Seattle - Rain, Shine, SNOW!

For those living outside of Seattle and are not aware of Seattle culture - snow in Seattle is epic, even moreso than sunshine or the Blue Angels. People here talk about snow the same way they would talk about winning the lotto. The anticipation, predictions, and preparation leading up to the snow are most crucial and can be a bit ridiculous, but fun. It may never happen but is still worth talking about. This year it happened. It started on Sunday and faded away yesterday, but as predicted, we all woke up to a butt load more of snow today. Here are my top few reasons why I know it is snowing or is going to snow in Seattle:

- Cliff Mass predicts it every day, and so does Steve Pool.

- If we talk about it for a good week before it snows, it makes it even more promising that it will snow. Also if we talk about it at work, it is guaranteed we will not have to work when it snows.

- My nephew and niece packed more snow gear than I would for a ski trip for a weekend stay at our beach cabin. They even packed a snowball maker. Unfortunately for them, it did not snow at Thorndyke (Port Ludlow, WA) during their entire stay this past weekend. Better safe than sorry.

- We find ourselves watching King 5 or Komo starting at 6 am in the morning, watching the same clip of a car/bus slide down a hill and crashing into another car repeatedly, even though the clip is from several years ago. Also we look out for school closures even though we do not currently attend school. Why? So we can manage a conversation about school closures at the check out line of course, which leads to my next reason.

- We rush to the stores, especially Costco, to stock up on a month's worth of food, even though the snow never lasts more than a couple of days. And while at the store, we constantly wonder if it is snowing outside even as we speak and discuss it with random people in line.

- We give random people updates (still no snow) that do not have a window to the outside world (for example - underground parking attendants and employees at Costco).

- Coco holds herself for long periods of time. When she finally relieves herself, she goes on the snow covered deck instead of the lawn.

- This is the only time when an inch can be a foot, depends on whom you are talking to and which neighborhood they are from.

- The hood (Central District) is a ghost town - completely silent.

I hope everyone is safe and warm in Seattle! Please feel free to add your "I know it is snowing in Seattle when...." stories.

New Year...Same Old Me

Instead of making new or old resolutions, this year I am going to refrain and just stick with being good old me. I recently watched a classic Korean Drama, My Lovely Sam Sook, where the main character reminded me a little of myself. She came across a saying one day, which I also like to live by:

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Dance as though no one is watching you.

Love as though you have never been hurt before.

Sing as though no one can hear you.

Live as though heaven is on earth.

-Father Alfred D' Souza

Lines 2 and 4 are especially true of myself. Besides being me, it would be nice to hear from you this year! Please post comments if you fancy what you are reading...or not. I would still like to hear from you!

Happy New Year!

Happy Xmas (War is Over)

On December 15, 2011, the US war in Iraq was officially declared over. Several years back around the same time, the photo above was taken of my buddy, Kelly Burmeister, and me. Although the war is over, Kelly will be spending yet another Christmas in Iraq. He has been spending the past few months moving around and with intermittent internet access. So for this holiday season, I have one wish for those who like to write, please drop an old fashion note to my favorite soldier, Kelly Burmeister.

Kelly R. Burmeister

WRMKU

APO AE 09855

I Am Legend - Part Deux

While I am on the subject of New York, I might as well divulge the other great Cunningham - Merce Cunningham. Who knew a child born in Centralia, WA in 1919 would go on to be the legendary father of modern dance. I had the honor of traveling to New York in 2003 to witness his brilliant Split Sides project at the Brooklyn Academy of Music featuring Radiohead and Sigur Ros. It was definitely a unique experience. It was split sides in real time because they picked the music, back drop, costume, dance number, and order of performance at the roll of the dice. There was a possibility of 32 different outcomes. I admit, I was there for Radiohead, but of course I was beyond awestruck by the legend and the performance. At the time, Merce Cunningham was 83 and here he was playing with laptops (he used technology to help him choreograph) and rock bands to create art, while his buddy Robert Rauschenberg was rolling a dice to determine the actual performance. I pretty much went to art heaven that night.

Merce Cunningham passed away in 2009 and his dance company has spent 2011 doing a legacy tour - one final dance. They came to Seattle for two nights in October and so of course I jumped for tickets. The performance was not quite the same without all the excitement of Merce Cunningham but it was still amazing and intricate. The company will end the tour in New York City on New Year's Eve to a sold out crowd. Tickets were only $10 - just the way Merce Cunningham wanted it.

-Photo taken by yours truly of Repetto in Paris in 2009 - not by Merce Cunningham or Bill Cunningham. From now on I will try to post my own photos if relevant or possible.

I Am Legend - Part 1

I have spent the past month trying to do as little as possible, hence my absence from postings. I think I succeeded, but I promised myself December will be more productive. After finally watching Bill Cunningham New York, I cannot imagine a better way to start my first weekend of December. Bill's life is an absolute testimony of passion and humility. This documentary moved me to tears and I feel so inspired. In my early 20's I never left my house without my camera. I have never taken a single class in photography and have always told people I shoot by luck, but I couldn't help but feel insecure and a bit of a nuisance every time I whipped out my camera to snap my friends, concerts, architecture, scenery, or anywhere in public. Regrettably, I have used my camera less and less over the years. I have switched out bigger cameras for smaller digital ones. Thanks to Bill I am realizing nothing else should matter as long as you are in love with what you do.

On a side note, I recently visited Philadelphia to help a good friend move back to the West Coast. I did not document the trip as much as I would have liked to, but I did try to take a picture of a panhandler selling a million paper bags out of a shopping cart. He saw me and threatened to take my life if I did not erase the picture. I cannot help but feel if I was shooting with film, erasing would not have been an option. So sadly, that picture is only in my mind now, but you can expect to see some amazing shots of the Midwest sunset soon.

On another side note, the image above was taken by me in Paris in 2009 - not by Bill Cunningham.

As the World Turns

From Spanish, we now move onto Korean - Korean Drama that is, or K-Drama as it is known in the infamous world of Asian drama series. My dear friend has been encouraging me to watch Boys Over Flowers, so with some free time, I finally did. Embrace yourself for some serious heartache and addiction - everything I have ever wanted in a TV series. American dramas will become a complete meaningless bore once you have entered the world of K-drama. I am finishing up my third drama and still find them charming and meaningful. I enjoy the twists and turns, the rags and riches, the love and heartache, and the hope and philosophical depths. I am convinced the writers for Crash studied Korean dramas.

The best part is you can watch these dramas for free at Hulu or an affiliate such as Drama Fever. You will have to read subtitles, but at least you will learn a new language. Here are the few series I have watched so far and highly recommend:

Boys Over Flowers/Boys Before Flowers: Move over Ryan Gosling. You have been replaced by Lee Min Ho who plays the bad arse Goo Jun Pyo in this high society, high school Romeo & Juliet like life story. This series reminded me of Gossip Girl but even better. It was so good and well acted to the point where I found myself completely stressed for the characters.

City Hunter: Since I wanted to see more of Lee Min Ho, I started City Hunter immediately after Boys Over Flowers. He does not disappoint and proves how versatile his acting is. It is action packed with conspiracy twists. I highly recommend this one for male viewers.

Dream High: I am just finishing this one up. It is not a musical, but has a lot of singing and dancing in it - very Glee like. It is also not as stressful as Boys Over Flowers, yet still has a great story line. Although Lee Min Ho is not in this series, it does not lack in the attractive actors department.

Say que?

One of my favorite sites is www.katespade.com. All the bright colors and retro design makes me simply happy. I was sad to see the Spades exit years ago, but I continue to be hooked on all things Spade. The vocalist futured in this video is Carla Morrison and the song is Este Momentos. I have no idea what she is saying, but she has the most beautiful voice. I quickly bought her album, Mientras Tu Dormias after viewing and have been listening to it ever since.

I want this. Isn't it adorable?

And here is a sneak peek of what to expect from Kate Spade for Spring of 2012, for those who live on a New York/Paris/London Fashion Week schedule. I can't wait!