Run on home - KT Tunstall

Run on home - KT Tunstall

Hey my dears, I have been away from the blog for the longest time (again), my life has taken me on a rollercoaster once again! A very intense final week in Hong Kong, enjoying time there and taking exams, then a super long flight back to Italy, a trip to Milan and here I am back home...! Since Singapore 10 days went by literally in the blink of an eye, but I guess I can't complain, also as I have been running on home and enjoying all the Italian things I had missed! 2016 has been a full year, the fullest I can remember probably, and with all the highs and lows, I really can't complain about how it went by, even if it kept me away from the blog as never before. I'll be back soon with the wrap-up of this year in music, another daunting task!!

Lolita - Lana del Rey

"Kiss me in the D-A-R-K, dark tonite, D-A-R-K do it my way"

Lolita - Lana del Rey

I have finally been able to spend a few days outside HK just before going back home for the holidays, and the destination has been Singapore, which I should start calling the eternal second-best choice of my life: it was the second choice for my undergraduate exchange, but I ended up in Montréal; it was my second choice for the Master exchange, but I ended up admitted to Sydney (even if I didn't go in the end); it was the second choice after Toronto for my PhD and when I got admitted only there and in Hong Kong, I ended up picking HK anyway! It's really been a long time since I wanted to go there, and I must confess that, notwithstanding some perks (slightly better English and much nicer supermarkets than HK), I am quite satisfied with my choice. I spent quite a nice weekend anyway, and I am sharing with you what maybe has been the most meaningful soundtrack of it!

"Kiss me in the P-A-R-K tonite, P-A-R-K let them all say"

Hey lolita, hey!

Indecision - Shura

Indecision - Shura

Here I am, back to my beloved blog after one week of absence! Well, half of this absence has been justified by the breaking down of the modem at home, which left me with no comfortable Wi-Fi access, but I have also been relatively busy, partly planning for this weekend's getaway! I am finally taking my ass out of Hong Kong for the first time since I came here, and it was about time, right before going back home for xmas! My life is of course still relatively messy (and interesting), but filled with indecision, as usual. I hope I'll figure out things over the change of year, as if that could bring fresh air into one person's life...!

Oh my my - OneRepublic

Oh my my - OneRepublic

Yesterday morning I woke up and opened Facebook as usual, and one of the first posts on my wall was a live stream of OneRepublic's gig in Philadelphia, which I of course went on to watch until the end! I must confess I didn't fall in love with the new album, even less than with 'Native', as I think they are selling out to cheap pop more and more... yet after watching some of the new songs performed live, I kind of felt a drive towards 'Oh my my', Ryan's talent in beyond doubt both in singing and in songwriting, and I think you can feel it even when he's selling himself and his band out to cheap pop...! The title track is anyway one of my (current) favourites on the new album, and even if I didn't get to watch them play it, I really want to post it here now! Try to give the album a chance (if you haven't already) and tell me what you think if you want!

Death disco - Sekai no Owari

Death disco - Sekai no Owari

Clockenflap has come to an end, I am still recovering from it (especially from the rain I took on Saturday, which has left me with an ongoing sore throat), but it's been well worth it! It's been a increasing feast of enjoyment and the cherry on the pie have been Sekai no Owari, whose performance has been amazing!! I didn't expect them to be so good, I didn't expect so many people to sing all the songs by heart (even the ones in Japanese) and well... the whole thing has turned out to be unforgettable!! I can't wait to get to know their music better and hopefully to see them live again soon! They are due for an international debut in the end, aren't they...?

Flickers - London Grammar

Flickers - London Grammar

Toughest day, wasn't it today? Super tough, loads of rain pouring down form the sky with more or less strength but with absolutely no break whatsoever! Welcome to Hong Kong, the Britain of Asia! Pairs of wet socks at the end of the day: 4. Pairs of wet shoes at the end of the day: 2. New pairs of socks: 3. New pairs of shoes: 1. Soaked bones: 206. Was it worth it? Well... yes. Jose Gonzalez in the afternoon has been great!! London Grammar at night has been good but not as much, mostly "thanks to" drunk & high British teenagers everywhere and the multitude of umbrellas between my eyes and the set. All in all, tough day. Worth it? Yes. Would do it again? Well... the last of the festival is tomorrow!

What will - José González

What will - Jose Gonzalez

Clockenflap has finally begun after a pretty busy week for me, so I wish I had a couple more days to recover in preparation of it, but you know... life goes its own way! Last night I enjoyed Sigur ros, even if I practically didn't know their music. The concert has been powerful and enjoyable, so it's been worth it. Today is the main dish for me, the main reason why I bought the ticket: Jose Gonzalez and London Grammar are awaited on the stage, and I can't wait any longer! I'm about to get out and enjoy, will tell you how it goes later, hoping it won't rain (too much)!!

What happened to us? - Shura

What happened to us? - Shura

I'm already happy about buying my ticket for Clockeflap even if the festival hasn't started yet, as I have already got to know new, awesome music thanks to it! Shura is of course a big part of this and I really love this song, especially how it fits perfectly my life in this moment!!

You were somebody to me once

But now you're a fiction

Someone that I made up

Turns out it was too much for us

And if we met in five years, would we notice?

Funny how we remember things

How we hold on to the good

But throw out the bad stuff

What happened to us?

I was never ready for your love

No, I'm no child but I don't feel grown up

I was never ready, it was never meant to be

So tell me how come I still feel so messed up

Nandemo nai ya - RADWIMPS

Nandemo nai ya - RADWIMPS

I just came back from a nice night which involved watching "Kimi no na ha", aka "Your name", a recently released anime movie I wanted to watch! The film is quite nice, take some time to watch it if you like the genre, it's well worth it! I also liked the soundtrack music, this song in particular. It's featured both at the beginning and at the end, so you really can't miss it out!
Happy beginning of a new week to you all!

Mother - Tori Amos

Mother - Tori Amos

Last night I was reading an interview that Tori made together with Justin Timberlake, Sting, Alicia Keys, Pharrell and John Legend about songwriting and music, and she was talking about her debut album 'Little earthquakes', which is probably in my top 5 of all times! I of course had to go listen to it, and well... even when having it in the background while doing other things, if the moment is right it can convey such a strong energy...! Its magic is unparalleled and it always resonates with me in one way or another. 'Mother' is one of my favourites in an album of favourites, and it is the one that really resonated with me last night. It's her time to shine here on the blog.

"Go, go, go, go now out of nest it's time, go, go, go now, circus girl without a safety net..."

2shy - Shura

2shy - Shura

Clockenflap is approaching and in order to best enjoy my first ever music festival experience, I started listening to some of the artists that will perform besides the ones that I know and that drove me to buy the ticket. One of the new discoveries I made in this way is Shura, a UK-based new artist whose music didn't take long to enter my inner music soul. More people I can't wait to listen to and just 10 more days to wait!! So excited and not shy about it at all!

Feel it all - KT Tunstall

Feel it all - KT Tunstall

Finding a new favourite spot in Hong Kong, spending a good, relaxing Saturday afternoon, enjoying one of the (probably) last warm suns of this year that is coming to an end... it's almost time to sum this 2016 up! I think this song is a good one in both regards: this has actually been a year in which I have felt it all, moving to very high highs to very low lows, like it hadn't happened for a while... overall the balance is quite positive though. Still one month and a half to go, I'm expecting more surprises on the road in front of me! On the other side, KT's second latest album is an awesome soundtrack for a lazy afternoon, hope you can use it too!

Life me up - OneRepublic

Lift me up - OneRepublic

Life has a weird way of unravelling and, well... you can't do anything but go with it. Sometimes you get bored for months and then a few weeks or days look like a whole season of an addictive TV series, what surrounds you is... hard to describe, almost surreal! Things go wrong, and somewhat right, and then wrong again. You find yourself going out every night for a whole week at 26, probably for the first time in your life. And it somehow makes sense, it's not just a good feeling, but it's a feeling and that's what matters in the end, isn't it? We are all just tryin' to find somebody who lifts us up when we're feelin' down, aren't we?

Northern lad - Tori Amos

Northern lad - Tori Amos

I often say that life is a sea of shit with a few moments of happiness interspersed here and there, and somehow even when it looks like I might be proven wrong, I end up being right. What can one do about it? Learn to swim through the sludge and try to keep your head up.

"Had a northern lad, well not exactly had

He moved like the sunset, god who painted that

First he love my accent, how his knees could bend

I thought we'd be ok, me and my molasses

But I feel something is wrong

But I feel this cake just isn't done

Don't say that you don't

And if you could see me now

Said if you could see me now

Girls you've got to know

When it's time to turn the page

When you're only wet

Because of the rain..."

We float - PJ Harvey

We float - PJ Harvey

Sometimes you need to take a few days more slowly, take your breath, and maybe you let a whole week pass by without posting... well, it didn't go so slow after all I guess! Then you have great Friday nights and Saturday nights when... well, let's say your mood swings, to use a euphemism. Letting people in is what makes your life better, but also what makes you vulnerable and sometimes make you feel like shit willy-nilly. Add stress onto it, and the picture is complete. Thanks goodness destiny sends to your path other people , that can help you get it out in a better way than you could do by yourself. Words are powerful. Remembering what is important is important. Cyclical relationship. We float. Take life as it comes.

SOS - Sekai no owari

SOS - Sekai no Owari

November is at the doors, and that means less than 1 month to Clockenflap! I really can't wait for the biggest arts and music festival of Hong Kong, I really need to take my mind off my stressful life... I am in the process of figuring out my personal schedule, and I'm listening to some new bands that I'll get to see at the festival, if things go as planned! Sekai no owari are one of them: I didn't know about them before, but it looks like they are one of the biggest Japanese acts around, and they are likely to try and get to the international market soon enough! Given that I could really use an SOS right now, this song of theirs comes at the right time!

Bent - Kiasmos

Bent - Kiasmos

Another week has almost flown by, another busy one but I'm quite happy about it, I brought to completion what I was supposed to and kind of enjoyed the process too. The only problem is the sleep quality I've been getting lately, worst of all last night (thanks Coca Cola for not reminding me I shouldn't drink you at night...), but I'm kinda getting used to it. More good news, I bought the tickets for the music festival that is gonna happen in Hong Kong in late November, whose complete music program has just been released, with a late addition of one of my favourite bands of the last few years, which I can't really wait to see live for the first time! So excited!! (No, they're not Kiasmos, but I still love this one quite a lot)!

Lakota - Joni Mitchell

Lakota - Joni Mitchell

The end of a never-ending day comes, you find yourself hanging on to it because you don't know how to spend the last few hours left before sleep, too tired to do anything productive, too busy to guiltlessly waste your time on anything non-productive, you find yourself eating a kebab kindly offered by your colleague you have been helping over the day, on a bench in the uni campus, staring at the black sky, the blacker sea and the people who still walk around in significant numbers at 9 PM past, then the bus comes, takes you home, down the hill, glaring at the flashy skyscrapers, one of which is your home... it's almost romantic how daily life rolls out when you're dead tired!

#sundayrevival Lazy days - Robbie Williams

Lazy days - Robbie Williams

Lazy days are the best, and when they are spent in good company they're even better! Should I add anything more? Well, this song is quite great too, of course! Happy Sunday to you all!

Thank you - Dido

Thank you - Dido

Today has been a very Dido day: as we all hoped last night, thyphoon Haima passed quite close to here and so the weather observatory issued the typhoon signal and all day activities have been cancelled! No lectures, no conferences, so I've had quite a bit of time to... well, work on papers and assignments of course! Busy life, but with the colder season slowly coming in (is it actually?), the rain and the quiteness of working in front of my computer, Dido on the soundtrack... it's not been a bad day in the end! I've produced some output and hope I didn't deplet my energies so that I can keep on being productive! Not time to enjoy the weekend yet, but maybe Sunday I'll be able to put my papers aside for a while! I hope you'll be having a more entertaining weekend than me anyway!

#blogbirthday All we are - OneRepublic

All we are - OneRepublic

I don't know why I fixed in my mind the 20th of October as the blog's birthday, when I actually posted the first entry on the 19th of October, but well... does it really matter?
So, I'm here to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the blog!!! It turned 3... well, yesterday actually! It's incredible that I've managed to stick to it for so long given everything that's happened in these past three years and especially given that I didn't expect to stick with it for so long in the first place! This third year has been the hardest one so far, I'd say. I've been having plentiful of free time in my hands and that brought me to waste it on TV series and travelling (well, that time wasn't wasted at all!) and other things, so that I haven't paid enough attention to 'A song or two per day', which has actually become 'A couple songs per week', or something like that! Lately, since I started my PhD and moved to Hong Kong, things have been hectic once again and it's been even harder to find the time and energy to come and post here, but still, I'm trying my best!
So, as I keep saying, this blog has been the longest commitment of my life (it has been actually), so let's make somethings special for its third birthday, hoping that I will be able to finding my balance and carrying on with all parts of my life, this included! To celebrate the blog's birthday I want, as usual, to share something special with you. This year I've chosen my favourite OneRepublic song, given that they have just released their new album and after this and 'Native', I really got the feeling they're not gonna go and make anymore great music as they did on their first two album, as they have started a more commercial path (understandably, but I must say that doesn't make me happy at all). Moreover, just a couple of months ago I left everything I had at home to embark on a new adventure and, knowing that most of it will be there again when I come back, of course being far away doesn't allow me to enjoy my past relationships as much as I could when I was back home. That doesn't diminish them, rather... they just evolve. So "Time could tear you apart, but it won't break anything that we are... We won't say our goodbyes, you know its better that way, we won't break, we won't die, it's just a moment of change! All we are, all we are, is everything that's right..."

By - C Duncan

By - C Duncan

After a couple of signal 3 typhooning, I've already grown tired of the freakin' rain (as if I ever liked it before...), but well... I have to try and stay positive! Things are going a bit more smoothly now, which is good, but I am also starting to see how this whole PhD thing works, with peak stress periods and then down periods, so I guess it's gonna be twice as hard to keep myself the "right amount of busy" at all times! Anyway, no big news under the musical point of view either. Lately I've been mostly listening back to my best playlisted songs of 2016 and, well... I guess that this one is gonna join the club soon!

Wish that you were here - Florence + the Machine

Wish that you were here -
Florence + the Machine

Finally today I've been able to take a day off, off working, off papers, off school, off this life that has been consuming me for almost two months without giving me almost any room for breathing! Well, I confess... I read half a paper on the beach. Just to keep up the rhythm. But I was on the beach, come on! Thanks goodness this weekend has been good and I've been able to somehow find a good balance between duty of work and duty of keeping myself sane! Given that I've been devoting most of my time, day and night, weekdays and weekends to papers and assignments and lectures and stuff, I don't feel guilty in taking some time for myself. And I'm actually feeling good about being able to manage it all without going crazy or paranoid! Then we went to the movies and we ended up watching the latest Tim Burton's movie, for which Florence wrote this song (it's been nice). Could I post anything else on the blog? Of course not!

Never gonna leave me - Sia

Never gonna leave me - Sia

Long and exhausting day today, been around since 8 am and got back home 12 hours later after attending an exam where I didn't understand half of the questions (but they're not gonna fail us, they say...!) Why should we management people be concerned with tough maths in the first place, is not clear to me, nor is the whole point of doing this exam in this way, but whatever, let's just hope that it's in the past. Of course because we have a sh*tload of other stuff to take care about! I'm trying to carve some me-time off the schedule (like weekends and hopefully nights) and, for the time being, I am miserably failing. What the hell did I sign up for?!

Wings of love - liv

Wings of love - liv

This is my new obsession and I've been meaning to share it with you guys for a few days now, but being busy has actually turned out to be a good thing this time around, as Lykke Li just released the official video for this song on her channel. liv is a so-called "supergroup" featuring Li herself and a few other Scandinavian/American music business known names. This is the first song they released for this new artistic project, and I can't wait for more music and parts of this "installation" to come out if this is a good representation of the quality of the stuff!!

Angry angel - Imogen Heap

Angry angel - Imogen Heap

Hi guys, I've been away from the blog in the last few days due to a busy life and among submission deadlines, paper-reading, hiking and sea-bathing, social gathering (not ever enough of that) and so on, I often find myself at the end of the day exhausted and with no spare time, not even 10 minutes to sit down and write a stupid blog entry. I'm striving to find my own balance, to carve some me-time in my schedule, so hopefully I'll be able to get to write a bit more constantly than now, but perspectives are not best...! Anyway, this way I need to be more picky with the songs I choose to share with you. So there you get an angry angel!

Tonight - Lykke Li

Tonight - Lykke Li

I guess we all get one of those days every now and then, those days when you just feel like sh*t for no particular reason, but for a lot of particular reasons. Stress builds up, especially when you are just starting a new chapter of your life or when you are going through a particularly intense period. Even worse when these two things happen together. Add in the fact that you thought were through with your mid-youth crisis but well... you know that answers don't just fall from the sky and solve all of your problems at once. Anyway, I think I conveyed my malaise well enough! Then I go to take a walk and find myself doing yoga exercises in my favourite reading spot in the park nearby (the corner for old people to exercise), past midnight, Lykke Li in my earphones and voilà! Feeling sooo much better. Sometimes it's so easy... not to solve your problems. You never solve your problems (for good). What you need to do is to regain your balance, and I've managed to do that. For today. Thanks Wii Fit, thanks music (once more)!

#sundayrevival Strong enough - Cher

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A beautiful dinner and pleasant evening started with us singing Cher songs in a (supposedly) Cher-voice getting back from grocery shopping...! When you are with the right people, it's really true that it doesn't matter much what you're doing. It's days like these that make me feel good, even if nothing special really happens! "I'm strong enough to live without you" sings Cher, and this is probably the reason letting people spend time together because they actually enjoy it!

Novices - C Duncan

Novices - C Duncan

It's time for a new artist to be featured in the blog! Are you excited? I am, quite a bit I would say! I already mentioned him in my latest post, so it's not gonna be a total surprise. He has been under my radar for quite a while, since I found out about him when he has been nominated for last year's Mercury Prize, and now I finally decided to give him a proper chance. His music is quite similar to that of Fleet Foxes, I just noticed, and both of them mostly attracted my attention thanks to the beauty of their album cover arts! While I haven't been able to appreciate the American band's music (even by getting back to them multiple times), this British guy has been able to catch and keep my attention... probably because his fairytale-like musical atmospheres are paired with catchy melodies, making the whole song experience quite a good combo! I hope you guys can enjoy C Duncan too!

Looped - Kiasmos

Looped - Kiasmos

After starting listening to Kiasmos and C Duncan, I think that an ambient parenthesis in my musical discovery is about to open, also because reading papers 24/7, I could really use some background music that helps me focus, that entertains me without distracting me too much from my "main task" (and what is that between the two, I sometimes wonder...). I actually happened to stumble upon a 'Pitchfork' article on the best 50 albums in ambient music, which reeeeally looked like it popped up just for me! I then went on to compile a Spotify playlist with what I could find of the top 10 mentioned by them, and I must confess I haven't been extremely enthusiastic about it so far (well, I guess that's the point of ambient music in a way...); anyway, I'll be sharing with you what I AM liking for the time being, and then we'll see...!

#sundayrevival Men in love - Gossip

Men in love - Gossip

In a period when I'm listening to soo much new music (one of the perks of the current life path I'm in, a thing that I just realised today and I am very grateful for), it gets harder and harder to pick good tunes for the sundayrevival! But here we are! I got to know Gossip in the period when the album featuring this song was released (hello 'Heavy cross'!), and then I went on listening to their older stuff and (then) their newer, none of which really appealed to me. I then went on to appreciate 'Standing in the way of control' last year, so I decided to give it a go again to their 2012 album, which I have in my 'Pick and catch' playlist right now. Even if I'm starting to appreciate the rest of their discography a little more, 'Music for men' still remains a few steps above all the rest, and this is one of the reasons why. Paraphrasing one of my old Facebook posts, who wouldn't want to get on a high school bus driven by Beth Ditto?!

Step out - José Gonzalez

Step out - José Gonzalez

I got to know him thanks to the Walter Mitty soundtrack, so it kind of made sense since the beginning that I would end up posting this at one point, didn't it? Well, anyway here it is! He's been probably the most influential musicians on my musical tastes in the last months/year, and I still have to get to the real beef of his solo career. He is also coming to Hong Kong for a festival in November, which I reeeeally hope I'm gonna attend! For the time being, I can just wish you all a great weekend!

Whatever - Imogen Heap

Whatever - Imogen Heap

I've been going back to old Imogen to refresh some of her debut tunes released on the 1998 iMegaphone (anagram of her name and also anticipation of the Apple rule of naming products?!). I had only listened to this album very superficially in the past, so I decided it deserved some more thorough attention, and I've been compensated already! This song is amazing, and it's not the only one... whatever!!

Morenita (live on KEXP) - Sotomayor

Morenita (live on KEXP) - Sotomayor

I don't think I need a further reason to share this song besides the (genius) band name, but well... I'm gonna give a couple: they have been playing live on KEXP, which is most often a guarantee of great music, and, well... their music is indeed great! I have fallen in love with a couple songs off their KEXP performance in particular, and after listening to their debut album, I would even dare say that the live sound is even better! So that's what I'm sharing with you, and if you think that chill-out / electronic music with a Mexican taste isn't for you, well... think again!

Big girl, little girl - Sia

Big girl, little girl - Sia

Hello people, here is your favourite music blogger (probably not, but whatever...)! I had been meaning to post this for a few days now, wanted to do it last night but then of course I got lost in doing things and it was past 2 AM already and it made sense to go to bed (stupid mistake, actually, as I laid there for like 2 hours without being able to fall asleep...), but here I am now! I've recently started digging into Sia's (musical) past, and I'm already being rewarded with a few precious tunes, one of them being this. It's also one of my favourite songs at the moment, so I guess I really need to share it with you now before she starts releasing new stuff again!!

#sundayrevival Beautiful - Christina Aguilera

Beautiful - Christina Aguilera

I guess that beautiful moments just come from either being with the right people, or doing the right things... if you are able to find the intersection of these two sets, well, you've just scored a goal! It doesn't take much to get there, but somehow life manages to always make it quite complicated, and this makes the cherishing of these special moments even more important. Out of the intersection of sets mentioned above, here is a song for you today. I used to love this when I was a teenager... it was on one of those compilation albums that were quite popular in the 90s and early 00s, one of the first CDs I added to my library. It's always a pleasure to take this off the dusty shelf!

Too much is never enough - Florence + the Machine

Too much is never enough -
Florence + the Machine

I'm in one of my Florence moments, I'm supposed to go to bed but I can't stop listening to her... I've loved so many singers and so many songs but probably none of them as viscerally and deeply. In these moments it seems like all the rest of the musical panorama is just falling short, as if the other songs and singers are unable to touch me inside as she does. I don't know why, but I've got this special connection with her music and I cherish it and that's why music is such a big part of my life and also why I started writing this blog! I couldn't end this day without posting something of hers, and this one, I've been meaning to post it for a few days. She has just recorded a few new songs lately, this one (together with a couple of others) is featured in the soundtrack of the new Final Fantasy videogame.

Hope there's someone - Antony + the Johnsons

Hope there's someone - Antony + the Johson

"Hope there's someone who'll set my heart free, nice to hold when I'm tired" sings Antony in her homonymous 2005 EP, and how could we say her request doesn't make sense? We all are looking for that someone special who will set our heart free, who will take care of us when we die (and hopefully while we are alive, even more so!), who will change our life, who can help us through our darkest times and enjoy the good ones with us. Aren't we? The search is hard for most... the ones among you who have found that person(s), cherish your moments with them! And let's hope we will all get the chance to spend some great time with our special people!

Tio - Zayn

Tio - Zayn

Being in Hong Kong I have immediately had the chance to immerse myself in the local customs, so what else could I say to you all if not "Happy mid-autumn festival"?! Tonight I took a walk through Victoria park and witnessed the beautiful show of the lanterns. Being around all day and tired, I didn't stay for the "main show" of dragon dance and more, but I am confident I'll get the chance to see that some other time! And what better to celebrate than taking your clothes off, as Zayn suggests? Given the hot weather here I guess it's a pleasure for many to come home and undress, so as to enjoy some freedom! ... What are you saying? That's not what he implied? ... well, whatever...!!

Taxi ride - Tori Amos

Taxi ride - Tori Amos

Don't know why, tonight I felt the need to watch/listen to some live performance of Tori Amos (if you ever need a reason for that feeling), and thanking her incredible productivity, a quick and easy YouTube search brought me to find what I was looking for. It's been incredibly soothing and I will forever be grateful to the forces of the universe that have brought me to discover her... well, more than 7 years ago. Feels like forever. Anyway, I've found this beautiful live performance she did for NPR in 2012 and have been absolutely delighted by it, seeing how she came back to near-to perfect shape in that time frame after long years of decadence. I've particularly enjoyed 'Taxi ride' from that live, it's a version I probably like even better than the album one, so I'm gonna share it with you now, you can look at (and especially listen to) the difference if you care about it enough!

Wuthering heights - Kate Bush

Wuthering heights - Kate Bush

After seeing a couple of her CDs at the hmv store I've been to last Sunday, today I found on Facebook an interesting article about a book released by the Italian photographer who shot the picture for some of her albums. All of this brought me to listen to the (few) songs of hers I have in my library, and so why not post one of my favourites here? I think she's a genius and she's one of those whose discography I really should explore further (when will 40-hour days come?!). For the time being let's stay focused on Emily Bronte's book... ah, we ain't talking about that?

#sundayrevival Up there down there - Patti Smith

Up there down there - Patti Smith

"Up there there's a ball of fire, some call it the spirit, some call it the sun..." These are the first words that I can recall after waking up this morning. No idea where they came from and what it was that I was thinking which brought me there, but something did! A Patti Smith classic and a favourite of mine since I went through her discography, sounds like a great tune for this Sunday! Lunch is done and I'm heading downtown for some shopping and strolling around, hoping that the rays of sun and flashes of blue sky I've seen sooner will stick around a bit longer!! I really wouldn't mind enjoying the ball of fire up there, whatever you may call it!

Down the hillside - José González

Down the hillside - José Gonzalez

My first real week of lectures has come to an end and it's been... well, not really what I expected nor what I came all the way here for. I guess I'll just have to grow my way around not being a regular student anymore and just being able to get rid of these quite useless burdens with the minimum effort possible so as to focus as much energy as possible on the real reason why I am here. Anyway that's kind of part of the whole process of learning and evolving, which I'm supposed to go through methinks. Still haven't decided how I'm gonna fill up my weekend, but given that I've come to the end of the Flash's and Arrow's past seasons, I'm gonna try and focus on useful things like cleaning up and/or exploring the city (weather permitting). Now let's just enjoy some José González to end this Friday night on a high note.

The greatest - Sia

The greatest - Sia

It goes without saying that I consider Sia to be one of the greatest talents in the current pop music panorama, and I don't think I am alone out there...! She came out with yet another great tune, just a few months after releasing her latest album, a tune that probably is going to be the first taste of her next full work. With the video for this song she came back to the beginning of her fame exploit in 2014 with Chandelier: we have once again Maddie Ziegler dancing around weird moves in a creepy setting, this time around with other (little and great) guys and with a stronger link to reality, in particular to the Orlando shooting, which the song is linked to. You really don't wanna miss out on this one. Go and check out the greatest!

Fistful of love - Antony & the Johnsons (feat. Lou Reed)

Fistful of love - Antony & the Johnsons (feat. Lou Reed)

Antony's music is always weird, often inaccessible or anyway hard to access for the first few plays (to me at least), but then some songs bloom like beautiful flowers and spread a devastatingly good perfume around themselves. Like this one. The atmosphere always remains partly gloomy but in some way also hopeful. Beautiful anyway. I hope that my time in Hong Kong is about to flower too: I finally got my house furnished to a basic level so that I have finally been able to cook my first meal here! I hope things are going in the right direction! Listening to this music I can't help thinking that even in the darkest times, things are somehow going to adjust themselves. Not that I'm living a "darkest time" now, just to be precise!

#sundayrevival A whiter shade of pale - Annie Lennox

A whiter shade of pale - Annie Lennox

My goodness, I thought I had posted a couple days ago instead... it was just last month! Time is flying by so fast in these days!! I have finally moved to my new apartment, which is (potentially) quite nice, though there are still a few things that need to be put in order (by the landlord)...! In the last couple of days (or even more than a couple, I can't even tell now) I have been strolling around the city to get stuff for the house, and I'm quite good as of now, just missing a few things in the kitchen (cutlery and dishes mostly) to be finally ready for a serious food shopping and to put an end to eating out (which has going on for... almost a month now)!! Can't wait to do that, but then tomorrow is Monday and lectures are starting for real, so it's gonna be even harder to find the time to do everything! I'm doing my best but I'm feeling a bit worn out now, I would need some rest, while it's gonna get even harder in the near future I guess! Again, I'll keep it up and give it my best! Forgive me if I'm not taking good care of the blog as of now, I hope I'll be able to create my routine soon and to find time for it with more regularity. In the meanwhile enjoy this great cover by Annie Lennox which describes perfectly the colour of the Hong Kong sky 90% of the time I've been here!

Pillowtalk - Zayn

Pillowtalk - Zayn

After a couple of weeks in Hong Kong the settling in process seems to have stopped a little bit (goddamn bank account that I can't seem to be able to open!), but well... today I attended my first "lecture" (a workshop to be precise) here in my new uni, tomorrow the semester is going to officially start and here we are! I got the keys to my new home, which is not so ready yet (still some cleaning up to do, a lady sent by the landlord should be coming tomorrow), plus my furniture will be delivered and assembled tomorrow, plus the internet guys are supposedly coming to install the broadband tonight between 9.30 and 11.30 PM (is this for real?!)... well, things are starting to get real. I still need to get the find-your-points-of-reference process to an acceptable level, but we're getting there! In the meanwhile I'm sharing with you a song you most likely know already, but which has been going on quite often on my iPod and so lately!! Enjoy!

Storm - José González

Storm - José González

I have proclaimed my love for Junip's music quite a few times on this blog, and now I have moved to the solo work of the soul of the band, Mr. José González. I feel that this song is very Junip-like and of course I couldn't not like since the first listen. Plus, the storm is a concept that has been quite present in my life lately, which is the reason why I'm sharing this song with you now! Things here in Hong Kong are starting to fall into place step by step, but the adjustment process is not over yet (if there ever existed something like adjustment)! I am starting to create my daily routine and to identify my reference spots though, which is an incredibly important part of the settlement process for me, so things are definitely going in the right direction! Tomorrow and the day after I will have two lunch gatherings here in uni, and then the lectures will begin, so I guess that the intro-time is coming to an end. I hope I'm ready to start this new challenging adventure, sure enough I'm more ready than I was 2 weeks ago!

Lotta love - Neil Young

Lotta love - Neil Young

Hi guys, sorry for the long absence but this past couple of weeks have been among the most intense of my life! Settling in here in Hong Kong has been tougher than I expected and I think 3 (long) blog posts wouldn't be enough to tell you all about it, so I'll just sum it up for you and try to get back to a more regular posting in the near future (Internet connection availability permitting). First of all, it's been great that my aunt came here with me during my first few days, it's been good to have some help and support, as things haven't been as smooth as the other times I've been abroad. Loads of things to do, documents to process and vicious circles of documents needed to do this and that, but I am slowly getting it ok. The house I had found before coming here is not the best, the living conditions are not something I can put up with for more than a temporary amount of time, so we had to look for an alternative (and more expensive) solution, which I - thanks goodness - found. We then had to go and buy the furniture for it and I will have to look for a flatmate, but first of all I still have to settle in, so for the next few days I'm still staying in the room I had previously found. Hong Kong itself hasn't been nice with us in the first few days: a lot of gray, a lot of rain, a lot of oppressive environments... then little by little we have found sweeter spots and the weather has also improved, showing us a nicer side of the city! The university seems nice: the campus is super cool, people give me the impression of being nice and helpful, even if it's not gonna be a piece of cake to get everything done, starting with the logistical point of view and going on with the academic one. Simply put, it's gonna take a lotta love (or we won't get too far)! I'll be back with more updates soon, I hope you have enjoyed your summer holidays and are ready to get back on track! I think I am!

1234 - Feist

1234 - Feist

Hello my dear readers, I am finally ready to announce to you all my next step in life! After almost 10 months of enjoying life and what I called my own "early-retirement", I am back on track (kinda). I came to Hong Kong today and this fall semester I will begin my PhD studies in a University here in the city! I am quite excited about the whole thing and very happy that I have the chance to follow this path, which I hope will open up new, interesting opportunities for my future! I am of course a little sad to realise that many people I care about will be farther away from me and I have compiled a playlist for them to remember me and, most of all, for me to feel a little bit nostalgic! This song is one of the few (or maybe the only one) on it that hasn't seen the light on this blog yet, so here it is for you all! To new beginnings!!