New

I haven't been new in a place since I was three years old; when I went to pre-school. So I have always been around people I have known since a very early age. But yesterday was the first day at university and I was surrounded by faces unknown to me. And it was nerve-racking. The only reassurance being that everyone else was in the same position.

Fortunately, one of my friends who I went to school with is in my course, so at the beginning of the day, I had someone who I was familiar with. As it is a new campus (which is huge) and a whole new way of studying and learning, everything feels really alien. So you take a breath and turn to the person next to you and all the fear that consumes you vanishes when that stranger smiles back and begins to talk to you. And that feeling is like winning a prestigious award. And I was so lucky that I happened to meet two AMAZING people, who, after a few minutes I felt as if I have always been friends with them.

When starting at a new place, that is when you must face your fear of the unknown and "take a leap," because when you get to know others who you already feel like you can be yourself around, tell an embarrassing story and all laugh at the same thing- like these fantastic friends I found yesterday- it is the most rewarding thing in the world!  

From Page to Screen: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

'Asleep' by The Smiths

I'm just going to say it straight out: I thought the book was better. It is darker, more extreme and confronting and far superior to the movie. Mind you, I really loved the film like the thousands of other teenagers; that is how exceptional the book is. Despite having really depressing themes, the film provided a comforting setting that allowed its audience to feel good by the end, which is a masterful thing for the director, Stephen Chbosky, to be able to do. The unique thing about this film, as opposed to other adaptations, it was directed by the author- who had always planned to turn the book into a movie- which probably contributed greatly into the film's success.

Since Chbosky was the mediator of this epic phenomenon, casting would have undergone a more personal process, of him finding the perfect actors to portray his treasured characters. And we do indeed receive a stellar performance from Logan Lerman (Charlie), Emma Watson (Sam) and Ezra Miller (Patrick), who capture the vulnerability of each heartbreaking character who, we as an audience, empathise with.
However, the reason why I believe the book is better than the movie, because the writing of Chbosky is so poetic. Passages like:

"... looked at the sky and told me to see the stars. So, I looked up, and we were in this giant dome like a glass snow globe, and said that the amazing white stars were really only holes in the black glass of the dome, and when you went to heaven, the glass broke away, and there was nothing but a whole sheet of star white, which is brighter than anything but doesn't hurt your eyes. It was vast and open and thinly quiet, and I felt so small..." 

These beautiful descriptions that create a vivid picture in the mind aren't as vivid in the movie, which I think is a real shame, as it was the quality of the writing that made 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' such a widely recognised piece of literature, that truly makes the reader feel.
It is a semi-autobiographical tale that is tragically beautiful, making you really delve deep into the hearts of the lost and seemingly isolated characters, and cry for all the sadness, pain and confusion that they are trying to strive through. Nevertheless, you can smile when you realise that these "wallflowers" aren't as alone as they sometimes feel, as they do have each other as a network of support.

A brief synopsis: Set in the early 1990's, the story follows freshman, Charlie through a series of letters that he writes to an anonymous pen pal, where he is able to express the struggles he experiences through high school, while coping with the confusion of the past, discovering friends and finding love and learning that it is okay to be different.

My favourite section of the book was a poem which captures the darkness that juxtaposes the light of the hopeful theme of "We are all infinite" that is woven throughout the story in both novel and film; however the film did not include this piece of brilliant writing.
Overall though, 'The Perks of being a Wallflower" can be considered a janus, holding such darkness and sadness, yet still retains the ability to be an uplifting tale that has connected strongly with teenagers everywhere. Being able to change so many people's lives, 'The Perks of being a Wallflower' is (rightly) considered one of the greatest teen film and novel of the modern day, which I think should be on everybody's bookshelves and dvd collection.

Laneway Music Festival 2014

Even though it was on the 1st February, I've been a bit slack and have been meaning to write about the Laneway Festival since then. (It is so strange how time just seems to fly past without me realising) Anyway, it was a truly fantastic day with a wide range of talented bands; some famous and some not. But instead of mentioning every single band I saw and going over each performance, I would like to share my top three favourites.

Drenge: I had never heard of this band before in my life, and as it was the first act I saw that morning, I had no idea what to expect. They are a brother duo- Eoin Loveless (guitar and vocals) and Rory Loveless (drums)- from England, adopting the post grunge genre. Their sound reminded me of the 1970's and 80's rock punk bands such as 'Dead Kennedys,' 'Sex Pistols,' 'The Stooges' and single artist Iggy Pop, that my dad would show me on youtube sometimes, so it was really nice to have a sense of familiarity with Drenge. As they were earlier in the day, not that many people had arrived yet, but that didn't deter the audience from moving along to the music and let the drumming take control of their heartbeat. I don't know about you, but I find that really loud music does that- making your heart beat in time with the actual beat- and it is a great feeling being taken over by music.

Vance Joy: Who have a different style entirely. Vance Joy (James Keogh) is a Melbourne artist, who is really easy to listen to, with the acoustic guitar being the dominant feature of his songs. I thought that this style of music really suited the weather (I know that sounds weird) as it was a really really hot day, the sun was burning and everyone was searching for even the tiniest bit of shade. But these songs are fantastic for a sunny day; just lounging with a nice cool drink and relaxing. Vance Joy is quite well known for the song "Riptide" that was rated number one in the Top 100 Triple J in 2013, which is extremely impressive and I'm really glad I got to see it live.

The Jezabels: They were the last act for the day and it was the perfect finale. As it was dark, the light effects created a whole new dimension to the performance. Mind you, the band members themselves were interesting to watch alone, as they are such an eclectic selection of people: the lead singer dressed in leather looking like a real rock star, as opposed to the keyboardist who was so elegant and bearing a passive face, she looked as if she was in the middle of a classical music recital. Then you look over to the drummer, who seemed as if he was bashing at the kit like you would expect in a heavy metal concert, and lastly there is the bass guitarist who all of a sudden decides to skip around the stage as if it were a field full of flowers. And at the end, with these contrasting characters, the outcome is an indie rock band, that has such amazing lyrics.