Sia - You've Changed (Full-length video)

What's a Sia??

The questions should be who is Sia? Asking around, it’s apparent that no one seems to have heard of Sia (pronounce see-ah). She’s appeared on a few Zero 7 tracks, including “sommersault” and “destiny” and has had some amazing songs of her own such as “butterflies” and “you’ve changed.” You might not have heard of her but once you hear her soultry, soft yet edgy voice, you will have a hard time turning her off and forgetting about her---at least that’s how I feel when I listen to her.

Sia has been compared to artists such as Keane, Kate Nash, Kate Havnekik, The Smiths, and a frw others, but her voice is unlike any other’s. Sia is definitely a chameleon with not only her voice, but her musical style as well, singing R&B one minute to taking you on a techno/electro dance scene. Her voice is one that resonates through your every being, grasping at your very core, and captivating your attention until the very end. Her 5^th studio album, We Are Born, is definitely a must hear and one that could potentially put this great artist much more on the U.S.A. map.

Reverend's daughter Gone Wild

Just the other day, my sister and I went to the mall so that she could return something and so that I could pick up my check from my weekend job. As we're walking out of the mall, I see an African-American female with the SHORTEST booty shorts on and the TIGHTEST tank top one, with one cigarette in one hand and the entire pack in the other, and this girl if fawning over some man. Upon seeing this, I tell my sister that if I ever catch her dressed like that, smoking, and out flirting with some guy, I would "slap her silly" and then tell my parents. As we get closer to the girl and the guy, I seem to recognize the girl and just to make sure, as I'm close to her, I dart my eyes to the side as quickly as I can and BAM! "Oh my gosh, Jada" I said to my sister "that's Reverend Joseph's daughter!!!! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!" My sister then turns really quickly to look at the girl and is just as shocked as I am, as we walk over to my car. At the exact moment that we reach my car, we see the Reverend's daughter throwing herself over this man that looked like he could be her father, and this girl is only 19 or 20...
I don't know what it is about some kids who grow up in church environments and have parent(s) who's a minister or what have you but, these kids sure know how to rebel!!! I know, it might sound like I'm biased but being around religious families and all, I've seen it time and time again. Some of these kids are the WORST out of all other kids and they know when to go crazy, rebel, and be mischievous but come Sunday, they're God's little angel(s) once more. It must suck having to live such a double life and I bet it must be exhausting! I understand the need to rebel and all but have some shame!! This girl from my church was out in FRONT OF THE MALL just flaunting everything and just being completely inappropriate. The thing is though, I bet you her parents have noooo idea what she's up to and I know her mom shops at this particular mall and that other church members go to that mall... All I can say is I'm glad I have an open relationship with my parents and that I also know better than to tarnish my family name! People just have no shame nowadays.. shake my head!

Romantic films: Hollywood's actuality, NOT reality

For those who know me quite well, they can tell you that I am not your average girl. I was never into Barbies, always preferring playing in the dirt and with warms instead; I prefer throwing on a pair of my favorite Chucks, a warm and familiar sweatshirt, and jeans, to heels and a dress; I don’t wear make up every day, sometimes only wearing it on special occasions; I prefer staying in and watching the game, to shopping and I absolutely DETEST romantic films, preferring horror, thriller, action, and comedy (Will Farrell comedy to be exact) instead. Why do I DESPISE romantic films? Because the scenarios presented in these films are not things that happen back on Earth in the REAL world, but more in the world created by Hollywood. Before I go on, let me that that I am not bitter about a break up or anything of the sort, and I have been in a relationship for almost two years now and I absolutely love my boyfriend.

Now, in romantic films presented by Hollywood, the same ridiculous nonsense typically happens: Scenario 1: Boy meets girl (or vice versa). Boy loses girl. Boy goes through unbelievable feat to find girl. Boy finds girl. Boy and girl fall madly in love. Boy and girl have the perfect, happy life, and have nooooo problems. **rolls eyes. Scenario 2: Girl meets boy. Girl falls for boy and vice versa. Girl finds out boy already has a companion. Girl gets upset and depressed. Boy realizes girl he met is girl of his dreams and leaves companion for the girl he met. Girl and boy reunite, get together, and live happily ever after. **Blank stare. Scenario 3: Girl meets boy. Boy realizes he’s met girl in alternate life but by that time, girl is gone. Boy tracks girl down and feels as though he has known her all his life. Girl feels as though she has met her soul mate. Something tragic happens (either one dies and the other vows to never love again or they lose contact for a long period of time and rejoin one another years later). I could go on and on with these scenarios but I won’t because just thinking and writing about them, is making me sick.

I’m sorry but I don’t think that these scenarios are real! I mean, think about it… how many times have you met a couple that has told you that some crazy scenario or chain of events, occurred between them, before they got together? How many times have you met a couple that has had the “perfect, white picket fence house, with the world’s most perfect children” life? If you have met a couple that has had a quote on quote “perfect life,” then they’re either lying to you or lying to themselves. I think that arguments (up to a certain level, not physically or verbally) and the way in which couples are able to handle arguments and work through them, are signs of a healthy relationship and one that is strong without a doubt but hey, that’s just my opinion. I also think couples that claim to have the “perfect life” with absolutely no arguments or problems are living in an alternative universe and furthermore, one or both of the people in that relationship is hiding his/her feelings from their significant other. NEWSFLASH-There’s no such thing as “perfection” or as “star crossed lovers” and as for “prince charming?” he’s definitely NOT always charming.

To me, Hollywood knows how to prey on people’s minds and emotions (specifically die hard romantics who constantly wish that their lives were like those of Ryan Gosselin’s in the Notebook or of Kate Winslet’s in Titanic) and manipulate those people in such a way that the lines between reality and fantasy get confounded. I know so many people who really do want their lives to be just like the movies and are hoping to find a soul mate (something else I don’t agree with nor really believe in but that’s a story for another time lol) and get upset when their romance isn’t quite like the fantasy they had hoped for. Though those people should take responsibility for their own actions and thoughts, with all the subliminal messages in today’s media, I can see why someone could become a victim to Hollywood’s garbage and Hollywood’s definition of “romance,” “soul mates,” “true love,” etc. etc. Romantic films give people false hope and false realities and not to mention over the top drama and sap and for those reasons and many MANY more, I cannot STAND romantic films!!!

So tell me, where does your definition of romance, true love, soul mate, what have you, come from? If it comes from a book or from Disney or some romantic film that has stuck to your very core, you now know that you have become a victim of the media and Hollywood’s garbage.

I still bleed green

It's been two days since the very questionable match up between the Lakers and the Celtics, and NE fans are still heated. Yesterday at work, as I got settled in to my cubicle, I heard a man talking to another man about how the game had been "fixed." Ten minutes later, I hear a group of women saying the game had been "fixed." As I IMed a friend and we talked about the game, he stated how angry he was that "the rapist's team won" and that "next year, all the Celtics needed to do was rape someone and we would win," no joke! I of course told him rape is not okay and is never the answer for another, and we moved on from the conversation. As 12 noon rolled around, I went up to the caf. to enjoy my lunch with some of the interns and just as I sat down, one of the interns turned to me and said "so that game was fixed, huh?!" I did tell her that the game was a little questionable and that I was shocked to see the Celtics give up so early in the game. This friend of mine then went on to point out how Ron Artest twisted Paul Pierce's arm back and was getting in his face, yet Paul Pierce got called for a technical. As she said this, a chorus of interns responded all at once and grumbled on about how "shady" that call was and how there was some dirtyness going on during the game.

While all of this was going on, I sat there in deep thought and found myself rather conflicted. I must say, the Celtics did blow that 13 point lead rather quickly and the refs did start calling fouls left and right a lot more during the second half but at the same time, I felt as though the Celtics gave up. I know, I know, as a true blue Celtics fan, how can I say something like that? I can because just like any other true fan of theirs, I believed in them and saw so much potential and had so much hope and all they did was rip my heart out and repeatedly stomp on it. I just can't believe in my heart of hearts that they lost the way they did...

It is Saturday, June 19th, and as I browse on twitter and at my homepage on Facebook, it is evident that NE fans are still very upset that the championship did not turn out in favor of the Celtics. To all true Celtic fans out there, all I can tell you is to keep the dream alive, stay true to your team, and maybe next year, we'll have this one in the bag. With that being said, I want everyone to know that I still bleed green, and that iRep #teamceltics; always have and always will.

M.I.A.: Steppin' Out

Being one of my favorite artists and having great albums such as Kala and Arular, I expected a whole lot from M.I.A. when it came to her upcoming third album, Maya. I must say that after listening to a couple of her singles, I am very disappointed. Her first single, XXXO, sounds very pop-ish and not at all like her previous sounds. Her second single, Born Free, which showed the rounding up of red heads by a military group, as well as the demise of these red heads, did have a good message but on the music end, I wasn't impressed. I thought the beat was just so over the place and I wish she would have tuned down the background noise more so that people could focus more on her lyrics than on the annoying noise. Her latest single, Stepping' Up, musically sounds like that of Born Free and sounds as though she had made this song more for radio play than for her love of her art. What happened to the good old days of Bucky Done Gun or Boyz or even Bamboo Banga?? M.I.A. needs to put down the auto tune or whatever crap she's using in her songs, and go back to her roots. She won fans over for a specific reason and I think she should stick to her old sound... Unless her goal is to lose her old fan base and obtain a new one, she is surely not the same artist.

Check out her new songs on Myspace and let me know what you think.

http://www.myspace.com/mia