Monday, May 14, 2012

Frictional Blog 18 [The Musical Monday (!?) Edition]

BAAAMM!!!


Hey, what's up you guys? Remember when I started doing this blog, I had a Musical Monday post on every, well, Monday? Haha. Unfortunately, it's not returning. This is kinda like a one-shot only. Cue the tears. :_(

Nahh, actually I'm joining an article writing competition, and this is basically a draft of what I am submitting to them. Read it up! Hope you guys like it. 


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In conjunction with its music video that has recently reached the 200-million-view mark, this article is written for the sole purpose of dissecting the lyrics of Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye, featuring Kimbra. Okay, that sounds weird. But nonetheless, here we go. Before we begin, let us get ourselves to know a bit or less about Gotye and Kimbra.

Wouter De Backer, better known by his stage name Gotye (pronounced as go-tee-air) was born on May 21, 1980 at Belgium. He then moved with his family to Australia when he was two. Having his voice compared to the likes of Sting, Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel, as a youth, he began learning to play instruments like piano and drums, but not until February 2003 did he release his first album, Boardface. Three years later, he released his second album entitled Like Drawing Blood. On August 19, 2011, his latest album, Making Mirrors was released. The first single off the album, Eyes Wide Open did pretty well as it went #55 in Australia and #96 in the United States. Somebody That I Used To Know, however, was his true breakthrough single as it peaked at #1 on song charts in over 18 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

Kimbra Johnson was born on March 27, 1990 at Hamilton, New Zealand. Not much to be said of her, besides the fact that at the age of 14, she was the runner-up of the 2004 Rockquest competition. So far, she has only released an album titled Vows.

If you haven't heard the song yet, you must be living under a 42-inch rock or a very huge coconut shell or something. But no worries. Here is the song. Give it a listen.



Now, let's go behind the words of the song.


Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
I told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember


In the first part of the first verse, Gotye recalls his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. He kept thinking to himself that he was happy, albeit feeling like she was never there for him when he needed her. Damn, he must be really unhappy with this girl. Basically, what he felt is so totally different from what he wanted himself to feel. That feeling sucks so badly, but unfortunately the memory would not leave him in peace. 


You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad that is was over


Well, in the second part of the verse, Gotye tells us about how he just would not let go of this "love" that is slowly killing him, and who can blame him? It was love, and love makes you blind. That is, until a point where you just feel like you have had enough and decide to throw it all away. Okay, I went too far there. He was too into his relationship with this girl, despite his pain and suffering, until it came to the point that both of them decided to end it because, well, they just could not make sense. And he was relieved! Shocking! For him, of course.


But you didn't have to cut me off
Make it like it never happened and that we were nothing
I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough

And here's the first part of the chorus. Well, previously she told him that they would still be friends. Well, screw that! She totally neglects him, acts like they never even knew each other while he has been there for her for so long. Wow girl, you are so cold-hearted. He doesn't really care for their love past though. All he is asking for is a "hello" every once in a while, and she won't even give him that. I already hate this girl by this point of the song. But it's about Gotye though. Please don't let me stray you away from this song.



No, you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
Guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know


Second part of chorus, and boy, did Gotye lose all the respect that he has ever had on this girl or what? He just wants to be friends with this girl, and what does this girl do in respond? Trying her best to make sure he won't be able to contact her, ever again. Never in his life would he ever thought that she would cower herself away from all this. He used to know her, but not anymore. In other words, he's giving her a taste of her own medicine by playing her own games against her. Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, excuse my irrelevant over-emotional opinion right here. 


Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
But I don't want to live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know


The second verse, also known as the Kimbra part. Here, Kimbra is being Gotye's new girlfriend or so. Judging on the lyrics though, it seems like she almost breaks up with him. Kimbra is trying to say that although Gotye's ex is the one ruining their relationship, his obsession with this girl that he supposedly just used to know that is screwing him. And who can deny that? I mean, when you are having a relationship with someone, and this particular someone keeps on talking about his ex all the time, it's not cool. Just, not cool. Yes, he is over that girl, but not over what she's done to him. 


And after that, Gotye sings the chorus again, while Kimbra screams "Oh!" throughtout the end, almost as if she's fighting Gotye's anger towards his ex with an anger of her own. Gotye is, like, "That girl screws us! I can't believe she did this to me!" while Kimbra is "Shut up and get over it, you ignoramus!". Yeah, a catastrophic ending to a catastrophic situation. And how can you not feel this song? This song is just awesome, in every way! The melody is different from all the other tunes that are blasted on our stereos today, and the lyrics is just, well, rock-solid! Such a meaningful, lyrical song.

Before I end this post, I would like to share my Top Three favorite covers of this wonderful song. Check them out.

#3 - Myles Erlick and Mylie Taylor - Pure emotion, and it comes from two kids!


#2 - Noah Guthrie and Christina Grimmie - Two power vocals doing what they do best.


#1 - Walk Off The Earth - Four men, a woman and a guitar. And one of them has an epic beard.


And on that note, it's the end of the article. Thank you for reading!

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And that's it. Hope you guys like it! Check out my other posts, add me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and subscribe to me on Youtube. Until next time. Make sure you'll be there.

All of the Glory be to God
Faith. Follow that.
Frictional Blog.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Frictional Blog 17 [The Outcome Edition]

BAAAMM!!!

Let me be the first to tell you that I am pathetic. YES! Yes, I am. After months of build-up, all I have to do is to just speak and tell. But I didn't do exactly that. Let's talk about that.


Guess what? My college run has ended, like, 2 weeks ago. Yeah, time flies when you. Always remember though, to keep your 2 feet on the ground regardless of how high you are flying. Oh-kay, that makes no sense, neither relates to my topic. Blah blah blah. But then again, I don't really know what's the point of this post, so I'll keep on writing with no direction until I stray far enough and decide to publish this. Yes, back to the stem of this paragraph. Supposedly, I wanna (well, have to, NEED TO) tell something to someone (refer to my previous post). It's not that big of a deal though. ......ahh, who am I kidding? It is a big deal. The biggest deal I have ever made (supposedly) in my life. So I was getting ready. Very ready. Never have I been readier in my life. And then it never happened. Never. Ever. Well, we had our final exam paper in different halls, which made it a bit harder to meet her. And then she had a lot of things to be settled that day. And then I tried to consult with her so that she would lend me some of her precious, valuable time to hear something that I had been keeping in and wanting to get off my chest. However, her brother reached there a bit early, and she told me to tell her whatever it is that I wanted to tell her on Facebook, and you know I most probably won't do it there, so basically my speech of declaration was just not meant to be. Cue the tears. :_(

It's just sad, guys. Disappointing. I really wanna do this, you know. I really have to do this. But then, it seems like I am incapable of doing it. For once, I wanna do things the right way, but I just can't. It sucks. It sucks so bad. It so totally scrapes the bowel of sucktitude. I never wanted anything, anyone so badly. I don't wanna, you know, not do this. But there are just too many things not letting me do it. One of which is my doubt. I am super-doubtful right now. Well, I am almost certain that her response would just be either a "No" or a combination of a beautiful smile and going off without leaving me a single clue, hint or even word. A part of me says that it's okay. After all, I myself said once before, that I just simply wanna do this and I would take anything as an answer. The other part of me, though, is telling me that I should not do it, because I don't really wanna hear "No" as her answer. As I mentioned earlier, I never wanted anything so badly. I want her so much, and that is just not right. The reason I wanted to do this in the first place is to do something that would make my mother proud. "Life is a long journey," said my newly-found-sister-turned-crush. There are lots of other things for me to do. This particular thing right here can be pushed aside first, I guess. Maybe I can do it when I am REALLY ready; when I have TRULY changed. "Now" does not seem like the right time.

And there's another thing. As I said just now, she is my newly-found-sister-turned-crush. The emphasis is on the word "sister" here. Yeah. We are just good friends, but she always treats me as her little brother. And as a brother, to tell your "sister" that you like her is just...... not cool...... you know? It's just not right. She won't like it. I know it. She respects me like a sibling, and I know she wants the feeling to be mutual. For me to ask for something different when she is giving me something else is just so messed up. What's my point again? Oh well, whatever, never mind. See, here's the thing. I love my mother, and would do anything to give her the best. Especially the best son that she could possibly have. But I realized that I was a bad son. This girl who I have always respected like she is a sister to me has inadvertently initiated a change in me. This girl gave me a reality check, or so to say. I am turning good, or at least better than my former self. And then I wanna give my mother the best present ever, in this girl. Not now, of course. Maybe 5, 6 years later. I don't have the right to love this girl, but I really like her. But this is not about me liking her (although I do like her so much). This is about the massive amount of respect that I have for her. I respect her so much that I don't even know if I should do this. I won't regret saying this thing that I'm saying, but is it better than keeping my mouth shut and just go without saying it? By the way, tomorrow is her 20th birthday. Happy birthday! Age is just an increasing number. You will be forever young. Cue the smiley. =)

Oh, and as I said (posted) in Frictional Blog 8, if when she reads all this, I'm so totally dead.

And I think that's all for today. Before you leave, check out all my other posts (especially Frictional Blog 16 [The Tell-All Edition]), add me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and subscribe to me on Youtube. As always, don't believe in what they say. Don't believe in what I say. Believe in what I write. Until next time. Make sure you'll be there.

All of the Glory be to Allah SWT (God).
Faith. Follow that.

Frictional Blog.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Frictional Blog 16 [The Tell-All Edition]

BAAAMM!!!

I tweeted earlier today that I'll tell it all. Well, here goes. Let's do this.

Some say I am a good guy, a heck of a good person, of a gentleman. Some say I am a genius. And then there are people who think that I am a self-centered egomaniac who doesn't have the courage to admit my flaws. If you are of any one of the groups listed above, well then you are wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong. And wrong. I'm not a good guy. I'm not a clever guy. I'm not that self-centered. Ask those who know me. They would tell you people of how humble I am. But I'm not here to talk about my humbleness. Nor am I talking about me being good or a genius. I would like to take this time to tell it all. Yes, all of it. All of my weaknesses. My ignorance. My flaws. I've become what a mother wouldn't want in a son. Of course, she never told me that, but I can pretty much guess it. Let's talk about that.

Now of course, there isn't enough time for me to write everything here, but I'll do my best to put up some of my biggest mistakes in my life here. And here's one of them. Back when I was 7 years old, I've almost lost my ability to walk, due to a severe dislocation on my right patella (that's the kneecap) that kept me out of school (and the outside world) for roughly 4 months. My family, especially my mother, has been more than helpful throughout that time and up until this day. And thanks to them, to her and to Allah SWT (God), I am now still able to be walking on this little planet called Earth. But I take it for granted. I don't give even the minimal amount of damn to my well-being. I don't keep a good care to my health. I am an ingrate. An ignorant person. I'm a bad guy.

And then there's the year 2010. Also known as a year I wish I never lived in. Damn regret. I'm still trying to forget. Around this time, I was in a relationship that I currently treat as a nonexistent. Don't ask why. Well, my mother has repeatedly told me to NOT involve myself in any sorts of relationship. I'd end up hurting, she said. And guess what? I heed that advice. Like the ignorant person that I am. Hahh. And now I'm hurting. Hahh. Stupid. And even worse, do you guys remember that Paramore was coming to KL on October 19? Yes, I was there. With my then-girlfriend. But at what cost? Well, my mother's well-being. My mother had, and is still having, a sickness called Paraumbilical Hernia. And by that time she was about to have her second (if I'm not mistaken) operation due to a re-exaggeration of her hernia. My ex-girlfriend didn't have enough money to afford the tickets, so my mother gave her the money that was supposed to be used for the operation's bill. So the operation was off. And guess what? My mother even followed along me to Mid Valley when I was going to buy the tix, because she didn't want anything bad to happen to me. So the concert went well. My mother? Not so much. She went to a condition that has never been worse in her life. Ever. It pains and hurts me to say that I have seen my mother screeching in pain on her mattress (we don't sleep on beds in my home) as if she's dying. And yet I decided to go to a Paramore concert with a girl who was in a relationship with me for merely eighteen months! I risked my mother's life! I know I have promised to not curse on my blog ever again, but screw it! Screw it! All of it! Screw it all! I regret it! I am disappointed with myself! And trust me when I say this; I do regret more than I am admitting right now. I'm a bad guy.

And yes. We've come to the final stop before I end this blog, which will be my final blog before I head into my final exam and subsequently leave my college on April 26, but not before I do something that will change my life forever, but nonetheless. Well, throughout my nearly nineteen years of wasted life, my mother has been asking for only one thing. She's been asking for something that would make her the happiest mother in the world. She wants me to pray. Not that hard. 5 minutes per run, 5 runs per day. Simple enough right? Well, not for me. It's not that I couldn't do it. I was too lazy to do it. I rarely pray. Hell, "rarely" is an understatement. I almost never pray. Even until I entered college. Then this guy under my hostel room, who is also my practicum mate, would ask me to join him to the mosque. I would join him, which basically means that I would pray, only if this guy was inviting me to. There is this one word that can be used to describe me. Hypocrite. Nuff said. And then I went to a downward spiral, and I hit the rock bottom. I had come to a point where I felt and believed that my life was meaningless. So I took the initiative to text my newly-found sister, which has been mentioned numerous times in my blog. I asked for what could be described as a counselling session with her. And that was when my life started an out-of-the-world change.

With just one line, my newly-found sis has changed me. What did she say? "Pray to Allah SWT (God), because He always hears you". Since then, I have never missed a single prayer. Ever. And then I remember the first time I went back home after that counselling session, and perform a prayer in my room. My mother caught me. She was happy. Never been any happier. That was when I see, clearly, what I want to do, to achieve in my life. My mother's happiness. Many ways to do that, for sure. But right now, I wanna talk about one. Just now I mentioned about how my mother told me to not involve myself in any relationship. She wanted, and still wants, me to feel love the way it should be. She wants me to marry someone, then falls in love with the one. Because that's the only way for me to own the right to love and be loved by the person. The way it should be. And that's the way I am going with. But who? She's the person who is able to make my mother happy with just a single line and no intentions at all, while I was struggling to find a direction in life yet has never even contemplated on making my mother happy. Yes, I'm talking about the person I referred to as my "newly-found sister". But here's the problem. She is a good person. She is a very good person. She is a very great person. I, on the other hand, am the worst person that you could have ever met (that is, if you have ever met me). She's very religious. I, on the other hand, am religiously blind. I can't even read the Al-Quran properly. She doesn't deserve me. I don't deserve her. We do not belong to be on the same page. Hell, we do not even belong in the same damn library! She has a bright future ahead of her. I won't kill it. That is why I can't do it.

But I will.

I will do it.

I will change, for the better. For her. For my mother. For myself. For God.

And by the end of my college run, I will tell her about my intention on bringing my mother to meet her mother.

Hopefully, I can do something right this time.

And that's why I am writing this. I need all of your support. No, I'm not asking for money or anything. I just want you to pray for me. So that I can be one of, if not, the best in the world at what I do. Only this time, I would be doing something right. Pray for it. For the best of me. For the best of my newly-found sis. For the best of my mother. Please Allah, please my God. Give us the best in the world. Make it easy.

This is my last post before I leave my college on April 26. Expect me to be back right after that. And on that note, until next time. Make sure you'll be there.

All of the Glory be to God.
Faith. Follow that.
Frictional Blog.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Frictional Blog 15 [The Winds Of Change Edition]

BAAAMM!!!


Let's do this.

Topic #1: Pro Wrestling - Vintage CM Punk = Vintage. Oh yes.. I've spend most of today watching CM Punk's early works in the WWE, back in the ECW brand.. It was really interesting how his character, charisma and in-ring skills have improved so much in such a short amount of time - and even in the early days, he was already extremely (pun intended) good! Good to see a "raw rookie" working his crap-locker off day and night to become one of the top faces of the business. If I wear hats, I would so totally put them off for you, Mr Punk.


Topic #2: Personal - Vintage change = Vintage. Can you hear that? The winds of change are blowing. Or is that my heavy breathing due to my hyperventilation as we are getting closer and closer to my final days in college? Yeah, I think that was my massive exhalation. But nonetheless, a huge change is upon us. Ohhh yes it is. I am slowly turning myself from the world's biggest prick to one of, if not, the best in the world at what I do. But unfortunately, the only couple of things that I do is quitting early and messing my life up. So I guess I have to change the things that I do. Which would be so totally hard. But I have to. I have to make it happen. I have to do it. I will do it. And you will like it. Sure, maybe some of you would totally disagree with my opinion, but I just simply have to do it. I have never wanted anything so bad. I want it so bad. I have messed my relationship with several good friends and even my ex-S.O by doing things my way. I will no longer do things my way. I'll do it the right way. And my new way is the right way. I'll do things my new way. It's my new way, or the highway. And you know how pricey those highway tolls can be nowadays. Booya. This time I'll not give up. This time I'll do the right things. No regrets. I may not be good enough, but I deffo can be better. Now follow that.

And that's it. Sorry guys. I've missed a couple of weeks of posting, and I came back with only this short, meaningless one. But hey, it's not that meaningless. It means a whole lot to me. Each and every one of my posts means a whole lot to me. So you guys know the shtick; check out all my other (more interesting) posts, add me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and subscribe to me on Youtube. And always remember,
"Don't believe in what they say. Don't believe in what I say. Believe in what I write."
- yours truly, The Noorel. Until next time. Make sure you'll be there.

All of the glory be to God.
Faith. Follow that.
Frictional Blog.