#Cube X JOY Collaboration

[minimultiestfandoms]

!GOSSiPGiRLS Mei Qi!

OC MASTERLISTS

GOSSiPGiRLS MASTERLIST

!The CHARCTERS WRITEN ARE MINE BUT PICTURES USED ARE NOT MINE AND GO TO THERE RIGHTFULL OWNERS!

Stage Name: Mei Qi (메이치)

Birth Name: Wen Mei Qi (文梅奇) 

Korean Name: Moon Mi Yeon (문 미연)

Position: Main Dancer, Vocalist, Rapper, Maknae

Birthday: December 25, 1999

Zodiac sign: Capricorn

Age: 21

Nationality: Chinese

Siblings: Wen Jun Hui (Older brother: Idol), Wen Feng Jun (Younger Brother)

Blood type: O

Height: 162 cm (5’3″)

Weight: 43 kg (94 lbs)

[ana-c99]

Artist Books

Pre - 2000

1. "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" by William Blake

Songs of Innocence and of Experience is an illustrated collection of poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases. A few first copies were printed and illuminated by William Blake himself in 1789; five years later he bound these poems with a set of new poems in a volume titled Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul.

 "Innocence" and "Experience" are definitions of consciousness that rethink Milton's existential-mythic states of "Paradise" and "Fall". Often, interpretations of this collection centre around a mythical dualism, where "Innocence" represents the "unfallen world" and "Experience" represents the "fallen world".Blake categorizes our modes of perception that tend to coordinate with a chronology that would become standard in Romanticism: childhood is a state of protected innocence rather than original sin, but not immune to the fallen world and its institutions. This world sometimes impinges on childhood itself, and in any event becomes known through "experience", a state of being marked by the loss of childhood vitality, by fear and inhibition, by social and political corruption, and by the manifold oppression of Church, State, and the ruling classes. The volume's "Contrary States" are sometimes signalled by patently repeated or contrasted titles: in Innocence, Infant Joy, in Experience, Infant Sorrow; in Innocence, The Lamb, in Experience, The Fly and The Tyger. The stark simplicity of poems such as The Chimney Sweeper and The Little Black Boy display Blake's acute sensibility to the realities of poverty and exploitation that accompanied the "Dark Satanic Mills" of the Industrial Revolution.

William Blake (28 November 1757 - 12 August 1827)

Poet, painter, engraver, and visionary William Blake worked to bring about a change both in the social order and in the minds of men. Though in his lifetime his work was largely neglected or dismissed, he is now considered one of the leading lights of English poetry, and his work has only grown in popularity. In his Life of William Blake (1863) Alexander Gilchrist warned his readers that Blake “neither wrote nor drew for the many, hardly for work’y-day men at all, rather for children and angels; himself  ‘a divine child,’ whose playthings were sun, moon, and stars, the heavens and the earth.” Yet Blake himself believed that his writings were of national importance and that they could be understood by a majority of his peers. Far from being an isolated mystic, Blake lived and worked in the teeming metropolis of London at a time of great social and political change that profoundly influenced his writing. In addition to being considered one of the most visionary of English poets and one of the great progenitors of English Romanticism, his visual artwork is highly regarded around the world. 

 Because Blake's later poetry contains a private mythology with complex symbolism, his late work has been less published than his earlier more accessible work. The Vintage anthology of Blake edited by Patti Smith focuses heavily on the earlier work, as do many critical studies such as William Blake by D. G. Gillham.

 The earlier work is primarily rebellious in character and can be seen as a protest against dogmatic religion especially notable in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, in which the figure represented by the "Devil" is virtually a hero rebelling against an imposter authoritarian deity. In later works, such as Milton and Jerusalem, Blake carves a distinctive vision of a humanity redeemed by self-sacrifice and forgiveness, while retaining his earlier negative attitude towards what he felt was the rigid and morbid authoritarianism of traditional religion. Not all readers of Blake agree upon how much continuity exists between Blake's earlier and later works.

Psychoanalyst June Singer has written that Blake's late work displayed a development of the ideas first introduced in his earlier works, namely, the humanitarian goal of achieving personal wholeness of body and spirit. The final section of the expanded edition of her Blake study The Unholy Bible suggests the later works are the "Bible of Hell" promised in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Regarding Blake's final poem, Jerusalem, she writes: "The promise of the divine in man, made in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, is at last fulfilled." 

John Middleton Murry notes discontinuity between Marriage and the late works, in that while the early Blake focused on a "sheer negative opposition between Energy and Reason", the later Blake emphasised the notions of self-sacrifice and forgiveness as the road to interior wholeness. This renunciation of the sharper dualism of Marriage of Heaven and Hell is evidenced in particular by the humanisation of the character of Urizen in the later works. Murry characterises the later Blake as having found "mutual understanding" and "mutual forgiveness".

Other Works:

1. The archetype of the Creator is a familiar image in Blake's work. Here, the demiurgic figure Urizen prays before the world he has forged. The Song of Los is the third in a series of illuminated books painted by Blake and his wife, collectively known as the Continental Prophecies.

2. Blake's The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with Sun (1805) is one of a series of illustrations of Revelation 12.

3. The Ghost of a Flea, 1819–1820. Having informed painter-astrologer John Varley of his visions of apparitions, Blake was subsequently persuaded to paint one of them. Varley's anecdote of Blake and his vision of the flea's ghost became well-known.

4. The Night of Enitharmon's Joy, 1795; Blake's vision of Hecate, Greek goddess of black magic and the underworld.

2. "Investigations—The Four Elements: Earth" by Daniel E. Kelm and Timothy C. Ely

The series of unique books Investigations: The Four Elements draws upon Kelm’s and collaborator Tim Ely’s shared interest in alchemy and sacred geometry. Each book consists of a set number of interlocking panels that can be assembled into one or more shapes forming Platonic solids.

The Platonic solids—tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron—are polyhedrons with congruent sides, edges, and angles. Although these five shapes were known prior to Plato, they are specifically mentioned in his dialogue Timaeus. In this work, Plato describes these solids as the building blocks of matter, equating the tetrahedron with the element of fire, the cube with earth, the octahedron with air, the icosahedron with water, and the dodecahedron with the materials that form the stars and the cosmos.

The closed box.

Book sculpture by Kelm.

Painting and surface treatments by Ely.

Acrylic and ink on paper, with airbrush acrylics, aluminium, brass tubing and rod, thread, and wire edge binding.

A first glimpse inside the box reveals shaped page panels and a metal tube with paper wrapped around it.

One slot in the box holds the square page panels and a second slot holds the triangular page panels.

The Investigations series is the earliest example of Kelm bindings with no permanent hinging; i.e., the pins can be removed and the pages completely disassembled.

The metal tube contains the pins that will be used to hold the binding together.

The paper scroll depicts a possible configuration of pages.

Here you see all the pages combined to form a cube-octahedron—which means that it is an integration of a cube and an octahedron. 

Detail of the painting and hinging.

Daniel Kelm

Daniel Kelm is a book artist, sculptor, book binder, and teacher. His intricate, detailed works invite unconventional ways of reading—which can resemble unearthing a mystifying treasure or solving a 3-D puzzle—and they condense wondrous topics that have laid between book covers for centuries—like alchemy, mathematics, science, metaphysics, maps, and illustrations—within visually astonishing bindings.

He invented the widely-used “wire-edge binding” and is the founder and proprietor of Wide Awake Garage studio in Easthampton, Massachusetts, where he designs and produces artist’s books and innovative sculptural bindings. His work has been shown nationally for over thirty years, and he has taught and lectured at universities and libraries in the U.S. and Europe.

Interview:

Lyra Kilston: Your work expands the form of what most people think of as a book: your works don’t need words, or images, or to open in an arc. In your view, what is the outer limit of having something remain a ‘book’?

Daniel Kelm: Books are a wonderful vehicle for telling stories. Most often the book artist constructs the book around their or an author’s story. Many of my books contain no recognizable words but are made of shapes that allow wide-ranging flexibility and movement. They are actually quite toy like, and if successful engage the “reader” in the same physical and interactive way as do toys. During that play, these wordless books can inspire someone to discover their own voice and story. I love watching someone interact with one of my sculptural books, then suddenly stop to tell one of their own stories.

What are some of your favourite materials to work with?

I love working with vegetable-tanned goat skin, a material commonly used in traditional fine bookbinding. For non-traditional work I tend towards metal, glass, and plastic. I’ve not found any material to be too rare or impossible to find and work with; there is always a way to invite it to play. In all cases, whatever the material used, it is important to discover its voice and to let that voice support the story being told.

Mars, 1991–2005, Daniel Kelm. 11.5 x 8 x 3 in. (closed). Contents: box, accordion book partially pinned together, and three objects representing various aspects of Mars. Materials: paper board, paper, acrylic paint, thread, stainless steel wire, dry-mount adhesive, iron nickel meteorite, chrome steel ball bearing, Civil War iron canister ball, felt, fibre board, cloth. Techniques: wire edge binding, painting, photocopy transfer, airbrush, paste paper, silk screen printing, letterpress printing. Voice of Mars text by Taz Sibley. Letterpress printing by Art Larson.

What themes have you been working with recently?

After 20 years immersed in chemistry, I began a thirty-year study of alchemical processes that has inspired many of my artist’s books and sculpture. Experimentation with plant alchemy (spagyric alchemy) led me to an appreciation of pharmacy. In my latest work I’m exploring chemical and pharmaceutical processes through installations combining laboratory apparatus with antiquarian books describing the process.

I look at the installations as functional sculpture. The animating voice of each piece is that of the chemist, pharmacist, researcher, or lab worker who developed and explained the particular approach, so their name is usually intimately associated with it.

What is your research process like?

I often start with a description of a process or an image of the associated apparatus and then find out everything that I can about it, including details about the life of the person who developed it. My work always tries to integrate the personal connection (through the life of the individual associated with the science involved), the historical (by choosing a process that has been proven through its historical record to be significant to our lives), the aesthetic (as seen in its sculptural quality), and the technical (the details of the process and materials themselves).

Relgio Mathmatica, 1990–2007, Daniel Kelm. 9 x 9.5 x 9.5 in. Materials: paper and paper board, stainless steel wire, thread, English yew wood, paint, leather. Techniques: wire edge binding, spattering, paste paper. Photographer: Jeff Derose, One Match Films. Binding assistance by Kylin Lee. This video of Kelm manipulating the binding shows how the “Lotus Flower” configuration closes—the red cube moves to the inside, and the black and white surfaces to the outside.

Sources used:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_Innocence_and_of_Experience

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake#Development_of_his_views

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-blake

http://www.danielkelm.com/core/wideawake/3/1#/galleries/2

http://www.danielkelm.com/core/wideawake/3#/entry/wide-awake-garage-videos

https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/alchemical-book-artists-at-work-part-2-daniel-kelm/

  Post - 2000 Artist Books

1. "Don't Lose Heart" by Anne Gilman

Don't Lose Heart 2001 mixed media digital accordion book printed on Arches cover stock, edition of 10 9" x 6" x 1" Don’t Lose Heart contains a play on expressions we use with the word "heart". Below is the text that appears at the end of the book:

You can have a change of heart, a heart of gold, a heavy heart, a heart to heart.

You can eat one’s heart out, lose heart, have a heart, take heart.

In my heart of hearts, with a heavy heart, cross my heart, from the bottom of my heart, Don’t lose heart.

Anne Gilman 

Anne Gilman is a Brooklyn-born artist who works in varying formats that include large-scale drawings and multi-panel projects.  The political, social and personal concerns that fuel all forms of moods, worries, and psychological states of being are the materials that feed her work. She begins by using her own thoughts and experiences as a starting point for considering larger issues of why we do what we do, what matters and how we can get lost in distractions that are ultimately unimportant. The resulting drawings are a mapping of information, thought and emotion. 

Other Works:

Sundowning 2018 pencil, graphite, paint, tape, ink, on paper with hand-stained wood 134 x 60 inches

Sundowning (also known as a sundown syndrome) = a neurological phenomenon associated with increased confusion and restlessness in patients with dementia. It occurs in the late afternoon/early evening. Symptoms include increased agitation; a person may become more upset/anxious/confused/disoriented/suspicious

Boiling point (5 works in this series) 2018 ink, pencil, tape on mulberry paper One section is 94½ x 27½ inches and the other four are 46 x 27½ inches

“A part of the writing in these drawings focus on issues of anger and rage. I was thinking about the levels of discontent that people live with, whether triggered by relatively insignificant incidents or by a build-up of frustration over time, and the need for an appropriate outlet to diffuse and address the intensity, before it erupts in explosive ways.” A. Gilman

this place / this hour 2019 Coloured pencil, graphite, ink, and washi tape on mulberry paper 321 x 27 inches

“I was invited to do a project commemorating the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth. My research resulted in this two-sided 27-foot scroll and a limited-edition artist book. In both projects Walt Whitman’s words, process and internal struggles are intertwined with my own. This scroll is suspended from the ceiling and extends across the floor in two directions. This view shows the non-text side of the scroll on the left side and the text-based side of the scroll on the right side.” A. Gilman

Up close / in the distance / now 2018 pencil, graphite, tape, ink, BIC ballpoint pen, matte medium on mulberry paper 340 x 38 inches

This scroll suspends from the ceiling with one side showing primarily the text part of the work and the other side showing non-text drawing. This view shows the text side. The next two images show other views.

Up close / in the distance / now 2018 pencil, graphite, tape, ink, BIC ballpoint pen, matte medium on mulberry paper 340 x 38 inches

This view shows the scroll from the side. The next view shows the non-text side of the drawing.

Up close / in the distance / now 2018 pencil, graphite, tape, ink, BIC ballpoint pen, matte medium on mulberry paper 340 x 38 inches

This is a view of the non-text side of the drawing.

2. “Second Road” by Timothy C. Ely

Second Road, 2016, Timothy C. Ely. Drum leaf binding, full leather, watercolor, dry pigments, gold and ink on paper. All images in this post courtesy of the artist.

 Timothy C. Ely

Ely studied design and printmaking and has been making books for over forty years. (He also owns sixty books on baking bread, his other passion that relies on precision and a bit of alchemical magic.) He has shown his work at museums around the country and it is in many private and public collections.

Interview:

Lyra Kilston: Do you have a favorite rare or ancient book? Have you been able to see it in person?

Timothy Ely: The Gutenberg forty-two-line Bible, which I saw in New York’s public library. I have handled this book, and revel in the idea that it is a point on the historical timeline where we switched over from the book as a handmade ideal to an industrial product. My work is embedded in the ideas of pre-Gutenberg technology, with as much of the production being done by hand and the content generated by long contemplation and the intuitive handling of method.

Timothy C. Ely’s studio, 2016.

You work with fascinating materials, like animal skin bindings and nineteenth-century paints. What are a couple of your favorite materials to work with? Is there a material that you’d love to work with, but it’s too rare or obsolete?

I envision making a large vellum book using a contemporary variant on an old technology. I have a vellum model in the works which has been in the press for sixteen years. Vellum is expensive and requires much animal husbandry to provide foliation for the artist. This book-to-be needs patronage.

Other favorites are rare pigments made of materials from obscure locations. Not so much for what they materially do but what associations are formed. Meteoric dust (I have some from a meteor that fell around the time of Columbus), sand from Asian deserts, soil from the gardens of bookbinders and monasteries. My collection is vast and my spies numerous. This material adds form to covers but on occasion finds its way into the interior.

Soil from the plains of Central Tibet, one of many unique materials in Ely’s studio.

Your work takes inspiration from a range of sources, from ancient runes to science fiction to the spiral pattern on a pine cone. What themes have you been working with recently?

I am attempting to render the invisible, to describe some ideas like 4-D architectural renderings and diagrams of the ineffable. By using well-tested ideas such as symbolic visual descriptions, I can make an foray into how we might imagine the path of a particle or a hunch.

What is your research process like?

My process is to draw, fail, evaluate, draw again, erase, redraw, abandon hope, find the path again, read something, draw more, melt something or hammer it together, fuse things, make some bread, draw again, and continue to see what shows up. Often up, sometimes down—it is never a linear process, but one that works by continuing to work with purpose against a plane which cannot easily be scaled.

The Observatory, 2006, Timothy C. Ely. Ink, gouache, and dry pigment on paper.

Sources used:

https://www.annegilman.com/

https://www.annegilman.com/artist-books/limited-edition-artist-books/view/57

https://www.annegilman.com/artist-books/limited-edition-artist-books/view/58

https://www.annegilman.com/scroll-drawings/scrolls-on-and-off-the-wall/1

https://www.annegilman.com/scroll-drawings/scrolls-on-and-off-the-wall/2

https://www.annegilman.com/scroll-drawings/scrolls-on-and-off-the-wall/6

https://www.annegilman.com/scroll-drawings/scrolls-on-and-off-the-wall/3

https://www.annegilman.com/scroll-drawings/scrolls-on-and-off-the-wall/4

https://www.annegilman.com/scroll-drawings/scrolls-on-and-off-the-wall/5

https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/alchemical-book-artists-at-work-part-1-timothy-c-ely/

[femmesfollesnebraska]

Artist Feature: Holly Wong

Thrilled to feature this q-and-a with artist Holly Wong...

1.       Where are you from? 

I am from North Miami Beach Florida which is a diverse suburban community within the broader Miami, Dade County.

“Mind/Forest II” 2018, Polyester tulle, thread, duralene plastic, plastic rope, cotton gauze, origami paper, and monofilament wire, 20’L x 15’D x 14’H.

2.       How did you get into creative work and what is your impetus for creating? 

Like many children, I had a passion for drawing when I was growing up and I developed an ability and love for art making at an early age.  Miami was experimenting at the time with arts magnet educational programs in the 1980’s and I had the benefit of attending a number of arts high schools that helped me focus my interest in art making as a life path.  Alongside of this, my mother taught me a great deal about sewing and in general, making things with fabric and other types of materials; I developed a confidence in sewing later in life as a result of this.

3.       Tell me about your current/upcoming show/exhibit/book/project and why it’s important to you. 

I currently am preparing for two exhibitions.  The first is participating in the A.I.R. Gallery National Members exhibit in Brooklyn, New York from May 23, 2019-June 22, 2019.  I will be showing a series of four water colors on paper that have been burned with candle smoke.  The imagery in this series has a patterned and dream-like reference, layered with the candle smoke which blurs and obfuscates the images.  It is a metaphor for memory and how our understanding of history changes with the passage of time.  The second exhibition is a solo show at the Evanston Art Center in Illinois from July 14, 2019-August 11, 2019.  This exhibit is titled “Silent Music” and consists of several large fiber-based installations on the walls as well as suspended pieces in front of a large window which speak to the nature of psychological states and the visual movement of thought. I utilize ephemeral materials such as polyester tulle, thread and dichroic film to describe a state of both absence and presence.  “Silent Music” is about trying to find a center of stillness in a deeply conflicted world.

“Silent Music I”, 18’W x 8’H x 2’D, Dichroic film, vinyl table cloth, plastic bags, gold foil, hand-painted vellum, and thread, 2019.

4.       What do you hope people get out of your work? 

This is always a really great question because people’s responses to a piece of art work are not only the function of the work itself but also the lens of their own psychology and personal experience.  I do hope that my work gives a feeling of peace and an opportunity for self-reflection. In some ways, my work is an invitation to enter a psychological space free of judgment or preconception.  I want people to have a primary experience in viewing my work and to feel awareness that despite our casting of reality in one way or another, impermanence is the constant.

5.       Does collaboration play a role in your work—whether with your community, artists or others?  How so and how does this impact your work?

I would say that at this point, my work to date has entirely been constructed by my own hands and I take a particular joy from literally the hundreds of hours of sewing involved.  It is a meditation in itself.  I do hope at some point to do larger public works and I realize to scale up, I will need to trust and involve others.  I have been invited to participate in a collaborative project with other artists as a part of an application to the Canadian World of Threads 2021 festival which will be my first collaborative activity.  I really appreciate Hana Rotchild’s invitation and her work is wonderful. (See more at @hanarotchild) 

6.       Considering the political climate, how do you think the temperature is for the arts right now, what/how do you hope it may change or make a difference?

I think there are many climates in the arts environment because it is such a complex ecosystem and it is hard to describe it monolithically.  That said, I do see trends; there is a new focus on art that has a quality of social practice/social engagement and also a focus on highlighting artists of color which is incredibly encouraging.  It has also been great to see artists creating their own opportunities for themselves by launching collectives and defining exhibition venues for themselves.  These are very positive things.  I think the market place still ultimately drives what is talked about or shown in some major museums but it is changing as more people of color become curators and start to be a part of the conversation that they were never a part of previously. I don’t think any of these things happened because it was “given to people”.  It was the result of many years of fighting and advocacy and if there was something that I wish could change, I would say that the art world needs to continue to expand to include more voices and to institutionalize the notion of inclusiveness vs. an occasional give away when it is politically advantageous.

“Emerge ”, 11”W x 12”H, Plastic, dichroic film, vinyl lace tablecloth, painted vellum, polyester tulle and thread, 2019 

  7.       Artist Wanda Ewing, who curated and titled the original LFF exhibit, examined the perspective of femininity and race in her work, and spoke positively of feminism, saying “yes, it is still relevant” to have exhibits and forums for women in art; does feminism play a role in your work? 

I would not describe my work as explicitly feminist per se because the impetus of my work is my study of Zen Buddhism and the notion of creating a visual environment of formlessness and nondiscrimination.  However, I use fabric and sewing practices as a major component of my work and can often be cast as “other” because I am working in ephemeral materials that are the domain of domestic activity.  Because I am a middle-aged woman, I have experienced some inequities as many of my generation have whether in the workplace or elsewhere.  Thus by definition, I am a feminist because I believe firmly in the full emancipation of my gender.  Feminism is 100% still relevant because many women, especially disadvantaged women of color, are not free or able to participate in their own self-determination.  It is true that my artwork does not explicitly speak to these issues but its presence outside the white cube is a feminist action in of itself.

8.       Ewing’s advice to aspiring artists was “you’ve got to develop the skill of when to listen and when not to;” and “Leave. Gain perspective.”  What is your favorite advice you have received or given?  

I love Ewing’s advice and it really resonates with me.  My husband, Al Wong, a highly accomplished San Francisco Bay Area artist and educator, gave me the best advice one day. I was feeling deeply uncertain about the nature of my imagery, its value or relevance.  He said to me: “You must be your own Charlie Parker.”  (For readers new to jazz, Charlie Parker was a legendary American jazz saxophonist and composer living during the first half of the 20th century).  My husband encourages me to follow my artist path exactly as my instincts are telling me to do and not to copy anyone in order to be accepted.  His fierce belief in me even at times when I did not see it in myself was ultimately transformational for me.

Holly Wong in her studio, photo by Al Wong.

https://hollywongart.com/

~

Les Femmes Folles is a volunteer organization founded in 2011 with the mission to support and promote women in all forms, styles and levels of art from around the world with the online journal, print annuals, exhibitions and events; originally inspired by artist Wanda Ewing and her curated exhibit by the name Les Femmes Folles (Wild Women). LFF was created and is curated by Sally Deskins.  LFF Booksis a micro-feminist press that publishes 1-2 books per year by the creators of Les Femmes Folles including the award-winning Intimates & Fools (Laura Madeline Wiseman, 2014) , The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters: Ten Tales (Laura Madeline Wiseman/Lauren Rinaldi, 2015 and Mes Predices (catalog of art/writing by Marie Peter Toltz, 2017).Other titles include Les Femmes Folles: The Women 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 available on blurb.com, including art, poetry and interview excerpts from women artists. A portion of the proceeds from LFF books and products benefit the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Wanda Ewing Scholarship Fund.

Current call for collaborative art-writing: http://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/post/181376606692/lff-2019-artistpoet-collaborations

Current call: What does being a womxn mean to you? http://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/post/183697785757/what-does-being-a-womxn-today-mean-to-youyour

[neoraven]

Movies I Watched December and January

I wrote these at Letterboxd. There were a few I rated and had nothing to say. 

I’m trying to do a thing with 1997 / 20 years later. I started with Metro. It was going to be weekly. Oops.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back 2016 ★½  22 Jan, 2017 I was left wondering who was this movie for? Cobie Smulders keeps making great performances in things that don't deserve her. The ceiling of this is Bottom-Tier-Bourne-Sequel, made even more bizarre by Tom Cruise being a part of it.

Metro 1997 ★★★  20 Jan, 2017 20 Years Later. Movie #1 1/17/1997

Eddie Murphy, generally coasting on his Beverly Hills Cop coattails, stars as a hostage negotiator slash generic cop. This was Murphy's only movie after the huge success of The Nutty Professor in 1996. He lost to Beverly Hills Ninja over MLK Weekend at the box office. Michael Rappaport is hilariously miscast as a button down, bookish cop type protégé for Murphy to insult. Carmen Ejogo is the thankless girlfriend and damsel in distress. And finally, Donal Logue kind of stands out as the only actual hostage situation the hostage negotiator encounters.

So, the movie. Like I said, they drop the hostage negotiator thing pretty early as this shifts into a generic loose cannon cop chasing guy that killed his friend story that Eddie has done at least 5 times across 2 franchises. The script doesn't really give its star much time to shine and be funny, but Eddie Murphy is still Eddie Murphy and manages to liven up a dumb horse-betting subplot. The action sequences are pretty big, filling out a budget of $55 million. The largest involved a runaway cable car and more than a passing resemblance to Spider-Man 2.

It's a little generic and joyless, but just falls on the side of good for some of the random R-rated flourishes that manage to push this above being a star-studded Law & Order episode. His friend's stabbing death looked more like something out of Scream than an action movie. The director would go on to helm "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story".

Metro. The 65th most popular movie that year at the box office. A minor speed bump in Eddie Murphy's career that never really came together. Jettisoned into January, it still ended up a minor hit, almost recouping its bloated budget.

And it's the first I'm doing of this. Series? Project? Of looking back at 1997 releases 20 years later. I'm going to roughly try to go in chronological order, but I reserve the right to watch stuff whenever.

Blue Streak 1999 ★★★½  20 Jan, 2017 Lean and mean and very pleasantly above expectations. Also shoutout to the villain from The Mask still getting work.

Planet Terror 2007 ★★  19 Jan, 2017 Shoulda watched Death Proof.

Arrival 2016 ★★★★½  16 Jan, 2017 god-DAMN

La La Land 2016 ★★★★★  16 Jan, 2017 god damn it

Jason X 2001 ★  13 Jan, 2017 just lol

Wild Wild West 1999 ★★★  04 Jan, 2017 I dunno what Kenneth Branagh was paid, but it wasn't enough.

True Lies 1994 ★★★½  01 Jan, 2017 This is undoubtedly a great action movie. But the whole middle subplot with Bill Paxton is so gross.

Warcraft 2016 ★★  01 Jan, 2017 This wasn't as bad as I thought. It's even a little wild. But it feels like a prologue to something I never wanna see.

7 Days in Hell 2015 ★★★★½  31 Dec, 2016 I could not stop laughing during this. Kit Harrington surprised me.

Don’t Breathe 2016 ★★★★  30 Dec, 2016 I'm on board for every Fede Alverez/Jane Levy collaboration

The Accountant 2016 ★★★  29 Dec, 2016 Overstuffed, but well-shot. Felt like an entire season of television crammed into one long pilot episode. I don't mean that as an indictment of TV, more just the volume of subplots that could carry an episode on their own. Here they're reduced to 5-10 minutes, or throwaway lines and flashbacks.

The Accountant was frustrating. It wasn't very satisfying with the ending so open-ended, like a pilot. And a few of the good ideas and set ups are going to remain half-baked forever.

Inferno 2016 ★★  29 Dec, 2016 Tom Hanks' Bad Acid Trip starts out with some pretty unhinged visuals- death and people with backwards heads and such. The story settles down to being on the silly side of stupid, with Hanks' doctor reacting to an anagram with the zeal of a kid on Christmas morning early on. So I can't be too harsh here. But it's still pretty bad, even for Ron Howard.

Blackhat 2015 ★★★★½  28 Dec, 2016 I was enthralled.

Central Intelligence 2016 ★★½  26 Dec, 2016 Rock and Hart are fun, and there's a hint of an interesting and disturbing story at the edges here. But most of this is a mess. It just feels lazy and stop and go at times as the plot and tone yo-yo's all over the place. There are still some cool action sequences to be had with Dwayne Johnson, and plenty of funny parts as well. But it still never really comes together into something.

Also, worth noting that this is the third movie that has had an emotional climax by The Rock stripping himself naked to a crowd. Joins Walking Tall and Furious 7.

Ride Along 2 2016 ★★★  26 Dec, 2016 I loved the first one, and this was one gratuitous sequel that managed to be worthy. It's not that much more than a bigger, much slicker Law & Order episode. But the Kevin Hart/Ice Cube pairing goes a long way. Olivia Munn and Ken Jeong were fun additions to the group who I wouldn't mind seeing in a sequel a la Lethal Weapon. The action scenes were all really fun and varied. The videogame stuff is mostly annoying every time it's brought up, but the mix of visual effects in the car chase where Hart drives were undeniably cool.

The Night Before 2015 ★★★★  25 Dec, 2016 A++ Christmas Movie.

Bad Santa 2 2016 ★★½  25 Dec, 2016 Extremely lazy sequel wasting Octavia Spencer as a prostitute and Christina Hendricks as a sex object, but manages a surprising amount of laughs.

The Invitation 2015 ★★★★  24 Dec, 2016 I enjoyed this a great deal, and the ending shot is some classic shit.

Blair Witch 2016 ★★  23 Dec, 2016 It's essentially a remake and a sequel, but mostly brings the worst qualities of each to the table.

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 2000 ★★  23 Dec, 2016 Felt like a chopped and screwed remix of the first movie. But not really as fun as that would be literally.

The Blair Witch Project 1999 ★★★★  23 Dec, 2016 A classic.

The Purge: Election Year 2016 ★★★★  22 Dec, 2016 There's a lot going on here related to the actual election and what I'm sure the filmmakers thought was going to happen in November. Is this horror movie now the rosy fantasy that we'll look back on and pine for in 2019? I hope not, because I hope we'll have Purge 4, 5, and 6 by then. Or the TV show.

The Defender 1994 ★★★  21 Dec, 2016 "After all, I am an assassin, and you are just a lowly defender!"

Also I admire the tricks used to remove guns from parts of action sequences.

Deepwater Horizon 2016 ★★★★  21 Dec, 2016 There's a great and thrilling disaster movie here wedged between two embarrassing bookends. It starts with Mark Wahlberg's plucky daughter helpfully explaining the science* of his job/the premise. The real life epilogue with real testimony was also a bit too much. But at least there was the joy of seeing Trace Adkins' angry family member billed in the credits as "Massive Man".

*whatever technical basis or explanation for what happened got abandoned halfway through the big explosion

Mascots 2016 ★★★  18 Dec, 2016 Reheated Christopher Guest leftovers are still pretty good.

The Finest Hours 2016 ★★½  18 Dec, 2016 This is all very solid and okay. The parts not out at sea are an ANCHOR dragging the movie down.

Incarnate 2016 ★½  17 Dec, 2016 This movie is mostly a weird slog, and it never tries to look appealing. Most of the action takes place in dark rooms. And the term "action" is used loosely. Anyways, my hopes for Inception-laced Nightmare on Elm Street visions were dashed pretty quickly. But I did get a few chuckles out of the stupid science explanations and Aaron Eckhart's performance.

Masterminds 2016 ★★½  16 Dec, 2016 A smattering of very funny small performances and scenes. Nothing really comes together into a great laugh or exciting story. Jared Hess still is not a great comedy director. But this was way too disjointed and sloppy to really have a chance.

Spectral 2016 ★★★½  15 Dec, 2016 This movie tries on a few different hats, and wears them all just fine. You have a little bit of Aliens when the badass marine types take on the unthinkable force. It's Black Hawk Down when they take on the [fake spoiler alert] ghosts in the bombed-out city. James Badge Dale is even a little bit Tom Cruise from Edge of Tomorrow as the sci-fi type thrust onto the front lines. His transformation from fish out of water to hero stays pretty steady throughout the movie's different phases. Clayne Crawford, now of Lethal Weapon and Rectify fame, also has a slightly memorable turn as one of the ghostbusters.

I loved the mix, but it's obvious why this never found a release date, sat for months, and finally got shuttled off to Netflix. But it definitely isn't terrible.

Deadpool 2016 ★★  14 Dec, 2016 Near the end, "a CGI character" tells Deadpool about the four or five moments that make up being a superhero. Unfortunately, a few good moments do not make up a good superhero movie. For all of the sixteen walls that were supposedly shattered, this got old fast.

I don't think I can fully hate it. The few jokes that land are really good, and there's a general weird tone that is missing from most spandex movies. But I can't really like it either when it still shares the other boring 75% of every other spandex movie.

Hell or High Water 2016 ★★★★½  14 Dec, 2016 Fucking amazing. Except for a couple awkward heavy-handed lines. And I also had the thought during most of it, "what if there was a pair of bank robbers without polar opposite temperaments?" Like. They don't have to both be buttoned-down or both be "Ben Foster in every single movie i've ever seen", but, ya know.

Kickboxer: Vengeance 2016 ★★★  12 Dec, 2016 I'm probably more than a little swayed by the split screen during the credits imitating the JCVD dance moves from the first. The lead is kind of boring, but this still never really drags too long. It's really thankfully competent.

Jason Bourne 2016 ★★★  12 Dec, 2016 Alicia Vikander's amazing performance and Vincent Cassel kicking the vehicular mayhem up a couple notches in the final sequence is almost enough to make me forget the previous dour 90 minutes. Still not bad.

I Spit on Your Grave 1978 ★★★  11 Dec, 2016 I only watched the half where she slaughtered all the men.

Mechanic: Resurrection 2016 ★★½  10 Dec, 2016 I spent a significant portion of this movie thinking it was a Transporter reboot.

The Magnificent Seven 2016 ★★★★  09 Dec, 2016 Magnificent is a really strong word, but it was really, really good.

The Legend II 1993 ★★★  08 Dec, 2016 The sequel forfeited a little of its heart for bigger and more bombastic action sequences. It's still very funny, though, and a couple of the more elaborate fight scenes surpass anything in the original.

Ben-Hur 2016 ★★  08 Dec, 2016 The chariot race was extremely dope.

The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk 1993 ★★★  04 Dec, 2016 There were some incredibly crazy-cool fight scenes.

[gigsoupmusic]

Rising Collaborative Production duo Re.decay shares ‘Ghost (feat. Brian Ennals)’ Single

Rising production duo Re.decay have released their single, ‘Ghost (feat. Brian Ennals)’ on the 29th of May via SPRINGSTOFF. Premiered via bond, the single is lifted from their upcoming EP, Down Long Enough, which will be released on the 19th of June. The mastering engineer for the single was Mat Leffler-Schulman of Mobtown Studios (Ice Cube, Future Islands and Jon Baptiste). The music video for their previous single, ‘Sun In The Morning (feat. ADH, Mawcom X, Sedric Perry)’ premiered via Beats Per Minute and added to TRACE TV's playlist. Re.decay is the brainchild of Owen Ross and Emanuel Bender, each an established musician in his own right. Owen Ross performs as a solo artist (features include Huffington Post and Noisey Deutschland), and as a guitarist and musical director for a number of groups and artists. He has toured extensively, sharing bills with big names such as The Roots, Big Boi, Gym Class Heroes, OK Go!, Biz Markie and Afroman and currently works as a producer and songwriter with a wide range of up and coming artists. Emanuel Bender has an impressive list of production credits including notable artists such as Alle Farben, Dillistone, Moli, Fhat and others. He has also worked on several International TV ads (BMW, AUDI and TOYOTA), created music for feature films, and released several successful remixes, including for Awolnation and Monsters and Men. His work has received over 1.6 million plays across streaming platforms and reached Hype Machine #1 place multiple times. Brian Ennals is a rising star in the vibrant Baltimore hip hop scene. His captivating live performances and eclectic studio work as part of a collaborative Hip Hop duo called HNNY & ENEM have cemented his place as an artist to watch. Both Ross and Bender are currently based in Berlin. While Bender was raised there, Ross hails from New York. Re.decay cite formative years spent in New York and Berlin as hugely influential in their creative development. Participating in such vast and diverse artistic communities was invaluable in expanding their perspectives and honing their crafts. The two bring a wide range of musical knowledge to the table. Ross' mother is a former Opera singer and he cut his teeth as a guitarist in Bapist churches in Boston. Bender, on the other hand, studied Film-Music Composition at Jazz&Pop ArtEZ, learned multiple Instruments including Violin, Piano, Guitar and Drums, and spent years independently studying music production and engineering. Re.decay combine multiple genres and influences into a coherent and bold new production style. As producers, they have a deep respect for those who have come before them and note the direct influence of J Dilla, Apollo Brown, Prefuse 73, Madlib, DJ Premier and Pete Rock. Their musical vocabulary, however, traverses far and wide and they also consider Jimi Hendrix, A-Wa, The Staples Singers, Nina Simone and Oneohtrix Point Never as vital influences. Their own work brings to mind iconic collaborations in the likes of J Dilla & D'Angelo, The Gorillaz & Del The Funky Homosapien, and Dam Funk & Snoop Dog. Speaking with a deep personal connection, Brian Ennals explores past hardships and the ‘Ghost’(s) that still haunt him. Using humour to alleviate the serious topics that are tackled in the song, Brian Ennals shares small aspects of his own life with measured syncopation. Re.decay pair the vocals with a rhythmic bass line that forms the backbone of the single, the occasional electronic deviation being subtle enough to enhance the single while keeping the lyrics as the main focus. In describing ‘Ghost’, Re.decay tell us, ‘This track is a sonic crossover between the golden age of hip hop and the lyrical and production aesthetic of 2020. Working with Brian Ennals has been a creative joy for us. Owen has done a lot of work with artists from Baltimore over the years and Brian is one of the most talented and creative. His wordplay and delivery are truly unique and we’re confident the world will see a lot more from him in the near future.’ Brian Ennals further elaborates on the single, “My only goal when I wrote these particular verses was to sound like Ghostface did on Supreme Clientele. I’m sure I failed miserably, but even getting to 50% of Supreme Ghost is an achievement. I knew the majority people of listening to this record would be hearing me for the first time, so I wrote the verses to be sort of a thesis statement of me as an artist and my worldview, my concerns, my ambivalence, and my vices. As far as the hook, I just thought that melody was really fucking groovy so I gave it some words that hopefully make you feel like the world feels in this current moment.” Read the full article

[newidaho]

9.  Lunchtime Conversation

Don’t have the time/patience/desire to read with your eyes? Don’t have eyes? Well, have your friend read you this:  You can check out the audiobook for free on Apple, Google, Stitcher, or Spotify.  Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday!

21 December 2054   ///   1145h

Lucid Labs occupies the Southeastern-most edge of the New Idaho Mountain Ring.  The peaks around its border measure between 250 and 700 feet above the entrance to the atrium.  The parking lot sits in a small divot with a view over the Eastern Edge.  Just southwest of the Labs on the ring is the only entrance into town—the Inter-Mountain Hyper Train that folks can take up from the station 7000 feet below.  Northwest of the Labs is mostly farmland.  The crops from this area are enough to sustain most in New Idaho.  North of the Labs on the ring are a great amount of large houses, most owned by Lucid Labs employees.

The Lab itself is built into the peaks behind it.  It contains many levels and sections.  Some sections are cylindrical, some in the shapes of cubes or rectangular prisms.  The floor plan generally took even the most architecturally-minded employees at least a month to get accustomed to.  All the sections of the Labs came together in a large lobby with a large atrium, lounge, and cafeteria.  Collaboration rooms dotted the border.

Darren generally ate his lunch in the cafeteria.  If the weather was nice, he would go onto the eastern balcony and look out over either a magnificent city of clouds or the awe-inspiring empty expanse of eastern Idaho thousands of feet below.

Today, Darren walked to lunch early with Eddy, a friend from the engineering department.

‘Oh, and I wanted to ask you—and I’m sure you’ve gotten it plenty today already, but I’m just that excited to hear it—have you tried it yet?’  Eddy resembled a stereotypical engineer, adopting the style of a nerd from 70 years past.

‘No, not yet.  Have you?’

‘Oh, yeah, I tried it the first night I got it!  You know, I couldn’t even believe we didn’t catch wind of it—I heard the engineers down the hall were a big part of the team working on it!  And they didn’t even tell us!’

‘So what did you think, anyway?’

‘Oh, Darren, you have to try it.  My god.  This thing’s gonna change the world.  I mean, Lucid Dream is the only app that’s on it right now, but even that is—wow.  To be able to watch your dreams?  I’ve always, well, dreamed of that.  No pun intended.’

‘I guess it’s something I’d just have to try to find out.’

‘It is!  I didn’t even remember having most of the dreams it showed back to me.  And that’s just the first part—you can go back into your dreams and render one of the characters in AR.  Right now all you can really do with that is set it as an avatar, but I’m sure by February it will be successfully integrated with Imaginary Friend so you can hang out with your own unconscious characters.  I’m sure it will be perfect by then.’

‘I wouldn’t be surprised.’

‘You know, I sound like a total shill when I say it, but that’s just what this company does!  Makes the most amazing and cutting edge products there are.’

‘Well, you’re totally right.  It’s a pretty amazing place to work.’

‘Hell yeah it is!’  Ricky had run up behind Darren and Eddy as they were talking.

‘Jeez, Ricky, do you ever walk?’  Darren asked.

‘Walk?  Why the hell would I walk when I’m so excited to see ya!’  He started to give Darren a little tickle before Darren pushed his hands away.  ‘You ready to go for our little drive?’

‘Oh, yeah.  I almost forgot about that.’  Darren extended his hand to Eddy.  ‘I’ll see you after the break, Eddy.  I’ve got to talk to Ricky about something.’

Darren followed Ricky out of the south entrance of the building, onto the large parking area between two peaks on the Mountain Ring.  Bikes were parked all over—at least 1000 of them.  It was a funny sight, and one that, in over 20 years, Darren still wasn’t used to.  A parking lot full of nothing but bikes.  He felt like a giant.

Ricky led Darren near the Eastern Slope, approaching the lookout point.  It was a relatively cloudy day, but some holes through the clouds opened to the landscape below.  On days like today, it always felt to Darren like New Idaho was on some sort of island, floating in an ocean of white foam.

Ricky’s Kaze X was parked near the Eastern edge of the parking lot.  ‘Best parking spot ever, huh?’ he asked Darren.  ‘Check this out.’  Ricky stepped toward his bike.  The black glass covering the bike came up to about their chin.  ‘Almost as tall as a car, but three times skinnier!  Guess that’s what they wanted when they built this city, huh?’

Ricky double tapped the side of his glasses.  ‘Oh, Darren, you should totally connect up to my Glasses.  Here, I’ll shoot you an invite.’  Ricky waved his hand in front of him.

A notification appeared in the top corner of Darren’s field of vision.  He waved his hand over the red dot and a window emerged on his right side:  “Do you wish to connect realities with “RICKY THE BIG BOY”?”  ‘Great name,’ Darren said, and waved his hand over “Yes”.

The digital box formerly in front of only Ricky was now apparent to both of them.  ‘See, this box right here appears whenever I approach my bike,’ Ricky explained.  He wound up and gave the bottom of the virtual box a smack with more gusto than was likely necessary for the software.  The top of the box opened up, and several more tiny objects rose from it, forming an arc above the first container.  Ricky extended his hand to one in the shape of a color wheel, conjuring a full-size color menu.  ‘What’s your favorite color, Darren?’

‘Green,’ Darren replied.

‘What shade?’

‘Olive.’

‘Nice choice.’  Ricky played with the color menu until he procured an Olive color.  ‘This look good to you?’ he asked.

Darren nodded.  Ricky waved his finger back and forth over the color, and the black glass that covered the bike began to morph from black to an olive green.  ‘Freaking crazy, huh?   Go ahead, you can take your lenses off.  Disconnect from me.  Whatever.  It’s real.’  Ricky smiled and opened the door in the front of the bike.  ‘After you,’ he said.  Darren climbed over the front seat and into the back.  Ricky climbed in after him and shut the door.

‘Now, I can program it to drive in my favorite area—along Perimeter Road—and tell it to be back here by 1220h.  Let’s take a solar-powered joy-ride, shall we?’

Sure enough, the bike took them out of the parking lot and down some of the most scenic routes in Southeastern New Idaho.  Darren really was quite amazed by the specs of this bike—you could see outside the tinted glass as if it were absolutely clear.  It was almost spookily futuristic.  He was an engineer, and a pretty smart one at that, but he had no idea how Sobaiku had figured this one out.

‘So have you tried your Lucidity yet?’  Ricky asked.

‘I haven’t.  Have you?’

‘Nah, you know I can’t do that.  Haven’t decided yet whether or not I’m going to keep the one I have for myself or just gift it to Sera on the condition she lets me play with it.  Unless you want to…?’  He looked at Darren expectantly.

‘I thought about it.  I could sell the extra to you.  I guess we can always just get another when they roll out in February, huh?’

‘Yes!  Hell yeah!  Brother, that makes me so happy.  And have you decided if you’re going to give the extra one to Snow?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Did you even think about it any more?’

‘I think I made up my mind pretty quick.  The whole thing could be dangerous.’

‘In whose hands?’

‘What do you mean?  You’re connecting a computer to your brain.  I can’t begin to count how many ways it could go wrong.  I’ve been imagining them all night.’

‘You’re not connecting a computer to your brain—at least not completely.’

‘No?’

‘No.  Look, this is what we have been trying to beat into our ads over on the marketing team.  The connection to your brain is only in one direction—Lucidity reads your brain waves.  It does not write them.  There is no output to your brain, just input from your brain.  So it’s not, like, messing with your brain or anything.’

‘…’

‘And after that, it’s just synching up with your Lenses.  And those two computers can communicate, of course, but it’s all out of the head by then.  Brain to Lucidity, Lucidity to Lens, Lens to eyes.’

‘And eyes to brain.’

‘Well, sure, but that’s been the case since the television.  We always thought that shit was gonna rot our brains, too.  Depends how you use it, huh?’

‘I guess so.’

‘So anyway, what I’m trying to say is, in whose hands will it be dangerous?  You know, I’ve met Snow.  He’s a nice kid.  I don’t think he’s gonna be using this device to, like, mess with anyone.  I don’t even know how he could with Lucid Dream.  But think about the next apps that will come out for it.  Think about when we finally get telepathy.  Think about hackers.  What’s going to happen when someone can hack into your glasses and think up some crazy shit for you to see?  It really could happen.’

‘I guess you’re right.’

‘I mean, I want Ricky 2 to have it so he knows how to use it, you know?  I don’t want him totally defenseless when the bad boys come out to play, you know what I’m saying?’

‘I guess that makes sense.’

‘Well, whatever way you want to shake it, it don’t matter.  The fact is, this stuff’s going to change the world.  The kids are gonna want it, and by the time they can afford it, they’re going to have it.  It’s just a question of when we get them started with the future that we’ll all be on in ten years or so.’

‘This might be my dropping off point.’

‘Damn, so you’re not even gonna try yours?’

‘I’m not sure.  The whole thing kind of scares me.’

Ricky shrugged.  ‘Alright,’ he said, ‘suit yourself.  But I know Shelly’s gonna want to join the future with the kids this Christmas.  So, I guess my next question—you wanna sell me another Lucidity?’

Darren thought for a moment.  Ricky was right about the future—it stops for no man.  And Lucid Labs didn’t release a new product without testing the hell out of it—though Darren wasn’t sure who had been testing this one and keeping it under wraps.

What really got him thinking, though, was Ricky’s point about the Lucidity getting into the wrong hands.  He knew, or at least strongly suspected, Snow wouldn’t use it for anything nefarious.  But he had met Ricky 2, and he couldn’t speak for that sort of kid.  If there were going to be people like that using Lucidity, shouldn’t Snow at least have a leg up on the technology to know what it could be used for?  I mean, without having it, there was only speculation, but if he were using it…  If they were using it…

‘You know what, Ricky?’  Darren said.  ‘I think I’m going to hold on to the rest of my Lucidity patches.  That won’t be too big a deal, will it?’

‘Aw, hell no, man,’ Ricky said.  ‘They’re yours!  I’m sure someone’s down to sell their extra.’  For the first time since lunch, there was silence.  As the Kaze glided north along the mountains, back toward Lucid Labs, Ricky’s smile receded for a moment, then came back even bigger than before.

[fashiontrendin-blog]

The Best New Menswear Pieces To Buy Right Now

http://fashion-trendin.com/the-best-new-menswear-pieces-to-buy-right-now-33/

The Best New Menswear Pieces To Buy Right Now

Baume Custom Timepiece 41mm Retrograde

The watch market is so crammed with heritage brands that’ve been around for aeons that it’s rare for a new up-starter to come along and spoil the party. Threatening to do just that is Baume, launched this week by the Richemont group, which also owns Montblanc and Cartier. The modus operandi is high-end luxury at an affordable price point while using sustainable, recycled materials like the cork strap on this sleek and creative timepiece.

Buy Now: £490.00

Wood Wood Han Long Sleeve T-Shirt

There are numerous Scandinavian labels going strong at the moment, from Norse Projects to Cheap Monday, but close to the top of the tree has to be Wood Wood. This new capsule collection is meant to tap into fan culture and teenage obsession, but we’re just keen on it for the elegant simplicity and soft cotton fabric.

Buy Now: £69.00

Coach x Disney Zip Wallet

Having enjoyed previous collaborations with Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Kenzo, could Mickey Mouse be the most well-connected rodent in fashion? Mickey doesn’t feature personally in this latest collaboration with luxury brand Coach, instead, inspiration is taken from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty. The results are certainly distinct, as can be seen from the ethereal skull on this wallet.

Buy Now: £195.00

Superdry Sunscorched Shorts

The Superdry SS18 collection takes heavy influence from the music world but luckily it’s not all skinny jeans and loud patterns. Shorts make an appearance in some very bright shades though, including this hyper blue pair which is hemmed at exactly the right place between the mid-thigh and the knee.

Buy Now: £39.99

Cubitts × Leif Podhajsky Ridley Emerald Sunglasses

Graphic designer Leif Podhajsky is well-known in the world of music after producing psychedelic and wondrous album covers for artists such as Bonobo and Tame Impala. However, here he joins forces with upstanding British eyewear manufacturer Cubitts and the results are otherworldly, like zoning out in the hazy summer sun.

Buy Now: £125.00

Mango Anna Shirt

While you won’t catch us raiding grandad’s wardrobe on the regular there are some styling tips to be had from the old boy. Certainly, the grandad collar shirt is top of that list, with a sharp, crisp look that works for both casual and smart occasions. This cotton version from Mango is one of the best examples we’ve seen recently.

Buy Now: £35.99

Calvin Klein Jasa Print T-Shirt

You’re probably used to having the Calvin Klein logo emblazoned on your boxer waistbands, but less so on the chest of your shirt. But with the logo-tee trend reaching epidemic proportions, it’s a good way of giving the brand some love while keeping your trousers on. We’re fans of this deep purple version, which offers something a little different in a market crowded with monochrome sets.

Buy Now: £34.99

Duke & Dexter Sovereign Penny Loafers

Inspired by 1960s heart-throb and screen legend Alain Delon (aren’t we all, darling), these new penny loafers are très chic. Made by Duke & Dexter, beloved by celebs including Ryan Reynolds and Eddie Redmayne (who wore a bespoke pair when he won his Oscar), this new summer set of shoes pitches itself as the undisputed champion of the loafer world.

Buy Now: £225.00

Uniqlo x Tomas Maier Swim Shorts

Nothing brings us more joy than a new Uniqlo collaboration, and while our squeals are usually reserved for when JW Anderson comes to play, this time we’re getting hot under the collar over a summer collection with the head honcho at Bottega Veneta, Tomas Maier. Palm trees are the lead motif for the collection, exemplified by this pair of classy and understated swim shorts.

Buy Now: £24.90

PUMA x Bobbito Classic Suede

This year sees the 50th anniversary of the Puma Suede, which is to Puma what the Gazelle is to Adidas and the Air Max to Nike. To celebrate its illustrious history, Puma has released a series of collaborations and new editions of the shoe – the centrepiece being this classic configuration with sneaker historian and hip-hop DJ Bobbito, which takes inspiration from the Suedes worn on New York basketball courts in the 1970s.

Buy Now: £101.00

Rapport Evo Cube #8 Watch Winder

If you’re serious about your mechanical watches, then you ought to be serious about your watch winders too. The best in the business is Rapport, which has become the leading UK manufacturer of luxury automatic watch winders. So keep your automatic running with this latest model that resembles a mini amplified speaker, yet promises virtual silence.

Buy Now: £295.00

Albam Regent Blouson Jacket

First, there was ‘millennial pink’, now we have ‘gen-z yellow’, and many brands such as the independent London-based Albam have fallen hard for the colour this summer. It’s a good match with another trending piece for the season, the blouson jacket, which features a shorter cut that sits just above the hip, as well as a two-way zip to change up how you throw it on.

Buy Now: £169.00

Léon Bara Plaza Shirt

The summer nights are approaching and the menswear cognoscenti will be cracking out their Cuban collars in no time, although the weather can be a cruel mistress. Relative newcomer Léon Bara (its first collection was debuted just last year) has got you covered though, with a Cuban collared shirt that’s water-repellent and made from plush Japanese linen so you can continue wearing them come rain or shine.

Buy Now: £255.00

Master & Dynamic MW50+ Wireless On-Ear & Over-Ear Headphones

The idea of headphones as fashion accessories snowballed during the earlier part of this decade with Beats by Dre. The market soon became even more high-end, led by luxury headphone makers Master & Dynamic, which has just released a brand new model with on-ear and over-ear pads so you can change your listening preferences on the go. It also boasts a throwback design resembling something a WWII pilot might have had in their cockpit.

Buy Now: £369.00

ASOS Grooming Box

So while those little busybodies at ASOS have set about filling our wardrobes, they’ve also concocted this limited-edition grooming kit with the best of their face and body products. We’ve done the maths and figured that this set is worth around eight times more if you were to buy all of the products individually, so it’s certainly worth investing in if you want to fill out your bathroom cabinet.

Buy Now: £12.00

Ted Baker Derby Textile Trainers

One of the most classic footwear styles in menswear, the Derby has stood the test of time largely because of its versatility and ability to work for both smart and casual looks. And yet when it comes to the summer months the traditional leather shoe can be a tad stifling. Fear not though as Ted Baker is here to save the day with its Derby trainers – made from breathable woven cotton, they’re leagues more comfortable and won’t overheat your toes.

Buy Now: £90.00

FoR Cropped Tailored Trousers

It’s been three whole weeks since the Arcadia group, home to Burton and Topman, launched its new web-only, minimalist menswear brand FoR – and we’re still reeling. The collection has just popped up on ASOS this week, offering yet another opportunity for us to get our hands on some of that top-quality, low-priced gear. One of the key items is this pair of grey trousers, which are bang-on-trend with their soft pleats and slightly cropped hem.

Buy Now: £30.00

GANT Le Mans Crewneck Sweater

Gant knows how to make a good quality jumper, the kind that works well on its own or when paired with a button-down Oxford shirt. The preppy brand is less known for its streetwear sweats however, but it’s a market the US label has got its sights on in its latest partnership with the ultimate sports car endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In an eye-catching green and pique structure, this sporty sweat might just catch the attention of the athleisure aficionados out there.

Buy Now: £100.00

Topman Flamingo Long Sleeve Overshirt

Move over camo, to really disguise yourself in the jungle you have to go full-on tropical print. With its lightweight blouson cut, this would be ideal, but be warned, you might stand out a little more when outside of the rainforest. As a result, it’s worn best with toned-down basics such as a black tee, jeans and white trainer combination.

Buy Now: £65.00

River Island x Ditch The Label White ‘Pride And Glitter’ T-Shirt

River Island’s recent advertising campaigns have had a strong focus on inclusivity – a welcome change in the fashion industry which can often seem homogeneous. The brand’s latest partnership sees it team up with international anti-bullying charity Ditch The Label for eight gender-neutral items of clothing that are designed to empower the LGBTQ+ community and, well, look really cool while doing it.

Buy Now: £18.00

[timchewkc]

[Travel]

Artist impression of Virtual Vibration

  Vivid Sydney – billed as the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, returns in 2018 with a new precinct at Luna Park, the return of much-loved Customs House, and a fantastical blend of everyday objects and Australian-inspired motifs on the sails of the Sydney Opera House. Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW and is a major event on the region’s tourism calendar.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Adam Marshall said, “Vivid Sydney has delighted and inspired people from around Australia and the world. With the Festival now in its 10th year, visitors and locals alike can once again expect to be mesmerised by the Vivid Sydney program, with larger installations and a gripping Music and Ideas offering, so I encourage visitors to start planning their trip early to get the most out of this year’s exciting line-up.

“Over 23 nights from Friday 25 May to Saturday 16 June, Vivid Sydney will paint the Harbour City in the colour and spectacle of Vivid Light, take over Sydney stages with Vivid Music’s electric performances and collaborations, and provide a global forum for thought-provoking debate and creative discussion at Vivid Ideas.”

  Here’s a look at what happened at Vivid Sydney 2017

https://vimeo.com/221557540

  VIVID LIGHT

   For the first time, Vivid Sydney’s dazzling Light Walk extends to new precinct Luna Park Sydney, where the iconic amusement park comes alive with large-scale projection on the façade of Coney Island. The show celebrates the history, magic, creativity, engineering, fantasy and imagination that have come together to create millions of memories on this unique and special site. This year also marks the first time Luna Park’s iconic Ferris Wheel will be lit for the festival following an LED refit, which has included a massive boost in the number of lights adorning the wheel.

Vivid Sydney’s bright lights will illuminate the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney again in 2018, where visitors will follow a pathway that weaves through an exciting nocturnal environment inspired by nature. Here, Parrot Party inspired by the New Zealand Kea Parrot and the Australian Rainbow Lorikeet, comes alive as people gather, breaking into song and radiating colourful light. 

   Aqueous will dazzle with its interactive landscape of meandering pathways of light, which will flow and glow in full illuminated interactivity, engaging visitors in collaborative play. 

The Bloom, a giant electric, metallic flower with petals adorned with mirrors that refract and reflect light, puts you in the centre of the flower capturing the perfect photo moment

He’e nalu gives the joyous sensation of surfing a wave

   In celebration of their 100 year anniversary, May Gibbs’ iconic and immortal characters, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and their stalwart companions come to life on the façade of Customs House, as they journey through the Australian Bush and encounter the weird, the wonderful, and things quite unknown altogether. This whimsical piece will be narrated by renowned Australian film and television actress Noni Hazlehurst AM, Patron of the Australian Children’s Laureate, and beloved by Play School devotees far and wide.

The Sydney Opera House will be the centrepiece of the Vivid Light Walk for Lighting of the Sails, created in 2018 by award-winning Australian artist Jonathan Zawada. Visitors will be captivated by Metamathemagical, a bold and dynamic display of morphing digital sculptures inspired by recognisable Australian motifs across science, nature and culture.

Sydney’s iconic buildings will once again be transformed, including the façade of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) with Virtual Vibration, a highly-collaborative creative work produced in conjunction with MCA Collection artist Jonny Niesche and composer Mark Pritchard. Interactive lighting display Skylark will let visitors put their own colourful mark on the city, stretching from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the skyscrapers of Circular Quay to the reaches of Sydney Harbour.

Network Ten and MasterChef Australia will bring a magical experience to the façade of the ASN Co. Building in The Rocks, in celebration of both Masterchef and Vivid Sydney’s 10th Birthday with Mystery Gâteau. Mini construction-worker chefs will guide visitors on a journey of fun and wonderment, with the famous MasterChef clock ticking down to the final extraordinary surprise.

      Popular precincts Taronga Zoo, Darling Harbour, Chatswood, Barangaroo and Kings Cross will return in 2018.

Festival favourites from last year are back along with a whole new mob of fierce, fantastic, quirky and endearing species for Taronga Zoo’s Lights for the Wild. Visitors will discover some new spectacular animal light sculptures, and learn how Taronga is working to help save 10 species from extinction over the next 10 years.

An art-meets-technology water fountain, light and laser experience takes Darling Harbour visitors into a dream-like dive under the ocean, while the iconic rooftop of the Australian National Maritime Museum will be projected with BBC Earth and Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II, exploring the fascinating world beneath the waves.

A pop-up market inspired by the colourful neighbourhood street markets of Brazil, built from scaffold and recycled materials and lit by lasers will transform the Chatswood CBD. The Concourse will take visitors on an immersive, deep dive into space featuring NASA’s amazing imagery and 360-degree projection.

Barangaroo glows under layers of light and sound that evoke the surrounding waterways, with the precinct coming to life through the magnificent art of puppetry with a breathtaking, giant luminescent creature venturing along the waterfront in a theatrical display of sound and light.

Precinct contributor Coca-Cola returns to light up the streets of Sydney’s iconic Kings Cross and to support another KX program in 2018. The colourful strip along Darlinghurst Road will be transformed with a spectacular display of light and life. The famous Coca-Cola sign comes alive again in 2018 with an array of flair and a creative colour show. Other Vivid KX transformations include the historic Victorian Terrace; World Bar, which will unfurl a multi-story house party, and the renowned Kings Cross Hotel, which will host cutting-edge artists curated by legendary party-crews.

   VIVID MUSIC

Curve Ball

Vivid Music ups the ante in 2018 with an electric line-up, from noise to jazz, sonic experimentation to soul. Highlights include a one-night-only performance by Grammy award-winning rock-goddess St. Vincent, and the return of Curve Ball headlined by Alison Wonderland – a large-scale live music and art event created by the team behind Field Day, Harbourlife and Listen Out – both at Carriageworks.

The City Recital Hall returns to the program, tracking the extraordinary rise in jazz with the Innovators In Jazz series featuring the undisputed king, triple Grammy award-winner saxophonist Branford Marsalis. The world’s finest jazz vocalists including Kurt Elling and chanteuse Madeleine Peyroux, will line up alongside Orange is the New Black star Lea Delaria in her musical comedy, jazz interpretation show.

   VIVID LIVE

Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House hosts a stellar line-up of Australian exclusives as part of Vivid Sydney, including several Opera House debuts. Highlights this year include American dream-pop icons Mazzy Star, the godfather of West Coast rap Ice Cube, acclaimed 90s indie rock singer/songwriter Cat Power, Grammy award-winning artist Solange, and the long-awaited collaboration between iconic Australian artists Daniel Johns and Luke Steele.

Now in its 4th year as part of Vivid Sydney, Heaps Gay struts uptown to Sydney Town Hall for the inaugural Qween’s Ball. Other not-to-be missed events include Young Hearts Run Free and one of Australia’s most exciting breakthrough artists performing at the Enmore Theatre, Vera Blue.

Also returning to Vivid Music in 2018 is X|Celerate, a partnership between Vivid Sydney and the City of Sydney to enliven music venues across town. Showcasing grassroots and emerging local music talent, highlights will include Purple Sneakers 12th birthday at The Lansdowne, a fusion of food, wine and music at Cake Wines Cellar Door, and HAPPY and VISIONS at The Lady Hampshire.

   VIVID IDEAS

Vivid Ideas provides a forum to workshop, collaborate and cultivate fresh thinking to drive the creative agenda across tech, design, entertainment and culture. Vivid Ideas returns in 2018 with some of the world’s greatest minds as we explore the future-shaping scenarios that will define our lives.

Vivid Ideas 2018 showcases those who are leading the way in technology, creativity and science. Game Changers and Creative Catalysts this year include film-maker, marine explorer and conservationist James Cameron. In a Vivid Sydney exclusive, James will explore his passion for science and technology, and how it has influenced his work as a film director and environmentalist. James will be joined in conversation by Adam Spencer, while in Sydney to open the James Cameron – Challenging the Deep exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Australian global success story Dare Jennings – founder of Mambo Clothing, Phantom Records and Deus ex Machina – joins his good friend James Valentine to discuss creating cult brands that cut across age and lifestyles as well the joys of throwing out the rule book.

Futurist and game developer, Jane McGonigal can prove games have the power transform our real world lives. She and Artificial Intelligence expert Kriti Sharma join Vivid Ideas to explore the latest in AI, VR and gaming to ask what kind of society we can create with technology.

Visual strategist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-founder of the Museum of Awe, Dan Goods joins the Vivid Ideas Creative Catalysts line-up to explore how creativity and science interplay and why NASA has a virtual strategist.

The New Horizons series explores the mega-trends and micro-developments in technology and innovation, and shines a light on experts tackling the biggest issues with creativity in a bid to make our future brighter. Topics include Future Fashion, Algae is the New Black, Blockchain Decoded and Evolving Democracy.

Over three successive Wednesdays, Vivid Sydney will take over the Art Gallery of NSW to create an intimate portrait of our better selves. Our special guests dare to ask if we can improve dying, how we can find common ground when and where there’s conflict, and why we should nudge perceptions around female sexuality. These events will be accompanied by curated music from Goldheist, Air Land Sea and Haiku Hands.

The Vivid Ideas Exchange at the Museum of Contemporary Art returns, boasting a diverse line-up of talks presented by creative experts covering topics including the future of work, the ethics of humanising technology and how to become agents for change.

For more info, head over to http://www.vividsydney.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/vividsydney/

.

Vivid Sydney 2018 Festival Vivid Sydney - billed as the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, returns in 2018 with a new precinct at Luna Park, the return of much-loved Customs House, and a fantastical blend of everyday objects and Australian-inspired motifs on the sails of the Sydney Opera House. 

[tsgaustintexas]

The Scouted Holiday Gift Guide: Austin 2017

The 2017 Holiday Gift Guide is here! We’ve SCOUTED Austin for unique gift ideas and pulled together this curated list of our favorite LOCAL finds! All of the items featured below are either designed, made or sold by independent stores in Austin. The holiday season is the most important time of year to support small businesses, so spread the local love by sharing this gift guide with friends and family! Don’t forget to check out our 2016 + 2015 guides for even more great ideas! We hope this list will help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. As always, don’t forget to tell them that THE SCOUT GUIDE SENT YOU! xo - Leigh Ann 

Waxed Canvas Dopp Kit by Newton Supply Co. ($62)

Espadin Grand Hip Flask by Sertodo Copper ($135) 

Sweater Fleece Jacket by Cricket ($155) 

Mondaine Helvetica No. 1 Watch available at Weathered Coalition located at Domain NORTHSIDE ($375) 

The Star Point Texas Flag by No. 4 St. James ($60) 

Custom Hat by Aspen Hatter (pricing varies) 

Glasses Case by Noah Marion Quality Goods ($60)

Rolltop Backpack by Esperos Soho ($175) 

The9thMuse Stackable Rings in Smoky Quartz available at RedBird Boutique ($196)

Sugar Sugar Earrings by Elizabeth Volk Design ($73) 

Drei Opposite Necklace The Zin Collection available at Limbo Jewelry located at Domain NORTHSIDE ($209)

Ariel Gordon Slim Signet Ring available at Olivia Gift & Monogram ($185)

Mixed Metal Bangles (Set of 5) by Liz James Designs ($150) 

Ela Ray Sonya Pear Luxe Necklace available at Cove ($998)

Genevieve Cuff by Nina Berenato ($98) 

Cassandra Collection Red Floral Earrings at Estilo Boutique ($348)

Yoga Classes at Little Yoga House (pricing varies) 

Plush Tool Belt available from Batch USA ($40)

Kid’s Acapulco Chair available at Olivia Gift & Monogram ($48)

Prickly Pile-Up Game available at Boutique on Stonelake ($20)

Christmas Pajamas available at Picket Fences Baby + Big Kids (pricing varies) 

Pom Pom Purse at Picket Fences Baby + Big Kids ($30) 

Maileg Retro Metal Kitchen ($124) + Maileg Big Sister Mouse ($30) available at Olivia Gift & Monogram

Teddy Bear in Beige Gingham Cotton by DeBuci Baby ($55) 

Le Spec Sunglasses available at Cove (pricing varies)

The Art Journal Kit by Mint + Maple ($85)

Doma Green Leather Jacket available at RedBird Boutique ($660)

Away x Gray Malin Carry On available at Domain NORTHSIDE ($225-$245)

Marbled Ring Cone ($22) + Marbled Ring Bowl ($32) by Eliana Bernard Ceramics

Marfa Saddle Bag by Noah Marion Quality Goods ($350)

Candle Making Class with Slow North ($45)

Rails Stripe Taylor Top available at Estilo Boutique ($158)

The Big Bend Enamelware Mug by No. 4 St. James ($22) 

Small Batch Sweets by Coover Caramels ($10)

Book Pins by Boutique on Stonelake ($14)

Confetti Push Pop available at Adelante Boutique ($10-15)

Austin Skyline Tote Bag available from Batch Austin ($15)

Cookie Decorating Kit from Mindy’s Bakeshop ($30) 

Texas Print Bandana by Newton Supply Co. ($28)

Margarita Mix by Barbecue Wife ($16) 

Doing Things Baseball Hat by Outdoor Voices ($35)

Beaded Wall Hanging, a collaboration from Loot Finer Goods + Genuine & Ginger ($254) 

Vintage Rug from The Southern Loom (pricing varies) 

Adorned by Starla Michelle Fine Art (original | $3,200) + (limited edition prints | $25+)

Indochine Cage Carafe with Cup available at Wendow Fine Living ($36) 

Personalized Design Consultation with Austin Design House ($75/hour) 

Naima Embroidered Pouf available at Adelante Boutique ($270) 

Phila Stripe Mohair Throw available at Annie Downing Interiors ($140) 

Turkish Pillows from A Custom House ($150/each) 

Aloe Pure Facial from Aloe Day Spa ($135) 

Custom Blended Lip Color from Lip Service XO ($22-55) 

Exfoliating Sugar Cubes available at Adelante Boutique ($48) 

Amika Haircare Gift Sets available at Haute House Beauty & Lash Bar ($54)

Eberjey Foulard Romper available at Teddys For Bettys ($106) 

Kimono Robe from Hotel San Jose ($180) 

Sleep Mask available at Cove ($35) 

Napa Round Bottle Coaster (Set of 2) by Sertodo Copper ($38)

Orange Enamelware Mug available at Boutique On Stonelake ($17.50) 

Elizabeth Street Cafe Cookbook available at A Custom House ($39.95)

512 Rocks Glasses (set of 4) available at Olivia Gift & Monogram ($56) 

Orange & Clove Candle, a collaboration from Elizabeth Volk + Slow North ($29) 

White Magic Energy Spray available at Thirds ($28) 

Win-O’s (set of 12) available at Olivia Gift & Monogram ($18) 

Tipsy Longhorn Cocktail Napkins (set of 4) by August Morgan ($38)

Bone Handle Bar Tool Set available at Melody’s Joy Online Shop ($38) 

[minimultiestfandoms]

!GOSSiPGiRLS Kei!

OC MASTERLISTS

GOSSiPGiRLS MASTERLIST

!The CHARCTERS WRITEN ARE MINE BUT PICTURES USED ARE NOT MINE AND GO TO THERE RIGHTFULL OWNERS!

Stage Name: Kei (케이)

Birth Name: Haraiko Keiko (はらいこけいこ)

Korean Name: Hwang Kyung Hee (황경희)

Position: Rapper, Lead Dancer

Birthday: January 8, 1999

Zodiac sign: Capricorn

Age: 22

Nationality: Japanese

Siblings: Haraiko Mina (Older sister), Haraiko Yura (Older sister), Kaito and Katashi Haraiko (Twin Brothers: Youtubers)

Blood type: O

Height: 165 cm (5′5″)

Weight: 47 kg (104 lbs)

[ottomanbob]

on: Deep Work by Cal Newport

Cal Newport’s Deep Work is a triumph of self help. It embodies the qualities that make self improvement of the 21st century so great: driven by a desire to stand out from new age milieu and impractical horseshit, Newport pushes beyond the theories of Gladwell and idealism of Tim Ferriss to understand productivity. Newport’s an academic; an MIT educated professor of CompSci at Georgetown and he approaches his subject accordingly. Who gets shit done? How and why do they do it? And how does a beginner follow suit?

The central and opening argument of Deep Work is that the only way to ensure personal prosperity in an increasingly automated economy is to deliver quality knowledge work. Economic advantages aside, valuable knowledge work is a fulfilling pursuit for an individual and a way to ensure a deep love for one’s own career. 

**DEEP WORK **is serious-ass knowledge work that requires at least 90 minutes of unbroken focus to get into. Expertise and experience are required.

Once his thesis is established, Newport goes to incredible depths to provide a pragmatic structure for a life of Deep Work.

major personal takeaways:

Three types of deep work: monastic seclusion (Jung), bimodal (on/off every semester), rhythmic (daily habits enforced by a desire for continuity, but less predictable). There’s also the seemingly fantastic “journalistic” mode, in which one can enter deep work at a moment’s notice.

Strategy for rhythmic philosophy: “chain method.” Mark an X on your calendar for every DEEP WORK day. You will want to continue the Xs. Newport tallys his deep work hours. > Image via Attribution Engine. Licensed under CC0.

Misc tips: Have a standard daily starting time for your deep work. Make grand gestures (Rowling rented a swanky ass hotel to finish HP7). 

Don’t work alone. Selective collaboration is essential to breakthrough (see: adjacent positive breakthroughs). MIT had famous building that was accidental mishmash of depts. Caused breakthroughs. Shared common space for occasional interaction is far superior to open office plan.

5. 4DX business execution method: 

Focus on important stuff (pareto principal). 

Act on leads, not lag.

Keep score (i.e. calendar or hour tally). 

Weekly review, meetings on deep work.

RITUALIZE (obvi). Major Ferriss and many before him have popularized the importance of ritual. Think like an artist, work like an accountant:

WHEN/WHERE: Repeated locations and time frames.

Consistent “how you’ll work.” Use _freedom _app or pomodoro method. Cognitive enhancement routine included here.

Supplementation and support: methods for gathering materials, organizing work, structure of work.

Maximize Downtime. Idleness is a plus. But don’t be bored (dissatisfied with the present). Learn to live without distraction. This goes beyond mindfulness IMO. It’s about being inactive. But you don’t have to be thrilled or totally immersed in the moment. An elusive restfulness.

Replace distractions with focused work, then instead of distracting yourself, take breaks from focus. Idleness is vital for subconscious mind...

Productive meditation: take daily breaks to occupy body, but not mind. Focus on a specific problem. A walk in nature is much better than one in the city. Here’s how to PM:

Review variables (what am I working with?)

What are the next step questions?

Consolidate gains.

Repeat.

The important thing is to avoid loops. Direct your unconscious mind into new territory.

Learn to focus. Complex brain exercises are essential to laying down the deep work neurons. Newport recommends strategies for quick memorization of a deck of cards. After three days of practice, I’m able to memorize a deck in about 8 minutes. This was so fucking exciting. It reminded me off the deep cognitive joy I felt doing hard maths as a child and high school student. Other focus exercises I’ve tried or am trying: rubik’s cube (literally a one day skill), number and name memorization, chess. > Image by Israel Garcia via Attribution Engine. Licensed under CC0.

Internet blocks. 

1. No social media is a big one. I figured it out a couple of years ago but was a bit angsty in my reasoning. Turns out that the numbers add up: facebook doesn’t really make your life better. There’s the _any benefit fallacy _in which users argue for one great benefit ignoring the interminable downsides. (ie “I can stay in touch with my cousins!”) 

Have an internet Sabbath. I’m trying for saturdays.

Internet block periods during the day. An app can work, but a notepad is better as it will push for internal impulse control. Schedule your next 20 minutes of internet time. When you need to do research during your work, write down the topic and move on. When it’s time for the web, maximize it and get back to your offline mode ASAP.

DRAIN THE SHALLOWS. The term deep work refers to the alternative of the concept of “the shallows,” the space where our short attention spans play and stretch. Reading the NYT? Stop. Just cause its good journalism doesn’t mean it’s good for you. SAD!

Schedule your whole day. Your whole fucking day. I’m using gCal but Newport recommends a pen and paper strategy: > 1. Write your hours down the left column, skipping lines.

Schedule blocks no smaller than 30 minutes for routines, shallow work, deep work, breaks, etc. Batch shallow work and logistics together in “task blocks.”

Schedule disputed? Cross out your earlier blocks and move over a column, scheduling the rest of your day.

Conditional overflow blocks can be used for tasks whose length you have trouble predicting. If this, then that. 

Quantify activity depth. Know the value of the work your doing. Could a college grad learn to do this in a month or two? Yes? Then it’s shallow work. Deep work requires several months or years of experience and expertise.

**SHUT DOWN PROPERLY. **Have a shutting down routine and shoot for the same time everyday. Respect then end of your workday. You work 9-5. Not more, not less.

big one here, dealing with email. Make people who contact you do more work. Filter senders, not messages. Use process centric emails: “here’s what I am going to do, here’s what I want you to do, here’s how you’ll do it, how you contact me, and our next steps together.” Provide dates and times for meetings and don’t waste time or energy sending endless confirmations and thank yous.

There’s so much great actionable content in this book. I hope I’ll get around to listing more. I’ve also noted some of my own personal strategies when it comes to fostering deep work.

@ottomanbob’s tips:

**ORGANIZE YOUR DIGITAL LIFE. **KonMari that shit. Folders and deletions are as cleansing as pitching trash bags full of clothes. Use a black wallpaper or camouflage to hide your desktop icons.

2. **BEAR **is the greatest fucking program ever for note taking on OSX. It uses markdown and has a great minimal interface. Took a couple weeks to get the hang of it but holy shit. You can link notes together, create todos and routines, work on prose writing, etc. Blow google docs out of the water.

Monastic mornings. Ferriss and Newport argue for twice-daily email checks. I say, in addition to this, don’t even touch communication software and devices till 10 or 11 am, later if you can. 

**MINIMALIST WORKSPACE. **Unless you’re in vizarts, you probably don’t need anything but a notebook and laptop on your desk. Newport advocates for expensive notebooks, so you’re more intentional with your pages. > Image via Attribution Engine. Licensed under CC0.

conclusion

Always hope to add more. Thank you Cal Newport. Your book changed my life.

xx

adam

[classysandwichcollection-world]

Agonist Onyx Pearl Perfume Spray

This fresh and exotic 100% natural fragrance—Agonist Onyx Pearl perfume spray—is sharp and clean. The unique and skillful composition is expressed in the sculpture using the finest cutting techniques in glass and draped in gold and silver.Details

Top: Oriental Flowers, Arabian Oud, White Leather.

Heart: Heliotrope, Indian Amber, Indonesian Patchouli.

Base: Australian Sandalwood, Virginia Cedarwood, Whitemusk.

In handmade Swedish glass bottle, 50mL/1.69 fl.oz.DesignerAbout AGONIST:Swedish perfume brand AGONIST was founded by the creative couple Christine and Niclas Lydeen in 2008. Christine has a background in fashion and studied at Studio Bercot in Paris, where she—due to her French roots—lived and worked before moving back to Sweden, where she met Niclas, an Art Director and visual artist. Together they realized their dream of working artistically with fragrance. Today AGONIST is regarded as one of the most sought after and unique brands within the international niche market of perfumes. With a distinct focus on details, artistic expression, and raw material, AGONIST creates unisex fragrances in collaboration with renowned perfumers—based on natural ingredients.

Find the low prices on womens fragrance perfume eau de toilette Compare ratings and read through reviews on Clothing stores to find best deals plus discount offers At: . There are many deals onwomens fragrance perfume eau de toilette in the Shops online, so research before you buy. Whether you are searching for womens fragrance perfume eau de toilette, Can help you save money with online discounts and coupons on affordable selections : find a womens fragrance perfume eau de toilette that is right for you.

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Antica Farmacista Prosecco Diffuser, 250ml Prosecco Diffuser, 500ml

Lalique Red Anemones Flacon

Hermès Travel Set Colognes Collection

L'Ape Diffusing Sphere

Houbigant Paris Quelques Fleurs L'Original Travel Spray Set

Boadicea the Victorious Heroine Pewter Perfume Spray, 100 mL

Hermes Nuit du Solstice Candle Bowl, Medium

Antica Farmacista Ala Moana Home Ambiance Fragrance, 17.0 oz.

Creed Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse 75ml

Byredo Unnamed EDP, 50 mL

Lalique Living Lalique Body Lotion, 150 mL

Sisley-Paris Limited Edition Eau du Soir Azulejos Gift Set, 1.0 oz. ($178 Value)

Agonist The Infidels Perfume Spray

CHANEL N°5 Parfum Purse Spray, 0.25 oz. N°5 Parfum Purse Spray Refill, 0.25 oz.

Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee, 100 mL

Giorgio Armani Limited Edition Armani Prive Rose D'Arabie Candle Set

Diptyque Benjoin Scented Candle, 190g

Creed Fleurissimo, 75 mL

Boadicea the Victorious Gold Collection Kings Road Eau de Parfum, 100 mL

Atelier Cologne Grand Neroli Candle Trefle Pur Candle

Lalique Living Lalique Natural Spray Eau de Parfum, 100 mL

Parfums de la Bastide Insouciante Eau de Parfum, 100 mL

Acqua di Parma Yellow Cube Candle, Colonia

Diptyque Electric Ambre Cartridge

Agraria Lime & Orange Blossoms PetitEssence Diffuser, 1.7 oz.

Atelier Cologne Ecrin Découverte Originale 5 x 7.5 mL

Jo Malone London Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense, 50 mL

TOM FORD Black Orchid Solid Perfume, 6.2 mL

Nest Fragrances Lemon Grass & Ginger Candle, 8.1 oz.

Boadicea the Victorious Gold Collection Notting Hill Eau de Parfum, 100 mL

The Fragrance Kitchen FLOWER CROWN Eau de Parfum, 100 mL

Agraria Lemon Verbena TasselAire + Refresher Oil

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 travel set

Lancome Ôud Ambroisie Eau de Parfum, 3.4 oz.

Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir Scented Deluxe Candle, 21.1 oz

BVLGARI Eau Parfumée Au Thé Noir Prestigious Ceramic Candle, 325g

Herm?s Amazone Eau de Toilette, 3.3 oz.

Jo Malone London Oud & Bergamot Dry Body Oil, 100ml

Oscar de la Renta Oscar Fragrance Gift Set

Lalique Small Dahlia Perfume Bottle

Antica Farmacista Pomegranate, Currant & Blood Orange Scented Candle, 9 oz.

CHANEL CHANCEEau de Toilette Twist And Spray 3 X 0.7 oz.

Antica Farmacista Grapefruit Home Ambiance Fragrance, 8.5 oz.

Sisley-Paris Eau de Soir Eau de Parfum

Nest Fragrances Moroccan Amber Reed Diffuser

Memo Paris Irish Leather Eau de Parfum Spray, 200 mL

Gucci Gucci Bamboo, 75 mL

Fornasetti Architettura Scented Candle

Nest Fragrances Hearth Classic Scented Candle

Boadicea the Victorious Complex Pewter Perfume Spray, 50 mL

[minimultiestfandoms]

!GOSSiPGiRLS Nara!

OC MASTERLISTS

GOSSiPGiRLS MASTERLIST

!The CHARCTERS WRITEN ARE MINE BUT PICTURES USED ARE NOT MINE AND GO TO THERE RIGHTFULL OWNERS!

Stage Name: Nara (나라)

Birth Name: Kang Na Ra (강 나라)

Position: Main Rapper, Sub-Vocalist

Birthday: January 3, 1999

Zodiac sign: Capricorn

Age: 22

Nationality: Korean

Siblings: Nara Is An Only Child

Blood type: B

Height: 163 cm (5′3″)

Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)

[minimultiestfandoms]

!GOSSiPGiRLS Malai!

OC MASTERLISTS

GOSSiPGiRLS MASTERLIST

!The CHARCTERS WRITEN ARE MINE BUT PICTURES USED ARE NOT MINE AND GO TO THERE RIGHTFULL OWNERS!

Malai (someone with a positive mindset.)

Stage Name: Malai (말라이)

Birth Name: Malai Metharom (มาลัยเมธารมย์)

Korean Name: Min Mi Hyeon  (민미현)

Position: Vocalist, Visual

Birthday: April 17, 1997

Zodiac sign: Aries

Age: 24 

Nationality: Thai

Siblings: Mai Tam Metharom(Younger sister), Thram Metharom(Younger Sister)

Blood type: A

Height: 168 cm (5′6″)

Weight: 43 kg (95 lbs)

[minimultiestfandoms]

!GOSSiPGiRLS JiaHua!

OC MASTERLISTS

GOSSiPGiRLS MASTERLIST

!The CHARCTERS WRITEN ARE MINE BUT PICTURES USED ARE NOT MINE AND GO TO THERE RIGHTFULL OWNERS!

Stage Name: Jiahua (지안 후아)

Birth Name: Yeh Jiahua (葉佳樺)

Korean Name: Yoo Ji Hwa (유지화)

Position: Vocalist

Birthday: August 14, 1995

Zodiac sign: Leo

Age: 25

Nationality: Taiwanese 

Siblings: ???(Older Sister), Yeh Shuhua (Younger Sister: Idol), ??? (Younger sister)

Blood type: B

Height: 173 cm (5’8”)

Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)

[minimultiestfandoms]

!GOSSiPGiRLS Saerom!

OC MASTERLISTS

GOSSiPGiRLS MASTERLIST

!The CHARCTERS WRITEN ARE MINE BUT PICTURES USED ARE NOT MINE AND GO TO THERE RIGHTFULL OWNERS!

Stage Name: Saerom (새롬)

Birth Name: Chae Sae Rom (채 새롬)

Position: Lead Vocalist

Birthday: September 1, 1994

Zodiac sign: Virgo

Age: 26

Nationality: Korean

Siblings: Saerom Is An Only Child

Blood type: B

Height: 168 cm (5′6″)

Weight: 46 kg (101 lbs)