Today was my first day back at school after two months of primarily uneventful holidays. I’d forgotten how tiring school can be after a sleepless night (because of the heat that I loathe with extreme passion). But I surprisingly managed to drag myself out of bed when my alarm went off at 7:30am. My mother dearest drove me to school and I was on time, which is quite an achievement! After a short assembly and time spent helping the new sparkly year sevens in homeroom, I headed towards my first lesson of year 11. English! Definately one of my favourites. It was a great lesson to start the year with. Then I had Chemistry, Study and Physics. Chemistry and (especially) Physics were wake up calls. We actually had to do a significant amount of work on the very first day of school! But overall, the lessons were interesting and enjoyable.
The worst aspect of the day was the horrid heat. Sources tell me that the mercury reached 43 degrees Celsius today. 43!!! And this heat wave is predicted to last for at least another week. If it gets over 45 degrees I really don’t want to go to school.
I returned home feeling extraordinarily tired with a throbbing headache. But I’m very proud that I didn’t succumb to my temptation to have a nap. I should be able to fall asleep with more ease tonight. I’m hoping that my lessons will be interesting again tomorrow. And I pray that all of the meteorologists are wrong and it will be a pleasant 23 degrees Celsius. If only.
Congratulations to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States! To be honest, I don’t particularly know much about American politics. But I do know this. The election of Obama is a humongous step in the right direction for the US and the rest of the world. While watching his inauguration I felt as if I would actually like to be an American, for the first time in my life. It finally seems as if the world is slowly becoming the place that I so desperately want it to be. A world of hope. A world of love. A world of peace. A world of happiness. A world of equality. And most importantly, a world of unity. I hope and pray that Barack Obama, other political leaders and all inhabitants of the Earth can come together to repair the damage and destruction that has been accumulating over the past few years. If we can do this as one, then there may be a prosperous world left for future generations. Of course, there are still an extremely large number of problems to overcome. In my opinion, most of these problems can always be traced back to unequal rights for and unfair beliefs about certain groups within society. Hopefully, we can all overcome negative stereotypes and prejudices within the near future. Every country, every race, every sexuality, every religion and every PERSON needs to forget their differences and unite.
I suppose that this is going to be a review of sorts. But I also wish to discuss something that has been bothering me for quite some time. I don’t understand the problem so many people seem to have with Brian May and Roger Taylor (formerly of Queen) teaming up with Paul Rodgers for their fairly recent album, ‘The Cosmos Rocks’. Many “music critics” continuously complain about this project being disrespectful to Freddie Mercury’s memory and legacy. They make unfair and inaccurate comparisons between Queen of the past and Queen & Paul Rodgers of the present. Come on people, it’s a different band! Of course their music is going to be completely different to the material produced in the 70′s and 80′s. I’ve seen way too many people comment about their belief that Brian and Roger are replacing Freddie and are only still in the music industry for the money. This is preposterous. Those two guys have got music flowing through their veins. Why on Earth would they want to stop working together and with other musicians, when it has been their way of life for almost 40 years?
I’ve also heard a great number of complaints about the use of the name ‘Queen & Paul Rodgers’. Everybody seems to think that they don’t deserve to have Queen as a part of the title when only two members of the original four are a part of it. I think that’s pretty unfair. Brian and Roger were just as much a part of the original band as Freddie and John Deacon were, and therefore should have the unquestionable right to call themselves any damn thing they want. Of course, I would probably feel different if just one member remained and still chose to use call their band Queen. But that isn’t happening.
I don’t want to be misinterpreted here. I love, respect, admire and miss Freddie Mercury an incredible amount. I also completely understand John’s decision to bow out when he did. That was his choice and Brian and Roger should also have the ability to choose their path of life.
Okay! Now that I’ve got that little opinion off my chest I’ll begin with another. These are my thoughts on the album titled ‘The Cosmos Rocks’ by Queen & Paul Rodgers (released September 15th, 2008)!
It’s probably best to start at the beginning. The first song is entitled ‘Cosmos Rockin’. It begins with a distorted voice saying “What planet is this? Let there be rock and roll!” It’s very One Vision-esque. The actual song is great. Very anthemic with great vocals. It just makes you want to get up and dance/head-bang/jump up and down. It has definitely become one of my favourites on the album. It is followed by ‘Time To Shine’ and ‘Still Burnin’ (which very cleverly uses the infamous stomp stomp clap of ‘We Will Rock You’). The fourth song is ‘Small’ and is also one of the jewels of the album. It’s basically about self-reflection and a realisation that one is extremely insignificant compared to the vast beauty of the natural world. Next is ‘Warboys’, which is a very blues oriented. This is followed by what I believe to be the best piece on the album – ‘We Believe’. It was composed by Brian May and describes a number of problems within the current world and ways in which we can save the Earth from total destruction. It’s utterly beautiful and true and is probably the most reminiscent of Queen from the past. The next song is ‘Call Me’ which is just really fun and spontaneous. A Paul Rodgers composition, called ‘Voodoo’ is next. It is probably my least favourite because it is a little sparse and probably a bit too bluesy for me. But I think it has its place within the album, as all of the songs do. ‘Some Things That Glitter’ follows and it is a magnificent ballad about discovering love. Next is the rocking ‘C-lebrity’ which addresses the problems with reality television and lack of talent in current entertainment industries. The proceeding song is ‘Through The Night’ which is quite sad and emotional. Another great piece follows with ‘Say It’s Not True’. This was released as a single prior to the album and is about somebody receiving the horrible news of being HIV positive (it was specifically composed by Roger for Nelson Mandela’s 46664 campaign). ‘Surf’s Up… School’s Out’ is next and it is basically about youth, rebellion and having a fun life, regardless of the consequences. The album finishes with a quiet reprise of ‘Small’. However, if purchased from Itunes there is a bonus track, which is a great cover of Del Shannon’s ‘Runaway’ (1961).
Phew!
Overall, (and contrary to what most critics say) I believe the album to be an excellent achievement for Queen & Paul Rodgers. It is completely different to Queen material from the past and I commend them for that. Of course, nothing can compare to the immortal music created by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon all those years ago. But that’s the point. There shouldn’t be any comparisons.
So yes, I finally decided to create my very own blog. This could possibly end up being another initiative that I fail to follow through on, just like that diary that I promised myself I would write in every day, or my resolve to practice piano on a regular basis these holidays. But maybe not. I have no idea what one is supposed to write about in their first blog entry so I decided (after reading a couple of other peoples’ first blog) to Wikipedia it. Here’s what I found..
“The personal blog, an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read by anyone but them. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life or works of art. Blogging can have a sentimental quality. Few personal blogs rise to fame and the mainstream, but some personal blogs quickly garner an extensive following.”
Okay. I think I understand now. But I’m still not sure what to write about. I’m a relatively boring person. When I’m not at school I’m at home in front of the television, computer, desk or piano. So seeing as I’m actually on school holidays at the moment (and have been for close to two months) I’ve hardly been doing anything that I see to be worth spending my otherwise eventless time. I suppose the end of that sentence forms the basis of why I’m doing this. I HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO! Oh dear, I’m not making myself sound particularly appealing, am I?
So, with that out of the way, I think I will talk a little bit about my day.
I woke up at 1:45pm (don’t laugh), then spent the rest of the afternoon doing the usual holiday thing. Dinnertime arrived at around 7:30pm and consisted of chips (with mayonnaise of course) and chicken. Scrumptious! While sitting at the dining table my parents began to chastise me in relation to my recent holiday sleeping patterns. But I can’t help it! I get into an eternal cycle of doom when I don’t need to wake up for school every morning. My friend and I refer to ourselves as sufferers of ‘Nocturnal TIger Syndrome’, or NTS. I’m not completely sure about which one of us created this concept, but the use of the word tiger is derived from the middle name of Roger Taylor’s 17-year-old son. This condition is characterised by going to bed at an ungodly hour (4-5am in extreme cases), waking up early-mid afternoon and regular afternoon naps (also known as ‘NTS attacks’) during the school term. I’m sure that many people suffer from NTS without realising what is happening to them. Hopefully this clears it up a little bit.
But school will be resuming next Thursday so I need to try and teach my body civilised sleeping patterns by then.
In other news, I’m going through a bit of a Stephen Fry phase at the moment. Each of my phases lasts around 2-3 weeks. Before this it was an Elton John phase. But I think I’ve moved on to Stephen. To put it simply, he’s a genius and I love him. I won’t start gushing too much but here’s a video of him describing his own loveliness.
I’m often asking myself why every famous male person whom I admire is either dead, gay or over 50. Of course, I don’t mind in the slightest but I would like to know the reason behind it. One of the many mysteries of life, I suppose.
Also, if anybody reading this has Twitter (another of my very recent internet escapades), feel free to add/follow me at http://twitter.com/sarahisme12
Anyway, I think that’s enough for my first blog. I do hope that I don’t abandon it too soon because I quite enjoyed writing all of this.
