Music. The one non-essential element that practically everybody adheres to and subsequently incorporate it as an integral part of their lives. While music was generated predominantly to convey and express emotions (no?) - via lyrics no less - music nowadays tend to be more a mash-up of catchy hooks, headbanging feet-tapping beats and mindless lyrics (starships were meant to fly... seriously?) with no aim of portraying an ulterior message (unless of course the hardcore sensationalism consensus of the "illuminati" infiltrating music to pervade the masses holds true). Yet somehow, evidently, today's crop of music and singers still manages to capture the attention of the current generation (yours truly included, despite my constant denigration).
It seems weird how diverse and contrasting perceptions can be. Throw a 5 member boyband from the UK straight into the thick of the action, where they garner a Bieber-esque dose of fame and popularity, and it culminates with the band getting berated and labeled gay. For example: "Which way do 5 gay boys walk? One Direction". Yet another 5 member boyband also from the UK -The Wanted-have no such trouble with labels. Safe to say, Justin Bieber is probably one of, if not the, most famous teenagers in the world now. Throughout his whole career he has been afflicted with verbal abuse similar to One Direction. Yet another "blonde white boy" - Jesse McCartney - had no such problems. Rihanna gets mercilessly bombarded for singing a song about her nether regions, while Flo Rida sings a song about a bj and is hailed as musically gifted and takes the song to number one. Right.
Having said that, in no way is yours truly a fanatic of the abovementioned 1D or JB- with their fans affectionately known as "Directioners" or "Beliebers"- but I do have to say their latest offerings are pretty ridiculously catchy. And as much as I hate to admit it, seems like the Beebs has actually matured as an artiste - really polished and slick dance moves just adds to his repertoire of skills- as compared to his pre-pubescent days of "Baby" and "One Time". Oh well these songs still fall under "mindless" music of today with no meaningful lyrics. If only there were more singers like Adele and Jason Mraz who use their vocals instead of beats to conjure up music.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Disappointing (just an opinion, don't arrest me)
Not to generalise, but ICA/SPF/AETOS and whatever factions associated with Singapore's Changi Airport should be extremely disappointed with themselves. Having once graced the pinnacle- deemed the best airport in the world- how the mighty have fallen. Known for its excelled and unparalleled efficiency, what transpired served to portray the epitome of inefficiency - a contradiction to the image viewed through the lens offered by this Lion City.
The infamous debacle that occurred several years ago involving a high-profile terrorist escape from a Singapore detention center (after which he was caught months later in JB by Malaysian police) already made the island's security force a laughing stock. But this latest mini fiasco just puts a major dent in the republic's trust in our uniformed personnel.
Sure, they have accounted for the relatively safe and secure environment, and credit should be extended where it's due. But the chaos that ensued in Changi few nights ago cannot go unnoticed. The young Westerner's ghostly screams that reverberated across Terminal 1's baggage claim area caused everyone to awake from their slumber while awaiting for their luggage. After a while, the problem became prominent - a young boy had been trapped in the conveyor belt, and his screams of fear were horrifying enough. What happened next could make any sane person mad to the bone.
Groups of airport personnel rushed over to the scene - SPF, AETOS, ICA, mechanics, engineers, senior officers etc- and promptly did NOTHING. Everyone just stood and watched as the boy continued screaming and his panic-stricken parents attempted to find and calm him down. That it took 2 members of public to run the show while all the airport staff just lingered around said everything. 1 pressed the emergency stop button to halt the belts and subsequently disseminated orders, and another called for an ambulance and checked on the injured boy. How the hell can anyone, let alone a uniformed personnel, say "oh sorry we have no ice here"when asked in an emergency and just stand there and do nothing? For starters you are in a freaking airport. Worst case scenario go to a restaurant or something. Absolutely no sense of urgency - an 8 year old boy could run and grab ice while officers on duty stood gaily and did nothing. Utterly disappointing. And instead of helping these Western tourists in need, you bitch about their incompetency at parenting? Seriously? Singaporeans complain (sometimes rightly) that foreigners are invading their country and taking their jobs, but on this account, can we blame them seeing that our local officers can't even get a simple job done? With all due respect, this incident could be deemed as small scale, and yet all the officers on duty had no clue whatsoever how to handle it or take control of the situation. And they are the ones who are supposed to defend the island in the occurrence of a larger scale crisis, say, a terrorist attack? Probably no place to berate these officials, but its just a concern. That they cannot handle a minor emergency, and as highlighted by MS's escape, a nationwide crisis, is a cause for concern. We can only hope that they buck up and be as efficient as Singapore deems itself to be to the rest of the world.
The infamous debacle that occurred several years ago involving a high-profile terrorist escape from a Singapore detention center (after which he was caught months later in JB by Malaysian police) already made the island's security force a laughing stock. But this latest mini fiasco just puts a major dent in the republic's trust in our uniformed personnel.
Sure, they have accounted for the relatively safe and secure environment, and credit should be extended where it's due. But the chaos that ensued in Changi few nights ago cannot go unnoticed. The young Westerner's ghostly screams that reverberated across Terminal 1's baggage claim area caused everyone to awake from their slumber while awaiting for their luggage. After a while, the problem became prominent - a young boy had been trapped in the conveyor belt, and his screams of fear were horrifying enough. What happened next could make any sane person mad to the bone.
Groups of airport personnel rushed over to the scene - SPF, AETOS, ICA, mechanics, engineers, senior officers etc- and promptly did NOTHING. Everyone just stood and watched as the boy continued screaming and his panic-stricken parents attempted to find and calm him down. That it took 2 members of public to run the show while all the airport staff just lingered around said everything. 1 pressed the emergency stop button to halt the belts and subsequently disseminated orders, and another called for an ambulance and checked on the injured boy. How the hell can anyone, let alone a uniformed personnel, say "oh sorry we have no ice here"when asked in an emergency and just stand there and do nothing? For starters you are in a freaking airport. Worst case scenario go to a restaurant or something. Absolutely no sense of urgency - an 8 year old boy could run and grab ice while officers on duty stood gaily and did nothing. Utterly disappointing. And instead of helping these Western tourists in need, you bitch about their incompetency at parenting? Seriously? Singaporeans complain (sometimes rightly) that foreigners are invading their country and taking their jobs, but on this account, can we blame them seeing that our local officers can't even get a simple job done? With all due respect, this incident could be deemed as small scale, and yet all the officers on duty had no clue whatsoever how to handle it or take control of the situation. And they are the ones who are supposed to defend the island in the occurrence of a larger scale crisis, say, a terrorist attack? Probably no place to berate these officials, but its just a concern. That they cannot handle a minor emergency, and as highlighted by MS's escape, a nationwide crisis, is a cause for concern. We can only hope that they buck up and be as efficient as Singapore deems itself to be to the rest of the world.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Happiness
"Happiness is a state of mind, a mood, a condition. It is not a destination. It is not permanent; it comes and goes, akin to hunger and lethargy. People presume happiness can be triggered by attaining that dream job, that dream car or by someone who can fix the problems in their lives, but it is not a destination. People get lost thinking that it is. The sooner it is realised, the easier and more often happiness can be acquired and felt. You witness the wealthy individuals with social-climbing agendas, the media moguls and magnates replete with personal assets filthy enough to rival the wealth of an entire nation; yet they seem to possess a dearth of happiness-trouble ripple innocuously beneath the shimmering surface of their seemingly rich lives. You turn around and witness a family struggling to make ends meet, no item of luxury on display, yet their smiles and joy emblazoned across their faces portray the satisfaction and content of a comfortable life. It is not the materialistic or idealistic desires that would make us happy one day; it is how we make our life out to be with what we already have."
While the music industry may be slowly approaching its demise via digging its own grave by virtue of churning out relatively and absolutely talentless "artistes", there are still few perceived good ones out there. The dynamic duo of David Guetta and Sia are an explosive collaboration. This has to be one of the most simple and underrated videos, but a wonderful song nontheless.
David Guetta Feat. Sia - She Wolf
Current Hits:
David Guetta - She Wolf , I Can Only Imagine
Conor Maynard - Can't Say No, Turn Around, Vegas Girl
Enrique Iglesias - Finally Found You
Far East Movement - Turn Up The Love
Carly Rae Jepsen - Beautiful
One Direction - Live While We're Young
The Wanted - I Found You
Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Irritants:
Flo Rida - Whistle
Nicki Minaj - Pound The Alarm
Psy - Gangnam Style
Pink - Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
No Doubt - Settle Down
Pitbull - Back In Time
While the music industry may be slowly approaching its demise via digging its own grave by virtue of churning out relatively and absolutely talentless "artistes", there are still few perceived good ones out there. The dynamic duo of David Guetta and Sia are an explosive collaboration. This has to be one of the most simple and underrated videos, but a wonderful song nontheless.
David Guetta Feat. Sia - She Wolf
Current Hits:
David Guetta - She Wolf , I Can Only Imagine
Conor Maynard - Can't Say No, Turn Around, Vegas Girl
Enrique Iglesias - Finally Found You
Far East Movement - Turn Up The Love
Carly Rae Jepsen - Beautiful
One Direction - Live While We're Young
The Wanted - I Found You
Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Irritants:
Flo Rida - Whistle
Nicki Minaj - Pound The Alarm
Psy - Gangnam Style
Pink - Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
No Doubt - Settle Down
Pitbull - Back In Time
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