I Can See The Music...

Two posts in one day!? I'm on a roll. Although, last night's one, though after midnight, I suppose technically sort of counts as yesterday. ANYWAY...

Managed to finally have a look at this link Derek sent me, and it is so damn aesthetically trippy. I could seriously watch it for hours. It's essentially sort of like what I've always imagined synaesthesia would look like if I were a synaesthete. I've heard it described as 'ribbons of colour' before, but the smokey effect just seems more natural. Before I continue, here's the video:

For those who're uninformed with the condition known as synaesthesia, here's a definition:

–noun
a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color.

Or, to put it more colloquially, it's like having the part of your brain that interprets sound hardwired to a windows media player music visualiser 24/7. As cool as synaesthesia would probably be once you've discovered what the sensation you're experiencing actually is, I can't imagine ever wanting to have been born with it. I can just picture myself getting incredibly distraught as a child and thinking I'm going crazy when I see these random colours floating about in front of me that no one else can see. Getting past those initial stages though, it'd be pretty damn beautiful to behold, and probably incomparable to anything one of those computerised visualisers can actually produce.

Considering this condition is apparently caused by some sort of unique link developed in the brain of the individual between the parts of their mind that interpret sound and sight, what I find more intriguing are those synaesthetes who are able to visualise *taste*, as well as sound. I couldn't find the exact documentary that I heard this in, so I googled and found a different video if anyone is further interested (keep in mind that it's 45 minutes long, so you might only just want to watch a bit to see what I'm talking about):

What I find absolutely hilarious is that, in this new documentary I just googled, within the first ten seconds one of the synaesthetes says he hates hearing the name 'Derek' because it tastes like earwax, hahaha. Seems I've come full circle in this post, yet again, so I'll leave it there and let those of you actually interested to enjoy the videos. Truly a bizarre yet amazing condition.

Adios.

Lyrical Musings

Well this post is sort of a continuation of the line of thought I had with a friend earlier today regarding music. Namely, the importance of lyrics to said music or song and the effect of the words on the appreciation of the piece.

Firstly, we were discussing how important words are to a song, mainly due to their poetic quality. Some would argue, such as my friend, that the intriguing lyrical composition and choice of the words adds to one's understanding and appreciation of the piece, over merely the aesthetics of the voice. I, however, tend to not pay attention to the actual words being said as such, and rather prefer to focus my attentions on the overall sound, thinking of the voice as yet another instrument rather than exam the content it's conveying and relating through the words.

Ask yourself this: If the hypothetical song in question (or one of your own choosing) had the same vocalist, the same amount of syllables in place of the words, however instead of enunciating the words themselves, you merely got the sounds of the syllables with the same inflections. Now, would this diminish the value or adoration of the song in any way to you - given that this is a song you're hypothetically quite familiar with and possibly even one of your favourites? Or, additionally, if you listen to a version of your favourite song without the lyrics at all, does it affect your opinion of the song in any way?

Personally, I find the masterful crafting of the sound more than enough to sustain my interest and appreciation, and as long as the vocals are excellently inbuilt in the song, the quality of the lyrics I find is often unnecessary. My friend begs to differ though, in that either merely the sounds of the vocals, or no vocals at all, does not have the same depth of appreciation possible for a song with impeccable lyrics.

This brought to mind another idea, however, in regards to the issue of lyrics. Namely, the fact that I can still enjoy foreign songs (yes, I enjoy J-Pop/J-Rock, laugh it up) despite not understanding a word of the lyrics. When you're not given the *option* of that poetic depth, and merely getting the audibly-pleasing syllables, I wanted to see if that would effect one's opinion of the song, after reading a translation of the lyrics later. Though not on the *same* individual, I tested another guy with one of the most ridiculous J-Pop songs I could think of, knowing he'd hate it, heh. Thus, not only could the poetic nature of lyrics *increase* one's appreciation of a song, but could the revelation that the lyrics are terrible and nonsensical also *diminish* the value of a song in one's opinion, after already having heard it when oblivious. Here is the song in question, and you non J-Pop folk can enjoy your ears bleeding:

Now, for those of you who dared to listen, here is but a snippet of what the lyrics actually mean (if you can even call these 'lyrics', considering how odd they are):

Myah myah myahcology
Mankind mya? Très bie~n!

For example magnets, within the sand
The aliens have their Teatime at their branch department on Earth
Its inconvenient to be small, send out the big ones
Someone, move Battleship Yamato

Its a work horse work horse! Drink milk
Its a carriage work horse! Go to sleep early
Its a work horse work horse! Adults certainly transform in secret
Its a stranger! Better to leave him alone
Its the President! Whats your order?
Its a uniform! Your letters are odd!
Kamehameha

Did the absolute non-poetic qualities and altogether nonsensical nature of the lyrics make you like the song any less (or hell, if it's your sort of thing, did you like it *more*)? This isn't exactly a conclusive post, more just an experiment if anyone bothers. I know opinions will vary, and some will treasure the deeper layers of meaning and appreciation that lyrics can provide to a song, whereas others such as myself just prefer the excellent melodic voices of the vocalists (or slightly high-pitched pseudo-yelling in the case of the given video, heh).

Guess that's all for tonight though. Just found it an interesting topic.

Adios.

The End Is Nigh

Yes, the end of the holidays is upon us, my friends. It is a most melancholic affair. I would insert a sad face emoticon around here, but I'm trying to have this blog retain *some* level of sophistication in the writing, as opposed to my usual MSN emoticon spamming. So, I'm afraid, you must imagine the anguish on the little round yellow circle for yourselves, dear readers (if you even exist by this blog post). As of writing this post it is past midnight, and thus it is the final day of this precious "break" (if you can even call it that, as with the impending trials any amount of procrastination leads to immediate guilt).

But yes, holidays are ending. Children across the nation are weeping as the trials draw near. And yet, despite this pressure, procrastination always seems unavoidable. Despite doing a decent amount of my body of work for Art, I've only touched on English a bit and my Histories even less... it's quite disconcerting. Still, with the stress explosion that is soon to occur, I must cherish this last day and relax. See those italics? Doesn't the word just look so cushy and lazy? It's perfect.

Though this is also an end, it is many beginnings. Firstly, the beginning of the final term of high school - ever (though yes, I am quite aware as this is also alluding to another end, so quiet). I can't wait for university... it's so close, yet so far. I just love the city atmosphere, so getting into UTS would be absolute bliss. Then again, there's the fact I still live in Penrith, so about 3 hours commuting there total per day would be terrible. I *would* like to move to the city, but then I'd have to worry about finding accommodation, roommate(s) depending on the rent or size of the place, and a job to pay for it all anyway. Bah, those were dark days working at Red Rooster, so hopefully I can get into somewhere above fast food.

At least I was a productive little worker, right?

This notion of fast food brings me to my next beginning of sorts though - the intense exercise and diet regime that shall commence first day back next term. I've lost weight consistently over the last few years due to a few inspirations, which I may save for a later post I suppose, and although I'm *close* to my ideal, I could do a slight bit more. It has been quite a battle, and my knee operation last year sort of put a stop to my motivation. This fervor shall consequently resume this Tuesday, and hence I have all of Monday to binge, should I see fit, heh. I may walk up to the local KFC and have a End-Of-Holidays Celebration before this cruel health program begins. See, working at Red Rooster used to work as a deterrent as I saw the disgusting kitchen conditions and how terrible and fattening the food really was. Yet, after quitting, for some reason I suddenly felt I could indulge without a care again. So, starting Tuesday:

-No more fast food.
-No more binging on chocolate.
-Alas, no more Tuesday Nachos from the school canteen, though this one will be a struggle to give up.

The goal of this all... well... I don't have a specific weight I'd like to reach. It's more that I just want to feel comfortable, and thus my target is fitting into an item of clothing. More specifically, the Cloud Control T-Shirt I bought from the Save FBI Concert earlier in the holidays. SUCH GOOD TIMES. I'm overcome by nostalgia thinking about it.

Ah, good times. Even got to hi-five my clone, shown behind me.

But yes, as I went to buy an EP Album of the first band that played, they also had the Cloud Control merchandise out. The shirt in question reminded me of one over on www.threadless.com which depicted a deer using its antlers as a hat rack. Though no hats in sight on this shirt, it was still just as cool with the deer silhouette. However, when I went to buy it, the girl could only seem to find shirts that went up to medium size, rather than large. Thus, although it fits, the shirt is a *tad* tight. So, my goal is that, by the end of the HSC, I *will* fit comfortably into this shirt. Here is the damn awesome shirt in question:

Who wouldn't want to wear that? So simple, yet so coolio.

This is my goal. This shirt. This excellently designed piece of apparel, oozing nostalgia from every thread, heralds the new era of exercise and food Nazism. Both a good and bad start to what is the end of my schooling days - at least until university.

I realise this was probably one of the more trivial posts I've made so far. Then again, there isn't much competition as I've only made three at this point in time, heh. Still, this blog just helps me collect my thoughts and set them in stone. Thus, by declaring this health regime I can no longer escape from it, nor can my diet buddy. We can do it. This is where I would insert a smiley face, but as explained in the first paragraph you must imagine the jubilation yourself. It seems we have come full circle, so I shall end here.

Adios.