i don't know what i'd do without our talks, michelle :) thank you. see, i can be nice!

listen to the silence concert was amazing. you know i'm not normally a huge hip hop fan because mainstream hip hop and rap tend to be jokes--jokes along misogynistic, violent, stupid lines--but karmacy and jupitersciples kicked major butt. amazing rappers. golda supanova and her super friends were incredible too; she sort of reminds me of bjork mixed with bic runga. so talented. that cover of "creep" was the best i've ever heard.

however, i have to say that the spoken word was once again the highlight for me. jocie from 8th wonder and bao phi who's been featured on mtv's def jam performed--good spoken word can literally take my breath away. it's as if every word bursts from their mouths to physically impact my body. you ride along with the torrent of words, snatching meaning from sounds, and trying to discover the meaning of the flow as it breaks. i envy the passion the artists obviously feel toward their subject and their craft. besides, i'm such a sucker for clever wordplay. sigh.

another excitement of the evening was when bao phi mentioned theresa vu freestyling in his new poem, "masters of the universal". i gave this super girly "yeah theresa!" shout at her name, but it was so cool! i've known this girl since the fourth grade when we'd go through the "shortcut" between our houses to hang out on driveways. haha. it was nice reminiscing with theresa today: color-changing shirts, days when cherry was actually taller than me, net ball....good times. and if we ever drink together, i'm pretty sure she's going to outdrink me to death. hope to see you soon, theresa...it's been yeeears.

ooh...check out theresa's site: headphone therapy

* * *
"Gravity" -Vienna Teng
(there also exists a starker, simpler lake version)

hey, love
is that the name you're meant to have
for me to call?
look, love
they've given up believing
they've turned aside our stories of the gentle fall

but don't you believe them
don't you drink their poison too
these are the scars that words have carved
on me

hey, love
that's the name we've long held back
from the core of truth

so don't turn away now
i am turning in revolution
these are the scars that silence carved
on me

this is the same place
no, not the same place
this is the same place, love
no, not the same place we've been before

hey, love
i am a constant satellite
of your blazing sun
my love
i obey your law of gravity
this is the fate you've carved on me