Best Songs of the (Half) Year

The first half of 2011 ends today. This year has been totally different from previous years. Everything changed on March 11 when the earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern Japan.

I was one of hundreds of thousands of commuters walking home that night. My relatives and friends were hit hard by the natural disaster. For weeks I could do nothing. Nothing but following the news coverage on the disasters for a month. Then, my job turned super busy. Overwhelmed by the tsunami of projects, and followed by the very last semester which started the late April.

My taste has also changed. New generations of Korean hip-hop became my latest favorite music. My iPod only repeated songs of BigBang and 2NE1 again and again.

So, I supposed there were only a few songs I could name for this year's best. But, was wrong. Here's my top 10 list of the 1st half of the year. Do I miss something?

1. "Rocketeer" (Far East Movement ft. Ryan Tedder)
This song still comes on to the top of my track list. A-maz-ing.

2. "Never Forget You" (Lupe Fiasco ft. John Legend)
What an irony. One of last year's top 10 songs is "Forget You" (Cee-Lo Green). And now comes with the other way around. Lupe's 3rd album is, however, one of the best in 2011. My fav songs also include "The Show Goes On", "Till I Get There" and "Coming Up", but every single song in the album is a masterpiece. I mean it.

3. "Fly" (Nicki Minaj ft. Rihanna)
Nicki's 1st debut album "Pink Friday" is another best. Sometimes I feel the songs are too young for me, but she is a very talented female rapper. "I'm the Best", "Right Thru Me", "Moment 4 Life", "Dear Old Nicki" and "Last Chance" are all so good.

4. "See Me Now" (Kanye West ft. Beyonce & Charlie Wilson)
Kanye never disappoints me. Ever. By the way, "Lost in the World", a song in the latest album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", is originally written by a Wisconsin-native. What a pleasant surprise!!

5. "Pretty Girl Rock" (Keri Hilson)
I have no problem with pretty girl rock at all. I like this PV which reminds me of female singers in the old times.

6. "Born This Way" (Lady Gaga)
Lady Gaga isn't my favorite musician. Neither is making her song on this list a courtesy to her for doing charity to the tsunami-hit region in Japan. Just this song keeps playing in my head...

7. "No Sleep" (Wiz Khalifa)
I really need a sleep though...

8. "Marry You" (Bruno Mars)
Reportedly many people decided to get married after a life-threatening experience.

9. "Friends & Family" (Talib Kweli)
"Nothing else matters more than friends and family." Indeed.

10. "Hot-n-Fun" (N*E*R*D ft. Nelly Furtado)
Given the shortage of power generation capacity, Tokyo is gonna be literally super HOT this summer. It is already. But, I haven't found a way to enjoy it yet. Any suggestion?

Thoughts on Father's Day

As for Father's Day gift campaign, some stores were advocating "Dad needs no more ties!" That message is so true. Tie is one of a few self-expressions for men in the business world. Hence, many, if not all, won't give up such a freedom and sole discretion easily.

Given the hot and humid summer weather in Tokyo, tie isn't what we need for now, either. The government has introduced "Super Cool Biz" this year. Accoring to it, a suit (and a tie) is officially prohibited from the business battle field in Japan. Hot pants are okay. I have never seen (never ever want to see) one so far though. If you go to an office with tie, you are NO patriotic.

Besides, Tokyo's offices and subways are not as comfortable as previous years. Their air-conditiongs are set at a higher temperature (some 28 degrees Celcius) than usual due to the blackout risk. Seriously such actions undercut Japan's economic growth even further.

So, all those circumstance in consideration, my wife (and baby girl) gave me a Starbucks tumbler and card. This is the very first gift I got on Father's Day. I have been looked forward to having a Father's Day gift throughout last couple of years (including my wife's pregnancy). But, now I came to think in a different way. Fatherhood itself is such a priceless gift. It is blessing. The gift is great, but I am so grateful to my wife and daughter who delivered the utmost happiness and delight in my life.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads.
Let's enjoy our fatherhood!!

History Lessons?

Japan's political leadership has been in a mess for years. The prime minister of the 3rd largest country changes every single year or less. So, I supposed no political events would surprise me until recent news reported Yukio Hatoyama, a former premier, asked Naoto Kan, his successor, to resign the job. This is pretty surpring given what Hatoyama had done during his term in the office.

Looks like there is some kind of seniority system among premiership. Or Hatoyama must be a terminator for himself and/or someone else. In "Terminator" the movie, however, the robot comes from the future. Unfortunately this Japanese came from the past. Okay, we'd better suppose he's just an alien as he is called so.

When Hatoyama quit his job as prime minister a year ago, I assumed hopefully that he might become a Jimmy Carter, one of the greatest ex-Presidents of the U.S.A. That was only a possibility, though. It was neither my expectation nor hope. Still, his recent initiative is not the case at all.

While a predecessor criticizes a current premier and asks him to resign in Japan, the opposite case applies in Korea. In this peninsula country, a predecessor is criticized and punished by a current president. Remember what Kim Young Sam did to Jeon Doo Hwan? The ex-President deserved it, but it also looked used as a scapegoat to hike successor's approval rate. And this isn't the only case.

To summarize, Japanese tend to forget history while Korean criticize (and scapegoat) one. I only hope this is my hasty generalization, and many events are exceptional.

The two countries have been discussing to make their relationship future-oriented. Yet, they've got to make their own country's politics future-oriented in the first place.