Sunday, 16 August 2020

One Direction - History


I'm only aware this is the last music video One Direction released, without Zayn too. It's a fitting farewell song. 

I guess since Zayn left, they know it wasn't the same anymore, and so they just went on a hiatus.

I'm not a 1D fan, but I did listen to a lot of 1D songs since 2010 hence even though I'm not a fan, their music was influential to me.

I was aware Zayn Malik left, but I never knew what happened next. To be honest, I didn't even realise they are on a hiatus.

I don't blame them. I'm pretty sure Zayn has his reasons for leaving 1D even though he has been portrayed as being very happy in the band.

I myself have gone through a few phases of my life, and in each of them I repeatedly found myself needing to escape and move on to the next phase.

But when I've moved on to the next phase, I yearn for the last. When we have lost something, when we are already in a different situation and have moved on, we tend to remember only what made us happy, and not what made us wanted to move on. That's just life. Our brains are structured to remember only the happiness.

They were young. They hadn't found what they really wanted. Five years down the road, someone had. And they bid goodbye.

We all always want things to be the same. But we always never appreciate what we have, until we lost it.

1D is not coming back, guys. Few years down the road, I'm starting to miss listening to their songs on the radios. But let's admit it - time has changed. 1D members have each found what they want, and the boy band will not return. Not so soon.

I'm pretty sure all of them, including Zayn, want to go back to how it was. But everyone is different now. There's just no going back anymore.

If they were to re-assemble later, it would be many years later where many of us would already have teenage kids. I would be looking forward to it.

Anyway, night guys. I also miss a lot of my past. I can't go back to them anymore. But it's fine. Let's move on.


Saturday, 8 August 2020

One Direction - Night Changes (Acoustic)


Here's a few things to start: First, I'm not a One Direction's fan. I listen to their songs, and that's all.

Second, I am an extremely sentimental guy. My emotion is very easily influenced by my surroundings.

1D songs were a hit when I was younger - when I was in my university especially. 

When I was still studying in Swinburne, Fly Fm was an inseparable part of my life. I listened to the radio stations every day, every time I have a chance to.

1D songs were almost always on the tracks.

Fast forward to now, 2020, 2 years since I graduated, 6 years since I first entered Swinburne, memories just hit me really hard.

Time really flies. Things have changed. Circumstances have changed.

1D has broken down. Zayn Malik has left. 1D, which was so subtly influential to me, is a memory that will not return.

It really just makes me miss so many things I enjoyed so much in the past.

Sunday, 2 August 2020

Chris Carter - Written in Blood


I've been reading his books since 2010 when I first read The Executioner, a book which even my sister couldn't help but got engrossed in it. Every year, Chris Carter publishes one book, which I find too little. Every year, I try to get the book immediately when it was published. Back in the early 2010s, e-book was not popular. His books were also deprived of the attention they deserve, so they were particularly hard to get. The only bookstore that sold his books were Borders in Queensbay Mall, which has now sadly shuttered. But so many years later, I'm now in Singapore, and I've got access to Google Play Books. The publishers usually do very hard to gain profits by first releasing hardcover versions only for the first year so that they have a reason to charge more. Nah, I go for e-books, because I refuse to pay more just for the hardcover, and also because his books are not immediately available in Singapore or Malaysia, and most importantly I couldn't even wait for a second more to read his books and ebook gives me immediate access!

Anyway, as usual, his books never fail to charm. I devoured the book in 2 days, max. The beginning of the books was a bit slow, and it started off a little differently from his previous books. The killer in this book is a little less sick, less brutal (though still brutal), and unlike the previous books, there aren't any races to save victims, because in this book all the victims have died. Still, this book is enchantingly absorbing, and you couldn't stop reading it even if you want to. He wrote it in a different tone, a tad less analytical, a bit more personal, and also the suspense isn't as strong. I initially thought the killer was bipolar, given the way it went, but as it turned out I was wrong. But, doesn't matter, it was still a good read, although I find it weaker than his previous novels. But since a tragedy befell him while he was penning it, I think it's understandable. If you like a crime novel, I highly recommend Chris Carter's novels. Although, given the amount of time it takes for me to finish it, I think his books really don't worth the money, since for the same amount of money, you could also buy some other books that keep you entertained for a much longer period. Rating: 9/10.