The golden years
A guy is waiting for his bus at a shelter. He spots some children also waiting, as well as an adolescent youth. It's hard for him. It reminds him of himself, and where he is. But soon, and very soon, his glory years will be here.
His golden years.
Enjoy.
Another day in a wintry autumn,
Anther sunset pases by,
And i, distracted in a moment,
Begin to analyse my life,
Children laughing, playing, smiling,
Innocence is such a bliss,
And as they sit here right beside me,
Could there be much better than this - childhood bliss - take me back to this.
The golden leaves begin to dance upon the wind,
Trees release their leaves, they start to want to sing,
And as the glow of autumn's sunset sails to sea, I know
come tomorrow there my golden years will be - more than memories - until then I will see.
Rebellious child he's waiting also,
He wants a reason to survive,
Cos in a world of please and thank you,
Where does he fit in this life,
fights away the thoughts of kindness,
With a carefully chizelled frown,
And when I see him in his struggle,
Another tear comes falling down - whoooa!
The golden leaves begin to dance upon the wind,
Trees release their leaves, they start to want to sing,
And as the glow of autumn's sunset sails to sea, I know,
come tomorrow there my golden years will be - more than memories - until then I will see.
And as I get old,
I remember what my mother had me told,
That life is for living,
For winning and forgiving,
So with this i wait until,
The sun will rise again,
Where all my fears from all these years,
Will come crashing to an end - come crashing to an end -hope's around the bend.
The golden leaves begin to dance upon the wind,
Trees release their leaves, they start to want to sing,
And as the glow of autumn's sunset sails to sea, I know,
Come tomorrow there my golden years will be,
My golden years will be,
More than memories,
My golden years will be,
Until then i will see.
While I usually don't listen to feedback, it's a personal romance, I'd be interested to hear what you think :)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
musical musings
I'm currently at an internet cafe. I lent my iMac to a friend of mine who is still to do some assignments and doesn't have the right programs.
Whilst this is great, im no longer bound by my computer, I have an incredible ammount of spare time. An insane amount.
So I've gone back to doing something I enjoy: songwriting.
I don't write much, and when I do they're usually cheesy love songs, but with all this time I've been able to delve deeper in to music.
But that's as much as I want to talk about it. Most people like their music being listened to by others, but I'm not always like that.
You see, for me music is not a commodity, nor a profit, nor a shot at fame. It's incredibly passionate - it's a connection to something else that lives when plugged in, or tuned.
It's almost an interpersonal connection.
A romantic collaboration between words, music and love.
This idea behind it makes it all the more therapeutic - it relaxes me when i'm stressed, when i'm feeling a little down in the dumps there is my music to help me lift my spirits. And of course, it helps me really think about the world, and what I want to achieve.
I don't show many people my music, and I'm suspicious that talking about it will lead to more people wanting to hear about it. Which is fine.
The only thing i ask is that you respect my wishes for it not to be globalised. It's not that i don't want other people to perhaps be impacted by it, but I still want to maintain that personal romance.
So with that, if you're still interested in at least reading some of my music, read the next post. It contains the most personal lyrics i've written to date, about a man reminiscing in his golden years.
God bless you.
Whilst this is great, im no longer bound by my computer, I have an incredible ammount of spare time. An insane amount.
So I've gone back to doing something I enjoy: songwriting.
I don't write much, and when I do they're usually cheesy love songs, but with all this time I've been able to delve deeper in to music.
But that's as much as I want to talk about it. Most people like their music being listened to by others, but I'm not always like that.
You see, for me music is not a commodity, nor a profit, nor a shot at fame. It's incredibly passionate - it's a connection to something else that lives when plugged in, or tuned.
It's almost an interpersonal connection.
A romantic collaboration between words, music and love.
This idea behind it makes it all the more therapeutic - it relaxes me when i'm stressed, when i'm feeling a little down in the dumps there is my music to help me lift my spirits. And of course, it helps me really think about the world, and what I want to achieve.
I don't show many people my music, and I'm suspicious that talking about it will lead to more people wanting to hear about it. Which is fine.
The only thing i ask is that you respect my wishes for it not to be globalised. It's not that i don't want other people to perhaps be impacted by it, but I still want to maintain that personal romance.
So with that, if you're still interested in at least reading some of my music, read the next post. It contains the most personal lyrics i've written to date, about a man reminiscing in his golden years.
God bless you.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Student holiday = freedom.
It's now quarter to one in the morning. Time to throw on a new post.
Today i finished what I believed to be the unfinishable: Media Communication 3. The hardest paper I will ever face. A paper that kept me up at all hours of the night hoping to pass - it's THIS paper that I need in order to graduate.
You would think that they would make that paper a littttle bit exciting to get people motivated hey?
But alas, nevermind mate. It's over. Semester finished. Done. Freedom! Wait.
What does this holiday mean to me? What about the supposed freedom I now have?
Is it simply that these endless hours of procrastination are now guilt-free?
Is it that I'm able to wake up late and not worry about missing classes?
Is it a time for seeing friends and family?
Mowing the lawns time?
Definitely time for mowing the lawns.
But can you judge freedom by those?
It's hardly freedom if it is for a limited period, is it?
Is it that teaser trailer that you see before you decide on going to the real thing?
Is it that light at the end of the tunnel?
Or is it a mirage through a desert of deserted university campuses.
Well, it's a mixture of both. It's both a time of satisfaction and a time of questioning. It's a time to see what you did right and what you did wrong. It's a limited taste of the real world post-university. It's a time to appreciate those around you - especially your classmates.
This holiday this freedom involves my classmates, friends, family, the future. This is for one reason. They're all a glimpse of what life will be after uni.
And I always get excited about that.
Are you?
Today i finished what I believed to be the unfinishable: Media Communication 3. The hardest paper I will ever face. A paper that kept me up at all hours of the night hoping to pass - it's THIS paper that I need in order to graduate.
You would think that they would make that paper a littttle bit exciting to get people motivated hey?
But alas, nevermind mate. It's over. Semester finished. Done. Freedom! Wait.
What does this holiday mean to me? What about the supposed freedom I now have?
Is it simply that these endless hours of procrastination are now guilt-free?
Is it that I'm able to wake up late and not worry about missing classes?
Is it a time for seeing friends and family?
Mowing the lawns time?
Definitely time for mowing the lawns.
But can you judge freedom by those?
It's hardly freedom if it is for a limited period, is it?
Is it that teaser trailer that you see before you decide on going to the real thing?
Is it that light at the end of the tunnel?
Or is it a mirage through a desert of deserted university campuses.
Well, it's a mixture of both. It's both a time of satisfaction and a time of questioning. It's a time to see what you did right and what you did wrong. It's a limited taste of the real world post-university. It's a time to appreciate those around you - especially your classmates.
This holiday this freedom involves my classmates, friends, family, the future. This is for one reason. They're all a glimpse of what life will be after uni.
And I always get excited about that.
Are you?
Monday, June 14, 2010
Belief after relief
Nah nah that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
- Kanye West 'Stronger'
Funny how sometimes questionable music can often influence what your feelings are.
Got an essay back that I was completely nervous about today. Not only did I think I wrote it bad, I had failed the first essay of the paper by half a mark. The standards were set high! I did my best effort, but alas it wasn't enough. So i thought.
This time, I put more effort in and allowed for some time for the topic to sink in. Success.
I passed it and passed it convincingly. Not my best ever mark, but at the end of the day those in the know know that this paper is difficult (Well, the people I've spoken to about it have said that!)
Anyway, what does this mean for my confidence? Pretty much everything.
Needing only 22 marks to pass the paper, the belief is back.
And boy am I happy about it.
Can only make me stronger
- Kanye West 'Stronger'
Funny how sometimes questionable music can often influence what your feelings are.
Got an essay back that I was completely nervous about today. Not only did I think I wrote it bad, I had failed the first essay of the paper by half a mark. The standards were set high! I did my best effort, but alas it wasn't enough. So i thought.
This time, I put more effort in and allowed for some time for the topic to sink in. Success.
I passed it and passed it convincingly. Not my best ever mark, but at the end of the day those in the know know that this paper is difficult (Well, the people I've spoken to about it have said that!)
Anyway, what does this mean for my confidence? Pretty much everything.
Needing only 22 marks to pass the paper, the belief is back.
And boy am I happy about it.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Community outreach centre
Here's a news article I wrote about an outreach centre in Mount Roskill. It never made it to print, which is a shame because its something I think is incredibly important.
Hope you enjoy.
Matiu
Stephanie Vakauta never really had anywhere to go with friends until a venture organised by an analyst and a builder organised what she calls a "hangout for kids and their siblings”.
The 17-year-old student from Mt Roskill Grammar School is one of up to 35 people who hang out at John Hunte and Matt Sheaff's house on Thursdays.
This is even more remarkable considering that both Hunte and Sheaff are both only 23.
“It's our second home. We go there even if they aren't there. We come and go as they please,” she says.
“We find it a safe place to go.”
That safe place to go is exactly what the builder and analyst had in mind when purchasing the house in Mount Roskill two years ago.
However, as Hunte says, initially there was not a welcome reception.
“When we arrived we just got crap for a year. We tried running these meetings in the [Mt Roskill] town hall and people were asking us what the heck we were doing.”
But they have all since been won over, including Stephanie and her family.
“When I look back at it all I can't believe how stupid we were in not accepting Uncle John and Uncle Matt,” she says.
Hunte, however, is not looking for any financial assistance. Instead he's looking for action.
“I think the opportunities for help are for a physical approach. We've been in the community for two
years now and we know most people and they know us.
“Now we just have to figure out where we can help people.”
The ideas of helping other people in need are intrinsic to Hunte and Sheaff, who bought the house they were 21.
“There's nothing so far in my life that has satisfied me more than doing something for someone else. But even out of that position in terms of making me feel good.” Hunte says.
“Something happens when you give something of yourself to help someone else.”
ENDS
Hope you enjoy.
Matiu
Stephanie Vakauta never really had anywhere to go with friends until a venture organised by an analyst and a builder organised what she calls a "hangout for kids and their siblings”.
The 17-year-old student from Mt Roskill Grammar School is one of up to 35 people who hang out at John Hunte and Matt Sheaff's house on Thursdays.
This is even more remarkable considering that both Hunte and Sheaff are both only 23.
“It's our second home. We go there even if they aren't there. We come and go as they please,” she says.
“We find it a safe place to go.”
That safe place to go is exactly what the builder and analyst had in mind when purchasing the house in Mount Roskill two years ago.
However, as Hunte says, initially there was not a welcome reception.
“When we arrived we just got crap for a year. We tried running these meetings in the [Mt Roskill] town hall and people were asking us what the heck we were doing.”
But they have all since been won over, including Stephanie and her family.
“When I look back at it all I can't believe how stupid we were in not accepting Uncle John and Uncle Matt,” she says.
Hunte, however, is not looking for any financial assistance. Instead he's looking for action.
“I think the opportunities for help are for a physical approach. We've been in the community for two
years now and we know most people and they know us.
“Now we just have to figure out where we can help people.”
The ideas of helping other people in need are intrinsic to Hunte and Sheaff, who bought the house they were 21.
“There's nothing so far in my life that has satisfied me more than doing something for someone else. But even out of that position in terms of making me feel good.” Hunte says.
“Something happens when you give something of yourself to help someone else.”
ENDS
Friday, June 11, 2010
Motivation for struggling third years
It finally hit me today. Two and a half years down, 1 semester to go.
It came as I was thinking of ways to distract myself from revising for an exam - usually baking fills this void.
But today it was different. Today I didn't need to Google chocolate chip recipes, yummy looking cheesecakes, or slices.
I graduate in around 6 months time.
This is pretty obvious to most, and while I apologise for what seems like a gloat to most people who follow me (Who are those that don't seem to be graduating this year - wait for your time and savour it!) it is more an epiphany than an opportunity to gloat.
Or, will it be?
I've been struggling my way through three years of one paper: Media Communication. The three levels of this paper are such large steps, and I have gone from writing amazing A grade essays in year one to missing out by half a mark on my first one this year. It's a wake up call for sure.
However, that's not the point of the gloat. The point is that it is an essential paper that one MUST pass in order to graduate - it's our only solely academic paper in third year which I'm stoking about. But the problem is that I'm nervous about my 2nd essay, if I indeed judge it from my first feeble essay.
That's where this blog comes in.
I thought about how I could possibly find any motivation to study for this paper's tedious exam - 3 hours to complete 3 essays.
And then it hit me.
If I don't do well in this exam, I'll be going to graduation, but not to graduate.
I will be going to the street parade, taking photos of my friends for them, rather than being in the photos with them.
I will be proud of my classmates, while not proud of myself.
And so whenever I struggle for motivation, I simply think of one image: Graduation. Not hearing my name being called out. Regret. More Media Comm study would have got me through. Disappointed. Sorry mum and dad.
And boy does that get me going.
Who knows, it could get you going, too. Do you have a Media Comm paper? One that is intensely arduous? Well, picture your goal - and picture you failing it.
That's far more gutsier than picturing you all happy receiving your degree. Why?
It's the pushing and shoving through the pessimism that will show you your character.
Do it.
Love you all.
It came as I was thinking of ways to distract myself from revising for an exam - usually baking fills this void.
But today it was different. Today I didn't need to Google chocolate chip recipes, yummy looking cheesecakes, or slices.
I graduate in around 6 months time.
This is pretty obvious to most, and while I apologise for what seems like a gloat to most people who follow me (Who are those that don't seem to be graduating this year - wait for your time and savour it!) it is more an epiphany than an opportunity to gloat.
Or, will it be?
I've been struggling my way through three years of one paper: Media Communication. The three levels of this paper are such large steps, and I have gone from writing amazing A grade essays in year one to missing out by half a mark on my first one this year. It's a wake up call for sure.
However, that's not the point of the gloat. The point is that it is an essential paper that one MUST pass in order to graduate - it's our only solely academic paper in third year which I'm stoking about. But the problem is that I'm nervous about my 2nd essay, if I indeed judge it from my first feeble essay.
That's where this blog comes in.
I thought about how I could possibly find any motivation to study for this paper's tedious exam - 3 hours to complete 3 essays.
And then it hit me.
If I don't do well in this exam, I'll be going to graduation, but not to graduate.
I will be going to the street parade, taking photos of my friends for them, rather than being in the photos with them.
I will be proud of my classmates, while not proud of myself.
And so whenever I struggle for motivation, I simply think of one image: Graduation. Not hearing my name being called out. Regret. More Media Comm study would have got me through. Disappointed. Sorry mum and dad.
And boy does that get me going.
Who knows, it could get you going, too. Do you have a Media Comm paper? One that is intensely arduous? Well, picture your goal - and picture you failing it.
That's far more gutsier than picturing you all happy receiving your degree. Why?
It's the pushing and shoving through the pessimism that will show you your character.
Do it.
Love you all.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Ode to Semester One in C minus
It seems fitting, really, that my first ever post as a student journalist would be to do with my first semester of really becoming a student journalist. Still, no time for irony, this is serious business.
The shock to the system hit home at least three times within the semester to either motivate me to do my best or 'bomb' the course. I tried the second one twice before eventually realising that the first was a better long-term option.
The first real moment of panic came in the second week. Our first weekly news story was due after just 11 days of settling in and moulding the newsroom seats to our perfect form, and it was plain to see that if the stress levels like this were continually frequent, how on Earth would i survive? Turns out I did. And just when I started to celeb- time for the next story!
The next few weeks went swimmingly you could say. Until I got my first mark back from Media Communication - a compulsory final year academic paper...Needless to say it was a very Dissatisfying mark. The floodgates began to pour and the stress levels began to escilate. So again I asked myself what the heck am i doing in this course! Somehow I managed to find a way to make another essay so could this time actually do better than I hope!
And then finally, the piece de resistance, a meltdown. I'd done something so frowned upon in the industry that I got called to see two tutors (Greg Treadwell and Helen Sissons). Thankfully they were both so helpful that I learnt much more than how to apologise in a professional manner. However, in dealing with Helen the floodgates had opened. My job as Maori Affairs Officer had got too much alongside uni. So Helen told me drop it. And without any hesitation I did. BAcked myself, and now here I am, carefree and on holiday!
I've been pretty fortunate that they have been my only pits of despair I guess - but it does give you an indication on how journalism isn't as easy as people think it is.
Either way, it's now the holidays and I'm well overdue for some Media Comm-less semesters. It's been a great learning curve - and Semester Two will be far tougher - features - but hey, Media Comm, you're a gonner, and that increases my spirits by one happy point every day.
ENDS
The shock to the system hit home at least three times within the semester to either motivate me to do my best or 'bomb' the course. I tried the second one twice before eventually realising that the first was a better long-term option.
The first real moment of panic came in the second week. Our first weekly news story was due after just 11 days of settling in and moulding the newsroom seats to our perfect form, and it was plain to see that if the stress levels like this were continually frequent, how on Earth would i survive? Turns out I did. And just when I started to celeb- time for the next story!
The next few weeks went swimmingly you could say. Until I got my first mark back from Media Communication - a compulsory final year academic paper...Needless to say it was a very Dissatisfying mark. The floodgates began to pour and the stress levels began to escilate. So again I asked myself what the heck am i doing in this course! Somehow I managed to find a way to make another essay so could this time actually do better than I hope!
And then finally, the piece de resistance, a meltdown. I'd done something so frowned upon in the industry that I got called to see two tutors (Greg Treadwell and Helen Sissons). Thankfully they were both so helpful that I learnt much more than how to apologise in a professional manner. However, in dealing with Helen the floodgates had opened. My job as Maori Affairs Officer had got too much alongside uni. So Helen told me drop it. And without any hesitation I did. BAcked myself, and now here I am, carefree and on holiday!
I've been pretty fortunate that they have been my only pits of despair I guess - but it does give you an indication on how journalism isn't as easy as people think it is.
Either way, it's now the holidays and I'm well overdue for some Media Comm-less semesters. It's been a great learning curve - and Semester Two will be far tougher - features - but hey, Media Comm, you're a gonner, and that increases my spirits by one happy point every day.
ENDS
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