Celebrating...

NOW!

That's right. I'm home now and I partied-hardied (i.e. ate a bunch of junk food as a means of festivity). After about ten months of assignments, tests, homework, assessments, essays, posters, worksheets and all other miscellaneously related crap the teachers dish out, we have finally been given a reprieve (granted, we did have holidays slipped here and there, but nothing compares to the big one). Out of the aforementioned ten months, I believe I've suffered from senioritis for at least six. Presuming, of course, that senioritis means getting up tired every day and have little motivation to do whatever it is you're supposed to do at school. And to think, I'm still in year 10. God help me.

Having said that, I'm gonna enjoy this month's break (before you say anything, a month is about the right time for me to adjust to holidays and then readjust for school, so I don't mind it). I'll enjoy it even more so if I end up moving to Melbourne, as I have a long, long list of things I wanna do there (being the capital of sport, 90% of that list is sport-related). I should be getting a confirmation some time in late June.

Speaking of which, I have to ask for opinions: should I be saying my goodbyes on the last day of school? The chances of getting a visa are pretty strong, but still, it's not certainty. Opinions are greatly appreciated.

Thou art my life noweth.

A Delay in Celebration

It's finally here. I'm finally devoid of schoolwork. You'd think I'd be happy by now, and I guess I am. But what's free time good for when you can't actually enjoy it? Stupid me forgot to employ my 'ways' to get on Sparklife at school, so I can't get on the OT and do all that fun stuff. "What about your real life friends?", you may ask. Well, the classes are still supervised, so no all out anarchy as yet (that would be reserved for next week [and by all out anarchy, I mean non-stop ping pong]). So until I get home, I should refrain from being celebratory. I should be in for the longest 6 hours of my life.

Thou art my life noweth.

The Engine Driver

Yet another cover, this one is of The Engine Driver by The Decemberists. Hope you guys like it!

Please leave your opinions/critiques in the comments section and please bleep any expletives you may have used. Thanks.

Random Epiphany of the Day

I had a weird realisation today.

First, some background: I was in M*** class when my teacher started writing questions for a survey and the very first one was 'What do you think about M***?' with the options a) dislike (I picked that without too much hesitation), b) like, or c) neutral.

In that moment of hesitation, I was thinking of why I liked the sciences (I quite like Chemistry and Physics isn't so bad) without liking M***. Then it occurred to me that this entire thing was a bit like being married (or a relationship of any sort, really): you don't have to love everything about it, you just have to tolerate and, more importantly, somehow understand the things you don't particularly like about it. When you love something/one, the pros will always outweigh the cons.

I will not blame you if you think I'm weird (well, weirder than I already am) now. I think so too - M*** actually helped me learn something! That's not really to do with M***! OK, I'll stop swearing now.

Thou art my life noweth.

Lyric of the Day (19th May, 2010)

The first Indonesian LotD!

"Bukankah kau pernah melihat bintang
Yang menghiasi sang malam
Yang berkilau
Bagai permata
Menghibur yang lelah jiwanya
Yang sedih hatinya"

- from Sang Penghibur (The Entertainer) by Padi

Translation:

"Have you not seen the stars
That decorate the night sky
That sparkle
Like gemstones
To console those whose souls are tired
And whose hearts are in misery"

A New Type of Post

I was looking back through this blog (not really) and found out I never just blog about my day. So here's my first one (note: this was supposed to be published yesterday, but writer's block got me. Therefore, I'll be blogging about some of yesterday and today).

Wednesday was quite great - the highlight of that day, I must say (hey, that rhymed!) was the construction of a (literally) huge Chemistry project I have with two group mates (pictures coming soon). It's about 1 and a half metres long and we had to carry it all the way across the school parking lot and then my group mate's apartment complex. We received many stares, so I felt kind of famous :D.

School today was slightly less fun and interesting (although, I did spend 3 solid hours chatting on SparkLife :D) while listening to Jason Mraz's Live at the Highline Ballroom DVD (it's incredible, by the way). My view on animals was further reinforced in Physics when I handled a hamster (it's basically free time, these days): animals are cute/cool until they have to crap. 'Nuff said.

On a much more pleasant topic, Quack, Nosh, Hannah, Sev and I are making an e-band! Apparently, we were supposed to suggest two songs to vote on, so mine will by Geek in the Pink by Jason Mraz and Mr Brightside by the Killers (note: Feeling Good was replaced because Muse's version wasn't really made to fit a lot of instruments). So, if you guys can get in touch with Quack, tell him that my blog is here and my suggestions are too.

For the last period, we had a surprise English test (reading comprehension and that), which I'd like to think I smashed out of the park. Let's just hope my teacher agrees.

That's about it for now.

Thou art my life now...eth.

Lyric of the Day (18th May, 2010)

That's right, the LotD's are back! But they will be sporadic in nature. Today's one is for Sky:

"Squirrel in the tree looking right at me
Does he give a damn?
Does he know who I am?"

- Only Human by Jason Mraz

Yet Another Useless Contribution to the Blogosphere

Here it is (finally)! After 15 takes, I have finally made one half-decent enough to be posted. Note: you might need to turn your speakers up a teensie bit to catch what's going on (note: I just watched the video back and I barely understood a word I said). Or, alternatively, you can just read the transcript below. Whichever you like. Here we go:

Transcript:

So you know what they say: 15th time's the charm. I'm not sure if I'm speaking loud enough, but I'll be putting a transcript underneath just in case you don't understand a word I say, or if you're Hannah and can't watch it in the first place. Thank you to everyone who suggested vlogging topics; some of you guys mentioned shoutouts, so I will be giving a shoutout to those who suggested, which will be Funsize, Rebel, Feathers, Amarantha, Bruce, Hannah and Sky. So, I don't think I missed anyone, but if I did, please don't hurt me.

*awkward silence*

Bruce suggested that I should do dramatic readings of Dan's Twilight blogs. I think that's a fantastic idea, seriously, but I don't have any of them at hand right now, so it should be something to look forward to. Hannah's suggestion, which was attempting to speak Oirish, well, let's not go there. Rebel's suggestion, well one of them, was Vlogging Glee. I don't think I'll be continuing with that stuff, well one, because I've pretty much lost interest in the series (it's getting a little, blah) and two, Emily's already doing that on SparkLife and, well, she pwns me, so I think you'd much rather read hers than mine. Anyway.

*another awkward silence*

I'm having a pretty bad writer's block right now. Some of you may know that I'm trying to write a series of articles for Sparklife on the upcoming World Cup. I'm trying to start off with a preview and I've gotten two paragraphs down, but I couldn't go any further... as yet, so hopefully I will be able to write again very soon.

To all those who can actually listen to this, what accent am I speaking in? It's something that I'm interested to find out (Funsize also asked about it too). So, yeah, please tell me.

*yet another awkward silence*

OK, I've got this one mini-rant type thing: I'm about four weeks away from my end of school year holidays, which sounds pretty good, except it's really, really frustrating, 'cause, well, I can feel the freedom; I can taste it; and I can picture myself getting up late every single day and doing whatever I want. But then I remember the four weeks of homework and assignments and exams just standing in the way. It frustrates the 'beep' out of me (note: I actually said 'beep').

Well, I guess that's it for now; hopefully you understood some parts of what I said, and thou art my life noweth.

Note: After watching and listening to the video back, I have discovered that I am quite possibly the least articulate people I've ever heard. And that my constant movements are potentially annoying. Bear with me, kay?

Thou art my life noweth.

The Perils of Vlogging

So, I tried to make a vlog today. It took nine takes for me to realise that I can't talk to my laptop and keep a straight face. Yes, it's that hard (for me, anyway). I ended up getting myself into a bunch of awkward silences, which I tried to remedy with various awkward turtles, but I can't do those either (not on camera, anyway, as my hands got too close). Anyway, I guess it would've helped if I had something to talk about, which I didn't have today. So, any suggestions? Please post them in the comments.

Thou art my life now... wait for it, wait for it... eth.

Lyric of the Day (13th May, 2010)

"'Cause love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure"

- Under Pressure by Queen/David Bowie (I've been listening to Keane's version, though)

Lyrics of the Days (11th and 12th May, 2010)

Gasp! I forgot to put one up for the 11th!

Well here it is:

"You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot
And you haven't got a clue
Mister I'll
Make a man
Out of you!"

- from Make A Man Out of You from Mulan. Very, very fun to sing.

And for the 12th:

"Lonely people
Tumble downwards
My heart opens up to you
When she says
She has no time"

- from She has No Time by Keane

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry, was that annoying you? Yeah, I should probably stop now. I couldn't help it though - a series of wonderful, wonderful events hit me today, which in chronological order would be:

1. The article that Hanini and I wrote together got published (click here if you haven't read it)!
2. I got a mention on Cute Thing of the Week!
3. EMILY SENT ME AN E-MAIL SAYING THAT SHE LIKED THE ARTICLE I SENT OVER (ON MY OWN) AND THAT IT WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE 9TH OF JUNE!

Ahem.

Again, I apologise, but I believe these three things in the same day is more than reason enough to be hyper.

THOU ART MY LIFE NOWETH!!!

Lyric if the Day (10th May, 2010)

"I'll be the fire escape
That's bolted to the ancient brick
Where you will sit
And contemplate your day"

- Brand New Colony by The Postal Service

For Coral

Lyric if the Day (9th May, 2010)

"Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole
Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound
But while you debate half empty or half full
It slowly rises, your love is gonna drown"

- Marching Bands of Manhattan by Death Cab for Cutie

Mother's Day Special

To honour this special occasion, I’m here to write something for my dear mother (can I get some ‘aww’s?’). Though she may be 5000 kilometers away, which adds to the fact that I haven’t seen her in little over four months, her lessons still ring clear in my ears (that’s a good thing). I guess that’s just a testament to how well she’s taught me. So, Bu, here’s to you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Note: 'Bu' is a shortened form of 'ibu', which is mum or mother in Indonesian.

Lyric if the Day (8th May, 2010)

"I'll wear my badge
A vinyl sticker with big block letters
Adherent to my chest that
Tells your friends
I'm just a visitor here;
I am not permanent"

- another one from The District Sleeps Alone Tonight by The Postal Service.

Lyric of the Day (7th May, 2010)

"With the sun in your eyes
And on your own
Bedshaped
And legs of stone
You'll knock on my door
And up we'll go
In white light
I don't think so
But what do I know?"

- Bedshaped by Keane

Lyric of the Day (6th May, 2010)

"Your light's still on,
I can see it from the inside
Let's go over things again,
Is there anything left to figure out?"

- After Sunset by Styrofoam

Lyric of the Day (5th May, 2010)

Yes, it's technically the 5th where I am. So I'm gonna post this now.

"The only thing
Keeping me dry is that
You seem so out of context
In this gaudy apartment complex
A stranger with your door key
Explaining why I'm just visiting
And now I'm finally seeing
Why I was the one worth leaving"

- The District Sleeps Alone Tonight by The Postal Service.

The Sparkvention, Part 2: The Gathering

The conversation I had with Hanini on the shuttle was an enlightening one ("Why is New York City called the Big Apple?" "Maybe because there's this sportswriter who refers to the prize money of horse races as apples, which led him to call New York's the 'big apple', as theirs was the most sought out of them all?" "Don't be ridiculous, that's just silly!") and before long, we reached the place of the convention (which looks a little something like this [thank you to Newt for that picture]). At the reception, we see Emily and Emma, who seem to have the ability to turn Hanini into a screaming fangirl.

"Hey, guys! Welcome to the Sparkvention!" Emily says, as if she's not noticing the cacophony unfolding before her. "Can I get your usernames?"

Being the cooler and calmer of the e-twins, I causally replied, "Hey, Emily and Emma! I'm aditrs and the ruckus there is Hanini_Panini. It's great to be here!"

Emma chimes in. "So you're the ones who wrote that awesome article? After reading that, I couldn't stop saying 'thoughts of enlightened ones are always synchronised' for weeks (you guys will know why later)! Nice to finally meet you guys!"

"Here are your shirts," Emily says, as she emerges from under the table. "Just things to make people easier to find here."

The shirt I got was blue with a huge white snowflake on it. It had the word 'aditrs' in big letters in the middle and had the 'about me' section of my profile under it. It was so awesome, I simply donned it above the shirt I was already wearing. Hanini, on the other hand, quickly bolted towards the ladies' room while muttering something resembling, "Meet you here in 2 minutes."

Hey, is that Sky? And Kevin? And Neil? And Gummy? And Funsize? And Rebel???!!! And... and... and... My God! It's a freaking Open Thread here!

Abandoning Hanini, I sprinted towards the little group of people that normally live in my computer. They were all wearing similar shirts, although some had white shirts with blue snowflakes on it.

Mustering up the courage to talk to them, I meekly said, "Hey guys, what's up?"

And then, the most amazing thing happened. Like in the Open Thread, they all replied to me in a different manner, but at the same time. 'Twas awesome.

It seems that Hanini's tracked me down (note to self: shut down e-twin-ESP at times like these) and she doesn't look too happy. Seeing my concern for my safety, Kevin, Gummy, Funsize and Rebel jumped across the room to tackle-hug her. That was close.

*
That day was one of the best of my life. I mean, we got to meet DANIEL ADAM BERGSTEIN! Your worst day with him will more often than not better your best day without. We also had a session with Auntie (who also gave us drawing lessons [they were easily the best drawing lessons I've ever had]).

It's the end of the day now, and we've been instructed to pick roommates. Thankfully, Sky and Neil were cool about letting me bunk with them. Sky told in great detail of his plans regarding ordering room service, as Neil and I listened intently. They sure were epic.

Lyric of the Day (4th May, 2010)

Because I'm in such a rebellious mood today (these lyrics must be screamed for maximum effect):

"No one's going to take me alive
The time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must strive to survive"

- Knights of Cydonia by Muse

Lyric of the Day (3rd May, 2010)

"I am a writer, writer of fictions
I am the heart that you called home
And I've written pages, upon pages
Trying to rid you from
My bones"

- The Engine Driver by The Decemberists

To Fremantle With Love

Quick update: Part 2 of the Sparkvention is halfway done. Should be up by next Friday.

Today, I felt more Australian than I have been in a long, LONG time. Why? I watched the full western derby LIVE. And my beloved Dockers won! By 33 freaking points! I can't be prouder of you all. This post is for you guys.

Where do I begin? Firstly, many hats off to Rhys Palmer, who was welcomed back to the league with not one, not two, but THREE blows to the head. And you still managed 18 possessions and a goal. Onya, mate! Next, Pav! The skipper! Congrats on your 5 goals! You are now tied leading goalkicker with Jonathan Brown, who's ass you will totally kick next week. To all you defenders (I'm talking about Duffield, Roberton [awesome first game, by the way!] McPharlin, Hayden, Silvagni and those who I may have unfortunately missed), I would like to laud you on your stellar performance against the Eagles' forward line. It was your pressure that helped your forwards score 11 straight goals. Last but not least, the Glendinning Medallist, Michael Barlow. What can I say? Sixth game and racking up these numbers? You're a legend.

Anyway, I hope your good form can last the entire season (it's not like I've imagined you guys lifting the flag, or anything [wink]). All the best!

I know you Sparklers most probably won't understand that, but please comment as if you do. I look forward to reading what you'll say.

Thou art my life noweth!

Lyric of the Day

Since you all love things of the day, I will start my own: Lyric of the Day. Self-explanatory, I will be posting my favourite lyrics of the day. Some days, they might be the same. But nyeh, it's my blog. So today's is:

"You've crossed the finish line,
Won the race, but lost your mind.
Was it worth it, after all?"

- Superman by Lazlo Bane (otherwise known as the theme song of Scrubs)

'Til the next one (speaking of which, I need a better send off. Offer suggestions in the comments).

Uninspired

With the exception of that Blogging Glee post, I have been unable to write this weekend (so far). Then again, I've been planning the Blogging Glee post for a couple of days now, so that doesn't count. I believe this is called writer's block? If so, I hate it. Like, listening-to-Baby-by-Justin-Beiber-on-a-loop-for-24-hours hate it.

Feel free to post any ideas/suggestions in the comments.

'Til the next one.

Blogging Glee, Part 2

In this episode, Rachel raps. Badly. Like, worse-than-Taylor-Swift's-rapping bad. 'Nuff said.












What? Why are you still here? I thought you would've left after reading that first bit. No? Fine, I'll blog the rest of the episode.

The episode actually starts pretty well - 'Freak Out' aside. I agree with the kids when they said that it's not quite the best song to appeal to a large group of average teenagers. That said, neither is 'Gold Digger' (that was soooooo 5 years ago). But still, Will showed that he could dance and rap (better than Taylor Swift, anyway), which was pretty entertaining. Awesome points for him.

Speaking of Awesome points, I am deciding to make a table. Here is the default table:

Arty: 50 (it's a default setting, can't change it)
Will: 0
Finn: 0
Tina: 0
Mercedes: 0
Kurt: 0
Sue: 0
Quinn: 0
Emma: 0
Ken: 0
Rachel: -167 (another default setting, sorry)

OK, back to the episode. After the singing of 'Gold Digger', things start to go downhill. Rachel and Finn's ploy to advertise the club without singing 'Freak Out' wasn't bad, but their solution was (IMO) stupid. But before that, the celibacy club. I may be slightly in the dark here, but I'm not sure how grinding with a balloon as a 'barrier' will help to abstain. Feel free to enlighten me in the comments.

The rehearsal session wasn't so great either. Finn's F (the musical note) was pretty cool (I'm not quite there yet), but aside from that, it was terrible. The lead up to the Finn/Rachel kiss was horrible. 'You can kiss me if you want'. What? And Finn, you have a girlfriend! No matter how much she's leading you on, you have no right to kiss her. And then, you made it worse by... uh... being early (let's just keep it at that). 50 awesome points off right there.

Now to the performance. 'Push It'? Really? I mean, I can understand that those kids want something sex-related, but can't you be at least a bit more tasteful? Plus, Rachel (and Finn) can't rap. Even Arty was only marginally better than Taylor Swift (sorry mate). And don't get me started on the choreography! I actually agreed with Sue when she said that it was disgraceful, 'cause it was.

Another thing I didn't like about the episode was Terri's lying about her pregnancy. I mean, she and Will have been married for 5 years, right? Surely she can tell him that. I look forward to what happens, as Terri now has 100 awesome points stripped from her despite the fact that she wasn't in the original table.

Lastly, the ending. I understand how 'Take A Bow' is appropriate, but it's a little melodramatic (even for a musical-ish show like Glee) for my taste. And why is Tina and Mercedes there in the background? They don't have much to do with Rachel and Finn's 'relationship', and they didn't sing much anyway. Makes them look useless (you guys totally aren't).

Updated Awesomeness table:

Arty: 49 (one point off for substandard rapping)
Tina: 5 (for being good sport to Rachel about being back-up singers)
Mercedes: 5 (read Tina's)
Will: 0
Kurt: 0
Emma: 0
Ken: 0
Sue: -5 (50 for pointing out the fact that the performance was horrible, -55 for employing spies)
Quinn: -25 (for agreeing to spy on the Glee club)
Finn: -50 (reason explained above)
Terri: -100
Rachel: -334 (terrible rapping and kissing a taken man)

On a side note, not all episodes of Part 1 will be aired again, which means I will have to start blogging from memory again. Hope it won't be too bad.

'Til the next one.

*For those who aren't sure why I referenced Taylor Swift so many times, watch this. You'll understand.