Anti-Conformity

"Look at what she's wearing.  I'd never be caught wearing something like that!"

"Oh, look at that haircut.  Geez, that guy is weird!"

There have been times where I ahve caught myself saying stuff like that about people who are dressed differently to me and to what I'm used to seeing.  How many times have you told yourself that you are not a conformist yet feel scared to to be different?  You tell yourself that today I will do my own thing and I will be different from everyone else and yet when push comes to shove, you just follow in what the crowd is doing?

Here are some lyrics to a song by Krystal Meyers called "Anticonformity" :

It's all around
Pressure from my so-called friends
It's all around
I'm measured by some stupid trend
It's all around
Everyone is just like them
It's all around
It's all around
It's all around
[Chorus:]
So I'm anticonformity
I don't try too hard to be
I'm not what you think you see
Inside I've made a change
And I'll never be the same
NO WAY!
They conform
Un-individuality
They conform
Forget about variety
Yeah they conform
They don't know what they believe
They conform
They conform
They conform
[Chorus:]
So I'm anticonformity
I don't try too hard to be
I'm not what you think you see
Inside I've made a change
And I'll never be the same
NO WAY!
Image is overrated if it washes off in the rain
You know you gotta go deeper to go against the grain
[Chorus:] [2x]
So I'm anticonformity
I don't try too hard to be
I'm not what you think you see
Inside I've made a change
And I'll never be the same
NO WAY!

It feels as though you are expected to follow a trend or else you are a loser if you do not.  Apparently you are cool if you do what all the "cool" kids are doing. 
I find it sad that the things you do are dictated to you by your "friends" and you are a loser if you don't follow certain "rules" of society. 
It's so awesome when you see someone doing something different and they still hold their head up even if people are looking down on them.
I think it's time to be who you really want to be.  Don't listen to what other people want you to be but listen to what YOU want to be. 
Just be different.  Be your true self....

Japan

Japan has been in the news a lot lately and it is not because of some new game that has been released or some new anime show.  What has happened in Japan is quite drastic and it's very devastating.
Earthquakes in Japan are as common as the wind in Port Elizabeth.  They have earthquakes all the time but this time it was really bad.  Japan lies over four tectonic plates which are constantly moving around and as a result these cause a lot of earthquakes. 
The Japanese are used to all these earthquakes and most of their buildings are built up in preparation for any future earthquakes.  The thing that made this the worst earthquake the Japanese have experienced in years is the huge tsunami that has left the country in devastation.  I actually watched a video on the CNN website of the waves crushing some buildings... and these were not small buildings. That wave was huge! Here is a link to the CNN website: http://www.cnn.com/.  You can check out some of the other videos as well.
Here are some pictures of the disaster that has taken place in Japan.

That is an aerial view of the waves heading towards the land.

That is what the Japanese coast looks like at the moment

I feel a lot sympathy for the Japanese but I am really glad that we have not had a major tragedy like that.  I mean, we are pretty lucky here in South Africa that we do not have to worry about tsunamis and earthquakes.  Who knows, maybe we won't be so lucky in next year December...

There have been some people going around saying that Japan deserve what has happened to them because of all the whaling going on.  I'm sorry but those people are just plain evil.  Only a minority of Japanese do the whaling thing but that does not mean that the entire country has to suffer.  If Japan is getting what they deserve then I think that every other country in the world deserves to suffer the same.  Hey, we have some human traffickers in almost every country, so God, if You are listening, send down your wrath to all these countries.  Oh wait, don't forget the drug dealers, the poachers, the murderers, the rapists and the list goes on and on... so if these people were to be punished with natural disasters then this planet that we are on would be one messed up place and I don't think there would be much life left on it either...

Japan is one of those places that I would really love to go to one day.  I think that it is one of the cooloest places in the world.  They have their own unique feel.  They have all these cool toys and anime and the language is awesome.  The Japanese language is almost like the German in that they sound angry when they speak.  Someone (Japanese speaker) could be saying "I love you" to you (non-Japanese speaker) and you'll probably be thinking "OMG, he wants to kill me" but it's still an awesome language.  Have you heard of the Harajuku boys and girls?  Well, if not then you will.  The Harajukus are basically groups of young people who have their unique way of dressing up.  It is a huge phenomenon in Japan.  You will find a few people around the world who dress up like the Harajukus.  They look awesome, though.  I want to post up some pictures but there's something wrong with my photo browser and it will not allow me.  I did not want to have pictures of just the devastation in Japan but also of the nice things that go on there and some of the beautiful scenary there.

South African aid workers have been sent out to Japan.  Some firefighters and some medical assistance and and some search and rescue teams have been sent out.  I tried finding some ways in which we could help out but there hasn't rellay been any place but I guess if there are any donations needed, then just find where you can make donations and that little amount that you donate will help a lot to those who really need it...

Food For The Soul

"Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life."  ~Ludwig van Beethoven

"Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory."  ~Oscar Wilde

I love music.  It is the one thing that i can successfully say has never disappointed me.

Think about it... There is music for all types of moods that you might be in.  There is music for all occassions. 

There is always a memory that you will associate with a song.  Music just makes you feel so much better after or even during a hard time.  It does not take away the pain that you might be feeling but it makes you forget for that period of time that you were hurting. 

I find that I always leave feeling happier when i have heard one my favourite songs on radio or maybe just in passing.  I also feel that I feel an instant pull towards people who have the same taste in music as i do...

I'm the kind of person who listens to ALL types of music! I swear, I probably have the weirdest, yet coolest collection of music.  I listen to Metal (this makes some people do a double take sometimes... A black girl who listens to Metal) and all the other sub-genres of Rock music.  I've recently started listening to House music.  I mean, I would listen to it if i was out but now I can chill at home and blast some House through my speakers... It's the same thing with Hip-Hop, I never really listened to it apart from the commercialised stuff but I have been introduced to it and I'm really enjoying it.  It's pretty dope, I must say.

"Music is the universal language of mankind."  ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Outre-Mer

Music unites people from all over the world.  People from different parts of the world, with different backgrounds will all come together in one setting just to see their favourite musician perform live.  I have seen people cry at concerts and I thought this was lame because I didn't understand.  It wasn't until I felt the passion ignite within me that I actually got emotional about music.  I have seen people become friends because of the music that they listen to... You can be anywhere in the world and you might in a surrounding that is way out of your comfort zone but you WILL SURELY find at least one person with the same musical taste as you and you will find that connection with that person.

I am very passionate about my music.  It really annoys me when people disrespect what i prefer to listen to.  I mean, we are all entitled to our own opinion and I have the right to listen to whatever I feel like listening to without being made to feel like the stuff I listen to is dumb.  Another thing that gets to me is being put in a category.  Just because I listen to damn Rock music, that does not mean that I am a bloody Coconut (white on the inside, dark on the outside)! Seriously, can't a black person listen to Rock music without being labelled a "Cheese Boy/Girl"? Can't a white person listen to House, Hip-Hop or Kwaito without being deemed a "Wigger"?  I think it's really stupid and ignorant to keep categorising people just because of the music that they listen to.  Can't a person just listen to their music for pure enjoyment?

Here's a list of some of the musicians that I like listening to:

1.  Jimi Hendrix - I still get emotional over this guy although he's been dead for over thirty years

2.  Slipknot - They are not as demonic as people tend to think they are

3.  Kanye West - He is one of the best musicians of our time

4.  Kings of Leon - These guys have their own unique sound

5.  MGMT - This group is totally weird but I love it

6.  Jay Z - "The Illuminati Puppet" but he is where he is because the talent that he has

7.  Coldplay - I love their different take on their music

8.  My Chemical Romance - The coolest "Emo" band in the world

9.  John Mayer - This guy's music really hits home and I feel like tha music was written just for me

10.  Evanescence - Amy Lee's vocals and her lyrics just make me feel awesome after having a listen

That's just a few of my favourite musicians but I have more that I really like.  None of these bands sounds like the other.  They each have their own different sound

I found this awesome site where they have all these undiscovered bands... here's the link:
http://www.bandsundertheradar.com/