I stand open

Dear reader,






Sometimes I lose hope in the world and its capability of producing good music. I mean, there's the Click Five, the Jonas Brothers, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, etc...but then, I stumble upon some real music, and my faith in humanity is restored once again.

Fan-made video, ngeh. Song is awesome though. And I love the Avett Brothers' sense of humour, it shines through their songs.

This song is what real music sounds like. This is what all musicians should aspire to be. I'm not exaggerating. Go and listen to this guy's songs, they will blow your mind.

Last but definitely not least. Such a soothing, meaningful song. This is one of those songs you can listen to whatever mood you're in. Because it's so honest and real...it can be happy, sad, or inspiring depending on what emotions you're feeling at that particular moment.

So. I suppose that's it, dear reader. Goodbye, and until next time.

Yours,

Figgy.

"Love all, serve all, create no sorrow."
      
          - Trevor Hall, 'Unity'

beautiful coincidences

i was his from the moment we first met

say what you say or just sail away

your lipstick stains

let me sail, let me sail

elope with me, miss private, and we’ll sail around the world

you're so good to me baby, baby

i'm through with standing in line

all who are weak, all who are weary

the beat goes on, the beat goes on

wake up, bloodshot eyes

i wanna be the minority

a heart that's full up like a landfill

i've been meaning to tell you

she took away all my money

baptised with a perfect name

let's start at the very beginning

jesus, jesus, jesus

while everybody else is getting out of bed

so if you're lonely

i can tell, i can tell how much you hate this

tell me how i'm supposed to breathe with no air

beautiful girls

remember all the things we wanted?

the night will come

So. What do you think, dear reader? Have I finally gone insane?


Do you know what ready-made art is? It is an "everyday object selected and designated as art; the name was coined by the French artist Marcel Duchamp." The term is also used to describe "art created from the undisguised, but often modified, use of objects that are not normally considered art, often because they already have a non-art function." 


What's that, dear reader? You don't care? Ah, but you should care. You see, the pathetic attempt at poetry you see above is my slightly skewed version of ready-made art. Out of sheer boredom and my inevitable tendencies towards procrastination, I decided to experiment. Here's what I did (look, it's a list!)...






The 'How to Procrastinate Like a Professional' List:

1. Have an assignment due, the sooner the better. Preferably within a two-day time period. You could try three days, but it wouldn't have the same impact.
2. Waste time on Internet. 
3. First attempt at getting some work done.
4. Waste some more time on Internet.
5. Give up on trying to get work done.
6. Go to Music folder.
7. Select all.
8. Press play. Shuffle.
9. Write first line of each song.
10. Compile into meaningless, beautiful nonsense.
11. Compose blog post focused entirely on said meaningless, beautiful nonsense.
12. Proofread til satisfied.

There you go. Figgy's patented procrastination formula. My favourite nonsense-poems are the 'standing in line' one and the last one. And what's with the sailing theme in the first and second stanzas? I didn't skip or rearrange any songs, I swear. I just wrote them down in the same order that they came up. Creepy. But in a good way. It's awesome when seemingly random and unrelated things come together to form something so perfect. Beautiful coincidences. Or ordinary miracles.

So, dear reader. Can you guess the songs these first verses belong to? I bet you can't. Well, some are more obvious than others. I enjoyed this little experiment. Expect more nonsense poetry in the future. Til then, I remain...










Yours,






Figgy.

Unscrew the Stars

Baby, I want you to roll me, hold me in your love
No more habits, promises and jive

I'm in an oldies mood today. But then again, when am I not in an oldies mood, right? Well, strictly speaking, I'm in an awesome eighties mood. I was just listening to Heart's Love Alive. Such a beautiful song, both the music and the lyrics. If every song in the entire world were even half as well-written as this one, the subsequent surge of awesomeness would probably result in World Peace. Fo' shizzle.

I mean, wow. Just wow. Can you dig it, dear reader? Can you feel the way the sound of the guitar just flows over you? And her voice, absolutely perfect. I love the way the drums pick up about halfway through, with that awesome twangy, strummy guitar joining in. Now that is music, people. I could listen to this all day and not get tired of it.

I think if you manage to discover something new in a song or a piece of music every time you listen to it, then that's good music. Deep, you know. With layers and substance and wit.

Oh, and in totally unrelated news: I like stars. You know how certain objects or animals or whatever mean different things to different people? Stars are like that, they're special to me. Okay. So you know I'm Christian, right? If you don't, well...now you do. There's this part in the Old Testament where God and Abraham are having a heart-to-heart. It's where the Big Guy makes His famous 'generation promises', as I like to call them.

Genesis 22:17

indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.

As a Christian, I am a 'descendant' of Abraham. So basically, I am part of the 'star' generation. The Star Seed, if you will. Sounds like a clan of kick-ass comic book mutants, or an ancient tribe of superhuman warriors doesn't it?

Okay, not really what I had in mind. Moving on.

Also. Whenever I think of stars, I think of:

I am a lady from Mars,

And I can unscrew the stars.

I can be anything that I see.

I can be anything that I, anything that I see.

          - Ingrid Michaelson, Lady in Spain

Yeah. My head is a pretty haphazard place. Filled to the brim with anecdotes about stars and things of a similar epic nature--no doubt--but riddled with detours and labyrinths and winding pathways leading to Who Knows Where. Also known as The Land of the Endless Synonyms. Vocabulary Valley. Dictionary Dunes. Thesaurus Trail. Oooh, extra points for my snazzy alliteration. Oh, yes, dear reader. I just used the word snazzy in a sentence.

Okay. So that's it from me for today. Til next time, I remain etc, etc...

Melancholy

Dear reader,


Today's music has no soul. I mean, sure, musical instruments and the musicians who play them are getting better and better each year, but it's like they focus so much on getting the song to sound cool that they've forgotten to add a little soul in it. That's why I love oldies and indie music so much. With old music, they didn't have the technology we had, so they focused on their lyrics and their voices, and the emotions their songs conveyed; they focused on the message. As for indie music, well...it's the simplicity of their songs, you know. They manage to keep it real; they create good, honest music without all the unnecessary bells and whistles (pun totally intended).

I've been feeling melancholy all day. You know the word 'melancholy' is defined as 'a feeling of thoughtful sadness'. Funny how something as prosaic and dry as a dictionary can manage to sound downright poetic. Anyway. I thought I'd spread the thoughtful sadness around, while simultaneously sharing some soulful music for a change. Oh, don't worry, dear reader. Just because I'm thoughtfully sad, it doesn't mean I'll go all emo on you. Incidentally, am I the only one who finds Simple Plan whiny? Poor me, poor me, I'm so sad and lonely cause nobody understands me or sees me for who I really am. Seriously. Switch to decaf and shut up already.

Yeah. Sorry about the rambling, I'm in a rambling kind of mood. So, let's get down to the music.

I love this song. I just go all starry-eyed and quiet when I listen to it. It just gets to me, you know? I know, I know, I know, I know, I know...

Ah, yes. My sister doesn't get why I like this song so much, she says it's boring. But I think it's quaint and innocent and heartfelt. And I'm just digging the folksy vibe, man.

Okay, so that last one is neither oldie nor indie. Indian, yeah, but not indie. I just thought I'd include it because it's so simple and so beautiful: beautifully simple, or simply beautiful. Take your pick.

So, um, yeah. That's all I got. I'm gonna go now. Okay? Okay.

Bye.

Yours,

Figgy the Thoughfully Sad

My Generation

Dear reader,








Musical Monday was a big flop, wasn't it? Well...my inconsistency knows no bounds then. Anyway, speaking of music, I love songs that inspire; songs that provoke thought, that are sources for the imagination. Imagination fountains: those are the only things worth listening to--or watching, or reading, or thinking about, for that matter. Sometimes we get caught up in the world, and we lose ourselves and our purity. Now, I'm not saying that people are all worldly, spiritually-depraved degenerates. I'm merely suggesting that there's a lot of unnecessary hanky-panky and silliness going on in this life, and we'd all be better off if we just stopped ourselves from getting involved in stuff like that. 


Paul describes it better than I can. In 1 Corinthians 6:12 he says: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything." 


And he says something extremely similar in 1 Corinthians 10:23; "All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify." 

When he says 'profitable', he doesn't only mean profit in terms of money. Something that will develop us, help us grow, something positive. He means, pretty much: everything is permissible, but not everything builds us up. How very true. Sleeping in on weekends, watching a movie when we should be studying, badmouthing someone--even if it's done in total confidence--won't kill us, it's all harmless. We justify our actions by saying they won't do us any harm. We always forget that these actions--more often than not--won't do us any good either. If every single person on this earth made a conscious effort to limit their pursuits to purely positive and edifying ones I wonder what the world would be like. On the other hand, perfection tends to get boring after a while, don't you think, dear reader? I wonder if it's a good thing humans can never be perfect, at least not in this life. It's all about the process, after all, not the end product. Well--while we're mortal--we won't ever reach perfection, but the least we can do is to strive for it.

I came across this quote one day...I forget when and where I got it, or what wild Internet goose chase led me to discover it in the first place. I don't even know if it ties in with my current ramblings--refer above--but I figured I'd just throw it in here for some diversity.

A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming. 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

That quote gave me chills. It's a scary thought, don't you think? The thought that 'we are worshipping what we are becoming.'


Anyway. I'm meandering. Very much so. The real reason I'm writing this is to share a song with you, dear reader. The song is called 'Generasiku' and it was sung by OAG, you know, my favourite Malaysian band. It means 'My Generation' in Malay. Oh, this song was on the soundtrack for a Malaysian movie called 'Gol & Gincu' (Goals & Lipstick), which was about a female futsal team, I think. It was an average-type chick flick, nothing spectacular, in my opinion. Anyway, that explains the football elements (or soccer, depending on which side of the Atlantic you hail from) in the music video. So, without further ado...hey, have you ever wondered where the word 'ado' came from? Such a funny little word, isn't it? A-doo. Much ado about nothing. Ah. Doo. If you say it enough times, it starts to sound like a foreign language. Ado. Aaa-do. Ahhh. Dooo. Ado.


Oh, right. The song, Here you go...enjoy!

















'Generasiku'
OAG
Pagi terjaga ku dari mimpi
Terasa hati senang sekali
Pasti dunia ku yang punya di hari ini
Bersama kawan-kawan ku pergi
Ketawa riang senang hati
Indahnya dunia ketika kita muda remaja


[Chorus]
Segalanya dalam genggaman
Walau apa pun tak kan menjadi halangan
Hidup ini sedia menanti
Generasiku bersinar bagai mentari
Oh-oh...


Malam ini bertemu di pesta
Berdebar membalas senyumannya
Manisnya, oh, jatuh cinta kali pertama
Bersama melukiskan impian
Cinta, cita-cita dan harapan
Di usia ini...tiada yang tak mungkin, oh sayang


[Chorus]


Jangan gentar mengejar mimpi
Yakin, berani, percaya diri
Dan mula dengan 'hello'
Oh-oh...


Jangan takut jatuh ke bumi
Bingkas bangun melangkah lagi
Ke depan, lari dan terbang menuju bintang
Hanya kau saja yang bisa menentu
Arah hidupmu yeah...
Oh-oh...


Pagi terjaga ku dari mimpi
Terasa hati senang sekali
Indahnya dunia ketika kita muda remaja


[Chorus] x2
Oh-oh...


Segalanya dalam genggaman (Oh-oh...)
Hidup ini...
Generasiku...

English Translation

'My Generation'

OAG

This morning, I woke from a dream

My heart felt so light

Surely, the world is mine today

With my friends I go

Laughing happily, with a light heart

The world is so wonderful when we're young

[Chorus]

Everything is within our grasp

Nothing can stand in our way

This life is ready and waiting

My generation shines like the sun

Oh-oh...

Tonight, we meet at the festival

My heart beats as I return her smile

It's so sweet, oh, falling in love for the first time

Together we draw out our dreams

Love, ambition and hope

At this age...nothing is impossible, oh [my] love

[Chorus]

Don't be afraid to chase your dream

Confident, brave, believe in yourself

And start with 'hello'

Oh-oh...

Don't be afraid of falling down to earth

Resiliently rise and take another step

Forward, run and fly, heading for the stars
Only you can decide

The direction of your life, yeah...

Oh-oh...

This morning, I woke from a dream

My heart felt so light

The world is so wonderful when we're young

[Chorus] x2

Oh-oh...

Everything is within grasp

(Oh-oh...)

This life...

My generation...

Great song, right? An inspiration fountain if there ever was. The world really is wonderful when you're young. If you try hard enough, you can see the years stretching out in front of you, like a path or a river, and it just goes on and on until it disappears into the horizon. The future is like that horizon in the distance: vague and unknowable at the moment, but you'll get there soon enough.

And on that note, I shall leave you, dear reader. See you round the bend. Til then, I remain...

Yours,

Figgy the Youthful

If only, if only

Dear reader,






I just think I should let you know, I'm using you. Yes, you're nothing but a tool. A procrastination and dilly-dallying tool. I'm sorry, but I'm just being brutally honest here. I have this thing--two things actually--that I have to get done. By tonight. Tomorrow morning at the latest. And, me being me, I'll probably leave it to the last possible minute second.


If only I wasn't such an incorrigible feet-dragger. If only I was obnoxiously motivated and organized, and had a schedule book detailing my life to the most precise second. If only I was a preppy, socially-competent, valedictorian-type girl who submits every assignment on time and does all the right things and never says anything stupid.


If only I had a real camera, with a lens the size and breadth of my effing arm. That came with a wicked cool camera strap with a pink skull-and-crossbones pattern on it. If only I knew how to use said fictional camera.


If only I had more awesome dresses to wear, cause--despite being a jeans and T-shirt girl most of the time--I love wearing dresses for no reason other than "I just felt like it". If only I were chic.


If only all the pain, tragedies and atrocities in the world could just disappear, leaving only love, peace and an undeniable understanding of every human's equality behind. If only I weren't such an idealist. Or if only more people I knew were idealists...we could form a club or something. With our own buttons. With witty slogans printed on them.


If only I had a pair of Mary-Jane's. Seriously, those shoes are the epitome of awesome-ness. I could settle for a pair of ankle boots, though. Hmmm...if only I weren't so obsessed with shoes? Nah.

If only everyone was a better person than they currently are...or if only they at least actively strive to make themselves better. Myself included. Myself especially. 

If only, if only.


Speaking of 'better people'...did you know I love India.Arie? No, I am not abruptly changing the subject, dear reader. I am referring to a song of her's, called 'Better People'. It's a great song, and coincidentally really relevant to my life right now. Like, extremely so. Profoundly so. It's almost creepy, in fact. I'm not telling you why, though. What? I like to pretend I'm mysterious. Don't shatter my deluded ramblings, kind reader. Just let me go through life in a haze of ignorant bliss.








Lyrics:

I wish there was a video game
To teach you your ancestor's name
I wish there was a phone number
Like 1-800-Save-Your-Brother
I'm thankful for the radio station
Not afraid to put the truth in rotation
There is certain information
That you can only get in conversation with


[Chorus]
Young people, talk to
Old people, it would make us a
Better people, all around
(Yes it would)
And if old people, would talk to
Young people, it would make us a
Better people, all around
(Yes it would)

We went from radio to TV
Now we're going from LP to CD
Don't be afraid to try something new
I can help you with the brand new technology
You can help me with the age old philosophy
Together there's so much we can do, when...

[Chorus]

They say that every generation gets worse
They call it a generational curse
But these problems don't just drop out o' the sky
Listen to Mahatma Ghandi's words
Be the change you wanna see in the world
Start with yourself and healing will multiply
That's what happens when...

Young people, talk to
Old people, it would make us a
Better people, all around...
(Yes it would)
If Old People would talk to
Young people...
Better people, all around

If black people would talk to white people
It would make us a
Better people, all around

If Republican people would
Talk to Democratic people
It would make us diplomatic people, all around






I just love the lyrics. Music, to me, is an experience. It's about the sound, the beat, the voice, and especially the lyrics. Do not expect me to listen to a song with crappy lyrics. Just because you can rhyme 'girl' with 'world' or 'life' with 'wife', doesn't make you a songwriter. Yes, hip-hoppers and wannabe-gangsta-rappers, I'm talking to you. Having said that, it's not like I despise rap or anything. I like Eminem. Sometimes. And Jay-Z is a legend in my mind, the Rap Grandmaster. I absolutely adore Mike Shinoda, and by extension Fort Minor. Jason Mraz, technically, is a rapper. Well he used to rap more before he got old and mellow. Not that I don't like his newer songs, I just find it frustrating that people who never liked him before suddenly jumped on the 'I'm Yours' bandwagon. I liked him way before he was considered cool...or mainstream, rather. And I liked the original version of 'I'm Yours' better.

Wow, this turned out to be a longer post than I had intended it to be. I should probably go now. It's already past midnight. Better get cracking. Yup. No more procrastinating. Gotta get a move on. Sigh. Alright, alright...I'm going. See ya round the bend, dear reader.




Yours,


Figgy the Incorrigible

...and karma strikes back

Dear reader,

Yes, I believe in karma. Okay, technically, I believe in 'reaping what you sow'; but karma's easier to say. A person can't just commit injustice after injustice and get away with it. Sooner or later, karma strikes back. That's just the way it is; non-negotiable, inevitable. Like gravity. You jump off a building, you plummet headfirst to the ground--doesn't matter what your race is, how much you weigh, or how rich you are. The only way to go is down.

But I'm getting a little off topic here. The reason behind this post is actually to share a song with you, dear reader. About time for another musical post, in my opinion. So, here we go. The song in question is called [surprise, surprise] 'Karma', by the Indonesian band Cokelat. Enjoy!

Cokelat

'Karma'

Sekian lama kita bersama
Ternyata kau juga sama saja
Kau kira kupercaya semua
S'gala tipu daya, oh...percuma

Kau buat sempurna, awalnya
Berakhir bencana

[chorus]
S'lamat tinggal, sayang
Bila umurku panjang

Kelak ku 'kan datang 'tuk buktikan
Satu balas 'kan kau jelang
Jangan menangis, sayang
Ku ingin kau rasakan

Pahitnya terbuang, sia-sia
Memang kau pantas dapatkan

Akhirnya, usai sudah semua
Ku dapat tertawa, bahagia...

S'lalu tampak indah, awalnya
Berakhir bencana

[chorus]

Kau buat sempurna, awalnya
Berakhir bencana

[chorus]

English translation:

Cokelat

'Karma'

We've been together all this while

Evidently you're still the same

You think I'd believe everything

All your deceit, oh...just like that

You acted perfectly, at first

It ended in disaster

[chorus]

Goodbye, my love

When I'm older

I'll come back to prove

You'll get what's coming to you

Don't cry, my love

I want you to feel

The bitterness of being abandoned, useless

Really, you'll get yours soon

Finally, when it's all over

I can laugh, joyfully

It always looks beautiful, at first

It ended in disaster

[chorus]

You acted perfectly, at first

It ended in disaster

[chorus]

And there you have it! Oh, guess what, my dear reader. It's footnote time! Please direct your attention to the crimson tinged phrases above; and then kindly redirect your attention down here, for I shall be a dear and write them again...riiiight here: 'Memang kau pantas dapatkan', which I translated as 'Really, you'll get yours soon'. This one was a bit of a challenge. I'm not too happy with it, to be honest. It sounds a bit funny, doesn't it? Translated word-for-word it means 'indeed, you'll get it quickly'...or something like that. However, if you, my dearest reader, have any alternative translations, give it here! I would be very glad with any improvement to this--currently--awkward-sounding line. Yes, Sammy-boy, I'm talking to you! You're my only 'follower', after all. *crouches in a corner pondering her pathetic excuse for a blog*

Right. Well. Moving on. Is it just me, or does this singer have a sort of Alanis Morissette feel to her voice? I can safely say that I'm an Alanis Morissette fan. My favourite song of hers is--oh, wait. That's a whole other post in itself. I suppose I should let you go now, no doubt you are at this very moment occupied in some pressing engagement, extremely busy doing something extremely important, or just generally full of activity. At least, I hope you are. You should be.

Oh, and on a side note, I'm starting school on the 10th of August! That's--let me see--a Monday. I still can't believe I'm looking forward to it as much as I am. I'm practically gleeful at my upcoming incarceration in the higher education system. I am a bit nervous, as well. You know, the kind of excited nervousness one inevitably feels at the start of a new school year. New classes, new pencils, new erasers, new books...old brain.

Ah, yes, I should end this post now. Forgive my rambling, dear reader. So, off I go! I wonder if I should buy some new pens...

Yours,

Figgy the Karmic