Blessed

Today I am feeling especially grateful, for no specific reason.  I sat outside in the sun today while house sitting for my cousins, peacefully reading a book while the dog entertained himself in the yard, and I felt perfectly content and completely blessed to just be alive and able to enjoy this beautiful place we live in.

Yes, it sounds very cheesy, but I just thought I'd share with you my moment of simple appreciation and bliss today.  And for some reason I cannot explain, Ode to LRC by Band of Horses remained stuck in my head all day after listening to it this morning while walking the dog.  I never really listened to the lyrics before, but they are truly exquisite, thoughtful, and beautiful; I think they are a good reminder to us of what is important in life.

So don't sweat the small stuff, and when you start to feel exasperated or overwhelmed in your life, take a deep breath and truly take in all the positive things that surround you, and how privileged and blessed you are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nP88E2pMk8



<3 Syd

Ordinary People - John Legend Cover by ME! :)

Finally able to record a new cover! Hope you guys like it, pleaseeeee subscribe and share with everyone you can! :)

Motivation

So about two months ago I had a lapse of judgement and decided to sign up for the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco this October.  I've always been a mediocre runner: cross country and track my freshman and sophomore years of high school, and after that, running was pretty much the only way I knew how to exercise... It's still the only way I know how to exercise.  I am NOT an athlete.

Anyhoo. I was really sick for the better part of January through June until I had my tonsils and adenoids surgically removed, so now I'm finally healthy and able to actually do physical activity! Yay!! (BOOO.) I've been trying to run every day, and push myself to go a little farther and a little faster each time.  So far my progress is laughable, but hey it's more than a lot of people are doing.

But the best part about training, actually about running in general, in my opinion, is the music you listen to while you do it! And for a music-obsessed person like me, having the absolute perfect running playlist is CRUCIAL.  Some of my faves include Can't Hold Us - Macklemore, Heart Skips A Beat - Olly Murs, and a wholeeee lotta Two Door Cinema Club because they're the tits.  But my new obsession is Pompeii by Bastille: If you haven't checked them out yet, get on it!!! Especially this song because basically when you listen to it, you can do ANYTHING. Literally. It's the king of motivational songs.


GET MOTIVATED!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avikdfBO9rw

(PS, there's also an acoustic version... So hot!)


<3 Syd

US Open-Inspired Song of the Day

My friend Raychel and I at the US Open today! :)

It's that time of year again: the US Open of Surfing is here, wooo! For those of you who don't know, the Open always takes place in Huntington Beach, CA and I am beyond blessed to live a mere 15 minutes from this beautiful blue coast! (I don't care what anyone says, Orange County RULES.)

There's really not a whole lot to do at the US Open, unless you absolutely live for waiting in a line for an hour and a half just to get a cheap hat for FREE! Oh yeah, I guess you could watch the actual surf competition too. Anyway, the beach is, and always has been, my favorite place to be, so a lot of the music I listen to, especially in summertime, is inspired by the beach!

Sooo today's song of the day is "Never Let You Go" by Third Eye Blind.  It's a throwback for sure, but a classic nonetheless.  Great song for driving to the beach, lounging by the pool, or shreddin' the gnar (don't worry, I don't know what that means either).  Hope this song inspires you to find your blissful, sunny beach, wherever you may be this summer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kiHBFwGsUE

<3 Syd

Anger Un-Management / Song of the Day

Isn't it funny (but actually not at all) how your day can start out wonderfully perfect and then magically turn to a big pile of horse turd? We've all been there... Today, I was there.

I have a sister two years younger than me, which means (you guessed it) we fight ALL. THE. TIME.  I don't usually lose my cool but my sister is a full-blown expert at knowing how to really freaking tick me off, so sometimes I crack under pressure.  Anyway, the whole thing blew up and my house turned into an episode of Family Feud...

...which leads us to today's Song of the Day! We all have a favorite song for when we just want to punch a wall in or drive 100 miles per hour away from where we are, or just run until the anger sweats out of us.  Mine is Anthem Part 2 by Blink-182; yes, totally cliche with the adolescent angst-y lyrics and stuff, but hey, it does the job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltx7_jjv8OE

Hope y'all's Sunday Funday was better than my Not-So-Fun-Day! 

<3 Syd

Song of the Day

"Until We Get There" by Lucius

I first heard this song at the end of an episode of New Girl.  I like it because it's a mellow song but also has momentum to it; fun fact: it's actually great to run to! Also a good song for in the car.  It's a simple song, but the message is good: "Everybody's gotta get there somehow".  Life moves fast and Lord knows how incredibly frustrating it can get, but in the end everyone will get where they're supposed to end up, so why not enjoy the ride on the way there?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6hOrlbSaVo

<3 Syd

New Artist - The 1975

On the half hour drive to my aunt's house today, a radio station I was listening to introduced a song by the artist The 1975.  They are a band from the UK, and they currently have an EP with five tracks out.  I had never heard of them until today, but I listened to all of their songs on Spotify as soon as I got home, and they're pretty good! If you're into Alternative/Indie stuff, I would definitely check them out.  Their songs are pretty catchy, and aren't overpowering or hard on the ears.

Have a listen!
https://play.spotify.com/artist/3mIj9lX2MWuHmhNCA7LSCW

<3 Syd

Song of the Day

"Stay With You" by John Legend

I've recently been on a John Legend kick; I mean, who wouldn't love him and his seductive sexy voice? It's pure silk and melted chocolate, I could listen to that stuff all day. ANYWAY. This is a really beautiful song, it captures the soul that John Legend always masters so wonderfully in his music, as well as having truly heartfelt lyrics.  This is the kind of song women dream about having their man serenade them with.  (Maybe that's just me...? Oh well.)

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCuZX0ufVF4

<3 Syd

check out my YouTube channel!

Here's the link for my YouTube channel! I've been really sick for a while so I haven't uploaded lately, but check out what I have!

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xoQj5BwnBwTBVyJrA1nzw

Hello blogosphere

Hello world!

My name is Sydney, I'm almost 20, soon to be a second year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and an absolute music fanatic.  I've been singing since I was little, and after I realized athletics weren't my forte, music and singing became my home.  It's pretty much all I know and the only thing I've ever been truly passionate and driven for in my entire life.

It's beyond cheesy and cliche for me to say this, I know, but for me music is a language.  A song is more than something you listen to in the car while you're driving to school or work, it's a channel for communicating a thought, mood, idea, or emotion.  And on some level, we all know this, right? Otherwise we wouldn't deeply relate to some songs more than others, or have our Rainy Day/Just Got Dumped/I Just Want To Cry song, or play that one song on full volume after that hottie kisses you for the first time or after we ace that super hard final.

So that's why I created this blog.  I don't have a clue what I'm doing, I don't  even know if a single person will read this, but hey, I'm going for it.  I want to post about the ways music influences me and affects me on a daily basis, how it shapes my day to day life.  I'll be giving a taste of what goes on in my extremely exciting (sarcasm) life, and how music is a way for me to channel my energy and emotions.

I also love discovering new music and new artists! So feel free to share with me about what you listen to and enjoy, or anything new that you discover too, because I'll be posting about music I'm interested in on any particular day.

Thanks guys, cheers to an interesting experiment!

<3 Syd