Penguins is Fair Dinkum

Zella Kate gave me the Fair Dinkum Award which is awesome and all but it's forcing me to finally write a blog post, which I suppose is a good thing, seeming I haven't written in so long, but it does mean I have to think and try to be creative during my uni break.
The Fair Dinkum award is about being a good buddy so I'm really happy that Zella would consider me a good buddy. To receive the award I have to tell you five things about myself and then pass it on to five other bloggers. Right-o then:

1. I can memories lyrics extraordinarily well, especially with my favourite songs. My dad is always commenting on it. I know every word to Jesus of Suburbia by Greenday. All 9 minutes 12 seconds of it. (and I suppose I should warn you that the link contains some mature contents)
   
2. My favourite author is Shaun Tan. He is an Australian picture book author and illustrator for young adults. People may think that having a picture book author as my favourite author isn't very English nerdy of me but check them out and you'll understand. The Red Tree and the Lost Thing are beautiful books and the Arrival, done entirely in pictures, is incredible, but my favourite book (of all time) is Tales From Outer Suburbia, a collection of beautiful and bizarre short stories. If Zella ever feels like reviewing a picture book she should look into Shaun Tan.
3. I have an obsession with T-Shirts. I've banned myself from buying anymore shirts except I keep violating that ban. Most of you know about my periodic table t-shirt by now. I also have a Green Eggs and Ham t-shirt and a One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish shirt and a Where the Wild Things Are t-shirt. Someone unfortunately linked me to ThinkGeek the other day as well and I'm likely to go on a T-shirt shopping spree any day now.
4. I'm studying a Bachelor of Cultural Heritage which has a lot of people saying "Huh?" when I tell them. Basically it's a degree about heritage preservation and museums. I'm hoping to become a museum curator after I graduate. A war museum would be my dream job. I did some work experience with a Fleet Air Arms museum run by a naval base. The close collaboration with the navy and all the war history was amazing. I could happily do that for the rest of my life.
5. Despite an absolute love for lists I can never achieve the number of things I was aiming for. For a list of 100 things I'll bunk out at around 96. For a list of five things, I can only come up with four.

Now... to give the award to five bloggers...

1. Laura
2. O'Malley
3. Lucy
4. Tom Parker
5. Au7is7icr4bbi
   

Congratulations, winners!

My Life According to... the Books on my Bookshelf

You may remember a few months back I did, My Life According to Rise Against where I answered questions using only names of songs by my favourite band. Well today I decided to do the same thing, but rather than a band I'm using books from my bookshelf.

Using only titles from books on your bookshelf, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 10 people you like and include me. Try not to repeat a title. It's a lot harder than you think!

Are you a male or female: The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory

Describe yourself: the Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

How do you feel: Fear Drive my Feet - Peter Ryan

Where do you currently live: [Actual name of my town] (yeah, I have a book that is the history of my town, but I'm not relaying it here)

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: the Heaven Shop - Debora Ellis

Your favourite form of transportation: The Time Machine - H.G. Wells

Your best friend is: A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett

You and your best friends are: Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams

What's the weather like: Cloudstreet - Tim Winton

Favourite time of day: Twilight (yuck, I know, but I do love that time of day) - She Who Must Not Be Named

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Lady Dance - Jackie French

What is life to you: War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

Your relationship: Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

Your fear: Dracula - Bram Stoker

What is the best advice you have to give: Atonement - Ian McEwan

Thought for the Day: There's a Hippopotamus in the Playground Eating Cake - Hazel Edwards

How would you like to die: Entertaining Satan - John Demos

My soul's present condition: Meltdown - Andy McNab

My motto: I Wish I had a Pirate Suit - Pamela Allen


So now you know I love children's books. What does your bookshelf say about you?

Recubo ut Servo Visio

My motto is recubo ut servo visio which is lie to save face in poorly translated Latin. But that is not why I was lying on Thursday so I think I should put the record straight.

1. When taking a group of year 7's for a primary school to high school support day I made a child cry by playing Parkway Drive

You guys guessed right. This one's false. It was actually my frienemy (friend-enemy) who did this. But I'm sad to say I'm not as nice as you think. Since this happened I have played Parkway Drive to little kids many times trying to replicated. Most of them just go Uh huh and raise their eyebrow at me.

2. When I was seven I scared my fish so much he knocked himself unconscious and we had to jam him between two rocks so he wouldn't float to the surface and suffocate.

You're right. This is true. I was pulling faces at the fish tank and it scared him so much he ran into a rock and knocked himself out. I've felt that I shouldn't go near animals ever since.

3. When I was in year six my friend had her Russ dog stuffed toy stolen and we staged a full scale investigation that included interrogations and dusting for prints.

False. For starters, it was my Russ dog that was stolen. I never staged a full scale investigation because when I told the teacher a girl in my class "mysteriously" found it in her school bag.

4. During this investigation 10-year-old Penguins made the cleaning lady cry.

Since the last one was false. this one obviously is too. The only thing I've ever done to a cleaning lady was clean the room for her before she arrive. She obviously noticed since there was a thank you not there the next morning.

5. I am married to my sister

Zella has been paying attention! This is obviously false (eew) but I did marry my e-sister on Facebook. Basically she sent me a sibling request and after I accepted I asked her if she wanted to find out if Facebook allowed incest. It does. Unfortunately Facebook does not take so kindly to bigamy.

6. When I was 7 I bit my tongue in half.

Things are about to get awkward for Tom Parker. This is half true. I did, in fact bite my tongue in half but I was nine, not seven. While playing a mean game of dodge ball I jumped of the slide while sticking out my tongue at the the person who was in. I hit my chin and bit my tongue in half. It hurt. There was lots of blood. I had to have it sown back together. (Feeling a little uncomfortable now, Tom?)

7. I once woke my brother up in the middle of the night for apparently singing the Pokemon theme song in my sleep. I don't even know the Pokemon theme song.

A blatant lie! I have never sung in my sleep and have never woken my brother by singing in my sleep. And I know EVERY word to the Pokemon theme song. And the PokeRAP. And the Digimon theme song. And... I need a life...

Did Zella just call me a liar?

Thank you to the amazing and incredible Zella Kate who awarded me this award:


To accept this award, I need to:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog
3. Link to the person who nominated you
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself and at least one outrageous truth, or vice-versa
5. Nominate seven "creative" writers
6. Post links to the blogs you nominate
7. Leave a comment on each blog letting them know they've won the award.

So, seven things. Some are lies. Some are true. Some are lies that are part true. You need to decide which is which.

1. When taking a group of year 7's for a primary school to high school support day I made a child cry by playing Parkway Drive
2. When I was seven I scared my fish so much he knocked himself unconscious and we had to jam him between two rocks so he wouldn't float to the surface and suffocate.
3. When I was in year six my friend had her Russ dog stuffed toy stolen and we staged a full scale investigation that included interrogations and dusting for prints.
4. During this investigation 10-year-old Penguins made the cleaning lady cry.
5. I am married to my sister.
6. When I was 7 I bit my tongue in half.
7. I once woke my brother up in the middle of the night for apparently singing the Pokemon theme song in my sleep. I don't even know the Pokemon theme song.

Alright! Tag time!

• Laura
• Lucy
• Rebel
• JessCar
• Tom Parker (that's if I'm allowed to tag someone who hosts their own blog)
• O'Malley
• Pvt Donut

Enjoy.

I look forward to seeing what you think is a lie and what's not :P

My Present

I love the dusty smell of rain on the pavement
I believe in fiction
I am happy when you make me laugh
I am uncomfortable if you scold me
I need to think this over
I think that smiles are one of the greatest things to exist
I have an instinct about Woolworths trucks (don't ask)
My dreams are cold and unrelenting.
It is important to brush your teeth
I am upset about my effed up leg
I find life funny.
I find humanity sad.
I am joyful about each degree and every change
I am waiting until my prince comes [hopefully] before I emerge from my dreamworld and face reality.
I am in love with fictional guys because they're better than breaking up and crying in the street
I am grieving about the mistakes I didn't learn from
I am concerned that I don't entirely make sense
I am conflicted by every choice presented to me.
I am confused that hate exists
I am angry that sometimes I can be so useless
I am sorry about my negativity
I am interested in books, music, movie, manga and other escapes from reality
I am thrilled by pushing deadlines
I would like to be in a fictional world.
I would like to have large paper wing that can take me through the layers of the cloud
I would like to change the world
I am scared that one day I will wake up
My most secret desire is secret to even myself.
I like it when things go my way
I dislike it when my brother sulks when things go my way, not his
I love how I dance when I want to. No. Matter. What.
I hate it when feel alone
I have the strangest feeling that things won't ever work out right. But I don't really care.
I find imperfection beautiful and it will never be bested
I find hate ugly as it dirties the best of us
I think my friends are silly because who could cope with me otherwise?
I think the world is tragic because humanity needs to pull itself together and shape up.
What no one realises about me is I mainly just listen to metal core to scare you.
I see small things. No big picture, but no details either.
I find it easy to hop on one foot
I find it hard to hop on no feet
I am at my best when asleep
I can do better
I am tired of just getting by
I am excited by childhood joys I'd forgotten I had
I hope that things get easier. In a challenging kind of way.
My destiny is to grow, to learn, to breath, to die

7 Things

I was tagged by ЯANdOM ЯAWR to make a list of 7 things that I love most about myself (way to make it difficult. How do you answer this without sounding vain?). Here I go:

1. I like my goofy smile. I have nice shaped lips but I still think I have a goofy smile. I love that.
2. I love my creativeness. I love my artworks. Yes, they could be better, but they're still good.
3. I also love my writing. I admit, a lot of what I write I end up hating (like last years, NaNoWriMo), but then I also write things that I love.
4. I love my relationship with my family. My brothers and my mum are basically my best friends. I love that I can be that close to them.
5. I love my nerdiness. I have a periodic table T-shirt, for Gods sake! Spread the nerdiness!
6. I love that I can make people laugh.
7. I love all my little random collections. I collect badges and cinema tickets and some other things.

Thank god that's over. Tag time!

O'Malley + Laura + Zella + Scott

Tell me: 7 things that should not exist

Musical Tag

After writing that title I wish I could say that this post is about an awsome game of tag that's similar to musical chairs (still trying to figure out how this game would work) but actually, I found a tag over with RandomRawr which I decided I had to do, although I think it could of had a better variety of questions. Here it is:

List 10 artists in no particular order (do it before reading the questions below).
1) Rise Against
2) AFI
3) Coheed and Cambria
4) The Killers
5) Alkaline Trio
6) British India
7) The Amity Affliction
8) Birds of Tokyo
9) A Day to Remember
10) Funeral for a Friend

What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
Run the Red Light

What is your favourite song of 8?
Medicine

What kind of impact has 1 left on your life?
They saved me when I could no longer breathe. They keep me alive.

What is your favourite lyric of 5s?
Sorry I'm late, I was out spoiling my liver.

How many times have you seen 4 live?
Never. Sadness.

What is your favourite song of 7?
Hard. Maybe their cover of Love is a Battlefield. Amazing cover.

Is there any song of 3 that makes you sad?
Not really. Their songs aren't really sad ones. Maybe Neverender, and if you're in the right state of mind maybe Keeping the Blade

What is your favourite song by 9?
Ergh! Hard. You Should Have Killed Me When You Had the Chance or Last Request or… I can't really decide

How did you first get into 2?
My cousin introduced me too them. I was staying at his place for a week and he was struggling to keep me entertained.

How did you first get into 3?
Again, my cousin. He played me one of their songs and them I went out and bought all their albums.

What is your favourite song by 4?
All These Things That I've Done from their first album. Was listening to it yesterday. Pure awesomeness. Or, I suppose, Glamourous Indie Rock and Roll.

How many times have you seen 9 live?
None, I missed them when they were out here last.

What is a good memory concerning 10?
Rocking out to Waterfront Dance Club in a total Risky Business kind of way.

Is there a song by 8 that makes you sad?
Yeah, a lot of it actually. Some of it just has this beautiful, melancholy feel to it.

What is your favourite song of 1's?
Ergh! It's like Sophie's Choice. I love them all. Um… I really love Ready to Fall, Roadside, Everchanging and Anywhere but Here, but I seriously can't decide

How did you become a fan of 10?
A frienemy piling as much music on me as possible. As I shifted through it all Funeral for a Friend just seemed to stand out.

2020

I was tagged by Scott over at Ergo (or Epic Ergo as I like to call it) and I'm supposed to predict where I'm going to be in 10 years time and tag 10 people. So here we go:

• In 2020 Australia will finally be achieving everything its aiming for (yeah right) like the 2020 Summit stuff and whatever Defence 2020 is on about. So I'm assuming we will be living in some kind of magical world.
• In this world I will have become the Cultural Vigilante, a misterious masked individual who is returning all artifacts back to their rightful countries (lets see the marbles back in Greece and the mummies back in Egypt!).
• This will have gotten me arrested and unmasked. My trial would be very controvertial as the British would probably hate me but the Italians, Greeks and Egyptian would worship me. But luckily the magistrate judging my case has an Italian grandmother who had seen a family heirloom (looted in WWII) returned thanks to me. I get released but banned from museums around the world.
• This spirals me into depression and I begin teaching Australia history to highschool students.
• This makes my depression worse and I get hooked on wizzfizz (now known to be a deadly drug).
• My family refer me to a clinic and I eventually get clean. Emerging from this I see myself on an E special showing a superheros downward spiral to drugs and addiction.
• I relapse.
• One day the magistrates grandmother visits me while I'm in the clinic. She thanks me and her gratitude is enough to get me back on the right track.
• Eventually the grandmother sets me up with the magistrate and we get married. This causes a lot of controversy but my case doesn't go back to trial.
• E does another story on me.
• I go back to work at the highschool but instead teach senior history and get to stay away from that horrible Australian stuff.
• After a very eventful year, life is pretty good.

I don't know 10 people, but I tag:

Lucy @ Amusing Seth

The Public Donut @ MyBlog

O'Malley @ The Battle of Yonkers

Laura @ Zoidburgtales

My Life According to Rise Against

Okay, so my friend did this in a note on Facebook for U2 and told me I had to try it. Her U2 one was totally amazing and I didn't have a hope matching that, expecially when there was just one question that I couldn't answer when I tried with AFI. But I changed to Rise Against and was suprisingly sucessful. So check it out:

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 10 people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Re-post as "my life according to (band name)."

Artist: Rise Against

Are you a male or female: Boy's No Good

Describe yourself: Like the Angel

How do you feel: Under the Knife

Where do you currently live: Whereabouts Unknown

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Anywhere but Here

Your favourite form of transportation: Paper Wings

Your best friend is: Savior

You and your best friends are: Worth Dying For

What's the weather like: Dancing for Rain

Favourite time of day: Halfway There

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: The Art of Losing

What is life to you: Historia Calamitatum (uh... it means the history of my calamities in case you were wondering)

Your relationship: Audience of One

Your fear: Weight of Time

What is the best advice you have to give: Sometimes Selling Out is Giving In

Thought for the Day: Remains of Summer Memories

How would you like to die: Chamber in the Cartridge

My soul's present condition: Everchanging

My motto: Rumours of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated


You should try it yourself. Once you get the right band it's pretty easy (unless you're my brother who tried at least four bands before finally getting Parkway Drive to work for him). It's almost like problem solving but with music so it's heaps of fun (and heaps frustrating). Enjoy.