The sunshine after the rain.

This should have been a post about Japan Day, chocked full of video footage and pictures, but unfortunately all of it got erased off my camera somehow. Still, I wouldn't leave you guys without a Tenoli Tuesday update.

Here's a song a friend of mine, Kelvin, shared with me. It's by a famous Latino singer named Juan Luis Guerra. Most of the song is in Spanish but there's a few lines of Japanese mixed in.
Who would have thunk? - Enjoy!

La Tenoli

"Tenoli Eats A Canoli"

"Tenoli"
"Is that Italian?" / "It reminds me of the word 'canoli'"

They rhyme, but it's not Italian. Although I really can't say I mind the "canoli" association, afterall, I'm a tenoli canoli-lover myself. Can't remember the last time I had a canoli, so image my excitement when I find a stand at Rochester's Annual Lilac Festival that made fresh canolis! ( * o*)

 A rather sexy canoli, if you ask me.

I gotta say though, I was slightly disappointed that I had to hunt down the lilacs and that upon arrival to the "lilac area" most of them were dead - Nevertheless I was still able to find a few bright purple and in full bloom. (They smelled so good!)

 

Graduation was amazing - "surreal" is probably one of the only ways to describe it. I have yet to upload the pictures from my sister camera onto my computer, but when I do, rest assured I will update and bombard you with some : )

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In other news - for those who love Japan & Jazz - check out this group I found Nippon Jazz NYC Meetup Group Who would have thunk it? They have a meet coming up this Sunday at 9:30 in the Blue Owl Cocktail Lounge - Check out their page for more info.

By now most of you already know about Japan Day (Sunday June 6th @ Central Park), but here are two more events that those Japan lovers in the NYC area might want to know about.

• First off, Tigresaa informed me a week ago about the event happening at UNIQLO (SoHo) on June 11th - Looks like MGS fans will get a chance to purchase exclusive Peace Walker Tees and meet the genius behind the game, Hideo Kojima. Fans will also have the chance to win a PSP Peace Walker Bundle!~ So for more details on that, check out Spawn Kill's Post.
• Yesterday or the day before (graduation has messed up my sense of time) I found out about the NY JapanTown Festival which will come just in time to take care of our post JapanDay withdrawal! It's basically 3 events spread out more or less a month apart with 3 different themes and held at 3 different locations! (via @Wendy_Tokunaga) Check out the official blog hea!

I'm excited about all these events and I hope to get some video and photos on camera to share with all of you! So stay tuned - this summer is looking more and more exciting every minute! (^ o^)/

BAI バイ

La Tenoli

M.I.A. (Finals Week Edition)

I'm sorry for the lack of Tenoli Tuesday update this week, but these finals are kicking my arse.

Since I found a little time to write to you all as I munch on my Cocoa Krispies (who, btw, speak louder to me than my rice krispies do) I figured I'd update with some of the things I'm loving this week.

So here's a real interesting article I found in the NYTimes last week. 
In The World Of Ads, Teaching The Young How To Read Them
I was really interested in this because, as an ad geek myself, I think advertising is a great way to teach kids how to read into the context of not just ads, but even literature, a lot deeper. The art of persuasion isn't just something we need to be careful not to get suckered in by, but also how to master it so we can apply it to other aspects of our lives. 
What's even more interesting is that an advertising agency helped to create an online game that will teach kids about advertising as they go along. You can check out the game here >>> admongo.gov 
I played a bit myself - let me know what you think of it.

Now for my personal life musical update.

I discovered this song in the Japanese drama (that's currently airing in Japan) 「素直になれなくて」/ "Hard To Say I love you". The song is called "Maybe Tomorrow" - Stereophonics



Another of my personal music life discoveries (I'm a late musical bloomer) is The Black Keys. If it's done right, you can't go wrong with Blues Rock. I'd love to grab one or two of their albums (anyone want to recommend their best?) and see them in concert in NYC this summer at Summerstage in Central Park. Here's the first song of theirs I heard. Enjoy~



Speaking of MIA, have you all watched her new video for the song "Born Free"? - If you haven't yet, check it out at miauk.com If you've seen the Erykah Badu video already, what do you think of MIA's? Better? Worse? Why are these women making these videos? - lol


Alright guys, well I'm off to be productive and get ready for tomorrow's exam! ~ Stay tuned for next week's Tenoli Tuesday update! :3


La Tenoli

.Official FIFA 2010 Song.

Last Shakira album hit the spot, but I've been hungrily waiting for this song.
I just found out there's also a Spanish version of the song - which made my day because in my opinion Shakira's music is twice as good in Spanish.
( To stay updated with shared links, videos, and blurbs check out my Tumblr!)






What do you think of the song? Like/dislike? Who will you be rooting for?

Cold Dust [Tenoli]

Watch how I somehow relate this one to something Japanese.
(Every week I enjoy the challenge of finding ways to connect things to Japan)

So remember that line in that Lupe song that went something along the lines of "I'm [Hispanic] mentality with Japanese tendencies..."? (Wait, you do know who Lupe [Fiasco] is, right? - Oh okay, good.)
Well, I saw him in concert 11/2008 and his opening act was HEY CHAMP. Although it took Lupe jumping around the stage to get the crowd excited about the unhip-hop like sounding band, I was hooked from the moment I heard "Cold Dust Girl".


I just remembered the Japanese guys in the crowd in front of us talking loudly in Japanese to each other and fighting the urge to say 「 私も日本語できる！初めまして！」（’。’　）
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I recently got an email from the HEY CHAMP peeps. Not only did they use Japanese sporadically throughout the email (yay!) but they also send me a link to snag their first two singles from their full length album debuting on July 13th! I'm so excited! So, if you want a chance to download their mix-tapes (they are also DJs) check out their site and sign up! They've worked with a few Japanese artists (I mean if you're going to be part of the FNF crew you might as well love JAPAN! lol)
I'll leave you all with a picture of me rocking the HEY CHAMP Tee (same one Lupe wore that night!). This is an old school 2009 picture!

Looking forward to next week's post! I'll FINALLY have the kitkat video up! :D


La Tenoli