Simon's Blog

Reel Me Out Then Cut The String

2008-02-03T21:54:00.000+11:00

I know everyone has felt like their life wasn't moving. That work is just a waste of time. That although it is feeding your existence, it is somewhat insignificant. I have so many ideas in my head about what I want my life to be. Its painstakingly obvious that I am no where near where I want to be.

In a town where I feel I don't belong.
In a job where I feel I don't belong.

There's all these expectations put on being an adult and as a 22 year old I don't feel as though I'm up to the task. I still have lots of growing up to do and a career to build. As a musician I know where I want to be in 5 years and I'm hoping that this band I recently formed will take me there. Its early days yet, but there are promising results already in terms of songs, dynamics, and friendships. If it doesn't work I don't know whether its worth staying here.

There are prospects for a new job with a family member, and I hope that it amounts to something, but I don't want to get too overexcited about the whole thing. I tend to build up so many things in my life that when it comes its just a total let down.

Ideally, I want to make a record.
Ideally, I want to be able to make a living as a musician playing my own music.
Ideally, I want to be able to afford a life that makes me happy.

I have set a goal for this band. Concentrate on 1 or 2 songs, record them and use it to create a buzz in the biz. I believe there will be some powerful and moving material to do just that. The only problem is that the other guys have too much on their hands to commit to more than one day a week. Initially that will make it hard for me, but I hope that when it becomes more serious they will step up to the plate.

Watch this space - you never know where we might end up.

What kind of techno music are you?

2007-07-31T08:49:00.000+10:00

What kind of techno music are you?

You are chill!
Take this quiz!

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I think it speaks pretty true about my preferences in terms to techno. I would have chosen IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) if someone asked me, but I'm happy with Chill.

I have been jamming with a guitarist for the last few weekends at a rehearsal studio in Rockdale. The first week we played a few covers just to get to know each other's playing styles and suss everything out. I was really nervous, and I thought my singing sucked but he seemed to like it. We did work on a couple of my own songs such as "Overload" and "Yourself" briefly. He liked those a lot, so we spent the next week working on just those two songs. We haven't had a chance to play again because I went back to Newcastle last weekend, but I'm pretty sure we'll jam again soon.

Hopefully this means there'll be some gigging some time in the future. I'm keen to get a whole band going if thats possible, but a duo situation could work as well.

Pop "Artists"

2007-05-14T21:58:00.000+10:00

The other day I started thinking about what an "artist" actually is. In music, it is very closely related to a visual artist. They paint an idea, whether its based on something they've seen/heard or something totally original.

Its no secret that I tend to despise pop singers, which is what they really are, singers. Many times, I've heard them refer to themselves as "artists", which really frustrates me. If, as I said before, music artists are like visual artists, or painters, who start from nothing and create something interesting, original, something that gives off emotion or thought; Let me give this analogy.

Pop artists are like toddlers. Instead of painting a picture, they are given a picture which they have to colour in. Oh wait, maybe they traced it themselves first! So then they colour it in, trying to keep within the lines. Wee, such a challenge. What separates the best from the worst is their ability to keep within those lines, and their pencil technique. Ooh, instead of just filling in a shape with random movement, one might only use one direction. These guys really get the credit they deserve, huh? What about their choice of colour? Theres always that one kid that makes someones face blue. I guess thats where a lot of one hit wonders come from. I can just imagine some really bad 80s-esque dance pop song that plagues the radio for a month.

It grosses me out just thinking about it.

Ok Computer in FLAC (96Khz, 24bit)

2007-04-08T23:29:00.000+10:00

It's no secret that Radiohead is my favourite band. Ok Computer, their masterpiece from 1997, arguably one of the best rock albums of the nineties, is high on my list of favourite albums of all time. I've owned the CD for years, and it gets played often on my computer in lossless format. I recently downloaded a rip of the vinyl version, encoded in a much higher sample and bit rat than what CDs allow.

I haven't had a chance to listen to whole thing in one sitting, but from what I've listened to so far, it is so much more concise, clear and NOT squashed compared to the CD version (especially in the higher end). Most people would argue that you can't hear the difference between mp3 and CD, let alone the difference between CD and vinyl (other than hiss). I can hear the difference on my substandard headphones and speakers, but I guess I know what to listen for. If someone had a top notch hifi, they would definitely be able to hear the difference between the two. You notice the biggest difference in the busier parts, where the extra headroom allows the music more room to breathe.

Because of the higher sample rate, you get a much more realistic representation of the higher end of the spectrum. At 44.1Khz, the highest frequency we can hear (~20Khz) is only being sampled just over two times, which in the digital world pretty much equates to a square wave. At 96Khz, the same frequency is being sampled almost 5 times, giving a much better representation of how it is actually supposed to sound. It isn't analogue, but its definitely better for those tingly parts in music that can sometimes make you cringe when listening to a CD.

If only audio formats like DVD-A and SACD were more affordable and widely available/used. Unfortunately the market seems to be going towards convenience, portability and inferior formats like mp3, and even worse, DRM riddled formats like wma and aac. Buying music online has never been easier, but the "major" sellers don't even offer lossless formats. We are the people who embraced the internet long before you could buy music on it, yet they cater to the general idiotic masses!

Feisty Fawn

2007-04-08T22:26:00.000+10:00

I upgraded my powerbook to the latest Ubuntu beta, Feisty Fawn. It's not too bad, but I'm still having issues getting the wireless working. I downloaded the alternate CD and installed off of it, thinking that would save me a lot of downloading time. The CD was ~500mb, which was better than 850mb downloading at slower speeds off the repositories. Turned out I still had to download 500mb of updates after I installed off the CD. So that fucked me. This was after failing to download the CD image the first time.

NB. Install new linux distros with a clean install.

If you don't know what Ubuntu is or even linux for that matter, you should check it out. Unlike Windows, you don't need to go through hours of installing before you can test it out. With a linux "Live CD", you can boot it up and try out the operating system without installing anything. You can do anything you want, but none of your changes will be saved unless you install the OS. You can check out Ubuntu @ http://www.ubuntu.com

That survey I posted prior to this ruins this blog. I won't post anything that big ever again.

Happy Easter.

Music Collection Survey

2007-04-06T17:31:00.000+10:00

I received this as a bulletin on myspace, but I would much rather post it here than there. So here goes. Feel free to post your results in a comment.

Body: Put an 'x' next to artists who you have songs by, even if it's only one.
-------------------
Hard Rock

[x] Nickelback
[x] Disturbed
[x] Shinedown
[ ] Seether
[x] Sevendust
[x] System of a Down
[ ] Flyleaf
[x] Staind
[ ] Drowning Pool
[ ] Taproot
[x] Mudvayne
[x] Audioslave
[ ] Trapt
[ ] KoЯn
[x] Three Days Grace
[ ] Evans Blue
[x] Godsmack
TOTAL = 10

COUNTRY

[ ] Rascal Flatts
[ ] Carrie Underwood
[x] Faith Hill
[ ] Hank Williams Jr.
[x] Shania Twain
[x] Johnny Cash
[ ] Willie Nelson
[ ] Merle Haggard
[ ] Hank Williams III
TOTAL = 3

PSYCHOBILLY

[ ] Nekromantix
[ ] Tiger Army
[ ] Horrorpops
[ ] The Cramps
[ ] Mad Sin
[ ] The Meteors
[ ] Reverend Horton Heat
[ ] Demented Are Go!
[ ] Batmobile
[ ] Guana Batz
[ ] The Gun Club
[ ] Klingonz
[ ] Hellbillys
[ ] The Phenomenauts
TOTAL = 0

POP

[ ] Teddy Geiger
[ ] Ashlee Simpson
[ ] Kelly Clarkson
[x] Madonna
[x] Avril Lavigne
[x] Pink
[ ] The Veronicas
[ ] Daniel Powter
[x] James Blunt
[ ] Natasha Bedingfield
[ ] Ryan Cabrera
TOTAL = 4

Indie-Rock / Rock / Alternative

[ ] Hawthorne Heights
[ ] Halifax
[ ] Fightstar
[ ] Taking Back Sunday
[ ] Forgive Durden
[ ] From First to Last
[ ] Senses Fail
[ ] Something Corporate
[ ] Hit The Lights
[x] Dashboard Confessional
[ ] Dear Whoever
[ ] Funeral for a Friend
[ ] Silverstein
[ ] The Used
[ ] The Spill Canvas
TOTAL = 1

ORIGINAL EMO

[ ] Circle Takes the Square
[ ] Dag Nasty
[ ] Rites of Spring
[ ] Moss Icon
[ ] Orchid
[ ] Saetia
[ ] Comadre
[ ] Indian Summer
[ ] Joshua Fit for Battle
[ ] Texas is the Reason
[ ] Sunny Day Real Estate
[ ] Hot Cross
[ ] Mineral
[ ] Yaphet Kotto
[ ] Funeral Diner
TOTAL = 0

AMBIENT

[x] Brian Eno
[ ] Labradford
[ ] Global Communication
[ ] Harold Budd
[ ] Lustmord
[ ] Solaris
[ ] Steve Roach
[ ] Vir Unis
[ ] Gas
[ ] Tangerine Dream
[ ] Delerium
[ ] Stars of the Lid
[ ] Steve Reich
[ ] Fennesz
TOTAL = 1

CHILLOUT

[x] Air
[ ] Zero 7
[ ] Thievery Corporation
[x] Massive Attack
[ ] röyksopp
[x] Portishead
[ ] Boards of Canada
[ ] Sneaker Pimps
[ ] Frou Frou
[x] Imogen Heap
[ ] Mandalay
[ ] Carbon Based Lifeforms
TOTAL = 4

INDIE

[ ] The Hush Sound
[x] Death Cab for Cutie
[x] The Killers
[x] Elliott Smith
[x] Yeah Yeah Yeahs
[x] Belle and Sebastian
[ ] The Postal Service
[ ] Bright Eyes
[x] Franz Ferdinand
[ ] Modest Mouse
[ ] Cursive
[ ] The Arcade Fire
[x] The Shins
[ ] The Decemberists
[ ] Sufjan Stevens
[ ] Neutral Milk Hotel
[ ] Iron & Wine
[ ] Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
[x] Bloc Party
[ ] Minus the Bear
TOTAL = 8

METAL

[ ] Amon Amarth
[ ] Dimmu Borgir
[ ] Carcass
[x] Children of Bodom
[ ] Emperor
[ ] Carpathian Forest
[ ] Arcturus
[ ] Opeth
[ ] Ayreon
[ ] Cannibal Corpse
[ ] At the Gates
[ ] Burzum
[ ] Therion
[ ] Mayhem
[ ] Necrophagist
[ ] Darkthrone
[ ] Celtic Frost
[ ] Gorgoroth
[ ] Satyricon
[ ] Death
[ ] Finntroll
[ ] Anaal Nathrakh
[ ] Testament
[ ] Atheist
[ ] Bathory
[ ] Deicide
[x] Slayer
[x] Metallica
[x] Pantera
Total = 4

Got bias? 50 billion metal bands.

METALCORE

[ ] As I Lay Dying
[ ] Atreyu
[ ] Lamb of God
[x] Killswitch Engage
[ ] Unearth
[ ] Throwdown
[ ] Becoming The Archetype
[ ] Between the Buried and Me
[ ] Norma Jean
[ ] Zao
[ ] Converge
[ ] Botch
[ ] Bullet for My Valentine
[ ] Still Remains
[ ] Bleeding Through
[ ] Trivium
TOTAL = 1

HARDCORE

[ ] Forwardx
[ ] Sick of It All
[ ] Madball
[ ] Agnostic Front
[ ] Gorilla Biscuits
[ ] Good Clean Fun
[ ] Donnybrook!
[ ] Champion
[ ] Casey Jones
[ ] Black My Heart
[ ] Hoods
[ ] Minor Threat
[ ] Death Before Dishonor
[ ] The Warriors
[ ] xBishopx
[ ] Too Pure To Die
[ ] Sinking Ships
TOTAL = 0

POST HARDCORE

[ ] Thursday
[x] At the Drive-In
[ ] The Blood Brothers
[ ] Alexisonfire
[ ] The Fall of troy
[ ] Glassjaw
[ ] Chiodos
[ ] mewithoutYou
[ ] Drive Like Jehu
[ ] Sparta
[ ] Underoath
[ ] Bear vs. Shark
[ ] These Arms Are Snakes
[ ] Coheed and Cambria
[ ] The Receiving End of Sirens
[ ] He Is Legend
[ ] Scary Kids Scaring Kids
TOTAL = 1

GRINDCORE

[ ] Napalm Death
[ ] Nasum
[ ] Pig Destroyer
[ ] Cattle Decapitation
[ ] Agoraphobic Nosebleed
[ ] Cephalic Carnage
[ ] Anal squirrel
[ ] ****...I'm Dead
[ ] Ed Gein
[ ] The Number Twelve Looks Like You
[ ] Discordance Axis
[ ] Aborted
[ ] Assück
[ ] Ion Dissonance
[ ] Genghis Tron
[ ] Cryptopsy
[ ] Dying Fetus
[ ] The Locust
TOTAL = 0

DOOM/SLUDGE/EXPERIMENTAL

[ ] Neurosis
[ ] Sunn O
[ ] oxbow
[ ] Red Sparowes
[ ] Swans
[ ] Pelican
[ ] Isis
[ ] Zeni Geva
[ ] Cult of Luna
[ ] Today is the Day
[ ] Godspeed You! Black Emperor
[ ] Crash Worship
[ ] Explosions in the Sky
[ ] Grails
[ ] Culper Ring
[ ] Tribes Of Neurot
TOTAL = 0

POWERPOP

[ ] hellogoodbye
[ ] The All-American Rejects
[ ] Fountains of Wayne
[ ] Head Automatica
[x] Weezer
[x] PANIC! at the disco
[ ] Jellyfish
[ ] Teenage Fanclub
[ ] The Lashes
[ ] The Lost Patrol Band
[ ] The Click Five
[ ] Cute is What We Aim For
[ ] Wilco
[ ] The Exploding Hearts
Total = 2

PUNK

[ ] Rancid
[x] NOFX
[ ] Bad Religion
[x] Misfits
[ ] Anti-Flag
[ ] Sex Pistols
[ ] Alkaline Trio
[ ] Dropkick Murphys
[ ] Pennywise
[x] Millencolin
[ ] Operation Ivy
[ ] Descendents
[ ] Dead Kennedys
[x] AFI
TOTAL = 4

POP PUNK

[x] blink-182
[x] Green Day
[ ] New Found Glory
[ ] Good Charlotte
[ ] Relient K
[ ] Sum 41
[x] The Ataris
[ ] The Starting Line
[ ] Simple Plan
[x] The Offspring
[ ] Lagwagon
[ ] Box Car Racer
[ ] Motion City Soundtrack
TOTAL = 4

STREET PUNK

[ ] The Unseen
[ ] The Casualties
[ ] GBH
[ ] The Varukers
[ ] **** Sparrer
[ ] The Virus
[ ] The Exploited
[ ] Sham 69
[ ] Tilly and the Wall
[ ] Lower Class Brats
[ ] Clit 45
[ ] U.S. Bombs
[ ] Leftöver Crack
[ ] Subhumans
[ ] Anti-Nowhere League
TOTAL = 0

CRUST PUNK

[ ] Amebix
[ ] Aus-Rotten
[ ] His Hero Is Gone
[ ] Nausea
[ ] Crass
[ ] From Ashes Rise
[ ] Skitsystem
[ ] Rudimentary Peni
[ ] Extreme Noise Terror
[ ] Tragedy
[ ] Wolf Parade
[ ] Anti-Product
[ ] Behind Enemy Lines
TOTAL = 0

RAP

[ ] Ying Yang Twins
[ ] Bubba Sparxxx
[ ] Paul Wall
[x] Jay-Z
[ ] Nas
[ ] DMX
[ ] Ice Cube
[ ] 2Pac
[ ] Cypress Hill
[ ] Ludacris
[ ] lil jon
[x] Eminem
[x] 50 Cent
[x] Kanye West
[ ] Bow Wow
[ ] Wu-Tang Clan
TOTAL = 4

HIP-HOP

[ ] Dilated Peoples
[ ] Mos Def
[ ] Atmosphere
[ ] Sage Francis
[ ] Talib Kweli
[ ] Aesop Rock
[ ] Blackalicious
[ ] Souls of Mischief
[ ] MF Doom
[ ] Jurassic 5
[ ] Jedi Mind Tricks
[ ] Common
[ ] Gang Starr
[ ] A Tribe Called Quest
[ ] Ghostface
[ ] Pete Rock
[ ] De La Soul
[ ] Necro
[ ] Immortal Technique
[ ] Ill Bill
[ ] Gym Class Heroes
TOTAL = 0

SKA

[ ] Streetlight Manifesto
[x] The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
[ ] Big D and the Kids Table
[ ] The Toasters
[ ] Goldfinger
[ ] The Aquabats
[x] Reel Big Fish
[ ] Fortunado
[ ] Skankin' Pickle
[ ] Madness
[ ] The Skatalites
[ ] Voodoo Glowskulls
[ ] Five Iron Frenzy
[ ] Tip The Van
[ ] Stealing From Peter
[ ] The Specials
[ ] Catch 22
TOTAL = 2

CLASSIC ROCK

[x] The Doors
[x] The Beatles
[x] The Rolling Stones
[x] The Clash
[x] The Who
[x] Aerosmith
[x] Black Sabbath
[ ] The Kinks
[ ] Kiss
[ ] Ramones
[x] Pink Floyd
[x] Led Zeppelin
[ ] Heart
[x] Guns N' Roses
[x] Jimi Hendrix
TOTAL = 11

90's ALTERNATIVE

[x] Sublime
[x] CAKE
[ ] Spin Doctors
[x] The Smashing Pumpkins
[ ] Gin Blossoms
[ ] Alice in Chains
[x] Soundgarden
[ ] Toad the Wet Sprocket
[ ] 311
[x] Live
[x] Bush
[ ] Third Eye Blind
[x] Goo Goo Dolls
[ ] Barenaked Ladies
[x] Counting Crows
[x] No Doubt
[x] Nirvana
TOTAL= 10

INDUSTRIAL

[ ] KMFDM
[ ] Ministry
[x] Nine Inch Nails
[ ] Laibach
[ ] Einstürzende Neubauten
[ ] Skinny Puppy
[ ] Front Line Assembly
[ ] VNV Nation
[ ] Crossbreed
[ ] :Wumpscut:
[ ] Throbbing Gristle
[ ] Hocico
[ ] Assemblage 23
[ ] Front 242
[ ] Funker Vogt
[ ] Psyclon Nine
[ ] Suicide Commando
[ ] Grendel
[ ] Nitzer Ebb
[ ] Haujobb
[ ] The Birthday Massacre
[ ] Mortiis
TOTAL = 1

ELECTROCLASH

[x] Ladytron
[ ] Fischerspooner
[ ] Peaches
[ ] Adult.
[ ] Freezepop
[x] Daft Punk
[x] Goldfrapp
[ ] Shiny Toy Guns
[ ] Clear Static
[ ] The Faint
[ ] The Knife
[ ] She Wants Revenge
[ ] Chicks on Speed
[ ] LCD Soundsystem
[ ] Dirty Sanchez
[ ] Le Tigre
TOTAL = 3

ELECTRONICA

[x] The Chemical Brothers
[x] The Prodigy
[x] Moby
[ ] The Crystal Method
[x] Aphex Twin
[x] Basement Jaxx
[ ] Juno Reactor
[ ] Amon Tobin
[ ] Orbital
[ ] Paul Oakenfold
[x] UNKLE
[x] Tricky
[ ] Benny Benassi
[ ] Photek
[ ] Roni Size
[ ] LTJ Bukem
[ ] Boom Bip
TOTAL = 7

Total=85

Coles Online Test

2007-04-05T15:58:00.000+10:00

Owned.

Enemy Territory - Quake Wars

2007-04-04T16:40:00.000+10:00

I found this interesting interview with the lead designer from Splash Damage, the developers of Enemy Territory - Quake Wars. Gives a nice insight into how the teamplay and scoring aspects of the game work, and some cool server features, such as voting to balance the teams according to scores. Theres a little bit of gameplay footage, but all of which has been released before, so nothing new.

7 days - No games & the job that didn't work out

2007-04-04T11:11:00.000+10:00

Job

So my first day at the new job was yesterday. I was quite displeased with how it went. The warehouse was rather dirty and unorganised. The customer service that I got to witness throughout the day was very rude and blunt. They tended to speak Japanese to each other in front of me... So I was just standing there going ...

After we "closed" at 6:30, I spent almost an hour counting shit and not getting paid for it. Considering the shit pay I was getting in the first place, doing unpaid overtime after such a long and boring day was fucked. So in essence, I told the owner it wasn't for me, and I drove home.

7 days - No games

The main point of this post is actually that I'm giving up gaming for a week. I feel as if when I'm at home, I tend to play games rather than doing other things like chores or looking for work. I should be getting out there and doing stuff! I feel if I can play no games for a week, I will find it easier to focus on what the important things are in the future.

Right now, I really want to play a game of something, but I'm not going to.

I will probably make a post every day to say what I have been doing.

Got a job

2007-04-02T21:04:00.000+10:00

It has been up and down since I moved to Sydney 7 weeks ago. Had a few job interviews but to no avail. Finally I snagged one! And somewhere I'd like to work too.

I had the interview at MSY Computers today at 3pm. I'd never seen a computer store like it. Its like you're at a computer fair, but theres only the one vendor. There were boxes everywhere of computer gear (printers, cases, etc), and red gaff tape in the shape of arrows on the ground, indicating the direction in which to queue up.

The interview consisted of a well dressed asian man asking me questions from a list, and writing down some extra problems for me to solve. The only one that gave me any troubles was a question regarding some gear he circled on their daily price list. He wanted to know what hardware wasn't compatible with each other, which was hard considering it was just model numbers. I worked it out once he gave me several hints.

He told me there were 5 people to interview, and that he would take a few days to let me know the result. Turned out, he rang me 2 hours later and told me I got the job!

So I start tomorrow, on shitty pay for 3 months while on probation, then decent pay after that. The hours are 10:30 until 6:30, so thats not too bad. It seems like a pretty laid back job, but we'll see how it goes.

Downtime (Sort of)

2007-03-31T12:57:00.000+10:00

Well..

The last few days my blog hasn't been able to load for me, but was for others. According to my generous host, DigitalChild himself, he has two servers online. For some reason my ISP started directing me to the secondary host, which had a simple html page that I wrote in notepad ages ago, with simple links to songs I had uploaded.

I might be moving to another server, but that doesn't really concern anyone. Nevertheless, its working again now.

I plan to add a music player here which will play the songs I uploaded to my music blog, so look out for that.

Transport Tycoon Deluxe

2007-03-18T22:04:00.000+11:00

Transport Tycoon has been one of my all time favourite games ever since it came out, which was a long time ago! If you don't know what it is, its a strategy game centred around transporting passengers and/or goods from one place to another. You can use trains, trucks, buses, boats...whatever tickles your fancy. Check out some screenshots.

Now...OpenTDD is a rework that has been out for a long while. Its made possible because the source code of Transport Tycoon was released a while back. The best thing about OpenTTD is that it runs on all major platforms (Windows, Linux and Mac) which is great for me since I have all those running at one time or another. It has many other benefits over the original game, which you can read here. You can download it there too. Thats only the OpenTDD files though, you still need files which you can grab out of the Transport Tycoon Deluxe game, for download here. And its all legal, because its now considered Abandonware.

I must admit I've racked up thousands of hours playing this game, trying to get the perfect train system or making millions every year from an efficient airport setup. So if you do give this game a go, beware, it is addictive.

Also, if you do find it enjoyable but a little outdated, you could always buy Locomotion, the very belated followup. (Only for Windows though)

Automatic Updates

2007-03-17T11:52:00.000+11:00

How far must Microsoft go to annoy people? Automatic updates were annoying enough, popping up every 5 minutes prompting me to restart after it had installed some "Critical update".

So now it seems there's a new way... Instead of asking me if I want to restart, I say no, and it just stops asking me, it now has a timer. Once the timer reaches zero, it restarts your computer automatically.

The first time I experienced this, I clicked the "Restart later" button, hoping that the next time it came up, it wouldn't have a timer. So off I went to have lunch, leaving my computer downloading some rather large files that I wanted off BT. While enjoying my lunch I hear the chime of Windows signing me out for a restart.

So then, I had to log back into Windows, reopen Azureus, and jump at the back of the queue for a good seeder, another hour or so of downloading ensues.

Gg Microsoft.

Gg.

Mum's Birthday and Mercedes Benz

2007-03-17T00:51:00.001+11:00

Thursday night was my mother's birthday, so Kristen and I drove back to Newcastle for dinner with the family. Two relatives from Holland are over, I got introduced to them and said "Hey, how you going?" and I get told "They can't speak any English". As if they would come to Australia and not understand "How you going?".

My Aunty is going deaf, doesn't know it, and therefore is very loud. She seemed very drunk although we were only there for like 30 minutes. When I asked her how much she'd had, she goes "A glass and a half [of wine]", I laughed.

Everyone was going crazy taking photos every two seconds. I look no different to the last 30 times you photographed me, lol.

My brother got a new Alfa Romeo 159. Its nice. He was like "I'm the only one in Australia with this paint job, and this interior". Did look good though. It runs on diesel, and the sound of the engine reminded me of my Opa's old Mercedes Benz. Was a nice feeling.

When my Opa moved to Australia during the depression following WWII, he always wanted a Mercedes Benz. I imagine he must have worked so hard to get one. I can't say I know much about his life, but I do respect what he went through to raise his family in Australia. What I do know is, that he sent my Oma, and their kids to Australia first, while he stayed in Holland working until he could afford himself to move as well.

That went a little off topic, didn't it?