25 Things About Me (Music Edition).

Yeah so I'm almost a year behind on this meme, so I'll need a giant late pass.  I've decided to concentrate on giving you 25 near-useless facts about me having to do with music, though, for a little twist on the usual.

1. I haven't actively listened to mainstream radio in almost a decade.  Should've actually stopped sooner than that.
   
   
2. I don't think hip-hop is dead. But it is on life support.
   
   
3. J- and K-pop are getting more and more interesting to my ears.  Although I can't understand 97% of the lyrics, the melodies sound good and their accompanying videos are usually pretty striking.
   
   
4. But how come Japanese/Korean girl groups have so many freaking members in them?  It's not like y'all are busting out in church choir harmonies.  (And yes, I know it's about the visual appeal.)
   
   
5. Nearly all of the new music getting rotation in my speakers come from music blogs.
   
   
6. I get tired of rap music sometimes.
   
   
7. Back when I was 14-15, I always got super-nervous when I went up to the counter in Camelot/Musicland to buy a rap tape with the Parental Advisory sticker on it.
   
   
8. The absolute best show I've ever been to was at The Blue Note, opened by The Goodie Mob, followed by The Roots and headlined by The Fugees.  All for about $20.  I still have the ticket stub safely stored away in a box.
   
   
9. Bossa nova is one of my secret guilty pleasures.
   
   
10. So is progressive trance.
    
    
11. When my brother and I were little kids, we got into my dad's collection of classical music cassettes and proceeded to have a race as to who could pull out the most tape the fastest.  I've since forgotten who "won," but then my mom came into the room and caught us, and I'm pretty sure we got our asses kicked.
    
    
12. In junior high/high school, I used to make "pause tapes" to rap over, using snippets of instrumental breaks on certain songs.  My crowning achievement was a funky blend I made of Naughty By Nature's "Wickedest Man Alive" and Fu-Schnickens' "La Schmoove."  I can still remember how it sounded -- and it sounded damn good.
    
    
13. I also used to finish kids' math homework on the bus on the way to school in exchange for borrowing cassettes.  Then, at home, I'd high-speed dub the tape, then disassemble the plastic casings, switch the reels, and give them back the copy inside the original casing. Everyday I'm hustlin' ...
    
    
14. Tchaikovsky's "Serenade For Strings" is my favorite classical composition.
    
    
15. Although I've never actually had a Top 5 Dead Or Alive list, I do not believe The Notorious B.I.G. is the GOAT.  I just like who I like.
    
    
16. Downtempo, house or cool jazz is usually my soundtrack at home after the clock strikes midnight.
    
    
17. I love OPM, but I wish there was a good way to listen to a bigger variety of it online.
    
    
18. American songs that remind me of the Philippines include "You Got It All" by The Jets, "Always" by Atlantic Starr, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson and "Lost In Emotion" by Lisa Lisa.
    
    
19. Losing touch with most popular music (via the Billboard Top 40 and mainstream TV music channels) doesn't bother me.  I know superior music is found and supported elsewhere.
    
    
20. The first music mix CD I ever burned was on a friend's computer, took more than 20 minutes, and it was for a girl I had a crush on.
    
    
21. The first CD I ever bought was the Above The Rim soundtrack.
    
    
22. In college, I applied to be a DJ at the most popular club in Columbia, but I didn't have any experience whatsoever and had no idea how to match beats, so unsurprisingly I didn't get the callback.
    
    
23. I did however spit some 16s on KCOU's Beats & Pieces radio show one night during freshman year.  I remember being crazy anxious right before I went on.
    
    
24. I wish I'd stuck with piano lessons.  Dammit Mom you were right!!
    
    
25. Lastly, I know that rap is "a young man's game," but I don't think I'll ever stop writing lyrics.  After all, we got cats over 40 doing it right now!

The Black Apartment.

Being a avid reader of several modern design and lifestyle websites/blogs, I'd happen across the occasional article on painting your doors, walls or entire room black.  While still quite unconventional, the results are always very striking and attractive -- the absence of color, if used correctly and tastefully, accentuate the remaining hues in the room.

I mean c'mon, I never really thought about painting a bathroom black (the closest I've ever gotten is a deep purple).  But admit it, it looks damn good.

Sophisticated and dramatic, the trend is gaining fast in popularity although you probably won't see too many of these in the pages of Better Homes & Gardens quite yet.  This is a far cry from the typical depressing/macabre/creepy/Goth sensibility that usually comes to mind when you think about painting in this color.  But it's still a pretty bold choice to go with, and most people still shy away from it.

Well then, what would you say to an entire apartment painted a glossy black?  Dwell.com frequently profiles innovative and creative living spaces, and this Chelsea apartment, formerly the "front half of the sixth floor of a YMCA" building and owned by consultant Cindy Gallop, is just about the best example I've seen so far.




I could do without the stuffed armadillo and the Gucci chainsaw, and yeah Gallop defines it as a "bachelorette pad," but yooooooooo this is sick.  Everything -- from the eclectic art pieces, bookshelf items, all the way down to the couch cushions -- just pop.  It's extremely visually appealing, daring and classy.  Plus hip-hop even acknowledged it for a quick second; Biggie's "Nasty Girl" video was filmed here (although obviously it wasn't the focal point of the video, and I'd want to thoroughly bleach the hell out of the tub after Nelly's ass marinated in it for God knows how long).  But man -- if I ever find the right spot, I'd absolutely consider doing this.  The whole crib is primo eye candy and it isn't even using a traditional color.  Just about as unconventional as a paint job gets.

"Give up white, and turn to the dark side.  It's a lot more fun." - Cindy Gallop

I think she may be onto something.