H20- Dealing with a water “crisis”

[In honour of World Water Day. Which was today!]

Think about your day and about the amount of times that you have used water. I showered, flushed the toilet, made some tea, did my laundry and washed my dishes. All of these activities used a lot of water. I only recently fully realized how important water was when Rhodes was struck by a 4-day water ‘crisis’. For four days we did not have any water and people were miserable (and smelly.)

I must admit that I was also quite moody about the situation. Res smelt bad due to the clogged toilets and I had to mission all the way to a friend’s digs just to shower. Every day it got worse and worse and we prayed for the water to come back. And it then it did. ‘Crisis’ over.

Once I was showered, it dawned on me how incredibly ungrateful we all were being. Our water came back. The only reason we missed it so much was because we knew what it felt like to have water. We knew what it was like to have flushing toilets and taps just across from our beds. We called it a water ‘crisis’ when there are woman in Ethiopia who have to walk one hour twice a day to collect water for basic things.

Water.org is an organisation founded in order to provide water sources for the 2.6 billion people across the globe that are truly going through a water crisis. That means that they do not have access to clean, safe water supplies. I would suggest you look them up in order to understand truly what they are all about.

(Fun Fact: Actor Matt Damon is one of the co-founders of Water.org. One of role models, Hank Green, is also actively involved.)

http://water.org/

Follow Hank Green's time Haiti:

A change in perspective

I don’t often use the word “epiphany” causally, and I certainly would not usually associate Friars (or St. Patrick's day) with any kind of epiphany, but last weekend I was hit with quite powerful moments of clarity after a series of unexpected conversations. A trilogy of enlightenment.

The first was a compliment received  from a person who I thought disliked me. Here was a person who I thought looked down on me. I did not expect their nice comments about one of my personal qualities. Suddenly their good qualities were revealed and I understood that my one dimensional view of them was quite incorrect.

 The second revelation was when I realized that I had severely misjudged a guy based on gossip about him and the people he hung around. I found myself sitting across from him at the bar and I could feel my scowl forming as he began to speak. I was quite unprepared for the friendly: “Hi, Elri.” Using someone’s name is a powerful thing. It means that you acknowledge them as a person. It means you listened. Long story short I ended having a lovely conversation with him. Turns out we have a lot in common.

I think the third conversation had the most profound effect on me. I ran into a fellow Writing kid (who isn’t Ashleigh) and we somehow landed up talking about our class and where we fit it.  I shocked to find out that I wasn’t the only one that felt like they didn’t clue about what they were doing. I was shocked to realize that I wasn’t the only one that felt like my opinions weren’t good enough to be voiced in front of the others. Let alone having my work read out. And I was shocked to realize that I wasn’t the only that felt like they didn’t belong. Ironically this person used to be someone who intimidated me. I thought they had their life sorted more than I did. Turns out they are just like me.

I’ve always had Ashes in Journ. We often tell each other that we would not survive Journ without each other. But not everyone has an Ashleigh.  If I look at our class it’s now clear to me that most of us are very good at hiding these feelings. Writing is a very intimate thing. It’s also quite lonely. As John Green put it:  “Writing is something you do alone. It’s a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story, but don’t want to make eye-contact while they do it.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." I know he was talking about the struggle of human beings to achieve their goals by both transcending and re-creating the past, but the image of boats beating against a current speaks to what we are going through. We are boats beating on against the current. Struggling just get a little ahead and not sink.  Maybe we should try beating on together.

It’s quite a calming thought to know that we are not alone.

(I know that this blog post is a little out of sync with the rest of my posts and it’s a little muddled, but moments of enlightenment usually are. I promised the person who inspired this change of perspective that I would write a blog about it, so I’m sticking to that promise.)

Why I write.

In a paper entitled “Why I write” George Orwell claimed that many writers write out of sheer egotism and from my experience as an aspiring writer I’d have to agree with Mr Orwell.  After all he was not merely an aspiring writer, but rather a great one.

Many, not all, writers have the desire to have their work recognised. The American writer William Faulkner is quoted as saying “Don’t be a writer. Be writing.” With respect to Orwell, I think Faulkner had a better point. It means nothing to simply call yourself a writer. It means something to write.

 Truth be told it’s not easy being a writer. It’s not easy stringing a bunch of words together like the charms on an expensive bracelet. Pluck one loose and the rest fall into a pile on the floor. Scattered pieces of something that used to be beautiful, but now has no meaning. We write simply because we can. We know how to. As difficult as this may seem to believe, writing is hard. Finding the right words to express something is far from comfortable, yet why then am I so ready to sacrifice my time and sanity for a life consumed by the words?

I write because I believe that the world speaks to me. I see the world through different angles. Like looking though a camera lens. A different story can be told if you just change your perspective.  I write, because there is so much beauty around me that needs to be described. I write, because even the string of words in a sentence can be beautiful.

Writing is an emotionally fuelled activity. You write about something that angers or disturbs you; something that causes you joy or deep sorrow. Writing is the spilling of these emotions on a page.  Lord Byron once said, “If I don’t write to empty my mind, I’d go mad.” Similarly, Orwell describes the desire to write as a demon that one can ‘neither resist nor understand.’ For Orwell, and for me, writing seems to be a natural instinct. A way of making sense of the world we live in.

That is why I write.  I write so that I can make sense of all that is going on in this confused mind of mine. I write to make sense of the ‘what ifs?’  That which could have been. Or that what might be, if I give it life.  I write, because every moment of every day I am surrounded by untold stories. Stories of pain and stories of joy. There are stories of adventures; of failures and of victories. I write, because, like Byron, I would go mad if the words and stories in my head did not have an escape. I write, because it’s the one thing in my life that makes sense. 

Nick, from the New Girl

I'd give you the moon if I could afford it

Words. Powerful little buggers, which can build up or break down empires. Words can be infinitely beautiful and beautifully infinite in the way in which they capture the essence of the world we live in. My close friend, Ashleigh, recently wrote an absolutely beautiful blog post  about the power and magic of words.

“Magic”. I think that was the prefect word to use in this case. Ashleigh and I were procrastinating together the other day and we stumbled upon a bunch of amazing spoken word poets on Youtube. (See Youtube isn’t just for cat videos!) By the quiet in the room it was clear to me just how nerdy for words Ashes and I were.

Even as I am writing this it’s clear that these words used to be just scribblings on a page, but now, through years of literary development, they contain meaning. The words “sorrow” used to be nothing and it became a way to explain a deep sadness, a loss; something so much more than a simple, six-letter word. I guess that’s why I like spoken word poetry. I can’t really say why a word or a phrase touches me, but for that brief moment those words connected to something I knew I felt, but could never express.

For example the poem “Not a love poem” by Martin Ingle- known by his Youtube name, Bread and Bullfights.

It makes no sense to me rationally why the words of an awkward Australian boy my age would speak to me, but they do. The words speak to me, because I have felt the emotions that Martin describes. It’s more than just understanding that it’s not a poem about love. It’s about grasping the fact that here is a person speaking to Love as if it were a person. Every word of the poem was picked, because it creates feeling and emotion. Words can do that. Words can touch things within us that we can’t understand, but can relate to in another person. Words create that common connection between us.

“I’d give you the moon if I could afford it, but my words will have to do instead.” 

Proof-reading

I seriously need to learn how to proof-read. I have just read over a few older posts and was shocked by the incorrect grammar and needless spelling mistakes. For someone claiming to love words so much I clearly haven't been giving that aspect that much attention. From now on expect better from me! 

Ironically, I even made a mistake while writing this short post. I think the problem is that I write like I speak. It all comes out before I can even think about what I said. You know, at least 

you will always be entertained.

PS- hopefully my grammar will never be this bad:

Life just got real

There is an old bit of writing advice, of unknown origins, which states that you must "write what you know." I believed in that bit of advice and I wrote about the things I saw around me, but I’ve recently had to reconsider my writing point-of-view to include topics I never before consider interesting. What has caused this shift, you may ask? Well I think it has something to do with the fact that my Writing & Editing class might be reading this post at this very moment. That’s twenty-two individuals taking time out of their day to read what I have written. Not to mention my lecturer! So while I supress the urge to suck up to said lecturer by saying something supposedly profound I will also contemplate what this means for my blogging future.

 I’ve always made it clear that this blog was not going to be very politically-based nor would it deal with very serious topics, but since the start of this course I’ve begun to realize that maybe I had to consider moving this blog in a different direction. I’m here at Rhodes to learn, so I might as well dust off the cobwebs of my mind and get a fresh perspective. (How was that for cliqued writing, Journ 3s?) All jokes aside, expect tighter and brighter posts from me. Or a wider variety of topics, until I can narrow done the focus of my blog. Hopefully I might acutally have something to write about.  But as our W&E once said, “The Muse is a powerful thing. She could be anywhere. Even at the Rat.”

[No need to worry, I will still be doing fun reviews and wacky comments on the things in my life, so no need to run and find another blog to read. I’m still sticking to my roots. I also plan to blog more often if I can. I have dozens of posts stored up just waiting to be posted.]

I know, you know! (Psych review)

In-between the lines there’s a lot of obscurity/ I’m not inclined to resign to maturity/ If it’s all right/ then you’re all wrong/ Why bounce around to the same damn song?/

I know, you know, I’m not telling the truth/ I know, you know, they just don’t have any proof/ Twist the deception/ learn how to bend your worst inhabitations/ will PSYCH you out in the end!!

So this song has been stuck in my head for ages! I blame the TV show, Psych and it’s brilliant theme song.

Psych follows the life of Shawn Spencer, played by the hilarious and delicious James Roday, a young man whose constant tips to the police made him a suspect in many crimes. His father (Corbin Benson) had trained him to be a very observant and although he never officially became a detective he pretends to be a psych so that he can help the police solve crimes, with the help of his straight-as-an-arrow, reluctant pharmaceutical rep, best friend Burton “Gus” Guster, played by the talented and adorable Dulé Hill. Shawn sets up his own psychic detective agency and uses his unique skills to solve crimes, while at the same time pissing off Head police detective Carlton “Lassy” Lassitor and flirting with Junior Detective Juilet ‘O Hara.

Psych is kinda like a comedy version of the Mentalist. Not that I’ve even ever watched the Mentalist and since the Mentalist aired about a year after Psych it often gets mocked in the show for being a rip-off. 

The humour is not only quirky, but also so sharp and witty with a multitude of cult references from the 80’s, which is quite an ego-boost for me when I actually catch the reference. The usage of 80’s music also adds a special element to the show. Fun fact: Steve Franks, the creator of the show, wrote and performed the theme song for the show himself.

James Roday and Dulé Hill are both amazing actors and their on-screen chemistry helps to create TV’s greatest bro-mance. Masters of physical comedy both actors fully embrace their characters, thus making them more lovable. Shawn’s exaggerated “psychic” visions and Gus’ dramatic reactions to dead bodies are some of my favourite parts. The will-they won’t-they chemistry between Juliet and Shawn is insane for the first moment they shared a scene together. I haven’t seen further than season 5, but I hope it works out between them. (Fun Fact: James Roday (Shawn) and Maggie Dawson (Juliet) currently have an off-screen relationship.)

Confession time:  Even though James Roday and Dulé Hill are both dreamy I have a tiny crush on Timothy Omundson’s character Carlton Lassitor. With his badass nature, salt-and-pepper hair, skill with his…um…guns and deep blue eyes, which, as Shawn puts it, “women want to cannonball into” Lassy is the ultimate hard-core, alluring detective  Timothy Omundson is so prefect for the role and it’s ironic that such a serious character can have so many comedic aspects to him.  Maybe I have a thing for older men… (PS Sage Brocklebank as the naïve adorable McNab isn’t too bad either.)

Confession number two: Yes, I’m that nerdy kind of person who watches episodes of TV series with the commentary on. My love of acting and performance has also instilled a love for Behind-the-scene footage in me. Psych is known for having hilarious blooper footages,  comically called Psych-Outs, which usually involve James Roday and Dulé Hill breaking out into song. 

I would recommend checking Psych out.

Starting the year with a splash:

(Disclaimer: I know that I’m about two months late on this post, but life got in the way of blogging a bit. I think that this post is still relevant. Now that my Journ class has to blog I’m will try to blog more often.)

So at midnight on New Year’s Eve I found myself diving into the Bushman’s River fully clothed with a semi-broken foot. Then I was tackled into the water by an attractive, indie boy and both of us ended up landing on a pile of rocks. Needless to say this experience was a first. 

 At first I didn’t jump in with the rest; there were so many things telling me I shouldn’t. It was cold; I was embarrassed and scared and super worried about what other people would say, but after about a minute of watching my sister and my new friends splashing around I ran in too. I forgot my embarrassment and brushed off the judgement.

In his novel “Looking for Alaska” John Green mentions that the poet François Rabelais’ last words were “I got to seek a Great Perhaps.” For Miles Halter, the main character of Green’s novel, those words reflected his desire to experience life fully. I can relate to Miles in that sense and running into the river at the start of the New Year felt like my way of embracing my Great Perhaps. Perhaps 2013 would be different.

2013 is a new year. A fresh start. I know we all as that at the beginning of every year, but this year it feels different. 2012 was a challenging year, but with challenges comes lessons. I already presented you with a few of those lessons, but I learnt a lot more than those few lessons. I learnt a few hard lessons that I realize now I had to learn. I had to make those mistakes last year so that I wouldn’t repeat them again this year.  I’m also now aware that 2013 will not only be about joy, but also about personal growth. 2013 will be about running into the river at midnight, but it will also be about reading 15 plays in two weeks, giving my all in the work that I do, strengthen my relationships with people and about finding out who I am.

So 2013…Surprise me! 

Second year at Rhodes: What I learnt in 2012

(PS. I know that it's already 2013, but when one is on holiday then internet access is not readily available.)

I learnt a lot last year so I figured that I’d make you lists of the things I learnt in my second year at Rhodes: 

1.     That I am blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.

2.     That making new friend is easy if you try.

3.     You know that you are officially someone’s friend when you drive them home in a stranger’s (now friend’s) car.

4.     If he’s overall is too clean he is too young for you.

5.     That being said: You will be called a cougar by your Journ friends.

6.     That I like Journalism a little, but I know that I don’t want be a Journalist.

7.     I learnt to love writing.

8.     I learnt to love T.S Elliot. John Keats

9.     I learnt that D.H Lawrence is my Boy.

10.  I learnt to love spoken word poetry.

11.  Foam parties aren’t always that fun.

12.  I learnt that keeping your heart on your sleeve is not the best idea.

13.  Nor is it always a bad idea.

14.  That even by third year, guys can still be super immature

15.  That one should not be fooled by what they can see.

16.  That someone can still be a law student with about a hundred hours to their name.

17.  That BoatRaces and Tri-var are the greatest jams of the year.

18.  That next year I should go to Fish and Fest.

19.  That losing your sister, who is visiting, in G-town might not have been a good idea.

20.  Um…let’s just say that post-drinks isn’t always that great.

21.  I learnt to appreciate the privacy of my room, the friends who live around me, the joys of communicating with my family and friends back home.

22.  I learnt that going Lion King on your phone is the best way to get signal.

23.  I learnt lot about responsibility and conflict.

24. I learnt to live by example rather than telling others how to live.

25.  I learnt that working with a res just because you think entertainment rep of that res is cute is not a clever move.

26.  I learnt that I am happy that some people are graduating and that I will never see them again.

27.   I learnt that I am sad that some people are graduating and that I will never see them again.

28.  I learnt that someone quoting Shakespeare to you in a club isn’t as romantic as it seems.

29.  That starships were meant to fly and that YOU were a wild one.

30.  That it’s time to leave Friars when there is a certain amount of couples hooking up and a certain amount of girls crying.

31.  That you can tell the time by the amount of BP pies left.

32.  That some guys res’ are just stupid!!!

33.  That there will always be that one guys res that you have too many friends in. A.K.A Goldfields!  

34.  That you will never truly live down what you did in first year, but that, that doesn’t have to dominate the rest of your life.

35.  That Youtube is amazing programme and that one day I will go to Vid-Con (or Summer in the City, or any other Youtube gathering.)

36.  That someone who can do a proper cover of “Payphone” (by Maroon 5) is regarded as a good musician in my books.

37.  That Paradise Fears is a great band.

38.  That seeing your favourite band live is amazing, but having them sit down with you to chill is unbelievable.

39.  That birds are still scary.

40.  That I don’t have time in my life for people who don’t respect me.

41.  That in G-town you can go out dressed any way you want.

42.  That being proud of who you are has a little to do with being proud of where are you are from.

43.  I learnt that strength is more than mere muscle.

44.  I learnt that despite the hate still in this world that there are people will to stand up for what they believe in.

45.  That Tarryn’s list of things that she learnt this year is much better than mine!

http://insomniasexytime.blogspot.com/2012/11/lessons-from-2012.html?spref=fb

46.  This year I let the facade of first year fall away and I let my idealistic side go so that I could see what it’s like to truly be a student. To be someone truly to shape themselves and grow into someone they actually want to be.

Me and my girls, Roxy and Kate

Me and my friend Murray

You sexy thang (self-image)

Recently I was quite surprised to find out that one of the girls in my classes that I consider to be the most beautiful girl I know has been on a fruit diet for the last two weeks. That means that for the last two weeks she had ONLY been eating fruits and veggies and drinking only water. This beautiful and absolutely skinny girl told me that she felt fat and ugly! The irony of this is that she was telling me this while wearing the most stunning, tight dress that fit her body perfectly.

It’s very easy for me to get very angry about skinny girls complaining about their weight, but I’ve come to realise that it’s very hard for people to let go of their insecurities. It would be very hypocritical for me to tell her to “get over it”, when I’m struggling with the very same thing.

I have a friend here at Rhodes who isn’t a size 0 or anything, but that doesn’t matter. I actually think that we have about the same dress size, but I consider her to be amazingly beautiful. She knows how to dress her body and I would kill to have hair that falls straight down my back like hers does. She had this amazing face with beauty spots in the prefect order. Other than this she is also hard working, amazingly witty, clever, well-read and has the nicest laugh. All these things make her beautiful too.

I’m not going to lie I have moments of insecurity all the time. I guess it comes with being at university. We are still figuring out who we are. The other night I received the nicest compliment from the most unexpected person. As I was walking past he looked up from his conversation and said to me:

Ed Sheeran being amazing as usual

 “Elri, you know, you are the perfect walking example of what a woman should look like.”

When I got home, I taped this quote to ye mirror, because from now on I’m going to remember the (sincere) compliments that people give me. I say sincere, because one too many drunk guys, hoping for a hook-up, have said to me that I look hot. I'm done with that. I’m done with the fake and I’m done with the negative.

Recently I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who broke up with her boyfriend of 4 years when she found out that he had cheated on her. I was joking with her that we should be asexual from now on and not be into any one. She gave me a serious look, took a long drag of her cigarette and said to me, “I want to be a-sexual for a bit, because I need to love myself. I loved him to the point that I didn’t love myself anymore.”

There will always be someone who you think is more beautiful. Or cleverer. Or more successful. Or whatever. But as cheesy as this sounds when I brush my teeth and look in the mirror I know that I am loved…

(PS do me a favour. From now on, when you get a compliment tape it to your mirror. Sing along to music, pick flowers, love, whatever because you are alive and you are beautiful…)