[week 3] While the moment lasts

Week 3 of the project and I was so flat out it got pushed into the early hours of the proceeding week to try and write it, needless to say I’ll be going off PST at the moment and say good morning to everyone on the West Coast.

This was a week that, reflecting back, makes me wish to draw a comparison to Star Trek IV, but with exception of the use of whales and nuclear wessels.

I got to visit a few places I haven’t travelled to in years, and while apprehensive on going on both counts, while there had a somewhat thrilling time.

On a hot Melbourne evening I got to jump in a go-kart with several mates, in celebration of one of their birthday’s, and tear it up around the circuit doing lap after lap attempting to push the edge of the envelope, or at least past my last best track time.

Pictured is a very good friend of mine, he recently got back from his honeymoon and while his wife was at their new home with my sister having yet another meal together, it was well and truly a guys night. He commented later in the week at yet another function that in fact it seems my sister has spent more time at his place than he has.

It just goes to show the contrast between myself and my siblings, where for me two nights out in one week seem like overkill, but I learnt once again while sharing these experiences with the people around me that perhaps these opportunities don’t always come around, so enjoy it while the moment lasts.

[week 2] Midnight Melodies

Week 2 of the project and it was sitting in the back of my mind to somehow, throughout the course of the project, depict my work life.

Needless to say it was a week where a fair few aspects of my working life occurred.

Websites were launched, audio for video games were franticly edited through, meetings had, designs were created, and here as shown working with one of our composers doing some tracks for an upcoming documentary.

Our working times are; strange. Where I work has an interesting culture, where there’s no uniforms, no set times for anything, you don’t even need to be in the office to work; this photo was just after midnight editing through some recordings made earlier in the evening.

Needless to say I love where I work, I love who I work with; they’re great people, switched on, enthusiastic and inspiring, and while most of us know the feeling of the midnight grind bathed in an eerie glow from our monitors that seems to distort even what we feel like as the reality we’re in, we all enjoy what we do and the experiences we have and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

[week 1] While it lasts

I very much have  to blame for making me want to do a 52-week project, lol. Thanks!

Unfortunately there’s a lot I’d like to do in 2012, but as any year past shows; you can never do it all. Procrastination plays a big part, the mentality that just thinking about the idea will perpetuate it happening without any effort.

Needless to say ideas worth doing can be as sporadic as the weather in this part of the world. So if you’re going to do something, do it while the passion lasts. Otherwise the seasons will change and the opportunities are lost, and while some may return at the same time next year; hopefully you’ll have enough courage to go after the ones that may never return.

6 backing tracks to my life

It seems everyone gets nostalgic around NYE, in fact it was but a moment ago I sat with my brother watching fireworks on the television because, well… afterwards we didn’t need to crawl through crowds to get back home. The day just passed I had the privilege of attending the wedding of two good friends of mine. Needless to say after a long day, and pushing forward towards the new year, I’m ready for a sleep.

In thinking that a certain ditty kicks in in my head, as when you have a diverse music library as mine you can typically recall a song that would suit any occasion.

If you’re like me though, there’s certain songs that stand out above the rest. You remember the moments you first heard them, the feelings you got from them and the memories formed and revised each time those melodies are uttered.

For me here’s my list as I remember them.

6. Delicate by Damien Rice

This was the first track that came on a friend’s car stereo as she drove me home from filming a friend’s wedding in March 2008. It was a dark Melbourne night, most likely drizzling, and it was something I hadn’t heard before. I fell in love with this album and it continues to sit in my most played lists to this day. For me it’s a wind down album, saying that though it’s probably unwise then for me to always listen to it in the car. Regardless, I can’t pick a track that I don’t like, though while each its own sound that swells up at the start of the track; Delicate will always be the first played, as it starts off so minimal that the only way to enter into it is from utter silence and let it soak into you.

5. Careless Morning by Pronobozo

July 2009 was a significant month. In fact that particular period of time involved decisions that set the course to where I am today. I had only met Michael Woods once before, at eGames the year prior, but in the lead up to July of 09 we had gotten in contact and I was interested in jumping on board with his esports broadcasts. He said we should meet, and the day I went in to talk about what we wanted to do he had taken the time to bake me brownies, awww. We chatted, imagined, and in July broadcast a bunch of top-tier professional video game esports here in Melbourne. As the broadcasts continued I kept hearing this music, most notable; Careless Morning. Turned out Pronobozo was the only artist that B1GLeague ever used on its broadcasts, and subsequently through chatting with him and getting the a-ok, his riffs and rhymes found their way onto more and more of my media as well. Careless Morning stands out from his other music, that typical “one totally different song style just to prove we can do it” track on any album, but it does not sacrifice on quality and is in my playlist for work. Whenever it comes on it always reminds me that those many years ago the countless hours I put into something I was passionate about eventually became my current job, and I’m very thankful for that.

4. Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap

Another from the same period, while setting up (or packing down, can’t remember) the studio for/after the B1GLeague broadcasts, this track popped up on the playlist, it’s eerie melodic tones floating through the air. So captivated was I that I was prepared to chase it down at all costs, and ended up phone-camera’ing it up to remember the playlist. Another regular on several playlists, when you don’t know what to listen to then this is the track. Most people will have heard the remixes, I don’t mind them; but nothing beats the original I’ll agree to that. This one had a fairly unexpected subsequent music video that went along to it. It seemed more full-on than the song itself conveyed. The portrait aspect ratio is also slightly random. But nit picking aside it’s still a great track that shows that an incredible song can come out of just the voice.

3. Close Your Eyes by Young Love

If you want great music, watch tv. Cold Case isn’t on DVD because they can’t be bothered paying all the cash for all the songs featured in their episodes, but watching them you can see that the music just makes it. Same goes for shows like Scrubs, which has a good rapport with a fair few musicians that contribute to their show. While there’s so many great songs, this one by Young Love has racked up the most plays in my whole library at this point in time. While the vocals may not be the greatest, the harmonies may not sit right with some people, and overall may not be everyone’s cup of tea; the layers in Close Your Eyes all feel very indie and sweet.

2. Winter by Joshua Radin

Joshua Radin has had many of his songs featured in Scrubs also, of which Winter is from one of my favorite episodes from Season 3. It was not long after learning this song on the guitar that my grandfather passed away. This song became one for when I just didn’t know how to feel about a certain situation. It was one I could close my eyes and listen to and get lost. There’s a couple different versions of the song that Joshua does so you’ll have to scour around to find what one you prefer.

1. Moving On by Michael Giacchino

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge fan of Lost. I remember when the first ads came on for the first season, my father joking that the teaser trailers were so great that the show will probably be not as good. Well it turned out that it was so great. For 6 years, Lost was there each week accompanied by one of the most epic and memorable tv scores I’ve ever heard ever. Through all the ups and downs of life, Lost was one of the few things that was always there. While there’s so many tracks from the several cds worth of music i have from Lost that I could say are worth noting; Moving On probably raps up all the emotion conveyed through them. The mixture of piano and cellos is popular with Giacchino, and with the series in general. The hardest part was after 6 years of following, the show wrapping up, the curtains closed, and suddenly the story had finally come to an end. For me I found it hard to move on, and even now haven’t really moved on. Being a piano player since Grade 3, I got in contact with an aspiring composer who has a similar story with regards to the series as he had transcribed 6 years worth of soundtrack into a 15-20 minute score that I now play to myself whenever I need a break, or whenever I need to relive those days.