Andrew Bird

Alwar Subramaniam Is The Man

I found this presentation of Indian sculptor, Alwar Subramaniam, so perfectly thought-provoking and inspiring, it left me feeling nourished both with my spirit and mind, nutrition which I was feeling very much devoid of ever since I had come here to Brussels. This reminded me of what I feel like I'm going through right now and will probably be facing for many more years to come, that which is about saying goodbye and allowing attachment to mean something that can exist beyond the physical realm. This idea of traces that Subramaniam speaks of prompts me to think about the question of what we leave behind when we, for instance, move on to some place new, or move on to a developing a new relationship with a different person. What is our essence? What does it mean to be human? These are intriguing questions that were provoked in me as I listened and watched this presentation. Finally, a source of inspiration perhaps...

And Now I Can Reflect

And so, I find myself in Brussels, Belgium. Not as far away from home as the United States is, but far enough nonetheless, for me to feel altogether alien and unsettled once more. I've already been here for 2 and a half months, but I felt I needed to find some solid ground first before I could really start to document any of my experiences thus far. It was almost as if I needed to comprehend my situation and internalise the events in my life first before I could even think about putting my pen to paper...or fingers to keys, in this case.

Let's just say, my time at PARTS thus far has been challenging, rewarding, confusing, terrifying and spiritual. I still haven't quite 'found' myself in the school yet, but I have a strange certainty that it will happen in due time. Within the first 2 weeks of school, I was already finding myself questioning all the things I had held strongly to be 'true' or at least, relevant to my understanding of how dance exists in this world, or my perception of dance prior to coming here. But things are constantly changing in my life and so inevitably, so was my artistic identity I suppose. Except that right now, it's sort of terrifying and unsettling in ways and I'm trying to find the excitement and thrill of it, but those feelings seem to be eluding me.

But, CHAOS. I am reminded of what Nietzsche wrote. That " You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star." Perhaps I'll have to be patient with myself and wait upon the supernova of an epiphany to occur in my life and enjoy the fruits of my waiting. But until then, what else can I do but embrace what's upon me and indulge in this precipice of a journey.

Reunited After 2 Long Years...On A Yacht!

What's That On Your Finger?

I love this ring watch and ring watches in general. They combine 2 of my favourite accessories- watches and rings! I love how the large size of this one and how it still maintains the look of a regular clock. The ones I've always had were really bling-y and the fact that it is a watch was much disguised. I think I like this take on it better :)

Waffles, Ice Cream and Pickled Garlic...?

Joe, his friend Carly and I decided we really needed to pig out on some waffles and ice cream, which they apparently had never had before! But of course, on top of that, Joe also was really craving some pickled items, like spicy olives and garlic cloves. It probably wasn't the best combination of food items though and it was kind of a gross meal to be entirely honest. But it was still a really fun night, filled with jokes and laughter and teasing.

TBE

The Beautiful Exit, the band Joe's a part of, played this Saturday at Marathon Park in Wausau, WI. It was the first time I ever got the privilege of seeing them play and it was so much fun to see their fans jumping up and down for them and screaming for them. Not to mention the passion in each musician that came through was really inspirational and shows that despite not playing together for 11 months, their chemistry is still there and they're all so committed to this relationship. But my favourite part had to be this middle aged lady with multi-coloured hair screaming and jumping all over, even when no one else was. She had a little red star balloon tied to her belt loops and every time she would walk somewhere, it looked like an inflated star just happened to be following her around. She was rocking it out there like no other. It was awesome :)

These Made Me Laugh!

Lace Is The Place

I'm in love with the look of lace these days. I realise it's awfully trendy at the moment, but these looks are so sexy and sultry. The hint of flesh showing through in the first picture is so seductive! Not to mention, I love flowers and floral patterns, so this is right up my alley :) And American Apparel carries a lace bodysuit and dress if I ever decide I have to own them and have enough of an occasion to wear them to.

Night Time Fun At 2132

What do you get when you put a night of too much homework, a stressful semester, 3 crazy roommates, coffee and hoodies together? A silly photo shoot involving pseudo gangster poses and tongues sticking out in all places. I just found these pictures from this past semester, when one night, I walked out of my room, only to find ALL my 6 roommates out and about in the living room, which hardly ever happens. And this is what transpired as a result. I especially love how Becka looks slightly like a trucker high on crack. But this is what we do after a long night of homework and stressing out about the future.

North By Northwest (1959)

This Alfred Hitchcock movie from 1959 has just made its way onto my list of favourite movies. I had heard of this film before, but I never thought yo give it a shot. I figured it was just another classic that is over-rated simply because everyone talks about Hitchcock and I often assume less of those who are talked about by everyone. Don't ask me why. But this movie was so good- the cinematography was exceptional, the sound score that accompanied it was so appropriate and I thought it very effectively moved the plot along, and don't even get me started about the clothes! I simply adore the red and black dress worn by the damsel in the movie- the height of the front of the dress is made so much sexier by the swooping drop of the back of it. The style of the 50s was also just to die for, I think. Everyone seemed to dress so well at all times of the day. What's changed since then? This film was just so riveting and I thought it had a nice balance between elements of a thriller and elements of a love story (not too much of the latter is always good in my book). Most of all, the cinematography was breathtaking and you could tell Hitchcock knew what he was doing and he saw to it that it became an art form for him. I really appreciate that and the time he probably spent into each shot and all the set-building. It's definitely inspiring.