tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605045622962333842024-02-08T08:53:41.413-04:00The Professional HumanOne time I got called a comedienne.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-28085586387437541442014-01-17T13:16:00.000-04:002014-01-17T13:16:20.257-04:00FILM REVIEW: "HER"<h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 2.4rem; line-height: 1.5; margin: 2.3rem 0px;">
“Her”</h1>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Written and Directed by</strong> Spike Jonze<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Starring:</strong> Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Story:</strong> Left emotionally vulnerable when his wife leaves him, writer Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) develops an emotional attachment to his operating system, Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.</div>
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Famous for films such as Adaptation and Where The Wild Things Are, “Her” is the first completely original offering from Spike Jonze where he has both written and directed. As such, we have to enter the theater with the distinct impression that this film is going to be one thing: different.</div>
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The concept of the film is beautifully original, and hopes to serve as a warning to us all about our reliance on technology. With a very basic plot, Jonze is able to take us through a head spin of action and consequence as Theodore falls more and more in love with his computer operating system. Phoenix is predictably enjoyable, and Johansson does well to demonstrate that acting is not purely physical, but can be done extremely well with just a voice, however, there is a lot missing from this film.... </div>
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READ THE FULL REVIEW <a href="http://thereeljunkie.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/film-review-her-2013/" target="_blank">HERE</a></h2>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-20407305225279167712014-01-16T18:22:00.001-04:002014-01-17T11:51:52.850-04:00Going For Gold: The Race To The Academy Awards<div class="p1">
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Oscar nominations were released today and the internet is in a flurry. Some are excited and relieved that their favourite stars or films were nominated for their performances this year. Others were shocked and upset that their chosen performer did not receive the Academy stamp of approval.</div>
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So let us take a look at what we have in store this year. I decided to do a breakdown of the top five categories in the ceremony. Each post will have a breakdown of every nominee in each of these categories. These opinions are mine, and I encourage everyone to add their own.</div>
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Remember, the 86th Annual Academy Awards airs on March 2nd, and we will be in good hands with Ellen DeGeneres once again at the helm.</div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>American Hustle:</u></b></span> David O Russell's second offering in as many years stampeded through the Golden Globes, scooping up three awards, including Best Motion Picture: Musical Or Comedy. While the performances by the ensemble cast have been praised by most, the film was at times referred to as all pizzaz and no substance. The costumes, music and pouting seem to be enough to carry this movie into the nominations, but can a few good performances push it to the top? Given responses by the Globes, and Critics Choice, this could be a very hot pick,</div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>The Wolf Of Wall Street: </u></b></span>Martin Scorcese's fun and flirtatious adaptation of Jordan Belfort's true to life book received huge criticism for 'glamourising' and 'glorifying' the world of investment fraud. Indeed, the film did lack the distinct feeling of remorse presented in the novel. However, this three hour parade demonstrates not just humour and drama (a powerhouse combination), but it startles the audience into enjoying the reality of the entire story. Having said that, and given DiCaprio's strained history with the Academy, this film will either kill or be killed this year.</div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>Captain Phillips:</u></b></span> Here we have another film based on a true story, therefore we can assume that the reality of it resonated with it's viewers. Famously snubbed by the Oscars for this year, Tom Hanks offered a notable performance which takes us back to his '<i>Cast Away'</i> days. He is overshadowed however by newcomers, most specifically Barkhad Abdi as the deranged Somalian pirate Muse. Abdi received a nod from the academy. However, with a lack of nomination in the Best Director category, it seems unlikely that this will take the prize.</div>
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<b><u><span class="s1">Dallas Buyers Club:</span> </u></b>Well, didn't this gem just get a nod all around? Nominated in acting categories, as well as Best Director, Film Editing, Screenplay, and Hairstyling. A pretty incredible scoop. The film itself plays upon an incredibly serious topic, and one which should have a pretty solid social impact. In watching it, we can almost feel that the subject matter, AIDS, is a metaphor for the diseases that are eating us all: drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, cancer.. you name it. Ticking all the boxes, this could truly be a dark horse.</div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>Gravity:</u></b></span> Alfonso Cuaron's latest offering is less science fiction (as the plot would suggest) and more a story of pure survival. Cuaron took out Best Director at the Golden Globes and deservedly so: everything from the cinematography, to the music, and even the performance given by Sandra Bullock (who carried the entire film as almost a lone actor, not an easy task) was primed to perfection. Gravity will certainly sweep contenders under the rug in the technical categories, but could the Academy have a science fiction drama take out Best Film? </div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>Her:</u></b> </span>While this film has a good message, and serves as perhaps a warning to us all of our reliance on technology, it's quirky nature really does some damage in terms of the Academy and their voting structure. This is a film that you either love or hate. It should win for Best Original Song, but was unfortunately passed up in the cinematography category which is one of the film's main strengths. </div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>Nebraska:</u></b></span> <i>'The Artist'</i> famously took out the Oscar for Best Picture when it delighted audiences with the very fact that they could, in this day and age, still enjoy a black and white film. The film certainly has enough nominations in the acting category to justify a win, and Director Alexander Payne even got the nod, but the true let down here is the lack of technical celebration. There is no back end to the film, and without broad support it does lag behind.</div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>Philomena: </u></b></span>This is the token film with heart in this year's nominations. Poignant, witty, and exceptionally British, Philomena has received rave reviews and Judi Dench has been recognised as one of the most stellar performances of the year. Again adapted from a novel (the adaptation has received a nomination for screenwriting) the story is one that will tug on the heart and mind of anyone who watches it. The sole representative for British films, though, it perhaps lacks the glamour or relationship to the Academy to go all the way.</div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u>12 Years A Slave: </u></b></span>This film resonates in it's dark social significance. While the film is difficult to watch, it tests the audience's emotion and leaves many feeling truly disturbed. Let's not forget that it's sweep of nominations in multiple categories places it as a worthy contender. Many did not watch this film due to it's graphic and at times almost unwatchable content, however with the absence of similar films like '<i>Mandela'</i> and '<i>The Butler'</i>, this could leave room for 12 Years A Slave to snatch the top prize.</div>
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<b><br /><span style="font-size: large;">It Should Be… '</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Wolf Of Wall Street'</i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">It Will Be…</span></b> '<span style="font-size: large;"><i>12 Years A Slave'</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/rachel_helena16" target="_blank">TWITTER</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><u>NEXT WEEK: Best Supporting Actress</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You can also view this post on 'The Reel Junkie': <a href="http://www.thereeljunkie.wordpress.com/">www.thereeljunkie.wordpress.com</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-21270168906198289742013-11-29T14:02:00.003-04:002013-11-29T14:02:29.923-04:00I Forgot How To Child...<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes I catch myself thinking that I have grown up too fast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I was fifteen, I have been occupied full time. From 15-17 I was in high school and working in a local supermarket. From 17-19 I was in University as a full time law student, and I also worked in the supermarket and the local pub 7 days a week. From here, I moved to the UK and was a door-to-door salesperson for 13 months working 75 hour weeks. I skipped from this into recruitment, to media sales, to Australia, to Canada... never really breaking this stream of constant employment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I went on vacation to New York when I was 20. I holidayed in Australia when I was 22. Neither of these lasted more than ten days. Any other travel has been done on the weekends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I catch myself thinking, from time to time, that I never really let myself be young. I never had a casual job or part time employment which wasn't accompanied by a full time occupation. I've never really been unemployed for longer than a few weeks (mainly by choice). Some would say I'm lucky, but as the close of another year approaches I have to sit back and wonder: when over-working is a necessity in your life, <span class="s1"><b>is it really very lucky at all?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Living in a student city like I do, and have done in the past, I am surrounded by University Students who fill their time with the following: One or two classes a week; 4-15 hours of work a week; and approx. 148 hours of professional drinking, sleeping, and netflix-watching. Many students do not even need to work at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to insinuate that students do not work hard. There are many who do. I am merely stating that in the world of student loans, scholarships, and over generous parents, it is increasingly difficult to actually spot a student who behaves like anything other than a 'student'. When does their week become a 50 hour work week? When do they learn to clean? And where the heck does all their money come from when they are a student?!?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I never took that time to be a student. I was in class or studying or working most of the time. Sometimes I managed to find time to sleep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And you know what? I am jealous of that me because they still have more time than I do now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nowadays, I get really uneasy when someone asks me to go out and do something, because I have to think of an excuse other than "I'm tired". My muscles ache and I'm a little bit fat because I don't manage to make the time to go to the gym. Further to this, I have a bad back and have to pretty much schedule a stress-related illness once every month or so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am 23 years old. I work 50 hours a week, pay my bills early, and enjoy cleaning my house. I am really excited about Christmas, not because it's Christmas, but because I get close to two weeks off work. My New Years Resolution is to group up my annual leave into one nice long stretch so that I can catch up on 12 months of sleep deprivation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Did I grow up too quickly? And when is it my turn to be irresponsible, blase, and relaxed?! If I took time off work now, I would never be able to get another job without facing mountains of questions about how and why I have been unemployed for longer than a few weeks. However, all I really want to do is get addicted to a video game and play it for a week straight; or binge watch an old TV show; or learn how to cook or speak another language... Sadly, I think I missed my chance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh well... only 40-something years to retirement...<br /><br />- RH<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">I bitch about this and other things on my <a href="https://twitter.com/Rachel_Helena16">TWITTER</a></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-89972877286192071502013-07-14T13:08:00.000-03:002013-07-14T13:08:53.678-03:00Is It Just Me?<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People who know me will also know that I have done a lot of travelling, I have lived in the UK, Australia, and Canada, and within England alone I had the pleasure of calling five different cities home. I have also worked a multitude of different jobs, all within highly social industries. This means that I am fortunate enough to have friends all over the globe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite the fact that I could pretty much go anywhere and I'd be guaranteed to know somebody, I really really like doing things by myself. I will go to the cinema; restaurants; and even travelling absolutely bare balled alone. It gives me time to think, time to write, and time to plan my next adventure (because you know there will be one).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have always noticed, though, that there is particular stigma against people who are going it alone (particularly young people). Last night I went into a restaurant and asked for a table for dinner. The waitress looked at me and asked "is it just you?" in an all too questioning manner. I got the impression that what she wanted to say was, 'where is your husband? Boyfriend? Best friend? Mother…?' She soon noticed her instinctual tone, though, and she almost winced and smiled at me. I gave her a reassuring look. "Yes. It's just me." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A quick google search gives me 3.9 million hits on the term: "A Guide To Dining Alone". Because heaven forbid if we do it wrong… Some of my favourite advice I found was "Ask for the cheque before you finish eating, that way you do not have to sit alone for too long". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why not just go to McDonalds if you're after fast food? That way, you don't even have to get out of the car, and nobody will actually know that those 24 McNuggets and 3 Cheeseburgers are all for you, YOU SAD CAT.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in the restaurant (which thankfully is far from my imagination) the waitress seated me, and the table next to me was occupied by a couple who looked to be in their early thirties, both dressed nicely as if they were on a date. Both of them were concentrating wistfully on their cell phones, and did not speak a word to each other. Years ago, this would have been considered the height of rudeness, but now I was the one being judged for dining solo?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is being comfortable in your own company the new taboo?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And so what happens if, by my own choice or circumstance, I do not have a significant other in my life to dine with: am I supposed to sit at home and order a pizza while I watch 'He's Just Not That Into You' on repeat?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I mean, sure, there are times when I catch myself thinking, 'It would be great if there was someone here with me, because I'd really like to order a lobster dinner but I don't actually know how to eat it'. And it definitely would be handy to have someone in the passenger seat of the car to say: 'Rachel, you're on the wrong side of the road..' or, 'Honey! Eyes front and centre!', but this surely shouldn't define me as a person.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yet, to these servers I am apparently the girl who dines alone. There is nothing else to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the way, I have to share more advice from these 'Dining Alone Guides'. Obviously, one should always take work papers or a book with them, because it is just the worst thing in the world if you are to sit there without something to occupy your hands (It is not enough anymore to be occupied by your own thoughts and reflections on your day). Also, it is suggested that we do just order takeaway or have a sandwich in the park because then we can avoid the whole 'being alone' fiasco and we won't alarm other diners. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe one day I will go out to a lobster dinner with someone who actually knows how to eat the beast (and I will rip it to shreds) , and perhaps I will take a trip with someone who gets endless pleasure out of the fact that I keep confusing the driver and passenger sides of the car…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Until then, I'm pretty happy. Not only do I have amazing friends, but I am also not riddled with the self doubt that stops me from going out alone. I don't have to share these memories if I don't want to: I can keep them all to myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-RH </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <a href="https://twitter.com/Rachel_Helena16">TWEET</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-32512094277692242892013-07-10T04:43:00.000-03:002013-07-10T04:43:07.566-03:00THINGS THAT WILL INEVITABLY HAPPEN WHEN YOU MOVE AWAY<div class="p1">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. YOU WILL SPEND A SHIT-TONNE OF MONEY.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, I've checked. 'Shit-tonne' is actually a standardized unit of measurement now. Thanks, Gen-Y. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For real, though. It isn't even simply the fact that moving costs a lot of money (which it does), but it is that you don't even really know how to look after yourself in a new city. If, heaven forbid, you move to a different country, you will pretty much have to learn how to shop all over again. You will buy the wrong things, shop in the wrong places, and genuinely just waste money for at least a month or two until you learn the vital 'International Skimping' technique. Also, you will probably overspend on things like electric, cable, and everything else until you meet people who can teach you the basics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. YOU WILL FALL VICTIM TO DOUCHEBAGGERY (AGAIN)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is so inevitable I can't even (...)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the thing: We have all done it before. We have all invested time in the unreturned messages; the non existent phone calls; and the people who play a disappearing act for weeks on end (or until they like something that you post on some form of social media). And this isn't just guys. I think girls do it, too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But we have all sat around waiting for that person to get bored and text us for a 'hang out', even though we know that as soon as the hangout session is over, we will go back to feeling a little like a used bag of shit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So why are we going to do this all over again after moving away? It's simple. This feeling (the chase) is so familiar and so concrete: it's almost like you will reach for the only steady thing there is. You will reach for that unreliable (yet gorgeous) person because there is a strange comfort in it. It's almost like they are your way of creating a link to this new place, and even though you deserve better, everything is so rocky that you will settle for it as it is. Don't worry: this too shall pass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. YOU WILL SECOND GUESS YOURSELF</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You will wonder if you did the right thing, for the right reasons.. and you will wonder where this decision will land you in the next five; ten; even twenty years. Is this going to change the way you view the world? Is this going to change every plan and idea you ever had for who you would be? Is this going to be the making of you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most likely, it will do all of those things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No matter how many times you retrace the thought process that got you to where you are, you will realize that you made this decision for a reason, and that certainly can never be the wrong thing to do. I have always been a firm believer that anytime you are uncomfortable, you are growing into a better and stronger person.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Moving away will MAKE YOU.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. YOU WILL MISS SOMETHING THAT YOU NEVER EXPECTED TO</b></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here is a little something about me.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At my parent's home in the Australian countryside, there is a large fence around the entire property. Our dog is like Houdini (or she likes to think she is), so we have to keep this huge metal gate closed at all times. Whenever you leave or arrive, you have to get out of the car, open the gate, get back in, drive through the gate, then close it again. Annoying, huh? And when it's a car full of people, someone always has to volunteer to be the person that gets out of the car and "gets the gate". </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the craziest thing.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since moving away, I really miss that part of my day at 7.30pm when I would get home from work. In the winter it would already be dark, and I would climb out of my car, clutch foot aching from the two hour drive, and I would push the gate open and look at the house. Hot steam would be coming out of the chimney. The lights would be reflecting a dim hue out onto the front yard. And I knew there was a hot meal waiting for me inside, prepared by either one of my parents who would greet me: always eager to find out about my day.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That one moment of stopping the hustle and bustle of everyday life to open the gate, is one of the things I miss the most. And when you move away, it will most likely be something equally as random that sticks in your head as a moment of clarity.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>5. YOU WILL FEEL STUPID</b></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is a social insurance number?</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What kind of insurance would I need to go to the dentist?</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do I file my P45?</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How many superannuation, renumeration, and pension funds are in my name?</span></div>
<div class="p5">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are all questions that I have asked in the previous few years. Point is, a lot of these questions will be common knowledge to a resident of the country you have moved to. If you turned to a Canadian and said (as I have), "what is a social insurance number?" they will probably look at you like you're from another planet: not because they are mean, but because to them, your homeland IS another planet and they cannot believe you wouldn't have a social insurance system. You probably do, but it is called something different, be it National Insurance, or a Tax File Number (TFN). </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People will tell you how to do things, and assume that you will know the process behind it, even if this is something that is totally foreign to you. Just a few days ago, I was asked for proof of tenant insurance and I was shocked. What was this? And why did I need it? I had never heard of it in my life. Similarly, post dated cheques are something that I had never come across until moving to Canada. And what happened to Universal Healthcare?</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Call me stupid all you want: I already feel like a bit of an idiot anyway. </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But its OK. I am learning.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, I can flip you off in six different languages.</span></div>
<div class="p5">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p5">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p5">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SO, here's five.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But there are SO MANY MORE things, just waiting for you.</span></div>
<div class="p5">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hop to it.</span></div>
<div class="p5">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-RH</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the way, don't forget to follow me on Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/Rachel_Helena16">HERE</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-9276488569015291362013-07-08T04:37:00.000-03:002013-07-08T04:37:05.041-03:00To Men Of Past and Present..<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Dear...<br /><br />Jacob.</b> All the things that you did for me were really nice. The fact that they were rehearsed and revised actions that had been undertaken time and time again is no longer of any relevance. At that moment, they were for me, and I wish I hadn't been so mad about it.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You taught me a lot about what it means to love somebody, and believe in them even if they are slightly ridiculous. You taught me that loving somebody isn't a choice. It happens, and just as it happens, it can go away again.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Damien.</b> I am not sure if you still hate me for the way everything happened, or if you just can't look me in the eye anymore. The things that I did were all for good reason, and I think that you understand that now. I still don't like that you never gave yourself a voice. Thank you for giving me one.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Matthew.</b> You have the nicest face. It isn't that it is stunning, it's that your eyes and your smile made me want to do things I would never even do. And I have done those things, because I wanted to do them with you. I wanted to be the person that could tell you, show you, and teach you everything. I wanted to know you. But I'm not sure you wanted to know me in the same way. I always wondered where you disappeared to. I never told you how I felt though, because I was too scared you would reject me. I was just too scared to lose what I didn't want in order to reach for what I needed. Perhaps I let us both down.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Luke.</b> Maybe I was what you said I was. But the hardest part about being your friend is that you were never the same to me. I actually think I would have died if it wasn't for your consistent, fierce support which genuinely made me believe that barriers can be broken down and people can feel true and genuine love, without being *in love*. Sometimes I hate that you have moved past everything, but then I remember that I am the one who ran.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>David.</b> I always thought I would miss you when I went away. I never did. I only ever missed your best friend. I am sorry. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Marcus.</b> I think we went through something together that neither of us will really understand. There was nothing that ever happened, in any sense, however, I felt changed by you and I'm fairly sure you are the same. It is such a shame to me that when I think of you now, those thoughts are filled with contempt and exhaustion. It makes me think that everyone else must have given up on figuring you out, too.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Names have been changed in this piece to protect myself, and only myself. Think one of these is about you? Ask me. This may or may not be a piece of fiction<br /><br />- RH</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-73570733738122545812013-07-04T16:39:00.000-03:002013-07-04T16:39:12.989-03:00A Poem...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Rkf_AVkSQc/UdXPJfCEpcI/AAAAAAAAAJg/ahM6rLO1jCI/s1296/photo+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Rkf_AVkSQc/UdXPJfCEpcI/AAAAAAAAAJg/ahM6rLO1jCI/s640/photo+(3).JPG" width="476" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-31481227793571678142013-07-04T04:41:00.000-03:002013-07-04T04:41:35.456-03:00On Making The Bold Decisions<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just want to put this out there: I think that young people today have it tough. Of course: people in their mid twenties these days have access to more opportunity that ever before. I'm not trying to deny that. We have countless gadgets and systems to make our life easier, and there is more knowledge in the world that is more readily available to anybody who wants to receive it. However, I think with all of that there comes great social responsibility, which, with many young people, leads to greater social anxiety. It is a constant pressure of 'Am I good enough?' 'Do I wear the right clothes?' 'Am I the ideal weight?' 'Have I got enough friends?'</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's a minefield.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Depression rates are up. Suicide rates are up. And it doesn't stop with young people. Just last week, a friend told me that her partner's Uncle had just committed suicide. He was fifty four.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me just put this out there. I moved to another country to work a night shift. I didn't really know anybody, and had no idea how I was going to adapt to such a rapid change in lifestyle. I had lived way from home before, however I had anticipated that this would be a little different.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Along with obvious physical tolls on my body from working such hours, there have been mental and emotional strains that have come with the transition. Trying to assist other people in their transition hasn't helped either. There is a distinct domino affect at play when people aren't happy and it spreads like disease.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So where am I going with this?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The thing is: we are not bound to anywhere, or tied to anything. The greatest thing about the world today is that we are given the freedom to design our own fate. Whatever it is that you're not happy with, there are ways to change it. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every day, make one positive effort to better your life.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently quit smoking (again) which is a habit that has come in and out of my life for longer that I would be willing to admit. Along with quitting smoking, I also decided to cut back on alcohol. I removed processed foods from my diet, cancelled out majority of my dairy intake, and hired a personal trainer.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Point of this? I have learned that you can never be completely happy emotionally, spiritually, or mentally unless your insides are happy, too.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I didn't do this all at once. I took small steps to better myself. Even the most miniscule effort towards positive action is the first step in improving your life. Cutting out the dirt, and the things that were making me feel physically uncomfortable, has had a great impact on the way I approach everything else in my life.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, there are still frustrations. There are 'dog days' when it seems that nothing will go right.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will repeat what I said. We have the power to design our own fate.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't waste it.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-65171612184836092682013-06-30T18:18:00.000-03:002013-06-30T18:18:29.622-03:00Hello, Ladies...<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I was walking home from a friend's house, when something bizarre happened to me. While driving past, a man yelled out of a car window, "Wanna go splits in a baby?!"</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Outraged, I gave the man two of my most beautiful fingers, and yelled something back at him which was oh-so-inappropriate. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I continued my walk and inevitably I began to wonder where on earth chivalry had gotten to, and why it was that one cannot simply walk down the street anymore without being objectified. Then I got to thinking about my own response to this guy's proposition. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realised: chivalry isn't dead. It is out on a lunch date with the concept of being ladylike.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my good friends has developed quite a crush on a guy she slept with once.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wait, let me back up on this one. I have to explain.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My good friend went on a date with a guy a few months ago. They really hit it off, and I remember her telling me afterwards that she really thought she could date this guy. Their second date, unfortunately, resulted in a drunken night of passion and a morning after of regret. Needless to say, she didn't hear from the guy again aside from the occasional drunk text.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She asked me a few weeks ago: had she not slept with him so soon, would things be different? Regrettably, I had to admit that they would be. She pushed further: was there anything she could do to rectify the situation and make herself seem date-able again? Unfortunate still, I had to say that there really wasn't anything that could be done. The impression had been made.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I haven't spoken to this friend in a while, but I am fairly sure that she still likes the guy, and he still doesn't care.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The horrible truth is that until a woman starts to act like a lady, she will be treated like a tramp. When men watch Rihanna perform (read 'scantily-clad gyrate'), they don't want to take her out for dinner.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As much as there is probably somebody that all women would like to call up and say "I never behave like that, and I did genuinely want to date you", it simply isn't the way of the world anymore. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just like yelling out of your car window; the damage is done. Like it or not, we all stand to be judged. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perhaps I will start to comb my hair more often… and wear pantyhose.<br /><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- RH (full time lady)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-26689162946308343952013-06-26T17:50:00.000-03:002013-06-26T17:50:18.367-03:0020 Things To Do Before You Hit 25...<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />It is a bucket list, of sorts... I have done all of these things and they have all changed my life in some way. I have come to believe that all of these things are somewhat essential in this whole 'growing up' thing.<br /><br /><br />1. Get on a bus or a train with no destination. Get off when your money runs out, or you reach the end of the line. You never know what you'll find</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Work a service job. This will teach you the value of a dollar; a friendly hello; and a grateful goodbye</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Open a savings account. Save a small amount every single week. This could be anything from $10 to $50 -- but refrain from taking money out of it. You never know when you're going to need it.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Read a book. At least one, each year. Make it something that challenges you.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Kiss a stranger. Don't get their name. Don't get their number. </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Learn to say 'no'.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Find something that makes you feel talented and unique, and do it ALL THE TIME.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. Go to the cinema, to a restaurant, or to see your favourite band completely alone. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Find a way to differentiate between the people who are in your life because you want them there, and people who are in your life because they never left. Get rid of the people who weigh you down: those who make you feel unworthy or undeserving. Realize that time spent alone is a hundred times better than time spent with those who make you want to hurl all down yourself.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. Start taking yourself seriously. Your twenties are not the between time for 'figuring things out'. It's OK if you don't have things figured out yet (99% of people don't), but that doesn't mean that you're up for ten wasted years until you hit thirty and can reasonably have an existential crisis. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">11. Embrace the pain. Suffering is universal. You have to be open to the suffering to even give yourself even the slightest shot in hell at happiness: and most likely, you will never get one without some degree of the other.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">12. Understand that travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer. That Louis Vuitton bag or Chanel lipstick are not going to enrich your life the way you imagine.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">13. Own a pet. Or a plant. Take responsibility for something other than yourself.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">14. Live alone, in your own apartment</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">15. Be unemployed - if only for a week</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">16. Party until the sun comes up: get breakfast on your way home. Also...</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">17. Go to a world famous party. Be it Oktoberfest, Mardi Gras, Carnaval, Ibiza… I don't care. Just go to one to understand the feeling of mass enthusiasm.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">18. Learn how to cook. At least one thing.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">19. Write someone a love letter with a pen and a piece of paper: not a keyboard and a gmail account.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">20. On a similar note: Write yourself a letter to open in ten years time. Include your passions, goals, and expectations for the future: both for yourself personally, and the world around you. That way, you can still surprise yourself when you're pushing 40.<br /><br /><br />- RH</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-42863770936737860342013-05-28T04:28:00.000-03:002013-05-28T04:28:48.368-03:00Why Aren't We Living Our Dreams?<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ask any child what they want to be when they grow up, and they will probably deliver you a clear and concise answer within 20 seconds. Ask the same question of a teen and they will also deliver you a clear and concise idea of their dreams and aspirations of the future. The most inspiring thing will be the passion with which they tell you exactly what they want from their life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ask an adult what their dreams and goals are for the future, and you will inevitably be given a different response. In most cases, you will receive a watered down, filtered version of a fragment of everything they wanted to be ten years ago.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why does this happen? For many of us, reality kicks in and the desires we once had seem to us to be delusions of grandeur and entirely unattainable. We somehow place our deepest desires in the 'too hard basket' and end up settling for some sort of comfortable alternative.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This has crossed my mind quite frequently lately. I wonder what happened to my own delusions of grandeur, and how the desires I harboured so closely have become somewhat distant memories.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realised that the desire is still there. If I search for it, then it is actually stronger than ever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But why aren't we going after our dreams? Is it, in this modern world, something that is just too difficult? Why are we being watered down by concerns about money, freedom, and personal comfort?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes I wonder and I ask myself what I would do if I wasn't afraid. How would my life be different if I wasn't worried about the financial side of things? Is it really money that is holding us back from our dreams, or is it deeper than that? Are we actually just afraid of the way we will be perceived if we throw away all levels of comfort and security on what people might perceive as a whim?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I seem to be asking a lot of questions, but don't really have the answers to any of them.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I take a lot of chances by moving countries, yet I am somehow moving from one safety net to another. My decisions are calculated and almost cold. When I really think about it, most of the decisions I have made have been purely financial. What decision will make me the most money, give me the most freedom, and ultimately benefit my comfortable life in the long term?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The truth is that money will look after itself. If it really comes down to it, then we will find a way to keep ourselves alive. It's instinctual. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All it takes is the courage to take that first step. Those who support you are in your life for a reason. Those who judge you, don't have the right to do so anyway.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It sounds cliche, but I believe in the power of dreams. I believe that with enough hard work, anybody can achieve anything that they want to.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They only have to be brave enough to throw themselves into it.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-31029145572924016222013-04-29T04:24:00.001-03:002013-04-29T04:24:56.995-03:00An Open Letter To Nobody In Particular
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey kid,</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crazy times, huh? It's 4am and I'm sitting starting to think about writing again. It seems that at times like these, the only coping mechanism is really to write it all down. If I don't I can't even really begin to dissect my own thoughts and understand why things happen the way they do.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See sometimes I stop and I think about the amount of time we spend wishing that things were different: like we spend our entire day whittling away over a petty little pursuit of something bigger, faster, better in some way. The truth is you will always miss someone or something, and probably always wish that even the smallest thing in your life was just a little bit different. The happiest people I've ever met are somewhat nonchalant and directionless.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then I realize that I'm thinking about thinking and doing nothing at all.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If I'm going to be totally honest with you, things are looking slightly awry. It's the humanity of it all: the fact that all of us have to die in some sense or another in order to actually live. Whenever I disappoint the people I care about I die a little more inside. Toss it away: Be vicarious, victorious and brave! Triumph! And then laugh at the triviality of the fact that you spent so much time wondering and nothing ever came to be.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I woke up this morning with a pounding headache and I knew that the wine was to blame. I lay for a while in the dust thrown up by my own indecision and thought about the consequences of whatever it was that happened to me in the last 24 hours. I thought until my mind hurt and that's when I started to write. I know I've taken the long road with all of this, kid. You don't need to tell me twice. I always kinda figured I'd be the one to take the long road in pretty much anything. But what I've realized is you can try to do the best thing you can at every possible junction but people aren't going to care about the truth. They care about whatever validates their fucking existence in some little way. Give them something to be mad about, or something to laugh at. If they don't have that from somebody else then where could it possibly come from?!</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wouldn't bother with the truth much further. One day none of it will ever even matter.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what is the takeaway from all of this? Perhaps as people we are all too consumed with our own loneliness and inner process that we refuse to see the external. Surely anything without too much analysis would be boring, huh?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The takeaway is; be honest with yourself and who you are. Don’t ever apologize for the way that someone perceives your action: they are ultimately only trying to understand their own projected expectation. Be brave. Seek your own validation. Boldness will be rewarded.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And if it doesn’t, and if nothing of this is true… at least we are closer to that one conscious thought.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-4269810593652963722013-02-05T06:00:00.001-04:002013-04-29T04:25:56.517-03:00Are Nice Guys Even In The Race?
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"On why they finish last..."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It seems that wherever we go and whoever we surround ourselves with, conversation is always going to inevitably turn to love, lust, and relationships. This has never been a topic I have been extremely comfortable in discussing unless under the influence of enough alcohol to soften the brutal honesty with which I must approach this.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Admittedly, I am not the best mascot for love. I don't do romance, marriage, PDAs.. I barely even like holding hands (seriously?! You're sweating ON EACH OTHER)</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When talking about love with male friends, I seem to be constantly bombarded with the question, 'What is wrong with you women? You all say you want a nice guy, and yet you date total assholes?!'</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gotta hand it to you, fellas. You're damn perceptive.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The truth is, it has taken me a really long time to try and form some sort of suitable answer to this. Whenever I get asked, I tend to just chuckle and shrug it off like I hadn't actually noticed, when in reality I spend most of my time fixating on morons and being completely oblivious to the advances of the genuinely nice guys who tend to lurk in the back of my mind. Don't get me wrong: I have been on dates with nice guys. I have let them take me to dinner, to the movies... And yet have always left the end of the night feeling like I just got smacked in the face by the politeness stick and feeling completely and utterly disinterested.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what is it that switches off in a woman when she realizes that the guy she is going out with is nice? What is it that suddenly makes this man so unattractive, and somewhat un-dateable? And is this really a thing? Are nice guys done for?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Enough questions. It's time for some answers. Here are the ABCs of why nice guys appear to be finishing last.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. The <b>A</b>vailability clause.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I once went out on a date with a really nice guy. He was great on paper, had a good job, was good-looking, intelligent, and even made me laugh. Telling friends about him they thought I had hit the jackpot. After our date, which fell on a Thursday, he sent me a text message asking if he could see me again that Saturday. Playing it cool, I replied with a maybe. He later told me that he had made a reservation at a champagne bar down town, and he would meet me there at 8pm. Intrigued by his confidence, I went. He spent the night being himself, and generally doting on most things I said and did. The next morning, he texted me again asking if he could see me again soon. Instantly I knew I would never go out with him again.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over time, it has become embedded in someone that something which is scarce and difficult to find has more value than something that is easily attainable. Diamonds, gold, mink... Things we see of higher value than something like wood. Truth is, wood is everywhere. Paper is everywhere. This is why we would rather the diamonds.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The same applies to men. If they are too available to us, they lose value. While playing it hot or cold is not great either, a man ideally has a subtle balance yet knows when to strike.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. The <b>B</b>oss clause</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truth be told, a woman is an argumentative creature. We like to argue, and like to win. One of the reasons I went to law school was because I fancied my self a little too much as a defensive conversationalist. And the great thing about the bad boy? They have the confidence to fight back.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, I’m not saying that women want to be argued with, dismissed, and told they are wrong consistently and to no avail. This is the ultimate turn-off. The nice guy, however, can have a tendency to be a little too agreeable around the female species. A guy once asked me out by saying, “I want to take you for a drink. If you don’t want to come with me, that’s fine. I’ll just ask you again tomorrow on the off chance you have come to your senses.”</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day, he asked me again. On the third try I let him buy me a beer.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Agreeable habitually asks a girl out once, gets rejected, and goes off to wallow in a corner about not even running the same race as the jerks, and never having a shot in hell. While the guy might have the confidence to ask once, he doesn’t believe fully in his ability to win the battle. The follow through is almost non-existent. For women, this just ruins the game.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To tell a female secret; as much as we might pretend to hate the guys who play the game, we enjoy it just as much as they do. We LOVE the thrill of ‘why isn’t he texting me back straight away?’ and most of us harbour a secret desire to win the upper hand – to be chased. Saying yes on the first request ruins the chase: and guess what Mr Nice Guy? It ruins your chances too. Sorry!</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. The <b>C</b>hemistry clause</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To put it simply: women quite often just aren’t attracted to nice guys. They don’t have any sexual chemistry with them. I’ve dated a few really sweet guys and have hated myself for having to tell them I’d rather be friends. Because, the truth is, I could only ever see myself being their friend. Yeah: they got LJBF’d.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Genetically (and this is going back a good few years) women were drawn to the hunter-gatherer: the man who could go out and provide for the family by any means necessary. The man was the predator: strong, rough, and ready. Not all women are looking for that these days (look at Liz Hurley! She’s dating Shane Warne!!) but there still has to be that element of ‘I don’t mind getting my hands dirty or my feet wet if needs be’. A strong, confident man will always let off an aroma of ‘don’t worry, I will look after you, and I know what I’m doing (in EVERY way)’ – the bad boy offers this (AND THEN SOME!!)</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Besides, it doesn’t hurt to have a big ball of charm up your sleeve: and the bad boy always seems to know <b>exactly </b>what to say.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">BUT DO NOT TAKE THIS AS BIBLE</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am no expert (am I?)</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-RH</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">I'd like to add a disclaimer here. I do believe the nice guy can get the girl, and I believe that more often than not, the nice guy deserves the girl a lot more than anything else. I am just trying to dissect social protocol.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-70508343869896695102013-01-31T06:58:00.000-04:002013-04-29T04:31:06.025-03:00An Ode To Those Who Do Not Want Cake
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"You cannot have your cake and eat it too"... </span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to very trustworthy sources, this old English proverb was initially coined to insinuate that one cannot (and should not) lust for more than they already have and deserve. Problematic, here, is the fact that what we want and deserve can be two very different things.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nowadays, people tend to use this term to apply to the age old question: can anyone actually have it all?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One whimsical afternoon I had a very in depth conversation with an extremely wise friend. The friend was caught in some sort of transitional period in life and was in a consistent state of reminiscence: thinking about decisions which had been made in the past, and what could have been different. My friend wondered, "had I not chosen the path of marriage and children would I have reached my artistic and creative climax by now?"</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was stuck for a response. The thought had crossed my mind.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sheryl Sandberg is the COO of Facebook, and might I add, a very wise woman. She did an amazing speech for Ted Talks on why the world has few too many women leaders, which I believe can be applied perfectly to this statement. She notes that: "A recent study in the US showed that, of all married senior managers, only two thirds of the married men had children and only one third of the married women had children."</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what is the big play here?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can anybody really have it all? And even if we don't want it all, who is to say that what we want is cake?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anybody who knows me is aware of the fact that I like to travel. Anybody who has ever asked me will know that I have no real desire to plant roots anywhere, and start a life in one particular country. I do not tend to define myself by where I am, however I consistently struggle with the definitions forced upon me by where I choose to be, and how long I choose to be there.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the moment, life is pretty good. I like my job, I have a good home life, and I have plenty of money that I know I will never want for anything. I have tasted professional success to the point that I will soon be relocated to another country to live and work. Career wise this is an amazing opportunity for me; however it means leaving friends and family who are doing nothing but digging their heels in deeper: buying property, getting married, having children... </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It makes me wonder whether, somewhere along the line, the decision will become an inevitable 50/50 split. Will I have to choose between having a great career and a wealth of travel opportunity; and having family?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spoke about this with another friend. She noted, somewhat non-nonchalantly, that she had relocated to Australia to be with her husband. The choice was hard, but she had wanted a family.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being faced with angry accusations of "why are you leaving me?" on countless occasions over many years, I cannot help but start to wonder, "why aren't you coming too?"</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Within the space of a year, I have lived in three different countries, four different homes, and spent 125 hours mid-air. I have been on countless dates, and dealt with weddings, pregnancies, engagements, break ups, and breakdowns (only some of which are my own). Through all of this, I have never sat in front of somebody who hasn't questioned why I do what I do. Perhaps this is simply one's way of demonstrating sadness at my departure, but I can't help but be slightly concerned with the fact that it is somehow OK to question a person's decisions to travel, yet it has never been OK to ask someone why they are having a baby, or why they are marrying the guy they have been with since puberty.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What if I want cheese and fruit instead of cake? Should I be subjected to months of tyrannical questions about the validity of fruit, or where fruit will get me when everyone else is tucking into their delicious New York Cheesecake?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perhaps my maternal instinct will never actually kick in.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe I will die alone with a box of old photographs and travel tickets, and pictures of my pet cats.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But perhaps I will be really fucking happy about it, and all the people that ate the cake will be damn fat and miserable.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-RH</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-74862076799105306342012-12-11T07:03:00.001-04:002013-04-29T04:31:54.723-03:00The Top Albums of 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to write a few blog posts which discuss what I enjoyed in 2012. This is the first..</span></i></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Top Five Albums of 2012</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">1. </span><i>Cruel Summer - GOOD Music/Kanye West</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know what you're thinking guys... Kanye West with the best album of 2012?! And yes, before you ask, I know that I am white (and poor) and am not a 'G'. However, I must profess my love for Kanye 'Yeezy' West and his penchant for everything in excess. <i>Watch The Throne </i>and <i>My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy</i> served as perfect introductions to this eclectic mix of all year listening. <i>Cruel Summer </i>is a compilation album and feels almost like a mixed tape of someone's favourite songs rather than an actual album it itself. I know that there aren't a huge amount of awesome things we can say about Kanye West as a person (sorry baaae!) but do not let it stop you from having a listen to this album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Highlight tracks</b> include: Clique, Cold, and Creeper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>When to listen:</b> When driving. You will begin to think you're in a 'hummah'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">2. </span><i>Babel - Mumford and Sons</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first album by Mumford and Sons, <i>Sigh No More</i>, remains to this day one of the best albums I have ever heard, to the point where I was actually scared to listen to their second offering in case it ruined them for me. Whoaaa, lordy. I hate the fact that I missed time on listening to this on repeat. This is an eclectic, folky offering which, despite all of its joys, might sometimes step a little too far into the whimsical sorrow of string instrumental. You would probably have to already enjoy Mumford and Sons to do this album justice, but if you are a fan then you surely won't be disappointed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Highlight tracks</b> include: Broken Crown, Lover of the Light</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>When to listen</b>: Before bed</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Coexist - The xx</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, shoot me. I'd never heard of The XX before this album was released in September. It was actually a colleague who got me listening to them on the claim that they were "the best band ever!!!". OK, not the best band ever, but as far as music goes, particularly in a year that I feel was somewhat dry of spectacular musical achievement, they are not half bad. Give this a listen and you probably won’t regret it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Highlight tracks </b>include: Reunion, Angels</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>When to listen: </b>In the gym</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Until Now - Swedish House Mafia</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am almost certain that you have to be a particular kind of person to really appreciate Swedish House Mafia. They are not for everyone. Contrary to popular belief, however, you do not have to be a smack-head raver to appreciate the way their tracks are so finely put together. I have always had respect for talented musicians, no matter what genre they choose to pursue. I’ve been in enough dodgy bars all over the world to appreciate a good DJ!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Highlight tracks include</b>: Antidote, Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>When to listen</b>: A New Years Eve Party/Nightclub</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Our Version Of Events - Emile Sande</span></i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know that this one is a bit of a dark horse. It isn't really all about the album guys (I'll admit, I'm cheating a little!) Anybody who watched the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony (hello, everyone!) can appreciate the talent here. This album does have its weak spots: you will never listen to every track, but the tracks you do enjoy? You really, really enjoy.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Highlight tracks include: </b>Heaven, Next To Me</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>When to listen: </b>Over dinner</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Noteable mentions: What We Saw From The Cheap Seats - Regina Spektor; Not Your Kind Of People – Garbage; Halycon – Ellie Goulding </span></i></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">--RH</span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-36247694113801151172012-12-02T04:15:00.000-04:002012-12-02T04:16:58.395-04:00A Letter To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self..<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">KGUYZ, been a while.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately
about my life now and the sense of déjà vu, which is haunting me on a daily
basis. I wondered whether I could ever actually get caught in the same
situation twice; or whether it would, inevitably, be different.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second law of thermodynamics gives us
an arrow of time, and states that all matter, whatever it is, will change over
time. Like humans, stars will die… and everything will eventually cease.
Something of low entropy will become a high entropy object, and it cannot go
backwards.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So surely I have not gone backwards, and
the situations I find myself in are, if only in a small way, different?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the inspiration behind the below
letter. It is a letter to my nineteen-year-old self. I realized that, if
nothing else has changed it is my perspective on the situation, and the way
that I deal with the decisions and options before me. My subconscious reaction
is ultimately different, and can never go backwards.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nineteen was an interesting time for me.
This is why I felt it important to go back there, and see exactly what has come
of it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rujdNoWj4QY/ULsNqGmbRyI/AAAAAAAAAHY/R9yxdnaIxfQ/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rujdNoWj4QY/ULsNqGmbRyI/AAAAAAAAAHY/R9yxdnaIxfQ/s400/028.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A
LETTER TO MY NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD SELF:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A little piece of advice in terms of what
is coming in the future for you, kid. It’s definitely going to be interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First off, try remembering who you actually
are as opposed to who other people think you are, and make you want to be.
Other people are a constant source of inspiration, but they shouldn’t define
you. From time to time, you’re going to see your entire future in another
person, but it simply isn’t the case. It’s because you don’t really know what’s
coming and you need to trust something. The best thing you can do is to make
this mistake. You’re going to take the
long road, kiddo. You’re going to be that person who learns who they don’t want
to be before actually figuring out who you are. It’s OK. This lesson in itself
will define you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You’re going to meet people who just
weren’t built from the same stuff as you. Don’t judge them for it. Some of your
best friends in the future will be people you never thought you would have
anything in common with. Life is about chemistry and understanding. It isn’t
about how you grew up or where you came from. You’re going to take a pretty
serious point of view on this later in life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look back fondly on everything you can
still remember. If you can, <u>write stuff down</u>. It’s more than a little
embarrassing that you can’t remember all the great memories your friends have.
Then again, perhaps it is because the memory bank is filled with so many other
wonderful things.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t start smoking. Seriously, it’s gross,
and you will fight against it for the rest of your life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The decisions you make now will change who
you are forever. Choose wisely, but don’t let the thought process dominate.
Always trust your gut: it will serve you well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GET ON THE PLANE. <o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t ever take your money for
granted. Sometimes you will make a good
amount, and sometimes you will make nothing. Spend money: it will not last
forever, but be sure to save some for a rainy day. There are a few rainy days
in your future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, and another thing? You’re going to work
in sales. It’s probably going to make you begin to hate all people, but it’s
also going to give you a pretty thick skin. You won’t be scared of a ‘no’, and
you won’t expect much on a maybe. Your life will become dependent on the black
and white: this is not a bad thing. In a few years you will understand the pun
behind the negative shades of grey.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stop taking yourself so seriously: Laugh. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You have years and years ahead of you: Slow
down. Don’t rush so much. You’re just
not ready yet and that’s OK.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Listen to bad music, watch awful movies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And never underestimate the value of
helping another person. Nothing is ever worth anything unless you have someone
to share it with. Whatever it is that you think you want from your life and
from yourself, it will never be what you think it is unless you have family and
friends there to stand by you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t grow up too fast, kid.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also… remember to moisturize. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-RH</span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-75893614726345070472012-11-08T05:11:00.001-04:002012-11-08T05:14:43.371-04:00WHY I CARE ABOUT THE US PRESIDENTIAL RACE <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u>(AND SUPPORT OBAMA)</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Those who have seen my posts on Facebook and Twitter will know full well that I followed (with great gusto) the US Presidential Race. I keenly watched every debate and joined in the millions of Americans who every day tweeted their opinions on the candidates and their policies. I laughed when Obama laughed, and tried to hold back tears when his first debate was a colossal failure. I clenched my fists and ground my teeth in anger whenever Romney opened his mouth, and I have passionately argued against his views.<br /><br /><br />Those who know me well know that I am not a ‘politico’. The only thing I really know about Julia Gillard is that she has really bad hair. Likewise, my knowledge of Boris Johnson begins and ends with my love of his infamous blonde locks.<br /><br /><br />Having said all this I perhaps shouldn't have been surprised when, upon seeing me in fits of happiness and excitement at the results of last night’s election, I started getting asked, “why do you care?!” <br /><br /><br />I was asked this so many times I thought it might be best if I was to explain.<br /><br /><br />Immigration Policy is one of the big reasons why I care about the US election. Obviously this will one day affect me because I am not a US citizen. Romney stated that his party ‘loves’ legal immigration, but would take a tougher stance against ‘illegal’ immigrants who are every day crossing the borders, overstaying visas, and seeking refuge in the US. This argument actually made up a disproportionate part of Romney’s campaign. What Romney really meant was this: “Let scientists, entrepreneurs, and technology geniuses into America so that they can start American companies that will bolster the economy. Everybody else, especially the Mexicans, can stay out”.<br /><br /><br />Romney even went as far as to propose the construction of a high security electric fence to run the border. <br /><br /><br />Didn't they make a movie about this?! Oh yes: Machete. Robert De Niro played (Mitt Romney) the Presidential candidate.<br /><br /><br />You want to know why you lost the Latino vote, Mitt?!?<br /><br /><br />As somebody who might one day want to take an extended working holiday in the US who does not understand science, I can’t say that the Romney/Ryan policy is incredibly attractive to me.<br /><br /><br /><br />Education really needs to be a priority because I am really sick of Americans being the butt of every joke because they are stupid. Don’t get me wrong: I know a lot of Americans that are very well educated, intelligent, and eloquent. Unfortunately, they do not represent the majority of the country (or at least not in the eyes of the rest of the world). Obama put together a plan to really make education a priority. He fought against the increase of student loan interest rates which saved the education sector close to 60 billion USD. This money was then put towards college grants, and capping student loan rates. Mitt Romney paid no attention to the issue, other than to state that people who could not afford college education should simply “borrow the money from their parents”.<br /><br /><br />Uh, yeah Mitt. You’re right. The best way to stop breeding new generations of idiots is to encourage them to borrow money (from their parent’s money tree no doubt).<br /><br /><br />I CANNOT deal with more people who cannot read, write, or figure out where Sweden is on a map. This will simply spawn more things like ‘Teen Mom’ being accepted as normalcy. People are getting dumber, and they need to be stopped.<br /><br /><br /><br />Further to all of this, equality is really something that I think people take for granted in the Western world. I honestly didn’t think twice about the fact that I was entitled to education until I read about Malala Yousifazi being shot by the Taliban for supporting a women’s right to study. <br /><br /><br />Our ideas on equality were seriously brought into question by this election. Mitt’s views on Hispanics, Gay and Lesbian couples, and a woman’s right to choose really made me take a look at how equal we really are.<br /><br /><br />So if all of this is happening in America, why do I care about it all the way in Australia?<br /><br /><br />All over the world there are developing countries that are looking to the US to set the example. Note that these countries are developing: they are growing in power and prominence on an international scale. America has huge amounts of influence in the Western World, and American culture is seen by many as some sort of ‘pinnacle’ of existence. It seems we have evolved in many ways yet still seem to believe in the Great American Dream.<br /><br /><br />Do we want countries developing to new heights of discrimination? Or should we be encouraging them to educate themselves on the matter; to love one another; and to realize that countries must rise and fall “as one family” regardless of their gender, race, or sexual preference? <br /><br /><br />The elected President of the United States needs to lead the way for every country that has become accustomed to McDonalds, Friends, Apple computers, and Starbucks Coffee; and have grown to believe that the American ideals are to be held in the highest esteem.<br /><br /><br />I care about the US Election because regardless of the outcome, America will continue to sit on a pedestal for so many people all over the world who aspire to their influence and ‘greatness’. <br /><br /><br />And for all those who will try to argue that decisions made in America cannot have international aftermath? <br /><br /><br />In 2001, George Bush made a decision that sent 28 nations to war and killed millions of innocent people. <br /><br /><br /><br />I care because I don’t want to see that happening again.<br /><br /><br /><br />RH</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Follow me on Twitter </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Rachel_Helena16" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">HERE</a><!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16701406146415211274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860504562296233384.post-83397015128446505622012-10-25T08:02:00.000-03:002012-11-08T05:15:46.907-04:00Why I Forgive Kanye West<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think I speak for all of us when I say
that we are angry at Kanye West. Here’s a few reasons why:</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">1.
</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><b><u>Who can forget the ‘Imma let
you finish’ moment at the VMAs?</u></b> <br />This was years ago, yet somehow it sticks in
all our minds as one of the biggest ‘jackass’ moments in Gen-Y history. Love
her or hate her, Tay-Tay Swift did NOT deserve that. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">2.
</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><b><u>He has turned Kimmy Kay into a
‘ghetto-fabulous’ mess. </u></b><br />
Again, you can love her or hate her, but Kim Kardashian used to wear nice
clothes before she became one half of ‘Kimye’. They fit her better, too, but
that’s not for here.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(This is a hot mess)</span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">3.
</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><b><u>He has not been blessed with
modesty.</u></b> <br />See here <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTJxj7a9-DA">HERE</a> when he stormed the stage at the MTV Europe
Music Awards to protest his “million dollah” video not winning. On another
occasion, he also said that if there were a modern version of the bible, he
would be in it. ERM, OK HONEY PIE.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So perhaps Kanye has taken things too far
before. He has had ridiculous hair, ridiculous clothing, and has even sung a song about how ridiculous he is. (Yeah, it's true. Hear it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JztZETJ4SaQ">HERE)</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I do believe, though, that we should
probably forgive Kanye for all of his (many) wrongdoings. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my reasons: <u>WHY I FORGIVE KANYE WEST</u></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">1.
</span><!--[endif]--><b><u><span lang="EN-US">He knows <i>exactly </i>who to
collaborate with to make a hit</span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">. <br />Need I list:
Chris Martin, Rihanna, Jay Z, Adam Levine, Beyonce, Swizz Beats, Bon Iver,
Thirty Seconds To Mars… Need I continue? <br />Point is, once I have collaborated with some
of the biggest selling artists of the decade, I will be able to say that Kanye
is not cool. (Not happening ever, by the way.)<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">2.
</span><!--[endif]--><b><u><span lang="EN-US">He lets us know where he’s come from.</span></u></b><span lang="EN-US"><br />
Now, I know I’m not alone when I was like, “HOLLA GURLL” when JLO did her
‘Jenny From The Block’ stuff. I’m whiter than Casper, and I began to identify
with the Bronx. Similarly, Kanye wants us to know that he is from humble
beginnings, and he has never shunned his past. From ‘Made In America’ (Watch
The Throne, 2012) <i>“I told my Mumma I was on the come up; She said you going to
school, I’ll give you a summer; Then she met No I.D and gave me his number; Ten
years later she drivin a hummer.” </i><br />
Don’t we all love a man who love his mumma!?<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">3.
</span><!--[endif]--><b><u><span lang="EN-US">He kind of has a point... Even when he says it wrong.</span></u></b><span lang="EN-US"> <br />
Of course, when he said that George Bush ‘hates black people’, it might not
have been the most politically correct thing that any one has ever said. I
would like to point out, however, that many modern celebrities would never be
so candid for fear of persecution. <br />
Plus, ‘Single Ladies’ is one of the best video clips of our time.<br />
PREACH, Kanye! PREACH FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOPS!<br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Whoa there, Kanye)</span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">4.
</span><!--[endif]--><b><u><span lang="EN-US">He’s a damn rock star!</span></u></b><span lang="EN-US"><br />
He talks shit, he’s abrasive, and he makes people angry! How many true rock
stars are left in this world?! If we begin to eliminate the Kanye’s, we might
get stuck with (a) the too-good Bieber-fever, or (b) Miss ‘keep-me-relevant’
Madonna.<br />
Bitches, please. Move aside? The King is
here.<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">5.
</span><!--[endif]--><b><u><span lang="EN-US">He admits when he’s wrong.<br />
</span></u></b><span lang="EN-US"> Currently the world is gripped with this
snooze fest (other-wise known as the US Presidential Debate), where it seems
that a politician can say or do anything without ever having to apologize. Need
I write how REFRESHING it is to find a CELEBRITY who is the first to admit he
is wrong, and go even further than a simple apology? I am referring, of
course, to Kanye calling himself a douchebag in his song <i>Runaway</i>, which he wrote to apologize for Tay-Tay Swift-Gate. See <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm5iA4Zupek">HERE</a></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I guess there you have it. A rockstar
who speaks his mind, operates as an open book, and isn’t too big to say ‘sorry'.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What’s not to forgive?!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, wait. I forgot this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pubIFf01Pxc/UIkWtz6fILI/AAAAAAAAAF4/GBW5bpcl7SM/s1600/kanye-hair.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pubIFf01Pxc/UIkWtz6fILI/AAAAAAAAAF4/GBW5bpcl7SM/s320/kanye-hair.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">LOL SORRY GUYS.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Point taken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">[Image sources <a href="http://hititorquitit.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/mens-hair-inspiration.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.people.com/people/kanye_west/0,,,00.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.google.com.au/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1385&bih=673&tbm=isch&tbnid=fVj_zQvwNqe-wM:&imgrefurl=http://www.bangsandabun.com/2010/09/get-over-it/kanye-west-taylor-swift-speech_482x396/&docid=gUdBTotztfb_jM&imgurl=http://www.bangsandabun.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/kanye-west-taylor-swift-speech_482x396.jpg&w=482&h=396&ei=txqJUL3kDqPsiAfqtoHIAQ&zoom=1">here</a>]</span></div>
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