just dance.

this weekend!
help promote awareness of escalating gang violence in calgary.
west side story.
check it out!
http://www.westsidestorycalgary.com

kaur.

look at me i'm a rockstar.

this week is exciting because:

1) i get my blackberry curve 8900!!!
- finally! it actually came today, but no one was home so i have to wait until tomorrow
2) our ruby september tree had babies!
okay maybe not babies...but we have a lot of apples now!
3) i'm going to bake some pie!
with aforementioned apples
4) i plan on buying this!
5) i should be headed to value village to buy a costume for my run to cure cancer with some other knes team members
6) we've had fall weather!
meaning i get to wear my sweaters/coats/boots
7) a hike in kananaskis!
the forecast doesn't look great, but i still really want to go...should be good!

kaur.

Everyone gets a star.

I had a craving for a Starbucks beverage that I always get during the holiday season (my house was freezing today, I felt like winter... and was wearing 100 layers) and then while I was walking through the parking lot to my car with my christmas drink I had the most overwhelming feeling of missing Vancouver.  I guess the Starbucks part has nothing to do with the feeling - but it's a good drink, double tall one pump white mocha one pump peppermint non-fat latte. And now I feel sad.

Love, Keiko. 

Sainthood.

Everyone knows that Tegan & Sara are basically my fave band and have been forever (my first favourite band after my elementary school days and saying that Destiny's Child and Ja Rule were my faves... aka between grade 7-8), I'm getting pretty stoked on their new album next month... I just checked out their Canadian tour dates (which I am also excited about) and they are playing at the Jubilee.  I know that last time they were in town that's where they played, but that was the year I was living in Vancouver - I got to see them at the Commadore Ballroom (which was pretty tight)... I am not looking forward to seeing them at the Jubilee.  I just think seeing them at a bigger venue would take away from the feel of all their past shows I've seen (and I remember hearing shitty feedback from friends who saw them @ the Jubilee last time).  Lame.  But really, I am still excited... just not as excited as I wish I could be.

Love, Keiko.

1, 2, Ready, Go.

Kind of like Kaur, I've been listening to whole albums lately (not all albums by certain artists... and with the exception of the mixtape a mentioned earlier).

Holy Fuck: LP

Voxtrot: Self-Titled

Stars: Sad Robots EP

Amanda Blank: I Love You

Hawksley Workman: Lover/Fighter

Last night I downloaded Karen O and the Kids' Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack... I am loving it (especially the track All Is Love... which was the first single off of it). It's super fun, and sounds super childlike/innocent. This makes me even more excited for the movie.

Love, Keiko.

i'm not sorry i met you.

i didn't really like my top ten this week.
mostly because i just listened to certain artists a lot.
i'd just listen to all their albums straight.
just some september favourites of mine.
these albums seem to resonate with my soul.
they include but are not limited to:

heart/in the bedroom after the war/set yourself on fire - stars
old world underground, where are you now/live it out/grow up and blow away - metric
gang of losers/no cities left/missiles - the dears
favourite worst nightmare - arctic monkeys
skelliconnection/soft airplane - chad vangaalen
bande a part/nouvelle vague - nouvelle vague.

kaur.

im still in love with you.

1) heart - stars
2) we can have it - the dears
3) 1901- phoenix
4) empty - metric
5) good ol' fashion nightmare - matt & kim
6) sheets - damien jurado
7) graveyard - chad vangaalen
8) 505 - arctic monkeys
9) walking with ghost - tegan & sara
10) heads with roll (digiraatii dance til you're dead remix) - yeah yeah yeahs

kaur.

hova is legit.

jayz provided o mag with a list of six books that 'changed his life'.
here it is:

1) the seat of the soul - gary zukav

there are two books that i absolutely live my life by. this is one of them. growing up, i was always curious about religion. this book made the most sense to me; it’s about the way you live your life. i believe in karma and doing the right thing even if it may not advance you as far as you want. if every single person felt the same way about karma and intention, then the world gets fixed tomorrow. but temptation gets in the way. zukav is right: it may take lifetimes to learn.

2) the celestine prophecy - james redfield

this is the other book i live by. it’s fiction—a guy travels to find a secret book that has a series of principles. the story is a metaphor for life: i could go left or right, i could be stuck, or i could keep advancing. some people are happy where they are. i tried to hire a guy once, and i said, “don’t you have ambition to be bigger?” and he said, “no, i’m good.” i had to respect that, but for me that was the wrong relationship.

3) the odyssey - homer

this epic poem was kind of difficult for me to get through, but it has a beautiful rhythm. i got lost in reading about odysseus’ struggle to get home and his longing for someone so strong, as his wife was, waiting for him. that’s like a dream—that kind of strength, love, loyalty.

4) outliers - malcolm gladwell

this book is about the principles of timing and repetition—about preparing yourself for luck, really. he talks about a hockey team, and how the players born in january had a year up on the guys born in december. they were fortunate that their birthday was early, but they also practiced—they put the work in. the book resonated with me because i was born at a time when there was an influx of incredible music into the culture, and i was lucky that my mom and pop were huge record collectors. in my house, i had music by michael jackson, marvin gaye, prince, and the commodores, and i’m listening to it every single day.

5) purple cow - seth godin

this is straight marketing advice: your product has to be a purple cow—it has to be distinct to have any success. you have to be clear on your product: what are you? what are you putting out there? for years i never did an ad for [my company] rocawear, because i cared more about the quality than the face in front. i hadn’t read this book back then, but when someone puts words to feelings you have, it’s like, “wow, that’s exactly what it is.”

6) nigger - dick gregory

i don’t know who turned me on to this autobiography, but his sense of humor and the hardships he went through stayed with me—especially the scene where he started running home from school. it led to his joining thetrack team, which led to a scholarship to college. running opened up a whole world for him.

kaur.

You're wishin' you could stay the night.

1. Tightrope - Yeasayer

2. Make Light - Passion Pit

3. Pop Lie - Okkervil River

4. I'm A Sucker For a Kind Word - Copeland

5. Three Little Words (The Black Ghosts Remix) - Frankmusik

7. Firecracker - Voxtrot

8. I Was A Landscape In Your Dream - Of Montreal

9. Rocket Summer - The First Aid Kit

10. Game Night - Bon Iver

I lovelovelove every song in this ten so much. #1 has quickly become my new fave song.

Love, Keiko.

p.s.  More than anything, I wish I was in Victoria this weekend for Rifflandia.

oh doogie.

i just heard about this from a friend.
i love neil patrick harris.
should be good?

dr. horrible's sing-along-blog:


kaur.

with a fire in my bones & the sweet taste of kerosene.

today's word is:

revelry.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revelry

ps. boy o boy is revelry ever tiring.

oh jimmy.

this may not be the greatest art.

it is pretty kitsch.

however i still kinda like it for its novelty value.

oh, and because of my love for james dean.

kaur.

Something's happening somewhere.

1. So, Gigantic was my number one film to see at CIFF... I pre-bought tickets and everything - missed it.  We were on the train (already running a bit late) and we got one stop from my house and the train comes to a standstill... "There is a man covered in blood threatening passengers with a knife in car two" - What the shit?!  By the time the police dealt with it and the trains started up again it was after the movie started (filmfest rule: no entry after the screening begins).  Eff.  Luckily there is another showing that I plan to attend.

2. I am pretty excited to make my top10 this week, and you should be too.  I have a feeling that it's going to be a good one!  (I received a glorious mixtape this week from a super sweet friend, the majority of my top10 will be from it).

3. I think that I've narrowed down my UO wishlist to a price that I can afford - expect a blog post of these items (and probably some of the things that I had to remove) soon!

4. My roommates and I finally got around to getting internet and cable set up today! Unfortunately we only got basic cable... which means NO TLC OR FOOD CHANNEL (only the two best channels ever).  Not cool at all. This will have to change.

Love, Keiko.

just 5.

1. To follow up Kaur's last post, I just want to say that I am not looking forward to the ridic high temperature today.  I am all about the Fall clothes and layers and being cozy, I don't want to have to dress for summer today.  Eff.

2. Tickets for the film fest = purchased, for the most part.  Gigantic on Friday, Breaking Upwards on Saturday, My Suicide next Friday (not purchased yet, but soon) - and then maybe a couple more, I haven't decided yet.

3. Grey's Anatomy season premier tomorrow!!!!!! Yes!

4.  I need to create a reasonably priced wishlist (to be purchased in a few days) from UO but my internet won't load any of the photos.  Ughh soo frustrating.

5.  I recently finished watching the last 2 seasons of Dawson's Creek (last spring I watched seasons 1-4 online).  Even though most of the time I thought the show was really annoying/awful - I LOVED IT. Dawson is obviously the most annoying character on the show, I really dislike him.  Joey is obviously the best... sometimes she is pretty annoying, but back when the show was on TV I loved her, and I guess that love has carried over into my adult life (Katie Holmes used to be so awesome). Oh and I hate how the stupid Joey/Dawson/Pacey love triangle thing lasts THE WHOLE SERIES, they needed to get over each other, but I am glad Joey and Pacey ended up together (Dawson sucks!). Anyway, I might have teared up a little in the series finale - JEN DIES?! WHAT? I don't know how I wasn't aware of that beforehand!

That's all.

Love, Keiko.

hot hot heat.

forget about fall.

welcome back summer!

kaur.

ps. this made me as though i was perez.

fall back.

with the commencement of fall i have chosen to make a list of some of my favourite fall things!

- listening to metric (for some reason fall and metric go together in my head)
- turning down the noise & tempo and listening to jazz music...and nouvelle vague
- wearing all my pretty coats and dressing prettier (or at least attempting to sometimes)
- sweaters & cardigans
- pumpkin pie (for obvious reasons...)
- lighting vanilla & cinnamon candles
- once again appreciating the beauty of reds, oranges, and yellows
- wearing oranges and browns (also for obvious reasons)
- resuming drinking copious amounts of tea for the next 8 months
- scarves!
- leaving my window open for a fresh cool breeze (not like the summer where it was to cool down)
- stepping on crunchy fallen leaves
- watching gilmore girls (this was always a show that felt like fall to me...nice and cozy)
- halloween!!! (oh and the monster mash)

kaur.

but i think therefore i am...trotsky.

i will not have the chance to see any movies at the ciff as i am far too busy.
i do hope to see this movie which premiered at tiff.
it has jay baruchel in it and i have heard only good things about it!
unfortunately it is not playing at ciff...sad news bears.

The Trotsky trailer
by blankytwo

kaur.

my metric month.

i listen to loads of metric in september and often october as well.
here is a video.

kaur.

september!

i have loved this song foreverrr.

kaur.
ps. this song is definitely one of my favourite all time songs (probably top 100).

don't explain when you water down my name.

1) already yours - bahamas
2) easy to love - ivan & alyosha
3) meet me halfway - black eyed peas
4) punkrocker - teddybears (ft. iggy pop)
5) lover i dont have to love - bright eyes
6) white gold - metric
7) baby i - amy millan
8) dont think twice, its alright - bob dylan
9) september - earth, wind & fire
10) diva - beyonce

kaur.

backhanded jab.

kaur.

You can tell by the wind.

This is defs not one of my best weekly ten posts... but it will do.

1. Autumn's Here - Hawksley Workman

2. This Breath Won't Hold - Rachael Cantu

3. Furr - Blitzen Trapper 

4. Candy - Paolo Nutini

5. Pop Lie - Okkervil River

6. Dog Days Are Over - Florence And The Machine

7. London Halflife - Metric

8. Paparazzi (Stuart Price Remix)- Lady Gaga

9. Breaking It Up - Lykke Li

10. Black Cadillacs - Modest Mouse

Love, Keiko.

It's my party.

Coworker games night:

• Scattergories (newly purchased!)
  
• Taboo
• Apples to Apples
• Mousetrap (maybe)
• Things in a Box
• Bananagrams

+Sangria +Brie cheese (and other delicious snacks).  I can't wait.

Love, Keiko.

single ladies.

http://kanyelicio.us/http://www.google.com

kaur.

Ten Day Countdown

There are only ten days until the Calgary International Film Festival!  I spent my afternoon narrowing down the list of movies that I want to go see. 

1. Gigantic - My number one pick. This is a movie I've been looking forward to for a while.  Zooey Deschanel and Paul Dano... I am sold.
   
2. Breaking Upwards
3. My Suicide
   
4. White on Rice - I watched this trailer when it was release on Apple, it looks hilarious.
5. The Exploding Girl

I didn't go through all the films that are playing, I made note of the ones that immediately caught my eye... and then narrowed that list down. Tell me what you plan to see!!

Love, Keiko.

Rediscovered Love

What an excellent time of year!  While sitting in the living room of my parents' house, procrastination has set in (first paper of the semester, due tomorrow) and I am reminded of my love for TV and Perez/gossip sites.  I forgot how much I love season premiers!  The first five minutes of Grey's Anatomy (aka my fave show/one of my fave shows)? Intense! I suggest you go youtube it.

I can't wait to cable (and internet)...

Love, Keiko.

Four Words

Gossip Girl season premier.

Love, Keiko.

p.s. I hope everyone is as excited as I am.  The finale? Ace.  This should be good.

They didn't really belong there. But there they were.

I've been feeling pretty uninspired lately when it comes to blogging (but I have been on top of all my school work and readings!), and I still don't have a reliable internet connection in my house.  So, because of this I am going to keep it simple.  I am going to review Adam. 

Rating: A

Adam is just a beautiful, endearing, heartwarming (and heartbreaking… really heartbreaking) story about falling in love, growing up and moving on.  I don't know much about Asperger's (other than what I know from reading the book Don't Look Me In the Eye) so I can't comment on how the syndrome is portrayed, but the character Adam is simply adorable (and I may have fallen a bit in love with Hugh Dancy... but I also fell in love with Rose Byrne).  From the moment these two met I had so much hope for the two of them, yet at the same time I was so nervous for the relationship and how it would turn out.  What ends up happening (I won’t spoil it) is unexpected and slightly disappointing, just because it isn’t what I was wanting for the two of them... but I think it was a good ending, it made sense. Oh, and I hated Rose’s dad, Peter Gallagher is so good at playing character’s that are easy to hate/get under your skin, ugh (but Sandy from the O.C was the sweetest)… I wasn’t too into the whole side story about Rose’s family situation – but it’s completely understandable, and is a good parallel to Adam.  I think everyone should see this movie, please.

Love, Keiko.

p.s. I planned to post a youtube clip of a scene that I love - but there are just too many.

re-dream me.

I'm going along with Kaur and saying that this isn't my best top ten... I kind of just threw it together/didn't pay attention to what I listened to this week (all are stellar songs though!!!)(I was busy playing Tap Tap... and won't count those songs toward this).

1.  Present of Future End - The Most Serene Republic

2.  Lost Coastline - Okkervil River

3.  One Day You'll Be There - Plus/Minus

4.  Feel the Love - Cut Copy

5.  No Reason To Cry Your Eyes Out(On The Highway Tonight) - Hawksley Workman

6.  Red Cave - Yeasayer

7.  Do I Belong? - The Hidden Cameras

8.  Waiting... - The City and Colour

9.  Wake Up Exhausted - T&S

10.  Cemetery (New Buffalo Mix) - Architecture In Helsinki

Okay, now that I've gone through and listened to these songs again... I'm liking this ten.

Love, Keiko.

i guess its ten.

1) empire state of mind – jay z (ft. alicia keys)

2) pursuit of happiness – kid cudi (ft. mgmt & ratatat)

3) harder than you think – public enemy

4) lucifer – jay z

5) gravel pit – wu tang clan

6) combat baby – metric

7) what we talking about – jay z (ft. luke steele)

8) been around the world – p. diddy (ft. notorious b.i.g. & mase)

9) requiem for a scene – basstronaut

10) no diggity (blackstreet & dr. dre cover) – klaxons

kaur.

ps. this is not one of my favourite tens.

get well soon mca.

i forgot to post this while i was in van.
i was really sad to hear this :(

kaur.

to tie a tie.

i was asking my father about tying ties the other day.

and realized that its not that simple.

there are many ways to tie one.

a four-in-hand, half-windsor, full-windsor, etc.

i decided to look it up and stumbled (via wikipedia) upon this:

the 85 ways to tie a tie by thomas fink & yong mao.

thats a little excessive no?

i mean in the end it looks pretty similar to me.

why do they make this seemingly simple task so complicated and confusing?

kaur.

ps. i like the plain ole windsor knot.

dust & trees & tiny little goblins.

i love entourage.
since its inception i knew it was a winner.
last week i chose to watch season 1-6 straight.
(i do this often with my favourite shows)
i love ari, e, and turtle the most.
e is so cute i want to put him (and his baby blues) in my pocket.

i just want to post this video because its a great ari monologue.

kaur.

the days get shorter and the nights get cold

I am actually pretty stoked on the end of summer. Now that we are over a week into September, my apprehension about the end of August is completely gone - and I love fall.  I love school, and today is the first day of classes.  

The highlights of my summer.

- My first Folkfest!

- Family roadtrip.

- New friends.

- Moving out/being independent.

- So many good movies.

- My 21st birthday/fun fun times.

- Discovering my new fave restaurant, The Coup.

- So many beautiful purchases (example: Marc Jacobs bag)

- GTs with the BFF who was in town for (just about) the whole summer.

I know there are tons more but my list can't be endless, so I'll leave it at that.

Summer, you will be missed... but I'm excited for the new season.

Love, Keiko.

do you remember? september.

im so sad summer is over.
it had so much potential.
very little of of which was realized.

- a trip to south america
- a trip to california
- vancouver island
- camping
- hiking
- tie dye party
- games night
- thunderrun
- bonfire
- folk fest
- rock the bells

its with great sadness i say adieu to summer.
but with great hope i say bonjour to school.
here's to a fantastic new school year.

kaur.

dilemma.emma.

what one?

help please!

kaur.

oh lordy lamar.

today's word is:

breezy.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=breezy

kaur.

ps. im a big basketball fan...when i heard this i was not impressed. come on lamar...get some class.

pps. thanks to alexandra for this word.

back to the matter at hand.

today's word is:

surreptitious.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surreptitious

kaur.

ps. http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/28806

to do something apart from the group.

ive always thought this little youtube video was cute.

there are multiple reasons why.

though not all of them have any direct connection.

a) i love this cover...i think its adorable and perfect.

b) this song reminds me of fall which i like (not as much as summer).

c) its a clip from a movie called bande à part which i want to see.

d) anna karina stars in this movie and she is adorable.

e) her name reminds me of anna karenina which i want to read.

f) i just love the overall aesthetic of the scene.

g) the 'madison dance' is a line dance which i have grown to appreciate.

h) this dance inspired uma thurman & john travolta's dance in pulp fiction which i love.

kaur.

10.10.10.10.10.10.10.10.10.10.

1) trapeze swinger – iron & wine

2) buttons – sia

3) come around – m.i.a. (ft. timbaland)

4) dreamworld – robin thicke

5) flashing lights (diplo remix) – kanye west

6) dance with me – nouvelle vague

7) wonders never cease – morcheeba

8) cappuccino – the knux

9) everything – bun b (ft. rick ross, david banner, 8-ball & mjg)

10) already gone – kelly clarkson

kaur.

topten

1. Piano Blink (Los Manlicious Mix) - Hawksley Workman 

2. I'll Be Your Friend - Bright Eyes

3. Make It Take It - Amanda Blank

4. A Thread Cut With A Carving Knife - Stars

5. Bruised Ghosts - Amy Millan

6.  Apples And Pairs - Slow Club

7.  I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You) - John Mayer

8.  Wing Finger - Chad Vangaalen

9. July, July! - The Decemberists

10. A Sad Country Ballad For A Tired Superhero - Woodpigeon 

If you haven't heard number one before - GO LISTEN TO IT.  I hadn't really listened to it until Friday, and then I fell in love with it... and have listened to it over and over again.

Love, Keiko.

here it is.

Sometime at the start of summer/in the spring Kaur posted trailers of movies that she (we) think will be awesome.  One of those trailers was for a movie called Adam - looks adorable! Anyway, I saw the trailer for it again when it played before (500) Days of Summer and have been super stoked on it ever since.  Good news!  It is currently playing at the Globe (thanks to a sweet friend for letting me know), so my sister and I are going to see it tomorrow.  It will be good.

love, keiko.

at the end of the day.

three days into september!  the past three days have been fantastic... moving and beginning to settle into my new amazing/adorable/perfect house.  so, because of the moving i don't have anything exciting to blog about... other than how much i love my house.

oh, and i just got a new 16G ipod touch - love!  the first year that the touch came out i got one for christmas and fell in love with it... five months later, after doing laundry, i pulled my clothes out of the dryer and found my touch in three pieces... when i showed it to my dad he responded by saying "didn't you see the warning?" - above my parent's washer is a sign that reads CAUTION CHECK ALL POCKETS FOR IPODS. yup, missed that one.  this time nothing bad will happen to my ipod.

love, keiko.