professor of pop

It is truly an exciting time to be alive, especially for nerds such as myself.

I've always been a fan of pop music and finally, thanks to post-2008 pop culture, we can sit around and talk/blog/bitch/rant about it in a much more intellectual and ultimately nerdy way.

Thank God for the amazing Gaga Sitgmata - a blog that gives the world's biggest popstar her rightful academic attention.

Also, have a look at one of my old schoolmate's recent post:
http://jakecleland.com/post/2483235832/a-comparison-of-lady-gagas-monster-and-kanye-wests

My prediction for 2011: I'll waste even more time trawling pop culture blogs. Oh well.

eye candy

I love El Gunicho's music video for his track "Bombay".



It's funny, bizarre, erotic and extremely confusing. All the things I most cherish in this life.

rebirth, again...

 I've finally realised, after nearly 20 years in this confusing world, that year-in year-out I wind up with the exactly same New Year resolutions (get fitter and exercise my creativity more. Oh yeah, and spread my golden seed as far as I can).

It's a bit pathetic that they're so invariably the same each year... but perhaps that just means that I have jump back on the horse and try and try again.

I mean, if I keep setting myself these same goals at the end of each year, it must mean that I need them.

So... here we go again. Let's hope that come the climax of 2011 my resolutions will be shiny new ones.

My 2011 New Year Resolution: to NEVER have the above shitty list

thank you, aunty meredith

Last weekend I was lucky enough to pop my Meredith Music Festival cherry. It was by far the best music festival experience i've ever and an amazing (somewhat blurry...) few days of vegie burgers, tinnies, good friends, beautiful scenery, crazy weather, leaky tents, unashamed dancing... oh and awesome music.

 My highlights were Washed Out, El Guincho, Dirty Three, Cloud Control, Pantha du Prince and the amazing Sharon Jones.

I'm not going to lie, I was somewhat nervous before I arrived. I felt as if I wasn't going to fit in with all the music snobs, hippies and indies... but the very nature of Meredith (it has this truly embracing and laid-back feel about it) made me feel right at home.

To be honest, I have no idea who Aunty Meredith is and whether she actually exists or not, but I felt truly accepted by her. 

gaysians

In the vein of the great Sir Davey Attenborough, let's get our documentary on.

Just like some zoologist out in the deepest Amazon, I often find myself attentively studying the fascinating, beautiful, ugly, frightening and beguiling specimens around me - at a cafe, at the pub where I work, on the tram... anywhere and everywhere. It's such a great (not to mention, creepy) way to pass the time - just simply sitting back and watching little comedies/dramas unfold, characters clashing, lovers canoodling. You could spend hours just sitting there and studying the infinite amount of different specimens that make up our society.

One such specimen i've been encountering frequently in the wild is what I call the "gaysian" (or Asiatic Homosexualis). 

Please don't dismiss me as a racist homophobe (I especially love the Japanese and heck - I like Lady Gaga). But there's simply no denying - i've been spotting many a gaysian on my various safaris around the diverse jungle of Melbourne.

At first I thought that perhaps homosexuality was more common among Asians, but then I realised "no, maybe it's just because of the heightened scrutiny we practise on those that are different to us". In other words, maybe I'm just noticing the humble "gaysian" because i'm simply not Asian.

Perhaps, away from the more conservative climates of most Asian countries, the homosexual Asian feels more comfortable being "loud and proud" in the more accepting and diverse wilds of Melbourne?

whoa there gaga!

Lady Gaga has every right to be optimistic. Her rapid rise to stardom in these past two years has secured her place on the pop-throne, but her claim that her next album Born This Way (set to be released early 2011) will be the greatest pop album of the decade is a little worrying.

Slow down girl. We don't want Born This Way to be prematurely ripped from the womb. It's like the Virgin Mary boasting "hey, this babe inside of me is gonna be BIG NEWS people!" (that's what my mum said about me... and look what happened).

In my eyes, Gaga could take a shit on a dead swan and i'd still consider it genius, but we all know what can happen when you jump the gun and raise everyone's expectations to dangerous heights.

That aside, I say good luck Gaga. I'm sure Born This Way will be delivered safely, bloody and covered in monstrous-slime.

help me, buddha!

 I recently read a book which has both inspired me and scared the shit out of me. No, it wasn't The Bible (that's only been good for scaring the shit out of me so far).

It was a little blue paperback ironically called "Hurry Up and Meditate" by David Michie. Long story short, I've realised that I need to start meditating, otherwise i'm as good as dead. Pretty much.


I drink too much coffee, I don't get enough sleep, my diet is as erratic and irregular as Melbourne's weather (I sincerely apologise for using that horribly over-used cliche) and I don't really know what it's like to not feel stressed. According to Michie, meditation could cure all of my ills, but there's just one little problem:

Meditation is fucking hard. I just can't seem to tranquilise the psychotic monkey in my head and focus solely on my breathing for 10-15 minutes.

I blame you, Facebook...

... and multiple tabs on internet browers and iPod's shuffle function and Youtube clips and the ridiculous, inescapable amounts of inane advertising everywhere you look...

In short, i'm one stressed-out little goldfish and hopefully meditation will "clean out my fishbowl", so to speak.

Wish me luck.