I am spending nights in a messy bedroom, in my lover's arms, on rooftops, in my car, on trains, on steep dirt hills and practice rooms and stages and backstages and public bathrooms and alleyways and 24/7 convenience stores. I miss the times when I used to call my mama and my papa at 11pm (~so late~) when I was on a sleepover in primary school, crying about how I wanted to come home and how I felt so sick and scared and my friend's mum doesn't have any peppermint tea to calm me down. When I was a little girl I worried about spending the night away from home and I thought that was the worst thing in the world - it WAS the worst thing in my world. Now I drive alone and pay for the petrol and go to the bank and drink coffee and worry about my weight (clearly I still worry about stupid things). I love and laugh and cry and think and write and run and lie in bed with friends holding hands and giggling, with the doona right up to our eyes. I still wish on stars and wonder if I'll feel like home in India when I look up at the sky and see the same moon that hangs above my mum and dad in Australia.
I am so pleased to let you know that I am sitting static right now, drinking a cup of tea, and watching The Biggest Loser. There is SO much going on I'm barely keeping my head above the water. But that's just the way I like it.
I can't believe I'm going to Singapore to play my own music. I can't believe I'm going to India. I can't believe I am keeping up with uni work. I can't believe how much coffee my body can take without exploding. I can't believe I have had my dear Lewis for ten months already. I can't believe a stranger was talking about Nebraskatak on the train. I can't believe I looked in the mirror today and didn't hate what I saw. I can't believe this crazy ridiculous life I'm leading.
I guess it's probably about time I updated you on that enigmatic trip to Singapore that I've mentioned a coupla times! Frida is the band I am travelling with, and it includes me, Lewis, and three other guys from uni who have sweetly and generously donated their musical expertise and skill to play my, our, songs. We're going to Singapore in late June to play at the Baybeats Festival over there. Before we leave we have plans to record and release an EP, and get it all printed and beautiful so we can give them out to anyone who wants 'em. The venture is ridiculously ambitious, considering Frida was a very, very bedroom project firstly for me, and then me and Lewis - but what a whim it's turned out to be, and I can't wait to see what happens from here. So after Singapore we are flying across to India where Lewis and I are staying for like 20 days or so, while the others are staying for another week. This will be interesting and exciting for a gajillion reasons, varying from the fact that it will be the monsoon season when we are over there, to the point that it's INDIA, the biggest culture shock in the history of wanderlust, and the easily-forgotten fact that I have literally never traveled anywhere ever except for Bali for ten days when I was six. I'm frightened but excited beyond belief. I'll let you know more about our plans as they unfold - we don't even know what we're doing yet! In the meantime, here are some Singapore orchids to get you in the mood.
We had our first residency gig at the Evelyn last Wednesday and it was actually so much fun! I mean I was expecting so much fun but it was ~SO!~ much fun. I had a cold but I sung and everything and the band was dynamite and there were lots of people there, and lots of my friends, being lovely as always and standing next to the sound guy, telling him what to do. My mama and papa were there too which is always lovely. A hilarious thing happened though. There was this guy standing at the bar, young, alone, and he approached our guitarist Jess and complimented our set. Jess said thanks, and where are you from (he had a British accent) and he replied that he was just in Melbourne with his band. Jess asked him what his band was called, and he said "The xx." Jamie from the xx was at our gig, sipping a beer at the bar. He bought one of our EPs from our lovable merch salesman. He listened as I bantered between songs like a huge goof on stage.
Jess came over to me clutching a glass of water in both hands, shaking, and told me who that guy was. I walked tentatively over to him under the guise of getting some water and as I walked past he reached out and TOUCHED ME on the arm and said "Hey I really enjoyed your set!" or something I dono and I was like "eujdnks thanks!" and he was like "I bought an EP and what's your email address I'd like to get in contact" in his cool British voice and I touched HIM on the arm, why, and was like THANKS with huge eyeballs and oh man I'm such a dofus. Anyway it was by that point that I realised this guy was just so much cooler than I will ever be and I couldn't keep up the conversation so I aborted and walked over to my mama and to tell her what happened.
Late last night I found myself watching this documentary on North Korea. I always thought they were this strange and secretive but prosperous and colourful wonderland but it turns out I was really wrong. Scary stuff. (Make sure you watch all three parts.) We had a Frida rehearsal today, which was really productive and we worked on this song and it sounds delicious:
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I have been wandering, mainly. I am trying to live day by day. I am trying to forget about miracle teas and meaningless assignments and things that make me heavy and sad. But then again, there's always a fault in our stars.
