Twitter Twatter

I remember the good old days when Columbia's Academic Advising center invited us sophomores to join this thing called "Twitter" to keep up with their updates. Nobody knew what that fuck twitter was or how it was supposed to be useful if we couldn't rebuild our facebook connections on it, but alas I joined and never looked at my account again until about a year later.

I always tend to miss out on this internet shit because well, I really hate the way that the internet is ruling my life. I signed up really early for twitter and a film makers/actors/producers etc. online community Massify and could have totally Tela Tequila'd the crap out of the sites and reached god like status if it weren't for my internal struggle with technology.

I constantly sign in and out of gmail, facebook and now my work e-mail, but I kick myself both when I leave things open and when I waste time signing in and out several times during a session on el Firefoxo. The open gmail tab almost guarantees that my eyes will flicker between it and what I'm actually trying to focus on, and you know my ass goes straight to my inbox as soon as I receive a new e-mail, which is usually from Ticketmaster or Urban Outfitters.

Let's go back to AIM. I want to find love at first a/s/l?

Now I'm going to be a hypocrite (a rather common occurrence) and provide my twitter link for you to follow.

Wilco the album

I love Wilco. To death. Ever since a certain ex boyfriend introduced me to them (as well as the whole genre of not-classical music), I will never tire of their stellar musicianship.

I was however not entirely pleased with their latest release. Jeff Tweedy explained in an interview that the self entitled album was everything that "sounded like Wilco", and doesn't have the same kind of defining characteristic like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Summerteeth. It was a mish mash of everything they've used in past albums.. but I suppose they already started moving in this direction with Sky Blue Sky. Doesn't mean I'm not going to buy it though.

I was disappointed with Fleet Foxes' follow up single "Mykonos" for similar reasons. I guess I don't like talented artists and bands to sound like "themselves". I can only hope to achieve the neverending inventiveness of Radiohead...

July makes you buy stuff

Every summer I spend at home, there's always one point at which my hormones get low, suddenly God turns up the humidity while my parents scowl at the idea of putting in the air conditioners and the shade of the trees loses its charm when I can no longer enjoy the evening temperature drop off as the mosquitoes stake their claim on my ankles and arms.

This, coinciding with my continued subscription to Vogue that I can't seem to run away from, without fail stirs up the materialistic creature purring in the depths of my well-stocked closet. First, too lazy to leave the house in search of satiation, I ransack my mother's wardrobe even though I already know what's there. Half of what I wear the most now is hers anyway. My search for the navy blue sweater with the perfect amount of box in the shoulders was futile. My house seems to eat up clothes.

Now I've suddenly developed the urge to update my makeup inventory, which I have to say is rather pitiable. Yesterday the kind people at abc.com provided my eyes with an attractive ad for the makeup artist collaborations with Target. Afterall, Target is where I first discovered the UK brand Boots. Jemma Kid, Napoleon Perdis and Petra Strand are all happy accomplices with the fancy mart called "tar-jé" with a variety of decent products but should I really be paying $20 for cheek tint? Yes I understand its aloe vera based but aren't these things supposed to be more affordable when you've got the red and white bullseye on your side?

Then again I know next to nothing about makeup. My entire inventory is borrowed save the one foundation that I live by - Almay's magical smart shade foundation. Lip and eyes add up to under $30. I have one shade of peach blush that I use from a pallette from lord knows how many christmases ago... I don't think expensive makeup makes a difference, but all the same a decent copper eyeshadow, some brown liner and mascara and an actual separate blush couldn't hurt right? Perhaps I'll do as the parisian girls do and leave my makeup subtle but tease my hair like mad. I will have to work on a sufficient cigarette replacement to achieve the limp hand.

Kollaboration New York 2009

[Photo courtesy of Paul Kim for Massive Photography. See the youtube video of my performance here!]

Kollaboration New York was one of the coolest things I've done in a long time, and for the first time I truly realized how supportive and cool the Asian American community is here. I have all sorts of mushy gushy feelings for you golden coloured ones, and I am proud to call you my brethren. Basically Kollaboration is an orgiastic showcase of up and coming asian american artists around the U.S. in which people dress up in gladiator costumes and fight to the death contestants compete for a cash monay prize.

'Twas the 27th of June on a pleasantly hot New York day. I arrived at 11 am for my soundcheck for the 8 pm show. fml. No it was cool. In my off time I made the mistake of trying Dunkin' Donut's egg white sandwich, hung out with Marie Choi's band boys, bought a bilingual version of Les Femmes Savantes by Molière at La Librarie de France in Rockefeller Center (which closes in September wahhh), discovered that Pedelson's closed, ate a subway sandwich and had me some times with Alex of our youtube video fame in Washington Square park.

Next we did a red carpet. It was all shipped in from Caleefornia (d'après Arnold) and in front of one of those white tarps with logos. The level of hardcorety made me real nervous in front of the cams and my smile was that convulsing smile you get when you smile while nervous and I couldn't move my arm from its stupid akimbo position but alas at least it wasn't outside in public. The abcnews.com/allkpop interview was amusing. Among the usual questions musicians are posed there was the "what's your favorite asian food" question. I believe I actually ended the interview with "SIGN ME", with every intention to address the record companies that I mean to whore myself out to later this year.

Although I didn't actually introduce myself, Yin Chang of bespectacled fame on Gossip Girl was a total sweetheart and brought her adorable siblings and mother along to watch. She also looked smokin' hot and definitely a lot prettier in person without the rediculous nerd glasses. I rather fancied telling her I once upon a time got a call back for her part during the Kati Farkas era of token asian girl on Gossip Girl, but then I found myself irrelevent and digressed. Besides it's Nan Zhang I should smite. Just kidding let's have tea sometime.

The show itself was incredible - NYU's Skirballs center was sold out and the 800 people made quite the energetic audience. The comic relief in the form of PK and Eliot Chang made me pee my Cheap Mondays several times over, which was bad because they're white. The jeans that is. Everyone sounded or danced fabulously from what we could tell from the rehearsal room screen. I had the good fortune of meeting Alfa, this seriously talented girl who sounds like Sarah Borellis and is terrifyingly like myself in life situation. Bollywood Axion and Project D were crazy free stylin' and sweating up a storm. If you want to know what Bhangra freestyling is like, you can't. It's indescribable happiness in dance form.

In the end we did a tribute to Michael Jackson, and COBU, a traditional Japanese dance group, took home the big ass check. The afterparty at newly opened Hells Kitchen was a bit of a bust since the free beer and soju didn't show up, so I dragged my new Korean posse to Beatrice only to discovered it had closed. We ended up at Pop burger - which houses delicious but rul expensive burgers, fries, shakes etc. Ok fine... the fries were worth it. There was also a club in da back.. which was odd for a burger joint.

All in all, awesomeness. Thanks Kollaboration! Who knows.. maybe I'll be the next BoA.

In other awesomeness, my myspace likes to be clicked.