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 ^_^

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! ;)

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!

Letter To Rod Laver Arena Officials

My Email to Rod Laver Arena Officials:
To whom it may concern,

I am writing in regards to the events that took place at the Muse concert on December 14 and 15, 2010.

After having been in contact with numerous people after the Muse shows in both Brisbane and Sydney, I was shocked at the organisation, or lack thereof, of the Melbourne shows. To begin with, on Tuesday 14th, those of us who were lining up were made to move out of the shade and into the immense heat, only to be told that we should try to "stay in the shade when possible", despite the fact that we had just been told we weren't allowed in the shaded area. Not only that, but the organisation of the lining up procedures was chaotic and out of control. It would have made more sense to have a number system or a more controlled relocation from the shade into the sun. I found that it was unfair for those people who had been lining up all day to end up at the back of the line. I understand that you will take no responsibility for this and consider it to be the fault of those who decided to line up. However, I still feel that for future reference you may want to do what you can to ensure that everyone gets what they deserve and are treated fairly. Also, circumstances were more controlled on the second night than the first, however if you want people to follow instructions when entering Rod Laver Arena, you may want to step up your security procedures or perhaps conduct such procedures with more control and organisation. There was no structure to what was going on; hence it was difficult for security to do their job.

As for the water situation once inside the venue, I feel that it was irresponsible on the Rod Laver officials' behalf to not supply GA with water throughout the show. The only time when we were provided with water was during the interval between the support act, Biffy Clyro, and Muse. Biffy Clyro were on stage for approximately 45 minutes, with Muse being on stage for approximately 2 hours. The contrast between the two acts and the level of intensity was very distinctive. It made no sense to not provide people with some form of rehydration during the main event for the evening. We were told that it was our responsibility to keep hydrated, yet we were also told that we couldn't have bottles of water with us. Granted, we were allowed to have cups of water; however, one cup of water is not enough to sustain you for the duration of a 3 hour rock concert. The least you could have done would have been to provide GA with water throughout the show. I honestly don't see how something such as water would have been such an issue.

Which brings me to my next issue, that being the “trouble” that Muse members, Dominic Howard and Christopher Wolstenholme, seem to be in. As far as I'm aware, Muse's bassist is in trouble for smoking on stage. I have read the article and I would just like to point out a few things that I feel you have unfairly accused him of and, as a result, made him appear to be much more rebellious than he really is. Apparently, according to your officials, Chris initially tried to hide the fact that he was lighting up on stage, only to then freely inhale between songs. As I am sure you are clearly unaware of, judging by your comments made, Chris' actions were not some deliberate attempt to blatantly disregard your authority. Chris' actions in lighting up and smoking on stage is something that is very common for him to do. I can guarantee he wasn't thinking "I'm going to light up this cigarette just to break the rules". Most probably it was something he did out of routine and habit, as it is something that he frequently does whilst performing. I understand that smoking isn't allowed in non-smoking areas, that much is obvious. However, attacking Chris the way in which you did was unfair. To publically come out and condemn him for such an insignificant act is simply unfair to Chris. The fact that Muse is a rock band is no excuse; however, artists these days conduct themselves in much more serious and dangerous acts than that of Chris routinely smoking on stage. Society is told on a daily basis of the dangers of smoking, yet that does nothing to stop those who don't want to quit. If the issue with Chris smoking is to do with the "promotion" of smoking, audience members are more than educated enough to make their own decisions regarding the issue of smoking. I myself am not a smoker, and witnessing Chris smoke on stage has not encouraged me to start, nor have Chris' actions offended me in any way. However, if the issue is about "deliberately breaking the rules", then I suggest you first get an understanding of the sort of people you are talking about before you make such accusations about Chris "flaunting" the non-smoking policy.

As for Muse being "rapped for encouraging fans to "mosh out" -- in direct violation of security rules", I feel you are creating an issue where there isn't one. As an attendee on both nights, I'm well aware that it was drummer, Dominic Howard, who told the crowd to mosh during the song 'Time Is Running Out'. It wasn't as if Dom made an announcement at the beginning of the show to ignore all precautionary signs and security warnings for the entire evening. All he did was encourage the crowd to get involved and have some fun. After all, a Muse show is essentially a rock concert, and "moshing" is a typical aspect of all rock concerts. Dom didn't tell the audience to crowd surf, which is much more dangerous than moshing. Moshing is jumping up and down and knocking into one another. It doesn't involve violence of any sort. Dom's words were merely a ploy to get the audience fired up and having a good time.

Due to complaints from officials at Rod Laver Arena, Muse have now been dubbed an “anti-establishment style of performance group”. Unless your officials have any idea what they are talking about or are familiar with the message and ethos that comes along with Muse, then they have no right to go out and publically label Muse like that. Quite simply it’s unfair. Not to mention these same “antics” occurred at both the Brisbane and Sydney shows and it hasn’t been until the Melbourne shows that any concern has been raised. In regards to Chris’ smoking, there were a few grumbles from floor security, but nothing more. As for moshing, the Sydney shows were much more unruly and absolutely nothing was said about that. So please inform me as to why you seem to be the only ones with a real issue here, so much so that you’re willing to go out and condemn one of the most esteemed rock bands of our time.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Their Reply:
Thank you for your email regarding the Muse concert.

We take the health and safety of all patrons very seriously at every event, which is why we distribute water at the stage barrier. We are somewhat restricted with this, however, for a few reasons which I can explain. Firstly, the security staff that are positioned behind the stage barrier are primarily there to protect the stage and the band, which obviously means that they are limited in their ability to distribute water while the main act is on stage. I’m sure you would also agree that the majority of patrons would be too distracted by watching the main act and dancing to accept water at that point. We also need to ensure that excess water doesn’t end up on the floor, as this could cause further OH&S issues.

Prior to the event even starting we are attempting to ensure that patrons are safe, and we have drinks and umbrellas out on the Forecourt on hot days for the patrons that are queuing. Drinks are obviously available for purchase throughout the event, and are able to be brought on to the floor. Also, there is always water available from St John Ambulance staff at the edge of the floor.

We will always attempt to ensure that our patrons are safe and healthy, however, patrons also have a responsibility to look after their own welfare and ensure they drink adequate water through the day etc, and this doesn’t always occur.

In relation to us “banning” Muse this is a ridiculous beat up, we have never suggested such a thing, our comments to the media were that we were disappointed that they smoked in a non smoking venue, we did not believe that moshing was ever encouraged from the artists, there were no incidents to report at this concert whatsoever. This was one of the most incident free concerts that we have had at our arena and we welcome them back. This statement will be released to the media through the promoter.

Kind Regards,

Jo Juler.

14 DAYS UNTIL MUSE!

If there is something that every blog needs, something that mine seems to be sorely lacking, it's some good old fashioned Hollywood/teenage girl bitching. And my target: Matthew Bellamy and Kate Hudson.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think Kate's a great actress, I love her films. However, what gets to me is her relationship with Matthew. The reason for my frustration? I happen to be one of those people who becomes highly obsessed with one thing until it progresses to the point where I begin to take ownership of things that quite obviously will/could never be mine. In this case, my obsession with Muse has lead to my protectiveness over the band members. And don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that this fanatic behaviour is unhealthy and borderline insane, but that's not going to do anything to change the way I feel! It's probably because she is in fact a Hollywood actress, and you hear and see all the time on TV and in magazines about celebrity couples and every single detail of their lives. Not that, in my fanatic mind, I have a problem with knowing every facet of Matt's life, I just don't like how public and "Hollywood" everything has become. I mean, I had no problem at all when he was with his non-famous psychologist girlfriend, Gaia. There was no publicity like there is now! I have nothing against Kate at all. And if she makes Matt happy, then that's all that really matters. Deep down somewhere inside me I actually think they make a cute couple! And when I see pictures of how happy they are together it makes me smile! And seeing Matt out and about with Kates son, Ryder, is just adorable! But still, there's just something that doesn't sit right about the whole thing for me. And honestly, I'm just some stupid crazy teenage girl who should get over things like this that I cannot possible change, nor should I even care about in the first place. So, in saying that, I'm just going to shut up now and stop boring everyone to death with my whining :)

PS. One thing that does make me laugh though is when the newspapers and websites get things wrong. Like captioning a photo with "Mark Bellamy" instead of Matt Bellamy, or referring to the wrong person entirely as the following headline, picture and caption demonstrates.

Kate Hudson and Matthew Bellamy Share Late Night Out

The 31-year-old beauty spent her time with her musician lover at Ivy Restaurant in London, England on Tuesday, August 31, before heading to The Groucho private members club.

For those who don't know, the man in the picture is Dominic Howard.. Muse's drummer.. lol

Day Nine - Someone You Wish You Could Meet

Dear someone I wish I could meet,

Goodness, do you know how many people I could write this to?? There is a multitude of bands, actors, authors and overseas friends who I want to meet! So, I suppose I'll write this to three groups of people I want to meet the most!

blink-182; my favourite band since the impressionable age of 11. At first it was innocent enough, songs such as 'I Miss You' and 'Feeling This' (that was before I realised what 'Feeling This' was all about!).. but then came along the rest of your albums, and slowly songs such as 'Family Reunion' and 'I Wanna **** A Dog' found their way onto my radar! lol. And from then on my innocence was gone! lol. But amongst all the toilet humour, nudity and punk rock attitude were three best friends that I looked up to. Yes, a lot of your songs are immature as all hell, but you also had the ability to write such emotional songs such as 'Adam's Song' and 'Stay Together For The Kids'. My favourite song of all time, by any artist, is your song 'Not Now'. Over the years you guys have somewhat matured, but that child inside has never disappeared! You guys don't care what anybody thinks about you; you go out and have a great time and enjoy yourselves!! Given that I was only 12 going on 13 when you went on your 'indefinite hiatus', I was heartbroken because I thought that any opportunity to ever meet you or see you live was lost! But I didn't give up hope! And what do you know, 5 years later and you're back together!! My opportunity to meet you guys is still there!! (mind you, I was/am pissed that I had to go through all of highschool without ANY new material.. but suppose there's nothing I can do about that..) If I could meet you guys one day, it would be a dream come true!!

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles (my Supernatural boys); again, to meet you guys would be a dream! Granted, my love for you probably borders on the lines of obsessive insanity, but at least you know you're loved ;) . My favourite television show is Supernatural, and to have you guys star in it is like woah!! XD Over the five seasons that SPN has aired I have seen you both develop as actors! On camera you are a joy to watch, off camera you are unbelievably funny and amazing!! The chemistry between you guys on camera as brothers transcends into your real-life realtionship with each other! You two are just like brothers! You're both so funny, and down-to-earth!! I've missed an opportunity to meet you when you were in Aus in 2009. You only went to Sydney and completely snobbed Melbourne!! But I hope you guys can come back! Meeting Misha Collins was amazing, and I kinda freaked out in his presence and totally went all fangirl.. and I have a suspicion that if I were to meet you guys there's a very high chance of me possibly passing out.. but it would all be worth it!!

And finally, Muse; Dominic, Matthew and Chris!! I can't begin to tell you how much it would mean to me if I could meet you! You have done so much for me and given me so much to live for; I could never thank you enough. Music means everything to me; music is my life. When I have nothing/no one else to turn to, music is always there. Music is timeless. Music can connect with you in ways that nothing else can. It has the ability to tell stories of love and loss; of hope and despair. Music can be the voice of millions of people; it goes beyond the words, with a simple melody being able to capture more than words themselves ever could. Muse, you succeed in producing music such as this. Your music speaks to me like nothing ever has before. Your music inspires me, it connects with me, it gives me hope. You have turned my life around in more ways than one. It is through you that I have started to understand myself on a different level. I have found within myself a confidence to be who I am and to not let people hold me back. I am able to be myself without any fear of other peoples reactions. Whether it be Dom's fashion sense, Chris's unbelievable kindness, or Matt's eccentric behaviour, all three things have made me realise that it's okay to be who I am. Muse's overall "outsider" reputation has taught me that it's okay to not always fit in; that to be on the outside makes way for endless possibilities. Matthew, your lyrics are so inspirational to me. There are those songs that you write about space and aliens and governmental repression, but then there are songs that speak to the soul; that speak to the inner lost adolescent within all of us. I won't name all my favourite songs and lyrics, because that list would go on forever, but lines such as 'best, you've got to be the best/ you've got to change the world/ and use this chance to be heard/ your time is now' (Butterflies and Hurricanes), 'wash me away/ clean your body of me/ erase all the memories/ they'll only bring us pain/ and I've seen/ all I'll ever need' (Citizen Erased), 'and tonight we can truly say/ together we're invincible' (Invincible), 'let's conspire to re-ignite all the souls that would die just to feel alive' (Starlight), 'when you've seen/ too much, too young/ soulless is everywhere' (New Born), 'I'm lost, crushed, cold and confused with no guiding light left inside' (Guiding Light), speak to me and give me a voice when I can't find the words by myself. Muse, you're an inspiration to me; you are my muse (bada bing!), and to be able to meet you would make my life!

-Jyssica.

Day Six - Your Favourite Internet Friend

Dear Favourite Internet Friend,

You know, I can't write this to just one person because in fact this letter subject encompasses a group of people. The group of people to whom I am talking about refer to themselves, myself included, as Musers.

Musers noun the collective term given to the die-hard fanbase of British alternative rock band, Muse.

I don't know if I can describe the connection between Musers in such a way that 'outsiders' would understand. Yes, the connection is based on a mutual love and obsession for a band, however it seems to go beyond that. The wonders of the internet are that you don't have to be in physical contact with someone in order to be communicating with them, therefore you can forge friendships with people from anywhere in the country - anywhere in the world; relationships that aren't based on ones appearance, age or ethinicity, but rather for who you are as a person. Musers are an extremely widespread group of people, yet we all manage to maintain friendships via the internet. Networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and the ever popular Muse Messageboards on muse.mu, allow us all to keep in contact. It's not just about being able to stay in contact though, it's about what we can all do for each other. I have never come across a more understanding and supportive fanbase than the Muse one. It goes beyond the music. You log on to the messageboards and half the time the topic doesn't even revolve around Muse; a lot of the time it's people sharing regular everyday activities and events. But what gets me is that everyone truly cares about each other. If someone is having a shit day, then you know that you can always rely on your fellow Musers to help out, give you support and provide you with some encouraging advice. I think that the reason for the strong connection between everyone is that we understand where each other are coming from. We understand the crazy and obsessive nature we all have. We can ramble on about things to each other that everyone else would find to be pointless, and we can do so because we aren't going to be judged and looked upon as being 'weird'. I am so grateful that I stumbled across such an amazing group of people, I really don't think my life would be the same without them!

However, this letter would not be complete without mentioning my closest Musers. I haven't been mentioning names in these letters, but I will for this one; 1) because they ought to know who they are and 2) it would be confusing for me and everyone else if I didn't ! :)
Lucy, my international muser sister :) You are such an amazing person! I can talk to you about anything at all, and I know that you're there to listen. I can rattle off all my problems to you and more than likely bore you to death, lol, but you are still there for me anyway to give me advice and help me out. My family has never met you, yet they've already accepted you into our home!! If ever you're here in Australia, you know that you have a place to stay that is willing to take you in with open arms! I love how we share that slight perverted nature that would probably freak a LOT of people out, lol. I understand your love and desires for Matthew, just like you understand my love and desires for Dominic ;) I also know that medical attention is required on standby whenever photographic evidence of Matthew's beauty presents itself at the hands of Evelyn's twitpics, lol. I love you, Lucy! I love talking to you, ranting to you, obsessing with you, making up rather adult-themed/censored stories with you, and I love that you're my friend!
Evelyn, my domestic muser sister, lol. We may live in the same country, however unfortunately we find ourselves in different states! Although, we are neighbouring states, so it's not so bad. Together, along with Lucy, we have some weird friendship going on, lol. You are the "mature adult" who has to intervene to sort Lucy and I out when things get a little bit out of control, (which usually means that we've managed to turn an innocent conversation into a some perverted mess!) Sometimes you set us straight, but let's face it, most of the time you join in, lol. You are the awesome, kick-ass, old fart! You have incredible taste in music and fashion (a style which has been inspired by a certain leopard print loving drummer from some amazing rock band from Devon). You enjoy all things Japanese and British! You can share in my experiences in Japan, and you can make me incredibly jealous of your time spent in England! You help in enabling my obsession with Dominic by simply playing along with whatever crazy antics I might come out with. For some reason I feel very comfortable talking to you, which I'm pretty sure is a good thing, lol. I mean that in the sense that I'm waiting for the day when I say something so crazy that you're just gonna be like 'that's it, I can't take her anymore!', lol. But so far you seem to have taken my weirdness on board and accepted me, craziness and all! You provide health-hazardous twitpics every night that result in me fainting and dying over and over, however I wouldn't have it any other way! Much like the bizarre conversations I have with Lucy, you and I also seem to have a knack for using our imaginations to create wonderful Muse-related, slightly perverted, MA15+ stories! (Although, I'm thinking that it might be bordering R now.. lol) Together we have pushed the boundries of stalking; from Twitter to Facebook to Muse forums to telecommunication devices! =O lol.
Ashleigh, you and I find ourselves lucky enough to actually live in the same country, in the same state!! That's quite a feat that we've managed, lol. It's funny how alike we are in so many different ways. It's like we're the same person, just completely different, lol, if that makes sense. Time and time again we seem to realise how much we have in common, which I think stopped being weird a while ago now. Together we understand just how incredibly attractive Dominic James Howard is. Every night Evelyn's 'Dom nom nom' pics are dedicated to you and I; we've become Dominic-partners XD I know that if we lived closer together, or if I had met you just through something like school, that we would have been friends anyway; regardless of whether we had knowledge of each others Muse obsession or not :)
Julian, my Colombian muser dude! I don't know where to start! You are so incredibly kind to me, you have no idea! You find it hard to believe that I don't get complimented more often (if not ever) here in Australia; well, I'm telling you now, people here just mustn't be as nice as you. You are probably the first male to ever make me feel good about myself. I don't seek to please people, because I'm content with who I am and if that isn't good enough for everybody elses standards, then that's not my problem; And you understand this completely. You have accepted me for me. You make me feel as if my slight eccentric nature is okay. Normally I might shy away a bit from others if I get the impression that I've really done something outrageous for them to think I'm completely insane; but you have embraced my weirdness and dubbed me your crazy Aussie muser :) You trusted me to look after your children that I purchased for you (in a completely non-illegal blackmarket child-slavery type of way, lol). You help me with my Spanish speaking skills; "Mi nombre es Jyssica y estoy un poco loca". You are always trying to get me to listen when you say how awesome I am, but take the time to sit back and acknowledge yourself for the amazing individual that you are, because believe me, you are!

I think I might bring this letter to a close now. As you can see, I love my internet friends. I don't care how weird that might seem to other people, because I now cannot imagine my life without these wonderful people in it. I feel so lucky to have come across such amazing individuals, and I hope that in the very near future I will have the opportunity to meet them all ♥

-Jyssica.

It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life for me.. And I'm feeeeeeeling goooood!

Can't believe I haven't posted this yet..


I HAVE TICKETS TO MUSE!
DECEMBER 14, 2010

It is going to be one of the most awesome nights of my life, if not the best!
Dominic Howard. Matthew Bellamy. Christopher Wolstenholme.
LIVE!
Ohhh, this little event will get me through to the end of the year.
I'm so super excited!
Seriously, I can't put into words the level of excitement!
XD

You've got to be the best, you've got to change the world and use this chance to be heard; Your time is now!

So how has 2010 been treating me? I must say, not very well. Within the space of 4 months, we had 3 deaths in the family.

December 21, 2009; My uncle Eddy.

January 24, 2010; Aunty Mary.

March 1, 2010; My Opa.

May they all rest in peace.

It's been a lot to handle. The circumstances surrounding my uncles death really threw me. It made me think, a lot! Got me thinking that I don't want to throw my life away, that when my time comes to leave this earth that I have something to leave behind. I want to be remembered and have a cause. And Mary, she's definitely in a better place now.

But my Opa, that was the hardest of them all. Two was more than enough, and everybody kept saying that bad things come in threes. Well, I guess they were right. He went into hospital, and mum and I visited him, and he didn't seem too bad. He was out of bed, sitting up, feeding himself. Everything was normal. He even walked us out of the room. But within a week everything went downhill. The last time I saw him, the 28th Feb, so much had changed. It was horrible. He was delusional, erratic, a completely different person. I'll never forget how he looked that day. But of course, I'll always remember him as the greatest grandpa ever! I'll never forget the walks we took along the Yarra River and across the bridge. We'd sometimes walk with Grandma, and I'd be in the middle, and they'd be like '1,2,3 swing!' and lift me, both holding one of my hands, swinging me off the ground. Or how when we'd walk, grandpa would always do this funny hop so that we'd be walking synchronised with the same feet at the same time. Or when we'd go to the park and collect acorns when we'd be about to leave, then on our way home we'd stop at the bridge and throw the acorns into the river. Or the bike rides we'd take into town. Or the park he'd take us to in Yarra Junction, the park with the spinny egg.

They're the memories that I'll always hold close to me. He may be gone, but his memory will live on forever in our hearts. RIP.

Amongst all the tragedy, year 12 has also creeped up. Although, that could almost be apart of the tragedy. I haven't been able to 'find my groove'. It hardly feels like I'm at school. Like, I know I'm there, I'm doing the work, but I'm not in a routine.. It's hard to explain. And now I'm on school holidays. Sorry, 'study break'. And that's just gonna make it harder to get into a routine when I didn't have one in the first place. I've never been so strongly against school in my life. Every year, it's always the same; I don't want to go to school. But I get over it and I move on. Except this year. I truly do not want to be there. I can't be bothered. And I'm so sick of hearing 'year 12 is the most important year. You have to study hard, put school first. Must be prepared. Think about your exams.. blah blah blah'. Seriously, the more 'motivational' speeches we're given, the less motivated I become. They all need to shut up and lay off the pressure a bit. I do not perform well when I have huge expectations on me. It doesn't help that I have no direction either. Everyone keeps telling me 'you better figure out what you wanna do, you can't leave it too late'. Or 'the reason for your lack of motivation is that you don't have direction'. Well, thank you for that amazing advice, as if I wasn't already aware of that. If I knew what I wanted to do, if I knew how to get motivated, then I'd do it! But, that's not the case. And everyones constant nagging is not helping.

Well, so far everything seems very doom and gloom. What's something good that's happened?.. I got my learners, finally! I've got 26hrs15min! haha! I have to have them for a minimum of one year, so I can't get my license until January 2011. But I don't mind, it's not like I really need to have my license now anyway. At least I'll have them when I've finished school and will need to drive places. :)

And I just have to mention Muse. I can't not say something. I'm obsessed at the moment. I've been listening to them for the past 4-5months. It's crazy. I haven't gone a day without listening to them! Their music is so inspirational and EPIC! Oh, I can't get enough at the moment. They give me butterflies in my stomach, they make me do crazy dances in my bed when I have headphones in, they make me clap and cheer at the end of a live performance on DVD. They're making me go nuts, lol. They've gotten me through so much so far! I love the message within their music. I love their randomness and quirkiness. I love their individuality. I love that they're such kind guys. I love that Matt loves conspiracy theories. I love that Dom wears a spiderman costume during concerts. I love that Chris is the quite one who can always settle a dispute between Matt and Dom! haha. Simply put, I LOVE them! Even as I write this, I'm listening to them! I have such a longing to see them live, it's unbelievable! So, next time they're in Australia, I'm definitely going! No one can stop me!

And I'm going to leave this here for now. I do have more to post, but I'll put that in a separate post afterwards. I don't want that information getting out on the Internet just yet :)