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!