Getamungstit - Culture Edition (August 2015) by Student Guild

G E TA M UNG ST IT

THE

EDITION

ISSUE 04, 2015 / FREE EDITORIAL TEAM Jessica Brown - Editor in Chief Rebecca Marshallsay - Editor in Chief Erwan Guegan - General Content Editor Hayley Payne - General Content Editor Angel Nikijuluw - Visual Editor Ashleigh Watson - Features Editor PUBLISHER Cameron Harrison TALENTED CONTRIBUTORS PHOTOGRAPHIC Dan Carson Christian Nimri Dominique Pacquier Thierry Pacquier Aidan Ryan EDITORIAL Diana Bowes Boris Budiono Roman Chayka Brentley Frazer Erwan Guegan Cameron Harrison Christina Hickman Lachie Horrigan Rebecca Marshallsay Angel Nikijuluw Christian Nimri Hayley Payne Paul Veitch Alejandra Ramirez Vidal Ashleigh Watson DESIGN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY Griffith University Gold Coast Student Guild acknowledges the people who are the traditional custodians of the land, pays respects to Elders, past and present, and extends that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. SUBMISSIONS Are you a budding student journalist, photographer or have a random idea that could be a great story? Getamungstit accepts art, photo and story submissions for consideration however there is no guarantee your

work will be published. Email us at getamungstit@griffith. edu.au DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this publication may not reflect those of the Griffith University Gold Coast Student Guild. The information contained within this edition of Getamungstit was correct at the time of printing but could be subject to change. If any article, document and/ or publication is inaccessible and you require copies and/ or more information, contact the Student Guild where staff will ensure your requests and needs are met.

Liveworm Gold Coast by QCA Students Creative Director - Alejandra Ramirez Vidal Studio Administrator - Sharon Searle T +61 7 5552 7262 E goldcoast@liveworm.com.au W livewormgoldcoast.com COVER ARTWORK Lauren Looke ADVERTISING Jessica Brown Marketing Manager GUGC Student Guild T +61 7 5552 8651 E j.brown@griffith.edu.au W gugcstudentguild.com.au CONTACT Griffith University Gold Coast Student Guild, The Link (G07) PO Box 96. Griffith University QLD 4222 E getamungstit@griffith.edu.au W gugcstudentguild.com.au/getamungstit F facebook.com/Getamungstit

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Contents Editorial note

Message from the President

Surviving culture shock

How Netflix ruined my life

zombies

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talk about anime

Vox pops

Indie culture on film

Product review - Get cultured

Namaste

Snapped on campus

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on

Mastering the art of op-shopping

Thrifty fashion

Feature artist - Nazeem Hussain

Online - Top blogs

Entertainment

Being creative

Colombia

Get the hell outta here

EDITORIAL NOTE

OLÁ! KONNICHIWA! CIAO! HALLO! WELCOME TO THE CULTURAL EDITION OF GETAMUNGSTIT, YOUR STUDENT GUILD MAGAZINE. THIS IS THE FOURTH EDITION OF THE NEW AND IMPROVED MAG SINCE OUR EARLY 2015 REVAMP, AND THIS TIME IT’S BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER. When dreaming this delicious edition up we got the coffee flowing and spread out in a corner booth at the Uni Bar. We all grew up in different cities and countries, and between us we’ve seen a surprising amount of the world. So what do we know about culture? What does culture mean to us? Culture is language, fashion, arts, leisure, lifestyle, architecture, food, families, beliefs, and so much more. We have global cultures, local cultures, subcultures, alternative lifestyle cultures, foodie cultures, and indigenous cultures. ‘Culture’ encompasses the wonderful, challenging, and inspiring differences between how humans live out their lives. We also asked what culture means to you, our bubbling blend of students and readers. Did you know that more than one fifth of Griffith’s student population are international students? Our current cohort comes from over one hundred and thirty different countries. Multiculturalism, and how people

come together to share, co-exist, and celebrate their diversities is one of the best things about living in Australia. There’s hardly a better place to experience this than right here on campus. Covering some of the cultural aspects of life on the Gold Coast, in this edition you’ll find a hilariously close-to-home story on binge-watching Netflix and an interesting look at the rise of zombie mania. We also have a great insider’s piece on opshopping that will guide you to find the best preloved bargains within a stone’s throw from campus. For all of our globe-trekking readers, there’s a feature on culture shock and how to cope when you’re in a new country. We’ve also loaded up on all of the usual favourites – don’t miss our poetry, reviews, vox pops, and a new place to go to get the hell out of here. Until next time, The Editorial Team

Editorial note

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT I present to you, Getamungstit IV, ‘The Culture Edition’. Many of our interstate students might claim that the Gold Coast has no culture compared to their overpriced, overcrowded and overrated home cities of Sydney or Melbourne. This edition will debunk those claims and educate you on the cultural excitement offered on the Gold Coast and this campus. For example, take the Melbourne Cup - attended by 100,000 people (or 2.5% of Melbourne’s population). Our Student Guild Race Day had an attendance of 2,000 students (or 12.5% of the GUGC population). I would like to make mention of the awesome success of Race Day and thank those who helped make the day possible. This was an exciting day for all, and I hope you enjoyed the new location in the Event Centre. Keep the first Saturday in August 2k16 free!! You may not be aware that like more ‘cultured’ cities, we too are focussed on environmental sustainability. We have installed a new turtle/dolphin-friendly vending machine on the deck next to the microwaves. It provides filtered, chilled water for free and sparkling water for just $2. We also have a Sustainability Fair coming up on September 1 promoting all things sustainable. And what about our sporting culture? This year the Australian University Games are being hosted on the Gold Coast, and will be attended by masses of

‘athletes’. Good luck to all Griffith University students competing in the Games! There are also a range of volunteering positions available to help coordinate the Games, or to assist with management of team Griffith. On campus, if you have not discovered already, we have a range of cultural clubs (38, to be exact) to get involved in. Over the past few years we have experienced more and more clubs affiliating, prompting us to increase avenues and access to funding and support. If there isn’t a club for you, it is never too late to start one up! There is also the possibility to become involved in the operation of the Student Guild, with our annual elections coming up 4/7-9 September. I encourage you all to get involved in this process and have your say to make sure your voice is heard! I hope you are enjoying the new format of Getamungstit, please give us your feedback or even better, contribute! We have an awesome, enthusiastic team of editors, contributors and designers for you to join. We are always looking to improve what is available to our students, so if you have any feedback or suggestions, let me or any of your board members know! Cheers, Mr President Cameron Harrison Griffith University Gold Coast Student Guild President

Surviving culture shock and adjusting to life abroad By Hayley Payne Most of us spend our younger years living in the same place. Growing up, we become accustomed to a certain culture; where cuisines, people, behaviours and unique ways of doing ‘life’ make us who we are. When we go on holiday we expect to be immersed in another culture, but it isn’t until you make the move abroad that you notice how truly different two ways of life can be. Culture shock can have extreme effects on a person’s experience living in another country. Some instantly fall in love with the cultural practices of their new country, while for others it can be an extremely overwhelming and disheartening experience. Luckily, the feelings associated with culture shock usually subside and often make for some of the best memories of your time abroad. One of Geta’s Editorial Team members, Erwan, grew up in the dazzling, French speaking country of New Caledonia. We asked him to share his experience with culture shock when first arriving in Australia. When I first arrived in Australia, I was a young and naive 19-yearold boy, freshly graduated from high school. Coming from a small tropical island it was a great change to come to a big city like Brisbane and quite a few things caught my attention. First of all I had quite a hard time understanding the Australian

accent and for a time I settled for nodding my head and smiling when someone spoke to me. Expressions like ‘G-day mate’ and ‘How ya going?’ remained a phonetic mystery for weeks! Five years on and I am still discovering new Aussie expressions (which I have grown to love as much as its people). I was also amazed to see how liberal and free Australians were - they were freely spoken and couldn’t care less about what others thought of them. For the first time in my life I felt free to do whatever I wanted without the fear of being judged or socially reprimanded. It was amazing to see how friendly people from the land down under were and how multicultural Australia is. In no time I was meeting amazing people from all over the world. However, despite all those great qualities, there is something that all other foreigners will agree with… who the hell invented Vegemite and for what purpose?! Is it some sort of secret chemical weapon created to make Australian kids more resistant to the harsh Australian outback? For the longest time that stuff was, to me, as crooked and nasty as dirt! That was, until one of my Aussie mates taught me how to eat it properly, making me realise that it wasn’t to be treated as Nutella but spread thinly with a liberal serving of butter. I now love Vegemite, Australia and its people like no others.

Surviving culture shock and adjusting to life abroad

Culture shock is something to look forward to and to be baffled by. To help you out on your travels, here are a few cultural practices which may be quite different to what you are used to. • To demonstrate your appreciation for your meal in China, leave a mouthful of food on your plate. It is said that if you eat the entire meal it signifies that there was not enough food and could result in an offended host. • Apparently it is against the social norm to tip in Japan. It can even be considered as an insult to your server if you try to give them money. • In Australia we smile at everyone, even strangers who we pass in the street. In Russia smiles are saved for those who are most important to us and smiling at a stranger is considered to be rude and insincere.

• There is no doubt you have heard the term, “running on Swiss time”. In Sweden there is no such thing as being fashionably late (this is most definitely something we should adopt). • In India always use your right hand for eating. The left hand is traditionally used for ‘cleaning up’ after using the bathroom and is considered to be the dirty hand.

Rude in Australia?

do so. If someone says, “Hello I’m Bob,” you can call them Bob. Soup should be eaten by moving the spoon away from you, not toward you. So long as you don’t slurp you can eat your soup however you bloody want. Australia produces excellent wine. Taking wine to dinner would be like taking sand to the desert. Please bring wine to our dinner parties, the more the merrier.

Unfortunately, not everything is true on the internet. This became obvious when we were researching the apparent social norms of Australia. Below are the most, well, interesting examples we found online.

Do not sniff or blow your nose in public. If you have a cold you can sniff and blow your nose all you like (so long as you aren’t stuck on public transport and annoying everyone around you).

Do not say “I’m stuffed” after a meal. This means you are pregnant. If this were true we would be an entire nation of pregnant people.

It’s important to do plenty of research before heading abroad. Our advice is to talk to a trustworthy source, like locals or people who have actually lived in the country previously.

Winking at women is considered rude. Someone forgot to tell our Prime Minister.

Most importantly, remember that culture shock is a normal part of

Australians generally move to a first-name basis quickly. Still, wait to use first names until invited to

Culture shock is something to look forward to and to be baffled by. adjusting to life overseas and often makes for the funniest memories of your time abroad.

How Netflix ruined my life By Angel Nikijuluw When it descended upon the Australian market back in March, I really had no desire to get on the Netflix bandwagon. In fact, I don’t even watch movies. Call me ‘uncultured’ but I’ve never watched pop culture classics such as all seven Harry Potters, The Godfather or even Titanic. I’m more of a music enthusiast. I’ve definitively had my fair share of TV show marathons, and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t watched the odd movie here and there. I could even write an homage to how Gossip Girl has been there for me in my many times of need (every summer since 2008). But whenever my friends suggest wasting $12 on a movie ticket to see some monotonous romantic comedy with Jennifer Aniston and Matthew McConaughey (have they actually done a movie together yet?), I desperately find a way to avoid two hours of predictable storylines and plot holes.

Indeed, it is everything aforementioned that makes Netflix so appealing. But as a selfproclaimed lazy person, the most appealing aspect of this wondrous invention is that it eliminates me having to leave the comfort of my own bed to watch something in the living room. Mind you, getting from my bedroom to the TV requires having to brave cold tiles, and I’m not about that. I’m about staying in one place and relentlessly binge watching for several days until I’m forced to emerge from my cave and into the real world.

How is it that Netflix has finally been the one to break my hatred of watching films and television shows? Is it the month of free content? Is it the $11.99 subscription fee (compared to the same price for one movie ticket)? Is it just another one of my subconscious excuses to avoid the real problems in my life?

All of this has come to the inevitable demise of my social life. The only time I go outside is purely out of obligation. I even postpone seeing my boyfriend because I need to finish one (or a few) more episodes of Orange Is The New Black. Has Netflix ruined my life? As someone who has already actively spent half her life in the

How Netflix ruined my life

dark corner of her room playing Internet games and watching YouTube until five in the morning, it’s safe to say that Netflix has become yet another supplement in this ongoing saga. I don’t care if I haven’t gone outside for a week or if I haven’t eaten because I need to finish another episode of Suits. And quite frankly, I don’t need this negativity in my life. Sorry, I can’t hear your judgement over David Attenborough’s buttery voice in the entire Planet Earth: The Complete Collection series. Now if you’ll excuse me while I watch all four seasons of Round The Twist…

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I ZOMBIES By Rebecca Marshallsay So I don’t know if you’ve noticed but as a society we love zombies. Not just love, but lurrve them in the same super-obsessed way a 14 year old lurrves One Direction. It is a cultural fixation that cannot just be attributed to the success of The Walking Dead. The hit show is just one symptom of more than a decade of zombie mania. Case in point, I would not describe myself as a particular zombie fan but I am writing this article with notes from my zombie themed notebook. Why would I purchase a notebook with a picture of something that wants to eat my face? I honestly can’t tell you. Maybe it’s for the same reason I own a shark head bean bag; perhaps they appeal to an instinctual thrill that harks back to our ‘fight or flight’ driven prehistoric existence. Maybe I just thought they were cute.

History Zombies originate in Haitian voodoo folklore. The foundations of the contemporary zombie have close ties to oppression and slavery in post-colonial Haiti. Associate Professor Kyle William Bishop explains that “Indeed [the zombie] is a creature born of slavery, oppression and

capitalist hegemony and in that way a manifestation of collective unconscious fears and taboos”. When America occupied Haiti in the early 20th century, the West began to develop an interest in Voodoo culture. This inevitably made its way onto the silver screen with the first Hollywood zombie film White Zombie in 1932. Post WWII saw zombie films as a means to express society’s fears about space, aliens and the nuclear age. It wasn’t until the late 60s that the post modern zombie emerged with the release of Night of the Living Dead in 1968. The director, George Romero, is now considered to be the father of modern zombie cinema.

Zombie explosion The 21st century has seen a new preoccupation with the undead. The zombie comedy found its feet with Shaun of the Dead in 2004 and continues strongly with recent iterations such as Cockneys vs Zombies (2012) and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies scheduled for release in 2016. Cinematically we also decided to terrify ourselves even further by developing the fast moving zombie in 28 Days Later (2000). I

ZOMBIES

They made the lumbering undead of Romero’s films seems as intimidating as a puppy wrapped in fairy floss. These super speedy chompers have taken root in our cultural zeitgeist with the most recent fleet-of-foot zombies attacking humanity in World War Z in 2013. But we are not just seeing zombies at the movies. Our obsession with contemplating our own mortality at the hands of brain-seeking biters has spilled off of the big screen and can be seen everywhere. Have a look around campus. I bet it wouldn’t take you too long to find someone in a zombie tee or sporting some kind of zombie themed gear.

Did you know you can up your running game with the Zombies, Run! app? The fitness app mixes your own running playlist with a zombie apocalypse scenario to motivate you while you run. When zombies appear you need to run faster for a set interval to avoid getting bitten. Almost every capital city in Australia has hosted a zombie walk. It is a bit like a flash mob without the flash. Participants dress as zombies and meet at a designated place to lumber through the city en masse. In Brisbane the walk raises money for the Brain Foundation and culminates in a mini festival with live music in the parklands. And in September, obstacle racing in Australia will take the next step with the launch of Run For Your Lives, a 5km obstacle race which sees you try to survive a horde of the ‘running dead’.

zombies

So why do we love a zombie so very much? Cultural critics and observers tend to believe that zombies (like many horror symbols) are a subconscious way of working through our cultural and social anxieties by way of metaphor and symbolism. So renting a zombie flick or getting

frocked up for a zombie walk is basically like participating in a giant group therapy session. One of the most common claims is that zombie culture is a backlash against consumerism. There is no small amount of irony in this given that producing zombie paraphernalia is a sizeable industry these days. This theory is based on the idea that the traditional, slower zombies serve as a metaphor for the soulless existence of living in a consumer driven, capitalist society. Other theories explore our fears of post-colonial race relations, war, environmental destruction and the fear that we are living at the end of days. One researcher in America, Joanne Taylor, even wrote her PhD thesis based on the premise that our zombie renaissance is connected to the explosion of new, digitally based media. Just as the world looks the same but radically different in the digital age, so too do zombies resemble our living selves; they are human like but drastically different. A zombie apocalypse also helps us explore fears about ourselves. In a post-apocalyptic world, one has to ask whether you would be most scared of the zombies or the other survivors? 1111

Our real experiences of societal breakdown (and those we project into stories) suggest that humans do not perform well once we strip away the protections of structured society; Lord of the Flies anyone?

So what next? I know I have spent many an hour contemplating my zombie action plan. Ask any of your friends: I bet they can tell you their zombie survival strategy without batting an eyelid. I’m going to set up on a boat in the Broadwater. It’s safe from zombie attack (my hypothetical zombies don’t swim) and it gives you easy access to raid fancy houses along the canals with limited exposure to flesh eating undead and crazy guntoting survivors. So what are you going to do when the apocalypse comes? Run for the hills? Sounds like a good plan because there is certainly no room on my boat. Did you know there is a Zombie Appreciation Society on campus? You can find them on Facebook or contact them at zombieappreciationsociety @gmail.com

Let’s talk about anime Beginner’s guide to anime: Part one By Lachie Horrigan, Boris Budiono and Roman Chayka For many of us, it’s nostalgic to think of simpler times, when getting up early was the most important part of the day – not so you didn’t miss the school bus but to watch the morning cartoons. Many can reminisce about the days of Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon, but to some, the joy of Japanese animation, or anime, lives on strong. What most people don’t realise is that anime isn’t just for children and families. There’s so much depth across all genres for anyone to enjoy. Anime has become a cultural icon of Japan, with influence in fashion, music, and art. Its distinct style of innovative storytelling and visuals has made it a unique Japanese export. Its popularity in the West has grown over time. Communities outside of Japan have established thriving anime clubs, which provide an avenue for people to meet up, watch and discuss various media in the subculture. From romance to slice-of-life, pure-crazy action to comedy, many anime films have deeper meaning, and have been an effective medium to communicate subtleties of humanity and pressing social issues. You loved anime as a kid so why not give it another try now? Griffith Anime Society has selected some of the best anime films to get you started again as an adult. Visually stunning and thought-provoking, these are must-see films in your lifetime.

1 1. The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) Lupin is a mischievous, yet gentlemanly thief who seeks answers when money he stole from a casino heist was found to be counterfeit. Along the way, he has a chance encounter with a fleeing princess and their stories intertwine. The movie itself is a freewheeling action comedy that still holds up today, 35 years after its release. This was Hayao Miyazaki’s (b. 1941) directorial debut. Miyazaki went on to establish Studio Ghibli, releasing classics such as Spirited Away (2001) and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) before retiring after his last film, The Wind Rises (2013). Described as the Walt Disney of Japan, many Hollywood figures including, Roger Ebert, John Lasseter of Pixar, and Steven Spielberg have claimed to be fans of his work.

Let’s talk about anime

2. Perfect Blue (1997) A psychological thriller-horror film based on a novel of the same name. Perfect Blue is the story of Mima, a pop-idol star who has her heart set on quitting her band to pursue a solo career as an actress. However, things do not go as well as she had planned with her acting: a disgruntled fan becomes a stalker, a series of unfortunate events unravel, and all the while she questions her sanity. The film delves into the psyche of celebrity and fandom and the entanglement of reality vs. fantasy, The film was directed by Satoshi Kon (1963-2010) who later produced other critically acclaimed works such as Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers and Paranoia Agent.

1 Did you know that there is a Griffith Anime Society on campus? You can find them on Facebook or at griffithanimesociety. weebly.com

1 1

3. Summer Wars (2009) Summer Wars is a story about a teenage mathematician and computer programmer, Kenji, who is invited to his friend’s family summer home for a holiday job. The idyllic countryside and family atmosphere becomes a stark antithesis to a futuristic turn when Kenji has to fight off a malicious computer hacker attacking a virtual world program that he moderates in his spare time. Laughs, tears, online battles, family feuds, and a high-stake card game make this movie a unique contraposition of the traditional and modern, personal and anonymous, and also exploring the meaning of family and community. Its creator Mamoru Hosoda initially rose to fame with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2005), and followed up with other classics such as Wolf Children (2012). He is releasing a new film later this year, titled The Boy and the Beast.

2 All Images Courtesy of Madman Entertainment 1* Original comic books created by Monkey Punch © Monkey Punch All Rights Reserved © TMS All Rights Reserved Under license to MADMAN ENTERTAINMENT Pty. Ltd. Produced by TMS ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD. ©2009 Summer Wars Film Partners 13

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In three words, what does â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mean to you?

VOX POP

Jack - Bachelor of Multimedia Your social identity.

This edition, Getamungstit investigated what culture means to you. By Christian Nimri David - Bachelor of Environmental Health Heritage, intelligence and social environment.

Evelin - Bachelor of Human Resource Management and Criminology Identity, communication and lifestyle.

Tobias - Bachelor of Architecture Heritage, adaption, and diversity. Vox pop

Are you interested in any subcultures?

Describe Griffith University Gold Coastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture...

Jacob - Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences Gym addict.

Tempestt - Bachelor of Exercise Science Diverse, multicultural.

Harry - Bachelor of Multimedia European subcultures. Swiss especially, as they are very different from Australia.

Ellen - Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics & Manager of Burger Urge Fun, burgers, study.

Allistair - Bachelor of Digital Media Japanese subculture - the art, animation, everything to do with it.

Naomi - Bachelor of Digital Media Multicultural, inclusive, diverse.

INDIE CULTURE ON FILM Independent films have long been associated with counter culture and the spread of new ideas or perspectives. To be classed as an independent film, the movie in question is usually produced exclusively by small or independent filmmakers, studios and production companies with little interference from the major film studios. Indie films often give filmmakers more freedom when it comes to content, casting or directorial decisions. Don’t be fooled though; many indie films have been such big hits that you could be forgiven for thinking they were mainstream productions.

By Rebecca Marshallsay

Run Lola Run (1998) Run Lola Run is a German language film that is worth sitting through the subtitles. When her boyfriend loses money belonging to his criminal boss, Lola (Franka Potente from the Bourne franchise) has just 20 minutes to find 100,000 marks to save his life. As you might have guessed from the title, this involves a lot of running. The film gives you several versions of the narrative and suggests that a misstep here or a small delay there can have a huge impact on how your life plays out.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

I Origins (2014)

Mean Creek (2004)

What? Pulp Fiction is an indie film? It’s true. Not only did the independently produced film restart the flagging careers of Hollywood big names, Bruce Willis and John Travolta, it changed the perception of indie films forever. Riding off the back of his first independent hit, Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino’s cult hit made more than $200 million and won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. If you’ve never seen Pulp Fiction, do yourself a favour; drop this mag and start watching it right now. Disclaimer: not for the faint hearted.

I Origins is the latest collaboration between the incredibly talented Brit Marling and director/writer Michael Cahill. The sci-fi drama stars indie favourites, Marling and Michael Pitt, as scientists researching the evolution of the human eye. Pitt’s character is determined to disprove creationists once and for all by discrediting the claim that the eye is proof of intelligent design. However he is forced to confront his spiritual side when he encounters the possibility of a connection between the eyes and the soul.

Mean Creek is a tense look at how foolish decisions in our teens can see us seconds away from disaster. Small town bully, George (Josh Peck) is invited to join a boat trip for the birthday of one of his victims, Sam (Rory Culkin), where a group of teens decide to teach him a lesson. Tensions run high as the teens battle between their individual moral compasses and the pressure of following the group. Mean Creek features an impressive performance from Scott Mechlowicz - most well known for playing the hard done by Scotty in EuroTrip.

Indie culture on film

Juno (2007)

Save the Date (2012)

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Juno is the film about teens who talk like wisecracking forty year olds. A side plot to this is the story of Juno (Ellen Page) and Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Their long time friendship and budding romance is tested when a onenight stand leads to an unplanned pregnancy. Page is perfect as the sharp-witted and independent Juno and Cera is at his adorable, bumbling best as Bleeker. With a kick-ass soundtrack to boot, this is one film you won’t regret watching Homeskillet.

Sarah (Lizzy Caplan) and Beth (Alison Brie) are sisters who are both on the cusp of taking the next step in their respective relationships. While Beth is excited to get married, Sarah rejects her own proposal and begins to reevaluate her life. Save the Date is an archetypal indie romcom; blending subtle humour, a semi-bleak tone and an antiestablishment approach to love. Whether you love or hate the indie vibe, it is nice to see rom-com film that isn’t saccharine sweet.

Filmed in just 30 days, Little Miss Sunshine is a (dysfunctional) family road trip movie. When their wouldbe pageant contestant daughter, Olive (Abigail Breslin), receives a last minute entry into the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, the Hoovers pile into their family van to make the trip from Albuquerque to California. They are joined by Olive’s heroin addicted grandfather (the amazing Alan Arkin) and her suicidal uncle Frank (Steve Carell). The trip forces them to get up close and personal with each other and their issues.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)

Gone Girl (2014)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

You would have to be a very dedicated recluse to have missed all of the hype that surrounded the novel turned film, Gone Girl. What you might not know is that the film was independently produced as part of Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Pacific Standard. Witherspoon bought the rights to the psychological thriller as part of her mission to create more great roles for females in Hollywood. When his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) disappears, Nick (Ben Affleck) finds himself as a key suspect. So did he do it?

You may not have heard of The Usual Suspects but it is unlikely that you have missed the host of pop culture references it has generated over the past twenty years. Five hardened criminals (Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak and Kevin Spacey) find themselves coerced into pulling off a shady job for mysterious criminal mastermind Keyser Söze. When the job goes wrong, the police suspect the usual suspects but from the opening scenes, the film will have you asking, who is Keyser Söze?

Although it is a household name today, Monty Python’s Life of Brian was incredibly controversial during its production and release. It lost major production funding and would not have been made if it weren’t for the establishment of the independent film company HandMade Films (financed by former Beatle, George Harrison). Born on the same day as Jesus, Brian Cohen’s (Graham Chapman) life shares many parallels with the King of the Jews, but as we all know, he ‘s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.

Product review - Get cultured By Rebecca Marshallsay Culture is everything we, as humans, produce. It is our ideas, our art, our stories, our social behaviour, our customs, our clothing and so much more. Being cultured however, is a term most commonly reserved for those who indulge in ‘highbrow’ cultural pursuits - think art gallery openings, poetry readings and yacht parties with a string quartet and h’ors d’oeuvres (pronounced orderves not horses-doovers - rookie mistake).

So for our Culture Edition product review we have decided to forgo the usual format of comparing similar products; instead Getamungstit has selected a range of cultural practices you can adopt to help get you fancy. Our product review will help you cultivate the air of a worldly sophisticate.

GROOMING

OPERA

There is no doubt that the Gold Coast is a highly groomed population. But fake tan, lash extensions and hipster beards don’t really cut it when it comes to highbrow culture. For the gentlemen, you should consider adding a cut throat shave to your grooming routine. Your fashion key word is dapper. Lose the board shorts. Humid climate be damned; tweed is your new best friend.

Opera has suffered a bad rap over the years but there is no surer way to up your cultural kudos than to indulge in an aria or two. Screechy and boring are the most oft cited criticisms but these misinformed clichés could not be further from the truth.

Ladies should consider finding a hairdresser who uses the word coiffure with abandon. Your fashion key word is chic. Forget Rachel Zoe, Miranda Kerr and any Kardashian ever; you are aiming for the effortless elegance of old school ladies like Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. If in doubt, then just follow the advice of one of the most celebrated cultural paragons of all time, Oscar Wilde. Wilde advised that “You can never be overdressed or overeducated”.

Once you have embraced the advice below, it is just a matter of fine tuning your conversation. Remember that prestige is key, so you want to talk ballet over crumping and quote Shakespeare over The Simpsons.

If you pay attention to some of your favourite Hollywood movies, you might even notice some operatic favourites popping up time and time again to underscore dramatic moments. Turandot’s famous aria, Nessun Dorma, features in many films including Bend it Like Beckham, The Sum of All Fears and the just-released Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. Similarly, the Flower Duet from Lakme has featured in more than 48 television and film soundtracks. If magnificent music isn’t temptation enough, then perhaps the drama will persuade you. Most operas feature more scandal, sex and betrayal than a 24 hour marathon of Bold and the Beautiful or a weekend binge reading New Idea. For example, Mozart’s Don Giovanni is inspired by the legend of sexual libertine Don Juan; Cosi Fan Tute sees two young officers try to seduce each others’ fiancées in order to prove who has the most faithful partner; and Turandot sees the hero try to win the heart of a cold-hearted princess by waging his life in test of wits. You can’t ask for more drama than that. Keen to give it a try? Kurrawa Park will host a free night of Opera in the Park on 26 September.

Product review

FOOD

BOOZE

To maintain the cultural upper-hand with food you really need to make sure it is either as complicated or as unusual as possible. If you can’t get your hands on something exotic to eat then the presentation should be as convoluted as possible. Why eat out of a bowl (the servingware of the plebs) when you could eat from a jar? Not only does it suggest that you are more in touch with cultural zeitgeist but it makes for a much nicer Insta pic. What’s the point of eating acai if no one else knows about it?

Highbrow drinking is well out of the budget of most uni students’ income. Seven hours a week at City Beach is unlikely to see you sipping on a cheeky glass of Penfold’s Grange Hermitage to celebrate the end of exams. At Dan Murphy’s, this particular red starts at $499.99 (one quarter of the value of most student cars) and topping out at $65,000 (where your HECS-HELP debt is likely to end up if you follow through with your post-grad study plans). This doesn’t mean you can’t fake it till you make it. Craft brewing is a good stepping stone toward refining your palate. It also allows you to practice snorting derisively at the less refined choices of your friends and family. Next time someone tells you about the great new Scandinavian apple and cinnamon cider they have discovered, you can trump them with an unheard of ligonberry and turmeric drop from Uzbekistan.

If you can take a neo-colonial approach to eating that’s even better. Quinoa is a fantastic example. When Western culinary gurus named the Andean grain a super food, quinoa boomed from a local subsistence food to a global phenomenon. The demand for local farmers to meet Western demands has seen a decline in the quality of local diets as local consumers cannot afford their own staple food any longer. It has also established a bubble industry; an economic disaster waiting to happen when the next super food arrives and the demand for quinoa plateaus.

That said, wine, specifically red wine is where it’s at if you want to be really fancy. There’s no reason why you can’t test out your wine tasting skills on a $5 cleanskin. You want to adopt a tone that is imperious and confident as you proclaim that you can detect earthiness, blackcurrants and the tears of an albino walrus. If you want to kick it up to the next level, you could even wax lyrical about the personality of your wine, such as What’s great about this little number is that it has an androgynous feel to it. There’s also a sense of drama. You could picture it stealing a car one weekend before tearing off its cummerbund and performing a Highland Fling.

When dining out you want to select a menu that makes heavy use of words like fusion, jus, reduction, and macerate. Anything French sounding is probably a winner. Why order the plain old chicken when you could select capon instead? Well, perhaps because capon is a castrated rooster. Digest that.

The more outlandish and nonsensical your description the better. So long as you say it with enough certainty you will have set up an Emperor’s-new-clothes type standoff. No one will question your wine tasting credentials for fear of looking uncultured.

It has been just over three months since the first earthquake hit Nepal. More than 9,000 people were killed. Over 500,000 homes were demolished. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the country were left with almost nothing.

Namaste

Namaste By Erwan Guegan It has been just over three months since the first earthquake hit Nepal. More than 9,000 people were killed. Over 500,000 homes were demolished. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the country were left with almost nothing. The wound is still fresh, but there is no time for the Nepalese people to rest. The quake has left thousands, many of whom are seriously injured, without shelter and living in the most basic conditions. They are in desperate need of support. Lives werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only things lost in the quake; this disaster left a hole in world heritage. Nepal is renowned for its rich. beautiful culture and stunning landscapes comprised of endless green valleys, snow-capped mountains and ancient temples that are a feast for the eyes and the soul. Did you know that Nepal boasts the densest concentration of world heritage sites on earth? Many of these sites were decimated when the monstrous earthquake, 7.9 out of 10 on the Richter Scale, broke across the country. The epicentre was less than 150 kilometres from Kathmandu. In an instant, tonnes of rubble flattened whole villages and sacred architecture, burying thousands of years of cultural heritage. As if this first disaster wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, while thousands of volunteers were rushing to help Nepal, the country was hit by a major aftershock. Even if the consequences of the second shock were less physically damaging, the Nepalese moral was heavily affected. Experts, fearing that survivors would be left traumatised, warned about an impending mental health disaster. A few months later, now facing the coming monsoon seasons, hundreds of thousands of Nepalese are still living in makeshift tents across the country. Some have been forced to do so as their homes were destroyed. Others are just too scared to sleep indoors. The good news is that help has come from all over the world, providing food, clothing and medical attention to the humble Nepalese people who were not expecting such support from the international community. However, the poor economic condition of Nepal is such that, despite an enormous influx of international aid, the country will take years to recover. This has been exacerbated by the lack of coordinated response between the various organisations offering assistance. Enormous amounts of resources were sent to the country immediately after the disaster, but only for All a limited time. Resources cannot always be stored

Images courtesy of Dominique Pacquier and Thierry Pacquier

or preserved efficiently in these circumstances, and often, are simply not being used in the right place at the right time. The sites getting the most help and attention arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always the ones that need it the most. Remote locations without strategic interest or that are too hard to reach have been left with very little support. The country is in need of long term support but the amount of donations is decreasing along with the media coverage. > 23

Despite the best intentions of those people eager to help, there are many things to consider before you jump onto the next plane to Kathmandu. People do not always realise that after natural disasters, the situation only gets worse in the weeks following the event. Hospitals become overwhelmed, basic supplies become scarce and those living in temporary shelters succumb to exposure and disease. Students are flooding the country along with young and impetuous volunteers, wishing to lend a hand along with non-profit organisations and individuals who had previously vacationed in the area. Devastated villages are being swamped by people looking for a way to do their part but who are ultimately lacking either the skills or coordination to have a beneficial impact. They end up slowing down the aid efforts. Before we can take care of others, we must be ready to sustain ourselves and not become an additional burden. Some humanitarians called this wave of unsolicited and poorly planned shipments of untrained people and donated goods ‘the second disaster’. If you do wish to make a significant and considered difference, with long-term positive effects, here are a few recommendations:

Number 1: Stay away See the bigger picture. Understand that despite feelings of helplessness and your burning wish to make a change, you shouldn’t rush there straight away. As difficult as this might sound, you might not be what is needed right now. You should wait for at least a few weeks or months while the country is still reeling. If you are an experienced professional with much needed skills, such as doctors or nurses, you can join up with an appropriate and official organisation. Don’t go as an individual. Organisations will help to place you where you are most needed. Namaste

Number 2: Raise funds As much as you want to help from where you are now, donating stuff isn’t always the best idea. Shipping, storing, and distributing second-hand goods take time, money, space and energy that can be spent on more critical needs in the first few weeks and months. What is most needed in Nepal right now is money. As an aid-dependent country, estimates stand around $8.5 billion for post-quake rebuilding. In a country where half the population survives on $1 per day, that number is just terrifying. Donate what you can to a trusted relief organisation, so you know where your money will go. Compare organisations online and see which ones best share your approach. If you want to give away things you no longer need, sell them and donate the money to a relief fund. Or give them to the nearest charity shop that will convert them into cash on your behalf.

Number 3: Don’t stay away Travel! This might seem contradictory to the first recommendations but Nepal’s main source of revenue is tourism and it needs you more than ever. Economic losses from the quake, Nepal’s worst disaster on record, stand at $7 billion. The Nepalese government is doing its best to reopen its future to the tourism industry, which provides half a million jobs in Nepal. Since the earthquake tourism has dropped by 90%. It’s expected to shrink this year by 40% compared to 2014. While the damages will take years to overcome, Nepal is doing its best to attract visitors back for the autumn trekking season which starts this September. The leading adventure travel companies such Exodus and G Adventure are planning to return in the near future. If, like me, you have been dreaming about travelling to Nepal and want to help the country’s economy along the way, then now is the time to book your adventure.

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Northern - Unigames -

5 - 9 Ju l y @ To o w o o m b a This time Geta has included some snaps from off campus featuring Griffith athletes from the recent Northern University Games. GUGC was awarded 2nd place overall with five pennants to take back home down the range. This year approximately 280 student athletes, coaches, managers, staff and volunteers were part of the ever present GUGC team. Toowoomba brought its A-game with pleasant weather for all sports to compete in. Special mention to all gold medal winners men’s and women’s basketball, golf, women’s netball and tenpin bowling for their great performances. Good luck to all Griffith University participants in the upcoming Australian Unigames to be held here on the Gold Coast in September.

Snapped on campus

R-aDAYc- e

Sa t u r d a y 1 A u g u s t @ Go l d C o a s t T u r f C l u b

Snapped on campus

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SEP SUN

MON

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THU

FRI

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WHALE WATCHING TRIP

TRIVIA NIGHT

MARKET DAY

AUSTRALIAN UNI GAMES

MID SEMESTER VACATION

30 WITHDRAWAL DATE (LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WITHOUT FAILURE FROM SEMESTER 2 COURSES)

AUSTRALIAN UNI GAMES

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LABOUR DAY (PUBLIC HOLIDAY)

WED

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AUSTRALIAN UNI GAMES

MID SEMESTER VACATION

GUILD AWARDS

UNI FITNESS SPIRIT, MIND & BODY WEEK

RELAY FOR LIFE

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10 OKTOBERFEST @ UNI BAR

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HALLOWEEN PARTY

STRADBROKE ISLAND CAMPING TRIP

MASTERING THE ART OF OP SHOPPING By Hayley Payne My mum has always been an avid op-shopper, she has that knack for discovering a lost treasure amongst a hoard of preloved goods. I used to dread op-shopping. The fear of being seen in a store full of clothes that other people had previously owned was intense; so intense that I would hide at the back of the shop or even wait out the front for her to finish. These days I am a changed woman and I now firmly believe that op-shopping should be everyone’s best friend. If you are like my younger, pre-converted self, you are missing out. There are so many reasons to get in on the op-shop experience. As a university student you probably don’t have much money to buy new clothes; why spend $50 on a new dress when you could buy five or more for the same price? If you are having trouble getting past the idea of wearing something second-hand, just think about the karmic benefits of op-shopping. Not only are

you supporting a charity, you are also taking away support from businesses that use sweatshops for manufacturing, and you are helping the environment by reducing unnecessary waste and production. There are two main types of op-shops. The first are charity run stores and the second are commercial second hand stores. Charity op-shops tend to have cheaper goods and by shopping at them, you are helping them to continue to do great things and to help out those in need in your community. For-profit second hand shops often cater to a niche market, such as selling second hand designer clothes or furniture. These stores are great, but don’t always have the same bargains that you would find in a charity store. We are extremely lucky to be living on the Gold Coast as there is a vast amount of op-shops available on our doorstep. For example, there is an amazing

Mastering the art of op shopping

Lifeline store on Industrial Avenue, just a five minute drive from campus. The store has rack after rack of various styles of clothing which are updated regularly. When I first moved to the Gold Coast this store was my saviour. I had a field day; picking up anything from appliances, to glassware, to pillows and bed sheets, dog beds, furniture, books, clothes and so much more. If you are stuck with the idea that op-shops are only stocked with ugly clothes and ancient furniture, take a chance and head down to your local shop to see what they have. Head to opshop.org and enter your postcode to find your nearest stores. I promise that you will be pleasantly surprised with what you find.

A seasoned op-shopper’s tips and tricks! If you are new to op-shopping, find someone you know who is a keen op-shopper and ask them if you can tag along. Unfortunately not all op-shops are treasure chests, so to save time and keep you in good spirits it is a great idea to find out the best places to go from people who know. It also helps to find out what each store specialises in, whether it be clothing, furniture or books. If you are searching for a specific clothing item, remember that you are probably never going to find the exact item that you want, but you may find something that is even better. So be open to looking at different things and spending some time at different shops. Before you go shopping have an idea of what you are looking for. Unless you have lots of time on your hands, going into an op-shop without a plan can

be very bad idea; especially when it comes to larger warehouse style shops. If you are just searching for a couple of pairs of shoes, try not get distracted by everything else there is in store. If you end up getting distracted you will most likely spend way more than you intended and it will leave you disheartened about going back. Stay strong when faced with exciting appliances. As much as you think that you need a cute little machine for making cupcakes, pancakes or fairy floss, you don’t. They may be fun the first couple of times you use it, but then it will just end up back at the op-shop. Remember that the reason there are so many of them in second hand stores if because nobody else wanted them. Don’t go overboard. Planning a day or afternoon to go shopping can be an awful lot of fun, however if you get over excited you will end up buying everything and anything, only to discover months later that you have hardly worn any of the items you bought. Only buy something if you really like the way it looks, not because you are excited and it is cheap. Basically, if you are not in love with it, put it back. Bring your own bags as many op-shops will not supply them. Have cash ready too as some smaller op-shops don’t have EFTPOS machines. Before you wear any of your new items, be sure to give them a good wash so they are clean and fresh for you to wear. The same goes for any furniture and kitchenware. Most importantly be open and ready for a new and invigorating shopping experience!

THRIFTY

FASHION IN LLARS O D Y NT T TWE O G T? Y ONL OCKE P S R U OP TIP YO OP-SH D

LD FIN T OUR TO PU AT WE COU N A D E D I O H DEC R UNI SEE W GETA ST TO TED OUT FO HE LOCAL E T E PT AY TO TH T YOU KIT E HIT U ME AW TO GE BUDGET. W RT AND CA GIRLS D THPO S AND OBE. LIMITE IN SOU GE OF GUY S P RDR O H RAN UR WA T O OP-S A Y E P R AG NGE U WITH O CHA T S N O OPTI

Thrifty fashion

WOMEN’S DENIM CUT OFF SHORTS

$20

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BROWN BELT

PATTERNED SKIRT WITH POCKETS

WOMEN’S

MEN’S BOARD

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sHORTS

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WOMEN’S BLACK RIPPED SKINNY JEANS

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STAPLE BLACK SINGLET

THURSDAYS

MONDAYS BINGO BONANZA / JAG THE JOKER 1PM* FREE PING PONG FROM 3PM

THIRSTY THURSDAYS LUNCHTIME ACOUSTIC SESSIONS POOL COMPETITION 3PM - 5PM

TUESDAYS

SOCIAL CLUB $100 CASH DRAW 5PM & 7PM

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OPEN TILL LATE

SOCIAL CLUB $100 CASH DRAW 1PM & 2PM TRIVIA COMPETITION 2PM - 3PM

FRIDAYS JOLLY JUG FRIDAY SOCIAL CLUB JACKPOT DRAW 1PM & 5PM

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LIVE MUSIC FROM 3PM RAFFLES 4.30PM – 5.30PM

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FACEBOOK.COM/UNIBARGOLDCOAST | #UNIBARGOLDCOAST (*WEEKS 1,3,5,7,9,11,13 – MONDAY IS BINGO & WEDNESDAY IS JAG THE JOKER) (*WEEKS 2,4,6,8,10,12 – MONDAY IS JAG THE JOKER & WEDNESDAY IS BINGO) Article Title

A AGLL EV ES EN T

1990’s

A I V I R T N

LET’S THROWBACK WITH A COSTUMED TRIBUTE TO A GOLDEN DECADE!

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Feature artist – Nazeem Hussain Nazeem Hussain is the star of Legally Brown, co-creator of comedy duo Fear of a Brown Planet, and regular radio presenter on Triple J. In August he packed out the Uni Bar as the headliner for the Student Guild Comedy Night. Getamungstit had a chat to Nazeem about his career as a standup comedian.

Can you tell us a little bit about what drew you to comedy? Making people laugh makes me super happy. I can’t really see myself doing any other job in the world actually. Possibly because I’m an unreliable employee, and working for myself means I can sack myself, reprimand myself, give myself extra leave, and pull myself in for a meeting for inappropriate behaviour in my own office. Who are your favourite comedians? Did you have any particular influences early in your career (or now)?

Dave Chappelle is my favourite comedian. I lived the absolute dream of supporting him when he was in Australia last year. I got to touch his face. I also love Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Margaret Cho, Stewart Lee as well as Wil Anderson, Luke McGregor, Ronny Chieng, Sam Simmons and pretty much a stack of Australian comedians I am lucky enough to work with on the circuit week to week.

or tedious to talk about in normal conversation. You can cut straight to the chase when you’re telling a joke about something – you don’t need to over-qualify your position like you do in an opinion piece. That’s what comedy is – it’s the fastest way of getting straight to the crux of an issue and highlighting hypocrisies and double standards. I don’t know whether that heals the world, but it can help re-frame a conversation.

Do you think comedy helps people get comfortable with the uncomfortable? Can you ‘heal the world’ with comedy?

This year has seen you embark on your first solo stand-up tour. Is your humour received differently between Australian audiences and audiences overseas?

Comedy is a fun way to talk about things which we often find difficult

Feature artist

Slight differences. Australian audiences know the references

immediately, whereas you need to set the joke up a little more overseas. Belgian audiences were interesting. The standup scene is relatively new, and audiences are only beginning to understand how they’re supposed to behave. When I performed in Antwerp – people in the crowd would often earnestly answer my rhetorical questions, and face the rest of the audience and tell their own story. Bizarre. Good chocolate in Belgium though. Do you have a preference between live stand-up and scripted comedy sketches like Legally Brown?

TV and standup are lots of fun in different ways. Making comedy for TV is a lot trickier to stand up because there are so many more moving parts, and, unlike standup, you can’t exactly respond moment-to-moment to the audience as you deliver the jokes. So you write, film, edit and broadcast the sketch – and hope the audience at home laughs along the way the way you intended. So if it works, you feel really great about it, because so much more work went into making it work.

all laughing at something together. When it doesn’t work – you’re in a room full of people looking at you, wondering when you’re getting off stage. Any tips for aspiring comedians? Embrace dying on stage, so that one day, when you have to give advice to aspiring comedians, you can also tell them to embrace dying on stage.

Standup on the other hand is just you, some jokes, and an audience you can respond to. When a joke works – it’s the best feeling in the world, being in a room of people nazeemhussain.com

Online – Top blogs

Stumble Upon

Eat This Poem

Nerd Fitness

So Stumble Upon is not technically a blog but we thought we’d sneak it in here because it could well become your new best friend. You should be warned that this is a black hole for your time. Get started with Stumble Upon by selecting your interests by category; the site will then randomly generate cool blogs and web pages that might be of interest to you.

Eat this Poem is a travel blog for foodies. Or a food blog for travellers. Who like to read. To help you get your head around this, the blog describes itself as a travel resource for bookworms who love to eat. It includes recipes, writing advice, poems and much more. It is beautifully written and visually stunning.

This pop-culture soaked fitness blog aims to get you excited about working out with help from your favourite super heroes, film references and toys. Nerd Fitness founder, Steve, says that he is just trying to make a difference to desk jockeys, nerds and average Joes (we’re pretty sure that time-poor students can benefit too).

The Literary City Guides is one of the most inspiring sections of the blog. In this section, Eat This Poem posts unique travel guides that help you find the best literary sites of interests, bookshops and places to eat or grab a coffee in each city. Eat This Poem inspires you to plan your next adventure around the page and the plate.

Although there is a lot of userpay content attached to the site, there are plenty of training tips and informative articles in the free blog section. Most of these are supported with comic strip style animation, Lego figurine demo pics and metaphors from Star Wars. Have a look and follow Nerd Fitness to ‘level up your life’.

eatthispoem.com

nerdfitness.com

You can use the thumbs up or thumbs down function to help the site find even better content tailored to your interests. You can also add favourite finds to personalised lists to help you find them again later. The ‘stumble upon’ button brings up a new site with each click, and this is how the hours disappear - just one more page... stumbleupon.com

Online - Top blogs

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Entertainment

Terminator Genisys (2015) 126 min Rated M Action Director: Alan Taylor By Paul Veitch When the confusion of time-travel is not the most distracting thing in your movie, there’s a serious problem. Take it from a Whovian (Dr Who fan). So, Terminator misspelled-genesis is the continuation of James Cameron’s Terminator franchise. This time the franchise comes full-circle and we reach the point where the Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is sent back to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) from Arnie. Only (for reasons of sequelbaiting) what happens is not what we remember. James Cameron must be shaking his head, considering the makers of this film didn’t pick up on a few important things from when he was in charge, such as story cohesion, “show, don’t tell”, central themes and human relationships.

Did you ever see a movie where the story crescendos, stuff blows up, but then something even more epic shows up to surprise you? That’s called a “false climax”, and this movie forgot how to use it properly. There are about five false climaxes before the real one, and they are spaced so far apart that the adrenaline wears off and we just end up repeating the same thing over and over. Of course, that’s assuming you even got an adrenaline high the first time, which is unlikely. That’s because, once again, Hollywood proves that half of their studios have forgotten how to gain our interest. Now, we’re supposed to care about a character so we can be interested in their story, and that happens through getting to know them. The best way to do this? Show us. Show us their likable personalities, the events that made them who they are, their faces when those events happen. How does this movie try it? By telling us. It tells us about how much the characters care, about how sympathetic they are and how evil the villains are... Does that sound convincing to you?

Entertainment

The last problem I’ll mention is the movie’s inability to build/ maintain its themes. A good movie will make you feel a certain way and then build on it until it finally pays off; keep you excited for the finale. Well, this movie fails at that because we keep getting distracted. It ignores the existence of the last three films, makes a single, constant Doctor Who reference, has about three meaningless sub-plots, badlytimed jokes and the trailers spoil everything that might have been good. With all of these distractions, the movie’s themes can’t build up to that satisfying pay-off, can they? So what’s the point in watching the movie if there’s no satisfaction to be had? Is there anything good I can say about this movie? No, there really isn’t. Every possible redeeming factor was spoiled in the trailers, all of them! Everything else is just crap or not good enough. Final Verdict: Worth a miss

Ant-Man (2015) 117 min Rated PG Action, adventure Director: Peyton Reed By Rebecca Marshallsay The teeny-tiny elephant in the room with the latest installment of the Marvel Comics franchise, is the question; can you make a half centimetre super hero cool? The good news is that director, Peyton Reed, has done a surprisingly good job and Ant-Man is an entertaining watch. After losing control of his company to former protégé, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), scientist Harold Pym (Michael Douglas) fears his life’s work will be exploited for evil. Pym recruits master burglar, Scott Lang (the always likable Paul Rudd), to don the Ant-Man suit and protect the world from his technology. Pym is assisted by his reluctant and emotionally estranged daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). Small credit to the filmmakers for giving a vague explanation as to why we are seeing a random

dude recruited rather than the talented Hope. But it is a little bit like a band-aid on a gunshot wound as far as addressing female representation in the Marvel films. Some of the film’s questionable moments include Lang’s trio of just-for-laughs ethnically diverse friends. For every genuinely funny moment they score, there are at least two gags that rely on hammy racial stereotypes. The scripting of this two-dimensional threesome is racially patronising at the very least. There is also a contrived link up with the Avengers that feels forced into the film to remind us that this is part of a bigger story. Spoiler: don’t hold your breath for any of the A-grade Avengers. The story set up is quite lengthy and there is a lot of forced emotional baggage to clear before the film hits its stride. But once it does, Ant-Man is a lot of fun for those who don’t take their films too seriously. There are plenty of laughs to be had in this PG adventure and the action sequences are, for the most part, pretty awesome.

While Rudd could have been a hit-or-miss casting choice, he is fantastic as Ant-Man; proving that he can play not just a kind-ofdorky, loveable comic lead but also a kind-of-dorky, loveable comic superhero. It probably won’t be your favourite Marvel film; it’s not as big (excuse the pun), dark or intense as Iron Man or Captain America but it certainly didn’t discredit the franchise. There is still no firm word on whether we will get to see Ant-Man hanging out with the rest of the Avengers in the future.

Currents Tame Impala By Angel Nikijuluw Three records in, this is first time Australian outfit Tame Impala has provided a decipherable narrative throughout a record. Radiating a familiar psychedelic vibe often seen in Tame Impala’s sound, the five-piece band, one-man project lead by the largely cryptic Kevin Parker narrates their latest album,

Burial Rites Hannah Kent

Currents with themes of growing up, optimism/pessimism, and letting go. In a recent interview with Triple J, Parker wouldn’t specifically label Currents as a “break-up” album but rather as a “break-off” album. “You move on when you progress, [and] there are going to be things you leave behind. There are going to be things that can’t come with you.”

Burial Rites is an historical fiction about Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman publicly executed in Iceland. Magnúsdóttir was beheaded in 1830 with Friörik Sigurösson; the pair were accused of murdering two farmers on a remote Icelandic homestead. The novel follows the final year of Magnúsdóttir’s life which was spent interned with a district officer, Jón Jónsson and his family, as she awaited her execution. Despite their fear and distrust, the family is forced to work side by side with their condemned houseguest to survive the bleak and isolated Icelandic winter. As the months unfold, Agnes reveals fragments of her story to the family, her spiritual counselor and directly to the reader through first person reflection.

Entertainment

Tracks such as ‘Cause I’m a Man’, ‘Eventually’, and ‘Let It Happen’ describe what seems to reflect a sense of urgency to change in the wake of heartbreak, thinly veiled by roaring synths, heavy bass, and Parker’s delicate vocals. How the themes and sounds coincide seamlessly with each other is a direct result of Parker’s perfectionism – an attribute seen in Currents that has possibly given 2015 the best album of the year.

Burial Rites is a tense piece of dramatic fiction that does not oversimplify this real life story into a question of guilt or innocence. Instead, Kent creates a plausible and engaging imagining of the circumstances and motivators that led Magnúsdóttir to be convicted of murder. To Kent’s credit she also steers away from the societal and narrative tendency to polarise females as either villains or angels and creates a flawed but sympathetic portrait of her subject. Aspiring writers will be interested to know that Burial Rites is the first novel of Adelaide born, Hannah Kent. The novel was born out of Kent’s creative writing honours thesis and was published when she was just 27 years old.

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Being creative

THE MURDERER By Diana Bowes one sunny day in France halfway through the summer of my seventh year in a tall white house in Perpignan an important rich old man ushers my mother and me into his collection room to which only the elect are admitted ‘Such an honour,’ my mother whispers loud enough for him to hear, and smile the room has no windows floor to ceiling on all four walls are row upon row of wide, shallow drawers drawer after drawer after drawer too many to count he slides one open it is full of butterflies glowing ‘oh how beautiful,’ I say, ‘what are they made of?’ my mother gives a little laugh in her throat they exchange grownup smiles I ask again ‘What are they made of?’ he shrugs, ‘Zey are butterflies,’ he says. for a fragment of time I still don’t understand I look into the drawer the colours leap and dance

holding my gaze the important rich old man opens another drawer full of dead butterflies he gestures at the contents unable to conceal his pride in those stabbing pins those tidy copperplate labels my mother is smiling, smiling what a lucky little girl you are, to be allowed to view this one of the finest private collections in the world which has taken monsieur years to build ‘Quarante ans’ he gloats I can count in French he’s been the butterfly murderer for forty years he opens yet another drawer ‘some of these are unremarkable’ ‘why did you take them?’ I ask ‘if they’re unremarkable’ hush says mother but too late he looks at me and frowns I sense he would like to spread and pin me and bury me in a hand-crafted rosewood drawer labeled ‘unremarkable English child’. I shiver with hatred I hate his stupid suit his stupid silk tie his eyes like wet slugs his tapered fingers with manicured nails ‘a surgeon’s hands’ my mother says but I see engineers of death

and then I see it these are real butterflies not hand-crafted works of art not painted paper cutouts real actual butterflies and all dead every drawer is packed thousands upon thousands spread and pinned and neatly labeled and dead I make my face smooth as the rocks on the moor where butterflies live brief lives of mysterious purpose. no-one will see me cry.

my loathing boils and overflows and suddenly I’m violently sick on his shiny tasseled shoes his Aubusson rug vomit splashes into some of the open butterfly coffins my mother fills the air with apologies her embarrassment curdles my heart. too shocked to speak, the butterfly murderer points at the door. on the way out I’m colourfully sick again this time all over a Louis Quinze tapestry chair.

Being creative

STREET PARTY ON GRANVILLE

OUTLANDER PARK

By Brentley Frazer

By Brentley Frazer The way the lonely wander in the gardens: a one legged Magpie watches from the path. A new ceremonial circle marked out with shadows and broken bottles.

Neighbourhood boys playing soldiers in the still late pm. A baby crying more dogs than usual the bang-bang you’re dead refrain breaks with a pane of glass and shouts MUM! The house across the street’s on fire!

The playground littered a bled on mattress tied-off condoms (various manifestations of plastic) evidence of a high so different than my son demands from the swings.

Five engines and the whole suburb there, held back by a teenaged policeman dressed in riot gear pretending he’s not fussed at all about the boys pointing their master-blasters in his direction. Excited chatter of neighbours and pedestrians exchanging numbers, making dates until the tenant returns home from work.

(Smile, chase away the blue.) Strange, someone running in a suit disturbs the Indian Mynas they give the Torresian crow reprieve for a moment before circling back behind the broken man crying in the ring.

Then, the exact sort-of breakdown you’d imagine, the head in hands and wails as the fireman throw a wheelbarrow through a window, hoses on the explosion of sparks gasps from the crowd and the cop standing his ground as she broke down in a heap on Granville Street.

My boy and I, we dig for spears, the ultimate treasure.

Helicopters above, the news crews arrive. Everyone watches a photographer argue for a better view, then swearing climb onto an adjacent roof.

We’ve turned up glass stoppers, pennies, Lego bricks and crystals.

The next day my toddler son and I watch a crow eat a butterfly in the ruins

We have buckets of colonial rubbish.

clothes on the line out back the only colour among the coals still smouldering.

Do you want to see your work in print? Getamungstit is seeking high quality submissions of short fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and other genres for our creative section.

Check out the Contributor Guidelines at gugcstudentguild.com.au/getamungstit for further information. 55

Colombia By Alejandra Ramirez Vidal

Colombia

How do you feel about your home? Your culture? Your identity? Alejandra Ramirez is a Colombian who has called Australia home (away from home) for the last eight years. ‘I look and sound different, (foreign, dark skinned, accent, mannerisms) and people often ask me “Where are you from?” “What are your thoughts about Australia?” The more I am asked, the more I realise the misconceptions the world has about Colombia, it’s culture and community.’ Cocaine. Pablo Escobar. Guerrillas. War. Poverty. Crime. No! This has given birth to MAVERIK STUDIO. To celebrate another side of Colombian culture. Explore the history, tribes and landscape of the place that is so close to our heart. Spirituality. Design. Art. Landscape. Culture. Community. Love. Passion. Like most developing nations, Colombia has had a dark past. Media perpetuates this painful reputation, putting a shadow over the truth. As a proud Colombian woman, Ale Ramirez seeks to

design against the stereotype. She communicates the truth through art, design, photography and business. ‘The world needs to know that we are more than our troubled past. We are more than the media image. We are more than a backdrop to pop culture film. I invite you into my heart and to see my home through my eyes. Fall in love with an honest, beautiful and strong Colombia.’ MAVERIKSTUDIO is a multi-disciplinary creative studio. There are two sides to Maverik. Firstly, we specialise in tailored creative outputs; digital services, graphic design, branding, marketing, web, photography and product management. Secondly, we import artisan products from Colombian tribes, working with the craftsman to support the financial wellbeing of their traditional way of life. Our services are varied – design, culture and community always work hand in hand in our eyes. We reconnect consumers with the makers. 57

When is the last time you knew who made your handbag? Or dress? Our products close the gap between the craftsman and consumer. Love comes before money. We like to think big but we want to do things that we love. We support two Colombian tribes – the Wayuu and the Chami Puro tribe. The Wayuu tribe, an indigenous Latin American community inhabit La Guajira

The world needs to know that we are more than our troubled past. We are more than the media image. We are more than a backdrop to pop culture film. I invite you into my heart and to see my home through my eyes. Fall in love with an honest, beautiful and strong Colombia.

Colombia By Alejandra Ramirez Vidal

Peninsula, on the border of Colombia and Venezuela. The Wayuu people have a very strong matriarchal culture. The women have the final say when it comes to cultural, religious, political, family & medical matters. The Wayuu women are responsible for passing down the traditions and cultural beliefs. Maintaining the indigenous language, beliefs and traditions in a rapidly developing world is a massive achievement for the Wayuu people. Much like the history of Indigenous Australians, the Colombian tribes have been affected by instability through decades of politics, corruption and forced displacement. The tribes of my homeland use their talents and cultural strength to grow, push forward and keep going.

The crafts they produce are a tangible celebration of culture, pride and strength. The foundation of MAVERIKSTUDIO is one of service to the community. We make money to pay the rent, but we work to be productive for our cause. Of the 86 tribes in Colombia, we are supporting two. One day we will make it to 86. On our last trip to Colombia we were fortunate enough to be invited to stay with the tribe, meet with the artists, share their stories and become a part of their families. We donated groceries, kitchen and school supplies for all 110 members of the tribe. We design for change. All our products and services are created with the goal of raising funds for those in need. We focus on the

Colombia

production and promotion of ethical products by bridging the gap between buyer and makerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; sourcing and creating only the finest handcrafted artisan products. www.maverikstudio.com.au

We design for change. All our products and services are created with the goal of raising funds for those in need. We focus on the production and promotion of ethical products by bridging the gap between buyer and makerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;sourcing and creating only the finest handcrafted artisan products.

Get the hell outta here Burleigh Brewing Co. There is no better way to enjoy beer than straight from the source. Burleigh Brewing Co. gives you the chance to do just this every Friday night at their brewhouse in Burleigh Heads. You are probably already familiar with the Burleigh Brewing Co. with beers like the 70s styled 28 Pale Ale, the mustachioed German style HEF beer, and the incredibly popular zero carb BIGHEAD. You can sample all of these favourites as well as limited release specials at the Brewhouse Bar from 5.00 pm to 8.30 pm every Friday evening as part of the brewer’s Friday Brew Jams. This is a super relaxed way to spend your Friday evening. As well as low-priced craft beer, the

Brew Jams feature a local band or artist on the Brewhouse floor and affordable dinner from a local food truck. The food truck changes most weeks with regular offerings including authentic German sausage from The Wiener Haus, scrumptious wood fired pizza from Fire’N’Dough and tasty tacos from the Siguenos truck. The brewhouse kicks it up a gear on the first Friday of every month with the Brewhouse Bash. Like every Friday it features local music and icy cold beer but the brewery puts on its own BBQ to feed the masses. The best thing about the Brewhouse Bash is that you are supporting a worthy cause. The brewer picks a local cause, club or charity each month and directs a

Get the hell outta here

portion of the proceeds from the Brewhouse Bash to that group. Burleigh Brewing co. estimates that it has donated more than $30,000 to the local community. So what are you waiting for? You can’t tell us you have something better planned for your Friday night than good music, good food and good beer? Burleigh Brewing Co. is located on Em Harley Drive (off of Reedy Creek Road) so your best transport option is to pick a designated driver and shout them some tacos. The Brewhouse Bar is closed the first Friday in January and public holidays including Good Friday. Visit the Burleigh Brewing Co. on facebook.com/BurleighBrewing for further details or to find out what’s on offer.

G E TA M UNG ST IT

ISSUE 5

‘THE GREEN EDITION’

SPROUTING WEEK 11

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