On The Third Day Of Thirty Day Challenges

Note that the following was originally written on Tuesday last week, and thus contains references to events that have already happened, as though they are still in potential only (go me for being lazy on the camera front!) So it turns out that this weekend I might be going to Sydney for a professional development seminar. I'm not 100% sure on whether I'm actually allowed to go or not, yet though, and the fact that I even was capable of going was a complete surprise to me until this morning. I applied for this AUC iOS SDK Workshop thingo a little while ago (towards the beginning of this month) and yesterday I received an email to tell me that I'd been accepted - the only problem is that, because it's professional development, and technically would mean I'd have to skip work Friday (and maybe Thursday, for travel) I need to get approval from work to actually go (and hopefully they'd then pay for me...)

I had, during my professional performance review, discussed this potentiality with my team leader, who told me to apply, because it was worth a shot. I do not, however, think that there would be such a short period of time between my application's approval, and the actual event. Oh well, I'll keep you posted on what the dealio is there (and I'll hopefully continue to blog while I'm at the event, to let you know that I've not been swallowed whole by the seething mass of Sydney while I'm there...) On that note - here are today's challenges!!

Song Challenge #3: A Song That Makes Me Happy

The musical challenges, I am finding, are quite difficult. The issue that I'm having with them is that I'm not exactly starved for choice when it comes to music, after all it's a relatively large part of my life. Indeed, I find myself unable to select just one song to sum up what should be a veritable plethora of music. How can one, after all, select just one song to sum up an emotion such as 'joy' or 'sorrow'. How can one have a favourite tune? Music, I have discovered, is like a stack of pringles - once I pop, I can't stop (although I shan't merely apply this to pop, as my favourite genre is Indie Pop, though I'm partial to anything that's not metal.)

As far as music that makes me happy goes...well...pretty much anything that's incredibly bouncy and upbeat - I mean, that's the point of those songs, is it not? The excessive use of major chords exists solely to create a positive feeling in your brain-head, even if the lyrical content is slightly down. I suppose I could pick something like ABBA's 'Gimme Gimme Gimme', although it's not the song I really want to use to express joy (and irony). I could, perhaps, use 'Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me' from Rocky Horror, or Oh No Oh My's 'Be A Star', but then they still don't really make me feel happy when I'm down...well, okay they help...but still...I could do so much better with something else.

And so I have chosen Belle & Sebastian's 'I'm A Cuckoo'. The tempo of the song, combined with the chord progression, make it the best song for getting into a slightly hyperactive stupour and picking me up when I'm a little down. The lyrical content of the song, on the other hand, could be construed as a little dark, if one actually paid attention to it - but lines with undertones of stalking and the implications of self-harm to get the attention of a former girlfriend provide enough contrast with the formerly mentioned upbeat melody that the song could (I think) be classed as ironic pop.

Book Challenge #3: A Book That Makes Me Lough Out Loud

I am not, for some reason, in the habit of laughing out loud at fiction. It honestly does not matter just how amusing the book is, I tend to keep all emotional reactions to things that other people aren't perceiving internal, lest they start to think I'm giggling at some invisible spectre, and worthy of committing to an asylumn. Still, I do find some books amusing in a *teehee giggle giggle* kind of way, and there are some non-fiction (or semi-fictional, I suppose, in some cases) books from which I have deliberately read passages aloud just so that I was justified in my laughter - and I was thusly able to share my joy with others. Huzzah.

Anyway, as I am currently reading a book which is providing exactly what I described above (i.e. the opportunity to read passages aloud to others, in order to provide what is commonly referred to, I believe, as 'teh lulz') I figure I'll just use it. I'm currently reading "Twitterature", which is a collection of classic literature, told in small portions as though via twitter updates. This may, admittedly, seem like something that would make my heart weep, and my eyes bleed, however it is (generally) done quite well. Please take, as an example, this excerpt from the "Hamlet" condensation.

Gonna try to talk some sense into Mom because boyfriend totally killed Dad. I sense this is the moment of truth, the moment of candour and –

WTF IS POLONIUS DOING BEHIND THE CURTAIN?

.Gif Challenge #3: A .Gif Of Someone That Is Sad

When I was a child, Pokemon was able to provide me with some of my most emotional moments. Looking back now, I am amazed that a cartoon was able to connect with me so strongly, and that they continue to do so today. I was watching Avatar The Last Airbender last night with some friends, and there was a Zuko heavy episode, which showed the story of his mother dying. The last shot in the episode was the people whose life he had just saved basically running him out of town. Cut to credits. Seriously, that kind of stuff is heartbreaking - although I suppose that is its purpose, to entertain, and to make us experience emotional situations that we might not consider otherwise. Anyway, here is my .gif of someone who is sad. I'm pretty sure it's from one of the many points where Ash saves Pikachu, and is laying helpless.

About Me Challenge #3: A Picture Of My Friends And I

Knowing that this challenge was coming up, and knowing that I don't have any photos of all of my friends and I together at once (generally I am not in photos that include all of my friends) I had to actually have a special event to get this photo taken. Well, okay, I say a special event, what I mean is that I forced everyone to stay late after Spud's D&D game so that we could take the darned thing. It was remarkably difficult, and we went through many failed attempts at creating a panorama by having X-Man run out of the shot after his section had taken, him taking control of the camera, and me running into shot so I could be in the correct place. These did not end well. Instead, we ended up taking a picture with Kylie's camera (which has a timer function.) One day, I would like to have a photo (or, at least, some kind of collage) that includes all of my friends, even those from the U.K., and other places overseas. Until then, however, this is pretty darn good!

There's Me, Elmo, Kylie, Emma, Squiggles, X-Man, Spud, And Encey - View Full Is Better

Photo Challenge #3: A Photo That Makes Me Happy

Please see above. There is no photo that I have taken recently which makes me happier than the photo that I used for the "A Picture Of My Friends And I" challenge. It, to me, epitomises what life is about. I mean, sure, there are some people missing from the photo who I'd rather were in it (Andy, and so forth) but still. That picture symbolises what being my friend is about. It took us about half an hour to do, Elmo was getting frustrated, X-Man was trying to be helpful, Encey was being silly, Squiggles was posing, Emma was reluctant, Spud was happy to oblige, and Kylie was likely thinking "What have I gotten myself into..." - but the photo was still taken, and there it is. A lasting testament, if ever there was one.

Facial Expression Challenge #3: My Sad Face

I don't tend to use my "sad face", or even really have a sad face...I think...So this is the best I could do. At first I tried to think about upset/hurt kittens, but for some reason that just made me giggle. So instead I imaged what it must be like to have that Friday song stuck in your head for all enternity, and this is the result I got.

On Why Flying Was Worth It

Okay, so I'm typing this at the last day of my iOS Developers Seminar thing that I'm attending in Sydney. If you haven't seen me by now...well...to be honest, by the time I post this, I'll probably already be back in Bathurst (especially given that I have a video to edit, as you'll hopefully see below.) In my last post you will no doubt recall that I approached the flight to Sydney with no small amount of trepidation - well, you might be happy to know that Spud drove me to the airport, and helped me to calm down enough to board my flight, and make it all the way to Sydney. So a big thank you to him for that - it was really really needed.

On the flight down I experienced a couple of cool things, that made flying...well...not so bad. I mean, I was kind of uncomfortable, but it was pretty much the equivalent of sitting in the back seat of a small car for 30 minutes, so it could have been much worse. Anyway, I got to see some really nifty things. I got to see what it was like to be inside a cloud (thus dispelling several ideas I got about clouds when I was a child and, although my education destroyed them, it was nice to have the certainty of seeing it for myself.) I saw storm clouds from the top. I saw the sunrise from above the clouds. These things were all remarkably cool. I also saw the apartment building I lived in, when I lived in Leichhardt - I don't just mean that I saw Leichhardt - I mean that I could actually see my old balcony. This was cool too, but weird at the same time, I started to feel a little bit like my time in Bathurst had been some weird holiday/dream and that I was going home/waking up. Still, I'll try and get some cool pics on the way home, if the light level permits it.

The Light Level Did Not, Alas, Permit. Here Are Pictures Of Paul Being Jaunty

Anyway, once I got to Sydney I pretty much had to head straight to the conference. The conference itself was pretty cool, I guess, even though I knew about 99% of the content from my own development experience, it was nice to get a refresher. I learnt some best practices that I wasn't really sure of, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to come, and hopefully it will give me some points with the uni so that, if they ever want to develop an iPhone app, they'll consider me a good option. Also, one of the presenters kind of looked like David Tennant...so...you know, it was like being taught something by The Doctor's 10th incarnation (which makes anything and everything interesting - although I would have preferred his 2nd version, because he's an awesome little imp, and chances are I would have got to meet Jamie McCrimmon, but still - you take what you can get.)

After the first day's worth of learning I met up with Roo and his girlfriend Spritza, who helped me find my hotel, and get "settled in", as it were. Not that I really needed much help. Seriously - this place was so cool. It had a bathroom, a kitchen, a bedroom, a lounge/dining room, and a balcony. It was nicer than my apartment in Leichhardt - hell, it was nicer than my house in Bathurst (only a little smaller...) There was a nice selection of AUSTAR Channels for perusal on the television (although no Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network - sadface.) There was a bathtub that was so big I could lay down fully in it (well, excepting for my neck, of course, because they don't want you to drown...) The bedroom was huge. The loungeroom was huge. The whole experience was really cool, and it was capped off by the fact that, as I left the building on Saturday, a bellboy said "Good morning, sir." I felt oddly...I don't know...not important, but...still it was pretty cool. To get across to you just how nice this place was, I'll have a "One Minute Of" video up in the coming days.

For Now - A Thumbnail

As well as the awesome accommodation (which the University totally paid for, by the way) there was also a plethora of wonderful, magnificent shopping. There are, regrettably, some things that I want that I simply cannot come by in Bathurst. This is a sad fact, but true, nonetheless. So, whenever I come to Sydney, I have to stock up on things that I might be missing out on otherwise. Things are are either too expensive to grab online, or that it just isn't feasible to order from the net. To this end I buzzed around a couple of Japanese shops, two tea stores, and some bookshops (amongst other, less notable ones) over the course of my visits, and am coming home with some wondrous swag including four manga (two English, two Japanese), some onigiri shapers, some really cool teas, and an entirely great quantity of delicious foodstuffs.

Not Entirely Related, But I Made These Really Cool Japanese Hot-Dogtopus Things

On the topic of delicious foodstuffs, I got to go out to dinner on both nights I stayed here, both times with awesome people. On the Friday night, Roo and Spritza took me out to Pepper Lunch (the first time I'd ever been there) because Wagamama (which I have never been to) was too full. Alas, I didn't take any photos of the weirdness that is Pepper Lunch, but suffice it to say, that it was delicious. On the Saturday, Andy and I went to find SECRET RAMEN HOUSE OF DOOM (my name, not theirs) which is accessed via a hidden lift off the street near Paddy's Markets. It was really really swish inside, the servers used iPads to take orders, and...the food was...well...spectacular isn't strong enough a word. Flumgobflable, maybe...Not quite - but it's getting there.

Sake Cocktails

Tori Karaage Ramen

Also, Andy - Now With New Short Hair!

And, of course, I went to the arcades that I used to love so much. Well, okay, I went to two of my old arcades. It turns out that the other one has reportedly since closed down (which is sad) but I guess that's just the way that progress works. Still, I had a great time on both nights - I played games at Galaxy World with Roo and Spritza, and tried the claw machines. All I managed to score on the claw games was a little tofu brick wearing a kimono. All I managed to score during the gaming sessions was a heightened sense of embarrassment due to trying to play DDR on "Difficult" mode. Before I go home, I might check out the site of the old arcade - just to make sure that it isn't still there, and that I've not been duped by false signage.

The moral of this story is that travel, although initially quite scary, is actually (and eventually) fun. I'm going to take some videos of the guys eating and drinking the stuff I brought back - any good reactions will be posted up in a "One Minute Of" video, and hopefully a great deal of fun will be had by all. We'll see though - there are some fairly weird things that I want them to eat. <insert evil laughter here>