Unfortunately I haven’t been in the position to throw too many parties in my life, but the few I’ve thrown and helped organize have been successful and it has all been down to the finer touches. From flat parties, to a charity dinner, to my own 21st – I’ve been instrumental to their organization and their without a flaw executions were often thanks to the help of a few good friends. Last year kicked off my social groups 21st season, still continuing much to my disappointment now that I’m living overseas and missing out. So many times I’ve seen people pour literally $1,000+ into a basic as party with overpriced food and catering as if that was what was going to make the party. I mean it helps, as does the location, but what it comes to most importantly is the feeling and atmosphere you create in the run-up to the event (eg. Invitations, images etc) and the setting is incredibly important too. Let’s break it down.
For any regular human, the dream of winning the lottery and having your life suddenly limited only by your imagination is an ultimate fantasy. So much can be done with a padded wallet; your health expenses are no longer a worry, bills and loans melt away, your student loan is no more and your shopping habit is no longer reduced to checking price tags before the actual items. If money can’t buy happiness, it can surely at least boost whatever you’ve got going for you in a major way. To be honest I’d argue money can buy happiness but only in the short-term via experiences, travel and negated burdens. If I won the lottery, here’s what I’d do assuming I won a nice healthy $30 million in New Zealand dollars (so that’s about $26m USD), which is about the top prize you can win in New Zealand. It’s completely life changing, but it’s not quite at island and jet-buying levels. So what would I do? I get a guilty tang every time I talk or write about exercise because I know only too well that until I was about 13/14 I hated exercise and was a lazy, indoor child who loved nothing more than plopping down on the couch to play games and watch TV. I remember my exercise epiphany, I have no idea what brought it on or what I was doing but I think I’d just eaten something overly indulgent and I was watching TV in my parents bed, probably thinking about how gross and lethargic I surely must have felt. All of a sudden I decided “Wait, maybe I should eat healthier and actually do some exercise?!” As a child I loved to swim and from about the age of 9 or 10 my parents would happily let me wonder down the road to a school’s pool where I would swim and play with other kids for hours – I had a terrific tan too. Then as I hit puberty I got pretty chubby and I became self-conscious about it, so that was the end of my swimming obsession. Then I pretty much did no exercise. It’s been said before and I’ll say it again – you already know some of the singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee’s songs, but that’s not to say you’ll necessarily know her. The self-proclaimed popstar-in-training is the songwriter responsible for some of the biggest hit songs over the last few years, penning over eight #1 songs for Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Taio Cruz. Not to mention the numerous other popular bops released by Ke$ha and Rita Ora. She’s even been nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Song of the Year” category for co-writing Katy Perry’s “Roar”. Bonnie’s songwriting accolades are inarguable, and she could happily rest upon her laurels if it weren’t for her own insatiable desire to become a singer herself. In 2004 she released her debut album Trouble to little success and was subsequently dropped from her label. The album’s slower, poetic and emotive style lacked the Bonnie-isms and double-entendre lyrics she later picked up through her 9 years of songwriting. In 2013, she began the difficult transition back into the spotlight carefully positioning herself as a new pop-girl with a retro-throwback style, which she has called “street chic” combining thrift-store items with luxury brands and always wearing designer shoes. The missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has been one of the most prominent news stories internationally for the past two weeks, perhaps triumphed only by Russia’s scarily militaristic annexation of Crimea. The official announcement by the Malaysian Prime Minister concluding that there was no hope for any remaining survivors was a final blow to the victims’ families hanging on to their last hopes by a thread. However, fair enough for them to remain hopeful because how else is someone expected to deal with such trauma. What I have a problem with in regards to the whole story is the media’s approach to investigating what happened to the plane throughout an inconclusive investigation to this day. If you were looking for an informative website describing the actualities of what postmodernism’s definition and meaning is, then I’m sorry to inform you that you’re in the wrong place. I titled this blog ‘Postmodern Life’ because that’s the style of life I, and a lot of contemporary people live with and the stylistic road with which I expect my blog will take. It will probably be inconsistent, feature numerous topics, rehash ideas and clash images. It will be whatever I want it to be; everything and nothing. I love the idea of pop culture and high culture being juxtaposed together. Perhaps that’s why I’m in love with Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP concept so much. It’s a juxtaposition of ideas that nonetheless merge seamlessly.
I’m not 100% sure what I want Postmodern Life to become, but I intend to more or less write about whatever I feel like. Rather than cite an exhaustive list of interests, I’ll let them emerge themselves throughout the run of this blog. Maybe I’ll write about news topics, or personal blogs, or perhaps wrote anonymous love letters to my crush. Let’s see how it goes. [Image: LadyoftheArts] |
Author21yr old New Zealander living in Japan. Media and film major. ArchivesCategories
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