Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Jeg studerer i Strøget.
Despite having to wake up at 7:00 every morning to brave the frigid cold and darkness, there is one advantage to having classes at 8:30 every day: my Fridays are done by 10:00 AM. Thus began today's adventure strolling down the cobblestone streets of Copenhagen, where 17th-century architecture and modern design sit side by side like old friends, creating a disparate harmony only achievable in a city like Copenhagen.
I spent the day on Strøget, the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe conveniently located just a street over from where I go to class. While Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in the world, clothing is surprisingly affordable right now, perhaps due to the giant sales that go on in the month of January.
Strøget, the pedestrian shopping street, not my photo. Imagine more snow and heavier coats and that is what it looks like right now.
Aside from the great deals and quality shops, it's the small pleasures that make leisurely walks in the city so delightful. Charming outdoor flower shops sit on the street, boasting a remarkable array of fresh flowers. Bakeries and sandwich shops adorn the city, flooding the air with the warm aromas of freshly baked bread and unparalleled pastries. Perhaps the greatest delight was the fact that it was only 3 o'clock in the afternoon and the streets were packed with locals already celebrating the end of the work week, a testament to a collective culture that values leisure over working extra hours. And so it should.
I came to a stop at a red light as I approached Magasin du Nord, where I encountered a most peculiar sight. There was not a single car, not even a bike on the street or anywhere within sight, yet a whole row of people on each side of the street stood patiently waiting for their turn to cross, as if the street were congested with speeding traffic. For an outsider to the culture, it was a marvelous revelation. Even on such a non-issue, their collective way of thinking remains present. They respect the rules and one another, they abide by global-minded structures, and their society benefits remarkably in efficiency.
Copenhagen is filled with such foreign yet comforting encounters. Perhaps most striking is the sight of unattended babies in strollers left on the street as their mothers shop inside. A shocking sign of negligence in America and most other parts of the world, an everyday practice in the safe and civilized society of Denmark. It almost feels like a Utopian bubble at times, and it's sad to think of such a culture colliding with the corruption everywhere in the world today. But for now, it's these little oddities reminiscent of such an admirable society that make me feel so refreshingly at home in this city.
I spent the day on Strøget, the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe conveniently located just a street over from where I go to class. While Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in the world, clothing is surprisingly affordable right now, perhaps due to the giant sales that go on in the month of January.
Aside from the great deals and quality shops, it's the small pleasures that make leisurely walks in the city so delightful. Charming outdoor flower shops sit on the street, boasting a remarkable array of fresh flowers. Bakeries and sandwich shops adorn the city, flooding the air with the warm aromas of freshly baked bread and unparalleled pastries. Perhaps the greatest delight was the fact that it was only 3 o'clock in the afternoon and the streets were packed with locals already celebrating the end of the work week, a testament to a collective culture that values leisure over working extra hours. And so it should.
I came to a stop at a red light as I approached Magasin du Nord, where I encountered a most peculiar sight. There was not a single car, not even a bike on the street or anywhere within sight, yet a whole row of people on each side of the street stood patiently waiting for their turn to cross, as if the street were congested with speeding traffic. For an outsider to the culture, it was a marvelous revelation. Even on such a non-issue, their collective way of thinking remains present. They respect the rules and one another, they abide by global-minded structures, and their society benefits remarkably in efficiency.
Copenhagen is filled with such foreign yet comforting encounters. Perhaps most striking is the sight of unattended babies in strollers left on the street as their mothers shop inside. A shocking sign of negligence in America and most other parts of the world, an everyday practice in the safe and civilized society of Denmark. It almost feels like a Utopian bubble at times, and it's sad to think of such a culture colliding with the corruption everywhere in the world today. But for now, it's these little oddities reminiscent of such an admirable society that make me feel so refreshingly at home in this city.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
wandering vagabond
It has been a long time since I have graced this blog with a post. Lots has happened since then. I traveled to Africa. I worked with refugees. I saw the ugly face of corruption and injustice in everyday life. I adventured. I freed my mind.
I began this blog with a vague intention of making it into something with a focus. For a while it seemed to be an entertainment blog of sorts, collecting relevant posts or published interviews and reviews from my time as an entertainment writer for The Daily Texan. This however limited my expression to one realm, which, for someone who is overwhelmingly fascinated with such a broad range of subjects as well as finding beauty in the everyday world around me, was a paralysis, a locked-in syndrome of sorts.
After spreading myself across a slew of new social sites, all designed for strangely specific purposes, and even contemplating starting multiple blogs to serve all my interests and pursuits, I found myself lost in an increasingly fragmented internet world, extending and categorizing my existence but losing a sense of identity along the way. Innovation has created a postmodern nightmare; progress has led to a regression in human wisdom.
Thus I return home to my kind old blog, abandoning the overambitious intent of creating an interest-specific blog in favor of the original purpose: expressing the beautiful profundity I happen to find in life and all its pursuits.
This post catches me at a conflicting crossroads in my life. Strong passions for various subjects will lead me on varying pathways in life, but they leave me currently agonizing over which to choose and wondering if I even have to choose. But that makes the journey all the more interesting.
I began this blog with a vague intention of making it into something with a focus. For a while it seemed to be an entertainment blog of sorts, collecting relevant posts or published interviews and reviews from my time as an entertainment writer for The Daily Texan. This however limited my expression to one realm, which, for someone who is overwhelmingly fascinated with such a broad range of subjects as well as finding beauty in the everyday world around me, was a paralysis, a locked-in syndrome of sorts.
After spreading myself across a slew of new social sites, all designed for strangely specific purposes, and even contemplating starting multiple blogs to serve all my interests and pursuits, I found myself lost in an increasingly fragmented internet world, extending and categorizing my existence but losing a sense of identity along the way. Innovation has created a postmodern nightmare; progress has led to a regression in human wisdom.
Thus I return home to my kind old blog, abandoning the overambitious intent of creating an interest-specific blog in favor of the original purpose: expressing the beautiful profundity I happen to find in life and all its pursuits.
This post catches me at a conflicting crossroads in my life. Strong passions for various subjects will lead me on varying pathways in life, but they leave me currently agonizing over which to choose and wondering if I even have to choose. But that makes the journey all the more interesting.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are
Somehow, I had no childhood and managed to grow up without ever reading (or recalling) Where the Wild Things Are.
Luckily, somewhere out there, Spike Jonze did have a childhood and has now apparently recreated the beloved classic in all its nostalgic glory. The trailer captures in all its simplicity the innocence, fear, imagination, unconditional hope, love, and above all, pure magic of childhood. Driven by a beautiful recording of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up," it reaffirms the power of music, film, and stories to constantly inspire.
If the film's as beautiful as the trailer, Spike may have just given me a childhood.
Luckily, somewhere out there, Spike Jonze did have a childhood and has now apparently recreated the beloved classic in all its nostalgic glory. The trailer captures in all its simplicity the innocence, fear, imagination, unconditional hope, love, and above all, pure magic of childhood. Driven by a beautiful recording of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up," it reaffirms the power of music, film, and stories to constantly inspire.
If the film's as beautiful as the trailer, Spike may have just given me a childhood.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Post-SXSW
It's been a couple days since SXSW concluded, and there's a warm feeling in my heart that people all over the world now are looking back fondly on their experiences, missing the Austin streets overcrowded with bands, music fans, journalists, hipsters, photographers - people of all human threads from all human lands united in a shared enthusiasm for music.
A few visual highlights from SXSW:
Austin during SXSW is a sight to behold - a sea of plaid and Ray-Ban glasses overflowing with a remarkable enthusiasm for music felt in every corner of the city. Over a thousand bands from all over the world, all thrilled to be there and even more thrilled to see the same shows we're thrilled to see. The interaction you can have with artists is unmatched - it's a unique experience being able to wait in lines, enjoy shows, and rave about music with the bands you respect - and seeing the mutual respect between artists is inspiring. There's something truly special felt in this overarching, free-flowing love for music, and it's an atmosphere recreated nowhere else.
It almost makes me reconsider my original plan to spend next spring abroad. Almost.
A few visual highlights from SXSW:
Arms
 Parenthetical Girls |
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KVRXplosion
Ninjasonik
 look at dem hipsterz... |
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Motel Motel
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Harlem Shakes
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Pete & the Pirates
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The Spinto Band
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Hymns
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Harlem Shakes (again)
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Their show gives new meaning to orgasmic:
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It almost makes me reconsider my original plan to spend next spring abroad. Almost.
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