A Memorandum By Scott Yeoman
A memorandum
Memorandum [mem-uh-ran-duh m] -noun, pl. –dums, -da 1. A short note designating something to be remembered, especially something to be done or acted upon in the future; reminder.
Forget about budgets – they’re for politicians and old people – travel instead. It is not easy watching money exit your bank account, but it’s best not to think about it – at least not until you need to. The problem is, I can never seem to work out when that might be. Just over a year ago I decided the time was now. I picked up some extra part-time hours, opened up a savings account and started putting money away each week. I must say it was very responsible of me - I was growing up and so was the amount of money to my name. But that was so last week. I’ve just blown it all on a trip to Africa. Now, back to watching money leave your account and how hard it is. I’m not talking about Vodafone taking it overnight while you sleep or $11.50 disappearing every week for a gym membership you don’t use. I’m talking thousands of dollars vanishing in a matter of seconds without even so much as a “goodbye mate” or “have fun”. It’s even harder being the one pressing the “pay” button. It might as well be the “poor” button because now I’m back to making my lunches and coffees at home and going into a cold sweat every time I use my Eftpos card in a crowded place. But it was worth it for one simple reason and I think this quote sums it up perfectly:
“Give me the clear blue sky over my head, And the green turf beneath my feet, A winding road before me, And a three hours’ march to dinner.” William Hazlitt You often hear people say “well it’s the simple things in life, you know”. And I guess that’s what makes travel so damn attractive: it’s a simpler way of life. You go from place to place surviving on what money you have, picking up odd jobs if you need to keep going. You see new cultures and lifestyles and that puts your own in perspective. You see and hear beautiful sights and sounds and that leaves you feeling at peace with yourself and the world – even if it is just for an evening at a time. There are no deadlines or forward thinking, everything is now. The stresses are different, the people are different, life is different. Sure, one day you return home to find a job, pay rent, save money and make a budget but we’ve got plenty of time for that. Seeing large sums exit your bank account may be difficult and scary, but so is life, so go out and spend wisely – travel, travel, travel. I found those wise words by Hazlitt in a great little quote book under the chapter “The Joys of Travel”. It got me very excited for the end of the year. Lucky for me the chapter afterwards was “What’s the Use of Worrying?”
By Mike Ross
AUCKLAND'S GOT IT GOING ON Holy moly May seems to have gone on for forever. Not that I'm complaining: I'm loving the Comedy Fest x NZ Music Month killer combo. Here's something to remember though: it's the only time that there'll be five Wednesdays in May for another 823 years. Uh-huh, suck on that trivia. So make the most of it, there's plenty of mid-week NZ Music Month shenanigans to get amongst.
WEDNESDAY
The Nark Collective presents: She's So Rad, 1885 Britomart Each Wednesday this month TNC has been showcasing a different genre of NZ music. They've had electronica (represented by Jetski Safari), experimental (Totems), hip hop (Raiza Biza), and now comes band music with She's So Rad. These guys are groovy. Check out their "disco edit" of the Opensouls' track Dollars. Funky shizz. Or just look out for their drummer Johnny 'Long-Legs' at uni - he's a third year Communications student with, er, very long legs. Anyway, they're hitting the stage at 1885 on Wednesday and it's free. Come down for a dance and leave with a first year.
THURSDAY
Fred V & Grafix (Hospital Records), Coherent These drum and bass producers are making huge waves in the 14
www.ausm.org.nz
UK with their BBC Radio1Xtra show, and they're playing for one night only at the dirty pit of grime that is Coherent on K Road. Expect ball-busting 175bpm epic drum and bass from two of the up and comers of Hospitality Records - yep, that's the same record label that's home to Netsky. If you're into your D&B, this'll be one night not to miss out on.
Saturday
A Weird Night Out, Vic Park Markets It's always nice to see something a little bit out of the ordinary when it comes to night life in Auckland, and 'A Weird Night Out' certainly fits that bill. Held in the recently renovated Vic Park Markets, it's been organised by Nick D & Dick Johnson, two enigmatic NZ DJs in their own right, who come together to form Weird Together. Weird Together is the pair's world music/ electronica outfit that fuses DJing with live performers: think African drummers and Indonesian brass acts. There's a huge support lineup too: She's So Rad, DJ Paydirt…the list goes on. Be there. For more info about this week's events and a description of the Labour government's 1990's political agenda: www.google.com