SmellsLike365

Life is still worthwhile...
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Posts tagged music

Mar 2
327/365 02/03/2011 Fast becoming one of my favorite pictures? I know it’s a cop-out but TECHNICALLY this was taken after midnight so everything’s all good. Going on from where my last post left off, in case you’re too lazy to read the blog post itself: After we left Billboard and made our way back to Swanston, we realized that we’d just missed all the trams for the night that go to Bel’s apartment. Ignoring the pain in my feet (Julia is a tank, she wasn’t in pain at all), we started on our leisurely stroll to Bel’s apartment (except at Julia’s walking speed which, in case you don’t know her, would make her future children speed walking champions). I tried to keep warm by singing the whole time, and Julia’s complete nonchalance to my musical attempts meant that I had to be the backup vocals too. We got back to the apartment and, it being half past 1 in the morning, we cat-footed our way around the dark apartment, opting to shower the next day as to not wake Bel’s family. Julia took the mattress on the floor and I took the couch, which was leather. Here, I must recount the moment when, after I’d fallen asleep, the sweat on the back of my hand stuck to the leather and when I changed position, the ripping of my hand off the couch was possibly one of the more painful experiences in my life. How can something so little hurt so much? (That…is what she said.) Bel left for uni early, so I was half awake at around the time the sun rose. Julia woke once or twice, each time rolling over to sleep more, but finally at around 8:30 we both gave up trying to continue sleeping and simply started the sluggish morning rituals. After waiting a while for her phone to charge, and talking in semi-whispers in fear of waking Bel’s sister who might not have even been in, we went to DeGraves for brunch (oh, by the way, my sweat soaked Metcard – yes, ew – works, if not after a hesitant click from the turnstile). Dropping her off at Flinders Station so she could go to Uni, I made my way back to my own Uni, bumping into a newly made friend on the tram. The rest of the day was spent in a sort of sore, tired stupor, and finishing class at 6:15 did not help. So here’s the predictable I LOVE MUSIC CONCERTS conclusion. I’m not quite sure if I want my next time to have two drunks right next to me, and I have yet to experience a concert where I wasn’t fighting for breath every three seconds, but the thrill of having a stranger next to you hold you up while you’re both leaping to the music is something I want to experience again. Also, massive thanks to Julia who stuck with me the whole time, Pearl for exchanging amused looks with me the whole time, and Louis who tried his utmost to shield me from the worst of the moshing.

327/365

02/03/2011

Fast becoming one of my favorite pictures?

I know it’s a cop-out but TECHNICALLY this was taken after midnight so everything’s all good.

Going on from where my last post left off, in case you’re too lazy to read the blog post itself:

After we left Billboard and made our way back to Swanston, we realized that we’d just missed all the trams for the night that go to Bel’s apartment. Ignoring the pain in my feet (Julia is a tank, she wasn’t in pain at all), we started on our leisurely stroll to Bel’s apartment (except at Julia’s walking speed which, in case you don’t know her, would make her future children speed walking champions). I tried to keep warm by singing the whole time, and Julia’s complete nonchalance to my musical attempts meant that I had to be the backup vocals too.

We got back to the apartment and, it being half past 1 in the morning, we cat-footed our way around the dark apartment, opting to shower the next day as to not wake Bel’s family. Julia took the mattress on the floor and I took the couch, which was leather. Here, I must recount the moment when, after I’d fallen asleep, the sweat on the back of my hand stuck to the leather and when I changed position, the ripping of my hand off the couch was possibly one of the more painful experiences in my life. How can something so little hurt so much? (That…is what she said.)

Bel left for uni early, so I was half awake at around the time the sun rose. Julia woke once or twice, each time rolling over to sleep more, but finally at around 8:30 we both gave up trying to continue sleeping and simply started the sluggish morning rituals.

After waiting a while for her phone to charge, and talking in semi-whispers in fear of waking Bel’s sister who might not have even been in, we went to DeGraves for brunch (oh, by the way, my sweat soaked Metcard – yes, ew – works, if not after a hesitant click from the turnstile). Dropping her off at Flinders Station so she could go to Uni, I made my way back to my own Uni, bumping into a newly made friend on the tram.

The rest of the day was spent in a sort of sore, tired stupor, and finishing class at 6:15 did not help.

So here’s the predictable I LOVE MUSIC CONCERTS conclusion. I’m not quite sure if I want my next time to have two drunks right next to me, and I have yet to experience a concert where I wasn’t fighting for breath every three seconds, but the thrill of having a stranger next to you hold you up while you’re both leaping to the music is something I want to experience again.

Also, massive thanks to Julia who stuck with me the whole time, Pearl for exchanging amused looks with me the whole time, and Louis who tried his utmost to shield me from the worst of the moshing.
Posted at 10:37 PM 3 notes Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotoanberlinmusicdeon rexroatamazingbillboardmelbourne cityfriends

326/365 01/03/2011 Hello Autumn! I went to see Anberlin today, at Billboard! I know I linked the blog post, but I thought I’d share it here as well: So, on March 1st, I went to see my first ever gig – Anberlin, supported by Bayside and The Starting Line. I warn you now, very long post. After my classes ended at quarter to five, I went to the tram stop to meet up with Julia, who had my ticket. At the same time, I was due to meet up with a friend of a friend’s, who up to that day I hadn’t met before. His name is Louis. So we grabbed a quick bite before we headed to Bel’s apartment where Julia and I dropped off our stuff. We went back up to Billboard, where Susan had started lining up already. She had with her a whole bunch of food that she probably thought she could finish but then realized she had a limit to her appetite, so she tried to offload the food onto us. Pearl arrived at around 7, just in time to get to know the people we were lining up with (friends of Julia’s). We went into Billboard as one of the first ones, got our stuff cloaked (and, I’ll say now with hindsight, I should not have kept my Metcard in my jeans pocket. Also, Metcards are damn durable.) We’d gotten that amazing spot at the barriers, right near the center. At this point, standing around while more and more people crowded in behind us, Louis decided to tell me that 1) the waiting part takes ages (which it did, nearly 40 minutes), and 2) there is a chance I’d die (Julia also said she hoped I wouldn’t die). Now, seeing as this was my first gig ever, I had to take their warnings with a certain note of fear. Still, the atmosphere of the waiting crowd pretty much soon made me put aside those words. At this point, two people began chatting to Louis, who was standing behind me. I didn’t catch the guy’s name, but the girl’s nickname was Ish, and they were both well lubricated with beer. There were general high-fives of excitement, and then the guy decided to pat my head, saying he liked my hair. Bayside kicked the show off, and even though I didn’t really know any of their songs, their energy, and a guy standing two people behind me who knew every word, got me into the mood of the concert. There were some rocking of bodies, but in general the amount of violence was tolerable. Oh except for Pearl, who was being battered by Ish. After they finished, the buzzing grew a bit louder, not only because I think more people liked TSL, but it was also one band closer to Anberlin. At this point, Ish had managed to move her way to being right behind me, and so when TSL started, it became my turn to be battered by her. I supposed it was better to be battered by a drunk girl than to be beaten by an enthusiastic drunk guy. Anyway, TSL started playing Island, and Ish had been screaming for them to play it for two songs already, so you can imagine her enthusiasm and volume when they did start playing it. There were many amused glanced that Pearl and I shared at her excitement, but I rather enjoyed it (ignoring the bruises), because she made the whole event even more exciting, even when there wasn’t a song playing. When The Best Of Me (admittedly, the only TSL song I knew that they played) began, so began my scream-along for the night. The one thing I noticed about moshing (and, pressed against the barrier –  actually, pressed against Julia but that’s a later story – I could only assume that what I experienced was moshing) was that everyone around you, stranger or not, suddenly share the same emotional flow. Everyone screamed the same line, everyone threw their arms up in the same beat, and, to some extent, everyone jumped in unison. After TSL went offstage, the amount of time as Anberlin was being set up no longer became the placid waiting as it was for TSL – everyone began pushing forwards for the best view of the band they’d all come for. It was through some elbowing that I managed to keep my position behind Julia and next to Pearl. Remember what I said about there being a later story? Well, having not experienced it before, it soon became clear to me that all rules about personal space and touching get trampled, as complete strangers pressed up against my back, and because of my limited upper body strength, I was subsequently pushed so far into Julia that we REALLY tested the boundaries of our friendship. This is a photo of the setlist that Anberlin played yesterday (“King” was “We Owe It To Ourselves”). Standing right next to the speakers, it was a comment on the enthusiasm of the crowd that our collective screaming matched Stephen’s amplified vocals. It was so loud and so full of energy that he was momentarily taken aback at the microphone. Bouncers threw water into the crowd, wetting the already sweat-soaked faces. Stephen passed by us many times, as did Deon. When the first few bars of Dismantle.Repair. began playing, I put aside the breathlessness I was feeling, and I fought off the tingling dizziness, and completely lost myself in the beat. It’s strange thinking back now of my conduct, but in that moment, with at least six other bodies occupying my personal bubble, and Julia’s hair in my mouth (yeah…), my crazed arm flailing and very-likely offkey screaming to lyrics that barely need any thinking to recall seemed like just the right thing to do. The crush of bodies turned from an unrelenting enemy into the friend that kept me upright. At the end, they came back on for two more songs, Readyfuels and Never Take Friendship Personal. In a flash, the show was over. We retrieved our jackets, and sculled down blissfully cold water. I was tingling all over, half from exhaustion, half from the lack of oxygen, and half (my maths have taken a hit lately) from the overspill of excitement. I also noticed that my right side was completely soaked (as was my back, despite wearing two layers), and since I didn’t feel that sweaty, I realized that the wetness was due to the fat guy who’d fought his way to my right towards the end. Louis and Pearl had to leave to take the train home – can’t express the gratitude I have for Bel for letting me crash at her place, because I was able to stay behind with Julia. We waited around for a while, and saw the band come out at the back. Through Julia’s persistence, we managed to get photos with three members of the band: This is the one photo of the both of us with Deon, who, by that time, had become my favorite. Deon actually stood with us and had a bit of a chat, and for a moment he managed to make me forget that he’s the guy who stood onstage in front of us, playing amazing bass. Stephen and Joey had gotten into the van already, so Julia only managed to get a quick signature.

326/365

01/03/2011

Hello Autumn!

I went to see Anberlin today, at Billboard! I know I linked the blog post, but I thought I’d share it here as well:

So, on March 1st, I went to see my first ever gig – Anberlin, supported by Bayside and The Starting Line.

I warn you now, very long post.

After my classes ended at quarter to five, I went to the tram stop to meet up with Julia, who had my ticket. At the same time, I was due to meet up with a friend of a friend’s, who up to that day I hadn’t met before. His name is Louis.

So we grabbed a quick bite before we headed to Bel’s apartment where Julia and I dropped off our stuff. We went back up to Billboard, where Susan had started lining up already. She had with her a whole bunch of food that she probably thought she could finish but then realized she had a limit to her appetite, so she tried to offload the food onto us.

Pearl arrived at around 7, just in time to get to know the people we were lining up with (friends of Julia’s). We went into Billboard as one of the first ones, got our stuff cloaked (and, I’ll say now with hindsight, I should not have kept my Metcard in my jeans pocket. Also, Metcards are damn durable.)

We’d gotten that amazing spot at the barriers, right near the center. At this point, standing around while more and more people crowded in behind us, Louis decided to tell me that 1) the waiting part takes ages (which it did, nearly 40 minutes), and 2) there is a chance I’d die (Julia also said she hoped I wouldn’t die). Now, seeing as this was my first gig ever, I had to take their warnings with a certain note of fear. Still, the atmosphere of the waiting crowd pretty much soon made me put aside those words.

At this point, two people began chatting to Louis, who was standing behind me. I didn’t catch the guy’s name, but the girl’s nickname was Ish, and they were both well lubricated with beer. There were general high-fives of excitement, and then the guy decided to pat my head, saying he liked my hair.

Bayside kicked the show off, and even though I didn’t really know any of their songs, their energy, and a guy standing two people behind me who knew every word, got me into the mood of the concert. There were some rocking of bodies, but in general the amount of violence was tolerable. Oh except for Pearl, who was being battered by Ish.

After they finished, the buzzing grew a bit louder, not only because I think more people liked TSL, but it was also one band closer to Anberlin.

At this point, Ish had managed to move her way to being right behind me, and so when TSL started, it became my turn to be battered by her. I supposed it was better to be battered by a drunk girl than to be beaten by an enthusiastic drunk guy. Anyway, TSL started playing Island, and Ish had been screaming for them to play it for two songs already, so you can imagine her enthusiasm and volume when they did start playing it. There were many amused glanced that Pearl and I shared at her excitement, but I rather enjoyed it (ignoring the bruises), because she made the whole event even more exciting, even when there wasn’t a song playing.

When The Best Of Me (admittedly, the only TSL song I knew that they played) began, so began my scream-along for the night.

The one thing I noticed about moshing (and, pressed against the barrier –  actually, pressed against Julia but that’s a later story – I could only assume that what I experienced was moshing) was that everyone around you, stranger or not, suddenly share the same emotional flow. Everyone screamed the same line, everyone threw their arms up in the same beat, and, to some extent, everyone jumped in unison.

After TSL went offstage, the amount of time as Anberlin was being set up no longer became the placid waiting as it was for TSL – everyone began pushing forwards for the best view of the band they’d all come for. It was through some elbowing that I managed to keep my position behind Julia and next to Pearl.

Remember what I said about there being a later story? Well, having not experienced it before, it soon became clear to me that all rules about personal space and touching get trampled, as complete strangers pressed up against my back, and because of my limited upper body strength, I was subsequently pushed so far into Julia that we REALLY tested the boundaries of our friendship.

This is a photo of the setlist that Anberlin played yesterday (“King” was “We Owe It To Ourselves”). Standing right next to the speakers, it was a comment on the enthusiasm of the crowd that our collective screaming matched Stephen’s amplified vocals. It was so loud and so full of energy that he was momentarily taken aback at the microphone.

Bouncers threw water into the crowd, wetting the already sweat-soaked faces. Stephen passed by us many times, as did Deon. When the first few bars of Dismantle.Repair. began playing, I put aside the breathlessness I was feeling, and I fought off the tingling dizziness, and completely lost myself in the beat. It’s strange thinking back now of my conduct, but in that moment, with at least six other bodies occupying my personal bubble, and Julia’s hair in my mouth (yeah…), my crazed arm flailing and very-likely offkey screaming to lyrics that barely need any thinking to recall seemed like just the right thing to do. The crush of bodies turned from an unrelenting enemy into the friend that kept me upright.

At the end, they came back on for two more songs, Readyfuels and Never Take Friendship Personal. In a flash, the show was over. We retrieved our jackets, and sculled down blissfully cold water. I was tingling all over, half from exhaustion, half from the lack of oxygen, and half (my maths have taken a hit lately) from the overspill of excitement. I also noticed that my right side was completely soaked (as was my back, despite wearing two layers), and since I didn’t feel that sweaty, I realized that the wetness was due to the fat guy who’d fought his way to my right towards the end.

Louis and Pearl had to leave to take the train home – can’t express the gratitude I have for Bel for letting me crash at her place, because I was able to stay behind with Julia. We waited around for a while, and saw the band come out at the back. Through Julia’s persistence, we managed to get photos with three members of the band:

This is the one photo of the both of us with Deon, who, by that time, had become my favorite.

Deon actually stood with us and had a bit of a chat, and for a moment he managed to make me forget that he’s the guy who stood onstage in front of us, playing amazing bass. Stephen and Joey had gotten into the van already, so Julia only managed to get a quick signature.
Posted at 10:33 PM Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotoanberlindeon rexroatbillboardmusic concertconcertmusic

Nov 7
212/365 07/11/2010 I missed 7/11 day for the 2nd year in a row. So I finished the one essay I have this semester (remember the crazy essay schedule I had last semester?) and have started on my nearest first exam: on the 11th. I have a bad exam schedule!! I started reading all the stuff for Part 1 of my exam, which comprises* of topics I’m not so familiar with. THIS IS MY FACE FOR IT. WHAT!? I mean it makes sense but it’s just so BORING. And I feel like I know the material, but just not deeply enough to get good marks for the exam. In other news: new MSN means I can’t have display nicknames, so I can’t actually put song lyrics I usually do. Since I have too many Twitter updates, I have decided to, when I’m home, put song lyrics on my Tumblr. Probably will lose a lot of followers huh. And yes, I absolutely have to do song lyrics. Lily has disallowed over usage of that GIF. So. Sadface. Betcha she’ll like this post. Now betcha she’ll not do it to spite me. Now betcha she’s rolling her eyes. My God I love GIFs. How have I not been doing this for longer?

212/365

07/11/2010

I missed 7/11 day for the 2nd year in a row.

So I finished the one essay I have this semester (remember the crazy essay schedule I had last semester?) and have started on my nearest first exam: on the 11th. I have a bad exam schedule!!

I started reading all the stuff for Part 1 of my exam, which comprises* of topics I’m not so familiar with. THIS IS MY FACE FOR IT. WHAT!? I mean it makes sense but it’s just so BORING. And I feel like I know the material, but just not deeply enough to get good marks for the exam.

In other news: new MSN means I can’t have display nicknames, so I can’t actually put song lyrics I usually do. Since I have too many Twitter updates, I have decided to, when I’m home, put song lyrics on my Tumblr. Probably will lose a lot of followers huh. And yes, I absolutely have to do song lyrics.

Lily has disallowed over usage of that GIF. So. Sadface. Betcha she’ll like this post. Now betcha she’ll not do it to spite me. Now betcha she’s rolling her eyes.

My God I love GIFs. How have I not been doing this for longer?
Posted at 8:04 PM Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotoexam schedulemusicgifssong lyricsconfusing boring material

Oct 30
204/365 30/10/2010 Okay, I swear I used to have some muscle on my arm. Winter has sucked it all away. Tomorrow is Halloween! Except I don’t know what to do for it, 365-wise. I want to do something awesome but… And also, I got my hands on Infatuation again! Missed that song.

204/365

30/10/2010

Okay, I swear I used to have some muscle on my arm. Winter has sucked it all away.

Tomorrow is Halloween! Except I don’t know what to do for it, 365-wise. I want to do something awesome but…

And also, I got my hands on Infatuation again! Missed that song.
Posted at 6:42 PM Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotohalloweengosh i'm boringinfatuationmaroon 5musicno muscle

Sep 12
156/365 12/09/2010 The stars lean down to kiss you, I lie awake and miss you. Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere. - Vanilla Twilight by Owl City He’s such a great song writer! Fantastic idyllic images. Got most of the songs from Anberlin’s new album Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place. I also got Secrets by OneRepublic - let’s hope that the Ralph Lauren cologne and the Secret Millionaire ads aren’t screwing me over for that song. I think I might get the entire album. Now I’m re-doing my entire favorites playlist. Monday tomorrow. Last week though. Plan to just chill at home for most of the time and then go out with Jac for the other part of the time. Oh also I have an essay. I should start early.

156/365

12/09/2010

The stars lean down to kiss you, I lie awake and miss you. Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere. - Vanilla Twilight by Owl City

He’s such a great song writer! Fantastic idyllic images.

Got most of the songs from Anberlin’s new album Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place. I also got Secrets by OneRepublic - let’s hope that the Ralph Lauren cologne and the Secret Millionaire ads aren’t screwing me over for that song. I think I might get the entire album.

Now I’m re-doing my entire favorites playlist.

Monday tomorrow. Last week though. Plan to just chill at home for most of the time and then go out with Jac for the other part of the time. Oh also I have an essay. I should start early.
Posted at 10:25 PM Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotomusicowl cityanberlinonerepublicdark is the way light is a place

Aug 7
120/365 07/08/2010 Oh it hurts to type because I played guitar so much. I made my own mix of the 4 Chords Axis of Awesome songs (just google it, I can’t be bothered linking you). So yeah my fingers hurt. I’m trying to read right now and it’s a bit boring because this topic was covered in Semester 1 in another subject.

120/365

07/08/2010

Oh it hurts to type because I played guitar so much. I made my own mix of the 4 Chords Axis of Awesome songs (just google it, I can’t be bothered linking you). So yeah my fingers hurt.

I’m trying to read right now and it’s a bit boring because this topic was covered in Semester 1 in another subject.
Posted at 8:04 PM Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotoguitaraxis of awesome4 chords to unite them allmusic

Aug 2
115/365 02/08/2010 I don’t know why but I had Like A Virgin stuck in my head for the whole day. The whole Shh thing is cos it’s Asian, but I don’t do it very cutely do I. Ah so my uni started me on an assignment for blogging. And this is what happened.

115/365

02/08/2010

I don’t know why but I had Like A Virgin stuck in my head for the whole day. The whole Shh thing is cos it’s Asian, but I don’t do it very cutely do I.

Ah so my uni started me on an assignment for blogging. And this is what happened.
Posted at 9:44 PM Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotounivirginlike a virginmadonnasongmusicstuck in my head

Aug 1
114/365 01/08/2010 Welcome August! Today I got Anberlin’s new single Impossible, as well as a few acoustic covers of their other songs from their album Lost Songs. In fact, for those wondering, Anberlin is possibly my favorite band. Yep, having the time of my life listening at the mo’. Ah tomorrow is Monday. Ah sadness.

114/365

01/08/2010

Welcome August!

Today I got Anberlin’s new single Impossible, as well as a few acoustic covers of their other songs from their album Lost Songs.

In fact, for those wondering, Anberlin is possibly my favorite band.

Yep, having the time of my life listening at the mo’.

Ah tomorrow is Monday. Ah sadness.
Posted at 7:25 PM Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotoanberlinimpossiblelost songsdark is a way light is a placeacousticmusicbest band

May 1
21/365 30/04/2010 Photo courtesy of Kay Nguyen. The REASON that I didn’t post a 365 yesterday was because I got home at past 11, and wanted to go to sleep! I went to the 2010 MacRob Chorals, you see! This picture was taken by Kay (not the GREATEST focus skill there was, eh? But oh well go Kay!) a Yr 12 this year, and a guitar buddy of mine. So she has the honor of being the contributor of my 1st non-laptop 365. Gosh my face looks red. I will upload the picture of today later on, and be back on track.

21/365

30/04/2010

Photo courtesy of Kay Nguyen.

The REASON that I didn’t post a 365 yesterday was because I got home at past 11, and wanted to go to sleep! I went to the 2010 MacRob Chorals, you see!

This picture was taken by Kay (not the GREATEST focus skill there was, eh? But oh well go Kay!) a Yr 12 this year, and a guitar buddy of mine. So she has the honor of being the contributor of my 1st non-laptop 365.

Gosh my face looks red.

I will upload the picture of today later on, and be back on track.
Posted at 11:43 AM Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotoschoralschorals 2010macrob chorals 2010musicit was a long night so lay off my back about being slightly late please!

Apr 15
6/365 15/04/2010 Sorry about the bad lighting, but I really didn’t have much of a choice. Today, I watched The Fly in Cinema Studies. It was quite the experience. Had a pretty average Thursday. Helped Anna with her songs, and I got the new Glee songs, as well as Break The Sky by The Hush Sound. I’m posting this REALLY late, so I have to go quickly print off something. Did I neglect to do my homework for today? Yes.

6/365

15/04/2010

Sorry about the bad lighting, but I really didn’t have much of a choice.

Today, I watched The Fly in Cinema Studies. It was quite the experience.

Had a pretty average Thursday. Helped Anna with her songs, and I got the new Glee songs, as well as Break The Sky by The Hush Sound.

I’m posting this REALLY late, so I have to go quickly print off something. Did I neglect to do my homework for today? Yes.
Posted at 10:42 PM Tagged: project 365365self portraitphotosthe flymovieshorroroh dude his jaw fell off that was not coolcinema studiesmusicbreak the sky the hush soundgleeglee music