Saturday 31 October 2015

Enough Rope By Which To Hang Yourself.

"Very often you hear people putting so much emphasis on having the freedom to choose, and living the lives that they want. And I understand that I have been very fortunate to be born into certain circumstances that allow me to do whatever I want to do, for the most part. But freedom can also be enough rope by which to hang yourself. I went through a long period of time where I didn’t have to answer to anybody, so I made a lot big mistakes: things that I don’t necessarily regret now — because I learned from them — but I overdosed on that freedom for a while. I think as you get older, if you mature and grow in the right way, then eventually you realize it’s not really freedom that you’re fighting for. It’s what that freedom can get you."


BE•TRA•YAL: Just wanted to come out and say, equal measures proudly and shamefacedly, that the new CRJ (Carly Rae Jepsen to you plebes) album is GREAT. Dear Lord, what is going on?!? Unbelievable hooks. Top-notch productions. Bubblegum pop at its absolute finest (what a pun haha ok sue me. no, fine me.) and guilty pleasure of the highest order, I tell you hwat. I mean, Tom Hanks in a music video??? Tell me it ain't so. And yet, it works. Hook line and sinker.

And in a now-doomed attempt at street cred - here's my second discovery of the day (waaaaaaaaay further up the cool spectrum pls b3li3v3 me) - the absolutely banging School of Seven Bells (SVIIB in short, told ya they were kool.) A superb feature by Stereogum (also source of 90% of all my new music finds) and I want more. Dark synth/dream/atmospheric pop(?), can't go wrong with that eh. Pop(?), though? Okwtv genres suck. How2wraphead around chillwave/jangle-pop/dream-pop/shoegaze/electronic-rock/etc etc etc???

In other news, new Grimes, Florence (heard it on my MAS flight back from KTM whaddya know), Deerhunter, Beach House (not on spotify WHY) etc is enough to keep this would-be-hipster going.

Largely trivial post here, triggered by a vague desire that my mind not stagnate (not too badly, at least). Of course there are plenty of better things I could be doing but I simply feel unable to bring myself to. Even banalities like editing (never too much, rest assured. I am a purist at heart.) and posting of pictures. Processing some of those journal entries from Nepal, also, feels just too much to do. For now.

And now it's time to make something of my weekend, at last! Happy returns on a happy weekend, fellas.

Sunday 25 October 2015

Everybody's Here For Someone Else.

So. Over a month ago, before setting sail for the distant shores of Ho Chi Minh and getting burnt to a crisp in Nepal, I had in mind this whole spiel on the arrestingly, surprisingly, beautiful sight of the haze under the light of streetlamps. A gentle reminder of seasons past - of foggy streets and train stations illuminated in the distance; of finding a strange version of family thousands of miles from home. I hope I never grow out of this joy for fog. The haze, though... One month later and here it still persists, accompanied by reports that it might last into the new year. What! Faux fog Christmas at least, I suppose......???

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And the sea. How terrible, how frightening, how beautiful, when the sky blends into the sea, when the horizon hides behind the rain. How terrifying, how dramatic, when the visibility drops below five cables, when you can barely see six or seven waves ahead of you, when the fate of the ship's company rests in your hands.

And how to explain what sailing feels like? The headaches, soreness, discomfort, etc. that you never know for sure exactly why, or where they're from. Seasickness, dehydration, lack of fresh rations, lack of sleep... The wait for the next meal, the massive disappointment when it sucks, the interminable waits and periods of inactivity, the adrenaline, the rush, the weight of the responsibility. The rolling, the pitching, the pounding, the shouts, the myriad little decisions you have to make to juggle them all. Chasing rainclouds, sighting dolphins - and above all a wonder at this man-made steel contraption making its way through the open seas.

Presiding over stormy weather and tenuous sunsets. People watching in HCM. Watching the street sprout stalls as the market closes for the day. Wondering at the supremely independent Japanese ladies roaming the streets. The hipster girls in their cute helmets - where do they ride off to? In a teeming city of 10 million, equal parts opportunity and obstacle, how do you not get drowned out?

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