My Top 10 Favorite Music Videos of All-Time

So here I am, sitting here on a couch, after just having eaten a nice Chicken Fajita Omelet from IHOP. Mmm, food coma!
As I dream about a career in film production, I often have daydreams about working in the music video industry. It combines two of my favorite loves: music and video.
Obviously that was a given, but I truly love the whole idea of putting visual elements to a song. It almost creates a whole new meaning to the song, let alone gives the song a new way of associating a song to a picture. Ultimately, that is what I would like to do. How long will it take me to get there? You tell me.
With that in mind, I decided to compile a list some music videos I've seen over the years that really caught my attention. Not just in a controversial aspect, but just as a way of seeing what the director intended to do with the piece. These videos are in no particular order however, they just happened to make my top 10 in my eyes :)
Without further ado, here are my top 10 favorite music videos:

Work/ Via Wikipedia..org
"Virtual Insanity" - Jamiroquai
This music video is pretty trippy. When you first watch it, you think the floor is moving! Actually, the walls are the ones doing all the moving. But how you could explain how some pieces of furniture move while others don't? Simple. The fact that certain pieces are bolted to the walls creates this illusion for the viewers. And the bugs in the video? They are us. Clearly, we are the ones wrapped up in our new technology that we "squirm around", so to speak.
Sadly, YouTube and many other sites ban this music video from the USA (I don't know why...). However, I was lucky enough to come across a full-length version here. 



"Sledgehammer" - Peter Gabriel
Another breakthrough video, Sledgehammer was one of the first popular music videos to utilize stop motion along with various animation effects. It won numerous MTV awards (back when it was actually good...) and remains as Rolling Stone's top music videos to this date. I love how every bit of fantasy is illustrated in this video, the headless chickens dancing, the nature flowing in and out of Gabriel's head, etc. Very artsy!


"From Yesterday" - 30 Seconds to Mars
One of the most beautiful depictions of the People's Republic of China, this is also the first music video to be shot with the Republic in its entirety. A story that revolves around the four band members whom are each given a "gift", then sent to fight in a masked battle of eight. Thankfully they all live, especially Jared Leto ;) Either way, the concept is incredible and the shot selection is well done. Definitely one of my favorites.



"Closer" - Nine Inch Nails
Who am I to not include my favorite band in the mix? One the most controversial, inappropriate videos released in the 90's, this video showed various topics which included religion, politics, sexuality, animal cruelty and even more. My favorite part is seeing how they made Trent Reznor's head a part of a table, which later included having his eyes open creepily later in the video. Yes, it is sexually explicit, but the random images that raise eyebrows and turn heads is what makes this lucrative song stand out. In context to the album "The Downward Spiral", the song deals with a desire to control. Not just to control a partner, but to evoke control over something even bigger such as society itself. If you listen to TDS from start to finish, you'l understand where I'm getting at. Until then, enjoy the video!



"Smack My B**** Up" - The Prodigy
This video pieces in all the craziest kinds of stuff one can do on a night out...and more. Alcohol, drugs, women abuse, drunk driving, car smashing...you'd wonder why I picked this one. It is because of the point of view from the dude-er well...chick. I love the obscenity from this video and frankly, I feel that it is the fast-paced nature that would attract most viewers. This video apparently got banned from many places, but still gained so much popularity that MTV only aired it late at night. Fitting, isn't it?



"Right Here, Right Now" - Fatboy Slim
An incredible time lapse, this video's animation deserves a gold medal. Visually appealing, the video transitions from prehistoric times to eventually an obese male strutting around the city. I love the way the scenery in the background changes as well...it is enough so that you cannot look away for one second without missing something amazing. Coincidentally, the man at the end is the icon of the album cover "You've Come a Long Way, Baby". I guess the imagery fits, wouldn't you agree?


"House of Cards" - Radiohead
Ah, Radiohead. Sometimes the simplicity of a music video goes a long way. Using lidar technology, the video shows the singer, Thom Yorke, flickering on and off as he sings the song. Throughout the video, you see body parts of Yorke along with still, peaceful imagery of open roads, neighborhoods and nature itself. The colors used in these sequences are absolutely stunning, and there couldn't be a more serene song to be paired up with these stunning visuals.


"Take a Bow" - Madonna
What a heartbreaking work of art. This is the sole reason I did not include "Like a Prayer" on this list. Obviously I am a huge fan of controversy, but this video is pure emotion. The song matched with the bull fighter who leads on the bull (Madonna) creates themes of unrequited love, abuse and sadness. In my honest opinion, this is Madonna at her best. Not the 80's, not her revival. Her ballad that comes straight from the heart. 



"Shut Me Up" - Mindless Self Indulgence
Another crazy video, Shut Me Up is really about letting loose and not giving a flip. The video does a great job with the animation and the bleak undertones of routine life, and how it spins out of control when the main character gets a jolt of ...uh crazy? Either way, I love how it reminds me of the fun, carefree music videos I made when I was a kid. The fact that one can break away from tradition and just run around being ridiculous is something I can definitely relate to!



"Hurricane" - 30 Seconds to Mars
Another 30STM video worth listing. Although very graphic, this video is marvelously crafted to an audience of little prudence.  With multiple sub-plots, the main character overcomes the ghost of his past and the fear of his future with many religious, sexual, S&M, aggressive and violent undertones. Many of the smaller characters in the video are real people dealing with real obsessions. The reason I love this video so much is because the director took into account everything that could cause a disturbance in society and bravely mashed it all together. After looking at the making of this video, I see myself doing videos such as this one: one with a beautifully molded concept.
Whew, that took a while but it was all worth it. What do you think of my list? Do you think these are deserving videos? Let me know what you think!

Birthday Shenanigans!

Hi everyone!
I hope the weather isn't being too hard on you like it is in good 'ol Maryland. Ugh. Why can't it be warm already...
ANYWHO, I am thrilled typing this because as of last Saturday, I became a legal woman of the drinking age...21!!!

Beware the Ides of March...

For those of you who are unaware, my birthday falls on March 15th, also known as the day Julius Caesar was dramatically stabbed by a bunch of senators. Apparently people hated him so much for being a so-called "powerful dictator" of the Roman Republic. I mean, wouldn't you be jealous if someone was sitting there on piles and piles of power that they wouldn't share some with the middle and lower-classes? Imagine the things you could spend that valuable power on...

Sarcasm.

In case I lost you, here are some interesting facts about that fateful day when Caesar was killed.

Coincidence? I THINK NOT.

Ugh sorry. ADD is kicking in.

ANYWAY, I celebrated my birthday with a few friends in Salisbury, and even though many people were out of town for spring break, I had an amazing time! Especially when I wall twerked once the clock hit midnight...and thankfully it was a success.

Shortly before 1AM, I went to Brew River. Despite the small crowd, I was very pleased with the service, company and warm vibes I received. 

At one point I went to use the bathroom. Shortly after, Evan followed me in making sure I was okay. Funny thing was, that even though it was my 21st, I still held myself up rather well. I made it a goal to remember the majority of the night...keeping in mind that the weekend before was a little rough.

Don't Rain on My Parade

The start of my birthday was swell! Got my license changed, watched my favorite Disney movie "The Little Mermaid" (thanks babe!) and went with some sisters to check out the dock bar at Brew. I was pleased to have my first LEGAL margarita outside in 60 degree weather. Being by the water was also a plus. According to this random Yahoo! Answers question, a beach is one of the most fun, random places to drink alcohol. A river is kinda close though, right? Despite the incredibility of my argument, I just enjoy it. So there.

Market Street Inn

Later on, Ev and I had my birthday dinner at Market Street. As usual, the food was delicious and I couldn't get enough of the shrimp! And of course, I was having fun showing off my ID each time I got carded. This will probably get annoying after a while, but it doesn't matter. 

After all the activities, I crashed. Hard. I had a fun birthday in Salisbury, only to be continued later with a family birthday dinner last night and a celebration with the best friend later in the week. Hopefully she comes back from Puerto Rico soon, because a get-together is long overdue!

Was your 21st more exciting? More quiet? Were there more people in town to celebrate? Did you have a good overall experience? Feel free to share!

A HUGE shoutout to all that celebrated and wished me a happy birthday. It was truly spectacular. 

I'll be seeing you around, all you legal people! 

Big/Little Reveal

Hey guys!
Once again, I apologize for the delay of my blogging activities, it has been a super busy semester and I haven't gotten a chance to sleep for a solid 8 hours. Spring Break is coming up though, so I will have time to relax (finally!) and hopefully get a dose of warm weather.
But first and foremost, I must talk about MY AWESOME WEEKEND:

Phi Mu's Big/Little Reveal
From March 3rd to March 7th, new members received baskets full of gifts each day of the week, all from their big sister, or "Big". The new members have no clue who puts together the baskets until they find out at the end of the week at the Big/Little reveal. At the reveal, the new member finds out who their big is, and they join her as their little sister, or "Little".
A couple of weeks ago I heard the wonderful news that I got the little sister that was at the top of my list. I tricked her by downloading a texting app called "TextNow" to throw her off and make her believe that her big was not me.
Last week, I had many people deliver baskets, from sisters to a man in Pi Lambda Phi (thanks John!).  Throughout the week, it was incredibly difficult to not mention anything about my personal life via TextNow, or talk too much about the week in front of her. Thankfully my identity was not shown until the reveal, or else my surprise wouldn't have been as exciting!
At the reveal, all the bigs hid in cars playing a certain song, and each little received a song in correspondence to the car their big was hiding in. Mine was "Stay the Night", by Zedd. I had hoped my little understood the connection.
When it was time, the bigs hid and the littles searched. I hid in my G-Big +Jacqueline Wilp 's car, and soon enough, she opened the door and I jumped out to greet her, embracing her as tight as I could. That day, I welcomed Jordyn Walker as my little!

I had the best day ever. Not only was it nearly 70 degrees, but I was just ecstatic to see everyone so thrilled that day due to all the excitement!
My family line grew so much that day. My twin +Amina Aden  took a new set of twins, Lauran and Kasey. Peach fam grew so much that day!

Overall, it was a great day for all. Family night was another story...

While most family lines would choose pretty, elegant apparel for their night, my line decided to get a little interesting. We purchased various hats from Michaels and sported them that night. I got my little a pirate hat and a sword, and no one could say that we weren't real pirates!
Overall, the weekend was one for the books. My little and I are partners in crime, and I cannot wait to make many memories together!
Love you little!