My first glimpse of sand art

September 26, 2009 at 7:18 pm (LT)
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One of my favorite radio programs is The World by PRI. Not only do they report on timely stories with interesting interviews, but I also love to hear Marco Werman & Co. dish about super cool musicians during the Global Hit segment. I try to be near the speakers before noon and over the years have added many an album to the library after hearing about world musicians that I’d been oblivious to.

It was with half an ear that sand animator Kseniya Simonova made a blip on the radar. While printing Saturday’s KIPO log and producing copy for the weekend calendars, I heard Marco describe her politically themed entry to this year’s Ukraine’s Got Talent competition. I’ve never heard of sand animation… and it didn’t sound like anything you’d see in a Pixar studio. With my curiosity piqued, I immediately did a google so that I could get a first-hand look at the performance. Even with repeated viewings, I’m continually amazed at the skill it takes to produce different tones with a palette of tiny granules. It’d be a treat if Simonova could score an invite to perform on the next season of America’s Got Talent, but then I’m just a viewer and not a producer =)

Put some time aside and get set to to be wowed by the narrative vignettes drawn in sand. Each stroke is purposefully choreographed and the emotive soundtrack will tug at your heartstrings. If crying judges and audience members set off the waterworks, you may want to have some tissues handy too.

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On the hunt for wifi

September 13, 2009 at 6:35 pm (LT)

A couple of weeks ago Pastor Lee asked me to prepare a testimony to share at a special service dedicated to Sunday School. It seems I would be an example of a SS kid all grown up. After I said OK, the countdown began and although I promised myself I wouldn’t procrastinate, the mental outline remained blank for well over a week. Weird how my brain languishes for days on end and only kicks into gear when there’s a deadline on the horizon.

My composition style is messy, as my English teachers can attest to, and I fail miserably at being concise. Friends used to tease that I spoke in bubbles. So when the creative juices finally started to flow, it was Friday. This was in the midst of mini-reunions with high school buddies and major carpet cleaning at work. It was over a cheese platter that Matthew gave it to me straight and diagnosed my OCD: hoarding. He didn’t need to see the five years worth of stuff accumulated under my desk to know that not much would make it into the dumpster. But I digress.

In between dinners and taking boxes of stuff to my car, I managed to put together a semblance of a paper, which was emailed to Pastor Lee for approval. This would have been late Friday evening. Revisions continued offline and with my final draft saved, I visited my neighborhood Starbucks and shelled out $4 to access my yahoo account. It was quick and easy, so what else could I do but spend the next 100 minutes questing on t61 and lurking on twitter. When I eventually made it home, learned that Wing, who would be translating for me on Sunday, needed a copy too. There went another $4 to AT&T. Ironically, it was only after spending the bulk of Saturday sitting in Starbucks that I discovered a pretty decent wifi signal in my own garage. OUCH!

I’ve been going to Chinese Lutheran Church of Honolulu for practically my whole life, way back when the congregation started at the Prince of Peace building on Lewers Street. The 12-story senior-center was torn down a while back and Duty Free expanded in its place. Memories are a funny thing. I have a hard time recalling what I had for lunch yesterday, yet I can still see the old nautically themed decor of the McDonald’s next door to the Bank of Hawaii. I can even smell the funky odor that was uniquely Woolworths. My childhood haunts have been built over and all that is left are photos in my mom’s albums and pictures I recall when I shut my eyes.

So after delving through the cobwebs and dusting off some old memories, my testimony was written and delivered. I think Steven is the only other one left in our generation who shares in these memories of childhood. Now life is crazy busy and next on the to do list: learn how to work Garage Band and get the podcast up and running.

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Looking over cinematic horizons

August 8, 2009 at 10:41 am (LT)
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Finally made it to Kahala Mall to see the Japanese flick “Departures” after Steven suggested a viewing… got there in time to miss the first few previews, but after locating a seat in the dark, settled in and added more titles to the must-see list. At first glance, I thought Jack White was a Johnny Depp wannabe, but The Edge and Jimmy Page soon righted my wayward misconception. So in my head, I’m penciling in the rockumentary for further research and then suddenly get sucker-punched with this Lion’s Gate offering:

Literally felt my gut clench in reaction to the horrible reality of dolphin fishing… my shallow understanding of these sea creatures has been shaped by status quo acceptance of them being star attractions at Sea Life Park. If a few minutes of footage can trouble me so much, I wonder how high my blood pressure will get after seeing “The Cove” in its entirety.

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Wo ai xiong mao!

July 27, 2009 at 8:28 pm (LT)
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bb_ming_81 In my quest for Ming the Panda… that would be Beanie Baby #20 for those of you who never look at the toy display in the lobby of McDonald’s… I’ve forsaken my usual #7 on the menu and have taken to ordering hamburger Happy Meals with the apple dippers and chocolate milk. So far, my unsuccessful attempts at adopting this plush cutie via the Happy Meal program has garnered me Woolsy and Twinkles… am so NOT excited with the Ronald doll. The dolphin is okay and I’ve even had a chance to own a ladybug. Not sure how much more of this I can endure, so I’ve gone and done the adult thing and googled Ming… seems I can buy my heart’s desire online and give my arteries a break for only $6.99.

My love affair with these gentle giants began after my dad took me to the Beijing Zoo and I got to watch pandas lazily munching on bamboo, oblivious to the mayhem of people lined up to get a glimpse of them behind the glass. Been hooked ever since and though Ben tries to sway my opinion with stories of pandas gone bad (biting and mauling strangers who jump into caged enclosures) I remain steadfast in my devotion to the xiong mao. NPR videographer David Gilkey captured some sweet footage of babies in action at the Chengdu Research Center. Whenever I feel stuck in the doldrums, I just click on play.

The San Diego Zoo has an excellent live video program for their popular elephant, ape, panda, and polar bear exhibits. Here’s the link to the Panda Cam, where you can observe pandas in real time! And pencil in some viewing time on Monday, August 3, when the zoo celebrates Su Lin and Zhen Zhen’s birthday by serving ice “cakes” at 9 am.

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Awake in the dark

July 7, 2009 at 6:33 pm (LT)
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My feathered alarm clock woke me as usual and even though I left early for my 8:30 appointment, still managed to get snarled in morning traffic. My pupils have gone through a stressful morning and thankfully they’ve finished spazzing and aren’t as light-sensitive as they were seven hours ago after Dr. Lee dilated them. These eye exams are an annual thing and you’d think that I’d have learned to bring my shades. But no, I walked in totally unprepared and once again, got to walk out of Straub rocking those generic sun protectors that make me look like a Roy Orbison wannabe.

Vision is something many of us take for granted and I spent over an hour in the parking lot waiting for the fuzzies to go away. Thankfully I wasn’t out in public very long and made it back to work with everything awash in a vivid amber-hue. Didn’t think much of the plastic/paper contraption on my face until I walked into the newsroom and proceeded to crack everyone up… even got serenaded with a few bars of “Ebony and Ivory” to commemorate the new look.

My eyes have finally emerged from hiding and everything looks so much sharper and brighter. I’ll have to start eating more carrots and spend less time watching DVDs; dry-eyes and fatigue are major contributors to blurry and blood shot vision. Even though I was shrouded in darkness for most of the day, T61 drew me like a beacon and I could easily trek the site blindfolded… Happily sharing one of the bands I stumbled upon today, Johan the Angel, an epic-folk quintet from Portland.

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Can I have an aviary in my bedroom?

June 30, 2009 at 8:14 pm (LT, thesixtyone)
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Last Tuesday I was wearing my favorite Jeff Hanson t-shirt featuring artwork from his album, Madam Owl. Something about the blue tee had Ray chuckling… and he insisted that I had to see this clip that his son had found on YouTube. After the thirty second video was done, I was compelled to find out more about the amazing little creature… Here’s the long version and if you speak Japanese, it probably makes a lot more sense too. ENJOY!

There is so much amazing stuff online and my blogging capability has just gone up a notch now that I have mastered the art of embedding. Danke, danke to all the patient gurus who help me through the baby steps… After hearing about the hefty fine Jammie Thomas-Rasset was slapped with for willfully violating copyright laws, I have been thinking a lot about content. Planet of Sound is in a state of flux and if you’re wondering when Episode 19′s going to drop… well, it’ll probably be a couple more weeks as I’m in the process of retooling the format and signing up for sites that offer podcast friendly music. It’s a given that I’m still trekking through T61 and here’s one of the many tracks that got a heart today:

And finally after giving iPhoto a whirl, I was able to grab one of my favorite snapshots off the phone. This little fellow adopted me a while back and although he’s not quite the transformer like the South African owl, he does a great job doubling as an alarm clock… the only thing missing is the snooze button.

guai1

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The 61 rocks

June 12, 2009 at 10:06 pm (LT)
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Sitting in a Starbucks wondering if my T-Mobile account has roaming wi-fi… the Kailuhi wayport is fast, but to my bemusement, I’ve left both credit cards in yesterday’s ensemble and tempted as I was to use Simmy’s VISA, it won’t hurt to be offline for another day… it’s not as if the blog is WAY overdue or anything.

The past week has been full of good food and brainstorming. Kat is back from Chicago and a dinner at Du Vin helps make up for the semester she’s been away. Ray laughingly likens my opu to a bottomless pit and I admit that the world is a sunnier place after I’ve eaten. The moi was scrumptious and the Gouda is next on my hit-list.

Summer is in full swing and I’m expecting a package of Putumayo CDs, including the latest Italian compilation. I went on a binge and loaded up my amazon shopping cart with Eurovision projects going back to 2007… this was after Pauline called up and asked if I had seen this year’s winner. Since I don’t have cable, I think I was out of the loop, so I went online with the intention of reading up on the event, but got sidelined by past compilations for cheap prices. It’s been a good month so far because thesixtyone.com has come through again… Mac of Fugalo has given me a link to their new material being released in Germany; bought a new Toy Horses single; and got the mosh pit and ring-bearer badges. SWEET!

The playlist going on in my head continually shifts and at this moment it’s a blend of Bebel Gilberto and Among the Oak & Ash with a twist of Euro-pop.

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Time to watch the clock again

May 25, 2009 at 11:24 am (LT)
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It’s been about two weeks without access to the net. Can’t say I’ve been going through withdrawals, but I’m not looking forward to the ordeal of wading through spam as I cull through my email once I get back to the office. On top of that I’ve still got to catch up with posting to the blog and taping another podcast… ironic how I’m going to put in extra time because of all the time-off I’ve taken.

Each day of the staycation has been filled with activity as we host family from China and New York. Dad and Su-Su, his younger brother from Tian Jing, haven’t seen each other in over fifteen years! Everyone is a little grayer and although their senses are much blurrier, we all just talk a little louder and make time for afternoon naps. When there’s time to chill, my pets get spoiled by all the extra attention and I’ve enjoyed impromptu cooking and knitting lessons from my aunt, a well-known and respected pediatrician.

Even before vacation started, I’d been contemplating how much time I can devote to the world wide web. It would seem I’m a throwback to a different era… not only have I existed happily without cable… but also *gasp* have no internet connection at home either. I’m sure the truly connected social media person would be shuddering at the thought. The only a twinge of regret I experience is whenever I think about all the tracks I’m missing out on thesixtyone.com. Life is good, but I know I’ve missed out on a whole lot… not only because I’m not tweeting or surfing Yahoo, but because I’m not hearing the local and international news stories that I normally do on a daily basis. To top it all off, I’ve misplaced the phone charger and haven’t been able to check messages since Friday… adding even more to feeling disconnected from the rest of the world.

P1010227This was one of the many scenic spots we visited along the eastern shores of Oahu, near Sunset Beach. Each sun-soaked day is a blessing and I’ve come to realize that paradise is just outside my door… I really should stop and spend more time smelling the plumeria.

Fourteen days have whizzed by and work once again beckons… Episode 15 of the podcast has been brewing on the back burner, but will probably feature music that I dug up after a mad rush of housekeeping. Was happy to rediscover Festivalbar 2000 and the Sirenes compilation, which are going to get radio play in the upcoming weeks. Still digging through old messages to find contact info on Miss Willow so I can schedule an interview about the upcoming PUJA dance project. And after only a couple of hours in the A/C, already missing the warmth of the sun but I’ll be sure to catch some rays when I grab lunch from DonQi.

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Finishing Challenge 2009

April 30, 2009 at 12:05 pm (LT)
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Aside from sitting in a freezer for most of the day, I enjoy being in Control Room 5 for the pledge drive.  Sitting at the sound board, my job allows me to listen to beautiful music, while monitoring impromptu conversations at the Pledge Table… this morning Kimo popped out from nowhere and started spouting pidgin with Erika Engle of the Star Bulletin.  The light-hearted radio moment was so unexpected, underscoring the fact that you never know what’s going to happen with live radio… did you know that ”puka” also means zero in Hawaiian? Our phone number is 9-4-4-8-8-puka-puka.

Sometimes there are little hiccups, like when we’re in a pitch break and I realize that no music has been set up … thank goodness for the TalkBack button and Gene’s quick thinking on the fly.  My classical vocabulary has grown quite a bit after playing cuts from the same few CDs this past week. I can pick out chamber music in a sec and can even discern the difference between Vivaldi’s Four  Seasons and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.  Gene and Joan are wonderful mentors and my classical lexicon is getting a workout this week. Another premium that has caught my eye is Sharon Isbin’s Journey to the New World… she’s transcribed Renaissance and English folksongs for guitar and Joan Baez lends vocals to a couple of tracks. 

Yesterday the update board showed we had less than $80,000 to go on the overall goal of $741,000. Update watchers are happily anticipating the end of the Challenge 2009. Overnight the numbers have dwindled away and we are only $21,000 away from putting this puppy to bed. Once that happens, the champagne will flow and we will segue out of fundraising mode and back to regular programming.  Life will settle into normalcy in just a few hours, YIPEE,thesixtyone.com here I come!

With the craziness of fundraising, I haven’t been able to record another episode of the podcast… I’m kicking around the idea of bringing on another voice to the Planet and going to a bi-monthly production schedule instead of a weekly one.  The cold that came back with a vengence illustrated the fact I need to take better care of my health especially with swine flu scaring everyone. Can’t wait to get my desk back and not having to don Michael’s sweater that looks more like an afghan blanket whenever I swim in its folds.  The talented folk at Hawaii Public Radio have been doing a wonderful job of drumming up support… at last glance, the board says we only need $18K more to go!

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It's Day 3 of Challenge 2009

April 24, 2009 at 3:59 pm (PI)
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The regular cadence of life has given way to the flurry of  Challenge 2009 at Hawaii Public Radio. The station continues to run smoothly through the collective effort of dedicated volunteers and supporters who gather at the HPR Plaza on Kaheka Street.  These twice-a-year pledge drives are markers of time… just as one sees the changing foliage as a sign of the season, whenever I spot a phone technician in the music library it signifies a fundraiser is right around the corner.  This year three of them were testing KIPO’s phone bank whilst ”A Whiter Shade of Pale” was playing on FM89. Interesting how my brain works. I can’t remember what I wore last week, but ATC’s story about Procol Harum’s classic being named Britain’s most popular song is still vivid in the memory banks.

Instead of tip-tapping away in the News/Traffic/Ops departments, my responsibilities have shifted to being the daytime sound engineer for Gene Schiller and the classical pitching staff.   I’ve been stationed in CR5 for the past two days, monitoring levels in the Atherton Studio, depressing buttons, watching the clock and running the knobs to play CD premiums, which include Jonathan Cohler & the Claremont Trio, violinists Lara St. John and Anne Akiko Meyers and conductors Paavo Jarvi and JoAnn Falletta.  Sol Gabetta’s album is my favorite of the drive so far… each track showcases the beautiful sound of the cello, accompanied by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Another indicator that we are in fund raising mode is the cacophony of ringing phones… music to our ears and a sign that people understand the value of having two public radio streams here in the middle of the Pacific.  This spirit of community is the foundation upon which HPR is built and continues to grow.  Thanks to @bytemarks for rounding up his wonderful friends to work the phones tomorrow.

I’ve managed to catch another cold and am drowning in Vitamin C in the hopes of being healthy for the rest of Challenge 2009.  I’ll also be emerging from behind the board to do a couple of shifts in front of the mic with Ray Cruz.  Due to this week’s topsy turvy schedule, I’ve had to postpone the recording of episode 13.   Tune in to the pledge drive edition of Playlist International, Saturday at 4 pm on FM89, via the worldwide web http://tiny.cc/qpv74, or as @exbor pointed out there’s even an app on the iPhone too.

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