"Happy Thoughts"

I think it's time for a different approach to life.

To wake up thinking about what you DO have rather than what you DON'T have.

And so, I'm going to make more of a greater effort to wake up each morning and make a list of things -either by jotting them down or just saying them out loud to myself or something - to be grateful for, so here goes list #1:

1. My parents who continue to shelter me everyday
   
2. My mom who continues to cook the best Thai food ever.
   
3. My legs - that allow me to run.
4. A healthy body - that allows me to breathe and allow me to enjoy everything with all 5 senses to its very fullest.
5. Peach Nipitnorasate
6. The people in my life who make a good effort to keep in touch everyday no matter the distance -- you know who you are.
   
7. The internet/chat systems that allow for the above.
   
8. Latte art.
   
9. Cafes/library's.
10. My own room.
11. My own bed.
12. Autumn.
13. Good eats.
14. My aunt.
15. Music like Matt Nathanson and John Legend
16. The ability to love greatly, fall in love, and feel completely enamored over and over again.
    

And the list will continue to grow..day after day.

I wonder if there's a website/open forum where people can just go to -- to share their happiness with each other?

Happy Thursday =).

Matt Nathanson <3

Alright...so...I'm 2 years behind...but...if Matt Nathanson's "Some Mad Hope" could be embodied into one guy...I'd seriously be in love.

Gosh darn it -- is it possible to fall in love with a person through their music?! John Legend...I think you've met your match (in another realm of music!). This guy sings with a whole lotta great passion about LOVE.

I think it's safe to say that after listening to this album on repeat for the last week+, I've become a very satisfied fan! =)

----

Excerpt from Matt's Bio: http://www.mattnathanson.com/about
At the core of Nathanson's music are his lyrics -- deft turns of phrase that can alternately cut deep into the heart or heal it. That's evident throughout Some Mad Hope, a song cycle of sorts that chronicles the search for a genuine connection, touching on the sensually electric moments as well as the darker frustrations of sifting through the wreckage -- in hopes of finding redemption at the end of the day.

"I definitely think of the album as capturing the arc of a relationship," says the Boston native. "It starts out on a positive note and it goes to some really dark places. But after touching bottom, there's a sense of optimism in the end. Maybe coming from a realization that two people can be a team, not just two individuals who happen to be together."

...

"In a lot of ways, the album is about learning what a relationship really can be," he says. "Some people deal with that when they're 20, some people deal with it in their thirties and some people never do. -- writing and recording these songs genuinely left me with the feeling that, 'wow, this is a real step forward for me, both as an artist and as a person.'"
----------------------------

My fav's:

• "Come On Get Higher"
  
• "Still"
• "I Saw"
• "All We Are"
• "Falling Apart"
• "Car Crash"

Ah..who am I kidding? The whole album is great.

Gratitude.

I think I have taken some very important people for granted in my life, and so this entry is dedicated to the people who truly have made an effort to reach out to me when I've needed it most...even if I didn't want it.

1) Mom: You call me ALL of the time. 24/7. It bugs me. Because you make me feel like I'm still a baby. You make me feel like I've done something wrong with my life, but in my mind...I think I've come a long way and have yet to do anything tremendously horrendous that has made my life gone completely astray. The only things I've done...even if it's beyond the "norm of your traditions" are things that I feel I am passionate about or things that I feel are worth while in my life. But, Mom, I know you do it all just because you care...but sometimes, you just need to trust that I will be ok.

2) My friends who have been checking in on me to make sure that I'm still alive and doing well via a random text/IM/call here or there....you know who you are...

No matter how busy we get or how caught up we get in some other aspect of life...it's like..we never left each other. Even if it's just for a few moments or..hours...I just want you to know....I appreciate every little effort you make. It's people like you that make life worth living. It's people like you that...despite the fucked up economy, incontinency of relationships, mis-understandings of family, and all those other "down-times"...it's YOU...you crazy...honest...beautiful...genuine souls...that piece it all back together.

Alright. I'm gonna go way out on a limb and be EVEN mushier than my usual self (ha!)...but seriously...SERIOUSLY.

Each of you guys are unique in your own way...but common charateristics that I feel I truly see in you which I will always cherish from now until I die...are the following...which make you the creme...of the creme of the brulee's!:

• Genuine
• Honest
• Blunt
• Intuitively Weird/Silly/Goofy/Dorky
• Off-the-wall
• Wipe my tears away with something deep or stupid.
  
• Give-it-to-me-straight-and-tell-me-how-it-is-no-matter-how-much-it-hurts-for-my-own-good-worthy.
• There for me when I need you...even if it's just a virtual hug or kiss...

Thank you...for being so beautiful.

Please don't change.