Moanin' At Midnight

So, it's been two weeks. I've had all my classes (bar achaeology workshops) and let's see the findings:

• Japanese - Japanese is stupidly hard and will actually only get harder. I really need to work my shit out with this because I will actually fail. Gotta study like a bitch. Friends: Eleni is in my class again and some guy called Ed. He seems nice.
• Music - Popular Music is a second year subject and for some reason everyone appears older than twenty. This makes me noticeably younger than EVERYONE which is really, really awkward. And I look like a pompous dick when I say something because I am younger. And everyone has majors and stuff and I was like "I don't have a major yet..." giving away my deep, dark secret of being youthful. Friends: None, and I don't expect that to change.
• Art History - My tutor is a PhD student who's outrageously gay. I dunno about this, Art History this semester is going to take some big fat hours to kick into gear. Don't really care about old school architecture and sculptures and crap. Let's get into the Impressionsim...oh wait, that's week thirteen. Fuck. Friends: Heaps o' peeps, but in my tute, the people I was sitting with were shitty and lame. Mad cute girl though. Full sat next to me. What did I do? Nothing. Cool...

IN NOT RELATED NEWS:

GORILLAZ TICKETS!!!

Yeah, sweet, sweet shit there. Oh god, I'm out to miss my bus and be late to work. Thanks Gang of Four for being so pleasureable to listen to. I'll post a song later.
Post song now:

Gang of Four - At Home He's A Tourist

This:

Recently Obtained

Recently, I've been downloading heaps of hip-hop and singles from 60s bands. Got myself a fairly extensive collection of Kinks, Who, Rolling Stones, Small Faces, Zombies and Pretty Things singles. Even got an instrumental Beatles B-side called "Cry For A Shadow" which was off the chain. Lennon/Harrison composition.

Also currently downloading Zombies and Pretty Things EP collections, which makes me impossibly cool. Or a nerd. Either one I'm fine with.



As for hip-hop albums, I've accquired:

• Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca & The Soul Brother
  
• Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Live and Let Die
• Mobb Deep - The Infamous...
• Black Star - Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
• Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary
• Murs & 9th Wonder - Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition
• Afrika Bambaataa & SoulSonic Force - Planet Rock

and some early songs here and there like Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks" and some Cold Crush Brothers. I love to hip some hop like a fresh black man.

The Pretty Things - Rosalyn

悪魔のうた

Been listening to heaps of Big Boi and Murs (with 9th Wonder). Loving the hip-hop much too much recently. I think I might listen to Chuck Berry or Little Richard on the train tomorrow. That's pretty rock 'n' roll, right? I think "Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son Of Chico Dusty" is my album of the year. I listened to it on repeat today. It was fly like a falcon. Oooh, I got a back-up plan to the back-up plan to back-up my back-up plan. One, and two, and you know what to do MOTHERFUCKER, LET'S GO!



Aaaah, Wata-san, such a pretty lady. Yes, I am just listening to Boris right now. They're so fucking amazing. I wish I could drone like them.

And so I'm in my Japanese tutorial and this hot chick walks in and sits down. That's it. I am like surrounded by attractive women, which is all well and good, but I honestly do not give any amount of shits about getting a grill. I mean in a serious relationship and hookin' up wif da hoez in da club. I just don't want to try. So what if I haven't made out in a few months, don't care. So what if I'm not grinding on some bitch with a filthily short skirt on a dancefloor, don't care. So what if I'm not chatting up that hot chick because I bought her a drink, don't care. I'd only buy a girl I know and enjoy the company of a drink. I'm cool like that. Yeah, fuck the hoes. Fuck the haters. Yeah...shut up kid.



Oh, so yeah, I went and saw Kasabian last Saturday. It was pretty fantastic.

Little Red played first. I fucking love Little Red and think they are one of the greatest bands in Sydney right now, so seeing them back from an absence in 2009 made me outrageously happy. They were on top form, slamming out the 50s-inspired tunes with glee and energy. They were better than ever and I will now see them at probably every given opportunity.

Kasabian raised the fucking roof from the get-go. "Shoot The Runner" started the brilliant night and shit was off the chain. The band played fantastically, performed with genuine interest and excitement and made the crowd go off, tits and all (srsly, there were boobies). The slower songs in the middle of the set were still great because that trumpeter was brilliant and did some great melodic stuff, which generally contrasted to the drunk Englishmen who swamped the Hordern in full force. They ended the set with "Club Foot" (<3) and then slammed out a quick encore which concluded the show with "LSF" which the departing crowd chanted for at least fifteen minutes throughout the Entertainment Quater. It was amazing. That has never happened to me and probably never will again because I don't go to many gigs where the crowd is 50% British ex-pats. What a gas.



Kasabian - LSF

Bak 2 Skewl

Hogwarts Building is so cool.

And so semester two begins. Time to correct all mistakes of not studying for Japanese into practice. And also having to work harder because I do four subjects rather than three because academic writing didn't count as a subject. Got a distinction without attending a lecture or getting the course reader. Pretty great shit there. Now I'm doing:

• Art History: Art and Experience
• Music: Popular Music
• Archaeology: An Introduction
• Japanese: Japanese 2

Riveting shit. Rivets!

And so I've been downloading a fuckload of old school hip-hop. It's all amazing. Discovering the marvellous roots. Kool Moe Dee, The Cold Crush Brothers and Kurtis Blow. And I'm hooking James up with essential hip-hop, on his one-terrabyte hard drive. Prepare to be fly, guy.

I thought I had more to say.

Fare thee well, Le Tour de France. Adieu, adieu.

Busy P - To Protect and Entertain (Feat. MURS)

Shutterbugg

I downloaded Black Dynamite today. I have been looking forward to seeing this film for a while, but I have never found it on DVD here. Maybe because I haven't looked at the DVDs at JB for about a year now. Now that I have it, I can hand it off to someone, they can burn a copy (yeah, my computer is pretty good like that) and we can watch that shit with some beers and popcorn and pizza. Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet, watch the trailer. I might go watch it again just to pump myself up for no reason.

I also watched Jackie Brown which was alright. Quentin's homage to blaxploitation was done well, but I just didn't dig it too much for some reason. Maybe because Samuel L. Jackson wasn't permanently screaming, which is what he does best. And I watched Raising Arizona which was pretty great. I love the Coen Brothers. And Nicolas Cage. He was lovable in that film.



Away from movies, there's a new exhibition on at the art gallery that I absolutely must see. "Paths To Abstraction 1867-1917" should be dope on a rope, some Monet, Kandinsky and Malevich to treat the eyes. I was going to go alone, but now I figure I've gotta go with a pretty girl because if I go alone I'll look like a lonely, no-friend tool, if I go with two pretty girls I'll look either like a dickhead or a fag, and if I go with a guy, we'll both look like fags. So now I need to find a pretty girl who wants to hang. LUV 2 ART! Also, I am just massively gay for Claude Monet, so it might be appropriate going with another guy.

Also, fucking hell Robyn is sick. It's a shame I'm three years late for her self-titled album, because it's fucking mad.

And "Shutterbugg" is song of the year and "Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty" is probably my album of the year because I gave it a 5/5 on rate your music. Yes!!! Gonna buy that and "High Violet" tomorrow in the first hour of five in between lectured. Thanks, USYD, I just am the kind of guy who loves to kill five hours. Twice a week.

Big Boi - Shutterbugg
Robyn - With Every Heartbeat

Date.

Today I had a hot date with loneliness and Casablanca. It was heart-wrenching. Seems like the only people I am destined to spend time with are actors.

Hey, so, have you ever had an emotional breakdown and cried on a train alone?



Jurassic 5 -Remember His Name

North Star

Erich Heckel, Landscape in Holstein, 1913



Alexei Jawlensky, Symphony in pink, 1929

I saw these two artworks at the European masters collection from the Stadel Museum at the National Gallery of Victoria. It was a pretty good exhibition with a broad range from classical works to modern expressionist stuff. It was great to see artworks from a place that I'll probably never visit (Frankfurt), which opened my eyes further to the fantastic, enormous world of art. Also, there was a Claude Monet artwork that I am practically a giant homosexual for because I love Monet too much.

I grabbed myself an audioguide. It was an iPod. Pretty modern guys down there in ol' London Jr. So I'm walking around the art gallery, trying to not walk with my parents like a cool dude, checking out the artworks and the women (if you guys could have seen this chick, ma gawd), click-clackin' on the floor in my new shoes, all that cool stuff. After going to Melbourne again, and a bit older, my desire to live there has reignited. And if I can't move there, I'll just roll over in the holidays, fuck shit up at Hi-Fi Bar, 24 Moons and Pony, throw up in an alley somewhere, piss on something and then go to an artfag laneway for eggs benedict and tea. Wow, that's pretty superficial. Hell yes!!!

Blakroc - Stay Off The F*%$#n' Flowers (feat. Raekwon)
Raekwon - Glaciers of Ice (feat. Ghostface Killah & Masta Killa)
Meth, Ghost and Rae - Our Dreams

Hey Babe.

Versus is pretty great. I didn't really dig it the first time I watched it because I slept through 70% of it because Harry and I started watching it at about 2:00am. Now I need to buy Tokyo Gore Police and Wild Zero and I'll have all the Japanese splatter flicks I'll ever need. Actually, maybe Samurai Princess because she launches a shuriken out of her vagina. YES YOU CAN NEVER UN-READ THAT! PS. Chick on the right in the above picture is a babe.

So today I also watched Back To The Future again because that movie is unbelievably well-written and acted and everything about it is super dope. I love Michael J. Fox. I could tell you why the movie is so brilliant, but you've seen it so you already know. Honestly, what I do nowadays is sit around all day watching movies and working. My life, she is amazing. My wife? Oh, she's in the basement...

Last night I watched Dog Day Afternoon. It was pretty fantastic. I love Al Pacino. He's so nuts. His performance in that film was actually one of the most convincing pieces of acting I've ever seen. He got so into the character, perfectly portrayed Sonny's decent into complete metal breakdown. Such a tense film. I highly recommend it to everyone, fans of drama movies or not. But everyone should love dramas because they have the most passion out of all genres, I believe. They demand the most from the actors, and, unfortunately, they fail very often. But when you see a gripping, tense, emotionally charged and driven drama, my god, the heavens open and you stare into the face of the good lord himself. Or not, up to you really. I just need to watch Gone With The Wind and Casablanca again. And The Godfather, Part II.



Luv 2 Movie.

Now for a story:

I heard the phone ring, it was next to me, so I answered it, but not too quickly because that would be weird. The young woman on the other end asked if I was my father. I am not, so I told her I am not. She asked if he would be interested in buying a property. I answered "Probably not." and she inquired if I would be interested. I told her I am a poor uni student who is only eighteen. She told me that she was just about to buy an investment property, and I retorted with informing her that I hardly have any money. She then asked me where I worked, seemingly instigating a conversation. I told her I work for my father and she continued to ask me various questions about my pay, if I liked my job and if I'm at uni and stuff. She then told me she was seventeen, makes twenty dollars an hour working as a telemarketer. Being my witty, audacious self, throught this conversation I was dropping some clever words, which made her giggle like the seventeen-year old presumable schoolgirl she is. She seemed decently intelligent as well, and pretty keen on buying this investment property she had in the pipeline. She also seemed quite intent on keeping the conversation going, regardless of the fact she had failed her aim of selling my father an investment property. I guess I'm just a charmer over the phone, with my deadbeat voice, uncaring attitude towards investment properties and overall lack of personality when on a telephone. I wonder if she'll call back one day or something. Or if she was hot. Doubt it. Probably fat.



Pivot - Epsilon

Where I've Been

We had a family staying with us for a few days. The mum and youngest son came a day after the dad and older son. They rocked up when I was at work. Then I went to Hot Damn and they were sleeping when I got home. In the morning, they left before I woke up, then I went to Bouzo's and slept over. I had people living in my house for two days whom I was yet to have physical contact with. How great is that?



Sunrise > Sunset. Any old person can see a sunset, but a sunrise is a beautiful thing after an entire night of staying up. Waking up for sunrise is cheating.

In reality of seeing lovely sunrises, I've been working and partying. Work is so good, customers like recognise me and are like BFFs even though I don't know their names or anything. And the partying, hoo boy has it been fun. Hot Damn was pretty sweet, even though I left pretty early. And I was legit the only person in the club who knew Ol' Dirty's Got Your Money which is shameful because that song is dope as fuck. All in all, I should start going there more because it's a cool place and has Big Buck Safari and the toilets weren't packed ever and it was great. And there were some good looking girls there who I probably should have talked to or something. Whatever. Wymynm. Also, $4.50 house scotch's made me one happy surfer, so Hot Damn also has that going for it.

Then there was Bouzo's house. What an evening. There's a fair bit I do not remember, and for good reason. Goodbye, sangria, it was a lovely evening. Apparently it wasn't lovely downstairs after I went to sleep, so I won't touch that shit. The day after, though, my legs were totally ruined (thanks, Samm for challenging me to "drop it like it's hot") and everyone else (except the pharmacist) at work was hungover / sick, so it was a pretty lively workplace. Some good came out of it, I'm now going to the zoo with Nicole in a few weeks, and that should be a fun day out.

Oh look, and elephant playing a shamisen.



Two One, Blind Elephant Song, Mixed Media on spray cans in wooden frame, 2008.

Beastie Boys - Jimmy James

le Tour

And so begins another reason to not sleep.
Le Tour de France officially began last night, with Stage 1 commencing and Alessandro Petacchi taking it out in his lovely pink and blue gear.



Gotta love guys in spandex riding bikes.

So we had a jam sesh at Harry's today. It was pretty decent. We set up all this shit on the roof, including carpet, then after I Wanna Be Your Dog the neighbour complained. We then moved everything down into the garage and had some fun. Played some Strokes, Black Sabbath and Weezer because it's pretty easy and we aren't good...yet. Then we got some lunch a Spitroast (never not funny) and bought some Thai beer because we can. Then when we got back, we went back into the sound lab and tuned up and the neighbour complained again and we hadn't even played anything yet. What a gai kent. We should have argued with him and continued to jam because he actually couldn't have done anything because noise complaints can only be made after eleven o'clock or something and it was like five. Seriously, what a shithead. Next time, I am going to argue the fuck out of him. And he wasn't polite or anything, just a cunt. A massive cuntfag. Get a life, thundercunt.

Primal Scream - Beautiful Future

You're Gonna Wake Up One Morning...

High Fidelity is one of the best films I've ever seen. I'd read the book but I don't care to much for books that aren't Hemmingway killing shit. Yeah, I know I should read more, finish Crime and Punishment and read Nineteen-Eighty-Four and do cool shit like that, but I've got melodramatic Japanese video games to play. I'm just that cool. I actually haven't finished Inferno yet. Still like 10 Cantos or so left. It's poetry that's printed only on one page and I still haven't finished it. I'm pretty good at reading, clearly.

Maybe I should get some audiobooks or something. The Harpooned Heart by Marge Simpson as read by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

So I'm going to the shops tomorrow. I might buy Super Mario Galaxy 2. I don't know if I should because I'm on disc 2 / 3 for Final Fantasy XIII and getting on through Red Dead Redemption (and if GTA IV is any inclination on how long it takes me to finish a Rockstar game, hoo mamma I've got some months ahead of me), so I don't know if I need another reason to not be social. So I dunno, spend money by going out and partying with friends or save heaps of cash a sit alone in my house for days on end in front of the TV. Hmmm, big decisions. I may have to calculate the pro's and con's of each lifestyle:

Going Out:

Pro's:

• Being with friends
• Drinking
• Dancing
• Wymyn

Con's:

• Destroying my wallet
• Potential hangovers
• Risqué situations
• Wymyn

Video Games:

Pro's:

• Don't have to care about anyone else
• I love video games hard
• Do what I want

Con's:

• Unhealthy eating habits
• Not much of a life

Damn.

So last night was pretty fantastic. I was outrageously sober for what I drank, so that's one mystery that will go unsolved. Alex dancing with the crazy niggers was actually the funniest thing ever. The bitches, Alex, they would've been all over you if you pulled moves on them rather than rapping "Juicy" with us. But hey, you've got a woman, so whatever. And Bouzo and I going all Biggie and getting some Hennessy on the rocks because we ball so damn hard. Umm, what else happened. Nick and I got some 12:40 Maccas because we're friggin' cool and then I had some cereal in bed, which is always mad ill. Oh, I had Pepper Lunch for dinner, that was pretty delicious. And I sculled a Bicardi and coke because I'm such a sikkent or something. So yeah, that happened.



13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me

Like A Boss

I am so G'd for the World Cup tonight.



Midnight Match

We have The Glorious Nippon against Paraguay. Regardless of what people have been saying, I think Paraguay have a damn hot chance here. There game is fast and ruthless to the opposition, and while they only win by one goal which is near the end of the match usually, it's because they have the stamina to run the other team ragged. Damn high altitude of Paraguay! On the other hand, we have Japan. Japan who haven't played spectacularly this tournament (except when Cameroon was bombarding their defence and they managed to withstand it (Eiji Kawashima made amazing saves)). They need to fucking step it up. They weren't the best Asian team here, that was easy South Korea, but let's see if their loss pumps up the Japanese. Let's hope.

Four-Thirty Match

What we have here is potentially the most awesome match of the 2010 World Cup. Spain V Portugal. The nations hate each other (except like 12 points from Portugal to Spain in Eurovision WTF!?) and Ronaldo is a fag and so is Torres, so if the match gets a bit boring, we can have a bitch-off between the two. Or cut to some birds, which seems to be the cool thing to do according to Fifa. I'm assuming this match will be off the fuckin' chain because Portugal didn't exert any energy last match so they should power on and Spain need to pick up their feet. I want to see some epic shit that makes getting up at 4:00 worth it, YA HEAR ME!!!?

So in other news, I'm working a shitload this week, which means I'll be a rich kent. And there's like $318 flights to Osaka and mum was all "Let's go!" and I was like "FUCK YEAH I'LL GO JAPAN TWICE IN A YEAR!!!" so I might (probably not) have that going for me. Which would be absolutely dope as fuck. Imagine. Yeah, you can't, sorry, but I kind of can. Just have to imagine more green where all the dead brown was. Fuck.

And now I'm currently listening to The Protomen because Chris told me to and it's a rock opera loosely based on MegaMan and MegaMan rules like a boss. Looking forward to this. Just started. If the whole album is like the first track, we could be in for a fucking fun ride. I also have a headache for some reason, which sucks the big one. I'll grab some panadol and attempt to stay up for Japan match. I should be able to do it. Take some tea and food upstairs as eating keeps me awake. Looks like it could be a sweet night of my own, awesome company. I am a cool dude to hang around with. Not really.

Super excited for The Eastern tomorrow night. The one place where I lose all class, gaze at fine wymyn, give dirty wymyn filthy looks of disgust and pray I never have to use the bathroom...but I always do. Keen to hear some terribad RnB (see: Con dancing like a drunk fool), some good electro on the 3rd floor (Major Lazer PLZ). I would be amazed if the DJ had taste and was educated and played some SunStroke Project. I would actually jizz. And Saxophone Guy on the D-Floor.



Get Shakes - Disneyland (Pt. 1)

Guile Theme

Even though I am just playing Grand Theft Auto IV but with more horses, less protitutes (I know, you cannot do whores in the whore-house!), more coyotes and $3 rewards, I am fast becoming addicted to Red Dead Redemption. It is fucking sweet. Like so sweet. Maybe it will be a 10/10 like Hyper gave it. Probably not. Solid 9.5 currently, though. Worst thing is the water = death mechanic they decided to go with. What a shame. Still, I kill buck like a boss. Big buck huntin' on horseback.

Anyways, because I'm drunk on the last train home on Saturday nights, I type shit into my phone. This would have taken a while for me to do...I can't really remember it. Damn that tequila shot (lolnotreally).

"Cube Runner is really hard when you're seeing double...

I wish my headphones didn't get lost somewhere along the way tonight. I'd totally be jamming out some:

- Sleigh Bells - Crown On The Ground
- Holy Fuck - Red Lights
- The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
- Hüsker Dü - Never Talking To You Again

I'm totally getting into 80s alternative and power pop currently. The Replacements are absolutely loved by me. Let It Be and Tim are solid albums, both highly recommended. I'll probably start listening to some R.E.M. soon and go on a binge with them. Document and Murmur are incredible records. Might listen to Green. I have Automatic For The People on CD, so I may give that a spin when I get home after some mi goreng or a toasted sandwich. A truly great band who people either take for granted or do not pay enough attention to.

Hüsker Dü are similarly as amazing. I could recommend Zen Arcade to absolutely anybody. It's the O.G. American Idiot, but with 80s production. Simply brilliant and beautifully emotive songs were written by Bob Mould and Grant Hart.

However, I have a soft spot for albums that let my emotions loose. Those albums where you yearn for the past when you mull in melanchaulia. Stuff like 16 Lovers Lane by The Go-Betweens and Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. Albums that are brought together through emotional turmoil and destrought. And Live Travels At Illegal Speeds by Graham Coxon, it holds a special place in my romantic history.

Tonight was pretty fun. At first, I was quite sad that Nicole decided to not come and get drunk with me. I was really looking forward to that. James Squire Brewery was cool, as per usual. It is a nice pub with a great atmosphere that I can always get into. Bar Century was packed and I drank many a-scotch and coke. I love $3 drinks...they make my life. Then there was the George Street drama with Aidan being punched by some guy. I don't know the full story, but I can bet there was more in it than a guy punching Aidan for no reason. Regardless, we managed to calm him down and not create too much of a scene...I hope. When we got to The Argyle, more bad shit happened. Eli couldn't get in so we tried to sneak him in by giving him my shoes, but the sneaky, sober bouncer caught us. One tequile sht later and I was saying goodbye to Tim and getting on the last train myself.

Oh dear, I apologise for my drunken ramblings.

Con

PS. Awesome, you'll shut up and leave me be."

Hideyuki Fukasawa - Theme of Guile

Umm...I wanna play Final Fantasy XIII. And like, Asian girlfriend...

Fuck Off Sun, I'm Trying To Get Some Sleep

And so begins the staying up.



Now that the World Cup has kicked into gear, with the final games in the group stages providing thorough entertainment, I am now staying up to watch the midnight game and then sleeping from two until four and then watching the four o'clock game and going to sleep at six. Like this morning, I was getting to sleep after a bitter-sweet Australian match and the sun was being a bitch and making my room light. It was annoying. Let's see what's on tonight,

12:00 - Paraguay V New Zealand
New Zealand have had a surprising and interesting campaign, matching Slovakia and Italy extremely well. It's been great. However, Paraguay were the highest qualifying South American team, beating Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Uruguay. It's going to be good.

4:30 - Japan V Denmark
I will watch this because of my love for Nihon. They have to draw to get through. I hope to Amaterasu that Japan get through to the round 16. This is so I can go to the city when Japan play and hit on the supporters like I should have last weekend. Fucking yes I am so excited for this.

Aside from watching football, I currently spend my life playing Final Fantasy XIII. Fuck I am cool. I am so cool that I did not know there was a large group of people going to Hot Damn tonight so that's why I am not out. That's quire depressing. What's more, I can't even drown this by playing Final Fantasy XIII because dad's playing Red Dead Redemption. So unfair.

So Final Fantasy XIII. Pretty great game. Obvious flaws are put aside by my unhealthy love for a video game that has a story that consists for fourty plus hours of people whining. It's what the series evolved into. It's great. I mean, I haven't even finished Final Fantasy XII and I'm at like fourty-five hours. It's fantastic. Arguably, my admiration for super-Japanese melodrama makes me pretty gay, and I would probably not even argue against that. The games are just the epitome of polish. The cutscenes are spectacular, the art direction, while sometimes questionable, is pretty sweet and the outrageousness is perfect. The last boss battle I fought was three people (two girls and a kid) taking down a hovering tank that had turrets and rocket launchers. I won with magic. I am godly. Or sad...I just don't know anymore...

Well then...seems like I'm not actually a cool dude at all. A sad realisation. I think I might just go to sleep or something. Probably not, though. Damn this, I'm even going home on Saturday night relatively early and getting picked up from the station, meaning I can't get super trashed. That makes me even sadder. Oh well, looks like I'll just have to go back into my video games cocoon and be super anti-social. Then when I finally finish Final Fantasy XIII, I'll go out and get me an Asian girlfriend. That's really what I would like.

Cheap Trick - Surrender
The Replacements - Kiss Me On The Bus
The Jam - That's Entertainment
The Undertones - Let's Talk About Girls

Sport

I don't normally watch sport. The only thing I regularly watch is the Australian Open and Wimbeldon and maybe some cricket thrown in there. But this is completely different. I am fucking loving the World Cup. It's fantastic. I have no idea what's happened. I never watch football normally, so why am I suddenly watching two games a nice and staying up until outrageous hours of the morning? Who cares, it's shit awesome!



People doubted Maradona, but Argentina performed marvellously last night. Except the brain explosion that allowed South Korea to score. I bet the tiny man was not happy with that. Regardless, I hope South Korea beat Nigeria, I actually love their team. Not as much as the Japanese team because they are all just so damn cool.

Otherwise, I haven't been studying not nearly as much as I should be for Japanese. Tomorrow will be an interesting one. But I still deserve a huge night out, amIright? I AM RIGHT! But I want to go somewhere that has a TV so I can watch Japan V Netherlands at 9:30 and Australia V Ghana at 12:00, because I'd rather drink and watch football at a club than dance the night away. Maybe. Damn, that's a hard decision. Next semester, I promise to do work throughout for Japanese. I've learnt my lesson the hard way. But still, Mad Manning Mondays will be little work and more chilling. This semester will be totally archaeological!

I'd make a "Con's World Cup Playlist!" but I'm not a gayfag, so here's a cool song:

Holy Fuck - Stilettos

Priscilla, 1969

Priscilla, 1969, from Almost Grown, Joseph Szabo.

Cool.
I also got a Dinosaur Jr. Peel Session from 1988. It's pretty ace.

Dinosaur Jr. - The Leper (Peel Session version)

2010 Music, Part II

Because I like good music, I know that there have been some great singles this year. None of which are 2Day FM singles, but some probably will be, which is shame because there they will be unappreciated and drowed with all the Ne-Yo's and T-Pains in this terrible world.

Japandroids - Younger Us



This year, Japandroids are on some project to release five singles with B-sides which are covers. Younger Us is their second single and is better than the first, Art Czars. It's better because it goes somewhere, unlike Art Czars which just mulls and repeats it's own chorus for 3:57. I haven't heard the B-side (X's Sex and Dying In High Society), but I assume it'll be great.

Fuck Buttons - Olympians



Remember how I said Fuck Buttons made the best, most interesting electronica album of 2009? Well I did. Here's proof. Olympians is a damn killer song and should defs hold it's place as #1 single of 2010 (on rate your music). It is epic shit at 10:55, but is easily the best thing that Fuck Buttons have ever done. If I were a DJ, I would totally remix the SHIT out of this track.

Gil Scott-Heron - Me And The Devil



Gil Scott-Heron rules. And so does this song. That is all.

Janelle Monáe - Cold War



This song perfectly encapsulates Janelle's album. It's fast, poppy, soulful and arty. Beautiful instrumentation that sets her miles apart from any other R&B artist around nowadays. In fact, Monáe is so friggin' sweet that people who listen to commercial radio pop would not find her interesting because it's actually good music and doesn't have hand-claps and autotune. Yes! She can actually sing :O !

Kanye West - Power



Yes! I am so gay for this man. Mr. West is back with utmost style, slamming out some King Crimson, slight comeback to President Obama, tribal chants and dope as fuck beat. It's Kanye's version of Jay-Z's Death of Auto-tune last year; the popular rapper being all "Fuck you, bitches!" and powering out a single that jaded hip-hoppers can love. Except Pills. Whatabitch!

Lastly, Erykah Badu's Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY) isn't officially a single yet, so I can't include it in this list, but when it is, it'll easily be in my top five. That is a funky piece of neo-soul right there.

Erykah Badu - Jump Up In The Air and Stay There

Cringe-Worthy

Gustave Doré, Inferno Canto 32, 1857

I hate bad movies. Movies that are confused in direction, with no character development, stale, flat jokes, poor, predictable attempts at drama and terrible over acting. I hate them. I love a good performance in a well thought out, cleverly written film is always great. See, Schindler's List is tarnished by what is essentially the final scene and redemption. Liam Neeson completely fucks up everything good about the previous three hours because the scene is amazingly tacky and poorly performed. Arguably this is Spielberg's fault for having some filthy fetish over wanky, over dramatic endings. They are the reason why I don't like Spielberg that much. It actually made me roll my eyes and genuinely sad that the filthy scene wasn't redone in a completely different way to having Oskar Schindler break down and cry. It was out of character. It was wrong. There could have been a much easier way for Oskar to show his gratitude. Did we see the Jews crying out of happiness when they were RESCUED FROM AUSCHWITZ!? No! Why then does Schindler become a mega pussy when he SETS THE OTHER PEOPLE FREE!? Gah!

Regardless, "La Ritournelle" by Sébastien Tellier is an incredible song. If you play it on repeat, the file I have perfectly matches the start and the end together, making some amazing, never-ending aural bliss. Great stuff there.

Voltumnus - Flow

2010 Music

I would say it's been a pretty darn swell year for music already. You can tell that some of the stuff released this year will be "essential" or "seminal" later in the 2010s. Like in 2019, there'll probably be an album from this year in the top 10. However, I still haven't found my new Merriweather Post Pavilion because I actually am still sexually aroused by the record.
Here's my favourites so far (in no particular order):

Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma



I was reading some reviews for this brilliant album while at work. Someone compared it to Massive Attack's Mezzanine in that it was the genre perfected. However, I couldn't tell what genre he was talking about. FlyLo is still classified by some as dubstep, but this is a tag I do not agree with in the slightest. And to say that Cosmogramma is the perfection of the electronica genre is a huge claim when Aphex Twin exists. I would regard this as the peak of FlyLo's career, but not of a genre because it's the kind of album that sticks out in your music library. It doesn't just get lumped into one category. It's so much more.

Jónsi - Go



It can easily be agrued that this album is nothing more than Jón Þór Birgisson "selling out" from his status as a post-rock master craftsman. I disagree. Yes, it's pop. Yes, it's bouncy and cute, but it's also pop not for the radio. You probably will hear "Go Do" and "Boy Lilikoi" on the radio this year if you haven't already, but see if Nova will pick this up. They won't because it's a pop record with a brain. Also, it's a little too arty for the Lady GaGa's out there. Also, I would bet that he can get more straight men than GaGa, the ugly hoe.

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh



Neo-soul rules, and I think Erykah is the voice of the genre. Sorry D'Angelo. Yeah, it's less funky and fun as Part One, and doesn't have a song as good as "Honey" (which is technically a bonus track), but you can tell she's poured a lot of soul into this, as you'd expect from a soul record. Madlib's production is great, as you can expect, and he does a great job of not pulling a dick move like he did on Mos Def's The Ecstatic last year where he recycled a Beat Konducta jam. Or maybe Mos wanted it. Who cares. The atmosphere created on this album is purely dripping with adoration and enthusiasm to make a killer record. Erykah Badu has done just that. Me loves.

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid



Erykah Badu's main competition this year in terms of the loveliest voice of 2010. This contemporary, arty R&B record may totally rip-off Metropolis, but in the best way possible. Actually, it's suites two and three (suite one was her debut EP) of a four-suite concept. Regardless of the concept, this album is musically something very special. Janelle has completely rewritten the standards for R&B, genre-hopping while still being firmly rooted in traditions. Except the song with of Montreal, which doesn't quite sit right because it's so damn of Montreal-y. Outside of "Make The Bus," this album will satisfy anyone except maybe RnB listeners because the production isn't a terrible Timbaland rip-off (who sucks, may I add) and the instrumentation is intricate and subtle rather than "IMMA BE IMMA BE IMMA-IMMA-IMMA BE!!!"

The National - High Violet



This might just be the only rock record that matters this year. On the surface, it's nothing new: A delicate album about heartbreak and loneliness. After a few listens, this album digs into you. It becomes a beautiful set of songs that may or may not apply to you. They probably won't because you weren't engaged and haven't seriously thought about having kids. The album is a man growing up and coming to terms with what the world expects him to do. It's pretty fucking great. Understandable why it's #1 on rate your music for 2010.

However, I would say that my favourite song this year has got to be Nas and Damian Marley's "As We Enter." It is so slick.

Nas and Damian Marley - As We Enter

Saturday Night, 'Round 12:53am...

Note: This was written on my phone as I went home from Establishment.

My Trip Home On The Last Train: A Tale of Triumph and Woe.

Con walks toward the train carriage. He notices sawdust spread EVERYWHERE on the floor. He walks to the other carriage.
Train Guard: It's a bit messy in there.

I swear I heard a girl chunder. Can't smell anything, though.

Note: Now here is when four drunk people got on the train. The rest of this is generally quotations from their conversation.

I've never thrown up in a bar. Maybe outside a bar.
It was running down your chin. You were like: "Give me a napkin!"

It's your de-odourant, it makes you smell like Thailand.

He beats the drum at his own beat...what is that saying...?

He was, like, really con-shi-en-suns...con-shieen-en-suns...what's the word...?

You could say "saucey"...but that's nothing like "sassy"...

It seems like I ate your fart

Chronological: I am rapidly sobering up, making this train trip highly unbearable.

I was so scared that I thought the train would never stop.
Did it stop?
Well, yeah, I'm here now.

1:20am: Awkward silence...

Where are we now?
Terulla.

In harmony: Super cheap, super cheap, it's super cheap-ay, yawwh. (To the tune on "Super Freak")

1:25am: I wish I was not sober right now...

1:28am: These people are getting tired and have stopped saying stupid shit D':

That's my job; I play with kids.
:|

Everything has a reason.
What's the reason for throwing up in a bar?

But I like tequilla-
Not anymore!

I left my passport in a bar...that bar...

I am actually thinking about how I am going to write this on Facebook.

Step 1: Tequilla shot.
Step 2: Throw up.
Step 3: Not know what happened.
Step 4: Give me a napkin!

6, 2, 1, 1...
6x2=12
21-1=11
11-1=10
Success!!

1:36am: Riverwood. So. Damn. Close.

Shonky kent on the train. Phone away.

1:42am: Car.

1:56am: Bathroom: Wee, photo, brush teeth.



2:00am: Oh yeah, I was listening to HEALTH before I went out...

2:02am: Go downstairs of get headphones.

2:06am: The Beatles - Revolver. An so begins an attempt to listen to my top 5 records at a ridiculous hour.

2:18am: WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE!!!

2:35am: Got To Get You Into My Life. Who am I thinking about? Your opinion.

2:45am: Village Green Preservation Society in glorious mono.

2:50am: Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?

3:10am: Can't make it. The Kinks - Phenonemal Cat. Good nightm thought's in my head. To to faaaark awwwwwf.

The Kinks - Phenomenal Cat

All Nighters

I am yet to pull an all nighter for uni.
I am about 1,000 words (halfway) into my music essay. I will not make this my first all nighter, because I have ancient tricks to overcome it:

• Tea
• Cookies
• Dubstep
• A Brain

No challenge.

Caspa - The Terminator

A Quick Note:

Mr. T is an actor.
B.A. Baracus was his character.
Clubber Lang was also a character of his.
"I pity the fool!" comes from Clubber Lang.
Stop fucking up popular culture.
Thank you.

The Beta Band - Squares

Eurovision

Eurovision is pretty much the greatest event of the year.

The feast that mum prepared was off the chain. Some food from various countries, including paella and Portugese chicken. So good. And the cousins, Harry and Al gathering around the TV all watching, singing along and making massively inappropriate comments throughout is great fun. Standing ovation from Al and I to my future wife Lena Meyer-Landrut (Al, you got no chance and I will marry her) and an all-round applause for Giorgos Alkaios and Friends. OPA was a pretty sweet jam. Honestly, I thought that Iceland's song, no matter how fat the singer was, had a solid chance at winning. "Je Ne Sai Quoi" had the euro-rave beats, outrageous singing, a key change and amazing lighting. But hey, turns out Europe loves Lena nearly as much as I do. She was even in my dream - and it wasn't even sexual!

We went down to Opera Bar (because for some reason I was fucking loaded) and while we were having some steak, Lena and her friend were walking past (because she came to Australia because she's cool like that). And so I ran over and like talked to her and invited her to join us for dinner (dream, remember this, a dream) and we were all hanging and taking photos and then we went to the Argyle and danced to "Tits & Acid" by Simian Mobile Disco and then went to Cargo Bar (yes, I woke up and though, "Oh god...Cargo..?") and met up with everyone else. Then we got out mega party on and then as everyone was leaving I was all like: "Lena, where are you staying?" and so we all went back to her hotel room, which was the penthouse of the Shangri-La (pretty believable). And we drank expensive alcohol (and when I say I was loaded, I mean wads of cash and money clips) and went to sleep as the sun rose. I am a cool guy with a vivid imagination which is totally realistic. Shut up.

Also, Boris was pretty fucking amazing.

Mos Def - Supermagic

The End.

Stills from Andy Warhol's film Empire

So it's pretty much the end of the semester and you know, subjects are all wrapping up. Art History exam on Monday, Japanese speaking next Friday and then an exam on the 19th of June (Boo, Saturday exam) and final assignments for Academic Writing and Music are due. So there we have it, my first semester of university coming to a close. I guess I should reflect on what I've learnt:

• Some basic stuff in Japanese, much less than I should know.
• Art is cool, man.
• How to actually research an essay and kinda how to reference.
• How to drink a beer.

Looks like I'm a stellar uni student.

What I'm really looking forward to is holidays. I won't really have to care because I now have expectations of uni and won't be fretting. Pretty amped to just hit the town on random days of the week, go to some bad clubs (hellooooo Eastern!), some great pubs (hellooooo James Squire Brewery) and generally just lounge around. Sit in my room on a Sunday afternoon reading some books, listening to tunes and watching some killer flicks. Maybe shove some Final Fantasy in there somewhere because video games are cool. Get some people over, have a Street Fighter IV sesh, maybe? I might even go for a daily bike ride or something! Imagine that, me doing "exercise" often. Insane! What I would really love is a Pills Party™ and get absolutely lashed and stay up until sunrise because that's fun and a Pills Party™ is literally the greatest party ever. And a jam session. We desperately need a jam session. My talent (non-existant) is just going to waste! I cannot write a song...some rocker I'll grow up to be.

Paragrah three is often a summary, synthesising above points into some profound comment about the world and the existence of life. But I ain't done, no sir, I've got plenty more on my mind. Like why are women so crazy? Women, why are you so crazy? Do you strive to make a man's life a living hell? Japan has it made with men still being the dominant motherfucker in society, and waitresses in maid cafes referring to the customers as "Master." That's right. That's how it should be. And women are so unreadable and give mixed messages. Unless they're drunk. Or maybe I'm just terribad at reading people. That's probably it. FUCKING WOMEN!

Kanye West - Homecoming

Art History

I got my big essay back today. 80/100. Here's the comment, it's the funniest shit ever:

"Con - your terrible introduction cleverly lowered my expectations, so that the rest of this thoughtful, observant, well-researched essay came as a complete surprise. Your analysis was alert, you interpretation was simultaneously ingenious and sensitive, and you clearly absorbed and assimilated the books that you cited. This is commendable work."

Hells yeah!

Robyn - Konichiwa Bitches

Luv 2 Shred

Gonna get me some metal albums.

1. Death - Individual Thought Patterns
2. Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
3. Entombed - Wolverine Blues
4. Obituary - Cause of Death

And I just downloaded Black Metal by Vemon.
Who doesn't adore the extreme metal?

DARKTHRONE!



Darkthrone - The Pagan Winter

Nerd

There's nothing I love more than being a music nerd. I used to not be a fan on B-Sides and remixes and stuff, but that's because I didn't really listen to good music. Now that I have taste, I will gladly listen to 4 hours and 19 minutes of Jimi Hendrix rarities, live recordings, alternate mixes and general awesomeness, like the Experience playing "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band." That shit fucking rules. This is a really good box set. I should probably buy it one day when I'm rich. It'll happen. I'll go on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and rob Eddie Fucking McGuire of some sweet dosh. Because I need it more than Channel 9 does. I easy deserve one million dollars. I've probably spent more than one million dollars in the past three years on CDs, food and alcohol. But now no-one wants to employ me. Maybe because I'm too rad. That's gotta be it.



IT'S JIMI AT WOODSTOCK, YOU IDIOT!

Remember like last month or something when I said Everything's Comin' Up Milhouse?

I take it back. I guess everything has gone progressively downhill as this semester has continued. I have fears of failing Japanese, so I might actually not do it next semester anymore because it's so outrageously hard, and I am incapable of finding employment and shit and shitty shit. Whiney whine whine. Fuck. Imma shut up and listen to more Hendrix because he's the best. Go on, go listen to your Lady GaGa, you pigs. Oh yeah, she's totally hip and new. Her music is not generic in the slightest (SARCASM!!!). The only thing vaguely interesting about her is her image, and even then she's so fucking retarded that the dirty whore should have never made it out of the uterus alive. Actually, I'm sure she never fully developed, with presentable evidence being that ugly mug of hers. Eww eww ewwwwww.

But you might say; Haters gonna hate. Well I am going to refute with; PEOPLE ARE FUCKING RETARDED AND THE WORLD HAS NO TASTE! And as God 2.0 aka: John Cusack showed us in his filthy tripe 2012, the world will die soon, and Danny Glover will stay on Manhattan Island and die with the rest of the slum that inhabits this trash we live in and Oliver Platt will do something...I can't remember what he did in that film because I'm pretty sure I fell asleep because it was rubbish. But seriously, the few good things left in this world are music, films, art and "Chocolate Rain" because that guy honestly is the voice of god. Not Alan Rickman (although he is totally fucking gnarly).

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Johnny B. Goode

P.S.
OMG HENDRIX MEDLEY AT WOODSTOCK IS ACTUALLY THE GREATEST THING EVER!
JIZZ JIZZ JIZZ!!!!

Farrrrk

Uni is getting shitty. So much work. So behind for Japanese. Got ridiculous amounts of study for that. Fucking too much grammar and stuff to learn. And Kanji and oh god.

Also, Academic Writing essay is due on Thursday and I haven't actually started. It's worth 40%. Fuck. Oh well, just gotta pass it. Just need 50%. That can't be too hard, right...right...? And I've already written the outline and have all my references, I just have to fit it into a cohesive, argumentative essay. Simple. Not looking forward to pulling a big night on Wednesday. Might just polish it off Thursday and hand it in on Friday. Few marks deducted and I get significantly more time. But it is due 5pm on Thursday, so I've got all day really, as I think I'll be skipping lectures again. Pretty pointless. Fuck Academic Writing. Fuck that shit baaaaad.



Sol LeWitt mural in Australia Square.

Art History rules the hardest. It exposes me to the best shit. Except this week. It was feminist art. So much vagina and menstruation and gross stuff like that. No more. And I fucking need a job. Yes, I still do not have one. It's quite hard, I tells ya!

Also, Jaydiohead.

Reckoner's Encore

Natural Born Killers

This movie rules.