I personally wish to add to my blog as regularly as I can. While I'm yet to write another piece to publish, I thought I could at least upload some more of my photos.
Go to the Captured Moments page to see the recent additions.
Thanks,
Aussie Mik
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Irony at Work
Recently, I posted a new response regarding my thoughts on the new 'Noah' movie starring Russell Crowe. A few days ago, I had a shift at the local cinema where I've worked for just over 3 years.
Whilst on shift, one of the supervisor's asked me to hang up the new banners for the movie.
He gave me some assistance as it's quite difficult to put up the approx. 5m ladder, move the stiff hooks and carry up both a shifting pole and the rolled up banners. He made the observation that the design for the banners was quite boring, not very creative. It's just a long shot of the ark in a sea storm and the only difference over the four banners that we received was a different head shot of the actor whose name was on the banner.
Not only is the design 'slack', but the supervisor noted a lack of "Based on the true story" or "According to the book of Genesis" kind of quotations. Usually there's some sort of slogan or catch line for any movie poster. Instead, it had "Written by Darren Aronofsky". Technically it both is and is not written by Aronofsky. He may have adapted the script, but he did not write the story. Especially so when there is the newly applied disclaimer by Paramount that says "... we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity" of the story.
Ironically, my supervisor said the banners weren't very original. My response was along the lines of "Well, they've already decided to make an entire movie off a story that has been around for ages. Why should they create their own material and be original now?"
Whilst on shift, one of the supervisor's asked me to hang up the new banners for the movie.
He gave me some assistance as it's quite difficult to put up the approx. 5m ladder, move the stiff hooks and carry up both a shifting pole and the rolled up banners. He made the observation that the design for the banners was quite boring, not very creative. It's just a long shot of the ark in a sea storm and the only difference over the four banners that we received was a different head shot of the actor whose name was on the banner.
Not only is the design 'slack', but the supervisor noted a lack of "Based on the true story" or "According to the book of Genesis" kind of quotations. Usually there's some sort of slogan or catch line for any movie poster. Instead, it had "Written by Darren Aronofsky". Technically it both is and is not written by Aronofsky. He may have adapted the script, but he did not write the story. Especially so when there is the newly applied disclaimer by Paramount that says "... we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity" of the story.
Ironically, my supervisor said the banners weren't very original. My response was along the lines of "Well, they've already decided to make an entire movie off a story that has been around for ages. Why should they create their own material and be original now?"
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Contemplations Intro
On a nearly regular basis, I find myself pondering aspects of this world. While many of them lead to what seems like an article or short story in my head (some of which I hope to share), some of them lead to statements where I attempt to make an observation. These I will also post.
24/12/13 - My message to my friends on Christmas Day.
"Of all the presents and gifts we can get,
The presence of love and joy is the best one yet."
25/12/13
"For any animal, humans included, their cruellest nemesis is a member of their own species."
29/12/13 - A comment made one of my dearest friends. I'll refer to her MuserEB.
"I like being inspired by the intelligence of others."
More to come!
- Aussie Mik
24/12/13 - My message to my friends on Christmas Day.
"Of all the presents and gifts we can get,
The presence of love and joy is the best one yet."
25/12/13
"For any animal, humans included, their cruellest nemesis is a member of their own species."
29/12/13 - A comment made one of my dearest friends. I'll refer to her MuserEB.
"I like being inspired by the intelligence of others."
More to come!
- Aussie Mik
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Starting this Blog
When I eventually confirmed within myself that I wanted to
start a blog, I stumbled across this article when doing a Google search for
“Blogger”:
1. Pick a name that represents who you are and what you want to
communicate.
Don't make it
too complicated to remember because most people don't have the attention span
for long a$$ names. My best friend Mint and I chose Old School/New School Mom
for me because it represented who I am as a person. But this choice took us
over an hour. We hashed out different options and made lists.
2. Chose a platform
There are quite a few blogging platform options. WordPress is
popular choice because it's pretty and you can custom design your site. For the
layman who is just starting out and isn't so tech savvy, I would recommend
Blogger. The advantage to using a site like Blogger is that it's connected to
Google and you can use your Gmail to log in. If you want to get serious, go
with WordPress though. Then there are other things like Tumblr and Square Space
Personally, I find Tumblr confusing. I have many friends that love Square Space
though. It's a great platform.
3. Create a Blog Facebook Page and a Twitter Account
A majority of social media success
is based on networking. You want your readers to be able to reach out to you
and say "hey, I loved your post." You also want potential brands to
be able to contact you and pay you to write for them. Having a Facebook and
Twitter is a great way for those people to stay in touch with you. People make
fun of Twitter all the time. I did for years. But now, I'm a convert. Twitter
is an excellent marketing tool. I've met some truly valuable connections on
there.
4. Read and comment on other bloggers post
Let's face it, people love to be
heard. If you scratch my back I'll scratch yours. When you comment on someone's
post, they are now aware of your Internet existence. They can click on your
website and now they are compelled to read what you wrote.
5. Make friends online
This is crucial. You need to find people you relate to on the
land of the Internet and talk to them. They will be your allies and advocates.
I personally love these people: Jenni Chiu, Jessica Bern, Liza Hippler, Jessica Davis, Byron Hamel, Sarah Carmichael, Julie Provost Erin Best Margolin and more. I could go on.
6. Don't give up
That's it! Don't give up. Be persistent. Ask for advice from
other bloggers. If no one comments on your post, it's okay. Keep going. 90
percent of blogging is perseverance.
I definitely found parts of this article useful. My blogger
name is the name I assumed for online use a number of years ago. As I’ve
explained in the About Me section, I choose to remain anonymous in my Internet
tracks. I see myself as an average Internet user and no matter what I do, I’m
hesitant to let just anybody know my true identity. Besides, I think there’s a
mysterious nature about having a pseudo-identity.
I’m obviously publishing through Blogger. It didn’t require
much to set up and I’m quite excited to organise my posts and pages in a way
that allows readers to discover new pieces. I don’t want to bombard everyone
with immense slabs of text. I know that I myself enjoy a well constructed blog,
which means that the content needs to be arranged in an aesthetically pleasing
manner. I’m an organiser in real life (I organise my own world; I don’t let it
slip into bossing others around, that’s not my nature) so I love to organise my
own material.
One part I don’t see myself doing is reinforcing my blog
with social media. Sure I have Google +. It’s kind of hard to avoid it given it
accompanies my Google account. But the general reason I will be avoiding the
social media support is because I don’t trust them. I used to have Facebook
about 4 years ago. Even then, I didn’t use it for over a year, then when I did,
it was rare. I was uncomfortable with the site in general; I couldn’t trust
Zuckerburg as far as I could kick him, and so, I permanently deleted my
account. There is also the issue of how easily an account can be hacked.
Facebook is not a labyrinth for hackers with a decent knowledge, no matter what
measures Facebook lets you install.
Then there’s the issue of addiction. I’ve watched so many
people become addicted to social media (this will be another post) and I prefer
to use my time for better production. Whether it is playing piano for hours on
end, or writing about things where I’ve been inspired, I value my time. In
saying that, I don’t believe blogging sits on the same level as social media.
It is a personal publishing of a person’s thoughts, but it is as personal or
impersonal as that person chooses. Readers can choose how much they want to see
and the blogger can choose how much they want to write. The freedom aspect is
greater.
And I feel I can learn from other bloggers. One blogger I
enjoy is Kayla Tompkins (The Daily Hopeful). I feel I connect with her in a
number of ways and I enjoy what she has to say. She posts when she has the time
to write and I appreciate that.
Now why did I give my blog the title of “Chance: a Poet”? I
love the word ‘chance’. The sound, the appearance, the definition, everything.
Here, I have a chance to publish; I have a chance to write. There are chances
for readers. And ‘poet’? I am a poet. For my HSC, I wrote a suite of poems (or
as I labeled them, an ‘Opus’) and I have been writing poetry for roughly 6-7
years. I have mainly written for myself. Now is my chance to share some of my
pieces.
As people read this post, they may or may not be aware of my
deliberate choice not to address the audience in the second person (you, your)
or to say “my readers”. I feel that in starting out I shouldn’t be arrogant and
say that I have readers. I have only just started sharing my words so I need to
give people time to find my blog, read it, share with others and/or give
feedback. With time, I may become comfortable to say ‘I readers’, but until
then, I will continue with this approach.
So from what I have found and experienced so far, I’m
excited to see what the future holds. Whether readers are drawn immediately, or
grow over time, it’s a chance for me to save a little part of myself online. A
select part of myself, admittedly, but thoughts that I hope can inspire and
enrich others, and hopefully those others can inspire and enrich my life.
First Post
Hey all,
I am working on what to write for my next post. I'm also excited to organise how I'll display my posts, whether I'll make separate pages for different content or throw it all on the one page.
I will be writing on a variety of subjects, from my own experiences to recipes, from media reports to social issues. Depending on how this all goes (because this is my first day) I may or may not ask for viewers to send requests. If you find you my writing and style intriguing and you would like to hear my opinion on a topic, hopefully it will get to the stage where I can sit down and write a post on what is suggested. But I will verify that later.
Anyway, I should probably work on producing a decent post; I should hate to consume your time for a cockamamy reason.
Talk soon,
Aussie Mik
I am working on what to write for my next post. I'm also excited to organise how I'll display my posts, whether I'll make separate pages for different content or throw it all on the one page.
I will be writing on a variety of subjects, from my own experiences to recipes, from media reports to social issues. Depending on how this all goes (because this is my first day) I may or may not ask for viewers to send requests. If you find you my writing and style intriguing and you would like to hear my opinion on a topic, hopefully it will get to the stage where I can sit down and write a post on what is suggested. But I will verify that later.
Anyway, I should probably work on producing a decent post; I should hate to consume your time for a cockamamy reason.
Talk soon,
Aussie Mik
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