Free Hugs

Where have all the cowboys gone? I remember when cowboys used to rule this land, with their hats, horses, and diamond bracelets. But where have they gone? Perhaps they fled with the talent and originality that seemed to lack in the year 2009. Granted, we had some ups (thank you Alicia and Miss Gaga), but then we had our downs (Oh Chris Brown and most of Korean music). And when we went down, we went down into the pits of hell to find things we never knew existed, lows that were so low we wrapped back around and praised them as 'highs'. Remember that time I was Sandra Bullock and made 'Speed', an awesome movie, only to follow it with 'The Net', a movie that sunk on so many levels? It's like making sequels to 'Bring it On' and 'Cruel Intentions'; why screw up the awesome legacy of the first movie with horse dung found in the second (and in some cases, third) installment?

Anyway, 2009 faced some massive challenges, hurdles we all had to overcome. In Korea, I think so many bad things happened in the music/entertainment world that we (and by we I mean everyone else but like five of us who weren't drinking the kool-aid) simply thought it good. Case and point: girl groups. I miss the days of S.E.S. and their fun and funky music of late 1990s/early 2000s; they were the original pop girl group in Korea (for the most part at least) and they knew how to do it in style. These days, there are more girl groups then there are opinions of Britney Spears, hardly any of them good. The worst part is, they make virtually the same music and are hailed as 'wonderful'. It reminds me of the little known Steve Martin film 'Leap of Faith', also co-staring Meat Loaf and Liam Neeson. Steve Martin plays a fraudulent Christian evangelist attempting to heal people in order to garnish money via offerings. I feel as if Korean music this past year has done that to its people, but then again Koreans don't buy music anyways, so I suppose it all works out for the best.

But why dwell in the past year? We should, rather, look forward to the year 2010 as the year of sunshine, hugs and puppies. Or at the very least, the year of moving beyond crap to mediocracy! Come on everyone, let's shoot for being just okay! We all can do it. You figure, if we all become just okay, then we will have greater incentive to be greater in the future; who wants to be the same anyways (well, besides most of the world)? Then once we all move forward to greatness, greatness becomes average and we aim higher. At this rate, we'll be building colonies on Mars and inventing warp-speed drive in no time! Go team go!

I believe that the year 2010 will be an amazing year, for everyone. Why do I believe this? Because on the first proper day of work of this year I was nearly forced from going to work due to a rather fluke snow storm, dropping snow that came nearly up to my knees. Coming from Atlanta I'd never seen such absurdity as this, so I figure such absurdity this early in the year makes for a kick ass year! That, or the world is going to end. Either way, excitement is just around the corner! Plus, this is the year I enter a Ph.D. program (let's hope for a good one), Doctor Who returns with a new Doctor (I will totally miss David Tennant), Torchwood finally comes back (I can't get enough of John Barrowman), and I grow wings. All things to look forward to in 2010.

In closing, Free Hugs is a good way to advertise, and a good way to start of the new year. Give someone you love, like, want to sleep with, or just someone you tolerate a free hug (charge the rest) and let your year start on the upside. Merry Days.