Because you deserve a bit of a life update.
A poem by Christopher Poindexter, who I've lately rediscovered my love for.
As much as this blog is a space for my creative ventures, it is also a place where I document ye olde Life. A shit tonne of things have happened (some of them over a month ago) and I feel like I should be writing about them. So without further ado...
JULY
Half of the experience, of course, was being with my friends. We played MarioKart and Mario Party on Nintendo DS (I am VERY competitive), lost a GoPro, fought over the TV remote, stuffed our faces with lollies, stayed up late dancing to ABBA, laughed until we cried, stole our teacher's mattress, discovered my hidden table tennis talent. All was bliss.
I miss ski camp :-(
2. I turned 18. YAYAYAY– oh wait, I don't have an I.D. And I still have an existential crisis every time someone says I'm officially an adult. The other day, my dad was booking a place for my family for the summer holidays, and I overheard him saying, "Two adults and two kids. Uh, actually – three adults. My daughter's eighteen."
The actual process of turning eighteen is something I still cringe over. I was actually at another friend's 18th party on the 11th of July – the night before my birthday – and all my friends shouted a countdown for me as I became eighteen. I had already downed a couple of apple ciders, but I distinctly remember sculling beer and choking because I drank too fast (and before the chant was over), spitting the beer all over the floor and on my phone. Although I was tipsy even at the start of the night, I managed to retain my title as Table Tennis Queen (bow down, peasants and plebs, as I completed this feat in heels). Needless to say, I am glad that the only embarrassing thing caught on video was my then-incredible rendition of Isabel by The Wombats and my terrible dancing. Even tipsy, though, I couldn't find it in my heart to enjoy watching people play beer pong (seriously, it is so SLOW). I remember repeatedly saying, "I love you," to at least five different people, suggesting that I will be no less than the Lovey Dovey Drunk confessing all my inner emotions to eager ears when I actually get drunk. Your Body Is A Weapon will forever be known as the song I became an adult to.
The night I turned 18
The emotions behind my newfound adulthood were a bit harder to grasp. Prior to the night, worry began to mount like a growing tsunami wave in the distance. I was scared – of growing up, of losing my friends when school was over, of being alone. I think it was a combination of the shock that I am no longer a child as well as the gripping fear of school ending and my life changing. I was in denial – and still am sometimes – about my age now for the same reasons, but I've come to realise the many benefits of being eighteen (more or less). Drinks! Concerts! Nights out! Drinks! I think it's important to live in the moment, rather than lament a part of my past that inevitably would have been lost whether or not I accept that my life is changing. So why not accept it?
My 18th party // ur girl squad goals
3. I went to my first concert??? Technically the only reason this hasn't happened sooner is because I was saving my concert virginity for Green Day, but when I heard that The Wombats were coming to Melbourne and that Circa Waves were the supporting act, and because I was heavily in the middle of an obsession, I couldn't resist. The only shit thing? I MISSED SEEING 95% OF CIRCA WAVES' SET. UGH. Long story short – the friend who bought the tickets didn't want to see them and turned up late, and I couldn't go in because he had the tickets. I eased out of my anger, though, when I saw them perform Get Away and Young Chasers. I didn't care about the people behind or next to me as I screamed my lungs out to the lyrics of every song that I heard from both bands, unable to keep a smile off my face. By the time The Wombats were a couple of songs through, everyone in the seating area was up and dancing. They were good live, although I abhorred Little Miss Pipedream even more in person than the studio version. My favourite performances of the night were definitely Kill The Director, The English Summer, Your Body Is A Weapon, and This Is Not A Party.
Still can't believe I met them omgogmg!??!?1!
AUGUST
1. I completed my VCE Media short film, 'Predator'. Basically, this thing was an abysmal pain in the ass for the last few months. Shooting it was the very definition of a NIGHTMARE and I was definitely the most stressed I have ever been in my life during the time I spent on conceptualising and then creating it. "Equipment failure" is an understatement. "Bad luck" is a joke. I'm talking everything that could have gone wrong in the filming process actually went wrong, and my taste for perfection did not make things any easier.
BUT on the bright side of things, the editing process (my personal favourite) went very smoothly and I couldn't be happier with how the final product turned out. I was working down to the last minute, and handing it in to my teacher on a cheesy USB shaped like an alien felt so strange. The thing that had dominated my life for the past few months was over. Just like that. And suddenly I realised that all those months spent on the film – which is just shy of 6.5 mins – was just a stage in my life. I will look back on that film and remember what inspired me to keep going, what hardships I faced, what I can achieve. And no amount of mishaps can take away the happiness I feel when I think of the beautiful friends I have who helped me, and the immense release of satisfaction when people saw the final product.
BUT on the bright side of things, the editing process (my personal favourite) went very smoothly and I couldn't be happier with how the final product turned out. I was working down to the last minute, and handing it in to my teacher on a cheesy USB shaped like an alien felt so strange. The thing that had dominated my life for the past few months was over. Just like that. And suddenly I realised that all those months spent on the film – which is just shy of 6.5 mins – was just a stage in my life. I will look back on that film and remember what inspired me to keep going, what hardships I faced, what I can achieve. And no amount of mishaps can take away the happiness I feel when I think of the beautiful friends I have who helped me, and the immense release of satisfaction when people saw the final product.
A still from the film
2. I finally decided where I'm headed next year. Although I'd been to the RMIT Open Day last year, I only visited the individual course information rooms and was too nervous to ask anything, not to mention that I didn't really know what to ask. Still, there was something about the city campus that I absolutely fell in love with and I forged an immediate connection with my surroundings, which isn't a usual occurrence. This year, I decided to go to a few course presentations so I could get some proper information. In doing so, I realised that Creative Writing was the course for me. When I was little, I always dreamed of being an author, but as I got older the reality dawned on me: like any artist, it could take years for an author to be noticed in the industry. I wasn't sure that I was ready to accept it then. Now, I know that this is what I love, and no matter the odds of success, I need to be willing to take life one step at a time.
Lately on the Photobooth front...
3. Guys. I FINALLY UNDERSTAND THE ARCTIC MONKEYS HYPE!!!! They are the latest band I'm obsessing over since August - my god, how was I bored by them before?? I started with 'AM'. There are definitely three stand-out favourites. Can we just appreciate the actual poetry of No. 1 Party Anthem? I mean, it's a totally sleazy bar, a lonely girl and a desperate man in a leather jacket ironically entangled in the melancholy of a predefined version of fun. And Fireside. I have a recurring debate with one of my best friends who is a huge fan of the band (and who got me into them). He HATES Fireside... but there's something about it that I just can't shake. Not to mention my favourite Arctic Monkeys song and the one that has officially reached the top of my 'Top 25 Most Played' on iTunes: R U Mine? I can't even – THIS SONG IS SO GOOD WHFUNADNADAIEWOFMNW!! There isn't a single thing I would change about this song (or the video clip, for that matter...hello cheekbones and jawline @alex_turner... *drools*)
Then I moved onto 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'. I noticed that it was a very different sound to 'AM' and though I loved this version of the Arctic Monkeys just as much as their newer style, I couldn't help but wonder how it would have been if I'd listened to their albums in consecutive order. Nevertheless, four songs always jump at me from this album. Brianstorm, This House Is A Circus and D Is For Dangerous are more upbeat songs with challenging lyrics and unapologetic bashing and thrashing. 505 is a slower number, changing in nature around midway to my favourite part of the song.
The album I'm on now is 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'. Like FWN, this album sounded very different from the Arctic Monkeys I began with. The chorus of Fake Tales of San Francisco sounds like something I have heard before. It's insanely catchy. Mardy Bum - how the hell does Alex Turner DO THAT WITH HIS VOICE? The raspiness of his voice, the story through lyrics, the beautiful drum beats and guitar riffs, the bridge! I love it all, and their live performance of this song at Reading Festival in 2006 gives me chills (this may or may not be attributed to young Alex Turner, whose nerdy, awkwardly slumped shoulders make me weak). Another favourite is From The Ritz To The Rubble. Not to mention Dancing Shoes. Gahhh, I love them so much!!
Kiss me tho you dork???? Pre-2012 Alex makes me crumble sorry
SEPTEMBER
1. The beginning of exams are just over a month away (28th of October). I officially finish my exams on the 16th of November with the Media exam. HOLY SHIT GUYS. I don't really want to think about anything but the relief I will feel after it's done. I am perpetually terrified by the notion that it's all just going to end. No doubt, I will be relieved to go on Schoolies with my friends to Rye, but there will be parts of me awash with regret and a sense of clear ruefulness, one that I won't be able to shake for a little while. This part leading up to exams is going to be the worst period of my life – the pressure to do well and every wasted minute being the two underlying factors leading me to dread this time of year. Deadlines, expectations and consequences. Ugh.
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So that's what I've been up to lately. I hate that I've been neglecting my blog but once school is over I can finally channel the level of focus it deserves.
At my friend's 18th the other night (I kept the "I Love You"s to a bare minimum despite having more alcohol than when I turned 18... yay for tolerarence!!) Also probably the last party I'm going to for a lil while D:<
So that's what I've been up to lately. I hate that I've been neglecting my blog but once school is over I can finally channel the level of focus it deserves.
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