What is your occupation right now?
right now, im a bit unsure...
What colour are your socks right now?
white
What are you listening to right now?
mos def
What was the last thing that you ate?
a really bad vending machine cookie
Can you drive a stick shift?
I SURE CAN!!
Last person you spoke to on the phone?
my buddy Pat
Do you like the person who sent this to you?
i love them!
How old are you today?
18
What is your favourite sport to watch on TV
NRL
What is your favourite drink
frangelico and milk
Have you ever dyed your hair
yes
Favourite food?
at the moment, lebanese bread
What is the last movie you watched?
State of Play
Favourite day of the year?
the first day you feel summer coming
How do you vent anger?
swear alot and go running...usually not at the same time
What was your favourite toy as a child?
nintendo 64 and an elephant hehe (im not laughing, the elephants name was hehe)
What is your favourite season?
summer
Cherries or Blueberries
cherries
Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?
Who is the most likely to respond ~
Who is least likely to respond? ~
Living arrangements?
i live with my nene and my uncle
When was the last time you cried?
yesterday
What is on the floor of your closet?
clothes that have fallen off the hangers...its always the same tops...
Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?
Kim is my longest friend, but im not sending this to her
What did you do last night?
i went to the gym and read a book
What are you most afraid of
people dying
Plain cheese or spicy hamburger
spicy
Favourite dog breed?
bulldog
Favourite day of the week
sunday
How many countries have you lived in?
only australia
Diamonds or pearls?
pearls
What is your favourite flower?
as lame as it sounds, jasmine. my parents planted one in our backyard when i was born so it was always around when i was growing up :)
j
Friday, 9 October 2009
Leigh Bianca Garbellini
1. What is your occupation right now?
Credit Control Representative
2. What colour are your socks right now?
Black, white and grey
3. What are you listening to right now?
Caroline
4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Chocolate
5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Not well!
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
A customer
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Yes! My Hannah!
8. How old are you today?
23
9. What is your favourite sport to watch on TV
Footy, Netball and Gymnastics
10. What is your favourite drink
Water and Chocolate milk
11. Have you ever dyed your hair
Of course
12. Favourite food?
Pasta and burgers
13. What is the last movie you watched?
Last week I watched "In the Name of the King - A Dungeon Siege Tale" with James. It was a boy movie.
14.. Favourite day of the year?
My Birthday (of course!) and Christmas
15. How do you vent anger?
Road Rage.... haha, nah I usually just have a massive whinge to a friend and feel better
16. What was your favourite toy as a child?
My barbies and also my green stuffed monkey which my Daddy gave me when I was born. Oh and Lego!
17. What is your favourite season?
Summer
18. Cherries or Blueberries
Cherries
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?
Yes please
20. Who is the most likely to respond ~
21. Who is least likely to respond? ~
22. Living arrangements?
I live with a friend :)
23. When was the last time you cried?
A few weeks ago
24. What is on the floor of your closet?
Shoes
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?
Hannah :)
26. What did you do last night?
Went to the mall, hello where else would I be on a Thursday night?
27. What are you most afraid of
Germsssss! Im a germophobe!
28. Plain cheese or spicy hamburger
Plain cheese
29. Favourite dog breed?
Border Collie
30. Favourite day of the week
Saturday
31. How many countries have you lived in?
Just this one
32. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds
33. What is your favourite flower?
My favourites are Daffodils, Birds of Paradise, Frangipanis and Sunflowers :)
Credit Control Representative
2. What colour are your socks right now?
Black, white and grey
3. What are you listening to right now?
Caroline
4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Chocolate
5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Not well!
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
A customer
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Yes! My Hannah!
8. How old are you today?
23
9. What is your favourite sport to watch on TV
Footy, Netball and Gymnastics
10. What is your favourite drink
Water and Chocolate milk
11. Have you ever dyed your hair
Of course
12. Favourite food?
Pasta and burgers
13. What is the last movie you watched?
Last week I watched "In the Name of the King - A Dungeon Siege Tale" with James. It was a boy movie.
14.. Favourite day of the year?
My Birthday (of course!) and Christmas
15. How do you vent anger?
Road Rage.... haha, nah I usually just have a massive whinge to a friend and feel better
16. What was your favourite toy as a child?
My barbies and also my green stuffed monkey which my Daddy gave me when I was born. Oh and Lego!
17. What is your favourite season?
Summer
18. Cherries or Blueberries
Cherries
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?
Yes please
20. Who is the most likely to respond ~
21. Who is least likely to respond? ~
22. Living arrangements?
I live with a friend :)
23. When was the last time you cried?
A few weeks ago
24. What is on the floor of your closet?
Shoes
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?
Hannah :)
26. What did you do last night?
Went to the mall, hello where else would I be on a Thursday night?
27. What are you most afraid of
Germsssss! Im a germophobe!
28. Plain cheese or spicy hamburger
Plain cheese
29. Favourite dog breed?
Border Collie
30. Favourite day of the week
Saturday
31. How many countries have you lived in?
Just this one
32. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds
33. What is your favourite flower?
My favourites are Daffodils, Birds of Paradise, Frangipanis and Sunflowers :)
Friday, 25 September 2009
From a Pearl, a Pirate and a Beach Yupi to a Beautiful Mermaid
Anita, Anita what can we say
September 9, 1988 what a special day
You were born with chubby cheeks and curly hair
You were so cute it was simply unfair
We became great friends from such a young age,
Even then you had attitude and rage
With your stretchy skin and great, dark tan
Soon every man became a fan
____________________________
From boyfriends to tears to smiles and laughter,
We were always there for each other
Unless of course she started the trouble,
She seemed so friendly and oh so humble
Little did you know she caused the mess,
But unfortunately she would never confess
You would never expect it from the girl so quiet
Something so small to cause such a riot
Like our mums she always cared for us,
Tweezers and needles, sewing our stockings in class.
Always there with great advice,
So straight forward and so precise
If you ever cant find her you know where she’ll be
Cox’s Road, at Michel’s patisserie
With her take away coffee, even when she’s staying
Decaf, large, foam cup, a drop of hazelnut, “sorry Im so annoying”
Her ability to sing has shocked us all,
She thinks she’s good but she’s awful
It took until 20 to get her L’s,
But that doesn’t stop her screeching and her yells
Go left, go right, she was always wrong,
Making our trip ever so long
But in the end we always got there,
Even if it was just going to her house to smoke argileh
___________________________________________
One last story to end this all
Reminiscing about one of Anita’s famous calls
We all know that Anno’s star sign is a Virgo
But she we was little she didn’t understand that so,
She skipped up to her mum as happy as a can be
And said “mummy mummy I’m a virgin look at me!”
Happy 21st Anno, we love you so much
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Sport Shoes Are Such a Waste of Money
Sport Shoes Are Such a Waste of Money
By: Caroline Geroyan
If you have just purchased a new pair of sport shoes I highly recommend that you stop reading now! I mean, I don’t know how Usain Bolt started his running career, but I am quite confident he was not splurging on $250 Nike Max Airs. As a matter of fact, I am certain that he was running around on the dry Jamaican land bare foot, and it doesn’t seem to have done him any harm, in fact it has had the opposite effect.
When you walk (or run) into North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre you can always hear the screeching sounds of rubber sliding against the polished wooden floors. On one particular visit, this sound was interrupted by a loud “AAARGH”. A member of the senior men’s team was lying on the ground as he had twisted his ankle. Funnily enough he was wearing what looked to be an expensive pair of Nike basketball shoes. “Take off his sneakers,” yelled the first aid guy as he came to the rescue, “tool box” and all. Once he had reached the injured player he threw aside his shoes, as though blaming them for the casualty.
Ah yes, the smell of brand new sport shoes comes like a cool whiff of air when the box is opened for the first time, especially when you have paid hundreds of dollars for them. But why would someone do that when so much research has been done, proving that they don’t do us any favours? Gassia Hovagimian, a representative basketball player for the North Sydney Bears explained to me (whilst wearing flashy AND 1 basketball shoes I might add) that sneakers “[don’t] make that much of a difference on your physical performance but more on the psyche.” What she means by this is that wearing a prestigious pair of $200 sneakers heightens an athlete’s confidence so that they “feel” as though they are playing better. Just think of that scene in the 2002 basketball flick Like Mike, when Lil Bow Wow looks down at his sneakers before his basketball game, and whispers “make me like Mike.”
The first modern running shoe was created by Nike in the 1970’s, so its only logical to think that they would have been revolutionised to the point of perfection by now. After all, Adidas has $300 shoes on the market with microchips in them and Asics has spent about $3 million and eight years (three more years than it took to create the first atomic bomb) to invent the Kinsei, a shoe that boasts 'multi-angled forefoot gel pods', and a 'midfoot thrust enhancer'. Each season brings an expensive new purchase for the average runner.
So I guess manufacturers and marketers are onto something here, as despite sport shoes having no physical benefits it has become a $20 billion industry. Just recently my friend Anita decided to buy running shoes, so I thought I would accompany her whilst she looked for a pair. Our first stop was Footlocker. Rachel the sales rep bombarded us with 5 different shoes, each one with a longer, more “sophisticated” name than the last. The price tag on one of them screamed out to me; $279.95, a price I would consider selling my soul for. I nudged Anita, pointing to the tag. Her eyes too popped out of their sockets.
“Why are these ones so expensive?”
“Ahh these are the Asics Gek Kayanos. They’re top of the range, brand new.”
Rachel had nothing else to say. Anita and I stood there, obviously wanting to hear more about this supposed marvel.
“Let me call my supervisor, he can talk to you more about it.”
“They provide extra support and comfort,” he reassured as he paced towards us. Anita looked baffled.
“Uhh okay but don’t all shoes do that?”
“Well these are new and they fit the exact contours of your feet, do you want to try them on?” She didn’t, and walked out of the store very confused.
Two sales representatives from Nike went to watch a cross-country training session at Stamford University. Their job was to determine what type of sole the runners preferred, but to their surprise they found that they preferred…well…nothing.
When they questioned this, industry renounced coach Vin Lannana answered, “…I believe that when my runners train barefoot they run faster and suffer fewer injuries.”
So, the very best runners are given the “very best” shoes, but they choose not to wear them. Even Gassia, who is made to wear “top of the range” sneakers by her coaches, told me that “during every training session or game atleast one player twists their ankles or hurts their knees.” As a matter of fact, every year between 60 and 85% of runners suffer an injury as a result of wearing “top of the range” shoes.
Dr Craig Richards, who has spent a lot of time studying the pros and cons of running shoes, thinks that it is the way companies differentiate their products through clever marketing that makes their “features” attractive.
“They’ve been very careful. No major shoe company has ever said these shoes will decrease your risk of injury. It’s all based on perception…”
This is rather interesting considering what Ashleigh Walden, a fit technician from the Athlete’s Foot, a specialist shoe retailer, has to say. When I asked her what she thinks about all the reports stating that sport shoes don’t provide any paediatric benefit, her initial response was “that’s rubbish!” She told me how “comfort and longevity” are factors in the pricing of a shoe, as well as performance.
“Differences between a cheap shoe and expensive would be amounts the cushioning material, whether it has some kind of traction control system, support…”
But that does not make much sense to me because all shoes claim to have that type of support. Also, paediatricians claim that it is shoes in general that are causing our feet damage, not only sport shoes, so whatever we wear, no matter how many high tech missiles, microchips and memory cards are jammed into them, they are of no benefit to us!
So whats the best type of shoe to run with, if any at all? If they arent doing us any favours, and sporting organisations do not let you run bare foot what do you do? Dr Richard’s answer to this is “ Shoes that let your foot function like you're barefoot - they're the shoes for me.'” Luckily for him (and anyone else who feels the same way) Vibram, an Italian peadiatric company has created the FiveFingers, a shoe that is more like a cross between a glove and a sock. Yeah okay, it sounds like kind of an ugly shoe, but Dr Richards, who recently ran in a cross country marathon, noticed that 3 people other than him were wearing them, so it is approaching the mainstream.
And guess what?
Theyre only $100!
By: Caroline Geroyan
If you have just purchased a new pair of sport shoes I highly recommend that you stop reading now! I mean, I don’t know how Usain Bolt started his running career, but I am quite confident he was not splurging on $250 Nike Max Airs. As a matter of fact, I am certain that he was running around on the dry Jamaican land bare foot, and it doesn’t seem to have done him any harm, in fact it has had the opposite effect.
When you walk (or run) into North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre you can always hear the screeching sounds of rubber sliding against the polished wooden floors. On one particular visit, this sound was interrupted by a loud “AAARGH”. A member of the senior men’s team was lying on the ground as he had twisted his ankle. Funnily enough he was wearing what looked to be an expensive pair of Nike basketball shoes. “Take off his sneakers,” yelled the first aid guy as he came to the rescue, “tool box” and all. Once he had reached the injured player he threw aside his shoes, as though blaming them for the casualty.
Ah yes, the smell of brand new sport shoes comes like a cool whiff of air when the box is opened for the first time, especially when you have paid hundreds of dollars for them. But why would someone do that when so much research has been done, proving that they don’t do us any favours? Gassia Hovagimian, a representative basketball player for the North Sydney Bears explained to me (whilst wearing flashy AND 1 basketball shoes I might add) that sneakers “[don’t] make that much of a difference on your physical performance but more on the psyche.” What she means by this is that wearing a prestigious pair of $200 sneakers heightens an athlete’s confidence so that they “feel” as though they are playing better. Just think of that scene in the 2002 basketball flick Like Mike, when Lil Bow Wow looks down at his sneakers before his basketball game, and whispers “make me like Mike.”
The first modern running shoe was created by Nike in the 1970’s, so its only logical to think that they would have been revolutionised to the point of perfection by now. After all, Adidas has $300 shoes on the market with microchips in them and Asics has spent about $3 million and eight years (three more years than it took to create the first atomic bomb) to invent the Kinsei, a shoe that boasts 'multi-angled forefoot gel pods', and a 'midfoot thrust enhancer'. Each season brings an expensive new purchase for the average runner.
So I guess manufacturers and marketers are onto something here, as despite sport shoes having no physical benefits it has become a $20 billion industry. Just recently my friend Anita decided to buy running shoes, so I thought I would accompany her whilst she looked for a pair. Our first stop was Footlocker. Rachel the sales rep bombarded us with 5 different shoes, each one with a longer, more “sophisticated” name than the last. The price tag on one of them screamed out to me; $279.95, a price I would consider selling my soul for. I nudged Anita, pointing to the tag. Her eyes too popped out of their sockets.
“Why are these ones so expensive?”
“Ahh these are the Asics Gek Kayanos. They’re top of the range, brand new.”
Rachel had nothing else to say. Anita and I stood there, obviously wanting to hear more about this supposed marvel.
“Let me call my supervisor, he can talk to you more about it.”
“They provide extra support and comfort,” he reassured as he paced towards us. Anita looked baffled.
“Uhh okay but don’t all shoes do that?”
“Well these are new and they fit the exact contours of your feet, do you want to try them on?” She didn’t, and walked out of the store very confused.
Two sales representatives from Nike went to watch a cross-country training session at Stamford University. Their job was to determine what type of sole the runners preferred, but to their surprise they found that they preferred…well…nothing.
When they questioned this, industry renounced coach Vin Lannana answered, “…I believe that when my runners train barefoot they run faster and suffer fewer injuries.”
So, the very best runners are given the “very best” shoes, but they choose not to wear them. Even Gassia, who is made to wear “top of the range” sneakers by her coaches, told me that “during every training session or game atleast one player twists their ankles or hurts their knees.” As a matter of fact, every year between 60 and 85% of runners suffer an injury as a result of wearing “top of the range” shoes.
Dr Craig Richards, who has spent a lot of time studying the pros and cons of running shoes, thinks that it is the way companies differentiate their products through clever marketing that makes their “features” attractive.
“They’ve been very careful. No major shoe company has ever said these shoes will decrease your risk of injury. It’s all based on perception…”
This is rather interesting considering what Ashleigh Walden, a fit technician from the Athlete’s Foot, a specialist shoe retailer, has to say. When I asked her what she thinks about all the reports stating that sport shoes don’t provide any paediatric benefit, her initial response was “that’s rubbish!” She told me how “comfort and longevity” are factors in the pricing of a shoe, as well as performance.
“Differences between a cheap shoe and expensive would be amounts the cushioning material, whether it has some kind of traction control system, support…”
But that does not make much sense to me because all shoes claim to have that type of support. Also, paediatricians claim that it is shoes in general that are causing our feet damage, not only sport shoes, so whatever we wear, no matter how many high tech missiles, microchips and memory cards are jammed into them, they are of no benefit to us!
So whats the best type of shoe to run with, if any at all? If they arent doing us any favours, and sporting organisations do not let you run bare foot what do you do? Dr Richard’s answer to this is “ Shoes that let your foot function like you're barefoot - they're the shoes for me.'” Luckily for him (and anyone else who feels the same way) Vibram, an Italian peadiatric company has created the FiveFingers, a shoe that is more like a cross between a glove and a sock. Yeah okay, it sounds like kind of an ugly shoe, but Dr Richards, who recently ran in a cross country marathon, noticed that 3 people other than him were wearing them, so it is approaching the mainstream.
And guess what?
Theyre only $100!
Monday, 14 September 2009
A Letter To a Friend Written on a Cold, Lonely Night
>From: Caroline Geroyan (carolinegeroyan454@hotmail.com)
Sent: Monday, 14 September 2009 11:06:09 PM
To: Jasmine Hook (jasmine_hook@engin.com.au)
Heyy Hasmig,
(thats what Im going to call you from now on so you had better GET USED TO IT )
Well like I fully cant sleep and I was thinking about your sweet ass so I thought ide write to you to entertain you while you are at work tomorrow (well technically its today coz thats when our reading it and shit).
Anywayyyyy... So like we are fully going to the Land of Thai!!! Aaargh!!! Yayyyy!!! Massages, food, massages, food, massages (man thats all im going to do there)...oh yeah and of course beach!!! OMG..!!! Cant wait!!!
Oh yeah, my work PC username is caroline.geroyan and my password is password123 (Please dont send emails from my email...I will not go to Land of Thai if u do that) JKS JKS LOL!!
Im soo tired but I cant sleep...whats wrong with me...???
AAAARGH!! I tipped tea on myself and my chin is now burning!!!
BRB
...
Okay so Im like fully back!! I had to go and get a towel...
Where was I? Oh yeah, so log in and look at some accommodation and I will too... and then we will email each other with what we find!! OMG YAAY
Dont u reckon Kanye West is a shit for what he did to Taylor Swift??? Im going to beat him down with my baseball bat....hey, just quietly, do u reckon Kanye WEST is relos with Andrew WEST??? They could have some mad historical connection you know...Do me a favor though, and DONT ask him. Many Thanks.
So0o0o0o0o whats new with you??? Whats the 411? (you know in Mean Girls...when the mums sais that...ooohhhh I fully love that movie) Fully sick and shit...
I think Im kinda tired now..so im going to try and sleep...
Yalla G'night!!
Yalla byeee
<3
ps.. my font is great
pps...im going to add emoticons to this email...i hope u can see them on the work email..
Sent: Monday, 14 September 2009 11:06:09 PM
To: Jasmine Hook (jasmine_hook@engin.com.au)
Heyy Hasmig,
(thats what Im going to call you from now on so you had better GET USED TO IT )
Well like I fully cant sleep and I was thinking about your sweet ass so I thought ide write to you to entertain you while you are at work tomorrow (well technically its today coz thats when our reading it and shit).
Anywayyyyy... So like we are fully going to the Land of Thai!!! Aaargh!!! Yayyyy!!! Massages, food, massages, food, massages (man thats all im going to do there)...oh yeah and of course beach!!! OMG..!!! Cant wait!!!
Oh yeah, my work PC username is caroline.geroyan and my password is password123 (Please dont send emails from my email...I will not go to Land of Thai if u do that) JKS JKS LOL!!
Im soo tired but I cant sleep...whats wrong with me...???
AAAARGH!! I tipped tea on myself and my chin is now burning!!!
BRB
...
Okay so Im like fully back!! I had to go and get a towel...
Where was I? Oh yeah, so log in and look at some accommodation and I will too... and then we will email each other with what we find!! OMG YAAY
Dont u reckon Kanye West is a shit for what he did to Taylor Swift??? Im going to beat him down with my baseball bat....hey, just quietly, do u reckon Kanye WEST is relos with Andrew WEST??? They could have some mad historical connection you know...Do me a favor though, and DONT ask him. Many Thanks.
So0o0o0o0o whats new with you??? Whats the 411? (you know in Mean Girls...when the mums sais that...ooohhhh I fully love that movie) Fully sick and shit...
I think Im kinda tired now..so im going to try and sleep...
Yalla G'night!!
Yalla byeee
<3
ps.. my font is great
pps...im going to add emoticons to this email...i hope u can see them on the work email..
Thursday, 30 April 2009
...I Just Want You to Know
Heya,
I really want to tell you something.
I dont want this to be an "annoying" email-I just want you to know a few things, thats all.
Firstly I am glad that we are "talking" again-I know we always
were...but you know what I mean.
Even though I was mad at you and very 'hurt' by you I still sometimes
missed you ...and I know that you would have missed me
too..
You know what really makes me laugh though; it is that you knew
EXACTLY how to push my buttons-and you did it all the time. Yes, you
have told me that you had been hurt 1000 times and that you had "built
a wall around your heart" etc, but I NEVER offended you or put you
down- infact I always tried to talk you up-but you always belittled
me, even if you didnt know.
Please dont take this as a 'personal attack', I dont want to offend
you, I just want you to know a few things. I figured that with both of
us being stubborn and proud one of us needed to clear the air, and I
knew it wouldnt be you. (that was a joke.)
Also, I really appreciate what you emailed me the other day, where
you wrote that if I ever needed someone to talk to I could approach
you-I think that was really nice and mature of you.
Please write back...if not I am pretty happy with you just knowing
Caroline
(written 28th May, 2008)
I really want to tell you something.
I dont want this to be an "annoying" email-I just want you to know a few things, thats all.
Firstly I am glad that we are "talking" again-I know we always
were...but you know what I mean.
Even though I was mad at you and very 'hurt' by you I still sometimes
missed you ...and I know that you would have missed me
too..
You know what really makes me laugh though; it is that you knew
EXACTLY how to push my buttons-and you did it all the time. Yes, you
have told me that you had been hurt 1000 times and that you had "built
a wall around your heart" etc, but I NEVER offended you or put you
down- infact I always tried to talk you up-but you always belittled
me, even if you didnt know.
Please dont take this as a 'personal attack', I dont want to offend
you, I just want you to know a few things. I figured that with both of
us being stubborn and proud one of us needed to clear the air, and I
knew it wouldnt be you. (that was a joke.)
Also, I really appreciate what you emailed me the other day, where
you wrote that if I ever needed someone to talk to I could approach
you-I think that was really nice and mature of you.
Please write back...if not I am pretty happy with you just knowing
Caroline
(written 28th May, 2008)
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Coffee House Conversation: An Interview With George Middleton
Coffee House Conversation:
An Interview with George Middleton
The coffee house was bustling. I glanced the room for my victim. Aha! He watched as I approached, one eye lifted from the front page of the Herald. I took note of the plate before him; crumbs, dirty plastic cutlery and a cardboard coffee cup sporting only residue. “Great, he has finished…”
“Hi my name is Caroline.”
“George Middleton.”
We shook hands. My palms were sweating and George noticed. I think.
“Umm, I need to conduct an interview with a stranger for my assignment, so do you have some time to spare?”
“Yeah sure I am just relaxing”
He was seated upright, obviously anxious.
“Do I need to sign anything? What is it about? How long will it take?”
“Yes I have a form for you to sign, it can be about anything and it won’t take more than 10 minutes.”
I did not have a copy of the form. Luckily, he never asked for it.
“Okay sure”
“Look I don’t have any questions prepared because I didn’t know who I would be interviewing. I guess that I am kind of an amateur.”
I attempted to be funny. He attempted to laugh.
“So what would you like me to tell you?”
“Anything”
“Okay, I will start with my time in Australia”
“I knew that you weren’t from here, you are English aren’t you?”
I had no idea what I wanted to or would achieve through conducting this interview, so I just listened sharply, armed with an even sharper pencil and a notepad made from 100% recycled paper.
“I was born in the south of Dublin in 1939.”
Ah, so it was an Irish accent.
“I moved to Australia in 1963 with nothing but ten pounds in my pocket. Jobs were easy to obtain though, after all I had a good education and had been a banker for seven-and-a-half years.”
I tried my best to make questions out of every detail.
“Yeah I would guess for Anglo Europeans it would have been easy, with the backing of the White Australia Policy.”
“Uhhh anyway, my first job in Australia was in a fibreglass filter company. It was a small factory in Mortdale.”
“Oh Mortdale, where did you live?”
“Bexley”
Suddenly he leant back into his chair, looking as though he was enjoying himself.
I calculated his age in my head, coming to the conclusion that he would have been too young to serve in World War II…
“Did you fight in Vietnam?”
“No I was too old, I was about twenty nine or thirty. I guess I missed out.”
He smiled.
“So you mean in a humorous way, like a pun, like you did not really want to go and you didn’t have to because of your age.”
“Yeah that’s right.”
Silence, but still the bustling of the coffee house…
“My next job was delivering orange juice in and around the city for six months. Then I worked at ANZ bank for two years. I started off as a teller then I became involved more complex stuff’.”
He prided himself on the word “complex”. I questioned it.
“Mortgaging. You know, stuff at the back”
He did not have much more to tell.
.
Change the subject, Caroline!
“Are you married?”
There was that smile again.
“Yes, in fact I met my wife while working at the bank, she was a client.My youngest [daughter] was born in 1973. She has two kids. My eldest was born in 1971. She is not married but she is a medical researcher for UNSW.”
Sometimes I did not completely hear what George was saying. I did not know whether it was because his tone was low, or whether the bustling of the coffee house muffled it.
“I went to Macquarie University to get a degree in accounting. I didn’t work for those three years. The kids had just started school and my wife had just finished uni. She actually worked at Macquarie, specialising in…umm…you know with kids…”
“Kids with special needs?”
“Yeah that’s it. She specialised in children with learning disabilities.”
George did not work during the time he studied. His wife was the breadwinner. I found myself becoming inspired as it was the 70’s, feminism was rife, and here was a young mother with two children working and supporting her family.
“It was really difficult working as an accountant once I had my degree. I worked as a manager but I had no practical experience, as they never taught management roles at uni. They [the workers] never listened to me. You needed to be extra hard headed if you wanted to get your point across.”
George’s story went back and forth. I just listened as the memories flooded his brain and expelled through his mouth.
Suddenly we were back in 1968, before his daughters were born. George and his wife had just bought their home in Epping. During this time they established and ran their own business, “but it was a disaster.”
“Oh, what business was it? Was it an accounting business?”
“No, it was a boarding house in Bondi.”
Interesting.
“How many people could the boarding house capacitate?”
“Twenty.”
A mental image of 20 young hippies smoking inordinate amounts of marijuana within George’s boarding house inundated my brain.
His mind seemed to be ambling too, as he took brief pauses in between each sentence to think about the next.
“…the sheets were changed once a week. We had one common room with a TV, kind of like an old fashioned drawing room… we didn’t do our homework. In order to make a profit we needed to be 70% full –we were never reached over 50.”
I thanked George for his time, stood up, smiled and walked away.
Silence, but still the bustling of the coffee house.
I thought he was heading out but rather he stopped right before me, his palm placed against the strap of his backpack:
“Caroline, could I ask you a question now?”
“Yes of course”
What could he possibly want?
“Why did you approach me out of everyone here?”
“Um, well, because umm, you seemed the most approachable. Also, I personally think older people have a richer story to tell, you know? They have lived longer.”
“So what, I look old and soft?”
Laughter. Awkward Laughter.
“No, no, not at all”`
He smiled, nodded and headed towards the door.
I fixed my eyes on him as he walked. I do not know why he asked that last question, but it made me feel like he wanted to gain revenge for something that I had done to him.
I had my interview, though.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Reflection: Why did you chose your subject and where would you like to have your article published?
I had no expectations regarding my interview. It is the first time that I had conducted one with somebody I did not know so it was more of an ‘experiment’ for me than a planned project.
I chose George Middleton as he seemed the most communicative. He was merely seated in the corner of the coffee house by himself, reading his paper. Everybody else looked guarded, either studying or chatting with a group of friends. Others seemed unapproachable, dressed in business suits and looking as though they were scurrying.
George seemed rather put off/surprised when I first approached him, making me feel unsure if I made the right choice. I explained the project; even letting him read the question. He agreed to do it, but he was still very presumptuous towards my ‘assessment.’ I did not know what I wanted to ask him and he did not know what to say, so I thought it would be best I become myself, rather than an interviewer, and explained that I had never done anything like this before. At that point he put down his paper and suggested a few things he could talk to me about.
After a few minutes of question/answer I saw that he felt far more comfortable. He was leaning back into his chair, smiling at me and telling me things before I even asked.
As he was walking out he asked why I had chosen him (as I reported in the article). I did not know how to answer I did not want to place judgement on him, nor did I want to offend him. So I told him what I felt and I laughed, hoping to make it appear funny. He laughed too, but I still do not what his intentions were regarding the question.
A few days after interview I remembered that George needed to sign the slip. I mailed it to his home along with an explanation. He mailed it back promptly. I have attached the slip, along with the enevelope to my assignment. If this were to be published, I would have the envelope attached, to give the piece a authenticity as interviews are meant to be personal and real.
While writing this article I had ‘society and culture/young adult’ magazines in mind, something like fankie or Nylon. I believe that my piece suits this type of publications perfectly as I have read similar pieces within both of these magazines.
An Interview with George Middleton
The coffee house was bustling. I glanced the room for my victim. Aha! He watched as I approached, one eye lifted from the front page of the Herald. I took note of the plate before him; crumbs, dirty plastic cutlery and a cardboard coffee cup sporting only residue. “Great, he has finished…”
“Hi my name is Caroline.”
“George Middleton.”
We shook hands. My palms were sweating and George noticed. I think.
“Umm, I need to conduct an interview with a stranger for my assignment, so do you have some time to spare?”
“Yeah sure I am just relaxing”
He was seated upright, obviously anxious.
“Do I need to sign anything? What is it about? How long will it take?”
“Yes I have a form for you to sign, it can be about anything and it won’t take more than 10 minutes.”
I did not have a copy of the form. Luckily, he never asked for it.
“Okay sure”
“Look I don’t have any questions prepared because I didn’t know who I would be interviewing. I guess that I am kind of an amateur.”
I attempted to be funny. He attempted to laugh.
“So what would you like me to tell you?”
“Anything”
“Okay, I will start with my time in Australia”
“I knew that you weren’t from here, you are English aren’t you?”
I had no idea what I wanted to or would achieve through conducting this interview, so I just listened sharply, armed with an even sharper pencil and a notepad made from 100% recycled paper.
“I was born in the south of Dublin in 1939.”
Ah, so it was an Irish accent.
“I moved to Australia in 1963 with nothing but ten pounds in my pocket. Jobs were easy to obtain though, after all I had a good education and had been a banker for seven-and-a-half years.”
I tried my best to make questions out of every detail.
“Yeah I would guess for Anglo Europeans it would have been easy, with the backing of the White Australia Policy.”
“Uhhh anyway, my first job in Australia was in a fibreglass filter company. It was a small factory in Mortdale.”
“Oh Mortdale, where did you live?”
“Bexley”
Suddenly he leant back into his chair, looking as though he was enjoying himself.
I calculated his age in my head, coming to the conclusion that he would have been too young to serve in World War II…
“Did you fight in Vietnam?”
“No I was too old, I was about twenty nine or thirty. I guess I missed out.”
He smiled.
“So you mean in a humorous way, like a pun, like you did not really want to go and you didn’t have to because of your age.”
“Yeah that’s right.”
Silence, but still the bustling of the coffee house…
“My next job was delivering orange juice in and around the city for six months. Then I worked at ANZ bank for two years. I started off as a teller then I became involved more complex stuff’.”
He prided himself on the word “complex”. I questioned it.
“Mortgaging. You know, stuff at the back”
He did not have much more to tell.
.
Change the subject, Caroline!
“Are you married?”
There was that smile again.
“Yes, in fact I met my wife while working at the bank, she was a client.My youngest [daughter] was born in 1973. She has two kids. My eldest was born in 1971. She is not married but she is a medical researcher for UNSW.”
Sometimes I did not completely hear what George was saying. I did not know whether it was because his tone was low, or whether the bustling of the coffee house muffled it.
“I went to Macquarie University to get a degree in accounting. I didn’t work for those three years. The kids had just started school and my wife had just finished uni. She actually worked at Macquarie, specialising in…umm…you know with kids…”
“Kids with special needs?”
“Yeah that’s it. She specialised in children with learning disabilities.”
George did not work during the time he studied. His wife was the breadwinner. I found myself becoming inspired as it was the 70’s, feminism was rife, and here was a young mother with two children working and supporting her family.
“It was really difficult working as an accountant once I had my degree. I worked as a manager but I had no practical experience, as they never taught management roles at uni. They [the workers] never listened to me. You needed to be extra hard headed if you wanted to get your point across.”
George’s story went back and forth. I just listened as the memories flooded his brain and expelled through his mouth.
Suddenly we were back in 1968, before his daughters were born. George and his wife had just bought their home in Epping. During this time they established and ran their own business, “but it was a disaster.”
“Oh, what business was it? Was it an accounting business?”
“No, it was a boarding house in Bondi.”
Interesting.
“How many people could the boarding house capacitate?”
“Twenty.”
A mental image of 20 young hippies smoking inordinate amounts of marijuana within George’s boarding house inundated my brain.
His mind seemed to be ambling too, as he took brief pauses in between each sentence to think about the next.
“…the sheets were changed once a week. We had one common room with a TV, kind of like an old fashioned drawing room… we didn’t do our homework. In order to make a profit we needed to be 70% full –we were never reached over 50.”
I thanked George for his time, stood up, smiled and walked away.
Silence, but still the bustling of the coffee house.
I thought he was heading out but rather he stopped right before me, his palm placed against the strap of his backpack:
“Caroline, could I ask you a question now?”
“Yes of course”
What could he possibly want?
“Why did you approach me out of everyone here?”
“Um, well, because umm, you seemed the most approachable. Also, I personally think older people have a richer story to tell, you know? They have lived longer.”
“So what, I look old and soft?”
Laughter. Awkward Laughter.
“No, no, not at all”`
He smiled, nodded and headed towards the door.
I fixed my eyes on him as he walked. I do not know why he asked that last question, but it made me feel like he wanted to gain revenge for something that I had done to him.
I had my interview, though.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Reflection: Why did you chose your subject and where would you like to have your article published?
I had no expectations regarding my interview. It is the first time that I had conducted one with somebody I did not know so it was more of an ‘experiment’ for me than a planned project.
I chose George Middleton as he seemed the most communicative. He was merely seated in the corner of the coffee house by himself, reading his paper. Everybody else looked guarded, either studying or chatting with a group of friends. Others seemed unapproachable, dressed in business suits and looking as though they were scurrying.
George seemed rather put off/surprised when I first approached him, making me feel unsure if I made the right choice. I explained the project; even letting him read the question. He agreed to do it, but he was still very presumptuous towards my ‘assessment.’ I did not know what I wanted to ask him and he did not know what to say, so I thought it would be best I become myself, rather than an interviewer, and explained that I had never done anything like this before. At that point he put down his paper and suggested a few things he could talk to me about.
After a few minutes of question/answer I saw that he felt far more comfortable. He was leaning back into his chair, smiling at me and telling me things before I even asked.
As he was walking out he asked why I had chosen him (as I reported in the article). I did not know how to answer I did not want to place judgement on him, nor did I want to offend him. So I told him what I felt and I laughed, hoping to make it appear funny. He laughed too, but I still do not what his intentions were regarding the question.
A few days after interview I remembered that George needed to sign the slip. I mailed it to his home along with an explanation. He mailed it back promptly. I have attached the slip, along with the enevelope to my assignment. If this were to be published, I would have the envelope attached, to give the piece a authenticity as interviews are meant to be personal and real.
While writing this article I had ‘society and culture/young adult’ magazines in mind, something like fankie or Nylon. I believe that my piece suits this type of publications perfectly as I have read similar pieces within both of these magazines.
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