theOven

It’s been a while since I worte in this blog. Not since september 06 when I came back from South East Asia with fully recharged batteries and confidence coming out of my ears. I was ready to go out and start my adult life, get a job, find an appartment and start my brilliant new carriere. Well that did not happend…I got a big hard slap in the face and rejections upon rejections. I can’t count how many job applications I have sent out both online and offline, and I have only been to under a handful interviews. So what have I been doing lately, well getting a real big reality check…and people keep telling me that this is what you get for trying to get into the media industry.

Luckily it’s not all that bad, I was lucky enough to get 2 weeks working experience at a local news station called TVRomerike. Those 2 weeks was even a bigger awakening, I just realised that even if I had learned heaps during my time at Monash and RMIT, proper work is something completely different. Specially working alone interviewing and being the cameraman is much harder then I had imagined. And my lack of journalistic experience did excatly help me. I did everything that it’s possible to do wrong, wrong! Some how I must have done an ok job towards the end of my 2 weeks, because they have kept me on as a freelancer, covering local sports on the weekends. Enjoying it at the moment and finding it very educational and a great way to learn about jounalism, plus my camera technique and framing is getting better. Also doing my own speak which is hard to get right, but I’m getting there.

My second job at the moment is with a publishing company called Aschehoug doing flash animations. It’s an ok job, but again it’s just a freelance position, so it’s not bringing in too much money. If you follow the link you can take a look at the animations I’ve done. Also been to a radio audition at a local station, which was heaps of fun. Didn’t get the job, however something might come of it at a later stage, as they are expanding over the next 6 months.

So all in all; not doing great and it’s not hopeless either..have some personal projects I’m working on too, but I reckon it’s better to leave them out incase they never get further then my notebook.

- Hong Kong is my least favourite Asian destination
- Cambodia is a great backpacker destination
- Malaysia is much better beach destination than Thailand
- Thai Airways sucks
- I don’t like roasted sunflower seeds with dried anchovies
- Angkor, Tiger, Chang and Singha are all good beers
- Tequila can be shot with lime instead of lemon
- People buying charter packages to Asia and Tailand is getting ripped off, accommodation is soooo cheap if you book online or get a guesthouse
- Malaysia have bottled drinking water approved according to EU standards
- Women has a strong sense of smell then men
- Elephant shit smells like cow shit….well..shit smells like shit…
- You can get templed out
- Backpacking is a great way to network with people from all over the world
- James thinks I have a German accent
- I feel safer driving a tuk-tuk or moto in Cambodia than in a Malay taxi
- Malay hospitals are very good, and the emergency is empty early on a Saturday morning….??..(No mom I wasn’t sick, just getting malaria tablets)
- Irish, Scandos, POMs and Germans are everywhere
- Irish girls aren’t as ugly as Noel claims, the ones I have meet are all awesome in every way (get your mind out of the gutter…!).

If Langkawi was Paradise, then words can’t describe Perhentian. With the clearest water and the most relaxed and friendly atmosphere, it is the ultimate holiday destination and perfect for backpacking. We had some small problems finding accommodation, because the places are limited on Longbeach which was the beach we decided to stay on. In the end Line and James got a chalet (small cottage) and I sleep in the dorm. For only 25RM I didn’t mind and it was clean and quiet.

After James and me had finished almost all of our 25RM tax free Smirnoff “lemonade”, James decided to invite 5 Irish girls to join us in some card games. That turned out to be a good move and we ended out hanging out the rest of our stay. Lucky for me they all had similar travel plans and we decided to meet up in Cambodia.

The diet on Perhentian and in Malaysia is a bit different than the one I’m used to so I did get some stomach troubles, but not much. However it all went wrong the 3rd day when we went snorkelling. After swallowing too much saltwater I had to get it up again, and that was not a pretty sight. But I wasn’t the only one, 5 of the 8 in our boat had to do the same thing, so it was kind of like a spu fest. However it was a great day, where we saw seaturtles, shark, clownfish (Nemo) and a freakish looking dinosaur type fish that shat alot.

After 5 nights on Perhentian we left for KL (Kuala Lumpur). James felt sick the whole day and did not have a good trip from Kota Bestu to KL. Line and I didn’t get much sleep either and we arrived in KL very tired. Line and James very exciting about going home, and me a bit confused with the whole “I going to Cambodia” thing, felt like I was going home to.

Langkawi was like a paradise after 15 hours on Penang. Langkawi is a much smaller island and has a population of only 60 000 compared to Penang’s almost 1 million people. I meet Line and James on Chenang Beach and after Line and I went on a little mission to search for James, we checked in at a motel right on the beach.

Since it was low season on Langkawi, and the whole west coast in Malaysia has rain season, it wasn’t that many people there and not much to do beside sit on the beach and drink tax free alcohol (except Line, cause she is too pregnant). There wasn’t many people around either so we decided to leave after 2 days and head for the east coast and better weather and more atmosphere.

It was raining when we took the ferry to Kelis Kedah, which was a bit of a rough trip, with much more waves then I had from Penang, that really moved the boat in all directions. We then took a taxi to Alor Star, where we took the night bus to Kota Bahru. From there we took another taxi to Kota Bestu where we book places on the 7 am boat to Perhentian Island.

After having a sook at Melbourne Airport when I read Laura’s going away card, I had a smooth trip to Bangkok and Thailand. I had 6 hours on the airport there, before my next flight to Penang Island in Malaysia. The flight with AirAisa was without problems and I got through custom and into Malaysia easier than I had expected.

Standing on the Airport looking for transport into Georgetown, which is the capital city on Penang, a guy called Bryan approached me. It turned out that he was a tour manager, but that day he did a bit of taxi driving as well since the taxi drivers on the island was all on holiday in protest to the government introducing meters in all taxis. He drove me to town of 30RM which is approx 60NOK or 12 AUD. I told him I was taking the Ferry to Langkawi the next day, and he kindly offered to drive me to the Jetty first to book my ticket. And here is when it all went down hill. The man at the jetty told me that there was no more ticket for the day after, then Bryan said that there was no point checking with the other agents as they would have any either. Then Bryan offered to drive me to Perlis Kedah for 200RM the next day, but I said I rather take the bus, which Bryan told me did not exist. I found all this odd, but just wanted a bed and then investigate further. Bryan then drove me to the Federal Budget Hotel, and the owner there gave me a shabby room for 35 RM. I was to tired to do any more travel so I said yes.

After a quick wash I left the hotel to explore the city and the possibility of getting a ferry ticket. Georgetown is a dirty old, stinking city and I do not understand why the Pilot Guide book say it’s a must see. There was no tickets either and I went online to do some research. I came over a site that told me that I should by tickets from the Ferry company directly as agents could not be trusted. When I asked the man in the internet place about the site he did not respond and instead offered me to buy a ticket of his agent… So I took a gamble and bought a ticket of a very dodgy looking internet site with my VISA.

When I came back to the hotel the lobby was full of girls in every sizes and shapes and with all kinds of genders. As Georgetown is such a hole I didn’t think much about it. I then left to grab a bit to eat and when I came back I understood why the girls where in the lobby and what “Budget” meant. The girls where now outside, and when I tried to enter the hotel I could here “darling, darling” everywhere. One of the girls came up to me rubbing her private parts and saying “60 riggits”. I politely declined and the girls weren’t happy.

When I got up to the reception, the owner and his friend was sitting with two other guests, two girls from Italy, watching television and drinking Chinese tea. They offered me some tea and since I wanted to watch the movie I happily accepted. Whilst we watch the movie the girls outside kept coming passed with men and then leaving short after with the same man. When the owner and his friend was occupied making more tea, one of the Italian girls asked me discreet if I knew what kind of place this was, I nodded and said I was too tired to care. The girls agreed, and we left it at that.

I went to bed straight after the movie finished at 10 pm and sleep to 5.45 am. I then got up and had a shower before I left my key with a very surprised receptionist and went for a walk down to the Jetty. I wanted to be sure I could get a ticket. The walk took 20 minutes and was probably the most enjoyable I did in Pengang. I got to the Jetty at 6.30 and the woman at the Ferry company just shook her head and told me I was there to early. She didn’t receive the list of online bookings before 7am. So she offered to mind backpack when I got some breakfast when I was back, she had my ticket ready.

It annoyed me a great deal when the agent that had denied me a ticket the day before came straight after I got my ticket, and asked if I wanted a ticket to Langkawi for double price. I just ignored him and got onboard. Never setting my foot in Penang again.

The time has come to part with the city I have learned to love and appriciate the last 3 years of my life, and my dear friends that have been such a big part of making Melbourne so special to me. I will now head out for a month of travel before I start living a responsable life with jobs and everything that comes with it. This is were I’m heading:

2nd of August
Departure Melbourne - Arrival Bangkok

Departure Bangkok - Arrival Penang

Travel to Georgetown and take the Ferry to Langkawi where I will meet Line and James

13th of August
Departure Kuala Lumpur - Arrival Siem Reap

Ankor Wat here I come!!

17th of August
Riverboat from Siem Reap to Phnom Phen

19th of August
Departure Phnom Phen - Arrival Bangkok

24th of August
Departure Bangkok - Arrival London

29th of August
Departure London - Arrival Oslo

I am fully aware that there are some blanks in my travelling plan, however I am confident that they will be filled in as I travel. I will try to keep everyone updated, however it all depends on the internet connections on the places I will be.

I’m really looking forward to travel, but at the same time really sad that I’m leaving. It’s a bitter sweet feeling, which is hard to deal with. Don’t know if I should be happy or depressed.

In no specific order:

The Final 4 (Love you all !!)
A Bar Called Barry, 4 am in the morning
RMIT Handball Club
Playing scratch matches 9 am on a Sunday morning
Thursdays training at Petersen reserve
Hampton Football Club
Brunch at Lava on Carlisle st on the weekends
Prince of Wales on a hot summers night
Beach handball at Port Melbourne
Puggs after Sunday trainings
Ordering the worst pizza in the world to be delivered at 5 am and loving it.
Living with Laura
5 days weekends at Line and James’ place
Going to Uni at RMIT and everyone at the sports and tech offices knowing my name
Playing nationals with a bunch of retards…(sorry guys)
The coffee at Coffeine
The pizza at Cafe Quiet Earth
Noodle Hut’s number 13
The Belguim Beer Garden on a hot Sunday afternoon
Carlton Draught and James Boags St George’s
Saying; Please, when asking for something
4 Duke st, St Kilda 3182, Victoria, Australia
Living close to Nanna
Random participation at rooftop parties
The Victorian Institute of Sports
Fitness First
St Kilda Football Club (Go Sainters!!)
Being at a packed Telstra Dome or MCG when the Saints are playing
“Comedy Inc, The Late Night Shift” and “Ernest the Engine” on Channel 9
Hating everyone from NSW; hope you all DIE and go to HELL !! (not really..)
Kangaroo steak on the BBQ
Only have to walk 10 mins to Fitzroy st and 5 mins to Balaclava station
Being stopped on the street and asked if I’m jewish
Having drinks with 40 friends at all kinds of bar around Melbourne on special occations
Having Danni telling us (me and Laura) about special occations…
V6 Editing suit, building 24 at RMIT University City campus
Saying “mate” to people I don’t know
Paying $12 to get home from the City in a taxi/$18 from Fitzroy and Brunswick st
Riding my bike on St Kilda Rd
Having Ice-cream on Acland St
Having people telling me I don’t have an accent (even if I do..)
Australian Open Tennis
The International Comedy Festival
The International Film Festival
Having the possibility to attend the F1 Grand Prix, but never go

I starting to understand more and more how important networking is. My latest example was a research paper that one of our lecturers made us do. The research was to be done by interviewing and talking to industry people in the area that suited the selected topic. For the record I hate calling people I don’t know and asking for favours. I know that I would be annoyed if anyone did that to me, therefore I’m not comfortable doing to others.

Despite that I didn’t want to do it. I gave it a go. The first contact I got was through my lecturer, so you can say that was through networking. He was a TV producer and a friend of my lecturer, so that was my interview number one. Then I made some phone calls to newspapers to get a hold of a sports reporter, I called The Age, The Herald Sun and The Australian. It was easy getting pass the reception, but then it got harder. The reporters were not there, and did not reply to messages or emails. No I do understand why they didn’t and if it was me, I would have done the same, this might make me a less likable person, but if I’m busy, I’m busy.

Then I run in to a friend that I knew had worked for Soccer Australia and Soccer Victoria, so I asked if she could help me out, and direct me to someone that I could talk to. She gave me the number to her friend that is a news reporter in WA, and suddenly I had my interview number two. Again it was through a network of friends. To my disappointment I discovered that this wasn’t enough to support my theories. I needed another subject.

So the hunt continued… I called the same newspapers, no reply. Then I called Netball Australia, which was annoyed just because I called (now I don’t think that was an ok behaviour, because even if I’m busy I will be polite to people I speak to, as long as they’re not trying to sell me something). It looked like my research paper was a disaster, so I had to use my last option. I contacted a client that I had done some work for before, and that I have established a really good relationship with, and asked if they could help me. They were more than happy to, and it saved my paper, and I have to say I’m pretty pleased with it.

So my little adventure just shows that networking is important, and that people that you know or have help previously are more willing to help you than strangers. I have to say that I don’t feel comfortable with asking friends or clients for favours, because I always feel that favours has to be repaid. It’s like a mortgage; it has to be paid back over time. And I do not like owing anything to someone, not money, not time and not favours. But I guess that the reason that you do a little extra for your friends is because that are always repaying you in some way.

I have just been to a Eurovision Party and it was fun, mostly because my friends and I won heaps of free beer!! However a year a go I did a blog called Eurovosion vs Idol, where I defended the honour of the Eurovison as a unique and still modern concept. I have to, with regrets say that I withdraw that today after watching Finland winning the Eurovision.

Finland is a charming little country in nothern Europe that claim to be (and so do the Australian Educational System) a part of Scandinavia even if they never have been and never will be… (Scandinavia is Norway, Sweden and Denmark…how fu..ing hard is that to understand?!!??!!) They have never done well in the Eurovision before, and I think their win will be the end of an Eurovision area..

In all fairness it wasn’t Finland’s fault. The european viewers voted Finland to victory, and the highest score in Eurovision history. But how could this happen, I had the impression that more mature audience and the gay community was the number one voters, however Finland winning does not make sense according to that demographic. One of the reasons might be that it has all changed since the eastern European countieres entered. It has just become dodgy, dodgy, dodgy…People at the party I was at reacted when counties like Norway, France and Switzerland was on the screen because it wasn’t anything wired or funny about them, they were normal and had ok songs, like it used to be. I have admit that the Eurovision has become a ultimate freak show, and when the freakiest of the freaks win, I don’t even want to think about what’s next. The Eurovision have the last ten years had a tendnsy to copy it self every year, but in way that they are taking it a step futher everytime. Who and what will top Lord of the Rings freaks singing goth rock?

To explain the difference in the Eurovision from how it’s now and 10 years ago; 10 years ago it was a competition between the western European Countries, which will be similar to the Australian States: WA, SA, VIC, NSW, TAS, NT and ACT…Today it is like all these states competing against states from Japan and Korea, Vitenam and China. The cultural differences has just change the whole dynamic. It’s fun for countries outside Europe to watch, like Australia, and I have to say that I did think it was funny to. However it still annoys me that the new countries don’t get the voting system…you don’t have to vote for your fu..ing neighbour country!!

I liked the the fact that Finland did put in the Goth wannabe Lord of the Rings act, but not that they won! Finland has done this before and ended up last, the song this year was shit and should never been in top ten. But I have to reckonise that it has moved on from being a songwriting contest, and turned into a freak show and a show of absolute eurotrash, and I do see the amousment in that. And it propably will make it more popular in countries like Australia for that reason. But for the countries that have been competing in the Eurovision for the last 50 years, it is serious business. Therefore it’s sad to see a county that is taking the piss, win the whole comp, as it means the end of any commercial hits ever coming out of the Eurovision again…Don’t think we will ever have a Gina G with: “Oh Ah, just a little bit more” again, and I guess some are happy about that. Today it’s more about the giving the most absured scene appearance, and not having the best the song…

I have decided to re-enter the original fake cheese entry to explain my “I do not smell like cheese” entry. For the record I just want to say that I’m against censorship of information and do not have a problem with all cheese lovers out there that think the smell of cheese is devine. I do enjoy my cheese from time to time, and have a love for mild, creamy cheese on bread or crackers. The problem with the original fake entry on cheese is that it contained misleading information and was generalising a nation.

The reson I first decided to delete the entry was because of the sentence; “it’s a norwegian thing..”. Norwegian in general do not smell like cheese, there are probably some Norwegians that do, but I can with confidence say that it’s not a Norwegian thing. I and most Norwegian that I know have a good relationship to dairy products and cheese, as it is a part of our good food traditions. We love our cheese, specially our world famous Jarslberg cheese. However the French does not smell like Blue Vein cheese or Brie, the Greek does not smell like Fetta and Norwegians do not smell like Jarlsberg.