I need to do more on my social skills. Saturday a friend of mine had a birthday party at his place. I went there alone, knowing that there will be people that I know. But me being shy, it took me ages and a lot of alcohol before I started joining in or making up conversations. In the end we all went to this club and had great fun. However I can't stop thinking that if I was a bit more social, my life would be much more colourful. I need to build confidence in myself so that I can be better off. Maybe that is what's been wrong with my life...

31 Songs
Just finished reading 31 Songs by Nick Hornby. Man, I love this guy. He writes small and personal essays about 31 songs he likes. The list is different than mine of course, but the way he interacts with music is just like me. He goes deep and uses music as a way to express himself and really understands the music as a whole, as an opinion. And it makes me think, what song has the kind of effect as Thunder Road had on him? I probably don't have an anthem, but I do have some songs that reminds me of certain events/periods of my life.

Some examples:
Take On Me - A-ha. This song reminded me of my childhood. It was a catchy pop-tune with a cool video (where Morten Hackett jumps into a comic). I clearly remember this video clip on the telly when I was 9, on the last day before I moved from Netherlands to Indonesia. That move was a culture shock for a 9-year old and it took me a while to adjust. But everytime I would hear Take On Me, my mind goes back to Amsterdam, to my childhood.

Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon. When you have a crush in your teenage years, there is always a soundtrack to it. For my crush, it was this song. This song seem to mean a lot for a 14-year old boy trying to do everything within his power to go up and ask this girl out. I must've been pretty mad back then, but then again I was 14.

Sweet Child O'Mine - Guns N Roses. The rock song of the 80s. The song that strengthen my mission to play music. The song I played for my first gig ever and the song that continues to get me grabbing for my guitar and start playing alongside it. Axl Rose was just the epitomy of coolness back in those days. If it wasn't for this song I wouldn't have been in a band and on stage.

Metarie - Brendan Benson. I haven't been in a relationship for a while and when I fumbled into this song (I bought the album when I was drunk, at the moment I didn't even know why I bought this album) I found the answer. "I like to see you everyday, but I'm afraid of what my friends might say/You need a bath and you're clothes are wrong/And I can tell that we wouldn't get along" was the answer by a girl who rejected him in the song. And although I'm sure that I don't need a bath, I somehow felt like the character Benson was describing.

See, songs do have a huge meaning in my life. And thanks to Nick Hornby, now I will try to attach a memory to certain songs that have an impact on me.