xtine.net blog

music for the month of may

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 02:18:56 -0700

[instrumental experimental]
Earlier in May I was invited out to a Secret Chiefs 3 show at the Bootleg Theater. I was invited by a former worker and I went along, being intrigued by the idea of an instrumental alt/metal/surf/arabic/etc band. I was impressed by their musical technicality, musicianship, and skill across complex musicial styles; one of their albums that they performed at the show was Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9, which especially had a middle eastern flair.

[local vintage pop jazz outfit]
Later that week, another friend asked if I wanted to check out a free Leftover Cuties show at Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica. I've heard of the jazz pop outfit before in passing, but I was curious to check out a show. They already won me over playing jazz standards before their main set, and then solidified it even moreso when they closed out with more of my favorite jazz standards. I was especially impressed by their pianist/trumpeter/accordionist which was skilled in all three of those difficult instruments in the field of jazz. The whole band in general came together really tight, with all the members smiling and grooving to their own music. I look forward to seeing them again often as they are a local band.

[from uk pop to feminist punk rock]
Kate Nash's new album Girl Talk (2013) is probably now my favorite album from her. I really enjoyed her debut Made of Bricks (2007) when it came out and hoped she wouldn't fade out. I really liked her simple songs with catchy and straight up lyrics about relationship woes and dickheads. My Best Friend Is You (2010) I felt was alright. But her transformation into a more raging feminist with new punk rock ethos Girl Talk really got me going. More of that catchy honesty. Even if it sounds like a typical punk/rock/pop/riotgrrl yelling over power chord structure, I'm totally digging it and will probably stay as one of my favorite albums of the year.

[midwestern ska, tom waits rocksteady style]
I ended up going to Des Moines, IA of all places, to hang out with friends and attend the Fistful of Ska shows. Usually my travel for music ends up being a trifecta of music, food, and friends; this trip was definitely no different. I nommed on Fong's PIzza (a pizza joint / tiki bar under the decor of a Chinese restaurant), grazed on Zombie Burger, danced to Sammy Kay and the East Los Three, The Prizefigthers, Dropsteppers, Soul Radics, and Deal's Gone Bad. I was especially excited to see DGB for the first time after waiting for so many years. They were even better than I imagined them to be, which was an awesome surprise. I also enjoyed talking with Sammy Kay outside after the show and I especially enjoy the new EP he's put out, Sammy Kay and the East Los Three, especially since I have a like for raspy voices in ska (MMB...). I also enjoyed seeing The Prizefighters live as I supported their recent Indiegogo campaign for some sweet 7" vinyl singles.

exploring los angeles like i was born here

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:37:01 -0700

So I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and I usually find myself knowing more about the area and interesting spots more than the average twenty-something native. But even then, I usually find my lack of knowledge large and am always interested in learning more about the local cultures and history of the metropolitan area in which I live in.

Several years ago, I participated in LA Scooter Scavenger Hunt in which I worked with four others to tag ourselves from a list of pages of clues of famous or important things in the city. For instance a few of our shots included the Griffith Park carousel, the Richard and Dion Neutra Architecture office, Union Station, a taco truck, a Star Maps guide, the John Wayne statue in Beverly HIlls, Jim Henson studios, among many more. It was an exciting race all over the city and I was unaware of half of the important or interesting historical facts and places the city is known for. I don't know how many of my peers even know of the ship building in downtown that is a Coca Cola bottling plant.

So upon further research I found that there is actually a society, The Los Angeles Conservatory that determines a list of notable landmarks. They also host tours, events, and advocy about the great city of Los Angeles (and the greater area) and it's definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of architecture at any level. There's also a great blog called Great Orange Landmarks that is a journal about visiting each of these starting at the beginning.

One of the greatest things I love about LA is the great diversity of culture and wide array of landmarks and historical and important buildings. I become defensive when people judge the city over their minute experience in only one part of town, when LA can be SO different from one area to another. It's not just Hollywood and the beaches, but so much more. Even an episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown featured Los Angeles but was set mostly in Korea Town (Ktown) and describes how culturally different one part of town can be. And even there exists different cultures within a cultural area (Mexican, Banglidesh, Filipino). Love this type of cultural, environmental, and food mashup.

playlist catchup

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:49:56 -0700

I haven't been able to update my recent additions to my tunes for a few months, so here's the catch-up post since the end of 2012.

Ben Gibbard - Former Lives (album, 2012)
Admittedly this is a little bit of a guilty indie rock pleasure. I do like a fair amount of tracks from The Postal Track and Death Cab for Cutie, but for some reason I hesitate to openly admit to liking his Ben's solo record. Well honestly the standout sequental tracks for me are "Lily," "Something's Rattling (Cowpoke)," and "Duncan, Where Have You Gone?" I skip through all the others.

Alela Diane - To Begin (song, 2011)
There's probably a lot of indie folk/americana that I like but haven't found out about yet. This is one example of indie folk that I really enjoy, and glad I can discover through KCRW. Also nice to listen to when you just need a life pick-me-up.

Less Than Jake - Greetings & Salutations (album, 2012)
I love a lot of third wave ska pop/punk, and Less Than Jake is definitely no exception. But I confuse a lot of LTJ and ska fans by saying that I enjoy their newer album GNV FLA more than their 90's hit records Losing Streak and Hello Rockview. So it was par for the course that I really enjoy the hell out of their newest album as well. I think I still like GNV FLA a little bit more, but this one sure does it for me as well.

The Prizefighters - Follow My Sound (album, 2010)
It's also not a little known fact that I absolutely love traditional ska, reggae, and rocksteady. So I really dug this band from the Minnesota that is keeping the 60's Jamaica sound alive. Solid dancing tracks from the midwest.

The Menzingers - Good Things (song, 2012)
I'll be honest, I like the The Menzingers but most songs off their latest record On The Impossible Past don't do it for me. What was most disspointing was that their first track "Good Things," is sort of now an anthem for me, I love it that much. But the rest of it just fell flat and dull to me, and this record is really polarizing for a lot of fans. Most fans seem to either love the hell out of it or just go meh. I just wish they had "Good Things" on a 7" because I'd pay the price for the whole LP for just that track. Why all good things should fall apart...

Finch - What It Is To Burn (album, 2002)
This is a fun one since I never listened to Finch before. I've heard of the band in name and the opinion was never overwhelmingly good or bad, so I never had a reason to listen. A few out of town friends flew in for the 10th anniversary shows for this record and gave me tickets so I decided to check them out. The shows were great, and the album is pretty solid. Haven't listened to anything else, though.

TRICERATOPS - WE ARE ONE (album, 2010)
Prolific Japanese rock band TRICERATOPS makes another great album with a lot of catchy tracks. Girls, happy mountains, zombies, going wild, a smattering of light hearted but rockin modern Japanese indie rock.

Tegan and Sara - Closer (song, 2013)
I honestly never listened to Tegan and Sara before this. The single off their newest album Heartthrob is a bit divisive for their fans, but I enjoy it for what it is since I haven't listened to their older records yet.

Title Fight - Floral Green (album, 2012)
PA hardcore with emotional lyrics. Line from "Secret Society:" I made promises that I can't keep, I fell asleep / Tell me lies straight to my face/

The Rival Mob - Mob Justice (album, 2013)
Highly anticipated high energy hardcore from Boston. Stuff to listen to if you feel misunderstood, violently mosh, and lift weights. I like it still.

Candy Hearts - The Best Ways To Disappear (album, 2012)
Super cutesy female fronted pop punk. Makes you want to run out, enjoy life, drink coffee, eat candy, pine about your crush, and cuddle with your friend and be confused about it. Basically either rockingly cute or vomit inducing, your choice.

Masked Intruder - Masked Intruder (album, 2012)
Continuing the trend of saccharine fueled pop punk, Masked Intruder is a four piece that plays with different colored ski masks on stage and wishes that they had girlfriends to hug all night. Well that and, wanting to commit crime.

The Ting Tings - Soul Killing (song, 2012)
Song from their newest album, Sounds From Nowheresville. Ska influenced track with a creaking backbeat and pop rock feeling. Because it's soooull killin'.

rilo kiley - rkives (album, 2013)
Rilo Kiley is back! Well, sort of. I have no idea how the band (that supposedly has a rocky relationship with each other, hence broken up) collaborated to get this out, but all the RK fans have been excited over this one. Live songs that haven't been properly released as a recording, b-side gems, and a remix of everyone's favorite song "Dejalo" with Too $hort mixed in. There was more than enough Twitter snark surrounding that one, but I don't mind it. It's really saying something when I can listen through an entire b-sides/rarities album without skipping tracks.

Depeche Mode - Delta Machine (album, 2013)
DM is at it again. Good bands may have a hit album they can't quite ever recover from, and great bands sustain great albums one after another. Depeche Mode is a great band. Far from their teen idol days and entrenched in American industrial, goth, and new wave scenes, Delta Machine is chock full of synth goodness and dark brooding lyrics of redemption, pain and agnst. Before you can say what's new, the whole album feels progressive much more in a darker direction than Sounds of the Universe. And I don't mean that just lyrically, either. It's a good album through to through that's probably got a fair amount of influence from their times spent on rehab. So Hollywood, but at least they got something great to show from it afterwards. And I mean if the crushing success can't even prevent Billie from Green Day from checking it well, it doesn't prevent the new wave / synth greats from it either.

recommended things to do in hong kong

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:43:19 -0700

I've been to Hong Kong many times and am quite familiar with it, so I decided to write up a guide of my recommendations of things to see and do in the area.

Take the Star Ferry, which boasts rich history and awesome views of both Kownloon and Hong Kong island. At less than 50 cents USD, it's a really inexpensive way to get across to HK island or vice versa.
Travel to The Peak, also known as Victoria Peak. Board the Peak Tram funicular. Theres shopping, cafes, and a stunning view of the city below from the top.
If you're not afraid of crowds, visit Mong Kok which has the highest population density in the world. Hustle through crowds of locals and tourists alike with many tight shopping districts and streets -- from electronics, cheap clothing, cosmetics -- and street food in the mix. Just make sure to be smart about your wallets and bags, once in a while there are cases of pickpockets.
One of the biggest outdoor Buddhas is on Lantau island (same island where the airport is located), the Tian Tan Buddha. Take the Ngong Ping cable car to get there, I recommend the Crystal Cabin if you aren't afraid of heights so you can see the bottom. You can walk up the 240 steps to get to the stop which isn't too difficult even if you aren't in the best of shapes, there are slow tourists making the hike up with enough room for the sporty ones that run up.
If you pace your time well you could also visit Tai O which is a fishing village a bit west of Ngong Ping. You could also visit Cheung Chau which used to be a pirates haven but now is a small town village with lots of good and cheapfood on the water front. Small, and you can rent a bike to get around and explore.
Hong Kong Disneyland is worth a visit if you like the Disney theme parks. I've been to the original Disneyland in Anaheim countless number of times and while HKDL is super small, I still enjoyed myself a lot. HKDL is a compacted version of DL, which actually makes it easy since you can probably fit most of what you wanted to do in one day than trying to rush like DL or DW. Jungle Cruise is interesting in Chinese (they have Cantonese and Mandarin versions) and if you don't understand those they do have an English version with an accent.
The ride that impressed me the most was the Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars which is exclusive to HKDL. It's very similar to Big Thunder Mountain railroad except Runaway Mine Cars also goes backwards and yields an explosion. To which, Jungle Cruise also has an added explosion! Fun new touches if you're used to the originals. The character shows get packed and it's very interesting to hear the characters speak in Cantonese (they do have English subtitles if you don't understand). Characters also don't roam the park but instead stay in designated meet and greet areas with an orderly queue which makes it very easy for photo ops. The jewlery shop in Main Street also has the near $1M USD solid gold Mickey statue.
Dim sum recommendations: One Dim Sum and Tim Ho Wan. Both are highly rated, so expect to queue up early or be prepared for a long wait. Tim Ho Wan is basically the cheapest meal at a Michelin star restaurant (it's expanded to additional locations but still long waits). Both are hole in the wall joints with fast service (and they also expect you to get out fast), but are super delicious and budget friendly.
City tram from one end of Hong Kong island to another. Fare is only $2.3 HKD (less than $0.50 USD), get a good seat on the upper deck and you can see a lot of the city for over an hour. Passes through high end retail, busy streets to more suburby areas for a taste of the different paces in the city. Colloquially referred to as "ding ding" by locals because of the bell chime sound the tram makes, similar to a streetcar.
If you're into museums, Hong Kong Museum of History is great for explaining the history and transition of Hong Kong from prehistoric to modern times. The Hong Kong Museum of Art is not bad, although pales in comparison to art museums from other big cities, but still worth a visit if you're into art.
Lots of advanced hiking and nature walking if you're into that, research accordlingly.
Stanley Beach and Market is a nice open air market and rocky beach with nice waterfront bars and restaurants and close to Repulse Bay. A bit touristy since you'll see a fair amount of foreigners around but still nice to check out.
There is endless amounts of shopping, depending on what you want. High fashion and expensive stuff (IFC Mall, Pacific Place, Langham Place, Times Square), even if you're not into designer names usually the areas are fun to check out. There are electronics and camera shops everywhere but honestly you'll find a better deal online. It's only advantageous if you want to get something that hasn't been relased to the American market yet, and there is no sales tax and easy enough to haggle for a slight discount or some extras (memory card, carrying case, etc).
Lots of hobby and stationary stores for cute stuff, model kits, Japanese toys, and accessories you can't find in the States. If you like anime or gaming you can find a lot of things only found in Asia, and occasionally cheaper than Japan sometimes even.
Protips: when you land, get an Octopus metro card and fill it up with a few hundred to get around. It works on busses and MTR subway and even convenience stores. Taxi is still mostly cash though. Always make sure to top it up and at the airport before you leave you can turn it in for a refund on the deposit. If you have a smartphone, you can visit any 7-11/Circle K or one2free store and get a $100 mobile broadband card. for $78 you can get unlimited 3g on sim (or micro sim for iPhone) for 7 days. Remaining balance can be used for calls and texting. Google Maps is very handy and the public transit directions are decent. But be wary as construction on some lines may cause routes to be changed, but usually the electronic signage in the bus will let you know.

All of the above should probably last you more than a week. There's always something to explore and it's easy to get lost in an area just checking things out. It's super safe and most people understand or speak English, so unless you mess with the Triads you should be good to go.

pycon 2013

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 18:00:12 -0700

This was my second year attending PyCon, but I was pretty tired through the whole thing. I had wrapped up a few client projects right before leaving and did not have enough sleep working through them. Throughout the conference I did not sleep that well since my air mattress decided to spring a hidden leak somewhere. But despite that I had a good time and ran into familiar faces and met new people.

Honestly I did not spend much time seeing many talks as I relied on the fact that most of the videos would be online after the conference. I feel the true value of the conference is the hallway, expo, and event experiences so I tried to make the most of that. I felt the expo and food space was better organized, and because I was familiar with the space from last year it was really easy to navigate.

This year I skipped out on the New Relic party so I could play poker hosted by Eventbrite, and I had a lot of fun. I haven't played in a long time and its given me the itch to play more often now. I gave a talk on Saturday called "Lessons Learned Teaching Python" with my friend Sandy. I was supposed to give a tutorial and attend the Education summit but unfortunately work deadlines trumped both. :( But I was glad that I was at least able to attend this year.

I do wish that I had attended BOFs since I was busy doing other stuff, and perhaps dropped into a few of the coding labs and demos. Next time I may even decide to take it easy and not give a talk at all just so I can experience more all what the conference has to offer. These past two PyCons I've either been working a booth or giving talks so lots of time is spent doing more work than experiencing. Next year it's also going to be hosted in Montreal, so hopefully I can go even if it's just for the poutine. ;)