Ikiru (To Live)

So I am currently working on my final paper in which we have to reference the Japanese film Ikiru and this movie is so incredible. I can honestly say that it is one of the greatest films I have ever witnessed. With a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, its pretty obvious I am not alone on this one. 

It is about a boring bureaucrat, Kanji Watanabe, who discovers he has less than a year to live, he realizes that he has done nothing with his life and hasn't been living at all in fact. In a panic he seeks life through other people, first an author who he goes out drinking and dancing with, the night ends up with him throwing up blood in the street. Next he seeks out a young woman who used to work for him until she quit to go work for a toy shop. She is very joyful and lively and Kanji finds himself enjoying himself for once. She gets creeped out and he tells her about his inevitable death to explain why he has been acting like he has, he asks how she is so joyful all the time when all she does is labor and eat. She tells him that when she is making the small bunny toys, she feels like she is playing with every child in Japan. This inspires him to go and create a park out of a swampy area. He seeks to do something meaningful with himself before he dies. 

Here is the trailer:

"I have less than a year to live. When I found that out... somehow I was drawn to you. Once when I was a child, I almost drowned. It's just like that feeling. Darkness everywhere, and nothing for me to hold onto, no matter how hard I try. There's just you." -Kanji

(Kanji with the young woman, Toyo)

"All she can convey to him is her simple-minded pleasure in manufacturing cheap little toys that will bring pleasure to someone," -William Bernhardt

He succeeds in making the park, he does it with fervor and passion and truly enjoys his endeavor. I could go on and on about what happens and how it is such a great film, but you should really watch it yourself. It is truly one of the most moving films I have ever seen. I literally want to cry while I'm writing this. I don't think there is any amount of praise I can give to express how I truly feel in my heart about this film.

The last scene is him swinging in the park he helped come about singing a lullaby called, "Life is Brief"

life is brief
fall in love, maidens
before the crimson bloom
fades from your lips
before the tides of passion
cool within you,
for those of you
who know no tomorrow
life is brief

"Wantanabe's triumph is not overcoming meaningless, but in seeing it clearly and resolving to live in its void." -Jeffrey Gordon

I should be writing my paper on this right now but I just needed to rant about how much this film moved me, which I can't really do in the paper, but I will try and convey as much of that as I can in it.

Please watch this, it has helped me rethink the way I live my life for the better, and it is truly a masterpiece.

~~~

"I can't afford to hate people. I haven't got that kind of time." -Kanji

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis!

Ok, but not really. So last night I had a dream that I went to a Macklemore and Ryan Lewis concert, I don't really remember the concert part of the dream but the meet and greet part. I just remember getting to take pictures with them and talk to them like real people and not crazed fans. And now that I am awake I am sad because I feel like that will never actually happen for me ever again. I went to their concert back in 2011 down in San Diego and it was so incredible. My friend said it literally changed her life. And we were front row at this tiny little concert venue and I don't even know how to describe it, it was literally just the best and I feel like crying right now just remembering it which is sad. Now they are huge! And don't get me wrong I am so proud of them and I wasn't an "original" fan but I was there for a long time before they got big. I am just sad that they might not have anymore of those small concerts that are super personal and if they do, tickets are probably going to be incredibly expensive..sigh..

So I guess we could say this is a bit of a throwback Thursday..

But any who, other than my dream I have just been in finals mode the entire time. I have presented my art project (still have to write a paper for it), finished philosophy completely, now all I have to do is start and finish my english paper that is to be ten pages and write a revision of another english paper.. so I have been keeping pretty busy. 

I am going home for spring break (which wasn't a thing up until a week or so ago) which I am really excited about. The absence of sun is starting to really get to me and I'm not sure I could live here for the rest of my life, I'm a cali girl and I don't think that will ever change. I am considering transferring to a school back home for junior and senior year but we shall see.

So other than that I have been pretty much just watching cat videos and eating more than I should waiting for this quarter to be over so I can go home to the sun..

Oh my goodness, I just started watching a video from the M & RL concert I was at, and started tearing up.. what is wrong with me...

~~~

BUTTER

I just finished watching the movie Butter and even though it wasn't the best movie, I just loved it. Starring Jennifer Garner, Yara Shahidi, and Olivia Wilde (who plays the best badass stripper I have ever witnessed in any film). It was lighthearted but also serious and the acting wasn't the best but you can definitely tell that the actors and actresses had a good time making the film. Also, blast from the past, Alicia Silverstone from clueless played the mom and she is still the best as ever. 

I don't really have much more to say, it was just a hilarious, light hearted film with a ton of familiar faces in it. I definitely recommend this film if you're feeling like you want a few laughs.

The trailer:

Also, random, but here are a few songs that I have been obsessed with lately:

Ke$ha- Die Young(Deconstructed)

Imagine Dragons- Radioactive (I want to dance so hard to this song you don't even know)

"Really? The butter police? Wow.."

~~~

S'mores in the City!

Today, while shopping at Value Village on Capital Hill with my friend Aubrey, we happened across some marshmallow roasting sticks and we both got a bit nostalgic for the good ole camp fires over the summers. So we were finally like, "Well why can't we roast marshmallows?"So we gathered supplies and made it happen!

We bought:

A shot glass

Small Christmas candles

Marshmallow roasting sticks

A lighter

Marshmallows

Graham crackers

and Hersey chocolate bars

First we melted four candles into a shot glass in order to get a bigger flame for top notch s'mores. Then we found a good corner on the city streets and got down to roasting. The s'mores didn't have the campfire taste but were still delicious non the less. It was a really fun bonding experience for my friends and I and we have decided to make it a weekly thing.

(from left to right: Aubrey, Izzy, and me)

All photos taken by Aubrey

Even being in a cold, rainy city, we still are able to bring a little bit of summer and home with us.

~~~

UPDATE and more

So school is getting pretty busy, but still really enjoyable. I was lucky this quarter to have gotten such interesting classes and great professors. I personally believe the professor makes or breaks the class. I just spent half of my day in the library working on my English paper but I was actually enjoying myself (I feel like this is weird but I would rather be working on my paper than hanging out with actual people, the older I get, the nerdier). It is comparing and contrasting samurais of Ancient Japan and Ancient Greek warriors by looking at The Iliad by Homer and the film Chusingura (also known as 47 Samurais). Not gonna lie, it is taking a lot of time to write and research for but since it is actually interesting its not that bad. I have only written 1.5 pages out of 10 and it is due Thursday but I don't mind taking my time because it literally feels like meditation while I am writing it. Wow, all new level of nerdiness.

I was also super stressed about finding a job awhile back (I still don't technically have a job) but I have started babysitting for some friends. It is literally the best, I babysit once a week and the baby, Noah, is so good. He really likes me too which helps and I know this will help for my future nursing endeavors. It is a small income but just what I need right now, enough for my phone bill and a little extra for myself.

All in all times have been pretty amazing. Despite my huge workload, I am able to enjoy every bit of it and I don't have to work so much which is also amazing. Also blogging has been a huge release for me. It is so relaxing and helps me get my thoughts out, even if no one reads my blog it is still nice to able to look back and remember different things (my memory is awful). Ever since being at university I have been very tightly strung, anxious, and stressed and now I am finally learning how to relax and enjoy every bit of it while I can.

Here is the playlist that I have put on repeat for these past few weeks. It has some old songs I used to listen to and some new ones too. Including a track from the Django Unchained soundtrack, which was flawless might I add.

~~~

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us." 

~Henry David Thoreau

Delta Rae and ZZ Ward Concert!!

This past Sunday, I attended the Delta Rae and ZZ Ward concert. I actually pretty much forgot that I had tickets until the Friday before... It was actually much more fun than I expected it to be. First I just want to talk about how nice the venue was. The Crocodile here in Seattle is small but has a great atmosphere and is clean. Like really clean, the bathroom was so clean, did I mention it was clean? Bathrooms in clubs and restaurants here in Seattle are usually packed and disgusting so I was very pleasantly surprised. The only bummer was that the people under 21 were closed off from the rest of the crowd because they had a back bar.

Next I'm talking about the opener. I didn't even know who the opener was and he turned out to be  one of my favorite things about the show. He was British yet everything about him screamed New Orleans. He had his vest on with a hat and a glass of whiskey. And his music was super bluesy, folky, southern and soulful, he played a steel stringed guitar (I think that is what it is called) and he rocked the ish out of it.

(picture from here)

Here is him playing Honey Bee live (this wasn't the concert I was at but I can't find one from my concert and I definitely prefer his live music) so you can see I ain't bluffin':

Next was Delta Rae, the reason that I went to the show. And even though I only know a few of their songs, their performance and stage presence is amazing. They literally were just rocking out on stage the whole time and having a lot of fun, it makes me kinda wish I was a performer. Like I said, I only knew a few of their songs but regardless, the concert was incredible and mostly because of them. Another thing, the singer for The Bottom of the River, Brittany Hölljes, is shockingly beautiful, in my opinion. The band is also like all related pretty much which is also awesome and the name of their band comes from a fictional character in one of their mother's books...pretty kick ass.

Here is the live performance from The Crocodile of Bottom of the River (it is kinda shaky but gives you the idea) followed by some other performances and interviews of them:

And for the chain sounds they used these sick trashcans (and a hammer? I just can't..) and used them from drums later on in the song, here is a picture of them from off of their website: 

Here is them performing the same song on Conan, much better quality:

Annnnnd just some videos of them being hilarious and interviewed:

(I literally cannot stop watching this, I find it so hilarious and I just can't stop)

And the final and main act was ZZ Ward, I personally think she should have been the opener and I don't understand why everyone was so excited to see her. No doubt she is very talented but she had awkward stage presence and her mic was far too low for us to hear her over the instruments. She did bring her dad on stage to play harmonica with her which was quite adorable and her mom was at the side of the stage watching and smiling the whole time which was also quite adorable.

But like I said, I went mainly to see Delta Rae perform and I loved every bit of their performance. Overall the concert was fantastic and I hope they come to Seattle again to play!

~~~

alt-J (∆)

So lately I have just been listening to an extremely random arrangement of music. I have been revisiting my Metro Station and Panic! at the Disco phase as well as my broody One Republic phase (used strictly for paper writing). I am noticing that I am turning away from the techno dub-step style that I have usually liked to listen to and going back to alternative genres.

But the purpose of this post is to discuss alt-J, because they are literally amazing. I started to listening to them over winter break when I heard one of their more popular songs on the radio (Fitzpleasure). I think why I love them so much is the unique sound of the lead singers voice. Also I find their music videos absolutely fascinating. It is like they accomplish a certain art form with the combination of the rhythm and the different ideas portrayed in the film. I know I don't know anything about art (thats some Socrate's shit for all y'all philosophers). But I still have ideas about art and what it means to me.

Also I think their band name is interesting, it is literally just a triangle... ∆ meaning change, like the delta symbol in mathematic equations, the name came at a turning point for the band.

The following is the music video for Breezeblocks

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

Ok I just want to say something regarding the video then I'll be done. I think its so interesting the way it is set up, at the beginning I think it is about an abusive husband who accidentally kills his wife out of rage (I know this sounds awful, but it is just how my brain has been programmed to react to images like that, I'm sure you can relate) but it turns out it is about a man protecting his wife/sister/daughter from what seems to be a dangerous person... just some thoughts. And I still don't fully understand the video, which is why I just love watching it over and over again.

Also this song is so good, I literally want to blast this and sway to the music for hours in my room by myself. 

Another video I love by them is for Tessellate

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

I have no idea what this video is about but it is just so visually appealing to me and also the song is incredible.

And lastly Fitzpleasure (not my favorite music video but definitely my favorite song by them)

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

This was the first song I heard by them and of course it made its impression. I love the combination of his voice and the heavy beat. Also it is all english, hard to believe but it is. This video is very interesting to watch as well, again I literally have no idea what it means but I find it fascinating to watch over and over again.

All in all I enjoy the combination of the music and video that alt-J uses to create a new kind of art. I truly believed that they have mastered something here and I wish their concert at The Neptune Theatre didn't sell out in what feels like 10 seconds or I would totally go....

Music is for so much more than listening, it is for feeling,

~~~

"Do you know where the wild things go? They go along to take your honey" -Breezeblocks ∆