Confession: I've been back for three days
So, yeah I have actually been back for three days. I just spent most of the time sleeping.
So I spent the first week in Ethiopia. This actually kinda sucked a lot because none of my friends from Ethiopia were coming back for the summer except Esete, but she wasn't there that entire week. So I basically spent the entire week watching Misfits and Mad Men (oh yeah, I've started watching Mad Men- it's fucking awesome!) which I had saved on my computer. Also, Misfits is so badass. What an awesome show. I have to give chrryblssmninja credit for the recommendation, back in my What Should I Watch post. So thanks girl! And those Lost-Misfits crossover verticals you made make a lot more sense now, lol. Anyhoo. I also spent the week following the World Cup, which I really wasn't planning on getting into this year, but I was sooo bored, and everyone in Africa is football crazy, so I gave it a go and got completely hooked. I followed those games religiously. And Paul the Psychic Octopus is my new favourite animal ever. And I hate Suarez for stealing that victory from Ghana with his cheating hands. Bastard. At least Holland delivered justice.
Then we headed off to Sudan, which was much better because some of my friends were still there. I spent most of the week going to all our old haunts with evil_frank and Attiat. I got really nostalgic and sad actually, and I started harbouring thoughts about coming back to live in Sudan for a few years after I finished college. Then I met up with magicalmalik and promo3, which was actually hilarious because I'm almost positive my dad thought they were going to rape me. I told them of my plans to come back to Sudan and they reminded me how much everyone hates living there when they're there. Fair enough. It was just that coming back I only remembered the good times. I didn't remember the lack of access to... anything, and the hell of going through the IB and being up until 3 am on the daily. Yeah... Sudan's nice as long as you know you have a way out. Not that I'm not proud to be Sudanese. Just, yeah.
I got to hang out with my aunt and my cousin Girl Arms, who is no longer Girl Arms because he gained a shit ton of weight. Actually, as soon as we got into the car with him my aunt turned to us and said "hasn't Samir gotten fat?" and he made an excuse to get out of the car. Lol poor guy. But he seems pretty happy so yeah. Although I tried to get him into Lost and he said it was stupid so I may have to disown him. He did the whole "How can those people be on that island for so long?" and I was like "it's only a few months!" and he went "AND NO ONE FOUND THEM??" and I was like "IT'S A SPECIAL ISLAND, OKAY?" and he was just like "lol". So, mission not accomplished.
Then the week ended and we came back to Canada via Holland. It was really funny actually because we were stopped over in Holland when the final happened, and I knew Holland would lose, so it did get a bit unpleasant. Especially since my brother was rooting for Holland. He even bought a whole bunch of Team Holland merchandise at the airport. Oh how I lol'd at him.
So, because I was in Sudan when M.I.A.'s new album came out, I didn't get a chance to hear it until I came back. Needless to say it was the first thing I downloaded when I got back. So for those who give a shit, here's my review
I made sure to watch the Born Free music video before hearing the actual album. I'd heard some horrible things about it, but I was really excited because it had gotten banned from YouTube. I love when M.I.A. get's banned from things. She's so awesome, fuck the haters. I hate when people go on and on about her contradicting herself in interviews. They're really missing the point of her message. And people set higher standards for her than they would for, say, a white artist with a similar message. Not to play the race card but, come on, there's some obvious racism involved. Anyway, I really loved the Born Free music video. It was so badass. I highly recommend you watch it if you haven't, and if you're not squeamish. And Born Free is a really good song, so it got me pumped for the album.
I'd read a lot of really bad reviews for the album. But when I heard it I really didn't get what people's problem with it was. I've listened to it a few times now, because I wanted to form a full opinion of it. I really like it. Internet Connection, XXXO, Meds and Feds and Steppin Up are all amazing songs. The other ones are all also growing on me. I think reviewers were just super bitchy because M.I.A.'s relationship with the media has been even more shaky than usual lately. She does love to talk shit, gotta love her. <3 Anyway, hater's are obviously trippin' because she's not the perfect interviewy, and she tends to try to provoke people. It's part of what I love about her.
What I do agree with people saying is that this album is really nothing like any of her old stuff. I'll admit that when I first heard it it took some getting used to. But I really like this new style. It's just M.I.A. being awesome in a different way. I do think the fact that she changed things up detracted a little from the quality of the album, but not to a huge degree. Once people get used to it, I think they'll really like this stuff. Also, I'm worried that people are being harsh because they were looking for another Paper Planes. I hate those douchebags who don't know or care about M.I.A.'s music and just jumped on the bandwaggon because she released a catchy song. Paper Planes is alright, but it's in no way my favourite of her songs. I really didn't come into this album looking for a new Paper Planes. Obviously those people are going to be dissapointed.
Yeah... there's my long incoherent rant. :/
So I spent the first week in Ethiopia. This actually kinda sucked a lot because none of my friends from Ethiopia were coming back for the summer except Esete, but she wasn't there that entire week. So I basically spent the entire week watching Misfits and Mad Men (oh yeah, I've started watching Mad Men- it's fucking awesome!) which I had saved on my computer. Also, Misfits is so badass. What an awesome show. I have to give chrryblssmninja credit for the recommendation, back in my What Should I Watch post. So thanks girl! And those Lost-Misfits crossover verticals you made make a lot more sense now, lol. Anyhoo. I also spent the week following the World Cup, which I really wasn't planning on getting into this year, but I was sooo bored, and everyone in Africa is football crazy, so I gave it a go and got completely hooked. I followed those games religiously. And Paul the Psychic Octopus is my new favourite animal ever. And I hate Suarez for stealing that victory from Ghana with his cheating hands. Bastard. At least Holland delivered justice.
Then we headed off to Sudan, which was much better because some of my friends were still there. I spent most of the week going to all our old haunts with evil_frank and Attiat. I got really nostalgic and sad actually, and I started harbouring thoughts about coming back to live in Sudan for a few years after I finished college. Then I met up with magicalmalik and promo3, which was actually hilarious because I'm almost positive my dad thought they were going to rape me. I told them of my plans to come back to Sudan and they reminded me how much everyone hates living there when they're there. Fair enough. It was just that coming back I only remembered the good times. I didn't remember the lack of access to... anything, and the hell of going through the IB and being up until 3 am on the daily. Yeah... Sudan's nice as long as you know you have a way out. Not that I'm not proud to be Sudanese. Just, yeah.
I got to hang out with my aunt and my cousin Girl Arms, who is no longer Girl Arms because he gained a shit ton of weight. Actually, as soon as we got into the car with him my aunt turned to us and said "hasn't Samir gotten fat?" and he made an excuse to get out of the car. Lol poor guy. But he seems pretty happy so yeah. Although I tried to get him into Lost and he said it was stupid so I may have to disown him. He did the whole "How can those people be on that island for so long?" and I was like "it's only a few months!" and he went "AND NO ONE FOUND THEM??" and I was like "IT'S A SPECIAL ISLAND, OKAY?" and he was just like "lol". So, mission not accomplished.
Then the week ended and we came back to Canada via Holland. It was really funny actually because we were stopped over in Holland when the final happened, and I knew Holland would lose, so it did get a bit unpleasant. Especially since my brother was rooting for Holland. He even bought a whole bunch of Team Holland merchandise at the airport. Oh how I lol'd at him.
So, because I was in Sudan when M.I.A.'s new album came out, I didn't get a chance to hear it until I came back. Needless to say it was the first thing I downloaded when I got back. So for those who give a shit, here's my review
I made sure to watch the Born Free music video before hearing the actual album. I'd heard some horrible things about it, but I was really excited because it had gotten banned from YouTube. I love when M.I.A. get's banned from things. She's so awesome, fuck the haters. I hate when people go on and on about her contradicting herself in interviews. They're really missing the point of her message. And people set higher standards for her than they would for, say, a white artist with a similar message. Not to play the race card but, come on, there's some obvious racism involved. Anyway, I really loved the Born Free music video. It was so badass. I highly recommend you watch it if you haven't, and if you're not squeamish. And Born Free is a really good song, so it got me pumped for the album.
I'd read a lot of really bad reviews for the album. But when I heard it I really didn't get what people's problem with it was. I've listened to it a few times now, because I wanted to form a full opinion of it. I really like it. Internet Connection, XXXO, Meds and Feds and Steppin Up are all amazing songs. The other ones are all also growing on me. I think reviewers were just super bitchy because M.I.A.'s relationship with the media has been even more shaky than usual lately. She does love to talk shit, gotta love her. <3 Anyway, hater's are obviously trippin' because she's not the perfect interviewy, and she tends to try to provoke people. It's part of what I love about her.
What I do agree with people saying is that this album is really nothing like any of her old stuff. I'll admit that when I first heard it it took some getting used to. But I really like this new style. It's just M.I.A. being awesome in a different way. I do think the fact that she changed things up detracted a little from the quality of the album, but not to a huge degree. Once people get used to it, I think they'll really like this stuff. Also, I'm worried that people are being harsh because they were looking for another Paper Planes. I hate those douchebags who don't know or care about M.I.A.'s music and just jumped on the bandwaggon because she released a catchy song. Paper Planes is alright, but it's in no way my favourite of her songs. I really didn't come into this album looking for a new Paper Planes. Obviously those people are going to be dissapointed.
Yeah... there's my long incoherent rant. :/