music

this is my first video recorded out and away from my bedroom and my house. i hadn’t planned to do it.

after a weekend of being lazy, i decided to go for a walk. i brought my iphone and earphones for music listening and had thought about recording a bit as i walked toward the back of palolo valley. it can be really pretty in the evening, or as the clouds are rolling over from the windward side. it was getting late in the day and i hadn’t gotten very far when i realized recording a sunset over waikiki would be a not-too-bad way to do my first “remote” video.

so, i hustled back to my house, grabbed the camera and mic rig, mini tripod and drove up to pu’uo kaimuki park. those of you who’ve been there before, know its got a pretty nice view of kaimuki and waikiki. when i got there, i found i wasn’t the only one. there were a few couples enjoying a late-afternoon picnic, some kids playing, and another guy looking to take some shots of the view.

after doing almost every video so far, i’ve learned something. something to make it better, hopefully, the next time around. what became abundantly clear while trying to sort out the shots, as well as later on while editing them, was that i need to do a better job of planning out the videos. i started out by shooting the 200 degree view, then did the sunset, then sat down to record myself. at the time, i thought i’d show the two other shots first, then record myself. however, i ended up, as you can see, showing you the view first, then myself, then the sunset.

if i’d put a little more thought into it, i would have realized at the time that this was the better way to do it and adjusted my self shot accordingly. i knew this was going to be a learning process.

and as i just finished uploading yesterday’s video, my bed time is fast approaching, and i’m already thinking about what i’ll be talking (and how to say it) for the next video….

oh, and by the way, you should take some time to check out dexter britain. i came across his music randomly while watching a video on facebook and think it’s great stuff.

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so says the clock on my computer and i’m wide awake, more or less. it’s been quite some time since i’ve had trouble sleeping, so much so that i can’t really remember the last time i had any trouble. i could blame it on the half-cup of coffee i had this afternoon, but i caffeine usually doesn’t have this kind of effect on me, certainly not a half-cup. i’m not sure what it is. i’m not really troubled, though i’ve got some “stuff” coming up in the next couple of months that i’m not particularly looking forward to. on the other hand, there is some good stuff and given some of the responses to my last post, i’m going to choose to focus on those good things here, rather than dwell on those that are more troubling.

for starters, it seems my extended streak of unemployment might very shortly be coming to an end. i’ve gotten word from a friend with whom i’ve been working (volunteering) that i’m on the verge of getting hired. the details, such as salary and start date, are still pending but approximate dates have been thrown out, something that hasn’t happened in the five months since she first mentioned the possibility of a job to me. i’ve been doing some work helping her and it sounds like “the boss” has been at least somewhat impressed with our collective work product.

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thanks to a friend in london, who posted about this artist of whom i otherwise wouldn’t have heard. i can’t decide if i like her, or not. it’s not a style to which i would normally listen, but i have to admit there’s something about it i find catchy, intriguing.

here are a couple of her videos. what do you think?

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i’ve been a bit obsessed with this group lately. and since my brain can’t seem to muster a proper post, this is what i’m settling for at the moment….

i’d never heard of them before until a few weeks ago. i was in mokuleia, celebrating thanksgiving with good friends, which has become a tradition for me (if i’m in hawaii for the holiday). one of the people who came to spend a day at the beach house brought her ipod full of good music stuffs. sigur rós was one of the bands.

shortly after my return to honolulu, i bought two of their albums, which is unusual for me. when i find a new band, i just buy one album at a time. but in this instance, something about the one song i had heard was so great that i was confident neither album (takk….and ( ) ) would disappoint. i was right.

this is pretty much all i’ve been listening to for the last few weeks, at home, in the car, while walking, etc. and i can’t get enough. normally, i prefer my ‘car music’ to be something to which i can sing along, but Sigur Rós is so ethereal and melodic, that it doesn’t matter the lyrics are icelandic.

i highly recommend checking them out, if you’re not already a fan. as for me, my music guru said she’ll be getting me more soon…! in the meantime, check out this video:

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