On Saturday we went down south a bit to some beach. There's an area nearby where all the 'schoolies' go, that is, high school teenagers, to party. There was a bandstand there and an open area and a lot of cabins too. Some teens were up but most were probably partied out from the night before. I saw some guy giving motorists the thumbs up and holding a beer, while his buddies behind him drank out of a funnel. It was really windy that day so when we got to the beach we didn't stay too long. The waves were humongous and I couldn't help but think how it would be like to surf on them, but they were just too broken to really get a good ride anyway. Either way though they probably could have killed me if I had tried because my skill level is just way too low. Dave's little baby 2-year-old boy didn't like not being in his baby seat so he made a big fuss pretty much the entire time we were in the car, for an hour or so. I don't know how parents get through this stage it's just so hard on the ears. We also went to Mackies and Pizza Hut that day, so some great nutritious meals were had not. Turns out Pizza Hut is on the outs here in Aussie, there are only a handful left running. Overall it was a pretty good day and in the evening I tried out the Vespa finally and we went to Blockbuster to rent a movie. Here they have to type in their phone number and then a 6-digit pass code before you can rent a movie, and they call it 'hiring', not 'renting'. So Dave gave me the pin # and I rented Get Smart and watched that later on. I also had a chance to listen to the Killers CD which I had bought the day before and I must say I haven't really warmed up to it yet. Just not as many catchy songs. But I may like it more if I listen to it with some decent headphones.
The next day we went to 'big generic box church' in the morning and it wasn't a lot of fun. The message was about God's presence, but I didn't feel it at all. Almost all the talk was laced with business overtones, buy our album, apply to this club, put money in our baskets. I don't think I've ever felt that a church was a business more than I had that moment. Almost a bit sickening. Nobody knows anyone, and it's just such a big show that it doesn't feel real to me. Later on that day we went to see my Aunt & Uncle and the rest of my cousins.
But before that he took his youngest son on a mini-motocross bike, and me on the Vespa, and we did some offroading. It was fun times! I fell once though because we were going up a slippery hay-filled hill and the Vespa just isn't designed for that terrain. We also checked out the women's prison from behind a fence and waved hello to some ladies who didn't seem all too amused. I'm just surprised he is so fearless, riding that little thing with his young son holding on to the handlebars, and without a helmet too. Pretty frightening to think what could happen in a wipe out situation.
Lobethal where the rest of my cousins live is up in the hills, so we took a lot of winding roads to get there. In about 45 minutes we got there, and there they were. I don't have any memories of my uncle, so it was like we were meeting for the first time. We were led to the back where we had the table all set up in a sort of gazebo attached to the house. The food was delicious and reminded me of my mom's cooking, good old-fashioned Czech dumplings with roast beef, vegetables and red cabbage. The Real Stuff™! Dessert was good too, some chocolate lava cakes and ice cream. And boy were there kids there! I met my three cousins' husbands and their kids, and amongst themselves they have about 10 kids. It's quite insane. They are all pretty young too, so lots of babies everywhere and I had to be careful not to step on one while moving throughout the house.
Later on my uncle took me aside and told me the story of how they came to Australia, and he gave me some advices. He was upset that we thought of them as weird people, because they are just really loving and live life to the fullest. It's just their church has some strange customs when it comes to marriage and how boys and girls are allowed to interact. Just some old-fashioned rules that don't work in today's world anymore. Then my one cousin's husband took us out to the bakery and he proudly showed me all his bakery toys and machines, and even a new gelato machine that he recently got. Too bad we didn't' get to eat any though, it looked quite good.
So that was an interesting time for sure. Me and my sister are invited again for Christmas to celebrate it with them. Today though I head back to Sydney and into the real world. I'm just hoping I have my job still, since I took 3 days off and I am easily replaceable to be quite honest.
_J
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
First couple days in Adelaide
I woke up on Thursday morning at 4:00AM ready to go. I had all my clothing set up so I could just put them on without looking for them, and I had taken a shower the day before. As I was getting dressed I got a text message that the taxi I had ordered was approaching its destination. So when I had my two bags ready I exited out of my place and the taxi was ready to pick me up. We drove silently to the airport and the total cost was about $25 AUD, just about $10 more than if I had taken the train. But my colleagues at work had advised me not to take the train, for it was too unreliable. I don't know if that's completely true as it has never let me down so far in these 2 months in Sydney. The one guy told me that the extra fee for the airport station was too much and that taking a taxi was a better choice. But as I waited in the airport for nearly 2 hours I noticed a whole throng of people came in at the same time; obviously the train had not let them down, and they were all in time to check their baggage in as well. So next time I may do that so I can sleep in a little longer.
The JetStar plane I took was brand new, so it had that 'new airplane smell', you know what I'm talking about. Flying was smooth and I played my new Trackmania DS game trying to beat the fastest times. As we landed I turned my cellphone on again and there was a message from my cousin that he was coming to pick me up in his shiny black Mercedes Benz. He did get stuck in some traffic was he was a bit late but I told him 'no worries mate'. And when he got there he looked just as I remembered him from 5 years ago.
We first went to his office, and I met his attractive PA who had set up my flight. I couldn't believe how good-looking this girl was, just unreal. Someone who should be modeling or on TV. I can't believe my cousin works with her and doesn't get distracted. But his wife is also good-looking so anyway... he had some business deals to take care of but before that we went for a coffee and he shared some things about his life, how he had pretty much been disowned by his father for marrying a girl from a different church. His wife met up with us later and we had lunch. She wasn't supposed to know about Friday night, which was a surprise 10th Anniversary gift to her. The story was that it was to be a function for clients.
Their home is pretty nice too. Just one level because they don't have basements in Australia, but still very spacious. He has a hot tub from a Canadian company too, because he likes how they manufacture them. I feel so at home here, I can do whatever I want within reason. I almost feel like I should be paying to stay here. I asked my boss that day to extend my stay here and he said it was fine, so I am coming back Monday evening instead of Sunday morning. It's great to be a contractor and not be locked into working all the time. His kids are all pretty fun too, his oldest son and I played Zelda VS mode on our DSs. In the evening Dave and I went to the pier and marina area and he talked more about his life. It's very interesting and it would take too long too regurgitate it all here, but I think it would make a good book someday. It's a story of the human spirit breaking free from oppression, very inspiring. We then went and had some delicious greek yiros, but it proved to be too much for us and we both left half our plates full of food. That night I slept pretty well except my pillow had a funny smell to it and their cat was trapped in my room, so I woke up at 2am to let it out of my room.
Friday was hectic because we had to prepare for the party still. His wife was onto him though towards the end and he couldn't hide it anymore. I went into the city a bit and bought all The Killers CDs. One shop had the new one out a day early so I was happy to grab it. I haven't had much of a chance to listen to it, except in his Suzuki offroader which he built a dvd player into (touchscreen operated, pretty sweet). I'm sure I'll have the opportunity in the near future though. I also went into a collectibles shop and was tempted to buy a $300 Balrog figure from LOTR, but I decided against it, even though it looks sweet as.
That evening two of Dave's friends came over, one guy a Russion from Gold Coast who really likes to party. Dave's wife wasn't too surprised at the event but we had a fun time anyway. I even went alone into the dance floor and did my bad dancing moves. The DJ was pretty decent and the beats were grooving, so I had a good time. A lot of nice girls but of course being me and not having that much to drink I was too afraid to approach any of them. Free drinks too, so I had plenty of rum&cokes, and even an Adelaide drink called the swampy, which I had tried a little of in Sydney, but this was the real deal. A full glass, not just a shot glass. When we went home I was a bit afraid that Dave had had too much to drink, but he told us that he was fine. His Mercedes has proximity detectors anyway so they beep if he's too close to anything. Alex the Russian spoke a lot of Russian to us and a lot of dirty talk on the way home. He even went out afterwards with the other guy, after we went home, to a casino, and won himself 1000 on Roulette. Good on him!
Well today is another day and hopefully it will be fun times.
That's it for now.
JAN
The JetStar plane I took was brand new, so it had that 'new airplane smell', you know what I'm talking about. Flying was smooth and I played my new Trackmania DS game trying to beat the fastest times. As we landed I turned my cellphone on again and there was a message from my cousin that he was coming to pick me up in his shiny black Mercedes Benz. He did get stuck in some traffic was he was a bit late but I told him 'no worries mate'. And when he got there he looked just as I remembered him from 5 years ago.
We first went to his office, and I met his attractive PA who had set up my flight. I couldn't believe how good-looking this girl was, just unreal. Someone who should be modeling or on TV. I can't believe my cousin works with her and doesn't get distracted. But his wife is also good-looking so anyway... he had some business deals to take care of but before that we went for a coffee and he shared some things about his life, how he had pretty much been disowned by his father for marrying a girl from a different church. His wife met up with us later and we had lunch. She wasn't supposed to know about Friday night, which was a surprise 10th Anniversary gift to her. The story was that it was to be a function for clients.
Their home is pretty nice too. Just one level because they don't have basements in Australia, but still very spacious. He has a hot tub from a Canadian company too, because he likes how they manufacture them. I feel so at home here, I can do whatever I want within reason. I almost feel like I should be paying to stay here. I asked my boss that day to extend my stay here and he said it was fine, so I am coming back Monday evening instead of Sunday morning. It's great to be a contractor and not be locked into working all the time. His kids are all pretty fun too, his oldest son and I played Zelda VS mode on our DSs. In the evening Dave and I went to the pier and marina area and he talked more about his life. It's very interesting and it would take too long too regurgitate it all here, but I think it would make a good book someday. It's a story of the human spirit breaking free from oppression, very inspiring. We then went and had some delicious greek yiros, but it proved to be too much for us and we both left half our plates full of food. That night I slept pretty well except my pillow had a funny smell to it and their cat was trapped in my room, so I woke up at 2am to let it out of my room.
Friday was hectic because we had to prepare for the party still. His wife was onto him though towards the end and he couldn't hide it anymore. I went into the city a bit and bought all The Killers CDs. One shop had the new one out a day early so I was happy to grab it. I haven't had much of a chance to listen to it, except in his Suzuki offroader which he built a dvd player into (touchscreen operated, pretty sweet). I'm sure I'll have the opportunity in the near future though. I also went into a collectibles shop and was tempted to buy a $300 Balrog figure from LOTR, but I decided against it, even though it looks sweet as.
That evening two of Dave's friends came over, one guy a Russion from Gold Coast who really likes to party. Dave's wife wasn't too surprised at the event but we had a fun time anyway. I even went alone into the dance floor and did my bad dancing moves. The DJ was pretty decent and the beats were grooving, so I had a good time. A lot of nice girls but of course being me and not having that much to drink I was too afraid to approach any of them. Free drinks too, so I had plenty of rum&cokes, and even an Adelaide drink called the swampy, which I had tried a little of in Sydney, but this was the real deal. A full glass, not just a shot glass. When we went home I was a bit afraid that Dave had had too much to drink, but he told us that he was fine. His Mercedes has proximity detectors anyway so they beep if he's too close to anything. Alex the Russian spoke a lot of Russian to us and a lot of dirty talk on the way home. He even went out afterwards with the other guy, after we went home, to a casino, and won himself 1000 on Roulette. Good on him!
Well today is another day and hopefully it will be fun times.
That's it for now.
JAN
Thursday, November 20, 2008
New place & trip
So I moved into a new place on Monday. The guy told me I needed to move in right away because there was a queue of people waiting to get it and he chose me over all of them! Well that's a good feeling... i guess. It is about 30-40 minutes closer to work than my previous place so I am glad for that, even though the cost is a bit higher. I also don't have TV here but I may remedy that. Only thing is, if I'm going to buy a TV, I will buy an HDTV, not some crummy analog piece of crap. That's just how I am, I either go big or nothing! In fact as I was leaving the apartment with my stuff I lent my movies to another housemate, and she offered me some divx episodes of Dexter. I had to decline because they just weren't up to my quality standards. I have really become a big eh-hole snob with my HD requirements, haven't I? It's quite sick really.
They are a lovely Chinese couple who have lived in Australia for about 20 years now. When I agreed to take the place on Sunday he invited me to bring my suitcase with me on the train and drive me the rest of the way to the house to sign the lease agreement and all that. Also to have lunch with him and his wife. So I did, and we had chinese food at a restaurant/club. I came in my thongs and they are strict about dress code there, so I had to rummage through my suitcase and put on my dress shoes. I looked pretty silly with dress shoes and shorts on. The food was pretty good but I am generally not a fan of chinese food. Not sure why, just not my thing. But it was nice of him to buy my lunch, most landlords don't do that. We talked a lot about the differences between Australia and Canada and things of that nature. After that we went and I signed a 3-Month lease, so I guess I made my decision and am STAYING HERE for a little bit longer. A lot of my friends predicted this already so it shouldn't come as a big surprise. I emailed Canada Customs and they told me I can extend my Permanent Resident with some paperwork so I should be fine in that area. I can even send them the paperwork in the mail and don't have to take a day off to do any of it, which is nice. I figured a job like this doesn't come around often and I can really save up some money here to invest in the future.
Anyway this new place is about 3 minutes walk from a fresh produce place, the train station, and a regular grocery store. How sweet is that? It is SUPER SWEET, that's how it is. I am living with about 3-4 people, the guy actually made up little sheds in his backyard for people to rent from him. He must make a ton of cash! Just set up a few shacks and you're golden. Me and a Chilean dude are closer to the house though, on a higher level. I had to buy all my own utensils too and I forgot to buy a glass. As I went to the kitchen at night and turned the light on there were two cockroaches sipping up the leftover Pepsi I had poured into the sink. So I gotta be careful and clean up after myself really well in this place. Those bugs just give me the CREEPS big time!
So on Thursday morning I am heading over to Adelaide to visit my cousin and his family. As far as I know his siblings and parents live in a town about 45mins east from there called Lobethal, but I will probably not go visit them unless something is arranged. I might later on in late 2008 or 2009. The plane ticket cost me $314 AUD return from Jetstar, which I think is decent enough. It turns out though I had thought my flight was at 6:15pm, because they weren't clear on the itinerary. But when I checked this morning on Sydney's Departure Schedule (pronounced SH not SK), I discovered it was in the morning! So I will have to head back to my old place in Ultimo so I can make my flight in time, since trains don't leave early enough where I live now to make it.
So basically I am in Adelaide until Sunday morning, and then I will go back to Sydney. I know it's only 3 days but I figured WHY NOT. My sister was originally going to come but she backed out because of work commitments. It will be very interesting living in my new place with my own room (finally). My snoring was keeping my sister up and the mosquitos were keeping me up, so in the end nobody got any sleep. I just have to buy a quilt or some kind of blanket because it is pretty cold at nights and I fear my month-long cold will return if I'm not too careful.
Anyway I think that's about it for now. I'm still wondering if I should buy a camera so I can document my journey visually, but if I'm going to buy one I want it to be really good quality. Same issues as with the TV/Movies. If I'm going to entertain myself it should be to the high possible standard I can have.
So long ya'll and thanks for reading!
They are a lovely Chinese couple who have lived in Australia for about 20 years now. When I agreed to take the place on Sunday he invited me to bring my suitcase with me on the train and drive me the rest of the way to the house to sign the lease agreement and all that. Also to have lunch with him and his wife. So I did, and we had chinese food at a restaurant/club. I came in my thongs and they are strict about dress code there, so I had to rummage through my suitcase and put on my dress shoes. I looked pretty silly with dress shoes and shorts on. The food was pretty good but I am generally not a fan of chinese food. Not sure why, just not my thing. But it was nice of him to buy my lunch, most landlords don't do that. We talked a lot about the differences between Australia and Canada and things of that nature. After that we went and I signed a 3-Month lease, so I guess I made my decision and am STAYING HERE for a little bit longer. A lot of my friends predicted this already so it shouldn't come as a big surprise. I emailed Canada Customs and they told me I can extend my Permanent Resident with some paperwork so I should be fine in that area. I can even send them the paperwork in the mail and don't have to take a day off to do any of it, which is nice. I figured a job like this doesn't come around often and I can really save up some money here to invest in the future.
Anyway this new place is about 3 minutes walk from a fresh produce place, the train station, and a regular grocery store. How sweet is that? It is SUPER SWEET, that's how it is. I am living with about 3-4 people, the guy actually made up little sheds in his backyard for people to rent from him. He must make a ton of cash! Just set up a few shacks and you're golden. Me and a Chilean dude are closer to the house though, on a higher level. I had to buy all my own utensils too and I forgot to buy a glass. As I went to the kitchen at night and turned the light on there were two cockroaches sipping up the leftover Pepsi I had poured into the sink. So I gotta be careful and clean up after myself really well in this place. Those bugs just give me the CREEPS big time!
So on Thursday morning I am heading over to Adelaide to visit my cousin and his family. As far as I know his siblings and parents live in a town about 45mins east from there called Lobethal, but I will probably not go visit them unless something is arranged. I might later on in late 2008 or 2009. The plane ticket cost me $314 AUD return from Jetstar, which I think is decent enough. It turns out though I had thought my flight was at 6:15pm, because they weren't clear on the itinerary. But when I checked this morning on Sydney's Departure Schedule (pronounced SH not SK), I discovered it was in the morning! So I will have to head back to my old place in Ultimo so I can make my flight in time, since trains don't leave early enough where I live now to make it.
So basically I am in Adelaide until Sunday morning, and then I will go back to Sydney. I know it's only 3 days but I figured WHY NOT. My sister was originally going to come but she backed out because of work commitments. It will be very interesting living in my new place with my own room (finally). My snoring was keeping my sister up and the mosquitos were keeping me up, so in the end nobody got any sleep. I just have to buy a quilt or some kind of blanket because it is pretty cold at nights and I fear my month-long cold will return if I'm not too careful.
Anyway I think that's about it for now. I'm still wondering if I should buy a camera so I can document my journey visually, but if I'm going to buy one I want it to be really good quality. Same issues as with the TV/Movies. If I'm going to entertain myself it should be to the high possible standard I can have.
So long ya'll and thanks for reading!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Are we Human or are we Dancer?
That is the question. I would say I'm more human than dancer, as I feel rather awkward and weird when I'm dancing. It's a good feeling to acknowledge that. I'm a little upset that The Killers will release this song on Guitar Hero World Tour and not on Rock Band (yet?), but that's fine... I plan to enjoy it regardless. These guys never cease to amaze me with their talent.
So last week I got my mail and discovered a huge amount of bills.... what else is new? $1800 CAD on the credit card and rising! Woohoo! I also got my contract I signed (apparently), that says I will be working at this company until April. Now here is the dilemma: my return ticket to Canada is for February 7th. Here is the other dilemma: my Permanent Resident status expires on February 5th. So I will have some fun with the Canadian Embassy, Bon Voyage Insurance, United Airlines, and others in the next little while sorting all these little details out.
I figure these are my choices:
1) Stay here until the end of May.
This gives me the option of traveling around in May after my job ends in April using some of the money I saved up during said job. The problem lies in the fact that I will still have to pay car insurance, Rogers phone, and my storage space where I have all my stuff for 4 extra months, which wasn't in the original plan. Of course I will have money to cover these things but they are expenses I don't necessarily want to be paying. Also my beloved USENET account is being used by my brother and I'm sure he doesn't even use it for half of the things I used it for
2) Change my ticket to the end of January.
This would be my easiest option. It's around $150 CAD to do this thru United Airlines. It will also be the most hassle-free option, because I won't need to get my permanent resident card extended and will avoid all the necessary paperwork. I will also get to see my friends and family back home much sooner, and use all the aforementioned expenses appropriately. The disadvantage is of course I will come home to piles of snow and with less money in pocket. I will probably quit the job at the end of December for the holidays, travel to my cousins and aunt/uncle's place in Adelaide for a couple weeks, and then high-tail it back out of here in time for LOST to begin, which I'm eagerly anticipating.
So both options have good and bad sides to them, and I'm really stuck in the middle. If anyone could give me suggestions that would be appreciated.
Also my 'cousin' back home just had her first baby, Lydia! Congrats Esther & Chris! I have to admit I didn't even see her while she was pregnant because I had moved out of Toronto by then, and missed all the dramas with her and her sister-in-law and such, who's house I was living in the basement of.... which is now Esther's house... I think? I'm so confused since I'm so out of touch. Well that is cool when friends have kids, repopulating our empty planet.
So I also have been looking at new places to live, and did on Wednesday. The place is too far though, it's the same distance as this one (1 1/2 hours to work), but from the other direction. So I think I'll pass on it even though the girl is super nice and the place looks really good. She was concerned as well that I'd be too isolated and away from all the city fun. She may be right.
Well that's it for me for this entry... see you all next time!
Joram "Not Jerome" Nowak
So last week I got my mail and discovered a huge amount of bills.... what else is new? $1800 CAD on the credit card and rising! Woohoo! I also got my contract I signed (apparently), that says I will be working at this company until April. Now here is the dilemma: my return ticket to Canada is for February 7th. Here is the other dilemma: my Permanent Resident status expires on February 5th. So I will have some fun with the Canadian Embassy, Bon Voyage Insurance, United Airlines, and others in the next little while sorting all these little details out.
I figure these are my choices:
1) Stay here until the end of May.
This gives me the option of traveling around in May after my job ends in April using some of the money I saved up during said job. The problem lies in the fact that I will still have to pay car insurance, Rogers phone, and my storage space where I have all my stuff for 4 extra months, which wasn't in the original plan. Of course I will have money to cover these things but they are expenses I don't necessarily want to be paying. Also my beloved USENET account is being used by my brother and I'm sure he doesn't even use it for half of the things I used it for
2) Change my ticket to the end of January.
This would be my easiest option. It's around $150 CAD to do this thru United Airlines. It will also be the most hassle-free option, because I won't need to get my permanent resident card extended and will avoid all the necessary paperwork. I will also get to see my friends and family back home much sooner, and use all the aforementioned expenses appropriately. The disadvantage is of course I will come home to piles of snow and with less money in pocket. I will probably quit the job at the end of December for the holidays, travel to my cousins and aunt/uncle's place in Adelaide for a couple weeks, and then high-tail it back out of here in time for LOST to begin, which I'm eagerly anticipating.
So both options have good and bad sides to them, and I'm really stuck in the middle. If anyone could give me suggestions that would be appreciated.
Also my 'cousin' back home just had her first baby, Lydia! Congrats Esther & Chris! I have to admit I didn't even see her while she was pregnant because I had moved out of Toronto by then, and missed all the dramas with her and her sister-in-law and such, who's house I was living in the basement of.... which is now Esther's house... I think? I'm so confused since I'm so out of touch. Well that is cool when friends have kids, repopulating our empty planet.
So I also have been looking at new places to live, and did on Wednesday. The place is too far though, it's the same distance as this one (1 1/2 hours to work), but from the other direction. So I think I'll pass on it even though the girl is super nice and the place looks really good. She was concerned as well that I'd be too isolated and away from all the city fun. She may be right.
Well that's it for me for this entry... see you all next time!
Joram "Not Jerome" Nowak
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Jeff Martin in Concert
Well yesterday was the day I had been waiting for. My idol, Jeff Martin, formerly of The Tea Party, was up on stage doing his thang. It was awesome to see his versatility with his instruments. He played a lot of Tea Party, some solo stuff, and a lot from his new album with his new band, The Armada. The place was rockin and people were getting into it. There was a bar in the back so people were drinking it up and having a blast. I was completely sober though, maybe to my disadvantage. Ha no I'm just kidding, he was amazing! Almost always on pitch and just a really great voice, belting out the tunes straight to the end with no sign of degradation. He looked in good form too, maybe a little older but definitely not fat, as some say he was a few years ago (chunky was what they were saying on the blogs). One of his songs he pulled out the cello bow and played his guitar Jimmy Page style, pretty awesome. In another song he doubled his voice in lower registered so he sounded like he was singing possessed!
I have missed out on The Tea Party while they were still in their heyday, so this was sort of like making up for it. Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows weren't there, but it was almost like being at a concert of the former band. He really loves to dig into his back catalog and the audience was singing along to all the old favourites. He even somehow mixed John Lennon's Imagine, The Doors Five to One, and Paint it Black in there. I'm sure there were some other references as well but I think I forgot them.
The opening act would JUST NOT GO AWAY and people were getting restless. He kept repeating his name to us, but I've forgotten it by now. He was a guy from Melbourne and his style was a strange morbid country rock. Unique, I'll give him that, but after 3 songs I had had enough. Unfortunately he went on way over his welcome. He doesn't have a bad voice or anything it's just not my style, and neither was it anyone else's. The mid-act was a belly dancer girl dancing to some flute music, she was pretty good, but by that time everyone already wanted to see Jeff Martin and we couldn't really wait much longer. The doors opened at 8pm but Jeff Martin and The Armada didn't start until around 10. And I had to be up the next day at 6!
So My ears were ringing on the way home but I did manage to buy his cd and listened to it. Surprisingly most of the songs sounded better on stage than on the cd. It feels a bit rushed and in one song he even misses his lyrics only to try again in the next bar (or stanza, whatever I didn't study music). It's a solid album but I do miss The Tea Party. Even though they were getting stale towards the end the eastern-twinged sounds melded with rock&roll were just something that really spoke to me and was the soundtrack of my life for a good couple years.
I will always remember that night and I look forward to what The Aramada has in store next. Hope all ya'll had a good weekend as well! Oh yeah my cousin didn't show up but... there'll be another time, he must have been busy.
Later!
_joe RAM inator
I have missed out on The Tea Party while they were still in their heyday, so this was sort of like making up for it. Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows weren't there, but it was almost like being at a concert of the former band. He really loves to dig into his back catalog and the audience was singing along to all the old favourites. He even somehow mixed John Lennon's Imagine, The Doors Five to One, and Paint it Black in there. I'm sure there were some other references as well but I think I forgot them.
The opening act would JUST NOT GO AWAY and people were getting restless. He kept repeating his name to us, but I've forgotten it by now. He was a guy from Melbourne and his style was a strange morbid country rock. Unique, I'll give him that, but after 3 songs I had had enough. Unfortunately he went on way over his welcome. He doesn't have a bad voice or anything it's just not my style, and neither was it anyone else's. The mid-act was a belly dancer girl dancing to some flute music, she was pretty good, but by that time everyone already wanted to see Jeff Martin and we couldn't really wait much longer. The doors opened at 8pm but Jeff Martin and The Armada didn't start until around 10. And I had to be up the next day at 6!
So My ears were ringing on the way home but I did manage to buy his cd and listened to it. Surprisingly most of the songs sounded better on stage than on the cd. It feels a bit rushed and in one song he even misses his lyrics only to try again in the next bar (or stanza, whatever I didn't study music). It's a solid album but I do miss The Tea Party. Even though they were getting stale towards the end the eastern-twinged sounds melded with rock&roll were just something that really spoke to me and was the soundtrack of my life for a good couple years.
I will always remember that night and I look forward to what The Aramada has in store next. Hope all ya'll had a good weekend as well! Oh yeah my cousin didn't show up but... there'll be another time, he must have been busy.
Later!
_joe RAM inator
Saturday, November 8, 2008
I don't have a good title
Well the last few days have been interesting. I finally got together with the friend I promised to meet a few weeks back, and we had a good time seeing Burn After Reading and then had some coffee afterwards. The only thing is we sat outside beside some garbage bins and people were walking around us a lot. This had been the only time I've gone out in like 2 or 3 weeks, so it was refreshing. I still have something in my throat leftover from the sickness I've had for a month, but hopefully it is the last remnant of it. I don't ever remember being so sick for so long. This weekend my cousin Dave and his family are coming to Sydney, so we will get together and catch up and maybe discuss when I can come visit him in Adelaide. I'm thinking sometime in December or January, but that will be arranged I'm sure. It will definitely require me buying plane tickets because I don't want to take the bus or train there... I take those every day! I will also go to a Jeff Martin concert on Sunday, that should be interesting. I'm hoping it's more of a Tea Party sound than the bluesy, experimental thing I've heard him doing recently. I like those eastern instruments that he plays it's amazing to hear them synthesized with rock music so well.
Yesterday instead of going home the regular way I decided to venture out and explore the neighbourhood a bit. Little did I know I would end up getting lost in suburbia! There is a long path that leads out of the industrial section to a nice park where the nieghbourhood kids can play some cricket. It wasn't very inviting, this path. I think people do drugs here at night. There were some magpies too in a tree nearby making lots of fuss. I hear they dive down at people during the mating season; good thing to look forward to in the future. So I kept walking deeper and deeper into the neighbourhood, and I soon lost track of which streets I had been on. After about an hour I realized I would never find the bus stop so I turn back and just kept turning left the whole time. That is apparently a good way to get out of a maze. And it worked! I found my way back and got home around 7:30 that night instead of at 6:30. So not a bad difference, I thought I'd be a lot later than that. When I got home and checked the internet, I realized that if I had walked just a bit further, I could have got to the next bus stop!
And it made me think... I go through life trying to get towards a particular goal and sort of have a vague idea of where it is, but I always end up treading the path up to a particular point and then get scared and turn back to where I started. If only I could muster up just a bit more courage I could reach my goal because it could likely end up being just around the corner! So this getting lost sort of mirrored how my life is going now. Aimlessly walking towards a goal but when there is any sign of doubt I go back on what I know best, my downloading and videogames and movies and entertainment. How appropriate.
Anyway hopefully I'll have some fun this weekend and you should too! Go Adama! Obama! Osama!
_Jornow
Yesterday instead of going home the regular way I decided to venture out and explore the neighbourhood a bit. Little did I know I would end up getting lost in suburbia! There is a long path that leads out of the industrial section to a nice park where the nieghbourhood kids can play some cricket. It wasn't very inviting, this path. I think people do drugs here at night. There were some magpies too in a tree nearby making lots of fuss. I hear they dive down at people during the mating season; good thing to look forward to in the future. So I kept walking deeper and deeper into the neighbourhood, and I soon lost track of which streets I had been on. After about an hour I realized I would never find the bus stop so I turn back and just kept turning left the whole time. That is apparently a good way to get out of a maze. And it worked! I found my way back and got home around 7:30 that night instead of at 6:30. So not a bad difference, I thought I'd be a lot later than that. When I got home and checked the internet, I realized that if I had walked just a bit further, I could have got to the next bus stop!
And it made me think... I go through life trying to get towards a particular goal and sort of have a vague idea of where it is, but I always end up treading the path up to a particular point and then get scared and turn back to where I started. If only I could muster up just a bit more courage I could reach my goal because it could likely end up being just around the corner! So this getting lost sort of mirrored how my life is going now. Aimlessly walking towards a goal but when there is any sign of doubt I go back on what I know best, my downloading and videogames and movies and entertainment. How appropriate.
Anyway hopefully I'll have some fun this weekend and you should too! Go Adama! Obama! Osama!
_Jornow
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
What has been happening lately
Well I have to say life has just become more of the same lately. I am in almost the same kind of job as I was back home. It's just that everything else is different. The fact that I have no car is really bad, taking the bus and train back and forth is not as fun as it used to be back in the old days. I had to do that for my summer 2001, 2002, 2003 jobs, and it was not fun at all. At work I have a pile of stuff to do so at least I'm not tempted to check what's new on the internet all the time.
Yesterday I went whale watching for $70. I think it was worth the money. We saw some humpbacks up close and got some good pictures, of which I still have to upload. I'm not sleeping a lot lately because there are always mosquitos that come up close to my ear and swatting at the empty sky yields no results. I may have to move soon if they want me to stay at this job for longer, which it seems like but I haven't really spoken up letting them know that is what I desire.
I am making my lunch now every day too because I don't have a car to drive to McDonalds or similar fine establishments. I really miss the daily dose of fast food, but my body doesn't, because I have to wear a belt now to keep my pants up. Australia is nice with weather and stuff but I really miss home a lot these days. I don't know why I said I want to stay forever, that is probably a bad idea.
So next weekend I'm seeing my cousin who lives in Adelaide. He is coming to Sydney for some reason that hasn't been disclosed. I doubt it's only because it's to see me. He is a business entrepreneur and probably has some sort of prospect here, that is my guess. But it will be good to see him I haven't seen him since 2003 in Germany. I will also see Jeff Martin next weekend at the Metro Theatre in Sydney. He has a new band and I hope I can forgive him for disbanding the Tea Party. Well I have already paid for the tickets so I think I already have.
Other than that there is not really much to report. I don't really go out a lot, my month-long sickness is finally coming to an end, some house mates moved out and new ones moved in, and I haven't gone back to Hillsong even though I should. I am playing a lot of games on my sister's laptop as well, my gaming habit will never die I guess.
Later, all
_JackaRomi
Yesterday I went whale watching for $70. I think it was worth the money. We saw some humpbacks up close and got some good pictures, of which I still have to upload. I'm not sleeping a lot lately because there are always mosquitos that come up close to my ear and swatting at the empty sky yields no results. I may have to move soon if they want me to stay at this job for longer, which it seems like but I haven't really spoken up letting them know that is what I desire.
I am making my lunch now every day too because I don't have a car to drive to McDonalds or similar fine establishments. I really miss the daily dose of fast food, but my body doesn't, because I have to wear a belt now to keep my pants up. Australia is nice with weather and stuff but I really miss home a lot these days. I don't know why I said I want to stay forever, that is probably a bad idea.
So next weekend I'm seeing my cousin who lives in Adelaide. He is coming to Sydney for some reason that hasn't been disclosed. I doubt it's only because it's to see me. He is a business entrepreneur and probably has some sort of prospect here, that is my guess. But it will be good to see him I haven't seen him since 2003 in Germany. I will also see Jeff Martin next weekend at the Metro Theatre in Sydney. He has a new band and I hope I can forgive him for disbanding the Tea Party. Well I have already paid for the tickets so I think I already have.
Other than that there is not really much to report. I don't really go out a lot, my month-long sickness is finally coming to an end, some house mates moved out and new ones moved in, and I haven't gone back to Hillsong even though I should. I am playing a lot of games on my sister's laptop as well, my gaming habit will never die I guess.
Later, all
_JackaRomi
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