Friday, January 29, 2010

iPad.

this is just crazy.
& i want one. now.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

listen #8.

stop, look, listen & download. the new urban outfitters CD is out & it is more than impressive. the 25 track picks are awesome & have got me dancing in my apartment like a crazy lady. whether you download this album for free via itunes, or listen to it on the website, just promise you'll check it out... its more than worth it!

a few of the featured artists are:
sister crayon
field music
avi buffalo
& many more : cold cave, yeasayer & owen pallett.

Monday, January 25, 2010

she & him.

zooey deschanel + m. ward = she & him, a very talented indie pop duo whom i love. this march, they will release their second album, volume two. the album will have 13 tracks, one being the song below: in the sun. this song pretty much rocks my world. what do you think?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

midori.

my favorite color is always changing.

















Monday, January 18, 2010

i like giraffes.

every once & a while i have beautiful teaching moments with my students. i try to log them in my journal, so i'll be able to remember these sweet occurrences forever. i figure it will be a great reward to read these little stories years down the road & in turn, jog my memory, taking me back to these wild 18 months of teaching english to japanese children. last week i jotted down in my journal a precious instance i had with two of my pre-school students. in fact, it was so wonderful, i decided to share it.

i was finishing up a unit on "i like" or "i don't like" with two of my favorite 4 year old, adorably pigtailed, students. in their workbook, there were several zoo animals scattered over the page. under each animal, there was a check mark & an 'x' mark. the students were to circle the check mark if they liked the animal & circle the 'x' mark if they didn't like the animal. the first animal was a giraffe. they both circled the check & said, "i like giraffes." the next was a lion. they both circled the 'x' & said, "i don't like lions." the next animal was a zebra...& so on. you get the idea.

after the page was finished, one of the little girls drew a picture of me. under my picture she drew a check mark & an 'x' mark. she then circled the check mark, looked at me & said, "i like leah sensei!" it was the greatest moment ever!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

magnitude of 7.

please read this!! some bbc news website readers have sent in their personal stories of how the haitian earthquake has affected them. these entries are truly devastating, &, along with this tragedy have left me speechless. my heart, thoughts & prayers go out to the people of haiti & all their loved ones.

*photo via getty images at news.bbc.co.uk.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

almost alice.


so, guess which movie hits the theaters march 5...tim burton's imaginative alice in wonderland (in 3D!). i have no doubt this film will tear up the box office with johnny depp as the mad hatter, helena bonham carter as the red queen & crispen glover as the knave of hearts. this movie is bound to be outrageous.


&, guess which album hits the stores march 2...the soundtrack to this new version of alice in wonderland, almost alice. yesterday, myspace publicized the artists, who the soundtrack will feature. the 2 songs i am most anxious to hear are, "very good advice", which robert smith (from the cure) will perform. also, "the lobster quadrille", which will be covered by franz ferdinand. this cd is going to be m.i.n.e. hands down.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

do: don't:

just in case you were wondering...
*thank you swissmiss.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

my life, my wall.

i can't stand living in an empty space. wherever i move, i immediately unpack my picture frames & wall artwork before unloading my clothes into the closet. to me, a picture frame on a shelf, or painting hung on a wall is what makes a house a home. when i moved to japan, i left my frames, art, photos & books in dozens of boxes in my parents attic (clearly, i didn't have room for these in either of my suitcases). however, this didn't stop me from decorating my japanese apartment.

soon after i moved, i decided to transform one of my apartment walls into a collage/wallpaper/mural. it all started with a single map of my town & snowballed into a gigantic wall of memories. overtime, i tacked various museum brochures, city maps, business cards, photos, gifts & letters to my wall: top to bottom, right to left. what do you think?

daddy dardo

after my dad came to visit me in japan, i made him a photo album, highlighting the greatest memories from our travels together. i gave him the album for his birthday, & he loved it! here are a few of my favorite pages...

thank you, infographics.

i've found a new hero. this anonymous person made a new years resolution to make an infographic for every podcast of my favorite program, this american life. whoever my new hero/heroin is: you are the most wonderful person--thank you for your creativity!

here's the first infographic made on january 4, 2010 (which just happens to be my best friend's birthday!). its titled, new beginnings.
*thank you for me, for you.