Carnelia's 'Flight' a real delight

Finally got my hands on one of my favourite Broadway performers' new CD, Sutton Foster's Wish, and have had the track "Flight" on repeat ever since.

I fell in love with Craig Carnelia's song after first hearing Megan McGinnis and Sutton Foster sing it on YouTube:


Have a listen, it's beautiful.

You can never be too careful

New advancements in technology never fail to amaze and thrill, however, also leave many vulnerable to kniving thieves.

GPS and mobile phones are everyday handy household items. They have become so much the norm that some neglect to think about safety precautions.

Take these two stories as examples:

A person had their car broken into while they were at a football match. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.When the victims got home, their house had been ransacked. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean up the house.

On another occasion, per say, a lady had her handbag stolen. It contained her cell phone, credit card and wallet. She then called her husband from a pay phone who proceeded to tell her, 'I received your text asking about our pin number and I've replied a little while ago.' The thief had used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

The moral of these two stories are as follows:
*Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad and Mum.
*When sensitive information is being asked through texts, confirm by calling back.
*When texted by friends or family to meet, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.

Public Transport: Friend or Foe?

BUSES running late has become an all too frequent occurrence. One which is not news to any of us, however, one that is always frustrating.

Only a few weeks ago I had an appointment in the Sydney CBD and had appropriately organised a bus that would transport me to the station for a connecting train. That bus arrived 25 minutes late.

As a result, I had to catch a later train and all together was an hour late for my appointment. This, of course, was to the annoyance of those on the receiving end of what appeared to be my tardiness, and yet in actual fact was a reflection of the poor timetabling system of local buses.

My tight schedule for that day was thrown completely out of whack by no fault of my own. I paid for a service that did not deliver.

The frequency of stories such as this that I not only experience but hear of frustrate me further.

What is the point of a timetable if it is inaccurate? How are people expected to organise their day, their own 'timetable', if they are relying on unreliable forces?

It is understandable that there are many factors that contribute to the lateness of buses such as traffic and herds of boarding passengers. It is common knowledge that during peak hour the Hume Highway is in grid lock, but there are writings on network theory and logistics that could be more acutely applied to individual bus networks.

Furthermore, surely there is some extent to which traffic and boarding delays can be 'timetabled in'. For example, if buses tend to run late as the day wears on, the end of one cycle and the beginning of another could be separated by a few minutes which act as a time buffer.

Surely it is time for the lateness and unpredictability of buses to stop? Time to begin setting standards that are regular and reliable.

We pay our fares, we pay our taxes, we deserve nothing less than an efficient bus service.

Is reading a hobby?

Over the last week or so, I have dedicated a number of hours to my most recent 'hobby'- reading.

Coming from a 17 year old who prides herself on her love of English at school, it certainly sounds strange to announce this is a new venture. Having said that, I like to believe it's better late than never.

Prompted by a conversation over lunch with my brother, I realised I did indeed need to pull my stockings up and do some serious reading.

An hour later, having searched through 'Top 100 Booklists' (and cheating somewhat by looking up plot summaries), I had formulated quite a long list filled with classics in a variety of genres.

Driven by a new wave of determination, I quickly finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray (which I had ever so slowly dragged myself through since November) and read Anne Bronte's Agnes Grey in four days!

I repeat- four days! A record (apart from the sheer un-Maryann-liness when I read the first three books of Limony Snickets in one sitting- not that they are particularly long...)

I was quite proud of myself, and I found I enjoyed the past-time significantly more than when I forced myself to finish Dorian Gray.

My principal objectives in the matter:
A) learning how to read quicker by the time University starts,
B) expanding my knowledge and understanding of the art of storytelling via reading fiction (which will be of good use when I set my sights to become a film and theatre Arts Reviewer),
and finally(and ironically the least influential factor-and yet one I hope to speedily achieve) C) to come to enjoy reading (rather than constantly substituting the experience of reading a book for watching a film- and later having nothing to comment upon or discuss in light of comparisons).

I must admit, in my brief review, I did not enjoy Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'.

I wrote this in my visual bookshelf on Facebook:
Not at all up my alley. As much as it is fine to understand some of the circumstances of that time period, after reading three pages consisting of lists of all the jewels worn by royalty scattered throughout the world, I knew it was most certainly not for me. With that being said, many of Oscar Wilde's 'one liners' that evaluate the human condition are worth contemplation.

Of course I could rattle on about styalistic features, audience, context and so on, however I will explain my main thoughts. For someone like myself who read the book(on reccomendation from a friend) for pure enjoyment, it tickled absolutely none of my fancies- I did not sympathise with ANY of the characters, at many stages it lacked being driven by plot and rather seemed as if Oscar Wilde had ripped a few pages out of his 'my thoughts on this rotten life' and stickey taped it into the 'story'. The story, although having a moral, seemed very vain(masked by the appearance of being quite deep)- but perhaps it was 'too deep' for my liking.
The only element I did enjoy whilst reading the book were the brilliant one-liners that provided very quaint and witty ways to explain an interesting element of the human condition.
In summary, I would not reccomend the book to many, only those who enjoy reading about someone who thinks an aweful lot and yet masks his thoughts within a foppish world.


On a lighter note, I enjoyed 'Agnes Grey' enough to convince me to read all the Bronte, Austen and Gaskell classics which I previously snubbed for BBC Period Drama adaptations.

My facebook review was short and sweet:
Nothing like her sister's Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, but adequate.

That is precicely my overall impression of the book- adequate. Qutie dull (no surprise considering the protaganist was exceedingly dull), however the novel contained enough sustaining characters and action to make the book a gentle and enjoyable read. It was by no means thrilling and enrapturing(to the extent where you simply cannot put the book down), however, the low-profile life of a governess and her inner turmoil whilst displaying a steely exterior to her michevious pupils is admirable. I could certainly see thematic and styalistic elements that make Anne Bronte unique to her sisters (being well-accustomed to 'The Tennant at Wildfell Hall'), and she is a good writer, but there was no harrowing imagery or moving symbolism(for the more visual) or intriguing plot-lines and envelloping characters(for people like myself) that made the book stand out.
Again, I would not recommend the book to anyone, unless they enjoy reading about dull characters who never grow balls and spend most of their life around condescending people, yet have high morals and principals which are only vehicle for the protaganist's unhappiness.

With all that said, I am looking forward to reading 'A Brave New World' within the next few days.

In Character

Whilst watching Broadway.com's 'Ask a Star' (having waited almost two weeks for an over-due Sutton Foster video-which was well worth the wait), I happened upon Sierra Boggess performing 'Part of your world' as Ariel in The Little Mermaid and found myself a little inspired by her performance.

For almost the entire duration of the song (the ending after the climax as the exception), she seemed completely in character, and for me, brought something more human to the renowned Disney character.

The Little Mermaid is by no means a favourite musical of mine- and 'Part of Your World' is an over-baked song. However, I couldn't help but favourite the video for the base fact that Sierra Boggess gave a wonderful performance. She of course sang and acted well, but she also gave just that extra element of herself to the character that was touching and inspiring.
It appears she does it night after night (which of course is expected-but not always the case).



(It's always nice when you come across something like this. Something small, but a video, recording or interview/quote that you can learn from and keep filed away in your memory to be drawn upon in the future.)

Thank goodness for youtube.

Finding a friend in Fanfiction

"When you're weary, feeling small...
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water"
Fanfiction will ease your mind!

Fanfiction, a site filled with stories, poetry and other creative styles, is a wonderful companion and time filler. I know fanfiction got me through long study periods during the HSC. I'd read a fanfiction chapter, summarise a textbook chapter, and so on.

Until the last few weeks, I had happily and thoroughly explored the Phantom of the Opera sequels, re-writes, prequels, alternate universes, the list goes on. However, I now feel the need to write my own. No one has yet to address an issue following a scene that never sat well with me(in the film particularly), and so I answered my own need by crafting a response.

I am a Phantom of the Opera fanatic, and for my Extension 2 English course, I wrote a lengthy critical response addressing and analysing the transformations of The Phantom of the Opera through time and text(through the phsychological theory of the looking-glass self.) It was entitled: Transformations of a Phantom - holding up a mirror to society.

I do not consider myself a 'creative' writer by any stretch of the imagination, however there is a certain freedom in such an unrestricted medium, and I am enjoying the challenge.

My story: Stranger than you dreamt it
My Profile: MaryannfromAus

Hence, when one cannot be bothered to do anything, or simply needs to take their mind off a task, fanfiction is a great friend to have. If you have a favourite book, movie, comic, fairy-tale, or writer that never completely hit the nail on the head, gave you the ending you wanted, or crafted characters you would love to continue reading about, there will be a story for you. (Keep in mind you may have to sift through quite a bit of garbage).

It is only an internet connection and a few clicks away.

Ode to the Internet: Hopelessly Devoted to You

The Internet is full of charm, but also sings a siren song.

Move over TV, we now have yet another form of advanced technology to capture first spot for absolute time waster and number one procrastination tool.

It's a lure we love to hate and hate to love: the Internet.

A reoccurring part of my life now consists of checking my email before and/or after work. That 'catching up' method of communication usually occupies a good half hour. However, due to the wonders of the Internet, one link leads to another link which leads to a quick Wikipedia search, leading to another Wikipedia link, to a related search link, a source link, and so the cycle continues until you glance at the clock and you are either late for work or it is hours past your bedtime.

As much as I'd like to believe time passes quicker while on the Internet, it is a cheap cop-out disguising the real problem at hand- how to avoid wasting time that could be better spent elsewhere.

To me, the biggest time-wasters are community boards and social utilities like Facebook. A quick “hello” to catch up on Facebook can lead to a detailed chat about where you are going next holidays, or what you are having for breakfast- since you have talked the whole night away with your six conversations running at once. All the while you are also playing Café World, checkers with your mate from America, uploading photos from the birthday party last weekend, and joining the “I am Going to Marry One of the Men in Jane Austen's Novels” group.

As much as the Internet is an invaluable source of information, and serves as an extensive vehicle for intellectual development, to those lacking some self-control, it is a nasty distraction to making real progress in your life.

Even writing this blog took me a good part of the morning because it sat stationary while I read the amusing posts of university students on the www.boredofstudies.org student community board. One of the topics: “Which uni has most Asians: UNSW or USYD?”, among with “Which faculty do you think is most attractive [at the University of Sydney]?” Intellectual discussion, indeed.

Yes, in sickness and in health, we are hopelessly devoted to the Internet.