Of Monsters And Men

Do you want to know what real talent is? Real talent is when you can navigate from your light switch at one end of your room to your bed with the lights off and you manage to dodge every book on the floor, odd sock, chair and dangly butterfly decoration hanging from the ceiling. Real talent is also sounding perfect when you're singing live in front of thousands and still sound exactly the same as you do in your recorded songs, but somehow even better. Suck on that, autotunists. (The only time auto tune is okay is when you chipmunk-esque your voice.)

I went to see Of Monsters and Men perform live. They were so amazing and perfect. The supporting band, Mammals, was also pretty good. The sad thing is that I can only find two of their songs online. They're not that well known so I can't find anything on them. I don't know any of their song names either so it feels like such a lost.

I love Of Monsters and Men's Icelandic accents. They're such a unique band and seemed to be quiet natured people.

I really hope they write more songs because it felt so short since they only have one album. At least they played an unheard song that didn't make it into My Head Is An Animal! I'd say my first concert was pretty good.

Repetitio

University. It is that period of time again. It starts off the same as every other day. You bump into your high school friends at your local train station and sit there realising how everyone has grown up as you share your life stories. Then you bid your goodbyes as you get off at your stop and join the solemn march of tired students up the stairs of the station. As you walk out, you're greeted by a homeless person with a cup of silver coins clasped between two hands, who has now become a part of the city tapestry, camouflaged into the walls because you're so used to his presence. A pang of pity hits you and leaves as fast as the lingering smell of cigarettes at the café you've just passed.

You face your first challenge of the day - The three sets of stairs that leads you to the main campus. By the time you reach the top, you take quick glances to your left and right hoping the people around you notice you're out of breath and panting. For the next and most difficult challenge for the socially awkward, you strategically choose your seating arrangements in your first lecture to sit right in the middle so you don't seem too eager at the front or too badass at the back, leaving one seat on either side of you to leave room for friendship.

Yeah, it's all been thought out carefully for me because I do not know how to initiate conversations. SOMEONE JUST BE MY FRIEND AND MAKE THIS NEW SEMESTER LESS MISERABLE. And did I really just word vomit all of that?

Ficus

After living in this city for my whole life, I've never been to the Royal Botanic Gardens nor knew of its whereabouts. Fiona and I came across it when we decided to randomly get off at Wynyard station to explore. I was kind of expecting flowers and colours exploding in my face. It was mainly all greenery and every plant looked the same.

You'd think that I'd know how many campuses there are for my uni, but I don't. I had to go home and google "castle royal botanic gardens sydney" and found nothing because the supposed castle is a part of the University of Sydney for music students. I still prefer to think of it as my castle, but instead of horses, we have unicorns.

This guy was drawing this massive artwork of Spongebob and Patrick at Circular Quay. It's supposed to look 3D once it's finished. I can imagine business people rushing towards the station at peak hour, hoping to get a seat, and having to stop for a few seconds to turn back and curiously look over at this artwork, and maybe even give up a little more time to peer through the lens. I like little surprises like this.

Sanus

I think one of the best moments in life is when the world is sound asleep, but you're wide awake with earphones in, and you're twirling and singing around your room because you're the only person who exists in that moment. Those few moments of bliss can make you feel more alive than ever. You don't need the rush of rollercoasters. You don't need the company of people. You just need those right songs. My current ones are:

▶ Resolution by Matt Corby
▶ Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear
▶ Lifesize by A Fine Frenzy

It's 3am and I'm up neglecting my studies for tonight. As always, the exam period is making my mood fluctuate between depression, insanity and a complete high. Does anyone also think that it's acceptable to not wash your hair for days and rewear the same pyjamas over and over because you've literally been indoors the entire time, sitting on almost the exact same spot? Yeah, me too. I hope the people I've been snapchatting my pretending to cry face every night over first world problems (e.g. exams and endless studying) hasn't noticed or think it's okay too.

Counting down the days till my winter break. I just can't wait to do nothing and not have a social life for a while.

Volatilis

END OF SECOND YEAR SEMESTER ONE WHAT UP. It still feels like I've only just started my second year. Time flies when you've done minimal work throughout the semester and realise how screwed you are for your final exams and have to reteach yourself 13 weeks of content for more than one subject.

There are so many situations where I laugh at how Vivienne and I have contrasting personalities. Tonight she was running in and out of her room like a tornado throwing things around and asking for opinions on what she should wear while I was just sitting there experimenting with her elegant electric keyboard (with one finger going tock-tock-tock like an elderly with a computer keyboard). Then 15 minutes later, she whisked me out of her room and threw four massive bags at me to carry for her, knocking over her modem in the process and letting out a "oh SHIT", then was somehow sitting at the back of her car in a minute. Can we get a hell yeah for making it on time to the station to meet up with everyone else?

We had dinner at Din Tai Fung for Vivienne's birthday, which I don't have anything good or bad to say about it besides that it is overrated. I think it is one of those places where you go three times, at maximum, in your life.

Vivid Sydney is on again this year, but half the group wanted to go home because of the crowds. At least Elaine and I got something out of it by pretending to be a contemptuous lesbian couple on a date dodging crowds and the slow paced queue of walkers behind a family with a massive pram. How romantic, right?

I really am not bothered to study. At this rate, I’m going to win an Oscar for the best impersonation of a potato chip.