crazynotsorichasian - Tumblr blog

[crazynotsorichasian]

A glimpse into my Asian childhood ...

I have recently had multiple wonderful chances to roam my local Chinatown in Boston, MA. More specifically, the area of the Chinatown Gate and Kneeland Street. Every time I get to roam Chinatown and it's surrounding neighborhoods, it brings back so many memories. Let me give you all some back story on this past year and a half ...

I lost my grandmother 20 months ago. She was survived by her 4 sons, 1 daughter, 9 grandkids, and 5 great grandkids. My grandmother was one of the strongest, bravest, most badass women that I have known in my life. She never took any s**t from anyone. She was the most respected member of our family. Although, as children, some of us were still little brats. Her passing was one of the toughest and most painful experiences I have had to deal with since the passing of my grandfather 32 years ago. I took it very hard considering my sister and I were very close to her. She practically raised us with my mother.

For those of you that are not familiar with the Asian culture, one of the biggest rules is respecting your elders whether they are family or not. There was a great shadow of dishonor and shame if you were EVER to disrespect an elder.

So, I now work at a venue right outside of Chinatown. I have the pleasure of walking the streets of this neighborhood at least 5 days a week. Today I made the choice to go off-site for lunch. I visited this one mom-n-pop hole-in-the-wall take-out spot called Ding Ho for their super delicious and affordable steamed rice noodle rolls.

Now for a bit of background to this place and it's significance in my life. Growing up as a child, it was always a good day when my parents would go to Chinatown and bring home a handful of these little foam take-out boxes full of some wonderful steamed rice noodle rolls. Sometimes we would go visit my grandmother on Tremont Street and we would stop by this little place on the corner of Kneeland Street and Harrison Avenue first. We would grab some containers of these noodles for $1 each and bring it up to her apartment down the street. This shop has been on this corner for as long as I can remember. I am in my late 30's now and it is still there. Despite their very slight raise in price over these few decades, the line still rolls out the door and down the street during lunch hours.

Final summation ... Ding Ho in Chinatown Boston is the treasured gem of the neighborhood (in my own opinion). It holds so much significance for me in my life. Given all the gentrification that has been happening just outside of Chinatown and around the Greater Boston area, I do hope that Ding Ho can survive the process and stay afloat right where they are. For any foodies looking to visit the area, I highly recommend you visit this wonderful little corner shop full of delicious and affordable eats.

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed Be.

Lt. Gir signing off.

[crazynotsorichasian]

Wow … just wow. 

For those of you that don’t know me well enough, here is a little of who I am.

I am no celebrity or anything but … I am a passionate music lover of all kinds. Since I was a child, I loved to dance and sing. I sang karaoke as a child at home every night since I could talk in both Chinese and English. Growing up, music was my self prescribed therapy for getting through those tough times in life. Whenever something happened in my life that got me deeply depressed, I turned to artists like Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Senses Fail. Occasionally I turned to the likes of Nirvana, REM, NIN, even the likes of Joni Mitchell or Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Music for me was my escape from a reality that was full of emotional pain. I even credit Green Day and Billie Joe Armstrong for my love of punk rock. This was back when you could still consider Green Day punk of course. It was back in the days of the Dookie album.

From this love for music came many many years of concert hopping which was such a blast. The live concert environment was a place I could escape to where I was surrounded by like minded people. I was surrounded by people that understood some of my struggles in life. They were people that never judged me for anything. It was my safe place where I was able to get out of my own head and have some fun.

That love for music mixed with my concert hopping (which I still do on occasion) led to my urge and passion to join the music industry in any way I can. That soon turned into me wanting to have my own recording studio someday so I can help engineer or produce those meaningful albums like the ones that helped me through my dark days. This in turn led me to the audiophile world and the Audio Engineering Society. It led to me now attending (in my last year) Bay State College in Boston’s back bay studying Entertainment Management with an Audio Production concentration. In my studies, I have learned so much about how messed up this industry really is. This makes me want to be a part of it that much more so that I could be one of those people that helps it, that change things for the better, and eventually do some good for the industry.

On that note, it would have been nice to know 11 YEARS AGO that these one of a kind, irreplaceable masters have been destroyed. Especially the ones by artists who have long been deceased. You would think that the labels or the industry would care enough about these pieces of historical music artifacts to protect them better but … then again, that fire was not intentional. It was an accidental fire and the fire fighting team did all they could. It’s still just sad and quite heart breaking to hear that these master recordings are gone. And like the article says, the master recording is one-of-a-kind and original. It also has a quote from former Legacy Recordings President, Adam Block, saying “A master is the truest capture of a piece of recorded music”. This is all 110% true. You cannot replicate a master of certain magic that you made in the studio especially if the studio has updated or the studio is nonexistent anymore. There are specific tones, sounds, and overall feel that you have in every studio. It all differs. For instance, You cannot get the same exact Abbey Road sound that The Beatles had unless you know exactly (to the t) what was done in that studio, what gear was used, where all the levels were by the nano meter, where all the instruments were placed.

I apologize that this rant went this long. I just saw this article and had to throw in my 2 cents. I DO however want to hear what you all think as music lovers, engineers, producers, industry pros, or even just audiophiles.

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed Be.

Lt. Gir signing off.

[crazynotsorichasian]

This just in!

This little animal of a girl is to be the next big rock star drummer. There will be no one like her in the world. Talent just oozes out of this adorable munchkin.

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed be.

Lt. Gir signing off.

[crazynotsorichasian]

Is anyone else amazed by the tremendous talent of Panic! At The Disco’s Brendan Urie?

The guy can write music, sing, play guitar, play piano, and you can’t forget those silly Vines of his.

So my next question is, What can’t he do?

You’re all probably wondering what is up with this video. Well it is straight up HILARIOUS. That has nothing to do with the question at hand of course. Although … it does take a certain level of skill to keep that kind of composure while a crap ton of food and just stuff is being dropped on you and still look good in the process.

I would love to know the whole concept behind this video. Was there someone in a crane just getting yelled at to drop everything they can on him? If anyone knows, please educate me. I am just utterly curious.

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed Be.

Lt. Gir signing off.

[crazynotsorichasian]

I know I am 2 days too late for this post but I just started using tumblr yesterday morning so bare with me everyone.

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed Be.

Lt. Gir signing off.

As you may know, Post it Forward was created to reinforce something Tumblr users had been doing on their own for years: being open, being kind, and offering support. For many people—particularly young people—it has been a safe haven for openly discussing issues that matter, especially issues pertaining to mental health. From Issue Time question and answer segments with licensed psychiatrists to celebrating Mental Health Month year after year, we’ve been committed to talking about things that matter since 2015.

That’s why we’re so excited to honor World Mental Health Day on Wednesday, October 10.

This year we paid homage to the day by partnering with Made of Millions, a grassroots mental health platform, for Seen: A Mental Health Exhibition. Featuring photography of Rose Cartwright by artist Yumna Al-Arashi, the premiere of their short film Mindstory, and incredible AR-enabled work from some hand-picked Tumblr Creatrs (@creatrs), this exhibit aimed to explore how the digital world can keep people from suffering in silence. You can see some of the pictures of the event above.

It’s important to be seen. And we see you, Tumblr. Stay tuned here to @postitforward. We’re going to reblog some posts that speak to mental health and self care all day long. Want to join in the discussion? Tag your posts with #postitforward so it’s easy for the rest of the community to find you and interact.

And remember, there are resources out there if you need them. It’s okay to use any help you can get.

Ditch the Label (@ditchthelabel) is one of the largest international anti-bullying projects. It offers free support for anyone who signs up for their community. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s there for you.

It Gets Better (@itgetsbetterproject) gives support for members of the LGBTQ+ community who want it.

It’s Ok To Talk is a safe space to share your experiences with mental health, mental illness and wellbeing.

And of course, Made of Millions is an amazing new 501c3  grassroots mental health non-profit launching on World Mental Health Day.

Take care of yourself, Tumblr. You deserve it.

[crazynotsorichasian]

well said.

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed Be.

Lt. Gir signing off.

a little revelation i had on world mental health day

You don’t need to be strong enough to fix your own problems yourself. You just need to be strong enough to ask for help. Talk to someone. Find a therapist. Ask your doctor if there is a treatment that’s right for you. You could even read a self-help book. Start small, start somewhere. Just start.

[crazynotsorichasian]

... Well ... Have you?

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed Be.

Lt. Gir signing off.

[crazynotsorichasian]

‘nuff ced

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed Be.

Lt. Gir signing off.

via @extramadness

[crazynotsorichasian]

I apologize beforehand ...

I’m sorry but I am in kind of a Thirty Seconds To Mars mood right now. Especially after watching their docu-film Artifact today. I mean, this song is so beautifully written. The lyrics are simple, yes, but so meaningful. I feel like it is a song that everyone can relate to in one way or another. You don’t even have to relate to the whole thing for that matter. “100 Suns” is short, simple, and to the point.

What do you guys think?

I want to hear your opinions and try not to be bias because you LOVE Jared Leto. I love him too but I also have an unwavering passion for music.

If you haven’t heard it, give it a listen. I bet you it will strike a chord in your heart. And if it doesn’t, I am sorry I misled you.

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed Be.

Lt. Gir signing off.

[crazynotsorichasian]

So ... here is an upside to the music industry. It is most definitely progress. The Music Modernization Act has now been signed into law. This is the one thing Donald Trump has done so far where I can honestly say gains him tiniest bit of my respect (and I mean tiniest). This is big news people. The Music Modernization Act makes it so that people in the music industry not only get paid but they will get paid fairly. Especially in the digital age that surrounds us now.

We finished watching the Thirty Seconds To Mars docu-film about how they got screwed by their label and their whole lawsuit fiasco. It is just nice to see some change happening within the industry. This is the whole reason why I am working towards getting my degree in entertainment management with an audio production concentration.

Those of you that know me know how passionate I am about music, how music has changed my life and helped me through some tough times. I want to work in the music industry as a producer, an audio engineer. I want to be the person that helps produce the music that may save someone’s life one day, the music that makes a difference in the world, something meaningful and powerful. I want to make that difference. I want what I do to matter. I want to play a part in helping change the industry for the better. I know all this sounds out-of-this-world ambitious but it is the truth. I am an ambitious person. I always have been and will continue to be. It is my passion for music that drives me and fuels my fire. Never be afraid to be ambitious. It is one of the best qualities a person can have. As a mother, I can only hope that one day my daughter, Cecilia, will have that same ambition and care about something so much to want to make it better.

So the take away from this ...

If you have a goal in life, a dream career or future for yourself or your family, go pursue it (as long as whatever that is, it is legal). Don’t be afraid to go after what you want. Don’t give up. Don’t be afraid of ambition. If something is unfair, take action. Change can happen. Anyone can make a difference in the world.

Until next time my dears ...

Blessed Be.

Lt. Gir signing off.