So I'm sick.
I had avoided it for so long. I thought maybe, just maybe, I could dodge the viral bullets being sprayed towards me by my dormies, but apparently my armour wasn't strong enough. Yes, I have the common cold. However, how much of a pain in the backside can it be? You know, it's just a scratchy throat, a blocked nose and extremely warm eye temperature... Ugh.
I pushed through 10 hours of work on ANZAC day. Think of the money. Think of the money.
Lovemeg
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
#65: Finding my Footing
So I just went down to dining hall.
I'm looking for a job in Bathurst because this situation is really getting me down. Exhaustion is not strong enough a word to describe the state of consciousness I am currently experiencing. The late nights, the stress of not having time to finish work, the lack of food and water intake; I just can't do it anymore. Plus my marks won't be high enough to keep this scholarship if I don't have time to finish assignments.
So dining hall seemed like a great choice. Short shifts, many vacancies, set hours that don't interfere with night life, and no holiday work. The problem with Uni students in Bathurst is that no businesses want us because they know we got back to our home towns every holidays. However, dining hall wouldn't need me during the holidays. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Oh, and as I was filling out my application form, that girl walked by.
I almost fainted in embarrassment.
Lovemeg
I'm looking for a job in Bathurst because this situation is really getting me down. Exhaustion is not strong enough a word to describe the state of consciousness I am currently experiencing. The late nights, the stress of not having time to finish work, the lack of food and water intake; I just can't do it anymore. Plus my marks won't be high enough to keep this scholarship if I don't have time to finish assignments.
So dining hall seemed like a great choice. Short shifts, many vacancies, set hours that don't interfere with night life, and no holiday work. The problem with Uni students in Bathurst is that no businesses want us because they know we got back to our home towns every holidays. However, dining hall wouldn't need me during the holidays. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Oh, and as I was filling out my application form, that girl walked by.
I almost fainted in embarrassment.
Lovemeg
Friday, April 18, 2008
#64: Lucky Number
So I don't know how many of you know this, but my lucky number is 64.
I haven't had time to write in here very often due to the hoards of homework I am acquiring. However, I have a big rant blog coming. Oh, and also BIG news.
Stay tuned.
Lovemeg
I haven't had time to write in here very often due to the hoards of homework I am acquiring. However, I have a big rant blog coming. Oh, and also BIG news.
Stay tuned.
Lovemeg
Monday, April 14, 2008
#63: Operator Operator Please
So I'm not ashamed.
All will be revealed as you read on, if it hasn't already been unveiled by my chosen title. I feel I shouldn't have to justify my actions to any of you. I like Operator Please, and I'm proud of it. Sure, Ping Pong is possibly the most idiotic song ever written but their unreleased singles are very accomplished.
So off to the Metro we went. I haven't gone to anything with Elise in a while so it was great to catch up. After a long drive of gossip and psychology, we arrived to a throng of fluoro t-shirts and three-quarter tights, a crowd of people (especially girls) who were all shorter than me. I don't know if this image was a breath of fresh air or somewhat of an embarrassment. Elise and I complained all night about our clearly apparent maturity over the children that surrounded us, a comment on our cynicism of anything and everything. It was impossible to not feel a little marginalised for being old, rather than being intimidated at all-ages gig when I was younger; an interesting swap in roles. I made myself concentrate on what I had been waiting patiently for for a couple of weeks: Flamingo Crash and Sarah.
Flamingo Crash have been on the top of my iTunes list for a while now, but I have always been too young to go see them, hence the irony of seeing them now when I am of age at an all-ages gig. Minus a guitarist from their last EP, the 4-piece broke out on to stage imbued with an energy that flooded the audience. It was easy to tell that the majority of the audience had never even heard of this band, but it was good to see everyone getting into it. The lead singer seemed like one of those class clowns that is just there to entertain, introducing his band members as Michael J Fox and Velma from Scooby Doo (which were surprisingly accurate descriptions). I take great enjoyment watching the faces of drummers, who seem to be the musician in every band who is forced to concentrate the most. The FC drummer was hilarious, constantly screwing up his face to make fish-lips. The keyboardist Cate was definitely the most talented musician on stage (or maybe I just have something for keyboardists) and the guitarist's smile lit up the room. Yes?Yes?Yes? was a big highlight for me, as well as Shoot the Lights Out, of course, however I was disappointed they didn't play anything from their Animal/Animal Economy EP, namely Vamp at the Wax Party. It wasn't to be. The lead singer has such a resonant voice, complimenting the avant-guard style of lyricism, and I felt a constant connection between him and his audience. Praise Flamingo!
I had high expectations of Little Red after hearing about their sound from Olivia. I'm still unsure as to whether I like them or not. They walked on to stage rather nonchalantly, and that really set the mood for their set. It looked as if they had waltzed straight out of St Aloysius College choir, armed themselves with putrid tinned beer (VB at that). I had never seen skinny jeans fit around a man's waist before, but this wasn't the only first. I don't know what the trend is with bands these days who swap their singers around, and I'm usually a big fan of this, however I found there were sometimes too many harmonies and too many changes in pace for this band. There were two really good singers, one being the rhythm guitarist who never took the main part in a song, and a bluey who was great at pulling the bad smell face. The drummer looked like a little brother, vying for the audience's attention, never faltering in his cheerful smile. There was also just a guy wandering around a stage with a tambourine: he couldn't really sing that well, he didn't acknowledge the audience at all and looked at least 5 years older than everyone else. Overall, I think the image that is burned into my retina that taints their musicianship in my mind is of the entire band turning their backs at the end of every song, mostly even before they had finished.
After being disappointed at Big Day Out, I was hoping that the band would lift their game in light of their name on the headline. And this certainly came through. The band was up to their usual mischief, dancing and jumping around, still covering Devo's Whip It as they have for a while now. Amandah was wearing some horrible stockings that didn't compliment her physique, but she was much more modest on this occasion than she has been in the past. Taylor and Timmy looked cute as usual, but they are still too timid for me to take them seriously. Ashley seemed much more in the moment, interacting with the other members without the arrogant hair flicks. But I am unable to really comment on the other members very much, as my eyes were firmly locked on Sarah. The longer hair, the oversized t-shirt, the Pure Blonde. Everything. But she was rather drunk, and there was one song (Ghost I think), where she went totally off-beat but I may have been the only one that noticed seeing as I can usually differentiate every instrument through the blast of noise.
But the absolutely highlight of the night was meeting Thom Yorke. Well, not really. One of their roadies looked exactly like him, slinking around the back of the stage as we called out "THOM YORKE! OK COMPUTER! THE ERASER!" at him. Apparently Sarah had told him the exact same thing just before they went on stage according to a MySpace message I received from her a day later. No one else in the mosh pit seemed to know what we were going on about, but I'll blame that on their median age.
Two thumbs up.
Lovemeg
All will be revealed as you read on, if it hasn't already been unveiled by my chosen title. I feel I shouldn't have to justify my actions to any of you. I like Operator Please, and I'm proud of it. Sure, Ping Pong is possibly the most idiotic song ever written but their unreleased singles are very accomplished.
So off to the Metro we went. I haven't gone to anything with Elise in a while so it was great to catch up. After a long drive of gossip and psychology, we arrived to a throng of fluoro t-shirts and three-quarter tights, a crowd of people (especially girls) who were all shorter than me. I don't know if this image was a breath of fresh air or somewhat of an embarrassment. Elise and I complained all night about our clearly apparent maturity over the children that surrounded us, a comment on our cynicism of anything and everything. It was impossible to not feel a little marginalised for being old, rather than being intimidated at all-ages gig when I was younger; an interesting swap in roles. I made myself concentrate on what I had been waiting patiently for for a couple of weeks: Flamingo Crash and Sarah.
Flamingo Crash have been on the top of my iTunes list for a while now, but I have always been too young to go see them, hence the irony of seeing them now when I am of age at an all-ages gig. Minus a guitarist from their last EP, the 4-piece broke out on to stage imbued with an energy that flooded the audience. It was easy to tell that the majority of the audience had never even heard of this band, but it was good to see everyone getting into it. The lead singer seemed like one of those class clowns that is just there to entertain, introducing his band members as Michael J Fox and Velma from Scooby Doo (which were surprisingly accurate descriptions). I take great enjoyment watching the faces of drummers, who seem to be the musician in every band who is forced to concentrate the most. The FC drummer was hilarious, constantly screwing up his face to make fish-lips. The keyboardist Cate was definitely the most talented musician on stage (or maybe I just have something for keyboardists) and the guitarist's smile lit up the room. Yes?Yes?Yes? was a big highlight for me, as well as Shoot the Lights Out, of course, however I was disappointed they didn't play anything from their Animal/Animal Economy EP, namely Vamp at the Wax Party. It wasn't to be. The lead singer has such a resonant voice, complimenting the avant-guard style of lyricism, and I felt a constant connection between him and his audience. Praise Flamingo!
I had high expectations of Little Red after hearing about their sound from Olivia. I'm still unsure as to whether I like them or not. They walked on to stage rather nonchalantly, and that really set the mood for their set. It looked as if they had waltzed straight out of St Aloysius College choir, armed themselves with putrid tinned beer (VB at that). I had never seen skinny jeans fit around a man's waist before, but this wasn't the only first. I don't know what the trend is with bands these days who swap their singers around, and I'm usually a big fan of this, however I found there were sometimes too many harmonies and too many changes in pace for this band. There were two really good singers, one being the rhythm guitarist who never took the main part in a song, and a bluey who was great at pulling the bad smell face. The drummer looked like a little brother, vying for the audience's attention, never faltering in his cheerful smile. There was also just a guy wandering around a stage with a tambourine: he couldn't really sing that well, he didn't acknowledge the audience at all and looked at least 5 years older than everyone else. Overall, I think the image that is burned into my retina that taints their musicianship in my mind is of the entire band turning their backs at the end of every song, mostly even before they had finished.
After being disappointed at Big Day Out, I was hoping that the band would lift their game in light of their name on the headline. And this certainly came through. The band was up to their usual mischief, dancing and jumping around, still covering Devo's Whip It as they have for a while now. Amandah was wearing some horrible stockings that didn't compliment her physique, but she was much more modest on this occasion than she has been in the past. Taylor and Timmy looked cute as usual, but they are still too timid for me to take them seriously. Ashley seemed much more in the moment, interacting with the other members without the arrogant hair flicks. But I am unable to really comment on the other members very much, as my eyes were firmly locked on Sarah. The longer hair, the oversized t-shirt, the Pure Blonde. Everything. But she was rather drunk, and there was one song (Ghost I think), where she went totally off-beat but I may have been the only one that noticed seeing as I can usually differentiate every instrument through the blast of noise.
But the absolutely highlight of the night was meeting Thom Yorke. Well, not really. One of their roadies looked exactly like him, slinking around the back of the stage as we called out "THOM YORKE! OK COMPUTER! THE ERASER!" at him. Apparently Sarah had told him the exact same thing just before they went on stage according to a MySpace message I received from her a day later. No one else in the mosh pit seemed to know what we were going on about, but I'll blame that on their median age.
Two thumbs up.
Lovemeg
Sunday, April 6, 2008
#62: Grease Lightning
So fast food is shit. Literally.
There are many comparisons between fast food and human excretion. You may wonder why I am drawing such a line. Yes, this is scare tactics. Deep fried, greasy food goes through various processes, hence why it is referred to as processed food. The food we eat also goes through various digestive processes as it passes through the body, thus it would too be considered as a processed food. In conclusion, all people who serve fast food are no better than those who scoop up elephant droppings at the zoo.
Dedicated to all the long-fake-nailed, glitter-eyeshadow-wearing counter bitches around the world.
Lovemeg
There are many comparisons between fast food and human excretion. You may wonder why I am drawing such a line. Yes, this is scare tactics. Deep fried, greasy food goes through various processes, hence why it is referred to as processed food. The food we eat also goes through various digestive processes as it passes through the body, thus it would too be considered as a processed food. In conclusion, all people who serve fast food are no better than those who scoop up elephant droppings at the zoo.
Dedicated to all the long-fake-nailed, glitter-eyeshadow-wearing counter bitches around the world.
Lovemeg
Thursday, April 3, 2008
#61: The Life Plan
So I feel like there's a lot to cover.
I was reading a source brought to my attention by my Journalism Principles lecturer. I find it rather amusing that this speech was given by a guy to UTS students and is about my subject co-ordinator. Such a small world.
Excerpt from a talk to UTS Journalism Students by Ross Gittins, Economics Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald. March 10, 2008.
"I want to tell you two stories I think are relevant to our purposes. The first concerns a question asked at almost every interview of people seeking a job in journalism: why do you want to be a journalist? Most people’s answer is ‘because I love to write’ or ‘because I love working with people’. Wrong answer. Journalists hear those answers all the time, but they’re cynical people and they hate it when you say that. Let me tell you the perfect answer: I want to be a journalist because I’m a stickybeak and a gossip. Can you think why that’s the perfect answer? Because that’s what journalists are and what they do. The media only ever hire trainee journalists for one reason: to be reporters. And reporters are people who get their kicks finding out really interesting things about other people and then broadcasting those things to the world. The human species has been interested in stories and gossip since we lived in caves. And ‘news’ is just a modern, mechanised, commercialised form of gossip - whether it’s gossip about a bank robbery, a cricket match, the economy, BHP’s plan to takeover Rio Tinto or the latest adventures of Paris Hilton.
The second story comes from a guy who worked on the Herald for a long time and now teaches journalism at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, Chris McGillion. One day he asked the woman in charge of all the recruiting of journalists for News Limited what kind of person they were looking for. She replied, someone who knows when the second world war ended. What did she mean by that? Someone with good general knowledge. Someone who knows a bit about a lot of subjects. Someone who knows a bit of history, someone who knows ‘the story so far’ - that is, someone who’s taken the trouble to find out about what happened in Australia and the world before they were old enough to start taking an interest - the story so far.
Journalists are curious people, people with a thirst to find out about things, people with broad interests and broad knowledge. A good candidate for serious (or hard) journalism would be interested in and know a fair bit about history, politics, current affairs. Someone who’s already a voracious consumer of the news media. But these days newspapers and commercial current affairs programs also contain a lot of lifestyle sections. So we also need candidates who know a lot about the subject matter of soft journalism: fashion, restaurants, music and CDs, dance clubs, television, films and DVDs. In fact, all of those things come under the heading of fashion, of knowing what’s hip. Increasingly, the media is in the fashion business - telling people what’s the latest in every leisure area."
I knew it. I knew I was a huge gossip for a reason.
The last part of this excerpt really grabbed me. The whole concept of being worldly knowledgeable is definitely not new to me, but it suddenly dawned on me how in with it I really have to be. I have to know about everything that's fashionable in all sectors of public life.
So I declare a moratorium on laziness and intend to learn about all of these areas. I've set up a new blog to report on all the different topics outlined, discussing something new that I discover each week.
New blog with new found motivation. Done.
Praise Gordon Ramsay.
Lovemeg
I was reading a source brought to my attention by my Journalism Principles lecturer. I find it rather amusing that this speech was given by a guy to UTS students and is about my subject co-ordinator. Such a small world.
Excerpt from a talk to UTS Journalism Students by Ross Gittins, Economics Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald. March 10, 2008.
"I want to tell you two stories I think are relevant to our purposes. The first concerns a question asked at almost every interview of people seeking a job in journalism: why do you want to be a journalist? Most people’s answer is ‘because I love to write’ or ‘because I love working with people’. Wrong answer. Journalists hear those answers all the time, but they’re cynical people and they hate it when you say that. Let me tell you the perfect answer: I want to be a journalist because I’m a stickybeak and a gossip. Can you think why that’s the perfect answer? Because that’s what journalists are and what they do. The media only ever hire trainee journalists for one reason: to be reporters. And reporters are people who get their kicks finding out really interesting things about other people and then broadcasting those things to the world. The human species has been interested in stories and gossip since we lived in caves. And ‘news’ is just a modern, mechanised, commercialised form of gossip - whether it’s gossip about a bank robbery, a cricket match, the economy, BHP’s plan to takeover Rio Tinto or the latest adventures of Paris Hilton.
The second story comes from a guy who worked on the Herald for a long time and now teaches journalism at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, Chris McGillion. One day he asked the woman in charge of all the recruiting of journalists for News Limited what kind of person they were looking for. She replied, someone who knows when the second world war ended. What did she mean by that? Someone with good general knowledge. Someone who knows a bit about a lot of subjects. Someone who knows a bit of history, someone who knows ‘the story so far’ - that is, someone who’s taken the trouble to find out about what happened in Australia and the world before they were old enough to start taking an interest - the story so far.
Journalists are curious people, people with a thirst to find out about things, people with broad interests and broad knowledge. A good candidate for serious (or hard) journalism would be interested in and know a fair bit about history, politics, current affairs. Someone who’s already a voracious consumer of the news media. But these days newspapers and commercial current affairs programs also contain a lot of lifestyle sections. So we also need candidates who know a lot about the subject matter of soft journalism: fashion, restaurants, music and CDs, dance clubs, television, films and DVDs. In fact, all of those things come under the heading of fashion, of knowing what’s hip. Increasingly, the media is in the fashion business - telling people what’s the latest in every leisure area."
I knew it. I knew I was a huge gossip for a reason.
The last part of this excerpt really grabbed me. The whole concept of being worldly knowledgeable is definitely not new to me, but it suddenly dawned on me how in with it I really have to be. I have to know about everything that's fashionable in all sectors of public life.
So I declare a moratorium on laziness and intend to learn about all of these areas. I've set up a new blog to report on all the different topics outlined, discussing something new that I discover each week.
New blog with new found motivation. Done.
Praise Gordon Ramsay.
Lovemeg
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
#60: Embarrassment
So I am never posting an unedited blog ever again.
That thing (for lack of a more powerful word) was atrocious on second reading, and I feel the need to apologise to all of you for making you sit through it. I apologise profusely.
Now I feel dirty after reading that.
Lovemeg
That thing (for lack of a more powerful word) was atrocious on second reading, and I feel the need to apologise to all of you for making you sit through it. I apologise profusely.
Now I feel dirty after reading that.
Lovemeg
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