Rockin' Website for Music Lovers

Two summers ago my mom got me a guitar along with an amp  for my birthday. I loved the guitar so much that I even name it Emma.  It was one of the best summers I ever had. But like many things, I never really picked it up for more than an hour. So, I decided this summer, along with other things, I will do my best to get into playing it.
Learning how to play a guitar is not easy. I have gone through podcasts and even videos on how to play but never really understood it. One day, I bought a chord sheet book in which it showed diagrams on how to hold the guitar and all those fancy details. It helped me get to understand chords but didn't give me a song I would like to play.
With the internet available at school, I looked up chord sheets for my favorite songs and stumbled upon a website called Ultimate-Guitar.com.

Me with my guitar Emma

Formed in the 1990's, it has become a source for people to learn their favorite songs and even post tabs for people to use. There are forums, interviews, lessons, and even contests. Its as if it were an online magazine for music lovers. Although, it may seem as if its only for guitars there is an occasional random drum tab. I DEFINITELY recommend this website for anybody who is interested in learning how to teach themselves guitar or just rock out their favorite song.

Shocking or Not Shocking Editorial! Still "Rockin" Issue

Recently I was flipping through a recent issue of Glamour and I saw an article titled “Why Men Love Porn by Jake” written by a consistent male writer. Even though there were a few things that upset me, I, surprisingly, appreciate Jake’s article for expressing the deal with guys and their consistent flux of porn.  A lot of girls get offended or take it personal when they find out their boyfriend or “significant other” has a rather huge collection of porn and playboy magazines. In some cases, the girl even starts to compare herself to the porn star on the screen or the topless girl on the page. That moment of insecurity puts the girl at risk for an argument with herself of whether she is even attractive enough for her boyfriend or for anyone at all.

The thing is except for amateur porn, most of what is on screen is actually acting. Jake himself says: “We know we’re looking at actors whose tanning, depilating and cosmetic surgery regimens are extreme. When I’m with a woman, I want to touch her skin, look in her eyes and, yes, even feel some hair. No one wants to be with a faker, and at some point, all that stuff is faking.” He made sure to clarify the difference between a “lithe, top-heavy, super-orgasmic bombshell” and “soft, sexy real women.”

There were a few things that bothered me of the article. For example he stated that porn can be an opportunity to connect with the significant other. One of his friends that he uses as a reference is quoted saying, “’Watching together can be a way of conveying your fantasies without having to have that awkward conversation.’”

Sure it could be another way to connect in a private moment but at the same time, it could be another way of losing communication in a relationship. There are certain awkward conversations that should happen between two people in order to establish that they both are willing to go the mile, and trust each other to communicate to the other whatever concern or suggestion they think could fit both.

Glamour's Jake

But at least Jake made sure to explain that guys aren’t all sex fiends: “Like you, we crave connection and caring alongside our crazy sex, but now and then we simply want a quick release, and we may get it from the gross, dumb but somehow arousing stuff that we relied on before we found you. It’s separate from the relationship and in no way equal. The thinking, feeling, warm, soft, sexy real women in our lives are just that: real. And there’s not a glowing screen in the world that comes close.” 

Note: If you want to check it online click on the link below:

http://www.glamour.com/images/sex-love-life/2011/02/0201-jake_at.jpg

Just Love Writing!

Again, thank you for reading my blog (for those who do) and still following it. I truly appreciate the support. But for the news at hand, just now I decided to have another blog on the side called Book Geek Week. This blog will be mostly reviewing a book each week. Whether published within the past year or just recently sold in bookstores, I will be posting a book review of my choice. There will be occasional news about a book becoming a movie or an author being at a specific bookstore. There might even be an interview with an author or even a guest blogger appearance. If you are a book lover, check it out. Who knows you might just like it:

http://bookweekgeek.blogspot.com/

It's Written All Over Your Face

a micro expression of Tim Roth

As the week goes on, I find myself even more wrapped in my new addiction. It's not drugs and its not alcohol. Its a TV show famous for representing a science that has been used lately from government agencies like CIA or FBI. If you are still trying to figure what it is, here is a hint: (Tim Roth plays the main character who also played a role in the 2008 version of The Incredible Hulk). Yep, its Lie To Me. I guess I have a thing for Crime Shows. However, Lie To Me has its own quirk: its actually based on a proven science. As a matter of fact, on the official website of the show there is a blog section where Dr. Paul Ekman, whose work is the basis of the show, explains the science behind each episode. This show doesn't fail to give you modern day examples for you to know that micro expressions is something real and still happens today. If you love Criminal Minds, you will love this show. It has its twists and Tim Roth to perform the perfect role as the main guy who sees all. Don't knock it until you try it. Who knows, you might actually learn something.

Spoken Corner!

Julian Pena at UW Annual NYC Teen Poetry Slam 08'

Lately, I have been caught up not only with classes but also with poetry. The past 2 weeks ago was the preliminaries of Urban Word's Annual NYC Teen Poetry Slam. They will be having their finals on this spring at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem (253 WEST 125TH STREET).  Teens of 13-19 get a chance to "spit" (performing spoken poetry) and see if they can advance on the Urban Word Slam Team. The poets chosen in the Slam Team get to go to San Francisco and represent NYC for HBO's Brave New Voices. Sounds crazy?! I am highly excited because I got a chance to spit for the last preliminary at The Point in the Bronx. I met and conversated with a few poets and made a new poet friend. Her name is Takea and I didn't get a chance to actually videotape her performance. However, this Sunday its semi-finals and I am highly excited because I will be videotaping it for another exciting blog post that will give more insight of what is spoken word. So til then, laaater!

Red Riding Hood Remix (a Review byte)

A girl running through the woods with a blood red cape is an interesting image to look at when it comes down to movie ads. But when you are in a movie theater waiting for the beginning credits to roll in you are hoping to be scared off your seat; especially with a title such as Red Riding Hood in blood red font. This movie is a werewolf story taken place in medieval times with actors dressed elaborate enough to bring you back to that time shared by shows like Hercules and Xena The Warrior Princess. Although, the title is promising with its blood red color, the gory scenes are left to be desired. There aren't any good hot sex scenes despite the romantic turmoil and the dialog doesn't match up with the suspenseful music. Despite these certain factors, Catherine Hardwicke did a good job bringing the original parts of the childhood fairytale at the conclusion of the movie. So, expect the DVD to have better extras than the actual production. I will give it 3.5 stars for its attempt at giving it a Grimm Brothers theme but not doing the full scare it could have done.

Jinx in the Sky...With Diamonds! (an interview)

With the LowBrow Art Movement becoming prevalent now since the 1900’s according to The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby, artists all over the world have emerged with different color schemes to display outrageous surrealist themes. I was able to interview one artist in particular who for the past year has gained a popularity increase in New Zealand: Jinx in the Sky. Here is her take on being a LowBrow Artist:


Me: Thanks for agreeing to this interview today, I checked out your blog and I am not filled in exactly with the event with Christchurch, can you fill me in on what that event is about?

Jinx: Hi, no problem. A big earthquake struck the city of Christchurch killing heaps of people. The city lies in ruins and lots are still missing. It's in the media all over the world. Very sad.

artwork auctioned for the Christchurch earthquake

Me: Wow that does sound tragic. I saw the painting you did for it. Was it directly influenced by the occurrence or did you dream about it?


Jinx: No, it was a painting I did in 2009 after returning from Austria. I thought it would be a good thing to auction it off and give the money to Christchurch.


The painting was influenced by a dream I had about my friend moving into a new house in Vienna and the house was all crazy with stairways coming in and out of the walls and floor.


Me: That sounds interesting, what has been the craziest dream you ever had?


Jinx: Wow that’s a hard one...I think the first one that springs to mind was a dream I had when I was about 16 or 17. I dreamed I was running up a spiral staircase in a dark stone tower. On the side of it there were small windows. On one of the windowsills was something white and translucent. I looked at it and it was an embryo but only like the white, translucent skin of it. I looked closer and saw the skin of its guts and organs like a cicada larvae leaving its old body. Then I ran downstairs again, it started snowing and there were logs on the stairs. Wild animals and dogs were racing upwards as I was running down. I exited the tower and was looking for a friend. I went into a restaurant and ordered a glass of milk. It was on a tray and I looked at it to find it making waves like the ocean. Then the milk turned hard and black like ashes. That was my dream.


Me: Besides dreams, is there anything else that inspires your artwork?


Jinx: Just life, music and nature. I'm a very emotional person and whenever I don’t know how to express or don't want to talk about it, it goes into my paintings, disguised in symbols and metaphors like dreams do.


Me: That is how I am with poetry and drawing. How long do you usually take in completing a painting?

"Those who walk with diamonds"

Jinx: It depends on the size and such. Usually around 30 - 40 hours, but that's just painting time without drying then. All in all it can take 2 - 4 weeks to complete. Darker paintings take longer than lighter ones.


Me: I went to your websites and checked out the photos on the "Sk8 of the Art" event at New Zealand's Te Papa Museum. How did it feel like to see your artwork displayed like that?


Jinx: It was awesome! I also loved everyone else’s stuff, some very crazy boards there!


Me: what sparked to get your first gallery viewing of your artwork?


Jinx: I didn’t show my art to any galleries until the start of 2009 when I moved to Wellington, which is where most of NZ's art is based. Friends of mine told me about this gallery that looked like they'd like my style and so one day we went in and I showed them my stuff. They loved it and shortly after displayed some of it in their "shop" area. That was the first time my art was shown in public.
The gallery was Manky Chops Gallery which is Wellington’s lowbrow, pop surrealism gallery

Me: How exciting! Would you ever consider your artwork as part of the "low-brow movement"?

Jinx: the Low Brow movement and Pop Surrealism as such, has many facets. Artists that are very different in style all belong to it. For example, Lory Earley belongs to it just as much as the likes of Mark Ryden. So yes, if you were to put my art into a category then this is the one that fits best.


Me: I am really curious and interested in the low brow movement, so when I googled images for low-brow your painting "The Glory of Gloria's tadpoles" came up. I was instantly captured by the color scheme and the pink coming out of "Gloria's" mouth. How did that one come about?

"The glory of Gloria's tadpoles"

Jinx: Well the painting originally was made after a much darker sketch. In the original sketch the girl’s eyes were rolling upwards and black stuff was coming out of her mouth. I painted it to express how you feel when lots of bad things happen all at once and instead of swallowing them down you spit them out again because you know they're no good. I decided it was too dark and swapped the colors for brighter ones because I love color and you can still see the darker core of the picture without it having to be all black.

Me: Do you see your artwork ever crossing over to a museum in the United States? (If it hasn't already happened)

Jinx: I would love to show over there, but it's hard to network with galleries when you live so far away. Maybe it will happen someday.


Me: What is one strong symbol that has drawn your attention to you from your dreams, artwork, or both?

Jinx: For me, the crescent moon because it stands for dreams. I recently got it tattooed on my wrist. It helps me to do reality checks during waking life so it makes lucid dreaming easier. Lucid dreaming is when you know that you're dreaming and you can influence what's happening. Don’t even get me started on that one.

Me: Cool. What inspired your art name, "Jinx in the Sky"?

Jinx: I’ve had my name "Jinx" since I was 17 or 18. During class we wrote into a little "chat book" at school instead of passing letters. We all had incognito names in case the teachers would ever find it and my name was Jinx. I chose it because in my dictionary it said it means something like "unlucky talisman". I liked that at the time cause I felt I was a bit unlucky and dark - I guess lots of people of that age do... later on I really liked the Beatles song "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" and I named myself Jinx in the sky with diamonds but that was too long so I dropped the diamonds. The diamond symbol (as cliché as it might be in hipster art nowadays) also means a lot to me. My website is called diamond soul so I haven’t completely lost it.


Me: Last but not least: if you could go back in time and visit yourself, what time in your life would you go to and what would you do or say to yourself?


Jinx: hmmmm, I think possibly I'd visit myself around 6 - 9 year old, just to relive everything. I think that time of my life was very cool, playing in the garden, climbing trees and walking in the river, living in a fantasy world at times. I don't think I'd say anything to myself, I wouldn't want to change anything because everything that happened made me the person that I am today.


Me: Great! Thanks for agreeing to this interview!

Jinx in the Sky is just one of many Low Brow artists gaining popularity. She sells T-shirts with her artwork as a front piece. If you are interested in checking out what is up with Jinx in the Sky’s artwork and travels check out her blog: http://jinx-in-the-sky.blogspot.com/