the blank notebook

unaddressed stories of miranda ryan

Four Simple Steps to Win the triple j Hottest 100

Posted on January 27, 2013 by the blank notebook

So you’re a band/musician/producer and you’re bummed you didn’t win the triple j Hottest 100 yesterday? There, there, it’s ok. To help with your Sunday blues I’ve performed some critical analysis* and conducted some focus group discussions** to come up with the perfect formula to win this thing.

1. Get your song played across a number of commercial stations as well triple j

As much as many triple j listeners would pride themselves on the fact they don’t listen to commercial radio, others do. Continue reading →

The Do’s and Don’ts of Backpacking Packing

Posted on January 20, 2013 by the blank notebook

It’s been a few years since I bought a one-way ticket to a new continent, strapped on my large backpack, and went exploring. *sigh* While this makes me sad, I thought I’d pass on some of the things I’d learned about how to pack your backpack.

Packing

Don’t take more than 15kgs: You’ll really feel those extra kilos when you’ve arrived in Lisbon with no accommodation and are schlepping to the third floor of ten different pensions looking for a room (definitely earned my Portuguese tart that day). Also some of the cheaper airlines have a 15kg limit on checked baggage with hefty fines if you inch over this weight ( and there are only so many pairs of pants you can wear at one time). Continue reading →