Flight of the Adele

So I was just reading some stuff regarding The Voice.

It's a TV show you may have heard of. Or even seen!

Anyway. I read this thing, where they were calling someone who sang on the show 'Australia's Adele', or something.

It irrationally irks me. They whole comparing someone to Adele thing. As if she's the end all and be all of singing, or the only singer that ever could sing. Ever.

Maybe you're a fan. I know I'm not. I can appreciate the fact that she's a fairly good singer, but I don't really think she's the best ever. It doesn't actually matter to me that she's not the best singer ever. I listen to lots of people that wouldn't be considered your typical 'good' singers'. But there's also the added problem of her songs/voice not really floating my boat that much at all. But if you think she is in fact all that, and more, that's perfectly fine. If ever there was something that was subjective, that is the so-called 'quality' of music.

It just annoys me that whenever someone has a fairly powerful voice, or, as it increasingly seems, just a voice at all, and they happen to be not a male, they're immediately given the suffix 'the next Adele', as if she's the highest benchmark in voicedom. Sometimes even when they are male. Although they then tend to fall under 'the next Justin Bieber' category, like it's something really cool. 

Speaking of good voices, THIS JUST IN: Flight of the Conchords are putting on another gig on the 15th of July at Rod Laver. Which would be good, except that I'm still overseas. Sucks.

Let's relive one of their greatest moments. Right here.

Could somebody please, remove these, cutleries, from my knees?

Word of the Day: Adele

Hating on hater haters

“Haters will say what they want, but their hate will never stop you from chasing your dream”

- Justin Bieber, legendary singer/songwriter, and greatest manchild to have lived. Ever. 

Something that annoys me. Again.

People who harp on and on about people hating on them, and how they're bigger than all that, and how they're going to rise above it. A number of reasons why this rankles me:

1. Most of it is probably all in your head. You're not really that important that people are going to hate you en masse because you're so 'successful'. Stop flattering yourself.

2. Instead, people are probably annoyed at you because you say stuff like 'haters gone hate', implying that you're so damn successful that people hate you for your success and your wealth etc, and how that doesn't phase you. Which, evidently, it does. Maybe there are other reasons that people don't like you. I know, how bizarre.

3. Just deal with it. If they are, in fact, just words that will not hurt you, and not sticks and stones, then treat them as such. Stop moaning about them.

In summary, I think these people have massively inflated egos, so much so that they think they're worthy of the jealousy of random strangers. The dichotomy is, however, that they also appear to be seeking attention, sympathy and support from their fans, or minions, or followers, etc.

What's worse is that most of these people aren't even old enough to drive, much less likely to be hated on for being ultra successful at whatever they do or have done. I blame Justin Bieber, and, possibly to a lesser extent, Drake, for perpetuating the notion that having 'haters' is awesome. You've already seen the quote from the King of Cool, Bieber, but have a gander at the lyrical genius of Drake:

I can't relate to these haters, my enemies never made it.

Zing! Also conveniently ignores the fact that maybe they don't like the music he puts out. As an aside, I don't like his music. Pretty ordinary stuff.

Anyway. These two, who have massive cult followings. They bang on about how haters only hate on successful people, so then we have people making it seem as though they have haters, because that would then imply that they are successful. Weird, but probably true. And a little bit worrying.

Whatever. For those starting uni tomorrow, have fun. For those who are returning to uni tomorrow, ha.

Word of the Day: Hater

I swear they just get more and more annoying

For the life of me I cannot understand the mentality of people that go out looking for fights. Then again, as my parents always say, if I understood, I'd be one of them.

There I am, having lunch with my family at Knox, when this jerk, who looks no older than 10, shines a laser in my eye. I stare him down, he thinks it's funny, so I stare him down some more. He decides that it's not really that funny after all, and decides to stop being a jerk. It really makes my blood boil, people who randomly pick fights. If I wasn't worried that a tap on the shoulder from me would probably end up with him hospitalised, I would've been at him straight away. I was staring at him as he left. The pansy wouldn't even meet my eye. Lesson for today: guys (and I use that term loosely in this case) who wear purple hoodies, with the hood on inside, are most likely annoying Justin Bieber-wannabes.

In hindsight, he probably thought that all Asians were shy and easily bullied. Not in my part of town, idiot child.

Anyway, enough about annoying, irritating, cocky, ego-tripping pre-teens. On to some happier stuff.

Which I don't have much of right now. Just started at the accounting practice, am reasonably adept at what I've learnt to do so far (well, at least I think so), and have only managed to get lost on the way there twice. Oh. Wait. I've only been there twice. Hmm.

Oh, Arsenal won last night. Top of the league!!! For about five minutes. But still. Any good news is welcome right about now. Or any time really. Watching it made me pretty nervous, but it wouldn't be watching Arsenal if it were any other way.

I'm finding it quite difficult to organise stuff to do with people, mostly owing to the fact that nobody really seems to have a desire to do anything other than Banh. I understand that some are busy. Others are just...meh. I dunno. Whatever. I don't really mind anymore. I have plenty of stuff that I can spend time doing in the absence of people, friends or otherwise. Cleaning my room, for instance. Or reading my Leaders readings. Or...yeah. Okay. Guess I'll just have to drag out the room-cleaning process a bit longer.

Word of the Day: Pre-teen

An expensive party

Davy's 21st on Friday night was the most expensive party I've attended to date. Mostly owing to the $70 parking fine that I incurred. Stupid double signs. 9am - 6pm: 2P. Above that, it says '6pm - midnight: permit parking'. James didn't read the sign at the top, and I didn't look at all. So pretty much all my fault.

Anyway, the party was quite good. Got to hang with friends who I hadn't seen for quiet a while. About half the people took a plus one with them, which made me feel sort of lonely, but it wasn't too bad, because most of the fellas I was hanging with didn't have one either. Maybe that's why they were hanging with me.

But yeah, once things got underway it was alright. We all had a few glasses of the hard stuff (lemon lime bitters...yeeeeaaah man), and, hey presto, everybody was talking. Vu and I, on the same team, lost twice, once because I sunk the black ball and 8 ball at the same time, and once because he did the same. What are the chances?

Bieber came on a bit later, thanks to the machinations of Imesha, but because of my prompting. I don't know why I do these things. I don't even like the guy in the slightest. Davy made me do the Bieber Dance, and I had to, because a Sicilian can't refuse a request on the day of his daughter's wedding. Or because it was his 21st. Either one.

This occurred during our highly intense game of Mafia. Yes, we played Mafia at a 21st birthday party. I think we should make it the official sport of NQT. And, just in case it's not sad enough, we'll make a team and participate in tournaments. We'll see who's laughing when we bring in the glory and the cash.

Speeches were up next. Although I royally screwed up Yvonne's part by interjecting at completely the wrong time, I saved it so well that it sounded like it was planned. Or it did to me anyway. I was treated like a bit of a celebrity afterwards, so it must've been alright. Hopefully videos up soon.

A good gig. A tad expensive, but not because of the person hosting. Hope you enjoy your present/s, Davy. And Happy 21st again.

Almost directly as a result of this, my good friend started having relationship/parent problems. I'm not going to go into it, because it's too complicated, and I don't want to publicise it everywhere. I just spent two hours with her by the lake on Monday. Half of it involved crying, and another friend being there, and the other half of it involved just me being there, and no crying. Funny how those two things positively correlate. Jeopardised my planned accounting midsem cram session, but hey, it's only 10%, and I probably wouldn't have gotten much done anyway. And my friends are more important than 10%. At least in times of crisis. I've already told her, but I'll reiterate it here again, and for everybody that feels that they are a close friend of mine: you can call me whenever if you just need to talk. I'm more than happy to do it. Talking is therapeutic.

Ironic how I spent two hours trying to alleviate somebody's relationship problems, but I have no clue what I'm doing with my own. Or lack thereof. Irony again. Hate it.

Yeah. Accounting midsem. Unmitigated disaster. Didn't expect to do that well, but that test was highly passable. If I'd actually studied. Procrastinated too much. Will start working now.

Word of the Day: Expensive

My Bieber Brings All the Chumps to the Yard

It has come to my attention that every post this week has been about irony. This was not my intention. It's just how things panned out. Completely unintentional. Or is it fate?

...

Anyway, moving on to other other-worldly forces. For want of a better word, it can be called uncanniness. The bitter side of me calls this force a conspiracy against Andrew.

Last semester, I had a clash between two exams. It's a nightmare. They basically lock you up for the whole day, and throw one of your clashed exams to the slot where it wasn't originally, and on the same day. Can't talk to anyone, leave the place or use my phone during the whole ordeal.

It's happened again. And this time it's even worse. I have one exam on the 10th, and two clash exams on the 11th. I challenge you to find a worser timetable anywhere.

I've spoken to everybody I know. Nobody has even heard of a clash exam, apart from my case. The typical response the first time around was "What do you then?".

It's all French's fault. Both times, it's been French that's clashed it all.

Looking on the bright side of life, there are two positives from this.
1. The two clashed exams I had last semester were the ones that I exceeded my own expectations in by some way. Then again, I had a week to study for both after my first exam. And to be fair, it was Management and French. Management I wasn't expecting a HD, but a D I thought was achievable, due to my rather surprisingly high marks in my second essay, which I cobbled together in two nights, and the fact that most of the questions were given to us beforehand. With French, the exam was a lot easier than expected. I don't think I'll get such luck this time around.
2. I get about 7 weeks of holidays. But I would much rather a week less holidays, and a more reasonable and fair exam timetable.

In other news, I have observed that Justin Bieber acts as a sort of magnet for cool people. In hopped Orrin into my car at the taxi loop, so I could legitimately get into carpool spots. Off I drove, when lo and behold, Imesha and Davy jaywalked in front of us. On the other side of the road, Chen, Lily and Sam Ho were all chilling. And all the while Bieber was playing in the car. Put two and two together for yourself.

Word of the Day: Timetabling

A selection of songs that I have been listening to in unhealthy amounts

These songs have been stuck in my head at various times during the week, all for different reasons.



Stupid official clip won't let me embed it :(.




I swear he's 12.




Yeah. Just...yeah. First heard this in the pool hall with Victor actually. Again, can't embed official clip.




Dammit. Can't embed the official clip of this either.




Love this song. Amazing vocals.



Such a sweet, sweet love song. And short. Short and sweet. Relatively easy to play too.




And of course, this one. This one is like, permanently stuck in my head. Probably because I always find myself in the state that Usher finds himself in this song. Like, always. And, believe it or not, this clip is actually less gay than the official clip. No homo.


When things start getting tough, music is an oasis of solitude.

Word of the Day: Music