so this is it...

behold, a turning point in my life has arrived.

I hope I'm ready to embrace it.

listen

i heard the music last night.

i was in the bathroom, taking my usual whiz before bedtime. my urine flow gently splashed the toilet water while i habitually sniffed to keep any mucus from dripping out of my nose. simultaneously, a low-pitched humming sound from the light bulbs softly resonated throughout the room.

i cannot describe what i heard as a whole, but i do know that it somehow made sense. that somehow, i heard not just a bunch of random sounds, but a work of art that transcends the theoretical, logical, and creative processes of musical composition.

and i'd thought for the longest time that the concept of "hearing the music" in August Rush was ridiculously far-fetched...or maybe i'm just crazy.

too bad this moment had to come while i was peeing. how silly!

It shouldn't be funny.

I think that people laugh at the sin in this world because they're hesitant to see the reality of things.

Intoxication is a good example. People find humor in watching a drunkard wobble around a room after taking too many shots of tequila. But if you think about it, this scenario is not really a laughing matter; I mean, the drunkard's life is in danger, and his/her life could be lost in a finger snap.

Of course, no one wants to be a killjoy and point out such a hazard. Then it's just best to brush the matter aside by laughing at it.

I often find myself reacting like this. It kills me inside, though, because I know what I'm doing is completely inhumane. If I really cared for that drunkard, I would warn him of his/her recklessness, and that he needs to change his/her ways before something terrible happens.

But I don't want to be the killjoy of the crowd.

One day, I hope I'll have the strength to disregard my outer image and say what my heart has been screaming at me for all these years.

Getting Nowhere

It's pointless to have a blog if you never feel like writing anything.

I should do something about that.

True Story (LML)

Yesterday, I was at at a softball tournament. While I was standing around, waiting to play, a group of pretty good-looking girls walked by me. I overheard one of them say, "Number 15 is cute." I was wearing the number 15 jersey. LML

True Story (MLIA)

Today, I was having an IM conversation with a friend. Midway through our chat, I realized that I'd thought she was someone else. However, she hadn't noticed this, since our conversation had been extremely general up to that point. I continued to chat as if I'd never been stupid enough to confuse her with someone else. MLIA

QT

Last Friday, I was at NYU for orientation. The afternoon sun gently hugged my body with its mid-70 degree-ish heat rays as I walked back to the dorming area to return linens and such (I'd arrived at the university on Thursday and spent the night). Upon opening the door, I found myself being smothered by packs of students carrying blankets and pillows. Slowly but surely, I maneuvered through the cushion-y frenzy to the elevator, where I was met by even more "padded" folks. I noticed that the button for my floor was already pushed, so I stood where I was as the elevator door closed, reluctant to spare myself the effort of reaching over layers of bedroom amenities to press "15". The elevator gradually stopped at what seemed like every other floor, and my standing area became less and less squished. At the 11th floor, everyone in the elevator had left except for me and this other girl--the one who'd pressed "15".

I hadn't noticed her until this moment, since my view was previously blocked by white pillows and dark green blankets. When I glanced over, I remembered seeing her at an information session from yesterday. The students had been given random numbers, which corresponded to assigned tables for seating. My table happened to be right across from hers. I was irritated by this circumstance because I was wanted to meet her; I mean, what guy WOULDN'T want to meet a cute girl? After the session ended, I thought that I'd never see her again.

But fate had its enigmatic way of proving me wrong that Friday afternoon in the elevator. As the door closed for the 1983247039th time, the girl started talking to me. For about 20 seconds, we briefly discussed why the 13th floor did not exist (I guess she didn't know that people are overly superstitious at times.) Then we reached the 15th floor, and as she walked out, she said to me with a somewhat pleasant tone, "Bye." Being the quiet boy that I am, I failed to continue our short conversation, or even ask for her name. And as we parted our separate ways back to our rooms on the 15th floor, I lightly shook my head in disbelief.

I hope that fate will work its magic again during the Fall Semester.

--update 10:13 P.M.--

I've been listening to experimental indie these days. It's pretty weird.

But I like it.

In the past, I only appreciated this kind of music. Now I'm actually embracing it.

I think I've reached a milestone in my musical career. Now I can venture deeper into the depths of creative obscurity with no fear.

On the topic of discovering new music, I'd like to tell you that I'm utterly obsessed with it. It's become one of my favorite hobbies; I could spend hours browsing through sites like Pitchfork, Last FM and Amie Street, searching for inspiration and learning to embrace musical innovation.

I'm tired of the same 'ol song. Sure, I still like my usual preferences--Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend, Radiohead, Phoenix, Wilco, Spoon, and M. Ward, to name a few. But I want to hear something that defines today's avant-garde. Be it indie, jazz, folk, ambient, electro-pop, shoegaze, trip-hop--whatever it is, I hope that it'd change the way I think about music.

Therefore, I've decided to include a "song of the day"-type section in each of my entries. Not only can I analyze the listening paths that I take in the future, but I can also include you in my musical journey (hah, that sounds mad cheeseball). After all, there's nothing better than sharing some fresh inspiration with others.

So to kick off this first ever "song of the day" thing:

"Useful Chamber" by Dirty Projectors

This song is experimental indie at its finest. The synth noises in the beginning create a wonderful layer of sound that puts you in a mild state of trance. However, this electronic ambience is mixed with other random wailing-like bursts that seem to make the song speak. Add in frontman Dave Longstreth's gentle falsetto (at least I think it's falsetto) to compliment all the other elements, and you've got yourself something magical. And that's only the first half of the song. The rest is just bananas.

If you like "Useful Chamber," listen to the rest of the new Dirty Projectors album, Bitte Orca. It's mind-blowingly amazing.