Koodzi | A Sentimental Man

Video Blog: Reasons Not To Go To Vegas

Koodzi — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:07:24 +0000

My friends and I recently went to Las Vegas. I hated it but my friend, Puleng, loved it. Here are the Pros and Cons of going to Vegas :)

The USA & I: A Retrospective in 50 Photos

Koodzi — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:08:46 +0000

Ended of the experience in Times Square, New York City. Dream destination for many a traveller. Too busy for me but hey, checked off.

The pages…they must be turned. My time in the “home of the brave” has come to and end. This 6 month opportunity has been the experience of a lifetime and changed me, for the better, in ways that I could never have imagined. Here is a retrospective in pictures and some short caption blurbs…the journey of Koodzi in the USA:

First morning walking the streets of San Francisco. Not as pretty as imagined but grows on you in the best way.

First Halloween celebration ever! What a bunch of dress up fun. PS. Don’t go as a Mexican, the Mexicans weren’t loving it.

Aaaaah. Napa Valley. You know me and wine. A love affair for the ages.

In-N-Out. So so good but arteries will be clogged so beware. Clog on, clog on! Oh, and make sure you go “Animal Style” on your fries.

Forget Starbucks. I’m all about Peets. My boss put me on this one. Coffee snobs, this way!

I had never had ramen till I got to SF. This place, Ramen Dojo, was the best…it’s all in the broth I tell you, all in the broth. Such a weird word that…broth, lol.

Seeing Girls’ Generation (SNSD) right in front of my eyes at the K Pop concert. Can you say “life made”? Can you say “YouTube come to life”? I screamed like a girl, aaaaaaah, the beauty!

Newport Beach. Getting my OC on!

Lake Tahoe. Pictures do it no justice. Just a little too cold for me. I mean…it’s pretty and all but a dude was cold yo.

Our first every Thanksgiving Dinner in Tahoe. We did good on that Turkey!

My work team’s snack and energy supply. I’m pretty sure I packed on a few pounds. I’m will not be touching an energy drink for a very long time! Ugh!

Japan Town in SF is everything. Yakatori, photoboothing, cobble stones. Loved it and the translated street signs.

My introduction to American sandwiches. They stuff those babies FULL! Love it.

The American flag is so regal. I love the red, white and blue. Gazillions of flags everywhere, the patriotism is nice.

Stanford Business School. Change Wall. Such a beautiful campus.

Coronado Hotel in San Diego. Tried to feel Marilyn’s spirit…I got nothing. Smh.

Had my film moment, Glee moment and fame moment all in one. Hollywood is not amazing but loved the magical feel of Paramount Studios.

Santa Monica Beach bicycle ride. Best. Day. Ever. And I loved my look that day.

New Years Eve on Santa Monica Pier. Best New Years since I spent it with my sister and did something very relaxed.

Soju! Getting my Korean on :)

Aaaaaah, miss the queer streets of The Castro. Fun times were had and great people were met.

Alcatraz. Great sight to see and you really get the feel of the prison.

Posing by them jail cells yo. Alcatraz.

Sunset view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Alcatraz.

Solange! Live! She. Touched. Me! Yaaaas!

South Africa really needs to get on these Sweet Potato Fries. They are crack crazy good!

Aaaaaah, I miss the Bay Bridge. This was my view on my walk back form work in the city.

My favourite place in SF. Dolores Park. You can feel the good vibes in your blood!

My team and I decided to be gross one bad morning at work. Sausage McMuffins and Hash Browns. At least we had some amazing Peets coffee.

Alicia Keys. Live. The Hits. That Voice. Everything and beyond!

Murals in The Mission. My second fave area in SF. Culturally rich, great Mexican food and uber hipsters.

View of SF from Coit Tower. Beautiful!

Dragged to The Palace of The Fine Arts by Sarah. Thank goodness she did, it’s so so pretty.

Iyanla! Live! My spirit was enriched! Peace from Broken Pieces y’all!

: Yosemite! The kind of beauty my tiny point and shoot couldn’t capture. This is the stuff of foreign postcards that you don’t ever think you’ll get to see. Nature at its best.

Hiking in Yosemite. I don’t hike so I don’t even know what I was trying to do. Smh. 6 hour hike, never again!

Finally got to The Painted Ladies. Had my Full House moment and got my tourist on!

Really Britney? This wack ass chapel in the ghetto part of The Vegas Strip? I can not even live with that.

Aaaaah, the Bellagio water fountain show was everything! So majestic!

Meeting an old friend in Chicago of all places. Nothing like reconnecting with a great soul.

Loved the cleanliness and beauty of downtown Chicago.

Walking Michigan Avenue. Aaaaaaah, the windy city. I so get why Oprah based her show there. Great city. Cold as life though.

Best piece of entertainment I’ve ever seen. Book of Mormon. Vulgar and I loved it!

Kept collecting those Playbills and checked off “watch Wicked on Broadway” from my bucket list. Dreams come true!

Central Park Poses. New York City!

Well, look at me now. Strolling through the streets of Harvard. Yes. Where you at?

Aaaaah, calories. Cannolis at Carlo’s Bake Shop. So so good! Cake Boss for real!

Another memorable Broadway moment. Once is so amazing! Spent most on my money on Broadway, I’m a mess.

Sitting on them Brooklyn brownstone steps! Yip!

: All in all, I will remember the city by the bay forever. Life changed. Onwards we go!

SEVEN – TRAILER

Koodzi — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:16:27 +0000

So exciting! I will be travelling the East this summer! One Man. Seven Countries. I plan to start video blogging, sharing my experiences, the highs, the lows, the learning, the interesting people and all the flavours. Travel, fun and meeting interesting people are part of my passion. The video blog of a trip of a lifetime! Watch my fun trailer above.

San Francisco – 5 Things Not To Do or Say

Koodzi — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:54:02 +0000

1. Don’t say “San Fran” if you don’t want to be eyeballed. It’s just SF…just SF. This will save you many a “oh, look at this cute newbie/tourist person” type of looks. Cool?

2. Don’t put an article before MUNI and BART (public transport systems) – Say “MUNI” and “Bart” not “The MUNI” and “The BART”. Another eyeball-inducing moment.

3. Do not stare at the crazies. They will cuss you out, initiate awkward conversation, or start yelling Bible verses at your neck yo! I’ve been through the fire of all. Not fun.

4. Do not believe the hostess at the great brunch place who tells you the wait for brunch “will be like…let’s say….25 minutes?”. She’s lying. Soooo lying. Brunch is SF’s MAIN meal of the week and people take their sweet ass time. Get yourself a drink at the bar and wait for approx. and hour. TRUTH. The food is delicious though, so haaaaaaay, get your drink-at-bar-and-wait on! (Recommendation for killer brunch session: Zazies)

5. Don’t say, think or feel that you like Southern California (“SoCal”). Seriously, the folks over in Northern California do not believe is SoCal’s antics. The inhabitants of the upper region of the state of California definitely believe that they have better food, better vibes and all around better more enchanted lives. I must say, my brief trip to LA and San Diego confirmed this. Go NoCal (I don’t think that’s a thing, but whatever)!

Did You Know

Koodzi — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:47:03 +0000

“Did you know, you can quit your job, you can leave university? You aren’t legally required to have a degree, it’s a social pressure and expectation, not the law, and no one is holding a gun to your head. You can sell your house, you can give up your apartment, you can even sell your vehicle, and your things that are mostly unnecessary. You can see the world on a minimum wage salary, despite the persisting myth, you do not need a high paying job. You can leave your friends (if they’re true friends they’ll forgive you, and you’ll still be friends) and make new ones on the road. You can leave your family. You can depart from your hometown, your country, your culture, and everything you know. You can sacrifice. You can give up your $5.00 a cup morning coffee, you can give up air conditioning, frequent consumption of new products. You can give up eating out at restaurants and prepare affordable meals at home, and eat the leftovers too, instead of throwing them away. You can give up cable TV, Internet even. This list is endless. You can sacrifice climbing up in the hierarchy of careers. You can buck tradition and others’ expectations of you. You can triumph over your fears, by conquering your mind. You can take risks. And most of all, you can travel. You just don’t want it enough. You want a degree or a well-paying job or to stay in your comfort zone more. This is fine, if it’s what your heart desires most, but please don’t envy me and tell me you can’t travel. You’re not in a famine, in a desert, in a third world country, with five malnourished children to feed. You probably live in a first world country. You have a roof over your head, and food on your plate. You probably own luxuries like a cellphone and a computer. You can afford the $3.00 a night guest houses of India, the $0.10 fresh baked breakfasts of Morocco, because if you can afford to live in a first world country, you can certainly afford to travel in third world countries, you can probably even afford to travel in a first world country. So please say to me, “I want to travel, but other things are more important to me and I’m putting them first”, not, “I’m dying to travel, but I can’t”, because I have yet to have someone say they can’t, who truly can’t. You can, however, only live once, and for me, the enrichment of the soul that comes from seeing the world is worth more than a degree that could bring me in a bigger paycheck, or material wealth, or pleasing society. Of course, you must choose for yourself, follow your heart’s truest desires, but know that you can travel, you’re only making excuses for why you can’t. And if it makes any difference, I have never met anyone who has quit their job, left school, given up their life at home, to see the world, and regretted it. None. Only people who have grown old and regretted never traveling, who have regretted focusing too much on money and superficial success, who have realized too late that there is so much more to living than this.”

-from Wunderkammer: Did You Know

Koodzi – These Are The Things (Interlude)

Koodzi — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:03:38 +0000

Just a little something I worked on after work today. Was feeling a weird so had to release. Still in demo form but I like it. Thoughts?

Studio to Stage: SISTAR19 – Gone Not Around Any Longer (Music Bank)

Koodzi — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:02:48 +0000

This is how you do it! From the studio to the stage. Super talent. Hyorin is amazing! Really, she it. The moves, the vocals…I predict that she will be around for a long long time. Start video at 2:11 for Gone Not Around Any Longer.

Sexiest Comeback – SISTAR19 – Gone Not Around Any Longer

Koodzi — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 06:56:14 +0000

I love me some SISTAR19. Hoyrin’s vocals are as amazing and as smooth as usual. To me, she is the dark horse diva of K-Pop. Bora and Hyorin look so sexy! Those legs. Great comeback! The performances are sure set to slay!

Beautiful Bridges of The Bay Area

Koodzi — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 07:10:53 +0000

Random bridge in Bay Area

I’m still enjoying my time here. Between work, day trips, Napa, Lake Tahoe, shopping, Treasure Island etc I have crossed the bridges of the Bay Area a number of times. I love it every time because it makes all the pictures one sees of SF (and surrounds) so real. These are some of the pics I’ve taken:

The Bay Bridge

Driving on The Golden Gate Bridge

Songs That Make You Feel Things: Solange – Locked in Closets

Koodzi — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 07:45:37 +0000

“When I was just a girl I wore a thousand lives,
Heading on a search for the thing that makes me feel alright…”

It’s rare that I find a song that fills me with emotion that I can’t explain. Ms Knowles’ “Locked In Closets” is a gem from he solid EP called “True”. The 80′s inspired sparse instrumentation, her gorgeous voice and the sense that you can feel the air in the room where this song was recorded makes this song hit me in spots I don’t quite know how to articulate. For me, the song is filled with loss, hope, melancholy, nostalgia, peace and maturity all in one situation. Nicely done.