i'm sitting here in budapest's ferihegy airport waiting to board a flight to london gatwick, and i can't stop smiling to myself. i feel in control again. all the plans that i made before this desire to drop out and see the world overtook me are back on the table. in 2009 the world was my oyster, but now in 2010 sydney is mine for the taking. i'm going to see so much of my friends they'll be sick of me, i'm going to be the best daughter and grand daughter i can possibly be. i'm going to see how things go with the boy i've been thinking about for the last few months, and if it doesn't work i'll find a new one. i'm going to see bands and buy cds and.. and fuck it, i'm going to be happy. that's it. just happy.
i'm going home tomorrow.
Friday, 26 February 2010
this town cannot begin to compete, so i'm packing my bullets and silvertones and heading east
Labels:
stuff
Monday, 15 February 2010
happy days
i used to hate flying, seriously hate it. i think it was the result of watching too much aircrash investigations, and i was just not comfortable with being off the ground. i remember one time going down to visit adam i was so nervous about the flight and everything that i did seven shots of vodka before leaving the house and almost threw up during take off.
but now i love flying. taking off and leaving the ground is so liberating. it reminds me how awesome it is that i am on this trip, and how lucky i am to be starting another adventure.
ireland was so rad. i'm very glad that i did a tour. i was a bit worried that i was going to be the only person in the group travelling by themselves, but that wasn't the case. and even so, most people were so friendly that it didn't matter who they were with. my facebook friends list has about tripled in the last few days.
if i hadn't done the tour, i probably would've just gone to belfast and derry. over the last year i've done a lot of reading about the troubles, and those two areas are where i wanted to visit the most. but on this tour i got to see everything i wanted to see, plus so much more, and so much beautiful scenery that i never even knew existed. it was also good to hang out with people and have dinner together each night, otherwise i would've spent three weeks by myself.
like i said, over the last year i have done a fair bit of reading on the situation in northern ireland, and whilst not an expert, i knew a lot more going into it than the other people on the tour. but even then i was not prepared to witness the divide that still obviously exists in some areas of derry/londonderry and belfast. it really hit home for me when we were just off shankill road in the protestant side of belfast. we were on a council estate where most of their side's murals are, and it looked like where i grew up. sure a little more run down and covered in propaganda, but it could've very easily been anywhere in campbelltown. you don't think of the war-torn areas we see on the news as places where people actually live, but there you go. we were standing there hearing from our guide about what had happened in the area and people were walking their dogs, taking their children to school or going off to work. living and surviving in what is still a very volatile place.
i can't imagine having bus loads of people come and gawk at me while i was going about my business in my own neighbourhood. i guess that's why we went in taxis and not in the bus. but having people come through and visit gets their message out there. there were 29 people on our tour who got to see first hand and hear about republicanism vs unionism in northern ireland, most of whom had no idea what problems even existed besides the fact that some times the ira blew up some cars. but if even one person in that tour was inspired to go home and read up on the history of what they saw, then i guess it's worth it for the people for whom this life we can hardly even imagine is a reality.
but now i love flying. taking off and leaving the ground is so liberating. it reminds me how awesome it is that i am on this trip, and how lucky i am to be starting another adventure.
ireland was so rad. i'm very glad that i did a tour. i was a bit worried that i was going to be the only person in the group travelling by themselves, but that wasn't the case. and even so, most people were so friendly that it didn't matter who they were with. my facebook friends list has about tripled in the last few days.
if i hadn't done the tour, i probably would've just gone to belfast and derry. over the last year i've done a lot of reading about the troubles, and those two areas are where i wanted to visit the most. but on this tour i got to see everything i wanted to see, plus so much more, and so much beautiful scenery that i never even knew existed. it was also good to hang out with people and have dinner together each night, otherwise i would've spent three weeks by myself.
like i said, over the last year i have done a fair bit of reading on the situation in northern ireland, and whilst not an expert, i knew a lot more going into it than the other people on the tour. but even then i was not prepared to witness the divide that still obviously exists in some areas of derry/londonderry and belfast. it really hit home for me when we were just off shankill road in the protestant side of belfast. we were on a council estate where most of their side's murals are, and it looked like where i grew up. sure a little more run down and covered in propaganda, but it could've very easily been anywhere in campbelltown. you don't think of the war-torn areas we see on the news as places where people actually live, but there you go. we were standing there hearing from our guide about what had happened in the area and people were walking their dogs, taking their children to school or going off to work. living and surviving in what is still a very volatile place.
i can't imagine having bus loads of people come and gawk at me while i was going about my business in my own neighbourhood. i guess that's why we went in taxis and not in the bus. but having people come through and visit gets their message out there. there were 29 people on our tour who got to see first hand and hear about republicanism vs unionism in northern ireland, most of whom had no idea what problems even existed besides the fact that some times the ira blew up some cars. but if even one person in that tour was inspired to go home and read up on the history of what they saw, then i guess it's worth it for the people for whom this life we can hardly even imagine is a reality.
Labels:
travel
Sunday, 7 February 2010
melanie l: the journey home
tomorrow morning i hop on a plane and head to dublin, starting a three week long journey that ultimately ends where it all began almost a year ago; at terminal one of kingsford smith airport in sydney.
it's weird. i was saying to my mum the other day that it feels like no time at all since i left. today marks exactly a year since my last day at work, and that feels like only a week or two ago. but my arrival in the uk, and those first two weeks i spent in london feel like a million years ago. i have seen so much since then, been so many places and made so many new friends. and i feel 10 years older than i was back then. i have grown up so much in the last year. and i feel like i am finally accepting of adulthood and ready to settle down.
in other news my domain mapping here runs out in the next few weeks while i'm on the road, and i can't be bothered getting it all sorted out until i get back home, so if you can't see this site from woundedkite.com, try woundedkite.wordpress.com
i'm sure i'll post again during my travels, but if i dont, see you in sydney!
it's weird. i was saying to my mum the other day that it feels like no time at all since i left. today marks exactly a year since my last day at work, and that feels like only a week or two ago. but my arrival in the uk, and those first two weeks i spent in london feel like a million years ago. i have seen so much since then, been so many places and made so many new friends. and i feel 10 years older than i was back then. i have grown up so much in the last year. and i feel like i am finally accepting of adulthood and ready to settle down.
in other news my domain mapping here runs out in the next few weeks while i'm on the road, and i can't be bothered getting it all sorted out until i get back home, so if you can't see this site from woundedkite.com, try woundedkite.wordpress.com
i'm sure i'll post again during my travels, but if i dont, see you in sydney!
Labels:
travel
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
some music that i have been listening to lately
incredibad - the lonely island
ever since we got foxtel in 1998 and could watch it, i've been a big fan of saturday night live. my "oh god you're so hot and i want to touch you, but please stop laughing in the middle of sketches" go-to guy used to be jimmy fallon. after he left i replaced him with andy samberg. my favourite snl digital short was always lazy sunday, so i was psyched when this album came out with it included, as well as a whole bunch of digital shorts the dudes have done, like natalie's rap and dick in a box. rach and i pumped this album on our trip, especially i'm on a boat, so i've been rocking it a lot lately because it reminds me of rach and of good times
kimya dawson
back during my birthday last june i had a cold. that weekend i was over at my friend tori's house hanging out. we were watching a movie and i fell asleep. when i woke up she was playing the juno soundtrack and i fell in love with kimya's songs on it. they're tunes that manage to suck you in with one line, for example a line from the song tire swing: "the sound of our voices made us forget everything that had ever hurt our feelings." it speaks to me, you dig?
barcelona - the rentals
during the latter part of our trip i start listening to the rental's sophomore effort seven more minutes more and more. mainly because we were heading to barcelona, where much of this album was written and takes place in. this track never really stood out for me, in fact i preferred the b-side california, on which barcelona was based. but now that i'm home i've listened to barcelona a lot. i'm sure i've mentioned in the past that smm was one of my inspirations for coming to europe, and barcelona have kind of become a theme song for reaching my goals.
flashing lights - kanye west
when james first got this album he played the shit out of it at work. i remember at the time feeling blown away by this track and how different it sounded. it was groovy, and spacey and kind of dark. it's cool to hate on yeezy these days, but man this album is one of a kind. it stands alone from anything anyone was doing at the time.
ever since we got foxtel in 1998 and could watch it, i've been a big fan of saturday night live. my "oh god you're so hot and i want to touch you, but please stop laughing in the middle of sketches" go-to guy used to be jimmy fallon. after he left i replaced him with andy samberg. my favourite snl digital short was always lazy sunday, so i was psyched when this album came out with it included, as well as a whole bunch of digital shorts the dudes have done, like natalie's rap and dick in a box. rach and i pumped this album on our trip, especially i'm on a boat, so i've been rocking it a lot lately because it reminds me of rach and of good times
kimya dawson
back during my birthday last june i had a cold. that weekend i was over at my friend tori's house hanging out. we were watching a movie and i fell asleep. when i woke up she was playing the juno soundtrack and i fell in love with kimya's songs on it. they're tunes that manage to suck you in with one line, for example a line from the song tire swing: "the sound of our voices made us forget everything that had ever hurt our feelings." it speaks to me, you dig?
barcelona - the rentals
during the latter part of our trip i start listening to the rental's sophomore effort seven more minutes more and more. mainly because we were heading to barcelona, where much of this album was written and takes place in. this track never really stood out for me, in fact i preferred the b-side california, on which barcelona was based. but now that i'm home i've listened to barcelona a lot. i'm sure i've mentioned in the past that smm was one of my inspirations for coming to europe, and barcelona have kind of become a theme song for reaching my goals.
flashing lights - kanye west
when james first got this album he played the shit out of it at work. i remember at the time feeling blown away by this track and how different it sounded. it was groovy, and spacey and kind of dark. it's cool to hate on yeezy these days, but man this album is one of a kind. it stands alone from anything anyone was doing at the time.
Labels:
music
Monday, 1 February 2010
trainspotting
on friday night i went to the pub with a few people from my new work. at one point in the night one co-worker asked another "what are you talking about?" the reply; "football. what are you talking about?" and at the same time all three of us answered "shopping!" it was the most quintessential edinburgh moment i think i could have possibly had.
Labels:
edinburgh
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