Jazz It Up Grenada December 2011 - Show Day

Last Night was our final rehearsal...

Today
All rehearsal ends...now?
Lights..
Camera....
Action..........

Jazz I Up Grenada - Rehearsal

I've been very busy. School has ended for me and i have busied myself with script writing and poetry readings. This Saturday I'm reading poetry with the backing of Jazz music, played by the band i usually read poetry alongside at the monthly museum Poetry and Jazz Nights. The event is called 'Jazz It Up Grenada' (second edition ;)  very different from simply reciting poetry.

The whole flow and rhythm of the poem had to be remixed! It was really strange and unique and fun. Confusing at first but then i began to enjoy it, linking the mood of my poem to the mood of the beat...I've never done it before. Wish us luck and good weather on Saturday and if you're on the island, come see :D

This post is just a little 'behind the scenes' sneak preview of what is to come on Saturday. Take a look into our Thursday night prep jam session!
T-two days till show day...??




Our little 'studio area' Set up. The National Museum is HUGE, a maze of rooms, every time i go to it i find new rooms! :O


Performer?


Performer?


Performer?

You'll have to come see at 6pm on Saturday 17th 2011!! :D

And now some 'just for fun' pics


Me gently fondling his instrument


ZOMG! They put up LIGHTS at the museum! LOOOOOOOVE!!!

More footage of show day and rehearsal to come!

Things I Love Thursday - Kpop - My Five Fav South Korean Bands

My favorite Korean male Band made a milestone of sorts recently.
i am a proud supporter.(VP)
Big Bang to the WORLD!

In honor of their milestone victory at the MTV Awards today TILT topic is 'My favorite Korean Male bands' Lets get it started shall we? (Yes i broke the Christmas theme, why? Cause i dunno)

BIG BANG (forever and always NUMBER ONE)
I love their style, confidence and most of all their MUSIC
My favorite song by them is Haru Haru

2AM

They are a 'Ballad band' which is to say they lean more to the genre of soulful, slow music.
You will notice that most of my favorite bands are Ballad bands as i am not a huge fan of 'Beat dols' as they are called in Korea. I appreciate a good looking man but the concept of loving a band just because they look good is...a little too superficial for my blood sorry. My fav song by them is 'Can't Let You Go Even If I Die' as i think their voices are amazing! As it usually is :)

Also recently released in Japanese!

One of the reasons i like 2AM over their counter parts and label mates 2PM

Who combined make 'ONE DAY'

If you know a little about their history getting into show business is a brutal challenge in Korea and they fought hard to get the chance, eventually the wise J.Y.P. narrowed them down and then separated them to 'ballad idols' and 'beast idols' respectively 2AM and 2PM' the boys struggled together and are very close as 'ONE DAY' members and hyungs (brothers) I appreciate my ONE DAY boys immensely, but i lean towards 2AM's music more, i find it more meaningful. Of course that is just me ;) and if they actually SOUND good is a different and wonderful story.

Enjoy this wonderful treat of them preforming together!

FTIsland
I love these guys because they sound so soulful, they play their own instruments and they're so different from the usual I love their song 'Bad Woman' possible my favorite Kpop song ever.

SHINee
As you can see SHINee have gone with what i like to think of as the 'cute dongseng' concept (cute younger siblings) I love their music, not a big fan of their mature step into beat dols territory but i love to hear them which is what is most important to me :) They also did the theme song opening for Boys Over Flowers the Korean Drama which I've mentioned before

Homme
It was so hard to find a photo of them that does not look incredibly 'gay' which is part of their selling concept though from what i gather or at least and incredibly questionable i mean close bromance, which is kindda sad cause they're so good they shouldn't have to sell them like that but meh. Homme is a duo consisting of one of the main vocalists from 2AM (Changmin) and another main vocalist (Lee Hyun) from the Korean group 8ight

which is a trio of two guys and a gal. I LOVE Homme's music :D I do not dig their stressing on the beef cake beast dols concept but oh well lol. My favorite song by Homme is 'I Was Able To Eat Well' and is about two friends falling for the same girl and realizing it's not worth loosing friendship over i swear lol Despite how they market it -.-

I have purposefully linked to none official music videos in this post as much as possible cause i want you to really hear their voices and words and see why i love them.
Happy Thursday!

The diggeriedoo and cross cultural awesomeness at Jazz and Poetry Night

What a fine treat we had at Jazz & Poetry in November! I know this is posted late but i was waiting for some footage (that i never received) Regardless! The show must go on i suppose.

We had these lovely group of people come in, from The States, Scotland, Australia and my memory fails me where else but it was a beautiful world wind mix! They came together on stage so well!

I especially enjoyed this young chap who brought a really nice kind of rock and role feel to the evening! :D

This is Caroline, She plays the didgeridoo

The didgeridoo is a wind instrument traditionally made from the trunk of termite hollowed eucalyptus trees from Australia  They average about 4 feet in length, and are played by vibrating your lips into the top end of the instrument which creates a deep humming drone.

It is famous for being played by the Amerindians of Australia but LISTEN TO THIS! Caroline (the woman you see playing it) Says she MADE that one! with the part from a tree found on one of OUR islands, how cool is that I think it was called the Agave tree? I'm not very sure sorry :(

A #FromWhereIStand shot (what i see as i stood in place up and down on my way to Jazz and Poetry Night) Isn't the moon pretty?

Enjoy what you can while you can!

Getting To Zero

Today is world AIDS day

Fairly recently someone i love dearly has been seriously affected by this incurable disease...

I've always known a lot about it, even participated in an essay completion when i was about 16 or so, talking about the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.

Let me tell you, it's a whole new story when it hits home.

I thought of my friend randomly today...i was walking through the streets and thought i saw someone of their height and style and my heart leaped with joy! Then i realized there was no way that could be my friend...and my heart hurt, not because it wasn't my friend but because one day, when it could be my friend...my friend won't be on this earth anymore...because my friend will be exiting this earth earlier than my friend should have to...

Getting to zero means zero cases and zero stigma and discrimination; a world worth fighting for yes?

View the quilt patch i created in honor of my friend and added to Change.org 2015 culture of a cure (i think it is called) project!

Join the culture of a cure.

Musing :: NOTD : Tribal Nails in LA Color Splash

WELL, I'm sick...both with what looks to be shaping up as a cold and over come with school work (it's crunch time at my UNI and part of what they're crushing is my creative soul but whatever ) So in apology here is a little post in picture of some attempted nail art i did a while back.

Used L.A. Color in "Splash" (not exactly inventive now are they?) and saw a fun design for 'Tribal Nails' so decided to try it!

Well i was not in love with how my lame attempt came out so i improvised it a bit

The instagram shots dull the colour a bit but the first pic is pretty accurate. Despite the creativity in the name it's still one of my favoured shades, nice and dark, just the way i like it!

Do forgive me?
Meanwhile i attempt to cuddle up to a cup of hot hot honey lemon ginseng herbal tea!
In hopes of kicking whatever this is to the curb ASAP!

R.I.P Anthony Jericho Greenidge - Tribute poem by The Wordy Phoenix

This may sound a bit silly but the death of Anthony Jericho Greenidge really resonates with me... Like many many MANY Grenadians, I feel like I knew him. So many many days I woke up out of bed to him playing 'Lovely Day' and screaming through my radio 'WAKE UP AND LIVE!!!!' and so I would roll out of bed and do just that...

I'd been a fan from very young I had been one of the 'school children on the buses on their way to school' Jericho told the bus drivers to drive safe with. In college I heard songs me and my friends loved in his morning segment and if you know me you know my tastes are various! I never expected to hear it! My island can be rather selectively conservative...

One day, as an adult, i bumped into him at...er...'a well know chicken franchise', how excited was i?! I wanted to say hi, i convinced one of my friends to go over and invite him to Writers Association of Grenada meeting, that friend reluctantly did. Then, i waved giddily at him.

He nodded at me.

Then switched seats with his son so that we couldn't see his face anymore, giving us his back.

I felt snubbed.

I was disgusted, possibly even hurt!

How could the man i enjoyed listening to so much treat a fan like that?

And just so a grudge was born.

It just so happened that i had the opportunity last March to attend a Introduction to Media Class hosted by him. which you can read about here on the government site or here on the WeeFM radio site) It was a great experience. I made new friends, learned a lot but what i enjoyed the most? What i looked forward to the MOST? I got a glimpse at the man behind the mask.

Often I'd get there early before class started and he and i would sit and talk. Of philosophy, psychology, people, expectations, life experiences, life lessons...It was then i got a true glimpse at him. It hit me then, as we left one night, as people called him out left and right with every step he took...i knew that he was tired but he answered everyone that called to him in a jolly accommodating tone...and i thought to myself...waw

You must be so tired...

I thought, this job of yours, the media personality that you are and that we love so much, is a full time, almost 24/7 job! He was expected to smile at everyone, wave at every single person that felt they really REALLY knew him....i realized that what i saw that night, was just a tired father, trying to have dinner with his son one on one....

And just so a grudge died...

As our classes went on (and trust me he was no 'perfect' teacher!) i also looked forward to those talks, i got a 3 dimensional picture of this guy, he stopped being this awesome maverick personality i listened to on the radio for half my life and became a friend, calling me 'Lizzy' something not many are privy to.

I never attempted to ask him for 'favours' free radio space, or beg him to come to or announce something for free at his job, for my benefit. (though i was STRONGLY pushed to by most who knew of my interaction with him) Because i didn't want that. Who would want that? For people to continual use you for how you can benefit them? I have no idea if my lack of favours made any difference to him, which is okay too, the way i see it, friendship is not selfish.

I'm just glad i got to meet the man behind the mask. To meet in the street on a first name bases. 'hail each other up' and have a conversation that was just... a conversation!

copyright notice: This poem is the soul property of the author and is not to be reproduced in ANY form or fashion without her permission, the absence of which will lead to immediate legal action.
This is my tribute poem inspired by my interaction with him:

The Walls of Jericho

By: TheWordyPhoenic

His voice ushered in the sun,
“Wake up and live!” he'd say, with melody and conviction.
And many eyes were opened,
Many silences accompanied,
By the voice of a local maverick.

An evangelist of uniqueness,
Both informative and slick!
Just one man, with a grand plan:
To be committed to country, inspire self development and the recognition of opportunity.

Even when the mike switched off,
Often never did he…
Our streets? Where his!
We even loved his kids!

The man with personal walls as tough as our own,
Who valued time alone.
Who cultivated his truest friendships, outside of the public eye.
Who's most comforting moments where when he could lie,
In bed.
Rest is head.
No phone,
No complaints, of busy dial tone...

But how much did we see?
The 'man'' behind the 'wee'?

A select few,
Got a peek at the bon-a-fide you,
When the walls of Jericho came down.
There stood a man that could smile, could frown, could joke. could play, could jam and could jig!
Without judgement, a nation sized big!

Thank you, for sharing your life with us.
A country, a people, a world...hung on to your every word.
Now the walls of Jericho have crumbled and in the wake of our loss, let's us remember, let us not forget..

That so much, MUCH more than a mere personality was he,
A friend!
His voice permeated the air waves,
dissolving differences,
Engulfing generations.
Though the walls of Jericho have crumbled and fell,
let us remember that it was a man,
a brother,
a son, of both our soil and of a mother.
A mortal man, who started it all...
The mortal man, who God has now called.

R.I.P Anthony "Jericho" Greenidge

A man I looked up to professionally, equal to but not separate from the man I considered a friend.

NaNoWriMo! - National Novel Writing Month 2011

It National Novel Writing Month!

That picture up top is my favorite nanowrimo poster, would have bought it too if I wasn't broke when they were selling them...anyway!

NaNoWriMo refers to a month of literary abandon as the site put it. During November 1st through 30th writers and wanna be writers come together at www.nanowrimo.org and support each other as they endeavour to write a 50, 000 word novel (the typical size of a short novel)

At this time writers are encouraged to 'just write' don't worry about spelling or planning, no plot? not problem! JUST write and do what my favourite nanowrimo poster says; let your imagination rain!

I've done this about four times in the past with four wins. This is my fifth attempt, one I'm not so confident about due to school....Regardless, being a nanowrimo participant is a brilliant and wonderful support, do you know what level of awesome gets unleashed when tons and TONS of writers squeeze themselves into a tiny bit of internet space?! ANY question about noveling or writing as it has to do with ANY genre for almost ANYWHERE in the world can be answered!

I love NaNoWriMo, I've produced one of my best novels while doing it and have supported this wonderful non profit in many ways, with the purchase of my winning Thermos! :D


So, what am i writing this year? Well, to be honest I'm still working on finishing the book I started two nanos ago, it's proving to be MUCH longer than i anticipated but I'm hoping it to be a thriller slash romance. It was my intention to make it just a romance novel as I have not dabbled in that genre for YEARS and I wanted to do something 'fun' and 'easy'

Well, my muse had OTHER plans for me and my silly idea of ease. All in all i do really enjoy the book and it's characters and as a writer that's a wonderful feeling, they are immensely entertaining my four (they started as twp but the plat bunnies multiplied!)

Usually, to kind of build the anticipation for nanowrimo i dabble a little in visual ideas for my story. Here, enjoy some fun little basic couple personality layout thingies i'd come up with for this novel in particular:



Keeping the title under wraps for now ;)
My region is: Elsewhere::Caribbean
Stop by,
join in!
This fall...let your imagination rain.
www.nanowrimo.org
Check out their awesome explanation video on their youtube channel

All photos except for the one I took and made came from nanowrimo.org

Musing :: Mind : Jobs Well Done! R.I.P Steve Jobs

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle. — Steve Jobs

Now let make something perfectly clear. Steve Jobs is no Jesus, he is no Messiah i am not hear to preach about how he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, do not be miss lead.
I am hear to share a story of sorts.

Because of this man's dedication to his work i now have a phone that i can SEE comfortable on. For me and a host of other visually impaired and from what i understand hearing impaired people all over the world, that is an IRREPLACEABLE gift.

If you have not lived unable to see your bestfriends face from across the street, to not be sure who called you in a room, who is smiling at you in class. If you haven't felt the panic that can grip a human being when you drop something in a room or someone starts to give you directions to find somewhere you've never been or to take a bus you've never taken. If you have not felt the frustrating of not being able to finish your homework on time not because you are lazy, or tired or uninterested but because your eyes JUST wont work!

Then you would not understand the simplest comfort of being able to check the time, a missed call, an email or a grocery list without feeling like everything in the world is fighting with you just to live, as though failure is always looming over your head, over your eyes daring you to move a muscle so it can attack..

Steve Jobs made it possible for the visually and hearing impaired to feel equal (not to BE that's a give, but to feel is a totally different cup of tea) with his invention of the iphone, mac book and all other devises he birthed. More importantly? he did so for free, there was no 'added cost' to get a 'feature' to help you see like other phone companies give you. Just as one did not ask for a visual hindrance, one was not asked to pay to 'fix' it.

I asked some of my VI (visually impaired or low visioned however you want to slice it) friends what they thought slash what the availability of the iphone means to them and here is what some people had to say about it:

Jodie: "...he Zoom function is invaluable for me. It's fun to play on apps and useful to be able to check emails and train times/bus times."

Devon: "I'm a huge Apple fan. Simply for their thoughtfulness. The incredible amount of consideration for the blind and visually impaired is virtually unheard of in large companies such as Apple. From their iPods to their Macs they all have great accessibility for the blind and visually impaired."


I know this post took me a while but i wasn't trying to 'get on the bandwagon' *not that late anyhow as his celebration of life was today i believe?) I feel extremely grateful to him for his commitment to his work and felt like saying so publicly in the wake of his death. On that note, enjoy the following tribute pictures pulled from my instagram stream, you know, from my iphone ;) Credit to their original owners, everyone was re-posting so i dunno who what belongs to to credit it. :(

One more follow up post on this topic (my top favorite iphone apps) to come! :D

Things I Love Thursday - Potter Pride - Ravenclaw for the WIN!

Did i mention i love being a Ravenclaw?

My favorite Harry Potter character Luna Lovegood is a Ravenclaw you know ^-^

Today i share with you: Ravenclaw Pride from my Pinterest.

Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: lally-hime.deviantart.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: annkingstone.com via Liz on Pinterest

And finally, some snarky Ravenclawisms

Source: google.co.uk via Liz on Pinterest

You heard the sorting hat :] --the good

Source: google.no via Liz on Pinterest

You know it's true --The bad

Source: weheartit.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: accioavalon.tumblr.com via Liz on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Liz on Pinterest

Ah i miss playing on pottermore T-T Perhaps when school is being more friendly with me...