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An early link to my other post because cross-blogging is so inefficient…

The British (Comics) Are Coming! Comic Relief 2009

Comic Relief is a British charity organisation that was founded in the United Kingdom in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis in response to famine in Ethiopia. Every other year, the BBC broadcasts Red Nose Day, a charity telethon that benefits Comic Relief.  It is an opportunity for British celebrities to "Do something funny for money."  

So, here they are, doing something more or less funny.  James Corden coaching the English national side.  French and Saunders doing their last sketch ever (they've retired--sob!!!).  Paddy McGuinness and Keith Lemon having the time of their lives.  And the toast of Red Nose Day, the winner of Let's Dance for Comic Relief, Robert Webb with his impression of...a welder.

If you only have time to watch one or two, watch the last ones. J

Uno! Dos! Tres! Catorce! Hello, Hello, U2!

♬I can’t believe the news today…oh I can’t close my eyes and make it go away! ♬

Yes, that’s U2 posing on the steps of the University, with the insane student-fans (yours truly included) behind them, all mugging for the camera.  As I’m writing this I still can’t believe that I got to see U2, in my school, for FREE! 

In one fell swoop, Bono and Company anointed us as the coolest college in America, possibly in the world.

Morning came early in the Bronx…some people didn’t bother sleeping anymore.  Who needs SLEEP when U2 is around??? 

As for Roomie and myself, we left the apartment at around 5 am in the morning, and the lines were already pretty long.  I won’t bother regaling you about the misadventures of being lost in the crush of humanity…let’s just say that I’m almost too old for these things.  ALMOST.

  

But the music took center stage, and it was a pretty amazing show.  Love how Bono wooed the crowd, revising the lyrics of Beautiful Day to sing “♬F______ University right in front of you♬.” The people went wild! The band performed 4 songs from their new album No Line on the Horizon: “Get Your Boots On,” “Breathe,” “I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” and “Magnificent”(which I thought was the best of the bunch). They obliged with 2 crowd-pleasers, “Beautiful Day” and “Vertigo.”  Only 6 songs, but it was so worth it to finally hear the biggest band in the world, live.

 

Rolling Stone magazine calls No Line on the Horizon U2’s “best…since 1991’s Achtung Baby.  My loyal readers (my father, mother, and occasionally, Franny, hehehe) all know how Spot and I feel about Achtung Baby – my favorite U2 song, Mysterious Ways, is on it.  (On the cassette, it was actually a B-side, God knows why).   While I do like a lot of their songs (Beautiful Day is a good workout song, and the Numb video is hilarious), I haven’t loved any WHOLE U2 album since Achtung Baby.

The night before the concert, I had a meeting with my dissertation director, and after doing away with the minutiae of survival analysis regressions, we made small talk about U2 and the upcoming concert.  I mentioned that I preferred the older albums (see above), and my mentor (who is, possibly, the coolest professor in the department) mentioned that I might like the new album, because it was a throwback to the classic U2 sound.  He was right – iTunes observes and that it “attempts to recapture that spacy, mysterious atmosphere of The Unforgettable Fire, and then take it further” while Rolling Stone notes that  it “is closer to the transitional risks — the Irish-gothic spell of 1984's The Unforgettable Fire, the techno-rock jet lag of 1993's Zooropa.”

Did I already mention that my mentor is the coolest professor in the department, ever? 

That is why I am sitting here waiting for iTunes to finish downloading No Line on the Horizon.

 

I was a bit disappointed that the band didn’t sing any of the older songs--I was really hoping to hear the opening riff of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” or hear The Edge sing “Numb” live.  I would have settled for going oh-oh-oh-oh-oh in the name of love.  Most of the kids watching were probably in diapers when “One” was released as a single in 1992, and while they probably know the classic U2 songs, they don’t relate to them as much as the iPod-era tracks. 

But who cares, right?  Because U2 was not playing at Columbia, it was not playing at Georgetown, and it was not playing at Notre Dame.

Photographic credits to Roomie, except the first two ones from RollingStone.com., and the cover art for Achtung Baby.

Face Your Music

It seems that the byword this past week was MUSIC.  

While shopping for coffee in one of the neighborhood stores, the shopkeeper asked me what I was bopping to on my iPod.  Here’s how the conversation goes:

Shopkeeper:  Who are you listening to? 

Moi: (answers confidently) The Libertines. “

Shopkeeper: Oh, I haven’t heard of them. 

Moi: They’re a British alternative rock band that broke up in 2004. (Thank you, Dan Radcliffe!)

Houston, we have established street cred.  Hahahaha! At least among the shopkeepers of Arthur Avenue.  

Whenever someone asks me what I've been listening to, there is a great desire to impress people with my taste in music.  Saying "The Libertines" leads to further inquiry (Sino?) while saying David Archuleta will probably end the conversation right there and then.  Unfortunately, Pete and Carl spent too much time singing "Can't Stand Me Now" to each other that they decided to go their separate ways.

And speaking of impressive, rumors have been swirling furiously about a world-famous band that is supposed to hold a hush-hush-top-secret-for-students-only concert at my school. 

  

(I love this video, especially the use of the Chippendale firemen in the back).

Alright, fine, it’s U2.  Insert shocked gasp here. 

I believe in the Jesuits, but man, if they pull this off, it would be a miracle!!! 

I don’t know if it’s true—whatever info I have is from Google--but I’d really really really rather line up for a hoax than miss the real thing.  ♬ You’re the real thing…even better than the real thing! ♬   God knows I’ve queued for less – Harry Potter, the Empire State Building, The Revenge of the Sith (still haven’t recovered from that!).

So, in the wake of this news, the following conversation was heard on the grapevine:

Neighbor 1: Malamang sasama si Kristinesync doon sa concert.

Neighbor 2: HUH??? E, di ba mahilig sya sa boyband?

Cue Debbie Downer music here :). 

To quote Lizzie Bennett: I deserve neither such praise nor such censure. 

But can you stop yourself from bopping to this?

 

You can’t.  

Before the Jonas Brothers, before Dancing with the Stars, there was *NSYNC.   The album "No Strings Attached" sold 2.4 million copies in its first week of release, a record beaten only by the Beatles’ “1.”  During my younger years, I fancied myself in lust with JC Chasez (he's the guy who sings better than Justin Timberlake). Why I have to be younger to fancy him when he's my age, I don't know.  Since then, he has moved on to Eva Longoria (pre-Tony, of course) and I’ve moved on to other, more accessible objects of lust. 

But contrary to popular knowledge, I was a U2 fan long before *NSYNC was even a glimmer in the record company’s eye.  My sister bought a cassette of Achtung Baby when it first came out in 1991 and we’ve been rocking to it since, so much so that one day, the tape finally refused to play. 

Hindsight is always 20/20, and I thank my sister for buying that tape.  Knowledge of U2 is essential when cute guys from the last frontier are trying to maneuver you into a one-on-one conversation in an Irish pub (say that you liked Achtung, hated Pop, and he’ll follow you around like a puppy dog).

  

I guess it is easy to imagine that people stick loyally to a certain artist, a certain album, a certain genre.  We like to keep things simple and organized.  The truth is, iTunes playlists are just as complicated as the people who own them.  Try putting all your songs in shuffle, and you’ll probably end up with Franco Corelli, Shonen Knife, Beyonce, Paulinho Moska and Barry Manilow in the first five clicks.  Just because I listen to Boyzone doesn’t mean I don’t listen to Muse, and because I love the Sohodolls, doesn’t mean that I can’t hum along to Hilary Duff (♬ …when you wake up, it will seem so yesterday, so yesterday…♬).  Besides, knowing Boyzone songs increases my chances of getting a 95 during a videoke contest :).

Here's Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders parodying a boyband :).

  

Because people tend to be nosy (and nasty) about other people’s iPods, it is tempting to create a music persona, a version of me whose taste in music is impeccable or at least, obscure.  I, for example, own the track “Mickey.”  To dispel any doubt about the identity of the song, yes, it’s the one that goes: “Oh Mickey, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey!  Hey Mickey!”  Shameful, embarrassing things like this, I usually hide in a playlist called “Pop” or “Various Artists” or “Miscellaneous” – and I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only person in the world who does this.  We like to put the certain tracks up front (this way Chris Martin and Cat Power), and the baduy ones in some vaguely-named list (budge up Air Supply).  

It is probably in my best interests to delete “Mickey” but one of these days, you never know, you might get the urge to put on a cheerleading outfit and sing “Oh Mickey, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey!  Hey Mickey!”

 

Because life shouldn't be all about my dissertation...

Here, I am, re-affirming my existence with a mighty YAWP.  Or an itty bitty blog entry.

I’m a bit busy at the moment.  Remember this?

It’s that time of the year again.  Crossing my fingers – while typing, hahaha!  See, I’ve got mad skillz! Wish me luck!!!

 

Obsessing over:  When Love Speaks: The Sonnets (EMI).  A recording of Shakespeare’s sonnets by some of the best British actors and an eclectic gathering of world musicians.  All of the tracks are wonderful, but I am this close to pressing the “buy” button on iTunes just to hear Alan Rickman say “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” over and over and over again.

 

I’ve been listening to BBC radio for sometime, mostly BBC Radio 1, which I guess is the Top 40 station.  However, I just discovered a program called Words and Music, a program on BBC Radio 3, which combines music and literature.  I am currently listening to Michael Gambon reading work by playwright and actor Harold Pinter, interspersed with music by Miles Davis, Bach, Thelonius Monk, Schubert and Beethoven.  Great listening when I’m bored out of my mind transferring results tables from Stata to Excel.

 

Free highlights!  Complete with shampoo and blow out! Only in NYC!  I finally got a color appointment at Bumble and Bumble, two weeks ago and it turned out great!  I have a little bit of highlights that warm up my hair and go really well with the new red lipstick(s) I bought last week.  Hee.

And speaking of lipsticks, are you kidding me?  Are you freaking kidding me?

 

GREY LIPS???!!!  Apparently that’s Fashion Week’s forecast for fall.  

I know I will never pull it off, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be tempted to buy it. *Plans scheme to go back to Lipstick Queen.*

 

New fave show!  Being Human…care of BBC, of course.  Three unusual flatmates (a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost) living in a pink house in Bristol.  Wicked J. 

Best line: "We're pathetic! We're like the world's gayest ninjas!"

I will follow George's floppy ears to the ends of the earth.  Bit of a cliffhanger in the last episode...someone drives a stake into Mitchell's heart (ack! chews on fingernails!)!

On a dissertation-related topic, let me leave you with a new use for Stata user manuals:

Stabilizes the converter, the better to see Gary Sinise with. J

Curry in a hurry!

Feast your eyes on this:

 

 

I based this on a recipe I got off foodnetwork.com, but substituting red curry paste for Madras curry powder, and nutmeg + cinnamon in place of cardamom.

 

 

I’m not really sure I can post this recipe on my page, so let me just link to it.  I made mine with half of the recipe for 0.75 lb of shrimp.  Will adapt the recipe later on for lamb (see SPOT drool buckets).

San Francisco Days

Thanks to Chris Isaak for the title.

 

My first real awareness of San Francisco was from surprise, surprise, a Scooby-Doo episode called “I left my neck in San Francisco” where Mystery, Inc. is on the trail of the Lady Vampire of the Bay.  Sample dialogue:

 

Lady Vampire:  “I am the Lady Vampire of the Bay!”

Shaggy: “And like, we are the cowards of the year!” (Scooby whimpers in background.)

 

 

In this episode, the gang tours San Francisco, including the Alcatraz (where they first meet the Lady Vampire), Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown.  I thought that Scrappy was not featured in the original cartoon, but unfortunately, he’s there, and Scrappy is an annoying little *****.  In spite of this, “I left my neck in San Francisco” is still my favorite Scooby-Doo episode ever.  It took me years to get tired of the sample dialogue above.

 

I’ll spare you the details of why I was at San Francisco, because the reasons are infernally boring, but let me just tell you I got within striking distance of Ken Rogoff (one of my idols,  just by virtue of his being Chief Economist at the IMF. That's Ken up there, thanks to the Harvard website, during his chess-playing days), Lawrence Klein, Ken Arrow, Philippe Aghion, Roger Myerson and Eric Maskin.  All I had to do was whip out my sword and use my death-at-ten-paces-technique…(at this point SPOT hits me on the head: Bad Kristinesync!  Down Kristinesync!).

 

I didn’t want to spend all that money on just work, so I extended my stay in the city for a few more days, catch up with my cousins, and explore this beautiful city.

I did the usual touristy things, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, the Castro, riding the cable cars (it’s tempting to ride the first cable car that arrives at the turntable – yes, they manually turn the cars—but to get to the Fisherman’s wharf area, take the one that goes through Hyde Street…it’s got a better view of the bay), tour the shopping area, taking the MUNI and the BART and the SamTrans, Union Square, Golden Gate…all the things that Scooby and Shaggy did while running AWAY from the Lady Vampire of the Bay.

 

Some things I learned about San Francisco (from my own observations, of course, the usual caveats apply--as in don't sue me!):

 

1.     They have wicked uphill climbs!  You knew this from films and television, yet they don’t prepare you for the real thing.  Chuck the Louboutins! Take your cue from the San Francisco ladies and wear nice comfy shoes.  You can get more familiar with the layout of the downtown area by walking.

2.    

    It hardly snows in San Francisco (maybe once or twice in every ten years) even though the city is almost as far north as NYC, I think.  Maybe has something to do with overlooking the Pacific?  Must go to Wikipedia right after I’m finished.

3.    

    While it is an extremely busy city, the vibe is more laid-back than other cities I can think of.  You also get the feeling that people “live” in the city as opposed to DC, which is pretty much an extra-long row of cubicles, with museums sandwiched in between.  I’ve entertained fantasies of being late for work and just jumping into a cable car to avoid a long uphill walk!

4.   

    Bring a lot of CHANGE!!! They even take pennies!!! Unless you are from San Francisco and have a monthly MUNI pass, you have to have exact change to ride the buses and the trains.  You can take as many rides as you can within a time window printed on the MUNI ticket, but don’t piss off the bus driver by trying to use an expired ticket.

 

5.      Apparently, people swim in the Bay during the winter!  I have proof!  I don’t know anyone who would willingly backstroke around the East or Hudson Rivers (around the NYC area at least), but hey, to each their own.

 

6.     Clothes and shoes are taxed in San Francisco; so unless it’s a really good deal and you can’t find it anywhere else, keep that credit card in your wallet.  On that note, there is a cute little store called Aricie in the Crocker Galleria.  Unfortunately, they ran out of my size L.

    

    They are taking down the Bay Bridge soon (probably not as safe as it used to be) so better start taking pictures of this landmark before it goes.

 

8.     Special Interest: The monument at Union Square was erected in commemoration of the victory of Rear Admiral George Dewey in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War (1898).  Nerd that I am, I remembered that Dewey’s ship was called the Olympia because of a short story I read in grade school.  For those too young to remember, Roxas Boulevard along Manila Bay used to be called Dewey Boulevard.

The best thing I got out of my trip was reconnecting with family.  Some of my uncles and aunts and cousins there I haven’t seen in 15 years; some of them I had never met before.  They were all wonderful about taking me around, feeding me, and even providing me with exact change for the MUNI.  Thanks you guys.  As long as I am living in NYC, you will always find a place here J.