This posting is devoted entirely to James.
James Parham. This is for you. Those who aren’t aware, James was selected today as ACYLP Coordinator for 2007 (Australia- China Young Leaders Program), and will, in January, disappear to China for a year. For the last year, for me James has been:
The LCP of my adopted LC
My gossip monkey
Booty shaker extraordinaire (all at July '06 can attest)
Master of the Jagerbomb
Protector of my sanity at SPM’s
My towel ninja
And easily one of my most wonderful and dearest friends.
Above is, quite possibly, the most hilariously well- fitting photo I could ever have hoped to post.
The background to this photo is that we’d both overslept during SPM’s pre- conference, and awoken well after noon then decided to totter to Sydney city for eats. After a freak storm, missing our planned bus, then returning to Jake’s to ask his Mummy to take us to the train, we eventually made it to the city ecstatic and delirious about the possibility of Yum Cha for breakfast at 4pm.
I’m going to miss out conference catch up/ gossip/ drunken/ random sessions so much. The UniSA chant just won’t be the same without you darling. The biggest congratulations. I’m so going to cry at ANCON…
When does the ‘James-in-China’ blog start…?
Woe! And Sadness!
Its taken me three weeks to realise Toowoomba has neither chocolate croissants or Asian food.Oh woe...
If you don't like cars, surf another blog now...
2006: Action Shot
Last night marked the first Sprintcar race meeting of the season at Archerfield in Brisbane. This is our second season in the class; last year was very much formative – almost all local races; gaining skills, meeting people, and generally getting our driver and crew used to the new car.
This season should see us trekking around the country – everywhere from local tracks at Brisbane and Toowoomba, to north Queensland for Mackay and Maryborough, the southern states for Murray Bridge, Moama, Warrnambool, Mt. Gambier, Avalon, Paramatta, Mildura…. A quick jaunt in February to Tasmania, and plans to drive over to Western Australia to race Kawana and Kalgoorlie.
Busy little buttons aren’t we.
Its an interesting feeling to be back in the game. I spent a lot of last season (October to June each year) lamenting our change from Modified Production to Sprintcars. As a team, we’d found our niche. I’d gotten to know all the drivers and their crew, the pit marshalls, scoring techniques, and the car dominated events.
Last year we were just out of our depth.
Until last night, which I felt was a turning point. We’re becoming ‘old hands’ and all of us managed to slip into our new roles pretty easily. The racing itself was pretty good; quite happy with how it all went, and our result considering we haven’t raced for six months. It was uneventful really, except for an incident at the beginning of the night. After the completion of our first heat, another car collided with ours – very unsportsmanlike – then proceeded to plough through signage on the infield.
A lot of damage, a lot of cost.
Oh come on! You’re driving a racing car! Freaking pay attention to where you’re going! What are you on!
I was ropeable. The team was spitting.
But what really surprised me, immediately after this, our transporter was converged upon. Other teams, other drivers came wielding spanners or to voice their support. The camaraderie that I’d very much been missing is defiantly back.
I’d actually decided to distance myself a bit last night. I’ve barely been home in months to see how the car has progressed, I hadn’t managed to keep up with the schedule for last year, so I just went along as an observer. It took all of 10 minutes for me to slide back into my old role; mock death threats to other drivers, tightening belts, suiting up, checking positions, penis jokes and a lot of yelling.
Its very, very good to be home.Next meeting is in Moama, in Victoria. You can check out the team website here. An race update from last night should be up in the next 48 hours.
A few useful definitions.
tact [takt] (noun)
1. a keen sense of what to say or do to avoid giving offense; skill in dealing with difficult or delicate situations.
2. a keen sense of what is appropriate, tasteful, or aesthetically pleasing; taste; discrimination.
decency [de-cen-cy; dee-suh n-see] (noun, plural –cies)
1. the state or quality of being decent
2. conformity to the recognised standard of propriety, good taste, modesty
respect [re-spect; ri-spekt] (verb)
1. to show regard or consideration for: to respect someone’s rights
courtesy [cour-te-sy; kur-tuh-see] (noun)
1. a courteous, respectful, or considerate act or expression.
Stupid.
Vodka shisha. Stupidest idea ever.We may just die.
Shisha etiquette
Bo’s been teaching me shisha care and etiquette.
Jess: Tuuuurrrrkkkkk? What happens when you put vodka in the shisha?Bo: Um… its ok I guess…it’ll probably hurt though…Maybe we should start with vanilla essence and build up from there...
End of exams... gearing up for conference...
Exams (thankfully) ended today; with an epic '4 essays in 2 hours' exam. Just cruel really. Now all that's there to concentrate on is conference, and that's what this post really is about. There's already the smell of January Conference in the air. Seeing everyone again after months (even though it really only feels like a few weeks at the most), long hours in sessions, longer nights at parties, MC elections and of course, post- conference. LC's are promoting conference (and I'm adamant that no, Sydney, you won't have more delegates than Queensland. Now, shush), setting up for delegate preparation, soon to be reading MC platforms and the usual chopping and changing of billeting (any potential billetors in Adelaide; remember, I managed 17 in my apartment... you can do it!!!).As for the QUT delegation, even though I won't be leading them into conference as their LCP, I'm still fucking proud of them. Fucking. Proud. The members who have been in the LC since Semester One are tenacious and resiliant. From a two (then one) member LC at WANCON, to an ACTUAL DELEGATION for ANCON (Miss Panda is aiming for 10) rocks my little AIESEC- saturated world. You know that by the time you've got your members coming to January that they'll be keepers. They're going to be your recruiters for next year; they're going to be team leaders at State.Ergh. I feel old. Can't play the 'newbie' card anymore. I'm nearly up to the two year mark. But on conference, I've got alot of memories of 'WANCON' in Perth. It really just was an awesome conference. For any internationals, January Conference runs at least two weeks, often three. Around a week for the delegates to drizzle in and for pre- conference activities like the Pub Crawl, Developing Leaders Day, city tours and some AIESEC related bits and bobs here and there like subcommittees. Then the conference itself; a week long. Then, post- conference. Just like conference without sessions. For 3 or 4 days, but all up a week for us to depart. WANCON in Perth was particularly memorable; here are some of my personal highlights:
- Azz passed out on the stairs sorrounded by people
- Laura Allen; 'Laundry Service'. I need not say more.
- 'Polly-Wanna-Frot-Alot'
- The first 50 shots of beer from Century Club (the rest are a haze)
- Ralph's (rancid) fuckover
- Eating out of a giant pot of pasta with Lobov
- The 'Members Stand' while the 'plebs' were playing cricket
- The complete anarchy of the kitchen... and by the end of conference... the campsite.
- Pre- pre conference in Adelaide; with funnels and 'Box'
- $2 vodka at Shennanigans in Adelaide
- Probing jokes with Mike
- An adventure in the alleyways of Perth with Ryan (after he was kicked out of a pub) and PBoy
- Getting to know, and becoming friends with Daz, Anne and James (thinking back... it was all of you at the same time... something in the water!)
January 2007 will be 'ANCON' (Adelaide National Conference... not 'Anne's Naughty Conference Oozing with Naughtiness').Cannot wait.
Back in Brisbane...
Right now, I’m chilled out on the balcony of my apartment back in Brisbane. Its good to be home. Brisbane home, not Toowoomba home; which for the last week (and for the next few months), is just been a depot for food and sleep between work.
I’ve really missed the Turk’s cooking. I really think living with a trainee should be part of the @XP. After a week, I’m already well and truly sick of the ‘survival of the fittest’ style of dinner that happens at home home. There’s just something to coming back to Brisbane and finding the cupboard full of gin, leftover shisha coals in the grill and Manic Street Preachers in the stereo all ready to go.
On another note, today I went on a course for proofreading and editing ministerial correspondence. Sounds like a bundle of giggles, but it was actually fun. I picked up a lot of tips and tricks, especially on how to avoid being complacent when reviewing your own work.
It also gave me the chance to meet some of my peers; all those who I get to deal with via email and I’ve never actually met; which proved to be interesting. At my ‘level’ (my role) the standard EA is as 30 – 50 years old, and has about 10 years previous government experience building up to this role. As a result, I scored a few comments which were too much on the side of snide for my liking.
No, I’m only twenty actually…
No, I’m only second year university…
Well, I’ve actually only worked in government for about three weeks now…
After meeting me, they either all either think that my manager is an insane person or they’re in panic that their pecking order – the silos, the hierarchy – can be so easily ruffled.
Keep you updated.
The Cure - Lovecats
This is my song of the last few weeks/ days, all due to my favourite long- distance housemate, Bo. Posted for no other reason, except that it reminds me of us shopping on the Queen Street Mall a few weeks ago. Missing you!
We move like cagey tigers
We couldn't get closer than this
The way we walk
The way we talk
The way we stalk
The way we kiss
We slip through the streets
While everyone sleeps
Getting bigger and sleeker
And wider and brighter
We bite and scratch and scream all night
Let's go and
Throw all the songs we know...
...Into the sea
You and me
All these years and no one heard
I'll show you in spring
It's a treacherous thing
We missed you hissed the lovecats
(Ba ba-da...da da da da da...)
We missed you hissed the lovecats
(Ba ba-da...da da da da da...)
We're so wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully
Wonderfully pretty
Oh you know that I'd do anything for you.
We should have each other to tea huh?
We should have each other with cream
Then curl up by the fire
And sleep for awhile
It's the grooviest thing
It's the perfect dream
...Into the sea
You and me
All these years and no one heard
I'll show you in spring
It's a treacherous thing
We missed you hissed the lovecats
(Ba ba-da...da da da da da...)
We missed you hissed the lovecats
(Ba ba-da...da da da da da...)
We missed you hissed the lovecats
(Ba ba-da...da da da da da...)
We missed you hissed the lovecats
(Ba ba-da...da da da da da...)
We're so wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully
Wonderfully pretty
Oh you know that I'd do anything for you.
,
We should have each other to dinner
We should have each other with cream
Then curl up by the fire
And sleep for awhile
It's the grooviest thing
It's the perfect dream
Hand in hand
Is the only way to land
And always the right way round
Not broken in pieces
Like hated little meeces
How could we miss
Someone as dumb as this?
We missed you hissed the lovecats
(Ba ba-da...da da da da da...)
We missed you hissed the lovecats
(Ba ba-da...da da da da da...)
I love you ... let's go
Oh ... solid gone ...
How could we miss someone as dumb
As this?
Kununurra and a bizarre coincidence…
Lake Argyle, the Northern Territory
Kununurra is in Western Australia; but close to the Northern Territory border, and in recent times its become a mecca for Australian agriculture due to water availability. Rather than relying on the fluctuations of the wet and dry season to make the area viable, in the 70’s the government dammed the Ord river; creating Lake Argyle – the largest body of fresh water in Australia.
As a result, Ord River Valley has become home to everything from GM cotton, sugar, agriculture, and a huge centre for melon production.
Now, the government is looking to ‘Ord River State Two’; an irrigation scheme which will double the area of workable farmland. Further, the increase of infrastructure (new roads, housing developments etc) will also add to the mining industry (particularly diamonds).
I heard a murmur a few weeks ago that the Federal Government is looking to introduce a new portfolio; ‘Water, Climate and Northern Development’. At the time I really was wondering why on earth there was so much focus on developing the NT. Clicks now. Also – something else I’ve heard along the grapevine – that they’re looking at making NT a state, not a territory… interesting stuff.
As a note; you’ll see that I’ve added links to ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ in my side bar. I’ve realised that I’m not so much only interested in water sustainability, but really all the insanely cool sustainable agriculture practices that are happening all over the world.
Another random note. A bizarre coincidence.
A few months ago, on a plane back from Melbourne, I found in a QANTAS brochure an article on ‘Julie McIntosh’; who just happens to be QUT’s first LCP.
Yesterday, I Googled ‘sustainable agriculture’ and ended up with ‘eco tourism’. From here, a link to the ‘Ecotourism Australia Conference’ just held in Townsville. After scrolling through keynote speakers, I noticed a few that recognised, including ‘Julie McIntosh’; my LC’s first LCP. Bizarre coincidence.
V. quick update...
A very quick update tonight because I'm about to dash off to dinner. Twilight Zone: Toowoomba is so Twilight Zone at the momeny. Today I ran into my grade 6 teacher. Its all feeling like an episode of 'This Is Your Life' really. Congratulations! Two serves of congratulations are in order for two of my AP buddies; firstly, Eshad Ekram who has just become LCP of BRAC University in Bangladesh, and secondly to Harjeet Kumar for being accepted on a Microsoft internship!
A few quick notes...
Another few quick updates:
The weather: The last few days in Toowoomba have been odd. Mostly because its been raining. Not just teasing rain anymore. Its become torrential-downpour-4000-lightning-strikes-in-an-afternoon-had-to-leave-work-early-due-to-power-outage type rain.
Its fantastic, however forecasters say that the region will need this to occur for three solid weeks to better the current situation.
Ryan was joking this afternoon how funny it would be if my PBox never got off the ground because the drought broke. I’d love it to. I’d probably still run it, but more in a ‘now we KNOW, lets not have it happen again’ vein.
References: In the last two days, I’ve had three friends phone/ text/ email to either request my permission to (or warn me that I could) be contacted by their new employment prospect/ same prospect/ housing agency as a reference. Two in three days.
How long have you known ‘X’?
During this period, have you ever visited the residence of ‘X’?
In what condition have you found this residence?
If you owned a rental property, would you accept ‘X’ as a tenant?
My manager: Is utterly fantastic. But is the busiest person I’ve ever met in my life. You think AIESEC has a high turnover. Can’t top my position. Take your average AIESECer lifespan, and divide it by four. The four people I work with think I’m ‘incredibly brave’ for taking on the role I have.
Not brave. Just naive.
I had no idea what my role would entail when I accepted it. But its keeping me on my toes. My role is ‘Executive Assistant’ (EA) to, basically, someone who is on the ‘EB’ of a government department. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying it; but it’s a hell of a challenge. Today, I was in stitches on the inside. At around 9am, we received a call that she was heading back from Brisbane.
One hour until she arrived.
The place went into panic. Mayhem. Everything was tidied, her paper put at her desk, reports finalised, her carpark vacated, frantic calls made, a staff briefing held of what was priority, who had permission to meet with her. Think ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ when Meryl Streep arrives unannounced. Or better yet, like me, think of the segment in the trailer (not my sort of movie) where that happens.
Striking a balance
A few things from the last two days...New job: I started at my new job yesterday. Its not bad; very, very different from my last position which was all about media releases, plans, pamphlets… anything in marketing or communications really. My new position is all high- level administrative work. My day is as follows: print; fax; highlight; panic; meeting; highlight; briefing; phone call; panic; print; briefing; phone call (etc).
I now have a better understanding of the concept of bureaucracy. And paperwork. A lot more respect for paperwork. That’s why it takes so damn long to have those TN’s approved…
This time last year, between my first and second years of university I had a lot of trouble juggling my time. Just trying to balance working in Toowoomba, and trying to do AIESEC in Brisbane. Trouble juggling, to the point that my then LCP was ready to fire me… I’m already facing the same issue again. Not with firing. Mwahaha! I (currently) work for no-man! Any meetings will have to either be over dinner or breakfast. Finishing off my plan is happening slowly; a little each night; but I just need a 6 hour block or something. Hopefully this weekend I can get it polished, and start on my actions.
Toowoomba: I haven’t had much of a chance to explore. My workplace is stationed out at USQ university… which is unnerving since I studied there for 6 months in 2004 when I finished high school. Particularly unnerving because my office is the level above my old haunting ground; the forensic anthropology labs.
The refectory smells the same. I ran into FOUR people I knew on my first day. A friend from my first months at USQ, a guy from the drama group I was friends with. My brothers’ friend. My grade 8 art teacher. So. Unnerving.
One thing that I have noticed though, are posters which are dotted over almost every lightpost. In general, some of the city’s residents are known to be quite racist, and as previously mentioned, it has a huge population of Sudanese refugees. There’s constantly stories of attacks or slurs, or blame. But now, posters saying: ‘Sudanese are welcome in my city’ and ‘We accept all colours’ are appearing everywhere. These posters, were printed on mass. Someone has just photocopied off hundreds of these, and plastered the city. All on white or yellow paper. Randomly taped or stapled to whatever will hold it.
Its very, very awesome. Very.
It's a really different place
I’m currently packing for Toowoomba and its quite depressing. I’d just gotten used to my new room and I was settling into what would become my summer routine of; work, study, play (to be replaced with work, play).
I’ve decided to pack the bare essentials, which are, in priority order, as follows:
Laptop
4+ pairs of shoes
Work clothes
Sunglasses
PBox plan
Camera
Books (Kon-Tiki and Origin)
202 study notes
Over the next few months, expect my postings to be about Toowoomba, and its surrounding communities. I might even take you on a tour.
The following information is from the ‘grande’ source of knowledge; Wikipedia:
132 km west of Brisbane (just enough to be considered ‘the sticks’)
Home to 120,000 people (as of 2005)
Known as the ‘Garden City’ by locals (until we ran out of water and all the petunias died)
Great Dividing Range (700m above sea level - so when you drive to town, your ears *pop*; just like when you’re taking off or landing in a plane)
Camphor laurel trees line the streets (these have been declared noxious weeds)
A huge population of Sudanese refugees (who are of constant target of racism)
Grand Central Shopping Centre (built on a swamp. Has been sinking.)
Famous people: Gina Jefferys, Geoffrey Rush, and numerous rugby and hockey players (none of us have seen Mr. Rush. Actually, most of the population wouldn’t know who the hell he is. As for Rugby and hockey players, what do you expect from a town full of private schools…)
Currently under level 5 water restrictions (This means that all the residents are only allowed to use water outside to wipe down their windscreens and headlights)
Here are some of my own facts about things to do in Toowoomba:
Speedway at Charlton Raceway is always a good night to get covered in mud and a forum to speak really loudly to people. One of my personal favourites.
Clubbing at Tattersalls Pub (better known as 'the Tats'), a two storey Queenslander- style pub with a huge outside balcony (which I’m sure one day will collapse and injure hundreds). If you’re not into the clubbing scene, but still want to be part of the Tats’ atmosphere, you can stand outside and wait to be pelted with bottles.
If you’re into the goth/ alternative scene, check out ‘Bon Amici’s Café’ (better known as Bonos). You don’t even need to go inside. Loitering out the front is just as fun.
For anyone who is interested in illegal street racing, Chalk Drive is the place to be. An entire carpark of hotted up toranas and sigmas, with the best doof doof, hip hop and rap. A place full of shiny, glowing, loud things. Everything here is fully sick.
Go to the movies.
Go rollerblading at ‘Skate City’. This place has been closed down, and opened up, and changed owners countless times. They often hold ‘metal night’; great to catch up with friends and see all the little ‘mini-goths’ (aged around 12 – 15) running around in ‘blood-stained’ wedding dresses.
Go to a house party.
Feed the ducks at Lake Annand.
So on reading back on this posting, its seems very much that I’m taking the piss. But honestly, I’m proud of my town, and all its quirks. It’s a really different place; part akubra hats, part fishnet stockings. Part nursing homes, part snooty private school kids. Forward thinking opinions, backwards decisions*.
Anyway, that’s it from now. Next update will be live from me to you, from the ‘Garden City’.
*No no… I’m not talking about the water referendum at all…
