Foo fighting, summarized.

"Exquisitely intimate, occasionally raucous and prompting everything from laughter to tears. If one concert can deliver such a range of emotions, surely it's proof of true brilliance on stage. Dave Grohl might have casually sauntered on to the stage of teh Opera House with an open-necked shirt – constantly chewing on a piece of gum that, somewhat miraculously, remained in his mouth throughout every song – but this was a convert that defined him as a true master of his game. Not simply because his songs (ranging from across the 12-year career the Foo Fighters) were piercingly good, but also because his own genuine love for music was inspirational.
Apart from the striking delivery of the songs, with eight musicions on stage including a violinist and percussionist, it was Grohl's story-telling that set this event apart. Apart from comic one-liners and tales about recording his songs acoustically, there was an intensely autobiographical side to this event which was surprisingly moving. When Grohl stood alone on stage towards the end of the show, gently telling his story about joining up with Nirvana - "when I met them, I thought, 'these two guys are just weird'," he said with a smile – it was breathtakingly intimate.
He revealed he'd written the song Friend Of A Friend (which appears on the Foo Fighters' current album) many years ago, when he was sitting in a room with Kurt Cobain. When he sang the song - clean and soft - it was heart-wrenching. Ultimately though, the concert was a joyous celebration for Grohl, of the way music has changed and shaped his life - not to mention his impact on many others."

x


Noise: Miss You Love, Silverchair

Raw Music.

On Wednesday night, Henry, Mara and I went to see the Foo Fighter's acoustic gig at the Sydney Opera House. Now, firstly, let me say that the esplanade looks better than the opera house, but that's only because the design is newer. I live just opposite the opera house so it was about time we went and had a closer look.


I took mostly videos of their performance because obviously the flash didn't work, and non-flash images were so very shaky and blurred. I'm still trying to figure youtube out to try and post the videos.
The performance was absolutely breathataking. I literally had goose bumps from the pure... melody that came out of Dave Grohl. Would would have thought that the drummer of legendary Nirvana had such an amazing voice and so much skill. The entire two hour long concert was peppered with hilarious and some very personal anecdotes from Dave Grohl, and his showmanship was amazing. I felt like I was at a stand up comedy show at some points. You can see the chemistry that he and his band mates have, and it's so comforting to know that they're not those high-and-mighty sort who can't just sit back and have a laugh at themselves.

Dave Grohl did some performances alone, after the encore. He sang 'the best of you' - it was just him and his guitar. For those of you who have heard the song, it begins with 'I"VE GOT ANOTHER CONFESSION TO MAKE' - he literally screams it. He came on stage and unexpectedly belted it out. I was stunned because the whole evening he was just singing melodious... acoustic songs. Now whenever I hear that song I get the tingles (like Henry said). Unreal.
He wrote a ballad that he titled the beaconsfield miner's ballad and played it the night we were there because one of the miners were present. He was actually sitting just two rows behind us. For those of you who don't know, the beaconsfield mine collapsed some weeks ago, killing one miner and trapping two others (it was in Australia, of course). The two who were trapped were underground for days because it took the rescue that long to get to them. One of the miners, Brant Webb, asked for Foo Fighters on an iPod. Dave Grohl got word of this, and told triple J radio that once they get out, he would buy them a beer wherever he was. So on wednesday night, Dave Grohl and Brant Webb met after the performance for a beer. And Dave Grohl was quoted as saying that he wouldn't just buy one beer - they would go all the way. It's so real of him to do that, and I was very touched by that ballad that he wrote for them.

I can't really describe the performance so well, because my words won't do it much justice, if at all. So here are just some of the very memorable moments that night.



Hilarity:

- He was taking about how he likes acoustic performances, and that all their songs begin with just the voice and the guitar:
"I don't sit watching the tv with the f*cken' Marshall stack behind me."

- He was trying to get the crowd to stop yelling because he couldn't hear what they were saying, so he started out as if he were placating a baby:
"shhhhh... tsk tsk tsk shhhhh... no no no no, quiet, quiet. shhh shhh."
and then it turned into:
"shhhh.. no no no. hold it. *silence* ahhhhhhh."
as if he were having an orgasm.

- So the band was playing some 'background music' while Dave Grohl was talking, and halfway through his sentence he said:
"Here we are playing this f*cken' spy music..."

- Petra (who was on violin/tambourine etc) was very quiet the whole time, and would only end up laughing whenever Dave Grohl said something, and Dave said this about her:
"yeah you think she's very shy and quiet but she's the one later on who will be throwing TVs out the window"

- He was introducing Taylor Hawkins, the drummer, and how he was going to sing one of their songs. Then he said of Taylor:
"This guy is like the secret weapon you never knew you had. He's the drummer who can sing. It's like being in a street fight and then all of a sudden finding a wrench. Wait what the hell am I saying?! That doesn't make no f*cken' sense!"
To which Taylor replied:
"I'm the wrench!"
And Dave Grohl exclaimed:
"Ah you get it!"
Their Taylor-Dave banter continued as Dave Grohl said:
"I love this guy. I love this guy. I love you man (and Taylor's head was down). Look at me when I tell you that (Taylor raised his head slightly). I love you! (said really quickly - Taylor looked down). Look at me man... I wanna tell you I love you! Iloveyou! Iloveyou!"
And all this while Taylor is hitting the kick drum in regular 4-4 beat. Finally Dave Grohl says:
"Ha! I said it three times! And you looked me in the eye!"
So it really was a very relaxed... and funny environment.

- When he was introducing a separate song that he wrote when he first joined Nirvana (which is the song that started the In Your Honour album), he talked about how he ended up as the drummer for Nirvana. Basically he dropped out of school, and started touring with his friends - his idea of tour was basically the 8 of them touring in a 6 person van. Eventually, at one of their gigs (they were in a punk band, Scream), Nirvana watched it and Chris Novoselic (the bassist of Nirvana) told Kurt Cobain, "we need a drummer like that". Somebody heard this, told Dave Grohl and suggested that he give them a call. He did, but they said that at that point they had a friend who was playing with them at the minute. The next day, Nirvana called back and said "but you should come out and hang with us". They were at Tacona, which is near Seattle. Dave Grohl decided to move to Seattle now that Scream had broken up, and he describes Tacona as "the worst place in the world" because of all the paper mills. In his words, it was like "somebody had shoved broccoli up their bum and boiled it". He lived in Chris Novoselic's apartment which was basically an attic - Chris was 1.97m, and apparently couldn't even stand up in his own apartment. Nirvana already released Bleach, so Dave Grohl was their drummer from then on.

- Then Dave Grohl went to live with Kurt Cobain, and remembers thinking that they were just weird. He slept on Kurt Cobain's sofa, and remembers that Kurt Cobain used to keep turtles but never clean the tank. Because of that, the turtles (which were situated just next to the couch) would keep trying to get out of the tank all night and when Dave Grohl tried to sleep, they would go 'boom, boom, boom'. At this point, Dave Grohl kept walking into the mic while banging his head with it for effect.

- They filmed Big Me in Australia, and Dave Grohl mentioned it. Someone in the crowd then yelled out "which street!" and Dave Grohl replied:
"I don't know what f*cken' street! I just sit in my limousine and watch the world go by."
Later on, the "what street!" became a running joke when Dave Grohl told the audience that he was sitting in his hotel room when he composed the ballad for the beaconsfield miners. Someone yelled out "what street was it on!" (his hotel) and I can't remember what Dave Grohl replied, but I'm sure there were some curses. :)

These were just some of the many highlights of the performance. I would go through all of them but then Henry and I are just leaving to drive up to Hunter Valley for wine tasting and then to Ports Stephens to spot some whales/dolphins/hammerheads.

I really, really love Australia.


So to end this post off, here are the flowers that greeted me yesterday when I opened the door at home. From Henry, Happy Friday Afternoon. :)


x

Noise: In Your Honour by Foo Fighters.

Cairns, Port Douglas, and the Reef.

I'm feeling slightly ambivalent today. Rather reflective, midly morose, convincingly content. I've been home all day today, just because I felt like it, and also because I was just so darn lazy and refused to get out of bed.
So my Henry has been at work, doing his rounds, saving the world of journalism, while I've been vegetating in front of the television. For most of the time, E! was on, but I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on on the tv. I just kept looking outside at my beautiful garden, at the calm blue water and the green, green grass, and thought about how in three weeks time, all this will just be a distant memory. I will be starting a new life in Singapore - with a new room, new apartment, new area, and this will be like a prepossessing dream.
In a sentence, I will be making my way back to Singapore very shortly. Away from this comfort bubble back to where I came from. It's almost like I'm taking a step back, which is what is slightly disappointing about it. Here I am, exposed to a life of my own, a life that I've taken precedence over and one that I am accountable for. I've learnt to appreciate myself and those around me, as well as ensure that I take nothing for granted - manners, service, cleanliness, the goodness of nature...

(Hmmm, the doorbell just rang, and since I'm at home alone and since I've been spooking myself out with all that crimelibrary.com and crime investigation nonsense, I didn't answer it. Five minutes later Henry called and I said someone rang the doorbell and I didn't answer it because I was 'scared'. He said I should open the door and check if anything was there because it could be the postman. I opened the door (with Henry still on the phone 'just in case') and there was a bouquet of the sweetest smelling flowers! The card attached to it read 'Happy Friday Afternoon, I love you, Henry'. Awwww. :) See it's the thoughtful and charming things like these that really remind me why anyone wants to fall in love. A misconception that people have is that romance just... 'happens'. It doesn't. A relationship requires quite a lot of effort, and even more honesty. Henry and I celebrate our 'anniversary' every month just because I think with our very hectic lives, it's necessary for us to appreciate each other at least once a month, and do something extra special. It could be anything from a simple dinner, or in most cases, some flowers and treats. But I digress. These flowers are such an appealing distraction.)

So as I said in a previous entry, Henry and I try to make the best of our time here. Every weekend we try and see something that Australia has to offer. Last weekend, we went to Cairns! So here we are, on one of our many fulfilling and *romantic* adventures. :)


Day One began with boxed lunch (pasta and beef salad), three krispy kreme donuts, and a three hour flight to Cairns.


We landed at the airport and the first thing that I noticed was the weather. It was so invigorating - I'd almost forgotten what 'tropical' felt like! Just being able to wear shorts was almost liberating. The resort we stayed at had a van come and pick us up from the airport.


The ride there was mostly 'documented' by my videos. I took videos of almost everything in this trip. Very amateur videos, but... I now understand why videos tell a lot more than pictures. The entire area constituted of green vastness to the left and right with hilly mountains in the background. The place was just a whole carpet of grass and farmland - it was covered in a blanket of peace.


By the time we settled down, the sun had set, and dinner was calling. Not sure where to go, we ended up at this respectable looking restaurant with very dingy looking food. The menu and decor diidn't look so drab, but when we were served it was quite shocking. But the desperation of the situation turned to humour, and we chose to cherish the moment where we would pay $20 for a plate of slice bread. ... Hmm. Totally different world. On the table is a brochure for the Poseidon - a tour to the great barrier reef. After dinner, we booked a tour for the day after to do some snorkelling.


Day two started out after a buffet breakfast. We drove up to Port Douglas where the sun was shining, and did a bit of water appreciation. After doing some surf skiing (yes, you read right, SURF SKIING), we rented this huge tube and basically pranced around the water like 10 year old children. I'm not complaining, because I absolutely loved it. I don't think I've laughed so much for a long time, or let myself go so far. It was the relaxation that I deserved. Yes, I deserved it. But most of all, it was a very special moment for Henry and myself because we were allowed to... just... forget everything and concentrate on each other, and most importantly ourselves.


Tired but content, we then returned to the car and drove out to the village to get some fish, calamari and chips for late lunch. But that was after I made sure we got a picture of the car (and me. heh).


Physically exhausted, we then went back to our hotel room where we had a little rest before heading back out to a thai restaurant for a very relaxed dinner. We had an early night in preperation, because the next day was Reef Day.


We were up at 6am for a day of exploration pleasure. We had our hearty buffet breakfast (as usual), and the Poseidon van came and picked us up from our hotel. We were taken to Port Douglas where the boat was, and then this picture was taken by their cameraman. Even though it's not entirely flattering, it is the perfect tourist picture. Just imagine the words 'Welcome to the Great Barrier Reef' on top.


We waited on board for awhile before heading off to the reef. Now. As a typical... tourist, I have never been to the great barrier reef, nor do I know much about it apart from what I've seen in the pictures. If you notice, the pictures usually tend to show an island nearby, or something. So I figured... well, we'll get on the boat and then we'll travel for about 10 minutes and reach this island where the great barrier reef is. Wrong. This wonder of the world is located right smack in the middle of the ocean. No, seriously, it is.


The Great Barrier Reef is this big plot of area, and there are multiple sites where people can dive and snorkel around to marvel at sea creatures in the crystal clear (and blue) water. In total, we went to three different reef sites to snorkel, and they were all amazing.


Our first encounter with snorkelling was at Shelly beach about two weekends ago, which is just outside the city. That experience taught us a little about snorkelling, so this time we donned our wetsuits, flippers and masks, and that was it. We were in the ocean. I started to panic very quickly because this is so different from a beach - you are literally surrounded by gallons and gallons of water. Even though the water is so clear, you can only see so far, and once I looked underwater, I could feel my shortened breaths and my tensed muscles. It didn't really help that I'd never used flippers in my life, so it took a very long time to just calm down and move my legs right. Of course, science will tell you that if you panic under water then you automatically sink - and I was really sinking. But! Some time after, I gained some composure and confidence, and went about my swim.


Henry and I had a underwater camera but haven't developed the pictures yet, so this is just one shot of us holding a sea cucumber that was on the sea bed. I can't believe we eat these things.


I took a video of Henry as he attempted to dive without equipment. He mentioned the pressure was too high (who would've thought, huh?) and after two attempts was pleased with whatever progress he made, and came back onto the boat. Hmmm. You can see he's got his diving shoes on, because he was wearing a much more hardcore flipper.


Three dives, a seafood buffet-type lunch and an overly tight mask later, we were marked. If you look at our faces you can see the snorkel mask's mark on us. That eventually did fade away, thank goodness. I was so tired, and fell asleep on the journey back to shore.


On the way back, Henry and I had a little ice cream, and once we reached our hotel room, took a very nice warm shower and Henry fell asleep. Shortly after, he woke up and we had a little self-pampering session.


Face masks! Can't go for a holiday and then not treat yourself with face masks, right? Besides, we were going to go on a 'nice' dinner (that's not to say the other dinners aren't nice, this one was supposed to be extra nice) that evening, so this was just like a prelude to what our evening had in store for us.


Wearing matching colours (I know, isn't it one of those extremely annoying thing that couples do...), we went to this amazing restaurant for dinner. Unlike the first night, this place had realllly good food. It did cost twice as much, but it was such a special way to end our day. We had homemade cheesecake for desert, and I don't think I've ever tasted anything as good. I was a bit apprehensive about finding a decent place at first, but I'm happy to say that this restaurant didn't let me down. A long island ice tea and two beers later, we were satisfied and that night I had such a good night's rest. The motion of the waves earlier that day did help.


The next morning, breakfast called. Here Henry is with round two of his mega breakfast, while I'm finishing up with my honey and pomegranate. It was like this for all our breakfasts - buffet breakfasts are a good incentive to get up early in the morning, even while on holiday.


After breakfast called, the wallabies did. Well, we went wallaby-spotting. Apparently there were some wallabies near where we were, so we took a little walk to try and find them. First a picture outside our resort room. Our room was on the second level, so in this picture it's actually just above my head.



This is a picture of the view just outside our room! First the view from our balcony, and then of me while we were there on the way to the wallabies. We stopped by to take a video of some tiny frogs - they were the size of my fingernail!


Finally, after climbing rocks and leaping over streams, we spotted a wild wallaby. A real one! The only other kangeroo we saw was... dead, as a result of roadkill (not by us of course) when we drove to kangeroo valley. If you look at this picture closely you'll see it in between the two tree trunks.


Happy that we'd seen a real life wallaby, we got ready to head to the beach. We brought along our bat and ball and had a few rounds of competition. I won, obviously (haha) but unfortunately don't have any pictures of us playing because I only took videos for that. We had some yoghurt and chips on the beach, and the walked back to our resort barefooted. The road was burning under my feet but it was fun - hopping from one shaded spot to the other. :)


It goes without saying that you can't pay money and stay at a resort without utilizing its facilities. Henry and I went to the pool at the last hour, and had lots of child-like fun doing somersaults and attempting to stand on each other. I know, we amuse ourselves very easily.


Like I said, it was the last hour. And so after that, we had to go back to the hotel and pack our bags to head to the airport. Here's a picture of our room (look mum, two beds!) and luggage and... stuff.


We took a long van ride back to the airport, and as tired as we were, were very glad that we got this chance to come to Cairns. It's a beautiful tropical part of the country and I'm so grateful that Henry and I managed to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and truly spend some quality time alone, and just remind ourselves why we love each other.

So that was it. Cairns, Queensland. A breathtaking weekend and a treasured memory. We snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef, played ball, surf-skiied, had good dinners, not so good dinners, and most substantial breakfasts. Most of all, we fell in love with nature, and each other, all over again.

x

Noise: My Fair Lady on TV

Foo Fighters.

The last time I went on a real holiday, was last Christmas, when Henry and I went to England, so after a year, my memory of what it's like to really relax is very fuzzy. Last weekend, Henry and I flew to Cairns and spend 4 days and 3 nights just enjoying each other's company and the luxury of the beach and a hearty buffet breakfast every morning. I will detail our trip more once I get the pictures up (hopefully soon, but we all know how I am with my updates), but in a nutshell, it was such a well deserved break. We were so blessed to be able to just soak in the peace and not have to think about anything else - school report, jobs, my leaving etc -.

Apart from our holiday, I have also been trying to see if there's a way that I can stay in Australia for awhile longer, just because one of the magazines that I'm working for, Outdoor Australia, is going through a major relaunch that I would love to be a part of. I've written to the school to find out if they could offer me some advice on how I should approach this predicament I'm in (school starts on 23 Oct, and this relaunch happens over the next two months) but the advice I was given wasn't entirely helpful. I've since written another email to another lecturer and am just waiting to see what my options are.

This time in Australia has really taught me how to stand up for what I want, and that there is always some way around the impossible. I've also learnt how to take control of my life, and really be confident about approaching others. There is nothing to be afraid of, and I've discovered that it's better to ask and get a no, than to simply assume that the answer is a no. Just because, there is always a chance that the answer will be a yes. I feel so much more responsible and accountable for my life now - I finally have managed to manage my finances (ok, maybe not as well as I'd like to but.... it's a start) and even though I still cannot clean the house or do my laundry to save my life, I have kind of tried. Because of this new found confidence in me, I've decided to pursue what's best for me. Hence my emails to the school, to try and do something different. I've observed that the ones who are successful are the ones who dare to be different. Easier said than done, and more often than not, an overused cliché, but truly it's that drive in a person that reeks success. And if you notice, the ones who are successful and confident (and more importantly, content and happy) are the ones who don't worry at all. I don't worry at all. These seven months have cemented that. I really do not worry at all. I may not be rich, or perfect, but I have no reason to worry. Which is why I can send that email, and approach those superior to me with the right amount of tenacity and sureness.

Hmm. Ramble ramble. Been long since I last rambled. But! All that aside, tonight we are going to watch the Foo Fighters perform an acoustic set at the Sydney Opera House!!! Hurrahh! They're playing songs from the In Your Honor album, which is the only reason why I'm going to watch them. Personally I am not a fan of paying hundreds of dollars to see a bunch of musicians play just because the world sees them as 'popular', but the Foo Fighters are an exception because their In Your Honour album has sentimental value for Henry and I because we played that when we drove up to Palm Beach and then to the Blue Mountains. So it's a memory of Sydney and our time here and to watch them play an acoustic set live will just complete our time down under. I'm sad to leave but this will be a great way to leave. :)

In other news, yesterday was part two of my 'anniversary present' when Henry and I went for a haircut! It had to be a gift because there is just no way on earth that I can afford (or want to fork out) $100 for a haircut. ... Insane. But! Since it makes Henry happy, we both went down to Zenith last night for a good trim. I'm keeping my hair length even though I did consider going shorter, only because I really miss my long hair and do think it compliments me better. One day I will have a fringe, go bob, but that's only when I don't really need to depend on my looks for some extra income. When I go back to Singapore I've got to continue with my modelling part time just because I'm going to need some extra moneyyy. That's why I need to grow my hair back. Hmm.
It's a bit annoying how sometimes we just must do something in order to get something else. That's the way the world goes, I guess. But then, freedom of choice reminds us that there is always a way around the impossible, if you want it that way.

x

Noise: Might To Save, Hillsong.