I drew this today as my 365. Day 211.
All the modest “this-picture-is-crap” captions are there.
I should draw more again. And not just anime style either. I want to draw weird fantastic things like Tim Burton did.
Alex.
P.S. I don’t usually do weird arty paragraph styling but since it’s a picture post I figured, hey, right. Your normal left side paragraphs will be back next post.d
I went a little bit OTT with my rambling for today‘s Project 365. That underlined “today” links to the original post. I also included parts of what I wrote down here. Today was meant to be a day where you dress in purple to show support for gay rights. It is to symbolize the part of the LGBTQ flag, which represents soul, or spirit. It is in memory of the 6 boys who killed themselves over bullying for being gay – or for being suspected of being gay. (May have copied and pasted that last part from my 365.)
Do you wonder why people dress in purple today? What does it achieve? I’ve read someone’s wondering at why we don’t just donate money towards organizations that help and support the youths who are being bullied, instead of wearing purple.
Money may fund organizations, yes, but it doesn’t create acceptance. It doesn’t stop the world from seeing gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transexuals (and the Q which I’m sure stands for Questioning) as an Other (here’s my Self and Other ramblings coming in). It doesn’t stop people from thinking that gays choose to be gay, or that it’s a disease, or whatever weird conceptions anti-gays – or even non-anti-gays, just, people in general – have.
So, in this case, wearing purple to show that you support gay rights (and to show commemoration for the deaths) means a lot more than emptying your wallet, right?
I had a thought today about what it would actually be like if gays had the same rights as straight people. I guess it could never happen, because real acceptance would be a world that is something like this:
When a child (let’s for the sake of cohesion, call the child Sam. It’s a unisex name, but I will make Sam a girl) grows up, and reaches the age when she starts liking people, the other kids will tease her. The malice in their words only exists because Sam now has cooties, not because Sam likes another girl
When Sam is a little older, her parents will let her go to the movies without an adult, but only if there an older sibling chaperoning. Sam will beg her older brother or sister not to tell their parents that she’s really going out with a crush, because her mom will pinch her cheeks, say “my little baby is growing up” and making her feel embarrassed, not because her crush is also a girl.
When Sam enters high school, she starts dating officially. Sam and her partner will have people stare at them, because everyone thinks they’re a really cute couple, and not because they’re both girls.
When Sam is about to graduate, and her relationship with her partner is getting kind of serious, the other parents will gossip behind their backs, because they think the two are too young to really be that serious, and not because they’re both girls.
When Sam enters university, she won’t be inundated with fliers asking her to petition for gay rights. Gays have the same rights as straight people in the same way that left-handed people have the same rights as right-handed people (a little pun there).
When Sam starts working, and there is an office party, she will bring her partner. When she introduces her partner to her boss and co-workers, there will be a moment of awkwardness, because the partner had just recently quit the job before Sam started, and not because they’re both girls.
When Sam is getting ready to be married, her mom sighs in exasperation and stress, because Sam insisted that the wedding happen next month, and not because they have to move to a certain country just to be able to get married.
When Sam wants to be a mother, there is a huge problem which reduces Sam to tears, because she realized that her body is not fit for mothering a child, and not because she and her wife are having a hard time being accepted for IVF treatments and adoptions.
When Sam’s child goes to kindergarten, and both Sam and her wife go to pick the child up, the parents of one of the other children warns them to not play with Sam’s child, because Sam’s child has a habit of hitting other people, not because Sam’s child has two moms.
And, not once in her life, will anyone ask her who the “man” of the relationship is, because a relationship was never defined as between a man and a woman.
The fact that real acceptance lies in a reality where there is nothing to accept, because it’s all normal, means that it can never really happen, because in our current world, even if we’ve reached that level of full acceptance, we’ll constantly and consciously be thinking, “this is fine, this is normal, go with it, don’t act any differently”.
Still, that’s better than what we have now, and what have now is better than what we used to have.
In other news, (I forgot to add this to my 365) I tried to change mobile phone carriers today, but it doesn’t seem to have worked, so I will have to call them tomorrow. When I called them tonight, I said, “I changed to your carrier, but I get ‘Invalid SIM Card’ sign instead.” He goes, “when did you change (and try to port your current number over to our carrier)?” I said, “at 5:55.” He said, with possibly the most annoying smug voice ever, “And what time is it now?” “7:40.” “You have to wait 3 hours for it to port.” “3 hours? For sure?” “EXACTLY 3 hours.”
Well, fuck you smug-chug, it’s been nearly 5 hours and I still have an invalid SIM card. If when I wake up tomorrow it’s still invalid, I’m going to call up again and if I get you, I’m gonna smug you right back.
Thank you to Jac who stayed with me for the 2 hours it took to get my SIM card. Something went wrong with the order I made over the phone over the weekend, so the girl at the store, Caroline, had to do it pretty much all over again. It took her AGES and I felt so bad making her do all that when it should have been all done already. And I felt bad for making Jac stay so long since she had assignments and tests next week.
Yep. I know I am not writing much these days here. I think I’ll make myself write at least 15 posts a month over the summer break, right? Okay, so December, January and February, I must must must write at least 15 each month.
Alex.
[Through With You – Maroon 5]
Today I went to Steve’s place for a night of gaming. Brought my laptop to ‘lan’ and everything, but in the end everyone just played on the Wii.
When I got there, Swang was the only girl there, so I gave her someone to talk to. After a long while, Mandy arrived. There’s not really a point in recounting gaming except the highlights, like when we were playing that Raving Rabbids game, and in one of them it required some dancing, and Mandy decided to punch me in her enthusiasm to win.
In fact, both Mandy and Swang are very vocal gamers. Very grunty.
Had pizza for dinner, the traditional meal of teenagers. I was holding onto a stack of those plastic plates when Jacky ripped it out of my hands, and cut one of my fingers. YES I SHALL WHINGE ABOUT IT!
Met an incredibly cool girl called Gloria. We got along very well, very fast, because we both picked on Swang and her atrocious skills at Mariokart. It got to the point where Mandy, Gloria and myself would yell at Swang “LEFT, RIGHT, GO STRAIGHT” and the moment we stopped, Swang would crash into a wall.
I have never laughed so hard, I think, as I did today, as we were watching Swang trying to finish a race. In fact, the one race that she not only did not come 12th in, the one that she finished, the one where she actually beat someone else present in the living room, was one worth celebrating.
Anyway, that post was basically there to remind me of the memories of tonight, and not really to entertain you.
Alex.
P.S., thought for today: it is one of the most irksome feelings when you get home after a huge night out laughing heaps and talking to people and generally trying to impress people, and you realize you had a small piece of noticeable food lodged between your front teeth. I wish someone would just tell me earlier on in the night, instead of me going home feeling like I was pretty awesome and instead find a bit of food stuck in my teeth.
P.P.S., today was actually my 100th Project 365. Pretty awesome huh? I forgot to take a picture with Mandy.
P.P.P.S., speaking of Mandy; while the hoodie she gave me is insanely comfy, it sheds like a dying cat.
2010 MacRob Chorals was amazing.
Because of a collapsed school hall, they’d hired the Town Hall on Collins St. Because of this, the Madrigals sounded freaking BEAUTIFUL! Dryads (the green house) won the Madrigals with a student-arranged version of Big Yellow Taxi. Props to Oreads (red) coming in 2nd, and to Ange’s pro conducting.
The performances were really amazing as well; touching stories about shadows, bravery, treasuring the one you love and the true badness of fairytale villains. The Oreads did an amazing rendition of Thriller by Michael Jackson, and had some of the best quotes of the night (see title). The Nereids (white) had a wonderful concept of “shadows”, having another actress literally shadow every move the main actress makes. The Naiads (blue) had amazing choreography (oh but for one tiny slightly hilarious mishap) but it was the Dryads who took out 1st place, having attempted to and succeeded in hitting an emotional note that would no have been easy, with an amazing duet rendition of You’ve Got The Love, original by Florence + The Machine. AMAZING singing.
We also got treated to a preview of the Musical this year – Little Shop of Horrors – which got everyone wanting to go.
This was also why I was 1 day behind on my Project 365, but I’ve made up for it!
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Chorals this year; it was really really was special treat!
Alex.
[Papa Don’t Preach – Glee Cast (Dianna Agron), Original by Madonna]
…You’re gonna be upset if I’d burned down my mom’s bed.
Read my 365 for day 16, and you’ll see how close I came to being killed.
To cut a long story short: I played with matches near my mother’s bed. AHH!
I’m an idiot.
Alex.
P.S. Net uncapped, and so I put work aside for Glee. This is a bad trend.
Oh ffs I’m capped again. I do not know why! Maybe it’s Skype.
Oh dude I really can’t do with the cappage again! Especially now with all my essays due. Not happy.
To read about what I did today, go to day 11 of my 365.
I know it is ratty of me to do that but typing it all out again seems pointless and what I did today felt a bit trivial for this blog.
I will mention though that I spent some awesome time with Catherine and Jackie today!
Wish me luck writing and researching with a capped net!
Alex.
Okay, my excuse is that all good things started twice.
I have decided to restart my 365, starting today, the 10th of April 2010. Because the previous 9 days were sort of a confused bunch, and, to be honest, I took some on the wrong days.
I decided to start it today, because I’d just gotten a haircut (the previous haircut was getting really long and, in Josh’s words “mullet” like).
I have decided to hell with the calendar concept. I don’t have the time for that (yeah, I’m that lazy) so basically, I will take 1 picture each day, and post them up individually on my 365 page with a small description on the bottom of what happened that day.
If I happen to write about that day here, on my WordPress, I will link the picture to here (and perhaps, if I can be bothered, post the 365 picture here as well). Not every picture will have an accompanying WordPress post, because some days are just plain boring. But every picture WILL have an accompanying caption on the Tumblr page.
I hope I don’t have to start for the 3rd time haha.
Alex.
P.S. Group dynamics have had an interesting bashing this week. And I’m not just talking about my Uni group.
P.P.S. Mani, I just had the Two-Face conversation with you. I wish you luck!
Yesterday was a day for reunion.
In the morning, I took the train up with April to the city so we could all meet up. Waiting at Flinders St station, I bumped into 2 people who I knew from my previous high school Brentwood. When the 2nd friend came along – Rach – I was rather pleased to hear Julia say, “How many people do you know?!”
Tiffany came along last, and when she arrived, we set off for Southside, in South Melbourne (it’s en route to Dani’s apartment via the Number 1 tram). We settled, and started ordering drinks and foods. April’s dish came first, and it was insanely large sized. We didn’t think she could finish it! (This isn’t one of those “but to our surprise she did” stories. She didn’t finish it.) Vania got her gnocchi, and seeing the large serving, we decided there was no way Vania – or any of us bar Jen – could finish it either.
We ate, and talked. There was a small discussion of Tom Felton started by Julia (the discussion was originally started by Jen about Rupert Grint). Pictures were taken, and then Bel gave Tiffany a “bear hug” with velcro bear-paw gloves! They were fantastic gloves.
Julia waited ages for her steak to arrive – long enough that everyone did their round of “maybe they’re still killing the cow in the back” jokes. As Julia worked her way through a steak larger than her face, April and Vania gave up on their dishes. The owner of the restaurant warned them that if they didn’t finish their food, they’re not allowed out.
Jen started eating other people’s food. It was to be expected, no?
After paying for lunch, we took the tram back to the CBD. Most of the girls got off at Flinders Station, and then SonJ and Jen got off at Colins St to go grocery (Coco Pops) shopping. Annie, April and I went all the way to Melb Central to meet up with Dani and Andrew who were already there.
April stayed under the clock waiting for Si, and Annie went to Borders to find Josh and Anna who were supposed to meet us as well.
I went downstairs and found Dani, and it was a lovely familiar feeling seeing her face again. We went back up and waited for Josh and Anna under the clock. It took them a while but eventually they arrived. After that, we went to Room 8 on Bourke St to play pool – my first time there. Watched Andrew be all hardcore with a pool glove. He won every match yesterday, with the closest game being between him and Si, both being on the final 8 ball. I played around on Dani’s iPhone. We played (they played) for 2 hours, and then we went to…where else…Red Silks for dinner.
During dinner, (Dani left halfway to meet her mom) Andrew was having a bitchfest to us about a member of Dani’s family. It involved a lot of swearing. Anna’s ears were ASSAULTED by the amount that Andrew was swearing.
After dinner, walking out, everyone voiced that they weren’t SO interested in going to see Nina Conti in the comedy festival. April was also sick! She didn’t tell me. So in the end, it was decided that Josh and Anna will go see a movie together, and April, Simon, Andrew and I took the train home after a detour to Laguna the Asian grocery.
Got home, watched a spot of TV, and then slept. I felt inexplicably drained after the day.
Oh, right, I have decided I may not adopt the calendar style for the 365, and simply just take 1 picture each day and post it. I do have a link for the site. I might link that picture back to a post here, each day, in the case I write one. Of course, I wouldn’t have to put too much effort into it because it’s just a webcam thing, but I figure Project 365 shouldn’t be taking over my life, but be a part of it. So. There you go. You’ll start seeing my work up soon!
Alex.
I don’t remember if I mentioned it here, but here’s a quick overview of Project 365:
Taken off my Tumblr…of course. I just remembered I’d blogged about it there (I only want to write official stuff on here. And since now this is official…)
I’ve had this laptop for about half a month now, but I’ve decided to start on an interesting day. Thus, I shall start my project on April 1st.
I will display it as a weekly thing. Calendar layout. I don’t know WHERE I’ll display it – I might just make a new page on here first, or put it on Deviant Art, or, dare I say, get a Flickr.
So, let’s hope I can keep this up!
Alex.
P.S. I have added a category: Project 365. That will include maybe a short story about the picture, and what it stands for. I also want to be able to link each photo to the corresponding day here, but I don’t know how I’d do that. Mani, you read this, can you suggest anything?
the life and laughs of me 