blink-182; Neighborhoods

Seven years, ten months and five days after the release of their self-titled record makes September 23, 2011 a very important date for blink-182 fans. Today is the day that the band’s sixth studio album, and first since their ‘indefinite hiatus’ back in 2005, entitled ‘Neighborhoods’ is set to be released.

Having stood outside my local CD store waiting for the doors to open, it’d be an understatement to say that I was excited, and a little bit impatient, to finally hear this album. In all honesty I was as nervous as hell as to what this record would bring, but after multiple listens of this long-awaited record, I think it's safe to say I wholeheartedly approve of 'Neighborhoods'.

It is without a doubt blink-182's darkest album to date, both lyrically and musically. They've definitely matured and incorporated into their music what they've all experienced during the past 8 years. In many respects it's as if they've simply picked up where they left off with their last record, except this time there's no question that this level of maturity suits them. After all, during the time of their eponymous album they were still seen as that band who sang that “cute ‘Na Na Na’ song” and who ran naked through their music videos. This time however, after almost a decade, life has naturally forced them to mature; they've grown up and progressed.

While 'Neighborhoods' stands as this dark and mature album, there are definitely throwbacks to their previous records, as well as hints of their side projects away from blink-182, which are definitely evident throughout the album.

The opening track, 'Ghost On The Dance Floor', is quite indicative of the album as a whole in terms of the overall theme and sound of the record. It’d be fair to say that it’s almost a sequel to ‘Not Now’. There are numerous references to death, hopelessness and self-doubt all the way through the record, but the second track, 'Natives', is perhaps the song in which these themes are most prevalent. Lyrics such as ‘I’m just a waste of your time/ Maybe I’m better off dead’ accentuate the darkness present on the album and paint a pretty good picture for what to expect. The third track, and first single off the record, ‘Up All Night’, is a reflection on the harsh reality of human behaviour and the struggles we all face through the eyes of a perceptive observer. As a single it had people confused, however in amongst the other tracks on the record it works well in context. The fourth track on the album, ‘After Midnight’, is a love song of sorts, an ode to a masochistic and destructive relationship, best captured through the verses, with lines like ‘I kind of like the rush you get/ When you’re standing close to death/ Like when you’re driving me crazy’. ‘Snake Charmer’ follows next with a song that is essentially about women and the evil lust and desire they use to coax men into getting what they want. It has a mixture of heavy guitars and an intro that is quite reminiscent of The Cure. ‘Interlude’ then provides a short instrumental break built upon a piano and a spacey guitar riff, a brief departure from the heaviness of the record before leading itself into the seventh track. ‘Hearts All Gone’ is one of the more fast paced punk rock tracks on the record that could easily be mistaken as a song that got lost during the recording of ‘Dude Ranch’ and that has now been re-recorded to become relevant for this particular record. However, amongst all the darkness some light can be found in the form of the eighth track, ‘Wishing Well’, with it’s catchy 'la da da' chorus. In true-to-form blink-182 fashion, this song has a more upbeat pop feel which is quite reminiscent of ‘Enema Of The State’. The ninth track, ‘Kaleidoscope’, is very much a song about the recording of the album. It is a return to the darkness of the earlier tracks, with lyrics full of fear and uncertainty as to what this journey holds; ‘It is the first time that I’m worried/ … It’s a long road to get it right’. Almost acting as a counterbalance to the paranoia of the previous song, ‘This Is Home’ is a pure rock song about the punk rock scene and how they, blink-182, want each other to ‘let go/ ‘Cause this is home’. ‘MH 4.18.2011’, another straightforward rock effort, has Mark singing of repression and the struggle of trying to grow in such an environment. His advice; ‘Slow down/ Stop living in the shadow of a helicopter’. Set to be the final track on the standard version, ‘Love Is Dangerous’ is a track that for me is their greatest departure from their previous material. It has a somewhat theatrical quality to it, with Tom’s declarations of ‘love/ Love is dangerous’ in the chorus. Track thirteen on the deluxe edition, ‘Fighting The Gravity’, is without a doubt a fitting song title as the music itself has this heavy and sluggish feeling about it, as if you’re actually being held back and pulled down. The lyrics provide the description and the music makes you a part of it. The final track on the album, ‘Even If She Falls’, sees one last return a catchy and upbeat melody, much like the feel good song at the end of a film that leaves you feeling satisfied.

‘Neighborhoods’ is a testimony to blink-182’s longevity, regardless of their split, and their ability to remain relevant. It is a brave, bold and beautiful record that sees the band harmoniously bringing together their array of ideas and influences to create an album that is without a doubt some of the best music they’ve produced.

Long time, no write..

So much time has passed since my last entry here you'd think I'd have a million things to write about! Well, unfortunately, that's not the case. Pretty much this entire year has consisted of me doing the same old thing, day in, day out. However, in the passed few weeks I think I've finally started to get somewhere and form some kind of idea as to what I'm actually going to do next year..

I used to want to write, and I'm not ruling it out entirely, but for now that's just not what I want to do. I then started toying with the idea of perhaps studying psychology, cos I do have quite an interest in that area. But again, I can't see myself wanting to do that right now. Then I figured I need to sit down and think about what I'm interested in and what I can see myself enjoying. It didn't take very long for me to come to the conclusion that if I'm ever going to settle down I need to first get travelling out of my system. And for those that know me, they all know that the one place I've been itching to visit is Canada. Whether that mean I move to Canada for a few years and study or work there, or just simply take a trip there, I don't know. All I do know is that until I've actually been there, I'm going to constantly imagine some sort of life over there that I don't have here in Australia. With this in mind a few ideas started to take shape. The one that sits most comfortably with me, in the long run, is to perhaps do flight attending, or some kind of work that involves working at an airport. I love everything about airports and can definitely see it as being an environment I would enjoy working in.

With this being the 'dream' at the moment, it gives me something to at least start aiming towards and it gives me motivation to actually find courses I might be interested in doing. One reason why travelling and airports appeal to me so much is because I love languages. A part from my own keen interest in learning another language, this gives me the perfect incentive to go out and actually learn a second language, or at least the fundamentals. Having done Japanese at a VCE level, I'd love to continue on with that, as well as also taking up French. After all, French ties into my Canadian obsession as I really want to spend some time in Quebec. I understand that there are some differences between French and French Canadian, but knowing some basic French would be better than knowing nothing at all.

Now that I've actually been able to figure out what I'm interested in doing, it's been much easier to go out and start looking for ways to make this happen. Today I went to the Youth Information Centre in town and explained my situation to the lady there, about how I'm a deferred university student who doesn't really want to go down that track and if she could point me in the right direction to something more suited to what I want to do. She was very helpful and gave me a booklet full of short courses at Chisholm TAFE, which is exactly the type of thing I was looking for. University holds no interest for me.. I hated school and can't bring myself to go back to that sort of education. I don't want to be locked into a a 4 year course at university. The idea of that just freaks me out. I'd much rather a series of short courses that I have the option of furthering if I wish to. Chisholm offer short courses at various different levels for both Japanese and French, which is fantastic. It means I can start with the very basics of French and progress however I want to. Ultimately I'll still be learning these languages, just in a way that I'm more comfortable with. Also, there's hospitality courses that I think I would benefit from doing, such as a Bar Attendants course or Responsible Serving of Alcohol. It wouldn't hurt to at least have these skills up my sleeve. Not to mention there's also a course for Flight Attendant Interview Training, so down the track that could very well come in handy.

This is pretty much where I am at the moment in terms of my ideas for schooling and what I want to do next year. I'm also still in the progress of looking for a job. It has not been easy at all! I know the fact that I'm so incredibly picky doesn't help, but still, I think I might be getting somewhere. I've handed my resume out to places that are looking for applicants. I don't want to get my hopes up, because with my luck I shouldn't expect anything, but I'm really hoping to get a job at Sanity. Of all the places that I've applied, that's the one I really want. Again, it's about feeling comfortable in my work environment, and I'd feel so comfortable working at a music store! So fingers crossed.

Onto something that's even more exciting than my future (that was sarcasm, by the way. My future is not exciting..), I have tickets to see Simple Plan in October! Let me tell you, I haven't felt this excited for something in a very long time! As a member of the SP Crew, I've also been able to put my name down to get on the list to their soundcheck party before the concert! Oh, if I get to see them twice in one day.. it'll blow my mind. I simply cannot wait for this show! Honestly, this band is the source of my current motivation. I owe quite a lot to these five guys. I could go on forever about my excitement levels for this coming show, so I'm going to save you from my insanity by shutting up now.

Hey there, it's been a while. I actually have quite a few posts saved as drafts, I just haven't got around to finishing them. Honestly, I cannot be bothered to write anything. Scrap that, I cannot be bothered to do anything. However, that right there is a completely different story-- one that I have no intention of really getting into right now; words have escaped me. I've just decided that the world doesn't need to hear about my problems and excessive whining, hence why a lot of my recent posts (the ones that I have actually got around to posting) are about music and anything but what's going on inside my crazy head. Trust me, no one wants to know about that madness. Instead I have adopted a more personal outlet for those ponderings; a journal. It's been quite some time since I've maintained a journal. It'll be interesting to see how long it actually lasts.

Anyway, I forgot why I even started this post in the first place. At least you know now that I'm still alive.

Like It's My Birthday!

Guess what I have planned for next Wednesday 13th April? Let me give you a hint;
I'm going to see Good Charlotte!

I'm SO excited!! Good Charlotte are that band who have been around the longest for me and who I have stuck with from the very beginning. I've been a fan of them since the age of 8, so to finally see them live is huge for me. I'm taking my brother along seeing as how he's also a fan of them. I had planned on getting tickets much earlier as a Christmas/birthday present for him, however, there were no floor tickets available anymore and I really didn't want seating. So I never ended up buying any tickets. HOWEVER, I randomly checked Ticketek again today and for some reason it no longer said "allocation exhausted" for standing tickets. So I was like, "HELL YEAH!", and bought two tickets. I suppose you could say it was a little bit of a spontaneous purchase, lol. Nevertheless, it was a very worthwhile purchase!

Jack doesn't know I've got tickets and I don't plan on telling him until I actually have the tickets in my hand to show him. For now he just knows that we're going out somewhere next Wednesday and that he has to keep that night free. He thinks we're going to some movie premiere or something, lol. As long as he thinks that, I'm not going to tell him otherwise, lol.

My best friend also likes Good Charlotte, so I asked if she wanted to come along, and she said yes! Out of all the bands I listen to, Good Charlotte is probably one of the few that we actually have in common, so I figured this would be a good opportunity for us to finally be able to go to a gig together.

It's going to be an awesome night, I just know it will be!

Sum 41; Screaming Bloody Murder

I bought my copy of Sum 41's Screaming Bloody Murder today and, fuck me dead, it's brilliant!

They were so right when they said it was going to have the same vibe as ‘We’re All To Blame’ in relation to song structure and I love that! It’s up-beat, it’s heavy, it’s mature, it's dark, it's honest. It's one of those albums where you’re taken on a journey from beginning to end and couldn't possibly skip a song, much like the way I felt, and still feel, when I first heard Underclass Hero.

There is an evident theme of loss and pain on the record expressed through a range of different emotions. Deryck, as the main song writer for the band, has had to face and overcome many different trials in his life as of late, and I believe that is reflected through the songs that he has produced, whether intentionally or not. Songs such as 'Crash' and 'Exit Song' show the softer, more heartbreaking side of pain and, when you listen to these songs, it's difficult not to sense the emotion in Deryck's lyrics and vocals. Whereas 'Skumf*k' and 'Blood In My Eyes' show the more aggressive side to the same kind of loss. Not only is the album, in my opinion, about pain, but also about acceptance and a new beginning; picking yourself up after heartache and overcoming the hurt in order to find yourself once again. That's something that a lot of people can relate to and a message that everyone can take away from the record. It is through the three part A Dark Road Out Of Hell, comprised of 'Holy Image Of Lies', 'Sick Of Everyone' and 'Happiness Machine', respectively, that a story is told; a story of giving yourself over to another person, exposing yourself and your vulnerability, only to be hurt in the process and left scarred in the end. It shows a desire to want to move forward but not knowing the exact way to go about doing so. The opening song, 'Reason To Believe', essentially sums up the entire album, both through the lyrical content and the sound, and gives you a taste of what to expect from the rest of the record. The magical thing about music though is that, like most forms of art, it is open for personal interpretation; what one person might take away from this album could be something completely different to someone else.

With each new record that Sum 41 release, it is always so different from its preceder, yet they still maintain that ‘Sum 41 sound’. I love that kind of diversity within a band. Change is a good thing. It’s a sign of growth, as a band and as individuals. Screaming Bloody Murder is just another example of Sum 41's ability to reinvent themselves once again. It's a fusion of punk rock and metal, with many softer moments thrown into the mix, topped off with the always present energy of Sum 41. In the most simplest of terms, to quote a line I found online, "If Chuck and Underclass Hero met, and fucked, Screaming Bloody Murder would be the result." It's a record that I can highly recommend with utmost confidence.

To listen to the online streaming of Screaming Bloody Murder, check it out at Sum41.com.

Screaming Blood Murder Track List
1. Reason To Believe
2. Screaming Bloody Murder
3. Skumf*k
4. Time For You To Go
5. Jessica Kill
6. What Am I To Say
A Dark Road Out Of Hell
7. Holy Image Of Lies
8. Sick Of Everyone
9. Happiness Machine
10. Crash
11. Blood In My Eyes
12. Baby You Don't Wanna Know
13. Back Where I Belong
14. Exit Song

Stevo 32 + Jyssica = BFFLs

Need I say more?
lol

My Sydney Soundwave Trip!

I've just arrived back home from my week in Sydney and I must say I had an amazing time!! I had so much fun and got to meet some really cool new people. So many exciting things happened to me while I went away, so here are my little "diary entries" of my experiences so I can share the joy! :)

For now the only one I'm posting is to do with the day I arrived because I haven't exactly finished the others. But I thought I'd at least get something posted.

Saturday 26th February, Sydney Airport

This is a time and place to be remembered, people. Want to know why? Well, I MET JARED LETO AND DERYCK WHIBLEY! That’s right, you read correctly; airport stalking once again paid off cos I met JARED LETO AND DERYCK WHIBLEY!

OMG! It was AWESOME! Cindy and I had been waiting at the airport for a few hours after my plane from Melbourne had landed. We were determined to meet 30 Seconds To Mars! It was our mission and NOTHING would get in our way! Every time we saw a flight from Brisbane was arriving we’d go over to where a mass of people would be congregated around the carousel. The first time we did this, we were just casually waiting behind this huge group of tattooed and pierced men wearing black, when some guy came over to where we were standing and left his bags. He said to us, “hey, can you watch my bags?”, to which we said, “sure!” He came back over with some more bags and we all just struck up conversation. He was telling us how nice Australians were and how we’re so friendly, because despite the fact he didn’t know us and we didn’t know him, had he asked someone in America to watch his bags, the authorities probably would have been called, yet we simply said sure. He was so friendly and we would have been talking to him for about 10 minutes. Trying to suss out who this guy was, Cindy said that there seemed to be a lot of bands around. He then asked us if we knew what Soundwave was and that he was playing at Soundwave. We asked him what band he played in and turns out he was Travis Clark from We The Kings! Haha, it’s funny, cos I know their music, yet I have no idea who the band members are! I wish I knew who he was before I started talking to him. He then asked us if we knew where any good party places were in the city, and Cindy had no idea, nor did I seeing as how I’m not even from Sydney. We said it depended on where he was staying and he was so determined to let us know where he was going to be. He must have told us three times what hotel he was at! I only wish my memory wasn’t so bad and that I could have remembered what he said!!

Flight after flight we kept a look out for Mars but weren’t having any luck. On the arrivals board there was only one flight still to come in, so we figured we’d wait for it. For the entire evening, security had been looking at us and had to have known we were there to try and see someone. Every now and then we’d see someone walk passed with a clipboard and some kind of ID card, and we realised they had to have been with Soundwave cos they always appeared as a flight was about to come in. This one guy saw Cindy and I sitting down and came over and asked us if we were with Soundwave. We told him “no” and he kept walking. Then he came by again and we asked him if he was with Soundwave. He said he was. So we asked him if he had any idea who was coming in on the next flight. He said he couldn’t tell us, but he did ask who we were waiting for. Cindy showed him her tattoo and he’s just like, “I have no idea what that means!” So we told him we were waiting for Mars and we asked if he could just let us know about them. He was adamant that he wouldn’t tell us, so I asked if I could just have a quick look at his board. He was like, “no, sorry. I really can’t do that. I’ll get fired! But what I can do is tell you that they’re not going to be coming in until tomorrow morning.” Once he left Cindy and I were like, “nah, he’s lying just so we’d leave.” So we stayed. And thank fucking God we did! We continued sitting there when, behind us, Jared Leto appeared on the escalators!!! Cindy turned to me and was like, “Jys, it’s Jared. That’s Jared Leto. Oh my God, it’s Jared.” Earlier on Cindy told me to make sure she didn’t freak out in front of him, so I was just like “calm, stay calm!” She turned to me and was like, “I’m going in!” and got up and went over to him before he passed us. I was like, “Oh FUCK! It’s really him.. what do I do?!” So I went over to Cindy and Jared who, at this point, were in the middle of literally a 10 second hug, lol. As I approached Jared, he was still hugging Cindy but, he looked and saw me coming over too and was like, “oh my.” It was a good ‘oh my’, lol. It was an ‘oh, hello. Another person to see me,’ lol, the attention seeking whore. Then I gave him a hug too and asked if I could get a photo. He was like “sure, first could you just mind my bags. Don’t steal any of my fucking shit” and then he went to the toilets that were behind us. Then he came back and we got photos with him. We were like, “thank you so much” and he’s like, “oh, no thank you.” Oh, he’s just so amazingly gorgeous! He was so sweet and softly spoken, not to mention extremely patient with us. He spent about 10-15 minutes with us. I mean, JARED LETO HAD HIS ARM AROUND MY BACK, HIS HAND ON MY WASIT! Cindy then gave him this heart cushion and he was like, “oh, you’re so sweet.” By this time everyone else from the flight had pretty much walked by and he’s like, “okay, I should probably go now” and we’re like, “yeah, of course. Thank you so much again!” and he’s like, “oh, thank you,” then he started to walk away. BUT, before he left completely, he turned around and said, “see you” and did that salute wave thing. OH, SO CUTE! Honestly, it was fantastic! However, one image that I will never be able to get out of my mind is his entrance when we were still sitting down. As we looked over to him and saw him descending the escalators, it was so surreal! He was standing there, perfect posture, practically gliding down the escalators, pretty much like God, as time stood still. It was just, yeah.. HNNNG!

Once he’d left to get his bags I was shaking! My legs were about to give way! So we both went back to where we had been sitting before! The first thing I did was put on Facebook that I’d met Jared Leto, and then I called Emma. While I was spazzing on the phone to Emma, which she can vouch for 100 per cent, I looked back to the escalators and was like, “OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. Emma, I.. just hang on.. Nup, OMG! Okay, I’ll get back to you,” then I hung up. While Cindy was like, “what is going on here?!”, I got up and walked over to DERYCK WHIBLEY! When I first saw him, during my spaz, I was thinking to myself, “no, this can’t be who I think it is.. it just can’t be. HOLY SHIT, IT IS!” haha. I went up to him and was like, “hey Deryck, I’m Jys. Could I please get a photo?” He was like, “of course”, and then we had our photo taken! asdfghjkl! I was still in shock from having met Jared, so to then meet Deryck was just unbelievable! Cindy then was like, “oh, can I get a photo too?” So she got hers taken. Then Deryck went to get his bags. We again walked back to our seats and Cindy was like, “so, who was that?” haha. She figured if I was making such a fuss, then she must want a photo too. I was like “dude! That was Deryck! Lead singer from Sum 41!” ASDFGHJKL!!! Then I called Emma back and explained what happened, lol. However, while I was on the phone to Emma, some big security-looking guy came over to us. I was on the phone, so he spoke to Cindy. What he said was, “I’m Deryck’s people. Are you staying in Sydney? (Yes). Are you doing anything tonight? (No). Could I have you’re number and we’ll call you to let you know where the party’s at.” Okay, so they didn’t end up calling, BUT DUDE! DERYCK WHIBLEY’S ‘PEOPLE’ GOT OUR NUMBER! Hahaha. Oh man, if only I could have partied with Sum 41!!! Then while still on the phone, (btw, this phone call when for quite some time), I look out the glass window we were sitting next to and see Cone McCaslin walk by!! That started a whole new round of spazzing, lol. I was half thinking about getting up and going outside to chase him, but I figured that would have really creeped him out, lol. I may not have got a photo, but I did get to see Cone for real!! So I guess that will have to suffice.

Finally we got up and, as we did so, we saw this guy that had also been waiting at the airport for people he wanted to meet. Earlier in the evening he’d also asked us if we were with Soundwave, to which he again said no. We told him we were hoping to see Jared Leto. This guy though was like, “oh, no. I hear he’s not a very nice person. The other two, sure; they’re fine. But Jared.. he has no time for people. He’s all about himself. Very rude man.” Well, Cindy almost lost her shit! Then he came back to us later on and said how a friend of his was a huge 30 Seconds To Mars fan and that they’d said that Jared would be staying at the Vibe Hotel. That bit of information made it a fraction easier for Cindy to not kill him, but it still took a lot of willpower! So, after we met Jared, this guy was still at the airport. So Cindy went over to him to tell him that he could now, “tell everyone that he’s ‘heard’ Jared is a very sweet and considerate person.” The walk over though.. haha. Cindy had this walk, a strut/march, that looked like shit was about to go down, lol. Once we’d sorted this guy out, we decided it was time to go home. We were told that there was another flight coming in that had been delayed that Shannon and Tomo were on but, by this stage it was after 10:30pm, so we caught the train home. After calling Emma I then proceeded to give Bee a call and fangirl to her as well, lol. I pretty much wanted to tell anyone who would bother to listen to me.

Cindy and I were insane for the duration on the train ride and pretty much well into the morning! And when I say ‘well into the morning’, I mean until 7:30am when we finally decided we should get some sleep before having to get up for Soundwave.

Jyssica's Baking Creations

Staying true to my word, I spent the later part of the afternoon baking and, I even took photographical evidence to prove it! Mind you, I didn't walk down to the shops to get the ingredients I needed; instead I waited until mum got home at 12:30pm and together we went down to Safeway.

Anyway, I made Chocolate Ripple Cake (which, let's face it, really isn't hard to make) and Choc-Chip Cupcakes with Meringue Icing. I was also going to make some Triple-Choc Fudge Brownies, but I had to pick my brothers up from school and, seeing as how I only started cooking at about 2pm, I thought what I accomplished in one hour was reasonable. I think I might bake those brownies tomorrow, as I'm pretty sure I'll be spending the night at Emma's house tonight, so it'll give us something to do tomorrow.

P.S; Elly passed her driving test today and got her licence :)

Bands, Birthdays, Baking and Beyond!

Today I found myself, for the first time, entering the Flight Centre at my local shopping complex to finally book my flights to Sydney! HOORAY! It's now official; I will be travelling to Sydney for the Soundwave Festival!

However, seeing as how Soundwave is only a one-day event per capital city, I shall be venturing off to do other things during my week-long stay. On the day of my arrival, myself and the person with whom I am staying with will be waiting back at the airport in the hope that we might catch 30 Seconds To Mars as they arrive for Soundwave. If not, we shall attempt to meet them after their set at the gig. Again, if we fail to meet them after the show, we have planned to try and stalk them around the city, lol. (Seriously, it would be amazing if we could actually meet them. I mean, Jared Leto in the flesh.. hnng!)

On the 1st of March I will then be accompanying Evelyn, my Sydney muser sister, to see Sum 41! Sum 41's show is a Sidewave (a Soundwave sideshow) that will also include The Blackout, There For Tomorrow, and Veara. . As well as experiencing some more awesome music, I will finally be seeing Ev again; something that I cannot wait for!

Then, as far as I am aware, my free accommodation will run out on March 2nd, as the person with whom I am staying with will be travelling down to Melbourne to continue her 30 Seconds To Mars hunt! So that leaves me in need of somewhere to stay. What I have planned is to catch a bus up to where Grace lives which, mind you, is a 7.5hr trip! Hopefully I'll get there by 3pm-ish so that I can pick my friend up from school! (I've never actually met Grace before, so this will be my first time meeting her; and how do I go about our first meet-up? Why, picking her up from school, of course!) Then, if it's okay with her parents, I'll spend the night at her house; because a 7.5hr trip back into the city at the time of the day would be ridiculous for someone who doesn't know the area! So then on March 3rd I'll book into a backpackers hostel where I'll stay for 2 nights.

The plan is then to meet up with all the Sydney musers on March 5th; the first time a lot of us will all be together again since December 14/15 at the Muse shows in Melbourne! And, for those musers who didn't come down to Melbourne, this will be the first time I get to meet them all, and vice versa. Then afterwards I'll head straight to the airport to catch my flight back home to Melbourne.

So pretty much I'm looking forward to this trip a lot! I'll be independent and travelling solo! Not to mention I'll be in the presence of insane music and amazing people!!

That's my trip planned for next week; but while in Melbourne I still have things to do this week..

Tomorrow is my friend Elly's 18th birthday! Friday afternoon just gone I spent with Emma and Kaitlyn making Elly a photoboard for her birthday, which looks fabulous! And today I spent the day with Emma, and Kailtlyn for part of the day, putting the remaining photos into a scrapbook. Scrapbooks and photoframes/boards are something that my group of friends tend to do for one another when our birthdays come around. It mightn't sound like much but, believe me, they really look good. And it's nice to have something like that to look back on. Elly is also going for her drivers licence tomorrow, so I really hope she gets that! Then, if we can sort something out, a bunch of us might take Elly out for some drinks, seeing as how she'll officially be legal! However, Thursday night will be Elly's official birthday dinner, so either way we'll all be getting together to do something for her :)

Also, while at Emma's this evening, after the beautiful lunch that Kaitlyn made for us during the day, Emma and I decided to make an Orange Cake. I had to leave before it had finished baking, but according to the feedback I've heard from Emma, her family approved of it! So now we've caught the Baking Bug and tomorrow during the day we've said we'll go on a baking spree! In order to do that though I'll have to get up relevantly early, which in my case means before 11am, so that I'll be able to walk down to the shops so I can get some ingredients to cook with! Depending on how it all turns out, I might post some pictures of whatever creations I come up with, lol.

However, for now that's all; just thought I'd post a little bit of an update cos it's been a while since I posted a random update, lol.

“We held hands on the last night on earth. Our mouths filled with dust, we kissed in the fields and under trees, screaming like dogs, bleeding dark into the leaves. It was empty on the edge of the town but we knew everyone floated along the bottom of the river. So we walked through the waste where the road curved into the sea and the shattered seasons lay, and the bitter smell of burning was on you like a disease. In our cancer of passion you said, “Death is a midnight runner.”

The sky had come crashing down like the news of an intimate suicide. We picked up the shards and formed them into shapes of stars that wore like an antique wedding dress. The echoes of the past broke the hearts of the unborn as the ferris wheel silently slowed to a stop. A few insects skittered away in hopes of a better pastime. I kissed you at the apex of the maelstrom and asked if you would accompany me in a quick fall, but you made me realize that my ticket wasn’t good for two. I rode alone.

You said, “The cinders are falling like snow.” There is poetry in despair, and we sang with unrivaled beauty, bitter elegies of savagery and eloquence. Of blue and grey. Strange, we ran down desperate streets and carved our names in the flesh of the city. The sun has stagnated somewhere beyond the rim of the horizon and darkness is a mystery of curves and lines. Still, we lay under the emptiness and drifted slowly outward, and somewhere in the wilderness we found salvation scratched into the earth like a message.”

- Spoken Word, AFI, Sing The Sorrow
Gibson Casian, Davey Havok, Hans Wold

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, 2011

This post is dedicated, for a change, to 2011 Grammy Award winners for Rock Album of the Year, Muse!

Seeing them on the red carpet was awesome! Then their performance of Uprising was outstanding! Then, to top it off, they won Rock Album of the Year for The Resistance. I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of Matthew Bellamy, Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme, and how proud I am to be a muser right now! And all of this couldn't have happened on a more fitting day either; the two month anniversary of my first Muse gig! :')

The Resistance Towers made a comeback for the live performance. And, in the words of Lenny Kravitz as he introduced Muse to the stage, 'some bands play a concert, others start an uprising'. I don't think truer words have ever been spoken! Muse took to the stage and it was brilliant! Tom Kirk did a magnificent job with the visuals and the Uprising protesters really made the performance all the more epic! That, my friends, is what rock and roll is all about!

Then, to have Muse win a Grammy for their album The Resistance was incredible! You could tell how much of a surprise it was for the guys as they went up to accept their award. There was awkwardness, there was talking-way-too-fast-and-mumbling-through-the-speech from Matt, as well as a thank you from Matt to his 'beautiful pregnant girlfriend', and a thank you from Dom to the fans! The Resistance is a spectacular album and the award is well deserved by the boys.

I went completely fangirl every single time Muse were on screen or even just mentioned, so coherency wasn't really a strong suit of mine today. So, to help everyone live or, for some, to relive the experience, here are some Muse-highlights from the Grammys! :)
[Which will be posted as soon as they become available because I cbf looking for them right now :)]

Muse - Hyper Chondriac Music

Your golden skies

Feed my role

In this forgotten space race

Under my control

Who's returned from the dead?

Who remains?

You wanted more than I was worth

You think I was scared, yeah

And you needed proof

Who really cares anymore?

Who restrains?

I don't love you

I never did

I don't love you

I never will.

Muse in the Mail!

I for one love receiving mail! I love going out to the letterbox to find that there is something addressed to me! It doesn't matter what it is, there is just something so exciting about receiving things in the mail! (That is, anything but bills! :|)

I especially like it when that something that is addressed to me happens to be Muse-related! :)

So when I found a package waiting at my front door yesterday, even though I had prior warning that from the sender that is was going to arrive, I got so excited!

Thanks to Evelyn I had some Muse goodies arrive for me! A very lovely letter, a random Muse mix DVD and CD, some leopard print tissues (it's a muser thing), Muse: A Seaside Rendezvous from Teignmouth, Devon, Muse: Glastonbury Festival 2010 and, the most exciting item, a handmade Dominic Howard doll! Evelyn, a very talented crafty muser from Sydney, has been making crocheted Muse dolls in the style of peoples favourite Muse era or photoshoot and, because she's just so awesome, she made one for me! So a big thank you to Ev; I love him so much! He's very cute ^_^

Shockwaves NME Awards

My votes for the 2011 Shockwaves NME Awards go to:

1. Best British Band
   Arctic Monkeys
   Biffy Clyro
   Foals
   Kasabian
   Muse
   
   
2. Best International Band
   Arcade Fire
   Kings Of Leon
   My Chemical Romance
   The Drums
   Vampire Weekend
   
   
3. Best Solo Artist
   Florence + The Machine
   Frank Turner
   Kanye West
   Laura Marling
   Paul Weller
   
   
4. Best New Band
   Beady Eye
   Everything Everything
   Hurts
   The Drums
   Two Door Cinema Club
   
   
5. Best Live Band
   Arcade Fire
   Biffy Clyro
   Foals
   Kasabian
   Muse
   
   
6. Best Album
   Crystal Castles - 'Crystal Castles (II)'
   Foals - 'Total Life Forever'
   My Chemical Romance - 'Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys'
   Arcade Fire - 'The Suburbs'
   Two Door Cinema Club - 'Tourist History'
   
   
7. Best Track
   Cee Lo Green - 'Fuck You'
   Foals - 'Spanish Sahara'
   Gorillaz - 'Stylo'
   Janelle Monae (feat Big Boi) - 'Tightrope'
   Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. - 'Bang Bang Bang'
   
   
8. Best Video
   Arcade Fire - 'We Used To Wait'
   Brandon Flowers - 'Crossfire'
   Chase & Status - 'Let You Go'
   Gorillaz - 'Stylo'
   My Chemical Romance - 'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
   
   
9. Best Festival
   Download
   Glastonbury
   Reading & Leeds Festivals
   T in the Park
   V Festival
   
   
10. Best Dancefloor Filler
    Crystal Castles - 'Baptism'
    Kele - 'Tenderoni'
    Plan B - 'Stay Too Long'
    Professor Green - 'Jungle'
    Tinie Tempah - 'Pass Out'
    
    
11. Best TV Show
    Misfits
    Never Mind The Buzzcocks
    Peep Show
    Skins
    The Inbetweeners
    
    
12. Best Film
    Get Him To The Greek
    Inception
    Kick-Ass
    Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
    The Social Network
    
    
13. Hero Of The Year
    Gerard Way
    Julian Assange
    Lady Gaga
    Matt Bellamy
    Kanye West
    
    
14. Villain Of The Year
    Axl Rose
    David Cameron
    Justin Bieber
    Nick Clegg
    Simon Cowell
    
    
15. Most Stylish
    Brandon Flowers
    Hayley Williams
    Lady Gaga
    Liam Gallagher
    Noel Fielding
    
    
16. Least Stylish
    Cheryl Cole
    Justin Bieber
    Ke$ha
    Lady Gaga
    Liam Gallagher
    
    
17. Worst Album
    Cheryl Cole - 'Messy Little Raindrops'
    Justin Bieber - 'My World'
    Katy Perry - 'Teenage Dream'
    Kings Of Leon - 'Come Around Sundown'
    My Chemical Romance - 'Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys'
    
    
18. Worst Band
    30 Seconds To Mars
    JLS
    The Jonas Brothers
    Kings Of Leon
    Tokio Hotel
    
    
19. Hottest Man
    Alex Turner
    Billie Joe Armstrong
    Dominic Howard
    Jared Leto
    Matt Bellamy
    
    
20. Hottest Woman
    Alison Mosshart
    Emily Haines
    Hayley Williams
    Lady Gaga
    Shakira
    
    
21. Best Album Artwork
    Foals - 'Total Life Forever'
    Gorillaz - 'Plastic Beach'
    Klaxons - 'Surfing The Void'
    MGMT - 'Congratulations'
    My Chemical Romance - 'Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys'
    
    
22. Best Band Blog or Twitter
    Frank Turner
    Hayley Williams
    Kanye West
    Lily Allen
    Theo Hutchcraft
    
    
23. Best Book
    Carl Barat - 'Threepenny Memoir'
    Jay-Z - 'Decoded'
    John Lydon - 'Mr Rotten's Scrapbook'
    Keith Richards - 'Life'
    Russell Brand - 'My Booky Wook 2'
    
    
24. Best Small Festival (50,000 capacity or lower)
    Bestival
    Kendal Calling
    Latitude
    RockNess
    Underage Festival

For The Record..

This is a little message to anyone who has the slightest issue or question about my decision to defer my university course next year.

I have had enough of everybody and the attitude that seems to accompany their questions in relation to what I have chosen to do. Everybody asks the same question, "what do you plan on doing next year?" and I give the same answer, "I'm going to defer my course for a year". And, time after time, I'm met with the exact same response; it's the return of the skeptical and somewhat cynical look of disapproval. People are like, "oh, so you're not doing anything this year then? And it's like, "well, yeah... but it's not going to be like that forever". There is something about peoples reactions that is so degrading and layered in disappointment! Well, I'll let you in on a little secret... I'm over it!!

I wish people would just back off and leave me alone! It's not your life, it's mine! So why can't everyone just accept that fact and stop making me feel like an idiot.

Every single time I tell people my plans I get the impression that they think I've made a mistake by deferring. Everyone keeps saying, "oh, but what if you end up not wanting to go next year?" or "seriously, you should have just gone this year. I can't believe you're not going!" or "you're going to waste this opportunity!" And every time people say these things to me it just makes me feel like I've failed in some way or I've disappointed a whole bunch of people. My entire life people have had high expectations of me and it's like I've finally failed everyone because I don't want to go to university straight away. You wanna know why I'm not going? Well, here's your answer; Quite simply, I'm not ready for it. Why am I not ready for it? Well, a number a reasons.

Firstly, I have no idea what I want to do. I see no point in enrolling and attending university when I don't have the slightest idea what I want to do. It would be a complete waste of time and a waste of money! University isn't cheap! If I were to go this year I'd only end up enrolled in a whole bunch of random units and subjects or whatever that, in all honestly, I have no idea if I'd even want to study in the first place. Consequently I'd be wasting my time doing something I didn't want to do, wasting not only a year of my schooling but also a years worth of money. It just doesn't make sense to do that! Instead I will take a year off, look at all my options, think about what I want for the future, and hopefully come to a decision about what I want to study and what direction I want to head in.

Secondly, it's scary! The prospect of attending university is a frightening one. High school is simple in the regard that it's something that everyone does/most people do; attending high school is the norm. At high school you're given subjects to study. When you get to the higher levels of high school education you're given the opportunity to choose specific subjects. However, it is all still very simple and there are no real big decisions to be made. University on the other hand is something else completely! There are so many big decisions that have to be made; decisions that will actually have an impact on your life and on your future. That is scary! It's a lot to have to come to terms with at the age of 18. Eventually it is something that will have to be faced but, when that time comes when I do face it, I want to be in the right mind frame. I want to feel like I have what it takes to do it. There is no point in rushing into something if you don't feel comfortable; because the situation won't end well if you're rushed into something that you're not ready for.

I don't understand how people can be so narrow-minded; it's not that hard to see things from my point of view. Who cares if you have decided to/would have decided to do something different to what I'm doing! I've said it before and I'll say it again; it's my life, not yours!

I would very much appreciate it if people would just quit with all the negativity and the patronising way in you regard my decision. Perhaps it's not intentional; however, when I have to listen to the same thing over and over coming from so many different people, it starts to make me feel a bit empty inside, like I'm a let-down. And, like I know so many people would agree with, that's not a good feeling. So back off.

Music Painting

I came across this video on tumblr. It's just so gorgeous and so very beautifully put together, with a very fine message as well, might I add. So I thought I must share it.

This is going to be one of those random posts that is the product of a weird mood and an over analytical mind; so bare with me, if you so happen to choose.

I don't know how much more random this can get, but I was walking through K-Mart today with mum and for some reason I found myself thinking "what exactly is it that has made me who am I and, if it were possible to go back in time and change certain things, would I still end up being 'me'?" The fact that this whole train of thought began whilst walking through the aisles of K-Mart is surprisingly not the most random part. The random part, and somewhat confusing and difficult part to explain, is that I don't mean 'me' in regards to my values and interests and personality; I mean 'me' as in 'Jyssica-the-human-being'.. Confused yet?

The only way I can think to describe it is through hypothetical situations. Obviously if you were to take either one of my parents out of the equation at my time of conception I would be a different person entirely. However, if time travel were to someday be invented, would replacing one of my parents with someone else be the only factor in changing 'me'? Don't get me wrong, my point here is not that I wish to change who my parents are! My point is what were the contributing factors in my creation? For one moment just ignore that fact that we are all products of our parents and all that DNA and ancestry stuff.

For example; say that rather than being born on my birthday I was born 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after. Would that have had any effect on my being? Perhaps being born even just a few minutes or seconds before or after my actual time of birth, would that have an impact on 'me' now? Or maybe it has nothing to do with the length of my mum's pregnancy. I am my parents first born child, but what if my parents conceived their first child at a different time and that child wasn't born on my birthday? Would that child still have been me? I have two younger brothers; one is 2.5 years younger than me, the other is 5 years younger. Like I said, I am my parents first born child. But what if my parents started having children later and my mum gave birth to her first child when my first younger brother was born, essentially making my mum’s second child her first? Would that have had an effect on things? Would 'that' first born child still have been me? Or would it have been my brother, and life would carry on as we know it to be now in this present time, with the only exception being it would have been like I never existed? Or perhaps 'that' first born would have been neither me nor my brother but instead someone else entirely.

And if that thought alone wasn't weird enough, it got me thinking "what if that really is all it took for me to not exist? What if a few minutes difference in my time of birth is the only thing that separates me from being here on earth or potentially a completely different person being here on earth?" Just to make this whole entire scenario climb up the crazy scale another notch, I began to feel bad for that 'potential human being'. I started to feel as if I had stolen 'their' life away from them. Why should I get to live when someone else could be here on earth right now who would appreciate life more than what I do? Then, just to send this train of thought off into the category of 'in need of therapy', I suddenly felt somewhat angry. Towards whom I was angry at, I have no idea. It was to no one in particular. I was angry at whatever it was that is responsible for me being who I am. Perhaps I'm angry at fate, or perhaps 'God'? It doesn't really matter what it was that I was angry at because it was/is just some crazy and irrational sense of anger that came over me. Nevertheless, regardless of how crazy and irrational it is, all that matters is the fact that I felt angry because I am here. How is it fair that I get to live when, perhaps if things had happened differently, someone else could be in my place right now? How is it fair that I get to live when I'd willingly exchange my life for having never existed? It's just crazy and completely insane! Fact; I sometimes wish I never came into existance.

If you actually made it through to this point here, then I think a congratulations is in order. Furthermore, if you reached the end and actually understood what the hell I was on about, then you deserve a standing ovation!

Now I'm just going to leave this here before I give anyone anymore reason to have me committed.

University Offers

According to The Age website, I have been accepted into the Arts at Monash University, Clayton!

It's such a relief to know that I got into my first preference and that I actually have a position secured. Now I can rest easy knowing that I have something waiting for me in the future.

I'm really hoping that I can defer now and take up that position in 2012. Honestly, I have no idea how all this stuff works, so I think I'll have to ask around. From what I hear when the offer letter comes in the mail it should have all the details about that sort of thing. I'll just wait for that to arrive, then take it from there.

Although, I just checked on the Monash website about deferring your offer and it says:

"You may be able to defer for up to a year if your faculty agrees. To formally defer your offer you must apply to defer on or before the date specified for enrolment in your VTAC offer letter."

So I suppose that means I should be all set to defer my offer :)

A Month Ago Today...

...I had the pleasure of meeting Muse :')

Airport stalking paid off because I was able to meet Matthew Bellamy, Dominic Howard and Christopher Wolstenholme.

An experience I'll never forget

Dom and myself ♥

Chris and myself ♥

And minimal time unfortunately meant I was unable to get a photo taken with Matt. .

. . but now I have a goal for next time! ;)

Sydney Soundwave 2011, here I come!

So, tickets for the 2011 Soundwave Festival in Sydney have been purchased! I do live in Melbourne, so this will require a little bit of a trip! However, I have accomodation sorted out, all thanks to a very lovely echelon member. Together we will be on 'Jared Watch', which pretty much means we will be stalking Jared Leto for as long as 30 Seconds To Mars are in Sydney.

Incase you haven't noticed yet, I'm going so that I can see 30 Seconds To Mars and Jared Leto live in all their glory! I'm very much looking forward to it! I'm also wanting to see Sum 41! They're the two bands I cannot miss out on! Avenged Sevenfold was also in that mix, until they pulled out. However there are still some other amazing bands I'd like to see should the timetable allow for it, those bands being; New Found Glory, Bullet For My Valentine, Pennywise, Coheed and Cambria, Less Than Jake, MxPx, Mayday Parade, Breathe Carolina and, perhaps just because I'm curious, The Blackout, Primus and Iron Maiden. I do know that I won't be able to see all of them, but as many as possible would be great!

It should be an amazing trip! While in NSW I shall also be meeting up with some of my interstate musers, (ie, Evelyn!), so that should also be awesome! This will be the first time I've travelled by myself, completely solo and, I plan on being in Sydney for about 8 days, so it'll be a nice little holiday filled with insane music, amazing people and away from reality. I cannot wait!

I’d love to be able to just sleep right now, but my brain doesn’t seem to want any of that.

I feel like I just have to get this off my chest before it drives me insane, this weird sense of confusion or whatever. It’s been nagging at me for so long now. For longer than I care to remember. I just don’t know if I can properly explain it when I can hardly understand it myself. I’m just your average person, you know; nothing spectacular, nothing out of the ordinary. I go through the same old shit as the next person. And it’s like, when I’m happy and in a good place, I try hold onto that as much as I can because when I get down, it’s really not good. Not to mention I have no idea how long either mood will last for. And it’s annoying because the switch between the two emotional places can happen so quickly that I’m not even aware of the change. It’s quite unnerving. I just wish sometimes that I could make it go away. Take something to make it go away. Do something to make it go away. But, I can’t. Because that would mean actually focusing on whatever it is and facing it. It’s so much easier to pretend that something doesn’t exist when you keep it to yourself. When you hold onto something private you can convince yourself it’s just a nightmare and that it will go away. But once you let other people in, it becomes real. So instead I lie to everyone. I lie to my friends and I lie to my family; I lie to myself. I make myself believe that it’s nothing but all in my head. I don’t lie because I want to keep a truth hidden. I lie because I don’t want it to be real. And it’s not even a deliberate lie because on the surface I have truly convinced myself it’s nothing. It amazes me how I’m so able to deceive myself. It’s only when I stop to really think about these things and analyse it that I realise what I’m really doing; putting up this facade and telling myself that it’s nothing more than some nightmare I’ll wake up from.

Ugh, and that’s pretty much all I can get out of my system right now… a whole bunch of nonsensical bullshit.

Birds Of Tokyo - Circles



I'm being followed by my shadow, he's been creeping around
Asking where I've been
He keeps tapping on my shoulder, telling me it's over
So where do I begin?

These dark days are getting harder, I feel I'm treading water
So will I sink or swim?
Roll on, push a little further, I keep saying is this worth it
Or should I just give in?

I don't know

I don't know which way I'm supposed to spin
In this circle
And I won't waste my time on your concern
'Til it's over

I look back on a distant border, I fear I'm getting older
There's so much that I missed
Walk on following a faint line, see if I can define
Where I came undone

I don't know which way I'm supposed to spin
In this circle
And I won't waste my time on your concern
'Til it's over

And I will wait my turn, my time will come
This ain't over
And I can't wait no more, no sweet return
This is over

So it is
So sweet return

This is over

Interpol live at The Palace Theatre, Melbourne

January 7, 2011: Interpol at The Palace Theatre, Melbourne

Knowing of Interpol but having only previously heard some of their music, it's safe to say I was feeling a little bit out of my comfort zone. However, accompanying Ash to see her second favourite band was awesome. I had an amazing time! It didn't matter that I didn't know all the lyrics to the songs, it just had a really good vibe. The support act, Bridezilla, surprisingly captivated me. I think I might have to go and search out some of their music. But the main act, Interpol, were amazing. They're a really good live band! They have energy and charisma and are very appreciative of their fans; everything you want from a live performance!

The setlist for the night:

1. Success

2. Sat Hello To The Angels

3. Leif Erikson

4. Narc

5. Summer Well

6. Rest My Chemistry

7. Evil

8. Mammoth

9. The New

10. Barricade

11. Lights

12. Obstacle 1

13. Memory Serves

14. Take You On A Cruise

15. Slow Hands

Encore

16. NYC

17. PDA

18. Not Even Jail

EDIT: Photos still to come

2010 Wrap-Up!

It’s come to that time of the year again where I cosy in and reflect upon the year that was. With so much having happened this year it’s hard to know where to begin so, I’ll do what’s easiest, and start at the beginning.

It’s safe to say that the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 was one of the worst introductions into a new year that my family has had in a long time. Within the space of four months we had three deaths within our family. December 21, January 24 and March 1 saw the unfortunate loss of Uncle Eddy, Aunty Mary and Grandpa, respectively. It was a very difficult period for the entire extended family, however, more specifically, it was extremely difficult for my Grandma who lost her son, her sister and her husband. The sudden loss of three family members took its toll on everyone in a number of different ways and, regrettably, due to legal reasons, certain issues were dragged out longer than necessary, hence prolonging the grieving period. I know that for me personally I will always be affected by certain things that will trigger memories or take me back to a time when I could still see my loved ones as I wished, however I know that that is completely normal, and for as long as I hold onto my memories of them they will never be forgotten, living on forever in hearts of those who they touched.

Also in January I finally got my learners permit. I may have been 2 years late on actually sitting the test, but at least I passed it and earned my right to drive on the roads. As a learner I have to have my permit for a minimum of one year before I can go for my driver’s license. On top of that I also have to have a minimum of 120 hours of driving practise. Keeping all of this in mind I set myself a goal; to get at least 10 hours of driving up a month so that by the time my one year is up I’ll have my 120 hours. Well, luckily for me, I had my 120 hours up within 10 months, so all I need now is to book some lessons before my instructor feels I am ready to go for my license. Not that I am in any rush of course. I don’t have my own car and I don’t really have anywhere I need to drive to that public transport can’t get me to. I’m just hoping that by sometime in February I’ll have my license.

2010 also saw me enter my final year at high school, the most important year, becoming a year 12 VCE student at St.Peter’s College. It was a year of my schooling that, for the first time in my life, I wasn’t looking forward to in the slightest. Usually before I return to school each year I want nothing more than for school holidays to last forever, however, there’s normally a part of me that actually wants to go back. This time though, as I prepared myself to start off my last year, there wasn’t a single ounce of my being that wanted to be back at school. Consequently, I spent my entire year wishing for it to be over and just trying to make it by, one day at a time. Admittedly there were moments when I enjoyed being at school, like if there was a certain topic we were studying that I had an interest in or if we were learning something that I actually wanted to learn about. And, of course, being able to spend every day with my friends is a big bonus! (Probably the very best thing about being at school!) But, other than that, I would arrive at school every morning just counting down the hours until the bell sounded to go home. I began the school year in the wrong mind frame and with no motivation and, as a result, I was never going to have a productive year unless I changed my mentality. As much as I wanted to change my approach to school, the desire wasn’t strong enough, so basically I just ‘got by’. I always knew that I had the potential to do better than what I was doing and, that when the time came at the end of the year for everyone sit exams and get our ATAR scores, I knew I would regret the minimal effort I put into my school work. Luckily for me though, according to everyone else, I have enough ‘natural intelligence’ and I was able to get a reasonable ATAR score. So all in all I suppose I did what I had to in order to pass VCE and successfully complete my formal education.

The first school holidays, during the month of March, is when I think my world got turned up-side-down slightly. My family went away for a basketball tournament that Jack was playing in and, seeing as how I didn’t want to go, I got to spend that time at home by myself! During my days of freedom I watched a lot of TV (even if the only TV I watched was Muse’s HAARP DVD on repeat, all day, every day) and I spent a lot of time online. And this is where I found myself slowly emerging myself, oblivious at the time to the long-term consequences, into a world that I would never return from. It all started when I was randomly looking through some music websites until I stumbled across an MTV poll, what for I don’t remember, between My Chemical Romance and Muse. I picked my side and set out to gain votes for Muse. The first place I went to try and recruit voters was Twitter by copying and pasting a little note attached with the link to the voting page. People began replying to me and before I knew it I found myself in the middle of this online community that I had no idea even existed! In no time at all I had a whole new following on Twitter consisting primarily of Musers; the term given to the dedicated following of British alternative rock band, Muse. From Twitter this online community took me to the Muse forums on muse.mu where I officially became a ‘boardie’. I spent the rest of the Easter holidays talking to these people and getting to know them and, from that moment on, I have never looked back. To this day I am still friends with all those musers, even having met up with them at the Muse concert in December. It would be an understatement to say that my fascination with these British rockers has consumed my life, but I honestly don’t care. I owe so much to them for giving me inspiration when I needed it and providing me with hope when my outlook was bleak. I honestly feel as if Muse changed my life. Most importantly though, had it not been for Muse, I wouldn’t have come across some of the most amazing people I know. So for that and so much more I am truly grateful.

May 9, 2010: Supernatural All Hell Breaks Loose II Convention! This was definitely a dream come true for me. I finally got to meet some of the cast members of my all time favourite television show! Unfortunately Jared and Jensen were unable to attend; however, we were graced with the presence of Samantha Ferris (Ellen Harvelle), Rob Benedict (Chuck) and Julie McNiven (Anna), Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer) and, last but not least, Misha Collins (Castiel). Joining me at the convention was Emma and Bonnie, two fellow Supernatural enthusiasts like me! We spent the day asking questions and listening to the stories that the cast would share with us. It’s very true what people say about the Supernatural cast; they are without a doubt some of the most down-to-earth celebrities you could ever come across. They were funny and intelligent and simply a great bunch of people to spend the day with. After the Q&A sessions we were given the opportunity to have professional photos taken with the cast member/s of our choice. I got a photo with Misha and then a photo with Jim! I remember my photo with Misha very clearly. We were told not to attack the actors with hugs unless they went in for the hug first. I had no intention of attacking Misha; however, as I went to put my arm out so I could be on his left side, Misha interpreted that as me wanting a hug. He then went in for the hug and, not knowing what else to do, I followed his lead. But due to the awkward position we then found ourselves in, the result was the most awkward hug in the history of hugs. I put my arm around him and my head kind of leant forward into his shoulder. Essentially, I nuzzled into Misha Collin’s shoulder, lol. And after all that I still ended up on his right side, lol. Afterwards, because we had some money left over, Bonnie, Emma and I pitched in to get a photo with Rob. Later on in the day, the last item on the agenda was the opportunity to get signatures. I ended up with a signed photo with Misha Collins and a signed photo with Rob Benedict. Rob was very kind! Emma, Bonnie and I had our names on a sticky note so that Rob knew how to spell our names; however, we didn’t tell him who was who. So Rob tried to guess which name belonged to each of us. It was quite funny. Then, as he was signing, he was thinking to himself how to finish his message to us and we were saying to him, “how about ‘love from Rob’, ‘thinking of you always’, ‘see you later on tonight’?” Rob just started laughing at us, lol. After he was finished he asked us if we wanted the sticky notes back but we said he could keep them and, as we walked away, we saw him stick the sticky notes to himself and keep them there for the remainder of the signing time! The day spent at the Supernatural Convention really was one of the best days of my life!

With June came my 18th birthday. Never having been one for big celebrations I decided to just have a simple get-together with a few of my friends for lunch at my house. It was nothing fancy but it was nice to have my friends around to celebrate. On the night of the 13th Emma and Elly stayed over so that they could be there with me when I officially turned 18. It was very sweet of them and, at exactly 12am, we cut my birthday cake; a Freddo Frog Ice-Cream Cake! I wasn’t the only one to turn 18 this year though. Beginning with Bec in May and ending with Emma in December, 2010 was the year that majority of my friends and I all became legal! We still have a few people in our group who are yet to cross over into official and legal adulthood, however when their time comes, I guarantee that it’ll go off just as everyone else’s has. Of course, with legality came a few privileges, like being able to drink alcohol and go out clubbing! Not that I’m really one for clubbing, in fact, I can’t stand it. However, get a few drinks into me and I’m more than willing to show off my moves on the dance floor, lol. Not that I even have any ‘moves’, lol. It has been fun though, regardless of whether it’s my ‘thing’ or not. Just being out with your mates and having a good time, that’s all that really matters.

July 4, 2010: The Vampire Diaries Convention. Taking place in the same auditorium at Melbourne University as the Supernatural Convention was held, Emma and I got to meet the cast members of the television show, The Vampire Diaries. The events of the day took place in very much the same fashion as the Supernatural convention in May. At this convention, though, we were lucky enough to meet the three main stars of the show, Nina Dobrev (Elena), Paul Wesley (Stefan) and Ian Somerhalder (Damon). Looking back on the day I remember how gorgeous and smart Nina was, how ripped Paul’s arms were and how incredibly intelligent and passionate Ian was. Emma and I got photos together; one with Ian and one with Paul. As we walked towards Ian to get our photo taken he looked at us both and said “look, two tall fine lovely ladies”. Gosh, that sent Emma and me into a spin, lol. Later on we then got our photo with Ian signed. These conventions are such a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the actors and actresses of your favourite television shows and I hope that I get to attend more of them in the near future!

2010 was also the year that I got to attend four concerts in the space of 3 months, even if 2 of the gigs were for the same band, lol. October 13, December 1, December 14 and December 15 were the dates I got to see Paramore at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, U2 at Etihad Stadium and Muse x2 at Rod Laver Arena, respectively. All three acts were incredible all in their own regards. Going to these gigs has made me want to go to more concerts more frequently! However, that would mean I need to get a job so I have to money to be able to do these things… There’s no question about it, Muse was my favourite act. I couldn’t possibly go into detail now about my Musing adventures because it would honestly take up too much time. I recommend you visit this post (link to be posted later) if you want to read all about Muse. And this one if you want to read about U2.

While on the subject of Muse I’ll take this opportunity to mention my meeting Muse at Melbourne airport earlier this month. On December 12, my fellow musers and myself went to the airport to try and meet Muse as they arrived in Melbourne for their Melbourne leg of the Resistance Tour. It must have been our lucky day because the boys did indeed arrive that day and we were able to stop them, talk with them and get photos. It was easily one of the greatest days of my entire life! I unfortunately was unable to get a photo with Matt or even talk with him for that matter, but I was able to talk and get photos and signatures from Chris and Dom! That’s right; I got a photo with Dominic Howard and I got my ‘Butterflies and Hurricanes’ 7” vinyl signed. It was an amazing day! Not just the fact that we met them, but just chilling at the airport with an awesome group of people!

December 3, 2010: Hamish and Andy’s Thank You Tour, Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Emma, Elly and myself headed out into the city so that we could be there as radio and TV personalities, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee, broadcast their last radio show. They will be back next year, but only once a week instead of every weekday. This Thank You Tour was their way of saying, as the title itself explains, thank you to Australia. It was a great day filled with lots of laughter and musical performances. Michael Paynter and John Farnham were scheduled to play during the show and, Daryl Braithwaite made an appearance, as well as Newton Faulkner via video but, it was surprise musical guests U2 who really stole the show when they rocked up to perform.

2010 has been a big mixture of emotions. On one hand it has been one of the worst years, with the deaths in our family and my motivation for everything in general being at an all time low. Yet, on the other hand, having the chance to meet the cast of both Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries, as well as meeting the members of Muse and attending the Muse concerts, has made it one of the best years ever. I suppose the good and the bad equalled out, creating some kind of natural balance. However, despite all that has happened this year, I wouldn’t trade it in for anything. 2010 has brought with it new memories, new experiences, new friendships; and it’s the people I got to share these things with that have made everything so much more memorable.

So here is a little something for one of the most important and influential friendships in my life and something for the few new friendships that I have formed this year.

Emma
You’re my best friend! You have quite literally been there for me this entire year, no matter the reason. Whether you knew it at the time or not, you helped me so much during the most difficult time of my life. You were the first one I was on the phone to; you listened to me and respected what I wanted during that time, regardless of whatever it was. You gave me space when I needed it and comforted me when the time called for it. Simply being around you and in your presence helps in any situation. You’re one of those ‘glass-half-full’ types of people who tries to look on the bright side no matter what. Remember, there’s always a silver lining; a ‘light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel’, so to speak, lol. You put so much energy into being there for your friends and that’s something I admire about you. This year you have been there with me for pretty much every monumental event. We got to go to two conventions together and fan-girl over our favourite celebrities. We went to Hamish and Andy together and got to see the boys off in style! Admittedly, you were the second person I called after I met Muse, but that was cos I had to ring Ev so we could go insane over Dom together. But regardless, you were the one I called when everyone else was on the phone to their families and loved ones. That’s because you’re more than my best friend; you’re my sister. You’re a part of my family now, as you well know. You have been accepted with open arms into the Keen household, lol. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing together; whether it be sitting on the couch watching movies and having a food-fest or going out on pub crawls (which are going to be so much fun, lol), I just enjoy spending time with you. Next year is going to be so much fun; freedom at last! I don’t need to hope that we can create some more awesome memories together because I know that that’s a given! Love you, girl!

Ashleigh
It doesn’t matter that I only met you this year because it feels like I’ve known you for so much longer. You can officially go down in my history books as the first online friend who I met up with in real life and who has also stayed the night at my house, lol. And that’s a good thing because that means I feel comfortable with you. It’s uncanny how much we have in common but, as we have both decided, that stopped being weird long ago! Our similarities go beyond a mutual love for Shia LaBeouf and Dominic Howard and Muse; we’re very similar in personal traits and those aspects of ourselves that make us who we are. It’s for that reason that I think we get along so well; because we understand each other. Earlier this year we said that we would get to meet Dom together and, guess what, we did it!!! We met Dom together, we met Muse together and we got to rock out at Muse together on the barrier! I’m so glad that I was able to share in that experience with you and, hopefully, there will be many more experiences like that in the future that we can join in together!

Evelyn
Oh, Evelyn; my muser sister! I was trying to think back to how I even got started talking to you and, you know, I think I remembered how. I’m pretty sure Ash was talking about sticking posters up on her wall and wanted to know if using sticky-tape or blu-tac was better. I told Ash that I use blu-tac but put little squares of sticky-tape on the back corners to stop the poster from ripping or discolouring. You must have seen Ash’s question because you started talking to her about it too. Then you started talking to me about different methods of sticking up posters, lol. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s how we started talking regularly, lol. Then our friendship progressed! You sent out nightly twitpics of Muse and that’s how we discovered we were both Dom-girls! From there I got Dom-pics dedicated to me nightly! Before we knew it you were stalking me everywhere, lol! Twitter, Facebook, muse.mu, MSN, mobile number… It got out of control, lol. But I wouldn’t change anything about it! I don’t think I know anyone else out there who knows as much about Muse as what you do! It’s quite incredible actually. Together we can go off on quite a tangent making up impossible Muse fantasies which, hopefully for our sake, don’t remain merely a fantasy forever, lol. Not to mention you’re the one who got me into QI and, consequently, began filling my head with more random and useless facts! I’m very grateful for the fact that you accepted me for who I am so easily! You know I’m strange and it doesn’t bother you. And, despite the fact that we live in neighbouring states, we FINALLY got to meet one another at the Muse concerts in Melbourne! But not before we got to share, two days beforehand, an epic Muse/Dominic meeting! You had your ninja stalking skills in top gear that day! Thank you for everything you've done for me this year and all the memories you've given me! Here's to many more next year!

Lucy
Lucy, you are such an amazing chick! I am so very grateful that I found you all the way over there in Scotland via the very useful internet! I can't begin to tell you how much it means to have you in my life. It's so strange how, for two people who have never met before, we can be such good friends! I've loved all those crazy and perverted conversations we've had over MSN and TinyChat this past year, even if it means I was up until 4am on a school night, lol. We kicked it off so well so quickly, it was great! And then once we found out each other’s love for fanfic, well, let's just say I think Ev sometimes got a bit worried about us, lol. You really are like the older sister that I never had! I can talk to you about anything at anytime and I like that; it feels comfortable! It is going to be my mission to visit you, Lucy! It will happen! I know it will. And then you can come to Australia and I'll take you to visit the penguins! Thank you, Lucy, for being a part of my life this year! It's been so much fun! And I know that next year will be just as, if not more, awesome!

Julian
Well, where to begin, eh? We met because of the MTV poll and I was trying to find 'fans of Muse' (I didn't know they were called 'musers' at the time) to help vote. And I was telling you about all the hate that was going on between the two fanbases. And because you couldn't log onto the website to comment, you gave me some 'Dead Star' lyrics to post and, as a result, I copped so much hate from the My Chemical Romance fans, lol. And thus began our friendship! From that moment on we simply began talking to each other on Twitter and, to this day, we still do! (And Facebook and muse.mu and MSN and TinyChat.. lol). And it's cos of all the 4am conversations that I've gotten to know you so well! To quote myself and reiterate everything I've already told you, I consider it an honour to have been able to get to know you this year. Though we are so far away in actual distance, I feel that in reality we are so close to one another in spirit. I know that no matter what situation I find myself in I can always come to you for guidance and support. Not to mention you always encourage me to do my best and to be my best. It means a lot. So thank you for everything this year, it's been fun! Now for 2011!

I’m sure there is so much more that happened and so much more I want to say but, for now, this will have to suffice!