In leui of a real post.

Life has been hectic recently, so I haven't [and don't] have time to produce anything substantial. In the meantime, I heard this song on Triple J the other day and tracked it down. It is called Auditorium, and was released by Mos Def, but features Slick Rick. I think he is probably the one who sings the verse that made the song stand out to me (I'm going to try and track down some of his releases soon). Anyhow I went looking for lyrics to this track, and found none of integrity, so I decided to pen out my own version of just this verse. I've marked the spots I'm not sure about. It seems a little less appropriate when written, but I ask you to trust that his tone of voice and his inflection tend to represent the unpleasantness of the situation as the fault of the US, without his actually saying it. You really need to check out the track to get it, because the words merely leave one thinking: 'Huh?'. The relevant section starts at around 2:30.

Sit and come relax,

Riddle of the Matt*, with the patch**,

I'm a soldier in the middle of Iraq.

What say about Lumish***, coming out the whip****, and

looking at me curious: a young Iraqi kid,

Carrying a launcher. "What's wrong 'G', you hungry?"

"No. Give me money or get the fuck out of my country."

In an Arabian market, other stuff*****,

till his Mum's come grab him and they walk off in a rush.

Distrust. Feeling like I's pissed off on goon*****,

I'm like "Surely hope that we can fix our differences soon! Bye"

Buying apples, hung braking on******

"You take everything, why not just take the damn fruit, black bastard*******."

I don't understant it [am I] on another planet?

Fifteen months

of this stuff, how am I going to manage.

And increasingly sentiment[al] gentlemen,

getting down on their middle eastern instruments.

Realise trapped in this crowd: walked over, kicked one of my fabulous raps (La-di-da-di).

Arabs jaws dropped, they well wished they['d] gladwrapped********.

Now the kid considered us like an Elvis of Bagdad.

1. Rappers name?

2. He is a soldier?

3. A name?

4. Reference to the war?

5. Very unsure about this line.

6. Same goes.

7. Not sure about that phrase either.

8. No idea what that means.

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Also, un-relatedly, coming up soon (where 'soon' means 'eventually'), what do these images:

Have in common with this one:

Find out about this, and about the effect of our current dual system schools on society, and maybe a little about how to build an atomic bomb; with the launch of some new content at some stage soon. Will be announced.

An odour came in the window thismorning, and has permeated my day. The house began to smell, and when I burst forth expecting fresh air out the back door, I began to dry wretch and the stench only intensified outside. I scampered to the train station, pausing only to cough and hack from the newly induced illness. It resurfaced briefly on the breeze at the platform, before disappearing; leaving only the lingering unpleasantness in my nostrils.

Alas, my freedom was not to last. When I got off the bus, I was again assulted by this smell. Just once, brief but intense, carried on the breeze. I went inside, up to level four, and found a couch. I was now bothered only by the sound of the wind in the eaves, the bright wooden light fixtures above me,and my own difficulty staying awake as I reclined on the expansive grey-brown leather couch.

Image: Entrance stairs to the library (Photocredit: Andreisky) bacause I couldn't find a shot of the couch itself.

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I have a number of significant assesments this week, including an essay and three exams, so it is unlikely that I will find time to express anythign else in the same detail as this. You'll have to make do.

Hope all is well, world.
m'

Delayed

This post has been waiting for some time to be posted, in order to get the promised photographs from vodafone. I still haven't got them, but cannot hold off on posting any further.

It’s Friday afternoon, I am sitting on a bus, and I think now is a perfect time to begin looking back on my week. A few interesting things have happened this week, including skydiving and performing at the opera house.

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Last week, Friday afternoon, I was en route to uni when I was approached by the vodaphone marketing team; they wanted me to ‘make the most of now’. This involved climbing a ladder and jumping onto a massive foam mat. I know, it sounds fun right? Well, it is.

Note that these photos remain unavailable due to an ongoing dispute with vodafone; I will post the images here once the issue is resolved.

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Quite a few weeks ago, I began learning an opera with an insane but brilliant conductor by the name of Karen. This consisted of two sessions maybe an hour each of trying to figure out what the words were, and having a brief look at the tune, and an even briefer look at the timing. That was about 15 weeks ago. Two weeks ago we had another rehearsal, involving the choir en masse, followed by a rehearsal with the orchestra. Days later, we were doing our final rehearsal at the opera house, ready for a major performance.

To cut an (extremely) long story short, the show went off without a hitch, although I was reading much of the words, tune and timing straight off the score.

For those of you who know about such things (I certainly don’t) the opera was Aida, by Verde; though I only did The Triumphal March. Also, for those interested, I was a bass two (The lower of the two bass parts).

My sister and I at the opera house after ther performance.

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In mildly annoying news, I secured a contract for work this past week and next. Unfortunately I had to take leave on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday for uni, and then when I found out about the opera house performance, Tuesday also. To add to this, next Monday is a public holiday. That makes a two week contract into a five day one. Today being the first day, I went in and got busy, only to find out halfway through the day that I had been hired by mistake; of course they let me work today, and thankfully also next Tuesday, but probably not the rest off the week. This is a shame for my bank account, but probably pretty good for my exams the week following. (Edit: I ended up working 12 hours on Tuesday, and working a full day also on Wednesday. I know this isn't very interesting to y'all, but I get so little work here that every bit makes a difference!)

In other, better news, I may have more work there later (with my own ‘office’, too).

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Out of date

As I write this, I am sitting on a train on my way to see Dylan Moran. I left only realised the time (I was yet to pack, clean the house, get changed, go to the station, buy a ticket etc.) about 10–15 minutes before the last train left. I managed it.



But now think I should write something about the incident currently occurring:

Firstly I’ll make reference to my previous post about north shore girls on trains (Oh. My. God. Like, so totally fall–out–boy). These people made me want to leave the north shore to avoid having to listen to them. I’m on the train now that goes to Newcastle, and experiencing some conversation from the local equivalent. Less American teeny bopper trash, more bogan trailer trash.

Anyhow; a few minutes ago a sulphurous smell began to permeate the carriage. The smell was not unusual for trains, but was stronger than the norm’, but nothing too unbearable. The smell hung for a few minutes before either of these girls noticed, but once they did: (Stops playing with belly button ring) “Oh fuck me, I’m gonna’ spew, and I ain’t kidding..” The conversation then began about the nature of the odour, and soon myself and the engineering student next to me began to discuss an even more concerning point: the carriage is slowly beginning to fill with smoke…

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It is Saturday, and today I have started my major essay for Education. It is due on Monday, and tonight I’m going to Newcastle, then tomorrow I have rehearsals for this opera house production. I think this time I may have procrastinated a little too much.

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Ok, quite some time has passed, and all of that is out of date. The story on the train finishes with no train explosion, but there is an interesting conclusion which would be drawn (if I could find the motivation to type it up) about a the return journey, and my spreading hatred of the north shore. Suffice to leave it with you reading aloud from the screen in the slowest and whiniest drawl you can possibly summon:

“Yaaa, so, like you Daaad. He would’ thort I was like a real intelligent girl and shit, like with lotsa oppurtunities and that hey. Then as soon as he found out we was like heroin addicts he just like didn’t want anything to do with me hay?”

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Coming soon:

Hopefully some photos of me skidiving on Friday, and some reflection on the interesting drama due to unfold at the opera house over the next few days.

In reverse chronological order

Firstly, a letter I just sent to the Australian Government Senate Inquiry on Climate Change:

We all know that PV (Photovoltaic) technology is being effectively utilised around the world, and that our great big slab of land is ideally placed to utilise this technology, right beneath a tropic.

Australia not only lies in the ideal position geographically to utilise the technology, but also has some of the worlds leading PV research facilities. Proper government funding should be pumped into both research (creating perfect green collar jobs) and implementation (note that unlike the ridiculous 'clean coal' phallacy, PV exists, and can actually be implemented now).

Even if the government refuses to make any realistic effort to help solar, they could at least stop actively hindering it by subsidising filthy fossil fuel powered generators, and redirect that money into our shameful health or education systems.

Seriously, it's a good idea.

Regards,
Michael Kelly


Photocredit: Clearly Ambiguous

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I have been intensely sick lately. Really, unable to get out of bed for many many hours of the day (and not due to just liking the warmth like normal). I am on God knows how many drugs, I have no idea what half of them do (or what they actually are...), but I guess it seems to be helping a little now (since I'm sitting at my desk typing, without dying).

Anyhow, last night on the train on my way home, at about a quater to nine, I was sitting reading the daily PT atocity (MX) with Monty (a guy from my maths course at uni), when the train came to an unusually abrupt halt. An extremely paniced female voice came over the announcement system, imploring that we immediately evacuate the train in a calm an orderly but immediate manner, byttravelling toward the read of the train until the doors no longer opened out onto tunnel walls.

Typically, such a situation would have been most exciting; but as I could barely breathe to begin with, ambling down a freezing breezy tunnel full of microparticulate filth contaminating my lungs held less appeal that it would otherwise have done.

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Monday morning on the bus:

I was sitting on the rail that only some busses have, surrounding the little baggage pit adjacent the rear door. I felt my left thigh begin to vibrate, looked down, and noticed the handbag of girl next to me resting on my leg. (I know what you're thinking, and you're not right.) I got her attention to let her know that her phone was ringing, but reaslised she was already on the phone. Of course, she couldn't possibly have two phones, right? That would just be wierd. Anyhow, turns out she did have two, but it wasn't her second phone vibrating. Turns out, I actually had two phones in my left pocket. Wierd huh? It makes me wonder, how many more phones are there than people in this country? I know I have at least half a dozen mobile phones. Why? Who knows. But with so many people having swish new phones, clearly their previous devices have been discarded (most likely into a drawer like all of mine). Anyhow, that's just what I was thinkin'. No point intended, but I guess I could say this: If YOU have an old phone, stick it on Crailist. Seriously; it's a good idea.

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Note that I have chosen to retract the following statement in it's entirity, and my decision was in no way influenced by the Amazon.com legal department.

In conclusion, not that it relates to anything else here, if you are purchasing music online (i.e.: Not pirating for a change) try Amazon's online music service. They didn't pay me to plug them (bastards), and also I have not used them... But, you already have an Amazon account (oh come on, everybody has bought something on Amazon at some stage), the prices are often better than iTunes (or at worst the difference is negligible), and most importantly, you get the music in MP3 format, which (while not the highest quality) is practically universal (though still technically propeitary). That is, you pay for the music, then you get to put it on your computer, your iPod, your non-apple branded MP3 player, a CD etc etc. (Rather than iTunes, where you pay for it, and can play it only through their own player, and only on their portable music device).

Let me know how you go,
All I've heard is good news.

But still, it's times like these that Minties don't help, and I wish html still considered strikethrough worthy of universal support.

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Well, that's it for another installment. I think I'm going to brave the cold and go get some noodles and cottage cheese. And maybe some salt flavour chips. I'll leave you with an announcement from the twit of the guy who writes this blog, letting us know that he:

invented a new smoothie flavour:
"Cherry Children's Tylenol, Tears, Gin and Mylanta".

Get well soon (just in case you, too, are sick)
M'

A few Conversational Snippets

Snippets of conversation can be bizarre.

The folks next to me appear to have just met, and in the time I've been sitting here, they have discovered that she has, at her 21st, hooked up with his cousin. And she sounds like a Queenslander.

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This morning, during the extremely long wait for the bus, I heard a discussion between two girls that went something like this:

"My arms get sore, after like, 4 hours of playing the drums.
Oh, do you play the drums?
Ya, I'm pretty good.
Oh wow, I only play guitar. How good are you on the drums?
Well, I can go really well, but only on easy.
Ya, I was going to play the guitar yesterday, but the batteries were dead. I had to plug it back into the console."

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Definitely the most annoying voice, and the one most commonly heard causing unpleasant train trips for all on the north shore and western line, is the heavily american influenced 'North Shore Girls" accent. The one I like to think of as almost always saying:
"Ohmygod, like totally, fallout boy. No way, really? Fallout boy? Oh. My. God. Fallout boy." etc
I simply cannot stand it. Often I simply leave the carriage is search of somewhere more peaceful; be it quiet, other general babble, or drunken shouting and abuse. Anything is better than that voice.

One particular quote I heard at NIDA the other night (when it was not lit up nicely like in the pic) was in that very voice:
"I know, it's like, I totally can't stand american accents. Like, British ones are just totally so hot, but oh-my-god, I can't stand like american accents; you know?"
I could barely stop myself from telling them. Luckily my politeness got the better of my urge to share the irony.

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Recently I heard about an hour of a conversation, right here, where I'm currently sitting, on this very couch on Level 10 of UNSW Library tower. The discussion, when I sat down, went something like this:
"So, your baby is 18 months old. He was breastfed for the first 6 months, then he went onto formula. He isn't on any medication and has been brought up in a non-smoking environment. He had a rash at around 12 months old, but it cleared up with medication from the hospital. Has he been to the hospital any other times?"
This conversation continued in a similar vein for about half an hour, and I thought perhaps they were adopting. At this point however, the roles changed, and the mother started asking her interrogator questions about her child. It took me some time to figure out: they were nursing students, doing role plays.
Sorry that story is anti climatic, I found it so as well, and wished to share my disappointment when I figured it out.

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Anyhow, I have things to do, and should probably stop procrastinating and get on with my work.

Take care,
M'

With some urgency

Please do sign the above petition. Hopefully I'll see you at the rally tommorow on the lawn of parliment house in the ACT.

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Today I forgot my iPod, so I'm on the train listening to music on my laptop (with headphones). It is for this reason that I've found time to post.

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An aside before I so even start; I recently joined the microblogging Twitter subculture.

I was in an educational psychology lecture; these are a very slow kind of lectrure that crawls along, turning slow circles such that over the course of an hour, nothing is really said, but unrealted examples are given. The lady sitting next to me distainfully pointed out one student who last lecture sat infront of her with his laptop charger plugged into the presenters concole, microblogging his way through the lecture on twitter.
At this point, I decided I should get a Twitter account, as I thought microblogging lectures was a great idea.
Due to a restriction on the number of characters, I couldn't get surroundsound5000 as my Twitter name, so I had to go with Surround5000.
Anyhow, Twittering is just like status updates on Facebook, but without the Facebook attatched. It seems to me a little silly to be randomly changing your status; to quote Adam Hills:
"Barry is at the Adam Hills show."
"Barry is laughing."
"Barry has stopped laughing."
"Noone likes barry."

It's a lot like that.

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Finally, I was in Chatswood today, and noticed they have expanded their parking restrictions, but this is one for the better. In Chatswood Westfield, along with the Disabled parking and the Prams priority parking, they now have Hybrid vehicle only parking. I think it's a fantastic idea. In application, it's probably fairly pointless (if hybrid owners park in the convenient locations, and drivers of inneficient vehicles have to drive to the top level and lap the parking lot looking for a spot), but the idea is definately sound.

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Also, if anyone has tips to improve my samosas, I'd appreciate them. Currently they're a little bland.

Peace,
M'