I recently received several (read: nine) separate invitations in the mail for Capital One’s VentureOne card. It got me thinking again about frequent flier programs again. While I’m currently really happy with the cash rewards cards I have now, I couldn’t help looking into this to see which travel benefits plan might be right for me. Below I’ve included a few resources I’ve found online for differentiating the benefits that each program offers. Obviously, the right card depends on which airline one flies most, one’s shopping vs. traveling activities, and what one values most in benefits. read more »

I recently deleted my old Blogspot site, though it’s not a big deal since I imported all the posts to this one. In looking at my very first post, I remembered how I started blogging during my pre-Performer Magazine days to show that I could be a music writer. Obviously, that turned out well.

If you’ve been following my noise for the past month or so, you’ll know that I’ve been making the move into the realm of travel writing. I feel like I’m beginning the above process again. Not surprisingly, it made me really happy yesterday when my first article for the travel network Gogobot was featured on their blog: “Seven Great Spots for Affordable Glasses of Wine in San Francisco.” It was the result of intense um… research… for a much needed cause. I also became the SF Italian Culture Examiner recently, so I’ll be covering local cultural events as well.

Additionally, I’m a contestant in a G Adventures contest to travel and cover a part of the world. Please do me a huge favor by voting for me! It only takes a second and you won’t have to register or sign up for anything. You can even vote again the following day ;) This would be a dream for me, so I thank you in advance.

If you hear of any opportunities or freelance projects related to travel writing, please let me know!

✈

Last night was the opening night of New Italian Cinema Event’s New Italian Cinema Festival. The week of premieres, hosted at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema, celebrates new additions to Italian film.

Opening the event was a presentation of La nostra vita (Our Life), by renowned director Daniele Luchetti. One of my favorite films, Mio fratello è figlio unico (My Brother Is an Only Child) was also directed by Luchetti, so I was particularly excited to see him in person. He offered his own thoughts on his film—touching on current cultural trends in Italy—which I found very insightful as a preface for the viewing.

To paraphrase: “People in Italy only care about money now, and the only institution that keeps people together is the family.”

Correspondingly, La nostra vita is a film as heavy as it is beautiful. Filmed in the documentary style with minimal direction, it’s much like looking into a real person’s life. It’s no surprise that actor Elio Germano received Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his role as the protagonist in this film. His portrayal of a man struggling to support his children was very honest and believable.

Calendar and tickets of upcoming premieres for the New Italian Cinema Festival

Before and after the film, I took some photos of San Francisco at night. With the full moon out and the crowds gone, it was the perfect time to capture a few shots.

Chinese Man Records | Facebook | Twitter

You get Chinese Man, the French trip-hop collective and my newest musical discovery. I was enjoying the night at Muka, a hip underground French wine bar in San Francisco, when I heard “Miss Chang” (video is below) off the owner’s playlist. Utilizing influences from around the world, it’s some of the best genre fusing I’ve ever heard. Each track on their 2011 release Racing With the Sun is unique and inspired.
read more »