The Royal Economic Treat.

Prince William with his bride Catherine.

The Great Recession of 2008 that enveloped some of the strongest nations across the globe saw the falling of British economy by a major 5% shrink along with disruption in the routine lives of the people throughout the country.Massive cuts in allowances, wages along with rising oil prices and credit crunches; it was a one of the hardest times witnessed by the citizens of England.The economic crash did come to an end in the spring of 2009 after a 6.2% fall in output in the previous two quarters.Still,the English economy has had a huge debt to repay and has been going through fluctuating inflation rates.

Straddling with a present inflation rate at 4.5%,the Britons got a royal treat in the form of Prince William's wedding to his long term girlfriend Catherine Middleton in April 2011.With the announcement of their engagement in November 2010,it was like a flutter of sparkle had been sprinkled upon Britain.The people were excited and gleaming with joy as such an event had not occurred since 1981,when Prince Charles married Lady Diana.From mugs to balloons,what began was a huge fanfare whirl surrounding the wedding.Details as minute as getting the the glimmer of gold in the uniform of each military officer of the same shade, to the nail-biting suspense as to which designer would create the bride's wedding gown,it was like a fairytale delight.Who all would be invited,what would be the security,how many people would watch it and many more were some of the most contested questions.Finally the day, 29 April arrived and the events unfolded.The groom,Prince William in his Irish Guard uniform; and the bride,Catherine Middleton in her Alexander McQueen laced wedding dress arrived in the Westminster Cathedral,and took the holy vows of matrimony in front of 7000 guests and an estimated two billion viewers worldwide.It was like a dream, with thousands standing outside the Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.Finally,when the newly weds shared not one but two heart warming kisses to delight the audience,it was the culmination of a beautiful dream for commoners.

At a time,when UK is still coming out of its shackles of economic downturn,this wedding was like a much deserved break for the people.Declared as a bank holiday along with Easter weekend,the citizens rejoiced,danced and drank in the frolic of the exquisite royal treat.How much did this mean to the people was evident by the huge turnout of the public.Reportedly,tourism also shot up in that week,as it was generated as a  huge affair and garnered much attention of the world audience.Televised live throughout the day,it became one of the highest watched events in the past few years.How a matrimonial ceremony of a prince to a commoner,brought delight to millions perhaps proved that,finding happiness in some of the most distressed times,is possible and also a major reason to remain hopeful in adversity as well.

Mayer.

"I can't figure out what's wrong with me,so I can say this is what I used to be."

It doesn't happen everyday to be a sheer genius and try to mask it with deliberate attempts of ignorance on one's part.Listening to John Mayer lately, I realized how overtly undertaken he is by his exemplified music.The strings he pulls, the songs he writes and the voice he lends; are all done with a simple exaggeration of his life.The glitterati, the fan frenzy, the addictive success, are all a major part of his life but are not his defining pieces.Despite being in the midst of all the glamour, John has been inside his obelisk that nobody has been able to enter.He's not a recluse, and yet he's been able to remain a class apart from all his counterparts.

The compositions that he writes and sings clearly define how true he is to the real world.The words he renders his vocals to, are perhaps justifications of how he terms his act of self-being.He doesn't seem to dwell on success, rather describes how easy it is to get out of it.Mayer, through his songs tries to tell people how being flawless and imperfect is just a way of life and he stands by it thoroughly.How ever-lasting love is something he cannot relate to and yet, love someone with all conviction that he can hold transitionally, is sincerely captured in his song-'Half Of My Heart'.In his song-'Perfectly Lonely', John talks about how sometimes loneliness befits a person, rather push him into a cavity.How perfect it can be, to seldom not be tied to anything to but one's own mistakes.

Starting from the days of 'Your Body Is A Wonderland' and 'No Such Thing', where he sung about the sweet amusements of love and the young bursts of being invincible, to the hard hitting versions like- 'Belief' and 'Edge of Desire',John Mayer has been a soul reflection of what he is, and yet it's always been a hefty task to figure him out.Considering all this,this Berklee product, may as well come out with his autobiography one day titled-'My Discography'.Nevertheless,John with his genuine sense of life's truths, will definitely remain one of the most meaningful singer-songwriters of our age.