Harry Potter...Harry, Harry Potter....

A nod to my very favorite wizarding world.

  (Well, I guess it's really the only wizarding world I know of. Unless LOTR counts. Hmmm.)

Wasn't Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows awesome?

Not Quite Winter--Definitely Fall

So I've been a bit MIA of late. It's been a combination of being crazy busy, some serious bloggers block, and  interference by some Asian Dramas. Many a friend have commented on my lack of writing and I will repent.

Just not with this post.

Fall has hit DC with full force. Literally. We've had some pretty gusty weather lately dumping tree-loads of leaves all over the place. I'm in heaven! The air is crisp. I get to wear sweaters and scarves. Delicious.

So, you know how I'm slightly obsessed with music, right? And how basically every post on here lately has had a music video? Well, this post isn't going to be any different (but I'm repenting, remember? I'll do a different post a little later). Anyhow, as the seasons change, so does the type of music I listen to.

Fall = Acoustic Awesomeness

And Bon Iver is one of my all time favorites. Thanks to my good friend Sarah and her most excellent taste in music, I was exposed to Bon Iver and all of Justin Vernon's sweet goodness. Loved the name of his project, his sound, his voice. Perfect for fall.

Have a listen, and enjoy!

Jumpin' Puddles...

I love autumn.
I love the crisp cool air
the bright (sometimes) blue skies
the crunch of fallen leaves.

I love wearing bright colored scarves and have the wind blow through my hair as I ride my bike at high speeds down sidewalks.

Autumn is also the time when my musical tastes change. The chill, acoustic, more alternative tunes of my collection are played more frequently.

Fall is also the time for one of my favorite bands--Sigur Ros.  This could be because the first time I ever listened to Sigur Ros was in the fall. My friend Patrick's older brother introduced me to their untitled album, and was especially keen on me listening to Untitled #8. It's quite grand, and you should definitely check it out here.

A few months later, Patrick showed me this music film done by Sigur Ros called Heima. Basically one summer, the band went home to Iceland and performed a series of intimate shows in out of the place locations--free concerts for the people. The music is beautiful, the filming is beautiful, the scenery is absolutely beautiful. After watching this film, I fell in love in Iceland.

One of my favorite Sigur Ros songs is Hoppipolla, or in English, Jumpin' Puddles. I find that the lyrics are particularly meaningful at this time of year, especially with all the rain we've received as of late.

Happy Weekend!

(English translation after the clip)

smiling

spinning in circles

holding hands

the world is a blur

except when you're standing

dripping wet

completly soaked

no rubberboots

running inside of us

wants to burst out of the shell

wind in

and the smell of your hair

i hit as hard as i can

with my nose

jumping into a puddle

wearing no boots

completely soaked (dripping wet) 

wearing no boots

and i get a nosebleed

but i'll always stand up again

(hopelandic)

and i get a nosebleed

but i'll always stand up again

(hopelandic) 

Happy Weekend!

I have a confession...I'm a geek. Seriously, I am. Do you want to know why? Well, maybe you don't, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

I love K-pop. Korean Pop. And I'm proud of it. I have to admit that listening to K-pop in the morning really makes the rest of my work day bearable. It's a ray of sunshine in my somewhat depressing underground office, no matter how ridiculous that ray may be.

Do you want to know what else? I LOVE Korean dramas. Last week was a tough one:

 crummy work week+ getting hit by a car while riding my bike= unhappy Shannon. 

So I decided to hole up in my room and watch Boys Before Flowers, a fabulous drama that was recommended to me by several friends (really cute guys, a love triangle, rich vs. poor, soul mates --what more could you ask for?). I just could not get enough. I had to know how it ended!

(The guy in the middle is my new celebrity crush. Sorry James McAvoy. Better Luck next time.)

 Luckily, my friends Windy and Kelsey both happened to be watching it that very same week (ironic because we live in 3 different states, and it was completely unplanned), so I was able to voice my frustration to them.

By the way,

 nothing brings

 girls

 closer together 

than a cheesy

 chick flick

 with really

 cute boys!

Anyhow, I dedicate this week's music video to Windy, who just so happened to introduce me to this group, SS501. 

(Oh, and you're possibly wondering what the connection is between Boys Before Flowers  and SS501. Well, one of the lead singers stars in the show, but you couldn't tell because he looks completely different. See if you can spot him. In the picture, he's the one on the far right.)

Bumbershoot: a festival of the arts--primarily music and other awesome stuffs

Ah, Bumbershoot. Oh how I love thee!

Each year over Labor Day, the city of Seattle hosts a spectacular arts and music festival at the Seattle Center.

Ever since I can remember my dear mum would take my siblings and I to Bumbershoot as a treat before the new school year started. We would always start at the Children's Museum progress to the cool kids crafts and end up with painted faces listening and dancing to a band my mom loved.

As I got older, friends replaced my family (that sounds bad, but only in this instance), henna tattoos replaced painted faces, and soon I was going to see the bands that I wanted to see.

After I graduated high school, the fun tradition ended. College always started before Labor Day, and I just couldn't justify returning home after having spent a week at school. So, for eight years I've yearned to go, yet was never able to. That all ended this past Labor Day, when my friends Aaron and Christina indulged me and accompanied me to the awesome festival.

Did I set myself up for disappointment? Perhaps. Was I disappointed? Absolutely not! It was pretty much awesome!

 Bands seen: Civil Twilight, Jamie Lidell, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes.
Food eaten: pad thai, swimming rama, mango lemonade.
Fun had: spades!

Here's to music, friends, and the blessed city of Seattle!

Happy Weekend!

Two weeks ago tomorrow I went to the Bumbershoot music festival at the Seattle Center with a small group of friends. It was spectacular! (More on Bumbershoot later). 
I dedicate this week's video to Christina who introduced me to the wonderfulness that is Jamie Lidell at said music festival. 

Warning

Song may induce toe-tapping happiness on this fine Friday morning. 

Enjoy!

2 in 1

2 in 1 what? you may ask.

Well, I'll tell you. Two Czech reunions in one week. It was pretty amazing, I promise you that.

Three of my former mission companions and I met up in Odenton, MD to reminisce about the good ol' days on the mission and to enjoy some tasty ovocné knedlíky. Karey and Katie's kids were a riot, and it was so fun to see them as moms.

It was the first time any of us had seen Celena (in yellow) since returning from the mish 4 1/2 years ago. I still can't believe we've been back that long! All three of them have had a chance to return to the Czech Republic--I think it's my turn!

But that's not all...

                      later that week I met up with my dear friend Julie. 

Julie and I met in quite a funny way. I was in my greenyship (my first transfer) in Ostrava, CZ. Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and I served there for 7 months. Anyhow, the day I met Julie was the first day I got someone's phone number at a street display.

This is how the afternoon went down:

Rappleye, my trainer, challenged me to get five phone numbers at our street display that day. Mind you, I had yet to get one, so to get five was a challenge. My reward? A Magnum Bar-sweet goodness on a stick. And man, was I up for the challenge. Not quite sure how I did it, but I did it! After the street display we headed over to the Delvita on the namesti, to get my reward. As were were looking at the Magnum Bars we heard English. Now this was a rarity in Ostrava, and we immediately followed the sound. And the sound led to the produce section and to Julie! 

This meeting led to exchanged phone numbers, and to 7 months worth of fabulous get-togethers at a quaint kavarna on P-days. In turn this has led to a lasting friendship (Julie was in the Czech Republic as a missionary and English teacher for a different church).

Julie and I have since traveled the world (seperately), finished school, and are working professionals. After all these years we both found ourselves in DC. Julie is about to embark on a new adventure in Little Rock working for non-profit using her law degree. She's amazing!

Here's to my fabulous week of reminiscing, the Czech Republic and fabulous friendships!