Monday, May 07, 2012
Monday, April 02, 2012
Jasmin gets inked!
I'm in a daze where I can't believe things are actually happening. The words to this Children's book have been edited and polished, and I've spent the last few months watching the story come alive with the amazing illustration that's taking place in front of my eyes thanks to my genius illustrator, Brandon Engelman. This is just one of 20 inkings that will soon be colored in using a combination of watercolor and digital magic. We're getting closer and closer to publication.
I've already scheduled two readings in late June. The excitement has only just begun!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Cassettes we broke; lyrics we lived by
How we discover music is evolving so rapidly, and thinking of these progressions,I am immediately drawn to my earliest music influences--before I realized I could discover music on my own.
My dad was a devout Beatles fan, who wouldn't give up on playing their music until my sister and I had memorized all the songs. One year for Christmas, our Aunt Tony recorded every single Beatles album from record to cassette tapes, where we found endless use. Thanks to my dad, my first CD was "Abbey Road" instead of "Very Necessary" by Salt 'N Pepa.
The Beatles remained the roots of music in our household--a good baseline standard-- but it was in my mom's car, where I became aware that it's not just about music being good. For it to really take hold, it has to reflect the mood you're in and draw genuine emotion from you. Only from there can you grow.
My mom kept her most prized collection of cassette tapes in her silver dodge shadow. It's from this collection of tapes, where my sister and I would find her in her most vulnerable moment. Her body had been possessed by 80's music, and when unleashed in the car, she produced signature dance moves that would terrify jazzercisers everywhere. As much as we mocked her for it, deep down, we were moved by the music too.
There were some albums with only a few good songs hidden throughout the tape, and for that my mom had memorized how many seconds of rewind/fast-forward time it took to get to the next good one. We played them so often, and rewound, fast-forward, flipped, clicked and rewound again, we never realized that cassette tapes were breakable until they were. And we broke a bunch. The tape sometimes snapped completely. So here, I present to you, our greatest accomplishment, for it took years of car trips and a little jazzercising to break all these cassette tapes. Also included are some quotes that are endlessly burned in my mind. Thanks mom.
1. Elton John- Sleeping with the Past
2. The Bangles- Everything
3. Les Miserables Musical- Tape One (Tape Two is still silently intact in its casing)
4. Sandi Patti- Morning Like This
5. Dick Tracy Soundtrack
6. La Bamba Soundtrack
7. Madonna- True Blue
8. Jim Chappelle- Tender Ritual (instrumental)
9.George Winston- December (instrumental)
10. Various Artists- Red Hot and Blue- Cole Porter Tribute
11. Natalie Cole- Unforgettable
12. Beaches Movie Soundtrack
13. George Michael- Faith
14+ ...and a variety of mixed tapes, one titled "P'Town 1988" that is still considered "playable" although a few songs sound more tired and lapsed than others. This one album truly captures an era with artists like Anita Baker and Phoebe Snow.
Everyone starts somewhere in their musical roots. I started here. With each artist listed as a seed, I grew, took detours, went through the 60's and 70's in five years, had a dark phase, a reggae phase, an indie phase, a bachata phase, and here I am now, somewhere in the middle of it all, nestled deep between House music and Basement Bhangra, returning sometimes to rest with my comfort food of tunes, the now invincible iTune files arranged in a playlist that I have titled, "Cassettes we broke".
My dad was a devout Beatles fan, who wouldn't give up on playing their music until my sister and I had memorized all the songs. One year for Christmas, our Aunt Tony recorded every single Beatles album from record to cassette tapes, where we found endless use. Thanks to my dad, my first CD was "Abbey Road" instead of "Very Necessary" by Salt 'N Pepa.
The Beatles remained the roots of music in our household--a good baseline standard-- but it was in my mom's car, where I became aware that it's not just about music being good. For it to really take hold, it has to reflect the mood you're in and draw genuine emotion from you. Only from there can you grow.
My mom kept her most prized collection of cassette tapes in her silver dodge shadow. It's from this collection of tapes, where my sister and I would find her in her most vulnerable moment. Her body had been possessed by 80's music, and when unleashed in the car, she produced signature dance moves that would terrify jazzercisers everywhere. As much as we mocked her for it, deep down, we were moved by the music too.
There were some albums with only a few good songs hidden throughout the tape, and for that my mom had memorized how many seconds of rewind/fast-forward time it took to get to the next good one. We played them so often, and rewound, fast-forward, flipped, clicked and rewound again, we never realized that cassette tapes were breakable until they were. And we broke a bunch. The tape sometimes snapped completely. So here, I present to you, our greatest accomplishment, for it took years of car trips and a little jazzercising to break all these cassette tapes. Also included are some quotes that are endlessly burned in my mind. Thanks mom.
1. Elton John- Sleeping with the Past
"...and we can dance real close beneath the pulse of a neon light. There's a downtown smell of cooking from the flame on an open grill. There's a sax and a big bass pumping. Lord have mercy!"
"We lose direction. No stone unturned. No tears to damn you when jealousy burns."
2. The Bangles- Everything
"Say my name
Sun shines through the rain
A whole life so lonely
And then you come and ease the pain
I don't want to lose this feeling."
3. Les Miserables Musical- Tape One (Tape Two is still silently intact in its casing)
"In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me forever and forever
And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say, there's a way for us"
4. Sandi Patti- Morning Like This
"He inhabits the praise of His people
And dwells deep within
The peace that he gives none can equal
His love, it knows no end"
5. Dick Tracy Soundtrack
"Encore, once again around the dance floor.
Romance is in the picture too.
Cause I'm following you"
6. La Bamba Soundtrack
"Para bailar La Bamba"
7. Madonna- True Blue
"Don't try to run I can keep up with you
Nothing can stop me from trying, you've got to..."
8. Jim Chappelle- Tender Ritual (instrumental)
Magic Sleigh Ride
9.George Winston- December (instrumental)
Variations on the Canon
10. Various Artists- Red Hot and Blue- Cole Porter Tribute
"You do something to me,
something that simply mystifies me."
11. Natalie Cole- Unforgettable
"That's why darling it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too"
12. Beaches Movie Soundtrack
"Oh, the sun beats down
and burns the tar up on the roof.
And your shoes get so hot,
you wish your tired feet were fireproof"
13. George Michael- Faith
"I won't let you down
I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sound
It's the one good thing that I got"
14+ ...and a variety of mixed tapes, one titled "P'Town 1988" that is still considered "playable" although a few songs sound more tired and lapsed than others. This one album truly captures an era with artists like Anita Baker and Phoebe Snow.
"Gonna give it up tomorrow
Got to live it up tonight"
Everyone starts somewhere in their musical roots. I started here. With each artist listed as a seed, I grew, took detours, went through the 60's and 70's in five years, had a dark phase, a reggae phase, an indie phase, a bachata phase, and here I am now, somewhere in the middle of it all, nestled deep between House music and Basement Bhangra, returning sometimes to rest with my comfort food of tunes, the now invincible iTune files arranged in a playlist that I have titled, "Cassettes we broke".
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
What would your life movie look like?
1 Second Everyday - Age 30 from Cesar Kuriyama on Vimeo.
Cesar Kuriyama saved enough money to take a year off from his busy life in advertising to simply live life and enjoy it. For our benefit, he was able to capture a one-second video clip of each day in 2011 and string together this 6 minute short. This remarkable project landed him an opportunity to speak at TEDtalks on March 6th.
http://blog.ted.com/2011/05/25/the-power-of-one-second-qa-with-cesar-kuriyama
It really had me thinking what my one-year life film would look like. What would your life movie look like?
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
He sees the world in color
Five years ago, some friends and I went to Venice Beach, CA, where we met some new friends with a refreshing perspective on life. They lived on the beach all day, surfing working out, smiling, but barely getting by. A simple verbal exchange led me to realize that our new shirtless barefooted friends lived in a completely different world than we did.
“Where did you get that shirt?” the free-spirited Kai burst out.
“Umm, I bought it in New York,” so boring, I had no interesting story behind this particular purchase.
“Wait! You bought it? Did you guys hear that? She said she BOUGHT it…” I felt increasingly uncomfortable, now.
…in NEW YORK.”
While they were sharing a laugh, I looked at their young eyes and dirty feet. In this moment, it became clear to me that we had chosen a different path in life. I chose education, a career and the endless circle of consumerism; while they chose to keep their young eyes and live completely detached of all material goods…and without shoes and shelter. But were they really so apart from my world that the simple idea of exchanging goods for money was so foreign to them? And would I ever understand? I couldn’t fathom what kind of answer they were expecting.
“Oh, the lifeguard traded the shirt off his back for some incense I made from seaweed that I gathered on the beach this morning.”
Just then Kai stopped himself in his state of laughter and explained.
“I’m sorry. It’s just; we don’t get people from New York that often. In Venice Beach, we say BOUGHT.”
This is where I realized in my time in New York, I started to acquire a Brooklyn accent. I retraced my words that started it all.
“I BWOT it in New YOWAK.”
Despite these little misunderstandings, Kai and his friends became our premier tour guides, inviting us to local-only events that I couldn't find on web sites when I got back.
Although concerns of job security, career life, planning and societal pressure will always keep me from being able to live a carefree lifestyle like Kai's, there is that tiny piece of me that wants to surf all day, live off of breakfast burritos and not be so connected to money.
If I ever feel stressed out or anxious, I know that somewhere, Kai and his friends are sitting on the boardwalk telling some wound up tourist, "It's life. It's great. Relax and enjoy it. That's what it's for."
...
If you hang out in Venice Beach Park long enough, you’ll see Kai skateboarding, doing handstands and flips and just being happy. No education, no career experience, no tangible collections of a past, just a boy who always wanted to live on the beach and play all day.
“Where did you get that shirt?” the free-spirited Kai burst out.
“Umm, I bought it in New York,” so boring, I had no interesting story behind this particular purchase.
“Wait! You bought it? Did you guys hear that? She said she BOUGHT it…” I felt increasingly uncomfortable, now.
…in NEW YORK.”
While they were sharing a laugh, I looked at their young eyes and dirty feet. In this moment, it became clear to me that we had chosen a different path in life. I chose education, a career and the endless circle of consumerism; while they chose to keep their young eyes and live completely detached of all material goods…and without shoes and shelter. But were they really so apart from my world that the simple idea of exchanging goods for money was so foreign to them? And would I ever understand? I couldn’t fathom what kind of answer they were expecting.
“Oh, the lifeguard traded the shirt off his back for some incense I made from seaweed that I gathered on the beach this morning.”
Just then Kai stopped himself in his state of laughter and explained.
“I’m sorry. It’s just; we don’t get people from New York that often. In Venice Beach, we say BOUGHT.”
This is where I realized in my time in New York, I started to acquire a Brooklyn accent. I retraced my words that started it all.
“I BWOT it in New YOWAK.”
Despite these little misunderstandings, Kai and his friends became our premier tour guides, inviting us to local-only events that I couldn't find on web sites when I got back.
Although concerns of job security, career life, planning and societal pressure will always keep me from being able to live a carefree lifestyle like Kai's, there is that tiny piece of me that wants to surf all day, live off of breakfast burritos and not be so connected to money.
If I ever feel stressed out or anxious, I know that somewhere, Kai and his friends are sitting on the boardwalk telling some wound up tourist, "It's life. It's great. Relax and enjoy it. That's what it's for."
...
If you hang out in Venice Beach Park long enough, you’ll see Kai skateboarding, doing handstands and flips and just being happy. No education, no career experience, no tangible collections of a past, just a boy who always wanted to live on the beach and play all day.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Racial and Faith Equality
I love that feeling of starting a project that’s your own and carrying it through to the end. I’ve decided to have Jasmin’s Summer Wish illustrated and self-published, so I can share it with more kids. Leading this project means that I can have the final word on both the art and the copy, which is so empowering. Since we’ve started the illustration process, the meaning behind the book has taken on a whole life of it’s own.
Jasmin, the main character, was initially set out to be ambiguously multi-racial to appeal to more kids in the city. I knew I wanted to have many kids identify with the main character, but recently, it grew more important that this book teach a lesson in racial and religious equality. Having a semi-brown main character only brushed over this issue.
I noticed that in New York, which has a relatively large Sikh community, there is very little awareness of who Sikhs are. If I didn’t have friends to help open my mind about accepting all faiths, I’m afraid I might also have made cringing judgments I’ve heard others make against people wearing turbans in New York. This fear of the unknown has caused much discrimination against Sikhs, and there is very little exposure to defend their community.
I thought it was important to show kids in New York that their neighbors aren’t so elusive and unknown. And I thought it would be important for Sikh kids to have a character they can identify with. So, that’s why I decided that Jasmin, as well as one of her friends in the book, will clearly be Sikh characters.
Jasmin, the main character, was initially set out to be ambiguously multi-racial to appeal to more kids in the city. I knew I wanted to have many kids identify with the main character, but recently, it grew more important that this book teach a lesson in racial and religious equality. Having a semi-brown main character only brushed over this issue.
I noticed that in New York, which has a relatively large Sikh community, there is very little awareness of who Sikhs are. If I didn’t have friends to help open my mind about accepting all faiths, I’m afraid I might also have made cringing judgments I’ve heard others make against people wearing turbans in New York. This fear of the unknown has caused much discrimination against Sikhs, and there is very little exposure to defend their community.
I thought it was important to show kids in New York that their neighbors aren’t so elusive and unknown. And I thought it would be important for Sikh kids to have a character they can identify with. So, that’s why I decided that Jasmin, as well as one of her friends in the book, will clearly be Sikh characters.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
I dream big
I dream big. I dreamed last night that I sold my novel. Simon and Schuster had scheduled a meeting early in the morning, and they put me up in a fancy penthouse hotel room in Soho the night before, which was interesting since I live blocks away from that neighborhood. I pretended that I lived in the hotel room, which was several times bigger than my apartment, counting the square-footage in the fire escape. That night, I went grocery shopping, filled the fridge with fresh produce, and cooked dinner for my friends using the stainless steel Viking oven that I had stumbled across. I opened the large loft windows, exposing my view to other windows in the sky. This is when I got the first taste of real wealth in New York City. These large windows exposed me to happy families dancing around their spacious apartments—the kind of apartments that you look for in Halstead Realty, just because. Because, that’s what you look for when you dream. Then suddenly, their windows went static. I had been watching TV screens, and these happy memories I was growing envious of were actually pre-recorded, rehearsed memories that didn’t really exist. I woke up promising to finish this novel for myself and to dream big, stay foolish, but stay humble.
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