before starting this entry, a question: is there a reason why the new year starts in january? it's in the middle of the winter. shouldn't the new year start at the beginning of a new season, at least? i'd prefer the new year to start in the beginning of spring, but i'll take the BEGINNING of any season. that makes sense to me, at least. now onto the entry.
welcome 2014. i have come up with a few new year's resolutions for this year. but before i talk about those, i read my resolutions from last year. i listed 2 and failed in both. =(
first, i am graduating with a 3.88 gpa, instead of 4.0. i'll take it, though.
second, i didn't even buy a guitar. so that one will get pushed back to this year. i hope to buy a guitar sometime in april. why april? just wait. =)
so here's my resolutions for 2014. there are 2 requirements. first, it has to be concrete, not vague (e.g. be a better person, read more books, etc. is no bueno). second, it has to benefit other people. so here we go.
1. do something nice for my parents. since both of my parents enjoy playing golf, i want to give them a chance to play golf at pebble beach. i've looked into it and it's gonna be a few grand. but it's a chance to play at one of the best golf courses in the world, so i'm gonna work on it. maybe my siblings can help me out too.
2. learn to play 5 songs on the guitar, obviously. 5 songs: "sweet child o' mine," "faith," "if only," "all for you," and "사랑은 비를 타고."
3. learn to make 7 new dishes. similar to #2, this will benefit my future gf/wife. in addition, my future kids will benefit as well.
there are others, but i'll keep those to myself. mostly b/c they're goals that are personal. once i achieve them though, i'll write about it.
i was gonna do this yesterday, before 2013 ended, but i've been busy. also, i went to sleep at a little past 11 last night, so... here it is.
2013 was a year filled with great music, so i wanted to share my 13 favorite songs from this past year, as a way to end the year and to ring in 2014. these songs are not in any particular order.
1. pittbull (ft. christina aguilera) - feel this moment
man... this song is great. it's got that melody from "take on me," and christina's still got it, which makes me happy for her. but most importantly, it's fun. what more do you want from a song?
2. exo - 으르렁 (growl)
i initially did not like this song when i first heard it, but after i saw a live performance of it, i became a fan. this has always been true of me: i might not like a song when i first hear it, but if i see a live performance of it, the possibility of me liking that song increases exponentially. so there you go. but this performance is awesome.
3. mariah carey (ft. miguel) - #beautiful
i LOVE this song. mariah is still great.
so something i always wondered about this song: why is there a # in the title? is it a twitter thing? i mean, it has to be, no? what else can it be? also, speaking of #, why do people call it a hashtag? for my entire life, it was either a sharp symbol or the number sign. it's not that i have a problem with the changing of the name, but... why "hashtag"? just curious.
4. kanto - 말만해 (what you want)
isn't this song awesome? hahaha. i don't know what it is about this song, but i can listen to it all day. also, the rapper's voice is very fitting for rapping, no? what a great song.
5. ariana grande - the way (acoustic version)
am i the only one who thinks she sounds like mariah? anyway, i like everything about this song... except for the rapper. there's something about mac miller that causes a gag reflex within me. i can't stand anything he says, which is unfortunate, b/c i really like this song. but b/c of mac miller, i now can't listen to this song. fortunately, there's an acoustic version. i also really like the high-five at the end of this video. =)
6. Big Bang (Tae-Yang) - 새벽 한 시 (1 AM)
this song is about remembering a past love at 1am. i can't relate, but i love this song regardless. personally, i think it's about time he came out with another song that i really like. i mean, "superstar" is still great and all, but that was like 2009. on a side note, the interesting thing about this song is, i've seen him perform this song twice already, but i don't think the recorded version has been released yet. that's kinda unusual, no?
7. lorde - royals
pentatonix - royals
what else is there to say about this song other than "it's great"? what a great voice this girl has. one thing i was never clear on: is the singer's name pronounced "lord" or "lordee"?
also, the acapella cover is great too. 2 things i'll like forever, i think: choreographed dancing and acapella covers of famous songs. not sure why. =)
8. 배치기 (ft. Ailee) - 눈물샤워 (Shower of Tears)
this is a very interesting song. the instruments used and the melody, it's very unique. i'm not sure how to describe it, but it has a... tango feel to it? i don't know why i just said that, but that's the feeling i get when i listen to this song. also, i like that ailee featured on this song. i'm a fan. =)
9. olly murs - troublemaker
i discovered this song while i was on one of those going down the rabbit hole trips on youtube. while going from one video to another, i clicked on this one and well... what an awesome song. the original with flo rida is good too, but there's just an energy that comes from live performances that the recorded version cannot match. so there it is. this song is SO good, i'm putting in TWO videos of it.
10. kara - 2night
the best song on the last album (possibly) from my all-time favorite girl group. i was gonna make it a point to go to their concert when i went back to korea and i'm disappointed they may disband before i'll have the opportunity to see them live. i guess there is a lesson in all this: don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. but in my defense, there was never a kara concert when i was living in korea. i guess i'll just have to live with my disappointment of never seeing the 5 of them performing together live. i'm also disappointed they never performed this great track live. i bet it would have been great.
11. ft island - 말리꽃 (jasmine flower)
this song is decently old (10+ years, i think), but this year is the first time i heard it, when this band covered it on a tv show. so... it's a beautiful song. it's about continuing to live after the person you love has passed away (this is a typical theme in korean love songs, btw). damn, yo. this dude can SING.
another old song (from the 80s?), but... damn. this song is about how much the singer is in love with a girl and will follow her wherever she goes. but beside from the lyrics, LISTEN TO THE SONG. this dude sings like he was born to sing this song. hahaha. that sounds ridiculous, but... he does. =)
and when he goes into the bridge around 4:24 to 5:41... wow. goosebumps, yo.
13. one more chance - 널 생각해 (i think of you)
wherever i see this video, it translates the korean title to, "thinking of you." well, i don't give a damn. my translation is better. =)
with that said, as weird as this might sound, it's a really pretty song. feels like a light spring rain. the kind where you don't mind walking in without an umbrella. can you feel it? hahaha.
man... this was much harder than i thought it was gonna be. but i think i'm ok with it. there are songs that could have been on the list, but i didn't put it in there. perhaps next year, i'll expand the list. =)
