie beforehand it was hard to be overhyped. Ryan Gosling. Emma Stone. Singing. Dancing. The director of <i>Whiplash</i>. More Gosling <a href="http://us13.campaign-archive1.com/?u=ed1df332a01748887065585f2&id=fc761343a7">(check out my all Gosling edition of Cool It Now)</a>. How could it fail!? For the most part, <i>La La Land </i>totally lived up to my expectations, and it actually got better upon a rewatch. Needless to say, I’ve been slamming the soundtrack hard the past two weeks. I don’t care what (some) haters say, <i>La La Land</i> is amazing -- and it's gonna take the Oscar this year.<br />
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The best movie of the year was probably <i>The Lobster</i> though. I need to watch it again but I just remember how simultaneously weird and fantastic I felt after walking out of the theater. If I had to name a film of the year, it would have to be <i>The Lobster. </i>With <i>La La Land</i> a close 1B if you want to feel happy instead of intensely morosely "whoa" — the after effects of a <i>Lobster</i> viewing -- then go with <i>La La Land</i>. Actually, Gosling + Stone in <i>The Lobster</i> would be interesting too. <a href="https://theringer.com/already-in-line-for-la-la-land-ryan-gosling-emma-stone-24a11fe5ec2e#.p7omzl8e7">Gosling + Stone in anything</a> really, and especially a new <i>Sound of Music</i>, as Juliet and Amanda from <a href="https://soundcloud.com/channel33/ep-220-jam-session-with-juliet-litman-and-amanda-dobbins">this Ringer podcast episode</a> suggested. Semi-blasphemy, I know...<br />
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2016 list of straight A movies: <i>10 Cloverfield Lane</i>, <i>Arrival</i>, <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>, <i>The Lobster</i>, <i>The Handmaiden</i>, <i>Moonlight</i> (which I watched by myself in an empty theater as we descended officially into Trumpworld), <i>La La Land</i>, and <i>Moana</i>.<br />
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I also gave high marks to these too: <i>Dearest</i>, <i>Dope</i>, <i>Hateful Eight</i>, <i>Love & Friendship</i>, <i>Manchester By the Sea</i>, <i>Mustang</i>, <i>The Revenant</i>, and <i>Zootopia</i>. Here’s me talking about <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/03/2043.html">how much I giggled through <i>Zootopia</i></a>. And I guess that's about it for movies. I’ll have to get another MoviePass now that I’m back in the States. That almost $24 per movie figure is ridiculous right? All-you-can-watch please!<br />
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<b>BOOKS: </b>Considering I read eleven books last year, I think this year’s thirty-three books read is a big win! I mean, right? Come to think of it, have I ever hit fifty books in a year after that inaugural 2012 year? Um, the sad answer is “no.” It's just been downhill ever since. So I guess 2016 was a semi-resurgence!<br />
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The numbers breakdown comes out to fourteen fiction books, ten non-fiction books, six graphic novels, and um, three zines. I know, do we even count zines? They were long zines, so I don’t care! Actually, moving forward, I think to be honest with myself, I need to eliminate graphic novels and zines from the list. So fine, I only read twenty-four “real” books this year.<br />
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Of the ones I want to push, at the top of the list is Ted Chiang’s <i>Stories of Your Life and Others</i>. With the release of <i>Arrival</i> in multiplexes recently, I finally read some Chiang earlier in the year. Wait, looks like <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/09/skyline-to_26.html">I already plugged Chiang</a> on this very blog. So I'll skip the re-gushing. Next on the list is Shawna Yang Ryan’s <i>Green Island</i>, which again, <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-new-normal.html">I’ve plugged already</a>. But if you read one book about the White Terror in Taiwan this year, let this be it! And also, another recommend <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-first-day.html">I briefly mentioned</a> was <i>The Folded Clock</i> by Heidi Julavits.<br />
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I know I didn’t talk about <i>United States of Japan</i> though. It’s an alternative history action-y book about what it would have been like if Japan had won WWII. While it falls into a few too many tropes, I did like the ideas Peter Tieryas threw into the east defeats west setting. “A fun romp, plus giant mechas,” is what my one line review would say. My final recommend is Michael Lewis’ <i>The Big Short</i>. I watched the movie twice, finally read the book, and got all fired up about the 2008 mortgage crisis (again). Fuck Wall Street right? Lewis is consistently great and <i>The Big Short</i> is one of his best.<br />
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Stop me if you’ve heard this, but I also really liked the graphic novel <i>Asterios Polyp</i>, which I <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/09/skyline-to_26.html">(once again)</a> talked about already. Ugh, drone drone drone.<br />
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<b>TELEVISION: </b>Yeah, we don’t count television shows as part of our fiftyfifty.me diet because really, there’s no challenge to TV. Just sit back and watch the hours float away. Still, for the first time ever I documented all the shows I watched this year. And man was it a long list… Just like yours I’m sure.<br />
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Of the high recommends I’d put <i>Atlanta</i>, <i>Black Sails</i>, <i>Chewing Gum</i>, <i>Orange is the New Black</i>, <i>The Night Of</i>, and <i>Westworld</i> at the top. And I guess <i>Stranger Things</i> but everyone already watched that this summer. I want to especially put in a plug for <i>Black Sails</i>, which gets really good after a so-so S1, but then the subsequent seasons filled the <i>Game of Thrones</i> hole for me, with 80% of the conniving and plot twists <i>GoT</i> serves up. Too bad I have nobody to talk <i>Black Sails</i> with… And Tatiana Maslany finally won a well-deserved Golden Globe for <i>Orphan Black</i>, as she is simply amazing. We ripped through all four seasons of <i>Orphan Black</i> in short order, and can’t wait for the finale.<br />
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Along with all that, I watched some of <i>The Get Down</i>, <i>Luke Cage</i>, <i>Black Mirror S3</i>, and Joe Swanberg's <i>Easy</i>, but didn’t finish those quite yet. And to be honest, may never return to them. I wanted to like <i>Luke Cage</i> better, wanted to love <i>Easy</i> a lot, but both were pretty hit-or-miss. And <i>Black Mirror</i>, as a series, tends to disappoint on the regular so I may have to give it up altogether. All in all, I effortlessly finished fifteen shows — who knows how many seasons — and that just proves how easy TV goes down.<br />
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Sidenote: 2016 also marks the year my mom discovered binge TV, as she was high on <i>Grand Hotel</i> (basically a Spanish <i>Downton Abbey</i>) and <i>Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries</i>, a serialized detective show from Australia. She never used to watch television, like at all. And since she's not the best with technology, she didn't realize there were many more seasons of each show until I navigated to them. Now she loves her Apple TV more than she loves me, I'm sure. Netflix, bringing joy to all generations!<br />
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<b>Okay, that's it</b> for all things consumed 2016, thanks for listening.<b> </b>Remember to <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/05/stay-cool.html">subscribe to <b>Cool It Now</b></a>, my newsletter for pop culture left behinds to feel less behind, as I'll soon be putting out its twelfth issue. And teaser: it's all about Gosling!<br />
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-21182727801597095512016-12-09T01:30:00.001-08:002016-12-09T01:46:30.575-08:00TPE: Things I Bought<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I was just recently in Taiwan for three weeks again, after having just left seven months ago. This time I was there to accompany my sister, her husband (AMR), and his parents. There are a lot of things to do in Taiwan but mostly it’s two things: eat and shop. I’ve already covered the foods of Taipei in my <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/04/eat-your-heart-out-night-markets.html">Eat Your Heart Out: TPE posts</a>, but here’s a listing of the stuff I bought that were necessities during this trip.<br />
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Keep in mind, these are definitely not things <i>you</i> should buy -- for that you could consult a list like <a href="http://www.travelog.me/taipei/20-locals-and-expats-share-their-gift-shopping-ideas-in-taipei/?mobile=true">“20 Locals and Expats Share Their Gift Shopping Ideas in Taipei”</a> -- but rather stuff I felt compelled to buy even though I was just in Taiwan a half a year ago. Prepare for an onslaught of cute things.<br />
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But first a plug for the <a href="http://us.louisvuitton.com/eng-us/products/taipei-city-guide-english-version-015404"><b>Louis Vuitton City Guide, Taipei edition</b></a>. My friend Steph, aka <a href="http://thethousandthgirl.com/">Thousandth Girl</a>, was one of the writers on it, and I just got a copy. Right off the bat I learned that Taipei developed west to east, "from temples to glass towers" and the city centre slowly moved from Ximending to East District and on. Total aha moment as I never realized that small fact.<br />
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The LV Guide has a nice overview of Taipei's neighborhoods, and provides recommendations for hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, "good things," nightlife, arts and culture, interior cachet, five walking tours, and offers up an awesome 24 hours in the city itinerary. Go check it out! And now on with the shopping...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGT-OThilo_NQKXAldFhiOGNp1uCMOpMq58H1T3gZTlTaa6aKGyZq9_lkc7DnCw4flsvS0HCRAHI-6wZldzMzIGH2eHV4b604ei0RbqYHuvIqfFcC19IBt3HEJrRnRcdV-fRy7DhZ9FyU/s1600/2016-11-14+19.55.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGT-OThilo_NQKXAldFhiOGNp1uCMOpMq58H1T3gZTlTaa6aKGyZq9_lkc7DnCw4flsvS0HCRAHI-6wZldzMzIGH2eHV4b604ei0RbqYHuvIqfFcC19IBt3HEJrRnRcdV-fRy7DhZ9FyU/s200/2016-11-14+19.55.06.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Wall Clock ($40):</b> Apparently it’s not easy to buy cheap well-made wall clocks that have smooth sweeping action. And are whisper quiet. No tick tock tick tock. This was one of AMR’s top shopping targets and he knew just the person to bring him to the promised land: my mom. Tucked into an alley on Dongmen’s wet market is this store that just sells clocks. AMR was in clock heaven and he walked out with three, and then somehow I purchased a wall clock on a whim for a wall I don’t have. Oh well, first the clock, then the wall!<br />
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The clocks are all Seiko and I believe the style of clock a person selects must speak volumes about them. Mine is pictured on the left, with neon-style numbers and a palette of muted colors. Divine from that what you will. The owner of the shop hooked us up and says he also does brisk business online. The store is called Nasa Watch but I can't find an address so maybe my mom will have to take you there. <a href="http://www.pcstore.com.tw/nasawatch">[Link]</a><br />
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<b>Black, scoop bottomed T-shirts ($9):</b> During my time living in Taipei, I basically just went to one guy for my upper wear. He’s located in an alley at Shida Night Market and his corner stall was across the street from my friend’s apartment so basically we saw him all the time Dare I say it, we became friends. This 朋友 also happened to be about my size and build and whenever he wore something I liked, I just got it. After awhile, I pared down my selections to just white and black versions of this extra-long, scoop bottomed tee. They were perfect for me, and also came in tank top versions. You don’t know how hard it is for me to find T-shirts, I have a whole blog post in draft about this from years ago. Perhaps I should post it. Anyway, these were great T-shirts, and a perfect thickness for me.<br />
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So I went back to his stall this trip and poof, he was gone. Replaced by two young women running a women’s clothing stall. Tragedy! It’s hard to convey how devastating this was, and I had to settle for buying some inferior related type T-shirts at a stall in Shilin Night Market. The price was cheaper, $9 versus $16, but I’d have preferred to buy them from my friend. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Coat-Arms-NYC-Premium-Elongated/dp/B017MZRASA">[Link]</a><br />
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<b>Forever 21 shirt ($20):</b> While the Forever 21s in Taipei don’t differ much from the ones Stateside, it’s still my go-to store for stuff. For example, I had to wear a collared shirt for a club opening thing. And since I didn’t bring anything appropriate, I hopped into Forever 21 and grabbed a white shirt with horizontal black stripes on the upper sleeves. Later some guy at the club said it was “very Korean.” I have no idea what that meant.<br />
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<b>Fox tote bag ($17):</b> At this small store, located at Shida Night Market, my friend bought a dress with illustrations of samurai on it and I bought a 八涂 branded tote bag. It came in a cardboard roll and was just too beautiful to pass up. Good features include a leather handle, a metal button up top for clasping, a gridded interior design, separate hand and shoulder carry straps. Do I already own tote bags I never use? Of course I do, but I’m a sucker for bags!<br />
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<b>Triangular folding glass cases ($5):</b> One of my greater finds, I must say. I bought some of these glasses cases before but returned for more. Turns out they were easier to find than I anticipated, just keep your eyes open at night market glasses shops. The great thing about these glasses cases is that they fold down flat. Similar ones can be purchased on Amazon for about ten dollars. My sister and in-laws bought like twenty to give out as gifts. Everyone needs one, or two! <a href="https://www.amazon.com/JAVOedge-Triangle-Foldable-Micofiber-Cleaning/dp/B016JACK02/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1481270008&sr=8-7&keywords=triangle%2Bglass%2Bcase&th=1">[Link]</a><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nW-IG3op2s1rTvPyrW1h7816bLKhXpAJwtU9ofeFkAbPfUjBRgfwU4dfR2dJxzQkz-2CBg_wQI2q9RqhziYbd65zeDpVI7b6TTGSKf11Wz2TuzAMq6BmkfuBFiqzD05vpiTe23KYUCk/s1600/2016-11-21+17.47.25.jpg">Skirt Pants ($9 - $50):</a></b> Lately all I’ve been wearing is skirt pants. I bought my dream ones last year at Mana 嗎哪民族風服飾 — they have a few stores in Taipei — but had a hard time finding street versions. This time around, I found them at street markets and got a pair for super cheap. The Mana ones are more quality, and I bought two, but those were for friends. Straight up, pant skirts are the best, so ridiculously comfortable. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/manastore/">[Link]</a><br />
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<b>Glasses and sunglasses ($9):</b> I bought a pair of sunglasses and a pair of regular glasses because when in Taiwan, you just have to. And if you have prescription glasses, getting them done in Taiwan is ridiculous cheap. Plus you don’t need a prescription. And duh, the frames are sized and fitted for Asian faces. You can buy expensive frames and go to expensive places to get the lenses, but I prefer to just get night market frames for like $8 and then have lenses put in for $20. Beat that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QtpFH69cScisuaUf0U8QrSmsrTgoea7p-wv0DmWIHWbQZWJajbtmWxmQ-Oh6BAjmqdX8K5HR-CYAay-BdMH2JPbYB25inSHEXmf8iXb79ZqaPAE5y6-fu8TF3y_nEBAXkwePj1r2F8s/s1600/2016-11-19+14.01.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QtpFH69cScisuaUf0U8QrSmsrTgoea7p-wv0DmWIHWbQZWJajbtmWxmQ-Oh6BAjmqdX8K5HR-CYAay-BdMH2JPbYB25inSHEXmf8iXb79ZqaPAE5y6-fu8TF3y_nEBAXkwePj1r2F8s/s200/2016-11-19+14.01.00.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Cell phone cases ($8):</b> If you’re looking for cell phone cases, the night markets are a wonderland. Especially if you lean toward the splashy ones. One night, I sent my wish into the aether for a cactus design and the next day I found a great one. And then I bought another watercolor one for non-cactus days. Double steal!<br />
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<b>Rohto eye drops ($5):</b> While I couldn’t scientifically declare what the best eye drops are, I will tell you conclusively that these Rohto eye drops are the best in the world. It’s all in the design, which is square and flat and a joy to have in your bag. Beware, there are a few different types, including specific ones for contact wearers and non-contact wearers. I use the one with the blue cap. Which Amazon apparently doesn't offer. Get. These. Eye. Drops. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rohto-Lycee-Contact-Drops-contact/dp/B000YZQSO8/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1481267510&sr=1-7&keywords=rohto+eye+drops">[Link]</a><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbexY-raRZuUAaocK88_gX8v6fddubCWyLudFHaX4yw7j5aveAqccGi-mNyeTXi66TlIjbKdXNgqdlpILt-N0dhCRjxeYdb1qXNXOaJU-4e_jTlYLhtW-6lFKMVeAIeOMwri0ZwLrnWg/s1600/2016-12-08+23.39.57.jpg">Uma Hana bags ($5):</a></b> All around the night markets, especially Ximen, you’ll see these plastic-y waterproof bags with various prints on them. George wanted a nice sized overnight bag, and then once we got into a particularly large store, her and AMR ended up purchasing much more than that. Backpacks, tote bags, sling bags, you name it, they probably got it. Turns out <a href="http://umahana-zakka.com/en-us/goods.php?cid=4">Uma Hana</a> is a Taiwan brand and if you’re carrying one it conveys ultimate “FOB life” status. I bought a rainbow bear printed smartphone pouch for when the trusty fanny pack just doesn't go with the outfit. Because bears are universal.<br />
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And now onto the useless trinkets that I can’t resist. Even if I basically resisted 90% of the stuff I actually would have bought.<br />
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<b>Mouton the Elephant luggage lock ($7):</b> The best thing to do if you’re gonna buy any mascot type stuff is to just pick one and go with it. Unfortunately, I have more than one mascot love. And Mouton is one of them. Mouton is a pale blue circus elephant with pink and white striped ears. Irresistible. I don’t even use luggage locks, but I just wanted this piece as a figurine. I mean, as a gift for my niece...<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0rDeK9zIZTvGiAVA_7620xrfr00j9Jco85PCQCsvql_rdWzCGQbxDn2Dz7leqB3rZG_OYah0osGwX2br2P5ySiWID0hnU777J4Dpg2S1FNFsANJbCh_LLJ1o862e6sgEpOJO84nBkH0/s1600/2016-12-08+23.40.35.jpg">Snoopy mug ($8):</a></b> My mom hates mugs. (She has no mugs at her house.) We love mugs. And if AMR was going to brew us daily cups of wonderful Taiwan roasted coffee, we had to have mugs. And so we both bought Snoopy ones and then carried them home with us to continue the adventure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR0g07iufiH2PTXt-qwBppnh_qPNlesVOrGR8lg-R-r25DlLlKngqoMjxgGDzKTdoqwP9dvX0ycFcVbBG95XbbRKh4M1K1I1zY8HYfnUs8cwg8Xd_lo_fKDGARmzS7FteaukKs2bmG-E/s1600/2016-11-19+18.15.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR0g07iufiH2PTXt-qwBppnh_qPNlesVOrGR8lg-R-r25DlLlKngqoMjxgGDzKTdoqwP9dvX0ycFcVbBG95XbbRKh4M1K1I1zY8HYfnUs8cwg8Xd_lo_fKDGARmzS7FteaukKs2bmG-E/s200/2016-11-19+18.15.53.jpg" width="186" /></a><b>Taiwan bear magnet ($5):</b> It’s a magnet shaped like a can of Taiwan Beer, but with a smiling Formosan bear on it. And the word mark says “Taiwan Bear.” Brilliant?! I can’t wait to buy a fridge to accompany this magnet.<br />
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<b>Kumamon keychain, Formosan black bear keychain ($5):</b> I don't really have keys for anything, but that won't stop me from collecting keychains. Kumamon is a Japanese black bear (apparently now "Japan's most popular bear”), and I couldn’t pass up a tiny Formosan black bear keychain. Now to get keys to pair with these keychains...<br />
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<b>Hello Kitty tin, with stationary inside ($3):</b> I allowed myself only one Hello Kitty themed item, aside from my subway card, and this was it. I'll probably use it to store secrets or something. Your secrets!<br />
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<b>Cell phone ring ($2):</b> These are everywhere now, and as loathe as I am to affix anything to my beautiful cell phone case, I did get a yellow bell-shaped ring holder, just in case it proves useful. My new cases are real slippery and I'd hate to drop my phone. Fashion versus function right? <a href="https://www.amazon.com/YUNDA-Universal-Rotating-Samsung-Tablets/dp/B01KF10XM8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1481273588&sr=1-1&keywords=cell+phone+ring+holder+bell">[Link]</a><br />
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<b>Totoro eyemask ($4):</b> When you need to fall into a deep sleep, why not have Miyazaki lead you the way? "Full of sweet memory, full of deeply happiness." If only it were that easy right?<br />
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-43192484999324620082016-11-17T15:11:00.001-08:002016-11-17T15:11:09.795-08:00The Re-Do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I’ve had a personal podcast for awhile, “You, Me, Us” that was maybe sixty or so conversations I recorded over the years with friends. But that kind of died down as people stopped wanting to speak with me. Wah wah! But I love podcasting and wanted to make more, and last year I met a friend who also loves talking -- and can tolerate me! So we decided to make a podcast: <b><a href="http://wearetheredo.com/">The Re-Do</a></b>.<br />
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<a href="http://margotseeto.com/">Margot</a> and I are long distance friends — we met last year in Taiwan — and she’s a world traveler and rambler like me. Well, I can’t really be called a world traveler, but she certainly is, as she’s been to over 30+ countries and counting. (Check out this You, Me, Us interview about <a href="http://youmeuspod.blogspot.tw/2016/05/inside-north-korea.html">her trip to North Korea</a>.) We happen to have tons of stuff in common, but enough differences to be shaded differently in just about everything, so it makes for everlasting conversations. And now they're recorded!<br />
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We get together every two weeks or so to recall, recap, and reassess, and so far we’ve covered important topics like Harry Potter World, BBQ BFFs, and Tinder adventures. We’re available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Soundcloud, and so if you want to hang out with us, please do!<br />
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Note: I'm recording on a Blue Microphones Yeti, finally figuring out how to audio edit with Adobe Audition, and would appreciate any feedbackon (bad) audio. Thanks!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZI4F8CEtdd0DsdosPy3wT3ulver8OC2iwUTqy0AucPjA-kOSa-mLBvNLw_TsUqFU16Lsg0vvKx279frp2KNyBYC7oelovSja6-5XHAs1K9UlkElcYnI1iRY3v8RHbVsH_aJx1bVgTQA/s1600/tumblr_inline_odqf780I4w1uvtjjk_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZI4F8CEtdd0DsdosPy3wT3ulver8OC2iwUTqy0AucPjA-kOSa-mLBvNLw_TsUqFU16Lsg0vvKx279frp2KNyBYC7oelovSja6-5XHAs1K9UlkElcYnI1iRY3v8RHbVsH_aJx1bVgTQA/s1600/tumblr_inline_odqf780I4w1uvtjjk_500.jpg" /></a></div>
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PS: The logo is a pencil, but sort of stylized like a cityscape. Do you see it?jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-57185517274784693202016-09-26T00:20:00.002-07:002016-09-27T00:46:52.272-07:00Skyline To<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAL1Bo0F5Qe7dM2rWuml_GsU2kHNn3mmsRNaKz8KszbNfeECSZTxN9uLMCbTJje9JLo8VUnB-G0BEiteYQ3hSbhQOiLPfFpU99Mq_DWS2o_uu19-AB_cXbmbl7O2Sk5_lJg6nqRqI5v4/s1600/wolk-600.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAL1Bo0F5Qe7dM2rWuml_GsU2kHNn3mmsRNaKz8KszbNfeECSZTxN9uLMCbTJje9JLo8VUnB-G0BEiteYQ3hSbhQOiLPfFpU99Mq_DWS2o_uu19-AB_cXbmbl7O2Sk5_lJg6nqRqI5v4/s320/wolk-600.gif" width="320" /></a><b>I went down</b> to Barrio Logan for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/labodegagallerysd/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1403926769621775">The Little Big Art Show</a> at La Bodega Gallery over the weekend. Truthfully, it’s likely the only art thing I’ve been to in San Diego for at least ten years. I was curious what the crowd would be like mostly. Short answer: the same as anywhere else! Although maybe it skewed a little older than I expected. Then again who am I to talk about age?<br />
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And while on the subject, support Susie's campaign against Francesa's, who has been ripping off indie designer's designs for their own store. Susie has long been a champion of artists' rights and what Francesca's (among many other companies) is doing is just deplorable. There's more than one way to draw a cat but Francesca's just had to steal Susie's eh? If you're against rip offs, go support <a href="http://www.boygirlparty.com/wordpress/">Susie</a>!<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://sdcitybeat.com/article-12607-barrio-logan-arts-district-has-officially-arrived.html">Barrio Logan Arts District has officially arrived (2014)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://sdcitybeat.com/article-17782-Local-artist-claims-Francescas-ripped-off-her-art.html">Local artist claims Francesca’s ripped off her art</a></li>
</ul>
While shopping at a nearby record shop before the art show, I grabbed a zine about Indian casinos and a short self-published book about cholos in college. Published in the Eighties, this book seemed intriguing on the surface but I read it and basically wanted to puke. The author was not from the community, didn't present things in an anthropological manner, and the whole thing was basically a self-congratulatory ode to himself: a professor who played self-styled savior for gangsters from the area. Big pat on the back! I would quote from the book directly but it’s just too much and I wouldn’t want to shine any light on this terrible tome.<br />
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Whew, that felt good. It’s rare you read something that makes you so angry right? I mean, offline that is. The main issue with the book was how condescending it was, and you guessed it, it’s a white dude trying to show how “down" he was, with all the lingo set off by quotes. Trash, absolute trash. But at least I’m one book closer to <a href="http://www.fiftyfifty.me/">fiftyfifty</a>. I’m currently at 18 books and 44 movies. I’m behind on books obviously but there’s an outside chance I could cross the finish line if I shape up for the rest of the year.<br />
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<b>And since I’ve</b> yet to talk any books in 2016, let’s plug some! First up, I can’t stop shutting up and recommending Ted Chiang’s short stories to people. I went to go see him speak at AAWW <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-new-normal.html">a few months ago</a> but finally finished his collection of short stories, <i>Stories of Your Life and Others</i>. The titular story is brilliant, as well as many others, but the one that really caught my attention was "The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate," about a mirror that enables time travel. Anyway, go read this book! And then get ready for Denis Villeneuve’s <i>Arrival</i>, which stars Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, and looks downright amazing.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.tor.com/2016/08/08/first-look-arrival-amy-adams-jeremy-renner-ted-chiang/">Your First Look at <i>Arrival</i>, the Adaptation of Ted Chiang’s Novella <i>Story of Your Life</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://electricliterature.com/the-legendary-ted-chiang-on-seeing-his-stories-adapted-for-the-screen-and-the-ever-expanding-916a9530e598#.glgwgpaf5">The Legendary Ted Chiang on Seeing His Stories Adapted and the Ever-Expanding Popularity of SF</a></li>
</ul>
And speaking of New York, I finally got around to reading <i>Asterios Polyp</i>, a graphic novel that my friend highly recommended years ago. So long ago that I think we were both still living San Franciso. Anyway, <i>Asterios Polyp</i> really is great, even if the plot seems a little under hatched. But the art style and thematic elements are so strong. Everyone says it gets better with each read, and I’m excited to dig into it again.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/books/review/Wolk-t.html?_r=0">New York Times Review of <i>Asterios Polyp</i>: Shades of Meaning (2009)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://nymag.com/arts/books/reviews/57736/">Comics Relief: Finally, the great New York (graphic) novel (2009)</a></li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxU_22-_HA-Qy2PeB09yK4yZzuah7tmDpocbQeoCSNW8RAF4kgx75c5dY2gE4f4PfJ3o5-nJvkJOKDy4qm0uY8Nr0XVSjm3x4X-obwf7FDtAEcRPl2OePSjyzVJ9w9KKw1XW9n412tL4/s1600/15-monstress-002.w750.h560.2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxU_22-_HA-Qy2PeB09yK4yZzuah7tmDpocbQeoCSNW8RAF4kgx75c5dY2gE4f4PfJ3o5-nJvkJOKDy4qm0uY8Nr0XVSjm3x4X-obwf7FDtAEcRPl2OePSjyzVJ9w9KKw1XW9n412tL4/s1600/15-monstress-002.w750.h560.2x.jpg" /></a>Also on the graphic novel tip, I got the first volume of <i>Monstress</i>, written by Marjorie Liu with art by Sana Takeda, aka two Asian-American women putting out a comic book in an overwhelmingly male dominated industry. (I mean, what industry isn't right?) The fantasy world they’ve created is filled with intriguing characters, a two-tailed cat, and when you're done you'll just with there was more <i>Monstress</i> to catch up on.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/monstress-inside-fantasy-comic-race-836391"><i>Monstress</i>: Inside The Fantasy Comic About Race, Feminism And The Monster Within (2015)</a></li>
</ul>
<b>And although I </b>haven't left the house much recently, I did get out to La Jolla Playhouse to watch <i>Tiger Style!</i>, a play from Mike Lew about growing up Chinese-American. You can see how it was right up my alley… And it proved to be exactly what I wanted: witty and arcastic, unapologetically direct about ethnicity and race, and very very funny. The line that sums <i>Tiger Style!</i> up perfectly, as spoken by a U.S. customs officer who is giving two characters a hard time and refuting their calls of discrimination: “I don’t hear race."<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://blog.angryasianman.com/2016/09/tiger-style-interview-with-playwright.html">Angry Asian Man Interview with <i>Tiger Style</i> Playwright</a></li>
</ul>
It’s been a pretty bad year for movies but I can recommend <i>Dearest</i> on Netflix and <i>Hell or High Water</i> in the theater. The latter is a neo-Western about two bank robbers down on their luck, and <i>Dearest</i> is a powerful “based on a true story” account of child abduction in China. Both are real crowd pleasers! Okay, don’t quote me on that...<br />
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And last thing, my friend Cindy wrote a cyberpunk YA novel set in near future Taipei. <i>WANT</i> features an Asian-American male on the cover. And I repeat: An Asian-American male on the cover. I stopped updating my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jayang/coverasian-male-edition/">CoverMale Pinterest board</a> two years ago, but <i>WANT</i> would have been a fine edition. Just look at that beauty. And did I say it’s set in Taipei?! I can't wait to read this thing.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.diversityinya.com/2016/09/want-cover-reveal/">Diversity in YA: <i>WANT </i>Cover Reveal</a></li>
</ul>
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-6356130873302082642016-09-10T22:23:00.000-07:002016-09-19T22:25:18.573-07:00Eu Gosto De Bolo<b>Alright, I’m back!</b> After about six weeks in Brazil. “For the Olympics?” Hell no! I wouldn’t have gone to Rio if you’d paid me as I hate crowds, have little to no national pride, and can’t be bothered to pay attention to the Olympics, even if I was Stateside. I mean, aside from listening to podcasts about Team USA basketball. So yeah, I missed all the brouhaha about the two Simones and unfortunately couldn’t help but know too much about Lochte. I was simply in South America because I was done with New York and I had friends to host me in Brazil. Thanks friends!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGppguLZH58JSBjtyMq9jPiFLUEgLkEH9XI-AqNlcUk6qKps4bkPLjCbhx0BJNh7qfvvaesnAKVXB_7d5d0UfJ_n7hAqnhEbG0grVlM1Sh9FZUOR6atvStu5FpODfGs_yhcHmcgTLwlM/s1600/tumblr_oc4muguFwA1v36qeto3_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGppguLZH58JSBjtyMq9jPiFLUEgLkEH9XI-AqNlcUk6qKps4bkPLjCbhx0BJNh7qfvvaesnAKVXB_7d5d0UfJ_n7hAqnhEbG0grVlM1Sh9FZUOR6atvStu5FpODfGs_yhcHmcgTLwlM/s1600/tumblr_oc4muguFwA1v36qeto3_1280.jpg" /></a>Brazil is not that far away actually. From New York it’s just a ten hour flight down to Sao Paulo. (On the flight over I did meet someone who goes to every Olympics with her friends, all dressed up and everything, and it was fun to talk to her about her experiences in Athens, Beijing, Sochi, etc.) Also, I wasn’t near the beaches or anything, as I started from Sao Paulo and then went inland, near the border of Paraguay and Brazil.<br />
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Things I knew about Brazil before I went down there: not much. Especially the geography. Basically any Brazilian cities I was familiar with was a direct result of <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2012/07/to-skies.html">playing lots of Pocket Planes</a>, which introduced me to important hubs such as Salvador or Recife, the latter of which is the closest South American city for creating an efficient route to Western Africa. Actually, Pocket Planes was also helpful in that <a href="http://pocketplanes.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Maps">each city on the map</a> was accompanied by a population number, which was very useful.<br />
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I hate that my only metric for comparison is basically the United States. I was constantly Googling for city sizes (Ex: Ponta Pora is the equivalent of Alhambra, CA), prices of things, and just generally always in compare and contrast mode. I guess that’s how it is when you travel anywhere, but it just felt kind of gross. Without any American frame of reference though, I was often lost. At least the <i>Stranger Things</i> hype hit everywhere all the same time. Binge watching is universal.<br />
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Quick facts: Sao Paulo is a megapolis, with two more million people in it than New York. Although to my limited experience, it felt more like San Francisco. But with a better subway system. Also it’s supposedly very dangerous, but I hesitate to make any generalizations, as I wasn’t in Sao Paulo that long.<br />
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<b>This was the</b> first time in awhile I was in a setting where I couldn’t really understand anything. Sure, I had been playing with Duolingo for awhile to learn some Portuguese but I couldn’t pick up anything verbally. Usually I’m in an English or Mandarin speaking environment so I can get the gist of stuff, but I was mostly helpless there. The good news is that I wasn’t ever left to my own devices and my hand was held every step of the way. Safety first!<br />
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Things I did do in Brazil: Tok a sixteen hour bus ride, rode in an armored car, flossed a lot due to many meals involving meat, drank coffee in little cups that made me yearn badly for Starbucks-sized cups, talked a lot with people about how Brazilians perceive/view race, learned some history and local economy, got introduced to the works of architect Oscar Niemeyer, saw hordes of Pokemon chasers, watched an entire (animated) movie in Portuguese. Thought an insect laid an egg in my palm — “ovo” means egg — but after some friend-based needle surgery, turned out my panic was just over some clotted blood...<br />
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Also, the Museu Afro Brasil turned out to be our favorite museum in Sao Paolo’s Parque Ibirapuera. And I was stunned by the size and scope of Livraria Cultura, a chain bookstore whose Avenida Paulista branch was oh so beautiful. Another highlight was just happening to be at the local mall when Brazil beat Germany in the gold medal match. #witness<br />
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So yeah, that’s where I’ve been and now I’m back in the U.S. again. For how long? Let’s seeeee!<br />
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-62896333390584372862016-07-27T02:00:00.003-07:002016-07-27T02:14:50.432-07:00Goodbye to All This<b>"Something has changed</b> inside me, something is not the same…” Can you tell I watched <i>Wicked</i> last week? For maybe the fifth time I think, but only the second time on Broadway. This time we were just five rows back and it was spectacular.<br />
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To recap, I first tried to watch <i>Wicked</i> on Broadway right before Idina Menzel left, flying out in November of 2004 in an attempt to get lottery tickets. That didn’t work out, unfortunately. But since then I’ve made it a point to watch it in whatever city I’m in. <a href="http://www.hyperwest.net/archives/anachronic/2005_07_01_anachronic_archive.html#112120360382134004">Los Angeles in 2005</a>, San Diego in 2006, San Francisco in 2010, and then on Broadway in 2014 and this year. Where next?! Maybe Japan! Through the power of Spotify I stumbled upon the Gekidan Shiki cast recording, which is entirely in Japanese (duh). I’d be curious what they may have changed, if anything.<br />
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Anyway, every time I watch <i>Wicked</i>, I pick up new things — or forget past feelings in the interim — and just want to gush over how great and clever it is all over again. If you haven’t seen <i>Wicked</i>, I’ll be ready to go again in another two years. See you in Tokyo?<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ0pXUb5jVU">"For Good,” performed by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel (2016)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px7ZMqyRLsY">“Popular,” Shiki Theatre Company</a></li>
<li><a href="http://thebarking.com/2012/03/the-downside-to-rereading/">The Downside to Rereading (2012)</a></li>
</ul>
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<b>Of course, <i>Wicked's</i></b> not all I’ve been doing. Even if that was the definitive highlight of my last week or so in New York. Yup, I’m on my way out again. After just two months this time. Most of me was hoping that I would last longer, and maybe I would have, but <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-town.html">maybe my attitude was defeatist from the beginning</a>. Much of the charm and magic of New York for me involves late summer nights, lots of dancing and park-ing, and just generally running around and having fun. But that part has now slipped away. People ask me why, if it’s me or the city. It’s probably both.<br />
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I can’t even stand going out in LES anymore, overrun as it is by douchebags galore. I guess it was always like that but it just seems worse now. And Brooklyn, faraway Brooklyn has the same feeling too, at least the few times I've tried to go out. And to be honest, a lot of the change has been me, as I’ve had a very “the death of fun” attitude about things. I’m trying to stop chasing the same thrills, putting the same record on over and over again. It’s like when a dance track is objectively great but after the hundredth time it just loses its power to make you move. Example: Faith Evans, “Love Like This.” You get semi-excited but it just gets tired quickly you know?<br />
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Sad as I am, overall I think this is good for me, as I'm finally feeling a little settled down. Inside and out.<br />
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Numbers: Over the past seven years, dating back to 2010, I’ve lived in New York for twenty-nine months, with one or two months at a time being the norm, excepting 2011 when I was here for seven months and then 2012-3 when I was here for all of 2013 and four months of 2012. So sixteen months in a row. So yeah, I just keep running back and forth and back and forth. But this time I'm running with no real plans on coming back...<br />
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Sure there’s a chance I’ll be back soon enough, never say never, but I don’t know when. At the very least, I've realized that it's unlikely I could live here long term. However, as my friend put it, “You could be back in two months…” And really, where else can I go for the culture -- and people -- kick that I need from here? For now though, the positives of being here are outweighed by the negatives, and so many aspects of the city has curdled for me. So I’m out!<br />
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<b>I haven’t seen</b> Netflix's <i>Bojack Horseman</i> yet, but I am newly in love with its co-creator, Lisa Hanawalt. I saw her XOXO talk about creative paralysis and she’s just perfection. And just by coincidence, I came across her <i>Lucky Peach</i> article about leaving New York in 2015, which I’ll link to below.<br />
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I didn’t realize Hanawalt was part of Pizza Island, an all-female cartoonists’ collective in Greenpoint that shut down in 2012. I mostly followed Julia Wertz and Sarah Glidden from the Island but I’m thinking I should start following all of them. And heck, Wertz is also leaving New York, or just left, rather. While I’m a merely a fan of Wertz, it seems to say something that <a href="http://www.juliawertz.com/2016/04/06/eviction-new-stuff-to-buy/">she too is leaving the city</a>. When the cartoonists go, I go! Sidenote: I wonder if it's too late to start learning how to draw, I feel like there is a cartoon strip in me. And I have just the topic and name for it! Shhhhh.<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6F_CF7Yvo0">XOXO Festival video: Lisa Hanawalt</a></li>
<li><a href="http://luckypeach.com/goodbye-to-all-that-sugar-spice-and-fat/">Lisa Hanawalt, “Goodbye to All That Sugar, Spice, and Fat” (2015)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theringer.com/bojack-horseman-season-3-lisa-hanawalt-d13005e77007#.tn97wfx5i">Lisa Hanawalt’s Long, Talking Animal–Filled Road to <i>BoJack Horseman</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.juliawertz.com/2012/01/23/the-disbanding-of-pizza-island/">Pizza Island RIP (2012)</a></li>
</ul>
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<span class="s1"><b>Before I leave, </b>I’m wrapping up with Sleep No More mid-week, along with a just finished amazing meal at my friend Pam’s restaurant -- now Michelin starred!!! And maybe I’ll sneak in a bike ride across one of the bridges if I can swing it, since I haven’t done that yet this trip. Play the hits that still hit, as it were.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This was my second visit to Semilla, and it was even better than the last. Pam’s bread and desserts are out of control. Tonight’s rye and potato sourdough bread with Cowbella butter was perfection. Here’s a bunch of links from <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2014/10/awake-always.html">this 2014 post</a> I did about Semilla, just before Pam and Jose opened shop, lest I re-inundate you with their much deserved praise and acclaim. Also, the Cowbella butter was served with this ridiculously chubby knife that I must get my hands on. Pam revealed it was simply a Crate & Barrel purchase but I can't seem to find it online. Please help me shopping elves, I neeeeed this dull and stout knife in my life!</span></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://hypebeast.com/2016/5/semilla-michelin-star-restaurant-video">Video: Meet the Smallest Michelin Star Restaurant in the World (2016)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ny.eater.com/2015/9/29/9419325/white-hot-semilla-receives-michelin-star">Michelin Madness: Semilla in South Williamsburg Receives One Star (2015)</a></li>
</ul>
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Ooooh, also, I’m here to plug <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/mian-tian-sing-hair-salon-new-york-6">Mian Tian Sing Hair Salon</a>, which would be my new go-to if I was sticking around. Brandon, my Taiwan school mate, found this place and it’s both cheap and great. For $18 you get a head/shoulder massage and the best (Asian hair) haircut around. I was caught in the torrential downpour of Monday, but managed to sneak my way to Mian Tian Sing under cover of a newly purchased umbrella. Was a great haircut worth getting drenched for? You betcha! Alert: No Pikachu showed up during the thunderstorm, as rumored...</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">And speaking of Chinatown, I went to Wing On Wo & Co. last Tuesday for a panel discussion co-organized by a friend. Wing On Wo & Co. is the oldest store in Chinatown and it sells various porcelains and antiques. Choosing to forgo graduate school, twenty-five year old Mei Lum took over the family business, preserving it and also expanding its scope by organizing a summer series of talks about the changing face of Chinatown.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I went to the second event, which was a loose panel about the encroachment of (non-Chinese) art galleries in Chinatown. Things got heated pretty quickly, with lots of rising emotions, accusations, explanations, tensions, and even some tears spilled. There's a livestream of the event up on their Facebook page, but beware because the audio is very low. Regardless of outcome, these conversations are the beginning of something and need to happen for the community as Chinatown organizes and struggles with many issues surrounding its increasing gentrification. As one audience member pointed out, he visited DC's Chinatown awhile ago and was saddened/shocked by how it was basically a Chinatown in name (and signage) only.</span></div><br>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WingOnWoAndCo/?fref=ts">Wing On Wo & Co.'s Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160518/chinatown/chinatown-resident-saves-family-store-launches-series-on-changing-nabe">Chinatown Resident Saves Family Store, Launches Series on Changing Nabe (2016)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1019459891482965/">Chinatown: New York’s Newest Gallery Scene?</a></li>
</ul>jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-39098510335098969772016-07-19T12:34:00.000-07:002016-07-19T12:49:28.791-07:00The New Normal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Hey guess what?</b> New York is hot. Like finally tank top weather — which I’ve been waiting for — but now that it’s arrived, it’s just making me dread going outside.<br />
<br />
But venture forth I must, as my New York time dwindles to a close. In two more weeks I’m basically out of here, so it’s time to jam in as much as I can. First, there was <a href="http://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/dance-magic-dance-ballet-ya">Dhonielle and Sona’s book launch</a> for their follow up to <i>Tiny Pretty Things</i>, which is called <i>Shiny Broken Pieces</i>. Instead of a traditional launch, they threw together an entire panel of ballet in YA themed authors. Note, the correct answer for <a href="http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2010/04/center-stage-2000.html">best ballet movie is clearly <i>Centerstage</i></a>, and nothing else compares.<br />
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On Wednesday, went to <a href="https://www.uniondocs.org/2016-07-14-the-new-black/">Union Docs in Williamsburg</a> for a showing of <i>The New Black</i>, Yoruba Richen’s 2013 documentary about the LBGT African-American community and their work to get marriage equality passed in Maryland.<br />
<br />
Actually, speaking of movies, I’ve seen just a handful recently, and of all of them, the only one I can wholly recommend is <i>Love & Friendship</i>, Whit Stillman’s take on a Jane Austen novella. Kate Beckinsale is perfect in it, as a manipulative and scheming widow. Doesn’t this summer block of movies feel especially crappy? I have half a mind to watch <i>The Neon Demon</i>, but scarred by <i>Only God Forgives</i>, I’m hesitant to give Nicolas Winding Refn another chance. And aside from that, nothing is drawing me to the theater except as a respite from the heat.<br />
<br />
<b>So let’s talk</b> books! I caught the tail end of <a href="http://aaww.org/curation/spec-visions/">Ted Chiang’s talk at AAWW</a>, and he brought up this article, <a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/04/susie-mckinnon-autobiographical-memory-sdam/">“The Strange Case of the Woman Who Couldn’t Remember Her Past — And Can’t Imagine Her Future.”</a> It’s about a woman who leads a perfectly normal life, despite the fact that she has no episodic memory. Basically it means she lives perpetually in the present, with no access to previous memories or experiences. The article is great and well worth a read.<br />
<br />
Also, if you don’t know Ted Chiang, he’s basically the Galactus of the scifi world, having won literally every award for his writing. And he so happens to be Chinese American, which is an important, if not defining, fact. Actually there are quite a few Asian American writers who have been dominating scifi, and I’ve been trying to get caught up on all their works. Ken Liu, you're next!<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://stories.californiasunday.com/2015-01-04/ted-chiang-scifi-perfectionist/">The Perfectionist (2014)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://aaww.org/the-occasional-writer-an-interview-with-science-fiction-author-ted-chiang/">The Occasional Writer: An Interview with Science Fiction Author Ted Chiang (2012)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5621/sciefictstud.40.1.0015?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">Chinese Science Fiction: A Response to Modernization (2013)</a></li>
</ul>
And I’ve recently been working through Shawna Yang Ryan’s <i>Green Island</i>, which is a fictionalized version of the White Terror era in Taiwan, from 1947 through 1987, when martial law was in effect. Having recently visited Green Island, to see the prisons where dissidents were incarcerated, the book holds special interest for me. And what Yang Ryan has done is pretty unprecedented, in taking a period of Taiwanese history that is often overlooked, and creating a compelling novel for English reading audiences.<br />
<br />
Then there's <b><a href="http://www.redcandlegames.com/detention/"><i>Detention</i></a></b>, an upcoming game from Taiwan-based indie developer Red Candle Games. <i>Detention</i> is also set during Taiwan's martial law period, and is a survival horror game with fantasy elements. "<i>Detention</i> draws on local Taiwanese cultural references to tell a unique and terrifying story." Check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHfDhFng3aY">the game trailer</a> and I think <i>Detention</i> should be available via Steam soon enough.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-green-island-20160221-story.html">LA Times review of <i>Green Island</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/23/world/asia/taiwan-shawna-yang-ryan-green-island.html?_r=0">Q. and A.: Shawna Yang Ryan on the 1947 Incident That Shaped Taiwan’s Identity</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/01/28/2003638224">Taipei Times review</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
Also, recently read Eddie Huang's second book, <i>Double Cup Love</i>, which was a decent follow-up, if you like to continue on his adventures, but mostly I'd only recommend it only to Huang completists. What I would recommend for all is his <a href="https://www.viceland.com/en_us/video/orlando/570fd7f7dbdde49f0e359afb"><i>Huang's World</i> Orlando episode</a>, in which Eddie returns home for Lunar New Year to hang with his family. They cook up a storm, and Eddie's mom is the unquestioned star of the show.</div>
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<b>Despite saying I</b> never travel to beaches, I found myself riding two hours out of Manhattan to Fire Island last weekend. My friend got a car -- to have something to put in her car port -- and she's been trying to make out-of-town trips with it. I was commissioned to be the night driver and so I went. Getting to Fire Island is a bit of a trek, but it involves a ferry, which is always fun. And once there, I promptly napped the afternoon away before we had a super amazing seafood dinner by the ocean as the rain poured down over the roof. Summer 2016: Keep it beachy!<br />
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jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-82148711381818876652016-07-10T23:07:00.000-07:002016-07-19T11:13:02.958-07:00Is This the End?<b>My de facto</b> office has been Cafe Habana on Elizabeth Street. Not that I work there, but it’s where I meet everyone. Advantages: there are benches outside, there is corn inside, it’s a straight shot down 2nd Ave on a bike for me. Basically my range this summer has been “anything up/down 2nd Avenue or maybe off the L train.” Going across town to Chelsea or the West Village has been too much of a hassle, and Brooklyn, forget it!<br />
<br />
Although I have been to Williamsburg more times than I can count over the past week — including a night with the douchetastic crowd at Freehold. Still, if we’re meeting up, it’s starting off at Cafe Habana and then probably a walk around Nolita. And of course I’ll buy a corn and then carry it around for a few hours thinking I’ll eat it but then I toss it in the trash. Food waster, that’s me!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviWA0rhqOxEi_WvfDVxdsPuB_GiMdN3gf-QCbfj04Ei8zixRB0QeWVFc19sFatp9_RboZ9quIU5-nk_hkv743-NVfhhV1qGrRwMPts4x0pE3uxBCPa8aoHweLtFMc91IVf2rGU-U32no/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-19+at+2.11.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviWA0rhqOxEi_WvfDVxdsPuB_GiMdN3gf-QCbfj04Ei8zixRB0QeWVFc19sFatp9_RboZ9quIU5-nk_hkv743-NVfhhV1qGrRwMPts4x0pE3uxBCPa8aoHweLtFMc91IVf2rGU-U32no/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-19+at+2.11.01+PM.png" width="320" /></a>I’ve trolled those few blocks around Nolita at least three times, and I still don’t actually know exactly where I am. Who am I without my trusty compass? Also, as if you had to ask, but of course I’ll all up on this Pokemon Go craze. I can’t stop talking about it, I can’t stop making people download it (Team Instinct/Yellow please!), I carry every single portable charger with me nowadays, and I’m waiting for all the features like trading to get into the game. My main worry about leaving New York is that anywhere else won’t have the density of Pokemon, gyms, and pokestops.<br />
<br />
New York is the perfect city to go Poke-hunting and without the easily accessible walking spaces, I’m worried my collection will never be complete. So far my best place to find stuff has been at Pratt, where the sculpture garden was full of interesting stuff to look at. But enough about Pokemon…<br />
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<b>The rundown</b> the past week included Fourth of July celebrated from the comfort of my room, which just so happens to look over the Hudson River. Nice view, but my interest in fireworks is nil. So I just stood back while my cousin and aunt peered outside.<br />
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After going through a pizza, ramen, sandwiches, Cubanos, and salad phase, I’m now squarely into my diner life. I’ve eaten at three diners recently and while each experience was squarely a B- or a C+, I still loved it. (In case I’ve never mentioned it, <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/malibu-diner-new-york">Malibu Diner</a> in Chelsea is my favorite one, because it’s got really the best food for a diner.)<br />
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I have dreams of just sitting in a diner, quietly reading or writing, but that’s happened zero times so far. I read that Rembert Brown did a lot of his Grantland writing <a href="https://bondstreet.com/fornewyork/posts/rembert-browne/">from the old Bauhaus</a>, which I can’t even imagine. I wish I was one of those people who could be productive at cafes or eating places, but mostly I just get all paranoid about the foodstuffs and potential spillage around my computer.<br />
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I've learned, over time, that the only way I can get any writing done is in a controlled environment that has little in the way of distractions (or dirt). So much for the image of a traveling writer who parks it all day in a cafe!<br />
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An epic half-rainy Saturday unearthed five straight hours of karaoke. To be honest, that’s not that much, because in Taiwan I’ve had people go karaoke for like eight hours. I couldn’t do that back then — due to the dearth of English songs — but I could have gone even longer on Saturday night. We started off with Madonna, whipped through some classic Eighties, got even deeper with the Eighties, moved onto ballads and lite R&B, and then had a sprinkling of Les Mis and Aladdin. Categories skipped that I hope to return to: pop, duets, alternative songs of the 2000s, Guns N Roses.<br />
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Till next time...jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879339378404593609.post-80070485268834053332016-07-03T01:26:00.000-07:002016-07-05T01:49:38.361-07:00For the Longest Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>So my friend's</b> wedding happened, it was beautiful, it was in Bryant Park, and the respect you get on the streets for walking around in tuxes was certainly nice. People are so friendly when you’re dressed up! This was the first (and probably last) tux I’d ever worn. From what I can tell, the difference between a tux and a suit is the lapels. Also you’re supposed to wear French cuffs, and there’s fancier buttons and a bow tie involved.<br />
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Since my tux came very loose, I had to get the shit tailored out of it. Basically it was like I had to get a whole new outfit made out of baggy drapes. Upon recommendation of my friend, I went to <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/dejavu-tailoring-new-york?osq=dejavu+tailor">Dejavu Tailoring</a> in the East Village and over the span of two weeks went by a couple of times. Sometimes just to say “hi” because I’m trying to make new friends! And my new semi-friend — I asked for his Facebook, does that count? — pointed me to <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-salon-new-york-3">@TheSalon</a>, where I got my pre-wedding haircut. So you know, I was at peak fancy and it’s all downhill from here. I kind of wanted to have a cummerbund though, since I'd never worn one before. Do they make cummerbund fanny packs?<br />
<br />
It’s only the second time I’ve been a groomsman and once again I performed all my duties spectacularly. Actually I really had no duties, aside from just wake up on time and be there without complaining. With those low expectations set, I think I did my absolute best. Thanks K&M for having me!<br />
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One of these days someone will ask me to do a speech and I’ll be sooooo ready.<br />
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<b>Aside from that</b> to wrap up my first month here, there was an ultimate Eighties / Nineties karaoke session with two of my favorite karaokers. It’s been awhile since we’ve all sang together. And fueled by tequila shots — none for me thank you — and just general joy, we blasted through our jams, new and old. Here’s a sampling of the night’s hits:<br />
<ul>
<li>Billy Joel, “The Longest Time” (1983)</li>
<li>Phil Collins, "Against All Odds” (1984)</li>
<li>Alphaville, “Forever Young” (1984)</li>
<li>The Cure, “Friday I’m in Love” (1992)</li>
<li>Meat Loaf, "I Would Do Anything For Love” (1993)</li>
</ul>
My personal new go-to is “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias. It’s in my range, vocally and emotionally. Bailamos! Also, I’m waiting for that special someone who can do a credible CeCe Peniston's “Finally.” (Is that even a fun karaoke song? Let’s find out!) And while we’re on the subject of singing, watch this twelve year old, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNxO9MpQ2vA">Grace VanderWaal</a>, on <i>America’s Got Talent</i>. It’s from last month but it’s worth a share because she’s just amazing.<br />
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<b>Went to the</b> NBA draft too, way up in the cheap seats. Watched the Celtics take the guy I didn’t want them to take, and then got bored and left by the latter half of the first round. Verdict: C+. Going to the draft isn’t that fun unless you know who’s being taken. Even with the ESPN app open to watch it on a screen and IRL at the same time. My advice is to just stay home, watch it on TV. And damn Danny Ainge for not taking Dragan Bender...<br />
<br />
A week later, I cruised out to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/285444495121410/">a thing for Chuck Klosterman’s newest book</a>, <i>But What If We're Wrong? </i>He was in conversation with Wesley Morris, of Grantland fame and while the conversation they had was overall pretty good, I would probably have enjoyed it better as a podcast. It's just hard to sit there and watch people chat for an hour and a half these days isn't it? Verdict: Decent B.<br />
<br />
Also, Klosterman is very tall, Morris is very short. That should make for a winning combination but Morris seemed to be off his moderator game. Very impressed with Klosterman in person though. He's got this nice ability to take an audience member's (inevitably) rambly Q&A and instantly summarize the question into something understandable. He'll listen and then go, "So what you're asking is <insert nice wrap up>." Useful skill to practice and emulate I think.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://theringer.com/future-of-tv-chuck-klosterman-what-if-were-wrong-46ecb1a5444#.o3moe62hv">Chuck Klosterman asks: What is the future of TV?</a></li>
</ul>
One of my very first podcast episodes <a href="http://ihavewritersblog.blogspot.com/">(with Lilly!)</a> was about Klosterman actually, <a href="http://youmeuspod.blogspot.com/2009/11/intellectual-douchebaggery_9994.html">concerning his intellectual douchebaggery</a>. The thing is, Klosterman is super smart, and I do really love his writing and he always brings an interesting twisted perspective to things. So I change my verdict, Klosterman's not really a douchebag at all, with the possible exception that he's likely a serial mansplainer. But is that okay because he just knows so much?!<br />
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<b>Last thing, if</b> you’re into ex-<i>Gossip Girl</i> leads, sharks, and beautiful surf scenes, go watch <i>The Shallows</i>. Nobody would go watch it with me so I was forced to see it myself. Well naysayers, you totally missed out because Blake Lively versus shark was everything I wanted it to be and more. Since basically all of the current crop of summer blockbusters are kind of sucking right now, at the very least <i>The Shallows</i> will make you cringe and get nervous for Serena van der Woodsen’s well-being. Shaaaarks!<br />
<br />
And this past Friday I hit up a New York beach for the first time, Long Beach, which was way far out there. I wouldn't normally have gone except my friend offered to drive. (I live right by the beach back home, why would I sit on a train for an hour to get to one?) Anyway, you try new things and you learn new things. Two word game changer: beach chairs.jonyangorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12477612124013290363noreply@blogger.com