Thoughts of a Violinist Giraffe

Typhoon Sendong is akin to a mosquito biting a man asleep, who wakes irritated and finds himself in a deplorable state. Realizing this, he resolves to take himself out of this state and, simply, change for the better. Before you demand an explanation or react harshly to the analogy, let me further discuss how any of this is relevant: Typhoon Sendong hit Northern Mindanao in the Southern Philippines sometime Friday evening, December 16. Constant rain and wind affected the area, which didn't seem like much for those who live in this part of the world but eventually the constant rain resulted in flooding, with the river overflowing and sinking entire neighborhoods. Many were caught unaware and off-guard, resulting in injuries, deaths, and more than a little stress. Electricity was lost in the majority of areas that utilized it. Usable water, both for drinking and other common purposes, are in shortage. As of now, over a thousand are dead or missing, with hundreds more with no homes...

Wong Fu's new music video of Magnetic North & Taiyo Na's "Home:Word" ft. Sam Kang was like a breath of fresh air. Thanks to Wong Fu, I have a new band to listen to and genuinely like. Let's hope they stay strong and keep going at it, making genuine music. The song touches upon what is considered home, how life seems to drag you down every so often and that the only way you recover is through pieces of home, through what you consider is home. Wong Fu Productions does a brilliant job at showcasing this and the varied situations that one may find him or herself when trying to find home. I found myself smiling and teary-eyed, remembering home - the moments with my family, the places we've gone, the cold winter nights and the warm smiles. It's been five years and the longest I've been with the entire family (all five of us, and our close cousins in the States) was three months. It feels as though three months isn't enough. Have I taken them for g...

Rihanna's "We Found Love", featuring Calvin Harris, is as addictive as the music video is striking. The feel of the song is nostalgic, bittersweet. One can imagine a small smile as the song plays, and a person crying with that same small smile painting the facial features. It seems like someone is trying to reach out, and grab for something that increasingly becomes impossible to try and take. Her music video captures this perfectly and the scenes portrayed work perfectly with the song to give it a feeling of nostalgia and bittersweet love. Most would regard the song as damaging and morally degrading but that's exactly the point: the song is portraying how, even though it seems unreachable, love is found. Yet this sort of love does not last and ultimately damages the lives of those involved. Others may look at it in a more positive light but it is evident through the music video and consistent listening to the music itself that one can only find that love that was ...