Float like a butterfly...sting like a bee!

 

 

On a late Friday afternoon, on October 9, 2009, I sat down with  BC’s Champion Boxer, and friend, Pouyan Abedini, to catch up with him about his number one passion in life – boxing. Pouyan Abedini is 23 years old and is a part of Champlaign Heights Boxing Club in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

How old were you when you first started boxing?

11

How were you introduced to boxing?

             When I was 11 years old my best friend at the time told me about this boxing club
             and I went to check it out with him.

What happened when you were there? Were you instantly drawn to the sport?

            I was a really shy kid, and sat and watched for a while. I watched the whole work
            out and thought it looked cool. The coach came over and asked me if I wanted to
            punch the bag at all. I started punching and got out so much aggression, and have
            loved it since then.

Why do you think you were so drawn to it?

            As a kid I always had a lot of pent up aggression; I loved the ninja turtles and
             kicking and things like that. I had done tae kwon do for a little bit when I was
             even younger and had enjoyed that. Boxing was a good way for me to get out a lot
            of my aggression and was a good outlet.

How old were you when you had your first fight?

            I was 11.

How did you feel the first time you fought?

            Before the fight I was really nervous. I was just a kid back then. Incredibly
            nervous. I was a shy kid on top of it all, so that didn’t help.

How did you feel during the fight?

            Oh, during the fight, I loved it. It was such a crazy adrenaline rush. It felt like it
             went by so fast though.

What was the outcome of that first fight? Did you win or lose?

            I lost.

How did that make you feel?

            I was so disappointed. I mean, I was happy that I had actually done it, and gone            

            through with it, but so disappointed that I had lost. I was pretty pissed off actually.

Do you have a tendency to get angry easily, or quickly?

            Definitely (with a smirk on his face)

After you lost that first fight, did you feel discouraged at all?

            Yeah, so discouraged. I quit after that, I said I was never going back.

How long was it before you did go back to boxing?

            I was 13 when I went back.

When did you have your first win?

            When I was 13, when I went back. I trained really hard. I was so determined to
             win this time. I guess all my hard work paid off because I did win, and have been
             winning since then baby!

How did you feel after you won your first fight?

            Amazing, so amazing. I felt like I had really accomplished something.

What made you go back after that first time you lost?

            I was just really determined to win. I was ambitious. I loved the adrenaline rush
             that came along with it. I just wanted to succeed.

Why do you box?

            The adrenaline, the crowd…I love being in the ring and knowing all my family
             and friends are out there, watching me, cheering me on. And the girls, girls love
             an athlete, especially a boxer, haha just kidding. Not really.

Do you think boxing kept you out of trouble as a kid?

            Definitely. I would have gotten into so much trouble if it wasn’t for boxing.
             Boxing taught me about self discipline, and responsibility. It made me ambitious
             and determined. It helped me set goals. It helped me get over my shyness. I love
             boxing, if it wasn’t for boxing, I would have no direction in my life.

What did you mum think about you boxing? Did you family encourage it?

            Oh my mum totally hated it! After the first fight, she never wanted me going back
             to it. That was part of the reason I took that short break. I was still a kid and had
             to listen to her. When I did go back, at 13, and she saw my dedication, she
             became more accepting of it. She understood more where I was coming from. The
             better I got, the more supportive she got. In the end, obviously it proved to be a

             good thing, and even she agrees with that.

Tell me about your coach. Have you had the same coach since you first started out?

            Yeah, same guy. Same guy that invited me to punch the bag when I was 11.

What does he mean to you? Is he just a coach, or…?

            Oh he means way more to me than just a coach. I mean, this guy literally watched
             me grow up. He’s known me since I was 11 years old. He’s so much more than a
             coach. He’s my mentor. If it wasn’t for him and his encouragement, I wouldn’t be
             half as good as I am today. He’s the kind of guy I would want to know even if I
             wasn’t boxing. He knows me so well, and knows how to keep me on track. It
             means a lot that he cares enough to keep me on track too. We’ve really bonded
             over the years. But I mean, I guess you would, he accompanies me on my boxing
             trips and stuff, and we stay in the same hotel room, so we’ve really gotten to
             know each other over the last 11 years.

Where are you now in terms of boxing?

             I’m still training. Still loving it. The only thing is though, Canada doesn’t fund
             sports for me to pursue boxing as anything but a hobby. Canada doesn’t support
             or fund its Olympic sports, professional sports, amateur, nothing. While I’m in
             Canada, all I can do is enjoy boxing as a hobby. But I mean, maybe one day I’ll
             open up my own boxing club for kids or something. Who knows.

Interview with a Vampire - Sydney Morning Herald

Here’s a great new Rob interview from the Sydney Morning Herald, this interview was most likely done in Cannes:

Ask Robert Pattinson how he’s handling the global hysteria that now surrounds him and he says: “All right, I hope.” Then he runs his hand through that tousled mop of his (a sign that he’s anxious) and adds: “It’s still sort of new.”

It’s almost 12 months since the first Twilight film was unleashed on the world. Twelve months since we clapped eyes on the sensitive, tortured and fiercely handsome vampire named Edward Cullen from Stephenie Meyer’s massively popular novels. Twelve months since Pattinson, the 23-year-old British actor who plays the red-blooded teenage vamp, became an international heart-throb.

One minute he has a bit part in two Harry Potter films (he played Cedric Diggory in The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix). The next he’s the object of every teenage girl’s affections. They’re screaming right now outside his hotel room. He’s in France to promote The Twilight Saga: New Moon , the follow-up to Twilight (there are four novels in all). Whenever he goes near the window to smoke, a crescendo of noise erupts from the street below.

Read more after the jump!

“To be honest, I still don’t really understand what’s going on,” he says. “Like yesterday, I was having lunch down the road. We were in this place for a couple of hours and suddenly there was like 400 people outside on the street. It was just so nuts and it’s like that all the time now.”

If Pattinson hasn’t come to grips with the global hysteria by now, how will he cope when New Moon is released next month?

“When the second one comes out, then I’ll see how I am. Mostly I can ignore things to quite a big extent and kind of pretend they’re not really happening,” he says, sounding eerily calm.

“I just don’t take any of it seriously. It’s just a job and while it’s a job I love, girls scream out for Edward, not Robert. I still can’t get a date.”

Pattinson has been peddling this line for months. He won’t fess up to dating Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella. Perhaps he’s under studio instructions to appear single? It probably boosts ticket sales.

The real reason Pattinson is so calm is simple: “I’m not the lead in the second film. Taylor [Lautner] is.” He grins idiotically. “I appear in Bella’s dreams. So I’m in it but the focus is not on me. I just have significant moments at the beginning … and the end. So I’m more of a supporting role in this one, which is why I felt so free. I didn’t have to deal with any of the bullshit of the first one. I don’t have to hold the movie or worry about the fans. I think I did it better without all those pressures.”

Pattinson is extraordinarily beautiful. He’s been called the Johnny Depp of his generation and been crowned Sexiest Man on the Planet by Glamour magazine, Top Hunk by Entertainment Tonight and Hottest Actor by Rolling Stone.

Like Depp, he has the same asymmetrical beauty, the same gorgeous man-boy face. He’s 185 centimetres tall, lean and he, too, exudes a masculine femininity. Depp also started out as a teenage idol before he began furiously deconstructing that image. Ditto for Pattinson.

“After Harry Potter I could have done a lot more teen movies,” he says.

Instead he starred as a young Salvador Dali who has a bromance with poet Federico Garcia Lorca in this year’s Little Ashes.

“I had to do all these hardcore gay sex scenes, when I haven’t even had a sex scene with a girl in a film yet,” he laughs.

“I’m lining up so many different films so it’ll be harder to just label me the vampire guy.”

Those include Remember Me, with Aussie beauty Emilie de Ravin from Lost, and Unbound Captives, a western set in 1859, which stars Hugh Jackman – but more on that later.

Before Twilight, Pattinson was on the verge of quitting the acting game in favour of music. “With acting, a lot of the time you’re doing scenes you don’t really relate to and you don’t really know why you’re being cast half the time,” he laughs. He “understood” music. He’s been playing the piano since he was five. He composes and sings. It’s second nature. Acting isn’t. He still feels “awkward in front of a camera”.

Pattinson has a lovely voice and performed two songs in Twilight – something he now regrets. “When the first film came out I felt like a complete tosser,” he says. “It looked like I was trying to be cool or something, like Eminem. You know, be in a movie and then do a song for the soundtrack. But I didn’t look cool, I just looked ridiculous.”

Pattinson’s lack of self-confidence is staggering yet endearing. Compliment his singing and he’ll change the subject. Compliment his performance and he’ll tell you you’re bonkers. But he’ll stick to acting for now only because he’d “starve to death” as a musician.

Pattinson has two older sisters – Lizzy, a musician, who’s in the band Aurora; and Victoria, who’s in advertising. His father imported classic cars and his mother worked for a modelling agency. It was his father who encouraged him to pursue acting (to meet girls). So he modelled, did some amateur theatre and British television.

But now he has to go. A plane is waiting. He yawns and looks tired. So how does he unwind?

“I don’t really need to do stuff to relax or get away because all my interests are part of my job,” he says. “Like I’ll watch movies to be inspired to do other movies. I read books to be inspired. I listen to music to be inspired to write music. Everything I do is to create something.”

Pattinson’s next film is Unbound Captives. He met Jackman in Japan recently for a little bonding ahead of the film. “We went karaoke singing,” he laughs. “We were singing Abba songs, it was pretty funny. It was sort of an Abba song sing-off, you know, last man standing.”

Who won? “I think he did, only because he can drink more than me and still sing in tune. He’s a cool guy and I’m really looking forward to that film.”

So are we. The Sexiest Man Alive meets the Sexiest Man on the Planet – now that should be interesting.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon opens on November 19.

NOTES

Pattinson chain-smokes during the interview. About halfway through, he runs out of cigarettes. He decides to pop out into the hallway to see whether he can “bum” one from a passing hotel guest. When the French hotel staff, who are normally cool, calm and collected, lay eyes on him, they turn into an adoring mass of autograph-seeking fans. Pattinson has to make a quick dash back to the safety of the room. He’s clearly unnerved by the run-in.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald Thanks JAG from RAOR for the tip!

English

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Kelley Armstrong

Best-selling author Kelley Armstrong answers my questions about vampires, werewolves and the Women of the Otherworld and tells us more about her upcoming books…

Hi Kelley, thank you for being on “Veronika Asks” for the “Books & Shivers” October special! First, would you please introduce yourself to our readers? How would you describe yourself in three words?
I’m the author of the “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series, “Darkest Powers”  YA urban fantasy trilogy, and the Nadia Stafford crime series.  I grew up in Ontario, Canada, where I still live with my family.  A former computer programmer, I’ve now escaped my corporate cubicle and hope never to return. 
How would I describe myself in three words?  Averse to normality.

“Frostbitten”, the tenth novel in the “Women of the Otherworld” series is on stores this month. Can you tell us more about it?
It returns to my first and most popular heroine, werewolf Elena Michaels.  Together with her husband, she goes to Alaska to warn a young werewolf that he’s in trouble…and gets into a whole lot of trouble herself.

Can we have a few tiny spoilers about the 11th “Otherworld” book? Some hints, maybe…
It’s done, so I can give a few hints   The narrator is Savannah Levine, who has grown up over the course of the series, having first appeared in Stolen at the age of 12.  In book 11 (Waking the Witch) she’s 21 and gets her first investigation.

And in December 2009 comes out “Angelic”, a short novella (in limited edition!)… What is it about, why a novella and why in limited edition?
I don’t get a lot of opportunity to publish novellas and I have a lot of ideas that just aren’t novel length.  The requests I get are for anthologies where they want a specific theme, meaning I can’t use one of my ideas!  With Subterranean Press, I get the chance to write about anything I want–in this case, it’s an Eve Levine story.  They do a fancy hardcover edition with four original full-colour illustrations, which is why it’s a limited edition. I did a short story for them last year and was thrilled with the result.

Why did you chose to write about witches, vampires and werewolves? How was the “Otherworld” series born?
I love writing paranormal fiction.  I’ve been fascinated by the supernatural since childhood.  When Bitten sold, the plan was to follow up with another stand-alone supernatural thriller.  Then my publishers suggested turning it into a series.  I loved the idea, but couldn’t imagine a whole series on Elena so I introduced other supernatural types in Stolen.

You’re now a New York Times bestselling author. Do you remember how it all started? Can you tell us more about your “Want my book published” quest?
I’ve been writing all my life.  In my twenties I started working on novels, and would sporadically send out query letters and sample chapters, but never got anything more than a form letter rejection. When I finished Bitten, I had an instructor look at it, to see how well I was progressing.  He offered to recommend it to an agent, and things happened very quickly from there.  Within a couple of months I went from being unpublished to having multiple book contracts.  So it was a long empty road, with a very quick stop at the end!

How do you explain such a success? Why do you think paranormal novels are so popular nowadays?
I wish I knew! I’ve heard many theories floated, but I suspect it’s just the cyclical nature of the medium.  Paranormal books come into fashion, then fade out, and after they’ve been gone a while, people are hungry for them again.

How do you work? Do you have a few rituals or habits that help you?
I don’t really have any rituals or habits.  That’s a necessity for me.  With a full household of husband, kids and pets, I need to be able to jump into writing at a moment’s notice.  If I could only write at certain times, under certain circumstances, I’d be in big trouble.  My basic routine is to start when they kids go to school and work (writing, editing, outlining, etc) until they come home, then get things like business done after dinner and on weekends.  It’s not a regular 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday job–I can say that much!

What do you think is the perfect “paranormal fiction” cocktail?
I’m not sure there is one.  I know what works for me as a reader–fast-pacing, high action, humour, light romance and good world-building.

If you had a magic wand, how would you use it?
That’s one of those questions that requires a big answer, like the kind they give in beauty pageants.  Bring world peace, end world hunger… 

I see there’s a Role Playing Game devoted to the “Otherworld”. If you could live in the “Otherworld”, who would you be?
Which character? None. LOL  There’s not one of my characters I’d trade lives with.  Now, if you forced me to become one, I’d pick Elena, mainly because we share a lot of superficial qualities–same age, similar educational background, Canadian, married, kids.

Is there a book you wish you’d written?
Oh, there are lots!  At least a few times a year, I pick up a book and think “I wish I could write like that.”  I know my strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and I envy anyone whose strengths are my weaknesses.

What are you working on right now?
I just finished my fourth young adult novel, and I’m currently proofreading the third–The Reckoning–which comes out in May.

Do you want to add something (or perhaps wish a happy Halloween to our readers? While we’re at it, do you celebrate it and how?)?
Yes, a huge Happy Halloween to all.  It’s always been a favourite holiday of mine.  I used to decorate my parents’ house with a front yard cemetery, tableau in the garage etc.  Unfortunately, where I live now, we’re lucky to get one trick-or-treater a year–it’s a rural area and religiously conservative (many kids don’t go out for Halloween)

Finally, the “Nothing-to-do-with-books-question”: you’ve found $100, how will you use your newly acquired money?
Books of course!

“Favourite…”

Author & Book: Richard Adams, Watership Down
Movie & TV show: The Princess Bride, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Food: Cheesecake
City: Montreal
Music: Just regular top-forties rock/pop
Hobby: Reading!
Place to write in: Curled up in a recliner
Quote or Motto: Mae West quote: When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I’ve never tried before.

“Tea or Coffee?”

Tea or Coffee? Coffee.
Saturday night. Disco & Restaurant or Home, Books & DVDs? Home with books and DVDs
Going on holidays. Beach or Mountains? Mountains
Sleepy Little Town or Crazy Megapolis? Hmmm, prefer rural life, but if it had to be urban, I’d go with the big city
Pick a DVD: Comedy or Weepy Drama? Not really keen on either…
Like To Travel or Hate to Move? Both.  I like travelling for business/pleasure, but I don’t like moving permanently
Sport Lover or Couch Potato? Couch potato
Leader or Follower? Leader (I’m bossy)
Shy or Easy-going? Shy
Serious or Funny? Both

Thank you, Kelley!
You can learn more about Kelley Armstrong and her books at http://kelleyarmstrong.com/ 

we regret to inform you....

Today I received an email stating that one of the companies I had interviewed with (a lengthy one at that) had hired another applicant.  While it can be disheartening when you have placed a lot of effort into researching the company, interviewing, and following up it is also a relief.  A relief because even though the company is amazing it was not the right place in the long run.  My active search for work is now on its 2nd month and at times it is difficult to feel optimistic.  What helps me immensely is having a strong network of friends and a very loving family.  Meditating a couple times a week doesn’t hurt either.

NM Soundtrack: OK Go On “Shooting the Moon”

In an interview with Buzznet, OK Go’s frontman Damien Kulash discusses the band’s song Shooting the Moon which appears on the New Moon soundtrack.

doubter re: the US moon landing, but the story fascinates me. The story, that is, that would be, were the conspiracy theory true. One of the most iconic heros of all time would have to live with the guilt. He’d have to keep such a heavy, terrible secret: that this huge historical watershed was a cynical lie. As the basis of a song, it let me get at a feeling that I otherwise have a hard time describing, the feeling of dread and conviction at the same time. Of wanting to say it’s going to be OK, when in fact it probably isn’t. It’s a feeling I have a lot. The hero knows the only way to make things better in the long run is to unleash this awful truth which is going to break everyone’s heart.

Buzznet: Did you create this song with the intention of having it on the New Moon soundtrack? Was “Shooting The Moon” recorded at the same time that you recorded your songs on your upcoming album?

Damian: It was recorded along with the songs on our new album, but it was a perfect fit for New Moon. Our record’s already nearly an hour long, so we could afford it let this one go on to greener pastures. Which is no euphemism. The song is in such great company on this soundtrack that it’s probably happier in its new home.

Buzznet: What is your favorite song off of the original Twilight Soundtrack?

Damian: I like the Iron and Wine song a lot.

Buzznet: If you were to have to choose 1 OK Go song to “set the mood” for Bella and Edward, what song would you play?

Damian: Hmm. I’m gonna give a few answers. Sorta depends on their mood. They’re both earnest types, so perhaps the super-honest love song is the way to go. There’s one on our new album called Last Leaf, in which I tell the woman I love that I will wait for her forever, which, sentiment-wise, seems pretty on-the-nose for B&E. But whether it’d get them feeling randy, I don’t know. There’s a dancier love song called “I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe,” and again, bingo, right? Or do vampires breathe? To me, the sexiest song on the record is this one that we’ve already released online called “Skyscrapers.” But I have sorta different parameters for sexy than most folks; it’s probably only advisable as an aphrodisiac for the slow-jam inclined.                                                                                    

Read the entire interview HERE!

Masquerading Marionettes: Interview with Scott Radke

If magical marionettes with soulful eyes and anthropomorphic tendencies wandered through a dark forest in search of an unspoken mystery, they would have certainly wandered out of Scott Radke’s rear window. Radke is a painter and sculptor whose marionettes bear cherub faces of concern and curiousity with spindly limbs and stocking caps. Some wear organic outfits of twigs and earthen tones while others are disguised in animals skins of swan suites or octopus hoods.  Radke animates his transfixed creations with explicitly human expressions and naturalistic spirits. It is not surprising that his marionettes have been featured in films including Voices In My Head, a BBC documentary directed by David Malone; Desolation Sound, starring Jennifer Beals; God in the Machine, starring Thomas Jay Ryan; and Birthday Massacre’s music video, Blue. Radke’s work has been published in Bizarre, Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose.

1) Can you remember the first sculpture or drawing that you made as a kid growing up?
Hmm. The first thing that comes to mind is a drawing I did of birds flying. I remember drawing them with four wings which is what they looked like to me when they were flying and it was the only way I thought it would look right when I tired to draw them. I did not really sculpt until I was in my 20’s and that started with sand sculpting.

2) What inspires your art?
Faces, happiness(believe it or not), love, and nature quite a bit.

3) What was your first gallery show and how did it happen?
I started out showing in bars and small galleries here in Cleveland. I lived in a great little part of town called Tremont. It changed my life. Everyone was so supportive and friendly and open to my work. Outside of Cleveland, my first show was in 2003 at CBGB’s 313 Gallery. I was in New York and I just went in and showed Micheline my work and she set up a show for me.

4) How did you support and promote your art early on?
Here, in town, I would show wherever and whenever I could. It was not until my roommate Vic Sabula, set up a website for me in 1997 that things took off from there. I’d say 99% of whatever happens for my work happens because of my web presence.

5) You illustrate and sculpt. What made you to decide to pursue sculpting more?
I don’t consider myself a great sculptor or painter but when I combine the two, I feel right at home.

6) If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself ten years ago from now?
Stop fooling around, don’t take things too seriously, focus and for Gods sake, eat something.

7) What are some upcoming or current projects that you’re working on?
I am just moving along doing what I have been. I just finished a set of dancer type things and I am not sure what I will do next. I have some work in the Beyond Eden Art Fair in LA thanks to Thinkpsace Gallery.