28 | Slowly But Surely

So the other day I met up with my friends to discuss the podcast. We came up with some really good ideas, and we’re all excited to start working on them. The problem is time. None of us seem to have enough, and when we do it’s never at the same time, which makes getting together really difficult. Nonetheless we shall work hard to make sure that this actually happens. As with some of our ideas, we talk and talk about them, and then nothing ever eventuates from them – something that needs to be changed!

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be putting the page together, another WordPress page (stay tuned for more details). We’ll be blogging about film stuff, doing reviews on films new and old, and just generally talking about things that interest us film-wise. I’m excited!

27 | Australia Day

Today was Australia Day, marking the landing of the first ships in NSW. People celebrate being Australian today, and everything that means. Multiculturalism and just the Australian way of life are what people look to when celebrating today. And when I say ‘celebrate’, I mean ‘celebrate’! The fireworks have only just stopped, and I’m currently nursing a food baby from this afternoon’s barbeque feast.

However, today is also a day that is remembered by the Indigenous population as one that shattered their culture and started the horrible journey that ripped them of their rights as the original owners of the land. Whilst I am not Indigenous Australian, I don’t quite understand what I’m supposed to be ‘celebrating’.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t spent my whole life recognising this day, but I don’t quite understand. I know that for some people, coming to Australia has given them freedoms and has allowed them many opportunities that they might not otherwise have had. But, we’re eating and drinking and having a good time while there are people in detention camps because they tried to escape to here from horrors that we hopefully may never know.

I also know that the day is about being happy that we live in a country where everyone is accepted. This also isn’t true for quite a few reasons. Gay couples are not allowed to marry, racism is still something that many experience everyday, yet people ignore these things when celebrating how great this country is. As someone who is bi-racial, I can tell that I had never experienced racism before I came here.

All of this sounds like I really don’t like Australia, but the opposite is true. I love Australia, I’m glad that my parents brought me here because I have been given opportunities and have been about to experience things that I otherwise would not have. The people are amazing and it really is a great country to live in. I’m just saying that maybe we shouldn’t celebrate being Australian until some of the things that define being ‘Australian’ are made to be better.

26 | Be Who You Are

I was just catching up on my YouTube subscriptions when a video from one of my favourite YouTubers caught my eye. She goes by the name Choncey Boddington and I absolutely love her videos. She videos focus primarily on her love of books, but occasionally she speaks about issues that are important to her, which I love. Her most recent video is not one of books, but about how people should not be afraid of showing the world who they really are.

If you watch the video you’ll see that she has had many problems with facing who she is, and being afraid of what others will think of her because of horrible past experiences. Whilst I’ve never been unfortunate enough to have someone, let alone my peers, treat me in such a disgusting way, it did get me thinking.

All through my schooling I was a very shy person, as I’ve said before. It wasn’t until university that I found people who I feel I can truly me be around. I met up with them today, and it struck me how different we all were, yet we were all accepting of who one another is. I love it!

Watching this video made me concious of the fact that not everyone, including myself, has the luxury of having friends around you who know you and don’t care if you’re slightly (or extremely) strange. I know that we choose our friends, but sometimes the people who we choose to be our friends do not choose us in return. Now that Choncey has realised she doesn’t, and shouldn’t, care what others think of her, she says that she is able to return to the things that she had once shed because she felt she would be more liked by those around her. This is something we can all take away from this. No matter who you are, or what you do, you shouldn’t change who you are for other people.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.– Bernard Baruch

25 | It’s Got Me Started!

Even though I haven’t been ‘blogging’ for very long, I’ve found myself writing more and more in everyday life. One of my goals in writing everyday was to be able to be a better writer and to be able to write more fluently.

Going about my day I, like every other human, would normally find myself needing to remember things, or just generally being in need to write something down, but I would always say to myself that I’d remember it. Obviously this would turn out very badly because my brain is not the sponge I like to think it is. Now, I’ve found that I’ve the confidence to write something down. I’m becoming more confident in writing things, whether they be a simple list, or something more substantial that I want to come back to later.

I have written scripts, but I’ve never been fully satisfied with how they’ve turned out. I’ve now begun writing ideas down, knowing that I’ll be able to come back to them later without cringing. I’ve always had that problem – ever since high school and until I finished uni, I would write essays, but not come back to edit what I’ve written. Once it was down on paper, that was the final version. Whilst this is not the best way to go about your schooling, I always received good grades so it didn’t seem like it mattered.

Even though this post isn’t something important, I’m going to go over it and make sure that it sounds coherent(ish) as opposed to a crazed woman rambling on about nothing. It might not be important, but I feel as though I need to make sure the people on the internet know what I’m talking about.

24 | Only A Couple More Months!

I love Malaysia, I really do. Being half Malaysian means that half of my family are there, which in turn means that we can go there whenever we want! (Okay, not whenever we want, but you know what I mean). However, as we only visit for family, we rarely do tourist-ey type things. The last time we were down was also the first time that the entire family had been together, something that happens when you’re spread out over three continents. Most of the cousins and I went to visit some of the caves. One that we went to was very small, but very beautiful. They’re used as Buddhist temples, but the people who worked there were lovely and more than happy to tell us more.

 

We also visited another cave that was guarded by a giant golden statue before a giant flight of stairs, and it was definitely tourist central. There were so many people that we thought it was best for our giant group to not go – nothing worse than being lost in a foreign place.

This was 4 years ago now, and we’re going back this year for Christmas. I love going back and being able to spend time with all the food. And my family. Family is important too. But the food. If I could eat sweet pork everyday for the rest of my life I would die fat and happy.

When I say a couple more months, I know it’s at the end of the year and that I shouldn’t wish my time away, but I’m so excited!

24 | Start That Project!

A while ago I told you about how a couple of friends and I had planned to start a podcast. Well, a couple of plans have been made but nothing much else, as it’s hard to find a time when 6 people with very different schedules can come together. Well, it’s finally happening! On Sunday we’re going to be sitting down and discussing how we’re going to be doing everything!

When creating a new project, it can be hard to get it off the ground. In this case, we struggled with finding a time that everyone was available for a meeting. In other cases, it could just be that you’re not confident in your plans, or are scared that things might not turn out the way you plan – things that everyone has experienced at one point.

Now that we’re all at a stage where we genuinely want to do something for us, I feel as though this will benefit our sanity, and we’ll be able to provide content that is actually worth listening to. Of course, as we’re all new to this and some of us (cough cough) have nothing else to do with their time, we’re also going to be creating a blog (watch this space!) and providing our subscribers with extra content such as film reviews and the like. Basically, it’s all just content that we enjoy consuming, so why not make something of our own?

23 | Something To Think About

My life extends far beyond the limitations of me. – Cloud Atlas

On: The Job Hunt | Where To Start?

Okay, let’s not pretend that finding a job is easy. It takes hard work, dedication, time, and probably some tears thrown in there as well. There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing what you’re capable of and having no one return your emails, calls, pleas of desperation. Having been out of uni for nearly a year now (something I try not to think about too often), I’m still struggling. So my question is, how does anyone actually get a freaking job?

Like many graduates, I finished my university degree ready to burst into the work force. I wanted to work. I still want to work. However, this proved very difficult. The thing is this: I’ve come out of my higher education full to the brim with skills, but with no experience. That is always the thing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come across a listing for a job that looks like this:

AMAZING JOB OPPORTUNITY!

Are you looking for a job that you’re perfect for? Then look no further! Our perfect candidate MUST:

• Be a recent graduate (I am!)
• Have excellent computer skills, with knowledge in such-and-such software (Wow, I do!)
• Be able to work well both independently and in a team (I went to uni, so of course I can)
• Have excellent time management skills (See above)
• Be willing to work unsociable hours (The job description and company look amazing, so ya)
• Have 3-5 years experience in this field. Any applicant without will not be considered (Um…)

Tell me this hiring people: How am I supposed to ever get experience if there are hardly any jobs where you get trained in the job. The amount of times I’ve seen the above type of advert is ridiculous. I understand that businesses want people straight out of uni because then they can pay less or whatever, but where is this magical experience supposed to come from?

I’ve applied to these sorts of jobs before, and saying the whole ‘I’m a fast learner’ thing (better worded, or at least I hope), and have received many a reply saying I don’t have enough experience. Yes, but I have everything else you’re looking for! Sigh.

University is where you’re meant to cultivate your network. Your tutors and lecturers are all industry or ex-industry professionals and you can go to them and ask for help. This being said, actually being friends with your tutors and lecturers is quite difficult. For starters, depending on who you’re talking to, these people are quite often very busy, what with working at a university and all. I’m quite lucky and, with a group of people, was able to get a small amount of work in the television studio at my uni. The technical director of the studio got us all these jobs and he was amazing at helping us all learn new skills, both within the studio and how to go about approaching professionals.

These people are meant to be your gateway to your chosen profession, but what do you do if you don’t know anyone? You could do the route I chose: internships. Having been an intern for quite a few different businesses, I can tell you how frustrating it can be. For seven months I worked in a film distribution company. As advertised on the listing, I thought I would be writing pieces for all the films released, be organising promotional material, and generally just have a job within the office. Nope. I got to get the director’s lunch everyday, calling couriers, and sorting paperwork. Fun. (Whilst I say all this, I did have a great time there, but there’s being an intern, and then there’s being the person who does all the jobs no one else wants to do). I later learned that another intern (who had been at the business for over 2 years) had only just been offered a casual position. 2 years. As much as I love a place, I could never work there for free for 2 years.

I also don’t get paid in my current role, although I do very much have a role. I run the website and all social media, I am in contact with clients. From these two places, I now have the experience I need in order to apply to these sorts of jobs – it’s just a matter of finding the best place to suit you. The media industry in particular has great opportunities for people of all experience levels. I’ve seen a lost of listings that are volunteer/experience/internship roles. I’ve then seen a very similar listing but for a full time job. As film media is so specialised, there are a lot of people who simply cannot afford to pay the people working for them (the position I’m in right now).

Act today only, tomorrow is too late

It can be so easy to give up your job search. Rejection after rejection (or in most cases, silence after silence) it can be tempting to just not even apply, as you already know what the answer will be. DO NOT GET YOURSELF DOWN! You can do it! Many a time I’ve found myself looking at a listing and thinking ‘eh, I’ll just do it tomorrow’. Tomorrow comes around and I’ve lost my motivation. It can be so difficult to stay motivated when you feel like you’re taking two steps forward and one step back. If you ever feel like you can’t do it, just think of this depressing quote:

People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents. — Andrew Carnegie

Yeah. Does anyone want mediocrity? This is the question all job seekers must ask themselves. If you’re like me and are lazier than you wish to admit, the trick to starting is finding something small to motivate yourself. Something as simple as a ‘job diary’ – write down the job you want to apply for on the date the listing ends, as this gives you a physical visual reference of when to apply for what. Now that everything is online it can be really difficult to keep track of everything, so I find it helps to have something you can hold in your hands. You could also tell someone what and when you’re going to apply for something. I don’t know about you, but the thought of disappointing someone by not doing what I said I would is awful. (Of course, make sure to tell someone who cares about your future. Your next door neighbour’s girlfriend of two weeks might not be the one).

I’m going to make this into a little series of me ranting about finding a job, so next time I’ll be writing about where to look. And on that, I shall leave you with something to lift your spirits!

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. – Norman Vincent Peale

Thanks Norman.

22 | Only A Couple Years Makes A Difference

When I was in Year 12 five years ago we didn’t have to do anything special. Do your homework and get high-ish marks on your exams and you were ready for university. My younger sister is now in Year 12. I’ve seen the amount of holiday homework she’s been doing in preparation for the upcoming year and it’s ridiculous. She was also telling me about the half-an-hour long oral presentation they have to do – during which they are not allowed to refer to their powerpoint and get marks deducted if they look at their cue cards. What. That is terrifying.

21 | Something Unexpected

Now, I’m not normally one for classical music. I’ll be the first to tell you that I normally don’t like it – this isn’t to say I don’t understand why people like it, some pieces are absolutely beautiful, but I just find no appeal in them.

This being said, the introduction to the film ‘The Fall’ is so beautiful that I immediately fell in love with it’s musical counterpart:

It features Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, II Allegretto. Words don’t quite describe how much I love it. If my life was a film, this would have to be in it. There’s nothing I’ve done in my life yet that would call for a piece such as this, so that’s something to look forward to in the future. You can listen to the full piece here.