reckless shopping

1)Yesterday I bought these gorgeous pink ballet-style flats, however they were a teensy-bit too small for me (a size 40, when I really needed a size 41 - but they didn't have them in that size and I only wanted the PINK ones), but the salesgirl swore up and down that they'd stretch half-a-size once i'd worn them.

2)Today I bought hair dye. I got L'Oreal's Casting (semi-permanent) in a colour called MANGO. It's not orange! Its a coppery-red colour, and Bianca swore up and down that on my black hair, it wouldn't turn out THAT red/brown. I will dye my hair tomorrow, and see my high-school group at EPK Miranda!

3)In the last two days, i've spent well over $150 on clothing (top, dress, shoes), food, presents etc and am now trying to justify it to myself. You might not think $150 is much, but I only make approx $110 a week.

My favourite justifications:
*I haven't gone shopping in the past three weeks, so the 'opportunity cost' of times I could have gone shopping adds up. (I have a feeling I used an economics term VERY wrongly)
*Part of my spending was presents for OTHER PEOPLE.
*I need the new clothes for uni.

Peace out.

what sort of film student are you?!

I constantly ask myself this question. This is because I hardly watch films or tv, except in lectures and tutorials, and feel really uninformed about all aspects of film history.

This also makes conversations with fellow film students very hard. Let's cite some examples:

Random film student "You know that bit in Koyanaqaatsi/Requiem for a Dream/Mulholland Drive/Chungking Express ...?"
Me: "Well, you know, I haven't gotten around to seeing that."
Random Student: "Well yeah, its sorta like that!"

Sitting in the middle of this rave between Anna, Daren, James, and Mary about Arrested Development and the Simpsons and listening to people quote verbatim! Fascinating stuff.

Being really lost in any conversation about Australian Idol - but I did watch it last week cause Mary and Pippa were in the audience - I didn't see them though and I was SO hanging out for Mary's 'La Fawndah' sign!

Also, am I the only one in the entire world who still hasn't seen Million Dollar Baby, and/or doesn't know the plot twist?!

So what do I watch?
Last movie: Gladiator (was ok, I kept on saying whoah! massive budget! while watching it, until my parents told me to shut up)
Regular tv shows: the News (Desperate Housewives, Lost, Doctor Who when they were on)

oh my goodness, I just realised that the only show I watch regularly is the NEWS!

I suppose when you boil it all down, i'm just lazy. If I actually went and saw those films, watched tv, perhaps I would be better informed. I know that I know nothing.

And i'm a film student for crying out loud!

msn smileys

I was just talking (typing?) to someone on msn, and I accidently punched in a winking smiley, instead of a normal smiley, and that changed my WHOLE message into something I didn't mean at all! I was mortified.

past existentialist angst

or should that be post-existentialist angst? haha. ok, i'll stop now. I just find it a little irritating how if you add 'post' to an '-ism' it defines something new, but in opposition.

anyways, just felt like commenting on teenage existentialist angst. Reading over my year 8 diaries, a lot of pages are filled with 'why, why, why?! why does the world hate me?!', which when you read you get REALLY annoyed at the writer. You know, writing that goes nowhere, and attempts to crudely define these 'undefinable' feelings (haha) of victimisation!

whilst I was reading through them, I was actually getting really pissed off at myself. Although I understand that early teenage years are really fraught with these heightened, rollercoaster emotions, when you read over them, you get really embarassed by the angst, because its so simplistic (oh, oh, i'm the only one in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE feeling these stabbing emotions! sob, cry, sob)

So ... i'm sure this post had an important point ... somewhere. Or perhaps I haven't yet escaped self-indulgent boo-hooing, as evidenced by this blog :)

super nerd

Right now a big fat book called 'Government, Politics and Power in Australia' is staring me in the face, and I know I'm going to have to read it, but I really don't want to ... Its a Thursday night and i'm sitting at home doing research. I really want to be out though - a situation made worse by the fact that i've one person repeatedly sends me drunken smses.

So, essay questions! Very happy that i've decided on what essay questions to do:

For Colonialism & Modernity:
Q)Consider and compare examples from early and late colonial and postcolonial European literature to investigate how far it reflected changing ideas about the nature and value of colonialism.

For Media, Information & Society:
Q)Given the view eg from Foucault, that textuality/discourse is intricately implicated in constructing ‘knowledge’ to differentially support some power-relations while proscribing others, identify and critique how this may apply in Australia or another country of your choice. (Can someone tell me what proscribing means? I thought it might have been a typo and meant to be 'prescribing', but 'e' isn't anywhere near 'o' on the keyboard)

For Contemporary Cultures 2
Q)Write a story about a possible future in which human bodies are technologically enhanced or modified, making substantial creative reference in your writing to cyborg theory. (I chose this question just cause I get to write a story. And use postmodern epigraphs, footnotes a la French Lieutenant's Woman)

And of course for MAP2, I have the new media project and noir film. And all of these essays and projects are all due in about the same week! Aaaah!

You may be thinking "wow Donna, this is a really boring post. I don't care about your essay questions. In fact, I've just realised that i'll never get back those five minutes of my life that I just wasted." All I can do is shrug my shoulders and say "meh ... well, nah. can't help you there."

In actual fact, I like talking about essay questions. A lot. Feel free to post up your project/essay questions as well. And if that makes me a super nerd, so be it :)

Yeah!

take that US cultural imperialism!

Here is irrefutable evidence that the US cultural invasion is slowing down (here's hoping)! The only question I got right was on the US' enemies in WWII, which was more of a global topic anyways.

Pat me on the back, cause I'm proud!

You Failed the US Citizenship Test

Oops, you only got 1 out of 10 right!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Note: I'll spare you guys the pain beforehand, and I promise I won't spam my blog with more of these stupid quiz things.

UTS prison ... oops, library!

You approach UTS library with the intention of doing some research on the computers (such a good student!). You see the security guards at the front eyeing you suspiciously as you approach. You take your studentID/library card out of your wallet in preparation. (Courtney: "Alright everyone, get out your cards! I don't have time for you sort through the entire contents of your wallet!")

You stand in front of the CityRail-esque barrier gates, and swipe your student card through the card reader. First swipe, no luck. You watch as your fellow students swipe their cards, and dart through the gates as they open briefly to let them through. Second swipe ... nup. You nervously eye the security cameras staring down at you. And again, no.

One of the security guards comes over to inspect your card. "Sorry, I don't seem to be able to get in" you say. "Can I please have a look at your card?" says the security guard. "Yeah, sure" you say and hand it over. The guard eyes you, then the card, then you again. "Alright" they concede, "You've been swiping it the wrong way ... this way" they demonstrate.

"Thanks" you say, as you almost jump through the gates, worried that they'll close on you and chop you in half.

... And when you finally get into the library, all the computers are taken. Oh well, you can go to Building 2. Now, time to get out of the library.

singing the Fresh Food Song

"If you don't sing loudly the first time, i'm going to make you all sing it again!"

Yes, I went to Woolies 'Fresh Obsession' training tonight. Which started off with a rousing rendition of the Fresh Food song, and it was compulsory to sing! Luckily, Mel next to me inspired us all, and scored a chocolate for her efforts to actually sing the song, while the rest of us pretended to mouth the words. We watched lots of company videos filled with smiling, fulfilled (sometimes singing) Woolworths staff, and filled in an activity book. This was super diddly-duper fun!

govindas

went out last night to govindas, and had a good non-alcohol fuelled night. my parents were a little apprehensive about me going out though, the conversation was thus:
Parents: "where is this place?"
Me: "darlinghurst"
Parents: "you mean kings cross?"
Me: "no, darlinghurst!"
Parents: "the seedy part of kings cross?!"

You can't win.

Anyways, the buffet wasn't that crash hot, but to tell the truth, I really wasn't aware that everything I was eating WAS vegetarian, so I guess it was pretty tasty. Afterwards, we went and watched a movie at the 'boutique' cinema upstairs, where you get to sit down and watch the movie on these huge cushions ... bliss. We watched 'The Motorcycle Diaries', which was about Che Guevara ... something I didn't realise until the VERY END! But general consensus was that Gael Garcia Bernal is pretty hot ... and the story (although overtly political - but what can you expect?) was well-shot (good use of lighting), and great locations. There also was the sense that some of the people in the film weren't actors, they were truly native to that area, so the interactions between them and the actors had an element of truth? All in all, a really good film.

finding out that i'm probably not very good at my job

My legs hurt SO much from standing up for five hours at work today. You would have thought by now, i'd get used to it. Anyhoo, as the title of this post says, I am probably not very good at my job. In fact, one could go so far as to say that I personify the grumpy, frumpy, spaced-out checkout chick at work.

First of all, I don't really care what I look like at work, because its a supermarket - I wear the uniform right, and make sure my hair looks reasonably tidy, but that's about it. In contrast, I go into hyper dressy mode for uni; spending a LOT of the money I make on clothes. I think that most of the other employees make a lot more effort, i.e.: makeup!

I've given up on saying "Hi, how are you?". All I do now is a short "hi", because 40% of the people you greet with "hi, how are you?" ignore you, and you're left hanging! In the beginning, I was super enthusiastic, but soon realised that the general majority of people just want to pay for their groceries and go.

Today I rolled my eyes at one of supervisors when I thought he wasn't looking because he told me to do the same thing twice and I was like "you already told me explictly before, I get it okay!". But I think he saw me roll my eyes. But I don't really care.

Actually the people I work with aren't so bad. I think its the JOB that's the problem. The mind-numbing repetitiveness, the endless stream of customers, and the sense of 'you're-here-to-serve-me-what-do-you-mean-the-EFTPOS-isn't-working' feeling I get from customers that makes me sick.

I could get a new job. In fact, I am looking for one. But I don't know many other places that would take me for the limited hours I do (10hrs a week - one late night shift, and one 'its-still-dark-outside' early morning shift) I have put in a resume to some places, but no call backs!

like the compulsory music post#1, this post could be called obligatory work rant#1. keep checking back for part 2, cause by the way i'm going, there's definetly going to be a sequel!

talk like a pirate day!

Ahoy, matey! September 19 is Talk Like a Pirate Day, me hearties. I've heard that you can also donate to the Fred Hollows foundation, which also makes it a worthy cause to support, arrrgh! This will be funny because I work at Woolies on Mondays, and I want to slip in a few 'mateys' and 'arrrghs!' to break up the monotony, and to shake up those blackhearted villians (customers).

Aye, for some creati'e procrastination aye:
http://www.talklikeapirateday.com/translate/index.php

Ahoy, i've realised that I may be postin' 'ery frequently since I started this new blog, and will take a little break. Ye'll ne'er get me buried booty!

Note: this post is for Laura, and her pirate fetish!

the difference between uni and school

now for some heart to heart guys. for some reason, and i've been talking to people about this, I find uni and school friends reeeeaaallllly different. My uni friends (hi all!) are fantastic, lovely people and our whole thing is bagging each other out (but in a nice, joking way) ... but this never happened in high school, so i'm not used to it at all. Sometimes, I stop and go, "am I being really really rude? what if I offend someone?!"

my high school friends (hey there!) are the greatest people in the world, who I have the closest of close connections with, and our thing is having great conversations about randomness, current affairs etc. Really in-depth discussions (remember those sleepovers!), and the occassional bitching (we did go to an all-girls school after all).

So there we go ... two really different dynamics. have you guys found similar experiences? I dunno, I feel like i've gone wayyy too deep, but felt like I needed to write it down :)

compulsory music post#1

Guess which song and artist the name of my blog came from? If you can, i'll give you 50c, which was what we found on the couch of the Loft on Tuesday. We we're like "Score, production money!" Not that i'm a corrupt, embezzling producer...

Anyhoo, this is the compulsory music post where I spill my guts on music I love and hate. Hey, hey its Love and Hate Wednesday! (ref: the lovely rosie beaton on jjj) This is basically a repeat of the last post of my blog that recently got eaten. So, stuff I like ...

1) really distinctive vocals e.g.: sarah blasko, sufjan stevens
2) indie rock with really flat vocals e.g.: interpol, the strokes
3) experimental music e.g.: sigur ros, bjork, dresden dolls, bloc party
4) plain ol' rock & roll, the raw stuff e.g.: white stripes, audioslave
5) hip-hop e.g.: the neptunes (why only the neptunes?! I hate everything else, but maybe that's cause pharell's so cool)

please recommend me some music, because I've had snow patrol on high rotation for the last month and a half. (Anyone that is, but soph, cause she's a star and got me onto pitchforkmedia.com)

Music I can stand in only small doses ... radiohead (crazy radiohead fans please don't kill me), the killers (incredibly catchy but the worst lyrics EVER!), muse (too much vocal acrobatics but how good was their rendition of 'Feeling Good'?!), dresden dolls (because its more art than music), the dears (cause its a bit slow for me)

Maximo Park is a band everyone tells me to listen to ... and they're coming to the Metro! I'd really love to see Little Birdy as well, but their show is the day before our film noir is due, and I want to be conscious for that :)

And of course, I love Camille's music ... send me your stuff Camille - is your newly recorded stuff ready yet? Send, send, send!

Modblog ate my blog!

Riiiiiiiiiight now i'm extremely angry at modblog because it ate my blog! I haven't really lost the entries (they're all cached apparently - thanks soph for helping me, I was like "they can do that?!") but I can't be bothered re-entering them into this blog. I think i'll miss not having a photo album, but the layout's SO much cooler on blogger, that i'll think i'll be fine :)

So today at uni, I finally handed in my MIS assignment, woo hoo! Gen was right on the money when she kept on describing it as "bastard essay!" So now I believe that I need a little holiday before I start going over the Treatment for our MAP2 noir presentation.

And a yell out to my MAP2 noir group ... GOOOOO team!