The Sillyness (and possibly effectiveness) of Daft Punk

O.K., what is the deal with Daft Punk, that French electric duo?! Look at those helmets!!

Maybe those helmets make music (that's my best guess), or maybe they do it to look cool, or, laughably, maybe they do it because they do not want to be seen in public. Some people might not want to be as famous as the president, signing autographs 24/7. Ask Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.

Fun fact: Both Bangalter and Homem-Christo were on a band called Darlin'. The third member was Laurent Brancowitz (a guitarist from one of my favorite bands, Phoenix). Although, Darlin' disbanded more than 20 years ago.

Exotic Fruit & Vegetables

Sources: everintransit.com, delish.com
Recently I had a red-fleshed pitaya. That was the reason for writing this post, so more people will be aware of exotic fruits & vegetables. Without further ado, here they are:

1. Pitaya (Three varieties)

Red fleshed Pitaya

White fleshed Pitaya

Yellow skinned Pitaya

2. Durian
   

Durian

3. Kiwano

Kiwano

4. Blood Orange

Blood Orange

5. Feijoa

Feijoa

6. Passion Fruit

Passion Fruit

I got bored with this topic. So needless to say, there isn't many fruits on this list. I might update this the future, though.

GREAT SONGS PART 1

If you have Spotify, look up these songs:

1. Half a Million  -  The Shins  - "Heartworms"
2. Name For You  -  The Shins  -  "Heartworms"
3. Dead Alive  -  The Shins  -  "Heartworms"
4. Can I Sit Next To You  -  Spoon  -  "Hot Thoughts"
5. Hot Thoughts  -  Spoon  -  "Hot Thoughts"
6. Madder Red  -  Yeasayer  -  "Odd Blood"
7. Ambling Alp  -  Yeasayer  -  "Odd Blood"
8. O.N.E.  -  Yeasayer  -  "Odd Blood"
9. I Am Chemistry  -  Yeasayer  -  "Amen & Goodbye"
10. Silly Me  -  Yeasayer  -  "Amen & Goodbye"
11. Demon Road  -  Yeasayer  -  "Fragrant World"
12. Henrietta  -  Yeasayer  -  "Fragrant World"
13. Blue Paper  -  Yeasayer  -  "Fragrant World"
14. Loan Shark Blues  -  Yeasayer  -  "Cold Night (Single)"
15. J-Boy  -  Phoenix  -  "Ti Amo"
16. Lisztomania  -  Phoenix  -  "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"
17. 1901  -  Phoenix  -  "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"
18. Two Weeks  -  Grizzly Bear  -  "Veckatimest"
19. Mourning Sound  -  Grizzly Bear  -  "Painted Ruins"
20. Wow  -  Beck  -  "Colors"
21. Dreams  -  Beck  -  "Colors" CURSES
22. Dear Life  -  Beck  -  "Colors"
23. Que' Onda Guero  -  Beck  -  "Guero"
24. Go It Alone  -  Beck  -  "Guero"
25. E-Pro  -  Beck  -  "Guero
26. Girl  -  Beck  -  "Guero"
27. Mixed Bizness  -  Beck  -  "Midnite Vultures"
28. Broken Train  -  Beck  -  "Midnite Vultures"
29. Loser  -  Beck  -  "Mellow Gold"
30. Up All Night  -  Beck  -  "Colors"
31. Gamma Ray  -  Beck  -  "Modern Guilt"
32. No Complaints  -  Beck  -  "The Information"
33. 1000BPM  -  Beck  -  "The Information"
34. Hell Yes  -  Beck  -  "Guero"
35. Tropicalia  -  Beck  -  "Mutations"
36. Devil's Haircut  -  Beck  -  "Odelay"
37. Where It's At  -  Beck  -  "Odelay"
38. Timebomb  -  Beck  -  "Timebomb (Single)"
39. Wow (TOKiMONSTA Remix)  -  Beck  -  "Wow (TOKiMONSTA Remix) (Single)"
40. Silvertoungue  -   Young The Giant  -  "Home Of The Strange"
41. My Type  -  Saint Motel  -  "My Type EP"
42. Cold Cold Man  -  Saint Motel  -  "My Type EP"
43. Move  -  Saint Motel  -  "saintmotelevision"
44. Water  -  Ra Ra Riot  -  "Need Your Light"
45. The Ghost Inside  -  Broken Bells  -  "Broken Bells"
46. The High Road  -  Broken Bells  -  "Broken Bells"
47. Holding On For Life  -  Broken Bells  -  "After The Disco"
48. A Fifth Of Beethoven  -  Walter Murphy  -  "A Fifth Of Beethoven"
49. You Can Call Me Al  -  Paul Simon  -  "Graceland"
50. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard  -  Paul Simon  -  "Negotiations And Love Songs"
51. Kodachrome  -  Paul Simon  -  "There Goes Rhymin' Simon"
52. Sugar On MyTongue  -  Talking Heads  -  "Sand In The Vaseline"
53. Life Is Long  -  David Byrne & Brian Eno  -  "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today"
54. Kids  -  MGMT  -  "Oracular Spectacular"
55. Die Young  -  Sylvan Esso  -  "What Now" 
56. In Cold Blood  -  alt-J  -  "RELAXER" CURSES
57. Saint Of Impossible Cause  -  Joseph Arthur  -  "The Ballad of Boogie Christ"
58. Wheels  -  Cake  -  "Pressure Chief"
59. Pumped Up Kicks  -  Foster The People  -  "Torches"
60. Happy Idiot  -  TV On The Radio  -  "Seeds" 
61. Lampshades On Fire  -  Modest Mouse  -  "Strangers To Ourselves"
62. When The Tequila Runs Out  -  Dawes  -  "We're All Going To Die"
63. Genghis Khan  -  Miike Snow  -  "iii"
64. Ride  -  Twenty One Pilots  -  "Blurryface"
65. All We Ever Knew  -  The Head And The Heart  -  "Signs Of Light"
66. Feel It All Around  -  Washed Out  -  "Life Of Leisure"
67. Feel It Still  -  Portugal. The Man  -  "Woodstock"
68. Little Talks  -  Of Monsters And Men  -  "My Head Is An Animal"
69. Born Again  -  Cory Chisel And The Wandering Sons  -  "Death Won't Send A Letter"
70. Why Does It Always Rain On Me?  -  Travis  -  "The Man Who"
71. Side  -  Travis  -  "The Invisible Band"
72. Cherry Hearts  -  The Shins  -  "Heartworms"
73. You Get What You Give  -  New Radicals  -  "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too"
74. High Ticket Attractions  -  The New Pornographers  -  "Whiteout Conditions"
75. The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness  -  The National  -  "Sleep Well Beast" 
76. Young Folks  -  Peter Bjorn and John  -  "Writer's Block"
77. Wish I Knew You  -  The Revivalists  -  "Men Amongst Mountains" 
78. Where Do The Children Play?  -  Yusuf (A.K.A. Cat Stevens)  -  "Tea For The Tillerman"
79. Fleur De Lys  -  Phoenix  -  "Ti Amo"
80. Square One  -  Beck  -  "Colors"
81. Colors  -  Beck  -  "Colors"
82. Goodbye Soleil  -  Phoenix  -  "Ti Amo"  
83. Ti Amo  -  Phoenix  -  "Ti Amo"
84. Entertainment  -  Phoenix  -  "Bankrupt!"
85. Seventh Heaven  -  Beck  -  "Colors" 
86. Fountain Of Youth  -  Local Natives  -  "Sunlit Youth"
87. Lovelife  -  Phoenix  -  "Ti Amo"
88. Trying To Be Cool  -  Phoenix  -  "Bankrupt!"
89. S.O.S. In Bel Air  -  Phoenix  -  "Bankrupt!"
90. Via Veneto  -  Phoenix -  "Ti Amo"  
91. Someone To Lose  -  Wilco  -  "Schmilco"
92. Jesus, etc.  -  Wilco  -  "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"
93. Heavy Metal Drummer  -  Wilco  -  "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"
94. Dear To Me  -  Electric Guest  -  "Plural"
95. What You Know  -  Two Door Cinema Club  -  "Tourist History"
96. Dead Sea Scrolls  -  Yeasayer  -  "Amen & Goodbye" 
97. Phone In A Pool  -  Ben Folds  -  "So There"
98. From Above  -  Ben Folds & Nick Hornby  -  "Lonely Avenue"
99. Little Dark Age  -  MGMT  -  "Little Dark Age (Single)"    
100. Istanbul  -  They Might Be Giants  -  "Flood" 

Sorry

I made a lot of "part 1" posts that I haven't and may never finish. So sorry about that.

Places not to go on vacation part 1

1. Venezuela
    Continent: South America
    Source: VICE (Television show)

    First off, there is a dictator, Nicolás Maduro. Second off, he does not use peaceful opposition. And third off, people protesting him throw molotov cocktails and once a motorcycle exploded. Plus, people are starving. He literally puts up signs saying straight up, "OBEY."

2. Antarctica
    Continent: Antarctica
    Source: My own knowledge

    It's not like it's bad, but Antarctica is just plain old boring. Also extremely frigid. Layers, and layers, and layers of jackets you have to wear. To me, that's too much of a hassle. Very little sightseeing; there is no historical monuments or stuff like that. But Antarctica is not totally dull.

3. Kurdistan & Syria
    Region: Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria
    Continent: Asia
    Source: National Geographic Student World Atlas 4th Edition (Book)

    They are not to far from ISIS groups, and also, Kurds are refugees. They fled to the mountains of Iraq, hopeful to create their own country. Turkey's dictator-to-be is refusing, although, because part of where Kurdistan will be can possibly have oil wells. And oil can make big bucks for Turkey. And with ISIS fighting Kurds, havoc is not non-existent in this unstable region.
 
    Syria's dictator wants the U.S. to help them fight ISIS. But since he's a dictator, U.S. doesn't want to say "Yes." And another reason not to go to Syria: unlike Kurdistan, they are directly in ISIS groups, which makes life harder than it already is.

These are Kurds, not ISIS.

4. Somalia
    Continent: Africa
    Source: VICE (Television show)

    Having no government for 25 years adds to the hardships of these homeless people. In recent years, people are being appointed different government jobs. But at least 1 of those people were shot. Many everyday people fled to Canada, U.S., or London. But they unexpectedly came back. They wanted their country. Their home, in actuality; no matter where they go Somalia is their birthplace and they want to fight for it, which a nation shouldn't have to do.

   


5. Philippines
    Continent: Asia
    Source: Look Now (Book)

    If you're a journalist, don't go to the Philippines. Specifically, Maguindanao. 34 out of 57 people massacred there were journalists. Terrorists attacks add to the pandemonium. To make a perfect addition to my list here, there is a not-so-good president.
 

Beck: Songs Good and Not So Good

Songs

Good

1. Que Onda Guero
2. No Complaints
3. Dreams
4. Wow
5. Dear Life
6. 1000BPM
7. Girl
8. E-Pro
9. Mixed Bizness
10. Broken Train
11. Tropicalia
12. Devil's Haircut
13. Cellphone's Dead
14. Where It's At
15. Hell Yes
16. Go It Alone
17. Wow (TOKiMONSTA Remix)
18. Loser
19. Timebomb
20. Colors
21. Sissyneck

Not So Good

1. Sweet Satan
2. Analog Odyssey
3. Wow (Mexican Institute Of Sound Remix)

Albums
(Not In Order) (Sorry about that)

1. The Information

2. Midnite Vultures

3. Guero

4. Colors

5.  Sea Change

6. Morning Phase

7. Mellow Gold

8. Modern Guilt

9. One Foot In The Grave

10. Odelay

11. Mutations

Beck looks like this (although his albums show pictures of him):

(Now)

(1994)

My Trip to Chinatown, New York City

I went to Ping Seafood Restaurant and had Dim Sum with my great aunt and uncle and their son, who is 30. So Dim Sum, that is basically Chinese Tapas; tiny bite-sized pieces of Chinese food, from 3-4 of each piece. One was shrimp rolls. Another was shrimp, but with the head. I didn't bite it; I took that part off. You could see its eyes, like little black dots!

(This was not where I went)

Just walking into Ping's was exciting because there was a tank with a enormous crab, flapping his "hands". And more about Dim Sum; there was a delicious little... thing that looked like a green triangle with shrimp & vegetables inside.

Everybody went to Aji Ichiban, a candy shop. There was some (no offense) strange "candy." Such as preserved fig and wasabi peanuts. But they also had some normal candy like "Extreme Sour Warheads."

Before the candy shop, there was a "tchotchke" shop. I got a small hard ball that when shook a bell inside it rung. After the candy shop, we strolled to a playground. Then after an uneventful casual few hours there, we were walking around with a lot of time on our hands. There was a stand selling durians. In contrast to popular belief, they didn't have an unbearable stench. there was another place selling dragonfruit. We got some, and even up to now I haven't tried them.

Alas, my family and I had a ferry to catch. So we hurried up leaving, but the line for the ferry was at least 10 minutes. That vessel could get to a very high velocity! Well, it didn't have cars; which makes it lighter. In about an hour's time, we ported in Rockaway then drove home.