Paradise

At one point of my life, I thought I wanted a career in the music industry. Not as a musician, but as a writer or producer or scout or something. Music was such a huge part of my life and it saved me basically. But around 2008, I became lazy and was content with the same old bands. You can call it loyalty or laziness. I just know I need to be more active! With Spotify and Songza, I really should be thrilled to discover new music. I recently discovered Paradise by Wild Nothing, starring Michelle Williams and her super adorable platinum blonde pixie. I love that the band falls under the genre of dream pop. That just sounds so wonderful. And I love their new album Nocturne and the dreamy album cover. I need to listen to new music and watch more music videos in general. I want to go to more shows - I feel so alive when I listen to live music. I love the experience of being a part of something beautiful, but it only lasts thirty minutes to an hour. You're there in that moment, you know it's going to end soon, but you just want it to last. That's why I love live music. It makes me feel infinite.

March

March just flew by and I totally forgot to do one of these posts last week. We're one week into April already, it's freaking me out a little. But that means the weather should start warming up! I'm just really looking forward to cherry blossom season. I got back to New York on the 12th and I couldn't believe how cold it still was - it even snowed a few times. I'm really glad I got to do so much when I was in Hong Kong. I think I only spent a total of three days at home in the five weeks I was in Hong Kong. I got to eat really well, so I've completely spoiled my palette. I refuse to eat Chinese food in New York now. Sorry, but if you're from Hong Kong, you'd understand. Got to celebrate a few birthdays - lots of March babies: Diana, Skye, Sasha, Vicky! Lots of love! I'm looking forward to blog more and post Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China photos this week. Hello spring!

1. agnès b. FLEURISTE !! at IFC, Hong Kong. I love flowers. I could spend all day at a flower shop if I could!
2. I was heartbroken when I missed the Regarding Warhol exhibit at the Met last winter (I had a somewhat valid reason). So I was so happy when I found out there was a Warhol Exhibit in Hong Kong.
3. COS is my new favorite brand; sadly it's not yet available in the U.S. Soon though! Soon!
4. Violet and Rose flavored macarons from Mio Miko.
5. Really glad I made it back to New York in time to see the Matisse: In Search of True Painting exhibit. Although, I was slightly unimpressed with the way they curated the exhibit. But I love Matisse with all my heart.
6. Stanley Kubrick Film Festival at IFC Center (New York) from March 20th-28th. I got to see A Clockwork Orange and The Shining (again, but first time at the cinema)!
7. Still snowing in March.
8. Brunch meet up and catch up at Lokal with Inez.
9. Easter brunch at Jones Wood Foundry with Sasha. Good olde English food.
10. Latte art at Variety Cafe.
11. New glasses 2013. People really seem to like this pair! I just wanted grey frames.
12. Goodbye Hong Kong, mom and dad and friends, thanks for everything! See you next time.

Sweet Nothing

"It's more satisfying when you're pursuing something. It's like chasing a girl or something. It's way more satisfying if you put in a year's worth of effort of chasing and then you get the result, you get the vocal."

—Harris on working with Welch

Sweet Nothing by Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch is the perfect musical collaboration! I can't believe I just discovered this a few days ago. I added 18 Months on my Spotify playlist, but I never listened to the album. I only discovered this song when I was randomly looking at the Top 100 Billboard Playlist. At first this song may seem like a typical electronica dance song, but the lyrics and the beats together make such a powerful and emotional song. Calvin is a master with beats and Florence's voice is so hauntingly beautiful. As cheesy as this sounds, but this collaboration is a match made in heaven. This music video, directed by Vincent Haycock, made me cry and I was watching it at Little Fox Cafe, cutest coffee shop ever! I don't care if I cry in public! The song speaks to me on so many levels and it makes me happy to know that an electronica song could have so much depth and meaning.

You took my heart and you held it in your mouth
And with a word all my love came rushing out
And every whisper, it's the worst,
Emptied out by a single word
There is a hollow in me now

So I put my faith in something unknown
I'm living on such sweet nothing
But I'm tired of hope with nothing to hold
I'm living on such sweet nothing

And it's hard to learn
And it's hard to love
When you're giving me such sweet nothing
Sweet nothing, sweet nothing
You're giving me such sweet nothing

It isn't easy for me to let it go
Cause I've swallowed every single word
And every whisper, every sigh
Eats away this heart of mine
And there is a hollow in me now

And it's not enough to tell me that you care
When we both know the words are empty air
You give me nothing

Maria Sibylla Merian

If I had any control or say, in my next life I would love to be a scientist. Sadly, in this life, I don't have the mental capacity for it. I'm definitely more right brained, therefore, I'm more creatively inclined (that was slightly redundant). Thanks to the ever informative Google Doodles, I discovered Maria Sibylla Merian (2 April 1647 – 13 January 1717). She was a naturalist and scientific illustrator and was known for her documentation of butterfly metamorphosis. I'd say 80% of the time, I click on the Google Doodle, especially if the illustration interests me. In the case of Merian, her illustration immediately grabbed my attention. I love discovering new things or rather people of the past who made a huge contribution to science and art.

I think art and science have a complementary relationship, demonstrated in Merian's illustrative style and subject. I'm always fascinated by women artists of the past. It was Merian's stepfather Jacob Marrel who encouraged her to draw and paint. Her favorite subject matters were botany and entomology, sadly, I'm most afraid of insects. It was unusual for someone to be interested in insects, she was the first naturalists to observe them directly. Nevertheless, I love her visual style. I love the idea of metamorphosis and how it applies to human beings. We all go through many phases in our lives, we have to adapt to all kinds of situations, we're constantly growing, changing, evolving... at least hopefully we are. I think I've grown up a lot over the years. With the help of photo documentation, I can see how I've physically changed over the years. I've also been writing a memoir, which allows me to revisit all my happiest, saddest and angriest memories.

I love that art can evoke so much emotion and that's one of my goals as an artist, writer and filmmaker. I always wanted to be an artist or rather a painter and illustrator as a child, but I never pursued it because I was self conscious. Eventually, I discovered my love for films and realized my desire to be a filmmaker. I think filmmaking suits me best, since it combines everything from storytelling, visuals, sound, music into a single art form. I can best express myself with all these mediums and translate my idea into an actual physical form. I just love finding inspiration in my surroundings. Thanks to the internet, it is so easy to educate yourself. I am looking forward to collecting more books and building a library like in Beauty and the Beast!

Enjoy the stunning illustration of Maria Sibylla Merian! Happy 366th Birthday!

I Love It!

I LOVE IT! But I don't love it when I discover awesome songs months after it was released! Can I be best friends with these girls, please? This music video is so much fun. I want to have this much fun every day! This song makes me love life! Life's a party, without drugs and alcohol! Which reminds me, my amazing photographer friend Caro Ramirez and I have decided to co-write a book. 365 days of creativity, fun and memories. More on that later! Happy April, everyone!