No matter what walk of life, you will come across the square pegs being fitted in to a round hole. Or vice-verse. Reading a recent article i wondered how we try to be a part of a group through school /college and so on. At the same time we’re striving for our own individuality. Somehow, we don’t like the extremes. So loners get castaway and the extremely outgoing person is labelled the party animal. There somewhere in the middle is where everyone wants to be. Socially accepted and noted for who they are. But how can you be know for who you are unless you stand out / apart from the crowd? Contradicting isn’t it?
On that note, here is a favorite of mine from Green Day called “Walking Contradiction” that relates to the exact same feeling:
Papa sure loves mambo. Here is a list of tracks that used to play more than often at home. I’m picking up the international tracks as a lot of indian music was played too. Here are the ones i recall vividly:
Who can not love the Gypsy Kings?
Throw in a little bit of Harry Belafonte!
And who could have got by the 80’s without listening to Foreigner?
Of course not to forget one of the coolest tracks by Pet Shop Boys that came out the year i was born!
By the time we hit the 90’s yes there was more of Bon Jovi but this 80’s song was played more often 🙂
Towards the mid 90’s my musical taste was evolving and gradually i had a few favorites of my own. Here are just a couple of tracks i listened to a lot at the time:
Of course my preferences have evolved a lot more from then. These were just some of the songs i heard lot play back in time.
I absolutely dig music from the 60’s and the sound that defined tracks from that time. So it’s even better when i discover music by new bands that are inspired by the same style of music. There’s something about those California sun driven beats that makes me feel at ease and calm instantly. Here are two bands that hit that mark spot on:
1. Summer Twins: This sister duo belts out dreampop songs that make for easy listening and make summer more enjoyable.
2. Allah-Las: This 4 member band based out of LA is what i came across on public radio (streaming internet radio). Their sounds are more rock and roll and totally based on the 60’s garage sound. What more could you want with a sound that’s mixed with The Kinks and Lo-fi ?
Never Surrender. Those two words pretty much sum up the approach i have when it comes to a lot of tasks. I think the more complex something is, the more driven i am to get through it. Be it a difficult book, movie or song. Situations count too. Since i’m mostly the one buzzing with sheer Pollyanna optimism i don’t find it hard to do so.
This applies to the interests i have too. Music, the lesser know the better it is for me. I would browse through multiple videos and listen to samples on Soundcloud to find the best rare tunes. When it comes to books, the same rule applies. Although non-fiction works best for me, which to many people would be something that puts them to sleep. Few years back in college too, i didn’t see my troubles as they were. I constantly thought, this is a phase and heck when will i be this age again? It’s the approach i carry even now.
So stubborn, if you call it is what i am. The harder the equation, the more i’m going to enjoy solving it. The tougher the situation, the more i’m going do my best to deal with it. After-all, we are going to get through all this alive. So why fret? The key is to enjoy what you’re doing and keep getting better at it!
While watching True Detective (a series you absolutely must check out), there is a scene where the two lead characters are talking in a bar. There is a jukebox in the background and the song that’s selected is Juice Newton’s Angel of the Morning:
The song rang a bell and i just couldn’t figure where i’d heard it before. It did come to me later and figured out that there were many renditions of the same song. What’s remarkable is that my husband recalled a version by The Pretenders, which was featured in the popular sitcom Friends. Here is their version:
And here is the cheesy hip hop version i recalled:
Cheesy and pretty sell out too. Now i have to seek redemption for this.
Been listening to some of my old favorites and this one popped up. I love Thievery Corporation for their world music infused sounds. They effortlessly mix reggae, hip hop, jazz with dub thrown in too. What more could one need to dabble in. The band is based out of Washington and have been belting out great music since 1995. I discovered their music around 2007. One of their more popular tracks is Lebanese Blonde which has got some hindustani music influence too.
Since the band has a take on world issues they have got embroiled in controversies too. Most of this was centered around their participation in a concert to end the iraq war and other issues such as trade exploitation & world food program. But apart from that, this DJ duo has powerful music that has meaning too unlike other EDM artists popular today.
Basically, this the kind of music you want to chill to over the weekend! Enough said.
Being a music junkie, i’m always on the lookout for new artists or great covers. Or, in this case a great acoustic version. I liked this acoustic version since its a much stripped down & soothing song to listen to. Arctic Monkeys have been one of my favorite bands. Listening to them takes me back to my engineering days in 2006. Their album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not was on repeat play. Songs like Riot Van, Fake Tales of San Francisco were some of my favorite in addition to the most popular tracks on the album.
Their later albums such as Favorite Worst Nightmare (won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year 2008), Humbug to the latest AM have been good too. They have changed their sound & they seem to have experimented with variations to their musical sound. The latest AM has hip hop influences too. Nevertheless, they have me hooked to keep checking out whatever new they come up with. Though they are no longer Indie the way when they started out, they do make good songs that keep me coming back!
Steve Jobs has truly been a phenomenon that shook not just technology but the marketing and advertising world as well. I must admit that i have always been fascinated by his leadership style and he is known as a charismatic leader anyways. If you have read the biography by Walter Isaacson, then you would have heard of Steve’s “Reality Distortion Field”. Simply explained this was a way in which Steve would push his team members to achieve what they thought was ridiculous or at times not feasible as well. That’s also a reason why employees at Apple continue to surprise not just themselves but the markets as well till the time Steve was there rolling out innovative products. Here’s a tribute video employees at Apple made on his first death anniversary.
Coming to the second death anniversary (05th Oct. 2013), Tim Cook has sent out an email internally to mark what Steve meant to everyone and how they should dedicate themselves to the work he loved:
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Team-
Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of Steve’s death. I hope everyone will reflect on what he meant to all of us and to the world. Steve was an amazing human being and left the world a better place.I think of him often and find enormous strength in memories of his friendship, vision and leadership. He left behind a company that only he could have built and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We will continue to honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to the work he loved so much. There is no higher tribute to his memory. I know that he would be proud of all of you.
Best,
Tim
*Sourced from 9to5Mac
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I feel that Steve had this unique capability to marry the arts, culture, technology and science in a unique way and present the end product in the most simplest form to the end user. Maybe a little to simple for someone like me. But, any Apple product comes with an interface so user friendly that you don’t need a user manual at the end of the day. Now that’s proving the utility value that comes with the product. No wonder people using the iPhone tend to spend longer time on their devices and are most likely to declare that you can call them or text back on their iPhone. As Jonathan “Jony” Ive puts it, this indicates how seamless and easy to use the products are. As for the ex-COO, Tim Cook was known to be majorly quiet with a fixed gaze during meetings. If anything, I’m sure the team with Cook, Ive and Frederighi will continue to innovate, “Think Different” and provide products that will keep people lining outside stores for weeks together and achieve record sales as they carry the delicious Apple in to the future.
Minutely Infinite 