Happy New Year! and stuff

Happy new year internet! It has been a hell of a 2012. First things first, I'm glad the Mayans were wrong! That would've been a really spectacular year. Part of me was looking forward to a post-apocoliptic world. Anyway, we're all stll here and we can get on with our lives.

Persoannly this year was a pretty eventful one for me. This tine last year I still had two sets of exams ahead of me which would make up 100% of my BA degree. I didn't know it yet, but also had a B.Phil dissertation ahead of me as well as a TEFL teaching course and a summer of work teaching Spanish students. So I'm very thankful that I made it through University and graduated and all that.

Next big change this year was my adventure in London and this little project here that are both still ongoing! Those last few months have really gone quickly for me. I'm pretty happy with how London is working out and this blog is going better than I expected too!

Milestones aside, it was all the good times that I had with my friends that really made this year memorable. I had a few memorable trips with some good friends including a weekend in Brussels where we drank a lot and wandered the streets at 3 am. There was the trip to London as well, where we drank cocktails and danced to cheesy 80's music with some great Kiwis. I also had a few memorable nights in Maynooth, Dublin and London. All accompanied with some of the best people I've ever met, both old and new.

I'd like to thank everybody who has read my little blog. I really love writing for others for a change. It's great to get a bit of feedback from you too! Now that I've left Ireland it's nice to have this outlet to keep in touch with people who are scattered all over the world. If anybody would like to send me some music or any links they want me to write about, I'd love to help promote people I know. Hopefully I'll keep writing and I might actually come up with something interesting to say one of these days!

So to everybody who's made this a great year, and to the friends that I have yet to meet in the future: Thank you and Happy Holidays!

See ya in 2013!

The Drawbacks of Setting Goals: Part 1

A few days ago I put pen to paper and actually wrote down some of my goals. I've read in many places and heard advice from many people about this issue. The way to get ahead in life is to set goals. Not only will it get you to where you want to go, it will also make you feel better about yourself.

The goals that I set for myself were related to myself as a musician and song-writer. It included things like releases, tours, songs, demos, and more stuff like what kind of life I would like to have in 20 years time; where I'd like to live, the work I would like to do. I even made sure to make it as specific as possible. So I broke it up into different time scales such as 10 years, 2 years, 6 months right up to this week. I then put concrete numbers like 50 songs written, or 1,000 twitter followers. I did my best to follow all the guidelines that I remembered. I'm pretty good at following advice from other people!

I must admit that having all my goals right in front of me did make me feel better about my career. It made everything feel a bit more real, not just a fantasy. It made me feel like I was going to be approaching this the right way. I could start and hit the ground running. I started to notice how so many people never have their goals clear. Even established bands and people don't go about it this way. I felt like I was ahead of the game on this level at least. I now know exactly what I need to do.

After passing a few days with my plan sitting on my mind, I've started to become a little more pessimistic. I'm wondering if having my goals planned out is that useful after all. The first problem that I have with setting my goals is that I'm not very imaginative. When I think of an ideal life, I struggle to some up with an images or ideas. The only things that come to mind are typical media-peddled 'success-stories' with big houses and fast cars, or my own escapist fantasies inspired by my love of sci-fi and revolutionary politics. There is some conflict between what life can offer and what I really want that I am still struggling with. Besides that, I can hardly find enjoyment when I plan a for a day out, how should I know what I'd like in the long-term?

This leads me to my second problem. The things that I find most enjoyable in life are those things which happen spontaneously and unexpectedly. I love to go out and just see where the night takes me. The two most memorable nights that I've had, I started with a list of parties and places to go, I picked one to go to first and then I tried to hit them all but inevitably took many de-tours and always ended up somewhere I never planned, meeting people I have no logical connection with. This is my idea of fun. This goes for other areas of life as well. I thrive on change and novelty. I get tired of things quickly. I'm not quite as giddy and excited as someone with ADD, but I have a sort of long-term attention deficit.

So when I look at my plan for the next 20 years, it excites me for a few days, but then it bores me. I really don't want to know where I'm going to be in 20 years time. Even if I planned for my wildest dreams, it would take all the fun out of the journey. Having a plan is supposed to keep you focused and determined, but it seems to kill my enthusiasm. Maybe I just haven't found my passion yet. But I have found a lot of things that I enjoy doing.

When I started thinking about this I searched google for 'negative effects of setting goals'. As expected many results were just guides like the ones I read originally. Others were about mistakes when making goals, but very few negative about the entire concept. I shall conduct further research on this!

Right now, I feel like many of the problems I've highlighted are quite personal. They may be peculiar to my perspective on life. Maybe goals are just not for me. I'm sure I'm not the only one though. I might have to forget about goals and resign myself to rebelling against the absurdity of this world a la Camus. Or I might get used to my idea of success and end up in that nice house in 20 years time.

Trying

Another poem written by yours truly. It's pretty self-explanatory. Let me know what you think of it, I love getting criticism!

Trying 

by Patrick Shortall

I just read some poetry

now I want to write some too

but I can't lose the feeling

that it's all in vain.

My hand stretches for the pen

fingers straining to scratch

etching out those little figures

before it falls and slides

like my body

thrown off the merry-go-round of life

I'm lying on my bed

but it won't stop spinning

Trying to figure out

why I should even get up

fail before I start

I can never be the one

That I want to be

Every time I dream

close my eyes and I see

All those visions so sweet

But when I awake

they grow so faint

fading fast with the fog

starts to cloud my thought

Notes and Ideas amount to

Draw a line through

Try not to forget why I need to write

Try not to remember I've got nothing to say

Review: Rosie Abbott

I reviewed the debut album by this up-and-coming singer songwriter from Nottingham a few months ago. It made an impression on me so I hope you enjoy it too. Make sure to check out her website for links to buy the album. If anybody has music they would like me to review please e-mail me at <padjis [at] gmail . com>


Beatles influence, check. Multi-instrumentalist, check. Home recording, check. Rosie Abbott seems to fit perfectly into that tired old singer-songwriter cliché. But in a world full of stereotypes and wannabes this woman refuses to be categorised. This album is clearly a response to this situation, playing on the theme of pigeon-holing. Rosie Abbott is like a breath of fresh air compared to the latest products of the mass-media machine. Her music rescues that fun childish innocence while creating a free and relaxed atmosphere. 

Review: Sonic Boom Six - Self Titled

The long awaited review of the long awaited album. This is the fourth album form the genre terrorists from Manchester, Sonic Boom Six. It is by far the biggest leap in sound they've made. It has been massively influenced by dance and electronic music, particularly drum'n'bass and dubstep, and is considerably more in-your-face. this has always been their style but there is a much more commercial edge to this album. Ultimately it is still a massive mash-up of punk, metal, hip-hop and dance.