Archives For January 2013

Over the years there has been some outstanding whiteboard marker illustration videos, like Drive: The Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us [1], Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson, or variations like James & Amy’s Electric Fence [MV] (drawn by James Cooper).

Spanish artist Pablo Morales de los Rios takes a look at the history of music and lays it out all on the table.

It’s a thing of beauty.

jk-is-coming

My big bro is coming to visit me!

As you all know, I haven’t seen my Vancouver friends in 6 years or longer. Up until last year, when I got to see some of them in Seoul [1], but these last few days, my friend’s wife was machinating his coming to Peru for his birthday, and he finally found out!

So I’m marking my calendar down!

TINY-G’s concept is funny. Short girls, who don’t fit he Korean girl group standard of being 1.60m in height at least, are put together. They’re all 18 except for the member who is 15 (the short-haired one). And it doesn’t hurt that they’re all super cute in a non-lolita way. They wear super baggy clothing and look more like they can pull a prank on you than put a move on a guy.

As far as Korean pop music concepts, it doesn’t hurt.

Their latest single, MINIMANIMO [MV], is quite catchy. However, I’m most taken aback by the non-speaking member Mint, from Thailand. So she’s still learning to speak Korean (very well a commendable choice), I wouldn’t even mind at all if TINY-G ever decided to drop a whole verse in Thai just for kicks in one of their future singles.

Having said that, I’m crazy for Mint’s hair. It looks flawless. And she seems to be the shortest one. She’s already become my bias in a group I don’t really have a bias for.

I never thought I would see the day when Nicole Kidman would USAGI [1]. On a red carpet… posing for hundreds of red carpet photographers and for all of us to see. I LOVE IT.

Nicole Kidman + Tom Hooper at SAG Awards 2013

For years now, I stopped my mandatory affair with Internet Explorer — since I went in to work with web, in fact. It’s also been years since I last used Firefox because it had been too chunky, so Chrome had been my choice of browser. I don’t know if I could go back, EVER. Maybe. If the signs were right. Still, my inability to care for IE doesn’t hamper how nostalgic this commercial was.

And mother of gawd~ Tamagotchi.

And I effing worked Logo Writer. xD

I’ve watched this performance — specifically this performance — of La Solitudine a few couple of times because I’m astonished by Laura Pausini and Lara Fabian’s voice combination.

A little part of me regrets never attending a Laura Pausini concert. I love Pausini’s voice, but at the same time most of her songs sound a lot similar to me — like, I can’t tell them apart. I know I should sit myself and just give it all a listen, the same with Lara Fabian’s full discography. Believe, I try to do that as often as I can.

A multicultural music list is brewing in my head.

In the style of Comic Book Meets Western, Brazilian-born Edson Oda has a young mercenary hired to kill Death. Outstanding, fresh and very creative.

Someone even uploaded it on YouTube.

YouTube recommendations worked for once! I ran into this pretty complete compilation of Brown Eyed Girls throughout the years, since their beginnings in 2006. As you may know or not, I discovered BEG from Abracadabra [1] and didn’t appreciate their first two albums completely — I liked them, but just liked them — until my trip to Taiwan when I spent most of my highway time listening to them.

However, I haven’t actually bothered to look for Brown Eyed Girls performances throughout the years, so I was astonished to actually SEE how much they’ve changed physically. I knew that JeA, Miryo… and specially Narsha had talked about the things they got done, as they often point out the struggle GaIn had to go through for not accepting to undergo whatever their label wanted her to go through. I had seen the photos and some of the old music videos, but to actually see them perform and SEE — it’s shocking.

I also respect their honesty on the subject.

I’m also SHOCKED at the part where Miryo kinda reminded me of Bibi, with the hair and the geeky getup, included geeky glasses and all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8mmM6JJ4LE

I can’t exactly remember when was the first time I listened to Faith Hill (unlike my Dixie Chicks story), but I’m certain it was because of Breathe. I bought the album on that same trip, and I remember being incredibly excited for the Grammy that year when Faith performed the song and I was in L.A. at a mere distance from the Staple Center.

Stalkery (and voyeuristic) feelings aside. I just really REALLY loved the song and the music video was sooooooooooooooooooo simple but it was just- you know -good to look at. There’s just a few music videos where I would allow just looking at beautiful people, and this one is one of them. The other one that comes immediately to mind is Sinéad O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U [MV].

Now it seems most music videos aim for the shock factor, and I really can’t blame them. We’ve got the attention span of a goldfish.

Also, Faith Hill’s got a new album coming out this year!!! After the release of Fireflies in 2005, I’ve been deprived of much country music.

Cloud Atlas was one of my highlight movies of 2012 [1] given that’s been a meh year — don’t fight me, less than 10% of the films I watched this past 2012 were rated higher than 8 on IMDb. So I’ve been waiting for its release on Bluray because I haven’t heard of theater releases in my country. The rumor I had heard was that it was going to get a release by February 5th, which of course it’s my birthday x)

To top it all, it appears Cloud Atlas its making its push in Mainland China with my favorite girl, BiBi doing a song. And another song featuring a bunch of artists [1].

On first listen the song, titled Under the Stars (星空之下), is so-so. But on further replays, I really like the verses, more so than the chorus. Of course I think pushing Cloud Atlas with a pop song seems completely misplaced considering how awesome the soundtrack to the movie is, but I’m game. I hope it’s a hit in China so it can recoup its missing budget, as it deserves more positive vibes than it has gotten.