the netizenette

I am moving from this blog, for two reasons:

#1: I renewed my old domain name -cissi.id.au - and will be using that instead. It will mainly be a photoblog because I find it less time-consuming to update. Plus, I love taking photos

#2: I still find it very hard to maintain a personal blog, with the main reason being that I find it hard to find a topic to discuss every blog post. I also don’t like the idea of having random people find my posts and make derogatory and ignorant remarks. I’m a softie at heart.

This blog is getting neglected, so I thought I would give it some tender, loving care.

I have been getting some very nasty headaches and some people may have heard me mention them. They have  actually been around since December but they were tolerable most of the time - then this month they have increased in their intensity.

This is how my headaches feel:

+  Pain behind my right eye which feels as though someone is attempting to gouge my eye out;

+ My eye waters, starts to redden and my eyelid droops, so I find it harder than usual to keep my right eye open;

+ The pain can make me non-functional and usually lasts an hour or so;

+ Conventional painkillers are useless and I might as well be taking tic-tacs.

I had at CT scan yesterday. I found it quite relaxing and received mixed results. The good news is that they didn’t find any cats, dogs or gerbils - but it still leaves the question of where the headaches are originating.

Anyways, happy Australia Day everyone!

The first post of the year - and how fitting that it would be about the first festival of the year!

Generally, I had fun  at Southbound. The people were great, as was the music, with Gotye being my festival highlight. The only shame about Southbound was the staff, who were attempting to impose too many rules and dampened what could have been a fun and relaxing festival.

Some interesting tidbits:

1) I could not believe how much dust there was at the camp grounds. When I finally had a shower on the Sunday evening, I had rivers of dirt run into the drain pipe.

2)  In the early hours of the Saturday morning, Pat and I joined several campers in a camp ground party. I am used to such things occurring during festivals - I had them at Hyden and Bridgetown, with the latter being especially memorable - but events staff took exception to my guitar playing and our little party. We were told that we ought to “get some sleep, because you have a big day tomorrow and other people are trying to sleep”, then eventually told that if we didn’t “disperse”, then they would cut our wristbands.

Talk about overkill!

3) A red bull + vodka “dinner” = lots of happiness fairies and flying into the stratosphere.

4) After the festival had finished on the Saturday night, we went to the Base Camp where the campers congregated for the after-show food and chilling. I had my guitar and was playing it as we were making our way there, and we gathered about a dozen drunken people. A girl asked me if she could play my guitar for a moment, then told us she only knew how to play one song - Oasis’s “Don’t Look Back In Anger”.

Us: “Play it!”

She obliged and we sang at the top of our voices. “DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER, I HEARD YOU SAY!”

Us: “Play it again!”

She would play it again.

Us: “Play it again!”

This must have happened about ten times and the poor girl kept telling us to stop!

I felt quite musical this weekend - it was basically one long jam session.

Of course, I wouldn’t be a true musician without also mentioning it was a weekend of booze and bad food…but that is another story.

My musical weekend started on Friday night with an epic jam session which involved about 6-7 hours of playing. It involved a bunch of jam buddies I hadn’t seen for a while, and it was nice jamming with people who played outside my usual style.

Saturday and Sunday was the first official convening of the Chronic Argonauts - we are now a band! - and we jammed like rabid monkeys. We realised that it is not a good idea to learn new songs while drunk…it just does not work.  We also recorded ourselves doing on-the-spot improvisation, where we made up 15min musical ideas as we went along. Surprisingly, we generally sounded coherent, which is a complement to everyone because free-form improvisation is not easy.

My fingers are feeling slightly tender but considering the amount of punishment inflicted upon them during the weekend, they have pulled up well!

I am feeling exhausted.

This headache is not making life easier. I feel like someone is stabbing me in the eye and the sensation is fast getting old.

Anyways, why am I feeling exhausted? I think it is because I’m worrying too much about life, work, etc. It is starting to get me down, to the point where I don’t care anymore. Six more weeks of this current - and increasingly hellish and political job - and I’ll be gone, but hopefully I’ll be gone earlier because I hate being an expendable resource. There’s only so many times I can handle being chewed up and spat out due to someone else’s incompetence.

On the bright side, I finally have my Big Day Out tickets. It is nice and shiny - and I can’t wait for February!

After the Wave Rock Festival, a group of us decided to create a group called “Festival Hoppers”. The goal of the group is simple - have festival, will travel.

I had another look at my calendar again and noticed this is my likely festivals and live bands line-up for the next two months:

+ Southbound- 4th - 6th January: I have the weekender ticket and I think this will be fun. Several of us are going and I think it would be a great idea to create a tent city;

+ Nightwish - 27th January: This is a probable at present but it is a highly likely prospect, as Nightwish ranks amongst my favourite bands. It is a shame that Tarja is no longer in the band, though;

+ The Police - 2nd February: This should be enjoyable, although I might skip Fergie [who is opening] as I am not a fan;

+ The Big Day Out festival - 3rd February : Four words - RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE;

+ Iron Maiden - 4th February : Four words - RUN TO THE HILLS;

+ Raggamuffin - 9th February : I am still considering this festival but it is very likely. I wouldn’t mind seeing UB40 and Arrested Development;

+ West Coast Blues and Roots - 15th - 16th March: John Fogerty is playing and I love Creedence;

+ V Festival - 6th April: Smashing Pumpkins and Duran Duran sounds like a fun mix.

I think I belong to the Festival Hoppers group now!

I’ve officially hit a quarter of a century, and as Tennile noted, I have also officially hit the next age bracket.

Supposedly birthdays are supposed to be good days, but I have noted that my birthdays are usually craptacular. Today is no exception because work has decided to give me a slap in the face. I loved how they were trying to cover themselves by giving me a spin doctored version of my current situation but I wasn’t buying.

I am not that stupid.

Anyways, it makes me wonder about two things:

1) How does management work and does the term “fairness” actually applies to managers? Or do they have a warped sense of “fairness” which I cannot comprehend?

2) What exactly is the big deal about birthdays and why are they meant to be a special day?

Saturday’s alright for cruising.

What I had intended to do this morning was clean out my camping gear as they are beginning to accumulate some interesting passengers. Plus I have to wash my car because it is utterly filthy from turning swarms of insects into splattered, unrecognisable splotches.

Two hours later and I’ve realised I still have not moved from my seat.

Besides, the weather is not conducive to any sort of cleaning spree. Mother nature can wash my car for me because she has deigned that today will be the first day of winter, not summer. I also have to admit that the happiness fairy came out in force last night at a work farewell drinks and the landing was not pleasant.

Instead of cleaning, I have been thinking about the future. How I came about to thinking about my future was interesting in its mundaneness. I caught a glance of the calendar while looking at my schedule for the week and this innocuous act then triggered a few hours of soul-searching and consternation.

What I can see in front of me is uncertainty…and it’s not particularly pleasant. I am the type who likes to make and follow plans, and uncertainty impedes the making and following of said plans. All I can do is keep my options open and make several plans, but which one I would take will depend on how events will unfold over the upcoming few months. It’s a waiting game, and I am not the sort who appreciates having to wait around. I would rather make things happen, but present circumstances dictate otherwise. I basically have to wait on others before I can take further action.

I know that a large majority of life involves having to rely on others for assistance. It is not possible to operate entirely alone. However, the way I see it is: the less reliance I require upon others, the better because it means I can keep moving forward. The more I have to rely on others, the slower because it means I will have to await their reaction to my requests, then wait again for them to act before I can move on.

Anyways, enough of the pseudo philosophy. Currently, these are the paths I could follow next year:

1) See if my job will still be relevant after February 2008; may request an extension of my current contract or - better yet - apply for the job if it becomes permanent. This will all hinge on several factors: whether there will be enough work after February to justify having my position, and whether they will do some further restructuring of the place, or if they will revert to the old system.

2) Keep applying for other government jobs and hopefully I will be able to land one, or apply for something in the private sector.

3) See if I can be accepted into a university next year. I’ve applied for a few courses, and now I have my fingers crossed that I would be able to enter at least one of my chosen courses.

4) Take a few months off and travel Europe, then re-access my job and study options.

I intend on traveling to Europe in 2008 anyways, at least for the Wacken Festival. It is featuring a great lineup for 2008 - Iron Maiden, Children of Bodom and Sonata Arctica are three of the bands I’m looking forward to the most. How long I would be in Europe is another question.

Arrgh!

It’s time for a coffee, then I ought to visit Sophie’s stall.

Before I begin - HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKE, YOU PISS WEAK SCOUNDREL!

Anyways: some random Tuesday ramblings…

1. I am adding older blog entries here, to give a sense of perspective and perhaps some history into the site. It’s also been interesting to re-read some of my entries and see how much has changed. The earliest blog entries I can find are from 2003, although it would be interesting to see if there are still any lurking online from earlier. The majority are from blogs I hosted on my own domain[s].

I also keep written diaries, but they are not going to be posted anywhere

2. Work is still being interesting. I have a feeling that the situation might shift dramatically within the next week or so, although it is hard to tell whether it would be in my favour. My fingers and toes are crossed.

3. I love The Trader’s Den. I have found some great bootlegs on there - and the latest is a Fleetwood Mac bootleg from the Rumours era. Rumours is one of my favourite albums, so I was very happy to have found one - and a pro-shot at that!

I’ve found myself increasingly moving away from Metallica bootlegs. Yes, I love Metallica but I don’t find myself as enthused over their shows as I was several years ago. I used to collect anything containing “Metallica” but nowadays I find myself increasingly bored with their shows. There have only been a few Metallica shows which have captured my interest lately, and I’m also not interested in their 2007 shows.

4. I have been considering my study options these past few weeks, because I am starting to want a qualification which actually qualifies me for something, and allows me to directly apply what I have learnt. Having a BA is all well and good, but I’ve realised that firstly, it doesn’t qualify me for anything and secondly, I have found it difficult to apply my knowledge outside of university. Idealism can only go so far before reality bashes it repeatedly on the head.

I’m not sure what exactly I want to study, but I have applied for three courses. More on that later, perhaps.

I have enjoyed studying the Master of Arts in Writing but I am starting to doubt whether it would be of actual benefit. I know it will benefit me from a personal point of view because I like to write, but I am doubtful that it would lead to any professional benefits. I think I will still continue with it but only for my personal enjoyment.

What I ought to be doing now is a “responsibility and task matrix” for work, which was due…last week.

What I’d rather be doing is blogging, because I am tired and can’t think properly.

Anyways, I have had an interesting week. Work has been strange, to say the least. I won’t divulge too much publicly about what is happening except to say that it is amazing how rapidly situations can change. Anyways, it has been a long and tiring week, so I was glad when Friday finally arrived and I was able to take off to the Margaret River region for the weekend with The Elm and Sophie.

It was a very nice and relaxing weekend, and I was very glad to have been able to get away for a few days. I was reminded again of how beautiful WA beaches can be, because I saw three beaches with crystalline waters - Hamelin Bay, Busselton and Prevelly Beach. The beaches were of jaw-dropping quality. It is amazing to think that I was able to encounter such pristine beaches so easily.

I also had a fun time driving on the country roads - although I think I scared The Elm with my speeding and other bad driving habits [taking a call on my mobile while driving and not using hands-free? Check.]. I ought to be more mindful of speed limits, but I also enjoyed being able to just drive without worrying too much about traffic lights and other traffic - which meant that my lead-foot became quite pronounced at times. I know, I am not a good driver.

Anyways - we left on Friday afternoon and decided over dinner at Bunbury that we would camp at Chapman Pool, about 20 minutes south of Margaret River. We arrived there at around 10pm, and even in the moonlight it was a beautiful place. I loved watching the moon weave in and out of forest. After some fumbling in the dark [again, I seem to have a penchant for pitching tents at night], we managed to pitch our tents in such a way that they wouldn’t be blown away by the wind.

We had a quiet drink at the table before bedtime, and I had a quiet strum on my guitar. I had…well, a touch more port than I should have, and unfortunately The Machine came out. Tip: throwing rocks onto a tin roof at night does not win friends. Neither does howling at the moon. The Machine was told to get into bed repeatedly and eventually I obeyed.

On the Saturday, I joined the long queue to cast an absentee vote. I am a Greens voter - which, in essence, is voting for Labor since that is the direction of their preferences. It was also amusing for me to read the voting form for the senate and to see the Socialist Alliance is still around. I was at the launch party for the Socialist Alliance back in - when was it? 2001? - and it seemed like a lifetime ago that I was involved in activism. It was interesting to think of how much has changed ideologically over the years for me. In fact, it amazes me to think of how much my life has changed since those days, period.

Afterwards we walked around Margaret River and had lunch. Thankfully, all the schoolies were north of us in Dunsborough, and Margaret River’s tourist population was more mature and sedate.

After lunch, we drove down to Hamelin Bay through a gorgeous scenic road. I love driving through forests; it’s amazing to see the trees. Hamelin Bay was beautiful as well, and well worth the visit.

We then drove back up to Prevelly and stopped for a while at the rivermouth. There seemed to be some great waves out there, and there were many surfers having fun. I found the rivermouth more fascinating, though. The whole concept of a river reaching its end point fascinates me in general.

When we returned to our campsite, we were greeted with a surprise - there was another group camping at the same spot. I’m not sure if this is a trait of country folk [this group were all from the country] but they stared at us for several minutes as we pulled up, as though we were intruders to their territory. It was odd and it was almost like an old western movie where the whole town stops as soon as a stranger arrives - but after the initial staring down, they were actually a bunch of nice and approachable people. If I remember correctly - Erin and Renee were pastry chefs in Bunbury [and Renee had two gorgeous young girls with her], Jason and his wife were stud cattle breeders in Capel, and there was Danny who brought a dinghy along.

We mingled and chatted for a while, and I was messaged that Labor had won the election. I was quite happy, as was Erin - but Jason and his wife disagreed as they were Liberal supporters. The conversation was interesting mainly because we were all drunk and not making much sense, but it was enjoyable nevertheless.

I learnt that I snore, which was a great surprise by me because I never saw myself as a snorer. Apparently I sound like a lawnmower?!

The next morning, we packed up and visited Chapman Pool. Bush-walking while being hung-over is not pleasant, but I did enjoy the view of the brook.

We headed to Witchcliffe ["Which cliff? That cliff! No, this cliff!"] for a coffee, which I desperately needed, then we went to Cape Naturalisté. The view from the lookout was great, with a sweeping view of the ocean and the landscape.

The last place we visited was Busselton. We walked along the jetty, admired the pristine waters and laughed at people jumping off the edges.

Then it was home - and I’m in a mellow mood