man

Hi.

Again, I should be writing a 12 page paper at the moment. I think it's very telling of my procrastination habits that I typically choose to blog at a time when I SHOULD be doing school work. Regardless, I'm writing something, so that's a good thing, right?

Before procrastinating on blogspot.com, I was searching John Mayer interviews on Youtube... sad, I know. I just cannot get enough of the guy. He writes his own lyrics (which, when a 30-something year old writes music that can actually make a girl cry, that's beyond art... it's magic), he is incredibly talented at both guitar and singing, his beauty is unconventional in that he doesn't have rock-hard abs and a fake, gleaming smile (but rather an old school sorta handsomeness). Really, he is amazing. I went to his concert in Vancouver on April 1st and was saddened by the shiteousness of my seat (super far from the stage; had to squint to see John), yet was awed by his ability to perform flawlessly live. So I'm standing and singing along, when an elderly fan and his wife turn to me and offer me two tickets to the front row (his friends whose tickets he was holding were unable to show up, and the bass was too loud for him and his wife up there), so low and behold, I walked (well, stumbled in amazement... and no, this was not an April Fool's Day prank) to the stage with one of my best friends at my side, and we got to stand in the front row. I could not believe that what I was hoping for, for once, came true. And to top it all off, at the end of an amazing guitar solo, I'm about 99% certain I made eye contact with the man himself, who slightly nodded, as I flamboyantly clapped and exalted "amazing, amazing, amazing!" It was the most incredible concert experience I've ever had, and I could not be more grateful for that old man with pink earplugs who gave me his tickets!

So in my pursuit to better understand and know John Mayer through Youtube, I ultimately came to the realization that these interviews are mere smidgens of who John Mayer really must be. His music and lyrics are poetic and passionate in nature, which are telling of his personality in the most personal sense. Contrastingly, in his interviews I've noticed that he portrays a slightly different version of himself in each one, depending on the interviewer, setting, and so forth. This had led me to the conclusion that John Mayer, the real man behind the interviews, tabloids and gossip blogs, is simply a man. A man whose unsurmountable talent has led him to be thrown, face first, into an abyss of media and hollywood clamour, where he is berated by the public for leading a life as any man would. I, as a true fan, will continue to ignore any negative press about John Mayer as the futility of it all is truly insulting. He is a man.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough about John Mayer. It's time to return to my paper where I contend that our world is facing a food crisis and the international community is doing shit all about it.

gh, xO

The PLIGHT of Capitalism - :O

I guess maintaining a blog is far more strenuous a task than I'd initially perceived. That, or I've just been lazy about it. Regardless, I am BACK. I recently found and read an old diary that I'd written in for some time back in 2005, and it inspired me to begin writing on a regular basis again.

Hmm.. where to begin? For starters, I'll mention that I really should be writing my sociology research paper at the moment. It's for my Global Issues in Capitalism class, which has definitely been the most interesting and rewarding class I've taken in my academic career thus far. This class allows students to learn about the implications of capitalism on a global level, by focusing on a specific topic each week, such as the environment, health, and so forth. I firmly believe that all post secondary institutions should make such a class mandatory. I feel that it is becoming increasingly vital for students to break free of the capitalist mindset, and to come to the realization that this system just isn't working. Ha, could you imagine students of Texas University taking an anti-capitalism class? It would be a riot!

As much as I'd like to sugarcoat my advocacy of sociology 302 by claiming that it was this class led me to an epiphany on the plights of capitalism, I'd rather truthfully admit that I've seen a major problem with this socioeconomic system since I was a kid. The cause for this may be my upbringing by refugee parents who emigrated from a country where the Cold War's devastating effects took a front and centre seat, or it may be a result of my constant search for a higher truth. Regardless of the causes, I know that my ability to question all that our world perceives to be the "truth" has allowed me to discover reality -- beyond what our leaders, mainstream media, or others in hierarchical positions tell us we should believe to be real. And sometimes reading and knowing what I do becomes exhaustingly lonely, because really, how do you tell a friend or a date or a teacher that everything they believe in is in one way or another, a complete and utter farce.

My periodic feelings of helplessness have made me become a greater believer that if people become even slightly removed from this manufactured reality that I call "life within capitalism", then maybe I can begin to feel less lonely. Or even better, maybe our world can begin to become less destructive and people can become less self-serving. Call me an idealist, but realism is just not working for me.

Anyway, I've gone on far too long a rant. I'll end this post with a clip that includes an animation of a speech by Mr. David Harvey (the social theorist, not the geographer). He, too, seems to believe that capitalism is less of what we need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0

gh, xO

"Great" Britain?

When you think that this great nation prides itself as the father of democracy, and supposed equality, this is a legitimate shit-distubring video:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bnp+exposed+bbc&aq=1


gh, xO

the way of the world.

Hmm... a blog.

It's official, folks... I've hopped onto the bandwagon of technological-dependence,
as a means to relieve my own stresses, in the form of an electronic diary. Enjoy =)

peace, love, and rock n' roll..?