(although not a very good one.)
Hobby photography. Not a pro by any standards, but I do have a few pictures I end up liking.
July 04, 2011
June 13, 2011
This is a Thank You letter
.
Dear Adam,
June is usually, for me, full of nasty and rather undelightful things, such as finals, nights too hot for sleeping, and the emergence of the mosquitoes. It's at this point in time that the year's stresses and disappointments all seem to come and slap me in the face. Every little thing seems to affect me too much, whether it's being bested in something I tried hard at, dropping a raw egg accidentally, or just tripping over my cat - I become irritable, snappy, and it's hard not become the pessimist I am and rather despise. However, this year round June also dropped something rather shiny and glorious into my lap.
Or, should I say, bright and beautiful.
Through the haze of tests and studying and stress emerged All Things Bright and Beautiful, a pretty little CD filled with the most amazing music I've heard from you yet.
You've truly outdone yourself this time, Adam. To say the songs are breath-taking would be an understatement - they do so much more. They make me smile, want to dance and laugh and sing and fly, dream - and simply sit there, each song breaking my heart a little bit more with its beauty.
The Real World swept me up completely with its vivid descriptions and amazing imagery. Don't need no iTunes visualizer, and please never make a video for it - nothing in this world could ever capture the absolutely beautiful scenes your song created for me. After seeing your "Track by Track" for it, I had high expectations for a song I could relate so closely to - and they were met with flying colours. It felt like I was completely lifted free of this world and set somewhere beautiful and carefree, where anything was possible; it was my own little haven, my escape from reality, and for that I have to thank you. When I opened my eyes (I don't quite remember when I closed them, but closed them I did), I was honestly quite startled to find the normality and drabness of my bedroom around me after being drenched in such a vivid world of colour and music.
I hadn't even realized I was becoming depressed (again) until I felt that happiness your songs brought with them, and those reminders of God's love and strength made that desperation and hopelessness cease.
Thank you for reminding me why I began loving your music in the first place - for being filled to the brim with that dreaminess only you have ever managed to bottle up in a song - for reminding me why I strive to be an optimist in this pessimistic and cynical world- for giving me that feeling that I can fly and soar somewhere above reality and its troubles.
For such an absolutely amazing album, thank you.
.
May 15, 2011
The Real World
When I saw Adam's video for the Real World, my jaw literally dropped.
(or can you? [insert "DUN DUN DUN" here])
(If you haven't seen it yet, here it is.)
Because for years I've been wishing for the exact same thing, in nearly those exact words - somewhere you could escape to and be yourself and just relax for a bit, push away reality for a while yet be able come back whenever you wanted.
I've always felt the need for some place like that; a dream world of some sort, or even a separate reality like they have in those science fiction novels - but a reality where I'm in control and everything works out a bit more smoothly, a bit more quickly and a little more happily.
While reality can be nice to come back to once in a while, there's no doubt that it's tough to go through sometimes. A lot of the time life feels like it's contorting and pushing and twisting in every direction, like its very purpose is to squeeze the life out of me, and having keep my balance on top of that shifting mass of reality sometimes just seems too much. Please excuse the analogy, but you know those pirate ship rides at amusement parks?
(Google Images FTW. Photo cred to... someone.)
Yeah, those!
I love them, but if you ride them fifty five times in a row you can throw up, even if you have a stomach made of steel. Bleeeuaaahghg. Have you ever tried standing up the entire time the ride is going? Riding at the veeery front/back of the ship? I don't know about you, but I get pretty tired after a while just because of the way I grip the bar like a lifeline (which it is), and the way your core muscles and stuff have to keep adjusting so you keep your balance and don't topple over headfirst onto the people in the row in front of you, and possibly out of the ship as well. And at that point, what I'd do is I'd get out of the ship, go grab a cotton candy, sit down on the grass and laugh while other people scream and throw up on the pirate ship.
Sadly, you can't do that with this reality.
(or can you? [insert "DUN DUN DUN" here])
A little while back I was obsessed with sleep - obsessed to the point where some people might have deemed it unhealthy. I loved sleep. I rushed through things (or simply gave them up) so I could get to my comfy little bed earlier. When I was awake, I was constantly thinking about sleep, daydreaming about speedwalking home to take another five hour nap. Never mind the fact I was sleeping as much as a cat does; I just needed more sleep.
Why?
(Adam, if you're reading this, please don't get creeped out.)
I'd found my 'escape'. Somehow I had gained a little control over how my dreams developed, who was in them and so on and so forth. I had obsessed over Adam enough in the real world that I had managed to drag him into my dreams (as well as a number of other things). Nightmares were non-existent. Every dream was happy, carefree, weightless, stressless and completely and utterly... dreamy. Who needed dreams to become reality? Screw reality, I have sleep to carry me to my dreams. Besides, it's the only way I'd ever be able to fly, and I did quite a lot of that during those dreams. Even if I didn't have those ridiculously awesome and vivid dreams, I would wake up feeling rested for at least five seconds.
...and then get slapped in the face with the load of homework, work, stuff to do, and life in general.
To quote Ernest Hemingway,
"I love sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"
It worked well for a while.
Then I began having troubles falling asleep. (finally bitten by the insomnia bug that seems to plague all Owl City residents, it seems.)
I'm back to trying to find that escape from reality.
My imaginary 'dream world' currently hides past a magical portal behind a poster on my wall. Tee hee.
April 06, 2011
Oh Deer!
So if you haven't heard yet, the release date for All Things Bright and Beautiful has been moved down to June 14th.
(It'll make exam time a lot less depressing, that's for sure.)
http://owlcitymusic.com/atbab
And make sure to vote for your favourite song - he's released nice juicy previews of Dreams Don't Turn to Dust, Alligator Sky (which is already out, buy it on iTunes!), Galaxies, and Deer in the Headlights.
I suppose what I've got here is my first impression of these songs.
Dreams Don't Turn to Dust
The first time I heard it, it was that little segment in the "Making of All Things Bright and Beautiful" video. What I really love about this song is how dynamic his voice is, and that little bloopy sound during the chorus.
"Splash down in the silver screen
Into a deep dramatic scene.
I swim through the theatre -
Or maybe, I'm just a dreamer."
However, I sorta miss that electronic feel to the music - most of it seems to be that clubby beat, violin, and guitar now.
Alligator Sky
It starts off with a revving-up sound, and perhaps it's necessary to boot up all that awesomeness. I'm pretty sure everyone's heard this song by now.
"Where was I when the rockets came to life
And carried you away, into the alligator sky?
Even though I'll never know what's up ahead,
I'm never letting go."
The first time I heard it, one of the things that became obvious to me was that he sounded... different. It took me a while to place it, but I finally have it: confidence.
Every time it plays I stop, drop whatever I'm holding (unless it's a hot bowl of soup) and stare out the window, smiling. It's got that dreamy, surreal and floaty quality to it, and the rap "grounds" it for me, I suppose, as well as adding a bit more of a beat to it.
Galaxies
The preview starts with a bunch of violins making things all intense.
...and then the beat kicks in and all of a sudden your foot can't keep still...
"Dear God,
You're the only North star
I would follow this far..."
I was going to vote for this one, because of that awesome clubby beat - and those "da da da"s! I also love the effects he placed on his voice when he says "galaxies".
Deer in the Headlights
It starts out awesome and only proceeds to get better.
"Met a girl in the parking lot,
And all I did was say hello!
Her pepperspray made it rather hard
For me to walk her home..."
Basically, it's about Adam Young getting beaten up by a girl. This song is everything I loved about his earlier albums, and so much more. The chorus is the kind that sweeps you off your feet, and, in my case, drops jaws and glazes eyes.
My vote went to the deer.
I can't wait for the next single!
(It'll make exam time a lot less depressing, that's for sure.)
http://owlcitymusic.com/atbab
And make sure to vote for your favourite song - he's released nice juicy previews of Dreams Don't Turn to Dust, Alligator Sky (which is already out, buy it on iTunes!), Galaxies, and Deer in the Headlights.
I suppose what I've got here is my first impression of these songs.
Dreams Don't Turn to Dust
The first time I heard it, it was that little segment in the "Making of All Things Bright and Beautiful" video. What I really love about this song is how dynamic his voice is, and that little bloopy sound during the chorus.
"Splash down in the silver screen
Into a deep dramatic scene.
I swim through the theatre -
Or maybe, I'm just a dreamer."
However, I sorta miss that electronic feel to the music - most of it seems to be that clubby beat, violin, and guitar now.
Alligator Sky
It starts off with a revving-up sound, and perhaps it's necessary to boot up all that awesomeness. I'm pretty sure everyone's heard this song by now.
"Where was I when the rockets came to life
And carried you away, into the alligator sky?
Even though I'll never know what's up ahead,
I'm never letting go."
The first time I heard it, one of the things that became obvious to me was that he sounded... different. It took me a while to place it, but I finally have it: confidence.
Every time it plays I stop, drop whatever I'm holding (unless it's a hot bowl of soup) and stare out the window, smiling. It's got that dreamy, surreal and floaty quality to it, and the rap "grounds" it for me, I suppose, as well as adding a bit more of a beat to it.
Galaxies
The preview starts with a bunch of violins making things all intense.
...and then the beat kicks in and all of a sudden your foot can't keep still...
"Dear God,
You're the only North star
I would follow this far..."
I was going to vote for this one, because of that awesome clubby beat - and those "da da da"s! I also love the effects he placed on his voice when he says "galaxies".
Deer in the Headlights
It starts out awesome and only proceeds to get better.
"Met a girl in the parking lot,
And all I did was say hello!
Her pepperspray made it rather hard
For me to walk her home..."
Basically, it's about Adam Young getting beaten up by a girl. This song is everything I loved about his earlier albums, and so much more. The chorus is the kind that sweeps you off your feet, and, in my case, drops jaws and glazes eyes.
My vote went to the deer.
I can't wait for the next single!
April 03, 2011
Owl City replied... to ME?
...wait, what?
So if you're reading this you probably know by now that Adam did, indeed, tweet me saying that he read my blog and that I was a talented author.
At the time he tweeted me, I was on DeviantArt browsing through the comics section, trying to find something to take the edge off my boredom. My phone was turned on silent as I get tired of the chirping it does when people tweet/text me.
I was going to sleep.
I really was.
And then, as always, I gave in and checked Twitter that ONE last time... and the first tweet I saw was Kasey and Haley freaking out about whether I was online or not, with a bunch of ASKDGKFS thrown in.
Obviously I had absolutely no idea what was going on, so I scrolled down a bit more and saw an Owl City tweet.
On closer inspection, it contained my twitter name in it.
On even closer inspection, it wasn't just another one of those Owl City Indonesia or Malaysia or anywhere else.
It was actually Adam Young.
I'll admit that I didn't believe it at first. It's the late night playing tricks on my eyes. DEAR VIENNA I'VE FINALLY GONE BLIND! Huh, wonder if someone hacked into his account? Are you sure there's nothing on the end of that OwlCity username?
It took a while to sink in - everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. (I kid you not. This is the extent of my ridiculous fangirlism. Sigh.)
After a minute or two of carefully counting out the letters in his username, refreshing several times and generally sitting there like an idiot, the sparkly train of light hit me.
I honestly wish that I could say I did something absolutely awesome and crazy and fangirly right then, but in reality I just sat there like an idiot for a couple more minutes while the effects slowly began setting in.
I'm not a doctor, but I'd say that I was pretty deep in shock for a while:
Then I managed to gather my wits and send him a nearly proper reply, thanking him in CAPSLOCKS and ending with "YOU'RE AWESOME?"
...to which he replied again "Of course!"
A year ago or so I was pretty into the writing scene - although, I must say, I was really not that good at it. After realizing I couldn't write proper multi-chapter stories, I stopped. Zero motivation, except for the odd plot bunny that jumped in front of me.
Now I want to write.
I suppose I'll start by keeping this blog a little more updated!
Haha. I'm still sitting here smiling. It's 1:30AM and I'm feeling really rather happy...
So if you're reading this you probably know by now that Adam did, indeed, tweet me saying that he read my blog and that I was a talented author.
At the time he tweeted me, I was on DeviantArt browsing through the comics section, trying to find something to take the edge off my boredom. My phone was turned on silent as I get tired of the chirping it does when people tweet/text me.
I was going to sleep.
I really was.
And then, as always, I gave in and checked Twitter that ONE last time... and the first tweet I saw was Kasey and Haley freaking out about whether I was online or not, with a bunch of ASKDGKFS thrown in.
Obviously I had absolutely no idea what was going on, so I scrolled down a bit more and saw an Owl City tweet.
On closer inspection, it contained my twitter name in it.
On even closer inspection, it wasn't just another one of those Owl City Indonesia or Malaysia or anywhere else.
It was actually Adam Young.
I'll admit that I didn't believe it at first. It's the late night playing tricks on my eyes. DEAR VIENNA I'VE FINALLY GONE BLIND! Huh, wonder if someone hacked into his account? Are you sure there's nothing on the end of that OwlCity username?
It took a while to sink in - everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. (I kid you not. This is the extent of my ridiculous fangirlism. Sigh.)
After a minute or two of carefully counting out the letters in his username, refreshing several times and generally sitting there like an idiot, the sparkly train of light hit me.
I honestly wish that I could say I did something absolutely awesome and crazy and fangirly right then, but in reality I just sat there like an idiot for a couple more minutes while the effects slowly began setting in.
I'm not a doctor, but I'd say that I was pretty deep in shock for a while:
- light headedness
- clammy skin
- rapid pulse
- rapid breathing
- confusion
- weakness
Then I managed to gather my wits and send him a nearly proper reply, thanking him in CAPSLOCKS and ending with "YOU'RE AWESOME?"
...to which he replied again "Of course!"
A year ago or so I was pretty into the writing scene - although, I must say, I was really not that good at it. After realizing I couldn't write proper multi-chapter stories, I stopped. Zero motivation, except for the odd plot bunny that jumped in front of me.
Now I want to write.
I suppose I'll start by keeping this blog a little more updated!
Haha. I'm still sitting here smiling. It's 1:30AM and I'm feeling really rather happy...
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