It's been awhile..

Well, it's been almost two months since I took the time to write (technically speaking - type) anything of real substance. I'd like to use the excuse that I've been busy. Which would be partially true. I've been working the same amount as usual. However - you see, the hours aren't exactly the most accommodating for relaxing writing time. To be honest, I don't really know which hours are good hours to write. Often there have been things I'd like to have said to people, but I felt slightly apathetic. Nothing inspired me to write.

A lot has happened over the past two months, I suppose. As far as working in New York goes, much is the same. I've gone into the city a few more times since the last time. Met some interesting characters. On one occasion a friend and I only ended up getting back on the train home at 6am. I have to say, it has been a long time since I've done anything like that. Probably since high school. For some reason, at the time (possibly due to our levels of intoxication) we found it hilarious that I sat next to train commuters (most likely on their way to work in the morning) who had fallen asleep, and pose in some ridiculous manner. See below:

I'm officially in the system for applications for the University of Cape Town (UCT). I wrote the entry test, and sent in my end of high school marks, both of which are relatively important. If I do get in, it's going to be a close call. I didn't do as well as I should have in high school. *sigh*

In any case, if I don't happen to get into UCT, I'll be taking a year to study through the University of South Africa (UNISA) instead. Hopefully after that year, I'll re-apply to UCT and get in - second time lucky. With a year of tertiary education under my belt and - hopefully - several good marks that could translate into credit towards UCT, my application next year will be more likely accepted than this year. Of course, there's still a small chance I might get into UCT this year. I'm going to write a motivational letter, and get reference letter from some of my employers in the past 3 years since I finished school, as well as my previous teachers, all of which I hope will have good things to say about me. After sending in these references and my letter, my chances MIGHT improve, albeit not by much.

So - things are starting to move on a bit with regards to school, which is always good, right? Either way, I think I'll either be at UCT or UNISA next year. Cross fingers and hold thumbs for UCT though.

Hmm, what else have I been up to. I saw a Coldplay concert in New Jersey.

It was quite something. I don't have much footage of it because I forgot my camera (I know right - idiot!) but you can take my word that it was an amazing, unforgettable experience. Plus, it was awesome seeing an old family friend back from South Africa. I miss those friends. I'm approaching a year now, away from my old friends and family.

I'm also in the process of applying for my British visa. If all goes to plan, I can save enough money to travel around England and Ireland during October, November and December, before I "settle down" into the varsity lifestyle. I guess I see it as my last real chance to be free, and fill the beast that lives within me, that secretly desires to travel for the rest of his life.

Saw my first live baseball game. To be honest, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. The actual game that is. The atmosphere and stadium were amazing, totally blew me away. I was literally speechless when I finished walking the stairs, and stared onto the open field, with thousands of crazed fans screaming and shouting. Not the most complimentary pictures but oh well.

Watched a whole lot of decent movies recently, both on and off screen. I have a cinema buddy here, someone who is as enthusiast about going to the cinema as I am. If I could go three times a week - I would. I saw The Dark Knight Rises (which was epic), Total Recall (the Colin Farrell version - also pretty good, I'm a sucker for futuristic sci-fi movies), Brave (really cute, funny, and worth my time completely), Savages (very explicit, both in the violent and sex scenes - not that I minded at all, in fact I admired the direction that was chosen with most scenes, but you have been warned - don't take your kids or young siblings to this movie). I've also seen several movies recently, that have been out for awhile, but the most notable was The Hunger Games. I'd been waiting to watch it for ages, after reading the first book I'm pretty much hooked to the series. The only reason I haven't continued is because of my lack of free time. But come October, that series is gonna be read and reread by yours truly. Also - The Lucky One was pretty good. If you haven't given it a watch I'd recommend it to all, if merely to please your inner romantic. Makes you think about fate, and how sometimes life takes us where we need to be to meet those that we end up falling madly and deeply in love with.

I've been obsessed with buying nerdy and funny shirts recently. On my next entry I'll upload them all, but for now I'll show you my favourite, and also the only one I have online at this moment in time. I bought this shirt for a close friend and she's been so rude, hasn't worn it once.

I purchased a high definition video camera, specifically to start filming. I don't know what I'm going to film, but I know that I just have to start, somewhere. I have been feeling this urge to film, and get all my ideas out there. So I took a few dollars (ok - more than a few) out of my wallet to pay for a camera, lens and memory card. It arrives late this week. I simply cannot wait. I might actually make a short documentary about New York and the people I've known, met, live and work with before I go back to South Africa. We'll see.

For those interested, this was what I purchased:

Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens


I've been told that the brand (Canon) was a good choice. I did do quite a bit of research, and looked at a few different options, but ultimately this was my final choice. Let's hope it was a good one. Simply CANNOT wait till it arrives.

My internet just completely fucked out. I lost about 15 minutes of writing, because of the fact that I have to share with several different people and it just cuts out when it feel like. *sigh*. I don't even feel like repeating myself, because it won't be eloquent or genuine, but I'll try do my best.

My sister, Kathryn, recently asked me to download some music for her, so that when I get back to SA she can have this huge collection of soft rock, acoustic, and indie rock. God, I love her taste in music. It's in the genes, haha. Anyway, one of the bands she asked me to get was Manchester Orchestra - which I had previously not been acquainted with. I listened to some of their stuff, and it was decent, but nothing amazing. By pure chance however, I stumbled upon some music that Andy Hull had created and written, as a solo side project. He is the lead singer songwriter, rhythm guitarist for Manchester Orchestra. I fell in love immediately. His side project is called "Right Away, Great Captain!". If you'd like some more info, click here.

I'm going to share my two favourites (so far!), because sharing is caring.

Like Lions Do:

Gasoline Family:

They have many more great songs, but I'd encourage you to do a bit of exploring yourself. Buy some of their music. Appreciate good music where appreciation is due. I pre ordered the new Mumford and Sons cd. So very excited :D

Probably one of my all time favourite bands. On a relative note, I'll be watching Bob Dylan live, in less than half a month - assuming all goes to plan. YAY.

So, I had several other paragraphs before my internet dropped, and I lost all of it. I'm sorry but it's almost 3am and I'm exhausted. I feel like I owe something. More of a description of the past two months of my life. Even if it's just myself that I owe it to. But I really am simply too tired. I'll try make my next entry when I get my camera, in a few days. Time to watch some tutorials on my editing software. Hollywood - here I come (haha, yeah right!).

-Mike

When you move me, everything is GROOVY

It's been over three weeks since I've written anything - at least on this blog. Not quite sure why that is. I guess I figured that if I really wanted to say something, then I would. And up until now, I haven't needed to say anything. Although - to a certain extent, quite a bit has happened in the past few weeks.

Since we last spoke (or at least since I spoke, in this monologue I refer to as a blog) several new arrivals at my current workplace have occurred. It's always nice seeing new faces, meeting new people, being exposed to different viewpoints and opinions. Even if you don't agree with them. Sometimes I enjoy being challenged, at least in intellect and opinion. Life would be relatively boring without some form of intellectual stimulation. I guess that's a good description of what I've missed the most since high school. "Intellectual stimulation". I miss that feeling of originally being wrong, but later realising your mistake and learning from it - ultimately being consistently more correct due to aforementioned mistake. More on my pursuit of stimulation later (intellectual or otherwise).

I went into the city yesterday for the second time since I've arrived in New York. We spent the whole day doing absolutely everything we could. "We" being myself and a good friend of mine, Richard. There's actually a funny story about how Rich and I met. When travelling around Ireland, almost 2 years ago, a friend of mine was good friends with Rich, and I met him in my travels, but since then I hadn't seen him. Then in February this year, when I briefly visited Ireland to see a very close person to me, Rich helped me out. He wasn't actually in the city I arrived in (Cork) - however he organised a friend of his to pick me up and take me to where I needed to go. He helped me out in a tight situation, and I was - and still am - always thankful for that. Then a week or so ago he told me he was also in New York, and we immediately made plans to meet up, as he hadn't been into NYC yet. Unfortunately, I don't own a car in the US, so now it was my turn to organise with one of my friends to pick him up from the bus station, and in turn get him to where he needed to be (my place). If there is a god, then he surely is sniggering at the series of coincidences. Or perhaps it's just karma. Guess I'll never know.

We did everything we could in the limited time we had. I presented to Rich the experience that is Starbucks. We both were fortunate enough to witness the underground subway for the first time. We went way to the "Top of the Rock" (aka the Rockefeller building) and saw the city 70 floors up. We went to enjoy the broadway show entitled "Harvey", which blew both of us away. It was the first time either of us had experienced anything like that. The lead actor - Jim Parsons (also known as Sheldon Cooper by many from "The Big Bang Theory") was truly amazing, however all of the actors were exceptionally marvelous. I recommend this show to anyone from all avenues of life. Neither Rich nor myself are particularly art/theater inclined, however the show is so funny you won't stop laughing from start to finish. Central Park was amazing too, as expected. All in all, it was a great - albeit exhausting - day. To finish it off, we ended up having a pizza in Little Italy as the sun was setting (I know right - we're practically two walking cliches).

Here are some of the better pictures from the day:

Outside the David Letterman building - I'm a big fan of his show

Rich in Times Square for the first time

Epic "Top of the Rock" shot

THIS GUY - is EPIC

A cool Central Park shot - contrasting the bustling city and the thriving park

Other than Rich arriving, I've made several new friends, and developed quite a few new relationships. We (me and some of my new buddies) went to see "Prometheus" in the cinema about a week back. I wasn't amazingly impressed to be honest. It wasn't exactly what I expected when I saw the trailer (I'll link it here for you).

It is definitely a film that everyone has to see and make their mind up about though. Don't allow my despondency to influence your decision on whether or not you'll go watch it.

On a relatively similar note, I've discovered another director/producer who seems to have done quite a few films that have inspired me - even more than I originally thought possible. His name is Lewis Bennet.

Now - unfortunately - I cannot link you directly to his videos as they aren't uploaded on youtube. But I would encourage anyone and everyone to check out his profile on Vimeo, located over HERE.

Some of his short films that I thoroughly enjoyed include the Sandwich Nazi (https://vimeo.com/43312066), Feet (https://vimeo.com/36318497), Parrot Island (https://vimeo.com/37871771) and Asian Gangs (https://vimeo.com/41227051). The rest of his short films are very good too, and you can view all of them via his profile.

Everyone loves Adele, right? I can't get over her live performance ability. I recently watched her live dvd (Royal Albert Hall), and was so impressed that I felt inclined to actually purchase it (yes I spent real $$ on something that I could easily acquire online for free, unbelievable - right?!). Although it wasn't for me, I sent it to someone else who might appreciate it as much as I did.

There are many points in the DVD that move me, especially when Adele talks in between songs. Here is an example of how she really is a such a pure and good person (at least in my mind). To quote her little speech "I'm not bitter anymore. I'm proud of him". I can relate to her words, as I'm sure many of you can.

On that musical note, I downloaded the new Linkin Park album recently.

I've been trying to analyse it, playing through the whole album, deciding whether or not I like certain songs, etc. It is similar to some of their new stuff, but also similar to some of their older stuff, which makes it quite unique in my mind. I would recommend all LP fans to go out and buy it (or be cheap like me and download it [I will later buy it - when I see it in a store, I always do that with good musicians]) even if just to make their own minds up over the album. My favourite song so far has to be "Powerless". It resonates with me - for what reason I am uncertain of.

Another song that I simply CANNOT get out of my head is Drive By - Train. I won't say anything else other than - you try listening to it and not singing along. It's impossible. I myself, tend to both sing AND dance.

Last but not least, the University of Cape Town application process is slowly but surely progressing. Within the next few days I'll be submitting some documents that will allow me to write the "National Benchmark Tests" (NBT's) in a country outside of South Africa. Thus allowing UCT to have some form of an idea of my current capabilities, being out of school for three or so years now. My boss is going to invigilate the exam, haha. Poor him, he has to sit there and watch me write for 2-3 hours. At least once it's over I will be able to continue the application and hopefully within the next month or so I'll know whether I will be studying at the University of Cape Town in 2013. Fingers crossed, holding thumbs.

I realise this was quite a lengthy entry, I probably should write more consistently, but I need the motivation to do it, sorry folks.

Till next time.

Mike

New York, New York

Yes, I have arrived. In fact - I've been here since last week Friday. Sorry for the lack of blog entries, been relatively busy recently. When I arrived on Friday, it was a long day with all of the paper work, the HR business, sexual harassment videos, workplace safety, etc. For those of you who have worked in any professional environment you'll know what I'm referring to. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday it was Memorial Day weekend here in the States, so we were tossed right into the frying pan (not sure if that's the right expression) and as such it's been pretty hectic. But the club itself is really cool. It seems a lot more laid back than my previous club in Florida. The people are much younger, and the general vibe is pretty chilled. The accommodation is "decent". I mean - it's simply a bed and bathroom that I've been provided with in my room, but I guess it's free so - can't complain right? Plus, the view is awesome. Here's the balcony view:

 Being half an hour outside of NYC itself allows us to enjoy the "countryside" while still getting into the city with relative ease. In fact, on my day off (Tuesday), I went into the city for the first time - ever. It was so overwhelmingly amazing. I couldn't keep my eyes on one thing for more than a minute because by that time something else had caught my attention. There was simply just SO much happening, everywhere. God, one day I hope to live in New York City. We took the train into the city, a mere half an hour. Here are some of the better pictures that were taken.

Grand Central Station

The famous Oyster Bar Restaurant

Times Square

Broadway Avenue

The Hard Rock Cafe

Celebratory Double Fist Pump

My favourite Times Square photo

Even though we did only stay five hours or so, the whole trip was amazing. I'm definitely going back next week. I LOVE NYC. Literally. You know - like those hoodies always say? [I <3 NYC].

Two days off was nice, got to spend sometime by the pool as well. The General Manager is pretty chilled here, he allows us to use the gym and fitness centre once most of the members have left (+- 9-11pm in the evening) so hopefully it'll be motivation enough for me to actually get fit. Going to set myself some goals, and try to get in there for at least half an hour every day for the next six months.

The people that I work and live with here are also really awesome. Very friendly. I'm looking forward to this season, I'm optimistic. Currently listening to a song by Jason Mraz that actually perfectly depicts how I feel, so I'm going to share that feeling with you guys. Here's "Living In The Moment":

"I will not waste my days

Making up all kinds of ways

To worry about all the things

That will not happen to me"

Peace in my heart - peace in my soul. This is what I strive to feel every day from here onward. Sure, this might not always be possible. But for a large majority of the time I believe that it is achievable. 

Have a good week folks, I'm starved so I'm gonna see what snacks I can find lying around, haha.

Cheers.

Mike

Love is blindness

The song is so brilliantly suited for the trailer. Two days ago a trailer was released, for a film attempt at the novel entitled "The Great Gatsby". I haven't read the book yet, but after watching the trailer I intend to purchase it as soon as I relocate (if I order it off amazon it will only arrive after I've moved, no point in doing that.)

Anyway, onto the trailer [I've watched it about 5 times, enjoy] :

The trailer leaves me with such chills. I love trailers that can do that. When she says "I wish I'd done everything on earth with you.." the ambiance and general emotion that the trailer and score provoke almost make me feel like she's speaking to me when she says it. Very good choice of song for the trailer. In case you were wondering, the artist is Jack White, doing a cover of a song originally sung by U2, Love is Blindness. An appropriate song to set the mood, at least in my opinion.

Ever since Inception I've had a weird fascination over Leonardo Di Caprio. I believe he was good in films like Titanic, Romeo and Juliet and the Beach but I also believe that with age his appearance and acting abilities have matured to the point of where I think he has only recently reached his peak, such as in films like Inception and Shutter Island. I simply cannot wait for this film (and book).

Got the news this morning that the visa was just approved. Finally, jeez. Talk about taking their time. I've been informed I will almost certainly be flying tomorrow (Friday). I cannot wait. The excitement is overwhelming. Although I will miss all that has past, and the relationships I've developed, but I also welcome the change and the potential for new experiences and new relationships. I may not have internet up for awhile (considering I arrive in NY over a weekend and that it may take a few working days to get net set up, depending on the accommodation I'm provided with). This sucks, because a lot of my day is taken up with gaming, and writing/blogging/publishing, both need internet to work :D

I wrote a very small piece for a small blogging site, specifically on gaming. For those of you who either game and/or play DotA you may [or may not] appreciate the blog entry.

You can find it located here: http://www.dogamingblog.co.za/dota-2-in-south-africa-my-thoughts-on-the-dgl/

Let me know what you think of it, and remember to rate it (by clicking on how many stars you think it deserves). If you think it's good, give it a good rating, and vice versa. I'd love to see what people think about my gaming blogs, because I believe that's where a large amount of passion lies, at least for me personally. I love writing/blogging almost as much as I love gaming.

Another awesome trailer I recently viewed was the for The Dark Knight Rises, the third and final movie in Chris Nolan's epic trilogy (same director that did Inception).

This also leaves me with that chilling feeling. So many good movies coming out this year. I'M GONNA GO CRAZY WITH EXCITEMENT!

So I've begun packing all my shit together (not that I have much other than my clothes and pc) and will be saying goodbye to everyone tonight. Bit of a weird feeling, however I think the excitement overpowers the sadness of saying goodbye, so that's alright.

All in all, I've loved my time here, taking all the good times and bad times into consideration I definitely would do it all over again. But now a new adventure must begin, and I simply "cannot wait" [I notice that I seem to use this phrase quite a lot, haha].

I'll leave you today with a song by one of my more recent favourite artist - introduced to me by an ex girlfriend coincidentally - Damien Rice, playing live in London. I particularly enjoy the live version because it's so relaxed. So fun. So comfortable. I will endeavor to try see him live at some stage in the next few years.

Keep safe guys, enjoy your weekend.

Mike

Untitled

I can't seem to find inspiration to write anymore, for some reason. I apologise.

I'll leave you with this:

Brief Interlude

Nothing much has changed over the past 2 days however decided I'd post an entry before I left for my family/fishing trip. After I fly in the morning I probably won't make an entry until late Sunday. Had another goodbye party. These things are starting to get depressing, haha. More than half of the original group of friends have left. Within the next week or two the rest will leave too. But it was a good night of celebration, I don't need to reiterate my point on how much I'm going to miss these peeps.

*waves goodbye*

Bye Filipino Princess :D

 (you can click the pictures to enlarge)

Can't wait for the next time I see some live music. I'm hoping I'll find some live music in NYC, from what I've heard the nightlife there can be pretty amazing. Here's an example of one of my favourite bands - Kings of Leon - playing live at the o2 Arena, can you imagine the feeling of being part of that crowd?

Early flight in the morning, don't really have much else to say. See you in a few days.

Mike

Every beginning has an end

Yes, my entry title is a cliche. A quote from the matrix. However, there is a lot of sense in the quote. Every thing in life that has a beginning, has an end. This could relate to anything, however in my case it relates specifically to my season working in Florida, USA. It's been a long season (six months) with it's ups and downs, both with work and personally, but the last few days have been really, really good. I had my last day of work on Sunday, and had my "staff appreciation party" the day after, on Monday (yesterday, technically speaking). It was mere coincidence that my last day happened to be after the staff party, so it almost felt like a send off. The last time I'd be on BallenIsles property would be at a party, haha! And it was awesome. It wasn't the type of party you may immediately assume (drinks, loud music, etc) but was still a great time. The food was great, the people were great, and the "activities" were pretty awesome. The club organised tournaments and events in several different categories. From attempting to hit a few balls around on the tennis courts, to trying to chip a golf ball into a specifically designated area, to randomly trying to be the first to eat a watermelon with your hands behind your back, all in all it was a good ol' time.

Just before the devouring begun

It was a close call, but Jeff managed to get through his in about a minute or so, I came in a close second (debatable), haha. Now Jeff walks around just yelling out "The Champ is here" after winning most of the days events. 

I find Karlo's face hilarious (the Peruvian guy), he looks so disappointment here, haha. 

Karlo's goodbye party, from left to right (Mharian, Andy, Ruby, Myself, Evguenia, Karlo)

Anyway, the closer I get to leaving, the more I realise how much I'm going to miss all these guys. They really have become my family for the past six months, for all intents and purposes. I've formed such bonds with so many of them, it's going to be difficult saying goodbye. Love you guys!

Much love to all of you guys!

Oh shit, look at the time. 2:50am. 10 minutes till the Diablo 3 servers (in the US) are opened. Gonna be amazing, so excited. I'm such a nerd, haha! I'll write till it gets to 3am, fair enough right? On that note though, it's funny the people that "liked" my status (simply: "DIABLO 3"). Funny because it's so many guys (and girls even) who I wouldn't have even thought would have any inclination towards gaming. I guess gaming is growing, oh yeah! [optimistic face]

This song isn't really relevant, but it just came up on my Pandora playlist and it reminded me so much of when I used to watch One Tree Hill (an awesome show by the way, probably one of the best romantic drama series ever produced). Brought back some good memories :)

Interesting how music always has that affect. It's pretty awesome. Certain music associated with certain events in my life. 

Another artist, which is heavily under-rated , is Jon Foreman. Most of you probably don't know him. He is another acoustic rock favourite of mine. I guess I just have a soft spot for them. Here's his best song (my opinion of course):

So on Thursday I fly to my Uncle and Aunt (family visit before New York) and I'm looking forward to it quite a bit. I mean, I usually look forward to it a lot, because both of them are amazing people, both very kind and generous, but my uncle has organised a "fishing" trip but it probably won't be much fishing, just chilling on his boat, having a relaxing time. I'm not that good at fishing, although my whole family is really into it, especially my dad, uncle and gran dad. They're like huge fishing enthusiasts, but I just enjoy the feeling of being out on the water, the peaceful rocking of the boat as the waves lap against its side. Looking forward to Thursday! 

Anyway, I've run out of things to say, although quite a bit has happened in the past few days since my last entry! I just can't really think at the moment because my mind is screaming "Diablo 3 guy!" So for now, I'm out. See you on the other side.

Mike

Happy Birthday

First and foremost, a very happy birthday to a very special person. She knows who she is and I hope that she has an amazing day and that she knows I love her very much and will always love her very much - whatever happens. 

Have you ever listened to a song that can provoke emotion? I'm guessing you answered yes. Usually these types of songs are the most important because it means that you're relating to the song and thus - you're experiencing emotions that both you and the artist/song-writer - and probably many other people out there - have experienced at some point or another. Whether the emotions are good, or whether they're bad, it honestly doesn't matter because it's better to feel any emotion than none at all. The following song amazes me because it has a unique effect on me. Many songs make me feel sad. Many make me feel happy. Most songs in general can provoke almost any feeling if the lyrics and artist work hard enough at trying to provoke that emotion. But not many - in fact hardly any - have ever made me feel both sad and happy, both worried and relaxed, both powerful and helpless, all at the same time. The following song I stumbled across on Pandora, by mere chance, and have since been obsessed about. Enjoy "Any Other Name" by Thomas Newman. 

Oh if you're wondering what Pandora is, it's a "radio website" located here however I believe it is only located in the US, which kinda sucks.

I've always been a big NigaHiga fan, ever since his old videos such as "How to be a ninja", "How to be gangster", "How to be emo" etc. He's a hugely entertaining guy. A few months ago (ok well - 11 months ago to be precise) he released an awesome music video of an awesome song, namely "Nice guys". I loved it, so much so that I bought the song off iTunes. His music is very comedic, kinda like Julian Smith (if you can't remember who this is or don't know who this is, check my previous entries), yet he still actually has the ability to hold a tune, and a catchy tune at that. A relatively recent music video he released (March 2012) is of the same style to "Nice guys", both of them quite funny and still actually enjoyable in terms of the lyrics and musical composition. I'ma link both of them for you, hopefully you'll subscribe to his youtube channel (located here : http://www.youtube.com/user/nigahiga) and view some of his older, more classic videos, which also deserve praise in their own right.

Hunger games. It's all I've been seeing recently. Alright, I'm slightly late with the hype, but the trailer does interest me. Plus it's another trilogy (I love trilogies) that I can read. If you haven't heard much about this, I recommend you do some researching/google-ing/youtube-ing to check out the finer details. A close friend of mine informed me that she simply loves both the book and film series, and she has similar taste to me, so I'll be giving out a review on the first book soon. I've decided I'd like to read the books (at least the first one) before I watch the film though, so I'm saving that for later (the film). Can't order the book off of Amazon though - which kinda sucks - because I'm moving soon and I don't want it to arrive after I move states. I'll probably either order it online when I'm in NY, or I'll simply buy it from a bookstore if I pass one by in the next few weeks. Here's the movie trailer:

Two more working days left! I'm pretty ampt. I'll only be moving to NY in a week or two, but still. Having a few days off work will be nice. Less stress, more chill, haha. Hope all of you out there are keeping it chilled, appreciated the things and/or people in your life that make you smile. No worries - Hakuna Matata, right?

God, I loved The Lion King when I was younger. In fact I still do. This calls for a song! In the shower at least.. (starts taking off clothes while singing along with Timon and Pumba)



Mike

Scaffolding

This one's going to be short and sweet, not having the best of days however wanted to share two "beauties" I came across this evening.

First is a poet that a close friend of mine introduced to me. Namely, Seamus Heaney. I haven't read much of his work [yet] however one of his poems has stuck with me. The title of this entry seemed appropriate, as it is also the name of the poem. This was one of the first poems he ever wrote, and is relate-able (to myself at least) because he refers to scaffolding almost as if it's referring to the bonds that keep a strong relationship together, even though the difficult times when the joints are tested.

Scaffolding:

Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding; 
Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points, 
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints. 
And yet all this comes down when the job’s done 
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone. 

[this part's my favourite]

So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be 
Old bridges breaking between you and me 
Never fear. 
We may let the scaffolds fall 
Confident that we have built our wall.

Here is a very short clip of him reading the poem.

The other beauty I merely stumbled upon is a song by an Italian singer Sayaka Alessandra. I was browsing through blogs because I felt like hearing what other potentially lost souls felt like blogging about on blogger.com and happened upon a woman who is the mother of this Italian singer. 

Here is where her blog is located: http://saucysiciliana.blogspot.com/

She indirectly introduced me to the wonders of her daughter. I haven't listened to many of her songs [yet] but the one I did listen to over and over because I enjoyed it so much. Even though I don't understand a word of it, haha!

Very talented and very beautiful girl. 

Goodnight folks.

Mike

Promise me, we'll be alright

As you may well know from previous entries I'm a big Mumford & Sons fan. I'd say they are probably my favourite British acoustic rock band. If not simply my all time favourite "light" (I guess light rock is relative to the type of rock you usually listen to) rock band. They released their debut album, Sigh No More  to great success, and have since toured around the states, only now touring around the UK and Europe. Towards the end of their US tour they brought forward some new material - unheard songs which will probably be on their upcoming album(which has no release date as of yet).

One of the more popular, yet-to-be released songs from this new album, is "Ghosts" or "Ghosts we knew" (even Mumford and Sons don't have an actual title for the song yet). I've been listening to it over and over while typing this, enjoying the emotion that throbs deeply within the song (that description sounded somewhat sexual however I will choose to ignore that and move along swiftly, haha). It's not as optimistic as previous songs by them, but definitely as beautiful, if not more so - than some of their previous work. Take a listen here and let me know what you think.

The lyrics are somewhat touching. The person who wrote these songs and felt these emotions clearly felt pain but also believed in redemption and hope. Something I guess I'm holding onto at this exact moment, perhaps that's why I enjoy the song so much, haha. I especially enjoy the four last lines of every verse;

"So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light
Cause oh that gave me such a fright
But I will hold as long as you like
Just promise me we’ll be alright"

So I have six working days left in Florida, at my current country club, BallenIsles. After six months, time does seem to be going incredibly slowly. I yearn for this new adventure. New people, new places, new work environment, new things to experience, and hopefully new inspiration.

My last day is the thirteenth, I don't know when I actually fly up north to New York just yet, but I will be thankful for the few days rest - hopefully I can spend it with my uncle and aunt in Tampa. Whenever I seek advice or love, family is always the place where I can find it - in unlimited amounts. I miss my family back in South Africa every single day, so the fact that I have a part of my family here is very peace provoking (is that even a word/phrase? Oh well I just used it). 

I sent a package with FedEx recently. I hope it arrives. It's on FedEx priority, and it's going from the United States to Ireland, they said it should take two days. I bloody well hope so, it cost a fortune. I'm hoping it arrives before a special someones birthday. I've never really sent parcels overseas before. Sure - I've purchased items, and had them delivered but this is different, especially considering I'm expecting it to go from one continent to another in the space of two days. Well, fingers crossed, it'll arrive safe and sound and my message - and it's contents - may arrive safely. 

I've nearly finished The Inbetweeners season three. I'm going to be so sad once it's finished. At least I'll have the movie to watch, but after that I'll have to find some new Brit comedy to keep my spirits sky high. A friend told me about "Little Britain" so I'll "acquire" that sometime soon. I don't know how long it'll take to get fast internet in my new apartment once I'm in New York, so I might need to stock up on some games/series/films for the time being. Hopefully I won't be inside TOO much, as I have said previously, I'd like to experience the culture and society that is New York. 

I'm also extremely excited for my ALL TIME favourite bands' new album. Linkin Park was the first artist I ever bought an album of. With my own cash. I can't wait for their new stuff. June 26th is when Living Things is set to be released. Their first single from the album, namely "Burn it down" I thoroughly enjoyed, and can't wait to hear what else they've come up with. People complain that they're changing their style too recklessly, but I believe every band has to change, and morph into what they feel comfortable with. As we both know, change is inevitable. Here's "Burn it down", enjoy.

This experimentation process they're busy with has actually brought forward a lot of relatively softer stuff, compared to their older songs. My favourite song from their previous album, "A Thousand Suns", is the song "The Messenger" which actually is a song that lifts me up every time I listen to it, without fail. It's also soft - even somewhat acoustic - yet it doesn't lack any of the emotion you felt in their previous work. You could even say it trumps some of their previous songs, with regards to the emotions you experience when you hear the lyrics synergizing with the instruments and rhythm of the song. At least in my opinion that is. We're all entitled to our own opinion, right? Perhaps because of who I think of when I listen to the song, this could be the reason why I enjoy playing it on repeat for half an hour at times, haha.

The other night I watched The Avengers at the cinema. 

Oh, my, god. What a film. Seriously. I haven't even watched Thor or Captain America, although I do have copies of both of them and will be watching them sometime soon after marveling (you see what I did there?) at how amazing and brilliant The Avengers truly was. It was even more funny than I thought it would be, with the whole cinema splitting at their sides in certain scenes. I would highly recommend everyone go watch this movie if you aren't doing anything this weekend. In fact, book the tickets now while you're online - go on, do it. With a rating of 8.8 on imdb, you know it's good. If you're still not convinced, how about the fact that the film has made roughly $640 million since it's release, only three days ago (although truth be told there was a world premiere on April 11th, however I'm sure that can't have made too much as far as box office $$ goes). Ok, so, you still don't believe me yet? Well watch the trailer yourself then, fools (try to ignore the fact that the TRAILER has 5 million views, haha).

Also on, on a "P.S" kinda note, I always appreciate feedback, whether it be good or bad, or comments and suggestions. If you liked reading this, why not click towards the bottom of the article "Share on facebook", or simply leave me a comment and tell me how great/awful my entries are. I really appreciate any acknowledgement of my writing ability, even if it's not good acknowledgement. At least it means people are reading these and some may be enjoying them. Have a good week guys, happy Monday, haha!

It's going to be hard saying goodbye to Florida. However I welcome the new adventure. NYC here I come.

Mike

Hope

"There will come a time, you'll see. With no more tears, and love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears. Get over your hill and see, what you find there. With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair."

Has to be some of the most inspiring lyrics I've listened to in a long time. Mumford and Sons really are one of the best acoustic bands in the history of everything.

The full song:

Definitely worth buying their album "Sigh No More". I loved every single song on it. Literally, some of the best folk rock you will ever listen to. Hope is a very special thing. And after listening to that album you will have bucket loads of hope. 

I miss her the most at night. I think at night, is when it's easiest for people to experience emotions at their full extreme. Whether they be positive or negative emotions. It's just you, your thoughts and the darkness. Unless you have someone else in your bed of course, haha. That's the obvious solution I guess, never sleep alone. Anyone need a bunk mate?

Time to show some appreciation for my family. My step mom is an amazing photographer and if you're from South Africa and are looking for a wedding photographer (or any photographer for that matter) I'd suggest you take a look at her website located here (click me). She is extremely friendly and yet also very professional. Even if you aren't looking for a photographer, why not take a gander at some of her work.

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (commonly known simply as "IZ") is another inspiring singer. He is very well known for his famous renditions of "Somewhere over the rainbow" and "What a wonderful world". Unfortunately, due to the fact that he was morbidly obese for almost all of his life, in June 1997 he was hospitalized and passed away due to multiple respiratory and weight related problems. His legacy still lives on, with his videos/songs being some of the most watched among even the most prominent youtube musicians, even though he died nearly 15 years ago. 

His most watched video has 68 million views which just goes to show you, hope is contagious. Here are "Somewhere over the rainbow" and "What a wonderful world" respectively. 

I got my offer letter today (well yesterday South African or EU/UK time). Even though I had been offered the job informally, this was an official letter which I signed and faxed back. With this official date, I organized for my last working day to be the 13th of May, which is Mother's Day coincidentally. I definitely need to find my mom a decent gift to show her my appreciation. She's always been there for me, like most moms will have been there for their children. And that deserves the highest form of appreciation. So with my last day being Mother's Day, I should have a few days off before I begin my journey to New York. I would like to try visit my Aunt and Uncle in Tampa, Florida - haven't seen family in awhile and kinda feel like maybe that would be a form of a release with all the shit that's happened the past month or so. You can never get enough of family. 

Diablo 3 comes out on the 15th of May though! So I might have to take my pc there or something, haha! So ampt for that to be released, already pre purchased and pre downloaded the game, so as the clock strikes midnight I'll be online, jamming! Not much else to say about it, haha, just thought I'd share my excitement. 

Don't really have much to say at this moment in time. I really only enjoying writing when I really have something passionate to write about, not merely writing for the sake of writing. So tonight I'm going to cut this entry relatively short. 

I love sunrises and sunsets.

They make me smile.

Maybe this'll try emulate that sense of appreciation for them.

Slow dancing in a burning room

John Mayer plays music with such passion. I love his music. As you can see by the entry title, I'm currently listening to his song "Slow dancing in a burning room" (the live in Los Angeles version) and just feeling pretty chilled. His songs always put me in that kinda mood. His cover version of Free Fallin' I especially love.

He's also pretty famous for songs such as "Waiting on the world to change", "Heartbreak Warfare", "Your body is a wonderland", "Gravity" and many others that I need not mention. However his version of "Free Fallin" sticks with me the most. Perhaps because - when I was little, say 7 or 8 - my dad used to drive both my sister and me to school. Those cold Johannesburg mornings. Back then we didn't own a cd player in the car, and he used to have old cassette tapes. I'd say this is where most of my musical taste and preferences originated from. He used to play the song "Free Fallin" by Tom Petty every few days and we all ended up either singing along or nodding our heads to the beat of the music in approval. It was difficult not to.

Here's the Tom Petty version (quite a large majority of people don't even realise it was originally done by him in 1989).

Enough about Tom Petty. A close friend of mine recommended an awesome new series to me, namely The Inbetweeners. I was a bit wary to begin with, because with British comedy I either love it or hate it. This though, I definitely love. It's highly entertaining, and pretty relate-able to those of you who have ever felt like you were/are an outcast. Definitely worth the watch. I've already finished watching the first season in 2 days, ha!

It's great to watch if you want to dictate the mood you're in, especially for my current circumstances. It puts me in such a happy mood. As you well know, I recently parted ways with the love of my life. This I'm slowly coming to terms with. Unfortunately however - it seems that when it rains, it pours. My aunt passed away a few days ago, I only found out yesterday via my sister. It really kinda surprised me, no one saw it coming. One day she was fine, the next day she was struggling to move and bedridden, the next day she was just...gone. Death is an interesting thing in life. We all are going to die at some stage, it's inevitable. Sure, that sounds pretty bleak, but let's be realistic. So it's difficult to be angry about it.

She really was an amazing person. To quote my facebook status :

"rip auntie shirley. your loving, kind soul will be missed. i know you will be with us in spirit. ♥"

She was definitely one of my favourite people in the world. Honestly, I only saw her once or twice every year or two. But when I did see her, she was so inspiring, so caring, so kind. It's difficult trying to come to grips with the fact that someone like that is suddenly no longer with us. I never even got to say goodbye, which kinda saddens me. However - with death - there really is nothing you can do to make yourself feel better. It doesn't even really matter what people say to you to try and console you, it simply matters that they were there. So thank you to those of you who were, I really appreciate it. I have made peace with it, although I will miss her forever.

On a similar note, my favourite Irishman around Union Square (my apartment complex) left us yesterday. That was pretty sad. He definitely raised most of our spirits whenever he cracked some wise ass joke or simply just spoke his mind. He was very opinionated, and got very passionate about proving his points. I can appreciate someone like that, and will definitely miss him. Good luck with you future endeavors Patrick.

Some group shots from his goodbye last night~

Two weeks left and I'll be outta here too. Slightly sad, but I will definitely be looking forward to it. "I'm so excite!"

On another British television note, An Idiot Abroad 3 has been confirmed. I'm so fucking happy about the announcement :D
I loved both seasons so far, and being a huge Karl Pilkington fan - this fits right onto my list of "awesome things I must watch". Click here for the actual announcement.

The more and more I think about it, the more realistic studying in South Africa seems. Not only will I be close to friends and family, it'll be much cheaper, easier to organise (no visa's, flights etc) and my dad has an empty apartment in Cape Town which I could use to get myself settled. Also - a big part of wanting to study in Ireland was, of course, the fact that the person I would hopefully see on a regular basis would be there, to share and experience life and love with on a daily basis. Now that that isn't exactly a certain option anymore, I'm swaying to the former option, with the latter being unlikely unless something drastic happens (with my current mindset/outlook).

Cape Town really is amazing. I miss the weather, the beaches, the people, the nightlife, everything. I better finish this off quickly because I'm fucking starved and my pizza is getting cold, plus the next two days I work consecutive double shifts (so I don't really want to stay up TOO late). In closing, matching up with my "Cape Town appreciation" theme, here is one of my favourite pictures of me in CT, on a hike up Lion's Head. Can't wait to do that hike again.

Almost seems like I'm walking on the clouds, wouldn't you agree? And yes, I do realise I'm as white as the clouds. I do not tan, such is my curse.

Goodnight ladies and gentlemen.