Music tastes, does this sound like you?

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Does this describe you?

I hear everything. Everything means everything, a tone of a drum, each note of a guitar solo, vocal nuances of singers, and I hear it all in real time as if the song is playing in my room. Often times I don't need to listen to music, I listen to myself.

I need complexity. If I detect a simple familiar chord progression or set of lyrics coming, I tune out. I never listen to the radio, mainstream, popular songs/videos, or recommended songs for me as I get bored very quickly.

I have a deep desire for the emotion of the playing of the song to match the lyrical content.

Anything about love, relationships, infatuation and sex, strikes me as cliche and uncreative, therefore I usually don't listen.

I need to know the story of the band/singer/group and know if they're genuine or not, before I like a song from them. Anyone who seems like an attention seeker who hopes to disguise their musical work as "for the people" or "for the love of music", turns me off from them.

If I finally do find a song I like (it's usually just one song at a time), it gets stuck in my head for months at a time.

I almost never look for music anymore because I end up hearing a lot of things I don't like, and I'd rather go without than wade through stuff I don't like.

I can listen to virtually any genre, so long as the above criteria are fulfilled. This goes for rap, electronic, classical, rock, pop, etc. I have no one dominant genre in my music collection, but I have maybe 70 songs total.

Does this sound like you?

Some of this sounds like me but mostly not.

I listen to any genre and I listen to so much music that I increasingly listen for more complex music to keep finding something new.

I never repeat a song in a day. I always look for new music. I don't care about the lyrics at all. I don't want to know anything about the bands. I listen to anything that people recommend even if it is just once to find out if I like it or not. Yes, this means I often hear songs I don't like, but it is also how I have found some of my absolute favourites.
My music collection is about 150,000 songs and growing. After rent, I probably spend the largest amount of my income on music.
Maz

Not really me.

I grew up with Top-40 music in the 1960s. It's still part of the soundtrack of my life.

I like some "experimental" music--but I don't like music that's purposely dissonant.

I like classical music, too.

I like many kinds of ethnic music as well.

Maybe it's my "hyperfocus/hypercritical" niche that I've dug myself into.

Admittedly, none of my friends understand either.

I can't help it: I'd be really fascinated if you were actually in Phnom Penh!

Do you compose music as well as appreciate music?

I don't compose; I just appreciate.

^^What's fascinating about Phnom Penh? (I'm genuinely curious, not trying to sound snide). As far as I'm concerned, it's dirty, smelly, crowded, disgusting, and full of idiots on motorcycles wanting to die.

I compose music as well, but (as many ASD people) I have a very difficult time sharing it. I have no youtube channel or anything, just a bunch of songs on my computer which never see the light of day.

I've never been there. If I had, then I might share your opinion.

I'm fascinated by the fact that people have survived in Cambodia at all, after what happened in the 1990s. Isn't there some kind of "Renaissance" happening there? Especially around Siem Reap--with the Angkor ruins?

If they would just fix the roads there, Cambodia could be a great place for tourists.

I also heard that Phnom Penh has great food, and great Buddhist temples.

There's good and bad in everything, I feel.

I see.

You could fix the roads here, but it's not going to help because the traffic and drivers here are such morons. i.e. In front of my apartment this morning, the usual drinking water delivery truck was there, and someone decided to leave his Lexus in the other lane and go get some coffee (which is fake roasted soybeans with mocha powder), and blocked the entire road until the water truck finished it's delivery. At least 40 cars were backed up, and that's all I could see. You need to fix Cambodians first before you fix the roads IMO.

Then the genocide.

You're referring to the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 1970s, 75-81 I believe. Pol Pot wanted an agricultural society and killed off any intellectuals, lawyers, doctors, people with glasses, etc. None of them where ever prosecuted until much later, but people like Lon Nol died in freedom at old age, 1985 for him, Pol Pot in 1998 and Leng Sary in 2013, never tasting any amount of justice.

What infuriates me about the Khmer Rouge though, isn't the fact that it happened, but it's the ignorance of these people (I don't call Cambodians my people because I think they're idiotic) and that they really seem to care about nothing and likewise, do nothing. Just spout of anti Vietnamese propaganda (despite the Vietnamese liberated Cambodia in the 80s) and then steal money from the U.S. government because "we deserve". Stupid f***ers deserve nothing! Cambodia makes nothing, Cambodia does nothing! It's a real s**thole of a country full of corruption, laziness and cultural stupidity.

People here a lot about human trafficking (here's a good point for Cambodia), it's really not as bad as people make it to be. It irritates me though that tourists come here and think that every bank worker or waitress is for sale and that any foreigner here is here for sex with little girls/boys. A very few are, vast majority aren't.

I am full on Cambodian, both parents born and raised (Prey Veng and Battambang, father mother), both fled during the Khmer Rouge time to Thailand and then were sent to Long Beach as refugees. Despite this though, I can not understand for the life of me why this country is the way it is. I have no hope for Cambodia, and until I come to grips with either returning to California and sucking up life in America again (as an anti social), I'll be angry every day that I am here. The only reason I am is because I can survive on $250 a month and not worry about some creditor phoning me every moment of the day demanding interest payments on credits I needed to pay for school which "promised" a good career, which never came.

Yes, I'm am cynical. Sorry about that.

Either or, the food here is terrible. I can't eat anywhere without getting indigestion or full on full poisoning. I am relegated to my house and eat instant noodles or soup rice that I make myself every day.

As for the temples, I am "Buddist" in some beliefs, but I do not attend or adhere to customs and the morning rounds the monks do. There are swarms of fake monks (Chinese pretending to be monks) and then taking money from the gullible people, so even that has been tainted for me.

I agree though, good and bad in everything. Seriously though, I've lived here half of my life, and lived a nice life in the U.S. People irritated with the U.S. (a lot of my generation especially), and I truly believe they need to go to a place like Cambodia and get the baby bottle pulled from their mouth and get a taste of what life is like.

Sorry, I've had a bad 15 years here, and it probably shows.

Thanks very much. You educated me.

I've always wanted to hear the viewpoint of somebody who actually LIVES in places where I want to go.

I've heard of Battambang. The place seems to have nice French colonial architecture. I wouldn't mind it if you enlightened me about Battambang, too.

What part of the US did you live?

Often times people like to read places like trip advisor and such for info on an area, but it's kind of like asking "What's New York like?" to a Jersey person who heads to NYC for the night. (I saw your profile said NYC). But yes, as a Cambodian, that's my view on life here, and I've lived enough of it here I reckon. I just don't like the U.S. either, especially being a brown skinned "Latino", so I stay here because it's cheap.

Either or, Battambang. I know very little to be honest, only that they grow some of the best rice there. I only buy Battambang rice from the local who brings it by the truckload, and it is delicious. Never had better rice, not even from Japanese or Korean marts, so the one thing I say is good about Cambodia is the Battambang rice. The oranges are pretty tasty too, much better and "genuine" than the American stuff from Florida.

Sorry, I know you weren't asking about food, but I know little of Battambang, so I can't offer anything really useful there. I've only been there once and remember very little about it.

In the U.S. I lived in Long Beach, California right new Cambodia Town, really close to the shipping port. Kind of a dump really.


How about yourself? Where do you hail from and any interesting cultural heritage?

I was born, raised, and still live in New York City.

My father is Dutch/Catholic

My mother is Russian/Jewish

I feel vaguely culturally "Jewish" at times.

I like Russian literature, and I am fascinated by Russian culture. I don't feel like I'm "Russian," though.

Otherwise, I feel like I want to be a person of the world, rather than merely of the US (though I think the US, while having faults, is a decent country).

I would love to go explore Cambodia looking for beautiful scenery (not in cities, obviously). The only reason I don't is because i dont speak any languages other than english. What would be ideal for me would be to find someone who speaks english and the local language and take them touring around their country using my money to get places.
Anyway. Interesting discussion.

This, absolutely is correct. Granted, I haven't lived anywhere besides Cambodia and the U.S., but the U.S. really is a decent country to live in. There are faults for sure, but those faults are much less than other places around the world. I mean, I really can't see someone getting into a auto/ped accident in the U.S. and then running them over 2 more times to make sure the pedestrian was dead because compensation costs less for dead people than injured. Just one example.





You can get by very well with English in Cambodia, unlike Thailand where even people outside the airport know little English.





The one thing I recommend AGAINST, is doing exactly this. The local will agree to a price, then ask for more, bail on you, steal from you, show up late, etc etc, it's just not worth the hassle. I've seen this happen over and over and over... I've actually made money being people's tour guide because I am American Cambodia (speak read and write like a Cambodian), and I don't steal people's stuff and show up on time. Not a fun job, but it paid surprisingly well, and that's why all the gold digging losers head for it.

Anyway, sorry.

If you want a real adventure, look for Westernized restaurants (owned by westerners) for food, bring some cash (ATMs are around a lot, so cash is easy to get) and only carry at most, a few hundred on you in case of an emergency. The debit card can be used whenever you want and there are cash machines in small cities even.

I'd buy a motorcycle like the locals use (so you "blend in") if you can ride one, and then use it to go where you need to go. It's a lot cheaper than using the stupid rickshaws and having to barter every time you need to go a few hundred metres. It also gets you avoiding everyone jumping in front of you saying "Hello sir! Tuk tuk sir?"

Just quick advice from a "local".

I know Phnom Penh is constantly hot and humid---yet might have cooler nights in the winter, perhaps down to 15 Celsius?

About 20 years ago, Bangkok, Thailand, went down to 9.9 Celsius.

Have you ever been to the Angkor Temples?

Yeah...it definitely sucks when somebody in a Lexus wants coffee so bad that he abandons his car in the street, and causes that sort of traffic jam. The guy would have been probably been arrested in New York.

At least you know at least two languages. I bet you know Thai, too. And perhaps a local language other than Khmer.

As for me: I only known English well. I know a smattering of French and Spanish.

I mean i'd find someone here in australia that is from there and then just pay for us to take a trip etc. I.e. get to know people rather than hiring random strangers.
I had vietnamese housemates at one point and that worked out very well. I get a chance to know them etc, they know how to survive in their home country and I give them a free 'all expenses paid' trip.

It's 89 F in my apartment right now (I don't have A/C) and it's only 9:45 am. In the summer I'm used to 95-98 because the ventilation is non existent. Humidity is around 40-60% usually, not as bad in the city.

I've never been to Angkor Wat actually. Main attractions don't usually interest me, much like how I never went to Disneyland in the U.S. despite living really close to it.

Btw thanks for your story, I forgot to say that.





Well, when the police are the one driving the Lexus...





I see. That would work then, and I would go for it so long as they are "educated" and also know their country. What I mean is this. In Vietnam there are a lot of hard workers who make it out into the educated world, and they have a lot of street smarts about their country.

The Khmer on the other hand, there are a lot of rich people who haven't done anything but take funds from the government, and they are often the ones who can afford to go to other countries for school/work. There are far fewer semi wealthy middle class here than Vietnam as merit has no reward in Cambodia. So, if you do find someone, make sure they're from the middle class ("We had a store that we all worked in to save up money" vs. "My father was a District Police Officer.") you get the idea.

The stealers are going to have no clue about anything except how to facebook, drive nice cars, and eat at restaurants.


What part of Oz by the way?