Ohh about fucking time

I've just waited for this page to load for 10 minutes, no exaggeration. I'm on broadband. There is clearly something wrong with this stupid piece of shite AKA the computer. I might defrag it after this.

Anyhooo. I just (or not really just now, recently) re-read my Whitlams review. You can tell I wrote that one in a hurry eh! Changing from present to past tense, clumsy sentences...eurgh. I actually groaned out loud. And to think I sent submitted it to a webzine! I'm ashamed.

I went to the Pisarro exhibition on Wednesday. It was good. I was interested to see how his style changed, especially his experimenting with the neo-impressionistic stlye at the end. Oh who am I fooling with this arty jargon? I enjoyed it, end of story. I like the magic in painting - up close it's just a thick disc of pale yellow paint, but step back and it becomes a luminous sun, it looks like it's actually giving off light, you know? That kind of magic.

Dad got a new guitar! So fucking excited. He got a lovely sexy beautiful Martin & Co. DC-15E Cutaway acoustic dreadnought with pickups, and a Fender Junior DSP amp. The guitar sounds AMAZING. Really rich and warm in the lower registers epsecially. Great action too - I can actually play a G major chord on it! Yay! Unusual colour, quite dark, I think it's rosewood but I'm not sure. It's matte too, no varnish. I'm learning 'that Everybody song by REM' as Alex Kapranos so eloquently sings it, because it's the easiest piece on the fingerstyles DVD that dad bought. I'm finding it difficult though, playing such a large guitar is challenging, as well as the chords. Plus the steel strings really cut your fingers up. I can only play 15 minutes at a stretch for now but hopefully I'll build up.

Oh yeah and I dyed my hair really intense black. It's pretty cool. My sister says I have Aeon Flux hair. As long as I don't have emo hair that's cool.

So that's me up to date. I'm going to sleep now - going to the gym with my mum tomorrow, then finally picking up my new red silk 50s style dress. I got paid tonight, hooray. I might post photos of the dress some time. Hopefully the computer won't be so fucked next time.

-R

The Whitlams gig review

THE WHTILAMS
Corner Hotel
13 May 2006

The Whitlams are out to promote their newest album, the two-disc Little Cloud, and the Corner is packed with eager punters. The support acts, The Live Room and Kate Miller Heidke, are warmly received. I can take or leave The Live Room's po-rock acoustic guitar and violin, but Kate is the surprise of the night. Admittedly I was not expecting very much, having only heard one of the quiter songs on Tripl J, but she blows everyone away with her amazing soprano voice, fantastic songs and adorable personality. My pitch-perfect brother later informs me that she reached a high D (the one two octaves above a middle C).

The Whitlams come out to raucous applause. Tim Freedman is undisputably the frontman, being the singer, keyboardist and only surviving member of the original Whitlams, but the current line up of Jak Housden on guitar, Warwick Hornby on bass and Terepai Richmond on drums have now been around longer than the original, and they have a strong rapport with the audience and each other. They play a long set of twenty or so songs, starting with what is probably their biggest hit 'No Aphrodisiac' and then playing a mix of old favourites and sogns off the new album, with Tim playing a few songs solo in the middle of the set on his piano. As is tradition, the entire audience sings 'Charlie no. 2', providing the backing vocals for Tim sitting by himself at the piano. The interaction between Tim and the audience is less rock star and fans and more like old friends.

The crowd is suitably tranquil, as The Whitlams style is laidback pop songs and ballads, allowing Tim's smooth voice to carry the melodies, but the more upbeat numbers get everyone moving. They come out for two encores, closing with the ever-popular oldie 'I Make Hamburgers', the hour and a half long set leaving punters happy and sated. Tim and co may have been around for a while now but they still put on a cracker show.

There are photos at my flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/worldofcheese) but blogger's being a biatch and not letting me add them. So go see them there.

-R

Just a quick update...

...so that you all (well, Brendan anyway) will stop bugging me. Not so detailed, because late hour+lack of sleep = the brain, she no work so well right now.

Actually I don't really know what to say. I went to JB Hi-Fi Bourke St today where Tripod did an instore promoting their new DVD. I wasn't going to get it but of course I did. Worth every penny, it's an absolute pisser. They could easily be a serious band if they wanted, musically they are very talented, amazing voices and great tunes. I'm glad they choose to make us laugh though. Fact for the day: Gatesy is not an original member. He came in a couple of years after Tripod first started, to replace another guy or something.

There will be a Whitlams gig review and photos soon, probably tomorrow. I'm writing it for a webzine so it'll have to be up. Meanwhile I should probably get some sleep before I fall asleep here.

-R

PS I have a myspace at http://www.myspace.com/bobthemelburnian and you may check it out if you wish. Can't remember if I've plugged it before. I should work out how to put links and shit on too shouldn't I.

New musicness

New bands I've discovered recentlyish and really like:

The Grates: from Brisbane. Energetic guitars and drums rockin along with Patience's sweet and sassy vocals riding high over the top. The girl has energy. Standout song: Trampoline. I defy you to sit still while listening to it. www.myspace.com/thegrates

The Long Blondes: Fun vintage sounding guitar pop with sweet vocals. They have a guitarist called Dorian. Standout song: Once and Never Again. The first song where I have felt like the singer read my diary and then wrote the song to sing especially to me. www.myspace.com/thelongblondes

Bricolage: More guitar music you can dance to, a la Franz Ferdinand. All catchy, clean sounding guitary riffs and groovy beats. Standout song: The Waltzers, with a distinctive and instantly memorable two note riff bopping along. www.myspace.com/bricolagetheband

Sorry for the absurd reviews. It's 2:35 and I'm tired.

-R

Survey

I used to get a lot of these in the email from a certain friend. Here's one from the franz ferdinand forum. I'm bored.

1. Are you allergic to anything? If so, what?
Sulphites (in food), and nickel. And idiots. They make me turn violent/disdainful.
2. What is your religion?
Catholic
3. What was the last thing you ate?
Lasagna
4. Give me a summary of the last dream you remember having.
I was running through Crown Casino with a complete stranger, then he kissed me. It was weird.
5. What do you plan to do when you get out of highschool? If you are out of highschool, then what do you do?
I'm at university and on weekends I'm a dish hand.
6. Are you homosexual, bi, Asexual, or straight?
Straight
7. What is your earliest memory?
going under the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a boat, in my mum's arms.
8. Who is your favorite band/artist?
Possibly Franz Ferdinand
9. Who is your 2nd favorite band/artist?
possibly Interpol, which has risen rapidly up the ranks.
10. If you could change anything about your phsical body, what would it be?
my ass.
11. If you could change anything about your personality, what would it be?
I would be more confident.
12. What is your favorite commercial?
The citroen C4 one where the car turns into a dancing robot.
13. What is your favorite one hit wonder?
Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus. More for nostalgia than anything else.
14. Who was your first celebrity crush?
Kieren Perkins when I was 7.
15. Do you think your weird?
Nope. I feel like I'm the only normal one and everyone else are the weirdos. Actually yeah I am a little strange.
16. What is your opinion on George Bush?
The missing link between monkey and human.
17. Do you have a thing for emo kids?
Actually, the look is growing on me. I dig pale skinny men. Pale skinny men with floppy fringes and black skinny jeans is nice. But lose the My Chemical Romance t-shirts and the attitude, please.
18. Do you like boy on boy action?
I'm a straight girl. Of course I do! Just like guys love girls together.
19. Do you like girl on girl action?
That one, not so much.
20. Do you read slash fiction?
I have, and it freaked me out. I don't want to think about the members of my favourite bands having sex with each other. I'd rather think about them having sex with me.
21. What eye color turns you on?
Blue
22. What is your eye color?
Dark brown
23. List a few of your friends on this forum.

24. Do you post at any other forums? If so, which ones?

25. What is your favorite website?
franzferdinand.org or youtube.com
26. What do you like to do when you are bored to make the time pass?
listen to music
27. Do you like to read?
yep
28. Who is your role model?
I don't really know.
29. Who is your favorite female celebrity?
Cate Blanchett. She's beautiful and luminous and gracious and elegant and all those things I'm not.
30. Who is your favorite male celebrity?
Ioan Gruffudd.
31. Do you enjoy answering these questions?
um yeah...don't know if I'll regret it later on though.
32. What kind of music does your mom like?
James blunt...and pop jazz like Michael Buble and Mark Sholtez. And Eva Cassidy. And of course 60s pop like The Beatles.
33. What kind of music does your dad like?
The Beatles, Diana Krall, Billy Joel...he plays guitar so lots of pop songs from his youth.
34. What is your favorite cartoon?
mmmm probably Family Guy
35. What is your favorite television channel?
The food channel
36. What country do you live in?
Australia
37. What time is it where you are?
11:37 am
38. How was your day?
It hasn't exactly started yet
39. If you could be a mod in this forum, would you?

40. Do you smoke?
nope
41. Do you drink?
not very much, which means I get drunk really easily
42. Do you think I'm crazy for thinking up all these questions?
quite.
43. Who is your least favorite celebrity?
Ashlee simpson
44. Are you single?
yep
45. Are you a feminist?
not really...
46. Are you sure?
yep
47. When do you predict the world will end?
whent he sun swallows it.
48. Do you believe in Aliens?
yes, there's got to be something out there
49. Do you believe in Big Foot?
nope
50. Have you ever visited Alaska?
nope
51. Do you wish you could be Darth Vader?
nope
52. What is your full name?
Oh come on, I've revealed my real first name. You can expect more than that.
53. Are you lying to me?
nope
54. Are you pregnant?
lol God I dont think so!
55. What is the weather like where you live?
cloudy. windy. cool.
56. Are you a good speller?
yes
57. If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
Alex Kapranos. He loves food, has had some incredible life experiences (okay his whole life is an incredible experience) and is by all accounts and from limited personal experience, a really really friendly and nice guy. I'd love to sit down and have a good meal with him and talk.
58. Who is your favorite member of Franz Ferdinand?
possibly Nick.
59. When did you last go to VicRoads?
When I got my Ls in 2004
60. Have you ever drove a car?
Yes
61. Do you like the thong song?
nope
62. Have you ever beat up someone?
nope. I fight like a girl.
63. Have you ever been beat up?
nope.
64. Are you an early bird?
god no
65. When did you last visit franzferdinand.co.uk?
this morning
66. which do you like better, Omigawdzzilla or omigod?
omigod.
67. Do you have your own website?
well duh
67. What's wrong with you?
what's wrong with YOU?
68. What is a word you often use?
'like'. As in, 'I was like' and 'it's like'....I hate it!
69. Are you a wanker?
hahaha...no.
70. Do you believe in magic?
nope
71. Do you have braces?
nope
72. Do you have any rotten teeth?
nope
73. Are you afraid of the Dr.?
nope
74. Does Franz Ferdinand own you?
nope. But they can if they want.
75. What are you wearing?
pyjamas.
76. What is your favorite subject in school?
Lunch break.
77. Are you stupid?
What's with the abusive questions?
78. Do you often accessorize your style?
yeah
79. Do you like to wear dressies?
more so now than previously.
80. If you had a kid, what would you name it?
depends on whether it was a boy or girl.
81. What are you favorite types of jokes?
Dead baby ones.
82. Do you ever get your nails done?
nope. I'm ashamed to show others my enormous callous and that I bite my cuticles (I used to bite my nails)
83. When did you last go to the salon?
Last weekish
84. What current song do you really like at the moment?
Once and Never Again by The Long Blondes. I feel like she looked at my life and wrote the song just for me. Keep an eye out for them.
85. Are you bored?
Why else would I be doing this?
86. Does your school serve good cafeteria food?
Uni has a range of cafes but I'm tight and I brign my own lunch
87. If you could change your gender, would you?
nope
88. Which is better, proper english or omigawd leik internet txt talk!?
proper english.
89. Do you use swear words?
fuck yeah.
90. What do you think will happen to yourself after you die?
I will be cremated and my ashes scattered in all my favourite cities.
91. What would be your dream come true?
to make a living as a bassist
92. Beauty or brains?
brains
93. Do you wish you were famous?
mmmm it'd be kinda cool I suppose
94. If you could be any animal, what would you be?
dog, mine are so spoilt
95. If you could be a child again, would you?
nope. I was so impatient to be 18, I'd hate to go through all that waiting again
96. What was the last mistake you made?
I can't remember, I make too many of them to keep track
97. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?
nope
98. Where are you right now?
in front of the computer
99. Are you depressed?
nope
100. Do you have any tatoos?
nope
101. Do you feel better now that you answered 100 pointless questions?
erm...nope

Just to clarify...

One of my friends (I won't name names) thought my big news is that I'm gay. Well, as plausible as that may seem, believe it or not, that's actually NOT my big news. Rest assured, all will be revealed at some point.

Far too much to blog

I've decided to make some rather large changes to my life at this stage. I won't say anything yet, but stay tuned for some possible big news. What I will say is that it may involve writing.

Ever since I've beent thinking about this quite enormous upheaval, I've been finding inspiration to write from everywhere. It's the complete opposite of my usual writer's block and quite unnerving I can tell you. On the days when I forget to take a notebook and pen with me I actually start panicking in my usual low key way because words and thoughts are flowing like vapours through my head and I know if I don't get them down immediately they'll be lost. Not completely, I'll be able to get down the gist, but that clarity and sharp clear colour that comes with the immediacy of thought translated into words will be gone.

My next problem is, I write so much down nowadays there's really no way I have the time or patience to transcribe everything to my blog. What I need is a PDA or laptop with WiFi so I can blog on the run. I rarely actually sit down these days at the computer with the specific intention to blog (God I love that word as a verb). Mostly I'll write them out and about and transcribe them later. My current top priority to transcribe is...well, I wouldn't call it a review, but more of an account of lunch at The Brasserie by Philippe Mouchel. I wrote it not an hour after going there on Monday, but it's still sitting in my notebook.

So anyway enough about my verbal diaorrhea. I went to my first gym class on Wednesday, Body Combat it's called. It's a combination of fighting and aerobics. Apart from the fact that I nearly died, it was enormous fun. The instructor was just so chipper and the fact that he was able to be chirpy and talk the whole hour while doing the full routines shows how fit he is. Being in a group is great too, you don't want to slack off if there's so many around you with a common goal and a hyperactive ginger up the front with a mic. I'll definitely go back, even though I worke up the next morning feeling like I'd actually been in a real fight.

That's enough now. I've got to get sleep - working double tomorrow as usual. I want to write some before I go to bed, but like I need anymore to add to my backlog of transcribing...

-Robyn

A Girl's got to eat

Ah! so very happy. Went downstairs just now looking for lunch and found a stash of cold pizza leftover from last night. Gold. Cold pizza is the best.

I ended up going out for dinner last night with my parents. We went to Cafe La at the Sofitel on Collins Street. I don't get to go to very many nice places to eat (the last time I ate out was a $9 gnocchi amatriciana on Lygon St, which was passable but not spectacular) so this was quite exciting. Cafe La is 35 floors up and we had a great view out over the Yarra and Fed Square and the Arts Centre area. It was all posh too, waiters in ties and suits and everything.

I had the meredith goat's cheese and leek tart with onion jam and some kind of apple/balsamic sauce thing. It was really good, the flavours all coming together really well. There were little bits of creamy and sharp goat's cheese complementing the slightly sweet caramelised onions and leek on a little sheet of puff pastry, with the tangy apple and balsamic sauce dotted around the edge. According to my 'aunt' Sandy (we're not realted but you know the whole honorary aunt and uncle thing) I'm the most gourmet 19 year old she knows. I have expensive taste, what can I say. I still don't drink wine but I had a taste of their...cab merlot or whatever it was last night and I could see what they were talking about with the smoothness. I think my palate needs to mature more before I can appreciate it.

For dessert there was a chocolate fondue that I tried a piece of. The chocolate ganache wasn't great, too watery for my liking but the turkish delight made on the premises was divine, and I don't usually like turkish delight so this was really good, soft and delicately flavoured. I had a passionfruit delicious which was exactly that, with vanilla ice-cream and some superphantastisch passionfruit sauce. I couldn't fit in hot chocolate, I was far too full to do anything except sit back with a sigh and watch the twinkling lights below being washed by lashes of cold rain.

-R

Bar.

First up, real name. It's Robyn. ta-fucking-daa. I finally let go of the whole 'ooh I'm not gonna reveal my real name on the net and be all mysterious', mainly because I don't want people who I end up meeting in real life calling me by my username (which has happened), and also because I already know pretty much everyone who reads this blog anyway (not that there's a whole lot of you).

So yeah. I'm at George's right now, like I seem to be a lot these days. We went on a bar crawl last night with her and some of her eng friends, namely Ben, Andrew and Brendan who organised it. It was great, I'd never been to any of them before except for Robot. The boys started out at Young and Jacksons. We were meant to meet them there but George's meeting with her thesis supervisor or whatever he is ran quite late so as soon as we met them at Y&J we moved on...to mcdonalds. Well we did need to eat! The cashier at maccas wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but then she was a cashier at maccas.

The first place we went to was the Gin Palace, which was really posh looking, all dark velvet drapes and gilded picture frames. They even framed the airconditioning vent, which I thought was a nice touch. It was very pretty and the waiters had awesome uniforms. I wasn't drinking so I had some fruity kind of mocktail which was nice. Even the ice was special - instead of just being cubes it was flat little rectangles. There were lots of little armchairs around little tables so we had our armchairs at a table with a hole in the wall seat. Apparently the men's loo has an unusual bit of decoration in the form of an upside down urinal at head height.

Next up we went to the Croft Institute, which I've read about before. You have to go through this creepy graffiti filled alleyway in Chinatown to get to it. Soem chinese chef in a white puffy hat waved to us as we walked past. Croft is set up like a sinister looking lab, all tiles and white or off white furniture and walls. It was practically empty so we didn't stick around, only going upstairs to have a look at the bathrooms. They were quite scary. The girls one had a hospital bed in the corner, and looked like a set from a japanese horror film. There was an eye wash basin but we tried it out and nothing happened.

After the creepiness of Croft we went to the Chaise Lounge, which was really nice. It was decorated in the same style as Gin Palace, all dark reds and vintagey looking, but more casual. The front was quite full when we went in and a three-piece jazz band was playing (and they were quite good too) but George went up the back and found a little room with sofas in it so we hung out there for quite a while. It was nice and cosy. We talked about bathrooms a lot and George nearly got herself locked into the ladies.

Our last stop was Robot, which used to be my semi-regular tuesday night hangout (they show anime on Tuesday nights) so it was a nice way to end the evening. Very quiet again, but it was Wednesday night. We even sat in my usual corner. We had to end the night at that because Melbourne's public transport ends at midnight which SUCKS. It was raining for most of our walk through the city but it was quite mild so it wasn't too bad. Then of course you're walking with friends and that which is always enjoyable.

Now I have a confession to make. George and I were so impatient on the train home, we could hardly stand it. The tension was unbearable. We couldn't even wait to get home so we did it in the car. That's right, we cracked open the creamed spinach dip and pita bread in the car on the way home. :D Thank god for 24 hour Coles is all I can say.

So yeah. Great night. I'd love to do it again and see more little bars. Melbourne has a lot of them.

I should also probably write something about easter and the comedy festival, but that's for next time because I'm lazy and this entry is already quite long.

-Robyn

Hi. Haven't blogged in a while. Too busy, or too lazy, take your pick. Nothing much to say either. Work's all good, I'm becoming quite fast, thankyou very much. I did kind of reinjure my shoulder this weekend by lifting a stack of cast iron pans to the shelf (forgot about the whole no heavy lifting thing) but I have this weekend off for easter so I'll recover hopefully. I'm going into the city today to meet a friend for coffee and I'll buy a 'teach yourself' bass book while I'm there. And I've decided (well almost decided) to buy a $350 coat. It's beautiful and I think it'd go with most of my wardrobe. I'll try it on today.

And Easter Bash is this weekend! Can't wait!

-R

Sorry about the boring post, like I said, not much happening. Oh, but I do have stacks of new photos on my flickr site, mostly gig shots of Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand and Black Keys. http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldofcheese is where you need to go.

Rot in hell, douchebag.

Yesterday I had my wallet stolen. It wa largely my own stupid fault as I'd left my bag open. I don't usually read on the tram but I'd come all the way from the physio in Caulfield (which is an entirely different story) so I'd had my little nose buried in Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential (great book, makes my job look like child's play). I was so engrossed in the coke snorting, ecuadorian line cook poaching, demi glaceing antics of Bourdain and his cohorts that I nearly missed my stop, so I jumped up, stashed my book, checked that my wallet was there, and jumped off, leaving my bag open in my rush.

It was about 10 metres from the tram stop to the shop I was going into, and I'm guessing that in that 10 metres, my wallet went AWOL. I didn't even realise that it was gone until I went to pay at the cash register. At first I didn't bat an eyelid, thinking maybe it'd slipped into a hole in the lining (which has happened before). However when I turned the whole bag inside out and it wasn't there or in the changeroom, mild panic set in. Had I left it on the tram? Nope. I'd checked that it was there as I got off. Trying to remain calm, I set off for the cop shop on Flinders Lane. As I was walking down Swanston St, it gradually dawned on me what had actually been stolen. The realisation of each newly missing item was like a punch in the gut. Licence. Bam! Student ID. Bam! Concession card. Bam! Debit Card. Bam! CREDIT CARD. BAM!

Needless to say, by the time I arrived at the police station, I was nearly in tears, sweating, practically reeling, punch-drunk. 'You absolute fucking braindead IDIOT! How could you lose so much shit!' was the train of thought I was maintaining as my stress leveles completely maxed out. I'm not a drugs kind of person (as you all know very well), but if someone had offered me a joint I would've smoked the whole thing in one drag. I was freaking.

So my first visit to a police station wasn't exactly grand. I waited for ages before someone came to see me, then I had to wait for an officer to come and help me, so more waiting. There was a woman from Perth who'd also had her purse stolen on Swanston St. My mum turned up and I'm a little embarrassed to say I had a tiny bit of a cry because I was so fucking screwed. After a while some officer dude came to help me and I had to call and cancel all my cards and shit, which took a while. Some Indian guy with a terrible fake American accent palmed me off to some Indian guy with a terrible Australian accent, who clacked away on keyboards and ummed and ahhed before cancelling my credit card. Props to the Comm bank though who were efficient and helpful. Apparently the officer dude who helped me was good looking (my mum said that), but I don't think I would've noticed if it were the fucking queen, as I had slightly more important things on my mind.

Anyway after an hour in the station I decided to head home, where a message was waiting for me - my wallet had been found! Whoever stole it took all the cash and then went to a handbag shop up the street and hid it in one of the handbags. The staff in the shop found it, went through it, found my gym card and called my gym, who called me. So it was straight back to the city to reclaim my now cashless wallet and then I went back to the police station to tell officer dude what happened. At least he now believed that it'd been stolen and I hadn't just dropped it. Fortunately my cards were in there (although I'd already cancelled them), unfortunately the cash is long gone. $35 might not sound like much but it's 3 hour's pay.

So yes. So much stress I could've done without. To the douchebag who stole my wallet: rot in hell, my friend.

-R

Oh yeah, the physio. I got elbowed in the shoulder at work and 'corked' a shoulder muscle. So not only did I get sent home from work because I couldn't move, I had to go and get it taped up. So now I look like footballer, I can't move my arm and the tape is really really fucking itchy.

written wednesday march 15 2006 (during a boring Italian tute)

Shed 14 at Docklands is filled with shipping containers. But instead of telivisions and furniture, they contain art installationg as part of the Next Wave arts festival. The spaces in between are buzzing with creatively dressed and uber sophisticated bohemian types with great hair. Wandering amongst them in my uni student jeans and t-shirt, I feel at ease and yet uncomfortable. I love being around creative people, but I've never felt more uncool in my life. With relief I spot my cousin on the catwalk above, and while I wait for him to come down I have a look at some of the installations, but I end up just marvelling at how effortlessly cool everyone else seems. Where do all these people hide when they're not at art festivals? My cousin rescues me and takes me around before leaving me to my own devices. It's all very highbrow and thought provoking. Impossibly slender identical twins, in black shorts and singlets, play handball. Four girls in uniform spit bouncy balls and bang loudly against the side of their container. I self-consciously draw a t-shirt design of a man in beret, sunglasses and goatee with the slogan 'artier than thou' then I escape to the comfort of the pub quiz with G and her engineering friends, where we come second by a point (our best result ever), and being uncool is okay.

written monday march 13 2006

The morning is cool, grey and not a little wet. I'm trudging down the laneway, bright orange umbrealla in one hand to hold off the half-arsed but constant drizzle, bagel with cream cheese in the other. But I'm not in New York (sadly). We're making our way to the Chinese Museum on Little Bourke St to get ready for this year's Moomba parade.

The city at 8 am on a public holiday is all but deserted. Melbourne Central is eerily quiet, devoid of the usual throng of suits, uni students and truants. Even the Museum is quieter than it was during Chinese New Year. The absence of people is a little unnerving. At 10 am there still aren't enough men to carry the dragon, jeopardising our participation in the parade.

Which is how six of us girls come to be standing on the corner of Russel and Little Bourke Streets in our costumes an hour before the parade, asking people off the street if they'd like to participate. Most people walk past, completely ignoring us, others stop long just long enough to say no. Even the offer of a free lunch can't seem to tempt anyone. However, after as many refusals as propositions, my sister accosts a French backpacker. Jackpot! He seems a little overwhelmed by six excitable girls in costume, but lets himself get whisked away for a crash-course in dragon carrying.

After catching this 'fish', as the excited parade organisers put it, my friend and I cross the street to join another three costumed participants, and to our surprise, we snare another volunteer within a couple of minutes. B lives up the street and is on his way to the supermarket, but is happy to make a slight detour.

By some miracle, the two people we get off the street transform into the five we actually need, and by 10:55 am I'm standing out the front of the Museum, my garishly coloured phoenix's wings flapping softly in the breeze. The Museum is across a cobbled laneway from a block of serviced apartments, and the guests look surprised as they step out into the dull morning to be confronted with a riot of violently coloured silk banners and papier-mache animals. The cacophony of drums, cymbals and gongs waking up the dragon brings a bunch of girls out onto their balcony, where they excitedly snap pictures and wave.

Walking along Little Bourke Street to Swanston Street, where the parade is happening, gives the impression that no one is attending, as the streets are almost empty. I'm just beginning to think that it'll be very embarrassing, all of us parading to no one, when we hit Swanston Street. Which is packed. People cram in five or six deep against bright yellow plastic barriers as far as the eye can see. Shit.

Because we're joining the parade after the actual commencement point, we get to see some of the floats go past. The Play School float is a definite highlight. One of the presenters waves back at me but I don't recognise her - I'm before her time. We're the last float out after Spotswood Primary's mass drumming. One of their teachers is cute.

Walking down Swanston Street as part of a parade instead of a protest is a strange experience. Instead of jeans and a 'support your student union' t-shirt, I'm wearing a red chinese blouse and black satin trousers. The phoenix is a little heavier and more cumbersome than the red flag that a Socialist Alternative member invariable thrusts into my hands during a protest, and requires a red webbing and leather sling for support. Everywhere I look, hundreds of little silver cameras snap photos. It's strange to think that all these people I've never met might be emailing photos of me to their friends. I wave to whoever waves at me and experience what it's like to give that moment of joy to little kids watching the parade.

I feel a little bad when we turn onto Flinders Street before Federation Square, which is still packed with expectant faces, but the dragon is bloody heavy and it's a long walk back. When we turn onto Russell Street and face a fairly steep uphill walk, I can almost hear the poor dragon carriers groaning in dismay. My own arms and legs are beginning to feel the effects of an hour's parading combined with washing dishes all weekend. I'm thankful to relinquish the phoenix and my petroleum-based uniform and head downstairs in time to see the boys finally put the dragon back to sleep. B is all smiles and says he had a great time.

Excuse me while my brain liquefies and dribbles out my nostrils.

Oh God.

This week has been (and you'll excuse my french) abso-fucking-lutely mental. Here it is in short form (because just thinking about it in any longer form tires me right now):

Sunday night: worked till 10:45. Pretty busy because of Labour Day monday. Slept at around midnight.
Monday: woke up at 6:30am. Moomba parade am, then uni, then Commonwealth Games opening ceremony rehearsal in the evening. Get home 11:30 pm, sleep around midnight.
Tuesday: wake up 7:30 am. Uni until 3:15 pm, then killing time until Next Wave arts festival at 6. To the pub quiz at 8, meet parents in city at 10:30, get home around 11. sleep 11:30pm.
Wednesday: get up 7:30. Uni until 4:15, then Commonwealth games opening ceremony at the Yarra. Get home around midnight and straight to bed.
Today: up at 7:30. head to MSAC for the swimming heats, then into the city to kill time until hockey at Parkville at 4pm. Got home about 20 minutes ago.

Anyway, enough of that. I don't want to think about it right now. Instead, I'll put in transcripts of what I've written in my notebook in the past week, with the intention of putting it into the blog straight away, but obviously without the time.

-R

How asian are you?

(stolen from G)
YOU KNOW YOU ARE ASIAN-AUSTRALIAN IF...

1. You regret the fact that you did not learn Mandarin or other Asian language properly in Saturday language school.
well...trueish I suppose it'd be handy for travel, but my parents speak Hokkien anyway. and I never did saturday language class.

2. You say you're Australian, totally forgetting your roots.
True. Well technically I am an Aussie, in as much as I was born here and have spent most of my life here.

3. During childhood you didn't have many Asian friends, played bullrush or handball and ate 'sunny boys' for lunch.
True. My only Asian friends are family friends.

4. A form of choosing was done by 'dip dip'.
False

5. You know you have to shop at an Asian grocery store but you have no idea what you are buying nor can you read any of the food labels.
False - I usually know what I want :)

6. You cheer for Australia during the Olympics, know local Australian bands, and know what a VB is.
Of course!

7. You can speak fluent English without an accent.
Well, if without an accent means Australian, then yes.

8. Know what a Commodore and Falcon are.
True

9. You know you are superior to all other Asians, despite the fact that they beat you in Maths in the VCE, can speak an Asian language fluently and know what they are buying in Asian grocery stores.
lol...pass on that one!

Score: 7/9


33 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU'RE AN ASIAN

1. You were/are a good student with very high GPAs.
Well, I didn't do so well last year, but I did well at school...

2. You majored in something practical like engineering, medicine or finance.
False! I'm all arts. although I'll be majoring in Psych. maybe.

3. You have more than one-college degree.
Not yet.

4. If you play a musical instrument, it must be piano.
yes, along with bass and violin

5. You have a vinyl table cloth on your kitchen table.
False!

6. Your stove is covered with aluminum foil.
False

7. Your kitchen has a sticky film of grease over it.
False, thankoyu very much. I clean the kitchen well.

8. You beat eggs with chopsticks.
False...I don't think I even hold them properly.

9. You always leave outdoor shoes at the door.
True

10. You use the dishwasher as a dish rack.
False. Believe it or not, we do actually have a dish rack.

11. You keep a Thermos of hot water available at all times.
False

12. You boil water before drinking.
False, although we do have a filter that we use.

13. You fight over who pays the dinner bill.
True, usually.

14. You wash rice 2-3 times before cooking it.
True.

15. You don't dry-clean clothes, even if they need to be dry-cleaned.
False

16. You always cook yourself, even if you hate it.
True, but I don't hate it

17. You do either soccer, swimming, badminton, volleyball, basketball, or ping pong.
I used to do swimming and badminton, yes

18. You buy Christmas cards after Christmas, when they are 50% off.
False, I buy them from the Reject shop so they're cheap anyway :D

19. You hate to waste food:
a) Even if you're totally full, if someone says they're going to throw away the leftovers on the table, you'll finish them.
False
b) You have containers in your fridge with three bites of rice or one leftover chicken wing.
False - if it ever gets that little someone'll usually eat it anyway

20. You don't own any real Tupperware-only a cupboard full of used but carefully rinsed margarine tubs, takeout containers, and jam jars.
False - my mum loves her tupperware.

21. When toilet paper is on sale, you buy 100 rolls and store them.
False

22. You have a collection of miniature shampoo/conditioner bottles and little soap bars that you take every time you stay in a hotel.
True, lol. Very handy for when we go away or when someone stays over and forgets their toothbrush.

23. You carry a stash of your own food whenever you travel (and travel means any car ride longer than 15 minutes).
False - sometimes I take a bottle of water.

24. You spit bones and other food scraps on the table.
False

25. Your dad thinks he can fix everything himself.
True :)

26. When you go to a dance party, there is always a group of guys surrounding the dance floor trying to look cool.
I don't go to dance parties...

27. Your house/aparment is always cold in winter, and hot in summer.
False

28. Your Mom drives her Mercedes to Foodtown, or Shoppers Food Warehouse regardless how far it is, even if the dairy is next door.
False. she drives her Honda to the supermarket 5 minutes away.

29. You always look phone numbers up in the phone book, since calling Directory Assistance costs 50 cents.
False - I use the net

30. You use a colored face cloth every morning.
False

31. You starve yourself before going to all-you-can-eat places.
False - I don't do all-you-can-eat.

32. Almost all your money is in a savings account
False

33. You never discuss your love life with your parents.
False :)

gee...I'm not very asian :)

-R

Ohhhhh wham bam thankyou ma'am!

I found the video of Scissor Sisters and Franz Ferdinand performing Suffragette City at the V festival last year (hence the lyrics in the title). Oh my god. Completely slayed by the hotness. Alex is so camp :D And Paul's wearing his gold lame jacket. Had to fit in with the Scissor Sisters flamboyance I suppose. Ana Matronic's dress was very cool. And of course Jake, shirtless, in tight white pants and a feather boa. Oh my.

At work tonight I learned how to de-bone a duck. It was a little fiddly, but at the same time perversely satisfying, learning how to cleanly peel away the ribcage and spine from the body. The meat was still slightly warm, glistening fat collecting in pools in the cavities. I only successfully deboned two half ducks but hopefully I'll become more proficient.

We didn't serve that many tonight, but for some reason they all came at once. I didn't know whether it was busy or I was just slow. I asked my boss whether it was busy. He's a jokey guy but he plays it so straight I can never tell whether he's serious or not. He just shrugged as if to say 'meh, not really' and I panicked, thinking my dishwashing skills have gone to shit and I'm going to lose my job. I had to ask him whether he was serious or not. I think I need to learn how to eiher read people better or become less gullible.

Anyway, it's sleep for me as I'm working a double tomorrow. Oh the joy, oh the excitement.

-R

Yay! new Franz song

I've just 'acquired' an mp3 of the new Franz song Lynsey Wells from the interweb (ripped from a streaming thing I think). Usually I'm a little wary of new stuff, but I'm listening to it for the first time *right now* and I already love it. This is the one they recorded in the Hothouse studios in St Kilda while they were here for the BDO. Talk about a fast release! I feel a connection already :) How to describe it? It's definitely Franzy, danceable poppy rock with keyboards and strings and acoustic guitars and multilayered vocals and a great melody. Ah fuck it, just listen to it. You lucky UK people will get it with The Fallen as it's a double A-side (Lynsey is obviously the other A-side), the rest of us plebs will hunt it out on the net. Now I'm going to have to scrounge around on the off chance that Jeremy Fraser's up somewhere, although that's less likely as it's a B-side. I wonder if all the new tracks will have full names on them :) although Brown Onions doesn't. Apparently it's an instrumental with Andy (Knowles, their live keyboardist and drum tech) on drums, Paul on bass and Bob on guitar with Nick and Alex. Or something.

I saw Kinky Boots tonight with a couple of friends. It's your typical feelgood enjoyable british comedy, well if you can call a Northampton shoe factory making shoes for drag queens typical. It was very enjoyable with a lot of laughs and Joel Edgerton did a good job. Very undemanding movie for the end of the uni week. Something my mum would enjoy too - go on, take your mum to the movies.

-R

How exactly do publishers justify the amount of money they charge for textbooks? I'm a student, not a millionaire. Students are the last people who you should overcharge. Today I spent $120 on one textbook and one reader. The textbook alone was $110. That's half a week's pay gone right there. 10 hours of washing dishes. I'm really not looking forward to seeing how much the Italian will be if and when it finally arrives next week. Last year it was $150.

So I was reading my textbook (which is on developmental psychology) in the library this afternoon. It was either that or sleep through a behavioural neuroscience lecture. The first five pages of chapter one are basically an essay on why you should study child psychology. Mate, I just blew half my paycheck on your bloody book. Fuck the essay, the price is incentive enough for me to read it cover to cover and absorb as much knowledge as is humanely fucking possible.

Spicks and Specks was good as usual tonight, but no Substitute! They had Ali McGregor and Alex Lloyd at their disposal. I was surprised.

Anyway I'm off. Really should get some sleep.

-R

Fuck you, James Blunt, for 'You're Beatiful,' which I now get.

I saw the most heartbreakingly beautiful boy coming home on the train today. He was an indie boy if I had to stick a label on him. Floppy ever so slightly long brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, khaki trousers and a white button down shirt, rolled up and undone at the collar. I bet he was listening to Belle and Sebastian on his iPod. I couldn't stop staring at him on the train. I was sitting a few rows away facing him, and admittedly I spent most of the ride staring at him. He was just...you don't see guys like that every day. In fact, in my case, I don't see guys like that. Ever. Stop after stop went by and he didn't get off. The stop before me, he made a move and my heart stopped. But he didn't get off.

He didn't get off at my stop either. I'll probably never see him again. But you get that.

Mum was playing James Blunt in the car. I now get that fucking song.

-R

Hmm. I had to actually read my blog this morning as I was so tired last night I couldn't even remember what I wrote. Then I was worried that I would've written something really embarrassing, because I actually did fall asleep while writing that entry, and I had to wake up to finish it off. Lucky there was nothing incriminating there.

Well I'm feeling much better this morning. My feet tingle a little and my left arm's still sore but Sunday nights at work are usually quite dead, so much so that usually they only put one person on the other side doing dishes and food. I think the boss wants me in so S can teach me food things tonight.

Anyway I have to go down to claen the kitchen, then I have to burn some CDs for S. I'm really getting her into some good music :) As well as Franz Ferdinand she's getting into Kaiser Chiefs, End of Fashion and The Whitlams. I might burn her some Decemberists and Beatles too. :)

-R