Ok I don't often check my hotmail because it's full of spam and makes me feel inadequate about my less than 12 inch penis. jasehoon@gmail.com is the place to go. Hooked you up. That said, I've just read some great news - Sarah and Geoff are engaged! Love is in the air - I tell you, it's something about Spring that makes you feel alive...unless you suffer from hayfever.
Anyway, congratulations you two crazy kids, please don't make me wear a suit to your wedding.
In a competitive job market, everybody understands the need to make your CV strand out. But one Yale student has taken that to rather extreme lengths, sending prospective employers a seven-minute long motivational video - that's become the laughing stock of Wall Street.
Aleksey Vayner's glorious video tribute to how awesome he is, titled 'Impossible Is Nothing', was forwarded around New York's major investment banks, after he submitted it to financial services firm UBS AG.
A copy of his resume is found here - http://www.ivygateblog.com/images/vayner.pdf
New Shins album Wincing the Night Away, new Califone album Roots and Crowns, and possibly a new Modest Mouse album early next year? Oh Lord, sometimes you spoil me.
Fashion Predictions for this Spring/Summer + Rules
One of my littler known interests is fashion. "Of course it's little known, you dress so terribly". I resent that madam. I could never convince anyone I'm any sort of metrosexual, but I do realise the importance of looking good when you have to, as should anyone who wants to get anywhere in this world. Unfortunately I was granted only average looks like the most of us, so I have to make up for it with a knowledge of what looks good and what doesn't. Fashion also makes for an interesting post that otherwise deviates from the main topics, "Things on the internet that are funny" and "Things in the world that are bad", as well as the ever popular "The difference between XYZ". I'm by no means calling myself a fashion guru by the way - I can of course, be totally wrong. However, it's relatively easy to predict future fashions - I just see how they dress in the US. The only weird thing is that sometimes fashions can suddenly sweep the globe, including this Australia, and other times it takes years for fashions to gain popularity here, if at all. I also probably should've stated these predictions during winter, since some of them are starting to show already - but you can say I was right at least (assuming I'm not completely off the mark)!
Firstly of course these predictions are general in nature. There are always several rules I keep in mind when deciding what I need to get if upgrading my wardrobe.
1) Not all fashions will look good on you. Be honest with your body and dress appropriately. A skinny guy like myself would never wear overly baggy clothes, and a rotund guy or girl should never wear skin tight. For women especially, be honest with your size. I'm sure its nice to tell everyone you're a size whatever, but when those jeans are so tight on you it creates an overflow of flab (also known as a 'muffin top'), you'll actually look fatter than what you really are.
2) Don't simply wear something because its fashionable, even if you hate it. If you don't feel comfortable in what you're wearing, it's just going to be detrimental in the long run. It may be fashionable to show off a lot leg (oh how fashionable!), but if you're going to feel self conscious and act like a nervous wreck all day. Not to mention if you just hate the look full stop. Example: you will hardly ever see me in jeans.
3) Don't buy 'instafad' clothing you'll never wear in the future. Not only is it an expensive exercise, more importantly, it's going to be time consuming to constantly buy up to date clothing. If you're like me who hates shopping for clothes, this will be a big issue. If you're like a billion other women who are avid worshippers of the shopping gods...well..ignore. I favour timeless classical clothing that survives fashion fads, yet giving it a modern spin to keep it up with the times. Simple design tshirts, polos and jeans are such examples. I tend to favour a well made shirt also, though my fashion preferences can be abit electic at times.
For now lets all pause to spare a thought to all the males who embraced the oh-so brief pink phase, clothing which they now hide away from sight, never to see the light of day again. And lastly:
4) For the men: Call me old fashioned, but the only ornamentation a guy should wear is a watch, a necklace maybe and a ring if engaged or married. Rings (that don't fit in the aforementioned category), bangles, arm/wristbands and dear god piercings are a no no. As for the watch, try to get a nice looking analogue watch for everyday use, and a dressier one for a night out. Digital watches are for 8 year olds or if you're working somewhere dirty and you just need some kind easy access to the time. Otherwise, stay away.
For the trends:
Women: For tops the ubiquitious slim fit tshirt and those retro puffy blouse, coupled by slim fit jeans and tennis sneakers, most probably Converse. Polka dots will reign supreme, though very small polka dots as opposed to the large ones of yesteryear. Slim fit jeans can be replaced with short shorts, with a broad belt or sash buckled at the waist. Shoes can be replaced with those retro slip ons too (sorry I have no idea what they're called). Finish off with suitably over sized sunglasses. For a night out probably the jeans, though a dress will be just as popular, polka dotted or not. General design will favour solid blocks of soda pop colour, like light yellows, greens and orange(s), both bright as well as muted.
Men: Mens fashions don't tend to change all that much. The old t-shirt and jeans will still be the main stay. Slim fit or not, t-shirt colours will also be solid blocks of soda pop colours. Jeans will favour more fitting jeans as opposed to baggy ones, though most men should stay away from slim fit, especially if super skinny. Polos will still be ok, though once again soda pop colours. Polos will tend to favour very broad stripes in keeping with the solid blocks trend. Sunnies will favour bigger sizes too. Watch for a return in popularity with aviators for both men and women (not that aviators really went out of fashion, classics as they are), though probably more modern/alternative takes on the classic. Khakis and chinos may make a showing, though that will probably be next year. Oh, casual tennis shoes are the way to go too - probably the ubiquitious Converse.
Ok, that's all the fashion talk you're going to get out of me!
P.S - I updated the sidebar with more links. If you've wondered sometimes where I find my weird music from, Cokemachine Glow, Stereogum and Daytrotter are all good sources, as well as the ever so popular Pitchfork Media.
I don't normally watch 60 Minutes (my opinion of this show is a matter of public record), but I decided to watch the interview with the American deserted who lived in N Korea for over 30 years. When he was reciting the North Korean texts the N Koreans made him memorise, it touched me. The way he rushed out the words like he was trying to spit it out of him as fast as he could. The pained expression on his face as he recited those words, the way his eyes took on a haunting far sighted look, where you could tell he was in another place, in another time, all those years ago. You could almost hear the echoes of a thousand beatings. You can see the emotion when he tells the reporter how he tells how his Japanese wife that had been forced to marry him chose to stay with him despite him telling her it was ok to leave him. And lastly, his emotional reunion with his mother. It really struck a chord in me last night.
HOLY CRAP this is the best video ever. Don't entertain thoughts of not watching this video. Destroy that urge. Crush that urge with the wrath of a thousand suns.
Paris Hilton - Nothing in this World Music Video (NEW)
I think the message this video is trying to convey is that even losers can get beautiful girls like Paris Hilton. Where it fails is that it ignores the fact that there aren't very many guys left on this planet who haven't fucked Paris Hiilton. Like Bigfoot. Or undiscovered tribes hidden in the Amazon. There's also some references to The Girl Next Door so maybe she's implying she used to do porno. It's a bold move to combine the creative vision of a music video with the truthfulness of a documentary.
Went to Scott's bucks night on Saturday night, which was quite enjoyable I must say. It appears that as a buck (and a relatively young one at that) it entitles you to behaviour that probably wouldn't be acceptable normally, very much like a last meal before being stood up against the wall with a blindfold and cigarette. The wedding is next Saturday, and it goes without saying that I wish him all the best upon this (hopefully) lifelong adventure of love and servitude. Oh yeah, Peter also salvaged a disco-ball from a bin behind Black Betty's. Score
Anyway, there's a lot of drama now what with N Korea successfully joining the Nuclear club (but still not as impressive as the Mile High Club), sending doomsday prophets into a frenzy over images of impending nuclear war. I'm a cynicist, as you all might know, but in the end, Islamic fundamentalism and nuclear proliferation will end. You know how I know? Asides from a longwinded rant about the benefits of capitalism, I offer this very cute photo of Rachel Bilson. Seriously. How freaking adorable is she. The only thing more adorable than her would be if a baby was surrounded by panda cubs, and the baby played with the panda cubs followed by a tiger cub brought flowers to the baby in its mouth, all set to the tunes of cuppycake. And even then only just. Once terrorists/North Koreans see what they're missing they'll come over in droves. That's a lock.
P.S - Seriously. Look at those eskimos on her PJs. Eskimos.
I don't know, but whether she scraped or copped or just ran her tab around the world and into her own back, it must have been grand
Brick is the story of murder, betrayal, of double crosses and intrigue. It is classic film noir - with a twist. It's set in a high school. Set in a high school? Sounds tacky right? I first came across this movie almost 6 months ago. Looking through Apple Trailers, I clicked on the trailer for Brick (here). It drew me in, unlike the other, slicker trailers on the site. Maybe it was the main character, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (of Third Rock from the Sun/ 10 Things I Hate About You fame). Maybe it was the haunting minimalist theme song. Maybe it was the premise, the setting. I think it was all three. Either way, it drew my attention, surprising because traditionally I have no interest in crime movies/thrillers. I visited the website, and from there I was hooked. It looked original, fresh, and it became one of my most anticipated movies of the year. While it was released in the States back in April, it has only been released here in Australia about 3 weeks ago, relegated to showings at the Luna Cinemas, which I largely missed due to the cinema and the lack of interest from my dear friends and family. I was content to wait until the dvd came out. Last thursday, purely by chance, I came across an imported dvd of it in Empire Toys, a lair of kooky geekdom frequented only by nerds and goths of varying shapes and sizes (well, 2 - stick thin or portly/fat). Don't ask me how I know of the place. I eagerly bought it straight away, paying the exorbitant asking price of 50 dollars. Unfortunately due to other commitments I only managed to get to watch it last friday, in the late hours of the night. I loved every minute of it.
The plot is classic noir, a murder, an unknown killer, a determined investigator, criminal and judicial factions and a plot full of twists and turns, all with the ubiquitious femme fatales thrown in the mix. The dialogue is top notch, with the main character Brendan (played by Levitt) delivering lines of keen wit and intelligence, though the dialogue is equally top notch for the other characters. The acting is also surprisingly good considering most actors in the movie were making their film debuts,with Levitt displaying a surprising (for me at least) and impressive acting range, ranging from anger, determination, to near deathly collapse, coughing and gagging near the end. The setting is genius, making you wonder why no one ever thought of it before. While there was a huge risk in the choice of setting, (the wrong approach can make it tacky and derivative, a danger for noir films, which set great emphasis on the setting to convey the plot), the writers have implemented it well, creating a believable environment where the story unfolds. The music is of course great, though you won't pay much attention to it due to the riveting plot of the story. I think one of the best things about the movie is the noir slang that goes into the movie. The writing is of such high degree, and the acting skilled, that it flows seamlessly instead of being disjointed and forced, as it might've been. "Duck soup", "the bull", "Taking a powder", these slang terms are of classic noir style, and really build an atmosphere that helps in the telling of the story. This movie immersed me so much that when the end came, I was surprised at how fast the time had gone by. I don't think I've been this drawn to a movie since Donnie Darko (another great midnight movie of fevered ingenuity). The only problems I could see from this movie is that it's not a movie that you can just zone out on, as attention is required to what the characters are saying to follow what can be outwardly a complex plot. The slang may also be hard to follow, especially since the seamless way it flows from the actor's mouth means that it can often slip past you. Overall, I had high expectations for the movie and I wasn't disappointed, a testament to the quality of the movie.
