Mess I made by Parachute.
Do you blame her?
Monday, May 14, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Cold, cold water
It's funny how music resonates with you years after the first time you hear it.
Back in 2007 I came across an artist called Damien Rice and hearing two of his tracks today struck me with the strangest feeling. It's so weird to just hear thse tracks and remember the person you were and place you were at when you first heard it and connected with it. But it's even more overwhelming knowing that whilst circumstances change and you're at a very different place right at this time you hear it years later, it affects you in a same way and you realise that in essence, the core of you hasn't changed at all.
I went to see him when he came to Sydney back in early 2007. To this day it's still the best live music concert I ever witnessed. The irony of it was it was one of the simplest performance and stagings I'd seen but his voice, his songs, lyrics and presence captivated all of us and it was so beautiful to just witness how much he put his soul and thoughts into these 3 minute pieces which honestly are timeless.
He somehow encapsulates within a single track an amazing depth and honesty of what people experience every day in their lives and their minds. It's those things you keep quiet, captive in your mind, and when you attempt to tell people, end up faltering because it's so hard. I get that. Understandably he's singing from the sincerest, most vulnerable part of himself - his heart - but I feel like he's speaking about a universal human experience of loss or vulnerability which I feel really really moving. It's challenging. He's like giving a voice, a quiet, faltering voice, to people's experiences and I can't get over it.
My favourite two tracks of the night were Cannonball and Cold Water.
Cannonball. In this song he sings about the feeling of just falling for someone deeply and being astounded by that feeling of losing yourself in that potential and their presence. My favourite part of song is when he says You step a little closer to me/Still I can't see what's going. And that's something I think most of us have experienced. It's like being in the presence of someone you're realising that you could, or are falling for, and being so overwhelmed that you can't think straight because you just don't want to blow it or scare them away. Or for those who haven't experienced this, you can get a glimpse of what it might feel like - so when it happens you will know the moment it happens and still struggle to cope with that feeling. You won't be prepared for it and that's the point.
It sounds like such a cliched subject to sing about but it's the way in which he sings the song, composes the music and performs it so understatedly, and just the lyrics, I'm in awe. Watching it live was one of the most arresting moments I can remember because it's like you can't get over how he can articulate that feeling with such simplicity and honesty. You can't take your eyes or ears away from it. You're compelled to look.
Then Cold Water came on and I just felt like crying because it's so sad. Watch this clip and the chills you experience are only a fraction of the experience you have watching it live. It's crazy.
I'm not religious myself and so can't relate so much to the idea of reaching out to God in times when I'm desperate, incredibly lonely or just feeling hopeless but I felt like crying because I'm sad that this is how low people can feel and it makes you realise how important having a faith is or simply something to believe in is. You need purpose, we all need purpose and it's really easy to get disillusioned or lose sight of what's important in life. And sometimes, when you finally realise this, you feel like you've wasted the best years of your life on trivial matters.
This song is so heartbreaking, and everyone who listens to this track regardless of what they are doing at the time, can't deny that. They can understand that and that's what's so sad.
Anyway I'm not so sure why I'm in such a forlorn mood to dig up these tracks from 5 years ago but I wanted to express how much they affected me when I was 19 and why that hasn't changed to this day.
Back in 2007 I came across an artist called Damien Rice and hearing two of his tracks today struck me with the strangest feeling. It's so weird to just hear thse tracks and remember the person you were and place you were at when you first heard it and connected with it. But it's even more overwhelming knowing that whilst circumstances change and you're at a very different place right at this time you hear it years later, it affects you in a same way and you realise that in essence, the core of you hasn't changed at all.
I went to see him when he came to Sydney back in early 2007. To this day it's still the best live music concert I ever witnessed. The irony of it was it was one of the simplest performance and stagings I'd seen but his voice, his songs, lyrics and presence captivated all of us and it was so beautiful to just witness how much he put his soul and thoughts into these 3 minute pieces which honestly are timeless.
He somehow encapsulates within a single track an amazing depth and honesty of what people experience every day in their lives and their minds. It's those things you keep quiet, captive in your mind, and when you attempt to tell people, end up faltering because it's so hard. I get that. Understandably he's singing from the sincerest, most vulnerable part of himself - his heart - but I feel like he's speaking about a universal human experience of loss or vulnerability which I feel really really moving. It's challenging. He's like giving a voice, a quiet, faltering voice, to people's experiences and I can't get over it.
My favourite two tracks of the night were Cannonball and Cold Water.
Cannonball. In this song he sings about the feeling of just falling for someone deeply and being astounded by that feeling of losing yourself in that potential and their presence. My favourite part of song is when he says You step a little closer to me/Still I can't see what's going. And that's something I think most of us have experienced. It's like being in the presence of someone you're realising that you could, or are falling for, and being so overwhelmed that you can't think straight because you just don't want to blow it or scare them away. Or for those who haven't experienced this, you can get a glimpse of what it might feel like - so when it happens you will know the moment it happens and still struggle to cope with that feeling. You won't be prepared for it and that's the point.
It sounds like such a cliched subject to sing about but it's the way in which he sings the song, composes the music and performs it so understatedly, and just the lyrics, I'm in awe. Watching it live was one of the most arresting moments I can remember because it's like you can't get over how he can articulate that feeling with such simplicity and honesty. You can't take your eyes or ears away from it. You're compelled to look.
Then Cold Water came on and I just felt like crying because it's so sad. Watch this clip and the chills you experience are only a fraction of the experience you have watching it live. It's crazy.
I'm not religious myself and so can't relate so much to the idea of reaching out to God in times when I'm desperate, incredibly lonely or just feeling hopeless but I felt like crying because I'm sad that this is how low people can feel and it makes you realise how important having a faith is or simply something to believe in is. You need purpose, we all need purpose and it's really easy to get disillusioned or lose sight of what's important in life. And sometimes, when you finally realise this, you feel like you've wasted the best years of your life on trivial matters.
This song is so heartbreaking, and everyone who listens to this track regardless of what they are doing at the time, can't deny that. They can understand that and that's what's so sad.
Anyway I'm not so sure why I'm in such a forlorn mood to dig up these tracks from 5 years ago but I wanted to express how much they affected me when I was 19 and why that hasn't changed to this day.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Softness
Today I did a bit of exploring on an artist my friend had intro-ed me to a few nights ago. By intro I mean that he posted a track of hers on my wall and I've been thrashing this track non stop on my iphone everywhere and anywhere I can (within reason lol).
Her name is Tia London, from Chicago and she is quite possibly the hardest artist to locate any info on.
Google produced jack all about her but reflecting back that's ironically a good thing because that makes those curious about her (like myself) more intrigued about her and her music - and that's what music should be all about right? The music itself, not so much the person behind it.
Anyway I'm not sure what it is about her but I'm hooked. I think it's because there's alot of facets of her music and style that remind me of another artist I really liked from a few years ago. When I first heard Drake's music back in 2009-2010 I was struck by his introspective lyrics and the moodiness of his music which mixed rapping and singing in equal measure which produced some beautiful dreamscape like tracks like Shut It Down. I loved that it was an eloquent mix of candidness and grandeur but more importantly I liked its softness. In an era where rap and r'n'b artists are concerned with delivering their beats and lyrics with brashness and aggression I liked the fact that Drake wasn't afraid to be the anecdote with his softness. Peppered with unexpected drums, guitar bursts and keyboard spikes, it's the kind of music you can chill out to after a crazy long day at work and the songs you loved years ago are still the ones you cruise along to even now.
That's how I instantly felt when I heard the first few tracks on Tia London's EP Love Junkie.
Her beats are simple and commercially catchy in the conventional sense but I like that she's subtle and doesn't try to match it with the outrageousness of the Rihannas and Nicki Minajs out there. I think there's depth to be found in whats understated and the mood created track by track and I guess that's why I'm currently obsessed with milking her EP dry at the moment haha. There's also a graceful ease in the way she can break into rap and then sing with a sincerity and swagger that not many female artists these days possess.
Not only that but the production of the EP itself is outstanding with moods and tones changing effortlessly from track to track. This is by no means a reflection of her inconsistency but shows her ability to be flirtatious and stepping it out to the guys out there in tracks like Go! and changing gears to show moroseness and self reflection in tracks like Love Rollercoaster:
I Got It - Mikkey Halsted featuring Tia London.
It's funny. I think that if you fully analysed different aspects of her music separately like her lyrics or her hooks you'd find there is nothing overly remarkable about what she's doing. However it's the combination of these elements in the form of the completed tracks that makes she someone worth looking out for.
Her name is Tia London, from Chicago and she is quite possibly the hardest artist to locate any info on.
Google produced jack all about her but reflecting back that's ironically a good thing because that makes those curious about her (like myself) more intrigued about her and her music - and that's what music should be all about right? The music itself, not so much the person behind it.
Anyway I'm not sure what it is about her but I'm hooked. I think it's because there's alot of facets of her music and style that remind me of another artist I really liked from a few years ago. When I first heard Drake's music back in 2009-2010 I was struck by his introspective lyrics and the moodiness of his music which mixed rapping and singing in equal measure which produced some beautiful dreamscape like tracks like Shut It Down. I loved that it was an eloquent mix of candidness and grandeur but more importantly I liked its softness. In an era where rap and r'n'b artists are concerned with delivering their beats and lyrics with brashness and aggression I liked the fact that Drake wasn't afraid to be the anecdote with his softness. Peppered with unexpected drums, guitar bursts and keyboard spikes, it's the kind of music you can chill out to after a crazy long day at work and the songs you loved years ago are still the ones you cruise along to even now.
That's how I instantly felt when I heard the first few tracks on Tia London's EP Love Junkie.
Her beats are simple and commercially catchy in the conventional sense but I like that she's subtle and doesn't try to match it with the outrageousness of the Rihannas and Nicki Minajs out there. I think there's depth to be found in whats understated and the mood created track by track and I guess that's why I'm currently obsessed with milking her EP dry at the moment haha. There's also a graceful ease in the way she can break into rap and then sing with a sincerity and swagger that not many female artists these days possess.
Not only that but the production of the EP itself is outstanding with moods and tones changing effortlessly from track to track. This is by no means a reflection of her inconsistency but shows her ability to be flirtatious and stepping it out to the guys out there in tracks like Go! and changing gears to show moroseness and self reflection in tracks like Love Rollercoaster:
I Got It - Mikkey Halsted featuring Tia London.
It's funny. I think that if you fully analysed different aspects of her music separately like her lyrics or her hooks you'd find there is nothing overly remarkable about what she's doing. However it's the combination of these elements in the form of the completed tracks that makes she someone worth looking out for.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Hugging a hot man
It's been getting pretty chilly lately so it's time to bring out the big guns I say!
One of the best inventions of all time (in my humble opinion) is hot water bottles. For those not so familiar with what that is, it's basically a container filled with hot water and sealed with a stopper or in my case, a kiss haha. People use it for warmth, usually while they're in bed or when they're cramping due to ahem *lady problems* and it's quite possibly the next best thing to hugging an actual warm body (or even better cos it's warmer haha).
I remember as a kid using them and hugging it foetal styles :D But I always had a scary thought that maybe one day if I hugged too hard the bottle might just explode and start leaking in my bed. Alas, that's yet to happen - yet :P
Oh the other hand, a less risky option is to use a heat pack. Basically these are more danger friendly and all you have to do is place this gel based pack in the microwave, nuke it for a few minutes and when you whip it out, it's warm as warm can be!
Not only is there no chance of leakage (as water is not actually used) but these heat packs come in a variety of styles which I find pretty cute.
One that I bought from a novelty store in Melbourne is my favourite little man Herbie the Love Hug. And that's basically what he is! A little man that you nuke to heat up and can hug all night long. I love love love hugging him and he's so soft and flexible that sometimes I just place him on my shoulder or stomach haha.
One of the best inventions of all time (in my humble opinion) is hot water bottles. For those not so familiar with what that is, it's basically a container filled with hot water and sealed with a stopper or in my case, a kiss haha. People use it for warmth, usually while they're in bed or when they're cramping due to ahem *lady problems* and it's quite possibly the next best thing to hugging an actual warm body (or even better cos it's warmer haha).
I remember as a kid using them and hugging it foetal styles :D But I always had a scary thought that maybe one day if I hugged too hard the bottle might just explode and start leaking in my bed. Alas, that's yet to happen - yet :P
Oh the other hand, a less risky option is to use a heat pack. Basically these are more danger friendly and all you have to do is place this gel based pack in the microwave, nuke it for a few minutes and when you whip it out, it's warm as warm can be!
Not only is there no chance of leakage (as water is not actually used) but these heat packs come in a variety of styles which I find pretty cute.
One that I bought from a novelty store in Melbourne is my favourite little man Herbie the Love Hug. And that's basically what he is! A little man that you nuke to heat up and can hug all night long. I love love love hugging him and he's so soft and flexible that sometimes I just place him on my shoulder or stomach haha.
I also love the bottle below in the shape of a fish. Kooky much?
And finally my obsession with dots...
On the music front I've been checking out tracks from my uni days... who remembers Omarion? Haha, I love this track Ice Box.
And Mr Mario Vazquez with Gallery.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Epiphany in the club
This is going to sound terribly embarrassing but I'm pretty sure I had an epiphany while I was in a club last weekend.
It was the weirdest feeling but I was in the club and a song came on and I was struck straightaway. I can't explain it but I was arrested by it. It's funny, I'm sure I've heard it a couple of times in my life on other occasions but I could never, ever catch who sang it and what the song was - and this fully irritated me.
Anyway, I was determined to find out what it was. For some reason I could hum the singing of it but it came out as gibberish. When I texted my mate to see if he knew what it was, what little clues I gave him just made him laugh as it made no sense.
So I was driving home last night fully trying to recall what this song was and I had an epiphany. I suddenly remembered like five words of the chorus and that's literally all it took. Googled those words at a red light and there it was! Sean Garrett, singing a track called Feel Love featuring none other than J. Cole.
Ahahaha, yes. I can't even describe how fulfilled I currently am based on this lol.
It's the tune. It's the rapping. It's the lyrics. It's cute and I'm hooked by the entire package. I mean who can overlook a track where the artist mutters that you pull an emotional vibe from my soul, look at me you got my heart beating like my back is filled with batteries.
If a guy ever said that to me, especially the part about the batteries, my heart would melt. But that's just me :)
In other news, I just wanted to say that I heart eggs. Eggs the food and eggs in the form of inaimate objects like toys.
Here is my eggman. I love him to death :)
It was the weirdest feeling but I was in the club and a song came on and I was struck straightaway. I can't explain it but I was arrested by it. It's funny, I'm sure I've heard it a couple of times in my life on other occasions but I could never, ever catch who sang it and what the song was - and this fully irritated me.
Anyway, I was determined to find out what it was. For some reason I could hum the singing of it but it came out as gibberish. When I texted my mate to see if he knew what it was, what little clues I gave him just made him laugh as it made no sense.
So I was driving home last night fully trying to recall what this song was and I had an epiphany. I suddenly remembered like five words of the chorus and that's literally all it took. Googled those words at a red light and there it was! Sean Garrett, singing a track called Feel Love featuring none other than J. Cole.
Ahahaha, yes. I can't even describe how fulfilled I currently am based on this lol.
It's the tune. It's the rapping. It's the lyrics. It's cute and I'm hooked by the entire package. I mean who can overlook a track where the artist mutters that you pull an emotional vibe from my soul, look at me you got my heart beating like my back is filled with batteries.
If a guy ever said that to me, especially the part about the batteries, my heart would melt. But that's just me :)
In other news, I just wanted to say that I heart eggs. Eggs the food and eggs in the form of inaimate objects like toys.
Here is my eggman. I love him to death :)
Monday, April 16, 2012
Floating thoughts
Don't pray that God puts someone in your life; pray to be ready when they come.
When I heard this uttered it stuck to me like glue.
Embarassingly enough I heard it when I was watching a strangely compelling Bravo TV series called Millionaire Matchmaker which is all about one lady, Patti Stanger's mission to matchmake wealthy men and women with life partners. One of the millionaires who had sought her services, Brandon, said it while she was interviewing him in his quest for love.
I guess we're all guilty at one point for wishing it. When we're feeling lonely, or pitying our 'poor luck' or lack of success in love we think to ourselves, 'When am I going to find someone who I can be with?'
I'm not referring to the person that you simply click with. I'm also not referring to that person you share that supposedly profound connection. Because those things, you can share and come across with a handful of people throughout your life. What I'm talking to is that person you share those things but also understands the logic because how irrationally or rationally you live your life and treats you with the dignity and respect all of us deserve.
Now that last thing is something that's really hard to find. For me personally I find that it's not particularly difficult to find connections with people and discover a common ground that you can base a friendship on. Conversations can flow great and you can so easily think, 'Wow, this person and I have a connection.' But connections are only one facet of something far more complicated. Connections wear thin and after a while you're kind of like, 'Why am I underwhelmed?'
For instance think of the concept of friends with benefits. For me, to put it bluntly, I think it's farcical. Call me old school, call me conservative and very close minded but I'm not entirely convinced by the concept. According to psychological studies quoted in Psychology Today, over 50 percent of young people in their 20s are engaging in these arrangements but I'm still under the impression that it's just a half-arsed version of a relationship that's not really a relationship.
Everyone wants to be wanted, everyone wants to be desired and liked. Human nature also makes us yearn for things like security and loyalty and this comes in many forms through affection expressed both verbally and physically. Now when someone propses the concept of friends with benefits that makes me think of two things: Call me overly serious and perhaps requiring 'a life' but is not the fact that you are asking me to enjoy no strings attached physical activity with you pretty much offering me a half arsed relationship. It's like offering on a platter all the perks of satisfying your sexual desires until you come across the person you want to be with without the requirement for you to commit, be loyal or partake in anything that builds meaning. All the things I mentioned above that we naturally yearn for a totally undersatisfied.
For me, I can't fathom anything worse than that. To me I think it's one person coming out on top and there's always someone who loses out. Either way, I gotta admit that it would take two very strong people who can easily divide their emotions and the physical who could maintain such a relationship without emerging hurt. Kudos to that.
All I can say is it's best to simply avoid those arrangements. Power on, even if you give in momentarily give yourself a break and realise your human. Don't let people make you feel bad for having your own way of thinking and saying you are taking life too seriously. You let them live their life so they should let you live yours.
Wait as you've been waiting this entire time and let the kid in you hope :)
When I heard this uttered it stuck to me like glue.
Embarassingly enough I heard it when I was watching a strangely compelling Bravo TV series called Millionaire Matchmaker which is all about one lady, Patti Stanger's mission to matchmake wealthy men and women with life partners. One of the millionaires who had sought her services, Brandon, said it while she was interviewing him in his quest for love.
I guess we're all guilty at one point for wishing it. When we're feeling lonely, or pitying our 'poor luck' or lack of success in love we think to ourselves, 'When am I going to find someone who I can be with?'
I'm not referring to the person that you simply click with. I'm also not referring to that person you share that supposedly profound connection. Because those things, you can share and come across with a handful of people throughout your life. What I'm talking to is that person you share those things but also understands the logic because how irrationally or rationally you live your life and treats you with the dignity and respect all of us deserve.
Now that last thing is something that's really hard to find. For me personally I find that it's not particularly difficult to find connections with people and discover a common ground that you can base a friendship on. Conversations can flow great and you can so easily think, 'Wow, this person and I have a connection.' But connections are only one facet of something far more complicated. Connections wear thin and after a while you're kind of like, 'Why am I underwhelmed?'
For instance think of the concept of friends with benefits. For me, to put it bluntly, I think it's farcical. Call me old school, call me conservative and very close minded but I'm not entirely convinced by the concept. According to psychological studies quoted in Psychology Today, over 50 percent of young people in their 20s are engaging in these arrangements but I'm still under the impression that it's just a half-arsed version of a relationship that's not really a relationship.
Everyone wants to be wanted, everyone wants to be desired and liked. Human nature also makes us yearn for things like security and loyalty and this comes in many forms through affection expressed both verbally and physically. Now when someone propses the concept of friends with benefits that makes me think of two things: Call me overly serious and perhaps requiring 'a life' but is not the fact that you are asking me to enjoy no strings attached physical activity with you pretty much offering me a half arsed relationship. It's like offering on a platter all the perks of satisfying your sexual desires until you come across the person you want to be with without the requirement for you to commit, be loyal or partake in anything that builds meaning. All the things I mentioned above that we naturally yearn for a totally undersatisfied.
For me, I can't fathom anything worse than that. To me I think it's one person coming out on top and there's always someone who loses out. Either way, I gotta admit that it would take two very strong people who can easily divide their emotions and the physical who could maintain such a relationship without emerging hurt. Kudos to that.
All I can say is it's best to simply avoid those arrangements. Power on, even if you give in momentarily give yourself a break and realise your human. Don't let people make you feel bad for having your own way of thinking and saying you are taking life too seriously. You let them live their life so they should let you live yours.
Wait as you've been waiting this entire time and let the kid in you hope :)
Dots!
The most random thing that makes me happy (simply by looking at it) is dots. I don't know what it is about dots but the sight of them makes me smile inside and out.
My phone case captures this obsession perfectly.
Bright yellow plus dots equals must buy! Made by Kate Spade I was immediately drawn to it when I saw it at a mobile phone kiosk in Mount Druitt. Out of the hundreds of cases they had on display this was hands down the only case I wanted and required. I had been holding out for the perfect case, risking my phone cracking at any point after my physical assault, and this case came at a perfect time - wonderful dots and all!
On the other hand, while I was in Thailand I came across this cute dotty kaftan. Found it in a random market in Bangkok and was immediately hooked. Cute hey?
Finally I've got bikini tops and shopping bags in the shape of dots!
Bikinis: similar to this...
Shopping bags: identical to this but in pink...
My current wishlist: a dotty bag...
... and a dotty makeup bag!
Rehashing some tracks I found on a CD my friend burnt for me I found this track I used to thrash with the replay button - F.I.L.A by The Dream.
Radio killer...
My phone case captures this obsession perfectly.
Bright yellow plus dots equals must buy! Made by Kate Spade I was immediately drawn to it when I saw it at a mobile phone kiosk in Mount Druitt. Out of the hundreds of cases they had on display this was hands down the only case I wanted and required. I had been holding out for the perfect case, risking my phone cracking at any point after my physical assault, and this case came at a perfect time - wonderful dots and all!
On the other hand, while I was in Thailand I came across this cute dotty kaftan. Found it in a random market in Bangkok and was immediately hooked. Cute hey?
Finally I've got bikini tops and shopping bags in the shape of dots!
Bikinis: similar to this...
Shopping bags: identical to this but in pink...
My current wishlist: a dotty bag...
... and a dotty makeup bag!
Song I'm currently crushing on...
Rehashing some tracks I found on a CD my friend burnt for me I found this track I used to thrash with the replay button - F.I.L.A by The Dream.
Radio killer...
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