GAP YEAR 2010. I'm on it.

Clearly February wasn't a month for blogging. No sir. It's all about March now. March and GAP YEAR 2010!!! Yes, that's right folks! Just under a week ago it was time for me to farewell Sydney and jump on a plane (or two...and suffer a 4 hour delay at Melbourne airport) to the Northern Hemisphere. Specifically London. 


Yada, yada, yada...LONDON IS SO COOL! It had double decker buses, the tube (and Oyster Cards - fuck sliced bread, these are way better!), policemen in funny hats, Jessie (for a brief moment) andddddddd it's cold (this is actually awesome as it means I get to wear my awesome coat with a high collar and feel all badass)! It's actually been sunny with blue skies (for at least an hour of each day)!!


A few other titbits of information: Big Ben - not that big, but a lovely chap all the same. Tower Bridge is pretty damn cool. As is Millennium Bridge. There are some cool street performers, but many of them are very forward about you paying them (quite rude..). In fact, London has so many cool old buildings, half of them don't even have a special purpose, they're just regular old, cool buildings. Sydney sucks. Also, there's a sort of Transport Police (similar to our bus inspectors) and they have BADGES!! And they whip them out as if they're so official!! I personally found it hilarious.


Heard about this sweet website (if you happen to be in London and looking for something to do) that tells you what's on in all parts of London in all different areas (theatre, live music, cocktails, 'beery fun', free, etc) called spoonfed.


I've got a few more days in London (meeting up with Fergus) and then off to Spain and Portugal!


Adios!


Oh! and a little extra for you: 


Today's highlight (so far): I saw a man with a moustache that actually CURLED at the ends!!! English people are excellent. 

Universal Laws

There are several laws (well, general guidelines) that apply to everyone but people often forget about. Confused? Here's a few examples:

• A person may not break the Bro Code or the Girl Code.
• A person may not pass on non-comical chain letters.
• Every person must see Anchor Man and Zoolander. How I Met Your Mother is also preferable.
• Procrastination.
• A person may never feature the joggers/jeans combo.
• A person must abide by the Rules of Shotgun.
• Frangipani Stickers on cars, the UNIVERSE says NO.
• Rats Tails are not attractive.
• Kevin Rudd should not try to be a 'Typical Aussie'.

There are thousands of these Universal Laws built into (most) peoples' social etiquette and more that are being laid down everyday as idiots continue to create and do stupid things (Chk Chk Boom Girl? Chk Chk No.). There are also thousands related to the consumption of alcohol and one's mobile phone - here are a few thoughts/guidelines regarding this phenomenon.

• Despite popular belief, drunk texting/calling is not necessarily a mistake. It is perfectly acceptable to drunk text/call friends (they must actually be friends, not 'friends' as you may actually reveal something you don't really want them to know, e.g. your burning hate for them) with little pieces of gossip, for general banter, or even a little bit of singing while your on the dance floor and your 'jam' comes on. 
• It is not, however, acceptable to drunken text/call ex's, possible love interests, possible love interests of friends (Bro/Girl Code), reveal friends secrets, YOUR PARENTS etc, etc, etc. 
• Also, as a general law (friends, this is your time to shine), in a situation where there is drinking, a person should NEVER be in possession of their phone if:
• They are in a bad mood/are seething/brooding. The cause of said feelings will be abused via technological means which are likely to be regrettable when the sender comes back to reality some time afterwards.
• They are exceptionally opinionated about a certain person and are likely to share said feelings with everyone that will listen (if you have a big enough posse and it's reasonably appropriate, such as standing up for a friend, feel free to hate on whoever you like). 
• They, for some reason, are feeling particularly moral and feel the need to make others aware of peoples unfaithful actions. Note: this will end badly for all involved. If it's not you, it's not your news to reveal, especially when drunk. Best friends can be an exception, but please, tread carefully. 
• They have recently broken up with a lover/are considering breaking up with a lover/considering revealing feelings for a possible lover. Revealing either of the latter news via a drunken text message leaves no one feeling good and generally makes this exceptionally awkward. 

Basically, if a friend is in any way BROKEN (not themselves), it is your responsibility to screen their phone usage. The best way to do this is just take their phone because it means you can also drink up and not worry about forgetting...

Another theory, dancing while drinking makes everything better if you get into it.

Adios Amigos

Winging It [We came, we saw and THEN we left]

Since turning 18 and finishing school, I've discovered that I am far less restricted by curfews, "Where are you going? Who else is going? How are you getting there/home?", and the painful "No. It's a school night". Ultimately, this allows me to leave the house with only an initial destination in mind, 'Wining It', so to speak, (little to no planning required here), instead of devising some elaborate scheme before even considering an outfit (for some people, this can take hours in itself). This new 'No Plans' philosophy has led to enjoy many a great night (occasionally it spills over into the next day as well, but this is not a problem) where I haven't had to worry about leaving before it's over and missing out on any fun. I've decided to apply said philosophy to my travels and, thus, have booked myself a one-way ticket to London, with a few vague ideas of action, but not even my first week is set in concrete. 


This idea is not new. It's older than the universe itself (some say it allowed for the universes creation). Despite a solid history, many folk are highly sceptical of 'Winging It's' success rate and snub it right off the bat. I suppose I can understand where they're coming from, but come on people, live a little. Not having a plan means that the plan can't fail, causing unbearable amounts of stress and disappointment (perhaps a slight exaggeration, there are some elements of truth, nonetheless). 


To successfully 'Wing It', one requires:

•  A dandy group of friends who don't mind sparing you a bit of floor space if necessary (keep in mind that to have dandy friends, you must also be a dandy friend). They also come in handy to split cab fares or make bus rides more enjoyable.
• An open mind.
• Money (buses, cabs, you know the drill).
• A phone to contact dandy friends/call in favours.

It might be slightly greedy to never want to miss out on any of the action, but that's irrelevant, it's far more fun (which ultimately provides greater ammunition for the stories and recounting that always occurs after an event/night out - e.g. "Suchandsuch was CARVING up the DF last night, you should have seen those MOVES!!! **Gives exaggerated demonstration** (yes, I totally have Dee in mind here)" , or often something more scandalous, but equally hilarious to relay to those who missed out. 

So please, I urge you hooligans to give it a go.

Disclaimer: By no means am I saying DON'T make plans ever. Plans can be very helpful, especially when trying to fit in huge amounts in a short period of time/you have to make a deadline. And clearly, if you can make a convenient and quick plan prior to leaving home, do it ("hey, can i just crash at your place tonight so I don't have to trek it home?"). Just don't make awkward/slightly inconvenient plans that are likely to just restrict a good time. Also, don't let not having a plan stop you from going in the first place.

Those shenanigans certainly weren't planned.

5 Minutes of Peace [from Freedom & Immaturity]

Finally, after what has been roughly 3 weeks of non-stop activities, I have 5 minutes to myself. Small sigh of relief (Recovery is looking like a long road that I haven't had time to set off down...). It's really been quite the few weeks - I went up the coast with friends to let loose; was finally allowed into the big kids playground after celebrating my birthday up there; got home and celebrated several other friends coming of ages/going away parties/general Christmas parties; St Nicholas dropped by with some goodies; more partying; and then finally welcoming in the new year last night. It has been a drunken haze, to say the least, but spending the last few weeks with friends and family has been nothing short of spectacular. 

A quick rehash of the important details:
- King of Beers
- Balderdash
- "I love Cuddly Bear, he's the cuddliest cuddly around", "Riverside Motherfucker".
- Singing every word that comes out of your mouth which later just merged to English accents.
- "Lip Sick Suck", Mexican Night, the painted Sombrero with little chickens on it (I'm guessing it was some small child's get-up from an Easter Hat Parade).
- We have successfully stolen Elle back from Germany
- We have lost Jessie and Alex to England.
- Shark Bar Tuesday and the "3am bus" that never was.
- Body painting
- And finally, the Epic NYE with almost everyone at the Trikoulis manner (fireworks are overrated).


Which brings us to now and my 5 minutes of peace before returning to the dance floor tomorrow night...

Please disregard the poor quality of my writing...Since finishing school I don't like to think too hard.

 

It's funny because it's true

Well, a fair bit of it anyway. Stuff White People Like is a blog "devoted to stuff that white people like". It's quite amusing, with some of it being embarrassingly true (not necessarily for you, but most posts relate to someone you know, or at least know of). It covers everything from pea coats, Bob Marley and hating people who wear Ed Hardy. 

One particular post raises the fact that at some point in a white person's life, they will express the desire to learn a new language - which is all well and good as it would make one more worldly and cultured. The main problem is, as raised in the blog post, that the vast majority of people never follow through. I've decided that the same very much applies to instruments. How many people do you know that have once said "I'd love to be able to play the guitar/harmonica/tuba/etc."? I imagine quite a few. In fact, I have done both of these things in the past. In what will probably prove to be another failed attempt, I've decided to restart mucking about on the guitar, with the vague hope of one day being able to string a few chords together and, being cheap, I've turned to the internet to guide me on my musical journey. I found this website (click on the semi cut off banner below) which is free and gives short video lessons, with included lesson notes, from the very beginning onwards for both guitar and bass. So go forth, my children, I challenge thee to start something that you may never finish/make any progress on!

My Guitar Heroes

I was just cruising through various vids on my computer and Youtube favourites and I was pleased to re-discover a few videos of some friends performing at school concerts and such. One night in particular (from which the following clips came), Night of Stars, reminded me of how little talent I have (especially in contrast to my friends). Here is why:


Lucas & Rommy perform Transatlanticism by Death Cab For Cutie (ignore the 'groovy' camera work of one of our teachers).





Mish & Nick (& Mitchel) perform This Modern Love by Bloc Party (skip to about 1.30 where the song starts and, again, ignore any odd camera shots).





Cat & Taylor perform Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division (song 
starts around 0.45).




Now, please, someone sign them so I can freeload off their talent...

LAY-Z Days

So, as you know, I need a job. I am dirt poor (because I refuse to spend my savings as that would allow my dreams of travelling to slip further out of reach). Generally, being poor sucks. You can't go out and spend, spend, spend on good times. But on the upside, on days like today (mid-high twenties), the good times are free and unemployment seems less of a burden...

Morning by the beach, afternoon by the pool, and a smoothie in between...listening to some tunes.

Yeah, freedom is sa-weet. Bring on summer.

Noah & the Whale - 5 Years Time