Simply DistuRbED

I can't sleep. It's 11.30PM and I've been lying in bed for roughly an hour feeling disturbed.

You know what it's like, when you have something troubling you deeply, and you just can't quiet your loud mind. I would love to confide in you about the screaming thoughts within my mind, but instead I have decided the path of denial for now, and will be accounting my sleeplessness to one harrowing incident that occurred today.

It all began when I discovered on my way home that, by some grisly misfortune, an entire album of Simply Red had found its way onto my iPod. How could this be? Is this some kind of morbid joke? What kind of psycho would do a thing like this??

I was driving on the highway, and so concentrating on the road inevitably forced me into enduring more than 30 seconds of a song - I reiterate: circumstaces forced me to listen, I swear it...! And that's where the really disturbing part comes in... I couldn't bring myself to skip the song. I just..... couldn't.

Some kind of dark magic must be involved in all this, for I have spent my life believing that Simply Red is creepy. Something about that man just makes my skin crawl... and here I was in my car... captivated. I may have belted out a note or two when the spell cast really took hold of me.

Come now, listen to this...

"For Your Babies" - Simply Red

Gosh, what a sexy song, the kind to which one could gaze adoringly across a candlelit table into the eyes of the one whom you love... despite the fact that the song has a distinctly creepy title!

And this...

"The Air that I Breathe" - Simply Red

How can you not melt at how he caresses each note, literally making you believe that you are the air he breathes... And yet, is it just me, or is the the notion that "Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe, and to love you" is a bit obsessive and... stalkerish...? Ok, ok, in Simply Red's defence, it's not his song originally... but he does a darn good (stalkerish) delivery of it.
And ok, admittedly the actual music video is quite compelling, and not stalkerish at all.

Oh my. And now I have just admitted to listening to more than one song. *hangs head in shame*

This new-found discovery that I am not only able to tolerate Simply Red, but actually like him is most unsettling. I fear I am changing.

And so here I sit. Midnight now, dark rings under my bloodshot eyes, eating caramel straight from the tin.

I am so disturbed.

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

I just curled up on the couch for two hours and became a teenage girl again. 


As a young girl, I used to believe that somehow, by some irrational misfortune, I was born into the wrong era. Because I have grown up with the love of music deeply intertwined into my soul, and such a great part of this love was for the likes of the Righteous Brothers and the Beatles, surely I was supposed to be born into the 1950's and 60's? What went wrong? How on earth on did I land up being born in 1984?


Anyway, I've learned to embrace my era, the late 80's rock, the crazy 90's and now the ultra-cool 00's. But still... sometimes I still think about those golden years, at the birth of rock and roll. The greased back hair.. the puffy skirts... the dance halls alive with swing... Girls waiting to be asked to dance... Boys learning to be gentlemen... And I still wish, with a tiny part of me, that I'd been born thirty years earlier. 


Tonight I watched "Dirty Dancing" again. Admittedly, it's an 80's movie, but so well-set in the 60's era - it really made me smile. Now I'd never watched Dirty Dancing until I was around 23 years old, so you must know, it's still a novelty for me, even now after watching it a few times since then. You see, beforehand, even just the phrase "dirty dancing" might have made me blush, never mind the actual dancing itself. But from the first moment that I watched it, I fell in love with it, as have so many women before me. 

The idea that an innocent young lamb of a girl could fall so deeply in love with a troubled bad-boy, and with her wonder-filled, soulful eyes and unscathed ideals, pull him out of the pit of nothingness that has become his life. 
And likewise, the idea of this dangerously sexy man becoming obsessed with a naive, timid girl, to the point where he can do nothing but leave all his foolishness behind in order to dote on her, protect her, and teach her to dance. And to "let go".


You see, every girl wants to be Baby. And the thing that makes me love this movie so much is that I have always felt a lot like Baby did. As a teenager, I was always such a good girl. So well behaved, so well-meaning. So afraid of letting people down. I was geeky, nerdy, incredibly clumsy, awkward, hopeless at socializing, and I couldn't dance. I was nice, and people liked me. But I wasn't ever popular, and that's made me feel... forgettable. 


And that's what I've come to love so much about Baby, is that she changes from the girl that I've always felt like, into all the things a girl wants to be...


Brave.
The apple of someone's eye.
Someone worth fighting for.
Bold.
Sexy.
Self-assured.
Willing to stick up for others even at her own cost.
Loved intensely.
Desired. 
Someone who can dance without abandon.




Yes, every girl wants to be Baby. And it's got nothing to do with dancing with a ripped 1980's Patrick Swayze, although that wouldn't hurt. 


Just sayin. 


So anyways, I'm feeling all fuzzy inside, and thought I'd share two of my favourite scenes:


Of course the one is the legendary "Last Dance" of the movie, which is fun and heart-warming... and what a timeless song!


But even more so, I'm just crazy about the "Lover Boy" scene, which is simply adorable to watch. Over and over. And over. 


Anyways, wouldn't it be nice if we all had someone to be our Johnny or our Baby, someone who helps brings out the best in us? Someone who opens your eyes to all that you have to offer this world... and them. And that at the end of each day you could say... or sing...


I've had the time of my life...

Twilight: What a Girl Wants

A colleague of mine went to see the Breaking Dawn movie last night, and has assured me of it's sheer awesomeness. So I decided to have a Twilight build-up, starting today. Hubby and I just finished watching Twilight; tomorrow we shall watch New Moon, Saturday we'll watch Eclipse, and Sunday night we shall watch Breaking Dawn.

Before I go any further, allow me to just redeem hubby's reputation by saying that he is in no way, shape or form, interested in or remotely intrigued by Twilight, and he is merely humouring his slightly Twilight-crazed wife. I should add that his absolute eagerness to indulge in these movies is only a front - do not be fooled: deep down he... erm.... really hates these movies. ;-) (just smile and nod)

So back to what I was saying... we just finished watching Twilight, and as far as movies go, it's far from the best quality movie out there, right? And if you've read the book, you'll know how many *amazing* scenes had to be cut out for the sake of time, and how much more to this story there really is. So what is it about this whole saga that has captured people, mostly girls, the way it has?

I have done some inner speculation on this matter, and I've decided that I've got it figured out. It all boils down to one word. One. Incredible. Word. 

Obsession. 

There is a void on this planet. A huge void in the romance department. I don't know if I'm the only one who notices, but people just aren't romantic anymore. I don't define romance as flowers on the verandah, or a goodnight kiss. Or chocolates on Valentines Day, a white wedding, or even a candlelit dinner. It's not a weekend getaway, or expensive jewelry or a spa package. 

I define romance as Obsession. 

And that is what makes Twilight so absolutely irresistible to girls - it is Edward's absolute obsession with Bella. 

He cannot take his eyes off her. 
He follows her.
He breathes her in. (just forget that he's a vampire for a second)
He would die for her. 
He watches her sleep.
He thinks her faults are adorable.
He touches her face continually, as though he can absorb her essence through his finger-tips. (again, forget the vampire part, just for a second!)

Robert Pattinson certainly seems to have a talent in conveying tender obsession - in those searching eyes and, surprisingly enough, in his vocal ability too. Somehow, he even manages to sound desperately in love in his song Never Think, which can be found on the Twilight soundtrack.

Obsession. That is romance. The stuff that fairy tales are made of. Every girl wants to feel obsessed over. Call us vain if you will, but it's how we were created. When she is with a man, she wants to feel as though she is the only person in the room, that nothing else exists to him at that moment. 

That is how I want to feel. 










Ok, so some of you may be feeling nauseous right about now, a bit too much mush for one evening. So here is a favourite blog of mine which looks at this obsession from another angle :-) Some light humour that even I, as a Twilight fan, can appreciate. 

Good night, fellow inhabitants of this planet. Be passionate. Give of yourself freely to the one you love. Be obsessed. 

Sexiest Song Ever!

I'm tired of rappers and their distorted idea of sensuality. All I hear on the radio these days is "Baby dis" and "Baby dat"... with a whole lot of poor English language in-between, that's supposed to be, what... erm... 'provocative'?? Lil' Wayne is by far the worst, but let me not get started on him - he will have a whole blog dedicated to him, all by himself. 


No, there is not enough truly romantic music out there anymore. I came to this realization this week when the radio pulled out a seriously hot track from 1990, and it just burns with good, old-fashioned desire. No kinkiness. No crudeness. No vulgar language. Just fresh, clean sex appeal. It really made me smile and sing along, I simply had to share...

"Kiss Me", by Australian band, Indecent Obsession, was released in 1990, and (not surprisingly) held the #1 spot on South African charts for 27 weeks. Click here to check it out...


And just to demonstrate further how dripping-with-heat this song is, I'm including the lyrics...

Excuse me for staring

Your looks have me blinded

You want to touch me

So don't try to fight it

Kiss me

I'd walk your sweet curves

For days without water

My drink is your lips

Don't you think you oughtta

Just kiss me

Blond and ambitious

You're dancing with wild boys

Melting the ice 'round my heart

Girl with your voice

Strawberry lips saying

Baby I want you

Raising my fever tonight

So why don't you

Just kiss me

Oo woo oh kiss me

This conversation is making me nervous

Please pay attention

Imagine we're lovers

And kiss me

You turn me on

Turn me off like a flashlight

Feel like a blindman

Who's taken the night flight

So kiss me

I am the mirror

Who holds your reflexion

You can't resist me

I am your infection

Strawberry lips call my name

So inviting

Can't think of anything else

More exciting

So kiss me

Oo woo oh kiss (strawberry lips)

Dressed to the teeth

In your soft skin and perfume

Only my heart cuts the silence

In your room

Strawberry lips are my favourite flavor

Drinking their color

Is all that I'm made for

So kiss me

Oo woo oh kiss me

Note the lack of vulgarity...? I sure wish the younger generation would hold onto some of this cheesy old stuff, instead of entering this revolting era where a man speaking to a woman in a derogatory manner is supposed to be a turn-on. Girls can dream, right? 


As for the older generation, you may think me 'worldly' for enjoying such a steamy song, but you should check out Song of Solomon in your very own Bible sometime - puts this Aussie band to shame! ;)

Happy Friday, fellow inhabitants of this planet - be a little cheesy to the one you adore today... deep down we all love it!