|
ArtisticVirus
|
read my profile
sign my guestbook
Name: Lisa
Country: United States
State: Massachusetts
Gender: Female
Interests: Drawing, Anime/Mangas, Reading, Listening to Music, Gaming, Soccer, Basketball, Badminton, Bowling, Languages, Food, Writing, Breakdancing (want to learn), Skateboarding (want to learn), Se7en, etc.
Expertise: Cleanliness, Saying hi and/or Waving, Tripping, and Making people laugh
Occupation: Student
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message me
AIM:  Artisticvirus
Member Since:
11/27/2004
|
|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| Okay, just a heads up, this is definitely going to be an opinionated rant (like all of my entries... lol).
This entry shall be addressing G-Dragon's Heartbreaker.
GD has definitely got to be one of the most talented artists in the (Korean) music industry. He's been in it since the 6th grade or so and has since been producing many of BB songs. There are plenty of respected artists out there who have yet been able to successfully produce their own songs.
It's really difficult for me to not comment on the videos I watch if I see really rude or unnecessary comments. I just feel really strongly about some things and feel it compelled within me to voice to those anonymous haters on youtube why I disagree. It's sad, I know, especially since everyone is basically an anonymous user when you're simply watching videos and uploading none of your own generated/made videos.
His new album is receiving a lot of attention, but along with the positive, of course, there are some negatives. Personally, it's not one of my favorite songs only because I feel like autotune has been relied on excessively. That's not to say, however, that I don't appreciate the intricacies of the song. I still very much like it, but it's not my favorite. I don't mind autotune, but the music industry tends to overuse certain things once it's catch on or received some very positive initial responses. Really, in my opinion, the song, in spite of using autotune, is very good. It's catchy and actually has a message. GD's ability to produce and write music never ceases to astound me. To those that feel too strongly of autotune and criticize artists for its use: calm down. Music is a form of expression and if artists, truly talented artists, that is, choose to autotune their songs once in a while, it should not be a big deal. There are a couple of comments in the video section where users have expressed their sentiments of how autotune is "killing the music industry." Seriously? I mean, really? Are you for real? You can't be. You must be joking, right? It can really be annoying, I guess, since you would rather hear the artist's voice. (I know I, for one, prefer that with the real artists and not those vocally challenged ones who got in through their looks). However, that's too strong of a description. I would say that some things are used for a reason. It's still receiving good responses from the masses. So I guess the real question is, why not? Music is supposed to be enjoyed both ways. You can't expect the artist to always make music that you love while sacrificing their own creative license, their desire to express in their own way what they feel, what they think, what they've experienced. They have to right to mess around and have fun with their own music. And if they're feeling "autotune," then okay. It's cool.
On that note, I must also address this "plagiarism" controversy regarding the song. It's really between music companies and by that, I mean Warner's being a pain. A real pain. They just want to monopolize everything. It's not even about the music. Then again, with most of the US record labels, what is really about the music and not the profits? I honestly only see one small part where it's similar to that spin me like a record (original) and Flo Rida's "sample," "Right round," found towards the beginning of the song, but the rest of it is clearly distinctive and GD's own. It's different and incredibly catchy. I mean why not freaking do that for every flipping song we hear nowadays. You're bound to hear some resemblances between all the songs we have today if you're only listening to a small part of it. Then you can claim that there is rampant plagiarism and everything would either be chaotic or they'd just drop the case altogether for fear of exposing the lies that make up the very foundation of our industry--manipulating songs just a bit to make listeners think it's all really different. But I think GD's song is truly original. It's lyrically well done, and the beat is addictive. I don't understand why there is a pattern of putting down (Asian) artists in favor of the American counterparts. There are comments that discuss how, clearly, this whole video, from the style and concept, to the song has been borrowed/stolen from other artists (who just so happen to be American). I'm not going to deny the fact that many Asian artists are influenced strongly by the US music industry, but which areas haven't? And I'm not going to deny the fact that there have been many instances of "covers" and "sampling" in Asia that are really just cases of plagiarism, but that's really concentrated in areas where their own music industry have not fully matured yet and are in the stages of developing and growing. But this is not the case here. I mean, Wtf?! Blonde hair, lots of eye makeup, etc. do not BELONG to anyone. It may be Lady Gaga's signature look, but I'm pretty sure she's not the only one rocking that look. And I don't think she's the first. I'm sure she too has been influenced by others. And style is not all about the aesthetics. It's also about how you wear your clothes, etc. You have your own attitude and take on it. I feel so annoyed when these sort of things come into play. And it's really not as if most people intentionally seek out to take the style of others. We're all unique individuals. But let's face it, sometimes you may think your idea is original only to find that someone else is thinking the same thing simultaneously. It's about timing. I'm not saying this is the case for everything, because, certainly, it's not (especially not so in the academic world), but this is what I feel specifically for this song/mv.
Certainly, the concept for the mv must also be taken into account. There is use of symbolism, word play and much more in the mv. There are certainly elements that are influenced by popular mainstream artists, but if you look at the (US) hip hop and rap industries here, you can see that they all use each other. There will be some female presence. These girls are degraded to some extent in the mv. The males proceed to do these degrading acts to them. There is dancing. Flashy jewelry and accessories. The cars. The clothes. All part of the hip hop culture. Are they all plagiarizing? It's common elements, but how you put it together is what really matters. This is a very unique concept--GD's Heartbreaker video that is. It's been translated very artistically and meld together very well in the mv. It communicates the lyrics of the song very well. And I just really am annoyed/irritated/frustrated by the haters. I really do not see Lady Gaga in it. It's like these people are programmed into associating all the little things with the limited knowledge they have. It's quite provincial. You can clearly see that this is his style. He has all the elements of his signature look, the rings, the shades, the clothes. If you follow BB or just GD, you can see that. But people are always quick to jump to conclusions, making connections that don't exist, resemblances that are simply pure coincidence and too small to account for anything. It's basically like saying Pikachu is plagiarized from Mickey Mouse because of the fact that they're mice, they have audible voices and each have some yellow coloring. They're ridiculous conspiracy theories created by those who have too much time on their hands, want to be angry with the artist, etc.
Anyway, I just wanted to say these things because I believe people should be able to recognize that GD is very much his own person (as if that wasn't obvious) and that they should recognize him for the talent he is and not let the little details that are being fed to the media detract from that. A talented artist is a talented artist. A good song is a good song. Good music is good music. You like it, you watch it. You don't, just stop and leave. There's no need to put down nasty remarks. But who am I kidding? The internet not only allows for intelligent ideas to be communicated, it's also where many things come to die. Like brain cells, when you're exposed to the ignorant narrow-minded fools who are allowed to post on the internet. Flame. etc. because they can without ever having to let their real selves be seen.
-Lisa =)
| | |
| YG LOVE
Just wanted to firmly establish my views on YG Family. I think that they are truly one of the best in Korea. It's truly a family; they care about the music they make, their artists and it's all talent plus hard work. None of the artists are simply "idols," but actually very talented individuals and I'm glad they're around to provide quality, good music and amazing artists.
As most of you may know, 2NE1 is the current "YG new face." I would like to comment on how they are truly talented and deserving of all the positive feedback they've been receiving since their debut. I love their swagger, attitude and general awesome-ness. Together, they're just brilliant, vocally (musically), choreographically. I appreciate many of the other Korean girl groups and their skills, etc., but I also do not consider myself a fan. Some of them, I feel, are incapable of actually singing well. However, the reason may simply be attributed to their companies. They devote themselves to the artists (referring to idol groups really) promotionally and commercially, but not so much developmentally as musicians. Then again, I am, admittedly, biased. This is not to say I don't like their music or the artists themselves, I'm just not a fan.
Acceptance
After reading through my old xanga entries, deviantart account and other things, I've realized how much I've changed in looking at myself and in presenting myself. I don't really know how it all started, but for some reason in my old xanga entries, I took it as a general custom to ask for eprops, comments and the like. I would always ask for people to give my 2 eprops and stuff and it would very much convey this need to be appreciated by everyone, I guess. This sort of concrete evidence that I needed to be accepted by the public, whether friends, family members or strangers. But at the same time, it was masked by the trend of doing so (at least in our age group at the time). I find that interesting. I mean, I was not, by any means, vying for popularity--whether online or offline--nor was I trying to conform because, for as long as I remember, I had always been kind of odd (nicer way of putting things, haha). I think I was just trying to find out what people thought of me for certain, to sort of erase any gray areas. My deviantart stuff were along the same lines except, instead of confirmation, they exhibited signs of esteem issues, which are not gone yet. Lol. My descriptions and entries always seemed to heavily criticize my work. I mean, sure, I'm definitely never fully happy with any of my current or recent works now, but I haven't degraded and lowered myself in the process of doing so now. I can't really understand why I ever asked for eprops/comments in my old entries. They signify nothing... except for occassionally deflating and inflating some egos. They sounded so sad... and desperate to fit it, which I don't think I was trying to do in real life. I wish I could tell myself then that I should be content with myself as I grow and mature. That's just part of growing up though.
I had always been weird, odd, different, etc. but I think the turning point (of course in addition to everything else that's happened in my life thus far) of being who I am today probably came with, believe it or not, Summer Search. Strange, huh? And that was in the winter of sophomore year. However, I think Summer Search really allowed me to open up to people more and be able to look at situations from different perspectives. I learned to not always make everything black/white, good/bad. I have learned to be much more comfortable with myself in the process as well--especially my awkwardness, fascination with random stuff, etc. I mean, I think I had always been okay with myself, but I never realized that I had consistently down-talked myself until my Summer Search mentor(s). We mustn't forget the family and friends, though. I honestly don't know how well I'd fare in life had it not been for having the best friends and family anyone could ask for... I don't know where I would be without the community I found at BLS. Man, I was strugglin' and I mean strugglin' in elementary school, with the exception of a couple of very good friends (you know who you are). Now, even though I sometimes cross the fine line between modesty and plain self-degradation, I am much more happy and content with who I am. I am fine with the good, bad and the ugly of myself. I am okay with openly expressing myself in front of strangers, discussing what most would shy away from (ie poop, you can thank ETC for that), though being very close with someone is a completely different matter.
Life is treating me pretty well right now, except for, you know, the most depressing incident that's happened to me in a long time. Haha. Friends and family, food, art, sleep, music/film. Life is good.
-Lisa =)
Before I forget, here are some topics I need to remember to write about because I've been meaning to for so long:
-pc-ness, unintentionally offensive terms
-college and h.s. friends
-awkward situations (numerous...)
-wilderness and thailand --> environment
-taking public transportation and etiquette revolving it
-(today: 8/1/09) baby pigeons = burning question of today... and kid watching at the wharf/fountain thing
-(7/29/09) The best inexplicable play yet
| | |
| First off, to start off things in a non-emo way:
I finally managed to finish watching the fifth season of House! Yayyyy! But can I just say Episode 20 (or which ever it was) is soooo effed up? Pourquoi, Kutner?! Why? (I guess this will be pseudo-emo after all). That was such a shocker! And House... a headcase?! I guess that's not as surprising. Haha. In any case, emo tear for both. I'm looking forward to the next season.
Now for the emo rant:
I have not felt this depressed in a while. And it's not so much what happens to me that I am worried about, but how my family is affected because of me. All me. My parents work so hard... They never complain. They always do the best they can for us with what we have. That's what all good parents too. I try to help, but I just made things worse. I wanted to pay for everything myself... and yet things turned out this way. Why? I don't understand at all.
How can people be so uncaring? Do they not feel bad at all at what they're doing to others?
My parents have enough to worry about and here I did something really stupid. I feel so useless, helpless, heavy, sad, frustrated. Yet I am continuously telling myself that something good will come out of this. I can't really see it now, though. It's really difficult to see the good from this one outside of the fact that I have "learned things the hard way."
My mom, her boyfriend, my little sister and everyone I told has been really supportive. They keep telling me that it's okay. It's okay. It's not anyone's fault. That this happens to a lot of people. But it doesn't make me feel better about what I've done to my family. I know they love me, but I don't think I deserve this sentiment right now.
There's so much more to worry about now... on top of college tuition, fees, books.
I really hope justice will come out of this. I really do.
I want to be able to be there for Brandon's celebration and be able to buy those gifts for him, but I don't know if I can at this point.
| | |
| Starbucked
Reference to Starbuck's signature siren logo in honor of finally finishing Starbucked by Taylor Clark. The prolonged time it took me to finish can be explained by this: I was lazy, wanted to watch instead of read, eat instead of read and had wandered frequently these past few weeks.
This was a very interesting read, and I am not just saying that for the sake of being polite, because who really needs to be polite in their own online journal entries? It was a very good read and there were many things I learned from this book that had really surprised me.
For instance, did you know that Starbucks is steadily becoming one of the largest chains in the world? Well, I'm sure you all kind of figured that out by their sheer density in about every city. However, did you know that to be the largest chain in the world it seeks to have over 40,000 globally? McDonald's currently has around 30,000. Currently, Starbucks has around 10,000-20,000. It has one significant advantage over McDonald's and that is that it has the capability of having 2 stores exactly one block away from each other in one city and still be able to profit well in both. Sales from both stores continue to be high and neither loses. And... because it's not a franchised business, they can do that just about anywhere.
I also learned that I kind of feel an intense dislike towards Howard Schultz. That man may be incredibly brilliant in his marketing strategy and he may be known for his ability to be personable, passionate and the like, but his competitive nature and power to crush anyone or anything in his way cannot help but irritate me. You know that famous Peet's coffee? Well, Starbucks owns that actually. What's really confusing is the fact that Starbucks was not originally Schultz's. It belonged to Baldwin and 2-3 of his closest friends. Then Baldwin walked away (and took up Peet's instead) and gave Starbucks to Schultz, whose original chain was called Il Giornale. However, Schultz, being ever competitive and unforgiving what with his business oriented self, decided to buy up Peet's in the end. Yep. How's that for cut-throat? Btw, Peet's had belonged to Baldwin's mentor. Oh and if you want your brand to sell but have yet to come up with a name, just go for Terry Heckler. The man has a knack for that sort of thing.
As for mom-pop coffee shops that us local people like to go for, you would think that they are slowly being put out of business with Starbucks popping up everywhere, but that is not the case. The truth is, mom and pop coffee shops benefit from having Starbucks in the vicinity. Starbucks used to be known for its upscale high quality coffee, but at this point it's good as a starting point for coffee noobs. Those noobs then might move onto becoming obsessed with coffee and decide to support local shops for better coffee after they have gathered enough courage. Starbucks has helped increase people's level of exposure to coffee. Apparently, Starbucks also signifies a city's economic value. If there's a Starbucks in your town, chances are, it's not that shitty. There's a statement made in the book by an interviewee, discussing how they think--in the same sentence--that the town is ready for a Starbucks, better education and performing arts. Yeah... clearly. I mean these are some of the benefits, but there are obviously a TON of downsides.
Globalization is great in many respects. At the same time, one cannot but help feel a growing concern about how increasingly similar every place looks... and Starbucks plays one of the greatest roles in doing so (that's what the book says, anyway). You can feel good about being able to get Starbucks nearly anywhere (except Israel currently, according to Clark), but where's the novelty in traveling and getting the same drink you would in, say, the U.S.?
I am quite openly biased. I don't like Starbucks much. I think it's too expensive... and for coffee that's decent (or so I hear). Sure, I have ordered 2-3 things at a Starbucks total in my lifetime, but that doesn't mean I am proud of it. I will give credit where it's due and it's that Starbucks is a beyond clever scheme. The design is perfectly sleek and well tailored to its target audience. Marketing: beautifully executed, same league, except with more advantages, as McD's.
But for me? Tea ftw.
Fair Trade, etc.
Feel good about your drink because it's labeled with "Fair Trade?" You could. It's okay. But is it really all that fair? Nope. Farmers are ensured to receive around $1.26/lb or whatever, but think about the painstaking labor and the profit margin of the retailers, from the cup to the actual drink made. Completely unfair. There would be no coffee if it were not for these farmers... and yet they only receive that much? On the one hand, there are countless, innumerable other farmers (produce, grain, etc. etc.) who would line up to have this opportunity be presented to them, but it's still not fair. It adjusts the playing field slightly at best, but we could do so much more for them. Coffee shop owners are not exactly thrilled about fair trade beans either. There are a ton of regulations and restrictions set up to qualify for "fair trade." It doesn't mean you're getting a good bean, either. The best way to support a farmer, the book claims, is go for high quality coffee. So go for that arabica bean, folks, or that bean from Jamaica up in the mountains, as shown in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations (which I <3).
P.S. Surplus ain't helping either (no duh). I'm all for quota placed on these beans. Free-market not working out very well, as is evident. In addition, you are definitely not helping, my dear consumers, when you're drinking coffee from these four distributors: Nestle, Proctor and Gamble, Philip Morris (isn't that the tobacco dood? Marlboro?) and Massimo Zanetti. For more, just read up on "A Fair Trade?" in Clark's aforementioned book.
It really upsets me that farmers are not getting the credit they deserve, and I mean credit, especially environmentally conscious ones. On that note, to be FDA certified organic or whatever it's called, there are also a ton of regulations that sometimes make no sense, that is often baffling. There are plenty of farms out there that do not use pesticides and insecticides and are very conscious and careful about their farming methods, but are not certified. Wtf? I have no idea.
No thanks to my subconscious aversion to attractive guys
We had planned for most everyone to hang out yesterday, but it fell through, as most plans have involving the mob of late. The result: only Cathy, Jane and I were able to hang out. On my way to meet up with them, I was on the bus and there was a cute little boy with his dad sitting behind me. The kid was hyperactive or something and happened to have an axe in his hand--don't panic, it was made of plastic. He was well-behaved initially and needless to say, I was distracted by the appeal of having a little kid behind me. (So I suffer from slight pedophilia, at least I'm not creepy...? No wait. At least I am not a cougar. I also have no history with criminal behavior. So yay!). But then, he started swinging around that damned axe for no apparent reason. I saw the reflection of said actions. I wasn't bothered. I was happy that I had heard the little kid sing Barney's theme song 10 times or so, while he enacted the hug and kiss part with his dad. However, it did not stop there. He actually hit me a couple of times in the head with this axe. Thank god it was plastic. I was okay with it, but that was weird. The dad tried to discipline the kid by saying, "How would you feel if someone kept hitting you in the head with an axe?" and "Stop it! You're being rude." but to no avail. He tried. Little kids are just... weird and cute, too.
Here's the main story now.
I was trying to find Howard Sherman Student Union/Center/I forgot the full name of the place. I had walked to the right of the MLK statue area, thinking it was in that direction... It was not. I went back to the MLK statue place, found the map and decided to confirm if it was on the left. As I was doing so, a very cute BU guy (he was probably a rising junior and was very familiar looking... I think he had gone to BLS as well) approached me and noticed I was consulting a map, which indicated that I could be in need of some assistance. Being the courteous guy he is, he asked me if I needed help. I looked up, saw his face, and answered honestly and bluntly that I did not. I walked away immediately without saying a single bye... Dammit. Why am I so oblivious? SAD. So cute! I could have lied and replied, "Why yes! I do! Could you show me the way?" But no. I declined the way I did and just walked away. Good bye, Mr. Opportunity. Not that I would have asked him out or anything. It could have been after continued interaction. Alas, I am but an oblivious, blunt fool... Lol.
Thanks for not reading!
-Lisa T. =)
| | |
| As you all may know... or not know, my summer has been, for the most part, uneventful so far. But thanks to those weekly passes I keep buying, I am forced to venture out more often and quite often in order to maximize its use. After all, my income is negative as it is. Fifteen bucks is a lot, my friend. And thus unfolds a story relevant to that of the title--though it comes a little later in this entry... It's all related though, trust me!
Cathy, Kathy and I are poor unemployed kids. I technically have a job now... but that's for another time. For a month, I've been hermitting quite contently. I have no qualms against being a hermit. I mean sure, your vitamin D levels decline, you reek of homeliness, your speech becomes increasingly limited and slurred and words don't come as quickly to mind when you're conversing with another person when that interaction is suddenly necessary because of how glued you are to your computer, tv, bed or... bathroom?, but is it really that bad? ... Maybe... but I'm okay with it. Anyway, because of the constant call of the wild, in the looser sense of the term... (the wild being the urban jungle), and the need to be at least a little productive in addition to the fact that we were unemployed, Cathy encouraged me to volunteer with her. But after a week of hard manual labor with a lot of idle time in between the work, I decided to call it quits. I am much more inclined to volunteer for environmental causes and for programs that allow for constant work. Standing around doing nothing for that long anywhere is about as useful as sitting at home in a corner counting dust particles when you are not getting paid... not that I do that, ever. Then! Because of Cathy's productive habits, I have also decided to borrow books that I sadly did not have in my possession at home. The three of us (Cathy, Kathy and I) set out to read! Don't get me wrong, I am an avid reader, when I feel like it. And I very much enjoy reading. However, summer somehow is not very conducive to that sort of activity when you had to do school work all year long... unless, of course, there's required summer reading. We borrowed a ton of books and I actually found many I had wanted to read for a long time now, including Starbucked. [Relevance to title found here, continued for the remainder of this entry].
There is just one teeny problem... It's in disgusting condition. -___- I mean, really, people, really?! Sure, the book is about coffee, but it does not actually mean that you are obligated to drink coffee while reading the book and proceeding to spill said coffee all over. I'll give you the obvious relevance it has to the book's subject--the drink (coffee), but yeah... that's about it, buddy. I would be okay if there was a little ring from your cup, that's completely harmless--unless it was lined with anthrax or something. Spilling the entire contents... no. People borrow books to read for free! It does not mean you can just read it like you would treat a magazine that's part of your special bathroom collection. Geeezzz. Here I am, trying to read a book I am really into and then I find the pages covered in some sticky, grimy, questionable substance. I want to flip the page, but do I really want to, at the cost of contracting STDs or some shit? No. I do it anyway though. The book has riveting information, man. Yeah, and another thing. I like to read books in my bed. It's comfortable. But I am less inclined to do that with this book because of the mysterious "treasures" that can be found there. Now, is it my fault that I want to read and finish this book quickly but am unable to do so because of the threat it presents to my place of comfort, my safety zone, my abyss, my paradise, my ticket to the dream world? Psh. No. It's all that damn person's fault who borrowed it before me... the one responsible for all that stuff in there. Yeah, sure I would love to pick up some relevant knowledge when I'm reading, but boogers and boogers and more boogers is not part of the desired package. Here I am, reading intently, until I try to turn the page and suddenly I find that there some resistance... It feels bumpy and rough to the touch, what with its raised texture and all. And what do I find? A damn dried up, shriveled booger. What are you doing when you're reading...? Does reading really clog your nasal passage that much that you feel a need, feel compelled to pick your nose straightaway and wipe it on the pages of the book at hand? I understand that there may be some slight confusion with paper products. Sure, the pages from those unevironmental publishers may come from the same trees as your tissues and such, but they are not meant for the same things. You simply should not wipe your lovely boogies on the pages of borrowed books. Wipe it on your own book, by all means. Just refrain from doing that on those that are circulated/public. I do not want to find a surprise inside. I do not want to touch anyone's boogers other than my own, no offense. I understand that sometimes you just have to liberate your nasal passages by letting that finger of yours travel up there and get it out because that little sucker refuses to be let out by sheer wind. So yeah, thanks, but I'll pass on hearing crunchy and gooey pages.
That's all for now... been wanting to write that for a long time, but finally got around to it.
-Lisa T. =)
| | |
|
