Entertainment
I don't remember movies a week after seeing them, I just know this one pulled out some type of emotions in me. That's all I gotta say, I enjoyed the way it was shot and suprisingly something in which I can stand him.
Every time I watch this movie I see parts I did not see before, one of those movies. It is the perfect low budget indie film to me. The range of people, lives, places, events, emotions and the way they edgily play out in each scene, without serious direction, is great to me. Just random haphazard poetry that life is. Perhaps disturbing for some, but perfectly disturbing to me.
I can only say to watch this movie when you can, and I say that because after you see it, I want you to know that the technology/virtual realm is way more corrupt than what the real world appears like in this movie, because in the virtual/technology realm, few people can really see and keep up with all the corrupt practices. For all this movie describes, the new fraud is in the virtual arena, and as a job I do my best to prevent it from happening to systems. I think youtube has 23 parts online to watch a good amount of the movie, or just rent it, you will find it a very interesting documentary and easy to follow, though perhaps some sections go on too long. Basically the people at the top of capitalism know we all die and will do anything they desire which gives greater gain to them despite the rest of the people's suffering. War, fuel, food, it's all in there even though the movie is 5 years old now.
I had no idea what I was walking into when I saw this at the theatre with friends. It depicts a small group of early 20-somethings in scotland in the 90s, all with their own ticks, addictions, and downfalls. Another movie I can watch more than once, and what a good soundtrack, a use of one of my favorite brian eno songs in the bathroom I would've never thought of putting the song to.
Of the 1000+ books I read (back when I had the time to read something other than manuals) Hesse's books are the ones I searched out to make sure I read every one of them, even if I had to go to flea markets and old bookstores. His stories are translated from german and I am sure there's alot lost in translation, but still I felt the poetry in the lead characters' lives, as they set out in journeys of self discovery. Definitely the one author who affected my own life and adventures, and inspired me to life a life less ordinary. They start with 'siddhartha' and end with 'glass bead game'. after him I stopped reading books because I felt he was 'it' for me in my early 20s.
HERE are a handful of random quotes of his.
Kurt is the author who made me feel ok with the way my own mind worked, because his stories were just incredible balls of yarn my mouth watered to undo. He made it alright to let the mind wander and then come back into focus again with subjects, and then go off again in daydreams. Finishing his collection was depressing. Where are the next beatles and where is the next kurt vonnegut, neither in my lifetime I'll bet. If you don't read even his most popular 3 books, you won't know how text can push and pull at your imaginations' fabric.
HERE are a few random quotes from his books.
He was a writer, mathmatician, and philosopher from the last century, and I don't remember how exactly I found him, perhaps randomly at a used bookstore, garage sale, or flea market, but once I began reading through his books, I found myself constantly going 'oh yes, it is like that isn't it', because he stated things in such clear and simple ways, yet they dug down to the common formulas of all things human, and mixes in a bit of math and logic as well. I wish I could read through many more of his books but he wrote more than I could ever read. He seemed like the most well-rounded common-sense man I had ever read, mixing pure poetry, reasoning, and logic, and he served as an inspiration as to how to live my life, what choices I should make for happiness versus what the outside world tries to sell me for 'happiness' the object. Definitely an inspiration in most every area of my life.
HERE are a few dozen random quotes of his.
His books from 1000s of years ago are simple dialogues, just a few men sitting around pondering meanings of what it means to be human, with laws, ethics, morals, and education. When I first bought some to read I thought it would be alot of ancient pompous fluff, but after reading a few hours I was amazed to see how all he was doing was breaking things down into bite-sized morsels of the greatest ideas, and that mankind has been asking questions of wrong and right for millenia. What is nice with these books is it disassembles mankind and rebuilds the term of 'man' at its' basic form. Statements on what it means to be a human, and to treat other humans, and what our responsbilities are to ourselves and everything external, all these things are so easily understood here I was glad to read that my thoughts and fears on the world had been asked so long ago by men before machinery and complicatios existed, and he was someone answering with such clean and pure responses. In a perfect world this series would be required reading for all who enter civilization by birth, if even just to stir up each humans mind about the choices they live by. Great reading and foolish to pass by, especially speaking of truth, government, education, and war. I mean, I've not heard anyone say these things today, 1000s of years later. I thought we had evolved, but he made me realize we are only physically evolving, not emotionally.
As a pre-teen I always got pulled into reading Stephen King books on a long weekend, and they were scary, yes, but once the book was put down, the story remained within the pages. Then at age 20 I picked up this book on a whim, and wow, it put aside anything I had previously read that was considered 'scary', in fact whenever I put the book down between chapters I felt like I had actually witnessed something disturbing. Perhaps because it was set in a modern time and life and the main character swung between different 'frames of mind' in a way I had not read before. If someone wants to really read a effectively disturbing book that actually twists your internal functions, this is a book to read. I never saw the movie for the fact that it could not possibly serve the book.
In my early 20s I happened across this group of writers who really helped get me jump-started in being more self-aware and spiritual, as opposed to religious and empty. This ws a period when I lapped up all their books and many more lesser authors, and profoundly got many tools to deal with this life. I haven't read them since, because they are the sort of books where you read them, get inspired from them, and then move on to live a better life. The first books I read from each was "The Politics of Ecstasy" and a reinterpretation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Leary, "Be Here Now" by Ram Dass, "Behold the Spirit" and "Meaning of Happiness" and "Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are" by Watts, and "Doors of Perception" by Huxley. If I hadn't read these books, I don't think I would have the happiness and natural curiousities on life that I tend to have.
These are the books which led me to take roadtrips 2-3x a year in my 20s (something thats been horribly lacking in my 30s) and learn that taking unknown 'blind faith' cross country roadtrips are truly where my highest heart lies, for I am in perpetual happiness when behind the wheel of my car and just driving, driving through day and night, not knowing where I'll be at sunset and where I'll rest my head. For me, road trips is like following a faint trail of pixie dust, where you get to play connect-the-dots with magic in life.
Daily Schedule 24/7
This is a typical day for me, which I am still trying to improve upon over time. I would prefer to have more 'self' time, as we all would, and reduce the time needed studying to keep up with technology, and all needed to keep up with the world comfortably. Some days i do not even have time to work for any client as I get lost in study, which stinks. HOURS TASK
8.00 sleeping, or trying to
0.50 morning bathroom and kitchen, vitamins, coffee, snack
0.75 check over a dozen news sites, filing relevant info
0.75 check/reply to multiple emails, billings, notifications, etc
3.25 go to two dozen+ websites/forums, filing relevant info
0.75 make tea, snack, bathroom break
3.50 ACTUAL PAID TIME WORKING FOR CLIENT, AT MOST
1.00 review projects for multiple people including favors, check on status of all
0.75 make/eat dinner, and shower
1.00 recheck websites for news, place/check orders/repairs, clean some area of residence
1.50 practice/learn new hardware, software, design, coding, tweaks
1.50 minutes left for me time, or cleaning and checking in on life outside Food & Drink
for foods
- I choose organic and free-trade as much as possible. I taste the difference, and it can't hurt to turn away chemicals and slave-labour.
- I cook with the best olive oils i can find, coconut oils, sesame oils, and coconut milks. I like experimenting with marinades in ziplock bags. I try to make food reach all 5 tastes and all 5 senses.
- I like using lots of fresh lemon and limes in place of salt, trying the oldest balsamics possible, grilled asparagus/squash/veggies with honey, zucchini-anything I love, portabellas, heirloom tomatos, chilis of all types, basils of all types, rice of all types, mmmm sourdough bread is my one starch weakness, and if there's not a cheese i havent' tried yet, then I need it. Truffle cheeses I adore above all else.
- I say I don't eat meats but i do eat chicken, tuna, and shrimp, not really into seafood though.. Grilling is my latest love as it opens up new areas of flavors and textures that oven/stove cannot match. I like working with raw cacao, raw almonds, homemade vanilla extract, in food and drinks.
- thai/viet food comes first when it comes to ethnic likes, followed by good, fresh, hard-to-find mexican food. Although I am italian I find eating pastas are like trying to drive with flat tires. If I do try pasta it's a rice-based one, thin as possible.
- For sweets, I eat alot of candy called 'ginger chimes with peanut butter', I chain eat them severely sometimes. I have tried dozens of raw food bars and snacks by the case, and love trying exotic sugars, honeys, and anything sweet and organic.
for drinks
- I prefer trying new green teas, new green coffee beans, coconut waters, liquids with fresh lemon/lime juices, frozen banana or mango lhassis or strawberry drinks, fresh vanilla drinks, fresh homemade gingerale, and other homemade seltzered sodas, soaked raw almond drinks, and experiments in my vitamix or carbonator. I roast my own coffeebeans and soak-sprout nuts before making milks with them.
- There is still no alcoholic drink I can even think of pretending to like, I don't drink junk with corn syrup, only sugar. I dont drink regular milk except in recipes.
Music
work and sleep
Dead silence makes my ears ring and mind wanders too long and far, so I try to keep at least some type of sound going on in my environment, if just to keep the air 'fresh' with vibrations. I play either a random mess of natural ambient sounds (like weathers, waters, or animals), or a mix of classical music (like requiems, soft chorales, or solos), or just low-level ambient music (like brian eno, harold budd, aphex twin, etc.), or just leave somafm.com or sleepbot.com internet stations constantly running softly right on the edge of earshot.
anytime else
for females, a mix of catpower, fleetwood mac, innocense mission (probably my favorite female artist), some amy winehouse, sara mclachlan, tori amos, and mazzy star. Any soft female voice with some instruments behind her I tend to like, nothing too strong. for males, a mix of bob marley (my favorite male artist), beck, nick drake, paul simon, ray lamontagne, some tom petty, that one sting album, stan getz and astrud gilberto, bill monroe. the strongest I can stand for male vocals is old pearl jam, old smashing pumpkins, and old nirvana. for bands, a mix of rem (my favorite group before they started putting out drudgery after automatic for the people), police, radiohead, beatles, steely dan, early cure, smiths, some morphine, dave matthews, the one coldplay album. I am so dated on musical likings, just new music; I'll like a song or two from an artist, but not much more than that. Too bad.
Events
- I like sleeping and my bed itself is an investment of tempurpedic and the best downs I could find; but sleeping anywhere at anytime I can do, different places give me different dreams so even sleeping in my car on the side of some road gives me fantastic sleep-exeriences, it is almost as if I am being filled with random flashbacks of that spot in the past and future. As long as I have a pillow I'll sleep anywhere and be at peace.
- I tend to spend alot of time quietly just pondering the things that bubble up in my mind, I like taking different new roads driving to get to where I'm going, I love roadtrips where I do not know how I am getting there nor how long it will take, because I enjoy the way to anywhere. I like cool nights to lie out under the cloudless sky when there's a new moon and zone out on the stars, and if there is a full moon then I enjoy the clouds dimensions and reflections. Meditation is the end-all be-all to me, it's just coming back out of it and back into the threshold of life that sometimes saddens me, because the countdown on a life ticking away I can hear again. Boo hoo.
- I can get excited when reading a new manual, studying something new, or learning a new craft from someone. If I could go without sleeping for days I would enjoy working in photoshop, building computers, or coding things; once I fall asleep I lose the framework i had built up and that sort of stinks. I love biking and kayaking. I like new places and events with old friends. I love driving into a new city, parking on a random sideroad, and exploring it on foot. I can go anywhere, I think, and be happy because I constantly am trying to pull it all in and uncovering every detail. I cannot think of when I have ever said or thought 'I am bored' to be honest, and I am always shocked when others say it around me, there's way too much going on outside and within me for that.
- As far as social or public events and places, I tend to keep to myself off in a corner as i am not one to mingle, but god do I love to people watch endlessly, and anyone who knows me knows my dark humor when I'm out and about.
Personalities
Those who put out good energy and good efforts, no matter what the situation is, because how can we always not be aware that there are those who have it a whole multitude worse than ourselves. Those who know how to occupy the body and mind themselves and never freeze the creative wheels. Those who's actions match their words and live by the ethics and critiques by which they judge others, even if they are negative, as long as they still stand by what they say and act, and don't do the common 'I say this but I do that' routine. People who don't smoke cigarettes around me. People who give me patience and listen, actually listen, as I know I can be overtalkative sometimes. People who pay their debts and hold their promises. People who smile much more than frown or look stagnant. People who aren't always coming up with excuses why they 'cant' but instead talk of reasons why they 'can'. People who laugh knowing my dark humor is harmless and is just me having fun, and people who see through me enough to know I never want or even think of hurting or taking advantage of others no matter how easy it could be. People who inspire me with their level of conciousness or knowledge or compassions beyond my limited scopes and framework. People who can express emotions better than I.
It would seem like everyone says they want good people around them, but they have no problem not being good to those around them. The 'me first' affliction I am not fond of. I am not a 'team' worker, but I think I can still work for the 'teams' ultimate goals and be of service, so I appreciate people who I can work with on any level.
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