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THE King of Pop

I never thought I would be writing about Michael Jackson on this blog, but I have to. Shame on me for not thinking of it before. Michael Jackson came into the spotlight at a very young age. He was a child star without a childhood. He joined his brothers band at age six!

His second solo album Thriller turned out to be the best selling album of all time! He revolutionized pop music like no other. Of course, you already know this don’t you?

I am a 90s child and Michael Jackson was probably the first ever celebrity music artist I knew about. He was my definition of a superstar. Everybody knew who he was. He definitely appealed to me for his dance moves and for his eccentric looks. It was not until I reached my teen years that I started to love his songs.

In 1991 he released Dangerous with ‘Black or White’, ‘Remember the Time’, and ‘Heal the World’  as the released singles. In 1995 he released a double disc album HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book 1 with ‘Scream’ beings its first single. It is known to be the highest selling multiple disc album of all time.

Not only was he a fantastic music artist, he was also a very giving and caring man. In 1992 he founded the ‘Healing the World Foundation’. All profits from his Dangerous World Tour went to the charity.

Michael Jackson was not a 90s man nor was he a 60s man. He entertained the world for over four decades. He was there for it all. That’s why he is THE King of Pop. Legend.

There is no other.

He will never be forgotten. Thank you for your music, Michael Jackson.

 

Calling Doc Martens

Dr. Martens are back, baby!

These shoes were created in 1945 by Doctor Klaus Maertens for comfortable wear. Apparently almost every teenager had a pair in the late 90s. They’re not the prettiest shoes you have ever seen, but in the 90s, people only cared about comfort. Baggy shirts and jeans are comfortable; throw them on. Now that I mention it, I could really use some Doc Martens. I’m wearing leather shoes at the moment and one of my toes is killing me.

A superb add of classic Dr. Marten shoes 1460 from 1997. Click to enlarge.

I see students wear them as school shoes. Yeah. School shoes were a huge hit in the 90s.

I find these knee high ones much more edgier.

Dr. Martens have released fluoro colours for the new era. I read in some fashion magazine it’s great to wear these with miniskirts. NO thanks. Try wearing them with acid-washed jeans. Vomit. How ’80s would you look, huh? If you haven’t noticed, I don’t like 80s fashion. Especially not the fluoro colours.

Vintage black is the way to go. For females; wear them with your Little Black Dress or other winter dresses to give the feminine look some edge. For males; try not to wear it with too much black as you will look gothic. Wear them with patterned pants and plain shirt. If you think you can’t pull it off, jeans are always a good but safe option.

Here are some of the latest models/celebrities wearing Doc Martens around.

[Agyness Deyn]

[Emily Blunt]

Ross: Joey, nice shoes, man.
Joey: Thanks, man.
Ross: [Long Pause] Ehem. What about mine?
Joey: What about yours?

Utahraptor spielbergi?

Hahahahaha…

That can not be the scientific name for the six-metre tall Velociraptor. Is it?

Here’s the low down:

Steven Spielberg wanted the scariest dinosaurs in his movie Jurassic Park. Velociraptors were only discovered to be only 1.8metres tall, but they would look too wimpy onscreen so he made his Velociraptors 6 metres tall. Not long after in Utah, USA 1992, scientist found a 6 metre tall ‘raptor’ just like the ones in the movie! They decided to call it Utahraptor because it was found in Utah. These raptors were super deadly, maybe even more so than T-Rex.

They didn’t live during the same period, but they were the most feared. What happens when these two monsters meet?

The Utahraptor vs. Tyrannosaurus Rex

Size -
Utahraptor: Six metres long.
T-Rex: 5.4 metres tall.

Weight -
Utahraptor: Nearly a tonne.
T-Rex: Six tonnes

Best Features -
Utahraptor: Huge (38 centimetres) curved hind claws.
T-Rex: Huge, strong jaw and massive neck. Bite-and-shake action twice as strong as any other predator.

Speed/Agility -
Utahraptor: Runs on two feet. Top sprint speed: 64 kilometres per hour. Tail can do quick flips for easy turning and jumping. Climbs trees. Can’t dig.
T-Rex: Runs on two feet. Top sprint speed: 64 kilometres per hour. Stiff tail, good for flipping and turning quickly. Can’t climb, but large feet great for digging prayer out of borrows. Good swimmer, but kind of slow.

Senses -
Utahraptor: Excellent vision. Long snout means good sense of smell.
T-Rex: Great at smelling out a meal. Fantastic vision and hearing.

Smarts -
Utahraptor: Huge brain: much smarter than most other dinos.
T-Rex: So-so-sized brain; smart but no rocket scientist.

Strengths -
Utahraptor: Sharp teeth and long jaw good for quick, snapping bites. Mascular neck can jerk head and up for fast tearing action. Long claws on all toes good for grabbing, tearing.
T-Rex: Huge teeth look like elephants tusks and can cash through ribs, shoulder blades and skulls.

Weaknesses -
Utahraptor: Can’t move fash in forest. Lack of swimming skills makes it vulnerable in swampy areas. Small hind feet make walking in mud hard.
T-Rex: Can’t move quickly in dense forest. Slow on attack. Tiny arms.

Yes it’s been over a week since my first Dino post. But I swear this is the last dinosaur post. Dinosaurs are just so cool right now (90s).

This is what I think will happen. Utahraptor quickly climbs up a tree and jumps on top of T-Rex. He claws his eyes out and his back. T-Rex in pain, swings his head from side to side. He runs into a lake. Utahraptor has trouble moving but manages to claw into T-Rex’s body. T-Rex bites his tiny head off. Utahraptor Dies.

Sounds about right? Anybody think T-Rex is no match for clever Utahraptor?

Source: Disney Adventures Oct/Nov 1993

Dinosaurs TV

It’s DINO week! Dinosaurs were so cool in the 90s, and so was the TV show Dinosaurs. It’s a sitcom based on the Sinclair family with Earl and Fran as the parents; Robbie and Charlene as brother and sister; and Baby as . . . the baby.

Unfortunately I don’t remember a single episode. I do remember it making me laugh and that I loved this show. Too bad it didn’t last very long. It aired from 1991 to 1994. This classic isn’t released on DVD in my country. Shame. Anyone else love this show? If you remember an episode you love (unlike me) please share!

Just Out! February 1998

I like to collect 90s magazine and post some interesting articles on this blog. I only did it once so far, and since there is a large time gap between my post these days, I decided to post some more.

Here are the albums that were just released, appearing in the February edition of TV Hits magazine. I don’t have any of these albums so I can’t give my personal opinion on them.

“Yield” Pearl Jam – Those mad rockers Pearl Jam are finally back with their latest album, “Yield”. The excellent single, “Given To Fly” and the tracks “Brain Of J” and “Wish List” will have Pearl Jam fans in rapture! This album is reminiscent of the excellent “Vitalogy” and “10″ albums. If you haven’t been a fan of the Jam, start now!

Okay! Sounds like a plan!

“LSG” Levert. Sweat. Gill. – Three legends of R&B unite to make LSG – it’s Gerald Levert, Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill – and they’ve made one very smooth album. Don’t go past the tracks “My Body”, “Where Did I Go Wrong”, “Curious” and “You Got Me”. This is definitely the CD to play if you’re in the mood for some sultry sounds.

I don’t think I have ever heard of these guys. =S

“An American Werewolf In Pairs” Various – This soundtrack to the freaky movie with Julie Delpy and Tom Everett Scott is just awesome. With “Mouth” by Bush, “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Cake, Eva Trout’s (!) “Soup Kitchen”, Fat’s “Downtime” and loads of other great tracks, this album is made to be played very loud! Way-cool.

Never saw the movie and I’m not exactly interested in it either. The title of the movie sounds . . . lame, but hey, if you’ve seen it and recommend the flick or soundtrack, leave a comment! I’m just going to prejudge this flick as terrible until somebody tells me otherwise.

“A Moment of Love” La Bouche – If La Bouche’s latest CD doesn’t get you up and dancing’, nothing will! Fans will love unreal ditties like ”A Moment Of Love”, “You Won’t Forget Me” and “Oh A Night Like This”. Also check out the cover of “I Can’t Stand The Rain” …the oldies might even like this one! So whack it on and start shakin’ your thang!

Their song “Be My Lover” is a pretty tough single to beat. I love that song.

“Ground Zero” Various (Polygram) – Whoa! From the TV show Ground Zero, this CD is chock full of hits. With Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping”, The Chemical Brothers’ “Block Rockin’ Beats”, Dannii’s “All I Wanna Do”, Texas’ “Say What You Want” and Spice Girls’ “Say You’ll Be There”, it’s an absolute must-have CD!

That’s all.

I can’t help but ask, is there anything this reviewer doesn’t like? Everything happens to be Rad! Cool! Whicked!

After this, I realized I definitely don’t have a big enough music collection…

Dinosaur Theme Park

 Jurassic Park (the film based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same title) was released in 1993 and is one of Steven Spielberg’s most entertaining movies of all time. John Hammond wants to open a park filled with cloned dinosaurs, but must have a safety inspection first. Computer Architech Dennis Nedry (played by favourite 90s fatty actor Wayne Knight) gets bribed to steal dinosaur embryos to deliver to Hammond’s rival. Accordingly, Nedry shuts off the security system; allowing dangerous carnivorous dinosaurs to escape out of their cages. This is where the fun begins.

I was petrified when I watched this movie for the first time. The beginning was light and fun, even included a cartoon explaining the cloning of their dinosaurs. I didn’t understand a thing but it was still cute to watch. Once T-Rex came into the picture, it was time to hide under the covers.

I watched this again and the dinosaurs still looks real as they did the first time I saw it. So many films these days use computers to generate animals and other creatures but it ends up looking like a 3D animation. Examples are the two Chronicles of Narnia films. For some reason it works for Jurassic Park. The sound effects used in Jurassic Park are spectacular. The screech and growls of these dinosaurs are just scary. You MUST watch this with surround sound.

The scene that frightened me the most and still does a bit, is the scene in the kitchen. Tim and Lex (Hammond’s grand children are trying to get out of being dinner (or was it breakfast/lunch, who knows) to two hungry Velociraptors. Tim and Lex are only kids, so this is pretty much a nightmare come true for them. They’re only in a kitchen for Pete’s sake; there isn’t much space for you to run or hide.

[Excuse the poor quality]

My other favourite scene was when Tim, Lex and Alan Grant get up close and personal with a Brachiosaurus in a tree. The dinosaur sneezed all over Lex. Cute.

Beep* Beep* I’m Hungry!

The year is 1997 and Tamagotchis are the new craze! It was created and released in 1996 but I don’t know when it was released in our country.

The Game: You must feed it when it’s hungry. It’s a good idea to play a game with your Tamagotchi pet. There is only one game you can play with it and I still don’t get the purpose. The Tamagotchi waits for you to pick left or right. You press one and sometimes you are right and sometimes you are wrong. Sometimes your Tamagotchi can become ill from lack of care or something. You will need to give it an injection. There is a status section that is the most helpful to check how happy, healthy, and hungry your Tamagotchi is. Whenever it needs you, your Tamagotchi will beep to let you know. Do not neglect it or something bad will happen. You set the time before you begin so your Tamagotchi sleeps when you do.

I really,really, really wanted a Tamagotchi. I never had a real pet when I was in elementary so the thought of an electronic pet is brilliant! Like any other kid that wants a toy, I kept nagging my mom. Everywhere we went I saw one and I didn’t give up.

Then we went overseas and there were so many of those rip-off Tamagotchis. There were toy stands everywhere! I didn’t know the difference between a real one and a rip-off one so I didn’t care.

We arrived at our relatives place and my cousin gave me her small Tamagotchi because she was going to buy the bigger version. My dreams came true! I was the happiest girl in the world.

After two weeks, the Tamagotchi was a pain! They drive you absolutely crazy! Beeep Beep! Beep Beep! Doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, that thing will beep until you do something about it. I can’t recall how many times it has woken me up early in the morning for food or something else. I was getting ready for the group photoshoot for a wedding and I actually stopped the process to feed my Tamagotchi. I actually have a picture of that but I’m not putting that up!

My mother was yelling at me of course for making everybody wait. Didn’t they understand that my Tamagotchi was hungry and it was more important than anything in the world? Nope. I don’t understand either. The worse thing was that it beeped more often than the first week I played with it. I didn’t know understand why.

[Look at how colourful they are. They sure knew how to attrack the kids.]

Finally we came home and I wanted my Tamagotchi to die already! It wouldn’t die! Oh yeah, I found out that it kept beeping because it was fat so it wanted to eat more often than usual. I thought I had to wait until the batteries died for this game to finish. Eventually I found out how to stop it and I did. I felt so guilty.

Tamagotchis are horrible. Don’t buy them.

Yo-Yo Time

If you were a kid growing up in the 90s, you must have gone through the Yo-Yo phase. Now yo-yos weren’t developed in the 90s or anything, in fact, it went all the way back to 1000 BCE, but it was in the 90s that it became so big. Pretty much every child had a yo-yo. If you didn’t have one, there must have been something wrong with you. Everyone was yo-yoing during recess and one time I didn’t have one. It was so boring watching everyone play and do tricks with their yo-yos while I just stood there.

(I wanted to put a picture of my yo-yos but I can’t find them anywhere.)

Yo-yos were so big that The Simpsons even did an episode about it. I haven’t seen that episode in a long, long time. Don’t remember what happened.

The only tricks I can remember at the top of my head was the cradle and the dog walker. For the cradle you use the string to form a triangle around the yo-yo and rock the yo-yo back and forth. Not really a trick, just something cute somebody thought. I saw the dog walker for the first time performed by my P.E. teacher. He brought the yo-yo in and started showing off. The yo-yo would keep jumping up and down his leg as if it were a dog. We all thought it was so cool.

If you had any tricks you thought up the top of your head, be sure to tell!

Truly Mad!

I’m back, as promised! As mentioned in my previous post, Savage Garden has two albums, ‘Savage Garden’ and ‘Affirmation’. They have a third album with all their songs together on one CD called, ‘Truly Madly Completely’. Here’s a quick review of the first two albums.

Australian release of ‘Savage Garden’

1. “To the Moon and Back” – 5:41
2. “Carry on Dancing” – 3:45
3. “Tears of Pearls” – 3:46
4. “I Want You” – 3:52
5. “Truly Madly Deeply” – 4:37
6. “Violet” – 4:04
7. “All Around Me” – 4:11
8. “Universe” – 4:20
9. “A Thousand Words” – 4:00
10. “Break Me Shake Me” – 3:23
11. “Mine” – 4:30
12. “Santa Monica” – 3:37

Released on March 4, 1997, this album sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. It debuted at #1 on the ARIA charts for 6 weeks. If you happen to buy the album, you MUST listen to their signature songs, ‘To the Moon and Back’, ‘I Want You’ and ‘Truly Madly Deeply’. As with all other songs on the album, these three songs are by far the most popular ones. With a catchy tune and romantic lyrics, these songs will definitely make any Valentine’s Day dinner a very special occasion. Rating: 8.5/10.

Australian release of ‘Affirmation’

1. “Affirmation” – 4:56
2. “Hold Me” – 4:50
3. “I Knew I Loved You” – 4:10
4. “The Best Thing” – 4:19
5. “Crash and Burn” – 4:41
6. “Chained to You” – 4:08
7. “The Animal Song” – 4:39
8. “The Lover After Me” – 4:50
9. “Two Beds and a Coffee Machine” – 3:27
10. “You Can Still Be Free” – 4:18
11. “Gunning Down Romance” – 5:34
12. “I Don’t Know You Anymore” – 3:50
13. “The Animal Song (Hector Hex Club Mix)” (Bonus track which appears on the Australian edition)

Following the success of their debut album, they released another album two years later. The MUST listen songs on this album include, ‘Affirmation’, ‘I Knew I Loved You’ and ‘Crash and Burn’. ‘Affirmation’ has meaningful lyrics, so meaningful that Savage Garden was asked to perform the song live during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. ‘I Knew I Loved You’ and ‘Crash and Burn’ covers pretty much the same scope as the previous songs, ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ and ‘To The Moon and Back’ respectively. All the other songs on this album are catchy as well, with meaningful lyrics that will definitely make you reflect about your life and make comparisons. Rating: 8/10.

In all, Savage Garden did a marvellous job in appealing to Australian music critics and music enthusiasts. Too bad the band broke up too early. Hope they will reunite sometime in the near future.

Source(s): Wikipedia