Tuesday 31 January 2012

ohhh sometimes i get a good feeling!

I am in such a good mood! No, a cute boy did not text me. No, I did not become an overnight celebrity.  I am in a good mood because things are happening, and life is getting clearer, and opportunities are blooming.

Today my friend Jane (Woo) said this to me, and I'm going to quote it word for word (ish) because I found it very inspiring.

'You don't often believe in yourself as much as you should. My dad is a firm believer (of the power of the mind), he says you need to imagine you're already successful.  In a nutshell, you have to keep control of your thoughts. It's not just wanting the right things, but believing you already have it all.'

In other words, have faith in yourself. If you want to make something happen, die trying. As Churchill once said, 'never,never, never give up.'

You know sometimes I spend my time getting worked up over the things that I've either lost or can't have. I guess it's a very natural (human) trait to desire more, but at the end of the day, always look at the bigger picture. Life is a trade off. You win some, you lose some. In my case, I am lucky to have the close friends who have stood by me through and through. The ones who have given me such support, who have contributed to this unbelievable excitement that I'm feeling right now. So thank you guys, all my freakin love to you for bringing me here.

Thursday 26 January 2012

playlist: tequila

Most of us have felt that impending doom: "This relationship has an expiration date." Even Ted and Robin from How I Met Your Mother knew that they were going to break up, even though they loved each other. Sometimes you know deep down that there really is a point of no return, because you are just too tired of trying to fix something that cannot be fixed. Maybe a little tequila will help curb the confused heartache.

NB: I know these songs are a little more mainstream, but I chose them because they capture the mood of this playlist well!

-Nothing lasts forever, Maroon5
-The pieces don't fit anymore, James Morrison
-Poison and wine, The Civil Wars
-Wooden heart, The Duke Spirit
-The ice is getting thinner, Death Cab for Cutie



Monday 23 January 2012

playlist: bourbon coke

Bourbon coke: for the souls who need a little comfort and direction. These songs are not generically "broken hearted sad", but the lyrics indicate confusion, sadness and a little pain.

This playlist is not meant to force you into a zone of happiness, but to connect you with the other people who have felt what you're feeling. Sometimes when things are going a bit pear-shaped, the last thing anyone wants is to hear is overly inspirational, gospel music. Bourbon coke will act as a shoulder, not a preacher.

-Backwards walk, Frightened Rabbit
-Living a lie, Daniel Zott
-Red light, Jonny Lang
-One man wrecking machine, Guster
-Feeling a moment, Feeder



Saturday 21 January 2012

bring on melbourne 2012!!

I didn't think I would be, but I am pretty damn excited to head back to Melbourne!! Obviously there will be aspects of S.E. Asia that I will miss, family/ close friends/clubbing/ general cheapness. However life is all about trade offs, you can't have it all. There are so many great things about Aussie that make up for the people that I will miss dearly.

Last semester..for some unknown reason, I completely and utterly lost my focus.  Never in my life had I been that demotivated with my studies, and the mediocre grades that I received from my exams did not surprise me. Till this day I have no idea what happened to me, or why I turned into the worlds greatest sloth. But now, I feel that the crazy, extremely ambitious, NERDY Nadia is back. Everything happens for a reason- I needed a wake up call. I am so eager to take away the average-ness of last semester and replace it with 100% effort and passion. 

NB to public: This is not your cue to place a wager on how long my drive will last.. 

Friday 20 January 2012

stop playing with your phone!


In the past, I never doubted the phenomenon that we call technology.  As a result of it, life has become so much more efficient and interesting. I can sit in front of my computer and learn about whatever I want. Cultures, accents, BOYS, music, you name it. 

On the other hand, technology has  also created several negative side effects.


It doesn't bother me that a great majority of us would not be able to survive without our mobile phones or laptops. Technology has made life so much easier for us, and it is fair that we would not want to give that luxury up.

It's the loss of face-to-face communication that scares me. 



Ideas have become so easily exchangeable (I can’t tell you how many things I’ve learnt from Facebook statuses), but at the cost of intimacy and personal contact. Break ups happen through text messages, even marriage proposals happen on the radio. People deal with their problems by emailing about them as opposed to talking. 

Consider the simplest of examples. You're having dinner with your friend, your son, or your mom, and you're trying to have a conversation with them. However, you can't focus because they keep texting people or playing with their phones. You basically just want to scream, 'LEAVE YOUR PHONE ALONE FOR 10 MINUTES!' Sadly, we don't even realize that the precious moments we take advantage of everyday are consistently interrupted by the buzzing of our mobile phones. I know I'm guilty of succumbing to trivial text messages during family dinners, and I should make a change.

Therefore, face-to-face communication has become a serious opportunity cost as a result of the development of today's gadgets. Yes, technology has fueled globalization in an astonishing manner, but have we lost sight of the more important things in life because of it? 



Tuesday 17 January 2012

playlist: orange juice

Imagine walking down the street with an awesome energy buzz. The sun is shining, life is good, and you feel bloody amazing.  Team up that high with some fast paced, fun songs and you might even feel like someone is playing a soundtrack to your life! Orange juice gives me a kick when I need it, and maybe you could use a dose of it to electrify you too!

-Fans, Kings of Leon
-The general specific, Band of Horses
-Hollywood, Michael Buble
-You get what you give, New Radicals
-Do the panic, Phantom Planet







Monday 16 January 2012

Fate VS Coincidence


Fate and coincidence. Where do we draw the line between the two, if there even is one? 

I'm a champion cynic, but after I moved to Melbourne in 2011, I started to see that maybe not all things can be linked to coincidence. I'm a firm believer in timing; timing is everything. BUT, most of the time we tend to perceive that statement negatively.  Think about it. You meet the girl or guy of your dreams, but they're leaving to another country. You love someone but they're not ready to settle down. You want to travel the world but you don't have enough money. Then out come the facebook statuses and the twitter updates: "i'm gonna miss you so much..fml". "my life is horrible bla bla bla."



Sometimes we forget that the 'timing is everything' statement also applies to the positives in life, which is where my belief of fate comes in. 

Due to unfortunate circumstances during February 2011, I had to miss my university orientation and thus the golden opportunity to make friends. I chose a random subject to do because someone told me it was good to take it. NEVER DO THAT PLEASE. I had absolutely no idea what it was about, it was called 'From Homer to Hollywood'. I thought it would be about the simpsons or famous people (oh how wrong I was). Anyway I went to one lecture, and dropped it straight away. However, the people I met in the one subject I discontinued pretty much became my closest circle of friends. I was so damn lucky. 


Yes, of course you can argue that it was a coincidence. However, the person I am now believes otherwise. You must have had at least one monumental experience that you almost missed (but thankfully didn't). In my opinion, that's the universe's way of placing you somewhere you need to be. It can't be a coincidence that you met someone special..no no no .. moments like that are not an accident. There is a reason for everything. 

''Wow my life is so terrible because the timing is so bad and the universe owes me a living..."

Always remember the number of times that fate has been kind to you, when it led you to be at the right place at exactly the right moment.

With that in mind,  I may sound like a preaching saint right now but I assure you I am not. I have a temper and I can be ungrateful. I am sarcastic, ridiculously cynical and I also complain about things. But like you, I'm only human. 

I'd also like to add that I know coincidence still exists. For example, it was not fate that you and your colleague wore the same shoes on the same day. Let's not blow things out of proportion kids.





Sunday 15 January 2012

playlist: cosmopolitan

This playlist is called cosmopolitan. 


If you're looking for a few songs that are upbeat and alot of fun, definitely check these babies out.  Cosmopolitan will act as the precursor to your awesome dance moves, and it will definitely get you in a good enough mood to head out for a good night.

To any guy who may want to disregard this playlist because of the girly title, think again.  These songs simply contain the same amount of energy and spirit that has long since been associated with the cosmopolitan drink/word/lifestyle. So chill, don't worry handsome lads, your masculinity will remain intact if you drink a cosmo or two and listen to these songs.. perhaps just avoid a martini glass.

- Shove it, Santogold
- Dedication to my ex, Lloyd
- No sex for ben, The Raptures
- How you like me now, The Heavy
- A girl like you, Edwin Collins

                                                   

playlist: gin&tonic

So to expand on my last post about how much I love music, I've decided to set up a bunch of playlists that have relevant moods. I'm always posting up songs on my facebook wall anyway.

This first playlist is called gin&tonic. 

If you're looking to just sit around your living room, chill the hell out, get a little tipsy, close your eyes and do nothing at all, check these songs out. You can play them one after the other, they all fit rather nicely. I'll update my playlists from time to time. enjoy!

LIST OF SONGS
- Summertime, Janis Joplin
- Paperdoll, Rachel Yamagata
- If the rain must fall, James Morrison
- I put a spell on you, Jeff Beck ft Joss Stone
- Waltzin for koop, Koop


music=life

My life would end without music, it's as simple as that.

Songs make the world go round, and they help us connect to emotions and memories in a way that may be deemed otherwise impossible.

I can't tell you the number of times when I knew I was about to go through some form of physical pain (stitch removal, wound cleaning, blood tests) when I would automatically pause the doctor only to scramble frantically for my headphones. Music=a source of distraction. 



Haven't you ever heard a song and thought, wow those lyrics are basically written for me! That's my song! Heartbreak? Everybody hurts, by REM.  Your ex found someone new? Everyone knows, by John Legend. Even the most tasteless songs- IE "I just had sex and it felt so good" (Akon) - are about .. well.. real life experiences. 

On that note, there was this one time I was in a club and 'I just had sex' started playing. I swear every guy in the club was going insane and fist pumping and waving their arms to it, and I laughed and laughed because it was just so typical! I guess my point is, even the most shallow lyrics offer us some sort of a connection to them.

Songs remind us that there is someone out there who understands whatever it is we're feeling, whether it  is hope, joy, sadness, pain, anger or complete and utter devastation. 



Friday 13 January 2012

i love *

"I love y**."

NO YOU DO NOT.

Lets refer to those 3 words as the term. 

These days people just throw it, bounce it and swing it around like it's okay. Dude it's not okay. The term has completely lost its meaning, and honestly when someone says it to me, I shudder. Half the time I have no idea who means it or who doesn't.  I have people (as I'm sure you do) who I have known for a month telling me that they love me. I mean come on.. give me a break. Chillout we barely know each other.

I'm not trying to win the award for the greatest cynic that ever lived. But in my opinion, the term is the best and most meaningful thing you could ever say to a person, friend, girlfriend, husband, mother, grandfather or child. However in this day and age, it is so ridiculously overused that I can't even bring myself to say it anymore. People who HATE each other post it on each others facebook walls! Tell me this is not true, cringe cringe cringe.

Moral of the story, don't use the term unless you mean it.


why i started this blog

Ok so I have literally started a gazillion blogs.. (key word here is STARTED)

or perhaps 3/4.  All of them have failed (evidently, hah hah). I'm going to make this one count, THIS IS THE BLOG THAT IS GOING TO LIVE!!!

I was inspired to start another blog because of something that happened today.

Someone of a prominent corporate position said,  "Tell me, what is your dream in life?"

And now that I think about it, what makes me jubilant is not that someone of her position would even care about my answer. Well that did make me happy, but it was more that  I actually had an answer. I have a dream, though I have absolutely no clue how I'm going to get there, or even if I will ever get there. People say it's okay, you're still young, you'll figure it out.. but where did 2011 go? It slipped away so fast, and the same will happen with 2012 and life itself. Sometimes I feel like I'm racing with a clock that I cannot see or feel, yet I know it's there.

HOWEVER, I will tell you that I am going to do whatever it takes to reach this goal.

And that is why I started this blog. I needed a vent for all the creative energy that I had. I didn't go back to my other blogs because I forgot their passwords. What an anti climax.

Oh and my name is Nadia.