Italy-Florence

Now, I’ve just realised that I probably haven’t done much to explain just how great it is to travel outside of New Zealand. And I’ve also realised that I sound like a bit of a snob because it’s not exactly a ordable to travel outside of New Zealand. I’m going to continue to sound like that because I’m going to list other places I’ve been to give a sneak peak into more Tales from Overseas.

Italy: Florence is the G.O.A.T. and I would sell my kidney on the black market to go back. Rome and the Vatican City (which is its own country, I KNOW) are pretty cool because of all the architecture, but Miss Flo takes the win.

ailand: Phuket is great for a nice beachy holiday. Expect to see many Aussies.

Australia: Brisbane doesn’t count as a holiday because I lived there, but it’s pretty chill. I mean, excluding all the things that could kill you… (it’s also great to live in Australia because concerts actually happen there).

Holland: Amsterdam was mean as, but I was 13 so I didn’t get the hype about people going there for weed. Still dope though, and I had the world’s best cookie hehe (it wasn’t an edible mum I swear).

Spain: Madrid was amazing. My dad accidentally le one of our bags in a bar, but the owner kept it safe for us! Ups to you dad, and to you random bar owner.

UAE: Again, I lived there, but it’s pretty cool. I mean, everyone knows Dubai is cool, but Abu Dhabi is pretty chill too. Dubai Sevens is a must go.

And there you have it folks, I can’t think of anything else to say. What I will reiterate is that travelling outside of New Zealand is really important for you. Experiencing such diverse cultures is truly eye opening. I genuinely believe that while our beautiful country is a great place to live (if you can get past how expensive it can be), exploring the world is the greatest gi I’ve ever received, and I can’t wait to travel more. So, do yourself a favour; when given the opportunity, as scary as it might be, take it. Don’t live with regrets.

Growing up kinda sucks, man. I’m already well immersed in my first year of flatting which has really given me a proverbial kick up the proverbial ass. And dude, has it left a bit of a bruise as well. It’s a huge adjustment to a life where getting a meal was a simpler process, gas and electricity was all inclusive, and I didn’t have to struggle to make every single piece of furniture I own from a bloody Kmart flatpack. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that big a deal, I know. We all do. But at the moment, all of these little changes are really beginning to have a go at me. But ultimately, it’s great. I’m growing up. So that’s where we’re at today: making adjustments and being a little uncomfortable. Pull up a seat and sit down with me my child, let’s talk about life.

Now, this is going to sound really obvious but don’t stop reading just yet; the biggest adjustments in our life comes from moving away from what is most comfortable. It’s called your comfort zone and it’s your worst freakin’ enemy. It’s like wearing Crocs: eventually you’ve gotta take them off if you’re ever wanting to be taken seriously. If I’m going to be a bit more to the point here, you’re not going to grow when you’re comfortable. So, before this sounds like a crappy and prolonged motivational speech, let me tell you about where this recently applied to me.

Hamilton isn’t necessarily the destination of choice for many Cantabrians like me. This phenomenon is often seen as deriving from the belief that people from Cantebrury are close minded to everything else apart from the south. Almost like a superiority complex founded in being better at rugby than everyone else. While true, many of us do venture off to the North for a higher education but very rarely do we pass the capital city. This may describe the confused looks when I told my parents, wider family, teachers, friends, and kind old ladies at work my decision to venture off towards the Mighty Waikato. “Where?”

“Are you sure?” “Is Hamilton even a real place?” I may have made that last question up, but the point still remains the same. I knew nobody here and had never even visited the city itself. Let alone the campus. What was an uneducated and almost blind decision to those around me was one that made perfect sense to me. I needed to get away from what was comfortable. Despite me shaking, before I moved, like an old man when he hears you say Aotearoa instead of New Zealand, it is slowly becoming one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Now, it’s a guarantee that you have had a similar experience of growth as a result of adjustments. Many of you reading this will likely have had braver plunges into growth than myself. If we think about those moments, they often precede great success. It’s not a coincidence. In fact, it’s far from.

My question is, why not live outside of the old comfort zone a little more often? While uncomfortable and awkward (a lot like your first kiss), it will end up changing the trajectory of your life (a lot like your first kiss). See, we as humans enjoy being cosy and content in all aspects of life: we buy cars so we don’t have to walk and buy Maccas so we don’t have to cook. Comfort is what is sometimes needed. Sometimes. I’m not saying you need to be that weird kid who runs everywhere they go or the next Gordon Ramsey, but I am saying you need to start pushing your boat out away from the dock a little bit more. Man, this is becoming a sermon again. Let’s go to another story.

My Dad was told he was one of Sumner Cricket club’s most reliable players. Sir Richard Hadlee is regarded as one of the best cricket bowlers the world has ever seen. My Dad was named best fielder for the Sumner Cricket Club. Sir

Richard Hadlee had an illustrious career which saw him become the first cricketer to ever reach 400 test wickets. He retired from professional cricket as a legend. Unfortunately, for my Dad, Richard Hadlee did not retire from cricket altogether and was beside himself when he saw old Richie rock up to Sumner Cricket Grounds in his gear for the opposing team. Unsurprisingly, Hadlee was bowling and made a team full of grown men come close to tears when he got the first two batsmen out within the first three overs. No one wanted to go out and bat next. My Dad, normally the last on the order, padded up and went out. Although this was his dream scenario, he was still downright terrified. To this day he describes to me what happened next with complete clarity, almost as if he’s right there. Legs trembling with fear and sweat visually dripping down from his helmet, he saw Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand’s greatest bowler, running down towards him. The ball approached him and he swung as what he describes as “nothing”. He hit him for 6.

Now what would make this wholesome anecdote a whole lot more wholesome was if I told you he scored a century or got called up to the national squad or something. But, he actually got out the next ball. That’s not the point of the story though. My Dad demonstrating to Hadlee who daddy truly is showed me that all that is needed is just a swing. A swing no matter how uncomfortable and scared it makes you as it will eventually turn into a 6.

I’m sure you’ve got the message but I’ll repeat it once more for clarity: live outside your comfort zone. That’s not to say that you can’t return there for a rest but making those adjustments will truly alter your life. Trust me. Be like my Dad and just give it a swing.

This week, I had the distinct pleasure of immersing myself into the mind and life of Daniel O’Rourke–a man whose legend precedes him. But going into the patapātai without any preconceived ideas meant that I could be straight up and just chat major shit. Mission accomplished.

Jak: Tell me about your vibe bro, how do you explain yourself?

Daniel: Oh shit. I guess my vibe is kinda goofy. It’s sort of just what you see is what you get aye?

Jak: So then if I asked what your vibe is as an artist, would you say it’s the same? How’d you get into music?

Daniel: I like to think that my sound is more serious than I am, but it’s all me. I feel like I kinda stumbled up a series of staircases going up and down and up and down. I listen to a lot of Ben Howard and John Martyn–not that I derive my sound from there, but I fuck with their stuff. They tickle my music box.

It all sort of started in lockdown and has just gone from there. I wouldn’t say that I still draw inspiration from lockdown, or at least it doesn’t influence my work. It all sort of feels vague and shapeless.

Jak: What would you say are your goals and aspirations as an artist? Do you have an end goal here?

Daniel: I wish I could say that I did have a goal. Though I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to be self-funded and able to live solely on my work but that’s sort of unrealistic. In a way I think a lot of musicians’ backgrounds, when they get started, is fame and fortune right. Currently I’m working with a few locals on recording some stuff and just continuing my gigs.

Jak: Can’t help but mention the name, Rust Red Shed, is there something behind that?

Daniel: Well it’s honestly just an instagram handle. But I grew up on a farm and all the sheds were painted in the same colour, Rust Red. It’s just a nostalgia thing.

Jak: Standard question, if you had to have anyone open for you– who would you have?

Daniel: I wouldn’t really want to be the main act. I’d honestly love to open for Ben Howard. Oh shit, original woodstock. That would be so fucking amazing.

Jak: Explain to me your sound without using sound terms.

Daniel: Okay–Timber box made of dark wood. It’s been left in the sun so it’s opened up. With a cone piece. Jak: Who are some locals that you’re vibing with that you think we should be too?

Daniel:

- Rat Cafe – Very sweet boys

- Love going to open mics

- Nadia Reed

- Albi and the Wolves

- Looking for Alaska

Jak: Finally, if you had to use a high school superlative to explain yourself, what would it be?

Daniel: Most likely to not shut the fuck up.

Royal family member

As far as queens go, she’s not high on my list. I mean, aren’t queens supposed to rule and stuff ? When did she ever do any ruling? She never organised any executions to my knowledge, and she certainly never declared war on anyone (publicly, at least). And also, what’s going on with those corgis? We have no clue what’s going on behind closed doors! I reckon they’re little butlers, serving drinks and dusting furniture but that’s just me.

According to Wikipedia.com, Elizabeth II’s life was BORING AS SHIT. I mean, given the state of the Royal Family over the last couple of decades (magazine fodder and eventually audiobook fodder) it isn’t surprising that her royal engagements didn’t extend past just hitting the town in fun outfits and sitting in cars waving at commoners. If that was my bare minimum in life I would probably just stick with it. Why should she change the system when it benefits her?

That being said, being known to that extent has to have some effect on someone, right? Being on all the coins everywhere would inflate my ego a touch. I guess we never got that much of an insight into how she thought. If she wasn’t actually well adjusted and healthy minded then it’s not like they would let us know that, that’s the queen we’re talking about! She has so much power, right? If she wanted to make a change, she could totally do that, right? The thing is, we’ll never know. She could’ve just decided not to make any change and to follow the system of monarchy as the rules state, or she could have tried to make change but it got covered up, or possibly she could have but was told not to by the adrenochrome-drinking illuminati overlords that rule over the palace. Like I said, any of these are equally possible, but we will never know for sure.

There’s always the possibility that everything was as it seems in the Royal Fam (y’know, weird and incestuous but overall chill) and that Lizzy was well-adjusted and fun. There is that story about her calling that kiwi farmer every once in a while just to catch up. As it turns out, her majesty was a cow enjoyer, and after she purchased a few bulls off of him they kept in touch (turns out she has liking cows and fucking her cousin in common with us Kiwis). And yeah, there was that one time she yarned with CGI Paddington which was pretty cool.

When people are born into royalty, can we really blame them when they just sorta hang out for their whole life? IDRK man. All we can do is just hope they aren’t crazy or *ahem* TOO revolutionary. There’s a line. Maybe the new guy will bring something new to the party. And also, everyone would say “even the queen farts” to dispel the awkwardness of an incongruous poot, but now that it’s a king how is that going to work? I personally think that we should switch the saying from dispelling the awkward poots to dispelling the awkwardness of pant-shitting. Pant-shitting in today’s society is much more frowned upon, and I think we should use this opportunity to lift the stigma. So everyone, I implore you, the next time you crap ya

I think I’ll start this by telling everyone to get fucked. Why were so many of you in town on Friday? How much did you spend on those tickets to see what’s-his-name? Like seriously, you made my life so much harder. And it was bloody raining? Honestly, you could have all just stayed home and played the same songs from your phones. But no, you decided to go to town to listen to the same tracks that play every damn weekend.

Okay, this isn’t me hating on you (it totally is), and I think it’s great that so many of you decided to do something fun (was it really?) with your mates. And for the freshers, I genuinely hope you guys had a great Friday experience of Hamilton town. However, that does not mean it was fun for ME.

If you can’t tell already, I’m just going to keep complaining for no reason at all (fucking hell, I sound like such a pick me). I think town actually looked pretty alright, but from the outside, it’s terrible. It was fucking freezing, it kept raining, and

I really needed to pee. Also, do you realise how hard it is to understand and talk to a drunk person? It’s funny, I’ll admit that, however after a while I started to wonder how much more fun it would have been to swan dive off of a really tall building.

Despite all the negatives, I will say that all of you were not the problem. You guys were actually super nice and very grateful which was cool to see, so I suppose I take back the “get fucked”. Shout out to all of you who took the bus. I’m mostly just complaining about everything else. I shouldn’t though, I only worked one night and now I’m acting like it’s the end of the world (it sure felt like it).

I will say the highlight of my night was when I played OMG by NewJeans and some chick was vibing to it in her car. At least, I think she was. There is definitely a chance she was either just judging my music choice or vibing to her own. I guess I’ll never know.

Straight-up premium burgers in your neighbourhood ~ simple & fast.

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