My Last Post... For a While.

So today is my last full day in Australia. My flight leaves tomorrow morning. Its strange writing this post. I am used to going on and on about things knowing I can keep adding to this blog. But starting tomorrow I will no longer be the American Down Under. So this blog will probably come to a close. The Australia chapter of my life is closing and a new one is now beginning. Of course I have to go through that transition phase first. Things will be rocky at first like they always are, but hopefully things will smooth out soon. I may or may not start a new blog that just talks about my life updates.

I got the job on the East Coast. So thats where I'll be over the summer. As for the rest of my life after that, its all up in the air.

So this final post is just to say goodbye and thank you. For those of you who followed me on my adventure this time, and for those of you who have been following me on my adventures since 2008 when I first came to Sydney to study.

I will see many of you soon in person. As for those of you who just secretly read my blog and never actually contact me (you know who you are), go ahead and send me a message or pick up the phone and ring me if you have my number. If there is one thing I learned here in Australia, it is that those in your life, both past and present, always matter. To the most minor people, everyone has an impact that helps shape your life. If you are reading this, then you are most likely a past/present friend or family member of mine. I would love to hear from you.

If you are my friend on FB, I encourage you to check out my Australia pictures. By noon on Saturday I will be on American soil once again.

Until another day or life, I bid you adieu.

Love,

The American Down Under

Currently Listening To: Broken Social Scene, The Radio Dept.

The Past Couple Days

First and foremost Happy Mothers Day to my mom. I'm sorry I can't be there to celebrate but I will be seeing you soon enough. Now lets get down to business. The weather has been near perfect these past few days. Sunny and bright with a cool breeze. Warm enough to play outside, but not too hot.

So I decided to take advantage of this. Yesterday I did the Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk. It was much more impressive than I thought. Its about a 3.5 mile walk up the coast. Along the way there are beaches, coves, parks, cliffs, and many other beautiful sights. At some points it felt like I was walking through a rain forest, and at other points it felt like I was walking through a forest. It was amazing. I took a bunch of pics so go look at my FB album.

Today, I went to the Botanical Gardens and explored a bit. It was a nice little walk with great views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Pics are in the FB album. After that I took a visit to the Opera House. I figure it will be my last time for a while. It still looks just as good as it did the first time I saw it. Down in Circular Key there are street performers and one Aboriginal guy was playing the Didgeridoo to electro trance dance music. It sounded amazing so I bought both his CDs and now I'm jamin out to them.

Tomorrow is suppose to be hot so I'm ready to lay out for a bit. After tomorrow the weather is suppose to drop for the rest of the week. So good thing I'm heading home. I have managed to avoid a winter for a year.

I also just figured out how in enhance my photos on my comp. Now the pics look way better. Too bad I haven't been doing this all along, my FB photo albums would look much better. None of them are enhanced.

Almost forgot to mention. The A's beat the Rays 4-0 today. Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game for Oakland. Only the 2nd player in A's history to do this. What makes this even more impressive is the Rays are the #1 team in baseball right now and they still couldn't touch that guy.

Currently Listening To: The Web, Animistix

Recently Watched: Go!- It was good.

Cinco De FAIL.

So today is Cinco De Mayo in the USA. But not here in Australia. Since Australia doesn't touch Mexico, I guess they don't feel the need to celebrate. But for me that is just a sad story. My love for Mexican food and Corona's cannot be fulfilled at this time. So I sit here like it's any "normal" day, as the FB statuses light up with Mexican flare. I know I'll be kicking myself tomorrow once everybody starts to post pictures. RIP Cinco De Mayo.

So I am really bored and counting down the days until I go home. Since all of my friends work during the weekdays, I have nothing to do. I no longer have a gym membership, so I'll have to go exercise in the park. Other than that, there isnt much to do by yourself except for walking around a bunch. I don't mind that, it is just I have been here and seen almost everything I wanted to. So I don't see the point in walking around and seeing everything again. There are a couple things I can do that I haven't done. I'll probably go to the Botanical Gardens (which I have done when I studied here, but not thoroughly) and the Coogee To Bondi Costal Walk. I'll save that for tomorrow and Monday if the weather permits. So far the weather is sunny and clear skies, but cold. No more short sleeves.

Currently Listening To: The Radio Dept. , Belle And Sebastian

Coming Home and My Attempt At Experiencing Australia One Last Time

So I will be coming home soon. I am making my first announcement here for my faithful ADU readers, before I officially announce it on FB. I arrive back in the Bay Area on May 15th. Then on May 19th I will be going down to Orange County/ LA for the remainder of the month. I had applied for an awesome summer job that is in D.C. and New York. My interview is this wed on Skype. So if I get that then I'll be flying to the East Coast on June 3rd and will be there until mid-August.

So it has come down to my last days in Australia. I took a walk a few days ago and ended up deep into a park near my house. In the 6 months I have been here, I have never step foot in this park. It was like a whole new world. There are 3 lakes and trees everywhere. Strange looking birds of all sorts lined the lakes. The bird species are different here then in the States. The most colorful wild birds you have ever seen are common here. I took a walk around the lake, but I didn't think to bring my camera. So I have been trying to find a day that I can go back and take pictures. I check the weather and plan my days accordingly, but then I wake up and check the weather again and it is completely changed. I was going to go today, but now the weather says "risk of afternoon shower or thunderstorm". So I'll have to make a judgment call later.

I applied for my tax back from the Australian government. So I will hopefully be getting a large chunk of money put in my account within the next few weeks.

That is all I guess. I hope the weather in the States is getting ready for me.

Currently Listening To: Taking Back Sunday- weird huh? Itunes picked them up on shuffle and I really don't mind.

Recently Watched: Arrested Development Season 1

Recovering From The Amazing

I am still trying to recover from such an amazing trip back home. It is really hard to come down from such a positive atmosphere of friends, family, good weather, Coachella, and freedom. Now it is back to the real world of job hunting, paying bills, and being so far away from those I care about. I am still a little depressed, but not as bad as the week after Coachella and when I first arrived back in Sydney.

Its strange how your everyday life seems different when your emotions are running high. When I walk down the streets now, I see things a little different. Its hard to explain. I've been listening to my Ipod a lot more now, so it is like I have my own personal soundtrack as I walk around. Music really does infuse emotions. Also, it's a bit cooler outside and the sun sets much earlier now. So the way things look has changed.

I went to the gym today for the first time in a month. It felt good to work out. But I have so much on my mind, its like Im in the zone the whole time. I've been thinking a lot about my future and all of it is really just up in the air. The unknown worries me. I wish some major thing could just happen and that would start pointing me in the right directing. Its all wishful thinking as my dad says. I often think up the unrealistic, but I can't help it, I'm too imaginative.

So there are no real updates in my life. I am unemployed and looking for something to give me a little more cash before I call it quits and come home for good.

Currently Listening To: Caspa & Rusko, Boxcutter, Wilco

Below is a pic of Mark and I the day before we left for Coachella. We made matching shirts for Friday. They had the Coachella mountains and palm trees around it. On the back it was our own personal Mastercard commercial. Mine read: Plane Ticket From Australia $1200, Coachella Tickets $309.25, 1/8 Special Herbs $40, Gas For The Car $30, Having The Time Of Your Life: Priceless.

I'm Back

Where did I go? Back home. Yes. It was a surprise. Since I was sitting here unemployed with nothing to do I figured it would be a good time for me to go home. It was a great visit. I got to see all of my family and most of my friends. I went to Coachella again, which was one of the best weekends of my life. Now I'm back in Sydney ready to start from square one again. Today is Anzac Day (AU/NZ holiday) so a lot of places are closed. But starting tomorrow I'm gonna be calling up any contacts I can to try to land some production work. I'll also be hounding the bars again to see if I can pick up a part time to get some money flow coming in.

A couple things have changed since I'v been gone. The weather has gotten cooler, since it is now heading towards mid-fall here in Sydney. So, there is no more beach weather, but still the sun shines. Also the clocks "fall-back" an hour, so I have to re-adjust the time differences between here and the states. Cali/West is now 17hrs behind me, NY/East is 14hrs.

A side note: I will now start updating my facebook status regularly (or at least semi-regularly) for the first time. It will be interesting/ fun information about me and my life. I'll probably also throw in some recommendations of music and movies if I have any.

Currently Listening To: The National

Recently Watched: Sherlock Holmes- Eh

Commercial Shoot

So my 2-day shoot is done now. So I thought I'd share a little bit about it with you. First of all, it was a McDonalds commercial. Basically they built a giant adult sized playland that is a replica of the playpen we used to play at in McDonalds as a kid. They have slides and tubes everywhere. Swings and helicopters. Ladders to climb and of course a ball pit. Everything is oversized so grownups can fit in it. There is even a giant bench with a giant Ronald McDonald sitting on it, so when you sit next to him you look like a kid again. One of the McD monsters has his own statue with his arm out, and the sign reads "Those who can fit under my arm can play". The arm is set at 7 feet. There was over 100 extras all dressed in business attire and such. It was awesome.

Basically my job was to be a spy cam and flip cam operator and run around with the extras getting Point Of View shots. So basically my shoes came off and I ran around the playland filming various things. It was a lot of fun and I met some great people. Hopefully I will be able to get some more work soon.

Here is a couple links to some short articles on the shoot:

http://www.spicenews.com.au/2010/03/30/article/McDonalds-constructs-adult-sized-playland-in-Sydney-CBD/DQQRVJTGVF.html

http://www.foodweek.com.au/main-features-page.aspx?ID=6890

Currently Listening To: The Temper Trap

Cryptic Message #2 and The Fastest Movie Review Ever.

I have been to this country for a short period of time. The actual translation may come out a little funky.

Hello, semua orang. Aku punya berita menarik. Saya akan datang ke rumah untuk mengunjungi! Yay! Aku tiba di Kekaisaran Kota (referensi Jay-Z's lagu) pada 1 April dan akan berada di sana sampai ke-8. Jadi bagi anda di Pantai Timur, datang di atas. Aku kepala ke CV ke-8 dan akan berada di sana sampai 13. Lalu turun ke (referensi ke posting samar pertama) aku pergi. Jika anda tidak memahami pesan samar terakhir saya, itu menunjukkan kehadiran saya di Indio. Jadi saya akan berada di sana di bawah sinar matahari mendengarkan musik yang indah dan menari pantatku off. Aku kembali ke rumah pada tanggal 20 selama beberapa hari, lalu kembali ke Sydney aku pergi pada tanggal 24. Jadi, bagi Anda yang bisa menyeberang jalan saya di beberapa titik. Anda lebih baik melakukannya. Mudah-mudahan saya akan melihat kalian semua segera.

Now, to the movie reviews:

True Romance- Good, written by Tarantino, so you know exactly how it will be. Recommended.

Tron- Overrated, dorky watered down old disney movie. Pretty boring and tacky. Not recommended.

Dark City- Weird Sci-fi. Good. Recommended only for peopel who like Sci-fi and Jennifer Connelly.

She's Out Of My League- Terrible. Pointless. Waste of time. Not recommended.

Adam- Good quirky indie flick. Recommended.

Moon- Sam Rockwell rocks it. Great indie movie. Recommended.

28 Days Later- Good. Danny Boyle directed. Awesome filmmaking, cool plot, but there are zombies. Recommended.

28 Weeks Later- Sequal to above. Good. More Hollywood, but better solid plot line. Recommended.

In other news, I got a gig working mon and tues. I will be one of the 2nd Unit Camera Operators on a McDonalds commercial. It is not as fancy as it sounds since I am one of 5 doing that job. But, it is a huge shoot, probably the biggest one I've been on. Over 200 people and a lot is gonna go on. It pays well and hopefully I'll meet some people that can help me out with future work.

Weather has been close to perfect these last couple weeks of March. Note to all, the best month to come to Sydney is March. Less tourist, great weather.

Currently Listening To: Florence And The Machine

Cryptic Message #1

I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life. I can feel it in my mind . Oh, I can do it all the time. Plug it in and change the world. Everything is a swirled. So sentimental? Not sentimental no. It’s like a Lisztomania I think less but still see it grow. Like a riot, like a riot oh! I got the vision, now let's have some fun! Come on, we gotta run. I can’t be forced, I can’t be degraded, I can’t be controlled. I’ll be victorious, I’m already enrolled. I’m ready to go with a lasso. Oh, don’t you know! I’ll make my momma so proud, although sometimes my voice is too loud. I’ve got good friends to see. There’s no problem there for me. If you're having friend problems I do feel bad for you son. I got 99 problems but friends aren’t one. Here’s how it will all begin. You ready for a little tale of the win?

My honor fly southward seeking exotica. This is how it starts. We go back to your house, we check the charts. You switch the engine on, ready to go. We set the controls for the heart of the sun, oh don’t you know? This is one of the ways we show our age. It’s all the lovely weather, it's not raining, there is no cage. Check your handbook, it's no trick. Take the chapstick, put it on your lips. Crack a smile, we are there. There is nothing left to fear. Glaciers are melting in the dead of the night. But we aren’t there to fight. No superstars will be sucked into the supermassive tonight. We won't let them bury it. We won't let them smother it. We won't let them murder it. You can't push it underground, not even with a pout. You can't stop it screaming out. It is there to stay. A great green field that can brighten anyone’s day. Its been a long time no see... Long time no say. But here I am ready to play. I’m the new Sinatra,
and since I made it here,
I can make it anywhere.

Currently Listening To: Deadmau5
Recently Watched: True Romance, Tron, Dark City, She's Out Of My League, Adam, Moon, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later
-Yes I have a lot of free time now, I'll do a review post next post.

The Self-Centered Vain Post

I have had no comments in my last 2 posts. So maybe a little narcissism will help with that. This entire post will be in short note format so it's easier for all you lazies to read.

I am officially laid off and I am now looking for another part time job to hold me over while I look for a real industry job.

I winked at myself in the mirror today at the gym. Then felt kinda embarrassed because I was in a public place.

Having all the days free is strange and boring.

Since my Chippendale Dancer dream job can't happen right now, I applied for the next best thing. Topless events. There is a story about how I came about this, but I'm not getting into it. I would basically be a caterer (serving alcohol or appetizers to functions) with no shirt on. You can see the pick I sent in to the company below:

For your enjoyment.

I like that pic.

Downloaded some new music. It sounds good. I have great taste in music.

The sun is finally out this week. Perfect weather.

I got a $50 Borders Gift Card from work. I'm gonna get me some books.

I can't think of anything else. This post was completely unnecessary.

Hopefully I'll have a nice big post full of info after St. Paddys Day.

Currently Listening To: Fanfarlo

Oscars and Some Other Stuff (This is a long one)

Unfortunately I did not get to watch the Academy Awards this year. Since I am in Australia, it was on today (Mon) at 12:30, which means I was at work. I did however follow all the results as they came on my computer. This year was a great year and I am satisfied with most of the winners, except for TWO BIG PROBLEMS. Avatar getting absolutely no good awards and Sandra Bullock. Both of those are examples of pure politics, which make me angry. The Oscars are one of the most prestigious award shows in the world. It is the highest honor someone in the Entertainment industry can receive. When winning an Oscar it should be for your talent not by who likes you the most or other factors.

So let us begin. Sandra Bullock. Has been around a while, American sweetheart type. We love to watch her. She is entertaining. And she is a good actress. Don't get me wrong, I like her. Oscar winner? NO! At least not for "The Blind Side". I'll break it down. The other people in her category: Helen Mirren (already won recently), Meryl Streep (Is always nominated and won recently), Gabourey Sidibe (too unknown, and Monique had already won for Precious, so they have paid their dues there), and Cary Mulligan (too unknown, not a favorite). So who is left... Sandra Bullock, yeah lets just give it to her, we know her well. That is how it works. But mark my words, I am sure that at least 2 other people in that category had a better performance than SB, yet the Academy doesn't seem to look at that.

Now lets move on to Avatar. This was the biggest movie ever in the history of the world. It broke record after record both domestically and foreignly. Yet, it gets no major award? James Cameron is the full force behind Avatar. He wrote, directed, and produced such a groundbreaking movie, shouldn't he at least get something? So again, it goes to politics. Kathryn Bigelow wins Best Director. I'll put it simply like this, she is the first woman to be nominated in this category and the first woman winner. Simple as that. She won because she's a woman. Now I am not sexist by any means. I fully support women having equal rights in all aspects of life. But unless a woman truly is the "best director" in the category, than she shouldn't win. She directed good actors (her lead was nominated for best actor), good actors don't need much direction. Also the scale of her film didn't need much direction either. Whereas James Cameron directed mediocre actors with absolutely nothing to work with. He had not set and no props, he directed them to perfection in front of a green screen. That takes some talent. This is snub #1 for James. This upset me almost as much as when Ang Lee won best director over Spielberg in 06. Why? Cause he is Asian, and his movie was about gay people. It sounds bad, but its true. I have a fully valid argument for that which I'm not gonna get into right now.

So after the Academy stabbed James Cameron in the heart, they decided to twist it. Both he and I alike probably thought: "okay, okay, so he (I) didn't get the directing award, but that means that they were saving the best picture award for him (me)." But nooooooooooooo, no best picture award either, it goes to , oh wait of course, The Hurt Locker. Now I will tell you right now I have seen it and it is a great movie, but by no means "Best Picture" worthy. James Cameron deserved at least one of those awards. He practically single handedly got Hollywood out of its financial rut.

I'm done with my rant. Lets move on to the fun stuff. In honor of the Oscars I have decided that I would like to watch the Best Picture winners from every year that I am alive. So here is how the list looks so far (* seen it already):

The Last Emperor, Rain Man*, Driving Miss Daisy*, Dances With The Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs*, Unforgiven, Schindler's List*, Forrest Gump*, Braveheart*, The English Patient, Titanic*, Shakespeare in Love*, American Beauty*, Gladiator*, A Beautiful Mind*, Chicago*, LOTR Return Of The King*, Million Dollar Baby*, Crash*, The Departed*, No Country For Old Men*, Slumdog Millionaire*, The Hurt Locker*.

There are only 4 movies I haven't seen. So this should be easy. I will keep this tradition until the day I die.

To the other stuff. My job has made cutbacks and has laid off my entire team. Most people were gone last week, but they gave me and 2 others a couple extra weeks to work. So this Friday will be my last day and I am unemployed once again. I'm not exactly sure about what to do. I am still actively pursuing TV/Film work, but don't seem to be getting anywhere. I will just keep trying.

Currently Listening To: Metric

Recently Watched: Alice in Wonderland- Good. Very watered down for Tim Burton. It is aimed for kids so don't expect anything too dark and bad ass. Wasn't exactly what I expected but still enjoyable. I am very disappointed the "Un-Birthday" song was never sung.

Mardi Gras and Mike's March Mustache Madness

So last night was the Mardi Gras Parade. Just to let you know Mardi Gras here is not like Mardi Gras in the states. It is Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. So basically Sydney turns into one big gay club. It was crazy and awesome. Everyone dresses up in crazy scandalous outfits and parties hard, both gay and straight. About a million people lined the streets to watch the parade go by featuring erotic and fun floats and thousands of participants. I have never seen anything like this. It was all in good fun and it is great to see so many people so accepting. There was no acts of violence or any negativity the entire night. I went to a friend of a friend's house which was on the very street the parade ran down. So we had a great view of the parade.

Aside from that, yesterday was a beautiful day. Finally the sun was shining and it was the perfect weather. I went to Bondi Beach to meet a friend and just hung out, relaxing. A very enjoyable day overall.

I need to start watching my money more. I am spending like 50-100 a weekend on various activities and going out and such. I really need to save my money.

So it is the last day of February, which means a few things. One, March begins tomorrow and time has flied. Two, I have only 1 month left at my job, which means I need to get on finding another job, even though I am aggressively looking for industry work I might need to find a part time random to tie me over while I look. Third, Summer has officially ended here in Australia and the Fall is coming in. And lastly, Mike's March Mustache Madness will commence.

For those of you who do not know what MMMM is, I'll give you a short rundown. On Feb 28th (or 29th) one must shave their mustache clean. Then let it grow out for the entire month of March. You may shave any other part of your body if you wish, but you cannot touch your mustache. The only circumstance you can touch is the sides, in which you can choose to let them grow down into a handle bar or cut them for a short straight mustache. But the immediate mustache above the upper lip must not be touched. If your name starts with an M, this event is mandatory. For everyone else it is optional, but highly recommended. So lets begin.

Currently Listening To: Shout Out Louds

Recently Watched: Say Anything- I liked it a lot. Great 80s movie.

For your enjoyment. Another reason to love the A's. Our mascot gets down:

Tropfest

What is Tropfest? Well I'll tell you what it is. It is the largest short film festival in the world and its free!!!! Yes thats right. I went to Tropfest yesterday. It is held in the Domain (a big park) on the grass. There are 4 giant video screens back to back on a circular stage in the middle of the park. So you can lay down on the grass and watch from everywhere in the park. The guess judges this year included Elijah Wood and Toni Collett, among some other "famous" people whom I did not recognize. It was great. Free entry and BYO, which means you can bring as much food and alcohol as you want and just have a picnic all day and night. Live music before the show and during intermission. Very cool concept and a very cool festival. Much more chilled out then any other the formal film festivals set in theaters. There were probably about 50,000 people there. This years theme was dice, so every movie had to have dice in it somewhere. I saw some great films and some not so good ones, but still had a great time. I do believe they are beginning to do Tropfests in other places of the world. I think there is one in New York later this year. Below are some pics I found on the internet:

Awesome.

Currently Listening To: Fleet Foxes

Recently Watched: Mad Max, Mad Max 2- Super cheesy but entertaining none the less.

Crazy Rain and the Job Hunt plus a Little Chinese

It rained like crazy this past weekend again. The streets were flooded and the roads were blocked. Last weekend when I told you about how hard the rain was I really meant it. Just last Sat and Sun, two day rain total was 108.6mm (4.3 inches) and this weekend was almost as bad, 80mm (3.15 inches). To put that into perspective: You know that big storm all you Californians complained about? Well I'll add that and the entire rain total in California for the year 2010 so far and it equals 175mm (6.9 inches). It rained more in Sydney in a 4-day total between this weekend and last, then it did for the entire year of 2010 in California. Lawyered! I walked home with an umbrella which is pretty much no use to most of your body when your my size. When I arrived home my pants were soaked, my sleeves were soaked, and my shoes were soaked. Luckily they were Sperry Topsiders, so no need to worry there. God bless the boat shoe. But seriously, its summer time here?

I am still at the job hunt. Applying left and right. Still no luck. For those of you who aren't updated on this part of my life, here is a quick overview: I have a film degree, I want to use it. Working at Brightstars pays my bills, thats good, but its not what I want to do. Also my contract is up March 31st. So I need a new job anyways. So for the past month I have been looking and applying to various companies and contacting various production managers and such. Nobody is giving me the chance to prove myself. Its like LA all over again, except I can actually get through to more important people. But still get a rejection or an excuse. It seems like everyone in this industry worldwide is selfish. If your not a relative or a good friend then you are nothing to them. I can't wait until I'm in a top dog position and shove it in all their faces by employing those who are best suited for the position and have gone through the schooling and have a passion for the entertainment industry. Not just some producers son who wants to make films like daddy.

I also need to work on my creative stuff. Which is pretty much writing only right now because I have no camera or the means to make a movie. So I need to write. I get in those moods and I think of great ideas, but it is so hard to put them down on paper. I still need to do a final edit of "Miss Mystery". I want that perfected then I can submit it to a bunch of script contests at film festivals. I also want to write some more scripts. Maybe go away from comedy for a little bit and work on a good indie story.

It is Chinese New Years now. Yesterday I ate Chinese food in China Town. That is a big step for me since I despise China Towns. But, I did it and it was alright. Next weekend is the big parade and show which I will be attending.

In The News: The Olympics started. Thats cool. I still haven't seen a single event because I work all day, and all the events are at the morning and day time here.

I am really trying to find some good news items to talk about, but there really isn't much. Or maybe Im just not reading everything.

Currently Listening To: Dr. Dre; and other various hardcore rap artists. Yeah, thats how I'm rolling right now.

Things going on in my life.

Lets start this thing off. It rained all weekend. Really really hard. Im talking some of the hardest rain I have ever seen. Straight up movie rain status. Californian's you have no idea what the meaning of "raining cats and dogs" is. Not even after that storm that just hit.


My house threw a big party on Sat night. It was a huge success, there were loads of people and it was fun. We still have about 10 litres of boxed wine people left here.


Avatar passed up titanic. It is now the highest grossing movie of all time, both domestically and internationally. It is also the first movie ever in history to hit the $2 Billion mark. Congratulations James Cameron and FOX. Especially FOX because they took a huge risk funneling more than $300 Mil into this movie, with no guarantee of success. Well, it paid off. Hats off to you FOX studios. Now just let the Oscar wins come in and James Cameron once again proves why anyone would give him money to make a movie. AKA King of the world. Yeah, I made a Titanic joke.


My housemates and I found a baby mouse yesterday. We took it in and are attempting to raise it. It is dying. We are trying to feed it and we made a home for it in an old Thai take out container. It doesn't look like it is going to last long. But the pic below is adorable.



In other very important news... Tomorrow 2/9/10 marks my 3-month anniversary in Sydney. I have completed 1/4 of my stay here.


Question Of The Day: If in the slim chance the mouse survives, what should we name it? I think its a boy, but I could be wrong, Im not gonna touch it to find out.


Currently Listening To: The Helio Sequence, Grand Archives

UPDATE 9/2: The mouse (whom I named Superman, in an attempt to keep it from dying) died this morning. RIP Superman

The Oscars

I see nobody commented on my new look. I'll just take that as you think it is so good your speechless.

Lets move on to the Oscar noms. They came out this morning. They are all pretty predictable, not much surprises there. I haven't seen all of the movies nominated, but so far I have no complaints about the nominations. Except now there are ten Best Picture noms instead of five. I do think that is a little excessive.

So, lets break down my Top Ten Movie List Of 2009 to their Oscar nominations.

Up In The Air- 6 - Best Actor, 2 Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture

Star Trek- 4 - Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Makeup

Avatar- 9 - Art Direction, Cinematography, Best Director, Film Editing, Music (Original), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Best Picture

Twilight: New Moon- 0

The Brothers Bloom- 0 - Here is a snub I'm upset about. This should have gotten at least a screenplay nomination.

(500) Days Of Summer- 0

Inglorious Basterds- 8 - Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Cinematography, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Best Screenplay (Original), Best Picture

X-Men Origins: Wolverine- 0 - Overlooked because it came out too early in the year, academy forgot about it. Im not a technical guy but this should have had some Sound and Editing noms.

Watchmen- 0 - Again, overlooked because it came out too early. I would easily nominate this for Best Screenplay (Adapted) as well as Editing and Cinematography.

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince - 1 - Cinematography

Currently Listening To: Ra Ra Riot

SURPRISE!

Hello ADU readers. I promised you a surprise so here it is.

BEFORE

SCROLL DOWN

AFTER

I'm all cleaned up. New short haircut and clean shaven face. I'll try it out for a bit.

News:

Avatar is now the #1 movie of all time. It surpassed Titanic and holds the record for the biggest total gross, and international gross. It will surpass the domestic gross total this weekend. Way to go Mr. Cameron.

The A's re-signed Michael Wuertz, another great relief pitcher. That makes our bullpen even better.

I learned how to open a beer bottle with a lighter.

That is all.

Currently Listening To: Beach House

Exclusive First Look At Australia Day Video...and the news

Dearest faithful ADU fans, I present to you the first exclusive look at my Australia Day Video. When I completed this video it was 3 GB big. In order for it to fit online I had to compress it. So the quality is not as good as when it first came out, but still watchable. I'll upload another version with a little better quality to FB tomorrow. I don't know If I will continue this Vlog thing, as I feel awkward holding a camera to myself and I sound funny on camera as well. But I hope you enjoy it.

Now to continue this post I want to talk about a few things...

First off on my list is the California High Speed Rail. Its about fuckin time. In case you haven't heard, Obama has given the state of California 2.5 Billion Dollars for rail funding. The plan is to build a high speed train from Sacramento to San Diego, stopping in various cities along the way. They estimate that the train will go about 220MPH and can go from LA to SF in 2.5 hours. That is just awesome.

In other Bay Area news. Now that the A's have signed Ben Sheets, it looks like the A's have one of the best pitching rotations and bullpen in all of baseball this year. Go look up the A's pitching roster, yes it's that good.

And finally, I must say RIP to J.D Salinger. The beloved author of one of my favorite books "Catcher In The Rye". Now that he is no longer with is, do you think they'll finally make a movie out of it with Jake Gyllenhaal as Holden? I would love to see old Jakey boy step into his Donnie Darko shoes again.

I think I'll start talking about current events that I can relate to in this blog from now on. No, I won't pick the boring stuff.

So what do you think about me continuing a Vlog. Yay or Nay? Maybe The American Down Under will have his own Youtube channel someday.

Currently Listening To: Led Zeppelin

Australia Day

So yesterday was Australia Day. That is the 4th of July of Australia. It was clear blue skies and hot. Everyone got work off and the festivities carried on through the day. I met up with some friends in Hyde Park. Surrounding Hyde Park and continuing down the road were hundreds of vintage cars form all over the world. After browsing and dreaming we made our way down to Circular Quay and the Rocks. There was live music and festivities, pretty much a giant block party was going down in the streets. We grabbed a beer at a bar and headed out to the water for some views of the Opera house. As the afternoon began to turn into evening we made our way to Darling Harbour and managed to sneak our way through the crowds of thousands and get a seat right by the water. There was a whole night time celebration with performers and a boat parade. All leading up to one of the best firework shows I have ever seen. It absolutely gave New Years a run for its money. When all the festivities were said and done, I made my way back to the bus stop, only to watch the bus I needed pull away and drive off. After waiting another 30 min for the next bus, it ended up being packed with people and there was no room for me to get on. So I made the walk all the way back home. Now this walk wouldn't have been as bad if it was so hot and humid at that time of night.

So, now that you have read that boring introduction I'll get to the good stuff. Australia day is rad. Yes, I did use the word rad. It was a great time and I am glad I got to experience it. The best part is I brought my camera. Not only did I take pictures but many videos as well. This means, once I have time I'll throw those on the editing block and make myself and Australia Day 2010 video/ vlog. Mmm, mmm, mmm, now that sounds good. It will be like the tribute to 2 Kurrawa Study Abroad video I made, except this time it will have pictures and actual video. If you haven't already checked out my Australia Study Abroad tribute to my house mates, I highly recommend it. You can look on my FB profile under videos, it will be there. Disclaimer: It may bring tears.

So look for my new Australia Day video to be out sometime in the next few days. Also, I have a surprise for all of my faithful readers. But it is a secret and you'll have to wait until the weekend to find out/ see. So stay posted.

Currently Listening To: Tiesto/ Mika

Recently Watched: Blade Runner- Not good. I don't like film noirs, period.

2009 Top Movie List

It is finally here. Mike's annual movie list. Keep in mind the list was compiled only of movies I saw that had a USA release date in 2009. It may look a little ridiculous, but I carefully analyzed each movie and put them up against each other in terms of both entertainment value and filmmaking value. Enjoy!

TOP TEN:

10. Up In The Air/ Night At The Museum 2

Number ten on my list is a tie between these two very different movies. UITH was extremely well written and well made. It was touching and just snuck onto my top ten list. NATM2 was very entertaining and kept me smiling almost every minute of it.

9. Star Trek

I was never a trekkie but I had to see what all the buzz was about. This new age version of ST succeeded in both keeping the old and bringing in the new. The cast and special effects kept this movie entertaining and fun to watch.

8. Avatar

Surprise, surprise the 1.6+ billion dollar masterpiece made my list. James Cameron strikes again with the (currently) 2nd highest grossing movie of all time. The storyline was simple and predictable, but still enjoyable. What made it get the number eight spot was its visuals. This movie is visually stunning, and with the new 3D technology, the audience is put inside this made up world. In my opinion it deserves to knock Titanic out of the #1 grossing spot.

7. Twilight: New Moon

I know what your gonna say, but any movie that leaves my jaw wide open at the end deserves to be on my top ten list. NM kept me entertained almost the entire time. With and interesting and unique storyline and great filmmaking techniques, this movie was bound to make my list. If it wasn't for the lack of solid acting performances, it probably would have ranked higher.

6. The Brothers Bloom

A very well written and well executed movie. The cast, the plot, and just about everything else fell into place to create this one of a kind movie, that affects both your heart and your head at the same time. Hats off for this one.

5. (500) Days Of Summer

This little indie made a big splash. Great original screenplay that told it how it is. With a great cast and a great soundtrack to go along with a simple but very relatable storyline, this little flick was one to remember.

4. Inglorious Basterds

Jews killing Nazis in a Tarantino way. Simple as that.

3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I have loved the entire X-Men series and this isn't any different. Hugh Jackman is a badass and I can watch him any day. This movie was exactly what I expected out of it. It had great action sequences and a good unique plot that gives us insight into the X-Men world and its characters in the early days.

2. Watchmen

Having not read the graphic novel, I had no idea what to expect. This was a superhero movie like no other. While Snyder kept his "300-esque" visual style of awesomeness and camera work, he still managed to maintain a great and well thought out storyline. This movie had excellent filmmaking techniques as well as a great soundtrack and a great story. The entire story is symbolic and leaves the audience with something more.

1. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

The movies will never be as good as the books, but this came close. It seems the HP movies are getting better and better as they come out. This one was the best yet and followed true to the book better than any of the other movies. I was expecting it to be good, but it was great. I realized that I was more excited about this movie than any other this past year, and since it exceeded my expectations it deserves the number one spot.

Bottom Five (these need no explanation):

5. Miss March

4. Confessions Of A Shopaholic

3. The Box

2. Year One

1. Gigantic

I hope you all enjoyed my list. Comment and tell me your favorite movies of 2009.

Currently Listening To: DJ Hero -video game soundtrack

1st week of work done...Sydney Festival

So my first full week of work is done. It started off slow but it seems like it will begin to pick up. It is hard to get sales the first time you talk to someone, so you have to schedule call backs. For next week I have like 50 callbacks. So we will see. What matters most to me is that the people I work with are great and the base pay is great.

Sydney festval started last night. They closed of some of the streets and parks downtown and have various stages set up. Every night for the next 15 nights they will have performers everywhere. It was opening night last night and the legendary Al Green performed for free. It was his first show in Australia ever. So that was pretty cool. The festival has a great atmosphere to it. It is like Coachella with a lot more old people and inside of a city. I do enjoy walking in the middle of the streets with no problem.

Currently Listening To: ATB

Recently Watched: The Hurt Locker. Very good, one of the most realistic war films I have seen. Really puts you inside Iraq.

Pictures and a clean shaven face...uh oh!

So my default screensaver is random pictures that are stored in my computer. Except every year I take the previous years photos, put them on my external hard drive and delete them all of my computer to make room for the upcoming years photos. When my external hard drive is plugged in, since I have no 2010 photos, the screensaver is now showing random pictures from my entire external. Its like seeing my life in pictures it is so weird. There are pictures from 2005 when I first start University. There are pictures of my hair in all its stages: short, spikey, buzzed, shaggy, longer, messy, awkward. And then my face, wow. I look so young in some of the pictures, with a clean shave, with awkward scruff attempt, with a mustache, with an attempted mustache, and with successful scruff.

All this got me thinking, since it is the new year should I change something about my appearance. What do you guys think? I may just start with a clean shave, but I do like the scruff look, it makes me look older.

Currently Listening To: The Beastie Boys

Recently Watched: The Lovely Bones- Too disturbing for me. Failed in my opinion. C- grade.

First day back to work and movie talk.

I had my first day back at Brightstars today. It is intimidating with the new system and no more fuckin around. Its time to start talking to real people and do what I was hired to do. I was sick today and all congested so that made the job even harder. Luckily the system is acting up so they sent everyone home early. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

I think I am done at the bar. I got my taste at whats its like, and frankly I don't like it. Maybe it is just the bar I am working at, it is way too loud and rowdy. It sounds like a lot of fun to those of you who have never tried dealing with 100s of drunk Irish people and taking their drink orders. My hearing is pretty much gone because of the noise and I'm sure I am sick from working to close at the bar each night. It was a good run, but I am done. They didn't schedule me for next weekend, thank god. So I hope they were just using me as a holiday worker and I'm done now. Not counting tips I make more hourly at Brightstars or another job anyways, so why put myself through the stress?

My annual movie list will be coming out soon. I will post it on this blog. For those of you who don't know what that is, I'll explain. At the end of every year I look at all of the releases of the previous year (2009 in this case) and I list all the movies I have seem that came out in that year. Then I order the list from the best of the year to the worst. Of course this is only the movies I have seen, not every movie. This year I saw less movies than in 2008, due to financial restraints and the fact that I was in Australia in Nov/Dec which is when Oscar season is.

On another movie note, I just want to comment that 'Avatar' has reached the 1 Bil worldwide mark, which is phenomenal. Titanic holds the record at 1.8 Bil. Who directed Titanic? James Cameron folks, the same director of Avatar. I am secretly rooting for Avatar to match or surpass Titanic. Then James Cameron would have the 2 highest grossing movies in the history of movies which makes him gold and makes things interesting. So if you haven't seen it yet, go see it.

Currently Listening To: Foo Fighters

Recently Watched: Brothers- goodish, good acting, slower movie. Can lose interest fast. America should stop making remakes of foreign films, especially those which only came out 5 years earlier.