On 'The Norm'

Oh no, what's that? Someone is living in a way or doing something that is outside of the supposed 'norm' of society? Scandal! You know what you must do, right? That's correct, act righteously outraged about it! Sew dissent amongst the community. Slander this person purely because their lifestyle choices are something that you're uncomfortable with! It's completely sensible, right? These people are just wrong!

The other night, Channel Seven news here in Australia ran the following news story.

Hurrah for non judgemental reporting, right?

Seriously though, what's the big deal? Why are we making a big fuss over what people choose to do to their own body? Their own body. The way I see it, nobody has any right to judge people for what they chose to do to their own body. It's their own decision. It's their body. It's their life. And, here's the thing about that. You can do pretty much whatever you want with it.

The people that chose to do this to themselves are not hurting anybody. They're not doing it as some sort of attention seeking cry. They're just people like I am, like you are. In the end, it's just a form of self expression, like a piece of art. The canvas, however, is their own body in these cases. More power to them.

Society tends to stereotype people that choose to express themselves in this way as 'freaks' or 'weirdos' and similar labels. I have met people like this, who view their body as a place to express themselves, and they have all been decent human beings. This is a lot more than I can say about many supposedly 'normal' folk I've met.

Actually, the comments on this video are probably evidence enough of how pleasant some 'normal' people can be. Check them out here. Oh but we are a close-minded, judgemental society Australia, aren't we?

The reality is though that procedures like this will become more and more commonplace as time goes on. Like it or not, it's here to stay. And why shouldn't it? If society can accept people getting face lifts and breast implants because there's a part of their body they want to change, why not this as well? When it all comes down to it, what's the difference?

There are bound to be arguments against this based on it being dangerous as well. In fact, the news anchor starts the story off saying that plastic surgeons even war it's potentially dangerous. All surgery carries with it a risk, cosmetic or otherwise. Like all surgeries, people would go into this fully aware of the dangers involved.

The arguments might use the customer interviewed in the news story as an example of the surgery gone wrong. His implants became infected and had to be removed. Again, this isn't unique to just this kind of surgery. There's plenty of examples of plastic surgery gone wrong. Even your basic piercings have a risk of infection. The surgeon they interviewed is right with his comments. However, let's not pretend that his comments apply for just these types of procedures.

And what a way to end the news piece. The reporter stating that it looks 'a little wrong'. Like it's his right to decide what looks 'right' and 'wrong'. While it's not something I'd consider doing to myself, I happen to think some of the outcomes look pretty cool. You don't like it? That's cool. Don't act like the whole world should feel the same as you though.

This is barely scratching the surface of the intolerance society seems to have for things outside 'The Norm'. There's a whole lot of other topics I could easily go into. In fact chances are I probably will in future posts as I throw in my view on different issues.

In the meantime, let's not judge people for the front they give to the world. Stop. Get to know the person. Don't assume you know why they do what they do. Don't think that just because they live differently there's something wrong with them. You might be surprised to find that they're just another person living their life, much like you are.

Meredead by Leaves' Eyes - A Review

Leaves' Eyes, for those not in the know, are a symphonic metal band with members hailing from both Norway and Germany. Meredead, released earlier this year, is their fourth full length album and sees them testing new waters.

Meredead is the evolution of Leaves' Eyes' sound, and is a much stronger release than 2009's Njord. It flawlessly combines the traditional elements of symphonic metal with folk, using instruments such as bagpipes, cellos and fiddles. Also present in many of the tracks are choirs and a number of guest singers to back up the always amazing vocals of Liv Kristine.

It seems fair to say, however, that this album might not be for the more traditional metal fans. Quite often the metal will take a bit of a back seat to the folk side of the music. If metal is the only thing you can stand to have going into your ears, you may be disappointed. If, however, you just like good music then there's plenty here to enjoy.

The album includes a number of traditional Norwegian songs, as well as songs performed in Old English. Alexander Krull's growling vocals, a frequent presence on earlier releases, are this time reduced to just one track. Not that the CD needs them. Given the musical style and the feel of most of the songs, growling vocals would have been very out of place.

To France, a cover of the Mike Oldfield song, is the first single from the CD. Being a cover, it's probably one of the more accessible tracks for those new to the band. Give it a listen below!

Other stand out tracks include the intro Spirits' Masquerade, which leads you into the album with a steady drum beating and powerful choirs.
Ètain starts off slowly, but develops into one of the more powerful tracks on the album. Velvet Heart presents itself as the most typical example of the symphonic genre on this album, and good also be a good starting point for people.

Meredead, the title track, is a bombastic ride full of big choirs and folk music. Sigrlinn is the heaviest and longest track on the album, and definitely memorable. The song Tell-Tale Eyes, a slower, folk ballad, closes out the CD nicely.

I find it hard to fault this CD for anything. Leaves' Eyes have outdone themselves with this album. Quite simply, it's their best album yet and, so far, my pick for album of the year. If this is a glimpse of Leaves' Eyes to come, then it's an exciting time to be a fan of this band.

10/10

On Poetry

I've never really been one for writing poetry. I enjoy reading it, sure, but never really seemed to be keen on writing it. I think, mostly, it's because your average poem needs rhythm and when I write that's not really something I focus on. I'm definitely more of a prose writer.

On the other hand, I love rhyming. I'll happily amuse myself on a regular basis by purposely rhyming sentences in conversation, either written or spoken. Or sometimes just in my head... I'm easily amused. This is no secret.

Rhyming, while often used in poetry, does not make something poetry. Like I said, it needs rhythm. A healthy does of alliteration and symbolism doesn't seem to go astray either. Bah! I just want to tell my story!

Anyway, the point is, I don't write poetry. Or perhaps didn't is more correct...

A few months back I penned a few short poems. They still predominately rhyme but, unlike other attempts at poetry, I also feel these have a sense of rhythm. Something my past poems definitely didn't. I don't really think they're particularly good poems but, for once, I don't exactly think they're bad either.

But hey, you can be the judge of that! Here they are for you to look at. And yes, a couple of you may have seen them before, but there's a new one down the very bottom.

In the dark of night,
And the light of day,
The entire world,
Shall stop to pray.


With their heads bowed,
And on folded knees,
They cry for heaven,
To hear their pleas.


As the earth around them dies,
They shout in desperation;
Please, oh god above,
Save us from desolation.

That one doesn't really have a title, but I like to think of this next one as 'A Single Moment'.

In a single moment,
Our eyes did meet.
A fleeting glance,
Our only chance.


In a single moment,
You cross the street.
A joining fated;
Our souls elated.


In a single moment,
Our lips tenderly meet.
A moment so tender,
To which we surrender.


In a single moment,
A feeling oh so sweet.
How I wish it could be permanent,
This single moment.

And that's it. I don't really know what to think of the first one myself. I just wanted to write something sort of... doomish (that's now a word) and this is what came out.

A Single Moment, however, resonates with me a bit more. I feel in life that it is those 'single moments' that matter the most. Sure, a whole lot of things might grow from that one brief moment, that one chance encounter, but in the end it's that moment we remember and that is most important.

And now, one last poem, fresh out of the oven, in that I just wrote it. In a desperate attempt to give this blogs title some vague sort of meaning, I present this:

Beneath the blue,
We wait for you,
Calling for you to come closer.


Sweet Melodies,
Stunning beauties,
Beckoning you to cross over.


Stranded sailors,
We're your saviours.
You'll come with us beneath the blue.


You hear our song,
It won't be long,
We'll make your desires come true.


Hands reach forward,
You come toward,
Longing to feel our sweet embrace.


Your minds are lost,
Leaving but lust.
Soon you'll vanish without a trace.


Sweet temptation,
Brings damnation.
You have become our mindless slaves.


We hold you near,
You have no fear,
As we pull you beneath the waves.


Your minds slows down,
We watch you drown,
And begin our feast when you die.


Blood dyes the sea,
From our frenzy.
On the sea bed, your remains lie,
Beneath the red.

I lied. This contributes nothing towards the meaning of the blog. If anything, it's inspired by the blogs title, nothing more.

So there we go; my most recent attempts at poetry. If you have feedback, leave it for me. I always appreciate it.

I think I might post up a CD review over the weekend, so catch you all then!