What a Weekend!

I almost officially feel like a dead person right now. Let me provide you with an insight into the weekend I have just had, when I was considering the weekend to be a 'rest' period for the upcoming Youth Leadership Convocation in Sydney on this coming weekend being run by AIESEC Australia in conjunction with the National Board of Advice and partners.

Friday May 12th: 9am - 5pm
Worked 8 hours at a new store of the company I work for. All day on my feet. Sleep would have been a good option.
10pm to 3am
Came to the realisation I love my Regional Board as I sat up and drank goon with my State Manager and UQ LCP until 3am the morning where I had to get up at 6:30am (in 3 and a half hours) to work.

Saturday May 13th: 8am - 1pm
Worked, thats all there is to it. My job is boring so I am always watching the clock anyways, but I think i checked my watch every 3 minutes, which in a 5 hour shift = 100 times looking at my watch.
10pm - 4am
Griffith LCP had his party at my house, and what a night. I think i tacticle spewed like 7 times, never done so many goon lay backs and at the end of the night we were trying to re - ignite the shisha which was going hours before. A lot of people, got a little too out of hand. Need to give my house a rest from parties for a little bit, at least until July Conference!

Sunday I 'rested' with a shocking hangover.

Monday May 15th: 8am - 5pm
Worked again, repeat, ad nauseum.
7:30pm - 3am
QUT EB meeting which I was present at as a coach. Good meeting, I love these girls and it's good to be apart pf an LC that is rebuilding itself again. Anyway, after the meeting the jelly shots came out, so did the vodka and goon. Plenty of pizza was had. Great night and fucking hilarious.

Tuesday May 16th: 8am - 1pm
Worked again, had to be up at 6:30am. I then slept all afternoon, and here I am.

Resting again tomorrow, pub night tomorrow night and then getting 'prettied up' (ie: getting a haircut) for YLC in SYdney which I leave for on Thursday.

Pray I get some sleep, or I might be grumpy.

Azz H.

Beaconsfield

No, this is not the name of the latest follow up hit to 'Smallville' or 'Desperate Housewives'. It is a small goldmining town in Tasmania, Australia which has had worldwide attention on it for the past fourteen days as Todd Russell and Brant Webb fought for survival, 1km under the earth's surface after a rock fall. This small town is also the last place saomeone might re kindle their faith in humanity.

I woke up at 6:30am on a 'cold' Brisbane morning to get ready for work and did something I havent done in a long time, I turned the TV on to find these two men emerge from that goldmine after 14 days. To see the elation, the relief and triumph that these men had on their faces and in their body language raised two interesting issues for me, one good and one bad.

1. I wont dwell on this one, but it was almost as if these men felt as though they had 'defeated' mother nature, in the form of a rock fall which is a natural occurence and almost expected when mining, an unnatural activity to engage in with the planet is occurring. I found it interesting that these men had that mentality and reaction.

2. This is the one which hit me straight away. Within seconds of seeing these pictures, which plastered all television stations in Australia, I had tears in my eyes. The jubilation, the power of the human spirit of this town to band together, stop their lives (as if their own existence was nothing compared to these guys being given the chance to resume their lives as normal) and quit being so selfish and liberal for one monent in their lives to see that these two men, of whom not everyone would have known, return to 'the surface'.

I went to work, and the Foo Fighters new song 'No Way Back' came on the radio and the announcer said that Dave Grohl, FF Frontman would pay for both of the men to fly anywhere in the world to see them play a concert. I was like 'WTF?', I mean I have always been a fan of Dave Grohl because of his music ability but I was again, in tears. How embarassing, that an event which I had had very little to do with over the course of the two weeks was now making me cry! I have out it down to the power of the human spirit which we do not see enough of, this town banded together behind these guys, praying, cheering, wishing and hoping for them to come out safe and able to resume their lives as normal.

You know the human race has been and will in future be responsible for some pretty fucked up shit, but it is showing of human emotion and spirit that really hammers home the fact that I believe the things I believe: the human race is worth keeping around. Things such as this, plus other things like, well, Love for example, are worth saving and are worth fighting for. I hope I can look back on times like this when I am feeling a little hopeless and get back on my feet again.

Azz H.

What I am passionate about - Part One

(yes I did steal this idea from Mel Mel)

The picture to the left is the album cover of a band called Slipknot, a heavy metal band from Iowa in the United States, formed based around the fact that there are issues in the world which are really crap, and making music was their way of shouting out about it. Their music although loud, agressive and sometimes just downright offensive, has become a calling for millions of almost religious fans around the world.

This is a poster which I spent $$ on, which adorns the walls of my bedroom along with a poster of the 'Choose Life' rant that happens in the movie 'Trainspotting', a 'Green Day - American Idiot' poster, a 'System of a Down' poster, a 'Red Hot Chili Peppers Poster', and many other posters from live music events I have attended.

Why am I telling you this? Well it is only just recently that I figured out why I am such a fan of music that, on the outside does not quite fit in with my demeanour, humanitarian views or career goals. I was surprised at an AIESEC conference in Adelaide a few weeks ago that my team of Sophie, Katherine, Dariusz and some guys I have forgotten told me that they didn't pick me for a Slipknot fan. This was after I told them that the sort of music which gets me going in the mornming is music that is loud and offensive. I started to ponder why...

It wasn't until Mel Mel came to stay with me whilst our state conference in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago happened. Having one of our many long conversations about life in general (not that I dont enjoy every second of them), we got to talking about music and sort of bam, like a freight train it hit me that the reason music like this is a passion of mine, is because it is simply performed by educated young people who recognise there is some shit in this world that is not right, and their music creates awareness around these issues. These bands also know how to have fun, which is something I am also passionate about, but we'll talk about that in more detail later.

If you ever get the chance to look at my music collection, most of you will say that the music isn't fit for parties or chilling out, but on the contrary i disagree. The music on the surface is a clammer of words and loud music that clearly doesn;t make much sense, however the poetic ability of frontmen of bands such as Slipknot, Green Day, System of a Down, NoFX, All, and my favourite band Midnight Oil is pretty awesome when you actually read the lyrics. I was in a band once to try my hand at developing my poetic side, I failed, however I was able to understand why people form bands, spend loads of money trying to get somewhere and then never wanna put their microphone down when they are on stage - they have a message and they have found the people who want to hear it, and maybe, just maybe, those people hearing the message will act on it.

Azz H.

APXLDS 2006 - Philippines

Pre - Conference:

It was at this point that I asked myself if the trip to Philippines in March was worth the massive debt I was putting myself in to simply afford the conference and take another opportunity this fantastic organisation AIESEC had thrown at me...

The answer was obviously hell yes! I went to Taiwan in 2004 and thought that was huge step for me, a silly country boy who had little to no understanding of the world around me. Then i moved to Queensland and thought that was a big step - more change was afoot.


One of the most attractive things about attending this conference was being able to share it with such a bunch of talented individuals. We always say, well at least the people whom i hold dearest to me always say that we try and surround ourselves with beautiful motivating and directed people, and with this conference i surely hit the jackpot with the Australian delegation. Mel Mel, Nicky, Jess, Chloe, Aleks and Woodsy are all people who will have a place in my heart - they were there and supported me through one of the toughest times in my life: being at the crossroads in an organisation you have devoted your life to for three years before, and made me realise I have so much more to give in return for so much more benefit from the organisation.


Little did I know, as we arrived in the at first strange scenery that was Cebu, Philippines, that I was about to be inundated by people who i wanted to further be surrounded with in my future endeavours. I am not the most out there person when it comes to meeting people, and I will be the first person to tell you that the biggest hurdle I had to overcome at AP in Taiwan in 2004 was the language barrier the some people from the Asian continent have to deal with in regards to the strength of Australina english. However, the frienships I managed to make during my time in the Philippines will be for a very ling time (I wont say forever, we cant be sure of that). I guess thsi is me finally doing what I always wanted to do and hadn't had the chance to do it yet.

My Australian darlings, you all know what I think of you, so please dont slap me when I talk mainly about those abroad who made the most impact on me.

AIESEC China: One of those countries I didn't know much about before coming to the conference, howevere when I left I started making plans to get there by the end of 2006!
Vincent: You have been in Australia before, you know what we are like, after this conference I guess I am sorry I didn;t hang out with you more when I met you in 2005! I cant wait to perhaps to my CEED in UIBE, I know it will be a blast and you will be one of the most successful AIESECers to grace AIESEC China!
Amy: One of the most beautiful people I know. I have continued to speak to you since AP and you have always been so receptive to my ideas about travel to and doing AIESEC work in China, and for that I cant wait to see you again in Beijing in *fingers crossed* October or November this year, and then hope to bring you back to do a CEED in Australia.

AIESEC Japan: More fun than you can poke a stick at! I honestly loved the Japanese culture before coming to this conference (having studied it for 8 years in primary and high school), but you guys who I had a ball with learning drinking games and chants with will not be forgotten soon enough!

AIESEC U.A.E.: You guys blew me away, what can I say. Completely not what I expected from you guys. I'll admit, I was daunted at the prospect of meeting abunch of guys from Dubai, thanks for proving me wrong.
Maher: What can I say brother. You gave me a shisha! You also ave me a reminder of something which I have tried to live my life by before, you told me and showed me what it means to try new things whenever you have the possibility. I remember when everyone was trying to learn the Philipino dancing over the lng sticks, and I was sitting back being the 'photographer'. You said to me 'You have to try something.' From then on, I have tried everything. Besides our obvious love for a party, we obviously love life as much as each other.

AIESEC Philippines: What a wild ride huh. Thank you all for allowing me to party, pass out, eat, screw up the currency exchange rate and basically live a Pinoy experience!
Amy: You are the most intense ball of energy I think I have ever come across. Whenever our paths cross again, I know there will be an almost instant rapport there, just like when me met this time around.
Ces: What can I say dude. I have always been of the opinion that good things come in small packages, and from the first day I met you at the ferry terminal, and you first screamed for everyone's attention I became aware of your presence. It was fantastic to be around you, but I wont go too far because i left a comment on your blog!
Gladys: Probably the most polite person I have ever met, you were such a help to us and a reason us Aussies got comfortable in the Philippines very early on in our veulnerable stage in the Philippines.
JM: You party animal. I am upset I didn't get to know you better in 2004 when you facilitated, however it only makes me want you to come to Australia even more! Come and party with us down here, if not, I hope to see you in October.

AIESEC Bangladesh: You cynical yet fun loving bastards! Loved the chats, the parties, the beers, the weng weng's!
Adeet: I remember our chat the night before the conference at that random bar where we first had weng weng's. You were basically in the same position as an LCP when I became an LCP, and I understood all of your concerns! I hope your time is going swimmingly. I would love to hear about it, I can only say your head seemed a lot more screwed on than mine did when i was entering into the challenge you are currently dealing with.
Eshad: You jolly man. Loved the random chats during connection time, parties, lunches and sessions. It was fantastic and thank you for giving me insight into the way AIESEC Bangladesh works, and the country itself!

AIESEC U.S.A.: You guys were the last people I expected to meet at an AP conference, but am I damn glad you were there! Thnaks for partying with us, bitching about our respective countries etc etc.
Pinar: Man I remember the wild turkey, the party in Woodsy's room and the general shenanigans, as well as the talks about US AIESEC politics. I am gonna cherish those moments for a while, thanks for being there!
Sara: What can I sau dude. You've made an impression thats for sure. I'l try my best to get to Madison for Halloween one day, whether it's this year or the next or the next... One things for sure, I will be trying my hardest to get you down here as well!

Anyone I have forgotten, I am sorry. I hope I have communicated somehow what you mean to me. My travel party of Jess, Aleks and Nicky will know, I got corny and said I couldn't imagine a better bunch of people to travel and experience it with. I meant it but it would have been nice to travel with you all back to Australia. At least we had APXLDS to experience together. I am glad I have communicated this, because this conference has been instrumental in findning out what I want to do with the next stage of my AIESEC XP, and those who continue in AIESEC beyond this year, will be hearing my name a lot more *fingers crossed*.

Signing off for now, a re - energise, motivated and feeling very loved...

Azz H.

CITYCATS
This is a CityCat. One of my favourite things to do is stand out on the front deck 'with the wind in my hair' and basically swallow the bugs haha! It is an interesting way to travel to university and the city, people keep telling me I will get sick of it or the novelty will wear off, after three months I am still waiting for that to happen.

BRISBANE - City Without Trams

As most people know, I was born in Victoria, schooled in Adelaide and now I live in Brisbane to 'finish', or is that continue, my university degree. In Adelaide, South Australia we are proud of these new fancy trams that replaced older versions just recently. I have been to Melbourne and Sydney and seen their versions of trams as well (basically Adelaide was catching up to these capital cities as far as quality of public transport goes), and now I am in Brisbane and not a tram in sight. I am not saying that when i was in Adelaide all i caught was trams places, however i did not expect to live in Brisbane and have my major form of transport being a high powered mini catamaran they call a 'CityCat', run by the Brisbane City Council from one end of the city part of the Brisbane River to the other, Bretts' Wharf to the University of Queensland to be precise. This ferry - like vessel takes me from home to uni in 15 minutes for $2.50 return. It is one of the most unique and awesome things about living in Brisbane, besides the cheap pubs, abundance of pubs and awesome people. Their sporting teams kind of suck at the moment though. I still hold true to my beloved Adelaide Crows, the Australian Rules Football team that everyone wrote off last year as a bunch of misfits who couldn't even kick a football who finished third in the national compettition. Anyhoo, point is I am a Brisbanite now. I have been here for nearly 3 months (got here on February 8th from memory) on a $99 flight and well, I probably wont be here for much longer than a year but lets just say, besides the lack of trams Brisbane is an awesome place.

WELCOME

Hello everyone. As some of you may or may not know my name is Aaron Hicks but for the past 4 years i have been affectionately (at least i would like to think anyway) as Azz, hence the address of my blog.


What will you find here? I have a habit of getting very corny as those who are closest to me will tell you, and this is an opportunity for me to get corny about memories in this strange thing we call my life.

I doubt you will see my opinions on a lot of things that are externally relevant, this is merely a place for me to store memories which i may be too intoxicated to recall, and hopefully a place for those who experienced such memories with me to reminisce and stay in touch and updated.


So, thats about it. I'll try and update as much as possible but no promises.


Azz H.