My top eleven resolutions for the year 0-11 (not in any particular order):
11. Be nice to my long suffering mother, who has a son who wouldn't listen to her. All the poor woman wants is to see her son marry and have kids. It's not rocket science.
10. Be more present. I am always drifting off into the abyss when I am talking with people. I think people might be on to me.
9. Exercise more. I really should, knowing that I have "issues."
8. Eat more healthfully and smaller portion. I really should eat half of what's put in front of me.
7. Read. It's pathetic that I only finished one book this past year.
6. Go and get her. Hey Jude.
5. Stop buying crap off the internet. Granted - I am going to buy the new iPad when it comes out, but other than that, I really need to control myself. I honestly do not need to participate in every sale there is.
4. Have a positive attitude. Or more like, stop hating everything, including myself. Low self-esteem is not very becoming. And besides, life is not that bad.
3. Develop my photography skills.
2. Write. I am actually kinda excited cuz I finally have a story that to me is quite interesting and has a lot of potential. The idea actually came upon me just a few nights back. I am kinda brainstorming right now, but I will put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) tomorrow on Chapter 1.
1. Help someone. I really, really want to do some good in this world. I just haven't found my way. But every time I watch some ordinary people doing extraordinary things on Oprah (like this janitor who uses her own salary to help the kids in her school), I just wish I could do my part. But what is my cause? What do I care about other than myself???
So, boo-yah, 2010! See ya. I am gonna own this next year like it's my bitch. And stop talking like a poser gangsta.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
bests and worsts
Random bests and worsts of 2010:
Worst natural disaster: Haiti earthquake
Worst man-made disaster: BP's Gulf of Mexico three-month oil spill
Best sports team win for a sports I don't give a damn about: Scrappy Giants winning World Series
Best example of how you cannot keep a good athlete down: Return of Wes Welker of my Patriots
Worst example of how you cannot keep a dog killer down: Return of Michael Vick
Best blog: Film Experience Blog
Worst tv show I've never watched a full episode of: The Real Housewives of Something, Keeping Up with Anything about the Kardashians, and Jersey Shore (three-way tie)
Best real life event for tv movie adaptation: Chilean miner rescue
Worst Princess Diana stand-in: Kate Middleton
Best (or worst, same difference) Showgirl stand-in: Burlesque
Best discovery: Garrett Hedlund as a country singer
Best evolution from child star to future A-list actress: Emma Watson
Best evolution from child star to soon-to-be Oscar winning actress: Natalie Portman (she'll win for Black Swan, but what'll she wear to work with that baby bump?)
Worst cheater: Tiger Woods and Jesse James, tied
Best class act: Sandra Bullock
Best second wind: Betty White
Worst second wind: Cloris Leachman
Best drool-worthy invention: iPad (I am so getting one when the next generation comes out)
Best/worst splurge of the year: My BMW
Worst nightmare come true: Got drafted for review at work requiring at least six weeks of travel
Worst overexposure: Lady Gaga - enough already; her explanation of the meat dress on Ellen is non-sensical and exposes to me that, contrary to public belief, there is no art/substance behind the weirdness
Worst loss of a legend: JD Salinger
Best Korean I've never heard of til this year: Kim Yu-Na
Worst Korean I've never heard of til this year: Kim Jon-Un
Worst decline of a show I liked not too long ago: Glee (the writing is just so uneven, and the characters increasingly unlikable)
Worst gay: Kurt/Chris Colfer on Glee (so freaking whiny and tortured)
Best gay: Blaine/Darren Criss on Glee, particularly the two minutes when he is performing Teenage Dream
Worst sequel to a good movie: Iron Man 2
Best two-plus hours spent: Watching Billy Elliot the musical on Broadway in NYC
Best color: Orange
Best breakout, female: Emma Stone in Easy A
Best breakout, male: Tom Hardy in Inception
Worst breakouts: Jayden Smith and Willow Smith - dang, they spawn
Best scene, fictional: Joseph Gordon Levitt anti-gravity scene in Inception
Best scene, reality show: Watermelon sling on Amazing Race 17
Best freakout: Steven Slater of Jet Blue
Worst freakout: Mel Gibson
Worst literary phenomenon I don't get: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Millennium series by Stieg Larsson
Best literary pheonmenon I know nothing about: The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Best music video: Arcade Fire, We Used To Wait
Best tv series not from America: Skins
Best tv series I forgot to put on my top ten list: So You Think You Can Dance
Worst curse: All the troubles befalling on The Hobbit production
Worst curse part deux: All the troubles befalling on Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark production
Best food trend: Food trucks
Best food truck: Biryani Cart in Manhattan NYC
Best customer service: Dexter from Schweetboks
Worst customer service: Shuttle driver/asshole on trip from hotel to JFK in May
Worst use of Johnny Depp: Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist, tied
Best use of a few minutes on screen: Rooney Mara in The Social Network
Best use of time: James Franco, who acts in soaps, makes movies, write books, goes to college, guest stars on sitcoms, hosts Oscars, and cuts off his arms in 127 hours.
Best Oprah giveaway: VW Beetle to every audience member
Worst Oprah giveaway: Free flight to Australia to every audience member, but piloted by...John Travolta (I mean, flying is scary enough - I don't have the utmost confidence in crossing the ocean with a celebrity pilot. Granted, if Oprah is on the flight, it's probably like flying in Air Force One.)
Best onscreen couple: Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine
Best drink: Horchata, especially in December
Best musical news about 2011: Fiona Apple is back!!!
Best movie news about 2011: That it's only one year away from 2012, which is when The Hobbit and The Dark Knight Rises are coming!!!!!!
Worst natural disaster: Haiti earthquake
Worst man-made disaster: BP's Gulf of Mexico three-month oil spill
Best sports team win for a sports I don't give a damn about: Scrappy Giants winning World Series
Best example of how you cannot keep a good athlete down: Return of Wes Welker of my Patriots
Worst example of how you cannot keep a dog killer down: Return of Michael Vick
Best blog: Film Experience Blog
Worst tv show I've never watched a full episode of: The Real Housewives of Something, Keeping Up with Anything about the Kardashians, and Jersey Shore (three-way tie)
Best real life event for tv movie adaptation: Chilean miner rescue
Worst Princess Diana stand-in: Kate Middleton
Best (or worst, same difference) Showgirl stand-in: Burlesque
Best discovery: Garrett Hedlund as a country singer
Best evolution from child star to future A-list actress: Emma Watson
Best evolution from child star to soon-to-be Oscar winning actress: Natalie Portman (she'll win for Black Swan, but what'll she wear to work with that baby bump?)
Worst cheater: Tiger Woods and Jesse James, tied
Best class act: Sandra Bullock
Best second wind: Betty White
Worst second wind: Cloris Leachman
Best drool-worthy invention: iPad (I am so getting one when the next generation comes out)
Best/worst splurge of the year: My BMW
Worst nightmare come true: Got drafted for review at work requiring at least six weeks of travel
Worst overexposure: Lady Gaga - enough already; her explanation of the meat dress on Ellen is non-sensical and exposes to me that, contrary to public belief, there is no art/substance behind the weirdness
Worst loss of a legend: JD Salinger
Best Korean I've never heard of til this year: Kim Yu-Na
Worst Korean I've never heard of til this year: Kim Jon-Un
Worst decline of a show I liked not too long ago: Glee (the writing is just so uneven, and the characters increasingly unlikable)
Worst gay: Kurt/Chris Colfer on Glee (so freaking whiny and tortured)
Best gay: Blaine/Darren Criss on Glee, particularly the two minutes when he is performing Teenage Dream
Worst sequel to a good movie: Iron Man 2
Best two-plus hours spent: Watching Billy Elliot the musical on Broadway in NYC
Best color: Orange
Best breakout, female: Emma Stone in Easy A
Best breakout, male: Tom Hardy in Inception
Worst breakouts: Jayden Smith and Willow Smith - dang, they spawn
Best scene, fictional: Joseph Gordon Levitt anti-gravity scene in Inception
Best scene, reality show: Watermelon sling on Amazing Race 17
Best freakout: Steven Slater of Jet Blue
Worst freakout: Mel Gibson
Worst literary phenomenon I don't get: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Millennium series by Stieg Larsson
Best literary pheonmenon I know nothing about: The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Best music video: Arcade Fire, We Used To Wait
Best tv series not from America: Skins
Best tv series I forgot to put on my top ten list: So You Think You Can Dance
Worst curse: All the troubles befalling on The Hobbit production
Worst curse part deux: All the troubles befalling on Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark production
Best food trend: Food trucks
Best food truck: Biryani Cart in Manhattan NYC
Best customer service: Dexter from Schweetboks
Worst customer service: Shuttle driver/asshole on trip from hotel to JFK in May
Worst use of Johnny Depp: Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist, tied
Best use of a few minutes on screen: Rooney Mara in The Social Network
Best use of time: James Franco, who acts in soaps, makes movies, write books, goes to college, guest stars on sitcoms, hosts Oscars, and cuts off his arms in 127 hours.
Best Oprah giveaway: VW Beetle to every audience member
Worst Oprah giveaway: Free flight to Australia to every audience member, but piloted by...John Travolta (I mean, flying is scary enough - I don't have the utmost confidence in crossing the ocean with a celebrity pilot. Granted, if Oprah is on the flight, it's probably like flying in Air Force One.)
Best onscreen couple: Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine
Best drink: Horchata, especially in December
Best musical news about 2011: Fiona Apple is back!!!
Best movie news about 2011: That it's only one year away from 2012, which is when The Hobbit and The Dark Knight Rises are coming!!!!!!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
they are country strong
Gwyneth's new movie Country Strong is coming out in Jan, and I gotta say, not being a country music fan and all, I am thoroughly impressed by what I am seeing:
Gwyneth singing Country Strong at the CMA Awards:
Garrett Hedlund from Tron singing Chances Are: (The guy supposedly never sang or played guitar prior to this role - dang. Actually he is also going to play Dean Moriarty in On The Road. He is going to be a huge star.)
Garrett with Leighton Meester singing Give In To Me:
Leighton Meester's video for Summer Girl:
Gwyneth singing Country Strong at the CMA Awards:
Garrett Hedlund from Tron singing Chances Are: (The guy supposedly never sang or played guitar prior to this role - dang. Actually he is also going to play Dean Moriarty in On The Road. He is going to be a huge star.)
Garrett with Leighton Meester singing Give In To Me:
Leighton Meester's video for Summer Girl:
it was all a dream
There are plenty of 2010 movies I haven't been able to catch yet, including 127 Hours, The Fighter, Black Swan, Never Let Me Go, and Norwegian Wood (which I probably won't see til way late into next year since we probably won't get a US release here). Regardless, these are my top five movies of 2010:
5. Shutter Island - As was with Inception, I am still not sure what happened at the end. I think I know, but I am not sure. Atmospheric, intense, and superbly acted by the underrated Leo, this kept me edgy and uneasy for the entire movie, and call me crazy (and put me on a loony bin island), but I like it.
4. Toy Story 3 - Touching without being sappy. It's a fine line most Pixar movies are able to walk (and most regular movies can't). Watching Toy Story 3 is like welcoming back old friends from your childhood, or like drinking hot porridge (or hot soup or chocolate if you are not Chinese) when it's freezing old outside.
3. The Social Network - Andrew Garfield (the friend), Rooney Mara (the ex-girlfriend), and the dialogues are the standouts in this. Despite the raving reviews and that it's directed by the sure-hands of David Fincher, I actually didn't expect to like this, but yeah, it was compelling storytelling, and does effectively make me hate Facebook, Harvard (and Ivy League colleges in general), and Sean Parker. Oh, how I hate Sean Parker!
2. Kick-Ass - Hit Girl is the best female character in all of this year. I want to adopt her.
1. Inception - It's got Leo, JGL, Tom Hardy, AND Marion Cotillard, and it's by one of my favorite directors ever. This one would have been a major letdown if it didn't work. But it turned out to be a dreamy, mesmerizing, thrilling, and confusing masterwork. I don't care that I don't completely get it. I never care about things like that. I just care that it took me for a ride, and I loved every subconscious minute of it.
Speaking of dreams, last night, I dreamed that I was traveling for work with Jasen (whom I actually don't work with, so I have no idea why he was there), and I had forgotten my luggage, including all my toiletries, at home. In the dream, I had supposedly been traveling a lot and was really tired, and the morning I left, I woke up late and ran out of the house for the airport without any luggage and didn't realize it til I was mid-air sitting in my seat. Then, while I was all panicky about what to do about clothes and stuff for the week, the flight attendants brought me back a package that I apparently did bring and asked me to put it under the seat in front of me. The box had sticker on top that said something like "Inspected. No medicine needed. Need to be fed." Inside was, as it turned out, my little kitten (which obviously I don't have in real and don't ever want - not a cat person at all). Sigmund Freud or Christopher Nolan, analyze this. (Bam, I got a Madonna reference in - I am good!)
5. Shutter Island - As was with Inception, I am still not sure what happened at the end. I think I know, but I am not sure. Atmospheric, intense, and superbly acted by the underrated Leo, this kept me edgy and uneasy for the entire movie, and call me crazy (and put me on a loony bin island), but I like it.
4. Toy Story 3 - Touching without being sappy. It's a fine line most Pixar movies are able to walk (and most regular movies can't). Watching Toy Story 3 is like welcoming back old friends from your childhood, or like drinking hot porridge (or hot soup or chocolate if you are not Chinese) when it's freezing old outside.
3. The Social Network - Andrew Garfield (the friend), Rooney Mara (the ex-girlfriend), and the dialogues are the standouts in this. Despite the raving reviews and that it's directed by the sure-hands of David Fincher, I actually didn't expect to like this, but yeah, it was compelling storytelling, and does effectively make me hate Facebook, Harvard (and Ivy League colleges in general), and Sean Parker. Oh, how I hate Sean Parker!
2. Kick-Ass - Hit Girl is the best female character in all of this year. I want to adopt her.
1. Inception - It's got Leo, JGL, Tom Hardy, AND Marion Cotillard, and it's by one of my favorite directors ever. This one would have been a major letdown if it didn't work. But it turned out to be a dreamy, mesmerizing, thrilling, and confusing masterwork. I don't care that I don't completely get it. I never care about things like that. I just care that it took me for a ride, and I loved every subconscious minute of it.
Speaking of dreams, last night, I dreamed that I was traveling for work with Jasen (whom I actually don't work with, so I have no idea why he was there), and I had forgotten my luggage, including all my toiletries, at home. In the dream, I had supposedly been traveling a lot and was really tired, and the morning I left, I woke up late and ran out of the house for the airport without any luggage and didn't realize it til I was mid-air sitting in my seat. Then, while I was all panicky about what to do about clothes and stuff for the week, the flight attendants brought me back a package that I apparently did bring and asked me to put it under the seat in front of me. The box had sticker on top that said something like "Inspected. No medicine needed. Need to be fed." Inside was, as it turned out, my little kitten (which obviously I don't have in real and don't ever want - not a cat person at all). Sigmund Freud or Christopher Nolan, analyze this. (Bam, I got a Madonna reference in - I am good!)
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
the other asian's favorite tv shows
My top ten tv shows of 2010:
10. House Hunters International - It's a rather odd choice. But I really like seeing how people live in other countries and how much it would cost me in my fantasy to move from the US to some remote European countryside and raise European kids and grow olives for a living.
9. Desperate Housewives - Yeah it would be hipper to say Mad Men, Breaking Bad, or True Blood (nope, can't sink my teeth into any of these). Nah, give me a Vanessa Williams-Eva Longoria (minus the Parker) catfight anytime.
8. Community - This is the most brainiac comedy on tv. They fire so many pop culture references at you that you feel like you are in a paintball war. I spent a couple of years in a community college myself, so this reminds me of back in the days when one Christmas, my Spanish study group and I got turned into claymation characters. Ah, good times.
7. Raising Hope - Cloris Leachman's Maw Maw is grotesque and unwatchable, but everything else about this freshman sitcom is endearing and hilarious. Jimmy: Hey, I thought I talked to you about this. You can't smoke around the baby. Virginia: Jimmy, smoke rises. She's not gonna be tall enough to breathe it for a long time. Come on, how can you not love that?
6. Cougartown - These people seriously drink too much, but I guess now I know why white people enjoy alcohol so much - it turns them into really wacky and endearingly neurotic sitcom characters.
5. Modern Family - You need a family sitcom to be likable, and this one is as likable as they come. These are the families you want for your own. But of course, if these people were my family, I would be the adopted Asian kid.
4. Lost - So long, the Hatch. Farewell, the Others. And goodbye, Jack and Kate and Sawyer and Locke and Hurley and the Asian and the other Asian (oops, wrong show). You were like the coolest show ever, and I am not just blowing Smoke Monster up your ass.
3. Conan - I am with Coco. I am so happy for his turning a most crushing blow (getting fired from his dream job, The Tonight Show) into a phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes career move. Once again, every night now, I fall asleep to Conan and Andy's high jinx. Yes, that is me chuckling from under the blanket in the dark at a grouchy Ted Turner riding in on his bull to berate Coco.
2. Better Off Ted - Do I blame America or do I blame the network for the demise of this witty, biting, and hilarious absurdist workplace sitcom, starring a never-better or weirder Portia Di Rossi and charming straight-man Jay Harrington? I think I need to move to a country, or a planet, that appreciates good tv and that would never let a Kardashian or a Snookie become popular tv personalities.
1. Amazing Race - When Chi Young was little, we used to spend every Sunday evening watching Amazing Race, but then he went and grew up and starting doing other things and developing other interests like playing games online. Well, this season, because of the participation of KevJumba, Chi Young began watching with me again. So yeah, Amazing Race is made all the more amazing because now Sunday nights are once again what they used to be. KevJumba and his dad may have gotten eliminated by middle of the season, but Chi Young stayed the whole way through.
10. House Hunters International - It's a rather odd choice. But I really like seeing how people live in other countries and how much it would cost me in my fantasy to move from the US to some remote European countryside and raise European kids and grow olives for a living.
9. Desperate Housewives - Yeah it would be hipper to say Mad Men, Breaking Bad, or True Blood (nope, can't sink my teeth into any of these). Nah, give me a Vanessa Williams-Eva Longoria (minus the Parker) catfight anytime.
8. Community - This is the most brainiac comedy on tv. They fire so many pop culture references at you that you feel like you are in a paintball war. I spent a couple of years in a community college myself, so this reminds me of back in the days when one Christmas, my Spanish study group and I got turned into claymation characters. Ah, good times.
7. Raising Hope - Cloris Leachman's Maw Maw is grotesque and unwatchable, but everything else about this freshman sitcom is endearing and hilarious. Jimmy: Hey, I thought I talked to you about this. You can't smoke around the baby. Virginia: Jimmy, smoke rises. She's not gonna be tall enough to breathe it for a long time. Come on, how can you not love that?
6. Cougartown - These people seriously drink too much, but I guess now I know why white people enjoy alcohol so much - it turns them into really wacky and endearingly neurotic sitcom characters.
5. Modern Family - You need a family sitcom to be likable, and this one is as likable as they come. These are the families you want for your own. But of course, if these people were my family, I would be the adopted Asian kid.
4. Lost - So long, the Hatch. Farewell, the Others. And goodbye, Jack and Kate and Sawyer and Locke and Hurley and the Asian and the other Asian (oops, wrong show). You were like the coolest show ever, and I am not just blowing Smoke Monster up your ass.
3. Conan - I am with Coco. I am so happy for his turning a most crushing blow (getting fired from his dream job, The Tonight Show) into a phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes career move. Once again, every night now, I fall asleep to Conan and Andy's high jinx. Yes, that is me chuckling from under the blanket in the dark at a grouchy Ted Turner riding in on his bull to berate Coco.
2. Better Off Ted - Do I blame America or do I blame the network for the demise of this witty, biting, and hilarious absurdist workplace sitcom, starring a never-better or weirder Portia Di Rossi and charming straight-man Jay Harrington? I think I need to move to a country, or a planet, that appreciates good tv and that would never let a Kardashian or a Snookie become popular tv personalities.
1. Amazing Race - When Chi Young was little, we used to spend every Sunday evening watching Amazing Race, but then he went and grew up and starting doing other things and developing other interests like playing games online. Well, this season, because of the participation of KevJumba, Chi Young began watching with me again. So yeah, Amazing Race is made all the more amazing because now Sunday nights are once again what they used to be. KevJumba and his dad may have gotten eliminated by middle of the season, but Chi Young stayed the whole way through.
Monday, December 20, 2010
christmas lights
This is my xmas playlist this year. There are perennial favorites mixed with a number of new discoveries and new releases. I am rather ambivalent about this time of year. I hate the parking at the malls and long lines everywhere and the winter hiatus all my favorite shows go on. But I love having a break from work, and I love the lights. I seriously love trees decorated with lights. It's magical to me.
| 1 | . | Christmas Lights | Coldplay |
| 2 | . | Baby, It's Cold Outside | Leon Redbone And Zooey Deschanel |
| 3 | . | Frosty The Snowman | Fiona Apple |
| 4 | . | Christmas Isn't Christmas | The Boy Least Likely To |
| 5 | . | It's Christmas | Coconut Records |
| 6 | . | 2000 Miles (The Pretenders Cover) | Coldplay |
| 7 | . | All I Want For Christmas Is New Year's Day | Hurts |
| 8 | . | I Don't Want It To Be Me | Scrooge & Marley |
| 9 | . | Silent Sigh | Badly Drawn Boy |
| 10 | . | River | Travis |
| 11 | . | Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas | Coldplay |
| 12 | . | I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun | Beach House |
| 13 | . | Just Like Christmas | Snow Patrol |
| 14 | . | Last Christmas | Savage Garden |
Sunday, December 19, 2010
oh i wish i had a river
This might be my favorite Christmas song ever - Joni Mitchell's River covered by Travis:
And then there's the Pretender's 2000 Miles covered by Coldplay:
And then there's the Pretender's 2000 Miles covered by Coldplay:
Saturday, December 18, 2010
if it helps you fall in love with me
Here are my top 100 songs of 2010:
| 100 | . | Always | Junip |
| 99 | . | Haven't Met You Yet | Michael Bublé |
| 98 | . | Live Like We're Dying | Kris Allen |
| 97 | . | Just The Way You Are | Bruno Mars |
| 96 | . | Runaway [Explicit] | Kanye West |
| 95 | . | Soldier of Love | Sade |
| 94 | . | The Weary Kind | Ryan Bingham |
| 93 | . | Please Don't Let Me Go | Olly Murs |
| 92 | . | The High Road | Broken Bells |
| 91 | . | Out Of The Walls | Tom McRae |
| 90 | . | You Were a Kindness | The National |
| 89 | . | Saturday Come Slow | Massive Attack (feat. Damon Albarn) |
| 88 | . | I Won't Be Found (Daytrotter Session) | The Tallest Man On Earth |
| 87 | . | Hurtful | Erik Hassle |
| 86 | . | O.N.E. | Yeasayer |
| 85 | . | Animal | Neon Tree |
| 84 | . | All Summer | Kid Cudi, Best Coast and Rostam of VW |
| 83 | . | Heartbreaker | Girls |
| 82 | . | Sleep All Summer | The National & St. Vincent |
| 81 | . | No Surprises | Regina Spektor |
| 80 | . | You And Your Heart | Jack Johnson |
| 79 | . | Golden Haze | Wild Nothing |
| 78 | . | Something Good Can Work | Two Door Cinema Club |
| 77 | . | Wonderful Life | Hurts |
| 76 | . | Not In Love (ft. Robert Smith) | Crystal Castles |
| 75 | . | Thieves In The Night | Hot Chip |
| 74 | . | Ghost Pressure | Wolf Parade |
| 73 | . | Fool's Day | Blur |
| 72 | . | Let's Go Surfing | Drums |
| 71 | . | Boy | Ra Ra Riot |
| 70 | . | Bluish | Sondre Lerche |
| 69 | . | Ambling Alp | Yeasayer |
| 68 | . | Get Outta My Way | Kylie Minogue |
| 67 | . | Home | LCD Soundsystem |
| 66 | . | By Some Miracle | Philip Selway |
| 65 | . | Leave Me Alone | Pretty Good Dance Moves |
| 64 | . | I'm In Love | Antony and the Johnsons |
| 63 | . | Nothin' On You | B.O.B. featuring Bruno Mars |
| 62 | . | She Wolf | Shakira |
| 61 | . | Stylo (feat. Mos Def & Bobby Womack) | Gorillaz |
| 60 | . | Cousins | Vampire Weekend |
| 59 | . | Hot Mess (12 Inch Revised w/La Roux) | Chromeo |
| 58 | . | Erase Me Main | Kid Cudi / Kanye West |
| 57 | . | Lover Of Mine | Beach House |
| 56 | . | Indestructible | Robyn |
| 55 | . | Billionaire (Feat. Bruno Mars) | Travie McCoy |
| 54 | . | World Sick | Broken Social Scene |
| 53 | . | Me and You | She & Him |
| 52 | . | The Cave | Mumford and Sons |
| 51 | . | Great Big Mind | Josh Ritter |
| 50 | . | Shark In the Water | V.V. Brown |
| 49 | . | Tightrope (Feat. Big Boi) | Janelle Monáe |
| 48 | . | Grenade | Bruno Mars |
| 47 | . | Go Do | JĂłnsi |
| 46 | . | Don't Turn The Lights On | Chromeo |
| 45 | . | Hang With Me | Robyn |
| 44 | . | Somebody To Love Me | Mark Ronson & The Business Intl |
| 43 | . | Love the Way You Lie | Eminem, featuring Rihanna |
| 42 | . | Fuck You | Cee-Lo Green |
| 41 | . | Call Your Girlfriend | Robyn |
| 40 | . | The Worse It Gets | Penguin Prison |
| 39 | . | The Suburbs | Arcade Fire |
| 38 | . | Shake | Jesse McCartney |
| 37 | . | California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg) | Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg |
| 36 | . | All The Lovers | Kylie Minogue |
| 35 | . | On The Subject Of Our Past Selves | The Seedy Seeds |
| 34 | . | Let Go | jj |
| 33 | . | The New Improved Hypocrisy | The Radio Dept. |
| 32 | . | One Life Stand | Hot Chip |
| 31 | . | Aeroboy | Brotherhood of Broken Hearts |
| 30 | . | Afraid of Everyone | The National |
| 29 | . | It Will All End In Tears | Drums |
| 28 | . | Bloodline | Matt Morris |
| 27 | . | Enchanting Ghost | Sufjan Stevens |
| 26 | . | Just Breathe | Pearl Jam |
| 25 | . | No Intention | Dirty Projectors |
| 24 | . | I Could Be Wrong (feat. Ezra Koenig) | Chromeo |
| 23 | . | Norway | Beach House |
| 22 | . | Thank You For Your Love | Antony & The Johnsons |
| 21 | . | Get Some | Lykke Li |
| 20 | . | All I Want | LCD Soundsystem |
| 19 | . | Too Much | Sufjan Stevens |
| 18 | . | Ready to Start | Arcade Fire |
| 17 | . | 22 | Wakey! Wakey! |
| 16 | . | Zebra | Beach House |
| 15 | . | Congratulations | MGMT |
| 14 | . | On Melancholy Hill | Gorillaz |
| 13 | . | Excuses | The Morning Benders |
| 12 | . | Teenage Dream | Katy Perry |
| 11 | . | Bloodbuzz Ohio | The National |
| 10 | . | Fall Hard | Shout Out Louds |
| 9 | . | Down By The Water | Drums |
| 8 | . | We Used to Wait | Arcade Fire |
| 7 | . | I Walked | Sufjan Stevens |
| 6 | . | Excuses (The Morning Benders cover) | Andy Fitch & Brian Russo |
| 5 | . | I Think Ur A Contra | Vampire Weekend |
| 4 | . | Dancing On My Own | Robyn |
| 3 | . | Horchata | Vampire Weekend |
| 2 | . | Teenage Dream (Glee Cast Version) | Glee Cast |
| 1 | . | I Can Change | LCD Soundsystem |
the age of the contra is happening
My top ten albums of 2010:
10. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
9. Chromeo - Business Casual
8. Beach House - Teen Dream
7. The Drums - The Drums
6. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
5. The National - High Violet
4. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
3. Robyn - Body Talk
2. Sufjan Stevens - The Age Of Adz
1. Vampire Weekend - Contra
10. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
9. Chromeo - Business Casual
8. Beach House - Teen Dream
7. The Drums - The Drums
6. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
5. The National - High Violet
4. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
3. Robyn - Body Talk
2. Sufjan Stevens - The Age Of Adz
1. Vampire Weekend - Contra
Sunday, December 12, 2010
just breathe
Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam are musical geniuses. This is dedicated to people who live and die bravely. "I am a lucky man, to count on both hands, the ones I love."
Saturday, December 11, 2010
do the right things
Things are finally going right this week.
- I bought a new Tivo Premiere machine and needed a cablecard to make it work with Comcast. They said I couldn't just pick it up from the Comcast service center, and that I needed to have someone come out to install it. Of course, the installation would cost me $30. Ok whatev. The scheduled appointment was last Sunday. Well, after the technician left, certain channels went missing. I called and scheduled a follow-up appointment for Monday. Monday the guy showed up and spent an hour and a half fixing the connectors to all my coaxial cable lines even though I said I think I just have a bad cablecard and need it replaced. He kept saying you never know what it really is. Well after all that fuzzing the channels were still missing. He spent another twenty minutes on the phone with Comcast command center somewhere, and the person at the other end kept questioning whether I am even supposed to have those channels. I was like, come on, I get those channels on all my other tv's. Finally he relented and said he will switch out my card. He went to his truck and brought up a new card, only to realize he has only a single-tuner card, instead of the multi-stream card that I need (and specifically requested when I made the appointment). He said I would need to make another appointment for Tues. Tues came, and nobody showed up during the scheduled time. I called fifteen minutes later and was told something happened to the technician and he cannot come any longer. I went into a little tirade (as much of a tirade as I can muster anyway - I am not a yelling sort of guy). They scheduled an appointment then for Wed, between 6-8pm. I got home at 5:55pm Wed, and a Comcast truck was already at the door. Two guys showed up. The older guy said, "You are lucky. We are about to leave." I thought to myself, "Oh shit - here we go again." But as it turned out, the older guy was some cablecard Yoda. As soon as he pulled out my card, he knew they had given me the wrong card. He said for Tivo Premieres, you need a gold-tipped cablecard. The card that I had gotten would only work one out of twenty times. So as soon as he put in the new, gold-tipped card, the clouds parted and the angels sang. I got all my channels. I shook the guy's hand as if he had just given me an iPad and a trip to Australia.
- I had opened up a Bank Of The West checking account just to get a free iPod Touch. Not sure why I want an iPod Touch since I already got a few iPods and an iPhone. I'll likely sell it on eBay. Anyways, coworkers of mine checked their accounts a few weeks back and saw that their iPods were being shipped out. I saw nothing in my account, so I called last week. I was told I did not qualify. I went through the qualifying criteria, including setting up direct deposits of at least $500 a month by 10/31, and told the lady on the phone I met every single requirement. She said I have to go down to a branch to show proof that I set up the direct deposit. I said, "Why do I need to go down to a branch, when you can see clearly from the online activities that I had direct deposits of $500 going into the account?" She had me on hold and then came back and said, "You had to have the direct deposits in effect by 10/31, and your direct deposits did not begin until September." I went, "Uh...okay...September is before October, so what's your point?" She thought for a moment and then said, "Okay, I'll write up a dispute for you." Well, after waiting about a week, I got an email that I did qualify and that my iPod is on its way. Woohoo.
- My kitchen light has been dead for almost a month now. I bought a new one in the same model for over $100, but I ultimately decided to just keep the original light but buy a replacement ballast. I looked online and found a place in Florida that sold the ballast for less than $20 with shipping. It came this week, and I got help putting the light back up with the new ballast. It didn't go without a hitch though. When I first turned on the light, one of the two bulbs didn't work. I was like, crap - what now? But it turned out that the bulb was cracked. So as soon as I made my way to Home Depot and rebought the bulb, everything works. For the first time in a month, I have a working kitchen ceiling light.
- I also replaced my dying microwave, with a Sharp from Costco. I got it on sale for $80. It's stainless steel just like my old one. By old, I mean it's only less than two years old. Hope the Sharp lives longer than the Panasonic.
- The Patriots beat the Jets in the AFC showdown of the season. 45-3!!! 'Nuff said. I don't even care now if Tom Brady cuts his hair or not.
- For months now, I've been carrying around my iPhone with unsightly bubbles in my screen protector. It was a crying shame. Lisa found some new screen protectors that didn't bubble on her, so she kindly gave me a set and even helped me put them on. She did such a good job that you can't even tell there are protectors on the front or the back. She is awesome. And now finally my iPhone is the beauty she deserved to be. Actually, to be honest, I don't really think of my iPhone as a girl. So I should say, my iPhone is as handsome as he was meant to be. (Hmm...do you guys think of your phone as a boy or girl? I should ask the French, since they always have to decide whether an object is male or female - le or la.)
- I bought a new Tivo Premiere machine and needed a cablecard to make it work with Comcast. They said I couldn't just pick it up from the Comcast service center, and that I needed to have someone come out to install it. Of course, the installation would cost me $30. Ok whatev. The scheduled appointment was last Sunday. Well, after the technician left, certain channels went missing. I called and scheduled a follow-up appointment for Monday. Monday the guy showed up and spent an hour and a half fixing the connectors to all my coaxial cable lines even though I said I think I just have a bad cablecard and need it replaced. He kept saying you never know what it really is. Well after all that fuzzing the channels were still missing. He spent another twenty minutes on the phone with Comcast command center somewhere, and the person at the other end kept questioning whether I am even supposed to have those channels. I was like, come on, I get those channels on all my other tv's. Finally he relented and said he will switch out my card. He went to his truck and brought up a new card, only to realize he has only a single-tuner card, instead of the multi-stream card that I need (and specifically requested when I made the appointment). He said I would need to make another appointment for Tues. Tues came, and nobody showed up during the scheduled time. I called fifteen minutes later and was told something happened to the technician and he cannot come any longer. I went into a little tirade (as much of a tirade as I can muster anyway - I am not a yelling sort of guy). They scheduled an appointment then for Wed, between 6-8pm. I got home at 5:55pm Wed, and a Comcast truck was already at the door. Two guys showed up. The older guy said, "You are lucky. We are about to leave." I thought to myself, "Oh shit - here we go again." But as it turned out, the older guy was some cablecard Yoda. As soon as he pulled out my card, he knew they had given me the wrong card. He said for Tivo Premieres, you need a gold-tipped cablecard. The card that I had gotten would only work one out of twenty times. So as soon as he put in the new, gold-tipped card, the clouds parted and the angels sang. I got all my channels. I shook the guy's hand as if he had just given me an iPad and a trip to Australia.
- I had opened up a Bank Of The West checking account just to get a free iPod Touch. Not sure why I want an iPod Touch since I already got a few iPods and an iPhone. I'll likely sell it on eBay. Anyways, coworkers of mine checked their accounts a few weeks back and saw that their iPods were being shipped out. I saw nothing in my account, so I called last week. I was told I did not qualify. I went through the qualifying criteria, including setting up direct deposits of at least $500 a month by 10/31, and told the lady on the phone I met every single requirement. She said I have to go down to a branch to show proof that I set up the direct deposit. I said, "Why do I need to go down to a branch, when you can see clearly from the online activities that I had direct deposits of $500 going into the account?" She had me on hold and then came back and said, "You had to have the direct deposits in effect by 10/31, and your direct deposits did not begin until September." I went, "Uh...okay...September is before October, so what's your point?" She thought for a moment and then said, "Okay, I'll write up a dispute for you." Well, after waiting about a week, I got an email that I did qualify and that my iPod is on its way. Woohoo.
- My kitchen light has been dead for almost a month now. I bought a new one in the same model for over $100, but I ultimately decided to just keep the original light but buy a replacement ballast. I looked online and found a place in Florida that sold the ballast for less than $20 with shipping. It came this week, and I got help putting the light back up with the new ballast. It didn't go without a hitch though. When I first turned on the light, one of the two bulbs didn't work. I was like, crap - what now? But it turned out that the bulb was cracked. So as soon as I made my way to Home Depot and rebought the bulb, everything works. For the first time in a month, I have a working kitchen ceiling light.
- I also replaced my dying microwave, with a Sharp from Costco. I got it on sale for $80. It's stainless steel just like my old one. By old, I mean it's only less than two years old. Hope the Sharp lives longer than the Panasonic.
- The Patriots beat the Jets in the AFC showdown of the season. 45-3!!! 'Nuff said. I don't even care now if Tom Brady cuts his hair or not.
- For months now, I've been carrying around my iPhone with unsightly bubbles in my screen protector. It was a crying shame. Lisa found some new screen protectors that didn't bubble on her, so she kindly gave me a set and even helped me put them on. She did such a good job that you can't even tell there are protectors on the front or the back. She is awesome. And now finally my iPhone is the beauty she deserved to be. Actually, to be honest, I don't really think of my iPhone as a girl. So I should say, my iPhone is as handsome as he was meant to be. (Hmm...do you guys think of your phone as a boy or girl? I should ask the French, since they always have to decide whether an object is male or female - le or la.)
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