NY is who I am / LA is who I've become

I've been wanting to write this for a long time, but it's hard for me to articulate my feelings towards NY / LA, but I think this trip back home to NY has helped me shape some of these thoughts about these cities and my identity.

I grew up in Queens, New York. I went to public school all my life. My elementary school had students represented from 30+ countries. My class picture reflected the nationalities of the United Nations. As a high school student, I commuted 3 hours a day to and from school daily. I got up at 5:55AM to be able to make 8:00AM classes in downtown Manhattan. I was almost never late. In the winter, the temperature would mostly likely be below freezing. Sometimes it would snow--I wore boots; other times, it would rain--I carried an umbrella which may or may not flip over on my commute into school. I took the bus, to get on the train, to transfer to another train, to walk a few blocks to the bridge that connected to building next to the Hudson River. I went to NYU and worked 30 hours a week, which was typical of almost all students at NYU. I ate my lunch while rushing from class to my internship. I perfected the art of eating my lunch while walking to the Subway. Sandwiches were simple to master, but salads were a bit more tricky. I usually had to sacrifice the dressing on my salad. I paid for my own NYC pre-war apartment in the west village, which was in total 400 sq ft where I lived in the living room, the shower was in the kitchen, and the toilet was in my roommate's room. These experiences made me who I am.

Everything in LA I have built myself. Not to downplay my experiences in NY, but everything I did was still in the backdrop of my familiarity with NY, support of my friends and family, and circumstances I was familiar with. The stressful (if you will, at least by California standards) conditions in NY was what I thrived in and it was still my comfort zone. I moved to LA not knowing a single person. I met my roommate on craigslist, got an apartment in Westwood, and made a life out of LA. I've made friendships that will probably last a lifetime. I've experienced things that I probably would have never felt in NY. Everything I've done in LA I feel like it's something I have created. The life I have created is still based on who I am shaped by my experiences in NY.

Not sure if this is at all coherent; I'll probably edit it later on.

Fuck AT&T

So I got a wonderful email from AT&T this month about my iPhone data usage for my unlimited plan.

We're writing because you are in the top 5 percent of heaviest data users for this billing cycle. Smartphone customers with unlimited data plans may experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle reaches the level that puts them among the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. These customers can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle.

Beginning with your next billing cycle, we'll send you a text message if you are approaching the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. We'll also send you a second text message if you cross into the top 5 percent of heaviest users, at which point you may see reduced speeds for the rest of the month.

What the fuck.

I've used about 1 gig of data this month and that to me is nothing. Between loading all the articles on flipboard this month, a few purchases on iTunes, and a few youtube videos, that's pretty much 1 gig right there. A gig is literally NOTHING. Apple sells a 64 gig iPhone and I can't use 1 gig of data a month? Half of my usage is spent at the iTunes store downloading music anyways (which I pay for by the way). So let's say I start with a completely empty iPhone. I download 1 gigs of music a month for 24 months (length of my contract). 24 gigs is still less than what my iPhone can hold and what I paid for.

What also angers me is that they don't give you a hard limit on what the 5% is. Is it exactly 2 gigs? Is it 1 gig? How can I stay out of it? What's going to end up happening is that the usage for the top 5% will keep decreasing. This month it's going to be 1 gig. Next month, more people will try to stay out of the top bucket and the cut off will be 0.9 gigs. Each month it will go down, feeding off by this vicious cycle.

How does it make sense that the threshold for when they slow down your internet is a bit over 1 gig under a $30 unlimited data plan, when there is a $25 data plan for 2 gigs? I asked this to the representative at AT&T when I called in. He obviously did not have an answer for me. I also told him that the thought of potentially losing my 3g access on my phone is causing me anxiety, since they cannot give me a direct answer on what the threshold in terms of usage for the 5% is. I literally just need to pray everyday that I don't hit the top 5%.

I've done some googling and apparently, when they slow down you data plan, it's pretty much close to unsable. Emails load after a really long time. Facebook pretty much does not work. Streaming is totally out of the question. Basically, nothing works. If you're interested in reading more, I came across this well written compliant by LKL198025 on an AT&T support forum.

This grievance, coupled with the previous entry about the iPhone's shit battery life, just shows that technology is lagging behind innovation. The problem?

Monopolies / Oligopolies are established due to the U.S.' favoring of BIG COMPANIES making it difficult for other small companies to enter the space and compete (i.e. patent laws, tax shields on debt, lobbyist, etc.)

AT&T can only pull this shit (excuse the excess cussing but obvie this is a very important matter to me) in curbing my data usage because the cell phone providers in the U.S. have an oligopoly. Case in point, part of my love letter from AT&T reads:

Like other wireless companies, AT&T is taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data..

Thanks for the reminder that I have no choice but to go with your shitty ass company or another shitty ass company which will also restrict my usage. I'm glad the AT&T and T-Mobile merger didn't go through. Are you fucking kidding me? Having only 4 data providers is enough of an oligopoly, and some geniuses had the nerve to think that AT&T and T-Mobile will not violate anti-trust laws?

Additionally, Apple can get away with putting out a product that essentially doesn't work (i.e. death grip & battery drain issues; absurdly FRAGILE screen), because there really is no comparable device to the iPhone out there. And who ever wants to put out a comparable device, they will line up their patent lawyers and sue the shit out of them.

It's just frustrating that there are so many limitations on what I can do with my technology. I can't use my phone for more than 4 hours without recharging it. I can't pay for songs (thanks SOPA) on my phone when I'm traveling and do not have access to my laptop. Isn't technology supposed to improve and facilitate our lives? Instead, thanks to the infrastructure of our country, innovation is being hindered and progress is not facilitated because these monopolies make a SHIT TON OF MONEY nevertheless. Corporate profits are THROUGH THE ROOF while main street and our broad economy has never recovered.

Ridiculousness of the iPhone

The iPhone, although amazing in computing power, is completely useless as even a basic cell phone when out batteries.

In LA, it's not so bad given most people have car chargers and can give their phones a midday boost in transit.

I'm back home in NYC at a sorta hipster cafe in the borderline cool part of Chinatown. There are literally 4 people around me charging their phones. Give we can move mountains with technology, there's no reason why as to how we cannot have an iPhone that has enough battery life to last a day. Or even continuous use for half a day for that matter.

#soirritatedfromcarryinganiphonechargereverywhere

And no I refuse to get a Mophie since I love my BookBook iPhone case / wallet. Speaking of which, I get so many compliments on it every time someone sees it. I don't say this too often but this product literally changed my life for the better. Also, if you do happen to have it, it's best to use a hole-puncher to punch out the back where the camera is. I'll post some pictures of it later.

Soundtrack of my life

This song literally describes my life.


I'm on the train again, jamming on my own again
They think I'm insane, there's no music playin'

OMGZ I x3 EDM

I know I'm always talking about EDM but I just can't stress how much I love it and how much it moves me. I just love watching youtube videos of sets from Identity Festival, Hard Festival, Las Vegas, Electric Daisy Festival, etc. It obviously has just as much impact on other people (if not more) than myself. I'm so attracted to the passion from the DJs, the energy from the crowd, the lights from the venue, the atmosphere, and everything about it. Most of all, the whole experience exudes happiness. I understand that half the people are rolling but I enjoy the music being completely sober. This music moves people so much and it's something very unique to EDM, not seen in any other genre of music. Any other concerts I go to, most people just stand there and listen passively. At EDM shows, the audience contributes to the energy and people get so into it through dancing and just having a great time getting lost in the music. People just let go of it all. The lyrics in electronic music, if any, don't make much sense so it can mean whatever you want it to mean. The electronic synthesizers brings another level of creativity that isn't available on traditional instruments. the possibilities are endless and it just makes people feel... good...

Despite the hate from some people who don't appreciate it, there has been so much EDM influences in mainstream music. Jason Derulo' Don't Wanna Come Home which takes the riff from Robyn's Show me Love, Dubstep featured in Niggas in Paris, soft dubstep around 2:40 in Flo Rida's Good Feeling and the hook which has a very 1980's Chicago House influence feel, and obviously almost all pop beats feature electronic production. I mentioned this previously, but David Guetta's Nothing But The Beat is such an amazing album despite people's varying opinion on him. Not only because everything on his album is so catchy, but he features so many pop artists that will really bring EDM into the mainstream.

Growing up, pop was the cool thing (i.e. Backstreet Boys & Spice Girls). A bit later in the 1990s everyong was into the whole hip-hop thing. Now, high school and college kids all are obsessed with EDM. I wish I was exposed to it a bit earlier, so I would have had an earlier start to my dream of becoming an international DJ.

To share a bit of what I mean, see the video below. Just to caveat, this is Swedish House Mafia's CLOSING SET of EDC, which means people have literally been hard core dancing for 8 hours already and this STILL there is that much energy.




Also, see below for Kaskade's set in March at the Marquee in Las Vegas. I think I see myself dancing somewhere in the video. Was looking through youtube videos and this girl referred to 3/12/11 at Marquee "the best night of my life." I definitely speak in superlatives all the time so the validity of this may be discounted, but I totally agree. The energy that night was insane and it was definitely an amazing night where even after 8 months, I remember it vividly in my mind.

Dropbox

I like technology that improves my life. I feel like Dropbox is one of them. I feel like I can be a nomad and have my files everywhere. Dropbox would be awesome, but I just need more space, which you can help by joining :)

Use my referral link if you like to sign up.

xx

We Found Love Video - Prologue

Have to repost this because I love it so much.... Plus the accent is really cool.

“It’s like you’re screaming, and no one can hear. You almost feel ashamed that someone could be that important, that without them you feel like nothing. No one will ever understand how much it hurts. You feel hopeless, like nothing can save you. And when it’s over and it’s gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back so that you could have the good.”