Imagine one of your friends is getting messed with. Do you try to let that person try to deal with that person (or those people) himself/herself? Or do you stick up for him/her by getting involved? Sometimes, we don't really consider the consequences or the aftermath of trying to stick up for a friend. Our efforts to get involved in other peoples' business only makes us enemies against someone causing all the trouble. Basically, it's like trying to break up a fight against people you don't even know. Try to be a hero, and you might end up being the aggressor's next target. That threat isn't there if someone doesn't try to help out his/her friend. Trying to get involved, however, will only make you an apparent target. But at the same time, the person you try to help may appreciate your efforts.
^ from: cyh.com - If you see a friend in trouble, do you go stick up for your friend or let him/her handle his/her own business?
Sticking up for your friends can be a great way to show unity and respect. Sometimes, though, what if the person in question doesn't readily have a trusted friend by his/her side? Is there still some way to show your respect and involvement? It really all depends on the people involved and whomever is the aggressor. Whether it's someone just heckling someone (like haters on YouTube) or someone threatening someone else, it takes some guts to step up and defend someone who's getting picked on. Maybe the reason why people appreciate those who step up is because it shows that the one sticking up for a friend CHOSE to defend his/her friend, even if the person getting picked on doesn't need any help.
There are three kinds of people in this situation: * someone steps up for a friend and appreciates the additional support. * someone steps up for a friend, but feels like additional support is needed. * someone steps up for a friend and doesn't want any additional support.
What kind of person you're dealing with depends. I appreciate the support of others unless I'm just in a bad mood and don't want help from anybody else dealing with my issues. But if you're someone who just wants to get involved to help people out, I salute you. You show some real courage in helping someone out.
So are you someone who tries to stick up for your friend(s)? How do you feel about people who step up to defend their friends? How do you feel about sticking up for others? Do you have regrets about getting involved in other peoples' business? Feel free to comment as well as share this blog entry. Thank you for reading!
Last Edit: April 4, 2011 - included sections Palau and Kiribati.
The South Pacific and its people have spurred my recent geographical interest. I sometimes hear so much of the South Pacific that I wish I knew more about it. I've been watching YouTube videos and looking up Wikipedia to learn more about various nations and islands in the South Pacific. This blog entry is more like an "educate me" kind of blog entry. I know I mentioned Oceania (which also includes Australia and New Zealand- two of my most popular countries that visit my blog), but I will mostly make notion to the various South Pacific islands.
Allow me to begin with a picture and a quote.
^ from: greenrightnow.com - "The vast Pacific... each island like a distant star, each archipelago like a galaxy." -Paul Theroux
I don't know my expressions, but to all of my South Pacific folk, I say "talofa!" for Samoan folk, "hafa adai!" for Chamorro folk, ,"kia orana!" to my Cook Islands folk, or whatever "hello!" in your native speak is.
--- South Pacific: Generating Interest ---
I guess here is where I share WHY and HOW I've gotten interested into the South Pacific lately. I will set up the scene and then get to the main point.
Setting up the Main Story.
As a person who considers Geography as his strongest Social Science, I've always had an abounding interest to learn more about the world we live in. My intrigue to learn more about various other nations began when I started to meet more people from around the world. I always want to meet more people. Part of meeting new people, however, involves learning more about the places people come from and any cultures expressed. I can say that I've been blessed to meet many people from many parts of the world.
When I started making YouTube videos and going into blogging, that's when I had a vision to try to get international appeal. You see, I find greater satisfaction knowing that someone from one side of the world can appreciate my work as much as anyone here in the United States. That's why I try to make my work appeal to multiple audiences the world over. I want the world to appreciate and share my work. And unlike most American peoples' perception of "the world" as the United States, Canada, Mexico, and a few European (mostly western European) nations, I strive to be successful and gain attention from various international audiences.
I entered blogging and wanted to track the traffic I get from around the world. To help me in this (even before Blogger/Blogspot had its own stat tracker), I had installed FEEDJIT (hover over the FEEDJIT link for more information about FEEDJIT). Once I learn that I get traffic from certain nations that visit, I become happy and share it with my Facebook friends and fans. That especially holds true for nations that I get traffic from for the first time. As of this blog post, the most recent nation to visit my blog for the first time is the African nation of Malawi. Sometimes in FEEDJIT reports, I see places that don't have flags featured (locations are usually noted by flags of the nations represented. Some places don't get listed at all. These are places like Guadeloupe, the Northern Mariana Islands, and New Caledonia among others. Still, it means that my blog is getting international traffic.
Getting international traffic has actually fueled my interest to learn more about places that I've never heard of or seen before. Because of this, I started learning more about places. The most common things I do are look up pictures of certain locations and listen to national anthems of countries. When I started thinking about getting more international traffic, I began to wonder who all visits my material and from where. One time on YouTube, one of my most-viewed locations for one of my videos was Reunion Island out in the western Indian Ocean not far from Mauritius. It made me wonder just how big of a world we live in- especially considering there are some countries most people can't even find on a map. There are even countries you hear of, but can't find on a map if asked to do so. FEEDJIT has helped me to understand where certain places are in the world so I can learn more about them. I wonder if there are more places I can perhaps draw some traffic to. This led me to wonder if I could get a little more support from other nations, namely in a seldom-visited part of the world- the South Pacific.
This, then, sets up the main point of this section...
Discovering the South Pacific.
One part of the world I haven't been fortunate enough to introduce myself to or meet people from is the South Pacific. And here, I mean people in person. I once did a video expressing my thoughts and prayers to people affected from a 7.9 earthquake last year that impacted Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga among other nations. Some people who saw my video on YouTube were Samoan. I was able to learn a little Samoan from some of the YouTube commenter. I learned "talofa" from some people. I'm not sure what it meant when I first read it, but I thought it meant "thank you." But as I learned on Wikipedia, it's a salute or greeting to you.
Of the many kinds of people I've gotten to know people from, South Pacific folk have been people I've been unable to come across with or communicate with. To educate myself somewhat on the South Pacific and its people, I've started watching YouTube videos. I got to learn about many places and many Pacific Islander people. I learned about Samoan, Marshallese, Polynesian, Micronesian, Fijian, and various other peoples. I have just been educating myself on these lands and these people just to learn more about them. I once wanted to learn more about Nauru because I just simply don't know about Nauru. I then learned in YouTube videos about how much phosphate mining goes on in Nauru. Then, my education continued with various other South Pacific locales.
I became interested then in the Marshall Islands. I even got to be introduced to Marshallese people through YouTube videos. I may have even heard a song sung beautifully in Marshallese. The education continued by learning a little more about places like Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, and the Pitcairn Islands among others.
As a sports fan, I even tried to find some sporting videos featuring these locales. The only Pacific Island folk I hear of are mostly either wrestlers or gridiron football players. Wrestlers Umaga, Rikishi, and Samoa Joe come to mind for me quickly. Then too, don't forget The Wild Samoans of the WWE as well as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The only other South Pacific athlete I know of best is the outstanding Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then too, a lot of American colleges and universities that have gridiron football programs have some Pacific Islander folk, mostly from Samoa, American Samoa, or Polynesia. Maybe the only Pacific Islander quarterback I've heard of is (and I had to search his name to spell it correctly) is a quarterback for the United States Naval Academy named Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada from Hawaii. The University of Hawaii-Manoa usually has a lot of Pacific Island folk playing football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors The only other sport I know best in the South Pacific is rugby, especially the Fijian rugby team. It's been so long since I've seen rugby on TV, but Fiji is quite talented in rugby football.
If Geography teaches you anything, there are lots of places people don't know about. That includes islands inhabited by humans and those not inhabited by humans.
South Pacific Nations That Visited My Blogs.
I don't usually get South Pacific or Oceania blog hits, unless they are from Australia and New Zealand (which are two of my most-visited nations). Maybe the most frequent blog hits from a South Pacific island nation come from Fiji. I even learned I got a blog hit from Vanuatu as I mentioned in my "Issues Regarding 'My Super Sweet 16,'" whereas a girl named Sierra from the popular MTV reality TV series was "exiled" to Vanuatu to learn the merits of hard work. While I don't watch "Survivor," Survivor did have a season in Vanuatu.
These are the only nations I've noted that visited either or both of my blogs (as of the date of this blog's posting): * Fiji * Vanuatu * Guam * Northern Mariana Islands * New Caledonia * Samoa
I do value all of my blog visitors from all over the world. Many South Pacific locales, however, are places I'd like to know more about and meet more people from. All I know about most of these places is that they are very popular tourist destinations.
--- South Pacific: Fascinations ---
It would be pointless to mention these places and not mention what has fascinated me about each locale. So this is my chance to share what places I've been fascinated with and why. Please help educate me on places I may not know about by posting comments to this blog entry. I won't mention all locations, but I'll highlight on a number of South Pacific nations. You may see "I've learned" a lot in these sections because I'm trying to educate myself on this part of the world. Maybe you can help if you enjoy this blog entry.
NOTE: Before you attack me, please understand that I am not as educated as much as I would like to in regards to the part of the world I'm mentioning. So refrain from attacking me if I mention something that's inaccurate or wrong. Part of my intrigue to make this blog entry is to learn more about this part of the world. Be considerate of this if you plan on getting angry with me by posting hateful comments. I apologize if anything is inaccurate or wrong.
If you see a heading with a hyperlink, you can click on it to visit a website (usually a tourism site) to learn [much] more on each location.
Polynesia.
I wish I knew a lot more about Polynesia (besides the beautiful ladies of Polynesia :D). I learned from Wikipedia that Polynesia includes Hawaii and New Zealand. It even includes Chile's Easter Island. So it's very safe to say that a vast majority of the locations I've mentioned are part of Polynesia. Again, I don't know all there is about Polynesia, but at least I'm trying.
I am very much captivated with the beauty of Hawaii. I do wish I know more about Hawaii than "aloha" and the beautiful city of Honolulu. Maybe what got me the most exposure to Hawaii was "Test Drive Unlimited." That game took you all around the Hawaiian island of Oahu while racing some sweet machines. If I really wanted to study Hawaii, I'd want to know more about some of the history of Hawaii as well as maybe a few more Hawaiian terms and expressions. Apart from that, I mostly know of the University of Hawaii-Manoa, home of the Rainbow Warriors (or just the Warriors in football). Most of the other colleges are non-football schools and mostly NCAA Division 2 schools. The most famous of them is Chaminade University, a religious school that scored one of the most improbable upsets in college basketball history, defeating (then) #1 Virginia 77-72 in 1982. Other schools I know of are the Seasiders of BYU-Hawaii, the Sea Warriors of Hawaii Pacific University, and the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans. I wish I knew more about the other islands, including the Big Island of Hawaii/Hawai'i.
If you're a fan of the Dragon Ball series, you know of the Kamehameha energy attack. Well... the name Kamehameha originates from the Kamehameha royal family that has ruled Hawaii in its history. The first, Kamehameha I (or Kamehameha the Great) ruled between circa 1782 up to May 8, 1819. Four more Kamehameha kings would rule Hawaii with the last one being Kamehameha V (ruled between Nov. 30, 1863 to Dec. 11, 1872).
One thing I didn't know about Hawaii is that even though it's one of the 50 United States (not to mention the youngest state), Hawaii has its own anthem called Hawai'i Pono'i (Hawaii's/Hawai'i's Own). It was the national anthem of Hawaii back when it was known as the Territory of Hawaii and is still the state song of Hawai'i today.
I prepared a blog entry regarding a side of Hawaii most people don't know about- one apart from the tropical paradise most know Hawaii as. To read my blog post from a provocative set of videos, please read "The Other Hawaii" here on John's Blog Space.
French Polynesia.
^ from: janeresture.com - Papeete, Tahiti. It is the largest island of French Polynesia.
The only nation within French Polynesia I know most of is Tahiti. The only city I know of best here is Papeete. That's really all I know about French Polynesia, though I know there is much more than just Tahiti. As a Gran Turismo gamer, it was smart that while French locales weren't included in GT2, it was smart (and also unusual) that Tahiti was included for Gran Turismo games since GT2. Papeete is a lovely city from what I've seen in pictures. And really, all I know of French Polynesia is Tahiti, and I don't know a whole lot about Tahiti to say I'm any pro on it.
^ from: nomad4ever.com - Suva, Fiji- the capital of Fiji. I've only heard of Suva (the capital) and Nadi. Nadi was one of a few cities you could access in Oceania from the game "Aerobiz Supersonic," though Nadi is spelled as "Nandi," and I think it's supposed to be "Nadi." I later learned that Nadi is where Fiji's international airport is located. I know little about Suva except that it's where the Fiji national rugby team plays their rugby football.
In the western South Pacific to the east of the southeastern Philippines lies the Republic of Palau. Its flag is similar to the flag of Bangladesh, only that the outside is sky blue with a yellow disc (as opposed to the dark green flag with a red disc of Bangladesh's flag). I wish I knew a lot more about Palau and its people to professionally make mention of Palau in this blog post. Supposedly, there are over 250 individual islands that make up Palau.
There is a Blogger/Blogspot blog you can visit for more insight on Palau. Check out visit-palau.blogspot.com today!
I've gotten blog hits from Guam before, but I know little else about Guam as far as people and as far as the landscape. I certainly know it as a territory of the United States. It is a very beautiful place.
I only know of Saipan with the Northern Mariana Islands for this United States territory. The Northern Mariana Islands are located hundreds of miles east northeast of the Philippines.
(French-only link) ^ from: smh.com.au - Brooding Hen rock at Baie de Hienghene in New Caledonia.
Except for hearing of Nouméa, I know very little else about New Caledonia. In "Aerobiz Supersonic," Nouméa is one of the different cities you can link to in the Oceania region. Its emblem is a Nautilus, a living-fossil species of marine animals.
^ from: holidayforeveryday.com - Nauru from above.
Nauru is a very interesting island. I don't know much about it except for Nauru being huge in phosphate mining. I even heard of how Nauru once had a true Australian Rules Football team... until some of the players became too violent. It still remains the island's most popular sport, but I learned that only players with clean records could play. And I'm like... wow.
^ from: davidavery.wordpress.com - Despite the beauty of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, many (sadly) know these islands as a site for nuclear weapon testing decades ago after World War II.
Sadly, I hate how we most remember certain places for disastrous incidents. Unfortunately, that's how most people know of the Marshall Islands and the nuclear weapon testing back in the 1940s and 1950s. Perhaps the most popular portion of the Marshall Islands is the Bikini Atoll. Of course, where do you think the name "bikini" came from? The island became popular with the atomic bomb tests there along with the swimsuit that would eventually be called the bikini back in 1946. The Bikini Atoll can be found on the northeasternmost portion of the Marshall Islands. Because of the nuclear radiation, Marshallese people have been linked to having various birth defects as well as having varying forms of cancer.
Far to the west side of the International Date Line and along the Equator, Kiribati is a South Pacific island nation. Its flag is mostly red with a big golden sun, a golden seagull (or eagle?), and with blue with white waves. The only thing I know about Kiribati is that Tarawa is its capital. Kiribati was formerly known as the Gilbert Islands, and you hear of Gilbertese people here. Gilbertese is spoken by a vast majority of people in Kiribati.
^ from: ilkerugur.wordpress.com - Samoa- beautiful waters, sandy beaches, and deep blue skies.
^ from: newspapers24.com - Ofu Island in American Samoa.
I have combined both locations for this section. I hear so much about Samoa and American Samoa, mostly in sports. But like most other locales mentioned in this blog entry, I wish I knew much more about these locations and the people. My only link to these two places is usually in American sports. I usually hear of gridiron football players from Samoa or American Samoa. It's the only other place I know of gridiron football players besides Polynesia. American Samoa is the southernmost territory of the United States in the world. Its capital is Pago Pago.
One thing I have learned is that both Samoa and American Samoa are just east of the International Date Line.
^ from: solarpowerninja.com - Tuvalu is mostly atolls and reef islands.
The name I can remember. Finding it on a map, however, is challenging for me, though I know it is a South Pacific nation. I mostly know Tuvalu as a series of atolls and reef islands in the South Pacific. This island nation is very suspect to flooding as the highest point of Tuvalu is 4.5 meters above sea level. Climate change could further impact this island nation with rises in saltwater during high tide, affecting crops. Interestingly enough, Tuvalu is working with NGO e8 and the Japanese government to make Tuvalu the world's only solar-powered nation by 2020.
^ from: theage.com.au - The Rarotongan Beach Resort in the Rarotonga. Rarotonga can be found in the southern chain of the Cook Islands.
The Cook Islands are (as I learned in a YouTube video) a chain of 15 individual islands. This island chain is a free association with New Zealand. The pictures I've seen of the Cook Islands are nothing short of spectacular. Totally breathtaking stuff. If you think the Cook Islands are beautiful, you should see the beautiful women of the Cook Islands. Before coming up with this blog entry, I've learned of one young lady who is as beautiful as her native Cook Islands. A lovely singer named Engara Gosselin is the winner of the 2009 Miss Cook Islands competition. Here is some beautiful music from this beautiful young lady. This is "My Rarotonga" by the winner of Miss Cook Islands 2009, Engara Gosselin:
Here is another song of hers, called "Ararau Enua":
Engara Gosselin won the 2009 Miss Cook Islands Pageant. She won the 2009 competition beating out the likes of Joyana Meyer, Poutau Anthony, Uirangi Bishop, Belinda Nganu, Titifa Kae, and Josephine Turepu. Engara Gosselin is beautiful, but so are Joyana Meyer, Poutau Anthony, and Belinda Apakuranganu.
There used to be a student in one of my elementary school classes named Tonga. I doubt she was from the Kingdom of Tonga, however. I REALLY don't know anything about Tonga. What I've seen in pictures, however, is nothing short of incredible. The Kingdom of Tonga consists of over 176 islands. Its capital is Nuku?alofa.
^ from: tripadvisor.com - Norfolk Island is a blend of Polynesia and Europe. Despite its beauty, it has a surreal and violent past, especially stemming from the middle and late 18th Century.
The Australian external territory of Norfolk Island is a beautiful tropical island, but is historically known as a place for being a place where convicts were locked up. Indigenous to Norfolk Island are its pine trees. A pine tree is even part of the island's flag. The island is very lovely with lovely green grass and some lovely-looking buildings. The capital city of Norfolk Island is Kingston. People speak English and Norfuk, but from what I saw in a YouTube video, English is only spoken to visitors. I even heard swearing is done in English as there are no Norfuk swearing words. I've learned that the history of Norfolk Island is usually entwined with it being a place to lock up convicts starting from in the 1770s. It is a very unique place that is a lovely blend of a tropical paradise as well as a South Pacific taste of Europe. If I wanted to study more about Norfolk island, I'd want to know more about its history as being a place for locking up convicts centuries ago as well as British involvement. The biggest holiday is Bounty Day, celebrated annually on June 8th to mark the Pitcairn Islanders' arrival to Norfolk Island in 1856. It is pretty surreal how a lovely location like Norfolk Island once served as a place for jailing vicious convicts centuries ago.
^ from: geekwithlaptop.com - Pitcairn Island, one of four different islands that comprise the Pitcairn Islands.
The British overseas territory known as the Pitcairn Islands has a very small population. I think I learned that the islands have a population of 50 people. It is VERY far away from most of the other islands and nations mentioned. The Pitcairn Islands are even more remote than most other Polynesian nations! WAY deep in the South Pacific. I read the Pitcairn Islands consist of four islands, and it used to be a port for bounty mutineers. It is one of the most remote British territories in the world other than Tristan da Cunha in the southern Atlantic.
Easter Island (or Rapa Nui).
^ from: greencraft.co.uk - Easter Island and its world-famous Moai (or mo'ai).
Finally, I will feature Easter Island. The only thing I know about the Polynesian island politically governed by Chile is that the island is home to Rapa Nui National Park, vastly known for for those massive statues called Moai (or mo'ai). I learned through Wikipedia that the flag of Easter Island features a red reimiro, (taken from Wikipedia) a decorative crescent-shaped pectoral ornament shaped like a Polynesian canoe.
Needless to say, many of these locations are quite interesting in the South Pacific. There are many more places I haven't mentioned, but those are some of the notable ones for me. I would like to learn more about places like Palau, Kiribati, Wake Island, Tokelau, Tonga, and places like that.
--- South Pacific: Paradise for Visitors, Home for Natives? ---
While it is perfectly fine to become awed and intrigued by these nations as being tourist attractions, this is home for many natives of these nations. Most of us don't really understand what living on these islands is like. Not many of us are aware of the history of these places. I guess one reason why I enjoy geography is because it makes you appreciate the finer aspects for many places we grow to accept as tourist hot spots. Part of understanding our world is in learning about what makes every country and culture unique and different. That's why we have certain cultural events (at least here in the United States) where we have natives of other nations educate us on their culture.
I've seen videos of certain Polynesian nations dancing. Some people on YouTube see it as sensual or sexy, but these are native and tribal dances of these native lands.
--- Environmental Concerns of the South Pacific ---
(ADDED: Oct. 4, 2010) While these islands mentioned are beautiful places, climate change and global warming are issues that seriously impact various island nations the world over. Some of these islands are somewhat above sea level. So in the case that very high tides or severe floods impact these locations, these locations may absolutely struggle to get everything back under control. Part of the reason why these islands are so loved is because many of these locations haven't been soiled by industrialization or Westernization. These are serene tropical paradises, and in so, I've read so much on increasing concern for these island nations to remain for some time even with a changing climate and with global warming.
For those of you who have visited my blog entry called "Males Wearing Feminine Fashions," you may have read that sarongs/pareos are very acceptable for males to wear. Sarongs/Pareos are very acceptable garments for both males and females to wear. Longer sarongs make for nice dresses and even blouses. I don't know much about traditional fashions for most South Pacific men. Maybe what I love most about South Pacific fashions for women are seeing flowers in women's hair. Read more about flowers in hair by going to my blog entry called "Flowers in Hair." I don't know my flowers to judge what flowers look best in the hair of I've seen some beautiful dresses that these ladies wear. These are either sleeveless dresses or off-shoulder dresses I've seen.
--- If Any Pacific Islanders Are Reading This... ---
What would I tell my Pacific Island readers? I'd like to welcome all of you to my blog. I wish I can learn more about your native lands (if from any of the various Pacific Island nations mentioned in this blog entry). Thanks so much for reading. I hope you've enjoyed my content here. If you can, I wouldn't mind being better educated on the aforementioned places in this blog entry.
I am working in either making a blog post or adding more material to highlight more on this section. You can read more of my blog posts of and related to Pacific Islanders and of Pacific Islands by searching for .
Here are Facebook Fan Pages of some of the many locations featured in this blog entry. If you have Facebook, make sure to Become a Fan (or "Like") these fan pages for more...
Sometimes, blog entries lead to more blog entries. I may concentrate a few more blog entries on the South Pacific or any other related topics. I may edit contents of this blog entry to allow for more content in the future (or even to change pictures in case there's a picture I'll be disallowed to use). Meanwhile... thank you for reading!
The Houston Texans lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27-13 today. It doesn't mean, however, that we were predicted to finish unbeaten or head straight to the Super Bowl. I think lots of people thought we can win almost any game after being Indianapolis Colts at home and the Washington Redskins in Overtime. The Texans just did NOT play well. While the Texans are having a great season, there is still lots to be desired. This team still has to learn to play hard and consistently. I think a lot of people just feel like the Texans can beat ANYBODY if they can beat the Colts and Redskins in the first two weeks of the season. While that's true, there's still the human element. Life teaches us that we are not always going to be winners all the time. We need to accept failures to help make us stronger in the future. Yes, a 2-0 Texans team losing to an 0-2 Cowboys team is bad. However, it's not like the Texans are "playoffs or bust." Some people are just taking this loss a bit too far.
If You are a Cowboys Fan...
Congratulations to the Cowboys. They simply played better, harder, and more consistently than the Texans.
If You are a Texans Fan...
It's not the end of the world. The Texans aren't going to become the second coming of the 1972 Miami Dolphins. This is the National Football League... NOT the BCS of major college football. You can't let one loss crush your spirits. Look at it this way- would you rather lose a game to a team you can easily beat or a very good team (win-loss record notwithstanding) that you simply played poor against? I wanted to the Texans to win, but I wasn't making jokes or insults and everything. Calm down, people! So what? We lost to the Cowboys. It's not like the Cowboys are some NCAA FCS team. Don't take this loss like Virginia Tech losing to James Madison.
There's still a long season ahead. If you let a loss like this ruin your spirits, then you'll just look at this game as a missed opportunity, and it wasn't a missed opportunity. This was simply a game that the Texans didn't play their best and didn't really prove to be a factor. We played like crap but still won at the Redskins last weekend in Overtime. Losing to the Cowboys is bad, but it's not anything seriously demoralizing. You just have to come out better and stronger for the next test.
Another thing to note... it seems like when we lose, a lot of fans know exactly what to say like we're supposed to win every game. So when we do indeed lose, it's like someone has to punish or chastise the Texans just because they didn't beat the hated Cowboys. These are the ones that really need to calm down. A lot of Texans fans are still Texans fans whether losing by a field goal or by three or more touchdowns.
The Cowboys beat my Texans as the Texans failed to really show up. My only problem is with people who feel like this loss is like the end of our season. We're not a Super Bowl lock. We are (at least, in the minds of many NFL fans) a middle-of-the-road team trying to win over the hearts of NFL fans by making the playoffs and making as best of a push as we can. Losing to a rival is bad, but it's just a game. It wasn't like this game was for home-field advantage in the playoffs or anything. We just lost to the Cowboys. That's sports. Too many people take sports TOO seriously, to the point where victory over a certain team is vital to living.
Texans lost, but it's not the end of the season. And don't worry... we'll take down the Cowboys next time! :)
(PERSONAL NOTE): Thanks to all of you around the world for visiting this blog entry. I appreciate the support of all of you for making this one of my most-viewed blog entries ever. I would like to welcome all GTPlanet members (as well as non-GTPlanet members) to my blog and this blog entry. I would appreciate it if you subscribe to my blog or even become a Facebook fan of mine if you enjoy my material. I'm thankful for your support. I would appreciate if you show me some support back in thanks and appreciation, especially if you enjoy this blog entry.
Also note that I may regularly update this (and my other blog entries) with new content. So what you read now may be different in the future. Please enjoy my blog entry. Have a good read! :)
I have finally played the Gran Turismo 5 kiosk demo at a Walmart. I haven't played any GT demo since Gran Turismo HD back in 2006 or 2007. This is my chance to evaluate and share my first impressions of the upcoming Gran Turismo 5. What you are about to read involves my thoughts and opinions in regards to my experiences playing this game.
Let's set the mood with a picture:
^ from: gamerzones.com - Gran Turismo 5, ready to run full speed on your PlayStation 3.
--- GT5 Demo: First Impressions ---
To share what demo I played, here is a setup of what it had:
* Single Player and Time Trial modes * Five tracks: Rome, Toscana, Indianapolis (Oval), Nürburgring Nordschleife, and Tokyo R246 * no karts * options for Active Steering and Driving Setup (standard or professional)
Now that I've set things up, it's time I share some ideas.
--- Gran Turismo 5: First Impressions ---
Each section will be included with headings.
Rome (GT5 Version).
Cars used: Ferrari 458 Italia and Ferrari Enzo
I still would rather race the Rome Circuit from Gran Turismos 2 and 3, but Rome Circuit in GT5 (which I might call "Neo Rome") is still plenty challenging to race. My initial impression is that the new Rome Circuit is pretty twisty and challenging. It even has more elevation changes and undulations than the classic Rome Circuit. This is a tough course.
* 458 Italia - Automatic - no TCS - Standard driving - Single Race Racing with the 458 Italia on Standard with no Traction Control, it feels every bit like classic GT. I raced under Beginner settings for that one because I don't know what to expect from the AI. The car does handle very well and takes the Roman roads quite well.
* Ferrari Enzo - Automatic - no TCS - Professional driving - Time Trial Everyone knows of the immense speed the Enzo delivers. It was up to me to find out what the Enzo is like in its paces in Rome. I must say- racing with the Professional model, it really feels like you're fighting the car to keep it on track. The car feels loose, and I've even done a great deal of fishtailing with the powerful Enzo. It is TOUGH trying to keep the car on the track in Professional mode!
* Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet Impala (SETTINGS USED: Intermediate Difficulty - Professional Driving - no TCS - Active Steering Strong)
The new Rome Circuit has much more elevation changes than the classic Rome Circuit, making it tougher to keep all four tires on the track and away from the walls. The undulating roads make racing a real challenge. The undulating roads and curbing doesn't seriously impose for a stock car, but it does make it pretty intense to race with. I managed to clock a time of about 1:18 around the newer Rome Circuit in a stock car. Just make sure you don't apply too much throttle too soon, and avoid riding the inside curbs if at all possible.
* Lamborghini Gallardo... (SETTINGS USED: Time Trial - Professional Driving - no TCS - Strong Active Steering) For the first time, I race a Lamborghini in a Gran Turismo game. At least unlike the Lamborghini Diablo JGTC that was in the Japanese version of Gran Turismo 3, this is a full-on and complete Lambo. The fact this is a mid-engine/4WD car means that I will have proper control. It's a blast to drive, and the interior view is very nice. I've never personally liked the Gallardo all that much, but it's a very solid car to race at Rome.
Toscana.
Car Used: Citroen C4 WRC 2008 Options: no TCS - Standard Mode, then Professional Mode - Intermediate Difficulty
Toscana demonstrates the transition from day to night on a rather long course. This is where you see the lights come on as skies darken. I was absolutely astounded in seeing this model being put to work. It is worth watching to see the skies go from daytime to nighttime. It's the first-ever time stars in the skies have been shown. It looks absolutely fantastic.
Because I want to see the skies transition nicely, I didn't want to use the Citroen's in-car view. So I used the roof cam to see the skies go from day to night. With the sun illuminating from a window, I had a little trouble trying to see how I was driving. Let me say this right now- racing at night is TOUGH! Gran Turismo 5 is the first Gran Turismo to properly demonstrate how difficult racing at night can be. You actually sense the darkness and have to mostly rely on your headlights to see properly. I think Polyphony Digital needs to consider adding light pods to rally cars to help enhance vision at night. In regards to driving models, the model seems much more improved in off-road racing, but still not impressive rally racing quality. It is better than GT4's model as the cars don't feel as heavy in the corners.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Oval).
CARS USED: Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet Impala SETTINGS USED: Intermediate Difficulty - Standard Driving - no TCS
I love Jeff Gordon. So it was great for me to pilot his Impala in this Gran Turismo 5 demo. It was my first chance to play-test NASCAR stock cars in Gran Turismo (not the cheesy Racing Modification for the Ford Taurus in GT2). I think the cars sound pretty accurate. American engine (especially V6 and V8 engines) sounds have been a problem area for GT games. The cars sound pretty well to me both from Chase camera and In-car views. On the first lap, my car kind of walked up the race track and into the wall at Turn 1. I built up enough of a draft try to chase down the other seven cars down the backstretch. I would lead either on Lap 2 or before Lap 2. I completed a lap of about 51 seconds around Indy on my second lap. The thing about Indianapolis is that you can take it at full speed or with variable throttle usage, but it's tough to keep a consistent line around Indy. I struggled to keep that consistent line. After having played the classic "NASCAR Racing" titles from Sierra/Papyrus as well as "NASCAR 07" from EA Sports, I have an idea as to how stock cars handle. I wasn't disappointed with the handling dynamics of the stock cars. Polyphony Digital was pretty much on point to me.
(ADDED: Sep. 30, 2010) SETTINGS USED: Intermediate Difficulty - Professional Driving - no TCS - Active Steering Strong
The previous impressions were made with the Standard Driving model. This time, it's the Professional model. Here is an analogy for you... going from Standard to Professional with stock cars is like going from Minor League Baseball straight into Major League Baseball. The cars still handle pretty well. Only problem is, it's tougher to gather up the car in the event of a crash or spin. An oddity that I discovered is that my car's rear end was all bent up, but in the replay... it didn't show! The replay made it look like I had a perfectly-fine race car though the rear end was all beat up. My best lap was somewhere in the 51.4 range (maybe 0:51.499). The first effort wasn't very good, and despite a late run, I was unable to chase down the remaining cars to win as I made it to about 4th or 3rd place before the demo timed out.
(ADDED: Sep. 30, 2010) * Audi R8 V10... (SETTINGS: Professional Driving - no TCS - Single Race - Intermediate Difficulty - ??? Active Steering) Time to bring the German beauty known as the Audi R8 road car to Indy. The car handles very well, but with the Intermediate Difficulty, victory was tough to come by. In fact, I was lagging for a great duration of the race. As capable as my Audi was, I was unable to get into any kind of drafting battle. I managed to finish 4th (maybe 5th).
Nürburgring Nordschleife.
CAR USED: Audi R8 V10... - ??? Driving - Beginner Difficulty - Single Race - no TCS
While there are others that love racing the Nürburgring Nordschleife, I loathe racing this course. I'm terrible at it. On a positive note, it looks great in this game. I was racing the beautiful Audi R8 V10 road car around the famed Nordschleife. The car handled very well around the menacing narrow roads of Nürburgring Nordschleife. I unintentionally whacked the front of cars I was I trailing through the race. At one point, a blue Corvette C6 was leading the race. I tried to overtake the 'Vette heading into a kink. I ended up whacking him off the road, my car hits the outside wall HARD, and the Corvette was still having trouble getting back on the road! Completely unintentional, but it's safe to say that Gran Turismo can now challenge Forza for intense crashes. The Forza Motorsport has even more intense crashes, but Gran Turismo is starting to show a lot more character in racing than ever before.
Tokyo R246.
CAR USED: Motul Pitwork GT-R SETTINGS USED: Automatic Transmission - Professional Driving - no Traction Control - Professional Difficulty - Single Race
Tokyo R246 is one of my favorite courses in the Gran Turismo series. So to challenge myself, I put the difficulty on Profesisonal and the driving on Professional. The racing line is gone in Professional Mode. And boy... I had my butt handed to on this one. The failing began when I spun out my GT-R out of Turn 1 after flooring the gas immediately. Afterwards, I became more defensive racing my car. The in-car view is great! Super GT/JGTC cars are usually great-handling machines, and the GT-R is no different in taming the streets of downtown Tokyo. I ended up losing the race, completing my misery. I finished 8th and basically wanted to play-test the damage model by intentionally hitting a tire wall heading into the backstretch. Finally, it's great to see the lights on the race cars even during a daytime race.
(ADDED: Sep. 30, 2010) * SETTINGS USED: Intermediate Difficulty - Professional Driving - no TCS - Active Steering Strong
Tokyo got to experience what the roar of NASCAR stock cars is like rumbling through downtown Tokyo. One of my favorite tracks in Gran Turismo is still quite a torture test. I did my racing under Professional Driving. In doing so, I've gotten better appreciation of the low-speed properties of stock cars. You can ride the inside curbing around Tokyo R246 (or any other road course) quite well if in a good touring car or GT car. Try riding the inside curb in a stock car under Professional driving, and your car will spin out, and if you're [un]lucky, your car's front will get friendly with the outside wall. One thing you need to practice is proper low-speed racing and understand the car's tendency to fishtail or slide out haphazardly if you apply too much throttle too soon. You may also need to avoid riding the inside curbs to make sure your car is pointed in the right direction. After spinning out a few times and botching corners, I managed a time of about 2:06 around Tokyo R246, which is not bad considering how long this track is (3.18 miles).
* Motul Pitwork Z... again I next tried to get revenge at Tokyo. This time, at Intermediate Difficulty. The GT racing cars are all so evenly matched that victory is tough to come by. Unlike the stock cars, I can aggressively ride the inside curbs and gather up the rear coming out of corners. I'm more comfortable with GT cars than stock cars in this game.
--- Other First Impressions ---
Here are some brief thoughts on other impressions:
* It's just a demo, but I can already see the improvement in AI and in driving dynamics compared to GT4. GT5 should be a tremendous boost from GT4. Conversely, GT4 was a big boost from GT3.
* The particle effects are really amazing and adds some great environmental detail to Gran Turismo 5.
* I was greatly pleased with the lighting model as well as the night dynamics. It is TOUGH racing at night! I expect to see the night driving experience become much more intense and realistic as the best simulation of darkness and lighting are demonstrated here.
* The one thing I didn't notice about the racing line is that it is dynamic. The blue dashed line becomes a solid red line when you need to brake. I think Forza Motorsport still does a better job with racing lines. I tend to like a consistent line rather than the dashed line we've seen in past Gran Turismo titles.
* While people have complained of slow-looking replays, I tend to look at it as a great cinematic experience. You can not fault the quality of the replays. It feels more like you're watching a racing documentary or movie rather than a race that was just completed.
* (ADDED: Sep. 30, 2010) I noticed that in Time Trial, if the time is red, it means that you crashed or that you spun off the track. Those times, then, will NOT count when done with the Time Trial.
All in all, I can say that I'm pretty excited for Gran Turismo 5. I can only imagine what eight more cars to a track can be like compared to the eight to a track for the demo races. I would have loved to have raced in the rain and in other night races, but this experience has done just enough for me. I'm sold and convinced that Gran Turismo 5 may end up becoming the greatest Gran Turismo game ever. GT5's release will only make us wonder what Gran Turismo 6 will provide.
Thanks for Your Support! Thanks to everyone for providing sufficient traffic to this blog. I hope my comments have offered some insight as to how I feel about my first GT5 demo experience. If you want to pre-order GT5 from Amazon, you can pre-orderby clicking on the image below. Once again, thanks to all of you for providing so much traffic to this blog entry!
--- If Any Non-GTPlanet Members are Reading This... (Honorable Mention!) ---
The focus of this blog entry was on GTPlanet.net. However, I want to take some time to honor some of the non-GTPlanet sites that have linked to my blog entry on my first impressions of GT5. I don't know all of them, but let me take some time to honor a few of the sites that have linked to my blog entry. I'm noting these sites based on reported arrivals from other websites through FEEDJIT:
Giving stuffed toys can be like giving new friends to others. Think of a guy who gives his girlfriend a cute stuffed animal. Imagine a parent who gives his/her baby or babies a stuffed toy to play with. Whether they are teddy bears or some other stuffed cuddly toy, these are gifts that can capture the hearts of those who receive them. There are kids that love stuffed animals. There are some girls that REALLY love stuffed animals! This blog entry discusses stuffed toys and what they can mean for those who receive these as gifts.
--- Stuffed Toys and What They Mean to Others ---
Money CAN buy you happiness! There isn't a kind of gift that can lift someone's spirits quite like offering a cute stuffed toy to someone. The most common stuffed toys are (of course) teddy bears. Anything from a small teddy bear to a big one can uplift someone's spirits. Some stuffed toys can even be worn as accessories. When such stuffed toys are offered, they can be great fun for those who receive them. It can be like buying someone a new best friend. Of course, money can't buy you friends, but they can buy you some stuffed friends.
--- Stuffed Toys in Pictures ---
Here are examples of cute stuffed toys from around the Internet...
^ from: reliablegreetings.com - This teddy bear loves you! What girl WOULDN'T melt or break into happy tears if given this teddy bear?
^ from: dailycuteness.com - When this eagle soars into the sky, it also soars into your heart.
^ from: craftyavenue.com - A very kawaii kitty! Should please any cat lover (like myself).
^ from: fromourheart.com - This bunny should be dedicated to any shining star in your life.
These stuffed toys can warm anyone's heart. How much so? Imagine hugging and clutching a lovely stuffed animal. Though stuffed toys are made, the most important thing a stuffed toy can make is a best friend. Maybe not a friend whom you can share with the world and introduce to your real friends, but they can be something enjoyable and cute to have.
Of course, there are MANY more stuffed toys of many kinds and sizes. If you'd like to shop for some stuffed toys on Amazon, you have two choices... use a widget or visit John's Shop Space. So do you want to shop on Amazon for stuffed animals, toys, or whatever? I can help you with the widget below. Happy shopping! :)
WARNING: Not all stuffed toys are for all children. Most manufacturers recommend offering these to those 36 months (or 3 years) or older since some of these items can pose health hazards since there are some parts that can come apart. Keep this in mind if shopping for your children.
Use this widget to shop for stuffed toys on Amazon (HINT: change the default search text to "stuffed animals" or "teddy bears" to search specifically for those items):
Or you may visit John's Shop Space by clicking on the graphic below. It includes a few more widgets linking you to teddy bears or stuffed animals:
Game Maker from YoYo Games has given would-be game makers the chance to create their own games without having to worry about endless amounts of coding. Almost any kind of game is possible with coding skill and with inventive skill. I downloaded this last night and started playing around with it today. I'll try to work on making game with this package. Even in this blog entry, I will share with you past games I've wanted to either make or edit.
Before I begin, if you want to learn more about Game Maker, visit: www.yoyogames.com to learn more about it and to download the latest installment of Game Maker (Game Maker 9 as of this post). The package is about a 10 MB download and comes with three sample games to play so you can get an idea as to what Game Maker is capable of.
--- Why Make Your Own Games? ---
As commercials may likely tell you, why PLAY games when you can be MAKING games? Nothing can be more fun than creating a game all your own with your own style. These can range from simple games all the way up to high-class material made by quality game makers. If you wanted to make games back then, you basically had to go through a lot of schooling and such to learn everything from programming to art. These days, you could make a (no offense and pardon my language) half-assed game that can be enjoyed by all.
Rather than play that next best game, why not MAKE that next best game? Use your creative noodle and work to make that great game!
--- My Motivation to Make Games ---
Maybe you've seen my series of Fictional Character blog entries. Initially, my plan was to make fighting characters for MUGEN. Then, I've thought of a separate storyline for my MUGEN project.
My motivation to make games is almost the motivation for blog entries and videos- if no one is making something or talking about anything that needs to be discussed, I'll share my mind. I am not looking for originality. Instead, all I'm trying to do is realize something I've always wanted to do as a hobby. It's all about learning as I go along. I've always had that "bridesmaid, never the bride" mentality on a lot of things. I want to realize something I've always envisioned for most of my life since becoming a gaming fan.
--- What is Possible With Game Maker? ---
Almost anything! Anything from average Joe 2D games to some 3D games are possible. One of the biggest games online made with the Game Maker platform is Mushroom Kingdom Fusion. Mushroom Kingdom Fusion is a fan-made game which, as its name suggests, plays a lot like Super Mario games. However, this is completely UNLIKE your average Mario game! It features characters and influences from other games. Examples include (but are not limited to) the Sonic series, the MegaMan series, the Ghosts and Goblins series, Metal Slug, and even HALO.
Mushroom Kingdom Fusion was made with the Game Maker Pro package. To learn more about this game and all it has to offer, it's recommended to visit their Wikia Gaming page at Mushroom Kingdom Fusion's Wikia Gaming page.
--- Exclusive! A Look at a Project I'm Working On ---
Here is an exclusive look at the project I'm thinking of in regards to the fictional characters I've come along with...
First Look: My Game Project.
In the Summer of 2008, a new reality TV tournament will take over the Summer. A brand-new fighting tournament exclusively for female contenders will put eight fighters between the ages of 18 and 30 in an intense elimination tournament. The eight finalists went through their qualifiers and were all good enough to make this Elite Eight of quality fighters.
Between the final qualifier and the eventual start of the tournament, a full month and a half is ahead. This gives the young ladies a chance to go from their homes to live on a new campus in Malibu, California, USA. The fighting-exclusive arena for the tournament is still under construction in Studio City, California, USA.
What most of the tournament finalists fear is the attitude of some of the ones who didn't make the final eight in the tournament. Those fears were confirmed when a number of ex-qualifiers wanted to assert themselves in hopes of drawing the eight finalists to fight. Many of those girls who just tried out for the tournament told their experiences to friends and family. Some of the girls who competed, however, were SO jealous of the eight finalists that they decided to form a faction and commit a series of random violence attacks (no violent weapons like guns and knives, though) against other girls across Southern California. The majority of the insanity impacted the Los Angeles area, the San Diego area, and even in the Inland Empire. One ex-qualifier trying to rescue her sister from three girl gangsters ended up being beaten badly. All eight tournaments finalists visited the hospital where the beaten girl laid in the hospital, where that girl would later die from being beaten.
After learning of that girl's death in successfully saving her sister, the finalists made a bold decision. While rivals in the upcoming fighting tournament, the eight finalists have all agreed to work together to suppress the random violence... by going out to points in Southern California to fight any and all whom have committed these random attacks. Their bravery to suppress this faction at the expense of risking their own lives is a tall order. They may not work together as one to stop the insanity, but they all have their own unique paths towards suppressing the violence. Their journeys will take them across various points of Southern California to try to restore order to the impacted locations.
This game is in the style of most popular beat 'em up games (like the Final Fight and Streets of Rage series). It is also in the vein of all-female fighting games such as the Asuka 120% and Variable Geo series. The Los Angeles influence comes from "Rival Turf" (called "Rushing Beat" in Japan) from 1992. The whole deal is a fantasy (but realistic) Southern California. Various locations include: the California coastline, a popular shopping mall a few blocks away from the beach, a Rodeo Drive-inspired locale, an area inspired by Watts in Los Angeles, a Beverly Hills-style locale, a major university, some abandoned buildings and ghetto locales, and more.
And that's a look at what I'm privately working on!
--- Games I've Wanted to Make or Edit ---
Those who love and enjoy games only wish they could make or edit their own games. Here are some of my own games that I've wanted to edit or make.
"Super Mario City."
INSPIRATIONS: Super Mario World, Mario is Missing! (SNES Version) Yes... "Mario is Missing!" for the SNES inspired me to come along with "Super Mario City," which was basically an edit of Super Mario World, but with some extra additions. I wanted to get you to be happy if you thought I wanted Super Mario World to be a dull edutainment game. I always wanted to imagine Mario going through the modern world trying to save (then) Princess Toadstool from the clutches of Bowser. A lot of the buildings of cities in "Mario is Missing" inspired me to come up with this. By the way, this was something I thought of all the way back in 1994.
"Actual Intelligence."
INSPIRATIONS: (various first-person shooters) When I was in middle school, I had thought of a simulation game in which you live as a student at school and try to live life as best as you can (while also getting a good education). Actually simulating this was going to be too much for me, so this was basically a wild dream I had. A wild dream and nothing more. The name "Actual Intelligence" came along as inspiration from artificial intelligence.
"Cool Cars."
INSPIRATION: Need for Speed 2: SE I thought of game when I was first introduced to cars back around 1998. I thought of a racing game called "Cool Cars," featuring some of my favorite cars from that time across 12 different fantasy tracks. My inspiration was "Need for Speed 2: SE." This didn't evolve into anything but a bunch of fantasy courses I drew up.
These are some of the ones I really remember and recall trying to make.
--- Game Maker: What I Want to Practice ---
I want to practice putting together a few concepts to learn using the Game Maker interface. The first game I wanted to conceptualize was a platformer similar to the likes of the Lode Runner series. I just wanted it to be about picking up all the items to clear the level while avoiding enemies and hazards.
To do this, there are two characters- a brother-sister combo. The brother can take more hits and has average speed. The sister is much quicker, but doesn't have the stamina of his brother.
If I do come up with something, I may share it in my blog here. Again, if you want to learn more about Game Maker (and to download it), visit www.yoyogames.com. The Game Maker package also lets you buy Game Maker Pro to make more advanced games. Game Maker is worth trying out if you want to make your own games or be tempted with the thought of making your own games.
And as far as those fictional characters, I'm coming up with more based on a sequel to my initial MUGEN project.
Between pop of the '90s and now, a lot has changed. Being born in the '80s but a child of the '90s, there are a number of things that I think is missing in today's style of pop music. I'm limiting my discussion to pop since that is the music genre I wish to focus on in this blog entry. A lot of people discontent with pop music in this day an age remember when pop was simple, fun, and enjoyable. Times change, but the passion and drive that makes pop music fun should NEVER change. We live in a musical time these days where it's more about music companies trying to push for every single penny and dollar rather than pushing for pennies and dollars with real musical talent. Because I'm sick of the '80s praise and since there aren't as many who praise the '90s, it will be up to me to save the day for you all. This blog entry concerns my thoughts on what was lost in translation from the 1990s to the 2000s.
NOTE: "The '90s" will be defined as any song released after December 31, 1989 and before January 1, 2001
--- Elements of '90s Pop ---
Let me set the mood by offering a few thoughts here.
What I Most Miss About '90s Pop...
I was inspired of a beautiful song from the '90s- "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden. The reason why I loved this song was because there were smooth vocals and lots of emotion. Some people today would call a song like "Truly Madly Deeply" as wuss music, but at least there was vocal talent and lovely instruments. At least a song like that showcases pure vocal talent with lovely music. It didn't have to have a lot of loud guitars and lots of screaming to appeal to listeners. I do listen to a lot of pop music, though some of you know me to really be into electronic dance music.
What defines '90s pop to me is emotion, subtle sounds, and basically... just having fun in making such great music. The "fun" aspect is mostly in the music and in singing. You can sense people really making music that is really enjoyable and classic. You know... you don't have to have loud guitars and lots of screaming for the music to be enjoyable. This is basically a time where being hard is the way to go. So a lot of the smooth and subtle styles of the '90s have given way more towards the rock edge of most of today's pop music. If you believe in 20-year cycles, then you can say that some of the funky '70s influences have played a part in what has made some of the pop from that time great to listen to. There are also fashion influences that have helped define this time in tying in with '90s pop.
A Few of my Favorites from the '90s...
I actually was going to blog about my favorite '90s songs across as many genres as possible. So here, you might say that this is a preview of that topic. This will give you an idea of how I define '90s pop. The songs listed here are separated by asterisks (*). Don't get on me if there's a certain theme. These are all just favorites of mine. I wanted to state a few, but MANY more could be featured in a future blog post about '90s music. Here are some of the notables for me:
* "Candy" and "I Wanna Be With You" by Mandy Moore Mandy Moore is really someone whom I've slowly grown respectful of the more I think about '90s pop. "Candy" was a song that was playful and funky at the same time. This may be a girly pop song, but I can be guilty of girly pop songs (speaking as a guy). - Moving vocals and sweet singing helps makes "I Wanna Be With You" fantastic to listen to. It is absolutely sweet to listen to. It was featured in the soundtrack to "Center Stage."
* "I Wanna Love You Forever" and "I Think I'm in Love" by Jessica Simpson Texas girl (out of Abilene) Jessica Simpson arrived with the powerful love song "I Wanna Love You Forever." She delivers a sensational performance. Just listen to her sing her heart out and beautifully sing her heart out. The bridge of this song is the most beautiful and most powerful part of the whole song. - It may be another girly pop song, but the real emotion and fun and joy of singing can be felt with "I Think I'm in Love." The song may sound like a commercial for KMart or for some clothing company, but it's great to listen to.
* "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera Move over, Britney! A new girl named Christina Aguilera is ready to steal your thunder! I think she helped contribute to the belly-baring when she shown off her belly to contribute to her awesome singing. Only difference was that Christina Aguilera, to me, has the most hypnotic and luscious belly of any female celebrity past or present. She was either 18 or 19 when this song hit the airwaves. In somewhat an interesting cultural shift, there were a lot of teen girls that wanted to have a belly as sexy as Christina Aguilera's around the time this song was released.
* "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden Australian duo Savage Garden really hit a home run with this song. Smooth and easy vocals make this song great to listen to even in this day and age.
* "As Long As You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys When it comes to the '90s, nothing provided as much of a generational shift in music as the ever-popular boy band battles. You were either into the Backstreet Boys or N'Sync. "As Long as You Love Me" is one of my favorites of the Backstreet Boys. By the way... I wasn't all crazy over the whole boy band experience. Still, the music and singing are on point.
* "Do You Know What It Takes?" by Robyn Robyn arrived on American radio starting in the mid-1990s with this song. The Swedish songstress is someone whom I still respect to this day. She's since stayed within the dance music sing. Now I remember hearing this and loving this song on 104.1 KRBE back in art class back in 1997 and 1998 with the radio playing.
* "I'm Ready" by Tevin Campbell My favorite song from another Texan (from Dallas) was "I'm Ready" from R&B star Tevin Campbell. Tevin was a young heartthrob (though not at the level of Justin Bieber in today's pop scene) who delivered a great singing performance with this track. This song reminds me a lot of the 5th Grade for me.
* "Ray of Light" by Madonna The Material Girl of pop music had plenty of material with this dance-style pop song. This is really one of my favorites of the '90s.
* "Together Again" and "All For You" by Janet Jackson No one has defined pop quite like the Jackson family. "Together Again" was a fantastic song when I heard it. Certainly one of the best (and really underrated) songs to me. It had that easy light dance edge to keep it fun, and Janet's singing was just on point. No compromises- just great music. - "All For You" was also a great song from Janet Jackson. I think both songs are from "The Velvet Rope" album.
* "Crush" by Jennifer Paige Underrated and quite unknown to many, Jennifer Paige's "Crush" was one of my favorites from the mid-late 1990s. It is a pop song with a slight dance edge.
* "My Favorite Mistake" by Sheryl Crow This song from 1998 is one of my personal favorites from Sheryl Crow. The Missouri native sings beautifully with a moderately fierce guitar soundtrack in the background.
* "Wannabe" and "Say You'll Be There" by the Spice Girls Destiny's Child (Houston's own)? Pussycat Dolls? I COMPLETELY forgot about the Spice Girls in coming up with this blog entry! The Spice Girls were as much a cultural and musical frontier as any recent girl group. These five girls had style, dance moves, fun music, and more. "Wannabe" is still a very popular song today. "Say You'll Be There" isn't as popular as "Wannabe," but still is great to listen to. My only other favorite Spice Girls' song is "Holler." All three songs are fun to listen to.
* "Steal My Sunshine" by Len Len came along with this cool song in the late 1990s that is still very much cool to listen to.
"Dream on Dreamer" by the Brand New Heavies One of my favorite mid-1990s songs, the Brand New Heavies delivered this awesome song. It had it all- smooth melodies and lovely singing.
Last, but not least... * "I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men Yes, this song had some romantic tones to it (for example: "throw your clothes... on the floor...") However, Boyz II Men knew exactly how to deliver powerful singing without making this raunchy and over the top. These four Philadelphia boys know how to deliver solid singing. Boyz II Men was probably the last great MoTown-style R&B group.
--- What Was Lost in Translation With '90s Pop? ---
Each heading in this section will outline specific points to prove what I am discussing here.
Singing Itself.
For many people, there is a strong disconnect between actual singing talent and the use of technology. Many who dislike Lady Gaga's music usually dislike her because of so many synth voice effects and not much in the way of non-synth singing talent. Today's generation is more along the lines of synth and techno (as in technology) to make the effects cooler. While this is good, some feel there is too much synth usage to where we know nothing about actual singing talent.
Where is the Love?
The thing really lost in translation to me (especially with love songs) is with love. There was a time earlier this decade (2001-2010) when almost every other newer song was about hate. It was almost as if songs about love were so old that going back to more hate-oriented songs was better. What? Are songs about love so overrated that more "I hate you" songs have to come along?
And yes- there's a difference between love and sex. Songs about wild sex or with wild sex tones do not equate to love songs. There were more true love songs then than there are now.
Soul and Passion.
For a lot of people, today's pop is more about noise than something powerful. Not as many artists don't care for powerful and memorable performances. It's more about putting together a mixed bag of lyrics and try to make it sound cool. I think a lot of people have the passion to sing with heart, but not as much is shown in the music and with some lyrics.
To say that people don't care for musical talent anymore is somewhat an understatement to most people. Not as many in pop care about lyrics enough because it's all about you dancing to the music. Consider what Mandy Moore and Jessica Simpson brought to '90s pop towards the turn of the century.
Group Therapy.
This is probably the most surprising aspect of the '90s compared to now- there used to be more groups that sang wonderfully and masterfully. Now, you don't see as many groups come together. Seems like most pop these days is more about individual talent rather than multiple people coming together to make great music.
Fun in Music.
Many of the songs featured in the previous section were all fun to listen to and enjoyable. There are still a lot of songs that are fun to listen to today, but not to the level of the '90s. A lot of '80s types talk about music that's still fun to listen to, but so was '90s music. For some people, music seems more like a chore rather than making something enjoyable and enjoy making. There are people who do enjoy making music for others, but not as many making fun music that is as fun as what they put into their music. You know, everything has to be trashy and in the sex, drugs, and rock and roll sense to most people to be enjoyable or worth listening to.
A lot of what is said about '90s pop is usually that there is a lot of manufactured talent rather than true talent singing. I guess what was lost in translation (to me) was just the real disconnect between today's music and that link to those who helped pave the way for some of today's music successes. It's almost as if today's pop scene completely fails to acknowledge those who helped pave the way for today's talent.
--- What Do Most People Say About '90s Pop Music Compared to Today? ---
The following are comments I've seen on YouTube in regards to certain '90s songs I've looked up on YouTube. These are all direct or indirect quotes:
These are various quotes from YouTube videos I looked up in preparing this blog post. The items in parentheses () are the songs from which I've read the comments from. These comments come from actual YouTube users (names undisclosed)...
EXAMPLE: "(comment)" ("song" by artist/group)
* "I so miss the 90's...good times" ("Candy" by Mandy Moore)
* "I remember everyone would wear camis/ tight shirts with the big pants! Oh the 90's! And the scary spice hair twists!" ("Candy" by Mandy Moore)
* "I miss the '90s. The 2000s is such an utter dissappointment." ("Candy" by Mandy Moore)
* "i would rather look &listen to mandy than crazy slutyy gaga" ("I Wanna Be With You" by Mandy Moore)
* "I wish she would still be in the media. She is a good example foryoung girls unlike other female celebrities with current exposure." ("I Wanna Be With You" by Mandy Moore)
* "Boy Her voice has been ignored. Its one of the best contemporary voices. She can really sing. & she's beautiful. Great song." ("I Wanna Love You Forever" by Jessica Simpson)
* "She has such a great voice. Don't know why her music career is so underated. She has a lot of soul in her voice. An incredible voice. & she's so pretty. Lovethat show she did, it had meaning, unlike every other other reality show these days." ("I Think I'm In Love" by Jessica Simpson)
* "The 90s were the best..blonde pop artists and boy bands galore. I loved that time." ("I Think I'm In Love" by Jessica Simpson)
* "the 90's......when all music was still good." ("Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera)
* "Why do guys diss these type of bands?
I know why THEY ARE JEALOUS!!!!!!! I like to listen to music for enjoymentand I never listen to music which stresses me out......Who is Justin Beaver???? oh that little punk......lol" ("As Long As You Love Me" by Backstreet Boys)
* "Pink owes Robyn.
Love me some Pink, but Robyn came first.
Loved this album!" ("Do You Know What it Takes?" by Robyn)
* "she's one of the first blue-eye pop/r&b artist in the 90s before the manufacturing of britney spears and all the teeny bands. she didn't need to show off dance moves or cleavage to make good music. it was just the music." ("Do You Know What It Takes?" by Robyn)
* "I wish music can be the way it used to also... backin the day music had meaning to it" ("I'm Ready" by Tevin Campbell)
* "For every hater of Madonna, there are a million fans...
Decades from now she will still be remembered as one of the most successful singers of all time. And in terms of pop music, she in queen,there is no competition!
Cheryl Cole and Gaga aren't even in the same league...
...I love this video btw, one of her best." ("Ray of Light" by Madonna)
* "it feels as if it wass just yeaterday this song was premiered. Songs likethese are what makes us remember the old days. <3" ("All For You" by Janet Jackson) * "I remember this as a kid in the 90s ah those were the days! That wasreal music not like today's trash!" ("All For You" by Janet Jackson)
* "Ah..where did all the good times go? Love andremember the 90's <3" ("Say You'll Be There" by the Spice Girls) * "1999 for ever trappedin this song." ("Steal my Sunshine" by Len)
* "Whats happening to music these?....all this hyped up rubbish comming out.....it truely pisses me off. I must be turning into my mum and now I understand what she meant when she used to say it!!" ("Dream on Dreamer" by the Brand New Heavies)
* "Damn! You guys are YOUNG!!! LMAO!!! You missed a great era of music back then. It was about music and enjoyment instead of like today...Money & Sex. LOL" ("Dream on Dreamer" by the Brand New Heavies)
* "best boyband ever! why? - They can all actually sing - The made memorable songs - They won some grammy's (it shouldhave been MORE) - LEGENDS" ("I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men)
So it's proof positive that for those who know and love '90s pop, they know what was lost in translation going from '90s pop to the 2000s. A lot of what you've read thus far has been about some of the things that are missing in today's pop music scene. There are people who know and understand what is missing in today's pop music scene. Names come and go, but you still have to maintain that proper link to those who helped pave the way for some of today's talent. Not all current singers and groups have this disconnect. It's just that a lot of them just don't have the same passion and fire that makes music fun to begin with. A lot of today's singers don't have the same kind of energy that makes singing fun and that makes music fun. The total package is about a great music score, great singing to accompany the music, and the combination of both to make the music fun and enjoyable for some time to come. That's why so many '90s types reflect back on the '90s and love that decade of music more than what this decade is brining to music.
--- Keeping the Faith and Keeping it Real ---
You now know what I miss about '90s pop and what some of my favorite songs between 1990 and 2000 are. Question now is... are there any artists today or recently that still delivers great pop music in this day and age? I'll name some here.
Leona Lewis.
Leona Lewis sings beautifully with music and style that has a real '90s vibe to it. When "Bleeding Love" come around on radio, I was reminded of Mariah Carey early in her career when I heard Leona sing "Bleeding Love" for the first time. I think her presence keeps a proper connection to '90s-style pop. Her singing and voice really reminds me of Mariah Carey (especially from the early and mid 1990s). Many more of her songs still remains great to listen to while also being very modern. The British vegan is the quintessential classic pop singer in today's music realm.
Jordin Sparks.
Of any artist past or present that manages to deliver a powerful performance in songs while still having that '90s sort of feel, Jordin Sparks is a combination of the '90s and the 2000s. Her singing is incredible while most of her music still has plenty of sugar and spice.
Jennifer Hudson.
Jennifer Hudson is capable of only two things- singing and singing beautifully. The Chicago girl (whom I've highlighted on in my "Plus Size Fashion" blog entry) has a powerful voice and looks awesome. She injects passion in all of her singing and never gives less than 100% in her singing.
Mary J. Blige.
Though not seriously active in music anymore, she's still one of the ones who keeps it real and keeps it classic.
Anieszka.
Even though very few people away from the Internet know of her, Anieszka enjoys singing and sings very well. Her style is very much '90s like in the respects featured in this blog entry. You can read more about the Marutian beauty born in Papua New Guinea and from Australia at Anieszka or in My Music Picks.
This next one may surprise you that I'm including this artist:
Taylor Swift.
In a surprising twist, I note Taylor Swift as keeping the '90s style intact. She qualifies under the pop category though she is a country-pop singer. Her music and the passion to her singing is incredible. What Taylor Swift brings to today's music is pretty much what some disliked pop stars of today fail to bring consistently. Whether you like or dislike Taylor, at least respect that this singer/songwriter is one of the true and complete talents in any genre of music. She has a great love of making music and is really inspirational.
This next one isn't an artist, but something that keeps today's pop connected with the '90s.
Hollister and Surfing Culture.
A lot of the music popular among surfers and surf culture keep me with a certain '90s bond. The music is usually just fun to listen to and really remains classic.
--- Two Things I DON'T Miss From '90s Pop... ---
I've talked about things I've missed about '90s pop that were lost in translation to the 2000s and today's pop. There are only two things I don't miss from '90s pop are the following:
Don't Miss: More Original Background Music.
There were a lot of artists that relied on other peoples' songs and musicals to help make their own songs. [The artist formerly known as] Puff Daddy was notorious for this. A lot of artists these days rely less on past songs and come up with more original musical scores.
Don't Miss: The Boy Band Battles.
I never cared much for the boy band battles because... I didn't really care. Maybe the only thing close to any boy band battle today would be the Jonas Brothers vs. Big Time Rush. Backstreet Boys vs. 'N Sync got to get old as teen girls were crazy for both of them. The only other real challenger was 98 Degrees then. Well... them, and Hanson (MMMbop, anyone?). I might have offended my '90s girls by talking down on the boy band madness, but I wasn't all crazy over the whole deal.
If there are other things I don't miss from the '90s pop scene, I'll include them in future edits.
--- Lost in Translation: '90s Pop - Final Thoughts ---
Music is a business. Though it is a business, it shouldn't come to the point where you have more people who can sing rather more people who can sing AND stand out. I can see where the "manufactured talent" comes in that people talk about. More are disappointed that there aren't as many star singers and groups that can diffrentiate themselves and stand out. There are a lot of people who will readily tell you that the '90s are so long gone and that today's music generation is the best. When decades pass, so do some of the names and songs. Some of a current decade or a future decade of talent should be able to pay tribute to music from times past while also providing that style of music that defines a current or future decade.
If you want to talk cultures, today's culture is more about doom and gloom, and it shows a bit in music. There aren't as many fun songs in pop anymore. We're so reflective of the '90s and other decades because that was when music was about music. Talent was about talent. A lot of people are discontent and dissatisfied with today's style of pop that we're so reminiscent of the past. Not many of those who distinguish themselves and stand out are out there. I think Britney Spears and Christina Aguiera were among two of the ones who caused a real generational shift in music not only for their singing, but in being appealing. Those crazy for these two back in the 1990s were all into the belly-baring and the sexy clothes of then.
Most music today is just music and nothing more. Not as many stand out performers exist. Not as many total talents exist. Dare I say it- most music is just noise to a lot of people. Before you go disliking the '90s (or even the '80s) just because those musical times are nowhere on par with today's style of music, just remember what the past decade brought to music and what most of today's songs and artists/groups fail to capture from the past decade.
In other words... honor and respect past generations of pop music. Many of today's names would be nowhere without the past influences of pop music.
What do you think has been lost in translation from '90s pop to today's realm of pop? Feel free to comment with your own material if you'd like to contribute!
