The Broke Girl's Guide

To backpacking, breakups and binge-drinking.
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Posts tagged "music"
A Little bit of Nostalgia (or why I wish I could have gone to Woodstock) At the moment one of my courses for University is the history of Pop Culture. It’s an interesting look at the cultural trends of the last half of the 20th Century, from the 50s Beatnicks to the 80s punk rockers. One of the things that has become obvious throughout the course is how each generation had something to fight for. In the 60s it was student protests against the war in Vietnam. In the 70s it was the Sexual Revolution and the fight for equal rights between women and men, gays and straights, interracial lovers, etc. In the 80s it was the voice of the working class that fueled angry punk songs, making their discontent heard. What has be baffled is this: what are we fighting for now? There is so much wrong with the world these days. Oppressive governments, the culture of violence and rape, racial profiling, unequal distribution of wealth, global warming… etc. But how are we making our mark against it? Gen Y and Gen Z have more access to media and immediate public outcry, more so than any generation before them- but instead of stage our own revolution, we turn massacres into memes, issues into petty online arguments and instead of getting out there and yelling, we stay indoors and share pictures of cats doing funny things. We have a platform to change the world on- and it’s definitely in our hands, but what are we really doing with it? Take the 2012 Kony debacle as an example. No, I’m not against awareness campaigns. I mean, yeah, the Kony video that went viral did alert a lot of ignorant people to the fact that there is a country called Uganda, and that some 30 years ago he used child soldiers. But apart from millions of people sharing the video online, what actually happened? I cannot stress this enough: awareness is where it should start, NOT where it ends. I’m fed up with people giving themselves a pat on the back for sharing a photo of a starving cat in the name of “animal rights” or for writing a status about the trouble with child abuse and then… well, that’s it. nothing else. I don’t need to see gruesome images in my news feed to know what is going on. I don’t need anymore hearsay or “Like this if you care”. Instead of reblogging a post, why not get off your lazy ass and feed those cats? fund an event online that supports shelters. Start a petition that raises the legal punishment for abuse. Stage a rally against oppressors. We have the media platform to make any one of those a huge success. But we retire after hitting “share” because we feel like we’ve done our part. We haven’t. everybody is making everyone aware. But being aware of something doesn’t stop it. We have the very real ability to make a big change in the world. It’s high time we got off of our asses and did.

A Little bit of Nostalgia (or why I wish I could have gone to Woodstock)

At the moment one of my courses for University is the history of Pop Culture. It’s an interesting look at the cultural trends of the last half of the 20th Century, from the 50s Beatnicks to the 80s punk rockers. One of the things that has become obvious throughout the course is how each generation had something to fight for. In the 60s it was student protests against the war in Vietnam. In the 70s it was the Sexual Revolution and the fight for equal rights between women and men, gays and straights, interracial lovers, etc. In the 80s it was the voice of the working class that fueled angry punk songs, making their discontent heard.

What has be baffled is this: what are we fighting for now? There is so much wrong with the world these days. Oppressive governments, the culture of violence and rape, racial profiling, unequal distribution of wealth, global warming… etc. But how are we making our mark against it?

Gen Y and Gen Z have more access to media and immediate public outcry, more so than any generation before them- but instead of stage our own revolution, we turn massacres into memes, issues into petty online arguments and instead of getting out there and yelling, we stay indoors and share pictures of cats doing funny things. We have a platform to change the world on- and it’s definitely in our hands, but what are we really doing with it?

Take the 2012 Kony debacle as an example. No, I’m not against awareness campaigns. I mean, yeah, the Kony video that went viral did alert a lot of ignorant people to the fact that there is a country called Uganda, and that some 30 years ago he used child soldiers. But apart from millions of people sharing the video online, what actually happened? I cannot stress this enough: awareness is where it should start, NOT where it ends. I’m fed up with people giving themselves a pat on the back for sharing a photo of a starving cat in the name of “animal rights” or for writing a status about the trouble with child abuse and then… well, that’s it. nothing else. I don’t need to see gruesome images in my news feed to know what is going on. I don’t need anymore hearsay or “Like this if you care”.

Instead of reblogging a post, why not get off your lazy ass and feed those cats? fund an event online that supports shelters. Start a petition that raises the legal punishment for abuse. Stage a rally against oppressors. We have the media platform to make any one of those a huge success. But we retire after hitting “share” because we feel like we’ve done our part. We haven’t. everybody is making everyone aware. But being aware of something doesn’t stop it.

We have the very real ability to make a big change in the world. It’s high time we got off of our asses and did.

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Some sweet tunes for a lazy afternoon.

Some sweet tunes for a lazy afternoon.

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welzenis: Jan Willem van Welzenis Untitled, 2012 I don’t understand art. I don’t- not even a little bit. I’ve been to a few galleries and met a few artists- and the result is always the same: I leave thinking “what?” Recently a good friend of mine confessed she had a bad habit of only dating musicians. The idea made me cringe. I am never going to know the guitar string that guy in that band was playing, or how a song could be better if it had more bass or a different beat or whatever. I simply like the songs I like because they’re fun. I couldn’t date an actor either- I might be generalizing here, just a little bit, but every actor I’ve met always seems… well… kind of daft. Too pretentious for me to take seriously, seriously. But art is beautiful- and yes, some paintings or drawings or sculptures can quite literally take my breathe away. Most of the time though- I find it all too hard to take in. “Yes, I love the way those squiggly brush strokes represent, um, the way the artist is probably going through withdrawal?” It all seems a bit silly to me. I’d much rather be sitting at a sports bar drinking pints of beer laughing about the latest Judd Apatow film, in all honesty.

welzenis:

Jan Willem van Welzenis

Untitled, 2012

I don’t understand art. I don’t- not even a little bit. I’ve been to a few galleries and met a few artists- and the result is always the same: I leave thinking “what?”

Recently a good friend of mine confessed she had a bad habit of only dating musicians. The idea made me cringe. I am never going to know the guitar string that guy in that band was playing, or how a song could be better if it had more bass or a different beat or whatever. I simply like the songs I like because they’re fun.

I couldn’t date an actor either- I might be generalizing here, just a little bit, but every actor I’ve met always seems… well… kind of daft. Too pretentious for me to take seriously, seriously.

But art is beautiful- and yes, some paintings or drawings or sculptures can quite literally take my breathe away. Most of the time though- I find it all too hard to take in.

“Yes, I love the way those squiggly brush strokes represent, um, the way the artist is probably going through withdrawal?”

It all seems a bit silly to me.

I’d much rather be sitting at a sports bar drinking pints of beer laughing about the latest Judd Apatow film, in all honesty.

(via darksilenceinsuburbia)

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When I tell people that I am currently living in a backpacker’s Hostel- they almost always look concerned. They tilt their heads sideways and they say, in some patronizing voice, “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find something better soon” What they don’t understand is that I actually LOVE living here. Sure, there are the occasional annoyances (ie. whoever ate my last cherry ripe slice- I hope you get a rash somewhere uncomfortable) but overall- it’s an experience I wouldn’t change for the world. It’s not the location itself. Hostels are around because budget- conscious travelers need somewhere basic and cheap to stay. emphasis on the word “basic”. There is no room service- no fancy rolled up towel on your bed, and don’t expect a delicious continental breakfast spread to be ready in the morning, either. But when all you need is a warm bed and a hot shower- you don’t really care. My hostel in downtown Halifax is actually an old heritage building. It’s got all the quirks and oddities an old building would have- creaky floors, radiators that sometimes don’t work, and the occasional mouse that you’ll only ever spot out of the corner of your eye. What I love about staying here though-are the guests. I have met some peculiar and wonderful people on my travels. People I would never have spoken to had I been staying in a posh hotel suite. In the last few months alone, I have befriended a hopeful marine biologist, an Australian with a knack for cooking anything sweet you can think of, a handful of hilarious Germans, a soldier returning from Afghanistan, a bemused musician with an obsession for fine whiskeys, and that’s only to name a few. If you can come to terms with the idea of potluck dinners, guitar songs being played at odd hours, and the constant need to use the LOO but finding it busy, well- a hostel is a fantastic way to really meet people from all over the world. Just watch out for the hippies.

When I tell people that I am currently living in a backpacker’s Hostel- they almost always look concerned. They tilt their heads sideways and they say, in some patronizing voice, “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find something better soon”

What they don’t understand is that I actually LOVE living here. Sure, there are the occasional annoyances (ie. whoever ate my last cherry ripe slice- I hope you get a rash somewhere uncomfortable) but overall- it’s an experience I wouldn’t change for the world.

It’s not the location itself. Hostels are around because budget- conscious travelers need somewhere basic and cheap to stay. emphasis on the word “basic”. There is no room service- no fancy rolled up towel on your bed, and don’t expect a delicious continental breakfast spread to be ready in the morning, either. But when all you need is a warm bed and a hot shower- you don’t really care.

My hostel in downtown Halifax is actually an old heritage building. It’s got all the quirks and oddities an old building would have- creaky floors, radiators that sometimes don’t work, and the occasional mouse that you’ll only ever spot out of the corner of your eye.

What I love about staying here though-are the guests. I have met some peculiar and wonderful people on my travels. People I would never have spoken to had I been staying in a posh hotel suite.

In the last few months alone, I have befriended a hopeful marine biologist, an Australian with a knack for cooking anything sweet you can think of, a handful of hilarious Germans, a soldier returning from Afghanistan, a bemused musician with an obsession for fine whiskeys, and that’s only to name a few.

If you can come to terms with the idea of potluck dinners, guitar songs being played at odd hours, and the constant need to use the LOO but finding it busy, well- a hostel is a fantastic way to really meet people from all over the world.

Just watch out for the hippies.

(via art-inprogress)

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I just want to go. anywhere. Nothing but the open road. And maybe some classic rock playing from a crackling car stereo.  endlessly. 

I just want to go. anywhere. Nothing but the open road. And maybe some classic rock playing from a crackling car stereo. 

endlessly. 

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This is Darwin Deez- Bad Day. 

Not dedicated to anyone specifically…. ;) 

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“D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune)” Official Video FINAL CUT (by jayz)

While I am not the biggest fan of Hip-Hop, I like the idea of this song. Nothing grinds my nerves more than Auto-tuned music. Nothing.

Three cheers to reasonable lyrics and genuine music! hip hip! 

Video
309 plays
Sexy Silk
Jessica Cornish,
Easy A Soundtrack

Sexy Silk - Jessica Cornish.

Feel Good song for the week. You can’t help but feel unbelievably sexy when you listen to it. (Even if you’re alone and dancing in your PJ’s). I saw it live a few months ago, performed at my universities Cabaret Night. Definitely one of the most intimate and provocative songs I’ve heard in a while…. Give it a listen, You’ll feel better after ;) 

Audio
321 plays

anglophonic:

THE CARDIGANS - - LOVE FOOL

download

yes, this song is NOT new, but it is hands-down my song for the week. You might recognize it from the 90s Classic, Romeo+Juliet. I love it because it reminds me of awesome nineties feel-good music, and because it is oh so catchy!

Audio
Single A Theme :: Version 1.3.1 :: By Business Bullpen