Haters Gunna Hate

So, I have been called, on more than one occasion, a "Hater." Usually while I'm critiquing someone or something. Could be a movie, a Tv Show, a video game, a person's wardrobe, a book, a character from any of the previous (excluding wardrobe), a person, food, a list of favourite things, a teacher's way of explaining a book... Basically, if it can be critiqued, I've been called a hater for critiquing it harshly. Most frequently, it's music, or musical artists. This happens almost every time I enter a conversation with someone who has an opposing viewpoint on a musical artist.


Granted, I tend to say that the artists suck. If that's hating, then I'm a hater. But, I don't HATE the artist. I simply note that their abilities are subpar. Like LMFAO. Terrible rappers. I love the Party Rock Anthem. They're good producers. Just not good rappers. They're purely club-banger-spewing money makers. Whaddevs. They don't claim to be more than that. One Direction ? Don't hate 'em ! Just think they're lacking in the level of musical talent that would be expected of someone as internationally famous. Even Justin Bieber. Seems like a cool kid. He's well-marketed. He's also hilariously overrated. He's just not good enough for him to deserve that level of fan base. Now, he's getting there. But he's not there. And I'm all for developing artists; artists who don't develop are left in the past. But there's a level to which I feel you should BE developed to before you reach worldwide fame. Like, on the real, I don't feel as though I'm developed enough as an artist to deserve worldwide fame. I've still got a ways to go, in that regard. So, that being said, when I see someone who's got less skill than me in the limelight, I'm like "They don't deserve that kind of attention. Not if they're serious about the art."

So, call me a hater, if you'd like. I'm really not. I just like quality. The high kind. Who doesn't like high-quality stuff, right ? It seems like people are so afraid of being labelled "haters" that they decide to put up with sucky stuff. I have no such fear. 

See what I did there ?

Peace In, Peace Out.

My Favourite Song

Dedicated to my beautiful girlfriend, Elizabeth Lartey. This was her birthday present.

You are my favourite song;

The catchy tune I can't help but hum, once I've heard it,

The beautiful lyrics crafted by a wordsmith,

Music I could listen to all day long,

You're my party anthem,

My cheesy, pop, guilty pleasure,

Motivational tune, to make me feel better,

My Adele track when I'm feeling under the weather,

And my smooth 90s R&B...

One, you're like a dream come true,

Two, I wanna be with you…

3-time platinum, grammy award winning,

leave my head spinning,

Have me Charlie Sheen winning,

Home run in the 9th inning

and the crowd goes wild as the organ plays "Dunana Naa duh naaa"

Charge

My Phone to make sure I always have the battery power required

to hear my favourite ring tone,

Though the tone of your voice rings clearly through my head regardless,

I hang on every note of your instrumental,

every slur and accidental only embellishing the melody,

Your smile tugs at my heart strings and strikes the chords

That play the sweetest tune of amour, tojour, amour,

And your score is akin to

The songs sung by doves,

rather than the songs sung by thugs,

looking for someone to rub;

Can anybody find me somebody to love?

Love like a king loves a Queen,

Not just like how a teen loves a teen,

Or like a fan loves a team,

But when a man loves a woman,

Could you be such?

Is this too much?

Could this be rushed?

But wouldn't this be just

Beautiful if I could listen to

my favourite song,

Day in and day out,

'til the treads fade out,

'til the CD skips,

'til the sheet music rips,

'til I can no longer hear you…

And even if I can't, like Beethoven, I'll still feel your vibrations,

My matching eighth note,

My moonlight sonata,

who I'll hold like a fermatta,

Until the conductor says to rest.And even then, no symphony can best
My Favourite song

Peace In, Peace Out.

Temple Run: a Tragic Not-Quite-Reality

I'm sure that, if you've got an iPod, iPhone, Android, or friends with better taste in phones than you, you have partaken in the phenomenon that is Temple Run. You have skeptically picked up your friend's phone, said "I don't see what's so great.." and played it until you killed their battery. You then downloaded it yourself, and proceeded to kill your own battery. And you LOVED it. You unlocked the girl, the football player, the black guy, the explorer dude, not to mention upgrade after upgrade. And you wondered--for hours--who the Hell thought up those demon monkeys, and whether they were currently receiving the help they so desperately need. You bragged about your high score, and how you could have those little digital explorers survive almost anything the basic programming of the game threw at them. BUT did you ever stop, and put yourselves in their shoes ? Did you ever think of how those poor, doomed digi-dudes & dudettes FELT ?

Probably not. That's why you read my blog.

Our digital compatriots are stuck in a world where they will never, EVER win. Ever. Think about it: you don't hit like 20 million points and then it puts up a little screen with the words "Barry got away ! Congratulations !" and a smiley face. Poor Barry (Yes, I like using Barry. Sue me.) will run for a million lifetimes, and then be cast aside, when a better game is created. He will never escape. He will run from those evil monkeys for all eternity. Let's say you were the best Temple Run player EVER. You could play for the rest of your life, never so much as trip, and have the highest score freaking ever. You could train your children to play on separate devices, and then  pause the game before you die, and have them take it up. They could continue this pattern for as long as your iPod/iPhone/Android will operate. But, eventually, someone's finger will slip, and your character will DIE. Your score will be like 53 Trillion-Gazillion, but Poor Barry will end up RIGHT BACK at the beginning, grabbing that idol, all over again. What a sad almost-existence, right ?


He collects millions of dollars worth of gold, not to mention that priceless idol, but what good is it to him ? He only uses it when he dies, so that he can take a little longer to die, next time around. Or maybe, to swap out, so someone else can die for a few turns. He gets mega power-ups, allowing him to walk through walls, move super-fast, and resurrect himself. Does he get to go to the digital world and become a Superhero-God ? Nope. He gets to run, eternally, from some freaky demon monkeys.

So this post is to you, Guy Dangerous, Scarlett Fox, Barry Bones, Karma Lee, Montana Smith, Francisco Montoya, and Zack Wonder. May your runs be long, and prosperous, and may your temporary angel wings one day carry you far past the reaches of that accursed temple. Thank you for hours of entertainment on long car rides and during meetings when I didn't really want to pay attention.

Never forget.

Peace In, Peace Out.