Disco balls, Horses, Explosions, and one addicting tune later…

Rapper Psy featured from his hit music video Gangnam Style 

We have Gangnam Style, I am sure you are already singing or humming “Oppa is Gangnam style” from the popular YouTube hit song. In case you have yet to see the viral video, I have posted it below.

How popular did this video get exactly?

• The song was released to YouTube on July 15, 2012 and has been viewed over 336 million times as of September 30, 2012, making it the most watched video of this year.
• Numerous celebrities have shared the video with fans and new parodies are uploaded everyday reaching sky rocketing views.
• Rapper Psy taught Britney Spears how to “Gangnam Style” on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZmkU5Pg1sw
• Nelly Furtado performed the song at her concert in Manila, Philippines. Watch it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehs-vZ1uF-k
• It has even gone far enough to be recognized by Guinness World Records as the most “liked” video in YouTube history. 

The only unanswered question is why?

The video pokes fun at the cliché of many pop promos and commercials while recreating the American phrase “SWAG”.

Urban dictionary provides us with a definition.

The new generation's alternative word for “cool".

The new generation originally used swag to describe anyone thought to carry themselves in a way considered by some to be sexy / cool.

Note: considered to be absurd by many others.

“That guy’s got swag”

“I have 10x more swag than you do”

“I just fell down, lol. Swag.”

“Crush, kill, destroy, swag”

Rapper Psy uses the equivalent word for swag taken from his cultural, titling his song Gangnam Style. He explains it himself while being interviewed by CNN.

 “People who are actually from Gangnam never proclaim that they are — it’s only the posers and wannabes that put on these airs and say that they are "Gangnam Style" — so this song is actually poking fun at those kinds of people who are trying so hard to be something that they’re not"

This is why there are so many absurd and outrageous things displayed in his music video. From dancing in a pool to a horse ranch to a sports car onto a train with disco balls, the insanity never seems to end. Do you agree that this video became a viral hit because of these so-called mainstream factors of “Gangnam Style” and “Swag” OR do you think the song would have still became popular without the crazy video.

Defiantly makes you think about what attracts an audience these days.

Tell me what you think.

Want to read more?

To read more on the definition of “swag” visit the urban dictionary below.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Swag&defid=6751011

To read more about Rapper Psy’s interview with CNN visit the link below.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-57521660-501465/psys-gangnam-style-video-sets-guinness-world-record-for-most-likes-on-youtube/ot.

Confessions of a Concierge

Review on the English Translation of The Elegance of the Hedgehog

L'elegance du Herisson (translated into English in September 2008) is French author Muriel Barbery's worldwide best selling novel translated into half a dozen languages. In France alone the novel has sold over a million copies and been compared to Proust by Le Figaro. The plot is taken from a fresh and unique concept, with two narrators telling their tales simultaneously: Renée Michel, a 54-year-old concierge in a Parisian block of luxury apartments, and Paloma Josse, the 12-year-old philosopher and daughter of one of the most high status families in the apartments. Paloma has decided that the people around her are hopeless creatures and is making plans to commit suicide on her 13th birthday.

As the reader, we know from the beginning that the two women have more in common than they realize. But Renée decides to maintain her facade of an uneducated concierge so that she may keep her job: she is a self taught literary enthusiast who adores Tolstoy, as well as a devotee of Japanese cinema. The inhabitants of 7 Rue de Grenelle would apparently be incensed if they found out that their low status, frumpy concierge was getting high on these intellectual play sessions. Not to mention that Renée simply wants to be left alone and has no desire to become the object of everyone's curiosity. "To be poor, ugly and, moreover, intelligent condemns one, in our society, to a dark and disillusioned life, a condition one ought to accept at an early age." So she pretends to be far more stupid than she is. The troubled young girl and the concierge are drawn together when a celebrated restaurant critic residing in the building dies. Kakuro Uzo, a cultured Japanese man takes over the apartment as well as a fascination with Renée. Paloma decides that the concierge has "the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary - and terribly elegant."

All the deeply delving philosophical observations about society and people in Barbery's novel provide her with an irresistible opportunity to explore her favourite theme: philosophy as applied to everyday life. This in part explains the popularity of the book in France, where philosophy is still a compulsory study and most people have a basic knowledge of the great thinkers in a way which we don't have here in Canada.

Despite its cute light-hearted depiction of trendy Paris, The Elegance of the Hedgehog is essentially quite radical in its stand against classism and French hypocrisy. Informative, thought provoking and moving, the novel is an introduction to philosophy intertwined with a platonic love story. Though it strays off topic in places, this is a worthy novel which deserves as much critical acclaim internationally as its had so far in France.

For further information on the story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elegance_of_the_Hedgehog#Publication

Get Off The Computer And Try This

What happened last weekend?

What's the last thing you expect to do when invited to a friend's house for dinner? You may have guessed something sweet like a surprise party. You may have even guessed something a bit more "risqué" like some kind of romantic evening. You would however be wrong on both accounts. Playing a board game should've been the first and most obvious conclusion to come to. Not just your typical board game however like Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit, but something a bit more quirky where the right and wrong answer can really get tricky to discern.

The game I'm talking about is Scattergories.

Photo courtesy of www.hasbro.com

 

Wine does wonders

 

I was completely taken off guard as we were winding down after dinner. My friend made butter chicken and it was amazing for being homemade, and the fact that I had no idea they could cook. Of course the Shiraz and Chardonnay helped the experience, but I forgot how much I enjoy board games. There were 5 of us which was a good sized group for this type of game. The basic premise is each player takes turns rolling the die which has a different letter on each side. Whichever letter the die lands on is the letter each word of the 10 different categories must begin with.

 

Okay so this is what happens 

 

Example: I roll the die and it lands on M. There are 10 different categories on each player's category card. There are also multiple cards with a different set of 10 categories on each side. Since the die landed on M, each word I write down for an answer to the category must begin with M. Say the category was a famous musician, I could put Michael Jackson, Mozart, Musiq Soulchild, etc. Now if someone else put the same answer as me if I put Michael Jackson then neither of us get a point for that category. You can only score points if your chosen word isn't chosen by anyone else. There is also a 30 second time limit, you can also set it to longer.

• here is a complete rules list

What games do you like to play? If you don't play any board games or haven't for a long time, then what games do you want to try or reconnect with?

Toronto's Sleepless Night: Nuit Blanche 2012

The transition from being a suburban kid; born and raised in Ottawa, to a Toronto city gal is a tough one. There is so much to see and do that it’s difficult to figure out where to start! Lucky for me, I didn’t have to figure that out for myself, because a friend asked me to tag along to one of Toronto’s biggest art exhibitions, Nuit Blanche. Check out the public response to the event on  Twitter!
 

Photo courtesy of www.blogto.com
 

I’m no artist, but boy is their work ever impressive; and the art at this exhibition was of no exception. The entire city was lit up from head-to-toe, covered with the most intriguing pieces of art I have seen. Videos were being projected onto buildings, actors imitated artists’ depiction of human-life, and even raw meat was put on display.

Photos courtesy of www.blogto.com

You’re probably saying to yourself, raw meat, really? How on earth is that art? I too would have the same first reaction; however, this experience transformed the way that I define art, and the appreciation I have for it. Art is so many things – it is unique; it is limitless; it is a symbol of human-creativity; it is a part almost everything we do. With this being said, it is awfully hard to judge what is and what isn’t artwork; therefore, why must we judge at all? Instead, we should be grateful for the fact that it encourages diversity.

 
Photos courtesy of www.blogto.com

For those of you who are passionate about freedom of expression, I think it is important that you support artists, since their work is a product of this ability. So, get involved with the art community, whether or not you’re the next up and coming Leonardo da Vinci.  Toronto art exhibitions.

Feel free to share what art means to YOU. Do YOU think you appreciate art as much as you should? Cheers!

Want to read more?

Nuit Blanche 2012

Photos courtesy of www.theglobeandmail.com