Sound Bite: Don’t work, be hated and love someone.

“Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows. What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free.”

- Author Adrian Tan in his speech as guest-of-honor at a recent college graduation in Singapore. Read on for his witty and fabulous take on how to live your life freely: don’t work, be hated and love someone.

Houston Press: 50 reasons Texas is the best state in America

“40. Willie Nelson. Beloved by the most stonered Austin dreamer to the most rigid born-again Baptist, and no one bats an eye when he racks up another weed arrest.

38. Friday Night Lights. Not the book, movie or show — the real thing. High school football in small-town Texas is something everyone should experience at least once.

26. If there’s an ethnic food that’s not available in Houston, it involves a very, very small ethnicity.

11. Houston took rap and made it its own and gave it to the rest of you. You’re welcome.

1. Texans are so damn charming when they brag about their state. (Um, aren’t we?)”

- Richard Connelly in a Houston Press blog post / Gawker rebuttal. Check it.

CultureMap: Sizing up "American Idol" Season 11

If you’re not watching “American Idol” this year, you’re missing out on one of the most memorable seasons in “Idol” history. Why?

“My favorite seasons don’t just present us with potential recording artists; they take raw talent and cultivate it. They tell stories with artistic arcs. They create journeys. And that’s why I love this season.

Week after week, we’ve seen the contestants earnestly build their identities like puzzles, despite the meandering “constructive criticism” from the judges. We’ve seen them wrestle through emotions, intertwine personality and vision, and take creative risks. There’s real momentum driving this season — the kind that both captivates you and keeps you guessing.”

You can read my full thoughts on this season in my latest post for CultureMap, and find all of my “Idol” coverage here. And, seriously, watch this: