A whole new world. Yahoo launched their Yahoo Music Unlimited music service where $5 per month gets you access to over 1 million songs. For that price, I'm going to see what cool new musical artists I can find, as well as listen to music I have wanted to, but didn't want to buy. Already I have heard music I am glad I did not buy, and have found new music I definitely want to buy. The best find yet is Bajofondo Tango Club - Supervielle, recommended by Yahoo because of my listening habits. WOW! Hopefully I will find more great artists, and if anyone has any recommendations of what I should check out (thanks Roberto & Rody for the Coldplay recommend), let me know and I will listen to it.

You see, I have had this Diamond Back BMX bike, since elementary school, and it has served me very well and has been well loved. It's certainly not a looker anymore, but it works and has a lot of great memories attached to it, which is very hard to let go. I was originally going to get a beach cruiser, but after talking with my sister Veronica, she convinced me to get a mountain bike. I didn't need anything fancy, as it would be mostly street riding, so it was off to Target and Wal-Mart, but after informing my sister of my plan, she lovingly called me and said if I bought anything to take that crap back :) After shopping around, I ended up with a Gary Fisher bike at a local bike shop which met Veronica's approval. Now I can go offroad, up and down mountains trails, and go mountain biking with my sister or friends. This was definitely something I could not do with my old bike. I'm looking forward to my first trail.

New music, and new places to travel open up a whole new world for me.

When my friend Jim calls me right after he exits a theater, I listen. Not that I don't listen to him otherwise, but he has only call me three times in 10 years right after a movie, and he only does this for truly moving movies.

The first time he called me was in 1995 from a pay phone after he saw Hackers. The movie was great, but the soundtrack was to change our lives. 1995 was a turning point for electronic music. A lot of it then was just too predictable, repetitive and downright cheezy. This movie's soundtrack introduced us to the likes of The Prodigy, Massive Attack, Underworld, Orbital, and Leftfield. The music was so fresh, original, dynamic, emotional, driving, and elevated electronic music to a pinnacle it has never been before. From there I found other electronic artists pushing boundaries and just could not get enough, even to this day.

The second time he called me was after he saw Magnolia. This young guy, PT Anderson, managed to create such an amazing well written, directed, edited movie all dealing with hard subjects and he was not even 30 yet! I saw all his other movies afterwards and each is just so astounding (while certainly not for everyone), it's amazing so much talent and breadth of experience can come from such a young guy. Why can't I do that?

And just the other day he called me about the movie Unleashed. American marketing showed this movie as just another Jet Li action movie. I just saw it and it is much more. The movie has hard hitting well done [violent] action, yet also has a very touching and heartfelt story. You wound think the two should not go together. The movie was done by Luc Besson, who also did Leon The Professional and The Transporter, both movies have great original action, but are also fresh with character development and story. As much as I like these two extremes [action drama?], sadly this is the movie's biggest weakness. Do you market it as an action movie (which was done in America by changing the title from Danny the Dog), loosing the audience that wants just action, or do you market it towards the emotional journey and then loose the people with all the violence it has? Then the soundtrack was done by none other than Massive Attack, who did an amazing job. They can have hard gritting songs that make you want to throw down right now, to songs that just well up tears in your eyes. Just listen to "Right Way To Hold A Spoon" off of the soundtrack, and if that does not touch you emotionally... While the movie didn't change my life like some others have, I really hope that more movies will strive for such dynamicism that this movie has with great action, A list actors, a touching story, and excellent soundtrack.

I also noticed spiritual overtones can be viewed in this film. [Those not wanting spoilers, stop now] Sin can take a hold of you when you are young and enslave you, doing it's bidding, just as Danny was enslaved by his master. You know no other way so you keep on doing what sin tells you to do, even though it hurts you as well as others. You also become desensitized to what is truly wrong, as is the case when a violent fight broke out around Danny in a store and he thought nothing of it when everyone else was afraid and trying to get away. When Danny meets Sam the piano tuner, he experiences kindness, and wants more, but is still enslaved by his master Bart the gangster. Danny eventually has a chance to run away and goes to the only kindness he knows, living with Sam and his stepdaughter Victoria. The two even pray together, and Danny experiences a new world he never knew. Sin comes calling back and it is easy to fall into the trap again as Danny did. Only when you strive and make an active conscious decision to fight temptation and flee will you overcome, but not without the help of others as Sam and Victoria helped. The movie is much more dynamic than that, but that's just a short synopsis. I know I will have much more to say after I discuss with Jim tomorrow when I see Star Wars Episode III !

Just another day in Hollywood. My sister Michelle had her end of the year play at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Before the play while we were waiting outside, cops came by and said to go inside because a guy was running around with a gun drawn, and helicoptors were circling directly overhead. Some people didn't care because "this happens all the time", and eventually we were forced to go inside the school building for shelter before the all clear sign was given 20 minutes later.

Waiting for the play to start, there was this older gay guy who was sitting less than 10 feet away from me and kept eyeing me. It was one of the creapiest things I have experienced. I just felt so angered that I wanted to go over and deck him in the face (and I have never hit anyone in my life) because I was so creaped out. He stopped eyeing me when his partner came along and sat next to him. Do girls feel this way when guys stare at them? I bet they do when it's another girl.

Though Michelle didn't have a major role in the play, she was on the stage enough times and had singing parts. She did very well. I don't remember what the play was called, but it was about sex, sex, sex, sex, adultry, sex, sex, unfaithfulness, sex, cheating, sex, loose women, sex sex sex, premarital sex, sex and sex. And none of it was shown in a bad light, but glorified it. This play also had that famous song "Send in the Clowns", hmm. Luckily Michelle didn't have to partake in those questionable scenes. I zoned out on the subject matter and just watched the actors act, which they were good at. Mom especially liked Michelle's little facial expressions.

Afterwards we went to Michelle's apartment, celebrated her 20th birthday (a new digit, and no longer a teenager) as well as mother's day. Those two years at the Academy in Hollywood went by quick, I for sure would not want to live in Hollywood, don't know if I would survive, and God bless her for being able to.